How Karen Sheperd Got Her Start in Martial Arts and Movies ...

by Robert W. Young
Photo by Rick Hustead ? Yesterday

Karen Sheperd sits across the table from me and aims her chopsticks at a tiny plate of shrimp sushi. She?s one of America?s best-known martial artists ? and one of the few to make it in movies and television ? but she?s as down-to-earth and friendly as anyone you?ll ever meet.

And when it comes to how she got her start in the martial arts, you?ll see that she?s not that different from the people you kick and punch with every day.

Inspired

?I hate to sound clich?, but it?s true: Bruce Lee was the big inspiration for me,? the Black Belt Hall of Fame member says. ?I just thought he was awesome.?

After she saw Lee in action, Sheperd made a beeline for the local karate school, which happened to specialize in shotokan. ?I took a class and really liked it,? she says. ?It felt natural. The moves were easy for me. I knew it was something I was going to enjoy.? She was hooked after the first lesson.

?In junior and senior high school, I was a gymnast,? she continues. ?That?s why I liked the freedom of movement of the martial arts. Karate is a sport where you?re on your own, using just your body, making it move in a disciplined way ? which is what gymnastics is.?

Driven

Then Bruce Lee?s ride to superstardom accelerated, and his face was plastered all over magazines, movies and TV screens. ?I went to see his movies, and I thought that was the most incredible thing ever,? Sheperd remembers. ?I wanted to do that, too!?

But shotokan is a far cry from jeet kune do, the style Lee created, you?re probably saying to yourself. Well, Sheperd figured that out, too.

?I started to investigate different martial arts because I noticed the way Bruce Lee was moving was not quite like shotokan,? she says between sips of iced tea. ?Whereas shotokan taught me the basics of discipline, punching and kicking, it was very regimented. I felt limited in my movement. When I saw Bruce Lee, I saw this free-flowing, gymnastic-looking art with interesting kicks and movements.?

So she switched to kajukenbo, a hybrid style that combines karate, jujitsu, judo, kenpo and Chinese boxing. ?I got the best of all worlds and the freedom to create movements,? she says. ?That?s when I really got interested in kata competition; it was an overflow from being a gymnast. I loved training for it, doing it ? everything about it. Competition was very exciting and a lot of fun. It gave me something to live for ? a goal. From there, I kept on training, and it became a lifestyle.?

Isolated

There were a few other young students in Sheperd?s class, but she was the only girl. That didn?t bother her much. ?I didn?t expect to be treated differently,? she says. ?It was physically hard at times, but I enjoyed it.

?Some of my friends thought it was cool, but they didn?t really understand. They would look at me when I would say, ?I learned this new jump-spinning crescent kick,? but it was a whole different language. They didn?t know what I was talking about. Nobody understands unless they?ve done it.

?It?s like anything you choose to do in life. You find people who think you?re whacked out of your mind, and you find people who relate because they also have an interest. Those are the people you end up hanging out with.?

Misunderstood

I hand Sheperd back some old photos of her taken in the 1970s and ?80s ? when she won most every competition she entered. As she sticks them into a folder, the rubber band she tries to stretch around it busts and goes flying. Naturally, it lands right in my iced tea. Plop. She smiles and orders me a replacement with nary a pause in her word flow.

?I never worried about people who didn?t understand, but I was very patient with them,? she says. ?One person who didn?t understand was my father. He thought it was another fad I was going through. [He probably thought,] ?Last week it was gymnastics, and next week it?ll be ballet lessons or something.?

?He never thought I?d stick it out, but I knew I would. After I won my first national title ? No. 1 female black-belt kata competitor in the United States ? my dad sent me a letter to say he now realized this was not a fad and he was very proud of me. Eventually, he realized it meant a lot to me, and he warmed up to it.?

Enlightened

The takeaway from Karen Sheperd?s story is obvious: Try not to force your interest in martial arts on people who don?t understand. ?You don?t have to try to convince them,? she says. ?What really matters is what you do. It?s not what other people think; it?s what you think about yourself.?

That?s what martial arts training is all about, she says. ?The main thing it offers is focus and discipline. It offers young people something to concentrate on that?s good, something that can help you develop mentally, spiritually and physically. Besides teaching you how to defend yourself if you have to, it teaches you how not to fight, how not to do the wrong thing. If you have the right teacher and school, the martial arts can offer you direction and discipline for the rest of your life.?

***

What If ?

Without the martial arts, Karen Sheperd says she might have become a figure skater. ?In my next life ? if we have another life ? that?s where you?ll find me: hopefully, in the Olympics,? she says.

***

Fighting Films

Karen Sheperd?s movie career began in 1980 when she got a call from martial arts legend Tadashi Yamashita. He wanted her to come to Japan and appear in a movie called The Shinobi Ninja.

?I thought it was a great honor to be asked,? she says. ?So I said, ?Of course.? I loved every minute of it, and I knew [acting] was what I wanted to do.?

In addition to shotokan and kajukenbo, Sheperd studied taekwondo, jujitsu and a few other styles, then blended them for the silver screen. ?Now my style is ?film-fighting? style,? she says. ?It?s whatever I need to use for whatever job I?m doing.?

If you want to see more of Sheperd?s film-fighting, track down her movies on cable or Netflix. They include Mission of Justice with Brigitte Nielsen, Eliminator Woman with Jerry Trimble, Cyborg 2 with Jack Palance, Righting Wrongs with Cynthia Rothrock, For Life or Death with Richard Norton and Firestorm with John Savage.

One of the best places to see Sheperd in action is in reruns of the now-defunct TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Her superhuman character was introduced in an episode called ?The Enforcer? in 1996. She used her unique fighting style to beat the tar out of a few dozen unlucky humans.

Because of the popularity of her character, the producers of Hercules brought her back later the same year in an episode titled ?Not Fade Away.? She waged war with none other than Cynthia Rothrock.

Permalink: http://www.blackbeltmag.com/daily/martial-arts-entertainment/martial-art-movies/how-karen-sheperd-got-her-start-in-martial-arts-and-movies/

Source: http://www.blackbeltmag.com/daily/martial-arts-entertainment/martial-art-movies/how-karen-sheperd-got-her-start-in-martial-arts-and-movies/

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Hessel, France's surprise elder icon, dies at 95

FILE - This Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011 file photo shows Stephane Hessel during an interview with The Associated Press in Paris, France. Stephane Hessel, a concentration camp survivor and member of the French resistance whose 32-page book "Time for Outrage" became a bestseller and an inspiration for the left in Europe and the U.S., has died at 95. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

FILE - This Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011 file photo shows Stephane Hessel during an interview with The Associated Press in Paris, France. Stephane Hessel, a concentration camp survivor and member of the French resistance whose 32-page book "Time for Outrage" became a bestseller and an inspiration for the left in Europe and the U.S., has died at 95. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

FILE - This Jan. 19, 2012, file photo shows Stephane Hessel sharing a laugh at the end of a debate on the topic "France, reasons for hope", as part of French presidential candidate Francois Hollande's campaign visit, in Nantes, western France. Stephane Hessel, a concentration camp survivor and member of the French resistance whose 32-page book "Time for Outrage" became a bestseller and an inspiration for the left in Europe and the U.S., has died at 95. (AP Photo/David Vincent, File)

FILE - This Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011, file photo shows Stephane Hessel during an interview with The Associated Press in Paris, France. Stephane Hessel, a concentration camp survivor and member of the French resistance whose 32-page book "Time for Outrage" became a bestseller and an inspiration for the left in Europe and the U.S., has died at 95. (AP Photo/ Francois Mori, File)

PARIS (AP) ? Stephane Hessel of France was a man of many talents.

