Iraq Sunni rallies gather steam

 Thousands of protesters from Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority kept up a week-old blockade on a key highway on Thursday and readied mass rallies for Friday to demand concessions from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Protests flared last week after troops loyal to Maliki, who is from the Shi'ite majority, detained bodyguards of his finance minister, a Sunni. Many Sunnis, whose community dominated Iraq until the fall of Saddam Hussein, accuse Maliki of refusing to share power and of favoring Shi'ite, non-Arab neighbor Iran.
A year after U.S. troops left, sectarian friction, as well as tension over land and oil between Arabs and ethnic Kurds, threaten renewed unrest and are hampering efforts to repair the damage of years of violence and exploit Iraq's energy riches.
"The people want to bring down the regime," chanted some of about 2,000 demonstrators in the Sunni city of Ramadi - an echo of those used abroad during last year's "Arab Spring" and still a rallying cry for mainly Sunni rebels in neighboring Syria.
Some flew the old Iraqi flag, introduced by Saddam's Baath party and bearing three stars. It was replaced in 2008. Earlier in the week, Syria's rebel flag was also flown at the protests.
The main highway at Ramadi, 100 km (60 miles) west of Baghdad, was barricaded for a fifth day, disrupting transit of government supplies along a key trade route to and from Jordan and Syria. Protesters were, however, letting most trucks, carrying private goods, pass along another road through Ramadi.
There was also a small protest in the northern city of Mosul. Activists, who want changes to laws on terrorism that they say penalize Sunnis, plan bigger rallies on Friday, the traditional day of rest - and protest - in the Muslim world.
"If the government does not deal seriously with the people's demands, we will take our battle to the gates of Baghdad," said Sheikh Ali Hatem Sulaiman, head of the Dulaimi tribe, which dominates Ramadi and the sprawling desert province of Anbar.
Recalling the role the Anbar tribes played in first fighting the U.S. occupation and then allying with U.S. forces and the Baghdad government to contain al Qaeda fighters in the region, the sheikh warned Maliki's administration that Sunnis might resort to violence - though it is unclear how ready they are:
"Just as we fought al-Qaeda and the Americans, we will fight the government inside Baghdad," he said.
Should Friday's protests provide a mass show of force, it may add to concerns that the increasingly sectarian Syrian civil war, where majority Sunnis are battling a ruler backed by Iran, will push Iraq back to the Sunni-Shi'ite slaughter of 2005-07.
Al Qaeda fighters appear to be regrouping in Anbar and to be joining rebel ranks across the border in Syria.
While demands so far focus on the anti-terrorism laws which Sunnis say are being used against them, one lecturer in law at Baghdad University said Sunnis might be emboldened to call for regional autonomy in Anbar and other provinces in the northwest where they are in a majority - a status similar to that of the Kurds, who won Western-backed autonomy from Saddam in 1991.
"I'm seeing greater determination to defy Maliki and if their demands are not met, the call to have their own region will be an inevitable consequence," said Ahmed Younis. "The Kurdish region could become a model for Sunnis in Anbar."
SECTARIAN SLANT
Sunni complaints against Maliki grew louder a week ago when, just hours after Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd seen as a steadying influence, was flown abroad for medical care, troops arrested bodyguards for Finance Minister Rafaie al-Esawi.
For many it recalled how Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, a Sunni, was forced to flee into exile a year ago, just when U.S. troops had withdrawn. Hashemi, sentenced to death in absentia, told al-Hayat newspaper on Thursday that it was "fresh evidence of a plot to exclude Sunni Arabs from the political process".
Maliki has sought to divide his rivals and strengthen alliances in Iraq's complex political landscape before provincial elections next year and a parliamentary vote in 2014.
A face-off between the Iraqi army and Kurdish forces over disputed oilfields in the north has been seen as a possible way of rallying Sunni Arab support behind the prime minister.
Shi'ite rivals to Maliki, notably cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, have also looked to broader alliance, notably by voicing support for the protesters' grievances in Anbar this week.
But anti-Shi'ite rhetoric among them limits the chances for cooperation: "They lost a lot of sympathy by using these sectarian slogans," lawmaker Hakim al-Zamili, a Sadr ally, told Reuters. "I don't expect many Maliki opponents to join them".
An analyst at the Iraq Institute for Strategic Studies also doubted the protests would broaden greatly to threaten Maliki: "We are talking about demands that have a certain geography," said Yahya Qubaisi. "They are not national demands."

Read More..

Egypt's opposition leaders under investigation

 Egypt's chief prosecutor ordered an investigation on Thursday into allegations that opposition leaders committed treason by inciting supporters to overthrow Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
The probe by a Morsi-appointed prosecutor was launched a day after the president called for a dialogue with the opposition to heal rifts opened in the bitter fight over an Islamist-drafted constitution just approved in a referendum. The opposition decried the investigation as a throwback to Hosni Mubarak's regime, when the law was used to smear and silence opponents.
The probe was almost certain to sour the already tense political atmosphere in the country.
The allegations were made initially in a complaint by at least two lawyers sent to the chief prosecutor earlier this month. They targeted opposition leaders Mohammed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace laureate and former head of the U.N. nuclear agency, former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, and Hamdeen Sabahi. Both Moussa and Sabahi were presidential candidates who competed against Morsi in the last election.
There was no immediate comment by any of the three opposition leaders named but the opposition dismissed the allegations.
Emad Abu Ghazi, secretary-general of the opposition party ElBaradei heads, said the investigation was "an indication of a tendency toward a police state and the attempt to eliminate political opponents." He said the ousted Mubarak regime dealt with the opposition in the same way.
Mubarak jailed his opponents, including liberals and Islamists. International rights groups said their trials did not meet basic standards of fairness.
ElBaradei was a leading figure behind the uprising against Mubarak and at one point, he was allied with the Brotherhood against the old regime.
The investigation does not necessarily mean charges will be filed against the leaders. But it is unusual for state prosecutors to investigate such broad charges against high-profile figures.
Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, asked the opposition on Wednesday to join a national dialogue to heal rifts and move on after a month of huge street protests against him and the constitution drafted by his allies.
Some of the protests erupted into deadly violence. On Dec. 5, anti-Morsi demonstrators staging a sit-in outside the presidential palace in Cairo were attacked by Morsi supporters. Fierce clashes ensued that left 10 people dead.
The wave of protests began after Morsi's Nov. 22 decrees that gave him and the assembly writing the constitution immunity from judicial oversight. That allowed his Islamist allies on the assembly to hurriedly rush through the charter before an expected court ruling dissolving the panel.
After the decrees, the opposition accused Morsi of amassing too much power in his hands. They said the constitution was drafted without the participation of liberal, minority Christian and women members of the assembly, who walked out in protest at the last minute.
Even though the constitution passed in a referendum, the opposition has vowed to keep fighting it. They say it enshrines Islamic law in Egypt, undermines rights of minorities and women, and restricts freedoms.
Morsi and Brotherhood officials accused the opposition of working to undermine the president's legitimacy, and accused former regime officials of working to topple him.
Although he reached out to the opposition for reconciliation, Morsi did not offer any concessions in his speech Wednesday calling for a dialogue.
On Wednesday Morsi asked his prime minister to carry out a limited reshuffle of his government, without offering the opposition any seats.
In an apparent protest against the decision to keep the same prime minister, the minister of parliamentary affairs resigned. A member of his Islamist party said Prime Minister Hesham Kandil has not lived up to the challenges of the previous period, and a stronger, more political prime minister should be nominated.
This is the second resignation of a Cabinet minister this week and follows a spate of resignations of senior aides and advisers during the constitutional crisis.
Details of the complaint filed by the two lawyers were carried on the website of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic fundamentalist group that has become Egypt's most powerful political faction since the 2011 uprising.
The report said their complaint alleged that the opposition leaders were "duping simple Egyptians to rise against legitimacy and were inciting against the president," which constitutes treason.
Yara Khalaf, a spokeswoman for Moussa, said there were no official charges and he had not been summoned for investigation. But she declined to comment on the accusations.
Heba Yassin, a spokesman for the Popular Current headed by Sabahi, said Sabahi faced similar charges under Mubarak and his predecessor. She dismissed them as fabrications and an attempt to smear his reputation and silence the opposition.
"Morsi is confirming that he is following the same policies of Mubarak in repressing his opponents and trying to smear their reputation through false accusations," Yassin said.
"Also this is evidence of what we had warned about — the judiciary and the prosecutor-general must be independent and not appointed by the president," she said. "He is a Morsi appointee and this is where his loyalty lies and he is now implementing orders to eliminate the opposition."
The chief prosecutor, Talaat Abdullah, was appointed by Morsi at the height of the political tension over the constitution. He could not be immediately reached for comment.
Morsi's Nov. 22 presidential decrees appointed Abdullah to replace the chief prosecutor who was a holdover from the Mubarak regime. The judiciary protested the move, seeing it as trampling of its authority to choose the chief prosecutor.
The Supreme Judicial Council, the country's highest judicial authority, asked Abdullah to step down Wednesday because he was appointed by the president.
Human Rights lawyer Bahy Eddin Hassan said the fact that the chief prosecutor has asked for an investigation meant he is taking the accusations by the lawyers seriously.
Abdullah asked a judge to conduct the investigation, the state news agency reported.
Hassan said this was an attempt to show that the investigation is independent. However the judiciary, like the rest of the country, is divided between supporters and opponents of Morsi and the Brotherhood.
"This is the beginning of a series of events where the judiciary will be used to settle political scores with opponents," Hassan said. "This is not a new policy. But it is new that a regime that is just starting out uses such tools."
With an economic crisis and unpopular austerity measures looming in Egypt, Hassan said: "The regime wants to keep the opposition busy with its legal battles.

Read More..

