12 pop-culture trends that can stay in 2012

By Courtney Hazlett, TODAY

OPINION: Wouldn't it be great if the promise of a new year also meant a promise that some of pop culture's more odious trends could be left behind?? Here are 12 I could happily leave in 2012.

Getty, Reuters, YouTube

Blow us a kiss goodbye? Lindsay Lohan, left, a galloping PSY, center, and Brad Pitt mumbling for Chanel.

Gangnam style
More than 2 billion people have "liked" the video for "Gangnam Style" on YouTube since it debuted there on July 15, and I can firmly assert that I am not among them. I can appreciate a good earworm; I've been caught humming "Call Me Maybe." But I see no up side to the irritant that is PSY. The dance moves are unflattering, the melody nonexistent. And then it gets stuck in your head. Please: no more.

Lindsay Lohan
I'll keep this brief. Lindsay, I want the best for you, I do. But in 2013 I'd like to not read a word about you. Please stay away from clubs. Call a cab. Pay for everything.

Bad celeb ads
I get it -- endorsements are easy money. Signing on to be the face of a product is little work for a whole lot of dough and if Chanel came knocking on my door, I'd take the gig -- this is the one thing Brad Pitt and I have in common. But I'd want the ad to be spoof proof. Not just to save ego, but because it's not good for the career when you're starring in a film and all the viewer can think of is your silly perfume ad.

Rihanna?s Instagram
The photo-sharing social network, Instagram, has been under scrutiny lately for its advertising policy, but the real scandal is the fact that it allows Rihanna to play along. Sadly, it's a job requirement to keep track of her feed -- how else would I know if she and Chris Brown were together again? How else would I know if she had a new tattoo, or if the skin on her upper thighs was blemish-free? Sharing is one thing, over-sharing another.

Deciphering greater meaning in celeb tattoos
If a celebrity gets a tattoo and doesn't take an Instagram picture of it, does the tattoo exist? Does it have MEANING? Ink up your skin all you want, kids, but let's not spend another moment wondering what its place is in the universe.

The wardrobe malfunction down south
If you're a celebrity and your stylist can't find an undergarment that works with your particular dress, you should probably get another stylist.?

Bump watching
People are either pregnant or they are not. And until someone decides to make it known that their uterus is occupied, we, the public, just cannot know more. I'm fine leaving it at that. (And I never thought the day would come that I'd write this: Thank you, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. You did you part by sparing us from this ritual before the request even went out. Congrats on your baby-to-be.

Kimye, or any other lovers' contraction
The ill-fated romance between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez kicked off the trend, and since" Bennifer" made it into the lexicon there appears to be some strange, unwritten obligation to give all celeb couples the same treatment. Here's the thing: Bennifer worked. It rolled off the tongue, it saved headline space.? But Kimye, for the aforementioned Kim and Kanye? No.

Celebs 'quitting' twitter
And by quitting, I mean making a grand "I am not doing this any more" gesture and then rejoining. Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown, Alec Baldwin are all offenders. You're either in or out, folks. Commit.

Teen Mom tweets
Speaking of Twitter: Admittedly, I have a strange fascination with "Teen Mom" (especially "Teen Mom 2"). But their tweeting habits -- the fighting, the new baby news, the marriages, the obvious amount of time they're spending on the social network and not with their kids -- ?it's too much.

The television over-think
You guys, don't ruin shows you love by thinking too hard about everything (Yes, I'm talking about "Homeland" here). Remember, this television-watching stuff is supposed to be fun.?

Madonna's concert stunts
Hopefully, the finale of Madonna's MDNA tour will put an end to her well-publicized concert stunts, but in case that's not her plan ... Please stop waving guns and dedicating stripteases to children shot by the Taliban. The stunts are so commonplace, it's hard to actually get mad about them, instead they're just really?irritating?and tired.

But let's end on a positive note; there were some great pop culture standouts in 2012. ?

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee was great comedy and a perfect use of the digital medium.

Alec Baldwin's "Here's the Thing" podcasts for WNYC are real gems -- if you've never listened to any, trust me when I encourage you to check out the subjects that have no initial appeal. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Jimmy Fallon and the Roots can put their classroom-instrument spin on any song as far as I'm concerned, and Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield proved that celebs can be just plain nice.

Here's to more of that in 2013. Happy New Year!

Related content:

Source: http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/31/16045683-12-pop-culture-trends-that-can-stay-in-2012?lite

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Are EV's Ready to Meet Society's Demands?

What has not been said of Electric Vehicles? A Google search of ?EV? results in 71,900,000 hits. Talk of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and all-electric vehicles (EV) have given society both hope and confusion.

Depending on what you read and hear, it?s highly questionable if EVs are truly gaining traction. If gaining traction means slowly nudging forward towards the industry?s overzealous market projections, then one could say the industry is growing. But overall, it is safe to say EV sales have been disappointing and well short of expectations.

Customers are caught between a rock and a hard place between the cost, range, and recharging time of EVs and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curb climate change, which is here and now and getting worse before our eyes. Yet, sometime in the future, in one form or another, EVs have to be successful. Our future depends on it.

Today, the lines are drawn between the technologists who developed the advanced battery technologies powering EVs, the environmentalist who look at EVs as a salvation to global warming and a cleaner environment, the marketers who see EVs as the next major paradigm shift and a huge market opportunity, and finally the consumers who a sit on the sidelines knowing that EVs pose many economic and unanswered questions.

Anyone, other than those in the O&G industry, would be foolish to support the ongoing use of fossil fuels in the transportation sector. Those against finding a cleaner and more economical solution are as illogical as a member of the NRA still supporting retail sales of assault weapons with +30 cartridge magazines.

One item needs to be cleared up, that is EVs claim of zero-emissions. In of themselves, battery powered vehicles do not emit pollutants. However, electrons flowing out of rechargeable batteries are generated at the utility level primarily from greenhouse emitting coal and natural gas, see following chart. So from a life cycle perspective, EVs are not zero-emitting vehicles.

