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The Green Deal Finance Company (GDFC) has today confirmed that initial interest rate for finance packages available under the Green Deal energy efficiency scheme will stand at 6.96 per cent.
The underlying rate means that when operating fees are taken into account indicative interest rates on a financing package of ?5,000 will range from 7.67 per cent to 7.96 per cent depending on the duration of the loan.
The figure is lower than the eight to nine per cent some observers had predicted. GDFC said it would provide ?competitively priced finance [that is] open to all?, but Labour Shadow Climate Minister Luciana Berger attacked the offer as a ?sky high interest rate? that represents a ?bad deal for the public?.
The GDFC, a non-profit company backed by a group of 55 companies orchestrated by PwC, will offer funding to all accredited Green Deal providers at the same initial rate of 6.96 per cent per annum.
However, it will also impose a set up charge of ?63 for each Green Deal Plan and an annual operating charge of ?20, which will be payable by Green Deal providers and can be added to the overall cost of finance for the household or business that has signed up to the scheme.
The company said that due to the fixed costs associated with the administration fees households and businesses would get a better rate of interest if they undertook a wider range of building improvements.
For example, a Green Deal package of ?1,500 that only undertook basic insulation would result in a maximum interest rate of 9.34 per cent, but a wider package of measures worth ?5,000 would result in an annual interest rate of 7.96 per cent over 10 years or 7.67 per cent over 25 years.
?Our all-in cost of finance shows that the more energy efficiency measures a household takes advantage of, the better the long term return in terms of savings, and the lower the cost of overall finance,? said Mark Bayley, chief executive of the GDFC, in a statement.
The GDFC said the rates were comparable to the best high street rates for long-term unsecured loans and the government has consistently argued that Green Deal financing will adhere to the scheme?s golden rule whereby repayments are lower than the savings people receive from their energy bills.
But Berger warned interest rates in excess of seven per cent would badly undermine the appeal of a scheme that is meant to deliver a nationwide revamp of the UK?s building stock.
?The whole point of the Green Deal is that households are meant to save money on their energy bills ? but with rip off interest rates, hidden charges and penalty payments the Green Deal could end up costing people more than they save,? she said. ?With sky high interest rates like these it?s hard to see how the Green Deal will be anything other than a bad deal for the public.?
According to Labour calculations a household taking out a 25 year Green Deal package worth ?10,000 at a 6.96 per cent rate of interest would end up repaying close to ?21,000 over the course of the loan.
Concerns are also being raised about the reach of the scheme with the GDFC confirming that around 20 per cent of households will not be able to qualify for a Green Deal package.
However, Bayley insisted the reach of the scheme far exceeded any existing finance package and many of those qualifying for the scheme would have credit ratings that would demand much higher interest rates were they applying for other unsecured loans.
?We estimate that four out of five energy bill payers in the population will be able to access this finance,? he said. ?We know of no other source of low-cost credit which is this inclusive.
?While we?re committed to financial inclusion, we will only lend responsibly. That means finding other ways to help those already in default on their financial obligations. We will work with leading local authorities and providers to see how tailored local support, combined with the Government?s ?540m Affordable Warmth and Carbon Saving Communities programmes, can reach those who need additional help.?
The scheme officially launches on Monday, backed by a ?2m advertising and marketing campaign and a major cashback offer, which will provide early adopters with cash payments worth hundreds of pounds.
Ministers are hoping the opportunity to undertake property improvements at no upfront cost, secure net savings on energy bills, and in some cases receive in excess of ?1,000 in cash payments will encourage significant take up for the flagship scheme.
Bayley told BusinessGreen he expects the GDFC to hand out between ?200m and ?300m over the first year of the scheme and the organisation is in the last stages of raising finance. The first loans are expected to be paid out in April.
Source: http://treeonline.org.uk/breaking-green-deal-finance-company-confirms-6-96-per-cent-interest-rate/
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By?Cole Petrochko, Staff Writer, MedPage TodayPublished: January 26, 2013
Reviewed?by?Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San FranciscoSAN FRANCISCO -- The standard of care in advanced esophageal cancer treatment -- surgery after chemoradiotherapy -- increased overall and disease-free survival compared with chemoradiotherapy alone, researchers reported here.
Among patients with advanced disease who received chemoradiotherapy followed by surgical resection, 42.3% achieved 5-year overall survival (OS) versus 29% who achieved 5-year OS after chemoradiotherapy only (P=0.0003), according to Ravi Shridhar, PhD, of the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., and colleagues.
Patients who underwent surgery after chemoradiotherapy were also more likely to have a 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) compared with those who did not have surgical resection (29% versus 22.8%, P<0.0001), Shridhar said in a poster session at the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.
The authors noted that recent studies have questioned the standard of care for treating advanced esophageal cancer and decided to compare outcomes in 232 patients who received chemoradiation with and without surgery at their institution between 2000 and 2011.
Participants were predominantly male, had stage III or IV disease, and had tumors that were 5 cm or shorter in length.
Median OS among patients who underwent surgical resection was 42.2 months versus 20.4 months in those who did not. Median 5-year DFS time was 16.8 months with surgery versus 8.4 months without.
In the multivariate analysis, OS was significantly associated with the following:
Also in the multivariate analysis, 5-year DFS was associated with:
Additionally, there was a trend for an association between 5-year DFS and lower disease stage (P=0.069) and squamous histology (P=0.055).
Finally, the authors reported that age, gender, and radiation dose were not prognostic for DFS. All of those factors, plus histology, tumor location, and radiation technique were not prognostic for OS.
They recommended that surgery be included as part of trimodality treatment for advanced esophageal cancer.
Shridhar also noted that future studies could include a longer follow-up of patients with squamous cell carcinomas "to better qualify the initial negative results," and that randomized trials are needed to address the role of surgery for adenocarcinomas.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Primary source: Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium
Source reference:
Shrindhar R, et al "Survival in patients with esophageal cancer treated with surgery after chemoradiotherapy" GiCS 2013; Abstract 98.
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Source: http://www.soulinjection.com/surgery-boosts-outcomes-in-esophageal-ca/
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Claire was able to accomplish the task by using other methods of communication and the help of an autoresponder:
I started letting people know about my decision and thought it would be the easiest part of the process. It proved to be the hardest. I put a note on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to announce my decision. I put an auto-responder on my email[.]
While communicating through speed-appropriate channels like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other sites can reduce email volume, we've yet to see anyone eliminate it entirely before. If you don't like email and would like to have it out of your life, what's stopping you? Is it your job? Do you like that everything is in one place and would like that with social media sites instead? Let us know in the discussion below.
