Business Expansions, Community Projects, Entrepreneur Program ...

LANSING ? The Michigan Economic Development Corp. Wednesday announced Michigan Strategic Fund approval of $6 million in funding for entrepreneurship and innovation programs as well as Michigan Business Development and Community Revitalization program incentives to eight companies that are expanding in the state.

The eight expansions are expected to generate up to $95.8 million in new capital investments and add 789 new jobs in Michigan.

Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization Program?? The MSF approved $6 million for innovation and entrepreneurship projects through the Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization Program. M-TRAC?is funded by the 21st Century Jobs Fund to create high-tech jobs through commercialization of university research and creation of university spin-offs in focused areas. MTRAC uses the nationally recognized Coulter Process to translate innovations into economic value.

The MSF approved the following awards for research commercialization:
* Michigan State University: $1,092,500 for agro-biotechnology and bioprocessing.
* University of Michigan: $2,415,000 for life sciences.
* University of Michigan: $150,000 for a pilot project in advanced transportation.
* Michigan Technological University: $517,500 for advanced applied materials.
* Wayne State University: $100,000 for a commercialization roadmap review (first tranche) with the possibility of receiving an additional $1,073,000 upon a revised proposal.
* Western Michigan University: $50,000 for a commercialization roadmap review.
* Eastern Michigan University: $50,000 for a commercialization roadmap review.
* MEDC: $552,000 for an incentive fund to reward the early commercial successes coming out of the M-TRAC programs.

The MSF also approved incentives for the following business expansions:

* A $1 million Community Revitalization Program performance-based grant has been awarded to 614 First Street Partners, LLC to renovate the former Miller Products Corp. factory into headquarters for the Rockford Construction Co. in?Grand Rapids. The project will transform the approximately 70,000 square-foot industrial building into corporate offices, a general trades yard and warehouse, commercial retail space for lease, an open-air courtyard and a community room. The project is expected to generate a total capital investment of up to $7.9 million and retain approximately 85 permanent full-time jobs.?Grand Rapids has approved a Brownfield Plan to assist in addressing brownfield issues.

* Baker Aerospace Tooling and Machining specializes in producing complex three-dimensional prototype parts and tooling for the aircraft, military and automotive industries. The company plans to expand in Macomb Charter Township, investing $9.86 million and adding 188 jobs. As a result of the expansion, Baker has been awarded an $800,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. Michigan was chosen over a competing site in Florida. Macomb Charter Township has offered a seven-year Tool & Die Recovery Zone valued at $766,000 in support of the project.

*Black & Veatch Corp.?is a global engineering, consulting and construction company specializing in energy, water and telecommunications. The company has more than 9,000 employees and more than 100 offices worldwide, with 266 employees currently in Michigan. Black & Veatch is expanding its energy and telecommunication services sectors in?Ann Arbor. The company plans to invest at least $13.5 million and add 75 jobs, resulting in $435,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. Michigan was chosen over competing sites in Arizona, North Carolina and Minnesota.

* Grand Rapids Downtown Market Holdings, LLC is constructing a 25,000 square foot market on multiple parcels in the City of Grand Rapids. The project will include indoor areas for a multi-vendor, year-round fresh food market, and space for a seasonal outdoor farmers? market and other food services. On-site surface parking will be provided, and machinery and equipment investments are related to outfitting kitchen and retail areas. The project will generate a total capital investment of approximately $30 million and create 295 new jobs. As a result, the project has been awarded a $3,000,000 Michigan Community Revitalization Program loan.?Grand Rapids is offering support to the project in the form of public infrastructure improvements valued at $4.7 million, and the Grand Rapids City Parking Commission has contributed $400,000 to the project.

* Heart of Howell, LLC?plans to fully renovate three historic properties in downtown Howell to prepare them for retail, office and commercial space. The project is expected to generate investment of $2.5 million and create 19 full-time jobs. The project has been awarded a Community Revitalization Program performance-based grant of $375,868.?Howell is providing support in the form of a DDA Fa?ade Grant valued at $58,000 and a 12-year Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Abatement valued at $94,196.

* Herbruck Poultry Ranch Inc.?is a family owned egg producer in Ionia County. The company has opportunities to expand its egg production and processing facilities, investing up to $17.2 million and creating 55 jobs. As a result of the expansion, Herbruck has been awarded a $500,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. The Lakewood Wastewater Authority is offering to waive the sanitary sewer connection fee of $405,000.

* Parkland Muskegon Inc.?plans to renovate one of the only remaining buildings left of the structures that formerly comprised the downtown Muskegon Mall. The eight-story building will be converted into a residential apartment development, along with the construction of two-story addition to provide additional residential units. Improvements will include landscaping and parking lot for residents. The project will generate a total of $10.7 million in total capital investment and create two full time jobs, resulting in a $1.95 million Community Revitalization Program performance-based loan.

* Two Men And A Truck is the first and largest local moving franchise system in the United States, offering a full range of home and business moving services. The company has the opportunity to grow its number of franchise locations and plans to expand its corporate headquarters in Delhi Township, which will include support departments such as customer care, franchise business consultants, training and development, service desk and a call center.? The project will generate a total capital investment of up to $3.95 million and create 125 new jobs over the next five years. As a result of the expansion, the company has been awarded a $350,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant.

The MEDC markets the state with a focus on business, talent, jobs and helping to grow the economy. For more on MEDC and its initiatives, visit www.MichiganAdvantage.org.

Source: http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/02/27/business-expansions-community-projects-entrepreneur-program-get-state-support/

april fools global payments eli young band wrestlemania country music awards 2012 wrestlemania 28 results earl scruggs

Odd 'gigantic jet' lightning seen over China

Steven Cummer

A gigantic jet captured above a storm in North Carolina in 2009.

By Elizabeth Howell
LiveScience

A rare glimpse of a "gigantic jet" ? a huge and mysterious burst of lightning that connects a thunderstorm with the upper atmosphere ? was made over China in 2010 and was recently described by scientists.

The gigantic jet took place in eastern China on Aug. 12, 2010 ? the farthest a ground-based one has ever been observed from the equator, according to the research team.

Previous jets were mainly seen in tropical or subtropical regions, but this one took place around 35 degrees latitude, about the same as the southern part of Tennessee in the United States.