As a spy for the French Resistance, he survived the Nazi death camp at Buchenwald by assuming the identity of a French prisoner who was already dead. As a diplomat, he helped write the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And at age 93, after a distinguished but relatively anonymous life, he published a slim pamphlet that even he expected would be little more than a vanity project.

Au contraire.

Hessel's 32-page "Time for Outrage" sold millions of copies across Europe, tapping into a vein of popular discontent with capitalism and transforming him into an intellectual superstar within weeks. Translated into English, the pocket-sized book became a source of inspiration for the Occupy Wall Street movement.

In the book, Hessel urges young people to take inspiration from the anti-Nazi resistance to which he once belonged and rally against what he saw as the newest evil: The love of money.

The book, called "Indignez-vous" in French, had an initial run of 8,000 copies in 2010 and sold for ?3 ($4) before becoming a best-seller.

Hessel died overnight in Paris. He was 95.

"I'm eagerly awaiting the taste of death. Death is something to savor, and I hope to savor mine. In the meantime, given that it has not yet happened and that I'm generally getting around normally, I'm using the time to throw out some messages," Hessel told RTL radio in 2011.

Born in Germany, Hessel and his parents immigrated to France in 1924, where they settled into an avant-garde life, hanging out with artists like Alexander Calder and Marcel Duchamp.

Hessel fled to London to join the resistance led by Gen. Charles de Gaulle in 1941, but snuck back into occupied France on a spying mission in 1944, where he was arrested by the Gestapo and shipped off to the Nazis' Buchenwald concentration camp. The day before he was to be hanged, he swapped his identity with another French prisoner who had died of typhus.

As a French diplomat after World War II, Hessel joined a panel that included former U.S. first lady Eleanor Roosevelt which wrote up the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Hessel "leaves us with the invaluable heritage of fighting for universal human values and his inalienable sense of liberty," Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe said Wednesday.

A proud Socialist, Hessel said the aim of "Time for Outrage" was to convince adrift or discouraged young people that they can change society for the better ? even if they feel the world is controlled by entrenched and financially powerful interests. But he hardly expected it would find a large audience in France, much less elsewhere.

Hessel said he purposely offered no solutions.

"I am not giving them a meaning, but I am saying: 'Do try to find for yourself what would be meaningful.'"

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Hessel had succeeded in that goal.

"In France, in Europe, in the world, Stephane Hessel was the spirit of resistance incarnate," he said. "For every generation, for young people, he was a source of inspiration but also a reference. At 95, he embodied faith in the future of this new century."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-27-France-Obit-Hessel/id-56b7e98801d248a895d73132fc4fb935

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White House issues veto threat on GOP fiscal plan

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House is threatening a presidential veto of a Senate Republican measure that would give President Barack Obama more authority and flexibility to find $85 billion in spending cuts this year. The measure is intended to replace the automatic across-the-board cuts scheduled to kick in Friday.

The White House says it instead backs a Democratic measure to replace the cuts with tax hikes on millionaires and spending reductions over 10 years.

Neither bill is likely to survive Senate procedural obstacles Thursday.

The White House says there is no way to cut $85 billion over the remaining seven months of the fiscal year without "drastically affecting national security and economic policies." A statement by the White House budget office says Obama's advisers would strongly recommend he veto the Republican proposal.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-issues-veto-threat-gop-fiscal-plan-180445716--politics.html

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The 6 Most Insane Legal Technicalities to Ever Screw Someone ...

You're familiar with the concept of a technicality, I'm sure. It's some tiny little legal tripping hazard, a petty justification for throwing out a case, or ignoring justice altogether. They're the kind of things that come up when, after witnessing the murder of your family, your dog, and your dog's family, you have to sit quietly by while some liberal activist judge sets the criminal free for some trivial procedural issue. "Ha ha ha ha ha," the criminal shrieks, before passionately kissing the judge and skipping arm-in-arm to freedom. Let down by everything you used to trust, you're forced to take justice into your own hands.

Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net
"Justice" being the name of the rusty sickle you now carry with you at all times.

But it turns out that there are all sorts of technicalities, some of them so strange, that they don't inspire vigilantism at all.

#6. British Members of Parliament Can't Resign

Being a sitting member of the British House of Parliament seems like a pretty cushy job. You get to sit in a little wooden indoor stadium all day and yell at people you hate, and you also have your own official sauce.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Contrast this with the official sauce of the U.S. House of Representatives: Wet Farts.

But being an MP isn't all yelling and brown sauce; sometimes people yell back at you or throw brown sauce in your eyes. And, of course, there's the ever-present threat of that horrible queen coming by and telling you what to do. And even for more mundane issues like illness or a family personal emergency or sexual deviancy, there are other reasons why an MP might want to resign. Except that they're not allowed to.

You see, due to a 300-year-old piece of legislation (because that's just how England works), no sitting MP can resign his or her seat, unless they accept another office of profit under the Crown. Which means that the government, to accommodate the fact that MPs do sometimes need to resign, is forced to give these MPs a new "job," specifically the Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead. This is essentially a completely made-up position that exists solely to satisfy this bizarre technicality, an office with no duties or privileges or even official sauces. That that's the preferred solution instead of changing the law - which is, you know, those MPs actual jobs - should tell you an awful lot about how good they are at those jobs.

#5. Alford Pleas

An Alford Plea is a not-uncommon plea accepted by some criminal courts. It essentially means "I'm totally innocent, but I get that you've got a ton of evidence against me, which isn't going to look so good if this goes to trial." In practice, it's a guilty plea, it is almost always offered as part of a plea bargain, and the judge will carry out sentencing under that basis (i.e. you're still going to jail).

Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty
"Hooray for moral victories."

On its own, this isn't really a technicality - just a slightly odd legal wrinkle that doesn't have much practical effect on anything. But it has led to some pretty strange situations.

The West Memphis Three were three young men who were convicted in 1994 of the murders of three boys and sentenced to death. The three always maintained their innocence, and over the years, new genetic evidence turned up that tended to support their case. As it became clearer and clearer that a new trial would have to be conducted, their defense team began negotiating with the prosecution, which resulted in a very strange outcome. When the new trial was ordered in 2011, all three entered Alford pleas, thereby maintaining their innocence but stating that they believed the prosecution still had enough evidence to convict. The judge then changed their sentences to time served, added on 10-year suspended sentences, and set them free.

So why was this done? Had the case gone to trial again, there was a chance, however slim, a jury could have convicted the men again. The Alford pleas meant that they were guaranteed to go home and, from that aspect, made sense for them to agree to, even if it meant essentially confirming their guilt. But it also meant they were unable to pursue civil action against the state for wrongful imprisonment, which almost certainly was a factor in those negotiations with the prosecutor. It was essentially plea-bargaining in reverse; they agreed to have their sentences reduced to time served, in exchange for not suing the state. For the people involved, this all apparently made sense, but for any outside observers hoping for a definitive resolution (i.e. a straight guilty verdict or the start of a wrongful imprisonment case), the whole case faded away into an odd legal limbo.

Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net
Which just doesn't provoke wide-eyed sickle-violence like technicalities should.

#4. Wheel O' Elocution

Wheel of Fortune is a pretty straightforward game. The wheel is spun, and letters are guessed, and vowels are bought, all while two people who can't not smile and stare at you intently ... smile and stare at you intently.

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Wheel Of Fortune hosts Pat Sajak and Vanna White, pictured here sleeping restfully.

And finally, once everyone at home knows what the puzzle is and has been screaming it at their televisions for a couple minutes, the contestant announces they would like to solve the puzzle. And then this happens:

If you don't like clicking on videos, because you think I'm about to goatse you or something, I'll summarize: The contestant pronounced the solution to the puzzle, "Seven Swans A Swimming," with a distinct lack of emphasis on the final "G" making it sound like "Seven Swans A Swimmin'." This was evidently not acceptable to producers, who ruled the answer unacceptable as it was spoken "in the vernacular." You know. The same way preceding a verb with "a-" is also a-fucking in the vernacular.

This isn't the first time the Wheel's pronunciation cops have struck:

Again for the video-averse, that clip showed four (four!) different mistaken answers offered for a very solvable puzzle ("Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa"). At least two (and possibly three) of those being mistakes of pronunciation alone. It's actually pretty gripping watching this cavalcade of dumbfuckery unfold, and may have, now that I consider it, been pretty similar to how Regis' parents even came up with his name in the first place.

Source: http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-6-most-insane-legal-technicalities-to-ever-screw-someone/

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BJUI ? Article of the week: Prostate cancer treatments: How much do ...

Every week the Editor-in-Chief selects the Article of the Week from the current issue of BJUI. The abstract is reproduced below and you can click on the button to read the full article, which is freely available to all readers for at least 30 days from the time of this post.

In addition to the article itself, there is an accompanying editorial?written by a prominent member of the urological community. This blog is intended to provoke comment and discussion and we invite you to use the comment tools at the bottom of each post to join the conversation.

Finally, the third post under the?Article of the Week?heading on the homepage will consist of additional material or media. This week we feature a video of Matthew Cooperberg?discussing his paper.

If you only have time to read one article this week, it should be this one.

Primary treatments for clinically localised?prostate cancer: a comprehensive lifetime?cost-utility analysis

Matthew R. Cooperberg, Naren R. Ramakrishna^?, Steven B. Duff*,?Kathleen E. Hughes^?, Sara Sadownik^?, Joseph A. Smith^? and Ashutosh K. Tewari^?

Departments of Urology and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center,?San Francisco, CA, *Veritas Health Economics Consulting, Inc., Carlsbad, CA, ^?Department of Radiation Oncology,?MD Anderson Cancer Center, Orlando, FL, ^?Avalere Health LLC, Washington, DC, ^?Department of Urologic?Surgery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, and ^?Department of Urology, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA

Read the full article

OBJECTIVE

? To characterise the costs and outcomes associated?with radical prostatectomy (open, laparoscopic, or?robot-assisted) and radiation therapy (RT:?dose-escalated three-dimensional conformal RT,?intensity-modulated RT, brachytherapy, or combination),?using a comprehensive, lifetime decision analytical?model.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

? A Markov model was constructed to follow?hypothetical men with low-, intermediate-, and high-risk?prostate cancer over their lifetimes after primary?treatment; probabilities of outcomes were based on an?exhaustive literature search yielding 232 unique?publications.

? In each Markov cycle, patients could have remission,?recurrence, salvage treatment, metastasis, death from?prostate cancer, and death from other causes.

? Utilities for each health state were determined, and?disutilities were applied for complications and toxicities?of treatment.

? Costs were determined from the USA payer perspective,?with incorporation of patient costs in a sensitivity?analysis.

RESULTS

? Differences across treatments in quality-adjusted life?years across methods were modest, ranging from 10.3 to?11.3 for low-risk patients, 9.6?10.5 for intermediate-risk?patients and 7.8?9.3 for high-risk patients.

? There were no statistically significant differences among?surgical methods, which tended to be more effective?than RT methods, with the exception of combined?external beam + brachytherapy for high-risk?disease.

? RT methods were consistently more expensive than?surgical methods; costs ranged from $19 901?(robot-assisted prostatectomy for low-risk disease) to?$50 276 (combined RT for high-risk disease).

? These findings were robust to an extensive set of?sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

? Our analysis found small differences in outcomes and?substantial differences in payer and patient costs across?treatment alternatives.

? These findings may inform future policy discussions?about strategies to improve efficiency of treatment?selection for localised prostate cancer.

?

Read Previous Articles of the Week

Source: http://www.bjuinternational.com/article-of-the-week/article-of-the-week-prostate-cancer-treatments-how-much-do-you-want-to-spend/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=article-of-the-week-prostate-cancer-treatments-how-much-do-you-want-to-spend

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Saddleback Leather Company now offering an iPad Mini case

Saddleback Leather has released the iPad Mini case?(affiliate links). ?It has a hand strap on the inside cover for holding your iPad in a one-hand grip. ? The cover also folds back to make a stand. ? It is made from the same fine leather and industrial heavy-gauge marine-grade thread as their other products. ? [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/02/26/saddleback-leather-company-now-offering-an-ipad-mini-case/

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Oscars Fails: 3 Moments That Never Should Have Happened

When Seth MacFarlane opened the Oscars by joking that he'd be the worst host ever, it didn't exactly fill us with anticipation. Turns out that lowering our expectations was a smart move: MacFarlane was a surprisingly good host, and those of us who sat through the whole ceremony were rewarded with some classic moments (including a Les Miserables cast singalong and Jennifer Lawrence's endearing stage tumble). On the flipside, when the ceremony bombed, it really bombed. Here are last night's Top 3 Oscar Fails: those forehead-slapping moments that never should have happened.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/worst-oscar-moments-2013/1-a-523768?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aworst-oscar-moments-2013-523768

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March Festival of Women Writers Planning 55 Events in Berkshire ...

Sweet Dreams :: Trailer from Liro Films on Vimeo.

Women writers of all ages and from many different walks of life will be featured in the Third Annual Berkshire Festival of Women Writers, taking place throughout the month of March, Women?s History Month, at venues all over Berkshire County.

The Festival, sponsored by Bard College at Simon?s Rock with the collaboration of many other organizations, includes the participation of more than 150 women writers, at 55 separate events.

Berkshire Theatre and Film Highlights

Kristen van Ginhoven of WAM.

Of course, we are especially interested in the performances and film screenings?a special women-only edition of Made in the Berkshires, with performances by Sally-Jane Heit, Susan Merrill and Joy Spivak; a new show from Alison Larkin, Alison Larkin Live!, at the Unicorn; a Festival /BIFF screening of the new Dutch film Water Children; a special International Women?s Day film screening of Sweet Dreams, featuring local filmmaker Rob Fruchtman and Blue Marble Ice Cream founder Jennifer Dundas; and a screening of sections of the documentary film Half the Sky at the Mahaiwe, with a community conversation on women?s human rights moderated by Caroline Wheeler of Sisters for Peace and Kristen Van Ginhoven of WAM Theater.

Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez

Festival director Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez, a professor of comparative literature and gender studies at Bard College at Simon?s Rock, founded the event to give more women the opportunity to share their writing with local audiences.

?Research has shown that while boys and men tend to over-estimate their own talents and abilities, girls and women tend to second-guess themselves or have such high standards for themselves that they hesitate to speak up or take the limelight,? Browdy de Hernandez says.

?The ethos of this Festival is supportive and inclusive?we?re not so much about big names as about opening up multiple platforms for talented girls and women to share their writing and gain confidence in their own abilities.?

Diane Patrick

The 2013 Festival does feature a few women of national renown, such as the writing guru Julia Cameron, author of The Artist?s Way and many other books, who will be speaking at Kripalu on March 7, and First Lady of Massachusetts Diane Patrick, who will be speaking about women?s empowerment at Bard College at Simon?s Rock on March 16.

But there will also be spaces opened for student writers, older writers, and immigrant writers, many of whom will be sharing their work in public for the first time.

Students from Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington will be sharing their writing at the Guthrie Center on March 11 under the leadership of faculty member Lisken Van Pelt Dus.? And the Railroad Street Youth Project will sponsor a poetry workshop for teens led by two teenage women writers on March 14.

Sonia Pilcer will return with her popular panel of older women writers, ?Women of a Certain Age,? on March 2 at the Mason Library in Great Barrington.? The Mason Library will also host Sondra Zeidenstein, octagenarian poet and publisher of Chicory Blue Press, a press dedicated exclusively to the work of women over 70, for a talk on March 9 on ?Women, Creativity and Aging.?

Yuko Takaya

The Berkshire Immigrant Center is sponsoring a special event called ?Coming to America,? at Williams College on March 6, which will give four Berkshire immigrant women from different countries a chance to share their written autobiographical stories.? There will also be a bilingual panel on March 5 at Bard College at Simon?s Rock entitled Cuatro mujeres, Cuatro generos / Four Women, Four Genres, featuring student presenters reading and discussing the work of four Latin American women writers.

In addition, any Berkshire woman writer is welcome to enter the 2013 Essay Contest, sponsored by Michelle Gillett and Nina Ryan, with special guest judge Katherine Bouton of The New York Times. ?The topic is ?masculinity,? and the postmark deadline is January 28.

A special feature of the Festival is the International Women?s Day observance, which has been held annually at Bard College at Simon?s Rock since 2002.

Sweet Dreams will be screened on International Women?s Day 2013.

This year?s IWD event, co-sponsored by the Berkshire Human Rights Speaker series, will offer a screening of the new documentary film Sweet Dreams, about the partnership between a dynamic women?s drumming ensemble in Rwanda and the founders of the Brooklyn-based Blue Marble Ice Cream, which brought the first ice cream shop ever to Rwanda.? A talk-back with filmmaker Rob Fruchtman and Blue Marble founder and film star Jennifer Dundas will follow the screening, and the event will end with an Ice Cream Social featuring Blue Marble Ice Cream.

Other special events include:

• the screening at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on March 15 of several segments of the film HALF THE SKY, based on the book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, with a community discussion to follow led by Caroline Wheeler of Sister for Peace and Kristen Van Ginhoven of WAM Theatre;
• a staged reading of a new, 21^st century version of ?Women of Troy,? written and directed by Leigh Strimbeck, at Bard College at Simon?s Rock on March 22;
• Out of the Mouths of Babes on March 1, hosted by Suzi Banks Baum and Gina Hyams, focusing on the complex relationship between mothering and creativity, and featuring readings by Baum and Hyams as well as Michelle Gillett, Janet Elsbach, Nichole Dupont, Jenny Laird and Alana Chernila;
• a gala reading at The Mount on March 23 of the winners of the 2013 Festival Essay Contest, coordinated by Michelle Gillett and Nina Ryan, and judged by Katherine Bouton of The New York Times;
• A reading of women poets hosted by Orion Magazine on March 17 at Bard College at Simon?s Rock, and a panel on the relationship between writers and editors hosted by Berkshire Magazine on March 3 at the Triplex;
• and much, much more!

?
Most events are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis, though tickets are available for advance purchase at the events at Kripalu and the Berkshire Theater Group.

The Festival is made by possible by grants from the Massachusetts Council on the Humanities, the Local Cultural Councils of many Berkshire towns, and generous support from many organizations, businesses and individuals.

For more information, contact Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez at 413-528-7224 or email bfww@simons-rock.edu.

Berkshire Festival of Women Writers Events 2013: Week 1, March 1?9

?

• Laundry Line Divine presents: Out of the Mouths of Babes ~ March 1, 2013

• Why Sedna Matters to Women Writers ~ March 2, 2013

• Women of a Certain Age ~ March 2, 2013

• Getting Married and Other Mistakes ~ March 2, 2013

• Made in the Berkshires presents: Exquisite Dilemmas: Women and Choices ~ March 2, 2013

• Berkshire Magazine presents: Women Writers and the Role of the Editor ~ March 3, 2013

• Cows Save the Planet: How to Find and Tell Stories of Ecological and Economic Restoration ~ March 3, 2013

• Fleeting Reality: Interpreting Place in Words and Images ~ March 4, 2013

• Writing Your Power, Passion, and Play: Letting Your Soul Have Its Way with You ~ March 5, 2013

• Cuatro mujeres, cuatro g?neros/Four Women, Four Genres ~ March 5, 2013

• WRites of Passage and the Age of Becoming: Puberty and the Onset of Fertility ~ March 6, 2013

• The Berkshire Immigrant Center presents: Coming to America ~ March 6, 2013

• Kripalu presents: Salmon in the Stream: A Lecture on Writing By Julia Cameron ~ March 7, 2013

• Do You Want to Be a Published Author? ~ March 8, 2013

• Before I Forget . . . A Workshop in Memoir Making ~ March 8, 2013

• Return to Little Women ~ March 9, 2013

• Women, Creativity & Aging ~ March 9, 2013

• Your Genie Awaits?How to Access Your Wisdom Through Writing ~ March 9, 2013

• Alison Larkin LIVE! ~ March 9, 2013

• The 12th Annual International Women?s Day Observance: ?Sweet Dreams of Women?s Human Rights? ~ March 10, 2013

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Source: http://berkshireonstage.com/2013/02/24/march-festival-of-women-writers-planning-55-events-in-berkshire-county/

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Leading Canadian SEO and SEM Company Numero Uno Web ...

Numero Uno Web Solutions (NumeroUnoWeb.com), a fast-growing global Internet marketing firm that caters to small- and mid-sized business-to-consumer companies, is pleased to announce its top uncommon tips for building quality links for brands that saw their online rankings hurt after Google?s introduced its link-based algorithmic filter, ?Penguin.?

Toronto, Ontario (PRWEB) February 24, 2013

Numero Uno Web Solutions (NumeroUnoWeb.com), a fast-growing global Internet marketing firm that caters to small- and mid-sized business-to-consumer companies, is pleased to announce its top uncommon tips for building quality links for brands that saw their online rankings hurt after Google?s introduced its link-based algorithmic filter, ?Penguin.?

