CHOKWE, Mozambique (AP) ? Flood waters have begun receding in Mozambique, and residents have started returning to the worst-hit city.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator for Mozambique, Jennifer Topping, visited the city of Chokwe on Wednesday to assess the needs. She says Mozambique will require help to get life back to normal.
The city of Chokwe was among the worst hit by flooding that displaced as many as 150,000 people. The U.N. says flood waters killed at least 38 people over the last several days.
The U.N. said this week at least $15 million would initially be needed in relief aid.
RIM's make-or-break operating system, BlackBerry 10, looks spectacular and the Z10 smartphone looks like the company's first handset that people will actually want to buy. But none of this will mean a thing without awesome apps to run on it.
Brian Schott has been hired to become the second high school football coach at Hockinson High School.
Schott, a Mountain View High School graduate, is a French teacher at West Linn (Ore.) High School, where he also served as the offensive coordinator on the freshman team. He has also served as a coach in football, basketball and baseball at Madison of Portland, Evergreen and Mountain View, as well as in Yuma, Ariz.
He also served as a coach consultant and player for Les Tigres de Nancy, an organization of American-style football in France. He is a graduate of Lewis and Clark College in Portland, where he also played football.
?In addition to his breadth of coaching experience in multiple programs, we were most impressed with Brian?s deep level of passion for the student-athletes and vision for the program,? Hockinson principal Brian Lehner said. ?We are confident that he will continue to strengthen the program that Rick Steele left in excellent shape.?
Schott replaces Rick Steele, who served as Hockinson's first coach when the program was launched in 2004 through the 2012 season, leading the Hawks to three Class 2A Greater St. Helens League titles.
Lehner said 15 people applied for the position, of which three were interviewed for the job. The selection process was completed Monday night meeting of the Hockinson School Board.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Banning some assault weapons and requiring background checks for all firearms purchases aren't a serious attempt to reduce gun violence, a top National Rifle Association official warned Tuesday as Congress geared up for the year's first hearing on the subject.
Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the NRA, said the country must instead focus on boosting security at schools, enforcing existing gun laws and taking more steps to deny guns to people with mental illnesses.
"Law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violent or deranged criminals. Nor do we believe the government should dictate what we can lawfully own and use to protect our families," LaPierre said in testimony he planned to deliver Wednesday at a hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
LaPierre's statement, released Tuesday by the NRA, came nearly seven weeks after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in which a gunman killed 20 children and six adults. The horrific slayings have revived the national debate over gun control, with President Barack Obama proposing a range of restrictions last week and members of Congress introducing legislation on the subject.
LaPierre's testimony was similar in substance but somewhat milder in tone than some statements the organization has made recently.
Less than two weeks after the mass shooting, LaPierre attacked the "media machine" for blaming the gun industry for attacks like Newtown and said what was needed to prevent the next massacre were armed guards and police in every school. Earlier this month, the NRA ran a television ad calling Obama an "elitist hypocrite" for voicing doubts about having armed school guards while his own children are protected that way at their school. While Obama's children have Secret Service protection, officials at their school say its own guards don't carry guns.
"We need to be honest about what works and what does not work. Proposals that would only serve to burden the law-abiding have failed in the past and will fail in the future," LaPierre said in his prepared remarks.
A ban on some semi-automatics considered to be assault weapons was tried from 1994 to 2004 and failed to reduce crime, he said. He also said background checks will never be universal because criminals won't submit to them. Both are among measures that Obama is seeking.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has already introduced legislation taking similar steps to Obama's proposals, including banning assault weapons and magazines that house more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
She said Tuesday that she will hold her own hearing on gun control because she was unhappy that three of the five witnesses testifying to the Judiciary panel on Wednesday are "skewed against us." Feinstein is a member of the committee.
Despite the momentum gun-control advocates have gained since the Newtown shootings, it will be difficult for them to prevail in Congress this year because of the popularity of guns in many states ? including several represented by Democratic senators ? and the formidable muscle of the NRA on Capitol Hill, lawmakers and other say. Among other obstacles, the Republican-run House has shown little immediate interest in making dramatic changes in the laws.
"It's hard," Feinstein said of gun legislation prospects. "I know it's hard. It doesn't mean I shouldn't try."
___
AP reporter David Espo contributed to this report.
FILE - This Jan. 7, 2013 file photo shows former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama's choice for defense secretary, speaking in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
FILE - This Jan. 7, 2013 file photo shows former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama's choice for defense secretary, speaking in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
FILE - This Jan. 7, 2013 file photo shows former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, president Barack Obama's choice for defense secretary, speaking in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2013 file photo, President Barack Obama, left, shakes hands with his choice for Defense Secretary, former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, after announcing Hagel's nomination in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republican-leaning groups opposing President Barack Obama's choice of Chuck Hagel to head the Defense Department have let loose a barrage of claims about the former GOP senator.
They say he endorses automatic cuts to the defense budget, that he wants to decimate the nation's nuclear arsenal, that his membership on the board of a major company that had a Pentagon contract is a conflict of interest that he's ignoring.
A look at Hagel's record suggests many of the contentions are overblown.
In statements and attack ads, the groups have sought to undermine Hagel's nomination in the weeks leading up to his confirmation hearing on Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee. His opponents face a tough challenge as Democrats have begun to rally around the president's choice, and the party has the majority votes to confirm the former two-term Nebraska senator, barring surprises.
Here's a look at the validity of some of the criticism of Hagel.
___
THE CLAIM: "We live in a dangerous world. Iran, North Korea, even Russia. But Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of defense wants America to back down. An end to our nuclear program. Devastating defense cuts. A weaker country."? An ad being run by Americans for a Stronger Defense in the home states of five Democratic senators up for re-election next year ? Alaska's Mark Begich, Arkansas' Mark Pryor, Louisiana's Mary Landrieu, Colorado's Mark Udall and North Carolina's Kay Hagan.
THE FACTS: Hagel has not proposed ending the nuclear weapons program, though he has supported deep cuts.