"This is the first report from mainland China," lead researcher Jing Yang, an atmospheric scientist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, told OurAmazingPlanet. The results were recently published in the Chinese Science Bulletin.

Researchers got a good look at the storm using a variety of tools, including Doppler radar data and weather pictures in the infrared band of radiation.

The gigantic jet peaked at about 55 miles (89 kilometers) above the ground, far above the cloudtops that were measured with Doppler radar at an altitude of 11 miles (17 km). [Infographic: Earth's Atmosphere Top to Bottom]

Yang added that her team had possibly seen another gigantic jet in the same area during a different thunderstorm, but said they needed to recheck the data to confirm.

"It's not as clear as this one if it is a gigantic jet or not," she said.

It wasn't until the last century that electrical activity above thunderclouds was scientifically proven, although rumors based on undocumented observations circulated long before that time.

These electrical discharges can take several forms, such as sprites (orange-red flashes) and blue jets, which appear as blue cones.

The first confirmed gigantic jet was reported in 2001, after American researchers saw a blue jet reaching 44 miles (70 km) above the clouds at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. This was nearly double the 26-mile (42 km) limit for jets that was previously observed.

Two years later, researchers described shapes such as "tree jets" and "carrot jets" that they spotted during a 2002 thunderstorm over the South China Sea near the Philippines.

While scientists are still trying to understand how these gigantic jets work, they believe the jets balance out the electrical charge during thunderstorms by discharging the ionosphere ? a part of the upper atmosphere filled with charged particles.

Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter @OAPlanet. We're also on Facebook and Google+.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/26/17103649-mysterious-gigantic-jet-lightning-spotted-over-china?lite

september 11 9/11 Memorial 911 masterchef Dictionary.com Chicago teachers strike september 11 2001

Novel combination therapy shuts down escape route, killing glioblastoma tumor cells

Feb. 26, 2013 ? Glioblastoma, the most common and lethal form of brain tumor in adults, is challenging to treat because the tumors rapidly become resistant to therapy. As cancer researchers are learning more about the causes of tumor cell growth and drug resistance, they are discovering molecular pathways that might lead to new targeted therapies to potentially treat this deadly cancer.

Scientists at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in San Diego worked collaboratively across the laboratories of Drs. Paul Mischel, Web Cavenee and Frank Furnari to investigate one such molecular pathway called the mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR. This signaling pathway is hyperactivated in close to 90 percent of glioblastomas and plays a critical role in regulating tumor growth and survival. Therapies that inhibit mTOR signaling are under investigation as drug development targets, but results to date have been disappointing: mTOR inhibitors halt the growth, but fail to kill the tumor cells.

A study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences uncovers an unexpected, but important molecular mechanism of mTOR inhibitor resistance and identifies a novel drug combination that reverses this resistance.

The story begins with a closer look at a gene-encoded protein called promyleocytic leukemia gene or PML. The study investigators explored the role of PML in causing resistance to mTOR inhibitor treatment. They found that when glioblastoma patients are treated with drugs that target the mTOR pathway, the levels of PML rise dramatically. Further, they showed that PML upregulation made the tumor cells resistant to mTOR inhibitors, and that if they suppressed the ability of the tumor cells to upregulate the PML protein, the tumor cells died in response to the mTOR inhibitor therapy.

"When we looked at cells in in vivo models and patients treated in the clinic, it became clear that the glioblastoma cells massively regulated PML enabling them to escape the effects of mTOR inhibitor therapy," reported senior author Paul Mischel, MD, Ludwig Institute member based at the University of California at San Diego.

"Our team hypothesized that if we could use a pharmacological approach to get rid of PML and combine it with an mTOR inhibitor, it could change the response from halting growth to cell death. The question was how?" added Mischel.

Previous research had shown that the use of low-dose arsenic could cause degradation of the PML protein in patients with leukemia. The team hypothesized that if arsenic could degrade PML, it may reverse resistance to mTOR inhibitors. The combination of mTOR and low-dose arsenic in mice indeed showed a synergistic effect, with massive tumor cell death along with very significant shrinkage of the tumor in mice with no ill side effects.

"Current therapy upregulates PML, turning off the mTOR signaling pathway. The tumor cells hide, waiting for the target signal to return," said Mischel. "When low-dose arsenic is added, not only does it stop the cell from returning, it shuts down the escape route killing the tumor cell."

These results present the first clinical evidence that mTOR inhibition promotes PML upregulation in mice and patients, and that it mediates drug resistance. The clinical relevance was confirmed when researchers looked at before- and after-treatment tissue samples from patients treated with mTOR inhibitors, confirming that PML goes up significantly in post treatment of mTOR inhibitors.

"These data suggest a new approach for potential treatment of glioblastoma," said Mischel. "We are moving forward to test that possibility in people."

Post-doctoral students Akio Iwanami and Beatrice Gini from the Mischel lab, as well as Ciro Zanca from the Furnari/Cavenee lab also contributed significantly to this paper.

This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Uehara Memorial Foundation, three NIH grants: NS73831, CA 119347 and P01-CA95616, the Ziering Family Foundation in Memory of Sigi Ziering and the Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. A. Iwanami, B. Gini, C. Zanca, T. Matsutani, A. Assuncao, A. Nael, J. Dang, H. Yang, S. Zhu, J. Kohyama, I. Kitabayashi, W. K. Cavenee, T. F. Cloughesy, F. B. Furnari, M. Nakamura, Y. Toyama, H. Okano, P. S. Mischel. PML mediates glioblastoma resistance to mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-targeted therapies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1217602110

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/BY1dFrC_5v8/130226135525.htm

scientology Wimbledon 2012 TV Schedule fourth of july Jason Terry IFE Fireworks 2012 4th Of July independence day

PFT: Mathieu runs a fast 40? |? But bench is weak

Getty Images

Last year, the Steelers cut quarterback Ben Roethlisberger?s base salary from $11.6 million down to the minimum of $900,000.? The $10.7 million became a guaranteed payment, with the cap hit spread equally over the four remaining years in Roethlisberger?s deal.

The move added $2.675 million in cap charges to each year of the contract, pushing this year?s cap number to a belt-bending $19.6 million.

As MDS pointed out earlier in the afternoon, the Steelers plan to do it again, without extending the deal.? But with only three years left on the contract, the Steelers can?t take as large a chunk out of Roethlisberger?s cap number this time around.