Iran's Ahmadinejad sacks only female government minister

 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday dismissed his only female cabinet minister, Health Minister Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, after she criticized her colleagues for failing to provide funds to import vital medicines.
Appointed in 2009, Dastjerdi was the first woman government minister since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979. While seen as politically conservative, the gynecologist has advocated a greater role for women in society.
Reports have emerged in recent weeks of shortages of some critical medicines for treatment of cancer, multiple sclerosis, blood disorders and other serious conditions.
Last month, Dastjerdi said only a quarter of the $2.4 billion earmarked for medicine imports had been provided in the current year and there was a shortage of foreign currency for the shipments.
"Medicine is more essential than bread. I have heard that luxury cars have been imported with subsidized dollars but I don't know what happened to the dollars that were supposed to be allocated for importing medicine," she said on state television.
Iranian officials blame the shortages on sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union. The government has come under heavy criticism itself for failing to manage the needs of Iranians properly.
Ahmadinejad's political rivals accuse him of exacerbating the effects of sanctions through poor management and cronyism.
In a short statement, he announced the interim appointment of Mohammad Hassan Tariqat Monfared as head of the ministry, replacing Dastjerdi.
"Noting your commitment and valuable experience and based on the ... constitution, I appoint you as the caretaker health minister," read the statement published widely across Iranian media.
Dastjerdi's dismissal was criticized in parliament, where Ahmadinejad has been accused of concentrating power in his own hands.
"Although the president has the authority to sack the health minister, the move was not wise and doesn't have acceptable logic," the head of parliament's health committee, Hosseinali Shahriari, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.
"The dismissal of the health minister was caused by nothing but ... personal issues. I hope the president has the courage to explain why he made this change," Fars quoted Shahriari as saying.

Read More..

Russia's Putin signals he will sign U.S. adoption ban

 President Vladimir Putin signaled on Thursday he would sign into law a bill barring Americans from adopting Russian children and sought to forestall criticism of the move by promising measures to better care for his country's orphans.
In televised comments, Putin tried to appeal to people's patriotism by suggesting that strong and responsible countries should take care of their own and lent his support to a bill that has further strained U.S.-Russia relations.
"There are probably many places in the world where living standards are higher than ours. So what, are we going to send all our children there? Maybe we should move there ourselves?" he said, with sarcasm.
Parliament gave its final approval on Wednesday to the bill, which would also introduce other measures in retaliation for new U.S. legislation which is designed to punish Russians accused of human rights violations.
For it to become law Putin needs to sign it.
"So far I see no reason not to sign it, although I have to review the final text and weigh everything," Putin said at a meeting of federal and regional officials that was shown live on the state's 24-hour news channel.
"I intend to sign not only the law ... but also a presidential decree that will modify the support mechanisms for orphaned children ... especially those who are in a difficult situation, by that I mean in poor health," Putin said.
Critics of the bill say the Russian authorities are playing political games with the lives of children, while the U.S. State Department repeated its "deep concern" over the measure.
"Since 1992 American families have welcomed more than 60,000 Russian children into their homes, and it is misguided to link the fate of children to unrelated political considerations," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in a statement.
Ventrell added that the United States was troubled by provisions in the bill that would restrict the ability of Russian civil society organizations to work with U.S. partners.
Children in Russia's crowded and troubled orphanage system - particularly those with serious illnesses or disabilities - will have less of a chance of finding homes, and of even surviving, if it becomes law, child rights advocates say.
They point to people like Jessica Long, who was given up shortly after birth by her parents in Siberia but was raised by adoptive parents in the United States and became a Paralympic swimming champion.
However, the Russian authorities point to the deaths of 19 Russian-born children adopted by American parents in the past decade, and lawmakers named the bill after a boy who died of heat stroke in Virginia after his adoptive father left him locked in a car for hours.
Putin reiterated Russian complaints that U.S. courts have been too lenient on parents in such cases, saying Russia has inadequate access to Russian-born children in the United States despite a bilateral agreement that entered into force on November 1.
NATIONAL IDENTITY
But Putin, who began a new six-year term in May and has searched for ways to unite the country during 13 years in power, suggested there were deeper motives for such a ban.
"For centuries, neither spiritual nor state leaders sent anyone abroad," he said, indicating he was not speaking specifically about Russia but about many societies.
"They always fight for their national identities - they gather themselves together in a fist, they fight for their language, culture," he said.
The bid to ban American adoptions plays on sensitivity in Russia about adoptions by foreigners, which skyrocketed as the social safety net unraveled with the 1991 Soviet collapse.
Families from the United States adopt more Russian children than those of any other country.
Putin had earlier described the Russian bill as an emotional but appropriate response to the Magnitsky Act, legislation signed by President Barack Obama this month as part of a law granting Russia "permanent normal trade relations" (PNTR) status.
The U.S. law imposes visa bans and asset freezes on Russians accused of human rights violations, including those linked to the death in a Moscow jail of Sergei Magnitsky, an anti-graft lawyer, in 2009.
The Russian bill would impose similar measures against Americans accused of violating the rights of Russian abroad and outlaw some U.S.-funded non-governmental groups.

Read More..

India gang rape spurs national dialogue

The Indian government’s crackdown on the anti-rape protests that have continued for nearly two weeks in New Delhi has only aggravated public anger and concern about women’s safety.
The protests were sparked by the gang rape and brutal assault of a 23-year-old student on a bus in the elite South Delhi district on Dec. 16.
As the girl battles for her life in a Singapore hospital, Indians are debating how to make the country safer for women. Ten days after the incident, it dominates newspaper headlines and op-ed pages, pushing to the margins stories like the retirement of cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, the popular Indian sportsperson, highlighting just how much the case has affected people.
Sexual harassment is rampant in India, and the public has been largely apathetic to women’s plight, but many are hoping the attack could be a turning point in the way India treats women.
Recommended: Think you know Asia? Take our geography quiz.
Calls for capital punishment, including the chemical castration of rapists, have died down, with various women’s groups decrying them. Given that in 94 percent of rape cases the rapist is known to the victim, Nilanjana S. Roy, writing in the Hindu, she wonders if the protestors would be okay with death penalty for fathers, uncles, neighbors, and Indian security forces in conflict zones.
The Monitor reported that India is considering a fast-track court process to expedite rape cases and step up punishment for sexual violence on the heels of the bus rape incident.
Beyond the law, what needs to happen, writes Shilpa Phadke, author of a book on women’s safety in Mumbai, has to do with how Indians use their streets: “We are safer when there are more women (and more men) on the streets. When shops are open, when restaurants are open, when there are hawkers and yes, even sex workers on the street, the street is a safer space for us all.”
Get our FREE 2013 Global Security Forecast now
The outrage that this case has spurred might finally bring about a cultural change in India, Stephanie Nolen of The Globe and Mail suggests in a report:
Women assaulted leaving bars or late at night or while wearing Western clothes have been chastised by police, judges and politicians for bringing their misfortune on themselves. This time, however, there is a current of defiance in the protests, noted Subhashini Ali of the All India Democratic Women’s Association. A young woman in central Delhi on Tuesday carried a sign saying, “Stop telling me how to dress, start telling your sons not to rape.”
But rape is still not seen as a men’s issue, Ms. Ali said. “I don’t think many people are asking that question yet [of how men are being brought up and how it shapes their attitude toward rape].”
“But that’s where we have to go.”
And that should start with using sexual education in schools as a means to counter systemic patriarchal attitudes, writes Ketaki Chowkhani in Kafila, a collaborative blog that I work with.
That need for an emphasis on social change rather than law enforcement was also highlighted by Praveen Swami in The Hindu newspaper. India could learn a lot from the United States, he writes, where the incidence of rapes have fallen:
“The decline in rape in the U.S. has mainly come about not because policing has become god-like in its deterrent value, but because of hard political and cultural battles to teach men that when a woman says no, she means no.”
Meanwhile, the crackdown on the protests in Delhi has drawn sharp reactions and much anger across the Internet. On Facebook, graphic designer Sangeeta Das narrated her experience of the protests on Dec. 23, republished on the Kafila blog:
“There were many volunteers distributing biscuits and water to every protestor. We were talking ... on how to tackle the violence on women and children starting from ourselves, our homes, and communities. We were simply talking ... when the police, hundreds of them ... charged at us from behind, without any warning.”
Meanwhile, the media have drawn the government’s ire. On Sunday, the same day one journalist was killed in Manipur when police opened fire on protestors, the government issued an advisory to news channels to show “maturity and responsibility” in their coverage of protests:
No programme should be carried in the cable service which is likely to encourage or incite violence or contains anything against maintenance of law and order or which promotes anti-national attitude.

Read More..

"Fiscal cliff" creates waiting game for payrolls firms

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - At payroll processing businesses across the United States, the "fiscal cliff" stalemate in Washington means uncertainty over tax-withholding tables just days before the start of 2013.
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service still has not issued the tables for next year that show how much money employers should hold back from workers' paychecks to cover federal income taxes.
Payroll processors need the tables to get their systems geared up for the new year. The tables are set by many factors, including tax rates and annual inflation adjustments.
In anticipation of late-breaking developments, Rochester, New York-based Paychex Inc will be serving Buffalo chicken wings for staffers working late on New Year's Eve, said Frank Fiorille, an executive at the payroll processing giant.
"Our systems are flexible enough that we can wait almost up until the last minute and still make changes," he said.
The IRS appreciates of the impact of Congress' inaction.
"Since Congress is still considering changes to the tax law, we continue to closely monitor the situation," IRS spokesman Terry Lemons said in a statement. "We intend to issue guidance by the end of the year on appropriate withholding for 2013."
Tax rates are slated to rise sharply for most Americans if Congress and President Barack Obama fail to reach an agreement that averts the "fiscal cliff" approaching at year-end.
"The political process will determine one way or the other what" the IRS must do, said Scott Hodge, president of the Tax Foundation, a business-oriented tax research group.
For now, he said, from the tax-collection agency's viewpoint, "doing nothing is probably the best course." This would be because withholding tables distributed now might only have to be revised if Congress acts in the next few days.
Some payroll servicers are not waiting for formal IRS guidance. The American Payroll Association, which represents about 23,000 payroll professionals, told members on Friday to rely on 2012 withholding tables until the IRS releases the new forms for 2013.
The association said its decision was based on a statement earlier this month from an IRS official.
The agency would not confirm that policy on Friday.
Tax preparer H&R Block Inc said it will use 2012 tax-withholding tables if the 2013 tables are not issued.
Executives said they were frustrated with the uncertainty in Washington, but were doing their best to cope.
"We are not doctors or surgeons and this is not life threatening," said Rob Basso with Advantaged Payroll Services, an Auburn, Maine-based payroll processor that serves 30,000 businesses. "It is annoying and disruptive to people's lives, but we will get through it.

