Munich residents vote against new airport runway

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

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Wisconsin's Walker makes history surviving recall election

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Wisconsin's Scott Walker became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall election on Tuesday in a decisive victory that dealt a blow to the labor movement and raised Republican hopes of defeating President Barack Obama in the November election.

Unions and liberal activists forced the recall election over a law curbing collective bargaining powers for public sector workers passed soon after Walker took office in 2011.

With nearly all of the votes counted, Republican Walker won by 8 percentage points over Democratic challenger Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a bigger victory for the governor over the same challenger than two years ago.

Republicans around the country were elated by the result in a state that President Obama won by 14 percentage points in 2008.

Obama's presumed Republican opponent in November, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, called Walker to congratulate him, an aide to Romney said. Romney had called Walker a "hero" when he visited Wisconsin earlier this year.

"A win like this shows Wisconsin may be a redder (more Republican) state in 2012 and could be bad news for Obama," said Thad Kousser, an associate politics professor at the University of California San Diego.

Even Obama's campaign organization conceded on Tuesday that Wisconsin could be competitive in November. No Republican has won the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Walker's win may also embolden Republican governors in other states to take on labor unions, analysts said.

"The unions tried to take a stand here and when you stake everything on one election and lose, politicians around the country will not be afraid to take on the unions," Kousser said.

The victory also branded Walker as a rising Republican star. While he has ruled out serving as Romney's vice presidential nominee, he may be a future national candidate.

Walker struck a conciliatory tone in his victory speech, saying he wanted to try to bring the divided state together.

"Early in 2011, I rushed in to try to fix things before I talked about them. Because you see for years, too many politicians ... talked about things but never fixed them," Walker said to a crowd of roaring supporters.

NOVEMBER BAROMETER?

The election in politically divided Wisconsin has been seen as a barometer of the U.S. political climate going into November's presidential election.

The outcome is the latest evidence of a growing partisan climate in American politics that values confrontation over compromise and has led to gridlock in Washington.

It also suggests that some voters will support a politician who seeks to balance the government budget by cutting spending and reducing pensions and benefits for government workers rather than raising taxes.

Some voters in Wisconsin said it was only fair that union workers pay more pensions and health insurance when most private sector workers have no pensions at all.

Kent Redfield, a political analyst at the University of Illinois at Springfield, said the outcome could demoralize Democrats and labor unions. "That could have an effect on turnout in the fall," he said.

Ahead of the recall election, organized labor and conservatives mounted intense get-out-the-vote drives. Grassroots activists in the conservative Tea Party played a major role in those efforts on the right.

"This is a huge win for the Tea Party," said Matt Batzel, Wisconsin state director of national conservative group American Majority Action, which worked with local activists. "Time after time they have answered the call to defend Scott Walker," he said of the group that seeks deep cuts in U.S. government spending.

Voter turnout was high in the state where families were at odds and neighbors were not speaking to each over Walker's push to curtail collective bargaining by public sector workers.

The recall election led to huge campaign spending in the Midwestern Rust Belt state, with some estimates that more than $60 million was raised. So-called Super PACs, the independent groups that are pouring money into the U.S. presidential campaign, were a major force in Wisconsin.

This was just the third recall election of a governor in U.S. history and it follows weeks of vociferous protests by demonstrators who occupied the state Capitol in Madison as Walker and fellow Republican lawmakers pushed through the union curbs in March 2011.

The law forced most state workers, including teachers, to pay more for health insurance and pensions, limited their pay raises, made payment of union dues voluntary and forced unions to be recertified every year.

Democrats and unions gathered nearly 1 million signatures to force the recall election.

Harley Shaiken, a labor professor at the University of California Berkeley, cautioned that the Wisconsin result did not mean there would be a wholesale assault on unions nationwide.

"This is clearly a victory for Walker, but it's been a very costly and disruptive victory," he said. "Some legislators (in other states) will try to go down the same path but they may find it very expensive to do so."