Hagel was co-author of a May 2012 study by the advocacy group Global Zero that called for an 80 percent reduction of U.S. nuclear weapons and elimination of all nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The group argued that with the Cold War over, the United States needs no more than 900 total nuclear weapons. Currently, the U.S. and Russia have about 5,000 each, either deployed or in reserve. Both countries are on track to reduce the deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 by 2018, the number set in the New START treaty that the Senate ratified in December 2010.
The study said: "These steps could be taken with Russia in unison through reciprocal presidential directives, negotiated in another round of bilateral arms reduction talks or implemented unilaterally." The report was by Hagel, former ambassadors Richard Burt and Thomas Pickering, retired Gen. James Cartwright, a former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and retired Gen. John J. Sheehan.
An arsenal of 900 nuclear weapons would not be an "end" to the U.S. nuclear program, but Hagel and the organization did raise the possibility of unilateral reductions. In a statement Monday, Burt and others defended Hagel and dismissed suggestions that they were "unilateralists."
The group running this anti-Hagel ad was formed recently and offers little information about itself on its website. Board member Mauricio Claver-Carone also is director of the US Cuba Democracy Advocates in Washington and favors tighter restrictions on the Castro government.
___
THE CLAIM: "Opposition is growing even more due to his support for sequestration of the military: huge budget cuts that the Joints Chiefs have already warned the Senate Armed Forces Committee would result in a 'hollow force.'" ? A Jan. 22 statement from Move America Forward, a California-based group founded by conservatives in 2004 to show support for U.S. troops.
THE FACTS: The group offered no evidence Hagel supports sequestration, the budget mechanism that will mean automatic, across-the-board spending cuts March 1 if Congress does not act to avert them. The White House says he opposes the mechanism, which came into play after Hagel left the Senate.
To be sure, Hagel has spoken about cutting Pentagon spending. In a 2011 interview with the Financial Times, Hagel said, "the Defense Department, I think in many ways, has been bloated" and "has gotten everything it's wanted the last 10 years and more."
The base defense budget has nearly doubled over 10 years, to about $528 billion this year. That doesn't include the billions spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Obama and congressional Republicans agreed in August 2011 on a deficit-cutting plan that would cut $487 billion from projected defense spending over 10 years. Democrats and Republicans also voted for automatic cuts of $55 billion this year if a special congressional panel can't come up with a sweeping deficit-cutting plan.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has warned against the approach of across-the-board cuts, and Hagel has given no sign that he has a different view.
___
THE CLAIM: "Now Hagel sits on the board of Chevron, which receives hundreds of millions in Pentagon contracts. ... How can Chuck Hagel run the Pentagon with so many ethical questions about his own record?" ? Ad by the American Future Fund, which is running a "Hagel No" campaign. The group describes itself as advocating conservative, free-market ideals.
THE FACTS: It's widely assumed that Hagel will be leaving the Chevron board, a move common for nominees who face the prospect of such ethical conflicts. The Senate Armed Services Committee has some of the most stringent rules for nominees for senior civilian positions in the Defense Department. The panel requires nominees to divest all financial interests in companies doing business with the department. Stepping down from any board would certainly be required.
The committee bases its decisions on the Defense Department list of companies with contracts valued at $25,000 or more. The list is 330 pages long and includes Chevron.
Pressures from environmental groups and also the media have highlighted the will need for companies to be far more environmentally friendly and some providers have taken profound methods to implement this. As an example some corporations have employed ?environmental teams? to enhance their organization processes and some have set emissions targets as a single of their important annual targets.
Even so not all businesses must visit such lengths, particularly smaller enterprises, as there are smaller and less complicated actions that can be produced to assist reduce a business?s carbon footprint. For instance turning electrical equipment off that is not being utilized and recycling where attainable are a few smaller things. But a thing that is definitely far more monumental is switching from working with a regular fax service to an internet fax.
Benefits of Web Fax
Energy Saving
You can find estimated to be over 23,000,000 organization fax machines inside the U.S. alone, a few of these sit idle in an office. Fax machines demand to be left on standby to receive incoming faxes, nonetheless when left on standby they continue to clock up substantial power costs for any enterprise.
Unlike classic fax machines which need an isolated phone line, net faxes are sent and received on-line and can be read from personal computer monitors and also other mobile devices. So when moving to World-wide-web fax, companies can unify their communications into a single point of access, as fax and e mail can each be sent and received from a single laptop or computer. This eliminates the require to have each a fax machine and laptop powered up in 1 instance, which can be not merely extra efficient, but is far more expense successful and much less damaging for the atmosphere.
Much less trees have to have to become cut down
Internet fax is pretty much paperless as users only need to print the faxes that they need to have a challenging copy of, whilst the typical U.S small business fax machine can consume as much as 5,000 sheets of paper per year, which equates to 13.eight million trees getting cut down each year to print faxes.
With such staggering figures environmental organizations are putting more pressure on organizations to cut back their carbon footprint and updating outdated communication processes just like manual fax machines is a good spot to begin.
CO2 emissions are decreased
A single business fax machine is routinely left on standby for a period of 24 hours, which indicates it omits an typical of 200 kg of CO2 every single day, which equates to 73 tonnes of CO2 emitted by every fax machine annually.
Through the course of action of carbon sequestration a wholesome tree absorbs about 13.5 kg of CO2 a year, but 13.8 million are getting cut down each year to source the paper for fax machines. This shows that fax machines are a part of a vicious cycle that is definitely hurting the surroundings.
Landfill
Landfill web sites are heaped with old discarded electronics and ink/toner cartridges, which may leak damaging poisons in the utilization of plastics.
A single toner cartridge emits around four.8 kg of CO2. This is not taking into the account the greenhouse gas emission in the toner ink which equals 3.two kg CO2 per cartridge. The quantity of ink cartridges dumped into landfill is expanding at an alarming rate, it can be estimated that by the end of 2012, 1.8 billion ink cartridges will likely be dumped into landfill.
It?s becoming increasingly significant for companies to cut back their carbon footprint and switching from conventional fax to online fax may help them do that, through a reduction in energy consumption, paper demand and dangerous greenhouse emissions.
