tilly dereliction: May 2012

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Williamsburg, Classes, Activities, Recreational Sports, Art, Dance ...

Youth Classes & Programs

Kidz Clay (ages 6-9)
Two Sessions: $20/session; $15 for JC/W residents
Tuesday, June 19, 9:30 a.m.-noon or Tuesday, June 26, 9:30 a.m.-noon
James City County Recreation Center
Make a mess, make some art, and make your mark in clay! We?ll hand build sculptural pieces and food-safe functional work that is also dishwasher and microwave safe. No experience needed. $5 due to instructor at the beginning of each class day for materials.? Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Basic Horse Care (ages 7+)
Saturdays, June 2, June 16 & June 23, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
$50; $45 for JC/W residents
Stonehouse Stables, 2116-A Forge Road
Learn the basics of horse care with these hands-on classes and ride one of our experienced horses. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Children?s ?Art in the Garden? (ages 7+), FREE!
Saturday, June 16, 9-10:30 a.m.
Freedom Park
Create a botanical portrait in watercolor or colored pencil. All materials provided. Registration at williamsburgbotanicalgarden.org.

Basic Canoe and Kayak Safety Clinic (ages 8+), FREE! New
Saturday, June 30, 9-11 a.m.
Chickahominy Riverfront Park (CRP)
Learn basic water safety skills and beginner paddling strokes in the safety of the park pool. No equipment needed. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Bellydance Costume Workshop Series: Decorating and Embellishing (ages 13+)
Saturday, June 9, 1-4 p.m.
$25 $20 for JC/W residents
James City County Recreation Center
We?ll discuss styles and fabrics and make patterns to fit your exact measurements. Bring a measuring tape, scissors, notebook and pencil. No sewing experience needed. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Mixed Media Art Journaling (ages 14-18)
Wednesdays, June 20-Aug. 29, 6-8 p.m. (no class July 4)
$60; $55 for JC/W residents
James City County Recreation Center
Create a virtual book of you by combining free thought and expression with the excitement and fun of learning innovative art techniques. Students provide own supplies; for the list call 757-849-3294.? Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Grandparent Adventures (all ages)
Sunday, June 10, 2-3 p.m.
$15/child; $10 for JC/W residents; Grandparents are FREE!
Chickahominy Riverfront Park
Share your knowledge, skills and time with your grandchild as you build traditions and memories. Topic: Sun Catchers, Wind Socks & Kites. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Sports Classes

Tumble Tots (ages 3-5)
Saturdays, June 23-July 14, 9:30-10:15 a.m.
$35; $30 for JC/W residents
James City County Recreation Center
Learn basic tumbling, motion skills and group cooperation through music and play. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Little Chippers & Little Drivers (ages 5-10)
Saturdays, June 23-July 21 (no class July 6), 9-10 a.m.
Little Chippers/ages 5-7: 506080-A * Little Drivers/ages 8-10: 506080-B
$65/session; $60 for JC/W residents
Williamsburg National Golf Course
These introductory golf classes teach etiquette and the essential skills. A limited number of clubs available or you can bring your own. Remember to wear proper golf attire. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Sandlot Sluggers (ages 6-9)
Wednesdays, June 6-27, 11-11:45 a.m.
$35; $30 for JC/W residents
James City County Recreation Center
Skills focus on throwing, catching, positions in field, base running and hitting taught through drills, games and relays. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Adults
Expressive Soul Painting (ages 16+), New
Saturdays, June 30-August 4, 9:30 a.m.-noon
$95; $90 for JC/W residents
James City County Recreation Center
Learn to create expressive and soulful paintings freely and uninhibited using a variety of mediums and surfaces. Students provide own supplies; for the list call 757-849-3294. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Pottery & Sculpture Smorgasbord (ages 16+)
Mondays, June 18-August 20, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
$115; $110 for JC/W residents
James City County Recreation Center
Learn to turn raw clay into finished forms; both hand building and the potter?s wheel explored. Appropriate for students of any experience level. $20 due to instructor during first class for one bag of clay and glazes for the session. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Open Studio Time (ages 16+)
Fridays, June 22-Aug. 24, 6-8 p.m.
Sundays, June 24-Aug. 26, 2-4 p.m., New
James City County Recreation Center
Uninstructed, this open studio time allows students to continue to work on pieces begun in class. Must be enrolled in current adult pottery class to register. No access to the kiln. For pass options and fees, visit jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Dance

Bellydance FUNdamentals (ages 13+)
Mondays, June 4-25, 7-8 p.m.
$30; $25 for JC/W residents
James City County Recreation Center
Join us as we explore the techniques and concepts of bellydance. No dance experience required. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Beyond Beginners Bellydance! (ages 13+)
Thursdays, June 7-July 12, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
$40; $35 for JC/W residents
James City County Recreation Center
Join us as we work our way through a new choreography in each session! Some classes will require veils or zills and they?ll be available to borrow or purchase (additional fee). Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Shimmy Shakedown (ages 13+)
Thursdays, June 7-28, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
$30; $25 for JC/W residents
James City County Recreation Center
Join us for a unique dance fitness workout! We?ll form combinations from various bellydance steps to get you moving. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Bellydance Social (ages 13+)
Friday, June 15, 6-7:30 p.m.
$10; $5 for JC/W residents
James City County Recreation Center
Our monthly open floor dance time allows the chance to dance with and for other students in a supportive, encouraging and friendly atmosphere. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Introduction to the Waltz (ages 16+)
Tuesdays, June 12-July 24 (no class July 3), 6:30-7:30 p.m.
$35; $30 for JC/W residents
James City County Recreation Center
The tempo of the Waltz is slow and the steps are simple. Learn five basic Waltz steps and their use in a social dance setting. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Introduction to the Foxtrot (ages 16+)
Tuesdays, June 12-July 24 (no class July 3), 7:45-8:45 p.m.
$35; $30 for JC/W residents
James City County Recreation Center
This fun Ballroom dance can be done to a wide variety of slow to moderate tempo music. Learn five basic Foxtrot steps and how to combine them. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Introduction to Cha-Cha-Cha (ages 16+)
Wednesdays, June 13-July 11 (no class July 4), 7-8 p.m.
$35; $30 for JC/W residents
James City County Recreation Center
This fun and popular dance is done to a moderate to fast tempo Latin music. Learn five basic Cha-Cha-Cha steps. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Hustle & Meringue (ages 16+)
Wednesdays, June 13-July 11 (no class July 4), 8-9 p.m.
$35; $30 for JC/W residents, 306574-A
James City County Recreation Center
The Hustle is easy, looks great, and can be done to today?s contemporary music. The Meringue is a simple and fun to learn dance done to moderate to fast Latin tempo music.? Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Health/Wellness/Fitness

