People have been studying
divorce for decades in an attempt to unlock the mystery behind this
decision and for some in an attempt to curb the rate of divorce that
currently sits at approximately 50 percent.
No related posts.
Source: http://safeguardfreedom.com/blog/?p=7052
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ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - The Syrian military stepped up its campaign to drive rebel fighters out of Aleppo on Monday, firing artillery and mortars while a fighter jet flew over a district the army said it had retaken the day before.
However, opposition activists denied government forces had entered Salaheddine, in the southwest of Syria's biggest city.
Hospitals and makeshift clinics in rebel-held eastern neighborhoods were filling up with casualties from a week of fighting in Aleppo, an commercial hub that had previously stayed out of a 16-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.
"Some days we get around 30, 40 people, not including the bodies," said a young medic in one clinic. "A few days ago we got 30 injured and maybe 20 corpses, but half of those bodies were ripped to pieces. We can't figure out who they are."
The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 18 people were killed in the Aleppo area on Sunday out of more than 150 people, two thirds of them civilians, slain across Syria.
Outgunned rebel fighters, patrolling in flat-bed trucks flying green-white-and-black "independence" flags, said they were holding out in Salaheddine despite a battering by the army's heavy weapons and helicopter gunships.
"We always knew the regime's grave would be Aleppo," said Mohammed, a young fighter, fingering the bullets in his tattered brown ammunition vest. "Damascus is the capital, but here we have a fourth of the country's population and the entire force of its economy. Bashar's forces will be buried here."
An unidentified Syrian army officer said on state television late on Sunday that troops had pushed "those mercenary gunmen" completely out of Salaheddine, adding: "In a few days safety and security will return to the city of Aleppo."
EMPTY STREETS
The army's assault on Salaheddine echoed its tactics in Damascus earlier this month when it used its overwhelming firepower to mop up rebel fighters district by district.
Assad's forces are determined not to let go of Aleppo, where defeat would be a serious strategic and psychological blow.
Military experts believe the rebels are too lightly armed and poorly commanded to overcome the army, whose artillery pounds the city at will and whose gunships control the skies.
Reuters journalists in Aleppo have been unable to approach Salaheddine to verify who controls it.
"Yesterday they were shelling the area at a rate of two shells a minute. We couldn't move at all," said an opposition activist, calling himself a spokesman for the "Aleppo Revolution" group.
"It's not true at all that the regime's forces are in Salaheddine. They didn't cross the bridge into Salaheddine from Hamadaniyah."
Warfare has stilled the usual commercial bustle in this city of 2.5 million. Vegetable markets are open but few people are buying. Instead, crowds of sweating men and women wait nearly three hours to buy limited amounts of heavily subsidized bread.
Rebel fighters, many of them from rural areas near Aleppo, still remain in control of swathes of the city, moving around those areas armed with assault rifles and dressed in items of camouflage clothing in an edgy show of confidence.
They were emboldened to strike at Aleppo and Damascus after a July 18 explosion that killed four of Assad's top security officials in a damaging blow at the president's inner circle.
Government forces have reimposed their grip on the capital and are now intent on denying Aleppo to the rebel Free Syrian Army, whose checkpoints in some districts fly the black and white banners of Islamist militants.
With big powers divided, the outside world has been unable to restrain Syria's slide into civil war.
France said it would ask for an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council to try and break the diplomatic deadlock on Syria, but gave no indication that Russia and China would end their longstanding policy of blocking measures against Assad.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Sunday attacks on Aleppo were putting the nail in the coffin of Assad's government, showing he lacks the legitimacy to rule.
"If they continue this kind of tragic attack on their own people in Aleppo, I think it ultimately will be a nail in Assad's own coffin," Panetta told reporters.
The deputy police chief of Syria's western Latakia city defected and fled to Turkey overnight with 11 other Syrian officers, a Turkish official said on Monday, adding that another 600 Syrians had arrived in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of Syrian refugees in Turkey to around 43,500.
AFTERMATH OF BATTLE
The United Nations humanitarian chief said 200,000 people had fled Aleppo, only 50 km (30 miles) from the Turkish border, in two days. It was not clear how this estimate had been reached given the difficulties of assessing relief needs in war zones.
"Many people have sought temporary shelter in schools and other public buildings in safer areas. They urgently need food, mattresses and blankets, hygiene supplies and drinking water," said Valerie Amos, the U.N. official.
Cars entering one Aleppo district came under fire from snipers on Sunday and a Reuters photographer saw three bodies lying in the street. Unable to move them to hospital for fear of shelling, residents had placed frozen water bottles on two of the corpses to slow their decomposition in the baking heat.
A charred tank lay in the street. Another had been captured and covered in tarpaulin. Burnt cars could be seen elsewhere, some marked "shabbiha" - a reference to pro-Assad militiamen.
Syria's foreign minister also declared victory on Sunday in the battle for Damascus.
"Today I tell you, Syria is stronger ... In less than a week they were defeated (in Damascus) and the battle failed," Walid Moualem said on a visit to Iran, Assad's closest ally. "So they moved on to Aleppo and I assure you, their plots will fail."
Assad's ruling system is dominated by his minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, while his opponents are mostly from Syria's Sunni Muslim majority.
The sectarian element in the conflict has raised fears that it could inflame Sunni-Shi'ite tensions elsewhere, particularly in Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
(Additional reporting by Yara Bayoumy and Dominic Evans in Beirut; Writing by Giles Elgood; Editing by Alistair Lyon)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/shellfire-hits-aleppo-army-says-retook-rebel-area-103707161.html
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WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is levelling new sanctions on banks in China and Iraq that the White House says have helped Iran evade international sanctions.
The new penalties target China's Bank of Kunlun and Iraq's Elaf Islamic Bank. In a statement, Obama says the sanctions make clear that the U.S. will expose any financial institution that assists "the increasingly desperate Iranian regime" to access the international financial system.