The hope that clean sources of energy from solar, wind, hydro and geothermal will replace dirty fossil fuels to generate electricity remains bleak in the near and not too distant future. U.S. net electricity generation from renewable and clean sources of energy showed only a 2% increase from 1993 to 2011 and is projected to increase only another 3% by 2040. Without exception, a sad state of affairs!

Related Article: GM Experiences Record Sales for Eco-Friendly Cars

Safety of EVs remains another concern. Long battery runtimes have been achieved by packing more active material into a cell by making the electrodes and separator thinner. This enabled a doubling of energy density since lithium-ion was introduced in 1991. Battery developers are not foolish and have engineered-in safety systems, which prevent them from getting too hot or over-charged. The lithium-ion cells have to be pushed to extreme lengths to get them to overheat, break or explode?lengths well beyond their safety limits. The concern stems from the limited time EVs have been in the field. Testing technology under pristine or controlled conditions is one thing, operating in everyday situations by the general public is entirely an entirely different matter.

According to UL?s report Powering the New Generation of Electric Vehicles, ?Beyond the technical sophistication of electric-powered vehicle propulsion, EVs require a complex system of electrical and electronic components to support the recharging of the vehicle?s on-board batteries. On the other side, an electrical system is required to provide the requisite power to recharge EVs. These on-board and off-board systems and components must be designed to integrate seamlessly with one another to ensure a safe, convenient and trouble-free experience for consumers. On-board and off-board charging systems typically include some or all of the following individual components?: EV on-board and off-board components?:

Related Article: Solar and Big Oil Join Forces in Middle East

On the Utility side, an article ?Utilities Conflicted Over Electric Cars? stated:

??.. electric car charging at 120-v will draw about 1500 watts of power, similar to a large microwave oven, or small air conditioner. Both the LEAF and VOLT will also charge at 3300 watts (240-v) potentially exacerbating the concern.

??.. By itself this draw will have a negligible effect on the grid. What the electric companies fear, however, is clustering of EV owners within certain neighborhoods, potentially taking own local transformers.?

??.. ?nightmare scenario? is described as a hot summer afternoon when a cluster of EV owners come home to their neighborhood, turn on their air conditioners, microwaves plasma screen TVs, and plug in their electric cars all at the same time.?

??.. doubling the load of a conventional home, It?s a big problem.?

?The utility infrastructure was built for something completely different. Neighborhood concentrations pulling new EV loads at 6 p.m. on still-hot afternoons could be disastrous for local distribution grids.? That?s one reason he?s hoping to see continued, and expanded, federal incentives to build out infrastructure for electric vehicle (EV) charging. Targeted charging technology would let utilities ?talk? to chargers and spread out the demand and underpin the incentives to integrate an array of ?smart? technology across the electricity system.?

Another form of EVs that is starting to emerge is hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. (FCV). FCVs run on hydrogen gas rather than gasoline. Fuel cells convert hydrogen gas stored onboard with oxygen from the air into electricity to drive the electric motor that propels the vehicle. ?FCVs have greater range and shorter refueling times than battery-powered ones and can be used in large vehicles like trucks and SUVs. But the processes used for extracting and transporting hydrogen can be energy intensive and rely on fossil fuels. Besides the high price of FCVs, one major barrier to wide-spread adoption of fuel-cell cars is the need for a network of refueling stations, which according to analysts cost upward of $1 million each to build. But hydrogen-powered cars cannot exist without hydrogen filling stations, and vice versa.?

In closing, society needs EVs but EVs must deliver what society needs. The goods are just not ready. More time is needed to develop an EV that gives consumers what they value and what they can afford.

Shakespeare said it best some 410 years ago in Hamlet ?What feast is toward in thine eternal cell, You?. Are here arriv?d,?. High on a stage be placed to the view; And let me speak to the yet unknowing world, How these things came about?. Of accidental judgments?. And, in this upshot, purposes mistook Fall?n on th? inventors? heads: all this can I (?EV?) Truly deliver.

By. Dr. Barry Stevens

Source: http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Are-EVs-Ready-to-Meet-Societys-Demands.html

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ESPN's Hannah Storm returns 3 weeks after accident

NEW YORK (AP) ? ESPN anchor Hannah Storm will return to the air on New Year's Day, exactly three weeks after she was seriously burned in a propane gas grill accident at her home.

Storm suffered second-degree burns on her chest and hands, and first-degree burns to her face and neck. She lost her eyebrows and eyelashes, and roughly half her hair.

Storm will host ABC's telecast of the 2013 Rose Parade on Tuesday. Her left hand will be bandaged and she said viewers might notice a difference in her hair texture where extensions have been added.

"I'm a little nervous about things I used to take for granted," she said by phone this weekend from Pasadena, Calif. "Little things like putting on makeup and even turning pages on my script."

The award-winning sportscaster and producer was preparing dinner outside her home in Connecticut on the night of Dec. 11 when she noticed the flame on the grill had gone out. She turned off the gas and when she reignited it "there was an explosion and a wall of fire came at me."

"It was like you see in a movie, it happened in a split-second," she said. "A neighbor said he thought a tree had fallen through the roof, it was that loud. It blew the doors off the grill."

With her left hand, she tore off her burning shirt. She tried to use another part of her shirt to extinguish the flames that engulfed her head and chest, while yelling for help. Her 15-year-old daughter, Hannah, called 911 and a computer technician who was working in the house grabbed some ice as Storm tried to cool the burns.

Soon, police and rescue teams arrived at the house. Storm's husband, NBC sportscaster Dan Hicks, also had returned home with another of the couple's three daughters. As her mother was being treated, the younger Hannah calmly said something that, days later, her mom could laugh about.

"OK, Mommy, I'm going to do my homework now," she said.

Storm was taken by ambulance to the Trauma and Burn Center at Westchester Medical Center and was treated for 24 hours.

"I didn't see my face until the next day and you wonder how it's going to look," she said. "I was pretty shocked. But my overarching thought was I've covered events with military members who have been through a lot worse than me, and they've come through. I kept thinking, 'I can do this. I'm fortunate.'"

Other than going to Christmas Eve Mass, Storm hadn't been outside until her trip to California. ESPN reworked its anchor schedule while she was recovering, and NBC and the Golf Channel rearranged their staffing while Hicks attended to his wife.

