Wednesday, January 2, 2013

New dilemma in Russia: Where to buy beer? Beer sales banned at kiosks and during the wee hours

MOSCOW - A big question for many Russians in 2013 may be "How do I get a beer around here?"

Under a law that took effect on New Year's Day, selling beer at Russia's ubiquitous kiosks is banned. Beer now can be purchased only at restaurants, cafes and stores of at least 50 square meters (about 500 square feet).

The law also changes beer's classification from a food to an alcoholic beverage, meaning it can't be sold in any store from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m.

Kiosks mushroomed along Russian sidewalks and roadsides after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, reflecting a lively but disorderly free market. In recent years, kiosks have gradually faded away as conventional stores got more of a foothold, but they are still common.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dilemma-russia-where-buy-beer-beer-sales-banned-144543316.html

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House faces test on ?fiscal cliff? deal

Vice President Joe Biden gives two thumbs up following a Senate Democratic caucus meeting about the fiscal cliff??The Republican-held House of Representatives faced a tough vote Tuesday on a last-minute ?fiscal cliff? compromise to cut taxes on all but the richest Americans and stall some painful spending cuts.? The deal, cut in secret weekend talks and passed by the Senate by a lopsided 89-9 margin shortly after 2 a.m. New Year's Day, could face stiff opposition from conservatives who hoped it would contain more spending cuts and liberals who wanted to raise more taxes.

Financial markets were closed for the holiday, but lawmakers were keenly aware of the potential impact of failing to address the so-called cliff, which some experts warned could plunge the still-fragile economy into a new recession.

Vice President Joe Biden, who took the lead for Democrats in negotiating the deal over the weekend with Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, was scheduled to join House Democrats at a behind-closed-doors meeting at 12:15 p.m. Biden paid a similar call on Senate Democrats late Monday.

House Republicans were also slated to huddle behind the scenes to discuss what to do about the Senate-passed measure. The anti-tax Club for Growth warned lawmakers to oppose the compromise because ?this bill raises taxes immediately with the promise of cutting spending later.?

Under the compromise arrangement approved by the Senate, taxes would rise on income above $400,000 for? individuals and $450,000 for households, while exemptions and deductions the wealthiest Americans use to reduce their tax bill would face new limits. The accord would also raise the taxes paid on large inheritances from 35% to 40% for estates over $5 million. And it would extend by one year unemployment benefits for some two million Americans. It would also prevent cuts in payments to doctors who treat Medicare patients and spare tens of millions of Americans who otherwise would have been hit with the Alternative Minimum Tax.

The middle class will still see its taxes go up: The final deal did not include an extension of the payroll tax holiday. And the overall package will deepen the deficit by an estimated $3.9 trillion dollars by extending the overwhelming majority of the Bush tax cuts. Many Democrats had opposed those measures in 2001 and 2003. Obama agreed to extend them in 2010.

Efforts to modify the first installment of $1.2 trillion in cuts to domestic and defense programs over 10 years -- the other portion of the ?fiscal cliff,? known as sequestration -- had proved a sticking point late in the game. Democrats had sought a year-long freeze but ultimately caved to Republican pressure and signed on to just a two-month delay while broader deficit-reduction talks continue.

That would put the next major battle over spending cuts right around the time that the White House and its Republican foes are battling it out over whether to raise the country's debt limit. Republicans have vowed to push for more spending cuts, equivalent to the amount of new borrowing.

Obama has vowed not to negotiate as he did in 2011, when a bruising fight threatened the first-ever default on America's obligations and resulted in the first-ever downgrade of the country's credit rating. Biden sent that message to Democrats in Congress, two senators said.

?This agreement is the right thing to do for our country and the House should pass it without delay,? President Barack Obama said in a written statement shortly after the Senate vote.

There were signs that the 2016 presidential race shaped the outcome in the Senate. Republican Senator Marco Rubio, widely thought to have his eye on his party?s nomination, voted no. Republican Senator Rand Paul, who could take up the libertarian mantle of his father Ron Paul, did as well. Observers were watching to see how Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, the Budget Committee chairman and his party's failed vice presidential nominee in 2012, would vote Tuesday.

In remarks just before the Senate adopted the compromise, McConnell repeatedly called the agreement ?imperfect? but said it beat allowing income tax rates rise across the board.

