Tuesday, June 25, 2013

8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

The way we bury our dead hasn?t changed much over the past two thousand years. But it needs to change soon, according to a group of designers, philanthropic foundations, and funeral directors who sponsored a recent design competition to rethink burial traditions in the face of emerging problems with the status quo. It's a less less macabre concept than it sounds.

In fact, there are some pretty compelling reasons to change the way we bury each other. For one thing, we?re running out of space: in cities especially, cemetery overcrowding is a major problem. More importantly, both burial and cremation are surprisingly bad for the environment, not to mention the health of the living?our dental fillings, for example, release thousands of pounds of mercury into the atmosphere when we?re cremated.

What?s holding up a revolution in the way we bury our dead? The answer is complex. Most of us are uncomfortable with talking candidly about death, and ritual is there to help to calm that anxiety. There are also legal hurdles with unconventional burials, not to mention challenges from the established commercial industry that surrounds funerals. Still, the ?natural burial? movement, which seeks to make bural more eco-friendly, is gaining momentum. So are less conventional burial methods, from space-borne ashes to fireworks.

So in April, Designboom launched Design for Death, a competition that invited designers to propose new burial methods. In the end, they received 2,050 proposals and distributed over $100,000 in prize money. A group of jurors?including architect Richard Meier, artist Ray Ceasar, and the director of the National Funeral Directors Association?voted to pick the best.

Some of them are trite, others are powerful?and most are a bit of both. After all, the ways we mourn (and the ways we take and give comfort) differ for everyone. With that in mind, some of these designers make powerful arguments for change. Check them out below.


8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

The Infinity Burial Project by Jae Rhim Lee

"By trying to preserve dead bodies, we deny death, poison the living, and further harm the environment," says MIT research fellow and artist, Jae Rhim Lee, the designer behind the so-called Mushroom Death Suit. The idea is simple: certain strains of mushrooms are actually able to remediate toxins. Knowing that the average body is host to 219 different chemicals?all of which seep into the soil when we decompose?Jae Rhim's proposal would use "death suit" covered in the mushrooms to prevent the spread of toxins into the soil.


8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

Emergence by Enzo Pascual, Pierre Rivi?re

Three French designers proposed this eco-casket, made from biodegradable plastics and embedded with a tree seedling, as an alternative to a traditional steel, wood, or plastic box. The beautiful thing about their design? Co2 emitted from your body's decomposition will power a perpetually-glowing headstone on the surface. It's a self-powered memorial.


8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

Urn for a Ceremony by Agnes Hegedus

Hungarian designer Agnes Hegedus created this elegant little urn for a style of burial that was once more popular: the water-based cremation. Except in this case, the body isn't cremated on the water. Rather, an urn containing your ashes floats out to sea aboard a clay pot, which is designed to sink slowly down to the ocean floor. The pots would cost only a few dollars to make.


8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

"I Wish To Be Rain" by Studio PSK and Matter & Fact

The increasingly common practice of "cloud seeding," which alters the intensity of natural rainfall by literally "seeding" it with particular chemicals, serves as the basis for this idea from two UK design teams. "Humans now have the ability affect, control and even cause natural phenomena, whether it is rain, an earthquake or a flood," write the designers. "We wonder if a person could do this not just by their actions, but literally transform themselves into types of natural spectacle." The concept would use a weather balloon to carry your ashes into the sky?releasing them high above the earth, to be "rained" back down in millions of droplets of water. Though it's probably deeply illegal, it's still a lovely idea.


8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

Design for Death Living by Ancunel Steyn

"Multifunctional land is not a non-renewable resource," argues Ancunel Steyn, the South African designer behind this proposal. "The question is, how can we reduce space required to store the dead?" Steyn proposed an urban design that would intersperse memorials with public infrastructure: from parks, to art galleries, to mixed-used commercial buildings. The memorials themselves would take up a very small, tissue box-sized space, stacked on a series of walls arranged around the site.


8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

Family Tree by Loucas Papantoniou and Asta Sadauskaite

Two Lithuanian designers created this hexagonal design for an urn-storage system. The idea, as the title suggests, is to create a literal family tree of urns. There's also a digital element, which could come off as smart or tacky, depending on how you feel about SMS-based memorials: "The urn vault is made of wood, with an OLED display cap," explain the duo. "The display emits a serene, pulsing light that conveys spirituality and displays the name of the deceased with a short memorial message."


8 Designs That Rethink the Way We're Buried

Souvenair by Chen Jiashan

This simple design, by French artist Chen Jiashan, is half windchime and half urn. "Why should we keep the deceased ones away from our eyes?," asks Jiashan. "The souvenair, small in size but clearly visible, can be hanged at home or in a public place. Its tiny and appeasing 'ding' recalls the presence of the loved one whenever some wind blows."

Source: http://gizmodo.com/8-designs-that-rethink-the-way-were-buried-559838680

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The Applicability of the Massachusetts Wage Act Swells in June ...

In late June 2013, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ("SJC") and the Massachusetts Appeals Court (the "Appeals Court") issued two decisions broadly expanding the breadth of the Massachusetts Wage Act (the "Wage Act") by (i) increasing the types of entities and individuals subject to penalties for violations of the Act and (ii) extending the protections of the Act to out-of-state employees of Massachusetts-based employers, even where those employees did not primarily perform their duties within the commonwealth's borders.

Limited Liability Company Managers May Face Individual Liability for Violations of the Massachusetts Wage Act

Since at least the 1930s, Massachusetts law has been well-defined. Under the Massachusetts Wage Act, a corporation's "president and treasurer . . . and any officers or agents having the management of such corporation" ("Managing Agents") have personal liability for wages that a corporation fails to pay to its employees. Beginning in 2008, the corporation's failure to pay wages when they were due exposed the corporation, and its Managing Agents, to the risk of not only having to pay the unpaid wages, but also, as a penalty, treble damages to the unpaid employees.

This risk of personal liability and enhanced damages has long been an important consideration for sophisticated corporations and their professional advisors. Particularly when a corporation has encountered financial difficulties, the statutory obligations to employees under the Massachusetts Wage Act, the potential for personal liability of the Managing Agents and the risk of treble damages have been key factors to consider?not just for the troubled corporation, but for its lenders and creditors, as well.

But what about a limited liability company ("LLC")? Unlike corporations, LLCs do not have shareholders. Instead, owners of an LLC are members, not shareholders, and hold membership interests, and not stock, in the LLC. Unlike a corporation, an LLC is not required to have a president or treasurer. Instead, an LLC is managed by a "managing member" or "manager."

The Massachusetts Wage Act is silent on whether managing members of an LLC have personal liability akin to the liability of a corporation's Managing Agents. Does the form of the enterprise matter, such that a corporation's Managing Agents have personal liability for unpaid wages, but an LLC's managing member has no such personal liability? Is an LLC sufficiently similar to a corporation that the courts should impose liability on an LLC's managing member? The existing case law on this vital subject has been vague at best and conflicting at worst.

