Functional, beautiful lighting can?t be created from a single light source. To achieve optimum lighting for your home, consider using layers of light in each room. To help you visualize this, try thinking of each light source as a layer in a cake. Each layer brings a different flavor to the cake, but they come together to make a single delicious dessert. Layering lighting works in the same way, by blending together multiple light sources to create a rich and ambient atmosphere.
The bottom layer of the lighting cake is called the ?overall? layer or ?ambient? layer. This is the foundation of the room?s lighting design. Chandeliers, ceiling fixtures and wall sconces fall into this category, and are intended to create soft illumination for everyday use. The ambient layer will determine the general brightness of the room.?Choose to lower the lights?in bedrooms and dining rooms to generate a romantic atmosphere. Or use brighter ones in the kitchen to make the room feel vibrant and energetic.
The next layer of lighting is the ?task? lighting. This bright layer illuminates specific areas or surfaces to help with activities like cooking or reading. Because task lighting is more direct,?using more of these lights?instead of ambient lighting can help you save on energy bills.
Accent lighting refers to the top layer of our lighting system. This lighting helps enhance the room and create visual interest. You can use accent lighting to illuminate art or architectural elements. Accent lights are usually adjustable so they can be used to produce a variety of styles for the room. Put the icing on the cake by implementing decorative lights. This layer doesn?t necessarily add functional light to the room; it?s mainly there to complete the look of the room. Make sure these lights are on the dim side so they don?t overpower the rest of your d?cor.
Light layering techniques are especially relevant now around the holidays. String lights and candles are the perfect third or fourth layer for your home lighting scheme. Dim the ambient lights to make your Christmas tree and decorations really shine. A fireplace can also act as a cozy lighting source. Have fun decorating and happy holidays to you all!
MOSCOW - Investigators on Sunday examined flight recorders and other evidence to try to determine the cause of the airliner crash in Moscow that killed five people, an official said.
The Tu-204 belonging to Russian airline Red Wings was carrying eight people, all of them crew members, when it careered off the runway Saturday while landing at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. It went partly into an adjacent highway, broke into pieces and caught fire.
Four people were pronounced dead soon after the crash and the airline said on its Twitter account that a fifth, a flight attendant, died Sunday. Those who died Saturday were the pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and another attendant, Red Wings said.
The survivors were reported in critical or serious condition in Moscow hospitals.
Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia's main investigative agency, was quoted by Russian news agencies saying the data recorders were being examined, along with fuel samples. In addition, he said flight documents for the plane have been taken from the airline for examination.
In a chemical sense, yes Xenon is inert and doesn't like to ionize. However, in the case of an ion thruster, the ionization is accomplished using high voltages - very easy to do.
Xenon is preferred because it's non-toxic, comparatively easy to handle, and has a 'heavy' nucleus -- meaning that you can more easily give each atom more of a push, resulting in higher thrust. You could use ions of any atom you like, though. Hydrogen's got the lightest nucleus there is, so it's not much use, not to mention being a royal pain to handle.
The Russians started out with, iirc, cesium and mercury thrusters. But of course these are really nasty substances and you really don't want to be around them if you can help it.
??The Wedding: Will and Erwynn met at church and fell in love. But they had a big problem??don?t ask, don?t tell.? The unlikely story of the first gay military union,? by Katherine Goldstein.
Photo by Jeff Sheng.
We?ve gathered the best of Slate?s 2012 longreads below, on everything from the crisis in American walking to the rise and fall of Prog rock. Perfect for long flights and traffic-clogged car rides!
?Where?s _why? What happened when one of the world?s most unusual, and beloved, computer programmers disappeared,? by Annie Lowrey. As Lowrey challenges herself to learn computer programming, she stumbles onto the case of a ?Ruby on Rails,? a coding whiz who mysteriously vanished in 2009.
?The Chickens and the Bulls: The rise and incredible fall of a vicious extortion ring that preyed on prominent gay men in the 1960s,? by William McGowan. When the FBI and the NYPD uncovered a network of blackmailers shaking down gay targets in 1965, they did something unexpected. Rather than shrugging, or arresting the victims, they worked their way into the ring and broke it open, using, for the first time, the resources of law enforcement to defend the rights of persecuted gay men.
?The Crisis in American Walking: How we got off the pedestrian path,? by Tom Vanderbilt. What strolls on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? Not man, anymore, says Vanderbilt, digging into the strange and unsettling decline of on-foot ambulation in the United States. His four-part series explores reasons for the drop-off, pedestrian walking habits, urban ?walkability? scores, and strategies for getting America back to bipedalism.
?The Wedding: Will and Erwynn met at church and fell in love. But they had a big problem??don?t ask, don?t tell.? The unlikely story of the first gay military union,? by Katherine Goldstein. Goldstein follows two men in the armed forces down the winding road to marriage, just nine months after the repeal of the ban on openly gay soldiers.
?Georgia?s Hunger Games: Fewer than 4,000 adults in the southern state receive welfare, even as poverty is soaring. How Georgia declared war on its poorest citizens?leaving them to fight for themselves,? by Neil deMause. Rising poverty rates, plunging welfare rolls, and a state government that sees financial aid as a gladiatorial contest: The dystopian reality in Georgia could have risen from the pages of a Suzanne Collins novel. Combining grim statistics and face-to-face conversations with poor Americans, deMause argues for a policy overhaul. ?
?The Conversion: How, when, and why Mitt Romney changed his mind on abortion,? by William Saletan. Saletan follows the candidate?s fluctuating attitude on abortion from pro-choice to pro-life?and explains the significance of the shift.
?Prog Spring: The brief rise and inevitable fall of the world?s most hated pop music,? by David Weigel. Weigel explores the overstuffed, visionary madness of progressive (?prog?) rock.
?How To Measure for a President,? by John Dickerson. What does it take to be an effective commander (and everything else)-in-chief? Dickerson proposes a checklist of traits?note the absence of leadership?we should look for whenever we evaluate candidates for the highest office in the land.
