India's Current Account Deficit At Record High; IIP Statement Shows Increase In Net Liabilities To $248B

India's current account deficit deteriorated to a record high of 4.5 percent of the GDP or $21.7 billion - a level seen for the first time in 20 years - for the quarter ending March 2012, data released by the Reserve Bank of India show. ?

Posing new difficulties for the struggling economy and the government, the current account deficit-difference between imports and exports reached 4.5 percent of the GDP and more than tripled when compared to the 1.3 percent for the same period in the previous year.

The current deficit is worse than that recorded in 1991, at 3 percent, during one of its worst Balance of Payments (BoP) crisis in the recent history. ?

The decline in exports due to low global demand, as an offshoot of the euro zone crisis along with high imports, has led to the current crisis. The high imports of crude and gold weighed heavily in the current account deficit, accounting for more than 45 percent of the total imports during the year.

In the year 2011-2012, the growth in exports slumped to 23.6 percent from the 37.5 percent recorded last year while imports registered a growth rate of 31.1 percent from that of 26.7 percent in the previous year.

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"The stress witnessed in India's Balance of Payments (BoP) in the third quarter continued during the fourth quarter of 2011-12 as well due to large increase in imports," said the RBI in a statement.

Meanwhile, India's external debt at the end of March 2012 was at US$345.8 billion (20.0 percent of GDP), recording an increase of US$39.9 billion or 13.0 percent over that at the end of March 2011, on account of a significant increase in commercial borrowings, short-term trade credits and rupee-denominated non-resident Indian deposits, the RBI said.

The country's long-term debt at US$ 267.6 billion and short-term debt at US$ 78.2 billion accounted for 77.4 percent and 22.6 percent, respectively, of the total external debt as of end-March 2012. The Banking regulator said that India's foreign exchange reserves provided a cover of 85.1 percent to the external debt stock at the end of March 2012 as compared with 99.6 percent cover as at the end of March 2011.

?International Investment Position (IIP) for March 2012

India's net IIP, the difference between an economy's external financial assets and liabilities, showed an increase in the net liabilities to US$244.8 billion at the end of March 2012 from US$204.8 billion at?the end of December 2011.

"This rise in net liabilities by US $ 40.0 billion was mainly on account of US $ 45.5 billion increase in liabilities, partially offset by an increase in assets of US $ 5.5 billion," said the RBI.

The data released from the RBI said that the "international financial liabilities widened by US$ 45.5 billion over the previous quarter to US$ 682.0 billion as at end-March 2012 while direct and portfolio investments in India increased by US$ 15.7 billion and US$ 19.2 billion, respectively."

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Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/358140/20120630/india-s-current-account-deficit-record-high.htm

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EU deal for Spain, Italy buoys markets but details sketchy

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Under pressure to prevent a catastrophic breakup of their single currency, euro zone leaders agreed on Friday to let their rescue fund inject aid directly into stricken banks from next year and intervene on bond markets to support troubled member states.

They also pledged to create a single banking supervisor for euro zone banks based around the European Central Bank in a landmark first step towards a European banking union that could help shore up struggling member Spain.

"It is a first step to break the vicious circle between banks and sovereigns," European Council President Herman Van Rompuy told a final news conference after talks which stretched right through the night.

The deal was widely seen as a political victory for embattled Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and his Spanish counterpart, Mariano Rajoy, over German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had brushed aside any need for such emergency measures earlier this week.

ECB President Mario Draghi endorsed the "tangible results", which sent the euro nearly 2 percent higher and sharply cut Spanish and Italian bond yields. European shares rose, led by banking stocks buoyed by the prospect of moves to backstop the financial system.

"I am actually quite pleased with the outcome of the European Council. It showed the long-term commitment to the euro by all member states of the euro area," Draghi told reporters.

Market participants welcomed the outcome as a substantial step to restore confidence in the 17-nation euro zone, which was saluted by a more durable rally than previous summit outcomes.

"It's inching closer to a banking union, and the closer we get to a banking union would put (the EU) well on the road to a fiscal union," said Art Hogan, managing director of Lazard Capital Markets in New York.

Most economists polled by Reuters expect the ECB to cut borrowing costs at its July 5 meeting, which takes place against a darkening economic backdrop. But internal resistance to the central bank reviving its bond-buying program remains high.

After 14 hours of tense talks that ended at 4:30 a.m. (0230 GMT), the 17 leaders agreed on a series of short-term steps to shore up their monetary union and bring down the borrowing costs of Spain and Italy, seen as too big to bail out.

To that end the euro zone's temporary EFSF and permanent ESM rescue funds will be used "in a flexible and efficient manner in order to stabilize markets" to support countries that comply with EU budget policy recommendations, a joint statement said.

It gave few specifics, but euro zone officials said the funds could buy bonds on both the primary and secondary markets on the basis of a memorandum of understanding signed with the requesting state and up to a funding limit to be agreed.

Both Italy and Spain said they did not intend to call on that mechanism to stabilize markets for now, hoping the Brussels agreement will serve as a sufficient deterrent.

Washington said it was encouraged by the progress but White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters travelling with President Barack Obama that "a lot of details" still needed to be worked out, and the euro zone was likely to need to take further steps in the future.

