What consumers can expect in 2013

I don?t have a crystal ball, but I am in contact with a lot of experts in consumer protection, marketing and fraud prevention. Based on information provided by these trusted sources, here are some predictions about what you can expect in 2013.

Anticipated price hikes
The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts grocery bills will rise 3 to 4 percent in 2013. Higher feed costs will continue to push up prices for animal-based products, especially dairy. In its Food Price Outlook Report, USDA noted that inflation should be ?above the historical average? for cereals and bakery products.

Banks will keep looking for ways to raise revenue without inciting customer backlash. This could mean higher overdraft fees and charges for using an out-of-network ATM. It could also mean higher minimum balances to avoid a monthly service charge.

??We?ll continue to see banks emphasize customer relationships, rewarding those customers that have more accounts, bigger balances, or other products and services by waiving checking account fees,? said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com.

Good news for home buyers and home builders: Bankrate expects mortgage rates to remain low.

?The Fed is aggressively buying bonds with the goal of keeping mortgage rates low,? McBride explained. ?Because of this, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate should stay below 4 percent for much of the year ? even if the economy continues to improve.?

The editors at dealnews.com predict a number of things will be more expensive in 2013. These include: smartphones and some other electronics, cars and many luxury goods.

Dealnews also expects higher shipping costs. It predicts a jump of 4.5 to 4.9 percent from both UPS and FedEx. This could seriously hurt small businesses and people who sell things on the Internet. It might also affect which orders qualify for ?free shipping? at some online stores.

And here?s a surprising one: Dealnews says copper prices could rise. That would have a ripple effect, because copper is used in all sorts of consumer products: wire, pots and residential water pipes. It?s also needed for industrial equipment that brews beer, distills liquor and makes candy.

On the bright side: Gasoline prices should continue their slow decline, barring unforeseen circumstances. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects retail prices for regular-grade gasoline to average $3.43 a gallon in 2013. That would be down from this year?s average of $3.63.

More consumer-friendly regulations
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) went after unfair practices in the financial marketplace with gusto in 2012. That is sure to continue in the New Year.

My best guess is that we?ll see new regulations proposed for payday loans, prepaid cards and credit reporting agencies. The CFPB is already investigating complaints about errors in credit reports and the difficulty or sometimes inability to have them corrected.

As of Jan. 2, the agency will regulate the country?s large debt collectors, an industry that has been widely criticized for harassment, deception and other illegal tactics to get people to pay ? whether they owe the debt or not, in some cases.

?Millions of consumers are affected by debt collection, and we want to make sure they are treated fairly,? CFPB director Richard Cordray said in a statement.

I wouldn?t be surprised to see some civil penalties levied and new rules proposed to prevent abusive collection tactics.

New and changing digital threats
Cybercriminals are sure to step-up their game again in 2013. In a new report, Sophos (the giant digital security company), predicts businesses will be hit with more malware attacks that give the intruders ?long-term, high impact access? to those companies.

Digital extortion should increase with more ransomware malware attacks. ?(See ConsumerMan: Latest ?ransomware? attacks are scarily sophisticated.) This new generation of malicious software can encrypt the data on your hard drive and hold it for ransom. It?s often exceptionally hard or impossible to reverse the damage. This makes it critical to back-up your data on a daily basis.

Mobile devices, with GPS location, social media apps and new technology (such as near field communication) will give cybercriminals new opportunities to compromise your security and privacy.

?This trend is identifiable not just for mobile devices, but computing in general,? the Sophos report warns. ?In the coming year, watch for new examples of attacks built on these technologies.?

Men, millennials in the grocery store
Men have become more comfortable in the kitchen and more active in planning meals and food shopping. A survey by Cone Communications found that more dads than moms (52 percent compared to 46 percent) plan meals for the week ahead.

Industry analyst Phil Lempert, who runs the website SupermarketGuru, predicts grocery stores will focus more on the male shopper this year and in the future.

?Some supermarkets are experimenting with ?man aisles? ? locations in the store that feature male-oriented foods and other products to make shopping and impulse buying more targeted,? he said.

Lempert also expects supermarkets and food companies to go after the millennial shoppers (those born between 1982 and 2001) who want flavorful and ethnically diverse food that is also affordable. By 2020, millennials will represent about 20 percent of the population and compared to the general population, they?re expected to have twice the buying power for food they eat at home.

?Millennials are deal seekers,? Lempert pointed out. ?They are much more focused on finding the lowest price over brand loyalty.?

Herb Weisbaum is The ConsumerMan. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit The ConsumerMan website.

Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2012/12/31/16220329-what-consumers-can-expect-in-2013?lite

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9 killed in tour bus crash along Oregon highway

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) ? A tour bus careened through a guardrail along an icy Oregon highway and several hundred feet down a steep embankment Sunday, killing nine people and injuring more than 20 others, authorities said.

The charter bus carrying about 40 people lost control around 10:30 a.m. on the snow- and ice-covered lanes of Interstate 84, according to the Oregon State Police.

The bus came to rest at the bottom of a snowy slope. More than a dozen rescue workers descended the hill and used ropes to help retrieve people from the wreckage in freezing weather. The bus driver was among the survivors, but had not yet spoken to police because of the severity of the injuries the driver had suffered.

Lt. Greg Hastings said the bus crashed along the west end of the Blue Mountains, and west of an area called Deadman Pass. Stretches of highway in the rural and agricultural area of east Oregon tend to be icy in winter months.

The bus slid down the hill and landed upright, with little or no debris visible around the crash site.

St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton treated 26 people from the accident, including some who were treated and then transported to other medical facilities, said hospital spokesman Larry Blanc.

In addition to the people who were transferred from St. Anthony to La Grand and Hermiston, Ore., and Walla Walla, Wash., Hastings said. Others were taken directly to hospitals further away, including Boise, Idaho, and Portland, Ore.

I-84 is a major east-west highway through Oregon that follows the Columbia River Gorge.

Umatilla County Emergency Manager Jack Remillard said the bus was owned by Mi Joo travel in Vancouver, B.C., and state police said the bus was en route from Las Vegas to Vancouver.

A woman who answered the phone at a listing for the company confirmed with The Associated Press that it owned the bus and said it was on a tour of the Western U.S. She declined to give her name.

A bus safety website run by the U.S. Department of Transportation said Mi Joo Tour & Travel has six buses, none of which have been involved in any accidents in at least the past two years.

The bus crash was the second fatal accident in Oregon on Sunday morning. A 69-year-old man died in a rollover accident.

