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Snowstorm knocks out power for thousands across north-east US

2013-02-09T08:42:00.003-08:00

A huge winter storm has lashed America's north-east, bringing major snow fall, icy conditions and high winds to a vast swathe of the most populous region of the United States.

The powerful weather system created chaos on the region's roads with several states banning motorists from travel and saw more than 650,000 people left without power.

Thousands of flights were also cancelled, and governors of six states – New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maine – declared emergencies.

The storm packed hurricane force winds at times as it pummelled its way through the area, striking most fiercely in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. However, it largely spared New York from any major impact, as the worst of the system passed by just to the north of the city.

The storm is believed to have caused at least four deaths so far, with three people being killed in Canada and one in upstate New York. In southern Ontario, an 80-year-old woman collapsed while shovelling snow from her driveway, and two men died in car crashes. In New York, a 74-year-old pedestrian died after he was struck by a car in Poughkeepsie when the driver lost control in the snowy conditions.

The heaviest snow appeared to strike Connecticut where 28in (71cm) had fallen on central parts of the state by early Saturday morning. At its height snow was falling there at a rate of up to five inches an hour. Elsewhere areas of south-eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire notched 2ft (60cm) or more of snow – with more still falling on Saturday.

High winds built up huge drifts, and major cities like Boston, Hartford and Providence ground to a halt. Falling tree branches and gusts brought down power lines and in Massachusetts alone some 400,000 people were without power. The snow also knocked out electricity to the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth which shut down Friday night. Authorities say there is no threat to public safety and backup generators immediately kicked in.

Airlines cancelled more than 5,300 flights through Saturday, and Boston's Logan Airport closed completely. As the storm passed by Saturday morning New York's three main airports had re-opened, though with a schedule devastated by changes.

Blizzard conditions also brought wreckage to the roads. There was a 19-car pileup in Cumberland, Maine, that caused minor injuries to some of the passengers. Meanwhile on the Long Island Expressway in New York hundreds of cars got stuck on Friday evening, forcing police to work to free them.

But in New York City, parts of which got 11in (28cm) of snow, the storm had little major impact. Underground public transport was working smoothly, and many citizens heeded mayor Michael Bloomberg's warnings to stay indoors. By Saturday morning much Manhattan was back to normal, while other boroughs were still digging out.

After striking the region the storm was headed mostly out to sea, rather than barrelling inland. That course of direction was seen as sparing much of the region further damage unlike in previous recent big weather systems – such as superstorm Sandy – which had marched inland.

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2013-01-19T06:36:00.002-08:00

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Madonna - Superstar (Official Version) HQ + Lyrics

2012-11-10T07:07:00.002-08:00

Madonna - Superstar (Official Version) HQ + Lyrics

Sandy-hit areas struggle to resume daily life

2012-10-31T06:12:00.001-07:00

Forecasters say Sandy is no longer a hurricane but is still a dangerous system taking dead aim at New Jersey and Delaware.

The National Hurricane Center said Monday evening that Sandy is a post-tropical storm and losing strength but still has sustained winds at 85 mph. The eye has almost made landfall.

The center says storm surge has reached heights of 12.4 feet at Kings Point, N.Y

Gaining speed and power through the day, the storm knocked out electricity to more than 1.5 million people and figured to upend life for tens of millions more. It clobbered the boarded-up big cities of the Northeast corridor, from Washington and Baltimore to Philadelphia, New York and Boston, with stinging rain and gusts of more than 85 mph.

Hurricane Sandy: Early damage reports

Flooding will be a huge threat, with many areas potentially seeing rainfall amounts between 5 and 8 inches over a 48-hour period.

The full moon will make storm surges worse, as high tides along the Eastern Seaboard will rise about 20 percent higher than normal.

Correspondent Chip Reid reports from Ocean City, Md., that sea levels could rise 8 feet above normal - enough to flood much of the city.

In addition to rains and flooding, about 2 to 3 feet of snow is forecast for mountainous parts of West Virginia.

The tempest could endanger up to 50 million people for days. "This is the worst-case scenario," said Louis Uccellini, environmental prediction chief for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

President Barack Obama delivered a sober warning to millions in the path of the storm on Monday, appealing to those who have not evacuated to do so.

"Please listen to what your state and local officials are saying. When they tell you to evacuate, you need to evacuate. Don't delay, don't pause, don't question the instructions that are being given, because this is a powerful storm."

From Washington to Boston, big cities and small towns were buttoned up against the onslaught of Sandy, with forecasters warning that the New York area could get the worst of it -- an 11-foot wall of water.

"There's a lot of people that are going to be under the impacts of this," Federal Emergency Management Administrator Craig Fugate said on "CBS This Morning" Monday.

"You know, we've got blizzard warnings as far west as West Virginia, Appalachian Mountains, but I think the biggest concern right now are the people in the evacuation areas. They're going to face the most immediate threats with the storm surge."

"The biggest challenge is going to be not knowing exactly where the heaviest-hit areas are going to be," said Fugate, "and the fact the storm's going to take several days to move through the area with heavy rain and wind, so that's going to slow down recovery activities like utility crews getting out and putting power back up."