Similarly by taking go here, corporations may also see economic rewards. By ?going green? businesses will come to be extra effective, decrease power consumption and improve productivity that can eventually reduce fees.
I'd like to tip my hat to Dwight Silverman, whose blog not only alerted me to Data Privacy Day, but who also offers some excellent advice as to what individuals can do to further secure their private data. You'll find a lot of good material in that article, covering passwords, social media activity, credit reports, and more. Even if you think you're familiar with this information, I'd suggest reading Silverman's piece, as it links to some very useful resources.
One of these resources, in fact, is StaySafeOnline.org. It's powered by the National Cyber Security Alliance, a not-for-profit whose stated mission ?is to educate and therefore empower a digital society to use the Internet safely and securely at home, work, and school, protecting the technology individuals use, the networks they connect to, and our shared digital assets.? The website offers a wealth of resources, information, and tips, not just for individuals but for businesses. I used their site as a resource for the rest of the information in this article.
The first step you should take in evaluating your firm's data security is to assess your risk.? If you're a small company, you might be surprised to learn that you're at greater risk of getting hacked than a large company. You might think a hacker would consider your firm to be small potatoes compared to the Amazons of the world, but criminals know that small companies can't afford the resources to protect their data that large corporations can ? thus making them tempting targets.
And what do hackers do once they break into your company's network? ?If cybercriminals can breach a small business and steal credentials (banking accounts, email access, etc.) they can use that information to steal money directly, create attacks on your customers and work their way around the business ecosystem in other nefarious ways,? StaySafeOnline explained.
To assess your company's online risk, consider some of the following questions: do you have a formal written Internet security policy for your employees? Do you have any policies in place regarding how your employees use social media? Do you have a privacy policy with which your employees must comply when handling customer information? Do you offer training to your employees regarding the Internet and online security? Do your employees understand the potential risks of using USB devices in the workplace? Are all of your machines completely wiped of their data before disposal?
After assessing your company's risk, you can move on to making its data (and the data of your customers and employees) more secure. StaySafeOnline offers plenty of advice on that, but one great way to do this is with employee training. Such training should at least include the following five simple tips.
First, make sure your employees know what they are and are not allowed to install and keep on their work machines. Put rules in place ? and enforce them. ?Unknown outside programs can open security vulnerabilities in your network,? StaySafeOnline notes. As a side note, they can also make computers function less efficiently, which leads to calls to the IT department (and costs valuable time). In a previous job, when I shared an office with an elderly co-worker who didn't understand why she couldn't have whatever she wanted on her computer, I saw this happen more than once.
Second, teach your employees how to follow good password practices. Passwords should be long and contain a mix of upper case and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. Users should change their passwords regularly and keep them private. Until someone comes up with something better, they're still the best way an individual can keep data secure.
Third, make sure your employees know not to open suspicious links in email, posts, tweets, online ads, messages, or attachments. Make sure they also understand that a link isn't necessarily safe just because they know the source; a friend's email account could have been hacked, for instance. Spend some time explaining your company's spam filters and how to use them to your employees, as well.
Fourth, data security covers more than just protecting sensitive information from hackers. It also means preventing the loss of data. Teach your employees to back up their work, and tell them how often they need to do so ? or if? you do automatic backup at your office, make sure your employees know what they need to do to make sure their important data is saved.
Finally, a computer behaving ?strangely? can be a hint that it has been compromised ? so ?Your employees should be encouraged to keep an eye out and say something if they notice strange happenings on their computer,? according to StaySafeOnline. And remember, no one is totally immune. Back in August, Matt Honan?got spectacularly hacked and lost a lot of personal data...and he's a tech blogger, so you know he was doing what he could to secure himself. It could have been much worse, but he noticed his computer behaving oddly, and was able to work with Amazon and Apple to save at least some of his data.
CAIRO (AP) ? Police are firing tear gas at rock-throwing protesters in Cairo a day after Egypt's president declared a state of emergency in three provinces hit hardest by political violence.
The clashes Monday near Tahrir Square mark the fifth consecutive day of street violence in Egypt.
Late Sunday, thousands of protesters demonstrated in Port Said, Ismailiya and Suez to reject President Mohammed Morsi's declaration of a 30-day state of emergency in the three Suez Canal cities and their surrounding provinces.
Those provinces have been the hardest hit by a weekend wave of unrest that has left more than 50 dead.
Morsi declared the state of emergency in a televised address late Sunday and warned that he would not hesitate to take more action to stem Egypt's latest eruption of violence.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iranian state TV says the country has successfully sent a monkey into space in what's described as another step toward Tehran's goal of a manned space flight.
Monday's report said the monkey was sent up in a Pishtam, or Explorer, rocket to a height of 120 kilometers (72 miles). It gave no other details on the timing or location of the launch, but said the monkey returned safely.
Iran has said it seeks to send an astronaut into space as part of its ambitious aerospace program. In 2010, Iran said it launched a rocket into space carrying a mouse, turtle and worms.
The U.S. and its allies worry that technology from the space program could also be used to develop long-range missiles that could potentially be armed with nuclear warheads.
Two senators at the center of negotiations over comprehensive immigration reform, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said on Sunday that a pathway to citizenship is an essential component of a comprehensive reform bill.
"That has to be also part of it," McCain told ABC News' Martha Raddatz on "This Week" when asked whether a pathway to citizenship would be a component of reform. "There's a new appreciation on both sides of the aisle including, maybe more importantly on the Republican side of the aisle, that we have to enact comprehensive immigration reform."
Like "This Week" on Facebook here. You can also follow the show on Twitter here.
McCain said that a small group of Senators will release the principles of a comprehensive, not "piecemeal," reform bill this week.
"I'm very pleased with the progress," McCain said. "It's not that much different from what we tried to do in 2007."
Read a full transcript of the interview with Sens. McCain and Menendez HERE.
Menendez, who met with President Obama on Friday along with other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus leadership, said that the president expressed his full commitment to reform.
"The president made it very clear in that discussion that this was a top legislative priority for him in this session of the Congress and that he expects to work with all of us in an effort to achieve that goal and he's fully committed to it."