A spokesman for the American Bus Association said buses carry more than 700 million passengers a year in the United States.

"The industry as a whole is a very safe industry," said Dan Ronan of the Washington, D.C.,-based group. "There are only a handful of accidents every year. Comparatively speaking, we're the safest form of surface transportation."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-12-30-Tour%20Bus%20Crash/id-16cfe0358f84446dbdd8d0071414d2a4

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This Miniature Marble Machine Is Majorly Mesmerizing

There's something about repetitive motion that's just hypnotizingly relaxing. This DIY, laser-cut marble machine is a perfect example. Crank the handle and the tiny marbles bounce up their little escalator, swirl down their track and start all over again. I could watch this all day. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/kTxj6jj2Hnk/this-miniature-marble-machine-is-majorly-mesmerizing

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Last-minute fiscal cliff talks in Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Senate leaders groped for a last-minute compromise Saturday to avoid middle-class tax increases and possibly prevent deep spending cuts at the dawn of the new year as President Barack Obama warned that failure could mean a "self-inflicted wound to the economy."

Obama chastised lawmakers in his weekly radio and Internet address for waiting until the last minute to try and avoid a "fiscal cliff," yet said there was still time for an agreement. "We cannot let Washington politics get in the way of America's progress," he said as the hurry-up negotiations unfolded.

For all the recent expressions of urgency, bargaining took place by phone, email and paper in a Capitol nearly empty except for tourists. Alone among top lawmakers, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell spent the day in his office.

In the Republicans' weekly address, Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri cited a readiness to compromise. "Divided government is a good time to solve hard problems ? and in the next few days, leaders in Washington have an important responsibility to work together and do just that," he said.

Even so, there was no guarantee of success, and a dispute over the federal tax on large estates emerged as yet another key sticking point alongside personal income tax rates.

In a blunt challenge to Republicans, Obama said that barring a bipartisan agreement, he expected both houses to vote on his own proposal to block tax increases on all but the wealthy and simultaneously preserve expiring unemployment benefits.

Political calculations mattered as much as deep-seated differences over the issues, as divided government struggled with its first big challenge since the November elections.

Speaker John Boehner remained at arms-length, juggling a desire to avoid the fiscal cliff with his goal of winning another term as speaker when a new Congress convenes next Thursday. Any compromise legislation is certain to include higher tax rates on the wealthy, and the House GOP rank and file rejected the idea when he presented it to them as part of a final attempt to strike a more sweeping agreement with Obama.

Lawmakers have until the new Congress convenes to pass any compromise, and even the calendar mattered. Democrats said they had been told House Republicans might reject a deal until after Jan. 1, to avoid a vote to raise taxes before they had technically gone up and then vote to cut taxes after they had risen.

Nor was any taxpayer likely to feel any adverse impact if legislation is signed and passed into law in the first two or three days of 2013 instead of the final hours of 2012.

Gone was the talk of a grand bargain of spending cuts and additional tax revenue in which the two parties would agree to slash deficits by trillions of dollars over a decade.

Now negotiators had a more cramped goal of preventing additional damage to the economy in the form of higher taxes across the board ? with some families facing increases measured in the thousands of dollars ? as well as cuts aimed at the Pentagon and hundreds of domestic programs.

Republicans said they were willing to bow to Obama's call for higher taxes on the wealthy as part of a deal to prevent them from rising on those less well-off.

Democrats said Obama was sticking to his campaign call for tax increases above $250,000 in annual income, even though he said in recent negotiations he said he could accept $400,000. There was no evidence of agreement even at the higher level.

There were indications from Republicans that estate taxes might hold more significance for them than the possibility of higher rates on income.

One senior Republican, Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, said late Friday he was "totally dead set" against Obama's estate tax proposal, and as if to reinforce the point, Blunt mentioned the issue before any other in his broadcast remarks. "Small businesses and farm families don't know how to deal with the unfair death tax_a tax that the president and congressional leaders have threatened to expand to include even more family farms and even more small businesses," he said.

Several officials said Republicans want to leave the tax at 35 percent after exempting the first $5 million in estate value. Officials said the White House wants a 45 percent tax after a $3.5 million exemption. Without any action by Congress, it would climb to a 55 percent tax after a $1 million exemption on Jan. 1.

Democrats stressed their unwillingness to make concessions on both income taxes and the estate tax, and said they hoped Republicans would choose which mattered more to them.

Officials said any compromise was likely to ease the impact of the alternative minimum tax, originally designed to make sure that millionaires did not escape taxation. If left unchanged, it could hit an estimated 28 million households for the first time in 2013, with an average increase of more than $3,000.

Taxes on dividends and capital gains are also involved in the talks, as well as a series of breaks for businesses and others due to expire at the first of the year.

Obama and congressional Democrats are insisting on an extension of long-term unemployment benefits that are expiring for about 2 million jobless individuals.

Leaders in both parties also hope to prevent a 27 percent fee cut from taking effect on Jan. 1 for doctors who treat Medicare patients.

There was also discussion of a short-term extension of expiring farm programs, in part to prevent a spike in milk prices at the first of the year. It wasn't clear if that was a parallel effort to the cliff talks or had become wrapped into them.

Across-the-board spending cuts that comprise part of the cliff were a different matter.

Republicans say Boehner will insist that they will begin to take effect unless negotiators agreed to offset them with specified savings elsewhere.

That would set the stage for the next round of brinkmanship ? a struggle over Republican calls for savings from Medicare, Medicaid and other federal benefit programs.

The Treasury's ability to borrow is expected to expire in late winter or early spring, and without an increase in the $16.4 trillion limit, the government would face its first-ever default. Republicans have said they will use administration requests for an extension as leverage to win cuts in spending.

Ironically, it was just such a maneuver more than a year ago that set the stage for the current crisis talks over the fiscal cliff.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/last-minute-fiscal-cliff-talks-senate-185534184--politics.html

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Vicc es Vicc ? Your Experienced Location for Heating and Air ...

Hiring a skilled professional who uses the high-quality materials and understands heating and AC system is the most important thing if you need repairs in your home. There are many types of furnaces that all have distinct parts and functions. Depending on the type of home you live in, your utility bill and home temperature can improve greatly if you select an appropriate furnace. Air conditioning systems are also quite different and it is essential to install one that is the most effective. When you hire a heating and cooling specialist, they will analyze your home and help choose the system that will meet your needs the best. These specialists are also skilled in completing all varieties of repairs on these systems. Notice a large change in your year-round comfort with quality heating and cooling technicians by your side. Heating Furnace Repair Utah

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Source: http://viccesvicc.info/your-experienced-location-for-heating-and-air-conditioning-repairs/

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Obama wants gun violence measures passed in 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Recalling the shooting rampage that killed 20 first graders as the worst day of his presidency, President Barack Obama on Sunday pledged to put his "full weight" behind legislation aimed at preventing gun violence.