How I Gave up Email and Reclaimed 3 Hours a Day | The 99u
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Magazine?s Reader Survey Ranks Grand Velas Riviera Maya and Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit
Amongst Mexico?s Top Resorts
Mexico?s ?Beyond All Inclusive, Beyond All Compare? Grand Velas Resorts in Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit are honored as top resorts by Travel & Leisure readers in the 2013 T+L 500 List of Best Hotels in the World.? Grand Velas Riviera Maya on Mexico?s Caribbean Coast and Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit on the country?s Pacific Coast rank as two of 20 resorts named to the list in Mexico.?? This is the first time being selected for both Grand Velas Resorts.? Chosen by readers, the list is a compendium of the highest-ranking hotels and resorts worldwide, based on data collected in the Travel + Leisure 2012 World?s Best Awards readers? survey.
?We are deeply honored our resorts have been recognized as two of the world?s best,? says Juan Vela, Vice President of Operations of Velas Resorts, ?We are thankful to our loyal guests and committed staff who helped make this happen.?
?We are especially proud to make our debut on Travel + Leisure?s 500 List of Best Hotels in the World,? said Fernando Garcia Rossette, Managing Director for the Grand Velas Resorts.? ?It will be another banner year for our resorts thanks to our staff; the award coming on the heels of Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit?s 10th Anniversary, another AAA Five Diamond rating, two Cond? Nast Traveler?s Reader?s Choice Awards and Grand Velas Riviera Maya?s inclusion in Forbes? roundup of the 10 Coolest All-Inclusive Resorts.?
About Grand Velas Riviera Maya:
The AAA Five Diamond Grand Velas Riviera Maya, an all-suites and spa resort located five minutes from Playa del Carmen, is the latest and most sophisticated iteration of the ultra-luxury, all-inclusive resort experience.? This Leading Hotels of the World designated resort is the preeminent one of its class boasting 491 suites, each more than 1,000 square-feet, in three separate ambiances? premium ocean-front Grand Class Suites with terrace plunge pools for families with children 12 and up, family-friendly ocean-view Ambassador Suites and Zen Grand Suites embraced by the flora and fauna of the Yucatan Peninsula?s jungle.? The resort presents a gastronomic tour of the Yucatan, Europe and Asia offering seven restaurants with world-class chefs from France, Spain and Mexico; dedicated butler service for each guest, and the region?s largest spa sanctuary at over 89,000 square-feet specializing in signature treatments inspired by ancient cultures from around the world.? The spa was named ?Best Spa? in the world by Virtuoso and also earned a SpaFinder Readers? Choice Award.? The resort was designed by lauded Mexican architecture firm Elias and Elias and features the sleek and modish interiors that fuse the serenity of the Caribbean with the vibrancy of Yucatan cultures.
?
About Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit:?????
Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, an all-suites and spa resort located just 15 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta on Banderas Bay, is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World and a recipient of the AAA Five-Diamond Award.? The resort features 267 spacious ocean-view suites.? The crown jewel of the resort and a member of Leading Spas of the World, the Spa at Grand Velas features 20 treatment rooms, over 60 spa treatments, gym and exercise room, spa boutique and beauty salon.? The family-friendly resort also offers tiered three-temperature infinity pools, tennis court, 25,321 total sq feet of meeting space and a Kids Club. Nearby are championship golf courses, numerous options for soft adventure, and the charming town of Puerto Vallarta with its many shops, art galleries and nightlife.
Source: http://www.mexicopremiere.com/?p=6408
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ATHENS (Reuters) - Striking Greek subway workers trickled back to work on Friday after the government threatened them with arrest, ending a nine-day walkout that paralyzed public transport in Athens.
The showdown had turned into the latest test for Greece's fragile three-party ruling coalition as it faces down unions to try to implement austerity measures demanded by foreign lenders as the price for bailout funds.
Traffic slowly resumed on Athens' subway lines on Friday afternoon after workers protesting wage cuts were served orders to return to work or face jail, the first time the government has invoked such legislation since it took power in June.
"The workers who were handed the notice didn't have a choice. We are exploring legal options," said Manthos Tsakos, general secretary of the main subway workers' union.
Earlier on Friday, police forced their way through a metal gate at a train depot in Athens to break up an overnight sit-in by 90 transport workers against wage cuts. Scuffles broke out and at least three people were detained before being released.
The radical leftist opposition Syriza party, which is leading in some opinion polls, said the police intervention was a "barbaric" attack on workers' rights.
Eager to show lenders and Greeks that it is determined to implement promised reforms, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has taken a hard line on the strikers despite facing criticism from one of his own coalition partners.
"Under no circumstances can the government allow the country to be derailed and to let the sacrifices of the Greek people go to waste," Development Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, who oversees transport issues, said in a televised statement.
Other transport unions held strikes in solidarity with subway workers on Friday, leaving Athens without bus, tram, trolleybus or rail services, and causing gridlock across the city.
Traffic ground to a halt in the capital, fuelling public anger against the strike which affected more than a million commuters in a city of 5 million people.
"HARD TO HAVE SYMPATHY"
"This week has been hell. How can they expect people to be on their side when they do this to us? We're all suffering (from austerity) but it's very difficult to have any sympathy for them," said 50-year-old Dionisis Kefalas.
Other commuters, worn down by years of frequent strikes and exasperated by the long wait for a taxi to work, agreed.
"Ordinary people are being inconvenienced - as if our problems weren't bad enough," said Daphne Kiritsi, 46, an office clerk, who said she had paid 200 euros out of her 800-euro monthly salary for taxis this week.
Subway employees oppose being included in a unified wage scheme for public sector workers drawn up under an austerity program that would slash their salaries.
Under the emergency law invoked, which is meant to be used in times of war, natural disaster or risks to public health, workers can be arrested and jailed for up to five years.
Subway, shipyard and other public sector workers planned to march on Friday to parliament in Syntagma Square, the scene of often violent protests in recent years.
The most powerful unions threw their support behind the subway workers.
"The workers' struggle will continue until justice is had," said Nikos Kioutsoukis, general secretary of the GSEE private sector union, which has called a 24-hour strike against austerity measures next month.
(Additional reporting by George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Deepa Babington and Myra MacDonald)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/greek-subway-workers-end-strike-arrest-threat-141942499.html
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I 
Why is it so hard to find intimacy and sexual connection in the same person? My friend told me he was stumped and found the questions a bit haunting. What is it about gay men and sex? Are all gay men promiscuous?
We may wince at the word ?promiscuity,? but research and personal experience both indicate that gay men have more sexual partners than heterosexual men. It?s reasonable to question why that might be, and to think about the costs and benefits of our sexual choices.
Sex is important to gay men. In addition to the obvious reason ? sex is highly pleasurable ? until recently sex between men was illegal, disapproved of and marginalized in most parts of our country. And gay male culture tends to be both sexy and sexualized. Ellen DeGeneres tells a joke about looking in the gay yellow pages when she first came out and remarking, ?Wow! Look at the abs on that mortician!?
