DIY Home Made Energy: Green Building - Real Estate - Commercial ...

When this Green Building Council with Australia (GBCA) released Green Star, Australia's initial holistic geographical rating system pertaining to buildings, with 2003, this benchmarks for just a a few Star Green Star score appeared outrageously high.

Yet per year later, 8 Brindabella Circuit in Canberra grew to be the 1st Green Star-rated setting up within Australia, demonstrating this efficient creating seemed to be achievable.Today, the GBCA has certified above 4.2 thousand square metres of Green Star space, most of us have got more than nine hundred representative firms and Australia provides your second most significant GBC of 89 round the world.

The Dow Jones Sustainability Index is definitely overrun by using Australian companies - using a third, as well as eleven outside 21, currently being Australian.

A range regarding studies includes confirmed that natural buildings positively impact every thing out of in business prices to go back upon investment, and from reputational equity to be able to productivity.The most recently available IPD Property Index offers discovered that will Green Star-rated structures deliver a higher revenue than non-Green Star buildings.

So, whenever we consider the time we have now appear in the actual nine many years since GBCA ended up being founded you can only consider that people will turn up at the stage from the not too distant future - conceivably around several years, perhaps twenty - when prohibited no more even dealing with 'green' or 'sustainable' properties anymore.Why? Because all properties might be sustainable.

Just since we all take it intended for little bit while . every one your houses is going to be produced to help substantial criticism health and safety standards, and also in the same way we consider disability access to get granted, sustainability is going to be 'just the best way most people build'.

All the actual tendencies are directing to help green building becoming that norm.

A recent Jones Lang La Salle global management and business occupier survey found that 64 every cent involving respondents assume sustainability is usually a critical small business issue.

A McGraw Hill Construction report offers found that will greater than half regarding world wide construction businesses assume being entirely committed to natural building by way of 2013.

And the most up-to-date Davis Langdon 2011 Construction Sentiment customer survey identified of which sustainability was sitting the phone number one particular ability for that industry with the future five several years your decide one from the major pitfalls included failing to be able to adapt to some sort of carbon-constrained future.

So, is there a method ahead for that constructed environment? Here are my personal top five predictions:

1. The target present buildings will intensify

In the particular US, the actual speediest raising rating program in 2010 has been the actual Leadership within Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) intended for Existing Buildings program. Closer to be able to home, insurance policies for example the Australian Government's Commercial Building Disclosure structure seem to be telling setting up masters to be able to improvement his or her present stock. The Australian Financial Review recently said: "the retrofitting connected with more mature homes will be don't an option with regard to keepers but a commercial imperative". To guide the market green its current stock, your GBCA is usually developing that Green Star - Performance standing tool, that'll analyse your functional operation of current houses from the seven present Green Star categories. We assume this particular software to aid revolutionise this industry.

2. Zero net electricity designs will probably achieve traction

There is going to be bit of area for complexes that may not be carbon neutral, in addition to energy, ecology plus mineral water positive. Many GBCA members will be active in this space. Woods Bagot together with Buro Happold have got developed an active style and design program which often songs electrical power and also carbon footprints for design solutions, enabling brands to understand diverse selections plus commence the theory process when using the question: 'what might that building do for that environment?'

3. Building solutions and resources gets greener

The change in order to natural products is actually becoming tempted by means of lifecycle assessments of products - of which is, your impression with some sort of material from your starting point that will the end involving its life. An growing development will be more emphasis upon 'cradle-to-cradle' thinking, where stuff brings home usually are made dependant on both their initial and second lives. Organisations for example InterfaceFLOR, which will can be recognised as the world's the majority of safe carpet manufacturer, includes integrated a new take-back and also trying to recycle system to make sure its solutions have a useful 'second life'.

4. Affordable efficient will be the norm

Many individuals associate environment friendly together with higher fees - but that is certainly changing. New business models, engineering as well as huge operation resources tend to be having green inside reach. Colonial First State's Rowan Griffin recently said this there is don't a premiums for environmentally friendly property. "We have previously done the cycle wherever it's normal to become environment friendly along with energy-efficient, thus folks count on that will outside of payment buildings. So it's much more a new lower price of those which might be not energy-efficient without green" he or she said.

5. Energy places could transform

We are now living in a country by using more inviting days when compared with elsewhere within the planet, however were lagging powering Asia, Europe along with North America around setting up with photovoltaic photovoltaic panels. Expect the following that will change, while we all start to discover solar, the wind as well as photovoltaics typically included directly into buildings along with utilized for a setting up material, in lieu of merely getting fitted with top. And the majority of most of these renewable energy solutions probably will not large. Micro-turbines are currently turning into famous in Asia, in addition to we will notice far more Australian innovation with this location as most people identify the use of integrated compact systems around one particular giant, geographically remote computer support electricity source.