In 2012, Google introduced the first of its Penguin updates in an effort to promote high-quality content sites. Penguin also penalized low-quality content web sites it deemed to be spamming. For better link performance, search engine algorithms now place a greater emphasis on original, high-quality, relevant content and social media.

?Search engines gauge a site?s popularity, in part, based on backlinks. When search engine algorithms, like Google Penguin, find a site with a lot backlinks, it concludes that the site provides quality information and should be rewarded with a high ranking,? explains Mark Reuter, Business Development Manager at Numero Uno Web Solutions.

The experts at Numero Uno Web Solutions say that In addition to tested and proven search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, small- and medium-sized businesses need to employ uncommon link building strategies if they want to reach a broader audience, boost traffic, and get their site to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).

?To generate buzz and put a brand in the spotlight, small- and medium-sized businesses can create a contest. Whether it?s promoted on the site directly or sponsored through another forum, a contest that is aligned with the brand?s interests can increase the target audience and build incoming links,? Reuter notes.

As the experts note, everyone wants exposure. Businesses looking to build quality links might want to consider interviewing a noteworthy person or using a prominent guest blogger. Quoting an influential person in an interview or having them post something on a web site is an effective way of increasing brand exposure. Web traffic can increase from those that follow certain authorities; it can also increase from the blogger linking back to the article they wrote.

?Changes to search engine algorithms and new SEO techniques mean small- and medium-sized businesses need to update their SEO strategies if they want to have a successful online presence,? Reuter adds.

As online experts, Numero Uno Web Solutions can help small- and medium-sized businesses design an SEO campaign that incorporates innovative link-building strategies. To learn more about Numero Uno Web Solutions, visit the company?s web site at http://numerounoweb.com/sitescore/.

Numero Uno Web Solutions is one of the top Internet marketing firms due to constant innovation and overall customer satisfaction. For more information on Numero Uno Web Solutions, and to discover how the company can help maximize your company?s search engine optimization and online presence, visit http://numerounoweb.com/sitescore/. Or call Numero Uno Web Solutions toll-free at 1-855-SEO-XPRT (1-855-736-9778).

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2013/2/prweb10458686.htm

Source: http://pressreleases.bloginteract.com/2013/02/leading-canadian-seo-and-sem-company-numero-uno-web-solutions-announces-its-top-uncommon-tips-for-helping-brands-build-quality-links/

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UK downgrade pressures reluctant Osborne to change course

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's finance minister insisted on Saturday he would not change course after the loss of the country's 'AAA' credit rating but George Osborne is facing pressure to do just that as his bet on austerity falters ahead of the 2015 election.

Moody's dealt Britain its first sovereign rating downgrade on Friday, saying the $2.5 trillion economy faced years more sluggish growth and debt would continue to rise until 2016.

Economically the one-notch cut will have limited importance -- most of Europe, Japan and the United States have already suffered the same fate and Britain continues to borrow at historically low rates.

But politically it is toxic for Osborne who has repeatedly vowed to protect the top credit rating since the 2010 election campaign. The downgrade exposes him to opponents who say his failure to deliver economic growth is driving Prime Minister David Cameron towards electoral defeat.

Osborne said on Saturday the move by Moody's showed he was right to focus on restoring Britain to fiscal health, arguing that only by doing that will the conditions for growth be restored.

"I am absolutely determined to make sure we deal with our problems, to make sure that Britain stays the course, to make sure that it doesn't take from this credit rating the wrong message which is we should go and borrow a lot more," the 41-year-old Chancellor of the Exchequer said.

"I'm absolutely clear we're not going to do that."

For investors, the downgrade underscores Britain's predicament: a debt-ridden, stagnating economy which has kept bond yields low in large part thanks to the Bank of England becoming the world's biggest investor in UK government debt by buying it with newly printed money.

"Osborne no longer has any place to hide or anyone to blame," said David Blanchflower, who served on the Bank of England's interest rate setting committee from 2006 to 2009.

He said the minister should "stand up, be a man and accept responsibility for the worst recovery in 100 years" and, in a message on Twitter, suggested a swift cut to value-added tax, a labor tax holiday for workers under 25 and incentives for investment and hiring to kick start growth.

Osborne can take comfort from Moody's confidence that his austerity plan would eventually "reverse the UK's debt trajectory".

A Treasury official noted Moody's had given the UK's credit rating a stable outlook, meaning little chance of a further downgrade in the next 12-18 months. When the United States and France were downgraded, their outlooks remained negative.

But whether growth will return forcefully long enough before the 2015 election to allow voters to appreciate it is now highly uncertain.

Sterling fell by almost a cent to around $1.5160 after the downgrade, just off Thursday's fresh 2-1/2-year low. Analysts said they expected it to fall further on Monday.

Some of the Conservatives' Liberal Democrat coalition partners questioned the political judgment of attaching so much importance to Britain's AAA rating.

"This is a self-inflicted injury for George Osborne," said Matthew Oakeshott, a former Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman. "To be fair, he was very green in 2009 ... He foolishly erected triple-A status as a virility symbol."

"BLEEDING THE PATIENT"

Cameron, who led his Conservative Party back to office as part of a coalition government after 13 years out of power, risks another year of stagnation and giving his opponents and open goal to aim at.

The Labor Party - which left the biggest peacetime deficit when it lost the 2010 election - called for Osborne's head.

"The medicine is not working so the Chancellor says increase the dose - that's crazy economics. It is like an 18th-century doctor bleeding a patient as they get sicker and sicker," said Ed Balls, the party's main spokesman on finance issues.

But people close to Britain's most powerful two politicians say they are completely aligned. Osborne led Cameron's bid for leadership of the Conservatives and ran the 2010 election campaign. There is little or no chance of him being sacrificed or being forced into a humiliating policy U-turn which would wreck his career.

"Osborne has lots of critics, both inside and outside the party, who are now going to be emboldened by this, but there is no coherent alternative," said Tim Montgomerie, editor of the influential ConservativeHome website.

Though Labor is about 10 percentage points ahead of Conservative Party in polls, surveys show voters trust Cameron and Osborne more than Labor's leader Ed Miliband.

TIME FOR A TWEAK?

Osborne originally gambled that by slashing spending, growth rates of between 2 and 3 percent would kick in from 2013.

But with Britain's banks still recovering from the financial crisis and many of its main trading partners in Europe stuck in recession, his debt targets will be missed. His room for more spending is limited as he tries to avoid pushing up yields on Britain's 1.29 trillion pounds ($1.97 trillion) of debt.

With government spending so restricted, many investors' hopes lie with the Bank of England. Its governor, Mervyn King, this month voted to restart government-bond buying. Although in the minority, his change of heart suggested the bank may be closer than expected to pursuing more stimulus.

If Osborne slows his debt reduction plans, he could upset bond investors and throw his deficit targets further off course.

"We should stick to the plan," said Kwasi Kwarteng, a Conservative lawmaker. "The prime minister would not want to be seen to be panicking, and he's committed to keeping George Osborne where he is."

"But we do also need to look at growth," said Kwarteng, who suggested cutting corporation tax and red tape.

