The disturbing, ludicrous legislation which would give unknown amount of military aid to Israel

Madison Ruppert
?End the Lie

I never cease to be amazed by the fact that our so-called representatives so blatantly work against the American people while actively working for foreign nations that not only support and train terrorists but are also egregious violators of human rights and flouters of international law.

Of course, I am referring to none other than the state of Israel, which has become what some call the 51^st state. I would disagree with this characterization, as it would imply that Israel is viewed as equal to any of the other 50 states, which is clearly not the case.

Israel is placed on a special level far above all of America, evidenced by the fact that ?our? government continues to pour funds into Israel while countless people in the United States are homeless, hungry, jobless and completely ignored by the suits in Washington D.C.

Even more ludicrous is the fact that we do not even have the money that they continue to give and guarantee to Israel. Our nation is wracked by more debt and a larger deficit than any time before and yet our government believes a foreign state should be given higher priority than our own country.

The latest incarnation of the completely nonsensical American support of Israel is the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012, which has already passed Congress.

H.R. 4133, or the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012, sponsored by Representative Eric Cantor (R-VA) along with 304 others, passed the house on May 9, 2012 with a disturbingly large margin.

Indeed, only two of our so-called representatives actually voted against the legislation, further proving that the vast majority of politicians couldn?t care less about America or the people of the United States.

Having passed through Congress, Senate is next in line to pass the legislation, which is designated as S. 2165.

Personally, I think it is highly probable that it will pass the Senate, if not in this specific incarnation, then a nearly identical one. After all, a whopping 50 Senators co-sponsored the bill, representing 50% of the entire Senate.

As of March 6, 2012, S. 2165 was referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, where it remains to this day, although on May 10 H.R. 4133 was referred to the Senate.

While our so-called representatives squabble over anything and everything based on petty partisan politics and pandering, they never fail to agree on one thing: blind, unwavering support of the terrorist state of Israel.

The legislation is much more than a ceremonial reaffirmation of American support for Israel and their war on Palestinian civilians and anyone who disagrees with their apartheid policies.

If you can believe it, the bill is actually going to expand the military ties between the United States and Israel beyond the $3+ billion already given to what is often pointedly referred to as ?the Jewish state of Israel,? in order to the majority of the native population from the farcical ?democracy.?

In fact, under Section 3, Statement of United States Policy, the legislation specifically states that it is the policy of the United States, ?To reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the security of the State of Israel as a Jewish state.?

This is no minor issue, as it is specifically included in order to show America?s support for the racist, backwards Israeli policies such as segregated roads and theft of Palestinian land.

The legislation also extends the ?War Reserves and Stockpile Authority? in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2005 ? Section 12001(d) (Public Law 108-287; 118 Stat. 1011) and the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 ? Section 514(b)(2)(A) (22 U.S.C. 2321h(b)(2)(A)).

Furthermore, it extends loan guarantees to Israel under Chapter 5 of title I of the Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2003 (Public Law 108-11; 117 Stat. 576), which is especially troublesome given that the United States has absolutely no money to loan. Every cent we?re spending is borrowed, so lending borrowed money we can?t afford to pay back makes no sense whatsoever.

This legislation is not only aimed at funneling more money into Israel?s coffers. When one reads the legislation, which is far from lengthy, it becomes abundantly clear that this bill is squarely aimed at Iran and Syria.

It doesn?t take a genius to see this, as we plainly see in the following sub-sections from Section 2, Findings:

(4) The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is continuing its decades-long pattern of seeking to foment instability in the Middle East, particularly in this time of dramatic political transition.

(5) At the same time, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to enrich uranium in defiance of international law.

(6) A nuclear-weapons capable Iran would fundamentally threaten vital United States interests, encourage regional nuclear proliferation, further empower Iran, the world?s leading state sponsor of terror, and pose a serious and destabilizing threat to Israel and the region.

(7) Over the past several years, with the assistance of the Governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas have increased their stockpile of rockets, with more than 60,000 now ready to be fired at Israel. The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to develop its missile technology as well, including cruise missiles.

However, the most problematic aspect of this legislation is that it is wildly open-ended and vague as evidenced by the following sub-sections of Section 3, statement of United States Policy which states that it is the policy of the United States:

(2) To provide the Government of Israel the military capabilities necessary to deter and defend itself against any threat or possible combination of threats.

(3) To assist the Government of Israel with its ongoing efforts to forge a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that results in two states living side-by-side in peace and security, and to encourage Israel?s neighbors to recognize Israel?s right to exist as a Jewish state.

(4) To veto any one-sided anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations Security Council.

(5) To support Israel?s inherent right to self-defense.

(6) To pursue every opportunity to expand cooperation with the Government of Israel on defense and national security matters and across the spectrum of civilian sectors, including advanced technology, agriculture, medicine, health, pharmaceuticals, and energy.

Obviously this is left wide open for a reason: to be able to provide Israel with as much funding and military hardware as possible.

Some of the most interesting aspects of this legislation appear in Section 4, Sense of Congress, which states that it is the sense of Congress that the United States Government should take the following actions to assist in the defense of Israel:

(1) Seek to enhance the capabilities of the Governments of the United States and Israel to address emerging common threats, increase security cooperation, and expand joint military exercises.

