Bank of Cyprus big savers to lose up to 60 percent

A hat with money belonging to a musician, is seen on the ground as he plays music at the main shopping street in central capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Saturday, March 30, 2013. Big depositors at Cyprus' largest bank may be forced to accept losses of up to 60 percent, far more than initially estimated under the European rescue package to save the country from bankruptcy, officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

A hat with money belonging to a musician, is seen on the ground as he plays music at the main shopping street in central capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Saturday, March 30, 2013. Big depositors at Cyprus' largest bank may be forced to accept losses of up to 60 percent, far more than initially estimated under the European rescue package to save the country from bankruptcy, officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

A sign at a branch of bank of Cyprus reading in Greek, "In light of the emergency restrictive measures, you can withdraw up to 300 euro either from the tellers or the ATM", as people are reflected on the glass in central capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Surtaday, March 30, 2013. Big depositors at Cyprus' largest bank may be forced to accept losses of up to 60 percent, far more than initially estimated under the European rescue package to save the country from bankruptcy, officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Seen through a bus stop bench, a woman passes an empty shop with a sign reading in Greek 'for rent' in central capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Saturday, March 30, 2013. Big depositors at Cyprus' largest bank may be forced to accept losses of up to 60 percent, far more than initially estimated under the European rescue package to save the country from bankruptcy, officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? Big depositors at Cyprus' largest bank may be forced to accept losses of up to 60 percent, far more than initially estimated under the European rescue package to save the country from bankruptcy, officials said Saturday.

Deposits of more than 100,000 euros ($128,000) at the Bank of Cyprus will lose 37.5 percent in money that will be converted into bank shares, according to a central bank statement. In a second raid on these accounts, depositors also could lose up to 22.5 percent more, depending on what experts determine is needed to prop up the bank's reserves. The experts will have 90 days to figure that out.

The remaining 40 percent of big deposits at the Bank of Cyprus will be "temporarily frozen for liquidity reasons," but continue to accrue existing levels of interest plus another 10 percent, the central bank said.

The savings converted to bank shares would theoretically allow depositors to eventually recover their losses. But the shares now hold little value and it's uncertain when ? if ever ? the shares will regain a value equal to the depositors' losses.

Emergency laws passed last week empower Cypriot authorities to take these actions.

Cyprus' Finance Minister Michalis Sarris said the measures were taken to put the Bank of Cyprus on a solid footing.

"We suffered a serious blow without doubt ... but we now have a bank which is reformed and ready to assume its role in the Cypriot economy," the state-run Cyprus News Agency quoting him as saying.

Analysts said Saturday that imposing bigger losses on Bank of Cyprus customers could further squeeze already crippled businesses as Cyprus tries to rebuild its banking sector in exchange for the international rescue package.

Sofronis Clerides, an economics professor at the University of Cyprus, said: "Most of the damage will be done to businesses which had their money in the bank" to pay suppliers and employees. "There's quite a difference between a 30 percent loss and a 60 percent loss." With businesses shrinking, Cyprus could be dragged down into an even deeper recession, he said.

Clerides accused some of the 17 European countries that use the euro of wanting to see the end of Cyprus as an international financial services center and to send the message that European taxpayers will no longer shoulder the burden of bailing out problem banks.

But German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble challenged that notion, insisting in an interview with the Bild daily published Saturday that "Cyprus is and remains a special, isolated case" and doesn't point the way for future European rescue programs.

Europe has demanded that big depositors in Cyprus' two largest banks ? Bank of Cyprus and Laiki Bank ? accept across-the-board losses in order to pay for the nation's 16 billion euro ($20.5 billion) bailout. All deposits of up to 100,000 are safe, meaning that a saver with 500,000 euros in the bank will only suffer losses on the remaining 400,000 euros.

Cypriot officials had previously said that large savers at Laiki ? which will be absorbed in to the Bank of Cyprus ? could lose as much as 80 percent. But they had said large accounts at the Bank of Cyprus would lose only 30 to 40 percent.

Asked about Saturday's announcement, University of Cyprus political scientist Antonis Ellinas predicted that unemployment, currently at 15 percent, will "probably go through the roof" over the next few years.

"It means that (people) ... have to accept a major haircut to their way of life and their standard of living. The social impact is yet to be realized, but they will be enormous in terms of social unrest and radical social phenomenon," Ellinas said.

There's also concern that large depositors ? including many wealthy Russians ? will take their money and run once capital restrictions that Cypriot authorities have imposed on bank transactions to prevent such a possibility are lifted in about a month.

Sarris, the finance minister, said that foreign branches of the Bank of Cyprus and Laiki Bank in countries such as Britain, Russia, Ukraine and Romania will eventually be sold. He also said that Cypriots would seek out new markets like China and the Arab countries while maintaining good business relations with Russians, "despite their bitterness."

Cyprus agreed on Monday to make bank depositors with accounts over 100,000 euros contribute to the financial rescue in order to secure 10 billion euros ($12.9 billion) in loans from the eurozone and the International Monetary Fund. Cyprus needed to scrounge up 5.8 billion euros ($7.4 billion) on its own in order to clinch the larger package, and banks had remained shut for nearly two weeks until politicians hammered out a deal, opening again on Thursday.

But fearing that savers would rush to pull their money out in mass once banks reopened, Cypriot authorities imposed a raft of restrictions, including daily withdrawal limits of 300 euros ($384) for individuals and 5,000 euros for businesses ? the first so-called capital controls that any country has applied in the eurozone's 14-year history.

The rush didn't materialize as Cypriots appeared to take the measures in stride, lining up patiently to do their business and defying dire predictions of scenes of pandemonium.

Under the terms of the bailout deal, the country' second largest bank, Laiki ? which sustained the most damaged from bad Greek debt and loans ? is to be split up, with its nonperforming loans and toxic assets going into a "bad bank." The healthy side will be absorbed into the Bank of Cyprus.

On Saturday, economist Stelios Platis called the rescue plan "completely mistaken" and criticized Cyprus' euro partners for insisting on foisting Laiki's troubles on the Bank of Cyprus.

____

AP business correspondent Geir Moulson in Berlin and APTN reporter Adam Pemble in Nicosia contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-30-Cyprus-Financial%20Crisis/id-8a7ffcbdfb084bb6aafb8b851fd6cb78

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Steps which help to create Internet Marketing Plan | DreamGrow ...

If you have a business then it is impossible to stay out of internet marketing. An amalgamation of internet marketing plan with the business plan and its vision can make wonders in promoting and making the business a success. But to make the business grow and prosper you need to have an effective and proper internet marketing plan. This plan should also be good enough and focused to drive internet traffic to your website. To achieve that, the following tips or steps might help to create a good and effective internet marketing plan.

