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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
The Onion: Apple's New College Girl-Friendly iPhone Comes With a Pre-Cracked Screen
Zimbabwe population growth slows, 3 million abroad
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) ? Zimbabwe's official statistics agency says the nation's population rose to 12.9 million in the past decade but the annual growth rate declined to a low of 1.1 percent. Average growth stood at about 3 percent before political turmoil and an economic meltdown beginning in 1998 drove more than 3 million Zimbabweans abroad as economic fugitives and asylum seekers, according to United Nations and World Bank reports.
The state Zimstats office, releasing first results of a new census, did not acknowledge the absentees Wednesday, saying its tally was based on Zimbabweans living in the country on the night of Aug. 18. It said households have declined to an average of 4.2 members.
The last census in 2002 gave the population as 11.6 million, mainly in households of more than six.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zimbabwe-population-growth-slows-3-million-abroad-093332071.html
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Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Why Africa's lions are rapidly disappearing
Africa's lion population has dwindled to 32,000, a nearly 70 percent decline in the past 50 years, according to a new survey by Duke University.
A lion cub sleeps at a nature reserve near Johannesburg, South Africa. A new study shows that Africa's lion population has shrunk to 32,000.
(AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)
EnlargeThe lions that roam Africa's savannahs have lost as much as 75 percent of their habitat in the last 50 years as humans overtake their land and the lion population dwindles, said a study released Tuesday.
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Researchers at Duke University, including prominent conservationist Stuart Pimm, warn that the number of lions across the continent have dropped to as few as 32,000, with populations in West Africa under incredible pressure.
"Lion numbers have declined precipitously in the last century," the study, published Tuesday by the journal Biodiversity and Conservation, reads. "Given that many now live in small, isolated populations, this trend will continue. The situation in West Africa is particularly dire, with no large population remaining and lions now absent from many of the region's national parks."
Fifty years ago, nearly 100,000 lions roamed across the African continent. In recent years, however, an ever-growing human population has come into the savannah lands to settle and develop. That has both cut down the amount of land lions have to roam, as well as fragmented it, researchers said.
?The word savannah conjures up visions of vast open plains teeming with wildlife.? But the reality is that massive land-use change and deforestation, driven by rapid human population growth, has fragmented or degraded much of the original savannah.? Only 25 percent remains of an ecosystem that once was a third larger than the continental United States,? said? Pimm in a statement released by Duke?s Nicholas School of the Environment.
Using satellite imagery, the researchers determined the amount of land now available for lions that remains wild and minimally impacted by human growth. Those lands are rapidly diminishing, and more territory will likely be lost in the next 40 years, the report said.
Of 67 isolated locations in Africa where human populations are low enough to allow lions to survive, only 10 were deemed "strongholds" where lions have an excellent chance of survival.
Five countries in Africa have likely lost their lions since a 2002 study was run, the report said. Only nine countries contain at least 1,000 lions, while Tanzania alone has more than 40 percent of the continent's lions, it said.
"An obvious caveat is that areas for which we detect little conversion of savannahs to croplands may still suffer human impacts that make them unsuitable for lions," the report said. "Over-hunting for trophies, poaching ? of lions and of their prey species ? and conflict with pastoralists may not have any visual signal to satellites. Even where there are low human population densities and areas designated as national parks, there (may) not be lions within them."
The report calls for more mapping and studying to be done to ensure the lions' protection.
The lion research was funded by National Geographic?s Big Cats Initiative, a long-term effort to halt the decline of big cats in the wild through assessment efforts, on-the-ground conservation projects, education and a global public-awareness campaign.?
RECOMMENDED: Are you scientifically literate? Take the quiz
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/oS2kz78mDFs/Why-Africa-s-lions-are-rapidly-disappearing
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Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan-Tatum Expecting First Child
Couple confirms news after rumors swirl at 'VH1 Divas.'
