5 Simple Ways To Increase Your Computer Speed & Help Your ...

If you?re a computer expert, you?ll probably already know about these tips (hopefully this will provide you with a little reminder). If you?re not an expert, don?t worry ? these tips are simple, and don?t require a lot of computer experience.

While an old computer will never operate at the same speed as a newer (and bigger & faster) computer, you can help your computer stay as ?young & healthy? as possible.

1) Disk Cleanup

Performing a disk cleanup regularly is a good idea. Whenever you ?surf the internet?, open attachments, delete files, your computer saves a record of your activity. Many of these files are harmless, and individually are very small. But if you spend a lot of time on your computer, before long you?ll take up enough space to slow your computer down a bit.

Disk Cleanup is a Windows utility that helps keep unused and unwanted files from taking up extra storage space on your computer. You can think of it as ?spring cleaning? for your computer.

Basically, it removes files that may have once been useful or used but now are just taking up extra room that could be used for more useful programs and files.

To perform a disc cleanup, click on the Start button on the bottom left of your computer screen, then Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disc Cleanup. A small box will pop up, allowing you to select the files to delete (most files are OK to delete, but if you are unsure, it is best to not select the file). Then click OK, and the unused files will be removed.

If you?ve never done a disk cleanup on your computer, now is a good time to get started. Then, depending on how much you use your computer, you can perform a disk cleanup every few weeks to keep your computer running smoothly!

2) Defragmenting Your Computer

Another way to improve the performance of your computer is to defragment your hard drive. What is defragmenting, and why do you need to do it? Here?s a simple explanation:

Basically, defragmenting is putting files back where they belong. With the files in the proper order, your computer will run more efficiently.

You don?t need to hire a computer expert to defragment your computer. It?s simple to do. You just need to plan ahead, because if you have a lot of ?stuff? on your computer, it could take a while.

And it?s best not to use your computer while defragmenting.

Not sure how to defragment your computer? You can either click on your computer?s help file (Click the ?Start? button on the bottom left of your computer screen, then Help), or click on Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Defragment ? for most computers) .

Keep in mind that the actual wording is slightly different depending on the operating system you use (Windows 95, 98, XP, etc) so you might need to refer to your computer?s help file.

Periodically defragmenting your computer will keep it running smoothly!

3) Removing Spyware & Adware

If you?ve ever had spyware or adware on your computer, you know how frustrating it can be ? strange things happening, your homepage changing, inappropriate popups, unfamiliar icons?
What exactly is spyware or adware?

Simply, files that are often downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge (or at least without you knowing what they really are).

Unfortunately, many of these programs ?sneak? their way onto your computer, so avoiding them entirely is difficult, especially if you spend a lot of time on your computer, surfing the Internet and downloading new programs and files.

Fortunately, there are ways to remove these unwanted files from your computer.

Here are 2 adware/spyware removal programs that are simple to use (and both are free):

Ad-Aware http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/

Spybot http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

Why does adware/spyware continue to be such a problem? Because most of these programs make money for the people creating and spreading them, unfortunately. So, all we can do is try to avoid them as much as possible, and to remove them when they do find their way onto our computers.

If you do find spyware on your computer, don?t panic. In many cases, you just have some extra ?junk? on your computer. But keeping spywaer and adware off of your computer will help it run more quickly and efficiently.

4) Uninstalling Old & Unused Programs

While uninstalling old, unused programs will help speed up your computer, removing the wrong files can cause you some big problems. So, please proceed carefully. And if you are not comfortable, please ask for help from someone you know who is more knowledgeable.

Most programs that you download simply have an ?uninstall? feature that comes with them. If you?re like me and you download a lot of free programs or free trials, after a while your computer begins to slow down. That means it?s time for me to remove some of the old programs I don?t use any more (and most I only used once just to see how they work).

To uninstall unused programs from your computer, first click on the Start button on the bottom left, then Programs, then click on the name of the program and Uninstall. If there is no uninstall option, then click on the Start button on the bottom left, then Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs.

Again, if you are unsure whether or not to remove a program, it is best to leave it.

If you follow these instructions, you should find your computer working faster right away.

5) Get A High Speed Internet Connection

If you spend a lot of time on the internet, a high speed internet connection is a must. It is more expensive, but for most people the savings in time and effort is worth the added expense.

There are several advantages of having a high speed internet connection ? faster surfing, web pages

Source: http://www.webvmc.com/5-simple-ways-to-increase-your-computer-speed-help-your-computer-run-more-efficiently/

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Bernanke: Economy slows, Fed ready to act

Carolyn Kaster / AP

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke pauses before giving a semiannual report to the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday.

By NBC News.com staff and wire reports

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke said the U.S. economy has lost some speed?in the first half of the year, but he offered no clues about which steps?the Fed might take to get?jobs, real estate, manufacturing and consumer spending back on track.

Bernanke, in remarks prepared for testimony Tuesday before the Senate Banking Committee, said the Fed was prepared to act to aid the?economy, but that's as far as?his remarks went about a topic investors were eager to hear more about.

"Reflecting its concerns about the slow pace of progress in reducing unemployment and the downside risks to the economic outlook, the Committee made clear at its June meeting that it is prepared to take further action as appropriate to promote a stronger economic recovery and sustained improvement in labor market conditions in a context of price stability," Bernanke's statement said.

Investors had been?hoping Bernanke would signal another round of bond purchases is in the offing. The purchases seek to push down long-term interest rates and encourage more borrowing and spending. The first two rounds triggered powerful rallies in the U.S. stock market.

The economy was already sputtering when the Fed's policymaking committee last met June 19-20. At that meeting, the Fed decided to extend a program that shifts its bond portfolio to try to lower long-term interest rates.

Minutes of the June meeting show that Fed officials were open to taking further action ? but were divided over whether the economy needs help now.

Since then, the government has reported that job growth slowed sharply in the April-June quarter ? to 75,000 a month from 226,000 a month from January through March. The unemployment rate stayed at 8.2 percent in last month.

More dismal news arrived Monday. Retail sales fell in June for the third straight month, the government reported. The International Monetary Fund shaved its estimate for global and U.S. growth for this year and next. And the IMF warned that Europe's financial crisis and a potential budget crisis in the United States could slow world growth even further next year.

