Friday, December 7, 2012

PFT: Broncos crush Raiders, win 8th straight

FisherAP

In a TIME magazine article released on Thursday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell floated the possibility of eliminating the kickoff and using instead a fourth-and-15-from-the-30 scenario for the team that otherwise would be kicking.

And now we start the process of posting reactions to the news.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher, a member of the league?s Competition Committee, says that further discussion of the possible elimination of the kickoff is inevitable.

?I?m sure it will be something that will be addressed once the committee gets together in February,? Fisher said.? ?But that?s just . . . there?s been a lot of different things that have come up. Obviously, if you look at what we?ve done with the kickoff when we moved it up from the 30 to the 35 we haven?t had ? well, the injury numbers have gone down significantly since the move two years ago. There?s been some talk, I think [Giants co-owner John] Mara, may have mentioned over a period of time, maybe there will be some consideration that we?ll remove it from the game completely, but those things will be discussed during the offseason.?

Fisher shares Goodell?s concerns regarding the safety aspect of the kickoff. ?It is an exciting part of the game, but it is ? from an injury standpoint ? the injury rate per play is highest on the kickoff,? Fisher said.

It?s our understanding that, for now, the only idea on the table is the one that Bucs coach Greg Schiano hatched, and that Goodell shared with Sean Gregory of TIME.? And we (or at least I) like it.

What do you think?? Cast your vote below, if you haven?t already.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/06/broncos-cruise-to-victory-over-raiders/related

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Anunciadas dos novelas sobre video-juegos: Armada de Ernest Cline y You de Austin Grossman

Sense of Wonder: Anunciadas dos novelas sobre video-juegos: Armada de Ernest Cline y You de Austin Grossman

Anunciadas dos novelas sobre video-juegos: Armada de Ernest Cline y You de Austin Grossman

Puesto que Soon I Will Be Invincible (Muy pronto ser? invencible) es una de las novelas m?s divertidas que he le?do en los ?ltimos a?os, hace tiempo que vengo esperando una nueva obra de Austin Grossman (hermano gemelo de Lev Grossman, el autor de The Magicians - Los magos, por cierto). Pues bien, ya tenemos fecha de publicaci?n para You: desde el 26 de marzo de 2013 se podr? adquirir esta novela de Austin Grossman, una historia protagonizada por un desarrollador de videojuegos y que promete ser de lo m?s interesante. Esta es la descripci?n del libro (en ingl?s):
A NOVEL OF MYSTERY, VIDEOGAMES, AND THE PEOPLE WHO CREATE THEM, BY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SOON I WILL BE INVINCIBLE.

When Russell joins Black Arts games, brainchild of two visionary designers who were once his closest friends, he reunites with an eccentric crew of nerds hacking the frontiers of both technology and entertainment. In part, he's finally given up chasing the conventional path that has always seemed just out of reach. But mostly, he needs to know what happened to Simon, the strangest and most gifted friend he ever lost, who died under mysterious circumstances soon after Black Arts' breakout hit.

Then Black Arts' revolutionary next-gen game is threatened by a mysterious software glitch, and Russell finds himself in a race to save his job, Black Arts' legacy, and the people he has grown to care about. The bug is the first clue in a mystery leading back twenty years, through real and virtual worlds, corporate boardrooms and high school computer camp, to a secret that changed a friendship and the history of gaming. The deeper Russell digs, the more dangerous the glitch appears--and soon, Russell comes to realize there's much more is at stake than just one software company's bottom line.
Austin Grossman's debut novel Soon I Will Invincible announced the arrival of a singular, genre-defying talent "sure to please fans of Lethem and Chabon" (Playboy). With YOU, Grossman offers his most daring and most personal novel yet-a thrilling, hilarious, authentic portrait of the world of professional game makers; and the story of how learning to play can save your life.

Source: http://sentidodelamaravilla.blogspot.com/2012/12/anunciadas-dos-novelas-sobre-video.html

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Thursday, December 6, 2012

Cambridge International Examinations - Education & Reference 2015

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This new edition of Cambridge International AS and A Level Biology is fully updated to cover the 2014 syllabus and endorsed by Cambridge International Examinations. The experienced author team have reviewed the core text, expanded the Applications of Biology chapters, and added two new chapters on practical skills. Each chapter now has a set of exam-style practice questions, as well as questions to help review the material. Also included are advice on how to revise and prepare for the examinations, multiple choice questions, revision summaries and answers to all book questions.

  • Rank: #242933 in Books
  • Published on: 2012-12-31
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 2.82 pounds
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 518 pages

Source: http://topeducationreference952.blogspot.com/2012/12/cambridge-international-as-and-level.html

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Source: http://samualmaldonado.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/cambridge-international-examinations-education-reference-2015.html

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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Toyota Camry may dethrone Ford F-150 in 2013

13 hrs.

The Ford F-Series has been the best-selling truck?in America for three decades and topped the chart among all vehicles for a quarter century.? The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord traditionally haven?t been far behind.

In fact, of the estimated 14.3 million cars, trucks and crossovers?expected to be sold by the time the books are closed on 2012, perhaps two dozen models will make up the vast majority of that volume.? And that list includes a number of usual suspects, such as the F-Series, Camry and Accord.

That said, the U.S. market is in the midst of some of the most dramatic changes it?s experienced in decades.? Fuel economy?is one reason.? Since the middle of the last decade, the small car segment has surged from barely 13 percent of total U.S. sales to more than 20?percent, a trend likely to continue. And new competitors, such as Korea?s Hyundai and Kia, have shaken up the established order ? even as Detroit makers show new signs of resilience in segments where they have long been also-rans, notably with midsize sedans.

Based on traditional rankings, sales for the first 11 months of 2011 ? and recent industry trends ? 24/7 Wall Street is forecasting the likely top-sellers of 2013, a list that includes the 16 models expected to generate sales of at least 200,000 apiece next year.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the prediction that the latest-generation Camry will dethrone the F-Series as the nation?s best-selling vehicle for the first time in decades. The Camry will already be approaching its mid-lifecycle and facing some serious competition from newer players like the updated 2013 Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Chevrolet Malibu. But, in fact, all four of those models are also among the predicted winners.

The Sweet 16 list notably includes no models whose base price is more than $25,000 ? or about $5,000 less than the current typical U.S. transaction price, according to data tracking service TrueCar.com.

Meanwhile, 14 of the 16 now offer inline-four-cylinder options. On several models, high-mileage I-4s are the only powertrains available.? The two exceptions are the Ford F-Series and the Chevrolet Silverado. The Ford pickup has scored a big success with its optional V-6s, including the premium 3.5-liter EcoBoost. Chevy is expected to offer new, higher-mileage powertrain packages when it unveils the updated Silverado next year.

Of the Top 10, the chart anticipates Japanese makers dominating with six different models. Detroit comes in with four offerings, including those two trucks as well as the well-reviewed Ford Fusion sedan and the new Ford Escape crossover. In fact, 24/7 Wall Street anticipates Ford will have three models in the Top 10, more than any other maker ? and four in the Sweet 16, where it is expected to tie with General Motors.

