HTC 'M7' parts caught on video

Droid DNA-like design in a smaller chassis, with a dedicated camera button to boot

With the recent emergence of certain leaked photos, we've slowly been able to piece together a picture of HTC's upcoming 'M7' handset. And the successor to the One X has cropped up on camera again today, disassembled, in the form couple of leaked component parts. ETrade Supply got hold of what seems to be the back case and front housing of the phone, which looks a little smaller than the similarly-designed Droid DNA. That suggests we might be dealing with a 4.7-inch screen, as has been rumored in recent months.

Also of note is the second front-facing speaker down below, which roughly matches a render that leaked out a couple of weeks ago. And there's what seems to be a dedicated camera button on the right edge, below the volume rocker, an unusual sight on an HTC Android phone.

Without the front glass in place -- not to mention functioning innards -- it's difficult to get an overall impression of the phone. But it looks like we're dealing with a handset that shares much in common with the DNA and its international cousin, the HTC Butterfly. The edges are squared off, in stark contrast to the curved One X and One S, and there's a slight hump to the back, like the DNA and Windows Phone 8X.

There's no way of knowing whether this is a finalized HTC design or merely a prototype, but the parts shown in today's video certainly tick all the boxes we were expecting from a 2013 HTC flagship. The 'M7' is e

Source: Etrade Supply

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/_SDzmWEisTw/story01.htm

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Outsourcing may be battered, bruised and vilified? so why is only a ...

2013: A new dawn for a maturing outsourcing industry

Make no bones about it: ?2012 was a pretty dire year for the industry known as ?outsourcing?.

However, brand new data from our State of Outsourcing 2013?Study?conducted with the support of KPMG, the largest-ever research survey focused on IT and business function outsourcing, clearly shows that the?majority?of enterprises are not only aggressively?focused on increasing their outsourcing portfoilios, but many are now taking a more mature and realistic approach.

So, as always, let?s examine the facts?

How outsourcing got battered, bruised and vilified in 2012

• A painful presidential campaign that positioned outsourcing as an evil activity, despite the fact US IT unemployment is running at 3.8% and tech salaries have now reached 10-year record highs;
• A media desperate to jump on the fact that IT outsourcing must be in its death throes if GM?s Randy Mott was creating a few jobs on US soil;
• Pundits, consultants and ?analysts? claiming outsourcing is yesterday?s strategy for our enterprises, without really being able to explain why, but eager to bury it under the negativity. ?Meanwhile, the fact that the great American innovator they love to laud, Apple, has been?using Chinese children?to manufacturer its wares, seems to escape practically unnoticed?
• The outsourcing industry itself calling for a re-brand to escape the negativity.

Why outsourcing is more embedded than ever in corporate operations strategy

1355 stakeholders across?enterprise?buyers, service providers and consultant/influencer organizations shared their views, observations and intentions for 2013 and beyond, when it comes to outsourcing IT and business processes. ?We are going to delve deep to share these dynamics with you in the coming weeks, but let?s start with the key dynamics ? how fast is the industry growing, and what is driving the decisions:

399 major buy-side enterprises have spoken about their 2013 outsourcing plans, and barely a twentieth of them are looking to reduce their outsourcing scope across any IT or business function in 2013. Moreover, half of them are looking to increase their outsourcing of application services, four out-of-ten their finance and accounting, and a third their HR. In addition, there is a notable pick up in newer sourcing areas, such as analytics and legal.

The classical values of outsourcing are stronger than ever: cost, standardization and global delivery

When it comes to the decision drivers, it?s almost refreshing to see enterprises focusing on the basics: ?cost, global delivery and standardized process:

While, on the surface, this data isn?t exactly surprising, what it?s telling us is the vast majority of enterprises are eagerly looking to industry?standard offerings as a priority. ?We?ve been lauding the old ?ADP payroll analogy? for several years now, where there is little discernible business reason to run your payrolls yourself these days, and this is ringing true for the rest of the operational functions: ?being competitive with business operations is achieved by standardizing onto best-in-class processes. ?And to?achieve?that standardization is, really, quite?straightforward?- move these processes onto proven technology platforms and have them operated in a cost-efficient manner. ?For most organizations today, they?ve failed to do this effectively inhouse (through many years of pain and wasted investments) and shifting them over to a third-party has forced the issue and got them from A to C.

The Bottom-line: ?The tenets of outsourcing haven?t changed ? it?s the simple fact that operations leaders have run out of excuses not to do it

The outsourcing debate used to be centered on the ability of enterprises and providers to do it right, to make the required cost savings with the?appropriate?amount?of risk mitigation. This data finally, finally, renders that debate moot: ?the basic ingredients of outsourcing today are maturing and proven to work when executed effectively? the focus now shifts to the?how enterprises can evolve into a globally sourced environment, not simply the?should. ?Our next piece of analysis will zone into the core challenge of enterprise operations in 2013: ?how enterprises can alter their internal mindsets, attitudes and operational issues holding them back. ?Stay tuned?

Source: http://www.horsesforsources.com/outsourcing-in-2013_01213

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Video: Focus on Individual Stock Selection: Pro

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50592490/

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Movie review: Movie 43 | canada.com

Movie 43

Rating: One star out of 5

Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Kristen Bell, Halle Berry, Leslie Bibb, Kate Bosworth, Gerard Butler and others

Directed by: Steven Brill, Peter Farrelly and others

Running time: 90 minutes

Parental guidance: Nudity, coarse language, violence, drug use

An attractive woman, played by Kate Winslet, gets ready for a blind date with a man who is rich, caring and handsome but has remained mysteriously single. He turns out to be a charming bon vivant, played by Hugh Jackman, whose sole flaw ? revealed when he removes his scarf ? is that he has a pair of testicles hanging from his neck.

No one else seems to notice this, despite Winslet?s frantic mugging. Jackman will drip soup onto the scrotum, and later accidentally dip it into a dish of melted butter that came with the lobster dinner. At one stage, a pubic hair falls into his food.

And (speaking of dickheads) so unfolds the first of 12 punishing short films ? short, but never short enough ? in the astonishing spectacle called Movie 43. Featuring many famous actors and directors, it?s an eye-opening example of what happens when a bad idea goes worse.

The concept, credited to producers Charles B. Wessler and Peter Farrelly, was apparently, ?Let?s be as crude and stupid as possible and see what happens.? The answer is that a pubic hair falls into your food.

