Ancillary Income for Physician Offices Counters Rising Costs | Baby ...

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Source: http://www.babybox.info/baby-box/771-ancillary-income-for-physician-offices-counters-rising-costs

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The Wall Street Journal: How To Get The Perfect ... - Style Flavors

Looking to spruce up your visage this weekend? How about giving a straight razor shave a shot? The Wall Street Journal has a great video on just how you can achieve the perfect straight razor shave.

I?ve personally not had a straight razor shave before but it?s probably only because I don?t have a lot of facial or body hair. I can get away with shaving only once every two days and even then, it?s usually a 15 second routine.

But if you?re gifted with more abundantly active follicles, the above video will show you just how to achieve a clean slate at home and really, the end-result looks enticing. With shaving, the key things to take note of are:

1. Heat is your friend: The best time to shave is when you?re in a hot shower. The steam will open your pores and make things a lot easier.

2. Protection: Use a pre-shave oil to help protect skin from the oncoming round of physical aggravation.

3. Lubricate, lubricate, lubricate: Use a shaving gel or cream and apply a generous layer before you shave.

4. Condition and hydrate: An after-shave helps to calm skin down and close your pores. I personally prefer using a hydrating serumthat soothes, repairs and hydrates in one quick step.

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Source: http://www.styleflavors.com/the-wall-street-journal-how-to-get-the-perfect-straight-razor-shave/

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4 people detained in Mexico-US prostitution ring (AP)

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mexico/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120215/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_forced_prostitution

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Republicans, Democrats seal rare deal on taxes (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Lawmakers on Wednesday reached a sweeping tax cut deal that provides a victory to Democrats and frees Republicans of an issue that threatened to stalk them to the November elections.

"The deal is done," a top Republican aide said after the main negotiators from both parties worked out their remaining differences. A senior Democratic aide said the top negotiators had finished their work.

The negotiated accord still awaits formal approval, possibly later in the day, by a special bipartisan committee composed of members of the Senate and House of Representatives.

The two chambers are expected to approve the deal by Friday, before lawmakers leave for a week-long recess.

The agreement would extend the payroll tax cut, first implemented in 2011 at the request of President Barack Obama, until the end of this year for about 160 million U.S. workers.

Passage would end a battle that has raged since last year over legislation that some economists say is vital to keeping the U.S. recovery on track by injecting up to $130 billion into the economy through consumer spending.

With the 2012 presidential and congressional campaigns heating up in the run-up to the November 6 elections, Republicans badly wanted to bury an issue that has left them divided and at risk of angering voters if they continued to be perceived as trying to kill the payroll tax cut.

"We're determined to put this to an end," first-term Republican Representative Renee Ellmers told reporters. One of 20 negotiators on the payroll tax cut legislation, Ellmers said Republicans now want to "move on to the real issues: the president's failed policies."

Congressional Democrats seized the moment to bask in a victory they hope will boost Obama's November re-election chances just as an improving economy is helping his poll numbers. Democratic aides described House Republican leaders' new willingness to let the payroll tax cut be extended and to do so without offsetting spending cuts by saying they had "caved" and "folded."

Long known as the party of low taxes, Republicans initially fought the payroll tax cut that largely helped low- and middle-income workers, saying temporary tax cuts did little to stimulate the economy.

"MAJOR TURNING POINT"

But with economists disagreeing and Democrats simultaneously forcing Republicans to go on record in favor of tax cuts for the wealthy, Republicans found themselves in a losing situation.

As their leaders tried to move into winning territory, it only stoked Republican infighting as conservatives, including Tea Party movement activists, resisted handing Democrats a victory.

Greg Valliere of Potomac Research Group, a private group that tracks Washington for investors, called the tax deal which also extends unemployment benefits "a major turning point" for the U.S. economy.

"It greatly increases the odds that the economy will continue to expand," which should give a boost to Obama's reelection chances, Valliere told clients.

In addition, Valliere said, it drags House Republicans, who include many aligned with what has been seen as a rigid Tea Party movement, "into the world of compromise."

As evidence, Representative Joe Walsh, a Tea Party activist, has embraced the tentative deal, even though it would add about $100 billion to U.S. budget deficits - something that normally would be anathema to the Tea Party.

Analysts said that opinion polls showing public disgust with a gridlocked Congress may have helped drive lawmakers, many of whom are up for re-election this year, toward a deal.