?I know I can speak for my entire conference when I say we don?t think taxes should be going up on anyone, but we all knew that if we did nothing they?d be going up on everyone today,? he said. ?We weren?t going to let that happen.?

?Our most important priority was to protect middle-class families. This legislation does that,? Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said. But Reid cautioned that ?passing this agreement does not mean negotiations halt. Far from it.?

The House?s Republican leaders, including Speaker John Boehner, hinted in an unusual joint statement that they might amend anything that clears the Senate ? a step that could kill the deal.

?Decisions about whether the House will seek to accept or promptly amend the measure will not be made until House members -- and the American people -- have been able to review the legislation,? they said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/senate-house-faces-test-fiscal-cliff-deal-161832950--politics.html

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Internet Network Marketing Success? Your Having a Giraffe ...

Have you really considered what factors will actually contribute to Internet Network Marketing success?

Internet Network Marketing Success
Value = Success

The truth is if you didn't know it already is that your success lies wholly in your own hands. Your success is totally dependent upon the decisions you make and the action you take. Here's a list of factors that I believe have the greatest impact upon the level of success you achieve with your Internet Network Marketing business.?

* How hard you're prepared to work and the consistency you apply to productive action
* The Network Marketing company you work with and the products they market
* Your willingness to develop long-term and meaningful partnerships with people
* The marketing strategies you adopt and the tools you use to support them
* Your choice of a good mentor

Sounds pretty simple now doesn't it. Actually it can be if you make all the right decisions when starting out. Network Marketing is a very exciting home business concept and offers hope to many in challenging economic times however you have to accept you will not become rich overnight.

5 Steps to Internet Network Marketing Success

An analogy is great sports person; perhaps an Olympic gold medallist. We all witness their greatest moment of success; the pinnacle of all their dreams, hopes and desires culminating in one glorious day of achievement. What you don't see is the blood, sweat and tears of 4 or more years of dedicated daily training; their moments of deep pain, failure and despair. Still they push through and achieve; not alone but with the encouragement of their support network. It's no different in business.

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Step 1: Internet Network Marketing Success: Understand Lead Generation

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The lifeblood of any Network marketing business is lead generation and the a constant flow of these leads. It's critical that the leads generated are not just stone cold leads, they need to be qualified leads from people who are serious about either purchasing the products or the opportunity that your offering.

Perhaps you're an experienced marketer who has developed a robust lead generation system through tried and tested means and it works for you. That's great, but sadly a lot of people new to Network Marketing do not. It is possible though to alleviate years of struggle and guarantee Internet Network Marketing success.?

That said it becomes vital that your choice of company to supply you with leads offers quality and value with respect to training in order to equip you with relevant knowledge, the right systems and tools for Internet marketing as well as providing a flow of targeted leads for your business.

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Step 2: Internet Network Marketing Success: Work with Well Established & Strong MLM company?

?Take a while and have a look at the management behind lots of the successful network marketing and MLM enterprises today.

For example consider Mary Kay, The Pampered Chef and Kleeneze and you'll see those businesses have a strong and solid managerial team who are committed to their future business success whilst realising to accomplish their goals they stay aligned to the success of the each distributor within their respective marketing network.

?Step 3: Internet Network Marketing Success: Be the Problem Solver

This might have you scratching your head, but traditional Network Marketing has always been based upon providing solutions to peoples' specific problems.These problems may include having enough money to cover their bills, pay off debt, support their children's activities or saving for a holiday or a new car. Whatever their 'problem' it's generally centred upon improving their financial situation.

As a responsible Network Marketer and to ensure Internet Network Marketing success our role has to be focused upon delivering to your prospects needs. This is achieved by building a relationship with each and every prospect to better understand their wants and needs. By taking a genuine interest in your prospects makes you 'attractive' to them.

This is the basis of Attraction Marketing; you're delivering your message to your target audience; the people who are most likely to be receptive to you're offering, listening to them and then delivering to their needs. This strategy works in both the online and offline worlds of Network Marketing.

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Step 4: Internet Network Marketing Success: Tool up for the Job?

Having the right systems and tools to the job correctly is essential, especially when you're pushed for time.

Although it's good business policy to let everyone know that your in business for yourself and offering them information about what your doing, the days of continually truding around your 'warm market' are long gone. This a guaranteed way to quickly lose the respect of your friends, family and work colleagues.