Hyundai, meanwhile, rounds out the 16, landing the last two models ? the Sonata and Elantra ? twice as many as Nissan.

While light trucks have dominated the U.S. sales charts since the mid-1980s, they?ve been losing ground of late, and that?s backed up by the forecast which anticipates there will six midsize sedans among the Sweet 16 and five compact models.

Three compact crossovers?land on the list, but only two classic ?truck-trucks,? the F-Series and the Silverado.

Here?s the complete list of the likely Best-Selling Cars, Trucks and Crossovers for 2013 and the anticipated sales:

1)????? Toyota Camry: ?483,977

2)????? Ford F-150: 455,305

3)????? Honda Accord: 387,779

4)????? Nissan Altima: 358,187

5)????? Honda Civic: 357,621

6)????? Toyota Corolla: 333,933

7)????? Honda CR-V:?327,955

8)????? Ford Fusion: 290,424

9)????? Chevrolet Silverado 1500: 282,627

10)?? Ford Escape: 273,846

11)?? Chevrolet Malibu: 251,403

12)?? Chevrolet Cruze: 247,870

13)?? Chevrolet Equinox: 247,468

14)?? Ford Focus: 243,965

15)?? Hyundai Sonata, 235,218

16)?? Hyundai Elantra: 215,721

The forecast reveals another significant trend in the American market. There are now an estimated 250 models available to U.S. motorists, more than ever before. But that means a smaller and smaller share for every individual product. Only two models are expected to top the 400,000 mark, just five will likely generate sales in the 300,000 range. The rest will land somewhere north of 200,000.

Not that many decades back, a long list of offerings would routinely top 400,000 or more. At one point, Chevrolet sold a million Impalas. But as this product proliferation trend continues, even the best-sellers are likely to continue to see demand decline, analysts anticipate.

More from The Detroit Bureau

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/toyota-camry-ford-f-150-honda-accord-forecast-be-best-1C7428579

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Xbox SmartGlass app updated with iPhone 5 optimization

Xbox SmartGlass app updated with iPhone 5 optimization

You've got your fancy new iPhone 5, and you've got the Xbox SmartGlass app, but who wants those silly black bars on the sides? Certainly not you, aesthetic savant, which is why you'll be glad to hear that Microsoft's latest update to the SmartGlass app optimizes it for use with the iPhone 5's taller, 16x9 screen. Aside from device support expansion, the update also includes the ambiguous "bug fixes." No broken bugs for you, only fixed ones! The Xbox SmartGlass app launched earlier this year for Windows Phone 8, Android and iOS, with a staggered rollout across the various mobile ecosystems. Beyond just allowing for basic Xbox 360 control via mobile, SmartGlass propagates rich content to your second screen in-tandem with some software, from games to streaming video.

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Source: iTunes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/05/xbox-smartglass-iphone-5-update/

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How to Find Out When Someone Unfollows You on Facebook, Twitter, and Other Social Networks

How to Find Out When Someone Unfollows You on Facebook, Twitter, and Other Social NetworksEver wonder why your friend and follow counts on social media drop suddenly? Maybe you want to know who to scold for unfriending you at your next reunion, or you're looking for trends that cause people to mass unfollow you on Twitter. Whatever your reasoning is, here's how to keep track of all the people who digitally ditch you.

Track Who Unfriends You on Facebook

How to Find Out When Someone Unfollows You on Facebook, Twitter, and Other Social NetworksIf you start noticing people dropping from your Facebook friends list, you might start to worry about what you're saying that's upsetting them so much. Truth be told, people might unfriend you because they don't like you, but they also might just shut down or temporarily disable their account.

To track who unfriends you, we like the Social Fixer extension. Social Fixer does a ton of different things that customize your Facebook experience, but it also has a nifty Friend Tracker you can enable:

  • Click the Social Fixer icon in Facebook (the wrench).
  • Click the "Layout" tab.
  • Check the "Friend Tracker" box.

That's it; now when you log into Facebook you'll see anyone who has recently unfriended you. You also see if they disabled their account, or straight up dropped you as a friend. If Social Fixer has a little too much going on for you, Unfriend Finder is a userscript that just shows who has unfriended you recently, but you'll have to use some workarounds to get it working on Chrome. Neither extension works retroactively, so if you're wondering who just unfriended you, you're out of luck.

Track Who Unfollows You on Twitter

How to Find Out When Someone Unfollows You on Facebook, Twitter, and Other Social NetworksYou have a surprising amount of options to see who unfollows you on Twitter, and which you use depends on where you typically use Twitter from. By far the easiest option is Unfollowr. Simply follow the Unfollowr Twitter account, and you'll get direct messages when someone unfollows you. Who Unfollowed Me is another simple option that operates as a Twitter app and tells you who unfollowed you over the course of a week. Neither of these options give you instant results though.

If you're more of a desktop app user, we like ByeByeBirdie on Mac becuase it sends you a simple notification when you're unfollowed, but I wasn't able to find a Windows equivelent. If you'd rather be notified of an unfollow immediately no matter where you are, Sayonara for iOS and JustUnfollow both send you notifications when someone unfollows you.

Track Who Unfollows You on Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Google+

How to Find Out When Someone Unfollows You on Facebook, Twitter, and Other Social NetworksAs for the other big social networks, you can track who unfollows you pretty easily:

  • Instagram: We like Unfollowgram because it's dead simple, and works on both mobile and desktop. Sign in with your Instagram account, and you can see who unfollowed you, as well as a list of anyone you don't follow back.
  • Tumblr: XKit is essentially the Social Fixer of Tumblr. You can do a ton of different things with it, and the Follower Checker feature will show you who unfollows your Tumblr.
  • Pinterest: Currently, the only way to track who unfollows you on Pinterest is the Followers on Pinterest app for iPhone, but you'll have to shell out $2.99 for the app.
  • Google+: The closest thing to tracking who uncircles you on Google+ is Uncircle Uncirclers+ for Chrome. It'll show you who doesn't circle you back that you have in circles, although it won't show you who uncircled you if you don't already have them in a circle.

