Teaching Online: Keys to Success | The Cengage Learning Blog

January 30th, 2013

Guest Contributor?Ken Baldauf, Florida State University.

MOOCs, MOOCs, MOOCs! Everyone?s talking about MOOCs! Are massively open online courses really going to take over higher education? While MOOCs?aren?t?yet a serious threat to a traditional college degree, they have opened educators? and administrators? eyes to the advantages of online education. Class enrollment is no longer limited by classroom space, and university enrollment need not be limited to residential students. As institutions work to define the scope of their student population, many are exploring various forms of online education. Here at Florida State University, we have been offering online courses and online degree programs for over a decade. But in the year of the MOOC, courses are going online all over campus like never before, many offered by departments that have never offered an online course before. The purpose of this article is to assist teachers who suddenly find themselves designing an online course.????

Just like in the classroom, there are effective and ineffective ways to teach online. Unfortunately, poorly delivered online courses are often held up as proof that online education is inferior to classroom education. I?m here to testify that online teaching can be MORE effective than on-ground classes, and more rewarding ?for the teacher. The key is to promote online interaction between students, and build an online learning community. I often tell my colleagues that I am closer to my online students than I ever was to my lecture hall full of students.

As I have been assisting my colleagues in taking their courses online, I have given a significant amount of thought to the skills are required for successful online teaching. I group these skills into three categories: social media skills, web publishing skills, and media production skills. Here are suggestions that I hope will assist teachers in acquiring skills in these three areas.

Social Media Skills

A teacher cannot build strong relationships with students online unless that teacher understands the online lifestyle. As much as possible, online teachers should experience a lifestyle like your students. Connect with friends on Facebook and Google+ on a regular basis. Find individuals with common interests on Twitter. Publish a professional page on LinkedIn. Utilize text messaging, and mobile social apps like FourSquare. Explore online communication tools that support both one-to-many and one-to-one communication in real time. Google hangouts is a great place to start. There?s also Justin.tv. Conduct research on how social media is used in education ? edudemic.com has some wonderful articles on the topic. The more comfortable you become with building and interacting in online communities, the more effective you will be at building an online learning community for your students where lasting relationships are established.

Web Publishing Skills

Teachers who have basic web publishing skills are the most effective online teachers. Delivering course content in the web?s native HTML is much more effective than providing PDF or Word documents for students to download. An online course should be delivered online, not as a collection of documents to be downloaded and printed. I recommend exploring the basics of web publishing by creating a free blog and website at www.wordpress.com. WordPress is a content management system that utilizes an interface that is common across many similar popular systems. There are hundreds of WordPress tutorials online, including one I provide at kenteaches.wordpress.com. After becoming familiar with WordPress you might enjoy learning about BuddyPress. I use BuddyPress as an online learning community for my classes. It?s a great tool for encouraging students to get acquainted. In order to use BuddyPress you?ll need to set up WordPress on your own server or utilize a web hosting company like Dreamhost which offers one-click installation of WordPress. Also explore educational publishing tools like Apple?s iBooks Author and iTunes U. Google has a publishing tool called Course Builder.? It helps to learn HTML.

Media Production Skills

Successful online courses mix video and media in with reading to make the course content more engaging. Short instructor video snippets captured with a webcam can be used to provide lesson overviews, and weekly updates.? Teacher videos have additional value in that they allow students to get to know you, the instructor, as a person. Make sure your video is professional though! Do a search on ?webcam video tips? for suggestions. It?s also helpful to learn how to record your computer display. Camtasia for Windows, or Screenflow for Macs, allow you to record screen action such as technical demonstrations or PowerPoint presentations. Windows Snipping Tool allows you to capture screen shot stills to include in tutorials or projects. On Macs you can utilize a variety of shortcut key combinations to capture your screen. Explore ways to publish your media through YouTube and Vimeo. Other helpful online media tools include Slideshare, Prezi, and Xtranormal.

Obviously, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to online teaching resources. I hope many of you will share your own tips as replies to this post. I believe that the secret to success for online teaching is first to create an online environment in which students and teachers communicate and share continuously in an ongoing dialogue throughout the duration of the semester, and second to deliver course materials in a clear and engaging manner. There are many other details to consider ? books have been written, but communication and delivery are the keys to success.?

Ken Baldauf is director of the Program in Interdisciplinary Computing at Florida State University, where he is responsible for developing courses to meet computing and technology needs across disciplines. ?

Which online resources do you find most beneficial??What technology-related skills have you recently acquired ? and how have they benefited your ability to teach online? Leave a comment below, or send your feedback to thinktank@cengage.com.?

Source: http://blog.cengage.com/?top_blog=teaching-online-keys-to-success

toys r us kohls target target walmart best buy sears

Video: BP ordered to pay $4 billion

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

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50632797/

oklahoma city thunder sunoco titanic ii babe ruth new jersey nets nba playoff schedule rondo

Destination Wedding Mexico: A Classic & Romantic Affair

Words by Courtney Cox
Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Medina Photography

Alexandra and Louis are a New York City couple who wanted a unique wedding while really getting the most out of their budget. Since their guests were from all over the World, the couple opted for a destination wedding in Merida, Mexico. ?We decided on Mexico due to the fact that both of us just really love the beauty and free spirit [the country] has,? recalls the bride. ?Both of us have spent a lot of time there and it is like a second home to Louis.?

Merida is a town not far from Cancun and which boasts unique haciendas ? both major selling points for this couple. ?The haciendas gave me the very romantic, historic and free feeling that I wanted my wedding to have,? says Alexandra. ?We decided on Hacienda Tixcacal because it gave us the blend of the two most important things that I wanted for our ceremony. I wanted an outside ceremony, but also a church wedding.?

A ?travel theme? is something which has been done pretty regularly with destination weddings, but Alexandra and Louis really pulled it off beautifully and in some very unique ways. ?[We had] passport invitations, the tables were named after countries we have travelled to together, our favors were luggage tags promoting Mexico and our guest book was an old vintage suitcase which guests stuck messages to,? recalls the bride. ?I also hand-stamped ribbon with different sayings in four different languages which was used for different items. The four languages were to reflect all of the different guests we had coming from all over the World and the languages which make up our background: English, Spanish, Italian and French.?

Come W-day, the couple was surrounded by 80 of their closest friends and family. The couple says they got a wedding, plus four days of activities in Mexico, for the same price they would have paid in NYC for a traditional wedding. While Alexandra and Louis got the wedding of their dreams, the bride did have to make some small sacrifices like not having her favorite flower, peonies, in her bouquet. The couple took these small setbacks in stride, though, and think they actually gave their wedding even more character.

?When you have a destination wedding you are not going to be able to be completely in control or have every little detail that you may have in your bridal mind like flowers or certain foods, but you have to remember that those are only tiny details which are really only noticeable to you,? says the bride. ?You picked your destination for a reason, so embrace it and let it open you up to other options which, in the end, will create a truly unique experience for you and all of your guests.?

