White House: closely studying U.N. report on Iran's nuclear program

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday that it was closely studying a U.N. report that showed Iran has possibly expanded uranium enrichment machines and increased stockpiles of nuclear material.

"We are closely studying the details of the report, but broadly speaking it is not surprising that Iran is continuing to violate its obligations," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters when asked about the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency's quarterly report on Iran. "As the report illustrates, we are in a position to closely observe Iran's program," he said.

The report showed Iran has doubled the number of uranium enrichment machines it has in an underground bunker.

Carney said the U.S. has made it clear to Iran that they have a limited window of time to stop its atomic work and diplomatic terms offered by the Western world will not remain open "indefinitely."

(Reporting by Margaret Chadbourn; Editing by Jackie Frank)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-closely-studying-u-n-report-irans-184430711.html

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Pistorius plays down 100m defence prospects

Oscar Pistorius on Tuesday played down his chances of defending his 100m Paralympic title, assessing that it could be the most open -- and fastest -- final in Paralympic history.

The 25-year-old South African, a triple gold medallist in the T44 100m, 200m and 400m in Beijing, made history earlier this month by becoming the first double amputee to compete at the Olympics.

But Pistorius said he would be happy for a medal of any colour in the 100m this time round, with the final likely to involve world record holder Jonnie Peacock and world champion Jerome Singleton.

Pistorius said he had been "more than impressed" with Britain's Peacock, who in June lowered the world record for single leg amputees to 10.85sec.

"He's a huge threat. But my personal opinion is that experience counts," he told a news conference at the Olympic Park.

"Guys like Jerome Singleton (of the United States, whom Pistorius narrowly beat in Beijing) have run 11.1 in the last year.

"He (Singleton) is a true professional, a very serious guy. He doesn't let competition get the better of him.

"He's going to be just as much of a challenge. He's one of the only athletes to beat me in the 100."

Event organisers have billed the T44 100m final as the race of the Paralympics, with predictions that all eight runners could break 11 seconds for the first time.

Pistorius said the development of athletes in the event since Athens and Beijing had been "phenomenal", particularly in terms of physique, while margins between runners are now measured in hundredths of a seconds, not seconds.

"There are six guys in my opinion or maybe someone else" would could win, he added.

"There isn't a favourite in the event and that's that. That makes it very exciting.

"The 100 is going to be a challenge for me... If I can finish in the top three I will be happy."

He added: "It's important to note that I haven't run a 100m personal best in five years. It's not really my event.

"As Jonnie and those guys focus on the 100, my focus is on the 400, on the complete opposite side of the spectrum when it comes to sprinting.

"I like to see the evolution of the event happening and if that means I'm not at the top of the event but the sport's getting quicker, that's OK with me."

Pistorius still holds the T43 100m world record -- for double-amputee athletes -- with a mark of 10.91 set in 2007, although American Blake Leeper equalled that time this year.

The South African comes into the Paralympics on the back of a semi-final appearance in the Olympic 400m before he anchored the South African quartet in the 4x400m relay.

The athlete, dubbed the "Blade Runner" because he runs on carbon fibre blades, said he was in form, despite suggestions that he may be tired after the Olympics.

"I have had 22 races this year. The Olympics was obviously very important, as are the Paralympics," he explained.

"In essence, we run internationally from May all the way through to September. I ran my second-fastest time last year in September. It doesn't really matter...

"I'm in the right shape... I feel in great condition to be able to perform here."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pistorius-plays-down-100m-defence-prospects-143734122--oly.html

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Civilians crushed in own homes in Syria's Aleppo

The disfigured bodies of women and children brought into Aleppo's largest hospital bear witness to the intensity of the fighting in residential districts of Syria's second city.

"The majority of casualties are caused by buildings crashing down on civilians," said Abu Abdu, who works as a general surgeon in Al-Shifaa.

The hospital mortuary received the corpses of four people on Tuesday, including the crumpled remains of a woman and a young boy, crushed to death when their homes collapsed over their heads.