Read More..

Future of state estate taxes hangs on U.S. "fiscal cliff"

Not necessarily for some state governments that could begin collecting more in estate taxes on wealth left to heirs if the United States goes over the "cliff," allowing sharp tax increases and federal spending cuts to take effect in January.
In an example of federal and state tax law interaction that gets little notice on Capitol Hill, 30 states next year could collect $3 billion more in estate taxes if Congress and President Barack Obama do not act soon, estimated the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank.
The reason? The federal estate tax would return with a vengeance and so would a federal credit system that shares a portion of it with the 30 states. They had been getting their cut of this tax revenue stream until the early 2000s. That was when the credit system for payment of state estate tax went away due to tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush.
With the return of the credit system next year as part of the "cliff," states such as Florida, Colorado and Texas - which have not collected estate tax since 2004 - could resume doing so. California Governor Jerry Brown has already begun to add the anticipated estate tax revenue into his plans, including $45 million of it in his 2012-2013 revised budget.
Brown may or may not be jumping the gun.
CLOUDY CLIFF AHEAD
The outlook on the "fiscal cliff" coming up at year-end is uncertain. Democratic President Barack Obama has said he hopes for a last-minute deal to avert it. That would need to get done soon, with Congress just now coming back from its holiday break.
Chances of an agreement became more remote last week after Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives fumbled their own legislative attempt to prevent the fiscal jolt that economists say could trigger a recession.
House Speaker John Boehner abruptly adjourned the chamber for the holidays after failing to gather the votes from within his own party to pass legislation he and other Republicans had drafted, after walking out of negotiations with Obama.
Weeks of inconclusive political drama over the "cliff" have focused largely on individual income tax rates and spending on federal programs such Medicare and Social Security, but many tax issues are also involved, including the estate tax.
At the moment, under laws signed a decade ago by Bush, the estate tax is applied to inherited assets at a rate of 35 percent after a $5 million exemption. That means a deceased person can pass on an inheritance of up to $5 million before any tax applies. Inherited wealth passed to a spouse or a federally recognized charity is generally not taxed.
Obama wants to raise the rate to 45 percent after a $3.5 million exemption. Republicans have called for complete repeal of the estate tax, which they call the "death tax," though Boehner earlier this month called for freezing the estate tax at its present level. It was difficult to determine what the Republicans want after last week's events in the House.
STATES STAND TO GAIN
If Congress and Obama do not act by December 31, numerous Bush-era tax laws will expire, including the one on estate taxes. That would mean the estate tax rate will shoot up next year to the pre-Bush levels of 55 percent after a $1 million exemption.
It would also mean that for the first time in years, a portion of that estate tax would go to the states, through the return of the credit system.
Under that old law, estates paying the tax could get a credit against their federal tax bill for state estate tax payments of up to 16 percent of the estate's value.
If the fiscal cliff were allowed to take hold unaltered by Washington, 30 states would again automatically begin getting their share of federal estate taxes. The state laws are generally written so the state estate tax amounts are calculated under a formula based on the amount of the federal credit.
This would help states that have struggled with lower tax revenues since the 2007-2009 financial crisis and resulting recession, according to research by the Pew Center on the States, though painful federal spending cut backs would also hurt the states.

Read More..

Consumer Mattress Reviews Supports Findings in Mattress Inquirer’s Study of Best and Worst Mattresses

Mattress review website Consumer-Mattress-Reviews.com responds to and confirms a recently released study from Mattress-Inquirer.com regarding the best and worst rated mattresses.

Tempe, AZ (PRWEB) December 26, 2012
In an effort to provide consumers a consolidated resource for assessing the best mattress options, the blog Mattress Inquirer recently posted a revealing consumer opinion study. Consumer Mattress Reviews also announced their support for the findings, as they echo many other recent studies.
The news is likely to prove alarming to the traditional bedding industry, which tends to be heavily vested in innerspring mattresses. According to consumer opinions, less than two-thirds of innerspring mattress owners report satisfaction, much lower than the top four “specialty” mattress categories. Indeed, more and more traditional manufacturers are expanding their lines to include memory foam and latex options as buying habits continue shifting.
In the post titled “Worst & Best Mattress Types of 2012” on Mattress-Inquirer.com, it is revealed that a study of over 16,000 customer reviews indicated the top five mattress types, in order from best-rated to lowest, as:
1) Memory Foam Mattresses - 82%

2) Latex Mattresses - 80%

3) Waterbeds - 79%

4) Air Bed Mattresses - 78%

5) Innerspring Mattresses - 64%
The percentages indicate the proportion of owners who report satisfaction with their bed. Consumer Mattress Reviews supports the finding of this study, as the results match closely with their own research, and that from other large-scale polls of consumer satisfaction.
The Mattress Inquirer article goes on to report their recommendation for memory foam is the Amerisleep line of plant-based memory foam mattresses, which receives customer ratings for comfort and satisfaction well above 90% on their website and third party reviews. This also echoes similar findings from Consumer Mattress Reviews which found Amerisleep to be one the best memory foam options in terms of quality, comfort, price and eco-friendliness.
Consumer-Mattress-Reviews.com aims to make shopping easier by researching and compiling reviews on top mattresses. The website analyzes consumer opinions in addition to manufacturer and retailer qualities to provide outlines of the positive and negative aspects of owning specific beds. Prospective consumers can find an ever-expanding collection of mattress reviews ranging from memory foam to air and more, all designed to offer the facts needed to make informed decisions.

Read More..

Renowned Master of Wine Jeannie Cho Lee Appointed Professor of Practice (Wine) by PolyU

Jeannie Cho Lee, Asia’s foremost expert in wines, has been appointed by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) as Professor of Practice (Wine) at its School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) commencing 1 November 2012.

(PRWEB) December 26, 2012
Jeannie Cho Lee, Asia’s foremost expert in wines, has been appointed by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) as Professor of Practice (Wine) at its School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) commencing 1 November 2012.
The first Asian Master of Wine (MW), Professor Jeannie Cho Lee is also an award-winning author, wine and food writer, wine critic, judge, educator and consultant. A graduate of Smith College and Harvard University, Professor Lee holds a Certificat de Cuisine from Cordon Bleu. She is also a Master Sake Sommelier from Japan’s Sake Service Institute and a Certified Wine Educator from the United Kingdom’s Wine & Spirits Education Trust as well as the US Society of Wine Educators. Professor Lee was born in Korea and has lived in Hong Kong since 1994.
In her capacity as Professor of Practice (Wine), Professor Lee will be able to contribute to the School in different ways, including offering special lectures to both students and industry executives, advising SHTM on curriculum development in relation to wine studies, and facilitating the School’s collaboration with the wine industry through a number of dedicated platforms such as The Food and Wine Academy.
Speaking about the appointment, Professor Kaye Chon, Dean and Chair Professor of SHTM said, “Professor Jeannie Cho Lee has demonstrated excellence and leadership in her field of practice. She will no doubt bring a unique depth of experience to this new position and help bridge the gap between academic and professional practice.”
PolyU’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management is a world-leading provider of hospitality and tourism education. It was ranked No. 2 internationally among hotel and tourism schools based on research and scholarship, according to a study published in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research in November 2009.
With 65 academic staff drawing from 19 countries and regions, the School offers programmes at levels ranging from Higher Diploma to Ph.D. Currently a member of the UNWTO Knowledge Network, the School was recently bestowed the McCool Breakthrough Award by the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (I-CHRIE) recognising its breakthrough in the form of its teaching and research hotel – Hotel ICON – the heart of the School’s innovative approach to hospitality and tourism education.

Read More..

Innovative VPN Routers Help Increase Internet Privacy for Home Users

As concerned consumers turn to VPN for privacy, Sabai Technology puts easiest to use VPN Routers on post-holiday discount.

Simpsonville, SC (PRWEB) December 26, 2012
December has been a tough month for internet security geeks. Between the authoritarian win at Dubai’s International Telecommunication Union conference and the continued crack down of the “Great Firewall” in China, even everyday users are beginning to take notice that big brother could be watching.
These trends are causing a rise in consumer Virtual Private Networks (VPN) use from providers like StrongVPN. Traditionally used for business, the privacy, security, and anonymity VPN affords can also appeal to home users looking to protect themselves from the prying eyes of the government or the hacker next door.
However, to extend this privacy to an entire network requires a specialized VPN Router, which historically, are a user’s nightmare in both usability and price. Bucking that trend is Sabai Technology, using brand-name favorite’s like the Linksys E4200 and installing a customized VPN operating system, Sabai OS, with features like Dual Gateway which allows a user to run local and VPN connections from a single router.
For users looking to increase the security of their home network in 2013, Christmas isn’t quite over. Sabai Technology is featuring two of their most popular models, the E3000 and E4200, both manufactured by Linksys, in a post-holiday sale. All Sabai Technology routers come with the Sabai OS pre-installed and boast a 5-minute setup process, extending a single VPN service account to every networked device in the user’s home.
One security conscience Sabai customer says, “I recommend Sabai Technology VPN Routers to everyone and anyone. They are very reliable and the tech support is one of the best I have ever seen.”
Sabai Technology has been called one of the “Technologies That Will Change the World,” and consumers seem to agree. The company has reached record sales in 2012, which they are using to fuel the development fire. “We are looking forward to 2013. Customers new and old are going to see increased functionality and brand new offerings. People will want to be a part of this,” says Sabai President William Haynes. With just a handful of sales promotions a year, it appears that now is a great time to check on your home internet security.

Read More..

