It's no magic: Invisibility cloak now available in a slim, form-fitting design

Previous success in hiding objects has relied on bulky cloaking materials. Now researchers have developed a thin, form-fitting cloak that makes objects invisible to microwave radiation.

By Pete Spotts / March 27, 2013

In a feat of physics worthy of Star Trek's Romulans, researchers have for the first time used a form-fitting cloak to render an object invisible from any direction. Sorry, Harry Potter, this is not magic.

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The experiment, conducted using microwave radiation, eventually could help pave the way for more-effective ways to hide military aircraft from radar, the researchers say. If extended to visible light, the approach could lead to novel biomedical applications, as well as tiny switches for optical computing.

The feat is the latest in a decade-long effort to develop an ability to hide objects from view. Other researchers have been able to hide objects at microwave, infrared, and even visible-light wavelengths, and in two and three dimensions. But the cloaking materials have been bulky.

Indeed, it's a desire that traces its roots to H.G. Wells' "Invisible Man," notes Andrea Alu, an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and a member of the research team reporting the results this week in the New Journal of Physics.

"We see objects by collecting whatever they radiate," he says, referring to the light that materials reflect or scatter.

One approach to cloaking is to change the behavior of electromagnetic radiation ? radio or light, for instance ? in ways that send the radiation around the object, rather than scattering some of it back at the detector trying to "see" the object.

Cloaks to accomplish this generally have been made from so-called metamaterials ? materials engineered to display traits that aren't found in nature.

The team led by Jason Soric, in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, designed its cloaking system using metamaterials as well. But instead of trying to bend radiation around the object so that none is scattered back to an observer, the researchers opted to use a cloak to change the properties of the radiation itself in ways that would cancel out the radiation scattered from an object.

"The overall effect is transparency," says Dr. Alu.

To pull off the feat, the team relied on the wave-like properties of electromagnetic radiation. The team surrounded a seven-inch-long cylinder with an ultra-thin cloak made from a polycarbonate film. The film was criss-crossed with a fishnet-like mesh made from copper tape.

The mesh was designed to scatter the same amount of microwave radiation as the cylinder. But the wavelike peaks and valleys in the microwave radiation from the two sources were offset, so that the peaks in the cylinder's scattered radiation overlapped with the valleys in the mesh's scattered radiation, canceling each other out.

The combined effect rendered the cylinder invisible to microwaves from any direction. Any microwave shadow the object might have cast vanished as well, as though the microwave radiation went right through the cylinder unimpeded.

The loss of a shadow could have some useful applications in telecommunications, where large antennas are placed close together. Such "antenna farms" often sprout on the tops of tall buildings, where one antenna can block signals from another in a specific direction. By cloaking the offending blocker, other signals would pass on by, eliminating the dead zone that was once the shadow.

Because the cloak is thin and pliable, it may be possible to cloak a variety of odd shapes, the researchers say.

A key reason the researcher chose to use microwaves for their experiment, rather than visible light, is that cloaking with light works best when the object you're trying to hide is on the size scale roughly comparable to the wavelength of light ? several hundred billionths of a meter. In principle the approach could work in visible light with tiny objects on scales of mere millionths of a meter, the team suggests.

Working with microwaves involves the same physics. But its longer wavelength allows experimenters to work with easy-to-handle objects.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/nEREZcRPTI4/It-s-no-magic-Invisibility-cloak-now-available-in-a-slim-form-fitting-design

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Sand From Fracking Could Pose Lung Disease Risk To Workers

A worker stands on top of a storage bin on July 27, 2011, at a drilling operation in Claysville, Pa. The dust is from powder mixed with water for hydraulic fracturing.

Keith Srakocic/AP

A worker stands on top of a storage bin on July 27, 2011, at a drilling operation in Claysville, Pa. The dust is from powder mixed with water for hydraulic fracturing.

Keith Srakocic/AP

When workplace safety expert Eric Esswein got a chance to see fracking in action not too long ago, what he noticed was all the dust.

It was coming off big machines used to haul around huge loads of sand. The sand is a critical part of the hydraulic fracturing method of oil and gas extraction. After workers drill down into rock, they create fractures in that rock by pumping in a mixture of water, chemicals and sand. The sand keeps the cracks propped open so that oil and gas are released.

But sand is basically silica ? and breathing in silica is one of the oldest known workplace dangers. Inside the lungs, exposure to the tiny particles has been shown to sometimes lead to serious diseases like silicosis and cancer.

Traditionally, silica exposure has been associated with jobs like mining, manufacturing and construction. But, as Esswein, a researcher with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and other safety experts have started to realize, some workers in the newly burgeoning fracking industry may be at risk, too, because of their exposure to silica dust.

"When sand was handled ? that is, when it was transported by machines on site, or whenever these machines that move sand were refilled ? dust, visible dust was created," Esswein says.

Dust blows off a pile of fracking sand at a mine near Chippewa Falls, Wis., on Dec. 15, 2011. Some of the air samples the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health experts collected at fracking sites had such high levels of silica that the respirators typically worn by workers wouldn't offer enough protection, according to NIOSH standards.

Steve Karnowski/AP

Dust blows off a pile of fracking sand at a mine near Chippewa Falls, Wis., on Dec. 15, 2011. Some of the air samples the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health experts collected at fracking sites had such high levels of silica that the respirators typically worn by workers wouldn't offer enough protection, according to NIOSH standards.

Steve Karnowski/AP

He was visiting fracking sites because he wanted to study the potential chemical hazards for oil and gas workers, and he initially figured he and his colleagues would probably assess workers' exposures to chemicals like drilling fluids. But when he saw the plumes of dust coming off the sand-handling machines and surrounding workers, he realized it could be a real hazard. The government has long set limits on how much workers can inhale.

"Knowing what I know about silica and respirable dust, that was the particular chemical that we chose to look at," Esswein says.

He and his colleagues visited 11 fracking sites in five states: Arkansas, Colorado, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Texas. At every site, the researchers found high levels of silica in the air. It turned out that 79 percent of the collected samples exceeded the recommended exposure limit set by Esswein's agency.

There were some controls in place, says Esswein, who notes that "at every site that we went to, workers wore respirators."

But about one-third of the air samples they collected had such high levels of silica, the type of respirators typically worn wouldn't offer enough protection.

These unexpected findings have come just as federal safety officials are trying to set stricter controls on silica for all industries. Some proposed new rules have been under review at the White House Office of Management and Budget for more than two years.

Peg Seminario, director of safety and health with the AFL-CIO, a group of unions that has been pushing for stronger silica regulation, says the situation with fracking is a wake-up call.

"Hopefully it will give some impetus for the need for the silica regulation ? that there is a whole other population at risk and those numbers are potentially growing," says Seminario.

A local contractor closes the valve on his tanker truck on July 27, 2011, after watering the roads to help keep down dust at a hydraulic fracturing operation in Claysville, Pa.

Keith Srakocic/AP

A local contractor closes the valve on his tanker truck on July 27, 2011, after watering the roads to help keep down dust at a hydraulic fracturing operation in Claysville, Pa.

