Hollande least popular French president in 30 years: poll

PARIS (Reuters) - Ten months into his mandate, President Francois Hollande scored the worst of any French president since 1981 in the TNS Sofres poll for Le Figaro magazine released on Thursday as he struggles to spur economic growth and create jobs.

Socialist voters who propelled Hollande to the presidency in May 2012 are now questioning his government's handling of an economy teetering near recession, a series of industrial layoffs and joblessness at a 15-year high.

Hollande's rating fell by 5 points in February in the monthly poll to 30 percent when respondents were asked whether they had confidence in their president to resolve the country's problems, pulled down by a 8 point drop from Socialist voters.

"Until now, the Elysee (presidential) palace could congratulate itself by saying that those who voted for the president remained loyal. That's now over," the survey said.

Socialist Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault's rating also fell 5 points to 28 percent.

From November to January, Hollande's confidence rating was relatively stable, although still low, at about 35 percent in the poll, commissioned by the conservative-leaning publication.

The survey suggested Hollande has only enjoyed a short-lived boost from his military intervention in Mali, widely praised at home and by allies such the United States.

Data on Tuesday showed jobless claims rose to 3.17 million last month, the highest since July 1997, and Hollande admitted this week that sickly growth would make it harder to fulfill his pledge to stem the rise in unemployment by the end of 2013.

The survey of 1,000 people was conducted between February 21 and February 25.

(Reporting by Alexandria Sage; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hollande-least-popular-french-president-30-years-poll-131955518.html

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Poker loses its cool in Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? The Tropicana hoped to step back into the big leagues when it opened its poker room in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, touting it as the coolest in town.

But that same morning, federal agents shut down the three biggest online poker sites on the Internet. Last September, less than a year and a half later, the iconic casino quietly swapped out its green felt tables for slot machines.

It's a story that's become increasingly common as the crackdown on Internet gambling weakens poker's appeal, and the casinos that once competed to lure fans of Texas Hold 'Em abandon the waning game in favor of more lucrative alternatives.

Poker has never been a big moneymaker like slot machines or roulette. But when the game's popularity soared during the 2000s, casinos were willing to forgo the extra dollars to get players inside their buildings.

Now the calculus is shifting. In Sin City, epicenter of the poker craze, at least eight rooms have folded in the past two years. The trend is also playing out in Mississippi riverboats, Indian casinos and gambling halls near big cities from California to Florida.

Poker's proponents insist the game remains as popular as ever, and some larger casinos say their rooms are bustling.

In a statement this month announcing the World Series of Poker lineup, executive director Ty Stewart said the summer bonanza in Las Vegas would be an "affirmation about the strength and global appeal of the game."

But the spate of poker room closures on the Strip has some wondering whether the largest gambling trend to sweep the country in 25 years may be losing momentum.

"I just think the allure of poker is lessening," said William Thompson, author of the encyclopedia "Gambling in America" and professor of public administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "That's one reason the smaller casinos would just say, 'Hey it's not worth all the time to set everything up. A slot machine would do a lot better.'"

Poker revenue has been falling in Nevada since 2007, the year after the federal government first cracked down on virtual gambling and forced online companies to close or relocate offshore.

The recession hobbled casinos across the board, but while winnings from other games began to pick back up in 2010, poker revenue continues to slump by an average of 6 percent a year, according to annual reports from the state Gaming Control Board.

Poker revenues stacked up to $123 million last year, down from a high of $168 million in 2007.

Entries in the World Series of Poker's main event also took tumble in 2007, falling by 28 percent from a high of 8,773. Entries have only topped 7,000 once in the years since.

On April 15, 2011, the federal government took its strongest stand yet against the semi-legal world of internet poker, blacking out three major sites on a date later dubbed "Black Friday."

No longer could fresh crops of poker players develop their games online.

The Tropicana hotel-resort, which was remaking itself with several major renovations at the time, opened its new poker room the same spring day.

"Poker had gone through a dramatic popularity phase. It grew really quickly. And we jumped on board," said Fred Harmon, chief marketing officer for the casino that sits on a busy Strip intersection opposite the MGM Grand and New York New York.

The decision to replace the room with slot machines last fall was pure economics, Harmon said.

"I think every company over the last several years have had to look at what they do and what makes money," he said.

Casinos across the country are making the same calculation.

Sam's Town in Tunica, Mississippi, closed its poker room in January, citing the economy. The Seminole Casino Hollywood near Fort Lauderdale, Fla., replaced its room with slots in September.

Indian casinos in states like Minnesota and the Dakotas are also pulling their rooms, according to marketing consultant Theron "Scarlet Raven" Thompson.

"What you're seeing is the mom and pop-sized poker rooms are closing. The larger properties are monopolizing the poker crowd," he said.

Several smaller Las Vegas casinos decided they no longer wanted to bet on the game in 2012, including Ellis Island, which closed its room just two months after opening it. Casino bosses also removed rooms from the Silverton south of the Strip, Aliante to the north, and Fitzgerald's, which eliminated its room when it rebranded as the D.

The Gold Coast, the Plaza and Tuscany casinos closed their rooms in 2011.

Poker has never been a high-profit game for casinos is because players exchange money with each other, not the house. Rooms must employ a dealer for every table and can only collect portion of what players put down, usually about 5 percent.

Yet at the height of the craze, casinos scrambled to install rooms for a new generation of fans.

The game's meteoric run is generally attributed to the rise of Internet gambling, new technology that let viewers see players' hidden cards in televised tournaments and a watershed moment during the 2003 World Series of Poker when an amateur with the unlikely name Chris Moneymaker claimed the $2.5 million first prize in front of a million television viewers.

After Moneymaker's win, the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas Strip reopened its poker room, which had been closed for years, and Caesars Palace announced plans to open its first room in more than a decade. The Venetian followed suit in 2006.

Mega-casinos continue to invest in the game. The Venetian added 17 tables to its room in September, making it the biggest game in town, Caesars Entertainment added a slot-style progressive jackpot element to its games earlier this year, and the expansive room at the Bellagio is still packed most nights.

Venetian poker director Kathy Raymond said the expansion, which was part of a larger casino floor renovation, has drawn more players to the already popular room.

"I think that the love people have for poker hasn't subsided," she said. "It may be part of the economic environment, but I don't think the interest has subsided at all."

She acknowledged that smaller casinos are struggling to claim their piece of the market.

"You really need volume to operate a successful poker room," she said. "The overhead can't be absorbed by just a few tables."

In the end, the very thing that made poker so appealing ? its air of tradition and class ? may be its undoing, at least on the gambling floor, William Thompson said. After all, casinos make their billions by giving people new and stimulating ways to lose money.

While slot machine developers can roll out a new "Family Guy" or "oodles of poodles" game ever few months, poker remains unchanged.

"With slot machines, you can keep reinventing them, so it's going to last longer. They're throwing new wrinkles in all the time," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trend-wanes-vegas-casinos-fold-poker-rooms-090518379--finance.html

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Narisawa in Tokyo tops Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list

Yoshihiro Narisawa of two Michelin-starred Narisawa in Tokyo

Announced in Singapore yesterday, Yoshihiro Narisawa?s two Michelin-starred Tokyo venture was also named the Best Restaurant in Japan at the awards.

Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo came second, followed by Nahm in Bangkok in third place; Amber in Hong Kong in fourth; and Restaurant Andre in Singapore in fifth.

A champion of sustainably sourced ingredients, Narisawa impressed judges with its ?unfettered imagination? and ?sense of drama?.

Passionate about the natural world, among Narisawa?s signature dishes are ?Soil? soup, ?Water? salad and ?Bread of the Forest.?

Narisawa has featured on the World?s 50 Best Restaurants list for the last four years, ranking at number 12 in 2011 and winning the Best Restaurant in Asia award for three consecutive years.

China dominated proceedings at the awards with 16 entries in the top 50 and the aforementioned Amber named The Best Restaurant in China.

Duongporn Songvisava was voted Asia?s Best Female Chef

Hot on China?s heels was Singapore with 10 entries in the top 50, including Andre at number five, which was voted the Best Restaurant in Singapore.

Japan came third in terms of entries, with nine restaurants in the top 50.

Meanwhile, Paul Pairet of Mr & Mrs Bund (#7) and Ultraviolet (#8) in Shanghai won the lifetime achievement award, while Duongporn Songvisava of Bo.lan in Bangkok won the Veuve Clicquot Asia?s Best Female Chef award.