On June 13, 2013, in Cook v. Patient Edu, LLC, the SJC put these questions to rest. The SJC took an expansive reading of (and arguably rewrote) the Massachusetts Wage Act, and held that a manager of an LLC who "controls, directs, and participates to a substantial degree in formulating and determining the financial policy of a business entity" may have personal liability under the Wage Act. This ruling clarifies a previously ambiguous area of Massachusetts law, and likely will inform negotiations among a troubled LLC, its managing members and their creditors. Creditors of financially troubled LLCs will likely come under greater pressure to make concessions necessary to ensure employees are paid timely and in full to avoid the adverse consequences of personal liability of potential treble damages arising from failure or delay in paying employees in full.

The facts of this case are all too familiar to businesses encountering cash-flow problems, such as startups and other emerging businesses. Mr. Cook filed an action for unpaid wages under the Massachusetts Wage Act and sought treble damages against (i) Cook's employer, Patient Edu, LLC, a Massachusetts limited liability company; and (ii) two managers of the LLC. The LLC managers successfully moved to dismiss the claim in the Superior Court, arguing that managers of an LLC were not individually liable under the Wage Act because the individual liability provision of the statute applied only to those employed by corporations, and not by LLCs. "The president and treasurer of a corporation and any officers or agents having the management of such corporation shall be deemed to be the employers of the employees of the corporation within the meaning of this section." G.L. c. 149, ? 148 (emphasis supplied). (It is important to note that when the provision of G.L. c. 149, ? 148, making corporate officers individually liable for payment of wages, was added in 1932, the LLC did not exist as a form of business association.)

The SJC indicated that it was interpreting the language of the Wage Act "according to the intent of the Legislature," which was to protect wage earners. It opined that "[i]f a liberal, even if not literally exact, interpretation of certain words is necessary to accomplish the purpose indicated by the words as a whole, such interpretation is to be adopted rather than one which will defeat that purpose." To that end, the SJC worked around the literal language of the individual liability section of the Act applying to "corporations," and analyzed the beginning clause of the Act, which states that "[e]very person having employees in his service shall pay" (emphasis supplied) those employees their wages either weekly or biweekly (or on a less frequent basis in certain circumstances). The SJC held that because a manager or other officer or agent of an LLC, limited liability partnership or other limited liability business entity may be a "person having employees in his service," that person may be civilly or criminally liable for Wage Act violations if he "controls, directs, and participates to a substantial degree in formulating and determining policy" of the business entity.

There are at least three key takeaways from the Cook opinion for employers and legal counsel:

  1. Those advocating a narrow interpretation of Cook are likely to focus on the actual holding, which narrowly imposes liability only on LLC managers who "control[ ], direct[ ], and participate[ ] to a substantial degree in formulating and determining the financial policy" of the LLC. It may be challenging in larger entities to identify precisely which manager "controls, directs and participates to a substantial degree" both "in formulating and determining" the LLC's financial policies. The restrictive limiters (only managers who control, direct and participate to a substantial degree) may mean, as a practical matter, that very few individuals have meaningful risk of personal liability where an LLC fails to pay employees timely and in full.
  2. Those advocating a broad interpretation of Cook are likely to focus on two aspects of the opinion. First, notwithstanding that the Massachusetts Wage Act nowhere mentions LLCs, the SJC nevertheless ignored the plain meaning of the statute and instead relied on the perceived legislative intent (more on this below) to extend the statute's imposition to certain managers of an LLC. Second, the SJC's broad interpretation of the Massachusetts Wage Act appears to suggest that it applies to hold individuals liable where individuals involved in other business entities [such as limited liability partnerships ("LLP"), joint ventures, business trusts and loan participations and syndications, to name a few] also have personal liability for unpaid wages. The SJC's careful wording?that one who "controls, directs, and participates to a substantial degree in formulating and determining the financial policy of a business entity?by its terms is not limited solely to managers of LLCs. Further case law will develop the breadth and limitations of the SJC's words.
  3. In rejecting a conclusion based upon the plain meaning of the Massachusetts Wage Act, the SJC pointedly rejected the method of statutory interpretation favored by the current members of the United States Supreme Court. That Court in recent times has emphasized, repeatedly and emphatically, that statutory interpretation that rejects the actual language of a statute in favor of the presumed legislative intent is erroneous. It will be fascinating to observe how the starkly differing approaches of the SJC (which generally has the final say in the interpretation of Massachusetts statutes) and the United States Supreme Court will play out when a Massachusetts statute becomes the subject of a Supreme Court case.

Therefore, like their corporation counterparts, managers and members of limited liability business entities should ensure that all employee wages (to include commissions that are due and payable and vacation pay) are paid according to the time lines set forth in the Wage Act. Failure to do so may result in individual liability for mandatory triple damages under the Wage Act. This cautionary reminder applies equally to managers of limited liability business entities contemplating insolvency issues, including bankruptcy. LLC managers and officers of other limited liability business entities who control, direct and participate to a substantial degree in formulating and determining policy of the business entity will remain liable for Wage Act violations even after the employer files for bankruptcy.

Another Recent Appeals Court Ruling

Although the Wage Act is silent on the issue of whether it applies to out-of-state employees, the Appeals Court holds that the Act applies to out-of-state employees of Massachusetts employers where Massachusetts had the most significant relationship to the employee's employment.

On June 19, 2013, the Appeals Court added another layer of complication for Massachusetts employers striving to be compliant with the Wage Act. In Dow v. Casale, the Appeals Court, using a multifactorial choice-of-law analysis, held that a mobile salesperson who resided in Florida was entitled to the protections of the Wage Act.

The Appeals Court's choice-of-law analysis was quite fact-specific and relied on the following factors:

  • The employer was a corporation with a sole place of business in Massachusetts.
  • The chief executive officer, also named individually in the claim, was a Massachusetts resident.
  • The customers which the sales employee acquired entered into business with the employer/corporation in Massachusetts.
  • The employee's business cards identified the employer/corporation's Massachusetts contact information as that of the employee.
  • Paychecks were issued from Massachusetts.
  • The employee came to Massachusetts on business multiple times each year.
  • The employer communicated with the employee from Massachusetts via email and telephone.
  • The employment agreement between the employee and employer provided that it was governed by and interpreted under the law of Massachusetts.

Accordingly, Massachusetts employers should be aware that the protections of the Wage Act may, depending on the circumstances, protect employees working outside of Massachusetts. As such, employment practices related to such employees should be reviewed prudently to ensure compliance with Massachusetts law.

