Smartphones and tablets running Apple’s (AAPL) iOS platform and Google’s (GOOG) Android OS are big this year — so big that traditional toy makers are terrified they might soon be obsolete. If you’re one of the tens of thousands of people young and old who just unwrapped a brand new iPad, Android device, iPod touch or iPhone, Gameloft has made figuring out where to start fairly easy for you by putting dozens of mobile games on sale for just $0.99 each. Popular titles include “Asphalt 7: Heat,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Amazing Spider-Man,” “Where’s Waldo Now?,” “Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour” and more. Dozens of other Gameloft games are free and you can browse through all the company’s titles via the source links below.
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Just got a new iPhone, iPad or Android device for Christmas? Gameloft cuts popular iOS and Android games to 99¢
Labels: Tech
Purported photo of new BlackBerry phone with QWERTY keyboard leaks
Labels: TechResearch In Motion (RIMM) CEO Thorsten Heins recently said during the company’s Q3 earnings call that BlackBerry 7 is still a “strong success” in the Asian-Pacific markets. Despite the company putting most of its weight behind BlackBerry 10 and the Z10 and X10, Heins said RIM will continue supporting BB7 and consumers “might expect us to even build one of the other new products” based on it. Heins suggested on the earnings call new BB7 phones will target entry-level markets with lower price points over its BB10 devices; now, MobileSyrup has posted a photo of a mystery BlackBerry phone sitting next to the BB10-powered Z10 and X10. Could this HTC (2498) Status/ChaCha look-alike be a new BB7 smartphone? It could be, but then again, it could also be a prototype that will never be released or another new BB10-powered QWERTY phone.
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Microsoft Surface trampled at the bottom of the tablet pile this Christmas
Labels: TechWhile it does have drawbacks just like anything else, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Surface is a great slate for those looking for a fresh new take on the modern tablet. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like very many people were looking for a fresh new take on the modern tablet this holiday season. In a recent note to investors, R.W. Baird analyst William Power recounted recent conversations had at retailers including Best Buy (BBY) and Staples (SPLS). While speaking with sales reps at the stores, Apple’s (AAPL) iPad was the most highly recommended tablet while Amazon’s (AMZN) Kindle Fire line and Samsung’s (005930) Galaxy Tab line were both recommended as alternatives. Microsoft’s Surface tablet, on the other hand, was not pushed by reps at either chain.
[More from BGR: Purported photo of new BlackBerry phone with QWERTY keyboard leaks]
From Power’s note, as picked up by Barron’s:
[More from BGR: Sprint salesman refuses to sell iPhone to customer, says his ‘fingers are too fat’ to use it]
Microsoft’s Surface, which Best Buy just recently started carrying, was not recommended to us by reps without us asking about it specifically. When asked about sales to date, reps noted that the device was new and indicated that early demand has been modest relative to the iPad and Kindle Fire. We would also note that the device was in stock at every store we contacted […] We contacted Staples stores in an effort to further gauge Microsoft Surface sales, though our impression from speaking with reps was tablets are not a major seller at Staples. Tellingly, Staples doesn’t currently carry the iPad. When pressed for details, Staples reps indicated that Surface volumes have been modest to date. Most reps told us that the primary appeal to Surface buyers is the ability to run Microsoft Office. Consistent with our Best Buy checks, the Surface was also in stock at all Staples stores we contacted. Outside of the Surface, the Google Nexus 10 was cited as another strong tablet option.
Further supporting the idea that Microsoft’s debut tablet wasn’t a big seller this holiday season, Twitter user A.X. Ian did a quick analysis of tweets discussing new tablets during a 24-hour period around Christmas Eve.
Based on his data, 1,795 people tweeted about getting a new iPad during that time span while 250 tweeted about their new Kindle Fires, 100 mentioned their new Nexus 10 tablets and just 36 tweets were posted by users who had received a new Surface.
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[More from BGR: Purported photo of new BlackBerry phone with QWERTY keyboard leaks]
From Power’s note, as picked up by Barron’s:
[More from BGR: Sprint salesman refuses to sell iPhone to customer, says his ‘fingers are too fat’ to use it]
Microsoft’s Surface, which Best Buy just recently started carrying, was not recommended to us by reps without us asking about it specifically. When asked about sales to date, reps noted that the device was new and indicated that early demand has been modest relative to the iPad and Kindle Fire. We would also note that the device was in stock at every store we contacted […] We contacted Staples stores in an effort to further gauge Microsoft Surface sales, though our impression from speaking with reps was tablets are not a major seller at Staples. Tellingly, Staples doesn’t currently carry the iPad. When pressed for details, Staples reps indicated that Surface volumes have been modest to date. Most reps told us that the primary appeal to Surface buyers is the ability to run Microsoft Office. Consistent with our Best Buy checks, the Surface was also in stock at all Staples stores we contacted. Outside of the Surface, the Google Nexus 10 was cited as another strong tablet option.
Further supporting the idea that Microsoft’s debut tablet wasn’t a big seller this holiday season, Twitter user A.X. Ian did a quick analysis of tweets discussing new tablets during a 24-hour period around Christmas Eve.
Based on his data, 1,795 people tweeted about getting a new iPad during that time span while 250 tweeted about their new Kindle Fires, 100 mentioned their new Nexus 10 tablets and just 36 tweets were posted by users who had received a new Surface.
iPad is a Christmas graveyard for ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and ‘Modern Combat’
Labels: TechAt the beginning of December, the traditional video game industry attempted another iPad invasion. New versions of “Grand Theft Auto,” “Modern Combat” and “Baldur’s Gate” hit the iOS app market priced between $5 and $10. Over the past years, we have seen repeated attempts by major console and PC industry franchises to tailor their blockbuster games for iPhone and iPad platforms. None have succeeded. As the iOS app market increasingly favors free games with in-app purchases, the old-timers have started failing spectacularly.
[More from BGR: Microsoft Surface trampled at the bottom of the tablet pile this Christmas]
December is the most important month of the year for the iOS app market and the days around Christmas are the hottest period. As consumers upgrade their iPhones or receive their very first iOS devices, they tend to go on mobile app buying binges. That is why mega franchises like GTA and “Modern Combat” launched their latest iOS products at the beginning of the month. The games were supposed to stay alive for at least three weeks. They did not.
[More from BGR: Mark Cuban: Nokia Lumia 920 ‘crushes’ the iPhone 5]
The lavishly marketed “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” peaked on iPhone app chart at No.2 on December 8th and plunged to No.36 by December 22nd. It rebounded to No.25 on December 25th. On the iPad, the game plummeted to a shocking No.52 by the all-important Christmas Day, when new iPad owners go berserk on iTunes.
Here is the kicker: on the revenue chart for U.S. iPad apps, the new GTA game had tanked to No.75 by December 25th. This is even worse than the No.52 position on the download chart. I find that genuinely fascinating, because it means that a game with a very stiff download price of $5 is showing weaker revenue performance than on raw download volume.