Source: http://www.destinationidomagblog.com/2013/01/destination-wedding-mexico-classic.html

los angeles dodgers christie brinkley seattle mariners geraldo rivera

Beehive: Ghanian flat thread plaits | Rowan Family Tree

That is admittedly not a fancy title for a very fancy hair style. Perhaps you have a suggestion for a better title for this lovely hairstyle?

Basically, it?s super simple?- you just part the hair and then hold it down. Use some braiding thread or matching yarn (as I did and you just ?sew? the hair together. Obviously you are not piercing your kids? scalp! but rather, you just weave a yarn needle under and over and under and over the hair all along the parted hair, picking up more hair as you go.

If you click on a picture below, it will show you a much bigger detailed picture.

? This style took me only 50-60 minutes on Sugar, and it lasted about a week and a half. If I do it again (and I will!) I will just do smaller parts and it will last longer. It?s also a nice break for the scalp and hair from braiding? there is no pulling at all with this style.

Like this:

Be the first to like this.

Posted in: HairPermalinkLeave a comment

Source: http://rowanfamilytree.com/2013/01/30/beehive-ghanian-flat-thread-plaits/

All Star Game 2012 directv rashard lewis curacao curacao home run derby kourtney kardashian

French troops deploy in last of Mali rebel strongholds

By Richard Valdmanis and John Irish

DOUENTZA, Mali/PARIS | Wed Jan 30, 2013 6:21pm EST

DOUENTZA, Mali/PARIS (Reuters) - French troops seized the airport in Mali's northern town of Kidal, the last urban stronghold held by Islamist insurgents, as they moved to wrap up the first phase of a military operation to wrest northern Mali from rebel hands.

France has deployed some 4,500 troops in a three-week ground and air offensive to break the Islamist rebels' 10-month grip on major northern towns. The mission is aimed at heading off the risk of Mali being used as a springboard for jihadist attacks in the wider region or Europe.

The French military plans to gradually hand over to a larger African force, tasked with rooting out insurgents in their mountain redoubts near Algeria's border.

Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said French forces using planes and helicopters defied a sandstorm late on Tuesday to capture the airport but had been prevented by the bad weather from entering the town itself.

"The terrorist forces are pulling back to the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains which are difficult to access," Le Drian told a news conference. "There is support from Chadian and Nigerian troops coming from the south."

The deployment of French troops to remote Kidal puts them in direct contact with pro-autonomy Tuareg MNLA rebels, whose rebellion last year was hijacked by the Islamist radicals. Le Drian said France had established good relations with local Tuareg chieftains before sending in troops.

MNLA leaders say they are ready to fight al Qaeda but many Malians, including the powerful military top brass in the capital Bamako, blame them for the division of the country. They view Paris' liaisons with the Tuaregs with suspicion.

French and Malian troops retook the major Saharan trading towns of Gao and Timbuktu at the weekend.

There were fears that many thousands of priceless ancient manuscripts held in Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, might have been lost during the rebel occupation, but experts said the bulk of the texts were safe.

The United States and European governments strongly support the Mali intervention and are providing logistical and surveillance backing but do not intend to send combat troops.

The MNLA rebels, who want greater autonomy for the desert north, said they had moved fighters into Kidal after Islamists left the town earlier this week.

"For the moment, there is a coordination with the French troops," said Moussa Ag Assarid, the MNLA spokesman in Paris.

A spokesman for the Malian army said its soldiers were securing Gao and Timbuktu and were not heading to Kidal.

The MNLA took up arms against the Bamako government a year ago, seeking to carve out a new independent desert state.

After initially fighting alongside the Islamists, by June they had been forced out by their better armed and financed former allies, who include al Qaeda North Africa's wing, AQIM, a splinter wing called MUJWA and Ansar Dine, a Malian group.

RISK OF ATTACKS, KIDNAPPINGS

As the French wind up the first phase of their offensive, doubts remain about just how quickly the U.N.-backed African intervention force can be fully deployed in Mali to hunt down the retreating al Qaeda-allied insurgents. Known as AFISMA, the force is now expected to exceed 8,000 troops.

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said France's military operation, codenamed Serval (Wildcat), was planned as a lightning mission lasting a few weeks.

"Liberating Gao and Timbuktu very quickly was part of the plan. Now it's up to the African countries to take over," he told the Le Parisien daily. "We decided to put in the means and the necessary number of soldiers to strike hard. But the French contingent will not stay like this. We will leave very quickly."

One French soldier has been killed in the mission, and Fabius warned that things could now get more difficult, as the offensive seeks to flush out insurgents with experience of fighting in the desert from their wilderness hideouts.

"We have to be careful. We are entering a complicated phase where the risks of attacks or kidnappings are extremely high. French interests are threatened throughout the entire Sahel."

An attack on the In Amenas gas plant in Algeria earlier this month by Islamist fighters opposing the French intervention in Mali led to the deaths of dozens of foreign hostages and raised fears of similar reprisal strikes across North and West Africa.

NEED FOR RECONCILIATION

The French operation has destroyed the Islamists' training camps and logistics bases but analysts say a long term solution for Mali hinges on finding a political settlement between the northern communities and the southern capital Bamako.

Interim President Dioncounda Traore said on Tuesday his government would aim to hold national elections on July 31. Paris is pushing strongly for Traore's government to hold talks with the MNLA, which has dropped its claims for independence.

"The Malian authorities must begin without delay talks with the legitimate representatives of the northern population and non-terrorist armed groups that recognize Mali's integrity," French Foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said.

After months of being kept on the political sidelines, the MNLA said they were in contact with West African mediators who are trying to forge a national settlement to reunite Mali.

"We reiterate that we are ready to talk with Bamako and to find a political solution. We want self-determination, but all that will be up to negotiations which will determine at what level both parties can go," Ag Assarid said.

There have been cases in Gao and Timbuktu and other recaptured towns of reprisal attacks and looting of shops and residences belonging to Malian Tuaregs and Arabs suspected of sympathizing with the MNLA and the Islamist rebels.

(Additional reporting John Irish and Emmanuel Jarry in Paris, David Lewis and Pascal Fletcher in Dakar; Writing by David Lewis and Daniel Flynn; Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Rosalind Russell)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Reuters/worldNews/~3/N3IVRTwQ3bE/us-mali-rebels-idUSBRE90S0OV20130130

westminster kennel club dog show jeremy lin game winner chocolate covered strawberries shrimp scampi kate upton si cover lobster recipes hearts

'Mean Girls' Hitting Broadway? Our Dream Cast Would Be?

Tina Fey is officially working on Mean Girls: The Musical, and we couldn't be more excited.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/mean-girls-hitting-broadway-we-list-our-dream-cast/1-a-518653?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Amean-girls-hitting-broadway-we-list-our-dream-cast-518653

yahoo.com/mail baylor april 9 albatross louis oosthuizen phil mickelson 10 year old gives birth

Think preventive medicine will save money? Think again

NEW YORK (Reuters) - It seems like a no-brainer.