Obama voiced skepticism about the National Rifle Association's proposal to put armed guards in schools following the Dec. 14 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The president made his comments in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press."

Instead, the president vowed to rally the American people around an agenda to limit gun violence, adding that he still supports increased background checks and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity bullet magazines. He left no doubt it will be one of his top priorities next year.

"It is not enough for us to say, 'This is too hard so we're not going to try,'" Obama said.

"I think there are a vast majority of responsible gun owners out there who recognize that we can't have a situation in which somebody with severe psychological problems is able to get the kind of high capacity weapons that this individual in Newtown obtained and gun down our kids," he added. "And, yes, it's going to be hard."

The president added that he's ready to meet with Republicans and Democrats, anyone with a stake in the issue.

The schoolhouse shootings, coming as families prepared for the holidays, have elevated the issue of gun violence to the forefront of public attention. Six adult staff members were also killed at the elementary school. Shooter Adam Lanza committed suicide, apparently as police closed in. Earlier, he had killed his mother at the home they shared.

The tragedy immediately prompted calls for greater gun controls. But the NRA is strongly resisting those efforts, arguing instead that schools should have armed guards for protection. Some gun enthusiasts have rushed to buy semiautomatic rifles of the type used by Lanza, fearing sales may soon be restricted.

Obama seemed unimpressed by the NRA proposal. "I am skeptical that the only answer is putting more guns in schools," he said. "And I think the vast majority of the American people are skeptical that that somehow is going to solve our problem."

The president said he intends to press the issue with the public.

"The question then becomes whether we are actually shook up enough by what happened here that it does not just become another one of these routine episodes where it gets a lot of attention for a couple of weeks and then it drifts away," Obama said. "It certainly won't feel like that to me. This is something that - you know, that was the worst day of my presidency. And it's not something that I want to see repeated."

Separately, a member of the president's cabinet said Sunday that rural America may be ready to join a national conversation about gun control. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the debate has to start with respect for the Second Amendment right to bear arms and recognition that hunting is a way of life for millions of Americans.

But Vilsack said Newtown has changed the way people see the issue. "I really believe that this is a different circumstance and a different situation," Vilsack said on CNN.

Vilsack said he thinks it's possible for Americans to come together. "It's potentially a unifying conversation," he said. "The problem is that these conversations are always couched in the terms of dividing us. This could be a unifying conversation, and Lord knows we need to be unified."

Besides passing gun violence legislation, Obama also listed deficit reduction and immigration as top priorities for 2013. A big deficit reduction deal with Republicans proved elusive this month, and Obama is now hoping Senate Democratic and Republican leaders salvage a scaled-back plan that avoids tax increases for virtually all Americans.

In addition, he issued a defense of former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, who has been mentioned as one of the leading candidates to replace Leon Panetta as defense secretary.

Hagel, who opposed President George W. Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq, has been criticized in conservative circles for not being a strong enough ally of Israel. Also, many liberals and gay activists have banded against him for comments he made in 1998 about an openly gay nominee for an ambassadorship

Obama, who briefly served with Hagel in the Senate, stressed that he had yet to make a decision but called Hagel a "patriot."

Hagel "served this country with valor in Vietnam," the president said. "And (he) is somebody who's currently serving on my intelligence advisory board and doing an outstanding job."

Obama noted that Hagel had apologized for his 14-year-old remark on gays.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-30-Obama/id-ebc7f75681e444b5a8eba40a3ec62f8c

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Funny Photoshop Fails Of 2012 (PHOTOS)

Photoshop can work wonders. It can remove blemishes, nip in waists, get rid of red-eye and just about everything in between. Although we have come to expect that most images we see on the Internet and in magazines are given the Photoshop treatment, it is always jarring when photo retouching goes wrong.

Whether one breast was remarkably bigger than the other, elbows and feet were missing entirely or waist-whittling went completely awry, this year we've seen some pretty insane Photoshop flops.

Click through the slideshow below for the funniest Photoshop fails of 2012:

• In this ad for French clothing brand <a href="http://www.camaieu.com/en/Home.aspx">Cama?eu</a>, a model wears a cozy sweatshirt and pajama shorts without incident. (Although, what's with the blurring near her belly button?). Scroll lower and you'll notice something a wee bit weird. Photoshop fail alert! What happened to her feet?

• <a href="http://www.victoriassecret.com/">Victoria's Secret </a>appears to have used its airbrushing powers to give a model a lift -- literally. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the Add 2 Cups Multi-Way Bra, part of the Bombshell collection, model <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/14/candice-swanepoel-model-bikini-body_n_1884856.html">Candice Swanepoel </a>leans towards the camera and shows off her enhanced cleavage. But one side of her chest looks remarkably bigger than the other, as if the "Add 2 Cups" applied to one breast only.

• This <a href="http://store.americanapparel.net/">American Apparel</a> ad is a study in Photoshop gone wrong. The image, ostensibly advertising the retailer's line of lace clothes, features a blonde girl cradling a horse's head that seems to be leading to nowhere.

• Some Photoshop fails are subjective. Did the editor really chop off the model's arm? Or is that pose actually physically possible? But sometimes, the photo gods send us an airbrush misstep too obvious to be debated. This <a href="http://www.alloy.com/index.htm">latest newsletter from Alloy</a> is definitely a case of the latter.

• Our friends over at <a href="http://www.psdisasters.com/">PsDisasters</a> tipped us off to the slightly off-kilter shot in the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/frida-giannini-gucci-giannini_n_1897552.html">Gucci Resort 2013 ads</a>. The fail in question has to do with poor <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/17/joan-smalls-w-magazine-july-2012-vogue_n_1603742.html">Joan Smalls</a>' leg-to-hip ratio. Her torso is twisted, but there's still something a little ... off about the way her legs are positioned. Does anyone else notice that her crotch doesn't match up to her body at all? That oversized snakeskin tote isn't hiding anything either.

• In this ad,<a href="http://www.victoriassecret.com/"> Victoria's Secret model</a> Lais Ribeiro stands with her torso bent at an angle, but from our viewpoint, it looks like VS spliced two halves of two separate photos together to create one model. There's no way any human can have that small a ribcage, right?