The International Monetary Fund said the summit had taken "the right steps toward completing monetary union" while ratings agency Fitch said the deal eased near-term pressure on euro zone sovereign ratings.

UNTHINKABLE DECISIONS

In a key concession by EU paymaster Germany, the leaders agreed to waive the ESM's preferred creditor status on lending for Spanish banks, removing a key deterrent to investors buying Spanish government bonds, who feared having to take the first losses in any debt restructuring.

"We have taken decisions that were unthinkable just some months ago," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said.

Despite the concessions by Berlin allowing euro zone rescue funds to be used more flexibly, questions remained about the terms, size and supervision of any future aid for Spain and Italy.

There was also no commitment for now to back up a European bank supervisor with a joint deposit guarantee or a common resolution fund, to avert capital flight and taxpayer losses. However, one EU official said that letting the ESM lend directly to banks once the supervisory body is up and running was a backdoor route to closer fiscal union.

Monti, determined to avoid the political stigma of the bailout terms imposed on Greece, Ireland and Portugal, said countries that complied with EU budget recommendations would not face extra austerity conditions or be subject to intrusive inspections by a "troika" of international lenders.

Eager to avoid the impression that she had blinked first, Merkel said strict conditionality would still apply to the use of rescue funds and countries would face stringent monitoring by the EU Commission and the ECB.

Asked if she had yielded to pressure, she said: "There is clearly pressure from financial markets. Some countries are in a difficult situation. The high interest rates affect the debt but also the real economy. We had an interest in finding solutions."

Merkel reaffirmed her firm opposition to common euro zone bonds.

She later won resounding approval in the lower house of the parliament in Berlin for funding the ESM and for new EU budget rules. A similar vote in the upper house was expected later in the day, though Germany's constitutional court may still object.

The Spanish and Italian leaders had threatened to block a package of measures to promote growth to pressure Merkel to accept measures to ease their borrowing costs, delaying the talks. New French President Francois Hollande backed their calls for bold steps to help the bloc's third and fourth biggest economies, adding to the pressure on Merkel.

Hollande, who had demanded a renegotiation of the fiscal pact to switch Europe's focus from austerity to promoting growth, said he had achieved satisfaction at the summit and would now submit the treaty to parliament for ratification.

While Hollande could claim a step forward in "solidarity", Merkel achieved little immediate progress on her demands for EU authorities to be given the power to override national budgets and economic policies. The issue was kicked down the road to October, when top EU officials led by Van Rompuy will deliver a more detailed report.

CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM

Economists applauded both the short-term measures to steady markets and the longer-term direction, saying that for once, after 20 summits since the crisis began in early 2010, euro zone leaders had exceeded admittedly low expectations.

"I think the ECB being made the banking supervisor is actually the biggest long-term step because it points the way to banking union," said Megan Greene, analyst at Roubini Global Economics, which is often gloomy about the euro zone's future.

"The move to recapitalize banks directly is a big deal and will help to break the ?vicious circle' between banks and sovereigns that has been at the very heart of this crisis," said ABN AMRO economist Nick Kounis, although he added that the euro zone remained "in a muddling-through scenario".

The ESM's ability to inject capital directly into banks will come too late to help Spain recapitalize its debt-laden lenders immediately this year, but it should allow Madrid to remove the cleanup from state books next year, euro zone officials said.

Merkel said finance ministers would have to work out whether the state or the banks would be legally responsible for repayment of the loans thereafter.

Some analysts were more skeptical about the benefits of the deal, given the level of detail left open.

Ireland, which had to take an EU/IMF bailout in 2010 after suffering a similar bank meltdown and property bust to Spain, hailed the decisions as a "game changer", saying it would seek similarly favorable conditions for its own taxpayers.

(Additional reporting by Jan Strupczewski, Julien Toyer, John O'Donnell, Catherine Bremer and Francesco Guarascio in Brussels. Writing by Noah Barkin and Paul Taylor, editing by Mike Peacock)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eu-deal-spain-italy-buoys-markets-details-sketchy-112920409--business.html

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esenzendya: http://t.co/Lzz8ltQm Looks Like Apple Has Changed Its App Store Algorithm Again: Last week we were alerted to an... http://t.co/WLLSeu95

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

Source: http://twitter.com/esenzendya/statuses/218659766073966592

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South Korea shelves disputed military pact with Japan

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-korea-shelves-disputed-military-pact-japan-074421232.html

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Draft n Craft Panel Discussion: Are LSA and ABS Encouraging ...

London, United Kingdom, June 28, 2012 ?(PR.com)? A lot has been talked about the ABS and LSA in the UK legal industry in recent past. Law firms and lawyers are continuously feeling the boosted heat of competition where only those would survive who are resourceful, competitive and offer greater flexibility to their clients. Considering this as a must to talk on issue, Draft n Craft has scheduled a panel discussion to find out how legal outsourcing can offer a bouquet of solutions to law firm to remain competitive without compromising on the quality of the work.

This discussion would take place on Wednesday, July 4, 2012 over the web at 4.00 pm as per the London time. Stephen Allen, Director of Innovation, Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP; Rakesh K Sharma, CEO, Draft n Craft Legal Outsourcing Pvt Ltd and Alex Hamilton, Principal at radiant.law, a technology and outsourcing lawyer would form a group of experts to throw light on the subject. All three carry a unique combination of being lawyers and outsourcing experts.