He added that a pathway to "earned legalization" is an "essential element" of an immigration reform bill.
"First, Americans support it in poll after poll. Secondly, Latino voters expect it. Thirdly Democrats want it. And fourth Republicans need it," Menendez said.
McCain added that he believes Obama's use of the presidential podium on behalf of immigration reform at an event in Las Vegas planned for Tuesday will aid efforts to pass a bill.
"I think it helps," McCain said. "I think its important that we all work together on this."
"Believe it or not, I see a glimmer of bipartisanship out there," he added.
David Koechner chatted with HuffPost Live on Friday to discuss his new web series "Full On Koechner," a new show from YouTube's comedy channel Official Comedy.
While on the air, he chatted with host Abby Huntsman and HuffPost Comedy deputy editor Ross Luippold about his career in comedy, and gave a few updates on the much-anticipated sequel to "Anchorman," in which he will reprise the role of crass sportscaster Champ Kind.
Check out the clip above for a segment of the interview. Then, click over to HuffPost Live to see the whole thing.
RES-SFR:?? 2020 STRADELLA RD ,?LOS ANGELES ,CA ??90077
MLS#:?12-618157
LP:??$2,950,000
AREA:??(4)Bel Air - Holmby Hills
STATUS:?? A
VIEW:??Yes
MAP:??591/H3
STYLE:??Cottage
YB:??1955
BR:??3
BA:??2.00
APN:? 4377-032-005
ZONE:??LARE15
HOD:??$0.00
STORIES:??1
APX SF:??3,490/OW
LSE:??
GH:??None
POOL:??Yes
APX LDM:??
APX LSZ:??28,880/AS
LOP:??
PUD:??
FIREPL:??
PKGT:??
PKGC:??2
DIRECTIONS:??north of Sunset, west of Beverly Glen
REMARKS:??View! View! View! A single story charming cottage-style home in Bel-Air with the ultimate views of Los Angeles and Catalina. The living room features a fireplace with hardwood floors throughout the house, where the large den (which is not included in the square footage) looks out to lush landscape and 4 large fountains facing the vast views of the city, all the while the house overlooks the reservoir that is nestled in the canyon. The kitchen, with eating area, has brand new stainless steel appliances and unique rose quartz counter tops and finished with great mahogany wood like tile floors. The backyard has several levels. On the primary there is a pool and a rooftop deck over the lower guest house. The second level features a vast deck for entertaining, and a great guest house (also not included in the sq.ft). It features a full bathroom, a full service bar, dishwasher, disposal and frig., view the fireworks from Disney & Universal in the evenings!?
Top internet reputation management expert, JW Maxx Solutions stands strong as an industry leader in protecting the online reputation of their clients.
Phoenix, Arizona (PRWEB) January 25, 2013
Even the best-run businesses bump into the occasional unreasonable customer looking to smear the reputation of a particular brand. Angry remarks and fraudulent claims are not the kind of search engine results a business owner wants customers to see. As a top internet reputation management expert, JW Maxx Solutions has the legal, and the technical, power to devalue and eradicate these negative comments.
?It is every business owner?s worst nightmare: idly Google searching your company?s name and seeing negative press on the first page of results,? states Walter Halicki, CEO and Founder of JW Maxx Solutions. ?The information that is posted online about your business affects your revenue, your business opportunities, and your reputation.?
Luckily, for those in need, JW Maxx Solutions is offering services to lessen the strength of these negative results. By using the search engine?s own algorithms to directly help their clients, JW Maxx Solutions provides satisfying results, like no other top internet reputation management expert can offer. In an age where so much business is done online, business owners would be smart to secure their online reputation.
When a customer searches for a brand, and they find only positive results, they will subconsciously start to trust that brand. Brand trust is one of the most important parts of business; for with brand trust, comes sales. One of the many benefits that come with working with a top internet reputation management expert is that the business is highly likely to see an uptick in sales, as an effect.
JW Maxx Solutions is determined to get businesses the positive results they want. Their keen consultants are on hand to help clients with all matters concerning their online reputation, and are skilled at noticing trends in various industries, allowing them to act quickly when changes come about.
?Do you know how to use meta tags to optimize your website for Google search results, without triggering their spam filters and causing your website to be demoted in their rankings?? asks Halicki. ?Can you use keywords in your content to appear in relevant search results, without appearing to ?over-stuff? and dooming yourself to the bottom of Google?s spam filter? Can you easily find and address all the negative comments that might possibly be said about you, so that potential customers are not turned away by bad reviews? If the answer to any of these questions is ?no,? then professional ORM through a company like JW Maxx Solutions might be a good option for your business.?
For the entirety of 2013, JW Maxx Solutions is providing free consultation for brand owners interested in safeguarding their online reputation, and increasing their brand?s positive online presence.
New York City and county governments in New York are far less reliant on property taxes than localities, so they are expected to have an easier time weathering a drop in the value of the tax base caused by storm damage. The city, for example, has its own income and business taxes.
What's more, the city and county governments in both states have a much broader property tax base than small localities.
The $50.7 billion Hurricane Sandy relief bill approved this month by the House of Representatives provides up to $300 million in low-interest loans for localities facing shortfalls. The Senate has supported a similar provision in its own relief package.
But some local officials said such financing was not nearly enough. States themselves have not yet sent aid, and senior state officials said they were not inclined to do so until federal money was exhausted.
"It's a pretty inescapable conclusion that there will be an impact on the tax base," said Michael Drewniak, chief spokesman for Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.
"In many instances, we had homes completely wiped out or severely damaged to the point they were rendered uninhabitable," Mr. Drewniak said. "That left behind rebuildable land but, in the meantime, no 'improvements' to tax. In other cases, people may find it cost prohibitive to rebuild at all, depending on their individual circumstances."
It could be a year or two before the aftereffects are fully understood, given that localities will have to assess damaged properties before lowering property taxes on them.
That process, in fact, could be contentious. Some localities take as long as two years to incorporate revised assessments into taxpayers' bills. In the meantime, homeowners may balk at paying the higher tax when their properties are seriously damaged or destroyed.
