esamoti908: Coat Closet Reveal + Duct Tape & Do-Overs Linky Party

Scroll down for the Duct Tape & Do-Overs Linky Party!

It's time for the big reveal! ?My husband and I have been working hard on our Coat Closet Makeover and it's finally done! ?WOO HOO!!!

Before I give you the grand tour, let me refresh your memory of the nasty mess we were living with before the makeover. We had a mix of coats, keepsakes, craft supplies, and random items thrown in there with no rhyme or reason. ?I couldn't stand it any longer, so I came up with a plan and my awesome hubby got to work building what I wanted. ?Once he finished building, it was my turn to organize. ?That's my favorite part!

We now have an organized and beautiful closet that has room for everything we need! ?Let me show you around:

On the left, we have hooks lining the wall to hang coats, and a Mini Utility Bin on the shelf to hold scarves, gloves, and other cold weather accessories. ?Below the shelf is another set of hooks where I now hang my Organizing Pack that holds my camera gear and my Cindy Tote, which I take to work everyday. ?The plastic bin on the floor holds all of our reusable grocery bags.

Now let's check out the right side:

The very top shelf that goes all the way across the closet houses seasonal craft supplies. ?The top shelf on the right side now holds all of our family photo albums, which were previously in a big cardboard box on the floor of this same closet. ?It's so nice to have them out where we can look through them any time we want.
The middle shelf houses all of our games. ?These were in boxes in the basement. ?Now they are at our fingertips, so we can use them more often! ?As a matter of fact, just this past Sunday night, we had a family game night because Marley was so excited to have her games back! The bottom shelf and the floor space below house cleaning supplies and dog items. ?I'm using an Organizing Utility Tote for all of my cleaning supplies. ?I can grab and go to clean the whole house, then replace the bag in the closet when I'm finished. ?The Medium Utility Bin on the floor holds all of the dog towels, flea spray, leashes and brushes.

This is such a huge improvement! ?I open the door every time I walk by now, even if I don't need anything out of the closet, just so I can admire the space. ?It makes me happy!

For tips on organizing any space in your home, check out these posts. {The organizing containers and bags mentioned in this makeover are all from Thirty-One. ?You can view the full catalog HERE.}

Now it's time to share your Before & After projects!

You can link up anything you have revamped, fixed up, made better, improved, organized, or just made plain fabulous! ?I can't wait to see your goodness!!!

Rules:

• Link up your blog post, not your home page please!
• Grab the button below, or include a text link to One Tough Mother in your post.
• Visit one or two other links and leave some comment love!
• NO giveaways, linky parties, Etsy shops please!

I'm partying here:

Monday: Sew Can Do, The Girl Creative, Boogieboard Cottage, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Craft-O-Maniac, Lines Across, The Dedicated House, Kathe With An E
Tuesday: Cedar Hill Ranch, Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, Reasons to Skip the Housework, Today?s Creative Blog, Carolyn?s Homework, The Kurtz Corner, The Winthrop Chronicles, Mercy Ink, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Naptime Creations, Lil Ms Tori
Wednesday: Trendy Treehouse, Night Owl Crafting, My Girlish Whims, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, Sugar and Dots, The DIY Dreamer, seven thirty three
Thursday: The Shabby Creek Cottage, Somewhat Simple, The 36th Avenue, A Glimpse Inside, House of Hepworths, The ArtsyGirl Connection, Mom on Timeout
Friday: Fingerprints on the Fridge, Simply Designing, Happy Hour Projects, Craftionary, Too Much Time on My Hands, One Artsy Mama, Six Sisters? Stuff, Just Us Four, Tatertots and Jello, My Favorite Finds, The Grant Life, Becoming Martha
Weekends: Family Ever After, Crafty Scrappy Happy, Under the Table and Dreaming, Be Different Act Normal, Lovely Crafty Home, Nifty Thrifty Things, Life on Lakeshore Drive

Source: http://onetoughmom.blogspot.com/2013/01/coat-closet-reveal-duct-tape-do-overs.html

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Source: http://esamoti908.blogspot.com/2013/01/coat-closet-reveal-duct-tape-do-overs.html

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The Keyboard Lives On As BlackBerry Unboxes BB10-Based Touch-Qwerty Hybrid Q10

The BlackBerry keyboard is dead, long live the BlackBerry keyboard. Despite the full throttle touchscreen focus of its new mobile platform, BlackBerry 10, RIM has not forgotten its most fervent fans' adoration of those little black keys and has thrown them a bone -- or rather a handset. Meet the hybrid BlackBerry Q10.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/aJLDz-_n8eU/

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These tax-time refund offers should be avoided

By Herb Weisbaum, TODAY contributor

You plan on getting a tax refund, but you don?t have the money to pay for the tax-preparation service. No problem, just sign up for a Refund Anticipation Check (RAC) and that charge will be deducted from your refund when you get it.

On its website, H & R Block describes a RAC as ?a quick and convenient way to get all the money you deserve without having to pay upfront.?

Here?s how it works. The customer gets a temporary bank account where the IRS can direct deposit the refund. When the money arrives, the bank issues a check or prepaid debit card, minus the tax preparation charge, and closes the account.

Banks typically charge about $30 to $35 for this service. And for consumer advocates, that?s the rub.

?With a RAC you pay a fee to finance the expense of tax preparation, and we don?t think that?s a smart idea,? said Tom Feltner, director or financial services for the Consumer Federation of America. ?We always warn people to be wary of financial products that are sold alongside tax preparation.?

That short-term loan turns out to be fairly expensive.? If you pay $30 to defer payment of a $200 tax preparation bill for 3 weeks, the APR on that loan is equivalent to 260 percent.

Most importantly, there is no speed advantage to a RAC.

?It?s not any faster than filing your return electronically and getting a direct deposit into your own bank account or into a prepaid debit card that you already have,? said Chi Chi Wu, staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC). ?The only advantage is that you have the tax preparation fee deducted from your refund.?

RACs have been around for years, but they?re growing in popularity. NCLC estimates that about 18.4 million taxpayers received a RAC in 2011, up from 14.6 million the year before and 12.9 in 2009.

The Refund Anticipation Check has replaced the Refund Anticipation Loan (RAL) as the add-on product pitched to taxpayers squeezed for cash or who do not have a bank account for direct deposit.

RALs, which give the customer an immediate refund, have been widely criticized by consumer advocates because of the high cost. Most banks no longer offer them.? RALs should be nearly gone from the marketplace by the end of this year.

Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel recently issued a Consumer Alert about the pitfalls of both RALs and RACs.

"We would encourage consumers to think twice before paying the excessive fees and interest associated with borrowing money that already belongs to them, anyway," he said.

Watch out for add-on fees
If after know all this, you do opt for a RAC, be on guard for extra fees added by the tax preparer. These fees are in addition to the bank charge ($30 to $35) and the cost of tax preparation.

?They can be expensive,? warned NCLC?s Chi Chi Wu. ?We?ve done some secret shopper tests and found that some of these junk fees can be anywhere from $25 to several hundred dollars.?

Wu told me they?ve heard about people getting signed up for Refund Anticipation Checks unknowingly. The preparer either adds it automatically or refers to it as ?direct deposit? instead of a RAC, which can be confusing.

?If the preparer asks how you would like your refund delivered, specifically ask about the fees associated with various methods,? Wu advised.

Why pay for tax preparation when you may be able to get free?
The IRS offers free preparation programs run by volunteers for low-income and elderly taxpayers. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is for those who earn $51,000 a year or less. The Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program is open to anyone, with priority given to those 60 and older.

