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Source: http://www.facebook.com/EntMagazine/posts/123936301105273
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Monday, December 31, 2012
Who is going to pay for health insurance for those individuals who ...
All I can give you is my personal experience.
Here in Indiana we have something called "The Healthy Indiana Plan" which provides subsidized health insurance for the working poor (that's the short version, google the thing if you want all the details). Someone such as myself pays up to 5% of his/her monthly income towards a health insurance policy. The state (in this case, Indiana) pays the rest of the actual monthly cost of the policy. So yes, the money to pay the difference between 5% of my income and the actual cost comes from state taxes.
Does it save money? In some cases yes. For example, instead of my spouse's diabetes being untreated and him needing to be hospitalized, going blind (it has affected his vision), suffering from unhealing wounds, and so forth up to and including dialysis, amputations, etc. he gets his daily medications without interruptions and regular appointments with a doctor. In his case his health has improved greatly - he's lost weight and kept it off, he's having fewer UTI's, minor wounds are healing better, he gets vaccinations as needed to keep him healthy, and so forth.
The alternative is for him NOT to get proper care, then the money to pay for his hospitalization/dialysis/amputation/whatever comes from state taxes... but all of that is a damn sight more expensive than his current care. Either way state tax money is used to pay for medical care. There is no escaping it, short of truly leaving people to die in the gutter. So... if you must pay out of tax money which makes more sense, paying $6k a year to subsidize insurance/care or paying for a $30,000 amputation or $60,000-$120,000 a year for dialysis?
In my case it cost them - you see, I'm basically healthy so I went a few years without seeing a doctor. When I got insurance I had a bunch of things to catch up on, from vaccinations to getting regular check ups. It's been acknowledged in this state that when someone goes from no insurance to insurance there's usually a money-bump as they get "caught up" on the preventive stuff they've let slide. Arguably, it wouldn't have hurt me to skep the doc these last few years but we only know that because we know I'm not having a problem. Without check ups stuff can get missed until it's really expensive.
Going forward will subsidizing my medical care be money-saving in the long run? Damnifino - I do know I'm pretty happy with the current policy I have even if I can also list off some flaws with it as well. For darn sure I'm more likely to go see a doc for something minor-but-might-be-major rather than waiting until I'm positive it's an actual emergency. So how do you prove a negative? Did going to see the doc for sniffles prevent pneumonia or not? How could you prove that? Is it really cost-effective for the state to subsidize an annual mammogram for me?
I, for one, think that in the long run society will save money by making sure people have access to medical care without being financially broken or having to wait until it's life or death. I also think that that "money bump" when people first get insured is a real thing and opponents of Obamacare are going to seize on it.
Source: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=677226
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Sunday, December 30, 2012
7 Simple New Year's Eve HealthTips | SugarFreeMom.com
?
It?s almost New Year?s Eve!!!
A time of snacking on finger foods and the such. You can still enjoy yourself and watch your calorie intake by following a few simple tips!
Here are 5 Healthy Tips before you indulge:
- Start the New Year?s Eve Day with green smoothies, lots of water and exercise. It will make your night even more enjoyable knowing you too care of yourself throughout the day!
- Serve yourself your favorite foods, but get them on a plate rather than grabbing from the bowl. Before you go back for seconds or thirds you may realize you had a plateful of food you already devoured and be less apt to get more.
- ?BE PICKY about the food choices you make, don?t waste calories on so-so snacks that aren?t that tasty
- Limit sweets and watch the alcohol if you do consume. 9 times out of 10 that?s what gives you the munchies and the sugar from it will most certainly make your crave more of everything.
- Drink up on low calorie beverages. Here?s a list of some great low calorie drinks to enjoy or bring to a party.
- ?Keep the snacks in the another room so when you do want more to eat you have to get up to help yourself. You might be less likely to get up frequently and more likely to sit and enjoy the company!
- Bring? Healthy Snacks/Appetizers that you know taste delicious and are low in calorie! Check my post for recipes: 10 Low Calorie New Year?s Eve Appetizers.
- Remember It?s not about the food! Enjoy the people you are with. Play a fun game and have fun with the ones you love!
Most importantly remember there is always another meal. Just because you plan to eat healthier come the New Year does not mean you have to eat till your stuffed today. It?s certainly not the last good meal you?ll ever have again right? Right.
Have a Healthy and Happy New Year!
?
Source: http://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/7-simple-new-years-eve-healthtips/
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Manchester United forward Robin van Persie sees huge activity boost to Official PFA Facebook page after impressive performance against Newcastle, say Digital Sports Group
(PRWEB UK) 29 December 2012
Digital Sports Group head of operations Matthew Tait has said the recent on field heroics of Manchester United's ?24 million acquisition have made a huge impact to the striker's Official PFA Facebook page, with the total amount of 'People talking about' increasing by over 30% week on week. The Facebook page has become a thriving hub for the Manchester United striker since its launch and is becoming more and more popular with each week that passes, with a rapidly growing community of fans keen to hear all the latest news on their favourite player. The official PFA Facebook page, along with Robin van Persie player profile on football.co.uk, provide the only online location of the official PFA biography, lifetime stats, news and high resolution gallery.
After listening to 'the little boy inside' him and moving to Manchester United, Robin Van Persie has been prolific in-front of goal, scoring 11 goals in 16 Premier League games for the Manchester giants, and getting the Red Devils out of some sticky situations in the process.
The Manchester United front man has made a string of impressive performances in recent weeks for the Red Devils and helped get United out of another sticky situation against Newcastle on Boxing Day. Sir Alex Ferguson's men had to come from behind three times to earn victory against The Magpies. Robin van Persie was once again indispensable for United, providing an assist and scoring a vital equaliser to make it 3-3 for the Red Devils before team mate Javier Hernandez netted the winner on 90 minutes.
Head of Operations at DSG, Matthew Tait had this to say, ?Robin van Persie really has no shortage of fans after his performances for Manchester United this season and we can see that by the success of his PFA Facebook page. All of us here at Digital Sports Group are proud we've had the opportunity to work with The PFA to give the fans a fantastic and unique fan resource for Robin van Persie.?
DSG became the official digital partner of the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) earlier this year and have since launched a number of Player profile fan pages on social media site Facebook as well as providing official player pages on their football news site football.co.uk.
Source: http://uk.prweb.com/releases/Robin_van_Persie_Profile/12/prweb10277706.htm
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Saturday, December 29, 2012
Deal reached to avert U.S. port strike for now
(Reuters) - The union representing nearly 15,000 dockworkers at U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coast seaports stretching from Boston to Corpus Christi, Texas, reached a tentative contract deal with shipping companies on Friday, averting a strike that threatened to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy.
