Healthy desserts are new recipe for success

Tommy Barnhardt made a comfortable living as a punter over a 14-year NFL career.

Now he?d like for everyone to get a piece of his pie. In 2009, Barnhardt launched his own line of healthy desserts that he says will help curtail diabetes and obesity. Working out of his east Charlotte office, Barnhardt developed Guiltless Pleasures Desserts, which made around $150,000 in sales in 2012.Guiltless Pleasures Desserts are powders the consumer mixes with a couple other ingredients, such as skim milk, to make desserts such as pies, parfaits, smoothies and ice cream.On Jan. 5-6, Barnhardt will be making an appearance at the Greater Charlotte Health and Fitness Expo at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center in Concord.?We came up with a product that was low in calories, low in fat and very tasty. I thought, ?I?m going to tackle this,??? Barnhardt said.Spoken like a true football player.A native of China Grove and a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, Barnhardt?s long pro football career included one year with the Carolina Panthers, during the team?s inaugural season. He was the third player the Panthers signed and, he says, was the first player to run on to the field at the team?s first game.From 1987 to 2000, Barnhardt played with five teams. He was a teammate of Hall of Famers Deion Sanders and Daryl Green and played in Walter Payton?s final game during his rookie season.Barnhardt became aware of how diet tampered with a body?s overall well-being during his playing days. He was diagnosed as a hypoglycemic (low blood sugar), but the only way he knew to moderate it was by eating candy bars and drinking a sports drink.He says his condition worsened in the Florida heat when he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996-1998. Consuming so much sugar put more pounds on him, which forced him to pay team fines for not maintaining his required playing weight.After retiring from football, Barnhardt says he took five to six years off and let his body recuperate. He moved to Matthews in 2007 to get closer to his family in Rowan County.Barnhardt says he has always liked to cook but started to appreciate what people went through when they had trouble maintaining their desired weight. He didn?t like the taste of low-sugar and fat-free foods he tried.Tinkering with experimental foods in his own kitchen, Barnhardt targeted desserts on a trial-and-error basis. Often collecting ingredients at the local organic grocery store, Barnhardt had his eye on his pies.Soliciting the help of a scientist acquaintance to help develop his product, Barnhardt got his break in March 2010 when he got to market his pie on the Home Shopping Network.Eight months later, he was selling his desserts to nursing homes in South Charlotte. From there, a major food distributor picked up his line.?We?re challenging the status quo in America,? says Barnhardt. ?We?re saying you can have a good food that will satisfy your taste buds without compromising taste.?Barnhardt?s company is launching an already-made frozen pie in 2013. He says he?s also working on a recipe book of dietary foods that will include turkey meatloaf, ranch-style mashed ?potatoes? made out of cauliflower, and asparagus soup made with almond milk.Aside from teaching an occasional punting lesson and being featured in an instructional video that is available on the Internet, Barnhardt isn?t involved much in football anymore.At this point of his life, the 49-year old Barnhardt has a different recipe for success.

Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/01/04/3761226/healthy-desserts-are-new-recipe.html

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How the kilogram has put on weight

Jan. 6, 2013 ? Post-Christmas and most of us are feeling the over-indulgence. But take heart -- experts at Newcastle University have shown even the kilogram itself has put on weight.

Using a state-of-the-art Theta-probe XPS machine -- the only one of its kind in the world -- the team have shown the original kilogram is likely to be tens of micrograms heavier than it was when the first standard was set in 1875.

And they say a suntan could be the key to helping it lose weight.

The original kilogram -- known as the International Prototype Kilogram or the IPK -- is the standard against which all other measurements of mass are set. Stored in the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris, forty official replicas of the IPK were made in 1884 and distributed around the world in order to standardise mass. The UK holds replica 18 at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL).

But despite efforts to protect the IPK and its duplicates, industrialisation and modern living have taken their toll on the platinum-based weights and contaminants have built up on the surface.

Now Professor Peter Cumpson and Dr Naoko Sano have used cutting-edge X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) to analyse surfaces similar to the standard kilogram to assess the build-up of hydrocarbons -- and how to remove them.

Publishing their findings this month in the journal of Metrologia, they reveal how giving the kilogram a suntan could be the answer to helping it lose weight.

"Statute decrees the IPK is the kilogram," explains research lead Peter Cumpson, Professor of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) at Newcastle University.

"It doesn't really matter what it weighs as long as we are all working to the same exact standard -- the problem is there are slight differences. Around the world, the IPK and its 40 replicas are all growing at different rates, diverging from the original.

"We're only talking about a very small change -- less than 100 micrograms -- so, unfortunately, we can't all take a couple of kilograms off our weight and pretend the Christmas over-indulgence never happened.

"But mass is such a fundamental unit that even this very small change is significant and the impact of a slight variation on a global scale is absolutely huge. There are cases of international trade in high-value materials -- or waste -- where every last microgram must be accounted for.

"What we have done at Newcastle is effectively give these surfaces a suntan. By exposing the surface to a mixture of UV and ozone we can remove the carbonaceous contamination and potentially bring prototype kilograms back to their ideal weight."

The kilogram is one of the seven SI base units from which all other units can be derived and is the only one which is measured against a physical object -- the IPK -- all others are standardised against known constants.

The Newcastle team are now moving on to study the addition of mercury from the atmosphere, something Professor Cumpson first identified while working at the NPL in the 1990's. But it is the development of techniques such as XPS which has allowed them to accurately measure how the build up of chemicals such as hydrocarbons can be most effectively removed.

Newcastle University hosts the ?3million National XPS service funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Using a Theta-probe XPS machine -- the only one of its kind in the world -- Professor Cumpson and Dr Sano showed how the UV/ozone wash could be used to remove contamination without damaging the platinum surface.

"The Theta probe allows us to look at the composition of very thin layers by measuring the angle at which the electrons emerge from it," explains Professor Cumpson.

"Rather like an MRI scanner, it takes a cross section of the material but at an atomic level. The second part of the machine is the Argon cluster ion gun -- which fires charged 'droplets', each containing about a thousand Argon atoms -- and it is this which makes the Newcastle machine unique.

"The Argon cluster ion gun allows us to analyse organic materials without damaging the inorganic surface, in this case the platinum alloy."

Work is underway internationally in several National Measurement Institutes to find an alternative to the IPK -- a standardised value for the kilogram that is not based on a matchbox- sized piece of metal. But until then, the prototype kilograms are what the world relies on for its mass scale.

"If the kilogram does put on weight then it's imperative that we understand exactly how the IPK is changing," says Professor Cumpson.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Newcastle University.

