Statement by the Press Secretary on the Visit of Italian President Napolitan

Originally Posted January 30, 2013

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On Friday, February 15, President Obama will host President Giorgio Napolitano of Italy in the Oval Office.??President Napolitano will soon conclude his term in office, following a long and distinguished career of service to Italy, a close ally and friend of the United States. The President looks forward to welcoming President Napolitano to pay a farewell call and further reinforce the strong and enduring bonds between our two countries.

White House.gov Press Office Feed

Source: http://politicsandpolls.com/players/barack-obama/statement-by-the-press-secretary-on-the-visit-of-italian-president-napolitan/

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AMR CEO Horton's fate in balance as US Airways merger nears

NEW YORK (Reuters) - As US Airways Group Inc and American Airlines parent AMR Corp hammer out the final details of a merger, one of the most thorny issues has been whether AMR Chief Executive Tom Horton stays or goes.

After rebuffing an aggressive takeover push from smaller rival US Airways early in its bankruptcy, AMR of late has embraced a deal, but is now eyeing a high-level position for Horton in the merged airline, according to several people familiar with the matter.

With US Airways CEO Doug Parker angling to become both chief executive and chairman of the new company, AMR has proposed splitting the roles and making Horton chairman of the board should Parker become CEO, the people said.

The AMR board has a high regard for Horton, who has spearheaded bankruptcy restructuring, but the airline's unions and creditors are wary of his rocky relationship with labor, as is US Airways, itself no stranger to bankruptcy, according to the people familiar with the matter.

There is also concern that splitting up the chairman and chief executive roles would create a strategic clash at the top at a time when the newly merged airline should embark on a major transformation, they said.

The carriers are still negotiating management structure and no decisions have been made about who will run a merged airline, the people said. But Horton's fate has proved to be one of the major sticking points of the negotiations.

They people asked not to be named because the matter is not public. AMR and US Airways declined to comment for the story.

"I think it's very hard to predict how things will ultimately pan out," said one of the people close to the situation. "Tom is making the strongest push he can for some role coming out of this, but people are very concerned for creating a dynamic that might create chaos or disharmony."

LABOR A CRUCIAL VOICE

In many merger deals, the chairman and CEO roles are split between the two former heads of the merging entities.

But in a potential US Airways-AMR merger, any leadership role for Horton would likely face tough resistance from AMR's unionized workers, industry analysts said.

The unions representing American's pilots, flight attendants and ground workers threw their support behind a potential merger with US Airways last year, saying Parker's team would save more jobs than a plan by AMR to reorganize as an independent carrier.

AMR's three labor unions are members of its unsecured creditors committee in bankruptcy and each have a say in how the airline will restructure.

The three labor unions, as well as AMR's creditors' committee, declined to comment for this story. A lawyer for a separate committee of AMR bondholders, which is involved in the merger talks, did not respond to requests for comment.

"There's been a really toxic relationship" between labor and AMR management, said Robert Mann, an airline consultant in Port Washington, N.Y.

"That is what drove labor's interest in a US Air deal. That's what driven a variety of interested parties to advise AMR labor that there would be changes."

American Airlines has had a bitter history with its unions dating back at least to 2003, when it won steep concessions from labor as a way of avoiding bankruptcy. AMR had been locked in fruitless labor talks with unions for years before it filed for bankruptcy in late 2011.

"There's such angst over a continuing role by some of the current AMR managers that, if they were to continue in an operating role, that would likely disappoint some of the folks who believe they have been promised a change," Mann said.

Last May, more than 90 percent of American's pilots represented by the Allied Pilots Association union signed a petition expressing "no confidence" in Horton's ability to lead the company to a better path.

Meanwhile, AMR's ownership of a luxury townhouse in London drew criticism from the Transport Workers Union that represents AMR's baggage handlers and other ground workers, which said it showed how management enjoyed excesses as workers suffered.

American got court permission to sell the $23 million house earlier this year.

US Airways has not had the smoothest labor relations either. Pilots and flight attendants at the carrier have been working under the same contracts they had when the airline merged with America West in 2005.

But just last week, US Airways announced a tentative agreement with the Association of Flight Attendants that would provide pay raises and job protections for the airline's 6,800 flight attendants.

If approved, the tentative agreement would combine the contracts of the pre-merger America West and pre-merger US Airways workers. Flight attendant union leaders at US Airways urged ratification of the pact and issued a statement endorsing Parker's plan for a merger with American.

(Reporting by Soyoung Kim and Nick Brown in New York, Karen Jacobs in Atlanta. Editing by Ben Berkowitz and Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/amr-ceo-hortons-fate-balance-us-airways-merger-222854140--finance.html

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Time To Buy Greenwood Real Estate

Jan. 30, 2013

Good news when it comes to Greenwood Real Estate as well as on a National level! The National Association of Realtors recently reported that total existing-home sales, (completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops) rose 5.9 percent to an adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million in November from a downwardly revised 4.76 million in October, and are 14.5 percent higher than the 4.40 million-unit pace in November 2011. Sales are at the highest level since November 2009 when the annual pace spiked at 5.44 million.

If you are thinking of buying now is the time. Selection is increasing and interest rates aren't! That's a good combination. I have buyers from many "distressed" housing markets letting me know that after a long wait their house is FINALLY under contract! Real Estate is local but far-reaching. Conditions are improving in the "troubled" spots which means the clogged pipeline is opening one sale at a time. For some it's been as much as a 3 year wait but their search for Lake Greenwood Property is underway! Lakefront lots on Lake Greenwood are still at 6 year lows and financing is available. Worried about selecting the right builder? Email The Bradshaw Group and we will be more than happy to get you in touch with some of the best builders in the Greenwood area. Rest assured, we won't lead you astray!?

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Source: http://www.lakegreenwoodproperty.com/blog/time-buy-greenwood-real-estate/

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Detroit edges closer to bankruptcy | Transportation ... - Financial Post

The latest U.S. foreclosure horror: Curse of the zombie title

Thousands of Americans are finding themselves legally liable for houses they didn?t know they still owned after banks decided it wasn?t worth their while to complete foreclosures on them. Read on

DETROIT ? At the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month, luxury was in the air. Pricey new Bentleys and Maseratis glittered ? including a Maserati 2014 Quattroporte with a $132,000 price tag; U.S. Cabinet Secretaries and dignitaries rubbed shoulders; and many of the well-heeled attendees ponied up for a $300-a-ticket black-tie charity ball.

But in a city that is slowly dying, the glitz didn?t extend much beyond the Cobo Center exhibition hall.

General Motors Co and Chrysler, which along with Ford Motor Co gave the Motor City its identity, survived near-death experiences after filing for bankruptcy during the financial crisis. Now, Detroit itself is edging closer to a similar precipice, only unlike the automakers, its chances of getting a federal bailout are almost nonexistent.

The story of Detroit?s decline is decades old: Its tax revenue and population have shrunk and labour costs have remained out of whack. But the city?s budget problems have deepened to such an extent that it could run out of cash in a matter of weeks or months and ultimately be forced into what would be the largest-ever Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy filing in the United States.

