5 reasons you shouldn't rely on building department inspection ...

Even new homes can be surprisingly poorly built

Even new homes can be surprisingly poorly built

Barry Stone
Inman News?

DEAR BARRY: Your articles often recommend that home inspectors be hired to inspect brand-new homes. If a home has just been inspected and approved by the building department, what's the point of hiring a private home inspector? --John

DEAR JOHN: The answer to your question is worth repeating. Here are the five essential differences between a building department inspection and a professional home inspection:

1. A building inspection is strictly for building code compliance, but it is possible for a home to be poorly built and still comply with code. Home inspections deal with all kinds of substandard conditions, including those that do not involve code, such as poorly fitted doors, poorly mitered trim, missing tile grout, missing shelves in cabinets, sloped floors, loose toilets and faucets, etc.

2. A building inspection usually lasts about 15 to 30 minutes, while a home inspection lasts from 2 1/2 to four hours. This is because many more things are inspected and tested in the course of a home inspection.

3. Building inspectors simply look at the completed construction. They do not test the operational condition of fixtures and appliances. Faucets are not turned on; drains are not tested for leaks; appliances are not operated; smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are not tested; and so on.

4. Gas and electrical services to a home are not turned on until the final inspection is completed and the home is signed off. The building inspector can approve the appearance of the wiring and gas piping, but nothing is tested as part of the final inspection because you cannot test fixtures without gas or electricity.

Home inspectors arrive when utilities have been turned on. They plug testers into outlets to ensure grounding, correct polarity, and ground fault protection. They operate built-in fixtures and appliances such as dishwashers, garbage disposals, lights, ceiling fans, exhaust fans, electric ovens, garage door openers, and more. They also test the gas-burning fixtures such as forced-air furnaces, water heaters, gas-log fireplaces, and cooking appliances.

5. Building inspectors perform a walk-through inspection only. They do not crawl through subareas or attics, and they do not walk on roofs. Home inspectors do all of these things, enabling them to identify construction defects that routinely go unnoticed during a municipal inspection.

Veteran home inspectors know that all brand-new homes have defects of various kinds, usually minor but sometimes major. Examples include broken roof tiles; missing roof flashing; attics without insulation; furnaces improperly installed in attics; congested drainpipes; drains that leak; nontempered glass next to bathtubs and showers; inoperative GFCI outlets; ungrounded outlets; drain vents that terminate in attics; chimneys in contact with combustible materials in attics; loose safety rails; disconnected air ducts under the house; PVC discharge pipes on water heater relief valves; and this list could go on and on.

These are the reasons why people who buy brand-new homes should hire an independent home inspector. A home inspection gives homebuyers the best opportunity to take advantage of the builder's warranty. Bypassing an inspection leaves undisclosed defects to be discovered at a later date, after the builder's warranty has expired.

To write to Barry Stone, please visit him on the Web at www.housedetective.com.

Copyright 2012 Barry Stone

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TheDude said...
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Source: http://www.southphillyreview.com/real-estate/5_reasons_you_shouldnt_rely_on_building_department_inspection-176462761.html

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Microsoft Surface exposes its guts to iFixit, knows if you've been meddling with it

Now that the Microsoft Surface is in the wild and we've probed it from the outside, the tool-toters at iFixit have opened one up to see what makes it tick -- and whether you dare attempt a repair yourself. The first thing they noticed was how tricky it was to remove a plastic access cover, which caused unavoidable damage to the tamper-evident label when they finally got it off. That would tip repair depots that you've been rummaging about, likely rendering your warranty moot. Other sore spots included the LCD and glass being fused together, along with a keyboard connector that's impossible to get out without pulling the display off first. On the plus side, the iFixit team found the battery easy to remove despite being glued to the case (unlike other recent devices), and many un-soldered components that were also easy to replace. All that added up to a score of four on the repairability scale -- meaning that fixing one probably isn't a great DIY project, unless you're the patient type.

Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft

Microsoft Surface exposes its guts to iFixit, knows if you've been meddling with it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 08:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[Webinar] 21 Signs You're A 21st Century Teacher ? SimpleK12

Written by Grace 25 October 2012 One Comment

Are you leading your students on the path to 21st century success?
I'd like to help.

This free Webinar shares success stories and practical advice from educators around the world... which means you?ll walk away with
priceless teaching advice to use immediately in your classroom.

?
Tuesday, October 30th, 2012
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM EDT (USA)

During this FREE Webinar, you'll discover...

• Free tech tools and tactics to implement core concepts of 21st century skills in all subject areas and grade levels.
• Ideas to help push your students in the right direction towards 21st century learning.
• 21st century project suggestions you can immediately incorporate into your lesson plans with ease.
  

BONUS: All attendees will receive a copy of the presentation to reference later on.

See you there!

-Grace
?

PS: The more the merrier! Invite your Principal, friends, colleagues, and anyone else who you think would like to become a successful 21st century teacher.

http://community.simplek12.com/scripts/student/webinars/view.asp?id=540
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Source: http://blog.simplek12.com/education/webinar-21-signs-youre-a-21st-century-teacher/

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Fighting precedes scheduled start of Syria truce

In this Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter watches over an enemy position as rebel fighters belonging to the Liwa Al Tawhid group carry out a military operation at the Moaskar front line, one of the battlefields in the Karmal Jabl neighborhood, in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)

In this Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter watches over an enemy position as rebel fighters belonging to the Liwa Al Tawhid group carry out a military operation at the Moaskar front line, one of the battlefields in the Karmal Jabl neighborhood, in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)

In this Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012 photo, a rebel fighter runs for cover through a sniper line-of-fire at the Karmal Jabl front line in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)

In this Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012 photo, rebel fighters retreat for cover as enemy fire targets the rebel position during clashes at the Moaskar front line, one of the battlefields in Karmal Jabl neighborhood, in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras).

BEIRUT (AP) ? Heavy fighting between forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad and rebels preceded the dawn start of a proposed truce Friday, activists said, dimming prospects for a break in the bloody 19-month civil war.

Battles were still in progress at daybreak Friday, the beginning of a four-day Muslim holiday that was to coincide with the cease-fire, proposed by U.N.-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and endorsed by the Security Council.