Off North Carolina, a replica of the 18th-century sailing ship HMS Bounty that was built for the 1962 Marlon Brando movie "Mutiny on the Bounty" went down in the storm, and 14 crew members were rescued by helicopter from rubber lifeboats bobbing in 18-foot seas. The Coast Guard said it found one of the missing crew members but she is unresponsive. The Coast Guard is still searching for the captain.

Hurricane Sandy slams Northeast

Forecasters said the hurricane could blow ashore Monday night along the New Jersey coast, then cut across into Pennsylvania and travel up through New York State on Wednesday. As the storm closed in, a crane dangled precariously in the wind off a 65-story luxury building in New York City, and the streets were cleared as a precaution.

Forecasters said the combination of Sandy with the storm from the west and the cold air from the Arctic could bring close to a foot of rain in places, a potentially lethal storm surge of 4 to 11 feet across much of the region, and punishing winds that could cause widespread power outages that last for days. The storm could also dump up to 2 feet of snow in Kentucky, North Carolina and West Virginia.

Mid-Atlantic States Start to Feel Effects of Storm

2012-10-29T02:41:00.003-07:00

With Hurricane Sandy still churning several hundred miles off the Eastern Seaboard, its impact was already being felt in mid-Atlantic states late Sunday night.

There were reports of roadways flooding, and Gov. Jack Markell of Delaware ordered that no one would be allowed on Delaware roads after 5 a.m. on Monday.

Along the Maryland, Virginia and Delaware coasts, winds began to pick up intensity, and bands of rain whipped coastal towns.

Near the Norfolk Naval Station, there were reports of sustained winds of 45 miles per hour and gusts topping 53 miles per hour.

The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center, issued at 11 p.m., said that the storm was still 470 miles from New York City and moving northward at 14 miles per hour.

It was not losing steam as it plowed forward. Hurricane force winds over 75 miles per hour were measured by monitors on ocean buoys 170 miles from the storm’s center. Tropical force winds extended 520 miles from the heart of the giant weather system.

The computer tracking models showed the storm still likely to make landfall somewhere in the vicinity of southern New Jersey by late Monday evening.

In Ocean City, Md., where residents were evacuated earlier in the day, live-streaming Web cams – now disabled – showed the storm surge already reaching up to the boardwalk.

Hurricane Sandy causes evacuations, closings throughout East Coast

2012-10-29T02:40:00.001-07:00

Hurricane Sandy

As mammoth storm system Hurricane Sandy conspired to assault the most populous part of the United States, hundreds of thousands of people moved to higher ground and cities announced shutdowns that typically occur after several feet of snow.

The Washington region’s entire public transit system — Metro, Virginia Railway Express and the Maryland Transportation System — ceased operations. Schools, colleges and universities closed Monday, and some have already announced they’ll close Tuesday and Wednesday as well.

Cities north along the Eastern Seaboard took similar action. New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (I) ordered the evacuation of Coney Island and Lower Manhattan, and authorities shut down the city’s schools and its subway system, effectively bringing the nation’s largest city to a near halt. More than 60 miles inland, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (D) urged people to leave low-lying neighborhoods.

Even the New York Stock Exchange will close floor trading on Monday and move to an electronic-only system.

Thousands of flights in and out of eastern cities were canceled, and utility crews were summoned from distant states after it was predicted that 10 million people might lose electricity.

In the Washington area, utilities used robo-calls to warn residents to prepare to be without power for days or weeks. But there was hope that local power systems rebuilt after the intense windstorm known as the “derecho” in June might better stand up to Sandy.

“Pepco has committed all its resources to Hurricane Sandy,” said Thomas H. Graham, the company’s regional president. “Because of the magnitude of the storm, we will not be issuing estimated restoration times until the storm has passed and a preliminary damage assessment has been conducted. At that time, a global estimated restoration time will be released indicating when we expect to have 90 percent of customers restored.”

High winds — including hurricane-force gusts of 60 mph to 70 mph — should continue to hit the D.C. region through Tuesday evening, according to the National Weather Service. Sustained winds of 30 mph to 40 mph starting at 8 a.m. Monday are expected to increase to 45 mph around noon.

Hurricane Sandy and its co-conspirators — a jet stream barricade to the west, a strong nor’easter and a full moon that drives tides to abnormal heights — were not be be trifled with, forecasters warned. The full moon on Monday will add 2 to 3 inches to the storm surge in New York, said Weather Underground meteorologist Jeff Masters.

“This storm is a killer storm that will likely take more lives as she makes landfall,” said Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D). “This is a very large and unprecedented storm. It will be a couple of days before it will be even safe to get linemen out on the streets [and] up in the bucket trucks and reconnecting people to power.”

Kenyan official killed in 'secessionist violence'

2012-10-16T11:08:00.002-07:00

Salim Changu was hacked to death in the coastal town of Kwale, police say.His death comes shortly after Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) Oscar Mwamnuadzi was arrested during a gunfight at his home in the town, in which two people were killed.

Tension has been rising in Kenya ahead of general elections due in March 2013. More than 100 people have been killed in ethnic clashes in the south-east Tana River area since August, in the bloodiest violence since the disputed 2007 presidential election.

Police spokesman Aggrey Adoli said Changu, the assistant chief for the Kombani area, was probably killed by MRC members who viewed him as a traitor, Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper reports. Earlier, police launched an operation against the MRC following accusations that it planned to disrupt school examinations.

