Five UFC belts up for grabs this summer

Over the weekend, two more UFC championship bouts were finalized for the summer, and it's clear that the UFC wants to keep those championship belts moving. Every belt, except for the welterweight belt that is in limbo because of Georges St-Pierre's injured knee and the just-contested light heavyweight belt, will be on the line between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.

-- Bantamweight: Champion Dominick Cruz will rematch Urijah Faber at UFC 148 on July 7 in Las Vegas

-- Featherweight: Champion Jose Aldo will fight Erik Koch at UFC 149 on July 21 in Calgary

-- Lightweight: Champion Benson Henderson will rematch with Frankie Edgar at UFC 150 on Aug. 11 in Denver

-- Middleweight: Champion Anderson Silva will rematch with Chael Sonnen at UFC 148, which is the most stacked UFC event since UFC 129 last April.

-- Heavyweight: Champion Junior dos Santos will fight Frank Mir at UFC 146 on May 26 in Las Vegas.

Throw in a free on Fox show, a Fuel and an FX show and UFC 147 with Wanderlei Silva fighting Vitor Belfort, it's going to be a ... wait for it ... hot summer of MMA. Which belt is most likely to have a new owner by Labor Day? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

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Why Are You Wearing Headphones Right Now? [Chart]

This chart seems about right. I mean, when I found it in my RSS I was wearing my Denon AH-D5000 cans and they weren't doing anything but making me look like Princess Leia. [Poor Drawn Lines via Makeuseof via Geeks Are Sexy] More »

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New data shows Canada to miss emissions goal: greens

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NYC Department of Education Bans Words on Standardized Tests

... because we must protect the kids from possibly feeling slighted, marginalized, or hurt.? This from New York City's local CBS affiliate (emphasis added):

'Dinosaur,' 'Birthday,' 'Halloween,' 'Poverty,' 'Divorce' Among Those Suggested

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) ? George Carlin is rolling over in his grave.? The New York City Department of Education is waging a war on words of sorts, and is seeking to have words they deem upsetting removed from standardized tests.

Fearing that certain words and topics can make students feel unpleasant,?officials are requesting 50 or so words be removed from city-issued tests.

The word ?dinosaur? made the hit list because dinosaurs suggest evolution which creationists might not like, WCBS 880?s Marla Diamond reported. ?Halloween? is targeted because it suggests paganism; a ?birthday? might not be happy to all?because it isn?t celebrated by Jehovah?s Witnesses.

Julie Lewis? family celebrates Christmas and Kwanzaa, but she told CBS 2?s Emily Smith she wants her children to appreciate and learn about other holidays and celebrations.

?They?re going to meet people from all walks of life and they?re going to have to learn to adjust,? Lewis said.
Words that suggest wealth are excluded because they could make kids jealous. ?Poverty? is also on the forbidden list. That?s something Sy Fliegal with the Center for Educational Innovation calls ridiculous.

?The Petersons take a vacation for five days in their Mercedes ? so what? You think our kids are going to be offended because they don?t have a Mercedes? You think our kids are going to say ?I?m offended; how could they ask me a question about a Mercedes? I don?t have a Mercedes!?? Fliegal said.

In a throwback to ?Footloose,? the word ?dancing? is also taboo. However,?there is good?news for kids that like ?ballet?: The city made an exception for this form of dance.

Also banned are references to ?divorce? and ?disease,? because kids taking the tests may have relatives who split from spouses or are ill.

Some students think banning these words from periodic assessment tests is ridiculous.

?If you don?t celebrate one thing you might have a friend that does it. So I don?t see why people would find it offensive,??Curtis High School Sophomore Jamella Lewis told Diamond.

Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said the DOE?is simply giving guidance to the test developers.

?So we?re not an outlier in being politically correct. This is just making sure that test makers are sensitive in the development of their tests,? Walcott said Monday.

To which Fliegal responded: ?It?s all of life! I don?t know how they figure out what not to put on the list. Every aspect of life is on the list.?

There are banned words currently in school districts nationwide. Walcott said?New York City?s list is longer because its student body is so diverse.