Internet Network Marketing Success
Always aim for Quality

There are many types of online and offline tools available to you however you have to ensure that you consider carefully if each tool is a good fit for your business. With respect to leads you may get a few free ones to get you started from your upline however after that people are generally left to their own devices. This often results in a period of trial and error until you find your feet.

During this time you're at your most vulnerable and easy prey for lead gneration companies who will offer you the 'easy' option of buying cheap leads. As these leads are not generally targeted to your business needs then they are practically worthless. You can spend many wasted hours effectively cold calling people who have no interest in your offer......

.......and in many cases your upline will let you go through this. It's at this point when people quit Network Marketing believing it doesn't work.

Whatever ways you use to generate leads for your business always, always think in terms of targeting your campaigns and qualifying your leads. You may not get the same quantity of leads but you'll absolutely get the quality.

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Step 5: Internet Network Marketing Success: Find a Quality Educational & Lead Generation Platform

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Are there really any good Internet Network Marketing Success Systems?

The bottom line to creating unstoppable Internet network marketing success? Sales and marketing systems.

You absolutely must learn the art and science of generating new product and customer leads, as well as new potential business builder prospects, on a day-to-day basis. Just think about it this for a moment. How many successful businesses do you know that do not have a good sales and marketing policy that generates leads to sell products and grow it enterprise ?

In both your traditional and online Network marketing your success will rely completely on how effective you can be as a marketing specialist. That is the bottom line.?

There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of companies and people offering online courses, e-books and software you can download and be assured will only too happy to take your money and tell you they can resolve your problems. If you sign up with these you will be constantly hit by 'upsell' emails. Be careful who you share your details with.

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Not to Worry: Help is at Hand

Internet Network Marketing Success
Internet Network Marketing Success

If you do need some great advice about getting qualified leads there's one company which I've used for a long time that I know can point you in the right direction.

My Lead System Pro (MLSP) has survived the test of time and operates on an 'Attraction Marketing' basis. For the online Network Marketer the right tools you will need are available. Many of these tools are customisable to your personal business needs including free affiliate programs you can use to generate immediate free qualified leads for your business.

MLSP offers the best-fit solution for Internet Network Marketing success and get your business running on the right track. For just $2 you can take MLSP for a 3-day test drive to see all the benefits of using the system for yourself. Click Here now to your $2 trial

Stay Inspired & Believe

Mark Walsh

PS: To assist you in achieving Internet Network Marketing Success here's a free 89-minute webinar from one of the most celebrated online Network Marketers on the planet. Ray will share with you how he sponsored 28 new distributors in 21 days. Click Here to Access the Free Webinar

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Source: http://www.betternetworker.com/blogs/view/walshm/internet-network-marketing-success-your-having-giraffe

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MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice | The Mint.com ...

Money Boo Boo blog post graphic

Be automatically entered to win a $500 weekly prize* and be a real goal-getter

We all make little slip-ups when it comes to our money ? whether it?s overspending during the holidays or forgetting to squirrel away a rainy-day fund. But have no fear. Mint is on a mission to help you turn those pesky money boo boos into money woooo-hooos in 2013.

Here?s how it works:

1.?Sign up for Mint.com for FREE (or log in to your existing account).

2. Set a financial goal with a few clicks to avoid your own money boo boos.

3. Automatically be entered to win a $500 prize to help you reach your goal faster! You could be one of two winners every week all month long!*

Don?t delay! This sweepstakes ends on January 31, 2013.

Now?s the time to get on track in 2013 ? with a big head start ? because money boo boos are so last year.

*Money Boo Boos Sweepstakes Official Rules

No Purchase Necessary.?Open LEGAL US Residents, who are 18 YEARS OR OLDER. Employees (and their immediate families [parent, child, spouse or sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside] and those living in their same households, whether or not related) of Intuit Inc. (?Intuit?), and its respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, franchisees, and participating advertising and promotion agencies are not eligible to enter or win. By participating, you agree to these Official Rules and the decisions of the judges and/or Intuit, which are binding and final on matters relating to this Promotion. Promotion is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws.?

