Sunday, September 30, 2012

KVEO and Navy Army Community Credit Union are looking to award someone in our co...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

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Central Florida Blogging Conference

Central Florida Blogging Conference

William Jackson, Tiffany Duhart and Lee Brown writers/bloggers from Jacksonville
and Orange Park, Florida recently participated in the Central Florida Blogger and Social
Media Conference, http://www.cflblogcon.com/ which is growing as a national and
international conference for bloggers. ?

CFLBCON http://www.cflblogcon.com/ is a 1 day conference in Orlando, Florida focusing
on blogging and social media content creation using multileveled digital tools. ?
The conference goals were to create a hyper focus on the sharing of technical knowledge,
blogging expertise and expanding social media ideas for application. The growing
involvement of Social Media is creating a paradigm shift in how people share information
(content), receive news (local, national, international) and interact with family and friends
through Social Networks; Facebook, Twitter, Nings, Youtube and other resources.

William, Tiffany and Lee represent Jacksonville and Orange Park as they travel to various
technology conferences sharpening their technical and writing/blogging skills. Since 2011
they have traveled to Blogging While Brown (Philadelphia), Bar Camp Blogging and
Technical Conference (Orlando), WordPress Conference (Orlando) and other venues
in Orlando, Jacksonville and surrounding areas of Florida.

They are Social Media experts that enjoy sharing their collective experiences, wisdom and
skills that help their community to grow in understanding the engagement and collaborative
abilities of Social Media and the intrinsic value of incorporating technology in everyday life.

William Jackson, M.Ed. is a STEM Educator, Blogger and presenter on Social Media
Safety, Bullying/Cyberbullying and Internet usage http://WilliamDJackson.com

Tiffany Duhart, Marketing and Outreach Consultant, is a Social Media Consultant ,
she provides workshops and seminars on Branding and Marketing using Social
Media tools http://tiffanyduhart.com/

Lee Brown, blogs on Social and Political issues, Travel and Food http://theintellective.com/

Each are respected in their communities as writers/bloggers and deeply involved in their
communities addressing social/educational issues, politics and improvements in their
communities.
?

Source: http://arlington.firstcoastnews.com/news/business/83676-central-florida-blogging-conference

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Should You Trust Your Gut? The Answer Is Yes.

Editor?s note:?Derek?Andersen?is the founder of?Startup Grind, a 30-city event series hosted in 15-countries that educates, inspires, and connects entrepreneurs.?He?s ex-Electronic Arts as well as the founder of Commonred. A few years ago I asked a successful entrepreneur for advice on what I should do with my latest product idea. His reply was simple. ?Trust your gut. What does your gut tell you?? I confidently replied,??That this is a $100MM business." To which he added, ?Then go for it.? So that?s exactly what we did. We went for it and a year later we didn?t have a $100MM business or even a $10MM business. We didn?t even have a?.ok I?ll stop there. But how did I get it so wrong? Is my gut untrustable? Was I wrong to follow it??Or was my stomach just acting up after a recent trip overseas??I recently sat down with Charles River Ventures?Partner?George Zachary?who has had his fair share of big successes.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/2qFmCmfGQQo/

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HP takes Open webOS 1.0 live, shows it supersized on a TouchSmart (video)

HP takes Open webOS 10 live, shows it supersized on a TouchSmart video

WebOS loyalists have been waiting a long, long time for HP's September launch of Open webOS, but the company has made good on its promise with not a moment to spare. Open webOS 1.0 is now available with core browser and e-mail apps, the Enyo 2.0 framework and enough hooks to allow porting to a platform of choice. To prove this last point, HP has gone so far as to port the software to a TouchSmart all-in-one -- a device just a tad larger than a Veer 4G. Lest anyone be hasty and get visions of developing a custom build for the TouchPad, though, they'd do well to remember both HP's disclaimer ruling out legacy support as well as word of the holes that exist in the current Open webOS release. The company needs time to offer open-sourced media support, a Bluetooth stack, advanced network management, faster rendering and newer versions of both Qt and WebKit. The curious can nonetheless try the OS in an emulator today, and intrepid developers can start building their own projects with the code and tools found at the source link.

Continue reading HP takes Open webOS 1.0 live, shows it supersized on a TouchSmart (video)

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Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Cosmology at University of ...

University of Oslo offers Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in the field of Cosmology, 2012 Norway

Study Subject(s):Study subject is Cosmology
Course Level:Level of Study is Postdoctoral
Scholarship Provider: ERC Starting Grant project
Scholarship can be taken at: Norway

Eligibility:
The candidates must have a PhD or other corresponding education equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in astronomy/astrophysics, computer science, applied mathematics or a related discipline. The main purpose of post-doctoral research fellowships is to qualify researchers for work in top academic positions within their disciplines.

Scholarship Open for International Students: Yes

Scholarship Open for Students of Following Countries: This scholarship is open for International students

Scholarship Description: The position is for up to three years (depending on starting date) and is funded by the ERC Starting Grant project ?Anisotropic Universe ? Fluke or Reality?? led by associate professor Hans Kristian Eriksen. This project aims at understanding whether previously reported anomalies in the WMAP sky maps are real or statistical/instrumental flukes, using modern statistical techniques. A major part of the work will include development of a CMB/LSS Gibbs sampler in Python, and a strong programming background is therefore required. The successful candidate is also expected to participate in ESA?s Planck experiment.

