Saturday, March 31, 2012

Texas Blogger Finds 'Moldy' Tampon

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A?Texas blogger?has some women thinking twice about what?s inside their tampon applicators. Danielle Parr of Saginaw, Texas, said she was shocked to see black spots on a tampon peeking out from its purple applicator. ?I pushed it out a little further, and I saw what...

Source: http://feeds.abcnews.com/click.phdo

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Video: Nobel prize winner donates to hometown

Mom who saved kids from tornado: ?It was instinct?

Though she selflessly shielded her two young children from a tornado while being battered to within an inch of her life, Stephanie Decker says she?s not a hero; the simple title "mom" fits her just fine. ?It was instincts and protecting my children,? she said Wednesday.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41743465/vp/46905823#46905823

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Frozen Synapse Update Released - ADK= Gaming Community ...

TwitchTV - Streaming

Passive Aggressor Team Leader - Elegy - Is currently streaming on Twitch TV. You can check him out at the link below
http://www.twitch.tv/ADKGamers

Make sure to share the Stream with your friends! And don't forget to ask any questions you might have.


Source: http://www.adkgamers.com/topic/10519-frozen-synapse-update-released/

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Friday, March 30, 2012

Trayvon Martin's Hoodie Is Not The Issue, Rappers Say

'People are starting to identify this culture of people by their clothing ... and that's simply not fair,' Bun B says on 'RapFix Live.'
By Rob Markman, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway


Trayvon Martin
Photo: AP

In the aftermath of the tragic shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, the outraged public has latched on to a few symbolic items. When he was shot, young Trayvon was wearing a hooded sweatshirt on his way home from a store where he bought iced tea and a bag of Skittles. It was the hoodie that gunman George Zimmerman told police made the 17-year-old appear suspicious and in support of Martin, demonstrators have donned hoodies as a show of solidarity.

Others have even gone as far to suggest that the hood that Martin was wearing in some ways contributed to his death. During a televised Fox News broadcast, veteran journalist Geraldo Rivera argued that parents should not allow their black and Latino children to wear hoodies. "I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as George Zimmerman was," he reasoned.

"The hoodie is something that we see all over America and all over the world," Bun B said in response on Wednesday's episode of "RapFix Live." "People are starting to identify this culture of people by their clothing and starting to attribute certain things by the way they dress and that's simply not fair."

Illinois congressman Bobby Rush was removed from the House floor after he protested Martin's murder by wearing a hood over his head. "Just because someone wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum," he said.

Rather than focus on the article of clothing that Trayvon was wearing when he was gunned down, Mississippi rapper and producer David Banner looked at what he feels is the deeper issue. "America is showing young black men: If you don't make us comfortable around you, we will kill you," he told MTV News on March 29. "As much as people don't want to admit it, that's what this is about."

Banner urged Martin supporters to not focus on the clothes Martin was wearing, but rather the issue at large. Hoodie or not, he said black men are often the target, citing the 2009 police shooting of Oscar Grant and the 1991 LAPD beating of Rodney King as examples.

Instead, Banner urges demonstrators to focus their energy to change legislation that ensures that young black men like Martin are protected from corrupt police and overzealous authority figures. "If we don't find what that is after this is no longer a trending topic, then we just lost another child again," he said.

Related Photos

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682169/trayvon-martin-hoodie.jhtml

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India's 'lost tribe' dreams of return to Israel

In a synagogue in northeast India, a group of men pray for the chance to "return home" to a country they have never seen and which their ancestors fled nearly 3,000 years ago.

"India is not our country," says Haniel Reuben, 72, one of the eldest members of a tiny community that claims to have descended from the Manasseh -- one of the biblical "lost tribes" of Israel exiled in 720 BC by Assyrian conquerors.

"Our forefathers migrated and settled here. Our home is Israel and we will be reunited with our people one day or another," Reuben said.

The Bnei Menashe, as the community is known, comprise around 7,200 members of the Kuki-Chin-Mizo tribe who live in the northeast Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur near the border with Myanmar.

Their oral history tells of a centuries-long exodus through Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet and China, all the while adhering to certain Jewish religious practices, like circumcision.

In India they were converted to Christianity by 19th century missionaries and, in reading the bible, recognised stories from their own traditions that convinced them they actually belonged to the Jewish faith.

"We are the lost tribe," insists Reuben, who lives in a ramshackle two-storey wooden home set against a scenic background of the misty, ash-coloured Manipuri foothills.

A lunisolar Jewish calendar hangs on the wall of his living room, while a mezuzah, or parchment, with verses from the Torah is fixed to the front door frame of the house in Manipur's state capital Imphal.

He prays three times a day with his eyes facing west "towards Jerusalem."

The ancestral claims of the Bnei Menashe -- rejected by other members of the Kuki-Chin-Mizo -- began to draw attention in the 1980s from Jewish organisations dedicated to identifying "lost Jews."

In the late 1990s, groups of Bnei Menashe were brought to Israel where they formally converted and settled.

But the real breakthrough came in 2005 when Israel's Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar officially recognised the entire community as "descendants of Israel" -- a crucial step in securing their "right of return."

The process was halted by new Israeli government policy in 2007, but last July the Ministerial Committee on Immigration and Absorption, agreed to the return of the remaining 7,200 Bnei Menashe.

"It is a huge project," said Yochanan Phaltual, the Indian representative for Shavei Israel, an Israeli-based organisation that reaches out to descendants of Jews around the world.