Storm is set to host her fifth Rose Parade, with some changes. She's left-handed, and taking notes is almost impossible. Dressing and showering are challenges, too.

Storm said that long before her accident, she'd been inspired by Iraq War veteran, actor and "Dancing With the Stars" winner J.R. Martinez, the grand marshal at last year's parade. He was severely burned in a land mine accident while serving overseas.

One attraction of this year's parade that she was eager to see ? the Nurses' Float, and she hoped to use that moment on air to thank everyone who had taken care of her.

Storm wants to anchor "SportsCenter" in Bristol, Conn., next Sunday. After that, the Notre Dame alum is ready to go in person to watch the No. 1 Irish play Alabama in the national championship game at Miami. She said the school reached out after hearing about her injuries and had been very supportive.

"More than anything, I feel gratitude," she said. "Something like this really makes you appreciate everything you have, even the chance to wake up on New Year's Day and do your job."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/espns-hannah-storm-returns-3-weeks-accident-175720614--spt.html

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The Copyright Monopoly Is A Legal Featherweight Compared To ...

In our series of misconceptions about the copyright monopoly, some people defending the monopoly keep asserting that it carries the same legal weight as property rights. This is not so much misguided, as it is merely factually wrong from every angle.

When faced with the fact that the copyright monopoly is a limitation of property rights, some defenders of the monopoly claim that property rights and the copyright monopoly ?carry equal legal weight anyway?, in an attempt to downplay that argument?s importance in the debate about the copyright monopoly?s legitimacy. Their claim calls for fact checking and further scrutiny.

When comparing the copyright monopoly to the property rights that it limits, we can go to the constitution of many countries to compare their respective weights. Starting with the US Constitution, we can readily observe that property rights are a long-running tradition of the British Common Law, and find several passages that limit Congress? ability to curtail those property rights by law.

One of the most-quoted of these passages may be in the US Bill of Rights, in the Fifth Amendment: ??nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation?.

In contrast to safeguarding property rights, the US Constitution does not require the Congress to have any copyright monopoly at all on the law books, but merely grants Congress the power to enact such a monopoly (?exclusive rights?) if it finds that doing so promotes the development of culture and knowledge.

We find this passage in Chapter 8 of the US Constitution: ?[Congress has the right] ?to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.?

The right to create the monopoly ? but not the obligation.

So, property rights are constitutionally safeguarded, whereas the copyright monopoly may exist as a law or it may not, as Congress desires from day to day. That is obviously not the same legal weight. The copyright monopoly is a featherweight by comparison.

Other countries show the same pattern. Let?s look at Sweden, where property rights are similarly protected in the constitution.

In Sweden?s Regeringsformen constitution, chapter 2 para 15, we find that ??the property of everyone shall be safe against expropriation to public or private interests, except when needed to accommodate urgent public interests?, in which case full compensation blah blah. Pretty much a mirror image of the US Bill of Rights. And what do we find about the copyright monopoly? It is indeed in the constitution, in the very next paragraph:

Chapter 2, para 16: ?Authors, photographers, and artists have rights to their works that are determined by ordinary law? [as decided by Parliament].

Thus, we observe the same difference in legal weight here ? the property rights are heavily safeguarded in the constitution, with no rights for Parliament to jeopardize them, whereas the copyright monopoly can be abolished, changed radically, or turned into ice cream tomorrow if the Swedish Parliament so desires.

That is obviously not the same legal weight. The copyright monopoly is a featherweight by comparison.

While the copyright industry has been trying to portray the copyright monopoly as ?property? in order to legitimize their lucrative monopoly, the copyright monopoly is a governmentally-sanctioned private monopoly that stands in direct opposition to property rights. And as this article has shown, the monopoly is nowhere near the legal weight of the property rights that it limits.

You've read the whole article. Why not subscribe to the RSS flow using your favorite reader, or even have articles delivered by mail?

About The Author: Rick Falkvinge

Rick is the founder of the first Pirate Party and is a political evangelist, traveling around Europe and the world to talk and write about ideas of a sensible information policy. He has a tech entrepreneur background and loves whisky.

Source: http://falkvinge.net/2012/12/30/the-copyright-monopoly-is-a-legal-featherweight-compared-to-property-rights/

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Japan's New PM Tours Crippled Fukushima Nuclear Plant

<h1>Japan's New PM Tours Crippled Fukushima Nuclear Plant</h1><img src="http://www.voanews.com/App_Themes/VOA_en-US/img/colorLogo.gif"/>As Japan&#39;s newly installed prime minister toured the crippled Fukushima power plant Saturday, he made it clear he is set to review the previous government&#39;s plan to phase out nuclear power.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> Japanese officials say Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided to quickly visit the destroyed nuclear plant after his election to show he is serious about efforts to reconstruct Fukushima.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> His first stop was a former soccer training center that is the staging ground for workers tasked with keeping things under control at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.<br /> <br /> Abe told workers he is aware their task of decommissioning the facility is hard work and he wanted to thank them for their efforts.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> The prime minister added his government will give the crews its full support.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> Clad in a protective suit and wearing a face mask, Abe then went to Tokyo Electric&nbsp; Power Company&#39;s facility where three reactors suffered meltdowns after the region was struck by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that triggered a massive tsunami on March 11th, 2011.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> On-site, the prime minister remarked that the clean-up under way is &ldquo;an unprecedented challenge in human history.&rdquo;<br /> &nbsp;<br /> Decommissioning is expected to take 40 years and $15 billion, plus the unknown cost of disposing of the plant&#39;s radioactive waste.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> Radiation that spewed from the Fukushima plant contaminated communities and farmland, necessitating the removal of tens of thousands of people, and destroying many of their livelihoods. It is expected to be years, possibly decades, before people can live again in much of the area.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> Public outrage prompted the previous Japanese government to pledge to phase out the country&#39;s reliance on nuclear power before the year 2040.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> The Democratic Party of Japan, however, was swept out of power in parliamentary elections earlier this month. The return of Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party signal an impending reversal of the DPJ&#39;s policy.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> Abe, during his visit to Fukushima, made it clear he is going to review that and spoke of the need for a &ldquo;responsible energy policy.&rdquo;<br /> &nbsp;<br /> All but two of Japan&#39;s 50 reactors are offline for safety checks. That led to concern that the country, with scant natural resources, can provide enough affordable electricity if it does not rely on the nuclear plants.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> Opponents of nuclear power cite lax safety standards, which they say left the Fukushima plant vulnerable to destruction in a natural disaster.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> On the afternoon of Abe&#39;s visit, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake shook Fukushima.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> Japan is one of the world&#39;s most seismically active countries. Some scientists say a number of other nuclear reactors in Japan appear to have been built directly above active quake faults.<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.voanews.com/content/japan-prime-minister-tours-crippled-fukushima-nuclear-plant/1574344.html"/><meta name="syndication-source" content="http://www.voanews.com/content/japan-prime-minister-tours-crippled-fukushima-nuclear-plant/1574344.html"/><img src="http://livetracker.voanews.eu/counter.lt?PageType=256&RecordId=1574344&SiteId=415&r=793311579&it=0&pd=20121229123203&url=ArticleID1574344" alt="" style="border:none;" height="1" width="1">

