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Saturday, December 22, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
China arrests nearly 1,000 doomsday ?cult? members
Agence France-Presse
BEIJING ? China has arrested nearly 1,000 people in a crackdown on a Christian sect that spread doomsday rumors and targeted communist rule, state media said Thursday ahead of the supposedly Mayan-foretold apocalypse.
The Christian-inspired group ?Almighty God? has been accused of spreading doomsday rumors apparently linked to the ancient Mayan Long Count calendar and urging followers to slay the ?red dragon? of communism, state media reports said.
Close to 1,000 followers of the sect, which state-run media labels an ?evil cult? ? the same description it applies to the banned Falun Gong group ? have been held in a nationwide crackdown that began last week, state-run CCTV reported.
Police detained more than 350 Almighty God members in the southwestern province of Guizhou, while in the northwestern province of Qinghai more than 400 were held for ?gathering unlawfully?, the Beijing Times reported.
Smaller numbers have been held in other areas across the country.
Almighty God predicts that three days of darkness will begin on Friday, and has called on its members to overthrow China?s ruling Communist Party, which it refers to as ?the big red dragon?, the state-run Global Times reported.
It has also told believers that a new era presided over by a ?female Jesus? has arrived and that tsunamis and earthquakes will rock the world, the Global Times said.
The apocalypse predictions have received widespread coverage in China, thanks in part to the success of the Hollywood disaster film ?2012?, which was inspired by the supposed Mayan prophecy.
Chinese state-run media have condemned the group in lurid detail, with the China Youth Daily reporting that Almighty God ?even uses ?sex communication?, calling on female members to use their sex appeal to seduce single men?.
The sect was founded in the early 1990s, but has remained secretive in the face of government intolerance of non-official religious groups.
Group members use pseudonyms such as ?Little White Rabbit? or ?Doggy? to conceal their identities, and are often not allowed to carry mobile phones or other communication devices, China Business View magazine reported.
China?s Communist Party does not tolerate challenges to its authority and has brutally cracked down on religious groups that refuse to toe the party line, including the Buddhist-inspired Falun Gong, which was banned in the late 1990s.
Authorities were shocked when Falun Gong was able to quietly mass thousands of silent protesters at key symbolic locations including Beijing?s Tiananmen Square and the central leadership compound of Zhongnanhai.
China has a long history of religiously-inspired anti-government movements, most notably the nineteenth century ?Taiping Heavenly Kingdom?, led by a Christian convert who gathered millions of followers in an attempt to overthrow the emperor.
Earlier this week CCTV quoted police in Qinghai as saying their investigation into the Almighty God sect was related to stability maintenance and would be linked to ?our anti-self-immolation fight?.
The comment was a reference to nearly 100 Tibetans setting themselves on fire since 2009 in protest at China?s rule of its Tibetan-inhabited regions, which include Qinghai.
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Should You Ditch Your Adjustable-Rate Mortgage? | Zillow Blog
Here are a few things to consider:
Factors at play
- Short-term interest rates are low.?Your rate is usually pegged to the 12-month Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate)?index. The value is currently at .84 percent, and your margin is most likely somewhere around 2 to 3 percent, call it 2.5 percent (index + margin equals your interest rate).
- Fixed-rate mortgages,?such as the 30-year fixed rate mortgage, make an alternative to a fixed-debt structure.
- You?ll need at least 3 percent equity in your primary home to refinance.
- Can paying down the principal balance justify the refi??The return on equity by means of payment reduction will far likely outweigh your money market returns. If, for example, it takes $50,000 to free up $400 per month, you?ll receive a 10.42 percent return on your money versus the 0.5 percent return from the bank.
Adjustable-rate vs. fixed rate
In a typical mortgage rate pricing pattern, you will usually see a spread of around 1 percent in a rate comparing a 30-year fixed rate mortgage with an adjustable-rate mortgage such as a 5/1 ARM. For example, borrowers on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace are currently being quoted rates of 3.24 percent for 30-year fixed mortgages and 2.4 percent for 5/1 ARMs.