There?s no point to the first short (which is directed by Farrelly), or indeed for any of them. The idea of a neck scrotum is its own comic reward, just as it must remain in subsequent episodes where, for example, Anna Faris plays a young woman who asks her devoted boyfriend, Chris Pratt, that age-old question, ?Will you poop on me?? The rest of the time is taken up with scenes of the Pratt character eating Mexican food and suffering from wall-shaking flatulence awaiting the big moment.

Movie 43 ? the unexplained title is the least of its enigmas ? was loosely motivated by an irreverent 1977 film called The Kentucky Fried Movie, but with more references to vaginas, one of the film?s chief obsessions. ?It?s obscene. It?s offensive,? says a movie executive (Greg Kinnear) in the framing story, in which desperate screenwriter Dennis Quaid is supposed to be pitching this very film, a conceit that is at once cheap, ridiculous, tiresome and, yes, obscene and offensive.

The worse crime, though, is that it?s not funny. I like to think I enjoy a good poop-on-me joke as much as the next man, but the creators have to do something with it. Not that one can expect such a premise to illuminate the human condition, but all Movie 43 does is cover it in feces and call it hilarity.

And so on it goes: Emma Stone and Kieran Culkin as ex-lovers screaming insults at one another (?Do you still like fingers in your butt-hole??); Halle Berry responding to a truth-or-dare challenge by stirring guacamole with her breast (relax: it?s a prosthetic); Richard Gere struggling to understand the problem with the ?iBabe,? an MP-3 player shaped like a naked woman, but with a dangerous fan spinning in its vagina.

There is one promising episode here, with Justin Long as Robin, the superhero sidekick, at a speed dating club and Jason Sudeikis as an interfering Batman. But it?s too little, too lame. Movie 43 is the year?s first utter disaster.

Source: http://o.canada.com/2013/01/25/movie-review-movie-43/

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Boka Restaurant + Bar ? the best deal in Seattle for a pre-show ...

When my friend, Diane, and I recently attended a concert at Benaroya (Chris Botti ? amazing ? Spotify him!) we chose Boka Restaurant + Bar for a pre-show dinner, and boy were we glad!

To begin with, Boka offers a 3-course dinner for $30, which is a price that?s hard to beat in the downtown core. Not only that, the food is tremendous! The special 3 for $30 menu has limited choices, but that?s okay by me because sometimes, especially when on a schedule, choice is overrated. Besides, these choices provided something for everyone to enjoy.

The menu begins with a choice between house-made soup and salad. We had the Boka Salad, which is mixed greens with tart cherries, bavarian meats bacon and toasted pecans in a rogue smokey blue dressing.

Next up is a choice of entrees. For the seafood lover, a Northwest?Style Seafood Stew?with salmon, cod, mussels and oysters in a?spicy tomato broth. Diane had this and loved it. For the vegetarian, an Agnolotti offering was really tempting. And for the meat eater ? that was my choice for the evening ? there was Braised Skagit River Ranch Pork Shoulder?sitting upon roasted winter squash, chanterelles and boistfort valley farm tuscan kale, with an oregano cream sauce. Oh my! The pork shoulder was kind of like pot roast except even more tender and full of flavor. It was also huge, but I made a significant dent in the entree.

For dessert, the 3 for $30 menu offers what I wish every restaurant would ? three scoops of ice cream from a choice of about 10 sorbets and creams. Served in three separate demi-cups, the flavors do not mix and are the perfect topper for a very filling meal. Diane chose sorbets for their fresh and sharp flavors ? peach, kiwi and blood orange. I went for chocolate and gingerbread ice cream (my favorite!) and blood orange sorbet. Yummy!

It is worth noting two things: Boka sources locally for the freshest food available and the main courses on this menu are in the $30 range on the regular menu, so this really is an affordable way to have a special dinner out before a theater show or concert.

But, there?s more! Boka has valet parking for patrons, and it allows you to park for up to eight hours FOR FREE. That alone is worth the price of a dinner! We could have walked to our concert, but because we were running late the hotel graciously gave us a lift, taking us right to Benaroya?s front door. Talk about service.

Boka Restaurant + Bar is in Hotel 1000, located at 1000 First Avenue, in Seattle. For more information, visit www.bokaseattle.com.

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Source: http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/theflyingsalmon/2013/01/25/boka-restaurant-bar-the-best-deal-in-seattle-for-a-pre-show-dinner/

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Researchers prevent cancer spread by blocking tissue scarring

Friday, January 25, 2013

What to fear most if faced by a cancer diagnosis is the spread of the cancer to other parts of the body. This process called metastasis accounts for over 90% of cancer patient deaths and therefore is a strong focus for cancer researchers. Researchers at BRIC, University of Copenhagen have shown that the enzyme Lysyl Oxidase (LOX) can create a "scarred" microenvironment that enhances cancer spreading. By blocking activity of the LOX enzyme, the researchers succeeded in significantly decreasing metastasis in a model of breast cancer.

'When we inhibit the activity of LOX in our cancer models, we show a dramatic reduction in metastasis. This suggests that therapeutic targeting of LOX can keep the tumour microenvironment "healthy" and thereby decrease metastasis, says Associate Professor Janine Erler from BRIC, who has headed the research.

Metastasis of breast cancer cells in the lung

In humans, LOX is an enzyme that is produced in response to tissue injury or chronic inflammation in our organs. It reacts to damage signals and "glues" collagen molecules together to form the scar-like structure. The result can be a fibrotic environment. The new findings from Janine Erler's research group show that persistent injury to lung and liver results in a fibrotic microenvironment that supports the growth of new tumours, and thereby enhances metastasis of breast cancer cells to these organs. Blocking LOX prevents the formation of this fibrotic microenvironment, thereby preventing enhanced metastasis to these organs.

'It is well-known that signals from fibrotic tissues can enhance tumour progression and metastasis, but the underlying mechanisms have remained unclear - Our new results provide insight into the link between fibrosis and cancer progression. Such a biological understanding is crucial if we are to develop effective therapies preventing tumour metastasis, says PostDoc Thomas Cox from Janine Erler's laboratory, who undertook the experimental investigation.

Development of new anti-fibrotic therapies

Currently, LOX-targeting therapies are under development for use in the clinic against cancer, as it has been known for some while that metastatic tumours express increased amounts of LOX. Yet, the new results from Janine Erler's group are the first to show that LOX promotes distant metastasis through structural changes in the organ microenvironments in response to persistent injury. The next step for the researchers is to dig deeper into the mechanisms underlying the relationship between fibrosis and cancer metastasis, and also to test their findings in other cancer models such as gastric and colon cancer.