The AARP Foundation Tax- Aide program provides free tax preparation for low-to moderate-income taxpayers (especially those 60 and older) at nearly 6,000 locations nationwide.

The IRS Free File program is available to any taxpayer who has an adjusted gross income of less than $57,000. You can prepare your return and file it online for free, giving you the quickest refund possible.

The bottom line
You?d be smart to avoid Refund Anticipation products of any kind.

If you have a bank account and you can afford to pay for the tax preparation out of pocket, have your refund directly deposited into that bank account. You?ll get the money just as quickly without paying any kind of service fee.

If you qualify for free tax preparation or filing, it would be silly not to go that route.

Finally, if you don?t have a bank account and are expecting a refund, now would be a good time to open a savings account and start building a nest egg.

More information

National Consumer Law Center: Avoid Tax-Time Refund Products

Consumer Reports: Don't be tempted by tax refund anticipation loans or checks

Herb Weisbaum is The ConsumerMan. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit The ConsumerMan website.

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Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2013/01/29/16740916-these-tax-time-refund-offers-should-be-avoided?lite

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Lift the Burden - Jobs not Debt

NUJ members are being asked to support the ICTU day of protest on Saturday 9 February. Barry McCall, NUJ president, and Gerry Curran,Cathaoirleach of the Irish Executive Council, have called on members to support the rallies throughout the country under the Congress banner.

?

Six demonstrations (see details below) are being organised on that day by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, to call for the ?64 billion of private banking debt to be lifted from those living and working in the Republic of Ireland.

?

Barry McCall, said: "This huge private banking debt was transformed into a sovereign debt. Now everybody in the Republic of Ireland is paying the massive bill, which was run up by private investors and speculators. It is astonishing that we are being penalised because the European Central Bank refused to allow senior bond holders to be burned.

?

"This cannot be allowed to continue. People living and working in the Republic are suffering bitterly under the austerity measures being forced on them as a result. There is no chance of economic growth or revival while this continues. The message must go out loud and clear to those bodies that are demanding repayment of this private banking deb ? 'lift the burden now'.

?

These six demonstrations give every NUJ member the opportunity to add their voice to the huge number of people who want the debt to be lifted from our backs."

?

Gerry Curran said:"The Republic of Ireland currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union. This gives us the opportunity to get our message across loudly and clearly on an international, as well as a national, scale. That message is simple ? what we need are jobs, not debt.

?

"I would encourage NUJ members to attend the rallies in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Sligo and Waterford.?

?

"Every day our members use a variety of media to communicate with the general public to let them know what is going on in the world. Now, as trade union members, it's our chance to be part of the story by getting out on the streets and having our voices heard as citizens."

?

Assembly Points at 1.30pm

DUBLIN: Cook Street (near Civic Offices, Wood Quay);

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CORK: SIPTU offices, Connolly, Hall Lapps Quay;

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Source: http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=2785

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Professional training 'in the wild' overrides laboratory decision preferences

Jan. 29, 2013 ? Many simulation-based studies have been conducted, and theories developed, about the behaviors of financial market traders. New work by human factors/ergonomics (HF/E) researchers suggests that decision-making research on the behavior of traders conducted "in the wild" (i.e., real-world situations) can offer an alternative lens that extends laboratory insights and provokes new questions.

In their article in the Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making, "Understanding Preferences in Experience-Based Choice," authors Claire McAndrew (University College London) and Julie Gore (University of Surrey) examined the gap between the decision-making preferences of financial traders "in the wild" compared to laboratory experimentation where the probabilities of outcomes are known (prospect theory).

The authors conducted in-depth interviews about past financial trading decisions with eight traders to understand how decisions were made. All participants were employed by firms authorized and regulated by the UK Financial Services Authority and had, on average, 10.9 years of experience. The traders' decision-making processes were tracked step by step, focusing on their risk-seeking or risk-adverse behavior with respect to the probability of gains and losses.

"What we found is that professional training provides distinct objectives and goals that override preferences generated in the laboratory," said McAndrew. The study found that traders were risk adverse to three of the four scenarios compared with only two of four in the same scenarios suggested by prospect theory.

"Recognition of the interplay of the professional, task, and environment are clearly documented, which is often simply not possible in laboratory settings," said McAndrew. Whereas laboratory studies can be designed to emulate real-world conditions, trading markets are complicated and dynamic systems. The shifting, ill-defined, or competing issues that characterize trader environments are difficult to reproduce in laboratory studies. Many previous lab-based studies on financial traders could be augmented by "in the wild" examination.

This insight into real-world decision-making behavior has consequences for the design of instructional training for novices and has the potential to minimize costly mistakes. Changes in professional training might extend to other complex sociotechnical systems, such as aviation, the military, and nursing -- domains where experts, like stock traders, are similarly risk averse except when faced with large-probability gains.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. C. McAndrew, J. Gore. Understanding Preferences in Experience-Based Choice: A Study of Cognition in the "Wild". Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making, 2012; DOI: 10.1177/1555343412463922

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/~3/SibiLh7nNuk/130129190307.htm

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Wash. vows to try to keep weed in state _ but how?

This Jan. 26, 2013 photo shows a a bar code attached to the pots growing marijuana plants at a grow house in Denver. The bar codes are assigned to each plant and follow it through the growing and distribution process. Washington state is considering the use of a similar tracking system. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

This Jan. 26, 2013 photo shows a a bar code attached to the pots growing marijuana plants at a grow house in Denver. The bar codes are assigned to each plant and follow it through the growing and distribution process. Washington state is considering the use of a similar tracking system. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

This Jan. 26, 2013 photo shows bar codes attached containers of processed marijuana at a grow house in Denver. The bar codes are assigned to each plant and follow it through the growing and distribution process. Washington state is considering the use of a similar tracking system. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

This Jan. 26, 2013 photo taken at a grow house in Denver shows a marijuana plants ready to be harvested. Last fall, voters made Washington and Colorado the first states to pass laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and setting up systems of state-licensed growers, processors and retail stores where adults over 21 can walk in and buy up to an ounce of heavily taxed cannabis. Both states are working to develop rules for the emerging recreational pot industry, with sales set to begin later this year.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

In this Jan. 26, 2013 photo a worker at a grow house in Denver examines a marijuana plant ready to be harvested. Last fall, voters made Washington and Colorado the first states to pass laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and setting up systems of state-licensed growers, processors and retail stores where adults over 21 can walk in and buy up to an ounce of heavily taxed cannabis. Both states are working to develop rules for the emerging recreational pot industry, with sales set to begin later this year.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

This Jan. 26, 2013 photo shows a a bar code attached to a marijuana plant at a grow house in Denver. The bar codes are assigned to each plant and follow it through the growing and distribution process. Washington state is considering the use of a similar tracking system. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

SEATTLE (AP) ? So far, no one is suggesting checkpoints or fences to keep Washington state's legal pot within its borders.

But Gov. Jay Inslee insists there are ways to prevent the bulk smuggling of the state's newest cash crop into the black market, including digitally tracking weed to ensure that it goes from where it is grown to the stores where it is sold.

With sales set to begin later this year, he hopes to be a good neighbor and keep vanloads of premium, legal bud from cruising into Idaho, Oregon and other states that don't want people getting stoned for fun.

It's not just about generating goodwill with fellow governors. Inslee is trying to persuade U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder not to sue to block Washington from licensing pot growers, processors and sellers. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

"I am going to be personally committed to have a well regulated, well disciplined, well tracked, well inventory-controlled, well law-enforcement-coordinated approach," said Inslee, who is due to give Holder more details this week.