So, with interest rates hovering near those historic lows, is now a good time to move from an adjustable-rate mortgage to a fixed-rate loan?
The answer depends on how long you plan to own your home and the amount of risk you?re willing to take when it comes to your monthly payments.
Switching to a fixed-rate loan would allow you to rest assured that your principal and interest payments would remain consistent throughout the life of the loan, whether you own the home for another three years or 30.
Sticking with an adjustable-rate mortgage, however, means that you?ll face annual adjustments to your interest rate and monthly payments. For a?3/1 ARM, for example, the interest rate will be set rate for three years, then will reset every year for the remaining 27 years of the original 30-year term.
If you?re convinced that you?re living in the home of your dreams, then the stability and reliability that a fixed-rate loan offers may be more appealing to you than facing the annual payment uncertainty. If, however, you?re likely to sell soon or tend to relocate often for work, then the lower interest rates and payments of an adjustable-rate mortgage might make more financial sense for you and your shorter-term ownership needs.
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Scott Sheldon is a senior loan officer and consumer advocate based in Santa Rosa, California. Scott has been seen in Yahoo! Homes, CNN Money, Marketwatch and The Wall Street Journal. Connect with him at Sonoma County Mortgages.
Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Zillow.
Source: http://www.zillow.com/blog/2012-12-21/should-you-ditch-your-adjustable-rate-mortgage/
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Red algae bloom closes Sydney's beaches, but probably not for long
Bloody waters before summer has even started may sound like a drag on tourism, but it's a mere drop in the sea for Australia.
A couple of young surfers play with a small wave during a morning surf at Coogee beach in Sydney, Australia, in October. A red algae bloom has closed 10 beaches so far in and around Sydney and up the more northerly Central Coast in Australia during the past 24 hours.
Daniel Munoz/Reuters/File
EnlargeDon?t worry. It?s not blood. It?s not even poisonous, just an irritant to skin and eyes and to anyone hoping for a swim now that summer?s finally about to hit Sydney.
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A red algae bloom has closed 10 beaches so far in and around Sydney and up the more northerly Central Coast in Australia during the past 24 hours.?And more beach closures could be on the way, say officials. But aside from some startlingly other-world pictures, it's not likely to scare away the tourists.
The "crimson tide," or an algal bloom that has variously been compared to shark attacks or oily tomato sauce in the Aussie media, washed up on Sydney shores earlier this week, temporarily closing famed tourist beaches like Bondi. But it doesn't seem like too many around here are worried.
Turns out the blood-colored algal bloom isn?t a result of pollution, but rather an upswelling of nutrient-rich waters that the buoyant algae can feed off. Two different blooms have apparently come from the same source and essentially floated to Sydney?s shores. Their ammonia-rich diet can cause skin and eye irritations but little else problematic, according to experts.?
"This bloom has likely occurred as a result of the upwelling of nutrient-rich deep ocean water on to the continental shelf," the Metropolitan Sydney, South Coast, and Hunter Regional Algal Coordinating Committees told media Tuesday.?They said tests had identified the algae as noctiluca scintillans or "Sea Sparkle" (for its phosphorescence) and pointed out that?most algal blooms last around a week.?
Despite the closure of Sydney?s favorite beaches on the cusp of a hot summer ? and a possible heat wave of a weekend, with temperatures predicted to pass 100 Fahrenheit ? it?s doubtful this red tide will cause any longstanding problems either for locals or the tourism industry. And in the meantime, not all of Sydney's beaches are closed, and there are plenty of hotels with swimming pools.
And anyway, Australia has faced much worse in the water: Real blood in the water with the odd shark attacks, or stings from one of the many species of?box jellyfish?like the Chironex fleckeri, the world?s most venomous animal. The sting from this particular jellyfish can cause death in minutes, according to Australian jellyfish experts.