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Journal Reference:

1. Peter Cumpson, Naoko Sano. Stability of reference masses V: UV/ozone treatment of gold and platinum surfaces. Metrologia, 2013; 50 (1): 27 DOI: 10.1088/0026-1394/50/1/27

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/xygWOJzCmUw/130107082614.htm

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Intel's New Chips: Everything You Need to Know (Updating)

Intel's talking about its new stuff today at CES. Some of it's new, some of it we've heard before. But we'll let you know everything important that goes down today. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/0VqucsvPyks/intels-new-chips-everything-you-need-to-know-updating

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Step 1 In The Job Search Process - What Do You Have To offer ...

Careers coach Penny Strutton is writing a weekly column for This Is Nottingham with advice for job seekers. This week she looks at the need to create your personal inventory...

It's that time again! If we're not trying to shift the extra weight gained over Christmas, we're looking for a new job! These two most popular resolutions are set year in and year out but so often are not achieved. If you're one of these people think about what it is you need to achieve. You need a large handful of personal belief for sure; but more importantly you need a plan!

1. Penny Strutton is a Performance & Career Coach based in Nottingham. For further information on her coaching services visit www.pennystrutton.co.uk.

So often people launch themselves into finding a new job without taking a step back to think about what it is they have to offer and what exactly they're looking for. Old and probably outdated techniques are used and by February people have resigned themselves to the fact that they'll never find a new job and probably better off staying put!

I've got good news! Everyone has a unique set of skills, achievements and interests which if presented and promoted well can get you a good job ? a better job, maybe even the job of your dreams!!

Compiling a personal inventory should be your starting point. Once you've done this you can carry out some research into the types of jobs and industries which suit you and then write your CV, which you can use to apply for jobs and make speculative approaches to employers. But first things first; compile your personal inventory?

What skills do you hold? Think back over your previous work experience, your time at college or your time at home caring for others or raising a family. List the activities you undertook over a regular week.

For example: "dealing with customers complaints and finding solutions"

Think about "how" you carried this out and you'll be able to identify the skills. To deal with customers you need to be able to communicate, empathise and be assertive, you also need to know what to do to find solutions, which person to approach or which action to follow. From this, you can see the skills you would be using would be communication and problem solving skills (to name a few). Now complete this exercise for all previous roles both paid and unpaid.

Once you've got a thorough list together cross off the skills you really don't enjoy and highlight those that you do enjoy and gain satisfaction from.

What are your values? Having a good understanding of your values is important for identifying whether a job or company will be a good personal fit or not. If you're motivated by making money, working as a volunteer may not fulfil you. Again, if you're motivated by a varied and fast moving work environment, a repetitive desk based job may not be what you're after either! To help you identify your values and motivators, think back to jobs and activities where you were most inspired, motivated and fulfilled. What were you doing at the time? What were others doing? What was the environment like? Now think back to a role where you were not happy or fulfilled? What was missing? Use the answers to these questions to create a table of what is essential, desirable, unwanted and what to avoid in your next role.

What interests you? If you're interested in what you are doing you are far more likely to enjoy your job and progress. Think about what you're passionate about, what you love to debate, what you would happily get involved in for free if you had the time and financial security. Think about your hobbies, what you enjoy reading. Cast your mind back over the years and think about what you used to enjoy when you were younger. Does anything deserve being resurrected? Make a list of your key interests and think about how they may be integrated into different industries.

You'll now have a good understanding of what you have to offer and what you require in your next job. You can now start researching the type of roles that may utilise your skills, the industries that interest you and companies where your values will be realised. Once you've done this, you'll be ready to write your CV and create a strategy for your job search!

This exercise not only boosts your personal understanding, it helps boost confidence. So often we forget that what we do on a daily basis requires a good level of skill and that we are accomplished in many areas.

The first session in my online self-coaching programme helps you through this process of self-discovery using useful exercises and templates as well as a 20 minute training video. If you would like more information please visit www.pennystrutton.co.uk/training.

Next week I'll focus on writing a winning CV!

Source: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Step-1-Job-Search-Process-offer/story-17768524-detail/story.html

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NHL lockout is over; players, owners reach tentative deal

Getty

It took 16 hours of talks in New York on Saturday, with concessions from both sides. It took 113 days. A total of 625 regular-season games were sacrificed, or over half the 2012-13 season. It took months of bitter sniping, petty politics, false hope and broken hearts.

But at around 5 a.m. on Jan. 6, the word finally spread around the hockey world: The NHL and the NHLPA had reached a verbal agreement on a tentative framework for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Drop the puck. The NHL will be finally back, with a 10-year CBA solidified between union chief Donald Fehr and Commissioner Gary Bettman. As Fehr said, via Sportsnet: "Any process like this is difficult; it can be long...we have the framework of a deal."

Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger reports some details:

Deal to end NHL lockout tentative with 10-year CBA (opt-out after 8 years), 7-year contract limit (8 for own players) and $64.3 M cap '13-14.

That?s right: After the NHL asked for a $60 million cap, the players got the League to move all the way to $64.3.

The deal ends an ordeal that began on June 29, 2012, when collective bargaining started between the two sides. That led to a July 13 proposal from the NHL that may have set back negotiations for months: One that included a dramatic drop in the players? share of revenue from 57 percent down to 43 percent, galvanizing the union.

The NHLPA made its first offer on Aug. 14, as Donald Fehr surprised the NHL by not taking a run at the salary cap.

The lockout formally began at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sept. 15, 2012, after both sides tendered offers. The NHL?s next big offer arrived in October, which included a 50/50 split in revenue and a start date of Nov. 2.

That offer didn?t get the deal done, and the 2013 Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs paid the price in the next round of cancellations.

December produced some high drama: Meetings between the players and owners without Bettman and Fehr in the room; mediation with the U.S. federal government; and several proposals that saw both sides inch closer to a resolution.

Mediator Scot Beckenbaugh returned to the talks last week, acting as a go-between and then eventually bringing the sides together on Saturday. With the NHLPA's disclaimer of interest and the NHL's potential drop-dead date of Jan. 11 looming, the sides finally dedicated themselves to saving the season with a marathon session.

The deal was finally completed, pending ratification from the owners and players.

Game on, with a shortened season expected to begin on Jan. 19 or as early as Jan. 15. John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that teams will only play within their conferences.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/nhl-lockout-over-players-owners-reach-tentative-cba-102905515--nhl.html

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Outsourcing Businesses Force Changes on Chinese Factories

In December, we reported that Apple had decided to manufacture some products in the U.S. However, the fact remains moving into the New Year, outsourcing will continue to be a driving force in business. This roundup looks at what outsourcing is doing to the business world and at the advantages your company can reap.

