Friday, August 31, 2012

Tropical Storm Isaac continues to dump rain on Louisiana

As slow-moving Tropical Storm Isaac moves away from New Orleans, surrounding areas of Louisiana are expected to see almost 2 feet of rain and more dangerous floods by the end of the week, while seven tornadoes have spun off from Isaac in Mississippi and Alabama so far.

A tornado that touched down in Gulfport, Miss., has caused the most damage, where significant destruction to homes has been reported. Carlos Redmond, a spokesman for Harrison County Emergency Management, said it's assessing the damage.

"We're looking for daylight. That's what we're looking for. We'll be able to tell a lot more at that time," Redmond told ABC News Thursday.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said tornadoes are possible along the central Gulf Coast region and parts of the lower Mississippi Valley through Thursday.

The rising waters from rain and flooding have already left locals scrambling up to attics and onto roofs. The main parishes that pose the greatest concern sit around Lake Pontchartrain. With another 4 to 7 inches of rain expected, many officials have expressed worry about the rising waters.

Officials in LaPlace, La., about 25 miles northwest of New Orleans, in St. John the Baptist Parish, called the situation dire.

"I'm afraid the tide is really going to catch some of us off guard tonight," Parish President Layton Ricks told ABC News late Wednesday night.

3100 people have been evacuated in the town since 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to a National Guard officer, with more than 1,000 waiting for rescue in LaPlace as the city sees its worst flooding in 40 years. Housing developments, such as the River Forest subdivision where dozens of families were rescued Wednesday, are under 5 feet of water. The Louisiana National Guard said it would be out in force Thursday across the St. John the Baptist Parish, assisting in rescue efforts.

"It's our own little Katrina," said Tania Trege, wife of St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Trege, describing the situation in Laplace.

Towns southwest of New Orleans have already received about 20 inches of rain, with another 4 to 7 inches possible. New Orleans International Airport has officially received 10 inches of rain so far.

As of 5 a.m. ET, Isaac was about 55 miles southeast of Alexandria, La., and about 110 miles northwest of New Orleans. Tropical storms winds extend outward up to 175 miles. Isaac's maximum sustained winds are at 45 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

A tropical storm warning was still in effect from Cameron, La., to the Mississippi-Alabama state border, according to the Hurricane Center.

An unofficial rainfall total of 22.5 inches was reported in Arabi, La., near the city's 9th Ward on Wednesday. An official report from Audubon Park in New Orleans listed 17 inches of rainfall.

Livingston Parish officials told ABC News that they felt the worst of Isaac at 10 p.m. Wednesday, and expect flooding in the low-lying parts of the parish. Rescue efforts were under way and officials said this will be the first overnight of many water rescues in the area.

Rescue operations are still under way in Plaquemines Parish, where more than 100 people in the parish have been rescued so far. A levee in Plaquemines Parish will be intentionally breached at some point Thursday to relieve pressure on it. That area has been under mandatory evacuation.

One person has been reported dead, according to The Associated Press, compared with 1,800 deaths from Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi. And police reported few problems with looting.

More than 725,000 homes and businesses throughout Louisiana were without power as of 2 a.m.

In Mississippi, Highway 90 remains shut down, with much of area now submerged in water. 30,000 customers are without power in Gulfport, Miss., alone, where an apparent tornado spawned by the storm ripped a house from ground.

In Biloxi, powerful winds are ravaging the city as residents begin to worry about raw sewage and mold.

President Obama declared federal emergencies in Louisiana and Mississippi late Wednesday, according to a statement from the White House. The disaster declarations free up federal aid for affected areas.

Of Louisiana's 64 parishes, 58 are under states of emergency this morning.

Forecasters expected Isaac to move inland over the next several days, dumping rain on drought-stricken states across the nation's midsection before finally breaking up over the weekend. The storm was expected to weaken to a tropical depression Thursday, according to the Hurricane Center.

Five to 10-foot storm surges were expected in Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana, with seven to 14 inches of rain, and some areas could see 25 inches, the center said.

ABC News' Max Golembo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Source: http://gma.yahoo.com/tropical-storm-isaac-continues-dump-rain-louisiana-065646673--abc-news-topstories.html

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Fed's Williams backs easing, open-ended QE3

(Reuters) - More easing from the Federal Reserve would help boost the U.S. economic recovery and keep the labor market from stalling out, a top central bank policymaker said on Friday.

San Francisco Fed President John Williams said on CNBC television the Fed's two quantitative easing programs have had benefits and argued the Fed should be moving toward an "open-ended" QE3 in which the new program would not be limited by a dollar value.

"Additional monetary accommodation would be very useful to boost the economy, speed the recovery along somewhat, and help get unemployment moving toward its full employment goal over the next few years," Williams, a voter this year on Fed policy, said.

"I am concerned that we could be stalling at the current high level of unemployment."

Williams was interviewed at a central bankers' conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, just before Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke gave a much-anticipated speech in which he said that progress in reducing unemployment had been too slow.

Bernanke stopped short of giving a clear signal of further policy easing, despite expectations that the central bank could launch a third round of quantitative easing at its September 12-13 meeting.

Fed policymakers have considered the usefulness of an open-ended QE, if they ultimately decide to adopt such a program. Both QE1 and QE2 were connected to specific dollar values and timeframes, seen by some as lacking the flexibility to react to economic changes.

"A basic principle of good monetary policy is you adjust policy based on what's happening in the economy and the outlook," Williams said. "The open-ended approach allows you to do that better, I think."

Without further policy action, growth will stay near 2 percent this year and rise a bit next year, he added, while the unemployment rate should stay near the current 8.3 percent at least for another 18 months.

(Reporting by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by James Dalgleish)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fed-ease-help-economy-feds-williams-132248555--business.html

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Antibody prevents hepatitis C infection in animal model

ScienceDaily (Aug. 30, 2012) ? A monoclonal antibody therapy developed by MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) and tested in an animal model at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute, prevents infection by the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Researchers found that the human monoclonal antibody targeting the virus protected chimpanzees from HCV infection in a dose-dependent manner in a study conducted at Texas Biomed's Southwest National Primate Research Center in San Antonio. Chimpanzees are the only species other than humans that can be infected by the hepatitis C virus and therefore the results from this study were critical in the development of the monoclonal antibody. The new report by scientists from MassBiologics; Texas Biomed; the National Institutes of Health (NIH); and Merck Research Laboratories, and funded by MassBiologics and NIH, appears in the August 30th issue of PLoS Pathogens. Researchers had previously demonstrated that the monoclonal antibody, called HCV1, blocks HCV from infecting liver cells in laboratory tissue culture.

"This is an important proof-of-concept study demonstrating a high dose of neutralizing antibody can protect the liver from HCV infection using monoclonal antibodies in a study that was designed to mimic the transplantation setting," said study co-author Robert E. Lanford, Ph.D., of Texas Biomed.

