More dinosaur-smuggling cases likely

Mongolia's claim to a tyrannosaur skeleton that experts agree was smuggled out of the country has captured international attention. However, this dinosaur's situation does not appear unique.

Other fossils from the same species of Mongolian dinosaur, as well as other specimens linked to that fossil-rich country, are not difficult to find in auction house catalogs or on eBay.

They may not be for long: According to Robert Painter, the Houston-based attorney representing the Mongolian president in the tyrannosaur case, the Mongolian government is putting plans in place to monitor sales such as the $1.1 million purchase in May of the tyrannosaur at auction, in the hope of intercepting material taken illegally from within its borders.

Not the only one
The dinosaur skeleton, which Heritage Auctions put up for bid May 20 in New York, is a type of tyrannosaur called Tarbosaurus bataar. Its remains are plentiful in the Nemegt Formation within Mongolia's share of the Gobi Desert, where the only clearly identifiable Tarbosaurus fossils have been found. [ Up For Auction: A Natural History Gallery ]

Mongolian law in place since 1924 declares vertebrate fossils excavated within its borders to be state property and makes smuggling valuable artifacts, including fossils, a crime.

In the same auction, Heritage offered Tarbosaurus teeth and the skull of an armored dinosaur, called an ankylosaurid, which paleontologists said are also likely from Mongolia.

Mongolia's president, Elbegdorj Tsakhia, recently enlisted the U.S. Attorney's Office in his fight to have the skeleton returned to his country. No other items have been drawn into the court case.?

Easy to find
A cursory scan of recent catalogs from auction houses with a presence in the U.S. revealed that these sorts of offerings are not unusual. The auction house I.M. Chait offered the skull of a Tarbosaurus, also known as Tyrannosaurus bataar, for sale March 24, 2011, and a Tarbosaurus leg this past May 6. Skinner Auctioneers & Appraisers in Los Angeles offered two dinosaur eggs from Mongolia's Gobi Desert on June 2. Bonhams offered a Tarbosaurus skull on May 17, 2011, and, later in the year, on Dec. 11, offered a frilled Protoceratops skeleton found in the Djadokhta Formation, which is located primarily in Mongolia. (The remainder of the formation is in China, which also forbids the export of fossils.)

LiveScience attempted to contact these auctions houses. The only reply came from a representative of ?Skinner. "I can tell you that Skinner consignors are contractually obliged to state that they have free and clear title to the material they consign with us," Skinner's marketing director, Kate de Bethune, wrote in an email.

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Asked for comment on the Tarbosaurus teeth and the ankylosaurid skull, Heritage Auctions? co-Chairman Jim Halperin released a statement, saying: "Numerous unsupported allegations regarding these fossils have been reported in the news media ? all of which Heritage Auctions hopes will soon be clarified."

As for the Tarbosaurus skeleton, Heritage Auctions has defended Eric Prokopi, the Florida fossil dealer who sought to sell it through the auction house, and cooperated with the Mongolian investigation into the origin of the dinosaur. Prokopi has questioned whether the fossils truly came from Mongolia. "Other than (from) the diggers, there is no way for anyone to know for certain when or where the specimen was collected," Prokopi said in a statement. [ Image Gallery: Dinosaur Fossils ]

Auction houses aren't alone. A search for "dinosaur fossils mongolia" on eBay Wednesday yielded about 20 results, most of them claws.

Not a shock
While it's impossible to be 100 percent certain the Tarbosaurus fossils sprinkled around public auctions and eBay are from Mongolia, "we can be reasonably certain," said Mark Norell, a paleontologist with the American Museum of Natural History in New York who worked in Mongolia in 1990.

"I see it all the time, so it is not anything terribly shocking that some place would have Mongolia fossils for sale," Norell told LiveScience. While other specimens have not provoked attention from the Mongolian government, the nearly complete Tarbosaurus skeleton was too big to pass by unnoticed, he said.?

Paleontologists note that China and other countries have laws similar to Mongolia's that prohibit the export of fossils. However, fossils of Chinese origin are also easily found in the pages of auction catalogs and on eBay.

A watershed case?
The removal of fossils has been a problem for Mongolia during the last 15 to 20 years, amid the "chaos, poverty and corruption" during the country's transition from communism and a planned economy to democracy and a market economy, according to Puntsag Tsagaan, senior adviser to the Mongolian president.

"But now Mongolia has successfully overcome the transition, and it is one of the most fastest growing economies and maturing democracies in this part of the world," Tsagaan told LiveScience.

This loss of dinosaur fossils is likely to be a national priority in the wake of the parliamentary election that took place Thursday, Tsagaan said by email.

Work to that effect has already begun, according to Robert Painter, the Houston-based attorney representing Elbegdorj in the tyrannosaur case.

Elbegdorj has put together a working group to monitor auctions by well-known auction houses and eBay sales in the United States and elsewhere, Painter told LiveScience in an email.

"We hope that vigorous enforcement will help close this global marketplace for illicit fossils smuggled out of Mongolia," Painter wrote.

Follow Wynne Parry on Twitter @Wynne_Parry or LiveScience ?@livescience.? We're also on Facebook and ?Google+.

? 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48014513/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Bombs at homes of Iraqi cleric, militiaman kill 11

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CNBC: Murdoch on News Corp.'s breakup, successors

On the day that the company?s board of directors OK?ed the move to divide it into two units, Chairman Rupert Murdoch tells CBNC?s David Faber in an exclusive interview? that he?ll be an active Chairman in the new companies. He also says it remains to be seen if his children will want to fully take the reins of the businesses after he steps down.

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65 California state parks will remain open

SAN FRANCISCO ? ?With a busy Fourth of July week looming, California parks officials announced Thursday that 65 of the 70 state parks once slated to close Sunday due to budget cuts will remain open.

The move came after the governor signed a bill allocating new funds for the beleaguered parks system, and the state said it had reached agreements with nonprofits, local governments and others regarding 40 of the parks.

Deals with other groups were in the works for 25 more, the California Department of Parks and Recreation said.

The state had issued a list of 70 parks -- nearly a quarter of its entire system -- that it intended to close in an effort to cut $22 million from the parks budget. The cuts came as California struggles to bridge a $15.7 billion deficit.

Ruth Coleman, director of the state parks system, said the parks financial crisis has been difficult, but she was buoyed by the response from people who are passionate about the sites.

"We have re-energized the people who love parks, and they are stepping up and contributing to parks in all sorts of ways," Coleman said during a conference call with reporters.

Thursday's announcement was made after Gov. Jerry Brown partially vetoed a state parks funding bill, allocating $10 million in new funds rather than the $41 million that had been approved by the Legislature.