Source: http://www.voanews.com/content/japan-prime-minister-tours-crippled-fukushima-nuclear-plant/1574344.html

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Press Release | Emizr Media - SEO + Adwords + social media ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
25 year old Rookie Agent Nails 10 Condo Deals in First 3 Months.

Toronto, Canada, September 18, 2012 ? Javed Ahmed, realtor, designer and founder of Condo Royalty.com has definitely found success quickly.? With a background in marketing and web developing, always thriving on providing services to others, it was only natural for him to earn his real estate license and become a real estate agent for Century 21.

When Javed Ahmed decided to pursue his passion of real estate, the experts at EMIZR Media Group, a search engine and social media service, were there to help him get noticed. EMIZR provides a full range of Internet marketing solutions for anyone who is interesting in getting their business seen by the customer, leading to growth in their business.

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His successful website, CondoRoyalty.com is a one stop shop for buyers and investors. Upholding the motto, ?helping you invest?with passion?, his VIP Royalty Rewards Program offers a wealth of knowledge to the client, builder incentives and many rewards while offering the highest level of service. His on-site testimonials are a significant indication of his tremendous knowledge, skills and overall success as a real estate agent. Javed Ahmed?s success can be summed up in his own words, ?Being a good real estate agent in today?s world comes down to not only having the passion to deliver the best results for my clients, but also having an amazing online presence that stands out among the crowd.?

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For help getting your business seen and for a free website analysis please contact EMIZR Media Group. In addition to its SEO services, the company offers low cost website design,?hosting, management, logo & graphic design, social media marketing and online consulting services. EMIZR aims to provide the best end-to-end internet marketing solutions to businesses, real estate agents and organizations across Canada and the United States. To read more about EMIZR, please visit?www.emizr.com.

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Source: http://www.emizr.com/press-release-3/

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'Fiscal cliff' meeting at White House: Will it be 'Lincoln' moment for Obama?

Many Senate Republicans say that with Congress deadlocked on averting the fiscal cliff, it is up to Obama to force a deal. The lesson from the movie 'Lincoln,' they say, is 'the president has to lead.'

By Gail Russell Chaddock,?Staff writer / December 28, 2012

President Barack Obama returns a Marine honor guard's salute as he steps off the Marine One helicopter and walks on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, as he returned early from his Hawaii vacation for meetings on the fiscal cliff.

Charles Dharapak/AP

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The Friday afternoon meeting with congressional leaders at the White House represents a potential ?Lincoln? moment for President Obama as time has effectively run out to cut a deal to avert the Jan. 1 ?fiscal cliff? of spending cuts and tax hikes.

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That?s the view, anyway, of many Senate Republicans, back in session this week, who say that, with Congress gridlocked, it?s now all up to Mr. Obama to produce a plan that can both cut deficits and win bipartisan support.

?To get hard things done, the president has to lead,? says Sen. Roy Blunt (R) of Missouri, referencing the must-see film of the year for Washington insiders, ?Lincoln.?

?Virtually every member of the Senate, I think, has seen this new movie on Lincoln, and the lesson of that movie is that to get hard things done the president has to decide he wants something done,? he adds.

In ?Lincoln? the movie, an intensely engaged, hands-on president consolidates Republican ranks on the need for an amendment abolishing slavery, while peeling off enough Democratic votes to win by argument or raw political muscle.

President Lincoln?s effort to pass an amendment abolishing slavery took months. Obama has four days to find a way around some $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts set to take effect on Jan. 1.

Moreover, the 3 p.m. Oval Office meeting marks the first time the president has met directly with all four congressional leaders on the fiscal cliff since mid-November. With Congress gridlocked and House Republicans in disarray, it?s not clear that the Obama White House has the capacity or the will to take responsibility for the outcome.

For what it?s worth, Obama is winning the fiscal cliff battle in public opinion polls. A Gallup poll released this week finds that 54 percent of Americans approve of his handling of the fiscal cliff negotiations, compared with 26 percent who back the Republican leaders. While most Americans had been confident that Congress would resolve the fiscal cliff by Jan. 1, that confidence level dropped this week to just 50 percent.

"Blunt's remarks show how intractable this situation is. The GOP doesn't want to take the blame for proposing anything, and instead wants to blame the White House for not doing the same," says longtime congressional budget analyst Stan Collender,a partner at Quorvis Communications in Washington, in an e-mail.

"The White House sees no reason to bail out the GOP, who's approval rating is in the 20s while the president's is in the 50s," he adds.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/feXwngQ34qw/Fiscal-cliff-meeting-at-White-House-Will-it-be-Lincoln-moment-for-Obama

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We Both Go Down Together (Unqualified Offerings)

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

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Cooking Tips For Your Home Cooking ? Food and Drink | List of ...

The preeminent part in this area learning straightforward to aid basic cooking tips is that somebody can apply these in the kitchen to save on precious calculate a12.26
nd wait relaxed while dealing with present lifestyle hassle that have made life so unavailable. We all have our own practices in the kitchen that get on to our cooking straightforward and smooth sailing. The more we cook the more cooking tips and techniques we discover. In the article below I will give you more tips.

