(Reuters) - U.S. media giant The Tribune Co, owner of the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, said late on Sunday it will emerge from bankruptcy on December 31, ending four years of Chapter 11 reorganization.
Chicago-based Tribune said it will emerge from the Chapter 11 process with a portfolio of profitable assets that will include eight major daily newspapers and 23 TV stations. The company will also have a new board of directors.
"Tribune will emerge as a dynamic multi-media company with a great mix of profitable assets, powerful brands in major markets, sufficient liquidity for operations and investments and significantly less debt," Eddy Hartenstein, Tribune's chief executive officer, said in an email to employees. "In short, Tribune is far stronger than it was when we began the Chapter 11 process."
As part of the Chapter 11 exit, the company will close on a new $1.1 billion senior secured term loan and a new $300 million asset-based revolving credit facility.
The term loan will be used to fund certain payments under the plan of reorganization and the revolving credit facility will be used to fund ongoing operations, the company said.
Upon exiting bankruptcy, Tribune will have issued to former creditors a mix of about 100 million shares of new class A common stock and new class B common stock and new warrants to purchase shares of new class A or class B common stock.
The current chief executive officer, Eddy Hartenstein, will remain in his role until the new board ratifies the company's executive officers.
The company announced a seven-person board that includes Hartenstein, former Fox Entertainment chairman Peter Liguori, former Yahoo interim CEO Ross Levinshohn and Peter Murphy, Walt Disney's former top strategic planning executive.
Liquori is expected to be named Tribune's new chief executive officer.
In November, Tribune received regulatory approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to transfer its broadcast licenses to the owners who will take over the company when it emerges from bankruptcy.
The company's plan of reorganization was confirmed by the Delaware bankruptcy court in July. Tribune's emergence from bankruptcy was conditional on the FCC approving the transfer of the broadcast licenses to new owners.
The case is In re: Tribune Co et al, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware, No. 08-13141.
(Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Matt Driskill)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the Newtown school shootings have changed the gun control debate and that rural America is ready to be part of a national conversation that he believes could bring people together.
Vilsack says the debate has to start with respect for the Second Amendment right to bear arms and a recognition that hunting is a way of life for millions of Americans.
But Vilsack said that the nation has reached "a different circumstance" in the gun control debate. It will take time, but it's now "potentially a unifying conversation," he said. President Barack Obama recognizes that changes to gun laws can't just be decreed from Washington but must come from the "grassroots up."
Vilsack was interviewed Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."
Whether you are managing the demands of a growing family, or are financially sound enough to invest in a home addition, you need to get in touch with a reputable home improvement contractor in Arlington Heights. That?s the first and most important step in a home renovation project. You might need to ?
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(Reuters) - A major Iranian partner of Huawei Technologies offered to sell at least 1.3 million euros worth of embargoed Hewlett-Packard computer equipment to Iran's largest mobile-phone operator in late 2010, documents show.
China's Huawei, the world's second largest telecommunications equipment maker, says neither it nor its partner, a private company registered in Hong Kong, ultimately provided the HP products to the telecom, Mobile Telecommunication Co of Iran, known as MCI. Nevertheless, the incident provides new evidence of how Chinese companies have been willing to help Iran evade trade sanctions.
The proposed deal also raises new questions about Shenzhen-based Huawei, which recently was criticized by the U.S. House Intelligence Committee for failing to "provide evidence to support its claims that it complies with all international sanctions or U.S. export laws."
At least 13 pages of the proposal to MCI, which involved expanding its subscriber billing system, were marked "Huawei confidential" and carried the company's logo, according to documents seen by Reuters. In a statement to Reuters, Huawei called it a "bidding document" and said one of its "major local partners," Skycom Tech Co Ltd, had submitted it to MCI.
The statement went on to say, "Huawei's business in Iran is in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations including those of the U.N., U.S. and E.U. This commitment has been carried out and followed strictly by our company. Further, we also require our partners to follow the same commitment and strictly abide by the relevant laws and regulations."
In October, Reuters reported that another Iranian partner of Huawei last year tried to sell embargoed American antenna equipment to Iran's second largest mobile operator, MTN Irancell, in a deal the buyer ultimately rejected. The U.S. antenna manufacturer, CommScope Inc, has an agreement with Huawei in which the Chinese firm can use its products in Huawei systems, according to a CommScope spokesman. He added that his company strives to comply fully with all U.S. laws and sanctions.
Huawei has a similar partnership with HP. In a statement, the Palo Alto, Calif., company said, "HP has an extensive control system in place to ensure our partners and resellers comply with all legal and regulatory requirements involving system security, global trade and customer privacy and the company's relationship with Huawei is no different."
The statement added, "HP's distribution contract terms prohibit the sale of HP products into Iran and require compliance with U.S. and other applicable export laws."
Washington has banned the export of computer equipment to Iran for years. The sanctions are designed to deter Iran from developing nuclear weapons; Iran says its nuclear program is aimed purely at producing domestic energy.
CLOSE LINKS
Huawei and its Iranian partner, Skycom, appear to have very close ties.
An Iranian job recruitment site called Irantalent.com describes Skycom as "a leading telecom solution provider" and goes on to list details that are identical to the way Huawei describes itself on its U.S. website: employee-owned, selling "solutions" used by "45 of the world's top 50 telecom operators" and serving "one-third of the world's population."
On LinkedIn.com, several telecom workers list having worked at "Huawei-skycom" on their resumes. A former Skycom employee said the two companies shared the same headquarters in China. And an Iranian telecom manager who has visited Skycom's office in Tehran said, "Everybody carries Huawei badges."
A Hong Kong accountant whose firm is listed in Skycom registration records as its corporate secretary said Friday he would check with the company to see if anyone would answer questions. Reuters did not hear back.
The proposal to MCI, dated October 2010, would have doubled the capacity of MCI's billing system for prepaid customers. The proposal noted that MCI was "growing fast" and that its current system, provided by Huawei, had "exceeded the system capacity" to handle 20 million prepaid subscribers.