The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance clinched a deal in federally-mediated talks less than two days before a strike deadline set by the union to coincide with expiration of the contract on Sunday.
The threatened walkout would have brought container cargo operations to a halt at 15 ports along the Eastern seaboard and Gulf Coast, marking the first such work stoppage in 35 years. Friday's announcement came hours after the White House urged the parties to settle their dispute.
Under Friday's deal, the two sides agreed to extend the terms of their expiring labor pact for 30 more days while negotiators finalize details of their settlement, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service said in a statement.
The breakthrough came as the parties agreed "in principle" on the contentious issue of "container royalties," or bonus payments earned by ILA dockworkers based on the tonnage of cargo moved through their respective ports.
The new contract does not eliminate the royalty payments, as the shippers had demanded, according to Benny Holland, an executive vice president for the ILA.
"The royalty will stay intact. We have worked out a formula for it," he said in an interview. He did not elaborate and the shippers declined to comment. No further details were disclosed in the government's statement.
LONG-TERM AGREEMENT AWAITED
Established in 1960, the royalty payments to ILA workers are based on the tons of container cargo that move through a port. That tonnage has risen from 50 million tons in 1996 to 110 million tons last year, according to the alliance.
Total payments last year were $211 million, according to the USMX, or an average of $15,500 per worker.
The original idea of the royalty payments was to protect longshoremen from wage losses expected as a result of "containerization," in which more and more goods are packed in the now-familiar 20- and 40-foot long boxes. Those take less manpower to offload than the less-standardized containers they replaced.
The two sides also fought over the guaranteed eight-hour workday in the current contract as well as the seven-man "lashing gang." Lashing crews, or gangs, secure the cargo containers to the vessel using metal lashing rods to keep them from moving while the vessel is at sea. The maritime alliance wanted to eliminate each.
A new long-term agreement has an 80 percent chance of happening by January 28, Capital Alpha Partners analyst Loren Smith said in a research note.
The temporary agreement comes as labor forces felt emboldened by recent victories by other unions across the United States. At the same time, shipping companies and port operators have been using more automation, but have seen profits shrink.
The Baltic Dry index, which tracks the cost to ship materials overseas, is down 55 percent in the past year and currently trading at levels it has not seen in a decade.
(Additional reporting by Kevin Gray in Miami and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles, editing by Mary Milliken; desking by G Crosse)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mediator-says-deal-reached-avert-port-strike-now-171126727.html
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Obama: Congressional leaders may avoid cliff dive
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is urging Congress to reach a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff, saying the nation "can't afford a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy."
Obama says in Saturday's radio and Internet address that he believes leaders in Congress may be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses before taxes rise and spending cuts take effect at the end of the year.
He urges "Washington politics" to not get in the way of "America's progress."
In the Republican address, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt says "inaction shouldn't be an option" and the nation can avoid going over the fiscal cliff if Obama and the Democratic-controlled Senate work with Republicans to solve the problem.
___
Online:
Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov
GOP address: www.youtube.com/gopweeklyaddress
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-congressional-leaders-may-avoid-cliff-dive-182633728--politics.html
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Dock Minimal is a versatile dock stand for tablets
The Dock Minimal tablet stand is an indiegogo project. ?It has a bow tie shape, and it’s made of ABS plastic with a rubber coating in Arctic White, Black Onyx, Glacial Blue, or Lava Red. ?It comes with a kickstand that can be used to adjust the stand to 20 different viewing angles. ?It also [...]
Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/12/29/dock-minimal-is-a-versatile-dock-stand-for-tablets/
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Friday, December 28, 2012
Drone use surges in Yemen, the frontline against Al Qaeda
Drone strikes in Yemen skyrocketed in 2012, as much as tripling in frequency when compared to 2011.?
A Yemeni soldier sits atop a military vehicle securing a street during a rally by pro-democracy protestors in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday.
Hani Mohammed/AP
EnlargeIn the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden, Yemen ? home to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) ? has come close to eclipsing Pakistan as a key focus of American counter-terrorism efforts.
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In 2011, then-CIA director David Petraeus characterized the group as the ?most dangerous node in the global jihad? and the American government?s action has appeared to echo the rhetoric. Notably, the number of American airstrikes in Yemen, largely carried out by unmanned drones, has surged over the past year, as much as tripling in frequency in comparison with 2011.
The airstrikes are just one element of a multifaceted engagement in Yemen. A small number of US forces are stationed there to provide strategic assistance to the Yemeni military, while Washington has provided more than $300 million, split among military, humanitarian and development aid.
Even as the drone strikes have increased in frequency, they remain a center of debate, overshadowing most other facets of the American and Yemeni governments? efforts against AQAP.
In contrast to those in Pakistan, drone strikes in Yemen take place with the government?s permission. Yemen?s president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who took power last February in the wake of an Arab Spring-inspired uprising against former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, has gone as far as publicly endorsing the strikes. That?s a marked shift from the official silence of his predecessor.
In remarks made during a September visit to the US, Mr. Hadi echoed Obama administration officials and cast the strikes as a key tool in the battle against AQAP. He explicitly contrasted the drones? capabilities with those of the aging fleet of the Yemeni air force, which is largely unable to operate at night.
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Thursday, December 27, 2012
Get Google and iOS Living Together in Perfect Harmony
No matter what kind of phone you use, a lot of us are pretty dependent on Google for organizing our lives. Luckily, you can actually get Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Voice, and other services working great with iOS?it just takes a little bit of setup. Here's what you need to do.
Obviously, if you're really entrenched in Google services, your other option is to just use Android?after all, Android has a lot of features you can't get on iOS. However, iOS has its own specialties, and if you have your heart set on iOS' fantastic interface and app library, there's no reason being a Gmail user should hold you back.
Look familiar? We've posted this before, but a lot has changed: Google discontinued Google Sync, released an official Maps app, and even made their Gmail app usable. With that in mind, here's our updated guide to getting your Google fix on iOS.
Sync Gmail with iOS Mail
When it comes to Gmail, we think Sparrow ($3) is the best way to get your email on iOS. Seriously, buy it now. It has everything that makes Gmail great: support for labels, the ability to archive and delete messages from the inbox, and a fantastic interface designed to work with the iPhone. Gmail's official app is also a pretty good alternative, if you don't like Sparrow's few lacking features (like push notifications).
However, if you absolutely have to have the iOS integration that only Mail can provide, you'll need to do a bit of extra work. Here's how to properly add Gmail as an Mail account in iOS:
Open the Settings app and go to Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Tap the Add Account button and choose Gmail from the menu.- Enter your Gmail address under both Email and Username, and type your Gmail password into the Password box. (If you use two-step authentication?which you should?you'll need to use one of Google's application-specific passwords here.) Type in anything you want for Description (I used "Gmail").