It will take much more to keep people from hitting Sydney's beaches.
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According to some 2007 article within the Telegraph out of the United Kingdom, this extreme sport has decided to become a popular daredevil sport the same as bungee jumping and skydiving. The Shimano Di2 is built to last in fact it is also the bike that will withstand any weather condition. Road con ?
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Thursday, December 20, 2012
C.A.R.E. Announces New Member Additions for 2012 | Timeshare ...
Posted by admin on December 20th, 2012
C.A.R.E. Announces New Member Additions for 2012
C.A.R.E. (Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers) is pleased to announce that the organization added more than 15 new member companies to its membership roster in 2012 and now boasts more than 160 international members.
Among the new members for 2012 are Club Services International, Coastal Green Air of Florida, Connex UK & Ireland, International Travel Assets Developers S.A. de C.V., Perfekt Marketing, Crown Vacation Exchange, Equity Transfers International, Ideal Private Resorts, Resort Condo Incentives, The Resort Place, Travel for Net Group, Bedsonline.com, R&L Properties, Real Canadian Travel, RM Vacation Times, Leisure Getaways and Relax Travel S. de R.L. de C.V.
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Original Source: C.A.R.E. Announces New Member Additions for 2012
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The 10 Best Movies of 2012
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Courtesy The Weinstein Company.
For the second year in a row, there weren?t that many movies jostling behind the velvet rope to get onto my 10-best list. Maybe that?s because I felt ambivalent to negative about several films this year that seemed to resonate powerfully with other viewers.?Looper,?Beasts of the Southern Wild, and?Django Unchained?are three examples of movies I tried to feel passion for and finally couldn?t?much as I may have admired, respectively, Rian Johnson?s imagination, Benh Zeitlin?s community spirit, and Quentin Tarantino?s adamantine?cojones. Still, when it came down to distilling a whole year?s worth of viewing into just 10 titles, I found with relief that it was impossible to remain stingy with my accolades: There were enough films that genuinely thrilled me this year to fill up a list, and then some. Forthwith, in alphabetical order, my 10 favorites of the year, plus five runners-up:
Amour. I?ve sometimes felt queasy about the Austrian director Michael Haneke?s relationship to his audience: In movies like The Piano Teacher or Funny Games, his merciless commitment to showing us the worst human beings are capable of can feel manipulative and sadistic.* But in the admittedly hard-to-watch Amour?which bears agonizing witness to the decline of a Parisian octogenarian (the astonishing Emmanuelle Riva) before the eyes of her devoted but ultimately powerless husband (the equally great Jean-Louis Trintignant)?Haneke goes beyond facile nihilism to create a soul-wrenching portrait of love at the extreme edge of life.
How to Survive a Plague. If its essence could be bottled, David France?s fierce, heartbreaking documentary about the very early days of AIDS activism could serve as a tonic for demoralized political organizers, a bracing reminder that change is possible when a group of committed people come together to fight injustice, indifference, and prejudice. Even if you think you?ve seen every documentary you need to about the early days of the AIDS crisis (last year?s We Were Here, which focused on a small group of San Francisco activists, was exceptional as well), don?t miss this cathartic, inspiring film.
Lincoln. Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner?s warm, literate portrait of the 16th president in the last few months of the Civil War (and of his life) is like a treacle sandwich with the bread in the middle. But that bread is so substantial and so delicious that it?s easy to forgive the movie its sentimental opening and tacked-on, reverential coda. And while the cast as a whole is superb, Daniel Day-Lewis? quiet, meditative, deeply lived performance as Lincoln catapults him into the acting stratosphere.
