Djokovic completes Australian Open hat trick

Serbia's Novak Djokovic kisses his trophy after defeating Britain's Andy Murray in the men's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic kisses his trophy after defeating Britain's Andy Murray in the men's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic tosses his racquet as he celebrates his win over Britain's Andy Murray in the men's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Britain's Andy Murray rests after his loss to Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the men's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic, right, is presented with the trophy by former Australian Open champion Andre Agassi after defeating Britain's Andy Murray, center, in the men's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates his win over Britain's Andy Murray in the men's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ? No shirt ripping or bare-chested flexing this time.

Novak Djokovic completed his work before midnight, defeating Andy Murray in four sets for his third consecutive Australian Open title and fourth overall.

It was also the second time in three years Djokovic had beaten his longtime friend in this final. So the celebration was muted: a small victory shuffle, raised arms, a kiss for the trophy. No grand histrionics, although that's not to say the moment was lost on him.

"Winning it three in a row, it's incredible," Djokovic said after his 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-2 victory Sunday night. "It's very thrilling. I'm full of joy right now. It's going to give me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season, that's for sure."

Nine other men had won consecutive Australian titles in the Open era, but none three straight years. One of them was Andre Agassi, who presented Djokovic with the trophy.

A year ago, Djokovic began his season with an epic 5-hour, 53-minute five-set win over Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open, the longest Grand Slam final. He tore off his shirt to celebrate, the TV replays repeated constantly at this tournament.

He mimicked that celebration after coming back to beat Stanislas Wawrinka in five hours in a surprisingly tough fourth-round victory this time.

Since then, he's looked every bit the No. 1 player. He said he played "perfectly" in his 89-minute win over fourth-seeded David Ferrer in the semifinals Thursday night. Murray struggled to beat 17-time major winner Roger Federer in five sets in the semifinals Friday night, and still had the bad blisters on his feet to show for it in the final.

In a final that had the makings of a classic when two of the best returners in tennis were unable to get a break of serve in the first two sets that lasted 2:13, the difference may have hinged on something as light as a feather.

Preparing for a second serve at 2-2 in the second set tiebreaker, Murray was rocking back about to toss the ball when he stopped, paused and then walked onto the court and tried to grab a small white feather that was floating in his view. He went back to the baseline, bounced the ball another eight times and served too long.

After being called for a double-fault, Murray knocked the ball away in anger and flung his arm down. He didn't get close for the rest of the tiebreaker and was the first to drop serve in the match ? in the eighth game of the third set. Djokovic broke him twice in the fourth set, which by then had turned into an easy march to victory.

"It was strange," said Djokovic, adding that it swung the momentum his way. "It obviously did. ... He made a crucial double-fault."

Murray didn't blame his loss on the one distraction.

"I mean, I could have served. It just caught my eye before I served. I thought it was a good idea to move it," he said. "Maybe it wasn't because I obviously double-faulted.

"You know, at this level it can come down to just a few points here or there. My biggest chance was at the beginning of the second set ? didn't quite get it. When Novak had his chance at the end of the third, he got his."

Djokovic had five break-point chances in the opening set, including four after having Murray at 0-40 in the seventh game, but wasn't able to convert any of them.

Then he surrendered the tiebreaker with six unforced errors. Murray appeared to be the stronger of the two at the time. He'd beaten Djokovic in their last Grand Slam encounter, the U.S. Open final, and had the Serb so off balance at times in the first set that he slipped to the court and took skin off his knee.

Murray held serve to open the second set and had three break points at 0-40 in the second game, but Djokovic dug himself out of trouble and held.

"After that I felt just mentally a little bit lighter and more confident on the court than I've done in the first hour or so," Djokovic said. "I was serving better against him today in the first two sets than I've done in any of the match in the last two years."

Djokovic said he loves playing at Rod Laver Arena, where he won his first major title in 2008. He now has six Grand Slam titles altogether. Federer has won four of his 17 majors at Melbourne Park, and Agassi is the only other player to have won that many in Australia since 1968.