Obama is also expanding sanctions on the purchase or acquisition of Iranian petrochemical products. The sanctions are authorized in part for those who provide support to the National Iranian Oil Company and the Central Bank of Iran.
The election year announcement comes as Obama aims to show he is being tough on Iran amid criticism from Republican rival Mitt Romney.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-orders-sanctions-iran-face-election-criticism-romney-185822656.html
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Performing martial arts and being a martial artist requires the integration of common sense, practicality and respect - for one's self and others. Basic hygiene and proper grooming serve all three aspects; just as giving a growing child a larger uniform to grow into. Recognizing the consequences of poor judgement and not doing those things is the sign of an emerging Taekwondo practitioner.
Taekwondo headgear shields the head from dangerous blows, particularly for martial arts beginners. The best headgear is lightweight, but protects well and allows people to see their opponent clearly without blocking their eyes. The purpose of Taekwondo outfits is for student protection and it should not be unsafe or get in the way of their performance.
Other Taekwondo padding should include chest protectors and foot pads. These help absorb hits and relieve pressure on the body. Taekwondo is a great way to perfect both the body and mind, but it shouldn't have an effect on school and work. For this, students should wear mouthguards. Also, male students can benefit from both a jock and cup, while females can be more comfortable with a sports bra.
The belt is the most respected accessory of the Taekwondo uniform. Your belt shows your Taekwondo skill level and has matching descriptions to explain your progress. For example, everybody begins with the white Taekwondo belt, which is a symbol of innocence and purity. Initially when you receive the white belt, you will be taught to tie the belt properly and you need to always show respect when you are putting on your Taekwondo clothes.
When the students advance to the ranks of the various belting levels, they become more skilled and have more self-esteem. The uniform's integrity is one thing that stays consistent regardless if your belt is white or black. The dobok is your uniform to put patches and awards on when you win competitions so be proud and consider it an honor to wear this.
About the Author:
Travis Laeghtner is a free lance writer with the MMA Zone. If you don't find him writing about Taekwondo then you will likely catch him in the local Dojo working on his kata (forms), one steps, and board breaks.
Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Essential-Gear-For-Taekwondo/4070155
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Source: http://twitter.com/GOP/statuses/229928561082003457
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SACRAMENTO ? As state mental health services have crumbled under budget cuts, tens of millions of dollars raised through a tax designed to help the mentally ill have gone to ?wellness? programs like horseback riding for teens and yoga classes for city workers. And that?s by design.
Voters approved Proposition 63, the so-called ?millionaire?s tax,? in 2004 to make up for decades of mental health cuts. The ballot summary said it would ?expand services and develop innovative programs? for the mentally ill and the text of the measure stipulated 20 percent of the funds would go to programs ?effective in preventing mental illnesses from becoming severe? and ?reducing the duration of untreated severe mental illnesses.?
In 2007, the
Department of Mental Health developed guidelines for counties and dictated that the 20 percent would go to help people who had never been diagnosed with mental illness or even shown any evidence of mental illness. The idea was to promote mental wellness, not just treat mental disorders.
Now, with money to help people diagnosed as mentally ill tighter than ever, some mental health advocates want the state Legislature to redirect that 20 percent into treatment programs.
Peter Mantas, former chairman of the Contra Costa County Mental Health Commission, said state officials violated the intent of the ballot measure.
?In the law, the money was to be focused on people with mental illness, not little boutique programs that made the county personnel feel good,? said Mantas, who resigned in 2010 over what he saw as the squandered promise of Proposition 63. ?The Department of Mental Health went astray significantly by doing what they did.?
Proposition 63 has brought in $7.4 billion through a 1 percent tax on income greater than $1 million a year and funded the creation of about 1,500 new programs, many of them general wellness initiatives.
Even with that money, California overall has cut 21 percent, or $764.8
million, from mental health spending since 2009, a higher percentage than all but five states, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
There are no inpatient psychiatric services in 25 of California?s 58 counties, the California Hospital Association reports. Meanwhile, the proportion of prison inmates with mental illnesses has grown from 19 percent in 2007 to 26 percent now. And this year, Gov. Jerry Brown eliminated the Department of Mental Health to help address the state?s huge deficit.
Nearly $1.2 billion in Proposition 63 money has gone to prevention and early intervention programs in the past five years. The state doesn?t track where every dollar ends up, so where it?s all gone is unclear.
However, an Associated Press review of programs in the state?s 58 counties turned up spending on scores of wellness programs, many with seemingly little or no specific connection to mental health.
The state has approved spending on acupuncture, art and drama classes, sweat lodges for American Indians, parenting courses for Spanish-speakers and massage chairs for students in Southern California. More than two dozen counties have spent money on anti-bullying programs and several have used it to fund horseback riding therapy, including a $944,843 program in Kings County.
Fresno County spent $315,000 on gardens for Hmong refugees. In San Francisco, Proposition 63 money pays for city workers with mental illness in their families to attend
lunchtime yoga classes.
For three years, the Department of Mental Health paid someone $76,000 a year to work from home and recruit celebrities to promote a Proposition 63 anti-stigma campaign. The position, which also included interacting with local law enforcement, was cut in 2011 after the state auditor?s office determined it had been a waste of public funds.
Ron Henninger, former chairman of the Santa Clara Mental Health Department, said such spending means people with real mental illness have been ?left on their own.?
?It?s almost like they were propping up other areas of the county with Prop 63 funds instead of directly taking care of the sick people,? he said.
Rusty Selix, executive director of the California
Council of Mental Health Agencies and co-author of Proposition 63, believes counties must be given leeway to develop the most effective programs for their residents.
?We have to learn how to do prevention,? he said. However, Selix acknowledged it can be difficult to see the correlation between mental health prevention and certain wellness programs. ?I kind of raise my eyebrows at some of these general wellness campaigns, but I have to admit, they may have payoff.?