Bernanke told lawmakers recent deterioration in the labor market suggests the nation's 8.2 percent jobless rate will come down all too gradually, admitting for the first time that the softness could not be explained away by purely seasonal factors.

Committee Chairman Tim Johnson, D-S.D., questioned Bernanke about his knowledge of the Libor rate-fixing scandal after it emerged last week that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, then head of the New York Fed, was aware of problems in the setting of interbank rates in early 2008.

Johnson asked if Bernanke could tell the American people what the Fed knew, when did it know it and what the Fed did about it.

Bernanke gave a detailed response, beginning with?that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York had first heard about the possible issue through a phone call from a Barclays trader in April of 2008 in which the trader said he thought Barclays was under-reporting its rate. He said Geithner briefed top U.S. regulators about Libor rates on May 1, 2008.

He said there was a substantial response by the N.Y. Fed to let authorities know what the Fed had heard regarding problems with the Libor rate, which affects a wide range of debt, including mortgage rates and student loans.

"There was a substantial response from" the Fed, Bernanke told lawmakers.

Going forward, Bernanke said he'd like to see some changes in the Libor system. "I would like to see additional reforms to the Libor process, assuming that Libor will continue to be a benchmark for financial contracts," Bernanke said.

Bernanke repeated his warning to lawmakers about the importance of developing a credible long-term plan to reduce U.S. government debt levels while avoiding sharp spending cuts and tax hikes in the near-term. He highlighted concerns about a looming "fiscal cliff" that would likely send the economy into recession unless Congress acts.

"The most effective way that the Congress could help to support the economy right now would be to work to address the nation's fiscal challenges in a way that takes into account both the need for long-run sustainability and the fragility of the recovery," his statement said.

In addition to uncertainty related to fiscal policy, the economy is being restrained by tight borrowing conditions for some businesses and consumers, Bernanke said.

Bernanke said the Fed remains in close contact with European authorities, and is focused on making sure the U.S. financial system remains resilient to financial shocks.

"Europe's financial markets and economy remain under significant stress, with spillover effects on financial and economic conditions in the rest of the world, including the United States," he said.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More money and business news:

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Source: http://economywatch.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/17/12788776-bernanke-economy-slows-fed-ready-to-act?lite

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Unique Require For Evacuation Health and fitness Insurance ...

A large amount significantly more businessmen find out by themselves conducting business absent from household. 197 million business outings have actually been taken in 1998 and analysts predict that number will strengthen inside coming twelve months. On usual professionals take five corporation outings for each yr. That implies a lot far more time absent from domestic and people companies that we depend upon and they are accustomed to. It does not matter if travelling abroad or domestically, any time you will find knowledgeable medical related unexpected emergency significantly away from property, you want a global journey health and fitness insurance policies service to accumulate back home securely.

A health care evacuation method which may transportation associates it doesn't matter healthcare requirement. This permits the influenced particular person to determine the location they're going to receive remedy, and gives them the ability to receive transported shut to family members and shut mates in situations of crisis and get the fitness care care which you want. Especially if you should materialize for being across the other side from the planet in a overseas land exactly the place the superb of well being treatment procedure isn't really so superior. An international take a trip health insurance method that may be suitable for missionaries, businessmen, their family members members, or vacationers, sightseers, you recognize it. Even for home journey, for people who have traveled to a different convey and city, individuals are beginning to decide to purchase escape insurance policies insurance policies that will protect go over evacuation professional products and services, either being a part of health-related protection or just like a independent policy.

In a very lot of situations, although, the guidelines are authored to make sure the protection is limited to transportation in the nearest healthcare facility. Among a large amount of main advertising and marketing things for this journey health and wellbeing insurance protection technique stands out as the proven fact that they can transport you toward the healthcare facility belonging to the option. And it could possibly be all achievable with just some hundred pounds an 12 months. That is a good low cost considering of how examine healthcare evacuation can charge inside completely affordable to colossal five figures, based on in case you have to be evacuated from a home or global area towards your final location. Featuring state-of-the-art aircraft through which participants are transported in medically configured planes.

Every single aircraft is chiefly an intensive consideration unit and is entirely stocked for just about any health predicament, even able to execute surgery. It can be staffed by physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists with encounter in ground breaking cardiac and trauma lifestyle assistance, emergency and important and vital awareness medication, and also pediatric and neonatal treatment. Along with that, crew users are specifically educated in altitude physiology, also as environment clean air qualified professional health care transports. A number of of your respective nurses have flown about one hundred health evacuation missions.

Source: http://www.yapperz.com/garthchristi1229/blog/unique-require-for-evacuation-health-and-fitness-insurance-coverage/

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Ethiopia mosque sit-ins see deaths, arrests -protesters

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ethiopia-mosque-sit-ins-see-deaths-arrests-protesters-151400235.html

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N. Korea's Kim again seen with mystery lady

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/n-koreas-kim-again-seen-mystery-lady-133014863.html

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{recipe} More Cool Food for Hot Nights | FROM SCRATCH CLUB

So, here it is, hot again. ?Too hot to turn on the oven, or even to spend any real time in the kitchen. ?Below are recipes for two pasta-based salads that can serve as an entree or a side dish. ?The pasta or noodles can be cooked ahead of time (maybe in the morning when it?s not as hot out) and set aside until dinner-time. ?Both salads feature garlic scapes, which have been abundant in recent weeks.

I recommend looking to local produce to round out the meal. ?Pictured above are some quick-pickled kirby cucumbers from my CSA share. ?Tomatoes cut in to wedges and drizzled with olive oil and sliced basil are great too.

RECIPE #1: COLD SOBA NOODLES

INGREDIENTS
1 package buckwheat soba noodles
5-6 leaves of lacinato/dinasaur kale
1-2 carrots
one garlic scape
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sesame oil

METHOD
Cook the noodles (which can be found in most grocery stores in the ?International? section) until they are al dente, about 5-7 minutes. ?While the noodles are cooking, cut the kale in to small ribbons, chop the garlic scape and grate the carrots. ?The vegetables can be sauteed quickly in sesame oil,or just added raw to the noodles immediately after they are dumped in to the colander. ?Tossing the vegetables with the hot noodles like this will soften the vegetables just enough. ?Rinse in cold water until the noodles are no longer warm. ?Add the rest of the ingredients, toss and serve.