"One can envision improving on these results with a cocktail of antibodies or by using this antibody with some of the newer antivirals currently in clinical trials. Infection of the new donor liver by residual virus in the patient is one of the major obstacles preventing a full recovery in these patients," Lanford added.

MassBiologics has been pursuing the development of HCV1 as a therapy for patients with end-stage liver disease undergoing liver transplantation as a result of HCV infection. HCV1 is a monoclonal antibody that binds to the surface of the HCV virus and blocks the ability of the virus to enter liver cells.

HCV damages the liver and is the leading indication for liver transplantation, diagnosed in about half of the 6,000 patients who receive liver transplants each year in the United States. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 3.2 million Americans are chronically infected with HCV and approximately 10,000 die annually of the disease. Globally, as many as 170 million people are estimated to suffer from HCV infection. The CDC recently recommended that everyone born from 1945 to 1965 should be screened for HCV regardless of whether they have known risk factors.

For patients with end-stage liver disease from HCV infection, liver transplantation is the only option. While it can be a life-saving treatment, transplantation does not cure the disease. In nearly all cases, the patient's new liver is eventually infected by HCV because the virus remains in the patient's bloodstream during surgery. The course of recurrent HCV disease is accelerated after transplantation and up to 20 percent of transplant patients develop cirrhosis within five years. Unfortunately, the standard antiviral drugs currently used to treat HCV prior to the onset of end-stage liver disease are poorly tolerated after liver transplantation, leaving these patients with few options.

This research was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH. The chimpanzee studies performed at the Southwest National Primate Research Center were supported by the NIH primate center grant P51 RR13986 and the NIH facilities grants C06 RR 12087 and C06 RR016228.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Texas Biomedical Research Institute.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Trevor J. Morin, Teresa J. Broering, Brett A. Leav, Barbra M. Blair, Kirk J. Rowley, Elisabeth N. Boucher, Yang Wang, Peter S. Cheslock, Michael Knauber, David B. Olsen, Steve W. Ludmerer, Gyongyi Szabo, Robert W. Finberg, Robert H. Purcell, Robert E. Lanford, Donna M. Ambrosino, Deborah C. Molrine, Gregory J. Babcock. Human Monoclonal Antibody HCV1 Effectively Prevents and Treats HCV Infection in Chimpanzees. PLoS Pathogens, 2012; 8 (8): e1002895 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002895

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/-aWhJQ_DcIQ/120830173154.htm

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Thursday, August 30, 2012

Less is more for reef-building corals

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Researchers at the University of Hawaii ? Manoa (UHM) School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) made a discovery that challenges a major theory in the field of coral reef ecology. The general assumption has been that the more flexible corals are, regarding which species of single celled algae (Symbiodinium) they host in coral tissues, the greater ability corals will have to survive environmental stress. In their paper published August 29, 2012, however, scientists at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) at SOEST and colleagues documented that the more flexible corals are, the more sensitive to environment disturbances they are.

"This is exactly the opposite of what we expected," said Hollie Putnam, PhD candidate at UHM and lead author of the study. This finding was surprising, as it is thought corals exploit the ability to host a variety of Symbiodinium to adapt to climate change. "Our findings suggest more is not always better," she continued.

"The relationship of coral species to their algal symbionts is fundamental to their biology," says David Garrison, program director in the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research. "This study gives us a new understanding of how corals are likely to respond to the stresses of environmental change."

Reef corals are the sum of an animal (host), and single celled algae that live inside the corals' tissues (also called 'endosymbionts'). This is a mutually beneficial arrangement ? the coral provide protection and keep the algae in shallow, sunlit seas; and the algae produce large amounts of energy through photosynthesis, which coral use to survive and build their skeletons. The stability of this symbiosis is critical to the survival of corals and if they lose their endosymbionts they bleach and often die. Corals can host different types of endosymbionts, which affects their response to stress.

Putnam and other scientists from Dr. Ruth Gates' laboratory at HIMB took tiny tissue samples from 34 species of coral in Moorea, French Polynesia. By analyzing the DNA from the endosymbionts in these samples, they were able identify the types of Symbiodinium. This revealed that some corals host a single Symbiodinium type that is the same in all individuals of that coral species, and that others host many types that vary among individuals within a coral species.

"The corals we sampled spanned a range of environmental sensitivities from resistant to susceptible, and we were able to link, for the first time, patterns in environmental performance of corals to the number and variety of symbionts they host," reported Putnam. These patterns show that corals hosting diverse Symbiodinium communities, those that are flexible with respect to endosymbionts (termed 'generalists'), are environmentally sensitive. In contrast, environmentally resistant corals were those that associate with one or few specific types of Symbiodinium (termed 'specifists').

"Coral reefs are economically and ecologically important, providing a home for a high diversity of organisms necessary for food supplies, recreation, and tourism in many countries. The better we understand how corals respond to stress, the more capable we will be to forecast and manage future reefs communities," said senior author Professor Ruth Gates. Coral reefs can undergo mass mortality due to high temperatures, and ocean acidification is threatening the capacity for skeletal growth. These global stressors are superimposed on the local threats of pollution, coastal development and overfishing, together threatening the persistence of corals as a functional ecosystem in the future.

In the future, the Gates Lab will examine what causes the differences in success between corals that are flexible and inflexible in their Symbiodinium associations and compare the symbiotic flexibility in corals and reefs across much larger areas ? in locations such as Hawaii, Moorea, Taiwan and American Samoa. This further understanding will allow better predictions of the future of reefs under further ocean warming and acidification.

###

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Endosymbiotic flexibility associates with environmental sensitivity in scleractinian corals; Hollie M Putnam, Michael Stat, Xavier Pochon, and Ruth D Gates

University of Hawaii ? SOEST: http://mcr.lternet.edu/

Thanks to University of Hawaii ? SOEST for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/123044/Less_is_more_for_reef_building_corals

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SEAL's book shows bin Laden raid up close

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A Navy SEAL's firsthand account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden pulls back the veil on the secret operations conducted almost nightly by elite American forces against terrorist suspects.

Former SEAL Matt Bissonnette's account contradicted in key details the account of the raid presented by administration officials in the days after the May 2011 raid in Abbotabad, Pakistan, that killed the al-Qaida leader, and raised questions about whether the SEALs followed to the letter the order to use deadly force only if they deemed him a threat.

Bissonnette wrote that the SEALs spotted bin Laden at the top of a darkened hallway and shot him in the head even though they could not tell whether he was armed. Administration officials have described the SEALs shooting bin Laden only after he ducked back into a bedroom because they assumed he might be reaching for a weapon.