Restaurants in India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Indonesia also made the list, while modern French establishment Jaan in Singapore was named ?One to Watch.?

?We launched Asia?s 50 Best Restaurants to recognise the region?s growing restaurant industry and diverse gastronomic landscape.

?It?s exciting to see so many innovative and creative chefs pushing Asia?s culinary boundaries and supporting Asia?s growing influence on the global culinary stage,? said William Drew of William Reed Business Media, founder of the awards.

Asia?s 50 Best Restaurants list is created by over 900 international leaders in the restaurant industry, including food critics, chefs and restaurateurs.

Source: http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2013/02/narisawa-in-tokyo-tops-asias-50-best-restaurants-list/

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Coping with the fallout from an emotional affair - Andrea Sheehy

Coping with the Fallout from an Emotional Affair

Filed under: Relationships ????????? ????????? ????????? Written by andrea ????????? ????????? ????????? ????????? ????????? ????????? ????????? ????????? ?????????

• ?She keeps talking about this guy at work, and I?m feeling really jealous?
• ?After several years of marriage, we?ve grown apart. I?m sure he?s seeing someone, and I feel so alone?
• ?I found out my partner is talking to this woman online; he says it?s not sexual but it makes me feel so wretched?
• ?If he must have these relationships, why is he talking to her and not me ? what?s so special about her??

Emotional affairs are painful and confusing, and they leave so many unanswered questions:

• ?What has she got that I don?t??
• ?Why is he doing this to me??
• ?How did we get to this point??
• ?Who is he seeing?
• ?What is she getting up to at work??

An emotional affair is an intense relationship that has not crossed the sexual boundary.

?But it?s only an emotional affair. Why am I feeling so betrayed??

There is a great temptation to imagine that an emotional affair has much less impact than a sexual affair, but it isn?t true ? trust is something that takes years to build and moments to destroy, and an emotional affair destroys trust every bit as effectively as a sexual affair. It?s not the affair itself that is the problem, it?s the lies, the deceit and the feeling that you?re going nuts that cause the pain.

Emotional affairs

Emotional affairs are very common in long-term relationships. At the start of relationship, hormones are flowing and excitement is high. As the relationship matures, the hormones back off, the novelty fades, and defences begin to play a greater and greater role. I?m not suggesting that anyone consciously chooses to start an emotional affair, it?s just that, given the right circumstances, these things can just happen without our intending them to.

The ?right? circumstances

The ?right? circumstances come about because we all have different ideas about how relationships work and what we need to do for each other in order to be happy. What does this mean? Let?s illustrate this with an example:

maybe you are feeling:	or, maybe you are feeling:
maybe you are the kind of person that needs to feel close to your partner in order to feel OK in the world	or, maybe you are the kind of person that likes to do things for other people, and you get a kick out of their happiness
As the relationship matures and these defences emerge, arguments become more common:
maybe you are feeling:	or, maybe you are feeling:
not listened to not desirable taken for granted together but not connected	criticised controlled overwhelmed can?t win

?I feel so betrayed; is it worth trying to fix it??

The answer is, it depends. It is possible to recover, but it is painful, and it will take time. I guess you have to ask yourself the question, ?Do I want it to work?? If the answer to that question from both of you is, ?Yes? then there will be a way.

How do we get back to the way things were in the beginning?

• The first step is to draw a line in the sand, and agree that, whatever has happened in the past, from now on you are both going to focus on building trust. If you have told lies, ?fess-up and start afresh.
• You need to accept what you both have done and not get into the blame game ? don?t point the finger at your partner and don?t beat yourself up. You might want to blame yourself for being selfish, or you might feel guilty that you didn?t do enough ? accept it, own it, share it.
• Your feelings are what they are, and you need to just give up on the desire to control them, accept that they are there, and talk about them, especially the ones you really do not want to talk about.
• The trouble with talking about feelings is it?s difficult to do without them taking over, and then you can end up in a cycle of arguments before you know it. You need to find a way to TALK ABOUT your feelings without ACTING on them.
• People have different relationship needs, and it?s usually the case that partners have complementary, but different, sets of needs. Maybe you have been wrong in assuming that your partner sees the world the way that you do. Maybe when you both understand where each other is coming from you can take account of that and work out how to make your relationship so deeply satisfying you won?t need to look elsewhere.

How can couple counselling help?

I can help you with all of the above.

• I provide a safe, secure and confidential environment where you both can explore and come to terms with the trauma of this emotional affair.
• I can teach you how to talk about emotions, and provide you with structures and techniques that will allow you to talk about the most painful things without getting derailed into arguments.
• I can help you analyse your arguments and identify the patterns that lead to friction.

If you would like to work with me to improve your relationship contact me

Google+

Andrea Sheehy is qualified couple, relationship and marriage counsellor with over 20 years experience. Andrea's practice is based in Hinckley which is on the border of Leicestershire and North Warwickshire. For more information about how couple counselling helps, visit her website

Contact?her?on?? 01455?612?167

Copyright Andrea Sheehy 2010. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer: The content is for general information only and may or may not relate to your individual situation. If this article raises concerns please speak to a professional in your area

Source: http://www.andrea-sheehy.com/wordpress/coping-with-the-fallout-from-an-emotional-affair/

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Fairfax County Teachers: 'I Can't Sustain This' - Vienna, VA Patch

Dan Hale has been a teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools for 20 years, but he?s never felt or seen his colleagues as overwhelmed as they are today.

He used to know his students as readers and as writers, he says; now he only knows them as bits of data or ECART scores; pacing points and percentages.

And after spending far more than eight hours at school, he leaves (with work in tow) thinking ?What am I doing tomorrow?? ? planning time in the context of the school day, he says, is nearly nonexistent.

The story was one of many shared by a few hundred teachers Monday night at a town hall sponsored by one of the county?s largest teachers unions, an effort to better connect school board members with teachers and workload issues that have persisted for at least half a decade, the union says.

For years, both the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, which sponsored Monday?s event, and the Fairfax Education Association have asked school board members for help in reducing some of their requirements and responsibilities and the shrinking amount of time in which they have to do it.

This year, teachers said Monday, has been the worst year yet.

And morale is low.

?I used to get up in the morning and go, ?I love my job,?? one longtime teacher told school board members Monday. ?That?s not the case anymore and that?s sad.?

School Board member Elizabeth Schultz (Springfield), one of 10 members who fielded teacher concerns in a ballroom at the Fairview Park Marriot in Falls Church, said it was time for a solution.

?This has been brewing for quite some time,? Schultz said after the event. ?We need to fix it.?

The board is planning on a work session on the issue in April.

Growing Responsibilities, but No Extra Time

Along with keeping pace with the state of Virginia?s Standards of Learning tests and a new teacher evaluation system, teachers are also dealing with new elementary school report cards that make grading take three times as long as it used to, assessment tools that require more data and analysis and the rollout of online textbooks, among other technology tools.

As enrollment swells, so too have class sizes, and with each additional student comes even more hours to prep, coach, test and assess them.

Yet no responsibilities have been taken away, nor has more time been given to accommodate them, teachers say. Pay?also been more or less ?stagnant for years,? they say

One teacher said he once had two and a half hours of planning time each week; now, it?s about an hour and 20 minutes.

Tasks have ?been piling up like one rock after another on our chest while [we?re] being told ?you better do well or else,?? one teacher said.

Since the beginning of this school year, Lynn Schmauder, a math teacher who has 130 students this year at Woodson High School, has spent at least 36 hours giving after-school help, nearly 20 in parent-teacher conferences, 37 hours replying to parent emails ? and what amounts to 41 days, on top of her day to day responsibilities, grading papers.

The number of weekends she?s been able to put the work away: 0.

Schmauder, who is in her third year of teaching after 15 years with the Department of Defense, said she either needs more help or less students. Neither is an option about which she is optimistic, given the system?s budget forecast.

?What I know is that I can?t sustain this,? said Schmauder, who said she feels like she is missing out on her children?s lives.

Outlook and Solutions

The system?s proposed budget includes a 1 percent market rate adjustment for all teachers ? but the modest increase isn?t enough to keep up with teacher workload, they say.

Administrators have also said they?re worried it isn?t enough to keep the system competitive with other jurisdictions, either.