But legally, they must pay every penny until the property has been reassessed.
Corinne DiSomma, the tax receiver for Babylon, N.Y., was duty-bound last month to send out thousands of property tax bills ? her annual "Christmas cards," as friends tease. They were based on July 1 values, no matter that scores of homes, in addition to her own, were heavily damaged in the storm.
Dan Tergesen's home burned down in Babylon when the storm kept firefighters from reaching it in time. Local officials, he said, have since advised him that any reduction of his tax bill could be slow in coming, and "of course, they want me to rebuild my house as quickly as possible, so I am back on the tax rolls."
Localities are also facing the prospect that homeowners will demand that property taxes be cut because of perceived decreases in the value of land beneath their homes.
Assessors rarely mark down land. But some homeowners may argue that their beachfront properties are worth less because buyers, newly sensitive to extreme weather, will avoid areas seen as vulnerable.
"We feel our market value will go down significantly, not just on the house but also the land," said Kathy Barisciano, the president of the Ortley Beach Voters and Taxpayers Association, in Toms River. Ms. Barisciano said she has been telling town officials that they must take into consideration the fact that buyers may avoid Ortley Beach because of uncertainty over whether its battered beaches will be replenished and fortified against future storms.
Still, some officials said they were trying to find a silver lining.
In the Village of Mastic Beach, a newly incorporated patch of Long Island with 7,500 pieces of property, damage was reported at 400 homes.
"Definitely, it's going to hurt the tax base of the village," Mayor Bill Biondi said. "We're a fairly new village, and in the two years, we've been hit with two hurricanes."
But Mr. Biondi said he was hopeful that property tax revenues would rise again once people rebuilt bigger, sturdier homes. He noted that 100 homes in the flood zone were going up on pilings.
"We may get hit the first year," he said, "and then I'm really hoping to bounce back bigger and better."
cyberaty /
Home Improvement / Finale, Home, Improvement, Series /
List price: $ 9.99
After eight hilarious and heartwarming seasons, HOME IMPROVEMENT says good-bye with a finale filled with laughs and surprises! A wedding, a major decision, and many special memories highlight this exceptional episode as the Taylors say good-bye to their home, their friends, and ?Tool Time.? HOME IMPROVEMENT has charmed audiences with its unique style of family fun since its debut. Now all the laughter, the tears, and, of course, the tools are available on this collectible video! Not only can you enjoy the final chapter in the lives of Tim Taylor and his family, but you can revisit many HOME IMPROVEMENT highlights: ?Tool Time? mishaps with Al, antics with neighbor Wilson, Tim and Jill?s anniversary mayhem, Randy?s departure, and many more! Plus, you?ll enjoy exclusive bloopers and outtakes never before seen on television or anywhere else.
Readers offer their best tips for getting the last bit of product out of your toiletries, getting quick access to Chrome's history in Android, and straightening up your necktie.
Every day we receive boatloads of great reader tips in our inbox, but for various reasons?maybe they're a bit too niche, maybe we couldn't find a good way to present it, or maybe we just couldn't fit it in?the tip didn't make the front page. From the Tips Box is where we round up some of our favorites for your buffet-style consumption. Got a tip of your own to share? Add it in the comments, email it to tips at lifehacker.com, or share it on our tips and expert pages.
Get More Out of Your Toiletries by Cutting the Tubes in Half (and Capping Off the End)
Andrew Takano puts a new spin on an old tip:
Here's a short video I made about getting the last few uses out of a seemingly empty tube of face wash. I've been doing this for years and figured some other readers would find it handy.
Access Chrome's History on Android
MsCassLopez discovers a seemingly absent feature in Chrome, and a fix for it:
You can go a long way towards making up for Android Chrome's lack of a history button by bookmarking chrome://history/. If you rename it to Browser History then it will stay near the beginning of your bookmarks list if you sort in alphabetical order.
You can also set it as your browser home page which I can see being of use to some people.
Use a Paper Clip to Fix Stubborn Ties
Phil Capizzi keeps himself looking sharp:
I recently found myself in a bit of a bind at work: I left my tie chain at home, and the back portion of my neck tie was being stubborn to the point of wanting to remove it completely. I had a very important client meeting and needed to wear the tie, so I wondered how I could remedy the situation.
I found a paper clip, tucked the back side of the tie into the tag/loop on the back of the top side of the tie, and used the paperclip to secure the little tail to the big piece of the tie. No more movement from behind the tie to poke it's head out and say hello, and no more need to stress about looking like a disheveled mess.
I've been doing something similar for years, actually. When I use certain knots (like the four-in-hand), the back part is much longer than the front, so I fold up the back and use a paperclip to keep it all neat. Handy if you're in a bind and your tie just isn't cooperating.
Turn an Old Altoids Tin Into a Dual-Wick Candle
Larry Runyan finds another clever use for an Altoids tin:
I know I missed your Altoids tin challenge, but I thought I'd share this with you anyway. This is a low tech solution to power outages or if you need a light on your next camping trip. Turn the tin into a double tea candle holder.
Buy two of the $0.99 candles from your local candle shop making sure they have the round metal base attached to the wick (in whatever scent floats your boat...citronella might be useful for camping). Pull the wicks out from the bottom, shave the wax from the two candles into small chips with a knife and melt. If you decide to melt the wax in the same way I did it, don't let the plastic bowl touch the edge of the pan (don't ask how I know). While that's melting away, use two small pieces of aluminum tape to cover the hinge holes on the back of the tin (so the melted wax won't run out of the holes). Then, using double sided tape, place the two wicks in the bottom of the tin. Once the wax has melted, fill the tin (not quite to the top...you need to leave a little room for the lid to close without smashing the wicks). Once it's cooled, trim the wicks and you're ready to light the night. And as an added bonus, the lid will flip up (and actually stay in that position) to give you a built in reflector. How cool is that?