Since about 75 percent of healthcare spending in the United States is for largely preventable chronic illnesses such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, providing more preventive care should cut costs.

If only.

In a report released on Tuesday, the non-profit Trust for America's Health outlined a plan "to move from sick care to health care" by putting more resources into preventing chronic disease rather than treating it, as the current system does. There is a strong humanitarian justification for prevention, argued Trust Executive Director Jeffrey Levi in an interview, since it reduces human suffering.

But the report also makes an economic argument for preventive care, highlighting the possibility of reducing healthcare spending -- which in 2011 reached $2.7 trillion, just shy of 18 percent of gross domestic product -- by billions of dollars. And that has health economists shaking their heads.

"Preventive care is more about the right thing to do" because it spares people the misery of illness, said economist Austin Frakt of Boston University. "But it's not plausible to think you can cut healthcare spending through preventive care. This is widely misunderstood."

A 2010 study in the journal Health Affairs, for instance, calculated that if 90 percent of the U.S. population used proven preventive services, more than do now, it would save only 0.2 percent of healthcare spending.

Some disease-prevention programs do produce net savings. Childhood immunizations, and probably some adult immunizations (such as for pneumonia and the flu), are cost-saving, found a 2009 analysis for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The vaccines are cheap, and large swaths of the population are vulnerable to the diseases they prevent. The cost of providing them to everyone is less than that of treating the illnesses they prevent.

Counseling adults about using baby aspirin to prevent cardiovascular disease also produces net savings. The counseling is inexpensive, the aspirin even cheaper and the costs of heart disease, which strikes one in three U.S. adults, are enormous. Screening pregnant women for HIV produces net savings, too.

Those, however, are exceptions.

HIGH COSTS, NO BENEFITS

One big reason why preventive care does not save money, say health economists, is that some of the best-known forms don't actually improve someone's health.

These low- or no-benefit measures include annual physicals for healthy adults. A 2012 analysis of 14 large studies found they do not lower the risk of serious illness or premature death. But about one-third of U.S. adults get them, said Dr. Ateev Mehrota, a primary-care physician and healthcare analyst at RAND, for a cost of about $8 billion a year.

Similarly, some cancer screenings -- including for ovarian cancer and testicular cancer, and for prostate cancer via PSA tests -- produce essentially no health benefits, causing the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to recommend against their routine use. The task force bases its recommendations on medical benefits alone, not costs.

The second reason preventive care brings so few cost savings is the large number of people who need to receive a particular preventive service in order to avert a single expensive illness.

"It seems counterintuitive: If you provide care to prevent all these expensive diseases, it should save money," said Peter Neumann, an expert on health policy and professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. "But prevention itself costs money, and some preventive measures can be very expensive, especially if you give them to a lot of people who won't benefit."

If preventive care could be provided only to those who are going to get the illness, it would be more cost-effective. "But in the real world, the number needed to screen or to treat in order to prevent one case of illness can be huge," said BU's Frakt, who blogs at theincidentaleconomist.com.

Currently, many people who do not benefit from a preventive service receive it, paying something for nothing. Studies have calculated those numbers, which can be surprisingly high.

For instance, 217 high-risk smokers would have to undergo a CT lung scan for one to be spared death from lung cancer, according to a database of studies maintained by Dr. David Newman, an emergency physician at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. One hundred post-menopausal women who have had a bone fracture would have to take drugs called bisphosphonates in order for one to avoid a hip fracture.

By comparison, only 50 people with heart disease must be treated with aspirin for one to avoid a heart attack or stroke, making this a good buy.

The numbers of people who need to be treated for one to benefit are so high because so few will get the disease the preventive is meant to avert. It's like treating every house for termites, said Neumann, co-author of the Robert Wood Johnson report: The vast majority would never have gotten infested in the first place, so the thousands spent to avoid the infestation is money for nothing.

The failure of many preventive services to improve health, plus the large number of people who have to receive preventive care for one to be spared an illness he or she would otherwise get, limit the economic savings.

MAKING HEALTHCARE DOLLARS GO FURTHER

A better gauge of the value of preventive medicine is bang for the buck; that is, not whether it reduces healthcare spending but whether it buys more health than treating the disease does. "We don't ask whether cancer treatment or heart disease treatment saves money," said Dr. Steven Woolf, professor of family medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond. "But it is reasonable to ask how to make our healthcare dollar go further."

On that score, screening for hypertension and for some cancers (such as colorectal and breast) are good investments, he said, at less than $25,000 per year of healthy life. In contrast, such common treatments as angioplasty cost $100,000 or more per healthy year of life.

There are two glimmers of hope in this bleak picture. For preventive medicine to help rein in the nation's soaring healthcare spending, it should be provided someplace other than doctors' offices.

"Some of the most common chronic, preventable diseases might be best addressed outside the clinical setting," said the Trust's Levi, such as through wellness programs at YMCAs and health education and screening programs at houses of worship. "But that requires Medicaid to be more flexible in who they'll reimburse."

It also requires a more expansive definition of preventive medicine. The Trust suggests such steps as extending bus lines to parks so people without cars can go someplace pleasant for physical activity and other "community-based" efforts. These strategies save more money in healthcare spending than they cost.

For instance, at a program in Akron, Ohio, profiled in the new report, physicians and others coordinate care for patients with Type 2 diabetes. It reduced the average cost of care by more than 10 percent, or $3,185 per year, largely by reducing pricey emergency-room visits.

And at Boston Children's Hospital, an asthma program that sends community health workers into patients' homes to reduce the environmental triggers of asthma has saved $1.46 in healthcare costs for every $1 invested. It has reduced asthma-related hospital admissions by 80 percent and asthma-related emergency department visits by 60 percent, reports the Trust.

The other promising approach is to target preventive care at those most likely to develop a chronic disease, not at low-risk people. Such "smart" prevention increases the chances of preventing expensive diseases and saving money.

In contrast, unthinking expansion of preventive medicine is the wrong prescription, say experts.

"If you start giving preventive care to more people, many of whom won't benefit from it, it's going to be very, very expensive," said Tufts' Neumann.

(Reporting by Sharon Begley; Editing by Jilian Mincer and Douglas Royalty)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insight-think-preventive-medicine-save-money-think-again-051222908.html

joshua komisarjevsky barney frank barney frank kim richards robert hegyes mary louise parker mary louise parker

Noratrea Fighters Guild

Lore has gone into ruin the once rulers of lore the Vantgaurd family are no longer in power and an evil war lord has took their place.But the time has come to rise up and defend and set the World back to the way it should be.