Two of Mwamnuadzi's bodyguards were killed during the raid on his home in Kwale and 38 people were arrested, the Daily Nation reported.In July, Kenya's High Court lifted a ban on the MRC, which the government had outlawed in 2010 after accusing it of being a criminal gang.The MRC accuses the government of marginalising the ethnic groups living along the coast, which is the centre of the country's tourism sector.Calls for the secession of the coastal region tend to intensify in the run-up to general elections, analysts say. (BBC)

Obama on debate: ‘I feel fabulous. Look at this beautiful day’

2012-10-16T09:21:00.001-07:00

President Obama left a riverside golf resort in Williamsburg, Va., Tuesday morning for the short flight to New York for his second televised debate with Republican Mitt Romney, scheduled for 9 p.m. at Hofstra University on Long Island.

Before he left Kingsmill Resort, Obama made a brief public appearance for the cameras and reporters. On a warm, sunny morning overlooking the James River, the president took a walk with advisers Anita Dunn and David Plouffe.

Obama was asked by a reporter,”How are you feeling about tonight?” He smiled and replied: “I feel fabulous. Look at this beautiful day.”A reporter then asked: “Are you aware Michelle voted for you yesterday?” Obama’s reply: “Thank goodness!”

It was a reference to the news that the first lady had dropped her absentee ballot in the mail on Monday. The Obamas are registered to vote in Chicago; the president will travel there on Oct. 25 and cast his ballot in early voting.

Finally, a reporter asked Obama about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s statement that she bears responsibility for the violence in Libya on Sept. 11 that claimed four American lives, including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.

The reporter asked: “Is Hillary to blame for Benghazi?”

Obama was silent and kept walking. But we’ll likely hear more on that question during Tuesday’s debate.

Earthquake rattles northern Japan

2012-08-13T21:59:00.001-07:00

A MAGNITUDE 7.3 earthquake has struck wide areas of northern and north-eastern Japan, the Meteorological Agency says.

No immediate casualties or damage were reported and no tsunami warning was issued. The quake occurred at 12:01pm (1.01pm AEST) today with its epicentre in the Sea of Okhotsk, off Japan's northern island of Hokkaido at a depth of 590km, the agency said. On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami hit north-eastern Japan, leaving nearly 19,000 people dead or missing.

Audi Launches Free Mileage Tracker App.

2012-07-18T02:32:00.000-07:00

Audi Motors launched its latest free-to-download mileage tracker application, which aims to make travelling easier. This new app tracks each journey using GPS mapping and precisely calculates the business expense created.

The "Audi Mileage Tracker," which is available for iPhone users, tracks mileage using GPS mapping and tabulates travel costs.The app erases some of the hassles typically associated with travelling, making for an easier driving experience. At the end of the journey, all the information can be transferred to spreadsheets for further office use. These spreadsheets can be directly mailed to offices or homes for recording expenses or for future totaling. "Drivers can program the application with journeys they take regularly and recall them from the journey log or use the start/stop function each time they leave the office," reads an official Audi press release. "The application can even point them in the direction of their nearest Audi Centre if they need expert assistance. As the exact route taken is tracked, regardless of diversions due to roadworks or congestion, the calculation provided is always absolutely accurate." The application has been aimed towards fleet operators who are always on the lookout of ways and means to make their transport system more efficient and economical. And going by its latest features, the Audi Mileage Tracker is just going to be the answer to their prayers.

As luxury war heats up, BMW steps on the gas

2012-07-18T02:30:00.000-07:00

The biggest battle in India’s auto industry is being fought right at the top. At a time when sales of small cars has been on a decline, and SUVs and MUVs are turning out to be the new crowd-pullers, the luxury car segment is doing what it does best—race ahead.

The competition between the top three luxury car makers—BMW, Audi and Mercedes—has never been this close, and the margin is only coming down with each passing month. This has led to a slew of launches over the year, and the latest in the list will be the BMW F30 series, the sixth generation of the famed 3 Series, which will be launched on July 27. The car was launched in Europe last October. The vehicle will compete with the Audi A4 and the Mercedes C-Class in the Indian market. While the new 3 Series scores over its predecessor on most fronts, the most noticeable feature is the headlamps which extend right up to the split kidney grille. The latest version is also slightly bigger in size and offers more head room and leg room. Multiple engine options are offered in Europe—both petrol and diesel—but there is no clarity on the number of options that will be available in India. There are reports, however, which state that the car will come in two petrol and two diesel variants. The vehicle will first be launched in Mumbai, followed by subsequent launches throughout the country. This will be the second big launch for BMW in India, the first being the Mini, which came in April. BMW currently leads the luxury market segment in the country, but has seen sales decline this year, while German rival Audi is fast catching up. According to figures released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) earlier this month, Audi's sales in the first three months of the fiscal have jumped by 52.15 per cent to 1,908 units from 1,254 units in the year-ago period. On the other hand, sales of BMW declined by 12.16 per cent to 2,088 units as against 2,377 units in the same period last year. Mercedes Benz, too, witnessed a 24.41 per cent fall in its sales at 1,257 units compared to 1,663 units in April-June 2011.

Africa: New Drug to Prevent HIV/Aids Approved By United States Fda

2012-07-17T03:46:00.000-07:00

Scientists and pharmacists have continued to research into how humanity can be saved from the killer scourge called HIV/AIDS.