Imagine having GPS navigation capability embedded on something as small as a hummingbird-size unmanned aerial vehicle. That day may be coming soon, thanks to ongoing research and successful testing completed by Rockwell Collins and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
DARPA's Dynamics Enabled Frequency Sources (DEFYS)? effort has created tiny electronic oscillators and Rockwell Collins has been testing the miniature clocks on GPS radios.
"Never before has a microscale oscillator been able to acquire and track GPS," said John Borghese, vice president of the Rockwell Collins Advanced Technology Center. "This capability opens a new frontier in embedding GPS in very small items and continues our commitment to provide precision position, navigation and time solutions to newly identified, and yet to be imagined applications."
The DEFYS effort has produced microscale oscillators that are nearly 30 times smaller than what is currently used on GPS receivers. They also consume 320 times less power, and are 30 times more stable under extreme vibration. These oscillators have value beyond GPS systems including precision munitions, ultra small unmanned aerial systems and numerous other applications that require reduced size, weight, power and cost.
Nearly 30 years ago, Rockwell Collins assisted the U.S. Air Force in developing GPS technology and that legacy continued when the company created the world's first all-digital miniature GPS receiver under contract with DARPA. Over the years, Rockwell Collins has produced more than 50 GPS products and delivered more than 1 million GPS receivers for commercial avionics and government applications. The microscale oscillator technology developed under the DEFYS program will continue this legacy to create leading edge GPS solutions.
About Rockwell Collins Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) is a pioneer in the development and deployment of innovative communication and aviation electronic solutions for both commercial and government applications. Our expertise in flight deck avionics, cabin electronics, mission communications, information management, and simulation and training is delivered by 20,000 employees, and a global service and support network that crosses 27 countries.
SEATTLE (Reuters) - U.S. Congressman Rick Larsen stepped into a busy new role this week. As Ranking Member of the House Aviation Subcommittee, the Washington state lawmaker is the top Democrat on the body overseeing the Federal Aviation Administration, which is reviewing problems with Boeing Co's new 787 Dreamliner.
The subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by New Jersey Republican Frank LoBiondo, also has jurisdiction over all aspects of civil aviation - from safety and infrastructure to labor, commerce and international issues.
Larsen's 2nd Congressional District includes the Everett, Washington, factory where Boeing makes all of its planes except the 737, and is home to more than 170 companies that supply parts and systems, with some as small as three people in a garage.
BOEING'S NEW 787 DREAMLINER IS GROUNDED AND UNDER REVIEW BY REGULATORS, INCLUDING THE FAA, AFTER TWO BATTERY FAILURES AND OTHER PROBLEMS. DO YOU THINK THE FAA APPROVAL PROCESS SHOULD BE REEXAMINED IN LIGHT OF THIS?
"Yes, it may be something we could look at in light of the current problems. It's a matter of how. Right now, Congress' job is to let the FAA do its job and do it well.
"I think the FAA was correct in issuing the airworthiness directive and grounding the plane so they could get a full handle on the problem. As we move forward, in Congress we're probably going to look at certification issues as part of the general budget process."
IS THERE A RESOURCE ISSUE FOR THE FAA RIGHT NOW?
"I couldn't tell you if it's a resource issue right now. This is a new airplane using composites and the heavy use of electricity and batteries to store it is new. And so it was certainly appropriate that the FAA issued special conditions for its use.
"Are these problems any worse than other airplanes have? I think they certainly look worse. We don't have the memory of the 777's problems when it started flying and it has been one of the most successful airplanes in Boeing's history. I suspect the future will probably look more like that for the 787, but right now the FAA needs to focus on getting the review done and Boeing needs to focus on fixing it."
HOW LONG COULD THE REVIEW TAKE?
"I don't know. It should take as long as necessary to ensure the traveling public that this is a safe plane to fly. There can't be any shortcuts. Safety has to be first."
IS THE FAA KEEPING UP WITH THE CHALLENGES OF REGULATING MANUFACTURING WITH SHARPLY HIGHER GLOBAL OUTSOURCING?
"The supply chain and logistics chain for a lot of manufacturing has changed over the last several decades. That may be part of the broader review that the FAA is doing" of design, manufacturing and assembly.
"That is something that we need to take a look at. If we go through sequestration in Congress as a way to deal with budgets, it's going to hard for the FAA's ability to do its current job, much less make any changes it has to make to deal with certification issues in the future. That's one more reason why sequestration as currently envisioned isn't really going to work."
IS THERE ENOUGH ROOM BETWEEN REGULATORS AND THE COMPANIES IT REGULATES, SPECIFICALLY BOEING?
"I know there's been criticism out there about past relationships. But I'm confident that now, in this situation that there's plenty of room between the FAA and the Boeing Company. The FAA has been very clear with me that safety is first on this one. And any changes Boeing has to make the FAA will have to sign off on."
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF U.S. AIRLINES' DESIRE FOR A 'NATIONAL AIRLINE POLICY,' THAT WOULD REDUCE REGULATION AND MOVE MORE QUICKLY TOWARD A SATELLITE-BASED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM, KNOWN AS 'NEXT GEN'?
"Certainly rolling out Next Gen is important to me. I've been briefed on the national airline policy, but look forward to talking more about them before making any decisions on it. The industry is changing, the structure of airline routes is changing because of technology improvements. It's important for us to take a look at what changes need to be made in regulatory structures to help our airlines take advantage of new technologies."
YOU HAVE SAID CONGRESS MUST INVEST IN TRAINING NEW AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS. ARE YOU SIMILARLY CONCERNED ABOUT A FUTURE SHORTAGE OF PILOTS?
"I'm concerned about both. But in air traffic controllers, not only does Congress need to invest in the next generation air-traffic control system, but it also needs to invest in next generation air-traffic controllers as well. We see that the current controllers are going to retire, so we're going to have a whole new generation of controllers. The first air-traffic control system they deal with will be the next generation, so we need to find a way to create the pipeline for new controllers. The same goes for pilots. There's enough work to go around."
ARE YOU CONCERNED THAT AFTER AIRLINE MERGERS, THE U.S. MAY BE NEARING A POSITION OF HAVING THREE DOMINANT CARRIERS: UNITED-CONTINENTAL, DELTA-NORTHWEST AND NOW POSSIBLY AMERICAN-US AIR?
