Analyzing Barrick Gold's Debt And Risk

Gaining knowledge about a company's debt and liabilities is a key component in understanding the risk of a company. An understanding of these factors will aid in the decision to invest, not to invest, or to stay invested in a company. There are many metrics involved in gaining knowledge about the debt of a company, but for this article, I will look at Barrick Gold Corporation's (ABX) total debt, total liabilities, debt ratios and WACC.

All material is sourced from Google Finance, Morningstar and Barrick Gold webpage.

1. Total Debt = Long-Term Debt + Short-Term Debt

Total debt is the sum of long-term debt, which is debt that is due in one year or more, and short-term debt, which is any debt that is due within one year.

• 2008 - $4.350 billion + $206 million = $4.556 billion
• 2009 - $6.124 billion + $54 million = $6.178 billion
• 2010 - $6.624 billion + $14 million = $6.638 billion
• 2011 - $13.173 billion + $196 million = $13.369 billion
• 2012 TTM - $12.642 billion + $1.299 billion = $13.941 billion

Barrick Gold's total debt has increased since 2008. In 2008, the company reported a total debt of $4.556 billion. In 2012 TTM, the company's total debt increased to $13.941 billion. Over the past 5 years, Barrick Gold's total debt has increased by 305.99%.

2. Total Liabilities

Liabilities are a company's legal debts or obligations that arise during the course of business operations, so debts are one type of liability, but not all liabilities. Total liabilities is the combination of long-term liabilities, which are the liabilities that are due in one year or more, and short-term or current liabilities, which are any liabilities due within one year.

• 2008 - $8.702 billion
• 2009 - $11.528 billion
• 2010 - $13.420 billion
• 2011 - $23.330 billion
• 2012 TTM - $26.912 billion

Barrick Gold's liabilities have also increased over the past 5 years. In 2008, the company reported liabilities at $8.702 billion; in 2012 TTM, the company reported liabilities at $26.912 billion. Over the past 5 years, Barrick Gold's liabilities have increased by 309.26%.

In analyzing Barrick Gold's total debt and liabilities, we can see that the company currently has a total debt of $13.941 billion and liabilities at $26.912 billion. Over the past five years, the total debt has increased by 305.99% while total liabilities have increased by 309.26%. As the company's amount of debt and amount of liabilities have increased over the past 5 years, the next step will reveal if the company has the ability to pay them.

Debt Ratios

3. Total Debt to Total Assets Ratio = Total Debt / Total Assets

This is a metric used to measure a company's financial risk by determining how much of the company's assets have been financed by debt. It is calculated by adding short-term and long-term debt and then dividing by the company's total assets.

A debt ratio of greater than 1 indicates that a company has more total debt than assets; meanwhile, a debt ratio of less than 1 indicates that a company has more assets than total debt. Used along with other measures of financial health, the total debt to total assets ratio can help investors determine a company's level of risk.

• 2010 - $6.638 billion / $34.637 billion = 0.19
• 2011 - $13.369 billion / $48.884 billion = 0.27
• 2012 TTM - $13.941 billion / $52.084 billion = 0.27

Over the past three years, Barrick Gold's total debt to total assets ratio has increased. Over the past 3 years, the total debt to total assets ratio has increased from 0.19 in 2010 to 0.27 in 2012 TTM. This indicates that since 2010, the company has been adding asset value at a slower rate than its total debt. As the number is currently well below 1, this indicates that the company has more assets than total debt. As the number has been increasing, this states that the risk to the company regarding its debt-to-assets has increased since 2010.

4. Debt ratio = Total Liabilities / Total Assets

Total liabilities divided by total assets. The debt ratio shows the proportion of a company's assets that is financed through debt. If the ratio is less than 0.5, most of the company's assets are financed through equity. If the ratio is greater than 0.5, most of the company's assets are financed through debt. Companies with high debt/asset ratios are said to be "highly leveraged." A company with a high-debt ratio or that is "highly leveraged" could be in danger if creditors start to demand repayment of debt.

• 2010 - $13.420 billion / $34.637 billion = 0.39
• 2011 - $23.330 billion / $48.884 billion = 0.48
• 2012 TTM - $26.912 billion / $52.084 billion = 0.52

In looking at Barrick Gold's total liabilities to total assets ratio over the past three years, we can see that this ratio has increased. The ratio has increased from 0.39 in 2010 to 0.52 in 2012 TTM. As the 2012 TTM numbers are above the 0.50 mark, this indicates that Barrick Gold has financed most of the company's assets through debt. As the number has increased, so is the risk to the company.

5. Debt-to-Equity Ratio = Total Liabilities / Shareholders' Equity

The debt-to-equity ratio is another leverage ratio that compares a company's total liabilities with its total shareholders' equity. This is a measurement of how much suppliers, lenders, creditors and obligators have committed to the company versus what the shareholders have committed.

A high debt-to-equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in the company reporting volatile earnings. In general, a high debt-to-equity ratio indicates that a company may not be able to generate enough cash to satisfy its debt obligations, and therefore is considered a riskier investment.

• 2010 - $13.420 billion / $21.217 billion = 0.63
• 2011 - $23.330 billion / $25.554 billion = 0.91
• 2012 TTM - $26.912 billion / $25.172 billion = 1.07

Compared to 2010, Barrick Gold's debt-to-equity ratio has increased. The ratio has increased from 0.63 to 1.07. As the ratio is currently above 1, this indicates that suppliers, lenders, creditors and obligators have invested more than shareholders. 1.07 indicates a moderate amount of risk for the company. As the ratio is above 1 and considered moderate, so is the risk for the company.

6. Capitalization Ratio = LT Debt / LT Debt + Shareholders' Equity

(LT Debt = Long-Term Debt)

The capitalization ratio tells the investors about the extent to which the company is using its equity to support its operations and growth. This ratio helps in the assessment of risk. Companies with a high capitalization ratio are considered to be risky because they are at a risk of insolvency if they fail to repay their debt on time. Companies with a high capitalization ratio may also find it difficult to get more loans in the future.

• 2010 - $6.624 billion / $27.841 billion = 0.24
• 2011 - $13.173 billion / $38.727 billion = 0.34
• 2012 TTM - $12.642 billion / $37.814 billion = 0.33

Over the past three years, Barrick Gold's capitalization ratio has increased from 0.24 to 0.33. This implies that the company has less equity compared with its long-term debt. As this is the case, the company has had less equity to support its operations and add growth through its equity. As the ratio is increasing, financially this implies a slight increase of risk to the company.

7. Cash Flow to Total Debt Ratio = Operating Cash Flow / Total Debt

This coverage ratio compares a company's operating cash flow with its total debt. This ratio provides an indication of a company's ability to cover total debt with its yearly cash flow from operations. The higher the percentage ratio, the better the company's ability to carry its total debt. The larger the ratio, the better a company can weather rough economic conditions.

• 2010 - $4.127 billion / $6.638 billion = 0.62
• 2011 - $5.315 billion / $13.369 billion = 0.40
• 2012 TTM - $4.991 billion / $13.941 billion = 0.36

Over the past three years, the cash flow to total debt ratio has decreased. The ratio has decreased from 0.62 in 2010 to 0.36 in 2012 TTM. As the ratio is below 1, this implies that the company does not have the ability to cover its total debt with its yearly cash flow from operations.

Based on the five debt ratios listed above, we can see that Barrick Gold has increased its risk regarding the company's debt and liabilities. The above ratio state that there has been an increase in the company's debt levels compared to the company's assets but the ratios are below any red flag levels. As the price of gold looks to be strong in 2013, the company should be able to make money on the assets, thus making the increase of debt and liabilities worthwhile. The next step will reveal how much the company will pay for the debt incurred.

Cost of Debt

The cost of debt is the effective rate that a company pays on its total debt.

