Quake jolts India-Myanmar border

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Disclaimer: TV18 Broadcast Limited is proposing, subject to market conditions and other considerations, an offer of its equity shares on rights basis and has filed a Draft Letter of Offer with the Securities and Exchange Board of India. The Draft Letter of Offer is available on the website of SEBI at www.sebi.gov.in and the websites of the Lead Managers at www.icicisecurities.com and www.rbs.in Investors should note that investment in equity shares involves a high degree of risk and are requested to refer to "Risk Factors" in the Draft Letter of Offer. The Equity Shares have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act"), or any state securities laws in the United States and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, "U.S. persons" (as defined in Regulation S under the US Securities Act) except in a transaction exempt from the registration requirements of the US Securities Act and in accordance with any applicable U.S. state securities laws.

Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/quake-jolts-indiamyanmar-border/271398-2.html

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Video: ?Green Mile? actor suffers heart attack, saved by girlfriend

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/48184085#48184085

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Having A Unique Flooring In Your Home Will Impress Visitors ...

July 13th, 2012 by admin Leave a reply ?

Brazilian teak floor instantly turns any home into a magnificent work of art. Not only does the flooring add beauty and charm to the home, this timeless tradition also gives it character and value! Whether you have a single family home, an apartment or condo or a luxurious mansion, your cherry bamboo flooring is sure to be the perfect addition!

Because this flooring is so unique, it will cost a bit more than other types of flooring such as carpet or laminate. However this extra money is well spent if it is within your budget because of all of the amenities that hardwood flooring provides. By taking a few minutes of time to compare hardwood flooring stores you can find great prices on the flooring. Comparisons can be made on the web as well as by visiting stores local to the area. Comparing prices will help you to find exactly the style of flooring that you desire at a price you won?t mind paying.
Along with all of the greatness mentioned above, the benefits of having cherry bamboo flooring in your home does not stop there. Brazilian teak floor will last much longer than its competition. It is made to withstand more traffic and is made more durable. You can expect a good 10 years with your flooring as long as you take good care of it.
Your flooring is easy to clean and take care of, so that worry is eliminated as well. A simple sweep and your floor will look great. When it starts to dull (and with proper care this will not be anything happening soon) a gloss of floor wax and you are done. There is no question cherry flooring should be your first choice when it is time to replace or when you are adding new floor construction. It will increase the value of your home but the quality of your living as well. There are so many benefits it is easy to see why so many homes prefer the luxury of cherry flooring inside of their home. And so should you. It is instant luxury!

Source: http://redtreeinteractive.com/having-a-unique-flooring-in-your-home-will-impress-visitors/

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A bevy of swifts. - Family Woodworking

I wasn't actually sure where to post this as it has flat work, hand work and spinny work I generally don't have many projects interesting enough to share, I figured this one might be sort of amusing (even if its not up to the standards of some of y'all, we're all learning). Lots of fiddly little pieces anyway (32 pieces of wood per swift plus a couple dozen pieces of metal).

All done in oak (why oak? Because I have a lot of oak scraps, thats why ). Finished with 6 coats of wiping varnish and 2-3 coats of paste wax (depending on the part).

The whole crew. Why make one when 4 only take twice as long.

Close up showing how the yarn goes around it. Allows it to be unwound without tangling (in theory).

The top part. The knobby bit is just compression fit to the top of the shaft. The shaft here is stepped down and the spinny bit is has a stepped hole inside to match. Both the shaft and the spinny bit have metal bearing surfaces (made from filed-to-fit washers) where they make contact with each other.

This also shows how the arms are held to the spinny bits. Electrical wire in a groove and a little solder. There are actually 20 solder joints per swift including all of the arm-arm and arm-cross piece rings (so 80 solder joints in all).

The bottom of the spinning assembly. The collar slides up and down and is locked in place with the knob. The knob is just a block of wood epoxied around a bolt that was then ground to length (and smoothed on the end so it wouldn't chew up the shaft to fast). A threaded brass insert goes through the collar.

The clampy-to-the-table bits. Nothing super complicated, same idea on the knob as for the collar. The clamping piece just floats between two nuts (ground smooth and round) that are epoxied to the bolt. The upper nut is inset into the clamping piece to avoid overly marring the furniture.

Overhead view just to mess with your mind.

Another view of one with some yarn on it.

Source: http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?27959-A-bevy-of-swifts

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School Discipline Alternatives Explored In Harkin Hearing

During Elijah's early years in school, Debbie Jackson, his single mother, routinely came home to hear messages of his screams on her answering machine -- and no other word from administrators. The blood-curdling voicemails sometimes came as often as three times a day. "It was a nightmare," Jackson said. "I no longer recognized my son."

