বুধবার, ৩১ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

Hurricane Sandy: Latest hurdle in Romney's long slog of a campaign

On Monday, as hurricane Sandy slammed the East Coast, Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney took a step back from what has been a long, tough journey on the campaign trail.?

By Steve Holland,?Reuters / October 29, 2012

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney pauses while speaking at a campaign rally in Davenport, Iowa Monday. The Romney campaign has cancelled some events in light of Hurricane Sandy.

Brian Snyder/Reuters

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Republican presidential candidate?Mitt Romney?was about to go on stage in?Ohio?on Monday when he decided to abruptly shift the tone of his campaign given the potentially lethal impact of Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast.

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With the storm bearing down, Romney canceled campaign events scheduled for Monday and Tuesday in?Wisconsin,?Iowa?and?Florida. Running mate?Paul Ryan?and Romney's wife, Ann, also stepped back from campaigning.

Romney instead adopted a feel-your-pain stance, taking time to talk up Americans' hardy can-do spirit in the face of uncertain odds. He urged people to donate to the?Red Cross.

After deliberating by conference call with senior advisers - some of them traveling with Ryan and?Ann Romney?in several states - it was an easy call to make, aides said.

"We canceled the events out of sensitivity for the millions of people facing hardship because of the hurricane," said senior adviser?Eric Fehrnstrom.

The hurricane was the latest twist in Romney's second White House bid. Before taking on President?Barack Obama?in the general election campaign, Romney spent months in a bruising Republican primary fight in which he was rarely in the lead until near the end.

The former governor of?Massachusetts?appeared to have the momentum in the final lap of the presidential race, climbing in polls after recovering from the September release of a secretly recorded video in which he said 47 percent of Americans were dependent on government help.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/h_MypN0jMfU/Hurricane-Sandy-Latest-hurdle-in-Romney-s-long-slog-of-a-campaign

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শনিবার, ২৭ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

Rihanna's former home gets flipped

Zillow

Rihanna's Beverly Hills home sold last year for $5.03 million. Now, the renovated home is back on the market with a new price of $9.95 million.

By Erika Riggs, Zillow

This week in celebrity real estate we?re taking a look at a resale, a purchase and quick sale. Rihanna?s former water-damaged home is back on the market as a resale, Alicia Keys bought a mansion from comedian Eddie Murphy and Real Housewives? Adrienne Maloof sold her home in a month.

Rihanna's former home flipped back on the market
When Rihanna sold her home last year, it wasn't because she had grown tired of it or was looking for something bigger. The R&B diva was in the middle of several lawsuits claiming that her new modern pad was poorly constructed and resulted in water damage to the home when she listed it as a short sale for?$4.5 million.

Zillow

The kitchen in Rihanna' former Beverly Hills home has dual islands, espresso cabinets, granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances.

Zillow

One of the seven bedrooms in the Beverly Hills home.

Listed in November 2011, the home is located at 9152 Janice Place, Beverly Hills, and sold just a month later for $5.03 million. Apparently the new owner saw an opportunity when he looked at the property; a year later the home is back on the market with a brand new price of $9.95 million and a brand new renovation.

The listing speaks to Rihanna's previous ownership, stating the home was "tailor-made for an A-List celebrity." Secluded and gated, the Beverly Glen-area home sits on a promenade with views of the Los Angeles skyline below.

Alicia Keys in contract to buy Eddie Murphy's Englewood estate
Celebrity-approved homes are definitely a niche in the housing market, which is why most stars choose to buy from each other.

Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys and her husband, hip-hop star Swizz Beatz, are reportedly interested in Eddie Murphy's Englewood, N.J., home.

Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys is particularly fond of this home-shopping method. She bought a Manhattan penthouse from Lenny Kravitz, and now rumor has it that Keys and her husband, hip-hop star Swizz Beatz, are in contract to buy Eddie Murphy?s Englewood, N.J., home, according to the NY Daily News.

Keys listed her slick SoHo apartment in March for $17.95 million. Apparently all the glass and floating staircase didn?t make a great setting for her nearly 2-year-old son.

A gated, brick estate appears to be the answer for the little family. Sitting on nearly 4 acres on a quiet street, the home is both a suburban retreat and a quick drive to New York; it?s only a few minutes away from the George Washington Bridge.

The 13,076-square-foot home in Englewood?s East Hill area has 7 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms. A circular drive leads to the front of the Georgian-style home, marked by grand columns. Inside, the home has a pool, bowling alley, racquetball court, art deco movie theater and a professional recording studio. Other amenities include a five-car garage, gym, tennis court and ?imaginative playground.?

Murphy has been trying to sell the home for quite some time, listing it first for $30 million, then dropping the price to $19 million in 2007 and most recently to $15.9 million in early 2010. The home is not currently MLS-listed, but according to the Daily News, Keys will spend about $12 million on the estate.

Adrienne Maloof's home sells in a month for $20 million
With the housing market heating up, selling a home in a month is becoming more feasible. But selling a mansion in a month, especially one priced at $26 million, is quite the feat ? even in Beverly Glen.

Zillow

"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Adrienne Maloof's home went on the market in mid-September and reportedly already has a buyer.

?Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? star Adrienne Maloof?s home hit the market in mid-September, and just about 30 days later, the home has secured a buyer, according Los Angeles real estate brokerage The Agency.

But what?s the secret to the quick sale?

Having a strategy that works, says Mauricio Umansky, the listing agent for the property.

?A sale like this is exactly what The Agency excels at,? Umansky said. ?There are very few properties on the market like this one, as well as a limited number of buyers capable of purchasing a home like this, and we pride ourselves at being able to connect the two.?

Of course, all the high-end amenities don?t hurt, either.

The Richard Landry-designed manse sits in the gated neighborhood of Beverly Park on 2 acres of ?beautifully manicured grounds.? Built in 2000, the home has 8 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, grand living spaces, as well as a wine cellar, tiered movie theater, tennis court, swimming pool and both pool and guest houses.

More business news:

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Source: http://bottomline.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/26/14723972-rihannas-former-home-gets-flipped-alicia-keys-likes-eddie-murphys-mansion?lite

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শুক্রবার, ২৬ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

USF researchers identify gene mutation linked to old age hearing loss

USF researchers identify gene mutation linked to old age hearing loss [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Vickie Chachere
vchachere@usf.edu
813-974-6251
University of South Florida (USF Health)

Discovery will help aid prevention measures for ailment that affects 30 million Americans

TAMPA, Fla. (Oct. 25, 2012) - University of South Florida researchers have identified a genetic biomarker for age-related hearing loss, a major breakthrough in understanding and preventing a condition of aging that affects 30 million Americans and greatly diminishes their quality of life.

In a nine-year study that was a collaboration between USF's Global Center for Hearing & Speech Research and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology, researchers were able to identify the first genetic biomarker for presbycusis. The genetic mutation carried by those who ultimately suffer from age-related hearing loss is linked to speech processing abilities in older people.

Their findings are published in the journal Hearing Research. The study was authored by USF College of Engineering professors Robert Frisina Jr. and Robert Frisina Sr., the founders of the Global Center for Hearing & Speech Research, and David Eddins, a USF associate professor of communication sciences and disorders and chemical and biological engineering.

In collaboration with the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles, the researchers discovered a gene that produces a key protein in the inner ear the cochlea called glutamate receptor metabotropic 7 (GRM7). The GRM7 protein is intimately involved in converting sound into the code of the nervous system, in the cochlea, which is then sent to the parts of the brain used for hearing and speech processing.