Number of awards offered: Not known

Tenure of award: The fellowship period is up to three years, depending on start date, and ending no later than December 31st 2015. No one can be appointed for more than one specified period at the same institution.

Value: 57 ? 65 (NOK 468 400 ? 542 900 per year, depending on qualifications and seniority)

Other Benefits:Not known

Selection criteria:Not known

Notification: Not known

How to Apply: Online, Application letter CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity) Copies of educational certificates, letters of recommendation, and a list of reference persons. A complete list of publications. The source code of a self-written computer program Names and contact details of two references who have been asked to send reference letters

Scholarship Application Deadline: 1 December 2012

Further Scholarship Information and Application

Similar Post:
PhD Research Fellowship
Doctoral Research Fellowship

Scholarship Tags: 2012, Cosmology, Fellowship, Norway, Oslo, Postdoctoral, research, University

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Important: Scholarship-Positions.com is not responsible for the content of any external websites linked to or referenced on this site.

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Source: http://scholarship-positions.com/postdoctoral-research-fellowship-in-cosmology-at-university-of-oslo-2012-norway/2012/09/29/

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Friday, September 28, 2012

Health articles on weight loss - HEALTH, BEAUTY & FITNESS

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Source: http://curryrecipe-jp.net/health-2/health-articles-on-weight-loss/

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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Asbestos Lawyer - Asbestos Cancer Signs and Symptoms | Exact ...

If you really find this article helpful Give it a PLUS from below and help us to spread it.

Asbestos, a deadly kind of cancer that attacks and also kills the walls. Individuals anywhere usually takes the symptoms of mesothelioma; it is an unique ailment that symptoms do not usually reveal themselves until from 20 to Fifty years after exposure to asbestos. First symptoms tend to be common, they often go dismissed or else confused with regard to symptoms of less severe ailments. For individuals and doctors, here is the most frustrating part of the disease. The latency time period of mesothelioma is extended; making the disease undiagnosable till its later phases when symptoms ultimately start to appear and also small can be done to slow the improvement of the disease. Even so, people start to feel and show mesothelioma two to three months earlier after being diagnosed.

Mesothelioma is a horrible cancer that is commonly caused by asbestos exposure. Unfortunate fact that many people in different country is poisoned by the deadly toxic numbers of asbestos. The deadly breathing in of asbestos fibers offended many people that cause all of them diseases like lung cancer.

Those people who are in fantastic risk to have Mesothelioma are the types who worked in the asbestos cancer law lawyer mesothelioma industry or in areas in which asbestos is used being a component of a product. A few who have mesothelioma worked for many years in work opportunities that have frequent exposure to asbestos. Every time that this nutrient is being , processed, stitched, sprayed or inflated, its microscopic fibers can be released in to the air, where they are often inhaled, initiating the development of mesothelioma.

The signs and symptoms of mesothelioma vary from situation to situation and with the severity of the illness. Type of mesothelioma ? whether pleural, peritoneal, or pericardial ? determines what are the signs might be. Most of the time, the typical overall health of one person, as well as his/her age, might also play a role in how the patient is afflicted with the disease and which in turn symptoms are the majority of bothersome.

There are about three types of mesothelioma:
Pleural mesothelioma ? a health care term for the deadly mesothelioma lung cancer caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibres. (Symptoms: difficulty swallowing, weight loss, coughing, puffiness in the upper body, specially the face and hands, muscle weakness, soreness in the side in the chest, fatigue, sweating, shortness of breath, and lower lumbar pain.)
Peritoneal mesothelioma ? impacts the cells of the belly lining, also known as your peritoneum, which supports and guards organs in the belly. (Symptoms: vomiting, intestinal obstruction, stomach pain, weight loss, swollen tummy, blood clotting irregularities, fever, nausea, along with anemia.)
Pericardial mesothelioma ? has an effect on the pericardium, which is a membranous lining that surrounds one?s heart, providing both help and protection towards the organ. (Symptoms: continual coughing, shortness of breath, tremors and chest pain.)

Various other signs can be jaundice, blood clots, organ bleeds, and also fluid buildup throughout organs and voice.

If you have a history of asbestos publicity and have experienced these symptoms, you should meet with a physician immediately. The earlier that mesothelioma can be found, the better the chances for survival and higher quality lifestyle.

For more information about asbestos lawyer please visit the website.

Source: http://www.exactarticle.com/asbestos-lawyer-asbestos-cancer-signs-and-symptoms-2.htm

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Women's Health Day: Lampitt tells Christie to reverse anti-women ...

Women's Health Day: Lampitt tells Christie to reverse anti-women policies

Wednesday, 26 September 2012 13:05

BY PAMELA LAMPITT
COMMENTARY

As we celebrate National Women's Health and Fitness Day today, it is important for our elected leaders to be true advocates for women's health. Unfortunately in New Jersey, Governor Christie seems content to just pay lip service to women's health issues, as he panders to the extreme-right wing in service of his national political ambitions.

