[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - At least 12 people were killed in riots Tuesday near the Chinese city of Kashgar in the restive northwestern region of Xinjiang, state media reported.
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Monday, February 27, 2012
After 35 years, a giant fossil penguin has finally been completely reconstructed, giving researchers new insights into prehistoric penguin diversity.
The bones were collected in 1977 by Dr. Ewan Fordyce, a paleontologist from the University of Otago, New Zealand. In 2009 and 2011, Dr. Dan Ksepka, North Carolina State University research assistant professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences and North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences colleague Dr. Paul Brinkman traveled to New Zealand to aid in the reconstruction of the giant penguin fossil.
Researchers dubbed the penguin Kairuku, a Maori word that loosely translates to "diver who returns with food." Ksepka was interested in the fossil because its body shape is different from any previously known penguin, living or extinct. He was also interested in the diversity of penguin species that lived in what is now New Zealand during the Oligocene period, approximately 25 million years ago.
According to Ksepka, "The location was great for penguins in terms of both food and safety. Most of New Zealand was underwater at that time, leaving isolated, rocky land masses that kept the penguins safe from potential predators and provided them with a plentiful food supply."
Kairuku was one of at least five different species of penguin that lived in New Zealand during the same period. The diversity of species is part of what made the reconstruction difficult, and the penguin's unique physique added to the difficulty.
"Kairuku was an elegant bird by penguin standards, with a slender body and long flippers, but short, thick legs and feet," says Ksepka. "If we had done a reconstruction by extrapolating from the length of its flippers, it would have stood over 6 feet tall. In reality, Kairuku was around 4-feet-2 inches tall or so."
The researchers reconstructed Kairuku from two separate fossils, using the skeleton of an existing king penguin as a model. The result is a tall bird with an elongated beak and long flippers ? easily the largest of the five species that were common to the area in that time period.
Their results appear in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
New Zealand has a history of producing exceptional fossils that give important insights into the history of penguins and other marine creatures. Ksepka hopes that the reconstruction of Kairuku will give other paleontologists more information about some the other fossils found in that area as well as add to the knowledge about giant penguin species. "This species gives us a more complete picture of these giant penguins generally, and may help us to determine how great their range was during the Oligocene period."
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North Carolina State University: http://www.ncsu.edu
Thanks to North Carolina State University for this article.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117926/Researchers_get_first_full_look_at_prehistoric_New_Zealand_penguin
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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) ? Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard won a resounding victory Monday against the party leader she deposed two years ago, Kevin Rudd, in a ballot of Labor Party lawmakers that she had ordered in hopes of putting down strife within her unpopular government.
Following his defeat by 71 votes to 31, Rudd called on his center-left Labor Party to unite behind Gillard. He had warned during his brief leadership campaign that she would lead Labor to certain defeat at elections next year.
"I bear no one any malice and if I've done wrong to anyone with what I've said and what I've done, I apologize," he told reporters.
Rudd said it was time the "wounds were healed" within the party.
Gillard won one of the most crushing victories in a major party leadership ballot of recent years after one of the most vicious public campaigns between rival camps of the same party ever seen in modern Australian politics.
She would have had an additional vote, but one of her supporters had recently given birth and was absent for the ballot.
Gillard called for the leadership ballot within her ruling party last week, soon after Rudd quit as foreign minister, to confirm her authority after simmering leadership tensions that have destabilized the government for months.
Opinion polls show Rudd to be significantly more popular than Gillard among voters, but many lawmakers were dissatisfied with Rudd's performance as prime minister, and there were concerns that Labor's fragile ruling coalition could crumble, forcing early elections, if Rudd were to take over.
A narrow victory could have left Gillard exposed to a second challenge if Labor continued to trail the conservative opposition coalition in opinion polls.
Supporters of both candidates had expected Rudd to gain around a third of the votes. Rudd had vowed that if he lost the ballot, he would remain in politics at least until elections due next year, but he said he would not challenge her leadership again.
Resource Minister Martin Ferguson said while Rudd would not challenge again, another challenger could come forward if Labor's fortunes do not improve.
Gillard was deputy prime minister two years ago when she made a snap challenge to Rudd's leadership. When Rudd discovered how few lawmakers were prepared to support him at the time, he did not contest the ballot and Gillard became prime minister without a vote.
With her leadership confirmed, Gillard must reshuffle her Cabinet to appoint a new foreign minister. Her Cabinet includes ministers who publicly endorsed Rudd.
A respected opinion poll published on Monday showed most respondents thought Rudd would make a better prime minister than would opposition leader Tony Abbott. Rudd's support stood at 53 percent, 34 percent chose Abbott and 13 percent were undecided.
Respondents were more evenly balanced on a choice between Gillard and Abbott, with Abbott leading 38 percent to 36.
The poll also found Labor trailed Abbott's conservative coalition 47 percent to 53.
The poll was based on an Australia-wide random telephone survey at the weekend of 1,152 voters. It has a 3 percentage point margin of error.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012. Netanyahu says Iran's nuclear program will take center stage in his upcoming talks with North American leaders. (AP Photo/Jim Hollander, Pool)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012. Netanyahu says Iran's nuclear program will take center stage in his upcoming talks with North American leaders. (AP Photo/Jim Hollander, Pool)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012. Netanyahu says Iran's nuclear program will take center stage in his upcoming talks with North American leaders. (AP Photo/Jim Hollander, Pool)
JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israeli defense officials on Sunday confirmed $1.6 billion in deals to sell drones as well as anti-aircraft and missile defense systems to Azerbaijan, bringing sophisticated Israeli technology to the doorstep of archenemy Iran.
The sales by state-run Israel Aerospace Industries come at a delicate time. Israel has been laboring hard to form diplomatic alliances in a region that seems to be growing increasingly hostile to the Jewish state.
Its most pressing concern is Iran's nuclear program, and Israeli leaders have hinted broadly that they would be prepared to attack Iranian nuclear facilities if they see no other way to keep Tehran from building bombs.
Iran denies Israeli and Western claims it seeks to develop atomic weapons, and says its disputed nuclear program is designed to produce energy and medical isotopes.
In Jerusalem, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Iran's nuclear program will take center stage in his upcoming talks with U.S. and Canadian leaders. Netanyahu is to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa on Friday and with President Barack Obama in Washington on Monday.
Speaking to the Israeli Cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu said a U.N. nuclear agency report last week buttressed Israel's warnings that Iran is trying to produce a nuclear bomb. The agency said Iran has rapidly ramped up production of higher-grade enriched uranium over the last few months.
Netanyahu said the report provided "another piece of incontrovertible evidence" that Iran is advancing rapidly with its nuclear program.
It was not clear whether the arms deal with Azerbaijan was connected to any potential Israeli plans to strike Iran. The Israeli defense officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not at liberty to discuss defense deals.