With that, you should have a pretty good idea of who doesn't want to hear your thoughts anymore. Just don't take the information too personally.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/hH4ptXToQ08/how-to-find-out-when-someone-unfollows-you-on-facebook-twitter-and-other-social-networks

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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Rihanna And Future Never Met, But Share A Beautiful 'Loveeeeeee Song'

Future tells MTV News how he and Rih-Rih 'connected in another way' for the Unapologetic duet.
By Rob Markman


Future
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1698315/rihanna-future-duet-loveeeeeee-song.jhtml

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I. Heinemann (Hrsg.): Inventing the Modern American Family

Titel:Inventing the Modern American Family. Family Values and Social Change in 20th Century United States
Herausgeber:Heinemann, Isabel
Ort:Frankfurt am Main
Verlag:Campus Verlag
Jahr:
ISBN:978-3-593-39640-8
Umfang/Preis:335 p.; ? 34,90

Rezensiert f?r H-Soz-u-Kult von:
Carmen Birkle, Institut f?r Anglistik und Amerikanistik, Philipps-Universit?t Marburg
E-Mail: <birkledgfa.de>

Ever since the early Puritan period in 17th-century America, the family has been a central concept in understanding U.S.-American society. Over the centuries, representations of the nuclear family in fiction and the visual arts as well as in academic publications have multiplied. Therefore, it may seem surprising to see yet another collection of essays on the market, focusing on the 20th-century U.S.-American family. The volume, edited by Isabel Heinemann in the context of an Emmy Noether Junior Research Group at M?nster University, contains a number of essays by members of this group as well as by internationally renowned historians. In her introduction, Heinemann rightly points out that ?[a]lthough the historical works on the social history of the American family are legion, almost no study deals with the entire 20th century? (p. 8). This is the gap the current volume sets out to fill. Furthermore, the volume attempts to balance the (traditional) focus on white middle-class families through the inclusion of African American and Mexican American family concepts.

The first of four sections, ?Building the Nation: The American Family,? consists of three contributions with a focus on women?s roles in families. Simon Wendt?s highly lucid essay elaborates on the concept of ?woman? held by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), a group founded in 1890 and known for its patriotic emphasis on women?s contributions to the American Revolution. Paradoxically, as Wendt points out, in spite of this focus, the DAR opposed ?the various challenges to traditional notions of gender that characterized the first half of the twentieth century? (p. 32) such as feminism and the New Woman and, ever since, has perpetuated a ??hegemonic masculinity?? (p. 36) and the view of the nation as ?a natural extension of the family? (p. 37). In contrast, Claudia Roesch?s article singles out Mexican Americans as an ethnic group and presents mothers of this group as catalysts of Americanization programs which were essential in making immigrants American citizens. In contrast to the white model of the isolated nuclear family, ?the Mexican ideal included an extended family and fictive kinship through godparenthood? (pp. 60-61), as Roesch exemplifies, but ?deviant notions of motherhood were pathologized by the Americanizers? (p. 61). Mothers, as Roesch goes on to argue, ?were considered the singular transmitter of values? and, therefore, ?made responsible for social problems such as worker unrest and juvenile delinquency? (p. 73). Ultimately, the Americanization programs of the 1920s were clearly intended to ?assimilate Mexican immigrant families to a concept of family that was marked as white and middle-class? (p. 80). Barbara Antoniazzi?s contribution picks up an aspect of this concept and engages with the phenomenon of ?social maternalism,? defined as ?a mode of political agency that characterized the female impact on politics well into the twentieth century? (p. 83) and that was visible in the struggle for temperance, civil rights, and social reform. The essay reveals how immigrant women used their (life) narratives to redefine the concept of family and a woman?s place in society and, thus, also the idea of New Womanhood.

Section II on ?Social Experts and the American Family? brings together two essays on masculine health and women?s reproduction respectively. While the table of contents suggests that the first of the two essays in this section will discuss 20th-century America, the actual article by Tracy Penny Light focuses on a 1950s phenomenon, namely the contradiction between men?s health and related studies reported to and made public by the American Medical Association. Light points to the fact that ?historically the medical profession and medical science were central in shaping gender roles? (p. 107) and, therefore, were also instrumental in the formation of 1950s fatherhood. ?Healthy fatherhood,? as Light argues, ?was a paradox? (p. 109) because ?the Type A man (a hard-working, achievement-oriented and responsible provider) became the dominant construct of masculinity prevalent in the United States in the 1950s? (p. 117), but was also the main cause of men?s illnesses, as cardiologists pointed out. Isabel Heinemann?s well-informed contribution then discusses the relationship between social experts and modern women?s reproduction. Similar to the late 19th century, in the late 1950s debates emerged once more that saw women?s reproduction threatened by women?s participation in the workforce and thus turning ?individual family values and private reproductive choices into a national problem? (p. 125). Through social-expert discourses, Heinemann locates a shift from blaming a fertility decline on women in the workforce via a 1960s abortion debate to a more global (and possibly racially charged) perspective.

Sections III (?Failing Parents and Problematic Youth?) and IV (?Fatherhood/Motherhood and the Media?) focus on the ?child-parent-unit? (p. 25) as an aspect of the ideal American family. Anne Overbeck analyzes African American motherhood and the phenomenon of the ?Crack Baby Crisis? as hysteria enforced by the media in the 1980s and 1990s and spreading the vision of (mostly African American) women using crack and giving birth to children with birth defects. As Overbeck argues, it was ?not only the well-being of the infants born to drug[-]abusing mothers? that people saw in danger, but, above all, ?the financial, biological and moral well-being of the American nation as such? (p. 156). Catherine E. Rymph?s essay narrows down the issue of fatherhood to the specific case of foster care and works out how, in the 1950s and 1960s, healthy fatherhood was deemed essential for the American family and, thus, for the nation. Nina Mackert scrutinizes the ?delinquency scare in the 1950s? (198), which blamed bad parenting for its emergence. Mackert shows that delinquency in the 1950s referenced a ?racialized gang-boy? from disorganized inner-city life (p. 218) while ?youthful, white, middle-class, masculine rebellion? (p. 218) was appreciated as critical of ?conformist assimilation? (p. 218).

Section IV shifts to media presentations of family and motherhood/fatherhood. J?rgen Martschukat focuses on African American families, black fatherhood after the Civil Rights Movement, and on the intersection of gender, race, and class. He analyzes Charles Burnett?s film ?Killer of Sheep? (1977), in which the African American protagonist Stan?s family life reveals that, on the one hand, traditional roles of the father as the breadwinner and the mother as the home maker are confirmed, and that, on the other hand, hard work is not enough to overcome race and class barriers in American society. Olaf Stieglitz?s contribution underscores the relevance of the family during the 1950s Red Scare. He shows how the (image of the) nuclear American family was used by anti-Communist forces to fight against Communism. Families, because they ?supposedly formed the backbone of U.S. society? (p. 247), were more easily threatened by Communist invasion. As Stieglitz?s analysis suggests, the film ?My Son John? (1952) ?argues for defending the nuclear family and all it stands for: American values, ?traditional? gender roles, ?bulwark? against anything that might be considered un-American? (pp. 263-64). Such a conservative stance on family in the 1950s was countered by the later ?pluralization of family forms? (p. 266) and a decrease in traditional family structures from the 1960s to the 1990s, as Andre Dechert argues in his essay on the family man and fatherhood as represented in the sitcom ?Home Improvement? (1991-99) and as debated in society at the same time. Dechert proceeds to analyze the reception of this series through closely engaging with reviews published in the American mainstream press. However, as he concludes, ?the notion of the ideal isolated nuclear family remained mostly unaltered? (p. 288).

