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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Brainwave 'balancing' research receives $1 million grant from The Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation

Public release date: 29-Jan-2013
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Contact: Paula Faria
pfaria@wakehealth.edu
336-716-1279
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Additional $1 million grant expands scope of neurological research

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Jan. 29, 2013 With the infusion of an additional $1 million of financial support from The Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation, Inc., Atlanta, GA, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers are expanding their studies using a noninvasive, drugless therapy that may help to mitigate symptoms associated with a list of neurological conditions.

High-resolution, relational, resonance-based, electroencephalic mirroring (HIRREMTM) or, as it's commercially known, Brainwave Optimization(a product created by Brain State Technologies, LLC, Scottsdale, AZ), is a noninvasive procedure that uses a computerized system designed to reflect the brain's frequencies back to itself using musical tones. Resonance between the musical tones and the electrical circuits in a person's brain can bring balance to the two hemispheres of the brain and has shown reduced symptoms in a recent pilot study* of people with insomnia.

Previous seed funding from The Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation, Inc., in 2011 and 2012, $729,000, supported the creation of the research program at Wake Forest Baptist directed by Lead Investigator Charles H. Tegeler, M.D., McKinney-Avant Professor of Neurology, Director of Telestroke Services, and Director of the Ward A. Riley Ultrasound Center, and his team. This new funding allows further study of HIRREM targeting four conditions, in specific populations. These projects will focus on use with the Military for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Insomnia, and Depression, as well as studies of TBI in professional, college, and teenage athletes, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Asperger Syndrome, in people ages 12 and older.

"At a time when funding for research is very hard to find, the previous support from The Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation, Inc., made possible the creation of this research program and allowed us to complete several pilot clinical studies," said Tegeler. "We are eager to continue our efforts to scientifically evaluate the potential benefits of HIRREM as a safe, effective, noninvasive, non-drug therapy in conditions where such are lacking. It is with deep gratitude to Susanne Collins that we accept this generous additional funding which will not only allow continuation of this important research, but expansion of the program to include many other patient groups for whom there is also great need. Asperger Syndrome was just added to the list of projects due to the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School."

The $1 million dollars of continued funding from The Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation, Inc., also allows Tegeler to complete a placebo-controlled study for Insomnia, and to expand current studies with the Military. Tegeler's team has also applied for additional funding through the Office of the Secretary of Defense for a study with active duty Military personnel.

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*Editor's Note: The pilot study was published in the journal Brain and Behavior in October 2012 (28 OCT 2012, DOI: 10.1002/brb3.101); a methods paper was published in the journal, Brain and Behavior this month (14 JAN 2013, DOI: 10.1002/brb3.116).

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Brainwave 'balancing' research receives $1 million grant from The Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation

Public release date: 29-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail |

Share ]

Contact: Paula Faria
pfaria@wakehealth.edu
336-716-1279
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Additional $1 million grant expands scope of neurological research

###

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/wfbm-br012913.php

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Cities affect temperatures for thousands of miles

Monday, January 28, 2013

Even if you live more than 1,000 miles from the nearest large city, it could be affecting your weather.

In a new study that shows the extent to which human activities are influencing the atmosphere, scientists have concluded that the heat generated by everyday activities in metropolitan areas alters the character of the jet stream and other major atmospheric systems. This affects temperatures across thousands of miles, significantly warming some areas and cooling others, according to the study in Nature Climate Change.

The extra "waste heat" generated from buildings, cars, and other sources in major Northern Hemisphere urban areas causes winter warming across large areas of northern North American and northern Asia. Temperatures in some remote areas increase by as much as 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the research by scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego; Florida State University; and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

At the same time, the changes to atmospheric circulation caused by the waste heat cool areas of Europe by as much as 1 degree C (1.8 degrees F), with much of the temperature decrease occurring in the fall.

The net effect on global mean temperatures is nearly negligible?an average increase worldwide of just 0.01 degrees C (about 0.02 degrees F). This is because the total human-produced waste heat is only about 0.3 percent of the heat transported across higher latitudes by atmospheric and oceanic circulations.

However, the noticeable impact on regional temperatures may explain why some regions are experiencing more winter warming than projected by climate computer models, the researchers conclude. They suggest that models be adjusted to take the influence of waste heat into account.

"The burning of fossil fuel not only emits greenhouse gases but also directly affects temperatures because of heat that escapes from sources like buildings and cars," says NCAR scientist Aixue Hu, a co-author of the study. "Although much of this waste heat is concentrated in large cities, it can change atmospheric patterns in a way that raises or lowers temperatures across considerable distances."

The researchers stressed that the effect of waste heat is distinct from the so-called urban heat island effect. Such islands are mainly a function of the heat collected and re-radiated by pavement, buildings, and other urban features, whereas the new study examines the heat produced directly through transportation, heating and cooling units, and other activities.

The study, "Energy consumption and the unexplained winter warming over northern Asia and North America" appears this Sunday. It was funded by the National Science Foundation, NCAR's sponsor, as well as the Department of Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Hu, along with lead author Guang Zhang of Scripps and Ming Cai of Florida State University, analyzed the energy consumption ? from heating buildings to powering vehicles ? that generates waste heat release. The world's total energy consumption in 2006 was equivalent to a constant-use rate of 16 terawatts (one terawatt, or TW, equals 1 trillion watts). Of that, an average rate of 6.7 TW was consumed in 86 metropolitan areas in the Northern Hemisphere.

Using a computer model of the atmosphere, the authors found that the influence of this waste heat can widen the jet stream.

"What we found is that energy use from multiple urban areas collectively can warm the atmosphere remotely, thousands of miles away from the energy consumption regions," Zhang says. "This is accomplished through atmospheric circulation change."

The release of waste heat is different from energy that is naturally distributed in the atmosphere, the researchers noted. The largest source of heat, solar energy, warms Earth's surface and atmospheric circulations redistribute that energy from one region to another. Human energy consumption distributes energy that had lain dormant and sequestered for millions of years, mostly in the form of oil or coal.