Once again, Roethlisberger?s base salary is $11.6 million.? The Steelers could drop it to the 10-year minimum of $940,000.? The $10.66 million difference would then be converted to a guarantee, with the amount spread out over the final three seasons of his contract.

This would create $7.1 million in cap space.? But it also would increase Roethlisberger?s cap number by $3.55 million in 2014 and 2015.? With last year?s restructuring, that?s another $6.225 million to be carried in each of the final two seasons of Roethlisberger?s deal.

And with a base salary of $12.1 million due in 2014, it converts to a minimum cap number of $18.325 million next year.

Whatever the Steelers do, they should wait until March 5 to finalize it.? If they reduce the deal before then, Roethslisberger?s cap number would drop out of the top five in 2013 ? and the exclusive franchise tender the Ravens would have to pay to quarterback Joe Flacco would drop again.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/26/tyrann-mathieu-runs-a-4-43-on-his-first-40/related/

real housewives of beverly hills Pink Floyd 12 12 12 Concert miley cyrus miley cyrus amazing race Cam Cameron

Narisawa in Tokyo tops Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list

Yoshihiro Narisawa of two Michelin-starred Narisawa in Tokyo

Announced in Singapore yesterday, Yoshihiro Narisawa?s two Michelin-starred Tokyo venture was also named the Best Restaurant in Japan at the awards.

Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo came second, followed by Nahm in Bangkok in third place; Amber in Hong Kong in fourth; and Restaurant Andre in Singapore in fifth.

A champion of sustainably sourced ingredients, Narisawa impressed judges with its ?unfettered imagination? and ?sense of drama?.

Passionate about the natural world, among Narisawa?s signature dishes are ?Soil? soup, ?Water? salad and ?Bread of the Forest.?

Narisawa has featured on the World?s 50 Best Restaurants list for the last four years, ranking at number 12 in 2011 and winning the Best Restaurant in Asia award for three consecutive years.

China dominated proceedings at the awards with 16 entries in the top 50 and the aforementioned Amber named The Best Restaurant in China.

Duongporn Songvisava was voted Asia?s Best Female Chef

Hot on China?s heels was Singapore with 10 entries in the top 50, including Andre at number five, which was voted the Best Restaurant in Singapore.

Japan came third in terms of entries, with nine restaurants in the top 50.

Meanwhile, Paul Pairet of Mr & Mrs Bund (#7) and Ultraviolet (#8) in Shanghai won the lifetime achievement award, while Duongporn Songvisava of Bo.lan in Bangkok won the Veuve Clicquot Asia?s Best Female Chef award.

Restaurants in India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Indonesia also made the list, while modern French establishment Jaan in Singapore was named ?One to Watch.?

?We launched Asia?s 50 Best Restaurants to recognise the region?s growing restaurant industry and diverse gastronomic landscape.

?It?s exciting to see so many innovative and creative chefs pushing Asia?s culinary boundaries and supporting Asia?s growing influence on the global culinary stage,? said William Drew of William Reed Business Media, founder of the awards.

Asia?s 50 Best Restaurants list is created by over 900 international leaders in the restaurant industry, including food critics, chefs and restaurateurs.

Source: http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2013/02/narisawa-in-tokyo-tops-asias-50-best-restaurants-list/

calvin johnson festivus festivus nfl playoff picture nfl playoff picture Peter Billingsley Larry King

Warby Parker Grabs New Investment From American Express & J. Crew CEO, Closing $41.5M Round

New York-based eyewear startup Warby Parker is off to a good start in 2013, having recently been fingered as a possible partner for Google Glass, and now is reported to have gained an additional investment from American Express and J. Crew chief executive Millard S. Drexler. The new investors went in alongside General Catalyst, Spark Capital, Tiger Global Management, Thrive Capital, Lerer Ventures?and Menlo Ventures, in a round totaling $41.5 million in financing, which officially closed in January.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/NsF8rysIqzw/

easter derbyshire the matrix oceans 11 ferris state hockey mary poppins john derbyshire

Data Stretching Back to 1959 May Explain Link Between Environment and Breast Cancer

While billions of research dollars have been spent on screening, treating and trying to cure breast cancer, still relatively little is known about its causes. Image: Flickr/TipsTimes

When Ida Washington received a letter inviting her to participate in a women?s health study to explore the environmental roots of breast cancer, she didn?t think twice. Her mother was diagnosed with the disease nearly 40 years ago, and since then, it has been a terrifying mystery she has yearned to unravel.

Washington was just a teenager when the lump was found on her mother?s left breast. In the years that followed, as her mother?s cancer went into remission, she began to wonder what caused it. ?My mother didn?t smoke, she didn?t drink. Breast cancer didn?t run in the family,? she said.

Ida?s mother, Willie Mae Washington, now 92, participated in the first generation of a scientific study that has endured for more than half a century to investigate whether environmental exposures may trigger breast cancer. Now Ida Washington, 52, is continuing the legacy as part of its second generation.

The two women are among the more than 15,000 mothers, daughters and granddaughters in the San Francisco Bay Area enrolled in a project known as the Child Health and Development Studies, launched in 1959. Tens of thousands of samples of the women?s blood are stored, providing more than 50 years of continuous data on health outcomes and environmental exposures.

Scientists tap into this unique trove as they struggle to figure out what role environmental exposures play in the development of diseases such as breast cancer.

?These women are a national treasure,? said Barbara Cohn, director of the Child Health and Development Studies and Three Generations follow-up study, based in Berkeley, Calif. ?They hold the key to understanding the risks.?

While billions of research dollars have been spent on screening, treating and trying to cure breast cancer, still relatively little is known about its causes. One in every eight women today will contract the disease during her lifetime. Genes account for only a small number of cases, 5 to 10 percent. Known risk factors include age, obesity and low physical activity.

Washington, her mother, and other members of the Bay Area study are uniquely poised to help researchers answer the why?s of breast cancer and other diseases afflicting women.

Over the years, this group of women and their children???known in scientific jargon as a cohort???has helped scientists understand how diseases can start even before birth and may pass from one generation to the next???not just through genes, but also by things in their environment.

Funded largely by the National Institutes of Health, hundreds of scientific studies have been published about these women since the 1960s.