1.?The Vision

Before starting the most important step set the goal or vision. This will act as the starting point and also set goals for your internet marketing strategy. The clearly written vision is not only for you but it should be clearly and concisely communicated to the whole team that will be working for it. With time there can be changes in the goal or vision and necessary changes can be undertaken. This also needs to be effectively communicated with the team for them to understand clearly also. Every activity that is proposed or comes to the mind should be weighted for and against before implementation.

The goal or vision also should include a budget for the marketing activities, as it should not fizzle out after some time.

2.?Target market

Without a complete understanding of the target market any marketing plan is like building castles in thin air. Understanding the consumers, their behavior and the target audience or target market will help you device plans to drive traffic to your site, and thereby greater conversion rate. This knowledge will also help in developing proper goals and plans to achieve them.

3.?The Competitors

Understanding the market competition and knowing them provides additional knowledge that helps sustaining competition in the market. Reports on the competitor?s business, marketing plans and relevant information will give you an extra edge over them. This will also ensure you to avoid the loopholes or problems they have.

4.?The Solutions

There may be numerous businesses in the same niche, and providing customers and consumers with the same service or products. There is a huge possibility that they all provide them at almost the same price. So to stand out in the rest, the best way is to provide solutions to their problems also. Make sure that you provide solutions to their problems and have a dedicated page to address their problems. Establish yourself as an expert in that field. Also make sure that instead of bragging about your product or company, the content speaks what the company will do for its clients and how the clients will benefit from their product or service. Most consumers tend to look for information regarding their benefit.

5.?The Funnel

Using a funnel or an inverted pyramid to filter clients is a proven and an excellent strategy. The wide top of the pyramid or cone opens with low cost or freebie for the clients and the narrower segments slowly makes way for the costlier offers or products. Depending on the response, the strategies can be further developed, modified and planned.

6.?The Brand

The brand name for your trade or service is very important. This will also play an important role in using the domain for your website. Another important need is a perfect tagline that will be your identity in a line. Both these combined together makes your identity in the market and tells about your service and product to the customers.

7.?The Website

The website needs to be visually appealing to customers and consumers. It should have all the things to attract the customer?s attention, and it should also be graphic enough for the customer to understand what you have to offer. Moreover the page should be light in weight so that it does not take infinite time to load. Ensure that the pages also open fast on mobile or handheld devices.

Remember that content still holds the key, and make sure to describe the offers, services and products properly. Keep in mind that the content is more into informing clients about the offers and benefits and not tall tales about yourself.

Add pages for customer feedback and helpline pages for prompt customer interaction. Also ask for reviews and comments from customers or visitors. Ask them to subscribe for free services like upcoming offers, newsletters and so on.

8.?Business Managing Mechanism for online trades

Ensure that the site is safe and have required certificates on display to gain customer confidence. Also use best possible technology for safer internet buying and selling from your website. This is very important and also use best possible softwares for generating receipts and responses for buyers.

9.?Other marketing options & cost and Resources

Check out other marketing plans that can be implemented. Using pay-per-click or affiliate plans. Using social media and social bookmarking to plan an efficient internet marketing needs to be considered. Proper and good SEO needs to come into play as well. Look for every possible opportunity and option that might actually help you market on the internet effectively.

Once all these are done identifying the cost is very important. The in-house human capital and monetary strength needs to be ascertained. Calculate and budget for every step needs to be efficiently distributed. Outsourcing some work at cheaper options can be a good idea.

10.?To-Do list

Finalize the to-do list with all the nitty gritty details. It is best to use software to keep all the detailed data, and update it regularly. Divide the work to teams and take regular updates from each team to keep track of progress.

Final Word

The most important thing for success in internet marketing strategy involves the continuous monitoring of the data available and redesigning or strengthening areas that are working fine or not working. Measuring marketing plans and adjusting accordingly is also one of the better ways. Stay clear of any black hat SEO techniques of scam that might guarantee you instant results. Make your team co-operative and let them have a clean understanding of the goals and plans. Also they should be clear about their responsibilities.

But the best step is to put you in the consumer?s shoes and imagining what benefits and deals would attract them and design steps and plans accordingly.

?

?

About The Author: Kelly is a writer/blogger. She loves writing, travelling and reading books. She contributes in KEL Attorneys. Check here for more on KEL Attorneys

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Posted on: March 28, 2013

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Source: http://www.dreamgrow.com/steps-which-help-to-create-internet-marketing-plan/

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S.Africa's rand steady ahead of the long Easter weekend

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's rand opened on a steady footing against the dollar on Thursday ahead of important domestic economic data, with traders taking little risk before the four-day Easter holiday.

The rand was at 9.2533 against the dollar at 0609 GMT, a shade firmer than Thursday's New York close of 9.265.

Credit demand growth by South Africa's private sector fell to 7.88 percent year-on-year in February, compared with an unrevised 8.64 percent rise in January, although the data had little impact on the currency.

Trade data for February is due at 1200 GMT.

Economists polled by Reuters forecast a deficit of 11.9 billion rand in February compared to a 24.53 billion rand trade gap in the previous month.

"A much narrower trade deficit could be rand supportive," Tradition Analytics said in a note. "Even with regards to the trade data, one suspects that the reaction even if positive could be muted ahead of the Easter long weekend."

Government bonds firmed after the credit data. Yields on the benchmark bonds fell three basis points, with the 3-year bond moving to 5.485 percent and the longer-dated 2026 paper dropping to 7.415 percent.

Producer inflation data is also due at 0930 GMT.

Economists expect producer price inflation to slow to 5.6 percent in February from 5.8 percent in the previous month.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/africas-rand-steady-ahead-long-easter-weekend-072139378--finance.html

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Rob Kardashian Accused of Robbing Photographer, Ashamed of Body

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/rob-kardashian-accused-of-robbing-photographer-ashamed-of-body/

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After 40 years, Vietnam memories are still strong

In this March 29, 1973 photo, Camp Alpha, Uncle Sam?s out processing center, was chaos in Saigon. Lines of bored soldiers snaked through customs and briefing rooms. As the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago, angry protesters still awaited them at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes' departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future. While the fall of Saigon two years later ? with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations ? is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, Friday marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived it. (AP Photo)

In this March 29, 1973 photo, Camp Alpha, Uncle Sam?s out processing center, was chaos in Saigon. Lines of bored soldiers snaked through customs and briefing rooms. As the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago, angry protesters still awaited them at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes' departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future. While the fall of Saigon two years later ? with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations ? is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, Friday marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived it. (AP Photo)

FILE -In this Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009 file photo, Jan Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, points out where grass is growing out over the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. As the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago, angry protesters still awaited them at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes' departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future. While the fall of Saigon two years later ? with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations ? is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, Friday marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived it. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

FILE - In this March 29, 1973 file photo, the American flag is furled at a ceremony marking official deactivation of the Military Assistance Command-Vietnam (MACV) in Saigon, after more than 11 years in South Vietnam. While the fall of Saigon in 1975 ? with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations ? is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, March 29 marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived the war. (AP Photo/Charles Harrity, File)

Marine veteran Harry Prestanski, 65, poses outside his home next to U.S. Marine Corps flag, Thursday, March 28, 2013, in West Chester, Ohio. Prestanski served 16 months as a Marine in the Vietnamese War and remembers having to celebrate his 21st birthday there. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Former North Vietnamese prisoner of war James H. Warner poses in Boonsboro, Md., on Thursday, March 28, 2013, the eve of the 40th anniversary of the withdrawal of the last U.S. combat troops from Vietnam. Warner, 72, of nearby Rohrersville, Md., says his 5 1/2 years of forced labor and interrogation reinforced his conviction that the United States was right to confront the spread of communism. (AP Photo/David Dishneau)

The last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago Friday, and the date holds great meaning for many who fought the war, protested it or otherwise lived it.