Tap the Next button and flip the Mail switch to On if it isn't already. You can also turn Calendars on if you so desire (more on this later)
Now, if you open the Mail app, you should see your Gmail inbox. By default, pressing the Delete button archives a message instead of deletes it. If you want to change that behavior, open iOS' Settings, go to Mail, Contacts, Calendars, open up your Gmail account, and change "Archive Messages" to "Off". Note that in iOS 6, you can also press and hold the delete button to choose either action at any time.
Sync Google Contacts with iOS Contacts
If you want your Gmail contacts available on iOS without having to sync them with your computer, you can set up a CardDAV account on your iPhone that will sync them over the air:
- Open the Settings app and go to Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Tap the Add Account button and choose Other from the menu (not Gmail).
- Type
google.comin the Server box. Enter your full Gmail address (user@example.com) in the Username boxes, and enter your Gmail password for Password. (If you use two-step authentication?which you should?you'll need to use one of Google's application-specific passwords here.) Type anything you want for Description. - Click Next. You should see the spinning wheel, and then iOS should successfully create the new account for you.
Now, if you head into the Contacts app, you should see all your Google contacts appear. If you make any changes on the iPhone, the changes will sync back to Gmail on the web, and vice-versa.
Note that if you're using a Google Apps for Business account, you can't currently use CardDAV. You'll have to use the old Google Sync method just for your contacts instead.
Sync Google Calendar with iCal (and Other iOS Apps)
To sync your Calendars, we recommend using the same Gmail method we used for our email above. If you already set up Gmail using this method, skip to step 3 in the following instructions. Otherwise, start with step 1:
- Open the Settings app and go to Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Tap the Add Account button and choose Gmail from the menu.
- Enter your Gmail address under both Email and Username, and type your Gmail password into the Password box. (If you use two-step authentication?which you should?you'll need to use one of Google's application-specific passwords here.) Type in anything you want for Description (I used "Gmail").
- Tap the Next button and flip the Calendars switch to On if it isn't already. Be sure to switch Mail off if you're using Sparrow or the official Gmail app for your mail.
Now, if you head into iCal, you should see your main Google Calendar events. If you want to sync your other calendars, head to your computer and go to this page. From there, you can select which calendars sync down to your iPhone. Check their boxes, click save, and reopen iCal. You should see that all your other events appear.
This method should also work with other calendar apps that get their info from iCal, such as Week Cal (our favorite calendar app for the iPhone).
In short, we recommend having two different accounts set up in your settings: One Gmail account for your Mail and Calendar, and one CardDAV account for your Contacts. We've found that this recipe makes for the most accurate synchronization within each service.
Set Up Google Voice with Messages
The free, official Google Voice app on iOS is pretty great. You can read your text messages and voicemails, star important ones, make calls, and even create a quick dial list of your favorite contacts. However, its notification system isn't very good (since you have to open the app to sync the unread status of messages). GV Mobile+ ($3) is also good, adding the ability to message groups, edit your forwarding numbers, and even send picture messages (sort of). gMessage is also a good app, providing you with a very fast, intuitive interface for getting to your messages. However, both alternative apps require a bit of work to set up notifications.
If you want the best possible Google Voice experience on the iPhone, you'll need to jailbreak and install two tweaks from Cydia: Phone GV Extension ($3) and SMS GV Extension ($3). The Phone extension integrates Google Voice with the iPhone's default dialer, so you can dial out from the Phone app and by clicking phone numbers in other apps. The SMS extension lets you send and receive Google Voice texts from the default Messages app, which means better notifications and the ability to use iMessages with your iPhone-using friends. If you aren't jailbroken, the official Google Voice app is more than good enough, but these jailbreak tweaks are definitely the best way to get Google Voice working on your iPhone.
For more info on all of these apps and tweaks, check out our guide to improving your Google Voice experience on the iPhone.
Bring an Integrated Google Maps Back to iOS
Apple's Maps app leaves a lot to be desired, and thankfully Google's come to the rescue by releasing their own official Maps app with turn-by-turn navigation and more. Just grab it from the App Store to reap the benefits.
Its biggest downside, however, is that it doesn't integrate with iOS nearly as well as Apple Maps. Luckily, you have a few solutions. Jailbreakers can install the MapsOpener tweak to automatically open address links in Google Maps, and all iOS users can integrate Google Maps with Siri using a clever Address Book trick. It isn't perfect, but at least you'll be able to get directions without being horribly misled.
Everything Else
These aren't the only Google services that deserve a spot on your iPhone, but these instructions should get you most of the way there. If you use Chrome on the desktop, then Chrome for iOS is the perfect mobile browser. you can sync all of your bookmarks, search history, and passwords, and it also has many of the features that desktop users have come to love, like Incognito Mode. Google Reader users should check out Reeder, and Google Drive users should (obviously) download the Google Drive app. Google Mobile can also be handy for voice-activated search. Whatever your Google needs, you can probably meet most of them on iOS without too much trouble, and get the best of both Apple and Google together.
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Broncos a mile above the rest
Getty Images1. Broncos (four first-place votes):? The only difference between Peyton?s new team and his old team is that the Colts would have been more likely to start 10-0 before going 2-3.
2. Falcons (one first-place vote):? In less than three weeks, we?ll find out whether this Falcons team really is different.
3. Packers:? Twenty years after the Vikings kept the Packers out of the playoffs via a Week 17 drubbing in the Metrodome, the Packers can return the favor.
4. Patriots:? Tom Brady is getting upset, and Rob Gronkowski is getting closer to a return.
5. Seahawks:? They may have peaked a bit too early, but no one has been better than the Seahawks have been the past three weeks.
6. Texans:? They may want to change their name to the Beaumont Boo Birds, based on the impatience that a 12-win season has created among the fan base.
7. 49ers:? If this keeps up, Alex Smith eventually will refuse to run the Wildcat.
8. Redskins:? One of the greatest rivalries in sports has the highest stakes since the 1982 and 1972 NFC title games.
9. Vikings:? They?ve finally found a way to take advantage of an opponents? obsession with stopping Adrian Peterson.
10. Bengals:? Seven years after the Bengals thought they were finally leapfrogging the Steelers, maybe the Bengals finally are.
11. Ravens:? Even with a win over the Giants, the Ravens have the look and feel of an underachiever.
12. Cowboys:? Based on Sunday?s outcome, maybe Jerry Jones should try to hire Joe Vitt, not Sean Payton.
13. Colts:? Like the Super Bowl-winning Colts from 2006, this team can?t stop the run.? Unlike the championship edition of the franchise, a healthy Bob Sanders isn?t showing up for the playoffs.