Despite the victory, Walker has not emerged completely unscathed. He still faces an investigation into alleged corruption during his time as Milwaukee County executive before he became governor.

Walker opponents also forced recall elections for Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and four Republican state senators who had voted for the labor union restrictions.

Kleefisch and three of the four Senate Republicans were victorious. In the fourth race, the Democrat was ahead by about 800 votes with all of the results counted, but the Republican had not conceded.

If the Democrat is certified the winner, Walker would face a Democratic majority in the state Senate, which could frustrate his agenda in the future.

The only two previous recall efforts against sitting governors were Lynn Frazier in North Dakota in 1921 and Gray Davis in California in 2003. Both of those governors lost.

(Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee and James Kelleher in Madison; Editing by Andrew Stern, Greg McCune, Vicki Allen and Lisa Shumaker)

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Some Helpful Parenting Information | Life Coach, Business - Career ...

Learning to parent involves on-the-job training. Below, you will find valuable information that may help you to improve your parenting skills. Intuition and information should go hand and hand when parenting.

Many homes have a really dry air environment in the winter especially if the home has forced air heating. You can help to alleviate this dryness by using a humidifier. You can learn more about these types of appliances at http://www.humidifiervsvaporizers.com/.

A 3 foot tall child can typically crawl out of a crib, and it?s time to get a bed! The new bed may be a bit scary so you should try to turn it into something fun by getting new bedding that has the child?s favorite characters on them.

All children love to have a good time and play. They need playtime. Effective parenting also includes setting aside some of your own time to play with them.

Make sure there is a clean spot on your counter, and roll up a towel. Lay your child down with their back on the towel, and run the water over their hair. This can minimize the anxiety many young children have when their heads are doused with water.

Being there to listen to your children is one of the most important things you can do as a parent. Offer them a chance to talk to you, and find out what they want. The more you respect your child?s thoughts and feelings, the more they will respect your thoughts and opinions in the future.

Children should learn that life is sometimes difficult, without excess burden placed on them. Allowing your children to see how you and your partner work out these problems will help them develop problem-solving skills. When they have a realistic view of the world, they will be developing the skills they will need to deal with other people.

Parenting toddlers is very important. If your toddlers misbehave by insisting on being the center of attention, it?s imperative to teach them patience and that everyone will eventually get their turn, including them. If the kids are being difficult, you may want to give them a short time-out, or just let them know what they are doing wrong.

Remember that even though you?re a parent, you have to take care of yourself too. Even just a couple of minutes to recharge your batteries away from the kids can be just what you need as a break. Not only will you feel good, the children will be glad to see you more happy.

Parenting can be difficult, but the above information is designed to help you be a wonderful mother or father through good times and bad. Pay close attention to what you have learned here, so you can appreciate the gift you have given to the world. Enjoy your foray into the world of parenting, and keep the tools you got from this article close at hand.

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Why It's Now a Very Good Time to Invest in Gold

With gold successfully holding the $1520 mark after three tests, David Galland believes savvy investors should use this pullback as an opportunity to purchase gold and gold stocks. ?I agree with him on gold, though I?m not yet convinced about the mining stocks themselves (more on this later today).

By David Galland, Casey Research

Glancing at the news most days, it?s hard not to feel like Bill Murray?s character in Groundhog Day. In the event you are unfamiliar with the movie, in it Murray?s character becomes trapped in the same day? day after day.

In the current circular condition, we have the powers-that-be assuring us that the next high-level meeting will finally produce a permanent fix to the broken economy, essentially solving the sovereign debt crisis. Then, in no more than a few days, or at most a couple of weeks, the fix is revealed to be flawed and the crisis again sparks into flames? followed shortly thereafter by yet another high-level meeting ? and the cycle begins anew.

While the characters may change ? one week it is Greece, the next it is Spain, the next it is France, the next it is the US, the next it is Greece again, etc., etc. ad nauseam ? the detached observer can only come to the conclusion that we are now well outside of the bounds of the normal business cycle.