(2) Work to encourage an expanded role for Israel within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including an enhanced presence at NATO headquarters and exercises.

(3) Expand already-close intelligence cooperation, including satellite intelligence, with the Government of Israel.

(4) Examine ways to strengthen existing and ongoing efforts, including the Gaza Counter Arms Smuggling Initiative, aimed at preventing weapons smuggling into Gaza pursuant to the 2009 agreement following the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as well as measures to protect against weapons smuggling and terrorist threats from the Sinai Peninsula.

(5) Provide the Government of Israel with necessary support to increase development and production of joint missile defense systems, particularly such systems that defend the urgent threat posed to Israel and United States forces in the region.

(6) Make every effort to assure the provision to the Government of Israel of defensive equipment through such mechanisms as lend-lease, to include air refueling tankers, missile defense capabilities, and specialized munitions.

(7) Undertake efforts to make available for purchase by the Government of Israel surplus defense items, particularly those resulting from the end of United States combat operations in Iraq.

(8) Offer the Air Force of Israel additional training and exercise opportunities in the United States to compensate for Israel?s limited air space.

Here we see that the U.S. seeks to further integrate Israel into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which is a hot button issue for Turkey, to put it lightly.

Also quite interesting is the expansion of intelligence sharing, especially the sharing of satellite intelligence.

Thoroughly unsurprising, however, is the pledge to provide Israel with support for increased development and production of their missile defense systems, which the U.S. has been pouring massive sums into despite the fact that we do not have the money to do so.

The mention of ?air refueling tankers? is also not too surprising, as Israel lacks sufficient numbers of these aircraft to enable long range assaults on nations like Iran.

There is also mention of improving ?the acquisition process for the purchase of F-35 aircraft by Israel, particularly with respect to cost efficiency and on-time delivery, taking into account the urgent need of the Government of Israel for such aircraft,? under Section 6, Reports Required.

This section mandates reports no later than 180 days after the enactment of the Act dealing with Israel?s Qualitative Military Edge (QME) as defined in section 36(h)(2) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776(h)(2)) as well as a report on F-35 acquisition and ?Efforts to expand cooperation between the United States Government and the Government of Israel in homeland security, counter-terrorism, maritime security, energy, cyber-security, and other related areas.?

Also mandated is a report on ?Actions to integrate Israel into the defense of the Eastern Mediterranean,? likely meaning closer integration in NATO activities in the region.

According to one anonymous source cited by Globes Online, an Israeli business news site, in an article entitled ?US seen awarding Israel largest ever aid package,? the Obama administration has already expressed support for the legislation.

?This bill has received the blessing of the Obama administration, which sees it as a conciliatory gesture towards Israel in advance of the agreement with Iran, about which Israel has already begun to express reservations,? the unnamed source said.

Indeed, Israeli officials have been quite unhappy about these talks with Iran, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the talks a ?trap? and others fearing that it could prevent the unilateral military strike on Iran so many have been talking about.

Yet this goes far beyond a conciliatory gesture and should not be treated as such.

Representative Ron Paul, one of only two people to vote against H.R. 4133, called it ?another piece of one-sided and counter-productive foreign policy legislation.?

?This bill will not help the United States, it will not help Israel, and it will not help the Middle East,? Paul said. ?It will implicitly authorize much more US interventionism in the region at a time when we cannot afford the foreign commitments we already have. It more likely will lead to war against Syria, Iran, or both.?

Meanwhile, House Minority representative Steny Hoyer nonsensically claimed it will increase cooperation between the U.S. and Israel so that Israel ?can further deter Iran from developing nuclear weapons capability and work together to combat terrorism that threatens both of our countries.?

This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever given that it is Israel and the United States who are creating and openly advocating terrorism and destabilizing the Middle East, but of course these facts are just glossed over or ignored entirely.

Furthermore, both nations have shared interests with terrorist organizations which many prominent Americans openly support with no repercussions.

All in all, this legislation should be nothing short of infuriating for any American who believes that this nation should have a future without a mountain of debt which can never be paid off. It should also be deeply upsetting to anyone who thinks that the people of the United States should have homes, food, healthcare and other necessities.

Legislation like this actively works against us and as some have argued, it actually works against Israel as well, not to mention failing to bring peace to the Middle East.

downton abbey season 2 2013 dodge dart shameless

14 Extreme Campers Built for Off-Roading

Since 2008, Global Expedition Vehicles (GXV) has been building some of the most incredible trucks in the overland world. This 2010 Freightliner began as a 2WD model with a 300-inch wheelbase. The team converted it to 4WD, took the wheelbase down to a more manageable 230 inches, and converted it to be nearly bulletproof?the bodywork is an insulated 2.5-inch composite sandwich of many marine-grade components. Even the windows are made of thick dual-pane construction and stainless-steel hardware.

You can get a GXV but not for cheap. The most extreme and luxurious lifting roof model, the Patagonia, sells for more than $500,000.

terminator salvation

4 Levels of Eczema | Baby care | Health and Fitness | Beauty ...

Posted by Diana on May 22nd, 2012 11:38 AM | Eczema??