Source: http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-applicability-of-the-massachusetts-w-89663/

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Missing red panda from National Zoo found in DC

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Animal keepers from the National Zoo captured a red panda in a Washington neighborhood Monday after it went missing from its enclosure at the zoo.

The male named Rusty was captured in a bush in the Adams Morgan neighborhood on Monday afternoon, said National Zoo spokeswoman Pamela Baker-Masson. The animal was being taken to the zoo's animal hospital for a checkup.

Unlike giant pandas, red pandas are not members of the bear family. Red pandas are slightly bigger than a domestic cat and look similar to a raccoon. They are listed as vulnerable in the wild.

Rusty arrived at the zoo in April from a zoo in Lincoln, Neb., and was in quarantine for several weeks until he went on exhibit in early June. He will turn 1 year old in July.

Red pandas are highly territorial, so zoo officials did not believe he would have traveled far. Rusty, it seems, wanted to explore his new city.

Animal keepers discovered he was missing Monday morning and started searching the zoo at 8 a.m. Residents in the surrounding neighborhoods may have been on the lookout as well as photos were posted on Twitter just before the animal was caught.

The zoo began sending out messages about his disappearance Monday morning on Twitter in case someone saw him.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/missing-red-panda-national-zoo-found-dc-183238896.html

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Major Changes to Lease Accounting Likely to Appear in Future ...

CPAs appear destined to soon learn new lease accounting standards that are different than those previously studied and practiced in the US. Most accountants have agreed that reform was required for this component of courses for CPA study. Especially troubling was the distinctive way leases were treated under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles used in the US compared to the rest of the world.

A slow process has unfolded to bring lease accounting under GAAP closer to International Financial Reporting Standards used in other countries. Convergence with IFRS has been hampered by concerns about the adverse result on reported financial conditions of US companies. However, accountants discover early in their study for CPA exam completion that lease accounting in the US has not fully disclosed a company?s leverage and the assets used in its business.

Accounting for lease activities has become a vital issue because many organizations rely upon these arrangements as an alternative to financing asset acquisitions. Accountants learn in CPA preparation courses that the US model classifies lease obligations as either operating leases or capital leases. Operating leases do not appear as liabilities on a company?s balance sheet. By contrast, the capital lease for an asset that covers substantially all of its useful economic life does affect balance sheet liabilities and assets.

Because an operating lease is only reported by recording the payments as expenses, the US standards have been criticized for failing to provide an accurate representation of financial condition. Consequently, the governing body over GAAP ? the Financial Accounting Standards Board ? and the International Accounting Standards Board have published proposed changes to lease accounting. Following a comment period, agreement on finalized standards will substantially alter CPA study materials.

The suggested approaches devised by the FASB and the IASB require a company to recognize assets and liabilities on its balance sheet for all leases lasting more than twelve months. However, full impact of the recommendations is reserved for leasing of assets other than real estate. The governing boards are also proposing new disclosures that enable users of financial statements to comprehend the full effects of lease obligations. This concept thus foretells changes in audit designs to comply with principles from CPA study courses. However, the FASB proposal provides some variance for non-public companies.

None of the anticipated changes to lease accounting are expected to become effective until at least three years. This gives companies time to comply with new standards and possibly renegotiate loan covenants that restrict liability amounts. Suddenly recording leases as liabilities could cause default under some of these borrowing agreements. Reported profit is also altered by implementation of new lease accounting. Companies will record finance charges under a lease in higher amounts during the early portion of the lease term. In addition, more of the value of the leased asset would be written off as an expense in the initial years of the lease.

Real estate leases under the proposals will function a little differently. Although they are also designated for inclusion on the balance sheet, straight-line expensing on the income statement is allowed. An asset value will be based on expected lease payments for the full leasing term. Any variables triggering additional lease payments ? such as percentages of sales ? are ignored on balance sheets.

IRS Circular 230 Disclosure

Pursuant to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service Circular 230, we inform you that, to the extent any advice relating to a Federal tax issue is contained in this communication, including in any attachments, it was not written or intended to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (a) avoiding any tax related penalties that may be imposed on you or any other person under the Internal Revenue Code, or (b) promoting, marketing or recommending to another person any transaction or matter addressed in this communication.

Tags: courses for CPA, CPA study materials

Source: http://fastforwardacademy.com/blog/2013/06/24/major-changes-to-lease-accounting-likely-to-appear-in-future-courses-for-cpa-study/

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Make or break moment for Myanmar reforms in opaque telecoms sector

By Jared Ferrie

YANGON (Reuters) - Companies awarded telecommunications licenses in Myanmar this week will need to spend billions of dollars rolling out networks across a country that has yet to pass a law to govern the sector and where opaque, state-owned enterprises will remain players.

The process is being watched closely as a test case for reform in Myanmar, although the risks did not stop 90 international firms and groups from joining the initial phase.

Faced with big investments and uncertain returns however, Vodafone Group Plc and China Mobile Ltd dropped their joint bid for a license, saying it did not meet their "internal investment criteria." The remaining 11 short-listed contenders include Singapore Telecommunications Ltd, KDDI Corp and Telenor ASA.

"Nobody has any experience or any idea how the government is going to regulate the sector," said Edwin Vanderbruggen of Yangon-based law firm VDB Loi, which advises telecom companies hoping to do business here.

After decades of isolation and economic mismanagement under the military, mobile phone penetration in Myanmar is put at 4 to 9 percent of its 60 million people, lower even than North Korea.

The government of President Thein Sein has pushed through a series of political and economic reforms since 2011, and the award of mobile licenses on June 27 should bring a leap forward in digital technology that could speed up economic development.

Vanderbruggen said potential foreign investors in other sectors are watching the process closely. "We really have a make-or-break moment for Myanmar," he said.

One bad omen for the whole process though is a telecoms bill stuck in parliament.

"The absence of the law being passed or a clear timetable for its introduction adds considerably to uncertainty to those participating in the current bid round, particularly as it is unclear if there are particular issues with the draft that are causing the delay," said Marae Ciantar, a Singapore-based lawyer with law firm Allens.

Human Rights Watch warned the draft bill incorporated proposals drawn up under the junta that violate freedom of expression.

A confidential tender invitation obtained by Reuters says firms might be required to restrict or intercept communications or let the government "utilize telecommunications equipment" during any public emergency, which was not defined.

The government plans to create a new regulator by 2015 and will transform the current one, Myanmar Post and Telecommunications (MPT), into a majority state-owned company.

The two international telecom companies that win licenses will find themselves competing against incumbents that plan joint ventures to raise capital and expand their networks.

The sector is dominated by MPT, whose SIM cards went for as much as $7,000 when they were introduced a decade and a half ago and still cost more than $200 today.

Two other companies have much smaller networks: Yatanarpon, which is majority government-owned and primarily an Internet service provider until now, and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC), a labyrinthine, army-owned holding company.