Gay men have always had long-term, committed and monogamous relationships, of course. That?s quite an accomplishment when you consider all the obstacles placed in the way of such relationships? success: lack of legal recognition, frequent lack of family support, etc. But gay men don?t always assume that sexuality can only be healthy in the context of a committed relationship. (Contrast this with the situation of heterosexuals, where sex is supposed to be only within marriage, yet sex outside of marriage isn?t at all uncommon.)
Pleasure makes the sexual urge very strong, but that doesn?t mean our reasons for having sex aren?t complex. Sex can be lovemaking ? celebrating the passion and connection with a partner we love. But there are all sorts of other reasons why people choose to have sex: maybe they?re horny or lonely. Maybe they?re drunk or just bored. And some men have learned to use sex as a way to escape from stress.
Sex can be a deep expression of intimacy, but pursuing many sexual partners can reflect just the opposite ? a fear of real intimacy. Casual sex can allow us to scratch our itch to physically connect with another person without requiring us to do the hard work involved in having a healthy relationship. Over time that can decrease our ability to have those sorts of committed, fulfilling relationships.
Does the gay community encourage gay men to have a large number of sex partners, particularly outside of relationships? The sexual infrastructure of our community includes cruisy bars, circuit parties, bathhouses, sex clubs and Internet hook-up sites with names like Manhunt or Cruisingforsex. Sex is instantly available to anyone with a car or Internet connection. It?s not that recreational sex is a bad thing, but sex can become compulsive and unhealthy if it becomes the source of our identity or if it becomes compulsive. When we become preoccupied with sexuality or anything else, life loses its balance.
Back to my friend?s dinner conversation. Is it difficult to find gay men who are ready for committed relationships? I don?t think so. Our community presents lots of alternatives, though, and guys who spend a lot of time in the hypersexual parts of the gay community aren?t good candidates for monogamous life.
Chalk up another reason why it?s good to take plenty of time to get to know the person you?re dating before you imagine giving your heart to him.
John R. Ballew, M.S.an author and contributor to GAYTWOGETHER, is a licensed professional counselor in private practice in Atlanta. He specializes in issues related to coming out, sexuality, relationships and spirituality. If you have any questions or comments you can submit them directly to GAYTWOGETHER?or John R. Ballew, M.S. - www.bodymindsoul.org.
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UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will recommend to the U.N. Security Council that a peace enforcement unit be deployed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to take on the M23 rebels and other armed groups, a senior U.N. official said on Friday.
The intervention unit of a few thousand troops would aim to prevent armed groups from expanding territory in the resource-rich region by overpowering and disarming them. The unit would be contained within the existing U.N. force, known as MONUSCO.
"It is not simply peacekeeping, this is peace enforcement. It's a much more robust stance," said the official, who declined to be named. "It will be a deterrent against the armed groups."
Diplomats and U.N. officials say that peace enforcement missions allow the use of lethal force in serious combat situations, while peacekeeping operations are intended to support and monitor an already existing ceasefire.
The Congolese army has failed to quell a growing nine-month insurgency by M23, which has dragged Congo's eastern region back toward war and has received cross-border support from Rwanda and Uganda, according to independent U.N. experts. Both governments strongly deny the accusations.
MONUSCO, which has a mandate to protect civilians, suffered a severe blow to its image after it chose not to intervene as well-armed M23 rebels seized control of the eastern city of Goma in November. The rebels withdrew after 11 days.
A peace enforcement brigade within MONUSCO would be able to quickly respond to such operations by armed groups in the future and the official said it was hoped that the force could be on the ground in three months.
The official said one battalion already operating within MONUSCO would become part of the intervention unit along with two new battalions. The new troops would not increase the total MONUSCO force beyond its authorized mandate of about 22,000.
But a new Security Council resolution will be needed to approve the peace enforcement unit. The official said the 15-member council was likely to agree to the intervention brigade.
South Africa and Tanzania are among the countries that have been considered possible providers of troops for the peace enforcement wing of MONUSCO, Security Council diplomats say.
UNDERLYING ISSUES
The decision to create an enforcement wing of MONUSCO came in response to a call from African nations for the deployment of a neutral international force to deal with the rebel threat in eastern Congo.
The 15-member Security Council gave a green light this week for peacekeepers to use surveillance drones in eastern Congo after weeks of delay over concerns among Russia, China and Rwanda about the use of aerial spy equipment.
Despite Rwanda's alleged involvement in the M23 rebellion, the official said any concerns it might have over the creation of an intervention unit would be allayed by the fact that the troops would be targeting not just M23 but all armed groups, including the FDLR rebel group.
Rwanda - which began a two-year term as a council member this month - has in the past cited the presence of the FDLR, or Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, as a reason for sending troops into neighboring Congo.
The last U.N.-led peace enforcement mission approved by the Security Council was in Somalia in the early 1990s when 18 U.S. troops were killed in the "Black Hawk Down" incident, an event that led to U.S. withdrawal of combat troops from U.N.-commanded peacekeeping operations.
Ban will recommend the intervention force to the council in a report early next month after a regional political deal is signed by leaders on the sidelines of the African Union summit on Monday, the official said.
The deal - to be signed by Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, Burundi, Congo, Angola and Tanzania in Addis Ababa - will also refer to a strengthening of the MONUSCO force, said the official.
"The leaders of the region commit to work together and to address the underlying issues, whether it's economic, military, political," the official said.
The leaders of those eight states will meet twice a year on the sidelines of the African Union summit and the U.N. General Assembly, he said. Ban or his Great Lakes special envoy - who is yet to be appointed - would also attend and oversee the process.
(Editing by Eric Walsh)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-chief-recommend-intervention-troops-congo-official-223931665.html
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Still struggling to recover from the devastating 2010 earthquake, Haiti's prime minister declared it 'open for business.' Rather than depending on international aid, Haiti hopes to attract tourism and investments.
Clothing for sale hangs from ropes at a market in the Dominican Republic where Haitians sell their goods. Haiti is trying to capitalize on tourism as part of its recovery from the 2010 earthquake.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor
EnlargeHaiti's prime minister says his country is hoping to attract high-end tourists and multinational investors ? instead of constant aid handouts ? so it can get on its feet after the devastating 2010 earthquake.
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Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe said Saturday he recognizes that's an ambitious dream for a country where 52 percent of the people live below the poverty line and where infrastructure is desperately lacking.
Still, he pushed that concept ? and a bid to build up Haiti's tourism industry ? in meetings with CEOs this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
"Haiti is open for business," Lamothe said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Haiti still has huge humanitarian needs and little more than half of the $5.3 billion in aid promised after the earthquake has been disbursed.
Lamothe, however, said "we are not going to depend on handouts indefinitely."
Yet humanitarian groups are unlikely to go away, for they have long provided basic services to Haitians because the government can barely do so.
