batted grog: June 2012

Friday, June 29, 2012

News Corp board approves company split: source

(Reuters) - The board of News Corp approved in principle splitting the $60 billion media conglomerate into separate publishing and entertainment businesses, a person familiar with the situation said on Thursday.

News Corp's board, overseen by 81-year-old chairman Rupert Murdoch, met on Wednesday and an announcement was expected later on Thursday on the decision to create two publicly traded companies, the source said, confirming a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Ever unpredictable, Murdoch, after years of resisting calls by some large shareholders to spin out or sell off the company's slow-growth - and in some cases, loss-making - newspapers, decided to propose the move rather suddenly.

Details on the management structure are still to be resolved and formal approval by the board is still needed. The process is expected to take about a year, said the source, who did not want to be named as the decision had still to be made public.

Pressure on News Corp to get rid of the newspaper business was ramped up after a phone hacking scandal tainted its British titles and forced the company to drop its proposed acquisition of pay-TV group BSkyB.

"As recently as a month ago he (Murdoch) was still saying no way would he do this," said one News Corp insider with knowledge of the internal conversations.

The Wall Street Journal, owned by News Corp, earlier said one company will hold the entertainment businesses like 20th Century Fox, Fox broadcast network and Fox News Channel, while the other will hold the publishing assets, which include The Times, The Australian, and HarperCollins book publishing.

In a brief statement on Tuesday, News Corp said only that it was "considering" splitting the company. According to people familiar with the matter, News Corp has already enlisted investment banks JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Centerview to advise on a process.

Wednesday's board meeting lasted about an hour and a half and many details, such as who will run the publishing business, have yet to be resolved, the Wall Street Journal said.

News Corp spokesmen in New York and Sydney were not immediately available to comment on whether the split had been approved.

The board, long criticized for being dominated by the Murdochs or beholden to them, had been expected to approve the split. It was not immediately clear if it will be put to a shareholder vote. If it is, Murdoch controls just under 40 percent of the vote and would likely have no problem getting the extra 10 percent needed.

The process of separating the company's broadcast, cable and film assets from its publishing and education operations stands to be complicated by issues such as regulatory and tax implications and could take up to a year to complete.

The film and television businesses generated revenues of $23.5 billion in the year to June 2011, dwarfing the publishing unit's $8.8 billion. Publishing, including integrated marketing services, accounts for around 7 percent of News Corp's enterprise value, according to analysts at Barclays Capital. It estimates that publishing represents 24 percent of revenues and around 11 percent of operating income.

Analysts estimate an independent publishing division would generate about $1.3 billion in EBITDA at a multiple valuation of 6 times, or $3.25 per share. They expect a standalone entertainment unit to be valued at $52 billion, or $23 per share, based on an 8 times cash flow multiple.

JOCKEYING FOR TOP JOBS

The most speculation revolves around how Murdoch handles the reassigning of his top executives, including his three adult children associated with the company.

With a split between the struggling publishing business and its much larger, faster-growing entertainment business, the majority of the big names are anticipated to jockey for key roles on the entertainment side.

Chase Carey, News Corp's current No. 2, is widely seen as the likely CEO designate for the entertainment business. Liz Murdoch and James Murdoch are expected to report to him. That could raise questions about the current heads of the Fox TV business, Peter Rice and Kevin Reilly.

Less clear is who would run the publishing business. One obvious candidate is Joel Klein, the former New York City chancellor for education, who joined News Corp last year to run its new education business, which so far consists only of Wireless Generation, a digital company for schools. Murdoch's eldest son, Lachlan, a former New York Post publisher and currently a director, is another prospect.

Canaccord Genuity Inc analyst Thomas Eagan believes News Corp stock has room to rise even with an 11 percent gain since news of the split plans broke on Tuesday. "News Corp is still trading below its peers at 6.5 times EBITDA, even after you take out the publishing business and the expected litigation costs," he said.

News Corp's Australian-listed shares jumped more than 3.5 percent to a 4-year high of A$22.29 on Thursday.

(Reporting by Yinka Adegoke; Additional reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Peter Lauria, Prudence Crowther and Ian Geoghegan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/news-corp-approves-publishing-entertainment-split-wsj-013102837--finance.html

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Researchers discover potential explanation for why a diet high in DHA improves memory

Public release date: 28-Jun-2012
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Contact: Raquel Maurier
raquel.maurier@ualberta.ca
780-492-5986
University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry

We've all heard that eating fish is good for our brains and memory. But what is it about DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, that makes our memory sharper?

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta discovered a possible explanation and just published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.

Principal investigator Yves Sauve and his team discovered lab models fed a high-DHA diet had 30 per cent higher levels of DHA in the memory section of the brain, known as the hippocampus, when compared to animal models on a regular, healthy diet.

"We wanted to find out how fish intake improves memory," says Sauve, a researcher in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry who works in the department of physiology, the department of ophthalmology and the Centre for Neuroscience.

