Sci-fi flick is expected to take in more than $30 million this weekend.
By Ryan J. Downey
Tom Cruise in "Oblivion"
Photo: Chernin Entertainment
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706010/tom-cruise-oblivion-box-office.jhtml
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By Louis Charbonneau
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Negotiators from around 150 countries gather in New York on Monday for a final push to hammer out a binding international treaty to end unregulated conventional arms sales, a pact that a powerful U.S. pro-gun lobby is urging Washington to reject.
Arms control campaigners and human rights advocates say one person every minute dies worldwide as a result of armed violence, and that a treaty is needed to halt the uncontrolled flow of weapons and ammunition that they argue helps fuel wars, atrocities and rights abuses.
The U.N. General Assembly voted in December to relaunch negotiations this week on what could become the first global treaty to regulate the world's $70 billion trade for all conventional weapons - from naval ships, tanks and attack helicopters to handguns and assault rifles - after a drafting conference in July 2012 collapsed because the United States, then Russia and China, wanted more time.
Delegates to the July conference said that Washington had wanted to push the issue past the November 2012 presidential election, though the administration of President Barack Obama denied that. The current negotiations will run through March 28.
The United States says it wants a strong treaty. But Obama is under pressure from the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA), the leading U.S. pro-gun group, to block the pact. The group has vowed to torpedo the convention's Senate ratification if Washington backs it at the United Nations.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry voiced conditional support for the treaty on Friday, saying Washington was "steadfast in its commitment to achieve a strong and effective Arms Trade Treaty that helps address the adverse effects of the international arms trade on global peace and stability.
But he repeated that the United States - the world's No. 1 arms manufacturer - would not accept a treaty that imposed new limits on U.S. citizens' right to bear arms, a sensitive political issue in the United States.
The NRA has dismissed suggestions that a December U.S. school shooting massacre in Connecticut bolstered the case for a global arms pact. It has also warned that the treaty would undermine U.S. citizens' right to own guns, a position that supporters of the treaty say is false.
The American Bar Association, an attorneys' lobbying group, last month disputed the NRA position, saying in a paper "ratification of the treaty would not infringe upon rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment."
AMMO: 'THE FUEL OF CONFLICT'
The point of the treaty is to set standards for all cross-border transfers of any type of conventional weapon - light and heavy. It also would set binding requirements for nations to review all cross-border arms contracts to ensure the munitions will not be used in human rights abuses, do not violate embargoes and are not illegally diverted.
Diplomats say that if the treaty conference fails to reach the required consensus because the United States, Russia or another major arms producer opposes it, nations can still put the draft treaty to a vote in the U.N. General Assembly.
The other alternative is to amend the draft to make it acceptable to the U.S. and other delegations. But supporters of the treaty fear that could lead to a weak and meaningless pact.
"The U.S. traditionally has an allergy to treaties," a European diplomat told Reuters. "It might be better to have a good treaty without the U.S. and hope they come around later."
The treaty focuses solely on international arms transfers. If a pact is approved in New York, it will require ratification by national legislatures before it can take effect.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a pact "that regulates international transfers of both weapons and ammunition and provides for common standards for exporting states."
"These standards are important for assessing the risks that transferred weapons are not used to fuel conflict, arm criminals or abet violations of international humanitarian or human rights law," he said.
Negotiations over the next two weeks will not be easy, U.N. diplomats say. Washington opposes inclusion of ammunition in the treaty. Rights groups and arms control advocates hope the U.S. delegation will compromise on the question of ammunition.
"Ammunition is literally the fuel of conflict," said Roy Isbister of Saferworld, a peace lobby group. "Without ammunition, the guns fall silent."
Rights groups have urged delegations to repair loopholes in the current draft treaty, which they say could leave avenues for abusers of human rights to continue getting weapons.
They say the partial coverage of ammunition in the current draft is a major weakness. Rights groups say that the global ammunitions industry for small arms and light weapons is worth $4.3 billion, with 12 billion bullets produced each year.
(Editing by Philip Barbara)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nations-gather-final-u-n-arms-trade-treaty-050345121.html
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If you've ever found yourself in front of a room full of people, filled with nervousness about how to address them and hold their attention, then you know how stressful public speaking can be. If you?re like most people, you probably have felt a few rushes of public-speaking jitters over the years, when you're asked to address a crowd. Below are a few tips to make your next public-speaking experience as effective and anxiety-free as possible:
Know Your Material
Knowing your stuff is key to effectively addressing a group. If you have any uncertainties about the material or any concern about your grasp of it, your anxiety level will be high ? and, of course, the more nervous you are, the more likely you are to come across as an ineffectual speaker. So, it is vitally important to review your material thoroughly and rehearse your presentation as much as possible. That way, when you walk in the room, you'll feel relaxed and confident in the conviction that you know your stuff.
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Know Your Audience
Before you prep for your presentation, make sure you know your audience. Having a grasp of their interests and their reasons for attending will help guide your speech. Also, be certain to keep in mind the general tone of the event and group of people ? is it an informal talk to a group of people with similar interests, a serious and formal business presentation, or a presentation for a crowd who will want there to be a high entertainment factor? When it comes to the subject you?re speaking about, will you be addressing a group of specialists on a topic they know well, or non-specialists without much background in the area who needs things spelled out? Knowing as much as you can about the audience will help you craft a presentation effectively geared toward them.
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Be Conscious of Speed?
One of the most common mistakes that novice public speakers make is talking at a very fast pace. This rapidity can come from nerves or just from a sense that there isn?t enough time to fit it all in. It is important to make sure you slow down when speaking, giving your audience time to absorb what you have said (and also giving note-takers a chance to write things down). Along those same lines, design your presentation so that you?re not trying to squeeze too much info into too short an amount of time. Practice your speech several times, and reorganize or or cut out portions that don't fit.