Danny Yatom, a former head of Israel's Mossad spy agency, said the timing of the deal was likely coincidental. "Such a deal ... takes a long period of time to become ripe," he told The Associated Press.
He said Israel would continue to sell arms to its friends. "If it will help us in challenging Iran, it is for the better," he said.
Israel's ties with Azerbaijan, a Muslim country that became independent with the disintegration of the Soviet Union, have grown as its once-strong strategic relationship with another Iranian neighbor, Turkey, has deteriorated, most sharply over Israel's killing of nine Turks aboard a ship that sought to breach Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2010.
For Israeli intelligence, there is also a possible added benefit from Azerbaijan: Its significant cross-border contacts and trade with Iran's large ethnic Azeri community.
For that same reason, as Iran's nuclear showdown with the West deepens, the Islamic Republic sees the Azeri frontier as a weak point, even though both countries are mostly Shiite Muslim.
Earlier this month, Iran's foreign ministry accused Azerbaijan of allowing the Israeli spy agency Mossad to operate on its territory and providing a corridor for "terrorists" to kill members of Iranian nuclear scientists.
Azerbaijan dismissed the Iranian claims as "slanderous lies." Israeli leaders have hinted at covert campaigns against Iran without directly admitting involvement.
Israel, meanwhile, recently claimed authorities foiled Iranian-sponsored attacks against Israeli targets in Azerbaijan. Such claims have precedents: In 2008, Azeri officials said they thwarted a plot to explode car bombs near the Israeli Embassy; two Lebanese men were later convicted in the bombing attempt. A year earlier, Azerbaijan convicted 15 people in connection with an alleged Iranian-linked spy network accused of passing intelligence on Western and Israeli activities.
Iran has denied Azerbaijan's latest charges of plotting to kill Israelis, but a diplomatic rupture is unlikely. Azerbaijan is an important pathway for Iranian goods in the Caucasus region and both nations have signed accords among Caspian nations on energy, environmental and shipping policies.
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10:28pm UK, Friday February 24, 2012
At an international conference of the 'Friends of Syria' group of nations, up to 70 delegates gathered to try to find a way to end the bloodshed in Syria.
The world leaders called on President Bashar al Assad to stop the killing of civilians and allow emergency aid into the country.
But the international efforts to resolve the crisis were criticised by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who want Arab peacekeepers to enter Syria in order to enforce a ceasefire.
Western powers, including Britain and the US, favour a diplomatic approach to put more pressure on the Assad regime, including more economic sanctions.
As the concern over the humanitarian crisis grows, the Red Cross confirmed they, along with the Syrian Red Crescent, had been allowed into the besieged Syrian city of Homs to evacuate several wounded people.
Homs has been under constant bombardment by government forces for three weeks and hundreds of civilians are reported to have been killed.
On Friday aid workers entered the Babr Amr district to help those in need of medical assistance and managed to safely move seven people to a hospital in another part of the city.
It came as Mrs Clinton used strong language to denounce Russia and China for their attitudes toward the crisis in Syria.
The two nations were not in attendance at the Friends of Syria meeting in Tunisia, and earlier this month both voted against a UN resolution condemning the violence.
Speaking after the conference, Mrs Clinton said: "It's quite distressing to see two permanent members of the Security Council using their veto while people are being murdered - women, children, brave young men - houses are being destroyed.
"It is just despicable and I ask whose side are they on? They are clearly not on the side of the Syrian people."
While Moscow has backed calls for a ceasefire, it has criticised other Western countries for being "one-sided" in its approach.
However, there does appear to be evidence of disagreement over what exactly should be done to stop the killing of Syria's civilians.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia used the Tunis conference to called for an Arab force to impose peace.
Mrs Clinton used her speech to delegates to demand urgent humanitarian aid be allowed into Syria, adding that if the Assad regime did not co-operate, it would have "even more blood on its hands".
Directing her comments at Mr Assad, Mrs Clinton said: "You will pay a heavy cost for ignoring the will of the international community and violating the human rights of your people."
She also called on all nations to block Syrian assets, boycott oil from the country and consider closing embassies and consulates.
She added: "For nations that have already imposed sanctions, we must vigorously enforce them."
But later in the day the Saudi delegation quit the talks over what they called a lack of action, while the Saudi foreign minister even suggested that arming Syria's opposition fighters was an "excellent idea".
As Foreign Secretary William Hague arrived for the talks, he said it was important for Russia and China to no longer oppose the international community - and even suggested Beijing was reviewing its stance.
"I haven't seen that shift in Russia yet," he said. "I think the Chinese government is constantly assessing the position.
"So I hope... immediately they will change their position, but if not that, then they will steadily do so over time."
Mr Hague also said Britain would recognise the Syrian opposition as a "legitimate representative" of the people, and called the government "a criminal regime".
"We will intensify our links with the opposition. We, in common with other nations, will now treat them and recognise them as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people."
Also at the conference, France's foreign minister announced that the European Union would freeze the assets of Syria's central bank next week.
Alain Juppe told delegates the EU was planning on implementing the "strong new measures" in its meeting on Monday.
It is believed more than 7,000 people have now died in the uprisings against President Assad.
The draft conclusion of the meeting demanded that the Syrian authorities facilitate the delivery of emergency aid to areas under siege - including Homs, Deraa and Zabadani.
But the Syrian regime has refused to comply with such calls so far.
Hosting the summit, Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki told Sky News the world can no longer stand by and "watch the massacre" in Syria.
But the Tunisian leader ruled out a military solution, warning that foreign military intervention or arming the opposition could only lead to an escalation of violence.
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From a handful of many years, tablet mobilesets are attracting the focus of the tech-savvy men and women. These handsets are huge and large, but arrive packed with superior technology, & act as mini-personal computers in several conditions. The new Samsung Galaxy Tab is among one particular of the tablet mobilesets which are getting a large reputation. The gadget consist of most of the substantial-conclude capabilities preferred by the users of these days.
The handset will come with Wi-Fi technological innovation, by way of which end users can link net with ease at Wi-Fi covered locations. If you are not near by the Wi-Fi hotspot, dont worry, then you can also get linked with Entire world Wide Website through GPRS, with help of network services suppliers. Plethora of net capabilities are accessible in the mobileset which contain Google Search, Maps, YouTube, Gmail, Google Discuss, Picasa integration & HTML supported browser.
For photography freaks, the mobileset comprises of the 3.2 MP digital camera with capabilities like autofocus, LED flash & geo-tagging. Aside from, a single can retailer the pictures, videos and audio files in it?s mammoth sixteen GB internal storage room. On the other side, a lot more room can be integrated up to the 32 GB in the micro SD card slot. There are a amount of internet portals nowadays on which one can get the Galaxy Tab deals.