?The Case of the Mormon Historian: What happened when Michael Quinn challenged the history of the church he loved,? by David Haglund. Faith and intellectual inquiry don?t always go hand-in-hand, especially when that (Mormon) hand wants to chronicle the ?problem areas? of the LDS past. In his study of historian Michael Quinn, Haglund paints a moving portrait of a man torn between loyalty to his church and hunger for the truth. ??
?Free To Be: Forty years ago this fall, a bunch of feminists released an album. They wanted to change ? everything,? by Dan Kois. In 1972, one record revolutionized the way a generation of kids?and their parents?thought about gender. Interlacing the history of Free To Be You and Me with anecdotes from his own life as a father, Kois explains why the oddball hippie albumstill matters in 2012.
In this image taken from video obtained from the Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, smoke rises from buildings from heavy shelling in Homs, Syria, on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video)
In this image taken from video obtained from the Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, smoke rises from buildings from heavy shelling in Homs, Syria, on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video)
In this image taken from video obtained from the Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, smoke rises from buildings from heavy shelling in Homs, Syria, on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video)
BEIRUT (AP) ? Anti-regime activists say a government airstrike on a town in north Syria has killed 14 people, including two women and eight children.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the 14 were killed in a strike Friday on the town of al-Safira, south of the northern city of Aleppo.
An activist who spoke anonymously because of security reasons gave the names of the dead and said the government often strikes the town because rebels are attacking a large military complex on its outskirts.
Rebels clashed with soldiers there on Friday, he said.
Activists say the regime often takes revenge for rebel advances by bombing residential areas. They say more than 40,000 have been killed in Syria since the start of the uprising against President Bashar Assad in March 2011.
President Barack Obama pauses during a statement on the fiscal cliff negotiations with congressional leaders in the briefing room of the White House on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, in Washington. The negotiations are a last ditch effort to avoid across-the-board first of the year tax increases and deep spending cuts. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
President Barack Obama pauses during a statement on the fiscal cliff negotiations with congressional leaders in the briefing room of the White House on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, in Washington. The negotiations are a last ditch effort to avoid across-the-board first of the year tax increases and deep spending cuts. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. waits for her car as she leaves a meeting at the White House in Washington, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, after a closed-door meeting between President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders to negotiate the framework for a deal on the fiscal cliff. The end game at hand, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders made a final stab at compromise Friday to prevent a toxic blend of middle-class tax increases and spending cuts from taking effect at the turn of the new year. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
President Barack Obama pauses while he speaks to reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington after meeting with Congressional leaders regarding the fiscal cliff, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. leaves the White House in Washington, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, after a closed-door meeting between President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders to negotiate the framework for a deal on the fiscal cliff. The end game at hand, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders made a final stab at compromise Friday to prevent a toxic blend of middle-class tax increases and spending cuts from taking effect at the turn of the new year. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. arrives at the White House in Washington, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, for a closed-door meeting between President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders to negotiate the framework for a deal on the fiscal cliff. The negotiations are a last ditch effort to avoid across-the-board first of the year tax increases and deep spending cuts. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The end game at hand, the White House and Senate leaders made a final stab at compromise Friday night to prevent middle-class tax increases from taking effect at the turn of the new year and possibly block sweeping spending cuts as well.
"I'm optimistic we may still be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses in time," President Barack Obama said at the White House after meeting for more than an hour with top lawmakers from both houses.
Surprisingly, after weeks of postelection gridlock, Senate leaders sounded even more bullish.
The Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said he was "hopeful and optimistic" of a deal that could be presented to rank-and-file lawmakers as early as Sunday, a little more than 24 hours before the year-end deadline.
Said Majority Leader Harry Reid: "I'm going to do everything I can" to prevent the tax increases and spending cuts that threaten to send the economy into recession. He cautioned, "Whatever we come up with is going to be imperfect."
House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican who has struggled recently with anti-tax rebels inside his own party, said through an aide he would await the results of the talks between the Senate and White House.
Under a timetable sketched by congressional aides, any agreement would first go to the Senate for a vote. The House would then be asked to assent, possibly as late as Jan. 2, the final full day before a new Congress takes office.
Officials said there was a general understanding that any agreement would block scheduled income tax increases for middle class earners while letting rates rise at upper income levels.
Democrats said Obama was sticking to his campaign call for increases above $250,000 in annual income, even though in recent negotiations he said he could accept $400,000.
The two sides also confronted a divide over estate taxes.
Obama favors a higher tax than is currently in effect, but one senior Republican, Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, said he's "totally dead set" against it. Speaking of fellow GOP lawmakers, he said they harbor more opposition to an increase in the estate tax than to letting taxes on income and investments rise at upper levels.
Also likely to be included in the negotiations are taxes on dividends and capital gains, both of which are scheduled to rise with the new year. Also the alternative minimum tax, which, if left unchanged, could hit an estimated 28 million households for the first time with an average increase of more than $3,000.
In addition, Obama and Democrats want to prevent the expiration of unemployment benefits for about 2 million long-term jobless men and women, and there is widespread sentiment in both parties to shelter doctors from a 27 percent cut in Medicare fees.
The White House has shown increased concern about a possible doubling of milk prices if a farm bill is not passed in the next few days, although it is not clear whether that issue, too, might be included in the talks.
One Republican who was briefed on the White House meeting said Boehner made it clear he would leave in place spending cuts scheduled to take effect unless alternative savings were included in any compromise to offset them. If he prevails, that would defer politically difficult decisions on curtailing government benefit programs like Medicare until 2013.
Success was far from guaranteed in an atmosphere of political mistrust ? even on a slimmed-down deal that postponed hard decisions about spending cuts into 2013 ? in a Capitol where lawmakers grumbled about the likelihood of spending the new year holiday working.
In a brief appearance in the White House briefing room, Obama referred to "dysfunction in Washington," and said the American public is "not going to have any patience for a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy. Not right now."
If there is no compromise, he said he expects Reid to put legislation on the floor to prevent tax increases on the middle class and extend unemployment benefits ? an implicit challenge to Republicans to dare to vote against what polls show is popular.
The president also booked a highly unusual appearance on Meet the Press for Sunday, yet another indication of his determination to retain the political high ground that came with his re-election.