"In order to keep serving (MCI) with high quality, we provide this expansion proposal to support 40M subscribers," the proposal states on a page marked "HUAWEI Confidential."
The proposal makes clear that HP computer servers were an integral part of the "Hardware Installation Design" of the expansion project. Tables listing equipment for MCI facilities at a new site in Tehran and in the city of Shiraz repeatedly reference HP servers under the heading, "Minicomputer Model."
The documents seen by Reuters also include a portion of an equipment price list that carries Huawei's logo and are stamped "SKYCOM IRAN OFFICE." The pages list prices for HP servers, disk arrays and switches, including those that already are "existing" and others that need to be added. The total proposed project price came to 19.9 million euros, including a "one time special discount."
The proposed new HP equipment, which totaled 1.3 million euros, included one server, 20 disk arrays, 22 switches and software. The existing HP equipment included 22 servers, 8 disk arrays and 13 switches, with accompanying prices.
Asked who had provided the existing HP equipment to MCI, Vic Guyang, a Huawei spokesman, said it wasn't Huawei. "We would like to add that the existing hardware equipment belongs to the customer. Huawei does not have information on, or the authority to check the source of the customer's equipment."
Officials with MCI did not respond to requests for comment.
In a series of stories this year, Reuters has documented how China has become a backdoor for Iran to obtain embargoed U.S. computer equipment. In March and April, Reuters reported that China's ZTE Corp, a Huawei competitor, had sold or agreed to sell millions of dollars worth of U.S. computer gear, including HP equipment, to Telecommunication Co of Iran, the country's largest telecommunications firm, and a unit of the consortium that controls TCI.
The articles sparked investigations by the U.S. Commerce Department, the Justice Department and some of the U.S. tech companies. ZTE says it is cooperating with the federal probes.
TCI is the parent company of MCI.
(Additional reporting by Grace Li and Chyen Yee Lee in Hong Kong and Marcus George in Dubai; Edited by Simon Robinson)
A Kansas man who donated sperm to a lesbian couple three years ago is fighting the state?s demand that he pay child support.
The two women raising the 3-year-old girl say they support the man, who responded to an ad they posted on the Craigslist website in 2009,?the Topeka Capital-Journal reported.
The issue of child support arose when the two women broke up, and the couple applied for state services. Workers at the Kansas Department for Children and Families demanded the donor?s name and then filed a child-support claim against him, the newspaper said.
Angela Bauer, one of the mothers, told the Capital-Journal?that she and her former partner, Jennifer Schreiner, support the donor, William Marotta, ?in whatever action he wants to go forward with? to fight the state's demand.
"This was a wonderful opportunity with a guy with an admirable, giving character who wanted nothing more than to help us have a child," the newspaper quoted Bauer, 40, as saying. "I feel like the state of Kansas has made a mess out of the situation."
When Bauer and Schreiner, the 34-year-old birth mother, reached a deal with Marotta that did not include any payment for his sperm donation, he signed a written agreement that relinquished all parental rights and held him?harmless ?for any child support payments demanded of him by any other person or entity, public or private ... regardless of the circumstances or said demand,??it said.?
The state argued in court papers that because the insemination wasn?t performed by a licensed physician, the contract was null and void.
When the two women split in 2010, they had eight children, including some they adopted, whom they now co-parent.?
Marotta, a 43-year-old mechanic,?was dragged into the dispute when the couple filed for state assistance. The state insisted that they reveal the donor?s identity, saying that if they refused to do so, their daughter would no longer be eligible for health care coverage. The women reluctantly complied, the Capital-Journal reported.
The girl?s birth certificate does not include her biological father?s name, and the Capital-Journal said that he had no contact with the girl, other than receiving occasional email updates from Bauer. Both women adopted the girl, although they had to file for adoption separately because the state does not recognize same-sex unions, the newspaper said. This means that the state also cannot collect child support from same-sex parents.
"More and more gays and lesbians are adopting and reproducing, and this, to me, is a step backward," said Bauer, who formerly supported the family financially but is no longer able to work due to a "serious illness."?"I think a lot of progressive movement is happening currently in the world as far as gays and lesbians go. Maybe this is Kansas' stand against some of that."
The Capital-Journal could not reach Marotta for comment and the?Kansas Department for Children and Families declined to discuss the case, citing privacy laws.
This isn?t the first time states have demanded child support from sperm donors. But in most of those cases, the sperm donor was known to the birth family ? usually a man who was friendly with a lesbian couple and who agreed to help them out.
Court rulings vary Sperm donors who donate through a sperm bank are typically protected by state parenting shield laws. But in less straight-forward cases, courts have differed on whether the men should pay up.
A Massachusetts court ruled this year that a Nigerian immigrant had to pay child support for twins conceived through artificial insemination a year after he and his wife had separated, the Patriot Ledger reported.
And?In Vermont, a man who donated sperm to a female friend was required to pay child support because he maintained a relationship with the children.
Explained one of the mothers to The Associated Press in 2007: "Part of the decision came down because he was so involved with them. It wasn't that he went to the (sperm) bank and that was it. They called him Papa."
In New York, a married doctor agreed to donate sperm to a young resident and her partner in the late 1980s, only to be asked 18 years later for child support, the New York Post reported.
His undoing was sending money and cards to the child, which he would sign, ?Dad? or ?Daddy.? The biological father?s name was also on the birth certificate.
But in Washington state, the Court of Appeals ruled in 2004 that a donor can?t be required to pay child support unless he and the mother have signed an explicit contract.
And in Texas, an appeals court ruled in favor of a former policeman who donated sperm to a woman he had been formerly connected with. He had paid thousands of dollars in child support for twins until the court ruled in his favor.
When the lawsuit was filed in 2008, the man told McClatchy: "I was totally blown away. I was already married and had moved on with my life."
NBC's Isolde Raftery and The Associated Press contributed reporting.?
