.AU and .IE Announce Funding For Projects To Assist Internet ...

The .AU policy and regulatory body and .IE registry have announced funding for a wide range of projects that are intended to assist the development of the internet in Australia and Ireland respectively.

In Australia, auDA announced their Foundation will fund a PhD thesis that enables Indigenous communities to access and use three dimensional (3D) models of Australian landscapes. Another project that won funding will explore the use of the internet by young people at risk of self-harm or suicide to seek help.

This year twelve projects were awarded a total of A$371,431, including the funding of two three-year PhD scholarships, taking the total number of projects funded to 84 over six annual funding rounds totalling $1,657,769.

?We were delighted by the number of applications we received, many of which were exemplary,? auDA CEO Chris Disspain said in a statement. ?We feel that funding these initiatives could significantly improve the lives of many Australians through their creative use of the internet.?

Meanwhile in Ireland, IEDR?s OPTIMISE Fund announced funding for a total of 15 companies to raise awareness of low levels of e-commerce activity by Irish SMEs and micro-enterprises. The funding also aims to provide practical assistance to a targeted number of companies to upgrade their online presence and grow their business using the internet as a sales channel.

Each of the 15 winners will be provided with practical assistance to begin the process of upgrading their existing online presence to fully featured websites which incorporate e-commerce functionality and other facilities designed to support business development. The intention is that recipients will be better placed to harness the potential of the internet as a 24 hour sales and marketing channel and gain a competitive advantage.

Recipients will also receive up to 11 days professional technical and marketing support to allow them to plan and execute a major e-commerce upgrade.

The winners of both funding rounds are below.

From auDA:

• Hello Sunday Morning
• Prahran Mission UnitingCare
• RMIT University
• Reef Check Foundation
• University of South Australia
• WorkVentures
• University of the Sunshine Coast
• Monash Indigenous Centre, Monash University
• Ballarat City Council
• Guide Dogs Victoria
• Deaf Services Queensland
• Griffith University.

From IEDR:

• Catering Equipment
• IFA Telecom Ltd.
• Waterford Technologies
• Tour America
• Parade Ring
• Just Dance
• Project 51
• Rossmore Furniture
• Gaga Baby Ltd
• Doolin Cave
• Oideas Gael
• OPTICKS SB Ltd
• Morris Oil Co. Ltd.
• Sheridan Insurances Ltd.
• Digital Business Services Ltd.

Source: http://www.domainnews.com/en/au-and-ie-announce-funding-for-projects-to-assist-internet-development.html

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Celine: It's a New Dawn Baby

There was a new dawn in fashion today in Paris; a new era of proportion, led by the house of Celine, whose latest collection was the freshest take on modern dressing seen so far this season - a poetically evocative affair. In fact, Celine's creative director, Phoebe Philo, has become the most important women's designer capable of creating both sought after runway clothes and accessories while also seriously addressing women's practical needs.

As is her wont, Philo gave each guest her mood board, a carefully selected catalog of interior photographs mostly culled from Casa Vogue and the World of Interior telegraphing her cocooning frame of mind. A melange of hippie Victoriana and decayed modernism, they elegantly illustrated the mysterious connections in Philo's imagination.

The show, on Sunday, Sept. 30, was also all about the new sense of proportion seen across Paris runways - displaced oversized pockets or chess piece shaped tuxedo dresses and coats. Celine's new voluminous one button blazer had an intriguing '70s air and certainly lots of room to hide a baby bump or some extra pounds. And, to inject fashion buzz, there were lots of couture knots, most memorably in twisted knot blouses.

And by knots we mean football sized versions in silk or leather, used in cool, intriguing blouses.

"It's a about femininity, being gentle and support. Yes, support is really key, as I was having a baby when making this collection, and support means a lot then," Philo said backstage. One thing is for sure, this is the first runway in which a Baby Bjorn to hold an infant has served as inspiration for one of the world's most anticipated runway shows.

Apart from making trendsetting clothes, Philo is also delivering in the accessories department. In a season when shoes seam to be the new handbags, she put Birkenstock-like shearling sandals in black and purple mink pumps on her catwalk, which are sure to be a bestsellers. Coming from a designer who has taken her bow in New Balance sneakers before, this is a statement from a woman who knows how to give comfort to her customer. But not only women would like to have these well-tailored luxury clothes. There have been rumors that a men's line is in the planning as soon as Philo can devote more time to the project after just having had her third child.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/celine-dawn-baby-185023240.html

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Is There a Strong Link between Extreme Weather Events and Climate Change?

WHITHER THE CLIMATE? In a poll conducted by Yale University, four out of five Americans reported personally experiencing one or more types of extreme weather in 2011, whereas more than a third said they were personally harmed by one or more of these events. A large majority of Americans believe that global warming made several high-profile extreme weather events worse Image: iStockPhoto/Thinkstock

• 

  Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

  Read More??

Dear EarthTalk: What is the scientific consensus on all the extreme weather we?ve been having?from monster tornadoes to massive floods and wildfires? Is there a clear connection to climate change? And if so, what are we doing to be prepared??Jason Devine, Summit, Pa.

Extreme weather does not prove the existence of global warming, but climate change is likely to exaggerate it?by messing with ocean currents, providing extra heat to forming tornadoes, bolstering heat waves, lengthening droughts and causing more precipitation and flooding.

?A changing climate leads to changes in the frequency, intensity, spatial extent, duration and timing of extreme weather and climate events, and can result in unprecedented extreme weather and climate events,? reports the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an independent group of leading climate scientists convened by the United Nations to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts.

While most scientists don?t dispute the link between global warming and extreme weather, the once skeptical public is now starting to come around?especially following 2011, when floods, droughts, heat waves and tornadoes took a heavy toll on the U.S. According to a poll conducted by researchers at Yale University?s Project on Climate Change Communication, four out of five Americans reported personally experiencing one or more types of extreme weather or a natural disaster in 2011, while more than a third were personally harmed either a great deal or a moderate amount by one or more of these events. And a large majority of Americans believe that global warming made several high profile extreme weather events worse, including record high summer temperatures nationwide, droughts in Texas and Oklahoma, catastrophic Mississippi River flooding, Hurricane Irene and an unusually warm winter.

The IPCC wants world leaders to err on the side of caution in preparing their citizens for extreme weather events that will likely become more frequent; earlier this year they released a report entitled ?Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation? to help? policymakers do just that. The report is considered a must read in coastal, arid and other especially vulnerable areas.

