Lawmaker: Syria ready to use chemical weapons

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Syria's chemical weapons could be used at "a moment's notice" and the international community should not accept any assurances from Syrian officials that they will not be used, U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said on Wednesday.

U.S. and other Western officials recently issued sharp warnings to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad not to deploy chemical weapons. Syria called those warnings a "pretext for intervention" in the civil war.

Rogers, a Republican, told Reuters in an interview that the Syrian government's activities related to chemical weapons were a shift in posture and a major concern.

"I believe that they have put elements of their chemical weapons program in a condition of which they could be used at a moment's notice, which is very different from before," Rogers said.

"And some notion that they have promised not to use them, I don't think the international community ... should take that on face value," he said.

"This is a regime that's getting more desperate by the day. They have affirmatively put elements of their chemical weapon program in a position for use, that is something that we should all be concerned about."

His comments came amid reports that Assad's forces had fired Soviet-era Scud ballistic missiles against rebels in a significant escalation of the nearly two-year-old conflict that has already killed more than 40,000 civilians.

Rogers said more information was needed before he could say for sure whether the Scuds had been used.

"Some of the sourcing I've seen on the material just doesn't make me feel comfortable. We've seen a lot of mistakes based on social media, we're going to need more than that," he said.

But reports about use of Scud-style weapons and the changed posture on chemical weapons suggested desperation on the part of Assad's government, Rogers said.

But he added: "It would not be unusual for a regime that possesses some fairly sophisticated weapons systems in these last, I argue days and months, or days and weeks, of a pretty desperate regime to use the weapons at its disposal.

"So Scuds, and I make the next leap of chemical weapons, I think is of real concern."

Rogers has just returned from a visit to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia where he discussed Syria and other security issues with officials. Arab League officials want to see the United States step up its role on Syria, he said, adding that he was not referring to military action.

"The United States has a unique capability to deal with these," Rogers said, referring to Syria's chemical weapons. He would not describe the capability.

"I sensed a real frustration from our Arab League partners, frustration with the United States. I believe that we need to step up our role, and I am not talking about military, I'm just talking about U.S. influence and leadership and bringing unique capabilities that only the United States has to the table in these discussions," Rogers said.

"And again that doesn't mean boots on the ground. It does mean that we have unique capabilities that we should at least offer as a part of the discussion of how we prevent the use of these chemical weapons and the sheer humanitarian crisis in the region that I think would be created by their use."

(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; editing by Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-lawmakers-says-syrias-chemical-weapons-ready-182733521.html

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Video: Can the Fed Keep the Economy Alive?

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50177733/

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The Future of Social Media in 2013: Six Points to Consider | Social ...

As we round the bend to the end of another term of learning and applying the principles of social media marketing, I wonder what 2013 will bring to the social media world. I have spoken to my classes about the history of Marketing, the emergence of social media, and how we utilize social platforms and tools for B2C and B2B.? But, now we need to consider what new tools, processes, trends, and gaps could appear as social media becomes more pervasive, effective, and required in business.

In the future, I think we will see a further evolution of how we produce and consume marketing messages as well an increase in the value of information produced via social (for business and consumers). ?Some points to consider:

Tribes

I believe the future of social media can be seen by looking to the past. Humans by nature are social creatures, however we have spent years relying on mass media.? As time has passed, we are now relying less on mass media and more on our peers: we are once again turning to one another. ?Consider your friends on Facebook or those you follow on Twitter. Via social,? I have surrounded myself with like minded people that I can have a symbiotic relationship with. ? Many of the folks I follow on Twitter I follow because I can learn from them and I value the content they produce.

Relevancy

Relevant connections, content, and communications will remain increasingly important in order to cancel out the ?noise?. ?As consumers continue to be bombarded with tweets, status updates, mobile marketing messages and the like, it will be paramount for these communications to be relevant, timely, and personalized. ?This is true for the business as well. ?I see the future of social including smaller more niche social groups organized by brands to further identify consumer needs, research, and for crowdsourcing purposes.

Social CRM

If your business is on a social platform and engaging, good for you. If you are not utilizing it to facilitate customer service, shame on you.? Obviously, this will take some planning on your part to prepare staff and get processes in place for customer service inquiries.? Nevertheless, the benefits far outweigh the costs in this situation. ?Consider the company who is ?on Twitter? and ignores customer inquiries made via tweets. ?This is the equivalent of having a customer at your business, asking you a question (with a store full of other customers and potential customers) while you stand there not listening with your hands covering your ears.? Potentially disastrous in real life; it would be online as well.

