adhesive technologies: March 2012

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Defenders of Ardania Review (Invision Game Community) | N4G

[unable to retrieve full-text content]First of all, Defenders of Ardania does look lovely. It has nice stylised cartoony graphics but it dogged with frame rate issues and block animations that stand out on screen. The character models look well crafted and the menus are all well ...

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Terror in Europe fuels immigration tensions

LONDON (AP) ? An al-Qaida-inspired gunman kills paratroopers and Jewish children in southern France. A far-right fanatic enraged by Muslim immigration guns down dozens of youths at a summer camp in Norway.

Two atrocities in the space of the year, coming from opposite ends of the spectrum, are raising fears across Europe that a growing climate of ethnic and religious hostility is inspiring extremist violence ? and creating the conditions for deadly clashes.

The attacks in France and Norway represent the most horrific extremes of two trends of intolerance troubling Europe: strengthening far-right sentiment that has sometimes bled into the mainstream, and growing Islamic radicalization in Europe's disadvantaged, immigrant-heavy neighborhoods.

With Europe still stunned by last week's killings in Toulouse, France, a loosely knit group of xenophobic "defense leagues" plans to rally in Denmark Saturday against what they call the growing Islamic presence in western Europe.

The rally was organized by one of the rising forces of Europe's far-right scene ? the Danish Defense League. It's backed by the English Defense League, which gained prominence in Britain amid urban rioting last summer. Similar groups from Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, Romania, and Sweden are expected.

Danish intelligence services expect up to 700 of these strident, anti-Muslim "counter-Jihadists." A counter-demonstration is anticipated to draw several thousand people. Police vow to keep the two groups apart. But the clashing views on display show Europe's heightened polarization.

"These terrorist events are creating sparks, and a small spark can set off a huge fire," said Magnus Ranstorp, research director of the Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies in Sweden. "It can set off huge social polarization, and this is what the terrorists want to achieve. Now there is an increased rightwing climate ? the counter-jihad movement ? feeding off these Islamophobic forces."

The mood is volatile, Ranstrop said, made more so by the methods of the killers ? citing how in France, Mohamed Merah shot video of his attacks that was mailed to the Al-Jazeera television network.

"You have the counter-jihad movement, and on the other side you have an old al-Qaida structure giving out directives for people to carry out their own personal jihads by solo terrorist activity. The manner in which you carry out these attacks matters: Recording them, sending films to Al-Jazeera, shooting people execution style, all to create polarization and revulsion, to create an overreaction."

For decades, western Europe has been the envy of the world with its high standard of living and tolerant social climate. Today, Europe is gripped by a profound economic crisis and festering conflict over immigration, religion and cultural identity.

Tensions over immigration from northern Africa and other countries with large Islamic populations have fueled the rise of far-right movements across Europe. In France, the ultranationlist National Front is expected to make gains in upcoming presidential and legislative elections. Xenophobic parties in Austria, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands have all gained support in recent years.

As anti-immigration rhetoric grows more strident, ideas that were once considered on the fringes of political dialogue have entered the mainstream ? with French President Nicolas Sarkozy often seeming to borrow from National Front rhetoric as he campaigns for re-election.

At the same time, anti-Western diatribes on the Internet and sometimes in local mosques have played a role in radicalizing some young Muslims in Europe, even as Muslim community leaders try to steer young people toward productive futures. The long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have also enflamed passions among Muslims.

Over the past year, Europe has suffered deadly manifestations of these tensions with the France attacks and the July massacre in Norway carried out by Anders Behring Breivik, who slaughtered 77 people with a bomb in Oslo followed by a shooting rampage at a Labor Party youth camp on an island retreat.

The two horrors have drawn inevitable comparisons.

Both killers had a terrifying sense of theater. Breveik's island rampage, in which he picked off the trapped children one at a time, seemed straight out of a horror movie. The French police account of Merah's last stand, his Colt .45 blazing as he jumped from the balcony, seems inspired by an action film.

Initial reactions to the attacks point to the ambiguities swirling around Europe's immigration debate.

When Breveik's deadly bomb ripped through the Norwegian capital on July 22, many counterterrorism experts assumed Muslim radicals were behind the blast. Similarly, many initially suspected that the French killings might be the work of a far-right fanatic.

The bloodshed carried out by both extremes in the heated immigration debated raises the specter of clashes between the two. There already have been street scuffles between the English Defense League and radical Islamists in Britain ? although none has escalated into major violence.

Nicolas Lebourg, a historian who studies the far-right at Perpignan University in southern France, said that both Breivik and Merah were products of an increasingly polarized Europe.

"For people who are a little fragile, people who are a little sensitive ... we're overheating them by telling them that there's this cosmic war between good and evil," Lebourg said.

___

Associated Press writers Raphael Satter in Paris, Karl Ritter in Stockholm, and Jan M. Olsen and David MacDougall in Copenhagen contributed to this report.

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Celebrity real estate: Bieber punk'd by Kutcher

By zillow

What's new in the celebrity real estate world? Justin Bieber is fighting a low appraisal on a home he wants to buy after losing a bidding war to Ashton Kutcher, a home owned by Dennis Hopper and Craig Kilborn sells and Lost's Matthew Fox lists his Manhattan Beach abode.

Justin Bieber's real estate issues

Zillow

The home Justin Bieber reportedly wants to buy.

A few things have come easy for Justin Bieber: He became a superstar from a chance discovery via YouTube, he has a cool girlfriend in Selena Gomez, and Forbes estimates his worth to be $53 million. This however, doesn't all add up to an easy home buying process for the 18-year-old.