Make Changes

Outsourcing is changing China. Last year, conditions in Chinese factories that manufacture tech products for U.S. firms became the center of controversy. The issue was working conditions, worse in Chinese factories than would be permitted in the U.S. and other plants. U.S. leaders are also eager to bring more manufacturing jobs back. But manufacturing in countries like China by foreign companies is likely to continue?this time, with better conditions. The New York Times

Eight outsourcing mistakes. When looking to outsource products or services for your business, be careful you make the right choices. In this post, we hear from eight entrepreneurs; Steve Chou, Fraser Cain, Sean Platt, and others, who talk about their outsourcing experiences. Whether successes or failures, these anecdotes could help you improve your business?s effectiveness, increasing productivity while reducing costs. Rana Shahbaz

Reduce Costs

Saving on medical costs. One way to outsource services is to look into contractors and sub-contractors. These options as alternatives to hiring full-time employees will become increasingly important with new healthcare regulations on the way, writes Elaine Love in this guest post about small business employment. First, look at the pros and cons of these two kinds of outsourcing to see whether either or both might be right for your company. The Small Business Playbook

Class is in session. ?Many small business owners are less interested in the logistics of running their company and more in the concept or product they are putting on the market,? says Kate Webster of ResourceNation.com. To meet this need some businesses are turning to HR outsourcing options. Here is a look at what such organizations do, the benefits and drawbacks, and how to decide whether HR outsourcing is right for your business. OutsourceHow

Other Options

Outsource your SEO. Many larger companies hire an in house Search Engine Optimization specialist or perhaps a whole SEO department. However, smaller businesses sometimes do not have the budget necessary for another full salary even to fill the important roll of making sure their Website has good visibility online. Fortunately other options exists, writes SEO specialist Nick Stamoulis. One is to study SEO and get started yourself. The other is to outsource your SEO services. Here?s how. Brick Marketing Blog

Nine more outsourcing options. You may think the greatest challenge facing your company is money. In fact, one of the most limited resources available to you as an entrepreneur is your time. There are many resources you can use when looking for ways to outsource services and products. Here is a list of some of the best from small business coach Stephanie Ward to save you time and potentially money. Firefly Coaching

What you don?t need. There is one kind of outsourcing you may want to avoid. Outsourcing forum posting services has inherent dangers you should consider first, writes Chris London, art and online marketing director for Pixel Productions Inc.? This kind of outsourced SEO may be something your business should avoid. Pixel Blog

The post Outsourcing Businesses Force Changes on Chinese Factories appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Source

Source: http://news.business-news-blog.eu/outsourcing-businesses-force-changes-on-chinese-factories/

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Alta Devices claims world's lightest, most efficient military solar chargers

Alta Devices has already laid claim to one solar charging-related record, now it's claiming to add world's lightest to its list of selling points. The company is still touting its mats as the most efficient (though, there are some valid challenges to that claim), but it's adding portability and versatility to its resume. It's smallest military model weighs just four ounces, is roughly the size of a sheet of paper and delivers 10 watts of juice while meeting all the requisite durability standards. There's also a larger 20 watt, eight-ounce version that the company claims can keep a soldier supplied with power all day in strong sunlight. The next step is to put these light, efficient cells in unmanned drones and, hopefully, consumer electronics. For a bit more check out the PR and video after the break.

Continue reading Alta Devices claims world's lightest, most efficient military solar chargers

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/81oCgJdNYtg/

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How to Reach Your Ultimate Potential With Self Help Subliminal Audio

It is stated that we use less than 10% of the potential of our brains throughout daily life. Even the most talented amongst us rarely use more than this. Imagine what our lives and our world would be like if we were able to boost our mental capacity by just a few %. It is often claimed that as a species we use below 10% of our mental faculties, perhaps we are only a small fraction of the species we will develop into one day, and it is hard to imagine that if we only use 10% of our possible brain power now what we?d be like and capable of if we used just 20-30% !

In many ways our brains are so resourceful, and as we grow and develop we all progress in different ways. We are all shaped differently and use our brains in different ways, some people for example have a positive experience in school and go on to study increasingly more. Others revel in sports, they receive constructive praise for their sporting achievements and continue to practice ? on the way developing the proper mindset and patterns of thinking required for sports success.

Sadly, people also receive negative feedback ? being told they are no good academically, or that they will never flourish in a specific area. Just as our brains store positive feedback and reactions and shape our lives, they do the same with negative feedback too. Some neuro pathways close down and others open up, but essentially we limit our own potential. This is a form of self protection by our brains ? it stops you against experiencing the rejection and criticism again, and this is natural, but unfortunately it limits our potential too..

These self beliefs and patterns of thinking just become part of our personality, of who we are, and in the end they hold us back and actually stop us from reaching our full potential. However, ultimately you are still in control of your mind and you actually have the ability to take control and change your thoughts, beliefs, and things like your self esteem and base levels of confidence.

How?

Subliminals target your limiting beliefs, progressively break them down, and replace them with positive ones. Because they access your unconscious mind they can make changes where other regular ways of development fall short, and even when you are not consciously conscious of the messages they progressively build to shape your mind in a constructive way.

Subliminal audio has nearly limitless possibilities, from enhancing your capability to develop the ability to think positive to enhancing your social abilities.

Imagine if you were free of adverse beliefs, if you were blessed with a natural abundance of self confidence, imagine how much more you could achieve.

This doesn?t have to be a fantasy forever, it is certainly possible to develop your subconscious mind, rewire your mind and shape your life in lots of various ways, and you can get started today with the power of subliminal messages:

Visit http://www.online-ebook-download.com and Download These Unique 3 FREE Subliminal Audio Albums Today.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/http://raffiray.articlealley.com/how-to-reach-your-ultimate-potential-with-self-help-subliminal-audio-1766223.html

Source: http://makingalife.org/abundance-prosperity/how-to-reach-your-ultimate-potential-with-self-help-subliminal-audio/

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I Wish I Thought of That! Organization Tips for the Home | Merrimack ...

Getting organized in your home can be less expensive and easier than you think. There are items all around your home that can help you get the clutter in order. Here are just a few tips to get you off to a good start:

A big problem is spices, they get lost in the cabinet, take up tons of room and are always hard to see. If this is a problem in your home use a?mop holder to store spices on the inside of a cabinet door.

Too many craft supplies and a place to put them is a typical problem. Arrange crayons, colored pencils and more in an over-the-door shoe organizer. You have all your supplies organized and easy to see in no time.

Use the shoe organizer for anything. It can also be great for cleaning supplies.

If you need decorations for your playroom walls and you have too many board games this is a great solution. Take the glass out of frames and frame the board games and hang on the walls. Attach the game pieces in little baggies to the frame.

What about all that jewelry? If you could actually see it you may even wear it more. Hang a peg board on the wall in your closet and hang your necklaces from it.

Need a place to put your earrings? How about an ice cube tray?

