Pelosi Says Republican Attempts to Repeal Health Care Law Unrealistic

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

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pelosi-says-republican-attempts-repeal-health-care-law-115212402.html

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Hi. I'm New Here. - Neighborhood Writing Alliance

I?m Gabe Kalmuss-Katz, the summer communications intern at the Neighborhood Writing Alliance. You may have noticed my name popping up on a few of the blog posts recently. I am really excited to be working at NWA for the summer. While I?m here, I?ll be working on the blog, as well as helping to update some of the content on the website and promotional materials.

Gabe "Loves Community Writing and Cute Dogs" Kalmuss-Katz

When I moved to Chicago about a year ago, I immediately sought out organizations that combined creative writing and community engagement, two of my greatest passions. There are many such organizations in Chicago, all of which are doing excellent work, but the Neighborhood Writing Alliance?s goals and methods really impressed me. I liked that NWA workshops took place in locations in the communities they serve, and didn?t make people travel to its offices or another location for its weekly workshops. I also valued how seriously the organization took the writing of its workshop participants, publishing their pieces in the beautifully designed and incredibly diverse Journal of Ordinary Thought. I wanted to work with the Neighborhood Writing Alliance in whatever way I could.

In the past, I?ve led writing workshops in a variety of community settings, including prisons and courts as well as middle school classrooms. I believe that writing can be an extremely empowering act, and I especially respect the thoughtfulness of the workshop model used by the Neighborhood Writing Alliance. After I get my graduate degree, I hope to work at a not for profit where I can lead and organize writing workshops like those run by NWA.

What degree, you may ask? Well, I am a poet and will be starting up the MFA program at UC?San Diego in the fall. I?m terribly sad to be leaving Chicago, a place as complicated, exciting, and welcoming as any I?ve ever lived. And there?s so much I haven?t done yet! I will leave Chicago without blocking a parking spot off with a chair during a blizzard, without Rahm Emanuel helping me with a job interview on the Brown Line, without screaming my guts out over the singing of the National Anthem at a Blackhawks game, without wrestling with Billy Corgan! I hope my life will lead me back to Chicago after this brief sojourn on the west coast.

In addition to writing poetry, I also co-run Na Zdravi, Na Shledanou Press and write the music blog Songs Save Lives. If you?re curious, you can browse two of the chapbooks I?ve co-authored here.

This summer I hope to learn as much as I can about how an organization with somewhat limited resources like the Neighborhood Writing Alliance manages to have as large of an impact as it does. The not-for-profit sector survives on making do with very little, but NWA accomplishes so much ??its eight weekly workshops, innovative free programming and events, the Journal of Ordinary Thought ??that I was shocked to learn there were only three full-time staff members. Whatever information I learn and thoughts I have, I will surely share with you, blog readers. Stay tuned!

Source: http://www.jot.org/blog/2012/07/02/hi-im-new-here/

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Real estate is becoming better defensive investment than state ...

THE case for investing in commercial real estate is now being further augmented by its risk/reward profile, diversification benefits and pricing.

At a time of great economic uncertainty, commercial real estate offers defensive characteristics not available from equities and bonds.

As a physical asset that also earns income, even in the most extreme cases, an investor in real estate would not experience a total loss.

The experience of the Lehman collapse provides a clear example of this. In contrast, it is unlikely that bondholders or shareholders will get a substantial return from the winding up process.

Even senior bondholders are expected to see a return of less than 25c on the dollar.

Contrast this with the position of the former owners of Lehman?s UK headquarters. The administrator continued to pay most of the rent while the European operations were being transferred to Nomura, with Lehman?s sub-tenants in the building providing additional security of income.

Subsequently, the building itself was sold to JP Morgan for ?495 million.

In terms of the Irish market over the last five years, investors would have been better off owning the buildings occupied by the banks rather than shares in the banks themselves.

At times of high uncertainty and volatility in the capital markets generally, this is a valuable quality.