The GTA title is priced at $5 at a time when 80% of the top-grossing iPad games are free downloads. The top free apps have compelling in-game purchase strategies — “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” does not. As a result, it is getting beaten by titles such as “Fairway Solitaire” and “My Little Pony” in revenue generation. Having massive name recognition and hundreds of millions of units in console game sales helps very little in the brutally competitive iOS game market.
“Modern Combat 4″ has also plunged out of top-50 on the iPad revenue chart just three weeks after its high-profile debut. The $10 update of “Baldur’s Gate” is out of top-200, brought low by its ridiculously high sticker price.
The proud console and PC game champions keep repeating the same gambit in the iOS market: price ‘em high and ignore the in-app purchase angle. They keep failing. When are we going to see a major console game franchise finally adapt to the Apple (AAPL) ecosystem and create an iOS game that is free to download but lures users into an in-app purchase trap effectively?
Read More..
[More from BGR: Microsoft Surface trampled at the bottom of the tablet pile this Christmas]
December is the most important month of the year for the iOS app market and the days around Christmas are the hottest period. As consumers upgrade their iPhones or receive their very first iOS devices, they tend to go on mobile app buying binges. That is why mega franchises like GTA and “Modern Combat” launched their latest iOS products at the beginning of the month. The games were supposed to stay alive for at least three weeks. They did not.
[More from BGR: Mark Cuban: Nokia Lumia 920 ‘crushes’ the iPhone 5]
The lavishly marketed “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” peaked on iPhone app chart at No.2 on December 8th and plunged to No.36 by December 22nd. It rebounded to No.25 on December 25th. On the iPad, the game plummeted to a shocking No.52 by the all-important Christmas Day, when new iPad owners go berserk on iTunes.
Here is the kicker: on the revenue chart for U.S. iPad apps, the new GTA game had tanked to No.75 by December 25th. This is even worse than the No.52 position on the download chart. I find that genuinely fascinating, because it means that a game with a very stiff download price of $5 is showing weaker revenue performance than on raw download volume.
The GTA title is priced at $5 at a time when 80% of the top-grossing iPad games are free downloads. The top free apps have compelling in-game purchase strategies — “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” does not. As a result, it is getting beaten by titles such as “Fairway Solitaire” and “My Little Pony” in revenue generation. Having massive name recognition and hundreds of millions of units in console game sales helps very little in the brutally competitive iOS game market.
“Modern Combat 4″ has also plunged out of top-50 on the iPad revenue chart just three weeks after its high-profile debut. The $10 update of “Baldur’s Gate” is out of top-200, brought low by its ridiculously high sticker price.
The proud console and PC game champions keep repeating the same gambit in the iOS market: price ‘em high and ignore the in-app purchase angle. They keep failing. When are we going to see a major console game franchise finally adapt to the Apple (AAPL) ecosystem and create an iOS game that is free to download but lures users into an in-app purchase trap effectively?
Apple still can’t build enough iPad minis
Labels: TechA common issue often presents itself when Apple (AAPL) launches new products: it can’t build them fast enough. We’ve seen it time and time again, most recently when Apple launched the iPhone 5 and 150,000 dedicated factory workers still couldn’t keep up with demand. Now, a report has surfaced claiming that Apple’s manufacturing partners in the Far East can’t build units fast enough to keep pace with Apple’s iPad mini orders.
[More from BGR: Microsoft Surface trampled at the bottom of the tablet pile this Christmas]
According to Digitimes’ supply chain sources, Apple’s parts suppliers have prepared enough components to build between 10 million and 12 million iPad mini tablets in the fourth quarter to accomodate heavy demand. Apple’s manufacturing partners are only expected to ship 8 million assembled units, however.
[More from BGR: Mark Cuban: Nokia Lumia 920 ‘crushes’ the iPhone 5]
The report states that yield rates are improving though, and Apple is expected to ship 13 million iPad mini tablets in the first quarter of 2013.
Read More..
[More from BGR: Microsoft Surface trampled at the bottom of the tablet pile this Christmas]
According to Digitimes’ supply chain sources, Apple’s parts suppliers have prepared enough components to build between 10 million and 12 million iPad mini tablets in the fourth quarter to accomodate heavy demand. Apple’s manufacturing partners are only expected to ship 8 million assembled units, however.
[More from BGR: Mark Cuban: Nokia Lumia 920 ‘crushes’ the iPhone 5]
The report states that yield rates are improving though, and Apple is expected to ship 13 million iPad mini tablets in the first quarter of 2013.
Half of all cancers are preventable: study
Labels: HealthHalf of all cancers could be prevented if people just adopted healthier behaviors, US scientists argued on Wednesday.
Smoking is blamed for a third of all US cancer cases and being overweight leads to another 20 percent of the deadly burden that costs the United States some $226 billion per year in health care expenses and lost productivity.
For instance, up to three quarters of US lung cancer cases could be avoided if people did not smoke, said the article in the US journal Science Translational Medicine.
Science has shown that plenty of other cancers can also be prevented, either with vaccines to prevent human papillomavirus and hepatitis, which can cause cervical and liver cancers, or by protecting against sun exposure, which can cause skin cancer.
Society as a whole must recognize the need for these changes and take seriously an attempt to instill healthier habits, said the researchers.
"It's time we made an investment in implementing what we know," said lead author Graham Colditz, an epidemiologist at the Siteman Cancer Center at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.
Exercising, eating right and refraining from smoking are key ways to prevent up to half of the 577,000 deaths from cancer in the United States expected this year, a toll that is second only to heart disease, according to the study.
But a series of obstacles to change are well enshrined in the United States, which will see an estimated 1,638,910 new cancer cases diagnosed this year.
Those hurdles include skepticism that cancer can be prevented and the habit of intervening too late in life to stop or prevent cancer that has already taken root.
Also, much of the research on cancer focuses on treatment instead of prevention, and tends to take a short-term view rather than a long-term approach.
"Humans are impatient, and that human trait itself is an obstacle to cancer prevention," said the study.
Further complicating those factors are the income gaps between the upper and lower social classes that mean poor people tend to be more exposed to cancer risk factors than the wealthy.
"Pollution and crime, poor public transportation, lack of parks for play and exercise, and absence of nearby supermarkets for fresh food hinder the adoption and sustained practice of a lifestyle that minimizes the risk of cancer and other diseases," said the study.
"As in other countries, social stratification in the United States exacerbates lifestyle differences such as access to health care, especially prevention and early detection services.
"Mammograms, colon screening, diet and nutrition support, smoking cessation resources and sun protection mechanisms are simply less available to the poor."
That means any bid to overcome deep social imbalances must be supported by policy changes, said co-author Sarah Gehlert, professor of racial and ethnic diversity at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work and the School of Medicine.
"After working in public health for 25 years, I've learned that if we want to change health, we need to change policy," she said.
"Stricter tobacco policy is a good example. But we can't make policy change on our own. We can tell the story, but it requires a critical mass of people to talk more forcefully about the need for change."
