Myanmar says it's ready to sign nuclear agreement

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Little noticed in the warm glow of President Barack Obama's landmark visit to Myanmar was a significant concession that could shed light on whether that nation's powerful military pursued a clandestine nuclear weapons program, possibly with North Korea's help.

Myanmar announced it would sign an international agreement that would require it to declare all nuclear facilities and materials. Although it would be up to Myanmar to decide what to declare, it could provide some answers concerning its acquisition of dual-use machinery and its military cooperation with Pyongyang that the U.S. and other nations regard as suspect.

President Thein Sein's agreement to allow more scrutiny by U.N. nuclear inspectors suggests a willingness to go beyond democratic reforms that have improved relations with Washington and culminated in Obama's visit this week, the first by a U.S. president to the country also known as Burma.

David Albright and Andrea Stricker of the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington-based nonproliferation group, said in an analysis it was a "remarkable decision."

"This latest move by Burma is extremely positive for its ongoing push for openness about the nuclear issue and for building confidence and transparency with the international community," they wrote.

However, there are also major doubts about how much Myanmar will divulge. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., the most prominent voice in Congress on nonproliferation, said international concern would persist until Myanmar gives full disclosure of its relationship with Pyongyang.

After two decades of diplomatic isolation by the U.S., the Obama administration's active engagement with Myanmar has encouraged the former pariah regime into political reforms, reflected by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's election to parliament. Myanmar also agreed this week, after years of prodding, to open its notorious prisons to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

But until now, there has been little public indication of progress on security issues.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said during a visit last December that better U.S. relations with Myanmar would only be possible "if the entire government respects the international consensus against the spread of nuclear weapons."

Myanmar denies there's anything to worry about.

Last year, it declared it had halted plans to obtain a research reactor from Russia. That did little to allay worries of what might have happened under the radar. Anecdotal accounts suggest that around 2005, top leader Than Shwe had decided to seek North Korea's help on a nuclear program.

Separately, about six years ago, Myanmar acquired precision machinery from Germany, Switzerland and Singapore that defectors and some analysts concluded were part of a half-baked attempt to make equipment for enriching uranium, although other experts disputed that conclusion.

Olli Heinonen, a former deputy director-general at the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the machinery, which could have nuclear or non-nuclear uses, was no smoking gun but raised questions. The end user certificates were signed by a head of Myanmar's Department of Atomic Energy.

Heinonen, now a senior fellow at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, said some countries had imposed restrictions on exports of special steels and other materials to Myanmar because of concerns they could be used for a nuclear program.

Lugar has voiced particular concern about Myanmar's possible nuclear ties with North Korea. Photos of a 2008 trip by Thura Shwe Mann ? the Myanmar military's joint chief of staff, now parliament speaker ? show him alongside Jon Pyong Ho, manager of North Korea's military industry and chief operational officer behind the secretive country's two underground nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.

But the Obama administration has said the military trade between the two Asian nations appears to have been in small arms and missiles, itself in violation of current U.N. sanctions against North Korea.

According to the U.S. government, under a November 2008 accord the North agreed to help Myanmar build medium-range, liquid-fueled ballistic missiles. Two North Korean ships suspected to be heading to Myanmar with military cargoes in 2009 and 2011 were tracked by the U.S. Navy and turned around. And in July this year, even as the U.S. was easing investment restrictions on Myanmar, it sanctioned the country's primary arms manufacturer, saying North Korean experts were active at its facilities.

Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said Myanmar has taken "positive steps" toward severing the military ties with North Korea. He also welcomed Thein Sein's agreement to sign the additional protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency, announced on the eve of Obama's visit, saying it would bring Myanmar "into a nonproliferation regime that is important to the United States and the world."

Myanmar's current agreement with the IAEA requires little in terms of disclosure, and the government was unresponsive when the Vienna-based agency in late 2010 sought an inspection.

Albright and Stricker said Myanmar should answer questions the IAEA has about any past nuclear activities and the procurement of sensitive equipment. They also urged it to invite U.N. experts to visit the country and answer questions about past suspicious transfers and cooperation with North Korea.

But how quickly Myanmar moves to sign the protocol ? it says it first needs parliament's approval ? and then ratify it, remains to be seen, as does whether it discloses any useful information.

"At the moment Burma has already been asked in public what they have and they say 'nothing,' so the list provided to IAEA could be short or blank," said Robert Kelley, a former IAEA director who believes Myanmar has pursued a nuclear weapons program.

The military, which has dominated for five decades and also is heavily represented in Myanmar's fledgling parliament, is likely to oppose scrutiny of sensitive sites.

"The concern of the international community will not pause until full disclosure of the North Korea-Burma relationship is achieved," Lugar said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/myanmar-says-ready-sign-nuclear-agreement-071605377--politics.html