Sharp

Acute in health-related terminology instrument of immediate onset. Usually ailments what one. appear over a short time circuit are also really vigorous in their action; they also might be severe in characteristics.

Sharp eczema would likely and consequently be an region of skin flare-up, which fairly lately flared up, and rapidly progressing, it might perhaps be red as well as rashy, inflamed, quite perhaps also have blisters and maybe more oozing or swollen skin locations. The hide surface will most likely sting, consume , or may itch intensely.

Sub-Acute

The sub-acute appearance associated with eczema comprises of symptoms affiliated through skin redness and crusting. People in the sub-sharp phase usually complain more touching the characteristic of itching, even more than the penalty. The itching in the sub-acute stage is usually small to moderate with conceivable stinging in adding to burning

Chronic

Chronic eczema fitly suggests long-standing. When the first phase of activity has died down, more skin which has been eczematous for a time is dried out, scaly, thickened as well as broken. Chronic eczema (or dermatitis) identifies a longstanding irascible area. It?s often darker than the surrounding hide, thickened (lichenified) and extremely much greater degree of difficult to avoid scratching, as itching is usually a prevailing symptom in this phase.

Symptoms could be persevering or even intermittent, but the affected individual usually has the place for life.

Your first line of defense to defend against chronic eczema is to ensure that your hide remains moisturized. Take care to do the uncomplicated items, like as taking the time to moisturize often, and especially after washing parts of your material substance, or perhaps your child?s body, if you or yours undergo from eczema.

Undertake quick bathing or perchance showers utilizing warm water. Hot irrigate could make you itch a lot more. Ask your of medicine professional with regards to the use of oatmeal steeping products in your bath to help you horsemanship the itching.

Right after washing, don?t rub your sentient skin dry with a rough towel. That simply irritates your skin a lot more. Carefully pat it dry to get the irrigate off. Then simply put on some moisturizing choice part to help keep your skin from fit too dry. You can spread the cream on several times each day.

Astringent soaps and any astringent agents what one. shrink the skin pores for example sorceress hazel, alum, very cold irrigate, as well as rubbing alcohol ought to be avoided, for they are more drying to the skin.

Infected

Through just about any stage of eczema, it may get infected. This won?t always be so obviously distinct from acute eczema, except at the time there are pus-filled blisters.

Together through working experience, anybody can generally settle the golden crust of infection and pick up other signs that hint infection.

A few other signs could be failure to answer to normal treatment solution, in addition to swiftly deteriorating eczema. If the infection becomes greater degree of severe you can even develop a fever (degree of heat) and generally feel ill.

See your doctor in covering a flare-up of eczema is getting worse or differently not clearing inspite of the usual treatment options.

To learn greater degree of about this dreadful condition, and it?s increasing footmark on infants today. Go visit Infant Eczema HQ

andy cohen mozambique oosthuizen great expectations jake owen

Breast-fed babies' gut microbes contribute to healthy immune systems

Public release date: 21-May-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Phyllis Picklesimer
p-pickle@illinois.edu
217-244-2827
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

URBANA A new multi-university study reports that differences in bacterial colonization of the infant gut in formula-fed and breast-fed babies lead to changes in the expression of genes involved in the infant's immune system.

The study, published in the April 30 issue of BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology, is an Editor's Pick. The research was a joint effort of University of Illinois, Texas A&M University, Miami University, and University of Arkansas scientists.

"This study provides a first insight into the interactions between microbes and the developing infant and how these interactions are affected by diet. It also demonstrates the power of new experimental and analytical approaches that enable the simultaneous analysis of the microbiome and the host response," said Mihai Pop of the University of Maryland in a review of the study for the publishing journal.

There is strong evidence that the colonization of the body by microbes has an important influence on the development of infants' immune systems, he added.

In the study, the researchers compared the genes expressed in cells from the intestines of three-month-old exclusively breast-fed or formula-fed infants and related this to their gut microbes. The human intestine is lined by epithelial cells that process nutrients and provide the first line of defense against food antigens and pathogens. Approximately one-sixth of the intestinal epithelial cells are shed every day into feces, providing a non-invasive picture of what is going on inside the gut.

The baby's gene expression profile was compared to the genes contained in the microbes in its gut, or the bacterial metagenome. This analysis provides a picture of who the bacteria are and what they are doing.

The study showed that babies that had been fed only breast milk had a more diverse bacterial colonization than formula-fed babies. The scientists also found a link between the expression of genes in the bacteria and genes of the immune system in the baby.

"While we found that the microbiome of breast-fed infants is significantly enriched in genes associated with 'virulence,' including resistance to antibiotics and toxic compounds, we also found a correlation between bacterial pathogenicity and the expression of host genes associated with immune and defense mechanisms," said Robert Chapkin of Texas A&M University.

Iddo Friedberg of Miami University in Ohio said that the differences in virulence genes probably do not reflect an infection. "The breast-fed babies had a larger complement of gram-negative bacteria than the formula-fed babies. Gram-negative bacteria have genes that, although classified as 'virulent,' can activate the immune system but not cause an infection in the process. We are now studying this finding in greater depth," he said.