Several efforts in the past have not only been partially successful, they have also been profoundly controversial. But Monday, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) in the United States of America (USA) approved a new drug that could be used by adults to reduce their chances of contacting the dreaded disease.

Such persons who do not already have the infection could reduce their chances of contacting the virus if they take the new drug once a day. It would be the first time the FDA would be approving a drug for the ailment.

The drug is called Truvada, an antiretroviral medication made by Gilead Sciences, Inc., which was already approved by the FDA in 2004 to help control the HIV infection. Truvada is a combination of two HIV medications - emtricitabine (Emtriva) and tenofovir (Viread) - rolled into one pill that is taken once a day. Its efficacy is said to be better enhanced when taken with other HIV drugs, when treating the HIV infection.

More significantly, the drug presents an opportunity for Africa and Asia, which have been ravaged by the ailment. The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has been in the forefront of providing drugs, education and support to those living with the pandemic in Nigeria.

In confirming the preventive effect of the drug, the manufacturers proved that pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP can reduce transmission of the virus significantly - up to 96 per cent - when uninfected partners of people infected with HIV took Truvada. But the manufacturers have sounded a note of warning that the drug is no licence for reckless sexual life, neither is it a Teflon that can insulate an infection, adding that those who already have the infection must observe sexual discipline as well as combine the new drug with others to achieve greater results.

Director of the Division of Antiviral Products, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA, Dr. Debra Birnkrant, stressed that Truvada alone should not be used to prevent the HIV infection. It should be used in combination with other safe sex practices.

"Practising safer sex and good health practices must be part of the treatment," Birnkrant said. "We will be putting a box warning to let those using Truvada know that it is part of the therapy with combination of safer sex practices, and that doing this will reduce the risk of the development of AIDS/HIV."

Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Health, Dr. Anthony Fauci, agrees. "The approval of Truvada to prevent HIV infection in uninfected individuals who are at high risk of the sexually acquired HIV infection is a significant development, providing an important addition to our toolkit of HIV prevention interventions," Fauci said.

"However, it is critical to stress that Truvada as 'pre-exposure prophylaxis' should not be considered a stand-alone method, but should be used in conjunction with other proven HIV prevention strategies such as condom use, risk-reduction counselling, and frequent HIV testing."

Birnkrant said she hopes the right message would get out, and that Truvada is used properly. "We have the box warning that a negative HIV test must be reported before Truvada is prescribed," she said.

According to Gilead, Truvada is the most-prescribed antiretroviral in the United States. "Today's decision is the culmination of almost 20 years of research involving investigators, academic and medical institutions, funding agencies and nearly 20,000 trial participants around the world, and Gilead is proud to have been a partner in this effort," said the Executive Vice-President, Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer, Gilead Sciences, Norbert Bischofberger.

The lead investigator of the iPrEx trialat at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Robert Grant, who looked at Truvada as a prevention treatment among high-risk men who have sex with men (MSM), said the approval is a major milestone in the 30-year fight against AIDS. "The use of PrEP alongside routine HIV testing gives us a tremendous opportunity to reduce the rate of new HIV infections in this country and around the world," he said.

At the University of Washington, another PrEP study proved very successful in reducing infection rates in couples where one partner is infected and the other is not (called serodiscordant). "The data clearly demonstrate that Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis is effective at reducing the risk of HIV infection acquired through sexual exposure," said Professor of Global Health and Medicine at the University of Washington and lead investigator of the Partners PrEP trial, Dr. Connie Celum.

"It is exciting to consider the potential impact of this new HIV prevention tool, which could contribute to significantly reducing new HIV infections as part of a combination HIV prevention strategy. Although the implementation of PrEP will bring challenges, they can be anticipated and systems developed to address these challenges," he said.

Yet, the new drug has its critics: "The FDA's approval of Gilead's Truvada as a form of HIV prevention today, without any requirement for HIV testing is completely reckless and a move that will ultimately set back years of HIV prevention efforts," said AHF's President, Michael Weinstein. "From the beginning, we believe there was a rush to judgment by government officials and others in favour of such approval despite decidedly mixed studies offered in support.

2012-07-10T08:47:00.001-07:00

A fine collection of billingsgates in a glass fronted display box

Prevent hair loss with these foods

2012-07-05T04:57:00.002-07:00

In our previous posts, we’ve told you how hair loss is caused, what male pattern baldness is, what the different types of hair loss are. We now bring you a comprehensive list of nutrients and their functions in hair growth and what their absence does to your hair. We also list various vegetarian and non-vegetarian sources which contain these nutrients and are must-haves if you want radiant, luscious hair.