These are just a few nifty ideas. What are your best ideas to keep your home organized?

Source: http://www.stonecastleestates.com/blog/i-wish-i-thought-of-that-organization-tips-for-the-home

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Gay marriage supporters look to next session

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) ? With a vote to legalize same-sex marriage in Illinois looking less likely to happen in the next few days, supporters of marriage equality are looking ahead to the following legislative session as their next best hope.

A Senate committee voted 8-5 late Thursday in favor of a bill that would allow gay marriage. But with key supporters absent, Senate Democrats delayed a full floor vote. The Senate then canceled its Friday schedule, and President John Cullerton said lawmakers are unlikely to return to Springfield before the session ends Jan. 9. New lawmakers will be sworn into office that day.

Sen. Heather Steans, the bill's sponsor, said it was a matter of "when, not if" the measure will pass. She said people across Illinois and state lawmakers are changing their minds every day and supporting gay marriage.

"This is never going to be an easy one, but it's only going to get easier," Steans said.

Cullerton said it might be weeks before the bill gets a full Senate vote. His spokeswoman conceded "the bill needs work," and even Steans suggested working with recalcitrant Republicans to get a bipartisan agreement.

"What's important when we reconvene is that we work to protect and strengthen all Illinois families, and that's what this legislation does," Cullerton said in a statement released by a coalition of supporters.

Hopes were high for an productive end to the 97th General Assembly, with legislation not only on gay marriage but on assault-weapons restrictions and a solution to the $96 billion hole in state retirement-benefit accounts.

Gun curbs advanced, and a pension fix has been proposed in the House, which isn't scheduled to return to Springfield until Sunday ? giving Gov. Pat Quinn reason to stay optimistic that his top priority will still get attention.

Democrats hold a 35-24 majority in the Senate, but party members outside Chicago don't always toe the line. Not all are on board with extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, and some key supporters did not attend Thursday's session.

Hoping to ride momentum from the November elections and public encouragement from President Barack Obama, backers were jolted by the postponement.

A gay actor who stars in a popular TV comedy campaigned for the measure in Illinois while religious leaders ? including 1,700 clergy, from Catholic to Muslim ? united in writing lawmakers to oppose it.

Ralph Rivera, a lobbyist for the Illinois Family Institute, told lawmakers the bill was "an attack on our particular religious beliefs" and that it would force churches and other religious institutions to allow their facilities to be used for same-sex marriages.

Steans said that wouldn't be the case, but she said she planned to work with Republicans to address some of those concerns.

Supporters said they pressed the matter in the waning days of the General Assembly's session to take advantage of soaring support in the state and nationally. And lame-duck lawmakers theoretically have more freedom to vote without fear of voter backlash.

Even though Democrats will claim a 40-19 advantage in the new session, newcomers will bring more diverse views in a state where southern Illinoisans live closer to Birmingham, Ala., than to Chicago.

The plan comes just 18 months after Illinois recognized civil unions.

If Illinois approves gay marriage, it would become the 10th state in the nation to do so.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gay-marriage-supporters-look-next-session-080621672.html

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'Lincoln,' 'Argo' earn Writers Guild nominations

FILE - This publicity film image released by DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox shows Daniel Day-Lewis portraying Abraham Lincoln in the film "Lincoln." The Producers Guild of America announced the motion picture and long-form television nominations for the 24th Annual Producers Awards on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Los Angeles. The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures included these nominees, "Argo," (Warner Bros.) producers: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, and Grant Heslov; "Beasts of Southern Wild," (Fox Searchlight Pictures) producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, and Josh Penn; "Lincoln," (Touchstone Pictures) producers: Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg; among other film producers and productions. (AP Photo/DreamWorks, Twentieth Century Fox, David James, File)

FILE - This publicity film image released by DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox shows Daniel Day-Lewis portraying Abraham Lincoln in the film "Lincoln." The Producers Guild of America announced the motion picture and long-form television nominations for the 24th Annual Producers Awards on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2012, in Los Angeles. The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures included these nominees, "Argo," (Warner Bros.) producers: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, and Grant Heslov; "Beasts of Southern Wild," (Fox Searchlight Pictures) producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, and Josh Penn; "Lincoln," (Touchstone Pictures) producers: Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg; among other film producers and productions. (AP Photo/DreamWorks, Twentieth Century Fox, David James, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? "Lincoln" and "Zero Dark Thirty" are adding to their front-runner status for Hollywood's awards season.

The two dramas earned nominations from the Writers Guild on Friday for outstanding screen writing.

"Lincoln" is up for adapted screenplay, along with "Argo," ''Silver Linings Playbook," ''Life of Pi" and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower."

"Zero Dark Thirty" was nominated for original screenplay, along with "Flight," ''Looper," ''The Master" and "Moonrise Kingdom."

In the documentary category, "The Central Park Five," ''The Invisible War," ''Mea Maxima Culpa, "West of Memphis," ''We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists," and "Searching for Sugar Man" earned nominations.

Winners will be announced during simultaneous ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles on Feb. 17.

___

Online:

www.wga.org

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-04-Writers%20Guild%20Awards-Nominations/id-8c3899e9d9474f58ba0eb0418d06ec1b

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Today on New Scientist: 3 January 2013

Has the Kyoto protocol done more harm than good?

The first legal agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ended last week, but tragically it could have resulted in higher emissions

Male lynxes duel to the death

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Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/492992/s/272a1887/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A130C0A10Ctoday0Eon0Enew0Escientist0E30Ejanua0E10Bhtml/story01.htm

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Scarlett Johansson: Marriage "Has No Relevance to Me Right Now ...

Been there, done that.

Scarlett Johansson has seen what married life has to offer, and though she says she enjoyed it at the time, she's not rushing to walk down the aisle again anytime soon -- if ever.

PHOTOS: Scarlett's romantic history

"I never think about marriage," the Hitchcock actress, 28, tells Elle UK of tying the knot. "Is that weird? The only time I ever think about it is when people ask me, 'Would I get married again?' It's really not important to me. It has no relevance to me right now."

That hasn't always been the case, of course. Johansson was famously, if briefly, married to Safe House actor Ryan Reynolds from 2008 to 2010. And though the couple separated after just two years together, she says the experience was what she wanted it to be at that point in her life.

PHOTOS: Scarlett and Ryan, the way they were

"I got married when I was young and it was incredibly romantic and I liked being married, actually," she explains of her relationship with Reynolds, who recently wed his Green Lantern costar Blake Lively in a secret ceremony in South Carolina. "But it is different. It's hard to put into words."

Johansson, who dated Sean Penn and ad exec Nate Naylor after splitting from Reynolds in 2010, has most recently been stepping out with French journalist Romain Dauriac. And it sounds like they're happily committed, ring or no ring.

