Drought disaster: Share your story

Click image to see more photos. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)

While the current drought may feel less dramatic than, say, a Colorado wildfire or Florida hurricane, it is indeed affecting millions of Americans: the farmer with dried-up crops, the rancher whose land swelters in the summer sun, the suburban family under watering restrictions or the urban couple facing high food prices.

In fact, as of July 25, 1,369 counties across 31 states are part of drought disaster areas, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

How is the drought hurting you? Yahoo! News is publishing readers' anecdotes, photos and videos that put a human face on the drought.

Here are few ways you can help shape the story:

Share your story

* Write your first-person account with our Yahoo! Contributor Network. The best stories may be used in our coverage and may be published under your byline on Yahoo! News. Click here to get started

* Add your anecdotes and stories in the comment field below

Share your photos

* Tweet your drought photos to @yahoonews using #drought

* Share your Instagram photos of the drought in your area using #drought

* Add your drought photos to our Yahoo! News Flickr group

Share your videos

* If you've shot and published video that illustrates the drought in your area, tweet a link to us @yahoonews or email us a link at contributor-news@yahoo-inc.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/drought-affecting-share-stories-photos-yahoo-news-233629034.html

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Lower Hudson Valley Council Of School Superintendents Opposes ...

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The Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents?added their voices to educators across the state calling for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to veto new legislation that would change special education placement in New York. They join the New York State School Boards Association. League of Women Voters and New York State PTA in opposition. The governor must act on the legislation by Wednesday, Aug. 1.

Assembly Bill 10722/Senate Bill 7722 would call for schools to take?a student's home life and cultural environment into account when making placement decisions. Educators have raised a number of issues with it, including potential financial burdens for school districts and concerns regarding the measure's vague language.

The Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents (LHCSS) which represents Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester and Rockland Counties is calling for a veto. Clarkstown is a member of the LHCSS. Clarkstown's new School Superintendent Dr. J. Thomas Morton, who started with the district on July 2, has not met with anyone from the LHCSS yet. ?

"I have read that many superintendents are concerned about the Governor?s signing of this bill, but, respectfully, it is too soon for me to form an opinion on how this piece of legislation effects our special education programming or classification," wrote Dr. Morton in an email, adding that district staff was looking into the measure.

Dr. Ken Mitchell, superintendent of South Orangetown Schools and chairman of the LHCSS's Mandate Relief Committee, sent a letter to Cuomo. ?A copy of the organization's letter is attached to this report.

In the letter, Mitchell contends that this bill runs counter to Cuomo's stated plans to provide mandate relief for the taxpayers of New York State because it will lead to increased costs for educating children with special needs.?

"The recent legislation that will allow parents of children with special education needs to have unfettered access to costly and unnecessary private school placements is not only counter to recommendations tht superintendents have made to lower costs to taxpayers, but will increase costs to districts across New York at a time when we are seeking greater efficiencies," Mitchell wrote. "The current system provides for a due process that includes checks and balances with quality controls in regard to the needs of the child and the available programs provided by a district. The new bill will provide open access without regard to the appropriateness of the program. Districts will simply be billed by the private providers."

Pearl River Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Morgano,?who worked in special education for most of his career, shared a letter to Cuomo from the NYS Council of School Superintendents laying out a list of concerns regarding the legislation. He said it explains what he wanted to say on the matter. The full contents of the letter are at the bottom of this report.

The letter details conflicts with existing state and federal law and concerns regarding potential litigation that could be costly to school districts. Proponents of the legislation have argued that it would cut down on legal challenges of placement, but that is a point of disagreement regarding the bill.

The LHCSS has looked into the potential financial impact of the bill. In one example cited from 2009, a parent chose to put his child in a private school out of state at a tuition cost of $125,000 and argued that the school district should pay for it. They settled the matter out of court to avoid the legal costs.

According to the letter, 33 districts will combine to pay $82.4 million in out-of-district tuition for 1,408 in 2012-13. The new legislation would make it impossible to predict the budget needs to pay for students whose families want them in a private school setting for reasons beyond academics.?

There are approximately 6,500 students classified with disabilities in Rockland County. At an estimated average of $60,000 per student, that would cost county school districts a total of $390 million if all 6,500 students were placed in private schools. That is before transportation costs.

Morgano stressed that the superintendents are not disputing the need for services for special needs students. There is concern about the potential for extreme increase in costs that could happen if the new legislation passes. ?

The League of Women Voters, NYS PTA and School Boards Association have objected to the legislation and urged the governor to veto it. An online petition created by a Spring Valley resident urges people to sign and call the governor's office at 518-474-8390. ?As of Sunday evening, it had 1,633 signatures with a goal of 2,500.?

The contents of the letter from the?NYS Council of School Superintendents, which Morgano signed and supports,?are as follows:

Dear Governor Cuomo:

I am writing to recommend you veto Assembly Bill Number 10722, Senate Bill Number 7722.

Thsi bill is inconsistent with both federal statue and case law governing special education placement decisions and will subject school districts to serious legal challenges and excessive costs.?

The legislation would require school districts to consider a child's home environment, culture and family background when determining placements into special education. This is inconsistent with the federal Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).?

The bill would also require school districts to grant or deny a parent's request for tuition reimbursement within 90 days and require the continuation of tuition reimbursement for placements made unilaterally by parents until a district committee on special education amends the child's Indiidualized Education Program (IEP). This timetable is unmanageable for many reasons. Also, by exempting parents of children with disabilities from IDEA's carefully imposed conditions on tuition reimbursement, the bill contravenes the collaborative intent and framework of the IDEA, and again conflicts with federal law.

This legislation also allows parents to improperly seek to challenge a student's recommended educational placement by using home environment, and family, and cultural background as a factor to determine placement, rather than the best educational and least restrictive evironments for the child. These are vague terms which will invite litigation, bringing new costs upon school districts. This provision is also inconsistent with the federal IDEA law.

