McIlroy, Donald share lead at 11 under in Dubai

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a ball on the 2nd hole during the round one of DP World Golf Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday Nov. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a ball on the 2nd hole during the round one of DP World Golf Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday Nov. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Luke Donald of England eyes his tee shot on the 2nd hole during the round one of DP World Golf Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Padraig Harrington of Ireland plays a ball on the 2nd hole during round one of DP World Golf Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday Nov. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Francois Steenkamp)

Germany's Martin Kaymer plays a bunker shot on the 8th hole during round one of DP World Golf Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday Nov. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Francois Steenkamp)

(AP) ? Rory McIlroy moved to the top of the leaderboard with a 5-under 67 Friday in the second round of the Dubai World Championship.

The top-ranked golfer, who missed several makeable putts on the front nine and then saw an eagle putt roll past the hole on 14, tied Luke Donald (68) and Marc Warren (67) at 11-under 133.

"I continued driving the ball well today and gave myself plenty of opportunities," said McIlroy, who has already won the European and PGA tour money titles. "Missed a couple of short ones on the front nine for birdies. But apart from that, it was a very solid round of golf and obviously in good position going into the weekend."

Sergio Garcia, playing for the first time since having laser eye surgery, matched the course record with an 8-under 64.

Garcia started with four birdies on his first five holes and then had a string of birdies at the turn before holing a long putt for eagle on 14. But he shot into the water on 16 for a triple-bogey before recovering to finish with a birdie and eagle.

"Coming back from a long break, so trying to get some good vibrations going and I managed to finish better than that," said Garcia, who is tied for 18th.

Donald joined McIlroy and Warren at 11 under with a short birdie putt on the 18th. Warren had a chance take the outright lead, but his 12-foot putt on the 18th came up short.

"Obviously, haven't dropped a shot in 36 holes, so feel good about that," said Donald, who finished with four birdies in a bogey-free round. "I had some opportunities, 10-foot, 15-footers on a few holes that I just misread. But that was a solid round of golf."

Donald said he wasn't getting his approach shots as close to the pin as the first day, but made up for it with the putter, including a difficult birdie on No. 9 and nice par save on 12.

"When I have myself a little bit of trouble out on the course, I was able to recover with the putter," Donald said.

The 189th-ranked Warren, who has not won a tournament since 2007, matched the second-ranked Donald's opening birdie and had five more, including a 12-footer on the 16th to move him into a tie with McIlroy.

"It was nice to be the Scot in the pack with the Englishman and the Northern Irishman," Warren said. "It's great to be in contention with guys like that. Looking down the leaderboard, it's a high-quality leaderboard and doesn't get any better anywhere in the world really."

It was also a good day for the South Africans as 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen (67) is only one stroke behind. He was joined at 134 by four-time tour winner Branden Grace (67).

Charl Schwartzel (67) and Richie Ramsay (68) were two shots off the pace, followed by another 10 players three strokes behind.

Several big names faltered, including fourth-ranked Lee Westwood (74). Two shots off the lead after the first round, Westwood bogeyed the 12th and 16th and then double-bogeyed the par-3 17th to fall eight shots off the lead.

Padraig Harrington, also two shots back after the first round, is five behind after a 71.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-11-23-GLF-Dubai-World-Championship/id-8e68bdabe5e44469b6a44ec8d31912b1

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Pope appoints six cardinals who will elect his successor

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict made six non-European prelates Roman Catholic cardinals on Saturday, chipping away at the old continent's domination of the elite group that will one day elect his successor.

The new cardinals, ranging in age from 53 to 72, are from the United States, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Lebanon and Colombia, and the decision to choose no Italians or Europeans looked like an attempt to counter criticism that he has in the past neglected the needs of the developing world.

Elevating the new "princes" in a solemn ceremony known as a consistory in St Peter's Basilica, Benedict said his appointments reflected "that the Church is the Church of all peoples".

"She speaks in the various cultures of the different continents ... amid the polyphony of the various voices, she raises a single harmonious song to the living God," he said in his sermon.

The new cardinals are American Archbishop James Michael Harvey, Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, a major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara rite in India, Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez of Bogota, Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai, patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church in Lebanon, and Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja.