If it takes effect, it would be the first pause in the fighting that has taken tens of thousands of lives. Earlier attempts by mediators to bring about a cease-fire failed, though elements of both sides had accepted truce proposals.

The Syrian regime accepted the cease-fire but left itself some significant loopholes, saying it would respond to rebel attacks. Some opposition groups said they would abide by the truce, but several rebel commanders dismissed it as irrelevant.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists, said the latest clashes took place in the central province of Homs, in Deir el-Zour in the country's east and in the city of Aleppo. At least four rebels were killed and six soldiers were wounded in overnight fighting, the Observatory said.

The group said three people were also wounded when troops tried to disperse protesters after Friday prayers in the southern province of Deraa, where the uprising began.

Rebels claimed major gains in the key battleground of Aleppo Thursday, pushing into predominantly Christian and Kurdish neighborhoods that had previously been held by pro-Assad forces in northern part of the city, the country's largest.

The short holiday cease-fire was all a divided international community could agree on after the failure of a more ambitious plan for an open-ended truce and political transition talks by Brahimi's predecessor, former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, in April.

The truce appeared shaky from the outset, since neither side has shown an interest in laying down arms, pushing instead for military gains.

Also, it wasn't clear when exactly the cease-fire was supposed to begin, and there were no arrangements for monitoring compliance.

Brahimi has not said what was supposed to happen after four days, an ominous sign, since Assad and opposition leaders disagree sharply on how to proceed. Assad refuses to resign, while some opposition leaders say his departure is a prerequisite for any political talks. The fragmented opposition factions disagree over whether to negotiate with Assad at all.

Since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011, more than 35,000 people have been killed, including more than 8,000 government troops, according to activists.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-26-ML-Syria/id-2b763b05a3b840938e519ce34441a493

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Hybrid of Sandy, winter storm threatens East Coast

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Much of the U.S. East Coast has a good chance of getting blasted by gale-force winds, flooding, heavy rain and maybe even snow early next week by an unusual hybrid of hurricane and winter storm, federal and private forecasters say.

Though still projecting several days ahead of Halloween week, the computer models are spooking meteorologists. Government scientists said Wednesday the storm has a 70 percent chance of smacking the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.

Hurricane Sandy in the Caribbean, an early winter storm in the West, and a blast of arctic air from the North are predicted to collide, sloshing and parking over the country's most populous coastal corridor starting Sunday. The worst of it should peak early Tuesday, but it will stretch into midweek, forecasters say.

"It'll be a rough couple days from Hatteras up to Cape Cod," said forecaster Jim Cisco of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration prediction center in College Park, Md. "We don't have many modern precedents for what the models are suggesting."

It is likely to hit during a full moon when tides are near their highest, increasing coastal flooding potential, NOAA forecasts warn. And with some trees still leafy and the potential for snow, power outages could last to Election Day, some meteorologists fear. They say it has all the earmarks of a billion-dollar storm.

Some have compared it to the so-called Perfect Storm that struck off the coast of New England in 1991, but Cisco said that one didn't hit as populated an area and is not comparable to what the East Coast may be facing. Nor is it like last year's Halloween storm, which was merely an early snowstorm in the Northeast.

This has much more mess potential because it is a combination of different storm types that could produce a real whopper of weather problems, meteorologists say.

"The Perfect Storm only did $200 million of damage and I'm thinking a billion," said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private service Weather Underground. "Yeah, it will be worse."

But this is several days in advance, when weather forecasts are far less accurate. The National Hurricane Center only predicts five days in advance, and on Wednesday their forecasts had what's left of Sandy off the North Carolina coast on Monday. But the hurricane center's chief hurricane specialist, James Franklin, said the threat keeps increasing for "a major impact in the Northeast, New York area. In fact it would be such a big storm that it would affect all of the Northeast."

The forecasts keep getting gloomier and more convincing with every day, several experts said.

Cisco said the chance of the storm smacking the East jumped from 60 percent to 70 percent on Wednesday. Masters was somewhat skeptical on Tuesday, giving the storm scenario just a 40 percent likelihood, but on Wednesday he also upped that to 70 percent. The remaining computer models that previously hadn't shown the merger and mega-storm formation now predict a similar scenario.

The biggest question mark is snow, and that depends on where the remnants of Sandy turn inland. The computer model that has been leading the pack in predicting the hybrid storm has it hitting around Delaware. But another model has the storm hitting closer to Maine. If it hits Delaware, the chances of snow increase in that region. If it hits farther north, chances for snow in the mid-Atlantic and even up to New York are lessened, Masters said.

NOAA's Cisco said he could see the equivalent of several inches of snow or rain in the mid-Atlantic, depending on where the storm ends up. In the mountains, snow may be measured in feet instead of inches.

___

Associated Press writer Tony Winton contributed to this report from Miami.

___

Online:

NOAA's Hydrometeorological Prediction Center: http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/index.shtml

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

___

Seth Borenstein can be followed at http://twitter.com/borenbears

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hybrid-sandy-winter-storm-threatens-east-coast-064040714.html

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95% The Sessions

All Critics (75) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (71) | Rotten (4)

Hawkes' performance is the must-see hook of The Sessions, but Hunt gives this funny, touching movie its soul.

Character actor John Hawkes is often cast as a frightening rustic (Winter's Bone, Martha Marcy May Marlene), but he gives a tender and witty performance here as Mark O'Brien.

The joy of The Sessions goes beyond sexual healing. It makes physical intimacy far more a matter of the heart, and you won't be alone wiping an occasional tear.

O'Brien was the subject of an Oscar-winning short "Breathing Lessons," and it seems likely that "The Sessions" will receive a few nominations of its own. It deserves them.

This film rebukes and corrects countless brainless and cheap sex scenes in other movies. It's a reminder that we must be kind to one another.

The movie is so clammily sensitive and tame that it stifles any strong response.

A powerful expression of our common needs, fears, and consolations.

For better and for worse, The Sessions has 'crowd-pleaser' written all over it.

Neither an issue-pushing disability drama or a crude, American Polio-style sex comedy, The Sessions is sweet and winning - 'feel good' minus the fingers down the throat.