Teachers called on administrators ? from the superintendent to the leadership team to the leaders of each of the system?s clusters ? to spend more time in schools, shadowing teachers to get a better understanding of what their day is like.

When teachers do give leadership feedback about best practices or pilots, it?s often not reflected in what is handed back to them, teachers said Monday, pointing to the recent widely-criticized rollout of an online math textbook ?program.

Megan McLaughlin (Braddock) said Monday it seemed ?the feedback that comes from the front lines doesn?t always come back effectively at the top.?

What?s more, teachers said, students are suffering, too. There?s no time left to host colonial days, or work math into a lesson on cooking ? the kind of hands-on activities that bring concepts full circle and keep school experiences from being a string of ?factoids,? teachers said.

Schultz said the board is in a better position than in years past to act on some of the issues outlined because ?the tenor of the board has changed,? she said.

There are more people willing to ask difficult questions and have ?actual engagement,? she said.

?The reason we ask difficult questions is because our decisions have consequences, and this is the bad side of those consequences,? she said. ?We need to have actual engagement. We need to listen to the public.?

FCFT President Steve Greenburg and school board members said Monday was not the end of the dialogue ? it was the beginning of a path that would hopefully lead at last to some solutions.

?We all want our kids to succeed,? board member Patty Reed (Providence) said, offering her support to a better classroom environment. ?Let?s not forget that.?

See also:

Teacher Pay a Heavy Topic at Schools Hearing

Compensation, Achievement Gaps Weigh on School Budget Hearing

Curriculum Plan Raises Equity, Policy Issues

Teachers To School Board: 'Our Members Will Be Heard One Way Or Another'

Teachers Say They?re Overworked

This article has been updated.

Source: http://vienna.patch.com/articles/fairfax-county-teachers-i-can-t-sustain-this

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Nestle buys U.S. medical foods firm Pamlab

ZURICH (Reuters) - Nestle has agreed to buy U.S. medical foods company Pamlab, the latest in a string of recent acquisitions as the world's biggest food group expands in health and nutrition.

Nestle Health Science, which was set up in 2011 as the Swiss-based firm seeks to profit from growing demand for medical foods from an ageing population, said it was not disclosing terms of the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval.

Pamlab, which was founded in 1987 and employs over 300 staff, makes medical foods for patients with conditions including diabetic peripheral neuropathy, dementia, depression and high-risk pregnancy.

"Pamlab will particularly strengthen our brain health platform and provide us an additional foothold in metabolic health in the U.S.," Luis Cantarell, head of Nestle Health Science, said in a statement.

Last year, Nestle bought a stake in U.S. firm Accera, which makes a medical food brand for Alzheimer's patients.

It has also acquired U.S. firm Prometheus Laboratories, which makes tests and drugs for inflammatory bowel diseases, and UK-based CM&D Pharma Ltd, which makes a chewing gum for kidney patients.

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by David Cowell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nestle-buys-u-medical-foods-firm-pamlab-064919785--finance.html

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analysing behavior through observing video gaming styles...

I play video games all the time, however I am called a genius when I talk to people. However if a typical teenager plays them, they tend to take a liking in subject matter such as masculinity, remarks by characters and tend to like the overall subject that they know, example: teen with sexist parent and poor parent figure, will like maybe DOOM, simply because it makes sense. Not likely someone like that could take a liking in a game like Halo 2. Me: I like Halo game, I like games that require a serious imagination. I am addicted to a game called EVE Online. These games that I play are responsible for the way I think, I could be the person who made these games and therefor I enjoy them because they have a significant likeness to my desires. example: space travel, future etc. They are typically games that offer a door to the players own desires.

It depends on the individual or player.
If that individual wants to, that individual can in a way play pretend. (simply)
and pretend what they desire and thus advance in those desires if they wish. This could be bad for someone who likes to be a thug in GTA or a renagade in Mass Effect, I imagine that individual/player tends to do similar actions in real life. (example: aggressive, psycho, narcissistic) (of course ranging from very mild to extreme behavior such as complete evil psycho path, or some guy who likes to punch walls) With me and others alike me (people with brains or semi brains or just a tiny ant brain), Games offer something great, so much so they are assets. Such as Star Trek is with Scientist and collage students back in time, they could be inspiring.

No problems on the health side in my opinion, it's all strictly mental. Also if I wasn't clear in that first part, I'm not a typical 17 year old. Basically I think that we should stop making games like GTA and make games like HALO or Mass Effect and most definitely games like EVE Online!

The same can be said for violent TV and cinema. It's the people. We will continue to make shitty just terrible subject matter for shirty & terrible people for $ (the better humanity point of view words not meant literally)

Source: http://www.thescienceforum.com/new-hypotheses-ideas/33853-analysing-behavior-through-observing-video-gaming-styles.html

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Travel insurance get-out clauses - February - 2013 - Which? News

26 February 2013

Which? research has revealed the most common reasons why travel insurers turn down claims because of clauses in the small print.

We found members were getting what they felt were legitimate claims turned down because of small print covering the health of relatives, how an incident was reported, how belongings were monitored, and taxes.

We looked at details of policies after we asked more than 9,000 Which? members about their experience of making insurance claims. Of the members who had made travel insurance claims in the previous two years, 10% had a claim rejected.?

Travel insurance claims

This was higher than any other sector and nearly double that of home and phone sectors, which had the next highest rate of rejection.?

Travel insurance also had a lower rate of satisfaction with claims, scoring 66% compared to the 75% average of the other sectors we looked at.

Many members complained about their treatment when they had to cancel a holiday because a relative was ill. They had claims rejected because the insurer argued that the relatives' conditions were pre-existing and should have been declared.

Medical insurance claims

This included one case involving what doctors confirmed was a 'sudden and unexpected' death of a customer's son-in-law the day before the holiday was due to start.

Some insurers say medical conditions of relatives as distant as cousins must be declared on buying a policy. We think this is unreasonable as it requires consumers to ask all their extended family about their health before buying a policy. Other insurers say you must declare only relatives' conditions you are aware of. We think this is slightly better.

Theft and loss claims

Another common reason for rejection was insurers saying customers had not reported a lost or stolen item to police within 24 hours. One member had a claim turned down for that reason even though they lost their glasses on a cruise ship.

It's reasonable to ask for evidence that an item is lost, but we don't think lost items should have to be reported to police within 24 hours. We prefer insurance terms that say lost or stolen items should be reported to relevant authorities as soon as possible.

Insurers also rejected claims because they said stolen items were not properly supervised. This included items that were only a few feet away from a customer on a crowded train, and others that were out of sight for only a second in a hotel.

Lost baggage claims

Insurers have to be reasonable when they decide what is unattended, and the Financial Services Ombudsman has upheld complaints against insurers who have been too strict - including one who refused to pay a claim for baggage that was lost after it was given to a hotel porter.

Many members who had to cancel a flight complained about insurers refusing to pay for the taxes element of the fare, which in one case made up nearly half of a ?1,100 ticket. When insurers do this, it means customers have to claim the taxes back from airlines, who normally charge an admin fee, which can sometimes be as much as the tax.

Although it may be reasonable for insurers to ask customers to try the airline first, if the airline refuses or charges an admin fee that cancels out the refund, the Financial Services Ombudsman thinks insurers should pay.

We advise checking insurers terms and conditions in these areas before you buy a policy. Ideally, you should check all the terms and conditions before buying a policy.

A Which? spokesperson said, 'If you have a claim rejected, the financial ombudsman can take up your case if an appeal with the insurer fails.'

More on this...

Source: http://www.which.co.uk/news/2013/02/travel-insurance-get-out-clauses--311345/

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Frontier Communications' Awesome Broadband Offer for Residential ...

Residential offer includes three-year price lock, no contract, no early termination fee and no law degree to understand!

STAMFORD, Conn.?(BUSINESS WIRE)? Frontier Communications Corporation (NYSE:FTR, news, filings), the largest communications services provider focused on rural America, has a simple and affordable broadband offer for residential and commercial consumers in its markets.

Residential customers ordering Frontier broadband for the first time can start at just $19.99/month with a qualifying phone service. The offer includes a three-year price lock on voice and broadband, no contract and no early termination fees. There?s no Internet activation fee and a free self-installation kit is available in most areas. This $19.99 offer is also open to current Frontier phone customers who subscribe to a Digital Phone and new broadband service. Residential customers can purchase higher speed packages, where available, at equally attractive rates.

