The deconstruction of Apple's October iPad and Mac event

On October 23, 2012, Apple held a special event to introduce their new Mac and iPad lineups. Unlike the previous month's iPhone 5 and iPod event, it wasn't bifurcated into effectively two different keynotes, nor was almost any time at all spent on software. Instead, one after another, product after product, spec updates, redesigns, and entirely new hardware was shown off on the California Theater stage. It was an unprecedented display of force projection. It was Apple firing everything. It was Tim Cook clearing his skies.

Yet at the same time, the pre-event hype seemed decidedly muted, at least compared to the iPhone 5 event in September. Was that simply because the iPhone remains the densest attentional gravity well in Apple's lineup? That the consistency and accuracy of rumors have begun to suppress the expectation of surprise, and hence, urgency of the event? That two events in such close proximity, even from Apple, simply can't maintain the intensity threshold of events more often spaced out across the year?

The state of Apple

Apple's CEO traditionally comes out first to welcome the crowd and set the stage for the event that follows. That's Tim Cook's role. He gives the mission statement and the mission brief, and his status updates are filled with something all too rare in consumer electronics -- actual numbers. Not numbers of products shipped or ordered, or users of ancillary services co-opted into new services, or percentages of nebulous markets in vague regions. Cook's numbers are of actual things sold to and used by actual people. And, as usual, they were impressive.

The iPhone 5 sold 5 million units its first weekend. The iPad line has sold 100,000,000 tablets to date. There are now 200,000,000 devices running iOS 6. 700,000 App Store apps, over a third of which are iPad apps or have iPad optimized interfaces. And more.

Those numbers would be especially meaningful later in the event.

iBooks 3

Buried among the numbers at yesterday's iPad and Mac event, Tim Cook announced a new version of iBooks with a few new features. From the beginning I'd heard the iPad mini was about removing weight and cost as barriers of entry to iPad sales, and about taking the ebook fight to Amazon and, as Ryan Block of GDGT aptly terms them, their Kindle line of consumer content appliances. Yet the event came and went without Apple matching the Kindle on pricing, or challenging Amazon on ebooks. Why?

Apple could equal or eclipse the Kindle catalog through sheer force of deal-making, something they traditionally excel at. But platform diversity is something in which Apple has historically shown almost no interest. Apple did make iTunes for Windows, but they haven't made any iTunes apps for any other non-Apple devices. And because, unlike music, commercial ebooks are still bound by DRM (digital rights management), they can't be opened by generic ereaders either. Whether you buy Kindle books or iBooks, you're still locked into that format, though the Kindle cage is much, much bigger.

More content, in more places, on more devices, among other reasons, simply trumps whatever technical, interactive, and visual advantages iBooks has on iOS. Ultimately, the ability login, be it on a $69 Kindle or high end smartphone or tablet, have access to your entire ebook library, synced and ready to go, even in base text, is compelling, and is something Apple simply can't and won't match .

Given that, my expectation that Apple would make a direct run at Amazon in the ebook space was unrealistic. Given that, a broader focus on education at yesterday's event, which would have almost certainly required a broader focus on books and textbooks, was also unrealistic. The ongoing lack of iBooks for Mac is disappointing, but a new version of iBooks and a new version of iBooks Author, keeps Apple's foot in the door, provides an amazing experience for those for whom that matters more than anything Amazon's Kindle offers, and the focus on languages maintains Apple's dominance in international markets.

Here's the longer version:

• Apple, iBooks, and competing with Kindle

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display wasn't a huge surprise. In addition to being widely rumored, it simply made the most sense for Apple to move Retina to the 13-inch. The iMacs are too big to cost effectively deploy Retina panels, and the MacBook Airs are too small to balance out battery life (for now).

Retina was given a very technical, very spec-heavy pitch. Apple had the word "nit" up on a slide. But Retina is something that needs to be explained. More pixels that are tinier pixels that ultimately make all pixels all but disappear need to be explained. Star Trek terms makes Retina sound impressive, and since it's the main selling feature, it needs to sound impressive. So, specs.

The only troublesome aspect of the 13-inch was its lack of a discreet GPU (graphics processing unit). Both the 15-inch and 13-inch versions have Intel HD Graphics 4000 embedded GPUs. The 15-inch also has an NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M. Since the 15-inch can feel maxed out, even with the discreet GPU, I assumed Apple would add a discreet GPU to 13-inch MacBook Pro as well to make things as performant as possible. But not so.

Maybe the slightly smaller panel size -- 2560x1600 versus 2880 by 1800 -- is enough to make the embedded graphics work, or maybe both are really working off the embedded chipset for the displays (since both support the same, dual 2560x600 external display setups), and the discreet GPU is just a bonus for the 15-inch. I'm not going to assume that, however. The 15-inch is already an edge case when you want to Expose multiple browser windows or drive large external displays. I also do a lot of Final Cut Pro X and Photoshop work, and the lack of quad-core, a 16GB option, and discreet graphics worries me in that regard. I do want to try it out, however.

Otherwise the 13-inch uses the same chassis design as the 15-inch that debuted at WWDC 2012, making it the lightest, thinnest MacBook Pro ever (a recurring theme for Apple if ever there was one).

The Mac mini

The Mac mini scored an update to the latest Intel Ivy Bridge processors, USB 3, and other modern internals. Despite Samsung and Google having totally ripped off the current Mac mini design for the ChromeBox, Apple didn't do anything to evolve the look.

So the Mac mini remains what it was, only better -- a good choice for multi-platform developers, home theaters, and those who want a small OS X server.

The iMac

The new iMac wasn't a huge surprise either, though the degree to which Apple sharpened the edges was certainly surprising. 5 mm. You could cut someone with that.

To achieve it, Apple jettisoned the optical drive, just like the MacBook Air and Retina MacBook pro before it. That's an aggressive choice for a desktop machine that really doesn't benefit as much from thinness and lightness the way portables do, but Apple is also the company that killed the floppy.

The iMac got all new, Ivy Bridge powered internals as well, along with Apple's Fusion Drive which intelligently manages an SSD and HDD as a single logical unit, allowing for fast boots, launches, and read/writes but also voluminous storage. But unlike the Mac mini, its design was iterated as well. Did Apple have to move the built-in optical drive to a peripheral, move the SD card slot to the rear, and otherwise sacrifice the convenience of a segment of their user-base for what looks on the surface to be simply less surface?