Keith Srakocic/AP

Workplace inspectors with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration wouldn't have been aware of this potential risk for fracking workers before this recent study because, unless they receive a complaint or there's an accident, they generally don't see the process of hydraulic fracturing. That part of setting up a well happens quickly ? and once a well is up and running, contractors move on to the next one.

Government officials and the fracking industry say they're now working together to reduce workers' exposures. They started with quick fixes, like putting up warning signs and simply closing hatches on sand-moving machines.

Some oil and gas companies are also testing new technologies. Tim Hicks, a safety expert with Encana Corp., says they've been trying vacuum systems that attach to sand-moving machines and suck up the dust.

The results so far are encouraging, Hicks says, but his company is still testing to see how much of a reduction in airborne silica is reasonably achievable.

"We'd like to envision a site that, you know, we could handle sand and sequester it all, and perhaps someday not need to use respirators," says Hicks.

He says he's not sure whether that goal is possible, or how long it would take to get to that point. "But I can say that at the rate we're going," Hicks says, "we're much more likely to hit that [target] than we were prior to this issue being recognized."

Hicks says he has only been working in this part of the oil and gas business for a few years and couldn't speculate as to why the industry didn't recognize this potential health risk earlier. People, he says, seemed to think the dust was basically just dirt.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/03/28/175042708/Sand-From-Fracking-Operations-Poses-Silicosis-Risk?ft=1&f=1007

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Lindsay Lohan Steals from Anger Managament Set

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Montenegrin jailed for 45 years over Sarajevo killings

By Maja Zuvela

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - A Montenegrin warlord was jailed for 45 years on Friday for the murder, rape and torture of non-Serb civilians in Sarajevo in the Bosnian war, receiving the longest sentence handed down so far by the Bosnian war crimes court.

Veselin Vlahovic, nicknamed Batko, was found guilty of the murders of 31 people, rapes of at least 13 women and torture and robbery of dozens of civilians in Grbavica and Vraca, Serb-occupied areas of Sarajevo, in 1992, said presiding judge Zoran Bozic.

44-year old Vlahovic, known by his victims as the "Monster of Grbavica" and "Master of Life and Death", carried out "horrid, cruel and manifold criminal acts", Bozic said.

Prosecutors compiled a 66-count indictment against Vlahovic, the most extensive ever for crimes committed in the 1992-95 Bosnian war. The 45-year sentence is the maximum that can be given for such crimes.

Bozic said Vlahovic, a member of paramilitary group White Angels, which was allied to the Bosnian Serb army, often demanded ransoms of money or gold for his captives.

"Victims who could not pay for their lives would be typically taken to a recognizable location on Trebevic hill and shot in the head," Bozic added.

"In June 1992, he forced 13 members of the Pecar family out of their home and ordered three male relatives to run across a front line street planted with mines," he said.

He then ordered his soldiers to open fire knowing the act would provoke a return of fire from the combat lines. One woman died and three, including a minor girl, were wounded and left on the street.

"It was a typical pattern (of his) behavior. Those who had nothing to offer in turn for their lives were typically killed by a shot in the forehead, mouth or temporal bone, according to forensic accounts," said Bozic.

He also described how Vlahovic raped a woman who was seven months pregnant in front of her young daughter in their Grbavica apartment, and in another incident raped a woman and then forced her to watch him rape her mother.

Vlahovic, dressed in a light blue shirt, showed no emotion throughout the proceedings, even when the verdict drew loud applause from members of victims' associations in the heavily packed courtroom.

TEARS

Bosnian Serbs, backed by the Serb-led Yugoslav army, launched an "ethnic cleansing" campaign in April 1992 in which thousands of Bosnian Muslims and Croats were killed, held captive or driven from their homes.

Within months Serb forces had captured almost three-quarters of Bosnia and encircled its capital Sarajevo, where more than 10,000 people died in a 3-1/2-year siege.

Vlahovic, 44, was detained in 2010 in Spain and delivered to the Bosnian court. He had served a jail sentence after the Bosnian war for an armed robbery in Montenegro. He pleaded not guilty at the start of the trial and maintained his stance.

"It's a deserved punishment for all the suffering he caused," a protected witness told Reuters through tears after the case was closed.

More than 100,000 people were killed in the course of the 1992-95 war.

The Bosnian war crimes court was set up in Sarajevo in 2005 to reduce the workload of the United Nations war crimes tribunal for former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

Though the establishment of the courts was also aimed at establishing the truth about the Bosnian conflict and boost reconciliation, Bosnian Serbs see it as a political institution biased against them and have often challenged its legitimacy since most of those convicted are Serbs.

Tiny Montenegro, now independent, was still in union with Serbia during the Balkan wars and many Montenegrins sympathized with the Serb cause against Bosnian Muslims, Croats and Kosovo Albanians.

(Reporting by Maja Zuvela; writing by Daria Sito-Sucic; editing by Andrew Roche and Patrick Graham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/montenegrin-jailed-45-years-over-sarajevo-wartime-killings-103616905.html

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A flip-flop on gay marriage

Even as Democratic lawmakers rush to announce their support for gay marriage, a look back at the congressional debate over the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 shows they haven't always championed the rights of same sex couples.

In historic gay marriage arguments before the Supreme Court this week, justices noted comments made by congressional Republicans about DOMA, which bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage. Justice Elena Kagan quoted the House report on the law at the time, which said its purpose was to express "moral disapproval" of homosexuality. She suggested that if lawmakers were "infected" by animus toward an unpopular minority group when they passed the law, it could put DOMA on constitutionally shaky ground.

McClatchy has collected some of the more virulent comments made at the time by Republican lawmakers. But Democrats weren't exactly gay marriage champions at the time either, and while they avoided the rhetoric espoused by their conservative colleagues, few took to the floor to argue that the bill was discriminatory.

Then-Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., spoke against DOMA, saying it was unnecessary and an intrusion into states' rights to define marriage. But he emphasized his own opposition to gay marriage before expressing reservations about the bill.

"I am not for same-sex marriage. I have said that publicly. I would not vote for same-sex marriage," Kerry, now U.S. secretary of state, said.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California made a similar point. "I personally believe that the legal institution of marriage is the union between a man and a woman," she said. "But, as a matter of public policy, I oppose this legislation."

Republicans were definitely more forceful in their opposition.

Then-Rep. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma said he and his constituents believe "homosexuality is immoral, that it is based on perversion, that it is based on lust." Coburn was elected to the Senate in 2004.

"Homosexuality has been discouraged in all cultures because it is inherently wrong and harmful to individuals, families and societies," then-Rep. David Funderburk of North Carolina said.

A few lawmakers suggested American civilization would collapse if it accepted homosexuality.

DOMA passed Congress with large, bipartisan support: 85 votes in the Senate and 342 votes in the House. Democratic President Bill Clinton, facing re-election, signed it into law in the middle of the night. (Earlier this month, he disavowed the legislation.) At the time, the vast majority of Americans opposed same-sex marriage.

Seven years later, when Republicans launched an effort to amend the U.S. Constitution to exclude same-sex couples from the definition of marriage, Democrats argued against the move while stressing their belief that marriage should be reserved for heterosexual couples.

