More than 150 accused in online wildlife sales

WASHINGTON (AP) ? More than 150 people face federal and state charges after authorities disrupted online wildlife trafficking operations involving tiger, leopard and jaguar pelts, elephant ivory and live birds.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the arrests Thursday after an undercover operation that included officers from 16 states, three federal agencies and three Asian countries.

Items seized under "Operation Wild Web" include the pelts of endangered big cats such as the Sumatran tiger, leopard and jaguar; live migratory birds such as the California scrub jay; whale teeth; elephant and walrus ivory; and a zebra pelt.

"Our message is clear and simple: The Internet is not an open marketplace for protected species," said Edward Grace, deputy assistant director for law enforcement for the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Working with counterparts in California, Texas, New York, Florida and Alaska and other states, federal officials targeted illegal wildlife sellers who operate through Craigslist, eBay and other Internet marketplaces and classified ads. Wildlife officers in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia ran similar operations at the same time.

The items were seized last August, although charges are still being brought in many cases. Six Southern California residents were charged Thursday with selling endangered species and animal parts, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles said.

"As a major platform for the illicit trade in wildlife, the Internet has become a dangerous place for animals," said Jeff Flocken, North American regional director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, an advocacy group that worked with the federal task force.

"Wildlife crimes are not only harmful to endangered species, they also pose serious threats to national and global security," Flocken said.

Illegal wildlife trade generates an estimated $19 billion a year worldwide and ranks fourth on the list of the most lucrative global illegal activities behind narcotics, counterfeiting and human trafficking, the animal welfare group said in a report last year.

Federal laws regulating the sale of wildlife include the Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act; the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Lacey Act, which prohibits trade in wildlife, fish and plants that have been illegally taken, transported or sold.

Other states involved in "Operation Wild Web" were Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Oregon, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

___

Follow Matthew Daly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/more-150-accused-online-wildlife-sales-212237123.html

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10 Reasons I Love Ashtanga Yoga - MindBodyGreen.com

I practice and
teach all styles of yoga. I always ask a few questions of my clients and myself
before starting a yoga practice: What are the needs of the physical body? What are the needs of the mind? What are the needs of the spirit? Answers help determine if the practice will be Vinyasa yoga, Yin yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Viniyoga, Iyengar yoga, Power yoga, restorative yoga, or meditation.

One of my favorite schools of yoga is Ashtanga, a vigorous style of yoga that combines flow with static postures. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois began teaching Ashtanga yoga in 1948 with the?intention for every student to master each posture and series before moving on to the next one.

Below are 10 things I love about the Ashtanga practice:

1. I stay in touch with my breath.?

Five even inhalations and exhalations with every pose, reminds me to always be in touch with and work on my breath. Strong teachers pace the breath calls in a progressive way to help stretch it.

2. It?s a disciplined practice.?

In a led Ashtanga class, students practice in synchronicity and maintain extraordinary focus, which enhances the connectivity I feel with others and the universe at large.

3. It?s a hard-core physical challenge.?

All of the Ashtanga series require enormous strength and flexibility. Ashtanga keeps me on the ball and gives me an incredible workout. People often ask me how I get my muscle tone, and Ashtanga-inspired yoga is one of the ways I tone-up.

4. The practice demands deep concentration.?

I can?t tune out while doing Ashtanga yoga. To keep pace and protect my body from injury, there is nothing else I can think about other what I am doing at any given moment. It?s essential to pay close attention to alignment in this practice because the emphasis of Ashtanga yoga tends to be more on flow and breath and less on alignment (this is where an Iyengar background, which is completely alignment-focused, helps a lot).

5. It makes me sweat.?

Ashtanga creates awesome internal body heat; there?s no need for external sources of warmth to break a ridiculous sweat. In addition to enhancing my circulation and making me feel light and strong, the elevation of my body temperature makes my muscles more pliable, enhancing my flexibility.