Some mental health advocates and public health workers see an opportunity in Brown?s elimination of the Department of Mental Health and shift of some Proposition 63 oversight to the counties to look at how revenue is spent. They want the Legislature to pass a ?clarifying amendment? stipulating money raised by the millionaire?s tax go only to help people with mental and emotional problems.
This year?s state budget included several tweaks to Proposition 63 procedures, which are passed with a simple majority. However, so far, critics of wellness programs haven?t found a lawmaker willing to introduce the amendment they seek.
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, who wrote Proposition 63 with Selix, doesn?t think a change is needed.
Steinberg, D-Sacramento, allowed that he might have crafted the measure differently if he had known about the dramatic cuts that lay ahead, but defended the prevention programs, which include anti-stigma campaigns, as the best way to start moving beyond a system where people must succumb to their illness before they can get help.
?Prevention and early intervention is the only way that we are going to change attitudes and make sure people get help before they become a statistic.? he said. ?It is vital, especially in communities that have traditionally seen mental health services as a stigma and as something to avoid, to draw people in and to create an atmosphere where getting help is seen as OK.?
In March, the state Oversight and Accountability Commission began its first evaluation of the wellness programs. For years, the only evaluations came from county administrators who, a 2011 UCLA study found, have never reported a negative or neutral finding. Results are expected next May.
Meantime, Selix stands by the decision to fund wellness programs with millionaire?s tax money.
?We knew that most of the people in counties were not in favor of doing prevention, and we feared that they would take that money and divert it to people who were already sick by saying, ?Well, they could get sicker,?? he said.
* SAN BERNARDINO: Has budgeted $8.1 million over three years for a ?holistic campus? of three community centers that provide services like acupuncture, art classes, equine therapy, tai-chi and zumba to the general public. The recently-launched program is expected to reach about 7,000 people a year
?
* FRESNO: Spends $171,620 a year for a ?horticultural therapy? program that serves 110 gardeners annually from marginalized groups, including Hmong immigrants and migrant farmworkers. The program helps residents meet their neighbors and grow produce not available locally, and also holds community events.
* SAN FRANCISCO: Spends $250,000 per year on an African-American Holistic Wellness Program that uses ethnic celebrations, oral histories and arts to build a stronger sense of community among blacks in the low-income Bayview neighborhood. The county also holds a lunchtime yoga class for Department of Public Health ?peer staff? workers who have had personal experience with the mental health system, either through their own treatment or through a family member. The classes are an hour long, cost $100 each and attract an average of six attendees.
* KINGS: The state approved $944,843 to start an Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy program for students who are not reading at grade level or otherwise not doing well in school. The three-year program was expected to serve 24 people a year.
* LOS ANGELES: The Tri-City Mental Health Center, which serves Pomona, Claremont, and La Verne, received approval for $230,000 to develop student well-being programs expected to reach more than 100 people a year. The proposal included a plan for self-help, drop-in centers featuring massage chairs for relieving muscle tension, a meditation room and a biofeedback lab where students use computer software to learn breathing and relaxation techniques.
* SANTA CLARA: The state approved $2.1 million to establish a community center that will be a hub for ?traditional? wellness practices including acupuncture and meditation. The center is expected to serve 1,500 people a year and operate for three years.
* NAPA: A monthly sweat lodge session is one element of a program for Native Americans with an approved 10-month budget of $53,692. The program, which was expected to reach 510 people, also includes a monthly potluck, powwows and traditional drumming circles.
* BUTTE: The state approved a three-year $536,540 Therapeutic Wilderness Experience program that takes teenagers with behavioral problems on a 20-day outdoor adventure. The program was expected to help more than 90 families, but has not yet been implemented.
* STANISLAUS: Received a three-year budget of $308,863 for an arts project open to anyone in the county. The arts center provides free classes and youth groups, and doubles as a gallery. The state also approved $75,000 for ?Friends are Good Medicine,? an online directory of self-help groups that address topics ranging from bereavement to weight struggles to single parenting.
* RIVERSIDE: Received approval for a 12-week ?mood management? course titled Mamas y Bebes that helps young Latina mothers create a healthy physical, social, and psychological environment for themselves and their infants. The course is one of eight parenting programs that together have an annual approved budget of $2,958,317.
* SUTTER: The state approved $93,000 a year to help 40 at-risk youth ?thrive not just survive? through gym memberships, dance classes and team sports.
* SAN DIEGO: The state approved $547,805 for the inaugural year of a program where homebound seniors receive daily meals from workers who also screen them for depression or suicidal thoughts.
Article source: http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_21182263/california-mental-health-spending-often-bypasses-mentally-ill
Source: http://medicaltips.org/2012/07/29/california-mental-health-spending-often-bypasses-the-mentally-ill/
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Recently, there has been a surge of iDevice thefts in New York City and beyond.
The Wall Street Journal reports, "in New York, there were more than 26,000 incidents of electronics theft in the first 10 months of 2011?81% involving mobile phones?according to an internal police-department document. In Washington, D.C., cellphone-related robberies jumped 54% from 2007 to 2011, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. And the data may drastically undercount thefts."
While there really isn't a way to prevent a thief from targeting your phone, you can?make sure that all of the information on your device is protected.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/protect-information-on-smartphone-2012-7
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London, UK (PRWEB UK) 18 July 2012
The next time youre writing any marketing materials whether its a sales email, a web page or a brochure here are some top copywriting tips that will come in handy:
Copywriting tip # 1: Don?t launch straight into the writing. Make sure you assimilate and understand all the information you have collected. Then you need thinking time. This is just as important as the time you spend writing.
Copywriting tip # 2: Anticipate the questions your reader will ask and make sure your copy answers them all.
Copywriting tip # 3: Stick a picture of the person who represents your target audience on your computer and write as if you are talking only to them.
Copywriting tip # 4: Are you writing for children, for scientists, for hamster lovers? Always remember who your audience is and speak your readers? language.