Elijah was screaming because he was an unruly kid, and his teachers tried to get him in line through seclusion and restraint. He would throw pencils on the floor, turn over desks, hit other students and rip pictures from the wall. Teachers did what most U.S. educators have been trained to do when faced with kids who act out violently. They restrained Elijah by his arms, wrists, and legs, or placed him in a locked room by himself.

Elijah got better after he transferred to a school that focused on positive behavior modification. That's why Jackson testified at Thursday's Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee hearing on seclusion and restraint in schools.

The hearing, the first time Congress has explored the issue, came after recent U.S. Education Department data shows schools physically restrained students 39,000 times during the 2009-2010 school year -- and black, Hispanic and students with disabilities bore the brunt of that. According to the Education Department's Civil Right Data Collection, a survey of 85 percent of the country's 100,000 schools released in March, 70 percent of students who were restrained had disabilities. Schools mechanically restrained African American and Hispanic students at twice the rate expected given their population.

The hearing also comes after several highly-publicized cases in which these tactics injured or killed students. ?In April, at the Leake and Watts School in Yonkers, New York, 16-year-old Corey Foster was restrained by school staff members who were trying to remove him from a basketball court," Harkin said. "Corey stopped breathing, went into cardiac arrest, and died." Corey's mother attended the hearing.

The people who testified at the hearing shared a common theme: While physical restraint seems like a logical reaction to kids who act out violently, the practice is damaging and costly, and doesn't usually fix behavioral problems. What works, the witnesses said, are preventative programs that replace disruptive behaviors with positive, benign patterns. And what needs to change in schools, they said, is training teachers to reinforce kids' good behavior.

Only 16 states have laws that limit the use of physical restraint in school, and the federal government has nothing on the books. Last year, Harkin sponsored a bill that would ban the use of seclusion and restraint in schools, barring extreme circumstances. Harkin had hoped to include it in the rewrite of No Child Left Behind, but that process is stalled.

A survey by the American Association of School Administrators released Wednesday said schools are cutting back on nonviolent intervention training. In 2009, the Safe and Drug Free Schools' state grant was eliminated, and the majority of AASA members reported the loss made it "considerably or moderately more difficult" to fund crisis training programs. the survey said 91 percent of the association's members reported that their schools would be better if provided with more funding for positive interventions.

But the association said it doubts that banning seclusion and restraint will work for all students, writing it is "unrealistic" to assume that positive behavior interventions by themselves will help special education students "as successfully as general education students." The group also said Harkin's bill is flawed because it rules out less harmful types of restraint and seclusion methods.

When Michael George took over Lehigh University's Centennial School, an alternative school in Pennsylvania that targets students with aggressive behavioral issues, he was disturbed, he said. "The use of physical restraint was commonplace," he told senators. In 20 days, staff members restrained students 112 times, often using a "basket hold" grip from behind. By year's end, George had closed the school's two seclusion rooms, and only used physical restraint once during the last 40 days of school. "We have the technical knowledge necessary ? to end the overreliance of seclusion and physical restraint," he said.

George said he changed his school by training teachers to solve problems with nonviolent behavior modification. The training helped Elijah, who is now 9. "I was not used to Elijah being treated as a person," Jackson, his mother, said. The school gave him a point system for good behavior that accrued into credits for shopping at the school score, a Burger King lunch, and field trips. "Centennial held Elijah responsible for his choices," Jackson recalled. Now, Elijah attends a traditional public school and wins awards for writing and art. He begins fourth grade in the fall.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/12/school-discipline-alternatives-_n_1669559.html

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Circumcision ruling called threat to religion

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/circumcision-ruling-called-threat-religion-161500489.html

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The Summit to End Prostate Cancer Reviews | Active.com

The annual Zero prostate cancer summit is an important opportunity to carry the message to our elected officials about the importance of prostate cancer awareness and research.? Last year was great and I'm certain this year will be even better.? Robert Hess, President, Prostate Cancer Awareness Project, Manhattan Beach, California.

There are 217,000 new cases of prostate cancer each year (more new cases than breast cancer) and over 29,000 men die each year from the disease.? Prostate Cancer doesn't care.? But you Can!? Participate in one of our events and help defeat this disease.

Source: http://community.active.com/thread/252496

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Texas man finds stolen car 42 years later

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-man-finds-stolen-car-42-years-later-203003133--abc-news-topstories.html

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Syria defections raise hopes among Assad opponents

BEIRUT (AP) ? A string of high-profile defections from the Syrian regime has stirred hopes in the West that President Bashar Assad's inner circle will start abandoning him in greater numbers, hastening his downfall.

But the tightly protected regime has largely held together over the course of the 16-month-old uprising, driven by a mixture of fear and loyalty.