14. Bears:? The team that hates the Packers more than any other suddenly loves them on Sunday, since a Green Bay win over the Vikings is a key ingredient in a postseason appearance by the Bears.
15. Giants:? Sometimes, if you wait too long to find the light switch, you may realize that the light switch isn?t there.
16. Saints:? The only thing left to root for is the Falcons to lose before qualifying for the Super Bowl to be played in the Superdome.
17. Steelers:? Forty years to the day after they arrived as an elite franchise, the sun finally could be setting on the Steelers.
18. Rams:? Once this team becomes consistent, it?ll be consistently impossible to beat.
19. Panthers:? Cam Newton?s bump of Jerome Boger was neither entertaining nor iconic.
20. Dolphins:? Three touchdowns will get Reggie Bush paid.? But probably not by the Dolphins.
21. Chargers:? Norv Turner?s audition for the Jets? offensive coordinator job went about as well as it could have.
22. Browns:? It?s officially become don?t-buy-green-bananas time for the coach and G.M. in Cleveland.
23. Bills:? An owner who hasn?t bought green bananas in 14 years could soon be cleaning house.
24. Buccaneers:? This franchise eventually may have to ask itself whether it truly has a franchise quarterback.
25. Titans:? Why do we have a feeling that Bud Adams and Ralph Wilson will soon be engaged in a tug-o-war for Jon Gruden?
26. Jets:? Just when the team seems like it can get no more dysfunctional, it finds a way.
27. Cardinals:? They continue to be who we thought they were.
28. Lions:? When Jerry Rice set the record that Calvin Johnson just broke, Rice already had four Super Bowl rings.? In contrast, Johnson has four wins.
29. Eagles:? The good news?? Mike Vick has another chance to improve his free-agency stock.? The bad news?? Mike Vick has another chance to hurt his free-agency stock.
30. Raiders:? Another week, another chance to be reminded of another USC quarterback who can?t get it done at the next level.
31. Jaguars:? It may not be a ?virtual certainty? that Tim Tebow will be a Jaguar in 2013, but it is a ?virtual certainty? the team will still stink.
32. Chiefs:? The folks in Kansas City may finally be ready to send the franchise back to Dallas.
Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/25/week-16-power-rankings-3/related/
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Thursday, December 20, 2012
Florida schools buy emergency toilets for extended lockdowns
Tampa Bay Times
TRINITY -- The Seven Spring Middle School eighth-graders warily eyed the white plastic bucket.
Is it for carrying cleaning supplies? Moving mulch?
Then they noticed the black plastic seat on top. Their eyebrows raised, their noses crinkled, as it dawned on them that this was a portable toilet, designed for use during emergency lockdowns in classrooms without restrooms.
"It's a terrible idea," Justin Anahory, 14, said, shaking his head. "No. I'm not going to use it."
"Never. Unh-uh," agreed Sydney Steele, also 14. "I would just hold it."
What if the students had no choice but to remain in their classroom for long hours for, say, extended hurricane conditions?
"I doubt a hurricane would keep us here a couple of days," Sydney said, noting she hardly will use the school bathrooms, much less a mini portable potty behind a tarp wall held up with duct tape.
"It might be a good idea," chimed in Mariah Guy, 15. "But it's still disgusting."
In recent months, the Pasco County school district has been distributing these "emergency response classroom kits" to schools that don't have restrooms adjoining the classrooms. For the most part, that means middle and high schools.
So far, they've given out 2,249, with another 552 remaining in the district warehouse. The total cost for the kits, which also include toilet paper, hand wipes, trash bags and latex gloves, was $64,876, or about $23 each. The money came from a two-year federal emergency management grant.
The Hernando, Hillsborough and Pinellas school districts have not made similar investments, and have no plans to do so.
"Along the food chain, that's probably somewhere below an amoeba," Hernando superintendent Bryan Blavatt said.
Pasco's grant also has paid for the emergency response plans revisions, and for other supplies such as bottled water and first aid kits. Student services director Lizette Alexander said it has helped the district improve its readiness.
"Try not to make it a joke," Alexander said of the bucket toilets. "When it is needed, it is needed terribly. It is not a joke. It is preparedness."
Still, it did create some laughter among Seven Springs middle schoolers as they discussed its pros and cons. Most had not seen the kits before and didn't know they were in the school.
Eighth-grader Brandan Comito, 14, sized up the bucket and wondered about its weight capacity.
He sat on it and found it held him up, but complained about the seat being too small.
"It needs to be thicker," he said, drawing chuckles from friends, who also wanted to test it out.
The kids engaged in detailed conversations about the logistics of the potty, ranging from concerns about germs to the aesthetics of such a bucket in mixed company.
"What if it gets filled to the top?" asked seventh-grader Kylie Renzetti, 12.
"It could be used as a weapon" against any intruder causing a lockdown, responded eighth-grader Dylan Johnson, 14.
Seventh-grader Devin Bird was not alone in his inability to get past the notion that kids might have to use the contraption "in front of people," never mind the tarp.
"It's a bit weird," he said.
Perhaps so, acknowledged schools superintendent Kurt Browning, who only learned Tuesday of the kits ordered by the previous administration. The buckets have been the brunt of jokes on Facebook since they arrived in schools.
But "if you've got to go," he said, "you've got to go."
Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/12/20/3150296/florida-schools-buy-emergency.html
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The Pros & Cons of Responsive Web Design
Responsive web design is the new concept?which is creating a lot of buzz in the web community. So, what is responsive web design? It is a new approach to web designing, where a website is designed to accommodate optimal viewing for different screen sizes.
These days, mobile internet contributes to the majority of internet traffic. Therefore, it has become essential to create mobile versions of the website. Initially, companies and web designers would?construct?a stripped down version the website. When someone accesses a site through the mobile browser, it was redirected to the stripped down version. However, now with Responsive Web Design, a page is constructed in a way that it automatically adapts to the device?s screen size. Although, there are many advantages to Responsive web design, there are few disadvantages as well.
RWD or Responsive web design uses flexible images, CSS3 media?queries? and fluid based grids to bring out this new technology of adapting to any screen size. HTML5 is largely used in Responsive web design. These tools not only help you create and maintain web pages, it also helps you to optimize the page. Responsive web design also helps a page load faster on a mobile device and increases the efficiency. There is greater need for a responsive website is more in today?s world. Statistics shows that more people access the Internet via their phones and it is frustrating when a particular site does not fit the screen size or not?legible?on their phone. To satisfy your readers and to make them more engaging, a group of web designers derived this new RWD.