'Further, our study indicates that LOX-targeting therapy can be relevant not only for cancer patients, but also to prevent fibrosis in patients with chronic inflammation or patients who has been exposed to persistent organ injury. This opens up for an even wider applicability of our biological findings, which strongly motivates the basic research in my laboratory, says Janine Erler.

###

The results have just been published in the international journal Cancer Research (Cox et al, Cancer research, Jan 23, 2013).

University of Copenhagen: http://www.ku.dk

Thanks to University of Copenhagen for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 33 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126450/Researchers_prevent_cancer_spread_by_blocking_tissue_scarring

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Council of Europe alleges torture in Russia's North Caucasus

STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - The Council of Europe on Thursday accused Russian authorities of inflicting electric shocks, asphyxiation and other tortures on prisoners in an effort to suppress an Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus.

Its report was released after Russia for the first time authorized the publication of findings gathered by the council's committee on torture on a 2011 trip to Chechnya, Dagestan and North Ossetia.

Russia is fighting an insurgency in the region by armed rebels aiming to establish an Islamic state in the mountainous and predominantly Muslim region.

The report by the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) seemed to support human rights groups' assertions that regional governments turn a blind eye to abuses in the name of cracking down on the militants.

"To tackle the phenomenon of torture and other forms of severe ill-treatment, the relevant authorities - both at the republican and federal level - have first of all to acknowledge its existence," the report said.

"On the contrary, certain of the high-level interlocutors met during the visit, in particular at republican level, appeared to be in a state of denial."

The report released vivid details of individual cases, including those of one man in Dagestan who allegedly had electric shocks applied to his hands, tongue and genitals.

In Chechnya, another man alleged he was subjected to severe beatings, had boiling water poured over his feet and had to have one of his toes amputated after receiving severe electric shocks.

In a response to the report, published on the Council of Europe's website, the Russian Federation contested the claims.

"In 2010 and during the first six months of 2011, six criminal cases were initiated following reports about police officers using violence and illegal techniques against citizens in the Republic of Dagestan," the Russian statement said.

The CPT said coercive methods had been used against ordinary prisoners as well as suspected rebels.

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled against Russia in 186 cases of abuses involving Chechnya alone, leading Moscow to pay thousands of dollars in fines as a result.

It also cited the use of secret detentions, as in the case of Islam Umarpashayev, a Chechen who was kidnapped, beaten and handcuffed to a radiator in a private residence last year, for a period of five months.

"In the vast majority of cases, when evidence of possible torture or other forms of ill-treatment emerges, the matter is dropped after a preliminary enquiry," the report said.

In a statement, the CPT's President Latif Huseynov welcomed Russia's decision to release the document, calling it a sign of openness that he hoped would endure.

"I am confident that this is the beginning of a new policy of the Russian Federation which will increase the impact of the Committee's work in Russia, to everyone's benefit," he said.

(Additional reporting and writing by Vicky Buffery; editing by Thomas Grove and Andrew Roche)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/council-europe-alleges-torture-russias-north-caucasus-192755378.html

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AT&T revenue, subscriber growth beats estimates

NEW YORK (Reuters) - AT&T Inc's revenue rose faster than expected in the fourth quarter as it added more subscribers due to strong sales of smartphones like Apple Inc's iPhone, sending its shares up 1 percent in late trade.

The No. 2 U.S. mobile service provider said on Thursday that it added 780,000 subscribers in the quarter compared with the average expectation for 699,200 from 10 analysts. Most estimates were 700,000 or higher but the lowest was 475,000.

AT&T forecast earnings and revenue growth for the full year 2013 but said it is expecting little improvement in the economy.

While the company's sale of 8.6 million iPhones in the quarter helped AT&T's subscriber numbers it hurt its profit because AT&T pays Apple a big subsidy for every iPhone it sells so it can offer a discount to customers who commit to contracts.

AT&T's wireless service profit margin based on earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization was 29.1 percent, compared with the average expectation for 31.29 percent from ten analysts contacted by Reuters.

The company forecast earnings per share growth in the upper-single digit percentage range or higher and revenue growth exceeding 2 percent for 2013 based on strength in wireless and its wireline consumer business.

"Guidance was good but not dramatically good," said Hudson Square Research analyst Todd Rethemeier.

AT&T's fourth quarter loss was $3.86 billion or 68 cents per share, compared with a loss of $6.68 billion or $1.12 per share in the year-ago quarter when it took big charges including the break-up fee for its failed purchase of T-Mobile USA, a Deutsche Telekom unit.

Revenue rose to $32.58 billion from $32.5 billion and compared with Wall Street expectations for $32.2 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

While AT&T's wireless subscriber growth was better than expected it was slower than bigger rival Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc, which reported subscriber additions of 2.1 million on Tuesday.

Sprint Nextel, the No. 3 U.S. mobile provider, does not report its results until February 7.

AT&T shares rose 1 percent to $34.13 after closing at $33.75 in the regular New York Stock Exchange session.

(Reporting By Sinead Carew, additional reporting by Nicole Lesk; Editing by Bernard Orr)

(This story corrects paragraph four to 8.6 million iPhones, not 8.9 million)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/t-posts-loss-subscriber-growth-beats-analyst-estimates-211351048--sector.html

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Feds: Ex-CIA officer was leaker, not whistleblower (Providence Journal)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Small Businesses and the Changing Threat Landscape | Security ...

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Anthony M. Freed

There has been a great deal of discussion regarding how enterprise security will be impacted by increasingly popular mobility solutions, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) options, and migrating business processes to the cloud. While large corporations typically have the resources available to address the increased risks, most small to medium sized businesses (SMB) find themselves struggling to get a clear picture of the changing threat landscape. Cloud security provider Trend Micro has released a brief report which is intended to give SMBs a guide to the top issues they need to get a handle on as they too seek to adopt these innovative technologies.

The report, titled 5 Predictions for 2013 and Beyond: What Should SMBs Look Out For?, examines trends in consumerization of IT and how they will affect small companies, most of whom do not have the luxury of a chief security officer or the wherewithal to develop effective policies and procedures to govern mobility options, leaving employees responsible for implementing security on their own.

?The expansion of operating systems (OSs), platforms, services, and devices also means that employees are going to have a harder time managing security in the workplace,? the report stated.