Basketball Technique (ages 14+), FREE! New
Two sessions: Tuesday, June 19; 3:30-4 p.m. or 4-4:30 p.m.
James City County Recreation Center
Come ready to shoot! Using video and biomechanical principles, we?ll analyze your shot and determine specific ways to improve your game. Appointment time required, call 757-259-4200.

Sunset Yoga (ages 16+) New
Mondays, June 4-July 9, 7-8 p.m.
$35; $30 for JC/W residents
Jamestown Beach Park
Practice Vinyasa Flow Yoga and Sun Salutations to restore, rejuvenate and relax. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.
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Knee Pain: Conservative (non-operative) & Post-surgical Options, FREE!
Tuesday, June 11, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
James City County Recreation Center
Want to play sports, take a stroll or just stand without pain, injections, drugs or surgery? We?ll explain modern, conservative methods to care for your knees. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Track Your Health/ Know Your Numbers, FREE!
Saturday, June 2, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
James City County Recreation Center
Come in for a free health screening that includes Blood Pressure, Body Mass Index and non-fasting Cholesterol checks. Then work towards improving your numbers with your doctor?s advice, exercise and better eating. Info: jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4200.

Aquatics?

Learn To Swim Programs
Open registration held June 6-15. After you have successfully passed a class, you can register for the next level during this two-week open registration period. If you?re unsure of your or your child?s swimming needs or level, attend the FREE swim evaluations on Tuesday, June 12 or Wednesday, June 13, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the James City County Recreation Center. For the complete list of aquatic programs and classes, visit jamescitycountyva.gov/recreation or call 757-259-4185.

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Video: Spelling champ defeated, but still a winner

Lori Anne Madison, the 6-year-old who became the youngest-ever competitor in the National Spelling Bee, did not qualify for the semifinals but made history none-the-less. NBC?s Lester Holt reports.

>>> she is just 6 years old, a second grader from virginia, totally adorable, and now she's a record setter. with poise and confidence today, laurie ann madison became the youngest competitor in the history of the national spelling bee . a little adjustment of the mike and she was all business.

>> hi, laurie ann .

>> hi.

>> dirageable.

>> dierageable.

>> d-i-r-i-g-a-b-l-e. dirigable.

>> applause for laurie ann and then high fives. sadly, she misspelled her next word, meaning a bird's crop. she didn't qualify for the semifinals, but we think it's fair to say she's still a winner.

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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Man convicted of NJ webcam gay spying apologizes

FILE - In this March 16, 2012 file photo, Dharun Ravi, center, and his father, Ravi Pazhani, leave court in New Brunswick, N.J. Dharun Ravi on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 openly apologized for the first time for using a webcam to spy on a romantic liaison between a man and a roommate who later killed himself, saying he regrets his "thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish choices." (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

FILE - In this May 21, 2012, file photo, Dharun Ravi sits in court during his sentencing in New Brunswick, N.J. Ravi, a former Rutgers University student convicted of using a webcam to spy on his male roommate kissing another man days before the roommate killed himself, publicly apologized on Tuesday, May 29, for the first time. (AP Photo/Mel?Evans, File)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) ? A former Rutgers University student openly apologized for the first time on Tuesday for using a webcam to spy on a romantic liaison between a man and a roommate who later killed himself, saying he regrets his "thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish choices."

Dharun Ravi, who had been criticized by a judge for not showing remorse and for refusing to say he was sorry, also said he will begin serving a 30-day jail term on Thursday even though he doesn't have to.

Through a lawyer, Ravi issued his most contrite public statement yet in a case that made him a symbol of what his family called an overzealous prosecution and that made his roommate, Tyler Clementi, a prime example of what gay rights advocates said were the consequences of bullying.

"I accept responsibility for and regret my thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish choices that I made on Sept. 19, 2010, and Sept. 21, 2010," Ravi said in his statement. "My behavior and actions, which at no time were motivated by hate, bigotry, prejudice or desire to hurt, humiliate or embarrass anyone, were nonetheless the wrong choices and decisions. I apologize to everyone affected by those choices."

After spending two days repeatedly looking at the Twitter feed on which Ravi announced "I saw him making out with a dude. Yay," Clementi, a shy, talented violinist, threw himself from New York City's George Washington Bridge on Sept. 22, 2010.

In March, a jury convicted Ravi of all 15 criminal counts with which he was charged, including invasion of privacy and bias intimidation. On two of the intimidation counts, he faced up to 10 years in state prison.

Last week, a judge sentenced him to 30 days in jail. Because the sentence is less than a year, it decreases the chances that federal immigration authorities will seek to have Ravi deported to India, where he was born and remains a citizen.

Prosecutors, finding the sentence too lenient, said they would appeal.

Ravi's lawyers have said they expect to appeal the convictions entirely. They say that he was not hateful and that authorities charged him with such serious crimes because of Clementi's suicide even though he was not charged with the 18-year-old's death.

Ravi, 20, could have remained free during the appeal but instead is volunteering to head to the Middlesex County Jail in New Brunswick.

"It's the only way I can go on with my life," he said in the statement.

The apology comes as a sharp reversal in course for Ravi, whose story inspired hundreds of people to rally at New Jersey's State House calling for no prison time and changes in the state's hate crime laws.

When Ravi was sentenced, Judge Glenn Berman chastised him for not apologizing for his actions.