By Amy Wilkinson
Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan
Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1699034/channing-tatum-jenna-dewan-tatum-pregnant.jhtml
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Hugo Chavez's brother to visit Venezuelan leader
Musicians perform in front of an image of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez that reads in Spanish "singing, dance, life and hope" during a concert in support of him marking the 8th anniversary of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas group, ALBA, in Managua, Nicaragua, Monday Dec. 17, 2012. Chavez is recovering in Cuba from a surgery, his fourth operation related to his pelvic cancer since June 2011. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Musicians perform in front of an image of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez that reads in Spanish "singing, dance, life and hope" during a concert in support of him marking the 8th anniversary of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas group, ALBA, in Managua, Nicaragua, Monday Dec. 17, 2012. Chavez is recovering in Cuba from a surgery, his fourth operation related to his pelvic cancer since June 2011. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
FILE - In this April 7, 2006 file photo, Adan Chavez, Venezuela's ambassador to Cuba and Hugo Chavez's older brother, smiles during an interview at his home in Havana, Cuba. Adan Chavez said Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012 that widespread abstention in the recent elections for state governors hurt both the government party and the opposition, and said that some followers of President Hugo Chavez even voted for opposition candidates. Adan Chavez was re-elected as governor of Barinas state. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano, File)
A boy plays in front of a graffiti that reads in Spanish "Chavez, heard of my country" at the neighborhood of Petare in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. Smarting after a bruising loss in state elections, Venezuela's opposition will now be forced to reassess its strategy and rebuild quickly to prepare for presidential elections that many expect could be called to replace ailing leftist President Hugo Chavez. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
FOR USE AS DESIRED, YEAR END PHOTOS - FILE - In this July 24, 2012 file photo, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez holds up a pair of pistols that he says belonged to Venezuela's independence hero Simon Bolivar during a ceremony marking 229th anniversary of Bolivar's birth at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela. Bolivar is the namesake of Chavez's Bolivarian Revolution movement, and his government is putting the finishing touches on a new mausoleum to house Bolivar's remains. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? President Hugo Chavez's elder brother reportedly was heading to Cuba on Tuesday to visit the Venezuelan leader amid uncertainty and concern at home over his condition after a fourth cancer-related surgery.
The government newspaper Correo del Orinoco said Adan Chavez planned to leave in the afternoon. It also said that the president's father, Hugo de los Reyes Chavez, had plans to travel to Havana and that Chavez's mother might go with him, though that had not been confirmed.
Against the backdrop of Chavez's illness, many Venezuelans are talking about the possibility of a looming transition of power and a new presidential election. Before undergoing surgery, Chavez designated Vice President Nicolas Maduro as his chosen successor to take his place if necessary.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos expressed concern Tuesday about what might happen if a post-Chavez transition were to go badly. In a radio interview, he said a peaceful and problem-free change would have "no repercussion in the region."
"What would be terrible is if that transition weren't easy, were problematic," Santos said in an interview with Colombia's W Radio. "That would generate problems in the region. That's why I've said that Chavez is a factor of stability at this time."
Chavez's government has been appointed a facilitator in peace talks between Colombia's government and rebels, and Santos noted that he has had a good relationship with Venezuela's leftist leader despite their differences.
"I hope it stays that way, whether with Chavez or with his replacement," Santos said, adding that he had spoken with Maduro on various occasions.
Chavez hasn't spoken publicly since his Dec. 11 surgery for an undisclosed type of pelvic cancer. It was his fourth cancer-related operation since June 2011.
Government officials say the president's four children and a son-in-law have been with him in Havana since the operation. The government has said Chavez suffered complications during the operation but has been recovering.
Santos said he didn't have specific information about Chavez's condition.
"I know that it's complicated," Santos said in the interview. "He wouldn't have said goodbye in that way if he didn't have complications, but today I don't know his exact state of health, and nobody does."
"We've discussed this with other presidents, and the truth is they aren't very informed about exactly what state of health he is in today," Santos added.
The leaders of Bolivia and Uruguay have both expressed interest in traveling to Havana to visit Chavez, though so far neither has made the trip.
