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Sunday, November 25, 2012
15 Holiday Must-Haves for the Movie Lover
An enormous Blu-ray box set, Bond 50: The Complete 22 Film Collection includes all 22 James Bond films (yes, even the bad ones, but no, not the noncanon Never Say Never Again). It even has a space holder for your Skyfall Blu-ray, which you can fill when the most recent 007 entry makes its home entertainment debut in 2013. Nine Bond films make their Blu-ray debut in this box, which also contains more than 130 hours of bonus material including some not previously released and brand new content. Pick up this set for the James Bond fan in your family?just don't expect to see them for about a week.
Exclusive: African Audio Marketplace Waabeh Helping Artists To ...
- By?TechMoran
- November 24, 2012
?
Waabeh is the slang word for great or awesome in sheng ? (hybrid language of English and Swahili). The name captures what ?Waabeh aspires to be; a great platform, providing great and locally relevant audio content.
Apart from Music, Waabeh also has Podcasts, Audio Books, Radio documentaries and Educational Material.?Currently Waabeh is available as a Web-based and Android application, with tracks ready for?listeners?to discover.
?
TechMoran caught up with the awesome team and this is what they told us.
What is Waabeh?
Waabeh, Africa?s Audio Marketplace as is called has the latest music by musicians from Kenya and across the continent. Waabeh allows users to listen to music or download it from the Internet. Buyers though have to pay for the tracks through a mobile money system already integrated.
We currently have over 500 tracks and the numbers keep growing daily.
We have music ?from JustaBand, Eric Wainaina, as well as timeless tracks from , Mercy Myra, Five Alive, KSouth and???Jongo love? a 12 part fast paced drama set in grimy ghetto of ?Jongo? in Nairobi, as well as excerpts from the Kenyan Constitution.
So far have partnered with various musicians and content producers to make their music and content available on Waabeh.
Just recently Kisima Awards used our?platform?to stream all the nominated music online for?listeners across the world to listen, engage and vote for the various nominees online.
We further partnered with another Kenyan musician, Kevin Provoke to push his new single to over 200 people in one day and we just concluded working on an audio format of Kenya?s new constitution in partnership with the National Council of Kenya Law Reporting. The audio format is now online.
?
Who is your competition?
We do not have much of competition in the African market. The closest is mdundo a Kenyan a music-only scratchcard service and Spintlet a similar music-only download service based in Nigeria, focused mainly on the West African Market.
There is also Itunes & Soundcloud that have very little African audio content and primarily serve users based in the Europe and the Americas.
?
?
What inspired you to launch Waabeh?
Focus.?Africa is the only market that has seen steady overall growth over the last 5 years and the? projections for the next 15 years are astronomical. We realised that surprisingly for a continent such great potential, a billion people and 1000s of different cultures, no one has created a product that allows us to tell, ?distribute, and archive our stories in culturally relevant manner: through an audio platform.
Our culture is still primarily transmitted verbally and the problem with this that it gets lost, diluted and we are unable ultimately to turn it into a beneficial resource. We saw the vast opportunity presented by this as well the growth of smartphones, and internet access across the continent.
Having also worked in Kenya as well as Pan African entertainment industry for the last 12 years, I saw the challenges faced by audio creators with amazing content but lack the ability to distribute it.
While there could be similar products Waabeh?s core platform is built on the ability to stream, download and it is an audio market, which makes it very different from the rest of our would be competitors that have only focused on a small segment, music, and their products are mainly targeted at the youth [ 13- 25] and are only download based.
?
Take us through your different features?
Waabeh is an Audio content publisher that has two kinds of users, the audio consumer and the publishers. For the consumer, our biggest offering is to be able to stream content through the various channels, Apps, Mobile Web, and Web.
?
Our content is available in four main categories:
Music, Life, Education and Soul. Music provides the best of African music, Life provides material that is meant to make life richer and fuller, here we have amongst other information the constitution of Kenya, Education provides Audio books, we are currently working at making available all current 8-4-4 set-books in drammatised audio format here.
In Soul, we cater for the inner man, and here we provide church sermons and motivational talks.
In addition they can be able to download the content, depending on the publishing rights some of the content is available free for download e.g. the constitution, and the church sermons, while content like Music and books need to be paid for download.
Based on our algorithms we are able to determine some of the most popular listened-to content, and we offer ?mix-tape of the week? to our users.
On the other hand we have the content publishers, for them, each has a way for creating their profile, where they can upload,manage their content and interact with their funs, and track how their work is doing through our unique and customised reputation management system that combines the power ?gota?, listenership and pageviews.
In addition, we have studied the market and acknowledge that there is very little of locally relevant content easily available for distribution, therefore, for content publishers who do not have their work or would want to have their work in audio format, we offer recording services that guarantees high quality audio for downloading and streaming, which they can make available in all other mediums.
We offer a feature that allows listeners to access content either directly from the Waabeh platform, but also within the publishers own website through an?embedded?audio player streaming within the confines of their websites, as well as a badge.
?
Have you raised any seed funding or are bootstrapping?
Waabeh is a labor of love, fully bootstrapped by the founders and funded by them. We opted to
make sure we have a product that works well before sourcing for any outside source of funding.
This allows us some level of independence on the growth of our product.
?
How do you want to make money out of Waabeh?
Waabeh has three revenue streams: Advertising, Streaming and Downloads.
?
Advertising; our projected biggest source of revenue is from advertising. Unlike traditional advertising, we will have advertising 3-15sec unobtrusive ads embedded in all the audio content.
Streaming; we will have premier content that users will be charged an affordable monthly access fee.
Downloads; this is a traditional model, whereby, users pay to download content.
Payment is through mobile money, credit cards and our own proprietary credits system.
?
Eric Wainaina
?
How will Musicians or the public benefit?
Waabeh is not only a music platform, but it also is place to listen to all kinds of audio content.
It empowers the audio content creators by providing a platform that allows the distribution and monetization their content.
?
?
?Built in tools on the platform for musicians and audio creators the benefits are threefold:
First we solve the problem of obscurity and invisibility by having an easy way to get discovered
over multiple platforms[ online, native applications for Android, Nokia, BB and IOS].
Secondly,our multiple income streams ie, subscription, advertising, downloads and streaming ensure
more income avenues are now available to them. Thirdly, by dealing with audio creators directly
Waabeh eliminates middlemen, pariahs and the headache of monetization of their content.
Other benefits include detailed statistics about their content usage and their audiences.
For the users, Waabeh solves the problem of discovering great African audio content as well as painless and legal way of obtaining it. We believe that the users of non music audio content [Education and Soul] will eventually be our largest user base as they will be coming to us to solve their immediate problems e.g. ability to access to education curriculum on the phone as an audio book.
In two years, what do you want to achieve?