Of course not, but this is what Apple does. Because of the way they build devices -- designing the way to design them, manufacturing the way to manufacture them -- they exist in the relative future. And now that competitors have begun copying the iMac to embarrassing degrees, the way they copied the MacBook Air and Mac mini, Apple is moving the design bar even further out.

Now, when you walk into a big box retailer, if by chance Apple products aren't isolated in their own oasis-within-a-store, no clone will be mistaken for an iMac. At least not for a couple years again.

(Personally I'm waiting on the updated ThunderBolt Displays with laminated screens, but those are likely several months out as all the 27-inch panels will first go to satisfying iMac demand.)

iBooks Author

If Tim Cook introducing iBooks wasn't interesting enough, he also introduced an updated iBooks Author as part of the iPad overview. Apple held a special education event earlier in the year to announce textbooks for the iPad. Apple released iBooks Author so rich-media text books could be more easily generated. Tim Cook claimed at yesterday's event that 80% of the U.S. school core curriculum was now covered by iBooks textbooks, and that they're deployed at more than 2500 schools in the U.S. (Sadly, they're still not deployed to iPhone or iPod touch.)

The new version of iBooks Author includes vertical templates, embedded fonts, rendered mathematical formulae, multitouch widgets, and am easier, better process for updating books. International textbook support, of course, can vary wildly.

Again, it isn't overly aggressive, but it's realistic.

The iPad 4

Like the new iMac, the new iPad itself wasn't a surprise. What was a surprise, at least to me, was that Apple actually came out and called the revised iPad 3 the "4th generation iPad". I figured they'd play it like the Verizon iPhone, and use the expanded LTE footprint and Lightning adapter to "fix the antenna" that was the chipset. That was the whole advantage to calling it "the new iPad", right? Dropping the version numbers smooths the way for new versions at odd time spans. But with the jump from an Apple A5X to an Apple A6X, Apple was upfront enough to not only give the new iPad a new generation, but announce it as such. (And they didn't even play the iPad 3S card...)

Apple has typically stuck to 1 year cycles for iOS devices, besides the iPhone 4S and Apple TV 3 which took approximately 16 months and 18 months respectively, and the iPod touch 5 which took 24 months. Now the iPad 4 took only 7 months. In a world of with the Kindle HDs, Surfaces RT and Pro, Nexus 7 and impending Nexus 10, Apple isn't afraid to move faster either.

But the reaction was more curious than the device itself. When Apple waits, they aren't innovative and they're losing. When Apple moves aggressively, they're "screwing" users. But Apple doesn't really care about either sentiment. Not really. They care about making better products, which is what the iPad 4 is. And no one who has an iPad 4 has to buy it. Those for whom the iPad 3 was a poor compromise between screen density and performance, or for those whose LTE bands it simply didn't support, it'll be something finally worth buying or upgrading to.

The iPad mini

The iPad mini ended up being almost exactly what I expected. The big surprise for me here was the lack of an 8GB SKU for under $300. Either that SKU never existed or it was dumped. My guess is it was dumped. It seems like the original thinking was Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 would do better than they did, and that price pressure simply never materialized.

At $250 the iPad mini would have all but killed the small tablet market. At $329 there's a $200-$300 umbrella underneath it where other at-cost or content-subsidized tablets and appliances can breathe and get a foot in the door. Granted an 8GB iPad mini would have been a poor user experience, but it would have shut that door. Hard. (And gotten a lot of people into stores who may have then gone 16GB for $350 anyway.)

Instead, Phil Schiller spent some time comparing the iPad mini to the Nexus 7 (though without naming the Nexus 7). That seemed like Apple explaining why they deserved $80 more for the iPad mini than Google charges for a similar capacity tablet. In other words, bigger screen, better apps. It was an odd segment, and arguably they didn't need to make that case, but they chose to.

As to the device itself, the only truly new device Apple unveiled yesterday, Jim Dalrymple of The Loop had, among other things, this to say:

The iPad mini can easily be held with one hand for reading. Menus and other onscreen items can be reached with that hand if they are close. Of course, you can?t expect to be able to navigate the mini?s screen with one hand, but you can touch and scroll.

John Gruber of Daring Fireball's quick take included:

Screen resolution-wise, it?s exactly what I expected for a 163 PPI display in 2012: noticeably nicer than the 133 PPI iPad 1/2, noticeably worse than the 266 PPI iPad 3/4. The iPad Mini display seems brighter and to have better contrast than the iPhone 3GS display, but unsurprisingly, rendered text looks exactly like it does on the 3GS.

It's basically got the iPod touch 5 casing and internals with a miniaturized (Apple says "concentrated") iPad-style 4:3 screen at 7.9- rather than 4-inches. The iPad mini to iPod mini analogy was as spot on as the name. It's not for those who want a cheaper iPad. It's for those who want a more portable iPad, and are willing to make some compromises to get it.

But in addition to all the other iTunes content, it runs iPad apps, which neither the iPhone nor iPod touch can do. Tim Cook pointed out there's over 250,000 of those now, which makes competing tablet apps little more than a rounding error.

And that's what will likely make all the difference in the world.

No iOS 6.x

No new operating system talk, no iOS 6.0.1 mention, no iOS 6.1 feature discussion -- no Scott Forstall on stage at all. I guess we're waiting on spring to see what's next for iOS, at least incrementally.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/zovyL5kLA3E/story01.htm

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DNA's double stranded stretch: Models simulate what happens to DNA strands when stretched to the breaking point

ScienceDaily (Oct. 25, 2012) ? Theoretical physicists like to play with very unconventional toys. Manoel Manghi from Toulouse University in France and his colleagues have adopted a seemingly playful approach to examining what happens to a double stranded molecule of DNA when it is stretched to the breaking point, in a study about to be published in EPJ E.

Instead of using optical tweezers to stretch DNA as previously done in experimental settings, the authors focused on using a theoretical model to account for the structural deformations of DNA and determine how its mechanical characteristics could explain certain biological processes.

Over fifteen years ago, scientists discovered that DNA undergoes two structural transitions when pulled from both ends. The problem is that in experimental conditions these two transitions can overlap and can therefore be difficult to observe. Instead, Manghi and colleagues relied on a standard mathematical tool referred to as a 'coupled discrete wormlike chain-Ising model' to simulate DNA stretching and match experimental observations.