"I cannot fully support this action because proposed funding either takes from other important purposes or may violate the state's agreement with the federal government regarding the State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund," the governor wrote in his veto, referring to a pot of federal money the bill had sought to access for the parks.

Officials say the new funds will help buy time to finalize deals for about 25 of the once-doomed parks.

Though the state still planned to close five parks on Sunday -- Benicia State Recreation Area, the California Mining and Mineral Museum, Gray Whale Cove State Beach, Providence Mountains State Recreation Area and Zmudowski State Beach -- officials were working on finding a way to use some of the new funds to keep them open for a few weeks while deals are sought.

Some of the five park sites will still be accessible to the public despite the official "closure." For example, Coleman said people will still be able to access Gray Whale Cove or Zmudowski beaches, but services such as trash collection would be stopped.

The budget also gives the parks department $13 million in bond funds that can be used for projects meant to increase revenue at the parks to help make more money for the state.

Coleman said the money will fund better fee machines that take credit and debit cards. The state also is looking at making more cabins or alternative camping sites available as well.

The deals in place will allow the state to keep many of the parks open, while transferring operating costs to private and public partners, at least for the short term, parks officials said.

"We're grateful for the Legislature's help," said John Laird, California's secretary for natural resources. "It will give us a path to keep most, if not all, of the parks open."

Still, some saw the governor's partial veto as a loss for the state parks system's long-term prognosis.

"I think it's a lost opportunity to take action to reclaim our parks before it's too late. I worry that once they're lost, they may be lost forever," said Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, who co-authored the plan largely vetoed by the governor. "It's very hard to reclaim a resource like this once you've let it go."

Parks advocates believe that a longer term solution will lie in better public funding for the parks, not in deals with private operators.

However, previous attempts to secure long-term public funding through the ballot box have failed. California voters in November 2010 rejected Proposition 21, an $18 registration fee for vehicles that would have raised an estimated $500 million for state parks.

"In most cases states trying to outsource management of state parks is a stopgap measure," said Phil McKnelly, executive director of the National Association of State Park Directors. "One way or the other, if those parks are to be maintained, someone will have to find a way to get public financing."

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Analysis: EU looks for bold steps, but what about voters?

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - As Europe prepares a 20th attempt to tackle its debt crisis at a summit on Thursday, one point of discussion is getting little mention but worrying politicians perhaps more than anything else - how to keep voters onboard.

In the 2-1/2 years since the crisis began - during which time it has driven Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and now the island of Cyprus to seek rescues - a dozen EU governments have changed hands and several more are on rocky ground.

While popular protests have been widespread in Greece and Spain, they have been largely subdued in other countries, but that hasn't stopped the people expressing their frustrations and anger via the ballot box. And leaders are painfully aware.

That's why a report released on Tuesday by the EU's four most senior officials, which examines ways of overhauling economic and monetary union to strengthen it and shore up the euro, has a specific section on "democratic accountability".

But while the 7-page paper, to be discussed by leaders at the summit, goes into detail about what is needed on the economic and financial front - a 'banking union', steps towards budget sharing and a framework for political integration - the section on how to keep voters onside is just two paragraphs.

"Building public support for European-wide decisions with a far-reaching impact on the everyday lives of citizens is essential," one sentence reads, without explaining how that would be achieved.

In effect, Europe's leaders find themselves caught between the faces of a slowly closing vice, with political ambition and the aim of bringing about "more Europe" on one side, and the will of increasingly wary voters on the other.

They believe that to rebuild the European project - or, as one senior Brussels official put it on Tuesday, "correct the mistakes of the past 15 years" - they need to move rapidly towards a much deeper integration of the 17 economies in the euro zone, including in time the sensitive pooling of budgets.

But in doing that, and doing it rapidly since there may be little time left to save the single currency, they have to convince voters that it's the right thing to do and that it's going to make life better soon - even as growth contracts, unemployment rises and incomes and living standards stall.

Ask Germans whether they want to share more resources with Greeks or Italians and surveys show that most do not. Ask Britons if they want to transfer more sovereignty to Brussels so that Europe can be stronger and more stable, and they are very unlikely to agree. And politicians know it.

"We have to ask ourselves: is this just a way to get access to our resources, or does it bring some value-added to Sweden?" Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said on Wednesday in reaction to the paper on the future of Europe.

"I choose, at least initially, to be very critical because I think it is unclear."

The Czech prime minister, Petr Necas, was equally blunt, saying he couldn't accept any of the proposals in the paper.

If voters in Europe's northern countries are unhappy about shouldering the burden of helping southern ones, voters in the south are even angrier about conditions imposed by Brussels for its aid.

Mainstream politicians in Greece had to fend off a challenge this month from charismatic young leftist Alexis Tsipras, who calls EU austerity plans suicidal and wants to tear up Greece's bailout deal.

Italians have been drawn to the anti-establishment politics of a former comedian, Beppe Grillo, while Spanish youth have rallied to the "Indignados" street protest movement.

WIDENING GAP

Even seasoned Brussels diplomats, those who have been firm believers in Europe and the European Union project all their lives, say some of the proposals presented in Tuesday's report risk trying to go too far, too fast.

While several admired the longer-term vision the document presented, and saw it as a bold move to try to set out where Europe needs to go to survive, there was uneasiness about how to get there against a tide of popular dissent.

"The gap between a vision of a European end-state and the daily struggle of ordinary citizens is growing," said one diplomat in reaction to the report, drafted by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and the heads of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the Eurogroup, which represents euro zone finance ministers.

"You've got to bridge that gap or you put the whole enterprise at risk and end up losing the people."

The authors of the report hope that closer involvement of the European Parliament and national EU parliaments will help ensure that democratic accountability is maintained.

But while it is the only directly elected body among the EU institutions, the European Parliament is still not regarded by most of Europe's 500 million citizens as the guardian of their interests. Turnout for European Parliament elections has fallen at every ballot since 1979, when direct polling began.

And involving national parliaments more in the decision-making process is riddled with difficulties, not least because of the time taken to secure approval and the trade-offs that need to occur on a domestic front to secure support.

At a time when Europe needs quick and decisive decision-making, it can ill afford time-consuming domestic debates. But given the size and seriousness of the issues at hand, it can also ill-afford to ignore popular sentiment.

As a result, the leaders of the European Union find themselves at a critical juncture. The very framework of economic union and the single currency is under strain because of the debt crisis, widening banking-sector turmoil and the intense pressure of financial markets.

There is an awareness among leaders that a greater sharing of resources and liabilities - such as a move to jointly issued debt and tighter coordination of budget policies - is what is needed in the long-term to safeguard the project.

But it will mean surrendering sovereignty and transferring powers to Brussels, and citizens are worried by that.