"What we discovered is that memory cells in the hippocampus could communicate better with each other and better relay messages when DHA levels in that region of the brain were higher. This could explain why memory improves on a high-DHA diet."

Sauve noted it is a key finding that when a diet is supplemented with DHA, that additional stores of the omega-3 fatty acid are deposited in the brain. His team confirmed this finding, a discovery other labs have noted as well.

Supplementing your diet with DHA, such as increasing fish intake or taking supplements, could prevent declining DHA levels in the brain as we age, says Sauve.

This research was funded by Alberta Innovates Health Solutions.

Earlier this year, Sauve and other colleagues discovered DHA prevents the accumulation of a toxic molecule at the back of the eye that causes age-related vision loss. He is continuing his research in this area.

###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Researchers discover potential explanation for why a diet high in DHA improves memory Public release date: 28-Jun-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Raquel Maurier
raquel.maurier@ualberta.ca
780-492-5986
University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry

We've all heard that eating fish is good for our brains and memory. But what is it about DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, that makes our memory sharper?

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta discovered a possible explanation and just published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.

Principal investigator Yves Sauve and his team discovered lab models fed a high-DHA diet had 30 per cent higher levels of DHA in the memory section of the brain, known as the hippocampus, when compared to animal models on a regular, healthy diet.

"We wanted to find out how fish intake improves memory," says Sauve, a researcher in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry who works in the department of physiology, the department of ophthalmology and the Centre for Neuroscience.

"What we discovered is that memory cells in the hippocampus could communicate better with each other and better relay messages when DHA levels in that region of the brain were higher. This could explain why memory improves on a high-DHA diet."

Sauve noted it is a key finding that when a diet is supplemented with DHA, that additional stores of the omega-3 fatty acid are deposited in the brain. His team confirmed this finding, a discovery other labs have noted as well.

Supplementing your diet with DHA, such as increasing fish intake or taking supplements, could prevent declining DHA levels in the brain as we age, says Sauve.

This research was funded by Alberta Innovates Health Solutions.

Earlier this year, Sauve and other colleagues discovered DHA prevents the accumulation of a toxic molecule at the back of the eye that causes age-related vision loss. He is continuing his research in this area.

###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-06/uoaf-rdp062812.php
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Thursday, June 28, 2012

Tepid economic growth weighs on US job market

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S. economy is growing too slowly to pull the job market out of a slump, according to the latest data that suggest June has been another weak month for hiring.

Applications for unemployment benefits stayed above a level last week that is generally considered too high to lower the unemployment rate. And the annual growth rate for the U.S. economy in the January-March quarter was unchanged at a tepid 1.9 percent.

Two government reports released Thursday added to the picture of an economy that is faltering for the third straight year after a promising start. Job growth has tumbled, consumers are less confident and Europe's financial crisis has dampened demand for U.S. exports.

Most economists don't see growth accelerating much from the first-quarter pace, although some are hopeful that lower gas prices could help lift consumer spending over the summer.

Growth of around 1.9 percent typically generates roughly 90,000 jobs a month. That's considered too weak to lower the unemployment rate, which was 8.2 percent last month.

Slow improvement in the economy threatens President Barack Obama's re-election hopes. He is likely to face voters with the highest unemployment rate of any president since the Great Depression.

The Federal Reserve last week downgraded its outlook for 2012 growth. The Fed now predicts the economy will grow between 1.9 percent and 2.4 percent this year ? a half a percentage point lower than its forecast in April. And it doesn't see the unemployment rate falling much lower this year.

Hiring hasn't likely improved in June, based on the level of people applying for unemployment benefits.

Weekly applications fell only slightly last week to a seasonally adjusted 386,000, the Labor Department said. Applications have climbed nearly 5 percent in the past two months.

When applications are above 375,000, it generally means that hiring isn't strong enough to rapidly lower the unemployment rate.

Economists are predicting that 100,000 jobs were added in June and the unemployment rate did not change, according to a survey by FactSet. The government will issue the June employment report on July 6.

"Jobless claims are still too high and show that employment growth is slowing and no progress is being made," said Jennifer Lee, an economist at BMO Capital Markets.

Employers added an average of only 73,000 jobs a month in April and May after averaging 226,000 a month in the first three months of the year.

The report on the first quarter's economic growth showed that U.S. corporate profits fell, the first quarterly decline since the final three months of 2008.

U.S. corporations earned less profit overseas, the report said. That's likely a result of Europe's economic woes and slowing growth in countries like China and India. Lower overseas profits could discourage U.S. employers from adding some jobs in the second half of the year.

"With global weakness continuing ... corporate profits are likely to remain under pressure, a development that is unlikely to help the employment outlook," said Jeremy Lawson, an economist at BNP Paribas.

Other recent indicators have painted a mixed picture of the economy.

A closely watched private survey released this week showed consumer confidence fell in June for the fourth straight month. The Conference Board said worries about the job market outweighed lower gas prices and steady improvement in the housing market.