"A lot of people in Washington, D.C., know that Congress is not enjoying such a great reputation and here's an opportunity to reach agreement to show that we can get our work done," said Democratic Senator Max Baucus, one of the negotiators.

(Additional reporting by Donna Smith and David Lawder; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120215/ts_nm/us_usa_taxes_payroll

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Whittier Plumbing ? A Handyman's Guide | ATX Rent To Own ...

Staying geared up for people leaky faucets and tough clogs with the correct plumbing materials can save the house owner from costly drinking water harm repairs down the line.

Plumbing Supplies Should Be In Each Property

Every single homeowner or handyman ought to have water-pipe restore instruments in the house. Despite the fact that many plumbing difficulties that can occur with residence-ownership should be attended to by a expert plumbing service, simple repairs can be completed by the home owner by themselves. 1 of the greatest triggers of frustration when trying to repair a simple water leak or clog is the absence of suitable instruments.

Fundamental Plumbing Resources Each and every House owner Should Have

Besides the normal toolkit equipment of hammer, nails, screwdrivers and wrenches, here are a few simple resources for doing people house pipe repairs:

1. Plunger-This helpful clog remover really should be in each property. Toilets can turn into clogged at any time.

two. Toilet Auger-This is a long, steel cable intended to go down into toilet pipes and manually take away clogs.

three. Hand Auger-This unit makes use of a hand crank and a lengthy cable to eliminate clogs from shower drains, sinks and drain lines. The hand auger can be employed on toilet clogs if the plunger doesn?t perform.

4. Hacksaw-The hacksaw is used to reduce into metal like pipe tubing, screws, bolts and even PVC components.

five. Metal File-The metal file smooths the sharp, jagged surface of uncovered ends of minimize pipe.

6. Channel Lock Pliers-These are the most flexible of resources for tightening, loosening, gripping, pulling and twisting practically anything at all. They are also identified as tongue and groove pliers.

seven. Tubing Cutter-This device is employed to produce a cleanse, effortless cut into metal tubing.

8. Adjustable Wrench-Adjustable wrenches are used for fittings that are formed like hexagons.

nine. two Pipe Wrenches- Pipe wrenches are used jointly, one for holding and the other for turning threaded pipes.

10. Basin Wrenches-These are specifically shaped to match about the strange pipe shapes below sinks.

A lot more knowledgeable handymen also use propane to weld piping and make more superior home repairs. There are many different types of plumbing instruments readily available in the components industry nowadays. The two specialist and home owner-amount repairs start with a toolkit of the principles. Becoming ready for an unforeseen water-pipe leak or clog with the correct tools for the task is nicely value it.

Needing Whittier Plumbing for your home improvement task? Perhaps you have sprung a leak both at home or at work? We deliver you a knowledgeable professional technicians that can take care of every type of industrial and residential plumbing problems.

Source: http://www.atxrenttoown.com/blog/whittier-plumbing-a-handymans-guide/

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News and Society Blog-Economics: Occupying Wall Street Protests ...

ByJon Safer

On September 17, 2011 a small group of people gathered in New York to begin a protest that would soon turn into a non-violent revolution with people around the world joining in. The protest was staged to bring attention to that 1% in the nation that hold most of the country's wealth gained through collusion with state and national government and the back breaking labor of the other 99% of the American citizens who have sweated for generations to further line the pockets of big business.

It wasn't a shift in power that brought about the OWS (occupy wall street) protests. It was the recession that gave most Americans and indeed, the citizens of the world, a look into the true economic function of this country. For the first time, Americans saw first hand how these big companies greed lead us to financial disaster and while the average citizens of the country were losing their homes and their jobs, the government was busy giving handouts to these companies so they could give their wealthy CEOs bonuses for bringing our country to it's knees.

For the first time Americans saw the connection between government and big business and how the two have endeavored to ensure that the haves have more and the have nots have less. At first, many in the country were shell shocked by the recession and all eyes turned to the new president to make things right and to establish justice for those who needed it most. But, slowly they opened their eyes to the fact that nothing was going to change; that the government and big business were mated for life and nothing short of a revolution would change America's economic system.