6. Building info modelling will develop into de rigeur

Expect a new more advanced method to developing checking when developing tips modelling (BIM) techniques become more comprehensive. BIM will certainly allow cross-disciplinary coaches and teams to share know-how and observe records with complex setting up projects. The project company on 1 Bligh Street within Sydney, pertaining to example, carried out 3D BIM engineering through the style and design along with construction phases. The BIM model produced together additional compared to 30 individual self-control designs and many sub-consultants were in part appointed about the base with their BIM capability. The company discovered of which 3D BIM ended up saving costs, saved design time, in addition to backed better making effectiveness and control. Furthermore, DEXUS is convinced BIM has the benefit of this capacity to make efficiencies during the entire lifetime involving one particular Bligh Street as the many building data can be purchased available with the house manage rs.

7. Govt. concentrate on power efficiency and sustainability will probably improve

Governments are stepping upwards their own mandates pertaining to environment friendly buildings for both their very own buildings and the private sector. The need to decrease carbon emissions by means of going green will certainly lead more federal government specialists to require efficient buildings. New classes plus hospitals will probably be built on the greatest environment benchmarks as local community demands plus government items shift towards sustainability. We currently possess more than 100 education jobs recorded to help achieve Green Star evaluations - and also this is only your suggestion with the iceberg.

8. Investors will certainly desire larger action on climate change

When the actual GBCA initial released The Dollars plus Sense connected with Green Buildings in 2005, little awareness appeared to be given into the role involving investors. Two decades later, our adjusted version tracked a good too much to handle change around attitude. Today, your Investor Group on Climate Change alerts that people are generally monitoring the particular strategy of corporations on weather factors modify and carbon pricing, which include exactly what they will say within the public realm. In fact, 75 per cent regarding create funding for managers consider enterprises really need to incorporate weather transform concerns into internet business methods plus placed policy responsibilities about local climate change, although 57 percent with tremendous funds believe businesses need to increase their reporting and also disclosure with environment change.

9. Blue will be the new green

It's definitely not many concerning energy. Building designers in addition to supervisors will be taking steps to decrease water consumption throughout the use of drinking water protecting fixtures, rainwater recuperation models and revolutionary different water technologies. Lot 12, TradeCoast Central, for instance, gained your Green Star development point to its shared, precinct non-potable waters hard drive as well as syndication system. The system cuts down potable mineral water consumption simply by eighty percent - the same as more than 10,000 litres on a daily basis - and also the just potable water made use of inside the precinct can be with regard to kitchens, showers and also hands basins.

10. The require pertaining to green communities, urban centers as well as commercial infrastructure will grow

Beyond the particular constructing envelope, we have been already seeing your conversation switching - plus i am searching from tips on how to green our residential areas and also cities. The penny has last but not least dropped: buildings are usually a part of larger systems. In the longer term most people could no longer perspective our properties in isolation, nonetheless since interconnected items of the more substantial community. The GBCA's Green Star - Communities task is usually facilitating in order to generate that shift. Currently, 28 jobs coming from all around Australia will be BETA tests 35 draft credits. The Green Star - Communities standing instrument will probably usher inside a brand new grow older of lasting development, the one which appears above environmental efficiencies in the created environment and seems with how we build complete towns which are liveable and sustainable.

Source: http://diyhomemadeenergy-akd545.blogspot.com/2013/08/green-building-real-estate-commercial.html

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UPDATE: Teen dies after being run over by float at Caribbean parade

UPDATE: Police identify teen run over by float at Caribbean parade

Toronto Police have identified the man run over by a Caribbean Carnival Parade float as Rueshad Grant of Mississauga.

It happened just before 9 p.m. in the Lake Shore Blvd. West and Dowling Ave. area.?

Police say they responded to a call about a pedestrian being hit. They say the teen was on a float, fell off and was hit by the vehicle.?

He was taken to hospital with life threatening injuires and later died.?

Festival organizers have released a statement.

"We are deeply saddened?by this loss," said Denise Herrera-Jackson, CEO of the Festival Management Committee, in a written statement. "The Toronto police are conducting a full and thorough investigation and we will assist them in any way we can."?

Toronto Police are appealing for anyone who saw what happened to come forward and contact Traffic Services at 416-808-1900.

?

Full statement from festival:

On behalf of the organizers, volunteers and revellers involved in today's Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival parade, we would like to express our heartfelt sympathies to the friends and family of a young man who died in a tragic accident earlier today.

"We are deeply saddened?by this loss," said Denise Herrera-Jackson, CEO Festival Management Committee. "The Toronto police are conducting a full and thorough investigation and we will assist them in any way we can."?

?

Statement from Scotiabank:

It is with great sadness that we learned of the tragic death earlier this evening of a young man at the Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival parade. On behalf of Scotiabank and our employees, we extend our sincere sympathies to the family and friends of this young man.