In the video from Slate's Dave Weigel, above, Democrats Hillary Clinton and Dick Durbin, who both recently endorsed same-sex marriage, said they were opposed to taking a drastic step of amending the Constitution. But they both elaborately declared their opposition to same-sex marriage, with Clinton praising "the fundamental bedrock principle that it exists between a man and woman going back into the mists of history."

Democrats' position has changed extraordinarily fast since then, with President Barack Obama announcing his own support for gay marriage during the 2012 election campaign and calling for equality for "our gay brothers and sisters" in his inaugural address. Only 10 of the 55 Democratic senators now do not back gay marriage.

Republican lawmakers have been far slower to embrace gay marriage. Rob Portman of Ohio became the first sitting Republican senator to support gay marriage earlier this month, when he revealed in an op-ed that his position changed after his son came out as gay. Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski may be next: She said earlier this week that her position is "evolving."

The shift has dovetailed with a dramatic reversal of public opinion on the issue. Recent polls show a majority of Americans support same-sex marriage, compared with less than 30 percent in 1996.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/flashback-almost-every-politician-supported-traditional-marriage-173237350--election.html

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Cyprus details heavy losses for major bank customers

By Karolina Tagaris

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Major depositors in Cyprus's biggest bank will lose around 60 percent of savings over 100,000 euros, its central bank confirmed on Saturday, sharpening the terms of a bailout that has shaken European banks but saved the island from bankruptcy.

Initial signs that big depositors in Bank of Cyprus would take a hit of 30 to 40 percent - the first time the euro zone has made bank customers contribute to a bailout - had already unnerved investors in European lenders this week.

But the official decree published on Saturday confirmed a Reuters report a day earlier that the bank would give depositors shares worth just 37.5 percent of savings over 100,000 euros. The rest of such holdings might never be paid back.

The toughening of the terms sends a clear signal that the bailout means the end of Cyprus as a hub for offshore finance and could accelerate economic decline on the island and bring steeper job losses.

Banks reopened to relative calm on Thursday after the imposition of the first capital controls the euro has seen since it was launched a decade ago.

The streets of Nicosia were filled with crowds relaxing in its cafes and bars on Saturday, but popular anger was not hard to find.

"Europe shouldn't have allowed this disaster to happen here. Cyprus was paradise and they've turned it into hell," said Tryfonas Neokleous, owner of a clothes shop on a cobbled street in the center of the city.

He said he didn't except business to pick up even now that the banks were open again after an almost two-week shutdown.

"I don't expect anything and I don't hope for anything anymore. People are going to spend their money on food and everything else they've been deprived of the last 15 days."

There are no signs for now that bank customers in other struggling euro zone countries like Greece, Italy or Spain taking fright at the precedent set by the bailout.

"Cyprus is and will remain a special one-off case," German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told German mass-selling daily Bild. "Savings accounts in Europe are safe."

European officials have worked hard this week to stress that the island's bailout was a unique case - after a suggestion by Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem that the rescue would serve as a model for future crises rattled European financial markets.

"Together in the Eurogroup we decided to have the owners and creditors take part in the costs of the rescue - in other words those who helped cause the crisis," said Schaeuble, one of the architects of the euro zone's response to a debt crisis now in its fourth year.

"Cyprus's economy will now go through a long and painful period of adjustment. But then it will pay back the loan."

ANGRY

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said on Friday that the 10-billion euro ($13 billion) bailout had contained the risk of national bankruptcy and would prevent it from leaving the euro.

Cypriots, however, are angry at the price attached to the rescue - the winding down of the island's second-largest bank, Cyprus Popular Bank, also known as Laiki, and an unprecedented raid on deposits over 100,000 euros.

"We're numb. People are numb. But their hidden hope is that something good will happen eventually," said Pantelis Panayotou, 70, a jeweler whose stands in his shop are half empty.

The island has seen none of the angry street violence that frequently erupts in Greece but peaceful protests by students and bank workers have become an almost daily occurrence. At least 2,000 students protested outside parliament this week.

Etyk, a bank workers' union, called a rally outside parliament for Thursday to protest against potential job cuts and a hit on their pension funds.

Under the terms of Saturday's decree, the assets of Laiki will be transferred to Bank of Cyprus. At Bank of Cyprus, about 22.5 percent of deposits over 100,000 euros will attract no interest. The remaining 40 percent will continue to attract interest, but will not be repaid unless the bank does well.

Those with deposits under 100,000 euros will continue to be protected under the state's deposit guarantee.

The imposition of the capital controls has led economists to warn that a second-class "Cyprus euro" could emerge, with funds trapped on the island less valuable than euros that can be freely spent abroad.

Among other things Cypriots and foreigners are allowed to take only up to 1,000 euros in cash when they leave the island.

Anastasiades said the restrictions - unprecedented in the currency bloc since euro coins and banknotes entered circulation in 2002 - would be gradually lifted. He gave no time frame but the central bank said the measures would be reviewed daily. ($1 = 0.7788 euros)

(Additional reporting by Erik Kirschbaum in Berlin; Writing by Patrick Graham; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/big-depositors-cyprus-lose-far-more-feared-012924300--business.html

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Why Give Corporations a Tax Break? by Laura Tyson - Project ...

BERKELEY ? US President Barack Obama has called for additional revenue as part of a balanced plan to reduce future budget deficits. But he is also proposing a significant cut in the corporate tax rate. To many, this approach seems inconsistent: Shouldn?t the corporate tax rate be raised, not lowered, so that corporations contribute their ?fair share? to deficit reduction? The answer is no.

After its 1986 tax overhaul, the United States had one of the lowest corporate tax rates among OECD countries. Since then, these countries have been slashing their rates in order to attract foreign direct investment and discourage their own companies from shifting operations and profits to low-tax foreign locations. In the most recent and audacious move, the British government has embarked on a three-year plan to reduce its corporate tax rate from 28% to 20% ? one of the lowest in the OECD ? by 2015.

The US now has the highest corporate tax rate of these countries. Even after incorporating various deductions, credits, and other tax-reducing provisions, the effective average and marginal corporate tax rates in the US ? what corporations actually pay ? are higher than the OECD average.

Cutting the rate to a more competitive level would encourage more domestic investment by US corporations, and would also make the US more attractive to foreign investors. Capital has become increasingly mobile, and differences in national corporate tax rates have a growing influence on where multinational companies locate their operations and report their income.

Higher investment in the US by both domestic and foreign companies would boost economic growth, while the resulting increase in capital ??new businesses, factories, equipment, and research ?would improve productivity. That should, in turn, boost real wages over time (although the link between productivity growth and wage growth has weakened during the last two decades).

The pro-growth rationale for reducing the US corporate tax rate is compelling, and explains why Obama has proposed cutting it from 35% to 28% (roughly the weighted average rate of the other developed countries).

But a rate cut would be costly in terms of foregone revenues: each percentage point would reduce corporate-tax revenues by about $100 billion over the next decade. Moreover, recent studies indicate that a significant share of the corporate-tax burden falls on capital, so a reduction in corporate taxes would weaken the progressivity of the tax system at a time when income inequality is at an all-time high.

For these reasons, Obama is championing a ?revenue-neutral? reform that would leave corporate-tax revenues unchanged, with the proposed rate cut financed by limiting deductions, credits, and loopholes, which would broaden the tax base.