A separate annual report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other major US cancer groups found that death rates from cancer in the United States continued to decline between 1.3 and 1.7 percent from 1998 to 2008.
New cancer diagnoses also decreased less than one percent per year from 1996 to 2006 and leveled off from 2006 to 2008.
However, the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer also highlighted the problem of obesity-related cancers, such as colorectal cancer, as well as cancer of the kidney, esophagus, pancreas, breast and endometrial lining.
"If you watch your diet, exercise, and manage your weight, you can not only prevent your risk of getting many lethal forms of cancer, you will also increase your chances of doing well if you should get almost any form of cancer," counseled Edward Benz, president of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
Read More..
Smoking is blamed for a third of all US cancer cases and being overweight leads to another 20 percent of the deadly burden that costs the United States some $226 billion per year in health care expenses and lost productivity.
For instance, up to three quarters of US lung cancer cases could be avoided if people did not smoke, said the article in the US journal Science Translational Medicine.
Science has shown that plenty of other cancers can also be prevented, either with vaccines to prevent human papillomavirus and hepatitis, which can cause cervical and liver cancers, or by protecting against sun exposure, which can cause skin cancer.
Society as a whole must recognize the need for these changes and take seriously an attempt to instill healthier habits, said the researchers.
"It's time we made an investment in implementing what we know," said lead author Graham Colditz, an epidemiologist at the Siteman Cancer Center at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.
Exercising, eating right and refraining from smoking are key ways to prevent up to half of the 577,000 deaths from cancer in the United States expected this year, a toll that is second only to heart disease, according to the study.
But a series of obstacles to change are well enshrined in the United States, which will see an estimated 1,638,910 new cancer cases diagnosed this year.
Those hurdles include skepticism that cancer can be prevented and the habit of intervening too late in life to stop or prevent cancer that has already taken root.
Also, much of the research on cancer focuses on treatment instead of prevention, and tends to take a short-term view rather than a long-term approach.
"Humans are impatient, and that human trait itself is an obstacle to cancer prevention," said the study.
Further complicating those factors are the income gaps between the upper and lower social classes that mean poor people tend to be more exposed to cancer risk factors than the wealthy.
"Pollution and crime, poor public transportation, lack of parks for play and exercise, and absence of nearby supermarkets for fresh food hinder the adoption and sustained practice of a lifestyle that minimizes the risk of cancer and other diseases," said the study.
"As in other countries, social stratification in the United States exacerbates lifestyle differences such as access to health care, especially prevention and early detection services.
"Mammograms, colon screening, diet and nutrition support, smoking cessation resources and sun protection mechanisms are simply less available to the poor."
That means any bid to overcome deep social imbalances must be supported by policy changes, said co-author Sarah Gehlert, professor of racial and ethnic diversity at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work and the School of Medicine.
"After working in public health for 25 years, I've learned that if we want to change health, we need to change policy," she said.
"Stricter tobacco policy is a good example. But we can't make policy change on our own. We can tell the story, but it requires a critical mass of people to talk more forcefully about the need for change."
A separate annual report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other major US cancer groups found that death rates from cancer in the United States continued to decline between 1.3 and 1.7 percent from 1998 to 2008.
New cancer diagnoses also decreased less than one percent per year from 1996 to 2006 and leveled off from 2006 to 2008.
However, the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer also highlighted the problem of obesity-related cancers, such as colorectal cancer, as well as cancer of the kidney, esophagus, pancreas, breast and endometrial lining.
"If you watch your diet, exercise, and manage your weight, you can not only prevent your risk of getting many lethal forms of cancer, you will also increase your chances of doing well if you should get almost any form of cancer," counseled Edward Benz, president of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
How to find a good yoga teacher
Labels: HealthFinding a yoga class is easy, but finding one that is a good fit is an altogether different matter. If you're new to yoga, or still searching for a class that strikes the right chord, here are a few tips to keep in mind.
A good place to start is by talking: ask your friends or colleagues at work to recommend a teacher or studio or school. Even if you consider yourself in great shape but are new to yoga, sign up for a beginner's class. Also investigate the methods beforehand: some techniques are notoriously intense, such as Ashtanga, while others are gentle, such as Kripalu.
Before unrolling your mat, have an idea of what you're getting to. Get the details beforehand on the length of the class, the cost, what kind of dress is recommended (for example, for heated classes such as Bikram and Power Yoga, you'll want lightweight clothes that breathe), whether or not you need to bring your own yoga mat, and how large the class is. More experienced and popular teachers can draw huge, tightly packed classes, meaning less time to work with individuals. Newer teachers, while a little rougher around the edges, will have more time to give you personalized attention.
When it comes to finding a good teacher, make sure he or she not only has been certified to teach yoga but also continues to practice and study under a master yoga teacher. Talk to your teacher beforehand if you have any problems or issues, and look for a teacher who is patient and respectful.
While yoga can be challenging and will initially at least cause some pain, never perform a position in class that generates "bad" pain, especially in the knees, lower back, and neck. Talk to your teacher, ask for a modified pose, or assume a rest position. Never allow a teacher to encourage you to "work through" this kind of pain.
Also a good teacher will walk around the class, looking at the students' poses, making adjustments as necessary. Get a feel for how the students respond, whether or not there is camaraderie in the class, and if he or she offers feedback and alternatives. Also be sure your teacher incorporates some breath work, which is an intricate part of all forms of yoga.
If you find a teacher you like, it's best to study under that teacher as much as you can, allowing your teacher to familiarize herself with your practice. A good teacher will take a personal interest in you and your yoga by listening to your goals and hopes.
Read More..
A good place to start is by talking: ask your friends or colleagues at work to recommend a teacher or studio or school. Even if you consider yourself in great shape but are new to yoga, sign up for a beginner's class. Also investigate the methods beforehand: some techniques are notoriously intense, such as Ashtanga, while others are gentle, such as Kripalu.
Before unrolling your mat, have an idea of what you're getting to. Get the details beforehand on the length of the class, the cost, what kind of dress is recommended (for example, for heated classes such as Bikram and Power Yoga, you'll want lightweight clothes that breathe), whether or not you need to bring your own yoga mat, and how large the class is. More experienced and popular teachers can draw huge, tightly packed classes, meaning less time to work with individuals. Newer teachers, while a little rougher around the edges, will have more time to give you personalized attention.
When it comes to finding a good teacher, make sure he or she not only has been certified to teach yoga but also continues to practice and study under a master yoga teacher. Talk to your teacher beforehand if you have any problems or issues, and look for a teacher who is patient and respectful.
While yoga can be challenging and will initially at least cause some pain, never perform a position in class that generates "bad" pain, especially in the knees, lower back, and neck. Talk to your teacher, ask for a modified pose, or assume a rest position. Never allow a teacher to encourage you to "work through" this kind of pain.
Also a good teacher will walk around the class, looking at the students' poses, making adjustments as necessary. Get a feel for how the students respond, whether or not there is camaraderie in the class, and if he or she offers feedback and alternatives. Also be sure your teacher incorporates some breath work, which is an intricate part of all forms of yoga.