Copywriting tip # 5: Avoid business buzzwords such as flexible, ground breaking, robust, user friendly, world class, market-leading solution, best of breed, scalable, mission critical. Just because others write like this, doesnt mean you should.
Copywriting tip # 6: Write as you would speak. Use everyday language.
Copywriting tip # 7: Engage your reader by writing benefits, not features. Our shampoo is
Source: http://www.t20canada.com/101-top-copywriting-tips-mini-e-book-now-available-on-kindle/
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A property is far more than merely a residence this is basically the heart in your life along with a main source of steadiness. We commit considerable time within our property, this is why you should make your house as great as you possibly can.
In home based upgrades your kitchen normally tends to make within the base of the house. Investing in new wooden cupboards together with sparkly new taps plus a marble kitchen counter, can immediately include illumination into an area to make it such a more pleasant place. This will likely also have the property more desirable to other people if you want to sell.
A fantastic tip for those of you with home improvement assignments around the kitchen or bathroom is to ensure that you make sure to turn off water. When working around plumbing or some other drinking water offer it really is totally crucial for you to close water away from to prevent a potential clutter.
For a simple, natural way to fill out scratches inside your hardwood floors, rub a piece of (shelled) walnut in to the scrapes. Bits of flesh from your nut will fill out the damaged spots, even though the skin oils in the nut will help you to hydrate and protect gouged regions, ultimately camouflaging problems.
When preparation your kitchen area, make sure your range and your fridge will not be correct following to each other. Should you established them side-by-area, they may have to be effective too much. You are going to spend energy and have a lot less lifestyle from the kitchen appliances using this type of agreement, nor will perform optimally.
Be sure you get pre and post photographs of any work or improvements you do to your home. You could possibly love to reminisce on each of the hard work and adjustments when it feels like the project as a whole should never be done. Continue to keep photos on your pc or have them published for any scrapbook.
Area dividers are useful for identifying dwelling regions in properties with wide open surface programs. Bought shelving products or folding displays generally work well. Even so, simpler monitors can also be produced quickly dangle fabric solar panels on dowels attached to the roof. Dividers allow privacy and visually split up huge places into areas with specific objective, including pc nooks or exercise areas.
Isn?t making your house enhancement work exciting? As you have experienced in this post, there are tons of methods this can be accomplished without any two techniques or items will produce a similar final results. In addition there are lots of easy to customize alternatives that could deal with your property and finances.
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Source: http://all-articles-directory.com/home-improvement-dos-and-donts-you-must-know-2/
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GENEVA (AP) ? A showdown between government troops and opposition forces in Syria's largest city, Aleppo, is imminent, the U.N.'s human rights office said Friday, as the Red Cross reported it is pulling some of its foreign staff from Damascus out of concern for the safety of its workers.
The country's chaos has spread to Syria's biggest cities in some of the most widespread and sustained violence the two areas have seen in more than 17 months of conflict. Rebels have been locked in fierce fighting with government troops in Aleppo for six days and are bracing for an attack amid reports that the regime is massing reinforcements to retake the embattled city of 3 million.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said unconfirmed reports are coming out of the capital, Damascus, of extra-judicial killings and shootings of civilians during fighting in the city's suburbs. Expressing deep alarm at the situation, Pillay said the report "bodes ill for the people of that city (Aleppo)."
Pillay said she believes President Bashar Assad's regime and opposition forces are both committing crimes against humanity and war crimes.
"And it goes without saying, that the increasing use of heavy weapons, tanks, attack helicopters and ? reportedly ? even jet fighters in urban areas has already caused many civilian casualties and is putting many more at grave risk," she said in a statement read aloud to reporters by her spokesman Rupert Colville.
Pillay said there have been clashes in Homs and Deir el-Zour and there is a pattern of government forces trying to clear areas it says are occupied by opposition forces. She also expressed concern about reports of killings of unarmed prisoners and use of excessive force by authorities reacting to unrest in two prisons in Aleppo and Homs.
There has been an accompanying rise in the number of reports of opposition fighters torturing or executing prisoners, she said.
A senior U.N. diplomat close to the mediation effort of international envoy Kofi Annan said they are "watching the situation in Aleppo with great concern."
"The ground is shifting. We use words like 'It's fluid' ? and it certainly is ... It has been a roller-coaster ride," the diplomat said, while speaking on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the negotiations among world powers on the U.N. Security Council. "While we are trying to apportion blame (for the diplomatic standoff), people are dying. Kids are being slaughtered."
The International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday it is temporarily moving some of its foreign staff from Damascus to neighboring Lebanon. A Red Cross spokesman in Geneva, Hicham Hassan, said the move was prompted by security concerns but that a core team of about 50 staff would remain.
Hassan also told The Associated Press on Friday that the Syrian Arab Red Crescent was suspending some of its operations in Aleppo due to heavy fighting but that the Red Cross hopes to bring its staff back into the country.
"It's due to the deteriorating security situation in Damascus," he said. "This in no way means we are suspending our activities, especially at a time when needs are growing. ... They will go back to Damascus at the appropriate time."
The Red Cross and Syrian Arab Red Crescent have helped 600,000 people in Syria since the outbreak of fighting.
About half of the 1.5 million people in need of humanitarian aid in Syria are children and adolescents, UNICEF spokesman Patrick?McCormick?told reporters Friday in Geneva. The U.N. children's agency, with the help of Syrian Arab Red Crescent and other groups, he said, has delivered food baskets, high protein biscuits and other items to 190,000 people, including 145,000 children, since January.
McCormick said they also have vaccinated a half-million Syrian children again polio and tuberculosis, but many of the children in refugee families are hungry and have lost a year of schooling and need medical and psychological care.
Turkey's state-run agency said a Syrian legislator from Aleppo has fled to Turkey and also warned that Syria was preparing for a massive offensive on cities where rebels are fighting government forces. The Anadolu agency said Friday that Ikhlas Badawi has defected in protest of the Syrian regime's "violence against the people."