This year we have just only set up in Nairobi, Kenya, in the next two quarters we plan to firmly expand our network across the country to audio content creators [publishers, podcasters, independent radio producers] as well as expanding to the rest of Eastern Africa.
We also want to be the first service that is synonymous with distribution music and audio, on the African continent.
Kevin Provoke
?
Who is on your management team?
The 4 person Waabeh team [ Tim, King, Jeff and Ciku] bring on board their solid reputations, stellar resum?s and a combined 25 years in Development , UI and system design, Music business and branding. The team is passionate about ?solving problems Africa?s problems using technology.
?
Tim
Waabeh?s Chief Excitement Officer, Tim is a musician who loves tech and whose main responsibility?is to get the world excited about Waabeh. Tim has worked in the Music business for 12 years?gaining such notable clients such as Warner Bros Gaming LA,Tiger Aspect, Universal Music?Group, Endemol, BBC, ActionAid, Safaricom and Reuters.
Kingori ? [ ki NG ? ri ]
Our Binary Masseur [CTO] is in charge of making sure the 1s and 0s make sense. With vast?experience in engineering and development, Kingori is our international man of coding mystery.
Jeff
Waabeh?s Pixel Architect whose sole responsibility is to ensure everything looks and feels great . His?work has been seen offline as well as online for a wide array of clients such as, Capital?Colors, Ihub, Pivot East, Azma Clothing, Apprentice Hub, Rock Resorts.
Ciku [ sh ? K ? ]
Waabeh?s official Gangnam Styler is a recent addition that completed our team, has a?background in system design and has worked in different capacities across Africa.
?
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Sunday, November 18, 2012
Ssss
When it comes to skiing and winter sports, Europe has more than its fair share of amazing resorts. From the greatly priced, to the more than reasonable, Europe has it all, and has so much to offer any skier. If youve never been to Europe on a skiing holiday, or if youre looking to expand your experience, youll find something that catches your eye without too much research, and you might just end up joining the legions of skiing fans that wouldnt go anywhere else in the world for their vacation.
On mainland Europe, you have such a varied selection. From the world famous French skiing resorts to Austria, Switzerland and the tiny principality of Andorra, youve got such a wide range of skiing to choose from. France is known the world over as the true home of skiing, and the French really know how to do a quality vacation. With naturally amazing resources, and scenery that can take your breath away, France is an ideal location for a skiing trip. Why not try the Courchevel resort, which has four different ski resorts within one, providing the perfect blend of quality and affordability in a skiing trip. From the grossly overpriced 1850 resort, the playground of Europes film stars and playboys, to the seemingly remote 1350 at the bottom of the hill, you have so much to choose from in Europes finest skiing country. With the kids or with your friends, France is truly a destination that will make for a memorable skiing vacation.
Or how about some of the Italian resorts? Italy, famous for being the cheaper way to ski, also benefits from a diverse range of resorts, like the tiny Alba resort, as well as some larger, more sizeable areas to ski. Famous for passion and a depth of culture, Italy is the ideal place to take a skiing break in Europe, and the weathers good too! Or how about Italys neighbor, Croatia? A rising European nation, youll find a Croatian holiday outrageously good value for money, not to mention top quality. From the international standard ski resorts to their world class restaurants, Croatia is certainly a country on the up, and its skiing facilities can only improve as more and more tourists flock to their slopes each year. Additionally, Bulgaria is an excellent skiing destination to take the kids. With open arms, you will be welcomed by the Bulgarian people, who are more than eager to tell you about their rich and deep past, and welcome you as part of their future. In these expanding and developing European nations, you will come to appreciate the value of tourism, and the quality of treatment and service they are prepared to offer for your investment.
How about Austria for your skiing trip? When we think of skiing, we often imagine the Alpine ideal, with breathtaking scenery and fresh, clean air. Well, it simply doesnt come much better than Austria, and if youre looking for a skiing destination that has it all, why not try Austria for that touch of class with your skiing. Or why not pop over to Switzerland for their Alps experience? Skiing the alps in the home of chocolate and cuckoo clocks, you will be amazed at how picturesque this modern nation has managed to be, whilst still becoming a world leader in financial industry.
Skiing in Europe is the ideal way to spend your vacation. If you love skiing, you are guaranteed to find a great resort somewhere, within your budget that meets your needs, and caters for your ability. With most resorts also boasting strong training academies, you can also work to improve your skills while you are there, ensuring that your skiing trip is both useful and memorable. Whatever you are looking for, choose Europe as your number one skiing destination, for that perfect blend of quality, tradition and culture, and for a holiday that is truly breathtaking.
About the Author:
The author writes about winter holiday. You can find lots more about great locations for ski holidays by
visiting this website
Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Ssss/4272118
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Mortgage Promise and +6 year old debt
Hi, 1st post on here and looking for some advice.
I recently applied for a mortgage in principle through a broker and he managed to obtain a mortgage promise from Bank of Scotland for ?196k based on me taking shared equity on a new build and having a 5% deposit. I've since seen a property with 85/15 shared equity split whereby I would need a mortgage for ?145-150k depending on my deposit situation - so LTV will be 80-85%.
All good until I got a phone call the day after the mortgage promise from Lowell Financial regarding an old BoS debt which had defaulted and since fell off my record (I got into some difficulty about 6-7 years ago and ended up with a few defaults and have lived credit free since... apart from utility bills, mobile phone contract and 1 recent credit card to rebuild my rating).
My question is whether that is pure coincidence I have been contacted (suspect not), or BoS are now aware of this and a full application likely to be rejected? I've no problem setting up a DD to pay off this debt, however just wonder what BoS' view might be. I have made payments to this debt in last 6 years so know I cannot ignore it.
Any advice appreciated - don't want to waste my time getting my hopes up even though that guarantee looks pretty promising.
Thanks in advance!
Source: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4295177&goto=newpost
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Monday, November 5, 2012
Inhibition of enzyme NOX4 prevents liver fibrosis
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 5-Nov-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Ral Toran
comunicacio@idibell.cat
IDIBELL-Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute
Researchers at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have led a study published in PLoS One showing that the inhibition of a family member of NADPH oxidase enzyme, NOX4, plays an important role in liver fibrosis.
The researchers studied the function of a cytokine called transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in the pathophysiology of the liver, which is one of the main research lines of the Biological Clues of the Invasive and Metastatic Phenotype research group at the IDIBELL, leaded by Isabel Fabregat.
This paper is related with the processes of liver fibrosis, an illness caused by the overproduction of extracellular matrix proteins in the liver tissue. During fibrosis, levels of TGF-beta are increased, and there is an activation of the extracellular matrix producing the activation of protecting cells of the extracellular matrix and other possible events leading to the death of hepatocytes.
Two sides
The TGF-beta is a complex cytokine. It is a prominent tumor suppressor in early stages of tumor formation, but, in advanced stages, the cells adapt to escape from the growth inhibitory signals and, under these conditions, the TGF-beta is able to potentiate tumor progression contributing to metastasis.