SoMo

By far the biggest and most exciting area of social will most likely be SoMo (social mobile).? Mobile phones have become an every day item that are utilized multiple times throughout the day.? Smartphones hold more information on the user than ever before; we rely on them to remind us of doctors appointments, to take and store photos, to stay in contact with our friends and family, to do searches, and to sometimes even make phone calls.? New and exciting possibilities abound surrounding smart phones and equipping them to better know the user, anticipate needs, and meet those needs. ?However, with more people using smart phones as their primary tool for Internet searches, businesses will need to make changes to webpages and more to accommodate slower connections and/or smaller screens.

Integration

Mass media and social media will become more integrated across devices (such as laptop, tablets, smart phones) and platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) to offer more relevant and personalized experiences.? Similarly, we will also see further integration with local and SoMo: SoLoMo. Consumers will utilize social media via mobile technology to include point of purchase and point of consumption.

The Future

The future of social media is my students, myself, and you?.

Each of my students (and you the reader) have created personal digital brands via blogging, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and/or Pinterest.? As we all leave our digital footprints, we are not only representing ourselves, we are representing the brands we work for and the brands we ?talk? about via social. ?Likewise, the individuals that make up brands are creating engaged company personas with both personality and transparency. ?These folks are the future of social media.

Individuals will shape the future of social media. ?What steps are you taking to do the most good with your digital footprint!?

The views expressed are those of the author, and do not represent those of Texas A&M University-Commerce or Southern New Hampshire University unless stated explicitly.

Jessica Rogers (11 Posts)

This monthly Social Media MBA column is contributed by Jessica Rogers. Jessica is a Dallas based Adjunct Marketing Instructor at Texas A&M University- Commerce and Southern New Hampshire University. She is currently working on her PhD in Business with an emphasis on Marketing; her dissertation research is focused on Social Media. Jessica teaches both undergraduate and graduate level courses in Marketing, including Social Media, and has 16 years of field experience in business and marketing before starting her teaching career in 2009. Jessica holds a BS in Business Administration and an MS in Marketing.

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Image courtesy of chanpipat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/nealschaffer/1067826/future-social-media-2013-six-points-consider

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Five Key Steps to Remember While Buying a Fireproof Safe | Home ...

Be it a business or our household or an office, we store valuables in every place. These valuables can be anything from jeweler to licenses to useful papers to electronic hardware with confidential information. However, the times we live in are not safe. Your valuables are vulnerable to various kinds of dangers such as robbery, fires, floods etc. Therefore it is imperative that one should take precautionary measures in order to protect his/her valuables from damage. A safe is the best thing available for this purpose. There are numerous kinds of safes with different purposes but the underlying concept is the same. Your safe needs to protect its contents efficiently and in a foolproof manner. Today we shall talk about fireproof safes. The things to remember while choosing a fireproof safe are:

1) Determining the nature of your contents

Before going for a fireproof safe, you need to identify the nature of your content so that you know whether the safe you have in mind can efficiently protect your valuables. Most fireproof safes can maintain a low temperature in the event of a fire but if you are planning to store electronic gadgets and hardware, you need a special safe that will?? maintain a lower temperature.

2) Choosing a suitable size for your safe

This step mostly deals with the nature of the institution where the safe is to be utilized. For example, if the safe is to be purchased for a household, it will require to be less bulky and with more spacious interiors. A business establishment or industry on another hand can afford to have a very large safe so that large amounts of content can be protected efficiently. The size of the safe has a profound effect on your budget so choose wisely.

3) Choose whether you need multi purpose safes

As mentioned afore, there are many problems that could threaten your valuables. Safes are specialized in protecting their contents from a specific form of danger. However, it is rather unsafe and pointless to buy a fireproof safe that only offers protection against fire. Let us consider an example to further understand this. Suppose you have stored your valuables in a fireproof safe. If a fire breaks out at your house, you will most likely combat it with water. If this water enters the safe your valuables will be damaged. This renders the safe itself pointless. Also, if a flood plagues your house, the resultant damage will not be blocked by a purely fire resistant safe. Therefore, consider well before buying the safe whether you need a multipurpose one.

4) Set a budget

From the first 3 steps you can derive that there are numerous kinds of safes that differ in various aspects. These safes are available at varying prices too. There are many brands that you can consider that specialize in different characteristics. You need to set a budget in order to avoid getting confused while making the actual purpose. Consider the scale of the institution to assist you while choosing a suitable budget.

5) Visit an authorized and large scale enterprise to make the actual purchase

When you are done with the four steps of purchasing a fireproof safe, be sure to visit at least 3-4 stores, be it online or B&M (Brick and Mortar) to make sure you have a variety of options. Do not hesitate to compare between choices and haggle as this ensures that you get a fair deal. Check all minute details and do not compromise on any aspect. Going for reputed brands is always considered to be safer.

