No Google Maps for Amazon's new Kindle Fire

10 hrs.

Alistair Barr , Reuters

Amazon's new Kindle Fire will have mapping services via a tie-up with Nokia Oyj, according to two people familiar with the situation, filling a gap in the tablet's capabilities while snubbing Google's popular service.

The world's largest Internet retailer, which says its nine-month old Kindle Fire now accounts for one in five U.S. tablet sales, has teamed up with Nokia on mapping, the two people told Reuters.

Amazon will release at least one new version of the Kindle Fire next Thursday.

Amazon will also add location capabilities to the new Kindle Fire, which requires either a GPS chip or a process known as Wi-Fi triangulation, the people said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak ahead of Thursday's launch event.

Mapping services, which are popular features on tablets, typically include street maps, information about local businesses and sometimes traffic status. They can also support navigation instructions and third-party applications that depend on location information, such as travel services.

Location capabilities mark the location of tablet and smartphone users.

Google's Nexus 7 tablet, which competes directly with the Kindle Fire, comes with GPS receiver chips to support location and mapping functions.

The first Kindle Fire launched last year and at $199 costs half the price of the entry-level Apple Inc iPad, helping it rapidly gain consum?er acceptance. On Thursday, Amazon said its Kindle Fires had completely sold out.

Analysts say the 7-inch device helps drive sales of digital media such as e-books and music, which in turn propels core retail growth for the company.

Amazon may unveil larger versions of the Fire on Thursday in Los Angeles, analysts and media say, which will compete more directly with the iPad.

Although the Kindle now runs on an early version of Google's Android, which Amazon developed into its own operating system, it does not integrate Google Maps into the device. That means users had to access Google Maps via a Web browser, or download map apps from third-party developers.

A Nokia spokesman declined to comment and an Amazon spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.

Cooperating with Nokia may help Amazon develop integrated, or "native," mapping functionality for the Kindle Fire without relying on Google Maps. Nokia is one of the world's largest mapping companies, through its 2007 acquisition of Navteq.

Apple took a similar step earlier this year, when it dropped Google Maps in favor of its own mapping features for its next mobile operating system, known as iOS 6. As part of the switch, Apple signed a global licensing deal with TomTom, another leading mapping company, for its map content and related information.

In July, Amazon agreed to buy mapping startup UpNext, which specializes in detailed 3-D maps of cities and some sporting stadiums.?

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/amazons-new-kindle-fire-wont-have-google-maps-972917

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Correction: Earns-J Crew story

NEW YORK (AP) ? In a story Aug. 29 about J. Crew's second-quarter earnings results, The Associated Press reported erroneously that J. Crew's second-quarter revenue in stores open at least one year rose 3 percent. In fact, the metric also includes direct sales, shipping and handling fees, and rose 14 percent.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/correction-earns-j-crew-story-154956087--finance.html

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Human Capital and Your Portfolio | Inside Investing

Are you more like a stock or a bond? Chances are this question has never occurred to you. But it?s one you?ll need to answer when you use the concept of human capital to diversify and build your wealth.

Wealth Comes in Two Forms

Let me start by introducing the concept of human capital, an intangible asset, as it applies in financial theory. You can think of your total wealth as being composed of two parts: human capital and financial capital.

Human capital is commonly defined as the present value of your projected labor income for your working years.¹ In other words, it?s a measure of your future earning power. Over the course of your career, you essentially convert human capital to financial capital by saving and investing a portion of your employment income.

Typically, the value of your human capital peaks the day you start your career because all your years of earning labor income are ahead of you. In contrast, your financial capital is probably lowest at this stage because you haven?t yet had a chance to save and invest.

As you grow older, you will gradually exhaust your earning power, so the value of your human capital will wane. But assuming you?ve prudently saved, invested, and compounded your labor income, your financial capital will steadily increase. At some juncture in the middle of your career?perhaps when you?re in your 50s?the value of the rising financial capital will exceed that of the declining human capital.

The Case of the Accumulator

Now that you understand the concept of human capital, let?s look at how you can integrate it into your portfolio allocation.

Here?s one simple example. If you are young and recently started working, you?re in the ?accumulation? phase of your investing life. When you?re an accumulator, you typically invest most of your long-term capital (e.g., 401(k) or IRA contributions) in ?risky assets,? such as stocks, and relatively little in less volatile assets with lower expected returns, such as bonds.

In a human capital framework, young investors whose total wealth is dominated by human capital are able to take more investment risk than older investors because they have more time to recoup investment losses and can invest more labor income over a longer time horizon. Because as you age your human capital dwindles and your financial capital mounts, you?ll probably want to shift gradually to a more conservative portfolio.

Bond or Stock?

So, are you a bond or a stock? The answer to this question depends on the risk profile of your profession and is a factor that may affect your appropriate portfolio allocation. In short, a risky job is more ?equity-like?; a safe job more closely resembles a risk-free bond. For instance, if your income varies from year to year?say, because you have a bonus- or commission-based job?or it?s highly correlated with the stock market, then we can say that your human capital is ?stock-like.? In this case, all things being equal, you may want to consider maintaining a relatively higher allocation of low-risk fixed-income investments and holding more liquid assets, such as cash, in your financial portfolio.

Alternatively, if you?re, for example, a tenured professor, civil servant, or dentist, then your labor income is probably more stable. In this scenario, your human capital is more ?bond-like,? so all things being equal, you can invest more in stocks and take more risk in your investment portfolio. In other words, to balance and diversify human capital, a stockbroker should invest less in the stock market than a tenured professor.

Your Job and Portfolio

So, take the risk and return characteristics of your employment into account when investing in financial assets. Because we?re seeking total wealth diversification and risk control, one implication is to avoid investing heavily in your employer?s stock. You don?t want to end up like the employees of Enron Corporation who had the bulk of their retirement savings tied up in their ill-fated employer?s stock.

If your employer goes out of business, you don?t want to be hit by your human and financial capital being simultaneously devastated.

As you allocate personal assets, you?re quite likely better off underweighting investments that are closely correlated with your employer?s stock and line of business and tilting toward better diversifiers.

For example, if you work for a market newsletter?a business that is vulnerable to volatile stock market cycles?you should consider a higher weighting in bonds and a below-market-weight allocation to financial sector stocks. If you?re in the real estate business, then consider underweighting property stocks. If you work for a technology company, then you may want to underweight tech in your portfolio and perhaps tilt a bit toward consumer stocks.

Conclusion

Human capital is an important but often overlooked subject in finance. Whether you?re more like a bond or a stock, you can improve the diversification and risk management of your total wealth by integrating the concept of human capital into your portfolio allocation decisions.

¹See, for example, Roger G. Ibbotson, Moshe A. Milevsky, Peng Chen, and Kevin X. Zhu, Lifetime Financial Advice: Human Capital, Asset Allocation, and Insurance (Charlottesville, VA: Research Foundation of CFA Institute, 2007).