"I heard this jury say 'guilty' 288 times," the judge said, referring to all the sub-parts of the charges Ravi faced repeated 12 times, once for each juror. "And I haven't heard you apologize once."

During the court proceeding, Ravi, who had said in March in a newspaper interview that he was "very sorry about Tyler," chose not to address the judge, though he cried as his mother pleaded for mercy for him.

He told Newark's The Star-Ledger newspaper in an interview conducted before the sentencing but published afterward that he did not want to say he was sorry during the sentencing because he thought it would sound insincere.

During the sentencing, Clementi's brother James Clementi said that hearing an apology that late from Ravi would not be meaningful to him.

On Tuesday, the state's largest gay rights group, Garden State Equality, said it was happy Ravi had publicly apologized. But Chairman Steven Goldstein said the group was questioning the timing of the apology.

"We have mixed emotions, and so rather than take an organizational stance just yet, we have posited the question to our members on (the group's) Facebook page to ask what they think," Goldstein said.

Garden State Equality has said Ravi deserves more jail time than he received but "nowhere near" the maximum sentence he could have received.

"We have said that our hearts would be open to an apology had Ravi opened his heart up to us all," Goldstein said. "He could have apologized in a way that would not have compromised his legal position. But he came across to many of us as unremorseful both before the trial and in engineered media appearances after the verdict."

___

Follow Mulvihill at http://www.twitter.com/geoffmulvihill

Associated Press

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Forget 'Men in Black 3': Why aliens won't attack Earth

SETI hunter Jill Tarter says Sir Stephen Hawking is wrong about aliens coming to attack or colonize Earth.? If aliens can get here, Tarter reasons, they'll be advanced enough not to need slaves, food or other planets,

By Mike Wall,?Space.com / May 29, 2012

Tommy Lee Jones in a scene from "Men in Black 3." SETI director Jill Tarter disagrees with science fiction portrayals of aliens arriving on Earth to enslave mankind.

(AP Photo/Columbia Pictures-Sony, Wilson Webb)

Enlarge

Despite what the movies tell us, any aliens that visit Earth probably won't want to enslave or vaporize us, veteran E.T. hunter Jill Tarter says.

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Hostile aliens abound at the multiplex these days, terrorizing our planet in films such as "Battleship" and "Men in Black 3." But science fiction is probably far from reality in its depiction of Earth-contacting extraterrestrials, said Tarter, who announced Monday (May 22) that she's retiring after spending 35 years scanning the heavens for signals from intelligent life beyond Earth.

"If aliens were able to visit Earth, that would mean they would have technological capabilities sophisticated enough not to need slaves, food or other planets," Tarter, who is stepping down as director of the Center for SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Research at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., said in a statement.

RECOMMENDED: Are you scientifically literate? Take the quiz.

Tarter's confidence in aliens' benign intentions puts her at odds with famed British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who has warned that extraterrestrial civilzations may venture our way to strip-mine our planet for resources.

"While Sir Stephen Hawking warned that alien life might try to conquer or colonize Earth, I respectfully disagree," Tarter said. "If aliens were to come here, it would be simply to explore. Considering the age of the universe, we probably wouldn?t be their first extraterrestrial encounter, either."

Tarter, other scientists and a variety of artists and entertainers will gather next month in Santa Clara, Calif., to discuss such issues in depth. SETICon II, held June 22-24, will explore humanity's place in the universe and the future of the search for life beyond Earth, conference organizers said.

While Tarter, 68, is retiring from her long-held research role at the SETI Institute, she will continue to devote herself to the search for E.T. She'll fund-raise full-time for the Institute, which had to shut down its alien-hunting Allen Telescope Array for seven months last year because of a budget shortfall.

SPACE.com recently caught up with Tarter to discuss the reasons for her career change, how the SETI effort has changed since she started out in the 1970s and what it would mean to finally pluck an alien signal out of the air.

SPACE.com:?Why did you decide to retire as director of the Center for SETI Research, and switch over to fundraising full-time?

Tarter: Because last year, with the hibernation of the [Allen Telescope] Array, that entire event ? it was just eye-opening. That was a wakeup call. Funding is so precarious that we've just got to get the job done, and get stable funding into the house to do SETI research.

We have a new partner ? we got that deal done, so we can operate the Array. But now we've got to provide funding for people to actually use it and do clever things, and do research, and look in new ways. So I can't put it off any longer. It's really critical.

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Source: Arrest teams back in place in Virgin Islands bribery scandal, just ?waiting? for Holder to green light action

Arrest teams are now in place in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the wake of the territory?s financial crime and bribery scandal, a source within the Department of Justice told The Daily Caller. According to the source, the teams are now waiting now ?waiting? for Attorney General Eric Holder to give the green light for ?execution.?

?Everything is in place now,? the source said. ?We?re just waiting for them to say ?execute.??

A?Daily Caller investigation?earlier this year unearthed allegations that USVI Gov. John de Jongh?accepted part of at least $20 million in cash bribes in exchange for facilitating the sale of a telecommunications company?to a politically embattled U.S. telecommunications cooperative.

According to the DOJ source ?? who served on a team put in place to arrest finance executives close to that telecommunications deal ?? de Jongh accepted a portion of at least $20 million in cash bribes that floated throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands government.

The bribes, according to the source, were for de Jongh, Virgin Islands Attorney General Vincent Frazer and other Virgin Islands legislators ? all aimed at quashing local concerns about financial irregularities identified on the books of the?National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Cooperative.

The DOJ, the source said, never acted on the sealed indictments related to a years-long criminal scheme involving bank fraud and other financial crimes because two prosecutors on a team of more than 25 also accepted bribes. Five other prosecutors, the source said, were compromised in some other unspecified way.

Since TheDC broke and continued covering the story, however, the source said the investigation got back on track due to political pressure the Obama administration faced from adversaries and supporters ? many of whom receive lucrative tax breaks from the local Virgin Islands government.

As of this weekend, TheDC?s DOJ source said, law enforcement teams are now ready to make arrests. ?The final decision, again, is on Holder?s desk,? the source said. ?The final decision is up to him.?