If you find a teacher you like, it's best to study under that teacher as much as you can, allowing your teacher to familiarize herself with your practice. A good teacher will take a personal interest in you and your yoga by listening to your goals and hopes.
How to Avoid a High Tax Bracket in Retirement
Labels: Health
We spend many years saving and investing in our retirement portfolios. And when we retire, there is still more work to be done. You probably have many accounts in your retirement portfolio including a 401(k), traditional IRA, Roth IRA, after-tax brokerage account, annuity, Social Security benefits, and perhaps even a traditional pension. You will need to use all of these sources of income efficiently to best replace the paychecks you used to get from your job.
One of the most important strategies is to keep tax to a minimum. Due to tax-deferred retirement accounts, many of us have delayed paying taxes on much of our retirement income. And that tax bill becomes due when we withdraw the money in retirement. Aiming to stay in a low tax bracket can help retirees to minimize the tax they pay on their retirement savings. Here's a look at the current tax brackets:
| Tax Brackets 2012 | Single | Married Filing Jointly | Head of Household |
| 10 percent bracket | $0-$8,700 | $0-$17,400 | $0-$12,400 |
| 15 percent bracket | $8,700-$35,350 | $17,400-$70,700 | $12,400- $47,350 |
| 25 percent bracket | $35,350-$85,650 | $70,700-$142,700 | $47,350- $122,300 |
| 28 percent bracket | $85,650-$178,650 | $142,700-$217,450 | $122,300- $198,050 |
| 33 percent bracket | $178,650-$388,350 | $217,450- $388,350 | $198,050- $388,350 |
| 35 percent bracket | $388,350+ | $388,350+ | $388,350+ |
In retirement, we should strive to avoid the 25 percent tax rate (or higher) as much as possible. To stay in the 15 percent bracket, we will have to make sure our adjusted gross income stays under $35,000. There are several things we can do to accomplish this.
Let's say a single retiree needs $3,000 per month after taxes to cover expenses. Can a retiree bring in this income, but still avoid the 25 percent tax rate? It depends on where the income comes from.
Annuity, pension, and Social Security income are each taxed differently than regular earned income. In this example, let's assume the taxable portion of these types of income is around $15,000 per year.
Then we could withdraw $20,000 from a 401(k) or traditional IRA and still stay in a low tax bracket. These are both pre-tax accounts and any withdrawals are taxed at the earned income rate.
So far this retiree has an adjusted gross income of $35,000, which allows him to avoid the 25 percent tax bracket, and instead pay an effective tax rate of around 13.75 percent. This is about $2,500 per month in after-tax income. But we are still $500 short of $3,000 per month for expenses.
We can then tap an after-tax account for this shortfall. The current long-term capital gains tax rate is 0 percent for people in the 10 or 15 percent tax bracket. You could also withdraw the money from aRoth IRA or Roth 401(k). No income tax is due on these withdrawals because you already pre-paid the income tax up front.
If you want to remain in a low tax bracket in retirement, generate $35,000 or less from taxable income sources including a 401(k), IRA, Social Security, annuity, and pension. Once you hit $35,000 worth of taxable income, switch to after-tax accounts like the Roth IRA to generate the rest of your target income.
This flexibility is why it is important to invest in a Roth IRA and after-tax accounts. While you don't get an immediate tax break, these accounts add tax diversification to your portfolio that can be extremely useful when it's time to withdraw the money. While employers often encourage us to contribute to traditional 401(k) accounts, don't ignore the future tax benefit of the Roth IRA. It's best to contribute to both a traditional and Roth 401(k) or IRA, and an after-tax brokerage account.
Joe Udo is planning an exit strategy from his corporate job by reducing expenses and increasing passive income. He blogs about his journey to early retirement at Retire by 40.
Tattooist gives nipples, new life, to US cancer survivors
Labels: HealthFew tattoo artists tell their clients they could win a wet T-shirt contest.Then again, few tattoo artists are quite like Vincent "Vinnie" Myers.
In his shop in a modest strip mall in Finksburg, a half-hour drive from Baltimore, Myers specializes in tattooing nipples and areolas onto women who have undergone breast cancer surgery.
Using precisely mixed pigments, he creates a perfect 3-D illusion of the real thing -- and in doing so, enables women who have undergone mastectomies to feel fully like women once again.
"It's far more rewarding than anything else I have ever done," said Myers, 49, who has dedicated the last decade of his 28 years as a tattoo artist concentrating on post-op cosmetic tattoos.
He has treated around 3,000 breast cancer survivors so far, including many referred to him by surgeons at Baltimore's prestigious Johns Hopkins medical center and other hospitals around the United States.
"When it's completed and they see the final results, most women feel very emotional because they realize: 'The thing is over, I'm whole again,'" Myers said.
Myers, a Baltimore native, discovered tattooing when he was a US army medic in South Korea in the 1980s. In 2001, a friend asked him if he might tattoo some patients who had undergone breast reconstruction.
Typical of the women who have gone under the needle at Little Vinnies Tattoos is Susan, 58, an elegant retiree with a wish "to look as normal as possible."
"I'm doing this for me. It makes you feel prettier," she told AFP the other day as Myers pulled on a pair of blue latex gloves and prepared to work is magic.
-- 'There's a huge mental impact' --
"Any complications? Any allergies?" the tattooist asked before carefully mixing pigments in tiny pots and joking that Susan "might win" a T-shirt contest once the tattoo is done.
"We're going to go with, not peach, but more like taupe, a little bit more blue," he said, before smearing a bit of pigment onto Susan's fair skin to determine if he had mixed the exact color for her complexion.
"The perfect reconstructed breast doesn't look like a breast without a nipple," said Myers, whose fee ranges from $350 to $1,000 depending on the complexity of the task at hand.
"You get out of the shower in the morning, you look out at yourself in the mirror, and you have no nipples -- there's a huge mental impact," he said. "It's critical that the visual appearance is as close to normal as possible."
Hospitals also offer post-mastectomy tattoos, but Myers said they are typically carried out by nurses with no more than "a couple of days" training.
On average, it takes Myers two hours to complete his work, during which he will determine the color and size of the areolas of each patient.
"They will be some shade of color on the areola itself and a darker shade on the nipples because that is normally darker," he said.
"Then you do a kind of grey shadow on the bottom side to highlight the top side so as to give it some depth ... using 'trompe l'oeil' to make it look like it's three dimensional."
When he is not in Fricksburg, Myers is often on the road, treating women in New York, Philadelphia, Charleston in South Carolina and the Saint Charles surgical hospital in New Orleans.
Myers reckoned that only a handful of his fellow tattoo artists do what he does, and in order to meet a growing demand, he has already trained two others in the secrets of his unique craft.
Some 200,000 cases of breast cancer are detected in the United States every year. Half of them require breast reconstruction, even if surgeons using the latest techniques try to retain as much of the nipple area as possible.