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Recently I did a radio interview with longtime friend Al Korelin and blurted out that anyone who actively followed the gold/silver markets and did not appreciate how manipulated they are, was a moron. Not sure how that went over with Al?s listening audience, but I would like to parlay that comment here to deal with its significance.
You truly have to be mentally challenged if you follow the gold/silver market action and cannot appreciate something is very amiss, as per the confused Mitsui gold people, as brought to your attention the other day. There is NOTHING to be confused about. The more bullish the news for gold, the more reasons for the price to soar and the more The Gold Cartel deviants go into action to suppress both the gold and silver prices. How many times does the GATA camp have to point this out before the dingbats at Mitsui, and the rest of the mainstream gold world, will go there? The answer is infinity. These mainstream establishment gold pundits will NEVER tell their people the truth about what the gold market is all about. Hara-kiri would be their first choice before telling the truth.
Most people naturally think the Mayans got it wrong about the world ending on December 21. Of course it is that way at first glance, but if what takes place in the economic/financial market arenas in the years ahead that I see coming, it might prove them correct in a way not commonly thought of (just a few years off and in a different articulation). Whatever is done with our fiscal cliff issue, it represents how incapable our politicians are of dealing with our mounting fiscal deficits and debt in America. It will not signify the end of the world, but could very well come to represent a moment when it becomes CLEAR our standard of living is going to significantly deteriorate ? and an end to a standard of living as we Americans have known it ... the end of that world. If the Mayans are correct in that regard, which I believe to be the case, the standard of living of most Americans, and others around the world, is going to change dramatically for the worse.
As this all kicks in, the realization of how broke the US is, along with many other nations, will take center stage. The understanding of the US money printing game will command the same attention on that stage. The dollar will begin its tapioca swan dive. Gold and silver will begin launches to doubling their prices for starters. The Gold Cartel will have to go into a retreat mode like we have not seen yet.
The Gold Cartel knows what is coming as presented above, which is why they have bombed gold and silver the past month+ when the fundamentals registered the most bullish factoids imaginable. PRICE ACTION MAKES MARKET COMMENTARY. The clueless (or disingenuous) out there in the mainstream gold world refuse to explain why the price of gold has behaved so counterintuitively ?, but the GATA camp will, and does, all the time.
Now, this is what I really want to get to ? in what I truly believe could be of meaningful support during this time of the investing public RUNNING AWAY FROM THE GOLD/SILVER/SHARE MARKETS, just when the focus should be on them the most! The bullish sentiment is really that bad.
To get right to the point, and to try and be of assistance, this is what I have done well at in the past ? getting into a major market move when few investors are paying attention to incredibly bullish fundamentals. That said, I am among THE WORLD?S WORST at dealing with market tops and taking profits. But, since we are dealing with major corrections in gold and silver, accompanied by dreadful bullish sentiment, that should not be of most concern at the moment.
SO, it is my opinion the prices of gold and silver are going to go into an EPIC move up stage, especially silver, next year. Silver will make all-time highs and be streaking for $100 an ounce. If there ever was a time to skew your investment portfolio towards silver, and pay extra attention, it is right now!
It is just human nature to NOT get it at market bottoms, or after significant corrections like we have just had, and to think out of the box. I was fortunate to have learned about all of this from three truly legendary financial market figures, and now there is a fourth. All of them understood true supply/demand numbers which were not appreciated by the investment world at the time. Each could spot a big picture trade and act on their knowledge way ahead of the pack. They were the smart ones, not me. I knew they knew what they were talking about with successful investment backgrounds to prove it. I listened to everything they had to say and learned from them what to spot and why, and then go with them.
I realize many veteran Caf? members know some of this and of those whom I am referring to, but it is worth repeating, right now, and focusing on just where we are after the recent Gold Cartel waterfall attacks. Each of these big picture thinkers could spot markets out of sync and knew how to take advantage of them and play for big money. They have been my mentors and are extraordinary individuals (what I cumulatively learned from them all those years I am hoping is indirectly passed on your way) ?.
*Daniel L. Ritchie
?
Daniel L. Ritchie became chairman and CEO of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, one of the nation?s largest cultural complexes, in January 2007. He is the immediate past chairman of the Daniels Fund board, and is president of the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation, which focuses on early childhood education and development.
Dan was chairman of the board of the University of Denver from 2005 to 2007, where he served as the university's sixteenth chancellor from 1989 until 2005. During his tenure, the DU pioneered the teaching of ethics at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Chancellor Ritchie collaborated with Bill Daniels to incorporate ethics, values, and social responsibility throughout the business school curriculum. The business school was renamed Daniels College of Business in 1994 in honor of Bill Daniels.
In June 1994, Dan announced a personal gift to the university of $15 million, achieved through sale of some 19,600 acres of his Colorado ranch. Since then, he has given the university the remainder of the ranch, and its sale has netted more than $50 million for various projects?
I met Dan at the New York Athletic Club in the mid 1970?s. We were in the gym lifting weights and he asked me about a pork belly quote, like in the Daily News, which was not there. What a nice man, I thought, and after taking a futures market class at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, I thought why not go after what this seemingly bright man told me. I called my Merrill Lynch broker and bought a pork belly contract with a $500 margin requirement at the time. The first day after my broker put on my trade, I lost half my money. What a mistake I thought. Pork bellies went LIMIT UP the next nine out of ten days! I was hooked to go into the commodity futures industry. I asked Dan what I should do after a $4500 gain on a $500 investment in two weeks. I will never forget what he said, "Bill, you have done pretty well for your first trade, take those profits," which I did in a nanosecond. If I only had done that for the rest of my investment career!
Dan was very tied into the astute Refco operation out of Memphis, and made a fortune trading the cattle, hog and pork belly markets, with some great soybean trades thrown in there too.
?
I will never forget talking to Dan over a dinner when he was pondering whether to resign from Westinghouse Broadcasting, after being the number two guy under Lew Wasserman at MCA pictures, to run D.K. Ludvig?s empire. Ludvig was the richest man in the world at the time. And I will never forget that we flipped a coin to determine who would pay for dinner that night.