The future role of MEC is far from clear. A latecomer into the telecoms market, it began selling cut-rate SIM cards on April 25. The military conglomerate is tax-exempt and even its board of directors is shrouded in mystery.

Meanwhile, Japan's KDDI is in partnership with Myanmar Information and Communication Technology Development Corp, a local consortium that includes a company founded by Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology Thaung Tin.

"For perceptions of impartiality, fairness and a level playing field, it is highly undesirable for government officials to have personal commercial interests in the sectors which they regulate," said Ciantar of law firm Allens.

Vanderbruggen of the law firm VDB Loi added some companies that expressed interest in the international licenses might really be aiming to work with those domestic operators, becoming partners and helping them expand their networks. Newcomers have to start from scratch and Vanderbruggen estimated an operator could spend $2 billion rolling out a network.

(This story corrects the year in the sixth paragraph to 2011)

(Additional reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Editing by Alan Raybould, Matt Driskill and Michael Perry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/break-moment-myanmar-reforms-opaque-telecoms-sector-031208744.html

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On a technicality, Hong Kong and China extradite themselves from Snowden

By allowing Edward Snowden to leave Hong Kong Sunday, hours after the United States sought to extradite him, the government there has rid itself ? and Beijing ? of an awkward diplomatic and legal problem.

Indeed there are strong suspicions in the former British colony that the Hong Kong authorities deliberately gave the fugitive NSA whistleblower time to get out.

The US extradition request, filed on Saturday, ?did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law,? the Hong Kong government said on Sunday, so it had asked Washington for ?additional information.?

RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about China? Take our quiz.

In the meantime, there was ?no legal basis to restrict Mr. Snowden from leaving Hong Kong,? the statement added. On Sunday morning, Snowden boarded a plane bound for Moscow, accompanied by legal advisors from the anti-secrecy group Wikileaks according to a post on the group?s Twitter account.

His final destination was unclear.

?I suspect it was ?wink, wink, nudge, nudge, you?ve got 48 hours to get out of Dodge City?,? says Kevin Egan, a Hong Kong lawyer with experience of extradition cases. ?When the government got the clarification it had sought, it might not have been able to let him go.?

?Snowden managed to get away because Hong Kong decided to stall,? adds Claudia Mo, a lawmaker with the pro-democracy Civic Party. ?The matter was too tricky for Sino-American relations ? so Beijing gave instructions he should be given time to leave.?

Snowden had said he planned to challenge any US extradition attempt in Hong Kong courts, declaring his faith in the city?s rule of law. But he faced the possibility of having to stay in jail throughout the court proceedings, which could have taken several years according to local lawyers.

His case was a thorny one for Beijing, anxious to improve relations with the United States and embarrassed by the US fugitive?s presence in Hong Kong, but unable to intervene openly in Hong Kong?s judicial process under the ?one country, two systems? principle that safeguards Hong Kong?s courts.

Hong Kong?s top official, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying had promised that the case would be handled ?in accordance with the laws and established procedures of Hong Kong.? But the politically sensitive case ?would have been quite a test for our rule of law,? says Ms. Mo. ?It would have been a very thorny issue and it is all for the best for both Hong Kong and Beijing that he has gone.?

?This was not a case that Hong Kong or Beijing ever wanted to get involved in,? agrees Mr. Egan. ?The best thing for both of them was for Snowden to leave.?

RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about China? Take our quiz.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/technicality-hong-kong-china-extradite-themselves-snowden-130630319.html

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Insurance industry to grow below 5 per cent in FY14: CII - NDTV Profit

Press Trust of India | Updated On: June 23, 2013 21:05 (IST)

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Source: http://profit.ndtv.com/news/industries/article-insurance-industry-to-grow-below-5-per-cent-in-fy14-cii-323648

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HP seriously just unveiled a 21.5-inch Android tablet

In effort to reverse eroding PC sales, HP on Monday announced a new 21.5-inch Android tablet that will be marketed as an all-in-one desktop.?The Slate 21 AIO is equipped with a full HD IPS display, a quad-core Tegra 4 processor and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. The device is compatible with a mouse and keyboard, and also includes a kickstand that allows it to be propped up at a 30-degree angle. HP did not disclose pricing information or availability details, although the Slate 21 AIO is expected to launch later this year. The company?s press release follows below.

HP released a new PC era new strategy for consumer products

[More from BGR: New iPhone 5S images leak, revealing several new details]

June 24, 2013, Beijing, China ? Today, Hewlett-Packard in Beijing held a two-day world tour events. In which ?I era, a new experience,? HP consumer PC era new product strategy conference, HP printing and Information Products Group (PPS) official in the domestic consumer products released a new strategy, new product forms that were smart ten o?clock touch experience, as well as an optional three aspects of multiple operating systems, to provide consumers with innovative value consumer computer products.

Meanwhile, HP is also officially released in the event including the new detachable type notebook computers, tablet PCs, laptops and one computer and other rich products can provide consumers with a new cool experience.

?New? form of portable performance two have both

present, notebook and tablet consumers increasingly strong demand for the product, both expected to have notebook product highly scalable and high performance, while hoping to get flat products like ultra- Strong portability and touch experience. Therefore, notebook and tablet form can freely switch between products gradually become a trend. In this regard, HP introduced the PC / tablet combo products can provide consumers with this ?100% +100% tablet notebook? feature, and has other distortion products can not match the absolute advantage.

To be able to provide consumers with more exciting product experience, the HP officially launched in the country two new PC / Tablet combo products-SlateBook HPx2andHP Splitx2.Both products not only have a notebook full functionality, while consumers can also, through its unique and innovative magnetic plug design, easy to screen and body products were separated, and thus switch to the tablet form, to become an exquisite tablet products.

Which, HP SlateBook x2 is the first Android system equipped with PC / tablet combo products. It uses a 10.1-inch high definition touch screen with WUXGA (1920 ? 1200) 16:10 Full HD resolution. Using a combination of IPS panel, you can bring consumers more clear, bright screen display(2).The wide viewing angle, but also convenient for consumers to share with friends HP SlateBook x2 brings exciting. With detachable type of body structure, this product can be described as sets Tablet PC notebook high portability and scalability in a, allowing consumers to easily switch between work and play.

Hardware side, HP SlateBook x2 uses NVIDIA Tegra 4 mobile processor, consumers can visit the Tegra Zone Download THD version of the game, enjoy the dripping fun mobile gaming experience(1).In addition, it supports DTS Sound + Solution sound, and unique dual-battery design makes this product can provide sufficient battery life. It uses Android 4.2.2 version of the operating system, built-in such as Google search, Gmail and a series of application services(4),while consumers can get more richer applications software and other digital content(1).Has many features of HP SlateBook x2, price is only 3,299 yuan(5),cost is very prominent.