The latest news to come out of the the Biebs' real estate hunt is that the sprawling Calabasas, Calif., house he has his eye on has been appraised for significantly less ? $6 million less ? than the asking price, reports TMZ.

This is bad news for any buyer, Bieber included, because a home appraisal that doesn't come near the fair market value can significantly slow down a purchase.

But, perhaps in Justin's mind, he wouldn't be in this real estate mess if he actually did buy a gorgeous, modern $10.8 million home in the Hollywood Hills that he had his eyes on and was rumored to have purchased for his 18th birthday a few weeks ago. Evidently, Bieber was hot to buy the house, but there was one problem ? Ashton Kutcher was renting it out. When Kutcher realized his 3-month rental could disappear under him by none other than Justin Bieber, Kutcher reportedly bought it.

In May 2009, the Home Valuation Code of Conduct was adopted to reduce the possibility of inflated property appraisals, the kind of thing that was a little too common during the real estate boom.

The goal of the HVCC is to get a independent, unbiased appraisal of the property, which in theory is good, but it forces banks to choose an appraiser through a third-party "appraisal management company" or AMC, rather than their local, preferred appraiser.

Sometimes these third-party appraisers come up with a value that appears to be significantly off market value because they may not be familiar with the area or use appropriate comps. However, due to the HVCC, the lenders must go along with the AMC's appraisal, making it harder to buyers to sell or homeowners to refinance.

A low appraisal doesn't mean the end of the line for Bieber's dream home but it does mean a little more work on both the buyer and seller's end.

See more photos of the mansion Bieber is trying to buy.

Home to Margaret Sullavan, Dennis Hopper and Craig Kilborn sells

Zillow

The former home of Margret Sullavan, Dennis Hopper and Craig Kilborn.

1712 North Crescent Heights is more than an address of a house; it's also the title of a photography book that showcases Dennis Hopper's photography during the early 1960s.

Home to Dennis Hopper and his first wife Brooke Hayward, the home was a gathering place for many of the stars of the 1960s ? the "second generation of Hollywood" ? and also the starting point for Hopper's photography.

Hopper and Hayward moved into the 1920s Hollywood Hills home while Hopper was filming "Easy Rider." After the birth of their first daughter, Hayward gave Hopper a camera. The star soon took up photography, featuring his friends and fellow stars.

Not only was the house home to Hayward and Hopper, but reportedly the property was previously owned by Hayward's mother, silver screen actress Margaret Sullavan.

"The home has a history of celebrities," said listing agent Aileen Comora. "Ike and Tina Turner visited Dennis there and Jimmy Stewart was a frequent visitor of Margaret's. Merv Griffin played the piano in the living room and George Segal remembers the home very well."

Craig Kilborn also lived in the home over 10 years before deciding to sell recently.

"About three to four months ago, (Kilborn) decided to travel and decided it was time to move on from the house," Comora said. "So we did put it on the market and pretty much one of the first people who saw it bought it."

The Spanish-inspired home exudes its old Hollywood history with terraced gardens, a beautiful pool and a backyard so private that someone who wants to could "walk around naked" said Comora.

The 3-bedroom, 3-bath home opens up with a turret foyer opening to the living room and dining room, that also extends to the second floor and contains a sitting room attached to the master bedroom.

Listed for $3 million, the home is closing at the end of the month.

See more photos of Hopper's home on Zillow.

"Lost" actor Fox lists Manhattan Beach home

Zillow

Matthew Fox lived in this Santa Monica home prior to moving to Oahu to film "Lost."

For six years, actor Matthew Fox lived on the Hawaiian island of Oahu battling bizarre monsters and doing some medical sleuthing as Dr. Jack Shepherd on the hit TV show "Lost."

Prior to that, the actor lived with his family in a Spanish bungalow in Manhattan Beach, Calif. But with "Lost" out of the way and a new home in Bend, Ore., Fox has listed the 4-bedroom, 2-bath home on the Manhattan Beach real estate market for $1.995 million.

Fox purchased the home for $880,000 in 1999 in the midst of his role on "Party of Five." Although the show was popular, it was "Lost" that propelled Fox into stardom. Despite his star status, Fox didn't return to California after the show wrapped up filming, preferring to buy a home far from the Hollywood hubbub.

Fox's home in Manhattan Beach sits on the hill above the Pacific Ocean, complete with panoramic beach and water views from the upper floor rooms and wraparound balcony. Spanish detailing is found throughout the house from coved ceilings, colorful tiled stairs and dark wood molding. The family room is dominated by a sand stucco fireplace and cathedral-height ceilings.

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Malaysian Tennis: Swee Lee Challenge Cup needs a revamp

THE Penang Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA) received only nine entries for its annual Swee Lee Challenge Cup, which incepted in 1948.
The Challenge Cup, which is Penang?s oldest tennis, used to draw record entries but of late, it has failed to attract neither teams nor fans.
PLTA set a limit of 16 entries for the recent edition but only nine teams were registered.
Despite the poor response, fans were treated with some exciting tennis at the Penang Sports Club Tennis Complex in Jalan Utama.
The Penang Sports Club Red (PSCR) won the title for third successive time by edging 34-time champions Chinese Recreation Club Dragons 2-1(CRCD) in the final.
CRCD took the lead through Pang Zi Yang-Aaron Low, who defeated Luke Leighton-Bryant Thor 6-3, 5-4.
Andrew Tijo-Mahesh leveled proceedings for PSCR by thrashing Jason Khoo-SK Tan 6-1, 6-1 before Tan Nian Yang-Jesril Jamel defeated Johnson Ooi-Tan Kian Tat 7-6, 6-2 for the winning point

RESULTS -

Championship Cup
S-Finals ? Penang Sports Club Red 3 Francis Su Tennis Services Team 0; Chinese Recreation Club Dragons 2 Bukit Mertajam Mertajam Tennis Club 1.
Final ? Penang Sports Club Red 2 Chinese Recreation Club Dragons 1.