Owner:

Game Masters:

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?LORE: Story Of Heroes?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
"The Fighters Guild is a brotherhood of warriors. We provide a service to Cathyria, lending steel and shield to those who need our help.
Whether that means ridding a town of an invading menace or protecting a helpless mage, we'll take the contract."

The Fighters Guild is a professional organization chartered to regulate the hiring and training of mercenaries and skilled warriors in Cathyria. The guild was founded and shortly after its establishment it became the official warriors guild that citizens from all walks of life in Cathyria depended on for protection and combat assistance. The Warrior Guild will accept almost any contract. Contracts pertaining to the killing of infestations of rats, eliminating troublesome bandits, delivering packages, and escorting high-ranking nobles are all suitable jobs for a member of the Fighters Guild.

Noratrea Fighters Guild
Guild name - Brotherhood of Iron Swords

Guild master- Amondar

Ranking The ranking is a way to show how your status in the guild and how well you have done in the guild.( lowest to highesr)
+Apprentice -
+Journeyman
+Swordsman
+Protector
+Defender
+Warder
+Guardian

Layout

This guildhall has three main sections: Ground floor, second floor, and third floor. All of the guild members generally stay on the ground floor in the daytime, though Amondar can sometimes be found on the third floor. All of the members except Amondar sleep on the beds on the ground floor. The second floor consists of a dining room and a small locked bedroom where Amondar and some of the higher ranking members sleeps. The third floor is Amondar 's office and he can sometimes be found at his desk during daytime. There is some steel armor to be found in this room.

Arch_Demon666

Member for 1 years

---

---

Post a reply

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Who is online

Registered users: -=Nemesis=-, 0neTailedf0x, 7achary*, A.C.*, Addrinvan*, AdmireAtStuff, Akita*, Alise120*, Amarkov*, Amnesty, AmyGotScared*, Andromeda Shade*, AriaSama123*, Arik223*, Asher MstrImmortalis*, AsuraDeWinters*, AugmentationAudit, Avelyne, AvidSmoker*, AzricanRepublic*, Badbecca*, bandgeek*, barney_fife*, Basta, BikerAngel, Blackbird26*, blacksky, bladewolf175*, Bleachboss12*, BleachFan95, BleedingLover, BOO!*, Bosch*, breezeblocks*, Bromander Shepard, BumbleDrop*, Byte*, Canibelle*, ceh12*, Centi85*, ChaoticMarin*, CherryRed, Child of the Winged, ChristianVulpine, Cienpher, cirrus_sd*, Cloasse*, code6435, ColeMaibara, CookieRaiderEng*, create_something, Crooked Thoughts, CuteAsKaylah*, Daakukage*, Dark Rain*, Daxion*, desire99600, Diarmuid O'Dyna*, Digital_Muse*, digs*, DocBlargle, DontBeMad*, DreamerOnTheStars, DuBois_Scarlett*, Eddy V. Sovorov*, Elite*, emogirlrockz11, emotionless*, Eskii*, Exabot [Bot], Fabricator*, Fearful-lover*, Flexar, Floorgan, flying monkey child, Forensic_Anthro, Forget~Me~Not*, Fox in a Lab Coat, Foxxheart, FreeRunner*, Frozen Soul*, Gamer_Templar*, Genesis Rhapsodos, Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], Google Feedfetcher, GotDraggedIntoThis*, Gwenlover24942*, Gypsy123*, HadoukenLSD, Heirii13, Himekura*, holothewisewolf, Hydrall, iCat*, Igari*, Imagine That!, Insomniatic*, jackrules158, Jadebud98*, Jadeling Hawkins*, James Seth Lynch*, JayZeroSnake*, JEDH3, JGamer502*, KameJLa*, Katherinana*, Killa*, KiraArsenic*, KonamiCode, Kura Ravengade, Kuroe, Kuukakulily*, kylewolfblade*, LadyNightshade, Lailin*, laxnchill20*, Lenyx*, Leon21, Lifecharacter, Liliepanda*, lilyboo12*, Link Mantis*, LittleFox13, LittleMissGeorgia*, Loxley, Lufia, Luna Shade*, Maitros, MaskofJason13*, MaxwellH*, megadonkey30, MegaKooala12*, Mela, mgoodwin2*, Midnightclub, Mishie, Miss_Dreamer, Modesty, Monochrome, Monroe, MoonlightWraith, moonrakerone, Morgan, Mr_Doomed, MSNbot Media, mummydove, MusaMe, Nami L'Chi, nazerathe, Negative Bowser, Nightmaric_Angel, nightwolf*, noonshine*, NorthernSoul*, Nulix*, Oborosen*, Once-Ler_Fangirl*, Opposite-Proclaimer*, Oscarion*, OurStars*, Outcast-Angel*, pepperx3*, phaloxian*, pieluver*, Polarisbear12*, ponerj, Princess Awinita, punkwithflute*, qbsuperstar03*, rariszoo*, rdaydreamer, Reaper2707, RedPinkCyanOrange, Rein_13*, Rem?us*, RenderedHarmless*, Romaneck*, Rougeshadow, RPgamergirl*, RPGRosa, Rulke*, Ryuu Takeshi*, S1mon*, Sage Akia*, saphiresyphira*, Sathandra*, scragglywayfarer*, Script*, SeraphimLullaby, Seveneleven*, shadereen*, Shadetree76*, ShadtheWerepire, Shaodow*, Sibrand*, Sicariius*, SilverStar89, Sinkai*, SkullsandSlippers*, SleepyShadow*, SlightlyInsane, SmartyPants*, Sokka25, Something?*, Sonohra*, SRincarnate*, Stella11*, Stormageddon, SuperQ19, Sylwyn*, Tainted Twinkee, taiyaki_timewarp, TaniaSoulEater, Tearen Wover*, Terrus*, The Cynic*, thebagel264*, TheFirstFist, TheFlag*, ThrillerNight, Thundergod1020*, tigerking1292, Tiko*, Towels0, Tsukiakari*, tuface, umbra Alastor*, usernamesareadrag*, VengefulCanary, Verum Umbra, ViceVersus, VindicatedPurpose*, Vinn*, viper45, VitaminHeart, Wake*, WalkingImmortal, WaltJRimmer, WhatsUpWazza*, WhiteTiger08, Wolflover2217*, wolfoftheage*, Wudgeous, xArmageddon*, XavierDantius32*, xoxMissClairexox, XShishioX*, XxEvil1xX*, xXRawrDarkWolfXx, xXTimberwolfXx, Yolo, Zitacamron95

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/yex09qQS7e4/viewtopic.php

joe avezzano kanye west theraflu joey votto the masters live mega millions winner holy thursday chris stewart

New BlackBerry to Be 'Most Comprehensive in Mobile History'

RIM is finally ready with its answer to Apple's iPhone and the many Android smartphones. After months of delays, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins, along with others from the company, will take the stage Wednesday in New York to unveil the final version of BlackBerry 10, the next version of RIM's phone software, and the phones that will run it.