The Toronto Police Service is investigating and we understand that event organizers will cooperate fully with this investigation.

Source: http://www.newstalk1010.com/News/localnews/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10574623

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PA TV song calls to attack Israel, the "snake's head," with the rifle

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Source: http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=9413

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President Obama vetoes iPhone sales ban, Samsung disappointed

The administration of the US President Barack Obama has recently issued a veto on the pending sales ban of certain older Apple products (the iPad 2 or earlier and the iPhone 4 or earlier). Following a ruling of the US International Trade Commission (ITC) back in early June, the products were supposed to be banned from selling because of violation of a certain Samsung-owned standards-essential patent.

The Obama administration stepped up and disproved the ITC determination to issue an exclusion order and cease and desist order due to its effect on "competitive conditions in the U.S. economy and the effect on U.S. consumers." This action is entirely in the competence of the President's office although this block of the ITC ban is said to be the first of its kind since the Reagan administration in 1987.

Obama's office reminds of "the potential harms that can result" from using standards?-essential patents for "gaining undue leverage and engaging in ?patent hold?up". It reminds that standards?-essential patents should be easily accessible for licensing under FRAND terms, which, they consider, was not the case with this Samsung's patent.

Back in June, the ITC ruled that Apple was violating one of Samsung?s smartphone and tablet-related patents. Due to that decision, Apple was about to face bans on the sales of certain AT&T iPhone and iPad models. Apple was highly disappointed because they claimed Samsung would readily license the said patent to anyone else interested, yet it insisted on a sales ban in Apple's case.

Companies holding standards?-essential patent such as the one in question, are obliged to license these to third parties on terms that are Fair, Reasonable, And Non?Discriminatory (hence FRAND). According to Apple, in this case Samsung was far from offering them FRAND licensing terms.

Up until now Apple was appealing the ITC's initial ruling and the Commission was supposed to come up with a final ruling on August 9.

Fortunately, the block does not mean the patent holder is not entitled to a compensation, just on the contrary.

Samsung has already responded to the decision of the president's office:

?We are disappointed that the U.S. Trade Representative has decided to set aside the exclusion order issued by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). The ITC?s decision correctly recognized that Samsung has been negotiating in good faith and that Apple remains unwilling to take a license.?

Quite expectedly, Apple's stance on the President's office decision is just on the contrary:

We applaud the Administration for standing up for innovation in this landmark case. Samsung was wrong to abuse the patent system in this way.

We are yet to see which direction this thing takes. It's more than obvious that the Apple vs. Samsung patent brawls are already getting out of hand. It's getting increasingly harder to tell who's right and who's wrong.

Source

Source: http://gsmarena.com.feedsportal.com/c/35183/f/653018/s/2f8a2001/sc/21/l/0L0Sgsmarena0N0Cpresident0Iobama0Ivetos0Iiphone0Isales0Iban0Isamsung0Idisappointed0Enews0E65150Bphp/story01.htm

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Global warming: The folly of certainty

Larry Jones is driving the minivan across the Utah desert on Highway 163, with Sally in the passenger seat and the two kids dozing in the back. According to the map they are approaching the town of Pawoopsie. The radio is on, tuned to a Pawoopsie station that plays country music, but the reception isn't very good. Suddenly the music cuts off and an announcer's voice comes in: "static--one sixty-three--static--Pawoopsie--static--bridge collapsed--static--highway patrol says--static", and then nothing but static. Sally sits up. "Did he say that the highway bridge in Pawoopsie collapsed?" Larry shrugs. "I don't know." "It sounded like that's what he was saying." "I don't know; too much static." "Aren't we getting close to Pawoopsie?" "Yeah, should be a couple more miles." Larry, don't you think you should slow down?" "Why?" "Well, if the bridge has collapsed . . ." "Are you sure that the bridge has collapsed?" "No, but . . ." "Then why should I slow down?" Here's the thing about that story: it's not at all hard to understand. You can tell it to 100 people, and 99 of them will realize that Larry Jones is being stupid. It doesn't take a brilliant mind to figure out that when you're hurtling toward possible catastrophe, only a fool would refuse to slow down and start paying attention. Unfortunately, when it comes to the current debate about climate change, the scientific community has somehow worked itself into the position of implicitly assuming that the public are too stupid to understand that story. We have been treating the public as though they are a large mass of Larry Joneses. That's a blunder, and one that has cost us big time. The debate about climate change, as it is currently conducted, focuses mainly on this question: Are we certain that the Earth is going to warm to a dangerous degree in the near future? Climate scientists have been struggling very hard to convince us all that they are certain, or at least nearly certain, but haven't succeeded all that well. But that's really not the right question at all. To think that is the right question is to behave like Larry Jones. The right question is: Are we confident that the Earth is *not* going to warm to a dangerous degree in the near future? If we're not confident of that, we'd be idiots not to at least slow down and start making serious plans. I don't believe that people are too stupid to understand that logic. And the thing is, this is a much stronger basis for argument. Certainty is inherently hard to achieve when it comes to climate predictions. Climate depends on lots of variables in complicated ways, and many of them have not been measured with much precision. But if we stop talking about certainty and simply focus on the odds, then the situation clears greatly. There may be a few semi-plausible models that fail to predict serious warming, but the majority of models -- and the models that have the greatest acceptance in the community -- certainly do. Even if a skeptic prefers the models that don't predict warming, can the skeptic really be *sure* that they are the correct ones? If one isn't sure, then to argue against any action at all is to behave like Larry Jones. A skeptic need not believe that we must immediately destroy the world's economy by shutting down our use of fossil fuels -- it would be just as stupid for Larry Jones to jam down the brakes in the middle of the freeway as to do nothing -- but even a skeptic must see that prudence calls for slowing down, getting as much information as we can, and making contingency plans. Image: Modified from photo by Marc Averette Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
? 2013 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/global-warming-folly-certainty-152500392.html