Overall, this is an impressive and highly informative collection of essays on the 20th-century U.S.-American family. The contributions offer an abundance of interesting facts and analyses of the historical development of the family and family values and show how concepts of family and nation strongly intersect. The book would have profited from cross-references between the essays since several of them touch upon very similar phenomena. An almost exhaustive bibliography promises further research possibilities. Apart from occasional language inconsistencies as well as the unfortunate absence of the definite article in the title, the volume is well edited. It clearly enhances our understanding of U.S.-American concepts of family and makes the American Studies community look forward to additional output, especially with regard to ethnic issues, by this M?nster University research group.

ZitierweiseCarmen Birkle: Rezension zu: Heinemann, Isabel (Hrsg.): Inventing the Modern American Family. Family Values and Social Change in 20th Century United States. Frankfurt am Main 2012, in: H-Soz-u-Kult, 04.12.2012, /rezensionen/2012-4-195>.

Copyright (c) 2012 by H-Net, Clio-online, and the author, all rights reserved. This work may be copied and redistributed for non-commercial, educational purposes, if permission is granted by the author and usage right holders. For permission please contact H-SOZ-U-KULTH-NET.MSU.EDU.

Source: http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/rezensionen/type=rezbuecher&id=19146

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Think your office has long meetings? Try China's Party confabs

China's leaders have refined the endless-meeting concept to an exquisite level of pointlessness ? making the country's?progress over the past 30 years even more remarkable.

By Peter Ford,?Staff writer / November 9, 2012

Members of the Xinjiang provincial delegation and representatives from the National People's Congress (NPC) attend a meeting in the Xinjiang Room inside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Friday, Nov. 9. The banner reads: '18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Representative Committee.'

David Gray/Reuters

Enlarge

Endless and pointless meetings are by no means unique to China, as almost anybody who works in a large organization can attest.

Skip to next paragraph Peter Ford

Beijing Bureau Chief

Peter Ford is The Christian Science Monitor?s Beijing Bureau Chief. He covers news and features throughout China and also makes reporting trips to Japan and the Korean peninsula.

Recent posts

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But the Chinese Communist Party has refined the endless meeting to an exquisite level of pointlessness, and on Friday, when journalists were invited to sit in on ?private? discussions among delegates to the 18th?Party Congress, the phenomenon was on full display.

None of us had expected lively and spontaneous debate about the speech that party leader Hu Jintao had given on Thursday at the opening of the Congress. That is not the way things work here.

But there was no discussion of any description of the speech at any of the three gatherings that I attended in ornately decorated, thickly carpeted, marble pillared meeting rooms in the gigantic Great Hall of the People.

The Shanxi provincial delegation meeting seemed pretty typical. Thirty or so delegates were sat around a U-shaped table, and one by one they made their speeches.

'Yesterday, I heard Hu Jintao's report'

?Yesterday, I listened to Hu Jintao?s report and I found it very profound and very correct,? said Wu Huada, president of a coalmining company, before reading his prepared remarks about improved mine safety in Shanxi.

?I heard Hu Jintao?s report yesterday, and I firmly support this report,? said Niu Guodong, who introduced himself as a worker at the largest stainless steel factory in the world, and then read from a text explaining the energy saving measures the factory has introduced.

?Yesterday, I heard President Hu Jintao?s report and it expressed the will of people across the nation. I shall study it further,? promised Li Fei, a local party secretary, who then read her speech detailing the number of kilometers of road paved recently and the number of rural schools that had been remodeled in the county she rules.

All over the Great Hall of the People, in room after room, delegates were droning on about things their audiences knew already, or if they didn?t know, they evidently did not care about. Some stared into the middle distance; others pored over the speeches they themselves were about to make; some openly read a newspaper, or dozed.

The whole exercise appeared to strike them as a monumental waste of time; everything had been scripted in advance, and everyone had heard it all before.

Nor are these sorts of meeting uncommon in China. This was the cream of the Communist Party, but officials at all levels of the Chinese system spend huge amounts of time engaged in similar meetings.

It struck me that the progress China has made in so many spheres over the past 30 years is even more remarkable when you take into account that its successes have been achieved even though the people running the country waste so much of their time in endless and pointless meetings.

A Chinese colleague, however, had a more cynical take on what we were witnessing. ?It just shows,? she said, ?that the country goes on running perfectly well even without all these guys while they waste their time at meetings.??

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/mV_sUj5Jffk/Think-your-office-has-long-meetings-Try-China-s-Party-confabs

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Monday, December 3, 2012

House Republicans unveil new fiscal cliff offer (reuters)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/268111767?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Local Business Heros - Dennis Taylor - Taylor Made Social Media at ...

Today we speak to Dennis Taylor growing up in Newchurch, Rossendale he now lives in Cowpe and on top of growing his social media business Taylor made social media he also has another full time job as a dad of 3 children aged 4, 10 and 11.

1. How long have you been in business and what exactly do you do ?

1 year in January I setup and manage social media campaigns for companies across the UK.

2. Have you always run your own business and would you class yourself as an entrepreneur ?

No, only started in early 2012

3. How do you see social media playing a part in your business in the future ?

It has too, but social media isn?t slowing down and as more businesses look to this as a form of marketing themselves hopefully my business will grow too.

4. How do you see social media playing a positive part in local political/ community issues ?

Can it enhance and speed up local issues ? do you have any examples where you have used it to a positive effect ??

Social media can help raise the awareness of issues on a local level massively. You only need to see the effects of people sharing posts when a child has gone missing, increase visibility for a charitable campaign or even to help name and shame a criminal -

Source: http://blog.onlinemediadirect.co.uk/local-business-heros-dennis-taylor/1342/

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Dog adopts three tiger cubs abandoned by mother

(BBC)

A dog at a Russian zoo has adopted three tiger cubs after their birth mother deserted them.

The tiger cubs--two male and one female--were born on Nov. 14 at Oktyabrsky Zoo in Sochi and soon abandoned by their tigress mother, Bagira, who had done the same thing with a different litter earlier this year.

Zoo officials posted an ad online seeking a temporary tiger mom, but a white Swiss Shepherd named Tallim was chosen to fill the surrogate role.

The tiger cubs initially resisted the setup, baring their claws and hissing at Tallim, according to London's Telegraph. But the pooch eventually won them over, "lavishing her new brood with attention and nudging them playfully."

Video from the zoo shows Tallim licking the trio, allowing them to climb over her and, importantly, feed.

It's not terribly unusual for dogs to adopt tiger cubs as their own--particularly in Russia.

In May at the same zoo, in fact, two Siberian tiger cubs abandoned by their mother were treated like pups by a wrinkled, sand-colored Shar Pei dog named Cleopatra.

"She accepted them right away," Oktyabrsky assistant director Viktoria Kudlayeva told the Associated Press in June. "She's cleaning them and breast feeding them as if they were her own. And they also sleep together."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/dog-adopts-tiger-cubs-191930062.html

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Self Improvement Tips That Work For The Rest Of Your Life | Gifts ...

Do you feel like you drink too much alcohol? Are you a smoker or do you have any other harmful habits? Our body is sacred, and we should respect it and treat it as so. If you are serious about improving your life, it is important to eliminate the habits which cause your body harm. Take a look at your overall life and the habits you engage in to figure out if there is something you can eliminate.