As a company acquires debt through various bonds, loans and other forms of debt, the cost of debt metric is useful, because it gives an idea as to the overall rate being paid by the company to use debt financing.

This measure is also useful because it gives investors an idea as to the riskiness of the company compared with others. The higher the cost of debt, the higher the risk.

8. Cost of debt (before tax) = Corporate Bond rate of company's bond rating.

According to the S&P rating guide, the "BBB+" rating is - "Adequate capacity to meet financial commitments, but more subject to adverse economic conditions." Barrick Gold has a rating that meets this description.

9. Current tax rate (Income Tax total / Income before Tax)

• 2008 - $590 million / $1.451 billion = 40.66%
• 2009 - $648 million / $(3.630) billion = 17.85%
• 2010 - $1.370 billion / $4.587 billion = 29.87%
• 2011 - $1.867 billion / $6.824 billion = 27.36%
• 2012 TTM - $1.867 billion / $5.241 billion = 35.62%

2008 - 2012 TTM 5-year average = 33.37%

From 2008 - 2012 TTM, Barrick Gold has averaged a tax rate of 33.37%.

10. Cost of Debt (After Tax) = (Cost of debt before tax) (1 - tax rate)

The effective rate that a company pays on its current debt after tax.

• .0669 x (1 - .3337) = Cost of debt after tax

The cost of debt after tax for Barrick Gold is 4.46%

Cost of equity or R equity = Risk free rate + Beta equity (Average market return - Risk free rate)

The cost of equity is the return a firm theoretically pays to its equity investors, for example, shareholders, to compensate for the risk they undertake by investing in their company.

• Risk free rate = U.S. 10-year bond = 1.96% (Bloomberg)
• Average market return 1950 - 2012 = 7%
• Beta = (MSN Money) Barrick Gold beta = 0.45

Risk free rate + Beta equity (Average market return - Risk free rate)

• 1.96 + 0.45 (7-1.96)
• 1.96 + 0.45 x 5.04
• 1.96 + 2.27 = 4.23%

Currently, Barrick Gold has a cost of equity or R Equity of 4.23%, so investors should expect to get a return of 4.23% per-year average over the long term on their investment to compensate for the risk they undertake by investing in this company.

(Please note that this is the CAPM approach to finding the cost of equity. Inherently, there are some flaws with this approach and that the numbers are very "general." This approach is based off of the S&P average return from 1950 - 2012 at 7%, the U.S. 10-year bond for the risk-free rate which is susceptible to daily change and Google finance beta.)

Weighted Average Cost of Capital or WACC

The WACC calculation is a calculation of a company's cost of capital in which each category of capital is equally weighted. All capital sources such as common stock, preferred stock, bonds and all other long-term debt are included in this calculation.

As the WACC of a firm increases, and the beta and rate of return on equity increases, this states a decrease in valuation and a higher risk.

By taking the weighted average, we can see how much interest the company has to pay for every dollar it finances.

For this calculation, you will need to know the following listed below:

Tax Rate = 33.37% (Barrick Gold's five-year average Tax Rate)

Cost of Debt (before tax) or R debt = 6.69%

Cost of Equity or R equity = 4.23%

Debt (Total Liabilities) for 2012 TTM or D = $26.912 billion

Stock Price = $32.55 (January 29th, 2013)

Outstanding Shares = 1.00 billion

Equity = Stock price x Outstanding Shares or E = $32.550 billion

Debt + Equity or D+E = $59.462 billion

WACC = R = (1 - Tax Rate) x R debt (D/D+E) + R equity (E/D+E)

(1 - Tax Rate) x R debt (D/D+E) + R equity (E/D+E)

(1 - .3337) x .0385 x ($26.912/$59.462) + .0669 ($32.550/$59.462)

.6663 x .0385 x .4526 + .0669 x .5474

.0116 + .0366

= 4.82%

Based on the calculations above, we can conclude that Barrick Gold pays 4.82% on every dollar that it finances, or 4.82 cents on every dollar. From this calculation, we understand that on every dollar the company spends on an investment, the company must make $.0482 plus the cost of the investment for the investment to be feasible for the company.

Summary

Looking at the numbers of Barrick Gold's total debt and liabilities, we can see that the company currently has a total debt of $13.941 billion and liabilities at $26.912 billion. Over the past five years, the total debt has increased by 305.99% while total liabilities have increased by 309.26%.

Analyzing the ratios listed above, we can see that Barrick Gold has increased its risk regarding the company's debt and liabilities. The above ratio state that there has been an increase in the company's debt levels compared to the company's assets but the ratios are below any red flag levels.

As Barrick Gold's bond rating currently stands at "BBB+, "Adequate capacity to meet financial commitments, but more subject to adverse economic conditions." Barrick Gold has a rating that meets this description.

The CAPM approach for cost of equity states that shareholders need 4.23% average per year over a long period of time on their equity to make it worthwhile to invest in the company. This calculation is so based on the average market return between 1950 and 2012 at 7%.

The WACC calculation reveals that the company pays 4.82% on every dollar that it finances. As the current WACC of Barrick Gold is currently 4.82% and the beta is below average at 0.45, this implies that the company needs at least 4.82% on future investments and will have below average volatility moving forward.

The analysis of Barrick Gold's debt and liabilities indicates a company that has increased its liabilities over the past 3 years. The analysis also reveals that the company's assets growth rate has also increased over the past 3 years. The Bond rating of "BBB+" by Standard & Poor's indicates that the company has an "Adequate capacity to meet financial commitments, but more subject to adverse economic conditions." The WACC reveals that Barrick Gold has the ability to add future investments and assets at around 4.82%. Currently, Barrick Gold has the ability to pay for its debts, meet its obligations, while adding growth.

All indications above reveal a company that has significantly increased its debt over the past 3 years. The analysis also reveals that the company has not increased the debt and liabilities levels enough to create any "red flags." The Bond rating of "BBB+" indicates the company has an "Adequate capacity to meet financial commitments, but more subject to adverse economic conditions." The analysis indicates a slight increase in risk to the shareholder but the CAPM reveals that the investor needs 4.23% year-over-year over the long term to get good value on their money. In my opinion, 4.23% is a reasonable expectation for a return year-over-year over the long term.

Disclosure: I am long ABX. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)

Source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/1142621-analyzing-barrick-gold-s-debt-and-risk?source=feed

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Ground beef recall linked to illness in five states

Ground beef recalled last week may be responsible for symptoms experienced by 16 people in Michigan, Arizona, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin who ate the recalled ground beef.

By Mike Stobbe,?Associated Press / January 28, 2013

In this picture, ground beef containing "pink slime" is in the raw and cooked meat to the right, while the raw meat and burger on the left are made from pure 85% lean ground beef, in this March 2012 photo from Concord, N.H. Last week, 1,000 pounds of ground beef were recalled.

Jim Cole / AP / File

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Ground beef recalled last week is linked to 16 cases of salmonella food poisoning in five states, say federal health officials.

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No one has died, but half were hospitalized. Most of the illnesses have been in Michigan, but a few cases were scattered in Arizona, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Seven people ate a raw?ground?beef?dish called kibbeh (kib-BEH') last month at a suburban Detroit restaurant that wasn't identified. Health officials say consumers should not eat uncooked meat.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the cases have been linked to last week's recall of more than 1,000 pounds of?ground?beef?from two Michigan businesses, Troy-based Gab Halal Foods and Sterling Heights-based Jouni Meats.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/leTKcjR5Qsg/Ground-beef-recall-linked-to-illness-in-five-states

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Lightning Flash from Severe Storms Seen from Space

A line of severe storms, reaching from Pittsburgh to the Gulf Coast, is currently sweeping its way across the eastern United States. The system started rolling through the mid-South and parts of the Midwest yesterday (Jan. 29), and a satellite snapped a nighttime view of a lightning flash generated by the storms.