"It is very complicated as it requires the involvement of all government departments," Phaltual said.

The head of Shavei Israel, Michael Freund, who has lobbied hard for years on behalf of the Bnei Menashe, said he was confident the immigration would finally happen.

"This is simply a bureaucratic process, and like all bureaucratic processes, it takes time," Freund said in an e-mail.

"I hope that we will soon hear good news, and that the Bnei Menashe will be allowed to return to the land of their ancestors."

Living as a tiny minority poses numerous problems for people like Talya Bem, a 45-year-old widow and mother of three, particularly when it comes to observing orthodox customs and rituals.

"I was born as a Jew," Bem says. "I live in India but my heart is in Israel.

"I want to go there as soon as possible. We can't follow all the commandments of the Torah here," she adds tearfully, comforted by her 18-year-old daughter, dressed smartly in a long black skirt and purple top.

According to Phaltual, Bnei Menashe families almost never go out to eat in local restaurants or buy food from street vendors.

"Nothing is kosher here. All the eateries serve pork and we fear that our food will get mixed up with that," he said.

Manipur has a primarily agrarian economy and is one of the least developed states in India -- one of only five with a per capita income of less than 30,000 rupees ($600).

But Phaltual bristles at the suggestion that the Bnei Menashe are motivated less by religious feeling and more by the prospect of a more comfortable, material life in Israel.

"Most of our community is well-settled. It is a very wrong conception that economic considerations have fuelled our dream of return," he said.

Phaltual and Reuben both converted to Judaism in the 1990s.

"We studied the Bible the way Christians do," Reuben said. "But slowly as we grew up, we started discussing how some of our customs matched with the tradition followed by ancient Israelites."

At the Churachandpur synagogue, which boasts a small "mikveh" or pond used for ritual purification, Shlomo Haokip, 26, has been giving Hebrew classes for the past four years to help people prepare for life in Israel.

"Knowing Hebrew is one of the pre-requisites for formal conversion to Judaism in Israel," said Haokip, who lives with his family in the premises of the synagogue in Churachandpur town, 60 kilometres (40 miles) from Imphal.

"I hold classes for children during the summer vacation. We also organise Hebrew learning camps every now and then. It's a difficult language, and even I am not an expert. But once I go to Israel, I will become more fluent."

Some Bnei Menashe are less sanguine about the issue of return, and feel impatient about the delays in the immigration process and the religious and bureaucratic hoops they feel forced to jump through.

"The British baptised us during their rule of the country and we corrected the mistake by taking up Judaism again," said 31-year-old Moses, who gave just one name.

"We are Jews, why should we undergo conversion again? No one should question our identity. We don't feel welcome in India and we are not welcome in Israel. We are neither here nor there."

His angry outburst is cut short by the women of his family.

"Justice will be done," one of them tells him calmly. "We have waited for 3,000 years. We can wait a few years more."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indias-lost-tribe-dreams-return-israel-035328821.html

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Lost data may have exposed 800,000 people in Calif

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A disaster preparedness exercise to ensure California's child support system could be run remotely went smoothly, except for one casualty: the names, Social Security numbers and other private records of about 800,000 adults and children.

Four computer storage devices for the California Department of Child Support Services went missing somewhere between Boulder, Colo., and Sacramento earlier this month while they were in the possession of IBM and Iron Mountain, Inc, the department announced Thursday.

The backup storage cartridges also contained addresses, driver's license numbers, names of health insurance providers and employers for custodial and non-custodial parents, and their children.

The cartridges had been sent to IBM's facility in Boulder as part of a disaster simulation, so the technology company could test whether it could run the state's child support system remotely, said Christine Lally, a spokeswoman for the state's Office of Technology Services.

After testing was completed successfully, the data cartridges were to be sent back to California. Typically, secure transportation for sensitive materials are provided to the state through Iron Mountain but the company doesn't fly, so FedEx transported the cartridges.

"We believe that the container was not properly secured, thus allowing the container to open and then spill out," Lally said.

IBM did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.

The department has notified all those possibly affected by the March 12 data loss via mail, and has notified the three major credit reporting agencies, the state attorney general's office and the state Office of Privacy Protection.

The child support department is recommending that those affected by the breach place a fraud alert on their credit cards, get copies of their credit reports and take other appropriate steps to protect their identities.

The agency's interim director, Kathleen Hrepich, says the incident won't affect the processing of child support cases.

There's a chance the information from the California Department of Child Support Services won't be accessible because a specialized machine is needed to run the cartridges the data is stored on, and special hardware and software are needed to read it, said Lally.

"(A data cartridge) is definitely not something that you or I could just pop into our laptop," Lally said.

Thursday's announcement isn't the first time massive amounts of personal information entrusted to IBM has been lost.

Last March, IBM informed insurer Health Net that the company could not find drives containing information for 1.9 million enrollees. The lost information included financial information, Social Security numbers and health histories.

The state's contract with IBM for the disaster services contract began August 1, 2008, and expires July 31, 2012.

"Obviously, the California state agency picked IBM because it trusted its expertise in securing highly sensitive personal data," said Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

"Unfortunately, we can't assume that our sensitive personal information is safeguarded to the extent that it should be," Givens said.

The San Diego-based organization tracks data breaches and estimates at least 550 million personal records have been breached since it began tracking them in 2005.