Military experts said Wednesday that if Bissonnette's recollection is accurate, the SEALS made the right call to open fire on the terrorist mastermind who had plenty of time to reach for a weapon or explosives as they made their way up to the third level of the house where he hid.

Bissonnette wrote the book, "No Easy Day," under the pseudonym Mark Owen as one of the men in the room when they killed bin Laden. The book is to be published next week by Penguin Group (USA)'s Dutton imprint. The Associated Press purchased a copy Tuesday.

For years, the primary weapon in the war on terror has been unmanned drones firing missiles from the sky. But the Bissonnette book reveals a more bloody war waged by special operators, one the public almost never gets to see close up.

The book offers intimate details of a special operations mission. The most memorable scenes are also the most human moments. Bissonnette describes one of the SEALs dressing the wounds of a woman who was shot when she lunged toward the raiders. In another scene, a terrified mother clutches her child, and a young girl identifies the dead man to the SEALs as Osama bin Laden, seemingly unaware of the significance of those words.

In that regard, the bin Laden raid seems destined to become an anachronism. Nearly every top al-Qaida figure killed by the United States since the 9/11 attacks has died in a remote-controlled strike by unmanned drone aircraft ? their deaths seen back in Washington via high-definition video. An estimated 80 top terrorist leaders have been killed in places like Pakistan and Yemen, according to The Long War Journal.com, which tracks such airborne strikes.

Special operations troops often conduct raids similar to the bin Laden strike a dozen times a night in Afghanistan, and previously in Iraq, killing thousands of mostly mid- and lower-level terrorists. It's all part of a war on terror that is winding down and giving way to the drone war outside traditional war zones, given the scheduled drawdown of most U.S. troops in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

"No Easy Day" shows how routine such operations have become. But the public rarely hears about them. This raid to capture bin Laden, though, was historic.

The SEALS, according to Bissonnette's description, were prepared as they had been in other raids for a gunfight in close quarters, which likely would last only a few seconds, with no margin for error. By the time the SEALs reached the top floor of bin Laden's compound, roughly 15 minutes had passed, giving the terror leader adequate time to strap on a suicide vest or get a gun, he said.

Bissonnette says he was behind the point man going up the stairs in the pitch black hallway. Near the top, he said, he heard two silenced shots fired by the first SEAL into the hallway. He wrote that the SEAL on point had seen a man peeking out of a door on the right side of the hallway, but Bissonnette could not tell from his vantage point whether the bullets hit the target.

The author writes that the man ducked back into his bedroom and the SEALs followed, only to find him crumpled on the floor in a pool of blood with a hole visible on the right side of his head and two women wailing over his body.

Bissonnette says the point man pulled the two women out of the way and shoved them into a corner. He and the other SEALs trained their guns' laser sights on bin Laden's still-twitching body, shooting him several times until he lay motionless.

Once they wiped the blood off his face, they were convinced it was bin Laden.

The SEALs later found two weapons stored by the doorway, untouched, the author said.

National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor late Tuesday would not comment on the apparent contradiction between the administration's account and the book's version.

Bissonnette writes that during a pre-raid briefing, an administration lawyer told them that they were not on an assassination mission. According to Bissonnette, the lawyer said if bin Laden did not pose a threat, they should detain him.

"If they didn't feel like there was a threat, they would have captured him," co-author Kevin Maurer told the AP on Wednesday. "But from when they first hit the ground, all the way until they got to the third deck, they had encountered armed men, which made the use of force essential," said Maurer, a former AP reporter.

A former deputy judge advocate general for the Air Force defended the decision to shoot the man the SEALs saw in the hallway.

"In a confined space like that where it is clear that there are hostiles, the SEALs need to take reasonable steps to ensure their safety and accomplish the mission," said the former JAG, retired Maj. Gen. Charlie Dunlap, who now teaches at Duke University law school.

Bissonnette writes that none of the SEALs were fans of President Barack Obama and knew that his administration would take credit for ordering the raid. One of the SEALs said after the mission that they had just gotten Obama re-elected by carrying out the raid. But he says they respected him as commander in chief and for giving the operation the go-ahead.

In an interview scheduled to air Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes," Bissonnette said the book was "not political whatsoever" and not timed to influence the upcoming national elections. He said it was to commemorate the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and credit those whose work made the mission to get bin Laden a success.

"My worry from the beginning is, you know, it's a political season. This book is not political whatsoever. It doesn't bad-mouth either party, and we specifically chose Sept. 11 to keep it out of the politics. If these ? crazies on either side of the aisle want to make it political, then shame on them."

CBS said Bissonnette was disguised and his voice altered for the interview. The network used only his pseudonym and not his name.

The Pentagon and the CIA, which commanded the mission, are examining the manuscript for possible disclosure of classified information, and could take legal action against Bissonnette.

In a statement provided to the AP, the SEAL author says he did "not disclose confidential or sensitive information that would compromise national security in any way."

The book does include information not previously reported about specific CIA officers' involvement in the raid.

Bissonnette's real name was first revealed by Fox News and confirmed to the AP.

Jihadists on al-Qaida websites have posted purported photos of the author, calling for his murder.

___

Associated Press writers Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman contributed to this report.

___

Follow Kimberly Dozier on Twitter: http://es.twitter.com/KimberlyDozier

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/seals-book-shows-bin-laden-raid-close-003622322.html

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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

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Home Improvement Tips For The Non-Tradesman | Tourism Articles

Your everyday life is dramatically affected by the space in which you live. It has been shown that a majority of time is spent within the home or workplace. People that work at home are even more affected by their home environment. If your home is a sanctuary for you, you are better able to deal with the stresses of life. Continue reading to learn more about how to make your place the home of your dreams.

Make easy adjustments to items around the house that have been causing your grief. If there is a part of your home that you feel could be suited to you better, focus on that area. The most important factor is that your home is a place where you are happy and comfortable. Sometimes improvements are worth making, even if they might not suit potential future buyers. They can always make the changes they want once the house is theirs.

If there isn?t any space in a room, make it bigger. Re-organizing your belongings can create more space in any room; however, it still may not be all the space you need. Enlarging a room just a little bit can make a big difference, and you will not feel cramped anymore whenever you enter it.

Water recreation areas including a swimming pool or hot tub are worthy ideas for consideration when you are looking at altering the outside area of your home. They will add financial value to the property value as well, which is an added bonus. Small things, such as basketball hoops and workout rooms, can create an enjoyable home without excessive spending. Adding a recreational feature will improve your quality of life; it will also earn returns on your investment when it comes time to sell your home.

It is easy to overlook the difference that new lighting can have in a space. A properly lit room allows you to notice details that have previously been obscured by shadows. Installing new fixtures is easy, even if you do not have a lot of experience with home improvement. Upgrading the lighting in your home is a simple cosmetic fix, which can make a big impact.