As for the U.S. government, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tracks weather and storms, while the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deals with the impacts of extreme weather and other disasters. But critics would like to see Congress and the White House do more to increase Americans? preparedness. ?The U.S. [in 2011] experienced a record fourteen weather-related disasters each in excess of a billion dollars?and many more disasters of lesser magnitudes,? reports the non-profit Climate Science Watch (CSW). ?Yet the U.S. has no national climate change preparedness strategy; and Federal efforts to address the rising risks have been undermined through budget cuts and other means.? CSW and others are calling for the creation of a new cabinet-level agency called the National Climate Service to oversee both climate change mitigation as well as preparedness for increasingly extreme weather events.

CONTACTS: IPCC report, www.ipcc-wg2.gov/SREX/images/uploads/SREX-SPMbrochure_FINAL.pdf; Yale Project, http://environment.yale.edu/climate/files/Extreme-Weather-Climate-Preparedness.pdf; FEMA, www.fema.gov; NOAA, www.noaa.gov; Climate Science Watch, www.climatesciencewatch.org.

EarthTalk? is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=620ade3f75c5ba6cb48a3b7d53b3f9d4

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Jay-Z Welcomes Rihanna, J. Cole To New 40/40 Club In Barclays

'This is a great thing for New York City,' Jay-Z tells MTV News outside of his new 40/40 Club.
By Rob Markman

Jay-Z attends the grand opening of the 40/40 Club at Barclays Center
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1694595/jay-z-welcomes-rihanna-j-cole-new-40-40-club-barclays.jhtml

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6 Tips for Inspiring Your Child to Write : Remembrance Press

If you have more than one child, you already know how they all have different personalities, spiritual gifts, and learning styles. I?m convinced this affects the kind of writing they love to do. I have four children, and the journey to equip them to write has been interesting and challenging at times. Visual learners often have an edge on auditory or kinesthetic learners. They see sentence structure and punctuation as they read; they?re born editors. Sometimes auditory and kinesthetic learners can zoom right past punctuation, running one sentence into another. Absorbed in content, they often don?t see anything but the words. The irony is that many auditory and kinesthetic children make the best storytellers. Of course, I?m speaking in generalities. Most children have a secondary learning style that complements the first, but depending on how your child is wired, he may struggle with the act of writing, classifying himself a non-writer.

Nonetheless, all children love to talk about what?s important to them. Have you heard the writing potential in your children?s oral story accounts? Do you have a child who struggles with the act of writing but could be a great writer if someone would just connect the dots for him? We want all of our children to freely communicate what?s on their hearts, to tell us about life from their perspective. Well, journaling their life stories on a regular basis allows them to do that, giving them ever-present subject matter from which to explore how to use language and grow as a writer.

To inspire your children in the area of journaling, here are six practical steps to take to unleash the writer within.

1. Help your child understand the writing process.

Writing is thinking. It?s a process by which we take the inner working of our minds and hearts?our thoughts, perceptions, and feelings, and express them on paper. Your child needs to know these things: You don?t know what you?re going to say until you start to say it. Writing is a process of discovery. It will take your mind places you didn?t know it was going. It will make you use words you didn?t even know you knew?and that?s the fun part.

If your child says there is nothing to write about on any certain subject, just tell him he won?t know what he?s going to say until he actually starts saying it. Tell him to listen for a title or the first sentence, and once he hears it in his head, take it from there.

2. If you can talk, you can write.

No two people are alike. Each one has a different way of expressing himself?his own writing voice consisting of inborn rhythms, vocabulary choices, and ideas. Is your child an auditory learner? He needs to know his talking voice can become his writing voice. That?s why journaling is so valuable. It will give him an opportunity to become familiar with his unique writing voice as he records his life stories.

3. A reason to write.

Imagine a world without words: no Bible, no books, no journals, no letters?no past, only present. No remembrances of your life because you didn?t like to write or you wouldn?t take the time to write it down. ?Preserving your life stories for now and future generations? is reason enough to write.

4. Write from what you know.

Writing from what you know is much easier than having to make it up. You?re never at a loss for writing material when you write from your personal experience. Have fun and be creative. Everyone can write and should write, not because they have to, but because they get to.

5.Transcribe the entry.

Transcribe journal entries for little children or older children who are not fluent (unable to take all the words they have in their head and put them on paper). Become your child?s scribe until he is able to take over, either through writing in a journal or typing his entries on the keyboard. Help him gain confidence by removing the hindrances until they?re a non-issue.

6. Read other people?s journals entries.

Reading other people?s journal entries is all that is needed sometimes?to unleash the writer within. When my son, Eric (21) was home for a visit in September, we gathered together as he began to read his journal entries from when he was a boy. Then, my daughter, Anna (13), began to read some of the entries I had transcribed for her when she was a little girl. It was a poignant moment as we relived the past through the words of their experience, and it was just what Anna needed to hear. Later she said to me, ?I want to a creative writer just like Eric!??Yes,?I thought,?this is exactly why Eric began to write. I read other people?s journal entries to him.

All four of my children?s journal entries (ages 15 to 2)?can be found in?The Gift of Family Writing. Spanning a period of eight years, I documented the process by which they learned to write, what they wrote, and the simple methods you can utilize to encourage your own children to grow as writers by journaling their life stories as they happen. You can purchase?The Gift of Family Writing here.

Source: http://remembrancepress.com/?p=1985

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Adtran falls on disappointing 3rd-qtr outlook

NEW YORK (AP) ? Shares of Adtran, which makes equipment that links homes and businesses to the Internet, dropped to their lowest point in more than three years on Friday, after the company's third-quarter earnings and revenue forecasts came in below analysts' expectations.

THE SPARK: Adtran Inc. said late Thursday that anticipates third-quarter adjusted earnings of 18 cents to 19 cents per share, on revenue of about $162 million. The Huntsville, Ala. company previously predicted revenue would be flat to slightly up from the second quarter's $184 million.

Analysts, on average, were expecting earnings of 30 cents per share, on revenue of $187.8 million, according to FactSet.

Adtran said its results were hurt by weak economic conditions and regulatory concerns. The biggest impact was from ongoing delays in project rollouts in the U.S. carrier market, as well as a decline in sales for some of its older products.

THE ANALYSIS: Jefferies' George Notter said in a client note that he was not surprised by the issues Adtran said it is facing, as carriers seem to be scrutinizing their capital spending more than ever before.

The analyst maintained an "Underperform" rating.

Citi Investment Reseach's Jim Suva lowered Adtran's price target to $20 from $25 and reaffirmed a "Neutral" rating.

Suva said Adtran is seeing some increased bidding, but he feels that there needs to be more good news ? like an uptick in carrier spending ? before he gets more enthusiastic about the stock.