"We expect tomorrow to really be the kickoff for the introduction of Blackberry 10," RIM's Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben told ABC News in a phone interview. "We have been engaged for quite a period of time with the two main constituents -- the carriers and the developers -- and we've already said we are in the labs of more than 150 carriers around the world."

Column: BlackBerry Burden: What RIM Must Do to Come Back

With more than 150 wireless carriers around the world planning to offer the latest BlackBerry, Boulben says it will be the most "comprehensive launch," not only for the company, but in the history of the mobile industry.

"This makes it the most comprehensive launch in mobile history. There has never been a platform launching with that many carriers," he said. When the iPhone 5 made its debut in September it actually had more -- Apple said there would be 240 carriers by December. But Boulben points out that BlackBerry 10 is an entirely new operating system that doesn't share a single line of code with previous BlackBerry software; the iPhone 5 and iOS 6, by contrast, was essentially an upgrade.

At Wednesday's event the company will show its new handsets in detail. RIM is expected to release a touch-screen device called the Z10 and another with a physical keyboard. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have said they will carry devices that run the new software. Boulben also said RIM will highlight major differences between BlackBerry 10 and the other leading mobile phone platforms.

"We are highly differentiated in four areas," Boulben said. The first is with communications -- RIM has designed the software around a messaging hub and new multitasking features. The second: the touch keyboard, which predicts words as you are typing them. Lastly, RIM says its BlackBerry Messenger and its BlackBerry Balance feature, which separates work from personal uses on the phone, set it apart.

Boulben would not address specifically how much market share RIM is hoping to gain back in the U.S., having lost the lead it had in the last decade. According to Kantar Worldpane ComTech's data released in November 2012, the BlackBerry brand only had 1.6 percent of the American smartphone market. The iPhone had 48.1 percent of the market and Android had 46.7.

"It's a change in smartphone experience -- the dominant paradigm, introduced six years ago, was great and revolutionary at the time. But six years is a long time for a technology cycle, with a new user experience with a clear focus we have the opportunity to take market share back," Boulben said.

RIM CMO: BlackBerry 10 Will Make Others Look Outdated

While RIM is of course bullish about its new products, it faces one big challenge it might not be able to control: apps. While the platform might be innovative, it will trail behind the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in variety of apps. Boulben says the momentum around apps is strong and that Wednesday the BlackBerry World store will launch with 70,000 new apps.

RIM BlackBerry 10 Launch

Apps that worked on previous BlackBerry 7 devices won't work on the BlackBerry 10 platform, since it is completely new. Analysts say that apps are bound to be the pain point for the platform, but it's not too late to rule out RIM from taking back at least some of what it has lost.

"Given the speed that the market is moving, it's hard to be dismissive of RIM given the strength of their brand and continued loyalty of many users," Michael Gartenberg, Gartner Research Director, told ABC News. "It will be important for RIM to show tomorrow how they've evolved the BlackBerry to meet the challenges of other platforms and at the same time show positive differentiation."

And that seems to be exactly RIM's plan. "The time was right to switch to a new platform, one that will allow us to continue true to our DNA but also take it to the next level," Boulben said. "It is a major undertaking for the company. It has been two years in the making, but we are ready."

RIM's BlackBerry 10 event begins at 10:00 a.m. ET on Jan. 30, 2013. ABC News will be reporting on the news throughout the day.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blackberry-most-comprehensive-mobile-history-193508094--abc-news-topstories.html

wheres my refund photo of whitney houston in casket carrot top george huguely whitney houston casket photo match play championship the national enquirer

Everything I Preach! Here is The Proof! - Music Industry Blueprint

From Bob Lefsetz. Subscribe To His Newsletter?http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/

Amanda Palmer Is a modern day star.

How did Amanda Palmer get to where she is now?

By working all the time.

By networking.

By putting her fans first.

By maintaining her fan relationship 24/7.

Amanda Palmer is not for everybody. Just for her fans. But that?s enough for her to raise a million dollars on Kickstarter.

There?s plenty of money out there. You?ve just got to find ways to tap it.

Used to be you looked for a record company check. But now the company pays less, because there?s less money to be made. And not only do they own the copyrights in perpetuity, but they want a share of everything you make.

Amanda Palmer began as a street performer. After college.

This is the lowest rung of entertainment. And not the choice of almost any college graduate. But this is where the rubber meets the road. Daniel Glass once told me a prerequisite to working at SBK Records, and this was twenty years ago, before he became majordomo of his own independent label, was that you had to work retail. That?s where the transaction took place. How big a fan base are you gonna have if you?re not a great performer? Probably a tiny one. And if you think someone comes out of the box fully-formed, totally great, you?ve probably never been to a club gig. Or a high school sock hop. This is where you hone your chops. You?ve got to be awful before you are great. You?ve got to learn the tricks. There?s a trick to every art form, whether it be performing, recording or selling. And in today?s music world you?ve got to do all three.

Furthermore, Daniel Glass had two more requirements to work at SBK Records. One, you really had to want to work there. Two, you had to graduate from college. Why? Not because you learned anything in school, but a degree demonstrated you could FINISH something!

Amanda Palmer knew the road was long. She had to get good grades to get into Wesleyan, had to endure four years there, so when she started as a street performer she was not about to give up. She was in it for the long haul. She?s got a giant footprint now, but she?s in her thirties. Recently got married and has no kids. Her eye was on the prize.

And yes, she had a deal with a ?major,? RoadRunner Records. But more importantly, she was one of the first artists to get off a major label. At her own insistence. She wanted to be free. Bondage was holding her back. She wanted to experiment.

Which included cutting Zeppelin covers on her ukulele, which she?d just recently picked up, and selling the result for six figures to her fans.

You see Amanda was not afraid of the future. She just knew that the past sucked. And not only did she abandon her label, she gave up her moniker. The lead guy in Ohio Players just died?do you know his name? Probably not, but you know ?Fire.? It was a big risk to go solo. But that?s what Amanda felt in her heart. Artists always do what?s in their heart. Money comes second. Expedience is not in their lexicon.

So if you?re not willing to tweet, work 24/7, try every new platform to engage potential fans, your odds of succeeding in the new world are slim. Sure, the major MIGHT be able to get you on the radio, but that world is collapsing and most acts are not radio-friendly.

No, you?re on your own.

Are you up to the challenge?

Then know you and your fans go hand in hand. No one else counts as much. And you can reach your cadre and make new fans via new technologies. This paradigm is only going to expand, it?s never going to contract.

With Amanda Palmer it?s not about her music, it?s about HER!

The cult of personality.

She?s her fans? best friend. She?s an outcast just like them. With more rough edges than smooth.

Don?t look at the recent publicity, look at the two decades before. Working in near-obscurity.

You can do it.

But it?s gonna be slow.

And you?re gonna have to take chances.

And you?ll be playing without a net.

And someone in the band has to be the face.