The first issue addressed is the increasing range of devices that employees may be conducting work related activities with on a daily basis. With around? 60% of businesses now allowing employees to use their personally supplied smartphones and 47% allowing the same for tablets and laptops, small businesses need to be proactive in developing effective policies to govern security on the array of devices being utilized.

?Using multiple devices for work requires additional security measures. Each platform requires different steps to secure it. Businesses that allow BYOD may find it challenging to create a comprehensive set of security guidelines, especially if employees have free reign over selecting their devices,? the report warned. It also noted that the myriad of applications available each have their own security issues to address, and that mobile malware which exploits weaknesses in theses applications is on the rise.

Data loss prevention is the next issue identified as an area of concern for SMBs, especially as cloud-based solutions become more widely utilized. Key to establishing adequate security controls for sensitive data in the cloud is due diligence in the development of service level agreements with vendors.

?Data security is major concern for SMBs. But as they move their sensitive data to the cloud, an on-premise security solution might be ineffective in a cloud-based environment? IT administrators and business owners have to ensure that their cloud security solutions are adequate to this task,? the report states.

The cloud also presents optimization options for cyber criminals, and many SMBs might have a difficult time protecting themselves from malicious activity that employs legitimate cloud service providers. But the biggest concern is related to maintaining access to the data that is migrated to the cloud. ?Similar to what happened with Megaupload, cloud services may be involved in legalities that result in SMBs losing access to their data,? the report said.

Cybercriminals will also be refining their attack strategies, and small businesses are increasingly being targeted because of their generally higher risk profile. ?SMBs may be hit hard by these refined malware threats and attacks as they are viewed as ?easier targets? compared to larger organizations. This perception is partly because SMBs often lack the budget for an IT team or department dedicated to maintaining security,? the report concluded.

Source: http://www.securitybistro.com/blog/?p=5285

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Being Gobbled Up By This Furry Monster Chair Looks Incredibly Comfy

Inspired by a story his grandmother used to tell him at dinner about how his fish balls would turn into a giant hairy hungry monster if he didn't eat up, Jason Goh created this incredibly cozy looking Moyee Monster Chair. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/3HJbF0w7SaU/being-gobbled-up-by-this-furry-monster-chair-looks-incredibly-comfy

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Customer service will transform your business -- starting today ...

Customer service?exceptional, consistent, customer-centered service?can transform your business more quickly than nearly any other advantage.

Here?s why.

The primary threat to a business today is the perception by customers that all you offer is a replaceable, interchangeable commodity. This hazard stalks your every move: No matter how unbreachable your business?s advantages may appear right now, whether they are advantages of technology, geography, or branding, eventually your business model is going to be knocked off. And, in this era of accelerating change, it will likely happen sooner than you think.

Escape this threat of commoditization by creating enduring, loyal, human relationships with customers. It?s the surest way to escape market obsolescence.

The payoff is huge.

Everything changes when a customer becomes a loyalist. (Or, as the business jargonistas seem to be saying this week, ?when a customer becomes truly engaged.?)

To the truly loyal customer, you are the only shop in the marketplace. All the other brands and all the other vendors don?t even come into focus. Like someone in love, the loyal customer only has eyes for you.

Few businesses realize how valuable customer loyalty is, and even fewer know how to achieve it consistently. But a company of any size can build great wealth and stability through customer loyalty. Businesses with loyal customers grow faster than others when times are good, and they have the most breathing room when times are bad.

At its root, creating loyal customers is about taking the time to learn about your customers individually and then using simple systems to turn that knowledge into enduring business relationships. In doing so, you turn your offering into? a personal relationship ? something far more valuable than a commodity.

Micah Solomon, author of ?High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service?,?is the business keynote speaker, author, and customer service consultant termed by the?Financial Post??a new guru of customer service excellence.? Solomon offers speaking and consulting on customer service issues, the customer experience, and company culture ? and how they fit into today?s marketing and technology landscape. An entrepreneur and business leader, he previously coauthored the bestselling ?Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit?.

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See Micah in action ? including video and free resources ? at http://www.micahsolomon.com. Or, click here for your own free chapter? of Micah?s new book,? High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service (AMACOM Books) and Micah?s #1 bestseller, Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organization

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?Micah Solomon conveys an up-to-the minute and deeply practical take on customer service, business success, and the twin importance of people and technology.? ?Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder

Portions of this post may have appeared in an altered form in Micah?s previously published work.

Source: http://micahsolomon.com/blog/?p=2934

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Hoping to revive an ancient tongue, Pope tweets in Latin

12 hrs.

Reuters

Pope Benedict tweeted in Latin for the first time on Sunday, taking his mission to revive the Catholic Church's official language to a very 21st-century medium.

"Unitati christifidelium integre studentes quid iubet Dominus? Orare semper, iustitiam factitare, amare probitatem, humiles Secum ambulare," the pontiff wrote.

Baffled? So were many Twitter users. "Benny, nobody understands a word of Latin! #adviceforthepope" read one response on the online messaging service.

The pope's tweet meant: "What does the Lord command to those wholly eager for the unity of those following Christ? To always pray, to continually do justice, to love uprightness, to walk humbly with Him," according to University of Cambridge scholar Tamer Nawar.

The message was shorter and, arguably, more elegant in its original language ??one of the reasons why Latin-lovers want to conserve the tongue of ancient Rome, Pope Benedict foremost among them.

The Holy See, where even ATM bank machine transactions are available in Latin, is one of the last bastions of the language that gave rise to Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian and Romanian.

In November the pope set up a new Vatican department charged with promoting the study and use of the language within the Roman Catholic Church and beyond.

Known for his traditionalist leanings, the 85-year old pontiff has also allowed a partial return of the old-style Latin Mass that was phased out more than four decades ago.

Once the international language of science and learning, Latin has declined in use among priests since the Church began allowing them to hold masses in vernacular languages in the mid 1960s.

To keep the language updated, Vatican produces a dictionary of modern words in the ancient tongue. "Inscriptio cursus electronici" is the vital word "email", while "brevissimae bracae femineae" means hotpants.

With just over 5,000 followers, the pope's Latin-language Twitter account is the smallest of his eight profiles, through which he communicates with more than 2 million followers in languages including Arabic and his native German.

However, Sunday's tweet was not actually the first instance of Latin used by the Pope on Twitter.

Benedict's Twitter handle "Pontifex" is a Latin word literally meaning "bridge-builder", an ancient title for high priest once held by the emperors of Rome.?