All six are "cardinal electors," those under 80 years old and therefore eligible to enter a conclave that will one day choose Benedict's successor.

Benedict gave the new cardinals their ring and traditional red "biretta," or hat. He reminded them that they wear red vestments because they must be ready to defend the faith "even to the shedding of your blood".

The pope is a conservative on matters of faith and sexual morals such as birth control, homosexuality and the ban on women priests. Each time he names cardinals he chooses men who share his views and can shape the Church's future.

Cardinals are the pope's closest aides in the Vatican, where they run its key departments, and around the world, where they head dioceses to administer the 1.2 billion members of the Roman Catholic Church.

NO ITALIANS, EUROPEANS

Benedict was criticized in some Church circles last February when, in choosing his previous batch of cardinals, he elevated many from the Vatican's central bureaucracy. He was accused of neglecting the needs of the developing world.

But significantly, this time, there were no Europeans or Italians, groups who loomed large in past consistories.

With 62 cardinals electors, Europeans still have a slight majority in the 120-member group, but their numbers have shrunk to be about even with the rest of the world.

There are now 58 non-European electors and of them, 14 are from North America, 21 are from Latin America, Africa and Asia have 11 each and Australia has one.

Two of the new cardinals, Boutros Rai, 72, of Lebanon, and Onaiyekan, 68, of Nigeria, are from countries with significant Muslim populations.

The pope's decision to raise the two to the highest rank in the Church short of the papacy indicates his concern for relations between Christianity and Islam.

The pope visited predominantly Muslim Lebanon last September and called on members of both faiths to work together to build peace in the Middle East and beyond.

In Nigeria, which is about 50 percent Muslim, the Islamist sect Boko Haram has killed hundreds of people in attacks since launching an uprising in 2009. Many of the attacks have been on Christians and churches.

Thottunkal, 53, the Indian, is on the front line of inter-religious dialogue with Hinduism.

The other two, Gomez, 70, of Bogota, Colombia, and Tagle, 55, of Manila, come from predominantly Catholic countries.

Benedict has now named 67, or more than half, of the cardinals who will elect his successor from among their own ranks. The other 53 were named by Pope John Paul.

The pope's health appears to be good but he has been looking frail recently and has started using a cane.

Popes usually reign for life but in a book in 2010, Benedict said he would not hesitate to become the first pontiff to resign in more than 700 years if he felt no longer able "physically, psychologically and spiritually" to run the Catholic Church.

Harvey, the 63-year-old American, was the prefect of the Pontifical Household. He arranged the pope's schedule, including private and public audiences, and looked after world leaders visiting the Vatican.

He is now becoming the archpriest of the Basilica of St Paul's Outside the Walls in Rome.

In his previous post, Harvey was in charge of the pope's former butler Paolo Gabriele, who was convicted last month of stealing papal documents and leaking them to the media.

When the names of the new cardinals were announced last month, a spokesman denied that the promotion of Harvey was a means of removing him because of the scandal.

(Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-appoints-six-cardinals-elect-successor-121100669.html

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Transforming 'noise' into mechanical energy at nanometric level

ScienceDaily (Nov. 22, 2012) ? A team of researchers at the Freie Universit?t Berlin, co-ordinated by Jos? Ignacio Pascual*, have developed a method that enables efficiently using the random movement of a molecule in order to make a macroscopic-scale lever oscillate.

The research was published in Science.

In nature, processes such as the movement of fluids, the intensity of electromagnetic signals, chemical compositions, etc., are subject to random fluctuations which normally are called 'noise'. This noise is a source of energy and its utilisation for undertaking a task is a paradigm that nature has shown to be possible in certain cases.

The research led by Jos? Ignacio Pascual and published in Science, focused on a molecule of hydrogen (H2). The researchers placed the molecule within a very small space between a flat surface and the sharp point of an ultra-sensitive atomic force microscope. This microscope used the periodic movement of the point located at the end of a highly sensitive mechanical oscillator in order to 'feel' the forces that exist at a nanoscale level. The molecule of hydrogen moves randomly and chaotically and, when the point of the microscope approaches it, the point hits the molecule, making the oscillator or lever move. But this lever, at the same time, modulates the movement of the molecule, resulting in an orchestrated 'dance' between the point and the 'noisy' molecule. "The result is that the smallest molecule that exists, a molecule of hydrogen, 'pushes' the lever, that has a mass 1019 greater; ten trillion time greater!," explained Jos? Ignacio Pascual.