There is no question that buying the brand new Samsung Galaxy Tab bargains signifies buying a lottery that you will certainly get. Advanced capabilities of the tablet unquestionably increase your advantage. These specials can also be signed for the period of 12 months, 18 months or 24 months, along with network support companies like Orange, Vodafone, O2, Virgin, T-cellular and Three. On the other side, the best Samsung Galaxy Tab specials give a range of benefits to the customers.
On the other side, some magnificent objects can also be acquired underneath the offers. Some of these entities consist of LCD televisions of diverse brand names, laptop computer, Bluetooth headset, Sony PS3, Nintendo Wii and a lot of others. On the world wide web portals described previously mentioned, you can see the total checklist of obtainable provides and gifts among which you can select the a single which meets your requirements best.
Source: http://www.sql-servers.com/?p=2529
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Posted by Jared Karol on February 24, 2012 ? Leave a Comment?
Topic: Communication
When I first read the email about the return of The Write On Project (TWOP) and the invitation to write a post for the month of February, one word came to mind: ?Yayyy!?
Then when I saw the topic ? ?Communication? ? I got even more excited. Partly because I love anything that has to do with communicating (talking, writing, marketing, social media) but mostly because I do all of these things on a daily basis ? as both my vocation and my passion.
Turns out I?m not the only one who thinks communicating is pretty important. While trying to narrow down the angle for this piece I did a quick keyword search on Twitter and was pleasantly surprised by the number of profound tweets on the subject of ?communication?:
Will Smith:
6 Keys to a great relationship: friendship, freedom, honesty, trust, understanding, and?communication.
Candace:
When there?s no?communication?in a relationship, it opens doors for assumptions.
You Should Have Known:
Long distance relationships PROVE that Love is about?communication.
PJ:
The 3 fastest means of?communication: Telephone, Television, Tell-a-woman.
Um, okay, maybe that last one has nothing to do with my point, but clearly communication is one of the keys to both successful relationships and topical tweets.
And while communicating with others is pretty important, it?s the conversations that we have with ourselves that trickle down to every other aspect and relationship in our lives.
But we all know this, right? I mean the fact that our self talk is the foundation of everything, including both our failures and our successes, is pretty basic stuff, right?
And yet it remains a mystery why we indulge in so much negative self talk. Every single day of our lives.
We tell ourselves that we?re not as smart, that we?re lazy, that we?re not deserving . . .
Truth is, even our pets receive the positive reinforcement that we don?t give to ourselves. Or at least don?t give to ourselves often enough.
I know it?s not New Year?s Eve but I welcome you to join me in forming a new resolution of habits: replacing negative self talk with positive encouragement.
I?am smart. I work hard. And I deserve only the best ? as I?m sure you do too!
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?
There are hundreds of thousands of mobile accessories out there so this is going to be hard to just narrow it all done to five. Mobile accessories usually have different types like there is cases which generally protect the exterior of the phone, Bluetooth headsets which enable you to make calls without needing to hold the phone right next to your ear, car charger so you can keep on charging your phone whilst on the move, speakers so you can listen to your music on your phone anywhere you want and a desktop dock where you can charge and play your music in comfort and with some great sound quality.
Trying to find a Bluetooth headset sounds easy as you just think all of them will have the same features and sound quality but some have different signal quality, have noise cancellation, and some could have a better sound quality than others.
The way to find the best Bluetooth headset is to see which features you really do need, as if you only need a Bluetooth headset for your car you don't really need one which has a huge signal range but you would need one which has better sound quality.To find the best mobile phone case, you really should look at what kind of protection you want, you can have a case which can be quite light and flexible or you can have a mobile phone case which is quite heavy but offers a lot more protection than light case. Some cases can be made out of leather and offer a professional look and feel to it whilst some cases are just covered in coloured plastic materials, so obviously the more expensive and better looking ones will be ones made out of leather and cheap ones would be made out of plastic but would offer a more than satisfactory protection for your mobile phone.
A good in car charger would be a charger which can charge more than just your mobile; it can charge your friends mobiles as well.
So a universal charger is always a great in car charger to have. An In car charger which is built by a well known brand is more than likely to last a lot more longer than an unknown brand. There has been chargers which just do not last long and lose their charge when using a unknown brand.Speakers for a phone should have great sound quality, that is a must for any speakers, but because music has to be compressed to be able to be played on the phone, the sound quality originally won't be as good, this is why it is important to have quality speakers, so that you can improve the quality of sound. Usually you can find speakers with decent sound quality and can be found for a cheap price as well so; it will be easy finding the best speakers out there.
The best desktop dock would be a dock which has good quality speakers and can also charge the phone quite quickly. There are many docks like this out there some offering fantastic quality sound whilst others offer sound which is decent for a small room but are quite small docks. So the best desktop docks depends on where and what you will use them for.
Source: http://technology.ezinemark.com/top-5-mobile-phone-accessories-7d34359b21f8.html
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[unable to retrieve full-text content]Reuters - A U.S. law against foreign bribery is the unusual weapon of choice in an increasingly bitter boardroom struggle between U.S. casino mogul Steve Wynn and Japanese investor Kazuo Okada. But both sides may end up shooting blanks.
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[unable to retrieve full-text content]
Reuters - Venezuela's Hugo Chavez will undergo another operation in Cuba in the coming days after doctors found a possibly malignant lesion in his pelvis where surgeons removed a large cancerous tumor last year, he said on Tuesday.