6. It improves my muscle memory.?

There is a certain amount of repetition throughout the Ashtanga practice (for example: 5 sun salutations right at the get-go), which greatly improves my muscle memory. The result? What seems difficult at first gets easier over time.

7. It?s a balanced practice.?

Asthanga sequences are replete with salutations, standing poses, seated postures, forward bends, twists, back bends, hip openers, inversions, arm balances, leg extension and flexion, and shoulder opening. There isn?t a single part of my body that ever feels left out of this practice.

8. It's a powerful inward journey.?

With Ashtanga yoga I can truly be with my Self and get to know my spirit because pratyahara, withdrawal of the senses, enables me to shut out everything external to my mind and body.

9. I stay present.?

The focused gaze, also known as the Dristhi, is a significant part of the Ashtanga practice. An astute Drishti keeps my eyes from wandering, which prevents a large amount of distraction (80% of what we perceive through our senses comes through our eyes; and, our memories are 80% imagery).

10. There?s always room for improvement.?

Regardless of how advanced a practice may be, Ashtanga is a lifelong practice. Most bodies and certainly my own (which is quite strong and very flexible), need at least a lifetime to beautifully master the practice.?

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

Source: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-10189/10-reasons-i-love-ashtanga-yoga.html

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UK: Family incomes and savings rise but household debt levels reach an all time high

WEBWIRE ? Wednesday, July 10, 2013

? Average debts peak at almost ?13,000 ? highest recorded by report series
? But family incomes increase by more than ?1,200 a year
? More families get into a regular savings habit, reaching a record high of ?96 a month

UK families are experiencing a mixed bag of financial fortunes, the latest Aviva Family Finances Report reveals today. The report, which tracks the financial circumstances of different UK family types, shows that while incomes and savings habits are sneaking upwards, so are typical debts.

Typical family debts stack up to record levels

Despite their growing incomes and a greater commitment to saving every month, UK families are regularly turning to unsecured borrowing. Typical household debt has increased by 38% since May 2012 (?9,314) and now stands at ?12,834, the highest since this report series began in January 2011.

The biggest debts have actually been racked up through loans from friends and family, at an average of ?2,011 per household, while credit cards add a further ?2,006 and personal loans an additional ?1,959. Five per cent of families say they now rely on payday loans and a further 3% make use of pawnbrokers.

It is therefore a slight concern that the percentage of families making monthly debt repayments has fallen consistently in the last twelve months from 57% in August 2012 to 51% in January 2013 and just 45% in July 2013.

Good news as family income increases slightly

More positively however, UK families? typical monthly net income in July 2013 fell just short of the highest figure ever recorded by the report series, which was ?2,150 in April 2012.

With ?2,108 at their disposal each month ? 5% more than a year ago ? the typical family has ?1,260 more spending power over twelve months than they did in August 2012 when the typical monthly income was ?2,003.

Regular family savings see a surge

This extra income appears to be having a beneficial impact on people?s monthly saving habits. The typical family saves or invests ?96 per month in July 2013, up by 20% from ?80 in January to set a new record for the Family Finances Report.

For the first time since the series began, fewer than one in three families save nothing each month (31%) ? a significant improvement on the 40% recorded in January 2011. This edition also breaks new ground in terms of the number of families with no savings put away: down to 23% from a high of 33% in January 2011.

Expenses fall as families cut back on holidays and luxuries

The improvement in savings habits marries up with the fact that typical monthly expenditure among UK families fell for the first time since November 2011. The July 2013 average of ?1,748 represents a fall of 4% from the peak of ?1,819 in January 2013.

Luxury items are among the first to go when it comes to trimming household expenses. While spending on food has gone up by ?14 a month across all families in the last six months alone ? equivalent to ?168 per year ? a range of non-essential items including satellite TV subscriptions and recreation have all been scaled back to compensate. Financial constraints also appear to be prompting more families to forgo a holiday this year, with 51% spending on this expense in July 2013 compared with 54% in August 2012.