• Seriously, the shot of the actress makes her look ... different. There seems to be a glazed-over feeling to the cover -- like an intense retouching session gone wrong. It took a second for us to register that that was even <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/10/gwyneth-paltrow-max-factor-ads-video_n_2108679.html">Gwyneth's face</a>. And anyone else noticing the strange juxtaposition of her foot and thigh? For a hot second we thought she was three-legged.

• This <a href="http://videos.huffingtonpost.com/entertainment/kohls-launching-narciso-rodriguez-designation-collection-517515225">Kohl's ad</a> take waist-whittling to a whole new, er, planet. Our friends at <a href="http://www.psdisasters.com/">Photoshop Disasters</a> spotted this flop -- and boy were they right. The shape these frocks seem designed to flatter definitely doesn't look human. The woman in the white dress has some sort of inverted triangle alien body -- or is that a Ken doll-like physique?

• Our friends at <a href="http://www.psdisasters.com/">PsDisasters </a>tipped us off to this one, and it's definitely one for the books. To sell their "Jackie Cardigan" on their <a href="http://www.jcrew.com/index.jsp">website, J. Crew</a> featured a model in their typical prep-meets-hip gear. It only takes about half a second to notice that chunks of the model's inner thighs have been erased. Could this be a case of Photoshop streamlining gone wrong? Or is there some photo editor out there who thinks that the ideal pair of jeans creates the illusion of cratered body parts?

• <a href="http://jezebel.com/">Jezebel</a> pointed out that in the advertisements for <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/25/christina-aguilera-royal-desire-ad-photoshop_n_2019309.html">Aguilera's Royal Desire fragrance</a>, something appears a bit off. Aguilera's wrist bends weirdly, her knee has a seemingly misplaced indentation and her face and limbs look incredibly ... chiseled.

• The <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/16/kate-moss-book-i-didnt-write-anything_n_2143813.html">38-year-old</a> graced the latest ad campaign for Rimmel looking a little ... well, flat. Kate's wearing matte foundation in the ad, so it's understandable that she would look somewhat less shiny. But, aside from her signature wide-set eyes and a small semblance of her cheekbones, we can't seem to find the lively Kate we know and love (even without a stitch of makeup).

• <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/12/video-games-lana-del-rey-photos_n_2100589.html">Lana Del Rey</a> has a wide range of talents: babydoll vocals, pantomiming sex on pinball machines, twirling -- you name it. But we didn't realize the singer and model possessed <a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9dcacMoow1qcy9pgo1_400.gif">"Alex Mack"-like skills</a> as well -- morphing into ectoplasm, apparently, as she seems to do thanks to some Photoshop gone awry in her latest H&M ad. In this photo Del Rey's collarbone looks abnormally elongated, not to mention the stray wisp of hair that makes her clavicle look like a French baguette. And that car! She's in front of it! No, she's behind it! In the middle of it! No wait, she ... appears to be melting into it? And what's up with her right elbow/arm area? Is that a limb or a finely chiseled rib cage?

Want more? Be sure to check out HuffPost Style on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram at @HuffPostStyle.
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Do you have a style story idea or tip? Email us at stylesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com. (PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/29/photoshop-fails-2012-photos_n_2371451.html

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Boynton helps No. 14 Florida beat Air Force 78-61

Florida's Patric Young, center, and Air Force's Kyle Green, left and Kamryn Williams wait for a rebound during the second half Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, in Sunrise, Fla. Florida won 78-61.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 8:33 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 8:33 p.m.

SUNRISE ? Reviewing recent games and watching shot after shot clank off the rim, Kenny Boynton decided to wait until he was open before trying to shake his slump.

With that, the ball started falling. Boynton made three 3-pointers in the second half, when No. 14 Florida pulled away to beat Air Force 78-61 on Saturday in the second game of the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic.

Boynton had made only 4 of 32 from 3-point range over the previous five games, and coach Billy Donovan advised a change in his approach.

?I spent a lot of time watching film with coach Donovan on the shots I?ve been taking,? Boynton said. ?I just tried to take open ones. That?s what I tried in the second half.?

The senior made three 3s in a span of 8 minutes to break the game open. It was likely Boynton?s final college game in his native South Florida, and 20 relatives and friends cheered him on.

?I felt good, coming out and playing an all-around good game,? he said.

The Gators (9-2) used their superior size and smothering defense to grind down the Falcons, who shot 48 percent in the first half and 33 percent in the second half.

?A very good Florida team, and we knew that coming in,? Air Force coach Dave Pilipovich said. ?We got a little worn down in the second half, and that was because of our physical stature compared to theirs.?

The Gators scored 38 points in the paint and had a 36-25 advantage in rebounds against Air Force (8-3), which fell to 2-77 against ranked teams.

Florida State beat Tulsa 82-63 in the first game of the one-day event.

Boynton, who ranks third in career 3-pointers made at Florida with 282, went 3 for 7 from long range and scored 14 points.

?It was good to see the ball go in,? Donovan said. ?This is not the first time he has gone through something like this. I?ve always told him when he?s having a tough time shooting, the biggest thing he can do is take good available shots. When he makes a couple, then he can start taking a little more difficult shots, because he?s in that rhythm.?

Florida?s Erik Murphy scored 21 points, had seven rebounds and added four assists while missing only two shots in 29 minutes. He was chosen the game?s MVP.

?Today was really a complete game for him,? Donovan said. ?He scored in a lot of different ways.?

The Falcons matched the second-best start in school history in their first 10 games but hadn?t faced a team of Florida?s caliber. Air Force?s Michael Lyons was held to 11 points, nine below his average, and he shot only 3 for 14.

Three-point shooting kept the Falcons in the game. They went 9 for 20 from beyond the arc against a team ranked third in the nation in scoring defense.

?We knew coming in they were a good shooting team,? Murphy said. ?They shoot 3s from all five spots. They were hitting 3s in the first half, and at halftime, coach said we have to guard the 3-point line better. I think we did a better job of that in the second half.?

In the second half, the Gators scored 45 points and shot 70 percent.

?We were making better reads and better decisions,? Donovan said.

The Falcons forced Florida to be creative on offense early. The Gators? Scottie Wibekin, inbounding under his basket, bounced a pass off a defender?s back, stepped onto the court and caught the ball for a wide-open layup.

Boynton sparked a 12-3 spurt when he made two 3-pointers and fed Casey Prather for a layup, putting Florida ahead 47-37. Boynton hit another 3 for a 59-47 lead.

The Falcons hit three early 3-pointers to go up 10-5, but that turned out to be their biggest lead. Florida surged ahead, gave up eight consecutive points to fall behind 27-25, then went ahead to stay on a basket by Mike Rosario shortly before halftime.

