SAN ANTONIO ? Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney castigated "career politicians" Tuesday as he tried to distinguish himself from chief rival Rick Perry while on the governor's home turf in Texas.
"I am a conservative businessman. I spent most of my life outside of politics, dealing with real problems in the real economy," Romney said told the Veterans of Foreign Wars annual convention in San Antonio. "Career politicians got us into this mess and they simply don't know how to get us out."
Romney didn't mention Perry by name during the speech, which comes as national polls show Perry with more support than Romney, who for months has led the pack seeking the GOP presidential nomination.
Even so, the contrast Romney is seeking to draw is clear. He was a businessman who founded a venture capital firm and headed the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City before serving a single term as Massachusetts governor. Perry is Texas' longest-serving governor and has been an elected public official for 27 years, having served as lieutenant governor, agricultural commissioner and a state representative before becoming governor in 2000.
Tuesday's remarks provide strong clues about Romney's strategy for trying to derail Perry, who jolted the race earlier this month by formally becoming a candidate. At a time when the electorate is suffering economically and has shown a willingness to embrace outsiders, Romney is trying to cast Perry as just another politician on the inside who doesn't understand how to create jobs. He doesn't mention that Texas added tens of thousands of jobs on Perry's watch, though critics question how much credit the governor can claim.
At the same time, Romney is seeking to paint himself as the outsider ? even though he's essentially been running for president since 2006. He lost the GOP nomination to John McCain in 2008 and spent the next couple years quietly laying the groundwork for a second bid and working to elect fellow Republicans. He founded Bain Capital in 1984, and later pursued a political career.
In his speech, Romney pointed to his years outside Washington and in the private sector, saying they gave him a fresh perspective on how best to manage federal defense spending.
"I look at that kind of inefficiency and bloat and say, `Let me at it,' " Romney said. He promised to slice billions of dollars in waste, inefficiency and bureaucracy from the defense budget to free up money for modern ships and planes, more troops and ensuring that veterans have the care they deserve.
Addressing the VFW, the nation's oldest major organization of veterans, on Monday, Perry said the U.S. should avoid "military adventurism" abroad. He also said that when it comes time to fight, U.S. combat troops must be led by American commanders.
He also said U.S. authorities have turned their backs on too many veterans returning home from recent combat, saying "we must take care of them, every one of them."
Let us pretend Thomas who is a mechanic had met an accident at work which in turn forced him to stop working for three months and get surgery. Now Thomas wants to get compensation that his employer owes him for the accident he obtained at work, but he has no clue how to do this. It is a good thing personal injury lawyers are available to help him.
One can get legal representation when they avail of the services of a personal injury lawyers. Injury cases may include harms done that result from car accidents and work related injury. The injuries you endure when you are part of any medical malpractice, faulty goods and services are all related to injury cases.
It is important that personal injury lawyers have the mindset to be persevering so as to be the best in their field. Having the mindset to be hard working will surely help you achieve your goals. A guide to becoming a personal injury lawyer will require you to remember five things.
There are two things you first need to accomplish when you start your career as a personal injury lawyer and one is to get a Bachelor?s degree and then go to an American Bar Association certified law school to get your law degree. Biology, chemistry, psychology, English and economics are some degrees you might want to consider for your prelaw. Going to school allows you to work on your critical thinking and communication skills which are useful.
Equally essential is for personal injury lawyers to pass the Multistate Bar Examination, Multistate Essay Examination, Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination and a state bar exam. Those who take the test will be tested on how well they know all about their profession. They will also know how well they will be able to handle cases in this test.
It is important for lawyers to keep being in the know with their expertise so continual learning is encouraged. For this reason, there are various courses on legal education what already lawyers can take for further studies. Professional journals are also the quickest way learning more about the developments in your profession.
Gaining the experience and knowledge to handle personal injury cases is one assurance of a win. Working at a law firm is one way of gaining job experience and training. Learning by applying what you already know will further you knowledge in the area.