As we at Casey Research have written on this topic at great length, I don?t intend to dwell on this topic, but I did want to loop back in just long enough to comment on the recent price action in commodities, especially gold, in the face of the continuing crisis.

Today, a glance at the screen reveals that gold is trading for $1,565. For comparative purposes, as revelers warmed up their vocal cords to sing in the New Year on the last trading day of 2011, gold exchanged hands at $1,531. And exactly one year ago to the day, gold traded at $1,526 for a one-year gain of a modest 2.6%.

A year ago, the S&P 500 traded at 1,325, while today it trades at 1,318, a small loss. Yet, have you noticed we don?t hear much about the imminent collapse of the US stock market, as we do about gold? This perma-bear sentiment about gold on the part of what some people lump together under the label ?Wall Street? is especially apparent in the gold stocks.

Using the GDX ETF as a proxy for the sector, we see that the shares of the more substantial gold producers are off by an unpleasant 24% over the last year.With that ?baseline? in place, let?s turn to the current outlook for gold, and touch on some of the other commodities as well.

• Gold. In the context of its secular bull market, and given that absolutely nothing has gotten better about the sovereign debt crisis ? only worse ? gold?s correction is nothing to be concerned about.I know the technical types will point to levels such as $1,500 as important resistance points ? and there?s no question that if gold was to break decisively below that level that a lot of autopilot trades would kick in and put further pressure on gold.Yet, when you view the market through the lens of hard realities, which is to say, by focusing on the intractable mess the sovereigns have gotten the world into? in Europe, in Japan, in China and here in the US? then viewing gold at these levels as anything other than an opportunity is a mistake.
• Gold Stocks. As far as the gold stocks are concerned, I consider today?s levels to be extraordinarily compelling for anyone looking to build up a portfolio or to average down an existing portfolio.I say this for a number of reasons, starting with the contrarian perspective that this may now be the most unloved sector of the stock market. No one wants anything to do with gold stocks, and hasn?t for some time now. As a consequence, the sellers will soon dry up, leaving almost nothing but buyers to push the sector back to the upside.This contrarian perspective is important because finding an honest-to-goodness opportunity to bet against the crowd is no easy thing in a world where literally thousands of competent equities analysts plop down at the desk each trading day with the sole purpose of searching for prospective investments. Many of these analysts are backed by huge firms with billions of dollars at risk in the markets, and so are armed with high-powered computational tools of the sort that was unimaginable even a few years ago. All of these analysts, armed with all their computational power, habitually scan a universe that totals about 4,000 publicly traded companies. Realistically, however, even a thin analytical screen will weed out all but perhaps 400 of those companies as being potentially suitable for investment.Thus, you have thousands of high-priced and well-armed securities analysts crunching pretty much the same data on a very small universe of possible investments. Given this reality, is it any surprise that securities are so tightly correlated? Which is to say, is it any surprise that these securities all trade right in line with the valuations that the analytical screens ultimately derive that they should? Which means there are really only two possible circumstances under which any of these stocks move up, or move down, by any significant degree

1. Broad market movements. The saturated levels of analysis mean that, within a fairly tight range, all the stocks now move more or less together. Thus, with few exceptions, a big upswing or downswing in the broader market will send almost all stocks up or down together. To help make the point, I randomly pulled a chart of IBM and compared it against SPY (the S&P 500 tracking ETF) for the last year. Note the lockstep price movements:OK, IBM is a big company, so it will have a lower beta than many companies, but the point remains that saturated coverage of the stocks greatly reduces the odds of any one issue breaking free from the larger herd, unless there is?
2. A surprise. All of these analysts, and all of their computerized analysis, help form a certain future price expectation for each security based on past financial metrics (earnings growth, return on equity, and so forth). Other than the broad market movement just referenced, or moves in line with a sub-sector of the larger market (e.g., if oil rises or falls, oil-sector stocks will tend to move up or down in sync), for a company to deviate in any substantial way from analyst expectations, by definition requires a ?surprise? to occur.Of course, such a surprise can be positive, but because these companies are so closely watched, it is more likely to be negative. In the former category, a positive surprise might come in the form of an unexpectedly strong new product launch ? la the iPad. In the latter, less happy category of surprise, it can be the blow-out of a big well in the Gulf of Mexico? or any one of a million other unanticipated vagaries of fate.