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION

Please remember that past performance may not be indicative of future results.? Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended or undertaken by Gerstein Fisher), or any non-investment related content, made reference to directly or indirectly in this blog will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful.? All references to market performance were obtained from Bloomberg database. Due to various factors, including changing market conditions and/or applicable laws, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions or positions.? Moreover, you should not assume that any discussion or information contained in this blog serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Gerstein Fisher.? To the extent that a reader has any questions regarding the applicability of any specific issue discussed above to his/her individual situation, he/she is encouraged to consult with the professional advisor of his/her choosing. Gerstein Fisher is neither a law firm nor a certified public accounting firm and no portion of the blog content should be construed as legal or accounting advice. A copy of the Gerstein Fisher?s current written disclosure statement discussing our advisory services and fees is available for review upon request.

Source: http://blogs.cfainstitute.org/insideinvesting/2012/08/30/human-capital-and-your-portfolio/

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Ann Romney Loves 'Modern Family' -- But Is It Mutual?

Ann Romney seems to have gotten more than she bargained for when she told The Insider that her favorite TV show is Modern Family.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/ann-romney-loves-modern-family-show-creator-responds/1-a-483546?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aann-romney-loves-modern-family-show-creator-responds-483546

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95% Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present

All Critics (41) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (39) | Rotten (2)

Briskly edited and brightly shot.

In place of evenhandedness, the film gives us a full sense of a personality and intelligence so riveting that we begin to comprehend why all those hundreds of thousands lined up at the MoMA.

The film's centerpiece is the retrospective devoted to Abramovic at the Museum of Modern Art in the spring of 2010.

The film goes a long way to establish the intellectual seriousness and dedication involved in her ambitious series of art stunts.

The second half offers shot after shot of the people who sat opposite Abramovi - an unexpectedly enthralling record of reactions that range from stark agony to rather phony amusement.

So magnetic is she that if Abramovic had chosen to be a baker, or a janitor, you could still make a film about her and it would be only slightly less bombastic, and no less stirring.

Like any good documentary, ""The Artist Is Present" gives insight into the life and work of a truly talented lady. Her works may not be for all tastes she but obviously has an audience if MoMA is any indication.

...for the 2 1/2 month run of the [MoMA] show, Marina would sit completely still in a chair as visitors cued up to sit across from her and look into her eyes. The effect is incredibly and unexpectedly moving.

It demonstrates how cinema can actually make the artist seem present, offering an empathetic fellow consciousness that mirrors one's soul.

If you have been looking for the natural meeting place of Jafar Panahi's document of life under house arrest This is Not a Film and Justin Bieber's popumentary Never Say Never, look no further.

An exhilarating, elegantly executed film that holds a mirror up to the art world, its protagonists and its devotees, forcing us to question the whole circus.

Beginning as an overview of her career, this fascinating doc closes in on the show and its many revealing encounters, asking us to consider face-to-face engagement as a way of dissolving the barriers between an artist and her public.

Thanks largely to the engaging nature of its protagonist, Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present stands up as one of the most diverting documentaries to hit the big screen this year.

Marina Abramovi? emerges from this arresting documentary as the Maria Callas of performance art.

Here, you start to feel, is commodified culture at work in its capital city.

Abramovic is nothing less than magnetic.

Abramovic is raw and likeable, if mostly inscrutable.

Although appealing to narrow slice of art aficionados, "Abramovic' carries a deeper message, and a warning, to an increasing mechanized and medicated world

A little pretentious maybe, but then you've got to wonder at a woman who could sit motionless in a wooden chair, eight hours a day for three months.

If you're sceptical about performance art, this might just change your mind.

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! Yes, Abramovic is a seductress.

A wildly entertaining and provocative about a bold, honest and charismatic artist.

More Critic Reviews

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/marina_abramovic_the_artist_is_present_2012/

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Ecuador doubts Assange could get fair US trial

Ecuador's president fears Julian Assange would not get a fair trial in the United States and has insisted that Britain and Sweden guarantee they will not extradite the WikiLeaks founder.

Assange took shelter in Ecuador's London embassy after exhausting all appeals against his extradition to Sweden for questioning on sex crime allegations, and Quito later granted him asylum, sparking a diplomatic row.

Assange has said he fears Sweden intends to hand him over to the United States, where he could face prosecution over his part in the leaking of hundreds of thousands of secret battlefield reports and embassy cables.

Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa said Wednesday in an interview with state-run television that if Assange were to be extradited to the United States, "there would be no guarantee of due process."

"What we want is to insure a fair trial and the right to life for Mr. Assange, but there are clear and serious indications of political persecution," he said.

The 41-year-old Australian former hacker has denied the sex crime allegations and accused Washington of carrying out a "witch hunt" aimed at silencing critics of its policies.

The United States called WikiLeaks a national security threat following its release of thousands of war reports from Iraq and Afghanistan as well as a trove of often-embarrassing classified State Department cables.

Correa said there were three ways to resolve the diplomatic impasse with London: either Britain and Sweden could guarantee that Assange won't be sent to a third country, Swedish prosecutors could question him in the Ecuadoran embassy, or British authorities could allow him to leave without arresting him.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ecuador-doubts-assange-could-fair-us-trial-062603102.html

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Space-warping white dwarfs produce gravitational waves

ScienceDaily (Aug. 28, 2012) ? Gravitational waves, much like the recently discovered Higgs boson, are notoriously difficult to observe. Scientists first detected these ripples in the fabric of space-time indirectly, using radio signals from a pulsar-neutron star binary system. The find, which required exquisitely accurate timing of the radio signals, garnered its discoverers a Nobel Prize. Now a team of astronomers has detected the same effect at optical wavelengths, in light from a pair of eclipsing white dwarf stars.

"This result marks one of the cleanest and strongest detections of the effect of gravitational waves," said team member Warren Brown of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO).

The team discovered the white dwarf pair last year. (White dwarfs are the remnant cores of stars like our Sun.) The system, called SDSS J065133.338+284423.37 (J0651 for short), contains two white dwarf stars so close together -- one-third of the Earth-moon distance -- that they make a complete orbit in less than 13 minutes.

"Every six minutes the stars in J0651 eclipse each other as seen from Earth, which makes for an unparalleled and accurate clock some 3,000 light-years away," said study lead author J.J. Hermes, a graduate student working with Professor Don Winget at The University of Texas at Austin.

Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts that moving objects create subtle ripples in the fabric of space-time, called gravitational waves. Gravitational waves should carry away energy, causing the stars to inch closer together and orbit each other faster and faster. The team was able to detect this effect in J0651.

"Compared to April 2011, when we discovered this object, the eclipses now happen six seconds sooner than expected," said team member Mukremin Kilic of The University of Oklahoma.

"This is a general relativistic effect you could measure with a wrist watch," added SAO's Warren Brown.

J0651 will provide an opportunity to compare future direct, space-based detection of gravitational waves with those inferred from the orbital decay, providing important benchmark tests of our understanding of the workings of gravity.

