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Obama wants gun violence measures passed in 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Recalling the shooting of 20 first graders as the worst day of his presidency, President Barack Obama on Sunday pledged to put his "full weight" behind a legislative package next year aimed at containing gun violence.

In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," Obama voiced skepticism about proposals to place armed guards at schools in the aftermath of the Dec. 14 deadly assault at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

In his boldest terms yet, he vowed to rally the American people around an agenda to limit gun violence and said he still supports increased background checks and bans on assault weapons and high capacity bullet magazines.

"It is not enough for us to say, 'This is too hard so we're not going to try,'" Obama said. "So what I intend to do is I will call all the stakeholders together. I will meet with Republicans. I will meet with Democrats. I will talk to anybody.

"I think there are a vast majority of responsible gun owners out there who recognize that we can't have a situation in which somebody with severe psychological problems is able to get the kind of high capacity weapons that this individual in Newtown obtained and gun down our kids. And, yes, it's going to be hard."

Obama's comments come as the schoolroom shooting has elevated the issue of gun violence to the forefront of public attention.

Six adults also died at the school. Authorities say the shooter killed himself and his mother at their home.

The slayings have prompted renewed calls for greater gun controls. The National Rifle Association has resisted those efforts vociferously, arguing instead that schools should have armed guards for protection.

"I am skeptical that the only answer is putting more guns in schools," Obama said. "And I think the vast majority of the American people are skeptical that that somehow is going to solve our problem."

Obama said he intended to press the issue with the public.

"Will there be resistance? Absolutely there will be resistance," he said.

"The question then becomes whether we are actually shook up enough by what happened here that it does not just become another one of these routine episodes where it gets a lot of attention for a couple of weeks and then it drifts away. It certainly won't feel like that to me. This is something that - you know, that was the worst day of my presidency. And it's not something that I want to see repeated."

Besides getting gun violence legislation passed next year, Obama also listed immigration as a top priority for 2013 as well as deficit reduction. A big deficit reduction deal with Republicans proved elusive this month and Obama is now hoping Senate Democratic and Republican leaders salvage a scaled back plan that avoids across the board tax increases for virtually all Americans.

He issued a defense of former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, who has been mentioned as one of the leading candidates for new secretary of defense.

Hagel, who opposed President George W. Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq, has been criticized in conservative circles for not being a strong enough ally of Israel. Many liberals and gay activists also have banded against him for comments he made in 1998 about an openly gay nominee for an ambassadorship

Obama, who briefly served with Hagel in the Senate, stressed that he had yet to make a decision on a secretary of defense but said called Hagel a "patriot."

"He is somebody who has done extraordinary work both in the United States Senate," he said. "Somebody who served this country with valor in Vietnam. And is somebody who's currently serving on my intelligence advisory board and doing an outstanding job."

He noted that Hagel had apologized for his 14-year-old remark. "And I think it's a testimony to what has been a positive change over the last decade in terms of people's attitudes about gays and lesbians serving our country," Obama said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-wants-gun-violence-measures-passed-2013-140306667--finance.html

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How to Create a Home Based Internet Business | ABA United

December 31st, 2012 by admin Leave a reply ?

How to Create a Home Based Internet Business ImageMaking money on the internet by building a home based business starts with figuring out what your special, niche interest is. A niche interest is the one subject in which you consider yourself to be an expert. If you?re lucky, you may be a relative expert in more than one thing. Are you especially good at fixing bikes? Do you know everything there is to know about collecting stamps? If you?re interested in it, chances are, there are a slew of other people who are, too.

Your interest is the key to a successful home based internet business. If you don?t care about what you?re selling or the services you have to offer, then your heart won?t be into your business. You must want more than just money to make a successful business. You have to be passionate in what you have to offer in order to communicate that passion to your customers.

After you?ve chosen your niche interest and a focus for your business ? let?s say, fixing bikes ? now you need a turnkey Internet marketing system to create income for you. Where are you most likely to find people who will be interested in your site and the products you have to offer? Certainly, there are brick and mortar establishments like bike shops where people would see your advertisements, but for an online store, your marketing should focus on the Internet. Go where bike riders go ? forums, blogs, chat rooms. Start your own blog. Be the place where those who want to fix their bikes or buy a new bike go to learn what they need, and then offer it to them.

To get high rankings in search engines and be the business that comes up as a resource when people search for terms that are associated with your chosen business, you have to continually provide fresh, new content that contains those keywords. This is part of why blogging is such a popular Internet marketing tool. Blogging requires you to post new information and observations pertaining to your business and industry regularly, even daily. This piles up the keywords for the search engine spiders to find and helps to raise you in the rankings.

All of this adds up to more traffic to your online home business, which means more customers, higher sales, and a better overall profit margin for you. Creating wealth online and making money on the Internet is as simple as finding the thing you are best at, creating a website for it, offering high quality products and services at a reasonable price, marketing those products where the advertising will be seen by those who need your product, and getting them to come to your online business website and see what you have to offer.

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Source: http://www.abaunited.com/create-home-based-internet-business.html

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The World Until Yesterday

Relying on his vast knowledge of New Guinea, Jared Diamond asks what moderns like us can learn from traditional societies.

By Steve Weinberg / December 31, 2012

The World Before Yesterday By Jared Diamond Viking Adult 512 pp.

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The book world is blessed with big-picture thinkers who have earned the ?genius? label. Jared Diamond, a geography professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, is one of them.

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Many of those geniuses make no effort to write books for general audiences. But fortunately for us, Diamond does not fit that mold. The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? is the newest in a line of impressive works from Diamond, all easily accessible to general readers.

The best-known of Diamond?s books is ?Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies,? partly because it won the Pulitzer Prize, and partly because its hypothesis is stated clearly and captures the imagination. In this book Diamond posited that human societies evolved at different rates with different degrees of success depending on where they were located. Other prominent Diamond books include ?The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal?; ?Why Is Sex Fun?: The Evolution of Human Sexuality?; and ?Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.?

It is never wise to oversimplify the worldviews of geniuses, but here I go anyway: To some degree, geography is destiny. Humans, obviously, need adequate food to thrive. But, as Diamond explains, ?surprisingly few wild plant and animal species are suitable for domestication to become crops and livestock. Those few wild species were concentrated in only about a dozen small areas of the world, whose human societies consequently enjoyed a decisive head start in developing food production, food surpluses, expanding populations, advanced technology, and state government.?

The differences explain what we now call European dominance: Europeans settled around the Fertile Crescent, home to ?the most valuable domesticable wild plant and animal species.? Aboriginal tribes on the large island of Australia, on the other hand, ?inhabit areas with few domesticable wild plant and animal species.?

Thus, the ?traditional societies? in Diamond?s book are neither backward nor inferior. Rather, they live ? or until recently have lived ? much as individuals lived throughout the ages. The European (and North American) industrialized way of life is so recent that it is merely a tiny blip on the timeline.

To demonstrate what moderns like me (and maybe you) can learn from traditional societies, Diamond relies heavily on his vast knowledge of New Guinea, located on a huge island north of Australia.

Until the 1930s, residents of the island resided in small groups, did not operate with a written language, did not attend schools, did not use money to purchase goods, and had almost no contact with the outside world. Diamond began his research visits there about 50 years ago. Eventually he became a familiar figure and learned at least one of the island languages. He eventually found much common ground with the New Guineans, and today, he writes, he and island residents can ?hold long conversations, laugh at the same jokes, share interests in children and sex and food and sports, and find ourselves angry, frightened, grief stricken, relieved, and exultant together.?

It would be a mistake, however, to assume that people are basically the same everywhere, Diamond says: ?[M]any of my New Guinea friends count differently (by visual mapping rather than by abstract numbers), select their wives or husbands differently, treat their parents and their children differently, view danger differently, and have a different concept of friendship.?