The guest list for the White House meeting included Reid, McConnell, Boehner and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
The same group last met more than a month ago and emerged expressing optimism they could strike a deal that avoided the fiscal cliff. At that point, Boehner had already said he was willing to let tax revenues rise as part of an agreement, and the president and his Democratic allies said they were ready to accept spending cuts.
Since then, though, talks between Obama and Boehner faltered, the speaker struggled to control his rebellious rank and file, and Reid and McConnell sparred almost daily in speeches on the Senate floor. Through it all, Wall Street has paid close attention, and the meeting was still going on at the White House when stocks closed lower for the fifth day in a row.
The core issue is the same as it has been for more than a year, Obama's demand for tax rates to rise on upper incomes while remaining at current levels for most Americans. He made the proposal central to his successful campaign for re-election, when he said incomes above $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples should rise to 39.6 percent from the current 35 percent.
Boehner refused for weeks to accept any rate increases, and simultaneously accused Obama of skimping on the spending cuts he would support as part of a balanced deal to reduce deficits, remove the threat of spending cuts and prevent the across-the-board tax cuts.
Last week, the Ohio Republican pivoted and presented a Plan B measure that would have let rates rise on million-dollar earners. That was well above Obama's latest offer, which called for a $400,000 threshold, but more than the speaker's rank and file were willing to accept.
Facing defeat, Boehner scrapped plans for a vote, leaving the economy on track for the cliff that political leaders in both parties had said they could avoid. In the aftermath, Democrats said they doubted any compromise was possible until Boehner has been elected to a second term as speaker when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3.
Further compounding the year-end maneuvering, there are warnings that the price of milk could virtually double beginning next year.
Congressional officials said that under current law, the federal government is obligated to maintain prices so that fluid milk sells for about $20 per hundredweight. If the law lapses, the Department of Agriculture would be required to maintain a price closer to $36 of $38 per hundredweight, they said. It is unclear when price increases might be felt by consumers.
______
Associated Press writers Alan Fram and Andrew Taylor contributed to this report.
It?s only natural for managers to monitor the performance of an employee following a leave of absence to ensure that the employee falls smoothly back into the swing of things. There is a fine line, however, between monitoring performance and intensely scrutinizing it. If a manager crosses that line and the employee quits because of it, your organization could be on the hook for constructive discharge. Here?s how.
Intolerable working conditions?
A supervisor suggested to a salesperson that she take time off under the FMLA to work through personal issues. She initially refused, but caved under the supervisor?s pressure.
When she returned to work two weeks later, the supervisor and the district manager kept close tabs on her performance. The employee alleged that they met frequently with her to discuss her performance, required her to meet 100% of all sales quotas, and required her to sign a written commitment promising to win specific accounts. The meetings interfered with her ability to do her job because they took place during selling hours. Her requests for assistance went unanswered, as were the questions she asked during sales meetings. Her supervisor told her that he would rather help salespeople who wanted to be successful.
She complained to her supervisor, and later HR, that she felt singled out because other employees with similar numbers were not subjected to the same scrutiny. Her complaints were not investigated, and her transfer request was denied. The district manager told her that transfers were only available to ?successful? employees.
Forced to quit?
The employee quit and headed to court, accusing the company of retaliating against her for taking FMLA leave. An appeals court ruled that it was possible a jury could find that a reasonable person could have found the employee?s working conditions so intolerable she was forced to quit because she:
believed her job was in jeopardy;
was repeatedly told that her performance was unacceptable;
wasn?t provided support to perform her job when she requested it;
was held to higher standards than her co-workers; and
was ignored when she attempted to improve her situation by filing an internal complaint and asked for a transfer. (Strickland v. United Parcel Service, Inc.)
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As you?ve probably read before, taking money out of a traditional IRA prior to age 59-and-a-half results in a 10% penalty, unless you meet one of several exceptions.
What many investors don?t know is that with a 401(k), the 10% penalty on distributions does not apply if you are at least age 55 (rather than 59.5) at the end of the calendar year in which you left your employer.
So, if you?re planning to retire prior to age 59.5, keeping money in your old 401(k) is an easy way to get penalty-free access to some cash for the years between ages 55 and 59.5. Then, after you reach age 59.5, you can roll what?s left of the 401(k) into an IRA if it makes sense to do so.
2. You?re planning a Roth conversion
If you have a traditional IRA that includes nondeductible contributions and you are planning to do a Roth conversion in the near future (a ?back-door Roth,? for example), holding off on a 401(k) rollover is likely to be beneficial.
When you do a Roth IRA conversion, the percentage of the conversion that is not taxable is calculated as your net nondeductible contributions, divided by the sum of:
? All of your traditional IRA balances (and SEP and SIMPLE IRA balances) as of the end of the year of conversion,
? Any Roth IRA conversions you made throughout the year, and
? Any other distributions you took from your IRA throughout the year.
Rolling a pre-tax 401(k) into an IRA increases the first item on that list, thereby reducing the portion of a conversion that would be nontaxable. In other words, rolling over a pretax 401(k) into an IRA in the same year that you do a Roth conversion will increase the portion of the conversion that is taxable as income.
3. Your old 401(k) has better investment options
In some cases ? particularly if your previous employer was a large organization ? you may actually have better investment options in your old retirement plan than you would in an IRA.
For example, if your ex-employer?s retirement plan includes the ?Institutional? share class of Vanguard mutual funds, the expense ratios on those funds are typically about 1/3 lower than the cost of the ETF or ?Admiral? share classes that you would have access to in an IRA.
Or, if you worked for the federal government and had access to its Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), no fund available to retail investors is going to be less expensive than the 0.025% expense ratio you?re paying on the TSP funds.
4. You have employer stock in your 401(k)
If you have appreciated employer stock in your old 401(k), you might want to roll that stock into a taxable brokerage account rather than into an IRA in order to take advantage of the ?net unrealized appreciation? rules.
Here?s why: If you roll the stock into an IRA, all of it will be taxable as ordinary income when you eventually withdraw from the IRA.
But if you roll the stock into a taxable account, only your cost basis (the amount you paid for the shares) will count as a taxable distribution. Any net unrealized appreciation (the amount by which the stock has increased in value while in your 401(k) account) will be taxed as a long-term capital gain rather than ordinary income.