If and when Holder gives the green light, the source said, USVI senators will be the ?first? to be taken in into custody by law enforcement. That first step, the source said, will take ?less than 24 hours? to complete.

After the senators are taken in, the source said it?s then ?the administrative staff and the governor.? After that, the source said, the final step is law enforcement taking in people from the different financial institutions who were involved in the scandal.

The whole process, from the first step through the last step, will take ?no more than a week,? the source said.

But, the source said, it?s Holder who ultimately ?calls the shots on when it goes.?

?There?s nothing that hasn?t been done that would prevent a nod of confidence,? the source said. ?It?s all up to him now to say, ?yes, go ahead.??

Holder spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler didn?t respond when asked why the attorney general hasn?t given the go-ahead yet. But, TheDC?s DOJ source speculates Holder?s hesitance is for political reasons.

?This election, there?s a lot of players who have been very, very lucrative for [Obama?s campaign] and it will affect a lot of these people if the hammer is dropped,? the source said. ?It isn?t about the wellbeing of the American public. It isn?t about the Department of Justice trying to fight for fiduciary responsibility. It is about political position.?

In late February, Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich issued a carefully worded denial of certain parts of financial crimes and bribery scandal in a letter to Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In that letter, Weich addressed few specifics in TheDC?s reporting or in the request by Grassley that prompted Weich?s reply. Weich?s response makes no mention of the sealed indictments, or of the lengthy investigation the DOJ conducted into CFC?s financial irregularities. Instead, Weich challenged only TheDC?s decision to give its source protection through anonymity, claiming the DOJ has no knowledge of the bribes explored in the story.

?The Department is not aware of facts supporting any allegations of bribery, as purported by the article,? Weich wrote.

After being shown Weich?s letter, TheDC?s source said it was by no means comprehensive and appears to be an attempt to dodge certain questions with careful wording.

?He left out portions of the letter to him from Sen. Grassley, like the indictments, all the things against CFC and everything to that end,? the source said in an interview at the time, while clarifying that proof of the bribery exists ?internally, based on documents.?

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Rand steady vs dlr, cbank says economic outlook modest

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PFT: Driver says he has 1-2 more years left

Getty Images

Plenty of teams said ?no? to Hard Knocks, for various reasons.? The Dolphins agreed to do it.

On Tuesday, coach Joe Philbin discussed the situation, calling it a ?football decision.?

Seriously.

?We?re excited that NFL Films and HBO has chosen the Miami Dolphins to appear on Hard Knocks,? Philbin said, via the video box on the right rail of the site.? ?I want you to know a couple things about the decision.? Number one, it was a football decision.? It was made by the football operations staff.? Our owner, [Stephen Ross], supported our decision but in no way, shape, or form forced us to make this decision.?

Many will believe otherwise, especially since G.M. Jeff Ireland grew up in the Bill Parcells school of ultra-secrecy.

But as the Dolphins struggle to generate interest in the team via conventional means (you know, by winning more games than they lose), the team has to do something to get people sufficiently engaged to buy tickets to the games.? Thus, the Dolphins are now more available to the media ? and they?ll be even more available once the NFL Films cameras and microphones show up.

To the extent that the appearance arises from a football decision, Philbin didn?t really articulate a football reason.? He said the that show will ?showcase our players? and provide a ?great opportunity for us to communicate with our fans.?? While those concerns reflect prudent business reasons, there?s no obvious basis for the move, from a football standpoint.

In contrast, Vince Lombardi liked having NFL Films camera crews around because it made his players work harder.? If that?s the basis for the ?football decision,? why not say so?

And so the Dolphins will deny that the move was driven by dollars and cents, and the rest of us won?t believe them.? But at least we finally know who the team will be, even if the end result likely will be far less compelling than if the Jets, Saints, Broncos, Colts, or Redskins had done it.

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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

5 Trends Transforming Construction Today - Construction Business ...

Prefabricated building materials reduce cost of building a home

As the world continues to grapple with the effects of global warming and other catastrophes, the construction industry is rapidly changing to meet the needs of the modern society.

To help you stay on top of the emerging construction trends, here are five of the most important trends shaping the construction industry today.

1.) Modular design
The use of prefabricated building materials is not new in both commercial and residential construction sectors. Modular prefab homes have, for many decades, served as make-shift homes for construction workers, police and displaced persons.

However, today?s prefabrication has moved a notch higher ? producing trendy yet low cost houses that are pleasant to look at and environmentally conscious. Modular design has therefore become the hot new thing in the construction industry.

2.) Solar energy
The cost of electricity has continued to go up for the past few years and this has seen many home owners turning to solar energy. Once solar panels are installed on a building?s roof, they generate free power from the sun by converting sunlight into electricity ? at no cost! Thanks to this benefit, solar energy has become a buzzword in building and construction.

3.) Smaller, smarter homes
Economic recession and shrinking family sizes have forced people to rethink over-sized mansions and focus on what they really need. Home owners have found out that they can save a lot of money by building better homes as opposed to bigger. Besides, small homes are more energy efficient than large ones.

4.) Open floor plans
Open floor plans gained popularity in the early 1990s and are still popular today as ever. This type of design comprises an open space with fewer walls separating the rooms. The walls are, for example, limited to the kitchen and bathroom while the living space, dining space and bedroom space blend into a single open space.

Open floor plans are particularly popular because they allow more natural light to get into the house thereby reducing electricity usage in a home. However, this design is not suitable for every home owner due to its defined features.

5.) Green construction
The environmentally-friendly construction attitude is quickly catching on. Home owners are increasingly demanding that eco-friendly building materials such as bamboo and cork be used when building their new homes.

Green building is also being advocated by governments and non-governmental organisations the world-over because of its low impact on the earth. Besides, the use of green building materials such as bamboo can greatly lower your construction costs.

6. (Bonus point) Security ? Concerns over insecurity have greatly affected the construction industry for the last few years. Builders are now emphasizing on strong walls and windows as well as evacuation routes just in case of fire, terrorists attacks or other kinds of tragedy.

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British GENES (British Genealogy News and Events): GSI seeks ...