"The findings show that human milk feeding promotes the beneficial microbe population in the gut and crosstalk between these bacteria and the immune system of the infant and are helping us to define exactly why breast is best," said U of I scientist Sharon Donovan.

###

Co-authors are the U of I's Mei Wang and Sharon M. Donovan; Robert S. Chapkin, Scott Schwartz, Ivan I. Ivanov, Laurie A. Davidson, Jennifer S. Goldsby, and David B. Dahl of Texas A&M University; Iddo Friedberg of Miami University; Damir Herman of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Funding was provided by grants from the National Institutes of Health, Hatch support through the U of I Division of Nutritional Sciences Vision 20/20 program, and a USDA-NIFA Designing Foods for Health grant.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Public release date: 21-May-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Phyllis Picklesimer
p-pickle@illinois.edu
217-244-2827
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

URBANA A new multi-university study reports that differences in bacterial colonization of the infant gut in formula-fed and breast-fed babies lead to changes in the expression of genes involved in the infant's immune system.

The study, published in the April 30 issue of BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology, is an Editor's Pick. The research was a joint effort of University of Illinois, Texas A&M University, Miami University, and University of Arkansas scientists.

"This study provides a first insight into the interactions between microbes and the developing infant and how these interactions are affected by diet. It also demonstrates the power of new experimental and analytical approaches that enable the simultaneous analysis of the microbiome and the host response," said Mihai Pop of the University of Maryland in a review of the study for the publishing journal.

There is strong evidence that the colonization of the body by microbes has an important influence on the development of infants' immune systems, he added.

In the study, the researchers compared the genes expressed in cells from the intestines of three-month-old exclusively breast-fed or formula-fed infants and related this to their gut microbes. The human intestine is lined by epithelial cells that process nutrients and provide the first line of defense against food antigens and pathogens. Approximately one-sixth of the intestinal epithelial cells are shed every day into feces, providing a non-invasive picture of what is going on inside the gut.

The baby's gene expression profile was compared to the genes contained in the microbes in its gut, or the bacterial metagenome. This analysis provides a picture of who the bacteria are and what they are doing.

The study showed that babies that had been fed only breast milk had a more diverse bacterial colonization than formula-fed babies. The scientists also found a link between the expression of genes in the bacteria and genes of the immune system in the baby.

"While we found that the microbiome of breast-fed infants is significantly enriched in genes associated with 'virulence,' including resistance to antibiotics and toxic compounds, we also found a correlation between bacterial pathogenicity and the expression of host genes associated with immune and defense mechanisms," said Robert Chapkin of Texas A&M University.

Iddo Friedberg of Miami University in Ohio said that the differences in virulence genes probably do not reflect an infection. "The breast-fed babies had a larger complement of gram-negative bacteria than the formula-fed babies. Gram-negative bacteria have genes that, although classified as 'virulent,' can activate the immune system but not cause an infection in the process. We are now studying this finding in greater depth," he said.

"The findings show that human milk feeding promotes the beneficial microbe population in the gut and crosstalk between these bacteria and the immune system of the infant and are helping us to define exactly why breast is best," said U of I scientist Sharon Donovan.

###

Co-authors are the U of I's Mei Wang and Sharon M. Donovan; Robert S. Chapkin, Scott Schwartz, Ivan I. Ivanov, Laurie A. Davidson, Jennifer S. Goldsby, and David B. Dahl of Texas A&M University; Iddo Friedberg of Miami University; Damir Herman of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Funding was provided by grants from the National Institutes of Health, Hatch support through the U of I Division of Nutritional Sciences Vision 20/20 program, and a USDA-NIFA Designing Foods for Health grant.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

dr dog

Records: Joplin twister was costliest since 1950

FILE - In this May 25, 2011 file photo, Shirley Waits sits outside her mother's home and waits for an insurance adjuster to arrive, in Joplin , Mo., after a massive tornado moved through Joplin three days earlier, leveling much of the city. The tornado that tore through Joplin a year ago already ranks as the deadliest twister in six decades. Now it carries another distinction _ the costliest since at least 1950. Insurance policies are expected to cover most of the $2.8 billion in damage. But records obtained by The Associated Press show taxpayers could supply $500 million. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

FILE - In this May 25, 2011 file photo, Shirley Waits sits outside her mother's home and waits for an insurance adjuster to arrive, in Joplin , Mo., after a massive tornado moved through Joplin three days earlier, leveling much of the city. The tornado that tore through Joplin a year ago already ranks as the deadliest twister in six decades. Now it carries another distinction _ the costliest since at least 1950. Insurance policies are expected to cover most of the $2.8 billion in damage. But records obtained by The Associated Press show taxpayers could supply $500 million. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) ? The cost of 30 manhole covers that got sucked away: $5,800. A new concession stand at the destroyed high school: $228,600. Shelter and care for more than 1,300 homeless pets: $372,000.

The tornado that tore through Joplin a year ago already ranks as the deadliest twister in six decades. Now it carries another distinction ? the costliest since at least 1950.