The latest official to flee, the Syrian ambassador to Iraq, Nawaf Fares, announced that he was joining the revolution, asserting Thursday that only force will drive Assad from power. He is the most senior diplomat to abandon Assad.

"There is no road map ever with Bashar Assad, because any plan, any statement that is agreed on internationally he delays on and ignores," Fares told the Al-Jazeera satellite channel. "There is no way that he can be pushed from power without force, and the Syrian people realize this."

Syria's Foreign Ministry denounced Fares, saying he should face "legal and disciplinary accountability."

In Washington, State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell hailed what he called the "first major diplomatic defection," adding: "We think this a wider sign that the regime is feeling the pressure. The pressure is up and the regime is really starting to fall apart."

Fares is the second prominent Syrian to break with the regime in less than a week. Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass, an Assad confidant and son of a former defense minister, defected last week, but has not spoken publicly.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Tlass has been in contact with the Syrian opposition. He would not comment on reports that Tlass was in Paris.

"I know that there is some closeness between the opposition and the general... Contact has been made," Fabius told journalists in Paris.

Assad's regime has suffered a steady stream of low-level army defectors, who have joined a group of dissidents known as the Free Syrian Army, now numbering in the tens of thousands. There have been several high-level defections in the past ? including a Syrian fighter pilot who flew his plane to neighboring Jordan during a training mission in June in a brazen move.

Although the defections are notable, Assad's regime has remained remarkably airtight, particularly compared with the hemorrhaging of Moammar Gadhafi's inner circle in Libya in 2011.

Within weeks of the Libyan revolt, a number of Libyan ambassadors and other high-ranking officials quit the government, and many joined the opposition leadership. The early defection of huge sections of the army in eastern Libya gave the rebel movement a safe zone where they could freely organize their political and military strategies.

Syria has seen nothing similar. Part of the reason is the loyalty of the armed forces.

Unlike the armies of Tunisia and Egypt, Syria's military has stood fiercely by the country's leader as Assad faces down an extraordinary protest movement.

Assad, and his father who ruled before him, stacked key military posts with members of their minority Alawite sect over the past 40 years, ensuring the loyalty of the armed forces by melding the fate of the army and the regime.

The army has a clear interest in protecting the regime because they fear revenge attacks and persecution should the country's Sunni majority gain the upper hand.

But besides the military's loyalty, another factor that constrains a flood of defections is fear. Open dissent is dangerous in Syria, a country that crushed any rumblings of defiance even before the popular revolt started to threaten the Assad family's 40-year dynasty. The security forces, which are the backbone of the regime and drive the culture of fear and paranoia, will protect the leadership at all costs.

Defectors fear not only for their own lives, but for those of any family members left behind. When deputy oil minister Abdo Husameddine defected in March, he said in a video statement that he fully expected government forces to "burn my home" and "persecute my family."

Already, the conflict is believed to have killed more than 17,000 people since the crisis began in March 2011, according to activists' estimates. Although the revolt began with protests, it has morphed into an armed insurgency with scores of rebel groups across the country clashing with government troops and attacking their bases and convoys.

On Thursday, Syrian forces shelled the suburbs of the capital, Damascus, to flush the rebels out from areas where they have established a foothold. Troops pounded Mezzeh and Kafr Souseh in eastern Damascus with mortars, sending residents streaming out, activists said. They also targeted the Liwan, Qadam and Daraya neighborhoods from a nearby military airport.

Explosions could be heard though much of the capital and amateur videos posted online showed huge clouds of smoke rising from the targeted areas. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported three dead in the area, among more than 45 people killed across Syria on Thursday. At least 11 were government soldiers, it said.

Also Thursday, Human Rights Watch said it had found evidence the Syrian government had fired cluster bombs in an area near the central city of Hama. The New York-based group said the munitions are clearly identifiable in amateur videos posted online, and that local activists said the area has been under government bombardment for weeks.

Cluster bombs explode in the air and drop dozens of "bomblets" over a large area, but these often do not explode on impact. They remain explosive, increasing the threat of later injury to civilians.

As the conflict grinds on, U.N. officials are growing more pessimistic over prospects for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, even though Assad's main backers, Russia and China, have signed on to the idea of a transition to democracy in Syria.

Despite incremental progress, a senior U.N. official said the U.N. Security Council is deeply divided on Syria policy, with Western diplomats still uncertain whether Moscow is any closer to cutting its ties with the Syrian government or using its considerable leverage with Damascus to end the conflict on terms unfavorable to Assad.

With diplomacy near a standstill, the U.N. observer mission in Syria is serving as little more than a bridge between the United Nations and the Assad government, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss diplomatic maneuvering with media.

___

Associated Press writers Ben Hubbard in Beirut, Matthew Lee in Washington and John Heilprin in Geneva contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-defections-raise-hopes-among-assad-opponents-191955281.html

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