Frustrated by the lack of concrete progress, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican, last month appointed a team to scour the city?s books. The audit could result in a state takeover of Detroit?s finances through the appointment of an emergency financial manager. Such a manager, who would seize control of the city?s checkbook, could then propose federal bankruptcy court as the best option.

Snyder, who has called the situation ?a crisis in terms of financial affairs,? said the team would deliver its report in February.

?Detroit is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy after the City Council has failed to make the necessary cuts to deal with having a smaller population,? said Rick Jones, chairman of the Republican majority caucus in the state Senate.

Jones, who has indicated he does not favor a bankruptcy, said he would like to see an emergency manager installed to fix the city?s problems. If that failed, there would be a case for finding a way to shrink the Detroit municipal area, he argued.

Detroit?s population is now just over 700,000 ? down 30% since 1990 ? but the city still has to provide services to an area encompassing more land than San Francisco, Boston and the borough of Manhattan.

While Democratic Mayor Dave Bing and the Detroit City Council have moved to reduce spending and initiate some reforms to stave off a takeover, including layoffs and wage and benefit cuts, the progress may not be enough for Michigan officials and lawmakers.

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STREETS WITHOUT LIGHTS

In the booming post-Second World War era, Detroit was America?s fifth-largest city. Today, it ranks 18th. In addition to a sharp population decline, it suffers from high unemployment related to a loss of businesses, a flood of home foreclosures and a cut in state funding. That has led to shriveling revenue, leaving the city unable to afford a workforce of more than 10,000 and the surging health and pension costs that go with them and with its retirees. As a result, credit ratings on Detroit?s approximately $8.2 billion of outstanding debt have sunk deeper into junk territory.

The city?s labour costs, including health care and pensions, are shrinking in absolute terms but rising as a share of the budget. They are slated to drop to $968 million, or nearly 49.5% of the operating budget, in the fiscal year ending June 30 versus $1.14 billion, or 45.5%, a year earlier.

Signs of decline are everywhere ? in a rising crime rate, streets without lights and block after block of abandoned buildings. The murder rate of one per 1,719 people last year was more than 11 times the rate in New York City. The jobless rate is above 18%, more than twice rate for the country as a whole.

COLLISION COURSE

A bankruptcy would be messy.

The interests of creditors would likely collide with those of labour unions wanting to protect workers? benefits, said Eric Scorsone, a Michigan State University economist who has written papers on municipal bankruptcy and on the state?s emergency manager laws.

?It is going to require the players ? the City Council, the mayor, the state ? to be on the same page. If you go into bankruptcy with a lot of conflict and dissent, it?s going to cost more,? said Scorsone.

It could also be racially explosive. Detroit has the largest percentage of black people of any U.S. city, with 83% of the population identifying themselves as African American, black or Negro, according to the 2010 U.S. census. Most of Michigan?s state government, including the governor?s office, is run by white Republicans.

Detroit Council Member JoAnn Watson, who along with two other members of the city?s all-black City Council has been resisting reform measures, said she is still hopeful of a federal bailout or an injection of state money that she claims the city is owed.

Mayor Bing would not comment for this story.

CONSEQUENCES, WHAT CONSEQUENCES?

The automakers have little to say publicly about the crisis. Most of their operations in Michigan are now outside Detroit, and getting any top executive to even discuss the possibility of a city bankruptcy was almost impossible at the auto show. ?I don?t want to get into the politics,? said GM CEO Dan Akerson, while Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said: ?I don?t see what the consequences would be for us.?

One of the city?s biggest challenges is its complex set of labour agreements with a whopping 48 bargaining units that represent most of the city?s workforce.

Max Newman, a bankruptcy attorney at Michigan-based Butzel Long, said a Chapter 9 bankruptcy could help the city throw out its collective bargaining agreements with unions.

Costs would have to be tackled since Detroit cannot just jack up taxes to reduce the cumulative budget deficit, which grew to $326.6 million in fiscal 2012 from $196.6 million in fiscal 2011. The state would likely resist tax increases, and they might only make matters worse anyway. ?If taxes go up any further it would exacerbate the flight out of the city,? Newman said.

But for some of those who have seen Detroit struggle for years, bankruptcy is starting to look like the least awful option ? even though it will be painful.

?I think?off and on, that it wouldn?t be a bad idea,? said former Ford chief financial officer Allan Gilmour, now the president of Detroit?s Wayne State University. ?Let?s clean this out once and for all.?

? Thomson Reuters 2013

Source: http://business.financialpost.com/2013/01/29/stuck-in-reverse-detroit-rolls-closer-to-bankruptcy/

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Yesh Atid's Rabbi Lipman - Yeshiva World News

[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Now that the general election is behind us, Beit Shemesh resident American-born Rabbi Dov Lipman, who will be entering the 19th Knesset on the Yesh Atid list, speaks with community residents.

Rabbi Lipman?s popularity among many stems from the fact that in the eyes of the Israeli political scene he is a member of the chareidi community yet his does not appear as harsh in their eyes as Israeli chareidim may appear. Some chareidim however refuse to view him as a chareidi, perhaps a matter of semantics, but nonetheless an issue that carries some weight in these post-election days. He has not earned a gold star from many chareidim after aligning himself with Lapid, but Lipman is not a stranger to taking a less than popular position in Beit Shemesh, a vocal advocate of moderation and a live and let live hashkafa in disputes between the chareidi and dati leumi residents of his city.

Rabbi Lippmann explains to neighbors that his party is ?opposed to extremism? and that the lineup consists of Ashkenazim, Sephardim frum and non-frum people, seeking to promote the issues at hand, the platform that earned the party 19 seats, not the ethnicity and personal lifestyle of the soon-to-be MKs but their willingness to address the issues at hand.

Lipmann remains a clear voice calling for moderation and daring to speak out against chareidi coercion, as was seen in his statements during the stormy protests in Beit Shemesh surrounding a dati leumi school bordering a chareidi neighborhood, with chareidi zealots attacking elementary school students for not meeting their self-defined tznius standards.

See the MK-elect as he visits with friends in Beit Shemesh following elections.

Click HERE to watch this video on a mobile device.

(YWN ? Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

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Source: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/?p=154767

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Ottawa Hospital cuts 290 full-time jobs to trim $31 million

The Ottawa Hospital General campus. Ottawa Sun file photo

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Nearly 300 jobs at The Ottawa Hospital are on the chopping block.

As it tries to trim $31 million from its $1.04-billion budget for 2013-2014, the hospital announced Wednesday 290 jobs would be affected.

Of those jobs, 90 nursing jobs and 100 administrative positions will be cut, in addition to 100 other health care jobs including physiotherapists, psychologists and social workers.

Hospital president and CEO Dr. Jack Kitts told the Sun Wednesday it had informed the affected unions of the impending cuts and held ?open forums? with all hospital staff to outline the move. Individuals in the affected positions have not yet been notified, though the president of one of the unions said some managers had already informed staffers.