When it comes to women's access to critical preventive health services--like breast and cervical cancer screenings, HIV/STI testing, and family planning-- Chris Christie has rejected common-sense, fiscally-responsible investments in New Jersey. Yet unbelievably, he has found millions of dollars for reckless tax cuts for millionaires.

It's time for the Governor to stop courting the support of the Tea Party and start standing up for the women of New Jersey.

Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt (D-Camden/Burlington) is the Women and Children Committee Chair.

Source: http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/commentary/womens-health-day-lampitt-tells-christie-to-reverse-anti-women-policies

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Skyfire launches Horizon browser extensions, but only for certain carriers

Android Central

Third-party browser developer Skyfire has launched a new plug-in framework, allowing other apps to drill deeper into your everyday mobile web experience. Readability is one of the launch partners for this Horizon framework, which includes options to quickly see your reading list, mark pages to read later, or translate web pages into a readable format right away. A less well-known service called Blue Kangaroo can offer valid coupon codes when you're shopping online through your mobile device. There are lots of big-name plug-ins available, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, IMDB, and Amazon, among others. 

There's a big catch, though. This new toolbar isn't going live in Google Play, but rather rolled out through carrier partners. AT&T is already deploying Skyfire with Horizon this month on many of their Android handsets. Though that might just seem like yet another spot for the carrier to push more bloatware, any plug-ins that are preloaded can be removed and replaced by whatever plug-ins the user wants to put in. 

Horizon is an interesting system, and certainly seems to offer a bit more functionality than the system-wide Share menu (depending on how in-depth developers go with the plug-in framework). Skyfire also works heavily on carrier-side compression, which enables faster delivery of your browsing data.

Developers and carriers interested in getting involved with Horizon can check out their landing page. Any big Skyfire fans in the house? Which third-party browsers do you use? 



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/32DCvsvb6oU/story01.htm

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U of M receives $4.3 million NSF grant to study interactions between water and land-use systems

U of M receives $4.3 million NSF grant to study interactions between water and land-use systems [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 26-Sep-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Rhonda Zurn
rzurn@umn.edu
612-626-7959
University of Minnesota

Minnesota River Basin will serve as the test bed for research

The University of Minnesota announced today that it has received a $4.3 million Water Sustainability and Climate grant over five years from the National Science Foundation to lead a study on the interactions between climate, water and land-use systems. The grant will specifically examine impacts of land use and climate change on water quality and ecosystem health using the Minnesota River Basin as a prototype.

The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is the lead institution for this grant that involves researchers from institutions across the country such as the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Johns Hopkins University, Utah State University, University of Washington, Iowa State University, and the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

The researchers will develop a framework for identifying and predicting processes, locations and times that are most susceptible to accelerated change. This framework is envisioned to guide decision and policy making toward a healthy and resilient environment. The research team has chosen the Minnesota River Basin as a location for their research because it encompasses an extremely broad spectrum of natural and human-induced rates of change and sensitivity to land-use practices. Of particular interest is the interaction between land use and river network processes. Many of the state's waterways already exceed recommended amounts of sediment and nutrients.

"This grant brings together some of the top scientists and engineers from across the country to study one of the most important issues of our timewater sustainability under climate and human stressors," said Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, a civil engineering professor in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering and lead researcher on the grant. "Change is often inevitable, but if we can use the best of science to understand the 'workings of a system,' its complexities, feedbacks, and vulnerabilities to change, we are half-way toward sustainability. The other half is working with decision and policy makers, to implement science-based solutions."

Based on a unique hypothesis called human-amplified natural change (HANC), this research will explore the concept that areas most vulnerable to human, climatic and other external changes are those experiencing the highest natural rates of change. The ability to more easily identify these so-called "hot spots" of sensitivity to change could enhance targeted response, including remediation and management, for potential issues of water scarcity and quality.

To better understand which land and water management efforts are most effective to produce sustainable and resilient environmental systems, the research will explore in-depth the following issues:

  • Sediment production rates throughout the Minnesota River Basin and their sensitivity to natural versus external changes;
  • Features in the landscape and water system that accelerate change and how these features can be factored into the assessment framework;
  • The relationship between human-amplified natural changes in the geomorphic system and ecological changes in the Minnesota River; and
  • Methods and means to include the assessment in decision-making processes so that sensitive regions can be identified and targeted for monitoring and management activities.

In addition, an educational component of the grant will help develop hands-on experience for teachers and curricular materials on environmental literacy for classroom. The educational component will also involve working collaboratively with the Science Museum of Minnesota to share what is learned with the entire community.

###

Led by Foufoula-Georgiou, the project involves several other researchers including Gary Parker and Praveen Kumar, professors of civil and environmental engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Peter Wilcock, professor and associate chair of geography and environmental engineering, Johns Hopkins University; Jacques Finlay, associate professor of ecology, evolution and behavior, University of Minnesota; Karen Gran, assistant professor of geological sciences, University of Minnesota-Duluth; Patrick Belmont, assistant professor of watershed sciences, Utah State University; Catherine Kling, professor of economics, Iowa State University; Sergey Rabotyagov, assistant professor of environmental economics, University of Washington; and Gillian Roehrig, associate professor of science education and director of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Center, University of Minnesota.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


U of M receives $4.3 million NSF grant to study interactions between water and land-use systems [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 26-Sep-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Rhonda Zurn
rzurn@umn.edu
612-626-7959
University of Minnesota

Minnesota River Basin will serve as the test bed for research

The University of Minnesota announced today that it has received a $4.3 million Water Sustainability and Climate grant over five years from the National Science Foundation to lead a study on the interactions between climate, water and land-use systems. The grant will specifically examine impacts of land use and climate change on water quality and ecosystem health using the Minnesota River Basin as a prototype.