One of the more groundbreaking findings provided a clue that smoking during pregnancy could harm the fetus. Also, based on these women, scientists discovered that exposure to the now-banned pesticide DDT during a mother?s pregnancy could decrease a daughter?s ability to become pregnant and increase a son?s risk of testicular cancer. New findings are expected to be published soon.

There are no research cohorts like it in the country. In fact, it may be the only one of its kind in the entire world.

The study group is ?extremely valuable, almost unique,? said Shanna Swan, an environmental health scientist at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York who is not involved with the California research.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=34194587c52d6867c85298d9929b816f

justin timberlake taylor swift taylor swift Ed Sheeran Fun carrie underwood jack white

Lenovo outs three Android tablets, the 7-inch A1000 and A3000, and the 10-inch S6000 (hands-on)

Mobile World Congress might be the world's premier smartphone show, but that doesn't mean you won't find a bunch of tablets on display. In fact, that's pretty much all Lenovo is showing -- that, and the K900 phone, which you've already seen. All told, the company is introducing three new tabs, all of which run Android Jelly Bean, and fall into the budget / mid-range category. At the highest end is the S6000, which really isn't "high-end," per se, given that it has a 10-inch, 1,280 x 800 IPS display and a quad-core MediaTek's 8389 / 8125 processor, clocked at 1.2GHz. The tablet, which measures 8.6mm (0.34 inch) thick and weighs in at 560 grams (1.23 pounds), is rated for eight hours of battery life, and there's an optional HSPA+ radio too.

Similarly, the 7-inch A3000 (pictured above) has a 1.2GHz quad-core MTK processor, IPS display and optional HSPA+ , but its resolution is a lower 1,024 x 600. Though it's smaller, it's also a tad thicker, at 11mm (0.43 inch). Finally, at the entry level, there's the A1000, a 7-inch tablet with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and Dolby Digital Plus audio (it's being marketed toward music enthusiasts as well as first-time buyers). Both models have microSD expansion, but the A3000 supports cards up to 64GB, while the A1000 can only handle 32. (The A1000 maxes out at 16GB of built-in storage, by the way.)

The tablets will all be available sometime in Q2, with worldwide availability (yes, that includes the US). We won't find out prices until later, but we do expect to see these on display here at MWC, so stay tuned for the usual hands-on treatment.

Gallery: Lenovo A1000

Gallery: Lenovo A3000

Gallery: Lenovo S6000

Filed under: Tablets, Lenovo

Comments

Source: Lenovo

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/24/lenovo-a1000-a3000-s6000/

mariners mets shades of grey pittsburgh penguins record store day jennie garth space needle

Apple Rejecting Apps Using Cookie-Tracking Methods, Signaling Push To Its Own Ad Identifier Technology Is Now Underway

Mobile app developers using a technology called "cookie tracking" (sometimes called "Safari flip-flop" or "HTML5 first party cookies") are starting to have their apps rejected by Apple's App Review team, we've heard from a few different industry sources.?With this method in place, Safari is opened upon first launch in order to read a cookie that may exist there from a user's past interactions with ads. In terms of the user experience, it's not ideal,?but it is one some app makers are utilizing?as an alternative to the deprecated UDID? - the unique device identifier which?Apple first announced plans to phase out?back in mid-2011.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/hu4o3e_Cg_0/

godspell media matters hana taylor momsen xbox live update joan rivers gary carter dies

South Korea Swears in First Woman President (Voice Of America)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287138105?client_source=feed&format=rss

swain match day nene dark shadows trailer nate mcmillan clooney arrested southern miss

'Fox News Sunday' to interview Mitt and Ann Romney (Washington Post)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287079148?client_source=feed&format=rss

superbowl halftime show jason wu for target underwood buffalo wings superbowl kick off time 2012 new york giants hot wings recipe

Game of Thrones Season 3 Promo: Fresh Footage!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/game-of-thrones-season-3-promo-fresh-footage/

Kaepernick Eddie Vanderdoes finish line puppy bowl national pancake day bar refaeli Paul Harvey

Insert Coin semifinalist: Observos serves up the internet of places

Internet of things? That's so 2012. 2013? Well maybe, just maybe, it'll be all about the internet of places. Hexagonal Research founders Loren Lang and Ronald Bynoe are betting that the next big thing will be environmentally aware computers. The pair have created Observos which combines an ATMEL microcontroller (with integrated wireless) with a host of on-board sensors. What began as a prototype built around a tower of Arduino shields is now a small first-run integrated board with spots for connecting XBee radio cards and a small LCD display. Right now the focus is on humidity, temperature and barometric pressure, though other environmental variables would be relatively trivial to tack on. While the Observos board is isn't quite ready for prime time, its already getting some serious field testing in a plant nursery and a potential partnership with the IEEE Humanitarian Technology Challenge could find the boards placed in health clinics in the Amazon.

In addition to the small display, the board can be programmed to send text message or email alerts, and in the future could tie into venting or heating systems for completely automated control. There's even a rudimentary web interface for monitoring the various data coming in from the sensors.

Check out the full list of Insert Coin: New Challengers semifinalists here -- and don't forget to pick a winner!

Filed under: Misc

Comments

Source: Observos

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/UMtFiTTrQQ4/

zou bisou bisou tim tebow press conference tebow press conference trina rob dyrdek oberon donald driver

India vs Australia, 1st Test, Day 1: Michael Clarke brings up his half-century b...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/cricketnext/posts/10151732654109409

national inquirer knicks vs heat kate walsh cnn debate equatorial guinea marine helicopter crash chicago weather

City Room: Fireballs in the Sky Are Not Exclusive to Siberia

?On Friday evening, a few minutes before 10 o?clock,? the account begins, ?I was standing with a friend in Thirty-fourth-street, near the southwest corner of Madison-avenue, when we observed a luminous body rising rapidly from behind the houses on the southerly side of the street.?

The author believed the light at first to be ?a fire-balloon, made of green tissue paper, and quite near us.?

But within moments, the apparition that appeared in the heavens on a July evening in 1860 Manhattan showed its true self.

?The meteor soon emerged from the clouds and came on rapidly eastward,? the anonymous author wrote to The New York Times. ?It lost its greenish color, and broke up into four parts, which continued their journey all in the same line. The first two had the appearance of blazing torches whose flames are driven backward by the wind.?

One of the most striking things about the Russian fireball last week was how impossibly improbable and exotic it seemed. Who would ever witness such a thing?

