NATO: European missile shield 'provisionally operational'

If there is any issue that threatens to derail relations with Russia, it's the issue of missile defense.?

At its weekend?summit in Chicago, NATO?announced that the first phase of its controversial European missile defense shield has become "provisionally operational," news that will not be received well in Moscow.

Skip to next paragraph Fred Weir

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Fred Weir has been the Monitor's Moscow correspondent, covering Russia and the former Soviet Union, since 1998.?

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If there is any issue that threatens to derail the fragile East-West d?tente that's held since President Obama set out to reverse the mini-cold war that prevailed under George W. Bush, it's the increasingly acrimonious dispute over missile defense.

Earlier this month Russia's top general, Nikolai Makarov, went so far as to suggest that his forces might launch a preemptive strike against NATO missile defense emplacements in Central Europe?if they were perceived to threaten Russia's strategic nuclear deterrent.

But NATO, which has made the issue a litmus test of alliance unity, has remained unmoved by Russian bombast on the subject and is clearly moving forward with the project, which is planned to reach full operational capability by 2020.

"This is the first step towards our long-term goal of providing full coverage and protection for all NATO European populations, territory, and forces. Our system will link together missile defense assets from different Allies ? satellites, ships, radars, and interceptors ? under NATO command and control," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the summit on Sunday. "It will allow us to defend against threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic area," he added.

Buried deep inside NATO's Chicago Summit Declaration is the strongest political statement yet offered by the alliance in hopes of mollifying Russian worries: "NATO missile defense is not directed against Russia and will not undermine Russia?s strategic deterrence capabilities," it says. "While regretting recurrent Russian statements on possible measures directed against NATO?s missile defense system, we welcome Russia's willingness to continue dialogue with the purpose of finding an agreement on the future framework for missile defense cooperation."

While that statement may be perceived in Moscow as progress, it falls far short of the legally binding written pledge that the Kremlin has demanded.

"We've heard this before," says Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in Global Affairs, a leading Moscow-based foreign-policy journal. "The thing is, when the?Americans say their missile defense plans are not directed against Russia, they're telling the truth. It's against everybody. Since Ronald Reagan first floated the idea, missile defense has been seen as a way to protect the US against any and every possible missile threat. But Russia is the main country whose national security is based on strategic nuclear deterrence, in a balance with US forces. It cannot help but concern us directly."?

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Hell Yeah. Motherhood. | Playground Confidential

The car sat in the driveway,

But the key to start the car was all the way downtown,

Nestled deep within my husband?s pocket.

So we walked.

The baby and the girl in the double stroller.

The bigger boy walked alongside.

We went to the further-away supermarket to buy nicer birthday cupcakes,

For the man who?d taken the car key hostage.

I waited in the checkout line and the kids ran around madly in circles

Burning every drop of energy.

Halfway home,

Baby screaming and big boy dwindling,

Dawdling and foot dragging and intermittently flopping onto patches of grass, dirt, scrub, whatever.

All right.

I picked the baby up and put the two big kids in the stroller

And pushed my entire family plus groceries home

With one hand.

Hell yeah.

Motherhood.

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Dragon splashdown marks end of landmark flight

ScienceDaily (May 31, 2012) ? SpaceX completed a landmark mission May 31 that saw its Dragon capsule deliver half-a-ton of supplies and equipment to the International Space Station and return safely to Earth.

The flight made history as the first privately built spacecraft to rendezvous with the International Space Station. Its true impact is expected to be seen in coming months as the company sends regular re-supply missions to the orbiting outpost and continues work to launch astronauts into orbit in a few years.

"We are hoping to continue working with NASA and hopefully flying crew within three years," said Elon Musk, the founder, CEO and chief designer for the Hawthorne, Calif.-based Space Exploration Technologies, better known as SpaceX. "This was a crucial step and makes the chances of becoming a multi planet species more likely."

NASA engineers worked closely with SpaceX throughout preparations for the uncrewed demonstration mission.

"As a country, we should be very proud," said Mike Suffredini, NASA International Space Station program manager. We took a capability that this agency has nurtured over many years, combined that with a different thought process in spacecraft design and created a team that worked very well. The SpaceX team learned a lot and so did our NASA engineers."