The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is the lead institution for this grant that involves researchers from institutions across the country such as the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Johns Hopkins University, Utah State University, University of Washington, Iowa State University, and the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

The researchers will develop a framework for identifying and predicting processes, locations and times that are most susceptible to accelerated change. This framework is envisioned to guide decision and policy making toward a healthy and resilient environment. The research team has chosen the Minnesota River Basin as a location for their research because it encompasses an extremely broad spectrum of natural and human-induced rates of change and sensitivity to land-use practices. Of particular interest is the interaction between land use and river network processes. Many of the state's waterways already exceed recommended amounts of sediment and nutrients.

"This grant brings together some of the top scientists and engineers from across the country to study one of the most important issues of our timewater sustainability under climate and human stressors," said Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, a civil engineering professor in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering and lead researcher on the grant. "Change is often inevitable, but if we can use the best of science to understand the 'workings of a system,' its complexities, feedbacks, and vulnerabilities to change, we are half-way toward sustainability. The other half is working with decision and policy makers, to implement science-based solutions."

Based on a unique hypothesis called human-amplified natural change (HANC), this research will explore the concept that areas most vulnerable to human, climatic and other external changes are those experiencing the highest natural rates of change. The ability to more easily identify these so-called "hot spots" of sensitivity to change could enhance targeted response, including remediation and management, for potential issues of water scarcity and quality.

To better understand which land and water management efforts are most effective to produce sustainable and resilient environmental systems, the research will explore in-depth the following issues:

  • Sediment production rates throughout the Minnesota River Basin and their sensitivity to natural versus external changes;
  • Features in the landscape and water system that accelerate change and how these features can be factored into the assessment framework;
  • The relationship between human-amplified natural changes in the geomorphic system and ecological changes in the Minnesota River; and
  • Methods and means to include the assessment in decision-making processes so that sensitive regions can be identified and targeted for monitoring and management activities.

In addition, an educational component of the grant will help develop hands-on experience for teachers and curricular materials on environmental literacy for classroom. The educational component will also involve working collaboratively with the Science Museum of Minnesota to share what is learned with the entire community.

###

Led by Foufoula-Georgiou, the project involves several other researchers including Gary Parker and Praveen Kumar, professors of civil and environmental engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Peter Wilcock, professor and associate chair of geography and environmental engineering, Johns Hopkins University; Jacques Finlay, associate professor of ecology, evolution and behavior, University of Minnesota; Karen Gran, assistant professor of geological sciences, University of Minnesota-Duluth; Patrick Belmont, assistant professor of watershed sciences, Utah State University; Catherine Kling, professor of economics, Iowa State University; Sergey Rabotyagov, assistant professor of environmental economics, University of Washington; and Gillian Roehrig, associate professor of science education and director of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Center, University of Minnesota.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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/uom-uom092612.php

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Why Content Marketing is the New Branding | Small Business ...

Posted on 25. Sep, 2012 by Frank Strong in Blog, content marketing, Featured, personal branding, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing

image of Warhol's Campbell's Soup can

Branding is just another name for creating a perception.

Branding isn?t your company name.

It?s not a tag line. It?s not a logo.

When marketers ask, ?How do we want to brand this product?? what they?re really asking is how they want their audience to think about that product once it comes to market.

A brand is a promise. It?s an expectation of an experience.

The company and tag line and logo and brand colors only exist to call that experience to mind.

Brands can meet that expectation, exceed that expectation ? or in the worst cases, fall short of that expectation.

(By the way, the word product can easily be swapped for service, or blog, or newsletter, or any number of things marketers promote. The underlying concepts remain the same.)

Volvo?s name is synonymous with safety, which makes it the quintessential consumer example.

Cisco?s ?Human Network? stands out among business-to-business brands.

Cisco makes products that make it possible for people to be connected, no matter how far apart they may be, geographically. ~ Forbes

The Red Cross is a bellwether among nonprofits, with a brand that literally means help is on the way in times of crisis.

The very essence of brands doesn?t lie within your brand colors or site design, even though those are important.

The essence of a brand lies within its meaning. And words have meaning. Words matter.

Volvo?s meaning wasn?t derived from its logo, or even its product design, but by the constant stream of product reviews that published the data on crash tests year-in and year-out.

The brand was built, over time, by third-party validation communicated through third-party content. What other people said about Volvo created the meaning of that brand. The advertising Volvo did just reinforced that meaning.

The rise of user-generated content

Google?s CEO, Eric Schmidt, is now famous for having said,

Every two days now we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003.