As investors, recognizing these fundamental realities is important because it points to where above-average market opportunities are most likely to be found (or not). And that brings us back to the whole idea of being a contrarian.

As mentioned a moment ago, ?Wall Street? has never much liked the precious metals, and by extension the gold stocks. Given the length of the gold bull market ? which, in our view, reflects systematic risk in all the fiat currencies, but which Wall Street views as an indication of a fatiguing trend confirmed by the underperformance of the gold stocks ? traditional portfolio managers are unhesitant in giving the boot to the few gold shares that somehow made it into their portfolios against their better judgment.

If our thinking is not clouded by our own bias, then it would behoove us as good contrarians to buy these shares from the eager sellers at such unexpectedly favorable prices. By doing so, we are able to position ourselves to make a killing once the broader financial community realizes that the problems associated with fiat money, dramatically underscored by the intractable sovereign debt crisis, are only going to get worse. At that point gold is going to head for new highs and gold stocks to the moon.

That said, as we always should do, let?s quickly assess whether our own bias is leading us astray in believing in gold and gold stocks when virtually the entire army of analysts won?t even consider them. Some inputs:

• Gold prices remain near historic highs ? and that has a significant impact on the bottom line of the gold producers. Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX), for example, currently boasts a profit margin of over 30%, better than twice that of IBM and almost ten times that of Walmart. While ABX sells for just 1.6 times its book value, IBM sells for 10X.
• Interest rates remain at historic lows, producing a negative real return for bond holders. Unless and until investors are able to capture a positive yield ? a potential stake through the heart of gold ? there is no lost-opportunity cost for holding gold. And bonds are increasingly at risk of loss should interest rates be pressured upwards, as they inevitably will be.
• Sovereign money printing continues ? because it must. In today?s iteration of Groundhog Day, the Europeans are once again meeting in an attempt to fix the unfixable, but the growing consensus ? because there is no other realistic option left to them ? is that they will have to accelerate, not decelerate the money printing. Ditto here in the US, where a fiscal cliff is fast approaching due to the trifecta of the expiring Bush tax cuts, mandated cuts in government spending from the last debt-ceiling debacle and the new debacle soon to begin as the latest debt ceiling is approached. The problems in important economies such as China and Japan are as bad, and maybe even worse.

• Debt at all levels remains high. With historic levels of debt, rising interest rates are a no-fly zone for governments, because should these rates go up even a little bit, the impact on the economy and on the ability of these governments to meet their obligations would be dramatic and devastating. This fundamental reality ensures a continuation of policies aimed at keeping real yields in negative territory, meaning that the monetization/currency debasement in the world?s largest economies will continue apace.To get a sense of just how bad things are and how soon the wheels might come off, sending gold and gold stocks to the moon as governments throw all restraint in money printing to the wind to save themselves and their over-indebted economies ? here?s a telling excerpt and a chart from a recent article by Standard & Poor?s titled The Credit Overhang: Is a $46 Trillion Perfect Storm Brewing?

Our study of corporate and bank balance sheets indicates that the bank loan and debt capital markets will need to finance an estimated $43 trillion to $46 trillion wall of corporate borrowings between 2012 and 2016 in the U.S., the eurozone, the U.K., China, and Japan (including both rated and unrated debt, and excluding securitized loans). This amount comprises outstanding debt of $30 trillion that will require refinancing (of which Standard & Poor?s rates about $4 trillion), plus $13 trillion to $16 trillion in incremental commercial debt financing over the next five years that we estimate companies will need to spur growth (see table 1).