Keeping a lid on the weed is just one of the numerous challenges Washington state authorities and their counterparts in Colorado ? where voters also legalized pot use ? will face in the coming months.

The potential of regulatory schemes to keep pot from being diverted isn't clear. Colorado already has intensive rules aimed at keeping its medical marijuana market in line, including the digital tracking of cannabis, bar codes on every plant, surveillance video and manifests of all legal pot shipments.

But law enforcement officials say marijuana from Colorado's dispensaries often makes its way to the black market, and even the head of the Colorado agency charged with tracking the medical pot industry suggests no one should copy its measures.

The agency has been beset by money woes and had to cut many of its investigators. Even if the agency had all the money it wanted, the state's medical pot rules are "a model of regulatory overreach," too cumbersome and expensive to enforce, Laura Harris said in a statement.

Last fall, voters made Washington and Colorado the first states to pass laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and setting up systems of state-licensed growers, processors and retail stores where adults over 21 can walk in and buy up to an ounce of heavily taxed cannabis.

Both states are working to develop rules for the emerging pot industry.

The Obama administration could sue to block the legal markets from operating, on the grounds that actively regulating an illegal substance conflicts with federal drug law. The DOJ is reviewing the laws but has given no signals about its plans.

It has never sued states like Colorado that have regulated medical marijuana, even though it could under the same legal principles.

Part of the DOJ's political calculus in deciding whether to sue is likely to be how well the department believes the two states can keep the legal weed within their borders. During a meeting with Inslee last week, Holder asked a lot of questions about diversion, Inslee said.

Alison Holcomb, who led Washington's legal pot campaign, said it's important to respect states that haven't legalized weed by not flooding their black markets. The first step, she said, is for the state to figure out how much pot should be produced, and then grant licenses accordingly.

"Excess supply creates incentive to divert outside the state," she said.

Washington's Liquor Control Board is planning a comprehensive survey to estimate how much marijuana is consumed in the state.

Inslee has boasted about the effectiveness of the State Patrol's highway interdiction program in stopping drug trafficking. Traditional police work, combined with inventory controls, will be key to clamping down on diversion, he said.

Digital tracking of the weights of marijuana shipments between processors and retailers would help make sure there isn't "10- to 20-percent shrinkage that's going to the black market," he said.

But even if the state can prevent bulk pot from being diverted, there's nothing to keep customers from walking into multiple stores, or returning to the same store, to collect more than their 1-ounce limit. Some traffickers could recruit many people to buy weed for them.

Tom Gorman, head of the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug-Trafficking Area, said efforts to keep a lid on legal marijuana simply don't work.

Pot from Colorado's medical marijuana system ? often described as the most closely regulated in the world ? routinely makes its way into Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and points east, often from dispensaries that have sold out the back door, he said.

A brief law enforcement survey the organization conducted last summer turned up numerous cases in which suspects had made purchases at Colorado dispensaries before being busted in other states.

In the past two years, Colorado's medical pot regulators have levied 54 fines against licensed businesses, but have never revoked or suspended a license.

Matt Cook, the former director of Colorado's Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division, defended the "seed-to-store" regulations in the state.

Cook, who is applying for a job as a consultant to Washington's marijuana regulators, noted that at any time officials could check the digital records, pull the surveillance video or drop in for an inspection ? and the fear of getting busted keeps people in line.

Bob Hoban, whose law firm represents nearly 100 medical marijuana businesses in Colorado, agreed, and noted another incentive for dispensaries to behave.

"It's a cutthroat business," he said. "If somebody sees something unusual, they're going to provide a tip. ... There's just about as good of a safeguard as you can have for diversion in the state of Colorado, and a lot of that is Big Brother watching you."

___

Associated Press writer Kristen Wyatt in Denver contributed to this report.

___

Johnson can be reached at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-29-Legalizing%20Marijuana/id-d8824678a19b4b168e5164c016ccb03f

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As Android rises, Asia's trend-setters feel iPhone fatigue

9 hrs.

Reuters

SINGAPORE?? Apple's iconic iPhone is losing some of its luster among Asia's well-heeled consumers in Singapore and Hong Kong, a victim of changing mobile habits and its own runaway success.

Driven by a combination of iPhone fatigue, a desire to be different and a plethora of competing devices, users are turning to other brands, notably those from Samsung Electronics, eating into Apple's market share.

In Singapore, Apple's products were so dominant in 2010 that more devices here ran its iOS operating system per capita than anywhere else in the world.

But StatCounter, which measures traffic collected across a network of 3 million websites, calculates that Apple's share of mobile devices in Singapore ? iPad and iPhone ? declined sharply last year. From a peak of 72 percent in January 2012, its share fell to 50 percent this month, while Android devices now account for 43 percent of the market, up from 20 percent in the same month last year.

In Hong Kong, devices running Apple's iOS now account for about 30 percent of the total, down from about 45 percent a year ago. Android accounts for nearly two-thirds.

"Apple is still viewed as a prestigious brand, but there are just so many other cool smartphones out there now that the competition is just much stiffer," said Tom Clayton, chief executive of Singapore-based Bubble Motion, which develops a popular regional social media app called Bubbly.

Leading indicators
Where Hong Kong and Singapore lead, other key markets across fast-growing Asia usually follow.

"Singapore and Hong Kong tend to be, from an electronics perspective, leading indicators on what is going to be hot in Western Europe and North America, as well as what is going to take off in the region," said Jim Wagstaff, who runs a Singapore-based company called Jam Factory?that's developing mobile apps for enterprises.

Southeast Asia is adopting smartphones fast ? consumers spent 78 percent more on smartphones in the 12 months up to September 2012 than they did the year before, according to research company GfK.

Android rising
Anecdotal evidence of iPhone fatigue isn't hard to find: Where a year ago iPhones swamped other devices on the subways of Hong Kong and Singapore, they are now outnumbered by Samsung and HTC smartphones.

While this is partly explained by the proliferation of Android devices, from the cheap to the fancy, there are other signs that Apple has lost followers.

Singapore entrepreneur Aileen Sim recently launched an app for splitting bills called BillPin, settling on an iOS version because that was the dominant platform in the three countries she was targeting ? Singapore, India and the United States.

"But what surprised us was how strong the call for Android was when we launched our app," she said.

Indeed, 70 percent of their target users ? 20-something college students and fresh graduates ? said they were either already on Android or planned to switch over.

"Android is becoming really hard to ignore, around the region and in the U.S. for sure, but surprisingly even in Singapore," she said. "Even my younger early-20s cousins are mostly on Android now."

BillPin launched an Android version this month.

Standing out from the crowd
Napoleon Biggs, chief strategy officer at Gravitas Group, a Hong Kong-based mobile marketing company, said that while Apple and the iPhone remained premium brands there, Samsung's promotional efforts were playing to an increasingly receptive audience.

For some, it is a matter of wanting to stand out from the iPhone-carrying crowd. Others find the higher-powered, bigger-screened Android devices better suited to their changing habits ? watching video, writing Chinese characters ? while the cost of switching devices is lower than they expected, given that most popular social and gaming apps are available for both platforms.

"Hong Kong is a very fickle place," Biggs said.

Janet Chan, a 25-year-old Hong Kong advertising executive, has an iPhone 5, ?but its fast-draining battery and the appeal of a bigger screen for watching movies is prodding her to switch to a Samsung Galaxy Note II.

"After Steve Jobs died, it seems the element of surprise in product launches isn't that great anymore," she said.