Americans have received little in the way of pay raises this year, with wage growth trailing inflation. That has started to slow their growth in spending. Retails sales have barely grown in the past two months.

Less growth in consumer spending has also hurt U.S. manufacturing activity, a leading economic driver since the recession ended. Factories produced less in May than April, the Federal Reserve said this month. Automakers cut back on output for the first time in six months.

There have been hopeful signs.

Gas prices have plummeted since peaking in April near $4 per gallon. The average national price for a gallon of gas was $3.37 on Thursday, according to auto club AAA, Wright Express and the Oil Price Information Service.

U.S. factories received more orders for long-lasting manufactured goods in May, while a key measure of business investment plans rose.

And Americans are starting to gain more confidence in the long-suffering housing market. Home sales are up from last year and signed contracts to buy homes matched a two-year high in May.

One reason home sales are increasing is mortgage rates have fallen to the lowest levels on record. This week, the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage stayed at 3.66 percent. That's unchanged from last week and the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s.

Home prices have started to rise in most cities. And homebuilders are planning to break ground on more projects in the next 12 months.

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Video Game Reviews ? Tips for Gamers in Writing ... - ECONTENTZ

Let?s face it the average video gamer has the attention span of a gnat. so of you are going to catch their attention when writing a video game review you need to do it quick. In other words, start with a 5-star method at the top. How many stars is it worth?

Next you must explain at the bottom who you rate the video games, and your criteria, because a true gamer is not interested in your opinion unless you quantify things. The next critical point of contention in video game review writing is to explain the level of play; is it for a beginner, intermediate or advanced player.

Of course, the feel of the game, responsiveness and speed of play are also extremely important to the video gamer and its okay to tell it like it is. If the graphics are gay or they suck, then say so. How realistic are the characters and scenery? This is where you can go into detail about the landscape, buildings, attire of characters and how they interact, how real to life is it?

Another significant factor is the point system; is it fair, does it cheat the gamer, and are there ways to boost the point score using various strategies and tricks. If you really want your gaming reviews to get the five stars that you only give the very best video games that you review, then you must give the gamer pointers and tricks to better their scores, and better their chances of winning. Tips and tricks are the most interesting points of any gaming review, so don?t let us down.

Video Game Reviews - Tips for Gamers in Writing Video Game Reviews

?Lance Winslow? ? Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance Winslow?s Bio

Content About : Video Game Reviews ? Tips for Gamers in Writing Video Game Reviews Article

-- Download Video Game Reviews - Tips for Gamers in Writing Video Game Reviews as PDF --

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London's Big Ben clock tower to be renamed Elizabeth Tower

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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

User:DaithDautry605 - Impure Course @ Bestiario

From Impure Course @ Bestiario

Stuart Simonsen opened Montana Cycling and Ski in Can of 2010 and it has been an incredibly gratifying business. Stuart Simonsen, of Billings Montana has been a productive investment manager for years, yet this project has been very pleasing. As the name implies, the store concentrates on any require that a cycler or skier could have. Plus, the store is staffed by remarkably knowledgeable skiers and cyclists. The store acts as a resource for local and visiting skiers and cyclists with any questions or issues they may have.

More importantly, Montana Cycling and Ski takes seriously its relationship with the local community. The store regularly updates customers on upcoming races, ski trips, events, and other related activities happening in the area. They are also sponsors and supporters of numerous the events. Even the workers and workers get involved in local events. This kind of work helps to bring the skiing and cycling community closer. It brings more enjoyment and much more individuals to sports that can be enjoyed in isolation yet are greater with others.

Stuart Simonsen's Montana Cycling and Ski also does its share to assistance charities and good causes in the area. They help organize and offer for the annual Montana Motorbike MS Ride. This ride is a two-day trip that challenges cyclists as also raising cash for an excellent lead to. This company supports and donates to the Yellowstone AIDS Project to help promote awareness about HIV/AIDS in Montana.

The company supports plenty of other organizations and events by sponsoring, donating, and raising cash throughout the area for anything from local hockey associations to the Billings Parks and Recreation Division . For the hardcore sports enthusiasts, Montana Cycling and Ski even supports triathlon races in the area. Stuart Simonsen is proud of the interaction the store has in the area and will keep help it expand and succeed.

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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Tito Lopez Challenges Rap Competitors To His Own Hunger Game

'I spit and I spit for real, so I wanted to bring that hunger aspect to it and that feeling like I gotta be #1,' MC says of The Hunger Game.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by James Lacsina

Tito Lopez
Photo:

Main Pick

Headliner: Tito Lopez

Representing: Gulfport, Mississippi

Mixtape: The Hunger Game

Real Spit: Tito Lopez sure is confident; then again, if you could rap tightly packed bars like the Gulfport, Mississippi, MC, you would be too. On his latest mixtape, The Hunger Game,Tito puts all of his skill and confidence on full display.

"I named my mixtape The Hunger Game basically because if anybody knows me, they know I love movies," Tito told Mixtape Daily.