RECIPE #2: RICOTTA- ZUCCHINI PASTA SALAD

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound orzo (rice shaped pasta)
1/2 cup ricotta
2 medium sized zucchini, sliced
several sprigs of fresh thyme
1 garlic scape, sliced into small rounds
salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
Cook the orzo, drain and rinse until no longer warm. ?While the pasta is cooking, saute the zucchini, cut in to triangle slices, along with the thyme (just pulled off the stem) and the garlic scape, cut in to small slices. ?Allow that to cool as well and then toss the vegetables together with the pasta and the ricotta. ?This pasta salad is also good served slightly warm, but it?s great cold.

Source: http://fromscratchclub.com/2012/07/16/recipe-more-cold-food-for-hot-days/

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Reduce your taxes by renting your building to your business | Jeffrey ...

Did you know about this tax planning strategy to reduce self-employment tax by increasing the rent charged to your business by your rental property? by Jeffrey Brooks, CPA, CFP, MBA for JBrooks Wealth Advisors, PC., a CPA and CFP Firm. 602-292-2009
Business owners who own their own buildings can withdraw money from their closely held business while dramatically cutting their self-employment income by simply leasing property they own to their closely held business.

Taxpayers who own closely held businesses can maximize their tax savings by taking advantage of the self-employment tax ?rentals exception? under which rentals from real estate and from personal property leased with the real estate (and the corresponding deductions) are excluded in determining net earnings from self-employment. The tax savings can be significant.

In most cases, a Cost Segregation Study can increase depreciation on the business owners building and allow the business owner to charge their building higher rents!

Many states give the business owner an exemption from rental tax which helps the business owner retain more cash flow.

The Social Security wage base for FICA Social security tax will increase from $110,100 for 2012 to $113,700 in 2013. Please see IRS Website www.irs.gov if you need more information.
From PPC: For tax years beginning after 2012, an additional 0.9% Medicare tax is imposed on taxpayers (other than corporations, estates, or trusts) receiving wages with respect to employment in excess of $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples filing jointly and $125,000 for married couples filing separately). (Code Sec. 3101(b)(2)) The tax only applies to the employee portion of Medicare tax. An additional 0.9% tax also applies to net earnings from self-employment. This tax was added by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, P.L. 111-148), which was largely upheld by the Supreme Court.

From PPC: In addition, for tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2012, an unearned income Medicare contribution tax is imposed on individuals, estates, and trusts. For an individual, the tax is 3.8% of the lesser of (1) net investment income or (2) the excess of modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) over the threshold amount. (Code Sec. 1411(a)(1)) MAGI includes wages, salaries, tips, and other compensation; dividend and interest income; business and farm income; realized capital gains; income from a variety of other passive activities; and certain foreign earned income. (Code Sec. 1411(d)) The threshold amount is $250,000 for a joint return or surviving spouse, $125,000 for a married individual filing a separate return, and $200,000 for all others. (Code Sec. 1411(b)) The tax generally doesn?t apply to an active (i.e., nonpassive) trade or businesse conducted by a sole proprietor, partnership, or S corporation. (Committee Report) This tax was added by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
IRS has ruled that an individual who merely holds real estate for investment or speculation and receives rentals from the property isn?t considered a real estate dealer. Thus, an office building owner who provided normal building services and who was an investor, not a dealer, wasn?t subject to self-employment tax on the rentals. (Rev Rul 55-559, 1955-2 CB 315).

jeff@jbrookswa.com 602-292-2009

Related posts:

1. Roth IRA for your children and reduce your business taxes!
2. Proposal to Reduce corporate income taxes
3. Building Business Success, Productivity, Tax Savings and Financial Wealth by Jeff Brooks, CPA, CFP, MBA for JBrooks Wealth Advisors, PC
4. LAW CLERK WAS AN EMPLOYEE not INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR! LAW FIRM WAS FORCED TO PAY PAYROLL TAXES & PENALTIES! by Jeff Brooks
5. Reduce the number of emails that you read and send!

Source: http://jeffbrookscpa.com/reduce-taxes-renting-building-business/

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Activists reject Chinese dissident suicide verdict

Hong Kong activists on Friday said they rejected an official investigation which found a Chinese dissident had died of suicide, in a case which has sparked public protests.

Relatives and rights groups have said Li Wangyang, who was jailed for over 22 years for his role in the 1989 Tiananmen democracy protests, died in suspicious circumstances when he was found hanged at his hospital last month.

The Hunan provincial authorities -- where Li's hospital was located -- has launched a month-long probe and said in a report released late Thursday that the nearly blind and deaf activist had committed suicide.

"(The probe) confirmed that Li Wangyang died by using his bed sheet to hang himself," the report said, released by the Beijing-backed Hong Kong China News Agency.

The report also said DNA, CCTV recordings and fingerprints found on windows all confirmed only medical staff had entered his hospital ward.

Also included in the report was a written note allegedly from Li's sister and brother-in-law saying they had accepted the verdict and wanted to put the chapter behind them -- a claim disputed by Hong Kong activists.

"We don't accept the verdict," Richard Tsoi told AFP, the vice-chair of Hong Kong's main pro-democracy group, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China.

"It is very vague and it raises more questions than answers. This is not an independent and impartial inquiry.

"We are also concerned whether Li's sister and brother-in-law have been forced to write the note under coercion because they still could not be contacted by their friends," Tsoi said.

Thousands of Hong Kongers have taken to the streets calling for answers about Li's death, while a senior official in the semi-autonomous Chinese city said the death was suspicious.

According to the New York-based group, Human Rights in China, two of Li's relatives found him strung up to a ward windowsill by a bandage wrapped around his neck, with his feet on the ground.

Li was under round-the-clock police surveillance in the hospital at the time, the group said.