Frontier?s voice and broadband offer for commercial customers starts at just $69.99/month and includes free installation when a two- or three-year plan is selected. Businesses may also purchase higher-speed packages where available.

Cecilia K. McKenney, Executive Vice President of Administrative Services at Frontier, noted that the offer is about more than a great price. ?It gives consumers an awesome amount of flexibility and choice. By offering new broadband speed tiers to residential and commercial customers and eliminating contracts and early termination fees on our residential offers, we are truly simplifying the broadband experience.? She added that the commercial offer includes new broadband speed tiers, all-in pricing and price protection plans.

?This offer reflects our belief that great products and service are key to delighting new and current voice customers,? said Mrs. McKenney. ?We?re throwing out the traditional ways companies `tie up? residential customers and providing price protection options for commercial customers because we are confident consumers will respond to offers that don?t require a law degree to understand.?

To take full advantage of this limited time offer, call 1-800.921.8101 for details or visit www.frontier.com/simplechoice.

About Frontier Communications

Frontier Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: FTR) is an S&P 500 company and is included in the FORTUNE 500 list of America?s largest corporations. Frontier offers broadband, voice, satellite video, wireless Internet data access, entertainment services like TumTiki.com, data security solutions, bundled offerings and specialized bundles for residential customers, small businesses and home offices and advanced business communications for medium and large businesses in 27 states. Frontier?s approximately 14,700 employees are based entirely in the United States. More information is available at www.frontier.com.

Frontier Communications
Steve Crosby, 916-686-3333
steven.crosby@ftr.com

Source: Frontier Communications Corporation

News Provided by Acquire Media

PR Archives: Latest, By Company, By Date

Source: http://newswire.telecomramblings.com/2013/02/frontier-communications-awesome-broadband-offer-for-residential-and-commercial-consumers/

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Tips and Tricks for Medical and Healthcare SEO | Blogtipz.Net

In this article we are going to tell you some nice tips and tricks regarding SEO of your healthcare websites. Search Engine Optimization is a key to increase your online business through attraction of targeted traffic to your website or Blog. But remember that your targeted viewer will only be able to reach your website if your ranking in search engines is higher. You must be well aware that search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing are very austere in rating websites. No matter what subject a website or a blog is about they monitor the content of a website to check whether it is fresh, up-to date, informative and has viewership. They adopt this policy for people are continuously looking for new and fresh information on the internet. People never go for sites that contain bland, stale, obsolete and unnecessary useless information.
Importance of SEO for Healthcare Business

So does apply to the websites on healthcare for any potential visitors searching for medical information. Like any other business marketing is very important for healthcare business as well. It promotes the business of doctors, hospital and clinic owners, chemists and pharmaceutical companies and surgeons and therapists. When, being a doctor, a chemist?s store owner, a dental surgeon, a physician or a therapist, you are marketing online to enhance your business and exploiting potential clientele by attracting targeted visitors it is quite helpful to optimize your website for the Search Engines. It will bring about some awesome results to you and your business.

Why is it Important?

A number of people around the world browse internet daily for medical information and therapies to sort out their healthcare issues. Some studies have revealed that nearly two-third of web surfers are looking for some kind of medical information. Now if you are running some sort of business related to healthcare and not getting the desired results from your online marketing and business promotion efforts, then here we come to solve your problems.

Follow our simple tips and tricks to achieve the target. Though the basic rules are the same for SEO for almost all kinds of businesses yet there are some extra tricks you need to employ for boosting your medical related business. It is tricky and a tactful strategy for SEO can work great by fortifying the growth of your business.

What Healthcare SEO is Likely to Offer You

It has several advantages of which some are:

• Increases the rating of your website and as result gives you a higher ranking.
• More targeted traffic leading to increased revenues.
• Your brand, clinic, drug store, hospital and any other related outfit is projected.
• Patients are satisfied and direct other potential customers to you as well.
• Your credibility increases and your reliability is strengthened.
• You get feed backs which have a great importance to check and control any flaws and limitations and ultimately you are able to sort out new plans and strategies to satisfy your customers and enhance your business.
• Interaction with patients increases leading to your experience and expertise in the field.

What Healthcare SEO Tricks to Employ

So, here comes the final episode of our article what you have been impatiently looking for. Need to know what SEO tricks you require for the better optimization in the search engines. You don?t need much expertise or deep knowledge. Just follow our tips and tricks given below.

• Select your keywords and phrases carefully and properly keeping in mind what you are giving your clients online. Unnecessary and unrelated keywords will just make it a futile effort. Identify keywords that your healthcare business should target by extensive keyword research.
• Your content must be rich in your selected keywords and phrases. Their selection, repetition and expert deployment is very necessary.
• You had better buy services from a reputable company having longstanding experience in providing SEO for healthcare business. They will surely improve your online presence in popular social medial sites.
• You had better advertise your services and products through Facebook, Twitter, Linkden, Pinterest and other social media channels by communicating to you followers and potential customers. This would also increase your viewership.
• Concentrate on social media optimization and article marketing through employment of the services of reputable companies or individuals in this field.
• Create optimized Title and Meta tags using your own efforts or through the services of related SEO companies.
• Link building is another important aspect in this regard. Try to build more and more links to attract targeted traffic.
• Use Customized Facebook Fan page for increasing traffic on your site and drawing potenetial customers to your website.
• E-mail campaigns and Pay Per Click (PPC) is another effective trick in this regard.

So, if you employ these professional healthcare SEO tips and tricks you can intensify the online publicity of your healthcare organization and consequently enhance your revenue.

Hopefully you will like this article same as our previous posts. We always give respect to our reputable readers by providing the latest and informative knowledge. Again if you need any assistance or tips feel free to contact us at info[at]blogtipz.net and visit www.blogtipz.net. We always appreciate your advises and comments.

?Learn Best For The Rest, remember blogtipz dot net?

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Source: http://www.blogtipz.net/2013/02/tips-and-tricks-for-medical-and.html

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USA-Canada Tuesday on Fox Soccer

[SOCCER ON THE AIR] Fox Soccer's coverage of the Concacaf Under-20 Championship from Puebla, Mexico, continues with the quarterfinals. The four quarterfinal pairings: USA-Canada and Cuba-Costa Rica on Tuesday and Panama-El Salvador and Mexico-Jamaica on Wednesday. For the complete schedule ...

Feb. 26 Quarterfinals: USA vs. Canada, 6 p.m.
Feb. 26 Quarterfinals: Cuba vs. Costa Rica, 9 p.m.
Feb. 27 Quarterfinals: Panama vs. El Salvador, 6 p.m.
Feb. 27 Quarterfinals: Mexico vs. Jamaica, 9 p.m.
March 1 Semifinals: QF 1 Winner vs. QF 2 Winner, 6 p.m.
March 1 Semifinals: QF 3 Winner vs. QF 4 Winner, 9 p.m.
March 3 Third-Place Game SF 1 Loser vs. SF 2 Loser, 4 p.m.
March 3 Final: SF 1 Winner vs. SF 2 Winner, 7 p.m.

Source: http://www.socceramerica.com/article/50493/usa-canada-tuesday-on-fox-soccer.html

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Microsoft says small number of its computers hacked

Staff , Reuters ? ? ? 8 hrs.

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Friday a small number of its computers, including some in its Mac software business unit, were infected with malware, but there was no evidence of customer data being affected and it is continuing its investigation.

The world's largest software company said the security intrusion was "similar" to recent ones reported by Apple Inc and Facebook Inc.

The incident, reported on one of the company's public blogs happened "recently", but Microsoft said it chose not to make any statement publicly while it gathered information about the attack.

"This type of cyberattack is no surprise to Microsoft and other companies that must grapple with determined and persistent adversaries," said Matt Thomlinson, general manager of Trustworthy Computing Security at Microsoft, in the company's blog post.

Over the past week or so, both Apple and Facebook said computers used by employees were attacked after visiting a software developer website infected with malicious software.

The attacks come at a time of broader concern about computer security.

Newspaper websites, including those of The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, have been infiltrated recently. Earlier this month U.S. President Barack Obama issued an executive order seeking better protection of the country's critical infrastructure from cyber attacks.