Lopez found a parallel in "The Hunger Games" film and the rap game where he hopes to one day be crowned a king. "If you never seen that movie these kids have to fight to the death, they're kids and it's really kind of messed up. They gotta fight 'till it's one winner and I feel like that's the competition aspect that's missing out of rap," he said.

On "Try Me," Tito invites all would-be detractors to the battlefield. "Feast on beats and pick my teeth, if you want some bitch come find me/ I'll make it hard for you to stand as a man, let alone stand by me, come try me," he spits to end his first verse.

Tito is currently a rap underdog, even though his talent has earned him a deal with Capitol Records. On "Mass Appeal 2.0" he proves his worth lyrically over a re-worked Gang Starr instrumental and then rhymes over another DJ Premier beat with his "Devil's Pie" freestyle. Both are winners.

With "Jessica," Tito shows that it isn't all slick metaphors and battle raps, as he weaves an intricate story rhyme about a high-school crush. His current single "Mama Proud" shows even more range; it's a heartfelt tune dedicated to his come-up in the game.

After listening to tracks like "Black Ice Freestyle," "They Told Me" and "Ventilation," it becomes increasingly difficult to deny Tito his place in the game. "I spit and I spit for real, so I wanted to bring that hunger aspect to it and that feeling like I gotta be #1," he said. "If I gotta knock cats out to be that, I will be that."

Joints to Check For

>> "They Told Me"— "It's like a triumphant type joint. I've made that just to basically let people know I've come along way."

>> "Jessica" — "This is one of my favorite joints period. I tell a story about a girl who she has low self-esteem, she made some bad choices, had a hard life and she don't have no self-respect or nothin' like that. Basically during the story, I'm trying to tell her to respect herself more, to make better choices."

Related Artists

Tito Lopez

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As Debby hovers in Gulf, Florida getting more rain

Jesse Deese uses his skim board to shield from blowing sand in Panama City Beach, Fla., Monday, June 25, 2012. Tropical Storm Debby raked the Tampa Bay area with high wind and heavy rain Monday in a drenching that could top 2 feet over the next few days and trigger widespread flooding. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Convenience store employee Lindsey Bennight watches floodwaters surround the store where she works in Crawfordville, Fla., Monday, June 25, 2012. Bennight had to walk through waist-deep water earlier in the day to leave the store after it was flooded by heavy rains caused by Tropical Storm Debby. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Cedar Key Fire Chief Robert Robinson walks on a section of a floating dock that broke loose during a storm surge from Tropical Storm Debby in Cedar Key, Fla., on Sunday, June 24, 2012. Slow-moving Tropical Storm Debby's outer bands lashed Florida with rain and kicked up rough surf off Alabama on Sunday, prompting storm warnings for those states. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Brad McClenny)

Cedar Key Police Chief Virgil Sandlin works on his hands an knees to secure a section of a floating dock as strong storm surge and flooding are felt from Tropical Storm Debby, in Cedar Key, Fla., Sunday, June 24, 2012. Sandlin said it was like riding a bronco trying to keep balance on the dock. Slow-moving Tropical Storm Debby's outer bands lashed Florida with rain and kicked up rough surf off Alabama on Sunday, prompting storm warnings for those states and causing at least one death. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Brad McClenny)

A message referring to rainfall from a tropical storm system is displayed at the San Jose Baptist Church on Monday, June 25, 2012, in Jacksonville, Fla. Tropical Storm Debby raked the Tampa Bay area with high wind and heavy rain Monday in a drenching that could top 2 feet over the next few days and trigger widespread flooding. (AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union, Kelly Jordan)

ST. GEORGE ISLAND, Fla. (AP) ? After raking Florida's Gulf coast with high winds and heavy rain, Tropical Storm Debby promised to bring more of the same in the coming days as it continued to hover in the Gulf of Mexico early Tuesday, in no apparent hurry to make landfall.

The National Hurricane Center said Debby was about 85 miles west of Cedar Key, Fla., and moving eastward near 3 mph. It had maximum sustained winds near 45 mph, barely tropical-storm status. Still, the storm had made its presence felt Monday.

Roads such as Tampa's Bayshore Boulevard were washed out. Residents tried to salvage belongings from flooded homes in low-lying areas. At one point Monday, high winds and flooding concerns prompted authorities to close two major routes over Tampa Bay into St. Petersburg: the Howard Frankland Bridge from Tampa and the Sunshine Skyway from the southeast.

Before nightfall, Debbie had dumped more than a foot of rain on some parts over the previous 96 hours. And forecasters were expecting the rains to continue, bringing another 4 to 8 inches across northern Florida.

Torrential rains and flooding would continue across parts of the Florida Panhandle and northern Florida for several days, even though the storm wasn't expected to gain strength.

"The widespread flooding is the biggest concern," said Florida Emergency Operations Center spokeswoman Julie Roberts. "It's a concern that Debby is going to be around for the next couple of days, and while it sits there, it's going to continue to drop rain. The longer it sits, the more rain we get."