Thanks to their theoretical approach, the authors confirmed that after overcoming initial resistance to stretching, at a force of around 65 piconewtons (pN) in strength, the DNA stretches to almost twice its original length while also becoming less rigid. They also confirmed the other known structural transition occurring at around 135 pN. Although the critical forces of both transitions depend on the DNA sequence, they found it is the second one that most depends on it.

Beyond 135pN, DNA strands start peeling apart into single stranded DNAs that are similar to those obtained when DNA is heated up and undergoes thermal denaturation. This model thus bridges the gap between force-induced mechanical stretching and thermal denaturation and could potentially help understand how DNA performs its biological functions such as interaction with proteins and how it is packaged, say, in viruses.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Springer.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Manoel Manghi, Nicolas Destainville, John Palmeri. Mesoscopic models for DNA stretching under force: New results and comparison with experiments. The European Physical Journal E, 2012; 35 (10) DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2012-12110-2

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/xNcXysgTxis/121025110156.htm

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Teck defers capital spending; profit sags

TORONTO (Reuters) - Teck Resources Inc said on Wednesday it will defer C$1.5 billion ($1.51 billion) in capital spending planned through 2013 and cut costs as Canada's largest diversified miner feels the pinch of a global economic slowdown.

Teck's shares closed up 2.8 percent, however, as the miner's third-quarter earnings per share were not far off analysts' expectations despite a sharp fall in profit on sagging coal sales and prices.

The company pushed back numerous development projects, including an expansion at the Quebrada Blanca copper project in Chile and the restart of the Quintette coal mine in Western Canada, joining other top miners that have deferred capital spending in recent months.

Morningstar analyst Daniel Rohr applauded Teck's efforts to cut costs, noting that profits will remain under pressure through the fourth quarter as lower metallurgical coal prices weigh.

"It's probably wise, despite a pretty strong balance sheet, that the company's going to be undertaking some counter-measures to conserve cash," he said.

Shipments of steelmaking materials coal and iron ore have dropped in recent months on slowing demand from China and other emerging nations, prompting some to worry that the decade-long commodity supercycle is coming to an end.

The tough market has led such coal miners as Alpha Natural Resources Inc and Walter Energy Inc , which produce both steelmaking and thermal coal, to cut output.

Teck, the world's second-largest exporter of seaborne steelmaking coal, said it remains on track to meet the lower end of its full-year coal production forecast of 24.5 million to 25.5 million tonnes.

SPENDING CUTS

Included in the Vancouver-based miner's capital spending cuts are projects that have been delayed due to permitting issues, although chief executive Don Lindsay conceded that in the current economic climate the company would have taken a hard look at the projects even if permits were not a factor.

"We want to make sure that we're living within our means, if you like," he told investors on a conference call. "If the regulatory delays weren't there, perhaps we would have made the (deferral) choices anyway."

The company will reduce capital spending in 2012 to C$1.8 billion, down by C$300 million, while 2013 capital spending is being cut by C$1.2 billion. Teck has also implemented a plan to reduce operating costs by at least C$200 million a year.

At the Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 project, Teck now plans to resubmit its environmental assessment no sooner than the second quarter of 2013, while the restart of the Quintette coal mine has been delayed to 2014 over permits.

Quintette was shut down in 2000 as the coal price sagged below $50 a tonne. Teck launched a feasibility study on restarting the project in 2010, with the mine expected to produce about 3.5 million tonnes of coal a year.

Teck also deferred construction of a new furnace at its Trail operations in British Columbia and said the feasibility study for its Relincho project in Chile has been paused on changes to local infrastructure plans.

The company noted it has a cash balance of C$4.2 billion and is well positioned to move forward with its growth plans, but played down talks of major acquisitions.

COAL SOFTENS

Teck said its average realized coal price fell to $193 per tonne in the third quarter from $202 in the second quarter, while prices were down 33 percent from the same period a year earlier.

"Ongoing economic uncertainties in Europe and the United States and less robust growth rates in China, India and other emerging markets have impacted both demand and prices for some of our products", the company said.

Teck also warned that the recent weakness may continue into the first half of 2013, though the company noted it believes the medium- to long-term fundamentals for steelmaking coal are favorable. Teck operates numerous coal mines in Canada.

Coal production rose about 6 percent to 6.32 million tonnes in the quarter, while copper production increased 29 percent to a record 99,000 tonnes.

Net income fell to C$180 million, or 31 Canadian cents per share, in the quarter ended September 30. That compared with C$814 million, or C$1.38 per share, in the year-earlier period.

On an adjusted basis, third quarter profit fell 52 percent to 60 Canadian cents a share. Analysts on average had expected a profit of 61 Canadian cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Revenue fell 26 percent to C$2.5 billion, matching analyst expectations.

(Reporting by Julie Gordon in Toronto and Sandhya Vijayan in Bangalore; Editing by Theodore d'Afflisio,; Peter Galloway and Richard Pullin)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/teck-defers-capital-spending-profit-sags-004655610--finance.html

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Junior dos Santos critical of the UFC?s decision to hand Chael Sonnen and Alistair Overeem title shots

UFC heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos has today spoken out at the decision to hand both Chael Sonnen and Alistair Overeem shots at world titles in the coming months despite seemingly failing to earn the opportunities that have been presented to the two men by their actions outside of the octagon.

Speaking via Brazilian radio station Beat 98, ?Cigano? said:

?It?s kind of out of order. Nowadays, the UFC is prioritizing those fights which will sell well. A prime example of this was Chael Sonnen, who sold his fight very well. Overeem has followed the same path. But, for me, bring it on. I do not run from any challenge, I know I can beat anyone whatsoever. Come whoever comes, I will do my best to go out with a win in the Octagon.?

The champion also spoke about his UFC 155 clash with Cain Velasquez, the man he defeated for the title last November.

?This time, as Cain himself said he wants the fight to be longer, at least the fight will happen. He is an excellent wrestler and I believe he will want to take it to the floor. He will try to do to me what he did with Silva. But I?m not afraid, I am 100% ready to defend the belt. A fight is a fight, you never know how it will be, maybe it will go faster than last time.?

Overeem was due to face Junior dos Santos for the title in May at UFC 146 but was pulled from the fight after his T:E ratio was as high as 14:1. The Nevada State Athletic Commission didn?t take kindly to being lied to in the past by ?The Reem? but did reduce the normal one-year term to nine months after great deliberation.