Now having identified the gene, the researchers said people can be tested and takes steps earlier in life such as avoiding loud noises, wearing ear protection and avoiding certain medicines known to damage hearing to protect their hearing.

"This gene is the first genetic biomarker for human age related hearing loss, meaning if you had certain configurations of this gene you would know that you are probably going to lose your hearing faster than someone who might have another configuration," said Robert Frisina Jr.

The Frisinas launched their study of genetics' role in hearing loss nine years ago in hopes of identifying the cause of one of the most common forms of permanent hearing loss. Clinically, age-related hearing loss has been defined as a progressive loss of sensitivity to sound, starting at the high frequencies, inability to understand speech, the lengthening of the minimum discernable temporal gap in sounds, and a decrease in the ability to filter out background noise. Researchers now know the causes of presbycusis are likely a combination of multiple environmental and genetic factors.

"Age-related hearing loss is a very prevalent problem in our society. It costs billions of dollars every year to manage and deal with it. It's right up there with heart disease and arthritis as far as being one of the top three chronic medical conditions of the aged," said Robert Frisina Jr.

DNA analyses were conducted and completed at the University of Rochester Medical School and the Rochester Institute of Technology.

The study involved 687 people who underwent three hours of extensive examination of their hearing capabilities, including genetic analyses and testing of speech processing.

Interestingly, the gene mutation played out differently in women than in men, the researchers found. While the variation had a negative impact for men, it did the opposite for women, who actually had better than average hearing in their elder years. That discovery supports a 2006 finding by the Frisina research group that the hormone aldosterone plays a role in hearing capabilities.

###

The University of South Florida is a high-impact, global research system dedicated to student success. The USF System includes three institutions: USF Tampa; USF St. Petersburg; and USF Sarasota-Manatee. The institutions are separately accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. All institutions have distinct missions and their own detailed strategic plans. Serving more than 47,000 students, the USF System has an annual budget of $1.5 billion and an annual economic impact of $3.7 billion. USF is a member of the Big East Athletic Conference.



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

?


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


USF researchers identify gene mutation linked to old age hearing loss [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Vickie Chachere
vchachere@usf.edu
813-974-6251
University of South Florida (USF Health)

Discovery will help aid prevention measures for ailment that affects 30 million Americans

TAMPA, Fla. (Oct. 25, 2012) - University of South Florida researchers have identified a genetic biomarker for age-related hearing loss, a major breakthrough in understanding and preventing a condition of aging that affects 30 million Americans and greatly diminishes their quality of life.

In a nine-year study that was a collaboration between USF's Global Center for Hearing & Speech Research and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology, researchers were able to identify the first genetic biomarker for presbycusis. The genetic mutation carried by those who ultimately suffer from age-related hearing loss is linked to speech processing abilities in older people.

Their findings are published in the journal Hearing Research. The study was authored by USF College of Engineering professors Robert Frisina Jr. and Robert Frisina Sr., the founders of the Global Center for Hearing & Speech Research, and David Eddins, a USF associate professor of communication sciences and disorders and chemical and biological engineering.

In collaboration with the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles, the researchers discovered a gene that produces a key protein in the inner ear the cochlea called glutamate receptor metabotropic 7 (GRM7). The GRM7 protein is intimately involved in converting sound into the code of the nervous system, in the cochlea, which is then sent to the parts of the brain used for hearing and speech processing.

Now having identified the gene, the researchers said people can be tested and takes steps earlier in life such as avoiding loud noises, wearing ear protection and avoiding certain medicines known to damage hearing to protect their hearing.

"This gene is the first genetic biomarker for human age related hearing loss, meaning if you had certain configurations of this gene you would know that you are probably going to lose your hearing faster than someone who might have another configuration," said Robert Frisina Jr.

The Frisinas launched their study of genetics' role in hearing loss nine years ago in hopes of identifying the cause of one of the most common forms of permanent hearing loss. Clinically, age-related hearing loss has been defined as a progressive loss of sensitivity to sound, starting at the high frequencies, inability to understand speech, the lengthening of the minimum discernable temporal gap in sounds, and a decrease in the ability to filter out background noise. Researchers now know the causes of presbycusis are likely a combination of multiple environmental and genetic factors.

"Age-related hearing loss is a very prevalent problem in our society. It costs billions of dollars every year to manage and deal with it. It's right up there with heart disease and arthritis as far as being one of the top three chronic medical conditions of the aged," said Robert Frisina Jr.

DNA analyses were conducted and completed at the University of Rochester Medical School and the Rochester Institute of Technology.

The study involved 687 people who underwent three hours of extensive examination of their hearing capabilities, including genetic analyses and testing of speech processing.

Interestingly, the gene mutation played out differently in women than in men, the researchers found. While the variation had a negative impact for men, it did the opposite for women, who actually had better than average hearing in their elder years. That discovery supports a 2006 finding by the Frisina research group that the hormone aldosterone plays a role in hearing capabilities.

###

The University of South Florida is a high-impact, global research system dedicated to student success. The USF System includes three institutions: USF Tampa; USF St. Petersburg; and USF Sarasota-Manatee. The institutions are separately accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. All institutions have distinct missions and their own detailed strategic plans. Serving more than 47,000 students, the USF System has an annual budget of $1.5 billion and an annual economic impact of $3.7 billion. USF is a member of the Big East Athletic Conference.



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

?


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


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/uosf-uri102512.php

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Deal of the Day: Save 47% on the Seidio SURFACE Case for iPhone 5!

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/2e236Yg62Nw/story01.htm

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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৫ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

Bettman says full season 'not going to be reality'

NEW YORK (AP) ? NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says it looks like a full-82 game schedule "is not going to be a reality," as the lockout nears its seventh week.

Speaking at a news conference Wednesday announcing the New York Islanders' move from Nassau Coliseum to Brooklyn's Barclays Center in 2015, Bettman seemed resigned to looking at a shortened season with the NHL and the players' association still at odds after months of negotiations.

Bettman stated, in making the NHL's most recent offer, that a deal needed to be in place by Thursday for the season to begin on Nov. 2 and allow for each team to play a full 82-game slate. With no negotiations scheduled, reaching a deal in one day appears very unlikely.

"The fact of the matter is there are just sometimes that you need to take time off because it's clear that you can't do anything to move the process forward," Bettman said. "We're at one of those points right now because we gave our very best offer. That offer, for better or for worse, was contingent on playing an 82-game season. So I think things actually in some respects may get more difficult."

The players' association reached out to the NHL on Tuesday night in an attempt to set up a face-to-face bargaining session on Wednesday, but the league declined. The NHL's position is if the union isn't willing to talk about the league's offer that is on the table and isn't prepared to make a new proposal of its own riffing off that offer, there is no reason to talk.

"There seems to be no interest in making any sort of deal along the lines of what we have expressed a desire and a need for," Bettman said. "Sometimes in collective bargaining you have to take a deep breath before you can move forward."

The union wants anything and everything open for discussion. Bettman wouldn't agree to those terms, so the hockey season remains in peril.

A partial season is still a possibility, and the NHL hasn't called off any marquee events such as the outdoor Winter Classic on New Year's Day or the All-Star game.

But at some point a deal will have to be made to get the players back on the ice.

"Sure, you can play an abbreviated season. I would rather play a full season, and I am sure our fans would rather we play a full season," Bettman said. "That's why we made the offer we did. That was our fourth offer against really one offer from the union in all the time that we've been negotiating from the summer. We very much want to play and we're very disappointed that we're not."