Used to be the drummer booked the gigs, was the de facto manager.

Now you need a de facto face on the Internet, in social media.

You?ve got to be interacting and selling 24/7. If you?re focusing on the album, you?re not only leaving money on the table, you?re missing the point.

As did the mainstream media. Amanda?s name was all over. Did it make her any additional money? NO! Will this same media care in a year or two? NO! Did this media even listen to the music? NO! It might make you feel good to be in the newspaper, even on TV, but most people aren?t paying attention and the impact is nigh near neglible. You?re your own barometer. Can you pay your bills? When you tweet do you get responses? Are your fans passionate about you and your music? Then you?re on your way.

Source: http://www.musicindustryblueprint.com/everything-i-preach-here-is-the-proof/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=everything-i-preach-here-is-the-proof

islands joe flacco 2013 nissan altima masters par 3 contest google augmented reality glasses wonderlic test texas tornado

The Royal Photographic Society And The Photographic Angle Bursary

The Royal Photographic Society and The Photographic Angle are pleased to announce the return of their Environmental Awareness Bursaries in 2013.

Photo by Ciril Jazbec - 2012 under-25 category winner.

Building on the success of the 2012 awards, the bursaries are open to UK residents to support a photographic project that will promote environmental awareness. Each ?3000 bursary is to assist with travel expenses, photographic equipment and other project-related costs.

There are two awards available for applicants aged 16-25 and 26+ years. This year,? The Royal Photographic Society are looking for a creative interpretation of the subject as well as documentary and editorial photography.

Entries are required by 31 May 2013. An application form is available from The RPS website.

2012 Winners
The under-25 photographer is Ciril Jazbec, a Slovenian national living in London, who has completed a MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication. Jazbec?s project is focusing on climate change through rising sea levels in small communities around the world.

The over-25 photographer is Mandy Barker, a British national based in Leeds. Barker graduated with a MA Photography from De Montfort University, Leicester, in 2011 and has had a number of well-received exhibitions and publications including her project Soup. She will use the bursary to look at marine plastic debris resulting from the Japanese Tsunami in the north Pacific ocean.

The resulting work from these projects will be completed by August 2013 and then exhibited at the RPS Annual Awards ceremony on 19 September 2013.

Source: http://www.ephotozine.com/article/the-royal-photographic-society-and-the-photographic-angle-bursary-21233

taio cruz Winter Olympics 2014 powerball numbers freddie mercury Horshack Beady Eye Eric Idle

Alamance County man suing church for split in marriage - WGHP-TV 8

Posted on: 10:43 pm, January 29, 2013, by Lindsey Eaton, updated on: 11:03pm, January 29, 2013

SNOW CAMP, N.C. ?? One Alamance County man is blaming his church for the end of his marriage. Warren Pegram says the Quaker church he and his wife were members of the Cane Creek Meeting of the Society of Friends.?

?30 years, we got married in 1982, December 24 it was a Christmas present,? says Warren Pegram, husband suing church. Pegram says the church plotted against him and members helped his wife actually move out.

?I think the church had a great deal to do with it. I won?t say they?re 100% responsible but they certainly made it happen. I don?t think she could?ve moved out if the church didn?t help her. They provided all the people to move the stuff,? explains Pegram.

Pegram says his wife was responsible for 60% of the household bills. Since she moved out in February he?s struggled financially. ?They conspired with my wife to abandoned me because they wanted to punish me because I did not want to associate with the relationship with the pastor,? explains Pegram.?

Pegram says the lawsuit isn?t about affection it?s about what he calls financial assault. ?I sued them for $180,000 and $10 million in punitive damages because churches should just not do that,? says Pegram.

He isn?t getting an attorney because he understands it?s a case not heard too often. ?You have to understand suing a church is not a feather in the cap of any attorney,? says Pegram.

He?s saying his prayers and is confident he will win his case.

Fox 8 tried to talk to the pastor of the church, Mark Tope. He told us over the phone he?s been the pastor for nine years but other than that he had not comment.

The next hearing for this case is scheduled for next week.

Source: http://myfox8.com/2013/01/29/alamance-county-man-suing-church-for-split-in-marriage/

frank gore nfl games jesus montero hiroki kuroda kuroda gene hackman pineda

Google pledges fight over access to users' email

19 hrs.

Alina Selyukh, Reuters

Google will lobby?Washington this?year?to make it harder for law enforcement authorities to gain access to emails and other digital messages.

In a blog post on Monday, linked to Data Privacy Day, Google's chief legal officer, David Drummond, said the tech giant, in coalition with many other powerful tech companies, will try to convince Congress to update a 1986 privacy protection law.

He cited data, shared last week, showing that government requests for Google's user data increased more than 70 percent since 2009.

In 2012, Google said, it received 16,407 requests for user data affecting 31,072 users or accounts, more than half of them accompanied by a subpoena.

"We're a law-abiding company, and we don't want our services to be used in harmful ways. But it's just as important that laws protect you against overly broad requests for your personal information," Drummond said in the post.

The U.S. Electronic Communications Privacy Act, passed in the early days of the Internet, does not require government investigators to have a search warrant when requesting access to old emails and messages that are stored online, providing less protection for them than, say, letters stored in a desk drawer or even messages saved on a computer's hard drive.

The current system also makes complex distinctions, many disputed in courts, between emails saved as drafts online, in transit, unopened or opened. Some of them are to be released with subpoenas, which have a lower threshold than search warrants as they often do not involve a judge.

A warrant is generally approved by a judge if investigators have "probable cause" to believe that their search is likely to turn up information related to a crime.

Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and popular social media site Twitter ? among others ? have resisted turning over customer data.

They have put in place policies, based on the constitutional protection from unreasonable searches, that require search warrants for access to content of private communications.

Privacy activists say the outdated law should be reformed to extend the constitutional right to privacy online, but legislation limiting government requests will not face an easy road.

Last year, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced a bill that would have updated the current law.

It triggered a wave of concerns from the police and FBI that new restrictions would impede crime investigations and possibly endanger victims.

"After three decades, it is essential that Congress update ECPA to ensure that this critical law keeps pace with new technologies and the way Americans use and store email today," Leahy said in a statement on Monday.

His privacy legislation died in Congress last year after his counterpart in the House of Representatives, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, a Republican, drafted another version of that bill, which also tackled other issues but stripped out privacy reform language.

Last year, Goodlatte said he was willing to consider the privacy law reform, but that the timeline then was too short for a "thorough examination."

Leahy has now included the change of privacy laws as one of his top priorities this year.