The Suomi NPP satellite, run jointly by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, flew over the satellite activity last night. Because of the near-full moon, the satellite was able to see details of the storm clouds that would only be visible during daylight hours to other satellites, according to a NOAA statement.

Where not blocked by the clouds, the lights of several major southern cities, including Atlanta, Nashville, Tenn., and Chattanooga, Tenn., are clearly visible. Two very bright lights in western Tennessee, though, are not cities at all, but lightning flashes caught by Suomi NPP.

The system brought severe weather to the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys yesterday, with the National Weather Service issuing several tornado watches and severe thunderstorm warnings. The system continued raging overnight, bringing the threat of nighttime tornadoes, which can be particularly deadly, as people tend to be in bed and unaware of warnings and the storms are harder to see as they bear down. The threat of deadly nighttime tornadoes is exacerbated in the winter with the season's shorter daylight hours.

The potential for severe weather extends from the Southeast up to New York City today, with the possibilities of locally heavy winds and rains.

There have been 430 severe thunderstorm reports, 20 large hail reports and nine tornado reports as of 1 p.m. EST, according to The Weather Channel. One death has been confirmed from a tornado that hit Adairsville, Ga. A tornado that hit Mt. Juliet, Tenn., in the early morning hours was confirmed to be an EF-2 on the tornado damage scale, with maximum winds of 115 mph (185 kph), according to the Nashville National Weather Service office.

Accuweather.com warned that rains from the line of storms would hit the I-95 corridor around rush hour this evening from New Jersey to South Carolina.

Reach Andrea Thompson at athompson@techmedianetwork.com and follow her on Twitter @AndreaTOAP. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter?@OAPlanet. We're also on?Facebook?and Google+.

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

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lightning-flash-severe-storms-seen-space-193633669.html

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Patty Andrews of Andrews Sisters dead at 94

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Patty Andrews, the last surviving member of the singing Andrews Sisters trio whose hits such as the rollicking "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" and the poignant "I Can Dream, Can't I?" captured the home-front spirit of World War II, died Wednesday. She was 94.

Andrews died of natural causes at her home in the Los Angeles suburb of Northridge, said family spokesman Alan Eichler in a statement.

Patty was the Andrews in the middle, the lead singer and chief clown, whose raucous jitterbugging delighted American servicemen abroad and audiences at home.

She could also deliver sentimental ballads like "I'll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time" with a sincerity that caused hardened GIs far from home to weep.

From the late 1930s through the 1940s, the Andrews Sisters produced one hit record after another, beginning with "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" in 1937 and continuing with "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar," ''Rum and Coca-Cola" and more. They recorded more than 400 songs and sold over 80 million records, several of them going gold (over a million copies).

Other sisters, notably the Boswells, had become famous as singing acts, but mostly they huddled before a microphone in close harmony. The Andrews Sisters ? LaVerne, Maxene and Patty ? added a new dimension. During breaks in their singing, they cavorted about the stage in rhythm to the music.

Their voices combined with perfect synergy. As Patty remarked in 1971: "There were just three girls in the family. LaVerne had a very low voice. Maxene's was kind of high, and I was between. It was like God had given us voices to fit our parts."

The Andrews Sisters' rise coincided with the advent of swing music, and their style fit perfectly into the new craze. They aimed at reproducing the sound of three harmonizing trumpets.

"I was listening to Benny Goodman and to all the bands," Patty once remarked. "I was into the feel, so that would go into my own musical ability. I was into swing. I loved the brass section."

Unlike other singing acts, the sisters recorded with popular bands of the '40s, fitting neatly into the styles of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, Bob Crosby, Woody Herman, Guy Lombardo, Desi Arnaz and Russ Morgan. They sang dozens of songs on records with Bing Crosby, including the million-seller "Don't Fence Me In." They also recorded with Dick Haymes, Carmen Miranda, Danny Kaye, Al Jolson, Jimmy Durante and Red Foley.

The Andrews' popularity led to a contract with Universal Pictures, where they made a dozen low-budget musical comedies between 1940 and 1944. In 1947, they appeared in "The Road to Rio" with Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour.

The trio continued until LaVerne's death in 1967. By that time the close harmony had turned to discord, and the sisters had been openly feuding.

Bette Midler's 1973 cover of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" revived interest in the trio. The two survivors joined in 1974 for a Broadway show, "Over Here!" It ran for more than a year, but disputes with the producers led to the cancellation of the national tour of the show, and the sisters did not perform together again.

Patty continued on her own, finding success in Las Vegas and on TV variety shows. Her sister also toured solo until her death in 1995.

Her father, Peter Andrews, was a Greek immigrant who anglicized his name of Andreus when he arrived in America; his wife, Olga, was a Norwegian with a love of music. LaVerne was born in 1911, Maxine (later Maxene) in 1916, Patricia (later Patty, sometimes Patti) in 1918.

All three sisters were born and raised in the Minneapolis area, spending summers in Mound, Minn., on the western shores of Lake Minnetonka, about 20 miles west of Minneapolis.

Listening to the Boswell Sisters on radio, LaVerne played the piano and taught her sisters to sing in harmony; neither Maxene nor Patty ever learned to read music. All three studied singers at the vaudeville house near their father's restaurant. As their skills developed, they moved from amateur shows to vaudeville and singing with bands.

After Peter Andrews moved the family to New York in 1937, his wife, Olga, sought singing dates for the girls. They were often turned down with comments such as: "They sing too loud and they move too much." Olga persisted, and the sisters sang on radio with a hotel band at $15 a week. The broadcasts landed them a contract with Decca Records.

They recorded a few songs, and then came "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen," an old Yiddish song for which Sammy Cahn and Saul Kaplan wrote English lyrics. (The title means, "To Me You Are Beautiful.") It was a smash hit, and the Andrews Sisters were launched into the bigtime.

Their only disappointment was the movies. Universal was a penny-pinching studio that ground out product to fit the lower half of a double bill. The sisters were seldom involved in the plots, being used for musical interludes in film with titles such as "Private Buckaroo," ''Swingtime Johnny" and "Moonlight and Cactus."

Their only hit was "Buck Privates," which made stars of Abbott and Costello and included the trio's blockbuster "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy from Company B."

In 1947, Patty married Martin Melcher, an agent who represented the sisters as well as Doris Day, then at the beginning of her film career. Patty divorced Melcher in 1949 and soon he became Day's husband, manager and producer.

Patty married Walter Weschler, pianist for the sisters, in 1952. He became their manager and demanded more pay for himself and for Patty. The two other sisters rebelled, and their differences with Patty became public. Lawsuits were filed between the two camps.

"We had been together nearly all our lives," Patty explained in 1971. "Then in one year our dream world ended. Our mother died and then our father. All three of us were upset, and we were at each other's throats all the time."

Patty Andrews is survived by her foster daughter, Pam DuBois, a niece and several cousins. Weschler died in 2010.

A memorial service is planned in Los Angeles, with the date to be determined.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/patty-andrews-andrews-sisters-dead-94-221121755.html

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Video: Manti Te?o hoaxer to Dr. Phil: Phone voice was me

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Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50637520/

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Boko Haram commander declares Nigeria ceasefire

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - A purported commander of Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram declared a unilateral ceasefire on Monday, raising fresh questions about possible rifts within the secretive militant movement as it was not clear if he was speaking for the group.

Sheik Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulazeez, a man local security sources say is a sect member, twice made statements last year saying Boko Haram is ready for peace talks with the government.

But the group, whose attacks have left hundreds dead since it launched an uprising to try to carve an Islamic state out of Nigeria in 2009, has continued its insurgency unabated. The latest statement is likely to be greeted with scepticism.