(Reporting By Bill Rigby; Editing by Gary Hill and Andrew Hay)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/microsoft-says-small-number-its-computers-hacked-1C8513890

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Malaysia recognised for being able to preserve Chinese culture ? Wong

Daily Express - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

Printer Friendly Kota Kinabalu: The Government spent about RM604.8 million to manage non-Malaysian prisoners in four prisons in Sabah sfrom 2006 until October 2012. Sabah Prisons Deputy ...

No issue among the Sabah BN parties Muhy

Daily Express - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

Printer Friendly NABAWAN: Sabah is developing rapidly under the Barisan Nasional (BN) government and leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the Federal level and Chief Minister ...

Bugis NGO denies any role

Daily Express - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

Printer Friendly Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Bugis Community Association denied any involvement in the issuance of Malaysian identity cards (ICs) to foreigners who came to Sabah illegally. Its ...

Sabah standoff Clock is ticking for armed group

Asia News Network - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

The clock is ticking away for the Sulu armed group holed up at the Tanduo village as the Sunday deadline draws near with no sign of them giving up peacefully. Reports emerged that the group by Raja ...

Lahad Datu stand-off The clock is ticking for armed group

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

LAHAD DATU: The clock is ticking away for the Sulu armed group holed up at the Tanduo village as the Sunday deadline draws near with no sign of them giving up peacefully. Reports emerged that the ...

Sea gypsies unable to go near good fishing spots

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

TANJUNG LABIAN (LAHAD DATU): The free roaming life of the Sulu Sea gypsies or pelahus has been in choppy waters for the past two weeks. The gypsies have managed well in conquering the high seas but ...

Malaysia deports 736 Indonesian migrant workers

bruvoice - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands (ANTARA News) ? Malaysia has in the past three days deported 736 Indonesian problematic migrant workers through Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands, a migrant worker ...

Rais Don?t neglect arts and culture

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

KOTA BARU: Malaysians must place importance on arts and culture to ensure that the identity of its multi-racial population will be passed on to future generations. Information, Communications ...

Najib Vote Barisan for a far better future

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

says. "As for DAP, a vote for them will see Islam being oppressed. "A vote for Barisan Nasional will mean voting for a far better future for you, the future generation and the ...

Outlets not stocking clothes that fit plus-size women

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

PETALING JAYA: For plus-size women, buying new clothes for work and play may be harder than expected. Some are complaining that several popular international boutiques have begun cutting back on ...

Mechanisms in place to ensure patient safety

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

1. System-wide mechanisms have been established to ensure that patients are safe, including: > National Incident Reporting and Learning system (for government hospitals and clinics and dental ...

No room for mistakes in healthcare

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

For those in jobs that deal with human lives, an oops' moment is mostly inexcusable. DR Beatrice (not her real name) is no stranger to performing surgery and saving lives. At 40, this surgeon ...

MAS to begin KL-Paris flights daily on A380 from March 1

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

will begin daily operations for its Kuala Lumpur-Paris-Kuala Lumpur route on March 1 with the arrival of its fifth superjumbo Airbus A380. The A380 touched down at the Kuala Lumpur International ...

A hot hot fight

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

IT looks set to be a real fight in the coming general election with campaigners from both sides feeding the media with their own declaration of victory, complete with the estimated number of seats, ...

Orange-tossing tradition originates from Hokkien folk in southern China

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

PETALING JAYA: The tradition of throwing oranges during Chap Goh Meh originated from the Hokkiens in southern China. Historically, Hokkien men would throw small drums into the water while the women ...

Australia to tighten worker visa plan

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

MELBOURNE: The Australian Government is cracking down on the visa scheme for temporary overseas workers, saying it has evidence the programme is being used to discriminate against ...

Carnival air at Penang Chap Goh Meh

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

GEORGE TOWN: Thousands of people thronged Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling here to enjoy a night of culture and tradition at the Penang Chinese Town Hall's (PCTH) Malam Chap Goh Meh celebration. A ...

MCA will contest Wangsa Maju seat says Liow

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

. "This seat has always been a MCA seat and it is a winnable seat. There is no indication that we want to swap any seat at all," he said. Online portals have reported that Wangsa Maju MCA ...

Sulu group must leave today

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

LAHAD DATU: Malaysia has extended the deadline for the Sulu armed group to move out of Tanduo village and return home to today, following a request from the Philippines. The Philippine Government ...

Man with red IC removed from electoral roll RCI told

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

KOTA KINABALU: The name of a businessman who held a red identity card was removed from the electoral roll for the 2008 general election, the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Sabah's illegal ...

All aboard the Keretapi Sarong

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR: Self-employed Maej Azripedita loves dressing up as his favourite comic characters but this time his Spider-Man costume came with a sarong. "My mother suggested tying the sarong ...

Stream for the Oscars

The Star - Saturday 23rd February, 2013

Log in to the Red FM or Capital FM websites for some exclusive content on the Academy Awards tomorrow. HOLLYWOOD'S biggest film event the 85th Academy Awards is happening tomorrow morning ...

Source: http://www.malaysianews.net/index.php/sid/212782355/scat/48cba686fe041718

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Apple signals emerging-market rethink with India push

NEW DELHI/BANGALORE (Reuters) - As BlackBerry launches the first smartphone from its make-or-break BB10 line in India, one of its most loyal markets, the company faces new competition from a formidable rival that has long had a minimal presence in the country.

More than four years after it started selling iPhones in India, Apple Inc is now aggressively pushing the iconic device through installment payment plans that make it more affordable, a new distribution model and heavy marketing blitz.

"Now your dream phone" at 5,056 rupees ($93), read a recent full front-page ad for an iPhone 5 in the Times of India, referring to the initial payment on a phone priced at $840, or almost two months' wages for an entry-level software engineer.

The new-found interest in India suggests a subtle strategy shift for Apple, which has moved tentatively in emerging markets and has allowed rivals such as Samsung and Blackberry to dominate with more affordable smartphones. With the exception of China, all of its Apple stores are in advanced economies.

Apple expanded its India sales effort in the latter half of 2012 by adding two distributors. Previously it sold iPhones only through a few carriers and stores it calls premium resellers.

The result: iPhone shipments to India between October and December nearly tripled to 250,000 units from 90,000 in the previous quarter, according to an estimate by Jessica Kwee, a Singapore-based analyst at consultancy Canalys.

At The MobileStore, an Indian chain owned by the Essar conglomerate, which says it sells 15 percent of iPhones in the country, iPhone sales tripled between December and January, thanks to a monthly payment scheme launched last month.

"Most people in India can't afford a dollar-priced phone when the salaries in India are rupee salaries. But the desire is the same," said Himanshu Chakrawarti, its chief executive.

Apple, the distributors, retailers and banks share the advertising and interest cost of the marketing push, according to Chakrawarti. Carriers like Bharti Airtel Ltd, which also sell the iPhone 5, run separate ads.

India is the world's No. 2 cellphone market by users, but most Indians can't afford fancy handsets. Smartphones account for just a tenth of total phone sales. In India, 95 percent of cellphone users have prepaid accounts without a fixed contract. Unlike in the United States, carriers do not subsidize handsets.

Within the smartphone segment, Apple's Indian market share last quarter was just 5 percent, according to Canalys, meaning its overall penetration is tiny.

Still, industry research firm IDC expects the Indian smartphone market to grow more than five times from about 19 million units last year to 108 million in 2016, which presents a big opportunity.

Samsung Electronics dominates Indian smartphone sales with a 40 percent share, thanks to its wide portfolio of Android devices priced as low as $110. The market has also been flooded by cheaper Android phones from local brands such as Micromax and Lava.

Most smartphones sold in India are much cheaper than the iPhone, said Gartner analyst Anshul Gupta.

"Where the masses are - there, Apple still has a gap."

'I LOVE INDIA, BUT...'

Apple helped create the smartphone industry with the iPhone in 2007, but last year lost its lead globally to Samsung whose free Android software is especially attractive in Asia.

Many in Silicon Valley and Wall Street believe the surest way to penetrate lower-income Asian markets would be with a cheaper iPhone, as has been widely reported but never confirmed. The risk is that a cheap iPhone would cannibalize demand for the premium version and eat into Apple's peerless margins.

The new monthly payment plan in India goes a long way to expanding the potential market, said Chakrawarti.

"The Apple campaign is not meant for really the regular top-end customer, it is meant to upgrade the 10,000-12,000 handset guy to 45,000 rupees," he said.