As marketers, we try to convince customers and prospects to generate content about our brands. In other words, to talk about us. To create a Volvo-like experience where the meaning of our brand comes from how others perceive us.

How do we inspire people to generate content? To talk about us on Facebook and Twitter, to increase our audience?

Increasingly, we inspire our customers with brand experiences and by publishing own content.

The uninitiated customer is no more inclined to mention a brand than talk to the shy person tucked quietly in the corner at a cocktail party. If we want our customers to engage us, or our products and services, we have to contribute to the conversation.

Content is currency

Today?s web is an endless 24/7 cycle fed by content and social actions. In this cycle, brands are realizing that content is currency ? ~ Bryan Rhoads, global content strategy, Intel

Content is currency ? something we trade for our audience?s attention.

That currency becomes more valuable every time it?s shared by someone other than ourselves.

Those shares might be validation. They might be debate. They might be disagreement.

It?s our job to create content worth sharing. How it?s shared isn?t up to us.

If you take a look at this infographic, created by PRWeb, you?ll see an array of content marketing options ? each with its own balance of difficulty and value.

(Click here for the full-sized infographic.)

image of infographic: Why Content Marketing is the New Branding

Click here for the full-sized infographic

Your job is to figure out what types of content are most valuable to your audience ? and most likely to be shared. And then to gather the resources to produce the best content you possibly can.

?No Comment? is a failure

Every smart crisis communications professional knows that ?no comment? creates a vacuum where everyone ? except the person or organization in crisis ? will be able to shape the conversation.

The applies in content marketing, too. We can commit to an active role, by publishing content worth talking about ? or we can abstain and miss the opportunity.

How about you? What experience are you creating with your content? What promise are you making?

Let us know in the comments.

Want to share the infographic you see above?

Copy and paste this code into your blog post or web page ?

Click here for the full-sized infographic.

Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

About the Author: Frank Strong is the director of PR for Vocus. Get more from Frank on Twitter and the Vocus blog.

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Make sure you pick up your copy of our FREE Business Acceleration Report! Simply enter your info on the form to the right and I'll send it right out! -->> Thanks for visiting!

Tags: Small Business Internet Marketing

Source: http://www.frontlinemarketingsystems.com/blog/small-business-marketing/why-content-marketing-is-the-new-branding/

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Vegans: Put a Pumpkin in It! | LC Radar

It is time. The air is getting crisp, leaves are changing colors, and my love for a certain fall flavor has been rekindled. Every year I?m faced with the same question: ?How do I incorporate pumpkin in every single thing I consume?? And I mean everything.

When I started transitioning to a more vegan diet, I worried that I would need to give up my dearest orange love. But actually, pumpkin lends itself very well to vegan recipes! Part of its versatility comes from its thick consistency and earthy, sweet flavor when cooked. Let?s go through the day of a person pumpkin-obsessed,* and maybe be thankful that this vegetable is in season only once a year.

Breakfast: The day has just begun and you?re ready to get your pumpkin on. Though Starbucks does offer their seasonal pumpkin spice latte with a soymilk option, the drink still includes a milk derivative that makes it (sadly) non-vegan. Why not make your own vegan pumpkin spice latte at home? Or just brew a cup of pumpkin spice coffee, like Trader Joe?s. Better yet, serve up some super easy pumpkin spice pancakes with maple syrup to go with it!

Lunch: You can have sweets for lunch too, right? Try these baking pumpkin scones. If you don?t have time to bake from scratch, pick up a pumpkin bread mix and veganize it using a few replacements! Maybe even stir up and add this pumpkin spread to make it doubly flavorful. Top it all off with a glass of your favorite pumpkin spice dairy-free milk, offered in soy from Silk and (newly-released) coconut from So Delicious.

Snack: After you?re done scooping out and carving your Halloween pumpkin (or at least attempted a squiggly black cat), take those raw seeds and roast them for a tasty health snack!

Dinner: Now it?s time to balance all the sweetness of the day with something savory. Grab some vegan wonton wrappers (or make your own) and cook these innovative pumpkin dumplings! If you?re feeling really adventurous, try to make your own pumpkin juice (and feel like a Hogwarts student?or a house elf, depending on your perspective). For those of you of age, consider this pumpkin ale from Brooklyn Brewery.

Dessert: For the traditionalists, here?s a vegan twist on the classic pumpkin pie (cashews are so versatile, they can even be used to make vegan ?cheesecake?). But for those who crave chocolate, these tried and true pumpkin brownies have never let me down. Mix up and add a dollop of vegan pumpkin whipped cream, or just eat it straight from the bowl.**

*This article is not responsible for any pumpkin-induced overdoses that occur as a result of following this diet. Be crazy about pumpkin, just not that crazy.

**Or sugar-induced overdoses, either.

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-Bobina Vander Laan, Food Blogger

Source: http://www.lcradar.com/2012/09/25/vegans-put-a-pumpkin-in-it/

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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Vizio 14-inch Thin + Light (CT14-A2)


The Vizio 14-inch Thin + Light (CT14-A2) ($1,099.99 list) is another good effort from Vizio, a name you may know from the HDTV market. Vizio has brought that screen technology to the ultrabook space, and put that tech on an absolute hot rod of a laptop. Unfortunately, a couple of significant missteps affect the day-to-day usability of the system; otherwise we'd have a potential first crack at an Editors' Choice for ultrabooks here.