In the remarks in English sent to journalists in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, Boko Haram's headquarters, Abdulazeez said Boko Haram had declared "a ceasefire throughout the country with immediate effect ... following a series of meetings with government officials."

It added that he had "the consent and approval of our leader Abubakar Shekau and I call on all members to stop hostilities."

It is unclear if Abdulazeez really is speaking on behalf of Shekau - who has not come out to confirm or denounce him - or whether he represents a rival faction of the Islamist movement seen as the main security threat to Africa's top oil exporter.

The statement came through the usual channels Boko Haram have used to deliver messages; through the Borno state journalists union. It was signed by Abdulazeez who also called to confirm it, union members said.

Shekau denied claims by the government that behind-the-scenes peace talks were being held in October last year, but he has remained silent since Abdulazeez made contact with press in November.

The timing of the alleged ceasefire is likely to be seen as odd given Nigeria's involvement in military efforts to dislodge Islamists in neighbouring Mali, with whom Boko Haram are known to have links. Nigeria's participation in Mali was expected to provoke a violent backlash from Boko Haram.

"We have adopted this measure as a result of the hardship women and children are subjected to, and I urge all members to abide by this directive," Abdulazeez's statement said.

"I urge law enforcement agencies to reciprocate this good gesture," it added.

There was no immediate comment from Nigerian security forces.

Northern Nigeria's conflict has killed around 3,000 people since late 2009, according to Human Rights Watch.

Even if Abdulazeez does not represent Shekau, his statement could add to evidence that military pressure has fragmented Boko Haram, which is now believed to consist of various splinter groups more or less extreme than Shekau's main faction, including ones who have trained with al Qaeda's Saharan wing.

Gunmen killed 23 people in northern Nigeria in attacks that appeared to target gamblers and people selling 'forbidden' meat that Islamist militants disapprove of.

On Sunday, gunmen killed eight in Borno state, an attack that could have been carried out by Islamists or criminal gangs taking advantage of growing lawlessness.

Abdulazeez's statement said any attacks from now on would be the work of "armed robbers and other criminals".

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boko-haram-commander-declares-nigeria-ceasefire-054854038.html

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Sky-high bacteria could affect climate, scientists say

A team of storm-chasing scientists sampling rarefied air has found a world of bacteria and fungi floating about 30,000 feet above Earth. The findings, detailed Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that microbes have the potential to affect the weather.

Scientists have long studied airborne bacteria, but they typically do so from the ground, often trekking to mountain peaks to examine microbes in fresh snow. Beyond that, they don't know much about the number and diversity of floating microbes, said study coauthor Athanasios Nenes, an atmospheric scientist at Georgia Tech.

To get a glimpse of this hovering world, Nenes and his colleagues hitched several rides on a NASA aircraft as onboard instruments sampled the air before, during and after hurricanes Earl and Karl in 2010. The plane flew into the upper troposphere, about 6 miles above the surface.

During nine flights ? most over the Caribbean and the midwest Atlantic ? the researchers ran the outside air over a series of filters, each time capturing material from an average of 212 cubic feet of ambient air. They sampled a variety of environments, from the cloudy masses that preceded Hurricane Earl to the cloud-free air after Hurricane Karl passed.

The researchers focused on a ribosomal RNA gene called SSU rRNA, which can reliably identify bacterial species. They calculated that there were about 144 bacterial cells per cubic foot of air.

The bacteria accounted for 20% of the particles in their size range ? stuff that scientists had assumed was just sea salt and dust.

"We were surprised," Nenes said.

The filters picked up fungi too, though in concentrations that were at most only 10% as high as for the bacteria.

The microbial populations were very different before and after a storm, Nenes said; that makes sense, given that hurricanes have the potential to kick a fresh batch of bugs into the air.

Among other types, the scientists found Escherichia and Streptococcus bacteria in their samples ? microbes typically associated with human and animal feces that could have been thrown into the air as the storms swept through populated areas.

The researchers identified 17 types of bacteria that were found in all the samples, leading the team to suspect that those organisms constituted a core microbiome for the lower atmosphere. These bacteria must have developed traits that allowed them to bear freezing temperatures, feed on the scarce carbon compounds in cloud dust and survive in an environment bombarded by ultraviolet radiation.

Other studies have revealed the presence of plant-based microbes that are thought to induce freezing in order to damage leaves and then infect them.

Microbes with this freezing ability could conceivably collect water vapor and seed clouds, causing them to release rain. It could very well represent a way of transporting microbes across continents, Nenes said.

That possibility also has implications for the ways in which illnesses spread, he added.

"Once you get to that altitude, if you can survive, you can basically circulate the Earth very quickly," Nenes said. "You can start out in Europe and end up in Asia."

The finding could be exciting for astrobiologists, who wonder about the extreme environments in which bacteria can live on Earth ? and whether they could do so on other planets as well.

"It definitely lends to the idea that life is pretty resilient and you can adapt to almost any environment if you have a bare minimum of sustenance," Nenes said.

The paper provides a fascinating preliminary census of the airborne microbes, said David Sands, a bacteriologist at Montana State University who was not involved in the study.

But such research has a long way to go before proving that microbes in the atmosphere are doing anything other than waiting for their slow fall back to Earth, he added.

"If they go up, they want to get back down," Sands said.

amina.khan@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/cayv8XdeKMI/la-sci-bacteria-in-the-atmosphere-20130129,0,1961581.story

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Accessible tourism and dementia

Jan. 29, 2013 ? Researchers are planning new ways of making tourist attractions dementia-friendly.

Fear of getting lost, fear of not finding the toilets or being misunderstood; there are many reasons why people with dementia and the families who care for them stop going on holiday.

For people with dementia, even simple days out can pose a host of hazards. Often, families say, it's easier to just stay at home. But Bournemouth University's newly launched Dementia Institute hopes to change that.

"We have a vision," says Professor Anthea Innes of the BU Dementia Institute (BUDI), "that perhaps in the future, Bournemouth might become a dementia-friendly tourist resort." An expert in health and social care research, Professor Innes is collaborating with Professor Stephen Page of BU's School of Tourism to launch pioneering research into dementia-friendly tourism -- developing venues where people with dementia will feel safe and at ease to enjoy themselves.

Encouraged by a government pledge to create 20 dementia-friendly cities, towns and villages by 2015, Professor Innes is working closely with those who need these facilities most.

"Our aim is to see how tourism can respond to the needs of people with dementia and their carers and find out if and why they haven't been able to access tourist attractions and leisure facilities," she says. "We hope to increase their use of tourist attractions, accommodation and resorts in the South of England."

While an exploratory pilot scheme will take place locally, Professor Innes hopes to expand the research to international, as well as UK, facilities. "Lots of work is currently going into dementia-friendly communities -- safe cashpoints, trained staff and police for instance -- but we are the only people looking specifically at leisure and tourism," she says.

Her initial focus groups with families of people with dementia will feed into research into voluntary organisations, NHS services and businesses themselves. BUDI plans to develop training to shape professional dementia care in the region. In the course of its research, BUDI's team will also interview the many tourist attractions that make up Bournemouth's seaside resort, such as the Oceanarium and venues such as tearooms, galleries, theatres and museums.

Dorset is home to one of the largest ageing populations in England and is a good place to start. Dorset also has the lowest rate of dementia diagnosis in the country, but not because of a shortage of people with the disease. Professor Innes estimates just one in four people with dementia in Dorset have actually been diagnosed.

"That's a shocking statistic. In other areas of the country about half the people with dementia are diagnosed, and if you don't have a diagnosis, you won't be able to access services and support. You might end up in a crisis situation because you and your family have not been able to plan for the future," she says.