SHARE ACTION: Adtran Inc.'s stock declined $1.70, or 8.9 percent, to $17.46 in morning trading. The stock fell to $17.31 earlier in the session, the lowest point since March 2009. The company's shares ended Thursday trading down 38 percent since the start of the year.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/adtran-falls-disappointing-3rd-qtr-outlook-153834345--finance.html

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Put This Infographic in Your Wallet to Know What to Do When Bad Things Happen [Infographics]

When you get pulled over, mugged, have an accident, or encounter some other emergency situation, it's hard to remember what to do. This infographic can help you remember if you put it in your smartphone or print it out to keep in your wallet.

This infographic comes from No Handcuffs, a site created by an anonymous police officer (Officer X) trying to keep you safe and out of trouble. You can only use his advice if you actually remember it, however, so keeping this infographic in your pocket (whether that means digital or with an actual printed copy) can give you a quick refresher in the event of an emergency. You can see the entire infographic below and obtain a printer-friendly version on the No Handcuff's web site.

No Handcuffs Infographic | No Handcuffs

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/5RLWNe_ekYM/put-this-infographic-in-your-wallet-to-know-what-to-do-when-bad-things-happen

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Israel's Netanyahu draws his "red line" for Iran

UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? In his most detailed plea to date for global action against Iran's nuclear program, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the world has until next summer at the latest to stop Iran before it can build a nuclear bomb.

Netanyahu flashed a diagram of a cartoon-like bomb before the U.N. General Assembly showing the progress Iran has made, saying it has already completed the first stage of uranium enrichment.

Then he pulled out a red marker and drew a line across what he said was a threshold Iran was approaching and which Israel could not tolerate ? the completion of the second stage and 90 percent of the way to the uranium enrichment needed to make an atomic bomb.

"By next spring, at most by next summer at current enrichment rates, they will have finished the medium enrichment and move on to the final stage," he said. "From there, it's only a few months, possibly a few weeks before they get enough enriched uranium for the first bomb."

Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be an existential threat, citing Iranian denials of the Holocaust, its calls for Israel's destruction, its development of missiles capable of striking the Jewish state and its support for hostile Arab militant groups.

On Thursday he presented his case to the world just why a nuclear armed Iran would be a danger to many other countries as well. Casting the battle as one between modernity and the "medieval forces of radical Islam," Netanyahu said deterrence would not work against Iran as it had with the Soviet Union.

"Deterrence worked with the Soviets, because every time the Soviets faced a choice between their ideology and their survival, they chose survival," he said. But "militant jihadists behave very differently from secular Marxists. There were no Soviet suicide bombers. Yet Iran produces hordes of them."

Netanyahu has repeatedly argued that time is running out to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power and that the threat of force must be seriously considered. Israeli leaders have issued a series of warnings in recent weeks suggesting that if Iran's uranium enrichment program continues it may soon stage a unilateral military strike. This week Iranian leaders suggested they may strike Israeli preemptively if they felt threatened, stoking fears of a regional war.

President Barack Obama has vowed to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power but has rejected Netanyahu's demands for setting an ultimatum past which the U.S. would attack. His administration has urgently sought to hold off Israeli military action, which would likely result in the U.S. being pulled into a conflict and cause region-wide mayhem on the eve of American elections. Netanyahu's 2013 Israeli deadline could be interpreted as a type of concession, but Israeli officials insisted action was still needed immediately and that in his speech Netanyahu was referring to the absolute point of no return.

Netanyahu appeared to be trying to soothe his differences with the White House when he thanked Obama's stance, adding that his own words were meant only to help achieve the common goal.

And he thanked the U.S. and other governments that have imposed sanctions which, he said, have hurt Iran's economy and curbed its oil exports but have not changed Tehran's intentions to develop the capacity to build nuclear weapons.

"I believe that faced with a clear red line, Iran will back down. This will give more time for sanctions and diplomacy to convince Iran to dismantle its nuclear weapons program altogether," the Israeli prime minister said. "Red lines don't lead to war, red lines prevent war."

Netanyahu did not detail what should be done if his "red line" was crossed, but the insinuation was clear. In perhaps his final plea before Israel felt the need to take matters into its own hands, Netanyahu pounded away at the dangers posed by Iran.

"To understand what the world would be like with a nuclear-armed Iran, just imagine the world with a nuclear-armed al-Qaida," he said. "Nothing could imperil the world more than a nuclear-armed Iran."

Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but Israel, the U.S. and other Western allies suspect otherwise. Four rounds of U.N. sanctions have already been placed on Iran.

A U.N. report last month only reinforced Israeli fears, finding that Iran has moved more of its uranium enrichment activities into fortified bunkers deep underground where they are impervious to air attack. Enrichment is a key activity in building a bomb, though it has other uses as well, such as producing medical isotopes.

While Israel is convinced that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon, American officials believe Iran has not yet made a final decision to take the plunge and that there is still time for diplomacy.

Iran's talks with world powers over the issue have stalled, however, and Netanyahu argued Thursday that "Iran uses diplomatic negotiations as a means to buy time to advance its nuclear program."

Israel's timeline for military action is shorter than that of the United States, which has far more powerful bunker-busting bombs at its disposal, and there is great suspicion in Israel over whether in the moment of truth Obama will follow through on his pledge.

"Each day, that point is getting closer. That's why I speak today with such a sense of urgency. And that's why everyone should have a sense of urgency," Netanyahu said. "The relevant question is not when Iran will get the bomb. The relevant question is at what stage can we no longer stop Iran from getting the bomb."

Netanyahu has a history of fiery speeches about Iran before the U.N. General Assembly.

In 2009, he waved the blueprints for the Nazi death camp Auschwitz and invoked the memory of his own family members murdered by the Nazis while making his case against Iran's Holocaust denial and threats to destroy Israel. And last year, he warned about "the specter of nuclear terrorism" if Iran were not stopped.

While the bulk of Netanyahu's speech dealt with Iran, he also rebuked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who spoke shortly before him to the U.N. General Assembly and accused Israel of ethnic cleansing for building settlements in east Jerusalem.

"We won't solve our conflict with libelous speeches at the U.N.," Netanyahu said. "We have to sit together, negotiate together and reach a mutual compromise."

Israel captured the eastern part of Jerusalem from Jordan during the 1967 Mideast War and later annexed it in a move that hasn't been recognized internationally. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state along with the Gaza Strip and the rest of the West Bank.

In his speech, Abbas also said he had opened talks on a new bid for international recognition at the U.N.

The Palestinians will apply to the General Assembly for nonmember state status, in stark contrast to last year's failed bid to have the Security Council admit them as a full member state.