Design and Features
The CT14-A2 hits the ground running with its aluminum unibody construction. At a quick glance it could almost be mistaken for one of the sleek Apple MacBook laptops like the MacBook Air 13-inch ($1,199 list, 3.5 stars) . True, it has a silver keyboard instead of the black keys of a MacBook, but it still has that feel, with a mostly aluminum look on the keyboard deck, palm rest, and lid. The keys on the non-backlit keyboard are a little slippery and the key travel is shallow, which is a concern if you're a touch typist. Also, the trackpad isn't quite there yet; it has some tracking and click registration problems, which is a concern if you need to select text often in your school work or day-to-day surfing. For example, when you use two fingers to scroll up/down, the touchpad sometimes failed to register the gesture, making you repeat the gesture until it works. Updates are constantly being posted to Vizio's website, which improve the performance somewhat, but this still shows that there is an inherent problem with the touchpad in the laptop, which can't be easily replaced. The keyboard and mouse are two of the primary ways you interact with your digital life, after all.

The strength of the CT14-A2 is its screen. The 1,600-by-900 resolution screen is just short of full 1080p HD, but that's still much better than the 1,366-by-768 resolution you find on other ultrabooks in this price range like the HP Envy 4-1043cl ($1,034.99 direct, 4 stars) . Websites, videos, and photos are bright and clear on the 14-inch widescreen. The row of function keys default to functions like screen brightness, volume, and playback functions, so you don't have to hit the "Fn" key to dim the screen if it's too bright. The screen's 1,600-by-900 resolution also means you can read more of a website before scrolling, an advantage over systems with lower resolution screens. There's a bit of a screen door effect, where you can see the vertical and horizontal rows of pixels when you look close to the screen, but it's not too bad unless you're really sensitive to the effect. The CT14-A2 weighs 3.4 pounds, which is OK for the ultrabook category.

The system comes with Microsoft Signature prep pre-loaded, which is a service you'd normally receive at Microsoft Stores in malls. The system comes with Bing pre-loaded as a search engine, the constantly rotating wallpapers are a gorgeous mix of images from Microsoft Signature and the Bing service, and the desktop is devoid of icons aside from the Recycle Bin. The system is free of bloatware (third party trial apps and ads for service), the only pre-installed programs are Vizio and Microsoft apps like Skype, Zune, Office 2010 Starter, and Microsoft Security Essential.

The CT14-A2 comes with a speedy 256GB solid-state drive (SSD), an Intel Core i7 processor, Intel HD 4000 graphics, and 802.11a/b/g/n dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz). The system has two USB 3.0 ports and a HDMI-out port. The system is missing a SD or other digital media card slot, even though there is room for one. These are very respectable internal components, and lead to some excellent performance numbers on our benchmark tests (more on that below). One reasonably significant nit is the system's 4GB of memory. Unlike with other systems, that 4GB can't be upgraded, nor can you order a system with more memory from Vizio. The 4GB may not be enough for the type of enthusiast who needs a Core i7 processor; 4GB will start to seem small if you regularly work with large photo files or video files, but it should be more than enough for most general-purpose users.

The 256GB SSD is twice as capacious the SSDs in some rivals: the MacBook Air and other ultrbooks like the the Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A-R5102F come with 128GB SSDs. The result is that the CT14-A2 has 195GB free when you take it out of the box, more than triple the available capacity of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon ($1,599 list, 4.0 stars) (54GB free). While you can "get away" with a small SSD capacity on a business PC that stores most of its files on a server, a home/entertainment PC requires much more local storage for the music, video, and photo files that tend to pile up. The SSD also contributes to boot times and app launches that take seconds instead of minutes, making this system feel inherently fast.

Performance
Vizio 14-inch Thin + Light (CT14-A2) The CT14-A2 has class-leading day-to-day performance, thanks to its Core i7 processor and SSD. The system completed Futuremark's PCMark7 tests with a blazing score of 5,672, besting rivals like the Dell XPS 14 (Summer 2012) ($1,499 direct, 3.5 stars) (3,348 points) and the Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A-R5102F (4,315 points). The CT14-A2 also has excellent short times on our Handbrake video test (1 minute 44 seconds) and Photoshop CS5 test (3:59). The CT14-A2 was able to complete these tasks quicker than rivals with slower processors or spinning hard drives. The CT14-A2's 3D scores were more mediocre, thanks to Intel integrated graphics, but the system is plenty fast for day-to-day tasks. However, that day is likely to be shorter than a full untethered day, because the CT14-A2 only managed a 5 hours 4 minutes battery rundown time on MobileMark 2007. This is shorter than the Asus UX31A-R5102F (6:31) and far, far shorter than the Dell XPS 14 (9:37). The 5 hours doesn't seem bad, but it is at the low end of the ultrabook category, one that prides itself on long battery life.