Sometimes GPs are reluctant to give a diagnosis due to a lack of local services. A dementia label can also carry a stigma with families and communities -- meaning people are reluctant to admit a problem, and doctors might be unaware of the level of care available. Sometimes elderly people will already be in care homes, but labelled as 'pleasantly muddled,' rather than receiving a formal diagnosis.

A strong business case also exists for improving tourist facilities. Experts predict numbers of people with dementia will double over the next 30 years -- currently the disease costs the UK economy an estimated ?19 billion.

"If somewhere is labelled as dementia-friendly, it's good for the industry and people involved. Staff will be better trained and more aware -- and that's good for levels of service overall," says Professor Innes.

Reference: Innes, A, Kelly, F and McCabe, L (2012) (eds) Dementia in the 21st Century: Theory, policy and practice. London: Jessica Kingsley

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/iyBDN07SRPg/130129080506.htm

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Peace envoy says Syria is 'being destroyed'

UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? The international envoy to Syria told the Security Council on Tuesday that "Syria is being destroyed bit by bit" and his mediation effort cannot go forward unless the council unites to push the Syrian government and opposition forces toward some compromise.

The Security Council has been divided over Syria for months, with the United States, Britain, France and other Western powers backing the armed opposition and pushing for resolutions that raised the threat of sanctions. Three times, Russia and China have cast vetoes to block those resolutions.

"I'm embarrassed to be repeating the same thing: Syria is being destroyed," Lakhdar Brahimi, the joint U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria, said after closed-door consultations with the Security Council.

Brahimi blamed both Syrian President Bashar Assad's government and the Western-backed opposition forces.

"Objectively, they are cooperating to destroy Syria. Syria is being destroyed bit by bit. And in destroying Syria, the region is being pushed into a situation that is extremely bad, and extremely important for the entire world," Brahimi said.

He said that is why the Security Council has a duty to overcome its divisions.

Brahimi suggested that the Security Council revisit the Geneva Communique of June 2012, a broad but ambiguous proposal endorsed by the Western powers and Russia to provide a basis for negotiations.

Assad's role in any transition government was a red line during the negotiations of the Geneva Communique, and was left vague. The United States and Russia continue to disagree on Assad's role, though both signed off on the communique.

Brahimi says the Security Council should now look toward the provisions of the Geneva Communique as a solution.

"A very critical element is the creation of this governing body, which is really a transition government, with full executive powers," Brahimi said.

"I think there was a very clever creative ambiguity in this creation, but I told them that ambiguity has to be lifted now. Now you have to say what those full executive powers would be. All the powers of state have got to go to that government," he told reporters outside the council.

Without a council push on the Assad government and opposition, the Geneva Communique and his mediation "cannot be implemented as it is."

Brahimi addressed widespread rumors that he was about to quit, as his predecessor, former U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan, did last year when he ran into a similar impasse.

"Am I going to resign? I am not a quitter," Brahimi said. "The United Nations has no choice but to remain engaged with this problem, whether I am there or not. The moment I feel I am totally useless, I will not stay one minute more.

"So if I'm doing it, it is because, maybe stupidly, I feel a sense of duty," Brahimi said.

His pessimism extended to his assessment of the current state of negotiations:

"I'm trying to use some of my powers of conviction, with very little success up till now," he said.

"You may have seen that the two parties are maybe a little more embarrassed to say that 'We're going to achieve victory next week.' And both sides have started to say, 'If there is a political solution, perhaps we are willing to listen, provided that political solution will give us 100 percent of what we want.'"

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-29-UN-Syria/id-125cd2421247429e837ed264fbe11696

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Boy given pot to manage autism | MNN - Mother Nature Network

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

Source: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/videos/boy-given-pot-to-manage-autism

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59% Of All Android Tablet Usage Comes From The U.S., And The Forked Amazon Kindle Fire Is The Most Popular Brand

Android tablets have nearly caught up to iPad devices as the world's most popular tablet platform, and some project that they?may even overtake?iPads later this year. According to new research from app analytics company Localytics, the U.S., and specifically Amazon, should take the most credit for that trend: some 59% of all Android tablet usage came from the U.S., with over half of that attributed to Kinde Fire and Fire HD tablets.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/lSKiJqX6cxg/

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How to shield your kids from 'NSFW' apps

Getty Images stock

You simply can't control everything that your kids do on their smartphones, but a few simple steps will greatly reduce the risk.

By Leslie Meredith, TechNewsDaily

If online posts are tagged #NSFW ? not safe for work ? they're probably not appropriate for your kids. Over the weekend, Twitter's popular new video-making app Vine became stocked with porn.

Twitter has apologized for the pornographic clip that was included Monday as an editor's pick on the app's homepage stream and has removed the X-rated clip. But a whole lot of porn appears under a slew of hashtags, including #NSFW, #sex, #porn and other, um, more specific tags.

Chances are the videos will make the round of school lunchrooms before Twitter can clean up the service. But at Twitter and its video service?Vine ?that means adding a warning to say a post may contain possibly sensitive material. Twitter does not prohibit pornography as long as it's not used as a profile photo, a header image, a background image or violates U.S. law such as photos that involve children.

"Parents just don't have the opportunity to react. These things can happen in the blink of an eye," Joel Holl, CEO of?MMGuardian, a mobile monitoring app for parents, told TechNewsDaily.

Parents and teachers have been caught by surprise with the proliferation of both smartphones and apps. More than 30 percent of?American teens now own a smartphone, and that figure will reach 100 percent by 2016, according to Pew Research.

"An app goes viral and all the kids are talking about it, but parents may not even know it exists," Holl said. "Parents need some way of screening apps before kids use them."

Tips for parents

You simply can't control everything that your kids do on their smartphones, but a few simple steps will greatly reduce the risk:

• If an app is based on sharing video, it can be a magnet for?porn. Apps that let kids send photos or videos that then "disappear" in a few seconds add to the risky nature of an app. The worst are those that connect kids with strangers for video chat.
• Before downloading, read user reviews. You may get a heads up about questionable material.
• Check the app's rating. Apple has a no-porn policy and assigns age ratings to each app. Google Play makes ratings optional and leaves their assignment up to app developers. However, the problems may stem from users, not the apps, so don't rely on either Apple or Google ratings in the same way as you do with video game and movie ratings.
• Test the app yourself first to monitor other users' posts and interactions. If it's a social sharing app, search for hashtags (keywords) that signal inappropriate material ? if your search results turn up NSFW material, you can bet it's not safe for school, either.

As part of an ongoing solution, parents can use a?mobile security app?to receive alerts when a new app is downloaded to a child's phone, which provides an opportunity to step in and test the app earlier than might otherwise have been possible. Additional features to look for are the ability to block apps, set time limits on permissible apps and prevent texting while driving.

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

With more than 700,000 apps to choose from, finding the right ones for your needs can be overwhelming. Digital expert Mario Armstrong shares his picks for the best smartphone apps to keep you fit, organize travel plans, create photo books, and more.

Source: http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2013/01/28/16742619-how-to-shield-your-kids-from-nsfw-apps?lite

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Rage over emergency decree in Egypt

CAIRO (Reuters) - A man was shot dead on Monday in a fifth day of violence in Egypt that has killed 50 people and prompted the Islamist president to declare a state of emergency in an attempt to end a wave of unrest sweeping the Arab world's biggest nation.

Emergency rule announced by President Mohamed Mursi on Sunday covers the cities of Port Said, Ismailia and Suez. The army has already been deployed in two of those cities and cabinet approved a measure to let soldiers arrest civilians.

A cabinet source told Reuters any trials would be before civilian courts, but the step is likely to anger protesters who accuse Mursi of using high-handed security tactics of the kind they fought against to oust President Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt's politics have become deeply polarised since those heady days two years ago, when protesters were making most of the running in the Arab Spring revolutions that sent shockwaves through the region and Islamists and liberals lined up together.