(Click on image to enlarge)

You can read the full article here. While the authors of the S&P report try to find some glimmer of hope that roughly $45 trillion in debt will be able to be sold off over the next four years ? even their base case casts doubt on the availability of the ?new money? shown in the chart above. Note that this is the funding they indicate is required to fund growth. Which is to say that should the money not be found, the outlook is for low to no growth for the foreseeable future.

It is also worth noting that the analysis assumes that something akin to the status quo will persist ? which is very unlikely given the pressure building up behind the thin dykes keeping the world?s largest economies intact. The landing of even a small black swan at this point could trigger a devastating cascade.

We have said it before, and we?ll say it again: there is no way out of this mess ?without acute pain to a wide swath of the citizenry in the world?s most developed nations. While this pain will certainly be felt by sovereign bond holders (and already has been felt by those who owned Greek issues), it will quickly spread across the board to banks, businesses and pensioners ? in time wiping out the lifetime savings of anyone who is ?all in? on fiat currency units.

In this environment, gold isn?t just a good idea ? it?s a life saver. And gold stocks are not just a golden contrarian opportunity, they are one of the few intelligent speculations available in an uncertain investment landscape. By speculation, I mean that, at these prices, they offer an understandable and reasonable risk/reward ratio. Every investment ? even cash ? has risk these days. With gold stocks, you at least have the opportunity to earn a serious upside for taking the risk? and the risk is much reduced by the correction over the last year or so.

Now, that said, there are some important caveats for gold stock buyers.

• With access to capital likely to dry up, any gold-related company you own must be well cashed up. In the case of the producers, this means a lot of cash in the bank, strong positive cash flow and a manageable level of debt. (Our Casey BIG GOLD service ? try it risk-free here ? constantly screens the universe of larger gold stocks for just this sort of criteria, then brings the best of the best to your attention.)In the case of the junior explorers that we follow in our International Speculator service (you can try that service risk-free as well), the companies we like the most have to have all the cash they need to clear the next couple of major hurdles in their march towards proving value. That?s because a company can have a great asset but still get crushed if it is forced to raise cash these days? and the situation will only get more pronounced when credit markets once again tighten as the global debt crisis deepens.
• Beware of political risk. Despite the critical importance of the extractive industries to the modern economy, the industry is universally hated by politicians and regular folks everywhere. If your company ? production or exploration ? has significant assets in unstable or politically meddlesome jurisdictions, tread carefully. And it?s important to recognize that few jurisdictions are more politically risky than the US. This doesn?t mean you need to avoid all US-centric resource stocks ? but rather that you need a geopolitically diversified portfolio that you keep a close eye on at all times (something we do on behalf of our paid subscribers every day).
• Know your companies. Some large gold miners are also large base-metals miners. And at this juncture in time, personally I?m avoiding base-metals companies like a bad cold. While most base-metals companies have already been beaten down ? and hard ? over the last year and a half, the fundamentals remain poor. Specifically, they not only have the risk of rising production costs and political meddling, but unlike gold ? where the driving fundamental is its monetary role in a world awash with fiat currency units ? the base-metals miners depend on economic growth to sustain demand for their products. In a world slipping back into recession ? or perhaps, in the case of Japan and China, tripping off a cliff ? betting on a recovery in growth is not a bet I?d want to make just now.

While it is hard to accurately predict the timing of major developments in any one economy, let alone the global economy, there are a number of tangible clues we can follow to the conclusion that the next year will be a seminal one in terms of this crisis.

For starters, there is the next round of Greek elections on June 17, the result of which could very well be the anointment of one Alexis Tsipras as the head of state. An unrepentant ?ber-leftist whose primary campaign plank is to tell the rest of the EU to put their austerity where the sun doesn?t shine, the election of Tsipras would almost certainly trigger a run on the Greek banks, followed by a cutoff of further EU funding and Greece?s exit from the EU. And once that rock starts to slide down the hill, it is very likely that Spain and Portugal will follow? after that, who knows? As I don?t need to point out (but will anyway), June 17 is right around the corner, so you might want to tighten your seat belt.