Adding some green space to your home can liven things up. Choose an area of your yard to turn into a private garden of delight by hiring a gardener, or just by adding your own plants and greenery. Not only does a garden improve the appearance and value of your home, but it also gives you a relaxing place to entertain. In addition, you can use the garden area to grow your own herbs or vegetables, or alternatively how about to plant your favorite annuals and perennials to make fresh flower bouquets for your home.

The curb appeal of your home can be changed dramatically with just a few simple changes. A new paint color or some new windows offer many benefits to your house.

Your home is where you spend most of your time, so having one that you really love can make you feel satisfied with your life in general. Investing in improvements for your home is not just a smart choice financially, but it will also make your home more comfortable.

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Fresh clashes kill three Pakistan soldiers, 11 militants

Fresh clashes in Pakistan's northwestern tribal area along the Afghan border on Tuesday left three soldiers and 11 militants dead, security officials said.

The latest fighting occurred as part of a Pakistan army operation to repel Taliban militants who had crossed over from Kunar province in Afghanistan early Friday and occupied the village of Batwar in the Bajaur tribal district.

Officials said several soldiers were also missing in the clashes.

The fighting has so far left 50 dead including 31 militants, three soldiers and two members of a government backed peace committee who were killed on Monday.

"During the ongoing clashes in the Batwar border area of Bajaur, 11 militants were killed today while several were injured," a senior security official based in the region's main city of Peshawar told AFP.

"Three security personal have also embraced shahadat (martyrdom) while some are missing," he said.

Pakistani troops arrested eight militants while "the dead bodies of some militants are in the custody of security forces," he added.

Another government official from Khar, the main town of the Bajaur tribal district, confirmed the latest fighting and new death toll. He requested anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media.

The area is cut off to journalists and aid workers and it was not possible to confirm the death toll independently.

Bajaur is one of seven districts in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt, where Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants have carved out strongholds used to plot attacks on Pakistan.

Pakistan has lost more than 3,000 soldiers in the fight against homegrown insurgents but has resisted US pressure to do more to eliminate havens used by those fighting the Americans in Afghanistan.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fresh-clashes-kill-three-pakistan-soldiers-11-militants-174749254.html

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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Ann Romney opens up on details of miscarriage

(AP) ? The wife of Republican Mitt Romney is opening up with new details about her recently disclosed miscarriage.

Ann Romney spoke in a taped interview aired Tuesday on CBS' "This Morning," hours before she addresses the Republican National Convention.

She describes the initial shock and excitement of having learned she was pregnant in her 40s, only to realize early one morning she was losing the baby.

Romney says she chose not to wake her husband up around 3 or 4 a.m., opting to wait till 6 a.m. before telling him she needed to go to the hospital.

She describes her youngest son Craig's sorrow. She says she consoled him, telling Craig he probably won't have any more brothers or sisters but that he will have children of his own someday.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-08-28-Ann%20Romney/id-a1302945883f473597f39f8725100889

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Source: http://cannabismrsacure.letstalkaboutpot.com/why-india-is-most-effective-for-web-optimization-solutions/

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Source: http://lmaureen.com/using-nike-air-max-your-small-business-to-another-level-with-website-marketing/

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Monday, August 27, 2012

I want to solder new faucet in, but not licensed-need ur help ...

Question by Kraze: I want to solder new faucet in, but not licensed-need ur help professional plumbers?
I have extreme experience in arlington ma plumbing, among other trades and I want to install a new shower faucet and such, but the apartment wont? let me cause I dont? hold a license in this state,

Since this is an condo I never encountered this. I got the hotwater figured out, question is the main cold supply. But is there some way around this?? perhaps i could cut the pipe, then quickly attach a compression shutoff supply then go from there. I would think this would be an idea, I?m going to test this theory with another supply with a shutoff before I attempt but main importance is homeowners dont? care, and are really fustrated that about the situation, and said if i can get aroudn it to do it, They own the condo, and it should be their right to do it.
So any suggestions from professional plumbers?
Yep thats right, years of experience, over 14 to be exact, electrical, arlington ma plumbing hvac, roofing, new homes, additions remodeling, foundations,
Now im experienced as in own a ?sucessfull? company, I do all trades therefore am not master of none. I know arlington ma plumbing many roughins many many remodels, jacuzzis, sunken and surface, copper sweating no problem,
So in saying this, Its a condo, as in you have to jump through hoops, I am out of state, visiting family. They want their bathroom remodeled, All I need is the water off for 5 minutes, to solder a shutoff on there, But they want a licensed Arlington MA Plumber. NOW?If I didnt? know what I was doing then ok, perhaps, but only hold back is fact that they want that paper, Where Im at they wants $ 350 just to come out. And the reason im in a hurry is because I need to get back to my state so I can continue my companys business.
Now I have always been able to shut off water everywhere I been, this is new to me. Just looking for solutions
Well tech, by your name Im taking it you could be experience in computers not home improvement, so this question is out of your league. I asked for PROFESSIONAL PLUMBERS but guess the points for any answer sufficed.
If there are NO real answers to this solutions then leave it at that. I dont? care if the question isn?t right with you, What isnt? right is not allowing me to shutoff the water in order to do the work. I don?t care who inspects the work or otherwise, but let me tell you about licensed professionals they are nothing but overpriced labor cause they know they are the only ones allowed(not qualified) to do the work. The reason behind this is because city inspectors are to lazy to actually take responsibility for their inspections, but im not goign to get into this.
Point is serious question, PROFESSIONAL
Point is seriuos question, Professional opinions only. water off, NO PROBLEM,
So yeh years of experience, and this is a question way beyond your intelligence.Your answer told me nothign I already didn?t know, drywall? pipes behind a wall? are you kidding me? Yeh, its all goign bye, the tub/vanity/sink, floor, is bye, new electric, so yeh this is a bathroom renovation, which is why I need an answer from experience.
Now?car dude, Yes I understand the place is shared, the pipes that come into their bathroom they own, they own shower, they own the supply. You could be right about what you say, could be and if you are a true home contractor i?ll respect your answer. But with all due respect im asking for a solution to my problem, if there is not a solution, then so be it, if its never been done then great. thats why im researching my QUESTION. Any Plumbers out there?
Oh yeh forgot one more thing, techie I know that compression fitting shouldnt? be used inside walls, and are made for a temporary fix. This is commonsense 101, however
1. there is access to the arlington ma plumbing
2. this is a temporary fix until they either move, or they grant me the right to turn off the water, However I 85% disagree with you about the fittings not being behidn a wall. I have renovated old homes back in the 50?s. Even though they are not regulated by most codes, people and PROFESSIONAL plumbers do ocassionally use these. I say 85% cause they can hairline crack under pressure, but since there is access guess what???it will be fine?just use pipe dope.
so do your research before answering, and dont? assume I dont? know how to do something that I say I do.
Ok got a solution to my problem. But I want to make somethign clear for anyone who looks at this. When somebody ask a question they are asking for an answer, DO NOT give your opinions on whether it should or shouldnt? be done, unless they ask. If you do not know the solution keep your MOUTH SHUT! You are just making yourself look stupid.
now for the money it cost for a Arlington MA Plumber I got a new tool and solution to future problems, I feel so sorry for people who rely on others to fix problems in their life, always taking the easy way out by having someone do it for them. Will never have the feeling of accomplishment.
The ONLY thing a licensed Arlington MA Plumber can do that i can?t 100% of the time is use his license to get approval. Does not make him ANY more qualified than me.