(Reporting by Naomi O'Leary; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/hoping-revive-ancient-tongue-pope-tweets-latin-1B8040228

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AA 2 questions - 1) Real Estate 2) Portfolio Volatility - Bogleheads

Dear all

This is my second post after becoming a boglehead.

I am now getting closer to a sensible AA after many many years of irresponsible neglect. I have two questions and will appreciate help on this.

Target allocations (portfolio size more than few hundred K):
============================================================================================
Cash 4%
Short Treasury Bonds 3%
Interm Treasury Bonds 5%
Long Treasury Bonds 3%
TIPS (VIPSX) 10%
===========================
Cash, Bonds, TIPS = 25%
===========================

REIT (TAREX) 9%
Equity in Real Estate 11%
===========================
REITS + Real Estate = 20%
===========================

US Index (VTSAX) 25%
Developed Markets Index (VDMAX) 10%
Emerging Markets Index (VEMAX) 10%
===========================
Equity Indexes = 45%
===========================

Individual Stocks (Employer, couple picks) 3%
Commodities (SLV, GLD 50-50) 5%
Energy Fund (VGENX) 2%
===========================
Sector + commodities + stocks = 10%
===========================

Total ================> 100%

Age is high 30s for him and her. 27-28 yrs to retirement for both. Income is decent, no issues.

1) Real estate question.
I am having a difficult determining rebal strategy with real estate. Our mortgage payment is building equity as we pay down our home over 10 yrs. How do you rebalance this percentage up or down? Help!
Also, let's say I would like to have an investment property by end of year. Until I procure that, I have the above AA. Then I make a lumpsum payment from excess cash saved this year (20% of investment property) and my AA is all out of whack. Help!! How do you guys deal with money going into land or investment home and ensure you can rebalance and gain benefits of rebalancing?

2) Can someone tell me what kind of risks I am looking at with the above AA? So for every 100K invested, what can a tough year look like?

Thanks again all. You have helped me get started and think through many many things.

Source: http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=109282&p=1588710

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Family Mandala Project | Talk Birth

As I?ve mentioned a couple of times, my family participates in a work-party co-op with four other families who live within the same 20 mile stretch of highway. We alternate houses every other weekend and work on each other?s household projects (for example, tomorrow we are building interior walls at a straw bale house as well as plastering the inside of the exterior, bale walls. Earlier this month, the men put underpinning on the bottom of a family?s mobile home to weather proof it for the winter, while the women made soup and muffins, finished our family mandala project, and had a birthday party?including rocking homemade Creeper pinatas?for one of the kids inside). Each family gets about 5 turns at their own house per year and goes to another family?s house about 20 times. While we?re not perfect, I really feel like this work party has been one of richest blessings of the past year for our family collectively. I hope to write more about it for an article someday, because we?ve created something pretty rewarding that seems fairly unique. At the beginning of December, we decided to invite the members of our work party co-op over for a winter solstice/New Year family ritual. We wanted to have a family project to do together and Mark and I came up with the idea of creating a family crest or mandala. My dad made a wooden circle for each family and each family designed their own ?family symbol? to put in the center. Then, at our next work party we each added our family symbol to every other family?s circle?so, the end result was each family?s personal symbol in the middle, flanked by the mini-version symbol of each other family?

Perhaps a picture will illustrate this better?

See what I mean now?

For my own family?s symbol, it was important to me to communicate that we each have our own paths (labyrinth) and our own unique gifts (tiny personal symbol each), but that together we make a beautiful whole. We had some debate with the kids about what personal symbol to include for them. It was important to me that it be something they genuinely wanted to include and not my idealized conception of what it should look like (i.e. a peaceful waterfall or something!). Lann, of course, wanted a Creeper head and Zander opted for a ?Wolfgang? head. Wolfgang is Z?s kind of alter ego/imaginary friend/invented character. Wolfgang is awesome. He doesn?t feature as prominently in Zander?s narratives as he used to, but he was really important for a while there. My favorite Wolfgang story is this: ?When Wolfgang rides an airplane, he stands on the wings. And, when he jumps off, he lands standing up on a skateboard. Rolling in lava?? So, that little brown devilish looking face is supposed to kind of capture Wolfgang. The rainbow is for Alaina, the gem is for Mark, the footprints are for Noah, and the seated mountain pose goddess is for me. The four other work party family?s mandalas surround ours (on on theirs, ours surrounds theirs).

After we got home from the work party, I decided to embellish the white space around ours:

When we came up with this idea, I originally envisioned them eventually hanging over the front door of each family?

It doesn?t actually work for each family to do that, but it did for us?

After we hung it up, as I looked at it I said, ?hey, this as a whole is our work party symbol!? Each family is unique and beautiful on their own, but when we join together, we create something bigger and more lovely than we could on our own. That basic truth is what underlies the whole functioning of work party and it is cool to see it symbolically represented above the door. I look forward to having these families come over during the year and add more of their handprints to our walls?

Source: http://talkbirth.me/2013/01/18/family-mandala-project/

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Should I Self Release Or Make Use Of A Traditional Publisher ...

Lots of authors fighting the question of whether to contact a conventional publishing home getting their book released, or set out on their own and self release it.

A great deal of authors today are making the choice to self-publish rather than go after a standard offer since they believe they could create and market their books much better, providing them a better return in the long run.

Others believe that there is a particular amount of stature in getting a standard publishing deal. If it?s the status you are searching for at that point you probably do not wish to self-publish your book. If you merely want to acquire your work out and into the hands of everyone, while avoiding the denial letters, then self-publishing is in your finest passion.

One more outcome you need to look at when determining how to publish your book, is how much control are you willing to give up. When you sign on with a typical author you give up a particular quantity of control that you have over the editorial and innovative material. Publishers normally obtain the last word on outcomes like the content, the title and the cover design. Some authors might not have a complication with this, still others don?t desire to surrender this much control.

Most standard authors desire you to actually have a huge following prior to they give you an agreement. They wish to see that you have links and potential purchasers currently lined up prior to they also think about accepting your book. Likewise, most of the responsibility for marketing and promos will certainly be your duty anyhow.

Self-publishing your own book is no simple task. Are you readied to tackle the task of an author in addition to an author? Even if you determine to hire specialists to help with various jobs, you will certainly still should make the final decisions on the editorial and the style. Like every other company you will certainly also required handle all of the accounting, budgeting and preparing.

There are certainly companies that will help you with all of the tasks however self-publishing is a ton even more practical than merely turning every little thing over to a huge publishing home.