In Brazil, Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota said that government officials were monitoring reports of Chavez's health and that the latest news indicated "stabilization and even positive developments" in his condition, state-run news agency Agencia Brasil reported.
Adan Chavez, who is the eldest of six brothers in the president's family, was re-elected governor in the president's home state of Barinas over the weekend.
On Tuesday, the governor said the relatively low 53 percent turnout in the nationwide elections was a problem that affected candidates in both camps. He added that some who voted for the president's re-election in October had apparently voted for the opposition this time.
"Some seem to have had the nerve to have voted for opposition candidates. That, of course, is a big contradiction," he said in a televised speech. "It shows an ideological weakness that we have to continue working on."
Chavez, 58, is scheduled to be sworn in for a new six-year term Jan. 10. Under Venezuela's constitution, if the president dies, is incapacitated or steps down, a new election would be held within 30 days.
National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello declined to speculate when asked at a news conference whether Chavez will be back in Venezuela by Jan. 10.
"There's a date established in the constitution, and our concern really is that the president recovers and is totally healthy, and, God willing, he will be," Cabello said.
___
Associated Press writers Cesar Garcia in Bogota, Colombia, Bradley Brooks in Sao Paulo, and Fabiola Sanchez and Ian James in Caracas contributed to this report.
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Cook's Corner: Bon Appetit bar cookies a sweet, salty, crunchy treat ...
Lydia asked for reader help finding a recipe for "a bar cookie I tasted recently that was out of this world." She said it had a light brownie base, and was topped with caramel, pretzels and peanuts so it was "sweet but slightly salty, crunchy but also tender."
"How serendipitous," Dafne Gregorisch of Pembroke Pines, Fla., replied. "This Saturday I had downloaded all recipes from your column, including the intriguing request from Lydia. The next day, in hopes of getting a jump start in planning my yearly cookie trays, I decided to search all of my Christmas recipe clippings and came across exactly what Lydia described!"
Rita Rolter and Laurie Hauptli also sent the recipe, from the December 2011 Bon Appetit magazine. Rolter says you can add a sprinkle of chocolate chips to the topping if you want to be even more decadent.
BON APPETIT'S BUTTERSCOTCH BLONDIE BARS WITH PEANUT-PRETZEL CARAMEL
Blondie base:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
4 cups roasted unsalted peanuts
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups 1 1/2-inch-wide pretzel twists, coarsely crushed
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on long sides of pan. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Melt butter, stirring, in skillet over medium heat until browned bits form at bottom of pan, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, add brown sugar and beat with electric mixer until mixture resembles wet sand, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth; batter will be thick. Spread in prepared pan.
Bake until edges pull away from sides of pan and a tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 20 to 25 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, with oven still at 350 degrees, spread peanuts on a rimmed, parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake, stirring often, until golden brown and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside. (Turn off oven.)
Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring, swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush from time t time, until caramel is deep amber, 12 to 15 minutes. Add honey. Return to a boil, stirring often, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in butter until melted. Whisk in cream (mixture will bubble vigorously) until smooth. Stir in peanuts and pretzels. Pour over cooled blondie.
When topping is completely cooled, run a knife around short sides of pan to release blondie. Using parchment overhangs, lift from pan. Cut into 4 rows lengthwise and 10 rows crosswise. Makes 40 bars.
Per bar: 248 calories (45 percent from fat), 13 g fat (4 g saturated fat, 5 g monounsaturated fat), 25 mg cholesterol, 5 g protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 10 mg sodium.
CORNER ANGLES
Marion D'Laurenti asked for a fruitcake cookie recipe. A good source for all kinds of recipes for candied fruit is the Plant City, Fla.,-based producer of all things candied, from fruit to ginger, Paradise, at paradisefruitco.com
This is a good time to stock up on the candied mix, which can be hard to find at Easter for hot cross buns and in fall to start those fruitcakes mellowing.