The study published in PLoS One is a collaboration between IDIBELL and the research group of Wolfgang Mikulits, coauthor of the study, at the Cancer Research Institute of the Medical University of Vienna (Austria), that have provided cellular and animal models. The analysis in patient samples has been possible thanks to the collaboration with the University Hospital Alcorcon Foundation and the Complutense University of Madrid.
The aim of the study was to analyze routes below TGF-beta, i.e. the cytokine-induced pathways that may be responsible for the process leading to the occurrence of fibrosis, cell activation and production of extracellular matrix and the hepatocytes death.
Previous studies have demonstrated in vitro and in vivo that it would be possible to inhibit the TGF-beta to reduce fibrosis. However, the TGF-beta is a tumor suppressor. Giving an anti-TGF-beta to people who are undergoing a process of liver fibrosis is a risk factor to eliminate a potential tumor suppressor, "and this is very important in the process of fibrosis, which can induce a chronic damage to the liver and it can lead to liver carcinoma. Therefore, in this situation, the administration of a drug that is an inhibitor of a suppressor factor may contribute to increase the probability of develop tumors", explained Dr. Fabregat.
Several laboratories are studying the routes below the TGF-beta that mediate the fibrotic process to maintain other processes induced by TGF-beta to inhibit the tumor formation. The research group has demonstrated that a family member of the enzymes involved in oxidation, the NOX4, which acts in the TGF-beta pathway, plays an important role in fibrosis in both in vivo in fibrotic experimental models mouse, and in vitro with culture cells. "Cancelling NOX4 prevents both activation of extracellular matrix producing cells and hepatocyte death", concluded the IDIBELL researcher.
Medical Applications
The study also shows that NOX4 levels are very high in samples from patients at different stages of fibrosis caused by infection with hepatitis C virus. Currently there are some NOX4 inhibitors drugs, so the study indicates its clinical potential and explains how they might act if they are used as a treatment in patients with hepatic fibrosis.
###
Article reference
Sancho P, Mainez J, Crosas-Molist E, Roncero C, Fernndez-Rodriguez CM, Pinedo F, Huber H, Eferl R, Mikulits W, Fabregat I.NADPH Oxidase NOX4 Mediates Stellate Cell Activation and Hepatocyte Cell Death during Liver Fibrosis Development. PLoS One. 2012; 7(9):e45285. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045285. Epub 2012 Sep 26.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 5-Nov-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Ral Toran
comunicacio@idibell.cat
IDIBELL-Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute
Researchers at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have led a study published in PLoS One showing that the inhibition of a family member of NADPH oxidase enzyme, NOX4, plays an important role in liver fibrosis.
The researchers studied the function of a cytokine called transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in the pathophysiology of the liver, which is one of the main research lines of the Biological Clues of the Invasive and Metastatic Phenotype research group at the IDIBELL, leaded by Isabel Fabregat.
This paper is related with the processes of liver fibrosis, an illness caused by the overproduction of extracellular matrix proteins in the liver tissue. During fibrosis, levels of TGF-beta are increased, and there is an activation of the extracellular matrix producing the activation of protecting cells of the extracellular matrix and other possible events leading to the death of hepatocytes.
Two sides
The TGF-beta is a complex cytokine. It is a prominent tumor suppressor in early stages of tumor formation, but, in advanced stages, the cells adapt to escape from the growth inhibitory signals and, under these conditions, the TGF-beta is able to potentiate tumor progression contributing to metastasis.
The study published in PLoS One is a collaboration between IDIBELL and the research group of Wolfgang Mikulits, coauthor of the study, at the Cancer Research Institute of the Medical University of Vienna (Austria), that have provided cellular and animal models. The analysis in patient samples has been possible thanks to the collaboration with the University Hospital Alcorcon Foundation and the Complutense University of Madrid.
The aim of the study was to analyze routes below TGF-beta, i.e. the cytokine-induced pathways that may be responsible for the process leading to the occurrence of fibrosis, cell activation and production of extracellular matrix and the hepatocytes death.
Previous studies have demonstrated in vitro and in vivo that it would be possible to inhibit the TGF-beta to reduce fibrosis. However, the TGF-beta is a tumor suppressor. Giving an anti-TGF-beta to people who are undergoing a process of liver fibrosis is a risk factor to eliminate a potential tumor suppressor, "and this is very important in the process of fibrosis, which can induce a chronic damage to the liver and it can lead to liver carcinoma. Therefore, in this situation, the administration of a drug that is an inhibitor of a suppressor factor may contribute to increase the probability of develop tumors", explained Dr. Fabregat.
Several laboratories are studying the routes below the TGF-beta that mediate the fibrotic process to maintain other processes induced by TGF-beta to inhibit the tumor formation. The research group has demonstrated that a family member of the enzymes involved in oxidation, the NOX4, which acts in the TGF-beta pathway, plays an important role in fibrosis in both in vivo in fibrotic experimental models mouse, and in vitro with culture cells. "Cancelling NOX4 prevents both activation of extracellular matrix producing cells and hepatocyte death", concluded the IDIBELL researcher.
Medical Applications
The study also shows that NOX4 levels are very high in samples from patients at different stages of fibrosis caused by infection with hepatitis C virus. Currently there are some NOX4 inhibitors drugs, so the study indicates its clinical potential and explains how they might act if they are used as a treatment in patients with hepatic fibrosis.
###
Article reference
Sancho P, Mainez J, Crosas-Molist E, Roncero C, Fernndez-Rodriguez CM, Pinedo F, Huber H, Eferl R, Mikulits W, Fabregat I.NADPH Oxidase NOX4 Mediates Stellate Cell Activation and Hepatocyte Cell Death during Liver Fibrosis Development. PLoS One. 2012; 7(9):e45285. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045285. Epub 2012 Sep 26.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/ibri-ioe110512.php
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Rias Baixas Albari?o wine ambassador via Albari?o Explorers Club
Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain. photo credit: southfloridafoodandwine.com
The?Albari?o Explorers Club recently conducted a search for a?charismatic wine/food blogger that has a strong knowledge of wine to be the R?as Baixas?Albari?o wine?ambassador for the United States; yours truly has submitted her application. The winner will be announced on November 19, 2012. Part of the application process was to create a 3-5 minute video showing why you?d be the best choice for the Albari?o Explorers Club Ambassador position, a key part was to have?fun with it and show you had personality.
Albarino, Rias Baixas photo credit: @vicequeenmaria
The winner will be sent on an all-expense paid trip to the coastal region of R?as Baixas, Spain to learn more about Albari?o wines and the area producing this vibrant white wine. Once back on US soil, the duties of the Ambassadorship begin,?traveling throughout the United States during 2013 planning wine tastings, spreading the luv for Albarino via social media, and speaking to consumers and wine professionals?knowledgeably?and enthusiastically about?Albari?o from?R?as Baixas.