It?s important to understand, however, that if you?re under age 55 when you roll the employer stock into a taxable account, the 10% penalty will apply to your basis in the stock, because it will count as an early distribution.
If you?re considering taking advantage of this particular tax break, I would suggest consulting with a tax professional to make sure you follow the necessary rules.
Whenever you are deciding what to do with your 401(k) at an old employer seek the advice of a independent fiduciary. Many brokers will recommend rollover, not because it is in your best interest. Brokers will recommend a rollover to earn a commission.
Please comment or call to discuss how this affects you and your financial future.
Many people suffer from back pain which can be induced by many different factors. A single incident in a persons life can actually lead to long-lasting back pain. Oftentimes, this can also be a symptom related to being sick. More frequently, however, it comes about as the result of your daily habits, many of which you might not even be aware of. In fact, the way that we exercise, walk, and even sleep, can actually cause enough strain on our backs to cause everyday discomfort.
People that have back pain sometimes overlook the fact that their mobile device could be the source of the problem. These problems are actually affecting younger people. This is because older adults typically do not use tablets and smart phones as much as the younger generation. We are not talking about directly harming your back. It's the way we use them, which is often in uncomfortable positions. You can actually cause a great deal of strain on your back by simply bending over your device when using it or holding it in a prolonged position for too long. Although most people will not understand that their use of electronic devices is causing their back problems, over time, it is easy to see that our habitual use of certain devices is causing our difficulties.
When your posture is affected by wearing the wrong type of shoes, you may experience back pain. Women that wear high heeled shoes are most likely going to suffer from back issues because the shoes do not offer adequate support. Wearing cowboy boots can cause the same type of discomfort. You will be putting several parts of your body at risk for strain or injury if you opt for inappropriate footwear. Posture and walking in a balanced way is important for the health of your back, and this requires the right footwear. Any type of back injury is probably why you have back pain now. Many times the injury occurs to your spine which can cause a misalignment which may lead to the pain you feel. Car accidents are notorious for giving people back injuries, even if it is a small one. Spinal injuries are also prominent in contact sports like football and wrestling. If you do workouts on a regular basis that strengthen your back muscles, this can help prevent injuries from occurring. Certain exercises must be done carefully or else you may injure your spine while working out. Never read too much weight! Alway work out using the right amount in the proper style for each exercise.
Even though old age is not actually the reason for back pain, there are quite a few folks that will have had previous issues that seem more prevalent as they age. Osteoporosis is a disease primarily in women and will lessen the strength of your bones, which will make them more susceptible to fractures and breaks. Osteoarthritis can result in pain over the entire body, with the spine being the most susceptible.
On a more serious note, if you develop kidney problems you may experience back pain. This condition is not to be taken lightly. Since the kidneys are located in the region of your lower back - right about waist level - a kidney infection or kidney stones you will normally result in pain in this region. Typically, you will also have pain when you urinate and additional pains in your lower abdomen, as well as your lower back. If you're having any symptoms of this nature, it's important to see a doctor as soon as possible. Your medical provider can give you a urinalysis test and other tests, such as an ultrasound. These can help him or her determine if you have a kidney problem. Don't jump to the conclusion that, if you have lower back pain, it is caused by a kidney condition. However, if you have even the tiniest suspicion that you might have a kidney infection or other kidney problems, don't hesitate to have it checked out.
Unfortunately, even your doctor may not be able to accurately diagnose why you are having back pain. In a lot of cases, the problem is easy to ascertain. If you improperly lifted a heavy box you may pull a muscle and end up with back pain. However, in other instances, the cause isn't so obvious. In this report, we've only mentioned some of the many reasons that someone might get a backache, or more serious back pain.
We all know people who sing their own praises at every work or social opportunity. You may sometimes wonder if they know something about self-confidence that you don?t. Perhaps their annoying habit is a sign that they?ve discovered some secret to waking up every day feeling ready to conquer the world. Truly, the line between self-confidence and arrogance can seem finer than it really is.
Cocky or Confident?
Cocky people do have confidence, but it comes from a different place than true self-assurance. Arrogance is one result of building self-esteem from outward sources such as financial privilege or constant praise. However, yank the external support system away, and the person?s sense of self-worth goes with it.
You build true self-confidence from within and project it to the world. Confident people have a realistic picture of their own traits and abilities and trust themselves enough to respond to life authentically. They learn from failure rather than letting it define them, and they forge ahead a bit wiser.
A hallmark of the genuinely self-assured person is the ability to admit to a mistake without excessive apologizing or rationalization. A cocky colleague, on the other hand, is more likely to pass the buck.
Four Ways to Tell the Difference
1. Style vs. Bling Addiction.?
True style is personal and has little to do with trends. Confident people enjoy what they have without defining themselves by their possessions. These are the folks who survive disasters with a strong and giving spirit. Their sense of self remains constant even if they must physically rebuild.
Arrogant people are more often emotionally devastated by material losses and may struggle harder to define their core values in the face of adversity. Not everyone who flaunts ?stuff? is cocky, but ostentation suggests a distorted self-image.
2. Active Listening vs. the Monologue.
That person who insists on holding court in any gathering is probably a frightened jester rather than a monarch.
Arrogant people need to validate their belief of being better than others and are constantly looking for opportunities to sell themselves.
If you like yourself as you are, you free up energy to be genuinely interested in other people. You engage in active listening and ask sincere questions. In turn, people will respond positively to your attentiveness.
3. Ambition vs. Ruthlessness.?
Ambition is not a crime. Confident people relish achievement and contributing their talents to the world. They don?t feel threatened by others? successes and instead try to learn from them.
Cocky people need to believe that they are on top even if reality says otherwise. This can lead to unnecessarily manipulative or callous behavior as they focus on defending a power base at all costs.
4. The Human vs. the Greek God.?
As a self-confident person, you accept that you are just a human being. You are intrinsically no better or worse than anyone else. In addition to your successes, you have flaws, failures and really bad hair days or even years. You treat yourself with compassion while taking responsibility for your choices, and you learn from misfortune and mistakes.