If you are a competitive personal injury lawyer then you successfully selling yourself. Not being able to get the best clients will leave the best lawyers losing to other lower lawyers. It is also important to keep one updated on market trends, especially with regards to the prevailing cost of professional fees.
There is a systematic exchange of information and ideas between personal injury lawyers in professional associations and legal forums. The support groups usually hold conferences and trainings that lawyers can benefit from. Professional colleagues are one avenue for you to widen your clients.
Keep in mind that personal injury lawyers should master the art to treating their clients well. Aggrieved people need someone who would not only give them sound legal advice, but also who would understand their situation and fight for what is due them. An effective lawyer is one who can be depended on and tells it like it is to their clients.
You?ll get a great understanding of lawyers when you browse brighton personal injury lawyers. Get more information about lawyers by visiting Car accident lawyers melbourne.
Why do so many people turn up their noses when they hear the word okra? Growing up in the south, I ate okra as often as say someone in Georgia might eat a peach. Being someone who can at times gravitate to the extreme, I was also the kid who, when enjoying a bowl of Burgoo (am I getting too country for you now), used to pick out all of the okra to devour first. However, I find people from other parts of the country either have never heard of okra or have an unexplained aversion to it.
I introduced Kenya and Chloe to this exquisite green vegetable, a very good source of Vitamins A, C, and K, right when they started eating solid foods and now I?ve got two okra lovin? kids. We usually enjoy it prepared simply, steamed as a side dish, but when I made these okra fries and served them up with a little marinara sauce on the side for dipping, the kids looked at me like I truly had reinvented the wheel (and improved on it)! My 2 year old, Chloe, likes to pull the okra out of the crust and eat both parts separately (it is hilarious to watch) while the rest of us like to just dip and leave our ?fries? intact. Crunchy on the outside, tender and sweet on the inside, these Okra ?Fries? are delicious, a healthier alternative to real fries because there is no actual frying involved and a great way to get your family to eat one of my favorite veggies ? with no upturned noses!
Okra Fries (Serves 4)
1 Lb Whole Okra 1/3 Cup Flour 2 Large Eggs, whisked 1 Tsp Kosher Salt 1 Cup Italian Breadcrumbs or Panko
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. 2. Make an ?assembly line? by placing the flour in one bowl, the eggs in a second bowl, and the salt and breadcrumbs in a third. 3. Roll the okra in the flour and pat to remove excess flour. 4. Dip the flour-coated okra in the egg and then roll in the breadcrumbs. Dip in the egg again and roll into the breadcrumbs once more to double coat the okra. 5. Place okra on a cookie sheet sprayed or greased with olive oil. When all the coated okra is on the sheet, spray again to lightly coat. 6. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. 7. Serve.
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Twenty-five dogs and their owners raised about $1,000 for the American Cancer Society at Saturday?s Bark for Life in City Park.
?I was pleasantly surprised,? said event chairman Larry Lange. ?For a first-time (event) it went very well.?
The event is similar to the Relay for Life but included canine companions. Dogs and owners socialized and took part in events and attractions, such as a photo booth. In total, $1,242 was raised for the American Cancer Society.
See the full story in today's print and eEdition of the Ludington Daily News.
WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama has chosen labor economist Alan Krueger for a top administration post as the White House scrambles for solutions to boost a fragile economy with the 2012 election looming.
A White House official said Obama will nominate Krueger to head the White House Council of Economic Advisers. If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace Austan Goolsbee, who left the administration earlier this month.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to speak ahead of Obama's official announcement on Monday.
The decision completes a wholesale shake-up of the team that Obama brought with him to the White House over three years ago. Advisers Larry Summers, Christina Romer and Goolsbee have now all departed, and Obama continues to struggle with perceptions the economy is stuck in low gear on his watch.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is the only remaining top official from Obama's original economics team. Last month, the Treasury Department announced that Geithner would stay on, ending speculation he would leave the administration.