It helps, Myers said, that his tattoo shop is just that -- a tattoo shop, not a medical clinic. Patients feel more relaxed "and you can have a little more fun here than you can at the hospital.
Read More..
In his shop in a modest strip mall in Finksburg, a half-hour drive from Baltimore, Myers specializes in tattooing nipples and areolas onto women who have undergone breast cancer surgery.
Using precisely mixed pigments, he creates a perfect 3-D illusion of the real thing -- and in doing so, enables women who have undergone mastectomies to feel fully like women once again.
"It's far more rewarding than anything else I have ever done," said Myers, 49, who has dedicated the last decade of his 28 years as a tattoo artist concentrating on post-op cosmetic tattoos.
He has treated around 3,000 breast cancer survivors so far, including many referred to him by surgeons at Baltimore's prestigious Johns Hopkins medical center and other hospitals around the United States.
"When it's completed and they see the final results, most women feel very emotional because they realize: 'The thing is over, I'm whole again,'" Myers said.
Myers, a Baltimore native, discovered tattooing when he was a US army medic in South Korea in the 1980s. In 2001, a friend asked him if he might tattoo some patients who had undergone breast reconstruction.
Typical of the women who have gone under the needle at Little Vinnies Tattoos is Susan, 58, an elegant retiree with a wish "to look as normal as possible."
"I'm doing this for me. It makes you feel prettier," she told AFP the other day as Myers pulled on a pair of blue latex gloves and prepared to work is magic.
-- 'There's a huge mental impact' --
"Any complications? Any allergies?" the tattooist asked before carefully mixing pigments in tiny pots and joking that Susan "might win" a T-shirt contest once the tattoo is done.
"We're going to go with, not peach, but more like taupe, a little bit more blue," he said, before smearing a bit of pigment onto Susan's fair skin to determine if he had mixed the exact color for her complexion.
"The perfect reconstructed breast doesn't look like a breast without a nipple," said Myers, whose fee ranges from $350 to $1,000 depending on the complexity of the task at hand.
"You get out of the shower in the morning, you look out at yourself in the mirror, and you have no nipples -- there's a huge mental impact," he said. "It's critical that the visual appearance is as close to normal as possible."
Hospitals also offer post-mastectomy tattoos, but Myers said they are typically carried out by nurses with no more than "a couple of days" training.
On average, it takes Myers two hours to complete his work, during which he will determine the color and size of the areolas of each patient.
"They will be some shade of color on the areola itself and a darker shade on the nipples because that is normally darker," he said.
"Then you do a kind of grey shadow on the bottom side to highlight the top side so as to give it some depth ... using 'trompe l'oeil' to make it look like it's three dimensional."
When he is not in Fricksburg, Myers is often on the road, treating women in New York, Philadelphia, Charleston in South Carolina and the Saint Charles surgical hospital in New Orleans.
Myers reckoned that only a handful of his fellow tattoo artists do what he does, and in order to meet a growing demand, he has already trained two others in the secrets of his unique craft.
Some 200,000 cases of breast cancer are detected in the United States every year. Half of them require breast reconstruction, even if surgeons using the latest techniques try to retain as much of the nipple area as possible.
It helps, Myers said, that his tattoo shop is just that -- a tattoo shop, not a medical clinic. Patients feel more relaxed "and you can have a little more fun here than you can at the hospital.
Trio of chefs nominated in 'Time' magazine's 100 most influential people list
Labels: HealthChefs René Redzepi, David Chang and José Andrés have been nominated in Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
The trio of world renowned chefs joins a pool of politicians, heads of state, actors, musicians and human rights activists as candidates in the publication’s Time 100 list.
Last year, Chef Grant Achatz was the only food personality among nominees like Jamie Oliver, US food writer Mark Bittman and Redzepi to break through the final round.
Voting is now open and closes April 6. The poll winner will be included in the Time 100 list, and the remaining people chosen by the magazine editors. The winners will be announced April 17.
Here’s how the food personalities are being described in the nominations:
José Andrés
Age: 42
Activist Chef
Andrés is a decorated chef for his Washington DC restaurants Jaleo and Minibar. Last year, he was named Outstanding Chef at the James Beard Foundation Awards. But it’s for his anti-hunger and anti-poverty efforts that he’s been singled out by Time this year. His World Central Kitchen, for instance, is described as an international think tank that tries to find creative solutions for feeding the world’s hungry.
David Chang
Age: 34
Occupation: Chef
In addition to expanding his Momofuku restaurant empire to Sydney and Toronto, Chang -- described as the “enfant terrible" of the New York dining scene -– has become a publishing mogul with a cookbook and foodie magazine Lucky Peach. But mostly, it’s his gourmet pan-Asian cooking that has diners raving.
René Redzepi
Age: 34
Occupation: Chef
Odds are good for Redzepi to make the final round, given that he graced the cover of Time magazine recently as a “Locavore Hero” for pioneering the foraging movement within haute cuisine. He’s also credited for launching new Nordic cuisine and elevating Scandinavian gastronomy to new heights. His Copenhagen restaurant Noma is currently considered the best in the world, according to Restaurant magazine. Like Andrés and Chang, Redzepi has also branched out of the kitchen to organize an annual food festival MAD Food Camp that gathers the top culinary minds to Denmark.
Read More..
The trio of world renowned chefs joins a pool of politicians, heads of state, actors, musicians and human rights activists as candidates in the publication’s Time 100 list.
Last year, Chef Grant Achatz was the only food personality among nominees like Jamie Oliver, US food writer Mark Bittman and Redzepi to break through the final round.
Voting is now open and closes April 6. The poll winner will be included in the Time 100 list, and the remaining people chosen by the magazine editors. The winners will be announced April 17.
Here’s how the food personalities are being described in the nominations:
José Andrés
Age: 42
Activist Chef
Andrés is a decorated chef for his Washington DC restaurants Jaleo and Minibar. Last year, he was named Outstanding Chef at the James Beard Foundation Awards. But it’s for his anti-hunger and anti-poverty efforts that he’s been singled out by Time this year. His World Central Kitchen, for instance, is described as an international think tank that tries to find creative solutions for feeding the world’s hungry.
David Chang
Age: 34
Occupation: Chef
In addition to expanding his Momofuku restaurant empire to Sydney and Toronto, Chang -- described as the “enfant terrible" of the New York dining scene -– has become a publishing mogul with a cookbook and foodie magazine Lucky Peach. But mostly, it’s his gourmet pan-Asian cooking that has diners raving.
René Redzepi
Age: 34
Occupation: Chef
Odds are good for Redzepi to make the final round, given that he graced the cover of Time magazine recently as a “Locavore Hero” for pioneering the foraging movement within haute cuisine. He’s also credited for launching new Nordic cuisine and elevating Scandinavian gastronomy to new heights. His Copenhagen restaurant Noma is currently considered the best in the world, according to Restaurant magazine. Like Andrés and Chang, Redzepi has also branched out of the kitchen to organize an annual food festival MAD Food Camp that gathers the top culinary minds to Denmark.
