Bloggers Table | Ty.phoo ?Tea & Food pairing session with Chef ...

?Some people will tell you there is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea.?
Ralph Waldo Emerson

It was time for Ty.phoo?s unique ?Out of the Pot Journey?.??A few of us waded across a city jammed with traffic thanks to Republic day parade practice and massive traffic diversions. We headed for The Park?in the heart of New Delhi,?overlooking the historic 18th century observatory Jantar Mantar,?to attend?a tea and food pairing session with entertaining and fun Chef Vicky Ratnani.

Even though it was promoted as the first of the kind tea and food pairing, I recall an earlier one at the Lodhi Gardens, New Delhi?in August last year, with the very sweet tea specialist Anamika Singh doing the honours. I missed that one, so this was very welcome indeed.

Why??I am not a tea drinker, as most of my friends know. Coffee is more ?my thing? yet I am intrigued by tea lovers and the amount of tea they can sip. The teen is also on a tea binge these days, blackcurrant from Teavirve her favourite to date, so my curiosity ran deeper.

So on a chilly winter morning, we headed for the pool side setting of the cook?out?to be greeted by the energetic and hospitable Chef?Vicky Ratnani dressed in bright tangerine yellow. A cheerful bright beginning to a cold afternoon! Somehow sitting next to a pristine blue pool of water made it a few degrees colder! We were so glad there was tea, loads of it!

The afternoon began with some cold fruit tea infusions ? blackcurrant and orange, with the chef urging us to try the cocktails too. There were tea infused vodkas and martinis. The orange spicer vodka was nice, even though the black currant martini did taste slightly synthetic-y.

The chef introduced us to the nuances of tea, perfect pairings like in wine and food, almost similar actually! He talked about how ?light green tea goes well with deep-fried stuff like cocktail samosas and?barbecued?food like chicken tikka {which were doing the rounds} ?. the tea acting as a palette cleanser, ?contributing to rounding off flavours.

The cook off began pretty soon. The ?chef made his signature dish ?Adrak ki Chai ka Kukkad? aka?Masala Tea Poached Chicken.?Chicken?stock with whole spices like mace was gently steeped in a tea bag, and then the?chicken?breast poached in it for 8-9 minutes. The fillet was then removed and sliced, while a little cream was added to the tea flavoured stock. Such an interesting concept.

He also demonstrated a mash potato with an interesting Indian twist?the masala mash reminiscent of South Indian dosa aloos. Really nice and such fun to see the humble mash take a new dimension. Chef Ratnani talked about a cucumber ribbon salad, a 9 minute prep, that?s a great way to get kids especially to eat their salads . I loved how easy it looked. I was sure the kids would love it!

It was time to move on to lunch which was served poolside. The first course was Harissa spiced grilled veggies, mint and rocket leaf cous cous with chick pea puree {hummus I think}, paired with a ty.phoo Moroccan mint green tea.?Perfect?first course. For someone who is not an avid cous cous fan, I really enjoyed it.

Was also some of the best hummus I have eaten in a while. I really enjoyed the tea too. Beautifully steeped, the flavours of mint pairing beautifully with the first course. {The second serving of tea was over steeped, and bitter}

Onto the main course, the poached?chicken?in the tea stepped sauce. Sadly it didn?t work for me. The sauce was really nice. Gentle,?lilting?flavours, slight undertones of tea ? but the chicken was too meaty for me. Maybe poaching isn?t my ?cup of tea?. While I immensely enjoyed the base sauce, and the masala mash at the bottom, the?pickled?cucumbers too on top, I had to abandon the?chicken.

Of course, the good folk at The Park were wonderful and offered me the?vegetarian?option, which was quite nice. Cottage cheese cooked in mustard oil, pepper and maybe mustard encrusted ? overall very interesting. ?And soon dessert was announced, something we really looked forward too, yet something that sorely disappointed.

It was the promise of a luscious flourless?chocolate?cake, The Park Chocolate Indulgence, that lit our eyes. Yet something was quite not right in there! It had synthetic, gelatin like overtones ? and we were unanimous in our verdict. ?The strawberries in a waffle basket were the saving grace, and paired well with a bold Ty.phoo Assam?tea {the second serving again oversteeped and bitter}.

Overall an interesting experience, enjoyed in good?company and with the personal attention of witty and energetic Chef Ratnani. He?s a hands down foodie ??exuberant, full of beans and so forthcoming. We came away with generous well packed boxes of Ty.phoo tea, a box full of enviable flavours! Immense possibilities too as I made Sticky Fig, Orange & Date Puddings with Earl Grey soon after, and Ruchira made?Masala Chai & White Chocolate Creme Brulee.

Don?t miss a post
Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India

Source: http://www.passionateaboutbaking.com/2013/01/bloggers-table-ty-phoo-tea-food-pairing-session-with-chef-vicky-ratnani.html

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Florida HIV/AIDS Advocacy Network (FHAAN)

The Florida HIV/AIDS Advocacy Network (FHAAN) is a statewide effort comprised of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA?s), community advocates, HIV/AIDS and industry professionals, and anyone wanting to be involved to coordinate HIV advocacy efforts for all Floridians living with HIV and AIDS.

Join HIV/AIDS advocates from communities throughout Florida as we plan for the future of HIV/AIDS advocacy.
This is your chance to stay involved or get involved.? We need you!?

Join the advocacy efforts as a:

• Community Advocate
• Leader of an Organization
• Pharmaceutical Industry Representative
• Person Living with HIV/AIDS
• Care Provider

Let us know if you are interested in:

• Florida Specific Advocacy Efforts
• National Advocacy Efforts

How to complete your FHAAN membership form:

- or -

2. Click here to complete the attached hardcopy form and email it to FHAAN@TheAIDSInstitute.org or fax it to 813-258-5939.

?

Also see us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FloridaHivAidsAdvocacyNetwork

Source: http://www.theaidsinstitute.org/programs/state-policy-and-advocacy/FHAAN

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Tiny feathered dinosaur discovered

Researchers have discovered a new species of feathered but flightless little dinosaur from the Jurassic period.

Remains of the tiny beast, dubbed Eosinopteryxbrevipenna, found in northeastern China suggest it was slightly less than a foot long (30 centimeters) and had a short snout and a short tail. Based on the dinosaur's small wingspan and bone structure, researchers believe it would have been able to run around quite easily, but likely couldn't whip up enough of a wing-beat to fly. The dinosaur also sported toes that would have been suitable for walking along the ground, the researchers added.