A host of would-be Republican successors has been traveling around the country, campaigning hard for the GOP presidential nomination by focusing, in no small part, on Obama's handling of the economy.
The national unemployment rate remains at 9.1 percent and has shown little improvement over the past year, despite the more than $800 billion stimulus program that Obama got Congress to pass not long after he took office. The economy also has been on a dual track of slow growth and ballooning deficits, and Obama saw the nation's credit rating downgraded by Standard & Poor's earlier this year as he fought congressional Republicans for weeks for a program to slow the flow of red ink.
The White House and Republican congressional leaders ultimately agreed to a compromise deal to increase the government's borrowing authority in early August, on the cusp of default, but the S&P credit rating was lowered from AAA to AA+, nevertheless.
Obama took to the road for a series of town-hall style meetings just before he went on vacation, seeking to explain his efforts to promote economic growth and attack the stubborn high joblessness. He and his aides have suggested he'll bring forth a new jobs plan when Congress returns after the Labor Day recess.
Krueger's appointment was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
A police officer (also known as a constable in some countries) is employed in most cases by federal, state/provincial or municipal governments and has the responsibility (or duty) of enforcing federal, state/provincial laws along with municipal/city ordinances. They also have the responsibility of keeping the public peace. This is usually done by uniformed pro-active patrolling within their jurisdiction looking for and investigating law breakers, and by responding to calls for service. Police officers are required to keep notes of all situations in which they take action and appear as witnesses during both criminal prosecutions and civil litigation. One of the lesser-known but most time-consuming duties of officers is completion of documentation of activity (?reporting?).
It must be noted that the responsibilities of a police officer/constable are extremely broad and not in any way limited to the duties mentioned above. Police are expected to be able to respond in some fashion to any and all situations that may arise while they are on duty. Also police must act as government officials in the cases of investigation. In some communities rules and procedures governing conduct and duties of police officers requires that they act if needed even when off duty.
People depend on police officers and detectives to protect their lives and property. Law enforcement officers, some of whom are State or Federal special agents or inspectors, perform these duties in a variety of ways, depending on the size and type of their organization. In most jurisdictions, they are expected to exercise authority when necessary, whether on or off duty.
Uniformed police officers have general law enforcement duties, including maintaining regular patrols and responding to calls for service. They may direct traffic at the scene of an accident, investigate a burglary, or give first aid to an accident victim. In large police departments, officers usually are assigned to a specific type of duty. Many urban police agencies are involved in community policing, a practice in which an officer builds relationships with the citizens of local neighborhoods and mobilizes the public to help fight crime.
Some police officers specialize in such diverse fields as chemical and microscopic analysis, training and firearms instruction, or handwriting and fingerprint identification. Others work with special units, such as horseback, bicycle, motorcycle or harbor patrol; canine corps; special weapons and tactics (SWAT); or emergency response teams. A few local and special law enforcement officers primarily perform jail-related duties or work in courts. Regardless of job duties or location, police officers and detectives at all levels must write reports and maintain meticulous records that will be needed if they testify in court.
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Sheriffs and deputy sheriffs enforce the law on the county level. Sheriffs are usually elected to their posts and perform duties similar to those of a local or county police chief. Sheriffs? departments tend to be relatively small, most having fewer than 50 sworn officers. Deputy sheriffs have law enforcement duties similar to those of officers in urban police departments.
State police officers (sometimes called State troopers or highway patrol officers) arrest criminals Statewide and patrol highways to enforce motor vehicle laws and regulations. State police officers are best known for issuing traffic citations to motorists. At the scene of accidents, they may direct traffic, give first aid, and call for emergency equipment.
Detectives are plainclothes investigators who gather facts and collect evidence for criminal cases. Some are assigned to interagency task forces to combat specific types of crime. They conduct interviews, examine records, observe the activities of suspects, and participate in raids or arrests.