These features add complexity to the tax code, raise the cost of tax compliance, and reduce corporate-tax revenues. They also affect business decisions about what to invest in, how to finance investments, which form of business organization to adopt, and where to produce ? reflecting sizeable differences in the effective tax rates behind these choices.

As a result, broadening the corporate tax base will not be easy. Within the corporate sector, the three largest domestic tax preferences are the manufacturing production deduction, the credit for research and development, and accelerated depreciation of capital. Manufacturing companies are the major beneficiaries of these preferences, and Obama has proposed strengthening the first two.

Instead, he suggests reforming the third by tightening allowances for accelerated depreciation (as several other developed countries have done) in order to offset some of the revenue losses. But reducing the overall corporate rate would increase after-tax returns on past investments, while limiting accelerated depreciation would lower after-tax returns on new investments. And even eliminating accelerated depreciation would not broaden the tax base enough to finance a rate cut to 28%.

Likewise, while limiting the deductibility of net interest for corporations, as many other developed countries have done, would broaden the tax base and discourage excessive reliance on debt financing, it would increase the tax burden on major investments in physical capital, which are often debt-financed.

Reducing the tax preferences for non-corporate business entities (such as partnerships) that pass their income through to their owners? individual returns would also broaden the tax base subject to the corporate-income tax. Pass-through companies now account for more than 80% of net business income (by far the highest share in the developed countries). Several of these entities are very large and profitable, and enjoy the same legal benefits as corporations. Economic logic suggests that businesses of similar size and engaged in similar activities should not pay different tax rates based solely on their organizational form.

The fact that a large share of business income is currently taxed as personal income makes it difficult to separate corporate tax reform from personal tax reform, as Obama and members of Congress would prefer to do. Moreover, keeping the two areas of reform separate rules out the approach adopted by several other developed countries, which have offset some of the revenue losses from cutting corporate tax rates by increasing taxes on corporate equity income at the personal shareholder level.

This approach also addresses concerns about the regressive effects of a cut in the corporate rate. It is both more progressive and more effective: with highly mobile capital, it is far easier to collect taxes from individual citizens and resident shareholders than from multinational companies.

According to a recent study, restoring tax rates on dividends and capital gains to their pre-1997 levels of 28% could finance a reduction in the US federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 26%. This change would both reduce the incentive for corporations to shift investments abroad and increase the progressivity of the US tax system.

Similarly, a modest carbon tax or value-added tax, with credits or subsidies to offset the regressive effects on low-income households, could generate enough revenue both to pay for a significant reduction in the corporate tax rate and to make a meaningful contribution to deficit reduction.

There is no inconsistency between a progressive, balanced deficit-reduction plan and lowering the corporate tax rate. Of all taxes, corporate taxes are the most harmful to economic growth ? without which meaningful deficit reduction is far more difficult to achieve.

Reprinting material from this Web site without written consent from Project Syndicate is a violation of international copyright law. To secure permission, please contact us.

Source: http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/cutting-us-corporate-taxes-to-stimulate-growth-by-laura-tyson

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Adam Lanza's Arsenal: Guns, Ammo, Knives, Swords, and NRA Certificates (Little green footballs)

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Mobile Internet Traffic Forcing Companies To Rethink Their ...

Don?t look now, or rather, look now, because mobile internet?traffic is speeding past companies who have not embraced the single most important technology to developing business today. Only a few short years ago, the cumbersome desktop computer was king. It was only practical for office or home use. Taking it with you was dreadfully difficult and impractical. Internet caf??s popped up, and libraries could be used by those?travelling?or away from their computer to find directions, restaurants, shop, or find local businesses, such as car repair, urgent care centres, or a hotel. Along came the laptop computer. But now, the smart phone and iPad, and its tablet brethren, are flying off the shelves and into practical everyday use for the business person and citizen.

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Does Your Business Website?Accommodate Mobile Browsers?

A majority of websites and companies have not prepared for the onslaught of business being done through mobile browsers and are missing out on billions of dollars in sales. Since buying services and products are not relegated only to local and regional businesses, it behooves companies to have a mobile version of their website to take advantage of the selling and informational opportunities presently before them. Sadly, most are not.

It is important to understand that the normal websites that don?t accommodate mobile browsers provide a poor visitor experience, and may actually turn off potential customers from your products and services. Therefore, having a site that is mobile-friendly may mean beating out a competitor, growing your business, increasing revenues, and attracting and retaining customers.

New technology is helping make this a simple and modestly priced venture for small and large companies. ?Responsive web design? is one of the hot new terms in the industry today, and we will discuss how it will assist the business owner or company in making certain they acquire as much market share as possible.

A company has three choices when considering whether to develop their website for the mobile browsing. But first, let us look at important statistics of smart phones and tablets to help give you some perspective on why developing your website for the mobile market is a wise investment.

Smart Phone and Tablet Statistics and Information

Today, 91 million Americans own a smart phone, and there are over 1 billion active ones globally in use. By 2014, there will be 90 million tablets in the hands of businesses and consumers. They should not be ignored.

Searching the internet for products, services, and events is the #2 use of the smart phone, while texting is first. Yes, there are significantly more texts going out than phone calls. What may be surprising is that the smart phone has become like a hand-held portable computer.

The buying demographic everyone wants is between 25 and 40, and this is where the majority of smart phone owners are. Moreover, these people have grown up using computer technology like many grew up using pencils and hand-held calculators.

In the recent past, smart phones were slow in uploading websites, information, games, or search, but now speeds are amazing, so this is no longer a deterrent. Because of the slowness, many companies opted out of what they thought would be an expensive design to wait for faster speeds. They are here. This means, if you have been sitting on the sidelines because of this, you no longer have an excuse to remain disengaged.

The fastest growing segment of mobile app and website development is with local businesses. 70% of business search is for local products and services. If you have ever used a smart phone to search for this time of entity, even today, it is likely that you were able to find a website that was neither user friendly nor intuitive. It obviously was not designed for mobile use. How did you feel? Probably like you wasted time. Again, with tremendously fast speeds, and the phone guts to handle the data, this no longer has to be an issue.

Tablets manufacturers have learned quite a bit from their older cousins, the smart phone, and have come to market more prepared for what the consumer wants when locating businesses. Again, it cannot be stressed enough that having your website optimized for these gadgets will help position you to take advantage of the financial and relational opportunities that exist and are coming.

3 Options for Mobile Web Design

Responsive web design uses new technology that allows the web developers to build a mobile site that is pictorially compelling, and easy to read and navigate without losing the essence that a standard site offers. In fact, this technology is being employed on standard internet websites, too. The coding allows for instant sizing of the page in conjunction with the type of web-based tool that is being used to view it, ie, the desktop, smart phone, or tablet.

Your company has three choices when deciding whether nor not to utilize this new technology and, therefore, be more competitive online.