?Having experts from UK legal industry with experience in outsourcing will definitely give this discussion an edge. I am sure their views would boost the practice of legal outsourcing as the partner in growth for the UK legal industry,? said Rakesh Sharma, CEO of Draft n Craft.

Please register free to join this discussion at https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/834909039

About Draft n Craft

Founded in 2008, Draft n Craft specialises in outsourcing of legal and paralegal services and has provided more than a handful of advanced solutions to various clients. It specialises in outsourcing of legal & paralegal services such as, Contract Outsourcing Solutions, Legal Research, Legal Transcription, E-discovery, Deposition Summarization and an array of Paralegal Services. We at Draft n Craft, understand that the need of every law firm is one of its kind and important to their business.

If you have any questions, comments then please visit our website: www.draftncraft.com or contact us at: info (@) draftncraft dot com

Contact Information:
Draft n Craft Legal Outsourcing Pvt. Ltd.
Aaron George
+ 44 20 3318 3559
Contact via Email
www.draftncraft.com

Click here to read the full story: Draft n Craft Panel Discussion: Are LSA and ABS Encouraging Legal Outsourcing?

Press Release Distributed by PR.com

Source: http://money.rambergmedia.com/draft-n-craft-panel-discussion-are-lsa-and-abs-encouraging-legal-outsourcing/

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Orange France begins nationwide NFC SIM rollout in the name of 'Libert?, Egalit?, Fraternit

NFC's potential uses are numerous -- contactless mobile payments, automated actions and content sharing to name a few -- but aside from its scattered inclusion in a limited number of handsets in the US and overseas, we've yet to see it truly take off. Cue Orange France. The wireless carrier's taking a non-traditional route to spur adoption by sidestepping manufacturers and bringing the near field communication tech to all 27 million of its subscribers directly. To do this, the operator's implementing Gemalto's UpTeq SIM, a secure NFC solution the company claims is on par with existing chip-based implementations. Going forward, the enhanced SIMs will be standard issue for new post-paid users throughout the carrier's home footprint, while current subs will have to contact Orange to specifically request it. Head on past the break to check out the company's official PR.

Continue reading Orange France begins nationwide NFC SIM rollout in the name of 'Libert?, Egalit?, Fraternit?'

Orange France begins nationwide NFC SIM rollout in the name of 'Libert?, Egalit?, Fraternit?' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 16:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/28/orange-france-begins-nationwide-nfc-sim-rollout-in-the-name-of/

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NJ Gov. Christie: Romney didn't ask him to be VP (The Arizona Republic)

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

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Why Is The Realtor Trying To Prevent Us From Purchasing This ...

Q: We are interested in a foreclosed home. When we first called the name on the outside of the house it was the broker so I assume she is also the Realtor. She would never call us back she seemed very uninterested in selling this house even went as far to tell us that the house had a busted pipe and had black mold all inside. After a week of waiting on this lady to show us the house because something didn?t feel right so I called Realtor we have used before well she showed us the house and we fell in love with it. There was no broken pipe. There used to be black mold that was cleaned up. We still want the house so we put a bid on the house under a construction loan for extra money to fix any problems we do know there was another contract on the house and the broker emailed by Realtor asking if we want to back out. Our Realtor told her no and saved the email why is this Realtor/broker doing this. Why would she ask that question? I find it to be very weird.
?Anonymous, Gulfport, MS

A: It is a possibility that the listing agent had also secured a buyer and thus would be potentially earning BOTH commissions. This may be a reason why they would want to discourage any other possible better offers from competing with the one they have in place. Yes, it is unethical if this were the case.

As far as REO agents not calling back, it seems that this is the norm among agents represent banks in the sale of bank-owned properties. Some refuse to communicate via any voice media and correspond only by email. It is a sad state of affairs.
Adam Aguilar is a Realtor? with Reliantra in West Toluca Lake, CA.

A: I think you are confusing broker and rRaltor. A broker is someone with a license from the state that allows them to have agents under their supervision. A REALTOR (r) is an agent or broker who belongs to the National Association of Realtors and abides by their code of ethics. If you called the number on the sign you called the agent who listed the house for the seller. She also may have a buyer (she would represent both sides in that deal) who has put in an offer and she does not want your offer to compete with hers. Or the seller may have told her not at accept any other offers. The first reason would be against the ethics code. The second reason would not. Your agent should determine what is going on and take stps to correct any unethical behavior by speaking to the broker in charge of that office or by taking disciplinary action if warranted. I am an exclusive buyer?s agent and I often run into these questions with my buyers. It is not easy to get to the bottom of things like this but it can be done. Don?t give up hope yet!
Linda Walters is a Realtor? with Sage Realty LLC in Wayne, PA.

Are you interested in having a qualified REALTOR answer your questions? Click through to Ask a REALTOR? now.

Are you a REALTOR who would like to answer consumer questions? Click through to become an Ask a REALTOR? participant.