At least one person was killed Sunday by a tornado spun off by the large storm system.

WFLA-TV reported that a young mother, Heather Town, died Sunday when her Highlands County home was lifted off its foundation and she and her baby girl were thrown into nearby woods. The mother was found clutching the child, who survived.

"She was a great mother, and held her baby through all of this and held her so tight," her father, Elmer Town, Jr., told the news station. "She was holding her during the tornado. And when they found her, she was still holding her."

Alabama authorities searched for a man who disappeared in the rough surf.

An estimated 35,000 homes and businesses lost electricity. Progress Energy reported that as of 4 p.m. Monday, about 18,900 were still without power.

The bridge leading to St. George Island, a vacation spot along the Panhandle, was closed to everyone except residents, renters and business owners to keep looters out. The island had no power, and palm trees had been blown down, but roads were passable.

"Most true islanders are hanging in there because they know that you may or may not be able to get back to your home when you need to," said David Walker, an island resident having a beer at Eddy Teach's bar. He said he had been through many storms on the island and Debby was on the weaker end of the scale.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a statewide emergency, allowing authorities to put laws against price-gouging into effect and override bureaucratic hurdles to deal with the storm.

A tropical storm warning remained in effect Tuesday morning for about 450 miles of coastline, from Mexico Beach in the Panhandle to Englewood, south of Sarasota.

Forecasters cautioned that Debby is a large tropical cyclone spreading strong winds and heavy rains at great distances from its center.

They said it would crawl northeast, come ashore along Florida's northwestern coast Wednesday night and track slowly across the state, exiting along the Atlantic Coast by Saturday morning and losing steam on the way.

"We're not expecting the storm to intensify," said Ernie Jillson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Tampa, early Tuesday. "We're expecting it to stay a fairly weak tropical storm."

Monday, high winds and the threat of flooding forced the closing of an interstate highway bridge that spans Tampa Bay and links St. Petersburg with areas to the southeast.

Authorities later announced the closing of the Howard Frankland bridge that connects Tampa, including the region's major airport, and St. Petersburg. The eight-lane bridge carries Interstate 275 over Tampa Bay. The southbound lanes were later reopened.

People in several sparsely populated counties near the crook of Florida's elbow were urged to leave low-lying neighborhoods because of the danger of flooding. Shelters opened in some places.

On St. Pete Beach in the Tampa Bay area, surfers enjoyed the large waves in the Gulf, which is usually so calm the water looks like glass. Residents cleaned up debris in yards and streets from a possible tornado Sunday.

"The wind picked up so bad. It's very, very scary. I ran into the closet underneath the hallway stairs," said Ann Garrison, who has lived on the barrier island for 20 years but has never seen such strong winds. She said that when she came back out after just a few minutes, "the fence was gone, and it was in the middle of the yard."

Nearby, a likely tornado ripped the roof off a marina and an apartment complex and knocked down fences, trees and signs.

___

Associated Press writers Freida Frisaro and Christine Armario in Miami; Gary Fineout in Tallahassee, Fla.; and AP Auto Writer Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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Monday, June 25, 2012

RLTV Expands Reach Through Launch On Mediacom Systems

Boomers and Seniors Receive Greater Access to Programming that Reflects Their Lives and Interests

BALTIMORE, June 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- RLTV,the only cable network that provides viewers with information and entertainment to help Redefine Life after 50, announced today that Mediacom, the nation's 8th largest cable distributor, has launched RLTV in several markets.

"RLTV focuses on subjects most relevant to the needs and lifestyles of those 50+," said Patrick Baldwin, Senior Vice President of Affiliate Sales & Corporate Development at RLTV. "We are grateful for Mediacom's commitment to helping deliver programming that will redefine life for boomers and seniors."

"At every phase in their lives, baby boomers made profound changes to American culture, and now at age 50+, they are redefining what it means to live longer, more fulfilling lives," said Paul Pecora, Mediacom's director for area operations. "We believe our customers will find RLTV's unique programming to be of value as they seek to enrich their lives with new pursuits and maintain healthy active lifestyles."

RLTV is initially available in the following Mediacom systems: Apache Junction (Phoenix DMA), Menifee-Sun City (Los Angeles DMA), and Clearlake (San Francisco DMA).

About RLTV

RLTV is the only television network dedicated to celebrating the lifestyle, interests and influence of boomers and seniors. Its Emmy Award-winning, informative and entertaining programming focuses on everything from financial planning and second careers to travel and entertainment; from health and wellness to volunteerism and community-building. RLTV has an all-star lineup of celebrity hosts including Florence Henderson, Joan Lunden, Jean Chatzky and Sam Donaldson. RLTV is about redefining life. For more information on RLTV, go to www.rl.tv.