The underlying principle is a mathematical theory known as Stocastic Resonance which describes how random movements of energy are channelled into periodic movements and, thus, can be harnessed. With this research, it has been shown that this principle is fulfilled at a nanometric scale.

"In our experiment, the 'noise' of the molecule is made by injecting electric current, and not temperature, through the molecule and, thus, functions like an engine converting electric energy into mechanical," stated Jos? Ignacio Pascual. Thus, one of the most promising aspects of this result is that it can be applied to the design of artificial molecules, which are complex molecules designed to be able to oscillate or rotate in only one direction. The authors do not discard, moreover, that this molecular fluctuation can be produced by other sources, such as light, or be carried out with a greater number of molecules, even with different chemical compositions.

*current leader of the Nanoimagen team at CIC nanoGUNE

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Basque Research.

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Journal Reference:

  1. C. Lotze, M. Corso, K. J. Franke, F. von Oppen, J. I. Pascual. Driving a Macroscopic Oscillator with the Stochastic Motion of a Hydrogen Molecule. Science, 2012; 338 (6108): 779 DOI: 10.1126/science.1227621

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.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/physics/~3/djPy1GihU7M/121122095313.htm

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Catalonia faces key test over bid to split from Spain - World News

Emilio Morenatti / AP

Supporters of center-right Catalan Nationalist Coalition leader Artur Mas wave pro-independence "estelada" flags during a campaign meeting in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday.

By The Associated Press

GIRONA, Spain --?As in towns across this wealthy northeastern region, the maze-like cobblestone streets of Girona's medieval quarter are fluttering with flags in favor of Catalonia's independence.

But while the separatist dream of millions has never felt so close to becoming a reality, independence fervor is now coming up against the cold, hard facts of what breaking free could mean.

For this Spanish region famed for its trading prowess might be shut out of the European Union for years, a huge hurdle to doing business with its most important trading partners.

EU officials say an independent Catalonia would face the same membership conditions of any other candidate nation.?

Catalonia holds elections on Sunday that will be seen as a test of the regional government's plans to hold a referendum on independence, and one of the key issues emerging is the theoretical place of a free Catalonia in Europe.?

A survey published by El Pais newspaper this month showed that while nearly half of Catalans support independence, the number drops to 37 percent if it means being out of the EU.?

PhotoBlog: Catalans eye independence from Spain ahead of elections

Tough membership conditions aren't the only thing possibly standing in the way. The European Union's treaty states that each of the 27 member states can veto a candidate nation's accession, so a vengeful Spain could block Catalonia's entry.?

"Now we want to be a state inside Europe," said Josep Matamala, who helped create a banner combining a pro-EU slogan with the red-and-yellow stripes, blue triangle and white star of the "estelada" flag that symbolizes Catalonia's independence drive.?

'We trust Europe'
Catalonia's regional president Artur Mas, who is leading the independence charge, has voiced optimism ? perhaps wishful thinking ? that an independent Catalonia would be swiftly embraced into the EU fold.

In a recent speech in Brussels, he declared: "Catalonia has never in its history let Europe down, now we trust Europe will not let us down."?

Some pro-independence voters simply can't fathom being cast out of the EU. "I imagine that if faced with a majority of Catalans who vote yes for independence in a referendum, (the EU) wouldn't be able to turn its back on us," said 35-year-old Girona music teacher Merce Escarra.?

In 2010, Escarra was featured in the local press when she was asked by the owner of the building where she lives to remove the "estelada" flag from her balcony. "I said I had a legitimate right to protest and left it up, and it has been there ever since," she said.?

Two years later it is difficult to find a building in Girona that isn't bedecked with the red-and-yellow Catalan flag or the pro-independence "estelada."?

"Now there has been a boom in the pro-independence movement," Escarra said.

Money, neglect and language
Her reasons for wanting independence are representative of millions of Catalans: The region pays more than it receives back in taxes; its infrastructure has been neglected by the central government; and independence would ensure the survival of the Catalan language.?