1. Do Nothing ? There are many reasons why companies will not choose to embrace responsive web design, and they include, budget or cost, technical savvy, fear of the unknown, or simple disinterest. In an economy where competition for customer dollars has never been fiercer, none of these are acceptable. The trend is towards the mobile market, as we demonstrated. Let go your horse-and-buggy mentality because the Model A is rolling off the assembly line.
2. Develop a Separate Theme ? Responsive mobile web design allows you to develop a totally?separate?mobile theme that properly sizes the site and allows the user to engage with the site in a much more user friendly mode. In this version the available content is chosen strictly for the mobile version and in some instances the whole site is pared down to fewer pages than the normal site and streamlined for the mobile user.
3. New Website Optimized for Mobile Use ? The third and final choice you have as a company is to either start new with a website, or redesign your website from the outset utilizing the science behind responsive web design, which ultimately is about the user experience. The data on how people engage websites is prodigious, and so this is incorporated into this new way of preparing your site for both the mobile and desktop user for maximum effect and engagement. So no matter what size browser the person is using the coding will be responsive and allow them to see the entire site content (graphics, pictures, etc) in their chosen screen size. It will adapt to the user ? this is the way of the future.

Conclusion

In our ever-changing world we see obsolete technology and products all the time. What will never change is how important it is for businesses to understand how their customers and prospects engage them on the internet, whether it is from a desktop, laptop, smart phone or tablet. Having a website that intuitively makes adjustments to the site visitor so they can have the best user experience possible is now available through responsive website design. This technology will naturally evolve with the user, making it one of the most important innovations yet in website design and development. The question is, will you ignore the business opportunities this technology brings and dismiss mobile web development, or will you embrace it and reap the benefits?

Written By Jim Larson

Jim Larson writes about the internet for National News Daily.

Related posts:

Source: http://www.techwyse.com/blog/mobile-marketing/mobile-internet-traffic-forcing-companies-to-rethink-their-websites/

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Former US soldier accused of fighting with al Qaeda group in Syria

via YouTube

Video of US Army veteran Eric Harroun filming militants celebrating a crashed helicopter was cited in the FBI affadavit. This clip has not been edited or verified by NBC News.

By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News

A former U.S. soldier has been charged with fighting with an al Qaeda group in Syria after allegedly posting photographs of himself posing with military hardware on the internet, officials said in a statement.

Eric Harroun, 30, of Phoenix, Ariz., was accused of using a rocket-propelled grenade while fighting with the al-Nusrah Front, an alias of al Qaeda in Iraq, according to a statement issued on Thursday by the U.S. Attorney?s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia.

?Harroun, a U.S. citizen who served with the U. S. Army from 2000 to 2003, was charged by criminal complaint with conspiring to use a destructive device outside of the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, if convicted,? the statement said.

?According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Harroun allegedly crossed into Syria in January 2013 and fought with members of the al-Nusrah Front against the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria,? it added. ?The affidavit alleges that Harroun was trained to use an RPG by members of the terrorist organization and that he fired an RPG and posted online multiple photographs of himself carrying or posing with RPGs and other military weapons.?

?Harroun allegedly participated in attacks led by the al-Nusrah Front and was part of an RPG team, for which he carried anti-personnel and anti-armor rockets,? it said.

600 terrorist attacks
Al Qaeda in Iraq has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization since October 2004.

?The al-Nusrah Front is one of several aliases used by the 'al Qa?ida in Iraq' terrorist organization, and since November 2011 the group has claimed responsibility for nearly 600 terrorist attacks in Syria,? the statement said.

U.S. officials have called for Assad to step down in Syria and have offered non-lethal support to the rebels, but there is concern about militant groups like al Qaeda affiliates fighting alongside other rebel forces.

Israel fears al Qaeda elements will establish themselves close to the border and threaten to fire chemical weapons and long-range rockets captured from the Syrian army into Israel.

The statement said Harroun appeared in a federal court in Alexandria, Va., Thursday.

Harroun was arrested on Wednesday upon returning to the United States at an airport outside Washington, Reuters said. He has a hearing scheduled for Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

He was medically discharged from the army after being injured in a car accident, according to an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint, Reuters reported.

The criminal charge of "conspiring to use a destructive device outside of the United States" carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Harroun appeared in two videos that indicated he was engaged in military action with rebel forces against the Syrian government, Reuters reported. In one video, he said: "Bashar al-Assad, your days are numbered. ... Where(ever) you go we will find you and kill you," according to the affidavit.

In March, the FBI conducted three voluntary interviews of Harroun at the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, during which he stated that he wanted to fight with the Free Syrian Army against the Assad regime, the affidavit added.

Harroun allegedly told the FBI that during his fighting in Syria he shot about 10 people but did not know whether he killed any of them, the affidavit said, according to Reuters. He also said he hated al Qaeda and did not know any al Qaeda members, the affidavit said. On Wednesday in the United States, the FBI conducted another voluntary interview during which Harroun allegedly said that he knew the al-Nusrah Front had been designated a terrorist organization, according to the affidavit.

The U.S. Attorney's office said a lawyer would be appointed for Harroun, Reuters reported.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Syria chaos looms large over Obama's Israel trip

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a1fb2fb/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C290C175126340Eformer0Eus0Esoldier0Eaccused0Eof0Efighting0Ewith0Eal0Eqaeda0Egroup0Ein0Esyria0Dlite/story01.htm

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Shot Pakistani teen Malala Yousafzai writing book

LONDON (AP) ? Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager shot in the head by the Taliban as she returned home from school, is writing a book about the traumatic event and her long-running campaign to promote children's education.

Publisher Weidenfeld and Nicolson announced that it would release "I am Malala" in Britain and Commonwealth countries this fall. Little, Brown and Co. will publish the 15-year-old's memoir in the United States and much of the rest of the world.

"Malala is already an inspiration to millions around the world. Reading her story of courage and survival will open minds, enlarge hearts, and eventually allow more girls and boys to receive the education they hunger for," said Michael Pietsch, executive vice president and publisher of Little, Brown.

A Taliban gunman shot Malala on Oct. 9 in northwestern Pakistan. The militant group said it targeted her because she promoted "Western thinking" and, through a blog, had been an outspoken critic of the Taliban's opposition to educating girls.

The shooting sparked outrage in Pakistan and many other countries, and her story drew global attention to the struggle for women's rights in Malala's homeland. The teen even made the shortlist for Time magazine's "Person of the Year" in 2012.

Malala was brought to the U.K. for treatment and spent several months in a hospital undergoing skull reconstruction and cochlear implant surgeries. She was released last month and has started attending school in Britain.

Malala said in a statement Wednesday that she hoped telling her story would be "part of the campaign to give every boy and girl the right to go to school.

"I hope the book will reach people around the world, so they realize how difficult it is for some children to get access to education," she said. "I want to tell my story, but it will also be the story of 61 million children who can't get education."

Publishers did not reveal the price tag for the book deal, estimated by the Guardian newspaper at 2 million pounds ($3 million).

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/shot-pakistani-teen-malala-yousafzai-writing-book-100913748.html

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Justin Bieber: I Want To Be a Role Model!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/justin-bieber-i-want-to-be-a-role-model/

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HTC One now available on Three UK

Free HTC One plus unlimited data starting at £34 per month

Right on schedule, we're starting to see broader UK availability for the HTC One, and today Three UK has officially launched the silver version of the handset.