Another dynamite vehicle for John Hawkes, in which Lewin's affecting script overcomes his pedestrian direction.

Skilled direction, a talented cast and a simple but elegant story will garner a lot of sympathy from its targeted, more mature audience.

It offers a relatable depiction of the powers of a positive mental attitude and perseverance in spite of horrendously bad luck. And some Oscar-caliber acting, to boot.

An incredibly low-key and feel-good adult movie about sex that's much funnier than most people are probably expecting, highlighted by a pair of Oscar-caliber performances by its two leads.

A frank exploration of sex and disability, The Sessions compensates for a minor structural misstep with an acute ear for tone and stellar performances throughout.

The bottom line here is that yes, a movie about a physically disabled man makes for one of the sexiest date nights of the year. Unless you're allergic to over-20s.

With Ben Lewin's film The Sessions, Hawkes is given the biggest and juiciest leading role of his career, and he pulls it off with remarkable grace and humor.

Less dreary than uplifting, The Surrogate succeeds as a light romance with heavy material.

The movie methodically punts each time it comes across anything interesting.

More Critic Reviews

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_sessions/

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Small Vendor Calling it Quits as CTA Changes Concession Leases

By chicago-pipeline at October 24, 2012 | 4:23 pm | Print

WICKER PARK ? At the end of the month Dashrathlal Patel will vacate the tiny, 80-square-foot concession stand at the Damen Blue Line El stop (1588 N. Damen Ave.) where he has worked six days a week for the last six years, to make room for a new tenant who will pay more rent to the CTA.

Patel told DNAinfo Chicago he purchased his concession stand from a prior owner after seeing a newspaper ad. He said he has to give it up, but does not yet have plans for the future.

Patel has stocked his stand based on customer feedback. By 9 a.m. on a recent rainy morning, he?d already sold three umbrellas. Over the past few months, he began selling mini deodorants and five-hour energy drinks.

?I know what things to buy, what my customers want,? he said.

Patel told DNAinfo Chicago a shoe repair shop will be moving into his space. He said the owner of that business offered to pay $1,200 monthly rent to the CTA. For the past few years, Patel has paid $500 a month.

?I offered to give more money [in rent] but they wouldn?t say how much they wanted. Rent will go to the highest bidder. I asked to be part of that bid and submitted mine,? he said.

Patel estimated his stand has generated $200 to $250 in daily sales.

In addition to Patel?s spot at Damen, five other vendor spaces inside CTA stations, including a 199-square-foot space at the nearby California Blue Line stop, are listed as available for rent on the Jones Lang LaSalle website.? In August 2008, the real estate company began an exclusive five-year consulting deal with the city to handle leasing for CTA spaces, according to a report in REjournals.com.

Brian Carroll, from Jones Lang LaSalle?s Public Institute Sales Department, declined to comment on new tenants at the Damen stop, but said the bidding process is still open.

?Essentially what has happened is the CTA is putting out spaces they have on month-to-month leases for bid, to get longer-term leases. I?ve spoken with [Patel] several times to get him to bid. In terms of the shoe repair, it was a misunderstanding to say the least. We are not closing the bidding process until Nov. 5 and then the CTA will award the space,? Carroll said.

Carroll would not say how many bids have been submitted thus far, but said that the process would wrap up Nov. 5 for all of the CTA assets listed on the Jones Lang LaSalle site. Carroll added that selecting a tenant is not just a ?financially driven? decision.

?We don?t just award [the space] to who gives us the most money. CTA is a public transit organization and they consider five components in the application process, like business experience. How does your use serve ridership? What?s your community involvement?? he said.

The CTA board meets the second Wednesday of every month. Carroll could not provide a timeline of when the space will be re-leased and could not confirm whether the CTA board would evaluate bids at November?s meeting.

The second Wednesday is Nov. 14. Patel?s two-year city business license expires Nov. 15 and he said he decided not to renew his two licenses, which cost $910.

Meanwhile, if anyone is in the market for a soda cooler, Patel said he would be selling his, as-is, along with all of his fixtures, beginning next week.

?

Alisa Hauser

for DNAinfo.com/Chicago.?? coming soon!

?

Bucktown Business Featured Neighborhoods Residential Updates Wicker Park concession leases, damen blue lines, Dashrathlal Patel, jones lang lasalle

Source: http://chicago-pipeline.com/2012/10/24/small-vendor-calling-it-quits-as-cta-changes-concession-leases/

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MS ABDB FOOTBALL TEAM: Majra edge BSRC in 7-goal thriller

A Majra player (L) evading a tackle from an opposition player in this file photo. Picture: BT file

MAJRA FC defeated Brunei Shell Recreation Club (BSRC) 4-3 in the third-round FA Cup match at the Berakas Sports Complex last night.

In the early moments of the first half, Majra FC played long balls and used both their left and right flanks to get crosses and through balls into BSRC's penalty box.

Despite the early onslaught BSRC held out against Majra FC's attacks, and scored the first goal in the 22nd minute against the run of play from a counter attack.

A BSRC defender intercepted the ball before releasing a long pass into Majra FC's territory that found BSRC's Syazwa Mohd. He quickly sprinted with the ball into Majra FC's penalty box and fired the ball home.

The game looked done and dusted for BSRC when they were awarded a penalty in the 36th minute following a hard slide tackle by a Majra FC defender in the box.

BSRC's Junaidi Brahim took the penalty and scored, making it 2-0.

However, Majra FC made a stunning comeback, starting in the 42nd minute when a through pass from the left found a waiting Mohd Azri Zahari who quickly shot the ball with his left foot, pulling a goal back to make the scores 2-1.

In the second half, BSRC's counter attacks paid off again. The team from KB restored their two goal lead when the ball was passed to their striker Syazwi Mohd.

He beat his man inside the Majra penalty box from the left side and scored his second goal of the game in the 60th minute.

It was not over for Majra FC though, when a cornerkick from the right was awarded to them and striker Faizal Mohd headed the ball into goal in the 71st minute, making it 3-2.

Faizal equalised just two minutes after his first goal when he received a long ball in the middle of BSRC's penalty box and the player turning well and rifling the ball into the net.