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5 miles W of Eureka, California

SEUS71 PAAQ 030227 EQIWOC TSUNAMI SEISMIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NWS WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER PALMER AK 727 PM PDT FRI AUG 2 2013 ...THIS IS A TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT... EVALUATION ---------- * AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED - THERE IS NO TSUNAMI DANGER. PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS --------------------------------- * MAGNITUDE 4.0 * ORIGIN TIME 1826 AKDT AUG 02 2013 1926 PDT AUG 02 2013 0226 UTC AUG 03 2013 * COORDINATES 40.8 NORTH 124.2 WEST * DEPTH 16 MILES * LOCATION 5 MILES W OF EUREKA CALIFORNIA 230 MILES NW OF SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA NEXT UPDATE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -------------------------------------- * THIS WILL BE THE ONLY WCATWC MESSAGE ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT. * THE EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS ARE BASED ON PRELIMINARY INFORMATION. * FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE ISSUED BY THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY - EARTHQUAKE.USGS.GOV - OR THE APPROPRIATE REGIONAL SEISMIC NETWORK. $$

Source: http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/tsuPortal/events/PAAQ/2013/08/03/mqxo32/1/SEUS71/SEUS71.txt

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Gay marriage is legal, but wedding industry stuck in old ways

Saturday August 3, 2013

Many same-sex Bay Area couples planning their marriages are finding a wedding industry in tumult, as businesses built on the tradition of marriage between one man and one woman are forced to confront a new landscape.

While some businesses have embraced gay weddings, others still cling to marriage rituals that exclude same-sex couples, often turning what is expected to be an enjoyable experience into a frustrating and at times painful one.

"Every form you fill out, it says ?bride and groom.' But not every bride has a groom," said Lena Brancatelli, 32, of San Jose, who will marry her partner of nine years in September. "The wedding industry is very much heterocentric. It doesn't include same-sex couples."

The U.S. Supreme Court decision last month that effectively overturned California's same-sex marriage ban opened the door for thousands of people to enjoy the wedding planning rituals that have long been reserved for heterosexual couples. But the ruling has exposed a sharp divide in the industry that, except for a brief period in California's history, has adhered to the carefully scripted tradition of a white dress and tux, and lawfully wedded man and wife.

Most wedding websites, cards and invitations are designed for a man and woman, and business contracts and marketing materials are tailored to straight couples, say same-sex couples and gay marriage proponents. Couples say they are frustrated by venues that have only one bridal dressing room, the absence of women's clothes at tux shops and bakers that don't sell cake toppers representing same-sex couples.

Some wedding registries require listing the husband's last name, and most photographers don't have experience taking pictures of gay weddings, and using traditional wedding portrait poses with same-sex couples may make for awkward photos, according to wedding planning experts.

"There's just a whole lot of assumptions that go into a wedding based on how we've been programmed for centuries," said Bernadette Coveney Smith, a same-sex wedding expert in New York and founder of 14 Stories, a wedding planning firm that launched when same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts in 2004. "The industry, by and large, is incredibly old-fashioned and has a lot of work to do."

Renata Moreira, of San Francisco, who is planning a winter California wedding with Lori Bilella, said her caterer stopped replying to her emails after she requested a cake topper with two brides. Other couples share similar stories about businesses that stopped returning phone calls or suddenly changed their minds when they learned the wedding was same-sex.

"I would have enjoyed just being in the wedding planning instead of having this constant conversation about homophobia, rejection and exclusion," said Moreira, 36, who works at a San Francisco advocacy organization. "I feel like I'm teaching the industry. They're just not there yet."

Mandy Scott, a florist and wedding planner in San Francisco, said she had a surge of business when gay marriage was briefly legalized in 2008. Scott is ready to start booking same-sex weddings again, but she said she knows of a local florist who refused business from same-sex couples.