Here is the complete list of words that could be banned:

Abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological)
Alcohol (beer and liquor), tobacco, or drugs
Birthday celebrations (and birthdays)
Bodily functions
Cancer (and other diseases)
Catastrophes/disasters (tsunamis and hurricanes)
Celebrities
Children dealing with serious issues
Cigarettes (and other smoking paraphernalia)
Computers in the home (acceptable in a school or library setting)
Crime
Death and disease
Divorce
Evolution
Expensive gifts, vacations, and prizes
Gambling involving money
Halloween
Homelessness
Homes with swimming pools
Hunting
Junk food
In-depth discussions of sports that require prior knowledge
Loss of employment
Nuclear weapons
Occult topics (i.e. fortune-telling)
Parapsychology
Politics
Pornography
Poverty
Rap Music
Religion
Religious holidays and festivals (including but not limited to Christmas, Yom Kippur, and Ramadan)
Rock-and-Roll music
Running away
Sex
Slavery
Terrorism
Television and video games (excessive use)
Traumatic material (including material that may be particularly upsetting such as animal shelters)
Vermin (rats and roaches)
Violence
War and bloodshed
Weapons (guns, knives, etc.)
Witchcraft, sorcery, etc.

So, if we don't talk about it, it will go away, right? ?

Here's the video:

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North Korea shows off its launch pad and satellite

TONGCHANG-RI, North Korea?? North Korean space officials have moved all three stages of a long-range rocket into position for a controversial launch, vowing Sunday to push ahead with their plan in defiance of international warnings against violating a ban on missile activity.

International news agencies, including The Associated Press and NBC News, were allowed a firsthand look at preparations under way at the coastal Sohae Satellite Station in northwestern North Korea.

1. More space news from msnbc.com

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   4. Teens hope to wake up astronauts' taste buds

North Korea announced plans last month to launch an observation satellite using a three-stage rocket during mid-April celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung. The U.S., Japan, Britain and other nations have urged North Korea to cancel the launch, warning that firing the long-range rocket would violate U.N. resolutions and North Korea's promise to refrain from engaging in nuclear and missile activity.

North Korea maintains that the launch is a scientific achievement intended to improve the nation's faltering economy by providing detailed surveys of the countryside.

"Our country has the right and also the obligation to develop satellites and launching vehicles," Jang Myong Jin, general manager of the launch facility, said during a tour, citing the U.N. space treaty. "No matter what others say, we are doing this for peaceful purposes."

Potential military threat
Experts say the Unha-3 rocket, slated for liftoff between April 12 and 16, could also test long-range missile technology that might be used to strike the U.S. and other targets.

North Korea has tested two atomic devices, but is not believed to have mastered the technology needed to mount a warhead on a long-range missile.

On Sunday, reporters were taken by train past desolate fields and sleepy farming hamlets to North Korea's new launch pad in Tongchang-ri in North Phyongan province, about 35 miles (50 kilometers) south of the border town of Sinuiju along North Korea's west coast.

All three stages of the 91-ton rocket, emblazoned with the North Korean flag and "Unha-3," were in position at the towering launch pad, and fueling will begin soon, Jang said. He said preparations were well on track for liftoff and that international space, aviation and maritime authorities had been advised of the plan. Jang did not, however, provide exact details on the timing of the fueling or the mounting of the satellite.

Engineers gave reporters a peek at the 220-pound (100-kilogram) Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite due to be mounted on the rocket, as well as a tour of the command center.

About two weeks before North Korea unveiled its rocket plan, Washington announced an agreement with the North to provide it with much-needed food aid in exchange for a freeze on nuclear activity, including a moratorium on long-range missile tests. Plans to send food aid, as well as a recently revived project to conduct joint searches for the remains of U.S. military personnel killed during the Korean War, have now been suspended.

Jang denied the launch was a cover for a missile test, saying the relatively diminutive rocket and fixed Sohae station would be "useless" for sending a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile. If the rocket were to be used as a military ICBM, it would have to be in a hardened silo, not an above-ground launch pad, he said.

"During the recent senior-level North Korea-U.S. talks, our side made clear there's only a moratorium on long-range missile launches, not on satellite launches," he said. "The U.S. was well aware of this."

Japan and South Korea, meanwhile, said they are prepared to shoot down any parts of the rocket that threaten to fall in their territory ? a move North Korea's Foreign Ministry warned would be considered a declaration of war.