The team expects that the period will shrink more and more each year, with eclipses happening more than 20 seconds sooner than otherwise expected by May 2013. The stars will eventually merge, in two million years. Future observations will continue to measure the orbital decay of this system, and attempt to understand how tides affect the merger of such stars.

The team's results will be published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and are available online.

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/4XO29hp29og/120828134938.htm

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Wonderful Options Should You Be Looking At Web Hosting ...

Regardless of whether you operate a website for personal or professional reasons, a trustworthy hosting services are an absolute must. Because of so many alternative ideas offered, even so, it can be difficult to find an internet hosting assistance that meets your requirements.

Explore a web-based hosts insurance policies on junk e-mail. There are many internet hosting businesses out there who have crafted a bad good name for their selves by hosting numerous vicious websites, just so long as the pay out by the due date. You may not wish to have your blog seated amid this business. It could put your organization in the awful light.

When picking a web-based hosting company, you want to go along with protection around less costly rates. It is important that not simply is all your information protect, but all of your customers? details, as well. Select a hosting firm you are aware you can depend on and therefore offers protected website hosting.

Choosing a web host to your web site can be quite a difficult process. If you can afford even one of the more acceptable versions, you?re more likely to be successful from it. Even so, just because you can pay doesn?t mean you will need to pay out throughout the nose area. A number of the expensive providers are in fact, less reputable than the less expensive ones.

You should only get an high-priced or fancy web host if you are planning to load a lot of video lessons to the internet site. The extra expenditure is not really essential in case you are merely reloading information and facts to the site. This is certainly a terrific way to spend less when you are searching for a host.

Explore how long an online web hosting service firm has been in business. The online industry is challenging, and although a whole new clients are not necessarily a negative option, it can be an unsafe one. There exists nothing worse than gonna sign in your web site, only to discover it no more is available. A business that may be experienced and has been in existence for a few years is a much more reputable option.

Deciding on the wrong hosting company can really hinder your time and efforts to work a prosperous website, so be sure you do your research upfront. As you have experienced on this page, the quality of web hosts can be extremely diverse.

When you now know, an ideal way of getting a product or service known is by using internet hosting. Once you know the best way to correctly use website hosting, the chances are limitless.

Odds are, you?ve acquired some respectable applicable expertise just from reading the number of sentences that were in the above list. These paragraphs are organised there by good quality web hosting, as is also this really website as well as every site which you look at you linked in your existing see. If you?re capable of sort through the garbage and find the treasure, you?re likely to location some awesome tools available.

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Source: http://www.searchipnews.com/2012/08/28/wonderful-options-should-you-be-looking-at-web-hosting/

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Sony Smart Wireless Headset Pro

Can't decide if you want a stereo Bluetooth headset for your phone, or just a standalone MP3 player? Sony covers both bases with the Smart Wireless Headset Pro ($149.99 direct). At its core, it's a stereo Bluetooth headset for listening to music and taking calls. But thanks to a clip-on body with a built-in microSD card slot, it's also a standalone MP3 player with an FM tuner, and it even reads incoming text and email messages?aloud?if you have an Android phone. There's less here than it appears, though. For starters, the Smart Wireless Headset Pro isn't?actually?a wireless headset; it's a wired set of earbuds that plugs into a separate body. Combine that with some other design foibles and buggy overall performance, and you get a product in search of a customer.

Design and Setup
The package includes the wireless headset, a USB cable for transferring media files, an AC adapter, a 2GB microSD card, a USB microSD card reader that folds out to expose the USB port, four pairs of eartips in various sizes, and a user guide. The main body is made entirely of glossy black and dark gray plastic. It measures 2.4 by 1.0 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 0.95 ounces. The MP3 player clip contains plenty of hardware controls, including a pair of volume buttons on one edge, and track play and skip controls on the opposite side. A multi-function button in the center handles answering and rejecting calls, while a built-in OLED display makes the player easier to navigate.

The microSD card slot supports cards up to 32GB; both the included 2GB card and my 32GB SanDisk card worked fine. The plastic cover is tough to remove, and when you do, it stays attached on a rubber piece so that you don't lose the cap?except that the cap gets in the way the entire time while you're inserting the memory card, unless you learn to hold it back with your other hand. A better solution would have been to leave the cap off entirely; port caps never make sense unless it's something you'll almost never use, such as with a SIM card slot. That brings me to the second problem: In my tests, it was tough to insert either microSD card, and required considerable force, though removing the card was easier.

The earphones include 6mm drivers and soft, comfortable rubber eartips. I had no problem getting an easy fit. The flat, rubberized wire is in a Y-shape, and only extends a few feet?long enough to clip the unit to your shirt, but not long enough to keep it in your pants pocket.

Bluetooth pairing isn't particularly intuitive, either; you'll need the manual. To pair the set, you have to go menu diving inside the headset itself, and then confirm that a six-digit PIN is the same on both devices. You also have to confirm it, not using the big multifunction right next to the screen, but using the small Play button on the top edge. I paired the headset with a Samsung Galaxy Nexus without issue.

Android Apps and Voice Calls
Pair the Smart Wireless Headset Pro with an Android phone, and you'll gain the ability to dial numbers from the recent call list, and read messages aloud into the headset. The software installation is exceedingly complex, though. Sony makes two separate main apps for the headset: Livewire Manager and Smart Wireless Headset Pro. You install the first via Google Play, pair the earphones, and then it will prompt you to install the second app. It also asked for two separate over-the-air updates afterward (one for firmware and one for one of the apps), which was a little awkward.

But that's not all. Maddeningly, you need to install an extra five Smart Extra apps for each of the extra Android features, one at a time, for a total of seven manual app installs. Next to nothing is enabled by default, either. It's not just text-to-speech and Bluetooth pairing confirmations; even multipoint, which lets you pair two devices simultaneously, needs to be enabled first, which I can't recall ever seeing before in a Bluetooth headset.

The embedded OLED display shows the currently selected source, battery level, caller ID status, and current track names when playing music. Voice calls sounded fine, with a slightly tinny tone in the earbuds, but clear and loud transmissions through the microphone. Overall it will easily do for day-to-day voice calls, provided you stay within relatively quiet environments, as I couldn't hear any noise cancellation circuitry working.

During voice calls, the OLED shows incoming or outgoing caller ID, plus ongoing call time. When you get an SMS message, it will display the text in a scrolling line. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the headset to read the text back to me?aloud, even after I installed the extra component for Smart Extras Messaging. It turns out that only four languages are available, and none of them are English yet. You can make this work by installing SVOX's Classic Text to Speech Engine in the Play Store and buying a US English voice, but that's an extra $2.99 and yet more additional installation steps.

Music Performance and FM Radio
For music, I tested the Smart Wireless Headset Pro both as a standalone MP3 player and as a stereo Bluetooth headset paired with the Galaxy Nexus. As a standalone player, it's a bust: Before and after a firmware upgrade, all MP3 files I tested stuttered during playback from various microSD cards, and the player wouldn't recognize any of my iTunes AAC files in standalone mode?it only supports MP3 and WAV files. (A second Smart Wireless Headset Pro that Sony sent us had the same problem.)?Over Bluetooth, this wasn't a problem, since the phone was decoding the files, not the Smart Wireless Headset Pro.?