Another 17 people were wounded in aerial attacks, including a young girl, who was reportedly hit by a shower of shrapnel that fell on her kindergarten. The hospital also treated a rebel who took a sniper bullet to the stomach.

Hospital records show that in the 48 hours to Monday, Al-Shifaa's doctors treated 69 wounded civilians and registered 15 deaths.

One doctor said the full civilian casualty toll in Aleppo was much larger, as the hospital's records did not include the figures from smaller clinics or field hospitals around the city.

"The tolls that appear on TV are not reflective of reality -- the casualties in Aleppo are far higher," said Doctor Abu Ismail.

He estimated a daily average of 25 civilians killed and 100 wounded since the city became a major battleground between troops and rebels on July 20.

Hospital volunteer Um Suheib said: "We have every kind of casualty from every kind of weapon. We want our children and civilians to be safe. Let the armies square off and leave us alone."

Instead troops and rebels are locked in urban combat in the cobblestone lanes of the Old City, with the front lines in perpetual flux as checkpoints and sniper positions shift daily.

The commander of the rebel Al-Khattab Brigade said that the fighting in the Old City had claimed the lives of four of his men in the past three days, most of them killed by snipers.

He said forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad had suffered "heavy losses" but gave no figure.

"Most of the casualties are civilians because they are hitting residential areas," the commander added, declining to give his name.

Doctors said that bakeries in the city had been hit "at least seven times" this month alone, leading to a high civilian toll as residents were forced to venture out to queue for bread.

The latest hit on a bakery on Sunday left 11 people critically wounded, the medics said.

More than 15 loud explosions were heard in the city in the space of just 60 minutes on Tuesday.

The fighting focused on the Maysaloon neighbourhood, on the fringes of the Old City, and in Bab al-Nayrab on the road to a military airport of the same name.

In the southwest of the city, where the army launched a major offensive earlier this month to recapture rebel-held neighbourhoods, the battle lines were also fluid.

The carcasses of burnt out buses sealed off streets under rebel control, while stones and tyres marked off roads leading into areas held by Assad's forces.

The army recaptured the Salaheddin neighbourhood but the adjacent Saif al-Dawla district remains in the hands of the rebels.

In the city centre, smoke rose over Aleppo's historic UNESCO-listed Citadel, as, in the cool shade of one of the Old City's historic market inns, rebels cleaned and loaded ageing Kalashnikovs.

"There are clashes in this city every single second," said rebel fighter Abu Alaa. "You just never know when they will erupt."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/civilians-crushed-own-homes-syrias-aleppo-190231098.html

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Gene that predicts happiness in women discovered

ScienceDaily (Aug. 28, 2012) ? A new study has found a gene that appears to make women happy, but it doesn't work for men. The finding may help explain why women are often happier than men, the research team said.

Scientists at the University of South Florida (USF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute reported that the low-expression form of the gene monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) is associated with higher self-reported happiness in women. No such association was found in men.

The findings appear online in the journal Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry.

"This is the first happiness gene for women," said lead author Henian Chen, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, USF College of Public Health.

"I was surprised by the result, because low expression of MAOA has been related to some negative outcomes like alcoholism, aggressiveness and antisocial behavior," said Chen, who directs the Biostatistics Core at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine's Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. "It's even called the warrior gene by some scientists, but, at least for women, our study points to a brighter side of this gene."

While they experience higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders, women tend to report greater overall life happiness than do men. The reason for this remains unclear, Chen said. "This new finding may help us to explain the gender difference and provide more insight into the link between specific genes and human happiness."

The MAOA gene regulates the activity of an enzyme that breaks down serontin, dopamine and other neurotransmitters in the brain -- the same "feel-good" chemicals targeted by many antidepressants. The low-expression version of the MAOA gene promotes higher levels of monoamine, which allows larger amounts of these neurotransmitters to stay in the brain and boost mood.

The researchers analyzed data from a population-based sample of 345 individuals -- 193 women and 152 men -- participating in Children in the Community, a longitudinal mental health study. The DNA of study subjects had been analyzed for MAOA gene variation and their self-reported happiness was scored by a widely used and validated scale.