Following a conference call held by the union's executive board on Tuesday night, the players' association informed the NHL it was willing to meet on Wednesday "or any other date, without preconditions, to try to reach an agreement," the union said in a statement.

The NHL's response wasn't what the players' association had hoped to hear.

"We said to them that we are prepared to meet if you want to discuss our offer or you want to make a new offer," Bettman said. "They have no inclination in doing either, and so there really was no point in meeting at this point."

The sides haven't met since the league turned down three counterproposals from the union last Thursday, two days after the NHL's offer that included a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenue.

"The league is apparently unwilling to meet," NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr said in a statement. "That is unfortunate, as it is hard to make progress without talking."

There is a major divide between the sides over how to deal with existing player contracts. The union wants to ensure that those are all paid in full without affecting future player contracts.

Bettman refused to say whether the 50-50 split in the NHL's most recent offer would come off the table if a full season isn't played.

"I'm not going to negotiate publicly," he said.

This is the third lockout of Bettman's tenure. The stoppage began on Sept. 16.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bettman-says-full-season-not-going-reality-182543819--nhl.html

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How VOIP Services are Re-Inventing Our Methods of Communication

Voice Over Internet Protocol, commonly known as VoIP, is a medium of communication for modern businesses. It is among the many communication mediums that have experienced growth in recent years across the globe. VoIP allows your voice (analog signals in VoIP language) to get converted into digital signals, which are then instantly transmitted to the person with whom you are communicating or want to communicate. Of course, Internet facility can only help to transmit digital signals from one place to another.

A reverse mechanism always takes place, just before the digital signals reach the earpiece, which converts the digital signals into sound or audible frequency. The sound allows the recipient to hear what the other person is saying and any other voices (mostly from surroundings) that have been transmitted and converted. VoIP service enables the user to call from their personal computer, regular phone instrument and/or a VoIP phone. All these services from VoIP are also accessible wirelessly by customers worldwide.

VoIP ? Re-shaping communications

The world of today has experienced a revolution in its communicational norms thanks to VoIP. VoIP is undoubtedly one of the most important communication inventions of this century, it will continue to modernize and simplify the communicational barriers faced by the world of today.
It isn?t an exaggeration to say that the contributions of VoIP technology have helped make the earth a global village. The internet has become the central utility in inter-linking different parts of the world.

Ultra advanced technology

The technology offered by VoIP is resourceful, sophisticated and continually advancing. The commitment of VoIP networks to enhance their technology has allowed them to feature three broad ways of servicing. All of the three are crucial for online communications in both audio and video mediums. However, you are not obligated to use all three and may benefit from the one that suits your needs the most.

All VoIP services can be accessed and utilized in any place that has an internet connection. The different parts are as follows:

Analog Telephone Adaptor (ATA): This is a device that allows IP telephony to function. This device is used ten times more than any other IP telephony device, all over the globe. ATA helps the user in getting their regular phone instrument connected to their personal computers or Internet connection so that VoIP can be easily used. This exceptional device is scientifically developed and designed to convert analog signals into digital ones. The best part is that the conversion speed is amazingly fast. The Analog Telephone Adaptor instrument acquires and converts each analog signal, via a regular telephone instrument, into digital data. This digital data is fully able and ready to be transmitted across the internet.

IP Phone: IP Phones are instruments that are quite different from the everyday landline or cordless phones we use for residential and commercial purposes. The major disparity is the use of RJ45 Ethernet connectors, while the normal telephone instruments use RJ11. With IP Phones, the user is allowed to connect his or her phone directly to the router. This type of handset is needed to answer an IP call.

Communicating with other Computers: Enabling communication between two computers is the simplest of services VoIP systems offer. No extra charges are billed to the customer if they call distant places. Only a few essentials are necessary in order to start making and receiving calls. The service is easy to use as it only requires the user to have a headset (with microphone), sound card and obviously a simple Internet connection. It is recommended that you use a fast-speed Internet connection to enjoy the high quality calling experience. However, a medium-paced connection would also work. Slower connections sometimes make you face delays and deliver a decreased level of quality.

VoIP also offers a few add-on services that help you increase your calling experience which are also offered free, such as:

Caller ID
Call Forward
Call Waiting
Conference Calls
Call Transfer

?

Voice Termination ? an insight

Hundreds of communication providers today offer support to their clients through fully-fledge help desk services. Help desk services are mostly available 24/7, but are not yet fully reliable. Clients are often found complaining about no answers from the help desk and even at times users have to wait for long periods as the customer support teams are overloaded. Here is where VoIP termination can be advantageous.

VoIP offers call termination service that consists of a wide range of services like VoIP call, VoIP reseller programs, wholesale carrier and business plans. Having most of these services available from just a single provider which makes it easier and simpler for firms to apply changes.

The magic of VoIP termination

VoIP termination service is fully related to forwarding calls to end users. Truly, this very economical service offers more than it charges as it connects people from different parts of the world (even long distance) in the simplest and quickest way. For example, if you are using VoIP services in India and your Indian VoIP service providers? help desk services are down, you have the ability to contact other help desk offices located in other countries ? not only the ones based in Asia but also ones that are across your respective continent. VoIP termination is a user-friendly Internet phone service? that charges exceptionally low rates for contacting international customer support offices.

Some of VoIP technology offers include:
PC to landline calls, PC to Phone calls and PC to PC calls
Free calls
Instant messenger
Photo sharing
Conference video calls
Call forwarding
Voice mails
Free SMS service

VOIP Termination can greatly improve your business. Not only are VOIP services becoming popular amongst residential users, but ermerging companies are using the wealth of functionality offered at affordable prices to help grow their businesses.

Submitted in: Internet & Networks |

Source: http://www.dokisoft.com/how-voip-services-are-re-inventing-our-methods-of-communication/

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Salo: Eat Fish and Ships in London

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://bucketlist.org/i/db54/

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বুধবার, ২৪ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

Malaria study challenges warmer world predictions

A world with "rampant" malaria transmission is often seen as an inevitable consequence of global warming. But a new study radically challenges existing ideas of how the disease will spread with rising temperatures.

Previous models have predicted that the optimal temperature for transmission is 31 ?C. The new model suggests this is 25 ?C. It also suggests that transmission would drastically decrease above 28 ?C.

"Past models showed the whole world was going to light up with malaria ? it was quite terrifying," says Kevin Lafferty, the senior investigator on the study, who is based jointly at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the US Geological Survey. But the new model, which takes into account the effects of temperature on a variety of key aspects of insect and parasite physiology, suggests a different pattern.

It agrees with past models that cooler areas without malaria ? such as the African highlands, parts of Europe and the US ? may warm up to give conditions ripe for transmission. But places currently optimal for malaria transmission may not remain so in a warmer world, says Erin Mordecai, also at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who led the study.

Cold-blooded

The new model focuses on a key factor used to calculate the risk of spread of a disease called R0, or the Basic Reproduction Number. This measures the number of secondary cases that arise from a single case in a susceptible population.

Past models have assumed a relatively simple relationship between R0 and temperature. The Anopheles mosquito which carries the parasite is cold-blooded, so models have typically assumed that as temperature increases, so does the propensity for the spread of malaria.

But it is known that aspects of the life history of the Anopheles mosquito and the malaria-causing parasite it carries increase with temperature to a certain point and then rapidly decline above that temperature.