Importantly, a district has no authority to enter into an agreement with a parent for tuition reimbursement in the absence of a due process complaint. Other provisions in current law prohibit this. Whether or not a parent's unilateral placement is entitled to reimbursement, is an issue which can only be addressed by a hearing officer, state review officer or court under both current state and federal law. This legislation would mandate districts to enter into agreements with parents to reimburse their child's tuition and creates a clear conflict in law.

This bill would also require districts to maintain a student in their previous placement, instead of leaving that determination to the findings of due process proceedings or reevaluation of the student's IEP. This violates federal case law that requires a district to continue to provide tuition reimbursement following a final decision by the independent hearing officer, State Review Office or court ordering tuition reimbursement; under the pendency provision the parent challenges the new IEP. (See Pawling Central School District v. Schutz, 290 F 3d 476 (2nd Cir. 2002). Murphy vs. Arlington Central School District, 297 F3d 195 (2d Cir. 2002).?

Lastly, by inviting new legal challenges to placement decisions, the bill threatens to impose significant new costs upon my district.

Source: http://newcity.patch.com/articles/lower-hudson-valley-council-of-school-superintendents-opposes-special-ed-bill

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Jackson to make 'The Hobbit' into a trilogy

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) ? Peter Jackson is adding a third film to what was planned to be the two-part series "The Hobbit."

The director of the Oscar-winning "The Lord of the Rings" movies said Monday that after viewing a cut of the first film and part of the second that there was room for a third.

Jackson says in a statement that a lot of J.R.R. Tolkien's tale of Bilbo Baggins would remain untold if a third film wasn't made. The films are set in the fictional world of Middle-earth 60 years before "The Lord of the Rings."

"We recognized that the richness of the story of 'The Hobbit,' as well as some of the related material in the appendices of 'The Lord of the Rings,' gave rise to a simple question: do we tell more of the tale?" Jackson said in a statement. "And the answer from our perspective as filmmakers and fans was an unreserved 'yes.' "

"We know how much of the tale of Bilbo Baggins, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the Necromancer, and the Battle of Dol Guldur would remain untold if we did not fully realize this complex and wonderful adventure," he said.

Warner Bros. and MGM will continue their partnership to make the trilogy.

The first film, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," hits theaters Dec. 14, while the second, "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" is set for release on Dec. 13, 2013.

The third film will come out in the summer of 2014.

All three movies are being shot in digital 3-D in New Zealand, which is home to Jackson's Weta Digital special effects house. Principal photography recently finished on the first two films.

Jackson, his wife Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro are listed as co-writers of the first two films.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-07-30-The%20Hobbit-Trilogy/id-98fb14d49a2a4761a90d6fc36788939d

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96% First Position

All Critics (52) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (50) | Rotten (2)

It does a great job developing its characters through its visuals - these are superphysical kids - and honing in on family dynamics.

If you have a yearning to feel awkward, inadequate and lazy, watching the whirling teenage (and preteen) talents in director Bess Kargman's First Position will do the trick.

A number of the performances are plain stunning - Aran and Joan, in particular, seem born to move - and in many ways watching the movie is like watching a sporting event; there are winners and losers and favorites to cheer on.

It's an intense journey, and Kargman captures it all, down to the dancers' bloodied and bruised feet.

Yes, it is possible to create a gripping documentary about the ballet world without resorting to "Black Swan" melodramatics.

Because its subjects are so driven and so talented, "First Position," which is about ballet, is more gripping than the norm.

Far from the dutiful progeny of "Dance Moms," these are individuals of uncommon skill, self-knowledge, maturity and drive. They're the real deal. And so is First Position.

All of the dollars and expertise that produced this summer's blockbusters could never produce a spectacle as wondrous as 11-year-old Aran Bell dancing his heart out.

Kargman ... brings a welcome empathy to this programmatic film that follows six hopefuls as they compete in something called the Youth America Grand Prix, which we're told is the most comprehensive ballet competition in the world.

The children are almost unearthly in their agility and elegance -- until they remove their shoes, and reveal their all-too-human abrasions and injuries.

It's a wealth of material at odds with a scant running time and shallow focus.

When it's over, you won't remember so much about who won and who lost. Instead, what remains is the expression on a young dancer's face, reflected in a mirror: showing the joy of being in love with what you do.

What we experience is the overwhelming thrill of the competition and the true agony of defeat.

It could very well compete for Best Documentary at next year's Academy Awards.

For someone (like me) who has never been to a ballet, the talent of these teens and tweens is a revelation.

It's 'Spartacus' en pointe.

Inspiring documentary about hardworking young dancers.

Almost loses its sense of good taste entirely in the final act, straining to build suspense and shape heroes. The bias hangs a little ugly in an otherwise passable, somewhat enlightening effort.

The cookie cutter format Kargman uses in presenting her subjects may be unoriginal but a safe way to introduce the filmmaker to her new audience.

Child ballet dancer and former journalist Bess Kargman brings a dancer's passion and insight to her directorial debut, illuminating the addictive magic and fierce demands of a ballet dancer's life.

Really, all of the dancers' evident passion for their art is, well, spellbinding.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/first_position_2011/

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Scalia: Guns May be Regulated

Justice Antonin Scalia, one of the Supreme Court's most vocal and conservative justices, said on Sunday that the Second Amendment leaves room for U.S. legislatures to regulate guns, including menacing hand-held weapons.

"It will have to be decided in future cases," Scalia said on Fox News Sunday. But there were legal precedents from the days of the Founding Fathers that banned frightening weapons which a constitutional originalist like himself must recognize. There were also "locational limitations" on where weapons could be carried, the justice noted.

(RELATED: 3 Steps Obama Can Take on Gun Control)

When asked if that kind of precedent would apply to assault weapons, or 100-round ammunition magazines like those used in the recent Colorado movie theater massacre, Scalia declined to speculate. "We'll see," he said. '"It will have to be decided."

As an originalist scholar, Scalia looks to the text of the Constitution?which confirms the right to bear arms?but also the context of 18^th-century history. ?They had some limitations on the nature of arms that could be borne," he told host Chris Wallace.