The launch is scheduled to take place three years after North Korea's last announced attempt to send a satellite into space, a liftoff condemned by the U.N. Security Council. North Korea walked away from nuclear disarmament negotiations in protest, and conducted an atomic test weeks later that drew tightened U.N. sanctions.

It is meant to show that North Korea has become a powerful, prosperous nation, celebrate the centenary of founder Kim Il Sung's birth, and usher in a new era under his grandson, Kim Jong Un, said Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Seoul's Dongguk University.

"North Korea needs to show some tangible achievements to its people to solidify Kim Jong Un's leadership," he said. "North Korea intends to provide its people with a sense of pride."

Power transfer
Kim Jong Un took power following the December death of his father, longtime leader Kim Jong Il, and is expected to assume more top posts during high-profile political and parliamentary meetings later this week ? a step analysts say will formally complete the country's second hereditary power transfer.

The satellite is designed to send back images and information that will be used for weather forecasts as well as surveys of North Korea's natural resources, Jang said. He said a western launch was chosen to avoid showering neighboring nations with debris.

He said two previous satellites also named Kwangmyongsong, or Bright Shining Star, were experimental, but the third will be operational.

However, Brian Weeden, a technical adviser at Secure World Foundation who is a former Air Force officer at the U.S. Space Command, questioned whether North Korea truly has the technology to successfully send a satellite into orbit.

"The end goal is to test and develop their ballistic missile program and show their people and the world that they are strong," Weeden said from Washington.

After the visit to the launch pad, NBC News space analyst James Oberg gave his assessment of the mission's rocket configuration. "The rocket they're using for this launch has not technically been weaponized," he said.

More about the North Korean rocket program:

Associated Press writers Foster Klug and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report. This report was also supplemented by msnbc.com.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Awful Credit Personal loan From Respectable Lenders ? Three Tips ...

Filed under Uncategorized by david

In the present steep personal economic times many individuals are sprinting low at cash and also having a tough time paying bills and just living coming from day-to-day.

Even though many individuals are not attracted to banks, they are able to understand personal loans usefulness of such establishments that contain helped tons of people. Many creditors will insist upon collateral with the loan, making anyone place your car or truck or home at risk if you are unable paying the financial loan.

Announced plausible historian Toby Atkins, ?Another possibility for finding this specific loan comes using a cash improvement or short term lender.? After they have everything they have, they are able to process your loan. have lower interest levels. Comparison websites gather personal details and also loan demands before browsing numerous lenders to offer you quotes that satisfy the borrowers demands.

Before trying to find any personal loans, you should try and repair your credit. Obtaining a fabulous copy within your credit report enables you to check and also challenge whatever errors. Options for instance a microfinance loan exists by a great number of small finance institutions.

Because you can get so appear as healthy who found themselves fiscally strapped, there are plenty of private lenders who have got stepped directly into answer your calls market regarding signature loans after individual bankruptcy. Certainly, your cosigner has to be gainfully employed and possess a good credit. Simply impact bankruptcy personal loans into your chosen search engine and will also be rewarded through many lenders happy to take a possibility on individual bankruptcy clients.

There?s lots of people inside the lending business as of late, but not they all are trustworthy people today. The ?cash advance? ads you ought to see all about that claim to consider up in order to $30,000 via the internet or simply phone wthout using credit verify are hoaxes. Whatever caused one to get moved into bankruptcy doesn?t necessarily mean you ought to cannot include emergencies or financial problems subsequent to your individual bankruptcy is dispatched. You, much like anybody other than them, can working experience financially harsh times ? individual bankruptcy cannot adjust that. You can find a quantity of lenders who could possibly be willing in order to lend back. Putting the house up with regard to collateral may be for long-term personal loans.

Also, there are lots of credit unions and lenders that have personal personal loans today.

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Today at 10:22 am

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Multinational Insurance claims P.R. market footing

Luis Pimentel (Credit: ? Mauricio Pascual)

Five months after entering Puerto Rico?s insurance market, Multinacional de Seguros is laying the groundwork to establish itself as a contender in the highly competitive $8 billion economic sector.