The new model combines data from other studies on how factors like mosquito bite, parasite development and mosquito egg-laying rates change with temperature. Crucially, the team found their model's predictions matched real data from 14 countries in Africa on the rate at which people were bitten by infectious mosquitoes.

The model has received mixed reactions from other experts in the field. "It's a welcome advance from what has been done before, making better and more realistic associations about climate and malaria links," says Richard Ostfeld, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York. But he adds that "great caution" needs to be taken in using this new optimal transmission temperature in terms of predicting climate effects on malaria.

Other factors

In fact, the study authors themselves highlight some of the problems. For example, on one measure they had to use some data from a different genus of mosquito other than the Anopheles, and on another parameter they used data from the Plasmodium vivax parasite rather than P. falciparum, which causes the malaria more common in Africa.

Peter Gething of the Malaria Atlas Project, based at the University of Oxford, UK, agrees that the new model progresses the science and understanding of temperature and malaria transmission. He disputes its real-life relevance for predicting malaria, though.

"Temperature has theoretical links [to malaria transmission] but in practice they are drowned out," he says. "The effect of temperature is tiny when you look at everything else."

Factors like access to drugs and bed nets, the strength of a country's healthcare systems, and its wealth are orders of magnitude more important in predicting transmission, he says.

Journal reference: Ecology Letters, DOI: 10.1111/ele.12015

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Atari bringing Rollercoaster Tycoon and Dungeons & Dragons to Android

Android Central

Retro gaming fans listen up, this one's for you. Atari has announced a range of titles heading our way, which includes Rollercoaster Tycoon and Dungeons & Dragons: Warbands. Both are slated to be available in early 2013. 

Many an hour was wastes building the theme park rides of our dreams in the 90's desktop classic, and we're going out on a limb and saying the same will apply when the mobile version lands. D&D: Warbands is a virtual recreation of a game usually played with collectable figurines, but is sure to be a hit based on the insane popularity of the D&D universe. 

We're spoiled with some fantastic looking mobile games these days, take the likes of Horn or the Bards Tale as examples, but there's an awful lot to be said for these re-releases of some of our favorite games from years past. Nostalgia is a good feeling. 

Source: Atari via Android Police



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NYCC: Hands-On Gaming with "Marvel Heroes" - Comic Book ...

Fans at New York Comic Con had one of the first opportunities to test drive Gazillion Entertainment's free-to-play "Marvel Heroes," a massively multiplayer online action role playing game written by Brian Michael Bendis and developed by "Diablo" and "Diablo II" mastermind David Brevik. Brevik took CBR News on a guided tour of the game's features, providing a hands-on demonstration of the early stages, explaining how "Marvel Heroes" differs from other action/MMOs and superhero games.

"The story is loosely based in the 616 universe, but we're going to pay homage to a lot of classic stories comic book fans will really love and recognize," Brevik said of Bendis' story, which sees Doctor Doom gaining control of the Cosmic Cube. "We have lots of great villains in the game, including some obscure ones like Living Laser, to Green Goblin, Madame Hydra and Electro. We have Shocker in this demo, Doctor Doom is the overall villain, we've got Magneto -- we showed him off in the last demo at Comic-Con International in San Diego. There's a large variety of characters and villains."

A player's first task in starting the game is choosing a hero, though the game also allows players to switch on the fly. At NYCC, the choices were Deadpool, Hulk, Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, Scarlet Witch, Storm, Thing and Wolverine. Though not included in this build, Gazillion announced Nova, Luke Cage and Jean Grey would be playable at launch. In total, Brevik said there are upwards of twenty playable characters, but some will be locked until players complete certain tasks.

Starting with Ms. Marvel, Brevik and his team walked CBR News through some of the game's features, as Carol Danvers punched and blasted her way through Hydra soldiers infiltrating the Raft, a prison designed for supervillains. "Ms. Marvel has a roundhouse kick, punch and a shooting power. So she's a combination of melee and ranged combat," Brevik said. "A lot of the characters play very, very differently from each other, depending on their powers."

After reaching a few computer terminals to restore power -- and witnessing a Venom symbiote escape along the way -- we reach our first mini-boss fight, Living Laser. "With Laser being the first boss, he's very gentle," Brevik said, laughing. Ms. Marvel's flight power proved useful in avoiding Living Laser's blast patterns, and Brevik noted unlike in many MMOs, flight can be fully controlled rather than just having the character jump and hover. "You can't do anything while you're flying. Flight is a power in and of itself so it takes up a slot. You can't attack while you're flying, but you can fly over things and not get attacked," he explained.

The Raft is what Brevik described as a "tutorial area," allowing players to get a feel for the game's controls and features. It's also an "instance area," or private level for only the player and his or her party (though the Raft is single player only), serving to advance the story. Other types of areas are public zones, which Brevik said are "safe areas" where hundreds of players can gather to "chat and trade -- the kind of things you can do in a regular MMO." There are also public combat zones "where you could have 25-50 people all running around the same area fighting together, but they're not in a party together, they're just in the same area fighting," Brevik said. "There are group activities to do in these areas. We have quests. The one we're demoing on the show floor has Electro coming down and ten superheroes are all going to town on him. Lots of stuff is going on on the screen with some really great fights."

Because the hands-on demo was not linked to the games played on the show floor, Brevik encouraged running from Electro in the public combat area. "You'd need twelve heroes to take him down," he said.

We did, however, take down the Green Goblin on the Raft, using Storm. As Goblin's pumpkin bombs explode, they create smoldering, toxic craters all over the ground, which Ororo can helpfully fly over. "Stay out of the poison," Brevik said. "Number one rule of video games, stay out of the fire/poison." In the tussle, though, Storm's cape caught fire briefly, which looked pretty intense. "Yeah, things like that can happen. You can catch fire, the enemies can catch fire. It's pretty fun."

Fans of the "Diablo" franchise, for which Brevik developed the first two games, will be immediately at home with the controls of "Marvel Heroes," which consist largely of directing the hero with the mouse and pointing at enemies to attack. For those new to the genre, it's still easy enough to pick up and play, though aiming can take some getting used to, especially for sweeping moves like Wolverine's dash attack. The move takes Wolverine halfway across the screen, slicing through any enemies unfortunate enough to be in his path -- it's fun using the dash over and over, watching Logan jump merrily about the arena. The powers feel appropriate to the characters -- Hulk's jump leaves a crater in his wake, obliterating nearby foes, which definitely feels like a "Hulk Smash" moment.

Because fans play as the Marvel characters rather than rolling their own heroes, the public combat areas may indeed feature multiple versions of the same character running around. Brevik said that both the ability to switch characters on the fly and the ability to equip "lots and lots of costumes" means this shouldn't be cause for concern. "Your Iron Man won't necessarily look like everybody else's Iron Man. Additionally, with the drops you receive in the game, your Iron Man will be statistically different from another's Iron Man, as players control leveling up in the RPG sections. They'll look different, they'll play different and they might have different things they do. Players can switch their character at any time; if you think, hey, that's too many Iron Men for my taste, I'm going to play as Storm, you can. Or, you can make a guild called "The Bubs" and run around as a pack of Wolverines -- we're allowing players to do that too."