Three cheers for those differences, Diamond has concluded. They are what makes traditional societies intriguing. They also make ?The World Until Yesterday? a fascinating and valuable look at what the rest of us have to learn from ? and perhaps offer to ? our more traditional kin.
Steve Weinberg is the author of eight nonfiction books. He has read all of Diamond?s books, but says he still isn?t a genius.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/DJ6RFXJHUqU/The-World-Until-Yesterday

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Strong economy ahead for South Florida if fiscal cliff is averted

An improving economic year is likely for Florida in 2013, unless the D.C. political machine crashes the economic party with a sudden and huge increase in taxes and across-the-board spending cuts starting in January. The uncertainty surrounding next year?s fiscal policy has already slowed growth of holiday retail sales and has created uncertainty in private sector business plans.

Assuming a benign outcome on taxes and fiscal spending, the economic fundamentals of the state suggest an accelerating economic recovery from the so-called ?Great Recession? of 2008-2009. Various factors suggest it will be a better year for Florida residents and businesses, especially economically diversified regions like South Florida. Among them:

??The all important real estate markets will continue to improve at a steady pace. Single-family home prices are attracting buyers, especially with historically low-mortgage interest rates. The multi-family residential markets, in key areas of Miami-Dade County such as Brickell, Key Biscayne, Sunny Isles and Coral Gables, were strong in 2012, with large projects planned for those areas as inventory dries up in 2013.

??The macroeconomic environment continues to improve, especially for globally oriented regions such as South Florida. Unless elected leaders allow the nation to dive into a deep ?cliff? that lasts for several months in early 2013, the U.S. economy is expected to grow a moderate 2-3 percent. This is positive for Florida?s tourism and real estate sectors, and for our ability to produce and export other goods and services to the rest of the nation.

At the global level, the Latin America region, Canada and Asia are likely to expand at a solid clip, allowing South Florida to export products and services such as information technologies, tourism, real estate and healthcare services. Even Eurozone residents will continue to invest in Florida as they flee economic turmoil in the southern part of Europe.

??A third positive factor is what some economists term ?Helicopter Ben,? which is the propensity of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and the Fed to continue injecting liquidity into the economy by purchasing Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities at record levels. The Fed is telling us that mortgage and other debt instruments? rates will remain historically low for the foreseeable future. This is the first time in my 30-plus year career as a business economist that the Fed is targeting a specific sector (real estate) and telegraphing to the public historically low-interest rates.

As a former Fed chairman used to say, ?The role of the Fed is to take the punchbowl away when the economic party gets too loud? Well, it does not look too loud for 2013, but watch out for the potential of a ?hangover? in future years as inflation starts and interest rates rise sharply.

In 2013, South Florida should perform better than the rest of the state?s regions, given its growing global links. Miami now enjoys a ?global brand? for entertainment, business, healthcare and the arts.

The principal risk for 2013 is U.S. fiscal policy. An ideologically divided Washington has the potential to derail a national economic recovery that has just started to take hold, and that is still repairing the social and economic damage created by the ?Great Recession.? Florida requires a growing U.S. economy to continue accelerating its economic recovery.

A new U.S. recession, caused by fiscal policy mistakes, would disrupt the nascent real estate recovery and hurt economic growth with key trade partners such as Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia. Let us hope that a clearer fiscal policy path emerges in D.C. early into the New Year.

J. Antonio ?Tony? Villamil, founder of The Washington Economics Group, is dean at the School of Business of St. Thomas University.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/12/30/3159700/strong-economy-ahead-for-south.html

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Gracenote?s Ad Replacement System That Personalizes TV Commercials Will Start Trials In 2013

Gracenote TV AdsMost TV commercials are poorly targeted and show things you'd never buy. But not for long. Gracenote's new ad replacement system combines viewing habits with personal info to show you more relevant commercials. Gracenote will demo it at CES and start trials in 2013. The rev-share is still in talks, but higher CPMs could enlarge the $70 billion TV ad market and give Gracenote and partners a nice cut

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3NUKeBvP8VU/

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Landlord's market ahead? Office space disappearing in - Finance ...

Target is continuing to consume more space in the Nicollet Mall area. Vendors not only want to locate near their client?s headquarters at the south end of the mall, but Target also requires some of its vendors locate nearby so they are more accessible for meetings. (Staff photo: Bill Klotz)

Landlords battered by the real estate recession are beginning to see a flicker of hope with rising occupancies in premier office buildings.

Even so, tenants are still in control of the Twin Cities office market. There is still an ample supply of office space with vacancies topping 16.5 percent across the Twin Cities, according to Colliers International. Yet for a select group of coveted addresses, the pendulum is starting to swing back in the landlords? favor. Concessions are disappearing and rents are beginning to rise.

?I think momentum has improved slightly,? says Michael J. Salmen, a partner at Transwestern in Minneapolis, but not to a point where it has changed from a tenant?s market to a landlord?s market.

Some small pockets within the market have turned the corner and are leaning more toward a landlord?s market, he adds. Most notable, that short list includes Class A space along Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. Space also is filling up among top A properties along the Interstate 394 corridor and Interstate 494 near France Avenue.

It is no surprise that best-in-class A space is leading the office market recovery. Office tenants typically adopt a ?flight to quality? mentality as discounted rents make Class A space more affordable. In some cases, that activity has been at the expense of older A properties, as well as B and C buildings. That is evident in the numbers with Class A vacancies of 13.2 percent that are well below the 18.1 percent vacancy in B space and 20.5 percent vacancy in C space, according to Colliers International?s third-quarter office report for the Twin Cities market.

Nicollet Mall in vogue

Nicollet Mall is the ?Main and Main? of downtown Minneapolis, and Class A buildings located along the avenue, particularly upper floor offices, are in high demand. Tenants are drawn as much to the central location of these buildings as they are to the image and perks of locating in newer Class A buildings that offer amenities ranging from polished marble floors to live music in the IDS Center?s Crystal Court

The ?Target effect? is another key driver in the demand for space along this prime avenue. Vendors not only want to locate near their client?s headquarters at the south end of Nicollet Mall, but Target also requires some of its vendors locate nearby so they are more accessible to meetings with purchasing agents and other personnel.

Target itself is continuing to consume more space in the coveted area. The company has expanded its presence at the former Retek on the Mall building. Earlier this spring, the company agreed to lease 100 percent of the office space in the building or 449,233 rentable square feet. ?That has made the Class A market on or near Nicollet Mall very tight,? says Salmen.

Overall, the Class A vacancy rate in the Minneapolis central business district represents the lowest in the metro at 11.5 percent. Several buildings along Nicollet Mall, such as US Bancorp Center, Wells Fargo Center and IDS Center are reporting vacancies (excluding sublease space) at less than 10 percent.

Tenants looking for space on Nicollet Mall above the 25th floor will find almost no vacant space, says Jim Damiani, a senior vice president, office brokerage at Colliers International in Minnetonka. ?It really depends on the location and the building,? he says.

Landlords that own those prime office buildings are certainly in a good position to ask for higher rents.

?I would say that landlords, particularly new landlords, will attempt to push rents up,? says Russ Nelson, president and a principal at Nelson Tietz & Hoye in Minneapolis. Yet it still remains to be seen how successful those efforts will be, he adds. The reality is that there is still an ample supply empty space among Class A buildings downtown in properties such as Plaza Seven and Fifth Street Towers.

Currently, net rental rates on Class A buildings in the Minneapolis CBD run the gamut from about $13 per square foot net to upward of $23 per square foot.

In St. Paul?s CBD, net rental rates of $12.38 were quoted for Class A space in the third-quarter Colliers report. While the vacancy rate for Class A space in St. Paul?s CBD is 11.6 percent, downtown is dominated by more than twice as much Class B space, which has a vacancy rate of 24.8 percent.