Three's 24-month plans start at £34 per month for its "Ultimate Internet 500" deal, which bags you a free HTC One, unlimited data, 500 minutes and 5,000 texts. For £36 per month you'll get Three's "One Plan," which gets you unlimited data (with tethering included), 2,000 minutes, 5,000 Three-to-Three minutes and 5,000 texts. The phone is also being offered on Pay As You Go for £479.99.

The black HTC One is available for pre-order on the same price plans. More details at the source link.

More: HTC One review

Source: Three UK

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/syK0Lfj5xUw/story01.htm

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U.S. debates how severely to penalize Russia in human rights spat

By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a controversy underscoring continued stresses in U.S.-Russia relations, Obama administration officials are debating how many Russian officials to ban from the United States under a new law meant to penalize Moscow for alleged human rights abuses.

The debate's outcome, expected in about two weeks, is likely to illustrate how President Barack Obama will handle what critics say is a crackdown on dissent in Russia and set the tone for Washington-Moscow relations in the president's second term.

The new law is named for Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year-old anti-corruption lawyer who died in his jail cell in 2009. It requires the United States to deny visas and freeze the U.S. financial assets of Russians linked to the case, or to other alleged violations of human rights in Russia.

The act was passed in December as part of a broader bill to expand U.S. trade with Russia, and Obama signed it December 14. But the White House was never keen on the rights legislation, arguing that it was unnecessary because Washington had imposed visa restrictions on some Russians thought to have played a role in Magnitsky's death. The United States has declined to name those people.

The Magnitsky Act says the president must publish by mid-April the list of accused human rights abusers - or explain to Congress why their names can't be published. The reasons for not publishing must be tied to national security.

U.S. officials said there are differences within the Obama administration over what kind of list to produce - short or long - or whether to even produce two lists, one for the visa bans and another for the asset freezes.

"The difference is essentially between those who don't want to piss off the Russian government any more than we absolutely have to, and those who don't want to piss off Congress any more than we have to," a State Department official said on condition of anonymity.

Magnitsky worked for the equity fund Hermitage Capital in Moscow and was arrested on tax fraud charges shortly after he leveled similar accusations against Russian state officials in 2008. Family and former colleagues say he was mistreated and denied medical care during his year in Russian jails.

His death spooked investors and blackened Russia's image abroad. The Kremlin's own human rights council aired suspicions that he was beaten to death. Magnitsky currently is being tried posthumously in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was angered by the Magnitsky Act, and Russia retaliated by banning U.S. adoptions of Russian children. Asked to comment this week, a spokesman for Russia's embassy in Washington pointed to warnings that Moscow may issue its own list of alleged U.S. human rights abusers.

The White House also is hearing warnings from Congress. One of the law's authors, Representative James McGovern, wrote to Obama on Monday to caution against abbreviating the list. McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts, enclosed over 230 names he said could potentially be included - such as senior Russian interior ministry and law enforcement officials who investigated and detained Magnitsky and oversaw his treatment.

McGovern said he heard some U.S. officials favor a "lax" approach to enforcing the law. "I think this would be a terrible message for the administration to send at this point in time, especially with Russia cracking down on human rights organizations," the congressman said in a telephone interview.

In recent weeks, Russian authorities have been searching the offices of advocacy groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Russia's oldest rights group, Memorial, in what activists say is part of a state campaign to stifle dissent.

Putin on Thursday dismissed criticism of state inspections of non-governmental organizations, saying the office searches that have prompted charges of harassment and caused concern in the West were routine.

After improvements under a "reset" Obama initiated in 2009, U.S. ties with Moscow have been strained by differences over the civil war in Syria; Putin's charges of U.S. meddling in internal Russian affairs; and his treatment of opponents since returning to Russia's presidency last May.

'CREDIBLE INFORMATION'

McGovern said that Congress intended that the administration put people on the visa ban list if there was "credible information" that they have violated human rights.

But some administration officials favor only putting people on the list if the evidence against them meets the strict standards used by the Treasury Department for freezing assets, which would produce a shorter list, the State Department official said.

He said he expected the advocates of the shorter list to triumph initially, but noted that it could be updated later.

"I expect a fairly small list, in the 20-something range, will end up on this submission to Congress," he said, adding that he hoped it would go beyond the Magnitsky case to include names of some people involved in other alleged abuses in Russia.

The Treasury Department declined comment. "We will implement the law as required and make information available once we're in a position to do so," a White House spokeswoman said.

In addition to Magnitsky, the law lists other human rights cases it says illustrate the danger of exposing wrongdoing by Russian officials. The cases include Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative journalist who was shot to death in Moscow in 2006, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a jailed former oil tycoon.

The only Russian official directly named in the Magnitsky law for "wrongdoing" is Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's Chechnya region. Kadyrov is not linked to the Magnitsky case, but the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recently said he "stands accused of involvement in murders, torture and disappearances of political opponents and human rights activists". He denies wrongdoing.

Tom Malinowski, director of the Washington office of Human Rights Watch, said the credibility of the initial Magnitsky list won't be so much the number of names but "whether the list at least touches on some of the most important cases that have the greatest resonance among people in Russia who are concerned about the absence of the rule of law."

(Editing by Warren Strobel and Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-debates-severely-penalize-russia-human-rights-spat-220007116.html

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Lawsuit filed in Ohio's child cancer cluster case

CLYDE, Ohio (AP) -- Lawyers in Ohio filed a $750 million class action lawsuit Thursday against Whirlpool Corp. that's related to a child cancer cluster between Toledo and Cleveland.

The lawsuit attempts to link Whirlpool and others to the cancer cluster, though the families of the children who've been diagnosed with cancer aren't involved.

Three families filed the suit, including a man whose wife died at age 23 a year after she was diagnosed with cancer.

The U.S. EPA has said high levels of a chemical believed to increase the risk of certain cancers were found in soil samples from a former park Whirlpool once owned near the town of Clyde. Whirlpool has a washing machine factory in Clyde.

The findings, though, didn't link the contaminants with the cancer cluster that has been under investigation by state and federal agencies for more than six years. Nearly 40 young people have been diagnosed with cancer since the mid-1990s in the area.

Benton Harbor, Mich.-based Whirlpool hasn't been directly connected to the chemical found in the tests. A statement from the company said that it's reviewing the lawsuit.

"As a member of the community for over 60 years, with more than 3,000 employees in the area, we are also very interested in figuring out the facts behind this ongoing issue," the statement said.

Families whose children have been among the dozens sickened in an Ohio cancer cluster have hired a private company to test several spots around the area in northern Ohio.

Still, the odds are against coming up with an answer because pinpointing the cause of a cancer cluster rarely happens.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawsuit-filed-ohios-child-cancer-213837381.html

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First quarter report cards: Which fighters rose above early in 2013?

Sunday will mark the end of the first quarter. It's been a busy three months in MMA, so it's a good time to look back at the past three months and see who rose above the rest.

Biggest upset: Did you expect to see Robbie Lawler walk away with the win over Josh Koscheck at UFC 157? What about Antonio Rogerio Nogueira beating former UFC light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans? But there's no question who scored the biggest upset of the first quarter of 2013. Antonio Silva's TKO of Alistair Overeem at UFC 156 left more than Overeem's jaw on the floor.