At first, individual communities dealt with the economic crisis and the realization that neither business nor the government carried about the plight of the average person, by banding together and trying to help each other survive. But, finally shock was replaced with anger and the desire to see change a real change in the economic situation of this country. The Occupy Wall Street movement is the result of American' eyes finally being opened to the very real equality that has existed for generations and the need to shift the balance of power back to the American people where it belonged.

Now that the collective eyes of America and the world has been opened there is no going back. The Occupy Wall Street protest is just a beginning. If the Government is unable and unwilling to break their ties with the 1% of the population who have profited from the sweat of the common man, then the average citizen must make the changes themselves. They must shift the axle of power by learning to support the small local business turning their backs on the banks, and big business. If that means learning to grow their own food again, bartering for services, then so be it.

Unless and until the Occupy Wall Street protest can convince the America people to turn their backs on the very businesses that turned their backs on the American people, then nothing will change. The OWS protest will have brought attention but, little else to to their cause. And if nothing changes, then more people will lose their jobs, their homes, until finally the 1% will fail because they have bleed America and the American people dry and like every other parasite they too will die simply because they have no host of people to keep feeding their greed and their financial nests.

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Source: http://newsandsocietyblog-economics.blogspot.com/2012/02/occupying-wall-street-protests.html

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The Chase to Reach Antarctica's Untouched Lakes

More than 2 miles beneath the coldest spot on Earth, Russians scientists have finally reached the surface of Antarctica?s Lake Vostok. The team confirmed today it has finally pierced the upper reaches of the lake, which is roughly the size of Lake Ontario and has been sealed off from the atmosphere for 15 to 34 million years. It?s the first time anybody has drilled into one of Antarctica?s roughly 280 subglacial lakes, and scientists are hoping the lake water might reveal heretofore unknown forms of life.

But getting there wasn?t easy. Montana State University researcher John Priscu, who communicates regularly with the Russian group, says the Russians have been stalled for several years figuring out how to drill into the lake without contaminating it. According to Priscu and the Russian team?s statement, the researchers completed the final steps of drilling using a technique to depressurize the final length of borehole so that lake water would rush up into it. That also prevents kerosene and Freon from leaking downward; besides contaminating the water, those chemicals could circulate throughout the borehole to keep it from freezing shut, which is what the drillers want.

The Russian statement, released by the head of the Russian Antarctic Expedition, Valery Lukin, said the drill made contact with the lake at a depth of 12,366 feet. Water then rushed 100 to 130 feet up the borehole, according to the team?s measurements, where it should then freeze and prevent leakage, Priscu says. The Russian team has actually already left Antarctica because the end of summer there is fast approaching and temperatures have plunged to nearly -50 Fahrenheit. In December, when the next Antarctic summer begins, the team will return to take core samples of the ice and look for signs of life.

Drillers first bored into the ice sheet at Vostok more than 20 years ago to take ice cores, an extremely valuable source of information about the composition of our atmosphere over the last 400,000 years. (For example, analysis of the concentrations of carbon dioxide and oxygen isotopes within ice-bound bubbles has shown a link between atmospheric carbon and global temperatures.) Back then, the Russian began drilling with a traditional mechanical drill, and kept the hole open year-round by circulating drilling fluids throughout its length. But in the late 1990s, researchers realized the pristine subglacial Lake Vostok, isolated for millions of years, was right beneath their feet, according to Robin Bell, a researcher at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University in New York. The methods that Russian scientists had been using to extract ice cores, which are similar to those used to drill for oil, are effective but messy. So, since the 1990s, Russian scientists have been drilling toward the lake while trying to figure out how to reach it without contaminating it.

The Russians may have gotten to a subglacial lake first, but they?ve got company. Teams from the United Kingdom and United States are close behind them, poised to make their own breakthroughs into other lakes on Antarctica. The British have been planning for several years to drill into Lake Ellsworth, a subglacial lake toward the west of the continent, and they are set to begin drilling in late 2012. David Blake, head of technology and engineering for the team said they?ve already manufactured all the parts to get into the lake and get a good look at it.

In some ways the Americans and British may have it easier than the Russians. For example, Blake says, their drill is designed to be much cleaner than the one used by the Russians; rather than a mechanical system, the British team will plow through the ice by sending pressurized?and sterilized?hot water squeezed through a 2-mile-long hose to melt a path through the roughly 12,000 feet of ice above the lake. The team will then lower cables with a series of instruments to measure the lake?s temperature, pressure, and chemistry, as well as snap photos and take samples of water and sediment. But they must do it quickly; Blake calculates the hole will only stay open for little over 24 hours. All the equipment has already been sterilized and sealed. It?s ready to go when summer returns to the icy continent late in 2012.