Police and detective work can be very dangerous and stressful. In addition to the obvious dangers of confrontations with criminals, police officers and detectives need to be constantly alert and ready to deal appropriately with a number of other threatening situations. Many law enforcement officers witness death and suffering resulting from accidents and criminal behavior. A career in law enforcement may take a toll on their private lives.
Police and sheriff?s patrol officers had median annual earnings of ,210 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between ,410 and ,360. The lowest 10 percent earned less than ,910, and the highest 10 percent earned more than ,880. Median annual earnings were ,750 in Federal Government, ,980 in State government, and ,010 in local government. The opportunity for public service through law enforcement work is attractive to many because the job is challenging and involves much personal responsibility. Furthermore, law enforcement officers in many agencies may retire with a pension after 25 or 30 years of service, allowing them to pursue a second career while still in their 40s or 50s. Because of relatively attractive salaries and benefits, the number of qualified candidates exceeds the number of job openings in Federal law enforcement agencies and in most State police departments? resulting in increased hiring standards and selectivity by employers.
Candidates must be U.S. citizens, usually must be at least 20 years of age, and must meet rigorous physical and personal qualifications. Physical examinations for entrance into law enforcement often include tests of vision, hearing, strength, and agility. Eligibility for appointment usually depends on performance in competitive written examinations and previous education and experience. In larger departments, where the majority of law enforcement jobs are found, applicants usually must have at least a high school education, and some departments require a year or two of college coursework. Federal and State agencies typically require a college degree. Candidates should enjoy working with people and meeting the public.
Because personal characteristics such as honesty, sound judgment, integrity, and a sense of responsibility are especially important in law enforcement, candidates are interviewed by senior officers, and their character traits and backgrounds are investigated. In some agencies, candidates are interviewed by a psychiatrist or a psychologist or given a personality test. Most applicants are subjected to lie detector examinations or drug testing.
Before their first assignments, officers usually go through a period of training. In State and large local departments, recruits get training in their agency?s police academy, often for 12 to 14 weeks. In small agencies, recruits often attend a regional or State academy. Training includes classroom instruction in constitutional law and civil rights, State laws and local ordinances, and accident investigation. Recruits also receive training and supervised experience in patrol, traffic control, use of firearms, self-defense, first aid, and emergency response. Police departments in some large cities hire high school graduates who are still in their teens as police cadets or trainees.
Biritsh Council Nigeria with the UK?s Department for International Development (DFID) work with a Nigerian community and their police force to develop effective public safety initiatives.
How an 'evolutionary playground' brings plant genes togetherPublic release date: 29-Aug-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Andrew Chapple andrew.chapple@nbi.ac.uk 44-160-325-1490 Norwich BioScience Institutes
Plants produce a vast array of natural products, many of which we find useful for making things such as drugs. There are likely to be many other plant natural products that remain undiscovered or under-exploited, and research from The John Innes Centre, which is strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), is uncovering more about the genetics and evolution of natural product pathways in plants. Researchers at JIC have recently discovered that the genes producing two of these products in the model plant Arabidopsis are clustered together, which is extremely rare in plants. An apparent 'evolutionary playground' in the plant's genome seems to have brought the genes together, and knowing how these clusters assemble and are controlled will be important for improving and exploiting the production of new natural products.
Gene clusters are common in bacteria, where genes needed to perform a specific task, such as producing an antibiotic, are grouped together in what are called operons. However in plants and animals, functionally related genes are normally spread throughout the genome. Professor Anne Osbourn of the John Innes Centre, whilst studying a natural antimicrobial compound produced by oats, found that the genes that made this compound were in fact clustered. Her group used the 'signature' of these genes' arrangement to search for other potential clusters, in the model plant Arabidopsis.
Publishing in the journal Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, Professor Osbourn and her colleagues at Stanford University and France's Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) have now discovered the second of two gene clusters, both producing triterpene compounds. This allows them to look for common features of the gene clusters, giving new insights into how these clusters evolve.