Lamothe argued that his visit to Davos ? a pricey Alpine resort reserved for business and political leaders this week ? was a worthwhile venture that would bear fruit for his Caribbean country, such as an investment pledge from Heineken and new projects with Coca-Cola.
He said he wants people to think of Haiti not just as a place to set up a charity but as a place to set up a business, and argued that corporations "can do equal or better than any large country for small Haiti."
The prime minister called building up the tourism industry "a very high priority," noting that a five-star hotel was already under construction and that new tourist police would provide security for visitors in a country with a turbulent past.
Yet efforts to bring in foreign investors and tourists could prove a tough sell. Haiti is expected to hold legislative elections this year, and the run-up could be fraught with political agitation and protests.
The capital, Port-au-Prince, is also crowded, dirty and clogged with traffic.
Haiti is still clearing the last rubble from the 2010 quake, which killed about 316,000 people. Another 350,000 Haitians are still living in impromptu camps. The reconstruction effort has been slow due to political paralysis and the level of devastation.
Trenton Daniel in Port-au-Prince contributed to this report.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/UcEtX24cHog/Haiti-looks-to-tourism-as-way-forward
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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Wool instead of synthetic fleece, carbon skis and a spoon-shaped sleeping bag are among the hottest products at the world's largest expo for outdoor equipment and apparel, where vendors are vying for a share of the $289 billion Americans spend every year on outdoor gear, travel and services.
The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market show that runs through Saturday is a merchandise bazaar for a lifestyle of outdoor adventure. Bringing together 1,000 of the world's manufacturers and distributors, it is a showcase for the latest gear and fashions before they hit the mainstream.
One hardware company, Salt Lake City-based Black Diamond, put models on stage late Thursday for its inaugural 24-piece line of jackets and stretch-woven pants. It plans to jump into wool a year from now.
Wool was rubbed out by fleece decades ago, but many exhibitors said it's back without the itch, still warm and quick to dry and it doesn't hold body odors, a big drawback of fleece.
"Natural fibers is where it's at," said Matt Skousen, of Everest Designs. "It's the real deal. Wool has had millions of years to figure itself out."
Skousen founded Everest Designs with his Nepalese wife, Choti Sherpa. They hire workers in Nepal to stitch beanies from New Zealand wool, run the company out of Missoula, Mont., and were hoping for a sales boost at a trade show also crowded with Merino wool sweaters, undergarments and socks.
Shoppers aren't allowed inside the expo and no cash sales are conducted. Instead, the four-day show brings together retailers making orders for next year's inventory. Suppliers range from industry giants like Patagonia and Mountain Hardwear to perhaps the smallest player, a former Army Ranger hawking "Combat FlipFlops" from his duffel bag.
Matthew Griffin, who calls himself a micro-manufacturer, didn't have a booth of his own.
New products range from sunglasses with magnetic pop-out lenses to a thermo-electric camp stove that does double duty boiling water and charging electronic devices.
Another company showed off a line of sleeping bags with a roomy hourglass shape for camper comfort.
"Nobody sleeps like a mummy," said Kate Ketschek of New Hampshire-based NEMO Equipment Inc., which is receiving industry attention for its extra-wide Spoon Series of sleeping bags, an alternative to mummy and rectangular bags. She called it a "completely new category" of sleeping bags, made for side sleepers.
The jam-packed expo underscores a thriving corner of the economy. Outdoor-gear sales grew 5 percent annually throughout recent years of recession, analysts said.
The show favors Utah, a place of rugged mountains and canyons and a cottage industry for innovators like DPS, a maker of expensive carbon-fiber skis that recently shifted production from China to safeguard and refine its technology.
Stephen Drake was an English major from New York in 2005 when he launched DPS with $100,000, a trip to China and a design for a featherweight carbon ski.
"Man, we were in over our head," said Drake, 36, who teamed up with an engineer. "It's almost ridiculous what we tried to do with so little money, building carbon skis with new technology." DPS now handcrafts several thousand pairs a year for retail prices up to $1,300 from a factory in Ogden.
That's too much for a ski, said Mark Wariakois, founder of Voile, which sells a hybrid-carbon model for $600 adopted by backcountry professionals in the Rocky Mountains. Voile laminates 3,000 skis and snowboards a year at a factory in a Salt Lake City suburb.
"Everybody is trying to figure out how we make these big skis" for that price, said Wariakois. "We make all of our own tools. That's probably the biggest secret to our success."
Attendance is up 40 percent since 2006, with more than 20,000 flocking to Winter Market, said Nielsen Expo Outdoor Group, the organizer. A twin show in August brings out a larger crowd and is dominated by equipment for water sports.
Nielsen announced Tuesday it was keeping the shows in Salt Lake City through August 2016. The decision suspended a political standoff that had the Outdoor Industry Association threatening to leave over Gov. Gary Herbert's policies. Herbert, a Republican, unveiled a 59-page "vision" for outdoor recreation in the state, which calls for the creation of a state office devoted to the $5.8 billion economic sector.
The Outdoor Retailer show has taken place in Utah since 1996 and pours $40 million annually into the local economy.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.newson6.com/story/20707015/wool-is-hot-at-huge-utah-outdoor-gear-trade-show
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Mine was Asimov's Foundation Trilogy (I refuse to admit that there are more than three Foundation novels). I'd just finished reading the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and here was a trilogy that gave a science-fictionalized account of that period of history.
Psychohistory, the keystone of the novels, is tempting, as well. The idea of using math and psychology to predict the future of a civilization is appealing, although probably impossible.
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By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News
A gunman who tried to rob a bookmaker in England has died after he was tackled by unarmed customers, police said.
Broadcaster ITV News reported that the man, in his 50s, went into a branch of bookmaker Ladbrokes just before 7 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET) in Plymouth, England.
Customers disarmed him and held him on the floor, police told the station, and he was unconscious when officers arrived. He was declared dead shortly after.
In a statement, a spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police told ITV News that ?it quickly became clear the man was unresponsive and an ambulance was immediately requested by police who carried out CPR until they arrived.?
?A few minutes later, three paramedics arrived at the scene and continued to carry out further CPR. Around 20 minutes later the man was declared dead at the scene by the paramedics,? the statement added.
Ladbrokes declined to comment, ITV News said.
ITV News is the U.K. partner of NBC News.
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(Reuters) - A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that President Barack Obama violated the U.S. Constitution when he used recess appointments to fill a labor board, in a sweeping decision that could limit presidential power to push through federal nominees.
The court found that the Senate was not truly in recess, for the purpose of a recess appointment, when Obama in January 2012 installed three nominees to the National Labor Relations Board.
The nominees were facing stiff Republican opposition, and the appointments caused an uproar at the time. Republicans argued that Obama undercut the Senate's power to confirm nominees because although most of its members were out of town, the Senate had not formally adjourned.