TO ENTER: The overall Promotion begins January 1st 2013 and ends January 31st 2013, 11:59 PM PST (?Promotion Period?). To be automatically entered for your chance to win, create a new financial goal using Mint.com. You must first have a Mint account (free for everyone). Just login to Mint.com and go to the ?Goals? tab to set your goal and qualify.?Intuit is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, inaccurate or misdirected entries or entries not received for any reason.? Limit one (1) entry per person/email address for the duration of the overall Promotion Period.?Entries using macro, script or other forms of automatic entry will be disqualified.?All entries become the property of Intuit and will not be acknowledged or returned. No entries may be submitted on behalf of another person.?

RANDOM DRAWING:?Potential winner(s) (?Potential Winner(s)?) will be selected by Intuit?in a random drawing held weekly on or about January 11th, January 18th, January 25th, and February 1st, 2013 from all eligible entries received. You have until 11:59 PM PST of the day before each weekly drawing is held to enter to win.?Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.

WINNER NOTIFICATION/REQUIREMENTS: Potential winners will be notified by email and may be required to complete an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability and Publicity Release (unless prohibited by law) and any other documents required by Intuit, which must be returned within 14?days of date appearing on prize notification. Return of prize or prize notification as undeliverable, failure to sign and return requested documentation within the specified time period, the inability of Intuit to contact a potential winner within a reasonable time period or noncompliance with these Official Rules by any potential winner will result in disqualification and, at Intuit?s sole discretion, the prize may be awarded to a runner-up.

PRIZE(S) AND APPROXIMATE RETAIL VALUE(S):?Nine (9) total winners will be selected for the Sweepstakes Promotion with two (2) winners selected each week on or about?January 11th, January 18th, January 25th, and February 1st. ?Approximate Retail Value (?ARV?) for selected gift card is $500 (gift card is subject to certain terms and conditions specified by issuers).?Total ARV of all prizes: $4500. Winner may not substitute, assign or transfer prize or redeem prize for cash, but Intuit reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute prize (or any portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value. Winner is responsible for all applicable federal, state and local income taxes. Winner is responsible for any expenses associated with prize acceptance and use not expressly specified herein as being provided. All prize details are at Intuit?s sole discretion. Prize is awarded ?as is? with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied.?

GENERAL CONDITIONS:?By participating, you agree: (a) to abide by these Official Rules and decisions of Intuit, which shall be final and binding in all respects relating to this Promotion; (b) to release, discharge and hold harmless Intuit, and their respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising and promotion agencies, and the respective officers, directors, shareholders, employees, agents and representatives of the forgoing (collectively, ?Released Parties?) from any and all injuries, liability, losses and damages of any kind to persons, or property resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from your participation in the Promotion or any Promotion-related activity or the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any awarded prize; and (c) to the use of your name, voice, performance, photograph/video, image and/or likeness for programming, advertising, publicity and promotional purposes in any and all media, now or hereafter known, worldwide and on the Internet, and in perpetuity by Intuit and its designees, without compensation or additional consents from? you or any third party and without prior notice, approval or inspection, and to execute specific consent to such use if asked to do so.?By participating, you also agree not to release any publicity or other materials on your own or through someone else regarding their participation in the?Promotion without the prior consent of the Intuit, which it may withhold in its sole discretion.?If there is a dispute as to the identity of an online entrant, the prize will be awarded to the authorized account holder of the email address and s/he must comply with these Official Rules. The ?authorized account holder? is defined as the natural person to whom the email address is assigned by an Internet service provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address.? ?

OWNERSHIP/USE OF ENTRIES:?By submitting an Entry, you agree Intuit shall own all rights to the Entry and that it and its designees may edit, modify, and distribute the Entry and all elements of such Entry, including, without limitation, the names and likenesses of any persons or locations in it, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, in perpetuity without compensation, permission or notification to you or any third party.? ??

MISCELLANEOUS: Released Parties are not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, damaged, inaccurate, stolen, delayed, misdirected, or undelivered Entries; or for unavailable network, server, Internet Service Provider, website, or other connections, availability or failed transmissions, or any other errors or difficulties of any kind or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Promotion, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in connection with the administration of the Promotion, the processing or judging of Entries, the announcement of the prize(s), the incorrect uploading of the Entry or in any Promotion-related materials. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Promotion. Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Promotion or website, who act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner or who are in violation of these Official Rules, as solely determined by Intuit, will be disqualified and all associated Entries will be void. Should any portion of the Promotion be, in Intuit?s sole opinion, compromised by any means, which, in the sole opinion of the Intuit, impairs the administration, security, fairness or proper play, or submission of Entries, Intuit reserves the right at its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Promotion and, if terminated, at its discretion, select the potential winner(s) from all eligible, non-suspect Entries received prior to action taken using the judging procedure outlined above.