COOKBOOK CORNER
Here are two giftable cookbooks:
Perfect for introducing children or grandchildren to the joys of cooking is "The Unofficial Narnia Cookbook" (Sourcebooks, $19.99). Dina Bucholz does for C.S. Lewis' series what she did for Harry Potter, translating the food of fiction into recipes suitable for young cooks. Breakfast with Trumpkin the dwarf, tea with Tumnus and snack with the White Witch. There is plum pudding and biscuits from Father Christmas to celebrate the season, along with the easy nougat recipe here.
For busy home cooks on a budget, try "Delicious on a Dime" (Oxmoor House, $12.95). There are more than 150 simple, money-saving recipes from the editors of All You magazine, with a cost-per-serving estimate and many complete meals for less than $10. The cost estimate for the French toast recipe here is $1.21.
EASY NOUGAT
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup marshmallow creme
1/2 cup dry milk powder
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces (or coating chocolate)
Directions:
Combine all ingredients except chocolate in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed until combined. Increase speed to medium and beat until a dough forms. Turn out dough, shape into disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. (May be refrigerated for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
Melt the chocolate. Roll dough into small balls and dip in chocolate. Play on a parchment-lined tray to set. Makes about 36.
Per piece: 126 calories (40 percent from fat), 6 g fat (3.6 g saturated, 1.8 g monounsaturated), 4 mg cholesterol, 1 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 21 mg sodium.
OVERNIGHT PEACHES AND CREAM FRENCH TOAST
1 (8-ounce) loaf French bread, sliced
8 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 (15-ounce) cans sliced peaches in juice
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions:
Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange bread on bottom in a tight layer. Whisk eggs with milk, sugar and vanilla. Pour over bread. Arrange peaches on top and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Boil cream until reduced by half. Drizzle over peaches. Bake, uncovered, 45 to 55 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.
Per serving: 355 calories (32 percent from fat), 13 g fat (6.3 g saturated, 4 g monounsaturated), 213 mg cholesterol, 11.8 g protein, 48 g carbohydrates, 1.7 g fiber, 260 mg sodium.
TRIED AND NEW
Thai Kitchen has added color to its line of rice noodles. There's one made with red rice that would make a festive change to stir-fries and noodle casseroles, and another made with purple corn. I made a pad Thai with the red noodles and lots of green cilantro and scallions that was a hit. The noodles are gluten free and vegan. Available at larger supermarkets or at thaikitchen.com for about $4.89.
Pampered Chef has a new line of "skinny" cocktail mixes in flavors including Cosmopolitan, Appletini, Mojito and Margarita ($8.50). Each 4.9-ounce mix makes 16 (4-ounce) servings. The Cosmo, for example, comes in at just 94 calories with vodka.
SLEUTH'S CORNER
Question. My mother made a leg of lamb for Christmas Eve in which she baked the lamb inside a brown grocery bag. Once the lamb was in the bag she squeezed fresh lemons and oregano all over it. I am sure there is more to it than that, but that's all my 75-year-old mind can remember. My mother was a Greek immigrant and I'm sure she brought the technique with her to the United States. I'm hoping one of your readers of Greek descent can tell me how to re-create this.
Send questions and responses to LindaCiceroCooks@aol.com or Food, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, Fla. 33132. Personal replies are not possible.
Source: http://www.sunherald.com/2012/12/17/4362423/cooks-corner-bon-appetit-bar-cookies.html
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Monday, December 17, 2012
Repair Your Credit With These Easy Tips - Finance Investing Market
TIP! An instant solution to your problems is usually too good to be true, especially when that solution is some kind of ?magic? debt relief being offered by a lawyer. Since many people have credit issues every day, there are now scam lawyers that promise to repair them.
If your credit report is filled with errors, your credit score will suffer, and it will be difficult to get credit in the future. The most efficient way to fix your credit is doing it yourself. Here are a few ideas for fixing your credit.
Credit Card
TIP! Making your payments on time shows lenders that you are serious about maintaining good credit. Each time you make your payment late it will go against you.