Insurance policies are expected to cover most of the $2.8 billion in damage. But taxpayers could supply about $500 million in the form of federal and state disaster aid, low-interest loans and local bonds backed by higher taxes, according to records obtained by The Associated Press and interviews with federal, state and local officials.

Almost one-fifth of that money was paid to contractors who hauled off debris. Tens of millions more dollars went to individuals for temporary housing and other living expenses in the immediate aftermath of the storm. Additional money could help subsidize construction of a new hospital to replace one that was irreparably damaged.

All told, about two dozen school districts, emergency agencies, public housing authorities, religious groups and other nonprofits could receive taxpayer money through a program run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The outpouring of assistance is nowhere near the scale of Hurricane Katrina, which swamped New Orleans and damaged property along a wide swath of the Gulf Coast in 2005. Yet the Joplin tornado raises questions anew about the government's role in disasters.

For Joplin families still on the long road to recovery, the taxpayer aid generally is appreciated.

The twister killed Danielle Robertson's mother and destroyed the duplex she shared with her teenage daughter and two dogs. After several months of temporary living arrangements, Robertson eventually got one of the FEMA trailers for tornado survivors. No rent or utility payments were required.

"There are just thousands of people who would not have recovered at all had that aid not been there. I mean there's no way," said Robertson, who finally moved into a rebuilt rental home about three weeks ago. "I like to consider myself a survivalist, but there was nothing to survive with."

The Joplin tornado, which killed 161 people, was one of 99 major disasters declared by President Barack Obama in 2011. Other included blizzards, wildfires and hurricanes. Congress responded in December by authorizing an extra $8.6 billion in disaster aid.

Missouri has a rainy day fund with about $500 million that was created for costly emergencies. But the fund hasn't been tapped for Joplin because Gov. Jay Nixon and some lawmakers are reluctant to trigger a constitutional mandate that the borrowed money be replenished within three years.

Some critics of federal disaster aid point to Missouri's rainy day fund as a prime example of how states pass the buck to the federal government for local tragedies.

"It seems to me this indicates the bad incentive problem that comes with federal involvement ? that states would rather tap federal taxpayers before they have to tap their own taxpayers," said Chris Edwards, an economist and editor of downsizinggovernment.org, a website run by the Washington-based Cato Institute, a group that promotes free markets.

FEMA Director Craig Fugate said it takes an especially destructive tornado to trigger federal aid. What made the Joplin tornado so unusual was the intensity of the devastation in such a concentrated area, he said.

"We're talking thousands of families impacted, hundreds of deaths, the trauma to the community alone was overwhelming," Fugate said. "The likelihood of Joplin being able to recover successfully without federal assistance ... warranted the president declaring it" a disaster zone.

Some of the taxpayer-subsidized projects, such as rebuilding St. John's Regional Medical Center, will benefit people well beyond Joplin. The hospital served patients from a wide region extending into southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma.

Hospital administrators estimate their total cost from the tornado at $950 million, including demolishing the old building, creating temporary facilities and constructing a permanent replacement.

The hospital expects to get more than $345 million from insurance. It's submitted more than $88 million of expenses to FEMA, of which the federal government could pay for 75 percent. The rest will be covered by private donations and the resources of the Sisters of Mercy Health System, which runs the hospital.

"We do hope to get some money from FEMA, but we're not counting on that," said Shelly Hunter, the chief financial officer for Mercy Health of Joplin.

The cost of replacing damaged school buildings will be covered largely by insurance, too. But voters recently approved the largest bond issue in Joplin history ? $62 million ? to help rebuild or repair 10 school buildings. The resulting property tax increase is estimated at $65 a year for the owner of a $100,000 home ? roughly a 10 percent hike.

The Joplin school district has sought disaster aid for dozens of costs not covered by insurance, such as a truck and trailer used to shuttle band equipment between makeshift school buildings, as well as the concession stand, bleachers, flagpoles, fences, outdoor basketball hoops and new mulch for playgrounds. The cost to remove and replace the mulch at just three sites: $7,100.

The city has its own share of tornado costs, like the manhole covers. The tornado also destroyed two sirens that warn people of dangerous storms. Taxpayers paid more than $41,000 for temporary and permanent replacements, according to disaster-aid records.

During the cleanup, 14 fire hydrants and curbs and gutters at 111 locations were damaged by heavy equipment. And tires were punctured on about 125 vehicles, costing almost $57,300.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it spent $1.2 million providing shelter and veterinary care for 1,300 homeless pets after the tornado. The city of Joplin agreed to cover $351,000 of those costs and now is seeking reimbursement from FEMA. It's seeking an additional $21,000 for costs incurred by Joplin Human Society.

Federal disaster aid rules also reward local entities for the charitable work and donations of others. Joplin expects to receive $1 million through FEMA as a partial credit for an estimated $17.7 million worth of volunteer labor and donated supplies and services. That money can be used to offset the city's own expenses for debris cleanup and emergency response.

"The fact that we can basically break even from a tornado of this magnitude is astonishing, and it's in large part due to the donated resources," city Finance Director Leslie Jones said. "Not only did it help us financially, they helped us clean up our community. I don't even have words to describe it."