"We're supposed to be the groundbreakers here," she said. "But there are still people who are very entrenched in their beliefs."

Like Scott, many of the business owners who have welcomed same-sex weddings had some prior experience in 2008, when the state Supreme Court struck down California's ban on gay marriage and paved the way for more than 18,000 couples to marry before voters passed Proposition 8, restoring the ban.

Hotel Monaco in San Francisco hosted about 10 same-sex weddings before Proposition 8 passed and has booked two more for this year. Its parent company, Kimpton Hotels, is offering discounts on same-sex weddings, including 50 percent off for gay couples who book their reception before September. Since Kimpton Hotels was founded in San Francisco in 1981, the company has been a fundraiser and advocate for the gay community.

"We're pretty well-known as friends in the gay community," said Jason Stone, manager of Hotel Monaco.

After a five-year court battle, the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26 ruled that Proposition 8 supporters did not have the constitutional standing to defend the law in federal courts, effectively ending the state's ban on same-sex marriage. The court has rejected two subsequent appeals from Proposition 8 proponents. With that firmer legal footing, many same-sex couples are planning big events and investing in all the decorations, food and entertainment that was often left out of the more modest commitment ceremonies or the rushed weddings in 2008, when the looming passage of Proposition 8 left a narrow window to tie the knot.

"This is not a little throwaway party," said Kathryn Hamm, president of Gayweddings.com, an online directory of gay-friendly vendors.

Tim Lorenz and Ed Graziani are planning a "large-budget" wedding at the Marines' Memorial Club and Hotel in San Francisco that includes a sit-down dinner and custom-made tuxes. Lorenz, 49, said the venue -- a private hotel and social club run by U.S. Marines and veterans -- has "no qualms" about hosting a gay wedding.

"We never have come up against any kind of resistance," he said.

Some businesses have recognized the cash potential. Chardonnay Golf Club in Napa will host its first same-sex wedding this fall, when Brancatelli and fiancee Lisa Kirk get married there. Another couple is planning a wedding for December.

"From our perspective, it's good business," said General Manager Roger Billings. "In today's economy, I'm surprised that anyone is turning away business of any kind."

Casa Real and Palm Event Center, vineyards in Pleasanton under the same ownership, are offering special wedding packages for same-sex couples who want to marry this year. Marketing Director Michelle Peters said the industry can't afford to exclude any customers.

"We adapt as the market evolves," Peters said. Besides, she added, "They waited long enough."

Source: http://www.benningtonbanner.com/news/ci_23787593/gay-marriage-is-legal-but-wedding-industry-stuck?source=rss

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Wendy Greuel reports $680,000 in debt from L.A. mayor's race

Wendy Greuel's debts from the Los Angeles mayor's race this year topped $680,000, according to financial documents released by her campaign and posted to the city's website this week. The filings are from the period ending June 30.

It's unknown if any of Greuel's bills have been paid since that date.

The bulk of Greuel's expenses are from the May 21 general election, with Greuel declaring more than $518,000 in debt from that race.

She also owes more than $160,000 from the March primary, according to Wednesday's filings.

Greuel lost to Eric Garcetti by about 34,700 votes in the May 21 election.

Wednesday's filings also show Garcetti declared about $96,000 in debt from both the primary and general elections.

Garcetti has about $169,000 in cash on hand, according to the reports. Greuel had about $19,650 cash on hand, her filings state.

The two candidates spent about $19 million during the race. Outside groups spent more than $10 million, with a significant majority of those funds backing Greuel.

Greuel, who served previously as a city controller and a City Council member representing the eastern San Fernando Valley, recently told reporters she is weighing running for another political office,

She has said she is looking at termed-out Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's seat and at the state controller position.

dakota.smith@dailynews.com
@dakotacdsmith on Twitter

Source: http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_23780496/wendy-greuel-reports-680-000-debt-from-l?source=rss

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The winds of change are blowing in Indianapolis today. First, the NCAA announced...

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/MrSECdotcom/posts/619860714715292

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Motorola details Moto Maker, the website you'll use to build Moto X (video)

In looking for a way to differentiate its Moto X in a market saturated with mid-range smartphones, Motorola opted to offer unique customization options, with the phone assembled to order at a facility in Fort Worth, Texas. You can pick from a handful of backplate colors, such as Turquoise or Royal Blue, along with accents around the camera lens and volume rocker -- think of it as a ColorWare coating, but applied at the factory. You'll make your picks on Moto Maker, a site dedicated to outfitting your Moto X.