Bacterial operons swap relatively easily between species, but the Arabidopsis gene clusters didn't enter the plant's genomes by this route. Both of the clusters are found in 'dynamic' regions of the genome that are significantly enriched in transposable elements. These areas act like 'evolutionary playgrounds' where recombinations happen more frequently, bringing together different genes. When the gene clusters produce compounds that are useful to the plant, for example in fighting off pests, natural selection favours these clusters. Crucially, in both of the triterpene gene clusters found by the group, the clusters must be maintained as a whole. Losing one part of the cluster leads to the build up of toxic intermediates. This causes an evolutionary pressure to maintain the cluster as a whole, as this increases the chances of the all of the genes being inherited together.
Clustering also allows the genes to be controlled in a coordinated manner, and comparing the gene clusters gave the scientists hints of how this might happen. Both gene clusters show signs that they are regulated by the way the DNA molecule folds or unfolds into chromatin, whilst neighbouring genes outside the clusters don't. Furthermore, it appears that this level of coordinated gene expression has been acquired by the cluster after its assembly.
These insights into the way these gene clusters have evolved and function will be particularly valuable for efforts to fully exploit the potential of plants to produce valuable products. The ever-growing amount of data being generated by genome sequencing projects can be explored further, to try to discover similar gene clusters. For genes that have already been discovered, this information on clustering genes will help in efforts to use synthetic biology to optimise the production of new drugs, herbicides and other plant products.
###
Reference: 'Formation of plant metabolic gene clusters within dynamic chromosomal regions' will be published online by PNAS in the week beginning August 29th 2011 doi: 10.1073/pnas.1109273108
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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.
How an 'evolutionary playground' brings plant genes togetherPublic release date: 29-Aug-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Andrew Chapple andrew.chapple@nbi.ac.uk 44-160-325-1490 Norwich BioScience Institutes
Plants produce a vast array of natural products, many of which we find useful for making things such as drugs. There are likely to be many other plant natural products that remain undiscovered or under-exploited, and research from The John Innes Centre, which is strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), is uncovering more about the genetics and evolution of natural product pathways in plants. Researchers at JIC have recently discovered that the genes producing two of these products in the model plant Arabidopsis are clustered together, which is extremely rare in plants. An apparent 'evolutionary playground' in the plant's genome seems to have brought the genes together, and knowing how these clusters assemble and are controlled will be important for improving and exploiting the production of new natural products.
Gene clusters are common in bacteria, where genes needed to perform a specific task, such as producing an antibiotic, are grouped together in what are called operons. However in plants and animals, functionally related genes are normally spread throughout the genome. Professor Anne Osbourn of the John Innes Centre, whilst studying a natural antimicrobial compound produced by oats, found that the genes that made this compound were in fact clustered. Her group used the 'signature' of these genes' arrangement to search for other potential clusters, in the model plant Arabidopsis.
Publishing in the journal Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, Professor Osbourn and her colleagues at Stanford University and France's Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) have now discovered the second of two gene clusters, both producing triterpene compounds. This allows them to look for common features of the gene clusters, giving new insights into how these clusters evolve.
Bacterial operons swap relatively easily between species, but the Arabidopsis gene clusters didn't enter the plant's genomes by this route. Both of the clusters are found in 'dynamic' regions of the genome that are significantly enriched in transposable elements. These areas act like 'evolutionary playgrounds' where recombinations happen more frequently, bringing together different genes. When the gene clusters produce compounds that are useful to the plant, for example in fighting off pests, natural selection favours these clusters. Crucially, in both of the triterpene gene clusters found by the group, the clusters must be maintained as a whole. Losing one part of the cluster leads to the build up of toxic intermediates. This causes an evolutionary pressure to maintain the cluster as a whole, as this increases the chances of the all of the genes being inherited together.
Clustering also allows the genes to be controlled in a coordinated manner, and comparing the gene clusters gave the scientists hints of how this might happen. Both gene clusters show signs that they are regulated by the way the DNA molecule folds or unfolds into chromatin, whilst neighbouring genes outside the clusters don't. Furthermore, it appears that this level of coordinated gene expression has been acquired by the cluster after its assembly.