This birdlike dinosaur's plumage was much more reduced compared with the feathers on some of its contemporaries, which suggests that feathering was already diversified by the Late Jurassic, adapted to different ecological niches and purposes, the researchers said. (The Jurassic period lasted from about 199.6 million to 145.5 million years ago.)

1. Science news from NBCNews.com

   1. Egyptian mummy's elaborate hairstyle revealed in 3-D

      Nearly 2,000 years ago, at a time when Egypt was under the control of the Roman Empire, a young woman with an elaborate hairstyle was laid to rest only yards away from a king's pyramid, researchers report.

   2. Elusive giant squid is still a deep mystery
   3. Goggle-wearing rats learn predictive skills
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"This discovery sheds further doubt on the theory that the famous fossil Archaeopteryx? or 'first bird' as it is sometimes referred to ? was pivotal in the evolution of modern birds," researcher Gareth Dyke, a senior lecturer in paleontology at the U.K.'s University of Southampton, said in a statement.

"Our findings suggest that the origin of flight was much more complex than previously thought."

Archaeopteryx was long thought by many to have been the earliest bird. Discovered in 1860 in Germany, it is sometimes referred to as Urvogel, the German word for "original bird" or "first bird." But recent findings suggest late-stage Jurassic Archaeopteryx was actually just a relative of the lineage that ultimately gave rise to birds.

The new research was detailed in the Jan. 22 issue of the journal Nature Communications.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter@livescience. We're also on Facebook &Google+.

? 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50616634/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Newtown expands scope of planned children's museum

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) ? Months before she was killed in a gunman's rampage, Sandy Hook Elementary School Principal Dawn Hochsprung wrote a letter expressing her excitement over an effort to bring a children's museum to Newtown.

At the time, the proposal was fairly modest: a building of perhaps 20,000 square feet would provide art and science programs for area children.

Since last month's massacre, the plan has become more ambitious, with museums around the country collecting donations and organizers looking to renovate a 52,000-square-foot building to host the new learning center. A capital campaign that was to begin in the spring will start right away, with hopes of raising $10 million instead of the original $4 million.

"The need for the children's museum, which everyone thought was a great idea before, became almost a necessity," said Kristin Chiriatti, the museum's president. "People understood that the children will need a place to heal. We have so many children who are scared to go to school now and may have lifelong poor associations with learning."

It will still be a community museum, Chiriatti said, but it will also be a destination point for southwestern Connecticut.

The museum, first proposed in 2011, was to feature rotating exhibits on such topics as electricity, sound and outer space. Chiriatti called it "Everwonder," a play on the wonder the museum is meant to evoke and her question as to whether it would be possible to build, she said.

The group had been involved in hosting programs at the local library and envisioned a place for children to draw and conduct experiments.

Hochsprung wrote to Chiriatti in March that she supported the idea to engage students with hands-on, interactive experiences.

"In order for students to learn, they must be invested in what we are teaching," she wrote.

On Dec. 14, Hochsprung was among the victims of the rampage that killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook. The 20-year-old gunman killed his mother before driving to the school, opening fire and then committing suicide as police arrived.

The museum building will include some type of memorial to Hochsprung and the other victims, Chiriatti said.

"These children were our children's friends," she said. "We haven't decided how it will be done, except that it will be done in a cheerful way that celebrates childhood and education. Because that's what this is about: creating a cheerful place, filled with learning and enjoyment."

Architects and other professionals have agreed to volunteer for the project, which is tentatively planned for the campus of Fairfield Hills Hospital in Newtown.

And Chiriatti is getting help from other museums across the country.

Robert Dean, the executive director of a children's museum in Grand Rapids, Mich., got involved the day of the shooting, after a 9-year-old son of his museum's board president asked how they might help the kids in Newtown. He called a board meeting to brainstorm.

"We talked a letter-writing campaign and other things, but when we learned they were trying to build a children's museum, I just thought, 'Wouldn't it be great if they could have the same thing we have?'" he said.

A dollar from each admission fee collected at that museum and two others in Grand Rapids last Saturday will be donated to the Everwonder project.

Dean contacted the Association of Children's Museums, which launched a national effort. Museums are being asked to set aside one day this year and donate $1 from each admission that day to Everwonder. Chiriatti said she has already heard from four ? the Children's Museum of Brownsville, in Texas; the Seattle Children's Museum; the Tucson Children's Museum, in Arizona; and the Bucks County Children's Museum, in Pennsylvania.

She said they are hoping to raise all they need without seeking any money from an $8.5 million fund set up by the United Way to support the community after the massacre.

"They need to identify where that money is really needed, what is most important," she said. "If they need a counseling center, that should be where that money goes. It would be great to get some help, but we're certainly not going to be actively seeking that funding if it's needed somewhere else."

Chiriatti said they hope to have their museum opened by the end of 2015.

___

Online:

Everwonder Children's Museum: http://www.everwondermuseum.com/

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/newtown-expands-scope-planned-childrens-museum-075810443.html

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Hospital that trashed kidney resumes transplants

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) ? An Ohio hospital where a nurse accidentally threw out a viable kidney has resumed its kidney transplant program.

The University Toledo Medical Center had voluntarily suspended the transplant program after the Aug. 10 accident. After an investigation and policy changes, the hospital announced last month it was ready to resume the living-donor program.

Hospital spokesman Jon Strunk told The (Toledo) Blade (http://bit.ly/XakoLw ) that the first surgery took place Thursday. He declined to provide patient information.

A report by a surgeon hired by the hospital to review its transplant program called it "baffling" that the nurse would accidentally put the viable kidney with medical waste. But he found no problems with the systems that would have indicated the hospital was at risk for such a mistake.

___

Information from: The Blade, http://www.toledoblade.com/

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hospital-trashed-kidney-resumes-transplants-112908552.html

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Why now may be time for immigration deal (CNN)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/280152660?client_source=feed&format=rss

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MacGyver Challenge Winner: Hang Your Magazines

In this week's MacGyver Challenge, we asked you to hack something cool with a clothes hanger. We received some great entries, but the winning hack shows us a simple way to store your magazines that anybody can make use of right now.

Check out the description of the winning entry below and read about some of our other favorite entries.