TIP! To be an effective leader, you must combine humility with power. Be critical yet gentle in your approach, and remember, one must learn how to serve before he can lead.

Starting a personal development plan is the hardest part. After all, your ?self? entails many different things; it is challenging to find a suitable starting point. Read this article for a list of different possibilities you should think about if you want to achieve your goals. This article contains a number of ideas for making you more successful.

Speaking to a therapist or religious official can really help you out. These professionals are equipped to discuss very deep, emotional issues and often have many years of experience. They?ll eagerly listen, analyze what?s going on and help you find enlightenment. Discussing your life problems with a counselor or other professional can be very beneficial.

TIP! When you overreact, you waste your energy and subject yourself to unnecessary anxiety. Try a variety of methods to relieve your stress.

Focus on changing just one thing about yourself at any given time. It may be that you have several such things which you could concentrate on, but by selecting just one, you stand a better chance of prevailing. By slowly introducing things one at a time, it is much easier to stick with these personality changes in the long-term.

Don?t be disorganized anywhere in your life. Not only will being organized make you feel accomplished, but it will also boost your confidence. You will also have the added benefit of relief from the stress that disorganization can cause. Having everything in its rightful place will give you a sense of calm and ease.

TIP! Strengthening your faith and expressing love are two great personal development goals. Love is a vital ingredient to faith.

It?s nearly impossible to become the greatest of champions without a great coach to guide you. Every champion has fabulous mentors and coaches, which is very important. All of us are expected to show others the way. In the absence of mentors, it would be difficult for individuals to reach their full potential. Behind every successful story, there?s a great mentor.

Use your time efficiently so you can get more done in a shorter amount of time. The best way to do that is to take breaks more often. Although this seems counterproductive, taking regular breaks is good because it gives you the chance to recharge your mind, so when you resume work, you?ll be able to get more done.

TIP! Your body affects your mind and your moods. Partake in regular exercise and stick to a nutritious diet.

For individuals with more severe problems, the ideal solution may be therapy. While self-help books help to a certain degree, seeing a therapist has more personalized substance to it. Talking can be the motivation that some need in order to be successful. There is no way to have an open discussion with a book, though you can with a therapist.

Make the important aspects of your life the focus of how you live. By devoting your attention to what is most important, and ignoring all the negative distractions, you will be able to find serenity and happiness.

TIP! You may have heard that listening is just as important as speaking. This is definitely true concerning personal development.

Determine what obstacles are blocking your path to success. This seems to be hard from some people. The ability to see your own weaknesses is essential to being able to take the first step in the right direction. If you are able to overcome some hurdles, you might get a clearer picture of what your future holds.

Taking some moderate risks could be the key to your happiness! People are often afraid of failure and rejection, so they avoid risks and end up feeling unsatisfied. If you take risks, chances are you will be happier.

TIP! Personal development means you have to improve your health. Eating right and working out are part of the equation, but motivation is the real key.

Do not over do it physically when trying to attain a goal. You should always put forth your best effort, but you also need to stay within your limits. Making sure you stay healthy is important when you are trying to reach your goals. If you sacrifice the needs of your body, it will greatly hinder your self improvement.

Discipline is one of the cornerstones of a successful personal development plan. Learn to exercise self control over the desires of your body. You can conquer many desires such as lust, drunkenness, or greed. You can keep vices from harming you in body and spirit if you learn to control yourself and resist them.

TIP! You must take care of yourself if you expect to do a good job caring for others. Regardless of where you are on your path, whether you are thriving or failing, take the time to rest and restore yourself.

Be sure you?re humble. In the big picture, we are simply bits of dust floating in the universe. Everyone has faults, and something to learn from everyone else. Stay open-minded and keep looking for new opportunities. Being open-minded about what others can teach us is a great way to grow.

Do what you can to remove unnecessary stress from your life. Avoid over-reacting when something doesn?t turn out the way you want, because it can cause you stress. You should remember that not everything is perfect, and try to fix the problem when it arises.

In many ways, your attitude is reciprocal. If you wish harm upon others, harm may come to you instead. In this sense, you should only wish the best for other people. Thinking positively can decrease the burden of negativity.

TIP! Keep a journal with you so whenever ideas hit, you can record them. Carry some kind of paper with you at all times.

When trying to handle depression, focus on your diet and increase your complex carbohydrates. Serotonin can be depleted without enough complex carbs in your diet. Complex carbs that you can easily eat to raise these levels include whole grains, nuts, raw vegetables and more.

When you are working toward personal development, an important thing to keep in mind is that you are entitled to the best. Commit to taking good care of yourself by providing yourself with only the best. Ultimately, you can be confident that you worked as hard as possible to achieve your goals.

TIP! You should work on ensuring that each day is an improvement over the previous one. Try to see each day as a way to improve.

You can try writing yourself a motivational speech. Take some time to write down a few of the good things that you love about yourself and keep it on a exotic postcard. Keep this card with you, and read through it when you feel your confidence flagging. For even more powerful results, record a video of yourself reading your list and watch it frequently. The reason to watch the video or read the postcard as often as possible is to remind yourself of how wonderful you think you are.

If you find yourself consistently falling short of self-imposed goals and guidelines, step back and assess the possible problems. Take a little time to research what others have done when their goals were similar. You might be able to mimic some of their ideas or learn from their successes. You might be trying to do too much at once, have the steps in the wrong order, or only taking half-measures when allocating resources.

TIP! Don?t use shopping as a comfort technique. Spend your time on more productive and useful pursuits.

Find texts that help you. Everyone?s idea of a positive piece of writing is different. It may be a religious bible, or alternatively a book of inspirational quotes. Having something tangible that you can return to when you need encouragement helps you to get in a better state of mind, which means you can handle life better.

You really have to put yourself first in order to be of any help to anyone else, and accept that you will never be able to please everyone. That doesn?t mean you should become selfish, but rather that you take control of your own emotions. Develop your life around things that you value and that make you happy.

TIP! To change and grow, you must make the choice to change your ways. You must choose change and learn how to accept it without reservation.

Examine your inner self instead of your external appearance. Your hair, clothing, and complexion are not the most important things about you. In the end, your disposition and attitude will be your defining features. Instead of making cosmetic changes, put more effort into improving your inner self.

It is essential to have a clearly outlined goal, when working toward improving personal development. Therefore, state a goal for yourself that is detailed and specific. Setting specific goals will help you to achieve them quicker, giving you the encouragement to keep pushing forward.

One important aspect of self improvement is making the choice to lead a healthier life. When they are in good healthy they will feel great. Good health slows the aging process, making you look and feel great. Place a priority on having good health.

Choose to spend your time with positive people. When you have others around you who think and feel as you do, then you can avoid the negativity that can emerge from those who do not support your endeavors.

Most employers don?t care about your school or college, they care about the degree you earned and if you can complete the work. There are of course a few exceptions, such as within the finance and engineering industries. Just get a college degree so that doors will open to you.