Though the amount of human-generated energy is a small portion of that transported by nature, it is highly concentrated in urban areas. In the Northern Hemisphere, many of those urban areas lie directly under major atmospheric troughs and jet streams.

"The world's most populated and energy-intensive metropolitan areas are along the east and west coasts of the North American and Eurasian continents, underneath the most prominent atmospheric circulation troughs and ridges," Cai says. "The release of this concentrated waste energy causes the noticeable interruption to the normal atmospheric circulation systems above, leading to remote surface temperature changes far away from the regions where waste heat is generated."

###

Energy consumption and the unexplained winter warming over northern Asia and North America

Authors: Ghang J. Zhang, Ming Cai, and Aixue Hu

Publication: Nature Climate Change, Jan. 27, 2013

National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research: http://www.ucar.edu/news

Thanks to National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research 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/126484/Cities_affect_temperatures_for_thousands_of_miles

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Friday, January 4, 2013

Fed: Mortgage rates won't get much lower - Fortune Finance: Hedge ...

mortgage_reits FORTUNE -- If you are looking to refinance your mortgage, this is close to the best deal you're going to get. That's the message from two economists at the New York Federal Reserve.

That contradicts what some have been saying for a while. In fact, observers have been flummoxed about a split between home loans rates and mortgage bonds. While the latter has continued to drop, mortgage rates have been stuck in the mid-3% range. Based on prices for mortgage-backed securities, home loan rates should have hit 2.6% by now.

The two Fed researchers, Andreas Fuster and David Lucca, though, say in a blog post?that their research suggests it's unlikely mortgage rates will ever get that low. They say there is a possibility that rates may make it down to 3%, but that would require some pretty significant policy changes, and even those changes aren't guaranteed to produce a 3%, or lower, mortgage rate.

MORE: Byron Wien's 2013 Surprises

So why haven't mortgage rates fallen further? The New York Fed has been trying to figure that out. And Fuster and Lucca's blog post is based on a conference the NY Fed held last month on the topic. Unfortunately, most of what came out of the conference, and therefore Fuster and Lucca's recap, is unsatisfying. The economists do a good job of dispelling some myths, namely that increased regulation from Dodd-Frank or the Basel III reforms from international bank regulators are pushing up mortgage rates. Higher capital requirements have depressed the value of mortgage servicing rights, one of the ways banks book profits from home loans, but not enough to cause rates to go up.

Instead, the researchers' main conclusion is that there are fewer mortgage brokers than there were before the housing bust and financial crisis, and that more competition would bring down rates. But it's not clear even that is the answer.

The mortgage market has consolidated since the financial crisis. And, like everything else in the banking business, it's now more than ever in the hands of a few large players. The situation is perhaps more extreme in the mortgage market: Wells Fargo (WFC) and JP Morgan Chase (JPM) collectively do about one out of every two mortgage refis in the U.S.

MORE: Wall Street's last gravy train is running out of steam

Yet, it doesn't appear that Wells Fargo's and JPMorgan's dominance of the mortgage market is driving up rates. I asked the owners of MortgageMarvel, an online mortgage shopping site, to compare rates among banks. What they found is that the average mortgage rate charged by Wells Fargo and JPMorgan wasn't any higher than other banks. In fact, Wells Fargo's rate was a little lower than the average community bank. That doesn't mean that the large banks aren't influencing the rate in some other way, or having some follow-the-leader role in the marketplace. But I think it makes it hard to come to the conclusion that a lack of competition alone is the reason that rates haven't fallen more.

For rates to really go down more, Washington would have to get serious about reforming the mortgage market, and replacing Fannie and Freddie with something that lawmakers support, instead of two entities that dominate the market and yet are in a permanent limbo. No one wants them to survive, and no one wants them to die. As a result, a bunch of mortgage finance REITs that have no real incentive to lower rates either have entered the void. If anything, those companies benefit from keeping borrowers in their old overpriced mortgages.

The problem is that the basic plumbing of the mortgage market is broken. More mortgage brokers and lenders won't solve that. That's going to take time and probably a better economy. And by that time bond rates will probably have moved up, taking mortgage rates with them.

Source: http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2013/01/03/mortgage-rates-federal-reserve/

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India gang-rape victim's friend recounts attack

School children and staff watch a self defense training program at a school in Mumbai, India, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. An attack on a 23-year-old woman, who died of severe internal injuries over the weekend, has provoked a fierce debate across India about the routine mistreatment of women and triggered daily protests demanding action. Indian Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde announced a special recruitment drive for women police officers Thursday and ordered every police station in the capital to be staffed by at least nine female officers to make them more attentive to women's needs. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A young boy participates in a candlelight vigil protesting against a leader of the ruling Congress party on accusations he raped a woman in a village in the early hours of the morning, in Gauhati, India, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. Footage on Indian television showed the extraordinary scene of local women surrounding Bikram Singh Brahma, ripping off his shirt and repeatedly slapping him across the face. A Dec. 16 gang rape on a woman, who later died of her injuries, has caused outrage across India, sparking protests and demands for tough new rape laws, better police protection for women and a sustained campaign to change society's views about women. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Indians participate in a candlelight vigil protesting against a leader of the ruling Congress party on accusations he raped a woman in a village in the early hours of the morning, in Gauhati, India, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. Footage on Indian television showed the extraordinary scene of local women surrounding Bikram Singh Brahma, ripping off his shirt and repeatedly slapping him across the face. A Dec. 16 gang rape on a woman, who later died of her injuries, has caused outrage across India, sparking protests and demands for tough new rape laws, better police protection for women and a sustained campaign to change society's views about women. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

NEW DELHI (AP) ? The suffering of a university student and her male friend who were brutally attacked aboard a bus in India's capital did not end after the woman was gang-raped and both were savagely beaten for 2 1/2 hours. Dumped naked on a roadside, the pair encountered shocking apathy as passersby offered only cursory looks and police debated jurisdiction for 30 minutes before taking them to a hospital, where the man received no treatment as he sat without clothes on the floor for hours, the friend recounted in a television interview.