Source: http://www.sinodaily.com/reports/Activists_reject_Chinese_dissident_suicide_verdict_999.html

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[News] Yakuza 1 and 2 HD possibly hitting PS3 in Japan

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Yakuza 1 and 2 HD possibly hitting PS3 in Japan

A Japanese release list posted by Sega contained a little surprise before it was pulled. An HD collection of Yakuza 1 and 2 for PS3.

The list, which has since edited and reposted to remove the collection, showed a December 1st release for the package, with a 5,229 yen price point (or $66 USD). Yakuza 5 is also due for release in December in Japan.

It's likely that Sega will announce this in the not-to-distance future. With Sega's recent attitude about releasing games that aren't sure-fire hits, maybe don't get your hopes up for a North American release.

Reported by Rhody Tobin

Source: http://andriasang.com/con1xm/yakuza_hd/

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Source: http://www.honestgamers.com/articles/10419.html

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Democratic leaders urge update from absent Jackson

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/democratic-leaders-urge-absent-jackson-194447129.html

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Scoop Business ? Travel+Leisure Magazine USA Places Sofitel ...

Press Release ? Travel and Leisure

Travel+Leisure Magazine USA Places Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa On 2012 ?World?s Best? List 11 July 2012: Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa has been listed by respected American magazine Travel+Leisure in their 2012 World?s Best Awards as ?
Travel+Leisure Magazine USA Places Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa On 2012 ?World?s Best? List

11 July 2012: Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa has been listed by respected American magazine Travel+Leisure in their 2012 World?s Best Awards as one of the top 10 City Hotels in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific. Only one other New Zealand hotel, The George in Christchurch, made the exclusive hot hotel roll call for 2012.

In results released worldwide this week the popular Queenstown hotel was ranked number six in the ? Top City Hotels? category, and for the first time was also ranked as one Travel+Leisure?s 500 best hotels in the world, the only New Zealand hotel to enjoy this accolade in 2012.

Every year, Travel+Leisure readers vote on their favorite hotels, resorts, spas, airlines, cruise lines, tour operators, rental-car agencies, and more from around the world as part of the magazine?s annual World?s Best Awards survey.

Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa General Manager Vincent Macquet says, ?It is wonderful that the hotel has again been acknowledged by world travellers and Travel+Leisure magazine again as part of this World?s Best annual survey. This honor is a testament to how well our hotel serves readers and luxury travellers as they explore the world.?

This year?s accolade follows on from the hotel being named World?s Best Hotel Spa as part of Travel+Leisure 2011 World?s Best Awards, an award that saw the boutique New Zealand hotel beat out not only its competitors in New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific but all other regions too including Asia, Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, Hawaii, the USA and Canada.

This year?s World?s Best Awards list will be published in the August 2012 issue of the magazine, and is also available on travelandleisure.com, and in T+L?s digital editions.

Travel+Leisure is one of North America?s most respected and highest circulating travel magazines with a focus on authentic, innovative, and irresistible experiences across the globe. Survey results are based on readers? ratings, with hotel spas specifically judged on the basis of their ambience, treatments, service and value

For more visit http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest or www.sofitel.com

High resolution hotel images are available on request.

ENDS

Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz
Original url

Source: http://business.scoop.co.nz/2012/07/11/travelleisure-magazine-usa-places-sofitel-queenstown-hotel/

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Charity signs ground-breaking deal to boost animal welfare

09.07.12

The RSPCA and Pets at Home are to work together in a pioneering move that could see major advances in the treatment and welfare of pets.

The deal, which has been supported by our?ruling council of trustees, will see the RSPCA open advice and adoption areas?in some Pets at Homes stores which may mean we could use the stores to rehome unwanted animals such as rabbits.

It is expected that the first RSPCA outlet will open this Autumn in the firm?s flagship store in Stockport, Cheshire. There are already plans for further openings in Newport, St. Helens and Norwich.

Pets at Home is the largest pet retailer in the UK with over 310 stores and 5,000 employees and the RSPCA is the UK?s largest animal welfare organisation, with more than 160 local branches and 80 clinics and animal rehoming centres.

RSPCA chief executive Gavin Grant said:

At a time when we are seeing increasing numbers of animals being abandoned, the potential of a long-term relationship could be enormous, from increasing rehoming by the RSPCA, as well as helping to educate people about animal care and welfare.

We clearly have many areas in common, so together we could bring benefits for countless animals. Both Pets at Home and the RSPCA have a strong interest in happy and healthy pets. Now the work begins to explore what?else we achieve together.

Both organisations hope and expect there to be a range of potential animal welfare benefits:

• From the number of animals rehomed, neutered or microchipped, both organisations have a wealth of information about the nation?s pets. This may reveal animal key welfare trends and data that could be used to improve planning, education campaigns and provision of services.
  ?
• Giving the right advice to potential owners, and only ensuring pets are rehomed to those that can take care of them are at the heart of both organisations' aims. This agreement will enable that message with jointly branded literature to reach a much wider range of people.
  ?
• Joint promotional work to give specific advice to people on the dietary and welfare needs of rabbits.
  ?
• Communicating clear messages on responsible pet ownership to reduce the number of people taking on an animal without clear knowledge of how to care for them.?

Pets at Home chief executive Nick Wood said:

At Pets at Home, we are passionate about pets and their welfare is our top priority. This partnership will see us working with the RSPCA on several exciting projects over the next few years.

Pet adoption is something that we are dedicated to and this partnership will allow us to further raise awareness of the cause. Together, we can work to make sure that more abandoned pets are given a second chance of happiness in new loving homes.

We?re also dedicated to promoting responsible pet ownership and take great care in helping customers make the right decision when considering bringing a new pet into their family, so that lifelong homes are established. By developing Pets at Home and RSPCA joint branded pet care literature we are ensuring our customers are getting the best advice possible.

Gavin added:

Despite excellent campaigning by many animal welfare charities, we know that we still need to educate people about their pets, and particularly about the importance of neutering and microchipping.

We know the RSPCA?s messages don?t always reach every animal owner. Some people are simply not interested in campaigns and animal welfare information. Whether we are providing direct advice in stores or through RSPCA leaflets and booklets, this partnership could enable us to get our advice to them, and that could make a huge difference to an animal?s life.
?