Education: Master of Business Administration, Harvard University; Bachelor of Arts / Science, Long Island University
Marital Status: Married
Children: 4
***
?
Ray is obviously a genius. Now famed CEO Sandy Weill didn?t think so when he fired Ray from his hedging director position at Shearson Hayden Stone in the mid 1970?s. Mr. Weill did not appreciate that, to make a hedging point, Ray brought in a girl with a fur coat on during a presentation of his in San Francisco. Her naked body was all that was left when Ray asked her to take off the coat.
So Ray started Bridgewater Associates. I had just joined Shearson and he needed someone to do a lot of grunt work for him. Many a night I took the subway from downtown Manhattan to midtown around 11:00. Ray got me going financially back then with his buy corn and feeder cattle futures and sell cattle futures when their margins were too fat. We did the reverse when they were too unprofitable. Made 100% on my money in days to weeks every time.
I know a number of you have seen this picture of Ray and me in Rio way back when, but it is too much fun to pass up here.
?
*Frank Veneroso
I was recruited to join the ill-fated Drexel Burnham on Park Avenue in 1980. That is where I met Frank as he was interested in buying bond futures when the interest rates were running up to 20%. He was early and took some hits, but then sold THE HIGH TICK after their first mega rally. I know, I did the trade. He made a killing.
Frank was known as a Wall Street Whiz Kid back then who was making money every year during the DOW dog days. He was then a consultant to a number of governments. One of my favorite financial stories ever is this one:
The Stock Market
Recollections of the Greatest Market Bubble Ever?
Memories of the Souk al Manakh
How large can a bubble grow before it bursts? Farther than you think. And there need not be a fatal pinprick that makes it burst. And when it bursts, the crash that ensues can be deeper and more discontinuous than you could ever imagine?
Frank was commissioned by the World Bank to do a study on the copper market in 1986. Copper was nowhere back then, the price depressed to around 46 cents a pound. Frank was stunned to learn how bullish the fundamentals were because of the obvious demand which would be surfacing from Asia. FEW realized what was about to transpire, preferring to concentrate on the increasing importance of fiber optics. We muddled with the copper futures trade for a year. Then in May of 1987 there were no deliveries on the May contract. That was it I thought, the KEY to getting the trade right. I bought thousands of out of the money copper options. Copper went to $1.46 per pound by the end of the year, surviving the 1987 stock market crash in October of that year. I made $27 million on the trade and then found a way to blow a good deal of it. But, being Jackie Onassis? neighbor in Bernardsville, N.J. for a couple of years is still a fond memory.
***
All of that brings me to where we are today and the reason I would like to make a commotion out of this commentary?
*Eric Sprott
Eric, who is one of GATA?s most ardent supporters, is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet and a true genius. As my good friend John Embry (brilliant in his own right) has told me for years, Eric is the best student of supply/demand dynamics he has ever come across. His presentation at the Dos Passos Table is just one example of what John is referring to.
Eric has been jumping up and down about the price of silver?s potential for many years now and was very visible at certain conferences not that long ago when the price was $14/16 an ounce. He has been all over the place this year talking to investors about what he thinks the price of silver is going to do and why. Eric has publicly stated silver is going to $100 per ounce and higher. He is my anchor when I pound the table about silver ? that same anchor of formidable insight I learned so long ago from the likes of Dan Ritchie, Ray Dalio, and Frank Veneroso. It is not me you need to pay attention to, but Eric!
I don?t need to be able to break down the supply/demand numbers like Eric has done; and like Dan, Ray and Frank have done for so many years. I know they know what they are talking about. What I can bring to the table is an appreciation of just how much gold and silver have been manipulated, and orchestrated down to artificially low prices, which will not stand in the years ahead. JP Morgan, and others suppressing the price, has to be close to being forced into backing off. Their use of derivatives to suppress the price in the face of an extremely tight physical market ought to be very close to having run its course. Knowing what we know in the GATA camp about what JP Morgan has done will prove to be invaluable in the months and years ahead. No one knows that more than Eric.
The investment opportunity of a lifetime is staring us in the face and not that many investors out there get it. Eric does and he has backed it up publicly with his investments: his ETF (PHYS) is an example. Fortunes will be made in silver over the years ahead for those willing to do their homework and take a plunge ? and that will be most true in the silver shares whose firms have the goods in the ground.
Investing in many of the junior/exploration stocks in the gold/silver sector has been a horror show these last years. While I have been so right about gold and silver for the past 12 years, my second biggest investment mistake ever was not to take profits around 2008 with my share selections when the legendary Bob Bishop told the attendees at GATA Goes To Washington conference in April of 2008 that the move up in the gold/silver shares was over for the time being. As you may know, Bob is going to let his latest thoughts known at GATA?s fundraiser in Vancouver on January 21 at the Pan Pacific Hotel following the Cambridge House conference.
BUT, as bad as the junior/exploration sector has been in recent years, it will be that good by double or triple, or much more, in the years ahead. Think NEWTON?S LAW!
Silver is on its way next year to $100 per ounce. You want to bet against Eric Sprott? And that is the reason for this special commentary. Ritchie, Dalio, and Veneroso are true legends in the futures trading arena, and in the making big money in the markets arena. So is Eric. Keep that in mind and spread the word.
While the standard of living in America and other places is likely to deteriorate significantly in the years ahead, those who have stayed with various gold/silver investments ought to be happy campers. Should that Mayan prediction be all about a drastic change in our standard of living as we have known it (the end of that world), owning silver and the silver shares in the years ahead will be a counter to some darker times on the horizon.
You?re probably aware of the advantages and the possibilities involved in cosmetic surgery. You might have a favorite entertainment personality who is already familiar with plastic surgery. However, the situation may be different when you are the patient. You need to consider some important questions, and this article will help you do so.
Take the time to ask about your recovery time and post surgery needs. You may need to recuperate for some time before resuming your regular routine with some procedures. It?s vitally important that you get enough time to heal, so you should have a good idea of just how long your recuperation will take.