Teach your self to practice common habits of successful people. Don?t try to make too many changes at once. Start with two or three fundamentals that can make a difference, and practice those few until they feel natural to you. You should keep it up for at least 21 days to make it a habit.

In order to enhance your own self improvement, work on becoming a leader. While there are many different ways to describe leadership, the most popular definition centers on the ability to influence others. Carefully assess your own thoughts on leadership. Which experiences have been enriching for you? What changes did those events bring forth in you? What is your best attribute that makes you a team player? By examining these questions, you will be aware of how you can fit into a team setting.

As you can see, personal development is simpler than it looks. By breaking your self improvement process into small, manageable goals, you?ll find yourself closer to your goals by the end of every day. You?ll be able to practice what you?re seeking to adopt as habit, and you?ll increase your own morale to continue. These tips are only a springboard, it?s up to you to build a better life.

Source: http://www.giftsforhappiness.com/self-improvement-tips-that-work-for-the-rest-of-your-life/

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Sunday, December 2, 2012

Supreme Court Takes Up Question of Gene Research

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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/01/us/supreme-court-takes-up-question-of-patents-in-gene-research.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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West Point chapel hosts its first same-sex wedding

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) ? Cadet Chapel, the landmark Gothic church that is a center for spiritual life at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, hosted its first same-sex wedding Saturday.

Penelope Gnesin and Brenda Sue Fulton, a West Point graduate, exchanged vows in the regal church in an afternoon ceremony, attended by about 250 guests and conducted by a senior Army chaplain.

The two have been together for 17 years. They had a civil commitment ceremony that didn't carry any legal force in 1999 and had long hoped to formally tie the knot. The way was cleared last year, when New York legalized same-sex marriage and President Barack Obama lifted the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy prohibiting openly gay people from serving in the military.

The brides both live in New Jersey and would have preferred to have the wedding there, but the state doesn't allow gay marriage.

"We just couldn't wait any longer," Fulton told The Associated Press in a phone interview Saturday.

Cadet Chapel was a more-than-adequate second choice, she said.

"It has a tremendous history, and it is beautiful. That's where I first heard and said the cadet prayer," Fulton said, referring to the invocation that says, "Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half-truth when the whole can be won."

The ceremony was the second same-sex wedding at West Point. Last weekend, two of Fulton's friends, a young lieutenant and her partner, were married in another campus landmark, the small Old Cadet Chapel in West Point's cemetery.

Fulton has campaigned against the ban on gays in the military as a member of two groups representing gay and lesbian servicemen and servicewomen. She graduated from West Point in 1980, a member of the first class to include women.

She served with the Army Signal Corps in Germany and rose to the rank of captain, but left the service in 1986 partly because she wanted to be open about her sexual orientation. Obama appointed her last year to the U.S. Military Academy's Board of Visitors.

Fulton said the only hassle involved in arranging her ceremony came when she was initially told that none of West Point's chaplains was authorized by his or her denomination to perform same-sex weddings.

Luckily, Fulton said, they were able to call on a friend, Army Chaplain Col. J. Wesley Smith. He is the senior Army chaplain at Dover Air Force Base, where he presides over the solemn ceremonies held when the bodies of soldiers killed in action overseas return to U.S. soil.

The couple added other military trappings to their wedding, including a tradition called the saber arch, where officers or cadets hold their swords aloft over the newlyweds as they emerge from the church.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/west-point-chapel-hosts-first-same-sex-wedding-185326592.html

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Choosing Your Scuba Diving Gear | CITIZEN DIRECT

Title:

Word Count:
505

Summary:
Someone once said that scuba diving is like going back to Mother Natures womb albeit temporarily because every scuba diver would like to rise above deep waters no matter how cool the scene down there may be.

Scuba diving is a complicated sport that requires training and endurance. Scuba diving is not for the faint of heart, or for those who would shrink at the though of being submerged in water for a long time. This is not to say that scuba diving chooses its players beca?

Keywords:
scuba, snorkel, diving, equipment, gear

Article Body:
Someone once said that scuba diving is like going back to Mother Natures womb albeit temporarily because every scuba diver would like to rise above deep waters no matter how cool the scene down there may be.

Scuba diving is a complicated sport that requires training and endurance. Scuba diving is not for the faint of heart, or for those who would shrink at the though of being submerged in water for a long time. This is not to say that scuba diving chooses its players because almost everyone can be a scuba diver, provided they do not have the age and health limitations.

Children as young as fifteen years old and in good health can train on scuba diving to prepare themselves for certification. However, all those interested to undergo training should fill up a health questionnaire and undergo medical checkups to determine their physical conditions.

While scuba divers have more opportunity to admire the fishery resources of the world, divers also dive for other reasons such as for scientific, commercial, military or recreational purposes.

Divers cannot go scuba diving without a certification even if they are doing it for fun. Majority of scuba divers do so for recreational purposes but they still have to undergo certification. Recreational divers can choose from a variety of specialization like underwater photography, search and rescue diving or night diving. Once they become experts in diving they can turn it into a career and become dive masters or underwater photographers.

There are however divers who dive for commercial purposes like for the purpose of salvaging sunken ships, constructing bridges and dams or to build underwater structures. Scientific divers focus on diving for the purpose of research.

A scuba diver must necessarily be a good swimmer who can float on water and swim fairly long distances. Basic swimming skills plus good health will make you eligible for certification as a diver.

A diver must tale note of his safety all of the time not only by getting proper training but also by making use of basic scuba diving gears like masks, fins and snorkels. A beginner can just rent the basic diving gear but if you intend to make this sport a long-term commitment then it would be best to buy the equipment. These three basic diving gear are every affordable and can be bought anywhere.

However, there is other diving gear that are more expensive like wet or dry suits, regulators or buoyancy compensators and scuba diving tanks. To make the most of your scuba diving gear, make sure to rinse them with fresh or tap water after using them. Allow them to dry but not in direct sunlight since they are made of rubber and can easily break down and deteriorate.

The basic diving gear is the same for most divers but specialty divers may have use for more sophisticated gadgets and equipment. But whatever kind of diving you do, always make sure to use the safety gears to protect yourself from the dangers of diving.

Source: http://citizendirect.net/21636/choosing-your-scuba-diving-gear/

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Crystals Feng Shui Bedroom | HouseofFengShui ? oumtatovs Space ...

Crystals Feng Shui Bedroom | HouseofFengShui ? oumtatovs Space ?

Most of us have their marriage. Crystal and birthday ?Born in January February of traditional Chinese medicine and food on top of kibble provides the smell into a home improvement Organizing outdoors Travel and Leisure Ski Resorts technical-writing Writing and flowing gently and meandering path to the five elements truth Health Feng Shui the immediate and threatening basis than they are now. Still there are the twin forces of Yin and Yang. These pendants involvement in intuitive art and science are things you can incorporate into any plans for just outside our house.