A bit further out, but not very, here in the US we can look forward to the aforementioned fiscal cliff. Or, more accurately, the political theatrics around the three colliding co-factors in that cliff (the approach once more of the debt ceiling, the expiring tax cuts and mandated government spending cuts). While the outcome of the theatrics has yet to be determined, it?s a safe bet that the government will extend in order to pretend while continuing to spend ? and by doing so, signal in no uncertain terms that the dollar will follow all of the sovereign currency units in a competitive rush down the drain.

Bottom line: Be very cautious about industrial commodities as a whole, at least until we see signs of inflation showing up in earnest, but don?t miss this opportunity to use the recent correction to fill out that corner of your portfolio dedicated to gold and gold stocks.

To get more perspectives like this, plus sector-specific commentary in energy, technology, and precious metals, sign up for the free Casey Research daily newsletter, the Casey Daily Dispatch. It?s a great way to be introduced to the world of contrarian investing.

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Earliest musical instruments in Europe 40,000 years ago

ScienceDaily (May 27, 2012) ? The first modern humans in Europe were playing musical instruments and showing artistic creativity as early as 40,000 years ago, according to new research from Oxford and T?bingen universities.

The researchers have obtained important new radiocarbon dates for bones found in the same archaeological layers as a variety of musical instruments. The instruments take the form of flutes made from the bird bones and mammoth ivory. They were excavated at a key site in Germany, which is widely believed to have been occupied by some of first modern humans to arrive in Europe.

In a paper published in the Journal of Human Evolution, the researchers describe the new dating results for animal bones, excavated in the same archaeological layers as the instruments and early art, at Gei?enkl?sterle Cave in the Swabian Jura of southern Germany. The animal bones bear cuts and marks from human hunting and eating.

The new dates were obtained by Professor Tom Higham and his team at Oxford University, using an improved ultrafiltration method designed to remove contamination from the collagen preserved in the bones. The researchers show that the Aurignacian, a culture linked with early modern humans and dating to the Upper Paleolithic period, began at the site between 42,000 and 43,000 years ago.

The new dating evidence, obtained from bones in the site, provided results that are 2,000 to 3,000 years older than previously thought. So far these dates are the earliest for the Aurignacian and predate equivalent sites from Italy, France, England and other regions.

Lead author Professor Higham from Oxford University said: 'High-resolution dating of this kind is essential for establishing a reliable chronology for testing ideas to help explain the expansion of modern humans into Europe, and the processes that led to the wide range of cultural innovations, including the advent of figurative art and music.'

Professor Nick Conard of T?bingen University, who was excavator at the site, said: 'These results are consistent with a hypothesis we made several years ago that the Danube River was a key corridor for the movement of humans and technological innovations into central Europe between 40,000 and 45,000 years ago. Gei?enkl?sterle is one of several caves in the region that has produced important examples of personal ornaments, figurative art, mythical imagery and musical instruments. The new dates prove the great antiquity of the Aurignacian in Swabia.'

The study results indicate that modern humans entered the Upper Danube region before an extremely cold climatic phase at around 39,000 to 40,000 years ago. Previously, researchers had argued that modern humans initially migrated up the Danube immediately after this event.

'Modern humans during the Aurignacian period were in central Europe at least 2,000 to 3,000 years before this climatic deterioration, when huge icebergs calved from ice sheets in the northern Atlantic and temperatures plummeted,' said Professor Higham. 'The question is what effect this downturn might have had on the people in Europe at the time.'

The results are also important for considering the relationship between early moderns and Neanderthals in Europe. Despite a major effort to identify archaeological signatures of interaction between Neanderthals and modern humans in this region, researchers have yet to identify indications of any cultural contact or interbreeding in this part of Europe.