Source: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20121229/wire/121229691

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Miley Cyrus Christmas Photos Spark Wedding Rumors

On Friday Miley Cyrus Christmas Photos Spark Wedding Rumors was a top story. Here is the recap: An online Christmas posting by Miley Cyrus has sparked speculation that the young singer had secretly married Liam Hemsworth during the holiday.

Cyrus posted a photo on Instagram of her posing with Hemsworth in front of a Christmas tree.

Fans soon noted the Hunger Games actor was wearing a large ring on his left hand, which some speculate may be a wedding band.

Other photos posted by Cyrus show two bands on her ring finger (see one here.) , and Hollywoodlife.com reported that she was seen on Christmas Eve with no rings on her finger. - See some of the photos here.

antiMUSIC News featured on RockNews.info and Yahoo News

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Source: http://www.antimusic.com/news/12/December/ts28Miley_Cyrus_Christmas_Photos_Spark_Wedding_Rumors.shtml

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Video: William and Kate spend holiday with the Middletons

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Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50296158/

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World's longest fast train line opens in China

BEIJING (AP) ? China has opened the world's longest high-speed rail line, which more than halves the time required to travel from the country's capital in the north to Guangzhou, an economic hub in southern China.

Wednesday's opening of the 2,298 kilometer (1,428 mile)-line was commemorated by the 9 a.m. departure of a train from Beijing for Guangzhou. Another train left Guangzhou for Beijing an hour later.

China has massive resources and considerable prestige invested in its showcase high-speed railways program.

But it has in recent months faced high-profile problems: part of a line collapsed in central China after heavy rains in March, while a bullet train crash in the summer of 2011 killed 40 people. The former railway minister, who spearheaded the bullet train's construction, and the ministry's chief engineer, were detained in an unrelated corruption investigation months before the crash.

Trains on the latest high-speed line will initially run at 300 kph (186 mph) with a total travel time of about eight hours. Before, the fastest time between the two cities by train was more than 20 hours.

The line also makes stops in major cities along the way, including provincial capitals Shijiazhuang, Wuhan and Changsha.

More than 150 pairs of high-speed trains will run on the new line every day, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing the Ministry of Railways.

Rail is an essential part in China's transportation system, and the government plans to build a grid of high-speed railways with four east-west lines and four north-south lines by 2020.

The opening of the new line brings the total distance covered by China's high-speed railway system to more than 9,300 km (5,800 miles) ? about half its 2015 target of 18,000 km.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/worlds-longest-fast-train-line-opens-china-121838743--finance.html

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The 5-2 Diet and Me | London Unattached - London Restaurants ...

The 5-2 Diet ? a Lifestyle Choice?

When Michael Mosley?s Horizon TV programme about the 5-2 Diet first aired, some months ago now I watched, fascinated. ?Many of the diet and nutrition ideas I?d grown up with, like eating three balanced meals a day and never eating less than 1000 calories a day, seemed to be thrown out of the window. ?And, if Michael Mosley could improve his health overall in addition to losing weight, just by being (very) careful on two days of the week, well why shouldn?t try and see if I could do the same by following the 5-2 diet? ?My mother had uncontrolled diabetes and died from some of the complications that arise from that condition. ?My grandfather had alzeheimers. ?I don?t really have a family history of good health. ?Both of these conditions are claimed to improve by following the 5-2 diet. ?And, my lifestyle doesn?t really help with most diets ? I often eat out two or three nights of the week ? with the result that I?ve put on weight and developed something of a taste for rich food. ?So, I thought, it would be really worth having a go at the 5:2 diet and seeing if it could work for me.

The results? ?Well, I?ve lost about 12lbs since I started doing this in late August. ?And I?ve managed not to gain weight when I?ve been abroad, despite the focus of my trips being food and drink. ?I might have lost more weight over the 5 months but I?ve had a few breaks when I?ve been travelling or when I?ve had too many events to even manage two days of fasting. ?And, all in, I?m extremely pleased. ?I haven?t had to change my lifestyle ? I can still eat out, I can still drink (except on fast days) and I even get to eat chocolate when I want to!

I don?t find I suffer greatly on the 5-2 diet and I do generally feel better on the day after a fast day. ?Those cravings for sweet things seem to go a bit and I find I don?t want to eat as much. ?I?m planning to modify the diet a little for 2013 and try three days a week of fasting where possible because I?ve found that works well if you are trying to lose weight.

5-2 Diet Turkey Tom Yum Soup

Serves	2
Prep time	5 minutes
Cook time	15 minutes
Total time	20 minutes
Meal type	Soup
Misc	Serve Hot
Region	Thai

Ingredients

• 50g Cooked Turkey Breast
• 1 piece Lemon Grass
• 1 Birdseye Chill ((more if you like spicy food))
• 1oz Fresh Ginger
• 1 handful Fresh Coriander
• 1 Lime ((or fresh/frozen lime leaves))
• 2 teaspoons Palm Sugar
• 500ml Chicken/Turkey Stock (Or water. Don't use too strong a stock.)

Optional

Directions

	Peel and chop the ginger and the bulb of the lemon grass. Remove the chilli seeds and slice finely. Chop the coriander, keeping a few leaves back to garnish
	Shred the turkey iwith your hands into matchstick sized pieces
	Zest the lime and squeeze the juice
	Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more lime juice, more chilli or a little more sugar till you have a hot and sour soup that suits your palate
	Serve garnished with fresh coriander leaves

Note

For a more substantial soup, add noodles and vegetables (pak choi, shitake mushrooms, peas, spinach or ?sugar snap)

I?ve really enjoyed creating low calorie 5-2 diet friendly dishes. ?For example, this Tom Yum soup is my attempt at using up some of my turkey left-overs. ?Although most of us put on weight over Christmas, there are things you can do with your left over turkey that don?t involve vast quantities of cream or butter. ?And, it?s a very healthy meat with under 160 calories for 100g (that?s a normal portion). ?And this quick and easy soup will also work with prawns or chicken breast ? and is about 100 calories for a bowl. ? So cooking low calorie food for the 5-2 diet doesn?t have to be hard work. ?If you are still looking for inspiration, do check out the 5-2 diet recipe section of London Unattached. ?I?m updating it regularly with ideas!