In a surprisingly broad ruling, the three-judge panel rejected not only the NLRB appointments but any made while the Senate is in session but on a break. That could limit recess appointments to only a few weeks a year.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit also ruled that recess appointments could only be used for positions that become vacant while the Senate is in recess.
"If the decision stands, it would be a significant reduction of the president's recess power," said John Elwood, a Washington lawyer who was deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel from 2005 through 2009.
"This is a big, big decision for executive power," Elwood said. "It is one of the most important decisions in decades."
More immediately, the ruling casts doubt on the ability of the NLRB, an independent agency that oversees labor disputes, to conduct its business if it does not have enough members. Its recent rulings may also be vulnerable to challenge.
The ruling also throws into question the legality of the appointment of Richard Cordray, the head of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Obama used the same type of recess appointment to install Cordray; his appointment was challenged in a separate lawsuit.
But the ruling's most profound impact may be its threat to the now-standard practice of presidents ramming through nominees that otherwise would get bogged down in the Senate, often because of unrelated political fights.
White House spokesman Jay Carney called the ruling "novel and unprecedented" and said it contradicted 150 years of practice by both Democratic and Republican administrations.
The Justice Department said it is considering its options to appeal. Legal experts expect the administration will challenge the ruling, and the case could go to the Supreme Court.
Republican lawmakers, who had joined the legal challenge to the NLRB appointments, jumped on the ruling as a vindication of their view that the administration had overreached.
"The D.C. Circuit Court today reaffirmed that the Constitution is not an inconvenience but the law of the land," Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, said in a statement.
NLRB Chairman Mark Gaston Pearce said in a statement the board would continue to perform its statutory duties and issue decisions. CFPB spokeswoman Moira Vahey said the ruling had no direct effect on the bureau.
A TEST OF POWERS
The suit started as a routine dispute between soda bottling company Noel Canning and the labor board, but developed into a high-profile appeal with the help of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Senate Republicans.
The case was seen as a test of the president's ability to bypass a Senate vote on nominees. The Constitution allows the Senate to block nominees, and both Democratic and Republican presidents have used recess appointments as a way around this for decades.
When Obama made the NLRB appointments, the Senate was not officially in recess. It continued to meet every few days for minutes at a time with few senators present.
The court's decision, issued by a panel of judges who had been appointed by Republicans, hinged on what constitutes a "recess" and whether it includes short breaks while the Senate is still technically in session.
Presidents have often used these intra-session recess appointments. Ronald Reagan, for example, made 36 such appointments, and Bill Clinton made 39, according to data from the Congressional Research Service.
"Considering the text, history, and structure of the Constitution, these appointments were invalid from their inception," the ruling said about the NLRB appointments of Sharon Block, Richard Griffin and Terence Flynn.
It said the president could not have "free rein to appoint his desired nominees at any time he pleases, whether that time be a weekend, lunch, or even when the Senate is in session and he is merely displeased with its inaction. This cannot be the law."
Jay Wexler, a law professor at Boston University School of Law, said the ruling includes "pretty big restrictions" but that he was most surprised that presidents would only be allowed to use such appointments when a vacancy popped up during a recess.
Once rare, recess appointments became more common in the late 1970s as a way to bypass the confirmation process, which senators have used increasingly to block nominees.
Recent presidents pushed the boundaries. George W. Bush took the unusual step of filling a judgeship during a recess.
For a graphic on recess appointments by past presidents, please see http://link.reuters.com/vyj55t.
Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy previously challenged the intra-session recess appointment of William Pryor to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2004 by George W. Bush. The 11th Circuit upheld the right of the president to make the recess appointment, finding the term "recess" in the Constitution ambiguous. That decision conflicts with the D.C. Circuit's decision on Friday.
NLRB, CORDRAY IN DOUBT
Pearce of the NLRB said the ruling would not deter the board from getting on with its work. However, the NLRB's recent and future decisions are now on legally shaky ground because without the three appointments, the board lacks a quorum.
The NLRB has been active this past year in expanding protections for employees who complain about their employer on social media like Facebook or Twitter.
It also issued a ruling requiring employers to continue collecting union dues even after a union contract expires.
Donna Ballman, an employment lawyer and author of "Stand Up For Yourself Without Getting Fired," said the appeals court decision would lead to delays in NLRB rulings.
Although Friday's decision did not touch on Cordray, his appointment to the CFPB was challenged in a separate lawsuit brought in June by the State National Bank of Big Spring, Texas, and other institutions.
That suit presented a similar argument that the recess appointment was invalid because the Senate was technically still in session.
Cordray's appointment followed months of rancorous debate over the new consumer bureau, which was created by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial oversight law to police markets for products such as credit cards and home loans.
Obama on Thursday renominated Cordray to head the CFPB, but it is unclear how long the confirmation process will take.
Even though the new ruling doesn't deal with the consumer agency, it could call into question supervisory actions and regulations it has taken. "The CFPB world has been turned upside down," said financial services lawyer Richard Gottlieb of the Dykema law firm.
(Reporting By Aruna Viswanatha in Washington and Terry Baynes in New York, with additional reporting by Emily Stephenson, Joan Biskupic, and Diane Bartz; Editing by Karey Wutkowski and Doina Chiacu)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/court-rules-obamas-appointments-unconstitutional-002704962--finance.html
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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - According to a new analysis, people taking high doses of the B vitamin folic acid are not at an increased risk of cancer - easing some concern about possible side effects of national fortification programs.
The U.S. and Canada have required flour to be fortified with folic acid since 1998, after deficiencies in pregnant women were tied to brain and spinal cord birth defects in their babies.
However, researchers noted, fortification is not mandatory in Western Europe, for example, in part because of concern that extra folic acid might slightly increase people's risk of cancer due to its role in cell growth. Cells, including cancer cells, need folate - the natural form of folic acid - to grow and divide.
"Overall, this is good news," said nutrition researcher Joshua Miller from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
However, he noted, there are enough questions about the long-term effects of folic acid that people should still "be a little cautious" about loading up on the vitamin.
For the new analysis, a team of international researchers combined data from 13 separate trials that randomly assigned participants to daily folic acid or a vitamin-free placebo and recorded who went on to develop cancer.
The studies included a total of close to 50,000 volunteers who were followed for just over five years, on average.
During that time, 7.7 percent of people in the folic acid groups and 7.3 percent in the placebo groups were diagnosed with any kind of cancer - a difference that could have been due to chance, the researchers noted in The Lancet.
Likewise, there was no increased risk of individual cancers - including colon, prostate, lung or breast cancer - attributed to folic acid.
Most trials used daily doses of folic acid between 0.5 and 5 milligrams. In the one study that used a much larger dose - 40 mg daily - there was still no difference in cancer diagnoses between people who were and weren't taking the vitamin.