Plate
S-Finals? Chinese Recreation Club Tigers 2 Penang Sports Club Black 1; Bukit Mertajam Tennis Club 2 Penang Sports Club Yellow 1.
Final: Chinese Recreation Cl ub Tigers 2 Bukit Mertajam Tennis Club 1.

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Are Smart Phones Leading to Smart Buyers? | US Daily Review

By US Daily Review Staff.

Underscoring soaring consumer interest in use of internet and social media to aid in shopping, a new national survey by?Leo J. Shapiro?and Associates (LJS) found that two-thirds of owners use their smart phone to aid in their shopping, and over a third do so while actually inside traditional retail stores.? While at the point of sale for an item, one in ten smart phone owners report doing price checks before they buy.

These new findings point to the striking penetration of smart phone enabled shoppers or ?smart-shopping? into the everyday lives of Americans.

Based on data from a hybrid phone/online study conducted in?December 2011?and February ?2012 with a national sample of 314 smart phone owners, the survey found that sixty-six percent (66%) use their smart phones to aid in shopping, and thirty-eight percent (38%) do so while actually in a traditional retail store.? Smart phone owners are about as likely to access shopping information in the store aisle (29%) as in the rest of the store (25%).

While actually near point of sale, shoppers are most likely to:

Look up facts and features (15%)
Compare prices at different stores (11%)
Read product reviews on retail sites (9%)
Compare prices at retailer?s websites (8%)

?Smart phone enabled shopping or ?smart-shopping? is rapidly becoming a mainstream activity for smart phone owners.? Given the rapid rise in smart phone ownership, traditional retailers and product brand managers face a new wave of challenges to serve increasingly informed and independent consumers,? notes?Owen Shapiro, Vice President of LJS. ?The use of point of sale price checks breaks down one of the long-standing advantages held by retailers on ?blind priced? items ? products that consumers buy infrequently or that are low involvement.?

Leo J. Shapiro?& Associates is a strategic research firm that provides a combination of advice and direction based on solid research to clients across a wide range of industries. For more information please visit?http://www.ljs.com.

Have you noticed the many new sponsors on the US Daily Review? They keep coming because it is a great value and they love our content. Find out how you can become a sponsor today by emailing?info@usdailyreview.com.

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Wisconsin Recall Fervor Could Hurt Santorum (WSJ)

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Ethics panel: Sen. Vitter undermined public trust

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Angry Spaniards strike against labor reform

BARCELONA/MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish workers angry at a labor reform the government calls an "unstoppable" necessity staged a general strike on Thursday, bringing factories and ports to a standstill and igniting flashes of violence on the streets.

Hundreds of thousands attended largely peaceful marches throughout Spain, waving red flags and beating drums against the budget cuts of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was elected by a landslide only four months ago on a mandate to dig the country out of a debt crisis that has unnerved its European neighbors.

Police fired rubber bullets to disperse crowds in downtown Barcelona after hooded youths threw rocks at windows and set rubbish bins alight in Spain's second city, where - as in much of Spain - unemployment has been devastating among the young.

In Madrid, demonstrators chanted slogans and carried banners protesting against the conservative government's measures, which will make it cheaper for companies to fire workers and will dismantle a nationwide system of collective pay bargaining.

"We're here because we are really angry," said Alba Valle, a 23-year-old media technician in the capital who, like almost one young Spaniard in two, cannot find work.

"It's a step backwards for the country."

Though organizers said millions attended evening marches in 110 cities local media estimates, in the absence of data from authorities, put the crowds in only the hundreds of thousands.

Some observers see a degree of resignation about the prospects of avoiding new austerity goals dictated by concerns in the European Union that Spain risks going bust.

At the same time, however, the country is tipping into its second recession since the end of 2009 and some observers expect at least another million people to join already swollen unemployment lines, straining the budget. The jobless rate is already 23 percent, the highest in the 27-member EU bloc.

Spaniards have so far been largely tolerant of Rajoy's efforts to reform labor law, much of which dates back to times when levels of employment were substantially higher. His aim is to meet strict EU-imposed targets for the government budget deficit to ensure Madrid avoids a Greek-style debt crisis.

But the general strike, the first in 18 months, showed that patience may be wearing thin. The largest union put support among its members for the strike at 77 percent. The government said the work day went normally but gave no overall tally.

"We don't have much hope, but this is just the beginning," said Trini Cuesta, a 58-year-old employee at a public hospital in Barcelona. "It's not just about labor reform, we're against policies that are provoking social and economic ruin," she said.

"Social protests must increase."

ALHAMBRA SHUT

Police made a total of 176 arrests and there were 104 injuries, the Interior Ministry said, saying the day had been calm and the strike had limited impact.

It halted production at factories from Barcelona in the northeast to Cadiz in the southwest. Unions reported full stoppages at General Motors Espana, Renault, ArcelorMittal and Acerinox. Urban transport networks were mostly cut to skeleton services.

Rajoy's government said it was committed to making reforms that it argues will help to reduce unemployment by making the labor market more efficient. "The agenda for reform is unstoppable," Labour Minister Fatima Banez said on Thursday.