Associated Press

rudolph the red nosed reindeer

Newfound exoplanet may turn to dust: Planet?s dust cloud may explain strange patterns of light from its star

ScienceDaily (May 18, 2012) ? Researchers at MIT, NASA and elsewhere have detected a possible planet, some 1,500 light years away, that appears to be evaporating under the blistering heat of its parent star. The scientists infer that a long tail of debris -- much like the tail of a comet -- is following the planet, and that this tail may tell the story of the planet's disintegration. According to the team's calculations, the tiny exoplanet, not much larger than Mercury, will completely disintegrate within 100 million years.

The team found that the dusty planet circles its parent star every 15 hours -- one of the shortest planet orbits ever observed. Such a short orbit must be very tight and implies that the planet must be heated by its orange-hot parent star to a temperature of about 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers hypothesize that rocky material at the surface of the planet melts and evaporates at such high temperatures, forming a wind that carries both gas and dust into space. Dense clouds of the dust trail the planet as it speeds around its star.

"We think this dust is made up of submicron-sized particles," says co-author Saul Rappaport, a professor emeritus of physics at MIT. "It would be like looking through a Los Angeles smog."

The group's findings, published in the Astrophysical Journal, are based on data from the Kepler Observatory, a space-based telescope that surveys more than 160,000 stars in the Milky Way. The observatory records the brightness of each star at regular intervals; scientists then analyze the data for signs of new planets outside our own solar system.

A curiously stellar case

Astronomers using the Kepler satellite typically identify exoplanets by looking for regular dips in a star's brightness. For example, if a star dims every month, one possibility is that the dimming is due to a planet that travels around the star over the course of a month; each time the planet travels in front of the star, the planet blocks the same small amount of light.

However, Rappaport and his colleagues came across a curious light pattern from a star dubbed KIC 12557548. The group examined the star's light curves, a graph of its brightness over time, and found that its light dropped by different intensities every 15 hours -- suggesting that something was blocking the star regularly, but by varying degrees.

The team considered several explanations for the puzzling data, including the possibility that a planetary duo -- two planets orbiting each other -- also orbited the star. (Rappaport reasoned that the planetary pair would pass by the star at different orientations, blocking out different amounts of light during each eclipse.) In the end, the data failed to support this hypothesis: The dimming every 15 hours was judged far too short a period to allow sufficient room for two planetary bodies orbiting each other, in the same way that Earth and the moon together orbit the sun.

A dusty idea

Instead, the researchers landed on a novel hypothesis: that the varying intensities of light were caused by a somewhat amorphous, shape-shifting body.

"I'm not sure how we came to this epiphany," Rappaport says. "But it had to be something that was fundamentally changing. It was not a solid body, but rather, dust coming off the planet."

Rappaport and his colleagues investigated various ways in which dust could be created and blown off a planet. They reasoned that the planet must have a low gravitational field, much like that of Mercury, in order for gas and dust to escape from the planet's gravitational pull. The planet must also be extremely hot -- on the order of 3,600? F.

Rappaport says there are two possible explanations for how the planetary dust might form: It might erupt as ash from surface volcanoes, or it could form from metals that are vaporized by high temperatures and then condense into dust. As for how much dust is spewed from the planet, the team showed that the planet could lose enough dust to explain the Kepler data. From their calculations, the researchers concluded that at such a rate, the planet will completely disintegrate within 100 million years.

The researchers created a model of the planet orbiting its star, along with its long, trailing cloud of dust. The dust was densest immediately surrounding the planet, thinning out as it trailed away. The group simulated the star's brightness as the planet and its dust cloud passed by, and found that the light patterns matched the irregular light curves taken from the Kepler Observatory.

"We're actually now very happy about the asymmetry in the eclipse profile," Rappaport says. "At first we didn't understand this picture. But once we developed this theory, we realized this dust tail has to be here. If it's not, this picture is wrong."

Dan Fabrycky, a member of the Kepler Observatory science team, says the model may add to the many different ways in which a planet can disappear.

"This might be another way in which planets are eventually doomed," says Fabrycky, who was not involved in the research. "A lot of research has come to the conclusion that planets are not eternal objects, they can die extraordinary deaths, and this might be a case where the planet might evaporate entirely in the future."

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The original article was written by Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. S. Rappaport, A. Levine, E. Chiang, I. El Mellah, J. Jenkins, B. Kalomeni, E. S. Kite, M. Kotson, L. Nelson, L. Rousseau-Nepton, K. Tran. Possible Disintegrating Short-Period Super-Mercury Orbiting KIC 12557548. Astrophysical Journal, 2012; (accepted) [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.

lra eric johnson eric johnson

Spain hires Goldman Sachs to value Bankia: report

[ [ [['A picture is worth a thousand words', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/why-facebook-bought-instagram-4-theories-160400376.html', '[Related: Why Facebook bought Instagram: 4 theories]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 9]], 'http://contributor.yahoo.com/join/yahoonews_virginiabeach', '[Did you witness the jet crash? Share your story with Yahoo! News]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Dick Clark', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/dick-clark-dies-at-82-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/c/21/c217c61aa2d5872244c08caa13c16ec5.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'Reuters', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

ufc jones vs evans

First Team Honored With Two Global Marketing Awards ?