She would be the first member of Syria's parliament to defect from the parliament that was elected in May.
In January, Legislator Imad Ghalioun left the country to join the opposition, saying Syria was suffering sweeping human rights violations. He was from the city of Homs that was being subjected to a massive regime attack at the time.
On Friday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops bombarded the neighborhood of Fardous killing at least four people. It added that Sunni cleric Abdul-Latif al-Shami was kidnapped and killed in Aleppo. It gave no further details, although some activists said al-Shami is a government supporter.
Mohammed Saeed, an Aleppo-based activist, said helicopters were firingwith heavy machine-guns rebel-held areas east and west of the city on Friday. He added that army reinforcements arrived in the city on Thursday and a major attack is expected any time.
Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Observatory, said army reinforcements took positions around Aleppo. "I expect the attack to begin today," he said.
___
Mroue reported from Beirut. Frank Jordans contributed from Berlin.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-worries-showdown-aleppo-could-imminent-091821015.html
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CHICAGO (AP) ? Life's a picnic this year for the small, sneaky mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus and pose a deadly risk to humans. Hot, dry weather in the Midwest has created the perfect conditions in still-damp ditches and underground storm water basins where the Culex mosquito breeds.
Where there's water in the drought-plagued Midwest, it's stagnant water ? the Culex mosquito's favorite breeding habitat. The heat also speeds up the mosquito's life cycle, which means more breeding and more mosquitoes, and accelerates the West Nile virus replication process.
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Texas are reporting higher rates of infected mosquitoes compared with past years. More infected mosquitoes mean a higher risk for humans. Minnesota, Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas are reporting earlier-than-usual cases of human infection.
"I am quite concerned we may be facing one of our most severe seasons for West Nile virus since it arrived in our state in 2002," said Kristy Bradley, state epidemiologist in Oklahoma, which has had eight confirmed human cases of West Nile infection, with seven of those being the serious, neuroinvasive form of the disease. "I'm somewhat bracing myself for a rocky road ahead."
West Nile virus is a cyclical disease in humans, appearing in the summer and disappearing in the winter as carrier mosquitoes die off and hibernate.
Illinois, which usually sees its first human cases in August, already has two confirmed cases this year. Both are women in their 60s from the Chicago suburbs. Both were hospitalized and are receiving further care in rehabilitation centers.
"The risk is high and people need to listen," said Linn Haramis, an entomologist with the Illinois Department of Public Health. "This thing could put you in a wheelchair at age 60 for the rest of your life."
Most people infected with West Nile virus won't get sick, but approximately one in 150 people will develop the severe form of the illness. Symptoms include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis.
The best advice? Wear insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Avoid being outdoors between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are biting. Install or repair screens to keep mosquitoes outside. Drain standing water to eliminate breeding habitat.
Haramis notes that in Illinois the rate of infected mosquitoes is the highest in a decade and higher than in 2002 when 67 people died. But he won't make predictions because a streak of cool weather or heavy rain could "knock the legs out of this thing."
Minnesota's first human case came in late May, much earlier than in previous years. The Minnesota man got sick with West Nile encephalitis and meningitis after traveling in the south-central part of the state. He's recovering after being hospitalized.
In Texas, 111 people have fallen ill with West Nile infection, more than double the 10-year average for cases reported before August. Most of the cases were serious and one person has died, according to Texas Department of State Health Services spokeswoman Christine Mann.
To be sure, some states ? Iowa, Wisconsin and South Dakota among them ? are seeing normal numbers of infected mosquitoes and no human cases.
"We're still warning cities that they have to do mosquito control," said Lon Kightlinger, state epidemiologist at the South Dakota Department of Health. "We don't want people to be fooled by the drought."
What's deceptive about the drought is the scarcity of pesky floodwater mosquitoes. The absence of the larger, bolder mosquito variety makes people think mosquitoes aren't a problem and gives the Culex mosquito a chance to sneak up and feed. Health officials are urging people to wear insect repellent even though they may not notice any biting mosquitoes.
Culex mosquitoes are secretive in their behavior, approaching quietly from behind.
"Before you know it, they've bitten you. And by that time, it's too late," said Bradley in Oklahoma.
___
AP Medical Writer Carla K. Johnson can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/CarlaKJohnson
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hot-dry-weather-heightens-west-nile-virus-risk-190957754.html
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FILE - In this July 8, 2012 file photo German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, and French President Francois Hollande react after a speech in front of Reims cathedral, in Reims, eastern France. Merkel and Hollande said in a joint statement issued by the German government Friday, July 27, 2012 that their countries are "deeply committed to the integrity of the eurozone." They said eurozone members and European institutions "must comply with their obligations, each in their own are of competence." (AP Photo/Pool/Jacky Naegelen, File)
FILE - In this July 8, 2012 file photo German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, and French President Francois Hollande react after a speech in front of Reims cathedral, in Reims, eastern France. Merkel and Hollande said in a joint statement issued by the German government Friday, July 27, 2012 that their countries are "deeply committed to the integrity of the eurozone." They said eurozone members and European institutions "must comply with their obligations, each in their own are of competence." (AP Photo/Pool/Jacky Naegelen, File)
FILE - In this May 15, 2012 file photo, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, talks to new French President Francois Hollande in Berlin. Merkel and Hollande said in a joint statement issued by the German government Friday, July 27, 2012 that their countries are "deeply committed to the integrity of the eurozone." They said eurozone members and European institutions "must comply with their obligations, each in their own are of competence." (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
BERLIN (AP) ? The leaders of Germany and France added their weight to the battle to preserve the European single currency when they issued a joint statement Friday promising to do everything they can to stop the 17-country bloc from breaking up.
The statement from Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande was brief and didn't spell out any specific course of action. But it offered a show of unity by the leaders of the eurozone's two biggest economies.