By Michael Pepper. (Follow me on Twitter)

Why not tell us what you think about this story and get your thoughts featured in this week?s edition of MMABay Radio? Email Mailbag@mmabay.co.uk, start the subject with the word ?RADIO MAILBAG? and we?ll talk about our favourites on the next show.

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Source: http://www.mmabay.co.uk/2012/10/23/junior-dos-santos-critical-of-the-ufc%E2%80%99s-decision-to-hand-chael-sonnen-and-alistair-overeem-title-shots/

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State Invests Federal Tax Credits to Boost Affordable Housing ...

Affordable apartments for people with disabilities, veterans, seniors and working families to be created statewide

CHICAGO, IL ? October 23, 2012 ? (RealEstateRama) ? Nearly 700 affordable rental apartments will be built across Illinois, increasing housing opportunities for working families, seniors and people with special needs and disabilities, thanks to the allocation of federal tax credits approved by the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) board.

The tax credit allocations will generate an estimated $117.6 million in private equity to support 12 developments. Demonstrating the State of Illinois? dedication to creating more supportive housing opportunities, more than one-third of the total units will help veterans and people with disabilities find stability in communities.

As the state housing finance agency, IHDA awards the federal low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) through a competitive process to finance qualified affordable housing developments. Under Governor Pat Quinn, IHDA has allocated federal tax credits generating $657 million in private investment to support the creation and rehabilitation of 8,550 units of affordable housing. With the board?s approval Friday, developers will now seek private investment for the new developments. Construction is expected to begin by next spring.

?Governor Pat Quinn is dedicated to leveraging public-private partnerships to meet the affordable housing needs of working families, seniors, veterans and people with disabilities,? said IHDA Executive Director Mary R. Kenney. ?This financing will ensure the long-term affordability of apartments serving Illinois residents, helping to ease the cost of housing. These new developments also will create quality construction jobs to advance our economy.?

Congress created the federal tax credit program in 1986. Federal tax credits generate private investment in affordable housing when the credits are sold to private investors. The equity generated reduces the debt that the developer would otherwise have to borrow. As a result of the lower debt, a tax credit property can offer lower rents. Developments financed with tax credits serve households earning 60 percent or less of the area median income, or $31,860 for a one-person household in the Chicago metropolitan area and $29,400 for a one-person household in the Springfield area.

Developments approved for financing include two developments providing permanent supportive housing for veterans at risk of homelessness. Supportive housing empowers people with disabilities in communities by providing the services they need to live independently. Freedoms Path will transform vacant land at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital in Cook County into 72 units of studio, one- and two-bedroom supportive housing units serving veterans and their families. Veterans New Beginnings will create 54 apartments for veterans in Chicago?s Auburn Gresham neighborhood, and provide supportive services on the first floor of the development.

Housing for low-income seniors and working families also received tax credit financing, including a development of 46 single-family rental homes in East Alton (St. Louis area) that will offer a unique program allowing tenants to lease-to-own.

A complete list of the developments approved for financing is available at www.ihda.org/developer.

Tagged as: Affordable housing, Housing Construction

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Source: http://illinois.realestaterama.com/2012/10/23/state-invests-federal-tax-credits-to-boost-affordable-housing-construction-ID0561.html

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Revolution of Gaming! All Ages, Worldwide! Recruiting for BF3/GB ...

Hello fellow gamers!! I'm o PrettynPink o, Commander of Hellfire Brigade, and my clan RoG also known as Revolution of Gaming is now recruiting! We're not like other clans, we have thousands of existing members, forum based, game nights, always someone to team up with.

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Revolution of Gaming is a large gaming community that was started in 2008. A community built by gamers, for gamers who have a passion for playing video games as a fun social activity. All built around a structure that is fit for never ending growth and to create social experiences that inspire action.
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Make Sure Your Internet Business Is Legal | Travel

By far the most common misconceptions about working online is that you do not have to pay any taxes. Actually you are going to find that this is something that is believed by many people, when you work from home you don?t pay taxes. There loads of folks right now who are turning to the Internet to make cash and one of the main reasons is this misconception. Before you get too far along with your Web business, you better get everything straightened out, not only about taxes, but any kinds of licenses you will need to have. Even though many people think that an online business is something which will be fun and easy to do, everything that must be taken care of behind the scenes can make it very difficult and time consuming.

Given that plenty of the people that want an internet business have not owned a business of any kind, they have no idea what it means to be self employed or own a business. I am certain you understand that when individuals don?t have any experience in running a business a lot of them will automatically believe whatever they hear, like not having to pay taxes on an internet business. It doesn?t matter what type of business you may possibly have you need to realize that anytime you?re making a profit you?re going to have to pay taxes on these monies. There are various excuses men and women use for not paying taxes, but the most common is they are working from home.

Given that most folks work at a job where the taxes are withheld automatically, they don?t know what a business does in relation to taxes. The amount of taxes you are going to need to pay is a thing that will be according to the amount of money you bring in and has nothing to do with where you are located. It is going to be really important for you to make certain that you are paying your taxes whenever you are earning a profit because this is required by law. Even if you are running your (rechtsschutzversicherung vergleich) business totally by yourself, you still are a sole proprietor and must register your business, as well as pay your taxes each year. Unfortunately, not everyone has the mentality to have the ability to run a business, specifically when they haven?t worked other than for someone else, who was accountable for all the tax stuff.

Something else you ought to keep in mind is that the Federal taxes which are going to have to be paid are going to wind up being filed differently according to whether you are incorporated or if you?re a sole proprietor. So proprietors will be responsible for filing a personal tax return and you?re going to be required to pay a self employment tax. If you file as a corporation the particular tax structure is going to be different. Because there?s a wide variety of ways that you are able to actually wind up filing your corporate income tax it is going to be important for you to research or seek the advice of a professional.

In order to make sure you are running your business legally, you should talk to a CPA or somebody else who knows the tax laws. Keep in mind running an online business is going to require a lot of offline work, so ensure it?s going to be worth it for you.

Source: http://nicoleevaemery.com/business/make-sure-your-internet-business-is-legal/

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PARDON OUR SILENCE: We're saving our vocal chords for ...

Pardon our brief silence in the cybersphere ? many of our bloggers have just entered the academic purgatory that is known as thesis writing / midterm grading.