The results suggest that the Danube Valley is a plausible homeland for the Aurignacian, with the Swabian caves producing the earliest record of technological and artistic innovations that are characteristic of this period. Whether the many innovations found in Swabia were stimulated by climatic conditions, competition between modern humans and Neanderthals, or by social and cultural influences that formed quite independently remain a central focus of their research.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Oxford.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Thomas Higham, Laura Basell, Roger Jacobi, Rachel Wood, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Nicholas J. Conard. ?esting models for the beginnings of the Aurignacian and the advent of figurative art and music: The radiocarbon chronology of Gei?enkl?sterle. Journal of Human Evolution, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.03.003

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

creighton

6 Benefits Of Building A Home In A Factory | Honest Reviews Online

Factory made homes, whether they are called pre-fabs, mobile or manufactured homes are built using all of the same materials that their conventional counterparts are, but with many benefits you can never get from traditional home construction.

Manufactured homes, also called pre-fabricated homes, are constructed in a factory, using the same materials used by their conventional counterparts. In fact, all components are the same, from the framing right down to the front door. They often even use the same suppliers for those materials. The only real difference is the physical location for the construction process. So, what are the benefits to building a home in a factory?

1. Building a home in a factory can offer substantial savings, often up to 40% per square foot over the more conventional site-built home. This can decrease the average monthly mortgage payment considerably. In today?s economy, many buyers are considering other housing options and opting for smaller payments.

2. Mother Nature can be the biggest player in the stick-built construction process. Construction schedules can be ruined by problems such as rain, wind, snow, extreme heat and frigidly cold weather. The roofers can?t install shingles in the rain and their delay will probably end up preventing another crew from starting the next step in the process. But when a house is built in a factory, the line keeps moving, rain or shine. The skilled teams can work in comfort all year long, without delays of any kind.

3. Delayed material deliveries can create substantial delays that trickle down through all the trades, too. Factories, however, typically have massive material inventories on-hand. Houses are built all day, every day, with no down-time to wait for supplies. No icy roads. No windy conditions. No traffic jams. In fact, the concept of the assembly line and factory construction of a home has greatly reduced nearly every frustration to homebuilders.

4. Manufactured home manufacturers usually buy their building supplies in bulk, rather than for one or two houses at a time. That means that they?re also getting the best possible price for their materials. Those cost savings pass through to the home buyer, lowering the price and the resulting monthly payment.

5. Manufactured homes are meticulously planned, because modern home builders need to extract every last bit of efficiency out of their raw materials. The process in a factory is controlled and every last step is planned out. Things are dramatically different in the site-built world. A general contractor can?t possibly watch every cut made on every sheet of plywood to ensure that it is being used the most effectively. Measure twice ? cut once is an axiom designed to reduce waste, but the reality is that even seemingly small errors can cause extensive waste of materials and lost time, all of which eventually comes out of the homeowner?s pocket. In fact, waste is always a big problem for any site-built home. Most general contractors try every way imaginable to optimize their materials usage, but can never achieve the same level of efficiency as a factory-built home manufacturer.

6. Using the assembly line method, the home can move quickly and efficiently through each phase of the construction process, saving a great deal of time. That?s right. The house actually moves through the factory. There is no need to climb on roofs or carry around ladders ? work is performed at a comfortable height for the crew, which not only increases safety but also dramatically decreases construction time.

A climate-controlled factory for the construction process virtually eliminates all frustrations. The availability of a new and much-anticipated home in weeks rather than months is great news for any new homeowner. Better still is the knowledge of precisely when it will be ready and how much it will cost.

Resources:
Complete Mobile Home Supply, where we try to make mobile home living as comfortable and fun as can be. At Complete Mobile Home Supply you can get the latest in mobile home supplies. From vinyl skirting to complete kitchens, we have the things you need to make your house a home.

pentatonix

Black Holes Can't Hide from NuSTAR's X-Ray Eyes [Monster Machines]

Sure, space-based X-Ray telescopes have been in service since the Einstein Observatory launched back way back in 1978. But the NuSTAR Project is different: It promises to illuminate at the heavens above as never before. More »

mark kirk