Related posts:

1. We Found Our Dream Home During An Open House. Do We Need A Realtor Or Can We Work With The Seller?s Agent?
2. Can A Realtor Sit On An Offer For An REO Home Without Submitting It?
3. Should I Use A Realtor To Buy A For Sale By Owner Home?
4. Can The Same Realtor Submit Multiple Offers On One House?
5. What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Working With The Seller?s Agent To Buy A Home?

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T-Mobile USA's former CEO Phillipp Humm to become chief executive at Vodafone on October 1st

Less than 24 hours after the unexpected news that Phillipp Humm had penned his resignation as T-Mobile USA's CEO, Reuters is now reporting he himself has said a chief executive position awaits him at Vodafone. As you may know, this comes after the Magenta carrier had stated Humm would be leaving to reunite with his family back in the Old Continent, and seek a new career outside of Deutsche Telekom. According to the report, Phillipp Humm's new role will be as a chief executive for Vodafone's operations in northern and central Europe, which is set to begin as early as October 1st. Naturally, Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao seems to be quite satisfied with Humm's upcoming arrival, saying it "will be a strong addition to the Vodafone group executive committee."

T-Mobile USA's former CEO Phillipp Humm to become chief executive at Vodafone on October 1st originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blood from stone - a delicacy

By Bora Zivkovic?| June 27, 2012 |??

Share ?Email ?Print

---

Image of the Week #48, June 26th, 2012:

From: Pyura chilensis: the closest thing to getting blood from a stone by Becky Crew at Running Ponies.

Source: Klaus Peter

Becky Crew of Running Ponies spotlights a truly strange organism ? and delicacy ? from Chile. Not the coolest geode ever, but another example that much of life on earth is stranger than we can imagine.

About the Author: Bora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web. Follow on Twitter @boraz.

More??

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

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Fitmarks: Calories and weight loss simplified

Underestimating calories is the number one problem for most people who claim to not be able to lose weight, despite following what they consider to be a "healthy" diet.

I have lost count of the number of times someone has asked me what else they can do to kick start? the weight loss. They have started off their new health regime with exercise three times a week, cut out the alcohol and junk food (apart from weekends of course!!). They then weigh themselves weekly and the scales don't budge.? This goes on for a few weeks and they begin to wonder if they have something wrong with them.? Thyroids, big bones, genes (my parents were overweight), leptin levels, stress, metabolic disorders even fat viruses have all had the finger pointed at them at some point .

Its funny how we don't release the fat virus into starving villages in third world countries, surely that would solve the problems there? Or maybe a bowl of rice and some muddy water every few days is eating "under maintenance"

you're best option for guaranteed weight loss is to start making a food diary and add up all the calories.? Do this over seven days and work out the average for each day of the week.? Try this free calorie counter? and food log http://www.foodfocus.co.uk/index.php .? Be strict with yourself here; it's only you who needs to know and ultimately will benefit most.

If your weight is staying the same week after week the calories you are consuming are at a maintenance level.? You will continue spinning your wheels or just give up altogether out of frustration and clothes shopping will become more and more of a nightmare.

Lets keep things simple. Simply reduce your calories by just 200 a day.? That's all. If your weight has been creeping up? then try cutting out 500 calories, if that doesn't work keep cutting back by 200 until things turn around. And they will do. The weight will slowly come down and your weighing sessions will be something to look forward to and be proud of!

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Young Aroostook County athletes make strong showing at Maine ...

BREWER, Maine ? Kes Lavoie has always been a baseball player. The 13-year-old from Bangor played this spring on the Cohen Middle School ?A? team and also competes on a Junior League squad.

On a damp, gray Tuesday, she demonstrated her strong throwing arm ? this time, with a softball in her hand.

Lavoie uncorked a throw of 145 feet, 6 inches to win the ages 13-14 softball throw during the 35th Maine Hershey Track and Field State Championship meet at Pendleton Street Field in Brewer.

?I?ve been playing baseball and I realized that I was able to throw a lot farther than most of the girls my age,? Lavoie said.

?My farthest throw I?ve done is 157, so I was trying to get 160 today, but I don?t know what happened,? she said. ?The ball was kind of wet and it was harder to throw.?

More than 200 youngsters ages 9 to 14 earned the right to compete in the state meet, which is run by the Maine Recreation and Parks Association and sponsored by the Hershey Co.

The athletes, who came from cities and towns across Maine, were vying to earn spots in the Hershey Track and Field Games North American Final, scheduled Aug. 4-5 in Hershey, Pa.

Tim Baude, Maine chairman for the Hershey Games, said each state and Canadian province is guaranteed five competitors at the North American Final. Mainers are going up against competitors from the other New England states and the Maritimes.

He said it will be approximately two weeks before any of the Maine winners learn whether they earned a trip to Hershey.

?[It?s a] four-day, all-expenses-paid trip by Hershey,? said Baude, adding that the athletes and their parents are flown to Pennsylvania, where they stay and eat for free. ?They actually open the [candy-making] plant one day for us. They get to go to Hershey Park, stay at college dorms and get to meet kids from all around the United States and Canada.?

Tuesday?s meet brought together runners, jumpers and throwers in three different age groups: 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14.

Aspen Cote of Madawaska and Daniel Hemminger of Portland demonstrated their versatility as three-event winners.