About Mediacom

Mediacom Communications is one of the leading cable operators focused on serving the smaller cities in the United States, with a significant concentration in the Midwestern and Southeastern regions. Mediacom Communications offers a wide array of broadband products and services, including digital television, video-on-demand, digital video recorders, high-definition television, as well as high-speed Internet access and phone service. Mediacom Communications also offers affordable broadband communications solutions that can be tailored to any size business through Mediacom Business. For more information about Mediacom Communications, please visit www.mediacomcc.com.

Media Contact:

Brooke Botsford
Goodman Media International for RLTV
212-576-2700 x241 / bbotsford@goodmanmedia.com

SOURCE RLTV

RLTV

CONTACT: Phyllis Peters, Local Communications Director, Mediacom, +1-515-246-2295 or +1-515-707-7148 (mobile)

Web Site: http://www.rl.tv

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Sunday, June 24, 2012

Long-term testosterone treatment for men results in reduced weight and waist size

ScienceDaily (June 23, 2012) ? In testosterone-deficient men, major weight loss was an added benefit of testosterone replacement therapy for most of the patients who participated in a new study.

The results will be presented June 23 at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

"The substantial weight loss found in our study -- an average of 36 pounds -- was a surprise," said the study's lead author, Farid Saad, PhD, of Berlin-headquartered Bayer Pharma.

Although prior studies using testosterone therapy in testosterone-deficient men consistently show changes in body composition, such as increased lean mass and decreased fat mass, Saad said the net effect on weight seemed unchanged in those studies. However, Saad said their study, which took place in Germany, had a longer follow-up by at least two years and used long-acting injections of testosterone.

The investigators restored testosterone to normal levels in 255 testosterone-deficient ("hypogonadal") men, whose average age was nearly 61 (range, 38 to 83 years). Treatment lasted for up to five years, with injections given at day 1, after 6 weeks and then every 12 weeks after that. Patients did not follow a controlled diet or standard exercise program but received advice to improve their lifestyle habits.

On average, the men weighed 236 pounds before beginning testosterone treatment and 200 pounds after treatment (106.2 versus 90 kilograms), the authors reported. Weight loss was reportedly continuous, with an average reduction in body weight ranging from about 4 percent after one year of treatment to more than 13 percent after five years.

In addition, men lost an average of nearly 3.5 inches (8.8 centimeters) around their waist.

"These results are encouraging because studies show that weight loss drugs and lifestyle interventions have been largely unsuccessful, especially long term," Saad said.

Testosterone deficiency becomes more common with age. Saad said many middle-aged men with testosterone deficiency are obese, explaining that there is "a vicious circle" in obesity and low testosterone.

"Obesity is associated with reduced testosterone, and low testosterone induces weight gain," Saad wrote in the study abstract.

Testosterone replacement is the standard treatment for most men with symptomatic testosterone deficiency, according to The Endocrine Society guidelines.

In the study by Saad and colleagues, treatment used a slow-release, injectable form of the male hormone (testosterone undecanoate) that is not yet available in the United States. It is marketed in Europe, Latin America, Australia and parts of Asia and Africa.

Saad is an employee of Bayer Pharma, which makes a brand of testosterone undecanoate and which partially funded the study in its final two years.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Endocrine Society, via Newswise.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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

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Darrell Issa: President's Executive Privilege Claims 'Simply Wrong'

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Saturday, June 23, 2012

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A battle for Internet freedom as UN meeting nears

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Secret negotiations involving dozens of countries preparing for a United Nations summit on international telecommunications could lead to changes in a global treaty that would diminish the Internet's role in economic growth and restrict the free flow of information.

The U.S. delegation to the World Conference on International Telecommunications to be held in Dubai in December has vowed to block any proposals from Russia and other countries that they believe threaten the Internet's current governing structure or give tacit approval to online censorship.

But those assurances have failed to ease fears that bureaucratic tinkering with the treaty could damage the world's most powerful engine for exchanging information, creating jobs and even launching revolutions, according to legal experts and civil liberties advocates who have been tracking the discussions. Social networks played a key role in the Arab Spring uprisings that last year upended regimes in Egypt and Tunisia.

Russia, for example, has proposed language that requires member states to ensure the public has unrestricted access and use of international telecommunication services "except in cases where international telecommunication services are used for the purpose of interfering in the internal affairs or undermining the sovereignty, national security, territorial integrity and public safety of other states, or to divulge information of a sensitive nature," according to a May 3 U.N. document that details the various proposals for amending the treaty.

The wording of this provision could allow a country to repress political opposition while citing a U.N. treaty as the basis for doing so. The provision also appears to contradict Article 19 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says people shall have the right to access information "through any media and regardless of frontiers."

An amended treaty would be binding on the United States if it is ratified by the Senate. But approval is not automatic. The treaty is sure to be scrutinized by lawmakers wary of its potential impact.

The U.N.'s International Telecommunication Union, which oversees the treaty, does not operate like the U.N. Security Council, where the United States has the power to veto resolutions to which it objects. The ITU works on a consensus basis. Proposals can be stopped from serious consideration if enough countries voice their objections. More than 190 nations will attend the Dubai conference and the U.S. delegation is seeking support for its positions at the preparatory meetings that will continue until the conference convenes.