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Greeces' Prime Minister Lucas Papademos exits the Presidential Palace after meeting Greek President Karolos Papoulias in Athens , Wednesday, Feb. 22 2012. Papademos briefed Papoulias on the results of Tuesday's eurozone meeting in Brussels that approved a new bailout for Greece, accompanied by a 107 billion euro debt relief program. "The decisions that have been made and those that will be made create the conditions that will help the recovery and growth of the Greek economy," Papademos told journalists after the meeting.(AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)
Greeces' Prime Minister Lucas Papademos exits the Presidential Palace after meeting Greek President Karolos Papoulias in Athens , Wednesday, Feb. 22 2012. Papademos briefed Papoulias on the results of Tuesday's eurozone meeting in Brussels that approved a new bailout for Greece, accompanied by a 107 billion euro debt relief program. "The decisions that have been made and those that will be made create the conditions that will help the recovery and growth of the Greek economy," Papademos told journalists after the meeting.(AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)
A pedestrian passes outside a pawnshop in Athens, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012. Greeks are uneasily digesting the news that their country will likely avoid defaulting on its debt mountain next month and that the euro should remain their currency, at least for the time being. The billboard reads ''Prices,'' left, and ''Pawnshop'' in vertical. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Employees at the state-run Workers' Housing Organization (OEK) walk in central Athens during a protest against the lose of their jobs on Wednesday Feb. 22, 2012. The agency is due to be shut as part of sweeping new austerity measures demanded by Greece's EU-IMF rescue creditors. (AP Photo/Dimitri Messinis)
Greeces' Prime Minister Lucas Papademos addresses the media outside the Presidential Palace after meeting Greek President Karolos Papoulias in Athens , Wednesday, Feb. 22 2012. Papademos briefed Papoulias on the results of Tuesday's eurozone meeting in Brussels that approved a new bailout for Greece, accompanied by a 107 billion euro debt relief program. "The decisions that have been made and those that will be made create the conditions that will help the recovery and growth of the Greek economy," Papademos told journalists after the meeting.(AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)
Greeces' Prime Minister Lucas Papademos speaks to Greek President Karolos Papoulias during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Athens , Wednesday, Feb. 22 2012. Papademos briefed Papoulias on the results of Tuesday's eurozone meeting in Brussels that approved a new bailout for Greece, accompanied by a 107 billion euro debt relief program. "The decisions that have been made and those that will be made create the conditions that will help the recovery and growth of the Greek economy," Papademos told journalists after the meeting. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)
ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? Greece scrambled Wednesday to push through a batch of emergency laws that will further cut incomes and state spending, a day after securing a new bailout and debt relief deal designed to stave off bankruptcy.
The new austerity measures demanded by creditors in return for the rescue loans follow two years of deepening misery, with the Greek economy in freefall, unemployment at a record high and the state of the public finances in worse shape than previously forecast. Angry unions have called two separate protest rallies outside Parliament for later on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the 17-country eurozone approved Greece's second financial lifeline in less than two years, worth euro130 billion ($172 billion), and a euro107 billion ($141 billion) debt writedown by banks and other private holders of Greek bonds.
In response to the writedown agreement, Fitch downgraded Greece's credit rating further into junk status, from 'CCC' to 'C.'
The agency said a Greek default "is highly likely in the near term" and added that it would briefly consider placing Greece in "restrictive default" once the bond swap is completed ? a warning it first issued in June.
Athens argues that the default rating would be a simple technicality, as the twin deals struck on Tuesday will allow the country to repay bonds maturing next month ? thus avoiding a disorderly default ? and remain in the common European currency it joined in 2001.
Even then, the price of salvation for ordinary Greeks is only just starting to sink in.
Legislation tabled in Parliament late Tuesday outlines a total euro3.2 billion ($4.2 billion) in extra budget cuts this year agreed by the Cabinet last week.
The measures include nearly euro400 million ($530 million) in cuts to already depleted pensions. Health and education spending will be reduced by more than euro170 million ($225 million), subsidies to the state health care system will be cut by euro500 million ($661 million), and health care spending on medicine will fall by euro570 million ($754 million). And some euro400 million ($529 million) will be lopped off defense spending ? three quarters of which will come from purchases.
The draft law also drastically revises the 2012 budget, changing the government deficit target to 6.7 percent of gross domestic product from an initial forecast of 5.4 percent. Even worse, plans for a modest primary surplus ? which excludes debt servicing costs ? have been scrapped and Greece will instead post a primary deficit of nearly euro500 million ($661 million), or 0.2 percent of GDP.
Parliament is expected to vote on the cuts and budgetary revisions early next week.
On Wednesday, debate will start at committee level on a separate draft law on adopting the private debt writedown. Parliament's plenary session will vote on the draft law Thursday.
"The decisions that have been taken and those that will be made, create the conditions that will help the recovery and growth of the Greek economy," Prime Minister Lucas Papademos said after briefing President Karolos Papoulias on the eurozone decisions. "Much remains to be done in the coming weeks."
Both pieces of legislation are expected to be approved, as the interim governing coalition headed by Papademos, a former central banker, controls 193 of the House's 300 seats. But earlier this month the two coalition partners ? the majority Socialists and the conservatives ? were forced to expel a total 43 deputies who rebelled against new austerity cuts.
It remains uncertain whether even the combination of new bailout and writedown will be enough to save Greece, whose economy is in a fifth year of recession and could continue to shrink as the cutbacks cripple consumer spending and investment.
Greek stocks tumbled for a second day after the bailout deal, losing 5 percent shortly before market closing.
Even with the writedown, Greece's public debt will be reduced at best from euro368 billion ($487 billion), or nearly 170 percent of GDP last year to 120 percent in 2020 ? around the level it was in 2009.
Greek retailers said Wednesday the prolonged austerity and recession were expected to cost another 100,000 jobs in the sector in the first half of 2012 alone ? following 65,000 job losses in June-December 2011. About one employee is hired for every seven laid off.
More than one million Greeks, or 21 percent of the work force, were out of work in November.
The government is also cutting private sector wages, with the minimum monthly salary being reduced 22 percent to euro580 ($770) ? and euro510 ($675) for workers aged under 25, an age group that suffers from 50 percent unemployment. Salaries are even lower for part-time employees.
Dimitris Asimakopoulos, head of General Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen and Merchants, GSEVEE, presented a new study showing that 180,000 businesses are at risk of closing in 2012, with at least 61,000 expected to fail.
"The study reveals, with facts and figures, that we are unfortunately stuck in the mire of recession," Asimakopoulos said. "We will not emerge from this with wishful thinking about competitiveness and euro300 salaries."
Werner Hoyer, the new president of the European Investment Bank, told Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper that "Greece now needs, alongside the unavoidable austerity program, a Marshall plan too " ? a reference to the U.S. aid plan that rescued an impoverished Europe after World War II.
Hoyer suggested that Greeks working in the European Commission and other EU bodies should be motivated to return home and help out, to avoid the impression that Greece "is under tutelage and directed by others."
But he said the structural reforms Greece needed could take up to two decades.
Angry Greek unions have called a protest rally against the new belt-tightening for this afternoon outside Parliament. Communist supporters will hold a separate march an hour later, while other protesters are planning a motorcycle rally. Previous protests have turned violent, and rioters burnt and looted dozens of shops in central Athens during a rally on Feb. 12.
Papademos, who is unelected, has a sole mandate to see through the twin bailout and debt relief deal, and is expected to step down by early April ahead of national elections. Polls show that conservative New Democracy would likely come first, but without a large enough majority to govern alone.
___
Derek Gatopoulos and Elena Becatoros in Athens, and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.