If Palestine does become a U.N. observer state, it will not have voting rights in the world body but will have international recognition as a "state." This could enhance the possibility of the Palestinians joining U.N. agencies and becoming parties to treaties including the International Court of Justice or the International Criminal Court.

Abbas insisted that the new quest for recognition was "not seeking to delegitimize Israel, but rather establish a state that should be established: Palestine."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israels-netanyahu-draws-red-line-iran-224322099.html

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AT&T 4G LTE adds Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Galaxy Express and Galaxy Rugby Pro to lineup

Of the four big US carriers, AT&T's always been a solid go-to for variety across its wireless product portfolio. And today, the operator's welcoming a gaggle of Android devices from Samsung to bolster its 4G LTE offerings. Headlining this galactic quartet is the Galaxy Note II, the company's 5.5-inch phablet sequel which, though previously announced, has yet to receive a solid ship date. Also sharing that spotlight is an actual tablet, the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, and two new smartphones: the Galaxy Express and Galaxy Rugby Pro. While that latter handset is a mere update to the rugged, water-, shock- and dust-proof OG Rugby Smart, the Express is a fresh 4.5-inch ICS device that reps a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU and considerable 2,000mAh battery. All are said to be arriving within the "coming months" which, in non-PR garble, should translate to a pre-holiday release. Check out the official presser after the break.

Continue reading AT&T 4G LTE adds Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Galaxy Express and Galaxy Rugby Pro to lineup

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung, AT&T

AT&T 4G LTE adds Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Galaxy Express and Galaxy Rugby Pro to lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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D.C. budget bomb restrains job growth

David Cote, Honeywell International chairman & CEO, discusses a series of possible outcomes facing the fiscal cliff dilemma, and gaining control of the Federal budget, with Sam Nunn, Nuclear Threat Initiative CEO.

By John W. Schoen, NBC News

It?s Washington, stupid.

Even as the U.S. economy begins to push up ?green shoots? of recovery ? from a housing market bouncing off the bottom to a buoyant stock market ? businesses worried about the deep dysfunction paralyzing the political process have begun to hunker down.

The latest evidence of came from the government's monthly report on orders for so-called durable goods, which plunged in August. Much of the drop came from a cluster of cancelled orders for airplanes, even one of which can have a huge impact on the data.

But the rest of the data pointed to a wider pullback: orders for machinery fell 4.7 percent, computer orders dropped 2.9 percent, and communications equipment orders were down 7.1 percent.?

Economists say worries about what's happening in Washington are behind the pullback.?

?Businesses have become more pessimistic as we approach the fiscal cliff with no resolution in sight,? said Paul Edelstein, an economist at IHS Global Insight.

With a massive "fiscal cliff" of tax increases and spending cuts set to kick in at year end, Congress and the White House have all but quit trying to break the budget impasse. If the unprecedented belt-tightening takes effect next year, economists believe another U.S. recession would almost certainly begin. On Thursday, Fitch Ratings, which rates corporate and government bonds, warned that unless the budget bomb is defused, world economic growth will be cut in half next year.

Against that backdrop, business confidence has fallen to its lowest point since the third quarter of 2009, according to a survey of American CEOs by the Business Roundtable released this week. Though more than half of those who responded expect their sales to rise over the next six months, about a third said they plan to cut U.S. jobs over that period, up from 20 percent a quarter ago. Just 30 percent plan to boost spending on new equipment, down from 43 percent three months ago.

Until recently, American companies had managed to squeeze out more profits with very little new hiring, largely by getting more work out of the same labor force and by investing in new equipment that lowers costs and boosts output. Slower spending on capital equipment could slow or reverse that trend.?

Job seekers find warm welcome in Plains states

There?s been recent evidence that consumers are feeling more confident, which could help boost the spending category that accounts for 70 percent of the U.S. economy. The Conference Board?s latest monthly survey showed?its confidence index rose by nine points?to 70.3 percent.

But the improvement is relative, according to David Rosenberg, chief economist at Gluskin Sheff.

?It is one thing to say consumers are feeling better (maybe the respondents this time were card-carrying Democrats), another thing to say they?re feeling well. After all, to put 70.3 in perspective, the consumer confidence index averages 78 in recession and 102 in (economic) expansions,? Rosenberg said.

Weak growth ahead
Throughout the year, the economy has been adding jobs.?But the?pace has been too slow to make a significant dent in the unemployment rate, which is stuck above 8 percent some five years after the recession began. That makes this recovery the slowest, by far, of any since World War II.

The latest evidence of that slow growth came Thursday in the government?s final tally of gross domestic product for the second quarter, showing that the economy advanced at a weak 1.3 percent annual rate ? slower than the initial estimate of 1.7 percent.

Roughly half of the revision came from better data on the impact of the Midwest drought, as the level of farm inventories turned out to be less than initially reported. The drought is expected to continue to weigh on GDP growth this year, according to Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight, which expects third quarter GDP growth of just 1.5 percent..

?The economy overall has only weak forward momentum,? he said in a note to clients. ?The news from housing may be improving, but manufacturing is struggling now, because of weakness in exports and business fixed investment."

The latest weekly report on new claims for jobless benefits, seen by some as a bellwether of hiring patterns, fell 26,000 to a two-month low of 359,000. But the results may also indicate that fewer people are eligible for benefits as the weak labor market has forced more workers to take odd jobs or leave the work force altogether.

Despite gradual improvement in the job market, nearly 13 million people are still out of work. The Labor Department said Thursday its latest annual revisions show that it likely undercounted job growth in the 12 months through March by 386,000.

But even with the slight increase, the government?s data show that the economy produced roughly 140,000 new jobs a month since the recession ended in June 2009, or about 5.5 million. That?s far short of the nearly 9 million workers who were sidelined by the recession.. ?

The Fed?s latest effort to boost job growth has targeted the housing market with a plan to buy $40 billion in mortgage bonds every month - until further notice. The move has already nudged mortgage rates down to a new record lows of 3.40 percent this week, sparking another round of home refinancing?s. Those lower monthly mortgage payment swill free up a little more cash for consumers to spend.

But it?s not at all clear when or how pushing mortgage rates lower will create more jobs. That?s why the Fed?s policy makers were not in agreement on the latest move to try to boost growth.

?We are unlikely to see much benefit to growth or to employment from (another round of mortgage bond buying,)? said Charles Plosser, president of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve, in a speech Tuesday. ?Conveying the idea that such action will have a substantive impact on labor markets and the speed of the recovery risks the Fed?s credibility.?

The stock market seems to think better times, or at least continued gains in corporate profits, lie ahead. Market indices are up nearly 13 percent off summer lows, which has added to household wealth.