Shifting trends
To be sure, there are still plenty of people buying Apple devices. Stores selling their products in places such as Indonesia were full over the Christmas holidays, and the company's new official store in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay has queues snaking out of the door most days.

But the iPhone's drop in popularity in trendy Hong Kong and Singapore is mirrored in the upmarket malls of the region.

"IPhones are like Louis Vuitton handbags," said marketing manager Narisara Konglua in Bangkok, who uses a Galaxy SIII. "It's become so commonplace to see people with iPads and iPhones so you lose your cool edge having one."

In the Indonesian capital Jakarta, an assistant manager at Coca Cola's local venture, Gatot Hadipratomo, agrees. The iPhone "used to be a cool gadget, but now more and more people use it," Hadipratomo said.

There is another influence at play: hip Korea. Korean pop music, movies and TV are hugely popular around the region, and Samsung is riding that wave. And while the impact is more visible in Hong Kong and Singapore, it also translates directly to places like Thailand.

"Thais are not very brand-loyal," says Akkaradert Bumrungmuang, 24, a student at Mahidol University in Bangkok. "That's why whatever is hot or the in-thing to have is adopted quickly here. We follow Korea, so whatever is fashionable in Korea will be a big hit."

This report was written by Jeremy Wagstaff in Singapore, with additional reporting by Lee Chyen Yee in Hong Kong, Khettiya Jittapong and Amy Sawitta Lefevre in Bangkok, and Andjarsari Paramaditha in Jakarta.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/android-rises-asias-trend-setters-show-signs-iphone-fatigue-1C8137474

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Girl saves mom suffering diabetic attack

A fast thinking 9-year-old Illinois girl was able to help guide her mother to safety after the woman suffered a diabetic attack while driving at speeds of up to 70 mph.

Jennifer Sheridan, 42, was driving her daughter Aleksandra to McDonald's in Frankfort, Ill., after the two had attended a high school basketball game on the evening of Jan. 18. Sheridan, who has type 2 diabetes, had a diabetic attack when her blood sugar suddenly dropped. She told ABCNews.com that she was not aware of what was happening.

"I was still conscious, and talking, my daughter said. I don't remember any of that," Sheridan said. "We went through, she says, a red light, and then I know I kept saying, 'We have to stop.' That was in my mind, but it wasn't clicking."

Sheridan said that they passed her house and the McDonald's. Aleksandra was screaming and crying during the wayward drive, which she says must have lasted 15 to 20 minutes, but kept talking to her mother.

"She says she kept telling me different things, that I was going too fast, or too slow," Sheridan said.

While the car was still moving, Sheridan's husband called. She said that Aleksandra was on phone screaming that they were going off the road.

Her car eventually veered to the right, through a small ditch and a group of trees. At that point Aleksandra turned the car off, preventing the still moving car from hitting a tree.

Luckily, both mother and daughter were unharmed. Once the car was off, Aleksandra slowly fed her mother a chocolate bar that was in the car's cup holder.

"Once we were stopped and she could focus, she fed me," Sheridan said. "She said, 'I kept just giving little pieces so you wouldn't choke.'"

Police and the fire department were called to the scene by a passerby who saw the incident. The story also caught local media attention from WBBM-TV and Fox News.

Sheridan says the next thing she actually remembers was being in the ambulance. Police who arrived on the scene congratulated Aleksandra, and even gave her a yellow duck toy, which they call the "Golden Duck Award for Heroes."

This is not the first time Aleksandra has come to her mom's aid when she had a diabetic attack. Two years ago, while they were in their home, the girl called 911 when she found her mother on the kitchen floor.

Sheridan said that she is now using an insulin pump, which is designed to eliminate lows in blood sugar in diabetics. She said that she will soon be on the list for a new pancreas. With a daughter and a 16-year-old son with cerebral palsy, she says she needs to be in top form. For now, she's happy that both she and Aleksandra are unscathed.

"Every day, I wake up and think, 'Yes!'" she said.

Also Read

Source: http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/girl-9-saves-mom-diabetic-attack-while-driving-155739348--abc-news-topstories.html

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Israel leader seeks wide coalition to face threats

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel's prime minister says he wants to build a broad governing coalition to face serious security threats to Israel, including Syria's chemical weapons and Iran's nuclear program.

Benjamin Netanyahu told his outgoing Cabinet Sunday that Israel must be ready for any development in the turbulent region.

Netanyahu's ticket won the most seats in last week's parliamentary election, meaning he will likely serve another term as prime minister. But with his traditional hardline and religious allies holding only a slim majority in parliament, Netanyahu has reached out to centrist parties in hopes of building a broad coalition.

On the occasion of international Holocaust Remembrance Day, Netanyahu called Iran the world's leading Holocaust denier. He accused Tehran of seeking to destroy the Jewish state, and said Israel takes the threats seriously.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-leader-seeks-wide-coalition-face-threats-113729238.html

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Bali Art Markets

TRADITIONAL ART MARKETS

Surpassed with Frangipani trees everywhere, Bali is renowned for its locations; for example Legian, Kuta, Sukawati & Ubud that features a number of shopping encounters for individuals with experience for that exotic and rustic design.

You?d find most marketplaces across the beach or perhaps a short walking distance from the beach side. Having a treasure chest of proper art, wooden and lime stone designs and carvings, traditional and ceremonial masks, made by hand jewelry, works of art, furniture and materials ? enchanting colours of those psychedelic bazaars!

Arresting your attention, just like a moth to some flame, the only real advice to become listened to is ? always bargain for any 50 percent discount off its original cost.

Kuta Art Market
The location just a few steps from Kuta Beach is the best art market?for souvenirs, Balinese Sarongs, handicrafts?and gifts.

Legian Art Market
In same condition with Kuta art market, here you can buy some of children clothes with the best motifs.

Erlangga Market
At another traditional market you are allowed to bargain but don?t hope for it at this market because the price tag is fixed here. Check it out at Jalan Nusa Kambangan Denpasar, just 10 minute from Kuta area.

Satria Market
With image as pets markets. Are you a pet lover? You may explore this market at any time during the day.

Sukawati Market
This art market is an ?icon? and it?s a must visit for tourists who come to Bali. The center of production for all kinds of Balinese Souvenirs. Bed covers with the special design and coloring imaging Bali is the most wanted item.

Guwang Art Market
Just 2 km to the south from Sukawati Art Market, here the best place to buy Balinese textiles with a quieter atmosphere.

Ubud Art Market
Located at the center of Ubud tourist destination, this market is a great place to try Balinese food in the morning.

Source: http://www.theelysian.com/articles/bali-art-markets/

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Iterations: Silicon Valley Slowly Awakens To Android (On Samsung)

When the iPhone launched in 2007, Jobs proclaimed when it came to phones, Apple was likely, at that time, five years ahead of the competition. Well, those five years are up, and all of a sudden, as if on cue, many of the Valley?s smartest technology minds and observers have begun to slowly split up their attention between their primary mobile devices (iPhones) and the most recent Samsung lines of Android phones. How will the growth of Android affect the priorities of developers, which mobile platforms they chose to launch on, and the monetization formula for hardware (with Samsung's ability to capture value) and software (apps) in a state of flux?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/44rcjo92-hQ/

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Menace II Society 20 Year West Coast Mega-Mix By ... - DubCNN

27Jan
2013

Unbelievably 2013 marks the 20th?anniversary?of the release of the classic hood film Menace II Society.