Governing Law/Jurisdiction: All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules or the rights and obligations of participants or Intuit in connection with the Promotion shall be governed by the laws of the state of California, without giving any effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules. Any dispute shall be resolved in a court of law in Santa Clara County, California.

Severability:? If any provision(s) of these Official Rules are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions hereof will remain in full force and effect.

ENTRANT INFORMATION:?Your information will be collected in accordance with Intuit?s privacy policy available at https://www.mint.com/how-it-works/security/policy/

Intuit Inc., 2700 Coast Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043?

Source: http://www.mint.com/blog/updates/the-mint-com-money-boo-boos-sweepstakes-win-a-500-weekly-prize-0113/

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Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Taste the bubbly science of Champagne

Francois Nascimbeni / AFP - Getty Images

French researcher Gerard Liger-Belair works on a glass of champagne in his laboratory in Reims, located in the Champagne region in eastern France.

By Alan Boyle

If you really want to impress your bubbly-sipping friends tonight, be sure to chill a big bottle of Champagne to somewhere between 39 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit (4 to 9 degrees Celsius), bring out the narrow glasses (not those wide plastic cups!) and pour the stuff gently down the angled side of the glass like beer.

This is the scientific way to treat Champagne sparkling wine, based on research conducted over the years by Gerard Liger-Belair, a physicist at the University of Reims in France's Champagne region. His studies on the behavior of bubbly?? including high-speed photography of popping bubbles and infrared imaging of carbon dioxide flow?? have made him the world's highest-profile expert on Champagne science.

It's a tough job?? but somebody's gotta do it.

"I love the beauties behind bubble science," Liger-Belair said in an email. "Since I became a scientist, many people have remarked that I seem to have landed the best job in all of physics, since my research on bubbles requires that I work in a lab stocked with top-notch Champagne ??and I'd be inclined to agree."


For Liger-Belair and his colleagues, it's mostly about the bubbles. To be sure, there's much more to sparkling wine than the sparkle: As many as 80 different vintages of wine may be blended together to create one batch of Champagne using the traditional process. A small amount of yeast and sugar is added, and the bottles are sealed up for fermentation. Months later, the yeast sediment is blown out through the bottle's neck ? and then the bottle is quickly corked up and wired shut.

Liger-Belair's research focuses on what happens next, when the cork is popped off. The CO2 that was created through the fermentation process bubbles out of the wine???tickling the nose with a fizzy aerosol of alcohol and flavorful ingredients known as volatile organic compounds. The more CO2 that can be liberated after the champagne is poured into the glass, the better.

That's where science comes into play. Liger-Belair and his colleagues recently reported that larger bottles of Champagne retain more CO2 in the wine as it's being poured into the glasses. So if you have a choice between several small bottles and fewer big bottles, go for the big ones. But be sure those bottles are well-chilled: Warm champagne loses its CO2 quickly as it's being poured, leaving less to fizz up out of the glass.

Ray Isle, executive wine editor of Food & Wine, shares five ways to get the most out of your New Year's bubbly.

Speaking of the glass: Liger-Belair's team determined that tall, narrow-rimmed flutes produce a better effect than the wide-rimmed "coupes" that folks more typically associate with sparkling wine. That's because the CO2 rises out of a wide-rimmed glass too quickly, over a wider surface area. Also, glass flutes are better than plastic cups, and not just for aesthetic reasons: The plastic material is hydrophobic?? that is, liquid-repellent?? which means the bubbles are more likely to adhere to the sides of the cup and less likely to contribute to a nice fizz.

If you really want to get your fizz on, wash your glasses before the party and dry them with a towel rather than letting them air-dry: The microscopic fibers of cellulose that are left inside the glass actually contribute to bubble production. Some glass-makers add tiny scratches to their Champagne glasses to create pleasing patterns of bubbles, and you can feel free to experiment with the same technique. (Just not with the expensive glassware.)