While the fall of Saigon two years later is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, many had already seen their involvement in the war finished ? and their lives altered ? by March 29, 1973.

U.S. soldiers leaving the country feared angry protesters at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes' departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future.

Many veterans are encouraged by changes they see. The U.S. has a volunteer military these days, not a draft, and the troops coming home aren't derided for their service. People know what PTSD stands for, and they're insisting that the government takes care of soldiers suffering from it and other injuries from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Below are the stories of a few of the people who experienced a part of the Vietnam War firsthand.

___

'PATRIOTISM NEEDS TO BE CELEBRATED'

Jan Scruggs served in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970, and he conceived the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a tribute to the warriors, not the war.

Today, he wants to help ensure that veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan aren't forgotten, either.

His Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is raising funds for the Education Center at the Wall. It would display mementos left at the black granite wall and photographs of the 58,282 whose names are engraved there, as well as photos of fallen fighters from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"All their patriotism needs to be celebrated. Just like with Vietnam, we have to separate the war form the warrior," Scruggs said in a telephone interview.

An Army veteran, Scruggs said visitors to the center will be asked to perform some community service when they return home to reinforce the importance of self-sacrifice.

"The whole thing about service to the country was something that was very much turned on its head during the Vietnam War," Scruggs said.

He said some returning soldiers were told to change into civilian clothes before stepping into public view to avoid the scorn of those who opposed the war.

"What people seemed to forget was that none of us who fought in Vietnam had anything to do with starting that war," Scruggs said. "Our purpose was merely to do what our country asked of us. And I think we did it pretty well."

___

'MORE INTERESTED IN GETTING BACK'

Dave Simmons of West Virginia was a corporal in the U.S. Army who came back from Vietnam in the summer of 1970. He said he didn't have specific memories about the final days of the war because it was something he was trying to put behind him.

"We were more interested in getting back, getting settled into the community, getting married and getting jobs," Simmons said.

He said he was proud to serve and would again if asked. But rather than proudly proclaim his service when he returned from Vietnam, the Army ordered him to get into civilian clothes as soon as he arrived in the U.S. The idea was to avoid confrontations with protestors.

"When we landed, they told us to get some civilian clothes, which you had to realize we didn't have, so we had to go in airport gift shops and buy what we could find," Simmons said.

Simmons noted that when the troops return today, they are often greeted with great fanfare in their local communities, and he's glad to see it.

"I think that's what the general public has learned ? not to treat our troops the way they treated us," Simmons said.

Simmons is now helping organize a Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day in Charleston that will take place Saturday.

"Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another. We stick with that," said Simmons, president of the state council of the Vietnam Veterans of America. "We go to the airport. ... We're there when they leave. We're there when they come home. We support their families when they're gone. I'm not saying that did not happen to the Vietnam vet, but it wasn't as much. There was really no support for us."

___

A RISING PANIC

Tony Lam was 36 on the day the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam. He was a young husband and father, but most importantly, he was a businessman and U.S. contractor furnishing dehydrated rice to South Vietnamese troops. He also ran a fish meal plant and a refrigerated shipping business that exported shrimp.

As Lam, now 76, watched American forces dwindle and then disappear, he felt a rising panic. His close association with the Americans was well-known and he needed to get out ? and get his family out ? or risk being tagged as a spy and thrown into a Communist prison. He watched as South Vietnamese commanders fled, leaving whole battalions without a leader.

"We had no chance of surviving under the Communist invasion there. We were very much worried about the safety of our family, the safety of other people," he said this week from his adopted home in Westminster, Calif.

But Lam wouldn't leave for nearly two more years after the last U.S. combat troops, driven to stay by his love of his country and his belief that Vietnam and its economy would recover.

When Lam did leave, on April 21, 1975, it was aboard a packed C-130 that departed just as Saigon was about to fall. He had already worked for 24 hours at the airport to get others out after seeing his wife and two young children off to safety in the Philippines.

"My associate told me, 'You'd better go. It's critical. You don't want to end up as a Communist prisoner.' He pushed me on the flight out. I got tears in my eyes once the flight took off and I looked down from the plane for the last time," Lam recalled. "No one talked to each other about how critical it was, but we all knew it."

Now, Lam lives in Southern California's Little Saigon, the largest concentration of Vietnamese outside of Vietnam.

In 1992, Lam made history by becoming the first Vietnamese-American to elected to public office in the U.S. and he went on to serve on the Westminster City Council for 10 years.

Looking back over four decades, Lam says he doesn't regret being forced out of his country and forging a new, American, life.

"I went from being an industrialist to pumping gas at a service station," said Lam, who now works as a consultant and owns a Lee's Sandwich franchise, a well-known Vietnamese chain.

"But thank God I am safe and sound and settled here with my six children and 15 grandchildren," he said. "I'm a happy man."

___

ANNIVERSARY NIGHTMARES

Wayne Reynolds' nightmares got worse this week with the approach of the anniversary of the U.S. troop withdrawal.

Reynolds, 66, spent a year working as an Army medic on an evacuation helicopter in 1968 and 1969. On days when the fighting was worst, his chopper would make four or five landings in combat zones to rush wounded troops to emergency hospitals.

The terror of those missions comes back to him at night, along with images of the blood that was everywhere. The dreams are worst when he spends the most time thinking about Vietnam, like around anniversaries.

"I saw a lot of people die," Reynolds said.

Today, Reynolds lives in Athens, Ala., after a career that included stints as a public school superintendent and, most recently, a registered nurse. He is serving his 13th year as the Alabama president of the Vietnam Veterans of America, and he also has served on the group's national board as treasurer.

Like many who came home from the war, Reynolds is haunted by the fact he survived Vietnam when thousands more didn't. Encountering war protesters after returning home made the readjustment to civilian life more difficult.

"I was literally spat on in Chicago in the airport," he said. "No one spoke out in my favor."

Reynolds said the lingering survivor's guilt and the rude reception back home are the main reasons he spends much of his time now working with veteran's groups to help others obtain medical benefits. He also acts as an advocate on veterans' issues, a role that landed him a spot on the program at a 40th anniversary ceremony planned for Friday in Huntsville, Ala.