An artist's representation of the aquatic system scientists believe is buried beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. Credit: Zina Deretsky / NSF

The Americans have a similar plan to drill into Lake Whillans, close to the Ross Ice Shelf. Unlike the other lakes, though, Whillans likely has a one-way sub-surface connection to the sea, and it also swells and shrinks as the ice sheet above it moves in concert with the seasonal movements of glaciers near the ocean. Its underwater connections, proximity to the sea, and seasonal variability make it more dynamic than the other lakes. Chuck Kennicutt, Texas A&M University researcher and president of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, which oversees much of the research conducted on the continent, says looking into this lake should provide a glimpse of yet another kind of subglacial environment. Frank Rack, an engineer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, designed the team?s hot water drill. "It?s basically like one of those pressurized sprayers you see at a car wash," Priscu says, "except much bigger." The system also has several small filters and UV emitters so that when the 197 F water comes out, it won?t contaminate the subglacial gem.

Once the hole is drilled, the Americans will then lower a suite of instruments similar to the Brits? to get a physical picture of Whillans and take water samples and pictures. They will also use a filter that circulates water, trapping any DNA or microbes present in the water. Small metal tubes will be dropped to the bottom to take samples of sediment, which should provide vital clues to the biology of the lake, as well as its paleoclimate and formation. All sensors will be sterilized before being submerged.

The U.S. team also hoped to introduce the Sub-Ice Rover, a 27.5-foot underwater robot from Northern Illinois University that can be retracted to fit through a borehole before unfolding and going to work on the other end. Unfortunately, Kennicutt says, the funding for that project fell through, but he hopes it will be able to go to Antarctica the next year. Researchers also plan to introduce permanent monitors in the future, if funding comes through, to provide a continuous look at the lake and any life it may harbor and likely other robotic explorers. For now, though, the Americans will be limited to about a week, the length of time the hole is predicted to stay open before inevitably freezing shut.

While the Russians have beat the rest of the world to Vostok, it may be the Brits or the Americans who actually find the first indisputable evidence of life within these isolated environments, since they will begin sampling liquid water around the same time the Russians will retrieve their ice cores. Regardless of who?s first, though, finding life here would be hugely important. For one thing, it would give scientists reason to believe life could survive beyond Earth, such as within the icy moons of Jupiter, whose environments are thought to be similar to that of these Antarctic lakes.

Although many researchers expect to find life in these dark and isolated waters, Priscu is sure that it will happen. He published a controversial 1999 study in the journal Science suggesting the presence of DNA in Lake Vostok, and the discovery of microbes in environments that surround these lakes, such as subglacial sediments and the glacial ice itself. "I think it would be the exception, as opposed to the rule, if we don?t find bugs down there," Priscu says. "It?s our planet?s biggest wetland. I bet life isn?t just eking it out down there, but thriving."

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/water/how-to-drill-12000-feet-into-an-untouched-antarctic-lake-6653488?src=rss

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Abortion, birth control grab political spotlight (AP)

DAYTON, Ohio ? Political turmoil over abortion and birth control spread suddenly on Tuesday. A high-ranking official resigned from the Komen breast-cancer charity after its backtracking treaty with Planned Parenthood, and Republican presidential candidates blistered the Obama administration for a recent ruling on Catholic hospitals and contraception.

The White House made a point of declaring it wanted to ease the concerns of church-affiliated employers ? many would be required to provide birth control coverage to their workers under the new rules ? but there was no word on how those concerns might be addressed.

The two-track drama pumped new furor into longstanding disputes that sometimes take a backseat in political campaigns because the lines are so familiar and firmly drawn. Last week's Komen-Planned Parenthood dispute stirred many women's groups that support legal abortion. And the Obama ruling touched a nerve with moderate Roman Catholics who support contraceptives but also defend their church's right to run its hospitals and other institutions according to religious convictions.

Republican presidential candidates pounced on what they considered a blunder by President Barack Obama. They believe his administration's ruling will alienate moderate Catholic voters who could prove crucial in November in Ohio, Pennsylvania and elsewhere.