___

Online: www.childsup.ca.gov

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-03-30-Lost%20Records/id-c1f7988668b346ef94a49b0618e52161

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Canadian Man Releases Open Source Star Trek Tricorder

Most of the comments posted so far have been jokes. But I think this is great.

I would have very much loved to have one of these when I was taking science classes in high school. Heck, I'd love to have one now.

The biggest flaw is that this is an expensive piece of custom equipment. No criticism of Dr. Jansen intended; he made the gadget he wanted to have. But I would like to see a design that is less expensive and mass-produced, that has just the sensors in a sort of cradle; you would put a smart phone into the cradle and plug in by USB. The cradle might need to contain a battery (I'm not sure how much current a smartphone micro-USB port can source).

It would be more elegant if it used something like the iPhone's docking connector, but Apple charges money to use that thing, and on Android there is no similar standard. Just using USB would seem to offer the widest compatibility.

Since the CPU needs are low, you should be able to use phones from 2+ years ago. When people upgrade to new phones they often have a surplus older phone, and maybe they will donate the older phone to the high school science program. Or if you just want one for yourself, you could buy something from eBay or Craigs List.

This makes me think back to when the Palm PDA was new. The Palm had a serial port on the bottom, and there were sensor packages you could get to plug in to it. I read about a high school science teacher taking his class on a field trip, and they used pH and temperature sensors to measure a wetlands.

Back when I carried around a Handspring Visor, I always wanted a Springboard module with a Volt/Ohm meter and probes; and another one with thermometer and such. There really was one with a magnetic compass, and I think there was at least one with a GPS receiver in it.

steveha

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/cAhwKAJYBeU/canadian-man-releases-open-source-star-trek-tricorder

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Nikki Haley Indictment Rumor: Governor Uses Social Media To Respond

Nikki Haley Responds

S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley at the White House.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/disney-signs-uk-movie-rental-pact-youtube-google-153744096.html

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?In the Studio,? Beautylish?s Nils Johnson Emerges from the Valley?s Shadows [TCTV]

Screen shot 2012-03-28 at 10.13.15 PM"In the Studio" approaches springtime by welcoming a city college dropout who went on to found and sell a mobile network startup, began investing that windfall in some of today's hottest e-commerce companies, and after a stint in fashion for Bergdorf Goodman in New York City, has now co-founded a new web startup focused on building a community around beauty. Nils Johnson is a hard guy to hunt down. While he's a seed investor in some of today's hottest early-stage brands, such as Wantful, Everlane, Warby Parker, Orchestra, and Airtime, among others, Johnson keeps a very low profile relative to the celebrity we see all around us. He's rarely out at industry events, he doesn't blog (though he should), and barely uses?Twitter. Despite this, nearly ever e-commerce founder angles to score a meeting with him in the hopes of landing a seed check with his name on it.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Li3YzUwNMF0/

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Lenovo ThinkStation D20


The Lenovo ThinkStation D20 is one of those systems that you know you will need. Are you building components for weapons systems that directly related to national defense? Are you in the editing and mastering stage of a $250 million Hollywood movie? Do you need to produce blueprints for an eight-lane automobile bridge spanning a major river? If you answer yes to one of these, you are probably in the market for a workstation desktop like the D20. If your job is eliminating pimples from a photo of a Kardashian, this system is overkill.

Design and Features
The D20 is a full-sized professional grade workstation, and it probably won't win any beauty awards. It's a humungous black metal and plastic tower, about 17 by 8 by 24 inches (HWD), so you'll have to clear up a bunch of space either under or on top of your work surface for the system. The D20 has a two-inch tall handle on the top, which will help your IT move the system around if necessary. The front panel is perforated with a hexagonal pattern, in order to aid airflow through the system. The tower is totally air-cooled, which reduces complexity over a liquid-cooled system. What's notable is even though the system is air-cooled, it is very quiet during use. The system's fans will only spin up fast during the boot process and if the CPU or GPU is really taxed. You'd think that a dual-CPU system would be loud because of the extra cooling fans, but during most work sessions the system was as quiet as a run-of-the-mill business desktop PC.

The system's massive size has a purpose: It can accommodate plenty of upgrades. The system we reviewed came with a 450GB 15,000rpm SAS drive, plus you can add up to four more SAS or SATA hard drives. The system can connect to industry-standard FireWire 400 and eSATA external drives in case you're dealing with hand-transported data. The system has a 2GB Nvidia Quadro graphics card in it, but you can add one more, plus another lower-end graphics card for multi-monitor support (there are two PCIe x16 slots, but one is only wired for PCIe x4). There's also space for another optical drive, plus nine memory DIMM slots. The system we reviewed came with 12GB of memory, but the system can handle 48GB total. Essentially, this system is overbuilt for most people who aren't aerospace engineers, trying to map the human genome, or designing bridges for government contractors.

The system is ISV certified to work with a plethora of software packages, including packages like AutoCad and PRO/Engineer. These certifications (and the underlying hardware and drivers) are important, since the users of a system like this may be designing the leading edge of an airplane wing or a strut on a bridge being built over a canyon. If you get an error on an ultra-high end gaming system you might have a missed frame while shooting an enemy in a virtual world. If a pro workstation user has an undetected error on a project, it could lead to a bus crashing into a canyon. This is one of the many reasons why professional workstations are more expensive than high-end consumer desktops.