Homeowners? wealth has also gotten a lift from rising home prices, which have been up for the past six months in a row.

But the wealth hole created by the housing collapse was huge. From a pre-recession peak of $67.4 trillion in the fall of 2007, household wealth plummeted to $51.2 trillion in early 2009. As of the April-June quarter, it's climbed back to $62.7 trillion.

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Source: http://economywatch.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/27/14124975-dc-budget-bomb-is-holding-back-job-growth?lite

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Pantech Flex (AT&T)

Pantech was the first manufacturer to introduce an under-$100 smartphone?on AT&T's network earlier this year with the Pantech Burst?. That phone is now free, but Pantech has seriously upped the budget phone ante with the $49.99 Pantech Flex. With the Flex, you get a blistering dual-core processor, blazing fast LTE data speeds, and a strikingly thin, attractive design. There's also a starter mode that modifies the software for smartphone beginners. It's a tremendous value for the money, with features and performance comparable with much pricier smartphones. It's our Editors' Choice for budget smartphones on AT&T.

Design, Connectivity, and Call Quality
One thing's for sure: The Flex certainly doesn't look like a budget phone?or even a phone from Pantech, for that matter. At 5.11 by 2.63 by 0.31 inches (HWD) and 4.66 ounces, it's supermodel-thin. Made from a mix of rubberized black plastic and gray aluminum, it feels more premium than the top-of-the-line Samsung Galaxy S III .

The 4.3-inch, 960-by-540-pixel Super AMOLED display looks bright and rich, but the Pentile pixel layout means it doesn't look as crisp as the IPS LCD on the LG Escape. On-screen buttons lend the phone an ultra-minimalist look, especially when the display is off. It's very comfortable to hold, and there's plenty of room on screen to type comfortably. There's a Power button and microUSB port on the right side of the phone, a volume rocker on the left, and a 3.5mm headphone jack up top.

The Flex runs on AT&T's EDGE, HSPA+ 21, and LTE networks. There's also support for 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. Reception is average, and the phone turned in some truly excellent data speeds. Downloads averaged 18.5Mbps, and uploads hovered around 13Mbps. That's a little faster than the LG Escape, though the Escape's data speeds were more consistent, so it's an equal tradeoff. If you take a look at our Fastest Mobile Networks?survey, you'll see that AT&T's LTE can exceed Verizon's LTE speeds, though Verizon's LTE is more consistent and covers more of the nation.

Voice quality was about average in my tests. Incoming calls sounded a little thready, with a hollow, ambient buzzing in the background. On the other end, calls made with the Flex sounded a little choppy, but good noise cancellation was able to drown out the sounds of moderate construction. The speakerphone sounds fine, but it's too low for outdoor use. Calls sounded good through a Jawbone Era?Bluetooth headset and standard Android voice dialing worked accurately. Talk time was very good, at 9 hours and 33 minutes.

Processor, Android, and Apps
Powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 processor, the Flex is super fast. It's the same chip you'll find in higher-end phones, like the Motorola Atrix HD. Benchmark scores were excellent, and this phone won't have trouble running any of the 500,000+ apps in the Google Play store for some time to come.

The Flex runs Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). There's no word yet on an update to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), but you do get to choose whether you'd like to use Pantech simplified UI, which it calls Easy Experience. ?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/iugPaODFcHw/0,2817,2410210,00.asp

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The Top 7 Free Business Listing Sites - PDF

The Top 7 Free Business Listing Sites

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Source: http://pdfcast.org/pdf/the-top-7-free-business-listing-sites

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Philmont Training Center 2013 | Signs Up!

September 25, 2012

? communications

Greetings from the Philmont Training Center!

The Philmont Training Center would like to thank you and your council for your continued support. Since 1950, the Philmont Training Center (PTC) in Cimarron, New Mexico has been the National Volunteer Training Center of the Boy Scouts of America. Conferences offered at PTC are designed to inform and motivate volunteers and professional Scouts?and their families.

The conferences at PTC are conducted each summer and fall by the various departments and committees of the National Council. We are committed to support your council by providing the highest quality experience, in an environment that is truly unique. The beauty of Philmont and the outstanding program we offer to family members make a Philmont Training Center conference a tremendous atmosphere for learning, sharing, fellowship, family togetherness and Scouting spirit.

Please check out the conference descriptions?for the 2013 summer and fall conferences at PTC.

Any individual who is?interested?should contact Linda Mickel at linda.mickel@scouting.org?to be placed on the invitation list.

You can find more information about PTC, including the registration link and promotional materials at www.philmonttrainingcenter.org.

Source: http://signs-up.ppbsa.org/2012/09/25/philmont-training-center-2013/

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Romney: Benghazi a 'terrorist attack'

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney shakes hands with former President Bill Clinton, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012, at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney shakes hands with former President Bill Clinton, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012, at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney says the attack on the American consulate in Libya was an act of terrorism and says the United States must use foreign aid to bring about lasting change in such places.

In a speech Tuesday, Romney said foreign aid cannot sustain a developing country on a permanent basis and that U.S. policies should promote work, not reliance. The former Massachusetts governor also says aid should give people dignity and change attitudes toward the West.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and President Barack Obama's top spokesman each have said the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was a terrorist attack. Obama himself has not used that language.

Romney spoke in New York at an annual global development conference sponsored by former President Bill Clinton.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-09-25-Romney/id-0efe20a264c94c4cb1571e2da928e8a0

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Researchers uncover biochemical events needed to maintain erection

Public release date: 26-Sep-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Ellen Beth Levitt
eblevitt@jhmi.edu
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Discovery in mice may lead to new therapies for erectile dysfunction in men

For two decades, scientists have known the biochemical factors that trigger penile erection, but not what's needed to maintain one. Now an article by Johns Hopkins researchers, scheduled to be published this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), uncovers the biochemical chain of events involved in that process. The information, they say, may lead to new therapies to help men who have erectile dysfunction.

"We've closed a gap in our knowledge," says Arthur Burnett, M.D., professor of urology at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the senior author of the study article. "We knew that the release of the chemical nitric oxide, a neurotransmitter that is produced in nerve tissue, triggers an erection by relaxing muscles that allow blood to fill the penis. We thought that was just the initial stimulus. In our research, we wanted to understand what happens next to enable that erection to be maintained."

In a study of mice, Burnett and his colleagues found a complex positive feedback loop in the penile nerves that triggers waves of nitric oxide to keep the penis erect. He says they now understand that the nerve impulses that originate from the brain and from physical stimulation are sustained by a cascade of chemicals that are generated during the erection following the initial release of nitric oxide. "The basic biology of erections at the rodent level is the same as in humans," he says.

