FBI: US gun checks soar 39 percent to record

By Reuters

WASHINGTON - The number of FBI background checks required for Americans buying guns set a record in December, indicating that more people may have ?purchased one after the Connecticut school massacre stirred interest in self-defense and prompted renewed talk of limits on firearms, according to FBI data.

The FBI said it recorded 2.78 million background checks during the month, surpassing the mark set in November of 2.01 million checks - about a 39 percent rise.

The latest monthly figure was up 49 percent over December 2011, when the FBI performed a then-record 1.86 million checks.

Consumer demand for guns appears to have accounted for the uptick in activity. There were no changes in FBI background check procedures that would have affected the December numbers, FBI spokesman Stephen Fischer said.

December is typically the busiest month of the year for checks, however, due in part to Christmas gift sales.


The figures do not represent the number of firearms sold, a statistic the government does not track. They also do not reflect activity between private parties, such as family members or collectors, because federal law requires background checks only for sales from commercial vendors with a federal license.

Someone who passes a background check is eligible to buy multiple firearms.

FBI checks for all of 2012 totaled 19.6 million, an annual record and an increase of 19 percent over 2011.

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The FBI system - known as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) - "processed transactions following normal established protocols," Fischer said in an email.

The national debate on guns has grown more intense since Dec. 14, when Adam Lanza forced his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and killed 20 children and six adults before committing suicide in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

Lanza also killed his mother, the registered owner of the guns used in the killings, before going to the school.

Msnbc's T.J. Holmes talks with the Washington Post's Justin Jouvenal about his article on gun sales.

Shootings lead to sales
Interest in guns tends to increase after a mass shooting, as customers fear for personal safety or worry that lawmakers might ban certain firearms.

President Barack Obama has committed to pushing new legislation, possibly including a ban on some semi-automatic weapons, this year.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for firearms-makers, estimates the size of the industry at $4 billion a year. A spokesman for the association did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Newspaper that outed gun owners hires guards

Shares of gun maker Smith & Wesson Holding Corp were up 1.2 percent at $8.54 at Wednesday's close, while those of Sturm Ruger & Co Inc were up 1.1 percent at $45.88, during a broad rally in which the Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 2.5 percent.

Neither company responded to requests for comment.

"The last eight years (have) been very good to be a handgun company. The market has expanded significantly, and long guns having done pretty good, as well," said Smith & Wesson Chief Executive James Debney at a Dec. 12 conference for investors.

Related: Gun control advocates zero in on new tactic, banning high-capacity ammo clips

The pattern of gun sales rising after a mass shooting is disturbing, said Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center, a Washington group that favors gun control.

"While the majority of Americans look for solutions to stop the next attack, a minority of gun owners runs to hoard the very guns used in the most recent" incidents, Sugarmann said in an email.

Even as gun purchases rise, the share of U.S. households with a gun has been falling for decades, from 54 percent in 1977 to 32 percent in 2010, according to the University of Chicago's General Social Survey.

In the Colorado city where one of the worst mass shootings in American history took place, the massacre prompted many to seek firearms for self-defense. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/02/16307489-fbi-us-gun-checks-soar-39-percent-setting-record?lite

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Samsung will showcase its Smart TV Evolution Kit at CES 2013

Samsung will reveal its Smart TV Evolution Kit at CES 2013

The Smart TV Evolution Kit that Samsung's been teasing us with since last year's CES will finally be revealed at the same trade show a full year later. The hardware kit will plug into the back of compatible Samsung Smart TVs and "evolve" 2012 models to the latest 2013 versions by adding a smorgasbord of hardware and software enhancements including CPU, memory and GPU upgrades, plus enhanced voice / motion control features. We reckon this just might help elevate your Angry Birds experience to a whole new level. Given that CES 2013 is just around the bend, it shouldn't be long before we get you a proper peek -- stay tuned!

Continue reading Samsung will showcase its Smart TV Evolution Kit at CES 2013

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/02/samsung-evolution-kit-ces2013/

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Saving Pets ? Blog Archive ? Cats who matter & those who don't ...

For many years I have been trapping cats and giving them to (WA cat welfare organisation ? name removed). I have been paying for the surgeries and have done so for many cats and they have been returned to the place where they were living.

(WA cat welfare organisation) have now told me they will not sterilise cats unless they are going to rehome them, citing the West Australian Cat Act 2011 as a reason for this.

Cats that are positive for FeLV or FIV, or cats that are just too wild to be rehomed are now being euthanased instead of being returned, even though the cats have people that are feeding them in a commercial setting.

Do you know if there is anything we can do?

The new WA cat laws require cats to be microchipped to a single owner, registered to an address and wear a collar. Most councils will introduce a two cat limit.

All of these details preclude TNR for cats in WA. Sadly, I am unsurprised that this group is no longer investing in desexing cats, who will likely later be rounded up by council, for falling foul of the new laws.