?They weren?t supposed to do that,? said CUPE 4000?s Bruce Waller.

The job cuts will save the hospital about $22 million, with the rest of the savings coming through other revenue sources, including ensuring payments to the hospital for services are received on time. Kitts stressed patient care won?t suffer as a result of the cuts and he doesn?t expect wait times to rise.

?(The goal) is to achieve quality care at the least cost,? said Kitts. ?What it is is really becoming more efficient.?

Kitts couldn?t say which hospital campus would be hit hardest by the cuts, saying the hospital taking a department by department approach to determine staffing needs.

To reduce the impact of the cuts, the hospital has promised to move as many of the affected employees as possible into 600 currently vacant positions.

When the hospital made cuts in 2002, just 12 non-union managers left ?involuntarily,? said Kitts.

The hope this time around is to achieve something similar. The hospital will also offer voluntary retirement packages to some staff.

Waller said he hopes most of affected workers can transition into vacant positions, but he was also being realistic.

?We still think there?s a possibility that some people still may up on the street,? he said.

Waller said health care is not the place to save money.

?We understand the government?s position, there?s a deficit,? he said. ?But are you going to take it off the backs of sick people and people who need medical attention??

Kitts also confirmed parking fees would not rise to help boost revenue.

?We don?t feel that this is an appropriate time in the current fiscal environment to ask our staff, and more importantly our visitors, to pay more,? he said.

Hospital cuts by the numbers:

Affected positions: 290, including 90 nursing jobs, 100 administrative/support and 100 other health professionals, including physiotherapists, psychologists and social workers.

Estimated savings from cuts: $22 million of estimated $31-million budget shortfall

Hospital budget for 2013-2014: $1.04 billion

Total positions at the hospital: 7,700 (full-time)

chris.hofley@sunmedia.ca

@chrishofley

Do you agree with the Ottawa Hospital cutting jobs to trim $31M from its budget?

Source: http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/01/30/ottawa-hospital-cuts-290-full-time-jobs-to-trim-31-million

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Video: DPS: Pioli will never forget seeing Belcher's suicide

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/50629438#50629438

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Wisconsin.gov - Employment - Job Seeker - Detail Page

? Penfield Children's Center ? Job Title Diagnostic Special Education Teacher? ? H.R. Contact Rya Novitovic? ? Contact Phone (414)345-6330 ? Job Description The Diagnostic Special Education Teacher serves as a memeber of the Birth to Three Intake Team. The Teacher evaluates children to determine eligibility, typically in the home setting. Position goals include; GOAL 1. Working as a member of a team including parents, therapists, and service coordinators to evaluate and assess child?s current level of development, determine eligibility and report results to parents.GOAL 2. Develop an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) that encompasses the family goals and objectives, is developmentally appropriate for the individual child, and reflects the services to be provided to the child and family within their natural environment.GOAL 3. Maintain a supportive, respectful relationship with children and families.? ? Qualifications ? Bachelors degree in Special Education or related field ? DPI 809 license ? Experience administering and scoring standardized and norm referenced evaluations tests ? Effective oral and written communication skills ? Ability to lift 50 pounds on a daily basis ? Thorough knowledge of child development and developmental disabilities in children ? Familiarity with the design and implementation of early childhood curriculums, goals and objectives ? Ability to work effectively with parents from diverse backgrounds? ? Requirements Valid Drivers License and proof of car insurance? ? How to Apply Submit cover letter and resume to agency address or fax to: 414-345-6399 or email to: hr@penfieldchildren.org ? ? Job Type Employee? ? Status Full Time? ? Shift First ? ? Salary/Pay Range 30,000 - 40,000 / Annual? ? Employer Penfield Children's Center
833 N 26th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53233-1599? ? Job Address Same as the employer address. ? Website http://www.penfieldchildren.org ? ? Description Birth to Three Early Intervention program for children with developmental delays and disabilities.? ? ?

Source: http://ww2.wisconsin.gov/state/employment/app?COMMAND=gov.wi.state.cpp.job.command.ShowJobDetails&selectedJob=201301291556099956015

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Minimal relief coming to U.S. Plains drought area

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Dry weather continues in the far western portion of the drought-stricken U.S. Plains while crop-friendly rainfall is moving into the west-central and southeast Midwest, an agricultural meteorologist said on Tuesday.

"There will be a lot of rain in the Midwest and northern Delta today and tomorrow and the rain will spread into the southeast Plains ... eastern Kansas and eastern Oklahoma," said Don Keeney, a meteorologist for MDA EarthSat Weather.

Keeney said there should be some light snowfall in North Central Kansas and South Central Nebraska on Tuesday then it will turn dry for the rest of the week in the balance of the Midwest and Plains.

Another cold snap is poised to move into the U.S. Midwest and Plains late in the week, dropping temperatures to zero (degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas but "there should be no threat of winterkill damage," Keeney said.

Winter wheat conditions across the Plains worsened in January as the drought in that key production region showed no signs of ending, according to reports by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) issued on Monday.

In Kansas, the top winter wheat-production state in the country, the crop was rated 20 percent good to excellent as of January 27, down 4 percentage points from the end of December.

No areas of the state received more than an inch of moisture during the past month, according to NASS's Kansas field office. Temperatures around the state averaged 2 to 5 degrees above normal, which further depleted moisture supplies in the soil.

Without rain or heavy snow before spring, millions of acres of wheat could be ruined while corn and soybean seedings could be threatened in the western Midwest, meteorologists and other crop experts have said.

A climatology report issued last Thursday said there were no signs of improvement for Kansas or neighboring farm states.

Roughly 57.64 percent of the contiguous United States was in at least "moderate" drought as of January 22, an improvement from 58.87 percent a week earlier, according to last Thursday's Drought Monitor report by a consortium of federal and state climatology experts.

(Additional reporting by Mark Weinraub in Chicago and Carey Gillam in Kansas City; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/minimal-relief-coming-u-plains-drought-area-135749790.html

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Motorola RAZR i Receiving Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean Update in Europe, France Gets It First

Even though it got released on the market back in October 2012, Motorola RAZR i shipped with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system straight out of the box.

However, the US-based handset maker promised a Jelly Bean upgrade would be available for the Intel-powered RAZR i smartphone.

Well, it appears that the time has come for Motorola RAZR i owners to update their devices to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

XDA Forum senior member therazrguy is among the first to have received the Jelly Bean upgrade on his RAZR i. According to him, the update is pushed OTA (over-the-air) and is now available in France via Vodafone.

It?s also been reported that Motorola might have started the rollout of Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update for RAZR i units purchased from Orange UK. Stay tuned for more info on the matter.

Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Motorola-RAZR-i-Receiving-Android-4-1-2-Jelly-Bean-Update-in-Europe-France-Gets-It-First-325110.shtml

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Syrian activists say 65 bodies found in Aleppo

BEIRUT (AP) ? The bodies of at least 65 men, many of them with their hands bound behind their back, were found on the muddy banks of a small river Tuesday in the northern city of Aleppo, activists said.