?Live Beautifully,? a postcard campaign targeted to the luxury market by?First Team Estates^?, received a first-place marketing award in the category of Luxury Portfolio Marketing from Leading Real Estate Companies of the World? at its annual conference held in Orlando, Fla., March 24 to 26.?The win enhances the?Orange County, Calif., -based company?s international prominence among luxury real estate firms in the U.S. and worldwide.
Cameron Merage, First Team CEO and founder, noted, ?The international reach of our marketing and advertising both online and in print helps us to find the most qualified buyers and exposes our luxury listings to a global audience.? According to Merage, First Team Estates, the exclusive luxury property division of?First Team, caters specifically to the affluent market, and the award-winning ?Live Beautifully? campaign embodies the studied approach First Team Estates has taken in meeting the high expectations of the luxury market client on a more individual and customized level.

?Our investment in local and international marketing makes it possible for First Team agents to expose their listings on a local and global basis through the company?s expansive marketing tactics,? Merage said.
In addition to the company?s own luxury market website,?www.FirstTeamEstates.com, First Team also promotes listings on award-winning websites such as?www.LuxuryPortfolio.com, a site that is available in nine languages with home pricing available in over 60 currencies.

?Through these websites and hundreds of other listing syndication and affiliate websites, our properties are viewed by an enormous international audience,? said Debbie Lewandowski, director of First Team Estates. ?Our award-winning print marketing campaign is one more indication that wherever the buyers are, online or offline, we?re there, too.?
First Team also won a third-place award in the New Media category for the company?s compelling ?My Story? videos. The brief videos elicit an emotional connection between the company and consumers by focusing on how First Team agents make their clients? dreams come true.?Purchasing a home is one of the most emotion-fraught transactions a person will conduct in a lifetime, so First Team has focused on the poignant process a client undergoes when buying a home.?Each story is a moving tribute to how the expertise of a First Team agent helped the featured homebuyer or seller achieve their real estate goals regardless of market conditions or what obstacles needed to be cleared. ?The videos are posted at?www.FirstTeam.com/MyStory.
First Team Real Estate, based in Orange County with offices in?Los Angeles?and?San Diego, was one of only three California-based real estate companies to be nominated for an award, and the company was the only brokerage in Southern Calif. to be nominated.
To learn more about First Team Estates, please call the First Team?Newport Beach office?at (949) 759-5747 or visit?www.FirstTeamEstates.com. For more information about First Team Real Estate, call its corporate headquarters at (949) 988-3000 or visit?www.FirstTeam.com.

Like this:

Be the first to like this post.

the heart attack grill

Microsoft to go carbon neutral this summer (Americablog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

mega millions

As the Bankruptcy attorney By carrying out a Personal financial ...

Apparently the most suitable occupation you could include inflexible economy are a personal bankruptcy legal professional. Along with claimed being out of work details appearing approximately 9% as well as actual physical numbers staying close to 12% it?s no astonishment a growing number of us citizens are experiencing difficulty making ends meet. The moment the marketplace was roaring after a personal bankruptcy codes ended up being changed with ?05, countless bankruptcy hearing legal professionals very likely pondered assuming they will need to alteration his or her procedure to the next sort of regulation. Doing it decided not to take long despite the fact that, at the end of The year 2007 all the markets just about wholly creased making the current economic climate into a fabulous clinical depression. The federal government got around and additionally propped down the finance institutions with the government expense and averted a tragedy. What gachisites weren?t able to prevent was first that accounting allowance for housing countrywide along with in addition to a a foreclosed property obstacle that goes on.

For that las vegas bankruptcy laywer, its industry is countercyclical. Therefore each one does more effective for the reason that overall economy truly does even worse. Some consumer bankruptcy legal professionals argue utilizing this way of thinking and suggest them basically relates to industry chapter. From a straight down market, the standard customer can have problems scraping an adequate amount of cash in concert to use lawyer to submit for chapter 13. Within the last partners quite a few years, a product useful comes with took place where many law firm discover leads that happens to be too broken to apply chapter. Most of these individuals silently laid too lengthy into the future inside and additionally talk to your lawyer. It should be these customers happen to be monitoring a lot Television and seeing the way the Everyone economy is certainly rebounding and even joblessness is usually getting better. Wondering factors had been convalescing plus the new job was initially closer than you think, individuals ongoing paying for regarding debt individuals learned deep down they can couldn?t easily afford. Countless burned off with your 401(c) not to mention traded whichever belongings that they had which keeps the cutter sprinting, only to discover there seems to be virtually no new position going to start and they really are broke.

During the last two years, there is a lot of the biggest business bankruptcy on the planet and in many cases more painful, towns personal bankruptcy so that you can prevent the streetlights regarding. In this economy, a number of big names that many of us knew as a kid can be disappearing simply because they cannot sector organizations because of foreign. Large asset fees along with not sustainable partnership business deals seem to be requiring enterprises into bankruptcy. On your Phoenix bankruptcy attorneys that is responsible for Step Eleven plus business individual bankruptcy, a personal bankruptcy lawyer is there to hog luxury. Some of these fights suffer from tremendous billable several hours simply because individual bankruptcy filings continue like a unfavorable divorce proceeding.