So for the rest of the review, I focused on Bluetooth audio?fortunately with solid results. The Smart Wireless Headset Pro's many problems fade once you start listening to music, which sounds smooth and warm, with punchy bass response, plenty of low-end extension, and slightly muted but still airy highs. You won't get the same level of detail out of these as, say, a $150 pair of wired earbuds, but unless you're an audiophile, you'll most likely find the sound quite good.

Some examples: Alex Parks' cover of "Mad World" sounded great, with her smooth and airy vocal, and an atmospheric piano behind her voice. Once the electronic bass kicked in, there was an impressive level of extension that stayed even across a range of very low notes. Muse's "Undisclosed Desires" had plenty of image separation, thunderous low-end, and a smooth response across the entire frequency range. System of a Down's "Chop Suey" sounded powerful and energetic, if a little over EQed in the bass and treble. Less successfully, on Cirrus' "Boomerang," the electronic kick drum and synth bass sounded clear, distinct, and punchy, although the cymbals had a little too much coloration in the lower treble and sounded like little bursts of white noise. And Adele's "Rumor Has It" sounded a little flat, with not enough midbass punch from the bombastic drum sounds, although Adele herself sounded smooth, if a little more muffled than usual.

The built-in FM radio also sounds good; the wire in the earphones serves as an antenna, and I heard clear stereo signal on a variety of stations in New York City. The one downside during playback (from any source) is cable thump. More than with most wired headsets, you hear plenty of it through the earphones. And as I mentioned above, since the wire isn't long enough to clip it to a jeans pocket or belt, you have to find a place to clip it on your shirt?and even then, just turning my head back and forth was enough to induce audible thumping artifacts, to say nothing of walking.

Conclusions
Overall, it's tough to figure out exactly who Sony is targeting with the Smart Wireless Headset Pro. If you've got an Android phone, you've already got an excellent MP3 player. If you don't have a smartphone, it would make more sense to buy a more capable standalone music player with a color display. Or, for a little more money, one of Sony's own Walkman Mobile Entertainment Players, which double as movie machines, Web browsers, and gaming platforms?especially since music playback is so problematic from a microSD card.

The best use case I can see is if you need a good sounding stereo Bluetooth headset that doubles as an FM radio. In that, the Sony Smart Wireless Headset Pro is slightly overpriced and a bit bulky, but it sounds good and does the job. That's really not enough to spend $150, though. If you just need wireless stereo headphones, the Sennheiser MM 100 and Outdoor Technology DJ Slims both offer well balanced stereo Bluetooth performance at a lower price and are much easier to use, providing that you don't need the FM radio and don't mind an over-the-ear design. The Plantronics BackBeat Go?remains our Editors' Choice stereo Bluetooth headset; it doesn't sound quite as good as some of these, but it's inexpensive and extremely lightweight and easy to carry, and it sounds great on voice calls. The best part: Unlike the Smart Wireless Headset Pro, all three of the above pairs are actually wireless.

More Bluetooth Headset Reviews:
??? Sony Smart Wireless Headset Pro
??? Panasonic KX-TG7745S Link-to-Cell Cellular Convergence Solution
??? Motorola Roadster 2
??? SuperTooth Crystal
??? Plantronics M55
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/FfHOSKbbwGU/0,2817,2408660,00.asp

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Marketing your content on the web | Johnny Da Silva

Posted by Johnny Da Silva on Aug 27, 2012 in Content Marketing

Did you know that you don?t have to focus on just publishing content on your owned media channels such as your blog or your website? Publishing interesting content off site?can also play a big role in building awareness for your marketing campaign.

To get the best results from your marketing initiative, use a combination of online and off site content marketing strategies. Where are you going to publish your this content? Find below a couple of tips to help you get started with publishing your content off of your owned media channels.

Relevant blogs: It is important that you publish new blog posts on your own blog as often as you can, but don?t be scared to start with a guest blogging campaign as well. Write a couple of guest blog posts that you can publish on other blogs related to your market. Most people will allow you to add your bio and a link back to your blog from the guest blog post.

Social media channels: Publishing your content on the social media channels that you are using is another great way to spread your message. Use popular channels like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, and even Pinterest. Share your content, engage with the community, and start building your network.

Review channels: There are many review websites like Yelp and Amazon that you can use as a way to get your customers talking about you. Every positive review you get for your services or products is another way to add credibility to your business name.

Content directories: Not all the content directories online are the same. In fact, most of the top content directories took a blow with the recent Google Algorithm updates. Some of them are still valuable and can put your website right in the middle of the spotlight when you publish your content on these.

Think about all the online channels you can publish your content with your content marketing strategy. This is a great way you can use to build great content that drives targeted traffic back your business online.

Source: http://www.johnnydasilva.com/online-marketing/content-marketing-online-marketing/marketing-your-content-on-the-web/

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Should You Invest In Commercial Real Estate? | Tic Tracker

Working with commercial property buying is not as difficult as you may think. There is essential information that you must know before you enter into any deal. Read this article to find out more about common tricks and mistakes you should avoid to become a successful investor.

It is necessary that you have financial statements for yourself and for your business handy if you want to finance a commercial real estate property. It is difficult to convince the bank that you are a good financial risk if your records are not in order to back up these claims.

It is essential that you become aware of any environmental issues associated with properties you are considering. You don?t want to start off with any problems that could?ve been prevented. The fact that you are responsible for causing these issues is irrelevant; a property owner is required to fix them, regardless.

Before you start looking for a commercial property, decide what your goals are. Will you be utilizing this property for yourself, or do you intend on renting it out? Have goals that are specific and clear before going to look at properties, and you will save yourself effort, time and money.

TIP! When purchasing commercial real estate, it?s important that you understand the property you?re purchasing may be a lifelong investment. A lot of people will completely ignore the fact that they may have to spend big money in maintaining the property.

A major threat to investors in commercial real estate comes from the fluctuation of interest rates. With the current economic state, rates can be unpredictable and investors run the risk of a drastic interest rate hike. Take this into account when searching for properties, and include it in your evaluation of when and what to buy.

Figure out where you are going to obtain your loan prior to submitting a commercial real estate offer. Speak with your investors and friends to make a small list of the area?s best lenders. Research all the lenders on your list and determine which one you?d like to work with. Talk to the lender and make arrangements for financing prior to purchasing your first property. Taking some time for advance preparation can increase your chances of qualifying for a loan.

Take the time to find a good agency who actively believes and demonstrates that the client comes first. If not, you may eventually pay dearly for an easily avoided mistake.

TIP! If you intend on putting your commercial property on the rental market, find a simple, but solidly constructed building. These spaces are more likely to fill quickly with paying tenants who are drawn towards something that is well maintained.