PHOTOS: Shocking celeb splits

"I'm not having kids any time soon. I'm in a nice relationship, I'm working a lot and, like I said, [marriage is] not important to me," she tells Elle, later adding, "To me, being in a functioning relationship doesn't mean you have to be married."

The more important thing, she says, is to find someone who challenges you and makes you better. "I look for a partner who is creative," she explains, noting that relationships with fellow actors can be "monotonous." "I like people that have a colorful way of looking at things, that are inspiring and like art, music and film."

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/scarlett-johansson-marriage-has-no-relevance-to-me-right-now--201321

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Turkish Registrar Enabled Phishers to Spoof ... - Krebs on Security

Google and Microsoft today began warning users about active phishing attacks against Google?s online properties. The two companies said the attacks resulted from a fraudulent digital certificate that was mistakenly issued by a domain registrar run by a Turkish domain registrar.

In a blog post published today, Google said that on Dec. 24, 2012, its Chrome Web browser detected and blocked an unauthorized digital certificate for the ?*.google.com? domain.

?We investigated immediately and found the certificate was issued by an?intermediate certificate authority?(CA) linking back to TURKTRUST, a Turkish certificate authority,? wrote?Adam Langley, a Google software engineer. ?Intermediate CA certificates carry the full authority of the CA, so anyone who has one can use it to create a certificate for any website they wish to impersonate.?

Langley said that Google responded by Chrome on December 25 to block that intermediate CA, and then alerted TURKTRUST and other browser vendors. ?TURKTRUST told us that based on our information, they discovered that in August 2011 they had mistakenly issued two intermediate CA certificates to organizations that should have instead received regular SSL certificates. On December 26, we pushed another Chrome metadata update to block the second mistaken CA certificate and informed the other browser vendors.?

Separately, Microsoft has issued an advisory with a bit more detail, saying it is aware of active attacks using one of the fraudulent digital certificates issued by TURKTRUST Inc.

?This fraudulent certificate could be used to spoof content, perform phishing attacks, or perform man-in-the-middle attacks. This issue affects all supported releases of Microsoft Windows,? the software giant warned.

According to Microsoft, TURKTRUST Inc. incorrectly created two subsidiary CAs (*.EGO.GOV.TR and e-islem.kktcmerkezbankasi.org). The *.EGO.GOV.TR subsidiary CA was then used to issue a fraudulent digital certificate to *.google.com. This fraudulent certificate could be used to spoof content, perform phishing attacks, or perform man-in-the-middle attacks against several Google web properties.? [link added]

It?s not clear yet whether this was an attack against Turkish residents, or if the targets were more widespread geographically. The domain that Microsoft mentioned in its advisory ??kktcmerkezbankasi.org ??is not resolving at the moment. But according to a screen shot of the domain?s home page taken by Domaintools.com on March 14, 2012 (see image above), the site represented itself as the Central Bank of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a financial institution established in Northern Cyprus in 1983.

In any case, compromises like this one can lead to colossal security failures. An attacker with certificate authority signing ability can sign certificates for virtually any domain.?The TURKTRUST incident harkens back to another similar compromise that happened around the same timeframe. In September 2011, Dutch certificate authority Diginotar learned that a security breach at the firm had resulted in the fraudulent issuing of certificates. A follow-up investigation ?suggested that the attacker who penetrated the Dutch CA DigiNotar last year had complete control of all eight of the company?s certificate-issuing servers during the operation and he may also have issued some rogue certificates that have not yet been identified. Diginotar later declared bankruptcy.

Microsoft has pushed out an update that addresses this weakness and removes the fraudulent certificates from the list of trusted certs in Windows. According to Microsoft, the update should be automatically deployed to users on Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows Server 2012 and devices running Windows Phone 8.?An automatic updater of revoked certificates is available for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2, from?this link.?Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 customers can grab the update via Microsoft Update (it?s not immediately clear from Microsoft?s advisory whether users of other Windows versions can obtain the update from Microsoft Update as well).

Update, 3:57 p.m. ET:A previous version of this story incorrectly named TURKTRUST as an institution run by the Turkish government. The above copy has been corrected.

Update, 4:16 p.m. ET:?Firefox browser maker Mozilla?just published a blog post noting that it, too, was revoking the fraudulent certs.

Tags: .ego.gov.tr, Central Bank of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, google, Google.com, islem.kktcmerkezbankasi.org, KB2677070, KB2798897, microsoft, TURKTRUST, TURKTRUST INC.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 3rd, 2013 at 3:24 pm and is filed under Latest Warnings. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a comment. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Source: http://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/01/turkish-registrar-enabled-phishers-to-spoof-google/

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World stocks jump as US staves off 'fiscal cliff'

BANGKOK (AP) ? World markets registered relief Wednesday over the U.S. congressional vote to stop hundreds of billions of dollars in automatic tax increases and spending cuts that risked plunging the world's biggest economy into recession.

Benchmarks in Australia and Hong Kong boomeranged on the first trading day of the year, just before Congress passed an emergency measure to avert much of the impact of tax-and-spending changes that were so steep they were dubbed the "fiscal cliff." Asian markets had slipped on Monday, fearing that negotiations over the measure might collapse.

Economists have been warning that the tax increases and spending cuts could take a chunk out of the U.S. economy; some experts predicted financial markets would plunge unless a clear-cut deal was reached.

Instead, markets in Asia and Europe blessed the stopgap measure approved late Tuesday in Washington to retroactively counter some of the "fiscal cliff" effects. The bill Congress passed awaits President Barack Obama's signature.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shot up 2.9 percent to close at 23,311.89, its highest finish since June 1, 2011. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 surged 1.2 percent to close at 4,705.90, its strongest finish in 19 months. South Korea's Kospi jumped 1.7 percent to 2,031.10.

European stocks jumped shortly after opening. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 1.6 percent to 5,989.24. Germany's DAX advanced 1.7 percent to 7,740.12 and France's CAC-40 also gained 1.7 percent at 3,701.90.

"People are very relieved this morning because the U.S. is very likely to fix its own problems in the next few days, so investors in Hong Kong are pretty optimistic," said Jackson Wong, vice president of Tanrich Securities in Hong Kong.

But some analysts said that expectations for a compromise were so low that any deal was viewed as positive.

"Among business leaders, I'm gonna say this deal isn't enough to move the needle on confidence. It may improve consumer confidence a little, investors obviously are celebrating a tentative deal but you know how transitory investor confidence can become," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at BMO Group.

Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan, India, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia posted solid gains. Markets in Japan and mainland China reopen Friday.

Uncertainty about the outcome of negotiations drove down Asian regional stocks Monday, the last trading day of 2012.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.5 percent to close at 4,648.90, as investors sold off stocks to lock in profits. Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed marginally lower. Singapore, New Zealand and India also declined. Japan and South Korea were closed.