The Netherlands, one of the six founding members of the European Union and a traditionally pro-EU country, is among those most disturbed by the direction policy is headed.

"About us, without us" read the headline in the popular De Telegraaf newspaper on Wednesday, in reference to the Van Rompuy paper and the upcoming summit, where it said the Netherlands was being left "outside the room".

Even Van Rompuy, who is responsible for liaising with the EU's 27 leaders and must act as a figurehead driving Europe forward, has expressed doubts about how possible it will be if citizens are not behind it.

"If we don't do this, the euro zone is not sustainable, and if the euro zone is not sustainable, a lot of people are afraid that the single market is not sustainable," he said this month, speaking of the process of deeper integration.

"We are in a stage, especially due to the Greek case, that we are, or we can be, in an existential problem, and that is something totally different."

(Writing by Luke Baker; Additional reporting by Niklas Pollard in Stockholm; Editing by Peter Graff)

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Police: Dylan McDermott's mother was murdered

Allen Berezovsky / Getty Images file

By Courtney Hazlett

Once considered a cold case, a reopened police investigation in Connecticut has determined that actor Dylan McDermott's mother was murdered by her boyfriend in 1967.

Diane McDermott was shot when Dylan was just 5 years old, and her death in February 1967 was originally ruled an accident. Waterbury, Conn., police reopened the investigation into the death of the woman?last year after Dylan McDermott contacted police with questions about her death, according to the Republican-American newspaper. Police told the paper that the evidence they found surrounding Diane's death was enough to file murder charges against John Sponza, who had ties to organized crime. Sponza, however, was killed in 1972, his body found in the trunk of a car in a Massachusetts grocery store parking lot, according to the paper.?

It was Dylan who personally asked police to re-examine the case, and Police Superintendent Michael Gugliotti told the Republican-American that Dylan?s celebrity didn?t factor? into the decision to reopen the investigation -- he would have done it for anyone coming in looking for answers.

Gugliotti did, however, ask Dylan why he showed up at police headquarters after so many years. ?His answer was quite profound,? Gugliotti told the Republican-American. ?He said, ?In order for me to survive and to get where I am today, I needed to bury that moment in my life deep within myself.? He said it wasn?t until recently ?that I?ve come to the point in my life where I?m able to begin to process all of this.?

At the time of the murder, Dylan was standing outside the door of his apartment; Sponza had just kicked him out. The paper reports that Dylan heard the gunshot, then, ?stood, stuck outside as police and an ambulance arrived. A gurney carried his mother from the apartment, her head bloody and bandaged from what would prove to be a lethal gunshot.?

Sponza was the only witness to that gunshot, and he told police that Diane had committed suicide, a lie that would hold up until now.

Among the findings that led to the police's new conclusion: the state medical examiner determined that the gun found near Diane McDermott's?body was too small a caliber to have been the weapon used to kill her, and the murder weapon had to have been pressed to the back of her head, according to the report.

Gugliotti also took issue with some of the original findings.

"What troubled me was that there was very little follow up other than the statement Sponza had given to police," said Gugliotti. "Sponza is telling the police that night that he very rarely, if ever, had arguments, yet everyone we spoke to, including Dylan, who was only 5 at the time, remembered very violent, vicious arguments. Dylan vividly recalls the amount of times, not only flashing the gun, but pointing it at the kid, saying, 'Shut up and get out of here.' He's still probably traumatized by that."

Dylan McDermott has yet to comment about the investigation, but his sister Robin Herrera said she's relieved by the outcome of the investigation. "I'm happy to know my mother wasn't mentally ill or depressed," she said. "Somebody took her from us; she didn't leave us."

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Seeking a partner & cohort!

I am looking for a descriptive player to play the male counter-part in a roleplay
I would really like to try my hand in. The concept is this: Two assassins in the
modern/fururistic age who work for separate rivalling factions that compete
for the dominacy for the ultimate 'order.' These bounty-hunter organizations
train and send out their best killers to take out corporate and political targets.
The setting is quite modern, set about two-hundred years in the future.

The Aphorics

The world has changed , despite little advancement in technology. The great countries are no longer controlled by the government, they failed about
seventy years ago after WWII. Instead, the world is stabilized by massive corporations and companies that dictate everything; military, health-care, etc.
They are referred to as Aphorics. Seventy-five perfect of the world is under control of Aphorics. Those who claim themselves independent nations and
still practice democracy or any other form of government are viewed as anti-aphorism countries. They are condemned as traitors and rebels and are at
constant war with Aphoric power.

There are eleven Aphoric entities in the world, each who operate their headquarters in one region in the world and control other branching companies
across the globe.These eleven Aphorics rule the world in a secret council of eleven individuals. Outwardly, and towards each-other, they are a unified power.
The entities are as followed:

Saikou Engineering. [Technology, Japan.]
The E.B.K (En Bekymmer Kare). [Healthcare, Switzerland.]
GPCOR (Global Power Corporation) Utilities. [Electricity & Water, Canada.]
Legion. [Military, Israel.]
LUNAR [Space Exploration, Unified Sates (formerly U.S.A)]
T.W.P.O (The World Preservation Order) [Environment & Waste, France.]
Gaia [Agriculture & Exports, Brazil]
The R.R.R (Revolution Research Russia) [Scientific Research, Russia.]
Dogma [Public Education, Germany.]
Aid [Global Social Services, U.K]
GOMM [Global Moderation of Entertainment and Media, China.]

These entities control all other lesser corporations. For instance, Saikou Engineering controls all the technology, production, trade, distribution, and
profit of any other business that deal with (for example) car manufacturers, cell-phone companies, and computer-software. They also deal with the more
extraordinary, such as robotics. The E.B.K controls all the hospitals, pharmacies, global aids, and research. The Leigon is the world's military force, comprised
for the former world's top forces. LUNAR controls anything to do outside the globe, and they have an operating base on the moon. T.W.P.O controls the
state of the environment and the thousands of Waste Management Centres spread out through the world. GPCOR controls any and all forms of power, and
the companies that provide it to the citizens of nations; they use only the most eco-friendly methods. Gaia controls any and everything to do with the production,
and trade of food & livestock, restaurants and food retailers, etc.The R.R.R controls many things: universal Scientology of any kind.The Dogma controls
all schools, colleges, universities, and what people are allowed to be subjected to through education. AIDis the world's global social services and protects what
it can for human rights and safety. GOMM controls all and any form of entertainment, television, music, books, media, etc.

The Nocrosis

The Aphorics are constantly conflicting with each-other and CONSTANTLY competing to to get their way, in every aspect, but they all rely on eachother to exist,
therefore the termination of any is never a valid comprise. Instead, they rely on organizations that are not affiliated with any power, but are permitted to exist.
These organizations train elite agents to perform espionage & assassinations -they are known as the Nocrosis, and there are hundreds of them spread out across
the world.