As it was said at the beginning of this article, you need to have a great deal of information before beginning a commercial real estate venture. The sole purpose of this guide was to give you information that can grant you success when you invest in commercial real

Source: http://tictracker.com/should-you-invest-in-commercial-real-estate/

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S. Korea on alert as major typhoon Bolaven nears

South Korea was Monday bracing for the arrival of major typhoon Bolaven with a main port and ferry routes closed, classes cancelled and officials put on high alert.

Typhoon Bolaven -- one of the most powerful storms in the region in decades -- was churning Monday towards the peninsula after lashing Japan's Okinawa island with heavy rain and wind and injuring at least five people.

The typhoon, with winds of up to 173 kilometres (107 miles) per hour, was expected to hit the South from late Monday to early Wednesday before reaching North Korea, Seoul's weather service said.

In the southern port city of Busan authorities Monday banned all ships from entering the docks until the storm passes. Large ships were advised to move elsewhere out of the storm's path.

The transportation ministry said 68 of the country's 87 sea ferry routes had been cancelled. Airport authorities were checking runways and other facilities.

A state disaster relief board raised its alert to the highest level, meaning more officials will be on watch.

Some 140 flights on Monday and Tuesday, mostly to or from the southern resort island of Jeju, were cancelled.

President Lee Myung-Bak called for "thorough preparation" to minimise damage and prevent casualties.

In Seoul and the western port city of Incheon, all schools were ordered closed Tuesday.

The typhoon will dump as much as 500 millimetres (20 inches) of rain in some parts of the nation from Monday to Wednesday and bring strong winds and high tides, the weather service said.

Storm alerts will be issued in most parts of the country by Monday night.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/korea-alert-major-typhoon-bolaven-nears-092757542.html

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Beats by Dr. Dre Wireless

We are now several models into the Beats by Dr. Dre line of headphones and speakers. And Monster, the company that initially co-launched the brand with the debut of the Monster Beats by Dr. Dre,?is no longer part of the equation. If there's one characteristic Beats is known for, aside from the lowercase "B" logo that's become a ubiquitous sight at sports press conferences and in music videos, it's intense bass response. Audiophiles and purists are not likely to be interested, therefore, in the Beats by Dr. Dre Wireless ($279.95 list)?, a good-looking Bluetooth headphone pair that offers powerful audio, along with bass response that's extremely boosted. The headphones are good looking and well made, but the high price, another common Beats trait, is a bit too high.

Design
Beats does branding better than just about anyone besides Apple these days?you immediately know what you're looking at, or at least you know you've seen it before if you don't know about Beats by Dr. Dre. The shiny plastic band and "b" logo, combined with either white or black frames with gray and red highlights, fit quite well in the oft-imitated Beats line-up. The black, supra-aural (on-ear) earpads for the Beats Wireless are plush and comfortable, and though they sit on the ear, they are almost (but not quite) large enough to enclose it like a circumaural pair would. Most headphone pairs with well-cushioned earcups also have well-padded headbands, but the interior of the Beats Wireless headband employs a thin, rubbery cushion that offers very little in the way of comfort. For short listening periods, you're unlikely to notice, but wear these for an hour or so, and it can start to feel like it's pressing on your skull a little too much.

No one will accuse Beats of not including enough controls on its Bluetooth headphones. The right earcup has a Power/Pairing button, a Play/Pause control, as well as Track Forward and Backward buttons and Volume controls. Though it can take a bit to memorize the position of each, they are thoughtfully covered with Braille-like bumps so you can feel where to press.

Included with the headphones are a USB charging cable, a 3.5mm audio cable with phone controls, a cleaning cloth, and a padded zip-up carrying case that the headphones fold into. Both cables (and the cloth) are the trademark Beats red. The inclusion of the audio cable is a thoughtful move?one that most manufacturers often skip. This allows you to use the headphones in passive mode, without depleting the battery (or when the battery has already been depleted).

The Beats by Dre Wireless headphones offer support for Bluetooth SBC, aptX, and AAC codecs, and the pairing process with Bluetooth mobile devices is simple and quick.

Performance
Audiophiles and purists tend to prefer headphones with flat responses or less exaggerated bass response, and thus are not likely to enjoy the Wireless Beats. These headphones have serious low-end, to the extent that classical music, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," can occasionally sound almost comical, with the already ominous, intense presence of lower register strings, brass, and percussion boosted to the point that they sound more like massive synthesizers rather than acoustic instruments, overpowering the rest of a mix with added rumble and resonance.

If the world were only for audio purists, though, what a boring world it would be. The Beats line works best, generally, with modern mixes for pop, rock, and hip hop, where deep, sub-bass frequencies are often par for the course. Not only can the Beats Wireless reproduce intense low-end, like the electronic synth beat at the opening of the Knife's "Silent Shout," without a hint of distortion at maximum volume (on both the sound source and the headphones), but it sounds good doing so.

It may not be the most accurate reproduction of sound, but it can feel as if you're in a club or at a concert when playing Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild" or Lower Dens' "Brains." If the intense thump of the kick drum or rumble of a bass line is what you're looking for, who cares what audiophiles say? The Beats Wireless delivers the rest of frequency range with a reasonable-enough level of integrity that you can enjoy being a bass fiend without sacrificing too much clarity, though some mixes can lean towards the muddy end of the spectrum.

Lots of headphones can create massive bass rumble, even wirelessly, and several of them, like the $80 Outdoor Technology DJ Slims, can do so at a significantly lower price. Thus, while it looks great and offers powerful audio, the Beats by Dr. Dre Wireless feels a bit overpriced, occupying a realm typically reserved for pairs that are more devoted to accurate audio reproduction. If you're looking for something in between the Outdoor Technology model and this one, in terms of price, the Sennheiser MM 100 ?and the Phiaton PS 20 BT ?are both solid choices, though the latter is an in-canal earphone pair. When you pay for Beats, you are paying for powerful audio, but also for looks and Dr. Dre's implicit endorsement. If they were $200, I'd say these were pretty fairly priced for the distortion-free audio, stylish look, and added passive/wired functionality they provide, but $280 is pushing it. So, thumbs down on the pricing, but otherwise, this is a top wireless choice for bass lovers.

More Headphone Reviews:
??? Beats by Dr. Dre Wireless
??? Koss JR900 Wireless Headphones
??? Velodyne vPulse In-Ear Headphones
??? Phiaton PS 210 BTNC
??? Astro Gaming A50 Wireless Headset
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/OTI-VXKPuBw/0,2817,2408799,00.asp

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Looking for AT LEAST Semi-Literate, COMMITTED RPers.

Minthill Home for the Troubled

"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year,
but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place.
If I quit, however, it lasts forever."
- Lance Armstrong

Hello and Welcome to the Minthill House!

For one reason or another, your mental health specialist or family member has referred you to the Minthill House. We know you are probably not leaping at the idea, but don't worry. The Minthill House is exactly how it sounds - A house. We are not a large facility with a large staff and many patients which do not let you leave the House. You are one of only four patients recieving help from us here at Minthill, recieving attention from two skilled doctors who truly care about their patients.