The police presence was heavy around parliament, where politicians put in a longer work day than usual as Rajoy sought approval for five different measures, including funding for indebted local governments to pay their suppliers.

Union members gathered in major cities where some plastered stickers on shop windows reading "Closed for Strike" - but in fact many of the stores remained open for business.

Tourists were locked out of the Alhambra, the 14th-century Moorish palace in the southern city of Granada that is one of Europe's great cultural monuments and a popular attraction.

Many workers crossed picket lines, saying they feared losing their jobs or losing the average of around 100 euros ($130) to be docked from the pay cheques of strikers.

While Spaniards fortunate to have jobs on traditional contracts are fighting to preserve their benefit, many others, especially the young, can find only short-term contracts of typically six months duration which offer little job security.

Many such workers fear employers might punish them if they go on strike and not renew contracts when they expire - an army of unemployed is waiting at the gate for any job going.

Similar labour reforms, for similar reasons, are being battled over elsewhere in Europe, notably in Italy, where Prime Minister Mario Monti, a technocrat appointed to avert a debt crisis in Rome, has also run into heavy opposition this month.

LONG YEAR OF DEMONSTRATIONS?

Fewer than a fifth of Spanish employees are currently affiliated with the country's two biggest unions and many feel these organizations do not represent the wider workforce.

"A lot of people actually blame the unions in part for the rigidity in the labour market and lack of competitiveness, so they aren't exactly in the position to rally a lot of people and the support for the strike reflects that," said David Bach, political analyst at IE business school in Madrid.

However, union members are ready for a long fight. "This is the largest cut in rights since anyone can remember. There has to be a better way to get out of this crisis," UGT union employee Marta Lois, 40, said on Madrid's Gran Via, a central avenue where protesters blocked traffic early in the day.

"Don't forget this is just the first major event of what is likely going to be a long year of demonstrations against government policies," Antonio Barroso, political analyst with the consultancy Eurasia Group said.

Rajoy said on Tuesday his administration would pass a "very, very, austere budget" on Friday. His goal of cutting the deficit this year to 5.3 percent of gross domestic product implies nominal cuts of at least 35 billion euros ($46.63 billion).

The cuts are meant to keep borrowing costs down as well as working towards meeting the EU's 3 percent budget deficit limit next year. But some economists say they will deepen the looming recession, potentially having the very opposite effect.

Despite the promises to push on with reforms aimed at winning approval from Brussels, Rajoy's People's Party suffered a surprise setback in a regional election on Sunday, meaning he must measure his steps to avoid provoking wider discontent.

(Additional reporting by Emma Pinedo, Nigel Davies, Paul Day, Martin Roberts, Blanca Rodriguez and Feliciano Tisera; Writing by Tracy Rucinski and Sonya Dowsett; Editing by Paul Day and Alastair Macdonald)

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Far-right groups stage anti-Islam rally in Denmark

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Friday, March 30, 2012

Bath Rugby has no rights to Rec | This is Exeter

The rugby-biased leaders of our local authority are prepared to take any action necessary to use the Bath Recreation Ground as one of the largest rugby venues in the South West.

They have defiantly disregarded the legal safeguards that apply to this ground.

Then, in an attempt to justify themselves they have embarked up on a pretentious and unsubstantiated claim that the majority of Bath citizens actually want to see the open spaces of their recreation ground turned into a block of commercial infrastructure. Even in the unlikely event that this was true there is no justification for them to break the law.

The law pertaining to this ground does not allow domination by one sport or one individual.

Therefore the life-long lease of tenure granted by our local authority is legally flawed.

And planning permission granted for the already erected rugby grandstand is in breach of the law too.

Leaders of our local authority had the arrogance to appropriate ?1 million of local tax payers' money in an attempt to change the laws affecting this ground.

If this had been successful it would have been to the detriment of paying Bath citizens.

All of these actions have taken place during the watch of our present council leader. He (an ex rugby player incidentally) has an overriding influence on all matters affecting our community.

The enjoyment derived from 15 home games throughout the rugby season does not justify the desecration of the Bath Recreation Ground and the so-called boost that these 15 games have on the local economy is in fact so insignificant that it is not even missed over the remaining 350 days of the year.

Rugby has always been played on this ground maybe but just because you have always worked in a bank does not entitle you to rob it!

I have heard it say that "consideration will be given for other sports to use the facilities of the rugby stadium". Really?

It just so happens that the citizens of Bath already have an entitlement for the full use of their recreation ground.

Leaders of our local authority are now seeking to do a land swap, a fancy word for the use of arm-twisting enforcement by the school bully.

A swap of any kind is only deemed to have taken place when two parties mutually agree to exchange property that they themselves own.

The leaders of our local authority do not own this ground and there will be no mutual agreement.

In all of these matters the leader of our local authority has shown no respect to the legal entitlements of the Bath citizens, no respect to justice or democracy and no respect to the rule of English law.

PHIL INMAN Combe Down Bath

Source: http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/Bath-Rugby-rights-Rec/story-15657803-detail/story.html

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U.S. farmers to plant the most corn in 75 years

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. farmers will plant the most corn in 75 years to cash in on higher prices, topping expectations at the expense of soybean and spring wheat sowings, according to a U.S. government report on Friday.

The dramatic expansion raised hopes that the next harvest would ease razor-thin supplies that have kept corn prices near historic highs.

The Agriculture Department, in a separate report, said supplies in storage as of March 1 were smaller than expected, making a big crop imperative.

"Going forward, it's going to be all about the planting weather," said Don Roose, president of U.S. Commodities.