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ScienceDaily: Gene News

http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/genes/ Genes and Genetics News. Read today's medical research in genetics including what can damage genes, what can protect them, and more.en-usTue, 20 Nov 2012 21:22:14 ESTTue, 20 Nov 2012 21:22:14 EST60
Media_httpwwwscienced_csgii
http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/genes/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120194926.htm A new study has identified hundreds of small regions of the genome that appear to be uniquely regulated in human neurons. These regulatory differences distinguish us from other primates, including monkeys and apes, and as neurons are at the core of our unique cognitive abilities, these features may ultimately hold the key to our intellectual prowess (and also to our potential vulnerability to a wide range of 'human-specific' diseases from autism to Alzheimer's).Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:49:49 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120194926.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120132906.htm Rather than target RNA viruses directly, aiming at the host cells they invade could hold promise, but any such strategy would have to be harmless to the host. Now, a surprising discovery made in ribosomes may point the way to fighting fatal viral infections such as rabies.Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120132906.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120121835.htm Microbiologists studying bacterial colonization in mice have discovered how the very rapid and efficient spread of antibiotic resistance works in the respiratory pathogen, Streptococcus pneumoniae (also known as the pneumococcus). The team found that resistance stems from the transfer of DNA between bacterial strains in biofilms in the nasopharynx, the area just behind the nose.Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:18:18 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120121835.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120100155.htm Scientists have discovered another molecule that plays an important role in regulating myelin formation in the central nervous system. Myelin promotes the conduction of nerve cell impulses by forming a sheath around their projections, the so-called axons, at specific locations -- acting like the plastic insulation around a power cord.Tue, 20 Nov 2012 10:01:01 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121120100155.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119213144.htm Researchers have found that biological age and life expectancy can be predicted by measuring an individual's DNA. They studied the length of chromosome caps -- known as telomeres -- in a 320-strong wild population of Seychelles Warblers on a small isolated island.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119213144.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119171403.htm Certain mutated cells keep trying to replicate their DNA -- with disastrous results -- even after medications rob them of the raw materials to do so, according to new research.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:14:14 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119171403.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119163301.htm DNA sequences obtained from a handful of patients with multiple sclerosis have revealed the existence of an ?immune exchange? that allows the disease-causing cells to move in and out of the brain.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:33:33 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119163301.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119114249.htm A new tool for neuroscientists delivers a thousand pinpricks of light to individual neurons in the brain. The new 3-D "light switch", created by biologists and engineers, could one day be used as a neural prosthesis that could treat conditions such as Parkinson's and epilepsy by using gene therapy to turn individual brain cells on and off with light.Mon, 19 Nov 2012 11:42:42 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119114249.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141530.htm Scientists have demonstrated that induced pluripotent stem cells -- the embryonic-stem-cell look-alikes whose discovery a few years ago won this year's Nobel Prize in medicine -- are not as genetically unstable as was thought.Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141530.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141524.htm The prevailing wisdom has been that every cell in the body contains identical DNA. However, a new study of stem cells derived from the skin has found that genetic variations are widespread in the body's tissues, a finding with profound implications for genetic screening.Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141524.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141432.htm Geneticists, pediatricians, surgeons and epidemiologists have identified two areas of the human genome associated with the most common form of non-syndromic craniosynostosis premature closure of the bony plates of the skull.Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:14:14 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121118141432.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121117184658.htm A new discovery concerning a fundamental understanding about how DNA works will produce a "180-degree change in focus" for researchers who study how gene packaging regulates gene activity, including genes that cause cancer and other diseases.Sat, 17 Nov 2012 18:46:46 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121117184658.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116161059.htm Adverse side effects of certain hepatitis C medications can now be replicated in the lab, thanks to a research team. The new method aids understanding of recent failures of hepatitis C antiviral drugs in some patients, and could help to identify medications that eliminate adverse effects. The findings may aid the development of safer and more effective treatments for hepatitis C and other pathogens such as SARS and West Nile virus.Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:10:10 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116161059.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116124644.htm Researchers have found that a protein, known for causing cancer cells to spread around the body, is also one of the molecules that trigger repair processes in the brain.Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:46:46 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116124644.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116124551.htm New research shows that a gene is responsible for a person's tendency to be an early riser or night owl -- and helps determine the time of day a person is most likely to die.Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:45:45 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116124551.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116091226.htm Insights from a genetic condition that causes brain cancer are helping scientists better understand the most common type of brain tumor in children.Fri, 16 Nov 2012 09:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116091226.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115210541.htm Researchers have pieced together new genetic clues to the arthritis puzzle in a study that brings potential treatments closer to reality and could also provide insights into why more women than men succumb to the disabling condition.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 21:05:05 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115210541.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115172255.htm Passing one's genes on to the next generation is a mark of evolutionary success. So it makes sense that the body would work to ensure that the genes the next generation inherits are exact replicas of the originals. Biologists have now identified one way the body does exactly that.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:22:22 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115172255.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115152655.htm Researchers report that an efficient, high-volume technique for testing potential drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease uncovered an organic compound that restored motor function and longevity to fruit flies with the disease.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:26:26 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115152655.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115133414.htm For the past several years, research has focused on the intricate actions of an ancient family of catalytic enzymes that play a key role in translation, the process of producing proteins. In a new study, scientists have shown that this enzyme can actually also work in another fundamental process in humans.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:34:34 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115133414.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115133312.htm Researchers have discovered that tanshinones, which come from the plant Danshen and are highly valued in Chinese traditional medicine, protect against the life-threatening condition sepsis.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:33:33 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115133312.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132903.htm Medical researchers have for the first time described the structure of the active site core of topoisomerase II alpha, an important target for anti-cancer drugs. The type II topoisomerases are important enzymes that are involved in maintaining the structure of DNA and chromosome segregation during both replication and transcription of DNA. One of these enzymes, topoisomerase II alpha, is involved in the replication of DNA and cell proliferation, and is highly expressed in rapidly dividing cancer cells.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132903.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132901.htm Enzyme hunters at UiO have discovered the function of an enzyme that is important in the spreading of cancer. Cancer researchers now hope to inhibit the enzyme.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:29:29 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132901.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132613.htm New research has revealed a genetic link in pregnant moms - and their male partners - to pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening complication during pregnancy.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:26:26 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132613.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132344.htm Thanks to some careful detective work, scientist better understand just how iPS cells form ? and why the Yamanaka process is inefficient, an important step to work out for regenerative medicine. The findings uncover cellular impediments to iPS cell development that, if overcome, could dramatically improve the efficiency and speed of iPS cell generation.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:23:23 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132344.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132342.htm About 10 percent of kids born with kidney defects have large alterations in their genomes known to be linked with neurodevelopmental delay and mental illness, a new study has shown.Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:23:23 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121115132342.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114172833.htm Relatively small levels of exposure to alcohol while in the womb can influence a child's IQ, according to a new study using data from over 4,000 mothers and their children.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:28:28 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114172833.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114171710.htm A gene so powerful it nearly triples the risk of Alzheimer's disease has been discovered by an international team of researchers. It is the most potent genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's identified in the past 20 years.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:17:17 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114171710.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114171708.htm For the first time, researchers have landed on a potential diagnostic method to identify at least a subset of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome - testing for antibodies linked to latent Epstein-Barr virus reactivation.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:17:17 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114171708.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114153227.htm In laboratory experiments, scientists have eliminated metastasis, the spread of cancer from the original tumor to other parts of the body, in melanoma by inhibiting a protein known as melanoma differentiation associated gene-9 (mda-9)/syntenin.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:32:32 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114153227.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114134512.htm Researchers provide a whole-genome sequence and analysis of number of pig breeds, including a miniature pig that serves a model for human medical studies and therapeutic drug testing.