Louise Colley, protection distribution director for Aviva says: ?Since we began our report series, we?ve seen a common thread of people juggling their finances to balance the family books. As money matters improve in one area, this is often offset in another ? and this edition is no different. It?s great to see that families are saving more than ever, but slightly concerning that debt levels are continuing to climb.

?Building a savings pot is a fantastic step, but if debts are growing, families need to consider which is the more pressing need. We?d also urge people to take further steps and think about family protection to cover them against a sudden loss of income. Notably 55% of families say that unexpected expenses are one of their biggest financial fears so having this cover in place can provide invaluable peace of mind.?

Methodology:

Data was sourced from the Aviva Family Finances Report series which used findings from over 18,000 people who are members of one of the six groups of families identified above via Canadean research. This report is a definitive look at the personal finances of families in the UK. Not only does it look at personal wealth, income sources and expenditure patterns but also tracks how these change across the different types of family unit.

In addition to the regular data, in each edition a spotlight will be shone onto a different relevant topic. This issue has a focus on how the cost of sending children to school impacts on family finances.

Download The Family Finances Report July 2013 PDF (0.87MB): https://www.aviva.com/media/upload/Family_Finances_Report_July_2013.pdf

Watch the animation: http://www.aviva.com/media/news/item/uk-family-incomes-and-savings-rise-but-household-debt-levels-reach-an-all-time-high-17171/#video

Notes to editors:

The Aviva Family Finances report is an in-depth study into the financial needs of the 84% of the UK population who live as part of a modern family. Based on customer profiles and Government data Aviva has recognised the six most common types of modern family as:

? Living in a committed relationship with no plans to have children
? Living in a committed relationship with plans to have children
? Living in a committed relationship with one child
? Living in a committed relationship with two or more children
? Divorced/separated/widowed with one or more child
? Single parent raising one or more child alone

About Aviva:

Aviva provides insurance, savings and investment products to 34 million customers worldwide.

We are the UK?s largest insurer with over 14 million customers and one of Europe?s leading providers of life and general insurance. We combine strong life insurance, general insurance and asset management businesses under one powerful brand. We are committed to serving our customers well in order to build a stronger, sustainable business, which makes a positive contribution to society, and for which our people are proud to work.

Aviva Plc is in the top 10% of socially responsible companies globally in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. In 2012 we invested ?5.7m into our UK communities. One in three of our employees were involved in community investment activities which included giving nearly 30,000 hours.

Aviva is working in partnership with Railway Children through the Aviva Street to School programme to get children living or working on UK streets back into everyday life, especially education. Find out more at www.aviva.co.uk/street-to-school.

The Aviva media centre at www.aviva.com/media includes company information and a news release archive.

For broadcast-standard video, please visit http://www.aviva.com/media/video/.

Follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/avivaplc

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Pakistan president's aide killed in suicide attack

Published: 3:50PM Thursday July 11, 2013 Source: Reuters

• 

  The scene of the suicide blast in Karachi, Pakistan. - Source: Reuters

One of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's most trusted aides was killed in a suspected suicide bombing in the volatile port city of Karachi on Wednesday as he stopped his armoured vehicle to buy some fruit, police said.

Pakistan has suffered a spate of bombings since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was sworn in last month, underscoring the challenges facing the nuclear-armed nation in taming a Taliban-linked insurgency.

A police officer in Pakistan's financial capital said Bilal Shaikh - Zardari's security chief who was always spotted next to the president during public appearances - was killed along with two others in a prosperous area of eastern Karachi.

"It seems that the suicide attacker walked up to Bilal Shaikh's vehicle and blew himself up outside the front passenger seat of the vehicle where Shaikh was seated," the senior police officer, Raja Umar Khattab, told Reuters.

About a dozen other people were wounded.

A police escort was accompanying Shaikh's white armoured sports utility vehicle when the attack took place. Police said an unidentified attacker walked up to the car and blew himself up just as Shaikh opened the door to get out.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place on the eve of the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan that is observed in Pakistan from Thursday.