Across the broader Twin Cities office market, rents are still discounted on average about 15 to 20 percent compared with pre-recession levels. Tenants are still finding discounted rents and concessions with one month of free rent for each year of the lease term as the norm. In contrast, rents for those premium Class A buildings that are enjoying higher occupancies have seen rents that are either at or near pre-recession levels.

As a result, that high demand niche is beginning to see rent concessions being reduced and asking rents that are on the rise. Asking net rental rates have increased as much as $4 to $5 per square foot in some buildings, notes Salmen. Some of the premium buildings are still offering free rent deals, but by the end of 2013 those concessions will likely be gone.

Suburban hot spots

Although it is not as significant as the scenario on Nicollet Mall, space also is disappearing in the newer, well-located A properties in the suburbs. The Interstate 394 market is starting to tighten up, especially for users looking for more than 50,000 square feet.

?There are not a lot of large blocks of space out on the 394 corridor, and I think that is going to spur some build-to-suit activity,? says Damiani.

Buildings such as Crescent Ridge, Money Gram Tower, the Colonnade and the 601 Tower at Carlson Center are all reporting vacancies at 10 percent or below.

Despite Class A vacancies that remain at 14.1 percent in the southwest metro, some landlords are enjoying healthy occupancies. Norman Pointe II, which was built in 2007, is 100 percent occupied, as is the 234,000-square-foot One Southwest Crossing in Eden Prairie. Normandale Lakes in Bloomington also continues to see good occupancy levels, particularly at its 8400 and 8500 Towers, where occupancies are above 90 percent.

The southwest still has plenty of choices for companies that don?t have their hearts set on a prime address or a sweeping view from the upper floors of the 8500 Tower. Minnesota Center, for example, has ample space available.

Major employers such as UnitedHealth Group may see its appetite for leased space diminish as it continues to focus on build-to-suit projects. The company built a 350,000-square-foot office building at 9703 Data Park Drive on its Minnetonka campus this year and has started building structures for a potential 1.5-million-square-foot office campus in Eden Prairie. That not only takes a key tenant out of the market, but it also will likely result in more leased space returning to the market as the company continues to consolidate into its new space.

Although the strong demand for well-located Class A buildings is good news for some property owners, the broader office market is still grappling with a significant amount of excess space.

?In my mind, it is still a tenant?s market out there, even though things are tightening in certain buildings,? says Damiani.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 27th, 2012 at 7:30 am and is filed under Real Estate, Top Story. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Source: http://finance-commerce.com/2012/12/landlords-market-ahead-office-space-disappearing-in-a-buildings/

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'Anarchy' creator blasts AMC over 'Dead' exit

AMC

Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes in "The Walking Dead."

By Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter

Former "Shield" writers/exec producers Kurt Sutter and Shawn Ryan took to Twitter on Friday to voice their support for friend and former colleague Glen Mazzara after the showrunner parted ways with AMC's "The Walking Dead."

AMC on Friday announced that its ratings juggernaut "The Walking Dead" would return for a fourth season -- and without Mazzara, who became the second showrunner to exit the zombie drama in as many years.

STORY: AMC renews "The Walking Dead" for fourth season; showrunner Glen Mazzara departing

"Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward and conclude that it is best to part ways," AMC said in a statement.?"This decision is amicable, and Glen will remain on for postproduction on season 3B as showrunner and executive producer." (Filming on season three already has concluded, with the second half of episodes set to return to AMC in February.)

"Sons of Anarchy" creator Sutter took to Twitter late Friday to voice his support for Mazzara and blast AMC -- which has a history of rocky relationships with its showrunners.

"AMC is run by small-minded, bottom-line thinkers who have no appreciation or gratitude for the effort of its creative personnel," Sutter wrote. "Time and time again we see events like what happened today with Glen Mazzara. They continue to disrespect writers, s--- on their audience and bury their network. Mazzara took the work-in-progress that was 'Walking Dead' and turned it into a viable TV show with a future. Without him, that future is dim. Showrunners are not development executives, we're not cookie-cutter d------- that you plug into a preexisting model. 'TWD' will suffer. Even zombies need consistency. 'Mad Men' and 'Breaking Bad' will be gone soon. So will AMC. I hope their f------ stock takes a dive and the shareholders line up (AMC president and CEO Josh) Sapan, (AMC parent Cablevision founder Charles) Dolan and (AMC president and GM Charlie) Collier and s--- in their open hands."

PHOTOS: "The Walking Dead's" most shocking?deaths

Sutter's comments come more than a year after the showrunner quit Twitter following his vocal support for former "Walking Dead" showrunner Frank Darabont, whom Mazzara replaced. Sutter, in August 2011, wrote: "No one else wants to f------ say it, but the greed of 'Mad Men' is killing the other two best shows on TV -- 'Breaking Bad' and 'Walking Dead,'" added Sutter, referring to AMC's?then-protracted negotiations?with "Mad Men" creator?Matthew Weiner?and "Breaking Bad" showrunner?Vince Gilligan.

Ryan, meanwhile, broke a holiday-timed Twitter silence to express his concern about whether Mazzara's departure would hurt AMC in the long run.

"Breaking my Twitter silence to comment: AMC, WTF?" Ryan wrote.

"Common knowledge that AMC cut Breaking Bad shorter than it should have been. Now you have creative differences w/ biggest hit's savior?" he added.

"With FX, Showtime, HBO, Starz, Cinemax, A&E, TNT and others to sell to, it's a real question now why good show runners should sell to AMC?" he concluded before returning to Twitter silence.

"Banshee" and "House" EP GregYaitanes also voiced support for Mazzara, writing: "Yo.?@AMC_TV?what are you doing with@WalkingDead_AMC?by canning another great voice???"

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Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2012/12/24/16123777-sons-of-anarchy-creator-blasts-amc-over-walking-dead-showrunner-exit?lite

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essayer puerile: Where To Go To Play Fantasy Football ...

The NFL and college football are without a doubt the most popular sports in America: Lets face it football is king. The increase in football?s popularity has led to an explosion in fantasy football. Looking for the best inside info in fantasy football has become virtually as popular to fans as finding free nfl picks when betting on games against the spread .

If you?re a beginer to playing fantasy football, we can assist you in learning everything you need to know to operate or participate in a fantasy football league.

Finding free tips for fantasy football is easier than ever, thanks to the advent of quite a few Internet sites. For example, the CBS Sports Web site offers several articles of free fantasy football news and player information. The Web site will give their visitors free picks and sleeper tips for a fantasy football draft. Or you can find tips and insider secrets for building a fantasy football lineup. Fantasy football experts evan have online chats or take e-mail questions from fantasy owners, giving suggestions on sleeper picks or on lineup changes. A lot of fantasy football Web sites also offer a list of the best players ranking and the top picks to draft.

If you?re looking for a site to join or start a fantasy football league, again, several Web sites can help you. You can be in a league with friends and family, or you can choose to join a league of strangers ? which can be helpful for avoiding excited arguments over fantasy football during family gatherings! Almost all sites are free to use for all fantasy team owners, but some do require a subscription or entry fee. CBS Sports and ESPN.com both are good sites that offer the option of having your own or joining a league with other players. Both sites also offer a variety of options for operating a league. For example, you can choose to set up your own scoring rules or eligibility rules, making your fantasy football league truly unique .

Fantasy football isn?t isn?t only the NFL, also. Fantasy college football in recent years have been growing in popularity, too. People playing in a college football fantasy league can choose to pick player from conferences or teams they are familiar with , or they can draft players from college football as a whole. CBS Sports has just announced plans to add a fantasy college football predictions area to its Web site.