I've just been reading the latest Genealogical Society of Ireland (www.familyhistory.ie)?newsletter for May, which has an interesting story on a forthcoming privacy bill in the Republic of Ireland. It's a bit complicated, but it seems to suggest that if the Privacy Bill 2012 is passed in its current form, there will be a possible threat to genealogists in the country wishing to use information currently made available from public registers, the very data required for family history research.

An exemption made in the Defamation Bill of 2009 on the use of such information is not present as things stand in Section 4 (3) (a) of the Privacy Bill, which the GSI is now lobbying to change. Without such a change, it seems that a person can complain that their privacy has been breached even if material about them was gathered from a public register. The issue was first raised in 2006, but there appears to have been little progress made in addressing it as yet by the Irish government.

Not sure what progress has been made since publication, but the full story is at?www.familyhistory.ie/docs/gazette/2012/GSI_May2012.pdf. Hopefully the GSI will be successful in its aims.

Incidentally, last year Linda Reid of the Toronto branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society kindly made a guest post on the former Scottish GENES blog looking at privacy issues in Canada - the post is at?http://scottishancestry.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/guest-post-privacy-laws-in-ontario.html. Not everyone in the world has the same access rights?that we take for granted here in the UK.

Chris

British GENES on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES and Twitter @chrismpaton

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LA Galaxy Academy Youth Teams Participate In Copa LA

Omar Gonzalez of the LA Galaxy poses with a young fan. Photo credit: Michael Janosz/LAGalaxy.com

The LA Galaxy Academy youth teams are participating in the 11th annual Copa LA Youth Soccer Tournament this Memorial Day weekend at the Ab Brown Sports Complex in Riverside. The U-12, U-13, U14, and U-15 Galaxy teams are all participating in this tournament that features teams from throughout Central and Southern California as well as Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico.

On Saturday they had a very good day winning all their games. They're all in a position to make the semi-finals tomorrow. They're all contenders to take home medals in their own division on day one.

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Omar Gonzalez was out there, signing autographs as seen in the lead photo and taking part in a ceremonial first kick as seen in the above photo. Great to see Gonzalez out there putting smiles on kids' faces as he continues to recover from his knee injury.

The Galaxy U-12's were the team to benefit most from the tournament. Next month they travel to Arizona to participate in the US Far West regionals, which makes Copa LA a great tune up tournament. The U-12's qualified for the USY Far Regionals by winning the Cal South National Cup in March. The tournament in Arizona promises a berth in the US Youth Soccer National Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Congratulations to all the LA Galaxy Academy youth players, and good luck tomorrow and Sunday!

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Monday, May 28, 2012

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Tales of the World: Tactics Union to be released on Android

There?s yet another upcoming new Tales of game, but it won?t be found on a console or handheld system. Namco Bandai has announced a new mobile Tales of game, Tales of the World: Tactics Union, but sorry iPhone owners, you won?t get to enjoy this game as it will only be released for Android devices. The game will be distributed by Japanese mobile provider, KDDI.

This game brings Tales of characters from previous games together in a crossover tactics RPG game. The characters confirmed for the game are:

Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia
Norma Beatty from Tales of Legendia
Guy Cecil from Tales of the Abyss
Natalia L.K. Lanvaldear from Tales of the Abyss
Rubia Natwick from Tales of Tempest
Flynn Scifo from Tales of Vesperia
Sophie from Tales of Graces
Asbel Lhant from Tales of Graces

The game will take place in a newly created world, Revaria, and two new mascot characters have been created for the game. Terun resembles a star, Nahato looks like a moon.

?Terun

Nahato

Tales of the World: Tactics Union will make use of touchscreen controls for gameplay. Namco Bandai hopes to be able to take advantage of the features of controlling the game on a touch screen compared to on a console or handheld device. Gamers will also be able to fight as party unlike other Tales games where you have to control each character individually even as a party. Namco Bandai will also be creating new artwork for the game?s conversation scenes. Other details will be released at a later date.

The game will be free to play with options to purchase additional download items. Users are also required to subscribe to KDDI?s Smartpass program to access the game, which costs an additional 390 yen per month.

The game will be released on 2nd July 2012. More information can be found on the game?s main site.?

Source: 4Gamer

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Is there a website, resource or template out there that can help me, a ...

Q:Is there a website, resource or template out there that can help me, a college student about to transfer to New York City, help manage my personal finance budgeting? How do I go about beginning to administer my money and my values in an agreeable way?

It?s great that you?re thinking about this before your move. ?Good job on that.

However, there are a couple of problems with trying to adhere to a strict budget in your situation. ?First, how are you going to stick to a budget if you aren?t sure what things actually cost? ?NYC is a pricey town, and you may be surprised to see how much something like bottle of shampoo can cost there. ?Second, budgets are like fad diets. ?People rarely stick to them, and often find themselves in a worse position after they fall off the wagon.

If I were moving to a new town, I would simply adopt a ?only buy what I really need at the lowest cost I can find? mentality for a month or two. ?This will help you establish a mindset for how much money you need?earn to maintain your minimal lifestyle there. ?So many people focus on how much they?re spending, but you should really be focusing on how much you?re earning first. ?If you have any money left over after those first couple of months, you?ll know that you can loosen up a bit.

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Ailee impresses with her ?wedding dress? performance on ?Immortal Song 2?

Singer Ailee looked elegant and graceful in a wedding dress for KBS 2TV?s ?Immortal Song 2?.

The May 26th episode of ?Immortal Song 2? was a ?Yoon Hang Ki & Yoon Bok Hee? special and Ailee gave a different spin to Yoon Hang Ki?s 1974 hit, ?What Am I Supposed To Do?.

The rookie singer shocked the audience members by stepping on stage wearing a wedding dress, and she got into character for her performance, and a male actor came on stage for the beginning of her performance.

After watching her performance, MC Moon Hee Jun remarked that it was like watching a melo-dramatic film with a strong plot, and Yoon Bok Hee gave Ailee a thumbs up saying, ?I was so shocked. It was truly the best.?