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:45:45 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114134512.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114134054.htm Caterpillar fungi are rare parasites found on hibernating caterpillars in the mountains of Tibet. For centuries they have been highly prized as a traditional Chinese medicine - just a small amount can fetch hundreds of dollars.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:40:40 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114134054.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114113803.htm There are plenty of effective anticancer agents around. The problem is that, very often, they cannot gain access to all the cells in solid tumors. A new gene delivery vehicle may provide a way of making tracks to the heart of the target.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114113803.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114113235.htm New research has uncovered the cause of infertility for 80 per cent of couples previously diagnosed with 'unexplained infertility': high sperm DNA damage.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:32:32 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114113235.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114083928.htm The ability of cannabis to produce psychosis has long been an important public health concern. This concern is growing in importance as there is emerging data that cannabis exposure during adolescence may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia, a serious psychotic disorder. Further, with the advent of medical marijuana, a new group of people with uncertain psychosis risk may be exposed to cannabis.Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:39:39 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114083928.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113214635.htm For the first time, researchers have used DNA sequencing to help bring an infectious disease outbreak in a hospital to a close. Researchers used advanced DNA sequencing technologies to confirm the presence of an ongoing outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a Special Care Baby Unit in real time. This assisted in stopping the outbreak earlier, saving possible harm to patients. This approach is much more accurate than current methods used to detect hospital outbreaks.Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:46:46 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113214635.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113161506.htm Findings from a study suggest that certain variations in vitamin D metabolism genes may modify the association of low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations with health outcomes such as hip fracture, heart attack, cancer, and death.Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113161506.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113143656.htm Biologists have discovered that fats within cells store a class of proteins with potent antibacterial activity, revealing a previously unknown type of immune system response that targets and kills bacterial infections.Tue, 13 Nov 2012 14:36:36 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113143656.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113134807.htm Researchers using a new approach to identifying genes associated with depression have found that variants in a group of genes involved in transmission of signals by the neurotransmitter glutamate appear to increase the risk of depression.Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:48:48 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113134807.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113134230.htm The cancer-causing form of the gene Myc alters the metabolism of mitochondria, the cell?s powerhouse, making it dependent on the amino acid glutamine for survival. Depriving cells of glutamine selectively induces programmed cell death in cells overexpressing mutant Myc. Using Myc-active neuroblastoma cells, a team three priotein executors of the glutamine-starved cell, representing a downstream target at which to aim drugs. Roughly 25 percent of all neuroblastoma cases are associated with Myc-active cells.Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:42:42 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113134230.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113134224.htm Even the very lowest levels of radiation are harmful to life, scientists have concluded, reporting the results of a wide-ranging analysis of 46 peer-reviewed studies published over the past 40 years. Variation in low-level, natural background radiation was found to have small, but highly statistically significant, negative effects on DNA as well as several measures of health.Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:42:42 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113134224.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113122220.htm Scientists have discovered a new gene that regulates heme synthesis in red blood cell formation. Heme is the deep-red, iron-containing component of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood. The findings promise to advance the biomedical community's understanding and treatment of human anemias and mitochondrial diseases, both known and unknown.Tue, 13 Nov 2012 12:22:22 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113122220.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113122133.htm Researchers have tracked a gene's crucial role in orchestrating the placement of neurons in the developing brain. Their findings help unravel some of the mysteries of Joubert syndrome and other neurological disorders.Tue, 13 Nov 2012 12:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113122133.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113091953.htm Why do we get older? When do we die and why? Is there a life without aging? For centuries, science has been fascinated by these questions. Now researchers have examined why the polyp Hydra is immortal -- and unexpectedly discovered a link to aging in humans.Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:19:19 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113091953.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113083536.htm A battle about the ideal height would appear to be raging in men's and women's genes. A researcher in Sweden has shown that this conflict is leading to a difference in reproductive success between men and women of varying height.Tue, 13 Nov 2012 08:35:35 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121113083536.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112171314.htm A research team has developed a novel device that may one day have broad therapeutic and diagnostic uses in the detection and capture of rare cell types, such as cancer cells, fetal cells, viruses and bacteria.Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:13:13 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112171314.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112171312.htm Tumor cells circulating in a patient's bloodstream can yield a great deal of information on how a tumor is responding to treatment and what drugs might be more effective against it. But first, these rare cells have to be captured and isolated from the many other cells found in a blood sample. Scientists are now working on microfluidic devices that can isolate circulating tumor cells.Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:13:13 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112171312.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112135615.htm Researchers have discovered a new cause for thyroid hormone deficiency, or hypothyroidism. The scientists identified a new hereditary form of hypothyroidism that is more prevalent in males than in females. This sex bias shone a light on where to look for the underlying cause.Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:56:56 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112135615.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112135520.htm A new study reveals a genetic link between chronic pancreatitis and alcohol consumption. Researchers found a genetic variant on chromosome X near the claudin-2 gene (CLDN2) that predicts which men who are heavy drinkers are at high risk of developing chronic pancreatitis.Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:55:55 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112135520.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112135516.htm Human intelligence and behavior require optimal functioning of a large number of genes, which requires enormous evolutionary pressures to maintain. A provocative theory suggests that we are losing our intellectual and emotional capabilities because the intricate web of genes endowing us with our brain power is particularly susceptible to mutations and that these mutations are not being selected against in our modern society.Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:55:55 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112135516.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112135512.htm A new study has found that interleukin-15 (IL-15) alone can cause large granular lymphocytic (LGL) leukemia, a rare and usually fatal form of cancer. The researchers developed a treatment for the leukemia that showed no discernible side effects in an animal model. The study shows that IL-15 is also overexpressed in patients with LGL leukemia and that it causes similar cellular changes, suggesting that the treatment should also benefit people with the malignancy.Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:55:55 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112135512.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112135510.htm An emerging tick-borne disease that causes symptoms similar to malaria is expanding its range in areas of the northeast where it has become well-established, according to new research.Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:55:55 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112135510.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112135404.htm New evidence indicates that Parkinson's disease is preceded by a period during which healthy regions of the brain take over the functions of damaged ones.Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:54:54 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112135404.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112135229.htm Research has identified a fusion gene responsible for almost 30 percent of a rare subtype of childhood leukemia with an extremely poor prognosis. The finding offers the first evidence of a mistake that gives rise to a significant percentage of acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL) cases in children. AMKL accounts for about 10 percent of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The discovery paves the way for desperately needed treatment advances.Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:52:52 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112135229.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112113133.htm In the first broad genetic landscape mapped of a Burkitt lymphoma tumor, scientists identified 70 mutations, including several that had not previously been associated with cancer and a new one that was unique to the disease.Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112113133.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112095947.htm Genetic changes that protected their ancestors against fly-borne parasites may partly explain why African-Americans with lupus are up to five times more likely to develop end-stage kidney disease than those of European descent.Mon, 12 Nov 2012 09:59:59 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112095947.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112095934.htm The simultaneous inhibition of two separate and seemingly unrelated pathways could potentially provide an effective treatment for women with triple-negative breast cancer, according to results of two new studies.Mon, 12 Nov 2012 09:59:59 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112095934.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112090426.htm A group of researchers has discovered the first scientific evidence of genetic blending between Europeans and Asians in the remains of ancient Scythian warriors living over 2,000 years ago in the Altai region of Mongolia. Contrary to what was believed until now, the results indicate that this blending was not due to an eastward migration of Europeans, but to a demographic expansion of local Central Asian populations, thanks to the technological improvements the Scythian culture brought with them.Mon, 12 Nov 2012 09:04:04 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121112090426.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121111153935.htm Animals that are socially isolated for prolonged periods make less myelin in the region of the brain responsible for complex emotional and cognitive behavior, researchers report.Sun, 11 Nov 2012 15:39:39 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121111153935.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121111153933.htm Although schizophrenia is highly genetic in origin, the genes involved in the disorder have been difficult to identify. In the past few years, researchers have implicated several genes, but it is unclear how they act to produce the disorder. A new study identifies affected gene networks and provides insight into the molecular causes of the disease.Sun, 11 Nov 2012 15:39:39 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121111153933.htm