In a wide-ranging interview, Scalia also stuck by his criticism of Chief Justice John Roberts and the majority opinion in the ruling that upheld the Affordable Care Act this summer. "You don't interpret a penalty to be a pig. It can't be a pig," said Scalia, of the court's decision to call the penalty for not obtaining health insurance a tax. "There is no way to regard this penalty as a tax."

Scalia, a septuagenarian, said he had given no thought to retiring. "My wife doesn't want me hanging around the house," he joked. But he did say he would try to time his retirement from the court so that a justice of similar conservative sentiments would take his place, presumably as the appointee of a Republican president. "Of course I would not like to be replaced by somebody who sets out immediately to undo" what he has spent decades trying to achieve, the justice said.

See all NJ?s Sunday show coverage | Get Sunday show coverage in your inbox

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/scalia-guns-may-regulated-100352809.html

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The story of the world's first free-range computer virus

8 hrs.

How two Pakistani brothers and one piece of runaway code created the anti-virus industry.

It was early 1987, and security expert Roger Thompson had just seen his first computer virus, in a programming class at a technical college in Brisbane, Australia. "Back in those days, there really weren't any programs you could use to look for these things," recalls Thompson, who now works for anti-virus company AVG. "Somebody just handed me a disk." On the boot sector of the disk, there was a program called Brain.

"I took a look at the computer to see where it had written itself, and it wasn't anywhere on the hard drive. I thought, 'Oh, it's not a virus at all.' So I just moved on and put another disk in. Suddenly the virus was on the second disk. It was seeding every floppy I put in."

Prank programs had been around as long as there were computers to run them on, but truly self-replicating code hadn't been seen outside of university computer labs. The code was hovering in working memory, copying itself onto the boot sector of every disk that entered the machine. The program was non-destructive, but virulent ? and because those 5 1/4-inch disks were the only way to move data onto or off of a computer, Brain was able to span half the globe by the time it arrived in Brisbane.

Once Thompson isolated the code, he found an even bigger surprise. The creators' names were written into every copy: Basit & Amjad Alvi of Brain Computer Services, Lahore, Pakistan.

By the end of the year, Brain had spread through America and most of Europe, hopping from disk to disk, computer to computer. To leap across the ocean ? to reach Roger Thompson in Brisbane, say ? someone had to take an infected floppy onto a plane or ship. This was before the web: It was a lot harder to cross the ocean. And as the virus spread, so did the rumors: Was this some kind of revenge against software pirates? Were the brothers trying to kick off an IT security firm?

The truth is less dramatic. As Amjad describes it to BuzzFeed, he and his brother were just playing around with assembly language: "At the time, there were not multi-tasking OSs or multi-tasking programs, so we found some interesting code that stayed resident in the background of the memory." It was a powerful trick. "For more than a year, we were experimenting, just learning things. It was not planned that we were going to make a virus."

Patient zero was a hospital in the provincial capital of Quetta, 600 miles west of Lahore. In the fall of 1986, the Alvi brothers visited the hospital to install some software they'd developed. On the way, Amjad realized one of his disks was infected with the self-replicating program they'd been experimenting with. He decided to leave it there. "If someone wanted to steal my program, I figured I would know that program was stolen from that specific, isolated medical computer," he says. Having left it on a business computer in rural Pakistan, there was no reason to think the program would spread.

It took two years for Amjad to get his first call. Thanks to the time difference, it came in the middle of the night, from a student reporter at Miami University. She had found his number on a floppy disk.

There had been computer viruses in labs before, most notably Fred Cohen's experiements at USC in the early 1980s, but as long as the programs were confined to a lab, it was impossible to know how quickly or thoroughly they might spread. Simply releasing a program into the wild was impossible, due to ethics concerns, so it took a minor pandemic like Brain to make the IT world take notice. As Thompson puts it, "Nobody actually believed viruses existed until they got one, and then they became a believer right away."

Within a year of Brain's release, John McAfee and Eugene Kaspersky had both set up shop selling virus protection software. Shortly after, F-Secure in Finland, F-Prot in Iceland and Doctor Solomon's Antivirus in England followed suit, along with Thompson's own Leprechaun Software. Suddenly, anyone with a digital infrastructure was aware of the risk posed by viruses, and willing to pay money to protect themselves. A new industry sprang up in the space of a few years.

The Alvi brothers, for the most part, were left out. The western anti-virus businesses had little interest in cornering the Pakistani market, and in the years it took Brain to spread, Basit and Amjad moved on to other interests. Brain Inc. is a telecom company now. In 1998, they installed Pakistan's first high-speed fiber network. Even with the rise of militarized malware like Flame, Mr. Alvi hasn't seen much reason to get back into the anti-virus business. "If there can be a physical assault there can be a cyber assault as well," he told us. "It is not any different in my opinion." And for an honest man, coding viruses isn't much of a business opportunity.

More from BuzzFeed FWD:

Source: http://www.gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/technology/gadgetbox/story-worlds-first-free-range-computer-virus-915385

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How to lose weight naturally | ViVo medical Foundation Official Blog

In understanding how to lose weight naturally one must devise a full plan carefully. Gaining weight is a very easy task but shedding it off is a highly tiresome and tedious task which requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice. Now a days, most of the people are looking for how to lose weight naturally as it is harmless and healthy and do not cause any deficiencies which usually result from strict dieting.

Devising a diet plan for how to lose weight naturally:

Losing weight naturally calls for a very well planned diet plan which must be followed by all means. Dividing your meals into smaller portions and taking about five to six small meals per day can be very effective in how to lose weight naturally. In this way one is able to eat everything, just the quantity is reduced. So you do not suffer from any deficiencies as you eat a balanced and tasty diet. Increasing the intake of salads can successfully serve the purpose as they have low caloric value but high nutritional value. Drinking plenty of water and taking large volumes of sugar free beverages can also help in how to lose weight naturally as their consumption will help you to eat less. To lose weight, one must cut down all the junk food from his/her diet as such food carries a large amount of carbohydrates and fats both of which adds extra weight to your body.