"Germany and France are deeply committed to the integrity of the eurozone," the two leaders said in their statement. "They are determined to do everything to protect the eurozone."
To achieve that, they added, eurozone members and European institutions "must comply with their obligations, each in their own area of competence."
The statement, made after a telephone conversation between the two leaders Friday, came a day after Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, told business leaders in London that the ECB would do "whatever it takes" to preserve the euro and raised expectations that he could step in to lower the high borrowing costs that are crippling countries like Spain and Italy.
Concerns about the 17 countries that use the euro have intensified over the past few weeks as evidence builds that economies across the region face deepening recessions. Spain and Italy, in particular, are finding it increasingly expensive to raise money on the debt markets due to spiraling borrowing costs. Investors are losing confidence that the countries will be able to control their debt while they are in recession.
Fears have also resurfaced that bailed-out Greece might yet be forced out of the single currency if it fails to carry out reforms that were a condition of its financial rescue.
Merkel and Hollande underlined the need to "implement quickly" decisions made by a European Union summit last month.
Those decisions included allowing Europe's bailout fund ? once a new, independent bank supervisor is set up ? to give money directly to a country's banks, rather than via the government. Countries that pledge to implement reforms demanded by the European Union's executive Commission also would be able to tap rescue funds without having to go through the kind of tough austerity measures demanded of Greece, Portugal and Ireland.
Markets across Europe rose following the statement with the FTSE 100 up 0.7 per cent and Germany's DAX index up 1.1 percent. In Spain, the main IBEX stock index was up 2.7 per cent while the borrowing rate on its 10-year bond ? a bellwether of market confidence in a country's ability to manage its debt ? was down to 6.73 percent. In Italy, the FTSE MIB stock index had risen 2.7 percent and its 10-year bond's interest rate was had fallen to 5.95 percent.
European finance ministers last week signed a rescue package worth up to ?100 billion ($122 billion) for Spain's ailing banks, but concern flared about Spain's prolonged recession and the debts of its regions, causing the country's borrowing costs to rise.
Merkel and Hollande made no specific reference to the ECB's role in helping solve the crisis, but Merkel's finance minister earlier Friday welcomed the remarks Draghi made. The comments have raised expectations that the ECB could step in to lower high borrowing costs ? possibly by buying government bonds.
The ECB has bought bonds to fight the crisis over the past two years, but has kept the program on hold for months. The bond purchases weren't popular in Germany, which feared the ECB was taking on excessive risk and argued that governments should bear the responsibility of restoring confidence in their economies by reducing public debt and reforming their labor markets.
Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble welcomes Draghi's pledge to "take the necessary measures to secure the euro in the framework of the existing ECB mandate," a ministry statement said. It didn't say anything about what those measures could be.
"The condition for this is that policymakers also take and implement the necessary measures to deal with the financial and confidence crisis," it added. "In the first place stand the reform efforts of the countries themselves."
Merkel and Sarkozy frequently issued joint declarations on the eurozone crisis, but the conservative German chancellor and the Socialist Hollande initially appeared at odds over how to handle it. Hollande has been critical of Germany's focus on painful austerity measures and called for a greater emphasis on growth.
Still, the pair has stressed the need for Germany and France to work together, and last month's summit featured an agreement on a package meant to encourage growth.
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About 90% of our Berthoud Colorado driving decisions are based solely on what we see. So having a good pair of windshield wipers is extremely important.
Everyone in Berthoud Colorado has experienced the frustration and fear of not being able to see clearly during a storm, or when our windshield is just dirty. In fact, it?s estimated that 46,000,000 motorists from Ft. Collins and across the nation are driving with wipers that can?t adequately clear their windshield in a storm.
It seems like your wiper blades are always at their worst when you need them the most. If that sounds like you, you?ve got plenty of company in the Ft. Collins area. 78% of drivers only change their wiper blades after the blades function so poorly that they become a safety hazard.
We need to change our thinking. Instead of blades being something to replace when they fail, we need to consider wiper blades as an important safety component. Then we?ll stay ahead of the storm.
You really ought to replace your wiper blades twice a year; in the spring and the fall. If you live in the colder parts of Colorado, you may even want to get special winter blades in the fall.
Winter blades are designed to resist freezing. Speaking of winter and freezing conditions, if your car has been sitting for a long time and the windshield becomes frozen, don?t use your wipers to clear off snow and ice. That can just shred your blades and may even damage the wiper motor.
Your wiper blades live outside; freezing cold and blistering sun. Over time, they become hard and brittle, and then tear. They also lose their flexibility and just don?t clear the windshield effectively. Worn wiper blades aren?t just a safety hazard; they can also scratch your windshield. That may require replacing the entire windshield ? a big cost for such a little part.
AutoNetTV recommends you replace worn blades right away. Your local service center can provide you with a quality replacement blade. They cost about the same as they would at the store ? but installation is included at the service center.
Of course you also need washer fluid to help your blades do their work. Even though B-Town Automotive will top off the washer fluid with a full service oil change, it is a good idea to have some extra fluid at home. It?s a good idea to keep a bottle in the car if you?re on a road trip.
Always use windshield washer fluid. Plain water, even that fancy French bottled water, just doesn?t cut it. It can freeze in the fluid reservoir or on the windshield itself, making things worse. Besides, water won?t do as good job of cleaning your windows.
So follow these tips to keep your windshield clear and your eye on the road.
Find us at:
B-Town Automotive
912 2nd Street, Unit A
Berthoud, Colorado 80513
970-532-2009
Source: http://www.btownautomotive.com/maplelake/i-can-see-clearly-now-wiper-blade-replacement-in-berthoud
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Lenovo is putting out a vanilla version of Android 4.03 for customers eager to rid their IdeaPad K1 of Honeycomb. Fans of stock iterations of Google's mobile OS will love the fact that the update will rid the slate of all of the PC maker's customizations -- as well as any other data on the tablet. If you're feeling brave enough to make the upgrade, simply head on down to the source link and follow the instructions, but be warned, if something goes wrong, you're on your own.