It took a long time for Reynolds to acknowledge his past, though. For years after the war, Reynolds said, he didn't include his Vietnam service on his resume and rarely discussed it with anyone.

"A lot of that I blocked out of my memory. I almost never talk about my Vietnam experience other than to say, 'I was there,' even to my family," he said.

___

NO ILL WILL

A former North Vietnamese soldier, Ho Van Minh heard about the American combat troop withdrawal during a weekly meeting with his commanders in the battlefields of southern Vietnam.

The news gave the northern forces fresh hope of victory, but the worst of the war was still to come for Minh: The 77-year-old lost his right leg to a land mine while advancing on Saigon, just a month before that city fell.

"The news of the withdrawal gave us more strength to fight," Minh said Thursday, after touring a museum in the capital, Hanoi, devoted to the Vietnamese victory and home to captured American tanks and destroyed aircraft.

"The U.S. left behind a weak South Vietnam army. Our spirits was so high and we all believed that Saigon would be liberated soon," he said.

Minh, who was on a two-week tour of northern Vietnam with other veterans, said he bears no ill will to the American soldiers even though much of the country was destroyed and an estimated 3 million Vietnamese died.

If he met an American veteran now he says, "I would not feel angry; instead I would extend my sympathy to them because they were sent to fight in Vietnam against their will."

But on his actions, he has no regrets. "If someone comes to destroy your house, you have to stand up to fight."

___

A POW'S REFLECTION

Two weeks before the last U.S. troops left Vietnam, Marine Corps Capt. James H. Warner was freed from North Vietnamese confinement after nearly 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war. He said those years of forced labor and interrogation reinforced his conviction that the United States was right to confront the spread of communism.

The past 40 years have proven that free enterprise is the key to prosperity, Warner said in an interview Thursday at a coffee shop near his home in Rohrersville, Md., about 60 miles from Washington. He said American ideals ultimately prevailed, even if the methods weren't as effective as they could have been.

"China has ditched socialism and gone in favor of improving their economy, and the same with Vietnam. The Berlin Wall is gone. So essentially, we won," he said. "We could have won faster if we had been a little more aggressive about pushing our ideas instead of just fighting."

Warner, 72, was the avionics officer in a Marine Corps attack squadron when his fighter plane was shot down north of the Demilitarized Zone in October 1967.

He said the communist-made goods he was issued as a prisoner, including razor blades and East German-made shovels, were inferior products that bolstered his resolve.

"It was worth it," he said.

A native of Ypsilanti, Mich., Warner went on to a career in law in government service. He is a member of the Republican Central Committee of Washington County, Md.

___

A DIFFERENT RESPONSE

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Duane Johnson, who served in Afghanistan and is a full-time logistics and ordnance specialist with the South Carolina National Guard, said many Vietnam veterans became his mentors when he donned a uniform 35 years ago.

"I often took the time, when I heard that they served in Vietnam, to thank them for their service. And I remember them telling me that was the first time anyone said that to them," said Johnson, of Gaston, S.C.

"My biggest wish is that those veterans could have gotten a better welcome home," the 56-year-old said Thursday.

Johnson said he's taken aback by the outpouring of support expressed for military members today, compared to those who served in Vietnam.

"It's a bit embarrassing, really," said Johnson. "Many of those guys were drafted. They didn't skip the country, they went and they served. That should be honored."

___

ANTI-WAR ACTIVISM

John Sinclair said he felt "great relief" when he heard about the U.S. troop pull-out. Protesting the war was a passion for the counter-culture figure who inspired the John Lennon song, "John Sinclair." The Michigan native drew a 10-year prison sentence after a small-time pot bust but was released after 2 ? years ? a few days after Lennon, Stevie Wonder and others performed at a 1971 concert to free him.

"There wasn't any truth about Vietnam ? from the very beginning," said Sinclair by phone from New Orleans, where he spends time when he isn't in Detroit or his home base of Amsterdam.

"In those times we considered ourselves revolutionaries," said Sinclair, a co-founder of the White Panther Party who is a poet and performance artist and runs an Amsterdam-based online radio station. "We wanted equal distribution of wealth. We didn't want 1 percent of the rich running everything. Of course, we lost."

The Vietnam War also shaped the life of retired Vermont businessman John Snell, 64, by helping to instill a lifetime commitment to anti-war activism. He is now a regular at a weekly anti-war protest in front of the Montpelier federal building that has been going on since long before the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Haslett, Mich., native graduated from high school in 1966 and later received conscientious objector status. He never had to do the required alternative service because a foot deformity led him to being listed as unfit to serve.

"They were pretty formative times in our lives and we saw incredible damage being done, it was the first war to really show up on television. I remember looking in the newspaper and seeing the names of people I went to school with as being dead and injured every single week," said Snell, who attended Michigan State University before moving to Vermont in 1977.

"Things were crazy. I remember sitting down in the student lounge watching the numbers being drawn on TV, there were probably 200 people sitting in this lounge watching as numbers came up, the guys were quite depressed by the numbers that were being drawn," he said. "There certainly were people who volunteered and went with some patriotic fervor, but by '67 or'68 there were a lot of people who just didn't want to have anything to do with it."

___

Dishneau reported from Hagerstown, Md., and Reeves reported from Birmingham, Ala. Also contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Chris Brummitt in Hanoi, Jocelyn Gecker in Bangkok, Gillian Flaccus in Tustin, Calif., Lisa Cornwell in Cincinnati, Kevin Freking in Washington, Wilson Ring in Montpelier, Vt., Susanne M. Schafer in Columbia, S.C., and Jeff Karoub in Detroit.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-29-Vietnam%20Withdrawal-Anniversary/id-dc920bb9a253483fb111a3ffe74e054a

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'Veronica Mars' film's online fundraiser launches

FILE - This 2007 publicity photo supplied by the CW shows Kristen Bell, who plays the title role in "Veronica Mars" on The CW Network. ?Veronica Mars? creator Rob Thomas and stars of the TV show that aired from 2004-07 have launched an online fundraising campaign for a big-screen version. (AP Photo/CW, Michael Desmond, File)

FILE - This 2007 publicity photo supplied by the CW shows Kristen Bell, who plays the title role in "Veronica Mars" on The CW Network. ?Veronica Mars? creator Rob Thomas and stars of the TV show that aired from 2004-07 have launched an online fundraising campaign for a big-screen version. (AP Photo/CW, Michael Desmond, File)

FILE - In this July 17, 2006 file photo, Executive producer, Rob Thomas, left, answers questions about the upcoming season of "Veronica Mars" as actress Kristen Bell looks on during The CW's Television Critics Association press conference in Pasadena, Calif. ?Veronica Mars? creator Thomas and stars of the TV show that aired from 2004-07 have launched an online fundraising campaign for a big-screen version. (AP Photo/Lucas Jackson, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? "Veronica Mars" fans eager for a movie based on the TV series have a chance to put their money where their hopes are.