"It is important that when we have values, as we do in the area of free speech and the free flow of information, that we do everything that we can to articulate and sustain those values," Philip Verveer, deputy assistant secretary of state and U.S. coordinator for international communications and information policy, said in an interview.

The drafting and debating of proposals in preparation for the Dubai conference have taken place largely behind closed doors. Public interest groups have criticized the process and said it runs counter to development of sound public policy. In response to calls for transparency, two research fellows at George Mason University's Mercatus Center launched the website WCITLeaks.org earlier this month as a way to make documents that have been leaked to them by anonymous sources available publicly.

The negotiations have sparked rumors that the U.N. and the ITU are plotting to take control of the Internet from the loose coalition of nongovernmental organizations that establishes Internet policies, standards and rules, they said. The ITU's secretary general, Hamadoun Toure, has called the takeover rumor "ridiculous."

The ITU said the preparatory process is open to all member states as well as hundreds of private sector and academic organizations. The member states, not the ITU, determine the rules of participation and are free to share documents and information as they see fit, the agency said in an emailed statement.

The treaty, known formally as the International Telecommunications Regulations, was developed in 1988 to deal with global telephone and telegraph systems that were often state-run. The conference in Dubai, which is being held by the ITU, will be the first time in 20 years that the treaty is being opened for revisions.

Independent organizations, including the Internet Society, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and the Worldwide Web Consortium, for years have served as the Internet's governing bodies. They handle core tasks like network and domain name administration and make decisions based on input from the public and private sectors. This system allows the Internet to evolve organically and rapidly to changes in technology, business practices and consumer behavior, according to open Internet advocates.

Yet countries still grappling with how communications have been transformed by the Internet view the ITU and the treaty as the best avenues for plugging themselves into the global information economy. For developing nations that don't have an effective broadband infrastructure, bureaucratic and regulatory measures can allow them to benefit financially from the traffic that crosses their borders.

But treaties are static instruments that often are unable to adapt and adjust to the fast pace of Internet innovation, said Sally Shipman Wentworth, senior manager for public policy at the nonprofit Internet Society. "Further, we do not believe that we should simply take the 1988 regulatory model that applied to the old telephone system and apply it to the Internet," she said.

A proposal offered by a European association of telecommunications network operators would put pressure on content providers such as Google, Facebook and Netflix to offset the costs of delivering Internet traffic to end-users. Traffic increasingly includes bandwidth-hungry video, and the proposal from the European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association essentially argues that the investment needed to expand and improve the transfer of data should be borne by the operators and the content providers.

Verveer called the proposal unworkable and said it would have unintended consequences, such as blocking Harvard, MIT and other universities from putting courses online at no cost to users in places where access to education is already limited. "If it became necessary to pay in order to make these courses available, they would predictably become less available, which would be very unfortunate," he said.

The threat to Internet freedom won't come in the form of a "full-frontal assault," Roger McDowell, a Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission, said at a congressional hearing last month, "but through insidious and seemingly innocuous expansions of intergovernmental powers." His warning resonated with members of the House Energy and Commerce communications and technology subcommittee.

Several lawmakers questioned Verveer, who also testified, and McDowell about the relationship between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Toure, the ITU's secretary general. Their fear is that Putin, who long has pushed for centralized control of the Internet, will use his allegedly close ties to Toure to accomplish that goal. Toure, a native of Mali, received advanced degrees in electronics and telecommunications from universities in Moscow and Leningrad.

"Is this relationship a concern?" asked Republican Rep. Greg Walden, the subcommittee's chairman. "What steps are we taking to be able to counterbalance that relationship?"

Verveer told Walden he has no doubts about Toure's honesty and fairness.

But McDowell struck a more ominous tone. Putin's "designs" need to be taken very seriously, he said, and urged proponents of Internet freedom to be on guard for "camouflaged subterfuge" that could threaten the Internet's future.

___

Online:

International Telecommunication Union: http://www.itu.int/en/Pages/default.aspx

WCITLeaks: http://wcitleaks.org

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Jack Osbourne Snuggles with Kelly and Pearl

Jack Osbourne had two cuddly gals on his hands Thursday, as evidenced by this sweet photo taken with his sister, Kelly Osbourne, and his daughter, Pearl Clementine, 8 weeks.

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Senate bill brings some big changes to farm policy

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Briefly putting election-year politics aside, the Senate on Thursday moved toward strong approval of legislation assuring that farmers hit by bad times will be protected and that millions of others hurt by the bad economy won't go hungry.

The Senate is expected to show bipartisan support for the $500 billion bill that sets farm safety net and conservation policies and funds the food stamp program over the next five years. The vote will come after lawmakers finish the final eight of more than 70 amendments the Senate is considering as part of the 1,000-page bill.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky opened Thursday's session by praising the Senate's recent successes in getting bills passed. McConnell said they were "getting back to operating the way the Senate traditionally has."