Although Islamists have won parliamentary and presidential elections, the disparate opposition has since united against Mursi. Late last year he moved to expand his powers and push a constitution with Islamist leanings through a referendum, punctuated by violent street protests.

Mursi's call for a national dialogue meeting on Monday to help end the crisis was spurned by his main opponents.

They accuse Mursi of hijacking the revolution, listening only to his Islamist allies and breaking a promise to be a president for all Egyptians. Islamists say their rivals want to overthrow by undemocratic means Egypt's first freely elected leader.

Anti-Mursi protesters were out on the streets again in Cairo and elsewhere on Monday, the second anniversary of one of the bloodiest days in the revolution that erupted on January 25, 2011, and ended Mubarak's iron rule 18 days later.

CONCERNS

Hundreds of demonstrators in Port Said, Ismailia and Suez, cities which all lie on the economically vital Suez Canal, had turned out against Mursi's decision on Sunday within moments of him speaking. Activists there pledged to defy a curfew that starts at 9 p.m. (1700 GMT).

Instability in Egypt has raised concerns in Western capitals, where officials worry about the direction of a key regional player that has a peace deal with Israel.

The political unrest has been exacerbated by street violence linked to death penalties imposed on soccer supporters convicted of involvement in stadium rioting a year ago.

In Cairo on Monday, police fired volleys of teargas at stone-throwing protesters near Tahrir Square, cauldron of the anti-Mubarak uprising. A 46-year-old bystander was killed by a gunshot, a security source said. It was not clear who opened fire.

"We want to bring down the regime and end the state that is run by the Muslim Brotherhood," said Ibrahim Eissa, a 26-year-old cook, protecting his face from teargas wafting towards him.

Propelled to the presidency in a June election by the Muslim Brotherhood, Mursi has lurched through a series of political crises and violent demonstrations, complicating his task of shoring up the economy and of preparing for a parliamentary election to cement the new democracy in a few months.

"The protection of the nation is the responsibility of everyone. We will confront any threat to its security with force and firmness within the remit of the law," Mursi said, angering many of his opponents when he wagged his finger at the camera.

The president offered condolences to families of victims of violence and also called a dialogue meeting on Monday at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) between Islamist allies and their liberal, leftist and other opponents to discuss the crisis.

The main opposition National Salvation Front coalition rejected the offer as "cosmetic and not substantive" and set several conditions that have not been met in the past, such as forming a national salvation government. They also demanded that Mursi announce his responsibility for the bloodshed.

SECURITY MEASURES

"We will send a message to the Egyptian people and the president of the republic about what we think are the essentials for dialogue. If he agrees to them, we are ready for dialogue," opposition politician Mohamed ElBaradei told a news conference.

The opposition Front has distanced itself from the latest flare-ups but said Mursi should have acted far sooner to impose security measures that would have ended the violence.

"Of course we feel the president is missing the real problem on the ground, which is his own policies," Front spokesman Khaled Dawoud said after Mursi made his declaration.

Other activists said Mursi's measures to try to impose control on the turbulent streets could backfire.

"Martial law, state of emergency and army arrests of civilians are not a solution to the crisis," Ahmed Maher of the April 6 movement that helped galvanise the 2011 uprising said. "All this will do is further provoke the youth. The solution has to be a political one that addresses the roots of the problem."

Thousands of mourners joined funerals in Port Said for the latest victims in the Mediterranean port city. Seven people were killed there on Sunday when residents joined marches to bury 33 others who had been killed a day earlier, most by gunshot wounds in a city where arms are rife.

Protests erupted there on Saturday after a court sentenced to death several people from the city for their role in deadly soccer violence last year, a verdict residents saw as unfair. The anger swiftly turned against Mursi and his government.

Rights activists said Mursi's declaration was a backward step for Egypt, which was under emergency law for Mubarak's entire 30-year rule. His police used the sweeping arrest provisions to muzzle dissent and round up opponents, including members of the Brotherhood and even Mursi himself.

Heba Morayef of Human Rights Watch in Cairo said the police, still hated by many Egyptians for their heavy-handed tactics under Mubarak, would once again have the right to arrest people "purely because they look suspicious", undermining efforts to create a more efficient and respected police force.

"It is a classic knee-jerk reaction to think the emergency law will help bring security," she said. "It gives so much discretion to the Ministry of Interior that it ends up causing more abuse, which in turn causes more anger."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-leader-declares-emergency-clashes-kill-dozens-052915983.html

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Wintry weather hits dozens of flights - The Local

Lufthansa was forced to cancel 33 flights at Frankfurt airport on Sunday as snow and ice were expected to make runways unsafe. But last week's total shutdown is not likely to be repeated.

All the cancelled flights listed on Lufthansa's website were domestic or within Europe, with most scheduled in the afternoon and evening.

A spokesman for airport operator Fraport said that snow had been forecast in Frankfurt between 12 noon and 8pm. He said that would likely mean de-icing would be necessary, and flights would be delayed.

But he added that the dramatic situation of last Sunday, when all of Frankfurt's air traffic had to be shut down for two hours, would not be repeated.

Click here for The Local's weather forecast
Meanwhile, Hamburg's road-salting services were forced into a massive operation on Saturday night as snow showers caused extremely slippery conditions on the roads. Around 110 gritting trucks were called into action just after 8pm on Saturday evening, Reinhard Fiedler of the city cleaning department reported.

A further 270 vehicles were sent out at 4am, as temperatures of -3C caused icy conditions. Warm fronts moving in from the West meant that more precipitation was expected throughout Sunday.

The Local/DAPD/bk

Source: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20130127-47585.html

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Crude oil spills into Mississippi River after oil barges crash

(Reuters) - Two oil barges pushed by a tugboat slammed into a railroad bridge in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on Sunday, causing one to leak crude oil into the Mississippi River, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Officials used an "absorbent boom" to contain the undetermined amount of oil that leaked into the river after the collision, which occurred shortly after midnight and damaged both barges, Lieutenant Ryan Gomez said. The barge that is leaking was holding 80,000 gallons of light crude oil, he said.

"A towing vessel was pushing two barges side-by-side and they struck one of the Vicksburg railroad bridge piers," Gomez said.

No one was injured in the accident. Federal, state and local officials, as well as the industry's Oil Spill Response Organization, were on the scene.

Gomez said he did not have information about any of the companies involved in the oil transport.

The barges were pushed up against the river bank while a team at the scene decided how to clean up the spill, he said.

(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Edith Honan, Mohammad Zargham and Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/crude-oil-spills-mississippi-river-oil-barges-crash-222702091.html

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AP Source: Titans interested in hiring Williams

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) ? Gregg Williams may be a step closer to returning to the NFL after being suspended indefinitely for his role in the Saints' bounty program.

Titans coach Mike Munchak has talked with Williams and is interested in adding him to his Tennessee staff, said a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke Sunday to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the Titans do not discuss personnel moves until they are finalized.

Before the Titans could hire Williams, he must be reinstated by the league. Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him indefinitely for his role in the New Orleans Saints bounty program, and NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Sunday the league has not yet addressed Williams' potential reinstatement.

Munchak did not immediately answer a message left by the AP on Sunday. The Titans coach has not talked with the media about his team since the day after the season ended.

How quickly the league considers reinstating Williams may take at least a week with the San Francisco 49ers arriving in New Orleans on Sunday to kick off festivities leading up to the Feb. 3 Super Bowl.

Williams is the only coach or player who has yet to return to the NFL in the wake of the bounty scandal.

Goodell just lifted the suspension for New Orleans coach Sean Payton on Tuesday, nearly two weeks earlier than expected. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was suspended for eight games and assistant head coach Joe Vitt for six. Four current or former Saints players were also suspended after an investigation found the club had a performance pool offering cash rewards for key plays, including big hits. The player suspensions eventually were overturned.