Business lobby the Confederation of British Industry has called for more investment on infrastructure and housing to be funded by more cuts in day-to-day spending. It also expects the government to guarantee more private-sector projects.

Osborne has a chance in his annual budget next month to deliver such tweaks to policy. ($1 = 0.6551 British pounds)

(Additional reporting by Mohammed Abbas and William Schomberg. Editing by Mike Peacock)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-downgrade-pressures-reluctant-osborne-change-course-175116752.html

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Ex-bodyguard: Mayor knew of credit union debit cards (creditunionaccess)

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Legal team misled convicted rapist Andrew Luster, witnesses say ...

A great-grandson of cosmetics magnate Max Factor says he was misled by members of his legal team and is seeking a reduction in his 124-year rape sentence, as well as a new trial.

Andrew Luster says the attorneys urged him to flee the country rather than face rape charges, according to witnesses in a court hearing Wednesday.

The hearing, which is being held at the Ventura County Courthouse before retired Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Kathryne Ann Stoltz, is expected to last into next week. Luster left the country in 2003 while out on bail on charges related to videotaped sexual encounters he had with unconscious women. He was convicted in absentia.

Months later, bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman apprehended him at a taco stand in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Chapman went on to star in a TV reality show, while Luster went to Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, Calif.

A state appeals court last spring agreed that Luster's unusually long sentence should be reconsidered in light of claims that he had been poorly represented "in a textbook case of grasping lawyers seeking fame and fortune."

In a blue jail jumpsuit and orange T-shirt, the 49-year-old former surfer smiled at his old friend Darryl Genis, one of several witnesses who appeared Wednesday. A Santa Barbara attorney who specializes in drunk-driving cases, Genis recounted how the two met while surfing at Hollister Ranch.

Offering Luster apologies for his candor, Genis testified that his old surfing buddy was "childlike" and failed to comprehend that he could be sentenced to more than 100 years after he was convicted. Luster had been "able to live a life on vacation," Genis said, never rooting himself in such concerns as earning a living. Luster's financial advisor, Albert Gersh, had particularly harsh words for Richard G. Sherman, a Luster attorney who he said advised his client to head for the border.

Sherman, who died in 2011, and one of his investigators "encouraged him to leave the country ? they said he'd be murdered in prison," Gersh said. The financial advisor said he told Luster that fleeing was "the stupidest idea I'd ever heard."

In court, Deputy Dist. Atty. Michelle Contois expressed skepticism that Luster bolted only because Sherman and his investigator frightened him with repeated tales of death behind bars.

"Luster could have terminated their services if he didn't like the advice he was getting," she said.

ALSO:

Funeral set today for deputy killed in Dorner shootout

Two killed as SUV crashes into tree, catches fire in Valley

Hotel guests horrified after tourist's body is found in water tank

-- Steve Chawkins in Ventura

Photo: Andrew Luster is escorted from Los Angeles International Airport by federal agents in 2003 after he was apprehended in Mexico. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times.

Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/02/legal-team-misled-convicted-rapist-andrew-luster-witnesses-say.html

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Greek Delicacies: Winter Haven Church Prepares for Popular Annual Festival

Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 11:57 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 11:57 p.m.

Georget Photos, wife of the church's priest, the Rev. Dean Photos, will be showing how to stuff grape leaves and other cooking techniques at the church's annual Greek Festival, offering everything Greek for the thousands who show up for the event Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

There will be live Greek music and dancing, Greek dancing lessons, cooking demonstrations, church tours, authentic Greek food and pastries, youth entertainment, antiques vendors and a Greek grocery store and boutique. Ouzo, Greek and American beer and wine will also be available.

A $2 admission charge is good for all three days and children younger than 12 are admitted free.

The Photoses and many volunteers have been busy for weeks, preparing the quantity of food required to serve their guests. Volunteers helped stuff more than 5,000 grape leaves for the festival.

John Balasis, festival chairman, said there will be food served in the church hall and in a tent outside and he hopes everyone will come.

"This is our church's major fundraiser," he said. "We use the proceeds to operate the church and to contribute to local charities, as well as national and international Eastern Orthodox church charities.

Athenian fish, Greek meatballs, Mediterranean baked chicken, lamb shanks, souvlaki (a pork tenderloin shish kabob), spanakopitas (Spinach pie) and Tiropites (cheese pie), and the grape leaves will be served in a combination plate or a la carte in the church hall. An appetizer plate with marinated octopus, calamari, saganaki served with tomatoes, olives, onions and pita will also be available.

In the tent, Balasis will be carving the meat for gyros and serving Greek fries, a souvlaki sandwich, grilled octopus, saganaki (flaming cheese) Grecian calamari (squid).

There also will be a children's menu that includes Greek meatballs, pork tenderloin and chicken.

Phyllo pastries, including baklava and a shredded phyllo pastry with custard and whipped cream, are also available. Greek cookies will include powdered sugar shortbread, Greek butter cookie twists and Greek anisette biscotti.

Georget Photos is a Greek cooking expert, with a Greek cookbook on its way to the printer. She also offers Greek cooking classes and offered some cooking tips.

Stuffed grape leaves are a Greek staple. Even though her recipe uses beef, she said grape leaves also can be stuffed with fruit and nuts and served with a Greek yogurt sauce or a cucumber-yogurt sauce.

Balasis said his mother skipped the grape leaves, using zucchini or yellow squash blossoms instead.

The secret to a wonderful baklava, the honey-filled phyllo delight, she said, is using a honey-sugar syrup instead of pure honey if the baklava isn't going to be served within 24 hours of making it. Georget Photos also makes a chocolate version.

The recipes at left are from her soon-to-be-published cookbook, tentatively titled "The Joyful Cook's Heavenly Guide to Greek Cuisine."

[ Mary Hurst can be reached at mary.hurst@newschief.com or 863-401-6960. ]

DOLMATHES

? 1 jar of grape leaves or 1 bunch fresh leaves

? ? cup rice

? ? pound ground beef or lamb

? 1 tablespoon mint or dill

? 1 tablespoon parsley

? 2 onions chopped

? ? cup white wine

? Beef and lamb bones, carrots halved lengthwise or celery stalks

? Egg lemon sauce of choice

LEAVES: Blanch the leaves you are using by dipping them in boiling water for 5 seconds and laying them on a baking sheet to dry. If you are using jar leaves, the leaves need only be rinsed prior to using. Lay 3 to 5 leaves on your work space, with the vein side up. Snip off the stem with kitchen shears.

FILLING: In a large skillet, saut? the onions and herbs. Add the rice and continue to saut?. Add 1 cup water and ? cup wine when you see the rice turn white and cook until the fluid has been absorbed. Add the rice to the meat mixture in a bowl and knead.

ASSEMBLY: Line the bottom of your pot with either celery or carrots. Return to your work space. Place 1 teaspoon of the filling at the stem bottom. Bring the two lower side leaves to the center, covering the filling slightly. Pick up the stem end and roll forward, forming an egg roll shape. Place the finished dolma on top of the bedding in the pot. Lay the dolma up against the side of the pan and continue laying the dolmathes side by side, working inward, until the first layer is finished. Repeat the same distribution on the second layer and so forth until the leaves and filling are used. Place a plate over the finished dolmathes. Add 2 cup water with the juice of one lemon. Simmer for 30 minutes.