When it comes to the pouring, don't splash the Champagne straight down into the bottom of the glass. Instead, trickle it down the side, like beer. That preserves more of the carbon dioxide for the bubbles that rise while you're drinking the wine. "The beer-like way of serving champagne much less impacts its dissolved CO2 concentration than the Champagne-like way of serving it, and especially at low Champagne temperatures (4 degrees C and 12 degrees C)," Liger-Belair reported.

Liger-Belair has laid out many more findings about Champagne in a decade's worth of research papers?? and in his book, "Uncorked: The Science of Champagne," which is being updated with the latest revelations for a new edition. One of his recent papers, an 88-page survey written for the European Physical Journal, is available for free download today.

Here's a sampling of sparkling facts:?

  • There are six bottles' worth of gaseous CO2 packed into every bottle of Champagne.
  • A significant amount of that CO2 leaks out of the bottle through the cork. Liger-Belair's study of Champagne bottled in the 1990s suggested that almost a third of the CO2 could be lost over the course of 15 years. "Because the size of bubbles is linked with the level of dissolved CO2 in Champagne, bubbles get thinner over time when Champagne ages," Liger-Belair said.
  • The higher the wine's temperature, the bigger the "pop" when the cork is released. That's because the CO2 pressure increases with temperature. Some folks might keep their Champagne warm to maximize the pop, but be careful: A popped cork can travel as fast as 50 mph (80 kilometers per hour). Every year, the American Academy of Opthalmology warns that sparkling-wine corks rank among the top holiday-related eye hazards ? and provides tips for proper cork removal.
  • Only 5 percent of the pop goes toward the cork's kinetic energy. Most of the rest goes toward generating the popping sound's shock wave.?The pattern of CO2 that's set loose when the cork is popped is similar to the mushroom cloud created by an exploding atom bomb.
  • If you see a white wisp of mist rising from a just-popped bottle, that's not carbon dioxide. That's a fog of ethanol and water vapor, triggered by the sudden drop in gas temperature when the pressure is released. (That's what's known as adiabatic expansion.)?

It might seem frivolous to devote so much attention to the physics of fizz, but Liger-Belair said his research is about much more than your single bottle of bubbly on New Year's Eve.

"In fact, bubbles are a fantastic example of bubble dynamics in general, and studies dealing with champagne bubbles can be extended to many other areas where bubbles play a role, in natural as well as industrial processes. For example, marine aerosols created by bursting bubbles behave like champagne's bursting bubbles. ... The scales are different, but the basic principles are identical," he said in his email.

Liger-Belair's research at the University of Reims is generally funded by enological and agricultural programs in France and Europe ??such as L'Association Recherche Oenologique Champagne et Universit

?, which was created to boost the Champagne region's best-known industr

y.

"As far as champagne is concerned, 350 million bottles sold per year all over the world deserve particular attention. The job may seem fun indeed, as any job made with passion should be," Liger-Belair said. "I am aware that devoting so much energy to studying champagne bubbles may seem 'weird,' but the implications of bubble dynamics are universal."

So just before you take a sip of cool, sparkling beverage from your towel-dried flute, raise a toast to Liger-Belair ... and the science of champagne.

Update for 12:45 p.m. ET:?Legend has it that the wide-rimmed, bowl-like champagne coupe was modeled after the breast of Marie Antoinette (or the Empress Josephine, or Helen of Troy ...), but Snopes.com says?there's no truth to the legend.?

More about the science of alcoholic drinks:


Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/31/16255128-the-science-of-champagne-bubbles-up-again-for-new-years-eve?lite

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Denzel Washington Celebrates 58th Birthday With Wife Pauletta On a Yacht in St. Barts

Denzel Washington celebrated his birthday in style this year!

The Flight actor enjoyed a vacation in St. Barts with wife Pauletta on his 58th birthday Dec. 28.?

PHOTOS: Hollywood's hottest married couples

The couple, who have been married for 29 years, held hands as they walked along the beach before boarding a yacht for a fun-filled day in the sun. Washington stayed covered up in a gray shirt, shorts, hat and sunglasses. His wife showed off her legs in a short beach cover-up.