Albarino Rias Baixas Ambassador video application, photo credit: foodalogue.com
Without question, my video captures charisma, fun, personality and enthusiasm. Much effort and thought went into the production of this video application and it?s as enjoyable as it is because of the team I surrounded myself with to pull it off; @ViceQueenMaria behind the camera, @4theloveoffood and Joan Nova a.k.a. Foodalogue.com as my ?ladies who lunch? and 50 Ocean in Delray Beach for the use of their stellar ocean front location, [simulating that of R?as Baixas], and for the spot-on food pairings prepared by Executive Chef, Blake Malatesta. The theme of my video is ?ladies who lunch?. This premise is not far from the truth of what I do with my girlfriends on a regular basis, so doing what comes natural was the obvious answer for this application, just with the addition of a video camera and getting it all on tape. There is no doubt in my mind that after seeing my video you will undoubtedly feel the passion and zest we have for wine, food and friendship; so come back to SouthFloridaFoodandWine.com on November 19th to find out if I won and in the meantime, wish me luck and check out the video.
?
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irina shayk wedding dress couture 2013 collection
IRINA Shayk looks breathtaking as she poses in a brilliant white bridal gown.
Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't whisked the stunning cover girl down the aisle - the leggy lovely is modelling wedding frocks for Italian designer Alessandro Angelozzi.
The 26-year-old Sports Illustrated model looks drop dead gorgeous in the glam gowns, showing off her famous pins in a slashed-to-the-thigh number - and her irresistible cleavage in another low-cut option.
Glam gown ... stunning Russian is dating football ace Cristiano Ronaldo
Scope
Angelozzi's new Couture 2013 collection isn't all about weddings - and Irina also showed off her fiery side in a full-length red frock, cut low enough to give us a tantalising peek at her cleavage, and sliced so far up her left leg her underwear almost showed
Rumour has it Real Madrid star Ron is planning to pop the question sooner rather than later.
After feasting his eyes on these sizzling snaps - who can blame him?
Red hot ... the 26 year old is a Sports Illustrated covergirl
Scope
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The Covenant Cafe 11/04 by D Hour Show | Blog Talk Radio
On his show, Comedian Rodney Perry covers arts and entertainment, everything from comedy and politics to music and acting, with his signature comedic slant.
MashUp Radio is a 30-minute podcast that discusses the fusion of technology, life, culture and science. Host Peter Biddle, engineer and executive for Intel?s Atom Software, dishes up a thought-provoking discussion.
Deepak Chopra Radio provides an online forum for compelling and thought provoking conversations on success, love, sexuality and relationships, well-being and spirituality.
The Bottom Line Sports Show is hosted by former NBA stars Penny Hardaway, Charles Oakley, Mateen Cleaves. Tune in to get the inside scoop on what's happening in sports today.
Joy Keys provides her listeners with insight to improve their lives mentally, physically, monetarily and emotionally. Past guests on the show have included Meshell Nedegeocello, Blair Underwood, in addition to an impressive list of CEOs, humanitarians and authors.
Hits Radio covers basketball, sports culture and entertainment with past guests including Jason Kidd, Robin Lundberg and Chris Herren.
Listeners get an earful on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds. Whether it?s the current political cocktail or the latest must-read award-winning book, Halli tackles all topics and likes to stir ? and sometimes shakes ? things up.
Award-winning World Footprints is a leading voice in socially responsible travel and lifestyle. Hosts Ian & Tonya celebrate culture and heritage and bring a unique voice to the world of travel.
Football Reporters Online is a group of veteran football experts in the fields of coaching, scouting, talent evaluation, and writing/broadcasting/media placement. Combined, the group brings well over 100 years of expertise in sports.
Host John Martin interviews the nation's leading entrepreneurs and small biz experts to educate small business owners on how to be successful. Past guests have included Emeril Lagasse and Guy Kawasaki.
The Movie Geeks share their passion for the art through interviews with the stars of and creative minds behind your favorite flicks and pay tribute to big-screen legends. From James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola to Ellen Burstyn and Robert Duvall, The Geeks have got'em all.
Sylvia Global presents global conversations pertaining to women, wealth, business, faith and philanthropy. Sylvia has interviewed an eclectic mix from CEOs and musicians to fashion designers and philanthropists including Randolph Duke and Ne-Yo.
Seasoned entertainment reporter Robin Milling gets up close and personal with the world's most compelling celebs. From Michael Douglas to Katie Holmes to Kevin Kline to Ashley Judd to America Ferrera, she sits down in person each week with each and every A-lister.
Mr. Media host Bob Andelman goes one-on-one with the hottest, most influential minds from the worlds of film, TV, music, comedy, journalism and literature. That means A-listers like Kirk Douglas, Christian Slater, Kathy Ireland, Rick Fox, Chris Hansen and Jackie Collins.
Paula Begoun, best-selling author of Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, separates fact from fiction on achieving a radiant, youthful complexion at any age. She?s regularly joined by health and beauty experts who offer the latest on keeping your skin in tip-top shape.
Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dhourshow/2012/11/04/the-covenant-cafe
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Saturday, November 3, 2012
Teachers' unions push to get educators elected
Ohio Education Association
Donna O'Connor and Maureen Reedy are running for state House seats in Ohio.
By Sarah Butrymowicz, The Hechinger Report
COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Special-education teacher Donna O?Connor and 23 of her colleagues gathered at their union?s headquarters here in January for a first-of-its-kind campaign boot camp. Prompted by an intense battle over collective bargaining that has pitted unions against a Republican-controlled State Assembly, the Ohio Education Association started grooming its own candidates to take back control of state education policy.
O?Connor, who is currently running for a House seat in the Columbus suburbs, felt her own sense of urgency as she learned how to fundraise, write speeches and debate during the union training sessions. ?I started connecting the dots about seven years ago [that] I couldn?t just shut my classroom door and the politicians would leave me alone,? she said.
Teachers have long run for office, often with encouragement and support from their unions. This year, however, educators in states with some of the biggest labor disputes and most controversial education policies have been campaigning in record numbers, according to state-level union officials. It?s one of the most direct ways that teachers and unions are showing their frustration over mounting attacks on tenure, the growth of nonunionized charter schools and efforts to evaluate teachers based on student test scores.
?You?re starting to see a lot of teachers say, ?Enough is enough. I want to run for office,? ? said Joe Williams, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform.
The group works to elect Democrats committed to making dramatic changes to education policy, including many that the unions oppose, such as eliminating tenure. Williams said he expects the trend of educators vying for office to continue. Official statistics aren?t kept on how many teachers are running, but anecdotal evidence from several states suggests the numbers are up.