Series creator Rob Thomas launched an online crowd-funding campaign Wednesday to make a big-screen version of the show. "Veronica Mars," which starred Kristen Bell as a young sleuth, ended its three-season run in 2007.

On the Kickstarter website, Thomas said the $2 million fundraiser represents "our one shot to see a 'Veronica Mars' movie happen." Within hours Wednesday, more than 23,000 backers had pledged $1.5 million and counting.

It's the fastest project yet to reach $1 million on Kickstarter ? in 4 hours, 24 minutes ? and the most-funded film or video project to date, according to a spokesman for the site. Previous top movie fundraisers are the planned "The Goon" ($442,000) and "Charlie Kaufman's Anomalisa" ($406,000), both animated.

Thomas said "Veronica Mars" owner Warner Bros. has given the project its blessing, and Bell and other cast members are ready to begin production this summer for a 2014 release. A studio spokesman said a limited release, meaning it may not be on thousands of screens or in every city, is likely at this point.

The fundraising campaign, which was confirmed by Thomas' representative at United Talent Agency, ends April 12.

"You have banded together like the sassy little honey badgers you are and made this possibility happen," Bell said in an online message, promising the "sleuthiest, snarkiest" movie possible.

Bell is back on TV in "House of Lies," the Showtime series starring Don Cheadle.

She and several "Veronica Mars" cast members appear in a lighthearted video on Kickstarter in which they mull the prospect of reuniting.

The series averaged between 2.2 million and 2.5 million viewers in its two-year run on the now-defunct UPN and final season on the CW network. Those modest numbers are overshadowed by the intense fan devotion that has kept dreams of a movie alive.

Backers are eligible for various goodies, ranging from a PDF copy of the script to be sent on the day the film is released (for a $10 pledge) to naming rights to a character (for $8,000). An appearance in the movie, available to one $10,000 contributor, was snapped up.

Crowdsourcing has given filmmakers a new way to get always-elusive funding. At last month's Academy Awards, the short documentary "Inocente" became the first Kickstarter-funded film to win an Oscar. It received $52,000 from 300 contributors.

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AP Business Writer Ryan Nakashima contributed to this report.

___

Online:

http://kck.st/Z1HJRS

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-03-13-Film-Veronica%20Mars/id-c34f7ff791ac4df3b1e326948b4a9c00

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Ways on Promoting Plastic Surgery | Jackie's Women's Interest Bazaar

Related eBooks

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Related Reading:

Cosmetic Surgery For DummiesCosmetic surgery is one of today?s hottest topics. From daytime talk shows and popular magazines to conversations at the salon, it seems that almost everyone has had it, is thinking about it, or knows someone who is getting it. Statistics show more and more women?and men?are having cosmetic surgery. And with all the options now available, it?s important to be fully informed before you make any decisions about having a procedure.

Now, Cosmetic Surgery For Dummies is here to guide you through today?s top procedures, candidly addressing both the benefits and the risks. R. Merrel Olesen, MD, the medical director of the La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre, and Marie B.V. Olesen, a nationally known cosmetic surgery consultant, give you the tools you need to:

• Decide if surgery is right for you
• Find a qualified surgeon
• Set realistic expectations
• Evaluate the costs
• Enhance your recovery and results

This plain-English guide shows you how to take advantage of all the advances in cosmetic surgery while avoiding the pitfalls that could compromise your safety or the quality of your result. From implants to liposuction to Botox, you?ll understand the right questions to ask your doctor, how to prepare for surgery (both physically and financially), and the best ways to influence the healing process. You?ll also:

• Discover the latest surgery techniques and medications
• Understand the different surgeon specializations
• Sort through the various non-surgical facial treatments
• Evaluate your post-op care options
• Cope with complications
• Deal with family, friends, and coworkers before and after surgery

Complete with lists of questions to ask before surgery and top Web sites for cosmetic surgery information, Cosmetic Surgery For Dummies is a practical, friendly guide that will help you say hello to a new you!

The Smart Woman's Guide to Plastic Surgery

Whether it is for augmentation, liposuction, or a lift, women often go into plastic surgery without being aware of all the aspects. This book, written by a female plastic surgeon, gives an objective, knowledgeable overview of the different procedures and includes topics such as decision making, smart questions to ask, expectations, possible complications, and recovery.

Surgery Junkies: Wellness and Pathology in Cosmetic CultureThe ease of accessibility, improvements in safety and technology, media attention, growing acceptance by the public, or an increasingly superficial culture: whatever the reason, cosmetic surgery is more popular today than ever. In 2005, in the United States alone, there were nearly two million aesthetic operations-more than quadruple the number from 1984, along with more than eight million non-surgical procedures. Innovative surgical methods have also brought cosmetic improvements to new areas of the body, such as the ribs, buttocks, and genitalia.

Despite the increasing normalization of cosmetic surgery, however, there are still those who identify individuals who opt for bodily modifications as dupes of beauty culture, as being in conflict with feminist ideals, or as having some form of psychological weakness. In this ground-breaking book, Victoria Pitts-Taylor examines why we consider some cosmetic surgeries to be acceptable or even beneficial and others to be unacceptable and possibly harmful. Similarly, why are some patients considered to be psychologically healthy while others deemed pathological? When is the modification of our appearance empowering and when is it a sign of weakness?

Drawing on years of research, her personal experience with cosmetic surgery, analysis of newspaper articles and television shows, and in-depth interviews with surgeons, psychiatrists, lawyers, judges, and others, Pitts-Taylor brings new perspectives to the promotion of "extreme" makeovers on television, the medicalization of "surgery addiction," the moral and political interrogation that many patients face, and feminist debates on the topic.

While many feel that cosmetic surgery is a deeply personal choice and that its pathology is rooted in the individual psyche, Pitts-Taylor makes a compelling argument that the experience, meanings, and motivations for cosmetic surgery are highly social. A much needed "makeover" of our cultural understanding of cosmetic surgery, this book is both authoritative and thoroughly engaging.

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Source: http://www.jackiesbazaar.com/womensinterests/cosmetic-surgery/ways-on-promoting-plastic-surgery

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Aides: Bill would make gun protections permanent

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A bipartisan Senate bill preventing a federal shutdown would make four long-standing gun protections permanent, including one preventing the Justice Department from requiring firearms dealers to conduct inventories to make sure weapons haven't been stolen, congressional aides from both parties said.

Another provision made permanent would prevent the government from changing the definition of antique guns, which can sometimes be easier to obtain than modern weapons. Two others would block the department from denying a license to firearms dealers who report no business activity, and require the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to include language in firearms data stating that the information can't be used to make conclusions about gun crimes.

The Senate is debating the catchall spending bill even as separately, the Senate Judiciary Committee is moving in the opposite direction following December's massacre of 20 children and six educators in Newtown, Conn. That panel has approved three separate measures aimed at curbing guns. It plans to approve a fourth on Thursday that would ban assault weapons.