This is evident from the chart above left showing the relative performance of commercial property versus Irish financial shares.

Real estate displays the main features of both bonds and equities. Like bonds it offers a relatively predictable income stream, while at the same time offering the potential for capital growth (and the opposite!) akin to equities.

However, it is the rental income that is the main driver of real estate performance and also underpins its defensive capacity.

This can clearly be seen from the long term IPD figures of rental income and capital growth and loss.

Over the long run, the income return from Irish commercial real estate has been 6.7pc a year, while capital growth has returned just 2.2pc per annum.

Furthermore, the volatility of the income return is extremely low compared to the wide fluctuations in capital value.

Therefore, real estate should be looked upon as a primarily income-producing asset with the potential for modest capital growth over the long term.

Additionally, the yield on Irish commercial real estate is at a historic high and is also significantly higher than those achievable in virtually every other international market.

Based on IPD?s institutional Irish property portfolio, the IPD Index shows Q1 equivalent yields at 9pc for Irish offices, which are an all time high and 8.9pc for all property, which is also at a high.

CBRE?s own records indicate that Irish yields have strengthened in recent weeks and yields for prime Dublin central business district offices have tightened to 7pc from 7.25pc earlier this year and from their high last year of 7.5pc.

This analysis indicates a strong case for investment in Irish commercial real estate on both defensive and pricing grounds.

Of course, real estate is very asset-specific, and the features of individual properties can enhance or erode its fundamental attraction.

Sean O?Brien is head of capital markets in CBRE Dublin.

- Sean O?Brien

Independent.ie ? Commercial Property

Related posts:

1. Database will reveal real house sale price

Source: http://www.castlecountrywide.ie/blog/index.php/commercial-property/real-estate-is-becoming-better-defensive-investment-than-state-bonds-or-equities/

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Houston tribute, obscenities highlight BET Awards

Mariah Carey speaks during the in memoriam to Whitney Houston at the BET Awards on Sunday, July 1, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

Mariah Carey speaks during the in memoriam to Whitney Houston at the BET Awards on Sunday, July 1, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

Cissy Houston pauses as she performs during the in memoriam to her daughter Whitney Houston at the BET Awards on Sunday, July 1, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

Brandy performs during the in memoriam for Whitney Houston at the BET Awards on Sunday, July 1, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

Chaka Khan performs during the in memoriam for Whitney Houston at the BET Awards on Sunday, July 1, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

Monica performs during the in memoriam for Whitney Houston at the BET Awards on Sunday, July 1, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

With all the star power at the BET Awards ? Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce and Samuel L. Jackson, to name a few ? the most stirring moment came not from a superstar, but from the mother of one.

Whitney Houston's mother, Cissy, provided the emotional highlight of Sunday's ceremony as she sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water" in tribute to her late daughter, leaving audience members like Beyonce and Soulja Boy in tears.

Mariah Carey opened the tribute, and her voice wavered as she told stories about Houston. She recalled the last time she saw Houston last year, and how the two laughed and gossiped together.

"I miss my friend," Carey said. "I miss hearing her voice and laughter."

R&B singer Monica was vocally top-notch as she sang "I Love the Lord," a gospel song once sang by Houston; Brandy sang two upbeat Houston hits, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and "I'm Your Baby Tonight." Chaka Khan blazed the stage with "I'm Every Woman," which Houston remade. Gary Houston, Whitney's brother, also performed; and Houston's "Waiting to Exhale" castmates ? Angela Bassett, Lela Rochon and Loretta Devine ? also honored the singer.

But it was Cissy Houston's soaring performance that brought the audience to their feet, and had many dabbing their eyes. The tribute came five months after Houston's death: She died the night before the Grammy Awards of an accidental drowning complicated by heart disease and cocaine use.

As compelling as that moment was, the show was also defined by its low points: Entire segments of performances, from Nicki Minaj to Rick Ross, were muted out due to foul language and obscenities, though several vulgarities were heard on air.