The teachers union in Wisconsin, which was the center of a lengthy battle over collective bargaining last year, has six members competing for statewide office. In Tennessee, the first state to pass a law tying teacher evaluations to test scores, nine out of 11 teacher-candidates survived state legislature primaries to advance to the November elections. (Typically, two or three teachers in Tennessee run for any sort of office in a given year, according to the state?s teachers union). And in Minnesota, where mounting class sizes and debates over changing the seniority system have upset teachers, 35 educators are on the ballot. Members of the Minnesota teachers union, Education Minnesota, have estimated that that number is about a third higher than normal.
?Unfortunately for the past two years, the Legislature has ignored the real problems and focused on bashing teachers,? Education Minnesota president Tom Dooher said in a written statement. ?We?re hopeful more people with classroom experience will be elected and re-order its priorities next year.?
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Ohio was thrust into the national spotlight last year when its legislature passed Senate Bill 5, which banned unions from collective bargaining. A ballot initiative that November repealed the law, but the memory ? and the anger it inspired ? has not faded.
Although many potential candidates who attended the OEA?s training sessions decided not to run this year (and one lost in a primary), 10 remain on the ballot for state office ? an unprecedented number, according to the OEA. In the last six years, just three other OEA members have run. This year, an 11th educator, a former member of the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) in his first year of retirement, is also running.
The Republicans have a stronghold in both houses of the Ohio State Assembly. In the House of Representatives, they are one member away from a super-majority, which would mean that any law passed as an ?emergency measure? would take effect right away.
State congressional districts were redrawn in Ohio this year, in what supporters of the teachers union claim was gerrymandering meant to help Republican candidates. Still, the changes created new seats for some teachers to run and prompted others to challenge incumbents. Many teachers are now locked in tight races in districts that lean heavily red.
More stories from The Hechinger Report
O?Connor, the special-education teacher, lost her current representative, Democrat John Carney, to another district during the redistricting process. Faced with an incumbent who had voted against collective bargaining and for a budget that cut state education funding by more than 10 percent, O?Connor decided it was time for her to get directly involved. She described the bill that outlawed collective bargaining as the ?icing on the cake? in motivating her to run.
Tom Schmida, an OFT retiree up for election to the House in the Akron suburbs, was also spurred to run by a host of issues. A Democrat, Schmida is concerned about the future of collective bargaining, charter school accountability and a provision in the approved budget bill that will tie teacher evaluations to test scores. ?An overreaching agenda by the extreme elements of the Republican Party, especially in the State House, [goes] beyond Senate Bill 5,? he said.
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Schmida is in a close race against incumbent Republican Rep. Kristina Roegner, a staunch proponent of charters, vouchers and the elimination of collective-bargaining rights. Schmida?s grassroots campaign has knocked on about 7,500 doors and made 9,000 phone calls. Many of his volunteers are teachers and union members themselves, he said.
Both of the state?s teachers unions have endorsed all of the teacher-candidates. The OEA has also sent out mailings to members about its teacher-candidates, organized phone banks and helped produce a campaign video. ?We?ve supported them through every means we possibly can,? said OEA president Patricia Frost-Brooks.
OEA declined to give specifics on the amount of money it has spent to help teacher-candidates get elected.
To Williams, these steps are a logical extension of unions? long-time political involvement. ?Teachers unions all over the country have been pretty successful at keeping the pipeline for potential candidates for office filled with good candidates,? he said. ?We?re starting to see the unions take their message up a notch. It?s not just about good candidates ? [but] getting teachers to be recruited.?
Yet Williams worries that too many teachers in office might derail the current education reform agenda. ?As we move into an area where there?s lots of debates about teacher-quality issues and teacher-tenure issues, [the unions] are going to want people who will shut that debate down,? he said. He believes having more educators in office will be helpful only if they offer perspectives from the trenches without sidetracking the reform conversation.
Several Ohio teacher-candidates say they?re open to discussion and compromise. They add that their larger goals?like a better system of funding education?need not be divisive. It?s more about ensuring a teacher voice, they say.
?In 2011, that really showed us what happens when we don?t elect officials that are pro-workers, pro-public education and pro-teacher,? O?Connor said in her OEA-produced campaign video, referring to Senate Bill 5. ?Electing pro-public education candidates is most important this time around. I think the teachers that are running, we can help protect and improve public education from the inside out.?
This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education-news outlet based at Teachers College, Columbia University.
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It is All a Matter of Return on Investment when Enterprise Business ...
As the result of a long history of poor to mediocre return on efforts to implement IT software solutions, enterprise businesses and other large organizations in the public and not for profit sectors are much more reluctant to consider IT software purchases. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that sales personnel managing prospects and accounts pay very close attention to customer expectations of the probable results of IT software purposes.
Paying attention goes much further than simply attending to the task of setting reasonable, realistic expectations of purchase benefits by prospects and even customers. Paying attention means participating, where ever possible, along with prospects in the formation of the true value of enterprise IT software implementations under consideration. We have written on this topic earlier in this blog.
We highly recommended several books authored by Jeff Thull on this topic, and still do so. From our unique perspective, we can attest to the truth of the value imperative for our customers. For example, we are presently selling training systems for IT software to enterprise customers. Lately, we are learning with increasing frequency that our prospects must demonstrate for management the actual value of IT projects that have been implemented. Like any other successful selling organization we have no other option than to support our customers and prospects as they proceed through this process. Indeed, we welcome opportunities to do so. Further, we think it makes sense for other enterprise IT ISVs after the same markets to do the same.
We need to note that not all enterprise IT organizations will welcome the participation of vendors in the formation of specific value propositions. We think that part of this reluctance amounts to a ?once burned twice shy? attitude. Another driver is so-called ?commoditized IT?, which we now find to be a realistic position. Some purchase are just too mundane for enterprise businesses to consider including a vendor in the formation of a value proposition. In fact, we think this makes perfect sense. When we encounter this position, our policy, as ever, is to accomodate.
Nevertheless, the larger enterprise IT ISVs, along with prominent consulting firms typically participate in this type of value formation on the part of customers and prospects. Therefore, whenever an opportunity for this type of role emerges we advocate moving forward and taking up the offer on a position in the decision-making.
Bottom line: it makes sense to maintain awareness of the importance of delivering value once enterprise IT software projects have been implemented. At all costs, it is essential for successful efforts in this area to monitor customer impressions to verify positive results.
? IMB Enterprises, Inc. & Ira Michael Blonder, 2012 All Rights Reserved
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The 10 Commandments of Retirement Investing: Part II | InvestorPlace
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After spending some time yesterday to discuss the first part of an abbreviated form of Richard C. Young?s ?10 Commandments of Investing,? let?s take a look at the final five commandments and how they can help prepare investors for retirement.
#6: Automatic Withdrawal Programs
Young is very specific in this commandment, suggesting that retirees take out 1% of net portfolio assets every quarter. The vast majority of retirement ?letters? and advisory services I?ve read suggest a 4% figure, so clearly we are looking at a more conservative number in this commandment.