Cote claimed the 100 meters (14.27 seconds), the 200 (29.71) and the long jump (7 feet, 4? inches) in the girls 13-14 age group. Hemminger won the 100 (14.32) and also took the 200 (29.80) and the softball throw (147-10) for boys ages 11-12.

Adam Bohlen of Bucksport enjoyed a successful day on the track in the boys 13-14 division. He claimed the 1,600 with a time of 5:41.43 and then won the 800 in 2:34.69.

?It felt great,? said the 13-year-old, who runs middle school cross country and track in Bucksport. ?I beat my last record [in the 1,600] by 10 seconds.?

In both races, Bohlen had to fend off late challenges by competitors. He edged Jake Flewelling of Easton in the 1,600 and Thomas Dupuy of Greenville in the 800.

?I heard him [Flewelling] behind me, but that means I know the last lap I had to go even harder,? Bohlen said.

Caribou?s Parker Deprey won the 100 (16.12), the softball throw (119-9) and ran on the first-place 4?100 relay (1:10.87) along with Ethan Holdsworth, Carter Quist and Jordan Duplissie in the 9-10 division. Isaac Robison of Bangor won the 100 (13.36) and the long jump (8-7) for 13-14 boys.

Niko Naranja of Fort Kent won the 400 meters (1:13.67) and was part of a first-place quartet in the 4?100 (1:04.38) along with Alex Nissenbaum, Zachary Nadeau and Max Ouellette among 11- and 12-year-olds.

That group continued Fort Kent?s tradition of excellence in the boys relay. Nadeau, Naranjo and Ouellette had been part of previous Hershey winners.

?If you actually trust your friends, that they can do well, you have this feeling that it?s going to be easier for you to push it because they?re depending on you and themselves,? Ouellette said.

Aroostook County sent 133 athletes to the meet, including a talented 9-10 girls contingent. Paige Espling of Caribou won both the 400 (1:25.61) and the long jump (6-7?) and finished second to Caribou?s Emma Hixon by one-hundredth of a second in the 50.

?I start out jogging and then when I get to that [last] corner I usually start sprinting,? Espling said of the 400.

Bailey Bellefleur of St. Agatha, running for Fort Kent, showed off her speed in the 11-12 girls bracket. The 11-year-old won both the 100 (14.82) and the 200 (31.40).

Fort Kent teammate Dolice Tanguay was a double winner among the 9-10 girls, taking the 100 (16.02) and the 200 (33.94). Kolleen Bouchard of Houlton, competing in the 11-12 girls, threw the softball 129-2 to earn first place and was second in the 100.

?I don?t know if it?s enough to make it to Hershey. They can throw far down there,? she said of her softball throw.

Bouchard also is playing in an all-star softball tournament at Hermon.

Other girls winners included ? ages 9-10, girls: 4?100, Houlton (Emma Drew, Alyssa Abbotoni, Grace Johnson, Lauren McGillicuddy), 1:14.71; softball throw, Alana Legasse (PI), 65-8; boys: 50, Connor Demerchant (PI), 8.50; 400, Ethan Holdsworth (Car), 1:19.21; 200, Sawyer Deprey (Car), 34.12; long jump, Holden Stoutameyer (PI) 6-7.

11-12, girls: 400, Annah Rossvall (Portland), 1:08.26; 800, Alexis Rodriguez (Car), 3:09.09; 4?100, PI (Miranda Drost, Kate Goulet, Isabelle Jackson, Libby Moreau), 1:08.48; long jump, Abby Pipkin (Port), 7-1; boys: 800, Evan Michaud (Car), 2:43.28; long jump, Cole Winslow (Hou) 7-1.

13-14, girls: 1,600, Jordan Tanguay (FK), 6:09.53; 800, Gentle Prescott (FK), 2:47.05; 4?100, Easton (Emma Bonner, Sara Gilman, Elise Allen, Breann Clayton), 1:07.10; boys: 100, Isaac Robison (Bangor), 13.36; 200, Jacob O?Berry (PI), 25.71; 4?100, PI (Gavin Kelley, Max Bartley, John Saucier, Jacob O?Berry), 1:01.00; long jump, Isaac Robison (Bangor), 8-7; softball throw, Cole Tweedie (Hampden) 182-9.

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Better looking birds have more help at home with their chicks

Monday, June 25, 2012

In choosing a mate both males and females rely on visual cues to determine which potential partner will supply the best genes, best nesting site, best territory, and best parenting skills. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Frontiers in Zoology shows that male blue tits' (Cyanistes caeruleus) parental behavior is determined by female ornamentation (ultraviolet coloration of the crown), as predicted by the differential allocation hypothesis (DAH).

DAH makes the assumption that aesthetic traits indicate quality and arises from the needs of a parent's current need to ensure current reproductive success and the reproductive success of their offspring. Ornamentation and its maintenance is a cost which reduces energy available for reproduction, but without the ornamentation an individual may not be able to secure a mate. Ornamentation also plays a role in competition between males and between females, as well as signaling potential reproductive success.

But reproductive success does not only depend on the best genes and the best nest, it also depends on parenting skills. Researchers from Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, supported by the "Sparkling-Science" Program, investigated the effect of female ornamentation on the chick-rearing behavior of their mates. Both males and female blue tits have feathers on the top of their heads which reflect UV light. After their chicks had hatched, female blue tits were captured and their crowns smeared with either duck preen gland oil containing UV-blocking chemicals or the oil alone.