The bodies, almost all of men in their 20s and 30s, were discovered in the contested neighborhood of Bustan al-Qasr, the director of the Britain-based Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul-Rahman said. Intense clashes between rebels and government troops have raged in the district since opposition forces launched an offensive on Aleppo in July.

Abdul-Rahman said it was not clear who was behind the killings, when they occurred or who the dead are.

Another activist group, the Local Coordination Committees, put the number of bodies found at 80 and blamed government forces for the killing.

There was no immediate comment from Syrian authorities on the bodies discovered Tuesday.

Since the Syrian uprising began in March 2011, there have been several cases of alleged mass killings. The rebels and the government routinely blame each other for the deaths.

An amateur video posted online showed dozens of bodies placed in rows on the ground and wrapped in blue blankets. A crowd of men, many of them covering their nose with a scarf, walk among the bodies, apparently trying to identify them.

A voice in the background says "number them," while another says "pray for them."

At one point, a man stops at a body and breaks down into tears, shouting: "he's my brother."

The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting on the events depicted.

The violence came as President Barack Obama authorized an additional $155 million in humanitarian aid for the Syrian people Tuesday, as his administration grapples for a way to stem the violence without direct U.S. military involvement.

Obama announced the additional funding Tuesday in a video directed at the Syrian people.

"The relief we send doesn't say 'Made in America,' but make no mistake ? our aid reflects the commitment of the American people," Obama said in the video, which was posted on the White House website.

The fresh funding brings the total U.S. humanitarian aid to Syria over two years to $365 million, according to the White House. Officials said the money was being used to immunize one million Syrian children, purchase winter supplies for a half million people, and to help alleviate food shortages.

The U.S. has long called for Syrian President Bashar Assad to leave power and says the fall of his regime is inevitable. In addition to the humanitarian aid, the White House has also ratcheted up economic sanctions on Assad's regime and recognized the rebel-led Syrian Opposition Council as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

Also, EU humanitarian aid Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva said the EU committed another 100 million euros ($134 million) in help, bringing the overall EU total so far to 360 million euros.

Earlier in the day, Syrian rebels stormed a government intelligence complex in the oil-rich east of the country, freeing at least 11 people held in a prison at the facility, activists said.

After five days of heavy clashes around the intelligence compound in the city of Deir el-Zour, rebels finally overran the complex early Tuesday, the Observatory said. It was not immediately clear whether those freed from the compound's prison Tuesday were fighters or activists.

The activists said the compound was run by the Political Security Department, one of Syria's four most powerful intelligence agencies.

Amateur videos showed rebels raising an Islamic flag on top of the three-story building as fighters carted away rifles and boxes of ammunition.

Deir el-Zour has been the scene of heavy fighting since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011. The province, which goes by the same name as the city, is located along Syria's border with Iraq and includes several oil installations that the rebels have repeatedly targeted.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders said last month that government forces are shelling and bombing Deir el-Zour almost daily. It said tens of thousands of Syrians, many of them wounded, remain trapped in the city.

Also Tuesday, regime warplanes also carried several airstrikes on rebel positions in restive towns and villages around Damascus, including eastern Ghouta and Yalda, the Observatory said. The group relies on reports from activists on the ground.

After capturing several major army bases and government outposts, the rebels control large swathes of land in northeastern Syria. Assad's troops, however, continue to hold a tight grip on the capital after nearly two years of conflict.

The areas on the capital's doorstep have been rebel strongholds since early on in the revolt. In recent months, the rebels have used them as a base from which they have been trying to push into central Damascus, the seat of Assad's power.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-activists-65-bodies-found-aleppo-174207736.html

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Plumbing And The Family Tree: The Roots Run Deep

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My husband had just left for a 3:00PM-11:00 PM shift at work. I was home with my two little girls and my two stepsons were on their way home from school. I walk into the bathroom and see the floor is covered in water.

The toilet had overflowed at a very inconvenient time. Then again, what would be a convenient time? Not only that, but I heard something behind the shower curtain. I open it up and find my bathtub filled with about six inches of dirty water.

I didn?t panic at this point because it just so happens that my father in law is a plumber. He also happened to be the one picking up my boys from school and dropping them off. How convenient!

He pulled up in the driveway with the boys and I asked him to come in and look at the bathroom. He knew right away that it was a main sewer blockage. His demeanor didn?t give me that sense of relief I was looking for.

He went outside and came back in much more confident. He said our house had a pipe leading to the outside that connected to the main sewer line. This was a very good thing because then he was able to get to the blockage. If we had not had this, like many houses don?t, we would have been looking at a very expensive fix. It could have been more than a thousand dollars. We are a family of six living on an extremely tight budget. I was very relieved to have this pipe to say the least.

My father in law went home to get his tools, which was just a few minutes away. In the meantime, I was texting my husband to try and tell him the news without sending him into complete panic mode.

During this time, we could not use our upstairs or downstairs bathrooms. We couldn?t use the sink or washer either. Of course, the moment when the toilets are shut down is when you have to go to the bathroom.

My two year old is in the middle of potty training, so she had a potty chair that came in handy for my nine year old. Ha Ha! My 12 year old refused to go in it and it was too cold outside. My mother in law came to the rescue and took the boys to their Auntie?s house.

My father in law comes back with his tools. It involves sticking a tool all the way through the pipe until the blockage was found. Sure enough, there was a big blockage. I thought it was a good sign. I had it in my head that he would just pull out what was in there and we would move on. He looks at me and says that he hopes it?s not tree roots because he doesn?t have the tool to cut that. I saw dollar signs immediately. So, I sat their waiting and he pulls some things out. He looks at me and says, ?Tree roots.?

This was the last thing I wanted to hear. We sat discussing the options and trying to figure out how to get these taken care of. He called a guy from our church who owns a plumbing, heating, and cooling business.

Instead of him coming out and charging us a lot of money, he drops off his tool for my father in law to use. The guy lives one block over, so it was convenient on his way home. This was such an answer to prayer. It was cold and rainy, and it was completely dark by this point. My father in law spent a lot of time cutting roots and cleaning it out.

About four hours later we had use of everything again. I had to deep clean the bathroom with bleach, but that was the worst part for me. We were so blessed to have all these events happen in the perfect order. I sent my husband a text and his response was Praise God! I couldn?t agree with him more. It?s times like this that remind me of why it?s important for me to help others when I can.

This whole experience reminded me how important it is to think about the resources we have close to home. Many times, someone knows somebody who can help much cheaper than if you had called an outside source. Many times we panic and call a company right away to come deal with things like this.

There may be people in your family, your church, place of employment, and even friends that can help save you time and a lot of money. Always remember to use your own gifts and talents to pay it forward and help someone else when you get the chance. It will be a blessing to them and more than likely an even bigger blessing to you.