First, you can dodge Bacon pieces from reduction by pre-washing them under cold fill up and at that time fry them. Similarly, the gassy quality of beans can be cut-rate by pre-soaking them in a lofty container to which a tbsp of Soda bicarbonate has been added. Another handy kitchen hint is pro boiling eggs: A wee morsel of salt or a dash of vinegar added to the boiling fill up will keep the egg-shell intact.

Second, remember that if you are barbequing, brush the grille with cooking smear with oil or spray with vegetable cooking spray to prevent the barbeque from sticking. When fire flares up all through barbequing, sprinkle a little fill up ended the flames. Befall guaranteed furthermore to remove the barbeque previous to the fire will burn lone feature of the meat. To cut overbrowning of your barbeque, you can apply the sauce single 20 minutes previous to it is made.

Third, pro cleaning skewers made of wood, a pre-soak in cold fill up pro in this area 20 minutes will ensure they sort made known not burn as prone to dependability ? try approximately basic cooking tips to raise your quality of life. The cookers also play an important part in cooking. Therefore, you should buy high quality cookers for yourself, such as custom kitchens, small kitchen designs and discount Kitchens.

Tags: Custom Kitchens, Discount Kitchens, Small kitchen designs

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 26th, 2012 at 9:03 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

Source: http://foodanddrink.deadale.com/uncategorized/cooking-tips-for-your-home-cooking/

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Emily Maynard Takes Jef Holm Back, Reportedly Dumps Him Again

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/12/emily-maynard-takes-jef-holm-back-reportedly-dumps-him-again/

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Less Than 1 In 10 Americans Sleep Naked, Survey Finds

Americans are a bunch of prudes when they go to bed, according to a new study.

Less than one in 10, or eight percent, of Americans sleep naked, according to a poll of 3,700 people by linen and home d?cor company Anna's Linens. Reportedly, 74 percent of Americans wear pajamas to bed, and the rest wear "something else," according to the company, which is based in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Sadly, 65 percent said they get a "restful night's sleep" only three nights or less per week, and 47 percent said they share a bed with someone who snores. 74 percent of respondents said they sleep on their side, which leaves 16 percent who sleep on their stomachs, and 10 percent who sleep on their backs.

The company also found that many people don't remember their dreams. More than half of the respondents said they could recall less than a quarter of their dreams, while about 10 percent said they remembered nearly all their dreams from the previous night's sleep.

As for the nature of the dreams, nearly 70 percent felt their dreams were not as "interesting" as their friends' dreams. However, another 44 percent said their dreams were "more bizarre'' than their friends'.

And why, you ask, did a linen company conduct this poll? Here's a clue, from the CEO, Alan Gladstone.

"We were surprised eight percent of our respondents admitted to sleeping naked. For that group, we suggest our 100 percent Egyptian cotton sheets," Gladstone said. "They feel great against the skin."

However, there is one upside to the masses sleeping clothed. According to Travelodge, the incidence of naked sleepwalking, which occurs almost exclusively among its male guests, has increased sevenfold in the past year.

Earlier on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/27/less-than-1-in-10-americans-sleep-naked-survey_n_2371448.html

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No Comments - Online Video Streaming - hauret - lypavd&#39;s ...

Millions of users have started to internet. People make use of internet for various purposes. Majority of individuals are found using internet for video streaming. Anything you wish can be watched in the form of video. There are many popular video streaming sites which contains videos of different categories. Whether you are student, or a housewife or a business man, you will find videos that suit your needs. Movie clips and music clips are watched by huge numbers of people through video streaming. Next to videos and music, funny clips are largely watched by internet users.

Nowadays people don?t bother even if they don?t have TV or satellite connection. Any missed out television programs can be watched through video streaming. So, why do people have to worry about having satellite connection? Whether it is a serial, comedy show, cookery show sport, kids? show or anything else, you can watch it through online video streaming. The only thing you have to do is to sign up with the right video streaming website.

If you think that video streaming is helpful only for recreational purposes, then you are wrong. Even for educational need, one can make use of video streaming websites. Today, several educational institutions are rendering online service. So, huge numbers of people are making use of online education. It is the video streaming websites, which helps the students to learn their online lessons without any trouble.

Each one of the popular video streaming websites has numerous numbers of videos on varied categories. You will be really amazed to find millions of interesting videos. What is more special about the video streaming website is that you can even download the videos that you like the most. Your system has to be installed with appropriate software to download the preferred video to your system. The video streaming websites does not only allow you to download the videos, it also allows you to share the videos to any of your social networking account or to your own blog or a website. Youngsters are very crazy about sharing the link of unique online video clips to their social networking sites. It makes them feel pride among their group of friends.

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Apple CEO's pay package drops 99 percent from 2011

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tim Cook has finally made it to the top at Apple Inc, but in his first full year as CEO his pay package shrank about 99 percent.

Cook, the successor to the late Steve Jobs, was awarded total compensation of $4.17 million in 2012, down from $378 million in 2011, Apple said in a federal filing on Thursday.

The 2012 compensation package for Cook, who took over as chief executive in August 2011, also seemed a pittance compared with his 2010 pay, which was 14 times higher, when the executive served as chief operating officer.

Jobs, the iconic CEO and co-founder, died in October 2011 of pancreatic cancer.

The maker of the iPhone and iPad noted that Cook will not receive any stock awards for 2012 after he was given about $376.2 million in stock awards the year before. The stock awards vest over many years.

The 2012 package includes a salary of $1.4 million and a nonequity bonus of $2.8 million, according to the filing. Cook's base salary actually increased compared with the $900,000 he earned in 2011.

While Apple's shares are 35 percent higher than when Cook assumed the CEO role, they have fallen more than 27 percent since October when they hit a $700.10 high.

Apple shares were down 0.6 percent at $509.85 on the Nasdaq late on Thursday morning.