HP Split x2 performance is currently the most powerful PC / tablet combo products. With powerful Intel third-generation Core processor, this product has a stronger hardware performance. Especially when it is in a state of flat products, the powerful processor is still able to play a full strength, truly portable and strong performance, the perfect fusion. Consumers can also be part of the product?s base optional extra hard disk module to expand the memory capacity(3).The body of the dual battery design, you can bring a longer life time.

Other aspects, this product is also equipped with a 13.3-inch (diagonal) high-definition touch screen, built-in Beats Audio sound system, consumers can enjoy better visual experience and higher quality music playback. So a strong performance PC / tablet combo products, price range is only 4999-6999 yuan(5),great value!

?Wisdom? Touch, a new era of universal touch

using the new form includes two new products, including consumer, HP?s new integrated computer and strong consumer notebook products use an intelligent ten-point touch display technology, can provide more intuitive Windows 8 touch experience. More importantly, the different positioning of the product can support this feature, consumers can more easily choose according to their needs and reasonable.

The new appearance of the HP Pavilion TouchSmart 11 is HP?s first small-size, full-performance notebook touch, two-color design, silver shell built-in midnight black metal style, add a touch of their unique fashion charm. This product comes with Windows 8 operating system, Microsoft Office 2013 document processing software(4),combined with powerful hardware configuration, petite but with the body, including VGA, HDMI, and Ethernet ports, including the rich interfaces, its price only 2,999 yuan(5),known as ?universal touch this? is not an exaggeration. It supports intelligent ten-point touch technology that can bring the best Windows 8 operating experience, and the volume is 11.6 inches have better portability. In addition, it is equipped with AMD Temash A6/A4 processors, providing up to four core processing unit, with excellent computing performance, while also providing excellent video processing, acceleration performance, the audio and video entertainment also has eye-catching performance.

In addition to notebook products other than the new HP ENVY TouchSmart 14 Touch Ultrabook is suitable for those who need ultra-portable touch anywhere to get the fastest response functions and consumer choice(3).It?s very slim, but also has a strong hardware configuration.

The touch super this product is equipped with Intel?s new release of fourth-generation Core Duo processor, and provides Core ? i5-4200U and Core ? i7-4500U two configurations for consumers to choose. Although it uses a 14-inch display panel, but it provides, including 1366 x 768,1600 x 900, and 3200 x 1800 high resolution three different configurations to meet the needs of different consumers. Entertainment, the series is not only equipped with Beats Audio sound system, also has dual speakers and a subwoofer design, providing PC?s most outstanding sound quality. The 2GB memory NVIDIA GT740M discrete graphics super-configuration, but also enable consumers to indulge in an extraordinary picture quality, ultra-realistic games(2).In a strong performance, while multimedia entertainment, this product has reached 9 hours battery life, you can achieve a more lasting companionship, consumers get more exciting.

?Many? system,rich platform Xpress-election

a new generation ofHP consumer PC products using a variety of operating systems to respond to the different needs of consumer preferences, advanced technology and current seamlessly combines fast-paced life. HP offers a variety of face using Windows, Android and other products of different operating platforms, consumers can very easily pick and choose the most familiar and most products that meet the individual needs to enjoy the best product experience. The most worth mentioning that the above these two operating systems is used in HP?s notebook, tablet computers, and one among the different forms of models, consumers have more choices.

Which, for the first time in the domestic debut of HP Slate7equipped with a 7-inch screen, weighs only 370 grams, the ideal is a trusted personal portable devices. Of course, it is also the industry?s first built-in Beats Audio sound system, Tablet PC products can provide consumers with the best music experience. HP Slate7 integration, including Google searches, including a range of Google services(4),consumers can install their own applications and rich digital content(1).

Hardware, it is equipped with dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 1.6 GHz processor, providing a fast system response experience. The integrated wireless card, you can help consumers anytime, anywhere connectivity with the world, you can send and receive email, browse the Internet and the use of critical applications. It is worth mentioning that this product is used in HFFS panel, wide viewing angle, even in strong outdoor lighting conditions, consumers can easily view documents, play games, view pictures and video and other exciting content.

HP Slate7also provides a 3-megapixel rear camera and VGA front camera, can be used to chat, take photos and videos. In addition to excellent hardware configuration, except that it uses a stainless steel frame design, and available in red and silver colors to facilitate the different preferences of consumers.

In the consumer computer products, HP also announced the Android platform an integrated computer-based products ? HP Slate 21.The sleek appearance of snow Baiying one computer products, equipped with NVIDIA Tegra 4 mobile processor, has a strong entertainment functions, a consumer can not be changed after the home through the large size full HD touch screen Android experience the world of regret. It is equipped with 21.5 inches (diagonal) wide viewing angle IPS Full HD display that supports intelligent ten-point touch functionality. Combined with built-in dual speakers DTS Digital Theater Systems, can give consumers the best audio visual experience, but also facilitate the sharing of exciting content with friends and family(2).And it provides HP TrueVision HD Webcam camera and Wireless Direct wireless printing technology, to ensure that consumers do not need internet connection to be shared between devices on different videos, photos and data(4).

Software, it also uses the Android 4.2.2 operating system, with consumers existing mobile phone and tablet ecosystem seamless. Especially in connection with the same based on the Android operating system for mobile phones, flat products connections, including access to the same screen display, convenient connections richer applications. Meanwhile, HP Slate21also has an excellent multi-tasking performance, can enjoy the music while access to exciting online content(1).

In addition to the above products with new features outside, HP is also updated in the event of its high-performance entertainment notebook HP ENVY 14/15 and other merchandise. They not only uses HP?s new design ID, while also providing a fourth generation, including Intel Core Duo processor, including the new hardware configuration and other products together with HP, together with HP?s innovative technology, to create more for consumers value.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hp-seriously-just-unveiled-21-5-inch-android-162021221.html

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Select Galveston Lumber Yard For The Best Look Of Your Project ...

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Source: http://binitasharma95.blogspot.com/2013/06/select-galveston-lumber-yard-for-best.html

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Monday, June 24, 2013

Chris Brown Accused Of Assault By Deanna Gines

Chris Brown Accused Of Assault By Deanna Gines

Chris Brown Deanna Gines picsA woman named Deanna Gines, who incidentally wants to be an actress/model, has accused Chris Brown of assaulting her and said she may need surgery. Deanna Gines claims Chris Brown pushed her to the ground at the Heat Ultra Lounge in Anaheim, California after his performance earlier that evening at the Honda Center. The alleged ...