As we work towards speaking and writing in coherent sentences again, we would like to invite you to submit your own writing to be featured on the blog. Our only criteria is that (1) you have graduated from and/or affiliated with Bucknell University in some way; and (b) you have something related to creative writing to share. That?s it!

In a related story: we?re especially interested in hearing from those who will be attending Homecoming this upcoming weekend. Will you be going? Our very own Jessica Vooris ?09 will be attendance, and would love to hear from you. Feel free to share your thoughts / excitement / questions for her in the comments section below. ?Ray Bucknell!

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Source: http://theafterwordatbucknell.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/pardon-our-silence-were-saving-our-vocal-chords-for-homecoming/

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Make a Commitment to Prevent Underage Drinking During National ...

Written By:??Frances M. Harding, Director, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention

October is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, a time for all of us to take a closer look at what we?as organizations, communities, families, and individuals?can do to prevent substance abuse. ?SAMHSA applauds this observance, which is focused on preventing substance abuse before it starts and recognizing everyone who has been affected by this issue.

We support the observance, because we know that together, individuals and communities can make a difference in preventing and reducing alcohol and drug abuse.? Substance abuse takes a toll on personal relationships, careers, and physical and mental health.? It increases risks for chronic diseases, HIV/AIDS, and sexually transmitted diseases.? Alcohol and drug abuse also increase the risk of mental health problems and can make preexisting problems worse.

Underage drinking is particularly worthy of our attention because it can lead to heavier alcohol use later in life.? Research tells us that adults who first used alcohol before age 21 were more likely to be classified with alcohol dependence or abuse than those who had their first drink at or after age 21.[1]? In America, approximately 10 million people aged 12 to 20 report consuming alcohol in the past month. [2]

In the face of grim facts, prevention is the silver lining.? Prevention serves as a lifeline: by helping people develop the skills and resources for healthy lifestyles; by enlisting natural supports such as friends, peers, and family; and by applying evidence-based strategies to programs and practices.? Communities can reduce consequences associated with substance abuse and improve health outcomes when they develop comprehensive prevention systems, cultivate linkages and partnerships, and conduct education, outreach, and training.

Several SAMHSA-supported efforts in 2012 put the spotlight on underage drinking prevention, with more to come in 2013:

• In SAMHSA?s fourth round of Town Hall Meetings since 2006, more than 1,500 events focused on mobilizing communities around underage drinking prevention and turning greater public awareness into more effective action.
• To date, 30 states and territories including Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, have partnered with us to develop videos highlighting their local challenges and successes in preventing underage drinking.
• Scheduled to launch on February 4, 2013, at SAMHSA?s 9^th Prevention Day, SAMHSA?s Underage Drinking Prevention National Media Campaign will target parents and caregivers of children between the ages of 9 to 15 through radio, TV, and print ads; online PSAs; social media; partnership networks; and direct outreach.

Preventing underage drinking takes orchestrated efforts and individual commitment.? During National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, join with SAMHSA to forge new partnerships to expand our reach and successes.? I invite you to sign and share SAMHSA?s Prevention Pledge, find and distribute resources for prevention professionals and individuals alike, and lead by example and model healthy behaviors for those around you of all ages.

Our young people are bright and full of potential?get involved and do your part to prevent substance abuse.

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[2] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2011). Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Vol. I. Summary of national findings, (Center for Behavioral Health

Statistics and Quality, NSDUH Series H 41, HHS Publication No. SMA 11 4658). Rockville, MD: SAMHSA.

Source: http://blog.samhsa.gov/2012/10/22/make-a-commitment-to-prevent-underage-drinking-during-national-substance-abuse-prevention-month/

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Healthy Living Initiatives Flourish In Local Communities | Health Aim

The Obama administration?s Affordable Care Act has allowed local governments across the country to focus on healthy living initiatives for their communities.? The law created the $10 billion Prevention and Public Health Fund to invest in community prevention.? A broad national effort has been set in motion to nudge our health care into one that tries to prevent illness and disease from occurring in the first place.

Preventable disease is the single largest cause of death in the United States.? Unhealthy behaviors, such as poor diet and smoking, account for 40% of premature deaths.? Poor health care and limited access to the health care system account for another 10% of deaths in the country.

Very few published studies on obesity interventions have produced results, and only when participants were intensively engaged, but some public health experts say that the things being tried under the law could help bring a cultural shift in the ways Americans eat and exercise.? These experts say that only a mixture of approaches has a chance of eventually reducing rates of obesity.? Bruce Link, a professor of epidemiology and sociology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, said, ?Over time all of this effort builds up so people come to think about the problem and their own behavior in a different way.?

One community is focusing on signing people up for a program to prevent heart disease.? This healthy heart program offers free medicine and checkups in exchange for taking a health class.? Health workers identify the highest-risk patients in the area, connect them with doctors, and follow up with them after checkups.? Other communities are being transformed with bike lanes and walking paths, and in other communities, the money is being used to hire a physical education coordinator for the city?s schools

Efforts to influence behavior will have only a modest effect without policy measures to change the food environment, like taxes on soda and restrictions on marketing to children, say critics.? Some public health experts say that no real progress on obesity is possible unless governments regulate junk food.? Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, said, ?You have to change the drivers, rather than count on people to resist them.?

Source: http://www.healthaim.com/healthy-living-initiatives-flourish-in-local-communities/

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Nigeria military: Sect member at senator's home

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) ? Nigeria's military arrested a member of the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram at the home of a prominent senator, an official said late Friday, adding weight to claims that the violent group has political sponsorship.

Shuaibu Muhammed Bama had been found "in a serving senator's home" in Maiduguri on Thursday night, military spokesman Lt. Col. Sagir Musa said. Musa described Bama as a commander who organized attacks in Bama, a town just southeast of Maiduguri in Borno state.

Those living in Nigeria's Muslim north often take the name of their town or village as a surname. He also is not the first to join Boko Haram from that town. Authorities blamed a Christmas Day car bombing of a Catholic church outside Nigeria's capital that killed at least 44 people on Habibu Bama, a former soldier from the town. Security forces killed Habibu Bama in June, the sect has said.

Musa did not name the senator in his statement. However, the only senator who has a home in the area where Bama was arrested in is Sen. Ahmed Zanna, a member of the governing People's Democratic Party in Nigeria's National Assembly. Zanna and officials in his office could not be immediately reached for comment Saturday morning.