Despite the early prospects for a bumper crop, Corn, wheat and soybean futures rose strongly on the surprisingly tight grain stocks. Corn for delivery in May went "limit up," rising by the maximum amount allowed in a day of 40 cents. The climb of 6.6 percent to $6.44 a bushel was the biggest gain for corn since Oct 11.

Soybeans were up 3 percent, to a six-month high of $14.02 a bushel, and wheat was up nearly 8 percent, the biggest increase since Oct 11.

FARMERS GEAR UP FOR BIG YEAR

The farm sector is enjoying a boom that dates from 2006 as food demand rose worldwide and biofuels helped spur crop production. With farm income at record highs, farmers have updated their tillage equipment and built more storage bins, making business for equipment makers like Deere & Co and AGCO Corp, seed companies such as Monsanto Co, bin manufacturers such as Brock Grain Systems, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, and processors such as Archer-Daniels-Midland Co (ADM).

The increase in corn acres and decline in soy acres is particularly positive for fertilizer producer CF Industries, which is weighted more heavily in the production of nitrogen fertilizer need to grow corn, said Jeff Stafford, equity analyst for Morningstar. Soybeans don't require nitrogen fertilizer. CF Industries was up 2.2 percent at 185.5, while rival fertilizer maker Mosaic was up just 0.3 percent at 55.43. Bunge Ltd, the world's top oilseed processor, could take a hit from the decline in soy plantings, Stafford said. However, grain companies also could make more money by transporting increased volumes of crops around the world. "For a grain trader like Bunge, they make more money from the higher volumes of food that are shipped," he said. Bunge was up 1.7 percent at 68.38, while ADM was up 1.4 percent at 31.7. Deere was up 0.5 percent to 80.90.

MORE CORN IN THE TOP CORN STATE

Another year of full-throttle output is on the horizon. USDA estimates growers will plant the largest area to the eight major field crops -- corn, wheat, rice, cotton, soybeans, sorghum, barley and oats -- since 1998 and up 2 percent from 2011.

In USDA's annual prospective plantings survey, farmers said they would expand corn planting by 4 percent from 2011, which exceeded analyst expectations or 94.72 million acres. Iowa, the No 1 corn state, would plant a record amount of land to corn.

Soybean plantings were projected to fall 1 percent nationwide from last year to 73.9 million acres, increasing concerns about tightening global supplies of the oilseed due to poor harvests in South America. Analysts had expected soy plantings to increase to 75.393 million acres.

"Acreage is expected to shift to corn," the USDA said. In many states, corn offers higher returns than competing crops.

In Iowa, corn planting would be up by 4 percent while soybeans drop 6 percent. Nebraska, No 3 in corn, would expand corn area by 5 percent while trimming soybeans by 4 percent and wheat by 11 percent. Illinois, No 2 in corn and soybeans to Iowa, would boost soybean area by 100,000 acres, or 1 percent, while cutting corn by the same amount.

LARGEST CORN PLANTINGS SINCE 1937

Big corn plantings should replenish a stockpile that is forecast to shrink to its lowest level since 1996 by the Sept 1 end of this marketing year. If farmers stick to their plans, it would be the most corn planted 97.2 million acres in 1937.

USDA estimated farmers will plant 12 million acres of spring wheat other than durum, with a record low number of acres seeded in South Dakota. That is down 3 percent from last year and below the average trade estimate of 13.313 million acres.

USDA's projection for a total wheat planted area of 55.9 million acres was up 3 percent from 2011 but well below the average analyst estimate of 57.422 million acres.

Growers intended to plant 13.2 million acres of cotton, down 11 percent from last year, and 2.56 million acres of rice, down 5 percent, according to the USDA report.

With normal weather and yields, the corn harvest would be a record 14.5 billion bushels, up 10 percent from the mark set in 2009, according to Reuters calculations. Soybeans would total 3.2 billion bushels, the fourth largest on record. The wheat harvest would be 2.1 billion bushels and cotton growers would pick 18 million bales.

TIGHT SUPPLY

The U.S. corn stockpile was down 8 percent from a year ago, the government said, with consumption running faster than traders expected.

In a quarterly report, USDA said there were 6.009 billion bushels of corn in storage on March 1, 2 percent less than traders expected. Some 3.6 billion bushels were consumed during the quarter, equal to 30 percent of the 2011 crop.

Traders estimated consumption would be 4 percent smaller than USDA estimated.

Soybean stocks were estimated by USDA at 1.372 billion bushels, up 10 percent from a year ago but 1 percent smaller than traders expected.

Wheat stocks totaled 1.201 billion bushels, according to USDA, down 16 percent from a year ago and 2 percent less than traders expected.

(Editing By Russell Blinch and Alden Bentley)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-farmers-plant-most-corn-75-years-135343795.html

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Teens get new show to stop moms' obsessions

By Randee Dawn

Old teenage stress: Getting caught by your mom stealing her credit card to go out and buy stuff. New teenage stress: Trying to convince your mother that she'd better stop buying stuff and getting so much plastic surgery.

Those are two of the stories being told on the reality series "My Mom is Obsessed," in which the children of mothers who just can't help themselves try to get some assistance. Two mother-daughter?pairs who appeared on the series joined TODAY's Savannah Guthrie Thursday, but as one pair proved, you can't help someone who doesn't realize she has a problem.

That would be mom Susan Pike, who insists that despite having one plastic surgery and three "procedures" on her face that she's not obsessed: "Some people might think that's a lot, some people might think that's not a lot. But I definitely take responsibility for being hypercritical of my appearance."