"That is a fair question to look into - what industry restructuring does to consumers and prices and what role do the smaller carriers can play on quality and price. But Alaska Airlines, which is headquartered in Seattle, is one of the smaller carriers and they still very large, just not as large as the others."
WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ON HOW TO ENSURE THAT SUBSIDIES TO AIRBUS AND BOEING DON'T CREATE AN UNLEVEL PLAYING FIELD?
"There may be a longer-term grander bargain that can address what other countries are doing, too. Canada and Brazil are in the aerospace business, and China and Russia want to be more active. Whatever resolution we come to, my view is let's come to it once."
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE AVIATION INDUSTRY FOR JOBS?
"We like to say the Pacific Northwest is the aerospace capital of the world. There are 170 to 190 separate suppliers ranging from three people in a garage, machining parts, delivered to next tiered supplier to as big as 500 or more people. They could be supplying a Boeing plane or Airbus or Bombardier or Embraer. There's a network of suppliers that serve a worldwide aerospace industry. Aerospace is extremely important for job creation."
Clemson University researchers: What happens to peaches when the chill is gone?Public release date: 24-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Douglas Bielenberg dbielen@clemson.edu 864-656-4968 Clemson University
CLEMSON, S.C. The warmer-than-normal temperatures of 2012 the fourth warmest year on record in South Carolina signal potential challenges for growers of the state's best-known fruit. Peaches need cold weather to produce flowers and fruit. What happens when the chill is gone?
"In the spring, many of us think it's longer days and warmer temperatures that start the growth cycle," said Clemson University plant biologist Douglas Bielenberg. "Actually, peach leaf and flower buds are set the previous summer, then they go dormant in the winter. The tree must get sufficient chilling hours to trigger buds to open. Without this chill time, very few peach varieties will bloom well, if at all."
With research funding from the Clemson University Experiment Station, Bielenberg's work on plant dormancy and chilling can help plant breeders and the S.C. peach industry deal with agricultural and economic consequences of climate change.
The requirement for winter cold is the major factor in determining where peaches can be reliably grown for commercial fruit production. Historically, most commercially appealing peaches were developed in colder climates, where chilling hours posed no problem. In warmer regions, such as the coastal South, plant breeders had to cross those appealing peach varieties with lower-quality, low-chill varieties. Breeding premium fruit with low chilling hours has been an ongoing project.
"To grow peaches in low-chill areas breeders had to incorporate genes from trees that did not have elite fruit quality but did have low-chilling genes, which means they diluted the quality traits and then had to build them back up," Bielenberg said. "This takes time years and years. Our work provides research-based information and techniques to breeders to speed up the incorporation of low-chill genes into current elite cultivars while maintaining high fruit-quality traits. The goal is to adapt our current cultivars to future warmer winters."
But there is a flip side to the temperature dilemma. Peaches also need warm temperatures at the right time. An early spring warmup followed by a plummeting cold snap can bring disaster.
This is what happened in 2007 when the entire state crop was wiped out, said Bielenberg. Before the buds open they are more frost resistant. The ideal system would be a chilling requirement that matches local winter conditions combined with a higher heat requirement to keep buds closed longer and protect them from possible sharp freezes.
"The work we are doing not only involves understanding the chilling requirement, but also should help us breed for increased heat requirement to help protect the industry from late freezes," he said. The challenge is that heat requirement is not very well understood and is difficult to study since the timing of chilling and heat requirements overlap.
The temperature needs to be around 45 degrees or lower to meet the chill requirement for peaches. Different varieties need varied chilling times ranging from a couple of hundred hours to more than a thousand. Peach trees can "count" the chilling hours and suspend the count if there is a warm spell, then continue where they stopped when the chilling hours begin again.
Much remains unknown, Bielenberg said. How does a peach tree "sense" the temperature? How does it keep track of the number of chilling hours? How does it blend chilling hours with warming temperatures to control blossoming and growth?
"You can think of what we don't know as a 'black box,' and we haven't figured out how to see what's going on inside," he said.
Bielenberg and colleagues Gregory Reighard and Ksenija Gasic in Clemson's School of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences are analyzing the peach genome looking for "DNA road signs" markers that can locate genes involved in chilling requirements, dormancy and growth.
"What we are learning is that there is not just one gene that controls the process; and it's not just about sufficient cooler temperatures but also warm temperatures, too," Bielenberg said.
The work will go a long way toward giving breeders like Gasic the tools to adapt fruit trees to climate change.
Second to top-producer California, South Carolina peach growers harvest about 90,000 tons per year valued at $60 million. Each year Clemson plant scientists evaluate more than 350 peach varieties to provide information needed by South Carolina growers.
Bielenberg and his colleagues have planted a special stand of 400 peach trees that contain genetic material between the extremes of chilling requirements. The seeds were given to Bielenberg by their developer, USDA Agriculture Research Service plant breeder W.R. Okie. They provide an opportunity to discover the mechanisms that cause variations in chilling requirements and may lead to discovering how to keep producing South Carolina peaches in spite of warming temperatures.
Understanding how the process works could affect other perennial fruit and nut crops, such as apples and pears, which are not related but require chilling hours.
###
Clemson University Experiment Station
Clemson's Experiment Station is part of a nationwide system of scientists working to improve the quality of life for people in their home state, the nation and the world. Clemson researchers have produced more than 100 new varieties of food and fiber crops, as well as 50 patents. In 2012, the Experiment Station had more than 112 active research projects. This research was funded in part by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, (NIFA) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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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.
Clemson University researchers: What happens to peaches when the chill is gone?Public release date: 24-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Douglas Bielenberg dbielen@clemson.edu 864-656-4968 Clemson University
CLEMSON, S.C. The warmer-than-normal temperatures of 2012 the fourth warmest year on record in South Carolina signal potential challenges for growers of the state's best-known fruit. Peaches need cold weather to produce flowers and fruit. What happens when the chill is gone?