While most of Catalonia's business community is taking a wait-and-see attitude, Jose Manuel Lara, the president of media giant Planeta, said he would move his company from Barcelona to Spain if Catalonia went independent, in order to remain based in the EU.?

Ramon Tremosa, a European parliament member from Mas' pro-independence party, said that Catalonia's fate would hinge on pressure being applied on Spain by other European powers and the multinational companies established in Catalonia, which would be anxious for a quick return to business as usual.?

"I can't imagine the 4,000 multinationals (in Catalonia) allowing themselves to be expelled from the EU, from the euro and the free movement of goods and capital, it's not realistic," Tremosa told The Associated Press. "Spain would not be able to stop it because it is heading toward a bailout."?

European law experts were uncertain about how quickly an independent Catalonia could join the EU.

Nicolas Zambrana, professor of international law at the University of Navarra, was pessimistic. "Spain would be in a good position to prevent Catalonia from returning to the EU," he said.?

And the idea of a fledgling Catalan state left out in the European cold is giving some independence supporters second thoughts.?

"It worries me," said Monica Casares, a 41-year-old mother of two who lives just north of Barcelona. "Taking into account that we would face a Spanish boycott on Catalan products for sure, and that we would also have to pay more on exports, we would have a big problem."?

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

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/22/15358748-catalonia-faces-key-test-over-bid-to-split-from-spain

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Home for the Holidays? Not for Walmart Workers | The United Food ...

Yesterday, in an Op-Ed for the Huffington Post, UFCW President Joe Hansen wrote about the struggles that Walmart Associates have long endured: low wages, poor working conditions, and inconsistent schedules.? But the biggest issue these workers are facing right now is retaliation for their bravery to stand up and speak out.? Read Joe?s piece, and see why he is calling for support of the OUR Walmart members who are going on strike this week, to take back the holidays, to get respect on the job, and unite together to stop retaliation from Walmart:

Home for the Holidays? Not for Walmart Workers

Wanted: Store Associates who will work for low pay, poor working conditions, erratic schedules ? including working on Thanksgiving Day ? and not enough hours to qualify for health care. Associates must be willing to live on public subsidies at taxpayer expense in order to survive. Those who try to speak out or unite as a group to address workplace issues will be silenced and possibly terminated. Please apply within your local Walmart store.

As the six members of the billionaire Walton Family ? heirs to the Walmart superchain ? prepare to sit down to a sumptuous Thanksgiving dinner with their families, the holiday will be very different for the 1.4 million Walmart associates who work for them. For the second year, Walmart is planning to put profits before its workers by beginning its Black Friday sales at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, and forcing its workers ? many of whom are part-time ? to abandon quality time with their own families during a cherished American holiday.

This latest move by the biggest retail employer in our country is the most recent blow to Walmart associates, who are already struggling to survive on an average hourly wage of $8.81, and are punished or fired for sticking together to address the erratic work schedules that do not provide enough hours to support a family or qualify for benefits. The retail sector is the largest industry by employment in the United States, and Walmart?s sheer scale in size means that its practices have an enormous impact on our country?s labor, business, and employment climate. The retail giant?s drive to put profits ahead of its workers has influenced other retailers to do the same, and this low-wage business strategy has, in turn, led to depressed wages across the retail and manufacturing sectors and forced more and more workers to rely on public subsidies at tax payer expense.

It doesn?t have to be this way. A recent study by Catherine Ruetschlin, a policy analyst at Demos, titled ?Retails Hidden Potential: How Raising Wages Would Benefit Workers, the Industry and the Overall Economy,? shows that raising wages to $25,000 per year for full-time retail workers at the nation?s largest retail companies (or those employing at least 1,000 workers) would result in improving the lives of more than 1.5 million retail workers and their families who are currently living in or hovering above poverty. A higher wage increase would create more purchasing power for retail workers, which would generate $4 to $5 billion in additional annual sales for the industry, keep prices low for shoppers, and create more than 100,000 jobs.