Brevik told CBR his team went through seven item systems before settling on the current features, as they were looking for something that would make sense in the context of the game and create a rewarding experience for players. He said item drops didn't necessarily make sense in fantasy games either -- "Why was that bat carrying a halberd? It doesn't even have pockets!" -- but for the Marvel heroes it was especially important to think of the story. A lot of drops, then, are costume-based, and users can build new looks for their heroes once they've collected all the pieces of a suit. "There's a costume slot and a costume crafting game associated with it. The look appears in your costume closet, and once you have memorized the pattern you will have that look in your closet forever," Brevik said. "You can apply the stats from the random item drops, called a core, and then you combine the core to create a costume that has stats. Then you don that. So you determine your look, basically, and it can come from anything that's in your closet."

There will also be microtransactions, Brevik said, though at this point he couldn't say what will be sold through the game. Something of note is players can complete the entire game without spending money. "Rest assured it will not be 'pay for power' or anything like that -- there are no artificial barriers, just lots of stuff to enhance your experience.

"Here's an action MMO where you can play as the Marvel heroes, and the kicker is we're giving it all away for free," Brevik said. "We're really excited about that -- you can play through the entire thing for free."

"Marvel Heroes" is currently in closed beta. Fans can register for a chance to join the beta or to be notified when the game is released.

Discuss this story in CBR's Games forum. ?|?

Tags: ?marvel heroes, nycc2012, marvel comics, gazillion entertainment, david brevik, brian michael bendis

Source: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=41785

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মঙ্গলবার, ২৩ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

Combined pesticide exposure affects bumblebee colony success

ScienceDaily (Oct. 21, 2012) ? Individual worker behaviour and colony success are both affected when bees are exposed to a combination of pesticides, according to research conducted by Dr Richard Gill and Dr Nigel Raine at Royal Holloway, University of London.

This research, published in Nature, investigated social bumblebee colonies which rely on the collective performance of numerous individual worker bees. It showed that chronic exposure to two commonly-used pesticides (a neonicotinoid and a pyrethroid), at concentrations approximating field-level exposure, impaired natural foraging behaviour and increased worker mortality. This led to significant reductions in colony success, and increased rates of colony failure.

Bees are typically exposed to numerous pesticides when collecting pollen and nectar from crops, and this is the first study to examine the potential effects of exposure to a combination of pesticides under realistic field conditions.

While recent studies have investigated the role of pesticides on either individual bee behaviours, or the impact on whole colonies, how changes to individual behaviour could have knock-on effects for the colony has not previously been shown.

Dr Raine said: "There is an urgent need to understand the reasons behind current bee declines as they are essential pollinators of many agricultural crops and wild flowers. We rely on these insects to produce most of the food we eat and maintain the landscapes we enjoy."

"Previous studies investigating the possible role of pesticides in current bee declines have focused on honeybees, but it is also crucial that we understand how pesticides affect other bee species," added Dr Gill.

This study mimicked realistic scenarios in which 40 early stage bumblebee colonies received four-week exposure to two pesticides that are frequently encountered when foraging on flowering crops: the neonicotinoid 'Imidacloprid' and the pyrethroid '?-cyhalothrin'.

Imidacloprid was provided in a sucrose solution at levels that could be found in nectar and ?-cyhalothrin was administered following label guidance for field spray applications. Bees were able to forage in the field providing a realistic behavioural setting, and the foraging behaviour of individual workers was recorded using radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging technology.

The researchers found that bees exposed to imidacloprid were less able to forage effectively, particularly when it came to collecting pollen. This meant treated colonies had less food available to them, so could not raise as many new workers. On average, the percentage of workers leaving the colony and then getting lost was 55% higher in those receiving imidacloprid than those that were not exposed to pesticides. The results of this study also indicate that combinatorial exposure to pesticides increases the tendency of bee colonies to fail.

Dr Gill commented that: "The novelty of this study is that we show how the sublethal effects of pesticide exposure affects individual bee behaviour with serious knock-on consequences for the performance of the colony as a whole."

Dr Raine added: "Policymakers need to consider the evidence and work together with regulatory bodies to minimize the risk to all bees caused by pesticides, not just honeybees. Currently pesticide usage is approved based on tests looking at single pesticides. However, our evidence shows that the risk of exposure to multiple pesticides needs to be considered, as this can seriously affect colony success."

The Insect Pollinators Initiative is joint-funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Defra, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Scottish Government and the Wellcome Trust. It is managed under the auspices of the Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) partnership.

Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of BBSRC, said: "Bumblebees play an important role in pollination, working earlier in the morning and later into the evening than many bees. Understanding the threats to all insect pollinators is vital if we are to ensure we mitigate the impact of their decline on the production of agricultural and horticultural crops. The results of this study contribute to a wider initiative to help inform strategies for securing the futures of all insect pollinators."

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Journal Reference:

  1. Richard J. Gill, Oscar Ramos-Rodriguez, Nigel E. Raine. Combined pesticide exposure severely affects individual- and colony-level traits in bees. Nature, 2012; : 000 DOI: 10.1038/nature11585

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/most_popular/~3/LL-NaK0o1Xk/121022093148.htm

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Gunman kills three and himself at Wisconsin salon

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - A gunman opened fire at the suburban Milwaukee beauty salon where his spouse worked on Sunday, killing three people and wounding four others before taking his own life, police said, two weeks after he was accused of slashing his wife's car tires.

The suspect was identified as 45-year-old Radcliffe Haughton, a resident of Brown Deer, Wisconsin, who had been placed under a restraining order and directed to surrender his firearms to local authorities this month in connection with a domestic abuse case involving his wife.

"We believe this incident was domestic violence-related," Brookfield Police Chief Daniel Tushaus said at a news conference.

All three of those shot to death at the Azana Salon & Spa were female, Tushaus said. Their ages and identities were not immediately provided, and the police chief would not say whether Haughton's wife, who was a spa employee, was among the victims.

Haughton was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at the crime scene, police said.

The shooting marked the second outburst of gun violence at a U.S. beauty spa in a matter of days. On Thursday, a gunman opened fire at a salon in suburban Orlando, Florida, killing three women and wounding a fourth, his wife, before fleeing and committing suicide at a nearby residence. The suspect in that shooting had likewise been ordered to keep away from his spouse.

The Wisconsin shooting followed an October 4 incident in which Haughton slashed the tires on his wife's car, leading to his arrest on suspicion of vandalism, Tushaus said.

Four days later, his wife was granted a temporary restraining order against Haughton related to domestic abuse in Milwaukee County, Tushaus said. On October 18, a court injunction was issued barring Haughton from possessing firearms, and he was ordered to hand over any weapons he had to the county sheriff.

Milwaukee County authorities were not immediately available for comment.

Haughton also was cited for misdemeanor disorderly conduct, described as domestic abuse, stemming from an incident on January 8, 2011. That charge was dismissed on June 15, 2011.

Sunday's shooting erupted at about 11 a.m. local time, according to police.

Joe Brent, a 26-year-old Milwaukee man, said he was leaving a fast-food restaurant near the salon when he heard a gunshot. Within about 2 minutes, a policeman entered the restaurant and told everyone to leave, he said.

He added that as he was getting into his car he saw a woman who appeared to be in her 20s with a bloodied paper towel on her neck being rushed from the salon and onto a stretcher. "She was screaming. She was hurt real badly," Brent said.

Four female gunshot victims ranging in age from 22 to 40 were rushed to Milwaukee's Froedtert hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known, though the hospital said two of the victims had surgery.

The suspect's father, also named Radcliffe Haughton, spoke to Milwaukee television station TMJ-4 before the suspect was found dead. The elder Haughton expressed his family's apologizes for whatever "misdeeds" his son had committed.