Apple's main focus for expansion in Asia has been Greater China, including Taiwan and Hong Kong, where revenue grew 60 percent last quarter to $7.3 billion.

Asked last year why Apple had not been as successful in India, Chief Executive Tim Cook said its business in India was growing but the group remained more focused on other markets.

"I love India, but I believe that Apple has some higher potential in the intermediate term in some other countries," Cook said. "The multi-layer distribution there really adds to the cost of getting products to market," he said at the time.

Apple, which has partly addressed that by adding distributors, did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Ingram Micro Inc, one of its new distributors, also declined comment. Executives at Redington (India) Ltd, the other distributor, could not immediately be reached.

BlackBerry, which has seen its global market share shrivel to 3.4 percent from 20 percent over the past three years, is making what is seen as a last-ditch effort to save itself with the BB10 series.

The high-end BlackBerry Z10 to be launched in India on Monday is expected to be priced not far from the 45,500 rupees price tag for an iPhone 5 with 16 gigabytes of memory. Samsung's Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2, Nokia's Lumia 920 and two HTC Corp models are the main iPhone rivals.

Until last year, Blackberry was the No. 3 smartphone brand in India with market share of more than 10 percent, thanks to a push into the consumer segment with lower-priced phones. Last quarter its share fell to about 5 percent, putting it in fifth place, according to Canalys. Apple was sixth.

($1 = 54.2000 Indian rupees)

(Additional reporting by Aradhana Aravindan in MUMBAI and Poornima Gupta in SAN FRANCISCO; Editing by Tony Munroe and Mark Bendeich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apple-signals-emerging-market-rethink-india-push-210352186--finance.html

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El Chapo Guzman: Dead ? or Not!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/el-chapo-guzman-dead-dot-dot-dot-or-not/

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Viking's New Stadium Will Accommodate Baseball

The Minnesota Vikings' new football stadium will be designed to accommodate a baseball field.

The Vikings and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority announced agreement Friday on a multi-use field configuration for the $975 million stadium.

The Minnesota Twins left the Metrodome for their own new ballpark at Target Field in 2010. But the Minnesota Gophers and other college and prep baseball teams want to play early-season games in the Vikings' new stadium.

Under the agreement, the new stadium will feature a 26-foot-high right field wall, retractable seats on the north sideline and removable dugouts.

Plans now call for the Metrodome to be torn down early next year and for the new stadium to be ready to open by July 1, 2016.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Source: http://greaterminnesota.kstp.com/news/news/186357-vikings-new-stadium-will-accommodate-baseball

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ATandT Agrees Wage Deal with Labour Union Covering 20,000 Staff

Published on: 23rd Feb 2013

?USA based AT&T says that it has reached a tentative agreement with the Communications Workers of America union (CWA) in contract negotiations covering more than 20,000 AT&T Mobility employees in 36 states and the District of Columbia.

The four-year agreement covers Mobility employees generally in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain States and West Coast.

The agreement, which is subject to ratification, covers wages, pension, disability and work rules. Health care and other benefits are bargained separately. CWA members in October ratified a separate four-year benefit agreement for all CWA-bargained Mobility employees nationwide.

AT&T added that it will not comment on details of the agreement until it has been presented to members by their leadership.

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Tags: [at&t]? [cwa]? [USA]?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cellular-news/LmiX/~3/vwLMVPcSU-s/58753.php

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New York Times Closes Environment Desk | Reality Sandwich

According to?Inside Climate News, The New York Times will shut down its environment desk and assign its seven reporters and two editors to other departments. The positions of environment editor and deputy environment editor will be eliminated, and no decision has been made about the Green Blog, the content of which comes from the environment desk.

"It wasn't a decision we made lightly," said Dean Baquet, managing editor for news operations. "Coverage of the environment is what separates The New York Times from other papers. We devote a lot of resources to it, now more than ever. We have not lost any desire for environmental coverage. This is purely a structural matter."

The Times announced on Dec. 3 that it was offering buyouts to 30 newsroom managers to cut costs. Baquet said the decision to dismantle the environment desk wasn't linked to budgetary concerns and that no one is expected to lose their job.

The structural change was influenced by changes in news reporting that have taken place over the past few years. Back when the desk was created in 2009, the environmental beat was seen as "singular and isolated," Baquet said. Environmental stories today are "partly business, economic, national or local, among other subjects. They are more complex. We need to have people working on the different desks that can cover different parts of the story."

"Climate change is one of the few subjects so important that we need to be oblivious to cycles and just cover it as hard as we can all the time," said assistant managing editor Glenn Kramon. "Fortunately, we still have those repeaters who cover climate change so well, and we expect to cover the subject just as aggressively going forward."

Beth Parke, executive director of the Society of Environmental Journalists, said that solid environmental coverage doesn't require a dedicated team, although the Times' decision is "worrying."

"Dedicated teams bring strength and consistency to the task of covering environment-related issues," Parke said. "It's always a huge loss to see them dismantled ? It's not necessarily a weakening to change organizational structure, but it does seem to be a bad sign."

Dan Fagin, director of Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program at New York University, said he is disappointed by the Times' announcement. "The New York Times has too much editorial integrity to abandon its environmental coverage completely. But if you don't have the editorial structure to support the kind of commitment needed to do both daily coverage and deeper investigative and explanatory work, it is hard to imagine that you could keep the same level of intensity."

Baquet said he will be responsible for the consistency of the Times' environmental coverage. "My goal is to make sure we're producing the same level of work," he said.

Readers will have to judge the Times' output during the next few months to see if this structural change has an impact on the quality of its environmental coverage. Environmental conditions affect everyone on the planet; hopefully the Times can continue to publish high-quality news articles despite this structural change.

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Image by?JD Hancock, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

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Source: http://www.realitysandwich.com/new_york_times_closes_environment_desk

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Rape and killing of 3 young sisters shocks India

NEW DELHI (AP) ? Police were searching villages in western India on Friday for suspects in the rape and killing of three young sisters, as Indians still angry over the fatal gang rape of a woman on a New Delhi bus in December face another heinous sexual attack.

The bodies of the sisters ? aged 7, 9 and 11 ? were found Feb. 16 in a village well in Bhandara district in Maharashtra after they had gone missing from school two days earlier, said police officer Abhinav Deshmukh. The area is more than 1,000 kilometers (630 miles) south of New Delhi, the capital.

The victims' mother said police did not take the case seriously and did nothing for several days until villagers held protests.

Deshmukh said Friday that 10 teams of 30 investigators were working on the case and that he was confident they would find the killers soon.

Police first dismissed the deaths as accidental, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. The girls' mother accused police of a shoddy investigation and said they did nothing for two days. Enraged villagers forced shops to close, burned tires and blocked a national highway passing in the area for hours earlier this week, demanding justice.

Police eventually registered a case of rape and murder after a post-mortem of the girls found that they had been sexually abused and brutally killed, PTI said.

One police officer has been suspended for not acting promptly, Indian Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel, who represents Bhandara district in Parliament, said Thursday.

Cabinet Minister Manish Tewari called the killings a "very, very heinous assault" and said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was sending 1 million rupees ($18,300) to the girls' family.

The case has horrified Indians two months after they were outraged by the gang rape and killing of a young woman on a moving New Delhi bus.

The gang rape sparked nationwide protests about India's treatment of women and spurred the government to hurry through a new package of laws to protect them.

The gang rape victim and her male friend, who also was badly beaten up in the attack, were dumped naked on the roadside, and the woman died from her injuries two weeks later in a Singapore hospital. Five men are being tried on rape and murder charges in that case, while a sixth, who is underage, is in juvenile court.

A new law enacted by the government has increased the prison sentences for rape from the existing seven to 10 years to a maximum of 20 years. It also provides for the death penalty in extreme cases of rape that result in death or leave the victim in a coma.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rape-killing-3-young-sisters-shocks-india-103625820.html

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Civil society condemn killing of Hazara community | Pakistan News

Islamabad,? The representatives of Insaani Huqooq Ithehad Network, Hazara for Humanity, EVAW-G alliance, Women s Action Forum and Hazara Youth Group condemned the recent incident of Hazara community killing in Quetta.

They were stated while addressing a press conformance on Thursday at National Press Club (NPC). The representatives of?? different organizations including Dr. Rakhshanda, Sajjad Changazi and others were also present.

They said that as we already know, the mentioned incident can be characterized as a blatant attempt of open genocide and ethnic cleansing of Pakistani Shias in general and Hazara s in particular.