After controlling for various factors, ranging from age and education to income, the researchers found that women with the low-expression type of MAOA were significantly happier than others. Compared to women with no copies of the low-expression version of the MAOA gene, women with one copy scored higher on the happiness scale and those with two copies increased their score even more.

While a substantial number of men carried a copy of the "happy" version of the MAOA gene, they reported no more happiness than those without it.

So, why the genetic gender gap in feeling good?

The researchers suspect the difference may be explained in part by the hormone testosterone, found in much smaller amounts in women than in men. Chen and his co-authors suggest that testosterone may cancel out the positive effect of MAOA on happiness in men.

The potential benefit of MAOA in boys could wane as testosterone levels rise with puberty, Chen said. "Maybe men are happier before adolescence because their testosterone levels are lower."

Chen emphasizes that more research is needed to identify which specific genes influence resilience and subjective well-being, especially since studies of twins estimate genetic factors account for 35 to 50 percent of the variance in human happiness.

While happiness is not determined by a single gene, there is likely a set of genes that, along with life experiences, shape our individual happiness levels, Chen said. "I think the time is right for more genetic studies that focus on well-being and happiness."

"Certainly it could be argued that how well-being is enhanced deserves at least as much attention as how (mental) disorders arise; however, such knowledge remains limited."

The study by Chen and colleagues was supported by the National Institutes of Health and a USF proposal enhancement grant.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of South Florida (USF Health).

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Henian Chen, Daniel S. Pine, Monique Ernst, Elena Gorodetsky, Stephanie Kasen, Kathy Gordon, David Goldman, Patricia Cohen. The MAOA gene predicts happiness in women. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2012.07.018

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/mYn7RbitBAs/120828135107.htm

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Russell Brand and Geri Halliwell: New Couple Alert!

Looks like Russell Brand is looking to Spice up his love life with a new Girl.

That would be Geri Halliwell of Spice Girls fame! See what we did there?!

The 37-year-old British comic is now dating the 40-year-old singer, The Sun (UK) reports, along with pictures of them on a date at Hampton Court Palace in London with Bluebell, Geri's 6-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

Russell also posted this Twitpic after the Olympics' closing ceremonies:

Geri Halliwell recently alluded to a new relationship in an interview with British celeb gossip mag Hello: "I'm not going into details," she said, giggling.

"Right now there's nothing serious. I was a late starter on the romantic front. I didn't start dating until I was in my 30s ... I quite like having somebody to cuddle."

"I like that intimacy, it would be wonderful."

Earlier this summer, Brand dated Isabella Brewster, the younger sister of Dallas star Jordana Brewster, but the two reportedly broke things off.

Before that, he was married to Katy Perry. Maybe you've heard of her. Here's wishing Russell and Geri the best in their fledgling romance!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/08/russell-brand-and-geri-halliwell-new-couple-alert/

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Financial Counseling Requirement before Bankruptcy Discharge ...

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In a previous article called The Credit Counseling Requirement before Filing for Bankruptcy, it was pointed out that as of 2005, the new federal guidelines regarding bankruptcy petitions state that any individual who is considering filing either a Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13 must go through credit counseling using a government-sanctioned credit counseling agency. As mentioned, there are two primary goals that govern this new regulation. One is to eliminate the chances of anyone attempting to file any type of fraudulent claim of bankruptcy, and the second is to evaluate whether or not the individual can feasibly handle their financial affairs and debt responsibilities without filing a petition, and without adding to their existing debt burdens as well.

This article is meant to draw attention to an additional stipulation in the bankruptcy laws that require every individual to take a financial management or counseling course from an agency approved by the court before their discharge is issued in either a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. This course is also referred to as pre-discharge counseling or budget counseling.

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Pre-Bankruptcy Credit Counseling as opposed to Pre-Discharge Financial Counseling

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This court-mandated financial counseling course obligation is unlike the credit counseling that every individual must undergo before filing their bankruptcy petition. In this case, the individual is required to take the financial counseling course after they have filed their petition for bankruptcy. However, and most importantly, it must be completed before a discharge is issued by the bankruptcy court.