Although the UV-blocking chemicals did not alter the behavior of the females, their mates made fewer hunting trips to feed their brood. However the males made the same effort to protect their nest and defend their chicks as males with oil-only treated females.

Dr Matteo Griggio, co-author of this study, commented, "This is the first study to show that male blue tit behavior depends on female ornamentation. Even though our experiment was minimally invasive to avoid partners not being able to recognize each other, the behavior of male blue tits in this study matched the DAH. DAH also predicts that less attractive females should increase their parental investment but we found no compensatory female behavior."

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BioMed Central: http://www.biomedcentral.com

Thanks to BioMed Central for this article.

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Get Printed at Sports Graphics | Go Valley Kids: Your Guide to Kids ...

The last stop of our Eat, Play, Wear Series brings us to Sports Graphics located at 333 First Street in Menasha. Sports Graphics has long been a staple of Menasha as one of the local favorite spots for screen printing and embroidery. Under new ownership since the Fall of 2011, the store is growing by leaps and bounds. They are currently expanding into a huge retail area next to their current address. Not only is their customer service personal and friendly, but they boast a super speedy turnaround on orders, which you can also place online.

Check out Sports Graphics to get your next batch of sports t-shirts and apparel printed for sports teams, corporate uses and special events. Or stop in the store for any high school related apparel in all sizes. This is a great place to even get a baby gift ? they do custom printing for any of your needs. Check out this great onesie and hat that I found for an awesome price!

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The 3 Things Every Blogger Needs | Rujacksalad | The Blogger ...

In order to be a popular blogger, you will find many ideas for creative writing with a truckload of motivation need. The results will be for will not come overnight, and I'm guaranteed to find it! What you need are two things to achieve your dream of running a successful blog, a lot of unique content and retain high readers. In any case, it will take time to develop at a time so make no mistake, this is a process not an event of short duration!

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MagForce Enters Into Preclinical Research Agreement to Investigate NanoTherm Therapy in the Gastrointestinal Cancer Field in the USA

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Posted: Jun 22nd, 2012

MagForce Enters Into Preclinical Research Agreement to Investigate NanoTherm Therapy in the Gastrointestinal Cancer Field in the USA

(Nanowerk News) MagForce AG, a leading medical device company in the field of nanomedicine with focus on oncology, announced today that the Company has entered into a pre-clinical research agreement with Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN), a leading US medical center.

Under the terms of the agreement, Mayo Clinic will start a research program applying MagForce?s NanoTherm? therapy to investigate the preclinical efficacy of the therapy in pancreatic and liver cancer. The project will be directed by Dev Mukhopadhyay, Professor of Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, and the study will be funded by Mayo Clinic. The goal of the project is to achieve preclinical proof-of-concept in order to file the clinical development program supporting the FDA PMA (FDA premarket approval) of the NanoTherm? therapy in these indications.

?Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive diseases in oncology, ranking fourth among the tumor related causes of death. It is mostly recognized in a late and advanced status and consequently called "the silent killer". Due to the poor overall survival rates and the severe side effects of chemotherapeutics, the current standard of care, this disease is an enormous challenge in oncology. With approximately 32,000 new cases annually in the US alone there is a very high medical need to develop new therapeutic options for the treatment of these desperate patients,? said Prof Dr Hoda Tawfik, Vice President R&D/Medical Affairs at MagForce. ?In a pilot study MagForce could show the feasibility of the use of its NanoTherm? therapy in pancreatic cancer patients with first hints of activity. I am delighted that we are now teaming up with the highly prestigious cancer center Mayo Clinic to achieve preclinical proof-of-concept in pancreatic and liver cancer with our innovative technology. A positive outcome of this new project would be the first important milestone to set up a clinical development program in gastrointestinal cancer in cooperation with medical key opinion leaders throughout the United States,? added Prof Dr Hoda Tawfik.

This research agreement is a significant step in engaging the US medical community in the development of the NanoTherm? Therapy,? added Dr Andreas Jordan, Executive Board and Founder of MagForce.

About MagForce AG

MagForce AG is a leading medical technology company in the field of nanomedicine in oncology. The Company's proprietary, NanoTherm? therapy, enables the targeted treatment of solid tumors through the intratumoral generation of heat via activation of magnetic nanoparticles. NanoTherm?, NanoPlan?, and NanoActivator? are components of the therapy and have received EU-wide regulatory approval as medical devices for the treatment of brain tumors. MagForce, NanoTherm?, NanoPlan?, and NanoActivator? are trademarks of MagForce AG in select countries. For more information, please visit www.magforce.com.

About NanoTherm? Therapy

The NanoTherm? therapy is a new approach for the local treatment of solid tumors. The principle of the method is the direct introduction of magnetic nanoparticles into a tumor and their subsequent heating in an alternating magnetic field. The water soluble nanoparticles are extremely small (approximately 15 nanometers in diameter), and contain an iron oxide core with an aminosilane coating. The particles are activated by a magnetic field that changes its polarity 100,000 times per second and heat is produced. Depending on the duration of treatment and the achieved intratumoral temperatures, the tumor cells are either directly destroyed (thermal ablation) or sensitized for concomitant chemo or radiotherapy (hyperthermia). With this new procedure, it is possible to combat the tumor from the inside out, thereby sparing surrounding healthy tissue. The nanoparticles remain in place at the treatment area, allowing for repeat treatments and the integration of multimodal therapy concepts. NanoTherm? therapy has regulatory approval in 27 European countries.