Performance
Lenovo ThinkStation D20 The ThinkStation D20 exudes high-end performance. Its two Xeon processors, 12GB of memory, SAS hard drive, and Quadro 4000 graphics card mean that it will take any task you ask of it, and finish it quickly. The "X" in the X5687 processor's model number means that is can dynamically overclock itself like other Intel processors. The D20 finishes the Handbrake video encode test in a quick 1:19 and the Photoshop CS5 test in 3:09. This is over a minute faster than the last two dual-CPU workstations we've tested, the Editors' Choice?winning Lenovo ThinkStation C20 ($4,618 direct, 4 stars) and Apple Mac Pro ($3,499 list, 3.5 stars). Both workstations use "e" class Xeons that don't have Turbo. The wins extend to Cinebench R11.5, a simulation of 3D rendering in software (which is multi-core friendly). The D20 has the highest 12.65 score, compared to the 9.53 for the C20 and 8.62 for the Mac Pro. Granted, the Mac Pro uses a slower Xeon processor and is almost two years old at this point, but the Mac Pro is still being sold in this exact configuration. Remember what I said about gaming PCs? Well, the EC-winning Falcon Northwest Mach V ($6,899 direct, 4.5 stars) is able to perform better than the workstations shown here, but then again none of its components are ISV certified. The Falcon is faster than the D20, but it's not that much faster. You can't discount the Falcon's consumer nature. Think of the Falcon as a speed demon that you bring out to play, and the Lenovo as a precision instrument that also happens to be fast.

The Lenovo ThinkStation D20 is an interesting beast. It's something you buy to fulfill a specific need, rather than a system you can choose among a lineup. The closest system to the D20 in scope that we've seen recently is the Apple Mac Pro. Both systems are dual CPU, with plenty of internal expansion room. The D20 is quite a bit faster, but that's no surprise as the D20 has a faster clocked processor with Turbo capabilities. While that Mac Pro is a good choice for a user in a Mac environment, if your business has standardized on Windows you really want to get a Windows workstation. For general workstation and high-end business tasks like photo and video editing, the current workstation Editors' Choice HP Z210 Small Form Factor Workstation ($2,173 direct, 4 stars) has a better price/performance ratio, but the Z210 is a single-CPU system and isn't expandable like the D20. The D20 is really made for the scientific/engineering/movie mastering crowds, so it's more of a case where you know that you need it. In that case, the D20 will serve you and your users well.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Lenovo ThinkStation D20 with several other desktops and workstations side by side.

More desktop reviews:
??? Lenovo ThinkStation D20
??? Lenovo C325
??? Maingear Shift Super Stock (Core i7-3930K)
??? AVADirect Quiet X79 Gaming PC
??? HP Omni 27
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/FCsgdnLe2Is/0,2817,2402332,00.asp

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This Short Film About Watchmaking Will Make You Feel Guilty For Not Wearing One [Video]

Filmmaker Dustin Cohen visits the Brooklyn studio of watchmaker and ex-photographer David Sokosh, who now builds and maintains the intricate timepieces. The video's look at the meticulous craft makes a strong case for still keeping a mechanical wristwatch strapped to your arm. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/qNm0lWnXAx0/this-short-film-about-watchmaking-will-make-you-feel-guilty-for-not-wearing-one

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Voice of Admiral Ackbar never saw 'Star Wars'

20th Century Fox

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper

"It's a trap!" Every "Star Wars" fans knows the line, even though the character who uttered it in 1983's "Return of the Jedi," Admiral Ackbar, was hardly a major character.

The man who delivered that famous assessment, Erik Bauersfeld, is now 90, and an interview he gave last month?to the San Francisco Chronicle's Peter Hartlaub is now making its way around the Internet.

Bauersfeld, a respected radio dramatist, told Hartlaub he's still never seen the original "Star Wars."

He delivered his famous "Jedi"?part in one take. "('Star Wars' sound designer) Ben Burtt?showed me the picture (of Akbar) and I did it," Bauersfeld said. "I saw the face and I knew what he must sound like."

Bauersfeld also voiced Jabba the Hutt's?servant Bib Fortuna, and "Star Wars" fans still send him figurines and other memorabilia of both characters, asking him to sign them, which he does.

Bauersfeld told Hartfeld that he "almost" was given the voice role of Yoda, whom he calls "that little philosopher." Yoda's voice?was provided instead by famed Muppeteer Frank Oz.?

In an article Hartlaub wrote about his interview, a Chronicle reader notes, "How awesome is that, you could be sitting next to this guy in a restaurant, and have no idea he led the alliance against Darth Vader! May the force always be with you Admiral Ackbar!"

Is Ackbar a favorite character for you? Tell us on Facebook.

Related content:

Source: http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/29/10908379-man-who-voiced-admiral-ackbar-never-saw-original-star-wars

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First Degree Pilates Reformer Home Gym ... - Fitness Health And Life

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Call Toll Free 1-866-513-5799, Mon-Fri 8-9, Sat and Sun 10-5 EST About Us Product Details Store Policy More In Home Gyms First Degree Pilates Reformer Home Gym System PilatesSys OUR SKU# FDE1017 MPN: ...

Source: http://fitnesshealthandlife.org/first-degree-pilates-reformer-home-gym-system-pilatessys/

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50 Cent Says 'Pauly D Project' Is For 'Every College Student'

MTV star's label boss says Pauly D fans will 'get a chance to go into his world' on his 'Jersey Shore' spin-off.
By Jocelyn Vena


50 Cent
Photo: MTV News

Pauly D is ready to launch the next phase of his career with his MTV spin-off, the "Pauly D Project." It follows the "Jersey Shore" star outside of Seaside Heights as he travels the world with his tight-knit crew as an in-demand DJ, getting into fun-loving shenanigans and, yes, some fights here and there.