? 2013, Fat Guy Skinny Wallet. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: close friends, family, plumbing, resources, saving money

Source: http://fatguyskinnywallet.com/plumbing-and-the-family-tree-the-roots-run-deep/

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Progressive optics for side mirrors ends automobile blind spots without distorting view, experts say

Jan. 28, 2013 ? A new optical prescription for automobile side-view mirrors may eliminate the dreaded "blind spot" in traffic without distorting the perceived distance of cars approaching from behind. As described in a new paper? in the Optical Society's (OSA) journal Optics Letters, objects viewed in a mirror using the new design appear larger than in traditional side-view mirrors, so it's easier to judge their following distance and speed.

Today's motor vehicles in the United States use two different types of mirrors for the driver and passenger sides. The driver's side mirror is flat so that objects viewed in it are undistorted and not optically reduced in size, allowing the operator to accurately judge an approaching-from-behind vehicle's separation distance and speed. Unfortunately, the optics of a flat mirror also create a blind spot, an area of limited vision around a vehicle that often leads to collisions during merges, lane changes, or turns. The passenger side mirror, on the other hand, possesses a spherical convex shape. While the small radius of curvature widens the field of view, it also causes any object seen in it to look smaller in size and farther away than it actually is. Because of this issue, passenger side mirrors on cars and trucks in the United States must be engraved with the safety warning, "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear." In the European Union, both driver and passenger side mirrors are aspheric (One that bulges more to one side than the other, creating two zones on the same mirror).The inner zone -- the section nearest the door -- has a nearly perfect spherical shape, while the outer zone -- the section farthest from the door -- becomes less and less curved toward the edges. The outer zone of this aspheric design also produces a similar distance and size distortion seen in spherical convex designs.

In an attempt to remedy this problem, some automotive manufacturers have installed a separate, small wide-angle mirror in the upper corner of side mirrors. This is a slightly domed square that provides a wide-angle view similar to a camera's fisheye lens. However, drivers often find this system to be a distracting as well as expensive addition.

A simpler design for a mirror that would be free of blind spots, have a wide field of view, and produce images that are accurately scaled to the true size of an approaching object -- and work for both sides of a vehicle -- has been proposed by researchers Hocheol Lee and Dohyun Kim at Hanbat National University in Korea and Sung Yi at Portland State University in Oregon. Their solution was to turn to a progressive additive optics technology commonly used in "no-line multifocal" eyeglasses that simultaneously corrects myopia (nearsightedness) and presbyopia (reduced focusing ability).

"Like multifocal glasses that give the wearer a range of focusing abilities from near to far and everything in between, our progressive mirror consists of three resolution zones: one for distance vision, one for close-up viewing and a middle zone making the transition between the two," says Lee. "However, unlike glasses where the range of focus is vertically stacked [from distance viewing on top to close-up viewing on bottom], our mirror surface is horizontally progressive."

Lee says that a driver's side mirror manufactured with his team's new design would feature a curvature where the inner zone is for distance viewing and the outer zone is for near-field viewing to compensate for what otherwise would be blind spots. "The image of a vehicle approaching from behind would only be reduced in the progressive zone in the center," Lee says, "while the image sizes in the inner and outer zones are not changed."

The horizontal progressive mirror, Lee says, does have some problems with binocular disparity (the slight difference between the viewpoints of a person's two eyes) and astigmatism (blurring of a viewed image due to the difference between the focusing power in the horizontal and vertical directions). These minor errors are a positive trade off, the researchers feel, to gain a mirror with a greatly expanded field of view, more reliable depth perception, and no blind spot.

To prove the merits of their design, the researchers used a conventional glass molding process to manufacture a prototype horizontal progressive mirror. They were able to produce a mirror with more than double the field of view of a traditional flat mirror.

Other wide-angle designs have also been proposed, but the new design described January 28 in the Optics Letters paper offers a particularly easy-to-manufacture approach to the problem of blind spots by seamlessly integrating just three zones.

The researchers claim that the manufacturing cost of their proposed mirror design would be cheaper than the mirror design with the added small wide-angle viewing section. Since mirror designs are stipulated by national automobile regulations, the new design would need to be approved for use in the United States before appearing on cars here.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Optical Society of America, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Hocheol Lee, Dohyun Kim, and Sung Yi. Horizontally progressive mirror for blind spot detection in automobiles. Opt. Lett., 38, 317-319 (2013) [link]

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/top_news/~3/TlI_Qm6Iv7c/130128104735.htm

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Classic Cars: How to Buy Classic Car Insurance

Collector Car Insurance and Classic Car Insurance

If you are fortunate enough to own a classic car - or any collectible automobile - then you want to ensure that your luck does not run out because of having inadequate insurance coverage. Call it covering your butt - or covering your "asset" - but by all means, call one of the major providers such as American Collectors, Haggerty, or Parish Heacock insurance companies and let them put you in the driver's seat in terms of professional protection of your cherished automotive investment.

How to Kick the Tires on Classic Car Insurance

The whole idea of insurance is that it needs to do what you expect of it in an emergency, when the rubber really hits the road. And classic car insurance is as different from conventional auto insurance as, well, a classic car is from your run of the mill generic vehicle.

When you buy a classic car insurance policy, you are essentially purchasing protection for those times when - God forbid and knock on wood it doesn't happen - disaster strikes in the form of a fire, a collision, or an act of theft or vandalism. Just as we now have modern airbags to save us in the event of a crash, we also have collector's car insurance, to protect us with adequate moneybags when calamity throws a wrench in the works.

The time you invest in choosing the right classic car insurance coverage is well worth the value and peace of mind that a quality collector's insurance policy delivers for owners of classic motor cars.

The Nuts and Bolts of Classic Car Insurance Coverage

Collector car insurance is not the same as the insurance you buy for normal coverage of your daily transportation. Collector car insurance, or classic car insurance, is made especially for the needs of the car collector. And while ordinary insurance does offer some protection, no matter what you drive, it can leave you high and dry in the event of a loss that it not effectively covered by the terms of the insurance contract.

For example, you may have a garage-kept Cadillac Sedan DeVille with swooping fins your grandparents bought for $7,000 brand new back in the 1960s. But dealers have offered you three times that much, and you saw another one sell at an auto show for $35,000. If you don't have special collector car insurance or classic car insurance, and the car is totaled, you will be lucky to get $7,000 for it. With depreciation calculated in, the insurance statisticians may decide that it is worth only half that much, or less, and you could wind up with two or three grand in exchange for your dream machine.

Stipulations or requirements normally encountered while shopping for collector car insurance or classic car insurance:

• A decent driving record.
• At least 10 years driving experience
• No teen drivers on the policy or drivers with poor driving records
• Secure and out of the weather garage
• Proof that you have another car for daily transportation
• Collector vehicle insurance is sometimes limited by the age of your car, and if your car is too young it may not qualify for a particular policy.
• Limited mileage. You probably don't want to drive your creampuff car all the time, and your insurance company doesn't want you to either. Mileage limits have increased recently, though, so if you can live with 250 miles a month you're probably okay.