If you follow these five steps meticulously and pay close attention to your needs and the specifications of the safe, you will surely get your desired fireproof safe within your budget. There are multiple brands out there looking to protect your contents. Choose wisely and live risk free. Be sure to install it in a safe corner and have it painted if you want to make protection look attractive. We wish you all the very best in your venture!

Source: http://www.sewarenlibrary.com/home-improvements-tips/five-key-steps-to-remember-while-buying-a-fireproof-safe.html

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The Note's Must-Reads for Thursday December 6, 2012

The Note's Must-Reads are a round-up of today's political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com

Compiled by ABC News' Carrie Halperin, Jayce Henderson, Amanda VanAllen and Will Cantine

FISCAL CLIFF ABC News' Devin Dwyer, Sunlen Miller, Mary Bruce and john Parkinson: " WH 'Absolutely' Willing to go Off 'Fiscal Cliff'" President Obama's lead negotiator in the "fiscal cliff" talks said the administration is "absolutely" willing to allow the package of deep automatic spending cuts and across-the-board tax hikes to take effect Jan. 1, unless Republicans drop their opposition to higher income tax rates on the wealthy. LINK

USA Today's David Jackson: " White House: Obama Pledged Tax hikes During Campaign" White House officials say it's no mystery why President Obama is insisting on higher tax rates for the top 2% of incomes. He promised it during the campaign. LINK

The Wall Street Journal's Patrick O'Connor: " Obama, GOP Each Pitch to Business" President Barack Obama told about 105 chief executives of big companies Wednesday that higher-income Americans - including those in the audience - should face higher rates. A few blocks away, Republicans huddled with small-business owners to promote the argument that a rate increase would stifle the economy. LINK

The New York Times' Jennifer Steinhauer: " Boehner Gains Strong Backing of House G.O.P. " With a daunting fiscal crisis looming and conservatives outside the House torching him at every turn, Speaker John A. Boehner might be assumed to have a shaky hold on his gavel. Instead, it appears he is enjoying the broadest support of his tumultuous two-year speakership from House Republicans. LINK

The Washington Post's Lori Montgomery and Rosalind S. Helderman: "Some in GOP urge lawmakers to back tax hikes for changes in safety-net programs" A growing chorus of Republicans is urging House leaders to abandon their staunch opposition to higher tax rates for the wealthy with the aim of clearing the way for a broad deal that would also rein in the cost of federal health and retirement programs. With less than a month before the "fiscal cliff" deadline, President Obama remains adamant about allowing tax rates to rise for the wealthiest 2 percent of taxpayers. LINK

Politico's Anna Palmer and Kate Brannen: " The big business of fiscal cliff" The fiscal cliff is big business in Washington. Message men, lobbyists, grassroots firms and lawyers are raking in cash as Congress and the White House argue about how to avoid a fiscal calamity at the end of the year - threatening spending cuts, tax hikes and changes to entitlement programs. LINK

The Washington Times' Susan Crabtree: " Obama changes tune on budget" While he now demands that higher tax rates for the wealthy must be part of a "fiscal cliff" deal, President Obama took a very different line just over a year ago in the last major clash with Congress over a long-term budget deal. In comments Republicans on Capitol Hill are highlighting, Mr. Obama argued in the summer of 2011 that the government could raise more than $1 trillion in revenue without increasing tax rates paid by the rich - something the president now contends is mathematically impossible. LINK

The Boston Globe's Christopher Rowland: " GOP deduction cap would hit the comfortable" Say you live in Massachusetts (or New York, or California, or Illinois). You and your spouse earn salaries commensurate with your advanced degrees, together bringing home $250,000 to $500,000. You make monthly mortgage payments on a nice house in a suburb where property taxes are steep. Whether you call yourself rich, fairly well-off, or merely upper-middle-class, you are in the crosshairs of the Washington tax debate. House Republicans' proposals to cap or even eliminate itemized deductions would exact a bigger toll on upper- to high-income earners in the professional classes. These earners are not the Warren Buffetts and the Mitt ? LINK

SECRET DONATIONS Bloomberg's Alison Fitzgerald: " Rural Law Firm Shields $262 Million in Secret Donations" About 50 miles west of Washington, in a newly developed zone between the roadside farm stands and the shops that line the Victorian Main Street of tiny Warrenton, Virginia, sits a brick office building that's emerged as a nexus of Republican secret money and power. The building houses the law firm of Holtzman Vogel Josefiak PLLC, a boutique outfit that specializes in advising organizations that want to participate in the electoral process without disclosing who's paying their bills. LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEO " White House Mum on Anna Wintour as Ambassador" LINK " Is Anna Wintour Being Considered for UK Ambassador Job?" LINK