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/rss/health_medicine/genes.xml

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Russian farmer takes on corrupt officials

YARABAIKASY, Russia (AP) ? When Eduard Mochalov tried to have the people who stole his cattle and pig farm brought to justice, he spent eight months in jail on charges he says were cooked up. He appealed to Vladimir Putin and even set himself on fire outside the Kremlin in protest, but still couldn't draw attention to his cause as his farm slowly fell into disrepair.

Now, Mochalov has found a new life as a crusading journalist investigating corruption in his native region, fueled by tips from disgruntled businessmen and government workers. Undeterred by a system where the law is selectively used to protect the powerful and crack down on critics, Mochalov has quickly earned cult status ? not to mention the ire of countless local officials ? throughout the small province of Chuvashia.

Roughly once a month, he publishes a free newspaper called Vzyatka, or The Bribe, which rails against what it calls "Chuvash kingpins" who steal from the province's budget. Headlines include "The governor of Chuvashia's family business" and "If nobody's been found guilty, that means they're already in power." The paper has proved so popular that with a print run of 20,000 he has trouble meeting demand.

While official corruption has been rife in Russia since czarist times, frustrations over such graft have skyrocketed under President Putin's rule. Twenty-nine percent of Russians believe that civil servants only care about using public funds to enrich themselves, a more than nine-fold increase since Putin took power in 2000, according to the Levada Center, an independent polling agency.