Best answer:

Answer by Tech Dude
You are asking for trouble and a possible lawsuit and eviction. The shower faucet is typically inside the wall, which means that you?ve got to knock a hole in the wall that will later need to be patched. Then you?ve got to remove the old faucet and install the new faucet. This is a major undertaking and you?ve got to know what you are doing.

You propose to cut the cold water pipe and quickly attach a compression shutoff valve. There are at least two things wrong with this idea. First, you should never cut into a pipe unless the water is turned off. You may think you can quickly cap off the open pipe, but you?ve also got a good chance of causing extensive water damage. The second mistake is that you should never, ever use a compression fitting in a concealed space inside a wall. The problem is that a leak could develop with a compression fitting, and you would not know it until the damage had been done.

I suggest that perhaps you don?t have extreme experience in arlington ma plumbing at all. You should not attempt this project by yourself. It would be far cheaper by the time you are done to have hired a licensed professional.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Source: http://arlingtonmaplumber.com/i-want-to-solder-new-faucet-in-but-not-licensed-need-ur-help-professional-plumbers.html

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10 Deadly Internet Marketing Myths | David Wood's MLM Marketing ...

Internet Marketing Myths

You?ve read all about it. You?ve heard it all before?

That Internet Marketers just lay around in their?pajamas?all day barely working. That they spend all their time on the beach doing whatever the heck they want, travelling the world and driving expensive cars.

Or that the Internet Marketing lifestyle is working 2 hours/week making an easy 6 figures a year on ?autopilot?. The reality is most of what you read online about online marketing is total hyped up B.S. designed to get you to buy some info product.

Today I wanted to dismiss a bunch of deadly Internet Marketing myths and divulge some real information that you need to hear about the Internet Marketing niche.

1. Most Internet Marketers Are Full Of Shit

This piece of information is valuable beyond belief if you?re just getting started in the online marketing world or wanting to become another Frank Kern or Ryan Deiss.

The problem with the majority of Internet Marketers is that they all make their money in the Internet Marketing niche. The Internet Marketing niche basically consists of Make Money Online nonsense and traffic/lead/customer generation bullshit.

It?s Internet Marketers teaching other Internet Marketers Internet Marketing, how retarded is that (LOL)?

Internet Marketers have serious skills. They know how to market on Facebook, get top rankings and how to dominate social media. But what do they moronically do with their knowledge?

They sell it in the form of cheap info products to OTHER Internet Marketers for $7-$10 on the low end up to $50-$200 on the high end. They giveaway all their secrets to other Internet Marketers because every Internet Marketer wants to be another guru. The truth is you?d make 100 times more money using Internet Marketing outside of the Internet Marketing niche.

Don?t get dragged into the Internet Marketing community. It?s essentially this?incestuous?pit of money grabbers who all sell, buy and promote each others products.

99% of Internet Marketers in the Internet Marketing niche don?t have real businesses. They simply sell stuff to other Internet Marketers which is an awful business model since there?s 1000 times more money outside of IM.

Most IM products are based on theory since they don?t have real businesses to test the theory on. (I k

2. Internet Marketing Is Easy

Internet Marketing is by no means easy. If you?re building an IM business from scratch on a very limited budget it can take years to succeed ? the opposite of easy. Starting an online business isn?t so different from starting an offline business.

Internet Marketing requires hard work, dedication and strategic thinking just like anything else. There are no push button softwares that make millions; not yet anyway.

3. Internet Marketing Is Free

Internet Marketing is free? That?s just ridiculous. Internet Marketing could possibly cost nothing. I mean if you really wanted to build an online business from nothing, and I mean $0.00 ? you could but it?d take you several years.

Whether you want to do that to prove a point or something, I don?t know ? but it?s a terrible idea. If you have no money, get a job, borrow it or dig into your savings ? don?t start from scratch.

There are costs associated with every business and while Internet Marketing may not be free; you certainly can start it on a shoe string budget. For around $1000, you can start an online business quite easily ? but still not $0.00.

4. You Barely Have To Work

I would say that Internet Marketers spend more time working than most 9-5?ers. Not because they have to, because they want to.

You can quite easily work 2-4 hours a week and make a small living on the Internet. However, Internet Marketing is fun, enjoyable and addictive. That?s why Internet Marketers work for so many hours and late nights.

They either haven?t figured it out yet or are seriously enjoying themselves. In the beginning; expect to work hard and long hours. Once you?re properly setup, you can work as much as you want to.

5. You Can Just Take Off, Travel The World And Keep Getting Paid

This is what drags a lot of folks into the online world of marketing. The hype says Internet Marketing will just pay you automatically without you ever working. While that may be true only once you?ve built a system, the maximum you can really ?take off? for is 2-3 months. After that your business will probably collapse.

Internet Marketing is constantly evolving, if you don?t predict what?s to come, listen to the signals and adapt prior to a major shift ? you can lose everything.

6. Internet Marketing Is A Scam

Yes, there are hundreds of scam artists on the Internet. Yes, there are too many people selling sketchy black hat tricks, methods and software?

?and yes ? there are countless Nigerians out there waiting to steal your hard earned money. The fact is the offline world is crawling with far more scams than the Internet. Fortunately online scams are easy to point out.

With enough research you can find high quality products that give real value?

?and yes ? Internet Marketers do make money from completely legal, safe products that help real people.

7. $100,000 In 30 Days

Unless you?re a genius or have hundreds of thousands behind you, there?s no such thing as Instant Internet Riches. Anyone who guarantees your success is not to be trusted. Normal people are making fortunes online, but none of them overnight ? despite what Clickbank sales pages might say.

8. Internet Marketing Is For Computer Geeks

This one is quite annoying. Just because I make a living online does not mean I know anything about computers. I probably know slightly more than most people only because of the sheer number of hours I spend online each week.

I know the very basics and that?s all that is required.

Windows Explorer, Google Chrome, Gmail, Downloading, Saving, Zipping/Unzipping, Attaching Files and Microsoft Word are all you really need to understand. The complex stuff like web design and programming should always be outsourced.