The key finding is that after the initial release of nitric oxide, a biochemical process called phosphorylation takes place to continue its release and sustain the erection.

In a landmark study published in the journal Science in 1992, Burnett and his Johns Hopkins co-author, Solomon S. Snyder, M.D., professor of neuroscience (who is also an author on the current study), showed for the first time that nitric oxide is produced in penile tissue. Their study demonstrated the key role of nitric oxide as a neurotransmitter responsible for triggering erections.

"Now, 20 years later, we know that nitric oxide is not just a blip here or there, but instead it initiates a cyclic system that continues to produce waves of the neurotransmitter from the penile nerves," says Burnett.

With this basic biological information, it may be possible, according to Burnett, to develop new medical approaches to help men with erection problems caused by such factors as diabetes, vascular disease or nerve damage from surgical procedures. Such new approaches could be used to intervene earlier in the arousal process than current medicines approved to treat erectile dysfunction.

In particular, Burnett says, "The target for new therapies would be the protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Now that we know the mechanism for causing the 'activated' form of nNOS in penile nerves, we can develop agents that exploit this mechanism to help with erection difficulties."

One of the agents studied by the researchers was forskolin, an herbal compound that has been used to relax muscle and widen heart vessels. They found that forskolin also ramps up nerves and can help keep nitric oxide flowing to maintain an erection.

"It has been a 20-year journey to complete our understanding of this process," says Snyder. "Now it may be possible to develop therapies to enhance or facilitate the process."

###

The new study, "Cyclic AMP Dependent Phosphorylation of Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Mediates Penile Erection," was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), under grant number RO1DK067223.

In addition to Burnett and Snyder, the study article's authors are K. Joseph Hurt from the University of Colorado, Sena F. Sezen, Gwen F. Lagoda and Biljana Musicki from Johns Hopkins, and Gerald A. Rameau from Morgan State University.

---

[ | 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: 26-Sep-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Ellen Beth Levitt
eblevitt@jhmi.edu
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Discovery in mice may lead to new therapies for erectile dysfunction in men

For two decades, scientists have known the biochemical factors that trigger penile erection, but not what's needed to maintain one. Now an article by Johns Hopkins researchers, scheduled to be published this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), uncovers the biochemical chain of events involved in that process. The information, they say, may lead to new therapies to help men who have erectile dysfunction.

"We've closed a gap in our knowledge," says Arthur Burnett, M.D., professor of urology at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the senior author of the study article. "We knew that the release of the chemical nitric oxide, a neurotransmitter that is produced in nerve tissue, triggers an erection by relaxing muscles that allow blood to fill the penis. We thought that was just the initial stimulus. In our research, we wanted to understand what happens next to enable that erection to be maintained."

In a study of mice, Burnett and his colleagues found a complex positive feedback loop in the penile nerves that triggers waves of nitric oxide to keep the penis erect. He says they now understand that the nerve impulses that originate from the brain and from physical stimulation are sustained by a cascade of chemicals that are generated during the erection following the initial release of nitric oxide. "The basic biology of erections at the rodent level is the same as in humans," he says.

The key finding is that after the initial release of nitric oxide, a biochemical process called phosphorylation takes place to continue its release and sustain the erection.

In a landmark study published in the journal Science in 1992, Burnett and his Johns Hopkins co-author, Solomon S. Snyder, M.D., professor of neuroscience (who is also an author on the current study), showed for the first time that nitric oxide is produced in penile tissue. Their study demonstrated the key role of nitric oxide as a neurotransmitter responsible for triggering erections.

"Now, 20 years later, we know that nitric oxide is not just a blip here or there, but instead it initiates a cyclic system that continues to produce waves of the neurotransmitter from the penile nerves," says Burnett.

With this basic biological information, it may be possible, according to Burnett, to develop new medical approaches to help men with erection problems caused by such factors as diabetes, vascular disease or nerve damage from surgical procedures. Such new approaches could be used to intervene earlier in the arousal process than current medicines approved to treat erectile dysfunction.

In particular, Burnett says, "The target for new therapies would be the protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Now that we know the mechanism for causing the 'activated' form of nNOS in penile nerves, we can develop agents that exploit this mechanism to help with erection difficulties."

One of the agents studied by the researchers was forskolin, an herbal compound that has been used to relax muscle and widen heart vessels. They found that forskolin also ramps up nerves and can help keep nitric oxide flowing to maintain an erection.

"It has been a 20-year journey to complete our understanding of this process," says Snyder. "Now it may be possible to develop therapies to enhance or facilitate the process."

###

The new study, "Cyclic AMP Dependent Phosphorylation of Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Mediates Penile Erection," was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), under grant number RO1DK067223.

In addition to Burnett and Snyder, the study article's authors are K. Joseph Hurt from the University of Colorado, Sena F. Sezen, Gwen F. Lagoda and Biljana Musicki from Johns Hopkins, and Gerald A. Rameau from Morgan State University.

---

[ | 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/2012-09/jhm-rub092512.php

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DSCC ups spending in Nev., Ind. Senate battles

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Democrats are splitting roughly $1.2 million in new spending between tight races in Indiana and Nevada as they try to maintain control of the Senate.

Senate Democrats plan to spend $630,000 on a one-week advertising run in Nevada and $525,000 in Indiana over the same time. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's new spending begins Tuesday and will air on broadcast and cable.

A Democrat tracking ad buys confirmed the numbers on condition of anonymity because the ads have not started running.

Senate Democrats have seen their chances of maintaining their slim edge in the Senate improve slightly in the last few weeks. But outside groups on both sides of the aisle are greatly increasing spending in key races as the battle for the Senate enters its final weeks.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-09-24-Senate-Democratic%20Ads/id-2d8404e435a9472cb8d39c44b710611f

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Health and beauty tips - HEALTH, BEAUTY & FITNESS

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Source: http://curryrecipe-jp.net/health-2/health-and-beauty-tips/

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Tom Menino lining up troops for Liz Warren

Some 48 hours before Tom Menino officially told Elizabeth Warren, ?I?ve got your back,? he dispatched key members of his organization to speak with her folks.

The result: Hundreds of people showed up in Roslindale Square on Friday afternoon, waving Warren signs and screaming their heads off.

Yesterday, U.S. Sen. Scott Brown returned to one of his favorite places on earth ? Sullivan?s at Castle Island in Southie. (Though apparently in a post-debate daze, Brown mistakenly referred to Sully?s as ?historic Kelly?s.?)

Before a gaggle of media and a sprinkling of partisans, Scott received yet another blessing from Ray Flynn, our former mayor and Vatican ambassador, which I imagine will be recycled quickly into another 30-second TV spot.