The whirlwind lifestyle is captured and fans will get the chance to hit party hotspots throughout the world with the star. And they'll get to see him hang out with his celebrity pals like former tourmate Britney Spears and G-Note record label boss, 50 Cent.

When MTV News caught up with 50 while promoting his Street King energy drink with Pauly D in New York City, the MC dished a bit about what fans should expect from his pal on the highly anticipated show.

"Well, Pauly D's show is gonna be as — I don't want to say more exciting than 'Jersey Shore' — I'll say as exciting as 'Jersey Shore' to maintain the audience that 'Jersey Shore' had by itself," he said. "He has a lot going on right now, and they'll get a chance to go into his world, as far as his DJing and a lot of things he's actually doing."

"It's a lot of the lifestyle," the rapper added. "Every college student in the world's gonna love this television show."

The "Pauly D Project" kicks off Thursday at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. It follows the new season of "Punk'd," which will include appearances from celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato.

Are you excited for the "Pauly D Project"? Leave your comment below!

Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1681994/50-cent-pauly-d-project.jhtml

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Microsoft Business Productivity Cloud Computing | Windows 8

Web-based-sales-and-marketing-service

Learn more at www.microsoft.com Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite is a set of cloud computing collaboration tools that allow organizations of all sizes to work together with dedicated support and dedicated security. Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite helps reduce IT costs with productivity tools that work for you.
Video Rating: 3 / 5

Learn more at www.microsoft.com With the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite you can improve business collaboration and communication. Microsoft?s cloud computing services make it easy to increase business productivity.

Pin It

Source: http://evirtualsalesforce.com/Windows-8/?p=8127

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Justin Bieber on Boyfriend: All About Selena!


If I was your boyfriend, never let you go/Keep you on my arm girl, you'd never be alone/I can be a gentleman, anything you want...

So Justin Bieber croons in the first track off his upcoming album, "Boyfriend." Did he write the sweet lyrics with anyone in mind? Another young superstar, perhaps? Yes.

"She loves it," Bieber Carson Daly on AMP Radio yesterday, talking about Selena Gomez, of course. "It is about her."

The artist also appeared on Radio Disney (above) and said all the right things about actually being a quality boyfriend for Selena. Go ahead and take notes, fellas:

"You just have to be honest, that's the first thing, because if you're not honest, then the relationship is just not a good relationship. At the end of the day, your girl would appreciate you being honest more than lying to her and vice versa."

Bieber added that he's "loving and patient" in his relationship, while millions of fans around the globe added: OMG, I love him so much, he's so adorable and Selena better treat him well or else she'll have to answer to me. Call me, Justin!!!!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/03/justin-bieber-on-boyfriend-all-about-selena/

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Do you befriend a potential boss on Facebook?

1 day

So you go out to a job interview, and everything went well, but when you get home the hiring manager has sent you a friend request on Facebook and LinkedIn. What should you do?

Some people have gotten their jobs through Twitter, but this seems a little creepy. Should you accept his friend request? What if you get hired and this is normal for everyone who works there? What should you do?

I know a number of people who owe their current jobs to interactions with companies or individuals on Twitter or LinkedIn. Social media can be a powerful tool to help people get exposure and connect with people ? people with jobs to offer ? that they would never have spoken to directly otherwise. Reaching out to employers via Twitter and LinkedIn gives you a way to get your name in front of someone and out of the stack of resumes they have to sift through. How closely you connect to potential employers on those networks however, has more to do with the network in question and how comfortable you are with it than anything else.

At the same time, with potential employers?asking candidates for their Facebook passwords, you have reason to be cautious. Mind you, that practice is?possibly illegal, definitely against Facebook's terms-of-service, and?Facebook is threatening legal action?against anyone who does it. It's possible they just want to see what you have behind the veil of your privacy settings, or maybe they really want to get to know the real you before extending an offer, to see if you fit in with the corporate culture. You're also right to be worried about what might happen if you're hired there ? maybe it's normal for everyone in that office to be Facebook friends, or to all follow the company's Twitter account. Let's take a look at these possibilities one at a time, then you can decide whether you want to click accept, or ignore.

The post-interview friend request
If the potential employer wants to be a Facebook friend, your situation is a rough one. My first instinct is to say, unless the interview went so well that your interviewer wants to be your friend personally, that they want to see your Facebook profile, but don't want to directly ask for your password. If the interviewer is especially malicious, he may be asking now to give you the impression that your future with that company may hang in the balance. You have every right ? and frankly, should ? say no here, and direct the interviewer instead to your LinkedIn profile. You mentioned they wanted to connect with you there ? respond by letting them know that your Facebook profile is for friends and personal acquaintances, and LinkedIn is for professional networking.?

If they don't care for that response, or claim (like one company I know) that it's company policy for everyone to be Facebook friends, then you have a choice to make. You can dangle it back in front of them and say you'd be willing to do that when or if you're hired, or you can walk away. Ultimately it depends on how sensitive you are to what your Facebook friends see, and how much you personally value that privacy. If we can offer a tip that's outside the principle of the matter, consider?setting up friends lists or groups?so?you have better control over who sees what. Then you can dump this person?and any other future coworkers?into a select group that sees little to nothing. The trouble is that you'll have to go back over past posts, photos, updates, and everything else to make sure their permissions are changed to exclude this new group. You'll have to decide whether that's more hassle than it's worth.