All Nocrosis powers are secretive and highly elusive, that is why corporations use them. Their work is generally untraceable and cannot be linked to an individual
or employer. For example, if a lesser company working under the R.R.R happened upon a new drug they desired to sell to the E.B.K, and the E.B.K desired the
potential profit of the drug, but the drug's production conflicted with AID's ideals, a company working for the R.R.R need only hire a Nocrosis to terminate the
opposing factor.Only conflicts on a tremendously large scale ever catch the attention of the Council, however, therefore small scale assassinations never
damage an actual entity as a whole. Rarely. Necrosis deal with other things, as well, such as anti-Aphoric rebels and their politicians, and gang-leaders, etc.

There are two main Nocrosis organizations, Quietus, Oblivion. They are rivalling assassin orders that compete for the favour and profit of employers
across the globe. My character would be from Quietus, and your's from Oblivion. You will be given free reign and on the creation, origins, and operations
of your Order. If you have read this far, thank you.

The Society

Society has changed DRASTICALLY and many new laws have been implemented. For instance, to control the threat of over-population, only married couples are
permitted to copulate and produce -one- child all their life. Offenders are prisoned if convicted. Secondary children are taken by a force known as 'The Requisition.'
The Requisition take multi-offspring and sell them to the military or a Nocrosis; it acts as a strict orphange, school, and training-camp until children come to the
age of 12 for distribution. Agents of a Nocrosis are only ever children taken and raised by The Requisition.

People are once again separated by class. There are four: Elites, Delegates, Artisans, and Vassals. Elites are owners, partners or executives (and their families) of
companies who work underneath an Aphoric. Delegates are those (and their families) who work for Elites or run small businesses that are allied with corporations.
People are not allowed to own private businesses. Artisans are the workers and the backbone of society. Vassals are the poorest of the poor or people unable
to work. Those who can work are taken by the Requisition and sold to Elites as cooks, maids, etc. Homelessness and poverty only exists in anti-aphorism countries.
The Aphorics also view handicaps and impairments as a dangerous threat to the longevity of the human race: if they are born as Elites or Delegates, they are funded
by the E.B.K to be rid of their afflictions. Artisans must pay to have their children checked as 'sound,' and if not, pay to fix their problems, or have them taken away
by the Requisition. Vassals must receive permission by AID to copulate; if they produce weak offspring, the children are taken by the Requisition. In most
circumstances, they are destroyed.

Society has become VERY eco-friendly. Committing any atrocities against nature (such as littering) is a grave offence and punishable by the Requisition. All cities and
towns function under a circular waste-economy and closed-loop concept that revolves around recycling and re-using. Education is available to ALL social Classes, but t
hey are separated by class. There are many other factions as well, such as mafia and gangs that hold the fa?ade of allies of the Aphorics, but secretly deal out drugs,
alcohol, pornography, prostitutes, bars, strip-clubs, etc ( all of which are illegal unless registered under AID). There are also black markets and underground rebel groups
that live in Aphoric nations.

The Requisition

All societies and corporations need a strong and formal law system. The Requisition is a separate and independent force that enforcers all and ever law underneath the
rule of the Aphorics. They oversee taxation, crime, and control a new system of laws and rights. Every Elite, Delegate, and Artisan is obligated to follow their laws, and
they control the lives of Vassals. Depending on social status, a citizen is eligible for levels of 'Service,' which include their health-care, protection, employment, etc. They
pay a certain amount of their wages and heavy tax depending on what package of 'Services' they desire. Vassals are not eligible for this. The Requisition moderates and
controls public behaviour through secret police forces. Magistres appointed by Aphorics speak on behalf of their authority in each city.

Our Story

By now, you should have a clear idea of what sort of world we live in. It is a controlled in every aspect, but we assassins of a Nocrosis - free from law and free from the
Aphroics. We follow a different order, and that is the order of our families. The plot will be centered around two assassins (a man and a woman) who will be ordered
to kill each-other. They are the top killers of Oblivion and Quietus, and can no longer compete. However, the twist is, they know each-other in their alter-life: the life
they pose in society when they aren't on the job. Overtime, they may even be hunted by their own people...
Note: This roleplay will contain adult-content: sexual themes, drugs, language & heavy violence.

Now, there was a LOT to read in there, and probably a bit of information you are still
iffy on. I am here to answer any questions and queries. I am looking for someone who
can post a happy medium of 500-800 words and play the male assassin. Thank you for
reading my idea...I look forward to playing with you!

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What are some low calorie foods for a vegetarian? - Plant Based ...

Whitty Asked: What are some low calorie foods for a vegetarian?

That will still get me full that is. I do eat dairy.
Please don't preach on your beliefs about vegetarianism. I'm not looking for that! LOL.
I just need to lose some weight before I pop.
Also I have recipes but I need foods I can eat throughout the day as I don't have time to cook!

Answers:

Cutie Kaylie Kay Answered:
Look up Emeril Vegetarian recipes. He does amazing work with creating healthy, delicious, vegetarian food dishes. I personally am not a vegetarian. I don't like vegetables all that much. But, I've tried his recipes and they are really great. It proves that even a non-vegetarian will be satisfied with his recipes. You should really try them. They're great. I hope this helped, hun. (:

justaguy Answered:
Pretty much any vegetable! lol but I do know there are a few vegetables like celery that actually take more calories to metabolize than the celery provides.

sindhu Answered:
Drink green tea or ginger tea.Lessen or remove foods that are high in fat and high in salt and sugar around your house. Sodas, candy bars, cookies, and other junk foods as well as beer and alcoholic drinks should be thrown away or kept to a minimum.

for more tips visit the link below

http://online-technicals.com/?p=1043

Me Answered:
Veggies?. duh!

They have almost no cals and they are great to make you feel full cos of fiber in them. You don't have to cook them, you can just ate them raw. They taste great. Or you can make some salad, it does not take more than 5 min. ^^

Got a better answer? Share it below!

Related posts:

1. Extremely low-calorie/fat vegetarian foods/recipes?
2. Low calorie vegetarian breakfasts?
3. I need a easy vegetarian low calorie recipe!?
4. Low calorie vegetarian/vegan recipes?
5. Please tell me some good low calorie but tasty recipe of quaker oats?

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Tea Leaves and Second Thoughts (Powerlineblog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Unborn twist: Gravestone for a hero, 60 years later

By Sharon Wright, NBCChicago.com

CHICAGO -- Firefighter John Francis Minich died after saving many lives from a burning building 60 years ago, but until Saturday there was nothing to mark his grave site.