They said that the civil society feels that the silence and ineffectiveness of these governmental institutions at this alarming situation is their criminal negligence.

They said the protection of the life and liberty of the citizens is among the basic responsibilities of the state. In the past three decades, the security establishment has failed to fulfill its responsibility in this regard, they added.

They said that in conclusion, based on the overall situation in Pakistan and Balochistan in particular? while demanding a true democratic system which cherishes the values of peace, harmony and tolerance.

They also demanded to stop the genocide of the people of Hazara, their adequate protection, to immediately pay? compensations and the legal heirs to the families of the deceased, for best possible treatment for the injured and the initiation of specific and effective operations targeting banned extremist and terrorist organizations in order to protect the Hazara community in particular.

They said that the civil society rejects military intervention in Balochistan and wants the civil administration to play an effective role to ensure the writ of the state and public tranquility.

They said that the civil society also demanded that all political parties join hands in order to devise a consensual policy on this issue while leaving aside any political differences. If this is not done on an immediate basis, it will prove to be harmful for the national security of Pakistan, they added.

After the press conference, the representatives and activists of?? different organizations have gathered outside of the National Press Club and held a protest. They also were chanting slogans in against the killing of Hazara community in Quetta.

Source: http://pakistan.onepakistan.com.pk/news/city/islamabad/182985-civil-society-condemn-killing-of-hazara-community.html

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Lil Wayne On NBA & Heat Comments

Wednesday, February 20 2013 9:41 PM EST | Posted by: Big Homie | Posted in: Blog, True Story

Lil Wayne dialed into 99 Jamz this evening to clarify his controversial comments on the NBA and the Miami Heat during All-Star weekend. Here?s what you missed.

Part 1: Says he doesn?t regret any of his comments, but takes back ?Fuck LeBron? because of his relationship with him and his mom.

Part 2:?Apologizes to the cit of Miami. Says his gripe with the Heat stems from words with Dwyane Wade and says he did not get removed from the American Airlines Arena.

Part 3:?Confirms he was denied to participate in the Slam Dunk contest and performance with Alicia Keys.?He also clarified his banned comment and spoke on his conversation with David Stern.

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Tags: lil wayne, miami heat, nba

Source: http://rapradar.com/2013/02/20/lil-wayne-on-nba-heat-comments/

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Visual Graphic Design Conference February 2013 | Bemmygail

February 9, 2013 at 11 AM, was the Visual Graphic Design Conference in SM Cinema 2 Cebu. My much awaited conference this year has finally happened, and today I will be sharing my experience to everyone!

When I came to SM, it hasn?t started yet, and honestly, when there is a new conference like this next time I will surely be first on the line because it was soooo tiring to stand there and wait for the super long line, unless you have some co-workers or friends with you, it wouldn?t be that bad. But seriously, it was a bit frustrating, but anyway, it started officially at 11:30 AM and I am still glad about it.

It did not occupy the whole cinema 2, because the upper part is like maybe only 50%? was occupied, but the lower part is I think full of people.

It was a great experience, and I learned a lot. They have shared new information and updates about graphics, inspiring artworks, and life principles we can use to achieve our dreams.

Let me share to you what happened to the conference and also what I have learned.

As always, a conference will start by introducing what this is all about. The sponsors should be mentioned, what?s gonna happen, and the host will be the one to do this. She was one great host I think, she makes the whole conference wake up, and I think that should be the personality of a host.

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So here is the host;of the conference, I just want to tell you that I am not that good with names. So I forgot their names, and wasn?t that confident to chat with them though

Now let me share to you the speakers, and awesome experiences and wisdom they have shared.

The first one was?Alduane?Ma?o, he is an illustrator and apparel designer. So he creates designs for the t-shirts. Let me include the information from http://visualdesign.ph so that this is complete:

?Alduane Mano was born and raised in ?The Land of Promise?, Davao City. He is a self-taught graphic artist and illustrator. Alduane finished a degree in Civil Enginuering yet chose to pursue his heart for arts and media. His body of work ranges from posters, cd art to merch design, catering mainly the entertainment and clothing industry. Driven by a desire to uplift and influence this visual generation, Alduane started creating vintage looking ? cartoon based artworks for his local and international clientele?

I am sorry that the picture isn?t that good and clear. I took this at the very front, I made sure I can sit in the front so that I can understand everything and get so focused on the discussion. The picture above is when the host gave plaques of appreciation to all the speakers ? this was the last part. I can?t take photos of the speakers while they?re discussing because it was too dark, only the screen is clear.

Please see their site?http://visualdesign.ph?for their works, or search them on google or facebook. For me, I really searched all these speakers so that I can see the updates of their works, and get inspired everyday!

For Alduane, here is his facebook page:?http://www.facebook.com/AlduaneMano

He showed some awesome, cool, fantastic illustrations. I appreciate his artworks, I think they?re unique and unusual, but as a girl, I think the designs are so masculine. So maybe his clients are mostly males ? just a guess. But overall, the designs are unique and very creative. He is definitely a one of a kind artist!

Now let?s move on!

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He?s Charles Buenconsejo, and I think he is the weirdest, super unique and creative artist I have ever seen personally. Most artists express who they really are through their artworks, and this guy showed it through his character ? what people see ? and it completely comes out to all his artworks.

He?s a photographer by the way, and his photos are unique, sometimes I don?t understand why he took those pictures. An example of the picture he took (which I wasn?t able to capture) was a picture of a dead rat on the road. He took it HD, and the rat is so clear and gloomy. ?Of course, you all know that I don?t like gloomy, dark, deadly photos. But anyway, he uxpresses who he is through his artworks, and I appreciate that. There are a lot of ways you can express who you really are, and artwork is a great medium.

Let me paste the bio from vysualdesign.ph

?Charles Buenconsejo was born in 1984 and hails from the province of Cebu. A painting student in the Certificate of Fine Arts, UP Cebu, he moved on to experiment with photography after his father, also a photographer, introduced him to the gifts of the camera. He currently lives in Manila, dividing his time between personal projects, commercial and magqzine work?

To watch his works, please open visualdesign.ph, you can also try and google his artworks. Unfortunately, I wasn?t able to find his facebook page, I sure hope I could. I just found his website portfolio?with a contact email address, see:?http://www.every2nd.net/

Guys, just click the pictures if you want to see the full sizes alright?

Anyway, here?s Dan Matutina, he?s an illustrator and I find his artworks very impressive and creative. I remember my friends doing doodles on their notebooks when I saw his artworks. I think I should show you an example of his artwork which I find very creative, here?s one:

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See what I am talking about? His artworks are, I don?t know, it?s difficult to describe, maybe the perfect adjective here is ?speechless?? Hehehe

The artwork is, I think can be described as an illustrated, doodled, image with some noise on it. I don?t know, it?s just very unique, and beautiful. I am amazed!

?Dan Matutina is a designer and illustrator whose style is a mix of handmade and digital, clean and dirty, old and modern aesthetics. He loves mixing colors with different textures and shapes to tell a story. He is a co-founder and partner at Plus63 Design Co. His body of work include collaborations with GOOD Magazine, Google Think Quarterly, Mediatemple, WIRED, Rogue Magazine, Droga5 and other tech startups, ad agencies and design studios.

Aside from art and design, his other loves include coffee and turon.?

So yes, he can?t speak straight bisaya, because he?s from Leyte. He uses Tagalog, and English when he explained his crafts.

And yes of course, he created his own company/studio, and it was awesome. That?s my dream, to have my own studio as well, with ald the tools inside the room, all the tools you need to use to create what?s in your imagination, that?s what ?we always dreamed of as artists.?Don?t forget to open his works here:?http://twistedfork.me/?I also followed his twitter account for updates about his artworks.?https://twitter.com/danmatutina

Of course the fourth speaker, a cinematographer! He?s one of my much awaited speakers, and I really love to hear his experiences and discussion about cinematography.

He?s Don Frasco, and he explained a lot of ?nose-bleeding? terms about cinematography to us. I just took pictures of the notes on the screen. Maybe I can share those notes someday, maybe, if I fully understand what this is all about.

One thing I will never forget about his explanation, is that the cinematographer is the one who takes care of the light and exposure, so it?s more on the camera. And the production designer, will be the one to work for the art direction. I thought they?re just the same before, alright, it?s clear now.