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Be Present
A memorable public speaker makes the audience feel as if they are being seen, spoken to, and heard, so it's important to get tuned into the people in the room. An easy way of doing this is to maintain sincere eye contact with people throughout your audience. Look at them, not around or above them, and when you catch someone's eyes, hold their gaze for a few seconds (3 seconds are normally effective and comfortable). Also, if someone asks a question, be certain to really listen and respond in a way that is as individually geared toward the person and the question as possible. If you know your material well, you can be a bit more flexible and adaptable, allowing your audience to get involved.
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Speak With Conviction
If you speak with passion and conviction, people won?t likely notice if you make a few minor slip ups along the way. Your ability to hold the audience?s interest and convince them of the ideas you?re presenting has a lot to do with how much you convey your own sense of belief in those ideas, so speak with confidence! Use intonation, facial expressions, and body language as tools to convey conviction and enthusiasm ? they are also powerful mediums of persuasion. Another way of communicating your passion and belief in what you?re speaking about is through the act of compiling a really strong presentation. If you arrive with a highly organized, well thought-out, and articulate presentation, the viewers will know they are in the presence of someone who cares about what he or she is saying, and you will hold their attention effortlessly.?
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Source: http://thedistrictapartmentsblog.com/2013/01/09/public-speaking-gain-confidence/
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10201 Colvin Run Rd, Great Falls, VA | Get?Directions??
$5.00
Be our Colvin Run Valentine ? and let?s Swing!
Join your neighbors ? make new friends
waltz ? rumba ? tango ? foxtrot ? cha-cha ? samba ? and in February, extra Swing!?
Live music by Helmut Licht & Andr? playing your favorite dance tunes from the 1930s to today
Saturday, February 2
8-9 pm - optional Swing Lesson with Fred and Patricia - $5
9-11:30 pm - Ballroom Dance - $15 includes sodas and light munchies
dress is ?ballroom casual? ? everyone is welcome
What a wonderful place to dance! The historic Schoolhouse is at 10201 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls VA 22066, now called the Colvin Run Community Hall. The Hall is now climate-controlled for all seasons. Dancers have been happily twirling across its 1200 sq ft, sprung oak floor for 80 years.?
Questions? Call Kathleen Milks at 703-759-2685, find Colvin Run on Meetup.com, or visit www.colvinrun.org.
Hosted by the Colvin Run Citizens Association, a 501(c)(3) public charity and all-volunteer organization. Your admission fee goes directly toward maintaining the building and promoting community fellowship. Thank you!
38.97444
-77.29828
primary
February 2, 2013, 8:00 pm?11:30 pm
10201 Colvin Run Rd, Great Falls, VA
The Colvin Run Community Hall (formerly the Schoolhouse) is located one block off Route 7, just west of the old Colvin Run Mill. Directions are on our website http://colvinrun.org/. Large gravel parking lots surround the building.
/events/ballroom-dance-at-colvin-run
/locations/8564097
Source: http://mclean.patch.com/events/ballroom-dance-at-colvin-run
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eBay released significant updates to its iPhone and iPad apps yesterday which it says will "play an important role in eBay Mobile's year to come." The ecommerce platform also said that 1.8 million new customers joined eBay through a mobile device in the first three quarters of 2012 and eBay Mobile currently adds an average of 2.4 million listings per week.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/MvmosAMW65g/
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Source: http://goldenvalley.patch.com/events/varsity-boys-hockey-robbinsdale-cooper-vs-chisago-lakes
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A metanalysis published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine has confirmed that polymorphisms (SNP) in the gene coding for interleukin-28 (IL28B) influence natural hepatitis C viral (HCV) clearance and response to pegylated interferon-? plus ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV). Information about IL28B genotype could be used to provide personalized medicine and target treatment options effectively.
Over 200 million people worldwide are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and about a quarter of these will go on to develop cirrhosis of the liver. Treatment with (PEG-IFN/RBV) only works in 40-80% of patients, depending in part on HCV strain, and treatment often has severe side effects. It is consequently important to separate people who will not respond to treatment, from those who may, so that treatment is targeted effectively.
Researchers from the Health Institute Carlos III, Spain, incorporated 67 studies that investigated IL28B polymorphisms with the suppression of viral activity to undetectable levels (sustained virologic response - SVR), and ten that looked at IL28B polymorphisms and spontaneous clearance, into a metanalysis. Approximately 23,500 people were included overall.
The results of this analysis showed that IL28B polymorphisms influence how well IFN treatment works and natural clearance of HCV infection. Having a favourable genotype at any one of seven IL28B polymorphisms equated to more than double the probability of achieving SVR. The study also found that two SNP were associated with spontaneous clearance. Detailed analysis showed that the effect of ethnicity and viral type also influenced the strength of individual association. Consequently the association between favourable variants and SVR for HCV types 2 and 3 was three times lower than types 1 and 4.
Mar?a ?ngeles Jim?nez-Sousa, Amanda Fern?ndez-Rodr?guez and Salvador Resino who led this study explained, "Treatment with (PEG-IFN/RBV) is costly and can have side effects which prevent patient compliance. Consequently knowing a patient's IL-28B status will help target interferon treatment to those who will benefit most, and play a substantial role in the selection of candidates for standard treatment versus triple therapy with direct-acting antivirals (DAA). Also, because IL28B genotyping needs be performed only once in a patient's life, it is relatively cheap."
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BioMed Central: http://www.biomedcentral.com
Thanks to BioMed Central for this article.
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