With Majra FC's relentless attack, Mohd Azri Zahari scored the winning goal in the 87th minute with another long ball taking apart the BSRC defence.

Mohd Azri had to evade two defenders before firing the winner from the left side of goal capping a remarkable night for his team.

Majra FC Assistant Manager Hj Mahaddi Hj Madziin told The Brunei Times that the change of formation after half time helped them win the game.

"We started in the first half with with the formation of 4-4-2 but since we were trailing behind, we changed our formation to 4-3-3," said Hj Mahaddi.

"First half we had many chances but we had made mistakes, but our players still had the fighting spirit to win the game," he said.

Hj Mahaddi explained that the tactical change gave the team a much better chance for attack.

Majra's assistant manager also praised the opposition saying it was a great game and that BSRC were quite formidable opponents to play against.

Majra FC's biggest achievement to date was winning the DST Group Brunei League Cup final in 2011.

This Saturday's match will witness Sporting FT play against MS ABDB at the Balapan Track and Field at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas.?

Source: http://msabdbft.blogspot.com/2012/10/majra-edge-bsrc-in-7-goal-thriller.html

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Encouraging China PMI halts slide in Asian shares

TOKYO (Reuters) - Data suggesting a gathering economic recovery in China helped trim declines in Asian shares on Wednesday, though investors stayed risk averse due to weak corporate earnings results worldwide and enduring worries over economic slowdown.

The China HSBC Flash Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) rose to a three-month high of 49.1 in October, also registering the most robust order books since April, signaling a strengthening recovery.

The MSCI index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan <.miapj0000pus> eased 0.1 percent, slightly trimming an earlier 0.3 percent drop. Hong Kong shares <.hsi> also narrowed losses to a 0.1 percent from a decline of 0.3 percent, while Shanghai shares <.ssec> steadied from a 0.2 percent fall.

Japan's Nikkei average <.n225> were down 0.4 percent, recovering from an earlier drop of more than 1 percent. <.t/>

"Recent data have suggested that Chinese growth may have bottomed out last month, helping to improve market sentiment as U.S. economic figures have also been hinting at a brightening recovery trend recently," said Kyoya Okazawa head of global equities at BNP Paribas in Tokyo.

But corporate earnings were a bigger focus for South Korean shares <.ks11>, which fell 0.7 percent, as lacklustre results in local and international markets weighed on investor sentiment.

SK Hynix Inc , the world's No.2 computer memory chipmaker, reported a third-quarter operating loss before the market opened, but its shares gained as the loss was smaller than expected.

Australian shares were down 0.6 percent at a one-week low as a stronger inflation data scaled back expectations for a further interest rate cut, countering the bullish impact from positive data from China, Australia's single largest export market.

The dollar was steady against the yen at 79.82 yen, having hit its highest since early July of 80.02 on Tuesday.

The Australian dollar rose to a high of $1.0317 after the Chinese data, having earlier risen from around $1.027 following data showing Australian consumer prices increased a surprisingly large 1.4 percent last quarter, lowering expectations for interest rate cuts.

The Aussie rose 0.5 percent against the yen to 82.33 yen, helping the euro to steady against the yen at 103.70 yen. The euro touched a 5/1-2 month high against the yen of 104.45 on Tuesday.

Markets may remain cautious, but their response "is more geared towards consolidating risky assets near lower levels that justify bearing the risk, rather than the pre-announcing more difficulties to come", Barclays Capital said in a research note.

On Tuesday, a leading European share index, te FTSEurofirst 300 index <.fteu3>, slid to its lowest level in more than one-and-a-half months on Tuesday, while U.S. stocks fell, with the Dow industrials suffering the biggest drop since June 21 after DuPont and United Technologies showed profit growth slowing, adding to a string of disappointments from companies falling short of Wall Street's expectations.

U.S.-listed shares of foreign companies slid across the board on Tuesday, also on fresh worries over the euro zone's debt crisis as Spanish bond yields rose after Moody's Investors Service downgraded five of Spain's regions.

Spot gold recovered to rise 0.3 percent to $1,712.79 an ounce after falling 1.2 percent to a six-week low of $1,703.50 on Tuesday as other assets fell.

U.S. crude rose 0.6 percent to $87.18 after settling at a three-month low of $86.67 on Tuesday. Brent crude futures were up 0.5 percent at $108.83.

The euro steadied at $1.2988 from Tuesday's low of $1.2952, but well below last week's high of $1.3140. The euro's low this month was around $1.2804.

Investors continue to wait both for Spain to ask for aid to help manage its huge public debts with external funds, and for Greece to agree to conditions attached by its global lenders in exchange for a further bailout.

Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung paper reported in its Wednesday edition, without citing sources, that euro zone states will grant Greece an extra two years to bring its budget deficit to within agreed targets.

The euro could be pressured if initial readings of euro zone purchasing managers' index and a German Ifo business sentiment survey due later on Wednesday signal further deterioration.

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has told close friends he probably will not stand for a third term at the central bank even if President Barack Obama wins the November 6 election, the New York Times reported.

Under Bernanke, the Fed has taken aggressive easing policies to help underpin the tepid U.S. recovery. The Fed is unlikely to take fresh steps when it ends a two-day meeting on Wednesday, opting to assess the impact of last month's aggressive quantitative easing measures.

Sober investor sentiment hit Asian credit markets, pushing the spread on the iTraxx Asia ex-Japan investment-grade index 4 basis points wider.

(Additional reporting by Joyce Lee in Seoul; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/encouraging-china-pmi-halts-slide-asian-shares-034643509--finance.html

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Romney-backed Senate candidate: God wants women to have rape-babies (Americablog)

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'Green' excavators dig improved gas mileage

3 hrs.

John Roach , NBC News

The construction site is about to get a shade greener thanks to the introduction of a digger with hydraulic hybrid technology that can cut fuel use by up to 25 percent.

The digger is an upgrade to Caterpillar?s workhorse 336E, an excavator found filling dump trucks at construction sites all over the world.

The new 336E H uses a patented hydraulic hybrid system that stores and reuses energy over and over as the arm swings up and down during operation, such as digging a cellar for a new skyscraper and dumping dirt in the back of a truck.