Colts, Bengals make playoffs with wins

One year after putting together the NFL's worst record, the Indianapolis Colts are headed to the playoffs.
Joining them on Sunday were the Cincinnati Bengals, finishing out the field in the AFC.
The Colts (10-5) equaled the 2008 Miami Dolphins as the only teams to win at least 10 games after losing 14 or more the previous season. Top overall draft pick Andrew Luck completed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne late in the fourth quarter for a 20-13 victory at Kansas City.
Cincinnati qualified for a second straight postseason berth for only the second time in franchise history, edging archrival Pittsburgh 13-10. The Bengals have never gone to the playoffs in successive years that did not involve a strike-shortened season.
Luck finished with 205 yards passing to break Cam Newton's year-old rookie record of 4,051 yards in a season. He also extended his rookie record for fourth-quarter comebacks to seven by leading his team downfield in the closing minutes.
"Mission accomplished. That's all I can say," Colts interim coach Bruce Arians said. "Without getting emotional again, knowing that (coach Chuck Pagano) is going to be back Monday, the work week shouldn't be as stressful."
Pagano has been sidelined since a loss to Jacksonville in Week 3.
For the Bengals (9-6), Andy Dalton hit A.J. Green with a 21-yard pass in the final moments, setting up Josh Brown's 43-yard field goal with 4 seconds remaining. The loss eliminated the Steelers from contention.
"A lot of people talked about we hadn't been in in back-to-back seasons in 30 years," Green said. "I don't worry about that stuff. I've been here two years and we made the playoffs all two years. That's all we can control."
Minnesota's 23-6 win at Houston prevented the Texans from earning home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. AFC South champion Houston (12-3) still can get that by winning at Indianapolis in the season finale.
New England has won the AFC East, Denver the West. Baltimore clinched the North by beating the New York Giants 33-14, sending the defending Super Bowl champions to the brink of elimination.
Washington's 27-20 win at Philadelphia, combined with New Orleans beating Dallas 34-31 in overtime means the Redskins (9-6) will win the NFC East by beating the Cowboys next week.
But Dallas (8-7) takes the division by winning that game at Washington, which the league has flexed to prime time.
"They know what it means," coach Mike Shanahan said. "They've been working toward this opportunity to win the division. Any time you win the division, everybody knows you have a home game in the playoffs. We talked about that from Day 1. They knew what we had to do to get there. We haven't accomplished anything yet."
Green Bay clinched at least the third seed in the NFC when it routed Tennessee 55-7. The NFC North champs (11-4) still could wind up second overall in the conference and get a bye and moved into the No. 2 slot when Seattle romped over San Francisco 42-13.
"We have momentum going for us, particularly what we've done over the last nine weeks, 10 weeks," coach Mike McCarthy said of Green Bay's nine wins in the last 10 games. "So we wanted to take the next step as a football team and I felt we were able to accomplish that today."
The 49ers (10-4-1) will win the NFC West by beating Arizona next weekend. Seattle (10-5) earned at least a wild-card spot and finishes at home against St. Louis.
On Saturday night, NFC South winner Atlanta won 31-18 at Detroit to clinch home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.
Minnesota (9-6), Chicago (9-6), the New York Giants (8-7) and Washington could wind up with the final NFC wild card. Dallas can't get a wild card.

Read More..

UPDATE 2-NFL-National Football League playoff picture

Dec 23 (Reuters) - The National Football League playoff picture with one week remaining in the regular season:
Already qualified: (10) Atlanta Falcons (NFC South*) New England Patriots (AFC East*) Denver Broncos (AFC West*) Houston Texans (AFC South*) Baltimore Ravens (AFC North*) Cincinnati Bengals (AFC North) Indianapolis Colts (AFC South) Green Bay Packers (NFC North*) San Francisco 49ers (NFC West) Seattle Seahawks (NFC West) * Division champion
In contention for remaining two spots (5): New York Giants (NFC East) Washington Redskins (NFC East) Dallas Cowboys (NFC East) Chicago Bears (NFC North) Minnesota Vikings (NFC North)
Eliminated (17): Philadelphia Eagles (NFC East) Detroit Lions (NFC North) Carolina Panthers (NFC South) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC South) New Orleans Saints (NFC South) Arizona Cardinals (NFC West) St Louis Rams (NFC West) Cleveland Browns (AFC North) Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC North) Buffalo Bills (AFC East) New York Jets (AFC East) Miami Dolphins (AFC East) Jacksonville Jaguars (AFC South) Tennessee Titans (AFC South) Kansas City Chiefs (AFC West) Oakland Raiders (AFC West) San Diego Chargers (AFC West) (Compiled by Julian Linden and Gene Cherry

Read More..

NFL standings

Dec 24 (Infostrada Sports) - Standings from the NFL on Sunday
AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE
AFC EAST
W L T OTL PF PA PCT
1. New England 11 4 0 0 529 331 .733
2. Miami 7 8 0 2 288 289 .467
3. NY Jets 6 9 0 1 272 347 .400
4. Buffalo 5 10 0 0 316 426 .333
AFC NORTH
W L T OTL PF PA PCT
1. Baltimore 10 5 0 1 381 321 .667
2. Cincinnati 9 6 0 0 368 303 .600
3. Pittsburgh 7 8 0 1 312 304 .467
4. Cleveland 5 10 0 1 292 344 .333
AFC SOUTH
W L T OTL PF PA PCT
1. Houston 12 3 0 0 400 303 .800
2. Indianapolis 10 5 0 0 329 371 .667
3. Tennessee 5 10 0 1 292 451 .333
4. Jacksonville 2 13 0 3 235 406 .133
AFC WEST
W L T OTL PF PA PCT
1. Denver 12 3 0 0 443 286 .800
2. San Diego 6 9 0 1 326 329 .400
3. Oakland 4 11 0 0 269 419 .267
4. Kansas City 2 13 0 1 208 387 .133
NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE
NFC EAST
W L T OTL PF PA PCT
1. Washington 9 6 0 0 408 370 .600
2. Dallas 8 7 0 1 358 372 .533
3. NY Giants 8 7 0 0 387 337 .533
4. Philadelphia 4 11 0 1 273 402 .267
NFC NORTH
W L T OTL PF PA PCT
1. Green Bay 11 4 0 0 399 299 .733
2. Minnesota 9 6 0 0 342 314 .600
3. Chicago 9 6 0 1 349 253 .600
4. Detroit 4 11 0 2 348 411 .267
NFC SOUTH
W L T OTL PF PA PCT
1. Atlanta 13 2 0 0 402 277 .867
2. New Orleans 7 8 0 1 423 410 .467
3. Tampa Bay 6 9 0 0 367 377 .400
4. Carolina 6 9 0 1 313 325 .400
NFC WEST
W L T OTL PF PA PCT
1. San Francisco 10 4 1 1 370 260 .700
2. Seattle 10 5 0 0 392 232 .667
3. St. Louis 7 7 1 0 286 328 .500
4. Arizona 5 10 0 1 237 330 .333
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30 FIXTURES (GMT)
Tampa Bay at Atlanta (1800)
NY Jets at Buffalo (1800)
Baltimore at Cincinnati (1800)
Chicago at Detroit (1800)
Houston at Indianapolis (1800)
Carolina at New Orleans (1800)
Philadelphia at NY Giants (1800)
Cleveland at Pittsburgh (1800)
Jacksonville at Tennessee (1800)
Kansas City at Denver (2125)
Green Bay at Minnesota (2125)
Miami at New England (2125)
Oakland at San Diego (2125)
Arizona at San Francisco (2125)
St. Louis at Seattle (2125)
MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 FIXTURES (GMT)
Dallas at Washington (0120)

Read More..

UPDATE 2-NFL-Bengals and Colts claim playoff berths

* Colts complete turnaround season as AFC playoff list set
* Ravens claim AFC North title, top-seed not yet decided
* Seahawks crush 49ers to make postseason (Adds Seahawks' win in paras 6-7)
Dec 23 (Reuters) - The Cincinnati Bengals edged the Pittsburgh Steelers to reach the NFL playoffs, and the Indianapolis Colts joined the postseason party by capping their remarkable turnaround in pressure-packed action on Sunday.
The advancement of Cincinnati (9-6), 13-10 winners over their bitter AFC North rivals, and Indianapolis (10-5), who beat the Kansas City Chiefs 20-13, completed the playoff list in the American Football Conference, though seeding issues remained.
The Houston Texans (12-3) failed to capitalize on a chance to clinch top seeding in the AFC by losing 23-6 to the Minnesota Vikings (9-6), who stayed alive for an NFC playoff berth.
AFC North title honors went to the Baltimore Ravens (10-5), who ended a three-game losing streak by dominating the New York Giants 33-14.
Playoff hopes for the Super Bowl champion Giants (8-7) hung by a thread after losing their last two games by an aggregate score of 67-14.
Playoff berths remain up for grabs in the NFC, with the East Division title and a wildcard spot still at stake.
The Seattle Seahawks grabbed one of the NFC wildcard berths with a crushing 42-13 victory over the San Francisco 49ers as quarterback Russell Wilson threw a career-high four touchdowns.
The Washington Redskins (9-6) maintained the upper hand in their quest for the NFC East title by hanging on for a 27-20 win against the Philadelphia Eagles (4-11), while the Dallas Cowboys (8-7) suffered a 34-31 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Next week the Redskins, riding a six-game winning streak, host the Cowboys with the winner capturing the division title.
DOUBLY SATISFYING
In Pittsburgh, it was a doubly satisfying result for the Bengals whose three-point victory on Josh Brown's 43-yard field goal with four seconds left to play not only put them in the playoffs but also knocked the Steelers (7-8) out of contention.
It was the first victory for the visiting Bengals over their bitter AFC North rivals in six meetings.
For the Colts, victory over the Chiefs gave them their 10th playoff trip in 11 years but first in that span without Peyton Manning as quarterback.
This postseason berth came one season after a woeful 2-14 record that put them in position to take quarterback Andrew Luck from Stanford with the first pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Luck led the Colts to victory over the Chiefs (2-13) by hitting a leaping Reggie Wayne in the back of the end zone for the winning touchdown with 4:08 left in the game.
That connection capped a 73-yard drive that marked their NFL record-tying seventh fourth-quarter comeback victory.
"I'm very proud to be a part of this team, to be associated with a playoff team. What a great win for us," Luck told reporters.
Luck set the league record for passing yards in a season for a rookie, finishing the game with 4,183 yards to eclipse the mark of 4,051 yards last season by Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers with one regular season game still to play.
Houston slowed down league-leading rusher Adrian Peterson, but the Minnesota Vikings held the Texans to just a pair of field goals in their road victory.
Peterson was held to 86 yards, but quarterback Christian Ponder threw a touchdown pass, Toby Gerhart rushed for a score and Blair Walsh kicked three field goals to lift the Vikings.
Peterson, who had a streak of eight 100-yard games snapped, finished the game with 1,898 yards this season and still needs 208 yards to break the NFL single-season rushing record set by Eric Dickerson in 1984.
GUT-WRENCHER
Washington, who welcomed rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III back to the lineup after being sidelined a week with a knee injury, escaped a scare when Philadelphia had a first-and-goal at the five-yard line with 11 seconds left but failed to score a touchdown that would have sent the game to overtime.
"Winning always cures all ills. It was just good to be back out there with the guys," said Griffin.
"We're playing the best ball we've played all year at the right time. We're rolling. We know that we can win any kind of game we have to, whether it's a high-scoring game or a low-scoring game or a gut-wrencher at the end."
Dallas rallied with 14 points in the last four minutes to send their game against the Saints into overtime, but they failed to mount a threat with their first possession in extra time and New Orleans (7-8) won on a 20-yard field goal.
The Chicago Bears (9-6) stayed in playoff contention with a 28-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals (5-10).
NFC North champion Green Bay Packers (11-4) maintained their strong form with a 55-7 thrashing of the Tennessee Titans as Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns and 342 yards.
Tom Brady threw a pair of interceptions in the first quarter but recovered to lead the AFC East champion New England Patriots (11-4) to a 23-16 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-13).