Surgery should be your last resort after trying other solutions. Many factors contribute to your overall appearance that will be unaffected by your surgery, so you must think about important long term lifestyle changes. Look to your eating habits and mood for possible issues to confront, before going under the knife.
Cosmetic procedures can be quite costly, and may also require you to miss work. For these 2 reasons, it?s recommended that you have a small amount of money saved for the expenses that come up from the procedure, as well as the expenses that come after the operation. This will help prevent stress and keep you focused on successfully recovering from your surgery.
You should be prepared for the pain and the scarring that accompanies cosmetic surgery procedures. A lot of people aren?t aware of the painful effects associated with cosmetic surgical procedures. You?ll heal faster if you are mentally ready for the pain you will feel in recovery.
Any cosmetic surgeon should have a good insurance policy for malpractice. This can have a huge impact on you if your procedure develops complications; a proper insurance policy will protect you from unfair out-of-pocket expenses. If your surgeon is not insured, you will want to look for alternative doctors.
It is essential that if you plan to have plastic surgery, you also know what to expect during your recovery. You must do exactly as the doctor says during this time to ensure proper healing and optimum results. The initial two weeks of recovery are the ones which impact results the greatest.
Your life could forever change when you decide to alter your appearance. Be sure to carefully consider your decisions before moving ahead. Using the information and strategies you?ve gathered here, you will surely be equipped to reach your goal.
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NEW DELHI (AP) ? Indian police charged six men with murder on Saturday, adding to accusations that they beat and gang-raped a woman on a New Delhi bus nearly two weeks ago in a case that shocked the country.
The murder charges were laid after the woman died earlier Saturday in a Singapore hospital where she has been flown for treatment.
New Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said the six face the death penalty if convicted, in case that has triggered protests across India for greater protection for women from sexual violence, and raised questions about lax attitudes by police toward sexual crimes.
The tragedy has forced India to confront the reality that sexually assaulted women are often blamed for the crime, forcing them to keep quiet and discouraging them from reporting it to authorities for fear of exposing their families to ridicule. Police often refuse to accept complaints from those who are courageous enough to report the rapes, and the rare prosecutions that reach courts drag on for years.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he was aware of the emotions the attack has stirred, adding it was up to all Indians to ensure that the young woman's death will not have been in vain.
The victim "passed away peacefully" early Saturday at Mount Elizabeth hospital in Singapore with her family and officials of the Indian Embassy by her side, Dr. Kevin Loh, the chief executive of the hospital, said in a statement.
After 10 days at a hospital in New Delhi, the Indian capital, the woman was brought Thursday to Mount Elizabeth, which specializes in multi-organ transplants. Loh said the woman had been in extremely critical condition since Thursday, and by late Friday her condition had taken a turn for the worse, with her vital signs deteriorating.
"Despite all efforts by a team of eight specialists in Mount Elizabeth hospital to keep her stable, her condition continued to deteriorate over these two days," Loh said.
The woman and a male friend, who have not been identified, were on a bus in New Delhi after watching a film on the evening of Dec. 16 when they were attacked by six men who raped her. The men beat the couple and inserted an iron rod into the woman's body, resulting in severe organ damage. Both were then stripped and thrown off the bus, according to police.
As news of the victim's death reached New Delhi, hundreds of policemen sealed off the high-security India Gate area, where the seat of India's government is located, in anticipation of more protests.
The area is home to the president's palace, the prime minister's office and key defense, external affairs and home ministries, and has been the scene of battles between protesters and police for days after the attack.
Police were allowing people to assemble at the Jantar Mantar and Ramlila grounds, the main areas allotted for protests in New Delhi, Bhagat said.
Mourners gathered at Jantar Mantar to express their grief and demand stronger protection for women and the death penalty for rape, which is now punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. Women face daily harassment across India, ranging from catcalls on the streets, groping and touching in public transport to rape.
They put a wreath studded with white flowers on the road, lit a candle and sat around it in a silent tribute to the young woman. Members of a theatre group nearby played small tambourine and sang songs urging the society to wake up and end discrimination against women.
Dipali, a working woman who uses one name, said the rape victim deserved justice. "I hope it never happens again to any girl," she said.
Dozens of students of Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi marched silently to the bus stop from where the rape victim and her friend had boarded the bus on Dec. 16. They carried placards reading "She is not with us but her story must awaken us."
Sonia Gandhi, the governing Congress party chief, assured the protesters in a statement that the rape victim's death "deepens our determination to battle the pervasive, the shameful social attitudes and mindset that allow men to rape and molest women and girls with such an impunity."
The protesters heckled Sheila Dikshit, the top elected leader of New Delhi state, when she came to express her sympathy with them and forced her to leave the protest venue. They blamed her for the deteriorating law and order situation in the Indian capital.
Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said the woman's death was a sobering reminder of the widespread sexual violence in India.
"The outrage now should lead to law reform that criminalizes all forms of sexual assault, strengthens mechanisms for implementation and accountability, so that the victims are not blamed and humiliated," Ganguly said.
Prime Minister Singh said he understood the angry reaction to the attack and that he hoped all Indians would work together to make appropriate changes.
"These are perfectly understandable reactions from a young India and an India that genuinely desires change," Singh said in a statement Saturday. "It would be a true homage to her memory if we are able to channel these emotions and energies into a constructive course of action."
Mamta Sharma, head of the state-run National Commission for Women, said the "time has come for strict laws" to stop violence against women. "The society has to change its mindset to end crimes against women," she said.
Indian attitudes toward rape are so entrenched that even politicians and opinion makers have often suggested that women should not go out at night or wear clothes that might be seen provocative.
Separately, authorities in Punjab state took action Thursday when an 18-year-old woman killed herself by drinking poison a month after she told police she was gang-raped.
State authorities suspended one police officer and fired two others on accusations they delayed investigating and taking action in the case. The three accused in the rape were arrested only on Thursday night, a month after the crime was reported.
"This is a very sensitive crime, I have taken it very seriously," said Paramjit Singh Gill, a top police officer in the city of Patiala.