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Winner: Hang Your Magazines

Kim wanted an out of the way space to store magazines she was reading and settled on using a clothes hanger for the job. Not only can she hang them up instead of leaving them lying around, but the hanger also serves as a bookmark. What we like about this hack is that it's something anyone who reads magazines could make use of right now. We could also see it being used in some clever ways. You could even create a more permanent magazine rack in any cabinet or shelf where you could fit a tension shower rod. Dress it up with some nice looking hangers and you're good to go. We're thinking wooden pants hangers with the clip for holding the magazine in place better.

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Honorable Mentions

We got a lot of great entries and we'd be remiss if we didn't share some of our favorites. Here are some of the entries that really impressed us.

Organize Your Cables

Beers was unhappy having his cables stashed in boxes and hit upon the idea of using wire clothes hangers to organize them instead. He just wraps one end of the cable around the hanger with a half hitch and lets the other end dangle, coiling cables that are extra long. The cords don't tangle and it's easy to scan the row of cables and spot what you need.

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Create Your Own Indoor Basketball Hoop

Reader joey_nz created this indoor basketball hoop using a wire hanger and normal string. For knotting the string, he used a method for making fish nets and just left the end open. He stretches the wire hanger out and rotates the hook end for fitting over the door. The best part? When he's not using the hoop, he can close up the loop a bit, rotate the hook back, and hang it up out of the way in his closer.

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Keep Your Hotel Curtains Closed

Donovan shares this simple little hack that we just can't believe we didn't think of before. Hotel curtains are notorious for not closing all the way, letting in that annoying streak of light from parking lot lights, passing traffic, and the morning sun. Undaunted, Donovan used something that is handy in most hotel rooms?a hanger with clips?to keep those curtains closed and get some sleep.

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Hang a Hand Truck Out of The Way

Reader ASC often needs to haul heavy boxes to the post office. He's found a cheap IKEA dolly that is perfect for the task, but was frustrated that it was always in the way in his tiny apartment. Not only does it take up space, but it's on wheels so propping it against the wall isn't really an option. To solve his problem, ASC reshaped a clothes hanger by bending both sides backwards and then pushing them down to form a hook. It took him no time at all and now he can hang the dolly wherever he likes.

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Hang Your Off-Season Bicycle Tires

Reader robogrobo needed a better way to hand his Summer bike tires during the Winter season. His solution? The wire clothes hanger, of course. He bent it according to his handy illustration using the edge of a table to make bending easier. He made the same bends on both sides of the hanger to give him a perfect two-pronged hook capable of holding his tires through the long Winter months.

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Extend Your Reach

We got a lot of entries about using a clothes hanger to extend your reach, but the one we couldn't resist sharing is the cutest. Steven sends us this picture of his 19 month-old (possibly our youngest life hacker) using a clothes hanger to reach that pesky light switch.

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A big thanks to everyone who took the time to send us entries! Be sure to check back every week for a new challenge.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/ZZjqExzuhAo/macgyver-challenge-winner-hang-your-magazines

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Change Your Life With These Great Self Help Tips!

This article has been viewed 3 times.

You should always be focusing on your personal development. Whether it be healthy living or developing better financial habits, self-growth is smart. You should always strive to be a better person, all throughout your life. There?s always some area of your life you can improve, so don?t be complacent. Establishing good habits will make your life more enjoyable and beneficial!

Do you frequently consume alcohol? Are you a smoker? What activities do you engage in that have negative effects on your body? Your body is sacred, and you have to learn to respect it. If you want to make enhancements to your lifestyle, eliminating bad habits is a big part of this. Look at some of the habits you have and evaluate if there is anything you can change for the better.

It is important to treat your body well and listen to its signals. Get regular exercise and eat a healthy diet. If you feel sick, see your doctor to find out what the problem is so it can be corrected. Listen to what your body has to say. Start to listen to what your body is telling you, and act on what you?re hearing. You?ll become better attuned, and the result will be better overall self improvement. Ignoring those needs may cause your body to ignore you.

Willpower often plays a major role in increasing the good aspects in your life; your wishes for others may also be what befalls you. Try to only want good things to happen to other people. When you look on the bright side, it is harder for negative emotions and unfortunate events to ruin your mood.

TIP! Instead of bragging abut your achievements and awards, ask other people about what they have accomplished that they are most proud of. This will enable you to learn about others and to develop a great deal of respect for the people around you.

Put your core principles into practice. Everyone has basic principles by which they define themselves. Sticking to your core values will help your self esteem, if you?ve got a strong foundation to rely on. This will also help you develop consistency.

Place value on the best when it comes to self improvement. You should always strive to do your best in all aspects of your life.

In terms of self improvement, the experience of failure may feel disheartening and decrease self esteem. Remember, that even failure is something you can use to improve yourself. You will now know how to deal with the situation and what your weaknesses are. Looking at it this way, failure is a source of pride, because you?ve unlocked another piece of the puzzle when it comes to your development.

Exercise can benefit almost anyone, even those who are not trying to shed excess weight. There are a variety of great reasons to exercise. Exercising causes the release of endorphins that make you feel happier and less irritable.

TIP! Begin your personal development program by focusing on the things that are most important to you. Not only will you find information on being successful, but you will also learn about mistakes that others have already made and be able to avoid them.

Aim to make each day better than its predecessor. Always work towards making improvements. Try your hardest to achieve something different today than what you achieved yesterday.

Determine which aspects of your life you truly value, and concentrate solely on those. By concentrating on those things that you cherish and appreciate, you?re less likely to be pessimistic and to brood over adverse situations that are of little consequence.

Go with a friend to see a movie you enjoy. This gets you out into a social setting, but does not require you to socialize to the point where you are uncomfortable. This will help get you used to being in the same vicinity with lots of different people.

Seeing a counselor or therapist can be beneficial. They have a great deal of experience in dealing with personal thoughts and are even licensed to do so. Professionals will be able to help you consider all your options and give you more information about available resources. Talking these issues through with someone who is a professional will help you be healthier and happier in the long term.

TIP! When you find yourself feeling extremely angry, before you say anything, slowly count to the number ten. Breathe deeply and transport yourself to a tranquil place.

It may become discouraging to begin developing better personal habits and lifestyles, but once you start noticing your life developing towards a better future, you will never want to stop. You can always develop better ways to do things and it?s important to always try hard towards any self improvement goals you have.

For more information visit Self Improvement.