The total daily amount of folic acid delivered through flour fortification is less than 0.5 mg per day for most Americans.
Folic acid is also naturally found in spinach, asparagus, lettuce and other greens. The recommended upper daily limit is 1.0 mg.
"The conclusion you can make from this is that over a relatively short period of time, there was no significant benefit or harm," said Dr. John Baron from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in Lebanon, New Hampshire, who worked on the review.
Most cancers take 10 to 20 years to develop, he told Reuters Health. So it's hard to tell from shorter studies if there really is no folic acid-cancer link or if the researchers didn't follow people for long enough to see an association, whether positive or negative.
The possible effect of folic acid on cancer risk has been controversial, in part because of the complex biology behind it, said Miller, who co-wrote a commentary published with the new study.
"It has this dual nature, where extra folic acid could actually prevent cancers from developing in the first place, (but) once cancer is formed, then they're like any other proliferating cells - they need folate to do that," he told Reuters Health.
The researchers agreed this study shouldn't be the last word on the potential side effects of folic acid.
For now, Miller added, people might want to avoid piling supplements on top of multivitamins and fortified food.
"People should realize if they're eating breakfast cereals and bread and pastas, they're getting a good amount of folic acid in food," he said.
"I think they should try not to exceed the upper limit."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/Wz5GxC The Lancet, online January 25, 2013.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/high-doses-folic-acid-not-tied-cancer-risk-195115635.html
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon has begun laying off many of its 46,000 temporary and contract workers and delaying maintenance on aircraft and ships to slow spending due to fears it may be hit by new budget cuts, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Friday.
The Pentagon also plans to formally notify Congress in the next few weeks that if further budget cuts take place on March 1, it will furlough most of its 800,000 full-time civilian employees, probably by asking them to take a day off per week for the last 22 weeks of the fiscal year, Carter said.
"Obviously this is a terrible thing to have to do to our employees and to the mission," Carter said. "But it's necessary because it'll save $5 billion and we have to find that money."
The cost-cutting steps come as the Pentagon tries to deal with budget uncertainty caused by the threat of $45 billion in across-the-board spending reductions on March 1 and Congress's failure to appropriate defense funding for the 2013 fiscal year.
The Pentagon currently is absorbing $487 billion in cuts to projected defense spending over 10 years that were agreed in the Budget Control Act of 2011. That law also required the additional across-the-board cuts by January 1, 2013, unless Congress agreed to an alternative.
Lawmakers failed to reach a new deal but did agree to postpone the across-the-board cuts until March 1 to give themselves more time. But March 1 is five months into the fiscal year, giving the Pentagon less time to absorb any cuts.
Defense officials had long resisted taking action in response to the threat of additional reductions, saying they were put in place to try to force Congress to reach an alternative.
But Carter said the congressional debate on U.S. financial issues in late December had been sobering, with little discussion of how cuts would affect the Pentagon or its mission. Postponing the decision for another two months reduced the time the department would have to respond.
"When we were marching up to January 1 we had more runway, more time to absorb cuts if we had to absorb cuts," Carter said. "Now we're running out of time and so for those two reasons, our risk calculus has to change ... and we need to begin acting."
Carter asked the military services two weeks ago to take steps to reduce their rate of spending. He said he asked them for detailed plans by February 1 on what they are doing to reduce short-term spending before the $45 billion in new cuts are due to go into effect on March 1.
He also asked for detailed long-term planning by February 8 on how the services will implement the $45 billion in across-the-board cuts if they go into effect.
BUDGET MESS
Congressional failure to allocate funding for defense for the 2013 fiscal year has complicated the Pentagon's budget mess. The department is currently operating on a continuing resolution that maintains funding at 2012 levels until March 27.
"The problem is that the money is in the wrong pots," Carter said. He said the Pentagon had planned to spend considerably more for operations and maintenance in 2013 than it did in 2012.
"We don't have enough money to operate the forces in the way we thought we were going to," Carter said. "That's the problem. And that's a more than $10 billion problem. And we're running out of time to eat that $10 billion and that's the reason that we need to act now."
To slow the rate of spending, the department has put a freeze on civilian hiring, he said. Usually the department hires 1,000 to 2,000 civilians a week, more than 44 percent of them military veterans and 86 percent of them living and working across the country, not in Washington.
The department's 46,000 temporary and contract employees are "all now subject to release," Carter said, meaning they will either be let go now or will not have their contracts extended. The only exception would be if they are performing jobs critical to the war or the department's basic mission.
The department also is cutting back on base and equipment maintenance, which costs about $15 billion per year. He said the Navy would cancel maintenance on 30 ships that had been planned for the third and fourth quarters this year.
"They're not going to sign those contracts with the shipyards that do that work," Carter said.
Carter said the Pentagon would have to do "more draconian things" if Congress allows the $45 billion in cuts to go into effect, likely leading to "a pervasive crisis in readiness."
He said the Army projected that if the cuts occur, two-thirds of its active brigades and all of its reserve brigades would be operating at reduced readiness. Funds for training would primarily be used to prepare troops deploying to Afghanistan, while others would largely do without, he said.
Most Air Force flying units would be at reduced readiness by the end of the year, he said. The Navy would have to cut back steaming days by 30 percent to 35 percent, affecting its presence in the Gulf and Asia-Pacific region. He said the cuts might affect the U.S. ability to keep two carriers in the Gulf.
(Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Vicki Allen and Doina Chiacu)
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?Green is the most abundant hue in nature ? the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum,? said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. ?Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today?s complex world. This powerful and universally appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.?
Whether you want to rejuvenate your home with an emerald colored wall or add subtle accents, green works well with both neutral palettes (whites, beiges, grays) and brighter colors, such orange. (Update last year?s Tangerine Tango color scheme with a pop of green!)
Look outdoors for inspiration. Pair green with blue and aqua tones for a nautical or cottage look, or with gold or browns for a nature-inspired palette. If emerald isn?t the shade for you, try mixing other greens or similar colors such as turquoise and teal into your existing color scheme.
It?s easy to refresh your home d?cor with a splash of color. New table linens, pillows, dinner and serving ware, glassware, and accent pieces such as decorative bowls, vases, and live or silk topiaries and plants are all simple and affordable ways to update your look for the season.
Emerald has been spotted on the runways and is considered a classic, balanced color that works with most skin tones. As in home d?cor, you can introduce a subtle pop of color to your wardrobe through jewelry or accessories, such as Cinda b?s bags and travel accessories in Verde Bonita, a bright green with navy and turquoise geometric accents.
Check out our spring arrivals for inspiration to update your look. Our team of designers provides complimentary in-store consultations and will assist you in incorporating these new trends into your home. Full design services are also available ? from painting and window treatments to selecting furniture, lighting, rugs and accessories. Call us at (262) 248-6988 to learn more.?