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Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/06/chris-brown-accused-of-assault-by-deanna-gines/

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White House urges Moscow to expel Snowden to US

Light shines through a cabin window on seat 17A, the empty seat that an Aeroflot official said was booked in the name of former CIA technician Edward Snowden, shortly before Aeroflot flight SU150 takes off from Moscow to Havana, Cuba, Monday, June 24, 2013. Snowden, who has admitted to leaking National Security Agency secrets, was expected to fly from Russia to Cuba and Venezuela en route to possible asylum in Ecuador, but AP reporters on the flight never saw him get on board. (AP Photo/Max Seddon)

Light shines through a cabin window on seat 17A, the empty seat that an Aeroflot official said was booked in the name of former CIA technician Edward Snowden, shortly before Aeroflot flight SU150 takes off from Moscow to Havana, Cuba, Monday, June 24, 2013. Snowden, who has admitted to leaking National Security Agency secrets, was expected to fly from Russia to Cuba and Venezuela en route to possible asylum in Ecuador, but AP reporters on the flight never saw him get on board. (AP Photo/Max Seddon)

President Barack Obama, right, sit across from Steve Case, right, Chairman and CEO, Revolution LLc, and other CEOs, business owners and entrepreneurs during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, June 24, 2013, to discuss immigration reform. Obama hosted the meeting to discuss the importance of commonsense immigration reform including the Congressional Budget Office analysis that concludes immigration reform would promote economic growth and reduce the deficit. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

White House press secretary Jay Carney gestures during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, June 24, 2013. Carney said the U.S. assumes that Edward Snowden is now in Russia and that the White House now expects Russian authorities to look at all the options available to them to expel Snowden to face charges in the U.S. for releasing secret surveillance information . (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

A TV screen shows a news report of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong Sunday, June 23, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Graphic shows key locations in the life and career of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden; 3c x 5 inches; 146 mm x 127 mm;

(AP) ? The U.S. assumes National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden remains in Russia, and officials are working with Moscow in hopes he will be expelled and returned to America to face criminal charges, President Barack Obama's spokesman said Monday. He declared that a decision by Hong Kong not to detain Snowden has "unquestionably" hurt relations between the United States and China.

Snowden left Hong Kong, where he has been in hiding, and flew to Moscow but then apparently did not board a plane bound for Cuba as had been expected. His whereabouts were a mystery. The founder of the WikiLeaks secret-spilling organization, Julian Assange, said he wouldn't go into details about where Snowden was but said he was safe.

Snowden has applied for asylum in Ecuador, Iceland and possibly other countries, Assange said.

Obama, asked if he was confident that Russia would expel Snowden, told reporters: "What we know is that we're following all the appropriate legal channels and working with various other countries to make sure that the rule of law is observed."

Obama's spokesman, Jay Carney, earlier Monday said the U.S. was expecting the Russians "to look at the options available to them to expel Mr. Snowden back to the United States to face justice for the crimes with which he is charged."

"The Chinese have emphasized the importance of building mutual trust," Carney added. "And we think that they have dealt that effort a serious setback. If we cannot count on them to honor their legal extradition obligations, then there is a problem. And that is a point we are making to them very directly."

Snowden has given highly classified documents to The Guardian and The Washington Post newspapers disclosing U.S. surveillance programs that collect vast amounts of phone records and online data in the name of foreign intelligence, often sweeping up information on American citizens. He also told the South China Morning Post that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data."

Snowden still has perhaps more than 200 sensitive documents, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said over the weekend.

He had been in hiding in Hong Kong, a former British colony with a degree of autonomy from mainland China. The United States formally sought Snowden's extradition but was rebuffed by Hong Kong officials who said the U.S. request did not fully comply with their laws. The Justice Department rejected that claim, saying its request met all of the requirements of the extradition treaty between the U.S. and Hong Kong.

Said Carney: "We are just not buying that this was a technical decision by a Hong Kong immigration official. This was a deliberate choice by the government to release a fugitive despite a valid arrest warrant, and that decision unquestionably has a negative impact on the U.S.-China relationship."

The dual lines of diplomacy ? harsh with China, hopeful with the Russians ? came just days after Obama met separately with leaders of both countries in an effort to close gaps on some of the major disputes facing them.

Snowden arrived in Moscow on Sunday, but his whereabouts were thrown into question Monday when a plane took off from Moscow for Cuba with an empty seat booked in his name. The U.S. has revoked his passport.

In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said it would be "deeply troubling" if Russia or Hong Kong had adequate notice about Snowden's plans to flee to a country that would grant him asylum and still allowed him leave.

"We don't know, specifically, where he may head, or what his intended destination may be," Kerry said, responding to a question during a news conference in New Delhi where he was discussing bilateral issues between the U.S. and India.

U.S. officials pointed to improved cooperation with the Russians in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing and to assistance the U.S. has given Russia on law enforcement cases.

"We continue to hope that the Russians will do the right thing," Kerry told NBC News. "We think it's very important in terms of our relationship. We think it's very important in terms of rule of law. These are important standards. We have returned seven criminals that they requested for extradition from the United States over the last two years. So we really hope that the right choice will be made here."

"We don't know, specifically, where he may head, or what his intended destination may be," Kerry said during a news conference in New Delhi.

Carney said the U.S. was in touch through diplomatic and law enforcement channels with countries through which Snowden might travel or where he might end up.

"The U.S. is advising these governments that Mr. Snowden is wanted on felony charges and as such should not be allowed to proceed in any further international travel, other than is necessary to return him here to the United States," Carney said.

An Aeroflot representative who wouldn't give her name told The Associated Press that Snowden wasn't on flight SU150 to Havana, which was filled with journalists trying to track him down.

In Moscow, security around the aircraft was heavy prior to boarding and guards tried to prevent the scrum of photographers and cameramen from taking pictures of the plane, heightening the speculation that Snowden might have been secretly escorted on board.

After spending a night in Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, Snowden had been expected to fly to Cuba and Venezuela en route to possible asylum in Ecuador.

Some analysts said it was likely that the Russians were questioning Snowden, interested in what he knew about U.S. electronic espionage against Moscow.

"If Russian special services hadn't shown interest in Snowden, they would have been utterly unprofessional," Igor Korotchenko, a former colonel in Russia's top military command turned security analyst, said on state Rossiya 24 television.

The White House's tough response to Hong Kong's decision to let Snowden leave came just two weeks after Obama met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for two days of personal diplomacy in a desert retreat in California.

Carney said that after the U.S. sought Snowden's extradition from Hong Kong, authorities there requested additional information from the U.S.

"The U.S. had been in communication with Hong Kong about these inquiries and we were in the process of responding to the request when we learned that Hong Kong authorities had allowed the fugitive to leave Hong Kong," Carney said.

Ecuador's foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, said his government had received an asylum request, adding Monday that the decision "has to do with freedom of expression and with the security of citizens around the world."

Ecuador has rejected some previous U.S. efforts at cooperation and has been helping Assange avoid prosecution by allowing him to stay at its embassy in London.