But from 1807 ? only 13 years after science recognized the extraterrestrial origin of meteorites ? when a 300-pound space boulder screamed across the Connecticut sky and burst open across farmers? fields 50 miles northeast of New York City, to the modern day, when, in 1992, a football-size projectile shot through a car trunk in Westchester County, the New York region has seen more than its share of meteors and meteorites, including some of literature?s most significant landings.

Statistically speaking, of course, the odds of a heavenly body falling are spread evenly across the entire planet. But the local population density means more potential witnesses to any cosmic debris that passes this way.

The heyday of local fireball sightings would appear to have been the 19th century: The Times carried such reports on a semiregular basis.

?This morning at 1:40 the most beautiful meteor seen in this vicinity for years flashed across the northern sky nearly from horizon to horizon,? read an 1875 dispatch from Utica, N.Y. One from Schroon Lake, N.Y., in 1880 began, ?Lake-side cottage in this pleasant Summer resort had a narrow escape from destruction by a meteor last night.?

Eight of the 14 meteorites collected in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut listed in the Meteoritical Society?s database fell from the sky in the 1800s.

Not to mention all the mistaken sightings, and even hoaxes. A fist-size ?curious meteorite? of ?bright vivid green? that was ?soft and plastic? upon landing at Troy and Fulton Avenues in Brooklyn during a storm in 1887 does not seem to have made it into the record books. (Nor has the object mentioned in a Times article in 1897 that began ?Prof. Wiggins believes that the aerolite that fell near Binghamton a few nights ago, and is alleged to have contained a piece of iron with hieroglyphics, was really a message from Mars.?)

Denton S. Ebel, a cosmochemist and curator of the Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites at the American Museum of Natural History, theorized that meteor and meteorite sightings were to some extent casualties of the modern age.

?People?s habits have changed,? he said on Wednesday. ?And there?s more light pollution. Also there?s more noise pollution. People spend more time watching TV, especially in the night. I just think that people aren?t as in touch with the natural world as they used to be and that includes meteorites.?

This is not to say that the 20th century was without its highlights. In 1936, after a blinding light flashed over New Jersey, Abram M. Decker of Red Bank found a 13-ounce fragment that had apparently fallen through his work shed, bent a screwdriver and buried itself 20 inches in the ground. It gave him, The Times reported, a ?bad fright.?

In 1971, a 12.3-ounce meteorite came to rest in the ceiling of Paul and Minnie Cassarino?s home in Wethersfield, Conn., south of Hartford. Their son used a handkerchief to pick it up. In 1982 in the same town, Robert and Wanda Donahue?s evening television viewing was interrupted by a meteorite that bounced around the living room.

A compilation of amateur videos taken in several states in 1992 as a meteor zoomed overhead. It fell to earth at Peekskill, N.Y.

And on a Friday night in 1992, camcorder-wielding high school football fans across several states tracked the voyage of a fireball of nickel, iron and stone that eventually found its way to 207 Wells Street in Peekskill, N.Y. Its 27-pound remnant smashed through the trunk of Michelle Knapp?s 1980 Chevrolet Malibu at a speed of about 160 miles an hour.

Things continue to fall from local skies in the 21st century. In 2007, a metallic meteorite described by a Rutgers scientist as ?a good candidate for the core of an asteroid? crashed into a house in Freehold Township, N.J. and damaged a bathroom.

Or did it? Dr. Ebel and several colleagues at the museum and the City University of New York concluded that the object was man-made, and it is not recognized in the Meteoritical Society database.

?It was probably a piece of airplane debris that was tumbled around on a runway, then caught in tire treads, and then dropped when landing gear was deployed over Northern NJ,? Dr. Ebel wrote in an e-mail. ?Air bases and airports in abundance. A nice story.?

Source: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/22/flashy-meteors-fall-on-us-too/?partner=rss&emc=rss

super bowl coin toss best superbowl commercials madonna super bowl halftime kelly clarkson super bowl giants super bowl 2012 half time show halftime show 2012

Wiz Khalifa, Amber Rose And Baby Sebastian Get Fan Love

Fans and celeb friends send their congratulations to the brand-new trio.
By Emilee Lindner

Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose
Photo: Christopher Polk/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702391/wiz-khalifa-amber-rose-baby-sebastian-fan-love.jhtml

bradley cooper denver post Beasts of the Southern Wild Scandal denver broncos new england patriots Zayn Malik

LG flaunts Panorama VR feature on Optimus G Pro (video)

Since creating regular panorama shots is so last year, LG's come up with a new option for its Optimus G Pro. We first heard about Panorama VR camera app during the launch of the 5.5-inch handset, and now the Korean company's just outed a YouTube video showing how it works. It looks very similar, but not identical to Google's latest Photo Sphere update, letting you pan in different directions while photos of the scene are captured and stitched automatically. The software compiles it into a large panorama file that lets you pan and zoom into the scene, exactly like the recent Android 4.2 option. We've reached out to LG to see if there's any relation between the two apps, but more choice is always better anyway, no? Check the video after the break to see it in action.

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, LG

Comments

Source: LG (YouTube)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/21/lg-flaunts-panorama-vr-feature-on-optimus-g-pro-video/

the client list yahoo.com/mail baylor april 9 albatross louis oosthuizen phil mickelson

Why a Buying Opportunity May Be Near for Gold

Thursday, February 21st, 2013
By George Leong, B.Comm. for Profit Confidential

Gold is currently looking somewhat dull on the chart, losing some of its luster following the bearish move of the spot price to below $1,600/ounce on February 15. Gold has since rallied back to above $1,600, but it continues to show extremely weak relative strength.

We are hearing more whispers predicting prices could falter more; but while I?m neutral at this point, the ability of the yellow metal to bounce back from below $1,600 was a positive sign.

The jury is still out on the potential of gold. The situation in the eurozone remains fragile, but there have been some signs of improving sentiment, which is what traders want to see.

In early January, Marc Faber, also known as ?Dr. Doom,? in an interview on CNBC suggested gold could correct 10% or more to as low as $1,550 and $1,600. (Source: Belvedere, M.J., ??Dr. Doom? Faber Sees Possible 10% Gold Correction,? CNBC, January 8, 2012, last accessed February 20, 2013.)