The post-hire friend request
The next ? and more common ? scenario you might encounter happens after you're on the job and you start getting friend requests from co-workers, your boss or even HR. At one company I worked for, our marketing department sent out an email to the whole organization to "let us know" that the company now had a Twitter account, and that we were "highly encouraged" to follow it, and to like their Facebook page while we were at it. This same company would regularly check on its employees to see if they were updating their LinkedIn accounts or publicly posting their resumes and reported those employees to their managers, warning that they may be looking for new jobs.

The big difference here is, of course, if you're good friends with your co-workers, you may have no trouble friending or following them on Facebook or Twitter. However, if your boss or HR suddenly sends you a friend request and you're not comfortable with it, there's no reason you should accept it unless you think it really is a friendly request and you're about to rebuff them for personal reasons. If that's the case, they should understand that you try to keep your work life and your personal life a little separate, but either way the situation calls for a little tact. Here are some tips:

  • Direct managers and HR to LinkedIn whenever possible. If your boss wants to connect with you professionally and does so by sending you a Facebook request, let them know your professional connections are at LinkedIn and give them your profile URL. Assuming, of course, you have a LinkedIn profile.
  • Are your co-workers really friends or just snooping? It's unlikely, but it is possible that your co-workers are just adding you in order to see what you're up to, especially in off hours. Be careful of co-workers and managers who use Facebook during the day to see whether?you?are using it during the day, when you should be working. If you're really friends with your co-workers, go ahead and add them. If not, it might be time to shunt them to LinkedIn.
  • Lock down your Facebook account. Using your Facebook profile to snag a job by?sprucing it up, adding a new photo, and updating your education and interests?is a great idea, but be ready to back it up if a company tries to connect with you. Lock down your past posts so only your real friends can see them?especially any times you were complaining about your old job. Then?add them to a list?where they only see things you're comfortable making public.
  • Use Facebook to your advantage. Create a friends list for professional contacts, and feed it accomplishments, certifications or other similar news. Even better, create a Facebook page for your "personal brand," which can serve as a Facebook-based resume. Then encourage the company or hiring manager to like?your?page to see your portfolio, accomplishments, and what you're working on professionally.

  • Clean Up Your Twitter account. The beauty ? and trouble ? with Twitter is that everything's either all public, or all hidden. I know more people who have found new jobs through Twitter than Facebook or even LinkedIn, but the only things you can do is go back in time and delete anything you think would be worrysome or be on your best behavior when you tweet. You have the option to take your account private, but then no one can see anything, and you're cut off from potential friends?and?employers ? but you will have your privacy.
  • Throw caution to the wind. There's always the option to just not care. You could just accept friend requests and Twitter followers and not bother to moderate yourself at all. There's some logic to the notion that any company that won't accept you for who you are, both in public and to your friends on Facebook or Twitter as well as LinkedIn, doesn't deserve you. It's idealistic, and most of us know there's a difference between our professional and personal lives (eg, check your political, religious and potentially disruptive views at the door), but speaking as someone who knows what it's like to work at a company where you have to keep even your benign interests and hobbies secret, it can be soul draining to have to be a different person at work than you are when you get home.?This XKCD comic sums it up pretty well.

The post-hire friend requests are harder to deal with, for obvious reasons, and you should take any direction you're most comfortable. Ultimately though, make sure you do what's comfortable, not what you think is expected. You'll have to deal with the consequences, and sometimes removing someone causes more hassle than not accepting their request in the first place.

The post-employment or pre-interview friend request
While far less common, friend requests from people you used to work with, or a company that's interested in, you are just as tricky. On the bright side, you're in the driver's seat in both cases, so you can decide whether you want to stay in touch with a colleague you used to work with on Facebook, or read their weekend activities on Twitter. You can research a company that wants to connect with you on LinkedIn or Facebook, and decide if you'd like to talk to them about what they have open.

Again, we'd advise caution with Facebook, just because it's such a tome of personal connections and information that you may not want public ? and make no mistake, friending a company or co-workers means that information is public, at least at the office ? but LinkedIn is always a good bet, as is Twitter, mostly because both are designed to be more public than private.


In the end, the network an employer wants to connect with you over makes much of the difference, as does your familiarity with that network's privacy tools. If you're already a master at custom friends lists at Facebook, and your status updates are set to post to a safe list by default, then you probably have no problem friending your boss. If not, or you don't want to tempt fate, it might just be better to apologize for any offense and suggest they head over to LinkedIn and connect with you there, instead.

While it's a little underhanded of your interviewer to dangle a potential job in front of you with a friend request attached, how you handle it ? even if you tell them Facebook is personal and LinkedIn is professional? may land you the gig. Good luck!

More from Lifehacker:?

Source: http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/should-you-befriend-potential-employer-facebook-570765

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Summary Box: US durable goods orders rise

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/summary-box-us-durable-goods-orders-rise-204552138.html

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Media Alert: Disaster Preparedness for Connecticut Businesses ...

Workplace safety, security, financial experts share business resumption strategies

Hurricane Irene and the historic October snowstorm reminded Connecticut residents and?businesses that sometimes Mother Nature is in charge.