Obvisously, fantasy leagues are not limited to fantasy football, but it has become the most popular. There are several different types of pro and college sports that can be played in a fantasy league as well, including major league baseball, basketball, hockey, auto racing, and golf.


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Source: http://recreationandsports.deadale.com/uncategorized/where-to-go-to-play-fantasy-football/

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San Jose Staffing ? Continuing Ed in HR | Bayside Solutions

If you work in human resources, continuing education, as with any area of business, is a necessity. The question is, what kind of training should you get? There are a number of different programs available to the HR professional, everything from graduate degree programs to certification programs, to shorter seminar and training stints.

In today?s business climate, where human resource professionals are being asked to do more and more, indications are that getting a graduate degree may be the way to go, even with the big price tag attached, according to business analyst Susan Hauser.

Business experts say that human resources is a lot more complicated than it was even 10 to 15 years ago. HR specialists now have to deal with business strategy, operational strategy, even finance as part of their job. To handle these areas, the skills and training you get in a graduate degree program are necessary. In fact, at universities, when business recruiters come to campus, they are passing over graduates with bachelor?s degrees in favor of people with graduate degrees, according to experts.

And having the graduate degree also means a lot more in pay then just having a bachelor?s.

Plus, having that advanced degree can really be of help to businesses. The ideas people are exposed to at the graduate level are usually concepts people are not exposed to in the working world, so people with the graduate knowledge are able to apply it in the business setting to better manage the company operation, improving the bottom line.

Once you make the decision to pursue a graduate degree, another consideration is what type of degree to get. This will depend on your degree of experience and your career goals. If, for example, you are looking to move up the management ranks and expand outside of HR, it might be worth your while to get an MBA with an HR concentration.

If, however, you plan to remain in HR, getting a master?s in human resources might be a better way to go.

And, of course, certification and other training courses are also an option for those who want something a little less expensive and time consuming. These types of programs may appeal more to people who have many years of experience in human resources.

Human resources professionals are constantly juggling their many duties. Let Bayside Solutions help take the bulk of your recruiting efforts for your San Jose-area company. Contact us today to learn more.

Source: http://blog.baysidesolutions.com/2012/12/continuing-education-in-human-resources/

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Dragonflies have human-like 'selective attention'

Friday, December 21, 2012

In a discovery that may prove important for cognitive science, our understanding of nature and applications for robot vision, researchers at the University of Adelaide have found evidence that the dragonfly is capable of higher-level thought processes when hunting its prey.

The discovery, to be published online today in the journal Current Biology, is the first evidence that an invertebrate animal has brain cells for selective attention, which has so far only been demonstrated in primates.

Dr Steven Wiederman and Associate Professor David O'Carroll from the University of Adelaide's Centre for Neuroscience Research have been studying insect vision for many years.

Using a tiny glass probe with a tip that is only 60 nanometers wide - 1500 times smaller than the width of a human hair - the researchers have discovered neuron activity in the dragonfly's brain that enables this selective attention.

They found that when presented with more than one visual target, the dragonfly brain cell 'locks on' to one target and behaves as if the other targets don't exist.

"Selective attention is fundamental to humans' ability to select and respond to one sensory stimulus in the presence of distractions," Dr Wiederman says.

"Imagine a tennis player having to pick out a small ball from the crowd when it's traveling at almost 200kms an hour - you need selective attention in order to hit that ball back into play.

"Precisely how this works in biological brains remains poorly understood, and this has been a hot topic in neuroscience in recent years," he says.

"The dragonfly hunts for other insects, and these might be part of a swarm - they're all tiny moving objects. Once the dragonfly has selected a target, its neuron activity filters out all other potential prey. The dragonfly then swoops in on its prey - they get it right 97% of the time."

Associate Professor O'Carroll says this brain activity makes the dragonfly a more efficient and effective predator.

"What's exciting for us is that this is the first direct demonstration of something akin to selective attention in humans shown at the single neuron level in an invertebrate," Associate Professor O'Carroll says.

"Recent studies reveal similar mechanisms at work in the primate brain, but you might expect it there. We weren't expecting to find something so sophisticated in lowly insects from a group that's been around for 325 million years.

"We believe our work will appeal to neuroscientists and engineers alike. For example, it could be used as a model system for robotic vision. Because the insect brain is simple and accessible, future work may allow us to fully understand the underlying network of neurons and copy it into intelligent robots," he says.

###

University of Adelaide: http://www.adelaide.edu.au

Thanks to University of Adelaide for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126051/Dragonflies_have_human_like__selective_attention_

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5 Ways to Improve the Reputation of Your Business Online by joeLL ...

Any business that wants to thrive in today?s world must have a vibrant online presence. It all starts with a quality website, but it surely doesn?t end there. You?ve got to be active on quality social networking sites, you?ve got to have products that translate to apps and mobile platforms and you must have positive visibility on sites like Yelp. You can hire programmers, IT experts and a social media team to do all of that work, but you cannot control your customers. And many entrepreneurs have made the mistake of underestimating how just a few negative reviews online can impact their business. The fact of the matter is that people pay more attention to the recommendations of friends and associates than they ever do to traditional advertising. Facebook and Twitter are tools of discovery, and if you have a negative reputation online you could find yourself closing up shop before long. Here are five ways to avoid that fate by improving the reputation of your business online.

First and foremost, you?ve got to be honest. You may think that a bit of spin and passing the buck will put a band-aid on things. But if it doesn?t pass the sniff test it will actually make things worse. It?s too easy for people to dig up dirt or uncover the truth online, and apologies that aren?t honest or information that is inaccurate will always come back to bite you later. Your best bet is to admit a mistake was made, and do whatever is necessary to remedy things. People aren?t looking for perfection, just accountability. If you step forward in an honest way you may actually win over some new customers.

It?s also important to be transparent. Today?s marketplace is all about building trust. There are hundreds of companies out there competing with you, and they could take your customers even with an inferior product. People want to deal with individuals, with folks they have some sort of actual relationship with. You can?t be everyone?s friend, but you can be open and transparent about your business practices. Don?t ever hide costs, underplay fees or promise results you cannot deliver. It?s much better to manage your customers? expectations and respect their intelligence.

You should also attempt to run a responsible business. Since the internet has truly joined the world into one international community people are much more aware of how their decisions impact others. Environmental sustainability has become a core aspect of many people?s decision-making around purchases. Today?s consumers obviously want a good deal, but they also don?t want to support companies that exploit third world workers, bend laws to maximize profits or harm the environment through their actions. And if you run a socially responsible company, make sure you tell people about your efforts. You will find fans this way, and consumers will even be willing to accept slower delivery and slightly higher prices if they know they are supporting a positive company.

Don?t forget to also be consistent with your message. Promoting your business online is an every day activity. Once you get started down one strategic path you must maintain it, or risk losing whatever momentum you built. People will begin to rely on your communications, and they will be seen as more authentic if you keep up a consistent pace and delivery.

Finally, make sure your social media work is not a one-way street. You?ve got to engage in the community. That comes not only from offering up value, but also answering questions and interacting as often as you can. For example, some people may have strong options about?physician reputation management best practices. They will respond to your posts, and you should use that as an opportunity to start a conversation. The more you show a true connection and care for your audience, the more loyal they will be.

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Source: http://www.jlapitan.com/2012/12/21/5-ways-to-improve-the-reputation-of-your-business-online/

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iOS Instagram Gets Update With Facebook Single Sign-On, New Filter And Album Uploading Option

instagram-logoInstagram just released a new version of its iOS app which allows people to login through Facebook's iOS 6 single sign-on integrations. It also adds?a new filter called Mayfair, and returns the ability to share photos from any album on your iPhone instead of just the main camera roll, which many users missed after it disappeared from the app's last update. Users can now sign in directly with their FB account, while the Mayfair filter adds a cool lavender cast, lightens the center of the photo and has subtle vignetting (Instagram really seems to be into purple lately, as evidenced by Mayfair and Willow, last week's new filter).