Shorts Travel Management Releases New Version of it's BookIt App
Labels: BusinessPatent-pending technology allows business travelers to search for flights on consumer travel sites and book through their travel management company, increasing savings & travel policy compliance
Waterloo, Iowa (PRWEB) December 18, 2012
Short’s Travel Management has taken a new spin on the Open Booking buzz going around the corporate travel marketplace this year with their product, BookIt. BookIt allows business travelers to search at leisure travel websites, like Hipmunk.com, and still book their tickets through their travel management company (TMC). The concept is simple - search there, book here.
With the first version of BookIt, released in early 2012, business travelers “Share” or “Email” their preferred flights from other websites to BookIt. BookIt applies the company’s corporate discounts to that flight, and searches for lower fare in the market across all airlines. The traveler receives an email back and books their ticket with the TMC directly from their email in just 3 clicks. Short’s Travel has learned from this first version that the process must be easier to use without needing to train employees, or requiring them to remember, to follow this process.
Short’s Travel will be releasing their newest version, the BookIt App, in January 2013, which supports many more travel websites, including airlines’ websites, and is literally the “easy button” for business travelers. When the BookIt App is turned “on” in the computer’s browser, and travelers are shopping for flights, they will see the BookIt button. If the traveler is booking a trip for work, they simply enter their company email address on file with their TMC and click the BookIt button. The BookIt App then searches for their company’s corporate discounts and travel policies, checks for lower fares on other airlines or schedules, and returns results in an email. The traveler then purchases their flight online within their corporate travel program in just 2 clicks.
The new Bookit App solves the problems travel managers have today when employees find flights outside of the corporate tool, but doesn’t require them to leap into a full Open Booking program where travelers can book wherever they want. The travel manager still has full control of their travel program because all bookings are being managed through one TMC. All corporate discounts and unused tickets credits are being applied; and all travelers’ locations are being tracked from one central database. The Bookit App also makes it easier for business travelers to buy their business trips because they check-out at one website where all of their airline frequent flyer and corporate cards are stored and automatically applied.
About Short’s Travel Management:
Short's Travel Management is a full-service travel management company with a passion for innovation and professional service to enable companies of all sizes to more effectively manage their travel investment. With over 64 years of Travel Management Experience, Short’s Travel continues to be one of the top Travel Management Companies in the industry.
About BHiveTravel.com
For companies who don't need a fully managed travel program, Shorts offers it's free online travel management tool, http://www.BHiveTravel.com. BHive allows businesses and organizations to get the robust booking and reporting tools of a fully managed travel program for no cost. Bookit is fully integrated with the BHive.
Read More..
Waterloo, Iowa (PRWEB) December 18, 2012
Short’s Travel Management has taken a new spin on the Open Booking buzz going around the corporate travel marketplace this year with their product, BookIt. BookIt allows business travelers to search at leisure travel websites, like Hipmunk.com, and still book their tickets through their travel management company (TMC). The concept is simple - search there, book here.
With the first version of BookIt, released in early 2012, business travelers “Share” or “Email” their preferred flights from other websites to BookIt. BookIt applies the company’s corporate discounts to that flight, and searches for lower fare in the market across all airlines. The traveler receives an email back and books their ticket with the TMC directly from their email in just 3 clicks. Short’s Travel has learned from this first version that the process must be easier to use without needing to train employees, or requiring them to remember, to follow this process.
Short’s Travel will be releasing their newest version, the BookIt App, in January 2013, which supports many more travel websites, including airlines’ websites, and is literally the “easy button” for business travelers. When the BookIt App is turned “on” in the computer’s browser, and travelers are shopping for flights, they will see the BookIt button. If the traveler is booking a trip for work, they simply enter their company email address on file with their TMC and click the BookIt button. The BookIt App then searches for their company’s corporate discounts and travel policies, checks for lower fares on other airlines or schedules, and returns results in an email. The traveler then purchases their flight online within their corporate travel program in just 2 clicks.
The new Bookit App solves the problems travel managers have today when employees find flights outside of the corporate tool, but doesn’t require them to leap into a full Open Booking program where travelers can book wherever they want. The travel manager still has full control of their travel program because all bookings are being managed through one TMC. All corporate discounts and unused tickets credits are being applied; and all travelers’ locations are being tracked from one central database. The Bookit App also makes it easier for business travelers to buy their business trips because they check-out at one website where all of their airline frequent flyer and corporate cards are stored and automatically applied.
About Short’s Travel Management:
Short's Travel Management is a full-service travel management company with a passion for innovation and professional service to enable companies of all sizes to more effectively manage their travel investment. With over 64 years of Travel Management Experience, Short’s Travel continues to be one of the top Travel Management Companies in the industry.
About BHiveTravel.com
For companies who don't need a fully managed travel program, Shorts offers it's free online travel management tool, http://www.BHiveTravel.com. BHive allows businesses and organizations to get the robust booking and reporting tools of a fully managed travel program for no cost. Bookit is fully integrated with the BHive.
Price4Limo is Accepting New Affiliates for Limousine and Party Bus Operators
Labels: BusinessPrice4Limo is seeking new, reputable affiliates to join the fastest-growing network of limousine and party bus rental affiliates. Joining the affiliate marketplace costs nothing, and is an excellent resource for confirmed reservations.
Boynton Beach, Fla. (PRWEB) December 18, 2012
Price4Limo has been offering limousine service and party bus rentals in more areas consistently since it first went into business. The company was founded in 2001 and began with only two vehicles, a limousine and a party bus. Over the years, Price4Limo has acquired more limousines and luxury buses while also putting focus into becoming an authoritative presence online. Research shows millions of limousine-related searches on Google every month. With over 10% of all limousine reservations being made online, having an online presence is mandatory for a limousine business to reach its potential.
Price4Limo has been working with affiliates in cities across the nation and is now expanding its affiliate program to more limousine companies who want more exposure online. Price4Limo is using a very similar model as Hotels.com and Expedia. Finding limousines has never been easier.
The company has a team of prolific writers, web designers and innovative marketers all working together on an integrated marketing strategy that is steadily gaining more visibility and drawing in new customers every month. Price4Limo has increased its exposure in the marketplace through word-of-mouth affiliates, industry trade publications, direct mail campaigns and web based media.
With this influx of potential customers, Price4Limo is looking to add new affiliates to the roster. By joining the affiliate program, other limousine and party bus companies can immediately increase their exposure and customer base free of charge. Becoming an affiliate is an easy process. After visiting http://www.price4limo.com/join and submitting the required information, all that is needed is images and descriptions of the vehicles that are available and Price4Limo will handle the rest. When clients search for rentals in an area covered by an affiliate the limos or buses will be visible on the Price4Limo page. Reservations are made on-site, adding to the professional representation and keeping everything simple for the customer. With trained staff monitoring the phones and IM service, reservations and questions can be handled promptly which also saves affiliates time and money.