Rumors have always circled that Boko Haram received backing from some political sponsors in Nigeria, a country where politicians often arm militants to rig elections. In January, President Goodluck Jonathan himself said that the sect had infiltrated all levels of government, including the armed forces and security agencies.

This is not the first time a serving senator has been accused of being in league with Boko Haram. Sen. Mohammed Ali Ndume was arrested in November and faces charges over being involved with the group.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the Hausa language of Nigeria's north, is blamed for killing more than 690 people this year alone, according to an AP count. The sect wants Nigeria's government to release its imprisoned members and to implement strict Shariah law across this multiethnic nation of more than 160 million people. The sect's attacks have raised religious tensions across Nigeria, which is largely split between its predominantly Christian south and Muslim north.

Meanwhile, violence blamed on the sect continues unstopped despite a large military presence in northeast Nigeria. On Friday, officials and witnesses said gunmen killed a Chinese construction worker in Maiduguri, as an overnight raid in a nearby city left five others dead and several schools razed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nigeria-military-sect-member-senators-home-114214994.html

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Gadhafi's youngest son reported killed in Libya

Ahmed Jadallah / Reuters, file

Khamis Gaddafi is shown in a photograph found at Fatih University in June 2011.

By NBC News

Khamis Gadhafi, youngest son of slain Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, was reported dead Saturday, exactly a year after his father?died.

There were conflicting reports about whether Khamis Gadhafi was captured alive but gravely wounded after a gunbattle in Bani Walid, a pro-Gadhafi stronghold where fighting has raged for three days. And Khamis Gadhafi has been reported killed several times, including in an August 2011 NATO airstrike.

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Al Arabiya news agency?reported?that sources told it Khamis Gadhafi was severely wounded and arrested but that he later died. However, Al Arabiya also said,?Mohamed al-Magarief, the head of Libya?s democratically elected General National Congress, told the agency?the late dictator's son was killed during the clashes.

A Libyan journalist told NBC News that Khamis Gadhafi was captured while fleeing in a convoy. His right leg had been amputated, but it was not clear if that was a result of recent fighting or a previous injury.

Dr. Mustafa Abushagur, sacked as Libya?s prime minister last week, tweeted Saturday that Khamis Gadhafi?s body was taken to a Misrata hospital, the Russian Times reported.

The Guardian of London reported that a statement by the Libyan national congress spokesman, Omar Hamdan, said the 28-year-old was killed "in battle" but gave no further details.

The reports came after heavy fighting between the pro-Gadhafi garrison in Bani Walid and militias allied to the Libyan government.

The seventh son of Col. Moammar Gadhafi, Khamis Gadhafi is known as one of the most hardline of Gadhafi's sons.?

His reported death prompted wild celebrations in Misrata, Libya's third city, where fireworks and car horns filled the night, the Russian Times reported. He was reviled there for atrocities allegedly perpetrated by the 32nd Brigade, a special unit he formed after studying in a Russian military academy, the Russian Times said.

Goran Tomasevic / REUTERS

An uprising in Libya ousts dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Related: US slaps sanctions on woman accused of helping Saadi Gadhafi

The reports came the same day of reports that Moammar Gadhafi's chief spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim,?had been captured.

Watch World News videos on NBCNews.com

On Saturday,?Magarief?said?not all areas of Libya had been liberated, Al Jazeera news agency reported.

"The campaign to liberate the country has not been fully completed," Magarief said on state television.

"Bani Walid's misfortune is that it has become a sanctuary for a large number of outlaws and anti-revolutionaries and mercenaries," Magarief said.

Patrick Kovarik / AFP - Getty Images

A look at the life and times of Libya's mercurial and flamboyant leader

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/20/14584931-gadhafis-youngest-son-reported-killed-amid-libya-clashes?lite

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Astronomers uncover a surprising trend in galaxy evolution

ScienceDaily (Oct. 19, 2012) ? A comprehensive study of hundreds of galaxies observed by the Keck telescopes in Hawaii and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has revealed an unexpected pattern of change that extends back 8 billion years, or more than half the age of the universe.

"Astronomers thought disk galaxies in the nearby universe had settled into their present form by about 8 billion years ago, with little additional development since," said Susan Kassin, an astronomer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and the study's lead researcher. "The trend we've observed instead shows the opposite, that galaxies were steadily changing over this time period."

Today, star-forming galaxies take the form of orderly disk-shaped systems, such as the Andromeda Galaxy or the Milky Way, where rotation dominates over other internal motions. The most distant blue galaxies in the study tend to be very different, exhibiting disorganized motions in multiple directions. There is a steady shift toward greater organization to the present time as the disorganized motions dissipate and rotation speeds increase. These galaxies are gradually settling into well-behaved disks.

Blue galaxies -- their color indicates stars are forming within them -- show less disorganized motions and ever-faster rotation speeds the closer they are observed to the present. This trend holds true for galaxies of all masses, but the most massive systems always show the highest level of organization.

Researchers say the distant blue galaxies they studied are gradually transforming into rotating disk galaxies like our own Milky Way.

"Previous studies removed galaxies that did not look like the well-ordered rotating disks now common in the universe today," said co-author Benjamin Weiner, an astronomer at the University of Arizona in Tucson. "By neglecting them, these studies examined only those rare galaxies in the distant universe that are well-behaved and concluded that galaxies didn't change."

Rather than limit their sample to certain galaxy types, the researchers instead looked at all galaxies with emission lines bright enough to be used for determining internal motions. Emission lines are the discrete wavelengths of radiation characteristically emitted by the gas within a galaxy. They are revealed when a galaxy's light is separated into its component colors. These emission lines also carry information about the galaxy's internal motions and distance.

The team studied a sample of 544 blue galaxies from the Deep Extragalactic Evolutionary Probe 2 (DEEP2) Redshift Survey, a project that employs Hubble and the twin 10-meter telescopes at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Located between 2 billion and 8 billion light-years away, the galaxies have stellar masses ranging from about 0.3 percent to 100 percent of the mass of our home galaxy.

A paper describing these findings will be published Oct. 20 in The Astrophysical Journal.

The Milky Way galaxy must have gone through the same rough-and-tumble evolution as the galaxies in the DEEP2 sample, and gradually settled into its present state as the sun and solar system were being formed.