Djokovic was just finding his way at the top level when Agassi retired in 2006, but he had watched enough of the eight-time major winner to appreciate his impact.

"He's I think one of the players that changed the game ? not just the game itself, but also the way the people see it," Djokovic said. "So it was obviously a big pleasure and honor for me to receive the trophy from him."

Agassi was among the VIPs in the crowd, along with actor Kevin Spacey and Victoria Azarenka, who won the women's final in three sets against Li Na the previous night.

Murray broke the 76-year drought for British men at the majors when he won the U.S. Open last year and said he'll leave Melbourne slightly more upbeat than he has after defeats here in previous years.

"The last few months have been the best tennis of my life. I mean, I made Wimbledon final, won the Olympics, won the U.S. Open. You know, I was close here as well," he said. "No one's ever won a slam (immediately) after winning their first one. It's not the easiest thing to do. And I got extremely close.

"So, you know, I have to try and look at the positives of the last few months, and I think I'm going the right direction."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-27-Australian%20Open/id-61ac205c94114622880c0cf514933c8e

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Secret Painting in Rembrandt Masterpiece Coming into View

Scientists may be one step closer to revealing a hidden portrait behind a 380-year-old Rembrandt painting.

The masterpiece, "Old Man in Military Costume" by Dutch painter Rembrant Harmenszoon van Rijn, resides at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Scientists had noticed the painting bears faint traces of another portrait beneath its surface. Researchers had previously probed the painting with infrared, neutron and conventional X-ray methods, but could not see the behind the top coat, largely because Rembrandt used the same paint (with the same chemical composition) for the underpainting and the final version.

New studies with more sophisticated X-ray techniques that can parse through the painting's layers give art historians hope that they may finally get to see who is depicted in the secret image.

"Our experiments demonstrate a possibility of how to reveal much of the hidden picture," Matthias Alfeld from the University of Antwerp said in a statement. "Compared to other techniques, the X-ray investigation we tested is currently the best method to look underneath the original painting."

Alfeld and an international team used macro X-ray fluorescence analysis to examine a mock-up of Rembrandt's original, created by museum intern Andrea Sartorius, who used paints with the same chemical composition as those used by the Dutch master. Sartorius painted one portrait on the canvas and then an imitation of "Old Man in Military Costume" on top. [In Photos: Looking for a Hidden Painting]

When bombarded with these high-energy X-rays, light is absorbed and emitted from different pigments in different ways. The scientists targeted four elements of the paint to fluoresce, including calcium, iron, mercury and lead, and got much better impressions of the hidden painting in the mock-up than they were able to before.

"The successful completion of these preliminary investigations on the mock-up painting was an important first step," Karen Trentelman, of the Getty Conservation Institute, said in a statement. "The results of these studies will enable us determine the best possible approach to employ in our planned upcoming study of the real Rembrandt painting."

This isn't the first time scientists have delved into Rembrandt's paintings. Previous research revealed why his art possesses such calming beauty, finding the artist may have pioneered a technique that guides the viewer's gaze around a portrait, creating a special narrative and "calmer" viewing experience. ?Essentially, the researchers found Rembrandt painted more detail in and around the eyes of his subjects, tapping into an innate human attraction to the face.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook?& Google+.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/secret-painting-rembrandt-masterpiece-coming-view-164105531.html

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Tips For Knowing The Right Credit Card Terminology | Paixao ...

TIP! Never use a password or pin code for your credit card that is really easy for people to figure out. Don?t use something obvious, like your birthday or your pet?s name, because that is information anyone could know.

Many people get frustrated with bank cards. If you have the right advice, you can easily deal with charge cards in a hassle-free way. Use the tips in this article to help you learn how to live responsibly with bank cards.

TIP! If you use credit cards, consider obtaining a free credit report every year. Check to ensure that all the information is correct.

Do not close too many credit accounts at once. It may be the initial reaction when you want to preserve the score of your credit, but it will actually have the opposite effect by making your score worse. When you close accounts, you reduce how much credit you have. This then closes the gap between the credit you can borrow and how much you currently owe.