In conclusion, the Vizio 14-inch Thin + Light (CT14-A2) is a very good effort from Vizio, though it shows room for improvement. It has potential to shake up the ultrabook space, once a few nits are combed out. The Asus Zenbook Prime UX32VD-DB71 ($1,299 list, 4 stars) continues on as the high-end ultrabook Editors' Choice, because of its combination of high-resolution screen, good performance, and strong features.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Vizio 14-inch Thin + Light (CT14-A2) with several other laptops side by side.

More laptop reviews:
??? Vizio 14-inch Thin + Light (CT14-A2)
??? MSI GT70 0NE-276US
??? HP Envy 23-1050t
??? Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition (7520)
??? Dell Inspiron 17R Special Edition (7720)
?? more

laptop

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/IyTCJGfyNRI/0,2817,2405890,00.asp

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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Polls: GOP Senate takeover might be tougher (CNN)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/250008214?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Denzel Washington: Eastwood still 'my hero'

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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Oracle's 1Q earnings rise, but revenue disappoints

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Oracle's earnings matched analyst estimates in the latest quarter, but a revenue decline signaled the business software maker is having a tougher time closing deals.

The fiscal first-quarter results announced Thursday are the latest indication that companies and government agencies are clamping down on technology spending amid mounting uncertainty about the economy.

Oracle Corp. earned $2.03 billion, or 41 cents, per share for the three-month stretch ending in August. That's an 11 percent increase from income of $1.84 billion, or 36 cents per share, at the same time last year.

Excluding certain accounting items, the Redwood City, Calif., company says it earned 53 cents per share, mirroring analyst projections.

Revenue dipped 2 percent from last year to $8.18 billion. That was more than $200 million below analyst forecasts.

Like many U.S. companies that depend on overseas customers for a lot of their sales, Oracle was hurt by weakening currencies in Europe and other parts of the world. The currency fluctuations translated into fewer dollars during the latest quarter compared to a year ago.

If exchange rates had remained unchanged, Oracle said its earnings per share would have been higher by 3 cents and its revenue would have edged up by 3 percent instead of dropping.

Concerns surrounding weakening economies in Europe and the unwieldy debts being shouldered by some European countries have pressured the euro, which is used by 17 European countries.

Those worries also are weighing on decision makers in corporate and government technology departments, making them more reluctant to invest in new products and features until they get a better handle on the economy's direction.

The manufacturers of personal computers, processors and other hardware have been hurt the most by this trend, but Oracle's performance may raise questions about whether business software makers are starting to feel the pinch, too.

Oracle continued to struggle in its recent foray into hardware, a move punctuated by the company's $7.3 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems in 2010. Oracle's total hardware revenue plunged 19 percent from a year ago.

Database and applications software remains Oracle's financial backbone.

In a key indicator of the company's health, Oracle's sales of new software licenses and subscriptions rose 5 percent from the same time last year. This category is watched closely by investors because new licenses provide the foundation for future upgrades and maintenance, creating a steady stream of recurring revenue.

The pace of Oracle's software sales decelerated from the previous quarter, During the three months ending in May, Oracle's new software licenses increased by 7 percent from last year.

Oracle shares added 2 cents in extended trading to $32.28 after the numbers came out. In regular trading, they had closed down 52 cents to $32.26.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oracles-1q-earnings-rise-revenue-disappoints-202720903--finance.html

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Actress Melissa Joan Hart has become a mom for the third time after welcoming her third son. The “Melissa & Joey” star, 36, and her [...]

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Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2012/09/sabrina-the-teenage-witch-star-melissa-joan-hart-welcomes-son/

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In heterosexuals, transmitted HIV strains often resemble original infecting virus

In heterosexuals, transmitted HIV strains often resemble original infecting virus [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 20-Sep-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Laura S. Leifman
sivitzl@niaid.nih.gov
301-402-1663
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Transmitted strains may have evolutionary advantage, NIH scientists suggest

WHAT:

A new study has found that even though HIV diversifies widely within infected individuals over time, the virus strains that ultimately are passed on through heterosexual transmission often resemble the strain of virus that originally infected the transmitting partner. Learning the characteristics of these preferentially transmitted HIV strains may help advance HIV prevention efforts, particularly with regard to an HIV vaccine, according to the scientists who conducted the study. The research was led by Andrew D. Redd, Ph.D., staff scientist, and Thomas C. Quinn, M.D., senior investigator, both in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Redd and colleagues examined particular genetic sequences of HIV in blood samples collected between 1994 and 2002 from hundreds of HIV-infected heterosexuals participating in the Rakai Community Cohort Study in Rakai District, Uganda. The scientists found a significant increase in population-wide HIV genetic diversity among infected individuals during the 8-year period, yet the amount of genetic change was significantly greater within individuals than across the population as a whole. To explain this phenomenon, the scientists hypothesized that the genetic diversity of HIV at the population level was limited because only certain strains of the virus within each person were responsible for subsequent sexual transmissions.

To test this hypothesis, the scientists examined the genetic relatedness of HIV strains in 31 couples where heterosexual transmission occurred. Through three increasingly comprehensive analyses, they compared HIV strains in the transmitting partner at points before and around the estimated time of HIV transmission with the strain in the newly infected partner around the time of transmission. In 22 of the couples, or 71 percent of those studied, the virus strains in the blood of the newly infected partner were more closely related to those found in the blood of the transmitting partner at the earliest available time point than to strains present around the time of transmission. According to Dr. Redd, this finding demonstrates that in the heterosexual transmission of HIV, the frequent natural selection of viral strains from early in the infection of the transmitting partner reduces viral diversity at the population level.