Like everybody else who walks Castle Island and munches on a Sully?s hot dog, I love Ray Flynn. And there?s no doubt in my mind that there was a time when Ray could have summoned an army to surround Scott Brown.

But that was about 20 years ago, when the campaign buttons Ray pinned to his lapel were for Democrats such as Mike Dukakis and Bill Clinton.

These days, to paraphrase a lyric from that old chestnut, Ray Flynn can?t give Scott Brown anything but love.

But then, I?m sure Scott is only too happy to have Ray?s love.

Meanwhile, I spent a good part of yesterday morning hearing about things such as phone banks and campaign literature drops across West Roxbury, Roslindale and Jamaica Plain; as well as sign locations blanketing East Boston, Allston and Brighton, from a source within the Menino organization.

?Let?s just say we are full on and working together with the Warren staff,? another source added.

There was never a doubt that Menino, who went to Charlotte, N.C. a couple of weeks ago and slammed Mitt Romney as the former governor whose ?wrong-headed policies were bad for Massachusetts,? would endorse Elizabeth Warren.

The lingering question was how enthusiastic would he be? Any doubts were quickly laid to rest Friday afternoon by the presence of union stalwarts such as Mike Monahan of the IBEW and Lou Mandarini of the Greater Boston Labor Council at the event.

Monahan got up at the Roslindale rally and chided Brown?s two beloved props. The IBEW boss said he doubted Scott?s ?Carhartt jacket? (actually it?s a $900 leather coat from a designer catalog) had any oil stains or rips from errant pieces of rebar. And he wondered if his pristine pick-up had ever really hauled any tools and ladders?

?You have to remember something else,? another Menino soldier said, ?this election is not in the middle of January, and Brown isn?t running by himself. He?s running with guys like Romney and Ryan and against a Democratic president who?s going to pull out at least a half-million more voters across this city and state.

?We?ll be out there, too, in force,? he added, ?in town, but also up and down the Pike. Anyplace where we can make a difference, that?s where we?ll be.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bostonherald/~3/oLGWzLxkb6A/view.bg

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Cheats and tricks in real estate advertising | Japan Property Central

Japan has rules that regulate real estate advertising to consumers, but they are self regulated by nine organizations across the country. One of those organizations is the Real Estate Fair Trade Council of greater Tokyo.?According to the Council, the number of illegal advertising tricks by real estate companies is increasing online.?The most common of these tricks is bait-and-switch and misleading advertisements.

Read on to find out how you avoid falling for these tricks.

The old bait-and-switch

Bait-and-switch ads are frequently seen in rental property listings. They are most commonly seen in the 3 following ways:

1) The property does not exist at all, and was created by the agency.

2) The property has already been leased but is still advertised.

3) The property exists, but was never made available for rent.

Why do companies use bait-and-switch? By placing ads for properties priced below market values, the listing will receive a lot of hits and inquiries from interested tenants. After receiving an inquiry on the non-existent property, the agency may inform the customer that the property has just been leased, or has some faults, and then suggest other suitable properties they may be interested in.

Naturally there are times when an agency forgets to update their listings, but this also constitutes a rule violation. There are, however, many agencies who knowingly continue to advertise old listings. Some agents may go so far as to slightly change something about the listing, eg. change the floor size, building age or rent, in order to avoid being caught out.

Misleading advertisements

In addition to bait-and-switch techniques, there are many cases of misleading advertising by real estate agencies.

In a sales transaction, there is a special particulars document presented with the contract that outlines any known faults with the property. For example, if part of the land is sloping, if there are high-voltage power lines overhead, if the land is an irregular size that prohibits use, and so on. It is not uncommon for known faults to be intentionally left out and not disclosed to the buyer. For a buyer, finding a property advertised below market price and without any disclosed faults may seem like a good buy, but in reality it is not.

The following are examples of the complaints the Council has received regarding advertisements on rental properties:

• ?The property turned out to be room-share. Eg. The property was advertised at 25,000 Yen/month, but in reality it was a 150,000 Yen/month property shared among 6 tenants.
• The year of renovation is shown, rather than the year of construction. Eg. A building dating from 1962 was advertised as being built in 2011, when this was actually the year it was renovated.
• Cheaper than market rent. The property turned out to have a 3-month half-price rent campaign. Although the campaign is not a violation, the listing advertised the discounted rent, rather than the true figure.

Another misleading practice is to avoid advertising the management fee charged on top of rent.

In May 2012, the rules were revised, making it necessary to expressly indicate in the contract the amount of fees payable by the tenant, such as those due to the guarantor company and fees to replace the keys. While some agencies are still becoming aware of the changes, there is still a chance that the tenant has not been made aware of the additional fees required when moving in, other than key money and the deposit.

Beware of relatively cheap properties

So how can you avoid falling for some of these advertising tricks?

1) Research market values and be suspicious of properties below market price. When searching for properties in your desired area and size, you will begin to get an idea of the average market price. When you find something priced relatively low, be aware that there may be some faults with the property, or that it may be an advertising trick.

2) Avoid untrustworthy real estate agencies. If you inquire on a property and they immediately tell you there is something wrong with it and suggest something else, walk away. You can also report suspicious looking listings to the portal site they are listed on, or to the real estate fair trade council in that area.

Properties listed on some major portals will conduct their own evaluations on real estate agencies before allowing them to list properties on their site. They may also conduct random inspections of agencies and confirm the validity of the properties listed.

Source: Suumo Journal, September 3, 2012.

Source: http://japanpropertycentral.com/2012/09/cheats-and-tricks-in-real-estate-advertising/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cheats-and-tricks-in-real-estate-advertising

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Building a Broadband Superhighway 5 Miles Long: How Usage ...

Phillip ?Tollbooths are not innovation? Dampier

Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski last week wrote a guest editorial on TechCrunch espousing the benefits of faster broadband networks, but the advances he celebrates often come with innovation-killing usage caps and overlimit fees he continues to ignore.

We feel the need ??the need for speed. As Tom Friedman and others have written,?in this flat global economy a strategic bandwidth advantage will help keep the U.S. as the home and most?desired destination for the world?s greatest innovators and entrepreneurs.

[...] But progress isn?t victory, particularly in this fast-moving sector. Challenges to U.S. leadership are real.?This is a time to press harder on the gas pedal, not let up.?The first challenge is the need for faster and more accessible broadband networks.?We need to keep pushing because our global competitors aren?t slowing down. I?ve met with senior?government officials and business leaders from every continent, and every one of them is focused on?the broadband opportunity. If we in the U.S. don?t foster major investments to extend and expand our?broadband infrastructure, somebody else will take the lead.