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Tags: 5-2 diet, 5-2 diet recipe, Asian, diet recipe, low calorie recipe, soup, thai, Tom Yum, Turkey, Turkey leftovers

Source: http://www.london-unattached.com/2012/12/the-5-2-diet-and-me/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-5-2-diet-and-me

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Insurance insiders still hopeful that Congress will pass Medicare bills

With Congress set to adjourn this month, insurance insiders said they still hoped lawmakers would push through two bills intended to alleviate common Medicare Secondary Payer issues.

Observers said H.R. 1063 and H.R. 5284 would help simplify the process of reimbursing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which holds insurers and self-insureds responsible to pay for a Medicare beneficiary?s medical treatment related to workers compensation or liability cases.

As fiscal cliff issues dominated much of the legislative discussion, observers remained hopeful that the legislation would be included in an end-of-year bill package.

?Congress hasn?t moved very many bills at all (this year), so everybody wants their bills moved, if they can,? said Keith Bateman, vice president of workers compensation for the Des Plaines, Ill.-based Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.

H.R. 1063, the Strengthening Medicare and Repaying Taxpayers Act, aims to ease the process of finding out how much an insurer or self-insured must pay to CMS for Medicare-funded treatment of work- or liability-related injuries.

Currently, CMS does not tell settlement parties how much is owed for Medicare reimbursement until after a settlement has been reached. Observers said that procedure prevents claims from being closed as they await a ?final demand? letter from CMS.

?Everybody wants to know what the numbers are so that we can agree on a settlement amount,? said Roy Franco, co-chair of the Washington-based Medicare Advocacy Recovery Coalition. ?When you don?t know what the numbers are, it tends to make everybody pause.

The SMART Act would require CMS to issue its final demand prior to a workers comp or liability settlement agreement. It also would establish a minimum threshold for settlements in which CMS can seek Medicare reimbursement and set a three-year statute of limitations for CMS to seek reimbursement from a settled claim.

Last week, the U.S. House passed provisions of the SMART Act as part of H.R. 1845, the Medicare IVIG Access Act. The parent bill would study access to intravenous immunoglobulin for Medicare beneficiaries. The legislation was sent to the Senate for further consideration. Late Friday the Senate had not yet acted.

H.R. 5284 would set a minimum threshold of $25,000 for workers comp settlements that require Medicare set-aside accounts, which pay projected future medical costs for Medicare-eligible workers. The bill also would allow payers to skip set-aside agreements for claimants who are likely to be ineligible for Medicare coverage within 30 months of their settlement.

Both bills are supported by industry groups such as PCI and the American Insurance Association. Melissa Shelk, vice president of federal affairs for the AIA in Washington, noted that Medicare secondary payer legislation has turned claimant attorneys, employers and insurers into unlikely allies, since the groups believe that the bills will ease the settlement of workers comp and liability cases.

?That shows you what kind of a problem there is out there, that we all came together to address it,? Ms. Shelk said.

The bills could help make the Medicare secondary payer process less challenging over time, said Martin Cassavoy, vice president of strategic services at North Reading, Mass.-based Crowe Paradis Services Corp., a Medicare secondary payer compliance company.

?Everybody who deals with this process on a daily basis would probably, at some point ? see more predictability,? Mr. Cassavoy said.

Mr. Franco said the SMART Act?s savings could help the bill get pulled into an end-of-year legislative package, since lawmakers would seek to pass bills that won?t increase the federal deficit. The Congressional Budget Office estimated in November that the SMART Act would reduce Medicare spending by $45 million from 2013 to 2022.

If the bills are not passed during 2012, observers said they expect both to be reintroduced during the next term. ?A lot of the people that have sponsored the legislation have been reelected, so there?s still a lot of interest there and it?s not going to go away,? Mr. Franco said.

Copyright ? 2012. Crain Communications, In

Article source: http://www.insuranceheadlines.com/Health-Insurance/7936.html

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Source: http://jallencoblog.com/insurance-insiders-still-hopeful-that-congress-will-pass-medicare-bills/

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Merry Christmas Everyone (OliverWillisLikeKryptoniteToStupid)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273025732?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Sleep No More Keeps Your Mac Awake on a Timer

Mac: Sleep No More is a small Mac app that sits in your menu bar and keeps your computer from falling asleep for a specified amount of time.

Much like the previously mentioned Caffeine, Sleep No More sits idly in your menu bar, and when you activate it the app prevents your computer from falling asleep. The main difference between the two is that Sleep No More allows you to set a timer for any amount of time you want. This means you can keep you computer awake for a set duration of time when you're downloading large files, transferring data over a network, or for anything else without having to worry about anything getting cut off.

Sleep No More (free) | via One Thing Well

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/r1eBhQ5Rvak/sleep-no-more-keeps-your-mac-awake-on-a-timer

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A Spectacle Not Good for Anyone (talking-points-memo)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/272759027?client_source=feed&format=rss

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A holiday Surprise ? Elder Care Solutions of MI

The holidays are a much anticipated time of year for most of us.? Seeing family and friends, exchanging presents etc. make it a very exciting time.? However, for some the holidays bring unexpected surprises if they live out of town and haven?t seen the older adults in their life for some time.

An older adult?s level of functioning can change significantly over the course of a few months, even more so if it?s been longer since you were last together.? Here are some potential red flags that might indicate more support is needed:

• Stacks of unopened mail
• A fridge full of old, expired or moldy fruits, veggies, milk and yogurt
• Unanswered messages on the answering machine
• An?older adult seems to:
  • have more difficulty walking
  • have precarious balance
  • have less energy
  • tire easily
  • be?confused or forgetful

It can feel overwhelming when you first realize that all is not well, but there?s no need to handle it on your own.? Their physician might be a resource, and a Geriatric Care Manager can help you identify and put in place local resources that will make it easier for you to board that plane for your return flight.?

Happy Holidays,

Lynn

Tags: Adult Children, aging, Elderly, Family, Family Caregivers, Holiday Stress, Seniors

Source: http://blog.eldercaresolutionsofmi.org/index.php/2012/12/a-holiday-surprise/

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Food Allergies, Bullying Often Linked, Study Finds

When children have food allergies, their parents have to constantly watch out for allergens and be prepared for a possible reaction.

Another concern, and one that is often overlooked, is bullying. A new study, published online in the journal Pediatrics on Monday, found that more than 30 percent of children have been harassed by their classmates because of their allergies, and that parents are only aware of it about half of the time.

"It's very easy to intimidate a food-allergic child," said study author Dr. Eyal Shemesh, chief of the division of behavioral and developmental health in the Department of Pediatrics at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. "It doesn't take more than waving a peanut in front of them."