It?s tough to make a cut-and-dried number for withdrawals, considering there are as many variables as there are options. Diversified retirement portfolios may contain assets such as real estate and equity partnerships that are difficult to liquidate, especially on a quarterly basis.
Traditional and Roth IRAs have their own sets of withdrawal rules ? regular IRAs even have required minimum distributions ? so understanding those in the scheme of your other investments is important.
While 1% quarterly is a good guide, as with any aspect of retirement planning, withdrawals should be made based on your monetary needs and your investment time horizon.
#7: Avoid Investment Predictions
Don?t assume that the broader markets will go up in a straight line forever, and certainly don?t plan your retirement on that assumption. Or, more shortly, don?t ?set it and forget it.?
Instead, make (and keep up with) a plan using some analytical tools ? which can be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet ? that provides you with the actual inflows from dividends, interest and any other investments, and keep that spreadsheet up to date on your portfolio mix.
That same spreadsheet can be a valuable tool to help you decide when to sell down asset classes (for balance sake, not necessarily for cash flow) that may be out of balance.
#8: Full Faith and Credit Investing
I?m taking my own swing at this one, as the guidebook is unavailable, but investing at least a portion of your hard-earned monies in Treasury notes ? even at rates below inflation ? is sensible. After all, despite what sometimes appears to be fiscal gridlock, the U.S. still is the most stable economy in the world, and ? for now, at least ? it has the safest debt, too.
Companies like Vanguard offer the full range of U.S. government bond funds, ranging from? Short Term Treasury (MUTF:VFISX) to Long Term Treasury (MUTF:VUSTX) average maturities, both invested at least 80% in government-backed securities. Or you could invest in exchange-traded funds like the iShares Barclays 20+ Year Treasury Bond (NYSE:TLT), which holds Treasury notes with remaining maturities of 20 or more years. Or you can eschew funds altogether and buy government debt directly through the U.S. Treasury.
Full faith and credit can include a fund or investment vehicle packed with solid-rated corporate credits, too. For instance, there?s the iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond Fund (NYSE:LQD) ETF, which carries debt from companies like AT&T (NYSE:T) and Walmart (NYSE:WMT).
#9: Avoid In-and-Out Trading
?Day-trading? was all the rage back in the 1990?s when, as my brother used to say, ?You could stuff stocks into a mule and it would appreciate.?
My friends, those days are over.
The market?s sophistication isn?t just based on intellectual capacity; it is now computers, and programs and algorithms. You probably have the smarts, but the game is rigged against you. Building a retirement from your den or beach house is tricky, risky business.
Be active, of course. Your portfolio should be a living, breathing thing, so it?s OK to occasionally take a quick flier on a stock to get a nice bump in your portfolio. But don?t do it often, and only allocate a small amount of your portfolio to such moves so you don?t jeopardize your nest egg. Leave the daily hunt for quick winners to the professionals.
#10: Have a Plan and Patience
So many factors emerge on a day-to-day basis that it?s sometimes difficult to see the forest for the trees. But if you make your own road map ahead of time, you can use it when life throws off your GPS.
Of course, a plan isn?t worth anything if you don?t have the patience to see it through.
And patience is important no matter what stage of life you?re in. Obviously, you have plenty of time if you?re starting out small right out of college, but it?s also difficult to condition yourself to think 40, 50 years down the road. Of course, if you?re starting out later in life, big or small, you don?t have as much time to work with ? but if you treat 10 or 15 years like 10 or 15 minutes, you?ll find yourself making some rash mistakes.
Start from the beginning: Write it down, hash it out, keep it handy, follow your instincts, and listen to the advice of those you trust. And don?t stop until you?ve reached your goals.
Marc Bastow is an Assistant Editor at InvestorPlace.com. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. What do you think? Let us know by leaving questions or other comments below.
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Source: http://investorplace.com/2012/11/the-10-commandments-of-retirement-investing-part-ii/
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US factory orders rise 4.8 percent in September
WASHINGTON (AP) ? U.S. companies boosted their orders for manufactured goods by the largest amount in 18 months in September, but companies remained cautious in ordering goods that signal plans to expand and modernize.
Factory orders rose 4.8 percent in September compared to August, a month when orders had fallen 5.1 percent, the Commerce Department said Friday.
The September gain was the biggest since March 2011 and was driven by a surge in demand for commercial aircraft, a volatile category which had seen orders plunge in August.
Demand for core capital goods, viewed as a good proxy for business investment plans, edged up a slight 0.2 percent in September following a 0.3 percent rise in August. The two modest gains followed two months of huge declines as business investment remains weak.
Businesses have grown more cautious for a number of reasons. Many are concerned about the economic outlook overseas. Europe's financial crisis has pushed many countries in the region into recession. That has cut into U.S. exports and corporate profits. Growth has also slowed in China, Brazil and other big developing nations which are major markets for American exports.
Companies are also hesitant to commit the money to major expansion and modernization projects without knowing whether large tax increases and big government spending cuts will take effect in January should Congress fail to reach a budget deal to avert them.
The report on factory orders covers durable goods, items expected to last at least three years, and nondurable goods such as chemicals, paper and food.
Orders for durable goods jumped 9.8 percent, a slight downward revision from a preliminary report showing a 9.9 percent increase but still the largest in nearly three years. Aircraft orders surged 2,650 percent, following a 97.2 percent drop in August. Orders for primary metals such as steel rose 3.9 percent while demand for machinery was up 9.2 percent. Orders for nondurable goods rose 1 percent in September following a 2.2 percent gain in August.
Core capital goods, the category used as a proxy for business investment, showed gains of 0.2 percent in September and 0.3 percent in August but those tiny increases followed big declines of 5.6 percent in July and 2.7 percent in June.
In the July-September period, business investment in equipment and computer software was flat, the weakest performance since the April-June quarter of 2009 when the country was in recession.
The overall economy grew at a 2 percent annual rate in the July-September quarter. That was a slight improvement over the 1.3 percent growth in the April-June period but the economy needs to be expanding at much faster rates to achieve a sustained improvement in unemployment.
In one hopeful sign, U.S. manufacturing expanded for a second month in October. The Institute for Supply Management said Thursday that its index of factory activity rose in October to 51.7, up from September's reading of 51.5. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. Previous surveys showed that manufacturing had contracted from June through August.
The ISM survey was completed before Hurricane Sandy disrupted business activit6y along the East Coast.
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Video: Galaxy avoid 'one of those games'
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The Dog Fancy & Pet Owners. Isn't it Time to Make ?First Contact??
It?s said that timing is everything, and in Atlanta, it was on my side. Hurricane Sandy spared the city where I was attending ?BarkWorld,? but another day or two and I might still be there because of flights canceled by the storm.