The interview Friday marked the first time the man, who has not been named, has spoken publicly about the Dec. 16 attack in New Delhi.

The attack has outraged Indians and led to calls for tougher rape laws and reforms of a police culture that often blames rape victims and refuses to file charges against accused attackers. The nation's top law enforcement official said the country needs to crack down on crimes against women with "an iron hand."

The 23-year-old woman died last weekend from massive internal injuries suffered during the attack. Authorities charged five men with her murder and rape and were holding a sixth suspect believed to be a juvenile. A hearing in the case was scheduled for Saturday.

On the night of the attack, the woman and her companion had just finished watching the movie "Life of Pi" at an upscale mall and were looking for a ride home. An autorickshaw driver declined to take them, so they boarded the private bus with the six assailants inside, the companion told the Indian network Zee TV.

Authorities have not named the man because of the sensitivity of the case. Zee TV also declined to give his name, although it did show his face during the interview. The man has a broken leg and was sitting in a wheelchair during the interview.

After a while, the men on the bus starting harassing and attacking the pair, he said.

"I gave a tough fight to three of them. I punched them hard. But then two others hit me with an iron rod," he said. The woman tried to call the police using her mobile phone, but the men took it away from her, he said. They then took her to the rear seats of the bus and raped her.

"The attack was so brutal I can't even tell you ... even animals don't behave like that," the man said.

Afterward, he overheard some of the attackers saying the woman was dead, he said.

The men then dumped their bleeding and naked bodies under an overpass. The woman's companion waved to passersby on bikes, in autorickshaws and in cars for help, but no one stopped. "They slowed down, looked at our naked bodies and left," he said.

"My friend was grievously injured and bleeding profusely," he said. "Cars, autos and bikes slowed down and sped away. I kept waving for help. The ones who stopped stared at us, discussing what could have happened. Nobody did anything."

After about 20 minutes, three police vans arrived, but the officers argued over who had jurisdiction over the crime as the man pleaded for clothes and an ambulance, he said.

Finally, he said, they were taken to a hospital.

"When we reached the hospital, I sat without clothes on the floor for a long time even as my friend was taken inside for treatment," he said.

The man said he was given no medical care. He then spent four days at the police station helping police investigate the crime. He said he visited his friend in the hospital, told her the attackers were arrested and promised to fight for her.

He said his friend was determined to see that the attackers were punished. "She gave all details of the crime to the magistrate ? things we can't even talk about," he said. "She told me that the culprits should be burnt alive."

The man said he gave the TV interview because he hopes it will encourage rape victims to come forward and speak about their ordeals without shame.

"She has awakened us all by her courage," he said of his friend, who died at a Singapore hospital after being flown there for treatment. "People should move ahead in the struggle to prevent a similar crime happening again as a tribute to her."

Most people in India are reluctant to get involved in police business because once they become witnesses, they can be dragged into legal cases that can go on for years. Also, Indian police are often seen less as protectors and more as harassers.

On Friday, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said crimes against women and marginalized sections of society are increasing, and it is the government's responsibility to stop them.

"This needs to be curbed by an iron hand," he told a conference of state officials from across India that was called to discuss how to protect women.

He called for changes in the law and the way police investigate cases so justice can be swiftly delivered. Many rape cases are bogged down in India's overburdened and sluggish court system for years.

"We need a reappraisal of the entire system," he said.

In the wake of the rape, several petitioners appealed to the Supreme Court to take an active role in the issue of women's safety.

On Friday, the court dismissed a petition asking it to suspend Indian lawmakers accused of crimes against women, saying it doesn't have jurisdiction, according to the Press Trust of India. The Association for Democratic Reforms, an organization that tracks officials' criminal records, said six state lawmakers are facing rape prosecutions and two national parliamentarians are facing charges of crimes against women that fall short of rape.

However, the court did agree to look into the widespread creation of more fast-track courts for accused rapists across the country.

___

Online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgT99obFvvw

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-04-India-Gang%20Rape/id-19f13517263b49e4ab49ba97e88f4866

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FTC says Google does not abuse its power

The FTC ended a 19-month investigation into Google's business practices, concluding that the company didn't violate antitrust law.

By Jeff Ward-Bailey,?Contributor / January 3, 2013

The FTC reached a settlement with Google on Thursday when the search-engine company agreed to change the way it deals with rival companies. Here, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz gestures to a number of mobile devices during a news conference in Washington, D.C.

Jose Luis Mangana/AP

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On Thursday the Federal Trade Commission ended a 19-month probe into Google?s business practices, a closely-watched effort to determine whether the search-engine giant violated antitrust laws. The verdict? Not guilty.

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Google struck a deal with the FTC to put the probe to rest, volunteering to change the way it handles search results as well as agreeing to license some mobile phone patents to rival companies.

The antitrust investigation centered on the way Google treats its own products in its search results. Rival companies -- especially Microsoft, which runs the number-two search engine, Bing?-- complained that Google was highlighting its own services, like business listings and its Google+ social network, while unfairly burying those of other companies on its search result pages.

The FTC disagreed. ?Although some evidence suggested that Google was trying to eliminate competition, Google's primary reason for changing the look and feel of its search results to highlight its own products was to improve the user experience," FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz told CBS News.

Google reached a settlement with the FTC by agreeing to limit the ways it uses snippets of other companies? content, as well as giving advertisers more control over how their ads are displayed. For years the company has argued that its use of these snippets -- things like reviews and summaries -- constitutes fair use. But several companies, including review site Yelp, complained about the way their material appeared on Google search pages. Now Google says that it will honor requests to exclude snippets from other sites in its searches.

In spite of this friction between Google and its rivals, the FTC stated that its investigation hadn?t found any indication that the company violated antitrust laws. The Commission noted in its statement that while ?Google took aggressive actions to gain advantage over rival search providers ... the evidence did not demonstrate that Google?s actions in this area stifled competition in violation of U.S. law.?