“We have an internet staff, and we know all the ins and outs of marketing strategies,” explains manager Greg Hawes, describing what it is that makes Price4Limo.com so effective. “But we also know what’s involved in owning and operating a limousine service -- the risks, the responsibilities and the rewards. And we know what the customers are looking for. We don’t charge for leads, and we don’t make money unless the company listing with us makes money.”
This process also saves affiliates time from dealing with the frequent search engine changes in order to have their services seen online. Becoming an affiliate will bring in more customers, thanks to Price4Limo’s web presence.
Price4Limo has become a leader in New Orleans party bus rentals and expects an increase in rentals for the Super Bowl. The company has also had great success with Texas limousine rentals.
“We learned early on that our best customers are our competition,” Hawes summarizes. “They turned out to be our partners, and we grew from teamwork. We made friendships and affiliations in Miami and West Palm, and we grew our businesses together. So we decided to take it on a bigger scale and bring it nationwide.”
A core belief of Price4Limo is that everything associated with limousine service must be representative of the quality and prestige that clients are expecting when they rent a limousine. Because of this, only the best in service, design and presentation will be accepted into the affiliate program. The company is all-inclusive when it comes to the variety or vehicles offered, from an elegant white Rolls Royce to a zebra-stripe or hot pink Hummer limousine.
Read More..
Boynton Beach, Fla. (PRWEB) December 18, 2012
Price4Limo has been offering limousine service and party bus rentals in more areas consistently since it first went into business. The company was founded in 2001 and began with only two vehicles, a limousine and a party bus. Over the years, Price4Limo has acquired more limousines and luxury buses while also putting focus into becoming an authoritative presence online. Research shows millions of limousine-related searches on Google every month. With over 10% of all limousine reservations being made online, having an online presence is mandatory for a limousine business to reach its potential.
Price4Limo has been working with affiliates in cities across the nation and is now expanding its affiliate program to more limousine companies who want more exposure online. Price4Limo is using a very similar model as Hotels.com and Expedia. Finding limousines has never been easier.
The company has a team of prolific writers, web designers and innovative marketers all working together on an integrated marketing strategy that is steadily gaining more visibility and drawing in new customers every month. Price4Limo has increased its exposure in the marketplace through word-of-mouth affiliates, industry trade publications, direct mail campaigns and web based media.
With this influx of potential customers, Price4Limo is looking to add new affiliates to the roster. By joining the affiliate program, other limousine and party bus companies can immediately increase their exposure and customer base free of charge. Becoming an affiliate is an easy process. After visiting http://www.price4limo.com/join and submitting the required information, all that is needed is images and descriptions of the vehicles that are available and Price4Limo will handle the rest. When clients search for rentals in an area covered by an affiliate the limos or buses will be visible on the Price4Limo page. Reservations are made on-site, adding to the professional representation and keeping everything simple for the customer. With trained staff monitoring the phones and IM service, reservations and questions can be handled promptly which also saves affiliates time and money.
“We have an internet staff, and we know all the ins and outs of marketing strategies,” explains manager Greg Hawes, describing what it is that makes Price4Limo.com so effective. “But we also know what’s involved in owning and operating a limousine service -- the risks, the responsibilities and the rewards. And we know what the customers are looking for. We don’t charge for leads, and we don’t make money unless the company listing with us makes money.”
This process also saves affiliates time from dealing with the frequent search engine changes in order to have their services seen online. Becoming an affiliate will bring in more customers, thanks to Price4Limo’s web presence.
Price4Limo has become a leader in New Orleans party bus rentals and expects an increase in rentals for the Super Bowl. The company has also had great success with Texas limousine rentals.
“We learned early on that our best customers are our competition,” Hawes summarizes. “They turned out to be our partners, and we grew from teamwork. We made friendships and affiliations in Miami and West Palm, and we grew our businesses together. So we decided to take it on a bigger scale and bring it nationwide.”
A core belief of Price4Limo is that everything associated with limousine service must be representative of the quality and prestige that clients are expecting when they rent a limousine. Because of this, only the best in service, design and presentation will be accepted into the affiliate program. The company is all-inclusive when it comes to the variety or vehicles offered, from an elegant white Rolls Royce to a zebra-stripe or hot pink Hummer limousine.
Bill Howe Family of Companies Named Finalist in Better Business Bureau Torch Awards for Marketplace Ethics for Second Year in a Row
Labels: BusinessEsteemed San Diego plumber, Bill Howe, and his wife Tina Howe, proudly accept recognition of their continued efforts towards ethical marketplace practices
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) December 18, 2012
For the second consecutive year, the Bill Howe Family of Companies has been named a finalist of the Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. The award winners were announced during an award ceremony on December 4, 2012 at the Town & Country Resort in Mission Valley in San Diego. Plumber and businessman Bill Howe and his wife, Tina Howe, accepted the award for 2nd place finalist in the “100-249 employees” category.
In its 15th year, the BBB Torch Awards honor companies that have made a commitment to ethical excellence, integrity and support of the San Diego marketplace, despite any adversities. To be considered for the award, companies must compile a nomination that outlines and proves their commitment to ethics in categories including management practices, community and stakeholder relations, communications and marketing practices, and industry reputation. A panel of judges reviews the submissions and grades each category on a scale of 1-10. While many of the businesses that are nominated for the award are in the San Diego heating and air conditioning or plumbing business, the award is open to businesses in any industry.
“We are here to honor companies that epitomize ethics and integrity, and present them with a coveted Torch Award. But today’s gathering is about much more than that,” said Sheryl Bilbrey, San Diego BBB President and CEO, during the ceremony’s opening remarks. “Today, we honor one another for our steadfast commitment to doing the right thing for consumers in a time when so many others struggle to remain accountable.”
The Bill Howe Family of Companies started with Bill Howe Plumbing, Inc. in 1980 and now offers services in San Diego heating and air conditioning, as well as restoration and flood services. Since its inception, the company upholds their philosophy that to be successful they focus on ensuring the happiness of their employees, their customers and their community. Recently, the Bill Howe Family of Companies proved their philosophy has been a success when they moved to an office more than twice the size of the previous office, to accommodate their growing workforce.
“The Torch Award nomination process has been an incredibly rewarding experience as we looked at every aspect of our company and put all of our efforts on paper,” said Tina Howe, Vice President of the Bill Howe Family of Companies. “When you are doing business, it is not always easy to know the most ethical decision to make; sometimes it means more money, or sometimes it means we need to seek outside counsel. Whatever it takes, we strive to build our company on honest and ethical practices.
Read More..
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) December 18, 2012
For the second consecutive year, the Bill Howe Family of Companies has been named a finalist of the Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. The award winners were announced during an award ceremony on December 4, 2012 at the Town & Country Resort in Mission Valley in San Diego. Plumber and businessman Bill Howe and his wife, Tina Howe, accepted the award for 2nd place finalist in the “100-249 employees” category.