Coverage with collector car insurance or classic car insurance: Three kinds of value are important to understand when buying your policy. 1) Actual cash value: This is what you usually get with ordinary insurance, and is based on replacement cost minus depreciation.

2) Stated value:

The insurance company pays up to the stated value of the car, but may not guarantee the full stated value. And deductibles of up to $1,000 usually apply.

3) Agreed value:

In most jurisdictions, those who provide collector car insurance or classic car insurance are allowed to insure for a value that you and your insurer agree upon. And for most autos, there is no deductible. If your $100,000 vintage Rolls get trashed, you get a check for 100 grand, plain and simple - which is exactly why collectors use special classic car insurance coverage.

Do a periodic review of your coverage limits, because classic car prices are rising. What you insured your cherry classic for ten years ago may be a fraction of what it's worth today. And if you are restoring a vehicle, ask your agent to give you appropriate insurance. There is no need to pay extra based on mileage statistics, if your car is up on blocks with no engine inside it. And as the car's value increases thanks to your hard work of restoring it, you should raise the coverage to keep up with the added value of the restoration.

Keep all your receipts and paperwork - for everything from parts and labor to expenses incurred to take it to a classic car show - so that you can document the total investment your collector's car represents. And take photos and keep them updated, for the same reason. And Last But Not Least: Special Savings Opportunities

As long as you meet the criteria in terms of how you use and take care of the car, you can usually buy a policy.

Traditional insurers will either refuse coverage, offer only a replacement value based on the nuts and bolts (minus heavy depreciation) of the car, or will charge you a prohibitive amount for the premium. But many collectors find that special collector's coverage saves them money - as much as half - while insuring them for higher limits, sometime three or four times what a traditional company gave them.

Yes, it's possible to get collector's insurance coverage for full market value for your car, and save up to 50 percent off of the premium you'd pay with ordinary insurance. That makes classic car insurance a must-have for any serious car buff.

Source: http://cincyreds.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-to-buy-classic-car-insurance.html

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Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Access Point (AP20000G)

Amped Wireless' High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Access Point (AP20000G) is a piece of networking hardware that can either be used to bring wireless access to an existing network, or to upgrade wireless networks with legacy 802.11x technology to the more modern 802.11n standard. The access point (AP) delivers excellent throughput, especially on the 5GHz band and provides very good coverage but lacks some more business-oriented features of some SMB access points on the market.

Specs
The AP20000G operates at the 2.4 and 5GHz bands. The device supports up to 600Mbps of theoretical throughput. Dual amplifiers on both the 2.4 and 5GHz wireless radios help the access point with wireless signal coverage. Two high gain 5dBi dual band antennas screw into the antennas ports on the casing.

The access point features five Gigabit Ethernet ports?one for wiring to a router or switch and four for connecting other networking devices to leverage Gigabit speeds. There's also a USB 2.0 port for sharing data on connected USB storage drives.

Users can operate the access point on an included stand, or flat on a desktop. The device is also wall-mountable.

Set Up and Configuration
There's very little to set up; the process is very easy. I powered the AP and connected its port labeled "network" to a switch on my network. I also connected a laptop to one of the ports on the AP labeled "Wired Devices."

The AP takes a few seconds to configure itself. There are several LEDs on the device's front panel that light up when power is on, when a device is connected to one of the Ethernet ports, and when there is an active network connection.

Once the LEDs were lit, I could see two new SSIDs, created by the AP20000G in my laptop's list of wireless networks. The AP creates an SSID for each band. The security key for each is printed on the bottom of the access point.

Of course, you will want to change the default SSID password and the AP's admin password. To configure the AP, I just opened a browser on my laptop and pointed to the URL: setup. ampedwireless.com. The interface has the same neat, intuitive-to-navigate design of Amped Wireless' High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Router (R20000G).

The AP20000G shares some features that are built-in across Amped Wireless' product line. One such feature is the ability to control the wireless coverage area. Radio buttons allow you to set coverage at 100 percent (which is the default setting), down to 15 percent. Lowering the coverage area means lowering the range? area in which the AP broadcasts itself, which may be desired for security reasons, and lowers the overall output power.

Users also have the option to disable the wireless radios based on a schedule by day and time Access to the AP can be granted or denied based on a MAC address control list.

The AP is designed to extend wireless network connectivity in small business networks and homes. I would recommend it as an AP more for consumers and for smaller business networks not requiring a lot of security or controls. This is because, aside from RADIUS authentication support, there are fewer business-class features in the AP20000 than some other SMB APs we've tested. For instance, there's no native firewall or Active Directory integration, as there is in a true SMB AP such as the Meraki MR16.

While the AP20000G supports up to eight guest networks, you can't create a custom splash page for guests that access the AP as you can with the Meraki MR16?device.? However, each guest network on the AP20000G can be set with its own login credentials and you can limit bandwidth for each network.

Also, there's no AP isolation preventing wireless clients from communicating with one another when they are connected to the AP which may be a security concern for some.

These lack of features may be fine for smaller businesses especially ones with routers that have these features such already, such as a built-in firewall. However, those needing APs with more business controls may want to look into business-class APs from Meraki or HP.

I found the same lengthy reboot required for just about changing any settings in the AP20000G as in Amped Wireless' R20000G router. A settings' change requires a 70 second reboot of the device which can be slightly annoying when you are first configuring the AP the way you want.

Performance
Amped Wireless' main focus is on range. You get good range and very good throughput, in fact the top throughput we've tested for an AP at 5 GHz, with the AP20000G.

The speeds are more on par with a dual-band wireless router. In 5 GHz mode at 30 feet, the AP2000G clocked a very impressive 113 Mbps. In comparison, many of the SMB APs on the market have tested quite a bit slower. For example, Meraki's MR16 AP? also a dual-band 802.11n AP? only managed 49 Mbps at the same distance in 5 GHz mode.

As expected, the AP20000G was slower, albeit, still with decent throughput in 2.4 GHz-N only mode, achieving an average throughput of 74 Mbps. Below is a chart comparing the AP20000G with other APs at 5 GHz:

Speedy, But Biz Feature-Light
For home users looking to extend a wireless network in a coverage area where a less-powerful wireless extender wouldn't get the job done, the AP20000G is an ideal piece of networking hardware.

Although this is a fast access point with very good coverage, business networks that need more control over security and user access may need to look into access points specifically marketed to the SMB. On its own,? the AP20000G is solid hardware showcasing Amped Wireless' commitment to delivering network products that are fast-performing and able to cover large areas. The AP20000G is a 3.5 star earner and is a very good access point.

More?Wireless Networking?Reviews:
??? Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Access Point (AP20000G)
??? My Net Wi-Fi Range Extender
??? Meraki MR16 Cloud Managed Wireless Access Point
??? Kanex mySpot
??? Western Digital My Net AC Bridge
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/fO0XE-EvVv0/0,2817,2414719,00.asp

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College Fund Raisers Predict a Return to Prerecession Levels of ...

Charitable donations to colleges and universities increased by 5.5 percent in 2012, fund raisers at higher-education institutions reported in a twice-yearly survey that was released on Monday by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, or CASE. The fund raisers predicted additional growth of 5.8 percent in 2013.