Source: http://www.findinfo.co.nz/change-your-life-with-these-great-self-help-tips-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=change-your-life-with-these-great-self-help-tips-2

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Acne treatment ? Using pads to treat acne - Food Fitness Life Love

It has been a long time that acne is treated with topical creams, oral medications and injections. This was a quite difficult period for a patient because all these treatment choices tend to cause a lot of discomfort to the patient. However, there is a good news. The news is that many acne pads are available, these days to cure acne.

However, people are quite apprehensive about this treatment option because it may not be as effective. However, the experts have already proved that these treatment options have treated acne in many people and that too effectively.

In order to know about the actual effectiveness of acne pads, one needs to know the exact causes of acne. Experts feel that follicle pore blocking and presence of bacterium and acnes inside the follicle and excess amount of production of sebum.

When it comes to medication options, all medications do not treat all the causes mentioned above.

Some of the active ingredients such as salicylic acid were an integral part of gels, face washes and creams. Now, all these are used in acne pads.

Here are some useful instructions in order to help using acne pads to treat acne.

a) Step one:
The first crucial step is to clean the skin with a medicated soap regularly.

b) Step two:
Now wipe the entire affected area with the help of an acne pad.

You need to start the procedure with a single application on a daily basis and thereafter, increase the usage with about two or three times in a single day if required. However, remember that a lot of salicylic acid can dry the skin.

If you notice any sort of peeling, red skin or itching during application, it would be wise to stop using these pads on an immediate basis.

Take special care to keep acne pads away from the eyes, mucous membranes and lips.

It would be wise to use acne pads only after consulting a health care practitioner. You need to take special care on following all the instructions provided on the package of the product. The medication is to be used only externally on the skin. The medication should not come into contact with broken skin, nose, mouth, eyes and groin.

Acne pads need to be used 1 to 3 times on a daily basis. Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after using acne pads. Make sure you consult your doctor prior to using acne pads.

You may also interested in:

Tags: acne pad, acne pads, acne treatment, acne treatment pads, treatment for acne, treatment on acne, treatment pads

Source: http://www.foodfitnesslifelove.com/beauty/acne-treatment-using-pads-to-treat-acne/

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Mila Kunis Rep Denies Fifty Shades of Grey Movie Rumors

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/mila-kunis-rep-denies-fifty-shades-of-grey-movie-rumors/

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Scottsdale Zip Code 85255 Home Sales By Type Q4 2012 ...

-2012 Scottsdale Zip Code 85255 Home Sales By Type-

Here is the year-end information for Scottsdale Arizona zip code 85255. This report looks at home sales activity for 2012 and breaks it into sales type.

85255 is one of Scottsdale?s most vibrant zip codes. It is located in the northern part of? the city and is home to many of the top golf communities as well as many great restaurants and shopping areas. Some of the luxury golf communities include Troon Country Club, Desert Highlands, Grayhawk, DC Ranch and Silverleaf. There are ample outdoor activities as well. One of the most well-known ones is hiking Pinnacle Peak.

Real Estate Sales Types
The sales data for 85255 has been broken into three sales type categories. They are defined as:
- Non-Distressed Sales ? These are ?traditional? or ?regular? home sales that you are familiar with. ? Short Sales ?? A short sale occurs when a seller will be selling the home for less than is what owed on it. A third party, who holds the lien on the home, will need to grant approval for the sale to take place. A short sale is considered a distress sale.
-Foreclosures ?? You may hear these called ?Lender-Owned? homes, ?REO?? homes or ?Bank-Owned? homes. These homes have been through the foreclosure process and they no longer belong to the homeowner.

Overall Findings for the Scottsdale Zip Code 85255 Home Sales Market for Q4 2012 ? Data as of January 1,? 2013

• Active Scottsdale 85255 Homes For Sale: The majority of homes for sale at the end of Q4 were regular sales. They accounted for 95% of the market. The small remainder was split by short sales (3%) and foreclosures (2%.)
• 85255 Pending Homes for Sale: Although they were only 3% of the active market, short sales jumped to 26% of the pending sales at the end of Q4. Due to this, regular pending sales dropped to 72%. Foreclosures were low at 3%.
• Q4 2012 Scottsdale 85255 Home Sales: In Q4, 78% of sales were regular sales and short sales came out at 20%.
• 85255 Home Prices: Normally, we see regular sales as having the highest average sales price and foreclosures having the lowest sales price. But in Q4, 85255 had the highest average sales price with foreclosures.
• Cumulative Days on Market: The average days on market came out as we would expect, with regular sales having the shortest time on market, then foreclosures, then short sales.
• Discounts Off of List Price: Regular and short sales? average discount off of asking are where they have been trending.? For foreclosures, we usually see around a 2-4% discount. But in Q4, we saw an average discount off of list price of 13%. This was due to the fact that there was a large price discount on one of the foreclosures and only 6 foreclosures sold in Q4.
  

?

Scottsdale Zip Code 85255 ? 2012 Data on Homes Sold

Here is the same information for the entire 2012 for 85255. Regular sales and lender owned sales had similar average sales prices, but you can really see the difference when you look at average price per square foot.

Buyers saw the largest average discount off of list price (7%) with regular sales and saw less of an average discount (4%) with short sales and foreclosures.

Scottsdale Zip Code 85255 ? Sales Data By Quarter for 2012

This last chart is a snapshot of sales activity by quarter and by sales type in 2012.

Over the course of the year, regular sales went from 67% of the market in Q1 to 78% in Q4. Short sales had more of an impact in Q1 and Q4 with 20% of sales and foreclosures really dropped off over the course of the year. They started with 13% of sales in Q1 and finished at 2% of sales in Q4.

?

If you would like to review this data for?the City of Scottsdale AZ versus a single zip code, please visit these previous reports:

View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2011
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2010
View Scottsdale Home Sales by Type for 2009

Search All 85255 Scottsdale Homes for Sale

Disclaimer: Due to rounding issues, not all columns will add up to 100%. Data and information were pulled from the Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) as of 1/1/2013 and can change at any time. The analysis looks at single-family resale homes for sale and sales in Scottsdale AZ zip code 85255 for Q4 2012 and for the year of 2012. There may be new home inventory in these figures if the developer is using the MLS to market its homes. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. This post represents the opinion of the author. No warranties express or implied.
Copyright ? 2013 Heather Tawes Nelson

Source: http://livebetterinscottsdale.com/2013/01/scottsdale-zip-code-85255-home-sales-by-type-q4-2012-includes-foreclosures-short-sales/

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Archer, Season 4

In Slate?s Archer TV Club, Jeremy Stahl will IM each week with a different fan of the FX spy comedy. This week he chats with Slate interactives editor and Archer lover Chris Kirk.