Meanwhile, Monica Krause did admit she had a problem with shopping "for decades" but not until she realized she was having an impact on her daughter Kayleigh did she "realize I had to do something about it."

Kayleigh said she got scared to open their mail thanks to the bills they were receiving, which is what led her to speak up to her mom and bring this TV show into their lives.

So did the show help? "Absolutely, just being here is testament to that," said Monica.

"My Mom is Obsessed" airs Thursday night at 10 p.m. ET on Discovery Fit & Health.

What do you think is the best way for teens to help their "obsessed" moms? Will a show like this help the mothers see their problems? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

Also in The Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/29/10920606-mooooom-new-reality-show-lets-teens-intervene-in-parents-obsessions

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Source: http://www.coscn.org/online-casino-strategy-2.html

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James bulger and the video recordings

James Bulger And The Video Recordings Act 1984

An analysis of the effect moral panics have on the law through criminal cases begins with James Bulger's murder in 1993. The Sun newspaper described the case as that horrific it ?highlighted moral decay in Britain.' The BBC called it a "landmark case," it came to symbolise a moral panic about deviancy and children - ?the threat of other people's, the defencelessness of our own.' This chapter will illustrate how the case has impacted upon the law in various areas; through CCTV scheme implementation, video recording regulations and juvenile sentencing. This influence will be shown through changes in legislation, as well as using supporting evidence such as reports and journals which relate the case to the formed regulations.

On the 12th February 1993, two year old James Bulger was abducted from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle by two ten year old boys, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. Two days later James' brutally mutilated body was found on a railway line. By the 20th February, Venables and Thompson were charged with his abduction and murder. It slowly began to unfold the extent of the various injuries inflicted to James' body by the two boys, as they tortured him before finally abandoning his body on a train track. Venables and Thompson were to be the youngest defendants in history to be convicted of murder.

The case was the first one ever to be aired on the programme ?Crime Watch' the same week as it had been committed, with the Ministry of Defence offering assistance in enhancing CCTV footage of the suspects abducting James to aid enquiries, giving an indication to how high profile the case was in public agenda. The impact the case had on Britain was one of stirring paranoia and fear, parents were afraid their child would be the next one to be abducted, with child's safety reign sales increasingly rapidly after James's abduction. The case has recently been pushed back into the attention of the media due to the re-arrest of the defendant Jon Venables on allegations made concerning breaches of his release on life licence.

The trial took place at Preston Crown Court due to the amount of unrest caused towards it in Liverpool. This suspects were labelled as ?evil,? combined with the media's reaction to the case as more details came to light creating a presentation of two young children as wicked; ?no further inquiry was necessary as to the causes of criminality in the young, all that matters were that they were guilty'. Few considerations towards the fact they were children were taken throughout the trial. It was later ruled in the European Court of Human Rights that Britain was guilty of three breaches of human rights in the trial and sentencing of Thompson and Venables through the massive emotionally driven media response to the case being severely intimidating towards the defendants, impairing the possibility of a fair trial. The sentence for the two defendants had been increased to 10 years form 8 by the lord chief justice, Lord Taylor of Gosforth. This was follow by a petition of 280'000 signatures conducted by The Sun newspaper, created with the intention to increase the custody sentence of the two defendants. Home Secretary Michael Howard granted this by increasing the maximum sentence to 15 years, a direct example of how the media has played a part in sentence tariff change. There had been refinements made to the tariff policy previously in 1998 and 1991 but no application was made to child offenders in the Parliamentary statements, until July 27 1993, when Michael Howard stated ?everything..said about the practice of the Secretary of State in relation to mandatory life sentence prisoners applies equally to persons who are, or will be detained during Her Majesty's pleasure.' This statement was made between the murder of Bulger and the trial of Thompson and Venables, which implies it was intended to appease the significant public opinion indicated by The Sun's petition towards this specific case. Michael Howard made it clear that this policy would be applied to Venables and Thompson just as it would be applied to an adult murderer.

The link between the two murderers and media violence began with a remark made by the trial judge; ?I suspect that exposure to violent video films may in part be an explanation.' This remark evolved into an application of blame to a ?slasher' horror film Child's Play 3, that the boys ?may' have watched. The link to Childs Play 3 was that the father of one of the boys - Neil Venables - had rented the video some months earlier; however the police officer who directed the investigation, Albert Kirby, found that the son, Jon, was not living with his father at the time and was unlikely to have seen the film. Moreover, the boy disliked horror films - a point later confirmed by psychiatric reports. Thus the police investigation, which had specifically looked for a video link, concluded there was none. This fact received very little coverage and the lasting impression is of the newspaper campaigns in November 1993 blaming violent videos for the toddler's murder'. The panic and outrage felt by the public at the child killers was turned onto media violence; the violence depicted through mediums such as film are suggested to be the cause and inspiration for a crime, wanting to pin James Bulger's murder onto the video. The Sun staged a public burning of horror videos begging the public to ?for the sake of all our kids...burn your video nasty,' Video stores began to withdraw the film from its shelves in fear of outcry from the public, one video chain burnt its copies as part of The Sun's campaign. It was later revealed four months later by the Merseyside police that there was no evidence to suggest either boy had watched Childs Play, or any horror film like it. This ?snow ball effect' sparked by the passing remark of the judge turned into a national outrage at the film., illustrating just how strongly the British public felt about the case. There was a need to find a cause for this horrific crime, a ?scape goat' for the blame, and measures needed to be put into place to prevent it happening again.