Arrogant people can?t risk the fragile persona crumbling in the face of defeat and run from criticism. They tend to go to extremes of either deflecting blame onto others or condemning themselves for being only human.If you wonder about your own cocky moments, you are probably in the ballpark of self-confidence.
Truly secure people evaluate their own behavior and face their doubts. By letting go of fear, you set yourself up for success.
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Confident guy photo available from Shutterstock
Derek Whitney is an active blogger for the website Aligned Signs, an astrology matching website, he blogs regularly about modern psychology, astrology, and self-awareness.
Like this author? Catch up on other posts by Derek Whitney (or subscribe to their feed).
????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 26 Dec 2012 ????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
APA Reference Whitney, D. (2012). The Fine Line Between Self-Confidence & Cockiness. Psych Central. Retrieved on December 27, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/12/26/the-fine-line-between-self-confidence-cockiness/
Brandy Norwood was the recipient of an awesome Christmas gift this year…a diamond engagement ring! The 33-year-old singer and “Moesha” star is engaged to marry music mogul Ryan Press! A source revealed the Christmas proposal, stating, “They are thrilled and happy and Brandy feels this is so right.” Brandy had made no secret of her ...
Drug shortage linked to greater risk of relapse in young Hodgkin lymphoma patientsPublic release date: 26-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Summer Freeman media@stjude.org 901-297-9861 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
National study connects higher rates of relapse in pediatric cancer patients to drug shortage, offering first example of patients hurt by shortages and renewing calls to protect patient access to lifesaving treatments
A national drug shortage has been linked to a higher rate of relapse among children, teenagers and young adults with Hodgkin lymphoma enrolled in a national clinical trial, according to research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Estimated two-year cancer-free survival for patients enrolled in the study fell from 88 to 75 percent after the drug cyclophosphamide was substituted for mechlorethamine for treatment of patients with intermediate- or high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma. The study was launched before the drug shortages began. The change occurred after a mechlorethamine shortage that began in 2009. No study patients have died, but those who relapsed received additional intensive therapy that is associated with higher odds for infertility and other health problems later.
An analysis comparing how patients in each group were faring two years after their cancer diagnoses appears in the December 27 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. The report provides the first evidence of a drug shortage adversely impacting treatment outcomes in specific patients. St. Jude led the study for a national group that includes the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital; Massachusetts General Hospital; and Maine Medical Center.
In recent years, many patients and caregivers have had their medical care complicated by drug shortages, primarily of generic injectable drugs like mechlorethamine. Mechlorethamine, which has been used in cancer treatment since the 1960s, has only recently become available again.
Cyclophosphamide has been widely used in treatment of both adults and children with Hodgkin lymphoma. Based on earlier studies, the drug was considered a safe and effective alternative to mechlorethamine.
"This is a devastating example of how drug shortages affect patients and why these shortages must be prevented," said Monika Metzger, M.D., an associate member of the St. Jude Department of Oncology and the study's principal investigator. "Our results demonstrate that, for many chemotherapy drugs, there are no adequate substitute drugs available."
Past shortages have been resolved in a variety of ways and always before a drug substitution became necessary, said Michael Link, M.D., the senior author of the new report. Link is a professor of pediatrics in hematology-oncology at Stanford and a member of the pediatric hematology-oncology service at Packard Children's Hospital. He is also immediate past president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. "This puts a face on the problem of drug shortages and shows that the problem is real, not theoretical. This is about a curative therapy that we were unable to administer because the drug we needed was not available," Link said. "Despite heroic efforts by the drug shortage office of the Food and Drug Administration to solve the shortages of a number of medically necessary drugs, it is clear that patients are still suffering from the unavailability of life-saving drugs. A more systematic solution to the problem is needed."
Amy Billett, M.D., a pediatric oncologist at Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center in Boston is the paper's other author.
Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph system and accounts for about 6 percent of childhood cancers. In the United States, about 90 percent of patients will become long-term survivors. Working as the Pediatric Hodgkin Consortium, in 2002 the five institutions involved in this study adopted a seven-drug chemotherapy regimen that included mechlorethamine for the treatment of high-risk pediatric patients. The goal was to preserve high cure rates, but to reduce the risk of second cancers, infertility and other problems associated with the earlier treatments. In 2006, a parallel study was opened for patients with intermediate-risk disease. The risk categories reflect the extent to which cancer has spread, particularly the number and location of lymph nodes involved, plus the presence of unfavorable symptoms of fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss.
The strategy involved 12 weeks of the seven-drug chemotherapy regimen. Patients also received radiotherapy with the dose based on their response to chemotherapy. When mechlorethamine became unavailable, the protocol was revised to allow the cyclophosphamide substitution.
Outcomes for cancer patients are often measured in terms of cancer-free survival, which is the number of years patients remain free of the disease. When researchers assessed the substitution's impact, they found that estimated disease-free survival was 88 percent for the 181 patients whose treatment included mechlorethamine. It was 75 percent for the 40 patients who received cyclophosphamide instead. The difference led researchers to stop enrolling new patients in the trials.
"We can think of no credible explanation for this dramatic difference in event-free survival other than the drug substitution," the researchers noted. The analysis found that, as a group, patients who received cyclophosphamide had fewer unfavorable symptoms and were more likely to have intermediate-risk, rather than high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma. The patients ranged in age from 3 to 21. Half were age 14 or younger.
Patients who relapsed received additional therapy. Researchers said it is too soon to know if these patients will have the same long-term survival rates as those whose did not relapse. The additional treatment included intensive chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant using the patient's own blood-producing stem cells.
###
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing overall U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent. Founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, St. Jude is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. St. Jude is also a leader in research and treatment of life-threatening blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives. To learn more, visit www.stjude.org. Follow us on Twitter @StJudeResearch.
The Stanford University School of Medicine
The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation's top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://mednews.stanford.edu.