(Reporting by Sinead Carew and Liana Baker; editing by Kenneth Barry and Matthew Lewis)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apple-ceos-pay-package-drops-99-percent-2011-165309423--finance.html

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Criticised Croatian Agriculture Mininister sells his private company ...

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Bluesky urges public to watch out for cowboy solar installers

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John Caples on Advertising

John Caples is one of advertising authorities, the author of "Tested Advertising Methods" a book that is still in print after 70 years of heavy use. [?]

Source: http://markssin.biz/2012/12/27/criticised-croatian-agriculture-mininister-sells-his-private-company/

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Video: N.Y. gunman spelled out plan

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Obama, Congress set for one last effort on fiscal cliff

By Reuters

?Updated at 5:00p.m.ET:?The United States on Wednesday edged closer to the fiscal cliff as Congress waited for President Barack Obama to return from vacation in Hawaii and make one final attempt to avoid huge tax hikes and spending cuts in the New Year.

In the absence of Obama, there was no sign of either side in Congress making an effort to strike a deal. The corridors of the Capitol building were empty except for an occasional police officer, and members' office doors stayed locked.

House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner has not yet set a date for bringing House members back to Washington from their Christmas break, an aide of the Republican leader said. That makes the timing of a vote on any budget deal before December 31 more difficult.

The Boehner aide also said there were no plans for new talks between the top Republican in Congress and Obama, who flies overnight and is due back in the White House on Thursday morning.

The inaction notwithstanding, there was still just enough time to prevent a fiscal crunch that would upset global financial markets and likely push the United States into recession.

Reports of lackluster retail holiday sales added to the urgency for a deal. Shoppers might be spending less this holiday season in fear of looming income tax increases. U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday, dragged lower by shares of retail companies.

President Obama and Congress are set to return to Washington to hopefully reach a deal on averting the fiscal cliff before the New Year. Luke Russert and NBC News' Kristen Welker and Mark Murray discuss.

A modest, last-minute measure in Congress to avoid deep spending cuts set for January 1 and most of the tax hikes could pass the Democratic-controlled Senate by the New Year, although Republicans would need to agree not use a procedural roadblock known as a filibuster.

But senators probably would not make the effort unless there was a strong signal from Boehner that the House would find a way to go along.

A Senate Democratic aide downplayed chances for votes this week in the Senate, but suggested there could be legislative movement at the weekend.

"We can't do anything until Republicans either give us the 60 votes," which are needed to advance legislation without long procedural delays, or allow a short-cut that lets bills pass on a simple majority vote in the 100-member chamber.

The focus in Congress is shifting from broad deficit reduction to narrower efforts to avert the immediate shock of the December 31 cliff dive.

"This is the (emergency) scenario that we have long believed would rise in probability the closer we go to December 31, which essentially calls for extending all the rates for those individuals making under $200K and households under $250K and does not address the debt ceiling or the deficit," analyst Chris Krueger of Guggenheim Securities wrote in a research note.

Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, who is retiring at year's end, told MSNBC that $250,000 "is too low of a threshold" for raising income taxes.

She said that in conversations she has had with some Senate Democrats, "they are saying maybe more in the $400,000 to $500,000 category."

Obama himself recently offered to raise the threshold to $400,000, before negotiations with Boehner broke off.

Clock ticking

But even if a handful of Senate Republicans support Democrats on a measure to avoid the worst of the fiscal cliff, time is short.

When the Senate returns on Thursday it is due to work on a disaster aid bill to help New York and New Jersey recover from Superstorm Sandy and other measures.

Recommended:?GOP willing to bend on issues after election

In the Republican-controlled House, any bill that raises taxes on anyone would need a rare bipartisan vote to win approval.

All 191 Democrats might have to team up with at least 26 Republicans to get a majority if the bill included tax hikes on the wealthiest Americans, as Obama is demanding.

Some of those votes could conceivably come from among the 34 Republican members who are either retiring or were defeated in the November elections and no longer have to worry about the political fallout.

An alternative is for Congress to let income taxes go up on everyone as scheduled. Then, during the first week of January, lawmakers would strike a quick deal to reduce them except on people in the highest brackets.

They would also pass a measure putting off the $109 billion in automatic spending cuts that most lawmakers want to avoid.

Once the clock ticks past midnight on December 31, no member of Congress would have to vote for a tax increase on anyone - taxes would have risen automatically - and the only votes would be to decrease tax rates for most Americans back to their 2012 levels.

Americans' optimism that Obama and congressional leaders will reach a budget agreement before January 1 has waned in recent days, according to a Gallup poll.

President Obama is cutting his Hawaiian vacation short and heading back to Washington just a day after Christmas. Meanwhile, Congress returns tomorrow with just days left to reach a deal before the looming January 1 fiscal cliff. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.

Fifty percent believe a deal will be reached, a drop of 7 percentage points from the previous week, and 48 percent are doubtful. The poll was taken just after talks ran into trouble last week.

Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz is urging workers in the company's roughly 120 Washington-area coffee shops to write "come together" on customers' cups on Thursday and Friday to send a message to politicians.

"We're paying attention, we're greatly disappointed in what's going on and we deserve better," Schultz told Reuters.

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Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/26/16165743-obama-congress-set-for-one-last-effort-on-fiscal-cliff?lite

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Did you get a new iPhone or iPad for Christmas?

Did you just get a new iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or iPad mini for Christmas? Which one did you get? What size? What color? What capacity? Any awesome accessories come with it? Any amazing apps already installed? If you scored some great new Apple gear this holiday season, I want to know all about it, so tell me in the comments below -- what did you get?

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Thousands enjoy merry Christmas in Bethlehem

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal waves to the crowds before Christmas celebrations in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. Twal, the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, has celebrated the United Nations' recent recognition of a Palestinian state in his annual pre-Christmas remarks.(AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal waves to the crowds before Christmas celebrations in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. Twal, the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, has celebrated the United Nations' recent recognition of a Palestinian state in his annual pre-Christmas remarks.(AP Photo/Adel Hana)

People walk inside the Church of Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

A man dressed as Santa Claus distributes Christmas trees to Christians outside Jaffa Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Ilean)

Catholic priests attend Christmas celebrations in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

A Christian worshipper prays inside the Grotto at the Church of Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. Thousands of Christian worshippers and tourists arrived in Bethlehem on Monday to mark Christmas at the site many believe Jesus Christ was born. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) ? Thousands of Christians from the world over packed Manger Square in Bethlehem Monday to celebrate the birth of Jesus in the ancient West Bank town where he was born.