But Assange's comments that Snowden had applied in multiple places opened other possibilities of where he might try to go.

WikiLeaks has said it is providing legal help to Snowden at his request and that he was being escorted by diplomats and legal advisers from the group.

Icelandic officials have confirmed receiving an informal request for asylum conveyed by WikiLeaks, which has strong links to the tiny North Atlantic nation. But authorities there have insisted that Snowden must be on Icelandic soil before making a formal request.

___

Associated Press White House Correspondent Julie Pace and Associated Press writers Philip Elliott, Matthew Lee and Frederic J. Frommer in Washington, Lynn Berry and Vladimir Isachenkov and Max Seddon in Moscow, Kevin Chan in Hong Kong and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-06-24-NSA-Surveillance/id-fce41962552541308a8d5ac1a35b915a

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The After Math: Samsung's big Premiere and Instagram's video debut

Welcome to The After Math, where we attempt to summarize this week's tech news through numbers, decimal places and percentages.

The After Math Samsung's big Premiere event and Instagram dabbles with video

This week's been arguably less hectic than the last, but both Samsung and Facebook decided to up the tempo on Thursday. The Korean hardware maker announced a stack of new hardware, from tablets to cameras to desktop PCs, while Facebook's Instagram went toe to toe with Twitter's Vine, announcing a new video-sharing feature. On the very same day, Tesla had something to show, deftly switching batteries on its Model S faster than you'd be able to fill a gas tank. There were, however, six other days to the week, and we've pored over all of them for this week's numeros.

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On a technicality, Hong Kong and China extradite themselves from Snowden

The case of NSA leaker Edward Snowden was one that neither Hong Kong nor Beijing wanted to get involved in. With a stalling maneuver, Hong Kong let Mr. Snowden flee US extradition.

By Peter Ford,?Staff Writer / June 23, 2013

A giant screen at a Hong Kong shopping mall shows Edward Snowden, the former contractor accused of leaking information about NSA surveillance programs. He left Hong Kong on Sunday.

Vincent Yu/AP

Enlarge

By allowing Edward Snowden to leave Hong Kong Sunday, hours after the United States sought to extradite him, the government there has rid itself ? and Beijing ? of an awkward diplomatic and legal problem.

Skip to next paragraph Peter Ford

Beijing Bureau Chief

Peter Ford is The Christian Science Monitor?s Beijing Bureau Chief. He covers news and features throughout China and also makes reporting trips to Japan and the Korean peninsula.

Recent posts

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Indeed there are strong suspicions in the former British colony that the Hong Kong authorities deliberately gave the fugitive NSA whistleblower time to get out.

The US extradition request, filed on Saturday, ?did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law,? the Hong Kong government said on Sunday, so it had asked Washington for ?additional information.?

In the meantime, there was ?no legal basis to restrict Mr. Snowden from leaving Hong Kong,? the statement added. On Sunday morning, Snowden boarded a plane bound for Moscow, accompanied by legal advisors from the anti-secrecy group Wikileaks according to a post on the group?s Twitter account.

His final destination was unclear.

?I suspect it was ?wink, wink, nudge, nudge, you?ve got 48 hours to get out of Dodge City?,? says Kevin Egan, a Hong Kong lawyer with experience of extradition cases. ?When the government got the clarification it had sought, it might not have been able to let him go.?

?Snowden managed to get away because Hong Kong decided to stall,? adds Claudia Mo, a lawmaker with the pro-democracy Civic Party. ?The matter was too tricky for Sino-American relations ? so Beijing gave instructions he should be given time to leave.?

Snowden had said he planned to challenge any US extradition attempt in Hong Kong courts, declaring his faith in the city?s rule of law. But he faced the possibility of having to stay in jail throughout the court proceedings, which could have taken several years according to local lawyers.

His case was a thorny one for Beijing, anxious to improve relations with the United States and embarrassed by the US fugitive?s presence in Hong Kong, but unable to intervene openly in Hong Kong?s judicial process under the ?one country, two systems? principle that safeguards Hong Kong?s courts.

Hong Kong?s top official, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying had promised that the case would be handled ?in accordance with the laws and established procedures of Hong Kong.? But the politically sensitive case ?would have been quite a test for our rule of law,? says Ms. Mo. ?It would have been a very thorny issue and it is all for the best for both Hong Kong and Beijing that he has gone.?

?This was not a case that Hong Kong or Beijing ever wanted to get involved in,? agrees Mr. Egan. ?The best thing for both of them was for Snowden to leave.??

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/DTvJw4WYO4c/On-a-technicality-Hong-Kong-and-China-extradite-themselves-from-Snowden

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Best Multi-Generational Vacations The Whole Family Can Enjoy

With family members often separated by thousands of miles, summer can be a great time to bring everyone together for a multi-generational vacation. Trips that include three or even more generations need to have activities that will appeal just as much to a toddler as they will to a great-grandmother. Below is a list of a few of the top destinations and retreats that offer something for everyone.

1. St. Lucia
St. Lucia has gorgeous beaches, just like other Caribbean islands, but it also has the incredible volcanic cones of the Petit Piton and Gros Piton towering out of a blue ocean. The fitter members of your party will want to do some hiking and climbing, while the less-fit ones might want to check out one of the island's many spas. The island offers a wide array of activities, everything from yoga to golf to scuba diving. You can also pack your skin with the medicinal mud of Sulfur Springs. I tried a few of the guided hikes up the pitons here and -- although challenging -- the views at the top are spectacular. I really loved this island because it's so completely different from everything else in the Caribbean.

One resort you might want to try is The BodyHoliday, which boasts a long list of holistic and sporty activities, as well as a stunning spa.

2. Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Who wouldn't want to go here? There are dozens of art galleries in Jackson Hole, wonderful restaurants, paragliding for the more adventurous folks in your group (my three kids did this) and Yellowstone National Park at your doorstep. Established in 1872, Yellowstone is the first and oldest national park in the world, covering nearly 3,500 square miles of northwestern Wyoming as well as parts of Idaho and Montana. Yellowstone's South Entrance is about 90 miles north of the town of Jackson.

One place that's fun for all ages is Spring Creek Ranch Jackson Hole, a mountain retreat with amazing views of the Teton Mountains. The ranch offers chuck wagon dinners, unobstructed stargazing and whitewater rafting in the nearby Snake River.

3. Malta
For something completely different, try Malta, a Mediterranean island south of Sicily. Many may know Malta as the place where President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met before heading off to Yalta for their summit with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. But a few years back it was also where Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip celebrated their 60h wedding anniversary. (I celebrated my 17th anniversary here.) Kids will enjoy swimming and diving while grandparents will enjoy the National War Museum that houses photographs and memorabilia from World War II. At just one-tenth the size of Rhode Island, this island is incredibly easy to navigate, especially since most everyone speaks English.