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/QT1mHg5Sa-E/

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শুক্রবার, ২১ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Bats may hold clues to long life and disease resistance

Dec. 20, 2012 ? Bats are amazing creatures. They've been around for at least 65 million years, and in that time have become one of the most abundant and widespread mammals on Earth.

The Bat Pack, a team of researchers at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong, conduct a wide range of research into bats and bat borne viruses, and their potential effects on the human population, as part of the effort to safeguard Australia from exotic and emerging pests and diseases.

Their paper, published today in the journal Science, provides an insight into the evolution of the bat's flight, resistance to viruses, and relatively long life.

The Bat Pack, in collaboration with the Beijing Genome Institute, led a team that sequenced the genomes of two bat species -- the Black Flying Fox, an Australian mega bat, and the David's Myotis, a Chinese micro bat.

Once the genomes were sequenced, they compared them to the genomes of other mammals, including humans, to find where the similarities and differences lay.

Chris Cowled, post-doctoral fellow at AAHL says the research may eventually lead to strategies to treat, or even prevent disease in humans.

"A deeper understanding of these evolutionary adaptations in bats may lead to better treatments for human diseases, and may eventually enable us to predict or perhaps even prevent outbreaks of emerging bat viruses," Dr Cowled said.

"Bats are a natural reservoir for several lethal viruses, such as Hendra, Ebola and SARS, but they often don't succumb to disease from these viruses. They're also the only mammal that can fly, and they live a long time compared to animals similar in size."

Flying is a very energy intensive activity that also produces toxic by-products, and bats have developed some novel genes to deal with the toxins. Some of these genes, including P53, are implicated in the development of cancer or the detection and repair of damaged DNA.

"What we found intriguing was that some of these genes also have secondary roles in the immune system," Dr Cowled said.

"We're proposing that the evolution of flight led to a sort of spill over effect, influencing not only the immune system, but also things like ageing and cancer."

The research was a global effort involving the Beijing Genome Institute in Shenzhen, China; Australia's national science research agency, the CSIRO; the University of Copenhagen; Wuhan Institute of Virology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences; the Naval Medical Research Center and Henry M. Jackson Foundation in the USA; Uniformed Services University, USA; and the Graduate Medical School at the Duke-National University of Singapore.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by CSIRO Australia.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. G. Zhang, C. Cowled, Z. Shi, Z. Huang, K. A. Bishop-Lilly, X. Fang, J. W. Wynne, Z. Xiong, M. L. Baker, W. Zhao, M. Tachedjian, Y. Zhu, P. Zhou, X. Jiang, J. Ng, L. Yang, L. Wu, J. Xiao, Y. Feng, Y. Chen, X. Sun, Y. Zhang, G. A. Marsh, G. Crameri, C. C. Broder, K. G. Frey, L.-F. Wang, J. Wang. Comparative Analysis of Bat Genomes Provides Insight into the Evolution of Flight and Immunity. Science, 2012; DOI: 10.1126/science.1230835

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/eTfPNJ5A3yQ/121221114114.htm

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Are You Prepared? (talking-points-memo)

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 Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/272362772?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Amazon Web Services Adds New Storage For Data Intensive Applications

Image (1) aws_logo.png for post 16395Amazon Web Services has added a new storage instance for data intensive applications. The new storage instances are designed for applications that require high storage depth and I/O performance.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/TFdWSHNxqFQ/

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বুধবার, ১৯ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Executive Spotlight: Gil Guarino, Retiring CACI EVP, on His Career ...

Gil Guarino has served as executive vice president at CACI for the past nine years and currently leads the Arlington, Va.-based contractor?s tranformation solutions group.

He will retire from that executive role in the new year after spending 27 years in industry and 20 years in the Air Force, where he?rose to the rank of colonel.

His?transformation?group will split into two business groups upon his retirement, including federal civilian solutions and business systems solutions led by SVP Rick Dansey and SVP Valerie Lyons respectively.

In his interview with ExecutiveBiz, Guarino talked about the progress of the two executives, some of his experiences in industry and?the Air Force and?and where he thinks the GovCon/government relationship should go.

?

ExecutiveBiz: A number of U.S. foreign engagements and domestic priorities came to the forefront during your time both in the military and industry. How did those engagements and priorities affect your experience in and at the intersection between the public and private sectors?

Gil Guarino:? Over my career in the military and industry I experienced the weapon systems buildup for Vietnam, the subsequent drawdown and the resurgence of defense spending during the Reagan years.? During that period, 20 years in major weapon system acquisition involving space and tactical fighter systems, I held a variety of program management positions within the Air Force R&D and Acquisition organization..? In the course of those assignments, I worked with industry extensively and gained a tremendous knowledge on how industry responded to government solicitations, what it took to deliver to the governments requirements and in general what contributed to successful program management and systems integration.

Having seen the ups and downs within the aerospace industry and being the CIO for Air Force Systems Command in my last assignment when I retired I decided to pursue a career in Information Technology vs. continuing in weapon system acquisition. ?Over my 27 years in industry, we?ve seen the explosion of the IT industry, the slowdown in the weapon system business following the end of the Cold War and the rapid expansion of all industry following 9/11.? All this experience has highlighted the importance of anticipating future trends, having a strategy to capitalize on the opportunities those trends present and the necessity to move into new markets as existing markets slow or decline. So netting this all out, the international and domestic environment and being on both sides of the table gave me an opportunity to gain broad experience in complex program management, business development and large organization leadership.

?

ExecutiveBiz:? You?ve had an opportunity to work in many different organizations in a variety of roles.? Do any periods of time or accomplishments stand out to you the most?

Guarino:? If I think back, every job I had was typically a new role with a driving imperative, a task or a need set that was important and unmet.? ?In the course of those roles in both the Air Force and industry, each of them had an aspect that stood out and made the experience rewarding.

My first job in the Air Force was leading a group of 2nd Lieutenants that had just entered the cost estimating field after recommendations from a McKinsey study.? We developed the first unmanned spacecraft cost model that the Air Force used to do parametric estimating on new spacecraft. To accomplish that, we had to get industry CEOs to open their company records and allow us to capture cost information and technical information to build the model?s parametric estimating relationships.? It was an amazing experience that resulted in a tool that is stilled used today, although there have been many iterations, enhancements and increases in estimating sophistication.

Being part of the F15 and F16 System Program Offices during full scale development and initial production/deployment to the Air Force (and in the case of the F-16, four European partners) was an unbelievable experience working with the ?all stars? of the weapons system acquisition community.? I learned so much during those 9 years about program management, systems integration and business/people leadership.? The mission needs we met and the level of executive leadership that we had to work with made it a period of significant professional and personal growth.? Those teams still get together today and reflect on ?excellence in acquisition? and the camaraderie we developed meeting each program?s mission.

All of my industry roles were great and I could bore you to death with how they affected me, but clearly the one that will stand out forever is the almost 9 years that I have been with CACI.? The opportunity to lead one of the company?s four business groups was unequalled.? The 1700 employees that were part of AMS?s Defense and Intelligence Group are very happy that CACI acquired this AMS business and I know CACI is happy with that decision too.? CACI has been the best part of my professional career in every imaginable context, especially it?s people.? I?m glad that I saved the best for last.

?

ExecutiveBiz:? As you transitioned responsibilities from one company and position to another, did you find that your approach had to change according to the role you held?? Or did your recipe for personal success hold true throughout??

Guarino: Every place you go and every job you have requires you to morph to the specifics of that role.? That ?morphing? centers around two areas:? first is the nature of the business, and second is the culture of the company, its politics and the nature of the people with whom you have to interact. I consider myself a people-centric person that is context sensitive and both self and socially aware. So in every role understanding the people, culture and politics were key to being able to make the greatest contribution and provide an environment where individuals were able to meet their professional and personal goals.