Aides said that since at least 2004, the annual spending bill financing the Justice Department has carried six pro-gun provisions that Congress has enacted for a year at a time.

They say that for this year's bill, the Republican-led House wanted to make all six of them permanent. In a deal, four were made permanent in exchange for the House dropping a seventh provision ? opposed by Democrats ? barring the government from requiring gun dealers to report some sales of two or more rifles and shotguns said to be popular with Mexican drug cartels.

The spending bill the Senate is debating is designed to keep the government from shutting down later this month. It would finance federal agencies through September.

Besides providing money, such bills often carry language affecting government regulations and policy.

The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss lawmakers' deliberations.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-13-Budget-Guns/id-a4f6f90c4eda48d4a0662ef5e0bd8344

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PFT: Boldin rejects Ravens' offer, ready to leave

Getty Images

Last month, Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin told Pro Football Talk that, if he?s cut by the Ravens, he?ll retire.

?Once a Raven, always a Raven,? he added.

He may no longer be a Raven.

According to Jarrett Bell of USA Today, Boldin has rejected the team?s proposal to reduce his $6 million base salary.? The veteran is prepared to become an unrestricted free agent, if/when he is cut.

In hindsight, Boldin perhaps shouldn?t have said he?ll retire if he?s cut.? That comment surely emboldened the Ravens to take a run at creating some cap space by backing him into a corner.

At the Scouting Combine, Ravens assistant G.M. Eric DeCosta told Pro Football Talk, ?Anquan?s a Raven.?? Asked whether he?ll be a Raven at a base salary of $6 million, DeCosta said, ?We?ll see.?

The answer is, for now, no.? Once the Ravens realize that Boldin is serious about playing elsewhere, the answer could change to yes.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/09/boldin-rejects-ravens-offer-prepares-to-go-elsewhere/related/

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What's Domain Name Backordering? Be Cautious About This One!

Names of domain will be the best net-real-estate on the internet. It?s no surprise services like: ?Domain Name Backordering? can be obtained to the general public. Can some one really backorder your website from the comfort of underneath you? Think again?

What exactly is Domain Name Backordering?

This is a service that enables anybody on the web to reserve a name when and if it comes up for sale! This does not seem hazardous does it? Imagine again?

Businesses all over the web are purchasing this support for website url?s that be seemingly common! Imagine if by chance you just eventually neglect to re-order your domain name? Let us say that you go on holiday and neglect to check your messages that are now telling you to restore your domain name? In this case, another company on one other side of the earth sees the fact that your domain name is soon up for grabs, so they buy a on your domain name and just wait to see what you do with it.

So here you?re finding its way back from a lengthy holiday and what is this? Your domain name is now owned by someone else because your duty was simply neglected by you to keep your net-real-estate up-to-date!

Unless you possess a domain name protected by the CIRA, or you?ve a brand in your domain name or business name, you are ?really? out of luck. before you can convince the courts that you just forgot to continue your website address once you are at this time, it might take months.

Must This Company Be Allowed?

That?s a really interesting problem. Some would say yes due to the fact there are literraly 1000?s of internet sites that aren?t going to be renewed the following month. On the flip side, several of those sites are only a mistake. I believe the idea here is; avoid making that mistake and renew your domain name for atleast 5 years.

Google is apparently looking through the ?WHOIS Data Base? to see which internet sites have the endurance on line and are significant by joining their domain name for over 1 year at a time.

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Again, should domain backordering be granted?

I say no! As being a patent for an innovation, you needs to have around 1 year to declare that domain until you shift the domain name to another company or individual. This way we?d have less domain name theft and less ?hick-ups? from their important responsibility is simply forgotten by companies who.

Protect Your Net-Real-Estate!

Your site address may be the most critical thing you?ve online. As your organization name itself It?s as crucial. It?s what ties your organization offline to on line. People know you through your domain name. Clients may find yourself visiting your internet site down the road, you woudln?t need some other business in your place?

Please be cautious when hand out the access information for your domain name to anyone who is not within your trusted circle.

I really hope this information has helped you out! ucc cert

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Source: http://www.damm-net.org/blog/2013/03/whats-domain-name-backordering-be-cautious-about-this-one/

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Japan's cleanup lags from tsunami, nuke accident

In this Wednesday, March 6, 2013 photo, workers haul a bag of radiation-contaminated leaves during a cleanup operation in the abandoned town of Naraha, just outside the exclusion zone surrounding the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan. Two years after the triple calamities of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster ravaged Japan's northeastern Pacific coast, radioactive and chemical contamination remains a threat. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

In this Wednesday, March 6, 2013 photo, workers haul a bag of radiation-contaminated leaves during a cleanup operation in the abandoned town of Naraha, just outside the exclusion zone surrounding the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan. Two years after the triple calamities of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster ravaged Japan's northeastern Pacific coast, radioactive and chemical contamination remains a threat. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

In this Wednesday, March 6, 2013 photo, workers pick up radiation-contaminated leaves during a cleanup operation in the abandoned town of Naraha, just outside the exclusion zone surrounding the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan. Two years after the triple calamities of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster ravaged Japan's northeastern Pacific coast, radioactive and chemical contamination remains a threat. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

In this Tuesday, March 5, 2013 photo, bags of radiation-contaminated leaves and soil sit in a stand of trees in the abandoned town of Naraha, just outside the exclusion zone surrounding the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan. Two years after the triple calamities of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster ravaged Japan's northeastern Pacific coast, radioactive and chemical contamination remains a threat as clean-up projects face troubles with organized crime and mishandling. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

In this Monday, March 4, 2013 photo, a sign warns people to say out of an area where piles of radiation-contaminated soil sit on the sports field of a school in the abandoned town of Yamakiya, outside the exclusion zone surrounding the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan. Two years after the triple calamities of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster ravaged Japan's northeastern Pacific coast, radioactive and chemical contamination remains a threat as clean-up projects face troubles with organized crime and mishandling. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

In this Tuesday, March 5, 2013 photo, swans swim in a river near bags of radiation-contaminated leaves and soil in the abandoned town of Naraha, just outside the exclusion zone surrounding the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan. Two years after the triple calamities of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster ravaged Japan's northeastern Pacific coast, radioactive and chemical contamination remains a threat as clean-up projects face troubles with organized crime and mishandling. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

NARAHA, Japan (AP) ? Two years after the triple calamities of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster ravaged Japan's northeastern Pacific coast, debris containing asbestos, lead, PCBs ? and perhaps most worrying ? radioactive waste due to the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant looms as a threat for the region.

So far, disposal of debris from the disasters is turning out to have been anything but clean. Workers often lacking property oversight, training or proper equipment have dumped contaminated waste with scant regard for regulations or safety, as organized crime has infiltrated the cleanup process.

Researchers are only beginning to analyze environmental samples for potential health implications from the various toxins swirled in the petri dish of the disaster zone ? including dioxins, benzene, cadmium and organic waste-related, said Shoji F. Nakayama of the government-affiliated National Institute for Environmental Studies.