LAMB KAPAMA

? 4 to 6 lamb shanks

? 2 to 3 pounds tomatoes, chopped

? 1 medium onion

? 3 onions chopped

? 1 tablespoon whole cloves

? 1? tablespoons whole allspice

? 1 cup chicken or beef broth

? ? cup olive oil

? 6 cloves of garlic

? 6 bay leaves

? 2 cups deep red wine

? 1/8 teaspoon sugar

? ? cup orange or lemon rind

? 1 cup chopped Kalamata olives chopped

? 1 cinnamon stick

? Salt and pepper to taste

Take the medium onion and remove the outer skin and cut the ends off. Once the onion is cleaned, start with your cloves. Take each clove and make a design by pushing the cloves into the onion. The design is yours; make circles, rows, whatever you want but use all the cloves. Do the same for the allspice. Place the cinnamon stick through the center of the onion or leave it separate.

Place the onions and olive oil into a 2-quart pot along with the garlic, rind, olives and bay leaves. Heat the oil and stir with a wooden spoon.

Place the medium onion designed with spices and cinnamon stick in a pot with sugar and broth and stew at medium heat for 15 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes to the garlic and bay leaves once they start to smell. Keep stirring. Brown the shanks in the oil, then remove and place them in a stew pot, slow cooker or roasting pan. You want to saut? the remaining ingredients until the tomatoes soften and a sauce develops. Stir in the wine and cook for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Take the sauce and distribute over the lamb and cook until done: 1 hour low medium in stew pot; 2-3 hours on low in slow cooker; or 350 degrees for 40 minutes in the oven.

Source: http://www.theledger.com/article/20130220/news/130229935

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The Nifty MiniDrive Gives Your MacBook Air Or Pro More Internal, Removable Flash Storage

MacBooks are on a straightforward path to becoming closed case devices, with very little in the way of aftermarket expandability options for consumers. Which is why the Nifty MiniDrive Kickstarter project seemed so promising: it's a microSD card adapter that fits flush with the side of your MacBook Pro or Air, which means you can add up to 64GB of additional flash storage via a port that many people probably only use very occasionally anyway.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/AS2vYBJBkYk/

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Volvo Cars to shed 1,000 jobs: report

Thursday, 21 February, 2013

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Source: http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/breaking-news/companies-world/volvo-cars-shed-1000-jobs-report-20130220

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Canon Launching Its MREAL Headset March 1st, Will Allow Designers To Prototype Using Augmented Reality

Canon announced the launch of its MREAL system for "mixed reality" today, which includes a head-mounted display that allows wearers to combine virtual objects with the real world in 3D, which essentially sounds like a product designer's dream. On the consumer side, augmented reality hasn't done a great job of proving itself generally useful at this point, but in an industrial design setting, the payoff could be big, and that's why Canon's MREAL is priced at a professional-level $125,000.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/YpptJyTeci0/

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Florida fireballs renew calls for early warning system (+video)

Florida fireballs lit up the night sky Sunday. The fireballs (aka meteors) were seen by more than 60 people in Florida. Coming after the huge meteor in Russia, there are new calls for an early warning system to protect the Earth from giant meteors and asteroids.

By Staff,?CSMonitor.com / February 20, 2013

Fireballs (aka meteors) were seen by dozens of people in Florida Sunday.

A fireball, caused by a falling meteor, was seen by spectators from Miami to Jacksonville, Florida, Sunday evening.

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The streaking meteor was small compared to the one that hit Russia last week, but it was a bright light in the Florida sky ? and was captured on video.

?This one wasn?t grain-of-sand size, which what most of them are,? Thomas Webber, director of the Museum of Science and History?s Bryan-Gooding Planetarium told the Florida Times Union in Jacksonville. ?When we get something a little bigger, that maybe has a silicate coating that ablates off as it travels though the atmosphere and takes some of the heat with it, they can appear much brighter and last a lot longer.?

More than 60 people reported seeing the meteor on the American Meteor Society?s ?Fireball Log.?

They posted comments including, "I saw flames coming from it as it was falling and then it burned out. It was very distintive as a flaming, falling ball."

The Florida fireball, coming on the heels of the huge meteor that fell in Russia last week and an asteroid that buzzed past the Earth from a distance of just 17,200 miles, is raising awareness of how many objects fall to Earth each day.

The American Meteor Society notes that hundreds, if not thousands, of meteors fall to Earth daily. Most burn up in the atmosphere. But larger meteors, or asteroids, could pose a threat to life on Earth. Recent events have renewed calls for an early warning system, including a telescope in space dedicated to finding asteroids.?As The Christian Science Monitor reported recently:

"In their hunt to identify such near-Earth objects wider than half a mile across ? potential civilization busters if one were to strike Earth ? astronomers have cataloged about 95 percent of the objects in this size class during the past 15 years.

But they have found less than 1 percent of the objects 100 feet across or larger, a class that includes the asteroid 2012 DA14. This object flitted past Earth Friday afternoon Eastern Standard Time a scant 17,200 miles from Earth ? a record for a known object of its size."

On Friday, Lamar Alexander (R) of Tennessee and chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, issued a statement regarding the two events that noted that the committee will hold hearings in the near future to explore ways to improve efforts to detect asteroids as well as to deal with any deemed a potential threat to the planet.

Discussing the recent asteroid flyby and the Russian meteor, Prof. Michio Kaku of City College of New York, told CBS News: "This could be a game changer," in terms of getting government support for better tracking of these objects. "We need an insurance policy. Inevitably, we're going to get hit with a big one. Look at the moon: it's pockmarked ... so we need to have an early warning system."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/DuhvTaMLXRk/Florida-fireballs-renew-calls-for-early-warning-system-video

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Review: JBL SoundFly BT Bluetooth Speaker

JBL's compact Bluetooth speaker does away with battery anxieties and wall-wart woes -- it plugs directly into any electrical socket.

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Pinchuk: giving away fortune can help to build a fair Ukraine - Blogs ...

How hard is it for a multi-billionaire to donate half of his fortune to charity? Most of us will never know.

But if more rich people took this step, the world could become a ?fairer? place, according to Victor Pinchuk (pictured). The billionaire businessman this week became the first Ukrainian to join the Giving Pledge launched by US billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett ? and promise to give away at least half his money.

In an interview on Tuesday on the 26^th floor of an office tower in central Kiev, the 53-year old Pinchuk spoke enthusiastically about his decision to share a massive fortune. ?Giving is no less rewarding than making a profit,? he said.

With a fortune estimated by Forbes to be more than $4bn, Pinchuk is one of a dozen billionaires from across the globe that this week signed on to the Giving Pledge. His business spans from steel pipes, ferroalloys, ore mining, television and banking.

Since Gates and Warren Buffet launched their initiative in 2010, 105 pledgers have so far promised to donate at least half of their fortunes to philanthropic initiatives, mostly from the US. But the grouping is trying to make a bigger impact globally by encouraging non-US billionaires to join.

If they succeed, the movement?s impact could increase substantially, not least in poorer countries. Some of these states are impoverished due to lack of natural resources, others are captive to a culture of kleptocracy, cronyism and corruption that has turned a few into billionaires, leaving the rest scrapping to survive.