The movie ? which was released on May 26th 1993 ? was the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes who had originally hired Tupac Shakur and Spice 1 to play?Sharif and Caine?respectively,?but they were later fired with Shakur being found guilty of assault and battery six months later for assaulting the director.

Despite pre-production controversy the film went on to?commercial and critical success, winning the Best Movie award at the?1994 MTV Movie Awards and becoming a point of reference across the past two decades.

This week a?Producer and DJ from Amsterdam namely?THEprinceOFbeatz?teamed up with?Daily Movement?to release a Westcoast Mega-Mix in celebration of this movie landmark!

The mix caught our ears and linked with the anniversary we wanted to share it with our readers! Listen to the full Mega-Mix?and check?the tracklist below!

THEprinceOFbeatz -?Menace II Society 20 Year West Coast Mega-Mix
?

Source: http://www.dubcnn.com/2013/01/27/menace-ii-society-20-year-west-coast-mega-mix-by-theprinceofbeatz/

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Democrats may stand in Obama's way on gun measures

WASHINGTON (AP) ? As the Senate prepares to begin debating new gun control measures, some of President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats are poised to frustrate his efforts to enact the most sweeping limits on weapons in decades.

These Democrats from largely rural states with strong gun cultures view Obama's proposals warily and have not committed to supporting them. The lawmakers' concerns could stand in the way of strong legislation before a single Republican gets a chance to vote "no."

"There's a core group of Democratic senators, most but not all from the West, who represent states with a higher-than-average rate of gun ownership but an equally strong desire to feel their kids are safe," said Mark Glaze, director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. "They're having hard but good conversations with people back home to identify the middle-ground solutions that respect the Second Amendment but make it harder for dangerous people to get their hands on guns."

All eyes are on these dozen or so Democrats, some of whom face re-election in 2014. That includes Sens. Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas.

The Senate Judiciary Committee begins hearings Wednesday.

Interest groups, lobbyists, lawmakers, crime victims and others with a stake in the outcome will be watching these senators closely for signals about what measures they might support. The answers will say a lot about what, if anything, Congress can pass in the wake of the shootings of 20 school and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., last month.

At issue are Obama's proposals to ban assault weapons, limit ammunition magazines, crack down on trafficking and require universal background checks. Leading the charge against those ideas is the National Rifle Association. The group wields enormous power to rally public sentiment and is a particular threat to Democrats in pro-gun states who face re-election.

The political concerns of Democrats create problems for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who has his own history with the NRA.

The powerful gun lobby endorsed him in previous elections, but stayed neutral in his most recent race, in 2010. Even before Obama announced the gun proposals this month, Reid told a Nevada PBS station that an assault weapons ban would have a hard time getting through Congress. That comment irked Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., author of such a ban.

"Clearly it wasn't helpful," she said this past week in reintroducing her measure. But Feinstein's original assault weapons ban was a stern political lesson for Reid and other Democrats. Its passage as part of President Bill Clinton's crime bill in 1994 was blamed for Democratic election losses that year after the NRA campaigned against lawmakers who supported the legislation. When the assault weapons ban came up for renewal in 2004, Congress, under pressure from the NRA, refused to extend it.

Reid has pledged action on gun measures. "This is an issue we're not going to run from," he said. But he's under pressure from all sides.

Some major pieces of legislation are shepherded by the Senate leadership to the Senate floor. But Reid is promising that the gun bills will go through the Senate Judiciary Committee, whose chairman is Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., a gun owner and Second Amendment supporter.

Reid also is promising an open amendment process, potentially a lengthy endeavor. Those signals have some gun control activists concerned that the process will go so slowly that it will grind to a halt without action. Some question whether that's just the outcome desired by some moderate Democrats.

"I'm concerned just because Harry Reid has a mixed record on these things and we want him to be a champion," said Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

On the other side, the NRA, known for rewarding friends and punishing enemies, promises it will be closely watching Reid, too.

"He's going to be torn and a lot of people are going to be torn, particularly Democrats, but I think as the debate goes on he'll do more good than bad from our perspective," said David Keene, NRA president. "All this stuff has been debated before and once you get into a debate and a discussion and say will this do anything to protect children, to prevent another Newtown, I think the answer is going to come out 'no.'"

Baucus, Begich, Pryor and others have been cautious in their comments on Obama's gun proposals.

Baucus called for "a thoughtful debate." Begich told his home state Fairbanks Daily News-Miner that passage of any element of the package was "a long haul. ... There are some of us who just fundamentally believe in a Second Amendment right." Pryor has told Arkansas media that efforts on gun safety should start with enforcing existing laws.

Another Democrat closely watching the issue is Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, known for a 2010 campaign ad where he fired a rifle shot though a copy of Democratic-written climate change legislation. Manchin recently told a West Virginia radio station that he's working on legislation to require background checks on most gun purchases. Details weren't clear but that's the area where advocates are most hopeful of finding a solution that could get through the Senate and possibly even the Republican-controlled House.

The NRA generally opposes legislation mandating universal background checks and disputes gun control groups' claims that 40 percent of purchases happen without such checks. NRA officials question whether background checks could be done effectively in a way that makes a difference and doesn't disrupt legitimate sales.

The NRA's executive vice president, Wayne LaPierre, is to testify Wednesday before Leahy's committee.

Democrats, especially those from gun-rights states, will be weighing whether to side with the NRA or follow the president, or how best to split the difference.

"We're a Second-Amendment state. I support the rights of sportsmen and target shooters and collectors to own firearms. It's an important part of our culture and tradition," Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said in an interview. "But I just hear there's such grave concern given the experiences we've had with Aurora, Columbine ... people all over Colorado want to prevent these massacres."

___

Online:

White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/preventing-gun-violence

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/democrats-may-stand-obamas-way-gun-measures-134432125--politics.html

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Optimism abounds at inauguration time (Offthekuff)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/279466632?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Nearby lightning may be linked to migraines

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Weather has long been considered one of many potential migraine triggers, but a new study links lightning, specifically, to the onset of the severe headaches that plague more than 28 million Americans.

Based on headache logs and weather data for Ohio and Missouri, researchers found that people were 28 percent more likely to experience a migraine on days when lightning struck within 25 miles of their home.

"We're very surprised and very happy with the results in that this is the first study to link lightning to migraines," said Dr. Vincent Martin, the study's senior author from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio.

Migraines are severe headaches - sometimes accompanied by light sensitivity, visual hallucinations or nausea - that can disable a person for hours or even days at a time. The majority of migraine sufferers are women.

Martin told Reuters Health that a migraine may result from a person experiencing certain "triggers," such as stress, lack of sleep and dehydration.

Previous research has also found links between the onset of migraines and high barometric pressure, high temperatures and high humidity.

Most of the past studies looking at weather and migraines, however, relied on an individual's observations and did not always account for other, possibly unseen, local weather conditions, the researchers write in the journal Cephalalgia.

For the new study, they used information collected from three sensors that track lightning near Cincinnati, Ohio, and five sensors near St. Louis, Missouri. Those sensors allowed the researchers to know where and when lightning struck and the intensity of each strike.

They also used the headache diaries from two previous studies of 90 migraine sufferers in those areas who were between 18 and 65 years old. In those diaries, the participants recorded their headaches for three to six months.

After comparing the weather data with the headache journals, the researchers found that a lightning strike within 25 miles of a person's house was linked to a 31 percent increased risk of any kind of headache, and a 28 percent increased risk of the more severe migraine headache.

Martin said that could mean an extra one to three migraines per month for an individual, but he added that it depends on the person and the weather.