The Commission also investigated how Google has been handling some of its mobile phone patents, especially those it acquired when it purchased Motorola Mobility last May. Rival companies -- including Microsoft, Apple, and Research in Motion, which makes BlackBerry -- complained that some of the patents Google acquired were essential to their own products. Google had been threatening injunctions against these companies, blocking them from using these ?standards-essential? patents. But as part of its settlement, the company agreed to allow rivals to license these patents, even in cases where the patent would ultimately be used in a device that competes with one of Google?s own.

Google emerged from the investigation with its reputation more or less intact. That?s a good thing, if you ask the FTC, but probably frustrating to Google?s rivals -- especially Microsoft, which has been prodding the Commission to check Google?s perpetually-expanding online influence (and, to be sure, no stranger itself to anti-trust accusations).

For more tech news, follow Jeff on?Twitter:?@jeffwardbailey.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/IdKzMP8AQ3s/FTC-says-Google-does-not-abuse-its-power

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BBB Advises Caution When Considering Diet, Weight Loss Plans ...

St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 3, 2013 ? Almost as soon as consumers push away from holiday dinner tables, advertising for weight loss products and health clubs begins to hit the airwaves, the Internet, newspapers and other media.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises consumers to be skeptical of ads promising quick and easy ways to lose weight. Doctors, dietitians and other experts agree that the best way to lose weight is to eat less and increase your physical activity so you burn more energy.

At this time of year, you?re likely to see claims such as, ?Lose weight without diet or exercise,? ?Block the absorption of fat, carbs or calories!? or ?Lose weight with our miracle diet patch or cream.? Some companies use celebrity endorsements to promote their products.

One particularly annoying ad online shows a woman?s midriff that shrinks and expands, while promoting ?one weird trick? or tip to lose weight that is revealed if you click on the ad. The Federal Trade Commission has linked the belly ad and similar ones to a network of companies that promote everything from African mangoes to potions made from acai berries. The FTC says that millions of people have been conned by the ads.

?Deceptive ads lure consumers into buying diet pills, treatments or ?cures? with the promise of better health, fitness or appearance,? said Michelle Corey, BBB president and CEO. ?But many of these products are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and may be ineffective or even harmful. In most cases, they?re a waste of money.?

The BBB processes hundreds of complaints against weight loss products and health clubs every year. Complaints range from recurrent charges on credit cards for ?free? products to dissatisfaction with the hours or service provided by fitness clubs.

The BBB advises you to watch for false claims and consider your needs and budget:

Avoid products that claim to help you lose weight without diet or exercise. Doctors, dietitians and other experts agree that losing weight takes work. Pass up any product that promises miraculous results without any effort.
Be skeptical of claims that you don?t have to give up favorite foods or reduce the amount you consume.? Try filling up on healthy vegetables and fruits so you can resist high-calorie treats. However, eliminating all your favorites could set you up to fail. It?s better to limit portion size or how frequently you indulge.
Determine your fitness goals. It?s hard work to lose weight, and you need to find a program you can stick with, and preferably one that you enjoy. Find a health club or exercise facility that is convenient and that offers times that fit with your schedule.
Visit the facility before joining. Check on cleanliness, adequacy of space, machines and qualifications of instructors and any other factors important to you. Ask if you can try the facility out before you join.
Consider your budget. Ask the health club about joining or enrollment fees and ongoing monthly costs. Does a weight loss plan require you to buy special foods? Can you cancel if you move or find that the program doesn?t meet your needs? If the facility closes, can you transfer your membership to another facility?
Read the entire contract. Does it list all services and facilities and hours of operation? Is everything the saleperson promised included in the contract? What?s included in the monthly fee and what will cost you extra? What is the total cost, including enrollment fees and finance charges?
Check with the BBB first. Anyone can check a company?s BBB Business Review at www.bbb.org or by calling 314-645-3300 during business hours. Look at the firm?s complaint history and whether the complaints were resolved.

In Missouri, consumers have three days after signing a contract with a health spa to cancel the agreement. Clubs must refund money within 30 days if they cancel within three days. Consumers aren?t responsible for the balance due on a health club contract if the club has closed and failed to provide alternative services within 10 miles of its original location.

Before starting an exercise program or diet, the BBB advises consumers to consult a doctor for an assessment of over-all health risk. Get the doctor?s recommendations on weight-loss options and/or exercise regimens that fit your health status and ability to stick with it.

If your doctor prescribes a medication to assist in weight loss, ask about complications or side effects. Tell the doctor about other medications or over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements you may be taking.

Consumers can learn how to protect themselves or find BBB Business Reviews and charity reviews by calling (314) 645-3300 or by going online to www.bbb.org.

Contacts (News Media Only): Michelle Corey, President & CEO, 314-645-0606, mcorey@stlouisbbb.org, or Chris Thetford, Vice President-Communications, 314-584-6743 or 314-681-4719 (cell), communications@stlouisbbb.org

The BBB is a nonprofit, business-supported organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. The BBB provides objective advice, free BBB Business Reviews on more than 4 million companies, 11,000 charity reviews, dispute resolution service, alerts and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. Please visit www.bbb.org for more information.

Source: http://stlouis.bbb.org/article/bbb-advises-caution-when-considering-diet-weight-loss-plans-39259

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Thursday, January 3, 2013

Governor to sue NCAA over Penn State sanctions

FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2011 file photo, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett makes remarks during a news conference after a Penn State Board of Trustees meeting in State College, Pa. Corbett said Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013 he plans to sue the NCAA in federal court over sanctions imposed against Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) ? Gov. Tom Corbett said Tuesday he plans to sue the NCAA in federal court over stiff sanctions imposed against Penn State University in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal.

The Republican governor scheduled a Wednesday news conference on the Penn State campus in State College to announce the filing in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg.

A person associated with the university and knowledgeable about the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the lawsuit had not been filed, told The Associated Press that it is an antitrust action.