If you want to splurge, the five-star Grand Hotel Excelsior is stunning. It offers great views of the harbor and a lovely spa.

4. Aruba
Everybody seems to be going to Aruba and with good reason. There's the typical swimming, snorkeling, waterskiing, kite surfing and parasailing available throughout much of the Caribbean. But Aruba is one of the Dutch "ABC Islands" of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao that are outside the hurricane belt so there's never a worry you'll be caught up in a massive storm. There's also plenty of other things besides the beach to keep everyone entertained, everything from casinos to Donkey Sanctuary Aruba (my personal favorite) to the Aruba Ostrich Farm.

Some friends stayed at the Hyatt Regency and were raving about it. For kids, there's the Camp Hyatt Watapana. For parents and grandparents there's yoga, a fitness center and even poolside bingo.

5. Charleston, South Carolina
My mother-in-law lives in Charleston and it's one of our favorite places on the planet. When people think of Charleston, they typically think of the historic district, which you can tour by foot or via horse-drawn carriage. And, most definitely, it's spectacular. But Charleston also boasts miles and miles of some of the prettiest white sandy beaches you'll ever see. Additional perks include locally owned seafood restaurants and an abundance of Southern politeness.

If you go, check out Wild Dunes on the Isle of Palms or a beach rental on Kiawah Island. Both offer nature tours, kayaking, boating, cycling, crabbing, fishing and just about anything else you can imagine. And don't forget the aquarium and Fort Sumter. And when it comes to restaurants? Make a stop at the Boathouse -- on the water and fun for kids and adults alike.

Have your own vacation picks? Let us know about them in the comments.

Earlier on Huff/Post50:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/best-multi-generational-vacation-for-families_n_3483713.html

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Dangle your gear in style with a GearPull

The GearPull is a pocket gear accessory that is available in Brass, Copper and Pure Titanium. Currently seeking funding through Kickstarter, the GearPull is a thick clip with multiple attachment points that allows for organization of your gear. Project creator Gamble Staempfli sent me one in Copper and Brass so I could judge the quality. [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/06/23/dangle-your-gear-in-style-with-a-gearpull/

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Them - Sci-Fi/Alien/Government RP - Roleplayers Needed





RAGE&PRIDE
"I might have been made of an uncontrollable rage, but I also may have been made of an unbelievable pride."
- Rage&Pride, Original Quote

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/Euc1ost90gU/viewtopic.php

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Obama to tout economic impact of immigration

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama will convene a meeting of CEOs and business leaders to tout what the White House says are the economic benefits of a landmark immigration bill.

The afternoon meeting is scheduled just hours before the Senate holds a key test vote on a border security amendment. The measure could help the bill garner more Republican support.

Obama is expected to highlight new estimates about the bill's impact on the national deficit. The Congressional Budget Office says the bill would reduce the deficit by about $200 billion over the next 10 years and by about $700 billion over the following decade.

The bill would provide a pathway to citizenship for many of the 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-tout-economic-impact-immigration-073015611.html

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Hong Kong lets Snowden leave to Moscow, with Cuba among possible destinations

By James Pomfret

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A former contractor for the U.S. National Security Agency, charged by the United States with espionage, was allowed to leave Hong Kong on Sunday, his final destination as yet unknown, because a U.S. request to have him arrested did not comply with the law, the Hong Kong government said.

Edward Snowden left for Moscow on Sunday and his final destination may be Cuba, Ecuador, Iceland or Venezuela, according to various reports. The move is bound to infuriate Washington, wherever he ends up.

"It's a shocker," said Simon Young, a law professor with Hong Kong University. "I thought he was going to stay and fight it out. The U.S. government will be irate."

Russia's Interfax news agency quoted a source at the Aeroflot airline as saying there was a ticket in Snowden's name for a Moscow-Cuba flight. Itar-Tass news agency cited a source as saying Snowden would fly from Havana to Caracas, the Venezuelan capital.

The South China Morning Post said his final destination might be Ecuador or Iceland.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was unaware of Snowden's whereabouts or travel plans.

The WikiLeaks anti-secrecy website said it helped Snowden find "political asylum in a democratic country". It did not elaborate, other than to say Snowden was "currently over Russian airspace" with WikiLeaks legal advisers.

The White House had no comment on the WikiLeaks posting.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said last week he would not leave the sanctuary of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London even if Sweden stopped pursuing sexual assault claims against him because he feared arrest on the orders of the United States.

U.S. authorities have charged Snowden with theft of U.S. government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorized person, with the latter two charges falling under the U.S. Espionage Act.

The United States had asked Hong Kong, a special administrative region (SAR) of China, to send Snowden home.

"The U.S. government earlier on made a request to the HKSAR government for the issue of a provisional warrant of arrest against Mr Snowden," the Hong Kong government said in a statement.

"Since the documents provided by the U.S. government did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law, the HKSAR government has requested the U.S. government to provide additional information ... As the HKSAR government has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong."

It did not say what further information it needed, but said Snowden left Hong Kong "on his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel".

CHINA SAYS U.S. "BIGGEST VILLAIN"

Hong Kong, a former British colony, reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 and although it retains an independent legal system, and its own extradition laws, Beijing has control over Hong Kong's foreign affairs. Some observers see Beijing's hand in Snowden's sudden departure.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said earlier this month that Russia would consider granting Snowden asylum if he were to ask for it and pro-Kremlin lawmakers supported the idea, but there has been no indication he has done so.

Iceland refused on Friday to say whether it would grant asylum to Snowden, a former employee of contractor Booz Allen Hamilton who worked at an NSA facility in Hawaii.

The South China Morning Post earlier quoted Snowden offering new details about the United States' spy activities, including accusations of U.S. hacking of Chinese mobile telephone companies and targeting China's Tsinghua University.

Documents previously leaked by Snowden revealed that the NSA has access to vast amounts of internet data such as emails, chat rooms and video from large companies, including Facebook and Google, under a government program known as Prism.

In its statement, the Hong Kong government said it had written to the United States "requesting clarification" of earlier reports about the hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by U.S. government agencies.

"The HKSAR Government will continue to follow up on the matter, so as to protect the legal rights of the people of Hong Kong," it said.

China's Xinhua news agency, referring to Snowden's accusations about the hacking of Chinese targets, said they were "clearly troubling signs".

It added: "They demonstrate that the United States, which has long been trying to play innocent as a victim of cyber attacks, has turned out to be the biggest villain in our age."

(Additional reporting by Fayen Wong in Shanghai; Nishant Kumar in Hong Kong; Alexei Anishchuk and Steve Gutterman in Moscow, and Tabassum Zakaria in Washington; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-nsa-contractor-snowden-leaves-hong-kong-moscow-080843121.html

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