Corruption was a key motivation behind the unprecedented series of huge protests against Putin in Moscow last winter and spring, and remains a key rallying point for the opposition. Recently, the Kremlin has attempted to siphon off popular anger by launching a major crackdown on corruption, which has cost several high-level officials their jobs.

In Chuvashia, a sleepy rural region 650 kilometers (400 miles) east of Moscow best known for its felt boots, Mochalov devotes all his energy to campaigning against local corruption. That makes him unusual in Russia, especially in the provinces, where few journalists seriously investigate officials and those who do frequently face violent reprisal.

Chuvashia is one of the three most corrupt regions in Russia, according to the country's top investigative agency, but few cases make it to court. Officials in Chuvashia did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this story.

"If they brought charges based on my investigations, they'd have to arrest the entire provincial government," said Mochalov, as what remained of his abandoned hog barn's roof crumbled around him.

What started as an attempt to end the legal struggles over his farm has become an all-consuming mission. The newspaper's high costs ? each print run costs 100,000 rubles ($3,150) ? have essentially forced Mochalov to give up his farm: He sold all his livestock and equipment years ago, and rents out some of the buildings to local services like banks and post offices.

The rest lack heat and electricity, if they are still standing at all. One barn is filled with rotting bales of hay; a corrugated iron shed next to it has nearly collapsed.

The change was a dramatic one for Mochalov, who left school at 16 and now at 38 sports the thickly callused hands of a provincial farmer, and has a gap-toothed grin. He once employed 150 workers from 11 surrounding villages and ran a thriving concern trading in pigs, cows, sheep and horses.

But seven years ago, Mochalov says, he failed to pay a policeman as big a bribe as he wanted. Shortly afterward, men burst into his office with armed guards and presented tax papers supposedly showing that Mochalov had sold them the farm. When he filed a legal appeal, prosecutors filed charges against him instead, accusing him of having obtained credit illegally to buy the farm.

After spending eight months in jail awaiting trial, Mochalov was released on time served and later succeeded in restoring his legal ownership. By then, however, the farm had already fallen into disrepair.

Mochalov set about trying to bring the raiders to justice. First he tried the legal route, but to no avail. Appeals to Putin and the government also produced nothing. Then he staged protests, including the 2007 Kremlin fire stunt, which caused little physical harm aside from a few scars on his hands. The disused barn where he stores newspapers is full of banners left over from demonstrations imploring pro-Kremlin political parties to "help us fight corruption."

He put his faith in Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president from 2004 to 2008 when Putin had to step aside because of term limits ? but was soon disappointed.

"He promised to crack down on corruption when he was elected, and I believed him!" laughs Mochalov. "I've never considered myself a member of the opposition. It's about sorting out what's wrong with our country ? it's plagued by corruption."

Russia is considered to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index ranks Russia 143rd out of 183 countries, level with Nigeria and below Pakistan.

The Levada survey that showed a dramatic jump in public perceptions of official greed polled 1,559 people in person over five days in June; it had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percent.

Mochalov puts the newspaper together in a pokey office smelling of stale varnish at the back of a truck repair shop. He prints it in a neighboring province, since no printer in Chuvashia will go near it. He has only two colleagues, a journalist and a village woman who helps hand the paper out at factories, and he writes many of the articles himself under pseudonyms.

To his frustration, however, no charges have been filed against the officials exposed in The Bribe. Russian officials frequently turn a blind eye to corruption stories in the press.

The Bribe has nonetheless struck a chord in Chuvashia, whose president earlier this year proposed creating a blacklist of print media "that write untruths." Several officials mentioned in the newspaper have sued him for damaging their reputation. In court, Mochalov, who says he cannot afford a lawyer, defends himself by insisting proceedings be carried out in his native Chuvash language and storming out.

"All of the government knows about what he's writing," Alexei Glukhov, a local human rights activist, said. "So they try to make him look like a crazy village person who sets himself on fire, and Eduard favors the poetic aspect over the legal side. He has his own, idiosyncratic way of doing things."

In a sense, Mochalov has always been something of a performer. He began his campaign to get his farm back by blocking off a highway with tractors. Earlier this year he spent 15 days in jail for throwing eggs at government buildings at a protest.

That unusual style is earning him fans far and wide. Last month, he traveled to Moscow to meet Alexei Navalny, one of the main leaders of the opposition, who made his name through his own efforts to expose corruption in the government and state-owned companies. In messages posted on Twitter, Navalny described Mochalov and his journalist assistant as "incredibly cool people" and "real heroes," and wondered how he has "managed not to get whacked yet."

Mochalov says he is undeterred by any possible reprisal, legal or otherwise. Recently, prosecutors began to investigate a seemingly innocuous article about the Chuvash language for allegedly inciting racial hatred, although no charges have been filed. He also shrugs off the threat of physical violence. Russia is the ninth most dangerous country in the world to be a journalist, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based watchdog. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, 53 journalists have been murdered.

More importantly for Mochalov, however, is the newspaper's continued popularity. Demand has been so great that he is considering charging to help cover its increasing costs. When he set up a makeshift stall at a market on a recent snowy afternoon, he was quickly surrounded by people who made off with several copies at a time. After 15 minutes he had given away several hundred.

"The people have had it with all these corrupt people in power," Mochalov said, grinning. "They want to know the truth."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-farmer-takes-corrupt-officials-071917323.html

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Tech gifts for the wee ones: babies and toddlers

3 hrs.

They?may be just starting out, but they're not too young to enjoy tech toys. Here are our favorites tech gifts for babies and toddlers this holiday season:

Cloud b Soothing Sounds Plush Animals
A perfect blend of plush, cuddly, and soothing, the Cloud b Soothing Sounds line of animals has four sounds that play to comfort your baby and the plush animal automatically turns off after 23 minutes.?