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Court-Approved Agencies that provide the Financial Counseling Course

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Just like the credit counseling course, each individual is required to take this financial counseling course from an organization that is pre-approved by the Office of the U.S. Trustee. These courses are regulated to go on for at least two hours and encompass a specified program of study. The agencies endorsed by the U.S. Trustee for the pre-bankruptcy credit counseling course were non-profit organizations. By contrast, those that provide the financial counseling courses are not required to be a nonprofit entity. Nevertheless, these organizations are set up to provide, to any individual who needs it, a sliding scale fee if they cannot manage to pay the full cost of the program. For maximum convenience, the financial counseling course can also be taken either in person, on-line, or through the mail. Listings of the sanctioned counseling agencies can be found by going to the U.S. Trustee?s website at www.justice.gov/ust. From there, find the ?Consumer Information? menu, and follow that to the ?Credit Counseling & Debtor Education.?

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Filing the Course Completion Certificate

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After the financial counseling course has been completed, it must followed up by filing the Official Form 23 with the bankruptcy court, which certifies that each individual has in fact taken the required financial counseling course. In addition, a certificate of completion from the counseling agency must also be filed as well.

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The Financial Counseling Timeline

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Within the Chapter 7 bankruptcy regulations, each individual is required to file the Form 23 and their certificate of completion with forty-five days after the specific date their 341 hearing (the meeting of the creditors) was first placed on the court docket. It is very important that this cut-off date is strictly adhered to. If this filing date is missed, the bankruptcy court could close the bankruptcy case, without a discharge or final determination. Should this dilemma occur, the individual would have to file a motion to request that their case be re-opened, which will add a substantial expense to the petition process, along with the costs incurred by their bankruptcy attorney.

In the Chapter 13 bankruptcy guidelines, each individual must file the Form 23 and their certificate of completion any time before their final payment is made within their repayment schedule. In general, anyone is permitted to take the financial counseling course within the timeframe of the Chapter 13 repayment schedule, and it is usually recommended simply because information taught in the course assists each individual with designing and maintaining their budget and completing their repayment plan successfully.

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Exceptions to the Pre-Discharge Financial Counseling Course Requirement

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There are, however, a limited number exceptions to this requirement, even though most bankruptcy petitioners seldom qualify for them. An individual is not required to take the course if there are no financial counseling courses where they live. However, this particular exception hardly ever comes into play simply because every judicial district usually has counseling agencies that provide the necessary financial counseling courses either through internet access or over the telephone.

Another possible exception is if an individual has a disability or incapacity that renders them unable to take the course, but again, due to the fact that the courses are accessible either over the telephone or through the internet, bankruptcy courts rarely consent to this exception. Nevertheless, if an individual does happen to possess some form of mental impairment that inhibits them from comprehending the information given during the course, this requirement could in fact be put aside. In addition, if there are no financial counseling courses accessible in a language the individual can understand, or the organizations in their judicial district do not offer counseling in that language, it may be possible to be excused from this requirement. And finally, any individual who happens to be serving on active duty status in a military zone is also excused from taking this course prior to receiving their discharge.

If you are currently considering the benefits and protections offered under the bankruptcy laws, or would like your specific questions or concerns regarding these counseling course requirements answered, please contact our office to speak with any one of our highly qualified bankruptcy attorneys for complete details and counseling agency locations and contact information.

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Source: http://topofutahlaw.com/the-financial-counseling-requirement-before-the-discharge-in-bankruptcy/

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Cloud Accounting Startup FreshBooks Launches An iPhone App, So Users Can Do Invoicing On The Go

Cloud accounting startup FreshBooks is designed to make billing, invoicing, tracking expenses, and managing customer relationships easier for small and medium-sized businesses. The company now wants to take that a step further by providing its users with an iPhone app that will allow them to do all those things -- and more! from wherever they are. In the past, small business owners would have to wait until they got back to their offices to do certain accounting tasks, like entering time or tracking expenses from on the job. With the new app, FreshBooks users can now instantly create invoices, manage client information, track time that they've spent with clients and expenses, create estimates, and get reports based on the information they enter.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/udeaIGMzKFE/

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