Nutrient	Required for	Effect of deficiency on hair	Vegetarian sources	Non-vegetarian sources
Protein	These are building blocks of every tissue of the body including hair and scalp. It helps in new hair generation to replace the ones that are lost.	Dry and brittle hair; thinning of scalp due to non-replacement of the shedding hair.	Proteins from beans, nuts, grains etc are good but not optimal since they contain protein in the incomplete form.	Proteins from animal sources are the best eg: meat, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, cheese.
Vitamin C (If you are a smoker, your requirement for Vitamin C doubles)	This vitamin is required for producing collagen which is essential for holding tissues in the hair together.	Weak and brittle hair leading to split ends and hair loss.	Oranges, lemon, sweet lime, berries, watermelon, palak, methi, tomatoes and potatoes.	Not available from animal sources
Iron (If you are a woman, your requirement for iron is even more since you lose blood and iron during menstruation. Pregnant and lactating women also need more iron)	Required for formation of hemoglobin in turn providing enough oxygen and blood to the hair	Weakening of the hair and hair loss.	Non-heme iron from palak, rajma, dal, chana, soyabeans	Meat, chicken, eggs, fish are the better sources since heme iron from animal sources is more easily absorbed.
Copper	Same as above	Weakening of the hair and hair loss.	Sesame seeds (til), soya, cashews	Meat (especially liver), seafood
Zinc	Helps the oil glands in the hair follicle to function normally.	The oil glands do not produce enough oil leading to dry scalp, dandruff and hair loss.	Nuts, whole grains, dals	Meat, seafood
Vitamin B complex	Helps hemoglobin which helps supply oxygen to the scalp and hair and hair follicles.	Weak, undernourished and damaged hair	Not available from vegetarian sources	Tuna fish (bangda) and salmon fish (rohu), chicken

Investing in a Nissan

2012-06-28T00:56:00.000-07:00

I can't think of anything bad to say about the Nissan Rogue. The Rogue is a truly great car that was designed beautifully. Nissan is a very successful brance that is a great choice in this current economy. I have dealt with quite a few car dealerships in my time. The very best Nissan dealerships that I have found include ontario nissan and fontana nissan and have both been rated rather highly for being great car dealerships. Ontario is a absolutely great car dealership, I'm sure that you've already heard that if you live in the California area. Then again, if you didn't live in the California area, I'd be wondering why you're reading about car dealerships in California...Anyways, I'm very glad that I found out about both of these dealerships because they have both helped me out quite a bit in the car department. I ended up buying my car from Ontario but since I live closer to fontana Nissan, that dealership has become my go-to place for service and discounts and whatnot. After searching around for about an hour or two in Ontario Nissan, I decided to purchase a brand new Nissan Maxima. There were so many different cars to choose from, even with the direct help and pushing from the salespeople it was tough for me to make a final decision. I ended up going with the Nissan Maxima because I have actually driven in one of those before (quite a few of my friends had one at one point or another) so I know how it handles, and I knew that it wasn't going to cost me a fortune on gas. It also looked pretty and although that wasn't my top priority, it was kind of important. I go to the Palm Springs dealership whenever I need to get my Nissan serviced or anything like that. They have great specials running all the time that offer huge discounts on normal stuff like tire rotations, oil changes, discounts on vehicle accesories and so much more. I find that taking advantage of a dealership when they have a sale going or some kind of special is very financially smart. In these days we need to save money wherever we can, and since I'm not one to splurge on stupid things for my car I tend to have money left over for actually taking care of it. Find your nearest dealership and buy a Nissan today! It will be a very smart choice. The Rogue can fit quite a lot while still staying trendy and looking cool.

The Classic Black Rolex

2012-06-24T22:13:00.001-07:00

Selling the ever classic black rolex is no different from any other Rolex, but I will admit that it is a personal favorite of mine. There is just something about an all-black watch that I love so much. It goes with every piece of clothing that I own! All black rolex watches are all the rage and one of the best models in that category include the pro hunter rolex. If you are wondering how exactly you should approach the business, keep reading. Although it isn't quite brain surgery, selling such expensive and high quality items can often be troublesome. When selling either these Pro Hunter Rolex watches, or any other Rolex, it can be quite difficult getting the whole process in order. There is a lot of thought that needs to go into preparing both yourself and your customers for the whole ordeal. It wouldn't be so difficult if there weren't any scammers out there attempting and successfully selling fake Rolex watches, but since that isn't the case it is imperative that you calm the consumers anxiety and put them at ease. Rolex watches, which are very high-end and high quality, require a lot of though and it is important that you understand how important the whole deal is. Customers and interested consumers will be trusting you with very large amounts of money, and they want to make sure that they are getting what they paid for, which are legitimate Rolex watches. Don't be put off when you receieve doubt about the legitimacy of your Rolex watches. This is common, and for a very good reason. People need to be concerned and watchful of where they spend their hard earned money and make sure that the sellers that they are dealing with are looking out for their best interest. Make sure that you have the correct documents in order, including the original receipt and make copies of all other paperwork including model number. If that doesn't satisfy them, than go the extra mile and get a personal signature from an official at Rolex stating that your specific watch is indeed a true Rolex. After doing all these things, also make sure to take great pictures as well. Good pictures can often be the deciding factor in a deal. People want to really see the product, get high definition close-ups and really fall in love with the product. Get some great pictures and put up a fantastic sounding advertisement to attract the right kind of buyers. Whenever my friends have extra money and don't know what to buy, I say to them that they should make a smart investment and get a Rolex. It will only get better with time (sorry for the pun). If you are one of those people that really likes all their clothing and accessories to match, I highly suggest purchasing a black Rolex. It will go with every outfit and make your time getting ready in the morning go by much faster. You will get tons of compliments on it as well!

David Ferrer ready to defy Rafael Nadal at French Open

2012-06-07T00:44:00.000-07:00

Rafael Nadal

David Ferrer says he is ready to face the toughest challenge in world tennis - going up against Rafael Nadal on the claycourts of Roland Garros at the French Open.