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FILE - In this Thursday Nov. 15, 2007 file photo, health care products maker Johnson & Johnson's CEO William Weldon poses for photos at the company's world headquarters in New Brunswick, N.J. The company on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 said Weldon is retiring this April, following an embarrassing string of product recalls that has stretched for more than 2 years, costing the health care giant hundreds of millions of dollars and consumer trust. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)
FILE - In this Thursday Nov. 15, 2007 file photo, health care products maker Johnson & Johnson's CEO William Weldon poses for photos at the company's world headquarters in New Brunswick, N.J. The company on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 said Weldon is retiring this April, following an embarrassing string of product recalls that has stretched for more than 2 years, costing the health care giant hundreds of millions of dollars and consumer trust. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)
In this undated photo provided by Johnson & Johnson, Alex Gorsky is shown. Johnson & Johnson's longtime CEO, Bill Weldon, is retiring in April, following an embarrassing string of product recalls over more than two years that has cost the health care giant hundreds of millions of dollars and consumer trust. The maker of Band-Aids and biotech drugs said Tuesday that Weldon will remain chairman of the board for the time being, while ceding the chief executive post to Alex Gorsky, head of the medical device and diagnostics business. (AP Photo/Johnson & Johnson)
TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) ? Johnson & Johnson's longtime CEO Bill Weldon is stepping down as the health care giant's top executive after an embarrassing string of recalls of everything from Tylenol to Benadryl that has cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars and consumers' trust.
The maker of Band-Aids and biotech drugs said Tuesday that Alex Gorsky, vice chairman and head of the company's largest business by revenue, will become CEO on April 26, the day of its annual shareholder's meeting. Weldon, who as CEO since 2002 helped the company grow through acquisitions and licensing deals, will remain chairman of the board for now.
The change at the top comes as the company struggles to regain its footing after more than two dozen product recalls since September 2009, for reasons from bacterial contamination to liquid medicines that may contain tiny glass or metal. While there haven't been reports of patients harmed by the recalled products, the sheer volume is likely unrivaled in the industry.
Congress has been probing J&J's handling of the recalls, including a "stealth recall" in 2008 in which the company paid a third party to quietly buy up packages of faulty medication from stores. Federal regulators have had three of J&J's factories under increased scrutiny for nearly two years, and one is being completely rebuilt.
J&J also faces lawsuits over the recalls, including one in which a family alleges its toddler died shortly after ingesting a "super dose" of Tylenol.
The recalls have hurt the company's financial performance. Under Weldon's tenure, J&J's revenue slightly more than doubled to $65 billion last year. But lost sales from all the recalled products not on store shelves have cost the company more than $1 billion. J&J shares plunged from nearly $72 in early 2009 to $48 after the recalls began and have been stuck in the mid-60s for about a year.
Weldon has repeatedly assured investors and consumers that he had the problems under control, only to have another recall pop up. Last April, for instance, he charmed shareholders with a pledge that brighter days were coming. But as recently as last week, J&J announced that it would recall about a half a million bottles of infant Tylenol because of complaints about bottle tops meant to make doses easier collapsing in some cases.
As the company worked to resolve the problems, several executives below Weldon departed suddenly. One was Colleen Goggins, the former head of the consumer health business, where many of the recalls originated.
A handful of analysts had been calling for Weldon's ouster, saying J&J had abandoned its highly touted corporate credo, displayed prominently at headquarters, that stresses responsibility to patients, doctors and nurses. Others said they thought the succession planning had long been in the works.
"While I am sure the board was not happy with the recalls that have plagued (J & J), I am not convinced Mr. Weldon was pushed out due to the latest recall," wrote Edward Jones analyst Linda Bannister.
The departure of Weldon, who has spent his entire 41-year career at J&J working his way up to chief executive, is being described by the company as normal succession planning. Weldon had repeatedly said he had no plans to leave unless asked to do so by the board of directors, which has long been loyal to him. But late Tuesday, Weldon, 63, said in a statement: "I look forward to the transition of leadership."
"The way I read it is, he wouldn't have left on his own if he didn't think the company was on its way to recovery," said Miller Tabak & Co. analyst and fund manager Les Funtleyder.
Gorsky and Sherri S. McCoy, who heads both the pharmaceutical and consumer businesses, had been considered the most likely successors to Weldon after both were named company vice chairmen in January 2011. McCoy will become vice chairman of the executive committee and report to Gorsky once he becomes CEO.
Gorsky leads the company's medical devices and diagnostics unit, which J&J claims is the largest business of its kind in the world. But besides that, he oversees 140 manufacturing facilities around the world. He's also in charge of both government affairs and policy, and the company's venture capital subsidiary, called the Johnson and Johnson Development Corp.
"I'm honored that the board has placed such confidence in me, and I am also aware of the serious responsibilities that come with this office," Gorsky, 51, said.
Pharmaceutical manufacturing expert Girish Malhotra said he considered the management shake-up at J&J an overdue firing of Weldon. But Malhotra wrote that the heads of manufacturing and accounting should also be fired, and the board dismissed.
"How a global icon of care and quality could not control its practices is just beyond imagination," he wrote. "I am not sure Mr. Alex Gorsky would be able to clean the house quickly to restore confidence in the company. Time will tell."
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posted by fernandejackson @ 5:09 PM
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The fossil fuel industry and many of the issues that the Right in this country are harping on have an interesting pattern.
They take an issue that could be potentially dangerous to their profits and turn it into an emotional issue - in this case Global Warming - and when it becomes an emotional issue, all reason is thrown out the door and rational discourse becomes impossible.
Global Warming was discovered decades ago. The fossil fuel companies started to become threatened by it. So we go from scientists have data about global warming and what we could possibly do about it to scientists have a Liberal Agenda to destroy capitalism and our Way of Life.
I have a neighbor and in-laws who live on a steady diet of Fox News and Talk Radio; such as Hannity, and if Global Warming comes up, they say words like "hoax", "socialist", "cause higher taxes", "destroying America", "predictions based upon inaccurate computer models", etc
They're thinking emotionally. The anti-global warming crowd did a very good in turning this into a personal emotional issue.
They do this with other issues. Turn an issue from a purely academic one into dumbed down emotional rhetoric, and you got the other guys by the balls.
That's where the climate scientists got screwed. The fossil fuel industry got their PR people on it and then the right wing talking heads grabbed onto it, and now we have this mess of an issue that I for one have given up complete hope that anything can be done now.
tl;dr: industry is great at turning a scientific issue into an emotional one - an "us" vs. "them" issue and neutering the opposition.
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posted by fernandejackson @ 8:03 AM
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Everyone on the MAC Fitness Personal Training Team takes?our personal health and fitness seriously, and when we work out, we work out hard!? We are always challenging ourselves to find new exercises, new methods, or new equipment to challenge ourselves and our clients.? Our Show Off Series is a peak into the personal workouts of our Personal Trainers!
First up is Juli, demonstrating a Dumbell Burpee with Pushup and Press.? Enjoy!