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It goes without saying that companies that manufacture store bought beer generally have more workers, larger pieces of beer brewing equipment and roomfuls of beer brewing supplies so they can mass produce bottled beer. Clearly, when it comes to volume, store bought beer has an advantage over home brewed beer. However, store bought beer might not have an edge over home brewed beer when it comes to flavor and taste, and isn?t that the reason people drink beer to start with, to enjoy the taste.
Homemade Beer Offering Beer Lovers More Options
Home brewed beers come in a variety of flavors, including chocolate, vanilla, tea, mustard, tomato, bacon steak flavored and oyster. Depending on the beer brewing kits home brewers get, they could blend ingredients and develop more unique tasting beers in a matter of weeks. It could take manufacturers of store bought beers months, if not longer, to work through red tape and get approval to start making and marketing new flavored beers.
When made with dependable home beer brewing equipment, homemade beer can also stay fresh. It?s this freshness that beer drinkers appreciate. As Mark Roessler shares in the January 8, 2013 Valley Advocate ?No Beer Like Home? article, ?The best-tasting beer is the stuff that?s the freshest and travels the least distance to your glass.?
It?s hard to find a more locally made beer than home brewed beer. Stop by the home of a friend or relative who stocks and uses home brewing supplies in their basement, kitchen or garage, and you might get the chance to drink some of the freshest tasting beer around. Unlike some store bought beer, homemade beer can easily be tweaked and refined throughout the year. Home brewers can also create their own recipes, giving drinkers more options.
Homemade beer: Delicious & Fascinating
One thing homemade beer won?t do is bore you. Some homemade beers are made with beer brewing supplies that add loads of foam, color or thickness to the drinks. You can also enjoy the smell of fresh beer, especially if the brew was recently removed from a kettle. Get your homemade beer from a local brewery and you could also save money on price whether you buy one beer or a case of beer, in part, because homemade beer is made in smaller quantities than store bought beer.
But, perhaps it?s the range of flavors, the unique taste of homemade beers that continue to make locally brewed beer popular. After all, imagine that, after walking inside a home brewery and purchasing beer, you walk out with six bottles of different tasting beer, making you feel as if you?d bought highly flavored beer from a shop that offers as many beer options as Starbucks does coffee. If those types of rare beer options, combined with robust flavor, is what you?re looking for, you might find homemade beer unbeatable.
Sources:
http://www.thegrape.net/browse.cfm/beer-homebrewing/2,1104.html
http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/a-cost-comparison-of-home-brew-vs-store-bought-brew-072012/ (Mint.com: A Cost Comparison of Home Brew Vs. Store-Bought Beer)
http://www.valleyadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=16113 (Valley Advocate: No Beer Like Home)?
This article was written by Rhonda Campbell ?
Source: http://kitchenmaus.gmirage.com/is-beer-made-at-home-just-as-satisfying-as-store-bought-beer/
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OTTAWA ? The penny is about to drop? ? with many businesses unprepared and the federal government having only limited success informing Canadians of the looming change to, well, change.
The one-cent coin?s final days of widespread use are drawing near. The Royal Canadian Mint will stop distributing pennies to financial institutions on Feb. 4 ? the same day businesses are encouraged to begin rounding cash transactions to the nearest five-cent increment in a ?fair and transparent manner.?
For example, a transaction totalling $1.02 would round down to $1, but a purchase of $1.03 would round up to $1.05, while $1.07 would round down to $1.05 and a purchase of $1.08 would round up to $1.10.
Transactions paid with cheques, credit cards and debit cards will continue to be settled to the cent. The GST and HST will be calculated on the pre-tax price, not the rounded price.
Canadians who hoard their pennies will still, however, be able to use pennies indefinitely to pay for purchases.
While the transition date is just days away, many small businesses are clearly not ready for the penny?s phase-out. Managers and business owners at a number of merchants in the national capital offered blank stares when asked about it. Other shop owners simply shrugged their shoulders.
?We?re not prepared in the least,? said Judy Mance, manager of Kameleon PopShop in Ottawa, a store specializing in jewelry and women?s fashion.
Mance said she has heard bits and pieces about the penny being phased out, but was unfamiliar with the Feb. 4 transition date or the specifics of when to round up or down.
She noted the family business ? located a block from Parliament Hill ? hasn?t received any notification from the federal government about the transition.
Nevertheless, she said the business is just as happy to round up or down for customers to avoid having to hand out pennies, something she said the store has regularly done for some time.
?Our small change has been devalued because it doesn?t buy much,? she added. ?I find people don?t even count their change anyway.?
The Conservative government announced in last March?s federal budget it was ending production of the penny because it actually cost 1.6 cents to mint each of the one-cent coins, due to rising metal, labour and other manufacturing costs.
Ottawa says that stamping out the penny for good also will save taxpayers around $11 million a year.
To help retailers, charities and consumers, the federal government has created a web portal on the Finance Canada website, including downloadable signage that can be displayed in-store.
The Mint has also launched a social media campaign on Facebook and Twitter to alert Canadians about the transition date. As well, approximately 225,000 printed flyers were placed in Canada Post outlets across the country explaining the changes.
A series of print, radio, television and online ads have begun to appear across Canada, and will circulate until the end of March.
Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) president Dan Kelly said a number of his members aren?t prepared for the transition away from the penny.
?Business awareness is low,? Kelly acknowledged, explaining many business owners likely won?t realize the change until they go to the bank and can no longer get rolls of pennies. ?There certainly will be a few transitional hiccups.?
The primary concern for business owners, he said, is consumers unaware of? the rounding off changes may think store employees are trying to cheat them out of a few pennies.
At Canada?s Four Corners, a crafts and souvenir shop in downtown Ottawa, manager Reza Ghaffari said the penny phase-out ?is not a big deal.? He would like to see the government also eliminate the nickel and round cash transactions to the nearest zero.
?I think it should average itself out during the day,? Ghaffari said.
Ian Kimmerly, owner of a stamp shop bearing his name, said Friday his business hasn?t done anything to prepare for the transition, nor is he in a hurry to do so. He said his business will continue to provide pennies, as long as they have them on hand, to customers who want them.
?We have a lot of older customers who remember when a penny was worth something. For those customers, we?ll be happy to give (pennies) to them,? he said.
Many consumers may not even notice the change. A majority of retail and hospitality purchases are paid by credit card (35 per cent) and debit card (27 per cent), according to data from the CFIB, which represents 109,000 small and medium-sized businesses in Canada.
Only 19 per cent of retail and hospitality transactions are paid by cash, with 15 per cent by cheque, says the CFIB.
Karen Proud, a vice-president at the Retail Council of Canada which represents about 45,000 stores,? figures approximately half of the businesses are ready for the change.
It will also take time for consumers to adjust, she said, as shoppers receive less or more change than they were expecting.
?In the short term, there is going to be a bit of confusion,? she said.