People who exercise regularly do not gain extra fats on their body. So in order to lose weight one must work out on regular basis, which will help to burn body fats in a healthy way and will keep you fit. Walking and running along with jogging, skipping and swimming are known to be the most common and popular exercises of all times in how to lose weight naturally. These exercise are easy to perform and can be easily done at home. Thus you are not bound to visit a gym regularly. Apart from these work outs, cardiovascular exercises are also very effective in burning calories and toning the body proving positive aspects of how to lose weight naturally.

Food and herbs in how to lose weight naturally:

There are many herbs which help in how to lose weight naturally. Herbal teas are mostly consumed by diet conscious people who are trying to trim down the extra fats from their body. Warm water with lemon juice, added to it, is also considered a healthy way of how to lose weight naturally, if consumed regularly after every meal. Sometimes honey is also added to the concoction in order to improve its taste. Aloe Vera juice is also a very well-known remedy for how to lose weight naturally. It is mixed with water sometimes, to improve its taste so that people could easily consume it. Soups and raw vegetables are preferred as they have less fat in them. Fried food must be avoided, instead steamed or baked food must be eaten as they are not very high on fats so mostly considered for how to lose weight naturally. The consumption of those edibles which are rich in carbohydrates and starch should be reduced, like white flour and its products, potatoes corns etc.

Generally clear soup or lentil coups are given to people who want to lose their weight. These soups have a high water content and low calories therefore they are the best choice is you want to reduce the question of how to lose weight naturally. Cabbage soup is very healthy and also helps in decreasing the unnecessary weight of the body. Chicken stock is also preferred by the dieters as its healthy yet slimming and moreover it?s very fulfilling but light. Salads without heavy cream dressings are also made especially in how to lose weight naturally. Desserts of all sorts must be avoided as well. Sugar free desserts can be eaten but once in a week or when you are seriously craving for them. Healthy sandwiches can be prepared at home, which may contain olives, lettuces, icebergs, tomatoes, cucumbers, cottage cheese, steamed fish, turkey or chicken, etc. Cottage cheese is very low on fats, and turkey and fish also have low caloric value thus they are preferred in how to lose weight naturally. Such sandwiches are quite fulfilling and tasty as well thus they can be readily eaten by anyone.

Pregnancy and losing weight

During pregnancy it is normal to gain several pounds of weight; in fact it?s quite healthy. But gaining too much weight may be dangerous for the baby and the conceiving mother. Thus in order to avoid such situation, one must be vigilant of her diet. Eating less fried food and more steamed food is recommended. Properly cooked meat, eggs, bananas etc must be included in diet so that the mother stays healthy and fit. More fruits must be added in the diet as they are low on fats, especially apples.? All these precautions, when taken, can help a mother in how to lose weight naturally, delivering a healthy baby at the same time.

Source: http://www.vivofoundation.net/2012/07/29/how-to-lose-weight-naturally/

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Mamas, don?t let your babies grow up to be responsible (Unqualified Offerings)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/238441190?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Twitter feeds fuel Jackson family feud

LOS ANGELES -- From behind the highly secretive Jackson dynasty's once-impenetrable wall, Prince and Paris Jackson appeared to be airing their family's dirty laundry this week in a typical way for a teen -- on their Twitter feeds.

Their tweets about the alleged disappearance of their grandmother, matriarch Katherine Jackson, were emotionally charged and prolific. One of Prince's posts thanking fans for their support ran far past 120 characters on TwitLonger. It's an unprecedented celebrity family squabble playing out in the digital town square.

This comes in the same week that Greek triple jumper Paraskevi Papachristou was banned from competing in the Olympics after she sent out a Tweet perceived to be racist. On Thursday, Florida State football coach Jimbo Fisher banned his players from using Twitter for the rest of the year after one of his players posted rap lyrics about killing police officers. And in the wake of Kristen Stewart's apology for her "momentary indiscretion" with married "Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders, "Twilight" fans have taken to Twitter to express their anger toward Stewart and their support for her longtime boyfriend and co-star, Robert Pattinson.

Twitter has ingratiated itself as a daily media fixture delivering cultural and news tidbits to an information-ravenous public, but it's increasingly finding itself in the spotlight as well. The quick-moving, instantaneous forum is often a double-edged sword for celebrities, who can bypass the tabloids and reach the masses with one uncensored click; but quick-fingered, loose-lipped tweets can do instant damage.

More frequently, celebrity Twitter feeds are being managed by wary flacks with an eye toward reining in their clients and avoiding potential missteps. The trend may be counterintuitive to the immediate, unfettered nature of Twitter, but some say it's a necessary evil.

"The great news about Twitter is celebs can talk instantaneously and directly to their fans; the bad news is, celebs can talk instantaneously and directly to their fans," says Howard Bragman, a longtime publicist and vice chairman of Reputation.com who's represented Chaz Bono and Stevie Wonder, among many others. "It's absolutely an increasing concern for us; every week we see something tweeted that's taken right down."

There's always been speculation as to whether celebrity tweets are really their own, or whether more PR-savvy handlers are tweeting for them toward some strategic promotional end. After all, 14-year-old Paris Jackson alone has more than 700,000 followers. Bragman estimates that about 80 percent of celebrities tweet for themselves these days, though as the medium becomes more of a central nerve for taste making, he says that number might be on the decline.

Source: http://www.dailycamera.com/nation-world-news/ci_21183577/twitter-feeds-fuel-jackson-family-feud?source=rss_viewed

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India ethnic unrest toll rises to 50

The death toll from ethnic unrest in India's northeast rose to 50 on Saturday while at least 400,000 languished in relief camps as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the conflict-hit area.

The national government has dispatched medical teams to Assam to tend to the victims of the fighting that erupted eight days ago between indigenous Bodo tribes and Muslim settlers over long-running land disputes.