The latest wave of attacks across Pakistan has brought an end to a period of relative calm after Pakistan's first ever transition between elected civilian governments that brought Sharif to office for the third time in a May election.

Last weekend, at least five people were killed when a bomb ripped through a busy restaurant street in Lahore, wounding dozens as people sat to dinner in the old part of Sharif's home city.

On June 30, at least 28 people were killed in the southwestern city of Quetta when a suicide bomber attacked a largely Shi'ite Muslim neighbourhood, highlighting growing sectarian tensions in the South Asian country of 180 million.

Shaikh - who had survived an earlier assassination attempt near his home in Karachi about a year ago - used to change his routes several times while travelling around one of Pakistan's most violent cities.

Like Zardari, he belonged to the Pakistan People's Party, which had been in power before the May election. Taliban-linked militants had previously targeted the secular party.

Both Zardari and Sharif have issued separate statements condemning the attack, a private television channel reported.

It was the first attack in Karachi since mid-June. At least nine people were killed when a bomb targeting the convoy of a senior judge exploded in the old city area. The judge survived. Pakistan-based Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack.

?

Copyright ? 2013, Television New Zealand Limited. Breaking and Daily News, Sport & Weather | TV ONE, TV2 | Ondemand

Source: http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/pakistan-president-s-aide-killed-in-suicide-attack-5505943?ref=rss

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WE WERE GONNA WATCH MOTEL CALIFORNIA THIS MORNING BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER THE DVR DIDN?T...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://kickingshoes.tumblr.com/post/54995183963

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Microsoft reports hackings linked to report by Google researcher

The Microsoft logo is seen at their offices in Bucharest

By Jim Finkle

BOSTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said hackers have attacked some computers by exploiting a bug in Windows first disclosed two months ago by a Google Inc researcher, who came under fire at the time for publicizing the flaw without going to the software company first.

Microsoft provided few details about the attacks. In an advisory on Tuesday, it said hackers had launched "targeted attacks," a term generally used by security experts to refer to cyber attacks on corporate or government targets, with espionage and sabotage as the motive.

Google security engineer Tavis Ormandy's disclosure in May was controversial because he posted technical information on the Web that described the bug in the Windows operating system, which some experts said could help malicious hackers launch attacks, before Microsoft had released software to fix it.

Officials with Microsoft declined to comment when asked if they believed Ormandy's disclosure of the vulnerability had led to the attacks.

Ormandy also drew attention because he lashed out in a blog posting at long-time Google rival Microsoft, saying that its security division was difficult to work with. He advised other researchers to use pseudonyms and anonymous email when communicating with the software maker.

"It leaves a slightly bad taste in the mouth to see somebody who is a Google security researcher have a pop at Microsoft," said Graham Cluley, an independent security researcher.

Ormandy could not be reached. A Google spokesman declined comment, saying that Ormandy's Windows project was personal and not related to his work for the company.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz)

Source: http://money.ca.msn.com/investing/news/breaking-news/microsoft-reports-hackings-linked-to-report-by-google-researcher

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Mets outlast Giants 4-3 in 16 innings

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Eric Young Jr. scored on shortstop Brandon Crawford's fielding error with two outs in the 16th inning, and the New York Mets outlasted the San Francisco Giants 4-3 in a game that ended early Tuesday morning.

Young singled with one out and stole second. After he advanced to third on Daniel Murphy's groundout, lefty Javier Lopez entered and intentionally walked David Wright.

Crawford couldn't handle pinch-hitter Anthony Recker's grounder, allowing Young to score and handing New York its first win in a game that went at least 15 innings after losing its first three this season.

This one lasted 5 hours, 26 minutes. It was the longest game in time and innings the Giants had played this season.

San Francisco almost staged one more rally.