Read More..

UPDATE 1-NFL-Surging Seahawks hammer 49ers, take title race to wire

(Adds quotes, details)
* Wilson throws four touchdown passes
* 49ers suffer injuries to Davis, Manningham
Dec 23 (Reuters) - The Seattle Seahawks ensured the NFC West title race will go down to the final week with a playoff-clinching 42-13 home rout of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
The Seahawks dominated the 49ers from the start in rainy Seattle to remain unbeaten at home and move within half a game of division leaders San Francisco.
The 49ers entered the game with a chance to clinch the division but found themselves on the wrong end of a beating by surging Seattle (10-5), who have won four straight games including the last three by a combined 120 points.
San Francisco (10-4-1) can still claim the crown with a home win over Arizona while Seattle need to beat St Louis and hope for a 49ers loss to leapfrog their rivals.
"When we wake up tomorrow we're still a half-game up on the division," shellshocked 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters. "I know what to expect in terms of how our team will handle (the loss)."
Marshawn Lynch triggered the rout with two touchdowns in the first quarter before Richard Sherman returned a blocked field goal attempt 90 yards to give Seattle a 21-0 lead at the start of the second.
Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson had touchdown passes in all four quarters, finishing the game with four, to emphatically outplay San Francisco's signal caller Colin Kaepernick.
Wilson is one touchdown pass short of tying Peyton Manning's NFL rookie record of 26.
"My goal is just to continue to grow. I'm on that constant quest for knowledge and our team is too," Wilson said. "We've had a great year so far, we have to keep moving forward we have a lot to look forward to."
Kaepernick often appeared flustered because of the deafening crowd noise and struggled to break down a stout Seahawks defense which is dealing with injuries to their defensive backs but was still too strong for the 49ers.
"We have amazing depth," Sherman said. "We have great players that are going to be starters in this league. They stepped up and were big for us tonight."
Seattle may have to rely on their depth more than ever as Sherman is currently appealing a four-game suspension for violating the league's performance enhancing drug policy.
It was no only San Francisco's pride that took a beating on Sunday. Tight end Vernon Davis (concussion) and receiver Mario Manningham (knee) were both knocked out of the game.
Seattle's Lynch finished with 111 yards on the ground as the Seahawks gave the 49ers a taste of their own medicine with a bruising ground game.
Wilson threw a six-yard scoring pass to Anthony McCoy in the second quarter, and touchdowns of four and six yards to Doug Baldwin in the third and fourth to put Seattle out of sight.
The stunned 49ers could only manage two field goals in the first half and a touchdown reception Delanie Walker in the final minutes with the game out of reach.

Read More..

Video game shares down in wake of shooting

Shares of video game makers and sellers fell Thursday in the aftermath of a mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, which has renewed debate about violent games and their potential influence on crime.
Shares of GameStop Corp., whose stores sell video games as well as systems like the Xbox and Wii, fell 5 percent in afternoon trading.
Investors are seen as being increasingly concerned that the government may impose tougher rules on the sales of games rated for "mature" and older audiences.
Investors may be worried that parents will also avoid buying first-person shooter games like "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2" after the tragedy Friday morning at Sandy Hook Elementary, in which 20 children and six adults were shot and killed by 20-year-old Adam Lanza.
"Maybe there will be more stringent efforts to make sure youth are not playing games that they're not old enough to play," said Mike Hickey, an analyst with National Alliance Securities. "Maybe there will be a greater effort by parents in managing the content their kids are playing."
Shares of companies involved in the video game industry, many of which had been dropping since the shooting, declined further Thursday.
— GameStop stock lost $1.37, or 5 percent, to $26.18. Shares have barely changed since last Thursday's close, the day before the shooting, to Wednesday's close.
— Shares of Activision Blizzard Inc., the publisher of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2," fell 9 cents to $10.70. The stock had already dropped 5.6 percent.
— Electronic Arts Inc. shares fell 41 cents, or 2.9 percent, to $13.99. Shares had dropped 5.6 percent.
— Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. shares slipped 29 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $11.69. The stock had dropped 8 percent.
The declines came as broader markets rose. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.3 percent at 13,295.

Read More..

North Korea’s first video game: A boring version of ‘Crazy Taxi’ that nitpicks your bad driving

In theory, a driving game set in North Korea could be fun — it could revolve around delivering kidnapped movie stars from the airport to Dear Leader’s headquarters, for instance. In reality, though, it looks as though playing a driving game set in North Korea is about as much fun as actually living in North Korea. Business Insider’s Gus Lubin has posted his first impressions of “Welcome to Pyongyang,” an online game that’s “produced by Nosotek, a western IT company based in North Korea,” and he’s found that it’s pretty lame.
[More from BGR: Years after cashing out, MySpace cofounder mocks people who work for a living]
The goal of the game is to drive around the North Korean capital of Pyongyang and become familiar with all the great tourist attractions it has to offer. But unlike action-driving classics such as Crazy Taxi and the Grand Theft Auto series, Welcome to Pyongyang is annoyingly authoritarian and won’t put up with you crashing into cars or mowing down civilians. To make matters worse, the game doesn’t even give you the satisfaction dying at the hands of bloody-minded authorities if you break the rules too often — rather, it sends out a fascistic meter maid to simply tell you that you have been “stopped for bad driving.” We’re not sure what the actual penalty is for reckless is in North Korea, but we get the feeling it’s more severe than getting nitpicked by an annoying digital character.

Read More..

Brain Benefits for the Holidays? Stuff the Stocking with Video Games

Happy holidays! As the year draws to a close, one thing I'm celebrating is the fun I've had helping put together the magazine I edit, Scientific American Mind. I am looking forward to working on new articles and projects in 2013. (We have some surprises in store.) I'm pleased about my growing and attentive audience for Streams of Consciousness, too. Thank you for reading, thinking and, when you have to, taking me to task!
This post introduces the January/February 2013 Scientific American Mind, which debuted online Wednesday. If I sound a little giddy with optimism, it's because I truly am excited about the magazine, this blog, and what I get to do at my job everyday--and because that mood suits this post. It doesn't seem to hurt. In fact, I may have just managed to cheer myself up.
Wow, This Is An Amazing Story!
Optimism. Not everyone is upbeat about it, and the whole idea may be unproven. It could even have serious drawbacks, which we've detailed in previous stories (see "Can Positive Thinking Be Negative?" by Scott O. Lilienfeld and Hal Arkowitz). Still, I am often trying to fight my way over to the sunny side--and I think I'm going to keep at it. Why? For one thing, I like it over there. Plus, there is at least some data suggesting that my struggle to smile is worth it.
The health benefits of positive thinking may be tenuous, and some realistic pessimism is often warranted. But from a psychological standpoint, thinking everything is (or will be) fine is what resilience is all about. And on the flip side, wearing a dark lens puts us at risk for mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. In my experience, it's also more fun to believe in the positive, or at least emotionally neutral, aspects of a situation than to presume that the world is out to get you.
As Elaine Fox reports in "Tune Your Subliminal Biases Toward Optimism," a nervous person giving a speech has a choice: she can glob on to the person in the front row who is dozing in his seat or focus on the majority who are mesmerized. If your boss rushes by you impatiently one morning, you could assume she is mad at you--or simply running late. My latest favorite example from my own life comes from a colleague who told me that she loved going to the dentist, a dull and unpleasant task if there is one. "What exactly do you like about the dentist?" I asked, thinly disguising my incredulity. Her answer: "It's like a spa for your mouth." The feeling of clean teeth delighted her.
Some people, like my coworker, are predisposed toward positivity, others not so much. If you are in the not-so-much group, you can train yourself to adopt a more positive outlook using a simple computerized method called Cognitive Bias Modification. It uses a subliminal process to repeatedly direct attention either away from unpleasantness or toward appealing or happy stimuli or thoughts. A CBM app is not yet available for your smart phone, but you can still try some lower-tech tricks for worming out of your gloomy mood. Find out more by reading the story.
Value to Video Games?
If you are looking for other ways to spruce up your mind, check out an electronics store. Head straight for the first-person shooter video games, pick out a few and plan on spending your downtime practicing. Your arduous efforts ducking behind shipping containers and blasting enemy soldiers and aliens will pay off in mental currency. You will see with sharper eyes. You will reason in three dimensions with greater speed and clarity. And you will make better on-the-fly decisions in response to visual input. Training to be a laparoscopic surgeon or a pilot? Playing these games is perfect preparation.
Should we all run out and buy these electronic atrocities? I haven't--yet. I do worry about the violence, which can make people more aggressive, although the strongest effects wear off within half an hour, experts say. Some 8 percent of kids seem to get addicted to gaming, too, although I think if my kid had a problem with too much gaming, I'd have seen it already.
Allowing moderate use of these types of games might be reasonable in some cases, because the research on their benefits is strong and compelling (see "How Video Games Change the Brain," by Lydia Denworth). That said, as with anything you put in a child's (or adult's) hands, the person needs to be prepared to use it responsibly. People with emotional issues or who tend to be aggressive anyway may not be good candidates. And a child should be old enough to clearly understand the difference between fantasy and reality. Nobody wants to take chances with something as troublesome as violence, especially in light of the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. Scientists and game designers are now trying to figure out how to create electronic entertainment that benefits the brain in a more peaceful fashion. When that happens, I'm on-board for sure.
Courtroom Justice
In another feature in the issue, a psychologist and a lawyer team up to show how psychological science can improve the accuracy of courtroom decisions, preventing miscarriages of justice in which the wrong person is put behind bars. They present evidence-based solutions for incorrect eyewitness accounts, false confessions, racial bias, prejudicial courtroom procedure and picking innocent individuals in subject line-ups. It's an important story with widespread implications and clear prescriptions for change (see "Your Brain on Trial," by Scott O. Lilienfeld and Robert Byron).
The issue also features a book excerpt describing a psychologist's tour of a high security prison. The goal of this terrifying trip: to extract advice from psychopaths. These conscienceless criminals, it turns out, have a lot to teach us. Their tendency toward ruthlessness, charm, focus and fearlessness can be astoundingly useful--although these traits must be tempered to avoid troublesome side effects (see "Wisdom from Psychopaths," by Kevin Dutton).