There also could be political repercussions from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure controversy. The breast-cancer charity, facing fierce criticism, mostly from women's groups, quickly overturned its decision to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is a major provider of abortions, but it also screens women for breast cancer and other health problems.

In Atlanta, Karen Handel, a Komen vice president who played a role in the fund cutoff decision, resigned Tuesday. A Republican who ran for governor in Georgia, Handel was seen by some as an example of what they felt was an increasing tendency by Komen to bring partisan politics into the charity's decisions.

"I am deeply disappointed by the gross mischaracterizations of the strategy, its rationale and my involvement in it," Handel said in her resignation letter.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, for his part, said he supported Komen's original decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood.

The arguments came as the GOP presidential hopefuls campaigned in several states and Republicans voted in Colorado and Minnesota. Each candidate tried to take advantage of the unusually intense focus on reproductive issues.

Romney, a Mormon, decried Obama's "assault on religion," telling Colorado voters the new contraception ruling was "a real blow ... to our friends in the Catholic faith."

Newt Gingrich, a Catholic, told Ohio Republicans, "There has been a lot of talk about the Obama administration's attack on the Catholic Church."

But Gingrich, who is struggling to narrow Romney's lead in the GOP nomination race, also turned his fire on the former Massachusetts governor. "Governor Romney insisted that Catholic hospitals give out abortion pills, against their religious belief, when he was governor," Gingrich said.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum, also a strong anti-abortion advocate and a Catholic, made similar remarks about Romney in a written article Tuesday.

As governor, Romney enforced a law that required all Massachusetts hospitals, including Catholic ones, to provide emergency contraception to rape victims. Some Catholics say the so-called morning-after pill is a form of abortion. Romney said he did not support the law, which passed despite his veto. But he also said at the time, "My personal view, in my heart of hearts, is that people who are subject to rape should have the option of having emergency contraception or emergency contraception information."

Romney may have given Gingrich and Santorum a new opening Tuesday when he likened "morning-after pills" to "abortive pills." Romney supported legalized abortion when he ran for Senate and governor in Massachusetts, but he now opposes it.

The White House and Obama's re-election campaign endured another day of sharp debate over the contraception ruling, which falls under preventive-health measures attached to the 2010 health care overhaul. Church-affiliated employers' health insurance plans will have to cover birth control, regardless of the institutions' religious principles. Churches are not covered by the rule, but affiliated employers such as colleges and hospitals are.

The ruling follows the Institute of Medicine's recommendation to treat birth control as preventive health because it promotes maternal and child health by allowing women to space their pregnancies. For religious-affiliated employers, the requirement will take effect in mid-2013.

Workplace health plans will have to cover all forms of contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration, including the birth control pill, implantable devices, sterilization and the morning-after pill. There is no mandate to cover abortions.

Last Sunday, Catholic bishops in more than 140 dioceses issued denunciations of the decision that were read at weekend Masses.

Sister Carol Keehan, head of the Catholic Health Association ? which supported Obama's 2010 health care law ? summed up the feeling of some moderate Catholics who say political analysts are missing the point.

"It's not the issue of contraception but religious freedom," she said. "It's not about preventing women from buying anything themselves, but telling the church what it has to buy, and the potential for that to go further."

Wall Street Journal editorial writer Peggy Noonan said the contraception ruling might cost Obama the election.

But Jen Psaki, a former Obama aide, said millions of American women, including Catholics, see it differently.

"This is about one issue, and that is making sure all women, especially those who can't afford it, have access to health care," said Psaki, who is Catholic. "And if Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich continue to make a political issue out of such an important human right, they risk jumping the shark with women voters of all political stripes."

Groups on the left and right raced into the debate.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he hopes the Obama administration "backs down on this rule that violates conscience. If not, we'll do everything in our power to repeal it."

NARAL Pro-Choice America defended the new ruling.

"This is one of the biggest victories for women's health in a generation," said Nancy Keenan, its president. "Nurses, janitorial staff and professors who work at colleges and universities that do not currently cover birth control will get access to contraception."

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney didn't say how employers' concerns might be addressed, though he said there were a lot of ideas for doing it.

He said Obama's focus is making sure that women employed by Catholic-affiliated employers like hospitals, colleges or charities are able to get contraception. At the same time, Carney said Obama wants to respect religious beliefs and convictions.