A report written by Professor Elizabeth Newson was commissioned to be written by liberal democrat MP David Alton to support his argument for an amendment to be made to the Criminal Justice Bill for videos to be classified as ?Unsuitable for Home Consumption' (UNHC), preventing children from viewing unreasonably violent videos at their leisure. He demanded that modifications be made to the law to effectively remove all horror films from distribution in the UK. State censorship was implemented in the realms of the courts and the Obscene Publications Act before then being embodied in the Video Recordings Act of 1984. The Video Recordings Act was amended after section 4 with a new legal requirement within Section 90(1) The Criminal Justice Act 1994 for the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) to;

?Have special regard among the other relevant factors to any harm that might be caused to potential viewers or, through their behaviour, to society, by the manner in which the work deals with:

For failing to apply the criteria with a sufficient regard for the factors listed, the BBFC could now be taken to court and held accountable. The mention of ?other relative factors' gave the BBFC the ability to also consider other criteria not listed such as bad taste, offensiveness or bad language. These amendments to the existing guidelines strengthened the classification system of videos. The criteria themselves are listed in very broad terms in their descriptions and what could be deemed offensive through their portrayal in video. The terminology used of ?any harm that may be caused to potential viewer or, through their behaviour, to society' is vague in its application; possibly being applied to ?harm' caused to the viewer through disturbing and shocking them, or maybe causing more long term damage psychologically. Previously triable summarily only offences such as supplying or possessing unclassified video recordings were made triable either way under section 88(2) and 88(3) of the 1994 Act, showing an acceptance these offences are of a serious nature, warranting this change. The Home Secretary also reserved the power to enable the BBFC to review video recordings ?in relation to such determinations as the authority think fit.'This broad provision means that videos already held a classification could be reclassified as suitable for an older age group only or even refused a certification altogether.

The criteria for suitability incorporated into section 4A of the V.R.A. will have application only to video classification decisions taken by the BBFC after the 1994 Act came into force, i.e. after November 3, 1994, but the Home Secretary has reserved a power in the legislation which will enable the BBFC to review works already classified prior to the introduction of these criteria.21 If this power is taken up, it might be anticipated that some videos which currently hold a classification certificate will, after review, be refused a certificate, whilst others may be reclassified as suitable only for an older age group.

In Newson's report, claims where made that up to that point it had been underestimated just to what extent these violent films were being accessed by children, with Newson making links to violent behaviour from heavy exposure to media images, which result in a desensitisation to compassion, as displayed by the two defendants in the Bulger case ;

?We know that children can be traumatised, not only by the images they see, but also by additional images that are suggested by their imagination in response to the originals; but far more dangerous, because more lastingly damaging, would be that eventually they should no longer be troubled at all by seeing violent images, as a result of desensitisation by systematic repetition. The processes of ?desensitisation? and ?flooding? are well known methods for modification of behaviour, reducing the impact of the original accompanying emotion.'

The Newson report has been described as ?wildly misleading' for its founding of evidence being of poor quality and its emotive use of the Bulger case to support its argument. Newson uses the ?protection of children' to strengthen her argument in the paper;

?it seems impossible to allow the situation to continue, and indeed escalate, as it now is. ..it seems unlikely that those who feel responsibility for protecting children will be able to wait for such corporate self-denial.'

Children in society are used here to strengthen the argument through individuals' innate need to protect and care for them; an illegitimate use of feelings to make a case for a cause. Not long after the Newson report was released the Gulbenkian Foundation commissioned a report; Children and Violence, which was published in November 1995.

The case of Jamie Bulger not only impacted upon the publics' perception of the ?Video Nasties' moral panic, but also the possible use of video surveillance in Britain as a crime prevention measure. Leon Hempel, a social scientist at the Centre of Technology and coordinator of the Urban Eye project stated ?The intense media attention afforded to the case played on the growing paranoia present in Britain.? At the time of James Bulger's kidnapping in 1993, there were just 10 systems active in Britain, by 2005 there were 4 million cameras installed, a total higher than any other country in Europe. CCTV imaging played a significant role in the Bulger case when it was used in the trial as evidence to show images of the two defendants Jon Venables and Robert Thompson abducting James Bulger from a Liverpool shopping centre (see attached bibliography for image; appendix A). This was at first the only major lead into identifying the suspects. Hempel stated, ?The Bulger case was instrumental in the rise of video surveillance systems across Europe, the case persuaded the British public of the advantages of having video surveillance cameras in public spaces and the effectiveness of systems in preventing crime.' Professor Laycock, director of the Jill Dando Institute stated the familiar image of the two defendants leading James Bulger out of the shopping centre is one that was key to the case, ?it showed the police they were looking for two kids rather than a paedophile.? Less than a year after the Bulger case, Liverpool city centre's own large scale CCTV system went live, which can be viewed as a direct reaction to the murder of James Bulger. But research carried out on 14 systems on behalf of the Home Office actually shows CCTV does little to reduce crime or make people safer. Chief inspector Kevin Wellden of Middlesborough Town Police sees the technology of CCTV as more of an asset to the police,

In 2002, Lord Falconer unveiled one of the largest CCTV systems to cover Manchester city centre, commenting that CCTV helps give the public peace of mind that they are more secure, acting as an aid to the police in apprehending wanted individuals and in securing convictions in court. A report carried out by the National Association for Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO) concluded that the CCTV system, as well as schemes put in place in housing estates, on public transport or car parks, had no effect into reducing street crime. NACRO have claimed that although CCTV is a useful aid to the police, its effectiveness is often over stated in its use as a crime prevention method.