For their Palestinian hosts, this holiday season was an especially joyous one, with the hardships of the Israeli occupation that so often clouded previous Christmas Eve celebrations eased by the United Nations' recent recognition of an independent state of Palestine.

In his annual pre-Christmas homily, the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, said the road to actual freedom was still long, but this year's festivities were doubly joyful, celebrating "the birth of Christ our Lord and the birth of the state of Palestine."

"The path (to statehood) remains long, and will require a united effort," added Twal, a Palestinian citizen of Jordan, at the patriarchate's headquarters in Jerusalem's Old City.

Then he set off in a procession for the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Jesus' traditional birthplace. There, he was reminded that life on the ground for Palestinians has not changed since the U.N. recognized their state last month in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Twal had to enter the biblical town through a massive metal gate in the barrier of towering concrete slabs Israel built between Jerusalem and Bethlehem during a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings in the last decade. The Israeli military, which controls the crossing, said it significantly eased restrictions for the Christmas season.

Israel, backed by the United States, opposed the statehood bid, saying it was a Palestinian ploy to bypass negotiations. Talks stalled four years ago.

Hundreds of people greeted Twal in Manger Square, outside the Church of Nativity. The mood was festive under sunny skies, with children dressed in holiday finery or in Santa costumes, and marching bands playing in the streets.

After nightfall, a packed Manger Square, resplendent with strings of lights, decorations and a 17-meter (55-foot) Christmas tree, took on a festival atmosphere, as pilgrims mixed with locals.

A choral group from the Baptist Church in Jerusalem performed carols on one side of the square, handing out sheets of lyrics and encouraging others to sing along with songs such as "We Wish You A Merry Christmas."

Vendors sold balloons, cotton candy and corn on the cob, bands played Christmas songs and tourists packed cafes that are quiet most of the rest of the year. Pilgrims from around the world wandered the streets, singing Christmas carols and visiting churches.

Festivities led up to the Midnight Mass at St. Catherine's Church, next to the fourth-century Church of the Nativity, built over the grotto where tradition says Jesus was born.

Devout Christians said it was a moving experience to be so close to the origins of their faith.

"It's a special feeling to be here, it's an encounter with my soul and God," said Joanne Kurczewska, a professor at Warsaw University in Poland, who was visiting Bethlehem for a second time at Christmas.

Pastor Al Mucciarone, 61, from Short Hills, New Jersey, agreed.

"We come here to celebrate Jesus. This is a very important town. Great things come from small events. The son of God was born in this small village. We hope all will follow Jesus," he said.

Audra Kasparian, 45, from Salt Lake City, Utah, called her visit to Bethlehem "a life event to cherish forever. It is one of those events that is great to be a part of."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also visited Bethlehem and said "peace will prevail from the birthplace of Jesus, and we wish everyone peace and happiness," according to the official Palestinian Wafa news agency.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a special Christmas greeting too, wishing Christians "a year of security, prosperity and peace."

Christmas is the high point of the year in Bethlehem, which, like the rest of the West Bank, is struggling to recover from the economic hard times that followed the violent Palestinian uprising against Israel that broke out in late 2000.

Tourists and pilgrims who were scared away by the fighting have been returning in larger numbers. Last year's Christmas Eve celebration produced the highest turnout in more than a decade, with some 100,000 visitors, including foreign workers and Arab Christians from Israel.

The Israeli Tourism Ministry predicted a 25 percent drop from that level this year, following last month's clash between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, which put a chill on tourist arrivals. Foreign tourists heading to Bethlehem must pass through Israel or the Israel-controlled border crossing into the West Bank from Jordan.

Outside the town's quaint Manger Square, Bethlehem is a drab, sprawling town with a dwindling Christian base ? a far cry from the pastoral village of biblical times.

About 22,000 Palestinians live in Bethlehem, according to the town council, but combined with several surrounding communities has a population of some 50,000 people.

Overall, there are only about 50,000 Christians in the West Bank, less than 3 percent of the population, the result of a lower birthrate and increased emigration. Bethlehem's Christians make up only a third of its residents, down from 75 percent a few decades ago.

Elias Joha, a 44-year-old Christian who runs a souvenir store, said even with the U.N. recognition, this year's celebrations were sad for him. He said most of his family has left, and that if he had the opportunity, he would do the same.

"These celebrations are not even for Christians because there are no Christians. It is going from bad to worse from all sides ... we are not enjoying Christmas as before."

Located on the southeastern outskirts of Jerusalem, Bethlehem has the highest unemployment in the West Bank, but the tourist boom of Christmas offered a brief reprieve. Officials say all 34 hotels in the town are fully booked for the Christmas season, including 13 new ones built this year.

Israel turned Bethlehem over to Palestinian civil control a few days before Christmas in 1995, and since then, residents have been celebrating the holiday regardless of their religion. Many Muslims took part in celebration Monday as well.

Christians across the region marked the holiday.

In Iraq, Christians gathered for services with tight security, including at Baghdad's Our Lady of Salvation church, the scene of a brutal October 2010 attack that killed more than 50 worshippers and wounded scores more.

Earlier this month, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, who is responsible for the Vatican's outreach to the Middle East's Catholic communities, traveled to Iraq and presided over a Mass to rededicate the church following renovations. In his homily, he remembered those who were killed and expressed hope that "the tears shed in this sacred place become the good seed of communion and witness and bear much fruit," according to an account by Vatican Radio.

The exact number of Christians remaining in Iraq is not known, but it has fallen sharply from as many as 1.4 million before the U.S.-led invasion nearly a decade ago to about 400,000 to 600,000, according community leaders cited by the U.S. State Department.

In the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI lit a Christmas peace candle set on the windowsill of his private studio.

Pilgrims, tourists and Romans gathered below in St. Peter's Square for the inauguration Monday evening of a Nativity scene and cheered when the flame was lit.