9. It?s All About Traffic

More traffic means more money, right? Traffic is all that matters, right?

No and definitely not. Traffic is for scaling up your online business. More traffic doesn?t directly translate into more revenue.

Online marketing is all about conversions. Converting traffic into leads and leads into customers. Conversions are 100 times more important than traffic generation. Any idiot can generate visitors, but only the masters are able to persuade A LOT of them to buy.

Websites that get 100 visitors/day can generate far more revenue than sites getting 1000 visitors/day or more. It?s all in the conversions. Traffic is only useful when you have the system in place to convert it.

Not all traffic will convert with your offer. You can shape your offer for a particular group of people, but ultimately you need to shape your marketing to capture right people and not the other way around.

In Prosperity,

David Wood

P.S. Leave me your thoughts, comments and questions below. Also opt-in to the email list on the right for more Internet Marketing tips, tricks and secrets.


Source: http://workwithdavidwood.com/10-deadly-internet-marketing-myths/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=10-deadly-internet-marketing-myths

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FiveIdeas To Maintain A Marriage Thrilling - Total Vibration

The buildup to the wedding is so exciting; making arrangements, laying out a plan to your future lives together. But after the honeymoon ends, life begins. And whereas you may have probably the most wonderful marriage, even probably the most devoted couple is certain to find the married life-style to be at occasions, properly for instance, lower than exciting. I imply let?s face it, you love the other particular person, but spending all day with the identical individual makes for a lot of routine actions, that if you?re not cautious can drag on your relationship and make you both feel unhappy with what is otherwise a really loving relationship.

As a result, it is vital that couples not merely sit again within the perception that a marriage will remain exciting merely on its own momentum. Rather, it?s important that spouses take some basic steps to infuse their relationships with a little bit of excitement.

1. Have Impartial Pursuits

You can?t have anything fascinating to say should you spend each waking second doing and experiencing the identical things. Having impartial pursuits is just not an indication of a weak marriage, as some newlyweds believe, but moderately an indication of its strength. Having independent pursuits means that you have something distinctive to convey to conversations, guaranteeing that you simply each always have one thing attention-grabbing, and sure thrilling, to say to 1 another.

2. Spontaneous Events

Whilst you were dating, planning the spontaneous event seemed fairly innate. However, as we grow comfortable in our relationships and extra busy by life?s obligations, we generally tend to rely upon the strength of our relationships and in so doing fail to keep things spontaneous. So to mix things up; plan a day or evening event that?s completely new. Attempt that present your partner has been dying to see, or visit that new restaurant that simply opened up.

3. By no means threaten separation

That is much less a rule to keep issues exciting, and extra one to maintain them sound. A relationship can only develop and stay exciting if each events are confident in their dedication to one another. As a consequence, make it a rule between you and your associate that you simply never threaten separation or divorce. Establish an understanding that in the event you threaten separation, you should be heading out the door to back it up. It is a harsh rule, but one which needs imposition in case your relationship is to survive the ups and downs that are a part of all marriages.

4. Weekend Journeys

One positive-fire method to inject some romance into your marriage is to take a vacation with just the 2 of you. However with the rigors of life and the costs of a trip, a full-blown trip can appear laborious to justify. So as an alternative opt for an one night local vacation. Plan a dinner and night out, and cap it off with an evening in a hotel. The expense is not a lot considering the excitement that a trip, irrespective of how small, can carry into a relationship.

5. Spice up the bed room

The ultimate tip to bring excitement into any relationship is to spice things up within the bedroom. Your sex life has a powerful correlation with the power and satisfaction of your relationship. So attempt exploring a new place or even a sexual fantasy or adult toy along with your companion, and in so doing share something intimate and bring some excitement into your marriage.

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Source: http://blog.thorsrubberhammer.com/2012/08/fiveideas-to-maintain-a-marriage-thrilling/

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Sunday, August 26, 2012

Heart Disease Runs in the Family | Men's Health News

Father and son outdoors

Spell "cholesterol." C, H, O, L . . .

Are you at risk for heart disease? Check your grandpa?s obit. Having a relative die of heart complications before age 60 doubles your own risk of premature heart disease, according to a new study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology. Even more: if it?s a parent or sibling, your risk shoots up 72 percent. If there are two or more premature cardiovascular deaths, your risk increases two-fold compared to just one.

Researchers studied the family history of about 4 million people from a public health care database?the largest study to look at the matter?and found the risk to hold true independent of other heart disease risk factors like high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, or diabetes.


?Whenever we see events that occur early in life clustering in families, we tend to think that there must be an underlying genetic contribution,? says Mattis F. Ranthe, M.D., Ph.D. student at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, and researcher of the study. More specifically, bad genes are to blame, adds Eric Topol, M.D., director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute, and Men?s Health cardiology advisor.

The only thing is, doctors can?t yet pinpoint just which genes are the bad ones. ?I?ll have patients come in who know they have this issue in the family wondering if they?ll have the same fate,? says Dr. Topol. ?Hopefully in the future we can look at genes and determine which ones could be risk factors.?

Until then, if early death from heart complications runs in the family, it?s time to go into high gear prevention mode, says Dr. Topol. If you?re not sure, try to find out what you can about your family history by asking around or checking public death records, says Dr. Ranthe. And clean up your act?whether or not it runs in the family. Being overweight, smoking, drinking, and high blood pressure up your risk of heart problems, and are easy changes to make. (For tips on how to shed pounds, eat right, and change your life fast, sign up for our Daily Dose Newsletter?it?s FREE!)

If you liked this story, then you?ll love these:

Source: http://news.menshealth.com/do-you-know-how-youll-die/2012/08/25/

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Romney turns to Ohio amidst distractions

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? Mitt Romney and running mate Paul Ryan look to shrug off the latest in a series of unwanted distractions when they face Ohio voters as the Republican presidential ticket for the first time.

The two men are appearing at a Columbus-area rally Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after Romney raised the discredited rumor that President Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States. The comment, and his efforts to explain it, overshadowed Romney's economic message as he campaigned near his Michigan birthplace on Friday.

At the same time, Obama is launching a new Medicare offensive using his radio and Internet address and a new campaign ad to help highlight Romney's plans for the health care program for seniors.

The president does not mention his Republican challenger in his weekly radio address, but said that the Medicare program is about keeping promises to millions of seniors who have put in a lifetime of hard work.

Obama's new 30-second television ad says Romney "would break that promise" and replace the current Medicare system with a voucher program that wouldn't keep up with costs.

"Insurance companies could just keep raising rates," the new ad says.

Romney's Ohio rally is expected to be his final public appearance of the weekend ahead of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., where the former Massachusetts governor will formally accept the presidential nomination.

While GOP officials suggest they have momentum on their side heading into the crucial period, Romney and his party have faced tough questions in recent weeks on Medicare and abortion.