The NCAA sanctions, which were agreed to by the university in July, included a $60 million fine that would be used nationally to finance child abuse prevention grants. The sanctions also included a four-year bowl game ban for the university's marquee football program, reduced football scholarships and the forfeiture of 112 wins but didn't include a suspension of the football program, the so-called death penalty.

The governor's office announced the news conference late Tuesday afternoon. His spokesman did not respond to repeated calls and emails seeking to confirm a Sports Illustrated story that cited anonymous sources saying a lawsuit was imminent.

Corbett's brief statement did not indicate whether his office coordinated its legal strategy with state Attorney General-elect Kathleen Kane, who is scheduled to be sworn in Jan. 15.

Kane, a Democrat, ran on a vow to investigate why it took state prosecutors nearly three years to charge Sandusky, an assistant under former football coach Joe Paterno. Corbett was the attorney general when that office took over the case in early 2009 and until he became governor in January 2011.

State and congressional lawmakers from Pennsylvania have objected to using the Penn State fine to finance activities in other states. Penn State has already made the first $12 million payment, and an NCAA task force is deciding how it should be spent.

The NCAA, which declined to comment Tuesday on the planned lawsuit, has said at least a quarter of the money would be spent in Pennsylvania.

Republican U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent called that an "unacceptable and unsatisfactory" response by the NCAA to a request from the state's U.S. House delegation that the whole $60 million be distributed to causes within the state.

Last week, state Sen. Jake Corman, a Republican whose district includes Penn State's main campus, said he plans to seek court action barring any of the first $12 million from being released to groups outside the state.

Sandusky, 68, was convicted in June on charges he sexually abused 10 boys, some on Penn State's campus. He's serving a 30- to 60-year state prison term.

Eight young men testified against him, describing a range of abuse they said went from grooming and manipulation to fondling, oral sex and anal rape when they were boys.

Sandusky did not testify at his trial but has maintained his innocence, acknowledging he showered with boys but insisting he never molested them.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-01-Penn%20State-Abuse-Lawsuit/id-47d9f0afea7a4ba2b110cd337f9dd600

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Bigger fights loom after "fiscal cliff" deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans face even bigger budget battles in the next two months after a hard-fought "fiscal cliff" deal narrowly averted devastating tax hikes and spending cuts.

The agreement, approved late on Tuesday by the Republican-led House of Representatives, was a victory for Obama, who had won re-election in November on a promise to address budget woes, partly by raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans.

But it set up potentially bruising showdowns over the next two months on spending cuts and an increase in the nation's limit on borrowing. Republicans, angry the fiscal cliff deal did little to curb the federal deficit, promised to use the debt-ceiling debate to win deep spending cuts next time.

Republicans believe they will have greater leverage over Democrat Obama when they must consider raising the borrowing limit in February because failure to close a deal could mean a default on U.S. debt or another downgrade in the U.S. credit rating. A similar showdown in 2011 led to a credit downgrade.

"Our opportunity here is on the debt ceiling," Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said on MSNBC. "We Republicans need to be willing to tolerate a temporary, partial government shutdown, which is what that could mean."

But Obama and congressional Democrats may be emboldened by winning the first round of fiscal fights when dozens of House Republicans buckled and voted for major tax hikes for the first time in two decades.

"We believe that passing this legislation greatly strengthens the president's hand in negotiations that come next," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told NBC in an interview to air on Thursday.

Deteriorating relations between leaders in the two parties do not bode well for the more difficult fights ahead. Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell had to step in to work out the final deal as the relationship between House Speaker John Boehner and Obama unraveled.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also drew the ire of Boehner, who told Reid in the White House to "Go fuck yourself" after a tense meeting last week, aides said. His remark came after the Democrat accused Boehner of running a "dictatorship" in the House.

Bemoaning the intensity of the fiscal cliff fight, Obama urged "a little less drama" when the Congress and White House next address budget issues like the government's rapidly mounting $16 trillion debt load. He vowed to avoid another divisive debt-ceiling fight before the late-February deadline for raising the limit.

"While I will negotiate over many things, I will not have another debate with this Congress about whether or not they should pay the bills they have already racked up," Obama said before he headed to Hawaii to resume an interrupted vacation.

NOT TIME TO CELEBRATE

Obama Praises Deal, Says There's More to Be DonePresident Obama is praising the bill that staves off the fiscal cliff tax hikes and spending cuts. The House of Representatives followed the Senate's lead, and passed the bill late Tuesday. (Jan. 2)

Analysts warned that might not be so easy. "While the markets and most taxpayers may breathe a sigh of relief for a few days, excuse us for not celebrating," said Greg Valliere, chief political strategist at Potomac Research Group.

"We have consistently warned that the next brawl represents a far greater threat to the markets - talk of default will grow by February, accompanied by concerns over a credit rating downgrade," he said.

Rating agencies Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's said the "fiscal cliff" measure did not put the budget on a more sustainable path. The International Monetary Fund said raising the debt ceiling would be a critical move.

"More remains to be done to put U.S. public finances back on a sustainable path without harming the still fragile recovery," said Gerry Rice, a spokesman for the IMF.

Financial markets that had been worried about the fiscal cliff showdown welcomed the deal, with U.S. stocks recording their best day in more than a year. The S&P 500 achieved its biggest one-day gain since December 20, 2011, pushing the benchmark index to its highest close since September 14.

The debate over "entitlement" programs is also bound to be difficult. Republicans will be pushing for significant cuts in government healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid for retirees and the poor, which are the biggest drivers of federal debt. Democrats have opposed cuts in those popular programs.

"This is going to be much uglier to me than the tax issue ... this is going to be about entitlement reform," Republican Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee said on CNBC.

"Now that we have this other piece behind us - hopefully - we'll deal in a real way with the kinds of things our nation needs to face," he said.

The fiscal cliff crisis ended when dozens of Republicans in the House relented and backed a bill passed by the Democratic-controlled Senate that hiked taxes on household income above $450,000 a year. Spending cuts of $109 billion in military and domestic programs were delayed for two months.