Another aspect of CCTV that cannot be controlled is its misuse; an advisory body called Camera Watch chaired by Gordon Ferrie, a former senior police officer, found up to 90 percent of CCTV systems present in the UK fail to comply with the Information Commissioners UK CCTV code of practice, with many operating illegally; ?we are in favour of close circuit television, it's as good as having DNA. There is nothing better than actually seeing someone commit the crime. All we're asking is that the images that are taken are compliant with the Data Protection Act.?

The issued raised by the reactions displayed to the case of James Bulger highlights many aspects of how the media can influence the public perception of a social issue, but specifically the damage that has been caused by this moral panic. Traditional British views on childhood were lost, children were being monitored far more closely than ever before, with the real and very rare incident of two child killers being represented and used as an example of moral downfall in society. The news coverage of the crime was such that it implored people to support the campaigns and if you weren't a supporter you were condoning the defendants' actions in killing James Bulger. Jenny Bargen of the Department of Juvenile Justice warns the high profile case resulted in a ?public damning', distracting the justice system and the public from helping the offenders and the family of the victim.

?It's disturbing that young people are involved in killing someone. It always has been. But it does not mean that suddenly it is not safe to walk the streets, there are programs designed to help juvenile offenders to understand what they have done and help them to grow up.?

The intense media coverage of the child killers was so extensive that it could have given the impression to the public that the actual occurrence of such crimes was increasing. Between 1979 and 1994 there were 108 children between the age of 10 and 17 convicted of murder or manslaughter in England and Wales, a very small amount compared to the perception given by the mass coverage which will be shown to have a direct impact on the public opinion. The Guardian newspapers leader comment response to the ruling for Venables' and Thompsons' case said the murder had ?unlocked all kinds of primitive fears about the aggressive urges in young children', but also lead on to caution against using James Bulger's murder as ?an excuse for reversing 10 years of criminal justice policy. A system designed to deal with five million crimes must not be steered by one.' The question of how successful the rehabilitation could be of the two defendants has been brought into the foreground of the media recently due to Venables' re-arrest after a breach of his life licence conditions, but it must be remembered this one case is not applicable to all; with reference being made to the case of Mary Bell, who was released ?on licence' after serving 12 years now lives AAA

In the appendix of her book, ?The Case of Mary Bell,' Gitta Sereny describes the backgrounds of the two defendant's Venables and Thompson. This history contains Thompson's abandonment from his father and Venables as a school child displaying seriously disturbing behaviour. The sexual element of the crime, with the manipulation of James Bulger's foreskin is considered, with Sereny noting; ?children who abuse other children have almost invariably been abused themselves.'/ Gitta Sereny observes that to enable people to gain an understanding of why these terrible deeds occur, it is the only change we have of ever perhaps stopping even some of them taking place in the future. ?Horrible things will always happen, but to understand them could prevent some.' This argues for focus to be aimed at minimising future crimes through looking at providing support where it is needed through rehabilitation, not just to achieve retribution for the crime. The law relating to diminished responsibility, a defence to manslaughter, does not account for children who sexually abuse children or acknowledge that these abused children could be suffering from an ?abnormality of the mind.' In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, the foreman of the Bulger jury, Vincent Moss stated that ?looking back, I am ashamed that I allowed myself to be coerced by the judge and prosecution to agree to a verdict of guilty of murder.' Moss says ?a proper judgement would have been that they had behaved like confused, frightened and stupid children caught up in a situation they had created but could not deal with. The judge's pronouncement that they were ?evil? was just wrong - they didn't have the moral and intellectual capacity for this to be an accurate description.'

The case coming back into debate has resurrected the emotive responses of the public, but also highlighted an important and overlooked issue; victims and their families should have more rights within the system, in particular their access to information. A spokesman for Victim Support commented on the Bulger case, ?It is a severe example of a general problem that affects a lot of victims of crime, which is not being given information about what is going on.?

The Newson report has been regarded retrospectively as being quite biased in its conclusions which are accused of being based on weak research, being a result of child behaviourists falling into line with the current fad of that time to see a link between video violence and antisocial behaviour and ignoring evidence that does not fit in with the theory. One psychologist who signed to the Newson report was quoted saying ?In the past, many of us thought there could be a link but the evidence was not terribly convincing and not enough to make us question the freedom of an individual to have access to this material. The Bulger case made us think again.' However, the Gulbenkian Foundation's report does bring to light the importance of taking into account many other factors such as particular children's' direct experiences of violence in their homes, or the ecological surroundings of the children, not just orientating towards the one issue of video violence; ?A useful debate about causes and prevention of violence involving children is hindered by the sort of misinformation about the role of particular videos which followed the Bulger trial.' This is how a misleading representation can lead to changes in the law such as those that took place under the Video Recordings Act 1994 because of the Newson report and the change in the minimum tariff for life sentences. The changes made to the Video Recordings Act 1994 to strengthen controls over video recordings intend to implement strict standards of classification, but the extent to which these standards will be tightened is reliant on the interpretation of the BBFC. Through making the video classification offences subject to a sentence of imprisonment, there is an underlying recognition that these offences merit custodial sentences, and are therefore serious offences. The power reserved by the Home Secretary to allow the BBFC to review videos already classified prior to the new standards means it anticipated some videos already holding a classification certificate will, after review by the BBFC, be refused a certificate or be reclassified within another older age classification.

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

France discussing strategic oil release with UK, U.S

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/france-discussing-strategic-oil-release-uk-u-report-075446424.html

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Federal court rejects 'Joe the Plumber' suit

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/federal-court-rejects-joe-plumber-suit-162325551.html

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