?One of the lives saved that day [was] my mother, pregnant with me,? said Debbie McCann, who discovered Minich?s unmarked grave and brought it to the attention of officials.

The Chicago Fire Department along with the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 joined with McCann Saturday afternoon to honor the anniversary of Minich?s death with a permanent grave marker.

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See the original report at NBCChicago.com

His name is etched in granite at the Stockyard memorial and his badge is mounted on the Wall of Honor at the Quinn Fire Academy in memory of his heroic actions. However, there was nothing to honor the hero in the All Saints Cemetery, where his body was laid to rest.

?This was something that had to be made right,? said Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 President Tom Ryan. ?He gave his life and made the ultimate sacrifice for the people he served, and that needed to be recognized.?

McCann?s mother was one of 12 people Minich rescued during an arson fire on Oct. 25, 1952. After carrying the pregnant mother to safety, he took off his crucifix and put it in her hand, said McCann, who considered him her guardian angel.

Shortly after the rescue he collapsed and was taken to the hospital, where he died. Doctors described the cause of death as a heart attack and smoke inhalation. Minich was 43 years old.

Watch the Top Videos on msnbc.com

McCann began searching for her guardian angel and tracked down his grave site at All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines, only to discover there was no marker in place for this hero. She then worked with the cemetery?s field manager John Stewart to correct the oversight.

?She went to great lengths to contact our office,? said Ryan. ?She originally planned to pay for the headstone on her own.?

Ryan said he told her it was not necessary and motions were put in place for the permanent marker that now marks the place of a Chicago hero and guardian angel.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook

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Beirut Honors Friend of Israel, Again

For the second year in a row, the administration of the American University of Beirut (AUB) has come under fire regarding its decision to bestow an honorary doctorate on a candidate with a record of being outspokenly supportive of Israel.

Last year, the decision to honor former World Bank president James Wolfensohn, known for his political and economic support of Israel?s occupation of Palestinian lands, faced heavy criticism from students and faculty members of the university. Subsequently, a petition was drafted and garnered much support, resulting in Wolfensohn not attending the honoring ceremony.

This year, the AUB administration had decided to award honorary doctorates to three individuals, one of whom is Donna Shalala ? an American citizen of Lebanese descent who was Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Clinton administration and is currently the president of the University of Miami.

As president of the University of Miami, Shalala?s tenure has faced two major scandals. The first involved her handling of a custodial workers? hunger strike during the first quarter of 2006. Shalala was?heavily criticized?for living in luxury while custodians of the university received salaries lower than the living wage and were not even granted health insurance.

However, it is her relationship with pro-Israeli academic institutions, such as Bar-Ilan University, which are involved in the research and development of military technology used against Palestinian and Lebanese civilians, as well as her strong support for Israel that has caused great concern for students and faculty members of AUB.

According to an open letter drafted by a coalition of like-minded students, faculty members, and anti-normalization groups (refer to Box below), the decision by the AUB administration is seen as ?insulting? and ?shows a lack of concern for the fate of Palestinian victims of Israeli oppression, disrespect for universal human rights, and a disregard for the sentiments of the Lebanese community that supports Palestinian rights.?

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Furthermore, the letter notes that the decision backtracks on assurances made by the administration last year after the Wolfensohn incident to ensure that the process of selecting honorary doctorate recipients is transparent and respects calls to boycott Israeli institutions. Regardless of these assurances, the announcement of the honorary recipients was suddenly made less than a week prior to the honorary ceremony, which will be held this Friday.

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Israel?s?Jerusalem Post?noted in a?July 2010 article?that Shalala, who first visited the Zionist state as far back as the 1960s, is an adamant opponent of the boycott movement against the state of Israel.

Shalala?s 20-page?curriculum vitae?states that she received honors from at least two Israeli universities, including the University of Haifa in 1998 and the Technion Institute in 1994. Moreover, she was a member of the Jerusalem Committee within the?Jerusalem Foundation?from 1982 to 1992, a notorious organization that seeks to entrench and expand Zionist colonization of Jerusalem, and she was a consultant to theAmerican Jewish Committee?from 1970 to 1976. The American Jewish Committee is a hawkish pro-Israeli advocacy group that actively stifles any criticism directed towards the Zionist state. Presently, it is working on drumming up support against Iran?s nuclear program.

As a professed opponent of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement that seeks to pressure Israel to recognize Palestinian rights and end its persistent violations of international law, Shalala presided over aresearch collaboration agreement?in May 2011 between the University of Miami and Ben Gurion University that includes joint research, academic cooperation, and student exchange programs.

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In July 2010 Shalala took part in a delegation of American university presidents in a week-long trip to Israel in support against calls for an academic and cultural boycott of Israeli institutions. Shalala stayed behind for several more days to accompany a group from the University of Miami?s medical department that met with faculty members of Israel?s Bar-Ilan University as well as Israeli President Shimon Peres, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and other Israeli officials.

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Yet despite her support of Israel, Shalala was subjected to a ?humiliating? detainment and interrogation at Ben Gurion Airport prior to her departure back to the US due to her Arab background.

Upon returning to the United States Shalala excused the blatantly discriminatory treatment she faced, saying, ?While I was inconvenienced, Israel's security and the security of travelers is far more important. I have been going in and out of Israel for many years and expect to visit again.?

According to the AUB website, honorary degrees are awarded ?based on a record of scholarly excellence in a field of study in the sciences or humanities, artistic creativity, leadership, humanitarian service, or concern for the public good, as well as a demonstrated commitment to the humane and educational values that exemplify the?mission of AUB.?

Al-Akhbar?attempted to contact the AUB administration for comment, but repeated tries went unanswered.

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An Open Letter from anti-normalization groups at the AUB

Can AUB find only those Complicit with Zionism to Honor?

In the lead-up to last year?s AUB graduation, over one hundred of the university?s faculty members voiced their principled opposition to the bestowal of an honorary doctorate upon a former World Bank president with demonstrated political and economic connections to the Zionist occupation of Palestine.[1] In light of this petition, and numerous messages from AUB students and alumni, as well as others, James Wolfensohn decided not to attend the AUB commencement and was not awarded an honorary doctorate from AUB. In meetings that followed this event, university administrators assured AUB community members that awarding future honorary doctorates would be a more transparent process. The AUB administration also stressed, in a letter to the faculty, that ?as an institution of higher learning with an historic presence in Lebanon and the Middle East, AUB is deeply committed to upholding the essential values of academic Freedom, and will do so within the bounds of Lebanese law, which strictly prohibits collaboration with Israeli institutions.?