As for how lightning might affect migraine occurrences, Martin said it could be that the electromagnetic waves and ozone created by the lightning have something to do with it.

"The other theory is that when these thunderstorms roll in they can create more allergy spores in the environment," he said, which could create a problem for some people.

But the researchers cannot say for certain that lightning causes migraines, even though they used a computer model to account for other meteorological changes that occur during a thunderstorm.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Hayrunnisa Bolay of Gazi University in Ankara, Turkey, cautioned that the study had limitations, including its failure to account for the participants' own individual risk factors.

"In brief, one can only conclude that weather conditions associated with lightning have the potential to induce headache in migraine patients," she wrote.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/UpWoFJ and http://bit.ly/11XhL5w Cephalalgia, online January 24, 2013.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nearby-lightning-may-linked-migraines-220635025.html

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Polish parliament rejects efforts to legalize gay unions

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's parliament defeated draft laws on Friday that would have given limited legal rights to homosexual couples, a setback for liberals trying to challenge conservative moral attitudes in the devoutly Catholic country.

Poland has been grappling with issues such as gay rights, abortion, legalization of soft drugs and the role of the church in public life as younger Poles seeking a more secular society clash with a deeply religious older generation.

The lower house of parliament rejected three bills that would have legalized civil unions, including narrowly defeating one proposed by a member of the ruling Civic Platform that would have given limited rights to unmarried partners, including ability to inherit property.

The motion to prevent the Civic Platform bill from going to committees for further work was backed by 228 deputies, with 211 against.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk spoke out in favor of the reform, but 46 members of his own party, including Justice Minister Jaroslaw Gowin, sided with the conservative opposition and voted against all three bills on their first reading.

"You can't question the existence of such people (living in homosexual partnerships) and you can't argue against the people who decide to live in such way," Tusk told the parliament before the votes.

Robert Biedron, Poland's first openly gay deputy who had proposed the most comprehensive of the three rejected bills, vowed to continue leading the efforts to give legal rights to unmarried partners, both same-sex and heterosexual.

"Changes are coming," Biedron told Reuters television. "More and more people see that maybe there is injustice in treating people that live in unregistered partnerships and who cannot solve their fundamental problems, everyday problems."

Even though a growing number of governments around the world have given at least some rights to homosexual couples, many church leaders and conservative politicians have argued that such moves could undermine the institution of marriage.

Earlier in January, the Catholic Church backed protests against plans to legalize same-sex marriage in France.

Many Polish opponents of state recognition for same-sex partnerships say it is wrong to encourage unions that cannot produce children, and so do nothing to fix the country's declining population.

"Are sexual ties the only reason why society should finance a barren existence?" said Krystyna Pawlowicz of the opposition Law and Justice party, "Society cannot finance structures and institutions, which do not allow for society to last."

(Reporting by Chris Borowski and Marcin Goettig)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/polish-parliament-rejects-efforts-legalize-gay-unions-140759985.html

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Rich should pay more taxes: Indian Finance Minister

Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram. File Pic

New Delhi, Jan 24/Nationalturk- In what could not be termed as a good news for rich in India, Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said rich people of the country should pay more taxes.

?The tax rates in India were announced in 1997 and these have remained the same and have survived four governments and four finance ministers,? Chidambaram told CNBC.

Stating that he believes in stable tax rates, he said, ?I must concede that there is an argument that when the economy requires, government requires more resources, the very rich willingly should pay a little more. That is not to say that tax rate should not be stable.?

?I think we should have stability in tax rates but we should consider the argument that very rich should be asked to a pay a little more on some occasions but that is not the view I am expressing. That is simply the argument I have heard and I am repeating,? he said.

India?s business tycoon and Wipro chairman Azim Premji has told NDTV that India?s super-rich cannot treat extreme wealth as personal wealth.

Calling for higher consciousness among India?s wealthy, he said in a poor country, there is a legitimacy in taxing the super-rich.? ?Wealthy people should consider it as part of their obligation ? the more they think so, the longer they are going to survive in their positions. Otherwise, the forces of socialism will overtake them,? added Premji, one of the richest men in India.

Indian Prime Minister?s economic advisor C Rangarajan has also pitched for higher rates of taxes for super rich. ?One need not disturb the structure of Income Tax system in the country as it is now. However, we should add a surcharge for income above particular level. The government needs to raise more revenues and the people with larger incomes must be willing to contribute more?.

Rangarajan, who is an economic expert, had said the forthcoming Indian budget could look at imposing surcharge on income above a threshold.

?

Write your comments and thoughts below

Faiz Ahmad / NationalTurk India News

?

Source: http://www.nationalturk.com/en/rich-should-pay-more-taxes-indian-finance-minister-32673

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Woman Suing Match.com After Near Deadly Date (VIDEO)

Woman Suing Match.com After Near Deadly Date (VIDEO)

A Nevada woman named Mary Kay Beckman is suing dating website Match.com after being violently attacked by a man she was matched with on their website. Beckman, 50, dated a man named Wade Ridley in 2010 for a week until he stomped her head and stabbed her 10 times. How romantic! Mary Kay Beckman has ...

Woman Suing Match.com After Near Deadly Date (VIDEO) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/01/woman-suing-match-com-after-near-deadly-date-video/

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McDonald's fish to get 'sustainable' tag

2 hrs.

The Associated Press , Staff

McDonald's says it will be the first national restaurant chain to carry a label from a group that certifies sustainable fishing practices.?

The blue "ecolabel" from the Marine Stewardship Council certifies that the Alaskan Pollack used in McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwiches come from suppliers with sustainable fishing practices.?

Major retail chains including Wal-Mart and Whole Foods already use the council's label. The nonprofit group is paid a royalty fee from companies that use its label. For McDonald's, that means the fee would be based on sales of its fish offerings, such as the Filet-O-Fish and the Fish McBites that will be launched as a limited-time offer next month.?

The Marine Stewardship Council, based in Seattle, isn't the only group that offers consumer labeling for seafood. Last year, for example, Whole Foods also stopped carrying wild-caught seafood that's "red-rated," which indicates it's either overfished or caught in a way that harms other species.?

The move reflects the growing concerns among consumers about the sources of their seafood. Major supermarket chains, including BJ's Wholesale Club, have also moved recently to try to make their seafood selections more sustainable.?

The Marine Stewardship Council has about 300 fisheries in its program, representing between 12 to 14 percent of the world's fisheries, said Kerry Coughlin, the group's regional director for the Americas. Fisheries can go through a confidential pre-assessment phase to get guidance on whether they're ready for certification. Coughlin said about 30 to 40 percent of fisheries aren't ready when they start the pre-assessment phase, but that more than 90 percent obtain certification after beginning the full, official assessment process.?

McDonald's gets all its fish in the U.S. from a single Alaskan Pollack fishery, Coughlin said. The chain's restaurants in Europe already use the council's label.?

A spokeswoman for McDonald's, Christina Tyler, said the all U.S. stores should have the labeling by early February. McDonald's will promote the certification on packaging for other products, including Happy Meals and drinks.?

The company, based in Oak Brook, Ill., stopped using Eastern Baltic Cod in 2007 because of sustainability concerns. Since then, Tyler said the company has sourced Alaskan Pollock and New Zealand Hoki exclusively from fisheries with the Marine Stewardship Council's label. Now the chain uses only Alaskan Pollock for its fish items in the U.S.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/mcdonalds-says-its-filet-o-fish-be-tagged-ecolabel-1B8101474

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How I Finished Barack Obama?s Biography

?After two and a half years of research and a year of writing, I could at last see how I might make it to the end of the manuscript that would become Barack Obama: The Story. On the morning of Sept. 14, 2011?a few days after interviewing President Obama at the White House?I turned to the hard-paper artist?s pad that I always keep next to me on my desk as I?m writing and scratched out a day-by-day plan for the final 40 days to meet my deadline. I never miss deadlines.