Walmart ? which paid its top six executives $59 million in compensation in the last fiscal year ? can afford to pay its workers more. But instead of investing in their workers, the Walton family ? whose combined family fortune is estimated to be over $100 billion ? has chosen to engage in elaborate stock buybacks that take earned corporate profits and put them back into the hands of shareholders. For Walmart, stock buybacks have been the reason the Walton family?s interest in the company has risen to 51 percent ? shifting the control of a so-called public company into the hands of a private family.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is more than familiar with Walmart?s tactics of silencing workers who want to unite as a group to address work-related problems. But as so often happens in our resilient American workforce, employees are taking the lead in changing the Walmart culture themselves.

Last fall, the new employee association, the Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart), was formed by and for hourly associates in Walmart stores to help change the way Walmart does business. In just one year, OUR Walmart has grown from a group of 100 Walmart associates to an army of thousands in hundreds of stores across 43 states. Last month, members of OUR Walmart participated in first-ever strikes and protests in cities across the country ? including Chicago, Dallas, the Washington, D.C. area, Miami, Orlando, Seattle, and from Southern California to Sacramento and the Bay area.

It?s time to restore some balance between the wealthy few and the rest of America, and we can start by making sure that our country?s biggest retail employer lets its workers have a voice and a seat at the table. On Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, these brave men and women will take a stand against the retail giant to protest Walmart?s attempt to silence workers who speak out for change. Will you join us?

Source: http://www.ufcw.org/2012/11/21/home-for-the-holidays-not-for-walmart-workers/

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'Glee' Season 4: Klaine Will Reunite In Christmas Episode, 'Glee, Actually'

"Glee" fans have learned that the beloved (but currently broken up) couple Kurt and Blaine, better known as Klaine, will reunite this Christmas in Season 4's holiday installment.

The episode, which will air on Thurs., Dec. 13 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox, is inspired by "Love Actually," so it's aptly titled "Glee, Actually."

After a tease from "Glee" co-creator Ryan Murphy via Twitter and Instagram shots from Adam Shankman, who's directing the Christmas episode, we now know that Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Blaine (Darren Criss) will skate together and sing "White Christmas" when Blaine comes to New York in "Glee, Actually." (See a fan's behind-the-scenes video of Klaine shooting the episode here.)

?We were skating to '(I?m Dreaming of a) White Christmas' -- because I don?t know about you, but I definitely skate with my exes and sing Christmas carols all the time!? Colfer joked to TVLine.

So why has Blaine come to visit Kurt in New York? "It?s kind of a secret," Colfer told TVLine.

Kurt and Blaine split during "The Break Up" episode this season after Blaine cheated on Kurt. Both have been depressed since. They had an awkward run-in in last week's "Glease," but maybe things will turn around for Klaine.

Last Christmas, in Season 3, Klaine celebrated together with a scene that was originally cut from the episode -- called "The Box Scene" by fans -- in which Blaine gives Kurt his Christmas gift. The couple also sang "Baby It's Cold Outside."

According to BuddyTV, here's "Glee, Actually's" episode description:

In a tribute to the film "Love Actually," seemingly separate storylines come together as one holiday-themed episode, in which Sam and Brittany live their lives to the fullest before the much-heralded Mayan Apocalypse occurs. Meanwhile, Jake (Jacob Artist) and Puck (Mark Salling) spend quality sibling time together for Hanukah, Artie (Kevin McHale) has a holiday dream that changes his outlook on life and Kurt (Chris Colfer) has a Christmas he?ll never forget.

See photos of Chris Colfer, Darren Criss and more of the "Glee" cast on set filming "Glee, Actually" in the first slideshow below and then check out stills from the episode and the rest of "Glee" Season 4 in the slideshow below that.

"Glee" airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/21/glee-klaine-christmas-glee-actually_n_2174034.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/21/glee-klaine-christmas-glee-actually_n_2174034.html

Earlier on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/21/glee-klaine-christmas-glee-actually_n_2174034.html

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Which Properties Are Best Suited for Section 8?

section 8 rental home

Most real estate investors that have properties for long term cash flow have at one time or another considered putting a section 8 tenant into one of their properties. Some investors swear by Section 8 while others have little, if any, experience with Section 8.? While most of my properties have been easy enough to rent with retail renters, I do have a certain percentage of properties that have been leased with Section 8 tenants.

The name of the program is derived from section 8 of the Housing Act of 1937. This section of the law provides rental assistance to individuals by paying private landlords a subsidized portion of the rent. Interestingly, over 3 million individuals nationwide receive section 8 rental assistance.