[Thanks, Parth]
Filed under: Tablet PCs, Software
Lenovo IdeaPad K1 gets smeared with Ice Cream Sandwich originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 12:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Want to get ahead at work? Put your shoes on, and save your nail clipping for after hours.
By Allison Linn, TODAY
?Lori Hong was never particularly fond of the co-worker in the next cubicle, but there was one thing that really put her over the edge.
?He would freaking cut his nails at his desk,? said Hong, 32.
The nail clipping wasn?t just an occasional thing, either.
?I don?t know what vitamins (he was) taking, but he would clip his nails like two or three times a week,? she recalled.
After living in fear of a cuticle flying over the cubicle wall, or just of hearing that unmistakable clipping sound, Hong, who worked scheduling commercials for a television network, finally asked to be relocated to a new desk.
?No one should be doing that at work,? she said.
Workplace etiquette experts -- and much of the general public -- would agree. A survey of workplace pet peeves, released this week by temporary staffing firm Adecco, found nearly half of those surveyed are offended when people clip or bite their nails at work.
?It really elicits that gross factor because it is personal grooming,? said Jodi R.R. Smith, president of the etiquette training firm Mannersmith. ?This is what I categorize as: Should take place in the bathroom, and preferably the bathroom at home.?
Public nail-clipping is such a common problem that Smith sometimes uses it as an example in a role play on how to get a co-worker to stop doing something that annoys you.
Her advice: Be direct.
For example: ?I know that you probably have no idea, but when you clip your nails in the cubicle it totally grosses me out. I?m all for good grooming ? but if you could do it in the ladies room or at home I?d really appreciate it.?
Smith started her Boston-area etiquette consulting business after dealing so often with issues like these while working in human resources. She said other common workplace gripes include people who floss their teeth at their desk or take off their shoes at work.
The Adecco survey also found that more than four in 10 people were offended by co-workers removing their shoes at the office. The telephone survey of 1,010 people, conducted in July, also found that the majority of those surveyed do not want to see you come to work in ripped jeans, flip-flops, strapless clothing or backless tops or dresses.
It can be tempting to slip off your shoes on a hot day, or even clip that offending cuticle without heading to the bathroom, but that can actually harm your career, Smith warns.
?People think, ?Oh I?m a good worker, it?s not that big a deal,? but I?ve had managers over and over again tell me, ?Oh, Jodi, when we have to do another reduction I know who?s first on my list,?? Smith said. ?These soft social skills really make a difference.?
Tim Gates has seen plenty of workplace faux pas in his 17 years placing temporary workers for Adecco. Nail clipping and shoe removal have come up, as well as people applying deodorant at their desks and those who show up in T-shirts with inappropriate slogans or logos.
Usually a quick chat about appropriate dress or behavior is enough to straighten things out. But a little common sense might help avoid such issues as well.
?Some things should be done at home and some things should be done at work,? he said. ?Maybe keep those things separate.?
As for Hong, the cubicle dweller with the nail-clipping neighbor, she?s since left that job and moved from New York to Philadelphia because her husband was transferred.
She?s currently looking for work, and she jokes that one of the things she?s watching out for is whether her prospective co-workers clip their nails at their desks.
?Like, do you have that keychain with the nail clipper on it? That would be a turnoff,? she joked.
What hygiene habit bothers you most in the office?
TODAY's Meredith Vieira takes a look at some of the daily annoyances her co-workers face in their office space.
?
More money and business news:
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The networks broadcasting and live streaming the 2012 Olympic Games are reportedly well-prepared to deflect cyberattacks and hackers, but what about the average Olympic attendee who is connected to public WiFi?
This year's Olympics is poised to be the most social and mobile in history and, yes, that means plenty of streaming content, but it also means thousands of visitors equipped with smartphones, laptops and tablet computers.
[More from Mashable: 2012 Olympics: The Must-Follow Athletes on Twitter]
With such a high concentration of mobile technology in one spot, the speed of 3G and 4G connections may suffer, leading mobile device users to turn to public WiFi at a restaurant, coffee shop or to one of the 500,000 WiFi hotspots built in preparation for the games.
As the Chief Operating Officer of European telecom O2 put it in 2011: "[WiFi will] play a huge role for those people who will want to use data services at the Games, including Facebook and Twitter."
[More from Mashable: Say Goodbye to Record Stores and Physical Albums [INFOGRAPHIC]]
Public WiFi by its nature is typically unprotected, which ensures most people can access the network without trouble. However, that also invites hackers to hang out on public WiFi networks, waiting for unsuspecting users to transmit sensitive and valuable data, such as passwords or bank records, which they can then steal.
BT, the local ISP which is providing a majority of WiFi hotspots for Olympics attendees, recommends that users download Virtual Private Network (VPN) software immediately upon connecting to their public WiFi to bolster security through encryption. However, public WiFi in restaurants and other areas often make no such recommendation and are occasionally running on simple consumer routers that offer little by way of hardcore protection from hacking.
So what else can Olympic attendees do to prevent being hacked while on public WiFi? Martin McKeay, security evangelist at cloud computing firm Akamai, added the following tips:
"I think the steps to combat mobile security are simple," said McKeay, "but most people won't be thinking about these simple steps."