Best knockout: Vitor Belfort's knockout of Michael Bisping at the January UFC on FX was memorable, as was Tyron Woodley's 36-second dismantling of Jay Hieron at UFC 156. Wanderlei Silva, Robbie Lawler and a slew of Bellator fighters have posted impressive knockouts. But the one that had everyone talking was on "The Ultimate Fighter." Uriah Hall's knockout of Adam Cella* was perfectly executed, and had the rest of the TUF house worried about Hall's skills. For that, Hall wins knockout of the first quarter.

* The knockout actually occurred last year, but aired in the first quarter of 2013.

[Also: Video blog shows the other side of UFC's Dana White]

Best submission: For the best tapouts of the first three months of 2013, Bellator provided a nominee when Dave Vitkay choked out Jesse Peterson in just 18 seconds. Gabriel Gonzaga's guillotine of Ben Rothwell stands out, as is Ronda Rousey's arm bar of Liz Carmouche at UFC 157. The winner comes from the undercard of UFC 157 as Kenny Robertson managed a weird yet incredibly painful looking kneebar-esque submission of Brock Jardine. It was the kind of submission that left MMA fans wondering what had happened.

Best rising star: There were plenty of candidates for fighters who really made an impressive leap in the MMA world early in 2013. Jordan Mein's UFC debut at UFC 158 included rolling out of an arm bar with Dan Miller, and then knocking him out before the first round ended. Abel Trujillo's TKO win by knees to the body of Marcus Levesseur was pretty fantastic, too. But it's Trujillo's opponent at UFC 160, Khabib Nurmagomedov who is taking home the prize. His TKO of Thiago Tavares in Brazil showed he can fight well under any conditions.

Best fight: Johny Hendricks and Carlos Condit put on a great scrap at UFC 158. Brian Stann and Wanderlei Silva's bout was thrilling before Stann was knocked out. Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson's title fight at UFC on Fox 6 was memorable, as was Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo's title bout at UFC 156. The one fight that stood out above the rest, though, was Dennis Bermudez and Matt Grice's fight from UFC 156. Throughout the bout, both fighters should have given up. Both fighters should have been knocked out. But neither man gave in. Bermudez won the decision, but both fighters will be remembered for this bout.

Do you agree? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

More news from the Yahoo! Sports Minute:

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/first-quarter-report-cards-fighters-rose-above-early-174635867--mma.html

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Nutrition Rocks and the 30-Day Vegan Challenge | Nutrition Rocks

Inspired by Meg Mathews? recent switch to a vegan lifestyle and the PETA 30 day vegan challenge, Nutrition Rocks are delighted to bring you our new and exclusive ?Vegan? section of our site! This section aims to offer our readers delicious and simple vegan recipes alongside practical, factual tips on how to be a healthy vegan and maximise health, beauty and vitality from the inside out. If you are not already a vegan we hope to inspire you to take on the 30 day challenge yourselves with our variety of original recipes ? from starters and mains to smoothies, juices and dips, we have got it covered! Deciding to become a vegan is a big lifestyle change, so whether you are ready to take this step or simply just want some new and exciting meat-free recipe ideas, Nutrition Rocks are here for you!

Vegan and vegetarian lifestyles are becoming increasingly popular. There are many reasons that people may decide to become a vegan, but whatever the reason it is essential that vegans are aware of the importance of ensuring the food they eat is adequate in nutrients and will provide your body with everything it needs. In doing this being a vegan can provide health benefits and other advantages.

There are, however, areas of concern relating to the nutritional status of those enjoying a vegan lifestyle. As with any eating pattern, the likelihood of being deficient in certain nutrients is higher in people who restrict the variety of foods they eat. We will discuss the nutrients of concern below ? stick with us and you can eat vegan the way it should be done!

Protein: the human requirement for protein is about 10% of total energy intake or less, which is very achievable on a vegan diet by eating plant-based foods that are rich in protein. There may be concern that vegans don?t get enough protein, and it?s true that you have to eat the right kind of protein rich plant-based foods to get the right combination of essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein), although as long as you eat a variety of protein rich foods throughout the day your body will be getting all the essential amino acids, and therefore protein, that it needs.

The three foods to remember that will supply your body with all the essential amino acids are hemp, quinoa and soya. Why not try quinoa porridge in the morning, delicious creamy puddings made with soya milk (look out for the ones fortified with calcium) or toasted hemp seeds sprinkled on your salads. Other protein-rich vegan foods to look out for and include in your diet are lentils, beans, chickpeas, tofu and nuts, including nut butters which are also a great source of essential fats, bringing us nicely onto our next nutrient?

Fat: fat gets a bad rep when it comes to nutrition; however in the right balance fats form a very important part of our diet, promoting cell function, protecting our internal organs and helping to keep our hair and skin healthy. Vegetarians and vegans often have lower intakes of fats than meat eaters so it is important to know which kinds of foods contain healthy fats in order to provide our bodies with energy and essential vitamins that can be provided by eating fats, such as vitamins A and E and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids cannot be produced by the body and need to be consumed from the food we eat ? there are many health benefits commonly associated with omega-3 fatty acids, including their role in heart health. The oils from fatty fish such as mackerel and salmon are the most commonly referred to source of omega-3 fatty acids, although there are lots of way for vegans to stock up on these healthy fats! The major vegan sources of omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed, hemp seeds and hemp seed oil, rapeseed oil and our beauty nutrition favourite, walnuts. Some vegans may wish to consider a supplement made from algae that will provide the long chain type of omega 3 that is harder to get from food if you are a vegan, as it is the type found in oily fish (docosahexaenoic acid or DHA in case you?re interested)! Other healthy fats for vegans to be aware of are?mono-unsaturated?fats that you can get from avocados, olive oil, rapeseed oil and olives.

Vitamin B12: it is important that all vegans regularly include a reliable source of vitamin B12 in their diet (it is particularly important for pregnant women and young children who are vegan). The only natural source of vitamin B12 is meat, although there are several vegan products that are fortified, such as soya milk and cereals, and vegan supplements that are free from animal products are also available. Although requirement for vitamin B12 is very small, and deficiency is rare, long-term deficiency can lead to neurological damage and short term deficiency can lead to anaemia, fatigue and depression ? so it?s important to know your stuff! So when you?re shopping for cereal products and milk, ensure they are fortified with B12 or ask your pharmacist about a suitable supplement.

Iron: it can be difficult to get enough iron if you are a vegan or a vegetarian, but with a bit of knowledge on the rich vegan sources you can ensure your meals are packed with iron rich foods to help keep you full of energy and vitality. The iron found in plant sources is an inorganic (non-haem) form that is not as readily absorbed as the form found in meat. There are also various substances that can inhibit the absorption of non-haem iron, such as the tannins found in tea and high levels of fibre? (so save that cuppa for between your meals)! Vitamin C, however, increases the absorption of iron from plant sources significantly ? a perfect excuse to enjoy a fresh fruit juice with your meals. The plant sources of iron that vegans should look out for are fortified cereals, beans, lentils and chickpeas, dark green leafy vegetables and bread.

Zinc: zinc is similar to iron in that the richest sources are meat, and certain substances impair its absorption. Deficiency in zinc can lead to poor immunity and a reduced appetite ? not what we want! Vegan foods rich in zinc include toasted pumpkin seeds, peanuts and dark chocolate and cocoa powder (hooray)!