As you can imagine, every real estate investor has their own take on the use of section 8 housing as part of a leasing strategy. I?ve talked to numerous investors over the years who love it and some who don?t want anything to do with it. ?While the Department of Housing and Urban Development manages the program, it?s typically administered at the municipal level. As such, I?ve found that some Section 8 offices operate better than others.

I personally haven?t had any unusually bad experiences with section 8 tenants. Having worked with a number of different Section 8 offices, I can say that some offices are definitely easier to work with than others. But, by and large, my experiences with the Section 8 program in general have been good.

With that said, out of the 300+ houses that I?ve leased over the years, only a small percentage have been section 8. In my market, I?ve found that most of my properties are easy enough to lease to retail renters and aren?t worth the inspections and red tape associated with Section 8. However, there are certain properties that lend themselves perfectly to the program and of which we are more than happy to place Section 8 tenants.

  • Less expensive properties: We?ve found that more expensive properties don?t typically work for Section 8 as most of the vouchers are for amounts on the lower end of a particular market. Not a week goes by where we don?t have a potential tenant with a Section 8 voucher asking us to lower the rent on a particular property to accommodate their voucher amount. Almost all of the properties that we rent through Section 8 are on the lower end of the pricing spectrum.
    ?
    In addition to this, we?ve found that on the whole, retail tenants in lower priced properties tend to be slightly less stable than higher priced properties. As such, it?s helpful to have the stability of a regular monthly check from Section 8 on these particular properties.
  • ?

  • Municipalities that are easy to work with: With some experience, we?ve learned that certain municipalities in our market are easy to work with while some can be very difficult. Whether it be difficult inspectors or difficultly getting a new property into their system, we?ve decided to avoid the section 8 offices in a few specific municipalities and work with the ones that make sense.
  • ?

  • Competitive Rental Market:? There are certain instances where a particular submarket is slightly saturated with rentals and a longer vacancy is of concern. In these instances, we would rather get a section 8 tenant in place than deal with a longer lease up period. Even if we end up taking a slightly lesser amount in rent to accommodate a Section 8 tenant, the amount that is saved by avoiding vacancy time is usually worth a slight reduction in rent.

Talk to any seasoned real estate investor about the Section 8 program and you?ll probably get an interesting story (good or bad) about their experience. As I said, I wouldn?t use the program on most of my properties, but I definitely see the benefit of having it as an option. Every investment property has its own set of variables that may or may not lend themselves to working with this government subsidized program. Having the ability to use it to your advantage and knowing which properties make the most sense is a great tool in your real estate investing toolbox!


Author: Ken Corsini

Ken's Website: http://gainvesting.com

Ken has written 76 articles for us.


Source: http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2012/11/21/which-properties-best-section-8/

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Software Radio Technology: Westhouse keeps 'add' stance after ...

?

Shares in Software Radio Tech (), which develops maritime tracking devices, dropped 8% this morning, as it unveiled interim results.

Results for the half year to September 30 were in line with last month?s trading update, noted broker Westhouse.

The company, which has more than 70 global customers, posted net income of ?0.15 million, compared to ?1.2 million in the previous half.

Revenue was ?3.5m (H1 2012: ?4.7m).

Chairman Simon Rogers told investors that the company's next generation product development programme was nearing completion and there were a wide number of opportunities, now active or pending.

Westhouse analyst Kevin Fogarty noted that the outlook remained in line with previous guidance, with management reiterating potential for order wins and the near term expected delivery of products to significant new markets, as flagged in recent months, for example Russia and Mexico.

"Demand for devices from the EU Inland Waterways and the EU fishing mandates are still expected to positively impact the second half of this financial year and full year 2014," he said.

In the medium term, the firm is attractive due to an expanding addressable market and a compliance driven environment.

"However, in the short-term forecasts for this financial year are highly dependent on meaningful orders from key European mandates and potential for order slippage makes an earnings upgrade less likely in the short-term.

"Given these risks and completing the transfer of research coverage for the stock we revise our target price to 25p, based on a peer valuation, and maintain our Add recommendation," he added.

Shares fell 8.67 per cent, to change hands at 19.75p.

?