?The recession continues to recede,? said John Lippincott, president of CASE, who added that the survey signals a return to levels of giving equal to those of the 2007-8 academic year, when donations reached a record $31.6-billion. Gifts to higher education plunged after the global economic downturn but were back up to $30.3-billion in 2010-11.

?Anecdotally we are hearing from our members and from fund raisers of growing confidence among their donor community,? he said. ?The donors themselves are feeling better about their own personal financial circumstances and the overall economic environment, where in the past they were reluctant to make commitments.?

Mr. Lippincott cited a $350-million gift by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York to the Johns Hopkins University, announced on Sunday, as ?one more welcome reminder? of rising donor confidence.

According to CASE, some donors made large gifts in late 2012 because of proposals during the ?fiscal cliff? negotiations in Washington that would have reduced the value of the charitable-gift tax deduction. The deduction remains tied to a donor?s marginal tax rate, Mr. Lippincott said, which continues to be a boon for philanthropy in the United States.

He cautioned, however, that the short-term nature of the fiscal repairs leaves philanthropists nervous.

?If we see significant changes being discussed in the tax code in the coming months as part of future negotiations in Congress,? Mr. Lippincott said, ?it could cause some concern among the donors.?

Community colleges were the biggest gainers in higher education last year, reported the fund raisers, who reported a 7-percent increase for 2012 and predicted a 6.8-percent increase for 2013.

?A lot of what that reflects is that, as the community-college sector as a whole has invested more in their advancement operations, they?re actually seeing a payoff from it,? Mr. Lippincott said. ?We?re just delighted to see that because, roughly speaking, community colleges educate about 50 percent of undergraduates in this country, and they raise about 1 percent of the philanthropic support for higher education.?

The survey, conducted online in January among fund raisers at more than 2,100 institutions in the United States that are members of CASE, had a response rate of 11.7 percent.

Source: http://chronicle.com/blogs/bottomline/college-fund-raisers-predict-a-return-to-prerecession-levels-of-giving/

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Stan Musial remembered during funeral Mass

Pallbearers carry the casket containing the body of former St. Louis Cardinals baseball player Stan Musial out of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis following his funeral Mass, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, in St. Louis. Musial, one of baseball's greatest hitters and a Hall of Famer with the Cardinals for more than two decades, died Saturday, Jan. 19. He was 92. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Pallbearers carry the casket containing the body of former St. Louis Cardinals baseball player Stan Musial out of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis following his funeral Mass, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, in St. Louis. Musial, one of baseball's greatest hitters and a Hall of Famer with the Cardinals for more than two decades, died Saturday, Jan. 19. He was 92. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Pallbearers carry the casket containing the body of former St. Louis Cardinals baseball player Stan Musial out of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis following his funeral Mass, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, in St. Louis. Musial, one of baseball's greatest hitters and a Hall of Famer with the Cardinals for more than two decades, died Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. He was 92. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

Pallbearers carry the casket containing the body of former St. Louis Cardinals baseball player Stan Musial before the start of his funeral Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, in St. Louis. Musial, one of baseball's greatest hitters and a Hall of Famer with the Cardinals for more than two decades, died Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. He was 92. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

ST. LOUIS (AP) ? Stan Musial was remembered during a funeral and memorial outside Busch Stadium on Saturday as a Hall of Famer and a St. Louis icon embraced by generations of fans who never had the privilege of watching him play.

Broadcaster Bob Costas, his voice cracking with emotion at times, pointed out during a two-hour Mass that in 92 years of life, Stan the Man never let anyone down.

Costas noted that even though Musial, who died Jan. 19, was a three-time NL MVP and seven-time batting champion, the pride of Donora, Pa., lacked a singular achievement. Joe DiMaggio had a 56-game hitting streak, Ted Williams was the last major leaguer to hit .400, and Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle soared to stardom in the New York spotlight. Musial didn't quite reach the 500-homer club ? he finished with 475 ? and played in his final World Series in 1946, "wouldn't you know it, the year before they started televising the Fall Classic!"

"What was the hook with Stan Musial other than the distinctive stance and the role of one of baseball's best hitters?" Costas said. "It seems that all Stan had going for him was more than two decades of sustained excellence as a ballplayer and more than nine decades as a thoroughly decent human being.

"Where is the single person to truthfully say a bad word about him?"

There was enough room in the large Roman Catholic church for a handful of fans. One of them wore a vintage, No. 6 Musial jersey. Another clapped softly as pallbearers carried the casket from the church to the hearse to the tune of bagpipes.

Among those in attendance were baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, former St. Louis standout Albert Pujols and Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, Bruce Sutter, Whitey Herzog and 90-year-old Red Schoendienst, who once roomed with Musial. Joe Torre, a former MVP and manager in St. Louis, and Tony La Russa, who became close with Musial during his 16 seasons managing the Cardinals, sat near the front along with current manager Mike Matheny.

Pujols, who had been on track to challenge many of Musial's franchise records before signing with the Angels 13 months ago, exchanged hugs with Fred Hanser, a member of the Cardinals ownership team, before taking his seat.

Jim Edmonds, a star center fielder for two World Series teams in the 2000s, has the same last name as one of Musial's sons-in-law. He said Musial informed him that they were distant relatives, and greeted him as "Hey, Cuz!"

"I thought he was kidding at first," Edmonds said. "That's pretty cool."

Jack Clark, a slugging first baseman for the Cardinals during the 1980s, said he perhaps respected Musial most for his decency during baseball's sometimes difficult period of integration in the 1940s and 1950s.

"Stan kind of crossed that color barrier. When people were getting on the African-American players, he stuck up for them. It was a time when you could kind of get your finger pointed at you for that stuff," Clark said. "People loved him, and he loved them right back."

Bishop Richard Stika, pastor at Musial's' church in suburban St. Louis for several years, speculated during the homily about why Musial was never ejected from a game during his career: "I think deep down, that was because he didn't want to go home and face Lil."

Musial's wife of nearly 72 years, Lillian, died last year.

Grandson Andrew Edmonds said the public Musial was no different from the private Musial, the grandpa who bought McDonalds for the family every Sunday. He recalled a fan telling him, "Your grandpa's best attribute is he made nobodies feel like somebodies."

Pallbearers included Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III, Musial grandsons Andrew Edmonds and Brian Schwarze, and the retired star's longtime business partner in Stan the Man Inc., Dick Zitzmann.

After the service, the hearse and vans filled with the Cardinals' delegation drove to Busch Stadium, where Musial's family laid flowers at the base of one of his statues ? the one that made the move across the street from the old Busch ? while being serenaded by "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Color guards from the city's fire and police departments flanked the statue, along with more than a dozen ballpark ushers. A single Clydesdale walked slowly down the street.

Cardinals closer Jason Motte shook his head.

"This is nothing like I've ever seen," he said.