David Axelrod, a top political aide to Obama, hinted at possible adjustments to the rule or its application. He told MSNBC the administration didn't intend to "abridge anyone's religious freedom."

"This is an important issue," Axelrod said. "It's important for millions of women around the country. We want to resolve it in an appropriate way, and we're going to do that."

Santorum suggested this week that efforts to reach an accord won't be easy.

"The Catholic Church has been arguing and negotiating this for a year, and the administration is saying `it's just a misunderstanding,'" Santorum said while campaigning in Colorado. "It's just a bunch of bull. They are folks who are trying to use their power to force people to do things that they believe they should do and are right. They don't care about their religion."

Speaking at a 2006 Call to Renewal conference, organized by the religious anti-poverty group Sojourners, Obama said secular Americans were wrong to ask churchgoers to "leave their religion at the door before entering the public square."

But Obama also said religious groups must be recognize "ground rules for collaboration" and the importance of the separation of church and state.

___

Associated Press writers Rachel Zoll in New York, Donna Cassata in Washington and Philip Elliott and Steve Peoples in Colorado contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120207/ap_on_el_pr/us_birth_control_politics

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Obama meets with Senate Democrats (AP)

WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama met with Senate Democrats on Wednesday to discuss their annual agenda and an upcoming deadline to extend a payroll tax cut.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the president was talking to the lawmakers about the upcoming budget plan, the economy and efforts to extend the payroll tax cut for the rest of the year.

The president was accompanied to the meeting at Nationals Park by new White House chief of staff Jack Lew and top aides Pete Rouse and Rob Nabors. Obama held a similar meeting with House Democrats last month.

A White House official said the event was closed to the press because Obama was not delivering formal remarks and likened it to the private question-and-answer sessions Obama has held with Senate Democrats during their closed-door caucus lunches in the Capitol.

Obama campaign manager Jim Messina also briefed Senate Democrats about the president's re-election campaign. The Democrats also invited billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who has argued for tax law changes by noting that the current system lets him pay at a lower tax rate than his secretary. Obama has called for a "Buffett rule" that imposes a 30 percent tax rate on millionaires, no matter the source of their income.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120208/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_senate

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Zoo wants company to stop using chimps in TV ads (AP)

CHICAGO ? A Chicago zoo is mounting a campaign to stop a company from airing a Super Bowl Sunday commercial featuring mischievous suit-and-tie wearing chimpanzees playing tricks on their human co-worker, saying all that monkey business proves deadly for the endangered species.

Lincoln Park Zoo officials fear images of the frolicking chimps broadcast worldwide do little to help conservation efforts, inaccurately portraying the animals as unthreatened and even as cuddly and harmless pets.

"If people see them that way they are less likely to try and conserve them," Stephen Ross, assistant director of the zoo's Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, said of the commercial that shows chimps laughing at a `Kick Me" sign on the human. "Individual chimps are being harmed and wild populations are being harmed by this frivolous use of an endangered species."

Ross said he and other animal welfare advocates have been complaining to CareerBuilder.com ever since the company started using chimps in Super Bowl commercials in 2005. But this year is different because he's armed with a Duke University study that he says supports his longtime claims: Commercialized chimps dressed as people ? even when running up big banana daiquiri bar tabs ? makes viewers less concerned about the plight of wild chimps.

"The argument they (CareerBuilder.com) make is it doesn't matter how they're portrayed, they are helping to protect them," said Brian Hare, an assistant professor of evolutionary anthropology who led the study. "The opposite is true. These commercials are negatively affecting people's decisions about how they support conservation."

CareerBuilder.com declined to comment on the study or any suggestion that the commercials put wild chimpanzees in danger. But in a prepared statement, the Chicago-based company said the "chimpanzee stars" were not harmed and that the American Humane Society watched the commercial being filmed to ensure the animals were "treated with respect."

Hare is particularly concerned about how a Super Bowl commercial ? shown around the world ? will persuade people in Africa, some desperately poor, to capture and sell the animals.

"This advertisement teaches them there is a market for these animals, that there are some crazy people in America and Europe who would want them as pets," he said. "Even if there isn't a market, they think there's a market."

And that, he said, could devastate the wild population of chimpanzees that has already dwindled from more than 1 million to about 100,000.

Further, he and Ross said the message that chimps make good pets is a dangerous one, as was demonstrated in 2009 when a chimpanzee attacked a Connecticut woman, ripping off her nose, lips, eyelids and hands before being shot to death by police.