The player they call "The Bulldozer" because of his relentless and attritional style has played 19 times against his fellow Spaniard and he has lost 15 of them.

Oddly for two such claycourt stalwarts, only once previously have they met at Roland Garros and that was in 2005 when Nadal made his debut in Paris and won comfortably 7-5, 6-2, 6-0 before going on to win his first Grand Slam title.

In fact the only time that Ferrer, who at 30 is four years older than Nadal, has beat him on clay was in their very first meeting in Stuttgart in 2004 and even that took three tough sets to get the job done.

The hard facts make grim reading for the hopes of Ferrer ahead of Friday's semi-final.

Nadal's straight sets victory over another Spaniard, Nicolas Almagro, in the quarter-finals brought up his 50th win at Roland Garros against just the one defeat - to Swede Robin Soderling in the 2009 fourth round.

On top of that, Nadal has added motivation this year as a win on Sunday would make him the first man to win seven French Open titles, snapping a tie with Swedish legend Bjorn Borg.

It would also be his 11th Grand Slam title, putting him level with Borg and Rod Laver.

Ferrer, through to his first semi-final here, insists that defeat for him is not inevitable.

"Yes, Rafa is always difficult to play. Even more so on clay," he said.

"But as I said and I will say again - I will try and play a beautiful match, my best tennis. I have great ambitions, and I'm quite certain this is going to be a very physical match."

The two have met twice on clay in the buildup to Paris, in Rome and Barcelona, with Nadal winning both in straight sets, but Ferrer came agonisingly close to taking the first set in the Italian capital before ceding in a tie-break. He then lost the second set 6-0.

That, he says, is the problem against Nadal - he never, ever lets up.

"In Rome it was different, because I had opportunities to win a set, but he played extremely well," he said.

"I think you can win a set against Rafa, but there is a difference between winning a set and winning a match.

"Winning a match against Rafa is almost impossible. He is in such good shape."

Nadal, who has yet to drop a set this year at Roland Garros, is full of praise for his Davis Cup partner and close friend.

"His game bothers everybody because he's one of the best players in the world on every surface, on clay especially," he said.

"He's a complete player. It's very difficult to play against him, because his movements are probably the best of the world, and he's able to hit the ball very early a lot of the times.

"It will be a very tough match."

Friday's other semi-final is a repeat of last year with top seed Novak Djokovic going up against third seed Roger Federer.

Neither player has ever beaten Nadal at Roland Garros.

Why Should I Visit Taylor Law?

2012-05-31T04:28:00.000-07:00

There are a great number of reasons why you should visit Taylor Law. Check out their website at http://www.taylorlawaz.com/ for a better look at what they offer. Taylor Law has some of the best divorce attorneys in the United States, and is ready to help you today! Don't be scared about asking for help, no one blames you! Divorce is a tough and tricky subject, and can be very hard to talk about without getting very emotional. Take a chance and if you have the money, hire a divorce attorney that can help you with all the complicated aspects. Divorce doesn't have to be horribly difficult, but if your ex doesn't cooperate, nothing will get done. Don't waste money on an attorney when you honestly don't even think that things could get settled. But don't worry about if you have too much baggage, these ARE divorce attorneys that we're talking about. They have seen their fair share of baggage and aren't afraid of yours. If you give them a chance I'm sure that they'd be able to help you. Honestly, there is no reason that if you're getting a divorce you shouldn't be hiring an attorney. An attorney can always help, if nohing else, to keep things fair. This is always good for the spouse that likes things fair, when perhaps the significant other does not. Divorce attorneys don't help anyone rip the other off, they just listen and get the paperwork ready for both parties. Being a divorce lawyer can be very challenging at times, especially when dealing with difficult couples. If looking to get into the field, make sure that you are a huge people person and that you are not easily put off by anger issues or stabs at oneself (which you are bound to see a lot of in the divorce world). It's still worth a try because it is making someone's life easier.

Deadly earthquake hits northern Italy

2012-05-29T03:48:00.001-07:00

Several people in northern Italy were killed by an earthquake on Tuesday, civil protection officials told CNN, saying they did not yet have a confirmed number of dead.

Italian news agency ANSA said at least three people had been killed.

The earthquake came nine days after a quake in the same region killed seven people.

Tuesday's earthquake was centered in the province of Modena, near Bologna. The towns of Mirandola and Cavezzo were closest to the epicenter, civil protection authorities said.

"Some buildings which were damaged already in last week's earthquake were affected again today. San Felice sul Panaro and Mirandola registered most of the damage," a spokewoman said.

Some train services have been suspended for safety reasons, and high speed trains from Bologna to Milan and Florence, among others, are running at slower speeds, train operators said. There are no trains stuck on tracks, Trenitalia said.

There have been at least three aftershocks since the Tuesday morning earthquake, the Italian geological service said.

Northern Italy is the heartland of the country's manufacturing industry.

Madonna wished to become US President

2012-05-21T21:53:00.001-07:00

Madonna thinks she would do a great job as President of the United States because she would stop the country splashing cash on "weapons of mass destruction".

"You can't really change much in one day. I think I would like to be president for a longer time. I wouldn't spend as much money for weapons of mass destruction but instead for education and art," Contactmusic quoted her as saying when asked what she would do if she was President of the United States for one day.