Economists had warned that the fiscal cliff of across-the-board tax hikes and spending cuts would have punched a $600 billion hole in the economy this year and threatened to send the country back into recession.

Dozens of House Republicans reluctantly approved the Senate bill, which passed by a bipartisan vote of 257-167 and sent it to Obama to sign into law.

Peter Huntsman, chief executive of chemical producer Huntsman Corp, said the vote did little to reduce the U.S. budget deficit and would hinder growth.

"We haven't even begun to address the basic issues behind this," Huntsman told Reuters. "We haven't fixed anything. All we've done is addressed the short-term pain.

The vote underlined the precarious position of Boehner, who will ask his Republicans to re-elect him as speaker on Thursday when a new Congress is sworn in. Boehner backed the bill, but most House Republicans, including his top lieutenants, voted against it.

The Ohio congressman also drew criticism on Wednesday from his fellow Republicans for failing to schedule a House vote on a bill passed by the Senate that would provide federal aid to Northeastern states hit by the storm Sandy.

(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Richard Cowan in Washington and Gabriel Debenedetti and Ernest Scheyder in New York, Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/house-republicans-weigh-last-ditch-challenge-fiscal-deal-005743252--business.html

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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Many weddings as gay marriage becomes legal in Md.

James Scales, left, and William Tasker kiss during a marriage ceremony at City Hall in Baltimore, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. Same-sex couples in Maryland are now legally permitted to marry under a new law that went into effect after midnight on Tuesday. Maryland is the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line to approve same-sex marriage. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Thomas Rabe, right, places a wedding ring on Robert Coffman's finger during a marriage ceremony at City Hall in Baltimore, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. Same-sex couples in Maryland are now legally permitted to marry under a new law that went into effect after midnight on Tuesday. Maryland is the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line to approve same-sex marriage. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Darcia Anthony, left, and Danielle Williams react after participating in a wedding ceremony at City Hall in Baltimore, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. Same-sex couples in Maryland are now legally permitted to marry under a new law that went into effect after midnight on Tuesday. Maryland is the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line to approve same-sex marriage. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

TILGHMAN ISLAND, Md. (AP) ? Same-sex couples in Maryland were greeted with cheers and noisemakers held over from New Year's Eve parties, as gay marriage became legal in the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line on New Year's Day.

James Scales, 68, was married to William Tasker, 60, on Tuesday shortly after midnight by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake inside City Hall.

"It's just so hard to believe it's happening," Scales said shortly before marrying his partner of 35 years.

Six other same-sex couples also were being married at City Hall. Ceremonies were taking place in other parts of the state as well.

The ceremonies follow a legislative fight that pitted Gov. Martin O'Malley against leaders of his Catholic faith. Voters in the state, founded by Catholics in the 17th century, sealed the change by approving a November ballot question.

"There is no human institution more sacred than that of the one that you are about to form," Rawlings-Blake said during the brief ceremony. "True marriage, true marriage, is the dearest of all earthly relationships."

Brigitte Ronnett, who also was married, said she hopes one day to see full federal recognition of same-sex marriage. Maryland, Maine and Washington state were the first states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote, in November, a development Ronnett said was significant.

"I think it's a great sign when you see that popular opinion is now in favor of this," said Ronnett, 51, who married Lisa Walther, 51, at City Hall.

Same-sex couples in Maryland have been able to get marriage licenses since Dec. 6, but they did not take effect until Tuesday.

In 2011, same-sex marriage legislation passed in the state Senate but stalled in the House of Delegates. O'Malley hadn't made the issue a key part of his 2011 legislative agenda, but indicated that summer that he was considering backing a measure similar to New York's law, which includes exemptions for religious organizations.

Shortly after, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien of Baltimore wrote to O'Malley that same-sex marriage went against the governor's faith.

"As advocates for the truths we are compelled to uphold, we speak with equal intensity and urgency in opposition to your promoting a goal that so deeply conflicts with your faith, not to mention the best interests of our society," wrote O'Brien, who served as archbishop of the nation's first diocese from October 2007 to August 2011.

The governor was not persuaded. He held a news conference in July 2011 to announce that he would make same-sex marriage a priority in the 2012 legislative session. He wrote back to the archbishop that "when shortcomings in our laws bring about a result that is unjust, I have a public obligation to try to change that injustice."

The measure, with exemptions for religious organizations that choose not to marry gay couples, passed the House of Delegates in February in a close vote. O'Malley signed it in March. Opponents then gathered enough signatures to put the bill to a statewide vote, and it passed with 52 percent in favor.

In total, nine states and the District of Columbia have approved same-sex marriage. The other states are Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington.

Meanwhile, the weddings continued throughout the day Tuesday. Clayton Zook, 28, and Wayne McKenzie, 30, married by the waters of the Chesapeake Bay at the Black Walnut Point Inn on Tilghman Island.

"We've been together for six and a half years, so this one day doesn't really change a whole lot as far as our feelings," said Zook, of Baltimore. "It does change a whole lot in how we are recognized, and we're certainly felt more as equal in the state of Maryland now."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-01-Gay%20Marriage-Maryland/id-a10e8689438f437e81bd1effc24586d1

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Are You About To File For Personal Bankruptcy? See These Tips First!

A lot of people see bankruptcy in a negative way, but it is really a good solution in certain situations. A financial catastrophe, like a major medical emergency, can cause someone to face bankruptcy. If that is your situation, you can find help by using the advice in this article.

Proceed with your bankruptcy plans even if you obtain new employment before your filing date. Bankruptcy may be the solution for you, even with your changed circumstances. Your timing can make a tremendous difference when filing for personal bankruptcy. If your filing is processed before you actually start making your higher salary, your repayment terms won?t reflect that new income source.

Be certain that bankruptcy truly is your best option. You may find consolidating your debt may be simpler. Going through a bankruptcy is a long and stressful process. Remember that your credit will be affected by the mark of personal bankruptcy for a long time. Because of this, you need to think of bankruptcy as a nuclear option; that is, a last resort.