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Comprehending How a Buyer's Agent Can Assist you to ...

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Ark. Supreme Court declares execution law unconstitutional

By Msnbc.com staff and wire services

The Arkansas Supreme Court struck down the state's execution law Friday, calling it unconstitutional.

In a split decision, the high court sided with 10 death row inmates who argued that, under Arkansas' constitution, only the Legislature can set execution policy. Legislators in 2009 voted to give that authority to the Department of Correction.

The 2009 law says a death sentence is to be carried out by lethal injection of one or more chemicals that the director of the Department of Correction chooses.

Death row inmate Jack Harold Jones Jr. sued the head of the correction department in 2010, challenging the constitutionality of the law. Nine other inmates have since joined the suit, asking that the law be struck down.

The state, meanwhile, asked the court to free up several executions it halted because of this lawsuit.

It wasn't immediately clear what the court's ruling will mean for the 40 men on death row in Arkansas. There aren't any pending executions, and the state hasn't put anyone to death since 2005, in part because of legal challenges like this one.

Three Arkansas inmates who were scheduled to be put to death last summer were spared by the state Supreme Court almost exactly a year ago. Jason Farrell McGehee, Bruce Earl Ward, and Marcel Wayne Williams, all of whom are plaintiffs in the lethal injection lawsuit, received stays of executions from the high court on June 23, 2011, according to ArkansasNews.com.

Josh Lee, an attorney for the death row inmates who challenged the law, declined to comment Friday.

During oral arguments last week, Lee said the state would have two options if the court found the law unconstitutional.

"The Legislature could either choose to stick with the 1983 statute, which everybody concedes is constitutional, or the Legislature could decide we want to amend it," Lee said last week.

The state adopted lethal injection as its method of capital punishment in 1983. There have been legal challenges to the way the state kills its condemned prisoners since then. In 2009, in the midst of a legal battle over lethal injection, the state Legislature passed the law that the court struck down Friday.

Joseph Cordi, an attorney for the state, told the Supreme Court last week that he thought the state would be left with the earlier law if the court struck down the entire statute.

Part of the 2009 law also says that in the event it's found unconstitutional, death sentences will be carried out by electrocution.

"That would be up for the lawyers to untangle and figure out what it means, but that's a possibility," prisons spokeswoman Dina Tyler said.

Since the reinstatement of capital punishment by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976, Arkansas has been the only state to ever conduct three executions on the same night, according to The Death Penalty Information Center, a non-profit organization. Triple executions were done twice in Arkansas's history: first on Aug. 3, 1994, under Gov. Jim Guy Tucker, and then again on Jan. 8, 1997, under Gov. Mike Huckabee, records on DeathPenaltyInfo.org show.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Video: Natural Gas Inventories Up 62 BCF

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Mapping moon's Shackleton reveals icy secrets

Caroline Morley, online picture researcher

New map of Shackleton crater false-coloured to emphasise height (Image: NASA/M.?T. Zuber and colleagues, Nature, 2012)

The four words "Shackleton", "ice" and "south pole" often occur together. On one of his expeditions, Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance became trapped in pack ice. Against all odds, all his men survived, and Shackleton is remembered as a heroic leader for the decisions he made under pressure.

Those same four words are perhaps a little more surprising when we add "moon" and "crater" to them. NASA has announced that its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has returned measurements that indicate ice on the surface in the Shackleton crater at the moon's south pole.

The crater is over 19 kilometres wide and 3 kilometres deep, and is thought to have been created more than 3 billion years ago. The lunar south pole is in permanent sunshine because of the moon's tilt, but Shackleton's interior is permanently shaded by its own walls. The LRO's laser altimeter mapped the dark crater floor (as seen in this image) and also measured the brightness of reflections from its surface. From the brightness readings, it looks like up to 22 per cent of the crater's surface could be covered in ice, mostly in the walls. Other craters in the region appear to be much drier.

The combination of permanent sunshine for energy and the possible presence of a water resource have led NASA to suggest that the moon's south pole could be a contender for human settlement. So one day we might also be able to add "explorers" to the words that fit with "Shackleton, ice and south pole" on both Earth and the moon.

Journal reference: Nature, DOI: 10.1038/nature11216

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Euro's big four agree on growth boost, split on bonds

ROME (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel resisted pressure on Friday for common euro zone bonds or a more flexible use of Europe's rescue funds but agreed with leaders of France, Italy and Spain on a 130 billion euros ($156 billion) package to revive growth.

After four-way talks in Rome's Renaissance Villa Madama, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said the European Union should adopt pro-growth measures worth about 1 percent of the region's gross domestic product at a crucial summit next week.

But the three others made no perceptible progress in pushing Merkel, who leads Europe's most powerful economy and the main contributor to its rescue funds, towards mutualizing Europe's debts or using existing bailout resources more flexibly.