The chief minister of far-flung Assam state, Tarun Gogoi, said the region was now calm after what he called "unprecedented" violence as the focus shifted to providing relief to the 400,000 people who fled their homes.

The death toll climbed to 50 as police reported in a statement that the bodies of five more people killed in the riots had been recovered.

Singh, who represents Assam in the Indian parliament's upper house, was slated to tour relief camps on Saturday accompanied by ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi.

The chief minister described the violence as the worst crisis his government has faced, with rival groups from both sides attacking villages, beating people to death with sticks and burning down homes.

People in the camps have said they were afraid of returning to their homes.

"We are living in fear and we can't even think about going back to our homes," Bimla Basumatary, one of the displaced, told India's NDTV television network.

Gogoi has blamed Singh's government for the escalation in violence, saying it failed to send troops immediately after the unrest erupted.

Now at least 3,000 extra soldiers and paramilitary personnel are patrolling the region.

The international rights group Human Rights Watch said tensions had been building for more than two months between the Bodo and Muslim communities, which have clashed in the past over access to land and resources.

The group urged authorities to rescind the "shoot-on-sight" orders and "promptly investigate and prosecute those responsible while addressing the underlying causes of the clashes".

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/india-races-help-thousands-displaced-deadly-riots-165437177.html

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Apple buying AuthenTec for about $356 million

NEW YORK (AP) ? Apple has agreed to buy fingerprint reader AuthenTec Inc. for approximately $356 million as the company known for iPhones and iPads looks to strengthen its digital security capabilities.

Apple disclosed in a regulatory filing that it will pay $8 for each share of AuthenTec, a 58 percent premium to thei closing price on Thursday.

AuthenTec's stock jumped $3.30, or 65 percent, to $8.37 in Friday afternoon trading ? above the offered price.

The transaction was unanimously approved by AuthenTec's board. It still requires approval from a majority of the holders of AuthenTec stock. AuthenTec currently has about 44.5 million outstanding shares, according to FactSet.

Shares of Apple Inc., based in Cupertino, Calif., gained $4.70 to $579.58.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apple-buying-authentec-356-million-172040693--finance.html

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Obama Gives It Another College Try (WSJ)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/238438753?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Africa: In Zimbabwe Land Takeover, a Golden Lining ? Miami ...

Posted on July 27, 2012 by The Victoria Law Group

Crazy Bob Mugabe is one of the oldest and longest serving ?dictators? in Africa.? Due to some unintended consequences of some of his early decisions, some neighboring countries are the beneficiaries of the Zimbabwe farmers? exodus from their homeland.? For example, when Roger Boka started his auction business in the 1990s, this city?s tobacco trading floors were hushed places, save the mellifluous patter of the auctioneer. A handful of white farmers, each selling hundreds of bales of tobacco, arrived in sport utility vehicles, checking into the city?s best hotels while waiting for their big checks to be cut.? Bob Mugabe is still crazy, but things are changing in Africa.

Read Lydia Polgreen?s New York Times article here:

http://nyti.ms/MOMExU

-

Brought to you by Bob Arnold of The Victoria Law Group.

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Source: http://miamiinternationalbusinessattorneys.com/2012/07/27/africa-in-zimbabwe-land-takeover-a-golden-lining-2/

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Trustees: Sanctions better than football ban

FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2012 file photo, Penn State University President Rodney Erickson speaks during a town hall meeting with alumni in King of Prussia, Pa. The Penn State board of trustees gathered Wednesday afternoon, July 25, 2012 to discuss whether President Rodney Erickson had the authority to agree to unprecedented NCAA sanctions against the football program without first getting the board's approval, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2012 file photo, Penn State University President Rodney Erickson speaks during a town hall meeting with alumni in King of Prussia, Pa. The Penn State board of trustees gathered Wednesday afternoon, July 25, 2012 to discuss whether President Rodney Erickson had the authority to agree to unprecedented NCAA sanctions against the football program without first getting the board's approval, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Penn State's trustees may not like the NCAA's unprecedented sanctions against the university's football program, but they say the alternative ? the so-called "death penalty" ? would have been worse.

In their first joint statement since Penn State was hit with a $60 million fine, a four-year bowl game ban, reduced football scholarships and the forfeiture of 112 wins, trustees said Wednesday the NCAA punishment was "unfortunate" and "difficult."

University spokesman David La Torre said the potential for a four-year ban on playing football was floated during discussions between Penn State President Rodney Erickson and NCAA officials.

The trustees met with Erickson on the subject at a State College hotel Wednesday and afterward issued their statement.

The penalty hasn't been used since the NCAA suspended Southern Methodist University for the 1987 season. SMU then sat out the '88 season on its own and has never fully recovered its status in college football.

Reporters were barred from the conference room where the Penn State trustees met, and trustees avoided them after the meeting broke up.

The potential for a four-year ban, first reported by ESPN, showed how high the stakes were as college sports' governing body considered how to respond to an internal school investigation by former FBI Director Louis Freeh that found former coach Joe Paterno and three other top college officials helped conceal reports that Jerry Sandusky, a former assistant coach, was abusing children.

NCAA president Mark Emmert said this week that if a total football ban had been imposed, other penalties would have accompanied it.

"If the death penalty were to be imposed, I'm quite sure that the executive committee and I ... would not have agreed to just the death penalty. It would have included other penalties as well," Emmert said as the sanctions were unveiled.

An NCAA spokeswoman declined further comment Wednesday on negotiations with Penn State.

Many alumni and some trustees were incensed over the unprecedented NCAA penalty ? which likely will cripple Penn State's football team for years to come ? and Penn State's quick acceptance of it.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Wednesday that Gov. Tom Corbett said the penalties imposed on Penn State "go well beyond" those with responsibility for the handling of the sex abuse allegations against Sandusky.

"What's important to note is the kids that are up there right now, whether they are students or the student-athletes, the members of that team or the members of any other team, had nothing to do with this. Nothing," Corbett said. "And they are the ones that, unfortunately, are bearing the brunt of this. And that's what I find difficult."