TIP! It isn?t the best idea to get credit as soon as you turn 18 years old. Although people love to spend and have credit cards, you should truly understand how credit works before you decide to establish it.

Take time to go over your monthly statements. Be sure this is done as regularly as possible. If you are waiting too long, you probably won?t be able to recall transactions. Also, solving a problem is harder if you wait.

TIP! It can be hard to get a card if you are not at least 18 years old. The best way to start is to be an additional user on an existing account.

It is a good idea to review the receipt of all of your credit card purchases, and the time to do it is right at the check-out stand. If there are any corrections that need to be made, this can be done immediately.

TIP! Always know who you are dealing with and make sure they are legitimate companies when you give out your credit card information online. It makes sense to call the phone numbers given on the website to verify the seller?s existence, and it is wise to steer clear of sellers providing no street address.

Read the credit card agreement thoroughly before you sign your agreement with the company. A lot of credit card places think of your first purchase as your agreement to their terms. You should particularly go over the fine print, even though it may be difficult to read.

TIP! Be sure you ask a credit card company if they are willing to reduce how much interest you pay. Some companies will decrease the interest amount that they charge to their customers if these people maintain a good relationship with them for a long period of time.

Know your credit card laws to ensure that you are protected. Creditors are not allowed to raise rates retroactively. The companies are also not allowed to bill in a double-cycle. Study the laws and keep up with the changes. There have been two major changes in the laws. You should read up on them to familiarize yourself.

TIP! Make sure to get your credit card payments in on time. Missing one payment can cause higher interest rates for you.

As you can see by now, credit card companies cause people a lot of grief. Choosing a good card is easier with research and advice. By using these suggestions, you can enjoy life with charge cards and avoid the headaches!

Source: http://blogpaixaoentrelinhas.com/tips-for-knowing-the-right-credit-card-terminology/

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Video: Ichan: Ackman Has One of the Worst Reputations on Wall St...

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50591467/

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Fight Diet Failure with 4 Secrets for Weight-Loss Success - Shape

It seems so simple: Eat right, exercise, get some rest, and you will lose weight. But maybe it?s not so simple. According to Jessica Bartfield, M.D., who specializes in nutrition and weight management at the Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery & Bariatric Care, diets fail for four reasons:
1. Underestimating calories consumed
2. Overestimating activity and the calories burned
3. Poor timing of meals
4. Inadequate Sleep

If you think these reasons account for your lack of dieting success, here are four secrets to change your luck.

Secret #1: Underestimating calories is not an issue when you don't have to count them at all.
Really. Don?t deprive yourself and eat when you are hungry, selecting foods that will keep you full instead of those that provide a quick pick-up and then leave you searching for more soon after. Have three meals that each incorporate a variety of foods, protein, and fat, and drink water or zero-calorie beverages. If you are hungry between meals, have a snack or ?mini-meal,? not junk food or a 100-calorie snack pack.

For example, maybe you have a Western cheese omelet with 1/2 cup fruit at breakfast, a burger patty alongside grilled vegetables and a baked sweet potato with a thin pat of butter for lunch, and then dine on shrimp scampi and broccoli atop spaghetti squash with a side salad.

RELATED: Learn more surprising reasons why you should stop counting calories if you want to lose weight and eat right.

Snacks could be peanut butter celery boats, plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with fresh berries, peppers and hummus, two squares of dark chocolate and up to 10 nuts, or a small handful of homemade trail mix (shredded coconut, nuts, and seeds).

Secret #2: For weight loss, diet counts more than exercise. If you are not counting calories for food, then do not sweat over how many calories you burn during a workout.
Be active and enjoy your exercise. "Just do it" to help boost your metabolism and maintain weight loss. If you need some workout ideas, try these interval training plans or simply grab a jump rope and follow this fat-blasting routine.

Secret #3: If you don't want to eat, then don't. But don?t binge either.
Try a fast. In the January issue of Scientific American, many studies point toward intermittent fasting (IF) as an approach that shows promise in promoting health and longevity.