In my view, gold continues to be a place to park some capital. For this reason, I feel the metal will likely continue to hold above $1,500 after 11 consecutive up years.

For the investor, accumulating gold stocks or positions on further weakness below $1,600 makes sense.

The chart below shows sideways trading with major support around $1,550 and upper resistance at $1,800, as indicated by the horizontal blue lines. Within this trading band, there?s a downward trading channel as indicated by the downward-sloping blue lines. We saw a similar situation in February to May 2012, prior to a rally back to the upper-band resistance. I?m not saying this will happen again, but the recent trading action suggests this. Hence, if gold falters back to around $1,550, there may be an opportunity to buy gold, based on my technical analysis.

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

I continue to favor gold going forward, given the continued financial distress and recession in the eurozone and Europe. There?s also the ongoing tension in the Middle East.

Moreover, China and India continue to be the world?s top buyers of the yellow metal, and this is expected to continue. The Chinese have also been buying mining companies around the world in an effort to increase its reserves. This is a reason why I like some of the smaller mining companies, especially those with a massive reserve of proven metals in the ground, waiting to be developed and needing a cash-rich partner to get the ore out of the ground.

So while the near-term prospects look somewhat dull for gold, I look at downside moves as an opportunity to add to existing or new positions, especially some of the smaller mining stocks. (Read ?Mining for Riches with Junior Miners.?)

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]

Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]

Source: http://www.profitconfidential.com/gold-investments/why-a-buying-opportunity-may-be-near-for-gold/

the perfect storm hard boiled eggs mickelson how to tie a tie sweet potato recipes the sound of music celebration church

Jakarta Flood Losses Manageable for Non-Life Insurers: Fitch Ratings

Jakarta Flood Losses Manageable for Non-Life Insurers: Fitch Ratings
Muhamad Al Azhari | February 21, 2013

The insured losses from the recent flooding in Jakarta will not trigger excessive financial strain on the balance sheet of Indonesian non-life insurers, international rating agency Fitch Ratings said.

The rating agency cited data from Swiss Re Signa, a global wholesale provider of reinsurance, insurance and other insurance-based forms, that showed Indonesia has a low insurance penetration rate of less than 2 percent of its gross domestic product.

The industry will also get protection from reinsurance coverage.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported the floods in Jakarta, which affected a total of 41 square kilometers (around 8 percent of Jakarta?s total area) claimed 41 lives.

It struck a total of 74 urban wards in 31 subdistricts in five municipalities in the capital city, inundating more than 100,000 houses and some of its major roadways.

Indonesian government officials estimated economic losses from damaged property, production losses and other factors could reach Rp 32 trillion ($3.3 billion).

?Fitch?s initial assessment is that the insured losses will be markedly lower than the economic losses, although the extent of the impact will vary from one company to another,? the rating agency said.

?Insured losses are expected to top Rp 3 trillion based on industry estimates. It will take time for international catastrophe modeling firms and local loss adjusters to finalize the insured loss amount,? it said.

This insured losses estimate, is however, greater than the flood losses from the 2002 and 2007, Fitch said, as the areas affected are bigger and more concentrated toward inner Jakarta, whereby insurance coverage is higher than in rural areas.

The collapse of a 30-meter-long section of the city?s West Flood Canal dike on Jalan Latuharhary in Menteng made the 2013 floods particularly devastating. Areas such as the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and adjoining Jalan MH Thamrin and Jalan Sudirman were completely inundated.

Fitch cited General Insurance Association, which quoted flood-related claims in 2002 and 2007 that amounted to Rp 1.5 trillion and Rp 2.1 trillion, respectively.

Fitch noted that the majority of the losses in the 2013 floods are likely to have come from the car and mortgage insurance lines.

?However, since flood risks are not automatically included in many of the motor and property insurance policies in Indonesia, a sizeable proportion of those affected might remain uncovered by insurance protection,? Fitch said.

On the other hand, Indonesian non-life insurers also benefit from their reinsurance protection.

?Based on industry estimates, more than 40 percent of the non-life [insurance] industry?s total gross premiums in 2011 were being ceded, with around 6 percent of these premiums to Indonesian reinsurers,? Fitch said.

?This suggests that a substantial proportion of the industry?s premiums are being ceded to foreign reinsurers. In Fitch?s view the low capital base of domestic reinsurers encourages reliance on overseas retrocessions,? the rating agency added.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/jakarta-flood-losses-manageable-for-non-life-insurers-fitch-ratings/572900

nfl combine 84th annual academy awards beginners 2012 oscars the shore meryl streep oscar wins sasha baron cohen oscars

Cardinal on the hot seat. The GOP's favorite Catholic bishop gets deposed

?
Cardinal on the hot seat

by digby

"I'll have to get this molestation deposition done in a hurry. I'm on my way to Rome to elect a new pope"

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York, will be deposed on Wednesday afternoon by lawyers representing hundreds of people who say they were sexually abused by priests in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which Cardinal Dolan led before his appointment to New York in 2009.

Cardinal Dolan is one of two American cardinals who are being deposed in sexual abuse lawsuits this week, and who plan to travel to Rome next week in advance of the proceedings to elect the successor to Pope Benedict XVI, who stunned the world last week with the announcement that he was resigning effective Feb. 28.

The other American is Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, the retired archbishop of Los Angeles. He is expected to be deposed on Saturday in Los Angeles, and he has been under fire since the court-ordered release last month of 12,000 pages of internal church files revealing his role in shielding accused priests from the law.

Cardinal Dolan has been much discussed as a possible candidate for pope. The cardinal, who is the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, is a charismatic figure at ease in parishes as well as in morning talk show studios, and he left a strong impression in the Vatican last year with speeches promoting what the church calls the ?new evangelization.?

Yeah, he's a heckuva guy. He led the Catholic Church hierarchy right into the arms of the right wing nuts of the Republican party:

A series of recent developments are renewing questions about the Catholic bishops' alignment with the Republican Party, with much of the attention focusing on comments by Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput, who said he "certainly can't vote for somebody who's either pro-choice or pro-abortion."

In a wide-ranging interview published last week (Sept. 14), Chaput also echoed the views of a number of prominent bishops when he praised Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan for trying to address the "immoral" practice of deficit spending through his libertarian-inflected budget proposals.

"Jesus tells us very clearly that if we don't help the poor, we're going to go to hell. Period. There's just no doubt about it," Chaput told National Catholic Reporter.