A person with knowledge of the trustees' meeting said earlier Wednesday that trustees were to discuss whether Erickson had the authority to agree to the sanctions without first getting the board's approval. The person was not authorized to discuss the meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Some trustees had expressed concern that Erickson may have violated a board rule that says the board must authorize the signing of "contracts, legal documents, and other obligations."

The board statement made no reference to the propriety of what Erickson had done, saying trustees held a discussion but did not take any votes.

"The board finds the punitive sanctions difficult and the process with the NCAA unfortunate," the statement said. "But as we understand it, the alternatives were worse as confirmed by NCAA President Mark Emmert's recent statement that Penn State was likely facing a multi-year death sentence."

La Torre said Wednesday that Erickson had authority to act without the approval of the full board.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-07-26-Penn%20State-Abuse/id-36d2591cede94c07ba9f79d22ead55f2

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Nomura CEO resigns in wake of insider scandal

TOKYO (AP) ? Nomura CEO Kenichi Watanabe has resigned in the wake of an insider trading scandal that has tarnished the reputation of Japan Inc. and its biggest investment bank.

Watanabe announced his resignation at a press conference Thursday in Tokyo, ending his four year leadership of Nomura Holdings Ltd. Takumi Shibata, another top executive at the bank, also resigned.

Watanabe, 59, will from Aug. 1 be replaced by Koji Nagai, the president of Nomura Securities Co., which is part of the Nomura banking empire and at the center of the insider scandal.

Japan's financial regulators are investigating Nomura Securities for leaking information to clients ahead of planned securities offerings by energy company Inpex, Mizuho Financial Group and Tokyo Electric Power Co. in 2010.

Nomura has admitted that some its employees were involved in leaking inside information.

"Our reputation has been badly damaged," said Nagai. "To try to restore trust is easily said, but to actually accomplish that is a huge undertaking. Rather than just change our approach, we need to fundamentally rebuild the company. All corporate employees need to be involved in this," he said.

A panel of external lawyers commissioned by the company said in a June 29 report that its equity sales staff would seek information from colleagues about upcoming offerings that Nomura was underwriting and then pass along those tips to customers.

The panel made a series of recommendations to prevent such incidents in the future, including banning conversations with clients about rumors regarding financing transactions and using personal cellphones for business.

Nomura is reportedly losing underwriting business in wake of the scandal.

The company is still being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission and could face penalties.

Nomura's share price has more than halved since word of the investigation first surfaced in March, falling from 417 yen to 259 yen. It was up 5.7 percent Thursday on reports of Watanabe's resignation.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-07-26-AS-Japan-Nomura/id-f8eb2a3ea2d34657af544999184ad19b

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Obama, Romney differ over guns after Colo. attack

President Barack Obama address the National Urban League Conference in New Orleans, Wednesday, July 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

President Barack Obama address the National Urban League Conference in New Orleans, Wednesday, July 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney meets with members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars after his speech at the VFW national convention in Reno, Nev. ,Tuesday July 24, 2012.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The politics of guns leapt to the top of the presidential race Wednesday, as President Barack Obama embraced some degree of control of weapons sales and Republican Mitt Romney seemed to suggest an alleged mass killer in Colorado had obtained his weapons illegally even though he hadn't.

Speaking to a mostly black audience in New Orleans, Obama said he would seek a consensus on combating violence. He said some responsibility also rests with parents, neighbors and teachers to ensure that young people "do not have that void inside them."

Obama's remarks came five days after the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., that left 12 dead and dozens wounded. He pledged to work with lawmakers of both parties to stop violence ? not only the sudden massacres that have bedeviled the nation, but also the steady drip of urban crime that has cost many young lives.

The president called for stepped-up background checks for people who want to buy guns and restrictions to keep mentally unbalanced individuals from buying weapons. He said those steps "shouldn't be controversial, they should be common sense."

Romney, meanwhile, said many of the weapons deployed by the shooting suspect in Colorado were possessed illegally and that changing laws wouldn't prevent gun-related tragedies. His comments added a confusing layer to the debate because authorities say the firearms that James Holmes allegedly used to kill 12 people were obtained legally.

"This person shouldn't have had any kind of weapons and bombs and other devices, and it was illegal for him to have many of those things already," Romney told NBC News in an interview in London. "But he had them. And so we can sometimes hope that just changing the law will make all bad things go away. It won't."

Authorities say Holmes broke no laws when he bought an assault-style rifle, a shotgun and Glock handgun, and he passed the required background checks.

Aides to Romney said the former Massachusetts governor was alluding only to homemade bombs, reportedly used as attempted booby-traps in Holmes' apartment, when he spoke of items "illegal for him to have."

"The illegality the governor is referencing is the ordinances, the devices that were in the home," said campaign spokesman Danny Diaz. "He was not referencing the weapons carried to the theater."

In a separate interview with KRNV-TV in Nevada, Romney seemed more precise. He said Holmes "had various incendiary devices, bombs of some kind. The idea that saying those things, of course, were illegal, but he had them, simply passing laws does not make the threat of an individual who is deranged, disappear."

Romney's campaign acknowledged Wednesday that Holmes' gun purchases apparently were legal.

Aurora authorities disassembled the booby traps in the apartment, and they did not explode. It's unclear if the suspect obtained the bomb materials illegally, but it's against Colorado law to build an explosive device.

NBC News anchor Brian Williams pressed Romney about his tenure as Massachusetts governor, when the presumptive GOP nominee signed a bill that banned some assault weapons like the type Holmes is alleged to have used. At the time, Romney described such guns as "instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people."

Asked if he stood by those comments, Romney mentioned the Massachusetts ban but said he didn't think current laws needed to change.

"I don't happen to believe that America needs new gun laws. A lot of what this ... young man did was clearly against the law. But the fact that it was against the law did not prevent it from happening," Romney said.