Source: http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/50546/software-radio-technology-westhouse-keeps-add-stance-after-interims-50546.html

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A Look at What to Eat at The Park's Finest BBQ -- Grub Street Los ...

Mt. Malindang pork ribs and riblets at Park's FinestPhoto: Javier Cabral

Family, friends, neighborhood, city, and smoked meats. These affections circulate at the heart of Johneric Concordia and The Park's Finest BBQ, an around-the-way band of friends and blood-relatives born and raised in southeast Echo Park's Historic Filipinotown. A Belmont High grad, Concordia's youth revolved around Temple Street, and he's quick to explain how barbecue saved his life from L.A.'s grimy nineties, staying off the avenues by playing a crucial role as grill-master for his community's backyard boogies. Pairing Filipino flavors with traditional U.S. barbecue, Concordia eventually extended his passion into a full-on catering crew, turning Weber-man-for-hire to bring Mt. Malindang pork ribs, tri-tip with horseradish crema, San Pablo pulled pork with Sawsawan and pineapple-tinged barbecue sauce, and flour-based cornbread bibingka to citywide parties, gaining major word-of-mouth rep and dominating the number one spot on Yelp.

Late last year, Concordia achieved his dreams of establishing a place where he and his crew could "feed people, feed dates, feed friends, and feed people coming off of the job who just want a place to kick back and eat," when he cobbled together Kickstarter funds to launch The Park's Finest BBQ on Temple. A functional room with bright walls, the doors are open to L.A. to share his savior. "We're from the neighborhood, what else are we going to do?" the owner asks. Kick back, drink some beer, get loud, and gorge on smoked meats.

Which is what we did during a recent preview dinner hosted for media and local restaurateurs, where nearly fifteen plates of Flintstone's-sized cuts of smoked meat hit the table. Concordia narrated the business' step-by-step growth, revealing how Kogi co-founder Mark Manguera instituted "restaurant boot-camp" to turn the team leaner and meaner; how The Oinkster and Maximiliano's owner Andre Guerrero gifted them with plates, glasses, and sage advice, and how Beer Belly's Jimmy Han helped set up the craft beer taps. Concordia himself has gone from a grill-master to a true barbecuer, proudly embracing two hardworking smokers full of hulking cuts in his kitchen.

Most of the smoked meats kill it with their slow-cooked pliancy, smoldering notes, and weave of Filipino flavors. Smoked chuck roll, cut into cubes and stewed in coconut milk, sweats a luscious, tropical sweetness counterbalanced by a kick of chilies; a slow-smoked Jurassic short rib slams onto the table, scored with slits on its tender side to increase the surface area for digging into a secret rub of spices set off by a biting horseradish crema; sliced turkey bares a Swedish massage of cayenne and lemon pepper, juicy and lush after lying breast-down in 190 degree heat for ten hours; and slick slabs of candy-coated ham glazed every half-hour over twelve hours melts sweetly on the tongue. Cornbread, collards, and a Parm-blanketed take on elote stand up just as well as sides.

Of course, there's a reason why we prefer Paul Westerberg's whelps to Adam Levine's moves and Dirty Beaches to One Direction. It's that surfeit of heart and rough edges, proudly embraced and thrown back with bravado. Concordia goes for it full-throttle, while admitting some of his techniques are still a work-in-progress.

To that end, precise pulled pork comes shredded-to-near-gossamer, but is all but tasteless before a strong squeeze of Sawsawan reveals it as the ideal sponge for this marriage of sour vinegar, heat, and pronounced pepper found in a North Carolina barbecue sauce, with sharp spikes of soy and garlic from abroad. Pork ribs, unquestionably flavorful, can be a little chewy, perhaps a blessing in disguise yielding more sustained enjoyment. A banana leaf-wrapped, Himalayan-salted salmon is smoked several hours past any desirable structure or flavor.

Rough edges aside, Park's Finest remains a must-try to experience what L.A. pride taste like when it hits the plate. A blending of cultures and flashing of community pride that's unique in Los Angeles, with owners giving the city back twice the love it receives. Take a look at what's cooking in our slideshow of Park's Finest BBQ.

Source: http://losangeles.grubstreet.com/2012/11/what-to-eat-parks-finest-bbq-echo-park.html

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