Source: http://www.macfitness.net/mac-trainers-show-series-juli-shows/
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posted by fernandejackson @ 3:44 AM
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Latvia's rejection of the proposal ? and its strong support in one section of the country ? highlights the deep divide between ethnic Latvians and Russians who have made a home there.
Latvian voters resoundingly rejected a proposal to give official status to Russian, the mother tongue of their former Soviet occupiers, though the referendum defeated Saturday is expected to leave scars on an already divided society.
Skip to next paragraphRussian is the first language for about one-third of the Baltic country's 2.1 million people, and many of them would like to accord official status to the language to reverse what they claim has been 20 years of discrimination.
But for ethnic Latvians, the referendum was a brazen attempt to encroach on Latvia's independence, which was restored two decades ago after a half-century of occupation by the Soviet Union following World War II.
Many Latvians still consider Russian ? the lingua franca of the Soviet Union ? as the language of the former occupiers. They also harbor deep mistrust toward Russia and worry that Moscow attempts to wield influence in Latvia through the ethnic Russian minority.
"Latvia is the only place throughout the world where Latvian is spoken, so we have to protect it," said Martins Dzerve, 37, in Riga, Latvia's capital. "But Russian is everywhere."
With over 93 percent of ballots counted, 75 percent of voters said they were against Russian as a national language, according to the Central Election Commission results.
However, in the eastern region of Latgale, which straddles the border with Russia, a majority of voters approved changing the constitution to make Russian a national language. The region is Latvia's poorest and has a high percentage of ethnic Russians and other minorities.
"Society is divided into two classes ? one half has full rights, and the other half's rights are violated," said Aleksejs Yevdokimovs, 36. "The Latvian half always employs a presumption of guilt toward the Russian half, so that we have to prove things that shouldn't need to be proven," he said.
The referendum sparked high voter participation, with more than 70 percent of registered voters casting ballots ? considerably higher more than in previous elections and referendums. Long lines were seen at many precincts both in Latvia and abroad, with voters in London reportedly braving a three-hour wait.
In Chicago, Mara Varpa, 57, said she voted against the proposal since Latvian is an integral part of the national identity and should therefore remain the sole official language.
"I don't think there should have been a referendum to begin with because it's already in the constitution, but since there was I had to vote," Varpa said.
Though the Russians who spearheaded the referendum admitted they had no chance at winning the plebiscite, they at least hope the approximate 25 percent of support will force Latvia's center-right government to begin a dialogue with national minorities.
Hundreds of thousands of Russians, Belarussians and Ukrainians moved to Latvia and the neighboring Baltic republics during the population transfers of the Soviet regime. Many of them never learned Latvian and were denied citizenship when Latvia regained independence, meaning they don't have the right to vote or work in government.
According to the current law, anyone who moved to Latvia during the Soviet occupation, or was born to parents who moved there, is considered a noncitizen and must pass the Latvian language exam in order to become a citizen.
There are approximately 300,000 noncitizens in Latvia.
Politicians and analysts said the plebiscite will widen the schism in society and that the government will have to undertake serious efforts to consolidate the country's two groups.
Many fear the disgruntled minority will keep up the pressure by calling for more referendums to change Latvia's constitution for minorities' benefit.
Associated Press writer Tim Jacobs in Chicago contributed to this report.
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posted by fernandejackson @ 1:30 AM
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Q. Dear Umbra,
How can I get ?free,? ?environmentally? friendly business cards? I am starting to network with my new credentials, LEED GA and BPI certification. So I need an eye-catching business card.
Dee R.
Philadelphia, Pa.
A. Dearest Dee,
First of all, congratulations. For those who don?t speak eco-acronym, Dee here has become something of a green-building expert, proving her chops as both a LEED Green Associate ? someone with expertise in environmentally friendly construction and design ? and a Building Performance Institute professional, chock-full of knowledge about home energy performance and efficiency. Go Dee!
Given your new credentials, it?s logical that you want to share them with all and sundry. As a people, we have been thrusting business cards into each others? hands since the 17th century, when English merchants used them to give customers accurate directions to their stores. The trend caught on in America in the late 1800s, and the rest is 2-by-3.5-inch history.
Personally, I am not a big fan of the business card, and rarely hand mine out at cocktail-weenie hour. Environmentally, I don?t believe distributing small pieces of paper to people who will toss them or let them stack up on a desk does much for our cause. One estimate suggests more than 10 billion cards are printed each year. Laid end to end, that?s ? a whole lot of business cards.
Eco-impact aside, the dawn of the digital era has led to passionate arguments about whether the business card is dead. Here is just one debate on said topic. The general consensus seems to be, ?Nope, and it won?t be any time soon, but some interesting alternatives are cropping up.? Let?s have a look at some of your options.
Remember, Dee, a business card is not akin to confetti, to be showered upon everyone you meet. Doling yours out to people who really want them is another crucial way to use resources wisely.
Good luck in your new line of work ? can?t wait to see your card.
Industriously,
Umbra
Source: http://grist.org/green-living-tips/ask-umbra-whats-the-greenest-business-card/
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posted by fernandejackson @ 11:19 PM
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The City Colleges of Chicago has ended its practice of allowing em??ployees to ?cash out? sick days when they quit their jobs. In addition, the community college system has also capped the number of sick days an employee can accumulate at 200.
The policy applies to administrators and nonunion employees hired after Jan. 1, 2012, and is a first change resulting from a comprehensive review of benefits ordered by the school?s chancellor last fall.
In addition, the schools have increased health care co-pays and deductibles to bring them in line with the marketplace. The medical plan changes are expected to save Chicago taxpayers $425,000 in 2012.
?We believe these changes encourage employees to take ownership of their health care, including proactively addressing health concerns and making healthy lifestyle choices,? notes Chancellor Cheryl L. Hyman, who has said more changes are coming.
Contact: Laurent Pernot of City Colleges of Chicago, (312) 553-2607.
Source: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/29145/chicagos-city-colleges-take-charge-of-leave-insurance
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posted by fernandejackson @ 9:04 PM
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[unable to retrieve full-text content]Time.com - The nationalization of our politics was one of the major stories of the 2010 midterms, when political experience became a liability and races boiled down to which candidate could claim the outsider's mantle. So it is again this year
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posted by fernandejackson @ 6:52 PM
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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/202453594?client_source=feed&format=rss
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posted by fernandejackson @ 5:35 AM
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New Health And Fitness.Org - Health Information You Can Use
What?s Unicity?
Unicity International, Inc. began off in 2001 when Enrich International and Rexall International got merged together. The company?s main headquarter is just like a lot of other MLM giants located in Utah. By way of the years Unicity International, Inc. has been able to position itself as a direct selling leader inside the wellness and wellness market. At this moment Unicity is operating in more than 30 countries worldwide and since it really is nonetheless expanding the organization definitely has powerful credentials.