I would have missed having oral surgery the other day.
That would have been tragic.
And yes, that?s sarcasm.
It?s also small minded. The discomfort of my sore, swollen gums pale in comparion to what others hit by the hurricane are suffering this week. The devastation is unfathomable to me, and I do what I can with donations and prayers. The ASPCA?is partnering with Petsmart Charities?to provide emergency relief and have set up a distribution center in Syracuse, NY. with 4,000 sheltering supplies ready to be distributed to local rescue groups in need. You can make a donation to the organization online.
The Facebook Page Hurricane Sandy Lost and Found Pets?page is posting photos of missing and found pets. People are also using the #hashtag #sandypets to communicate updates on Twitter.
Let?s help out where we can.
I?m often asked what goes on at a ?blogging convention? like BarkWorld. There are seminars and classes, of course, but attendees always hope to have a good time, as well. Depending upon the venue, parties can be a planned part of the schedule,but impromptu gatherings also break out when like-minded writers and social media ?influencers? (as we?re now called) find themselves together. Last year, ?BlogHer? had over 5,000 women bloggers in attendence including ?mommy bloggers,? ?fashion bloggers,? and those who wrote about cooking, exercise, life changes, etc. I assume most were like me in gravitating to people who wrote about similar things, but one morning at breakfast, I sat next to a blogger who wrote exclusively about honeymoons at Disneyland.? Talk about a niche.
Despite the apparent debauchery, we are all professionals, here. We write, we think, we blog, and on this night, we did shots of Pinkies, compliments of our server. Guess which one he is.
?Pet blogging? conventions, of course, attract people who write about (wait for it?.) pets!? ?BarkWorld? had a schedule which included a Halloween charity party, morning yoga with one?s dog (called ?doga?), cooking-for-pets demonstrations, and six minute ?speed dates? with various companies looking for reciprocal arrangements with bloggers. Part of any convention, too, is a whole lot of ?swag? (free goodies) provided by companies which hope that bloggers will write about.
It was a night for dressing up, and that included the dogs.
The crux of any of these conferences, however, is to make connections and learn to do what we do better. Some of the seminar titles at BarkWorld were:
- Showcase Your Influence: How to Make the Most of a Blogger to Brand Relationship;
- Google for Pet Influencers and Brands, Name that price!
- How much is your Tweet Worth?
- Navigating the Pet Lifestyle Product Landscape: How to Attract Readers and Advertisers with the Hottest Trend in Pet Blogging.
I?ve been home for a few days now, and oral surgery notwithstanding, I?ve had a chance to reflect on my first time at ?BarkWorld.? Having now attended several such conventions, I?ve come to decide that a ?pet industry? blogging convention isn?t that different from a National Specialty; each event allows us to catch up with old friends and network with new ones, gauge our progress with that of our peers, and ?check in? with our sport or industry. Specialties and conventions each bring together people with a common interest, but at BarkWorld, as with other pet blogging conventions, I was reminded ?- again ? that there is one difference between the two worlds I straddle, and it?s not an easy one to overlook.
The hearts and minds of dog fanciers are on the same page. We love our pure bred dogs and partner with them in the show and performance arena. We have as a common foe the animal rights movement, and increasingly if feels as if we?ve been forced into a protective circle, shoulder to shoulder, backs against each other?s as we push back at bad dog legislation and lies about who we are and what we do. We have different breeds, show in different aspects of the sport, and possess different levels of achievement and experience, but the ties that bind us are immutable.
Anymore, it feels as if we?ve been forced into a protective circle, shoulder to shoulder, backs against each other?s
Pet bloggers also share a deep affection for the cats and dogs of whom they write, but it seems to me that once out of the starting gate, they disperse in different directions. Some bloggers write through the voice of their dog (which I find personally maddening), some speak as their dog?s ?parent,? and others write blogs in common sense terms. Some bloggers are accepting of purebred dog ownership as long as the dogs are rescue or shelter refugees, but other take a dimmer view of any kind of purebred dog. I?ve attended conferences where distain for the owner/breeder/handler of purebred dogs was palpable.
And so far, the only blogger I know of at these conferences who writes from the perspective of a dog fancier is me.
This is concerning to me because the issues that worry me should worry all dog owners. The animal rights movement has had the show fancy and purebred dog owners in their crosshairs for some time, but the day is coming when its spidery reach will impact all dog owners, if not the concept of dog ownership entirely. We in the fancy know this to be true. My fellow bloggers, not so much.
Shelter and rescue dogs are central to the the majority of bloggers I?ve met at conferences. These writers aren?t sympathetic to the animal rights movement, but neither is there consensus among them about purebred dog owners and breeders. My evidence is anecdotal, to be sure, but talking with other ?pet? bloggers gives me the sense that very few of them appreciate the distinction between responsible breeders, backyard breeders and large scale commercial operations. Others, meanwhile, hold all breeders responsible for the ??pet ?overpopulation? they?ve been told is a national disgrace and not the regional issue it is. None expressed awareness that rescue dogs are equally important to the fancy, or that 33% of purebred shelter dogs are rescued by people acting on behalf of an AKC breed club.
I?m very careful to avoid the word ?all? when referring to the awareness level of pet bloggers. There are individuals to whom I?d like to give a ?shout out? for helping educate their audience. Pawcurious is a pet lifestyle blog and its author, Dr. V (Jessica Vogelsang, DVM)? routinely heralds sound, purebred dogs and the responsible people who breed them. I, for one, am appreciative that she gets the word out to her sizeable audience.
I also credit Eukanuba which every December iinvites a handful of pet bloggers from across the country to attend the AKC/Eukanuba National Dog Show in Orlando. For most of these writers, this is the first dog show they?ve ever seen in person and the effect on them is often just short of seismic. As these bloggers wander through a grooming area, follow conformation judging, and watch obedience and agility events, they see not abused, hollow eyed show dogs, but well loved and indulged companions.
The idea of inviting ?pet? bloggers (some of whom have scorned the dog show world) to actually attend one is thinking outside the box, and I?d like to see this kind of ?radical? thinking at a pet industry blogging convention. Why not invite the AKC to a pet blogging convention?? Why not include the NAIA? These two groups have much to offer pet bloggers, and frankly, we need pet bloggers on our side. But first, we have to inform them.
Who will be the first to build the bridge between two worlds that need to come together? I don?t know. I do know that the fancy needs the pet people, and pet people need us because we know stuff. Fanciers can?t afford the luxury of arrogance (something of which I think we can be guilty), and neither should shelter and rescue people be allowed to feel morally superior because they ?adopted? and didn?t shop (something I wrote about here).