He discussed a lot actually, and it wont fit here. So anyway, let me place his bio from visualdesign.ph

?Don Gerardo Frasco is a filmmaker trained in the art and craft of Cinematography. His skills derive from his initial education as a Still Photographer at the International Academy of Film and Television in 2006, and as a Director at the New York Film Academy in 2009. After graduating from the One-Year Filmmaking program, Don interned at XXXXMagazine under fashion photographer Indira Cesarine, shooting fashion videos for the online magazine. His freelance work includes experiences as Director of Photograhy, Gaffer, and Assistant Camera on several shoots. Don returned to the New York Film Academy in 2011 to complete the One-Year Cinematography program, where he became intimately experienced with the RED, 16mm, and 35mm.

Since then, Don has been the Cinematographer for over twenty short films, along with five fashion videos. He was also a creative consultant for John Henri Alston?s feature film, Red Butterfly. Don?s experience as a director has made him peerless in his sensitivity for lighting and camerawork. His cinematography is deeply influenced by the emotions of the characters, which makes his work subjective, unique, and powerful.?

By the way, his name sounds so rich, hehe, Don. I added him on facebook as well, maybe I could be updated for more cinematography topics he can share. Don?t know if he accepted me already, but I made sure to follow his public posts anyway.

But here is his main site:?http://www.donfrasco.com/

And I think he?s an owner of titay?s in Cebu? Just check out his facebook page and titay?s here:?http://www.facebook.com/titaysliloan and?http://www.facubook.com/donfrasco

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Dwynn Trazo ? I think this man?s job is probably one of the most challenging artistic job I?ve ever known. Oh my, he discusses what information graphics is all about, and what he does. My goodness, it?s very very challenging and needs lots and lots of brain storming and most especially research and research and research.

Here?s an example of his mind blowing work:

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When you open it, well lots of information are there. His job was to make a design in this whole page, that will fit lots and lots of information about the subject. It?s like journalism or essay writing, but the problem here is that you need to create a very intensive design. Which means that all the information are connected to the subject, so you need to create a design that creates connection, trivia, and squeezed specific information into the page. You?ll need to make lots ane lots of?analyzing. I am amazed by every pages he showed on the conference, he was like a teacher to the kids about, well very broad topics!

Anyway, here?s more info about him:

?Dwynn Trazo holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of San Carlos, graduating Cum Laude in 2001. He started as a Graphic Artist at Creatron (2001-2002) early in his career, then moved on to become Creative Supervisor at Bigfoot Global Solutions, Inc. maintaining various websites while briefly immersing himself in 3D projects.

In 2006, he accepted a position at Dubai-based media giant, Gulf News, as an Infographic Designer. It proved to be his best decision career-wise. Six years later, Dwynn has received 30 international awards and recognitions as visual journalist for Gulf News. That?s 25 Awards of Excellence and 1 Silver Award from SND (Society for News Design), 2 Golds and 1 Silver from WAN-IFRA (Asia Media Awards) and 1 Bronze from Malofiej (the infographic summit). Additionally, 5 of his editorial cartoons have also been recognized and published by the WPC (World Press Cartoon) for four straight years now. His eye for detail and structure, commitment, willingness and sense of leadership are what he considers the main traits that got him the accolades.

He is also a part-time musician and a lifetime fitness enthusiast.?

And unfortunately, I only found one page of him:?http://www.dwynntrazo.com/?and I think it wasn?t updated yet. He has a facebook page, it was?http://www.facebook.com/dwynn.trazo?but I haven?t seen any updates yet. Wish to see some updates about information graphics. But you can find some of his works through google images, so that you?ll see what I am talking about.

The best ice breaker of the day, Harvey Tolibao! Wohoo!

Yes, right, he?s one super noisy, loud, with awesome character artist. I kept laughing when it was his turn. His talent is very basic, but cool and he focused on it and look where is he now? He?s a great comic illustrator, his works are awesome, as in awesome and jaw-dropping drawings of superheroes, very detailed and you can really sense the years he invested in mastering the craft. He?s amazing, that?s all I can say.

You know what? He already worked in Marvel, and DC comics, all his hard work is paid off. He said he is from Mindanao, and asked his father, also an artist, that he wanted to go to Cebu because he believed that Cebu is the place for comic artists. He was a scholar in DOST and took IT in college, but still pursued drawing!

?Harvey Montecillo Tolibao hails from Malaybalay, Bukidnon. He studied Information Technology and held various jobs including furniture designer, cartoonist, graphic artist, illustrator, web designer, tattoo artist and messenger, but he was determined to pursue his dream of becoming a comic book artist.

In 2007, Marvel gave him his big break on the Iron Man Annual. Since then he has been working as a freelance artist for Marvel Comics and is popularly known for his mini-series in collaboration with Christopher Yost in ?Psyloc{e?, ?X-Men: Hellbound?, ?Uncanny X-Men? and variant covers for Heroes For Hire. In 2011, he worked on ?Star Wars Knights of the Republic? and ?New Guardians? in the Green Lantern series. In 2012, DC had a deck shuffling and created a new team which gave him the chance to work on the Green Arrow series with writer Ann Nocenti.?

Here?s his facebook, you?ll see some of his amazing artworks here:?http://www.facebook.com/harvey.tolibao

And the last but not the least, the animator! Gem Cadiz ? ?This is what I?ve been waiting for! He has an awesome, amazing skills in animation. And he showed us lots of videos of his reel, they are all super cool. I didn?t know that a movie could have a 370TB size in a hard drive! I didn?t understand some of the terms he used actually, like the shots, number of shots made in a sequence, ?I don?t quite understand those stuff yet. But I think I am familiar with the terms he used when he explained something about the use of Autodesk software and the cloth simulation. He uses 3ds Max in his reel, and the results were awesome.

The main thing asked by Singapore company ILM from him to work for transformers, was the use of cloth, he showed us his example, it was a girl dancing in pink Japanese dress. It was really great, and like I was just staring at the screen for his whole discussion, like?.oohhh myy goooddnees! He rocks!

?Gem Cadiz is a Creature Technical Director for Industrial Light and Magic under Lucasfilm Animation Singapore. He started doing 3d animations as a hobby back in 2004 and got his first job as a junior video editor in 2005. He then became a 3d generalist and got into infomercial work for 2 years and about a year and a half in architectural visualization as well. He?s been with Lucasfilm Singapore ever since he got into the Jedi Masters Program back in 2009 as a Creature Dev apprentice. He has had the privilege to work on great projects such as Rango, Transformers: 3 (Dark of the Moon), Transformers 3 The Ride (Universal Studios Singapore), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (anamated TV series), and more recently Pacific Rim.?

Here?s his facebook page:?http://www.facebook.com/rockgem3d?and of course his IMDB:?http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4263916/

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And here they are, the 7 speakers who helped us grow in our crafts as artists. We have the chance to ask questions, and the best question will be chosen to receive t-shirts from the sponsors.

I did not ask any question, hehe, I just can?t think of any question yet because I was amazed by their lives and stories.

Also, after every speaker, there is a raffle, and I wasn?t chosen and did not get any t-shirts and what?s so frustrating is that the last raffle prize will be a bamboo tablet) huhuhu, I know right?

Anyway, University of the Visayas, the sponsor of this event showcased their ?new school called the ?New Media and Design School?, they even showed pictures of the environment where students will be learning and get inspired with the fun environment. They also explained to us that they are opening 1 year diploma for graphics, 30k, 3 months basics and focusing on the major graphic learning?for 60k, and a 1 month intensive training for 15k.

They discussed the advantages about taking courses from their new school, one is ? ?no more minor subjects! I think that is s cool.

I have learned a lot because of this conference. One great thing that I?ll highlight would be the saying by Dwynn ?Everything is DESIGNED?. Harvey also told us that, money will never be an issue about reaching your dreams. Another inspiring words from Alduane is that, we should be humble and accept;criticisms, but at all times we should be very prepared because opportunities and chances will just show up anytime.

And lastly, we should also make sure to surround ourselves with people that are better than us

I guess that is all for today. We received some brochures, on this little bag from the conference, and there are other information from this brochure. I might be adding this information later.

So there, it ended 7 PM.

Make sure to check their site for the sponsors okay?

VISUALDESIGN.PH

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Source: http://bemmygail.com/blog/visual-graphic-design-conference-february-2013/

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