The Master. Paul Thomas Anderson?s sixth film, a kind of twisted homosocial romance between a nascent cult leader and a damaged Navy vet who comes into his orbit in the first years after WWII, was the only movie this year so nice I reviewed it twice. OK, maybe ?nice? isn?t the best descriptor for a film that plumbs the darker recesses of both masculine psychology and mid-20th-century American culture. But The Master is original, startling, and bold, from the glorious 65mm cinematography by Mihai Malaimare Jr. to the unsettling soundtrack by Radiohead?s Jonny Greenwood. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix give performances that are somehow at once mythically impenetrable and alive with earthy detail. I also love that, even after three viewings, there are parts of The Master whose final ?meaning? continues to elude me: that nude sort-of-dream-sequence around the piano, for example, or Hoffman?s mysterious valedictory ?Slow Boat to China? serenade.
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. With its gradually unfolding murder-investigation storyline, starkly music-free soundtrack, and nightscapes straight out of a Rembrandt painting, Nuri Bilge Ceylan?s bleak Turkish procedural makes for a demanding but lavishly rewarding two-and-a-half-hour watch. In terms of sheer visual and narrative sophistication, this may be the most accomplished film I?ve seen all year?there isn?t an aesthetic detail it doesn?t get right. If it doesn?t get a best foreign-language film Oscar nomination, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia could easily disappear from sight for American audiences. Don?t let it.
The Queen of Versailles. Lauren Greenfield?s documentary follows a crazy-rich time-share mogul and his alternately appealing and appalling wife through the early days of the recession, as the house they were building in Florida?which was to have been the largest in the United States?goes from status symbol to albatross in the space of less than a year. The Queen of Versailles starts out as a portrait of two eccentric billionaires and their gaudy dream castle, then opens onto a critique of the predatory real-estate economy and culture of blind consumerism that made both their success and failure possible.
Silver Linings Playbook. I can enumerate its flaws on one hand?there?s the contrived subplot about bookmaking, Bradley Cooper?s textureless performance, and a storyline that is sometimes disturbingly close to a celebration of love as shared mental illness?while my other hand just keeps pressing PLAY again on the DVD player. David O. Russell?s movie is a little rough around the edges, but it bursts with energy, rhythm, and life. Like Cooper?s amateur ballroom-dancing duet with the delectable Jennifer Lawrence in the movie?s climactic dance-contest scene, Silver Linings Playbook is proudly, almost triumphantly imperfect.
Take This Waltz. Child-star-turned-actress-turned-director Sarah Polley?s second film proved that her first one, the prodigious Away From Her, wasn?t a fluke?Polley is the real thing, capable of coaxing alchemical moments out of actors and (especially in a virtuosic 360-degree shot late in the film) wielding the camera like an angel. Not everyone was convinced by this miniaturist portrait of a love triangle among Toronto twentysomethings, but the image of Michelle Williams, dizzy with new-hatched desire, swaying in a carnival ride to the strains of ?Video Killed the Radio Star? is one of the indelible memories of my movie year.
The Turin Horse. The self-proclaimed last film of B?la Tarr, the Hungarian director of such bleak masterpieces as S?t?ntang? and Damnation, The Turin Horse begins with a sly red herring, suggesting the story will follow Friedrich Nietzsche on the day when he embraced an ill-treated horse in the public square, then went mad and fell silent for the rest of his life. Instead, we follow the mistreated horse back to its home?a miserable hovel where a peasant lives in isolation with his grown daughter, repeating the same futile gestures day after day as they slowly but surely starve. The Turin Horse is a movie Samuel Beckett might have imagined, a seamless blend of humor and despair.
Zero Dark Thirty. Kathryn Bigelow?s controversial, pulse-pounding thriller about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, based on original reporting by screenwriter Mark Boal and starring the incandescent Jessica Chastain as a monomaniacal CIA operative, is maybe the only film this year that every American needs to see. Does it leave you certain how to feel about our country?s prosecution of the war on terror or about the role of torture in the bin Laden manhunt? No, it leaves you drained, sweaty-palmed, and morally queasy?sort of like the war on terror itself.
Correction, Dec. 20, 2012: This article originally misstated the nationality of Austrian director Michael Haneke. (Return to the corrected sentence.)
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