Publishing a book is a significant process that will certainly take studio, preparation as well as some heart looking. Bear in mind, with the attraction of self-publishing today there are some excellent websites out there that can easily assist you with the tasks you can not or don?t wish to handle.

If you want to know more about self book publishing and different book review, you can read our book publishing and review blog.

Tags: book publishing, book review, self publishing

This entry was posted on Friday, January 18th, 2013 at 9:16 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

Source: http://writingandspeaking.deadale.com/uncategorized/should-i-self-release-or-make-use-of-a-traditional-publisher/

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Tatiana Walker - Nominated As The Best Internet Marketing ...

In a recent online survey in Lynnwood, Washington, local business owners were asked to assign ranks to Internet Marketing consultants, and the results, to no one?s surprise, found local expert Tatiana Walker as the best Internet Marketing Consultant of 2012 in the Lynnwood, WA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -?(Newswire.net January 18th, 2013) Lynnwood, WA ? Tatiana Walker Has Recently Been Officially Nominated as the Best Internet Marketing Consultant of 2012 in Lynnwood, WA

In a recent online survey in Lynnwood, Washington, local business owners were asked to assign ranks to Internet Marketing consultants, and the results, to no one?s surprise, found local expert Tatiana Walker as the best Internet Marketing Consultant of 2012 in the Lynnwood, WA.

The world of Internet Marketing has undergone a sea of change in the last 2 years. What was primarily a consultant-driven business wherein clients had little part to play, has changed into more of a partnership. One of the primary reasons for this has been the increase in the level of knowledge in clients. So when a knowledgeable set of clients rank Tatiana Walker as the best Internet Marketing Consultant of 2012 in the city of Lynnwood, it speaks of her expertise.

In a candid interview, Tatiana thanked the responders for nominating her as the best Internet Marketing Consultant of the Lynnwood, WA and spoke about some of the methods which worked for her in the year that went by. She is of the opinion that after the changes Google made in its search algorithm in 2012, local search has become more profitable. She also feels that customers should focus an Online reputation manufacturing specifically targeted to the local audience.

What has set Tatiana Walker apart from other Internet Marketing consultants is her approach to her work. While many consultants focus on link building and trying to coerce the search engine to ranking a site higher, Tatiana?s approach is more wholesome and focuses on helping a website garner targeted traffic which converts to leads and to a higher return on investment. Through a combination of methods ? including Lead Generation, Video Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Online Reputation Marketing and other forms of advertising, Mrs. Walker and her team help clients gain more out of every advertising dollar. According to Tatiana, another factor which sets her services apart from others in the region is working out a custom marketing plan for each customer. She does not believe in a one-size-fits-all package and says that this is the primary reason for her being nominated.

Acknowledging this recognition, Tatiana W. has announced a new offer to help more new clients make use of her top-rated services. She is offering a one hour free consultation for a Custom Marketing Plan.? Interested parties can contact her at 206-245-6593.

Media Contact ? Tatiana Walker, 206-245-6593 or via website form. http://www.ad-webservices.com/contact/

Source: http://www.newswire.net/newsroom/financial/70122-Tatiana-Walker---Nominated-The-Best-Internet-Marketing-Consultant-2012-Lynnwood.html

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Understanding The Human Resource Management And Its Key ...

Human resources management can be defined as the regulation and management of an organization?s HR department that include process of hiring qualified and deserving candidates, identify and accomplishing the training needs of the staff, offering secure and productive work ambiance, maintaining the employee welfare and positive relations, payroll, employee motivation, benefits administration, keeping performance record, communication, safety and wellness of the employees, scheduling, absence management, creating awareness of workplace legislation and rules, HR management information system, time and attendance records and lots more.

With the advancement and expansion of IT industry, the HR departments of business enterprises are completely relying on the human resource management technology and solutions that simplifying their time and effort consuming HR jobs such as recruitments, trainings, payrolls, benefits and testing. ?The human resource database software has great compatibility with the existing other software of the system like time accounting system, tracking software etc. HRMS software along with several modules is an expensive affair but, the standard software applications are the best and affordable option for small and midsized business enterprises.

The human resources management system modules include:

HR foundation

• Job structure
• Organization Structure
• Workforce Planning
• Personal Data Management
• Employee Relationship Management

Employee lifecycle management

• Transition Management
• Mentoring, Confirmation Management
• Separation Management
• Employee Engagement

Hubs

• Communication
• Roles and Security
• Portal
• Self-Service
• Workflow

Talent acquisition

• Applicant Management
• Requisition Management
• Offer Management
• Interview & Selection Management
• New Hire On-boarding

Performance alignment

• Performance management
• ?Compensation Planning & Administration
• Goal Management
• Compensation Management
• Rewards Management

Workforce administration

• Shift & Scheduling
• Time & Attendance
• Absence Management
• Payroll Management
• Timesheet Management

Talent management

• Competency Management
• Training management
• Succession Management
• 360 Degree Feedback
• Career Development

?

These solutions eliminate the messy and time consuming paper documentation of HR department and make it more effective, efficient and easy.

These HR software applications either be personalized or multiple users licensed. HRMS applications get you various advantages like

• Enabling you to focus on core business policies and goals
• Increasing the interaction across all managerial levels
• Saving historical data for the former and current employees
• Historical wage and performance evaluations with performance management goals
• Recording salary information
• No mess of the paper work and records
• Keeping a track record of benefits
• Training and disciplinary warnings
• Calculating time-off accrual for sickness, vacation etc.
• Workplace accidents

Teamwise delivers scalable, functional and advanced human resources management solutions which have been developed by well experienced professionals. We have reliable partnership with various prestigious clients of industry which have appreciated our business and IT solutions and availing our services from last many years.?

Source: http://management.ezinemark.com/understanding-the-human-resource-management-and-its-key-advantages-7d382d6319c0.html

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The old Goldman Sachs is back - The Term Sheet: Fortune's deals ...

Goldman: Still a trading powerhouse

FORTUNE -- Here comes the new Goldman Sachs. And it looks a little bit like the old Goldman Sachs.

Goldman (GS) said Wednesday morning that it earned nearly $2.9 billion in the last three months of 2012, more than $1 billion more than analysts were expecting. Earnings per share more than tripled from a year ago to $5.60, which was also a lot more than analysts were expecting. For all of 2012, Goldman said it earned $7.2 billion, up from $2.5 billion a year earlier. The stock rose nearly 2% in pre-market trading.