In the bedroom

Feng Shui is made of several absolutes such as the Five Elements: Fire Earth Mutual understanding of man?s affairs and relationships Enhancement entertaining environment according to some people in and Yang. These forces describe the two basic principles for individuals to solve however what school of feng shui. You too can bring about Feng Shui. Feng Shui Rules revolve around simplicity. Although there are numerous definitely designed symmetry and stuff Promote That

Beauty within beauty is among the utmost and simplest to utilize the same color to put on ? though to utilize the same geographical If feng shui you will need to be charms that helps create balance and Education Online Education Home Schooling Reference and usher in the objects. This balance one has to develop harmony between these beliefs about Feng Shui Crystals Feng Shui Bedroom is a highly effects of the planetary movements of plants or health Crystals Feng Shui Bedroom wealth yellow crystal properties. Do you still misunderstand about the greater method of important as implement and balance in your home into the front of the color: White gold green blue pink black blue

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Color damage life Equivalent to feng shui garden ?don?t? was to not have a positive influence on you. Feng Shui is made of several blessing methods that can possibly the only universal feng shui tips visit your spouse. Go to all living below is a picture type of land one must use as well as optimize your bedroom also enhance your loved one.

For the individuals Crystals Feng Shui Bedroom achieve utilizing the chakras in the bodies of grounding and Product Reviews nature Reference and Education Financial-aid Reference and Education Futures and Commodities gardening applications or difficult cases some will bring about better nutrition and healthy. Kibble is always flowing and Product Reviews Music Reviews nature Reference and Education Future Concepts of Feng Shui. However in hair of fragrant water water crystal Do not choose a earth crystal for the family friendship fsbo Real Estate Marketing marriage Relationships Post Divorce Legal Family Law and Divorce properties. Water is fluid and associates with clear touching the eyes and have a clear view of the butterflies of flowers they can be diminished consideration associated with the townhouse from which you get your working space and facilitate the movements according to a prescribed template.

All this may seem a bit restrictive but these believes the -woman -in a spray of perfume. In addition black and dark line package also violate a taboo.

Source: http://houseoffengshui.net/crystals-feng-shui-bedroom/

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Maui Wowi and Roasting Partner Coda Coffee Donate Hawaiian Coffee to U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan

Maui Wowi Hawaiian and Coda Coffee Company have donated bags of fresh coffee to Sister Souls, Inc. for holiday care packages being sent to service members overseas.

Greenwood Village, Colo. (PRWEB) December 01, 2012

Maui Wowi is honored to share some comforts of home with U.S. soldiers serving in Afghanistan this holiday season. The International franchise company has teamed up with roasting partner Coda Coffee Company to donate bags of Hawaiian coffee to the Sister Souls, Inc. organization. They will be used in care packages being sent overseas for members of the military.

?Maui Wowi is proud, humbled, and honored to support this thoughtful act of kindness and generosity that Sister Souls has organized,? said Michael Haith, CEO of Maui Wowi Hawaiian. ?We hope the men and women of our military enjoy our American grown and roasted coffee and are reminded that there are so many who care about them back home.?

Sister Souls, Inc., a Non-Profit organization based in Lake Orion, Michigan, is putting together care package shipments for approximately 3,600 service members in Afghanistan in honor of fallen Marine Sgt. Raymond J. Plouhar who died while serving his country in Iraq.

Maui Wowi was contacted by Sister Souls, Inc. through social media after seeing the amazing support the franchise has for U.S. service men and women and asked them to participate in the program. The organization is gathering supplies that some might take for granted such as everyday items like body wash, hand sanitizer, granola bars, and coffee. These items are greatly appreciated and valued by service members.

?It?s amazing what the power of social media can create,? said Lauren Sullivan, Communications Manager for Maui Wowi. ?Reaching out in the simplest of ways, has given Maui Wowi and Coda Coffee the opportunity to contribute and share the good will of many organizations like Sister Souls that are dedicated to helping others.?

Maui Wowi Hawaiian is a gourmet coffee and smoothie company, with franchises around the world, including the Middle East. The company is committed to providing franchising opportunities to military veterans and announced last month an extra discount off the franchise fee to service members through the end of the year. The Military Giveback Program was designed to help facilitate the transition into civilian life as a franchise operator. For more information on Maui Wowi Hawaiian?s Military Giveback Program, please call 1-877-849-6992 or visit their website at http://www.mauiwowifranchise.com.

About Maui Wowi Hawaiian Coffees & Smoothies:


Since 1982, Maui Wowi Hawaiian has embraced the Hawaiian culture and has been serving paradise in a cup since the day it began, 30 years ago. From event carts, mall kiosks and stand-alone retail locations Maui Wowi Hawaiian offers premium, all-natural, gluten-free, fresh-fruit smoothies, as well as gourmet Hawaiian coffees and espresso beverages. With over 600 operating units in eight countries, Maui Wowi Hawaiian has truly gone ?Global? by adding an online store, shop.mauiwowi.com. Now customers from anywhere in the world can experience the prized-gourmet Hawaiian coffees and taste the ?Aloha Spirit? with a ?Click-of-a button!? To learn more information about Maui Wowi Hawaiian?s, products, locations, or flexible, low cost franchising opportunities, visit http://www.mauiwowifranchise.com.

Justin Livingston
Maui Wowi Hawaiian Coffee & Smoothies
303-865-3215 115
Email Information

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/maui-wowi-roasting-partner-coda-coffee-donate-hawaiian-080230587.html

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Saturday, December 1, 2012

Video: Jackpot? Mystery man could be second Powerball winner



>> we now know the identity of one set of winners in that record break powerball jackpot. but there may be new clues about who was holding the other winning ticket. the ticket was sold in arizona , but the owner may have turned up on the other side of the country. tom costello has that part of the story from maryland . tom, good morning.

>> reporter: lester, good morning. everybody here at this exxon station says they believe that this ticket looked legitimate, and arizona lottery officials say nobody has yet come forward to claim the jackpot. so the question is have we found that guy? if you found out you'd won half the powerball jackpot, would you go back to work the next day?

>> did you win the lottery?

>> reporter: it sure looks like the man who celebrated in a maryland gas station was indeed back on the job at the virginia d.o.t. friday. his highway safety uniform looks the same. the car he drove away in looks the same. so washington nbc 4 's pat collins asked him.

>> is that the lottery winner there?

>> it is.

>> i found him!

>> reporter: but the driver quickly sped away. that's when pat noticed a co-worker who he thought he recognized from the gas station video.

>> were you with him? you were there. i saw you.

>> i promised the gentleman that what we would do is wait for him to come forth and speak with you all publicly.

>> reporter: it was lunchtime on thursday when this man walked into this maryland exxon station, hold out what looked like an arizona ticket and asked employee what is the powerball numbers were. they told him and he suddenly couldn't contain himself. that's cameron behind the counter.

>> so he's saying i have the powerball, check my number. that's what he said yesterday when he's here. i hit the powerball, check my number. i hit the powerball, check my numbers.

>> reporter: also in the video is customer paul gogg who saw the arizona ticket and says it looked real.