Check out the performances from this week?s episode below!

Ailee

ALi (Winner)

Sung Hoon

No Brain

Hong Kyung Min

Lim Tae Kyung

Source & Image : XportsNews via Nate

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Anti-Psychotic Drugs Found to Bust Cancer Cells

An anti-psychotic drug could treat cancer by neutralising the tumour's growth. Scientists from Cancer Research UK and McMaster University in Ontario have found that an anti-psychotic drug called thioridazine has the capability to cure cancer. The drug transforms cancer stem cells into non-cancerous cells, they have found.

Many researchers believe that cancer stem cells are the source of new cancer cells within a tumour. They claim that these cancer stem cells were resistant to current treatments, which explains why some cancers are so difficult to cure.

To find a cure for cancer stem cells, scientists had used pioneering robotics to test more than a dozen different compounds to identify a drug which could cure or eradicate the cancer stem cells. They found that the anti-psychotic drug does not eradicate the cancer stem cells but converts the cancer stem cells into non cancerous cells, that too, without damaging healthy cells.

"The unusual aspect of our finding is the way this human-ready drug actually kills cancer stem cells by changing them into cells that are non-cancerous," said Dr Mick Bhatia, scientific director at the McMaster's Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute.

"Now we can test thousands of compounds, eventually defining a candidate drug that has little effect on normal stem cells but kills the cells that start the tumour," he added.

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Researchers are planning a clinical trial of thioridazine in combination with standard anti-cancer drugs for adults with acute myeloid leukaemia.

"It's too early to say whether thioridazine could be used to treat cancer patients, but the research opens up some interesting questions for further investigation. Use of thioridazine at dose levels required to treat cancer may well result in significant side effects that limit or prohibit its use. Further research will be needed before we can be sure," said Dr Tim Somervaille, researcher at Cancer Research UK, in a statement.

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Facebook's stock debut shows not all investors are equal ...

NEW YORK ? Facebook Inc.?s bungled stock-market debut made it clear that big money still rules Wall Street. But this time, the small money got a look at how Wall Street really works ? and that could spell trouble for the financial industry.

Millions of small investors have trimmed their investments in stocks after seeing their 401(k) accounts pulverized by the market plunge in 2008-09. The May 2010 flash crash ? in which $1 trillion briefly vanished from the stock market ? served as another flashing yellow caution sign.

Facebook, with its worldwide popularity, was seen as a chance to rekindle popular interest in stocks when its shares began trading publicly last week.

Then the stock flopped. Investor enthusiasm was expected to be red-hot, but many backed away amid trading glitches on the Nasdaq, widespread news reports of insider selling and nagging questions about the company?s future prospects.

In the aftermath, it also became clear that big investors and wealthy clients had been warned the company?s financial outlook had weakened. Instead of rekindling interest in stocks, Facebook?s debut fueled long-running concerns about how the stock market works.

?This has proved the game is rigged,? said Charles Geisst, a finance professor and Wall Street historian at Manhattan College. ?There?s just too many questions about the integrity of the stock market, and I think people are starting to realize this ? individuals, at least.?

Prominent investor Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, declared on his blog Wednesday that the investing public?s positive impression of the stock market had been ?torched to the ground.?

Retail investors reportedly got 25 percent of Facebook?s 421 million shares in the initial public offering. The value of that allotment has declined by more than $500 million, based on Facebook?s closing price of $33.03 a share Thursday.

Regulators and congressional investigators have begun probes into what went wrong, looking into questions over information distributed ahead of the IPO. Morgan Stanley and other underwriters warned privileged clients that their analysts had grown sour on Facebook?s revenue growth potential. They failed to telegraph the same information to retail clients and the general public.

Information affords a crucial trading edge on Wall Street. Regulators have tried to level the playing field for years.

A decade ago, regulators led by then-Attorney General Eliot Spitzer discovered widespread manipulation of Wall Street analysts? reports. He exposed a long practice on Wall Street in which analysts would write favorable research so their banks could win investment banking business.

Regulators settled their cases against 10 major firms for $1.4 billion in 2003 and put in place strict rules dividing banks? research and investment banking divisions.

Although securities law experts say it?s unclear whether Facebook?s underwriters have broken any rules, Spitzer said underwriters? selective disclosures in Facebook?s IPO may have violated laws against financial fraud.

He said underwriters? actions may violate the ?most fundamental principle, which is that an underwriter needs to be forthright, honest to the public.?

?Market theory is very simple,? Spitzer said. ?You can?t give false and misleading material information to people, where you know it?s false and you correct it only to some but not to others.?

Morgan Stanley declined to comment, but it has said its IPO procedures were ?in compliance with all applicable regulations.?

Giving well-connected firms an inside track has been one of the ways that big Wall Street firms attract and keep big clients. These clients are powerful profit drivers, and banks tend to give their best customers the best deals.

?These people give them more money in fees and commissions than others,? said Ernest Badway, a former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement attorney who is now a white-collar defense lawyer in New York and New Jersey.

?Because of that ? they?re part of a great revenue stream ? they?re going to try to give every single advantage that they can to those particular people,? he said.

Large institutions and wealthy investors have a symbiotic relationship with Wall Street bankers. ?The retail guy is at the end of the queue,? Geisst said. ?He can?t do anybody any favors.?

In April, the SEC settled a somewhat similar case against Goldman Sachs involving precious tips to favored clients.

To generate more revenue, the giant Wall Street investment bank?s analysts and traders held ?huddles? to share market commentary and trading ideas. During morning conference calls, Goldman passed along inside information to a select group of about 180 hedge fund and investment management clients.

Goldman, which brought in $37 billion in revenue last year, paid a $22 million fine to settle the case.

SEC rules generally require public companies to disclose ?material? information to all investors once they disclose the same information to analysts and other market participants. But the rule governing fair disclosure ? known as Regulation FD ? has an exemption that allows companies to selectively disclose information while they are on ?road shows? pitching IPOs to prospective investors, said John Coffee, a Columbia Law School professor who is an expert in securities regulations.