It started during the opening number by West's G.O.O.D. music group, which included Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz. There were long moments of censored silence when the rappers performed "Mercy," though not all the offending words were bleeped out. Moments later, Jackson, the show's host, was joined by Spike Lee as they did a comedic version of Jay-Z and West's hit song "... In Paris," to laughs.

"Two distinguished Morehouse men," Lee joked after the performance, referencing the alma mater of the two.

The censor police also worked overtime when Rick Ross performed with his Maybach Music Group and during Minaj's performance and acceptance speech for best female hip-hop artist. Minaj's win was her third consecutive time taking the prize.

"I really, really appreciate BET for keeping this category alive, and I appreciate all the female rappers doing their thing, past, present and future," she said, before uttering an obscenity.

Best gospel winner Yolanda Adams, who also performed, gently took some of her peers to task, urging them to act mature and use their fame wisely.

"We need all of y'all," she said onstage. "I'm saying the world needs everyone in this room. Please make sure that you use your gift responsibly, 'cause we're watching. Our babies are watching, and they want to be like us."

West, the most nominated act of the night with seven, and Jay-Z won the ceremony's top prize, earning video of the year for "Otis." They also won best group.

Beyonce was the second most nominated act with six. She won video director of the year (along with Alan Ferguson) and best female R&B artist and thanked the genre and her female influences.

"I fell in love with music by listening to R&B. It's the core of who I am," she said, giving special thanks to Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige and "Whitney Houston, my angel."

When she lost video of the year to Jay-Z and West, she playfully hit her husband and laughed. The joking continued: Moments later, as West was giving his acceptance speech, Jay-Z interrupted him and said: "Excuse me Kanye, I'm gonna let you continue, but ...," and the audience erupted with laughter, recalling West's infamous interruption of Taylor Swift's MTV Video Music Awards speech a few years back.

Chris Brown was also a double winner, picking up his second consecutive win for best male R&B artist, and the "Fandemonium" award for a third time.

Brown also performed in his first televised appearance since the New York City nightclub brawl between his entourage and Drake's. Brown, his girlfriend, his bodyguard and NBA star Tony Parker were among those injured in the June 14 encounter, where bottles were thrown.

Drake didn't show, though he was named best male hip-hop artist.

The tone of night fluctuated frequently, as the show shifted from hotly anticipated performances to solemn moments to irreverence. Usher performed his groove "Climax," and Minaj sported a blond wig with pink tips as she performed the songs "Champion" and "Beez in the Trap," which featured 2 Chainz.

D'Angelo returned to the television spotlight with his first performance in years as he attempts a comeback.

The night also featured some tributes to deceased greats: Chante Moore performed a medley of Donna Summer's hits and Valerie Simpson sang a song in honor of her husband and writing partner Nick Ashford. Don Cornelius, Dick Clark and Hal Jackson were remembered. Even West offered tributes: after his performance, he name-dropped Rodney King and Whitney Houston in a verse that got cheers from the crowd, including his girlfriend, Kim Kardashian.

Presenters included Taraji P. Henson, Tyler Perry, Kerry Washington and Jamie Foxx, who wore a T-shirt that had a picture of Trayvon Martin, the Florida teen killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman.

Frankie Beverly featuring Maze were honored with the lifetime achievement award, and they were serenaded with performances by Tyrese, Faith Evans and Joe. The Rev. Al Sharpton received the humanitarian award, and urged the crowd to vote this November.

"This election is not just about Obama, this is about your momma," he said.

___

Online:

http://www.bet.com/shows/bet-awards/2012.html

___

Follow Mesfin Fekadu on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/musicmesfin

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-07-02-BET%20Awards/id-1d5e8679ed2c4d5fb417f607d4f5307a

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Cotton T-shirt fabric can store electricity, maybe keep your cell phone charged

ScienceDaily (June 29, 2012) ? Over the years, the telephone has gone mobile, from the house to the car to the pocket. The University of South Carolina's Xiaodong Li envisions even further integration of the cell phone -- and just about every electronic gadget, for that matter -- into our lives.