In the past 8 billion years, the number of mergers between galaxies large and small has decreased sharply. So has the overall rate of star formation and disruptions of supernova explosions associated with star formation. Scientists speculate these factors may play a role in creating the evolutionary trend they observe.

Now that astronomers see this pattern, they can adjust computer simulations of galaxy evolution until these models are able to replicate the observed trend. This will guide scientists to the physical processes most responsible for it.

The DEEP2 survey is led by Lick Observatory at the University of California at Santa Cruz in collaboration with the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., the University of Chicago and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Md., conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. in Washington.

For more information about NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/hubble

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Susan A. Kassin, Benjamin J. Weiner, S. M. Faber, Jonathan P. Gardner, C. N. A. Willmer, Alison L. Coil, Michael C. Cooper, Julien Devriendt, Aaron A. Dutton, Puragra Guhathakurta, David C. Koo, A. J. Metevier, Kai G. Noeske, Joel R. Primack. The Epoch of Disk Settling: z ? 1 to Now. The Astrophysical Journal, 2012; 758 (2): 106 DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/758/2/106

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/U_cttXgom9I/121019135427.htm

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How I Fooled the Internet into Thinking This Fake Sony Nexus Was Real

As far as I know, nothing of any notable significance occurred on Monday, October 15, 2012. The social web was still abuzz from the spectacular achievement in human ingenuity from the night before, brought to you by Red Bull and science. People continued to predictably politick and Rainn Wilson did an AMA. However, for an infinitesimal segment of the human population, October 15th was marked by a frenetic search for answers fueled by an anxiety that can only come from leaked photos of an up-and-coming piece of shiny new tech. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/P3m6lupFx0g/how-i-fooled-the-internet-into-thinking-this-fake-sony-nexus-was-real

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Think Like An Entrepreneur To Close More Sales | Business 2 ...

Over the past few weeks, I?ve been getting up early and going to networking groups here in the Dallas area in order to meet new people in sales, since I?m relatively new to the area. (Don?t get me wrong ? I still think these ?leads clubs? are utterly worthless for making sales ? like I said, I?m just out to make new friends and nothing more!)

I?ve been showing up at sales networking groups, the kind where everyone goes around the room and gives their 30-second commercial, then someone in the group gets to give a 5 or 10 minute presentation on what they sell.

The other kind of group I?ve been going to is where business owners and entrepreneurs get together to network and meet like-minded people. These tend to be more informal ? usually evening or happy hour mixers, with no formal ?commercials? or guest speakers.

Every time I go to an entrepreneur/business owner mixer, nearly everyone in the room knows who I am. Several people have all of my books and products, and at least 1 or 2 people always call me their hero. They ask for autographs and to take photos with me. Most are very successful, driving brand-new six figure cars and living the good life.

To the contrary, at the sales rep mixers, maybe a tiny fraction of everyone there even knows who I am, let alone has my products. Most are struggling to pay the bills and keep the beater car running. They?d rather spend their free time watching television than learning how to improve their sales skills.

This is exactly OPPOSITE of how it should be!

Here?s the big ? very big ? difference between these two different types of groups:

- The people at the business owner/entrepreneur mixers are making money. Big money. That?s because they never stop learning. That?s why they have all my books, along with other great authors like Jeffrey Gitomer, Napoleon Hill, and more.

- The people at the sales networking mixers are usually hungry for sales. Sometimes starving for sales. That?s because they?re showing up at these mixers, with nothing to offer, looking for a free handout of leads. They don?t have my books, nor those of others, because they?re not making an effort to continue their professional education and learn new and better methods of selling. And that?s why they?re starving.

Which category do you belong to?

If you?re in the latter ? the people who aren?t selling anything, and, not coincidentally, don?t have my books and products ? what?s your excuse?

Do you even have an excuse?

I?m guessing not.

Here?s the thing: Successful people never stop learning. Never. One of the things that seems to impress everyone I meet is that I?m always trying to learn how to improve, and I?m very humble about it. I know that no matter how well I?m doing, there is always room for improvement. Always more to learn from others.

That?s why I bought a Kindle ? the sheer amount of reading I do practically necessitates one!

With all that in mind, here?s a question for you:

What are YOU learning ? TODAY ? to help you sell more?

If you can?t answer that question, then here?s a suggestion:

Go out and buy some great sales books, like the Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer. Get on YouTube and find some good sales training videos, not to mention online forums like Focus and LinkedIn groups where you can discuss your sales challenges with others, and learn how to improve.

Stop wasting your time chasing prospects who won?t call you back. Never make another cold call again. Give up the ?leads clubs? and breakfast mixers where everyone shows up, gives their 30-second commercial, and goes back to work empty-handed, with an hour lost from the day to boot. Stop listening to your sales manager ? the reason he?s in management and not in sales is because he can?t sell. (Good sales reps make way more money than sales managers.)

Instead, start learning how to market yourself to prospects, hot, qualified prospects who are ready and willing to buy from you ? today. Build a presence online. Start blogging. Build an email list of prospects, and send them useful information on a regular basis. Start giving free presentations to groups of prospects, whether you do it as a free luncheon, or you speak in front of local service clubs.

By the way, speaking in front of groups of business owners and executives is REAL networking, not the silly leads clubs!

The list of ways and means of generating hot leads without cold calling is far, far too long to include here ? that?s why I?ve written entire books on the topic. But if you start to change your mindset now, away from cold prospecting and toward finding ways to position yourself as the authority figure in your industry and your community, then you might as well start shopping for your brand-new six figure car today!

Source: http://www.business2community.com/sales-management/think-like-an-entrepreneur-to-close-more-sales-0307204

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Dutch art thieves were no 'Ocean's 11' team

AMSTERDAM (AP) ? In Hollywood movies, heists usually feature criminals who plan meticulously and use high-tech equipment to avoid detection. But the thieves who snatched seven paintings by Picasso, Matisse and Monet worth millions from a gallery in Rotterdam appear to have taken a less glamorous approach, relying mostly on speed and brute force.

In other words, the theft from the Kunsthal exhibition on avant-garde art was more "smash and grab" than "Ocean's 11."

Dutch police said Wednesday they had no suspects in the case, the largest art heist in the country for more than a decade, though an appeal to witnesses had produced more than a dozen tips for investigators to follow up.

As questions arose about security at the museum, its director, Emily Ansenk, rejected criticism of the facility's safeguards. Speaking at a news conference Tuesday evening, she defended Kunsthal's security as "state of the art" and noted that insurance companies had agreed to insure it.