We need to keep pushing because innovators need next-generation bandwidth for next-generation?innovations ? genetic sequencing for cancer patients, immersive and creative software to help children?learn, ways for small businesses to take advantage of Big Data, and speed- and capacity-heavy?innovations we can?t yet imagine.

We need to remove bandwidth as a constraint on our innovators and entrepreneurs. In addition to steadily?increasing broadband speed and capacity for consumers and businesses throughout the country, we need?? as we said in our National Broadband Plan ? ?innovation hubs? with super-fast broadband, with speed?measured in gigabits, not megabits.

[...]Some argue the private sector will solve these challenges itself, and that all government has to do is get?out of the way. I disagree.?The private sector must take the lead, but the public sector has a vital though limited role to play.

Among the policy levers government needs to use is the removal of barriers to broadband buildout,?lowering the costs of infrastructure deployment with new policies like ?Dig Once? that says you should?lay fiber when you dig up roads. The President recently issued an Executive Order implementing this?idea, suggested in our Broadband Plan.?Government must promote competition, which drives innovation and network upgrades.

We must ensure the Internet remains an open platform that continues to enable innovation without?permission.

Genachowski

Genachowski?s vision for faster broadband has the noble goal of maintaining competitiveness with the rest of the world and putting the United States back on top in broadband rankings and innovation. But while hobnobbing with his industry friends at recent industry conventions, he may have gotten too close to one of the biggest impediments holding us back ? big cable and phone companies merrily working their magic to create a comfortable duopoly with pricing and service plans to match.

Back in the late 1990s, most cable operators thought of broadband as an ancillary service easy enough to operate, but probably hard to monetize. Just like digital cable radio services like Music Choice and DMX, ?broadband? would likely appeal only to a tiny subset of customers.

?Back in the 1990s, Time Warner was primarily a TV company in a TV industry.? Broadband then was an innovating and radical thing, and a lot of people thought it was stupid and wouldn?t work,? Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt said in April, 2009.

The launch of ?Road Runner? was not the most auspicious marketing effort undertaken by the cable operator. In fact, the service was rarely targeted for price adjustments, hovering at around $40 a month for a decade.

When the Great Recession hit the United States, something unexpected happened. Cable operators discovered people were willing to cancel their cable and phone services, but not their broadband. In fact, as high bandwidth online video became an increasing part of our lives, the cable industry realized they were in the catbird seat to deliver the best broadband experience, and be well-paid for it. With little competition,?increasing prices brought little risk and, thanks to the insatiable drive to boost revenue and reduce costs, implementing usage caps to control ?excess? usage and costs were within their grasp.

In 2008, when Stop the Cap! launched, only a handful of ISPs had usage caps. Now most providers, with the exception of Time Warner Cable, Verizon, Cablevision, and a handful of others, all have usage allowances and overlimit fee Internet Overcharging schemes to further pad their bottom lines.

Innovation: Rationing Your Internet Experience ? Stick to e-mail and web pages.

Genachowski has completely ignored the growing pervasiveness of usage caps, and even excused them as an experiment in marketplace innovation. But limits on broadband usage will also limit the broadband innovation revolution he wants, especially when most Americans have just one or two realistic choices for broadband service:

1. Usage caps are the product of artificial scarcity. Rationing Internet usage, even with now-pervasive cost-effective upgrades like DOCSIS 3, simply does not make sense (but it will make dollars). Cable operators are switching off analog television service to free up bandwidth to provider faster Internet speed and fatten the pipeline that delivers it. They have plenty of capacity, but continue to proclaim they must limit usage for ?fairness? reasons, without providing a single shred of evidence to prove the need for usage caps. Consumers will self-ration just to avoid the prospect of being cut off or handed a bill with overlimit fees.
2. Usage caps make faster speeds?irrelevant. Selling customers premium-priced, super fast broadband speed is hardly compelling when accompanied by usage caps that constrain the benefits of buying. Why pay $20-50 more for faster speeds when customers cannot take practical advantage of them. Customers using their Internet service to browse web pages and read e-mail have no interest in upgrading to 30+Mbps. Customers streaming video or moving large files do.
3. Usage caps retard innovation. Google?s new 1Gbps fiber optic network was built on the premise that usage caps were unnecessary on a fiber-based network and would retard innovation. Developing the next generation of innovative apps that Genachowski celebrates will never happen if developers are discouraged by Internet usage toll booths and stop signs. The cost to provide the service is not largely dependent on customer usage. It is the initial price of last mile infrastructure that really matters. Both cable and phone companies have reduced their investments to upgrade their networks, and AT&T and Verizon both contemplate getting rid of their rural landlines. Most cable operators paid off their networks years ago.
4. Usage caps create a whole new digital divide. ?Time Warner Cable?s discounted Internet Essentials program delivers only a $5 discount with a harsh 5GB usage cap. For an income-challenged home compelled to switch to a provider?s budget plan, the result is a different Internet experience than the rest of us enjoy. Imagine if your home broadband account was limited to 5GB a month. What online services would you have to avoid to stay under the provider?s limit? Traditionally, operators sell the lowest speed tiers with the lowest usage allowances. Slower speeds already offer a disincentive to use high bandwidth services, but many providers typically drive that disincentive home even harder with a paltry allowance that will cost plenty to exceed.
5. Usage caps harm our broadband standing. While Genachowski celebrates increasing broadband speeds, he ignores the fact the rest of the world is moving away from usage caps even as the United States moves towards them. Both Australia and New Zealand elected to construct their own national fiber networks in large part because the heavily usage-capped experience was holding both countries back. Usage caps are a product of a barely competitive market.

http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/Bandwidth Caps 7-2011.flv

Tech News Today debunks providers? claims that usage caps are fair and control those who ?overuse? their networks, noting the same phone companies (AT&T) pushing for usage caps are also moving voice calling to unlimited service plans. (August, 2011) (4 minutes)

Other stories of interest:

1. Cox Slams DSL in New Ads, But Cox Cable Customers Stuck With Usage Caps
2. Innovation Reality Check: Give Broadband Consumers the Flat Rate Service They Demand
3. Consumer Groups Question FCC Chairman?s Endorsement of Internet Overcharging Schemes
4. Same Story, Different Countries: Whether It?s Bell or AT&T, Usage Billing & Caps Are Nonsense
5. Public Knowledge Asks FCC to Investigate Comcast?s Unfairly-Applied Usage Caps

Source: http://stopthecap.com/2012/09/24/building-a-broadband-superhighway-5-miles-long-how-usage-caps-ruin-faster-speeds/

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