Disasters-natural and man-made-threaten every business in Connecticut and can lead to reduced productivity, logistics problems, and unexpected business interruptions. That is why every business needs an immediate response and recovery strategy.

Disaster Preparedness for Connecticut Businesses

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

The Crowne Plaza, 100 Berlin Rd, Cromwell

8:30 am-noon

Cost: $25

Speakers:

  • Attorney Chuck Stohler, Carmody & Torrance, speaking on workforce and financial management
  • Robert W. Kowalski, Area Director, U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA, speaking on workplace safety and enforcement, OSHA technical assistance under the Regional Emergency Management Program (REMP) in aid of local emergency management personnel, and government assistance
  • Shelly Saczynski, Director of Economic & Community Development, UIL Holdings Corp., offering an update on utility industry preparedness enhancements
  • Kate Novick, Managing Director, Gradient Planning, speaking on priorities planning, worksite security, and safety

The event is sponsored by The United Illuminating Company, Southern Connecticut Gas, and Connecticut Natural Gas.

Members of the media who would like to attend contact Ann Marie C. Raymond (annmarie.raymond@cbia.com, 860.244.1957).

###

CBIA is Connecticut?s largest business organization, with 10,000 member companies. For more information, please contact Ann Marie C. Raymond (860.244.1957; annmarie.raymond@cbia.com) or visit cbia.com/newsroom.

Source: http://www5.cbia.com/newsroom/article/media-alert-disaster-preparedness-for-connecticut-businesses/

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

First Look: OnTheAir?s Video Call-In Show Platform Makes Hangouts and Ustream Seem Static

On The Air ScreenshotGoogle Hangouts only allows ten viewers to participate and Ustream allows zero, but with OnTheAir, anyone watching a live stream can video chat with the host in front of the audience. Today OnTheAir's streaming video platform exits stealth into private beta to power radio call-in shows for the digital age. With a team of Apple, Google, and Facebook alums backed by a $880,000 in seed round led by IronPort's Scott Banister and About.Me's Tony Conrad via True Ventures, OnTheAir wants to prove the Internet is not a broadcast medium. Sign up now for early access, the first shows start in a few weeks.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/D0iYM8lct8M/

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The Challenges of Private Equity Investing in the Middle East ...

Ed Bace, CFA

At the CFA Institute Middle East Investment Conference?yesterday,?Richard Dallas, managing director of Gulf Capital, described the challenging conditions for private equity (PE) investing in the Middle East and North Africa.?Dallas argued that the unprecedented political upheaval and turmoil occurring in parts of the region?have resulted in slowing economies, a near-evaporation of foreign direct investment, stagnant or collapsing stock markets, a liquidity drought, and a shortage of debt financing. All of these factors are set against the backdrop of a rising population and high unemployment rates.

As an illustration of the higher risk environment for investors, credit default swap (CDS)?spreads have widened for regional sovereigns, particularly for Egypt, Bahrain, Tunisia, Morocco, and Lebanon, Dallas pointed out. While these countries can expect a long period of stabilization following political unrest, he believes that,?in general,?the Gulf States are following progressive reforms and offer much more attractive long-term fundamentals.

Regional gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to slow in the medium term to the 4-5% range, down from 6-8% in the previous decade. This development, along with major political uncertainty, has resulted in a massive decline in private equity transactions from 2007 to 2010 (down 98% in transaction value terms; 75% by transaction volume).?In the past five years, fundraising activities have virtually ground to a halt: down 78% from $6.5 billion raised in 2008 to $1.4 billion in 2010.

Since 2004, $15 billion has been invested, versus only $5 billion in exits and distributions, Dallas reported. He noted that a large number of funds are nearing the end of their commitment period, as many have been unable to deploy their funds and build a track record. With around 120 active and announced funds in the region, he thinks the next phase will be one of consolidation, mirroring what happened in Asia in the 1990s (today leading PE players in that region account for the majority of assets under management).

Richard Dallas speaking at the CFA Institute Middle East Investment ConferenceIn addition to political risk, which is the main Damoclean sword hanging over limited partners (LPs), Dallas contended that investors are particularly concerned about the limited number of established LPs (and hence the lack of track records), and a scale of investment opportunities that is too small. Compared to PE investments in the United Kingdom, which accounted for 1.13% of 2010 GDP, PE investments in the Middle East and North Africa are well below the global average, at just 0.04% of GDP.

Not surprisingly, major destinations for PE investment in the region roughly correlate to comparative economic growth rates and are as follows: the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Favored sectors include real estate, financial services, IT, construction, healthcare, and manufacturing???but Dallas said that?investors also see promise in the?consumer goods and education sectors. He believes that unlike in other environments around the world, minority deals account for a dominant share of investments.

Dallas argued that growth capital and family businesses are the key for PE in the region, with the latter accounting for more than 90% of commercial activity and non-oil GDP. The region counts more than 5,000 family firms, encompassing more than $500 billion in assets, which employ 70% of the workforce.

Dallas emphasized that structural considerations are critical to PE investing in the region, especially jurisdiction and the enforceability of contracts, along with governance (proper company management, strategic direction, and actual influence). Exit processes are fairly standard in theory, but can be more complex in practice, he said, along with other mechanisms (drag, tag, and demand rights on an initial public offering).

It?s not all gloom and doom, however. Dallas? advice to investors is to keep their heads low, continue growing portfolio companies, and build a track record of value creation.