"This is not the way we live. This is not the way I raise my son up," Haughton said. "He has been a good member of society. I don't know what happened."

The first police officers to arrive on the scene found smoke in the building and a small fire in the hallway, which they believe was started by the suspect. Police also found a one-pound propane tank, but do not know if the suspect left it there. A nearby shopping mall was placed under a security lockdown immediately after the shooting as a precaution.

President Barack Obama was informed of the shooting at 1:30 p.m. EDT, according to a statement from the White House. The statement said that the president and first lady Michelle Obama's "thoughts and prayers" were with the victims.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker issued a statement calling the shooting another example of the "senseless acts of violence" that occur across the country.

The last few months have been marked by a string of mass shootings in the United States. On September 27, a disgruntled former employee killed six people and took his own life in a shooting rampage at a Minneapolis sign company from which he had been fired.

In August, two people were killed and nine wounded in a work-related shooting near the Empire State Building in New York City. The Manhattan incident followed mass shootings in a Colorado movie theater that killed 12 and wounded 58 and a Sikh temple in Wisconsin that claimed seven lives, including that of the gunman.

Nationally, there were 458 workplace homicides in 2011 and 518 in 2010, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien and Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Steve Gorman and Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gunman-kills-three-himself-wisconsin-salon-002312451.html

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Editorial: Turning point for the tortoise and the hare

Editorial Turning point for the tortoise and the hare

That meteor shower was a bust. I'll never get back the five minutes I spent waiting to be awed. Anyone similarly impatient will be in gratification heaven for the next week, as the biggest cosmic bodies in the tech cosmos streak across the sky with announcements, device releases, price shifts and earnings reports.

Tossing astronomy aside for its failure to bedazzle, I turn to astrology to illuminate the upcoming eventful days. From a This Week in Astronomy blog: "A Venus-Pluto-Uranus T-square will be testing relationships and finances. The Sun enters Scorpio and aspects every slower planet except Pluto, and there's an intense Mars-Jupiter opposition." I don't understand most of that, but I know about opposition. That fits. The energy of opposition crackles in the ecosystem warfare waged this week by Apple, Microsoft and Google.

Switching now from inscrutable astrology to fables (because next to cosmic messaging I like simple allegories to explain life), we can see that the slow-but-steady tortoise is placing the most audacious bet.

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সোমবার, ২২ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

Superbad: 19 Ways to Fix a Stale Relationship | Greatist

Fighting all the time? Bored as hell (even with the sex)? Yup, we?ve been there. Relationship ruts are normal, and they can also be frustrating, isolating, and simply no fun. That?s why we?ve gathered together a big ?ol list of ways to bring the spark back to a fizzling relationship.

Sliding Into a Ditch ? The Need-to-Know

According to studies, couples? long-term satisfaction with each other and their relationship depends on a few key factors: thinking positively about each other, thinking about each other when they?re apart, acting affectionately toward each other, sharing new and challenging activities, and generally being happy in both their individual and shared lives. Oh, and having sex. Sounds great to us ? but the truth is virtually no relationship elicits feelings of pure bliss all the time.

It?s normal for people in long-term relationships to go through periods of lesser and greater intimacy; in fact, a decline in love and satisfaction after the doe-eyed period of a relationship is one of the most well-documented findings in Western marriage. Unfortunately, there?s no official definition or time frame for these relationship lulls, since they take different forms in different relationships. But general signs of being in a rut include fighting a lot, being bored, and lack of sexual interest or activity.

Kickin? a Rut in the Butt ? Your Action Plan

The good news is this: Since relationship ruts are a common phenomenon, people have put a lot of effort into finding ways to haul ourselves up out of them. Before trying to rejuvenate a relationship, remember there?s nothing wrong with losing a little passion now and again; it?s normal. The important thing is putting in the effort to sustain the relationship (provided a person wants to, of course) even during those periods of ?lesser intimacy.? On that note, Greatist presents a whole bunch of ways to bring a relationship back to peak satisfaction.

The Boredom Rut:
  • Try (exciting!) new activities. Doing things together is obviously key to maintaining a relationship ? but doing the same things all the time can lead to boredom, which is linked to decreased relationship quality. Stave off the blahs by trying new and exhilarating activities together (sky diving, taking a weekend trip, riding roller coasters, a couples? massage) ? doing so can enhance relationship satisfaction. And don?t be afraid to get goofy! Cook dinner naked, play ?the floor is lava,? practice your hide-and-go-seeking skills ? playing together can boost relationship happiness. Still at a loss for ideas? Try reflecting on exciting things you did together in the beginning of the relationship, and recreate those experiences.
  • Create a ?Couple?s Bucket List.? Work together to create a list of things you want to do together as a couple, without the ?excitement? requirement (cook dinner together once a week, go to a caf? or bookstore, grab produce at a farmer?s market). Then choose three items from the list and tackle them over the next three months. Check out websites like HowAboutWe and HotDateIdeas to help take the guesswork out of date-planning.
  • Kick screens out of the bedroom. Ditch the TV, laptops, tablets, and phones and pay attention to each other instead.
  • Make mini-dates. Too busy for a weekly date night? Try eating breakfast together, meeting for lunch, or designating 20 minutes every evening for talking with each other ? no distractions allowed.
The Fighting Rut:
  • Communicate about each other?s needs. Bottling it up can decrease personal emotional well-being and relationship satisfaction. Plus, when needs aren?t met in a relationship, the chances of infidelity and decreased satisfaction go up[][]. Open the bottle by sharing with your partner what you need from a relationship, whether it?s emotional support or splitting the grocery bill.
  • Name what you like about each other. Express appreciation through positive feedback (not just negative, which we?re prone to focus on in a ?fighting stage?) ? doing so can help both partners feel more attractive and confident. Challenge yourself to sit down and make a list of things you like about your partner, and then share them.
  • Work out together. Not only does a duel sweat-blasting session increase work out motivation, it can also improve couples? communication. Get started with these kick-ass partner exercises.
  • Talk through problems with people outside the relationship. It?s easy for couples to get stuck in the same old fight patterns behind closed blinds. We can benefit from hearing how other people deal with similar situations, because it can give us ideas for changing our own approach ? which will hopefully change the outcome of the conflict.
  • If you live together, share household chores evenly. Unequal distribution of chores is closely tied to rankled emotions. Bonus: Studies find that husbands and wives who do housework together have more sex.
  • Bounce back post-conflicts. Handling disagreements well ? by, for example, practicing forgiveness and not judging each other ? predicts more positive relationship emotions and satisfaction[]. It can help to remember that it?s less important to solve the conflict than it is to treat each other well even if there?s no solution to be found.
The Sexless Rut:
  • Take it online. Online sexual activity (like watching porn or having cyber-sex) alone and with a partner can increase both intimacy and the quality and frequency of physical sex[]. To keep things positive, seek out female-friendly porn or videos designed for couples.
  • Create a ?fantasy jar.? Write out as many fantasies as you can think of, each on a separate piece of paper; and have your partner do the same. Stick ?em all in a jar, then take turns picking out of the jar and acting out the fantasies.
  • Put sex on the schedule. Toss out the idea that spontaneous sex is the only way to have good sex. When we?re crazy busy, sex can be one of the first things to go by the wayside. But sex (especially simultaneous orgasms!) is also key to maintaining intimacy and relationship satisfaction ? so come up with a schedule for doing it, and stick to it[][].
  • Sext while you?re apart. It?ll build anticipation for fun times later in the day. Don?t want to use your work phone? Create ?For Your Eyes Only? email accounts to communicate saucy messages while you?re away.
  • Shake things up. If you?re used to long, slow sessions like the ones Sting has (not really) had, change up routines by having the occasional quickie or getting jiggy with it in unusual places.
  • Don?t forget non-sexual touch. Hugs, massages, an arm slipped around a waist ? these small actions can all boost feelings of affection.
The General Rut:
  • Don?t be embarrassed to seek external support. It?s probably not a great idea to propose couples therapy six weeks into a relationship. But for people in it for the long term, therapy is a reasonable (and sometimes necessary) choice.
  • Remember not all relationships are worth saving. Yes, relationships go through phases of lesser and greater closeness, but sometimes people just aren?t compatible. And emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse is never okay. ?Not sure if you should stick around? The best bet is to see a personal or couples therapist for their take on the relationship.
  • Work on yourself first. Relationship satisfaction is tied to personal life satisfaction, so the happier a person is in general, the happier they?re likely to be with a given relationship[]. Don?t rely on a partner to make your life great; work to make a great life regardless of whom you?re dating.