Although she has achieved worldwide success, Madonna's ambition and drive has not diminished over the years.

The 53-year-old singer attributes her success to her thirst for reinvention and never taking ''anything for granted".

"It's harder to stay famous than become famous. I don't think there's a rule for that (staying successful). You have to really love what you're doing. "You have to feed your soul with ideas and you're not allowed to stop growing as a human. That's what helps to create art. When it comes to my work I don't take anything for granted," she added.

Strong quake rocks Bulgaria, several aftershocks recorded

2012-05-21T21:47:00.001-07:00

Sofia: A strong 5.8-magnitude quake rocked Bulgaria shortly after 3:00 am (0000 GMT) on Tuesday, Bulgaria's Seismological Institute said.

"The magnitude measured so far was 5.8 on the Richter scale with the epicentre near Sofia, between the towns of Pernik and Radomir," a spokeswoman at the institute told AFP.

"We have been registering many aftershocks since then," she added.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damages but the jolt was felt very strongly on the top floors of buildings in Sofia.

Residents of tall apartment buildings in Sofia said objects crashed to the ground during the tremor which lasted several minutes and was immediately followed by at least one aftershock.

"Everything was shaking like crazy. I ran out shouting... I won't go back home today," teenager Maria told AFP outside her apartment building in a western Sofia neighbourhood.

People, who were still sitting outside in their pyjamas over an hour after the first jolt, said they felt a new tremor around 4:30 am (0130 GMT).

The seismological institute measured it at 4.2 - 4.3 on the Richter scale, it said.

Civil defence chief Nikolay Nikolov said his service received many reports of toppled chimneys and cracked walls and even broken windows in the region of Pernik, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of Sofia.

There were no reports of interruptions of electricity or communications.

The quake comes on the heels of Sunday's 6.0-magnitude earthquake around the northern Italian city of Ferrara that killed six people and reduced homes and historic buildings to rubble.

In August 2009, a 5.0 magnitude earthquake hit the Black Sea between Bulgaria and Romania to the southeast of the Kaliakra Cape. No serious damage was reported.

Man survives 180 feet plunge over Niagara Falls

2012-05-21T21:45:00.001-07:00

Niagara Falls: A man survived a plunge of at least 180 feet (55 meters) over Niagara Falls in an apparent suicide attempt on Monday - only the third person known to have lived after going over the falls without a safety device.

Niagara Parks Police said witnesses reported seeing the man climb over a railing up to 30 feet (9 meters) out over the Horseshoe Falls at 10:20 a.m. local time and "deliberately jump" into the Niagara River. Seriously injured, he surfaced in the lower Niagara River basin near the Journey Behind the Falls observation platform and managed to make it to shore on his own.

"He waded ashore," said Platoon Chief Dan Orescanin of the Niagara Falls, Ontario, Fire Department. "He must have gotten swept into an eddy, floated over there and was able to get out on his own.

"That's another stroke of luck," said Mr Orescanin. "If he was in the main current, he would have been swept down river."

Mr Orescanin said the man was conscious and talking at first but got quiet. He appeared to have chest injuries, including broken ribs and a collapsed lung, Orescanin said.

The man was airlifted to Hamilton General Hospital with what police initially said were life-threatening injuries. Hospital spokeswoman Agnes Bongers said later that the man was critically injured but was expected to survive.

Authorities did not release the man's name.

Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the river, is the tallest of the three main falls, higher than the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.

The man, believed to be in his 30s or 40s, was rescued about two hours later after fire department rescuers rappelled down the steep and rocky gorge and pulled him in a basket back up the cliff.

"It was very difficult. Between the shale and the boulders, and everything is wet and slick. It's slimy," Mr Orescanin said.

About seven rescuers struggled to carry the basket up to a point where it could be lifted with ropes suspended from an aerial truck.

"We had to basically hand-carry him back up, a foot at a time, up the rope," Orescanin said.

The rescue came weeks before daredevil Nik Wallenda plans to walk over Niagara Falls on a tightrope after convincing United States and Canadian officials to grant an exception to laws prohibiting stunting.

Although several daredevils have survived trips over the falls in barrels or other contraptions, beginning with Annie Edison Taylor in 1901, few have survived unprotected. In 1960, 7-year-old Roger Woodward was swept over the falls wearing a life jacket and survived.

Authorities don't believe Monday's plunge, on a warm and sunny Victoria Day holiday in Canada, was a stunt.

"Based on witness statements and surveillance video, it doesn't appear in any way, shape, or form that this was anything other than a suicide attempt," Niagara Parks Police Sgt. Chris Gallagher told WIVB in Buffalo.

More than 6 million cubic feet (0.17 million cubic meters) of water go over the brink of the falls every minute during peak daytime tourist hours, according to the Niagara Parks Commission.

The last person to go over the Falls unaided and survive was a 30-year-old Canadian man in March 2009. In October 2003, Kirk Jones, an out-of-work auto parts salesman from Michigan survived his plunge over the falls.

After getting the call on Monday, rescuers didn't immediately know whether the man at the bottom of the gorge had gone over the brink or entered the water at the base.

"When we heard that he had gone over the falls we were shocked," Mr Orescanin said.