/* Smartphones (portrait and landscape) ----------- */
@media only screen
and (min-device-width : 320px)
and (max-device-width : 480px) {
/* Styles */
}
/* Smartphones (landscape) ----------- */
@media only screen
and (min-width : 321px) {
/* Styles */
}
/* Smartphones (portrait) ----------- */
@media only screen
and (max-width : 320px) {
/* Styles */
}
/* iPads (portrait and landscape) ----------- */
@media only screen
and (min-device-width : 768px)
and (max-device-width : 1024px) {
/* Styles */
}
/* iPads (landscape) ----------- */
@media only screen
and (min-device-width : 768px)
and (max-device-width : 1024px)
and (orientation : landscape) {
/* Styles */
}
/* iPads (portrait) ----------- */
@media only screen
and (min-device-width : 768px)
and (max-device-width : 1024px)
and (orientation : portrait) {
/* Styles */
}
Above is a snippet from CSS-Tricks, that shows how you can target?specific?devices?in CSS3. Within each rule, you add css properties to?specify?colors, show or hide certain contents and so on.
As any new technology, responsive web designing too has its own pros and cons. Let?s take a look at them in brief:
Pros of Responsive Web Design
- Designing a page is economical and it costs less to maintain. You do not have to create separate websites for multiple devices which in turn brings down the cost in production.
- Maintaining the site is easy and there are tools that will help you to manage in an efficient manner.
- Tweaking your site for SEO purpose is simplified as you will be optimizing a single site. Paying attention to URL, Page Authority, Page Rank and other SEO techniques is going to be easy.
- RWD sites are user-friendly, automatically adjusting to any screen size.
- A single URL is sufficient to collect all the social data including shares, tweets, inbound links and the like.
- A single site can be updated so that it reflects on multiple devices in which it is accessed.
- You now will have to host only one website which reduces the chances of errors which are prone to occur if you have different versions of the same site.
- RWD sites do not require redirects. Doesn?t this reduce a big task for you?
- Conversion increases as you have widened your audience. You will definitely experience an increase in revenue as your viewers not matter what device they visit your website from they will still get the same?experience.
- You can avoid login problems and prevent several issues related to duplicate content and others.
Cons of Responsive Web Design
When analyzing the pros and cons of Responsive web design, the pros outweigh the cons. Apart from making your phone a little slow, the advantages that RWD offers is mind-blowing. ?Hence, if you are a retailer looking out for solutions based on cost, flexibility and support options, RWD is the best solution.
Recommended Reading
RWD is a concept that is growing everyday in the web design community. There is always a new technique or snippet available online. As a web designer, you have to keep yourself updated with these?knowledge. Following are few?articles/websites that we?recommend :
Here at Desizn Tech, we love responsive web design as it makes a web designer?s life a lot a easier. Everybody should jump on the Responsive web design bandwagon so we can make the web more beautiful and optimized.
Feature image : Shutterstock
Source: http://desizntech.info/2012/12/the-pros-cons-of-responsive-web-designing/
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Royal Holloway consortium wins funding to make cloud computing more secure
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Public release date: 20-Dec-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Tanya Gubbay
tanya.gubbay@rhul.ac.uk
Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway university, as a member of a consortium led by technology company Thinking Safe Limited and including design company Wax RDC, has won funding from the Technology Strategy Board's 'Innovating in the Cloud' competition, for a project to make information storage more secure for people using cloud computing.
Cloud computing delivers computer resources as a service over the internet. Rather than buying computer equipment themselves, users are able to reduce costs by entrusting remote servers with their data and software.
Together with the cloud computing company ThinkingSafe, the Information Security Group at Royal Holloway will look at ways of ensuring this data is confidential and secure, while remaining available to the user. The company expects that the project will create a blueprint for data protection in the cloud and, as a result, allow the UK to become a major exporter of cloud services.
Allan Tomlinson from the Information Security Group at Royal Holloway said: "We are delighted to contribute the expertise we have in the Group to this project, and work with ThinkingSafe, a company at the leading edge of these new technologies. This project holds important implications for the future of cloud computing, because it addresses the pressing need to create a demonstrably trustworthy framework for protecting user data in the cloud."
Crucially, researchers will also look at innovative ways of making cloud computing greener. Many organisations, including Greenpeace, have recently raised concerns about the amount of energy needed to run data centres. Indeed, the Environmental Protection Agency has said that US data centres use 1.5 per cent of the country's electricity and predicted that by 2020 it will account for more carbon emissions than the entire aviation industry.
The project will build on existing products and services developed by ThinkingSafe, who have been delivering cloud services for over 10 years, and are developing big data analytics to pinpoint information theft and leakage, using intelligent agents to monitor and control the flow of information within and across organisational boundaries.
Julian Dean, CEO of ThinkingSafe said: "The cloud services market is expanding by 26% per year, but there are no standards for protecting user data in the cloud, ensuring information theft and leakage is detected and prevented, and protecting personal privacy, whilst also increasing choice for the user. We are delighted to be working with the world-leading information Security Group at Royal Holloway, on a project of such national importance. "
Damien Jones, Director of Wax RDC said "The amount of user data in the world is expected to reach 660 million terabytes next year and is still growing exponentially, so the task of protecting user data in the cloud needs to address the human need for simplicity, without compromising information security or the growing desire to reduce both financial and environmental costs.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 20-Dec-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Tanya Gubbay
tanya.gubbay@rhul.ac.uk
Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway university, as a member of a consortium led by technology company Thinking Safe Limited and including design company Wax RDC, has won funding from the Technology Strategy Board's 'Innovating in the Cloud' competition, for a project to make information storage more secure for people using cloud computing.
Cloud computing delivers computer resources as a service over the internet. Rather than buying computer equipment themselves, users are able to reduce costs by entrusting remote servers with their data and software.
Together with the cloud computing company ThinkingSafe, the Information Security Group at Royal Holloway will look at ways of ensuring this data is confidential and secure, while remaining available to the user. The company expects that the project will create a blueprint for data protection in the cloud and, as a result, allow the UK to become a major exporter of cloud services.
Allan Tomlinson from the Information Security Group at Royal Holloway said: "We are delighted to contribute the expertise we have in the Group to this project, and work with ThinkingSafe, a company at the leading edge of these new technologies. This project holds important implications for the future of cloud computing, because it addresses the pressing need to create a demonstrably trustworthy framework for protecting user data in the cloud."
Crucially, researchers will also look at innovative ways of making cloud computing greener. Many organisations, including Greenpeace, have recently raised concerns about the amount of energy needed to run data centres. Indeed, the Environmental Protection Agency has said that US data centres use 1.5 per cent of the country's electricity and predicted that by 2020 it will account for more carbon emissions than the entire aviation industry.
The project will build on existing products and services developed by ThinkingSafe, who have been delivering cloud services for over 10 years, and are developing big data analytics to pinpoint information theft and leakage, using intelligent agents to monitor and control the flow of information within and across organisational boundaries.