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford is an internationally recognized 311-bed hospital, research center and leading regional medical network providing the full complement of services for the health of children and expectant mothers. In partnership with the Stanford University School of Medicine, our world-class doctors and nurses deliver innovative, family-centered care in every pediatric and obstetric specialty, tailored to every patient. Packard Children's is annually ranked as one of the nation's best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and is the only Northern California children's hospital with specialty programs ranked in the U.S. News Top 10. Learn more about us at www.lpch.org and about our continuing growth at growing.lpch.org. Like us on Facebook, watch us on YouTube and follow us on Twitter.
Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center
Since 1947, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have provided comprehensive care for children and adolescents with cancer through Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center. The two Harvard Medical School affiliates share a clinical staff that delivers inpatient care at Boston Children's and outpatient therapies at Dana-Farber's Jimmy Fund Clinic. The Boston Children's inpatient pediatric cancer service has 33 beds, including 13 designated for stem cell transplant patients.
Stanford/Packard Children's Media Relations Contacts:
Stanford University School of Medicine news pager
(650) 723-8222, pager ID #25314
Robert Dicks
(650) 497-8364
rdicks@lpch.org
Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center Media Relations Contact:
Bill Schaller
(617) 632-5357
william_schaller@dfci.harvard.edu
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Drug shortage linked to greater risk of relapse in young Hodgkin lymphoma patientsPublic release date: 26-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Summer Freeman media@stjude.org 901-297-9861 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
National study connects higher rates of relapse in pediatric cancer patients to drug shortage, offering first example of patients hurt by shortages and renewing calls to protect patient access to lifesaving treatments
A national drug shortage has been linked to a higher rate of relapse among children, teenagers and young adults with Hodgkin lymphoma enrolled in a national clinical trial, according to research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Estimated two-year cancer-free survival for patients enrolled in the study fell from 88 to 75 percent after the drug cyclophosphamide was substituted for mechlorethamine for treatment of patients with intermediate- or high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma. The study was launched before the drug shortages began. The change occurred after a mechlorethamine shortage that began in 2009. No study patients have died, but those who relapsed received additional intensive therapy that is associated with higher odds for infertility and other health problems later.
An analysis comparing how patients in each group were faring two years after their cancer diagnoses appears in the December 27 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. The report provides the first evidence of a drug shortage adversely impacting treatment outcomes in specific patients. St. Jude led the study for a national group that includes the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital; Massachusetts General Hospital; and Maine Medical Center.
In recent years, many patients and caregivers have had their medical care complicated by drug shortages, primarily of generic injectable drugs like mechlorethamine. Mechlorethamine, which has been used in cancer treatment since the 1960s, has only recently become available again.
Cyclophosphamide has been widely used in treatment of both adults and children with Hodgkin lymphoma. Based on earlier studies, the drug was considered a safe and effective alternative to mechlorethamine.
"This is a devastating example of how drug shortages affect patients and why these shortages must be prevented," said Monika Metzger, M.D., an associate member of the St. Jude Department of Oncology and the study's principal investigator. "Our results demonstrate that, for many chemotherapy drugs, there are no adequate substitute drugs available."
Past shortages have been resolved in a variety of ways and always before a drug substitution became necessary, said Michael Link, M.D., the senior author of the new report. Link is a professor of pediatrics in hematology-oncology at Stanford and a member of the pediatric hematology-oncology service at Packard Children's Hospital. He is also immediate past president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. "This puts a face on the problem of drug shortages and shows that the problem is real, not theoretical. This is about a curative therapy that we were unable to administer because the drug we needed was not available," Link said. "Despite heroic efforts by the drug shortage office of the Food and Drug Administration to solve the shortages of a number of medically necessary drugs, it is clear that patients are still suffering from the unavailability of life-saving drugs. A more systematic solution to the problem is needed."
Amy Billett, M.D., a pediatric oncologist at Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center in Boston is the paper's other author.
Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph system and accounts for about 6 percent of childhood cancers. In the United States, about 90 percent of patients will become long-term survivors. Working as the Pediatric Hodgkin Consortium, in 2002 the five institutions involved in this study adopted a seven-drug chemotherapy regimen that included mechlorethamine for the treatment of high-risk pediatric patients. The goal was to preserve high cure rates, but to reduce the risk of second cancers, infertility and other problems associated with the earlier treatments. In 2006, a parallel study was opened for patients with intermediate-risk disease. The risk categories reflect the extent to which cancer has spread, particularly the number and location of lymph nodes involved, plus the presence of unfavorable symptoms of fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss.
The strategy involved 12 weeks of the seven-drug chemotherapy regimen. Patients also received radiotherapy with the dose based on their response to chemotherapy. When mechlorethamine became unavailable, the protocol was revised to allow the cyclophosphamide substitution.
Outcomes for cancer patients are often measured in terms of cancer-free survival, which is the number of years patients remain free of the disease. When researchers assessed the substitution's impact, they found that estimated disease-free survival was 88 percent for the 181 patients whose treatment included mechlorethamine. It was 75 percent for the 40 patients who received cyclophosphamide instead. The difference led researchers to stop enrolling new patients in the trials.
"We can think of no credible explanation for this dramatic difference in event-free survival other than the drug substitution," the researchers noted. The analysis found that, as a group, patients who received cyclophosphamide had fewer unfavorable symptoms and were more likely to have intermediate-risk, rather than high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma. The patients ranged in age from 3 to 21. Half were age 14 or younger.
Patients who relapsed received additional therapy. Researchers said it is too soon to know if these patients will have the same long-term survival rates as those whose did not relapse. The additional treatment included intensive chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant using the patient's own blood-producing stem cells.
###
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing overall U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent. Founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, St. Jude is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. St. Jude is also a leader in research and treatment of life-threatening blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives. To learn more, visit www.stjude.org. Follow us on Twitter @StJudeResearch.
The Stanford University School of Medicine
The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation's top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://mednews.stanford.edu.
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford is an internationally recognized 311-bed hospital, research center and leading regional medical network providing the full complement of services for the health of children and expectant mothers. In partnership with the Stanford University School of Medicine, our world-class doctors and nurses deliver innovative, family-centered care in every pediatric and obstetric specialty, tailored to every patient. Packard Children's is annually ranked as one of the nation's best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and is the only Northern California children's hospital with specialty programs ranked in the U.S. News Top 10. Learn more about us at www.lpch.org and about our continuing growth at growing.lpch.org. Like us on Facebook, watch us on YouTube and follow us on Twitter.
Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center
Since 1947, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have provided comprehensive care for children and adolescents with cancer through Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center. The two Harvard Medical School affiliates share a clinical staff that delivers inpatient care at Boston Children's and outpatient therapies at Dana-Farber's Jimmy Fund Clinic. The Boston Children's inpatient pediatric cancer service has 33 beds, including 13 designated for stem cell transplant patients.
Stanford/Packard Children's Media Relations Contacts:
Stanford University School of Medicine news pager
(650) 723-8222, pager ID #25314
Robert Dicks
(650) 497-8364
rdicks@lpch.org
Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center Media Relations Contact:
Bill Schaller
(617) 632-5357
william_schaller@dfci.harvard.edu
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
A profile of artist Miguel Perez Lem by Eliza French made the Top in A&E in 2012. (Luis Gomez Photos)
It?s that time again? a look back before we start 2013. Like last December, we?re listing the most-read stories on Borderstan by category. Today are the Top 10 from the Arts and Entertainment section.
Remember that the web is forever, so they say. Posted stories continue to get hits long after originally going up on the site. As a result, some of the most-read stories for the year were sometimes published the year before ? especially if they were published late the year before.
Top 10 Borderstan A&E Stories of 2012
These Arts and Entertainment stories were Top 10 most read in 2012 on?Borderstan.com. Assistant Editor Rachel Nania and Editor Luis Gomez each had three of the Top 10 stories while Bordertan Movie Fan Mary Burgan had two, and arts writer Eliza French rounded out the list.
Margin Call?a Great Explanation of Financial Crisis, Great Recession??(Mary Burgan)
Tropicalia: A Psychedelic Buena Vista Social Club at 14th and U?Luis Gomez)
Illuminate Connecticut Avenue: DCCAH Calls For Public Art Entries?(Rachel Nania)
A Bastille Day Salute: 10 French Films to See?(Mary Burgan)
Ibero-America Film Showcase 2012 Starts Jan. 19?(Luis Gomez)
Adams Morgan Picked as One of ?Prettiest Painted Places? in U.S.?(Rachel Nania)
Pics from 17th Street Festival: Did We See You There??(Luis Gomez)
Tuesday at Stead Park Field: Watch ?Grease? Under the Stars?(Borderstan)
Tonight! It?s the Annual 17th Street High Heel Race?(Rachel Nania)
Miguel Perez Lem: An International Artist with an Eclectic Approach?(Eliza French)
Get an?RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories?or?subscribe to Borderstan?s daily email newsletter.
MIAMI (AP) ? When the Miami Heat players and coaches showed up for work Saturday morning, basketball was secondary.
Newtown was the focus.
Friday's massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., was the primary topic of discussion among the Heat, even though they were gathered to finish prepping for a Saturday night game against Washington. It's rare for anything to overshadow basketball on the Heat practice court, but clearly, this was not going to be a typical day.
"Basketball, this is nothing," Heat forward LeBron James said. "These games are nothing compared to when you have a tragedy like that. It sucks that sometimes you need a tragedy to put things back in perspective, to appreciate what you have. But it does that to people. It's unfortunate that you have to have something like that to understand what's really important and some things that aren't important at all. Family is the No. 1 important thing in life."
It's likely that many Heat players and coaches had never heard of Newtown before Friday.
That doesn't mean they weren't affected, like countless others. Moments of silence were observed before many games.
In Memphis before tipoff of a college basketball game against Louisville, a moment of silence was observed for the victims and for 32-year-old Memphis police officer Martoiya Lang, a mother of four children, who was shot and killed on Friday. Public address announcer Chuck Roberts struggled and his voice choked up a bit as he said the Memphis officer's name. And he finished after the moment ended with "Amen."
In England, the Queens Park Rangers soccer team wore black armbands at the request of its players during a Premier League match against Fulham. Chelsea captain John Terry on Instagram said "So So Sad" beneath a picture of a candle, and he urged prayers for school. Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany tweeted: "Giving guns to everyone to 'protect' their home or fighting to get rid of all the guns? How many more Newtons will it take?"
Moments of silence were everywhere, from a minor-league hockey game in Hershey, Pa.; a U.S. women's soccer exhibition match in Boca Raton, Fla.; and at golf's Father-Son Challenge in Orlando, Fla., where all players and caddies wore black ribbons to honor the victims.
More tributes ? many more ? are coming from the sports world over the next few days. It's expected that all NFL games this weekend will be preceded by tributes, such as moments of silence and helmet decals. The New York Giants and New York Jets both plan to wear the letters S.H.E.S., for Sandy Hill Elementary School, on their helmets this weekend. And the New England Patriots will light flares for each of the 26 people killed at the school.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all the people impacted by that tragedy," Jets coach Rex Ryan said Saturday. "It's, wow, it's amazing. ... Just a horrific deal that happened there."
The Heat also held a moment of silence Saturday night, with many players being accompanied on the court by their children. Chris Bosh held his son, Jackson, tightly against his chest.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has shopped at the Clackamas Town Center, a mall in his native Oregon where a gunman killed two people Tuesday and then himself. One of Dwyane Wade's nephews was shot last March in Chicago, where gun violence is a major topic of discussion. Ray Allen attended the University of Connecticut, still calls it "my state" and expressed shock as he tried to collect information about Friday's events.
"It's still on my mind. I'm really emotional about it. My eyes water up a little bit just thinking about it right now. Your kids are what you live for," Heat forward Udonis Haslem said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Spoelstra typically comes into the Heat interview room after game-day practices and makes a brief statement about injury situations or what the team worked on that particular day.
He started his remarks Saturday by talking about Newtown, nothing about the Heat or the Wizards.
"We talked about it as a team today and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and the community," Spoelstra said. "Horrific tragedy in Connecticut. We took some time to give our thoughts and prayers to them.
"It's despicable," he added. "It's a horrific tragedy. And it doesn't matter whether you have family or not or kids or not, you can't relate to a tragedy like that."