Find out more

Read our pets pages and find out more about the importance of neutering and microchipping your pet.

Source: http://feeds.rspca.org.uk/~r/rspca-news/~3/3x004rb3zPE/Charity_signs_ground_breaking_deal_to_boost_animal_welfare

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Mediaset and Sky Italia strike deal on football rights

July 9, 2012

Mediaset and Sky Italia are to offer comprehensive Champions League and Europa League football coverage to their pay TV subscribers following a deal over the exchange of rights acquired separately from UEFA.

Following the deal, both operators will be able to offer coverage of the matches of Italian teams in the two championships for the next two seasons.

Mediaset will also be able to offer the best Italian Champions League match from Wednesday nights and the best Europa League match on Thursday via its free-to-air channel Italia 1.

Sky Italia will provide coverage of both Champions League and Europa League matches in HD, with Champions League games shown exclusively on Sky in HD. The operator will also make Champions League games available on its Sky Go service, and in 3D on its TV service.

Source: http://www.digitaltveurope.net/26054/mediaset-and-sky-italia-strike-deal-on-football-rights/

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Gas prices creep upward as oil soars

Gas prices rose 2.4 cents over the weekend to a national average of $3.38 per gallon,, but oil spiked nearly 2 percent as Norwegian oil workers prepared to strike. Gas prices are up six cents from last week, but remain well below prices seen at the same time last year.

By Chris Kahn,?AP Energy writer / July 9, 2012

A gasoline price sign is shown last week in Portland, Ore. The AAA auto club reports the average price of a gallon of gasoline in Oregon is $3.62. That's down 15 cents in a week and 64 cents in a month. It's 29 cents higher than the national average.

Rick Bowmer/AP/File

Enlarge

The price of oil climbed nearly 2 percent Monday as Norway prepares for a shutdown of its North Sea crude production.

Skip to next paragraph

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Norway's oil industry, which produces more than 3.8 million barrels of oil and natural gas per day, says platforms will switch off after 6 p.m. EDT Monday due to a strike by offshore oil workers over retirement benefits. The government still may intervene to keep oil and gas flowing.

A shutdown would seriously impact European oil supplies, cutting off a major source of crude as the European Union officially begins an embargo of Iranian oil. Norway exports most of its crude to the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France and Germany. The U.S. also imports a small amount of oil from Norway.

Benchmark U.S. crude rose $1.44 to $85.89 per barrel in New York. Brent crude, which comes from the North Sea and sets the price for oil imported into the U.S., added $1.81 to $100 per barrel in London.

Independent analyst and trader Stephen Schork said oil could jump higher if and when Norway's production stops. Most traders expect the country's government to force an end to the strike. "There's a lot of skepticism about this strike," Schork said. "This isn't Libya" where rebels forced oil fields to close for several months last year. He noted that the pension dispute is a far less serious matter.

If the government doesn't intervene, oil would stop flowing shortly after the deadline. A complete shutdown could take up to four days. The Norwegian Oil Industry Association estimates the strike could cost the industry $296 million per day.

Meanwhile, gasoline prices rose 2.4 cents over the weekend to a national average of $3.38 per gallon, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. A gallon of regular has risen by an average of nearly 6 cents since last week, but it's still about 23 cents cheaper than the same time last year.

In other futures trading, heating oil rose 4 cents to $2.75 per gallon and wholesale gasoline rose by 4 cents to $2.75 per gallon. Natural gas rose 10 cents to $2.88 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/XQ2LHXvaqaI/Gas-prices-creep-upward-as-oil-soars

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Google Announces Worldwide 'Legalize Love' Campaign Plan In Support Of Same-Sex Marriage

Google launched a new campaign on Saturday supporting the legalization of same-sex marriage around the world.

Dot 429 reports that the initiative, called "Legalize Love," debuted in Poland and Singapore, and "will focus on places with homophobic cultures, where anti-gay laws exist," though it will operate in every city in which Google has an office.

Google has indicated its support of the issue before. In 2008, the company published a blog post opposing a California amendment that would ban same-sex marriage (the amendment passed).

And on Valentine's Day of this year, the company ran a gay-marriage themed Google Doodle.

H/T Think Progress.

Related on HuffPost:

Contribute to this Story:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/07/google-announces-support-same-sex-marriage_n_1656680.html

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What Features Would You Want in an Amazon Phone? [Chatroom]

The Amazon phone rumor mill is in full force right now, and regardless of whether they're true or not, the idea of Amazon making phones is an intriguing prospect. But without an operating system of its own, Amazon would need to imbue such a device with features that make it stand out. If you were responsible for an Amazon phone, what features would you stick in it? More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Z2THupPcpjE/what-features-would-you-want-from-an-amazon-phone

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Higgs-like particle 'discovered'

4 July 2012 Last updated at 03:35 ET By Paul Rincon Science editor, BBC News website, Geneva

The moment when Cern director Rolf Heuer confirmed the Higgs results

Cern scientists reporting from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have claimed the discovery of a new particle consistent with the Higgs boson.

The particle has been the subject of a 45-year hunt to explain how matter attains its mass.

Both of the Higgs boson-hunting experiments at the LHC see a level of certainty in their data worthy of a "discovery".

More work will be needed to be certain that what they see is a Higgs, however.

Prof Stephen Hawking tells the BBC's Pallab Ghosh the discovery has cost him $100

The results announced at Cern (European Organization for Nuclear Research), home of the LHC in Geneva, were met with loud applause and cheering.

Prof Peter Higgs, after whom the particle is named, wiped a tear from his eye as the teams finished their presentations in the Cern auditorium.

"I would like to add my congratulations to everyone involved in this achievement," he added later.

"It's really an incredible thing that it's happened in my lifetime."

Prof Stephen Hawking joined in with an opinion on a topic often discussed in hushed tones.

"This is an important result and should earn Peter Higgs the Nobel Prize," he told BBC News.

"But it is a pity in a way because the great advances in physics have come from experiments that gave results we didn't expect."

'Dramatic'

The CMS team claimed they had seen a "bump" in their data corresponding to a particle weighing in at 125.3 gigaelectronvolts (GeV) - about 133 times heavier than the protons that lie at the heart of every atom.