Williams was the Saints defensive coordinator from 2009-11 and was hired by St. Louis in January 2012 by former Titans coach Jeff Fisher before being suspended indefinitely in March 20112. Williams' son, Blake, also was on Fisher's staff as the Rams' linebacker coach ? but his contract was not renewed earlier this month.

Munchak has known Williams since 1990. Munchak was playing for the then-Houston Oilers when Williams became an assistant coach with the team. They also coached together with the Oilers; Munchak oversaw the offensive line starting in 1994 and Williams rose from defensive assistant to coaching special teams, then linebackers and finally defensive coordinator.

Williams left the Titans to become head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 2001 before becoming defensive coordinator with the Washington Redskins from 2004-07. He also was defensive coordinator in Jacksonville in 2008 before being hired by the Saints in 2009.

Williams also has a relationship with Munchak's current defensive coordinator, Jerry Gray. When Williams left for Buffalo, Gray went with him and served as Williams' defensive coordinator with the Bills.

Even though Gray currently has the job, the Titans' defense needs help and Munchak will be coaching for his job in 2013 after going 6-10 in his second season as head coach. One reason for the losing record was Tennessee's inability to stop anyone; the Titans set a franchise record allowing 471 points in 2012. The only change Munchak has made to his defensive staff was letting linebackers coach Frank Bush go and moving Chet Paralavecchio into the job from assisting with special teams.

In Williams' last season with the Titans, Tennessee ranked first in the NFL in fewest yards allowed, first in passing yards allowed and third in rushing defense. The Titans also set a franchise-record for fewest points allowed with 191 with an aggressive defense.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-source-titans-interested-hiring-williams-164240212--nfl.html

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Get In Shape for Women Presents $2,200 TADS | The Groton Line

Groton?s Teenage Anxiety and Depression Solutions (TADS) organization will receive a $2200 donation from Westford?s Get In Shape For Women studio today, the result of a six-month long community outreach program.

Get In Shape, at 142 Littleton Road, pledged to donate $100 for every new client referred by a current client. Neil Pendleton, the manager of Westford?s Get In Shape For Women, and Deb Boczenowski, a current member of GISFW and founder of TADS put the project together.

?I was thrilled when Neil told me about this membership drive because it combines two of my passions; staying in shape and helping young people in need of mental health services. Studies have shown that exercise can help to reduce ailments such as anxiety, depression, and ADD,? Boczenowski said. Exercising has been proven to release ?feel good? brain chemicals, reduce immune system chemicals, and increase body temperature which can create a calming effect (Mayo Clinic), she said.

?We teamed up with TADS because we want support our clients both in and outside of our studio,? Pendleton said. ?TADS was started by a client of ours whose son tragically passed too soon in life after having battled with anxiety and depression. We wanted to support her and other clients who live in the local communities TADS provides services in. Additionally, many of our clients are mothers of teenagers who may need help and benefit whether it be directly or indirectly from the mental health prevention and awareness services that organizations like TADS provide. I?m so glad we are able to support TADS, the Boczenowskis, and twenty-two new clients, who took their first steps towards improving their health and wellness. Our studio is a very special community of women all working toward reaching health and fitness goals.?

Teenage Anxiety and Depression Solutions (TADS) was founded in 2011 by a group of concerned citizens bound by the shared tragedy of a loved one lost to suicide. Based in Groton, their mission is to address issues of mental health issues by raising awareness, providing education, and enabling access to care. Some of TADS accomplishments have been annual training in suicide prevention curriculum for educators from across the state and providing a mental health referral service for local communities Groton, Dunstable, Ayer, and Shirley.

Source: http://www.thegrotonline.com/2013/01/26/get-in-shape-for-women-presents-2200-tads/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=get-in-shape-for-women-presents-2200-tads

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Spam hits five-year low

8 hrs.

Devin Coldewey , NBC News

A new report from Kaspersky Lab indicates that the amount of spam in the world continues to decline, although it's nowhere near disappearing. It's also being replaced with other, more substantial threats.

Spam levels dropped throughout 2012, and by the end of the year it was steadily below 70 percent of all email detected. In the heyday of spam, it consistently made up around 85 percent, according to Kaspersky's numbers.

A number of factors have contributed to this. People and email providers have instituted more effective spam filters, for one thing, and a major security hole that allowed people to spoof an email's sender was closed this year.

The reduced effectiveness of spam emails means spammers have to send more to get any hits. Kaspersky calculates that it cost spammers $150 for every million emails sent ? cheap indeed, but the success rate is so low that legal, normal advertising on Google and Facebook actually end up beinga better deal.

Of course, not every spammer is just aiming for cheap advertising. There are plenty?selling illegal services or products, or looking to hijack your computer with malicious attachments or phishing attempts. Since legal advertisement isn't an option, they're doubling down on spam. For that reason, Kaspersky suggests spam reduction in 2013 will be "negligible at best."

The full, detailed report, with many more details about the origins and types of 2012's spam, can be read here.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBCNews Digital. His personal website is?coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/spam-hits-five-year-low-its-still-two-thirds-all-1C8125282

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The Continuing Rise of the PBX Reseller Market : Broad Connect Blog

Since 2010, when the VoIP market topped the $50 billion mark in revenues, the hosted PBX resale industry has continued to soar. Even during the harsh economic upheavals that all markets experienced over the last few years, the VoIP industry has helped many large, medium and small size businesses adapt to this new technology.

?

As a way to cut monthly business expenses, many companies have begun outsourcing their in-house communication systems, with nearly half choosing a managed service. Hosted PBX Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) operations offer a cost saving flexibility with rich add-on features designed specifically for each company?s needs.

?

Studies as far back as 2010 indicate that the number of companies turning to Voice over Internet Protocol solutions, including hosted PBX, for their communication services, continue to rise at a minimum rate of 44% each year. In 2010 alone, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) trunking experienced a revenue growth of an astounding 143%. Even more astonishing, while residential customer growth showed significantly higher numbers, it was the business industry that had the highest growth of all.

?

The Necessities of a Hosted PBX Reseller

?

Typically, the largest communications expense for any company is the purchase of their telephony equipment, and the continuing expenses of maintaining it. By employing the services of a hosted PBX reseller, customers experience a reduced cost scenario that continues to lower phone expenses every month. For medium or small businesses on an extremely tight budget, using a hosted PBX reseller eliminates the need for paying for a pricey phone system.

?

Because hosted PBX communication firms maintain constant control over their own phone service, they allow their customers to have the convenience and functionality of quality service without the huge startup cost. Traditionally, a hosted PBX reseller offers companies a turnkey, low-cost solution. This works well for businesses wishing to expand their communication system without the need to own the phone hardware.

?

An Expanded Horizon

?

For companies wanting to use the services of a hosted PBX reseller, the future looks promising. With the continuing need of SIP trunking and the trends of small and medium businesses outsourcing their communications services, numbers indicate that Voice over Internet Protocol is poised to double in size by the year 2016.

?

With innovations in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), including hosted PBX systems, and the savings it presents companies, the future for all of these hosted services is likely to continue upwards for many decades. At a time when the economy makes it challenging for businesses to increase their profits, hosted PBX is in great need.

Source: http://blog.broadconnect.ca/the-continuing-rise-of-the-pbx-reseller-market

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Cleavage comment puts German politics in a fluster

BERLIN (Reuters) - A female journalist's allegations that a senior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition made sexist comments about her cleavage in a bar one year ago have stirred a debate about the relationship between reporters and politicians in Germany.

Rainer Bruederle, the 67-year-old parliamentary leader of the Free Democrats (FDP), junior partners in the coalition, was reported by Stern magazine this week to have told one of its reporters she could "really fill a dirndl" - the low-cut Bavarian traditional dress.