The bill that Congress approved calls for higher taxes on incomes over $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for couples, a victory for Obama. Earnings above those amounts would be taxed at a rate of 39.6 percent, up from the current 35 percent. It also delays for two months $109 billion worth of across-the-board spending cuts that had been set to start affecting the Pentagon and domestic agencies this week.

Lorraine Tan, director at Standard & Poor's equity research in Singapore, said she believes U.S. growth in 2013 will be able to offset the impact of the tax increases and that companies would feel freer to spend now that the U.S. has taken a step back from the edge of the cliff.

Companies "can start to move ahead with any expansion plans they may have," Tan said. "You'll see some of that pent-up spending in 2013. And I think there's a lot of relief related to that."

Even if Washington bypasses the fiscal cliff, the next crisis is just around the corner, in late February or early March, when the government reaches a $16.4 trillion ceiling on the amount of money it can borrow.

Republicans say they won't go along with raising the limit on government borrowing unless the increase is matched by spending cuts to help attack long-term debt. Failing to raise the debt ceiling could lead to a first-ever U.S. default that could roil financial markets and shake worldwide confidence in the United States.

"Republicans vow not to raise the limit without sharp cuts in spending and Obama vows not to cut spending without further tax hikes. Two more months of shenanigans and waffling / seasick markets? It certainly looks that way," analysts at DBS Bank Ltd. in Singapore said in a market commentary.

U.S. stocks shot higher Monday on the belief that lawmakers would work out a deal. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 1.3 percent to 13,104.14. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 1.7 percent to 1,426.19. The Nasdaq composite index rose 2 percent to 3,019.51.

Political gridlock has been rattling U.S. markets and shaking consumer and business confidence the past two years.

To end a 2011 standoff over raising the federal debt limit, lawmakers agreed to a Jan. 1, 2013 deadline to reach a deal over taxes and spending. If there was no agreement, more than $500 billion in tax increases would hit the economy in 2013 alone, along with $109 billion in cuts from the military and domestic spending programs ? hence the fiscal cliff.

After a fight over raising the debt limit last year, the credit rating agency Standard & Poor's took the unprecedented step of lowering the U.S. government's AAA bond rating because of the lack of a credible plan to reduce the federal government's debt.

___

Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pamelasampson

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/world-stocks-jump-us-staves-off-fiscal-cliff-091755154--finance.html

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Holiday Week 2012 Sees New iOS And Android Device Activations Rise To 50M Total, A 150% Increase

App analytics platform Flurry has released its annual look at how many new mobile devices came online during the holiday season, and the results show a dramatic change from the situation a year ago. Over 50 million iOS and Android devices were activated during the period between December 25 to December 31, versus just over 20 million devices last year.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ZnEulhb7a4E/

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EVE - Salt Lake City, Utah News

SALT LAKE CITY ? Fireworks and live music were among several events in Salt Lake City?s ?EVE? celebration for the new year.

EVE, put on by the Downtown Alliance, has been going on for the past three days. The event is billed as ?family friendly,? with music and activities scattered around the downtown area.

On Friday, the Gateway was hosting a glow in the dark bounce room, face painting, and a jumbo Lite Brite.

Downtown Alliance organizers say the cold weather likely pushed a lot of the partiers indoors, particularly in the first few days of the celebration.

?It was cold, but I think that gave people the opportunity to do some of the indoor events like going to our partners at the museums and Broadway shows and Planetarium and the improv comedy,? said Nick Como with Downtown Alliance.

Events were also being held at the Leonardo museum, Temple Square and the Gallivan Center.

?When I heard about things indoors that they can run around and jump around, with all the
cold weather I thought that?s it,? said Tomena Goodwin, who was at the Gateway with her four children.

Event organizers say they sold thousands of wristbands for EVE this year and attendance was ?on par? with the 2011 celebration. The Salt Lake Film Society reported greater attendance at its events in 2012 than in 2011.

On Monday night, the party was packed and by midnight, it was standing room only.

EVE?s popularity and affordability have propelled it on to travel website Travelocity.com?s Top 10 New Year?s destinations list.

Source: http://fox13now.com/2013/01/01/eve-events-mark-new-years-celebrations-in-slc/

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Bush tax cuts have expired, no law has replaced them (Americablog)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/274232597?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Off the Cliff: What Happens?

America is swiftly approaching the fiscal cliff.

President Obama and congressional leaders have talked for weeks with varying degrees of frequency and success at compromising, and one precept resonates throughout the public statements of politicians and economists: the so-called "fiscal cliff" would be a very bad thing.

But what actually happens if Washington takes us over it?

As has been well documented, the "cliff" is not one thing, but a ball of expiring economic provisions that lead to automatic policy changes at year's end, loosely grouped under the catch phrase. They fall into two categories, taxes and spending.

Should we fall off the cliff, the tax code would change most dramatically with the expiration of the so-called "Bush tax cuts," which created new brackets and lowered tax rates for both middle-class and high earners. According to the Tax Policy Center at the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution, the average American taxpayer would see a tax hike of $3,446, ABC's David Muir reported for "World News."

Where do the hikes fall, exactly? For many tax brackets, rates would jump by at least three percentage points. The middle class would see the worst of it, according to analysis from the Congressional Research Service, the nonpartisan research arm that studies policy changes at Congress's request.

For high earners, married couples making more than $222,300 but less than $397,000, rates would jump from 33 percent to 36 percent. For the highest earners, couples making over $397,000, taxes would rise from 35 percent to 39.6 percent.

But they'd rise for almost everyone else, too. Couples making $145,900 - $222,300 would see a rate jump from 28 percent to 31 percent. Couples making $72,300 - $145,900 would see rates jump from 25 percent to 28 percent.

The middle class would take the biggest hit: Married couples earning $60,350 - $72,300 would see tax rates jump from 15 percent to 28 percent. That means that without any credits or deductions, a couple making $65,000 would go from taking home $55,250 to taking home $46,800 next year if Congress and the president fail to strike a deal.

The cliff's tax implications go beyond the simple income-tax rate: The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and the estate tax are also on the table with year-end deadlines.

The AMT is a tax that prevents high earners from escaping income-tax liability by claiming too many deductions. Taxpayers over a certain income add back certain deductions to see if they must pay a minimum rate. Ever since Bush's tax cuts, Congress has repeatedly extended an "AMT patch" to maintain the income threshold. According to the Congressional Research Service, if Congress doesn't act again this year, that threshold will drop from $74,450 to $45,000 for married couples and from $48,450 to $33,750 for individuals, exposing more people to the alternative minimum.