Jeremy Stahl: C. Kirk! Thanks so much for joining. As Archer would say, ?Let's do this!!? Does anyone ever call you Captain Kirk, by the way? I just thought of that potential nickname today.

Chris Kirk: Yes, everyone calls me that to my extreme chagrin. But you may call me that for the sake of our dear readers.

Stahl: Excellent, Captain Kirk, set course for Vermont! What did you think of this week's episode? I have to say, at first I was kind of disappointed, but reflecting now on some of the better jokes, the episode is growing on me.

Kirk: Between Archer being totally oblivious to his buddy's romantic intentions and Cyril and Pam's insistence on the peer review, I thought it was a great episode. Also: ?Vermont has liquor stores, right? No, they have to. It sucks there.? Classic.

Stahl: Really? The peer-review stuff was what didn't do it for me. I get that this is a great workplace comedy, and usually the office fodder is some of the funniest stuff in the show (see: ant infestation in the break room), but the peer reviews seemed forced and uninteresting. I mean, they were Pam's baby, but we barely saw her the entire episode. Also, Cyril seems far too level-headed to have been insisting on doing paperwork while his life was in mortal danger. Looking back, though, the Lucas Troy-Archer relationship, especially the payoff at the end, made the peer-review stuff worth it.

Kirk: I thought the ending was hilarious, with all three of them just sitting in the car, shocked, Archer clutching a whiskey bottle.

Stahl: Archer is possibly the most hilariously cruel show to its main character on television?Adam Reed has ended episodes by killing Archer?s fianc?e before his eyes, giving Archer cancer after he thought he was in the clear, assassinating Archer?s (maybe) father while he was getting laid rather than fulfilling an assignment to protect him, and now killing Archer?s best (only) friend in the most gruesome manner possible (?Is it bad??) only to reveal that the friend had sexually assaulted Archer while he was passed out drunk.

Kirk: Archer is such an arrogant jerk that's it's satisfying to see him suffer. And none of his misfortunes ever has a permanent implication. By the next episode he'll be back to his usual self. Which is good! The constant cycle of watching this disrespectful, obliviously egotistic jerk get his comeuppance is what this show seems to be about.

Stahl: I think I enjoy seeing the bro side of Archer suffer, but witnessing the resilient, neglected-by-his-mom side suffering is kind of sad. Hilariously sad, obviously. The final punchline was the most laugh-out-loud hysterical one I can remember in the entire series. The absolute dread, sadness, and horror in Lana's eyes were too perfect when contrasted with Archer's nonchalance at being the victim of a sexual brottack.

Kirk: I didn't take it as nonchalance. I just figured he was so utterly traumatized that he wasn't even expressive.

Stahl: What about the ?Can we have the radio? line, though? I feel like he was already back to his usual self.

Kirk: It's a mixture of both, probably.

Stahl: Either way, it was beautifully executed. That's one of things Archer does best?finish on really strong notes. Often the show?s funniest (and not coincidentally, darkest) jokes are saved for the kicker. This is an old Adam Reed signature. I recently rewatched an episode of Sealab 2021 in which Reed just redubbed line-for-line an incredibly boring episode from the original series, but he added one last brilliant touch: While the credits were rolling, Sealab blew up.

Kirk: It's shows like Archer and Sealab that really make you appreciate the reset button.

Stahl: Yes. Next week Lucas Troy (perfect name, by the way) will probably be a distant memory and Mallory will be on to Item 9 on the agenda?a vomit-inducing cruise with Ron Cadillac that the entire ISIS team will somehow be roped into joining?

Kirk: I do think the show does a great job at playing off our perceptions of the characters. At the beginning of this episode, almost everyone but Archer is convinced that Luke is gay. But it's easy to dismiss this as the office just gangs up on Archer. Of course, Luke actually turns out to be gay ... although apparently gay solely for Archer. Also, Archer has this amazing ability, at least for me, to be very funny in the smallest of ways. When Mallory Archer says that Luke went over to Odin as soon as she finished training him, Archer responds, "She said, oversimplifyingly." I loved that totally made-up adverb. The show excels at what I suppose you can call "microhumor," the punch lines and the back-and-forth, as well as the "macrohumor" of funny premises and plot developments

Stahl: He said, overcomplicatingly.

Stahl: OK, C. Kirk, I have to go fill out your peer review. I'll give you an ?excellent? in the ?works well with others? category.

Kirk: Thanks, Jeremy. It's still a bit snowy in D.C., so keep an eye out for Predator.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=cd30a595175ad438866fb3fcf283a81b

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Matt Damon Takes Over 'Kimmel': Our Fave Moments!

The Jan. 24 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live was one for the books. While the episode was originally just supposed to mark the first ever interview with Matt Damon on the show, it turned into something much, much more amazing than that.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/matt-damon-takes-over-jimmy-kimmel-live/1-a-517705?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Amatt-damon-takes-over-jimmy-kimmel-live-517705

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Cuba gets hard-wired Internet to outside world

17 hrs.

Peter Orsi , The Associated Press

HAVANA ??Cuba's state telecom monopoly confirmed Thursday that the island's first hard-wired Internet connection to the outside world has been activated, but said it won't lead to an immediate increase in access.

In a statement published in Communist Party newspaper Granma and other official media, ETECSA broke its long silence on the ALBA-1 fiber-optic cable, which island officials once boasted would increase capacity 3,000-fold.

Until now Cuba's Internet has been strictly via ponderous satellite links, and out of reach for the great majority of islanders. ETECSA said the new cable has been operational since August, initially carrying international voice calls, and the company has been conducting data traffic tests on the cable since Jan. 10.

"When the testing process concludes, the submarine cable being put into operation will not mean that possibilities for access will automatically multiply," ETECSA said.

"It will be necessary to invest in internal telecommunications infrastructure," the company said, adding that even then the goal is "gradual growth of a service that we offer mostly for free and with social aims in mind."

The $70 million ALBA-1 arrived on the island from Venezuela in February 2011 to great hoopla, but officials soon stopped mentioning the cable amid rumors of mismanagement and corruption involving the project.

Its status was unknown until this week, when U.S. Internet analysis firm Renesys documented evidence of faster data traffic to Cuba and concluded that the cable had been switched on.

Dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez, an advocate for wider Internet dissemination, questioned whether the government would have said anything about the cable if Renesys and foreign media had not reported about it.

"(Hashtag) Granma says now it's necessary to build infrastructure for the (hashtag) FiberOpticCable to provide service!" she tweeted. "And what were they doing the past two years?"

Cuba has the second-worst Internet connectivity rate in the world, according to one study.

According to government statistics, about 16 percent of islanders have some online access, usually through their school or workplace and often just to an Intranet that also has email capability.

Just 2.9 percent of Cubans report having full access to the World Wide Web. However outside observers say the true number is more like 5 to 10 percent accounting for underreporting of dial-up minutes resold on the black market.

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/cuba-confirms-hard-wired-internet-connection-outside-world-1C8109858

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Quantum communication: Each photon counts

Public release date: 25-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Monika Landgraf
presse@kit.edu
49-721-608-47414
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

This press release is available in German.

The detector combines near-unity detection efficiency with high timing resolution and has a very low error rate. The results have been published by Nature Communications (doi:10.1038/ncomms2307).

Ultrafast, efficient, and reliable single-photon detectors are among the most sought-after components in photonics and quantum communication, which have not yet reached maturity for practical application. Physicist Dr. Wolfram Pernice of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), in cooperation with colleagues at Yale University, Boston University, and Moscow State Pedagogical University, achieved the decisive breakthrough by integrating single-photon detectors with nanophotonic chips. The detector combines near-unity detection efficiency with high timing resolution and has a very low error rate. The results have been published by Nature Communications (doi:10.1038/ncomms2307).

Without reliable detection of single photons, it is impossible to make real use of the latest advances in optical data transmission or quantum computation; it is like having no analog-digital converter in a conventional computer to determine whether the applied voltage stands for 0 or 1. Although a number of different single-photon detector models have been developed over the past few years, thus far, none have provided satisfactory performance.

Several new ideas and advanced developments went into the prototype developed within the "Integrated Quantum Photonics" project at the DFG Center of Functional Nanostructures (CFN). The new single-photon detector, tested in the telecommunications wavelength range, achieves a previously unattained detection efficiency of 91%.

The detector was realized by fabricating superconducting nanowires directly on top of a nanophotonic waveguide. This geometry can be compared to a tube that conducts light, around which a wire in a superconducting state is wound and, as such, has no electric resistivity. The nanometer-sized wire made of niobium nitride absorbs photons that propagate along the waveguide. When a photon is absorbed, superconductivity is lost, which is detected as an electric signal. The longer the tube, the higher is the detection probability. The lengths involved are in the micrometer range.

A special feature of the detector is its direct installation on the chip, which allows for it to be replicated at random. The single-photon detectors built thus far were stand-alone units, which were connected to chips with optical fibers. Arrangements of that type suffer from photons being lost in the fiber connection or being absorbed in other ways. These loss channels do not exist in the detector that is now fully embedded in a silicon photonic circuit. In addition to high detection efficiency, this gives rise to a remarkably low dark count rate. Dark counts arise when a photon is detected erroneously: for instance, because of a spontaneous emission, an alpha particle, or a spurious field. The new design also provides ultrashort timing jitter of 18 picoseconds, which is 18 times 10-12 seconds. The novel solution also makes it possible to integrate several hundreds of these detectors on a single chip. This is a basic precondition for future use in optical quantum computers.

The detector demonstrated in this study was designed to work at wavelengths in the Telekom bandwidth. The same detector architecture can also be used for wavelengths in the range of visible light. This would allow the principle to be employed in analyses of all structures that emit little light, i.e., photons, such as single molecules or bacteria.

###

C.V. Dr. Wolfram Pernice

Dr. Wolfram Pernice studied Microsystems Technology at Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg. After winning a research grant of the British Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council he obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Oxford, England where he explored the Development of Efficient Numerical Methods for Simulating Photonic Devices. In 2008 he joined Yale University where, supported by a Humboldt scholarship, he analyzed nano-opto-mechanical systems in the group of Hong Tang. In summer 2011, the German Research Association (DFG) appointed him as head of an Emmy Noether Research Group. His research into integrated quantum optical and nano-opto-mechanical systems had convinced the committee, and as the recipient of an Emmy Noether grant, he chose to pursue his work at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Since October 2011, he has worked here as a Junior Group Leader at the Institute of Nanotechnology (INT). At the beginning of the year, he also won a Helmholtz International Research Group grant, which he wants to use to fund another post-graduate student in his Karlsruhe team.

The DFG Center of Functional Nanostructures (CFN) devotes its attention to the important area of nanotechnology and functional nanostructures. Its objective is to carry out excellent interdisciplinary and international research in order to produce nanostructures with new technical functions and take the first step from fundamental research to application. At the present time, more than 250 scientists and engineers cooperate in more than 80 sub-projects networked through the CFN in Karlsruhe, focusing on the areas of nano-photonics, nano-electronics, molecular nanostructures, nano-biology, and nano-energy. www.cfn.kit.edu

The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is a public corporation according to the legislation of the state of Baden-Wrttemberg. It fulfills the mission of a university and the mission of a national research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT focuses on a knowledge triangle that links the tasks of research, teaching, and innovation.

This press release is available on the Internet at www.kit.edu.

A print-quality photo may be downloaded under www.kit.edu or requested by mail (presse@kit.edu) or phone (+49 721 608-47414). The photo may only be used in the context mentioned above.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 25-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Monika Landgraf
presse@kit.edu
49-721-608-47414
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

This press release is available in German.

The detector combines near-unity detection efficiency with high timing resolution and has a very low error rate. The results have been published by Nature Communications (doi:10.1038/ncomms2307).

Ultrafast, efficient, and reliable single-photon detectors are among the most sought-after components in photonics and quantum communication, which have not yet reached maturity for practical application. Physicist Dr. Wolfram Pernice of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), in cooperation with colleagues at Yale University, Boston University, and Moscow State Pedagogical University, achieved the decisive breakthrough by integrating single-photon detectors with nanophotonic chips. The detector combines near-unity detection efficiency with high timing resolution and has a very low error rate. The results have been published by Nature Communications (doi:10.1038/ncomms2307).

Without reliable detection of single photons, it is impossible to make real use of the latest advances in optical data transmission or quantum computation; it is like having no analog-digital converter in a conventional computer to determine whether the applied voltage stands for 0 or 1. Although a number of different single-photon detector models have been developed over the past few years, thus far, none have provided satisfactory performance.