Bruederle has not made any public comment about the report and his office declined to react to it on Friday.

But FDP leaders have questioned the magazine's motives for reporting the year-old events days after Bruederle was put in charge of its campaign for a national election in September.

Stern's story about the events in a bar in Stuttgart during an FDP congress last January have made the silver-haired former economy minister the butt of ridicule in some German media while other publications, and some politicians, have defended him.

Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, a former FDP leader, said it was "deeply unfair" to carry the story a year after the alleged events.

The timing of the claims has also led others in the FDP to call it a "set-up" designed to undermine the party in an election year. The story has been making waves since Wednesday, when a preview of the article was released to media.

Germany takes pride in its culture of transparency and politicians frequently mingle with journalists at party congresses and other events.

Conservative daily Die Welt wrote in a light-hearted front-page column that Bruederle, who was made campaign chief by party leader Philipp Roesler on Monday, "should learn how to keep his mouth shut if he wants to be the face of the FDP".

Top-selling Bild, the racy daily which always features at least one topless woman, complained indignantly in a column that "Men can't even look at women's cleavages anymore."

MERKEL URGES RESPECT

But it was no joking matter for the German government.

Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said only that the chancellor always sought "professional and respectful" dealings between politicians and representatives of the media.

"The government works well together with the FDP's parliamentary floor leader," he said, referring to Bruederle.

The Ministry of Family and Women's Affairs, asked about Bruederle's behavior at the same news conference, cited a 2004 survey of more than 10,000 German women: nearly six in 10 said they had experienced sexual harassment, mostly in the workplace.

"These numbers show it is an important issue, not just a minor problem, and merits proper discussion independent of the latest events," ministry spokeswoman Katja Angeli said.

But she said the ministry did not have enough information to comment on the Stern report itself.

The FDP can ill afford more bad publicity. The party has tumbled to as low as 2 percent in recent opinion polls after scoring a record 14.9 percent in the federal election in 2009, when it entered a coalition government with Merkel.

Silvana Koch-Mehrin, an FDP member of the European Parliament and one of the party's best known women, told Reuters her party lagged far behind on the issue of equality and praised Stern journalist Laura Himmelreich for "having the courage to talk so openly about lewd behavior".

(Additional reporting by Annika Breidthardt; Writing by Stephen Brown, Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cleavage-puts-german-politics-fluster-174657122.html

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Unforgettable world - news - taranaki-daily-news | Stuff.co.nz

ANDY JACKSON

Taranaki Daily News reporter Glen McLean hits the rails for an adventure.

ANDY JACKSON

One of the 20 tunnels between Whangamamona and Okahukura.

Out on the rails

The weathered tables outside the Whangamomona Hotel were getting their daily wipedown. A hunched local collected his morning paper from the village's mailbox. Everything looked normal.

Across the road, the garage was the busiest spot as a handful of visitors waited for the arrival of our guide from Forgotten World Adventures.

We'd been told to be at the railway crossing "around" 9.30am but only one in the group is miffed the big hand has moved past six.

The silence is suddenly broken by what locals describe as a convoy - two utes and two motorbikes arrive in a cloud of dust.

With his genuine greeting completed, Forgotten World Adventures operations manager Van Watson snaps to it as he drives the first of the converted golf cart rail cars out of their storage shed and on to the line.

"Tea's up," shouts Maree Matena, our guide for the next six hours, before she lets me in on the news I've been waiting to hear.

"The toilet's just behind those bushes over there," she says, pointing to the pine box hidden away under the tree.

After scribbling our way through the disclaimer, photographer Andy Jackson and I are given a light but serious rundown by Watson on the business of safety. One message really sinks in.

"Maree will be in the lead cart and the idea is to keep her in sight, because she has the lunch," he says, as he starts a quick demo on how to use the carts.

Put simply - you jump in, put a seatbelt on, put it into gear, turn the key and push down on the accelerator.

The whirr of the cart's petrol- driven engine is as relaxing as its top speed - 20kmh.

While that might seem timid, the sight of Matena loading up a chainsaw, a pick axe and a spade onto the back of her four-seater cart does raise a few eyebrows.

"It's just in case I need to clear anything off the track," she says, as we are encouraged to get a wriggle on.

We're on the 20-tunnel tour from Whangamomona to Okahukura and the republic is soon in the distance as we clickety-clack our way northeast.

It's not long before we are forced to slow as the cart in front encounters a couple of rogue sheep which seem intent on a bit of exercise down the trunk line. They eventually scuttle off to find a gap in the fence.

Matena suddenly sticks her arm out in that universal gesture designed to get you to stop. We're past Kohuratahi, about to travel through our first tunnel and it's time for a bit of education.

She points out the date stamp, as she calls it, above the tunnel, which signifies when its construction was completed. She tells her crew it is cold within the darkness "but there is nothing to worry about - no lurking possums or massive spiders likely to drop down at the first sign of life".

She was right on all counts as we moved through the bowels of the 488-metre tunnel, which we soon find out is just a pup along this line.

While the rolling hills and steep gorges provide their own pleasure on the trip, it's the work that went on by many pioneering railway workers that really churns the grey matter.

Just how these men slogged their way through so many hillsides, built bridges over some of the most treacherous terrain in the country and managed to stay alive is beyond comprehension.

As Matena shows us, through a limited collection of photographs, the long-forgotten places we pass through - the likes of Kohuratahi, Tahora, Heao, Tokirima and Mangaparo - were all bustling little settlements as the hundreds of railway men worked their way up the line.

There is little evidence left - just the odd concrete platform here, a railway spike there.

As our thoughts continue to wander like the sheep around us, we pull alongside an old wooden shed for lunch on the platform at Tokirima, where we are met by Forgotten World Adventures founder Ian Balme, whose smile is as warm as the January sun.

He is rightfully proud of his venture, which is drawing customers from around the country on a daily basis. For him, the painfully slow process of beating the bureaucrats to gain fulltime access to the line, finding the right carts from the United States to convert on to the track and gathering the right team of staff around him has already been worth it.

"We've taken more than 1000 people over here since the middle of October," he says. "We've basically been fully booked since Boxing Day, so we can't believe it. We seemed to have hit a niche tourism market."

Balme acknowledges the trip is not for everyone, but it's not meant to be.

"We always aimed for the 45-plus demographic but we've found there is no upper limit, really. You are sort of adventurous but you're safe, and we've had a couple of 92-year-old ladies who came through the other day and they just loved it."

Getting a handle on just a few chapters of the area's history has been a challenge for Balme and his workers.

"We're getting told a different story just about every day," he says. "The amazing thing is, all these places were really big communities in their day. Now there is nothing, but the descendants of those people are right around New Zealand. We get people through just about every day with some sort of connection."

While the ongoing maintenance of the line continues to be an issue, Balme has more plans up his sleeve to expand the business, including introducing a rail-bike option down the line.

Lunch over, we leave the boss to do the dishes and head further north, eventually stopping at Ohura, where the Daily News team disembarks to be shuttled back to Whangamomona, where the pace hasn't changed since we left. Check out more information about the trips on offer at forgottenworldadventures.co.nz

TRAILS AND TRIALS

Stratford to Okahukura Line: A brief history

1900: Authorised for construction.

1932: Prime Minister Gordon Coates drives in the last spike to signify the finished line.

1933: Line opens.

1983: Scheduled passenger trains cease but chartered trains are able to continue.

2007: Line closed to all passenger trains because of safety concerns.

2009: Freight train derailment closes line. It is later mothballed.

2011: Forgotten World Adventures proposes running rail carts on line.

2012: In May, Forgotten World Adventures secures 30-year lease on line to run rail carts.

2012: In October, first carts use line.

- ? Fairfax NZ News

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/8226920/Unforgettable-world

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