The arm captures and stores swing-brake energy in accumulators and releases the energy during acceleration, Caterpillar explains in a news release.?

The technology makes for about a 25 percent less fuel consumption compared to the non-hybrid model. Payback for the added cost, Caterpillar noted, could come within a year assuming today?s fuel prices and heavy use.

Hybrid technology has been used in diggers since at least 2008, when Komatsu introduced its first hybrid excavator model. The company also has an electric-hybrid forklift.?

The addition of more players to the field is welcome news to both an industry that is heavily impacted by fuel costs and a planet facing continued disruption to its climate from increased greenhouse gas emissions.

The operation of excavators, graders, backhoes and other heavy machinery in the construction industry accounts for about 0.35 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, according to Komatsu.?

The construction industry emitted 66.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2011, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That figure is expected to dip slightly in 2012 and then rebound to 90 million metric tons by the end of this decade at stay in that elevated range through 2035.?

The dip is likely attributed to a slowdown in the global economy. In earnings released on Monday, Caterpillar slashed its 2012 forecast and warned the global economy was slowing faster than it expected.

A slowing economy means fewer construction projects and thus lower greenhouse gas emissions from the industry, regardless of how fuel-efficient their diggers are.

Caterpillar said it expects the global economy to turn around in the second half of 2013, just in time for the first shipments of the 336E H. If the economy grows as anticipated, more fuel efficient diggers can help curb the pace of rising greenhouse gas emissions.

?? via Earth Techling?

John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/green-excavators-dig-improved-gas-mileage-1C6632131

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BNY Mellon Names Head Of Sales For Asset Servicing In The ...

BNY Mellon has named Marina Lewin head of sales for its Asset Servicing business in the Americas.

Lewin will report to Samir Pandiri, CEO of Americas Asset Servicing & Alternative Investment Services. She will be based in New York, managing teams in several U.S. cities, as well as Dublin, London and Hong Kong.

In addition to her new role, Lewin will continue to lead global sales for the company's Alternative Investment Services (AIS) group. BNY Mellon brought together its two investment services businesses ? global custody and hedge fund administration ? earlier this year.

'Our AIS business has more than doubled its assets under administration the last four years, with Marina a major force behind that growth', said Pandiri. 'As institutional investors continue to make alternatives a larger core of their portfolios, we'll see a sharing in the kinds of services we can offer clients on both sides. Services like prime custody also point to the growing need among hedge fund managers for wider custodial capabilities.

'Plan sponsors and hedge fund managers alike are dealing with issues around transparency, new regulations, risk management, and operational efficiency. Marina brings strong leadership skills that will help us integrate the solutions we deliver to all our investment services clients and reach new ones as the industry evolves', Pandiri added.

Lewin has been with BNY Mellon since 2000. Before joining BNY Mellon she was with JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank and has held a variety of roles in the securities industry, including in operations management, product management, and product development. She's also had extensive experience leading major business integration projects.

BNY Mellon is a leading administrator of alternative assets, including single manager hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, and private equity, with more than $525 billion of alternative assets under administration and custody and an extensive global presence. BNY Mellon also offers a wide range of cash management, foreign exchange, collateral management, corporate trust, and wealth management services to the alternative investment industry.

Source: http://hereisthecity.com/2012/10/24/bny-mellon-names-head-of-sales-for-asset-servicing-in-the-americ/

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Help Google Talk

? MadridZ	Today, 03:02 PM
Member - OP Posts: 58 Join Date: May 2012	someone can pass Google talk apk, rom I installed was 2.2 but is not included, nor the meeting in play store, anyone? Enviado desde mi Xperia X10 usando Tapatalk 2

Posting Rules You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts Go to top of page...

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Kristin Cavallari Tweets a Picture of Her Little Football Fan

Mom & Babies Celebrity Baby Blog

10/23/2012 at 11:00 AM ET

This little cub is ready for a Bears win! On Monday,?Kristin Cavallari took to Twitter to share a snapshot of her little football fan ? son Camden Jack ? geared up and ready to watch dad Jay Cutler take on the Detroit Lions.

?Cam?s ready for daddy?s game,? the reality star, 25, captions the photo of her wide-eyed 11-week old baby boy.

Cutler?s pint-size cheering squad was much needed as he suffered a hit during the first half that sent him to the locker room. Fortunately, the star quarterback? was back on the field after halftime, with the Bears winning 13-7.

Courtesy Kristin Cavallari

RELATED: Kristin Cavallari: Motherhood Has Felt ?Very Natural?

Source: http://feeds.people.com/~r/people/headlines/~3/2BDTMcKIlyY/

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US on record to achieve highest level of energy independence since 1990

The United States is on track this year to attain record levels of domestic production of fossil fuels, making the country the most energy independent it has been since 1990.

If present trends continue, the U.S. will produce more than four-fifths of the energy it consumes.

These high production levels stemmed from the expanded use of hydraulic fracking and horizontal drilling to get at the country?s vast shale resources, and has made the U.S. the most energy independent since 1991, according to Dr. Mark Perry, economics professor at The University of Michigan and scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

?It?s hard to overestimate the significant beneficial effects of the shale revolution on the U.S. economy over the last five years,? writes Perry.

?And the timing of the shale gale couldn?t have been better,? Perry continues. ?Just as the financial crisis, housing bust, and mortgage meltdown were starting to cripple the U.S. economy in 2008 during the onset of the Great Recession, the shale revolution and domestic production of oil and gas were just taking off in places like North Dakota, Texas and Pennsylvania.?

Domestic production of fossil fuels is projected to be more than 61 quardrillion BTUs of coal, natural gas and crude oil and even beating out last years fossil fuel production record of 60.66 quadrillion BTUs of fossil fuels.?The U.S. is projected to produce 83.3 percent of its total energy consumption this year. In 1990, the U.S. produced 83.7 percent of its total energy consumption.

The vast majority of the oil and gas production in the U.S. has in fact come from drilling and development on private and state lands, while oil and gas production on federal lands has fallen.