Read More..

Video games and shooting: Is the NRA right?

After a week of silence following the Sandy Hook school shooting that killed 20 first graders and six staff in Newtown, Conn., the National Rifle Association blamed the entertainment industry – specifically the producers of violent video games for inciting what has become a pattern of gun violence in the United States.
In describing the industry, NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre said, “There exists in this country a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people.”
Mr. LaPierre faulted the news media for failing to report on “vicious, violent video games” such as “Grand Theft Auto,” “Mortal Kombat,” and “Splatterhouse” as egregious examples. He also singled out “Kindergarten Killer,” a free, fairly obscure online game.
“How come my research department could find it and all of yours either couldn’t or didn’t want anyone to know you had found it?” he asked reporters.
Recommended: Second Amendment Quiz
Most academic research, as well as studies by the FBI and the US Secret Service, examining the link between violent video games and incident of violence does not support the gun lobby’s charge.
For example, a 2008 report by researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital funded by the US Department of Justice found that violent video games may increase bullying or physical fighting in schools, but not mass gun violence.
“It's clear that the ‘big fears’ bandied about in the press – that violent video games make children significantly more violent in the real world; that they will engage in the illegal, immoral, sexist and violent acts they see in some of these games – are not supported by the current research, at least in such a simplistic form,” the report states.
Joan Saab, director of the visual and cultural studies program at the University of Rochester in New York, says the gaming industry should share in the blame for promoting military weaponry to young people, but adds that the popularity of such games reflect the “larger culture we live in, which is heavily militarized,” in the midst of lengthy combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ms. Saab says that the NRA’s call for armed guards in schools would make that kind of military culture more pervasive for children.
“If there are more armed guards in schools, kids are exposed to more guns. That’s when fantasy and reality aren’t blurred. When there are guns in schools, it becomes real life and the day-to-day environment becomes more dangerous than the game,” she says. In Newtown, as in Aurora, Colo. and the sites of other mass shootings, the gunman was outfitted in military-style dress.
By blaming video games for gun violence, the NRA also puts itself in a vulnerable position because, as Mother Jones reports, the company partnered with gaming producer Cave Entertainment in 2006 for “NRA Gun Club,” a PlayStation 2 game that allows users to fire over 100 different brand-name handguns.
LaPierre did not specify if Congress should move forward in regulating the gaming industry, perhaps because previous attempts were not successful.
A US Supreme Court ruling in 2011 struck down a California law that made it a crime to sell or rent what it classified as violent video games to minors. The ruling said the law, signed by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) in 2005, violates First Amendment protections.
In the wake of Sandy Hook, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller introduced a bill that calls for the National Academy of Sciences to examine the possible links between violent video games and violent incidents caused by children.
Overall, gun-based video games do not wholly represent total gaming industry sales, according to data from VGChartz, a UK-based research firm that tracks gaming sales. In 2011, for example, just seven of the top 20 best-selling games in the US involve warfare simulation. The other titles – “Just Dance 3,” “Kinect Adventures!” “New Super Mario Bros. Wii,” “Madden NFL 12,” and “Pokemon Black/White” – are designed around sports, dance, and children’s cartoon characters.
All of the games LaPierre mentions are more than 15 years old, with some dating back to the 1980s, with their popularity waning. For example, total unit sales in the US for the “Mortal Kombat” franchise dropped 70 percent in 2012, compared to the previous year total. The game debuted in 1992.
Gaming experts say that the majority of the games LaPierre cited do not portray gun violence – “Mortal Kombat” involves hand-to-hand combat, for example. They say they do not understand why he did not single out “first person shooter” games such as blockbuster franchises like the “Call of Duty” series, which is based on simulated gun action and is considered one of the most hyper-violent on the market. In fact, according to news reports, the game was also a favorite of Adam Lanza, the Newtown gunman who spent hours at home playing it.
“Some of those games [LaPierre mentions] are older than the [Newtown] shooter,” who was 20, says Christopher Grant, editor-in-chief of Polygon.com, an online site based in New York City that covers gaming news and trends. “I have no idea why he chose them. My theory is he didn’t want to pick anything too modern [such as ‘Call of Duty’ or ‘Doom’] that might overlap unfavorably with something their own members might enjoy.”
“Call of Duty” is known as a favorite of the military and is often credited for driving up recruitment. Activision Blizzard, the company behind “Call of Duty,” has donated thousands of copies to the US Navy; the company also created a non-profit foundation to help returning US military veterans.
According to the NPD Group, a global market research firm, retail gaming sales in the US plummeted 20 percent in the first eight months of 2012 compared to the same time period the previous year, a trend that follows years of declining sales. Between 2008 and 2011, total sales of industry software and hardware dropped 20.5 percent. According to the gaming industry website Gamasutra, 2012 sales are expected to be the lowest since 2006.
The sales drop is representative of major shifts in the gaming industry, which is slowly moving away from console-based games to those that are played via smartphones, digital tablets, and online through social networks.
The change has produced a new type of gamer: They are generally older, more ethnically and economically diverse, and they feed their gaming appetite in smaller bites and on-the-go, as opposed to the traditional gamer profile of a few years ago, which tended to be young males playing for hours in one sitting.
The Entertainment Software Association, an industry trade group based in Washington, reports that the average gamer today is 30 years old, the most frequent game purchaser is 35 years old, and that almost half (47 percent) of all gamers are women.

Read More..

Atheist Kids and Bullying: Just an Xbox and a Football Game Away From Redemption

I’ll never forget the year my eight-year-old daughter came home from school saying she got in trouble for going to the bathroom.
“I was afraid,” she said, “that the devil was coming out of the mirror to get me.... I wanted Aya to stay with me until I was done.”
Like any parent, I sat her down and asked her to tell me why she would ever think a mirror could spawn something as terrifying as that.
“Susie told me because I didn’t believe in god, the devil was coming to take my soul.”
MORE: Bullying the Bullies: What to Do to Save the Next Amanda Todd
“Susie” as we’ll call her, was a fellow eight-year-old student at my daughter’s Catholic school. Susie attended church every Sunday with her family—the same church that many of her classmates to this day all go to.
Was my daughter being bullied for being an atheist? I quickly dismissed it. After all, these were only eight-year-old girls, and it wasn’t like we talked about god hating with our morning cereal.
I soon noticed a new pattern of my daughter: She wouldn’t enter a bathroom without a friend or parent and began wetting the bed at night for fear of our extensive collection of bathroom mirrors pulling her into almighty hell at 2 a.m.
Sure enough, the religious eight-year-old was still pressuring my daughter to consider her morality, spirituality and reason for living daily in the school bathroom.
“When the child goes to school, and encounters for the first time other kids who don’t believe the same thing, whether it’s no belief or a different belief system, that can rock a kid’s world.”
I got on the phone and made sure the principal was aware of the bullying, that the child was reported and that my daughter would hopefully make the choice not to play with her anymore. The school thought I was a little crazy. Bullying was getting punched in the stomach in a dark place behind the school, not a little girl being taunted for not believing she was going to have life eternal. This was a new place they were afraid to gain control of. The principal, a former nun, kept a tight lip.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, every day “an estimated 160,000 students in the U.S. refuse to go to school because they dread the physical and verbal aggression of their peers. Many more attend school in a chronic state of anxiety and depression.”
Courtney Campbell, Professor of Religion and Culture at Oregon State University, says he encountered the same case with his own children who were told at a very early age by some of their “friends” that they were “going to hell.” Though there were no physical beatings, the “psychic bullying” may have been worse.
“There is a phenomenon of religious-bullying at an early age, though in my own view/experience with raising my kids, it’s less of an issue than lookism [obese kids], size [‘big’ bullies], or gender, or clothes, or any of a number of things that kids do to manifest power over others,” says Campbell.
He points out that in most conservative/evangelical/fundamentalist Christian traditions, kids are taught at a very early age in their Sunday schools or summer bible camps that there’s only one path to happiness and salvation. That teaching, absorbed at a young age, is on its own rather threatening to the child.
“When the child goes to school, and encounters for the first time other kids who don’t believe the same thing, whether it’s no belief or a different belief system, that can rock a kid’s world,” Campbell adds.
Blame it on fear, maybe a calling out of one’s most sacred and learned family beleifs, but this form of push and shove is only getting more sophisticated.
Rachel Wagner, Associate Professor for the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Ithaca College and author of Godwired: Religion, Ritual and Virtual Reality, says we are overlooking a major player of the religious bullying model—video games.
“If we compare video games to rituals as similar kinds of interactive experiences that are meant to shape how we see ourselves and others in the world, then we can argue something more basic—that video games (like rituals) can teach people habits of encounter—and offer youth deeply problematic models of encounter with difference,” says Wagner, who adds that in her next book, she’ll argue that religion has always had the ability to be “played” like a game, a religious encounter she coins “shooter religion.”
While Wagner admits it’s very important to remember that all world religions also have “deep and abiding practices urging compassion, understanding, tolerance, and social justice,” in today’s media-soaked society, feeling the need to retreat into a simpler world where people can be reduced to camps can be terribly tempting.
Stacy Pershall, author of Loud in the House of Myself: Memoir of a Strange Girl, says that growing up in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, in an athletics-focused, Christian bible belt, she was used to being surrounded by “Jesus talk.”
Pershall, who was bullied for being a “strange girl,” when young, unathletic and atheist to boot, now works and empowers high school and college students as a writing teacher and mental health speaker.
“Although it still makes my heart pound a little to stand in front of a crowd and admit that I don’t believe in god (as I recently did at Catholic University in D.C.), somebody needs to do it. I get to be the adult who says to kids, ‘I’m an atheist, I have morals, I have friends, I’m happy, and I care about how you feel.’ That’s a wonderful, powerful thing. I get to tell bullied kids who might be considering suicide that they’re not alone, and that they have kindred spirits. It’s what the Flying Spaghetti Monster put me on Earth to do.