Now his joking reference to the president's birth certificate links him to the so-called birther movement and a wing of his party ? a combined 25 percent in an April Pew Research Center poll ? that says it either isn't sure or doesn't believe Obama was born in the United States.

Earlier in the week, Romney caused another stir by declaring that big business was "doing fine" in the current struggling economy in part because companies get advantages from offshore tax havens.

Still, polls suggest that the presidential contest is essentially a tossup as Obama struggles under the weight of the nation's weak economy.

The president's re-election campaign has pushed voter attention away from the economy in recent weeks, particularly after Romney's selection of his running mate, Ryan, the architect of a controversial budget plan that would transform Medicare into a voucher-like system for future retirees.

Democrats have also seized on Missouri Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin's recent suggestion that women's bodies can prevent pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape."

The congressman announced Friday that he would not leave his Senate contest despite overwhelming pressure from Romney and top Republican officials.

Romney made his birth certificate remark at a large outdoor rally in Michigan, where he grew up and where his father, George, served as governor. He told supporters that he and his wife, Ann, had been born at nearby hospitals.

"No one's ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this is the place that we were born and raised," Romney said.

The crowd of more than 7,000 responded with hearty laughter.

Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt swiftly denounced the remark, saying Romney "embraced the most strident voices in his party instead of standing up to them."

Romney was asked about his remark in a CBS interview later in the day.

"No, no, not a swipe," Romney said. "I've said throughout the campaign and before, there's no question about where he was born. He was born in the U.S. This was fun about us and coming home. And humor, you know ? we've got to have a little humor in a campaign."

The authenticity of Obama's birth certificate has been questioned by some Republican critics who insist Obama is not a "natural-born citizen" as required by the Constitution. Obama released a long-form version of his birth certificate last year as proof that he was born in Hawaii in 1961.

But conservative questions have lingered. And Romney has declined to condemn such questions, particularly from prominent donor Donald Trump.

The Obama campaign released a web video Friday night featuring Romney's remark and declaring that, "America doesn't need a birther-in-chief." Democrats intend to keep the pressure on as the Republican convention gets under way.

Obama was spending the weekend at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, as Republicans began gathering in Tampa for their convention. But Democrats were planning to counter Romney's message throughout the week.

Reaching out to young voters, a key component of his 2008 election, Obama was making stops in the college towns of Ames, Iowa, Fort Collins, Colo., and Charlottesville, Va., on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Vice President Joe Biden canceled plans to give a speech in Tampa on Monday, a short distance from the convention site, to help ensure emergency officials can focus on Tropical Storm Isaac. But he is expected to travel on Tuesday to Orlando and St. Augustine, Fla.

Shortly after Ryan gives his convention address on Wednesday night, first lady Michelle Obama is set to appear on CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman," offering a counter to the Republican message. The high-profile events are paired with a number of smaller gatherings around the country by Democrats aiming to attract female voters and a bus tour with party activists in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Obama campaign deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter said the president's team was "not going to cede four days of this campaign just because of a party convention."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/romney-turns-ohio-amidst-distractions-072025970.html

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?Can Nigeria save itself from the threat of civil and religious war ...

26.08.12

Crowds in a street in Zaria, Nigeria. Credit: ComSec

Nigeria has a long history of overcoming hardships and atrocities, from the military coups of decades past to the militancy of the oil-rich Niger Delta. Religious violence orchestrated by the secretive and bloodthirsty Boko Haram sect however poses a deadly new threat, writes Ian Horrocks, a journalism graduate from Britain.

?The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.?

Ben Okri?s antiquated yet prevailingly words offer the westerner a peek through the keyhole into the Nigerian psyche.

The literary poet lays bare a constant in the tumultuous history of the African nation. A nation that, since the turn of the 20th century, has fought for independence with spears against colonial muskets, endured interminable military coups and been the playground for bloodthirsty civil wars.

Despite the succession of catastrophes which dominate her past, Nigeria has a habit of answering tragedy with democratic triumph. Thirteen years of relatively stable democracy since 1999 has seen the oil-rich nation develop much faster than the rest of the sub-Sahara, aided by an average GDP per capita increase of eight per cent each year. The country is now certified ?middle income status? by the World Bank.

But, as ever with Nigeria, a fresh catastrophe looms. Islamist sect Boko Haram are currently wreaking havoc in the predominately Muslim north, bombing Christian churches, kidnapping officials and gunning down anyone who stands in their way.

The government retaliation to these attacks has been equally unequivocal, with security forces being accused of widespread extra judicial killings and arrests of suspected Boko Haram militants. Despite this heavy handed approach, the secrecy and splinter-cell organisational structure of Boko Haram, whose name loosely translates as ?Western education is sin?, has rendered the government crackdowns hopelessly futile.

The Christian community has largely reacted by fleeing the north for the relative safe-haven of areas such as Lagos and Rivers in the south, although some have begun to take up arms and form counter-militias in an attempt to achieve what many feel the Nigerian establishment has failed to do ? defend the Christian public.

?When the government fail to provide security, the people provide their own type of security. And that becomes chaos? anarchy,? warned the Anglican Benjamin Kwashi, Archbishop of Jos ? one of the flashpoint cities of the conflict ? in a CBN News interview.

It seems that once again Nigeria is on the brink of civil war. Century old divisions ? North vs. South, Muslim vs. Christian, Hausa vs. the myriad of other ethnicities in this melting-pot state ? are returning once more to haunt the nation?s latest generation.

The intense cultural, ethnic and religious diversity of Nigeria, which is perhaps only matched by the nation?s unique levels of bio-diversity ? the Cross River state is believed to have the widest range of butterfly species of anywhere in the world ? has fostered the simmering tensions which so deeply characterise this country of countless identities.

Okri?s belief in his people?s capacity to ?become greater than their suffering? is set to be put to the test once again.

At present there is little agreement amongst the people, nor the politicians, of how best to halt the chain of events which has led to the prevalence of Boko Haram and the threat of civil war which the extremist group brings with it. The only clear consensus is that any efforts to rehabilitate the country should not be purely focused upon forcefully eradicating Boko Haram. There is a feeling that the emergence of Boko Haram has simply presented a singular manifestation of issues which have been endemic in Nigerian politics and society for years.

Chronic corruption in government, outrageous wealth disparity in the North compared to the South and poor education infrastructure have all been blamed for the spate of extremism which has gripped the country in recent times.

An often overlooked element of Boko Haram?s history is that of the groups early years as a peaceful organisation comprised of ?people committed to the propagation of the prophet?s teachings?. Created and led by radical Islamist cleric Mohammed Yusuf, the group sought to initiate a tide of schooling which would eventually result in Nigeria being transformed into an Islamic state.