First, you'll choose a back color from a dozen or so available options -- some pretty spiffy wood finishes, such as Bamboo, Teak, Ebony and Rosewood, are coming soon. Up next is a front color selector, where you can pick from black or white -- white looks quite nice with a lighter wood like Bamboo or Teak, for example, while Ebony and Rosewood might better match a black front plate. Then, you can select an accent color, and add a "signature" that'll be printed on the back, such as an email address (to aid in retrieving a lost phone). Finally, you can add on a clear or colored case from manufacturers like Belkin or Case Mate, along with other accessories like headphones and speakers.

You can choose a standard 16GB Moto X for $199 with a two-year contract, or you can step up to 32 gigs for an extra 50 bucks (storage is not expandable, so this is your only chance to upgrade). After you place an order, Motorola plans to get the device to your door within four days. Initially, you'll only be able to customize a device for AT&T, and only if you're based in the US. Sadly, there's no word when (or if) Maker will be available internationally, but it is set to go live domestically by the date Moto X goes on sale, if not sooner. Join as we take it for a spin in the video after the break.

Gallery: Motorola Moto X preview

Filed under: Cellphones, Google

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/01/motorola-moto-maker/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Iran's Ahmadinejad steps aside, divisive to the end

By Marcus George

DUBAI (Reuters) - Vilified abroad for his blistering attacks against the West, blamed at home for Iran's economic woes and isolated from the supreme leader who groomed him for power, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad leaves the presidency with few friends and an uncertain future.

Iranians elected his opposite - a mild-mannered, moderate member of the clerical establishment - to replace him, doubtless hoping for better times than they endured for eight years under the caustic hardline outsider.

Ahmadinejad's abrasive rhetoric made him an easy target for Iran's opponents abroad, and the collapse of the economy under the weight of international sanctions and domestic mismanagement made him a magnet for blame at home.

But those hoping for a rapid improvement in the quality of life, swift rapprochement with the West or more transparency in the way Iran is ruled may soon find that its problems go deeper than the small man with the scruffy beard and ill-fitting suits.

Since his shock election victory in 2005, Ahmadinejad rose from near total obscurity to become the most visible actor on the Iranian stage, on the way pulling through a disputed re-election victory that rocked the nation to its core.

His final speech as president on Friday was vintage Ahmadinejad: "I swear to God that a ferocious storm is coming and it will uproot the Zionist entity," he declared on Quds Day, an annual event devoted to opposing Israeli rule over Jerusalem.

Mocked by progressive Iranians, he created a cult following among traditionalists and the working classes through his charisma, simple lifestyle and populist beliefs.

His name gives three times as many results in a Google search as that of his former sponsor, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's most powerful man.

But history, whether written at home or abroad, is unlikely to be kind. Within hours of the election victory of moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani, thousands of people gathered outside Rouhani's headquarters and across the city to celebrate, shouting out "Ahmadi bye bye".

"He is unlikely to exit the political scene gracefully, for grace has hardly been a hallmark of his eight years in office and is unlikely to be an adjective applied to the good doctor in the future," said New York-based Iranian-American author Hooman Majd who has met Ahmadinejad on several occasions.

SHOCK

On the international stage, he has shocked the Western world with his rhetoric, often during his annual appearances at the United Nations General Assembly, which have caused mass walkouts and public demonstrations.

Relishing the opportunity to discomfit Iran's detractors, he has alleged the U.S. government was behind the 9/11 attacks, denied homosexuality exists in Iran and lambasted Western leaders for being played by "deceitful Zionists".

"The president's irresponsible rhetoric on Israel, the Holocaust and other issues has deepened Iran's international isolation," said Shaul Bakhash, professor of history at George Mason University in Virginia.

"His embrace of the language of Holocaust denial, his prediction that Israel will be erased from map of history ... made it far easier for many to depict Iran as a radical state."

Ahmadinejad was groomed by Khamenei to take on the reformist movement - those advocating more social and political freedoms. His devout religious views, his common touch, his accessibility to young Iranians and connections to the military were assets.

His fans glorified him as a humble servant who shunned the trappings of power. Ahmadinejad, so the story goes, refused the presidential salary and went to work with a packed lunch.

With a poor background and a doctorate in engineering from a technology university rather than a background studying theology in Iran's ancient schools of Shi'ite Islam, his down-to-earth image contrasted with that of the elite members of the clergy.

He believed his popular mandate made him a counterweight to the unelected clerics and members of powerful old families.

"He wants to leave a legacy where he was the guy breaking the stranglehold of the mullahs," said Majd. "He believes an elected president should be allowed to govern. That's quite a popular sentiment among Iranians."

He relied on sharp wits, political courage and self-confidence: "He has a huge ego. He believes he's right and he is unafraid," added Majd.

But ultimately he overplayed the hand his mandate gave him, leading to a direct confrontation with Khamenei. The feud erupted in 2011 when Ahmadinejad sacked the intelligence minister but the supreme leader reinstated him.