This article was read and approved by Greatist Experts Mark Banschick and Ian Kerner.

Have any of these tips worked for you? Got any more to share? Tell us in the comments below, or get in touch with the author on Twitter @LauraNewc.

Source: http://greatist.com/happiness/fix-a-bad-relationship/

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Hasbro 3rd-qtr profit falls 4 pct, revenue drops

FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2011, file photo, toys by Hasbro are displayed in New York. Hasbro Inc. announced Monday, Oct. 22, 2012 that its third-quarter net income was down by 4 percent. But the Pawtucket, R.I.-based company remains confident heading into the critical holiday season, which is when toy makers can earn up to 40 percent of annual revenue. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2011, file photo, toys by Hasbro are displayed in New York. Hasbro Inc. announced Monday, Oct. 22, 2012 that its third-quarter net income was down by 4 percent. But the Pawtucket, R.I.-based company remains confident heading into the critical holiday season, which is when toy makers can earn up to 40 percent of annual revenue. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

(AP) ? The toys wars are heating up, with Hasbro planning to beef up spending on advertising after reporting that its third-quarter results fell by 4 percent.

Hasbro, whose toys include My Little Pony, Transformers and Scrabble, said Monday that its results were hurt by weakness in toys for boys and preschool and the stronger U.S. dollar. But the Pawtucket, R.I.-based company's adjusted results topped Wall Street's forecasts on Monday. And Hasbro remains confident heading into the critical holiday season, which is when toy makers can earn up to 40 percent of annual revenue.

Hasbro is optimistic despite that the holidays are expected to be a tough battleground for toy makers because retailers are ordering inventory more cautiously. In addition, retailers including Wal-Mart, Kmart and Toys R Us have beefed up layaway and reservation services to encourage shoppers to buy toys early in the season, meaning they might be scarce later on.

Chief Financial Officer Deborah Thomas said Hasbro plans to boost toy sales during the holiday season "with a significant increase in marketing support in an environment of significantly lower U.S. retail inventory." That includes spending of 30 percent to 40 percent more, in terms of dollars, than it did a year ago.

"The team has done a great job of not only looking at traditional media but digital and social media and you'll see our brands showing up in all those places ? everywhere consumers are interacting with brand," CEO Brian Goldner said during the call.

For the three months ended Sept. 30, Hasbro Inc. earned $164.9 million, or $1.24 per share. That compares with $171 million, or $1.27 per share, a year earlier.

Removing the impact of the stronger dollar, earnings were $1.28 per share. A reduction in the number of outstanding shares through repurchases helped boost earnings per share by about 2 cents. Analysts, on average, expected profit of $1.20 per share, according to FactSet.

Revenue slipped 2 percent to $1.35 billion from $1.38 billion. Revenue totaled $1.39 billion excluding unfavorable foreign exchange rates. Wall Street forecast $1.38 billion, on average.

Revenue in the U.S. and Canada edged up 1 percent, helped by solid sales of girls' products and games. This was somewhat offset by weaker sales of preschool toys and boys' products. Overseas revenue fell 7 percent, hurt by the stronger dollar. When the dollar is strong, international sales translate into fewer dollars back at home.

Girls' toys showed the most growth, with revenue up 17 percent. Sales were helped by the launches of the latest Furby robotic pets and One Direction boy band dolls. New products available for the holiday season ? including interactive doll Baby Alive Baby Wanna Walk, animatronic animals Furreal Friends Baby Butterscotch and Bouncy My Happy to See Me Pup also posted strong results in the period.

The softest category was boys, which was hurt by expected drop-offs in sales of Transformers and Beyblade, a spinning top game.

Sales in Hasbro's games category were flat. The company, which owns well known games such as Scrabble and Monopoly, has been working to turn around results in this category as more people turn to electronic games. It is launching board games based on smartphone games such as Angry Birds and Farmville, in an effort to improve results.

Hasbro said that it still expects its full-year earnings per share and revenue to climb, when stripping out the impact of foreign exchange rates.

Hasbro shares fell 5 cents to $39.

Hasbro's report followed larger rival Mattel Inc.'s more upbeat third-quarter results last week. The company said its net income rose 22 percent, helped by strong sales of its Monster High Dolls and Fisher Price toys.

_

Associated Press Writer Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-10-22-Earns-Hasbro/id-25a7c71d9af34e419809307a8515c26c

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- ?I cheated on my husband to secure better genes for my children ...

I?m not easily shocked by things I read on the?affair discussion forums, because lets face it, when it comes to people having relationships and sex behind their spouses back, I see some pretty questionable behavior on a regular basis. From people? fucking their affair partners in their?freshly made marital bed,?to a woman whose affair partner wants her to?dress up in his wife?s clothes?while they do the horizontal waltz, I have pretty much seen it all.

But then along came Karen. (not her real name)

Karen?introduced herself?to the forum in an unabashed manner full of confidence and spunk. As I read her introductory post, I was taken back and actually had to go back and read it twice to make sure what I was reading was actually?what I was reading.

You see,?some people have affairs?because they don?t feel wanted or desired in their primary relationship and seek to get the intimacy that is missing at home from someone else. Some people have affairs because they are simply horny as all get out and can?t help themselves from getting in between the sheets with someone other than their spouse. Some do it for the thrill and excitement of doing something naughty.

Karen though?. She was different.

Oh, sure, she wanted? sex. She? loves the thrill of having a clandestine affair and Karen made it perfectly clear that she was a huge fan of recreational sex She loves to bed men. In her words, ?There are way too many yummy men out there to not have a taste of them all.?

But Karen also had affairs because she wanted her children to have good genetics which she believed that her husband could not provide.

Karen?s two young children were fathered by two different men neither of whom is her husband, and hubby is none the wiser.

By all accounts, Karen?s husband is very successful financially and Karen is adamant that she loves him. ?I love my husband.? She says. ? He has given me a comfortable and stable life. Because of his great job and his ability to provide me and my children with resources, I will never divorce him.?? Karen is unapologetic about her lifestyle choice and in fact defends it with zeal saying that really this is just nature at its core. Karen is of the opinion that she is in touch with her evolutionary truth and that unlike other women, she has acknowledged her subconscious desires to acquire the most resources and best genes as possible, and is? using it to her advantage as she explains below:

Nature wants us to mate with strong, virile men who can beat the shit out of the other men, have strong immune systems and produce the highest quality DNA sperm. But these types of testosterone driven men rarely, if ever, make good long-term partners.