The estate tax, demonized by Republicans as the dreaded "death tax," would change significantly. Right now, estates of over $5.12 million are taxed at a maximum of 35 percent. If Congress doesn't act, next year estates of over $1 million will be taxed at 55 percent.

No one likes paying taxes, but the spending side of the cliff isn't supposed to be all that fun, either.

The "cliff" was born from the idea that Congress could impose a deadline on itself, hanging an unpleasant combination of spending cuts over its own head. In 2011, when President Obama and congressional leaders wrangled over a proposed increase to the debt limit, a maneuver Congress had typically done without any fuss, they couldn't agree on a deficit-reduction package that would satisfy GOP demands for fiscal restraint. So they created the now-infamous deficit-reduction "supercommittee," asked it to recommend a plan, and gave it an ultimatum: If you fail, automatic spending cuts will be triggered, half from defense, and half from discretionary domestic programs, mostly shielding mandatory entitlements, such as Social Security.

The committee failed, and Congress gave itself until 2013 to solve the problem, extending its own deadline before the set of "budget sequestration" spending caps would take effect.

Those cuts would save about $1.1 trillion over 10 years, the Congressional Budget Office estimated after Congress passed the law, the Budget Control Act, which created the cliff's spending ultimatum.

In 2013, that means defense programs would see a cut of $54 billion, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP)--but the Budget Control Act specifies that spending on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq would be protected from any automatic cuts.

Entitlements wouldn't see the worst of it--but they wouldn't be exempt, either.

Outside of defense spending, $38.6 billion would be shaved, proportionally, from discretionary domestic spending programs other than veterans' medical care and Pell grants, according to CBPP. But Medicare would take a hit, with cuts to provider payments (theoretically protecting benefits) limited to 2 percent in any year. CBPP estimates $10.8 billion would be cut from Medicare providers in 2013. Another $5.2 billion in cuts would come from other mandatory programs, the largest being farm subsidies.

A handful of popular domestic programs would be exempt from any cuts, at all: Social Security, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and food stamps.

The fallout of all this, analysts say, would be a swift economic downturn.

Thanks mostly to the tax increases, many have predicted an immediate economic slowdown. In August, the Congressional Budget Office forecasted that the cliff would bring the U.S. down to negative .5 percent economic growth for 2013. By the fourth quarter of next year, CBO predicted, unemployment would rise to 9.1 percent.

"The economy would shrink by about 3.9 percent in the just the first quarter alone," said Jason Peuquet, research director at the Center for a Responsible Federal Budget. "You can be pretty sure that after at least a couple weeks we'd be feeling those effects."

While the cuts would happen over 10 years, and while the tax hikes might not depress income so drastically over just a few weeks, Peuquet said the cliff would damage confidence in the country's ability to pay its debts over the long term.

On the one hand, going over the cliff might not really mean going over it. The Budget Control Act mandated spending caps over 10 years, but Congress writes the laws and makes the rules. After the president and lawmakers wriggled out of their self-imposed ultimatum to pass a deficit-reduction package in 2011, punting the deadline to today, it's conceivable that Washington will re-write its own rules again.

Taxes have been adjusted retroactively in the past, and it's not as if Congress can't pass a new tax law tomorrow that would reapply the 2012 rates. Liberals have proposed that we should go over the cliff, to force Republicans to argue against a tax cut for the middle class. Underpinning their argument is a sense that the cliff is at worst a facade, and at least malleable.

None of the cliff's upshots sound too good. On the other hand, if Washington wants to save money regardless of how it could affect the economy, allowing tax hikes and across-the-board cuts is one simple way to do it.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/off-cliff-happens-154330652.html

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Brittney Bullock: The Sad Truth About NRA's Proposal: There's Just Not Enough Good Guys to Go Around

After a week of silence, the National Rifle Association's (NRA) Executive Vice President, Wayne LaPierre, took the one week anniversary of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting to offer his solution to the nation's "alleged" gun problem.

His comments were utterly predictable and arguably not worth the wait.

LaPierre simply mirrored what other gun proponents had been saying since the tragedy, that is, we need to take a harder look at our violent culture, perpetuated by music videos, movies and video games, in addition to an expansion of gun sales by way of putting armed guards in every school across the country.

In a Sunday interview on Meet the Press, he reinforced his initial statements, arguing, "If it's crazy to call for armed officers in our schools to protect our children, then call me crazy... It's the one thing that would keep people safe."

In the face of the "bad guy," as LaPierre explains it, we need a "good guy" to stand up for the innocents on the premises. And given that the NRA continues to resist any kind of assault weapons ban, it clearly still believes that we cannot take the actions of the disturbed minority to punish or infringe on the rights of law-abiding gun owners; this just so happens to be an argument that holds for movies and video games, but I digress.

The most intriguing takeaway from LaPierre's speech was the undefined logistics of his proposal. His statements left many wondering what the addition of armed, retired secret service members, officers and military personnel in the schools would really look like.

Because if we're going to do it, we better do it right.

We'll need to fight military-style fire with military fire. It won't be enough to stick one or even three uniformed police officers at the front doors of our schools with their conventional, .40 caliber pistols and call that sufficient protection. Just ask yourself: In a duel between you and this anonymous "bad guy," only one of you can have the 100-round assault rifle, the other gets the 13-round handgun; which weapon would you choose?

We need James Holmes, SWAT Team-style gear, complete with helmets, neck protectors, bullet-proof vests, helmets, shields and a little tear gas for good measure.

We need throat and groin protectors, ballistic leggings and gas masks. We have to eliminate any weak spots -- any at all that can be exploited in an indiscriminate spray of bullets, and essentially be prepared to turn an elementary school lobby into a war zone rivaling Baghdad faster than you can say "Bushmaster."

And welcome to the new militant America, where kids not only learn the importance of reading and writing in our schools, but also the necessity of the protection only a rifle can provide -- how the presence of an AR-15 is essential to their making it through the school day alive.

My heart breaks for this nation's children who unfortunately are at the mercy of a political storm that has been raging since long before they were born -- a storm that tries to balance our constitutional right to bear arms and the ethical responsibility of the government to protect its citizens from dangers it can easily eliminate or decrease.

It's nonsensical for the NRA to argue that even if we issue another assault weapon's ban, the "bad guys" will still find a way to obtain and use a gun for their future crimes. If that's the argument against gun regulation, then we might as well go forward and legalize marijuana nationwide, and cocaine and heroin, too. Because as we've seen, there are not enough penalties the government can enforce to keep drug users from obtaining their illicit substance of choice. But as evidenced by our strict drug laws, in a fight to mute a rampant drug culture, it doesn't mean we don't try.