The pope was set to appear in St. Peter's Basilica to lead Christmas Eve Mass.

____

Associated Press writer Adam Schreck contributed from Baghdad.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-24-Holy%20Land-Christmas/id-859159b02d6f4218b15d63f14732f36b

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Ignored and Underfunded, Mental Health Care Thin at County Jails ...

For more than a decade, Milwaukee County?s jail system has been under the scrutiny of a court-appointed medical monitor for its failure to provide adequate health care, including for inmates with mental illness.

In August, the monitor found mental health care in Milwaukee County?s two jails was still in shambles. Among the problems: Vacancies in top medical positions left jailers to make medical decisions, such as when an inmate should be removed from suicide watch. A man who had threatened to kill himself stopped eating and drinking for four days and was never taken to a hospital. He died in his cell.

Mental health advocates and correctional officials agree that Wisconsin?s 72 county-run jails are strapped for resources and not prepared to deal with the large numbers of inmates with mental illness they house. The state Department of Corrections (DOC) is charged with oversight of jails, but the agency?s inspectors are not physicians and, the agency said, not responsible for assessing the quality of health care.

The DOC inspection checklist includes whether the facilities keep adequate records, have the correct staff and keep medications secure. In Milwaukee County, for example, the two jails? most recent DOC inspections last December give no hint of the problems identified by Dr. Ronald Shansky, the court-appointed physician.

Again and again, inspector Gregory Bucholtz marked an X for ?meets approval? for each health-care standard, concluding that at Milwaukee County Correctional Facility-South, ?Health care services at the facility continue to be good ? Mental health services also remain good.?

Shansky?s take, in an inspection days before that DOC visit, was radically different. He found systemic problems in several areas, including record keeping, delayed access to medical services and medications, and ?severely mentally ill patients being inappropriately placed in disciplinary cells.?

Just five counties? jails ??Waukesha, Washington, Walworth, Fond du Lac and Dane ??are accredited by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, which uses health-care professionals to assess the quality of care at facilities.

More information needed

Rep. Garey Bies, R-Sister Bay, who chairs the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections, said he plans to ask the DOC to present information to his committee on how well jails are caring for their inmates.

As a former chief deputy sheriff, Bies used to oversee the Door County Jail. He said he is particularly interested in ensuring inmates are screened for mental health problems, which he said is crucial to providing proper care, helping them transition back into the community and avoiding crises that could arise while they?re incarcerated.

?Do that (screening) up front, and it really cuts down on issues in the long run,? Bies said.

In a 2009 DOC survey, less than half of the county jails that responded had a registered nurse or mental health professional doing the initial health screening of inmates; correctional officers did it in most jails.

The DOC makes preannounced inspections of county jails annually, and investigates after suicides and other incidents.

?We mitigate risk by providing technical assistance and training, based on best correctional practice,? said Kristi Dietz, director of the DOC?s Office of Detention Facilities. The agency provides verbal or written feedback after inspections, but it doesn?t punish jails with sanctions.

Lawsuits are frequently cited as an incentive for jails to improve.

But ?you can?t count on lawsuits to expose these types of problems,? according to Larry Dupuis, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, which sued Milwaukee County over its lack of jail health care services.

Ron Honberg, policy and legal director for the nonprofit National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), said county jails nationwide have a ?long, long way to go? in providing adequate mental health care.

Honberg ticked off the problems: ?Lack of oversight, lack of treatment resources, lack of expertise, lack of qualified staff, overcrowded conditions.?

More need, less attention

Dietz said communities are falling short at helping people with mental illnesses, ?and as a result the jails and prisons, unfortunately, have been taking on more and more of that population.?

A national study estimated the one in three female inmates and nearly one in six males suffers from mental illness ??far higher than the general population estimate of 6 percent. Even after a substantial drop from 1990 to 2010, the national jail suicide rate is still three times greater than in the general population.

Jail officials and advocates statewide have been seeing more inmates with mental illness in recent years, although no specific estimates are available.

The problems in jails are often overshadowed by those in prisons. But mental health needs may actually be greater at these facilities, where inmates face uncertain fates, more stress and fewer services.

And jails aren?t only for short-term detention ? some inmates end up spending years there if they have consecutive sentences or their trials are delayed. Walworth County Jail Superintendent Howard Sawyers said his county almost always has inmates who have passed the one-year mark, some staying two or three years.

Since 2003, 52 Wisconsin county jail inmates have taken their own lives. According to a Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism calculation, Wisconsin?s jail suicide rate in recent years was 40 per 100,000 inmates, slightly higher than the 2007 national rate of 36.

According to Dean Meyer, executive director of the Badger State Sheriff?s Association, state-run prisons are ?much better equipped? to provide health care.

?A prison has their own dentist, their own doctors and their own nurses. And for the majority of county jails, they contract that service out, and the providers only come when needed,? Meyer said.

Lawmakers may examine jails

Jails are required by a state law dating back to 1987 to provide the DOC with annual reports on mental health care services. Since 1989, the law has required the DOC to summarize and relay those findings to the Legislature. But the DOC acknowledges it has not been regularly asking jails for the reports, and has not prepared summaries for the Legislature, the Center found.

It?s been five years since the Baraboo News Republic newspaper pointed out that the reports weren?t being done. In 2007, DOC officials said they would address the shortcoming. This month, Dietz said her office ?is going to take another look at that statute.?

Bies and a fellow lawmaker, Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, said they are concerned about mental health care in jails, but lack the information to tackle the issue.

Vinehout, a member of the Senate Committee on Education and Corrections, said she couldn?t get information she wanted from the DOC about the types of inmates and the care they need. She believes the agency should strengthen its oversight of local jails to help inmates ??and the general public.

?We want to be able to understand what?s happening and do what we can to lower the cost and make Wisconsin a safer place,? Vinehout said.

This project was produced in collaboration with the Investigative Journalism Education Consortium, ijec.org. The nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (www.WisconsinWatch.org) also collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, other news media and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.

Source: http://greendale.patch.com/articles/ignored-and-underfunded-mental-health-care-thin-at-county-jails

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