A Velcro strap is included so you can attach the animal to a side of a crib, and the sound box can be removed if you want to use the animal as just a stuffed toy to sleep with, or the animal needs to be cleaned.

Price: $27.95 for the Sleep Sheep or Gentle Giraffe?on Amazon.com,?or check out the Cloud b Twilight Constellation Night Light for $31.99?on Amazon.com.

4moms mamaRoo
Is it a bouncer? Is it a swing? Whatever you want to call it, the new mamaRoo from 4 Moms is what I'd call smart baby gear. It resembles a sleek baby-sized papasan seat perched on an axis, but with a motorized base that controls the movement, as well as emits sleepy nature-inspired sounds.?

The mamaRoo also features an output to connect to an MP3 player or iPod, perfect for those baby playlists.

Price: $199.99 on amazon.com, $199.99-$239.99 on shop4moms.com.?

Electric Friends by Noetic

Electric Friends docking stations for your iPod and iPhone are not only adorable, but produce really great sound!?

We tested out Sing Sing the Panda by playing everything from Mozart to The Muppets soundtrack. Also available as Chew Chew the Dog, Kwack, Kwack the Duck, Ki Ki the Cat and more.?

Price: starts at $59.99 on amazon.com.

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Apptivity Case: iPad Edition
Your baby goes high-tech with the Fisher Price iPad case and free age-appropriate learning apps.

?The protective case has a textured handle, rattle beads, and protects against sticky fingers and spilled sippy cups. The Apptivity Case is recommended for children 6 months and up.

Price: $29.97 for all iPad versions on amazon.com, $35 on fisher-price.com.?

Master Moves Mickey?
Mickey is set to bust a move again this holiday season in what could be another hit toy from Fisher-Price.?

Master Moves Mickey?or M3 is back and strutting his stuff with everything from 360-degree spins, a one-handed hand stand and yes, he can even do the ?sprinkler.? Fisher Price recommends this toy for children 2 years +.

Price: $48.95 on amazon.com, $50 on fisher-price.com.

My 1st Learning Cubes Animal Friends by Safety 1st
A talking electronic base and five learning blocks teach about animals and safety in a fun and interactive way.?

Placing a block into the base activates any one of the 30 phrases and animal sounds. Recommended for 12 months and up.

Price: $16.99 on toysrus.com.

Kidz Gear Volume Limiting Headphones
The award-winning Kidz Gear Volume Limited Headphones for kids are now available in pink, orange, blue, green and purple.?

All Kidz Gear Headphones feature KidzControl? Volume Limit Technology, making them safe headphones for children and great to take on the road or plane. Available in orange, pink, blue, green and purple.

Price: $19.99 on amazon.com?and gearforkidz.com.

Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera
If your child has been reaching for your point-and-shoot camera, here?s an opportunity to give them one of their own. The Kid-Tough camera is designed to endure the rigors of childhood play, has dual hand grips for easy holding, 4x zoom, and a viewfinder-like lens for both eyes to see what they?re shooting.

The camera can store over 1,000 photos and has free PC software (not Mac compatible) from Fisher-Price to help your child edit their pics. We recommend it for ages 18 months???4 years old.

Price: $35.89 on amazon.com, $40?on fisher-price.com;?comes in blue and pink.

LeapFrog Touch Magic Learning Bus
This early learning toy from LeapFrog helps teaches the alphabet, early vocabulary, motor skills and includes learning songs. Switch between three modes to learn sounds of spoken words, letter exploration and music to make learning entertaining.?

The Learning Bus is Learning Path enabled so parents can go online to see their child's progress as they use it. The Touch Magic Learning Bus is recommended for kids 2 to?4 years old.

Price: $15.39 on amazon.com, $21.99 on leapfrog.com.

Team Umizoomi Come & Get Us! Counting UmiCar
This motorized car Fisher Price features Milli and Geo and comes with remote control designed for kids ages?2 and older has three buttons that are easy for toddlers to use and understand.?

When you press the forward button the UmiCar will count up as it moves, and will spin around and count backwards when you press the reverse button on the remote control.? The center button will call the UmiCar and it will drive right toward you.

Price: $34.99 on amazon.com.

More from Techlicious:

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/tech-gifts-wee-ones-babies-toddlers-1C7154885

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Ideas To Get Chris Johnson Jersey Information ... - i4Giveu.com

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Source: http://www.i4giveu.com/77/2012/11/21/ideas-to-get-chris-johnson-jersey-information-regarding-vehicle-insurance-firms/

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Amid Gaza diplomacy, bus bomb hits Tel Aviv

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) ? A bomb struck an Israeli bus near the nation's military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, wounding 10 people and complicating major diplomatic efforts to forge a truce between Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers.

The attack came as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton shuttled between Jerusalem and the West Bank to help piece together a deal to end Israel's weeklong offensive against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 130 Palestinians. Militant rocket fire into Israel has killed five Israelis. Clinton was due to travel later to Egypt, which is mediating in the crisis.

"What does it say about the future of the (truce) talks? I leave it to (the senior officials), but this doesn't add anything," Yitzhak Aharonovich, Israel's minister of internal security, told Army Radio.

The bus exploded around noon on one of the coastal city's busiest arteries, near the Tel Aviv museum, the district courthouse and across from an entrance to Israel's national defense headquarters.

The bus was completely charred, its side windows blown out and glass scattered on the asphalt. The wounded were evacuated and blood was splattered on the sidewalk.