The BBC's George Alagiah explains the Higgs boson

They claimed that by combining two data sets, they had attained a confidence level just at the "five-sigma" point - about a one-in-3.5 million chance that the signal they see would appear if there were no Higgs particle.

However, a full combination of the CMS data brings that number just back to 4.9 sigma - a one-in-two million chance.

Prof Joe Incandela, spokesman for the CMS, was unequivocal: "The results are preliminary but the five-sigma signal at around 125 GeV we're seeing is dramatic. This is indeed a new particle," he told the Geneva meeting.

Atlas results were even more promising, at a slightly higher mass: "We observe in our data clear signs of a new particle, at the level of five sigma, in the mass region around 126 GeV," said Dr Fabiola Gianotti, spokeswoman for the Atlas experiment at the LHC.

Prof Rolf Heuer, director-general of Cern, commented: "As a layman I would now say I think we have it."

"We have a discovery - we have observed a new particle consistent with a Higgs boson. But which one? That remains open.

"It is a historic milestone but it is only the beginning."

Commenting on the emotions of the scientists involved in the discovery, Prof Incandela said: "It didn't really hit me emotionally until today because we have to be so focussed? but I'm super-proud."

Dr Gianotti echoed his thoughts, adding: "The last few days have been extremely intense, full of work, lots of emotions."

A confirmation that this is the Higgs boson would be one of the biggest scientific discoveries of the century; the hunt for the Higgs has been compared by some physicists to the Apollo programme that reached the Moon in the 1960s.

Continue reading the main story

Statistics of a 'discovery'

• Particle physics has an accepted definition for a discovery: a "five-sigma" (or five standard-deviation) level of certainty
• The number of sigmas measures how unlikely it is to get a certain experimental result as a matter of chance rather than due to a real effect
• Similarly, tossing a coin and getting a number of heads in a row may just be chance, rather than a sign of a "loaded" coin
• A "three-sigma" level represents about the same likelihood as tossing eight heads in a row
• Five sigma, on the other hand, would correspond to tossing more than 20 in a row
• Independent confirmation by other experiments turns five-sigma findings into accepted discoveries

Scientists would then have to assess whether the particle they see behaves like the version of the Higgs particle predicted by the Standard Model, the current best theory to explain how the Universe works. However, it might also be something more exotic.

All the matter we can see appears to comprise just 4% of the Universe, the rest being made up by mysterious dark matter and dark energy.

A more exotic version of the Higgs could be a bridge to understanding the 96% of the Universe that remains obscure.

Scientists will have to look at how the Higgs decays - or transforms - into other, more stable particles after being produced in collisions at the LHC.

Dr Pippa Wells, a member of the Atlas experiment, said that several of the decay paths already showed deviations from what one would expect of the Standard Model Higgs.

For example, a decay path where the Higgs transforms into two photon particles was "a bit on the high side", she explained.

These could get back into line as more statistics are added, but on the other hand, they may not.

"We're reaching into the fabric of the Universe at a level we've never done before," said Prof Incandela.

"We're on the frontier now, on the edge of a new exploration. This could be the only part of the story that's left, or we could open a whole new realm of discovery."

Continue reading the main story

The Standard Model and the Higgs boson

? The Standard Model is the simplest set of ingredients - elementary particles - needed to make up the world we see in the heavens and in the laboratory

? Quarks combine together to make, for example, the proton and neutron - which make up the nuclei of atoms today - though more exotic combinations were around in the Universe's early days

? Leptons come in charged and uncharged versions; electrons - the most familiar charged lepton - together with quarks make up all the matter we can see; the uncharged leptons are neutrinos, which rarely interact with matter

? The "force carriers" are particles whose movements are observed as familiar forces such as those behind electricity and light (electromagnetism) and radioactive decay (the weak nuclear force)

? The Higgs boson came about because although the Standard Model holds together neatly, nothing requires the particles to have mass; for a fuller theory, the Higgs - or something else - must fill in that gap

Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-18702455#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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US says sorry, Pakistan opens Afghan supply lines

FILE - In this June 12, 2012 file photo, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at the State Department in Washington. The Obama administration says Pakistan is reopening supply lines into Afghanistan after the U.S. issued an apology for the November killing of 24 Pakistani troops in a NATO airstrike. Clinton says she told Pakistan?s foreign minister in a telephone conversation that the U.S. is ?sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military.? She says both sides acknowledged mistakes that resulted in deaths. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

FILE - In this June 12, 2012 file photo, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at the State Department in Washington. The Obama administration says Pakistan is reopening supply lines into Afghanistan after the U.S. issued an apology for the November killing of 24 Pakistani troops in a NATO airstrike. Clinton says she told Pakistan?s foreign minister in a telephone conversation that the U.S. is ?sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military.? She says both sides acknowledged mistakes that resulted in deaths. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

Oil tankers, which were used to transport NATO fuel supplies to Afghanistan, are parked, in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, July 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)

Pakistani mechanics yield the body of an oil tanker, which was used to transport NATO fuel supplies to Afghanistan, parked with other tankers in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, July 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)

Shows the recently opened supplied routes from Pakistan to Afghanistan

A Pakistani mechanic works on an oil tanker, which was used to transport NATO fuel supplies to Afghanistan, while parked with other tankers in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, July 3, 2012. The Obama administration said Tuesday that Pakistan was reopening its supply lines into Afghanistan, after the U.S. belatedly issued an apology for the November killing of 24 Pakistani troops in a NATO airstrike. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Ending a bitter seven-month standoff, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton apologized to Pakistan Thursday for the killing of 24 Pakistani troops last fall and won in return the reopening of critical NATO supply lines into Afghanistan. The agreement could save the U.S. hundreds of millions of dollars in war costs.

Resolution of the dispute also bandages a relationship with Pakistan that will be crucial in stabilizing the region. The ties have been torn in the past year and a half by everything from a CIA contractor who killed two Pakistanis to the unilateral U.S. raid on Osama bin Laden's Pakistan compound.