Julian Dean, CEO of ThinkingSafe said: "The cloud services market is expanding by 26% per year, but there are no standards for protecting user data in the cloud, ensuring information theft and leakage is detected and prevented, and protecting personal privacy, whilst also increasing choice for the user. We are delighted to be working with the world-leading information Security Group at Royal Holloway, on a project of such national importance. "
Damien Jones, Director of Wax RDC said "The amount of user data in the world is expected to reach 660 million terabytes next year and is still growing exponentially, so the task of protecting user data in the cloud needs to address the human need for simplicity, without compromising information security or the growing desire to reduce both financial and environmental costs.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-12/rhuo-rhc122012.php
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Cassini's Christmas Gift: In the Shadow of Saturn
The mosaic being released today by the mission and the imaging team, in celebration of the 2012 holiday season, does not contain Earth; along with the sun, our planet is hidden behind Saturn. However, it was taken when Cassini was closer to Saturn and therefore shows more detail in the rings than the one taken in 2006.
Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/tn7VSUK47vM/story01.htm
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Hopes rise for "fiscal cliff" deal as Obama, Boehner meet
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The differences over how to resolve the "fiscal cliff" narrowed significantly Monday night as President Barack Obama made a counter-offer to Republicans that included a major change in position on tax hikes for the wealthy, according to a source familiar with the talks.
The move, which the source stressed was not Obama's final offer, was welcomed, albeit with reservations, by a spokesman for Republican House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, who met earlier in the day with Obama as the two hammered out a way to avert steep tax hikes and indiscriminate spending reductions set for the beginning of 2013.
Considerable work remains as both sides now try to bridge the gaps between them and then sell a package to their respective allies in the U.S. Congress.
In its most dramatic change in position yet, the White House proposed leaving lower tax rates in place for everyone except those earning $400,000 and above, the source said on condition of anonymity. That's up from the $250,000 threshold the president has been demanding for months, but still far from Boehner's preference of $1 million.
Obama also moved closer to Boehner on the proportion of a ten-year deficit reduction package that should come from increased revenue, as opposed to cuts in government spending. Obama is now willing to accept a revenue figure of $1.2 trillion, down from his previous $1.4 trillion proposal.
Boehner's latest proposal calls for $1 trillion in new tax revenue, which would come from raising rates and limiting deductions that the wealthiest can take.
Some of the savings in spending proposed by Obama would come from reducing the size of cost-of-living increases for all but the most "vulnerable" recipients of the Social Security retirement program, the source said, through the use of a different formula to calculate the regular raises called "chained Consumer Price Index."
Obama and Boehner remained apart on the politically explosive issue of how and when to raise the government debt ceiling to permit the government to borrow more money.
Boehner has proposed a one-year boost in the debt ceiling, tied to spending cuts. Obama, as of Monday night, was pushing for a two-year increase, potentially a major concession that many congressional conservatives may find hard to swallow since they have used it to extract spending cuts from the White House.
Missing entirely from Obama's offer was an extension of the so-called "payroll tax holiday," which comes to an end on January 1 with an immediate negative impact on wage earners.
Introduced by Obama two years ago as an economic stimulus, the tax holiday reduced an employee's share of the payroll tax from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent. Because the tax supports the Social Security program, however, there have been divisions in both parties over continuing the holiday.
Because the details were incomplete and specifics vague, particularly on such issues as cutting the Medicare, the government health insurance program for seniors, it was uncertain how much resistance might come from Congress.
But the source stressed that Monday's offer was by no means the final one from the White House.
The response from Boehner's spokesman was also a positive signal. "Any movement away from the unrealistic offers the president has made previously is a step in the right direction," the spokesman said, emphasizing that differences remain on spending levels in particular.
"We hope to continue discussions with the president so we can reach an agreement that is truly balanced and begins to solve our spending problem."
The rapid developments Monday evening put a deal realistically within reach.
Obama and Boehner held talks at the White House earlier Monday, and aides from both parties said they were optimistic an agreement was shaping up.
Rank-and-file Republicans, however, could have trouble with the tax increases on the wealthiest Americans that are likely to be part of any deal, while Obama could have a tough time selling spending cuts to his fellow Democrats.
Investors were cheered earlier Monday, before news broke of Obama's counter-offer, by signs of progress and the Standard & Poor's 500 index of U.S. stocks rose 1.19 percent.
Economists warn that going over the fiscal cliff could push the economy into recession.
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said his chamber will wrap up work on the issue after Christmas.
"It appears that we're going to be coming back the day after Christmas to complete work on the 'fiscal cliff,'" he said on the Senate floor.
Boehner faces a crucial test on Tuesday morning when he is expected to brief his party's lawmakers in the Republican-controlled House. He is not expected to bring any deal up for a vote unless a majority of the 241 House Republicans support it.
Republicans have campaigned for decades on a promise to keep taxes low, but Boehner in recent days has edged closer to Obama's demand to raise tax rates on top earners. In return, Obama could back a measure that would slow the rate of growth of Social Security benefits by changing the way they are measured against inflation, according to a Senate Democratic aide.
GETTING CLOSER ON TAXES
If there are no strong objections, he could try to finalize the deal with Obama on Wednesday, a Republican aide said.
Both sides declined to say what Boehner and Obama discussed at the meeting, which was also attended by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
The White House said Boehner's latest proposal does not meet its standards.
"Thus far, the president's proposal is the only proposal that we have seen that achieves the balance that is so necessary," White House spokesman Jay Carney said at a news briefing.
Republicans understand that the clock is ticking and they are confident that Boehner will get a deal they can support in the coming days, a senior House Republican aide said.
Republicans want substantial spending cuts in return for increased tax revenue, but any proposal to trim popular benefit programs like Medicare will face fierce resistance from liberal Democrats, whose votes will be needed to get a deal passed.
Obama could also face strong opposition from Democrats if he agrees to Boehner's proposal to slow the growth of Social Security benefits by changing the way the cost-of-living increases are measured against inflation, an approach that could save $200 billion over 10 years.
Obama also wants to head off another confrontation over the U.S. debt limit, which will need to be raised in the coming months. Republicans insist that any increase in the government's $16.4 trillion borrowing authority must be paired with an equal reduction in spending.
(Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro, Mark Felsenthal, Rachelle Younglai and Jeff Mason; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Alistair Bell, Eric Beech and Paul Simao)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hopes-rise-fiscal-cliff-deal-obama-boehner-meet-030313778--business.html
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Global rates of infertility remain unchanged over past 2 decades
Dec. 18, 2012 ? In 2010, almost 50 million couples worldwide were unable to have a child after five years of trying. Infertility rates have hardly changed over the past 20 years, according to a study by international researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.