Shemesh and his colleagues surveyed 251 families recruited at a food allergy clinic. Overall, 45 percent of the children and teens -- who were between the ages of 8 and 17 -- said they'd been bullied, and 31.5 percent said it was because of their food allergy. The bullying was most likely to happen while they were in school and included others teasing them, waving food in their face, throwing food at them, or forcing them to touch the food that triggers their allergies.

The more frequent the bullying, the worse the child's quality of life, the study found. But just one instance of bullying took a toll on kids' happiness, according to self-reports.

The study also showed there is a significant gap in how much parents know about bullying -- they only knew about 50 percent of the cases of harassment. When moms and dads did know about the bullying, their children reported a higher quality of life, which suggests that parents can help, Shemesh said.

"Parents should ask, not in an alarming way, something like, 'Do people bother you at school or anywhere? Do people bother you about the allergy?'" he said. Doctors, whether they are pediatricians or allergy specialists, should also be aware of possible food-related bullying and speak up.

"Clinicians should not be intimidated or think that children will not talk to them about it," Shemesh said. "This study shows they will."

Nearly six million children, or 8 percent of kids in the U.S., have food allergies. A 2008 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study reported an 18 percent increase in food allergies in the U.S. in the last decade for reasons that continue baffle scientists. Allergic reactions can be very serious: A 2011 study found that every three minutes, a food allergy reaction lands someone in the emergency room.

"Living with a food allergy is emotionally stressful, since the only way to prevent a potentially life-threatening reaction is to be vigilant about avoiding problem foods," said John Lehr, CEO of the Food Allergy Research and Education organization. "When children with food allergies are bullied by being exposed or taunted with a food they are allergic to, it heightens anxiety and creates a sense of isolation."

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/24/food-allergies-bullying_n_2347596.html

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Sands keep shifting at Texas cancer agency: grants stalled, new ...

Days after declaring a voluntary moratorium on grants, the $3-billion Texas cancer institute has announced the appointment of? two interim leaders with expertise in state finance. Wayne Roberts is a former associate vice president for public policy at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Former Texas Deputy Comptroller Billy Hamilton will serve as an advisor. Earlier in December, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) announced that it had hired a new chief scientific officer.

On Wednesday, CPRIT leadership agreed to a request from Texas Governor Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus. The politicians said that the confidence of Texas taxpayers should be restored before new funds are dispersed (currently funded grants should not be affected). Shenanigans at CPRIT have given the citizens of Texas much reason to doubt the state-financed funding agency. (See Banish cronyism)

Meanwhile CPRIT is under a criminal investigation because grantees that were funded despite low review scores had ties to a major campaign contributor backing the Texas governor and lieutenant governor.

In October, the chief scientific officer and many peer-reviewers resigned because of concerns about the integrity of peer review, in particular an $18-million grant awarded without scientific review.

In November, the chief commercial officer left amidst revelations that an $11 million grant had been rewarded without review. The executive director left in December, two days after a new chief scientific officer, Margaret Kripke, was hired. She will certainly have a lot on her plate for 2013.

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Source: http://blogs.nature.com/news/2012/12/sands-keep-shifting-at-texas-cancer-agency-grants-stalled-new-execs.html

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Make Money Online - Work from home in your own online business

www.nicheprofitclassroomtraining.com Take BIG Action Now towards Make Money Online Take Action Make Money Online. This will blow you away! Making Money Online made easy. How To Make Money Online You?ve never seen anything like this before: I hope you?re ready to Make Real Money Online. Fast & Easy. The number one way to make money at home beginners welcome. Learn How to make money online. Learn How to make money online easily. Home Based Business Opportunities, Make Money At Home Business(Make Money Online)Best Jobs{Internet marketing}Make Money At Home Business(Make Money Online Fast)Best Jobs{Affiliate Programs} How to make money online Fast & Easy ? Make money with mobil marketing , earn extra income with affiliate marketing youtube, Affiliate Marketing For The Beginner ? training Part Time Jobs Work At Home Tools tips tricks and secrets, Start your own home based business today, clickbank, facebook google amazon ? amazon full time part Income Online Best Opportunities beginners newbies Teenage teenagers women Kids students moms dads Make Cash as Needed with mobil smart phones ?How To Make Money Online? ?make money? ?making money online? ?work from home? ?work at home? ?make money at home? with mobil Marketing business opportunities, how to earn money working at home best business ideas very easy jobs to start 2011 2012 easiest ways make cash work online ?internet marketing? ?affiliate marketing? training program earn extra residual income tips work at home best legit ?

Source: http://homebusinessopportunities.biz/make-money-online-learn-how-to-make-5000-every-week-online/

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Reba McEntire Thinks Kelly Clarkson, Fiance Could Elope

For country superstar Reba McEntire, Kelly Clarkson's engagement is a family affair. The Stronger singer is not only a close personal friend of McEntire's, but her manager is the country diva's husband Narvel Blackstock, and her new fiance is his son Brandon Blackstock.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/reba-mcentire-i-wouldnt-be-surprised-if-kelly-clarkson-elopes/1-a-510415?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Areba-mcentire-i-wouldnt-be-surprised-if-kelly-clarkson-elopes-510415

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Kickstart Your Family Tree: Wills & Probate Records | Historic ...

About Wills & Probate Records

Dealing with estate records can be very confusing. There is typically a lot of legal jargon used, and the purpose or outcome of a record is not always clear to the layperson. While I am certainly no expert when it comes to legal matters, I will do my best to give you a basic explanation of wills and probate records. Hopefully it will be at least enough of an explanation to get you started with your research.

When an individual dies he or she inevitably leaves behind possessions and/or debts that must be dealt with. This is done in one of two ways. Either the individual left a will detailing how the estate should be handled and who should do the handling (the executor). Or the estate is ?intestate? meaning that there was no will or that the will was not a legal will and was not ?proved? by the court. Intestate estates are assigned an administrator, usually either a relative or a creditor. In both cases, the proceedings of the estate are dealt with in a court, often called a probate court.

Nearly everyone who owned anything had a probate proceeding, and therefore has probate records out there waiting to be discovered by you.

This application for administration from Clinton County shows that the deceased died without a will. It is full of genealogical information, and it's just one page from the probate file for this individual.

?Accessing Wills & Probate Records

Wills are held by the County Clerk. The clerk?s office typically keeps a copy of each will in a will book. These can be accessed freely at the courthouse in the county where your relative passed away. However, these are copies of the original record, which is likely kept in a probate file. Depending on the year of death, this file may be in archives (either at the courthouse or at some off-site location) or in the clerk?s office. Since the copy may contain clerical errors, it is always best to locate the original whenever possible. Contact the clerk?s office to find out where to begin your search and how to obtain copies of the records. A list of Indiana County Clerks is available here. Most offices will locate, copy, and mail the records to you for a fee. If you do the research yourself, be aware that there will still be a fee for copying the files.