Directly contradicting this commitment to transparency, AUB administrators have chosen to announce the 2012 honorary doctorate recipients less than a week before the ceremony at which these awards are to be presented. More insulting to the AUB community, as well as to the society in which the university is situated, is that Donna Shalala, one of this year?s recipients, and the one set to deliver the Commencement address on June 22, has established clear academic ties with the Israeli apartheid regime and has been one of the leading voices opposing the boycott of Israel. AUB?s choice of honoree forces us to wonder whether this is no mere coincidence, whether there is a systematic and structural attempt to turn the AUB, through its administration and Board of Trustees, into a normalizing entity, violating the boycott principles that Palestinians under Israeli occupation have called for and that most advocates of the Palestinian cause have endorsed. This shows a lack of concern for the fate of Palestinian victims of Israeli oppression, disrespect for universal human rights, and a disregard for the sentiments of the Lebanese community that supports Palestinian rights.

Ms. Donna Shalala served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services for eight years under President Bill Clinton. In these eight years, her administration systematically brought about the starvation of the Iraqi people under one of the most brutal sanctions regime in human history; directly killing 1-1.5 million Iraqis, 225,000-500,000 of whom were children.[2] During her tenure as Health Secretary, she accepted honorary degrees from two Israeli universities: the Technion University (in 1994) and the University of Haifa (in 1998). After taking on the presidency of the University of Miami, she has worked to encourage partnership agreements signed between her university and Israel?s Bar Ilan[3] and Ben Gurion[4] Universities. In July of 2011, Ms. Shalala was awarded another honorary doctorate from the Ben Gurion University. At the celebration she stated that "I am honored to share this special day with the students and scholars at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. BGU proudly represents Israel's abiding commitment to the special values and tradition of higher education."[5] All four of these universities, as with most other Israeli universities, are deeply enmeshed in discrimination against Palestinian students, Israeli military training and the development of weaponry used against Palestinian and Lebanese civilians.[6]

Consistently misrepresenting the boycott of Israeli academic institutions as a boycott of Israeli academics, Shalala has been a leading opponent of the academic boycott. The highlight of her anti-boycott crusade came in July 2010 when she participated in a 13-member delegation of U.S. university presidents to Palestine organized by Project Interchange[7], an offshoot of the Zionist lobby group?and leading proponent of a U.S.-led war against Iran?the American Jewish Committee. The dual purpose of the delegation was to engage these university leaders in developing partnership with Israeli academic institutions?a goal clearly achieved with the University of Miami?s subsequent partnerships?and to fight the academic boycott.

Less than a month before travelling with the delegation, Shalala told the Jerusalem Post that she had ?joined the presidents of the major American universities to denounce the boycott of Israeli academics. I sent a personal letter to the presidents of universities here, as did the other presidents, promising there would be no boycott in the United States and that Israeli scholars would always be welcome in the US.?[8] Ironically, but far from surprisingly, Shalala?s Lebanese surname resulted in her detention and humiliation for over two hours by Israeli airport security.[9] Astonishingly, she shrugged off this act of racism by saying: "While I was inconvenienced, Israel's security and the security of travelers is far more important."[10]

As with Wolfensohn before her, there can be no doubt that Shalala is an accomplished individual, and even that many of her accomplishments may have benefited groups of people. There are hundreds of people around the world, however, who have done a great deal for humanity without also being complicit in crimes like the sanctions imposed on the Iraqi people, or with the apartheid regime of Israel.

Why are AUB administrators adamant in selecting those marred by such complicity for the bestowal of honorary awards? What makes AUB ignore the ongoing calls and petitions from its own community and the community at large to abide by the principles of academic boycott? What was the role of numerous lectures, conferences and seminars on the Arab Spring held this past year at AUB, if they failed to inspire the AUB administration and community to understand the basic value that led to these revolutions, namely: dignity. Why would AUB advocate for a candidate for an honorary doctorate by pointing to their ethnic origin without pointing to their moral principles? These questions are not addressed to the AUB administration, which seems to be disrespectful of voices of its own students, faculty, and staff, and unconcerned to open a dialogue with its own constituency, but to the community in which AUB is embedded. It is about time for the community to oblige AUB to act as an institution embedded in a society that stands by moral principles of humanity, dignity, and equal rights.

[1]?http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=1621
[2]?http://www.globalissues.org/article/105/effects-of-sanctions
[3]?http://sizedoesntmatter.com/research/israel-us-med-schools-sign-deal/
[4]?http://www.aabgu.org/media-center/news-releases/bgu-and-university-of-mi...
[5]?http://www.aabgu.org/media-center/news-releases/bgu-awards-shalala.html
[6]http://alternativenews.org/images/stories/downloads/Economy_of_the_occup...
[7]?http://projectinterchange.org/?page_id=36
[8]?http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=181131
[9]?http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3931210,00.html
[10]?http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/07/1765823/um-shalala-treated-as-secu...

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http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/beirut-honors-friend-israel-again

Posted on 21-06-2012

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Abertis to sell 7% of Eutelsat to China Investment Corp

Spanish infrastructure operator Abertis Infraestructuras SA said Friday it has agreed to sell 7% of French satellite operator Eutelsat Communications to China Investment Corporation.

The Barcelona-based operator of toll-roads, airports and telecommunications infrastructure, said in a filing with the stock market regulator that CIC will pay 385.2 million euros($487 million) for the stake. The transaction will result in a capital gain of EUR237 million for Abertis, which will hold a stake of 8.35% in Eutelsat once the transaction is completed.

Abertis has shed assets in recent months to cut down on debt and is focusing on strategic highway operations.

CIC is a state-owned investment vehicle that seeks to diversify China's foreign exchange holdings. It invests globally on a diversified range of asset classes.

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Rise of the robots: The man versus machine advisor debate

When it comes to investing, a new article written by Nick Shalek?claims that software is better than 99 percent of humans when it comes to financial advising. His post has spread around the industry like wildfire, with wildly mixed reviews.

By Joshua M. Brown,?Guest blogger / June 22, 2012

Trader Stephen Guilfoyle, center, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, June 22, 2012. A new article suggests that when it comes to investing, computers are better than a real live analyst. The Reformed Broker's not so sure.

Richard Drew/AP

Enlarge

In 1998, the prevailing wisdom was that e-retailing made sense for every vertical and that all entrenched businesses would eventually fall to a new category-killer, brick-and-mortar was finished forever.? Which turned out to be true for some industries (books, music), half true for others (apparel, autos) and not true at all for a few (supermarkets - anyone seen Peapod lately? Webvan?)

Skip to next paragraph Joshua M. Brown

Joshua has been managing money for high net worth clients, charitable foundations, corporations and retirement plans for more than a decade.