"In the spring, many of us think it's longer days and warmer temperatures that start the growth cycle," said Clemson University plant biologist Douglas Bielenberg. "Actually, peach leaf and flower buds are set the previous summer, then they go dormant in the winter. The tree must get sufficient chilling hours to trigger buds to open. Without this chill time, very few peach varieties will bloom well, if at all."
With research funding from the Clemson University Experiment Station, Bielenberg's work on plant dormancy and chilling can help plant breeders and the S.C. peach industry deal with agricultural and economic consequences of climate change.
The requirement for winter cold is the major factor in determining where peaches can be reliably grown for commercial fruit production. Historically, most commercially appealing peaches were developed in colder climates, where chilling hours posed no problem. In warmer regions, such as the coastal South, plant breeders had to cross those appealing peach varieties with lower-quality, low-chill varieties. Breeding premium fruit with low chilling hours has been an ongoing project.
"To grow peaches in low-chill areas breeders had to incorporate genes from trees that did not have elite fruit quality but did have low-chilling genes, which means they diluted the quality traits and then had to build them back up," Bielenberg said. "This takes time years and years. Our work provides research-based information and techniques to breeders to speed up the incorporation of low-chill genes into current elite cultivars while maintaining high fruit-quality traits. The goal is to adapt our current cultivars to future warmer winters."
But there is a flip side to the temperature dilemma. Peaches also need warm temperatures at the right time. An early spring warmup followed by a plummeting cold snap can bring disaster.
This is what happened in 2007 when the entire state crop was wiped out, said Bielenberg. Before the buds open they are more frost resistant. The ideal system would be a chilling requirement that matches local winter conditions combined with a higher heat requirement to keep buds closed longer and protect them from possible sharp freezes.
"The work we are doing not only involves understanding the chilling requirement, but also should help us breed for increased heat requirement to help protect the industry from late freezes," he said. The challenge is that heat requirement is not very well understood and is difficult to study since the timing of chilling and heat requirements overlap.
The temperature needs to be around 45 degrees or lower to meet the chill requirement for peaches. Different varieties need varied chilling times ranging from a couple of hundred hours to more than a thousand. Peach trees can "count" the chilling hours and suspend the count if there is a warm spell, then continue where they stopped when the chilling hours begin again.
Much remains unknown, Bielenberg said. How does a peach tree "sense" the temperature? How does it keep track of the number of chilling hours? How does it blend chilling hours with warming temperatures to control blossoming and growth?
"You can think of what we don't know as a 'black box,' and we haven't figured out how to see what's going on inside," he said.
Bielenberg and colleagues Gregory Reighard and Ksenija Gasic in Clemson's School of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences are analyzing the peach genome looking for "DNA road signs" markers that can locate genes involved in chilling requirements, dormancy and growth.
"What we are learning is that there is not just one gene that controls the process; and it's not just about sufficient cooler temperatures but also warm temperatures, too," Bielenberg said.
The work will go a long way toward giving breeders like Gasic the tools to adapt fruit trees to climate change.
Second to top-producer California, South Carolina peach growers harvest about 90,000 tons per year valued at $60 million. Each year Clemson plant scientists evaluate more than 350 peach varieties to provide information needed by South Carolina growers.
Bielenberg and his colleagues have planted a special stand of 400 peach trees that contain genetic material between the extremes of chilling requirements. The seeds were given to Bielenberg by their developer, USDA Agriculture Research Service plant breeder W.R. Okie. They provide an opportunity to discover the mechanisms that cause variations in chilling requirements and may lead to discovering how to keep producing South Carolina peaches in spite of warming temperatures.
Understanding how the process works could affect other perennial fruit and nut crops, such as apples and pears, which are not related but require chilling hours.
###
Clemson University Experiment Station
Clemson's Experiment Station is part of a nationwide system of scientists working to improve the quality of life for people in their home state, the nation and the world. Clemson researchers have produced more than 100 new varieties of food and fiber crops, as well as 50 patents. In 2012, the Experiment Station had more than 112 active research projects. This research was funded in part by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, (NIFA) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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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.
Teddy the dog enjoys a romp in the snow on Kellogg Hill Road.
The temperature is falling to frigid levels across the country, and the ASPCA is reminding pet owners that the cold weather can also be dangerous for our four-legged family members.
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Below are some safety tips to keep in mind as the temperature drops:
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?It is important to always walk your dog on a leash, but when it snows this becomes critical,? says Dr. Louise Murray, vice president of the ASPCA?s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital. ?During a snowstorm, dogs can lose their scent and easily become lost. More dogs are lost during the winter than during any other season, so make sure yours always wears her ID tags.?
Never shave your dog down to the skin in winter, as a full coat will provide more warmth. When you bathe your dog in the colder months, be sure to completely dry him before taking him out for a walk. When it comes to short-haired dogs, consider getting him a coat or sweater with a high collar or turtleneck that covers his whole back
?Never leave your dog or cat alone in a car, especially during extremely cold weather,? advises Dr. Murray. ?The temperature in the car drop very quickly, and it is not a safe place for your pet to be unattended.?
Make sure your companion animal has a warm place to sleep, off the floor and away from all drafts. A cozy dog or cat bed with a warm blanket or pillow is perfect.
![Home Improvement: Series Finale [VHS]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_s_s8CuDZYIx4FYZXpKzoQDvOnblInrdtnM19d-bRfhDvbBYsX9_RidAy4UEiB8FowIlAHMsmzoI96rdfXanya4CgzuTftTPfKgpWCPQDBHFXYYo6_21Hof=s0-d "Home Improvement: Series Finale [VHS]")
Readers offer their best tips for getting the last bit of product out of your toiletries, getting quick access to Chrome's history in Android, and straightening up your necktie. 
Andrew Takano puts a new spin on an old tip:
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vesZoKzRG-l-pGhqOqvIiC0xELTLVY8RWMu3xvGaJbEmGDHyhbDIIA5y0xB-9FC8Kd9k_uHXjOPNGiA3RuR4Zv3utPcXZ_RD-2eYSUm0M=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 24-Jan-2013
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