The SpaceX mission combined the goals of two separate flights under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program, known as COTS. Originally slated to fly by the station and then come back to Earth, SpaceX and the NASA agreed to let the Dragon connect to the laboratory as long as a string of performance tests were successful.

SpaceX launched the Dragon capsule on top of the company's Falcon 9 rocket at 3:44 a.m. EDT on May 22 to begin the chase of the space station. Working with an instantaneous launch window, the SpaceX launch team executed a flawless countdown that culminated with the Falcon lifting off from Space launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The Dragon began accomplishing a long list of operational "firsts" soon after reaching space, including the first use of the trunk, a small module attached to the bottom of the capsule. The trunk holds a pair of solar arrays that generate electricity for the Dragon capsule. On operational missions, the trunk can be loaded with cargo that can be exposed to the vacuum of space.

Doors on the Dragon opened as-planned to reveal the navigation instruments and other hardware the spacecraft would need to pick out the International Space Station in the void of space and then fly to it.

The first approach came on day three of the mission, when Dragon steered itself around the station remaining 1.5 miles clear. Numerous tests were run on the spacecraft and its communications with the crew on the station.

Astronaut Don Pettit guided the historic link-up the next day, Friday, May 25, when he reached the station's 32-foot-long robotic arm, Canadarm 2, out to the Dragon as it hovered near the station.

"Looks like we caught a Dragon by the tail," the astronaut radioed from the station to ground controllers in Houston and at SpaceX's Hawthorne control center after the arm connected to a fitting on the side of Dragon.

Pettit steered the capsule to the Earth-facing port on the Harmony module while fellow station crewmember Joe Acaba locked the hatches together. The crew unloaded the Dragon's cargo over the weekend and placed used equipment back inside for the return to Earth. The Dragon is the only cargo-carrying spacecraft designed to return safely to the planet rather than burn up in the atmosphere.

"We all remember the transcontinental railroad that opened the Western frontier," Pettit told reporters. "It was celebrated and completed by a golden spike. This is kind of the equivalent. No one remembers who pounded it in, but its completion was important and remembered."

Reversing the process a few days later, Pettit pulled Dragon away from its port on May 31 and released it to fly on its own again. As planned, the Dragon fired its thrusters to move away from the station's vicinity. Dragon released the trunk and its solar arrays before turning its heat shield toward Earth for the fiery plunge through the atmosphere.

Descending under a canopy of parachutes, the Dragon splashed down hundreds of miles west of Baja California to be recovered by ships and taken to port.

Musk said the ambitious mission should ease concerns people had about the rocket, spacecraft and future plans.

"There was reason to doubt that we would succeed because there wasn't a precedent for what we achieved," Musk said. "I think those reasons no longer remain having done what we have done so I hope those doubts are put to rest."

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National flood insurance gets extended

The current National Flood Insurance program has been extended until July 31, 2012.? The National Association of Realtors has been working with Congress to help pass a 5-year National Flood Insurance Program reauthorization and reform bill.? The bill has passed the House of Representatives and is awaiting action in the United States Senate.?

The name of the bill is H.R. 1309 the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2011.? You can read the details of this bill on The Library of Congress web site at:? http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:h.r.1309:.?? The goals are to extend the authorization of the national flood insurance program, to achieve reforms to improve the financial integrity and stability of the program, and to increase the role of private markets in the management of flood insurance risk, and for other purposes.?

Without this extension may home buyers would have been put on hold and would be unable to purchase flood insurance or close on their new homes.? This would have put another glitch in the real estate market recovery.?? Flood insurance is required by law to obtain a mortgage in more than 21,000 communities nationwide.?

To keep up to date with the latest information visit the FEMA web site at: http://www.fema.gov/business/nfip/.?? If you are considering purchasing a home and want to know what the flood rating is of that particular property, you can go to www.floodsmart.gov and type in the address.? It will give you a flood rating, range of rates, and insurance companies nearby to contact for homeowner insurance quotes.?