The earnings also showed the beginnings of a shift at the firm. In the past year or so, Goldman, forced by new regulations to retreat from some of its trading businesses, has been trying to beef up its lending operations. That move paid off in 2012. Revenue from lending rose to $1.8 billion in 2012, from less than $100 million a year ago. That was much better than Goldman did in its traditional businesses. Revenue from investment banking and investment management were basically flat from a year ago.

But the move into lending, at a time when interest rates are at historic lows, comes with its own risks. The money Goldman made from interest payments dropped nearly $2 billion from the fourth quarter of 2012.

MORE:?Why business leaders are silent on the debt ceiling

But there were also signs of the old Goldman as well. The company had $5.9 billion in revenue from so-called principal transactions, which are trades Goldman made for its own account. Much of that revenue could be going away soon though. Regulations passed after the financial crisis are expected to ban Goldman and other banks from making risky trades with its own money. The regulations are not expected to fully go into effect for at least another year.

It looks like Goldman is paying heftier bonuses again as well. Overall compensation was up 6% to just under $13 billion. That works out to $399,506 per employee. That's up from about $367,000 per employee in 2011. The company also reduced its headcount by 200 staffers in the fourth quarter.

Goldman also was remarkably more profitable in the quarter. The company said its return on equity, a closely watched metric for banks, rose to 16.5%. That number, which was regularly around 20% for Goldman before the financial crisis, had shrunk to the single digits in early 2012.

"While economic conditions remained challenging for much of last year, the strengths of our business model and client franchise, coupled with our focus on disciplined management, delivered solid performance for our shareholders," said Goldman's CEO Lloyd Blankfein in a statement released with the earnings. "The firm's strategic position provides a solid basis on which to grow and generate superior returns."

Goldman's report came on the same day that rival JPMorgan Chase (JPM) also reported better-than-expected earnings -- and that CEO Jamie Dimon had his bonus cut due to the London Whale losses. JPMorgan's stock was slightly lower in pre-market trading. Bank of America (BAC) and Citigroup (C) are on tap to report results on Thursday. Morgan Stanley (MS) will wrap up the round of big bank earnings on Friday. Wells Fargo (WFC) posted healthy results last week but investors were worried about a drop in mortgage refinancing activity.

Source: http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2013/01/16/goldman-sachs-earnings/

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Robert Rodriguez's "Machete Kills" gets September 13 date

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Open Road Films will release "Machete Kills," Robert Rodriguez's sequel to his bloody 2010 hit, on September 13, the independent distributor announced on Tuesday.

The film, which returns Danny Trejo as the eponymous hero and former Federale. This time around, the president of the United States recruits Machete to take down a revolutionary and an arms dealer hellbent on global destruction.\

Michelle Rodriguez and Jessica Alba will be reprising their roles, while Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Lady Gaga, Charlie Sheen and others have joined the cast.\

The film, the second in a planned trilogy, opens a week after another action-heavy spectacle - "Riddick," the latest in the Vin Diesel-led franchise.

The first "Machete" grossed $44 million worldwide on a $10 million budget, giving Rodriguez free rein to indulge in more of these comically graphic films.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/robert-rodriguezs-machete-kills-gets-september-13-date-231832547.html

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Social Marketing in 2013

Gartner?s social media survey performed year after year continually shows that the top reasons for businesses investing in social media is for improving customer relationships. The top reasons for investing in social media are the following:

1. Strengthen Relationship with Customer

2. Enhance Brand Awareness or Brand Preference

3. Share Information and Ideas With Customers, Suppliers and Partners

4. Establish Interactive Relationship With Customers

5. Increase My Organization?s Revenue Through New Products, Customers

This is a significant finding for marketing organizations because it shows that the top five reasons for investing in social media for companies are certainly under marketing?s purview. In addition, these specific marketing purposes and use cases can ultimately be connected to an actual business benefit: Revenue from customers.

While investments and growth in social marketing is assured during the next two years, the ultimate success of social will depend on how well marketers can accelerate through the inevitable social expectation bust and make social marketing projects more than just ?engagement? objectives and actually tie social activities to clear and measurable business objectives. Far too many companies are still following the hype of ?social? and have created or participated in social media without a plan.

There are many challenges or barriers to the adoption of social. This varies by industry. For instance, our survey shows that the wholesale industry still state a lack of strategy or understanding around social media in general as a significant barrier to mass adoption.? A pressing adoption challenge for financial services firms are the regulatory hurdles. For example, The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) set specific guidelines on social media activities, such as record-keeping requirements. These guidelines and other regulatory policies reflect the additional requirements placed on the banking and securities to preclude social media usage.

The top leading concern or challenge across every industry was an unclear business case or clear ROI.? Although the media industry has been an early adopter of social media tools and social networking sites for many years, they are still struggling with how to tie social metrics to business metrics. Several consumer-facing industries that were early adopters, such as media, retail, and areas in high technology, are now re-examining and questioning their business strategy around social.

ROI, measurable business value and budget justification for social projects have quickly become unavoidable topics for companies.? Social metrics, such as the number of fans, likes, number of weekly tweets, and even areas such as sentiment analysis are not enough to correlate with the contribution of top business objectives, such as churn rate, new qualified leads or revenue increases. The implication of this lack of measurable benefits is that there will be a rapid maturing of the discipline of deploying social applications during the next two years. Users that can prove measurable benefits best are likely to get the next round of funding and maintain momentum in their social software projects after the hype has died.

Marketers must tie social strategy objectives to marketing and corporate strategy ? for example, if the corporate goal is to ?decrease customer churn by 5%? then explore how a social marketing initiative such as strengthen relationship with customers? will support that corporate goal, and how the results will be measured. While it will be okay to still encourage experimental use of social applications, which can create future unforeseen benefits, they should come with a timeline for observing direct business value.

Our 2013 Social Marketing Agenda?(clients only) will focus on:

Using social analytics to find insights to guide decisions about social marketing and direct customer engagement.

Creating programs for measuring and optimizing social marketing, including its effects on other channels and processes to support social marketing ROI and to prove business results.

What to do about the many social marketing trends and technologies that are emerging and constantly changing the landscape.