Calcium: because cows? milk and its products are the major dietary source of calcium it can be easy to forget that there are plenty of vegan sources that can keep your teeth and bones strong as well. So stock up on Brazil nuts, toasted sesame seeds, tofu, dark green leafy vegetables, fortified vegan milks and another of our beauty nutrition favourites, almonds. Why not snack on some raw unsalted almonds, throw a handful of toasted sesame seeds into your smoothies for a nutty twist and don?t forget your veggies! Remember ? calcium status is rarely a problem if vitamin D status is adequate so get those sunnies out as it?s nearly Summer?.

Please note that this is not an?exhaustive guide to eating vegan. We will be bringing you more vegan nutrition news over the coming weeks so watch this space! In the meantime if you have any individual questions please comment below, or email us at info@nutrition-rocks.co.uk where we can either reply to your query individually or choose to feature it on the site

For more details see the PETA website (friends of Nutrition Rocks and supporters of our new page)?www.peta.org.uk??or the Vegan Society?www.vegansociety.com

By Emily Stuart. Follow Emily on Twitter @FoodFirstLondon

?Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.? (Albert Einstein)?

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Source: http://nutrition-rocks.co.uk/?p=3700

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Evernote (for Android)

If you thought Evernote, the multipurpose note-taking and organization program, couldn't get any more useful, wait until you get a look at all the new bonuses in version 5 of its Android app (free). This latest release overhauls the camera feature used for taking photos and saving them into your cloud-based Evernote account to make it more efficient, and adds shortcuts to frequently accessed notebooks, tags, and search terms via right-to-left swipe gesture. It also adds some really exciting new possibilities for what you can do with the Evernote Android app in conjunction with paper notebooks, the kind you'd use to keep sketches and handwritten notes. Online meets offline?what a twist. Evernote's Android app goes above and beyond what any mobile user could reasonably expect it to do, earning it five out of five stars and PCMag's Editors' Choice.

For the uninitiated, here's the 30-second explanation of what Evernote is: It's a freemium note-taking program that stores all your notes in the cloud so that you can access and edit them from any nearly place you have an Internet connection. You can type notes, upload images as part of your notes (think whiteboards, recipe cards, phone numbers scribbled on napkins), and record voice memos. Metadata, such as tags and your geographic location when you wrote the note, are stored with it, too, giving you a dozen or more ways to search for your notes later when you need them. The free version gives you a lot?there are no major shortcomings to working with it?but the $45-per-year Premium account is a sweet deal (more on the differences below). You can create Evernote notes in the desktop app for Windows or Mac, through the Evernote Web account, via its mobile app for iPhone or iPad, and of course in the Android app, which is the focus of this review here.

In many ways, Evernote is similar to Microsoft OneNote (which is part of SkyDrive), although on Android devices, it's more comparable with the newly released Google Keep Android app (free, 3 stars). Evernote is a clear head above Keep, in part because it works so well in all its various forms, whereas Google's Keep online version (free, 2.5 stars) is but a pitifully lightweight program with obvious bugs. Head-to-head against Evernote, OneNote pales in comparison, especially in terms of how and how well it helps you organize, find, and edit your notes. More importantly, Evernote integrates with dozens of other third-party tools, not to mention other useful apps and plug-ins under the Evernote umbrella (for example, Evernote Web clipper is a browser plug-in that quickly saves the contents of a Web page without making you copy and paste anything). The service just can't be beat.

What's New in Evernote's Android App Version 5.0?
The noteworthy features in Evernote's latest Android release are many, but my favorite is a new shortcut menu, which appears when you swipe from right to left. Shortcuts bring you to a search result of your choosing in just one swipe and one tap. For example, you can set up shortcuts to particular notebooks or tags. On a small smartphone screen, having these shortcuts makes a lot more sense than scanning through a scrolling list of all the available options.

Another new feature in version 5 of the Evernote Android app has to do with the camera features. When you snap a photo to upload now, you can shoot multiple photos at once and select the ones that you want to include after their thumbnails are on screen. It's a great time saving feature for when you're taking multiple photos of pages of a document or book.

The special twist in this release has to do with how Evernote plays nice with other apps, in this case, real paper notebooks (and more specifically, the Moleskine brand). You can now buy special Evernote stickers (included with select Moleskine notebooks, starting around $25) that you apply to real paper and that turn into tags when you upload an image of that paper to Evernote. And you can customize the sticker's meaning. For example, one of the stickers is a blue square with a white airplane. You can customize your Evernote Android app in the settings such that this sticker adds a tag called "travel" and automatically saves any images that use this sticker into a notebook called "Itineraries." It's all highly customizable, and quite frankly, pretty darn cool.

Another new feature is voice-to-text speech. In other words, you can now dictate notes, and Evernote will save an audio recording of your voice memo, too.

Back to Basics
As in all the other versions of Evernote, the Android app gives you access to a lovely set of organizational tools: tags, notebooks, and stacks, which are groups of notebooks. These tools hide behind the left side of the screen, but are laid out spaciously here and within their sub-pages in a way that makes them easy to access even on a small screen.

Within your own tags and notebooks, you can click on any one to show content that meets your search criteria. An additional text search bar, found through the eyeglass icon, gives you additional ways to get to the notes you need. One very cool feature that? isn't new (I still love it though) is that if you have any uploaded images that contain the keywords from a search?even if they are handwritten on a scrap of paper or whiteboard?Evernote will find them. In the desktop and Web apps, the matched words are highlight in yellow, although they're not called to attention in the Android version. This OCR feature isn't foolproof, but it's an incredible addition that's available in both free and Premium accounts.

Evernote Premium vs. Free
Evernote Premium costs $5 per month or $45 per year and adds some noticeable perks to the free Evernote account. Free account holders can only upload 60MB of data per month, whereas paid users max out at 1GB per month, which comes in handy if you upload a lot of images and documents or clip a lot of Web pages. When Premium users enter search terms, Evernote not only scans typed content and images, but also hunts through PDFs.

Another perk for Premium users is offline notebooks, an amazingly useful option when working on a mobile device. This feature lets you save the most recent copy of selected notes locally on your Android so they're available to read and edit when you don't have an Internet connection.

Premium users can give other users the ability to edit a note, adding collaboration to the experience. When you decide to share a notebook, you can to make the files viewable only, or both viewable and editable. You can require that they be an Evernote account holder or not. When you're ready to share, one click sends a short email with a link to the files. (For additional details about Evernote Premium accounts, see Evernote's information page).

Forever Note
You can do a lot with the free version of Evernote, and I would only recommend upgrading to Premium if you're so committed to Evernote that it will be your one-and-only note-making app. Luckily, committing to Evernote is not a difficult decision, especially if you're an Android user, as this edition of Evernote is one of the more complex and rich ones available. Most of the new features aren't even available yet in other mobile versions of the Evernote app?sorry, iOS users; you'll have to wait. Evernote is easily the best note-taking service you'll find. It integrates with so many other programs and services, including now actual paper. All the thoughtful features and excellent search tools just make Evernote a stellar service. If you want to get organized, Evernote deserves your attention.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/eV42KSke6wA/0,2817,2417034,00.asp

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