But the accord carries risks for both governments ? threatening to make Pakistan's already fragile civilian leadership look weak and subservient to the United States while offering fodder to Republicans including presidential candidate Mitt Romney who contend that President Barack Obama says "sorry" too easily.

The first trucks carrying NATO goods should move across the border on Wednesday, U.S. officials said. It could take days to ramp up supplies to pre-attack levels, but around two dozen impatient truck drivers celebrated the news in a parking lot in the southern city of Karachi by singing, dancing and drumming on empty fuel cans.

"We are sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military," Clinton said, recounting a telephone conversation she had with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar concerning the deaths that led Pakistan to close the supply routes. "I offered our sincere condolences to the families of the Pakistani soldiers who lost their lives. Foreign Minister Khar and I acknowledged the mistakes that resulted in the loss of Pakistani military lives."

"I am pleased that Foreign Minister Khar has informed me that the ground supply lines into Afghanistan are opening," Clinton added in her statement.

It marked the first time any U.S. official formally apologized for the deaths, a step hotly debated within the Obama administration and one demanded by Pakistan before it would reopen the supply routes. Pakistani lawmakers also wanted Washington to halt all air strikes in the country and stop shipping weapons and ammunition to Afghanistan through Pakistani airspace, demands the U.S. has ignored. Negotiations stumbled at one point over transit fees Pakistan sought to charge.

The November incident was the deadliest among the allies in the decade-long fight against al-Qaida and other extremist groups along the Afghan-Pakistani frontier.

An American investigation found that Pakistani forces fired first and U.S. soldiers responded in self-defense. It blamed bad maps, poor coordination and Islamabad's failure to provide the locations of its borders for the failure to determine if Pakistani forces were in the area. Pakistan argued that its troops shot at militants who were nowhere near coalition soldiers, and accused the U.S. of launching a deliberate attack.

The breakdown of the U.S.-Pakistani partnership arrived at an awful time, only weeks after Clinton and CIA Director David Petraeus went to Islamabad to patch up the relationship and secure a Pakistani commitment to snuff out support given by its intelligence services to the Taliban ? support that Washington sees as a threat to the Afghan war effort.

The Obama administration, in an election year, expressed regret for the deaths but dug in its heels over the word "sorry," fearful it might open the president to criticism from Republicans already critical of Pakistan's links with militants fighting in Afghanistan.

It is also unclear what the apology will mean for the U.S. call for Pakistan to crack down on the militant Haqqani network, which is believed to use Pakistan as a rear base for attacks on American troops in Afghanistan.

Having titled his campaign book, "No Apology," Romney accuses Obama of having gone "around the world and apologized for America." The accusation refers to Obama's trip to Cairo early in his presidency, when he sought to repair U.S. relations with the Muslim world. Clinton's remarks made no reference to an "apology," though she did use the word "sorry."

Obama made no comments about Pakistan on Tuesday, leaving Clinton's statement as the only official U.S. explanation of the agreement. It was released just as Pakistani civilian and military leaders were meeting to discuss whether to reopen the routes, and there was no confirmation from Islamabad of a decision for more than two hours.

"The main thing is that a superpower has acknowledged our principled stance, and they have shown flexibility," said Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, speaking in Urdu. "It was not the issue of money. It was the issue of our sovereignty," he said, adding that American authorities assured Pakistan there would be no repeat of the incident.

The prime minister's office said the government reopened the supply lines in and out of Afghanistan to help its northern neighbor's "transformation process" more than a decade after bin Laden used the country to launch the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the U.S. responded by helping overthrow the Taliban.

It stressed that reopening the supply lines would help the U.S. pull out of Afghanistan sooner, saying the transition was in "Pakistan's interest." The statement sought to head off the inevitable political backlash in a country where anti-American sentiment is rife and the United States is often blamed for internal problems.

Still, Pakistan's more conservative political groups rejected the decision. Amirul Azim, a top leader of Pakistan's radical Jamaat-e-Islami party, said, "The main thing is that we should not reopen the NATO supply route, and we should isolate ourselves from this so-called war against terrorism."

And the fallout could hurt Pakistan's civilian government, which was re-established four years ago after a history of military coups. It has struggled to assert itself against the powerful Pakistani army and hardline Islamist religious leaders and politicians, who will likely point to the several parliamentary demands the U.S. ignored, including the call for an "unconditional apology" for the attack. Washington mentioned mistakes on both sides.

Clinton said Pakistan wouldn't charge any new transit fee and the reopening would help the U.S. draw down its forces in Afghanistan "at a much lower cost."

The U.S. government has never paid transit fees directly. Pakistan charges companies $250 per truck for transit, and the U.S. accounts for those fees in its contracts with those companies, so it pays indirectly. During negotiations Pakistan had asked for a flat fee of up to $5,000, but Washington offered extensive road construction projects to sweeten the deal.

With the supply lines closed, the U.S. has been forced to use more costly transportation routes through Russia and Central Asia. Defense Secretary Panetta had estimated the cost at an extra $100 million a month, warning that it could get more expensive as the U.S. started to withdraw equipment in advance of the 2014 troop drawdown in Afghanistan.

That estimate would mean the lengthy standoff cost U.S. taxpayers some $700 million, and denied Pakistan's revenue-starved government millions of dollars in transit fees.

The total could be more.

The Pentagon asked Congress last week for approval to transfer $2.1 billion from other funds to cover costs largely resulting from the closure of the Pakistan supply routes.

Three separate transfers totaling $1.7 billion covered increased fuel and transportation costs for the Army. A fourth transfer of about $370 million was for the Air Force, which had to increase the transportation of supplies by air in part to compensate for the shutdown of the ground routes through Pakistan. The budget request did not specify how much of the $370 million was related to the Pakistan problems and how much was just additional support for the war.

Panetta said Tuesday he welcomed Pakistan's decision.

"We remain committed to improving our partnership with Pakistan and to working closely together as our two nations confront common security challenges in the region," he said.

According to the Pentagon, the agreement should free hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. counterterrorism money for Pakistan that Washington suspended last year.