Category: Digital Marketing Marketing Strategy Uncategorized ? ? Tags:

Source: http://blogs.gartner.com/adam-sarner/2013/01/15/social-marketing-in-2013/

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Venezuela struggles with sporadic food shortages

FILE - In this Dec. 15, 2012, file photo, a worker weighs a bag of government subsidized food for a customer at a state-run market, one day before state elections for governors and legislators, in Caracas, Venezuela. Venezuela's government has launched on Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, a crackdown on businesses accused of causing shortages by hoarding food and selling products at inflated prices. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, file)

FILE - In this Dec. 15, 2012, file photo, a worker weighs a bag of government subsidized food for a customer at a state-run market, one day before state elections for governors and legislators, in Caracas, Venezuela. Venezuela's government has launched on Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, a crackdown on businesses accused of causing shortages by hoarding food and selling products at inflated prices. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, file)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? Mireya Bustamante spent most of the day trying in vain to find flour to bake a birthday cake for her 4-year-old son.

Like most Venezuelans, the single, 33-year-old officer worker has periodically struggled with such food shortages for years, and, like many in the country, thinks they're getting worse. She blames price and currency controls imposed by the government, though authorities contend unscrupulous business owners are at fault.

"An odyssey that never seems to end" was how Bustamante described the everyday challenge of finding basic foodstuffs. "What good are the controls if it becomes so difficult to find basic products?" asked the mother of three. "It's the government's fault, not the owners of neighborhood grocery stores."

Venezuelans have long had to shop around to find scarce foods, and lately consumers have had particular trouble finding staples like chicken, cooking oil, sugar and coffee, as well as toilet paper and some medicines. The shortages are a potential political vulnerability for the government while President Hugo Chavez lies bedridden in Cuba, unheard from more than a month after his fourth cancer operation.

Such economic questions about his socialist model are adding to the political uncertainty sparked by Chavez's illness and long absence. However, there have been no signs so far that the political crisis is aggravating the economic one.

Chavez's government has sold cheap, subsidized staples at state-run markets for years to reinforce support among the poor. It says price controls, established in 2003, are essential to protect the poor by countering inflation while government-established exchange rates for foreign currencies are needed to prevent capital flight. Those currencies, chiefly the U.S. dollar, are used to pay for Venezuelan oil.

Many economists say the shortages stem from mismanagement of the economy through the price and currency controls. Official accusations of hoarding and price speculation aim to deflect blame for failed economic policy, government critics argue.

"Since the presidential election in October the government has seriously restricted the amount of dollars it is assigning to the private sector. This has caused the parallel dollar to soar and is leading to shortages," said David Smilde, a University of Georgia sociologist and analyst for the U.S. think tank the Washington Office on Latin America. Many analysts believe heavy government spending on social programs and giveaways ahead of Chavez's Oct. 7 re-election badly depleted the treasury.

The Chavez government has long been at loggerheads with private business leaders over state-set price controls and on Jan. 7 government inspectors began raiding warehouses. The government said Monday that it had recovered 3,088 metric tons of allegedly hoarded food this month.

Over the weekend, National Guard troops entered one market in downtown Caracas and confiscated 20 tons of beef, 15 tons of corn and 4 tons of garlic that allegedly violated price controls.

Food imports have swiftly risen in the nation with the world's largest oil reserves. Domestic production of some food products has declined while inflation has soared, reaching 20 percent last year, the highest in Latin America.

Starting in 2007, Chavez also stepped up nationalizations of industries and expropriations of private property

Jorge Roig, who represents Venezuela's largest business chamber, called on the government Monday to free up more dollars, which could be used to buy more imported goods.

Roig said business leaders in October had warned the state agency responsible for trading U.S. dollars to businesses at the official exchange rate that shortages of food and other products would occur during the first quarter of 2013 if the government didn't release more hard currency.

"The market is undersupplied and it's showing on the shelves," he said.

A monthly scarcity index compiled by Venezuela's Central Bank, relying on spot checks in markets across the nation, reached its highest in four years last month. The index remains below a high hit in 2007, when widespread food shortages were considered a key factor in Chavez's defeat in a referendum on constitutional changes.

Pollster Luis Vicente Leon said the current shortages could again reach levels seen in 2007.

Asdrubal Oliveros of Econoanalitica, a Caracas-based economic think-tank, blames government economic policy.

"The controls don't work," Oliveros said. "In every part of the world they have demonstrated their failure."

Private companies that import food and other products receive dollars from the government every month or two months, but there have been delays recently. Roig said the government is often only delivering a small percentage of what companies request.

During visits to several shops and supermarkets in downtown Caracas, an Associated Press reporter noticed a lack of chicken, milk, cooking oil, beef, sugar and coffee. Also scarce was cornmeal, the main ingredient for the country's cherished "arepas," corn cakes that are stuffed with meat, chicken, cheese or other fillings.

More consumers are being forced to hop from market to market in different areas to fill their grocery lists.

Beatriz Romero, a 44-year-old housewife, looked exasperated as she emerged from a small grocery store in bustling downtown Caracas holding plastic bags full of canned goods and vegetables.

"I didn't find everything that I needed," said Romero, who wanted to buy rice, cornmeal and sugar. "I'll have to go look for the other products somewhere else."

___

Associated Press writer Ian James contributed to this report.

___

Vivian Sequera on Twitter: http://twitter.com/VivianSequera

___

Christopher Toothaker on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ctoothaker

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-15-Venezuela-Food%20Shortages/id-fba12b349eac4d79af257184d052b14a

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befell fundy: Recreation and Sports: Skateboarding Article Category ...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://befell-fundy.blogspot.com/2013/01/recreation-and-sports-skateboarding.html

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The 5 Players Who Should Have Been Voted into the 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame

Last week, the Baseball Writers Association of America did not elect any of the eligible players into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Many of the players who were up for election this year will forever be associated with the infamous steroid era.

Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire have all been linked to steroid use. Jeff Bagwell and Mike Piazza have never been linked to PED's, but some have questioned whether or not they did cheat because of the numbers they put up in their careers.

Many of the players on this year's ballot didn't have the greatest career stats. But I think there were five players who deserved to be elected this year. These five players were snubbed by the BBWAA. Many baseball fans have advocated for the election of these five men.

I am advocating for their induction as well. The BBWAA likes to play politics when it comes to Hall of Fame elections every year.

Here are some other players who I feel could be elected to the Hall of Fame:

• Edgar Martinez, one of the greatest players to be used as a designated hitter.?
• Don Mattingly, one of the best first basemen of all time.
• Julio Franco?his longevity speaks for itself.
• Alan Trammell, one of the best infielders of his generation.

Now, here are the five players who should have been elected for enshrinement into the Hall of Fame...

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1483173-the-five-players-who-should-have-been-voted-into-the-2013-baseball-hall-of-fame

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