There are a currently indeterminable number of stray cats living in close proximity to humans in WA. This population could be as low as 100,000 or as high as 2 million. These aren?t ?ferals? but a human dependent, self-sustaining population of cats. The best hope they had for avoiding being impounding by a local council officer and killed in a pound, was cat welfare charities desexing them and supporting those people caring for them (community cat carers, industrial sites and retail & restaurant locations).

Except now ? thanks to these new laws ? these cat welfare groups are not.

The cat groups who supported these laws have thrown unowned cats under the bus, to ensure they have future funding via council contracts and animal welfare grants. For their moment in the spotlight, they?ve condemned hundreds of thousands of cats to death.

Cats who have owners matter. Cats who generate income matter.
Cats who are neither able to be adopted out, nor can be used for a publicity opportunity with the Premier ? simply don?t matter.

See also: WA Cat Laws; the truth starts to seep through the spin

Source: http://www.savingpets.com.au/2013/01/cats-who-matter-those-who-dont-the-wa-cat-laws-fallout-begins/

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RHA MA450i Noise Isolating Earphones with Remote and Microphone review

Recently, when I reviewed RHA?s MA350 earphones, I concluded that they were a perfect second pair of earphones that were great for commuting. I considered their $40 price a bargain. However, one major (for some) drawback was a lack of a mic for making and receiving phone calls ? especially for any commuting. RHA has [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/12/31/rha-ma450i-noise-isolating-earphones-with-remote-and-microphone-review/

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Colts beat Texans in coach Pagano's return

NFLColts head coach Chuck Pagano points toward the crowd as he leaves the field after his team beat the Houston Texans in Indianapolis yesterday. It was Pagano?s first game back since announcing in September that he had been diagnosed with leukemia. (Reuters)

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TORONTO?-?

Last Monday, at the end of his first day back to work after a season-long battle with leukemia, Chuck Pagano walked out of his office and flipped a switch to extinguish the lights.

It was the first time those lights had been turned off since the Colts head coach announced his diagnosis to the team in September, handing over the coaching reins to offensive coordinator Bruce Arians while he under went treatment.

Arians had asked that the lights remain on in Pagano?s office until the head coach himself returned to the team.

?Only if you?re cut from the cloth that Bruce is cut from, the type of man he is, would you come up with something like that,? Pagano said on Sunday. ?When I walked out of that office on Monday evening and turned that light off for the first time in over three months, it was like victory.?

Sunday?s showdown between the Colts and the favoured Houston Texans, Pagano?s first game back on the sidelines, did not just feel like victory. It was victory, as the Colts made their loudest emotional statement in a season that has been filled with them.

Two weeks after being mauled 29-17 by Houston, a score that didn?t truly reflect how badly outplayed the Colts were, Andrew Luck & Co. handed the Texans their third loss in their past four games, a 28-16 decision.

Coming off a 2-14 campaign in 2011 that netted them Luck as the No. 1 draft choice, the Colts finished at 11-5 and demolished the 12-4 Texans? hopes of home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

All Houston needed was a win in this last game to lock up the No. 1 seed in the Super Bowl tournament. As it turned out, victories by both the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos knocked the Texans all the way down to the No. 3 seed, which means they don?t even get a bye in the first round.

The game had no effect on the Colts? playoff standing (they?ll go in as the No. 5 seed in the AFC) but it did give them some much-needed momentum. After two lacklustre games in a row, the Colts were by far the sharper outfit and will go into next week on a high they share with their inspirational coach.

?The minute you get the diagnosis, it?s like getting hit across the head with a baseball bat,? said Pagano. ?You feel helpless, you feel powerless because you can?t do a thing about it.?

It was even worse that Pagano had to sit back and watch games on TV.

?I had to watch a game with my wife for the first time in 24 years of marriage,? he said. ?I love her to death but I don?t want to watch any more games with her and I?m sure she doesn?t want to watch with me either.?

When Pagano started treatment, the Colts were 1-2 after three games. In the meantime, under Arians, the Colts won nine of their next 12

?I told them, ?What you guys have done, am I shocked? You know I?m not.? This is what we talked about from day one,? he said. ?They just went out and did it.?

So solid all season long, the Texans are a bit of a mess right now. The Colts burned them for two huge plays in the second half that sealed the win. After Houston had taken a 16-14 lead on a 37-yard field goal late in the third quarter, Deji Karim returned the ensuing kickoff 101 yards to put Indianapolis up 21-16.

Early in the fourth quarter, Luck applied the back-breaker when he completed a 70-yard TD pass to rookie T. Y. Hilton.

When Arian Foster ran in for a third-quarter TD from 14 yards out, it was Houston?s first TD in their previous eight quarters.

Last week Luck surpassed Cam Newton?s NFL rookie passing yards record and added 184 yards Sunday to extend his own record to 4,235 yards.

BIG DAY, LITTLE COMFORT

The Tennessee Titans put on a record-setting display Sunday afternoon in their season finale, but it didn?t do much to take the sting off another lousy season in Nashville.