My heart breaks for the possible realization of LaPierre's proposals, that the schoolhouse might not be safe as a direct result of its "Firearm-Free Zone" status, and that our only solution to keep our children safe is to strengthen the gun presence in our society, as I'm sure LaPierre would agree, it's not just our schools that are targets for such destruction.

As we saw in Aurora, Colo., there's danger in our movie theaters, the threat of violence looming by the roads we drive along every day, should an assailant decide to use the cars passing by for target practice. Our parking lots are unsafe, our shopping malls, college campuses, temples, churches, grocery stores, pet shops, soup kitchens.

As LaPierre has made us hauntingly aware, anywhere that there is not a gun presence, we are vulnerable, and yet the NRA, which has a real voice in this debate, can only point blame elsewhere -- anywhere but itself.

It refuses to acknowledge the hard truth of the matter, which is that there are simply too many bad guys out there with much too easy access to these high-caliber assault rifles. These people are everywhere and will continue to strike in big cities and small towns alike, no matter the consequences. But until we put an end to the availability of these kinds of weapons or start stationing armed guards every 10 yards across the entire country, we'll always to be vulnerable.

Gun proponents continue to surrender fire arms into the possession of the bad guys, pathetically offering, "If we just had more good guys out there... "

But the good guys can't be everywhere, and for that, my heart breaks for America.

?

Follow Brittney Bullock on Twitter: www.twitter.com/britsimoneb

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brittney-bullock/not-enough-good-guys_b_2288689.html

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Column: Gun debate revives enduring American fight

WASHINGTON (AP) ? On the eve of a new year, a libertarian strain pulses through America ? a get-government-out-of-my-personal-life sensibility that cuts across ideologies and is driven by a younger generation's cultural attitudes.

We've seen it in gay-marriage legalization and marijuana decriminalization. And in the fact that, four decades after Roe v. Wade allowed abortion, there's little appetite among most for overturning it. Perhaps we've also seen this play out with guns, with a more limited role for government in regulating firearms.

But today, a mourning nation must square that shift toward fewer gun restrictions with a series of fatal mass shootings in the past few years, the latest claiming 20 elementary school students among the dead. And the pendulum may swing just as quickly back toward curbs on gun rights: A country that's become more tolerant on other cultural issues may end up bucking the trend on this subject.

Here's why: It can't be boiled down to "my body, my decisions."

The gun issue doesn't fit neatly into the libertarian lane in which the United States has been driving when it comes to gay marriage, abortion and marijuana ? the belief that people have the right to make their own decisions about how they live their lives, as long as they respect the rights of others to do the same. And that's because while it may be your right to own a gun, you can use it to harm others, thereby taking away their right to live their lives as they want.

This is not a new tension in America, a republic founded by men with libertarian leanings that has always struggled to strike the right balance between rights for one and safety for all.

The first settlers fled the big hand of Mother England, seeking a smaller government to protect basic freedoms ? and founding a nation built on the "inalienable" rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence acknowledged the stress in America's foundation, saying the new country's government would secure those rights, but people would have the authority to alter or abolish it if it were to become "destructive of these ends."

In modern times, libertarianism, which draws from both liberal and conservative influences, has reared its head often in American history ? most recently in today's tea party, which is uncompromising in pursuing a smaller government role in fiscal matters.

These days, 16 to 18 percent of adults in various surveys identify themselves as libertarians. But many more have libertarian views on individual issues even as they call themselves Republicans, Democrats or independents. It also can be a generational thing, with a Pew Research Center poll in December 2011 finding that 50 percent of Americans under age 30 had positive reaction to the label compared with only 25 percent of senior citizens.

The debate now under way underscores how different guns are from other social issues ? how this topic is not just about you, but about us.

There is a thicket of considerations. The fact that many people view gun ownership as a foundational right. Mental health. Urban vs. rural matters. Sports. Crime. Violence in video games and movies. Parental responsibility. "We know," President Barack Obama said, "this is a complex issue that stirs deeply held passions and political divides."

The multiple factors at play ? and the loss of young innocents ? could explain why, despite the nation's recent libertarianism on cultural matters, the Newtown, Conn., killings quickly spurred calls from across the political spectrum for at least a discussion of whether new limits should be placed on guns. This suggested a possible expansion of government in this realm.

"This awful massacre of our youngest children has changed us, and everything should be on the table," said Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. And Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, the senior Republican on the committee that would take up any legislation, said: "You've got to take all these things into consideration."

The NRA, the nation's largest gun-rights lobby, has promised opposition to more regulations, just as it helped ensure the federal assault weapons ban wasn't renewed in 2004 and state gun laws were loosened by legislatures.

Advocates for gay marriage, marijuana legalization and abortion rights also all have made significant recent strides. Each has pushed legislation in states with friendly political environments while also taking advantage of the country's changing mindset.

Consider that in the last election:

?Washington, Maryland and Maine became the first states ever to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote. Now nine states and the District of Columbia recognize gay unions.

?Washington state and Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana use, and Obama's administration signaled it wouldn't pursue those users, even though the drug is illegal under federal law.

?Several Republicans who took rigid stands against abortion rights lost. Among them: GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Then, only six weeks after the election, came Sandy Hook. And gun control jumped to the front of the national conversation.

In the days and weeks before, lawmakers in the GOP-led states of Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and Pennsylvania considered proposals to loosen restrictions on employees keeping guns in their vehicles on work property, and Ohio's legislature passed a law allowing guns to be left in parked vehicles underneath the Statehouse.

A federal appeals court in Illinois struck down a ban on carrying concealed weapons, while Florida's GOP-led administration announced that 1 million people would soon have valid permits to carry them. Michigan's legislature also approved laws easing restrictions, though its Republican governor, Rick Snyder, later vetoed a measure allowing certain gun owners to carry concealed weapons in public places.

Public opinion polling has illustrated the trend since 2000, with more Americans now generally favoring the right to own guns over increased limitations on ownership. But there is also widespread support in surveys for reinstating the federal assault weapons ban and for limiting high-capacity magazines.

It is, for sure, a contradictory series of messages ? unsurprising for an issue that asks such an intricate question: In a world of weaponry unimaginable to the people who came up with the Second Amendment, how do you strike the right balance between the individual's right to bear arms and the government's role in protecting the public?

With the latest eruption of the gun debate, we've returned to the enduring fight over libertarian principles that we've kept going for more than 200 years ? the core tension between what's right for one of us and what's right for all of us.

Whatever happens with gun control in the aftermath of Newtown, the debate reveals what this generation faces as it tries to shape the nation it inherits: the enduring struggle to understand that delicate constitutional space that exists between my right to swing my arm around freely and your right not to be hit in the face.

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EDITOR'S NOTE ? Liz Sidoti is the national politics editor for The Associated Press.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/column-gun-debate-revives-enduring-american-fight-083338502--politics.html

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