And yet the thieves got away. The paintings they took are estimated to be worth roughly $100 million if sold at auction.

[Slideshow: Art heist at Dutch gallery]

Experts said the structure and location of the museum, which was designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, may have attracted criminals.

"Speaking as a museum-goer, it's fantastic," museum security expert Ton Cremers said. "Speaking as a security expert, it's a total nightmare."

The gallery is located along a large road that leads to a roundabout, less than a mile away, connecting highways heading in three directions. The display space where the paintings once hung is a large square area, at ground level, visible from outside through glass walls.

Though police and the museum have declined to discuss aspects of the heist that might help thieves, the main details of what happened are clear.

[Related: The artist thieves prefer most]

The break-in occurred at around 3 a.m. Tuesday, police say, after someone triggered an alarm.

Investigators have focused on an emergency exit behind the building. The exit connects directly to the main exhibition hall, with paintings hung just a few yards away. Tire tracks can still be seen in the grass behind the building leading away from the exit. Police on Tuesday dusted the exit for fingerprints and took samples of the tire prints.

The paintings were yanked from the walls, leaving only white spaces and broken hanging wires dangling behind.

Officers were on the scene within five minutes of the alarm being triggered, according to museum director Ansenk, but the thieves were already gone.

Police spokesman Henk van der Velde said Wednesday that 25 officers have been assigned to the case, but the getaway car has not been found and there are no suspects. Agents were reviewing videotape from museum cameras.

It is unknown what will happen to the paintings if the thieves are not caught.

The thieves may "wake up and realize they can't sell the paintings easily" now that museums around the world have been alerted to their theft, said Chris Marinello, of the Art Loss Register.

But the thieves may also sell them on the black market for a fraction of their true value, or try to extract money from insurers in exchange for returning them.

Anthony Roman, a New York-based security analyst, said the Kunsthal's level of defenses appeared so basic as to be "astounding," given the value of the art it was housing. He said an alarm system alone would never be enough to stop criminals.

Thieves "learn the distance the police have to travel," he said. "They understand the mechanism and the amount of time between when the alarm goes off and the time of a physical presence of law enforcement."

Security expert Cremers said the museum was not at fault for relying on cameras and motion detectors, rather than human guards. Having guards on site is costly, and they would be instructed not to confront robbers during a break-in anyway.

"The only thing they can do is call police," he said.

Cremers said the museum should have looked at ways to slow potential thieves down. That might have prevented them from attempting to break in in the first place, or at least limited the size of their haul.

He said the paintings should have been hung inside behind a second makeshift wall with doors, creating a "box within a box" in the gallery. In addition, the museum could have set up a barrier or fence preventing cars from being able to drive up right to the emergency doors.

"I'm sure they'll be looking at that now," he said.

Later Wednesday, museum spokeswoman Mariette Maaskant confirmed that the museum was installing stone planter boxes big enough to block cars "as an extra security measure."

_____

AP reporter Lori Hinnant contributed to this story from Paris.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dutch-art-thieves-were-no-oceans-11-team-202342939.html

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FBI arrests man for attempting to bomb New York Federal Reserve

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The FBI on Wednesday arrested a Bangladeshi man in a sting operation on charges he attempted to blow up the New York Federal Reserve Bank with what he believed was a 1,000-pound (450-kg) bomb, federal authorities said.

Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, 21, faces charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to al Qaeda, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

The FBI said the public was not in danger because the explosives provided to Nafis were never in working condition and the suspect was closely monitored by the undercover agent - highlighting a script law enforcement has employed several times this year in similar cases, including one in Washington and another in Ohio.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said President Barack Obama had been briefed about the arrest.

"Attempting to destroy a landmark building and kill or maim untold numbers of innocent bystanders is about as serious as the imagination can conjure," said Mary Galligan, FBI acting assistant director-in-charge. "The defendant faces appropriately severe consequences."

In an initial appearance in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday, Nafis wore a plain brown crew-neck T-shirt, dark-colored jeans and sneakers. He barely spoke during the brief hearing, mumbling answers of "yes" to questions from U.S. Magistrate Judge Roanne Mann.

According to the criminal complaint, Nafis traveled to the United States in January 2012. Once in New York, he claimed to be in contact with al Qaeda members overseas, although federal agents found no evidence that he was working for al Qaeda or that he was directed by the organization, according to a U.S. official who declined to be named.

Nafis considered several targets for his attack, including the New York Stock Exchange and a high-ranking government official, whom the U.S. official identified as Obama.

(For a related Reuters video, please see http://link.reuters.com/wen43t)

In the end, the criminal complaint said, Nafis decided to focus on the Federal Reserve Bank in lower Manhattan, which stands like a limestone and sandstone fortress atop what is believed to be one of the world's largest stockpiles of gold.

RECRUITS

To create a cell to help him carry out the bombing, Nafis began to seek out recruits, eventually bringing on board an undercover agent working for the FBI.

The two met on Wednesday morning and traveled by van to a New York warehouse, where Nafis assembled what he thought was a 1,000 pound bomb, before driving to the Federal Reserve Bank, among the most secure and guarded buildings in Manhattan.

After parking near the bank, Nafis walked to a nearby hotel and recorded a video statement in which he said, "We will not stop until we attain victory or martyrdom," according to the FBI.

Nafis was arrested in the hotel as he repeatedly attempted to detonate the inert bomb, the FBI said.

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, whose department was part of the operation, objected to suggestions that Nafis' plans were crude and bumbling.

"I don't see how you characterize (him as) unsophisticated, I mean he was arrested, but he clearly had the intent to create mayhem here," Kelly told reporters.

Other FBI sting operations this year have netted at least one foreign suspect, as well as some from the United States.

In February, a 29-year-old Moroccan man was arrested near the U.S. Capitol wearing a vest he believed was full of al Qaeda-supplied explosives, and charged in an attempted suicide bombing of Congress.

Five self-described anarchists in the Cleveland area were arrested in May and accused of plotting to blow up a four-lane highway bridge. An undercover FBI agent had sold the men inoperable detonators and plastic explosives.

(Additional reporting by Jonathan Spicer and David Ingram in Washington; Writing by Dan Burns and Paul Thomasch; Editing by Sandra Maler and Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fbi-arrests-man-attempting-bomb-york-federal-013457938.html

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