These insights into the way these gene clusters have evolved and function will be particularly valuable for efforts to fully exploit the potential of plants to produce valuable products. The ever-growing amount of data being generated by genome sequencing projects can be explored further, to try to discover similar gene clusters. For genes that have already been discovered, this information on clustering genes will help in efforts to use synthetic biology to optimise the production of new drugs, herbicides and other plant products.
###
Reference: 'Formation of plant metabolic gene clusters within dynamic chromosomal regions' will be published online by PNAS in the week beginning August 29th 2011 doi: 10.1073/pnas.1109273108
[ | 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.
WASHINGTON ? U.S. and Pakistani officials said Saturday that al-Qaida's second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another big blow to a terrorist group that the U.S. believes to be on the verge of defeat.
Since Navy SEALs stormed Osama bin Laden's compound and killed him in May, the Obama administration has been unusually frank in its assessment that al-Qaida is on the ropes, its leadership in disarray. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last month that al-Qaida's defeat was within reach if the U.S. could mount a string of successful attacks.
"Now is the moment, following what happened with bin Laden, to put maximum pressure on them," Panetta said, "because I do believe that if we continue this effort we can really cripple al-Qaida as a major threat."
A Libyan national, al-Rahman never had the worldwide name recognition of bin Laden or bin Laden's successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri. But al-Rahman was regarded as an instrumental figure in the terrorist organization, trusted by bin Laden to oversee al-Qaida's daily operations.
When the SEALs raided bin Laden's compound, they found evidence of al-Rahman's deep involvement in running al-Qaida.
Senior al-Qaida figures have been killed before, only to be replaced. But the Obama administration's tenor reflects a cautious optimism that victory in the decade-long fight against al-Qaida could be at hand.
"It does hold the prospect of a strategic defeat, if you will, a strategic dismantling, of al-Qaida," incoming CIA Director David Petraeus said in July.
Since bin Laden's death, counterterrorism officials have hoped to capitalize on al-Qaida's unsettled leadership. The more uncertain the structure, the harder it is for al-Qaida to operate covertly and plan attacks.
Al-Zawahiri is running the group but is considered a divisive figure who lacks the founder's charisma and ability to galvanize al-Qaida's disparate franchises.
A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to summarize the government's intelligence on al-Rahman, said al-Rahman's death will make it harder for Zawahiri to oversee what is considered an increasingly weakened organization.
"Zawahiri needed Atiyah's experience and connections to help manage al-Qaida," the official said.
Al-Rahman was killed Aug. 22 in the lawless Pakistani tribal region of Waziristan, according to a senior administration who also insisted on anonymity to discuss intelligence issues.
A Pakistani intelligence official said al-Rahman died in a U.S. missile strike in Machi Khel village in North Waziristan on Aug. 22.
The U.S. official would not say how al-Rahman was killed. The Pakistani official did not say how the country's main intelligence agency, the ISI, knew that al-Rahman was dead. This official did not give his name in keeping with agency rules.
Intelligence officials had said at the time that four people were killed in the attack.
But a CIA drone strike was reported that day in Waziristan. Such strikes by unmanned aircraft are Washington's weapon of choice for killing terrorists in the mountainous, hard-to-reach area along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Al-Rahman has been thought to be dead before. Last year, there were reports that al-Rahman was killed in a drone strike; neither U.S. officials nor al-Qaida ever confirmed them. The officials who confirmed the death Saturday said it represented the consensus opinion of the U.S. government.
Born in Libya, al-Rahman joined bin Laden as a teenager in Afghanistan to fight the Soviet Union.
He once served as bin Laden's personal emissary to Iran. Al-Rahman was allowed to move freely in and out of Iran as part of that arrangement and has been operating out of Waziristan for some time, officials have said.
___
Associated Press writer Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.
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