Even then, as the book neared its end, I was getting new information. I never stop reporting until the book is going to print. So in this sprint to the end I was adding things here and there to Chapter 9, reshaping Chapters 16 and 17 to accommodate new information, and finishing the second half of the 21,000-word Chapter 18, before spending another week at the end in a last round of fact-checking and polishing. ?Forty days virtually nonstop, from 6 a.m. ?to 10 p.m. many days, with one day off to play golf and watch football, and two days away to give speeches in Fond du Lac and Milwaukee, Wisc.? In those 40 days, I finished two chapters and polished the rest. I wrote the final paragraph on Oct. 23, a Sunday. I have written 10 books, and the feelings at the end are the same every time: exhaustion, relief, joy, and somehow surprise?not emptiness but shock that the work is over.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=d95d8ec2ca874379fae9b4babd6ec7b4

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Greenland ice less vulnerable than feared: study

OSLO?? Greenland is less vulnerable than expected to a runaway melt that would drive up world sea levels, according to scientists who found that only a quarter of the ice sheet thawed in a warm period more than 100,000 years ago.

The study, involving 300 experts from 14 nations, implied that Antarctica at the other end of the planet would contribute at least as much or more to the kind of sea level rise that threatens coasts and cities from Mumbai to Miami.

Climate scientists are struggling to understand the risks of a melt of the vast ice stores of Greenland and Antarctica to help plan coastal protection. Sea levels rose about 17 cm (7 inches) in the past century and the rate has quickened.

1. Science news from NBCNews.com

   1. Neanderthal baby spawns viral video

      Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: The gang at Taiwan's Next Media Animation is having a little fun with a Harvard geneticist's recent comments about the prospects for cloning a Neanderthal baby.

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   4. Updated 101 minutes ago 1/24/2013 1:54:14 AM +00:00 Real-life love potion identified

Examination of ice from a 2.5 km (1.5 mile) deep ice core in northwest Greenland indicated that its ice sheet lost only about 400 metres (1,300 ft) in thickness in the early part of the Eemian, a warm period from about 130,000 to 115,000 years ago.

They estimated it lost about a quarter of its ice overall, according to a study published in Thursday's edition of the journal Nature.

"The volume of ice lost from the Greenland ice sheet was more moderate than many had expected," lead author Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, a professor at the University of Copenhagen, told Reuters.

Some past studies have suggested that Greenland may be poised for an irreversible melt due to climate change, blamed by a U.N. panel of experts on use of fossil fuels in nations led by China, the United States, India and Russia.

The limited size of the melt was also a surprise because the scientists found that Eemian temperatures, inferred from chemicals in air bubbles trapped in the ice, were higher than expected at 8 degrees Celsius (14 Fahrenheit) above current levels.

Fossil fuels
"We'll probably reach the Eemian temperatures within the next 100 years," Dahl-Jensen said. The Arctic region is warming at one of the fastest rates on the planet; global warming of 2 or 3 degrees Celsius (3.6 to 5.4 F) might trigger an 8 degrees C rise in Greenland.

The United Nations panel of climate scientists has said that sea levels may rise by between 18 and 59 cm (7-24 inches) this century, or by more if a thaw of Greenland or Antarctica speeds up. Elsewhere, it expects more floods, droughts and heatwaves.

And there are already signs of Eemian-style conditions. In July 2012, almost the entire surface of Greenland was covered in melt water, an event witnessed by the scientists from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Britain, Japan, South Korea and elsewhere.

"It even rained in our camp," Dahl-Jensen said.

Ice cores build up from annual snowfall and can be read like tree rings to judge their age. The Eemian warmth was probably caused by natural shifts in the Earth's orbit around the sun.

The scientists estimated that Greenland contributed only about 2 metres to sea level rise of between 4 and 8 metres during the Eemian.

That meant that at least half and perhaps much more of the melt water came from Antarctica, the planet's other big store of land ice, which, unlike the floating ice of the Arctic, causes the sea level to rise when it melts.

As yet, there has been no study of cores from the crucial West Antarctic ice sheet equivalent to the Greenland research.

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Click For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50568211/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Eliteratur-Blog ? Blog Archive ? Internet Marketing Companies ? The ...

23 Januar 2013 AUTOR:

It is undoubtedly simple that internet marketing firms have been giving entrepreneurs accomplishment due to their businesses. This is the reasons why more and more entrepreneurs are now focusing their advertising program using on the web than offline. These business owners are doing the proper thing, due to the undeniable fact that marketing their services or products online would bring desired effects for their firms. In addition, one of the primary explanations why internet marketing may be the most pertinent marketing system for each and every business is because it may get in touch with vast amounts of potential prospects. Just imagine huge amounts of clients buying your goods or selecting you for the services that you offer. It?ll actually make you an one of the richest man on earth.It is crucial that you have to understand the amount of standing of the service if you wish to hire one. This may not just avoid you from scams, but can update your choice making talent as well. That?s why even if the service offers you the very best and probably the most economical discounts, but if you are doubtful about its history, then let it go and find more legitimate people. It?s not just a solution that there have been many cases online where the business owners have been the victims of scams pertaining to online advertising. That?s why it?s vital to obtain a reputable service provider.The beneficial effect of website marketing firms to a business is enormous. In fact they?ve carried an incredible number of business owners to success. Now, do not even think hard to engage one if you should be a businessman who?ve problems in your marketing area. It?s has been never too late for a businessman as you to increase the profitability of your business, that is why don?t lose faith and carry on searching for possible ways to make your services and goods well known. Expect for a huge number of buyers if you?ve increase the recognition of your business, meaning that you also can estimate to get greater income.Nevertheless, web marketing organizations are actually huge donors of a businessman?s success. These entrepreneurs may actually find it too difficult to offer a powerful online marketing campaign without these assistance providers, and that is a fact.I hope you?ve discovered the importance of online marketing providers in every forms of firms. Therefore, retain your reliable company today if you want to have a business which could make you rich.

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Source: http://www.eliteratur-blog.de/2013/01/internet-marketing-companies-the-value-of-online-marketing-service-providers/

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Is Microsoft Investing Up To $3B In Dell Buyout?

Could Microsoft be in talks to invest up to $3 billion in PC partner Dell?

According to a report by CNBC, Microsoft is a possible "mezzanine" -- or preferred financing partner -- for between $1 billion and $3 billion in Dell's reported interest in a leveraged buyout.

Dell has had discussions with several financing organizations about going private, a move that could require up to $20 billion, according to reports.

[Related: Ex-Microsoft SVP's New Book: Ballmer Squashes Potential CEO Candidates]

Dell's stock jumped to $13 to $14 per share on Jan. 14 when the initial reports of a possible buyout emerged. On Tuesday Dell shares were up again, rising 23 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $13.07. Microsoft shares, meanwhile, were down 12 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $27.13.

Mezzanine capital typically refers to a preferred equity that is structured either as a loan or preferred stock if the debt is not repaid within a certain period of time.

Reports about a Dell buyout have centered around Silver Lake, a private equity firm, but it is believed that other financing would be necessary to build the near-$20 billion that it could required to take the company private.

Microsoft has invested in other tech companies in the past, including Facebook and Apple.