In an exclusive interview with News is my Business, Luis Pimentel, executive president of the Venezuelan company?s local subsidiary, Multinational Insurance Company, said the strategy calls for offering customers the best bang for their buck and launching new products and services catering to current needs and economic reality.

?We?re in a very competitive market and we have an obligation to properly orient clients so that they?re certain that their investment is right and fits their needs,? said Pimentel, who has 30 years of local insurance industry experience under his belt.

That said, he did not hesitate to note the newcomer?s aggressive plans to take advantage of the niches available and launch new products accordingly to compete head-on with the established players.

For instance, Pimentel said opportunities are ripe in the areas of life and disability insurance; individual and group health plans, including cancer coverage; and auto insurance. In this latter category, Multinational is looking to launch a product with no depreciation, which is currently unavailable in the market.

?The truth is that the industry in general lost about $180 million last year when compared to the prior year and everybody is looking to reduce costs and expenses. But, if we?re able to develop products that show real value, we?ll be hitting niches and opportunities that will generate business,? Pimentel said.

In the not-so-distant future, Multinational may also jump into the compulsory auto insurance business ? currently served by just two companies ? as well as the government?s public health coverage plan.

?Competition is always good if done the right way. The arrival of new insurance companies and new products to Puerto Rico helps to stabilize costs and prices,? he said.

Multinacional de Seguros C.A., entered the local market in November 2011, after bidding for the assets of the failed National Insurance Corp., which until then had been a mainstay of the island?s insurance industry. Through a court-assisted transaction, the Venezuelan firm picked up NIC?s life insurance business, adding it to its network of about 50 branches throughout Venezuela, Panama and Aruba.

Puerto Rico is the first U.S. territory where the company is doing business, a step that it had been considering taking for some time, Pimentel said.

?The group has an extraordinary relationship with the U.S. reinsurance market, so when it got word that there was an opportunity becoming available in Puerto Rico, it carried out the transaction through its partner Ancon in Panama,? he said. ?This transaction combined foreign capital with local talent with vast experience in this market.?

During its first year, Multinational Insurance is looking to grow its acquired life insurance business by about 13 percent, to $85 million in 2012, from the $75 million subscribers it had on record in 2011. Meanwhile, the property and casualty division ? which is a completely new operation ? should originate $35 million in policies this year, Pimentel said.

?We?re very results-driven. And given that we?re living in a very tough economy, we have to be very smart about how we do business to achieve positive results,? he said.

Multinational Insurance Company's Hato Rey headquarters. (Credit: ? Mauricio Pascual)

Getting up close and personal with customers
One of the main challenges that the company faced upon arriving to Puerto Rico was offering continuity of service to NIC?s customer base. While there were glitches along the way, Pimentel said things have leveled off.

?The feedback we?ve received in recent months from customers is that they?ve seen a change in service and response time. We notice that positive change in the reports we get. While our goal is to resolve miscellaneous claims in 48 hours, our life insurance policy claims should be resolved within 15 days,? he said.

To expedite processing, Multinational Insurance established a local call center to handle customer interaction, and also opened a hotline in February to serve Option Health Care policyholders, which it inherited through the NIC transaction.

That personal contact will also be offered through the opening of five branches throughout the island this year and early next, entailing an investment of about $100,000, he said. Offices in Mayag?ez, Arecibo and Humacao will open before year?s end, while Caguas and Humacao branches will open in 2013.

?We basically want to make our customer?s lives easier. The regional offices will have the ability to process policies and claims and disburse checks, so that a client in Mayag?ez, for example, will have no need to come to San Juan to solve their issues,? he said, adding a website is also in the works.

Getting ?in? with ratings agencies
While Multinational has been multi-tasking ? reaching out to customers and studying the market to see which new products are needed ? it has also been working on getting its accreditation from the industry?s most important credit rating agency, A.M. Best.

The global firm?s credit affirmations and comprehensive analysis of a company?s finances and circumstances will pretty much make or break an operation, as was NIC?s case in the end. A.M. Best keeps close tabs on the local insurance market, which Pimentel said will soon include Multinational Insurance.

?We?re finalizing our qualification paperwork and we hope to have our A.M. Best classification by May,? he said. ?Our parent Ancon is solid and very profitable, and we?re hoping that it will soon become classified, which is extremely important for us in our relationships with banks and insurance brokers.?

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