Marco Scutaro walked leading off the final inning, and Buster Posey hit a one-out single for the first five-hit game of his career. But Bobby Parnell regrouped to strike out Pablo Sandoval and retire pinch-hitter Guillermo Quiroz on a grounder for his 16th save.

Posey went 5 for 8, including a two-run homer and two doubles for the Giants. San Francisco has lost 12 of 14 and is a season-high eight games below .500.

The Giants went 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position and stranded 18 overall ? 13 in the last six innings.

Tim Lincecum and Matt Harvey each threw seven innings of three-run ball before the bullpens shut down the opposition.

Josh Edgin (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the win. George Kontos (2-2) allowed the one unearned run in 2 2-3 otherwise solid innings.

It was the 18th major league game to last at least 14 innings this season, two shy of last year's total, according to STATS.

The Mets improved to 1-3 in games of at least 15 innings this year. The last team to play that many in one season was the 2004 Minnesota Twins, who went 2-2, according to STATS.

By the time the final out was recorded at 12:42 a.m. local time, only a few thousand fans remained from an announced sellout crowd of 41,497. The ferry back to Oakland-Alameda had blown its departing horn at 11:30 p.m., and the final BART trains left about midnight.

The Giants even held a 14th-inning stretch for those who stayed. So many seagulls started to hover above the stands that the scoreboard operator asked fans to clap to scare them away.

Both teams had chances to end the game earlier.

With runners on second and third in the 11th, Crawford made a diving stop on Marlon Byrd's grounder at shortstop and recovered for a perfect throw from the outfield grass. In the 12th, Sandoval snagged Omar Quintanilla's liner at third and threw to first to get Kirk Nieuwenhuis for a double play.

The Giants blew a gift-wrapped opportunity when Posey doubled after his fly ball bounced off the glove of Murphy backpedaling from second while Byrd tried to make a sliding catch coming in from right. Sandoval was intentionally walked before Byrd caught Hunter Pence's slicing liner and Crawford flied out.

Brandon Belt, batting in the third spot for the first time in his career, was 0 for 8 with five strikeouts, including the final out of the 12th inning with two runners on base.

Cole Gillespie broke his bat grounding out in the 13th with runners on second and third, and Gregor Blanco grounded out with the bases loaded in the 15th.

The game started out with pop, with Posey sending a 3-1 fastball from Harvey to left to put the Giants ahead 2-0 in the first inning. It was Posey's 13th home run this season.

Byrd singled leading off the fifth for the first hit off Lincecum, and John Buck's double sliced San Francisco's lead to 2-1.

Young tripled leading off the sixth, and Murphy followed with the tying single. Murphy advanced to third on Scutaro's throwing error trying to get Wright out at first, and he scored when Davis grounded into a double play to give the Mets a 3-2 lead.

Lincecum had a season-high 11 strikeouts in seven innings. He gave up three runs, six hits and one walk. It was the 33rd time Lincecum has had at least 10 strikeouts in a game and the first time this year.

Other than Posey, Harvey had his way with San Francisco's lineup until late. He allowed three runs and six hits, striking out six and walking one.

Pence, who made a pair of diving catches in right field, tripled leading off the seventh. The ball hit the cement near the top of the right-field wall and ricocheted back onto the field.

Umpires reviewed the play and ruled that the triple stood, though the decision turned out to be an afterthought. Crawford immediately singled home Pence for the tying run.

NOTES: Mets LHP Jonathon Niese (shoulder inflammation) has been cleared to start throwing again. The team expects him back at some point this season. ... Mets RHP Shaun Marcum had his right hand examined by a specialist in St. Louis. With an off day Thursday, Harvey will take Marcum's spot in the rotation Saturday at Pittsburgh. ... Barry Zito (4-6, 4.44 ERA) starts for the Giants against Dillon Gee (6-7, 4.45) on Tuesday. Zito began warming up in the bullpen in the bottom of the 16th in case the Giants tied it.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mets-outlast-giants-4-3-16-innings-075719624.html

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