My husband is a sensitive caring man with soft features. The men who fathered my children are much better looking, more masculine, and healthier than my hubby. If you were to ever meet my husband, you would agree that he is not the ideal man to mate with, but he would be a good dad.

While I found this to be provocative, I also found it to be terribly interesting as I have often wondered what role?evolutionary psychology?and genetics played in relationships that were highlighted by infidelity. You know the thinking?. Is there something in our DNA that makes us want to fuck that hot secretary or to bed down the new guy at the gym even though we have a spouse waiting at home? Are we hard wired to cheat on our spouses? Is monogamy even natural? Hell, even foot fetishes can be traced to evolution, as men are evolutionarily wired to look for small feet, which are a sign of high estrogen production, which itself is a sign of fertility, which explains why I have an uncontrollable urge to? fuck every single women that is sporting anything under a size 10 pair of Uggs. But I digress.

When I asked Karen her thoughts on whether she thought we as a species were evolutionary predisposed to cheat she was quick to say that:

I certainly think it is unnatural to be monogamous. There is a lot of evidence that cheating is an important part of human evolution. Men try to spread their seed beyond their relationships. Women such as myself try to get the best genes for their children. I think society is in a losing battle with trying to change the way we are wired. Everyone should accept that monogamy is unnatural.? As women, our goal in life is to secure the most resources and best possible genes for our children. Sometimes you can?t get both from one man.

Karen is obviously a woman that knows exactly want she wants and is not in the least bit afraid to go out and get it. I asked Karen if she wouldn?t mind if I picked her brain and she graciously accepted my request for an interview, the result of which is below:

Your 2 children were fathered by 2 different lovers. Are you worried that you husband might become suspicious that he isn?t in fact the father? Looks, mannerisms, personality traits that aren?t shared by the children, especially as they grow older?

Obviously this is one of my biggest concerns. During my research into mixed mating strategies many years ago, I was looking for how often the true paternity was exposed. Obviously in the old, old, old days it was virtually never discovered unless there were racial differences. Nowadays, if my children were to have a serious health problem that required blooding testing or something like that it could come up. But those odds are low because the fathers of my children are healthy, strong, and virile men. It is my belief that no matter what, people are going to tell us that my children have their father?s eyes or chin or something. People see what they want to see and naturally ignore any evidence that goes against their pre-conceived notions. I think my husband will do the same thing.

You said the following:

?Nature wants us to mate with strong, virile men who can beat the shit out of the other men, have strong immune systems and produce the highest quality DNA sperm. But these types of testosterone driven men rarely, if ever, make good long-term partners?.

So are you ok with the fact that your children might not be well suited to being good long-term partners?

That is an impossible question to answer. My children are much more likely to inherit their fathers looks rather than their personalities. Who?s to say they won?t be good long-term partners? The important thing is there is a good chance they will be attractive. That gives them the opportunity to produce lots of grandchildren for me. That is the ultimate goal, leaving behind as many descendants as possible.

You are unapologetic about the fact you had sex outside of your marriage in order to ensure that you children had the best genes possible. How would you feel if one of your own children gave you a grandchild, conceived under the same type of situation that you chose?

Well, if that were to happen I would obviously not know about it. If my son were to impregnate someone?s wife without the husband ever finding out, then that would give me a bonus grandbaby! Obviously if my daughter were to do the same thing I am doing then I wouldn?t be in a position to criticize her. As women, our goal in life is to secure the most resources and best possible genes for our children. Sometimes you can?t get both from one man.

When did you first become conscious of your desire to have certain aspects of your life fulfilled by different partners? Have you cheated in all of your relationships? Was there something in an early relationship that was an ?awakening? for you?

I guess I am what you would call a ?professional adulteress.? I have cheated in every relationship I have ever been in, including my marriage. I am an infidelity expert and I am very discreet. I have read a lot of material on infidelity. Not once has my husband shown suspicion about my affairs nor does he know that my lovers fathered the two children. I don?t know if it was an early relationship that made me the way I am. I think I am just not a monogamous person. There are way too many yummy men out there to not have a taste of them all.

Other than the fact that your husband is a good provider, are there other qualities about him that keep you with him? Do you enjoy sex with him? If so, how often?

Yes, he is one of the nicest and most emotionally available men I?ve ever known. If he were a woman he would be my best friend. He is a great husband. I would venture to say that most women would never even think about cheating on him. I do not expect him to be a stallion in bed like my lovers, but he is ok. When we have sex (these days about once a month or so), I don?t mind it.

Do you think that your husband has been faithful to you? If you found out that he had in fact had sex outside of the marriage, would you be angry or disappointed, or would you be able to accept it because men are hard wired to spread their seed far and wide?

I seriously doubt my husband has ever been unfaithful. It is not the way he is. He was a virgin until we started dating. He was 36 when I took his virginity. He has never been the player type and I can tell he embraces being married and ?off-limits.?

Ever thought about broaching the subject of an open relationship with your husband?

An open relationship with my husband? No way. One of the main reasons I married him is his ability to provide me and my children with the resources we need. I don?t want to share my husband?s time and money with other women. That is out of the question.

It?s impossible to know how prevalent situations like this are as people won?t freely admit to it, but I get the impression that you think it happens a lot more than we might think. Thoughts?

Of course there are lots of other women in the same situation as myself. If you believe the paternity statistics (I do), approximately 10% of children are raised by non-biological dads. How many of those 10% besides myself admit to it? Probably not very many. Obviously I admit to it, but anonymously. We will never admit to it on-record because of the ramifications we would face.

Do you ever feel guilty? If so, how do you manage those feelings?

For me, I?ve never felt any guilt about any of the affairs I?ve had. I?ve often said that I?m like a man-I can fuck men the way men fuck women, without any guilt-and get right back into bed with my husband at night without the slightest tinge of remorse.

Would you say that you are gaining something emotionally from your affairs or are you in it purely for the sex?

Sex, that?s it. My husband does a great job with meeting my emotional needs. I have never had an emotional affair because I have never needed to. The cause for all my affairs has been pure lust.

What precautions do you take to ensure you maintain secrecy?

I take every precaution. I even do things I don?t have to do. But as far as the simple things, I?ve always only communicated with my lovers via email. And I would only access it at work. The phone thing never comes into the equation, which makes things so much easier. No single lovers! I?ve always looked for married or taken men, excluding one-night stands. Never change your attitude or appearance at home. When I am with my lovers, I am a sexual being. When I am at home, I am Mother. Only my best friend knows about my affairs. She is my alibi and also a good reference point to hold me in check if she notices that I?m getting too involved with my lover or I?m starting to act careless. I also make sure she knows when all my dates are happening so she doesn?t accidentally call my home while I?m out.

What?s the best and worst thing about being in an affair?

The best thing about being in an affair is the great sex. You see, the minute you get married and have a child, you become Mother. My lovers never knew me as Mother. To them, I was a sexual being. I?ve always told myself the worst thing about being in an affair is getting caught. Since this has never happened to me, I haven?t experienced the worst thing about having an affair. I hope I never do.

?Karen? certainly has found a way to live out the hypergamist dream ? married to the most betafied man on the planet who works hard to provide for her and some other guys? children while she throws him a bone of once-a-month-sex. ?But she?s not a slut because she gets her ?emotional needs? met by her husband, right?

Source: http://thewomanandthedragon.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/i-cheated-on-my-husband-to-secure-better-genes-for-my-children/

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