Recent posts

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So is financial advice like selling CDs?? Or is it, in fact, about relationships and confidence more than anything else?

I firmly believe that wealthy people will always prefer to get financial advice from living, breathing, thinking people rather than software.? They are happy to pay so as to have real relationships with their estate planners, financial advisors, CPAs and private bankers.? This seems obvious to me and probably to you.? But it is not obvious to many others.

I don't know Nick Shalek but he seems really smart and well-intentioned in what he's trying to say here:

Thankfully, Software Is Eating The Personal Investing?World (TechCrunch)

The gist of his article, which is very good, is that software is better than 99% of humans who attempt to invest money.? His post has spread around my industry like wildfire and the reactions to it are all over the map.

I've been asked three times about what I think of his spiel, so I'll give you some bullet points of my reaction to this argument in its entirety, not just Shalek's rendition:

1.? I agree with him that simple is better, all new investors should begin with low cost index funds and set up their accounts to automatically add the same dollar amount to them on a regular schedule - regardless of price or market conditions.? They should certainly not begin by following stock picks from gurus or rodeo clowns on TV.

2.? I agree with him that machines remove the fear-and-greed cognitive foibles from the equation - but what Shalek doesn't get is that investors actually have to learn these foibles firsthand by messing up.? They also need to learn their own risk tolerance by making mistakes with fear and greed and dealing with the consequences.? Otherwise, they'll never improve and be confident in how their money is invested.

3.? Shalek has a great premise but then he completely screws it up by bringing the online investment advisor sites into the discussion as some kind of solution.? He casually mentions them like "these guys are fine, whatever" but the truth is that they are not a solution for anyone in need of real financial advice and they will be pivoting to a more human approach very soon anyway.??I cover this?here.? My friend Leigh Drogen smashes them for an entirely different reason - their reliance on MPT and EMH in the strategies they run.? I won't digress here on that,?read Leigh's piece?for the final word. I'm going to go ahead and assume that Shalek is a VC backer of one of these online advisor sites or some entity he is affiliated with is or his friends are.? I could be wrong, don't feel like looking it up.? His post appears on TechCrunch and they love having authors post "articles" about companies they're invested in, it's practically become an art form over there.? The bottom line is that one or two of them will be successful but most won't and will disappear.? Also, they will never truly compete with financial advisors to the HNW channel who have real account minimums.? They will compete more with the Fidelitys of the world.

4.? He also trots out the whole "market-timing is dangerous" trope that Merrill Lynch and Charles Schwab have been sending you postcards about every month for the past 20 years to justify a buy-and-hold mindset.? And that stupid "if you missed the best 5 days your performance would have only been...".? We've actually done the homework on that ol' chestnut - turns out if you missed the?worst?5 days or months or whatever, you were even better off.? And just so you know - those "best 5 days" are usually bear market rallies that occur as corrective counter-trends in the context of vicious bear markets in which they're enveloped.? The Dow doesn't go up 400 points in a day unless it's down 900 over the prior few weeks.? Go look those "best days" up and when they've occurred - usually very nearby the worst days.? Nick, some of us can "time markets" even though we don't necessarily use that term; some of us have the tools or the products or the platforms that allow us to get more heavily or lightly exposed at different points in time.? In a secular bull market this kind of risk modulation is not necessary, but is that what this last 12 years in the market has been?

5.? This is perhaps the heart of the matter: Financial advisory is only partially about running the money and most advisors outsource at least a portion of that particular aspect anyway.? Shalek has never served as a personal financial advisor (I don't believe he has based on his available bio) so I'm not sure he understands how much more is involved than simply the asset management part.? I don't run every penny I manage and software does most of the heavy lifting in terms of posture, stock selection, research, implementation, rebalancing etc.? If only the whole job consisted of simply running the money!? I'd be on a chaise lounge all year!? He seems almost clueless about what clients come to advisors for in the first place.? Can you imagine a wide swathe of wealthy people going through a year like 2008 with their money entrusted to a fucking website?? Emailing some knwo-nothing helpdesk kid in Bangalore who's pretending his name is Ralph while the world and its markets are imploding?? GTFO.

6.? Last thing - at turning points, the machines will miss the most important things.? Many humans will too, don't get me wrong. I spent an hour and half on the phone with a team running tens of billions of dollars for State Street Global Advisors about a new product we may bring on to our platform.? Their offering is quantitatively based but run by guys with hardcore fundamentalist chops and tendencies.? "Why?" is the question we asked.? The answer, which they've likely been delivering to every sovereign wealth fund and pension fund and endowment who've asked them, is that you can't trust machines implicitly in a world where policy and politics have replaced economics - a perfect summation of this era we find ourselves mired in now.? The machines cannot read policy.? It is also crucial to understand that at inflection points, the algo or software is going to probably do the exact wrong thing, because that is the essence of an inflection point - a point at which the way forward is totally obvious to almost all market participants.? At a certain point someone needs to think differently and by definition, the machine can't do it.

Anyway, that's where I stand on Nick Shalek's piece and the Man vs Investing Machine debate in general.? I'd love to be proved wrong and be able to entrust 100% of my clients assets and needs to a software program, but I live in the real world, not?Disruption Hippie?Land where every single industry can, should and will be broken just for the sake of breaking it.

Software is good, smart people employing software is better.

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here.To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on www.thereformedbroker.com.

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CAM: What does the Science Say?

Local Health Practitioners Fusing Science with Ancient Healing Arts

12792 Valley View St., Garden Grove, CA 92845 ? when most people think of massage or acupuncture, they probably are not thinking mainstream medical science. But, Acupuncture of America in Garden Grove is on a campaign to help people redefine their terms. The National Institute for Health is a government organization dedicated to helping Americans live longer and happier lives, no matter what form that health care may take. They help improve quality of life by exploring research in all areas of medicine. At the dawn of the 21st Century, the NIH has taken on the responsibility of committing more and more resources to getting down to just how effective Complementary and Alternative Medicine really is at combating some of today?s most common ailments. As with any thoroughly researched treatment modality, the results are mixed. However, concerning CAM the research has a decidedly positive trend.

While components that comprise the medical treatment battery known as CAM such as chiropractic, massage, and acupuncture have been used for thousands of years, they are just now gaining favor in modern Western medical science. In fact, these treatments are enjoying an unprecedented level of acceptance right here in Garden Grove, California. It is no secret that the professionals at Acupuncture of America have years of specialized medical training and can cure just about any ache or pain. Despite all of this, what does the science say? Thanks to research done by the NIH and other organizations, we are one step closer to an answer.