Don?t leave all the details in your lawyer?s hands. It?s very important for you to understand what is going on throughout the bankruptcy process, even if your lawyer is providing all of the guidance for your actions. You may be tempted to hand over the reins to your attorney, but keep in mind that your future is actually at stake.

Be certain you are totally aware of the laws of bankruptcy before you file. For instance, for 365 days before filing, no one is able to receive assets from the filer. Not only that, but the filer cannot lawfully accrue additional debt just prior to filing.

If you have fears that you will lose your car, ask your lawyer about the possibility of lowering your car payments. Most of the time Chapter 7 bankruptcy will allow your payments to be lowered. The vehicle must have been obtained more than 90 days before filing and be a loan with high interest. You must also have consistent work history.

You may end up losing more than you bargained for when you file a bankruptcy claim, so be sure that you know just which assets may be taken before filing. The federal statutes covering bankruptcy can tell you exactly which assets are exempt from forfeiture to pay off creditors. It?s crucial to read that list before filing to see which of your prized possessions can be seized. If you don?t read it, you could have nasty surprises pop up later due to your prized possessions being seized.

It?s important that you understand that bankruptcy is not a way to get out of paying tax debt. Filing for bankruptcy does not exempt you from paying your taxes. These filers think they?ll never have to actually pay that money back as it is now part of the credit card debt. Unfortunately, you?ll just end up having to pay your credit card balance plus interest.

Lots of individuals who filed bankruptcy vow to never again use credit cards or lines of credit ever again. The fallacy in this thinking is that credit is needed to improve your credit history again. Good credit is needed to make major purchases, such as those for homes and automobiles. However, if you don?t use credit, you will be unable to establish a good credit history, which is necessary in order to make those purchases. Get one credit card and use it wisely to get on the right path.

You can stop unwanted calls from creditors in debt collectors by filing for personal bankruptcy. The stress of excessive debt can be too much to bear. Utilizing bankruptcy protection can often be the way to keep your mind at ease as you go through the process.

After exhausting every avenue for resolving your financial debts, bankruptcy may be a necessity. You need not stress out, if your circumstances have brought you here due to things outside your personal control. This article contains many useful tips you need to know about before you make your decision.

You should see that it will be far easier if you know as much as you can about the world of stock market trading; this is where you should come for information. Be sure to read the whole article again for best results. Your life will be much easier with this information.

Source: http://forexinvestmentreport.com/2013/01/01/are-you-about-to-file-for-personal-bankruptcy-see-these-tips-first/

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Jimi Hendrix: Auld Lang Syne

As we charge into the future (at least here on the East Coast), maybe take a few minutes to travel back to the past for a spectacular version of that classic New Years song that's playing practically everywhere tonight. There's not much to be said about Jimi Hendrix's Auld Lang Syne that isn't summed up in the phrase "Jimi Hendrix's Auld Lang Syne" so let's just leave it at that. Happy New Year! [Spotify, Amazon, iTunes] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/tADmLatWTYE/jimi-hendrix-auld-lang-syne

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Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Israel Eases Gaza Restrictions

JERUSALEM -- In a major concession to Gaza's Hamas leaders Monday, Israel dropped its five-year ban on construction materials crossing into the territory and raised hopes there that rebuilding could begin following a damaging eight-day Israeli air campaign.

The easing of restrictions is an outgrowth of the cease-fire that ended the airstrikes and months of daily rocket fire from Gaza at Israel. Contacts mediated by Egypt to follow up the truce produced the concession, and Israel promised to keep easing the lives of Gaza's 1.6 million residents, as long as Israelis were no longer targeted by rocket fire by Gaza militants.

How long the new arrangement holds could serve as a test case for the brittle truce between the bitter enemies. It also reflects a new power equation, with neighboring Egypt under the control of the Muslim Brotherhood, the parent group of Hamas.

Israel, together with Egypt, imposed a land and naval embargo on Gaza after Hamas violently overtook the territory in 2007. Although Israel eased the restrictions in 2010, building materials such as cement, gravel and metal rods were still largely banned because Israel claimed militants could use them to make fortifications and weapons.

Hundreds of smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border gave Gaza a conduit for all manner of goods as well as weapons, though the blockade remained intact.

During eight days of violence in November, the Israeli military said 1,500 rockets were fired at Israel, including the first from Gaza to strike the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem areas. The rocket attacks killed six Israelis and wounded dozens. Israeli airstrikes killed 169 Palestinians, many of them militants, and caused considerable damage. Israel said it targeted Hamas installations and government buildings.

As part of a cease-fire agreement brokered by Egypt's new Islamist leaders, Israel agreed to consider new border arrangements in return for a complete cessation of rocket fire.

"Now we're talking about a permanent easing," said Maj. Guy Inbar, a military spokesman. "The longer the calm persists, the more we'll weigh additional easing of restrictions that will benefit the private sector."

Hamas downplayed the move, calling it inadequate. Gaza economists said it would take years of shipments to make a dent in the gap left by the five years of blockade.

Inbar said 20 truckloads a day could enter Gaza, and other concessions may follow "depending on the continuation of the calm."

Last week, Israel authorized the entry of 60 trucks and buses for the first time since the Hamas takeover.

Gaza crossing official Raed Fattouh confirmed that Israeli agreed to send in 20 trucks of gravel daily, five days a week.

"The Israelis promised to undertake further measures to alleviate the difficult economic situation in Gaza as a result of the calm," he said. "This move had been expected as part of the deal."

Gaza's leaders demand much more. Hamas wants Israel to lift the remainder of the blockade and the lifting of a near-total ban on exports from the impoverished territory. Exports, especially to the West Bank, the Palestinian territory on the opposite side of Israel, once formed the backbone of Gaza's economy. The West Bank is run by the more moderate Fatah, ousted from Gaza by Hamas.

Critics contend the export ban punishes ordinary Gazans instead of pressuring Hamas, contributing heavily to an unemployment rate of about one-third of the workforce. Eighty percent of Gaza's 1.6 million people rely on U.N. support.