Khamenei loyalists accused Ahmadinejad and his advisors of seeking to erode clerical authority - activity denounced as a "deviant current". He was frozen out of decision-making and threatened with impeachment. In March last year he became the first president in the history of the Islamic Republic to be summoned by parliament for a grilling on his policies.

To the benefit of the clerics, the ruling system he leaves behind has fewer checks and balances than when he found it.

To give himself more room to push through his policies, Ahmadinejad dissolved the "Plan and Budget Organization", a government body tasked with drawing up spending plans.

The electoral process was left bent and broken following the 2009 election. Reformists were sidelined, opposition leaders Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi put under house arrest and parliament made compliant.

Those moves leave Khamenei controlling all levers of power.

"There was a group who participated in this ruination of the state and of course the chief beneficiary of the removal of accountability was Khamenei," said Ali Ansari, professor of history at St Andrew's University in Scotland.

ECONOMIC SHAMBLES

High oil prices meant that Iran enjoyed record revenues during Ahmadinejad's two terms. But the economy nevertheless faltered because of mismanagement, and ultimately crumbled under embargoes imposed in 2012 by the United States and European Union, which cut oil exports in half.

Dependent on oil to earn hard currency, Iran saw the rial fall and inflation soar, to 35 percent according to official figures, by some estimates double that.

In late 2010 he launched a program to withdraw generous subsidies in favor of cash handouts. A bold move to wean Iran off costly benefits, it led to soaring prices for food and fuel, bringing hardship for many and deep criticism from rivals.

"Ahmadinejad's erratic stewardship has left the Iranian economy in a shambles. His courage in taking the bull of subsidies by the horns will be lauded, while its poor implementation will be deplored," said Yasmin Alem, of the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center.

Arguably, in economic policy, he served as a scapegoat for a system that has deeper problems. The subsidies he cut would have been even more expensive to maintain under sanctions.

The sanctions themselves were a result of a nuclear standoff with the West that remains a fundamental state policy of Khamenei, although Ahmadinejad's deeply divisive hardline stance made negotiations tougher.

Ahmadinejad's reformist predecessor Mohamed Khatami had suspended uranium enrichment, a chemical process that can be used to make material for an atomic bomb.

Iran restarted enrichment within weeks of Ahmadinejad taking office in 2005, and has since maintained a "no compromise" stance. Tehran says it wants the uranium solely for peaceful purposes; U.N. Security Council members doubt it.

Washington has not ruled out military action over what it believes are attempts to develop atomic weapons capability, although it continues to pursue a diplomatic resolution.

Yet despite his confrontational rhetoric, Ahmadinejad also was accessible to the West. He made unprecedented and ultimately unsuccessful attempts to establish direct contact with two U.S. presidents, a move that was previously regarded as a taboo.

Approaches included meetings between an Ahmadinejad advisor and U.S. officials during his first term and a high-level meeting between deputy U.S. Secretary of State William Burns and Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in 2009.

He has happily engaged with U.S. media, becoming a repeat guest of talk show host Larry King, with whom he would banter combatively in the studio. He seemed to relish the stir he would cause visiting the "Great Satan" for his annual appearances at U.N. headquarters in New York.

Ahmadinejad advocated a 2009 nuclear deal that came close to resolving the deadlock with the West through an agreement to swap fuel kept abroad. Ultimately it was shelved after criticism from both Iranian conservatives and reformists.

Some wonder what comes next for the man who defied Iran's enemies but also its leader. There is talk of him setting up a university but he may have to face the music first.

"There is some chatter his opponents will move against him once he formally relinquishes the presidency," said Ali Ansari. "But it would seem he is being protected by the supreme leader. I find it difficult to believe that he will fade away."

(Reporting by Marcus George; Editing by Jon Hemming and Peter Graff)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/irans-ahmadinejad-steps-aside-divisive-end-125037773.html

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SPORTS: Fleischman: Like magic, 'Rosey' is back on the softball fields after second bout with cancer

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Source: http://www.ithacajournal.com/article/20130731/SPORTS/307310088/1128/

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Israel foreign ministry slowdown ends

Israel foreign ministry slowdown ends

DEBKAfile August 1, 2013, 9:03 AM (GMT+02:00)

The six-month partial strike of foreign ministry personnel over claims for better wages and conditions was temporarily lifted following a compromise deal reached at the Jerusalem District Labor Court Wednesday. The office will resume handling Israeli officials? overseas visits and those of foreign envoys and officials to Israel as well as issuing diplomatic passports and rendering consular assistance to traveling Israelis. The judge harshly criticized the Finance Ministry for neglecting the dispute and ordered the two sides to agree on a mediator and report progress by Sept. 15.?

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Source: http://www.debka.com/newsupdate/5200/

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Movie Review: The Conjuring is a finely crafted creative illusion ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The film is a real life case story based on the horror experiences of the seven-member Perron family comprising Roger and Carolyn Perron and their five daughters ? Andrea, Cindy, Nancy, Christine and April ? who along ...