In some ways, coming together could be regarded as a reconciliation because once upon a time, we were united, show people and pet owners. And then PETA and HSUS came along. They made us think. They made us reconsider the meat we were eating, the furs we were wearing, and some of the sports we watched. It needed to be done, but then they went too far. They spearheaded an animal rights movement that through its divisive, destructive and deceptive ways made reasonable people quickly learn the difference between animal rights and animal welfare. And so we have people who buy into the overpopulation myth, the one-size-fits-all moniker of ?puppy mill,? the shoulder shrug at astronomical (and probably unconstitutional) fees leveled at responsible breeders, and a laundry list of increasingly invasive dog legislation. For the madness to stop, we need allies. We need to come together with the folks who share a common love of dogs but who, because of AR lies, regard us as the monsters under the bed.
Owner/Breeder/Handlers are better looking than this, and not nearly as toothy
It?s time to turn the lights on, point a flashlight under the bed and chase away the scaries. The only way I can see to do this is to foster ?first contact? because if we don?t, the treasured relationship between man and dog will be a thing of the past.
Don?t doubt me.
Source: http://dogknobit.com/2012/11/01/the-dog-fancy-pet-owners-isnt-it-time-to-make-first-contact/
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Friday, November 2, 2012
User Manual: Don?t Instagram Natural Disasters By Sam...
User Manual: Don?t Instagram Natural Disasters
By Sam Biddle
Instagram is a nice thing. It?s fun to peek at the lives of others, and it?s fun to make our photos?look fun. But there?s nothing fun about a hurricane people are dying in, and scenes from a horrific crisis don?t deserve to be drenched in your sepia.
Major airports around NYC up and running, albeit slowly
1 day
Sarah Connors felt like she was about to enter a war zone when she left for LaGuardia Airport on Thursday to finally catch a flight out of the Big Apple, her own version of ?Escape from New York.?
For days, she and the countless other travelers stranded by Superstorm Sandy watched grim images of flooded runways and terminals turned into ghost towns after airlines canceled thousands of flights.
On Thursday, however, all three major?New York-area airports were back in service and gradually returning to normal.
?Right now, the mood at LaGuardia seems sort of subdued. Flights are on time but it?s not super busy,? Connors told NBC News as she waited for her flight home to St. Louis on Thursday afternoon.?
She tweeted that the security line was ?wicked short.?
?Everyone seems to be in good spirits. We are getting out, after all.?
Connors was supposed to return to St. Louis on Monday after visiting her aunt in New York, but her American Airlines flight was canceled the day before. It took two calls to rebook, including one that kept her on hold for an hour, she said.
She was then put on a flight scheduled for Wednesday, but with?LaGuardia still closed, her departure was?delayed yet another day.?
LaGuardia reopened on Thursday morning after flooding from Sandy forced its closure at the height of the storm, with water right up to the jet bridges. It?s not operating at full operations today, but things are expected to return to normal over the course of the next day or two, said Pasquale DiFulco, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.
?When you look at pictures of where LaGuardia was two days ago ? it was part of Flushing Bay. It?s just remarkable where we are today and where we?re going to be in a couple of days,? DiFulco said.
John F. Kennedy International and Newark International reopened on Wednesday and both are fully operational, but flight service varies by carrier, the Port Authority said. If you have a flight scheduled at any of the New York-area airports, officials are strongly urging you to check the status with your airline before heading out.
Airlines canceled about 600 flights on Thursday, according to FlightAware.com. That?s relatively few compared to earlier in the week when thousands of flights were being scrubbed each day. In all, carriers have canceled about 20,000 flights since Sunday, when the storm began to menace the Northeast.
"Barring any unforeseen airport damage or operational issues, such as the ability for staff to get to the?airport, road warriors should pretty much be back in business on Monday," said Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com.
"The trend in cancellations since Monday is a hockey stick in the downward direction."
Delta operations at LaGuardia Airport resumed as planned Thursday and the airline expects to operate a full schedule at all the New York City-area airports on Friday.
United has increased its operations at JFK International and Newark Liberty and is offering limited flights at LaGuardia.
American Airlines is flying a full schedule at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark. The carrier is also operating additional flights into JFK to help passengers impacted by cancellations earlier in the week.
JetBlue is operating 80 percent of its total schedule, aiming to return to 100 percent by Saturday.?All JetBlue flights originally scheduled to depart from LaGuardia on Thursday will depart instead from JFK International. The airline expects to resume service at LaGuardia on Friday.
Getting around in New York remains a problem as the city struggles to restore subway service.
Limited service began in the Big Apple on Thursday morning, but there is almost no subway activity below 34th Street,?NBC News? Tom Costello said on the TODAY show.
To avoid gridlock, Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared only vehicles carrying three or more people would be allowed into the city.?
Related:?Commuters face obstacles and long lines in New York
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that fares on all mass transit will be suspended through Friday.
?We want to get people back to work, but we are asking our customers for patience and understanding as they confront crowding and long lines as we repair our system,? said Joseph Lhota, chairman and CEO of New York?s Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
?Be flexible about your travel times. We have come a long way in a short time to repair the damage from the most devastating event to strike our transportation system.?
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/major-airports-around-nyc-back-running-1C6807074
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Holbeins Champ sure to give good account in Hove's Haywards ...
Holbeins Champ sure to give good account in Hove?s Haywards Heath RFC Trophy (In Memory Of David Maconachie)
G. Gower?s skilful hound, Holbeins Champ, did the job well last time. An excellent ?-length victory has boosted up his confidence, which he will surely utilise in the Haywards Heath RFC Trophy (In Memory Of David Maconachie), being hosted by Hove on Thursday, November 01, 2012.
The black dog reached Hove after doing plenty of hard work at different venues. After making a few fine solo outings at Wimbledon, he went to Monmore, and practised well out there.
His hard work finally paid off last time, when he grabbed the victory despite a lot of mess. He baulked at the first bend, but did not let things slip out of his hands. With the help of an outstanding finish, the son of Ace Hi Rumble attained lead near the finishing line.
Holbeins Champ has several things going for him today. He is standing in the red box, which will certainly help him take an early advantage. And if he succeeds in putting his rivals under pressure in the beginning of the race, his chances will automatically go up.
Among his rivals are: Pennys Toby, Killorane Comet, Kiltomey Simba, Booked In and Droopys Derek. The 515 metres flat race will be initiated at 21:24 GMT. The ultimate champion will receive a cheque of 175 pounds.
Kiltomey Simba does not face an easy task under the circumstances. The black dog has run decently in the recent trials, but victories seem to have dried up for him these days.
Killorane Comet is probably the one the selection has most to fear. Although the brindle and white dog is not in good form at the moment, his ability to come up with a surprise cannot be overlooked. Pennys Toby?s path to success could be an uninterrupted one today. But he definitely needs to give more than one hundred percent.
Droopys Derek has a lot to find here. He was at bottom of the chart on his previous outing. Booked In has little in the way of early acceleration. However, it is not sure whether he will be able to make the most of this situation.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect Bettor.com?s editorial policy.
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