Egypt eased its own restrictions on Saturday, allowing in 1,400 tons of gravel paid for by Qatar. The oil-rich emirate pledged $425 million to build housing, schools, a hospital and roads in Gaza as part of its attempt to build its influence in Palestinian politics and its power in the region, at the expense of regional rival Iran, Hamas' longtime patron.

Shipments from Egypt are expected to be ramped up to 4,000 tons daily, said Yassir al Shanti, Gaza's deputy minister of housing and public works. He estimated Gaza needs up to 3 million tons of gravel to build roads, and the Qatar-funded projects need more than 1 million tons.

Under former President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt had poor relations with Hamas. Egypt's new president, Mohammed Morsi, comes from the Muslim Brotherhood and has vowed not to abandon the Palestinians. But he is moving cautiously, in part to avoid alienating Cairo's biggest patron, the United States.

Israel labels Hamas a terror group because of dozens of suicide bombings that have killed hundreds of Israelis, and Hamas does not recognize the existence of a Jewish state in an Islamic Middle East, so Egypt is mediating the new border arrangements between the two enemies.

A Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to disclose confidential contacts to reporters, said a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo Sunday night to meet with Egyptian security officials for a second round of talks on border arrangements.

Palestinian economist Mouin Rajab said the new shipments would go only a small way to meet the needs Gaza has accumulated throughout five and a half years of blockade, during which time Hamas and Israel warred twice.

"Gaza needs more than what Israel has allowed and what Egypt has promised to allow," he said. "We are talking about six years of blockade, no real economy and no projects in addition to what Gaza lost during two wars in 2009 and 2012."

Reconstruction since the 2009 fighting has been slow, in part because of the blockade.

In the West Bank Monday, Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas said he would agree to resume negotiations with Israel under the auspices of an international peace conference. Abbas has previously resisted Israel's call for direct talks, saying Israel must first stop all its West Bank settlement construction.

In a televised speech marking the anniversary of his Fatah movement, Abbas said he supports "the calls for an international peace conference under which the Palestinians would negotiate directly with Israelis within a time frame."

Israel had no comment. In the past, Israel has called for resumption of peace talks with no preconditions.

___

Barzak reported from Gaza City, Gaza Strip.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/31/israel-gaza-restrictions_n_2390274.html

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Article source: http://www.southfloridabusinessworld.com/2012/12/residential-electricians-dade-broward-palm-beach-home-electrical-work/

Source: http://www.broward-directory.com/wordpress/2013/01/residential-electricians-dade-broward-palm-beach-home-electrical-work/

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Protesters march for women's safety in India on New Year's Eve

Protesters in India's major cities demanded safety for women in the wake of the death Friday of a 23-year-old woman who was gang raped in Delhi.

By Shivam Vij,?Correspondent / December 31, 2012

Demonstrators burn an effigy depicting rapists during a protest in New Delhi December 30. The body of a woman whose gang rape provoked protests and rare national debate about violence against women in India arrived back in New Delhi early on Sunday and was quickly cremated at a private ceremony.

Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

Enlarge

Groups of protesters in India's top cities of Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata rang in the new year with candle light marches and protest songs to demand safety for women in the wake of the death Friday of a 23-year-old woman who was raped and brutally assaulted in a bus in the capital.

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The protests were called "Take Back the Night," emphasizing that women had the right to be out in the city in the night. Men are generally more visible outside the home in India, particularly at night time. The rallies come in the wake of comments by several politicians that the increase in rape was caused by women wearing make-up or mini-skirts.

The female victim remains unidentified in media reports, but her story has transfixed India for the past fortnight. Calls have intensified for reforms of the police and judicial system which rarely punishes rapists. Analysts point out, however, that legal reform can only go so far without changing underlying cultural attitudes that keep women from full public participation. ?

The protest in the cities tonight aimed at starting to change the culture, and in the case of Delhi, pushed back on speech controls by a government that has been slow to empathize with the popular outrage. Rally organizers here did?not take police permission, which is not easily forthcoming for areas not demarcated for protests. Police presence was light, in contrast to police crack-down on protesters a week ago.

"This is a turning point in which a new generation is redefining the contract between the state and the citizen as also between the genders," says political commentator Shuddhabrata Sengupta. "It is great that while many of the protesters are angry, ... they refused to be blackmailed into calling for capital punishment."

In Delhi, around 200 protesters, men and women alike, gathered at the cinema complex where the deceased woman had gone to see a movie with a friend before boarding the bus in which she was raped and assaulted. They marched from the cinema complex to a prominent mall a kilometer away. Not far from here, the bus stand where she had boarded the bus became a memorial with wreaths and candles.

The protesters chanted slogans to the beat of cymbals demanding azadi, or freedom, for women: "Azadi in the night, in the day, in the mall, in the bus, in the train, in pubs and offices and in the Parliament too; azadi to love and marry, and to not marry, from moral policing, to choose our partners, to dance, to not follow dress codes, to not be raped."

One of the organizers, Rakhi Sehgal, says, "Our effort is to give the message that the night belongs to us. We want to be able to walk the streets in the night without fear of sexual harassment." She said that police patrols in the night should be increased. "Currently, if a policeman sees us on the road he asks us not if we are fine but what we are doing out so late. That needs to change," she said.

Although the protests were small in size amid the crackers that welcomed the new year, some new year's parties were cancelled, including by India's defense forces. Many neighborhoods across Delhi and its suburbs held candle-light vigils and marches since the woman's death.

Bangalore-based artist Jasmen Patheja has ran the Blank Noise Project?against street sexual harassment since 2003, which has, among other?interventions, held midnight events to reclaim the street.

Ms. Patheja, who participated in a similar protest today in Kolkata, says, "Something is changing. I feel it. Reports on sexual assaults earlier would come with warnings for women to 'be careful' and blame. But now we're at a tipping point when many are unlearning such warnings and asserting our rights." ? ?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/64Ax_D49zow/Protesters-march-for-women-s-safety-in-India-on-New-Year-s-Eve

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