?Leasing and permitting on federal lands have plummeted under Obama?s watch,? said Thomas Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance, in a statement. ?Under this administration, the leasing rate has slowed by about half, and the total amount of federal acres leased has fallen by 18 percent.?

According to the Congressional Research Service, 96 percent of the increase in oil production from 2007 to 2012 was produced on private and state lands. The Institute for Energy Research estimates that, 5.5 times more oil is produced per acre on private and state lands than on federal lands.

The Energy Information Administration reported that crude oil sales of production from Federal and Indian lands fell from 739 million barrels in 2010 to 646 million barrels in 2011 ? about a 14 percent decrease ? mainly due to the Obama Administration?s offshore drilling moratorium.

Natural gas production on state and private lands has also increased substantially as well, by 28 percent between 2009 and 2011. However, on federal lands, natural gas production fell by 27 percent over that same time period.

The EIA reports that ?total natural gas sales of production from Federal and Indian lands have decreased each year since FY 2003.? In 2011, sales of natural gas production decreased 10 percent from 2010, and decreased 31 percent from 2003 levels.

Drilling from unconventional oil and gas sources, like shale, is estimated to support more than 1.7 million jobs in 2012 ?at average wage levels dramatically higher than the general economy,? according to a new study by IHS Global Insight. The number of jobs supported by these drilling activities is expected to rise to nearly 3.5 million in 2035.

?An unconventional oil and gas revolution is under way in the United States, but its full ramifications are only beginning to be understood,? writes Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of IHS, in the Wall Street Journal.

?Half a decade ago, it was assumed that the U.S. would become a large importer of liquefied natural gas; now the domestic natural gas market is oversupplied, thanks to the ability to produce shale gas through hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies,? Yergin added.

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Source: http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/23/u-s-on-record-to-achieve-highest-level-of-energy-independence-since-1990/

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The state of online retail | Nett

Despite all the doom and gloom in retail-market forecasts, retail entrepreneurs are continuing to try their hand at online ventures ??often with considerable success. But as a new generation of online-only ventures runs its lifecycle, many entrepreneurs are finding that the old rules of running a business most definitely apply ??and then some.

Just ask Samantha Leah, a longtime archivist who two years ago teamed up with her sister-in-law to found Beautiful Fairy, a self-publishing venture that lets customers order custom-made photo books and similar products. With Leah?s administrative capabilities and her sister-in-law?s design skills, they figured they had everything they needed to pursue their goal of offering high-quality books ? but that didn?t make the venture any easier.

Getting noticed in the increasingly-cluttered online environment has been particularly challenging: ?It has been quite hard,? Leah admits, ?especially with the economy and trying to reach our target market ? part-time mums with part-time income ? and trying to get their attention enough to sell them a product that?s priced higher than what they can get in other places.?

It?s a common conundrum for small retailers trying to stand out in their fields, but online there?s an additional challenge because they can?t rely on impulse buying after customers touch and feel the products. The duo initially tried to overcome this by trying to attract customers with promotional product giveaways ??but this approach quickly backfired.
?The people who utilise free samples are not necessarily the sort of people who will give you follow-on business,? Leah explains. ?Our demographic just doesn?t visit those websites for shopping reasons. Once we figured out that those sorts of things were not going to work for us, we had to find different ways to build trust.?

Bricks-and-mortar

Conventional wisdom suggests that most new small businesses will fold within just a couple of years. Little wonder that business people are rushing towards the online model, which many see as a chance to bypass that statistic thanks to lower operating costs, more business and logistical flexibility, and geographically broader customer base.

Recent statistics suggest the money is there, with around three-quarters of Australians? online spend found to be spent with domestic online retailers. That?s a market worth billions, and it?s there for the taking ? as long as you take the time to remember every online shopfront needs to have the right kind of business behind it.

This was a tough lesson for Alec Nelson, who for years had operated a Godfrey?s vacuum franchise in Wagga Wagga, NSW, but eventually grew impatient when he began butting heads with management over his efforts to start selling online. Early eBay sales were a hit but drew censure over franchise territory rights, and a later decision to open a separate vacuum repair shop created friction as Nelson was forced to decide whether he wanted to remain a franchisee or head out on his own.

He chose the latter, with great success selling products via eBay as a complement to his bricks-and-mortar presence. However, he quickly came to realise the repair shop?s high skills costs were eating into margins that couldn?t be recovered through equipment sales because traditional competitors were dominating the market. Nelson eventually shut down the business and, in October 2010, set up VacuumSpot, an online shop devoted to sales of vacuum cleaners and parts.

That?s when things went pear-shaped. Despite doing what he thought was the right thing ? investing heavily in an online system developed for him by a Sydney web development house ??Nelson soon found sales dropped precipitously with the new site. Within the first six months, sales had dropped from around $15,000 per month to just $3,000. Nelson was, in a word, stunned.

?For three months we were just sitting there saying ?oh my God?,? he recalls. ?We ended up in all sorts of trouble with our suppliers, and I was researching like crazy about how online shops worked. I hadn?t intended to, but learned a lot about the mechanics of how online retail works, how to get found on Google, how to get design and other work done at low cost on eLance.com, and so on.?

The biggest problem, however, lay in what he assumed would have been a whiz-bang, fully featured website ??but turned out to have been poorly designed for VacuumSpot?s user base. ?I realised sales were dropping because the navigation wasn?t simple and clear,? he recalls. ?It?s a very specific product we sell, and people were confused so they would just leave from the site.?

A redesign rapidly turned things around, and the business has picked up dramatically as Nelson?s improved online presence took hold. Sales have grown healthily throughout the year on the back of a new online environment built around PayPal-owned infrastructure. This has had the added impact of providing a company logo that consumers recognise and trust.

That growth brought other challenges, however, as Nelson was forced to revisit his sourcing and delivery arrangements. Because suppliers charge delivery fees for each shipment under a certain value, for example, he?s learned to group orders and manage excess stock more effectively. He?s also taken out warehousing space in Melbourne, to which suppliers are often willing to deliver smaller orders for free.

That keeps his own costs lower, increases profitability and allows him to minimise his own shipping charges?? which in turn boosts the business and opens new options. ?We can keep some pretty obscure products because our warehousing costs are a lot lower,? says Nelson. ?We?ve most recently been talking about drop shipments, where we take the order and suppliers ship directly to the consumer. They get more sales and we can sell more of their product catalogue.?