The bill goes next to the House, where there's less enthusiasm for it among conservative Republicans. The House Agriculture Committee has delayed a vote on the farm bill until July 11, and it's uncertain when the full House will vote. The 2008 farm bill expires at the end of September.

One issue the Senate left unresolved that the House will have to consider is a division between northern and southern farmers over safety nets.

The Senate bill makes major changes in past practices, eliminating direct payments to farmers regardless of whether they plant a crop and replacing the payments with greater emphasis on crop insurance and a new revenue protection plan that compensates farmers for minor losses until crop insurance kicks in.

Northern and Midwestern corn and soybean farmers support the change, but southern rice and peanut farmers, who have relied more heavily on direct payments and a target price subsidy that would also be eliminated, are looking to the House to keep at least some parts of the old system.

Senate supporters say the changes to the subsidy programs will save $15 billion over the next 10 years. The entire bill, with savings to conservation programs and food stamps, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, would save the treasury $23 billion over that period.

The Senate bill also limits subsidy payments to those with adjusted gross income of less than $750,000, half the current ceiling, and caps payments at $50,000 for an individual or $100,000 for a couple. An amendment approved Wednesday would also reduce by 15 percentage points the taxpayer share of crop insurance premiums for those with incomes of more than $750,000. The government now pays an average 62 percent of crop insurance premiums.

The bill also ends payments to "farm managers," sometimes wealthy people who may have an interest in a farm but don't live on the property or actively engage in farming.

Food stamps continue to command the great majority of farm bill dollars. Spurred by the bad economy, there are now 46 million people getting food stamps, at a cost of about $80 billion a year. That's 80 percent of the entire farm bill budget.

The farm bill does make an effort to end abuse or misuse of SNAP benefits. Lottery winners and college students being supported by their non-low-income families no longer qualify. The bill cracks down on benefit trafficking, prevents liquor and tobacco stores from accepting food stamps and closes a loophole in which some states give as little as $1 a year in heating assistance to people, even when they don't have heating bills, to increase their food stamp benefits. That saves about $4 billion over 10 years, a tiny part of the $770 billion the program is expected to spend, and senators rejected amendments that would have made deeper cuts in the program.

The measure also differs from past farm bills in paying more attention to what are called specialty crops, mainly fruits and vegetables. It expands block grants to states to support research and promotion of specialty crops, assists organic farmers and expands support for farmers' markets and programs that help get healthy foods to low-income areas.

Still, there are numerous groups that say the bill doesn't go far enough in casting off old farm bill habits. The conservative Club for Growth said it still asserts too much government control in the private sector. The public interest advocacy group U.S. PIRG said the bill "will continue the current practice of disproportionately subsidizing the largest agribusinesses, who are already profitable and don't need taxpayer handouts."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., long a watchdog for special interest projects included in highway and farm bills, noted that the bill doesn't change the program that protects sugar growers from foreign competition and creates a new $3 billion program for cotton growers. He said there is also money in the bill to improve the U.S. sheep industry, study the health benefits of peas and lentils and plant trees in urban parks.

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Friday, June 22, 2012

In Home Personal Trainer ? Remaining Motivated for Fitness

Choosing to get healthy and fit is among the best calls that you can make for yourself. Great health can boost not only your energy and physical health, but offer a boost to your happiness and decrease your stress levels too. But in a day and age when most of the people purchase a gym membership, utilize it for a month, and then never go to the work out center again, it?s obvious that motivation can be a major problem for all those thinking of getting fit and slim. An in home female personal trainer Dallas will allow you to prevail over that motivational hurdle, and still provide other benefits as well.

Simply put, when you know that you have got an in home female personal trainer Plano on the way to your house, it?s just a bit more difficult to disregard your exercise routine. You?ll most likely feel at least a bit accountable since they?re coming to help, and saying no can be awkward. Furthermore, they might even help you find the extra inspiration that you need through positive encouragement. When you have got a fitness instructor who believes in you and wants to help you get in shape, it?s far simpler to find the determination to actually do so. An in home trainer is perfect for that.

One more reason a lot of people lose interest in their exercise routines is because they basically become uncertain that they are actually making any progress. Choosing the appropriate exercise program can be difficult, and realizing results may take time. Demotivation can quickly follow. Fortuitously, not only will an in home female personal trainer Frisco TX be able to lead you through the routines which are suitable for reaching your goals, they are going to also help track how well you?re progressing and your physical fitness and make alterations to your routine if needed. You?ll never need to second guess your training session and what it?s doing for you ever again.

Of course, there are also times where you simply just haven?t got it in you. When you have an in home female personal trainer, she?ll understand those times far more intimately than a male trainer ever could, and will make allowances. Whether it?s a lighter workout or a rescheduled visit, you will not have to feel bad or be made to think that you?re a loser because of your trainer. They are going to fully grasp, and will work with you no matter what the problem may be. In other words, if you are looking to start a health routine that you will stick with, and in home female personal trainer is your best option.

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