Or just focus on increasing awareness of your own hunger, which is your body?s way of telling you to eat. Listen to yourself so you can notice when your stomach sends those ?Hey, I?m empty and need food? messages?and then satisfy it! And if you?re uncertain if you are in fact hungry, check out this hunger scale.

RELATED: When the need to nosh between meals hits, fill up with one of these three snacks that help you lose weight by knocking out hunger.

Secret #4: Establish a bedtime routine to help you get the shut-eye you need.
Turn your bedroom into a sleeping sanctuary and do whatever you need to make it as dark and comfortable as possible. Then avoid caffeine or any other stimulants from food, beverages, supplements, or medicines, and refrain from drinking anything a couple of hours before you plan to hit the sheets.

Now go ahead, jump! Try these one or all four of these secrets. You have nothing to lose but weight.

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Nationally known as an expert in weight loss, integrative nutrition, blood sugar, and health management, Valerie Berkowitz, M.S., R.D., C.D.E. is co-author of The Stubborn Fat Fix, director of nutrition at The Center for Balanced Health, and consultant for Complete Wellness in NYC. She is a woman who strives for internal peace, happiness and lots of laughs. Visit Valerie's Voice: for the Health of It or @nutritionnohow.

Source: http://www.shape.com/blogs/weight-loss-coach/fight-diet-failure-4-secrets-weight-loss-success

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The finance view of strategic risk management - Procurement Leaders

This article provides an insight from 4C Associates into a panel discussion the company hosted at The Economist?s CFO Summit 2013, which was held in London earlier this week. The findings shed light on the finance perspective of global risk, with implications for procurement.

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"Over the past 10 ? 15 years companies have expanded their operations across the globe and are now exposed to more threats, which need to be mitigated," said Edward Ainsworth, managing director at 4C Associates. "Despite this, taking risks remains an important element of any business and some need to be taken."

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Speaking on a panel at The Economist?s CFO Summit 2013, Ainsworth explained that although companies are now more vulnerable to external threats, taking risks remains a key element in the development of any business.

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Julian Metherell, chief financial officer and executive director, Genel Energy,agreed and highlighted the importance of presenting risks to company stakeholders. This approach can help businesses gain support for certain initiatives by clarifying the potential gains and losses of a project.

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Each of the assembled panellists voiced their support for "risk registers" as means of managing threats. This approach consists in developing a list of the most relevant risks facing a company and working out the most effective way to deal with each. Metherell explained Genel Energy?s approach; "We have a list of 48 risks and a senior executive who owns each one, we review each individually, on a quarterly basis."

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Mark Morris, finance director, Rolls-Royce warned against the dangers of implementing a "tick box" mentality in risk management. Constantly evolving threats require a flexible approach to analysis. Ainsworth added that in his experience it was often beneficial for businesses to seek an external viewpoint when examining emerging risks.

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In this context, Jean Drouffe, group finance, risk and strategy director, AXA UK & Ireland shared some of the new threats which are surfacing in the insurance sector. The emergence of easily accessible data has led a number of companies into the insurance market. Amongst the most prominent, Drouffe listed Google, Tesco and car manufacturers. The risk of being supplanted in an increasingly digital market is one that insurance companies need to be constantly analysing.

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When asked how a company should go about prioritising the threats facing a business, Metherell pointed out that there was no silver bullet. Taking the example of recent events in Algeria, he said; "I don?t think anyone could have foreseen the extent of the events in Algeria. How do you counter terrorism? [It is very difficult as terrorists] focus on high impact, low risk."

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The panel concluded that although not all risks were predictable, a solid yet flexible approach was the best way to identify and then manage potential threats.

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The 4C Associates blog, which tackles risk management and other procurement-related topics, is available here.

Source: http://www.procurementleaders.com/blog/blog/the-finance-view-of-strategic-risk-management

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Becky Aikman's 'Saturday Night Widows' Takes Us On Journey Through Widowhood (EXCERPT)

The following is an excerpt from the new book "Saturday Night Widows: The Adventures of Six Friends Remaking Their Lives" by Becky Aikman.