In an analysis of 277 national surveys, the authors, led by Gretchen Stevens from the World Health Organization, estimated the levels and trends of infertility in 190 countries from 1990 to 2010. They found that in 2010, 1.9% of women aged 20 years who wanted to have children were unable to have their first live birth (primary infertility), and 10.5% of women who had previously given birth were unable to have another baby (secondary infertility) -- a total of 48.5 million couples.
The authors found that the levels of infertility were similar in 1990 and 2010, with only a slight overall decrease in primary infertility (0.1%, but with a more pronounced drop in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia) and a small increase in secondary infertility (0.4%).
The authors found that primary infertility rates among women wanting to have children also varied by region, ranging from 1.5% in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2010, to 2.6% in North Africa and the Middle East. Furthermore, with a few exceptions, global and country patterns of secondary infertility were similar to those of primary infertility.
The authors say: "Independent from population growth and worldwide declines in the preferred number of children, we found little evidence of changes in infertility over two decades, apart from in the regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia."
The authors continue: "In the absence of widespread data collection on time to pregnancy, the methods used and results presented here provide valuable insights into global, regional, and country patterns and trends in infertility."
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Public Library of Science.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Maya N. Mascarenhas, Seth R. Flaxman, Ties Boerma, Sheryl Vanderpoel, Gretchen A. Stevens. National, Regional, and Global Trends in Infertility Prevalence Since 1990: A Systematic Analysis of 277 Health Surveys. PLoS Medicine, 2012; 9 (12): e1001356 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001356
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/VvdUuOAPSVw/121218203517.htm
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kinramnaiji: Heavy Equipment & Tools, Home Improvement: The ...
The Lawn Bible: How to Keep It Green, Groomed, and Growing Every Season of the Year (Paperback)
By David R. Mellor
Buy new: $11.55
54 used and new from $1.61
Customer Rating:
First tagged by Atomicfiber Books
Customer tags: lawn care(3), growing, atomicfiber, grass, nature, green, david r mellorlawn bible, green grass, lawn care 101, outdoors, landscape
Read more
By David R. Mellor
Buy new: $11.55
54 used and new from $1.61
Customer Rating:
First tagged by Atomicfiber Books
Customer tags: lawn care(3), growing, atomicfiber, grass, nature, green, david r mellorlawn bible, green grass, lawn care 101, outdoors, landscape
Review & Description
Now you can have green grass right in your own backyard, thanks to David Mellor, master groundskeeper of Boston's Fenway Park.
Everyone wants a green lawn, but how do you actually get one Bags of fertilizer Weed killer Sod? What about mowing? Everyone knows how to, but do you really know when to? Fenway Park's master groundskeeper David Mellor does. He's been caring for some of the nicest lawns around for years. In The Lawn Bible, Mellor offers you everything you need to know about lawn care for your part of the country, including planting, mowing, feeding, and troubleshooting, as well as tips, illustrations, and anecdotes.
Whether your yard is full shade, full sun, or something in between, David Mellor will help you transform it into the greenest grass of your dreams.
The Gospel of Grass, according to David:
--How to think like a lawn?
--How to make a lawn child-friendly and a child lawn-friendly?
--What combination of good soil, good seed, and good sun adds up to a great lawn?
--The mechanics and artistry of mowing
--How to win the war on weeds, pests, and disease?
Read more
Find out More for the best price at Amazon
Source: http://heavy-equipment-tools-home.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-lawn-bible-how-to-keep-it-green.html
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Source: http://geachjoy9.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/heavy-equipment-tools-home-improvement-the-lawn-bible.html
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Source: http://kinramnaiji.blogspot.com/2012/12/heavy-equipment-tools-home-improvement.html
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Do You Have A Social Content Strategy?
We all know that content on websites is important, but what about content on social media sites? There are countless companies that have amazing, well-written websites, but when it comes to content strategy on social media? they fall a bit short.
Simply posting the link and letting the link preview on Facebook do all the work isn?t always working anymore.
Social media users are getting smarter and know how to decipher and sift through the content that company pages have posted on Facebook. This is especially true with the introduction of promoted posts and sponsored stories on Facebook (the court case against sponsored stories was just settled in the beginning of December).
More than ever, users are more wary of links, not wanting to waste their time reading content that is heavy on the sales copy and light on anything worthwhile.
There is a way to publish your content via social media that can help you stand out and prove yourself as a resource. However, this doesn?t meant that it?s OK to use well-crafted words to trick users into clicking on your posted links. Social Media content ? as well as the external content the links point to ? needs to be consistent and dedicated toward providing a service to the target user who may be clicking on it.
Ask A Question
This might be the easiest way to shape your social media content strategy. Ask an engaging question that relates to the content, but is also easy enough that users can answer it without having to read the entire article (this isn?t a quiz from your most challengine college professor).
For instance, if a tech company posted a link to a ?2012 Holiday Gift Guide for Geeks? in the social media post, they could ask users what geeky gift they want most this year. Or the company could ask users what they think should top the list as the geekiest gift of 2012. Make sure it is written in the company?s voice, but a little bit more casual.
?Regular? users on Facebook or other social media sites ? that is, those that are there for social reasons, not marketing ones ? are relaxing. They are using social media to pass the time. Therefore, most users are more receptive to casual or clever questions or content posted via social media.
Summarize Or Lift A Quote Or Excerpt
Including an important excerpt or really interesting (even controversial) quote in the same post as the link to the content can help entice users to interact by posting their opinions about the preview that has been posted. For serious articles, a quote or summary of the article?s key points could also be combined with a question such as, ?This expert says that we will be out of domestic oil reserves by 2075. Do you agree??
Quotes shared via social media should reflect the main points in the article. For instance, quoting a local storage owner as saying ?We are open 9 to 7 for the holidays? will not be as engaging as featuring his comment about how the holidays are big business for his storage property.
Figure out which quote, excerpt or summary sentence will make the most users interested (either in a positive or negative way) and drive discussion. The post it with your link.
It?s OK To Post Your Competitors? Content
I have had many clients that look at me like I?m crazy when I suggest re-tweeting a competitors? tweet. As long as they haven?t tried to sabotage your business or there?s any kind of legal issue, how is re-tweeting or sharing a competitor?s content going to hurt your business?
This is especially the case on Twitter, because the stream moves so fast. If a rival design firm has a link to an external post about the top online illustrators of the year, why not share it, especially if it isn?t promoting their business?
Trying to protect your social media streams by only posting content that can directly influence your bottom line is only going to come back to haunt you. The online community is one that helps one another. Need proof? Check out The Oatmeal?s Tesla Museum fundraiser.