We understand you may have other concerns about your stay, such as the conditions of people you will be housemates with. Our patients are carefully selected with conditions which are naturally harmful to others as well as personalities which shall not clash with other's too much. There will not be a gender imbalance in the home to be wary of, and for your comfort, you may have our choice is speaking to either our male doctor or our female doctor, or both if you wish. These doctors will also be staying in the home to ensure that you will be access to help whenever you need it. We are eagerly awaiting your arrival here at The Minthill House! We're sure you'll be happy here!

Sincerely,

Marie Swall,
Founder and Overseer of The Minthill House.

P.S. Once you have finished your treatment here, you will be kept for as brief an observation time as possible before being released, to ensure a quick return to your family and/or friends.

Minthill Home for the Troubled is just as avertized by mental health specialists: A comfortable, home-like environment with care from certified, passionate doctors. The house has what every other house would; Bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways, a living room, a kitchen, and a dining room - Even a study! Everyone here has some kind of problem such as Drug Addiction, Depression, Grief, Alcoholism, Extreme Fear, Delusions, Anger Management Issues, Confusion, or even an extremely irrational, crippling fear of something. (Basically any mental issue that isn't hardcore like schizophrenia)

Each BEDROOM is identical and almost made to be rearranged. They are large and well lit with their own televisions as well as their own, personal bathrooms. The windows of the room open as well, letting in a cool breeze. However, there is a very thin, rounded steel screen for the patient's protection, but is so thin that it's almost not noticable. The door, however, has no lock.

Every bedroom has it's own personal BATHROOM, designed for simplicity, but also comfort. Everything has a grip on it to keep people from losing their balance and falling, but it is open even to feel refreshingly free. However, there is no lock on the door.
Even the LIVING ROOM, DINING ROOM, and KITCHEN look open and free, even through everything does have some sort of safety feature. People are monitored while cooking dinner due to the cutlery (which are stored away when it is not mealtime), the utensils are set on the table, washed, and put straight away into lockable drawers, etc. for patient safety.

It's the type of place that you'd walk into a find yourself wondering:

'Wow! Who will i share this house with?-

PATIENTS

Male Patient 1: TAKEN
Male Patient 2: OPEN
Female Patient 1: OPEN
Female Patient 2: OPEN

-Who are these doctors?'

DOCTORS

Male Doctor 1: OPEN
Female Doctor 1: OPEN

RULES
1. DON'T BE A DRAMA QUEEN/KING. We want a bit of drama, but don't make it ALWAYS be you and don't make it almost EVERY post.
2. No godmodding obviously.
3. RESPECT THE RULES.
4. I will only accept or reject profiles once they have been completed, if non-optional fields are not filled out or WIP is anywhere in your profile, i will simply do nothing.
5. Please write at least 200 words a post, or at the very least on 7 sentence paragraph.
6. Use proper grammar and punctuation.
7. I expect commitment from you. I don't mean post every hour, but hopefully once a day. However, if you disappear for a week without telling anyone why, we will boot you. I have ZERO tolerance for people who hold up RPs by not posting due to disappearing for no reason or abandoning and leaving your character behind. We WILL replace you, even if we REALLY, REALLY don't want to.
8. Romance is very much encouraged! However, once it gets sexy, take it to PM (And let me peek. Haha, i'm just kidding. But seriously. Naw i'm joshing you. Send it.)
9. Please don't think i'm scary! I'm actually really, REALLY nice - But i've watched so many good RPs crash that i wanna make sure of things and set every rule in stone.
10. Have fun!

^Check rules in RP introduction for any changes (although unlikely)^

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/xQBCbj6HKYo/viewtopic.php

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What we can learn from Ev & Ocho: re-framing intimate partner ...

A SYTYCB entry

About a week ago, I logged onto Facebook and this image popped up in my news feed.

My brain almost exploded trying to process all of the rhetoric wrapped up in this image and its contextual story. ?Before I go on, I need to say: I do not watch Basketball Wives (or any other reality show with the word ?Wife? or ?Love? in it). In fact, I secretly judge people who do. And usually the sight Evelyn Lozada makes my head hurt. Her destructive and unhealthy relationships with other women, and people in general, are quite frankly the most brazen displays of fuckery I?ve seen in a very long time. But I digress?

For those of you who do not know who Chad Johnson (formerly Chad Ochocinco) or Evelyn Lozada are; first and foremost, consider yourselves lucky. Then stay with me as I fill you in. Evelyn is the former fiance of NBA player Antoine Walker, a relationship that ?ironically confirmed her eligibility for the VH1 reality show, ?Basketball Wives?. Less than 3 months ago she married NFL baller Chad, former star of ?Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch?. Earlier this month (less than 2 months into their marriage), Chad was arrested for?head-butting Evelyn. She has since filed for divorce and he has been released from the Miami Dolphins. Their upcoming show ?Ev & Ocho? was cancelled as well.

Their public domestic violence case has sparked much debate around the legitimacy of his actions and her credibility as a victim of them. Because this is Feministing, I?m going to assume that we all?know?the slogan: There is NO excuse for domestic violence. However, that has not changed the minds of many who insist that Chad is the victim because he lost his job, his upcoming show, and received divorce papers.

This event reminded me that as a society, we find it impossible to legitimize?intimate?partner violence unless we can specifically identify a victim and a perpetrator. Not only do we look for these players, we expect them to play their roles.?On her show, Evelyn is, as the image above suggests, repeatedly violent. And because we are also trained to victim blame in cases of domestic and sexual violence, Evelyn became a perfect target by being physically aggressive and angry. We (us feministy folks) understand that this doesn?t mean Chad was the only casualty.

Furthermore, the image itself is misleading. Simply being on the receiving end of intimate partner violence does not make one an ?advocate?. Evelyn did not donate to a battered woman?s shelter after the incident. She did not stand up and organize survivors. She simply called the police and got a divorce: a decision that many women are not financially privileged, or able to make. But despite it all, it was still within her rights. For those reasons I think this image is actually a direct response to those advocating on her behalf and reminding folks that there really is NO excuse for?intimate?partner violence. The supporters of this picture are urging us not to ?allow? Evelyn to be identified as a victim when she has been violent against so many other people. They simply can not accept it? #nothankyou.

But the truth is, they don?t have to. What we need to learn from Evelyn and Chad is that abusive relationships are not always the result of a good guy/bad guy combination gone wrong. It?s rarely ever so clear cut. If you?ve seen one episode of ?Basketball Wives?, it?s?disturbingly?clear that Evelyn does not know how to have healthy relationships with anyone. But it?s also pretty obvious that Chad doesn?t know how to communicate with his partner in potentially high stress situations. A logical conclusion is that this connection was about as unhealthy as they come.