"But Jesus didn't say the government has to take care of them, or that we have to pay taxes to take care of them. Those are prudential judgments. Anybody who would condemn someone because of their position on taxes is making a leap that I can't make as a Catholic."

Many church experts say Ryan's views stand in contrast to traditional Catholic teaching on social justice, and Ryan's policies have been the target of sharply critical statements from politically active nuns and the hierarchy's own committee that deals with poverty and domestic issues.

But the dynamic within the USCCB appeared to shift even further to the right on Monday with the announcement that bishops had hired the head of Catholic Charities in Denver, Jonathan Reyes, as the new head of the bishops' Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development -- in effect their chief lobbyist on domestic and international social justice issues.

The appointment was being closely watched because it is a critical post in trying to influence Congress on anti-poverty legislation.

The previous head of that office was John Carr, a widely respected social justice advocate who left the job last month after almost 25 years. Carr had come under increasingly sharp attack by the Catholic right for pushing church positions that did not always line up with conservative policies.
Many church experts say Ryan's views stand in contrast to traditional Catholic teaching on social justice, and Ryan's policies have been the target of sharply critical statements from politically active nuns and the hierarchy's own committee that deals with poverty and domestic issues.

Dolan memorably had this to say on Bill O'Reilly's show:

DOLAN: You?re a better historian than I am Bill, you know that every great movement in ? in American history has been driven by people of religious conviction. And if we duct tape the churches ? I?m just not talking about the Catholic Church ? if we duct tape the role of religion and the churches and morally convince people in the marketplace that?s going to lead to a huge deficit a huge void.

And there are many people who want to fill it up, namely a new religion called secularism, ok, which ? which would be as doctrinaire and would consider itself as infallible as they caricature the other religions doing.

So to ? to see ? to see that morally-driven religiously-convinced people want to exercise their political responsibility, I think that is not only at the heart of biblical religion, it is at the heart of American enterprise.

I'm guessing that Jesus didn't see himself as a Master of the Universe --- at least not in that way.

How shocking it will be if it turns out that he was heavily involved in one of the many Church molestation scandals. It certainly puts this comment in perspective:

Cardinal Dolan criticized a legislative proposal that would, for a year, drop the statute of limitations for filing civil claims for sexual offenses, allowing for lawsuits by people who say they were abused long ago. The cardinal said he was concerned that a flood of lawsuits over abuse by priests could drain the church of money it is using for charitable purposes.

?I think we bishops have been very contrite in admitting that the church did not handle this well at all in the past,? he said. ?But we bristle sometimes in that the church doesn?t get the credit, now being in the vanguard of reform. It does bother us that the church continues to be a whipping boy.?

Yeah, he'd be a great pope. Or a Fox news analyst. Either way.

.

digby 2/20/2013 06:00:00 PM

Source: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/cardinal-on-hot-seat-gops-favorite.html

Oscar Pistorius Carnival Triumph charles barkley valentines valentines day George Ferris happy valentines day

Psychological effects of bullying can last years

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kids who were bullied and acted as bullies themselves were at higher risk for depression, anxiety and panic disorder years down the line, in a new study.

Researchers have known that bullying can take a psychological toll on both bullies and victims, but it's been unclear just how long those effects would last.

One report published earlier this month found bullying targeting lesbian, gay and bisexual youth contributed to their feelings of depression and worthlessness as young adults (see Reuters Health story of Feb 4, 2013 here: http://reut.rs/XDx6mg).

In the new study, depression and anxiety tied to bullying at school persisted at least through people's mid-twenties. Worst off were those who had been both bullies and targets of bullying, according to findings published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry.

"It's obviously very well established how problematic bullying is short-term," said William Copeland, a clinical psychologist who led the new study at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.

"I was surprised that a decade down the road after they've been victimized, when they've kind of transitioned to adulthood, we would still see these emotional marks for the victims and also the bullies/victims."

His team's research included 1,420 youth from Western North Carolina who were asked about their experiences with bullying at various points between age nine and 16, then were followed and assessed for psychiatric disorders through age 26.

Just over one-quarter of kids and their parents reported they were bullied at least once, and close to one in ten said they had bullied other kids.

After adjusting for the participants' history of family hardships, the researchers found that, compared to young adults with no history of bullying, former victims were at higher risk for a range of psychiatric conditions.

For example, 6 percent of uninvolved youth went on to have an anxiety disorder, versus 24 percent of former bullying victims and 32 percent of youth who had been both bullies and targets of bullying.

Kids who originally reported both bullying and being bullied were the most likely to be diagnosed with panic disorder or depression as young adults or to consider suicide.

"It's not surprising that that would be the case, because in part they're reacting to the trauma of being bullied and they also carry with them the experience of having bullied," said Dr. Mark Schuster, chief of general pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School, who wasn't involved in the new research.

"These folks are the ones who get bullied and instead of experiencing empathy? they're more reactive and they see bullying as more of a way of getting attention," Copeland told Reuters Health.

Youth who were just bullies and never picked-on themselves were at four times higher risk for antisocial personality disorder, which is characterized by a lack of empathy and mistreatment of others.

Psychiatric disorders in childhood and kids' family problems were tied to bullying but didn't fully explain future problems, Copeland and his colleagues found. Some of the adult disorders seemed to stem from the bullying itself, they said.

The study "calls attention to just how serious bullying can be, and it reinforces what we've been learning, which is that bullying is not just a rite of passage, it's not just part of growing up and all kids experience it and they're stronger for it," Schuster told Reuters Health.

"From everything we understand at this point, it can have serious long-term consequences."

Researchers said schools, parents and doctors need to work together to try to prevent bullying in the first place.

But for kids who have experienced bullying, Schuster said a supportive adult can go a long way toward preventing future psychological consequences.

"In part they need an adult who can help them navigate this, who can help put an end to the bullying and can create a safe haven for them," he said.

"Having to keep the secret that you're bullied and not having anyone to turn to for advice and support makes it that much harder."

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/Zjwxj3 JAMA Psychiatry, online February 20, 2013.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/psychological-effects-bullying-last-years-180657297.html

the new ipad apple announcement indianapolis colts joseph kony joseph kony ipad 3 release date apple store down

Hornets' Davis adjusting well to NBA

NEW ORLEANS ? Anthony Davis' primary adjustment to the NBA is not overcoming jet lag or shifting from center to power forward.