Return man Darius Reynaud and rookie linebacker Zach Brown each scored a pair of touchdowns, Reynaud on two punt returns and Brown on two interception returns in a 38-20 victory over the pathetic Jacksonville Jaguars.

With Jacksonville leading 14-7 late in the second quarter, Brown picked off a Chad Henne pass and ran it back 79 yards to tie the game. A moment later Reynaud returned a punt 79 yards to give Tennessee its halftime lead.

Early in the third quarter, Reynaud ran back another punt, this one from 81 yards to build a 14-point lead. Less than a minute later, Brown grabbed his second pick-six, taking it back 30 yards. In all, Henne threw three picks on the day as the Jags lost for the 12th time in their last 13 games to drop to 2-14.

Source: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/12/30/colts-beat-texans-in-coach-paganos-return

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Beware excessive monitoring of employees who raise discrimination ...

Everyone knows it?s retaliation to demote or fire an employee after he complains about discrimination or cooperates in an investigation. But what about less drastic actions? They might be retaliation, too, under the right circumstances.

That can even include excessive monitoring after the employee has complained.

Recent case: John worked as a sanitation supervisor, helping manage garbage collection for the town of Hempstead. He observed several incidents that he believed contributed to a hostile work environment for his subordinates.

For example, several employees re??ported finding a noose in the garage. They told John, who in turn told his supervisor. Another time, John in??ves??ti??gated a black employee?s claim that white employees used a racial slur. The white employees were transferred.

After reporting these and other incidents up the chain of command, John claimed that he suddenly found himself under closer scrutiny. For example, his supervisors checked his trip logs more frequently to make sure he wasn?t putting unnecessary miles on the town?s vehicles.

He sued, alleging retaliation for reporting discrimination and for helping employees with their cases.

The court said excessive monitoring can be retaliation under the right circumstances.

However, in this case, it was not. First, the mileage monitoring wasn?t limited to John. Second, the court believed that the town?s stated reason?saving wear and tear on its vehicles?was legitimate and not something done to punish John for his protected activities. (Puglisi v. Town of Hempstead, No. 10-CV-1928, ED NY, 2012)

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How to Make a Bow Or Crossbow Guides

You will find books and video guides on how to make a bow or crossbow here, along with links to websites the will walk you through the process of making bows .

If you enjoy archery for sport or recreation, and you want to know how to build your own bow, then these guides should be very helpful to you.

You have a nice selection of guides to choose from here, that will show you how to make your own bow or crossbow.

Image: Amazon (book sold here).

Source: http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-make-a-bow-or-crossbow-guides

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New MOHAI opens at South Lake Union location

by SUSAN WYATT / KING 5 News

Bio

KING5.com

Posted on December 29, 2012 at 1:06 PM

Updated yesterday at 3:59 PM

The Museum of History is holding a grand opening celebration at its new location in the beautifully restored Naval Reserve Armory at Lake Union Park in downtown Seattle.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn invited a group of children to help cut the ribbon as the new MOHAI was declared officially open.

It took more than a decade and $90 million to move the museum from its site along SR 520 near the University of Washington to its new home.

"Moveing to South Lake Union is truly a transformational experience for MOHAI," said Leonard Garfield, MOHAI's Executive Director. "We are simply thrilled to welcome the community into our new space."

Among the pieces on display are the iconic red neon Rainier Beer "R," the 1919 Boeing B-1 floatplane that carried mail between Seattle and Victoria, and the big pink "Toe Truck."

More information on grand opening events

?

Source: http://www.king5.com/news/cities/seattle/New-MOHAI-opens-at-South-Lake-Union-location-185165941.html

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'Banquet ban' for China military

Elaborate state-funded banquets have been banned for China's top military officials, state media has reported.

The move comes after a diktat from central government earlier this month that aimed to curb extravagance and tackle corruption.

Xinhua news agency says receptions for high-ranking officers will no longer feature luxury banquets or alcohol.

The diktat, passed on 4 December, has also now sparked similar rules for civilian officials in Beijing.

The Communist Party's Central Committee, which includes civilian and military personnel, dictated eight ways that officials needed to change their working practices.

In line with the diktat, the military has now ruled out welcome banners, red carpets, floral arrangements, and souvenirs.

Officials will also no longer be allowed to stay in luxury hotels during inspection tours and vehicles will not be allowed to make excessive use of sirens.

"Military Commission officials are also required to discipline their spouses, children and subordinates and make sure they do not take bribes," the Xinhua report said.

In a separate report, Xinhua said the Beijing Municipality had become the first local authority to introduce the rules for its civilian staff.

Beijing officials on business will now have simple buffets, rather than banquets.

China's new leader Xi Jinping has repeatedly warned of unrest if corruption and perceived privilege within the Communist Party are not tackled.

The country's political leadership has been rocked by a scandal involving Bo Xilai, the former Chongqing party leader once seen as a candidate for top office.

His wife has been jailed for murdering a British businessman and he awaits trial on charges of corruption and abuse of power.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-20822813#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Source: http://mikeurc.blogspot.com/2012/12/ban-for-china-military_558.html

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