Moreover, in four couples, the newly acquired strain was highly similar or identical to specific variants found in the transmitting partner at both the earliest time point and the time of transmission. The scientists hypothesize that these highly transmissible HIV strains from early infection were sustained in the blood at low levels or sequestered in certain cells for transmission at a later time.

Related research by other scientists shows that HIV strains found in infected individuals during the early stages of infection have diversified little from the strain that caused infection. Thus, the fact that these early HIV strains somehow are maintained or persist at low levels for transmission later suggests they may have an evolutionary advantage at crossing the genital barrier and causing infection, compared with HIV strains that predominate later in infection, according to Dr. Redd.

This research was co-funded by the NIAID Division of Intramural Research; NIAID grants numbers R01A134826, R01A134265 and R01AI077473; the World Bank STI Project; the Henry M. Jackson Foundation; the Fogarty Foundation; and the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health.

ARTICLE:

AD Redd et al. Previously transmitted HIV-1 viral strains are preferentially transmitted during subsequent sexual transmission. Journal of Infectious Diseases DOI 10.1093/infdis/jis503 (2012).

WHO:

Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID director and chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation; and Andrew D. Redd, Ph.D., staff scientist in the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, are available for comment.

CONTACT:

To schedule interviews, please contact Laura S. Leifman, (301) 402-1663, sivitzl@niaid.nih.gov.

NIAID conducts and supports researchat NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwideto study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at http://www.niaid.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov/.

###

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


In heterosexuals, transmitted HIV strains often resemble original infecting virus [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 20-Sep-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Laura S. Leifman
sivitzl@niaid.nih.gov
301-402-1663
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Transmitted strains may have evolutionary advantage, NIH scientists suggest

WHAT:

A new study has found that even though HIV diversifies widely within infected individuals over time, the virus strains that ultimately are passed on through heterosexual transmission often resemble the strain of virus that originally infected the transmitting partner. Learning the characteristics of these preferentially transmitted HIV strains may help advance HIV prevention efforts, particularly with regard to an HIV vaccine, according to the scientists who conducted the study. The research was led by Andrew D. Redd, Ph.D., staff scientist, and Thomas C. Quinn, M.D., senior investigator, both in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Redd and colleagues examined particular genetic sequences of HIV in blood samples collected between 1994 and 2002 from hundreds of HIV-infected heterosexuals participating in the Rakai Community Cohort Study in Rakai District, Uganda. The scientists found a significant increase in population-wide HIV genetic diversity among infected individuals during the 8-year period, yet the amount of genetic change was significantly greater within individuals than across the population as a whole. To explain this phenomenon, the scientists hypothesized that the genetic diversity of HIV at the population level was limited because only certain strains of the virus within each person were responsible for subsequent sexual transmissions.

To test this hypothesis, the scientists examined the genetic relatedness of HIV strains in 31 couples where heterosexual transmission occurred. Through three increasingly comprehensive analyses, they compared HIV strains in the transmitting partner at points before and around the estimated time of HIV transmission with the strain in the newly infected partner around the time of transmission. In 22 of the couples, or 71 percent of those studied, the virus strains in the blood of the newly infected partner were more closely related to those found in the blood of the transmitting partner at the earliest available time point than to strains present around the time of transmission. According to Dr. Redd, this finding demonstrates that in the heterosexual transmission of HIV, the frequent natural selection of viral strains from early in the infection of the transmitting partner reduces viral diversity at the population level.

Moreover, in four couples, the newly acquired strain was highly similar or identical to specific variants found in the transmitting partner at both the earliest time point and the time of transmission. The scientists hypothesize that these highly transmissible HIV strains from early infection were sustained in the blood at low levels or sequestered in certain cells for transmission at a later time.

Related research by other scientists shows that HIV strains found in infected individuals during the early stages of infection have diversified little from the strain that caused infection. Thus, the fact that these early HIV strains somehow are maintained or persist at low levels for transmission later suggests they may have an evolutionary advantage at crossing the genital barrier and causing infection, compared with HIV strains that predominate later in infection, according to Dr. Redd.

This research was co-funded by the NIAID Division of Intramural Research; NIAID grants numbers R01A134826, R01A134265 and R01AI077473; the World Bank STI Project; the Henry M. Jackson Foundation; the Fogarty Foundation; and the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health.

ARTICLE:

AD Redd et al. Previously transmitted HIV-1 viral strains are preferentially transmitted during subsequent sexual transmission. Journal of Infectious Diseases DOI 10.1093/infdis/jis503 (2012).

WHO:

Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID director and chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation; and Andrew D. Redd, Ph.D., staff scientist in the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, are available for comment.

CONTACT:

To schedule interviews, please contact Laura S. Leifman, (301) 402-1663, sivitzl@niaid.nih.gov.

NIAID conducts and supports researchat NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwideto study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at http://www.niaid.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov/.

###

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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/nioa-iht092012.php

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