Recently, the organization has taken on one of the most ubiquitous breathing conditions that affect millions of men, women, and children every year: asthma. Asthma is an incurable condition that makes breathing nearly impossible for sufferers of all ages. Many people describe an asthma attack like drowning; they just cannot seem to take in enough air for their lungs to process. They are constantly short of breath and lung function becomes severely restricted. Research scientists at the NIH treated the control group with inhalers and the test group with CAM therapies. The study concluded that more research was needed, although some CAM approaches showed symptomatic improvement in asthma patients. They were also very careful to point out that these types of treatments should be done in conjunction with primary health care physicians, not instead of them.

Concerning general pain management as well as pain experienced in the lower back, the results are much more promising. A 2010 study released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality demonstrated that CAM therapies including massage, spinal manipulation, and acupuncture provided a high degree of relief for patients that experienced limited success with conventional Western medical techniques.

Of course all of this scientific data is pointless if patients choose an unlicensed or inexperienced practitioner. People should realize that, as with any medical discipline, acupuncture, chiropractic, and other bodywork professionals should have the proper training and supply these credentials upon request. The experts at Acupuncture of America not only have these highly sought-after credentials, but they also have the experience necessary to treat a wide range of conditions. Furthermore, they have the science to back them up!

Contact: 714-898-2580
http://www.acuofamerica.com

Visit us at: http://www.acuofamerica.com

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Toddler and dog...WWYD when visiting family?

Author Message Anonymous

My sister and her dog and myself and my toddler will all be staying at my parents home this wknd. I have a general but not over the top distrust of dogs with children. My family dog bit my sister unexpectedly growing up and we chose to send him off to a childless family. Given that both the child and the dog will be out of their home environments, I am even a little more wary than I might be otherwise and the dog is a recent adoption (maybe 6 months ago). Anyway, that's the backstory, no drama, just wondering what precautions you would take. Thanks! Anonymous

Never leave them alone together. Closely supervise. But I do that with my OWN dog and toddler. Anonymous

How old is your toddler? I've taught mine to stick out his hand and wait for dog to sniff / lick / examine. Other than that, I'm not sure.... I'm not really comfortable with dogs around children myself. That said, most of my friends with dogs know if their dogs tolerate kids or not, and put them in the yard or garage or crate if they themselves are nervous. GL! Anonymous

Don't know that this will help, but sharing my recent experience as DD recently got "snapped at" by a dog my neighbor was keeping for the weekend.

DD and the dog have been around each other several times previously with no incidents, but this time I guess the dog was nervous or tired or whatever. He didn't break DD's skin or anything, but she definitely felt it.

They had been around each other for about 30 min, I am always there and never leave her alone with the dog, always make sure DD is gentle and waits a few min before that initial reaching of the hand out for dog to sniff and get to know, etc. He had been a bit grumpy generally, and may have been upset as his owner had just come back from her trip and was holding DD. DD got off the owner's lap, came to sit on the sofa next to me, and then crawled on my lap. Dog was on the other side of me, DD half-reached her hand to dog, dog snapped at her arm.

Don't know what precautions you can take other than the above and being sensitive to the dog's mood. This dog is not known as a biter, but every dog is potentially one/can be overwhelmed, upset, etc. Also, this dog lives with just the owner, i.e. one adult, no kids, so hopefully your sister's dog is used to children.

It could be that nothing at all will happen. But there's always that chance...

Anonymous

Do you know what kind of dog it is? As far as what breed? Anonymous

He is mostly boxer, but not completely known heritage. Dd is 19 mo. And at a minimum I won't leave them alone together, but as pp's story shows, a nip could still take place...I will just try to keep them relatively far, but I don't want to constantly be making a big deal about it. Would prefer to have some rule in place, like dog outside while kid is up, but we are going to be outside too at times. Anonymous

Look. If the dog snapped at the kid, he didn't almost bite her. Dogs know what they are doing with their mouths. That was a warning. Anonymous

Keep your eye on your DD and make sure she gives the dog some space. The PP suggestion to let the dog approach you is a good one. I have two kids and a great family dog but even he got annoyed when our inlaws' 4 y.o. girl followed him everywhere and sat next to his bed for extended periods. He never growled or bit but did get a dour look on his face. As this dog is relatively new to your family, also watch out for food aggression, playfulness that leads to nipping and general dislike of children. Anonymous

I obviously don't know where you'll be staying, but if I was your sister I wouldn't be ok with my dog being outside all of the time your DD was awake. I would end up staying somewhere else. What about a baby gate at the kitchen so the dog can still be with everyone and interact, but they won't physically be together?

I have small dogs that my nieces and nephews know to just ignore and our big dog just knocks them over on accident sometimes other than that they're fine together but we use the baby gate if they need a break from each other

Anonymous

you can't kick the dog outside the entire time your kid is awake, especially in this heat. Try to keep them apart.

Agree with 17:09--put up a baby gate so the dog can still interact and see, but is out of the way.

Anonymous

Here's a novel idea--call your sister. Ask her what you can both bring/prepare to make sure everything goes smoothly. You may find that she is more uptight about this than you are. My dog is a complete sweetheart and fantastic with my kids but I always watch him like a hawk around other kids. I tend to put him upstairs or in another room whenever I can just do I can relax. Obviously that wouldn't work for a whole weekend but my point is don't assume your sister isn't going to be on top of this herself. If you really want to get off on the right foot, bring a special toy or treat for the dog to "console" him (really your sister) about being second fiddle or being confined, offer to take the dog for a walk while your sister plays with DC, and give the dog extra pets while your DC naps. I know it sounds silly but you want to make it clear that you don't think the dog is a bloodthirsty monster, you're just trying to err on the side of caution. Anonymous

This is an issue near and dear to my heart because my SIL and BIL (who have children) have had three dogs we've had to contend with. I'm an animal lover, but it pisses me off to no end when people elevate their animal's contentment to the same level as my child's safety. (Not saying that's what your sister is doing, just getting up on my soapbox for a minute.) My SIL and BIL had a dog who has actually bitten nearly every one of us, but that they claimed would never bite children. Luckily, he never did. He did growl once or twice and my husband punted him like the little football he looked like.

I'd just say that you should keep a close eye on them while they are in the same room and, provided the dog is friendly, use this opportunity to teach your child "dog etiquette" (put out your hand, don't pet underneath-- my 2 year old always seems to unknowingly reach for dog's genitals, don't pet "backwards," etc.) If the dog is skittish around your child, I'd strongly consider asking to keep the dog outside or gated in another room. Of course, if I felt like my kid's safety was at risk, I wouldn't give a lick if Fido felt left out.

Anonymous

OP why you refer to yourself as "myself"? Is there something wrong with "I"? As in "My sister and her dog and my toddler and I..."). I've noticed this strange affectation pop up over the past few years and I'm wondering there's any particular reason for it.

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