Apart from some inflammatory reactions to some substances in the dust and debris, the longer-term health risks remain unclear, he said.

The mountains of rubble and piles of smashed cars and scooters scattered along the coast only hint at the scale of the debris removed so far from coastlines and river valleys stripped bare by the tsunami. To clear, sort and process the rubble ? and a vastly larger amount of radiation-contaminated soil and other debris near the nuclear plant in Fukushima, the government is relying on big construction companies whose multi-layer subcontracting systems are infiltrated by criminal gangs, or yakuza.

In January, police arrested a senior member of Japan's second-largest yakuza group, Sumiyoshi Kai, on suspicion of illegally dispatching three contract workers to Date, a city in Fukushima struggling with relatively high radioactive contamination, through another construction company and pocketing one-third of their pay.

He told interrogators he came up with the plot to "make money out of clean-up projects" because the daily pay for such government projects, at 15,000-17,000 yen ($160-$180), was far higher than for other construction jobs, said police spokesman Hiraku Hasumi.

Gangsters have long been involved in industrial waste handling, and police say they suspect gangsters are systematically targeting reconstruction projects, swindling money from low-interest lending schemes for disaster-hit residents and illegally mobilizing construction and clean-up workers.

Meanwhile, workers complain of docked pay, unpaid hazard allowances ? which should be 10,000 yen, or $110, a day ? and of inadequate safety equipment and training for handling the hazardous waste they are clearing from towns, shores and forests after meltdowns of three nuclear plant reactor cores at Fukushima Dai-Ichi released radiation into the surrounding air, soil and ocean.

"We are only part of a widespread problem," said a 56-year-old cleanup worker, who asked to be identified only by his last name, Nakamura, out of fear of retaliation. "Everyone, from bureaucrats to construction giants to tattooed gangsters, is trying to prey on decontamination projects. And the government is looking the other way."

During a recent visit to Naraha, a deserted town of 8,000 that is now a weedy no-man's land within the 20-kilometer (12-mile) restricted zone around the crippled nuclear plant, workers wearing regular work clothes and surgical masks were scraping away topsoil, chopping tree branches and washing down roofs.

"They told me only how to cut grass, but nothing about radiation," said Munenori Kagaya, 59, who worked in the nearby town of Tomioka, which is off-limits due to high radiation.

Naraha's mayor, Yukiei Matsumoto, said that early on, he and other local officials were worried over improper handling of the 1.5 trillion yen ($16 billion) cleanup, but refrained from raising the issue, until public allegations of dozens of instances of mishandling of radioactive waste prompted an investigation by the Environment Ministry, which is handling decontamination of the 11 worst-affected towns and villages.

"I want them to remind them again what the cleanup is for," Matsumoto said in an interview. "Its purpose is to improve the environment so that people can safely return to live here. It's not just to meet a deadline and get it over with."

The ministry said it found only five questionable cases, though it acknowledged a need for better oversight. Another probe, by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry found rampant labor violations ? inadequate education and protection from radiation exposure, a lack of medical checks and unpaid salaries and hazard pay ? at nearly half the cleanup operations in Fukushima.

About half of the 242 contractors involved were reprimanded for violations, the ministry said.

An Environment Ministry official in charge of decontamination said the government has little choice but to rely on big contractors, and to give them enough leeway to get the work done.

"We have to admit that only the major construction companies have the technology and manpower to do such large-scale government projects," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the issue. "If cleanup projects are overseen too strictly, it will most likely cause further delays and labor shortages."

Minoru Hara, deputy manager at a temporary waste storage site in Naraha, defended the 3,000 workers doing the work ? the only people allowed to stay in the town.

"Most of the cleanup workers are working sincerely and hard," Hara said. "They are doing a good job of washing down houses and cleaning up gardens. Such criticism is really unfair, and bad for morale."

Labor shortages, lax oversight and massive amounts of funds budgeted for the clean-up are a recipe for cheating. And plenty of money is at stake: the cleanup of a 20-kilometer (12-mile) segment of an expressway whose worst contamination exceeds allowable radiation limits by 10 times will cost 2.1 billion yen ($22.5 billion), said Yoshinari Yoshida, an Environment Ministry official.

"While decontamination is a must, the government is bearing the burden. We have to consider the cost factor," said deputy Environment Minister Shinji Inoue as he watched workers pressure wash the road's surface, a process Yoshida said was expected to reduce contamination by half.

The cleanup is bound to overrun its budget by several times, as delays deepen due to a lack of long-term storage options as opposition among local residents in many areas hardens. It will leave Fukushima, whose huge farm and fisheries industry has been walloped by radiation fears, with 31 million tons of nuclear waste or more. Around Naraha, huge temporary dumps of radioactive waste, many football fields in size and stacked two huge bags deep, are scattered around the disaster zone

The cleanups extend beyond Fukushima, to Iwate in the north and Chiba, which neighbors Tokyo, in the south. And the concerns are not limited to radiation. A walk through areas in Miyagi and Iwate that already were cleared of debris finds plenty of toxic detritus, such as batteries from cell phones, electrical wiring, plastic piping and gas canisters.

Japan has the technology to safely burn up most toxins at very high temperatures, with minimal emissions of PCBs, mercury and other poisons. But mounds of wood chips in a seaside processing area near Kesennuma were emitting smoke into the air one recent winter afternoon, possibly from spontaneous combustion.

Workers at that site had high-grade gas masks, an improvement from the early days, when many working in the disaster zone had only surgical masks, at most, to protect them from contaminated dust and smoke.

Overall, how well the debris and contaminants are being handled depends largely on the location.

Sendai, the biggest city in the region, sorted debris as it was collected and sealed the surfaces of areas used to store debris for processing to protect the groundwater, thanks to technical advice from its sister-city Kyoto, home to many experts who advised the government in its cleanup of the 1995 earthquake in the Kobe-Osaka area that killed more than 6,400 people.

But Ishinomaki, a city of more than 160,000, collected its debris first and is only gradually sorting and processing it, said the U.S.-educated Nakayama, who worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency before returning to Japan.

"There were no technical experts there for the waste management side," he said. "They did some good work with chemical monitoring but in total, risk assessment, risk management, unfortunately they did not have that expertise."

Ultimately, just as they are choosing to live with contamination from chemicals and other toxins, the authorities may have to reconsider their determination to completely clean up the radiation, given the effort's cost and limited effectiveness, experts say.

Regarding the nuclear accident, "there has been so much emphasis on decontamination that no other options were considered," said Hiroshi Suzuki, a professor emeritus at Tohoku University in Sendai and chairman of the Fukushima Prefectural Reconstruction Committee.

Some places, such as playgrounds, obviously must be cleaned up. But others, such as forests, should just be left alone, since gathering or burning radioactive materials concentrates them ? the opposite of what is needed since the more diluted they are, the better.