(Reporting by Alina Selyukh in Washington and Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco; Editing by Steve Orlofky)?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/google-pledges-fight-over-government-access-users-email-1C8149699

world peace world peace lakers colorectal cancer metta kashi neil diamond orange crush

Newtown Father Heckled at Gun Violence Prevention Hearing

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/newtown-father-heckled-at-gun-violence-prevention-hearing/

macauly culkin joe namath stefon diggs nazi ss naomi watts andrej pejic steve jobs fbi

DARPA's 1.8-gigapixel cam touts surveillance from 20,000 feet (video)

It's been three years since we first heard about DARPA's ARGUS-IS, but thanks to a PBS Nova special entitled "Rise of the Drones," we finally have more information about the 1.8-gigapixel camera that is supposedly the highest-resolution surveillance system in the world. The documentary showed video footage of the imaging system in action, though the camera itself remains shrouded in mystery for security reasons. Designed to be used with UAVs like the Predator, the ARGUS-IS (which stands for Autonomous Real-time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance - Imaging System) can spot a six-inch object within a ten square mile radius from 20,000 feet in the air. As shown in the clip after the break, the high-res cam doesn't quite reveal facial features, but you can spot details like a bird flying around a building and the color of someone's clothes.

The video goes on to reveal that the camera's internals are actually a collection of 368 sensors that are identical to the ones found in 5-megapixel smartphones. But the ARGUS-IS wouldn't be much without the processing power of the platform behind it. We're not entirely sure how this is done, but the camera allegedly streams around 1 million terabytes (that's an exabyte, folks) of video, which adds up to roughly 5,000 hours of HD footage per day. Thankfully, there's software that helps guys on the ground filter through the mass of data. As seen in the image above, it lets them track moving objects with up to 65 simultaneous windows. The military potential here is obvious, but DARPA is keeping mum on any future implementations of the ARGUS-IS -- or if it's been in use all this time.

Filed under: Science, Alt

Comments

Source: ExtremeTech, PBS

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/28/darpa-argus-is-surveillance/

winning mega million numbers bruce weber boston globe google maps 8 bit mirror mirror robyn texas relays

Nexus 4 shows up for sale on Best Buy's website, T-Mobile contract in tow

The Nexus 4 has just show up for sale on Best Buy's website, with familiar T-Mobile on-contract pricing of $199.99. In typical Best Buy fashion, the off-contract price of the phone has been inflated, showing $599.99 to buy the device outright. This is something Best Buy (and other retailers) does to both cover its overhead and most importantly compel people to sign 2-year contracts, and is nothing new for the Nexus 4.

This isn't likely to be any special deal between Google and Best Buy to offer the device though, as you can bet that Google would rather secure supply for its own store before branching out to yet another retailer. This is probably just T-Mobile's current deals to resell handsets and service with Best Buy extending to the new handset. New stock heading to a wider range of T-Mobile stores means it is ready to also let resellers sell the device on its behalf.

Although not many people are likely to head to Best Buy to pick it up, the Nexus 4 is certainly getting a little more exposure as these new listings arrive. Let's just hope that Google can get its own supply channels sorted out so it can offer the device through the Play Store once again.

Source: Best Buy

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/SNPXypQ7k1g/story01.htm

delmon young dallas mavericks washington capitals amare stoudemire tallest building in the world the pitch brandon inge

Animal Advocates Lobby Washington Lawmakers for Stronger ...

January?29,?2013

ASPCA, Wolf Haven International

Citizens from across Washington participating in the annual Humane Lobby Day assembled at the state capital on Monday to rally in support of animal protection legislation and to meet with lawmakers to urge them to pass animal protection bills.

Humane Lobby Day was hosted by The Humane Society of the United States, ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals?) and Wolf Haven International. Members of the Washington Alliance for Humane Legislation also participated.

?This session, legislators have a chance to improve animal cruelty provisions, make strides toward protecting shark populations and ban the inhumane and unnecessary farming practice of removing dairy cows? tails,? said Dan Paul, The HSUS? Washington state director. ?Face-to-face meetings between lawmakers, staff and committed citizens are an important step toward reducing animal suffering.??

?Humane Lobby Day is a great forum for both veteran citizen-lobbyists as well as new advocates looking to help animals for the first time,? said Kevin O?Neill, state director of ASPCA Government Relations for the Western region. ?Since the Washington Legislature has convened for 2013, several bills have been introduced and legislators take note when their constituents take the time out of their busy schedules to visit them in the Capitol. We look forward to our continued work with the people of Washington to further the cause of animal protection throughout the state.?

?We welcome opportunities like this to meet with legislators and discuss issues that greatly impact the quality of life for animals,? said Diane Gallegos, executive director of Wolf Haven International. ?It is inspiring to see so many engaged and thoughtful people attend Humane Lobby Day and provide a voice for those that cannot speak for themselves.?

During the event, The HSUS presented Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-44, with the 2012 Humane Legislator of the Year Award for his years of strong leadership regarding animal protection.

Humane Lobby Day attendees urged their legislators to support the following bills:

• Forthcoming legislation to ban the routine docking of dairy cows? tails.
• HB 1201/SB 5203 - Prohibits selling, bartering, or auctioning of animals upon certain public property or upon certain private property open to the public.
• HB 1202/SB 5204 - Modifies animal cruelty provisions relating to the crimes of animal cruelty in the first and second degree, animal fighting, and leaving and/or confining an animal in a motor vehicle or certain enclosed spaces.
• SB 5081 ? Strengthens state ban on shark fins and derivative products. ?Finning? is an abhorrent practice that involves slicing off the fins of a shark and discarding the animal at sea to drown or bleed to death. Unsustainable fishing methods like this have led to declines by as much as 90 percent in some shark populations during recent decades. A ban on shark fin products is the most effective way to eliminate the demand for shark fins and to eradicate shark finning around the world.??

Media Contacts:

HSUS - Stephanie Twining, 301-258-1491, stwining@humanesociety.org
ASPCA ? Maureen Linehan, 646-706-4602, Maureen.Linehan@aspca.org
Wolf Haven - Kim Young, 360-264-4695, kimy@wolfhaven.org

Source: http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2013/01/WA-humane-lobby-day-2013-012913.html

boxing news Coptic Christian saturday night live julio cesar chavez jr Topless Kate university of texas UT Austin

Confirming North Korean N-test almost impossible

In this Jan. 28, 2013 photo released by Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, delivers opening remarks at the Fourth Meeting of Secretaries of Cells of the Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Kim convened top security and foreign affairs officials and ordered them to take "substantial and high-profile important state measures," state media said Sunday, fueling speculation that he plans to push forward with a threat to explode a nuclear device in defiance of the United Nations.(AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service) JAPAN OUT UNTIL 14 DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF TRANSMISSION

In this Jan. 28, 2013 photo released by Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, delivers opening remarks at the Fourth Meeting of Secretaries of Cells of the Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Kim convened top security and foreign affairs officials and ordered them to take "substantial and high-profile important state measures," state media said Sunday, fueling speculation that he plans to push forward with a threat to explode a nuclear device in defiance of the United Nations.(AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service) JAPAN OUT UNTIL 14 DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF TRANSMISSION