Unicity And Bios Life
Unicity International sells products in diverse categories, from personal care to nutrition, to help improve general health. For several men and women who believe highly of wellness, the nutrition category is going to be essentially the most vital one. Unicity has merchandise in these places: digestive well being, anti-aging, life wellness, heart health, immune health, men?s well being, women?s well being, bone and joint wellness and homeopathy. One of several most popular goods is known as Bios Life Slim; it is a fat-burning drink (weight-loss product) which can be designed to help the body in regulating the storage of fat. A further product would be the antioxidant drink called Bios Life E which assists the body?s metabolism. The Bios Life E is also available in powder form. There have been completed a lot of clinical scientific studies on the Unicity goods which might be also listed inside the Physician?s Desk Reference (PDR).
To establish your Bios Life Franchise you will need to acquire a starter kit, which costs $40.00. When you opened your own franchise, you can have the capability to operate as tiny or as substantially as you would like. So even if you only choose to use the items on a regular basis, my advice for you would be to join the firm. The Unicity Compensation Plan
If you want to succeed inside the Unicity Network small business, the very first thing you have to know by heart is the compensation plan. I will offer you a short overview of it by explaining the fundamentals with the ten income income streams with out going into additional detail. (for a complete understanding with the compensation program, please consult the official Unicity International, Inc. Compensation Program)
1. Retail Profit:
Obtain the merchandise at wholesale price tag, sell them at retail and maintain the profit.
two. Private Rebate:
Depending on your monthly product purchases you may receive a rebate ranging from 5% to 30%.
3. Group Bonus:
According to your personal ?Personal Volume? you obtain a Group Bonus ranging from 5% to 20% on the volume of one?s direct franchisees that have not but accomplished the rank of Manager.
four. Fast Start off Bonus:
Depending on your rank along with the level where the new franchisee joins inside six levels of the franchise, you receive a ?Fast Start off Bonus? (three to max. 30%) on the first-month purchases.
five. Team Builder Bonus:
As soon as your Organizational Volume (OV) and your biggest ?leg? reach a certain level, you will be eligible to get a ?Team Builder Bonus?.
6. Franchise Royalties:
Once you obtain the rank of Senior Manager, you?ll be able to start earning Franchise Royalties. (every single royalty amounts to 5%)
7. Presidential Royalties:
Presidential Royalties (of as much as 3%, 4% or 5%) are paid to Franchisees when they reach each and every rank from the President?s Club. (furthermore for the Franchise 5%)
8. Presidential Bonus:
The Presidential Bonus is paid to franchisees who create their franchise at a fairly rapidly pace. When the rank has been accomplished for three consecutive months, a bonus will probably be paid for each additional month the rank is confirmed up to nine months in a twelve-month period.
9. Extra Franchise Positions:
After you obtain the rank of Presidential Diamond, you will be eligible to receive an Extra Franchise Position (AFP).
ten. Chairman?s Club Bonus:
Way of life bonuses for people today who accomplished the rank of Double Diamond, Triple Diamond or Crown Diamond. Unicity, Conclusion:
Unicity International, Inc. has a lot to supply. They have a wide range of products available. Continue study along with the several clinical studies on their goods really should keep them quality wise on a high level. By using their products everyday, you may undoubtedly really feel the positive impact they?ve on your health.
As a organization, Unicity International also gives an excellent chance. There are many strategies to earn by starting your personal franchise. Even so, the compensation strategy is extremely complex and wants to be approached with some caution. If you are able to find a superb mentor who guides you by way of the method, then there?s a significant likelihood that Unicity International will have what you?ll need.
Jens Holvoet is a multilingual entrepreneur who has built several successful online marketing businesses. Go to this page to learn how to advertise Trivani.
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posted by fernandejackson @ 4:17 PM
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Residents may now find eye care Canada services online. They just need to pay a visit to the web and try to locate a convenient optometrist who will put the eyes needs first. Eye specialists in Canada have made the process of finding them online easy by including their information in the leading search results industries.
Top rated doctors are easily found as when an individual visits the web to search for specialists it is their details that pop out first. This has made residents to enjoy services delivered by the doctors at a very quick rate of delivery. People in a certain area in this city may locate professionals found withing the locality thanks to the lists created by certain sites.
Eye caring issue in the city is becoming critical with time and many people are in search of that specialist who will full meet all the needs. Some of the services to look for include scanning, eyes check, surgeries, contact lenses and glasses. Residents are sometimes hoping to find a professional who will take into consideration of all these needs as a package.
Experts ensure to be easily contacted either during emergencies or under normal circumstances. That is why they have uploaded their personal information online for all people with eyes needs to reach out. This service have made it even more faster for residents to reach the professionals.
An office of an optometrist should be well equipped with all the necessary equipments. It should also be kept clean so that patients are comfortable during the visit. A specialist must always have enough assistants who are to help during procedures like surgeries and examinations.
Since these eye care Canada practitioners have personal websites interested residents may sign up free accounts with them. Signing for an account takes a few minutes and a person is able to communicate with the specialist in question in case not available in the office physically. Doctors send notifications through such accounts as well as they keep track of the healing processes of their clients through the same.
Find out more about eye care Canada at our website
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posted by fernandejackson @ 2:37 AM
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"She would call you for no reason at all, but just to say 'hi.' She was a beautiful human being - really caring, beautiful, thoughtful."
So said Alicia Keys today, holding back tears, prior to breaking into a rendition of "Send Me An Angel" in honor of the late Whitney Houston. Watch for yourself now:
Stevie Wonder also performed at the memorial, while Houston's former co-star in The Bodyguard was applauded for his beautiful tribute to the part-time actress.
"To you, Bobbi Kristina, and to all those young girls who are dreaming that dream, thinking that maybe they aren't good enough, I think Whitney would tell you, guard your bodies," said Kevin Costner. "And guard the precious miracle of your own life. Then sing your hearts out.
"Off you go Whitney, off you go. Escorted by an army of angels to your heavenly Father. When you sing before him, don't you worry. You'll be good enough."
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/02/alicia-keys-perform-at-whitney-houston-funeral-video/
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posted by fernandejackson @ 5:27 PM
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A coffin holding the remains of singer Whitney Houston is carried into the New Hope Baptist Church before her funeral services in Newark, N.J. on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
A coffin holding the remains of singer Whitney Houston is carried into the New Hope Baptist Church before her funeral services in Newark, N.J. on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
The hearse carrying the body of Whitney Houston leaves Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, N.J. for a short ride to the New Hope Baptist Church for her funeral Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)
Candles burn at a memorial at a memorial to Whitney Houston outside New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., early Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. Whitney Houston's funeral will take place later Saturday at the church where she sang in the choir as a girl. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Singer Bobby Brown, left, is seen outside during the funeral of his ex-wife Whitney Houston at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. Houston died last Saturday at the Beverly Hills Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., at the age 48. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Fans sing Whitney Houston songs as they gather a few blocks from the New Hope Baptist Church before the singer's funeral in Newark, N.J., Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) ? After all the testimonials from relatives and friends, the songs from legends and pop stars, the preaching and even laughter, the raw emotion of Whitney Houston's funeral came down to just one moment: The sound of her own voice.