As an underpinning, when I first came into the Air Force, a Colonel I worked for told me something I?ve practiced in every military and industry role ? ?do whatever you do in the context of your boss? boss? problems.?? He said, if you perform within that context, your effectiveness and growth opportunities would be unlimited.? I still believe and express that thought today.

During the mid part of my military career, I also became a believer in personal development as an accelerant for professional development, and started to look at my roles from the standpoint of ?I?m responsible? and ?If you can see it and believe it, you can achieve it?, as well as ?If it?s to be it?s up to me?. This mindset came from personal development books and tapes and put me on a path of continued personal development and working with teams to emphasize the concept of personal development as an accelerant for professional development. ?Morph to the environment, the people and the task, but hold constant to ?Do good, better and best, and never rest until the good is better and the better is best.?? Lastly, communicate, communicate and communicate.

?

ExecutiveBiz: Two individuals, Valerie Lyons and Rick Dansey, who you had an opportunity to help groom and develop and raise through the executive ranks, will be given the opportunity to run their own shops. How does it feel to have seen them grow into that role and what do you expect for them in the future?

Guarino:? Both Rick and Val are both great people and their success is the result of their own initiatives and hard work over a variety of roles throughout their careers. It?s very gratifying and rewarding to know that I may have had a small effect on where they?ve gotten to of late and their selection for these two important business group roles.? Their selection into those roles is indicative of the importance that CACI place on leadership development and succession planning and the intent to develop future leaders from within the Company.? I?m proud of what each of them has accomplished while at CACI and appreciative that they brought so much to the game before coming to CACI.

?

ExecutiveBiz:? On a personal level, you?re coming into a new phase in your career and life.? What are you most excited about moving forward?

Guarino:? Before looking forward, I have to express the pride and satisfaction in the present and reflect on what CACI overall and my business group, more specifically, have accomplished over the past 8+ years.? While there is another chapter or two to write going forward and I?m excited about moving onto to those pages, it?s hard to leave CACI and all the great people that I?ve been privileged to work with, learn from and influence.

Going forward, I?m looking forward to the flexibility to spend my time the way my wife and I would like to spend it.? Janice and I have smelled the roses along the way, but probably not as much as we will.? We?re also looking forward to spending more time with our family.? For those that know us well, you?ll find us in the Cayman Islands and Cabo San Lucas when we?re not in DC or other fun places.

Professionally, I?m looking forward to advisory, board and selected consulting roles with specifics still to be determined. ??There?s more that I would like to contribute within the business community. ?I also plan to stay involved with TechAmerica and serve on the Public Sector Board?s Government Advisory Board.

Philanthropically, I?ve been a member of the Wolf Trap Foundation Board of Directors for the past three years and I look forward to continuing in that role for the next three.? Wolf Trap is a special place and as you become more aware of the Wolf Trap Foundation and it?s programs, you quickly realize that Wolf Trap is more than summer programs at the Feline Center and Fall, Winter and Spring programs in the Barns.? The Wolf Trap Foundation?s programs centered on artistic and education initiatives are important and contribution nationally and internationally in many meaningful ways.? I?m happy to promote corporate and individual giving to the Foundation.? ?Being a wine enthusiast and believing in the great work that the American Heart Association does, I?ll also work with AHA in support of the May 4-day wine event in DC called Heart?s Delight, helping increase awareness and participation for this most worthwhile cause.

?

ExecutiveBiz:? What do you see as some of the major challenges facing industry right now, and where do you see the relationship between industry and government going in the future?

Guarino:? Let me answer that in context of where I think it should go, or would hope where it would go.? When I think of the budget situation that we have right now, the deficit, you would hope that it would cause the government to recognize that there are limited resources to do what needs to be done to meet the various missions within the defense and intelligence and federal civilian communities. To do that effectively and to do that in a manner where you achieve synergies between the buyer and the seller, there must be increased and timely information sharing and dialogue.? If done, there?s much to gain ? better solutions, a more efficient acquisition process and less likelihood of protests.

Unfortunately, I don?t see that happening right now as a general rule, recognizing that there are exceptions.? With the limited acquisition resources, the acquisition process is getting more rule-based and operating by the book without the dialog that has characterized the industry I?ve been part of for so many years. Exchange is critical to the success and there?s nothing wrong with dialog.? The cancellation of many of the exchange conferences because of the issues that emanated from the GSA conferencing fiasco just further exacerbates the problem and none of that is good.? As a result, I believe we are going to continue to see that it take longer to get things done, at a higher cost, and protests will continue.?In the end and if exchange/dialog doesn?t come back into style, program success will be a ?crap shoot?.

On the protest front the increased use of letter debriefs versus face-to-face discussions is resulting in more protests. In many cases after spending hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions of dollars on a proposal, unsuccessful offerors are not afforded the opportunity to have a meaningful exchange on their evaluation and the award decision. The only alternative they have is to protest which further adds to the workload of an overburdened acquisition work force. Given the complexity procurement, offerors will likely find something that causes the protest to be sustained, resulting in corrective action which takes further time.? In the end, the users go without a solution to their requirements.? ?That?s unfortunate, because it doesn?t have to be that way.? More timely dialog and exchange between government and industry in both the pre-solicitation phases and during debriefs is where I believe our acquisition process needs to go.

Source: http://blog.executivebiz.com/2012/12/executive-spotlight-gil-guarino-retiring-caci-evp-on-his-successes-and-what-is-next-in-govcon/

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In Face Of Fiscal Cliff, Some Donors Increasing Charitable Giving

The uncertainty surrounding the fiscal cliff is causing some donors to proceed with caution.

As lawmakers work to negotiate budget fixes, they're weighing limits on tax incentives donors receive from charitable contributions. As fiscal cliff ambiguity abounds, many donors are ramping up donations they might not have made until 2013, Investor's Business Daily reports.

Scott Michalek, a Philadelphia-based financial adviser, says his clients have increased the amount of charitable donations by about 25 percent, the news outlet reports.

"There's been a noticeable increase in charitable giving," Michalek said. "Clients fear either (Congress or the White House) may eliminate the deductibility of charitable gifts or reduce the deduction."

One client is giving five times more than his typical $100,000 to take advantage of a tax climate he can be sure of, Steve Gariepy, head of a Cleveland-based law firm, told Crains.

Others are delaying gifts until more clarity comes about, Crains reports.

If there are no cuts to charitable deductions and the top tax bracket rises, which will likely be the case if Congress doesn't act, a wealthy donor's charitable deduction might be worth more next year, the Post-Gazette reports.

"For some, it's a wait-and-see situation," Robert Nelkin, president of a local United Way chapter, told the news outlet.

Nonprofits, worried about the financial toll of donation cap ambiguity, are doing anything but sitting down.

Many charities spent time earlier this month lobbying Congress in an effort to fight a potential cap on charitable deductions, which could save the government some $50 billion a year in tax breaks, according to the New York Times.

White House officials hosted two conference calls Friday with more than 250 nonprofit leaders on how to press Congress in supporting tax increases on the wealthy.

President Obama has warned that Republican tax proposals, which wouldn't raise rates, would threaten services for the needy, which benefit from donors who receive charitable deductions. Obama has stated repeatedly that averting the ?fiscal cliff? won't be possible without increases in tax rates, Reuters reports.