BOOKMARKS The Note: LINK The Must-Reads Online: LINK Top Line Webcast (12noon EST M-F): LINK ABC News Politics: LINK The Political Punch (Jake Tapper): LINK George's Bottom Line (George Stephanopoulos): LINK Follow ABC News on Twitter: LINK ABC News Mobile: LINK ABC News app on your iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad: LINK

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/notes-must-reads-thursday-december-6-2012-074922273--abc-news-politics.html

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Childhood Obesity Calculators | Your Health Journal

?From Your Health Journal?..We know that childhood obesity is a real concern all over the world, as so many children are overweight or obese. Many children already suffer from risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity, high triglycerides, or high insulin. The possibility of predicting childhood obesity may help many children lead healthier lifestyles?..?

From the article?..

Researchers say they can predict a newborn baby?s odds of becoming an obese child using a simple new calculation.

The new formula factors in six easily-available pieces of information: a child?s birth weight, body mass index measurements of its parents, the number of people in the household, what type of occupation the mother has and whether or not she smoked while pregnant.

?This test takes very little time, it doesn?t require any lab tests and it doesn?t cost anything,? study author Dr. Philippe Froguel, a professor from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, said in a press release.

In a new study, the researchers derived the formula using data from a study that tracked 4,000 children born in Finland since 1986. At first the researchers were trying to develop a more complex formula looked for mutations in the children?s genetic profiles, but they failed to make accurate predictions.

However, once they used data that was readily available at the child?s birth to create the formula, the researchers found the 20 percent of children predicted to have the highest risk of obesity at birth made up about 80 percent of the obese children in the study pool.

To read the full article?..Click here

Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/?p=10300

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Apollo 17, 40 Years Later: An Astronaut Reflects

SAN FRANCISCO ? The last manned mission to the moon launched 40 years ago today, but astronaut Harrison Schmitt remembers it like it was yesterday.

NASA's Apollo 17 mission blasted off in the early hours of Dec. 7, 1972, carrying Schmitt, Gene Cernan and Ron Evans toward Earth's nearest neighbor. Four days later, Schmitt became the 12th and final person ? and the only trained geologist ? to set foot on the moon when he and Cernan emerged from their lunar module, Challenger.

The passage of four decades has not dimmed Harrison "Jack" Schmitt's recollections much.

"The memory is extremely vivid," Schmitt said here Thursday (Dec. 6) at the annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union. "And I actually refer back to the transcripts enough that I think I'm keeping that memory correct." [Lunar Legacy: 45 Apollo Moon Mission Photos]

No particular moment from the 12-day mission stands out as his favorite, he added.

"I treasure the whole mission. Every day had more than one really spectacular event," Schmitt said. "The first day, we saw this nearly full Earth, and I was able to take that picture of Africa ? still the most-requested photograph in the NASA archives. And it just went on from that."

Schmitt did identify one Apollo 17 science find as particularly important, however ? the discovery of "orange soil," which turned out to be composed of tiny beads of volcanic glass. Recently, researchers spotted trace amounts of water within these beads and others like them brought back to Earth by Apollo astronauts.

The discovery of indigenous lunar water has helped reshape scientists' understanding of the moon's formation and how it has evolved over time.

No person has set foot on the moon since Schmitt and Cernan clambered back into the Challenger lunar module for the final time 40 years ago. But Schmitt thinks that should change, and soon.

He advocates for a human return to the moon, which could serve as a stepping stone to other deep-space destinations such as near-Earth asteroids and Mars.

"By going back to the moon, you accelerate your ability to go anywhere else ? both in terms of experience and in terms of resources, and testing new hardware and navigation techniques, communication techniques and things like that," Schmitt said. "And it's only three days away."

NASA is currently working to get astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 and then on to the vicinity of Mars by the mid-2030s, as directed by President Barack Obama. The space agency is developing a crew capsule called Orion and a huge rocket known as the Space Launch System to make this happen.

SLS and Orion could also carry astronauts to the moon and its environs, and NASA officials have recently stated a desire to do just that.

"We just recently delivered a comprehensive report to Congress outlining our destinations which makes clear that SLS will go way beyond low-Earth orbit to explore the expansive space around the Earth-moon system, near-Earth asteroids, the moon, and ultimately, Mars," NASA deputy chief Lori Garver said at a conference in September.

Follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall?or SPACE.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook?and?Google+.?

Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apollo-17-40-years-later-astronaut-reflects-123218558.html

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