Spoelstra said he monitored news reports on the Internet until late Friday night. James was getting updated on the day's events even as the Heat were visiting sick children in a pair of Miami hospitals on Friday afternoon, after which he immediately went home and hugged his own sons, neither of whom is likely old enough to comprehend what took place inside that Newtown school.
"Just having two kids of my own, in elementary, I could not imagine sending them off to school and them not returning," James said.
Haslem has three sons, and said he tried telling his oldest boy that "things happen in this world that we have no control over."
He's all-too-familiar with the grieving process, having lost close friends and relatives over the years. Still, Haslem insisted that he cannot comprehend what the families in Newtown feel, especially with this all happening so close to Christmas.
"You take it one day at a time. You're never going to forget about it. Time heals the wounds, slowly," Haslem said. "I still grieve over my friends. I still grieve over my family members I've lost. Slowly, slowly, it gets a little bit ? not a lot ? but a little bit easier.
"We love the money, we love the fame, we love the sport, but at the end of the day, we do this for our kids and the legacy to give them things you never had," Haslem said. "If it was about us, a lot of us would have retired after our first contract. You do this for your kids. Your kids are everything. My three kids are my heart. I just imagine someone taking my heart away from me. Might as well kill me."
___
AP Sports Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. in New York contributed to this report.
Must have a Bachelor's degree and be open to 100% travel (M-F).
Looking for a Network Communications candidate that does architecture of Cisco VOIP/Voice solutions?- not just administrations. Need 2+ year designing and implementing Voice/VOIP solutions. Need VOIP, IVR, CTI and either Cisco, VOIP, Avaya or Genesys. Need all areas of design and implementation, not just helpdesk/support people. Experts at Front End design and deployment or Back End/routing Voice/VOIP experience. Must have excellent soft skills and job stability.
Develop network detailed designs in the following areas: Voice (VoIP, unified communications) and Contact Center (IVR Self Service, Multi-media Routing, CTI and Application Integration)
Perform assessments of existing client contact center infrastructure and document "as-is" environments, as required
Implement contact center infrastructure (Hands-on engineering, configuration, testing, operations support)
Work with clients to develop high-level technology strategies with supporting roadmap and business case support
Plan, organize, and manage contact center design and or implementation projects
Organize project work into client presentations outlining findings and recommendations.
Project management activities including work planning, status reporting, client relationship management, and project financial management.
Establish and maintain good working relationships with clients.
Participate in internal and client-facing meetings, prepare reports and presentations
Develop internal white papers and knowledge capital on contact center technology topics
100% Travel
Basic Qualifications:
Minimum two years experience designing and deploying voice and contact center capabilities
Minimum two years experience with one of the following: Voice Over IP (VOIP), Call Routing, Computer Telephony Integration (CTI), Voice Portal and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Contact Center Performance Reporting
Hands-on experience with one or more of the following vendor products: Cisco IPCC/CVP, Avaya Contact Center, Genesys CIM/GVP
The International Tribunal of the Sea in Hamburg has ruled that Ghana must return Argentina's naval vessel, the ARA Libertad, immediately?MercoPress reports.?
The boat has been impounded since October 2nd, when hedge fund manager Paul Singer got a Ghanaian Court to rule that the boat be detained because of Argentina's outstanding debt to him, and a number of other hedge fund managers. A bail was set for $20 million.
As the boat languished in the Port of Tema, Argentina had it out with Singer in a New York Courtroom. The country refuses to pay Singer and other plaintiffs $1.3 billion in outstanding sovereign debt that they bought in 2001, citing the fact that, unlike other bondholders, the plaintiffs did not take the opportunity to restructure their debt in 2005 and 2010.
The majority of bondholders accepted a 70% haircut on their investment, but Singer is holding out because he and his fellows want to be paid in full. That's why he had Argentina's vessel impounded as collateral, and that's why Argentina refers to him, and other holdouts as "vulture" funds.
As that case went to an Appeals Court, there was conflict on the ARA Libertad. At one point the 40-plus sailors on the boat drew their guns when Ghanaian port officials tried to force the them to move the boat to a sleepier part of the port.
Argentina filed suit with the International Tribunal of the Sea to get their vessel back in mid November. The Court said that it would decide on the matter by December 15th, and Judge Shunji Jenai's ruling was firm (from MercoPress):
?Ghana must release with no conditions the frigate, guaranteeing that the vessel, its captain and the crew can leave the port of Tema and ensuring their provision? said the unanimous ruling...
The UN court considered a statement from Argentina that attempts by authorities in Ghana to move the ship ?could lead to an escalation? which could lead to ?incidents which could endanger life? Judge Yanai said.
The court also considered Argentina's claim that the ship could not be maintained correctly during its arrest and that the vessel' safety could so be endangered.
Now there are a few things that need to happen before the boat heads back to Argentina. Both Ghana and Argentina must submit a report on paying their own costs by December 22nd, and the Tribunal will make more decisions about the dispute then.
Meanwhile, the New York Appeals Court will make additional rule on the fight between Argentina and bondholders in February.
??The Wedding: Will and Erwynn met at church and fell in love. But they had a big problem??don?t ask, don?t tell.? The unlikely story of the first gay military union,? by Katherine Goldstein. 
We all know people who sing their own praises at every work or social opportunity. You may sometimes wonder if they know something about self-confidence that you don?t. Perhaps their annoying habit is a sign that they?ve discovered some secret to waking up every day feeling ready to conquer the world. Truly, the line between self-confidence and arrogance can seem finer than it really is.
Brandy Norwood was the recipient of an awesome Christmas gift this year…a diamond engagement ring! The 33-year-old singer and “Moesha” star is engaged to marry music mogul Ryan Press! A source revealed the Christmas proposal, stating, “They are thrilled and happy and Brandy feels this is so right.” Brandy had made no secret of her ...![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sJ0ZSE5AQbzExmpZEpPgfz9nufB2tukatUUlBEBBd70uM-f4iumymyRbf2pkwTTqF3hR3rmclcqupZf_AgJmRNAi3-4SdLTYG95m8aDFU=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 26-Dec-2012
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