Along with the rising costs to stamp the penny coin, the government said ending the penny?s production was necessary because Canadians are indifferent to the coin and that it has retained only one-twentieth of its original purchasing power.
Billions of Canadian pennies remain either in circulation, stashed in piggy banks or lining drawers of homes across the country. It will take years to completely remove the coin from circulation.
?To ensure the transition is as smooth as possible and as smooth as in other countries, we?re undertaking a national public awareness campaign to help inform small businesses, retailers, charities, and consumers about how rounding will work,? Shelly Glover, parliamentary secretary to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, said Friday in a statement.
jfekete@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/jasonfekete
Source: http://o.canada.com/2013/01/25/many-businesses-not-ready-for-phase-out-of-canadas-penny/
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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/50593620#50593620
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Northwestern University graduate student Jonathan Barnes had a hunch for creating an exotic new chemical compound, and his idea that the force of love is stronger than hate proved correct. He and his colleagues are the first to permanently interlock two identical tetracationic rings that normally are repelled by each other. Many experts had said it couldn't be done.
On the surface, the rings hate each other because each carries four positive charges (making them tetracationic). But Barnes discovered by introducing radicals (unpaired electrons) onto the scene, the researchers could create a love-hate relationship in which love triumphs.
Unpaired electrons want to pair up and be stable, and it turns out the attraction of one ring's single electrons to the other ring's single electrons is stronger than the repelling forces.
The process links the rings not by a chemical bond but by a mechanical bond, which, once in place, cannot easily be torn asunder.
The study detailing this new class of stable organic radicals will be published Jan. 25 by the journal Science.
"It's not that people have tried and failed to put these two rings together -- they just didn't think it was possible," said Sir Fraser Stoddart, a senior author of the paper. "Now this molecule has been made. I cannot overemphasize Jonathan's achievement -- it is really outside the box. Now we are excited to see where this new chemistry leads us."
Sir Fraser is the Board of Trustees Professor of Chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern. In the late 1980s, he was one of the early pioneers to introduce an additional type of bond, the mechanical bond, into chemical compounds.
The new Northwestern compound has attractive electronic characteristics and can be made quickly and inexpensively. Down the road, it may be possible to expand this first linked pair into a longer chain-like polymer where this methodology could be useful in new technologies for batteries, semiconductors and electronic memory devices.
Driven by curiosity, Barnes only began to look at the radical chemistry of the ring cyclobis (paraquat-p-phenylene) two years ago, nearly 25 years after the ring was first made.
"I wondered what would happen if we took it all the way to the max," said Barnes, the paper's first author and a member of Stoddart's group. "Can we take two of these rings, each with four positive charges, and make them live together?"
The rings repel each other like the positive poles of two magnets. Barnes saw an opportunity where he thought he could tweak the chemistry by using radicals to overcome the hate between the two rings.
"We made these rings communicate and love each other under certain conditions, and once they were mechanically interlocked, the bond could not be broken," Barnes said.
Barnes' first strategy -- adding electrons to temporarily reduce the charge and bring the two rings together -- worked the first time he tried it. He, Stoddart and their colleagues started with a full ring and a half ring that they then closed up around the first ring (using some simple chemistry), creating the mechanical bond.
When the compound is oxidized and electrons lost, the strong positive forces come roaring back -- "It's hate on all the time," Barnes said -- but then it is too late for the rings to be parted. "That's the beauty of this system," he added.
Most organic radicals possess short lifetimes, but this unusual radical compound is stable in air and water. The compound tucks the electrons away inside the structure so they can't react with anything in the environment. The tight mechanical bond endures despite the unfavorable electrostatic interactions.
The two interlocked rings house an immense amount of charge in a mere cubic nanometer of space. The compound, a homo[2]catenane, can adopt one of six oxidation states and can accept up to eight electrons in total.
"Anything that accepts this many electrons has possibilities for batteries," Barnes said.
"Applications beckon," Stoddart agreed. "Now we need to spend more time with materials scientists and people who make devices to see how this amazing compound can be used."
###
Northwestern University: http://www.northwestern.edu
Thanks to Northwestern University for this article.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126463/Love_triumphs_over_hate_to_make_exotic_new_compound
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WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama announced Friday he would appoint longtime foreign policy adviser and popular West Wing staffer Denis McDonough to lead his staff.
Obama, appearing with McDonough at the White House, called him indispensable and "a great friend to me and everybody who works here at the White House."
McDonough is taking over the chief of staff job from Jack Lew, Obama's nominee for Treasury secretary.
Obama said McDonough has played a key role in every one of the major national security decisions of his presidency, including the end of the war in Iraq, winding down the war in Afghanistan, responses to natural disasters in Haiti and Japan and repeal of the military's ban on openly gay service members.
McDonough's place in Obama's inner circle was illustrated during the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011. He is among those whose images are captured in a White House photograph seated in the situation room with Obama and other senior officials watching the raid unfold.
Obama complimented McDonough for being so humble, visiting troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and wounded warriors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center without fanfare or cameras to learn about the needs of the troops. "Then he comes back here to the White House, and he gets it done. That's the kind of focus and the kind of heart I want here in the White House," Obama said.
He said McDonough also is tough, having been raised in Minnesota as one of 11 children. And he teased the former St. John's University football player as making up for modest talents with determination and a high tolerance for pain.
Earlier, McDonough worked as a foreign policy specialist in Congress, including as a senior foreign policy adviser to former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., before moving to Obama's Senate office.
McDonough's new role was previously filled by Rahm Emanuel, William Daly and Pete Rouse, as interim chief of staff, before Lew.
Other senior personnel shifts were made Friday, including the appointment of Obama chief congressional lobbyist Rob Nabors as McDonough's deputy for policy. Vice President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Tony Blinken, is taking over McDonough's post as deputy national security advisor.
Katy Kale is being promoted from to assistant to the president for management and administration after serving as the deputy for that post. Assistant Attorney General Lisa Monaco, head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, was selected to take over for John Brennan as advisor for homeland security and counterterrorism once his nomination as head of the Central Intelligence Agency is confirmed.
White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer is being promoted to senior advisor. Pfeiffer deputy Jennifer Palmieri will take over as communications director.
Miguel Rodriguez is being named to take over the top lobbying post after serving under Nabors, and Obama campaign staffer David Simas is being named a deputy senior advisor for communications and strategy.
The White House announced Friday that Chris Lu, an aide who has been with Obama since his time as a senator and most recently managed relations with his Cabinet, was leaving his post. The job will be taken over by Danielle Gray, formerly deputy director of the National Economic Council. In a statement, Obama praised Lu for overseeing "one of the most stable and effective Cabinets in history" and said he's asked him to consider taking on another administration job after he takes some time off.
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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-picks-foreign-policy-aide-chief-staff-142350877--politics.html
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