Obama, speaking to the National Urban League, said, "We should leave no stone unturned and recognize that we have no greater mission that keeping our young people safe."

His speech represented a bookend to a four-day trip that began Sunday in Colorado, where Obama visited with survivors of the massacre.

"For every Columbine or Virginia Tech, there are dozens gunned down on the streets of Chicago and Atlanta, here in New Orleans," he said. "For every Tucson or Aurora, there is daily heartbreak over young Americans shot in Milwaukee or Cleveland."

Obama said every heartbreaking tragedy creates an outcry for action. "Too often those efforts are defeated by politics and by lobbying and eventually by the pull of our collective attention elsewhere," he said.

Obama said he believes in the Second Amendment's protection of gun rights and that that hunting and shooting are part of a "cherished national tradition."

"I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that an AK-47 belongs in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals," he said. "That they belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities.

While he called for efforts to keep criminals and fugitives and mentally unbalanced individuals from buying weapons, Obama also said he was undertaking efforts without Congress to create prevention and intervention programs that "steer young people away from a life of gang violence toward the safety and promise of classroom."

But he also added: "We must also understand that when a child opens fire on other children, there's a hole in his heart that no government can fill."

While the Aurora shootings stunned the nation, Obama's hometown of Chicago has symbolized the urban death toll with a surge in violence that has also captured widespread attention. Chicago homicides are up nearly 38 percent from last year, dramatized by the death of a 7-year-old girl who was gunned down last month while selling snow cones near her house.

___

Julie Pace reported from New Orleans. Associated Press writers Kasie Hunt in London and Jim Kuhnhenn in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-07-25-Presidential%20Campaign-Guns/id-55b5a40cfa304ab8b715cf143aa16fab

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?Apple a day? advice rooted in science Whitmore Mansion. Medicine ...

Everyone has heard the old adage an apple a day keeps the doctor away. We all know we should eat more fruit. But why apples? The benefits that contain specific?I did not expect that the consumption of apples to reduce the bad cholesterol in the measure, while increasing HDL or good cholesterol by about 4 percent, said Arjmand. Another advantage is that 240 extra calories a day consumed dried apple did not lead to weight gain in women, in fact, have lost an average of 3.3 kg. Part of the reason for the weight loss could be the fruit pectin, which is known to effect satiety. The next step in confirming the results of this study is a multi-researcher at the national level.

According to Dr. Bahram H. Arjmand, Ph.D., RD, Margaret A. Sitton Professor and Director of the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Nutrition and Exercise at the University of Florida, the apples are really a miracle fruit that convey benefits beyond the fiber. More recent research Arjmand is the first to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of long-term daily consumption of apples in postmenopausal women. The results of this study funded by the USDA will be presented at Experimental Biology 2011 at 12:45 pm Tuesday, April 12 in Washington, DC.

This study randomized 160 women between 45 and 65 to one of two dietary intervention groups: one received dried apples a day and the other group ate prunes every day for a year. Blood samples were collected at 3, 6 and 12 months. The result surprised Dr. Arjmand, who said that tremendous changes in women eating apples came in six months, experienced a 23 percent reduction in LDL cholesterol, is known as the bad cholesterol .

The daily consumption of potato has also led to decreased levels of lipid hydroperoxide and C-reactive protein in these women

Source: http://www.whitmoremansion.com/apple-a-day-advice-rooted-in-science.html

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Signs of Skin Cancer: Biologists Find The Cause Of Pain In The ...

Pain caused by 2 different mechanisms

Apply the ointment, light on, light off - that's how easy it is to cure various forms of non-melanoma skin cancer. However, the majority of patients suffer severe pain during the so-called photodynamic therapy. Why the treatment with ointment and red light can be so painful has now been uncovered by researchers from the RUB. They identified the ion channels involved and signalling molecules secreted by the cancer cells. "The results may provide a starting point for suppressing the pain", says Dr. Ben Novak of the Department of Animal Physiology.

How the photodynamic therapy works

In contrast to normal cells, cancer cells are equipped with different enzymes and have a much higher metabolism. If you apply a molecule called aminolevulinic acid to the skin in the form of a gel, cancer cells take up considerably more of this substance than healthy cells. If aminolevulinic acid accumulates in the cells, the mitochondria - the power plants of the cells - form the molecule protoporphyrin IX. When irradiated with red light, protoporphyrin IX reacts with oxygen. This produces highly reactive oxygen species, free radicals, which destroy the cancer cells. Approximately ten minutes of red light irradiation is sufficient to successfully treat superficial forms of non-melanoma skin cancers such as actinic keratosis. Doctors also remove warts in this way.

Painful therapy

"The catch is: it's terribly painful", says Ben Novak. Forty percent of those treated experience pain during the light irradiation, which they assess on a scale of 0 to 10 (whereby 10 corresponds to an excruciating pain like a heart attack) as 7 to 8. Using injections, like at the dentist, it is possible to numb the nerves involved. "But that also always involves a risk", says the Bochum biologist. The scientists led by the RUB professor Dr. Hermann L?bbert have now solved the mystery as to why the treatment hurts at all.

Pain-sensitive cells in the skin are stimulated

The pain is generated by two mechanisms. In a cell culture experiment, the team showed that not only cancer cells but also pain-sensitive nerve cells in the skin take up aminolevulinic acid - and its derivative methyl aminolevulinic acid - from the ointment. Using calcium imaging, the animal physiologists followed the activity of nerve cells which they had treated with aminolevulinic acid and cells that were not exposed to the substance. Treated nerve cells fired when the researchers exposed them to light. In a living organism, this would mean that the cells would send a pain stimulus to the brain. Without the aminolevulinic acid, the pain-sensitive cells remained inactive under red light. In further experiments, the scientists showed that the activity of the nerve cells is caused by sodium channels and voltage-gated calcium channels in the cell membrane. "A drug that targets these channels would, conceivably, be able to suppress the pain - but that's still in the future", says Ben Novak.