While the economic climate continually wallow on the magnetic, ideally those that still have the solutions to utilize a bankruptcy attorney will require a serious look on their own funds and get started. While no one wants to prepare for , increasingly being active are going to more often than not defend against a higher financial disaster. Along with the average U . s citizens hauling around $16,1000 inside debts, customers might get started with doing a bit of soul-searching to see if such type of consumer debt is often repaid by their income.

carrie underwood

Hundreds of flats to pay for Darebin arts centre | The High School ...

Posted by admin - May 8th, 2012

More info?
A VISION for a revamped Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre includes flats alongside a theatre and shops.

CALENDAR: Upcoming arts and entertainment events in and around Kitsap County; a day-by-day summary
A day-by-day summary of upcoming arts and entertainment events in and around Kitsap County. To submit information, e-mail Michael C. Moore at mmoore@kitsapsun.com

Scan & Plan: 28 days of arts & entertainment best bets
Rammstein at the Palace Rusko with Sigma at Royal Oak Music Theatre David Olney with Sergio Webb at the Ark Lee Fields and the Expressions at Magic Stick Season finale: "The Voice," 8 p.m. NBC Glen Campbell at Andiamo Celebrity Showroom. Also May 11.

Movies TV

high school musical lyrics start of something new

Posted in Uncategorized

nurse jackie

I Can Haz Self-Expression? Turn Drawings, GIFs, Songs, Anything Into Websites With The New Hive

You don't have to be an artist to make art, or a comedian to make lulz...at least not on The New Hive, where you can create one-off websites by drag-and-dropping any type of content. Upload some pics of friends, draw mustaches on them, and embed a ridiculous soundtrack from SoundCloud. Lay your latest YouTube creation on a bed of animated kittens. Or get serious and publish your photography portfolio with contact info and links to your other sites. We're all creative, The New Hive's page editor just makes expressing it easier. Be one of first people in its private beta. Sign up code below.

lsu alabama

DIY Mobile Website Creator bMobilized Raises $1.5M Series A, Prepares To Take On DudaMobile

NY-based mobile web startup bMobilized, which bills itself as a competitor to the well-heeled new Google partner DudaMobile, has just closed its Series A round of funding to the tune of $1.5 million. The funding was raised from two early stage European VC firms, Alliance Venture and Investinor. Like DudaMobile, bMobilized is focused on enabling SMBs to convert their existing websites into HTML5-enabled mobile sites that work on any device, OS, or web browser.

troy polamalu

Comcast earnings beat expectations for Q1

Looks like it's time for a little endzone celebration in the City of Brotherly Love this week. Comcast issued its earnings, and things are looking up, marking a 30 percent profit increase for the first quarter. Revenue for the cable company is at $14.9 billion, beating out analyst estimates of $14.4 billion. The Associated Press chalks the happy results up to Super Bowl advertising and the popularity of the company's broadband offerings.

Comcast earnings beat expectations for Q1 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 09:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Yahoo  | Email this | Comments

dontari poe space shuttle nyc monkeypox nick perry 30 rock live

Video: Jobs: DNC vs. RNC Showdown

CNBC's John Harwood reports on President Obama's stump speech to a trade union today, and debating whether the Keystone XL pipeline is the remedy for job creation, with Brad Woodhouse, Democratic National Committee and Sean Spicer, Republican National ...

recent earthquakes lollapalooza fbi most wanted list stuttering james van der beek dyngus day indonesia quake

Concrete Plans Curb Creativity

Head Lines | Mind & Brain See Inside

Planning ahead might make us overlook new solutions

By Rachel Kaufman ?| April 30, 2012?|

Image: iStockphoto

Do you have a plan to save money, exercise more or call your mother? Making those plans concrete might help you achieve those goals but at the cost of some flexibility, according to a study published in the February issue of Social Cognition.

E. J. Masicampo, a psychologist at Wake Forest University, studies implementation intentions. These plans take a specific ?if-then? form, such as ?if I am near a phone, then I will call my mother.? In the experiment, he gave volunteers a number of tasks to complete online and asked them to remember to look up actor Bill Murray?s birth date when they were done. He instructed some subjects to make an implementation intention to look up the date at a movie-themed Web site, IMDb.com. These individuals were much more likely to remember to do it, underscoring the power of implementation intentions. But if the test ended artificially early, with their computer screens pointing at Wikipedia.org, about two thirds of the subjects who had planned to use IMDb overlooked the alternative right in front of them. Those who had not made such a specific plan were able to adapt and find Murray?s birth date on Wikipedia.

Masicampo explains that although having a narrow focus probably will not lead to so obvious a failure in the real world as it did in the laboratory, he thinks being blind to alternative solutions ?frequently results in people expending more time, energy and resources on tasks than is necessary.? But that should not stop people from mak?ing plans, he says. That may be the only way to juggle multiple goals?as long as one remembers to keep an open mind.

This article was published in print as "Focused to a Fault."

who do you think you are superpac steve appleton bishop eddie long madonna give me all your luvin video roseanne barr president green party