Several new ideas and advanced developments went into the prototype developed within the "Integrated Quantum Photonics" project at the DFG Center of Functional Nanostructures (CFN). The new single-photon detector, tested in the telecommunications wavelength range, achieves a previously unattained detection efficiency of 91%.

The detector was realized by fabricating superconducting nanowires directly on top of a nanophotonic waveguide. This geometry can be compared to a tube that conducts light, around which a wire in a superconducting state is wound and, as such, has no electric resistivity. The nanometer-sized wire made of niobium nitride absorbs photons that propagate along the waveguide. When a photon is absorbed, superconductivity is lost, which is detected as an electric signal. The longer the tube, the higher is the detection probability. The lengths involved are in the micrometer range.

A special feature of the detector is its direct installation on the chip, which allows for it to be replicated at random. The single-photon detectors built thus far were stand-alone units, which were connected to chips with optical fibers. Arrangements of that type suffer from photons being lost in the fiber connection or being absorbed in other ways. These loss channels do not exist in the detector that is now fully embedded in a silicon photonic circuit. In addition to high detection efficiency, this gives rise to a remarkably low dark count rate. Dark counts arise when a photon is detected erroneously: for instance, because of a spontaneous emission, an alpha particle, or a spurious field. The new design also provides ultrashort timing jitter of 18 picoseconds, which is 18 times 10-12 seconds. The novel solution also makes it possible to integrate several hundreds of these detectors on a single chip. This is a basic precondition for future use in optical quantum computers.

The detector demonstrated in this study was designed to work at wavelengths in the Telekom bandwidth. The same detector architecture can also be used for wavelengths in the range of visible light. This would allow the principle to be employed in analyses of all structures that emit little light, i.e., photons, such as single molecules or bacteria.

###

C.V. Dr. Wolfram Pernice

Dr. Wolfram Pernice studied Microsystems Technology at Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg. After winning a research grant of the British Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council he obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Oxford, England where he explored the Development of Efficient Numerical Methods for Simulating Photonic Devices. In 2008 he joined Yale University where, supported by a Humboldt scholarship, he analyzed nano-opto-mechanical systems in the group of Hong Tang. In summer 2011, the German Research Association (DFG) appointed him as head of an Emmy Noether Research Group. His research into integrated quantum optical and nano-opto-mechanical systems had convinced the committee, and as the recipient of an Emmy Noether grant, he chose to pursue his work at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Since October 2011, he has worked here as a Junior Group Leader at the Institute of Nanotechnology (INT). At the beginning of the year, he also won a Helmholtz International Research Group grant, which he wants to use to fund another post-graduate student in his Karlsruhe team.

The DFG Center of Functional Nanostructures (CFN) devotes its attention to the important area of nanotechnology and functional nanostructures. Its objective is to carry out excellent interdisciplinary and international research in order to produce nanostructures with new technical functions and take the first step from fundamental research to application. At the present time, more than 250 scientists and engineers cooperate in more than 80 sub-projects networked through the CFN in Karlsruhe, focusing on the areas of nano-photonics, nano-electronics, molecular nanostructures, nano-biology, and nano-energy. www.cfn.kit.edu

The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is a public corporation according to the legislation of the state of Baden-Wrttemberg. It fulfills the mission of a university and the mission of a national research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT focuses on a knowledge triangle that links the tasks of research, teaching, and innovation.

This press release is available on the Internet at www.kit.edu.

A print-quality photo may be downloaded under www.kit.edu or requested by mail (presse@kit.edu) or phone (+49 721 608-47414). The photo may only be used in the context mentioned above.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/haog-qce012513.php

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London Olympic Park to host 2013 rock concerts

FILE This is a image released on Sept. 30, 2011 by the London 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority shows the parklands area in the south of the Olympic Park looking towards the Olympic Stadium in London. London's Olympic Park will partly reopen to the public this year for a series of summer rock concerts it was reported Tuesday Jan. 22, 2013. The London Legacy Development Corporation the east London park will host the Hard Rock Calling and Wireless festivals in July under a deal with events promoter Live Nation Entertainment. Live Nation also will hold other concerts in park's Olympic Stadium over the summer after gaining exclusive rights to the venue. (AP Photo/Anthony Charlton, ODA, Ho, FILE) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

FILE This is a image released on Sept. 30, 2011 by the London 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority shows the parklands area in the south of the Olympic Park looking towards the Olympic Stadium in London. London's Olympic Park will partly reopen to the public this year for a series of summer rock concerts it was reported Tuesday Jan. 22, 2013. The London Legacy Development Corporation the east London park will host the Hard Rock Calling and Wireless festivals in July under a deal with events promoter Live Nation Entertainment. Live Nation also will hold other concerts in park's Olympic Stadium over the summer after gaining exclusive rights to the venue. (AP Photo/Anthony Charlton, ODA, Ho, FILE) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

LONDON (AP) ? London's Olympic Park will partly reopen to the public this year for a series of summer rock concerts, officials announced Tuesday.

The London Legacy Development Corporation said the east London park will host the Hard Rock Calling and Wireless festivals in July under a deal with events promoter Live Nation Entertainment.

Headliners for the festivals have not yet been announced.

Live Nation also will hold other concerts in the park's Olympic Stadium over the summer after gaining exclusive rights to the venue.

The 560-acre (227-hectare) site of the 2012 Summer Games is due to reopen to the public in stages between July and early 2014.

Live Nation is leaving its previous venue in London's Hyde Park after friction over noise and timing restrictions. Last summer fans were angered when officials pulled the plug on a Bruce Springsteen-Paul McCartney duet in mid-song.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-22-Britain-Olympic%20Park/id-6224a9f98c6147bd893f00f9f34c9508

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Cremation is hottest trend in the funeral industry

1 hr.

Tyler Mathisen, Anchor , CNBC

OK, forgive me. I know that headline was sort of cheesy. But when you've spent the past few months working on a documentary on the business of death, you go for the cheap laugh whenever you can.?

I've been to casket-manufacturing companies, funeral homes, mortuary science schools and the annual convention of the National Funeral Directors Association. You don't know fun until you've partied with 6,000 funeral professionals.?

They were a sliver of the more than 130,000 people who work in what's come to be known as the "death care industry" ? a $17- billion-a-year business in America. And what's the fastest growing part of it? Cremation.?