During a funeral that was almost entirely upbeat, son-in-law Martin Schwarze got the biggest laugh when he recounted a 1995 radio interview with Jack Buck during which Musial was asked how good of a hitter he'd have been had he played in the modern era. Musial, who finished with a .331 career batting average, replied he probably would have batted about .275, and Buck said "Whoa, whoa, whoa," that's way too low.

Then Musial added with a chuckle, "Hey, Jack, I'm 75!"

Thousands filed through the Cathedral Basilica at Musial's six-hour public visitation on Thursday, and hundreds more attended the service.

Hundreds more were waiting at the more prominent of the two Musial statues outside Busch Stadium, where fans have gathered since Musial died after several years of declining health. Next to the statues were flowers, balloons, teddy bears, helmets, autographed items and a homemade sign that read "Thanks for the memories. You live in our hearts, No. 6."

"He's been a hero to us for four generations," Kathy Noorman of Wentzville, Mo., said, speaking near the statue. "He was such a good man, somebody you can hold up to grandkids and your own kids as an example of who they should be."

Mark Springman, 57, of Alton, Ill., brought a bottle of champagne to the statue shrine. He saw Musial play in 1963, Stan the Man's final season, and has been a season-ticket holder for about 15 years.

"He was more than a ballplayer," Springman said. "He was the man."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-26-BBN-Musial-Funeral/id-aea6833ad3654f93b0371197ec1ab3e1

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Texas, New Mexico tangle over water

ALBUQUERQUE ? The muddy Rio Grande isn't much to look at as it meanders through southern New Mexico to the Texas border, but its waters are a high-stakes prize in a new legal row unfolding between the neighboring states.

This month, Texas asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its complaint that New Mexico has been diverting water it is obligated to send downstream under the 75-year-old Rio Grande Compact.

By allowing its residents to sink nearby wells and pump water from the river, "New Mexico has changed the conditions that existed in 1938 when the compact was executed," the Texas complaint charges.

The dispute centers on the Rio Grande Project, a system of dams and canals that impounds water at the Elephant Butte and Caballo reservoirs in New Mexico and delivers it to farmers in southern New Mexico and West Texas. The compact among Colorado, New Mexico and Texas settled years of litigation by establishing a formula for allocating the river's water to various users.

"All we're trying to do is protect the project and its users," says Pat Gordon, Texas' representative on the Rio Grande Compact Commission. "There's been a lot of tension for a lot of years. It seems that it's gotten progressively worse."

For one thing, he says, more than 2,500 wells have been drilled below Elephant Butte since the compact was signed. The wells cause water to flow from the river into the adjoining underground aquifer, he says, reducing the amount of water available for the irrigation network.

Meanwhile, Gordon says, New Mexico has "taken a very aggressive stance regarding what water would belong to the project" in a federal lawsuit it brought against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the project.

That stance has "greatly affected the state of Texas and had an impact on the action Texas had to take," he says.

Sarah Bond, an assistant New Mexico attorney general, denied that her state had changed its interpretation of the accounting and delivery of water under the compact.

"We are in compact compliance," Bond said in emailed comments. Referring to Texas' request pending before the high court, she added, "We would not speculate on any 'true motives' for the Supreme Court action. It would appear they want more water delivered to them than their compact entitlement."

Southern New Mexico farmers have long turned to pumping groundwater under drought conditions, as has the nearby city of El Paso and others in Texas, Bond said. Those drawing water from the river have been found to have water rights that predate the Rio Grande Project, she said.

"None of the actions of New Mexico farmers or river pumpers have been in violation of the compact," she said.

Charles DuMars, a prominent water law specialist and former University of New Mexico law professor, says the dispute "has been brewing for a long time." For years, New Mexico did not regulate groundwater pumping below Elephant Butte and only stopped issuing new well permits in 1980, he says.

Though the wells may be depleting the river's flow, the compact only requires that New Mexico deliver a set amount of water into Elephant Butte Reservoir, DuMars says. As to what happens to the river between there and Texas, New Mexico's water law probably applies, not the compact, he says.

But Carlos Rubinstein, a member of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, contends that the Supreme Court should handle the dispute because the compact "is an agreement between states and it was approved by Congress."

Should the high court decide to step in, it would probably appoint a special master to take evidence, he says. Texas has prevailed in similar actions against New Mexico involving the Canadian and Pecos rivers, Rubinstein notes.

Water issues are taking on added urgency as hotter, drier conditions afflict Western states with their burgeoning urban populations. The Supreme Court agreed this month to hear another lawsuit from Texas over water ? by a water district against Oklahoma. At issue is whether the Tarrant Regional Water District in northeastern Texas can use water supplies in Oklahoma.

In New Mexico, years of drought have left Elephant Butte water levels perilously low, and the mountains in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado are seeing lower-than-normal snowpack. Flow in the Rio Grande near Santa Fe this spring is projected to be just 47% of the 1981-2010 average.

DuMars predicts the case will drag on for years. Meanwhile, he says, "it's really up to Mother Nature. If there is adequate snowpack for two or three years in a row and they can fill Elephant Butte, then it's OK. But all the injunctions in the Supreme Court are not going to create snow."

nation@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/2DBYO5AQ-3s/la-na-texas-water-20130126,0,1999420.story

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Obama: Gun-control advocates have to listen more

FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2013, file photo, President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, talks about proposals to reduce gun violence at the White House in Washington. Obama has called for a ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines and is pushing other policies in the wake of the mass shooting last month at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. In response, gun-rights advocates have accused Obama and others of ignoring the Second Amendment rights of Americans. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2013, file photo, President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, talks about proposals to reduce gun violence at the White House in Washington. Obama has called for a ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines and is pushing other policies in the wake of the mass shooting last month at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. In response, gun-rights advocates have accused Obama and others of ignoring the Second Amendment rights of Americans. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

People walk from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, during a march on Washington for gun control. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

People walk from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, during a march on Washington for gun control. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

People walk from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, during a march on Washington for gun control. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama says gun-control advocates should be better listeners in the debate over firearms in America.

In an interview with The New Republic, Obama says he has "a profound respect" for the tradition of hunting that dates back for generations.

"And I think those who dismiss that out of hand make a big mistake. Part of being able to move this forward is understanding the reality of guns in urban areas are very different from the realities of guns in rural areas," he says.

Obama has called for a ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines and is pushing other policies following the mass shooting last month at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. In response, gun-rights advocates have accused Obama and others of ignoring the Second Amendment rights of Americans.

The president says it's understandable that people are protective of their family traditions when it comes to hunting.

"So it's trying to bridge those gaps that I think is going to be part of the biggest task over the next several months. And that means that advocates of gun control have to do a little more listening than they do sometimes," he says.

Has Obama himself ever fired a gun?

"Yes," the president says, "in fact, up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time."

His daughters don't shoot skeet at the presidential retreat in Maryland, he adds, "but oftentimes guests of mine go up there."

The interview appears in the Feb. 11 issue of The New Republic.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-27-US-Obama-Guns/id-edd0fdb2cdce49218973a8bcc5bc8728

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