Pervasive persecution of the sect since its creation in 2001, led by successive Christian governments, was interpreted by Yusuf as being motivated by religion. The systematic police brutality which occurred as a result of this persecution pushed the group further toward radicalisation and eventually, in the rainy season of 2009, Boko Haram turned militant, launching a campaign of violence across North-Eastern Nigeria which would lead to the loss of hundreds of lives. Using makes-shift weapons such as fuel-laden motorcycles and bows with poison arrows, the group showed for the first time the horrific destruction that they were capable of.

The immediate aftermath of the clashes saw the arrest and subsequent televised execution of Yusuf by security forces and this was the birth of the modern Hydra-esque Boko Haram; splintered, vengeful and heavily armed.

The Nigerian government have repeatedly struggled to cope with the implications of attempting to shut down such an organisation through purely forceful means. Despite the 90 sect members executed and the hundreds of arrests since 2009, Boko Haram keeps re-appearing, always stronger and more bloodthirsty than the last time.

Many now feel that it is time for the Christian President, Goodluck Johathan, to set his pride aside and engage in dialogue with the militants. This approach succeeded exceptionally just a few years earlier in a separate incident, when the rebel Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) was persuaded to lay down their weapons in a government imposed amnesty, in exchange for money and absolution of their crimes.

?Paying off? Boko Haram however, as MEND had been, may prove difficult, if not impossible. Boko Haram are a group whose aims are mainly socio-political and aren?t driven by the Western ideals of capitalism. Attempting to entice them into retirement by offering money, the embodiment of the very ideology which they abhor and seek to overthrow, will only prove futile.

Goodluck Jonathan must look elsewhere for bargaining stock. But what can be offered to appease an organisation whose goals are so brazen and unequivocal? Boko Haram seeks both the dissolution of the Western-style establishment which governs Nigeria and the implementation of Sharia Law across all parts of the nation. These are terms which the President simply cannot meet and which leave little room for concession on either side.

One strategy being mooted is to offer Boko Haram political gifts, in exchange for an amnesty of the group?s weapons. If Boko Haram could be integrated into the political system, i.e. given the chance to set up a political party or one of their members the opportunity to join a mainstream party, then the group may be persuaded to seek its radical goals peacefully. A return to the group?s peaceful roots, combined with a role in the parliamentary process would seem to be a fair compromise, with winners on both sides.

Obviously it is difficult for many Nigerians to forget the crimes which Boko Haram have committed, especially the devastating Kano attacks in January, which left 185 dead. Absolving mass murderers, as well as shoe-horning them into government, seems to be an inherently disgraceful thing to do. But in the face of the continued bloodshed in the Northern regions, surely anything is better than allowing even more people to perish in this deadly conflict.

Once again however, Boko Haram?s disgust for the West and its teachings would perhaps dissuade members from accepting such an offer. They want an overthrow of the governmental system ? which is heavily based on America?s ? not a bit part role within it.

A short-term resolution is available however. In recent, heavily secretive, negotiations between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram, the militia offered an olive branch to President Jonathan. They would agree to a three month cease-fire, in exchange for the release of all Boko Haram members currently held in custody by the security forces. Whilst the government hold deep contempt for this deal, as releasing the hundreds of detainees would make Boko Haram stronger, it would buy the Jonathan administration some time to work out exactly how to appease the fundamentalist organisation long-term.

Perhaps the answer to this longer term pacification lies not in direct confrontation with Boko Haram, but in turning public opinion against them and their methods. A concerted Federal effort to weaken Boko Haram could possibly de-radicalise its current members, whilst stopping other disaffected Hausas from joining the group.

Boko Haram have become so powerful in such a short space of time because many Muslims in the North feel they have been abandoned by their government, left to wallow in poverty whilst their southern compatriots delight in the wealth that the bountiful amounts of oil in the Delta region have brought. Poorly educated, estranged Nigerians have been pushed towards Boko Haram and radicalisation by a government which has spectacularly failed to distribute its wealth evenly.?Investments in education and healthcare in the North can only help to reverse this process and consequently tame the Hydra that is Boko Haram.

In true Nigerian fashion however, this resolution is not as simple as it sounds. The Northern Hausa areas of the country are controlled by ?Political Elites?, a set of Muslim aristocrats who each control their own region. The immense wealth generated through the oil in the southern Delta area is in fact divided evenly into each of Nigeria?s regions. But in the North, most of this oil money goes straight into the pockets of the Fulani aristocrats and Political Elites. There is a jaw dropping disparity in terms of the budgets the Northern Elites receive and the spending which goes into developing infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and amenities. Kano state has an annual Federal Government allocated 2012 budget of 210 million Nigerian dollars and yet 90 per cent of its students are expected to fail their WAEC exams this year. It also has twice the budget of the southern states Kwara, Anambra and Ekiti, thrice the budget of Enugu and yet a higher poverty level than all of these states put together.

If effective wealth distribution is ever to be achieved, the government must first put pressure on the Northern Elites to use the money they receive to improve the lives of Northern Nigerians, rather than just embezzling the money into private companies and bank accounts.

Nigeria faces an immense task in pulling itself away from a civil war which would pit Muslims against Christians and become another bloody milestone in the country?s tempered history. It is not too late however, for President Jonathan and his administration to implement measures which benefit the whole of Nigeria, from the dusty savannah of the Muslim north to the dense tropics of the Christian south.

This time, it is only a united Nigeria which will overcome and become greater than its suffering.

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References:

Books:

Campbell, J (2011). Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink. Rowman & Littlefield

Mamman Lai, H (2010). A Silent Voice In The Land, Xlibris Corporation

Levy, P (2004). Nigeria (Cultures of the World, Second)

Cunliffe-Jones, P (2010). My Nigeria: Five Decades of Independence. Palgrave Macmillan

Fraser, R (2002). Ben Okri: Towards the Invisible City. Northcote House

Online Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17369800

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/2012316154244455.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hJt0OwqWU9lj4CbB0aXFM2DB-kvA?docId=ca7940c4f6974d13980fe5f5489376e7

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/new-hope-in-africa-says-tony-blair-7577258.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/islamist-sect-blamed-for-nigeria-kidnappings-7574464.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/nigerian-leader-takes-blame-for-hostage-deaths-7575926.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16860954

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16761670

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13809501

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16544410

http://www.cfr.org/africa/boko-haram/p25739?cid=ppc-Google-boko_haram-122711&gclid=CNSVoazy9a4CFUcntAodPTDKHQ

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15690981

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12713739

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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Articles are published in a spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding. If you disagree, why not submit a response?

To learn more about becoming a Commonwealth Correspondent please visit:?http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/submit-articles/commonwealthcorrespondents/

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Source: http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/europe/can-nigeria-save-itself-from-the-threat-of-civil-and-religious-war/

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