The new entrepreneur

These are the sorts of lessons entrepreneurs quickly learn as they move from eBay-styled hosted stores to building and promoting their own web businesses. Freed from the expenses of street leases and seven-day retail operations, small-business owners are learning that hard work and flexibility are as important in the online world as they ever were in the ?real? world.

One of the crucial lessons that both Leah and Nelson learned was just how important it can be to find and market to the right customers online. Yet despite its importance, Craig Reardon, director of online-business advisory firm The E Team, warns that many online business operators simply don?t do their homework about the right approach and provision of superlative customer service.

?All of this web commerce doom and gloom from traditional retailers comes in a different light when you ask how many have a professional website, and how many are doing the right marketing,? says Reardon, noting a friend who has set up a sustainable-products site is turning over $250,000 a year. ?The margins aren?t great, admittedly, but he?s not even using proper online tools.?

?It?s very much a passive approach to his website, but that quarter of a million is coming from his [traditional retail] competitors,? he adds. ?Those High Street companies, in the main, are slow, defensive and technophobic ? and the ones complaining the loudest are the ones that just haven?t done anything about it. They?ve got to stop looking at the notion of sales across the counter, and start looking at the lifetime value of the customer.?

Building that relationship might involve anything from asking customers for a valid email address before they leave the shop, designing elaborate loyalty programs that reward repeat behaviour, or simply building an online business as a destination for customers who share a mutual love of a particular area.

This last approach was a core part of the business plan for Cate Burton, a Sydney-based hobbyist candlemaker who walked away from a 15-year career in law and banking to start up Queen B, a combination bricks-and-mortar and online business that sells a broad range of homemade candles and related products.

As with any business, Burton says, the key to succeeding in this market is to have a clear mission statement and to make sure you follow it. ?You need to have very clear differentiation, and stand for something that isn?t already out there and available,? she says. ?Otherwise, there are probably companies out there doing it with a much bigger budget.?

Burton has built up a client base not only through walk-ins to her retail shop, but by writing regular blogs about her interest in candlemaking, and by sending monthly email updates to customers on an opt-in basis. Nearly half her customers click through when they receive her emails, which is a response rate many direct marketers could only dream of.

?You need to have that conversation,? she explains. ?You have to be a person, and more than a business. I only email customers when I have something relevant to say, and I?m not just always trying to flog candles. That?s what I think has made people very loyal to us.?

Annual revenue growth of around 30% to 40% suggests she?s on the right track, as does a regular return of around $5,000 in new orders each time she sends out an email blast. Yet it?s crucial to not stretch the friendship with customers, she warns.?There?s no point in sending a 10-page manifesto, but if you communicate with them in tidbits you can build up an impression of who you are ? and build a more substantial relationship with them.?

Taking the step

These may seem like obvious lessons for some business owners, and completely new ideas for many others. But wherever you lie on the spectrum, there?s no question that it?s easier than ever to get your business online.

Just look at PayPal ??an eBay subsidiary that offers person-to-person transfers ? which has joined Mastercard and Visa as the de facto third form of payment online.

?We?ve seen a lot of fear from small businesses,? says Elena Wise, director of merchant services at PayPal. ?Most people who get into small business do it because they?ve got a passion for it, but many are not tech-savvy. So the technology of getting online is a big barrier to overcome.?

Tying small business websites to back-end payment fulfillment systems can be tricky, as Vacuumspot?s Nelson found. His original systems had trouble integrating smoothly with his payment fulfillment provider. This makes an integrated solution valuable for small businesses that can design their content and product layout online, then turn to integrated platforms that help publicise products using tools like search engine optimisation (SEO).

As well as building confidence in her own ability, Beautiful Fairy?s Leah says a key to building momentum for the business has been climbing the learning curve; seeking out new information on business practices on a regular basis, sourcing quality suppliers and advisors wherever possible, and taking care not to burn out with your own enthusiasm.

?In the first year you?re quite happy to work 60 hours a week, because you?re so passionate and excited, but then that starts to drop off,? Leah says, ?especially when you?re not making any money and there are always bills to pay. If you keep putting those hours into it and trying to do everything yourself, it doesn?t thrive. You have to take a step back and trust yourself to see if it will float without you holding it up 24?7.?

Ultimately, these guidelines apply to conventional small businesses as well. Many will be familiar to long-time business owners, or seem like common sense to newer entrants. It?s entirely possible to fail spectacularly online, but that doesn?t mean you have to; the key, as always, is to execute deliberately and effectively, because a good business is going to succeed whether it?s online or off.? ?

Image Credit: Thinkstock.

Source: http://nett.com.au/start-up/22371/

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Brent edges above $110 after 4-day fall, growth woes cap rise

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude edged up above $110 a barrel on Monday after a four-day decline spurred by persistent worries over a fragile global economy, with supply risks also supporting prices as violence in the Middle East intensified.

Brent lost 4 percent last week and is on track to stretch losses to a second straight month in October amid the global economic uncertainty. But growing violence in parts of the Middle East, which supplies a third of the world's oil, has helped counter concerns over weak fuel demand.

A softer dollar also aided the oil benchmark for December delivery which gained 0.3 percent to $110.44 per barrel by 0311 GMT, recovering from a session low of $109.47, its weakest since October 4.

U.S. oil was up 0.2 percent at $90.20.

Brent crude's premium to West Texas Intermediate futures, measured between December contracts, narrowed to less than $20 after widening to more than $24 last week, the biggest in a year.

"We continue to have the same push and pull factors. The demand outlook remains weak, but geopolitics remains the wild card," said Victor Shum, managing director for downstream energy consulting at IHS Purvin and Gertz.

But Shum said weaker demand prospects should weigh on prices over the next two months given that top exporter Saudi Arabia has made good on its pledges to keep the oil market well supplied.

While recent employment and housing data from top oil user the United States have been relatively upbeat, the economy of No. 2 oil consumer China is, at best, on a tepid road to recovery, while Europe remains mired in a nagging debt crisis.