The Press Trust of India reported that the woman was raped Nov. 13 and reported the attack to police Nov. 27. But police harassed the girl, asked her embarrassing questions and took no action against the accused, PTI reported, citing police sources.
___
Associated Press writers Heather Tan and Faris Mokhtar in Singapore and Ravi Nessman in New Delhi contributed to this report.
With the end of December on the horizon, it is time to face a sobering reality. Creditors want to collect on the charges you made while you were caught up in the holiday festivities.
Even the most budget-conscious consumer can get a little overzealous: the deal that was too good to pass up, the unexpected last-minute gift for a host and other unplanned expenses. If your credit card statement indicates that you leaned more toward naughty than nice when it came to spending, you can still resolve to start 2013 on good financial footing. Follow this advice to rebound from holiday-induced debt.
Put the cards away
Charging more will only increase the time you'll need to pay off the debt, which means more months of paying interest. Cut up your cards or lock them away if need be, keeping just one -- preferably the one with the lowest interest and no charges -- at hand for emergency use only. Pay instead with cash or your bank debit card. (Be careful about closing any account, however; just put cards away so you are not tempted to use them.)
Pay on time
Never ignore your credit card payments. Pay as much as you can, even if it is only the minimum amount due, and pay on time. Companies can charge hefty penalty rates if you go more than 60 days without making a payment. This means your 12.99 percent APR can skyrocket to 29.99 percent. That new rate will apply to your entire balance, not just new purchases. Plus, your credit can be damaged. If you have not already created a simple budget, it's time to do so -- and then incorporate monthly credit card payments into the budget.
Negotiate
You may be able to negotiate lower interest rates if you are in good standing with your credit issuer (no late payments, you haven't gone over your credit limit) and your credit rating is good. The decision-making power of customer service representatives is very limited. Ask to speak to a supervisor and cite key points relevant to your goal. For instance, you might stress that you have been a long-time customer with no or few missed payments, and are currently in a situation where you need time and flexibility to get your finances in order.
Transfer to a lower-interest card
If you do not have any luck improving your rate with your existing credit card company, you may want to transfer your charges to a different creditor. The key is to not use the new or old card for purchases and add more debt. Keep in mind that if you do not pay off the full amount by the time your promotional deal ends, you will end up paying a high interest on the balance transfer, plus the new purchases. Instead of lowering your debt, you will have added to it.
Consolidate your debt
Maybe you were enticed by the discounts offered when you opened a store credit line, but now you find yourself with three different cards all charging high interest. Moving your debt to one card (preferably one with a lower interest rate) will make it easier for you to manage payments. Just make sure your credit balances do not rise above 50 percent of your available limits. If they do, your credit score will take a hit.
Go on a spending freeze
You can try to make up for your holiday sins by being extra good at the start of the new year. (Think of it as a debt diet.) Make a 30-day agreement with yourself to not purchase anything for more than a certain dollar amount (say $50). If you want something that costs more than that, write down the item and wait 30 days to see if you still feel you need it. Hopefully, you will discover that you really can live without it.
Now is the time to start saving for the 2013 holiday season
Take a look at this year's total holiday spending. Divide that total amount by 12 months. This is how much money you should set aside each month for next year's holiday spending. Consider opening a Christmas club account at your local bank or credit union or an online savings account dedicated to holiday savings. You will not miss the money, and the extra savings will make next year's holidays brighter.
Drupal is the world?s most powerful open source CMS that allows a great deal of customization and flexibility to let online businesses scale up to any level of complexity. To help SMB?s create amazing web experiences with the most advanced features, Asahi Technologies launches Drupal development services in New York.
New York, NY (PRWEB) December 30, 2012
Drupal is a great open source, publishing platform maintained by a dynamic community that is constantly innovating and developing new features. With more than 16,000 modules and thousands of free designs and plug-ins, Drupal ranks third in the CMS platform with 6.6% market share. Unlike its contemporaries with narrow frameworks and custom coding abilities, Drupal provides out of the box features that enable online entrepreneurs to display their brand in a highly interactive and user friendly environment.
Recognized as one of the most widely-supported CMS tools, Drupal platform is used by several high-profile organizations including White House, FedEx, Sony Music, AOL Corporate, Twitter, Mercedes-Benz to name a few. Enabling companies to effectively manage website content, this CMS lets online destinations deal with growth and helps scale up their business operations with great ease and confidence. The web based application aims to meet the specific business needs of organizations of all shapes and sizes with the unique mix of powerful business tools and easy to maintain web-interface.
A Drupal powered website is a great option for start-ups and small businesses to help them get noticed, drive more traffic and share vital content on the web in the most effective way. Offering key benefits that include flexible web designing, extensive API Support, SEO optimization, social media integration, mobile ready features, improved ROI and much more Drupal drastically reduces operational barriers and costs, while offering internet merchants unmatched freedom to manage websites.
Greatly regarded as one of the best web based frameworks that is rapidly gaining acceptance all over the world, Drupal deployment seems to be a daunting task. To facilitate online communities develop Drupal based websites, the committed team at Asahi technologies offers Drupal development services in the following areas viz, Drupal CMS Development Drupal themes and modules Drupal Extension Development Drupal e-commerce solutions Custom Drupal Development Drupal Deployment Drupal Application Development
The company ensures to deliver its clients absolute flexibility and functionality as per the specifications within the stipulated time. ?The customized Drupal framework designed by the expert team helps SMBs to distinctly showcase their brands and create instant identities to deliver amazing web experiences?, says Vinod Subbaiah, the CEO and Founder at Asahi Technologies.
To help firms learn more about Drupal development services, Asahi Technologies provides a free online consultation to clients letting them understand their Drupal development options.