Instead of trying to identify who deserves what, we should be using this as an opportunity to have an open conversation about healthy relationships and partners.?Although domestic violence continues to be a women?s issue (as women still represent the majority of victims of physical violence at the hands of partners), unhealthy relationships are not. Ev & Ocho can show us that intimate partner violence wears many hats but is rooted in a cycle of unhealthy relationship practices. Practices that we ironically tend to support directly and indirectly. Week after week we flocked to our television sets to watch and be entertained by Evelyn without questioning why a grown ass woman might feel the need to jump across a table, barefoot, to attack another woman. We loved it when Chad had physical contests to decide which of 12 women would be his lover on his reality dating show ?The Ultimate Catch?. And when he changed his name to ?Ochocinco?, we only chuckled.

We ignore unhealthy relationships practices and define domestic violence through a binary lens. We can not continue to be silent until the time comes for us to ignorantly take sides. By then it is almost always too late.

?

?

?

?

?

?

Source: http://community.feministing.com/2012/08/26/what-we-can-learn-from-ev-ocho-re-framing-intimate-partner-violence/

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Tips Winning Internet Business Competition | Online Business Blog ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Internet business competition is getting tougher. We have had countless numbers of businessmen who jumped into the Internet business. Be tested for example by typing ?internet business? or ?online business? in the search ...

Source: http://akiradelatief.com/tips-winning-internet-business-competition

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Nexus 7 checks off Spain, Germany and France on availability chart, sells for a premium

Google Play quietly updated its device availability page over the weekend, making the Nexus 7 available to Germany, France and Spain. Patient Europeans can now pick up Mountain View's seven-inch wonderkind's 8GB and 16GB models for €199 and €249, respectively. Conversion rates comparatively price the slate at about $248 and $311, meaning the new markets will have to suffer a small premium for the slate. Worse still, is that not all of Google Play's services are available worldwide, with both Play Music and Magazines retaining US exclusivity. If you can bear with the inconveniences, however, one fine little tablet awaits.

Nexus 7 checks off Spain, Germany and France on availability chart, sells for a premium originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Aug 2012 23:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Police, NetbookNews  |   | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/KB9D_RAPZJg/

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Link UC ? Parenting Advice That Can Really Help You

A lot of times, the only training parents get is the training they get ?on the job?. If you want to do better, and be a more knowledgeable and prepared parent, take the time to learn and incorporate the advice in this article. You should not only parent with intuition, you should also parent with information.

Keep a routine in your home, your family will know what they are expected to do. If you tell your child you are going to do something, then you should follow through with it. Getting your child into a routine helps your child adjust and behave well.

Never smoke in the house if you are a parent. Even better, consider quitting altogether. Secondhand smoke is as damaging as actually smoking. Exposure to second-hand smoke puts children at higher risk for respiratory conditions like pneumonia, asthma or bronchitis.

Don?t keep junk food at home, where it might tempt your young child to eat it or beg you for it. If you don?t keep snacks that are bad for your children in the home, they probably will not ask for them. Use these items as treats that are only consumed on holidays.

Adding yummy tasting chilled foods to a mesh teether can cut down in the pain of cutting teeth. Your child will enjoy the flavor of these all-natural teethers. Your child will have more relief from teething pains as they continue to use this teether.

If you are going to take your children on a long road trip, stop as often as you can to keep them from getting too cranky. Although it might seem like getting to your destination quickly is the best decision, taking things slow and recognizing the needs of everyone in the vehicle can really salvage the trip. Make your road trip a fun experience for your kids by stopping at a park or restaurant with play area and letting them play.

Focus on building a strong, healthy relationship with your significant other. The behavior that the two of you model will be the basis for your child?s relationships later in life. Your child will have better people skills if he or she can observe you. When your child becomes an adult, you can be pleased with how you raised him.

Give your baby a massage with lavender scented lotion to calm him. Lavender oil has been proven to soothe nerves, so the smell should help settle your child quickly. The calming effect of the oil will also help you relax your baby to sleep.

Help your child learn to organize by setting up places where his toys and other items should be put. Without a proper designation scheme, toys can be strewn all over your home. Your child will be more likely to put up their things if you have demonstrated the way to do it. Children who clean up on their own things should be praised for making the effort.

As you probably already know, and this article underlined, parenting is more than just rolling with it. Your parenting skills can be improved by your decision to include this information in the strategies you will use as you deal with the challenges parenting presents.

Source: http://www.linkuc.com/parenting-advice-that-can-really-help-you

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PARENT/FAMILY SURVEY | The Oklahoma Parents Center

Dear Parents/Families,

The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), Special Education Services (SES),? in collaboration with the Oklahoma Parents Center, Inc. (OPC) annually collect information regarding SoonerStart/Early Intervention and schools? efforts to partner with parents for the provision of special education and related services.? To do this, the OSDE-SES and OPC would like to invite you to complete the Parent Survey.

Your responses will help guide our state?s efforts to improve services and results for children and families.

Sincerely,

Dr. Rene Axtell
Assistant State Superintendent
Oklahoma State Department of Education
Special Education Services

&

Sharon Coppedge-House
Executive Director
Oklahoma Parents Center, Inc.

---

SoonerStart Families ? Birth to 3 years old

?

?

School Families ? Ages 3 through 21

?

?

Source: http://oklahomaparentscenter.org/parentfamily-survey/

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Valley Of Flowers, Uttarakhand | Chaturyatri-travel Stories On ...

I cannot rest from travel; I will drink life to the lees.

If your heart too echoes the fervor of Tennyson, then a new destination with a plethora of fresh experience awaits you. If the grandeur of the mountains, the vivacity of the sea and the verdure of the forest seem like a threadbare chapter in your chronicle of travels, then its time for a foray into a less trodden path and partaking of the flavor of a certain wondrous, hidden corner. And, the perfect unfolding to such a circumstance lie garlanded in the vales of Uttarakhand, Valley of Flowers.

Skirted by the Bhyundar village , is this sublime expanse of bounteous natural beauty. In 1937 explorer Frank Smith had lost his way along the contours of Garhwal Hill and tumbled upon a spectacular pasture adorned in a wide array of flowers. He had christened it the Valley of Flowers and thenceforth this valley has been a cherished locale for all nature-enthusiasts. The valley is a sequestered nook in the mountainous terrains of Garhwal , basking still in unblemished pristine natural appeal. Human settlement is prohibited and it is to be reached through a trek of 7 Kilometers from Joshimath.The nearest railway station is at Rishikesh whence an 11 hour drive takes one to Joshimath. Nestling in the divergent domain of the Garhwal, the Valley of Flowers boasts of a location which is near and yet away from the madding crowd. The Valley of flowers, though uninhabited by mankind, houses a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Species of flowers like orchids, rhododendrons, poppies, marigold, daisies pervade the region. When in full blossom , they portray a tapestry of beautiful colours and exude captivating fragrances. Ghangaria a small hamlet along the banks of Laxman Ganga serves as the base camp to the Valley of Flowers. An impressive range of accommodations are available here as are the variegated eateries offering distinctive cuisines. The lodge of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam facilitates comfortable stay at a moderate budget. At Ghangaria, Ganga bifurcates into Pushpawati river and the Hemkund Sahib. The Pushpawati river flows into the vale, ushering you to the land of cascading waterfalls set against silver birches and snow covered peaks. The valley is also home to species like tahr, snow leopard,musk deer, red fox, Himalayan black bear and a lot more. In 1982, this valley was accorded the status of a national park. Ever since, it has been a sacrosanct hub of ecological reserve and a much admired haunt of botanists, trekkers and explorers. The valley is encompassed in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and its luxuriant landscape becomes the perfect foil to the surrounding rugged wilderness.