He also thinks that it is important to scout carefully for investment targets in what is an undervalued market. As opportunities arise, he counseled, take exits and return money to limited partners as soon as possible (something his firm, Gulf Capital, has done recently with a few investments).

In sharp contrast to other speakers at the conference (Marc Faber?for example), Dallas believes that with a good track record the next decade looks promising for the region.

Source: http://meic.cfainstitute.org/2012/03/27/the-challenges-of-private-equity-investing-in-the-middle-east/

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Home Improvement ? Blog Archive ? Below Display case Lights

March 27, 2012

Posted by: admin ?: ?Category: Flooring

?

Below Display case LightsIf you?re searching to overflow your own countertops having lighting, consider a few beneath display case lights. These simple to install lamps can make a spectacular impact within your home.

?

Sometimes the cupboards on the wall membrane produce dark areas where you require light-weight probably the most. Setting up a few under cabinet lighting effects can help remove most of these richer places and provide you with many lighting to utilize; inside the areas you will need probably the most. This is correct for not simply living rooms, but in a report, rest room or even moist tavern spot too.

?

Several lamps consider very little time to put in while others may require specialist. A lot of choices obtainable, but a majority of quite often only a low-voltage fitting is fine just fine. Not only will an underneath showcase light-weight help you look at with dark regions of your home, nevertheless it cheers upwards a location in addition to reveals the particular d?cor greater. Rather then covering your current lovely ceramic tile career, allow many under display case lighting genuinely present it. Beneath cabinet lighting is a certain in addition when you?ve got gemstone merchandise counters simply because they appear the most beautiful while in the sunlight. Very true along with corian as the uric acid glow attractively if the gentle is actually upon it.

?

In case the installation of most of these lights on your own, cause them to spaced correctly.This correct space will ensure that you just avoid having darkish shadows or perhaps deceased specific zones visible locally.

?

Installing within showcase illumination could alter the complete face in the bedroom. You can be pleased with the results if you need to lose a few gentle within just apparent areas at home.

Source: http://katsiki-guivalou.net/below-display-case-lights.html

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USSATKA ? Blog Archive ? Travel Insurance: solutions to Frequently ...

People want to be safe once they travel. You may even believe that travel cover is definitely an unnecessary expense. Being classed as a senior citizen is one, and using a pre-existing condition is another travel insurance. There are a few explanations why a person might feel uneasy about trying to get travel insurance. Much more, you?d not understand what would happen to you or anything that you brought with once you begin to travel. There is obviously plenty of data around the internet for travellers regarding the importance of insurance. It?s a safety net for when you need it most; when you?re in a strange place and you have a lot of money invested inside your vacation. Instead of seeing travel insurance as an unwelcome expense, remember that that which you are spending money on will be the satisfaction which will allow you to relax and enjoy your holiday, without worrying how you will cope if something goes wrong.

There are a huge selection of holiday insurance providers and it might be wrong to visualize that all holiday insurance policies are the same. The British Embassy or Consulate goes as far as making calls and contacting relatives and friends on their behalf and advise around the transfer of funds, but that?s about the extent of their assistance. You never know when you are likely to fall ill or suffer a household bereavement. Incomplete documents may result within the delay or denial of your insurance application travel insurance providers. In some cases there may be a growth inside the premium to purchase travel insurance to pay for a pre-existing medical condition, however it is better to be honest and pay a bit greater than face having to cover hospital treatment abroad in the big event the worst should happen. Thankfully, so long while you are fully honest and up-front with your insurer about your medical conditions, you might be quite likely to be able to obtain a suitable plan without too much hassle. Many young travellers go abroad with friends, or on adventure holidays, or for Hen or Stag parties so are in particular risk. However, no matter what age the traveller the guidelines are the same. Tips for Applying Insurance.

One thing to take good care of immediately is that you get yourself an EHIC, or European Medical Health Insurance Card, in the big event you are planning on visiting Europe in your travels. Thankfully, so very long as you are fully honest and up-front along with your insurer about your medical conditions, you might be quite likely to become able to get a suitable plan without an excessive amount of hassle. If not, the identical insurers will likely be in a position to add these provisions to your existing medical insurance for just a little extra, and also you may be amazed at how little extra it will cost ? the potential cost towards the insurers just isn?t usually that high, after all, compared for their daily throughput travel insurance. Submit complete requirements. They check the policy document again and again to ensure that all planned activities are covered. Attempting to hide or ignore pre-existing medical conditions is simply not worth it.

Cancellation of your journey (for covered reasons). They check the policy document again and again to ensure that all planned activities are covered. The rates insurers charge can differ, so get several epilepsy holiday insurance quotes before you commit.

For further advice about travelling with epilepsy, contact one the many epilepsy charities such because the National Society for Epilepsy, who offer a helpline for epilepsy sufferers. However, it is still very important that you simply talk personally using a representative of the company to create certain that you might be covered. Repatriation by air ambulance.

There certainly are a wide variety of plans and policies available. It doesn?t need to be expensive either. However, it is still very important which you talk personally with a representative of the business to produce certain that you are covered. However, it is still very important which you talk personally using a representative of the company to make certain that you?re covered. It is important that you evaluate any coverage you may have and obtain the necessary travel cover to guarantee that any unforeseen medical expenses are covered.

Source: http://www.ussatka.org/2012/03/27/travel-insurance-solutions-to-frequently-asked-questions/

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