About Asahi Technologies Asahi Technologies is a New York based web design and development firm that provides software consulting and Web solutions to small and medium level businesses all across North America. Asahi Technologies specializes in responsive design, cloud computing, online marketing, mobile application development and open source technologies. Under the leadership of Mr. Vinod Subbaiah, who himself started his career as a software programmer, Asahi Technologies? team comprises of experienced software professionals having extensive knowledge of technology with B2C and B2B operations. The firm?s headquarters is located in New York City, NY.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/12/prweb10280830.htm
At my company they are responsible for filings and such, but also agency management, profit/loss and overall direction of their assigned geographic areas.
No actuaries though, a couple of MBAs, CPCUs, a couple of other industry designations(i forget what they are AIR/AIC, something like that).
Old Computer, New Life: Restoring Old Hardware With Ubuntu [affiliate link] is a guide that will help you breathe new life into that old desktop, laptop or netbook that you thought was obsolete and gathering dust on the shelf. There are a few hoops to jump through to get this guide, but it helps The [...]
NEW DELHI (AP) ? Indian police charged six men with murder on Saturday, hours after a woman who was gang-raped and beaten on a bus in New Delhi nearly two weeks ago died in a Singapore hospital.
New Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said the six face the death penalty if convicted, in a case that has triggered protests across India for greater protection for women from sexual violence, and raised questions about lax attitudes by police toward sexual crimes.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he was aware of the emotions the attack has stirred, adding it was up to all Indians to ensure that the young woman's death will not have been in vain.
The victim "passed away peacefully" early Saturday at Mount Elizabeth hospital in Singapore with her family and officials of the Indian Embassy by her side, Dr. Kevin Loh, the chief executive of the hospital, said in a statement.
After 10 days at a hospital in New Delhi, the Indian capital, the woman was brought Thursday to Mount Elizabeth, which specializes in multi-organ transplants. Loh said the woman had been in extremely critical condition since Thursday, and by late Friday her condition had taken a turn for the worse, with her vital signs deteriorating.
"Despite all efforts by a team of eight specialists in Mount Elizabeth hospital to keep her stable, her condition continued to deteriorate over these two days," Loh said. "She had suffered from severe organ failure following serious injuries to her body and brain. She was courageous in fighting for her life for so long against the odds, but the trauma to her body was too severe for her to overcome."
The woman and a male friend, who have not been identified, were on a bus in New Delhi after watching a film on the evening of Dec. 16 when they were attacked by six men who raped her. The men beat the couple and inserted an iron rod into the woman's body, resulting in severe organ damage. Both were then stripped and thrown off the bus, according to police.
Indian police have arrested six people in connection with the attack, which left the victim with severe internal injuries, a lung infection and brain damage. She also suffered from a heart attack while in the hospital in New Delhi.
Indian High Commissioner, or ambassador, T.C.A. Raghavan told reporters that the scale of the injuries the woman suffered was "very grave" and in the end "proved too much."
He said arrangements were being made to return her body to India later Saturday.
The frightening nature of the crime shocked Indians, who have come out in the thousands for almost daily demonstrations.
As news of the victim's death reached New Delhi early Saturday, hundreds of policemen sealed off the high-security India Gate area, where the seat of India's government is located, in anticipation of more protests. The area is home to the president's palace, the prime minister's office and key defense, external affairs and home ministries.
The area had seen battles between protesters and police for days after the attack.
Ten metro stations in the vicinity also were closed Saturday, Bhagat said.
Police were allowing people to assemble at the Jantar Mantar and Ramlila grounds, the main areas allotted for protests in New Delhi, he said.
Mourners began gathering at Jantar Mantar to express their grief and demand stronger protection for women and the death penalty for rape, which is now punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. Women face daily harassment across India, ranging from catcalls on the streets, groping and touching in public transport to rape.
They put a wreath studded with white flowers on the road, lit a candle and sat around it in a silent tribute to the young woman. Members of a theatre group nearby played small tambourine and sang songs urging the society to wake up and end discrimination against women.
Dipali, a working woman who uses one name, said the rape victim deserved justice. "I hope it never happens again to any girl," she said.
Dozens of students of Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi marched silently to the bus stop from where the rape victim and her friend had boarded the bus on Dec. 16. They carried placards reading "She is not with us but her story must awaken us."
Nehra Kaul Mehra, a young Indian studying urban and gender policing at Colombia University in the United States, said "We come from a feudal and patriarchal set-up where we value men more than women."
"We kill daughters before they are born. Those who live are fed less, educated less and segregated from boys," she said with a black band of protest around her mouth.
Sonia Gandhi, the governing Congress party chief, assured the protesters in a statement that the rape victim's death "deepens our determination to battle the pervasive, the shameful social attitudes and mindset that allow men to rape and molest women and girls with such an impunity."
The protesters heckled Sheila Dikshit, the top elected leader of New Delhi state, when she came to express her sympathy with them and forced her to leave the protest venue. They blamed her for the deteriorating law and order situation in the Indian capital.
Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said the woman's death was a sobering reminder of the widespread sexual violence in India.
"The outrage now should lead to law reform that criminalizes all forms of sexual assault, strengthens mechanisms for implementation and accountability, so that the victims are not blamed and humiliated," Ganguly said.
Prime Minister Singh said he understood the angry reaction to the attack and that he hoped all Indians would work together to make appropriate changes.
"These are perfectly understandable reactions from a young India and an India that genuinely desires change," Singh said in a statement Saturday. "It would be a true homage to her memory if we are able to channel these emotions and energies into a constructive course of action."
He said the government was examining the penalties for crimes such as rape "to enhance the safety and security of women."
"I hope that the entire political class and civil society will set aside narrow sectional interests and agendas to help us all reach the end that we all desire ? making India a demonstrably better and safer place for women to live in," Singh said.
Mamta Sharma, head of the state-run National Commission for Women, said the "time has come for strict laws" to stop violence against women. "The society has to change its mindset to end crimes against women," she said.
The tragedy has forced India to confront the reality that sexually assaulted women are often blamed for the crime, forcing them to keep quiet and discouraging them from reporting it to authorities for fear of exposing their families to ridicule. Police often refuse to accept complaints from those who are courageous enough to report the rapes, and the rare prosecutions that reach courts drag on for years.