The key lesson for users of public WiFi at the Olympic Games and everywhere else: Be smart and you'll be fine. What tips do you have for staying safe on public WiFi? Share them in the comments below.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, selimaksan
This story originally published on Mashable here.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/olympic-attendees-heres-stay-safe-hackers-123001737.html
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Finance | Finance | * Written by ramit | Wednesday, 25 July 2012 00:43 | Word Count: 426
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FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2012 file photo, Penn State University President Rodney Erickson speaks during a town hall meeting with alumni in King of Prussia, Pa. The Penn State board of trustees gathered Wednesday afternoon, July 25, 2012 to discuss whether President Rodney Erickson had the authority to agree to unprecedented NCAA sanctions against the football program without first getting the board's approval, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2012 file photo, Penn State University President Rodney Erickson speaks during a town hall meeting with alumni in King of Prussia, Pa. The Penn State board of trustees gathered Wednesday afternoon, July 25, 2012 to discuss whether President Rodney Erickson had the authority to agree to unprecedented NCAA sanctions against the football program without first getting the board's approval, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Penn State faced the threat of a four-year ban on playing football before the NCAA imposed sanctions this week over the school's handling of the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal, a university spokesman said Wednesday.
David La Torre said the potential for the multiyear "death penalty" was floated during discussions between Penn State President Rodney Erickson and NCAA officials before Penn State was hit Monday with a $60 million fine, a four-year bowl game ban, reduced football scholarships and the forfeiture of 112 wins.
The school trustees met on the subject at a State College hotel Wednesday, and afterward issued a statement calling the NCAA punishment "unfortunate" but better than the alternative ? the so-called "death penalty." Reporters were barred from the conference room where they met, and trustees avoided them after the meeting broke up.
The potential for a four-year ban, first reported by ESPN, showed how high the stakes were as college sports' governing body considered how to respond to an internal school investigation by former FBI Director Louis Freeh that found former coach Joe Paterno and three other top college officials helped conceal reports that Sandusky was abusing children.
NCAA president Mark Emmert said this week that if a total football ban had been imposed, other penalties would have accompanied it.
"If the death penalty were to be imposed, I'm quite sure that the executive committee and I ... would not have agreed to just the death penalty. It would have included other penalties as well," Emmert said as the sanctions were unveiled.
An NCAA spokeswoman declined further comment Wednesday on negotiations with Penn State.
Many alumni and some trustees were incensed over the unprecedented NCAA penalty ? which will cost Penn State tens of millions of dollars and likely cripple its football team for years to come ? and Penn State's quick acceptance of it.
A person with knowledge of the meeting said earlier Wednesday that trustees were to discuss whether Erickson had the authority to agree to the sanctions without first getting the board's approval. The person was not authorized to discuss the meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Some trustees had expressed concern that Erickson may have violated a board rule that says the board must authorize the signing of "contracts, legal documents, and other obligations."
The board statement made no reference to the proprietary of what Erickson had done, saying trustees held a discussion but did not take any votes.
"The board finds the punitive sanctions difficult and the process with the NCAA unfortunate," the statement said. "But as we understand it, the alternatives were worse as confirmed by NCAA President Mark Emmert's recent statement that Penn State was likely facing a multi-year death sentence."
La Torre said Wednesday that Erickson had authority to act without the approval of the full board.
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Shreveport Public Assembly and Recreation (SPAR), and Rock Solid Sports announce that Querbes swimming pool will be closed Tuesday, July 24, 2012 for maintenance.
The normal schedule will resume tomorrow, Wednesday, July 25, 2012.
For more information, call Rock Solid Sports at 318.861.4747.
The pools and pool schedule can be found at http://myspar.org.
Source: http://710keel.com/querbes-swimming-pool-closed-today-tuesday-july-24th/
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Category: Direct Hire Positions, General, Jobs
Posted on: July 24th, 2012
Location: Washington, New Jersey
Salary: 95,000 - 115,000
Established manufacturing company is looking for an experienced IT Manager to join their team.? This great opportunity will be responsible for:
The qualified candidate MUST have the following:
For immediate consideration please send your resume in MS Word format to kim@theassurancegroup.com.
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Source: http://theassurancegroup.com/2012/07/24/it-manager/
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Keith Bedford / REUTERS
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
By NBC News and wire services
Updated at 11:45 a.m. ET: Stocks took a tumble Monday, tracking global equity markets sharply lower, as Spain appeared closer to needing a sovereign bailout and fears grew that Greece may be approaching an exit from the euro zone.
The Spanish region of Murcia looked set to follow Valencia in tapping a government program to keep its finances afloat, while local media reported half a dozen regions were ready to do likewise.
German magazine Der Spiegel cited high-ranking representatives in Brussels saying the IMF may not take part in any additional financing for Greece. Inspectors from the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund arrive in Athens on Tuesday.
The Dow Jones industrial average was lately down 140 points, up from an earlier low of over 200 points. Overseas stock and commodity markets fell steeply.
McDonald's shares fell after the company posted results. Its chief executive officer said the results ?reflected the slowing global economy [and] persistent economic headwinds.?
?It was a wipeout in the overseas markets,? said Brian Battle, director of trading at Performance Trust Capital Partners in Chicago. ?We are going to echo that as confidence gets sucked out.?
The euro slid to a two-year low against the dollar and a near 12-year trough against the yen, pressured by fears that Spain may eventually need a full sovereign bailout.
Related: European slowdown hitting some states hard
Attention has again turned to the potential for a Greece exit from the euro zone. Alexander Dobrindt, a leading German conservative was quoted on Monday saying Greece should start paying half of its pensions and state salaries in drachmas as part of a gradual exit from the euro zone.
?We have the Spanish problem very high on the surface here, their 10-year rates are now trading at 7.39 percent and you've got Greece rates starting to rise again,? said Paul Mendelsohn, chief investment strategist at Windham Financial Services in Charlotte, Vt.
?Greece is beginning to come back into the headlines on top of Spain and that's what is causing the volatility; there are people out there who think we may be approaching the end game.?
Events in Europe looked set to overshadow a slightly better-than-expected U.S. earnings season. As of Friday, with around a quarter of S&P 500 companies reporting, about 70 percent have beaten expectations.
Last week the S&P 500 hit its highest level in 2-1/2 months but weakness on Friday and again on Monday could send it down to around the 1,340 level, which some analysts have flagged as an area of support for the index.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Dan Greenhaus, BTIG chief global strategist, offers insight on the morning market selloff.
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