___

Rebecca Santana reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and Sebastian Abbot in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-07-03-US-Pakistan/id-a448a31f231f49a3bebfa84d3b3513a1

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An entire army sacrificed in a bog

Public release date: 3-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Mads Kahler Holst
mads.holst@hum.au.dk
(45) 22-99-49-15
Aarhus University

What exactly happened in the Danish village of Alken around the time of the birth of Christ? Who were the over 200 victims, and what events led to such an enormous sacrifice?

Archaeologists and other experts from Skanderborg Museum, Moesgrd Museum and Aarhus University hope to uncover the anwers to these questions this summer, when a major excavation takes place near Alken, a small town outside Skanderborg on the Jutland peninsula. A unique find was made here in 2009: the remains of an entire army which had been sacrificed in the bog. Archaeologists hope that the excavation will solve the many mysteries about the circumstances behind the sacrifice of several hundred warriors.

An archaeological treasure trove

The first spadefuls of earth in the major excavation in the meadows around Alken were dug on Monday. Earlier digs had already documented finds of skeletal remains from around two hundred individual warriors. And archaeologists are convinced that many more will be unearthed over the course of July and August. In the words of Aarhus University archaeologist Mads Khler Holst,

'Last time we dug here, we didn't actually reach the perimeter of the finds, so we don't know the extent of them. So there' s no doubt that the dig will result in many more skeletons. If we are lucky, what we've already seen may just be the beginning,' explains Dr Holst, associate professor of archaeology at Aarhus University.

Under the water table

The dig is taking place in damp grazing meadows near Jutland's large lake, the Moss. To reach the remains, it's necessary to dig almost two meters below the water table of the Moss.

We are fighting against water seeping in, and we have big pumps running constantly. This makes our work difficult but it also explains why the bones are so well-preserved. The water has delayed decomposition, which is why the remains are in such good condition when we dig them up,' says Ejvind Hertz, Curator of Archaeology at Skanderborg Museum.

The major goal of the 2012 excavation is to learn more about the mass sacrifice of the warriors. Archaeologists hope analysing the remains will clarify some of the many mysteries associated with this unique find. Geological analyses will also be performed in an attempt to illuminate why the sacrifice took place precisely here, in the Alken meadows.

Facts:

• The dig began on 2 July 2012 and will end on 24 August.
• Public guided tours will be offered on Thursdays at 13.00 and 17.00 from 5 July to 9 August 2012.
• The project 'The army and post-war rituals in the Iron Age: warriors sacrificed in the bog in the Alken meadows in the Illerup river valley' is supported by a DKK 1.5m grant from the Carlsberg Foundation

###

The excavation will be open to the press on Wednesday 4 July from 13.00 to 16.00 at Alkenvej 171, 8660 Skanderborg.

More information: http://www.skanderborgmuseum.dk/Alken_Enge-English_version-1070.aspx

Contact

Mads Khler Holst
Associate Professor, Aarhus University
Archaeology, the Department Of Culture and Society
Mail: mads.holst@hum.au.dk
Telephone: + 45 2299 4915.

Ejvind Hertz
Skanderborg Museum
Curator of Archaeology
Mail: ehz@skanderborgmuseum.dk
Telephone: +45 2532 5401

---

[ | 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: 3-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Mads Kahler Holst
mads.holst@hum.au.dk
(45) 22-99-49-15
Aarhus University

What exactly happened in the Danish village of Alken around the time of the birth of Christ? Who were the over 200 victims, and what events led to such an enormous sacrifice?

Archaeologists and other experts from Skanderborg Museum, Moesgrd Museum and Aarhus University hope to uncover the anwers to these questions this summer, when a major excavation takes place near Alken, a small town outside Skanderborg on the Jutland peninsula. A unique find was made here in 2009: the remains of an entire army which had been sacrificed in the bog. Archaeologists hope that the excavation will solve the many mysteries about the circumstances behind the sacrifice of several hundred warriors.

An archaeological treasure trove

The first spadefuls of earth in the major excavation in the meadows around Alken were dug on Monday. Earlier digs had already documented finds of skeletal remains from around two hundred individual warriors. And archaeologists are convinced that many more will be unearthed over the course of July and August. In the words of Aarhus University archaeologist Mads Khler Holst,

'Last time we dug here, we didn't actually reach the perimeter of the finds, so we don't know the extent of them. So there' s no doubt that the dig will result in many more skeletons. If we are lucky, what we've already seen may just be the beginning,' explains Dr Holst, associate professor of archaeology at Aarhus University.

Under the water table

The dig is taking place in damp grazing meadows near Jutland's large lake, the Moss. To reach the remains, it's necessary to dig almost two meters below the water table of the Moss.

We are fighting against water seeping in, and we have big pumps running constantly. This makes our work difficult but it also explains why the bones are so well-preserved. The water has delayed decomposition, which is why the remains are in such good condition when we dig them up,' says Ejvind Hertz, Curator of Archaeology at Skanderborg Museum.

The major goal of the 2012 excavation is to learn more about the mass sacrifice of the warriors. Archaeologists hope analysing the remains will clarify some of the many mysteries associated with this unique find. Geological analyses will also be performed in an attempt to illuminate why the sacrifice took place precisely here, in the Alken meadows.

Facts:

• The dig began on 2 July 2012 and will end on 24 August.
• Public guided tours will be offered on Thursdays at 13.00 and 17.00 from 5 July to 9 August 2012.
• The project 'The army and post-war rituals in the Iron Age: warriors sacrificed in the bog in the Alken meadows in the Illerup river valley' is supported by a DKK 1.5m grant from the Carlsberg Foundation

###

The excavation will be open to the press on Wednesday 4 July from 13.00 to 16.00 at Alkenvej 171, 8660 Skanderborg.

More information: http://www.skanderborgmuseum.dk/Alken_Enge-English_version-1070.aspx

Contact

Mads Khler Holst
Associate Professor, Aarhus University
Archaeology, the Department Of Culture and Society
Mail: mads.holst@hum.au.dk
Telephone: + 45 2299 4915.

Ejvind Hertz
Skanderborg Museum
Curator of Archaeology
Mail: ehz@skanderborgmuseum.dk
Telephone: +45 2532 5401

---

[ | 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/2012-07/au-aea070312.php

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