Simple techniques offer protection against asthma

2012-05-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

Changing pillow covers every week, rubbing and polishing every corner till it was spotlessly dust-free, wearing masks while travel and a host of other things were a part of homemaker Swati Bodhe’s routine for her son Aarav’s (name changed) protection against asthma attack.

Her six-year-old son who was suffering from childhood asthma was prone to asthma attacks quite often. Swati couldn’t fathom the reason till a detailed history taking by her doctor revealed that preservatives in junk food and soft drinks consumed by her son were to blame.

Asthma experts say most people depend heavily on medication and do not follow simple easy to do things and techniques to ensure protection against asthma.

“Fifty per cent of asthma attacks are triggered by dust mite allergies which are avoidable to great extent. Just keeping house dust free, ensuring no fungus on damp walls, keeping bed sheets and pillow covers in sunlight once a week to kill dust mites, good ventilation can help in protecting against asthma attacks,’’ said Dr Vijay Warad, allergist and pediatric pulmonologist. Following a healthy lifestyle by eating right foods and exercising regularly is equally important in asthma control, say doctors.

“Innumerable studies across the world have proved correlation between junk food and rising asthma. Frequent consumption of junk food leads to lowering of basic immunity levels among kids, which, in turn, makes sensitivity to various allergies sharper. Besides that junk food, soft drinks contain preservatives that can be allergents,’’ said Dr Sundeep Salvi, director, Chest Research Foundation (CRF). Besides good food, ensuring no deficiency of vital nutrients such as Vitamin D and Vitamin C can help in better asthma control.

Pediatrician Dr Barnali Bhattacharya said while asthma is genetically-linked ailment, there were a few measures one could take to ensure protection against asthma.

“It is a known fact that women, who abstain from smoking during pregnancy, do exclusive breastfeeding for at least 6 months give their children better chances of protection against asthma,’’
she said.

Our solar system may have evolved faster than we think

2012-05-02T10:38:00.001-07:00

Our solar system, which is four and a half billion years old, may have formed over a shorter period of time than we previously thought, an international team of researchers has revealed.

The team include researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and universities and laboratories in the US and Japan.

Establishing chronologies of past events or determining ages of objects require having clocks that tick at different paces, according to how far back one looks.

Nuclear clocks, used for dating, are based on the rate of decay of an atomic nucleus expressed by a half-life, the time it takes for half of a number of nuclei to decay, a property of each nuclear species.

Radiocarbon dating for example, invented in Chicago in the late 1940s and refined ever since, can date artefacts back to prehistoric times because the half-life of radiocarbon (carbon-14) is a few thousand years.

The evaluation of ages of the history of earth or of the solar system requires extremely “slow-paced”

chronometers consisting of nuclear clocks with much longer half-lives.

The activity of one of these clocks, known as nucleus samarium-146 (146Sm), was examined by Michael Paul, the Kalman and Malke Cooper Professor of Nuclear Physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as well as researchers from the University of Notre Dame and the Argonne National Laboratory in the US and from two Japanese universities.

146Sm belongs to a family of nuclear species that were “live” in our sun and its solar system when they were born. Events thereafter, and within a few hundred million years, are dated by the amount of 146Sm that was left in various mineral archives until its eventual “extinction.”

146Sm has become the main tool for establishing the time evolution of the solar system over its first few hundred million years. This by itself owes to a delicate geochemical property of the element samarium, a rare element in nature. It is a sensitive probe for the separation, or differentiation, of the silicate portion of earth and of other planetary bodies.

The main result of the work of the international scientists is a new determination of the half-life of 146Sm, previously adapted as 103 million years, to a much shorter value of 68 million years.

The shorter half-life value, like a clock ticking faster, has the effect of shrinking the assessed chronology of events in the early solar system and in planetary differentiation into a shorter time span.

The new time scale, interestingly, is now consistent with a recent and precise dating made on a lunar rock and is in better agreement with the dating obtained with other chronometers.

The measurement of the half-life of 146Sm, performed over several years by the collaborators, involved the use of the ATLAS particle accelerator at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois.

Details of the finding appeared in recent article in the journal Science.

'Light weights just as good for muscle building'

2012-05-02T10:36:00.003-07:00

Lifting less weight more times is just as good at building muscle as doing it with heavy weights, says a new finding.

"We found that loads that were quite heavy and comparatively light were equally effective at inducing muscle growth and promoting strength," says Cam Mitchell, the study's co-author and a doctoral candidate in kinesiology at McMaster's University in Ontario, Canada.

The research suggests that the key to muscle gain is working to the point of fatigue and challenges the widely held belief that training with heavy weights is best for muscle growth, the Journal of Applied Physiology reports.

"Many older adults can have joint problems which would prevent them training with heavy loads," says Mitchell. "This study shows that they have the option of training with lighter and less intimidating loads and can still receive the benefits."

For the study, a series of experiments were conducted on healthy and young male volunteers to measure how their leg muscles reacted to different forms of resistance training over a period of 10 weeks, according to a McMaster's statement.

The researchers first determined the maximum weight each subject could lift one time in a knee extension. Each subject was assigned to a different training program for each leg.

In all, three different programmes were used in combinations that required the volunteers to complete sets of as many repetitions as possible with their assigned loads -- typically eight to 12 times per set at the heaviest weights and 25-30 times at the lowest weights.