In this Jan. 28, 2013 image made from video, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers opening remarks at the Fourth Meeting of Secretaries of Cells of the Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Kim convened top security and foreign affairs officials and ordered them to take "substantial and high-profile important state measures," state media said Sunday, fueling speculation that he plans to push forward with a threat to explode a nuclear device in defiance of the United Nations. (AP Photo/KRT via AP Video) NORTH KOREA OUT, TV OUT

A girl looks at a display on assessment about impact of supposed nuclear attack on Seoul at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013. North Korea appears all set to detonate an atomic device, but confirming the explosion when it takes place will be virtually impossible for outsiders, specialists said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A boy attaches a message wishing unification and peace of the two Koreas to a tree at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013. North Korea appears all set to detonate an atomic device, but confirming the explosion when it takes place will be virtually impossible for outsiders, specialists said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Visitors watch a giant screen showing a South Korean national flag at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013. North Korea appears all set to detonate an atomic device, but confirming the explosion when it takes place will be virtually impossible for outsiders, specialists said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea appears all set to detonate an atomic device, but confirming the explosion when it takes place will be virtually impossible for outsiders, specialists said Tuesday.

The best indication of a test will be seismic tremors and abnormal radiation in the air, but even that can be masked if North Korea wants to. In all likelihood the first word of the test will come from Pyongyang itself, just as it happened when the country conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.

Last week, North Korea warned that it plans a third nuclear test to protest toughened international sanctions meant to punish it for firing a long-range rocket in December. The world sees the launch as a ballistic missile test banned by the U.N., while Pyongyang says it only launched a satellite into orbit as part of a peaceful space development program.

The U.S., South Korea and their allies have pressed the North to scrap its nuclear test plans, saying it will only worsen the country's decades-old international isolation.

The threats have placed scientists and experts in South Korea on high alert as any test is likely to aggravate the already high tensions on the divided Korean Peninsula.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said Tuesday it believes North Korea has nearly completed its nuclear test preparations, confirming satellite analysis last week by the U.S.-Korea Institute, a research group at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Its satellite images of the Punggye-ri site ? where the previous two nuclear tests were conducted ? show that the North Koreans may have been sealing a tunnel into a mountainside where a nuclear device would be detonated.

In the event of such an underground nuclear test, earthquake monitoring stations in South Korea can detect seismic tremors accompanied by low-frequency sound waves. While earthquakes trigger seismic waves they don't produce sound waves.

But this is at best a strong indication of a test and not an absolute confirmation.

An earthquake expert at the state-run Korea Meteorological Administration said his office aims to find out the magnitude of the tremor, the time it started and the exact location on the map within 10 minutes of the explosion. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.

Experts also note that artificial earthquakes, such as those created by nuclear explosions, rarely trigger the same wave patterns as natural quakes.

North Korea could also try to deceive and give the impression that it exploded a nuclear device by simply exploding sophisticated conventional weapons that would trigger the same seismic waves produced by a nuclear test, said Chi Heoncheol, an earthquake specialist at the government-funded Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources.

By raising tensions this way, North Korea may hope to wrest concessions or aid in return for promises to scale back its unproven nuclear capability.

"Even if they bring truckloads of high-powered conventional explosives, put them (into an underground tunnel) and explode them, they will generate the same seismic wave and sound wave," Chi said. The only difference is no radioactivity would be detected from the explosion of conventional weapons, he said.

The best course for scientists would be to collect air samples to look for increased radiation but the process could take days. Even if the wind is favorable ? and assuming North Korea conducts the test at Punggye-ri in the country's northeastern corner ? it will take more than one day for airborne radioactive isotopes like xenon to reach South Korea, according to an official at the government-run Nuclear Safety and Security Commission.

The official, who requested anonymity citing the sensitive nature of the subject, acknowledged it may be impossible to confirm a test if the wind doesn't blow southward or if North Korea plugs the underground tunnel so tightly that no radioactive gas escapes.

South Korea confirmed increased radiation levels following the North's 2006 nuclear test but didn't find anything in 2009.

And if North Korea decides to conduct a so-called subcritical test, there would be no release of radioactivity at all.

A sub-critical test only works on the properties of plutonium but stop short of creating a critical mass, the point at which a self-sustaining nuclear reaction occurs. Such an experiment requires a "very difficult technology" that only a few countries like the U.S., Russia and England have acquired, said nuclear expert Whang Joo-ho of Kyung Hee University.

"I believe North Korea's technology has not reached that level," Whang said.

North Korea said its upcoming atomic explosion will be a "high-level" test and many analysts said that refers to a device made from highly enriched uranium, which gives the country a second source for manufacturing bombs in addition to plutonium.

Whether North Korea detonates a uranium- or plutonium-based device, there won't be much difference in how easily scientists can detect the tests. The only difference is that they produce different radioactive gases, Whang said.

He also said a uranium-based test explosion would mean that North Korea's nuclear stockpile can continue to be enlarged at a time when there is no evidence of continued production of plutonium at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex.

North Korea watchers in South Korea are speculating various dates for a possible nuclear test, with some predicting it could happen as early as this week and others choosing days just before the Feb. 16 birthday of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

There is no way to determine when North Korea will conduct a nuclear test, said analyst Shim BeomChul at the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul. U.S. spy satellites "can detect objects 15 centimeters (5.9 inches) in size on the ground but they cannot detect what's happening underground," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-29-AS-NKorea-Nuclear/id-ac470d92d71e4089aee7ab4beaaa7bc0

transcendental meditation trayvon martin obama care miss universe canada don draper gallagher madmen

Gold 401k Investing Strategies | Liberty

There?ll always be a great number of people which don?t recognize that whether they have assets within an IRA, they do not need to really pay taxes over it which is certainly one of the greatest reasons for using gold retirement. The very first choice has to be the Individual Retirement Account meant for Gold investing; this really is gonna be best to provide protection to individual assets, having said that there is the this that is for even bigger, more advanced investments. Nevertheless, the largest and also one of the treasured IRAs will likely be designed for physical precious metals which happens to be things such as bullion.

You?ll encounter various selections regarding gold retirement yet learning what option is gonna be greatest must be the main concern since there are different alternatives. Such options will be fairly decent or perhaps fairly bad, the fact is that rare metals is a advisable investment yet finding out what is likely to offer the most desirable return will be important as well. There are many investment alternatives that don?t give out quite a lot in terms of investment decision yet there will be some just like gold coin which offers an incredible investment decision often should be the most effective choices concerning making an investment.

Performing the gold Individual Retirement Account rollover isn?t as complex as it may seem. Specialists can help you in connection with this so you won?t commit an error. For details, kindly visit http://goldiracentral.com/gold-retirement

This entry was posted in Business on January 28, 2013 by admin.

Source: http://dwiminneapolis.com/business/gold-401k-investing-strategies/

rob gronkowski Coughing eddie murphy Stephanie Bongiovi stanford football guy fieri Jill Kelley