The Chinese economy could stage a feeble rebound in the fourth quarter on higher public infrastructure spending, although growth will remain lethargic through 2013, a Reuters poll of economists showed.

SYRIA DISTRESS

Tensions surrounding Syria continued to put oil investors on edge and support prices, with fears that the violence could spread to other nations in the Middle East.

The state funeral in Beirut of an assassinated Lebanese intelligence chief ended in violence on Sunday as angry mourners broke away and tried to storm the offices of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, feeding into a growing political crisis in Lebanon linked to the civil war in neighbouring Syria.

The Middle East tensions, along with the possibility that China could apply some stimulus to boost its economy, may help oil prices rebound between now and the end of the year, said Ben Le Brun, market analyst at OptionsXpress in Sydney.

"I think those are going to be factors that largely should support oil prices going into Christmas. I'm looking for a trend up towards $120 for Brent and $100 for WTI," said Le Brun, also citing the positive impact of the ongoing bond-buying programme by the Federal Reserve to boost liquidity.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brent-edges-above-110-4-day-fall-growth-045911411--finance.html

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Sprint Optimus G has root before the phone hits the shelves

The first thing I do with a review phone after I'm finished writing the review is to try to root it. Tonight was that night with the Sprint Optimus G, and it went rather well.

After a bit of Google Translate, I found the root method for the Korean Optimus G and had to try. It's based (either in whole or in part -- I don't read Vietnamese) on the Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean adb restore exploit discovered by Bin4ry and does the job easily.

The November 11 release can't come soon enough. Hit the forums for the details, and stay tuned for that review while it gets its final editing!

How to root the Sprint G Optimus G (Windows only)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/uaWs5jLA7d0/story01.htm

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Insegnare italiano a stranieri: Berkeley

Da www.dantealighieri.net

The Department of Italian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, seeks to appoint a 100% time Lecturer who will serve as coordinator for its undergraduate language program for the 2013-14 academic year (effective 7/1/13), with possibility of renewal and subsequent continuing lecturer status. In addition to coordinating the department's lower-division language instruction program and supervising the lecturers and graduate student instructors who teach in it, the appointee will conduct upper-division Italian language and culture courses and a graduate seminar in pedagogy. Applicants must hold an advanced degree in Italian or closely related field (M.A. or above), and have substantial experience in the teaching of Italian language to non-native speakers, as well as in curriculum design and administration. Significant training in second-language acquisition and/or applied linguistics is expected, as well as the ability to apply recent developments in the application of technology and new media to language teaching and learning. Experience of summer programs in Italy and willingness to contribute to the growth of education abroad programs at Berkeley would be an asset. Salary is commensurate with postsecondary teaching experience. Materials, including a CV, a statement of teaching philosophy, evidence of teaching effectiveness, sample pedagogical materials, and three confidential letters of reference must be submitted electronically at http://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF00073
Application deadline: November 15, 2012. Please refer potential referees to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality at: http://apo.chance.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html We encourage applications from individuals who will contribute to diversity in higher education. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
--
Albert Russell Ascoli
Terrill Distinguished Professor
Chair, Department of Italian Studies
6325 Dwinelle Hall
University of California Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-2620
fax: 510-642-6220
phone: 510-542-2704
email: ascoli@berkeley.edu
webpage: http://italian.berkeley.edu/people/profile.php?id=2

Source: http://insegnareitaliano.blogspot.com/2012/10/berkeley.html

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Ferdinand, bro boycott T-shirts

Associated Press Sports

updated 12:57 p.m. ET Oct. 21, 2012

LONDON (AP) -Anton Ferdinand joined older brother Rio in refusing to wear a T-shirt to support an anti-discrimination campaign Sunday, in a perceived protest at the impotence of organizations during recent racism cases in English football.

The younger Ferdinand was at the center of the most high-profile incident in the past year when he was abused by John Terry during a Premier League match last October.

Terry was banned for four matches and fined 220,000 pounds for hurling a racial slur, but many players feel the punishment was too lenient, as with other sanctions related to recent incidents of racism.

Anton Ferdinand was one of a number of players who declined to wear a T-shirt promoting the Kick It Out campaign in the warm-up before Sunday's Premier League match between his Queens Park Rangers team and Everton.

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand did the same before Saturday's match against Stoke, angering manager Alex Ferguson so much that the center back could face disciplinary action.

"It is embarrassing for me," said Ferguson, who had told members of the press that Ferdinand would not boycott the campaign. "He will be dealt with, no doubt about that."

However, Ferdinand's stance was backed by the chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association, which provides funds for the Kick It Out body.

"We will definitely monitor the situation very closely and make sure Rio Ferdinand's rights as a human being, never mind as a footballer, are not undermined in this position," PFA chairman Clarke Carlisle said.

"Everyone has a right to free speech - just like you can't coerce anyone into shaking hands, you can't make somebody wear a T-shirt - although I do personally believe that joining in with the campaign is the best way forward."

Kick It Out has been raising awareness for issues such as racism since the 1990s and began its latest annual two-week campaign on Thursday.

However, Reading striker Jason Roberts declared he wouldn't be taking an active part in the campaign and many others followed suit on Saturday, including Rio Ferdinand and the entire squads of Wigan and Swansea ahead of their Premier League match at Liberty Stadium.

It has been widely reported that the players are unhappy not just with Kick It Out but also the FA for a lack of action in combating racism in football.

Some believe the players' refusal to wear T-shirts during warm-up routines actually gives more publicity to the anti-racism campaign.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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More newsGlyn Kirk / AFP - Getty Images

Ferdinand, bro boycott T-shirts

??LONDON (AP) -Anton Ferdinand has joined older brother Rio in refusing to wear a T-shirt to support an anti-discrimination campaign, in a perceived protest at the impotence of organizations during recent racism cases in English football.

David Ramos / Getty Images

Roundup: Messi scores first hat track of season

Roundup: Lionel Messi scored his first hat trick of the season and Cesc Fabregas set up three goals as Barcelona survived Javier Mascherano's ejection and won 5-4 at Deportivo La Coruna in the Spanish league on Saturday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/49494109/ns/sports-soccer/

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