?There should be a rule that you can?t disclose information at a road show unless you?re willing to simultaneously disclose it to retail investors,? Coffee said.

Government inquiries have only just begun, and no one involved in the process has been accused of any wrongdoing. What rule changes, if any, may result from the Facebook IPO remain to be seen. But Spitzer and others say it?s a reminder that the big boys still rule Wall Street.

?The small guy is not getting a fair shot in the market,? Spitzer said. ?That unfortunately has been true for too many years.?

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Sunday, May 27, 2012

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PFT: Williams tape may hinder 'Hard Knocks'

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Bills QB Ryan Fiztpatrick got a frank, candid critique of his 2011 season from new quarterbacks coach David Lee.

Dolphins RB Reggie Bush talks about the fast tempo of the team?s new offense.

Jets QB Tim Tebow defended the kid whose diploma was delayed because he Tebowed at graduation.

Patriots WR Brandon Lloyd may have had nothing to do with the disappearance of WR Chad Ochocinco?s cherished Starbucks card, but Lloyd already is on his way to taking Chad?s job.

Steelers LB Larry Foote is filling the leadership void created by the departure of James Farrior.

Ravens LB Brendon Ayanbadejo thinks the team?s special-teams will be the best yet under special-teams-coordinator-turned-head-coach John Harbaugh.

Newly-signed Bengals first-rounder Kevin Zeitler plans to buy something he?s never owned . . . a car; ?The parking in Madison is crazy and expensive,? Zeitler said.? ?It?s not worth it. When I went home I?d borrow my parents?.? Now I?ll be able to get one and pay some bills.?

Browns CB Sheldon Brown is trying to help his young teammates become responsible; ?You have to make up your mind early and I think it?s important to be a professional,? Brown said.? ?You can?t be one of the guys and be cool, this and that and make it in this league.? This is your livelihood.? This is how you support your family and friends and it?s very important that you?re held accountable to your teammates.?

Colts owner Jim Irsay says the team won?t be on HBO this year, we think; ?We can?t be on Hard Knocks . . . we simply aren?t qualified 2b TV Stars!?

Texans owner Bob McNair says the city, not the team, should do the bulk of the work when it comes to luring the Super Bowl back to Houston.

Titans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer says RB Chris Johnson has been working hard in the offseason.

A legal fight is looming between Jacksonville and the Jaguars regarding the management of Everbank Field.

The Chiefs plan to change Dexter McCluster?s position designation from RB back to OW.

New Chargers defensive backs coach Ron Meeks is teaching not by telling but by showing.

Raiders CB Ron Bartell says he?s 100 percent following a 2011 neck fracture.

So much for reasonable expectations in Denver; Elvis Dumervil says, ?It?s a big year for us as an organization.? We?re going for the ?ship.?

The good news?? The folks at the Cowboys? officials website have identified 10 position battles to watch in Dallas.? The bad news?? They present it in the always-annoying multi-click slideshow format.

Redskins G.M. Bruce Allen has been visiting with fans, and they all want to know about is the man known as RG3.

Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell calls CB Brandon Bing ?Bada,? something Bing has likely never heard before . . . especially in New Jersey.

So far, QB Mike Kafka is the clear choice for No. 2 in Philly.

The Vikings have more time at training camp this year because the dorms in which the team stays will be demolished after the Vikings leave.? (There?s a Love Boat joke lurking in there, somewhere.)

Now that he?s won Dancing With The Stars, Packers WR Donald Driver will try to cash in, off the field.

Lions P Ryan Donahue is ready to fend off Australian Ben Graham.? (?That?s not a kick . . . that?s a kick.?)

Bears LB J.T. Thomas could have drug charges dropped before the regular season starts.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera thinks ?the sky may be the limit? for QB Cam Newton.

Falcons OL Justin Blalock has partnered with the Atlanta Symphony.

Saints DT Akiem Hicks hopes that his unconventional route to the NFL will make him a better player.

Second-year TE Luke Stocker is getting a much better chance to prepare for football season.

49ers LB Patrick Willis and WR Randy Moss fish when they wanna fish.

Cardinals DE Calais Campbell tells PFT Live that getting big money won?t change his game.

New Seahawks DT Jaye Howard credits former Seahawks defensive line coach Dan Quinn for improving Howard?s pass-rushing skills.

Rams WR Brian Quick missed his flight back to St. Louis from the Rookie Premiere because he was wearing his headphones.? (Maybe he really is another T.O.)

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Saturday, May 26, 2012

Exclusive: Syria grain trade signals alarm for Assad

LONDON/HAMBURG (Reuters) - Syria is struggling to meet its grain import needs because of sanctions, raising the risk of bread shortages that could sap public support for President Bashar al-Assad as he tries to snuff out a 15-month-old uprising.

Trade sources said a reluctance among foreign banks, shipowners and grain traders to sell to import-dependent Syria - even though food is not itself subject to sanctions - has forced Damascus into an array of unusually small deals, many arranged by shadowy middlemen around the Middle East and Asia.

On Friday, in what might prove to be a turning point on a path toward a politically corrosive food crisis, government data showed the domestic grain harvest falling well short of target and the state grains agency failing to find a single acceptable offer to fulfill a major import tender it issued last month to buy animal feed for its livestock farmers.

"Syrian purchase interest has fallen off in the last 10 days or so," one trade source familiar with exports to Syria of wheat and other grains for human consumption and animal feed told Reuters. "Banks are becoming tougher in checking compliance with sanctions. It is becoming more difficult to get finance from any banks."

State currency reserves have been depleted and the Syrian pound has lost nearly half its value, adding to import problems.

Data for stocks in Syrian granaries is kept secret but there has so far been little widespread disruption evident in subsidized supplies of bread - a staple of a diet in which every Syrian consumes on average half a kilo (a pound) of wheat a day.

But international aid agencies, which are already helping up to a million Syrians stave off hunger, report patchy but spreading food shortages and sharply rising prices. Grain traders cite anecdotal evidence that stocks, concentrated in the restive countryside, are being run down or looted. That may mean the government needs to import more for the big cities it controls.