Every year in America, 2.5 million people die. In 2011, the last year for which numbers are available, 42 percent were cremated, according to the funeral directors association. That's double the rate of just 15 years ago. In some states, largely in the West, the cremation rate tops 70 percent. In Washington, it's 72 percent; in Nevada, almost 74 percent. (The lowest rate of cremation, in case you need a great pick-up line, is Mississippi's, at 15.7 percent.)

Why Rates are Rising: Religion, Family and Cost
So why the big jump in cremations? There are lots of reasons. One is the softening of the Catholic church's views of the practice. For centuries ? until 1963, in fact ? the church outlawed it. The church's laws still express a preference for burial. But the outright ban is a thing of the past and now, under some circumstances, bishops can permit a funeral mass with cremated remains present.?

Another reason for the rise in cremations is the decline in nuclear families. As more Americans live far from hometowns and parents, and as family burial plots have waned in popularity and accessibility, millions have turned to cremation as a practical and cost-effective way to care for a loved one's remains.?

But the main reason, as you might expect, is cost. Cremation is cheaper than burial. The average cost of a funeral today is about $6,500, including the typical $2,000-or-more cost of a casket. Add a burial vault, and the average jumps to around $7,700. A cremation, by contrast, typically costs a third of those amounts, or less. In a tough economy like the current one, cost counts ? a lot.?

Money Matters, Even in DeathWhat you pay depends in part on where you live and which additional products or services you buy from the funeral home or crematory. Prices tend to be higher in densely populated urban areas. And you will pay more ? in some cases almost as much as a full burial with casket ? if you contract with a funeral home for such ancillary services as hearses, visitations and viewings or memorial services prior to cremation.?

In that case, you will be charged a few hundred dollars for ? yes, I'm serious ? a rental casket with removable liner. In most states, whether you have a viewing or not, you will have to buy a cremation container, usually wood fiber or cardboard, for $100 or so. It is burned with the body.

If you keep it simple, though, the average cost of a cremation, including a basic memorial service, runs about $1,600. If you go for a so-called direct cremation, without a memorial service, the cost can drop well below $1,000. Go online and you can find prices as low as $600 or so.?

In the End: What to Do With the Ashes
Of course, the total cost doesn't stop with the cremation itself. You've got to do something with the 4 to 6 pounds of mostly carbon ash that remain after the body has been incinerated for several hours at 1,600 to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Typically that means buying an urn. Cost: from under $100 to well over $1,000. Was your beloved Uncle Pete a golfer? You can get The Masters Golf Cremation urn online for $218. It won't improve your putting, or his.?

Then there's the cost of interring the cremation urn. You don't have to buy a burial space for the remains. You can keep them in an urn on your mantel. Bad idea if you have cats or ball-throwing small children. Or you can scatter the ashes or have them mixed with concrete and dropped into the ocean to form a memorial reef. One vendor in Florida, Eternal Reefs, charges $3,000 to $7,000 for that. Says owner George Frankel, without a trace of irony: "I think a sea change is what we're seeing" in the funeral business.?

If you decide to place your loved one's urn and ashes in a burial space, vault or columbarium, figure on spending $1,000 or so -- maybe more, depending on how fancy the cemetery or memorial garden is. You may pay extra, too, if you choose to have a niche with a view. But who's counting? Or looking, for that matter?

"Death: It's a Living" premieres Thursday Jan. 31 at 9 p.m. EST/PST on CNBC.?

? 2013 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/cremation-hottest-trend-funeral-industry-1B8068228

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Supreme Court urged to support gay marriage limits

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court was urged on Tuesday to uphold the constitutionality of two laws that define marriage as the union of a man and a woman, as it prepares to hear arguments in the historic same-sex marriage cases two months from now.

Supporters of the 2008 California prohibition on same-sex marriage known as Proposition 8 told the court that defining marriage should be left to voters rather than judges, and that the ban did not dishonor gays and lesbians.

"That same-sex relationships are not recognized as marriages does not reflect a public judgment that individuals in such relationships are 'inferior' or 'of lesser worth as a class,'" the brief said, "but simply the fact that such relationships do not implicate society's interest in responsible procreation in the same way that opposite-sex relationships do."

In a separate filing, the top three Republican members of the House of Representatives - Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy - urged the court to uphold Section 3 of a 1996 federal law, the Defense of Marriage Act, that has the effect of denying same-sex couples a variety of federal benefits that heterosexual couples receive.

"Judicially constitutionalizing the issue of same-sex marriage is unwarranted as a matter of sound social and political policy while the American people are so actively engaged in working through this issue for themselves," their brief said.

The Supreme Court will on March 26-27 hear arguments on the California and federal laws, in two of the most anticipated cases of its current term. Nine U.S. states have legalized same-sex marriage.

Opponents of both provisions are expected to file their briefs next month. The Obama administration has stopped defending Section 3.

'AGENTS OF THE PEOPLE'

In the California case, Hollingsworth v. Perry, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had last February voided Proposition 8 but on narrow grounds, saying the state could not take away a right to same-sex marriage that it had previously allowed.

The law was allowed to remain in effect during the appeals process, which gives the Supreme Court a chance to accept or reject a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, or perhaps issue a narrower ruling affecting only California.

In their brief, supporters of Proposition 8 also said they are legally entitled to defend the ban "as agents of the people" because state officials including Governor Jerry Brown refused.

They raised this argument after the Supreme Court asked them to explain why they had "standing" to sue. If the court finds they do not, it could leave the 9th Circuit ruling intact, which could result in same-sex marriage being legalized in the state.

The New York case, U.S. v. Windsor, seeks to invalidate Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between only a man and a woman for the purpose of federal benefits such as Social Security survivor payments and the right to file joint federal tax returns.

In October, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York struck down Section 3, joining a May 2012 ruling by a federal appeals court in Boston.

Charles Cooper, a former lawyer in the U.S. Department of Justice under President Ronald Reagan, represents Proposition 8 supporters.

Paul Clement, a solicitor general under President George W. Bush, is representing the House Republican lawmakers, whose brief identifies them as the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The two Democratic members of that group, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, do not support their position taken on Section 3.

Equality is also a theme of two other major Supreme Court cases this term: a challenge to affirmative action in admissions at the University of Texas, and whether a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act should stay on the books.

The same-sex marriage cases are Hollingsworth v. Perry, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-144; and U.S. v. Windsor, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-307.

(Editing by Howard Goller and Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/supreme-court-urged-support-gay-marriage-limits-004017379.html

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