Ukraine falls squarely into the latter camp. As a big exporter of grain, steel, chemicals and ore, it is inherently rich. But the nation?s riches have not, as Pinchuk admits, been spread out evenly. Pinchuk told beyondbrics: ?We need to create a country that is more fair.?

He added: ?I feel a special responsibility to give back to my country and society. The post-Soviet transformation process was very painful for Ukraine and other countries in the region. A small group of us had the chance to use the opportunities that arose to make our fortunes. It is time to give back, so that as many citizens as possible can benefit.?

During the years of crony capitalism that followed the USSR?s collapse, many of Ukraine?s lucrative industrial assets fell into the hands of a small group of oligarchs. Often, rock-bottom prices were paid for prized assets in uncompetitive privatizations, robbing state coffers of badly needed revenue. As the son-in-law of former president Leonid Kuchma, who ruled the country from 1994 to 2005, Pinchuk was well-placed to benefit.

He was not alone. Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine?s richest man with an estimated fortune of $16bn, amassed much of his wealth while his political ally, Viktor Yanukovich, rose from regional governor, to prime minister and later president. Today, Akhmetov controls nearly half of Ukraine?s steel, coal, ore and thermoelectric generation business.

Dmitry Firtash, another backer of Yanukovich, runs much of Ukraine?s chemical, gas and titanium business sectors.

?We estimate that companies controlled by Ukraine?s top 20 businessmen generate about 20 per cent of Ukraine?s GDP and account for over 50 per cent of exports,? said Andrey Bespyatov, head of research at Kiev-based investment bank Dragon Capital.

Meanwhile, hospitals that serve the rest of Ukraine?s 46 million citizens remain dilapidated. Education is crumbling. Monthly pensions are low, often in the $100-200 range.

Social mobility is limited. Small- and medium-sized businesses are choked by widespread corruption and bureaucracy. Analysts say the oligarchs control much of domestic politics. Politicians, in turn, fail to solve pressing problems, using their influence instead to increase the personal wealth of their patrons.

Pinchuk, a former lawmaker, claims to have left politics years ago. He claims to have already spent ?hundreds of millions? on philanthropy, but declined to reveal how much would be donated in future years. He described his decision to join the Giving Pledge as a lifetime-and-beyond commitment. He said his efforts would focus on improving chances for Ukraine?s youth, education, healthcare, reforms, the arts, social mobility and promoting the country worldwide.

But Ukrainians should not expect revolutionary changes in Ukraine from Pinchuk?s initiative alone, even if he gave up all of his wealth. After all, it would not end the entrenched kleptocracy or revitalise public finances dependent on International Monetary Fund bailouts.

But even though Pinchuk?s offer alone will not undo the wrongs of the past, it might convince other wealthy Ukrainians to follow suit.

Pinchuk said: ?As you know, this initiative of Mr Buffet and Mr Gates started in the US, but is now spreading globally. And it is here, in countries like Ukraine, where it can have the greatest of impacts. I will speak with the rest of Ukraine?s business leaders, explaining to them my reasoning for doing this, why it?s important, the benefits ? perhaps they will make the decision to do the same.?

Beyondbrics emailed representatives of both Firtash and Akhmetov. But by the time of publication we had not received a reply?

[Add] Akhmetov?s spokesperson later said that Akhmetov respected the Giving Pledge initiative, was committed to philanthropy and had given ?well over $400m? to charitable causes by the end of last year.

Related reading
Support with the FT: Viktor Pinchuk, FT
Ukraine?s first steel mill in 40 years beyondbrics
State of the art FT

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Source: http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2013/02/20/pinchuk-giving-away-fortune-can-help-to-build-a-fair-ukraine/

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') map.addOverlay(marker); marker.openInfoWindowHtml('Veterans Memorial 300 W. Broad St Columbus, OH 43215 Directions: To Here?|?From Here'); } google.setOnLoadCallback(initialize); //]]> Back to Search Results Sports Card & Memorabilia Show Dates: February 23-24, 2013 Location: Veterans Memorial Hours: Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Address: 300 W. Broad St, Columbus, 43215 Phone: 614-221-4341 Web: www.fcvm.com Whether you are a collector, seller, buyer or trader; this is the show for you. ? Please note: Information for the calendar of events is gathered from multiple community sources. Experience Columbus is not responsible for the accuracy and content of information. Times, dates and locations are subject to change.

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Golf-Pacesetting Haas sticks to successful Riviera recipe

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

PACIFIC PALISADES, California | Sun Feb 17, 2013 1:11am GMT

PACIFIC PALISADES, California Feb 16 (Reuters) - It took Bill Haas a long time to work out how to play Riviera Country Club effectively at the Northern Trust Open, but for the past two years he has certainly come up with the right formula.

Twelve months ago, he edged out fellow Americans Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley to win the prestigious title at the second extra hole and this week he will take a commanding three-shot lead into Sunday's final round.

Haas has always loved the challenge of Riviera, one of the classic layouts on the PGA Tour, but had finished no better than joint 22nd in his first five starts at the event, including missed cuts in 2009 and 2010.

"Even before last year when I did not have the best of records here, it was certainly a week that I penciled in on the schedule if I could get in and play here," Haas told reporters after firing a seven-under-par 64 in Saturday's third round.

"It's fun to play. I like everything about Riviera ... the golf course, the grass, just how it's an old-school style golf course.

"Walking in the locker room, seeing the pictures of all those champions on the wall, it's just got a great feel of it about it."

Conditions were extremely tough on Saturday with the course running fast and firm under a dazzling sun but Haas stayed patient and made the most of his opportunities when they came to post a 12-under total of 201.

"Temperature-wise, it was fabulous but with that some of the fairways are really running out, the greens are difficult to hit and it's getting firmer and firmer," the 2011 FedExCup champion said after mixing five birdies with an eagle at the 10th.

"Just because it's playing shorter doesn't mean it's necessarily playing easier. Today I was able to save a shot here and there, make a couple of nice par saves. I hit some really nice chips from around the greens."

BIG NAMES

Haas, a four-times winner on the PGA Tour, has several big names in hot pursuit with U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson and 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel three strokes adrift, and world number three Luke Donald a further shot back.

"It's very difficult in this game to just pull away from the rest of the field," Haas said of the task facing him in the final round. "You've only seen a few guys ever really do that ... guys like Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson.

"I've just got to try to stay in the moment, don't let my emotions get the best of me, try to get off to a good start.

"The guys behind me are going to make birdies and will certainly get closer at the top, so I've just got to try to hang in there and give myself a chance on the back nine."

The 30-year-old American is experienced enough to know that good form can never be taken for granted.

"Every day is a new day and you're always working," said Haas, whose distinguished golfing lineage includes his father Jay, a multiple winner on the PGA and Champions tours, and his great uncle Bob Goalby, best known for winning the 1968 Masters.

"My dad always said, 'When you're playing well, you're not far off from playing poorly; and when you're playing poorly, you're not far off from playing well.'

"There's just such a fine detail in your swing that can change daily, so you just always keep working on it." (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Frank Pingue)

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Source: http://www.thespainforum.com/f234/golf-pacesetting-haas-sticks-successful-riviera-recipe-413462/

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