"We suddenly heard a huge explosion and immediately knew it was a terror attack," said Nir Zano, 35. "I saw someone running in to carry out a woman who was injured."

Aharonovitch said the device was placed inside the bus by a man who then disembarked. The explosion took place while the bus was in movement, he said.

Police set up roadblocks across the city trying to apprehend the attacker.

"We strongly believe that this was a terror attack," said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. He said three of the 10 wounded were moderately to seriously hurt.

In Gaza, the Tel Aviv bombing was praised from mosque loudspeakers, while Hamas' television interviewed people praising the attack as a return of militants' trademark tactics.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum welcomed it.

"We consider it a natural response to the occupation crimes and the ongoing massacres against civilians in the Gaza Strip," he told The Associated Press.

Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom, who heard the explosion from his Tel Aviv office, called it "an escalation."

The cease-fire efforts come with thousands of Israeli ground troops massed on the Gaza border, awaiting a possible order to invade.

After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem Tuesday night, Clinton conferred with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank on Wednesday morning and was due to travel later to Cairo, which is mediating in the crisis.

The two sides had seemed on the brink of a deal Tuesday following a swirl of diplomatic activity also involving U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi. But sticking points could not be resolved as talks ? and violence ? stretched into the night.

Israeli aircraft pounded Gaza with at least 30 strikes overnight, hitting government ministries, smuggling tunnels, a banker's empty villa and a Hamas-linked media office.

Dozens of civilians are among the more than 130 Palestinians killed in a week of fighting. Four Israeli civilians and a soldier have been killed by rocket fire ? a toll possibly kept down by a U.S.-funded rocket defense system that has shot down hundreds of Gaza projectiles.

The Tel Aviv bus bombed Wednesday was relatively empty during the explosion, which explains the relatively low number of casualties. The bombing was the first in the coastal city since April 2006, when a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 11 people at a sandwich stand near the city's old central bus station. A bomb left at a bus stand in Jerusalem last year killed one person.

More than 1,000 Israelis were killed during the violent Palestinian uprising in the last decade in bombings and shooting attacks. More than 5,000 Palestinians were killed as well.

___

Associated Press writer Ibrahim Barzak contributed to this report from Gaza City.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/amid-gaza-diplomacy-bus-bomb-hits-tel-aviv-115729349.html

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Rapid growth of social networking, smart devices causing - The Nation

Home ? business ? Rapid growth of social networking, smart devices causing

ASINA PORNWASIN
THE NATION November 22, 2012 1:00 am

Rob van den Dam, global telecommunications industry leader at the IBM Institute for Business Value, said the crazy growth of social networking, smart phones and other smart mobile devices such as tablets had had an effect on the revenue from telecom operations around the world.

The market value of the companies that are the top 25 drivers of Internet traffic is now almost half of the combined market capitalisation of the top 150 telecom operators. They are mainly what are known as "over-the-top" (OTT) companies, that is, service providers as opposed to being purely telecom carriers.

OTT service providers, in particular the top four - Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google - represent 70 per cent of the top 25 and are expanding their dominant position in the communication landscape, said van den Dam. The massive shift in value continues towards the OTT providers as capital markets prize the direct customer relationship and value provided by OTT providers.

This is because dramatic forces are radically altering the telecommunication landscape, confronting communication service providers with both major challenges and opportunities. "It is an era of mobile Internet, data, a mass of applications and the ability to send images and video from everyone to everywhere," he said.

The proportion of mobile Internet subscribers in developing countries, including Thailand, is about 10 per cent, while the ratio in developed countries is around 50 per cent.

Smart phones and tablets - the key devices driving heavy traffic over the network - were sold in large quantities last year, when some 490 million smart phones, 210 million notebooks and 63 million tablets were sold around the world.

Communication service providers in developing countries have proven they can grow and generate high levels of profit from low average-revenue-per-user customers, said van den Dam.

The amount of mobile data, especially video, has exploded, causing significant capital- and operating-expenditure pressures on telecom operators. Mobile video and mobile Web data is expected to account for 90.5 per cent of all global mobile data traffic by 2016.

Future scenarios

He identified four future scenarios: survival consolidation, market shake-out, a clash of giants, and what he called a "generative bazaar".

Survival consolidation will occur as a result of reduced consumer spending leading to revenue stagnation or decline.

Market shake-out will be triggered by increased fragmentation resulting from greater involvement and investments by government, municipalities, utility companies and others to provide ultra-fast broadband to underinvested areas and for economic and business purposes.

A clash of giants, meanwhile, is a response to increased competitive threats from OTT providers and device manufacturers. In this scenario, where the addressable market is expanding, mega-carriers are also looking for growth through selected verticals, such as e-health and smart grids, for which they may provide packaged end-to-end solutions, he said.

A generative bazaar is predicated on the break-up of the vertical integration model, resulting in some form of structural separation of communication service providers into distinct network and service businesses, he said.

Thailand's situation falls between the generative bazaar and clash of giants scenarios, he added.

Pawish Jaishuen, country manager for the communications sector at IBM Thailand, said around 10 per cent of the local unit's revenue comes from the telecom sector.

"But there is a lot of room for growth in the Thai telecom sector, and telcos are a focus industry for us," said Pawish.

IBM plans to assist the local sector by offering solutions including a fast and smart network, "big" data, advanced analytics, cloud computing technology - such as cloud telephony, a cloud-based eHealthcare system, cloud TV and cloud gaming - social collaboration, and security technology, he added.