With international traders saying financial sanctions have bitten hard into purchases, violence hindering back-door imports via Lebanon and the conflict hampering Syria's domestic harvest in the coming months, analysts see mounting risks for Assad.

"Despite the regime's efforts to conceal the full extent of the deterioration, both from its own citizens and from the outside world, it is beyond a doubt that the Syrian economy is in a state of full collapse thanks to the cumulative effect of the various multilateral and bilateral sanctions," said Peter Pham, a director at Washington think-tank the Atlantic Council.

SHORTAGES MAY UNDERMINE LEGITIMACY

Syria relies on imports for about half of its annual needs of 7-8 million tonnes of grain, U.N. data shows. Water shortages, blight and conflict hit last year's harvest.

Traditional secrecy - and the violence that has hit drought-stricken farming areas which were the flashpoint for revolt - makes it hard to calculate how quickly supplies might run short. Not only bakeries are dependent on cereals, but also farmers raising poultry, sheep and meat and dairy cattle.

"A humanitarian disaster would further erode Bashar's claim that the current regime is legitimate," said Anthony Skinner with risk analysts Maplecroft in London. "High inflation and shortages in food supplies will also likely place the families of underpaid rank-and-file soldiers under increasing duress and may provide them with yet another incentive to jump ship."

Dealers in the grain trade hubs of Hamburg and London said difficulties in finding finance and insurance for shipments to sanctions-hit Syria were stifling offers from major exporters.

Of a 150,000-tonne animal feed tender launched last month, one said: "It appears to have been too difficult to undertake a formal tender in this time of sanctions.

Ukrainian exporters cited sanctions for a sharp fall in their sales to Syria in recent weeks, having sold 620,000 tonnes of corn and wheat to Damascus since October.

The European Union, United States and Arab League have led the campaign that bars financial dealings with Syria. Food imports are not a target but, in a bid to sidestep the measures, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of grain, notably from Ukraine and Russia, have been shipped to ports in Lebanon and Turkey this year for trucking overland into Syria.

One major grains supplier in the Middle East complained that some financiers were over-reacting: "You see some banks exaggerate their reactions," he said. "They hear Syria and they just don't want to deal anymore. Other banks are more flexible."

RISE OF THE MIDDLE MEN

Whether by sea or land, critical players in the Syria trade are now contractors with suitable contacts and a willingness to risk their own cash on transactions that flirt with bans on Syrian banks by working between Syrians and foreign exporters.

"The middle men are driving this trade and can make serious money. Syria is making cash payments in euros or dollars through foreign exchange bureaux in places like Lebanon and the middle men will make the transactions from their accounts," one trade source said. "They need to conceal deals."

Private entrepreneurs, many previously unknown to major traders and based in Lebanon, Turkey, India and elsewhere, have been appearing to make purchases on the international market.

One Middle Eastern grain trader said the unusually small vessels arriving at Syrian ports with shipments of grain a fraction the size of a normally commercially viable shipment was an indication that Syria was losing the trust of major operators.

"Syria is in big trouble and can no longer call the shots on terms and conditions," the trader said. "So they will try and take whatever they can even on tiny vessels."

Port and ship tracking data, indicated three ships this week docked at Tartous carrying respectively from Turkey, Ukraine and Egypt: 27,000 tonnes of wheat; 8,000 tonnes of soybean; and a cargo of animal feed of 2,000 tonnes. Typical commercial grains cargoes are around 60,000 tonnes apiece.

Further up the Mediterranean coast at Latakia, Syria's main general cargo port, just a single vessel, carrying less than 10,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat from the Black Sea port of Mikolaiv, or Nikolayev, made a delivery in the past two days.

HARVEST FORECASTS SLASHED

In better times, Syria has been a net exporter of grain. But intensive, state-sponsored production drives since the 1990s have drained the water table in areas like the Hauran plain, where the uprising began last year in the southern city Deraa among a population hit hard by drought and crop blight.

On Friday, an Agriculture Ministry official gave estimated harvest figures for this year that were a quarter lower than targets cited by the state news agency SANA. A production forecast of 3.7 million tonnes of wheat and 843,000 tonnes of barley compared to targets of 4.6 and 1.6 million respectively.

Independent analysts suggest state statistics may be optimistic. Influential French forecaster Strategie Grains said it had slashed its harvest estimate for Syria's 2012 crop for soft and durum wheat by 900,000 tonnes to 2.5 million tonnes. That compared with a harvest of 3.3 million tonnes in 2011.

"The main producer regions are very much at the centre of the civil war and although it is difficult to evaluate the impact this will have on the harvest, a significant disruption seems certain," the firm said in its latest report last week.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, a benchmark for global grains traders, estimated last year's wheat harvest at 3.85 million tonnes and barley at 700,000 tonnes. It estimates total annual grains consumption in Syria at 6.9 million tonnes.

U.N. officials have estimated at least a million Syrians need help with food and other essentials but have failed to agree a supply deal because the Syrian government wants to have control of the distribution of the aid.

"Food security of vulnerable populations in Syria is currently fragile," said World Food Programme spokeswoman Abeer Etefa. "Overall poverty levels are also increasing and access to basic supplies and services is deteriorating."

As Saddam Hussein showed in Iraq in the 1990s, authoritarian governments can survive under sanctions despite severe hardships for ordinary people, though the continued violence in Syria, which has cost over 10,000 lives since March 2011, shows that Assad faces a stiffer internal challenge than did Saddam.

Today, in contrast to Syria, its much bigger, oil-rich, ally Iran has managed to sidestep Western sanctions using alternative financing routes to buy grain on international markets lately.

"While Syria's ally Iran has rather creatively sought to evade its own sanctions noose, Damascus has neither the experience nor the resources available to Tehran with which to play a prolonged cat-and-mouse game," the Atlantic Council's Pham said. "The Assad regime's foreign currency reserves are simply depleting at a rate faster than it can replenish them."

(Additional reporting by Maha El Dahan in Abu Dhabi, Valerie Parent and Gus Trompiz in Paris and Joseph Logan in Beirut; Writing by Jonathan Saul and Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Richard Mably)

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