Tumour cells alert nerve cells

L?bbert's team found that pain is generated in the nerve cells themselves, but also in another way. The affected tumour cells secrete a molecule - namely acetylcholine. "This is how they pass the message to other cells: something is wrong, my mitochondria are collapsing right now", Novak illustrates. Acetylcholine acts as a neurotransmitter in the nervous system, where it is harmless. "Previous studies have shown though, that it is very painful when it is injected into the skin". Some of the results have already been published. The researchers are currently preparing the data on the mechanisms of pain generation for publication. This attracted a great deal of interest at the 12th Congress of the European Society for Photodynamic Therapy in Dermatology (Euro-PDT) in Copenhagen in May 2012.

View drug information on Photodynamic Therapy.

View the Original article

Source: http://signs-of-skin-cancer.blogspot.com/2012/07/biologists-find-cause-of-pain-in.html

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How to prepare your Mac for Mountain Lion

20 hrs.

Melanie Pinola , Lifehacker

Mountain Lion, Apple's next version of OS X (10.8), is now available.?This means now's the perfect time to prepare your Mac for the smoothest upgrade transition.

You're able to download and install it from the Mac App Store for $19.99 and get it up and running in about 30 minutes. However, operating system upgrades aren't always so simple, so doing a few maintenance tasks beforehand can save you frustration later.

Before you upgrade, Part 1: Find out if Your Mac and apps are compatible with Mountain Lion
Before you even think about getting all those great new features in Mountain Lion (such as the new Messages app, AirPlay Mirroring, and updates while your MacBook takes a "Power Nap"), you need to know if your computer meets the minimum system requirements. Most Macs sold in the last few years qualify, but Apple has tightened its requirements for this OS upgrade, and some older Macs??even ones that qualified for Lion???won't make the cut for Mountain Lion.

The general system requirements are straightforward:

• OS X v10.6.8 or later
• 2GB of memory
• 8GB of available space

Apple also lists?which models support Mountain Lion:

• iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
  
• MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
  
• MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
  
• Xserve (Early 2009)
  
• MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
  
• Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
  
• Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
  

Some new features, such as AirPlay Mirroring, require newer machines sold in the last year.

To find out if your Mac qualifies, click on the Apple in your menubar, then "About this Mac" and hit the "More Info..." button. The About this Mac summary window will show your model and release date, as well as the amount of memory installed to compare with the basic requirements. (Click the Storage tab to see if you have enough free space.)

One special note for Hackintosh people: Check Tonymac's blog post on getting ready for Mountain Lion for notes about additional requirements or potential issues.

If you have a Mountain Lion-compatible system, continue on. (If not, you could either think about upgrading your system or not worry about it???your version of OS X will continue to run just as fine as before, and Apple will likely still support it.)

You'll also want to do a quick check to see if your favorite apps are compatible with the new OS. You can check individual softwares' websites to find out if the developers are planning to support Mountain Lion or go to RoaringApps for a broad list of compatible (and incompatible) apps. The list is growing and ongoing, though, so if your app currently has an incompatible status, keep in mind that most apps will eventually update to support Mountain Lion.

Before you upgrade, Part 2: Clean up and optimize your hard drive
Mountain Lion only requires 8GB of disk space, but even if you're not running out of room on your hard drive, it's a good idea to clear your Mac of all the useless applications, temporary files, and other space wasters so you don't carry them over to your new setup.

Our guide to speeding up, cleaning up, and reviving your Mac walks you through spring cleaning your Mac, including uninstalling apps you don't use and freeing up disk space, but, in short, here are the tools recommended for the task:

• Remove apps you no longer need: AppCleaner (free)?our favorite app uninstaller for the Mac, lets you simply drag and drop apps to completely delete them
  
• See which files are taking up all that space: Disk Inventory X (free) maps your hard drive usage into "treemaps" or DaisyDisk ($9.99) not only offers gorgeous disk usage visualizations but also lets you directly delete the big space wasters.
  
• Run disk maintenance utilities: OS X's built-in Disk Utility can make sure your hard drive is error-free. Head to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility to verify and repair disk permissions and the disk itself.
  

For ongoing system maintenance, consider using a system optimization utility like our favorite Mac system tweaker, OnyX (the developers note that OnyX for Mountain Lion is in development now).

Before you upgrade, Part 3: Backup your Mac
Actually, don't just backup your Mac???test that backup too. Backing up your Mac with OS X's built-in Time Machine is really easy: plug in an external drive and turn Time Machine on. Test the backups by doing a few restores of older and newer files to make sure you can recover your files if needed.

Optionally, you can clone your entire drive using our favorite tool for the job, Carbon Copy Cloner, so you can restore the whole system if worse really comes to worse.

Before you upgrade, Part 4: Run system and third-party software updates
Regularly performing software updates is one of the few basic maintenance tasks you need to do for your Mac, and before an OS update it's especially important. Run the system updates by going to the Apple menu > Software Update.

At the very least, if you're running Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6), make sure you run Software Update so you're on the latest, minimum OS version, 10.6.8.

Before you upgrade, Part 5: Organize your iCloud-related files
Finally, while you're at it, now is also a good time to clean up your address book, calendars, photos, and other files that will be synced to Apple's iCloud online storage service. (Find out which services you have set up for iCloud syncing by going to System Preferences > iCloud.) This isn't really necessary for installing Mountain Lion, but the new OS places much more emphasis on iCloud storage for saving application settings and keeping your documents synced. You can get ahead of the game by weeding out the iCloud-related files you don't need so they don't take up more space than the 5GB free allotted.

---

We'll be covering Mountain Lion in depth soon and explain alternate install methods, how to get the most out of the new operating system, and even whether or not you actually should upgrade. For now, though, it's a good opportunity to get your system freshened up and Mountain Lion-ready.

More from Lifehacker:

Source: http://www.gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/technology/gadgetbox/how-prepare-your-mac-mountain-lion-908579

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Colo. gun sales spike after shooting

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/gun-sales-aurora-colorado-shooting-spike-tuscon-161409369--finance.html

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