Ross said he's not optimistic that CareerBuilder.com will pull the ad before this year's Super Bowl. "They already paid for this one," he said, adding that the company has never responded to any of the letters he's written them since 2005.

In fact, in an effort to drum up publicity about the ad, the company sent another email to The Associated Press trumpeting the upcoming commercial starring "CareerBuilder's beloved chimpanzees" that was back by "popular demand."

In that email, the company pointed to statistics that showed CareerBuilder.com business surged after previous Super Bowls and that its brand awareness also has grown dramatically.

But, he said in an email, maybe his concerns will find an audience of its own that the response from "a wider segment of the public ... is negative enough for (CareerBuilder.com) not to invest more money in extending the campaign with new ads."

Ross and Hare are encouraged by another conclusion of the Duke study: The commercials may not be all that effective. Contrary to Careerbuilder.com's suggestion that the commercials helped their business, Hare said people who watched the commercials reported that they found commercials with chimpanzees less interesting than those that featured athletes, music and other things.

That is not surprising to Peter Dabol, chief executive of Ace Metrix, a firm that rates the effectiveness of ads.

"These kinds of slapsticky, kind of funny ads and these ads in particular, were relatively low scoring ads even though their likeability is high," he said.

"These (CareerBuilder.com) ads performed at the bottom of the pack of all Super Bowl ads," he said. "That's typical of what we see as pure humor, cheap laugh ads."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_sp_ot/us_super_bowl_chimp_ads

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HP Envy 15 (2012)

The HP Envy 15 (2012) ($1,249.99 direct) is the latest iteration of HP's premium line of desktop replacement laptops, offering a mix of style, substance, and price that's well suited to both work and play. Though it competes with current top dogs, like our Editors' Choice Samsung Series 7 (NP700Z5A-S03) ($1,299 list, 4 stars), and bears a strong resemblance to the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Late 2011) ($1,799 direct, 4 stars), a number of additional features, such as deep integration of Beats Audio and an impressive number of wireless options, help set the Envy 15 apart from the pack.

Design
From its bare aluminum chassis to its large touchpad and black chiclet-style keyboard, the Envy 15 unabashedly copies everything that works well for Apple on the MacBook Pro. HP has added a few touches of its own, such as beveling the edges to increase comfort and utilizing a black lid (on our model; it's also available in gray) with a glowing HP logo in one corner. The Envy is also just a shade heavier (5.7 pounds versus 5.5 pounds for the MacBook Pro).

The black chiclet-style keyboard is highlighted with a subtle yet striking red strip that runs around its recessed inside edge. Each key is individually backlit with an LED; the letters are brighter but the light leakage is significantly reduced. It's also smarter than other backlights, with a proximity sensor that activates the backlight when you're close enough to the keyboard to need it and turns it off when you move away. The large clickpad that accompanies the keyboard continues the Apple-flavored design, with the right and left buttons integrated into the surface, though its performance was not on par with Apple's model. And though the multitouch worked smoothly, without any jumpiness or false positives, it felt plastic compared to Apple's glass-surfaced clickpad.

The Envy 15 is also the showcase for HP's Beats Audio, the same Dr. Dre?approved sound system backing several models of high-end headphones and making its way into smartphones and media players. The Envy 15 is well equipped to show off this quality 6.1-channel sound, with two top-firing speakers, four front-firing speakers, and an integrated subwoofer delivering decent bass. The audio may not top the superb sounds of the Asus N55SF-A1 ($1,249.99 list, 4 stars), but it's still better than what you get with most laptops on the market. Set into the side of the Envy 15's chassis is a volume control knob displaying a bright red Beats logo; it's designed to mimic the look and feel of a control knob from a high-end stereo system, and provides digital precision with the tactile control of analog.

The gorgeous 1,920-by-1,080-resolution display on the Envy 15 looks just as good as the Beats Audio sounds. The 15.6-inch widescreen is bright and clear, with edge-to-edge glass and LED backlighting for visibility even in bright environments. But you'll have to watch out for glare off of the glass, which might make it difficult to work or enjoy a movie outdoors or in certain lighting conditions.