Dating, in particular, was out of the question during my first two years of widowhood. Oh, I might have accepted a gift of food had it been offered from somebody like Denise?s platonic widower, but the thought of pursuing a true relationship made me anxious. Zombie anxious. Never again, I vowed, would I view attachment as essential to my well-being. It became vitally important to subscribe to a definition of happiness rooted in remaining alone. If that meant giving up sex for now, so be it. I couldn?t risk kick-starting endorphins that might make me feel attached.

Looking at it later, I wondered whether I?d been influenced, back when I was the only widow I knew, by societal attitudes that frowned on our seeking new love. Was I editing my behavior according to the cruel limits that mourning places on a woman in her prime? I found a survey from 1970 that showed a third of the public approving of a widow remarrying after a year, but a similar survey 30 years later showed only 9 percent approval. More than ever, it seemed, people preferred the chaste Jackie Kennedy to the remarried Jackie O, the devastated woman to the recovering one. It seemed that attitudes toward widows had become more restrictive in the 30 years between those surveys, and I considered why. Perhaps the more death occurs away from home, hidden away in hospitals and nursing homes, the more power we ascribe to it. Death has become unmentionable, and therefore unimaginable, and if unimaginable, therefore unmanageable. It should be impossible to recover from, we think, a mortal psychic blow.

In my case, though, there were a couple of years when I couldn?t make the leap. After all I?d seen, all I?d done and failed to do, I couldn?t imagine having the will again to take on responsibility for another person. The idea that I might stand before my friends in a white dress and pledge to love someone else in sickness and in health? Unthinkable.

Nevertheless, a little more than a year after Bernie died, I obliged a couple I was close to by joining them for an attempted fix-up with a friend of theirs. The four of us met at a restaurant, the kind of bo?te that serves real entr?es instead of pan-Asian snacks. The couple had told me that the man was successful at his business; they had told him I was pretty.

My intended suitor was a suburban man with a pleasant face, a recent widower, so recent, it turned out, that he redirected all conversation toward paeans to his wife?s favorite pursuits -- gardening, antiquing, shoe shopping -- following up with questions about whether I shared her interests. It was like a job interview to determine whether I could fill the shoes, literally, of a valued employee. His wife had been a devoted gardener, and he was so befuddled over what to do with her vast beds of tulips and nasturtiums that he had hired someone to spread hundreds of cubic yards of mulch to put them into some kind of order. Unless I heard him wrong. It might have been hundreds of cubic feet of mulch. I had no idea the quantity of mulch one needs to do whatever it is that mulch does for flower beds.

?Do you like to garden?? the mulch man asked me, while the other couple at the table hung on my answer.

?I have window boxes at my apartment,? I answered with careful neutrality.

His wife?s antiques also needed to be repaired and polished, and she owned a lot of those shoes that he didn?t know what to do with. ?Have you ever restored antiques?? he asked.

?I bought an old cabinet at a flea market once,? I said. ?I think it may have been a fake.?

?Are you interested in shoes??

I felt the anticipation of everyone at the table while the question led me astray and I entered one of those altered states that I witnessed later when Denise lost the thread of a conversation. Was I interested in shoes? I was so interested in shoes that once when Bernie was in the hospital for a one-hour procedure, I busted out of the waiting room, ran outside, jumped into a cab, hightailed it to Barneys, whipped through the shoe department to ogle pumps and platforms and flats, and then repeated the whole escapade in reverse, no one the wiser, all before Bernie?s procedure ended, and all simply to remind myself that somewhere there existed a parallel universe where people concerned themselves with the delicious folly of placing something exquisite on their feet. It was a trip to the far side of Pluto and back, all in the course of an hour.

Copyright ? 2013 by Becky Aikman. Excerpted by permission of Crown Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Earlier on Huff/Post50:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/25/becky-aikman-saturday-night-widows_n_2542507.html

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