Related on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/18/fiscall-cliff-charitable-giving-_n_2324118.html

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La Ciccia Releases Their Own Olive Oil; Chef Shuffle at Walnut Creek's Va de Vi

Noe Valley: La Ciccia is selling their own olive oil. [LaCicciaSF/Twitter]
Mission: Beloved Bar Tartine manager and host Vinny Ng is leaving the restaurant in mid-January. This is very sad, but we wish him well on his well deserved time off. [Tablehopper]
Walnut Creek: Va de Vi chef Shane McAnelly is taking his leave after two years, and the restaurant is still seeking a replacement. [Scoop]
Albany: Under new owners, the Ivy Room (860 San Pablo Avenue) is transitioning back from a dance club to a neighborhood bar. [Tribune]
Santa Rosa: Flipside Steakhouse is coming to the former Rita's/Doc Holliday's space in Santa Rosa, and also from North Bay restaurateur Nino Rabbaa there will be a bigger Flipside Brewhouse in Rohnert Park. [BiteClub]

Source: http://sanfrancisco.grubstreet.com/2012/12/va-de-vi-walnut-creek-chef-change-flipside-steakhouse-santa-rosa.html

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George Washington and Blow Jobs

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মঙ্গলবার, ১৮ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Children Keep Active In Science - Reference and Education

December 10th, 2012 by admin

At my high school reunion last week, I ran into an old friend. He and I had a biology class together when we were young. He told me that summer activities were a wonderful activity for youngsters, and that the best activities were science summer camps. He said that his children had attended some that were very enriching to their knowledge of science. He said that they were well worth the money that they cost, and they could meet others there.

Posted in Latest News About Education

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Source: http://www.forefrontcurriculum.com/latest-news-about-education/children-keep-active-in-science/

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Source: http://lawson84.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/children-keep-active-in-science-reference-and-education.html

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Source: http://microeconomics-shortcake.blogspot.com/2012/12/children-keep-active-in-science.html

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Source: http://homologue-unending.blogspot.com/2012/12/children-keep-active-in-science.html

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Gas prices drop below $4 a gallon

7 hrs.

Gas prices have slid to the lowest prices of the year as an estimated 84 million Americans prepare to take a road trip by car this holiday season.

The national average retail gasoline price on Monday is the cheapest it has been during 2012 ? just shy of $3.25 a gallon, according to AAA and Oil Price Information Service.

The national average price has dropped every day this month and has fallen 16 percent since mid-September. It is now at the lowest average price since Dec. 28, 2011, and only 4 cents shy of the December 2011 low of $3.206 a gallon.

"I believe we will go lower than that," said OPIS analyst Tom Kloza. "It's typical to get weaker prices at the end of the year."

If the U.S. goes over the?"fiscal cliff"?and financial markets, including energy prices, tumble, then pump prices will follow suit and could dip below $3 a gallon, Kloza added. If that happened, it would be the first time the national average has dropped below that threshold since December 2010.

Missouri drivers have already seen prices plunge below the $3-a-gallon mark. The average price there Monday is $2.955, the lowest statewide average in the country. It is also the first time since July that the average price in any state has hit below $3 a gallon.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/gas-prices-drop-below-4-gallon-1C7653154

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Home Improvement: Top Tips for Furnishing Your Home on The ...

You?ve just started renting your first home and have barely put together the deposit, or maybe you have bought a new home. After scraping together a far larger down payment than you imagined and paying the solicitor?s fees including the enormous VAT bill, there is little money left for furniture. But as you don?t want to sit and sleep on the floor for the next two years, you need to use a little imagination to get furniture on the cheap.

Look out for freebies

Seek out what you can get for free. The first way is friends and relatives who may have unwanted chairs, tables, or even the odd armchair. Every little helps and don?t worry about all of the items matching. This is a task you can organise later. Walk around your new neighbourhood and find out if people are throwing away any old pieces of furniture. It?s not unusual to see chairs, tables and even sofas standing on the pavement looking for an owner.

Don?t forget to look in skips, though make sure you ask permission from the householder first. Check out websites like freecycle.org and gumtree.com every day where people are trying to offload goods. Ignore any discolouring or tears in the upholstery you come across. You may find that you will be able to recover and repaint chairs and sofas very cheaply.

Second hand shops

Take a good look around charity stores and second hand shops. You will be able to pick up some solid wood furniture like bedroom furniture sets at bargain prices. It?s important to ignore the colour of the article or any old fashioned varnishing. This is easily removed and sandpaper is quite cheap to buy. In fact, sanding down old wooden furniture can be fun as you discover the beauty of the wood underneath. It could also keep you fit. The important matter is that the wood is in good condition.

Don?t imagine that a shop selling ?antiques? is beyond your budget. There is probably something in an old storeroom at the back that the owner wants to get rid of. Keep an eye out for auctions locally as well as online sites like eBay. Auctions are usually advertised in local newspapers and online and can be a good source of quality second hand furniture at low prices.

Bargain stores

Walk around the less fashionable part of the high street and see what the supermarkets and bargain stores have to offer. Supermarkets especially are selling furniture these days at bargain prices. Try the DIY
stores and garden centres where you may be able to pick up some cheaper garden furniture that is still good for use indoors. There are also an increasing number of small furniture outlets selling cheap imports. It can feel like walking into a warehouse or a rabbit warren, so you will have to take your time
to spy a bargain amid piles of tables and cupboards. Always remember that it?s a good idea to try to negotiate a discount.

Department Stores

Once you?ve examined all of the cheaper options, take a look?around the furniture departments of the mid-market department stores like John?Lewis or Debenhams for any out of season offers. They may be trying to offload?some slightly damaged goods that you may be able to repair. It?s also?acceptable these days to haggle in department stores. In fact, some of them?positively invite it.?

This article was contributed by Lloyd, a freelance writer and blogger, who is currently writing for Archers Sleep Centre.?

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From NCLD.org - The National Center for Learning Disabilities

By the NCLD Public Policy Team

December 10, 2012

Accommodations

Tools and procedures that provide equal access to instruction and assessment for students with disabilities. Designed to "level the playing field" for students with disabilities, accommodations are generally grouped into the following categories:

  • Presentation (e.g., repeat directions, read aloud, use of larger bubbles on answer sheets, etc.)
  • Response (e.g., mark answers in book, use reference aids, point, use of computer, etc.)
  • Timing/Scheduling (e.g., extended time, frequent breaks, etc.)
  • Setting (e.g., study carrel, special lighting, separate room, etc.).
Americans with Disabilities Act

Federal law that protects persons with disabilities from discrimination in the operations of public businesses and governments.

Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)

A plan to address problem behavior that includes, as appropriate, positive behavioral interventions, strategies, and supports; program modifications; and supplementary aids and services that may be required to address the problem behavior.

Child with a Disability

A child who has a disability as defined in one of the 13 disability categories in IDEA and who needs special education and related services because of the disability; or a child aged 3 through 9 who is experiencing developmental delay.

Child Find

Ongoing activities undertaken by states and local school districts to locate, identify, and evaluate all children residing in the state who are suspected of having disabilities so that a free appropriate public education (FAPE) can be made available to all eligible children, including all children in public and private schools, including religious schools.

Courses of Study

Middle and high school course work (or classes) that lead to a certain type of diploma and/or are required for post-secondary education.

Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM)

Tools for measuring student competency and progress in the basic skill areas of reading fluency, spelling, mathematics and written language.

Developmental Delay

A disability category states may use for certain students aged three through nine as a way to provide early services for students suspected of having a disability. If used, the definition of developmental delay is determined by the state and may include a child whose development, as measured by appropriate diagnostic tests and procedures, lags behind peers in one or more of the following areas:

  • physical development,
  • cognitive development,
  • communication development,
  • social or emotional development,
  • adaptive development;
and who, because of such delays, needs special education and related services.