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/movie-review-the-conjuring-is-a-finely-crafted-creative-illusion-1003287.html

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'MasterChef' finalist arrested for attacking police

Crime and courts

Ashley Majeski TODAY contributor

4 hours ago

Cook County Sheriff's Office

"MasterChef" season three runner-up Joshua Marks was arrested and charged with aggravated battery against a police officer after a bizarre run-in with University of Chicago police on Tuesday.

Marks, who is 7 foot, 2 inches and weighs 260 pounds, was taken into custody at 3:50 a.m. after he attacked and attempted to disarm an officer at a nearby apartment complex, according to Jeremy Manier, news director for the university.

The 26-year-old, who finished "MasterChef" in second place behind Christine Ha (the show's first blind contestant), is currently in the custody of the Cook County Department of Corrections, a representative for the police confirmed to TODAY.com. However, Marks is not currently behind bars, and is instead being held at a nearby medical facility. The spokesperson did not say what Marks is being treated for.

?We are working closely with medical professionals to determine if Josh's behavior could be related to mental health symptoms," Marks' attorney Lisa M. Butler told TODAY.com. "Our primary concern is Josh, his health, well-being and getting him proper treatment. Josh is an amazing, gentle and talented young man. He comes from a very close-knit family; is a cum laude college graduate and very involved in the community. His family is at his side to give him any support that he needs right now.?

"To the extent an illness may be involved, we hope that this incident will be handled by the media with the sensitivity and respect due to any person dealing with any health concern," Butler said. "The Josh that you are hearing about in police reports this morning is not the spirited Gentle Giant that we know.??

The former reality show contestant is currently being held on $150,000 bail. His next court date is set for Aug. 5 in Chicago.

Before he appeared on "MasterChef," Marks was a contract specialist in the U.S. Army. He grew up in Chicago, and moved to Jackson, Miss., to attend Tougaloo College on a basketball scholarship. He graduated in 2009.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/entertainment/masterchef-finalist-charged-attacking-police-officer-6C10812169

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Former USC walk-on Chisolm fighting for NFL shot

Garrett Chisolm had a decorated career at South Carolina after walking on in 2009.

TIM KIMZEY/tim.kimzey@shj.com

Published: Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at 11:06 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at 11:06 p.m.

Garrett Chisolm has never minded earning his way.

The former South Carolina standout grabbed a spot on the Gamecocks offensive line as a walk-on in 2009 and worked his way to a second-team All-SEC selection the next season as a senior. He also was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded to a college football player with the best combination of on-field success, academics and community service, and won the 2011 Gamecock Inspiration Award.

Chisolm, a West Ashley High School product, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins during training camp and spent one week on their practice squad in 2011. He also had practice squad stints with Carolina (Nov. 2011) and Baltimore (Jan. 2012) before signing with San Francisco (Feb. 2012). He reached a waived/injury settlement after hurting his knee with the 49ers during the preseason last August.

Since that time, Chisolm (6-foot-6, 290-pounds) has been working out to stay in shape and was re-signed by the Panthers last week.

?I feel like everything is coming along,? Chisolm said following Tuesday morning's training camp practice at Wofford. ?It's only my fifth day here, so I'm just taking it one day at a time, trying to pick up the playbook as fast as I can and have fun. That's the most important thing.?

Chisolm is battling with fellow offensive tackles Byron Bell, Patrick Brown, Bruce Campbell, Nate Chandler, Jordan Gross and Garry Williams. Gross is entering his 11th season as a starting left tackle and is a two-time Pro Bowl selection. Bell started 15 games at right tackle last year.

Chisolm said he's just as determined to become a member of the Panthers as he was with the Gamecocks.

?That experience at Carolina, my parents motivated me in that situation,? he said. ?They are no longer here. In this situation, it's different. I guess my little brother and his baby is my new motivation that I can still play after knee surgery. That's the thing that's motivating me. I'm picking everything up on the fly here. That's what I do. Nothing comes easy for me.?

Chisolm feels getting a chance to compete for a roster spot with Carolina is the perfect opportunity after being raised in South Carolina.

?I love it,? he said. ?I've looked at Jordan Gross when I started playing football as a high school senior and (former South Carolina offensive lineman) Travelle Wharton played here. Captain (Munnerlyn) has been good. Thomas Davis has been good. Charles Johnson and all of the SEC guys have been telling me to keep on working hard. Jordan Gross, Garry Williams, Byron Bell have all been there. If I need help I just come to them and they help me.?

Chisolm plans on giving total effort each time on the practice field during camp. He's hopeful it will be enough to impress the coaches.

?I feel like I can give them everything of me,? Chisolm said. ?Hopefully it's what they want and what they need.?

Source: http://www.goupstate.com/article/20130730/articles/130739953

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