Exotic flower species like Bramhakamal, blue poppy, cobra lily thrive in this terrain subscribing thus to it a mythical alliance whereby this valley becomes the nursery of the magical sanjeevani herb. The sought after tourist locations in the likes of Dehradun and Rishikesh being in close proximity,adds to the temptation of the vale. The Valley of flowers become the ideal choice for a tranquil retreat at a price largely amiable to all parameters of budget. The immaculate and idyllic charm of the Valley of flowers and the easy accessibility metes out incentives enough to take once and for all the road not taken hitherto and indulge in the spell of its cloistered aesthetics.

Contributed by Yashaswini Basu

About the Author:
Budget Travel Expert @ www.myguesthouse.com | Exploring Nook & Corner of India ... Bringing You Stories | Tips & Reviews | Travelogues | Packages & Deals

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Valley-Of-Flowers--Uttarakhand---Chaturyatri-travel-Stories-On-Budget-Travel-In-India/4114928

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?Buying a HUD Home? on Liz Moore Talk Radio by Liz Moore Savvy ...

Liz Moore Savvy Real Estate Investor Team, Hampton Roads Virginia

By Liz Moore Savvy Real Estate Investor Team

This week on Real Estate Market Watch, Liz talked with the?Homeowners Resource Team. ?The Homeowners Resource Team?is made up of three agents from the Liz Moore Newport News office, Teresa Cline, Dewey Hutchins and Verle Melz, who?specialize in short sales, foreclosures and REO properties.? ?During the show, the team explained exactly what a HUD home is, and the process for purchasing one.

Are you interested in investing in a HUD home? ?Download the podcast from the show!

The Liz Moore & Associates??Savvy Real Estate Investor Team?specializes in helping experienced and hopeful investors alike build wealth through their real estate portfolios in Newport News, Hampton, York County, Poquoson, and Williamsburg, VA as well as surrounding markets.? They are experts in helping you find great deals on short sales,?foreclosures, HUD properties and REO?s.? Our Investment Coaches are experienced at helping you buy for fun and profit, flip real estate, build long term wealth, or?rent your property?as an investment. Whether you are looking to purchase investment property for the first time, or to continue to expand your portfolio, you will find The Savvy Real Estate Investor Team to be your greatest asset.

Don?t forget to download our free e-book,?The Field Guide to Real Estate Investing?and check out our?deal analyzer calculators!

When you are ready to take that next step in investing in real estate, call 757.873.2707 or email us at?savvyrealestateinvestor@lizmoore.com?.

Source: http://thesavvyrealestateinvestorblog.com/2012/08/21/buying-a-hud-home-on-liz-moore-talk-radio-by-liz-moore-savvy-real-estate-investor-team-hampton-roads-virginia/

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Somalia: A new parliament but no presidential vote

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) ? Somalia's chief justice on Monday swore in 211 new members of parliament, an accomplishment but one that fell far short of U.N. hopes that the Horn of Africa nation would seat a full 275-member parliament that would vote in a new president.

Monday ? the last day of eight years of Somalia's U.N.-backed Transitional Federal Government ? was the day by which the U.N. repeatedly said a new president would be in place. But political bickering, violent threats and seat-buying schemes delayed progress, guaranteeing the day would come and go with no new leader in place.

Somalia has seen much progress over the last year. Al-Shabab militants were forced out of Mogadishu in August 2011, allowing businesses to thrive and the arts and sports to return.

However, Mogadishu politics remains an ugly business, as it did in 1991, when the country's last legitimate president was ousted and the country spiraled into bloody chaos. The International Crisis Group said the current political process has been as undemocratic as the Transitional Federal Government structure it seeks to replace, "with unprecedented levels of political interference, corruption and intimidation."

Somali elders were tasked with naming a parliament, since no election could be held given the state of security around the country. A technical committee disqualified several nominees.

"Some elders allegedly nominated uneducated and objectionable individuals, some sold seats to highest bidders, and others even nominated their own family members," the International Crisis Group said.

Few of the allegations will surprise the international backers ? the U.N., U.S. and EU ? heavily involved in the political process. A report released in June written for the U.N. said that the last government was rife with corruption. The government allegedly protected a notorious pirate leader and deposited only $3 of every $10 received into state coffers. A report commissioned by the World Bank published in May similarly found that 68 percent of TFG revenues in 2009-10 were unaccounted for.

Monday's swearing-in ceremony was moved to the highly protected airport at the last minute after members of parliament asked for increased security. Somali police and African Union troops patrolled around the airport, which adjoins an African Union military base and is the most secure location in the city.

Al-Shabab militants, though evicted from Mogadishu, still penetrate the seaside capital to carry out suicide attacks. One such attack took place earlier this month as Somali elders voted in a new internationally backed constitution that guarantees more rights for women and children. The bombers were stopped at the gates and no one except the two attackers was killed.

After Monday's ceremony, Zainab Mohamed Amir, one of the few female parliamentarians, said she feared women would be underrepresented. Some political negotiations tried to guarantee women 30 percent of parliament seats, but that guarantee has not been made.

"I'm very happy today because we have a new federal parliament that will bring a new government for Somalia," Amir said. "But I'm afraid that women will not get their quota in the parliament."

Backroom political deals center not only on who is named to parliament but also which clan will get what office. The upcoming government will have three powerful positions: president, prime minister and speaker of the parliament. Whatever clan gets a post like speaker, for example, will not be eligible for president.

Despite the fact Somali leaders did not make as much progress as the U.N. hoped, the prime minister of the TFG, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali ? a former community college instructor from New York state ? called Monday "a historic day."

"Somalia has a new parliament and the presidential election will be next after the parliament gets a new speaker. I wish Somalia will keep the positive news coming so that peace will prevail in the country at last," he said.

No one will say when the presidential election will take place because no one knows. The International Crisis Group predicted that it would be October before a full government is seated. After the president is elected, he must appoint a prime minister who must then assemble a Cabinet that meets the approval of the parliament.

For now the only man ? or woman ? in a proper position of power in the new government is Musa Hassan, a former 72-year-old general.

"I am the oldest of the parliament members so I will have to be the caretaker speaker," the grey-haired man told the newly sworn in parliamentarians, as he listed upcoming tasks: "We need an election commission first, to prepare for the election."

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Straziuso reported from Nairobi, Kenya.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/somalia-parliament-no-presidential-vote-062821839.html

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