Disability Categories

IDEA disability categories include:

  • autism,
  • deaf-blindness,
  • deafness,
  • emotional disturbance,
  • hearing impairment,
  • mental retardation (intellectual disability),
  • multiple disabilities,
  • orthopedic impairment,
  • other health impairment (e.g., asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia and Tourette syndrome),
  • specific learning disability, (e.g., Perceptual Disabilities, Brain Injury, Minimal Brain Dysfunction, Dyslexia, Developmental Aphasia), speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment (including blindness),
  • developmental delay.

Due Process Complaint

A written complaint filed by a parent or a school district involving any matter relating to the identification, evaluation, educational placement or provision of a free, appropriate, public education to a student with a disability. Due process complaints must be filed within two years of the matter in dispute.

Due Process Hearing

A formal, quasi-legal procedure before an impartial hearing officer or administrative law judge (or panel of judges) who is not an employee of the state educational agency or school district. Both the parents and the school district present arguments and evidence.

Early Intervention Services

Services to infants and toddlers provided under Part C of IDEA. Part C established the Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities, a federal grant program that assists states in operating a comprehensive statewide program of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities, aged birth through age 2 years, and their families.

Early intervention services include multidisciplinary evaluation of needs of children and family-directed identification of the needs of each family as set out in an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).

Eligibility

The determination that a student is a child with a disability.

Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)

Special education and related services that are provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without charge to the parent, and that meet the standards of the state education department.

Special education and related services must be provided in conformity with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) as required by IDEA.

Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)

A problem-solving process for addressing student problem behavior. FBA relies on a variety of techniques and strategies to identify the reasons for a specific behavior and to help IEP teams select interventions that directly address the problem behavior.

Functional Skills

Skills needed for independent living, such as cooking, comparison shopping, working with or managing money, using public transportation, and knowing how to be safe in the community.

General Education Curriculum

The body of knowledge and range of skills that all students in the state are expected to master.

Interim Alternative Educational Setting (IAES)

A setting other than the student's current placement that enables the student to continue to receive educational services according to his or her IEP. The IAES must enable the student to continue to participate in the general education curriculum, although in another setting, and progress toward meeting the goals set out in the IEP.

Students in an IAES should also receive, as appropriate, a functional behavioral assessment, behavioral intervention services and modifications that are designed to address the behavior violation so that it does not happen again. The particular IAES is determined by the student's IEP team.


Individualized Education Program (IEP)

A written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised according to the requirements of IDEA.

Informed Consent

Procedure to ensure that the parent:
  • Has been fully informed of all information related to the proposed activity (in his native language, or other mode of communication)
  • Understands and agrees in writing to carrying out the activity for which his consent is sought
  • Understands that giving consent is voluntary and may be revoked at any time
  • Understands that revoking consent will not apply to an activity that has already occurred
  • Informed consent is required for an evaluation, a reevaluation and for the initial delivery of special education services.
Intervention A change in instructing the student in the area of learning difficulty to try to improve learning and achieve adequate progress.

Least Restrictive Environment

To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities are to be educated with children who are not disabled. Special classes, separate schooling, or other ways of removing children with disabilities from the regular educational environment should only occur when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes cannot be achieved satisfactorily with the use of supplementary aids and services.

Mediation

A confidential, voluntary process that allows parties to resolve disputes without a formal due process hearing. An impartial mediator helps the parties to express their views and positions and to understand the other's views and positions. The mediator's role is to facilitate discussion and help parties reach an agreement ? not to recommend solutions or take positions or sides.

No Child Left Behind

The current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) ? the principal federal law affecting public education from kindergarten through high school in the United States.

Parent

A natural, adoptive or foster parent; an individual acting in the place of a natural or adoptive parent; an individual who is legally responsible for the child; a guardian; or a surrogate parent.

Post-secondary Education

Formal education or training beyond high school, including college, university, vocational school and trade school.

Pre-referral Interventions

Interventions delivered in the student's regular classroom that attempt to improve learning prior to a referral for formal special education evaluation.

Prior Written Notice

A written notice that the school must provide to the parents of a student with a disability within a reasonable time if they wish to:
  • Evaluate the student
  • Determine whether the student is eligible for special education services
  • Change the student's evaluation or educational placement or educational plan (IEP)
  • Refuse the parents' request to evaluate their child or change their child's educational plan (IEP) or placement.
Progress Monitoring A scientifically based practice used to assess students' academic performance and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction. Progress monitoring can be implemented with individual students or an entire class.

Related Services

Supportive services that are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education. Related services include:

  • transportation,
  • developmental and corrective services,
  • speech-language pathology and audiology services,
  • interpreting services,
  • psychological services,
  • physical and occupational therapy,?
  • recreation (including therapeutic recreation),
  • counseling services (including rehabilitation counseling),
  • orientation and mobility services,
  • medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes.
Related services also include school health services, school nurse services designed to enable a child with a disability to receive a free appropriate public education as described in the child's IEP, social work services in schools, and parent counseling and training.

Response-to-Intervention (RTI)

A comprehensive, multi-step process that closely monitors how the student is responding to different types of services and instruction.

Resolution Session

A mandatory meeting that the school district must convene within 15 days of receiving the parents' due process complaint. The resolution session includes parents, members of the IEP team relevant to the complaint, and a representative of the school district who has decision-making authority.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

A federal law that requires a school district to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to each child with a disability in the district's jurisdiction.

School District

The term "school district" and "school" are used to refer to the entity that has legal authority, control and responsibility for public education in a city, county, town (or combination of these), or other subdivision of a state.

Scientific Research-Based Instruction

Curriculum and educational interventions that are research based and have been proven to be effective for most students

Special Education

Specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings; and instruction in physical education.

Specially-Designed Instruction

Ways that special education professionals adapt the content, methodology (approaches to teaching certain grade level content), or the delivery of instruction to address the unique needs that result from the child's disability. Specially designed instruction should also ensure that the eligible child has access to the general curriculum so that he or she can meet the educational standards of the school district that apply to all children.

Specific Learning Disability

A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. The term includes such conditions as:

  • perceptual disabilities,
  • brain injury,
  • minimal brain dysfunction,
  • dyslexia,
  • developmental aphasia.
The term does not include a learning problem that is primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.

State Complaint

A written complaint that can be filed by any organization or individual claiming that a school district within the state has either violated a requirement of Part B of IDEA (the part that contains all requirements regarding the delivery of special education services) or the state's special education law or regulations. State complaints must be filed within one year of the alleged violation.

Summary of Performance

A summary of the student's academic achievement and functional performance that includes recommendations to assist the student in meeting his or her post-secondary goals.

Supplemental Aids and Services

Aids, services, and other supports that are provided in regular education classes or other education-related settings to enable children with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled children to the maximum extent appropriate. Examples of supplemental aids and services might be assistive technologies such as a computer or adapted physical education

Transition Services

A coordinated set of activities that:
  • Improves the academic and functional skills of the student in order to facilitate the student's movement from school to post-school activities such as post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living or community participation;
  • Is based on the individual student's needs, taking into account his or her strengths, preferences, and interests;
  • Includes instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives and, when appropriate, the acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation.
Universal Screening A step taken by school personnel early in the school year to determine which students are "at risk" for not meeting grade level standards. Universal screening can be accomplished by reviewing a student's recent performance on state or district tests or by administering an academic screening to all students in a given grade. Students whose scores on the screening fall below a certain cut-off point are identified as needing continued progress monitoring and possibly more intensive interventions.

Vocational Rehabilitation?Agency

A publicly funded state agency that provides direct and indirect services to youth with disabilities as they transition from school to work, in order to maximize their employability, independence and integration into the workplace and the community.


Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)

A set of services offered to individuals with disabilities designed to enable participants to attain skills, resources, attitudes, and expectations needed to compete in the interview process, get a job, and keep a job.

Source: http://nesca-news.blogspot.com/2012/12/idea-words-and-terms-to-know-and-post.html

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