Read More..

World Music Awards postponed due to visa issues, Newtown tragedy

The World Music Awards was postponed on Thursday due to "logistical and multiple visa issue," organizers said, two days before the event was scheduled to be held in Miami.
Event producers John Martinotti and Marcol International said in a statement that the December 22 awards ceremony also was being delayed in the wake of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, last week.
"We are sorry for any inconvenience but this decision had to be made due to logistical and multiple visa issues and in view of this week's national mourning. Fans have been a great support to the artists and have voted online in huge numbers," the producers said in a statement.
The winners in categories ranging from world's best song, world's best artists and entertainer of the year, are picked by fans who vote online. The statement said that votes will continue to be collected until a new date is set for the show.
This year's nominees include Usher, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna and Chris Brown. Past winners include Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson.
The awards ceremony, founded in 1989 and hosted by Monaco's Prince Albert II, has primarily taken place in Monte Carlo and proceeds from the show go to charity. This year, show producers decided to move it to Marlins Park Stadium in Miami.

Read More..

Hundreds pay tribute to legendary Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar

 Ravi Shankar's daughters, Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar, along with the wife of late Beatle George Harrison said their final goodbyes to the Indian sitar virtuoso on Thursday at a public memorial service in Encinitas, California.
The legendary musician and composer, who helped introduce the sitar to the Western world through his collaboration with The Beatles, died on December 11 in Southern California. He was 92.
About 700 people joined Shankar's wife, Sukanya, and family at the service held at a spiritual center in the coastal town about 25 miles north of San Diego.
Olivia Harrison, the widow of Beatles guitarist George Harrison, told Reuters the three-time Grammy winner who formed a musical and spiritual bond with The Beatle "expressed music at its deepest level."
"As a person he was just sweet and seemed to know everything," she added. "He was a true citizen of the world."
Shankar is credited with popularizing Indian music through his work with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and The Beatles beginning in the mid-1960s, inspiring George Harrison to learn the sitar and the British band to record songs like "Norwegian Wood" (1965) and "Within You, Without You" (1967).
"He completely transformed (George's) musical sensibilities," a tearful Harrison told the crowd. "They exchanged ideas and melodies until their hearts and minds were intertwined like a double helix."
'LITTLE CRUMB'
His friendship with Harrison led him to appearances at the Monterey and Woodstock pop festivals in the late 1960s and the 1972 Concert for Bangladesh. He became one of the first Indian musicians to become a household name in the West.
His influence in classical music, including on composer Philip Glass, was just as large. His work with Menuhin on their "West Meets East" albums in the 1960s and 1970s earned them a Grammy, and he wrote concertos for sitar and orchestra for both the London Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.
"I always felt like a little crumb in his presence," Zubin Mehta, a former music director of the New York Philharmonic and collaborator with Shankar, said at the service.
Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock also attended the service along with "Anna Karenina" director Joe Wright, the husband of Shankar's daughter Anoushka.
Shankar, who had lived in Encinitas for the past 20 years, had suffered from upper respiratory and heart issues over the past year and underwent heart-valve replacement surgery last week at a hospital in San Diego.
The surgery was successful but he was unable to recover.
Shankar's final concert was on November 4 in Long Beach, California, with his Grammy-winning sitarist daughter Anoushka, who spoke giving thanks to those who came. Jones, the third Grammy-winner in the family, did not speak at the service.

Read More..

BMG Scores Rights to Nirvana, Tears for Fears Songs

 BMG has acquired the worldwide rights to several music catalogues, a deal that will give it songs from artists including Kurt Cobain, Tears for Fears, The Human League, Iggy Pop, and Take That.
The company announced Friday that it will purchase the rights for the Virgin Music Publishing Companies, Famous UK Music Publishing and selected current songwriters from Sony/ATV and EMI Music Publishing.
Sony Corporation of America and a group of investors acquired EMI Music Publishing in June, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing administers EMI on behalf of the group. It had to sell the catalogues as a condition of the acquisition.
Virgin Publishing's catalogue includes Kurt Cobain's songs for Nirvana, including "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Come As You Are" and "About A Girl."
Other hits include Jim Steinman's "Total Eclipse Of The Heart," Lenny Kravitz' "Are You Gonna Go My Way," Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black," and Devo's "Whip It."
Other songs include Take That's greatest hits, including "Patience," "Shine" and "Greatest Day," as well as former member Robbie William's interests in "Angels," "Rock DJ" and "Let Me Entertain You."
Also in the catalogue are Tears for Fears' "Everybody Rules The World," Culture Club's "Karma Chamelon," OMD's "Enola Gay," and Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life," as well as recent hits including Duffy's "Mercy."
BMG, the fourth-largest music publishing company, is a three-year-old partnership between Bertelsmann and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. In May, it announced it had more than one million copyrights under management.
"These catalogues contain some of the most influential and successful songs in popular music," said BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch. "We are delighted to have won the opportunity to represent the writers of those songs and to demonstrate to them BMG's commitment to twenty-first century service. They have my pledge that we will do our very best to deliver for them.

Read More..

Nick Cassavetes Sued For Allegedly Stiffing Twin Canadian Pop Duo on $300K Movie Loan

 Nick Cassavetes, Canadian twins and incest - besides three phrases that you probably didn't expect to read in the same sentence today, they're also elements of a bizarre new lawsuit that hit the California court system this week.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, TwinSpin music - home to twin Canadian pop duo Carmen & Camille - claim that "The Notebook" director failed to pay back a $300,000 loan to help make the upcoming drama "Yellow."
The complaint alleges that the writer-director backed out of an agreement to give the duo parts in the movie and to feature a song of theirs in the Sienna Miller-Ray Liotta film.
The film chronicles a woman who's addicted to pain pills and is fired from her teaching job for engaging in sexual shenanigans on school grounds. Oh, and she also had a love affair with her brother at one point. According to the suit - which also includes TwinSpin manager John Thomas as a plaintiff - TwinSpin and Cassavetes entered into an agreement in September 2010, in which TwinSpin would loan Cassavetes $300,000 to start production on the film.
In return, the suit says, Cassavetes agreed to pay the loan back with interest - for a total of $345,000 - the next month. Cassavetes also agreed to cast the duo in speaking roles in the film, use a song of theirs on the soundtrack, and to give Thomas a producer's credit, the complaint claims.
But the money never came, the suit says - and neither did the roles, the song and the credit, without which the loan never would have been given.
"But for these representations, Plaintiffs never would have entered into the Loan Agreement or otherwise granted the Loan," the lawsuit reads. "Plaintiffs are informed and believe that Cassavetes never had any intention of casting 'Carmen & Camille' in the Picture, or featuring a song by 'Carmen & Camille' in the Picture, of providing the producer credit to plaintiff Thomas, or of repaying the loan on a timely basis."
Cassavetes' agent has not yet responded to misrepresentation request for comment.
Alleging breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, fraudulent misrepresentation and negligent misrepresentation, the suit is asking for damages of $500,000, the amount that the plaintiffs believe is currently owed to them by Cassavetes, with accruing interest.

Read More..