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How To Start A Home Based Business | VideoSwiper Blog

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Category: Home Based Business | Added on: Thursday, May 31st, 2012 | Total: 96 Views

Be sure to dress well. The idea of wearing your pajamas while working may be appealing. Getting dressed for work, just like in a normal business, can benefit you in the long run. Doing this will give you the right attitude to be as fruitful and creative as possible.

You will find great support in a home business forum with others who are doing what you do. There is a vast quantity of websites and forums that are targeted towards the home based business owner. The support and guidance they can provide is often invaluable. You will find many sympathetic ears in these forums, and they are normally happy to provide you with their proven suggestions to help you with any issues.

You should have an opt-in email list. Add this link throughout your site, so that visitors can easily decide to join the email list at any point.

Taking out a loan could be a bad idea. Is the chance worth taking if it means jeopardizing your relationship? Losing your house could be a possibility if you use it as collateral.

Keep looking to the future. Celebrating past successes is important, but they are in the past. You should be focusing on what will happen tomorrow or even next week. These things will prepare you for newer opportunities and future obstacles. In this way, you will not find yourself surprised.

Sit down and work out a schedule. To avoid doing too much work and getting burned out, distinguish times when you?re specifically going to work. Sometimes you may need to work longer than expected, but it shouldn?t be every day. Quality time with your loved ones is a great stress-reliever, so put work to the side and enjoy your family time.

Draw up a workable schedule so your business doesn?t interfere with your personal life or vice versa. End your business day by setting a specific time to let the answering machine take any further business calls. Be sure to schedule personal time, as well as time to socialize with your friends and family.

Pick a brand or product name that has meaning. Choose a brand name that will help your customer recognize and remember your products. The name you pick may have an interesting or unique story associated with it. This can help you and your brand become something that customers can come to appreciate and support for years to come.

Your home business should have its own checking account, entirely separate from your personal accounts. This way, you can accurately track your business expenses and keep them separate from your personal expenses. When it comes time to file your taxes, having separate accounts will make preparing and filing easier. If you make it easier to do your taxes then chances are you won?t make any mistakes.

Financial planning is important for the home business. Write down your projected income for your new business. It is basically a summary of future predictions regarding all things financial relating to the business. Constructing a statement of projected income includes estimates of future sales and expenses, as well as profits. These estimates will allow you to project your future course and adjust your finances accordingly.

While reading this article, hopefully you were inspired to take your life into your own hands. You were given a lot of tips about starting a home business, and now is the time to grab the bull by the horns and go for it! You can keep this article for reference to read anytime you are not sure what the next step you should be taking is.

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Grammys to be held Feb. 10 in Los Angeles

FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2012 file photo, singer Adele performs during the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The Staples Center in Los Angeles will once again be the stage for the Grammy Awards, airing Feb. 10, 2013. The nominations will be revealed about two months earlier on Dec. 5 during a live primetime concert on CBS. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)

FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2012 file photo, singer Adele performs during the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The Staples Center in Los Angeles will once again be the stage for the Grammy Awards, airing Feb. 10, 2013. The nominations will be revealed about two months earlier on Dec. 5 during a live primetime concert on CBS. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)

FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2012 file photo, Adele accepts the award for record of the year for "Rolling in the Deep" during the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The Staples Center in Los Angeles will once again be the stage for the Grammy Awards, airing Feb. 10, 2013. The nominations will be revealed about two months earlier on Dec. 5 during a live primetime concert on CBS. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)

NEW YORK (AP) ? If you're a fan of the Grammy Awards, mark your calendar for Feb. 10 ? that's when the annual event will be held next year.

The Staples Center in Los Angeles will again be the stage for what's billed as "music's biggest night." The nominations will be revealed about two months earlier on Dec. 5 during a live prime-time concert on CBS.

CBS will also broadcast the Grammy Awards.

This year's Grammy broadcast was seen by almost 40 million viewers, making it the second most-watched Grammys in history. The broadcast was highlighted by Adele's Grammy sweep and a tribute to Whitney Houston, who died a day before the event.

Associated Press

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Video: Coors ? the candidate, not the beer

NYC plans ban on big sizes of sugary drinks

New York City plans to enact a far-reaching ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters and street carts, in the most ambitious effort yet by the Bloomberg administration to combat rising obesity.

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