Latest stories in this category


Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Rapid-growth-of-social-networking-smart-devices-ca-30194787.html

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News Online Home Loan: Land Loans - Some Information

When it comes to investing on land, the investors will have to come across some risk factors. Generally, investors will be looking for return on their investment, but when investing in undeveloped lands, it will be riskier since undeveloped lands cannot produce any returns. When people apply of land loans, the bank or financial institution will be asking about the purpose for which the land is going to be used in the future to decide whether there will be any revenue from the borrower from that land. When they feel that the land can offer some revenue to the borrower, they will find lending to the person as less risk. Some of the information about getting finance for such a property is discussed in the content given below:

Down payment: Generally, down payment for this type of finance can range from 5 to 20% and different lenders follow different parameters for deciding on the down payment, which is decided based on different factors like capacity for repaying the finance, security value of any such property already owned by the borrower, the purchase value of the ground and when is the construction or farming activity going to begin.

Generally, the borrower's ability to repay the finance is the first thing looked upon by the lender and the lending firm will be conducting a detailed study about the credit history, monthly income, etc... of the borrower. Once the repayment ability is judged, they will reduce and down payment and if they feel that it will be difficult for him to repay the loan quickly, the down payment will be increased. If the borrower already has a land that is producing good revenue, the down payment to be made by him will be reduced. When the person already has land and he is applying for land loan for beginning farming activity on the land, the lender will be conducting an appraisal of the property to determine the actual value of the property on the day of purchase and its present value. This is done for judging the value of the ground and based on its value; the loan amount to be financed will be decided. In some cases, the down payment is also completely removed.

Before obtaining any farm credit, it is better to get complete details about the interest rates prevailing in the market for ensuring that the borrower is not charged heavy rates of interest for the finance obtained.

Source: http://matthewporterart.blogspot.com/2012/11/land-loans-some-information.html

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Soak Up Sun Light And Lessen Down Your Bills - Work On the Internet

Energy prices have sky rocketed and the bills that houses and businesses run up from late fall to early spring can be quite heavy on the pocket and a burden beyond bearing, in the contemporary recession situation. It is almost impossible to do without hot water and central heating for our homes andoffices in these months, and there is a huge drain on our budgets each year which keeps on getting worse as we depend more and more on foreign resources for our energy needs. Conventional energy sources like oil and gas are polluting our environment, and it is time we seriously considered shifting to cleaner and more available alternative energy sources to meet our major energy requirements.

The sun is always shining down on Florida, and it only seems the most practical and efficient thing to do, to switch your source of power from the conventional ones to solar, for all your energy requirements, or as a complimentary or back up supply. Solar power systems are clean, easy to maintain and draws power from an ever renewable energy source. Apart from the initial investment, solar systems do not generally run up additional costs like monthly bills or maintenance charges and in the long run, they turn out to be more money saving, or when carefully calculated, even as income generating to the consumer. After installing a solar heater for your pool heating requirements, you will find that the huge saving on your power bills can be spread out to cover your initial expenses of installation in a shorter period than you can imagine.

In a place like Jacksonville, where sun shine is abundant even during the winter months, solar pool heater installation, has gained a lot of popularity, and cash incentives, grants and tax cuts from the government drastically reduces the initial costs. The idea of extending your swim season well into the fall and earlier in spring without running up any additional bills itself should be an enticing incentive for you.

When you decide to take the move, all you have to do is look up your directory or search for Solar pool heater Jacksonville, to locate a Solar Installer in Jacksonville. A team of workers will arrive to survey your property and the available roof space for installation, and set to work on expertly designing and setting up your system for the best possible results. Most solar systems have records of two to three decades of efficient and cost effective life with the lowest possible maintenance requirements. The systems are completely automatic and all you have to do is set it and leave the rest to the system. Even in extremely cloudy days, the backup heating source will provide you with enough hot water for your needs. The panels on your roof will be mounted with extra care as to not cause any cracks or leaks, and the solar panels are fastened well to meet even the strongest wind conditions.

This content taken from http://www.hysrwebdirectory.com/article/article.php?id=44510

At A1A Solar, we see a perfect site for a Solar Installer Jacksonville plant that powers your home while saving you money. The average home's roof collects enough sunshine to supply up to 90% of its energy needs? It's an untapped goldmine. For more details solar hot water Jacksonville visit online.

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Source: http://www.workoninternet.com/business/reviews/miscellaneous/219942-article.html

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Wahlberg hopes Jennifer Esposito is 'doing good'

NEW YORK (AP) ? Donnie Wahlberg hopes his "Blue Bloods" co-star Jennifer Esposito is OK, but has no idea when, or if, she's returning to the show.

CBS suspended the actress from the Tom Selleck-starring police drama, claiming she can't fulfill the full-time demands of the show. Esposito fired back on Twitter, accusing the network of "absolutely shameful behavior."

Esposito tweeted that she's been diagnosed with celiac disease and requires a reduced work schedule.

Celiac disease is a digestive disorder caused by foods that contain gluten, a protein found in wheat.

The network has said it hopes Esposito will be able to return.

For the time being, her role as Wahlberg's partner is being rotated by new characters played by Megan Ketch and Megan Goode.

When asked about the change, the actor deflected the question.

"Danny Reagan gets around. He likes girls a lot."

Wahlberg made the comments on the red carpet of the International Emmy Awards.

He said of Esposito: "She's a friend and I hope she's doing good. I love working with her, so we'll see what happens."

____

CBS is a unit of CBS Corp.

___

John Carucci covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him at ?http://www.twitter.com/jcarucci_ap

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wahlberg-hopes-jennifer-esposito-doing-good-064708787.html

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