"We've spent the year teaching him that these guys are out to take his head off," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "He's not playing against an all-state player from Mississippi.

"These are the best in the world, and they are trying to take you out. That has been a bit of an ordeal for him to overcome because he is used to people liking him. These guys don't like you anymore."

Tom Thibodeau doesn't like the former Perspectives Charter High School and Kentucky star. The Bulls coach loves him.

"Jeez ? he's just incredible," Thibodeau said. "His skill set is so unique. His timing, shot-blocking, athleticism. He can put it on the floor, shoot it a little bit. He does a lot of things you can't teach."

Davis entered Tuesday night's game, his first against his hometown Bulls, averaging 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. His first points came on a thunderous fast-break dunk in the first quarter.

The future: Asked if he believes Davis one day will blossom into a 20-point scorer, Hornets general manager Dell Demps replied: "I'm not good at (projecting). I just like that he makes lot of wining plays. Some are points and some are rebounds, blocked shots, assists, steals and defense. He checks a lot of boxes."

The 6-foot-10, 220-pound Davis, who wasn't made available to print reporters before Tuesday's game, won't turn 20 until next month.

"He has some natural gifts that make the game easy," Demps said. "He can be in the paint and get out to the 3-point line to contest a shot. He can block a shot and finish with a lob on the other end. He has a pretty good jump hook with both hands.

"In college he played center, but he's a power forward for us so he is guarding a lot more skill guys. He might get tricked the first time, but he figures it out the second time."

Standing pat? With Thursday's trade deadline approaching, there remains some chatter on blogs about Carlos Boozer and Richard Hamilton.

Said Thibodeau: "We feel very good about our team."

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/ct-spt-0220-bits-bulls-chicago--20130220,0,6226999.story?track=rss

torrey pines nhl all star game 2012 pollyanna samuel adams snowy owl one for the money 10 minute trainer

Italy's centre-left moves to reassure doubters

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's centre-left moved on Tuesday to quash fears that it will form a weak government after next weekend's election, saying it was committed to rapid economic reform and that outgoing premier Mario Monti must have a frontline political role.

"We are fully aware that inertia is not an option. We have no time to waste. Italy's problems are very serious and we cannot afford more recession or stagnation ... we need to deliver in terms of jobs, income, simplification," said Stefano Fassina, chief economic official in the centre-left Democratic Party.

Although markets have remained largely sanguine about the result of the February 24-25 vote, there have been rumbles this week about the chances that it will bring instability or a weak, left-leaning government unable or unwilling to carry out the difficult reforms needed to make Italy competitive.

A centre-left coalition headed by Democratic Party (PD) leader Pier Luigi Bersani is widely expected to win the vote and the most recent polls show it 4-5 points ahead of Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right.

But pollsters expect Bersani to fall short of a controlling majority in the Senate, which has equal law-making powers to the lower house, forcing it to seek support from Monti's centrists and raising the specter of a government split by disputes.

Fassina, who comes from the PD's left-wing, dismissed these fears and the suggestion that Monti, the technocrat who led Italy out of a major financial crisis last year, would refuse to ally with a centre-left coalition because of the suspicion it would be dominated by trade unions and leftists.

Monti, who is struggling to attract votes in the centre, said in an interview with Rome's Il Messaggero daily on Tuesday: "We have nothing in common with the left-wing coalition."

He has repeatedly urged Bersani to drop leftist ally Nichi Vendola of the small Left, Ecology and Freedom (SEL) party.

But Fassina told Reuters in an interview: "I guess that Monti, like us, wants to do something positive for this country. If we do not have a majority and Monti can provide the numbers for forming a stable government, why wouldn't he do it? What is the alternative? Another election in a couple of months?"

SAVIOUR

He added: "It would be difficult to explain to the rest of the world that the savior is not providing support for forming a government."

Fassina said the centre-left would seek an alliance with Monti to strengthen the government and reassure markets even if it had a majority by itself.

Despite Monti's lackluster political campaign, Fassina said the outgoing premier, "is an asset for Italy so in one way or another he should stay in the front line." Monti replaced Berlusconi in November 2011 as Italy slid towards a perilous debt crisis.

Fassina said the problems around an alliance stretching from Vendola to Monti "are enormously exaggerated," adding that Vendola had signed a pact to follow majority decisions in the coalition, in which the PD would be dominant.

"Vendola is not the extremist that people like to describe for electoral purposes," Fassina said, referring to the openly gay poet's 7-year tenure as governor of the southern region of Puglia where he has been widely described as a moderate. "There is a pretty good track record," Fassina said.

He added that he was less worried about Vendola than the danger that Monti would not get enough votes to help the centre-left form a majority because of the rise of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and Berlusconi's centre-right, describing them both as "populist forces"

Beppe Grillo, the 5-Star leader, has been boosted by a wave of recent corruption scandals and is now running third on close to 20 percent according to polls, well ahead of Monti.

But Fassina added: "Our feeling is that with Monti we will have a majority in the Senate large enough to have a stable government, this is what we understand from the latest polls."

He said the centre-left believed the most urgent reform in Italy was to streamline a notoriously bloated and inefficient public sector, address rampant corruption and transform a byzantine system of justice that causes years of delays in civil as well as criminal cases, a major disincentive to investment.

He said a plethora of local, central and regional authorities had caused paralysis and created hundreds of small and inefficient companies providing local services. The centre-left would close many of these companies and merge others.

Despite the feeling of many senior businessmen that reforming the labor market is the most urgent measure for a new government, Fassina said existing legislation was in line with the European average.

However, he said Monti's labor reforms had failed to close the gap between highly protected older workers and young people on precarious temporary contracts. The PD would encourage permanent contracts by cutting tax costs for companies.

Fassina said Berlusconi would try to retain enough influence to protect his personal interests through blocking anti-trust and anti corruption legislation and preventing an extension of the statute of limitations that has saved him in several fraud trials.

But if a stable government was formed after this election, Berlusconi would be marginalized and lose leadership of his People of Freedom party (PDL) within two years.

(Writing by Barry Moody; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italys-centre-left-moves-reassure-doubters-162418870--business.html

grammys miguel pope Justin Timberlake Grammys frank ocean adam levine mumford and sons