As the strains of her biggest record, "I Will Always Love You," filled the New Hope Baptist Church at the end of the nearly four-hour service Saturday and her silver-and-gold casket was lifted in the air, the weight of the moment was too much for mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, to bear.
?As she was held up by two women, she wailed, "My baby! My baby!" as she was led out the church behind her daughter's body.
A few steps behind her was the pop icon's daughter, Bobbi Kristina, also crying uncontrollably as she was comforted by Houston's close friend, singer Ray J.
It was the most searing scene on a day with mixed moods as family, friends and a list celebrities ? sometimes one in the same ? came to the humble New Hope Baptist Church where she first wowed a congregation to remember one of music's legends, but also a New Jersey hometown girl.
?Houston died last Saturday in Beverly Hills, Calif., on the eve of the Grammys at the age of 48. Her death marked the end of a life that was marked by stunning achievements: Blessed with a voice of great power and beauty, Houston became one of pop music's most successful artists over a career that spanned nearly three decades and segued into film with hits like "The Bodyguard."
?But her struggles with drugs and very public fall from grace during tumultuous times, including a union with ex-husband Bobby Brown, were among the many valleys in her life.
Both sides of Houston were recalled at the service at New Hope, which was filled with about 300 mourners, including Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Hudson, Diane Sawyer and Houston's cousin, Dionne Warwick.
?"She was someone with a charmed and a beautiful life, sometimes misunderstood, even by herself," said her sister-in-law and manager, Patricia Houston. "But a life nevertheless that gave joy, happiness, enthusiasm, peace and beautiful music to millions of people around the world."
?Kevin Costner, her co-star in "The Bodyguard," said for all of Houston's beauty and success, she was still yearning for approval from the public ? and still somewhat insecure, a superstar who "still wondered, 'Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me?'"
"It's a tree we could all hang from ? the unexplainable burden that comes with fame," he said. "Call it doubt. call it fear. I've had mine. And I know the famous in the room have had theirs."
Many who spoke talked about Houston's unshakable faith in Jesus Christ, which got her through some of her most difficult times. Perry recalled a conversation where Houston would look sad when reflecting on her troubles, but then would hasten to add that God was taking care of her.
?"The other thing I know for sure ? and this is more important than anything that she's done in her life ? Whitney Houston loved the Lord," he said.
Fittingly, music played a major role in the send-off to one of music's greatest voices.
?Stevie Wonder rewrote lyrics to "Ribbon in the Sky" for Houston ? "you will always be a ribbon in the sky," he sang.
?So did gospel's the Rev. Kim Burrell for "A Change is Gonna Come," which Warwick said was Houston's favorite song of all time. R. Kelly brought the New Hope Baptist Church to its feet with a stirring version of "I Look to You," the title of Houston's final studio album.
?And Keys, her voice breaking at times, dedicated her song "Send Me An Angel," to Houston
Brown briefly appeared at her funeral, walking to the casket, touching it and walking out. He later said in a statement that he and his children were asked repeatedly to move and he left rather than risk creating a scene.
Close family friend Aretha Franklin, whom Houston lovingly called "Aunt Ree," had been expected to sing at the service, but said early Saturday she was too ill to attend. Franklin said in an email to The Associated Press that she had been up most of the night with leg spasms and sent best wishes to the family.
Warwick presided over the funeral, introducing speakers and singers and offering short insights about her cousin; she joked that Houston's Super Bowl performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" became almost as big as the telephone book.
Hudson, who sang "I Will Always Love You" a night after Houston's death in a Grammy tribute, mourned Houston along with Monica, Brandy, and Jordin Sparks ? representing a generation of big-voiced young singers who grew up emulating the star of the '80s and '90s. Sparks stars with Houston in the remake of the 1970s film "Sparkle," due out in August.
As the funeral began, mourners fell quiet as three police officers escorted Houston's casket, draped with white roses and purple lilies. White-robed choir members began to fill the pews on the podium. As the band played softly, the choir sang in a hushed voice, "Whitney, Whitney, Whitney."
A program featuring a picture of Houston looking skyward read "Celebrating the life of Whitney Elizabeth Houston, a child of God." Pictures of Houston as a baby, with her mother and daughter filled the program.
"I never told you that when you were born, the Holy Spirit told me that you would not be with me long," Cissy Houston wrote her daughter in a letter published in the program. "And I thank God for the beautiful flower he allowed me to raise and cherish for 48 years."
"Rest, my baby girl in peace," the letter ends, signed "mommie."
To the world, Houston was the pop queen with the perfect voice, the dazzling diva with regal beauty, a troubled superstar suffering from addiction and, finally, another victim of the dark side of fame. To her family and friends, she was just "Nippy." A nickname given to Houston when she was a child, it stuck with her through adulthood and, later, would become the name of one of her companies.
A few fans gathered hours before the service as close as they could get to the church, some from as far away as Washington, D.C., and Miami. Bobby Brooks said he came from Washington "just to be among the rest of the fans."
"Just to celebrate her life, not just her death," said Brooks, "just to sing and dance with the people that love her."
Others were more entrepreneurial, setting up card tables to sell silk-screened T-shirts with Houston's image and her CDs. Fans were kept blocks from the church and the invitation-only funeral, but their presence was felt. A huge shrine of heart-shaped balloons and personal messages that covered the street corner around the church entrance.
Houston's death marked the final chapter for the superstar whose fall from grace was years in the making. Houston had her first No. 1 hit by the time she was 22, followed by a flurry of No. 1 songs and multi-platinum records.
Over her career, she sold more than 50 million records in the United States alone. Her voice, an ideal blend of power, grace and beauty, made classics out of songs like "Saving All My Love For You," ''I Will Always Love You," ''The Greatest Love of All" and "I'm Every Woman." Her six Grammys were only a fraction of her many awards.
Her last album, "I Look To You," debuted on the top of the charts when it was released in 2009 with strong sales, but didn't have the staying power of her previous records. A tour the next year was doomed by cancellations because of illness and sub-par performances.
Houston is to be buried Sunday next to her father, John Houston, in nearby Westfield, N.J.
__
Contributing to this report were AP Global Entertainment and Lifestyles Editor Alicia Quarles and Entertainment Writer Mesfin Fekadu.
___
Online:
http://www.whitneyhouston.com
__
Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the AP's music editor. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi
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