Indian attitudes toward rape are so entrenched that even politicians and opinion makers have often suggested that women should not go out at night or wear clothes that might be seen provocative.
On Friday, Abhijit Mukherjee, a national lawmaker and the son of India's president, apologized for calling the protesters "highly dented and painted" women who go from discos to demonstrations.
"I tender my unconditional apology to all the people whose sentiments got hurt," he told NDTV news.
Several Indian celebrities reacted with sadness Saturday over the woman's death. Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan tweeted, "Her body has passed away, but her soul shall forever stir our hearts."
Separately, authorities in Punjab state took action Thursday when an 18-year-old woman killed herself by drinking poison a month after she told police she was gang-raped.
State authorities suspended one police officer and fired two others on accusations they delayed investigating and taking action in the case. The three accused in the rape were arrested only on Thursday night, a month after the crime was reported.
"This is a very sensitive crime, I have taken it very seriously," said Paramjit Singh Gill, a top police officer in the city of Patiala.
The Press Trust of India reported that the woman was raped Nov. 13 and reported the attack to police Nov. 27. But police harassed the girl, asked her embarrassing questions and took no action against the accused, PTI reported, citing police sources.
Authorities in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh also suspended a police officer on accusations he refused to register a rape complaint from a woman who said she had been attacked by a driver.
___
Associated Press writers Heather Tan and Faris Mokhtar in Singapore and Ravi Nessman in New Delhi contributed to this report.
Relationship is a means to an end versus an end in itself.The true purpose of relationship is the full flowering of each partnerbut only those who conquer their fears by learning to consciously love can reach the ultimate seventh stage of relationship: Allen L Roland
Most people are afraid of love because they are afraid of their deepest joy, delight and inner freedom and are, in essence, trapped by their fear of deep vulnerability and intimacy.
2013 will be a worldwide year of transition and no where will that be felt deeper than with individual love relationships.
In relationship, we must reach a place where being honest and being true to yourself is more important than the survival of the relationship! Let me illustrate this using Stendhal's and Roland's seven stages of a love relationship ~ In relationship, Love must evolve from emotional to conscious unconditional love and that transition doesn't happen painlessly.
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1.ADMIRATION" I really admire you as a person "
2.BEGINNING OF DESIRE?I think I'd like to get to know you better."
3.HOPE" I hope you feel the same way about me "
4.INCEPTION OF LOVE" I think I'm falling in love with you "
5.FIRST CRYSTALLIZATION" I see the beauty and perfection within you "
6.DOUBT, FEARAND/OR JEALOUSY, ANGER AND RESENTMENT" You're going to hurt me or betray me like others have "
This is where Stendhal ended his six stages of love for this is the stage where most, if not all, emotional relationships end with mutual anger,resentmentor fearsubmerging all traces of the original love. What we do not realize in this stage is that these feelings are often associated with earlier childhood or relationship hurts we felt with loved ones and we are face to face with the decisions we made at that time to repress and deny our deepest feelings ~ because there was seemingly no-one there for us. We can either run, as most people do, or go inside and go throughthese fears by not denying the love, taking accountability for these feelings and stop being a victim! You cannot escape stage six until you are willing to go inside, take total accountability for your actions and feelings and stop denying love. This takes great courage but the payoff is immense! Resentment doesn't heal! Anger doesn't heal! Only love truly heals!
7.ROLAND'S SECOND CRYSTALLIZATION" I feel the beauty and perfection within myself and I'msharing it with you and the world "
This Stage cannot be accomplished unless we realizethat our ultimate quest in life is to fully experience our authentic self and our connection to our original state of soul consciousness and an innate connection with source.?
IT?S A PLACE OF INNER VERSUS OUTER VALIDATION !
"Until I let go I cannot grow ","Great love can both take hold and let go." ?When we let go in relationship, you do not let go of the love. To let go with love you must, in essence, consciously love your partnerand yourself. Your self respect will be your guide. You must reach the place where you can say that it?s more important that I love myself than you loving me.?
Conscious love (non-possessive, non-dependent and unconditional love) is rarely obtained between humans. The conscious love motive, in its most developed state, is the wish that the object should arrive at its own innateperfection~regardless of the consequences to the loveror partner. It is total unconditional love and when we come from this place we are embracing our deepest spiritual essence and are alsoaccessinga state of soul consciousness within ourselves( theUnified Field ).
The paradox of this attitude is that such love always invokes eventuallya similar attitude in its objects because we all seek, at the deepest level, to be unconditionally loved. As such, when we allow love to be our guiding intention through our thoughts and feelings and learn to consciously unconditional love ~ we eventually begin to see through clearer eyes and all things come into perfect balance and harmony.
Jesus consciously unconditionally loved and the reason we have never forgotten him is because that same capacity to consciously love and be loved lies deepest within each one of us ~ but many of us continue to look outside and externalize it versus going inside and internalized it as I most certainlydo with my clients as a heart centered counselor and coach as well as my primary relationship.
The path to the soul is always through doors of fear and most of those fears appear in relationship. You don't realize those fears are illusions until you stop denying love and go through them. Only then can you truly claim the greatest gift~ yourself.
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Only then can you become a fragment of life's heart and transcend time and space in the process ~ for the hearts' desire is to love so deeply that we become one with a Unified Field of loveand soul consciousness as well as claim our part in an evolving loving plan and always from a place of inner celebration and delight.
Each relationship is a step in that process of eventually returning to source and only by fully opening your heart and learning to consciously unconditionally lovecan you begin or acceleratethat journey to truly find yourself.
The ultimate relationship, as such, is a spiritual relationship where both partners are on a common path, one through the other, to find and celebrate who they really are ~ using the love that exists between them as the vehicle.
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We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started... and know the place for the first time: T.S.Eliot
Allen L Roland?
Freelance Alternative Press Online columnist and psychotherapist Allen L Roland is available for comments, interviews, speaking engagements and private consultations ( allen@allenroland.com ) Allen L Roland is a practicing psychotherapist, author and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his web log and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net