Let?s say a rival to The Oatmeal refused to link to the fundraiser, even though Tesla was one of his favorite scientists. How is that going to help his business? Or furthermore, hurt The Oatmeal in some way? When it comes to great content and initiatives that have no ulterior motive, all social media posters (including individual users and companies) should feel OK with sharing.
Use Other Media
Social media posts that include videos and photos have a higher engagement and click-through rate than pure text content or text with a link to more content. Besides the potential higher engagement and click-through rate, mixing up your content strategy by including different types of media can help give users more options to interact with your content.
If your company isn?t utilizing videos or images, it should be. For instance, if I wanted to create a tutorial on my website about creating a WordPress plugin from scratch, I could write a 1000+-word tutorial about it on my website.
But, I could also create a video tutorial that shows the designer going through the actual steps on the screen, with the user watching it happen. My lengthy written tutorial could instead be broken down into image slides of each step, with an option to view a more detailed version.
Publishing content in different media can help reach more of your target audience, as people learn and like to consume content in different ways.
No matter how your company shapes its content strategy, it is important to create a content strategy in the first place. Going into social media marketing without a plan, much like going into any type of marketing or advertising without a plan, is sure to result in more setbacks and less community engagement.
?
Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land.
Related Topics: Facebook: Marketing | Social Media Marketing | Social Media Marketing Column | Twitter
Source: http://marketingland.com/do-you-have-a-social-content-strategy-28305
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Saturday, December 15, 2012
The Union-Made Gabfest
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=44e257e022aec95e40605f670138b281
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Post-Sandy, a surge in flood insurance - Wall Street - eWallstreeter
From: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories - 12:05pm - December 14, 2012Insurance agents and brokers say calls from homeowners inquiring or applying for flood insurance?which isn?t included in standard homeowner?s-insurance policies?have picked up since Sandy hit the East Coast in October. Most of the demand is coming from clients in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
Continue reading this article ?
Source: http://ewallstreeter.com/post-sandy-a-surge-in-flood-insurance-3544/
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Vilma urges rejection of Goodell motion to dismiss
NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? Jon Vilma urged a federal judge Friday to reject NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's motion to dismiss the defamation lawsuit filed against him by the Saints linebacker.
Vilma's request to U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan argues Goodell acted with "reckless disregard for the truth" when basing initial allegations about Vilma upon one fired Saints assistant, Mike Cerullo, whose testimony has been inconsistent and challenged by other witnesses in the NFL's bounty probe of the Saints.
The motion centers on Goodell's public comments that Vilma held up $10,000 cash in a team meeting in 2010, offering it to anyone who knocked Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner out of a playoff game.
During recent NFL appeal hearings in the bounty case, former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams testified he never saw any money.
"Williams has always told Goodell, and continues to state, that there was never any cash put up for a bounty on any player. It was 'just talk.'" Vilma's motion reads. "Nonetheless, Goodell irresponsibly chose to contend that Vilma walked around with $10,000 before the Cardinals game."
Vilma's season-long suspension and with various shorter bans for three other players were thrown out Tuesday by former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who Goodell had appointed to oversee the appeals of player punishment.
After Tagliabue's decision, the NFL Players Association dropped claims in federal court on behalf of Saints defensive end Will Smith and two former Saints: Cleveland linebacker Scott Fujita and free agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove. Vilma dropped his claims against the league concerning the disciplinary process, but moved forward with his defamation case against the commissioner, asking Berrigan to allow discovery, which consists of the collection of evidence and deposing of witnesses. Berrigan has so far delayed discovery while the Goodell's motion to dismiss the case is pending.
In their effort to highlight how unreliable Cerullo was, Vilma's attorneys, Peter Ginsberg and Duke Williams, cite hearing testimony from Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt, who said Payton once arranged for police protection at his former suburban family home while he was away at league meetings because the head coach feared Cerullo was emotionally unstable and might harm his family.
While the lawsuit does not quote the testimony from the closed-door hearing directly, it appears in transcripts obtained by The Associated Press.
"An email was sent to the League about Mike Cerullo long before these (bounty) charges were brought up on our football team saying that Mike Cerullo was crazy, that Sean Payton had to have a police escort or, excuse me, police protection at his house because he was going to the owners' meeting, and he was worried about his family with Cerullo," Vitt testified. "This is the kind of guy we're dealing with. Allright?"
Vilma's motion also notes that the NFL subsequently dropped Goodell's initial allegation about Vilma physically holding up money in the meeting before the Arizona game.
"There can no longer be any doubt that Goodell acted with malice ... in making this quasi-criminal accusation against Vilma," the motion said.
The NFL continues to allege that Vilma offered a $10,000 to anyone who knocked then-Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre out of the 2010 NFC title game, which followed the Arizona game. Williams testified that he recalled such an offer for that game, but never saw any money change hands and suggested the offer represented nothing more than tough talk in an emotional meeting that he allowed to get out of hand.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vilma-urges-rejection-goodell-motion-dismiss-164341176--nfl.html
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Connecticut Shooting: How to Talk to Your Kids
It's going to be a tough weekend for parents who have children with questions about Friday's mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut. The biggest question that children and parents may be asking is "Why?" but what they may really be asking is for reassurance that they are safe.
"All children need to be able to know you are there listening to them," the American Psychologists Association (APA) advised on its website.?
Dr. Paul Coleman, psychologist and author of the book "How to Say It to Your Child When Bad Things Happen" (Prentice Hall Press, 2002), offers advice specifically for parents with younger children under age 8. In his book, he tells parents to keep the explanation simple and reassure their children that they won't be shot at school.
"Parents may feel like they're lying, since no one can ever be 100 percent sure of what the future holds, but probability estimates are not something small kids can grasp, and won't comfort them," Coleman wrote.
Psychologists agree that older children may want to know how they can help. For instance, after Hurricane Sandy, young people on Tumblr donated more than $300,000 to the relief effort. Similar campaigns are already emerging to assist the Newtown community, such as a fundriser on Kickstarter-like site?HopeMob.
Children may use their social media channels to keep up on the news and express their grief. But the APA cautioned parents to make sure their kids take a break from the media ? and advised that parents do the same. [See also: Twitter and Facebook Grapple with Age Limits]
"It is important to limit the amount of time spent watching the news because constant exposure may actually heighten their anxiety and fears," the APA said.
Here are some of the top online resources for parents:
American Psychological Association
Helping your children manage distress in the aftermath of a shooting
PBS Parents
Talking About Tough Topics
National Association of School Psychologists
A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope
This story was provided by TechNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience.
Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Source: http://news.yahoo.com/connecticut-shooting-talk-kids-012323413.html
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