He sees a future where electronics are part of our wardrobe.

"We wear fabric every day," said Li, a professor of mechanical engineering at USC. "One day our cotton T-shirts could have more functions; for example, a flexible energy storage device that could charge your cell phone or your iPad."

Li is helping make the vision a reality. He and post-doctoral associate Lihong Bao have just reported in the journal Advanced Materials how to turn the material in a cotton T-shirt into a source of electrical power.

Starting with a T-shirt from a local discount store, Li's team soaked it in a solution of fluoride, dried it and baked it at high temperature. They excluded oxygen in the oven to prevent the material from charring or simply combusting.

The surfaces of the resulting fibers in the fabric were shown by infrared spectroscopy to have been converted from cellulose to activated carbon. Yet the material retained flexibility; it could be folded without breaking.

"We will soon see roll-up cell phones and laptop computers on the market," Li said. "But a flexible energy storage device is needed to make this possible."

The once-cotton T-shirt proved to be a repository for electricity. By using small swatches of the fabric as an electrode, the researchers showed that the flexible material, which Li's team terms activated carbon textile, acts as a capacitor. Capacitors are components of nearly every electronic device on the market, and they have the ability to store electrical charge.

Moreover, Li reports that activated carbon textile acts like double-layer capacitors, which are also called a supercapacitors because they can have particularly high energy storage densities.

But Li and Bao took the material even further than that. They then coated the individual fibers in the activated carbon textile with "nanoflowers" of manganese oxide. Just a nanometer thick, this layer of manganese oxide greatly enhanced the electrode performance of the fabric. "This created a stable, high-performing supercapacitor," said Li.

This hybrid fabric, in which the activated carbon textile fibers are coated with nanostructured manganese oxide, improved the energy storage capability beyond the activated carbon textile alone. The hybrid supercapacitors were resilient: even after thousands of charge-discharge cycles, performance didn't diminish more than 5 percent.

"By stacking these supercapacitors up, we should be able to charge portable electronic devices such as cell phones," Li said.

Li is particularly pleased to have improved on the means by which activated carbon fibers are usually obtained. "Previous methods used oil or environmentally unfriendly chemicals as starting materials," he said. "Those processes are complicated and produce harmful side products. Our method is a very inexpensive, green process."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of South Carolina. The original article was written by Steven Powell.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Lihong Bao, Xiaodong Li. Towards Textile Energy Storage from Cotton T-Shirts. Advanced Materials, 2012; 24 (24): 3246 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201200246

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/7vIhvUY8zD8/120629211540.htm

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Rosie Pope Debuts A Pea in the Pod Collection

Rosie Pope has teamed up with celeb fave A Pea in the Pod to debut her designer maternity capsule collection.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/sSP0XwDOfdY/

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TomKat Flashback: See the Couple's Lavish Wedding Ceremony

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes tied the knot over five years ago ... getting married in an over-the-top ceremony held at a castle in Italy.

With news of their split breaking, we decided to take a look back at the couple and their famous friends in happier times: On their wedding day.

The two said their "I dos" on November 16, 2006 at Castello Odescalchi in Bracciano, Italy. The bride wore a gorgeous white Giorgio Armani dress to the ceremony -- which took place seven months after the birth of the couple's daughter, Suri.

The lavish event was attended by Hollywood's A-list, including Jennifer Lopez and then-husband Marc Anthony, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, Brooke Shields, Jenna Elfman and David and Victoria Beckham.

Check out all the in wedding day photos in the gallery above!

Published 06.29.12

Source: http://www.toofab.com/2012/06/29/tom-cruise-katie-holmes-divorce-wedding-day-photos/

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