To a certain extent, policy is being dictated by politics, said Suzuki.

Before the accident, residents believed they were completely safe, he said. "The authorities want to be able to tell them once again that the area is safe. To do this they need to return it to the state that it was in before the accident."

Naraha resident Yoshimasa Murakami, a 79-year-old farmer, said he has low expectations.

A month after the government started cleaning his spacious home he has not seen a major decrease in radiation, he said while sitting on a balcony overlooking his traditional Japanese garden.

He set a dosimeter on the grass. It measured radiation nearly five times the target level and almost the same as the 1.09 microsieverts per hour found when officials surveyed it in December.

Murakami had come to the house for the day. He, his wife and daughter now live 50 kilometers (30 miles) away in Koriyama city.

He visits a few times a week to keep an eye on the cleanup workers. At nearly 80, Murakami says he doesn't mind about the radiation, but his wife does. And if he returns, his other relatives and grandchildren will be afraid to visit.

"Then, what's the point?" he said.

"I don't think decontamination is going to work," Murakami said. "The nuclear crisis is not fully over, and you never know, something still can go wrong."

__

Yamaguchi reported from Naraha and Tokyo, and Kurtenbach from Tokyo and Minami Sanriku.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-10-Japan-Tsunami-Dirty%20Cleanup/id-8dd42b374d8b4305b9c5536aa75e77fc

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Home insurance vs. sinkholes ? Bankrate, Inc.

I live about 30 minutes from Seffner, Fla., the small town where a sinkhole recently opened up in the middle of the night and swallowed 37-year-old Jeff Bush along with most of the contents of his bedroom.

While the tragedy unfolded on TV to the abject horror of anyone with a heart, it held additional significance for Florida homeowners who have anxiously watched their homeowners insurance rates climb in recent years, in large part to cover just such a nightmare.

A recent state survey of 211 home insurers operating in Florida found that sinkhole claims nearly tripled between 2006 and 2010, from 2,360 to 6,694. The combined five-year total of 24,671 claims cost insurers about $1.4 billion.

What's with all the sudden sinkhole claims? Unchecked development onto questionable land, weak building regulation, the annual drawdown of localized water tables for agricultural purposes, and the inherent unpredictability of ground collapse are generally cited as contributing factors.

That said, those of us who reside in one of Florida's 10 most sinkhole-prone counties, the bulk of which are located in the greater Tampa Bay area, worry less about losing our homes than losing our home insurance, and with good reason. While it's highly unlikely that a sinkhole will swallow my house, the odds that the cost of sinkhole coverage will swallow my income are growing daily.

What the TV coverage of the Jeff Bush tragedy didn't show is the muddle we've made of sinkhole coverage here in Florida.

Under state law, every insurer authorized to sell homeowners insurance in Florida must provide coverage for "catastrophic ground cover collapse," which basically means that any sighted person strolling by your house would pause and observe, "That place don't look right."

Unfortunately, state lawmakers then?went on to?define a sinkhole with such specificity that it miraculously turned into a loophole large enough for any home insurer with a sentient legal team to fit through with ease.

In 2011, under pressure from the insurance lobby that?fraudulent sinkhole claims were the real culprit, the state legislature passed a law?that states that if?an insurer denies your sinkhole claim, it will now cost you, the homeowner, up to $2,500 to obtain scientific proof?that your sunken living room was not designed that way.

To shift even more?risk back onto homeowners, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state's largest?carrier and?home insurer of last resort,?notified its 1.4 million customers last year that it was adding a 10 percent sinkhole deductible?on top of a 10.8 percent rate increase.

Insurers have made it crystal clear they want out of the sinkhole coverage requirement. The question on Florida's collective?kitchen table is: If property and casualty insurance companies can't or don't care to share the sinkhole risk, what's a homeowner to do?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. And by all means, please copy Tallahassee.

Follow me on Twitter: @omnisaurus

Subscribe to Bankrate newsletters today!

Source: http://www.bankrate.com/financing/insurance/home-insurance-vs-sinkholes/

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Arkansas Abortion Law Likely To Face Legal Challenges

By Suzi Parker
LITTLE ROCK, Ark, March 7 (Reuters) - Abortion rights groups say they plan to challenge a new Arkansas law adopted on Wednesday that will prohibit most abortions after about 12 weeks of pregnancy and is the most restrictive abortion law in the United States.
The measure, which lawmakers approved over Democratic Governor Mike Beebe's veto, prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected by a standard ultrasound.
Legal scholars say the law violates the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion until a fetus could viably survive outside the womb. A fetus is generally considered viable at 22 to 24 weeks.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, the national ACLU and the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights plan to sue Arkansas in federal court over the 12-week ban before it becomes law this summer.
Stephanie Toti, senior staff attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, said that groups will take "swift action" on challenging the law.
"The Supreme Court has said that a state cannot ban abortion before viability and this bill clearly, clearly violates that," Toti said.
The sponsor of the bill, Republican state Senator Jason Rapert, said the law would challenge current legal precedent but he believes the nation needs to rethink its stance on when life begins.
"We will defend this law vigorously and I want other states to pick it up and file it as quickly as possible," Rapert said, referring to other states passing laws banning abortions after 12 weeks. "If we are a civilized nation, we should be doing better than this."
On Thursday, Rapert filed a bill that would defund Planned Parenthood, which provides low-cost health care services, including abortions.
In Arkansas, lawmakers can override an executive veto with a simple majority vote.
The abortion measure includes exemptions for rape, incest, danger to the life of the mother and major fetal conditions. Doctors who violate the prohibition would have their licenses revoked by the state medical board.
It was one of a series of proposed abortion restrictions filed by Arkansas Republicans emboldened since they won control of both chambers of the state legislature for the first time since the Reconstruction era following the Civil War.
"With a bipartisan majority, we were able to override Governor Beebe's veto of a bill that protects the most basic of all human rights - the right to life," said David Ray, a spokesman for the Republican Party of Arkansas.
Battles over abortion are playing out in a number of other states. This year, for example, the Indiana Senate passed a bill that would make the state the ninth to require an ultrasound prior to an abortion.
Passage of the 12-week ban in Arkansas came on the same day that a federal judge struck down a 2011 Idaho law that banned most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, in a decision believed to mark the first time a court has ruled that such a measure was unconstitutional.
Idaho is one of at least eight states that have enacted late-term abortion prohibitions in recent years based on controversial medical research suggesting that a fetus feels pain starting at 20 weeks of gestation.
A similar law took effect in Arkansas in February after lawmakers again succeeded in over-riding the governor's veto.
In February, Beebe signed legislation to ban insurers who are participating in an exchange created under the federal health care law from covering abortions.
Challenges to the laws could cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars, said Kelly Browe Olson, a law professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.
Olson said she believes the measures clearly violate Roe v. Wade. (Editing by Corrie MacLaggan, Edith Honan and Lisa Shumaker)

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/07/arkansas-abortion-law_n_2833244.html

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