PUBLISHED JAN. 22, 2013

Source: http://www.crn.com/news/mobility/240146706/is-microsoft-investing-up-to-3b-in-dell-buyout.htm

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Freaking (and then Speaking) in Public | ASU News | The State ...

For SPM writer Kharli Mandeville, public speaking haunts her despite her ability to animate personal conversations.
Photo by Noemi Gonzalez

My stomach twisted in knots.

It churned almost painfully with the coming anticipation. My face grew hot; it was probably beet red. The blood in my body boiled and vibrated throughout every limb. Tears formed beneath my eyelids, threatening to burst and stream down my cheeks.

I was eight weeks into my second semester at ASU, and I had just raised my hand for the first time in a large lecture class.

My voice cracked and shook. My film professor asked me to repeat my statement ?something about how the cinematography of a particular scene in a film really moved me ? nothing of significance by any means.

I?ve always been described as a social butterfly, and in truth, I am. In personal conversations I am animated and often excitable. And just as any other 20-something-year-old college student, I do enjoy social gatherings.

But force me into a situation where more than maybe a dozen pairs of eyes suddenly snap in my direction ? situations where the calming flow of whiskey is generally and unfortunately sorely lacking ? then I?d love nothing more than to shrivel away.

I?m not exactly sure when the fear of speaking in public began to haunt me ? probably somewhere around the time I refused to audition for plays in high school (I loved theater as a kid) and around the time I fell in love with persuasive writing yet refused to join speech and debate.

Writers sometime are recluses, and when the time for reciting abounds, the pressure then builds.
Photo by Noemi Gonzalez

At the university level, in-class presentations are a form of personal torture. Teachers, ?FINE ? I?ll write that 12-page political analysis whatever thing, but please dear God don?t make me present it to a class of thirty!

It?s common knowledge that to do the job and to do the job well, a journalist must be able to talk to people. But normally, when writing a story, I only need to converse one-on-one with the people involved in bringing that story to life. Piece of cake.

Basically, a journalist spends a lot of their time writing. But depending how much they write, it can make one reclusive. Some people may really only know them through print, or worse ? super wordy Facebook updates. The problem is, as a writer, they may begin to personify themselves as more eloquent and quick-witted than their real-life persona. People read what they write, then meet them in person, and realize the writer is actually kind of awkward when they stammer hellos and trip over themselves during handshakes. (Uhh, I mean, I?m totally just giving a hypothetical scenario here. I never tripped during a handshake.)

I realize this about other writers and I realize it about myself. But from around the time I choked on my first spoken words in an ASU class, I knew the weird, painfully awkward public speaking thing was something I?d need to get over, and fast.

Last year, I wrote a story on Lawn Gnome Publishing, a used bookstore in downtown Phoenix. I made quick friends with the owner, Aaron Johnson, who has since grown to be one of my favorite local poets. I began working in the store in the beginning of last summer.

In the evenings we host a series of events. Monday nights were, and still are, open mic nights. Thursdays are slam nights. I started hanging around other writers ? particularly spoken word poets. I spent the majority of my warm summer nights, swimsuit tops subbing for bras, kicking it on the porch smoking cigarettes and sneaking beers from the local watering hole. I watched in awe as other writers stepped up to the microphone, light blinding their eyes, shadows outlining their faces, and actually presented their writing to dozens of people.

Slam poetry is about the performance and passion, an outlet that gave way for Mandeville to put aside her fear for public speaking and present her words.
Photo by Noemi Gonzalez

Sometimes they were nervous, yeah. But most of the time they reeked of confidence and just plain swag. I was jealous.

Everyone wants a little swag, you know?

The first time I showed up on a Thursday I was hooked. I?d never heard slam poetry before. I?ve always loved the tradition of old-school rap and hip-hop. To me, this was just like that. (Think Tupac?s poetic flow without the pressure of trying to be hood.)

I?d sit cross-legged, leaning against the beam of the porch. I?d leave at the end of a particularly inspiring night, ride my bike in the mid-summer night heat, rushing home to scribble poetry in a tattered notebook on pages I?d later crumple and throw away.

I kept this routine up for months. For months I told everyone I was falling in love with poetry ? that I was going to perform poetry too ?one of these days.

By the end of the summer, I finally grew enough balls to show up on an open mic night with something to say.

I mean, I was and definitely still am new to poetry, so it wasn?t like, some epic, philosophical call for social justice in Darfur or something.

So I signed up.

What looked like normal ink scribbled with a regular, every-day pen, actually turned out to be my own blood. With my chicken scratch of a signature, I had just sealed my fate. I sold my soul to what would soon become an addiction.

I sat in the audience, hands shaking uncontrollably as I lit a cigarette to relieve the anxiety.

Then I heard my name.

I stood up and dozens of people looked at me. God, why do they always have to freaking look at you?

I shuffled up to the stage, staring at my feet and feeling the finality of my terrible decision with every step I took. Normally when you walk, you don?t pay attention to the fact that you?re actually walking, right? But no, this time, I knew that every step was one step closer to my doom. Everyone was going to laugh. I knew it.

I finally made my way to the mic and steadied my hand around its cool frame (which juxtaposed awkwardly with the heat of the night). I glanced up for a millisecond and a beam of light blasted me in the face. I squinted, looked to my left, and great. Someone was recording. Awesome. I could later view and relive one of the most humiliating nights of my life on YouTube with the rest of the world.

Performaning poetry puts a spotlight on the speaker making him or her feel vulnerable or powerful.?Photos by Noemi Gonzalez, Video by Luu Nguyen?Stop Motion from The State Press on Vimeo.

Well, I decided, I?m already here. I can?t escape now. I spoke and told everyone it was my first night. In fact, it was my first time speaking into a microphone. And as I said these first words, I heard my own voice echo throughout the crowd and into the ears of perfect, faceless strangers.

That was the worst part, hearing my voice that loud for the first time in my life. I discovered I have a slight lisp.

I didn?t bother trying to memorize, the way my favorite poets always did. So I pulled crumpled pieces of paper out of my pocket and began to read.

My hands were visibly shaking. I remember that for sure. Everyone could probably hear those papers fluttering in my small, unassuming hands that suddenly became the focal point of my very existence. I?ll never watch that video footage because I?m sure I?d never do poetry again.

I persevered. My hands continued to shake, but people kept listening. My confidence mounted and my breathing steadied.

It?s all sort of a blur now. The experience seemed like hours of mental punishment, like earwigs digging in my ears to torture me into admitting to a war crime or something. But looking back now, it was probably more like a minute and a half of me reading a silly, albeit halfway decent, poem in front of 20 people.

I finished and everyone clapped. I got a few high-fives as I made my way back to my seat.

Admittedly, that poem sucked. It was silly, and it wasn?t honest. But that?s totally OK. A part of growing as a writer, or as an anything, really, is recognizing the life experience and maturation progress that illustrates how far we?ve come, and what we are able to survive.

And even though that experience was terrifying, I kept doing it. Every week. I still do. And it?s still terrifying. Though I wouldn?t say I made my way past the fear completely ? I did make an effort to change a part of myself I didn?t want to live with, and I keep trying.

That night, I left the stage an entirely different person than the one who choked on her first words in a film class.

And I don?t think I?ll ever be the same.

?

Contact the writer at kharli.mandeville@asu.edu or via Twitter @kaharli

Source: http://www.statepress.com/2013/01/23/freaking-and-then-speaking-in-public-or-fear-and-speaking-in-downtown-phoenix/

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