?What You?ll Find

Probate records are rich resources. They will contain any bit of information that was necessary for the executor or administrator to determine rightful heirs, establish outstanding debts, and divide the property amongst them. This may include the following.

• ?The date and cause of death,
• the names of all heirs, including spouses, children, siblings, in-laws, and other relatives,
• the names of friends and neighbors,
• the names of any creditors or debtors,
• an inventory of personal property,
• records from any estate auction (including who bought what and for how much),
• details regarding any real estate owned by the deceased,
• details of military service, religious affiliation, and citizenship,
• and any letters, depositions, and affidavits collected by the executor or administrator during the probate process.

Everybody loves a scandal, and wills are often full of them. If the deceased did not approve of a marriage, thought a child left home too early, preferred one offspring over another, or disinherited a son or daughter for any reason, it will likely be listed in the will. They can be incredibly interesting and enlightening documents, and often give us a glimpse at parts of our ancestors? lives that would otherwise be hidden from us.

?A Few Tips

• ?Although it may be tempting to take the information in probate records at face value, we must remember that even these records can contain errors or even outright lies.? As with all our research, these records are just one piece of the larger puzzle, and all the evidence should be considered before coming to any conclusions.

• ?Probate records are more common for rural areas than for urban areas, due to the higher likelihood that rural residents owned property.

• Think your relatives were too poor to have owned anything? You may be surprised. Either way, it?s always worth looking for records. It?s part of being a thorough researcher.

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Looking for a last minute gift? There?s still time to give a gift certificate from?Kinship Genealogy!??Your personalized certificate can even be delivered to you digitally within hours of placing your order! Remember, HI readers can get 10% off our Family History Packages! Just enter the code HIHOLIDAY?to recieve your discount.?Visit our store?today!

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Source: http://historicindianapolis.com/kickstart-your-family-tree-wills-probate-records/

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How Israel collected information about Pakistani nukes

WASHINGTON: One of the major tasks of Jonathan Pollard, an Israeli spy in the United States, was to collect information about Pakistan?s nuclear programme, according to a document released this week.

In 1984 and 1985, Mr Pollard passed on to his Israeli handlers several sets of official US documents about the Kahuta plant.

Mr Pollard, although an American citizen, spied for Israel while working for the US Navy?s intelligence service. In 1987, he was sentenced to life in prison for spying but can be released on parole on Nov 21, 2015.

Last week the CIA released a classified document ? ?The Jonathan Jay Pollard Espionage Case: A Damage Assessment? ? it had prepared on Oct 30, 1987.

The document, declassified on an appeal by the George Washington University?s National Security Archive project, contains previously classified information about Mr Pollard?s activities as an Israeli mole in the US intelligence system. The archive is a non-profit organisation working to reduce secrecy in the US government.

In a testimony to the trial court, former US defence secretary Caspar Weinberger said the documents Mr Pollard provided to the Israelis could fill a 6?x6?x10? space.

The CIA document showed that Mr Pollard focused on ?Arab (and Pakistani) nuclear intelligence; Arab exotic weaponry, including chemical weapons; Soviet aircraft; Soviet air defences; Soviet air-to-air missiles and air-to-surface missiles; and Arab order-of-battle, deployments, readiness?.

In a section titled ?Implications of Compromises ? What Israel Gained from Pollard?s Espionage?, the document reveals that ?Mr Pollard?s stolen material, from the Israeli perspective, provided significant benefits [redacted] ?. Page 59, [redacted] Pollard?s deliveries concerning PLO headquarters near Tunis, Tunisian and Libyan air defences, and Pakistan?s plutonium reprocessing facility near Islamabad?.

Israel used this information to attack the PLO headquarters in Tunis in Oct 1985.

There are 10 references to Pakistan and its nuclear facilities in the document but details have been erased from the copy posted on the archive?s website.

At one place, the CIA says that ?political and economic intelligence was deemed less valuable than military and technical material? about all Middle Eastern countries, which one of Mr Pollard?s handlers, Yagur, defined as ?ranging from Morocco to Pakistan and from Lebanon to Yemen.?

Some pages also contained information about the Afghan war and Pakistan?s role in that war.

Although the CIA document does not reveal what the Americans knew about Pakistan?s nuclear programme, other recently declassified documents, posted on the same website do.

The records show that by 1980s the Americans knew that Pakistan had a fairly advanced nuclear programme, but Islamabad?s support for the US-led war against the Soviets in Afghanistan prevented them from taking any major action against the Pakistanis.

In July 1982, the Reagan administration sent former CIA deputy director Gen Vernon Walters to meet Gen Muhammad Ziaul Haq with US intelligence reports about ?an upswing of clandestine Pakistani efforts? to procure nuclear weapons. Confronted with the evidence, Gen Zia acknowledged that the information ?must be true?, but restated earlier promises not to develop a nuclear weapon and made pledges to avoid specific nuclear ?firebreaks?.

In 1986, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency director Kenneth Adelman also warned the White House that Pakistan was secretly enhancing its nuclear capability, but ?top levels of the US government let relations with a friendly government supersede non-proliferation goals as long as there was no public controversy?.

One document claims that the Reagan administration did not even want the Pakistanis to share their secrets with them because they ?feared that ? the ?truth? would have made it impossible for them to certify to Congress that Pakistan was not developing nuclear weapons?.

And on that certification ?rode the continued flow of aid to assist the Afghanistan resistance,? the document adds.

The records suggest that ?lack of trust and confidence was an important element in the US-Pakistan relationship, as it is today?.

By the early summer of 1981, State Department intelligence estimated that the Pakistanis were ?probably capable of producing a workable device at this time,? although the Kahuta enrichment plant was unlikely to produce enough fissile material for a test until 1983.

But in December 1982, Secretary of State George Shultz warned President Reagan of the ?overwhelming evidence that Gen Zia has been breaking his assurances? of not making a nuclear weapon.

In the spring of 1987, senior State Department officials wrote that Pakistani nuclear development activities were proceeding apace and that General Zia was approaching a ?threshold which he cannot cross without blatantly violating his pledge not to embarrass the President?.
http://dawn.com/2012/12/19/how-israe...kistani-nukes/

Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/pakistans-war/225389-how-israel-collected-information-about-pakistani-nukes.html

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