"Growth can only have solid roots if there is fiscal discipline, but fiscal discipline can be maintained only if there is growth and job creation," Monti told a joint news conference after talks that lasted just an hour and 40 minutes.

The measures, already in the works in Brussels, include increasing the European Investment Bank's capital, redirecting unspent EU regional aid funds and launching project bonds to co-finance major public investment programs. No new steps were announced on Friday.

Merkel made no mention of any move towards mutualizing past euro zone debt or new borrowing.

French President Francois Hollande voiced impatience with Berlin's reluctance, saying it should not take 10 years to create jointly underwritten euro bonds.

He said greater solidarity was needed among member states before they abandon more sovereignty to EU institutions.

"I consider euro bonds to be an option ... but not in 10 years," Hollande said in a direct challenge to Merkel. "There can be no transfer of sovereignty if there is not an improvement in solidarity."

The German position essentially amounts to the reverse. Merkel argues that members of the 17-nation currency union must transfer control over national budget and economic policies to Brussels before Germany would consider common debt issuance.

"Liability and control belong together," she said, citing as an example that EU treaties ruled out letting euro zone rescue funds lend directly to Spanish banks because only the Spanish state could enforce conditions on the banks.

The contrasting comments left much work for diplomats to produce a convincing blueprint for closer fiscal and banking union at a full EU summit next Thursday and Friday, which Monti called a defining moment in the crisis.

That plan is expected to include the first steps towards a banking union, starting by putting the European Central Bank in charge of supervising large cross-border euro zone banks.

SPANISH BAILOUT?

Dangerously high Spanish borrowing costs eased a little on market hopes for policy initiatives at the Brussels summit.

The European Central Bank took a supportive step on Friday, relaxing its collateral rules to let financial institutions pledge a wider range of assets in exchange for cash. The move helps counter the impact of credit rating downgrades.

If it falls short, Madrid may be pushed closer to eventually needing a sovereign bailout.

Without a convincing result, "there would be progressively greater speculative attacks on individual countries, with harassment of the weaker countries", Monti said in an interview with several European newspapers ahead of the mini-summit.

"A large part of Europe would find itself having to continue to put up with very high interest rates that would then impact on the states and also indirectly on firms. This is the direct opposite of what is needed for economic growth," he said.

The technocratic Italian premier, who needs a success to shore up his weakening domestic authority, sounded slightly more optimistic after the talks, saying next week's summit should "put at ease the financial markets' expectations", switching to English to add: "The euro is here to stay and we all mean it."

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, on the brink of requesting up to 100 billion euros in euro zone rescue funds to recapitalize struggling banks, said the four had agreed "to use any necessary mechanism to obtain financial stability in the euro zone".

An audit released on Thursday found Spanish banks would need up to 62 billion euros in extra capital to weather adverse circumstances.

After a meeting of euro zone finance ministers late on Thursday, IMF chief Christine Lagarde demanded rapid progress on a number of other fronts, raising the heat on Merkel.

Lagarde said a banking union was a top priority, alongside fiscal union and the principle of mutualizing debt. Germany refuses to countenance common bond issuance and will not soften until economic union is complete. It is also opposed to the early introduction of a bloc-wide bank deposit guarantee scheme.

HIGH STAKES FOR MONTI

While Spain's needs are most pressing - its medium term borrowing costs hit a euro era high at auction on Thursday - the political stakes may be higher for Italy's Monti.

With his popularity sinking, the parties that back Monti in parliament are increasingly reluctant to support his reform proposals at home, but demand he get results in the European arena to ease the pressure on Italy's recession-bound economy.

"Monti knows he has to get his ducks in a row on the European side so he can tell the parties that he's sorted that part out, and now it's their turn to help sort out Italy," said James Walston, politics professor at Rome's American University.

Though hugely popular when he came to office in November, Monti's approval rating has halved as tax hikes and pension cuts exacerbated an already severe recession, and his labor reform estranged both unions and the business establishment.

But for the markets, Monti remains the man most likely to tackle Italy's debt mountain and uncompetitiveness. If he comes under serious threat, Italy could quickly supplant Spain as the euro zone's main flashpoint.

Monti's hand was weakened by comments on Wednesday by his predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi, who said the prospect of Italy quitting the euro was "not blasphemy" and that he failed to understand why it would hurt Italy's economy.

Berlusconi's People of Freedom party is one of the two main groups that guarantee Monti a majority in parliament.

Monti proposed on the sidelines of this week's G20 summit using the euro zone's rescue funds to buy the bonds of Spain and Italy to bring down their borrowing costs.

Hollande said after Friday's talks he supported the Italian idea. But Merkel has played down the notion, which investors said might be counter-productive by quickly burning through scarce rescue capital, unless the European Central Bank stepped in decisively in support.

Other proposals from Monti, such as stripping some forms of public investment from budget deficit calculations, or commonly issued euro zone bonds, are also broadly supported by France and Spain but opposed by Germany, at least for now.

(Additional reporting by Stephen Mangan in London; Philip Pullella, Emmanuel Jarry, Catherine Bremer and Andreas Rinke in Rome, Erik Kirschbaum in Berlin; Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Peter Graff)

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