AP music writers' top 10 albums of the year

Mesfin Fekadu's picks:
1. Nas, "Life is Good": "I am a graphic classic song composer," Nas raps on the intro to his latest album. And he's right. You may disagree, but Nas is the best rapper alive, and with "Life is Good," he's got the year's top album, regardless of genre. On "Life," he's spitting rhymes about his ex-wife, Kelis — like the soulful "Bye Baby" — his daughter on "Daughters" and his childhood on "A Queens Story." He's a top-notch lyricist with a knack for storytelling, and it all makes for impeccable music. He knows life is good, and so is this album.
2. Of Monsters and Men, "My Head Is an Animal": The Icelandic fivesome have melodies that are eerie, jamming, groovy and overall epic. The voices of the male and female lead singers blend so beautifully that it sounds like magic.
3. Elle Varner, "Perfectly Imperfect": Her raspy and powerful voice, over crisp production, easily gives Elle Varner R&B's best offering of 2012. The 12-track set has an amazing flow that will have you hitting the replay button again, again and again!
4. Lianne La Havas, "Is Your Love Big Enough?": Lianne La Havas' honesty pierces on the tracks on her debut album, and it makes the collection of songs both heavy and beautiful. She's got an acoustic folk-rock-soul sound that is unique, and what's best is that heavy voice of hers: This London singer sounds like she's singing straight to your soul. Well, actually, she is.
5. Frank Ocean, "channel ORANGE": Frank is fresh. Enough said.
6. Miguel, "Kaleidoscope Dream": It's a bit shocking — though more exciting — to see the Grammys acknowledge Miguel's multi-talents with five nominations. They got it right — he's helping change R&B without dismissing the genre's more traditional sound from acts like Faith Evans and Tamia. From "Do You..." to "Candles In the Sun," he hits all the right notes on his sophomore disc.
7. Emeli Sande, "Our Version of Events": The debut album from this Scottish import commands your attention, thanks to Emeli Sande's strong pipes jelled with R&B and pop sounds. Her voice helps her songs easily come to life — just check out "Suitcase" if you're not convinced.
8. Kendrick Lamar, "good kid m.A.A.d city": The major label debut from Dr. Dre's protege is dope for its clever rhymes and soulful skits. He's going places.
9. Mumford & Sons, "Babel": Mumford & Sons continue to hark on love and life on "Babel," and it sounds masterful with its rock harmonies that are both rugged and calming.
10. Shiny Toy Guns, "III": The year's best dance and electronic-based album isn't on Top 40 radio. Shiny Toy Guns returned in 2012 with a third album and its lead singer, Carah Faye. The foursome sounds better than ever over beats that are addictive and vibes that are dreamy. Now dance.
Nekesa Mumbi Moody's picks:
1. Emeli Sande, "Our Version of Events": Sande's forceful, soulful voice is enough of a lure, but coupled with the most poetic, beautiful lyrics and melodies of the year, Sande's debut album was a brilliant work that was shamefully overlooked by the Recording Academy for Grammy contention in 2013. Don't make the same mistake if you haven't already listened — this one is a stunner.
2. Taylor Swift, "Red": Last time, we had John Mayer to thank. This time around, Jake Gyllenhaal is most likely the reason for Swift's ire in songs like the wickedly vengeful "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," as well as poignant, heartbreaking songs like "I Almost Do" or "All Too Well." At 22, the former teen ingénue also flirts with sensuality on songs like "Treacherous" and "Everything Has Changed." She may still have a cutesy image, but Swift has grown up, and continues to mature into a singer-songwriter with musical gravitas.
3. Frank Ocean, "Channel Orange": Ocean's grand statement about his sexuality seemed to overshadow the real reason why he was one of music's most important figures — his impressive talent. "Thinkin' Bout You" gave just a taste of Ocean's allure: With the help of others, he crafted a collection of musically and lyrically daring songs that stand out starkly from the status quo of pop and R&B worlds.
4. Esperanza Spalding, "Radio Music Society": The 2011 Best New Artist winner delivered her most accessible album to date, melding her jazz roots with R&B for an enchanting album.
5. Alabama Shakes, "Boys & Girls": Brittany Howard's vocals slay on every track — though her voice has been described as Joplin-esque, she's quickly proving that she's a force all her own. From hard-rocking guitar-based tracks to slower grooves, "Boys & Girls" simply smolders.
6. Various Artists, "The Hunger Games Soundtrack: Songs from District 12 and Beyond": From Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars to Miranda Lambert's Pistol Annies, this collection of songs made for the blockbuster film captured the bleakness of the novel better than the movie. In an album of highlight after highlight, the Secret Sisters' simple and beautiful "Tomorrow Will Be Kinder" was at the apex.
7. Killer Mike, "R.A.P. Music": Killer Mike has been under the radar in the rap world for years — and it's too bad this great didn't elevate his profile in the mainstream, because it's better than 82.4 percent of what's out there today (and yes, that's my scientific survey). He mixes rap braggadocio with biting, thought-provoking social commentary.
8. Elle Varner, "Perfectly Imperfect": Can we get a "Refill" of Varner for 2013? Besides her seductive hit, Varner's album showed that she's one of music's bright new talents with songs that ranged sensuous bedroom workouts to dramatic love ballads.
9. The Robert Glasper Experiment, "Black Radio": They say you can't really criticize something if you don't have a solution to fix it. Well, with "Black Radio," the jazz pianist offered his take on how the often stagnant medium could be improved — and it was dreamy.
10. Nas, "Life Is Good": Actually, Mesfin, it's been a while since Nas released an album that lived up to his arguable title as rap's greatest MC. But he delivered this year with an album that was a throwback to the beats that dominated hip-hop when New York was king of the rap game, and of course, Nas' rhymes.
Chris Talbott's picks:
1. Cloud Nothings, "Attack on Memory": Blame most of the entries on this list on a conversation I had last year with Jeff Tweedy, who said one of the ways to stay in love with music was to seek out new, young acts. Ohio's Cloud Nothings punched me in the solar plexus with this unrepentant blast of rock that tackles BIG THEMES while musically careening down a steep, car-lined street on an out-of-control skateboard.
2. Natural Child, "For The Love of The Game" and "Hard in Heaven": Mining an era that seems to have been purposely forgotten by today's young rockers, this bluesy rock trio from Nashville was on a groove so tight this year that it released two albums. It's a tossup which one's better, so we're not choosing. Both show they could be Nashville's next breakthrough band.
3. Kendrick Lamar, "good kid, m.A.A.d. city": Displaying the limitless ambition of a young RZA or Kanye West, this much-anticipated, Dr. Dre-sanctified release is a cinematic concept album stuffed full of examples of the Los Angeles rapper's versatility, creativity and willingness to take chances most other rappers would blanche at.
4. Jack White, "Blunderbuss": We've been waiting a long time to hear what White would sound like without the filter of his many, many bandmates. "Blunderbuss," a little bit whimsical, a little bit menacing, offered all the things we'd hoped we'd find, plus a few surprises.
5. Alabama Shakes, "Boys & Girls": This debut album from the Alabama rock quartet heralds the arrival of a major talent in singer Brittany Howard, but she's not the only star here. Her bandmates craft simple but compelling, soulful music that combines with Howard's voice to make some of the most uplifting rock we've heard in years.
6. Frank Ocean, "channel ORANGE": The Tweedy Effect really kicked in last year when I heard Ocean's mix tape "nostalgia/ULTRA," probably the best album of 2011. While "channel ORANGE" is disappointingly restrained musically, like "nostalgia/Ultra" it is a triumphant example as a social document that's both fearless and insightful yet still entertaining enough to reach popular audiences.
7. Turbo Fruits, "Butter": Sometimes you just want to bob your head along to mindless songs about parties and girls and fighting and motorcycles, and the third album from these rising rockers on Kings of Leon's record label helps prove EDM hasn't killed off rock 'n' roll. Far from it.
8. King Tuff, "King Tuff": Twenty-five years after its start, Sub Pop is still unearthing bands you need to hear. This time it's Vermont's King Tuff, purveyors of weirdly irresistible sugar-coated psychedelic pop songs that refuse to leave your brain.
9. Japandroids, "Celebration Rock": Beginning and ending with the sound of fireworks, this Vancouver, British Columbia, two-piece's album is exactly what its title describes — grand, anthemic songs about the great moments in life.
10. Trampled By Turtles, "Stars and Satellites": The awesomely named Minnesota string band has been on the rise for years and its gentle, introspective sixth album adds a layer of artistry and emotion only hinted at in previous work.

Read More..

Americans answer D.C.'s siren song of employment, strong economy

Thirteen years ago the band The Magnetic Fields crooned that the U.S. capital city is "the greatest place to be," in the indie love song "Washington, D.C."
Recently, a growing number of Americans are singing along as they move to the District in search of jobs, economic opportunity and cultural attractions.
In a study on migration provided exclusively to Reuters that is set to be released next month, United Van Lines found the District of Columbia tops all 50 states for the number of people moving in during 2012.
The city has held that spot for five years running, with 64 percent of the household moves in Washington coming from outside the city in 2012.
United Van Lines is the largest moving company in the country for households.
Oregon ranked second, followed by Nevada, North Carolina and South Carolina. Washington is a city that does not belong to a state, but is subject to loose control from the federal government.
"Washington, D.C., is unique because over the last five years its unemployment rate was not hit as hard by the Great Recession," said Michael Stoll, chair and professor of public policy at the University of California at Los Angeles about the study. "But I think the other thing is that the city has remade itself from the one we knew 10 to 15 years ago."
Washington has shed its reputation as the crime capital of the country, and it has developed a high technology corridor and other businesses that are both stable and hiring, said Stoll.
Also, many members of the Baby Boom generation are moving in as they retire, taking advantage of the free museums, monuments and cultural events the city has to offer, he said.
The rising popularity could yield a result also unthinkable less than two decades ago.
"D.C. will not just be a place of tourism. It will be a major economic engine, which many of us haven't thought of it as being before," Stoll said.
A U.S. Census report released on Thursday also showed the city is gaining new residents. Washington's population increased 2.15 percent between July 2011 and July 2012, a rise second only to North Dakota.
The District's population increase of 5.1 percent from 2010 to 2012 was the biggest in the country, the Census found. It had had 632,323 residents as of July 1.
The city has a large international community, largely due to the presence of foreign embassies and organizations such as the World Bank. The Census found people from other countries made up 32 percent of the net migration from 2011 to 2012.
According to a Labor Department report released on Friday, the District's unemployment rate fell in November to 8.1 percent from 10.1 percent the year before. Local political leaders point to a development boom and one of the highest median incomes in the country - $63,124 - as other draws to the city.
On a national level, Stoll said, the migration patterns show Americans are seeking economic opportunity in places where new manufacturing and technology enterprises are building up. The patterns reveal a swelling group of aging people who are retiring and looking for affordable and comfortable places to live, as well.
He added that many people who wanted to move to California, but were put off by the state's economic woes, turned their moving vans north to Oregon.
New Jersey topped states for outward moves, in 2012, the United Van Lines study showed, largely due to a shrinking factory sector. It was followed by Illinois, West Virginia, Michigan and New York.
Washington's popularity surge recently created a paradox in the city's economic success story. Last month, the Brookings Institution concluded three U.S. metropolitan areas are in economic recovery, but did not include Washington because its population burst drove down its gross domestic product on a per capita basis.

Read More..