Features
The Envy 15 also packs plenty of connectivity options and entertainment features. Along either side of the laptop you'll find connections for video and audio alike. First there are DisplayPort and HDMI ports, for connecting to an external monitor or HDTV. Dual headphone jacks let you share the sweet sounds of Beats Audio, and headphone users actually get a further boost thanks to built-in headphone amplification. If you want to enjoy the video and audio without all those cables, the Envy 15 is equipped with Intel's WiDi 2.0?a wireless alternative to HDMI (provided you have the appropriate adapter, like the $99 Netgear Push2TV)?and HP Wireless Audio, which streams multichannel audio to any compatible sound system or adapter without requiring a dongle for the laptop.

There are also three USB 2.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet jack, and a card reader (SD/MMC). Internally, the Envy 15 offers 802.11n Wi-Fi, a slot-loading dual-layer DVD drive, and a 500GB 7,200rpm hard drive?the same size found in the Apple MacBook Pro and Dell XPS 15z (Microsoft) ($999 direct, 4 stars). A few newer competitors, like the Samsung Series 7 and Toshiba Satellite P755-S5269 ($979.99 list, 4 stars), offer larger 750GB drives, but 500GB will still hold a sizable media collection along with all of your programs and files.

The Envy 15 does come with some software preinstalled, but it's far from bloatware. The Envy includes full versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 and Adobe Premiere Elements 9, as well as Microsoft Office Starter 2010 Starter and a 2-year subscription to Norton Internet Security. HP covers the Envy with a two-year warranty on parts and labor along with toll-free tech support, available 24/7 via chat or email.

Performance
HP has equipped the Envy 15 with a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-2430 dual-core processor and 6GB of RAM. This hardware led to a strong showing in our productivity tests, but the Envy naturally fell behind the superior quad-core Core i7?equipped competition of the MacBook Pro and the Series 7?though not by much. In PCMark 7 the Envy 15 scored 2,218, nearly identical to the 2,235 earned by the Apple, but not quite the 2,697 of the Samsung. The biggest difference we saw was in CineBench R11.5, where the Envy 15 scored 2.67, on par with the Dell XPS 15z (2.53) and indicating more than enough horsepower for the average user, if not as impressive as the results from the MacBook Pro (5.08) and Samsung Series 7 (4.55). The Envy couldn't keep up with them in our Photoshop CS5 or Handbrake tests, either; it needed 4 minutes 1 second for the former and 1 minute 51 seconds for the latter, compared with 3:39 and 1:30 for the Apple and 3:39 and 1:37 for the Samsung.

The Envy 15 also offers plenty of graphics power for both work and play, thanks to a discrete AMD Radeon HD 7690M video processor with manual switching. When disconnected from a power outlet, the laptop defaults to lower-powered integrated graphics, but you can switch back to the AMD GPU with just a few clicks. With discrete graphics enabled, the Envy 15 produced decent results in our gaming tests. In Crysis, it managed to crank out 62.7 frames per second (fps) at 1,024-by-768 resolution, with anti-aliasing turned off. With anti-aliasing turned up to 4x and the resolution cranked up to 1,920-by-1,080, the Envy produced an unplayable 9.4fps; this means you should have no problem playing most games as long as you go easy on the eye candy. We saw similar performance in Lost Planet 2, where the Envy 15 managed 63.9fps at lower resolution and detail, but 23.2fps at full resolution.

Though HP claimed the Envy 15 could produce 9 hours of battery life, we were skeptical of the claim?desktop replacements usually average around 5 hours. Testing with MobileMark 2007 confirmed our suspicions. The Envy 15 lasted 4 hours 1 minute, one of the shorter times for the category but still long enough to enjoy a double feature while stuck in an airport. By comparison, the Toshiba Satellite P755-S5269 lasted 5:07, the Samsung Series 7 lasted 6:41, and the Dell XPS 15z led the category with 7:13.

Its processing and graphics capabilities make the HP Envy 15 (2012) a solid alternative to pricier quad-core systems, and a true HD display and Beats Audio add polish to its entertainment side. It falters on battery life and we would love to see an option for a Blu-ray configuration, so it won't replace the Samsung Series 7 as our current Editors' Choice. But on the whole there's little to complain about, so you can buy the HP Envy 15 (2012) with confidence.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the HP Envy 15 (2012) with several other laptops side by side.

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??? HP Envy 15 (2012)
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/BNcRRYLTG3Q/0,2817,2399564,00.asp

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