It will be easier to increase your credit rating if you only have one open credit card account. You can make arrangements to pay the balances, or transfer the balances of your closed credit card accounts to your single remaining credit card. By doing this you can make your bills more manageable. Instead of a mailbox full of credit card bills, you will only have one.
TIP! Credit repair requires that you begin paying your bills. Pay these bills on time, and make sure you pay the full amounts owed.
Don?t risk prison. There are scams all over the web that teach you how to create a new credit file. These scams are not legal and there will be repercussions. Think of the legal costs and the possibility of doing hard time.
TIP! Our initial inclination is to defend ourselves, but in truth, lenders will not even glance at your defending statement. It might actually make things worse by making the negative mark stand out.
If you are trying to repair your credit, check all of your negative reports very carefully. The item may be essentially correct, but there may be an error someplace. If the date or amount, or some other thing is incorrect it may be possible to get the entire item removed.
TIP! Getting a traditional home loan can be difficult, if not impossible, with imperfect credit. See about getting an FHA loan, which are loans that the federal government guarantees.
Examine your credit card charges monthly to ensure they are correct. Should there be any mistakes, contact the company and talk to them to avoid being reported to the credit companies.
TIP! In order to start repairing your credit, you should try to pay down the balances on your credit cards as quickly as possible. First, work on the accounts with the highest interest rates and the highest balances.
Live within your means. You will need to change the way you think about spending money. In years past, many people relied on credit cards to make major purchases, but now those risky financial choices are catching up with them. Instead of spending more than you can afford, take a long hard look at your income and expenses, and decide what you can really afford to spend.
TIP! Having a good record allow you to qualify for things like a home mortgage. Making mortgage payments in a timely manner helps raise your credit score even more.
If your debt feels overwhelming, talk to a credit counselor. They educate you on how to eliminate all your debts, while continuing with your daily life. You?ll need to stop using credit cards, and make a monthly payment toward your debt.
TIP! Debt consolidation programs are one option that can help you get your credit in order, but that should only be used as a last resort. By simply combining all your debts into single monthly payments, you can greatly simplify your budgeting and expense tracking.Having to deal with debt collectors is often very stressful and distressing. Cease and desist correspondences can be legally used by a consumer to put off collection agencies; however they only help stop the harassing phone calls. You will still have to pay what you owe even if collection agencies stop calling you.
TIP! If you are having trouble making payments, then you should contact the creditors to work out an alternate plan. If you make the first move and hash out a payment plan sometimes they won?t even report it to credit agencies.
Try not to file for bankruptcy. Bankruptcies appear on credit reports for ten years. It can be tempting to just go ahead and file bankruptcy to get out from under the debt, but the detrimental effects can be long lasting. You may not qualify for auto financing or a credit card after filing for bankruptcy protection.
TIP! Seek advice from a trustworthy credit counseling service if you are having difficulty managing your debt. These services will help you communicate with creditors to make a simplified payment arrangement that will help you in the long-term.When attempting to make your credit right once more, it is imperative that you present a solution to all those that you owe money to, and don?t deviate from anything you commit to once it is in place. Unfortunately, the way that you approach spending money will probably have to be revamped. Only buy what you absolutely need. Ask yourself if a certain purchase is both necessary and affordable. Buy the item if your answer to this question is ?yes?.
Credit Score
TIP! You can contact your creditors and request a lower limit. Doing this keeps you from overtaxing yourself.
This article has down that there are many things you can do to improve your credit standing. By following these tips, you will find yourself with a better credit score in no time. Repairing your credit, on your own, can work to substantially improve your credit score and get your record back on track.
If you weren?t very knowledgeable about Best Stock Picks in the past, then this article should have taught you quite a bit. You are lucky since not everyone has that chance. Use what you?ve learned here in order to succeed in whatever endeavors you undertake.
Source: http://financeinvestingmarket.com/2012/12/17/repair-your-credit-with-these-easy-tips/
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