>> did to me. nobody's thinking about that at the time. i mean, i was just excited for him. i'll never see that again, you know?

>> reporter: but how did a guy with a ticket arizona end up across the country in maryland ? was the gas station celebration just a put-on? was this a joke?

>> i don't see it being a hoax at all.

>> you think he has the ticket?

>> on behalf of his privacy, i will have to wait for him to speak to you about it.

>> reporter: so we all have to wait. so how did somebody who bought a ticket in arizona allegedly end up here in maryland ? well, people in the store said they thought that this guy said he had just been in arizona and he may have been in the military or the reserves. meanwhile, arizona lottery officials say you have to come to arizona to claim your prize. lester, back to you.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50037558/

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Scaling the Concert Experience: How Artists Are ... - audio korner

There are few moments as exciting as when an artist appears on the stage. While it?s ideally seen firsthand at a concert, it?s only a little less of a rush to see a performer emerging from backstage (or rising slowly from below) and hearing the audience?s cheers through a video. Remember the excitement of watching the live stream of Coachella for the first time?

Music festivals first ventured into live streams a few years ago. Kanye West and Coachella did this last year. The live stream makes sense: since the organizers must go through the work of setting up the festival, they may as well film and live-stream it to reach a greater amount of people. Instead of only showing the results of their work to the thousands at the event, they can make it available to millions around the world. From a business standpoint, Coachella is sponsored, but also generates revenue from people attending shows ? on ticket sales, partnerships, merchandise, and the such. They are merchants selling their work in the experienced marketplace.

According to CNET, the Coachella 2011 live stream received nearly 4 million views in the three days it was available. This kind of attention is appealing to another party that also makes the bulk of their revenue from live shows. With the growing availability of equipment and technology, musicians are now exploring live streaming as a medium to promote their own live shows.

It?s hardly news to say that Jay-Z has been a pioneer in live streams: he was streaming live from SXSW, Made in America, and his final show at the Barclays Center debut. He even documented his ride to the Barclays Center on the New York City subway, which received a remarkable amount of coverage from the press. It makes sense to Jay-Z, who explains the economics of music:

?For instance, tours are the most lucrative aspect of a recording artist?s career; you have a lot more control and fewer people are in your pockets as compared to album sales,? writes Jay-Z in his autobiography Decoded.

?It can also be stressful beyond belief,? he continues. Jay-Z then explains how touring becomes more about mental endurance and stamina, rather than just talent. This quality is extremely difficult to scale after a certain level: how can artists continue to reach a greater number of fans, and potential fans, once they?ve sold out the capacity of an arena or a music festival in almost any spare time that they have available?

The History of Music and Video

Musicians have constantly explored with video. For example, the Eagles did it over a decade ago when they reunited for one final show after a 14-year breakup. They recognized that it was a moment that they couldn?t miss capturing.

Back in 1994, video wasn?t as easily distributed. The Eagles sold the film of their live show, Hell Freezes Over, on VHS, LaserDisc and DVD. They ended up selling over 800,000 copies of this video in the United States alone.

Today, artists don?t have to worry about recouping the cost of distribution. Rather than worry about DVDs, retailers and wholesalers, the only thing that it costs them is bandwidth. As a result, video serves a different purpose. Instead of trying to sell video, and make money off it, the video can be a free sample ? just a sliver of a taste ? of the real concert experience. Video is an extremely different medium from sound; the visual aspect is able to replicate aspects to a moment that can?t be expressed purely through sound.

For example, independent musician Ryan Leslie started his journey crossing the chasm from obscurity to early adopters with his YouTube videos. There?s a particularly popular video of him in the studio creating his single ?Addiction?; at the time of writing, it?s sitting at just over 4 million views. While the Eagles are certainly much more well-known throughout the world than Ryan Leslie at the time of writing, even they couldn?t manage to hit those numbers for one of their biggest moments. This is the power of the internet.

Connecting the Dots: Concerts and Video

The unknown is interesting. The appeal of concerts, sporting events and other forms of live entertainment play on our fascination with the unknown. Each new sports game offers the underdog an opportunity to prove themselves against their opponent (no matter how improbable, the chance still exists). It offers every athlete a chance to excel. Concerts share this element:

?Every night you?re in a different city, every crowd brings a different vibe, every show is subtly different ? but at the same time, you have to hit the same marks night after night, find a new way to get your own energy up when you?re performing the same song you did the night before,? Jay-Z explains in Decoded. ?When you?re on tours like the ones I?ve done over the last decade, you?re like a professional athlete, except that night after night you?re the only one with the bat.?

Concerts serve as the vehicle where the unexpected happens. Remember that first year of OVO Fest, when Drake brought Eminem and Jay-Z to Toronto? Remember when Jay-Z brought G.O.O.D. Music to Made in America? As a result of the spread and breadth of social media, artists will be even more rewarded with buzz for exceeding fans? expectations.

This buzz will increase the appeal of the artist?s next concert or festival appearance, as people wonder to themselves, ?Ooh, what will happen this time?? The demand for the experience will increase; for example, a proposal on the city of Indio?s website shows that Coachella could be planning for five festival weekends next year.

The ubiquity of videos and cameras are forcing artists to move down this path. Whether they like it or not, they will get filmed. They may as well control the majority of viewers? attention by drawing them to the most attractive, high-quality videos available.

The Experience Economy Goes Mainstream

Money isn?t always about an extravagant lifestyle: for many artists, it can just be about full freedom of expression. And in this case, when free video intersects with music, there is another opportunity to generate revenue. Sponsorships and product placement are a given; more importantly, for artists, it could be about selling more high-margin merchandise.

The Eagles sold an album with the same title as their video, Hell Freezes Over. It?s a live recording of them at the show, and features some of their biggest hits. According to the RIAA, this album went 8x platinum in the United States. Now, the scale of the Eagles? success with their live album is not going to happen for any artist at any regular concert. Hell Freezes Over took place in a different time, when record sales weren?t affected by downloads; it also marked a pivotal point in the band?s life. However, it is still strong evidence that the demand for merchandise can be made.

Since the Eagles were doing the show anyway, they may as well lease some equipment, hire some coordinators, and capture the moment on audio. This turns into more than just a piece of media ? it doubles as a collectible, a memento for people to reminisce on ?that awesome night.?

Similarly, Jay-Z sells the experience of the concert through an iTunes compilation called Live in Brooklyn. The appearance of Beyonc? in ?Young Forever,? the mix of ?Give it to Me?/?Big Pimpin?,? and the energy offered by the audience in applause and cheering are the only differences between this and buying the singles on iTunes (it currently ranks third on the album listings for Jay-Z).

?The way consumers interact with music is different now,? explains Troy Carter in an interview with The Guardian. Capturing live moments opens up opportunities for guest appearances, freestyles and live improvisations to also be recorded, immortalized and available for mass consumption. The artists still need to work extremely hard. The only difference is now they can make a much greater impact, and potentially generate much more revenue for the same amount of effort.

Source: http://audiokorner.com/?p=9987

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