Denzel Washington celebrating his 48th birthday with his wife Pauletta Pearson and son on the Island of Anguilla

Denzel Washington celebrating his 48th birthday with his wife Pauletta Pearson and son on the Island of Anguilla
Credit: Splash News and Pictures

The parents of four (son John, 18, daughter Katia, 25, and twins Olivia and Malcolm, 21) enjoyed a romantic dinner at a restaurant later that night. With a smile on his face, the birthday boy raised his glass to celebrate.

PHOTOS: Top 10 movies of 2012

Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington
Credit: Eliot Press/bauergriffinonline.com

In his October interview with GQ, Washington revealed that Katia was working with Quentin Tarantino on Django Unchanged. The actor had a past feud with the director over what he called "racist dialogue" in Crimson Tide.

PHOTOS: Celebrity feuds

"Isn't that interesting how life goes? But I buried that hatchet," he said. "I sought him out ten years ago. I told him, 'Look, I apologize.' You've just gotta let that go. You gonna walk around with that the rest of your life? He seemed relieved. And then here we are ten years later, and my daughter's working with him. Life is something."

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/denzel-washington-celebrates-58th-birthday-with-wife-pauletta-on-a-yacht-in-st-barts-20123012

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Kardashian, West feel 'blessed' over baby news

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2012 file photo, television personality Kim Kardashian poses for photographers at the red carpet during the 40th anniversary of Cosmopolitan magazine in Spanish in Mexico City. Kanye West announced at a concert in Atlantic City Sunday night, Dec. 30, 2012 that his girlfriend Kardashian is pregnant. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2012 file photo, television personality Kim Kardashian poses for photographers at the red carpet during the 40th anniversary of Cosmopolitan magazine in Spanish in Mexico City. Kanye West announced at a concert in Atlantic City Sunday night, Dec. 30, 2012 that his girlfriend Kardashian is pregnant. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

FILE - Kim Kardashian, right, and Kanye West, left, are shown before an NBA basketball game between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks in this Dec, 6, 2012 file photo taken in Miami. The rapper Kanye West announced at a concert Sunday night Dec. 30, 2012 that his girlfriend is pregnant. He told the crowd of more than 5,000 at the Ovation Hall at the Revel Resort in song form: "Now you having my baby." ( AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)

FILE - In a Monday, May 7, 2012 file photo, Kanye West arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute gala benefit, in New York. West announced that his girlfriend Kim Kardashian is pregnant at a concert in Atlantic City Sunday night, Dec. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, File)

(AP) ? Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are feeling lucky about their first child together.

"It's true," the 32-year-old reality TV star said in a statement on her site Monday. "Kanye and I are expecting a baby. We feel so blessed and lucky and wish that in addition to both of our families, his mom and my dad could be here to celebrate this special time with us."

Kardashian's father, Robert Kardashian, died in 2003. West's mother, Donda West, died in 2007.

Kardashian added in the blog post that she was "looking forward to great new beginnings in 2013 and to starting a family."

The 35-year-old rapper revealed to a crowd of more than 5,000 in song form at a concert Sunday that his girlfriend is pregnant. Kardashian was in the crowd at Revel Resort's Ovation Hall with her mother, Kris Jenner, and West's mentor and best friend, Jay-Z.

The news instantly went viral online, with thousands posting and commenting on the expecting couple.

Most of the Kardashian clan tweeted about the news, including Kim's sisters. Kourtney Kardashian wrote: "Another angel to welcome to our family. Overwhelmed with excitement!"

West told concertgoers to congratulate his "baby mom" and that this was the "most amazing thing."

Representatives for West and Kardashian didn't immediately respond to emails about the pregnancy.

The rapper and reality TV star went public with their relationship in March.

Kardashian married NBA player Kris Humphries in August 2011 and their divorce is not finalized.

West's Sunday-night show was his third consecutive performance at Revel. He took the stage for nearly two hours, performing hits like "Good Life," ''Jesus Walks" and "Clique" in an all-white ensemble with two bandmates.

Kardashian is expected to spend New Year's Eve at public appearance at a Las Vegas nightclub.

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AP Writer Bianca Roach contributed to this report.

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Follow Mesfin Fekadu on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MusicMesfin . Follow Bianca Roach at http://twitter.com/B__Roach

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-31-Kanye%20West-Kim%20Kardashian/id-addb865bc3fd431aac76f2ec59f5bc98

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