In its 15th year, the BBB Torch Awards honor companies that have made a commitment to ethical excellence, integrity and support of the San Diego marketplace, despite any adversities. To be considered for the award, companies must compile a nomination that outlines and proves their commitment to ethics in categories including management practices, community and stakeholder relations, communications and marketing practices, and industry reputation. A panel of judges reviews the submissions and grades each category on a scale of 1-10. While many of the businesses that are nominated for the award are in the San Diego heating and air conditioning or plumbing business, the award is open to businesses in any industry.
“We are here to honor companies that epitomize ethics and integrity, and present them with a coveted Torch Award. But today’s gathering is about much more than that,” said Sheryl Bilbrey, San Diego BBB President and CEO, during the ceremony’s opening remarks. “Today, we honor one another for our steadfast commitment to doing the right thing for consumers in a time when so many others struggle to remain accountable.”
The Bill Howe Family of Companies started with Bill Howe Plumbing, Inc. in 1980 and now offers services in San Diego heating and air conditioning, as well as restoration and flood services. Since its inception, the company upholds their philosophy that to be successful they focus on ensuring the happiness of their employees, their customers and their community. Recently, the Bill Howe Family of Companies proved their philosophy has been a success when they moved to an office more than twice the size of the previous office, to accommodate their growing workforce.
“The Torch Award nomination process has been an incredibly rewarding experience as we looked at every aspect of our company and put all of our efforts on paper,” said Tina Howe, Vice President of the Bill Howe Family of Companies. “When you are doing business, it is not always easy to know the most ethical decision to make; sometimes it means more money, or sometimes it means we need to seek outside counsel. Whatever it takes, we strive to build our company on honest and ethical practices.
Hurricane Sandy Victims Find Refuge on Timeshare Marketplace RedWeek.com
Labels: BusinessTimeshares are not only for fun vacation getaways, as evidenced by the story of RedWeek.com members Bob and Jody; left homeless by Hurricane Sandy last month. With the holidays approaching, Bob and Judy turned to leading timeshare marketplace RedWeek.com to secure a timeshare rental in New York City.
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
Timeshares are not only for fun vacation getaways, as evidenced by the story of RedWeek.com members Bob and Jody; left homeless by Hurricane Sandy last month.
Bob and Judy are one of the many families displaced by the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. With their Long Island home flooded and area hotels at capacity; the Bob and Judy began looking for a short-term rental property to no avail. Frustrated and exhausted, they began looking at every alternative for a place to live.
As timeshare owners, Bob and Judy knew the advantages of timesharing and had recently used leading timeshare marketplace RedWeek.com to rent out their own Aruba timeshare. Homeless and with the holidays approaching, they turned to RedWeek.com and began searching for timeshare rentals at The Manhattan Club resort in New York City.
“We decided to rent multiple units at the Manhattan Club so that we could spend the holiday all together in Manhattan,” said Jody. “When my husband and I checked in to the Manhattan Club, it was so luxurious that I actually began tearing up.”
Unlike standard hotels, timeshares offer home-like accommodations with multiple bedrooms, full kitchens or kitchenettes, and living and dining areas. Renting a timeshare directly from an owner is often cheaper than staying at a hotel, and the resorts offer the same hotel amenities such as pools, exercise facilities, reception areas, and concierge services.
“I have only good things to say about RedWeek and the Manhattan Club,” said Jody. “I plan to use RedWeek again when I need a vacation - the value and the superior accommodations were just more than I could have hoped for.”
To learn more about RedWeek.com or timesharing visit http://www.redweek.com.
About RedWeek.com:
RedWeek® is a registered trademark of RedWeek, Inc. RedWeek.com is a member-supported marketplace for timeshare rentals and resales, and also provides a full-service timeshare resale offering. You can find reviews, ratings, prices, availability, full-service exchange, and complete resort descriptions for all timeshare resorts to make vacation selection easier. Boasting an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, RedWeek has more than 1.5 million registered users and includes 5,000 timeshare resorts worldwide.
Read More..
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
Timeshares are not only for fun vacation getaways, as evidenced by the story of RedWeek.com members Bob and Jody; left homeless by Hurricane Sandy last month.
Bob and Judy are one of the many families displaced by the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. With their Long Island home flooded and area hotels at capacity; the Bob and Judy began looking for a short-term rental property to no avail. Frustrated and exhausted, they began looking at every alternative for a place to live.
As timeshare owners, Bob and Judy knew the advantages of timesharing and had recently used leading timeshare marketplace RedWeek.com to rent out their own Aruba timeshare. Homeless and with the holidays approaching, they turned to RedWeek.com and began searching for timeshare rentals at The Manhattan Club resort in New York City.
“We decided to rent multiple units at the Manhattan Club so that we could spend the holiday all together in Manhattan,” said Jody. “When my husband and I checked in to the Manhattan Club, it was so luxurious that I actually began tearing up.”
Unlike standard hotels, timeshares offer home-like accommodations with multiple bedrooms, full kitchens or kitchenettes, and living and dining areas. Renting a timeshare directly from an owner is often cheaper than staying at a hotel, and the resorts offer the same hotel amenities such as pools, exercise facilities, reception areas, and concierge services.
“I have only good things to say about RedWeek and the Manhattan Club,” said Jody. “I plan to use RedWeek again when I need a vacation - the value and the superior accommodations were just more than I could have hoped for.”
To learn more about RedWeek.com or timesharing visit http://www.redweek.com.
About RedWeek.com:
RedWeek® is a registered trademark of RedWeek, Inc. RedWeek.com is a member-supported marketplace for timeshare rentals and resales, and also provides a full-service timeshare resale offering. You can find reviews, ratings, prices, availability, full-service exchange, and complete resort descriptions for all timeshare resorts to make vacation selection easier. Boasting an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, RedWeek has more than 1.5 million registered users and includes 5,000 timeshare resorts worldwide.
Pure-Ecommerce.com Introduces Its New 2013 Premier Internet Business Site Collection Featuring Upgraded Designs, Larger Product Counts, and Video and Mobile Marketing
Labels: Business14 New Pure-Ecommerce.com Internet Businesses for Sale in the Most Popular Niche Markets in the Online Marketplace
CARY, NC (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
Pure-Ecommerce.com introduces its 2013 Premier Internet Business Site Collection. This incredible new collection of 14 internet businesses for sale has been created in some of the most popular niche markets in the online marketplace. The Collection includes: eBaseballOutlet.com, eBasketballOutlet.com, EverythingDogShop.com, BlueSkyBeachStore.com, EveryStyleGift.com, eSoccerOutlet.com, ShootandScoreSports.com, BlackandWhiteDecorShop.com, GroovyGreenToys.com, ClassActCat.com, StudioDecorBoutique.com, GlassofWinePlease.com, AllAmericanMadePets.com, and TheModernBabyNursery.com. Pure-Ecommerce.com will continuously be introducing new sites to the Collection throughout 2013. It will also be offering more “sister” sites (such as eBaseballOutlet.com, eBasketballOutlet.com and eSoccerOutlet.com) to help clients expand their brand presence in the online marketplace by owning multiple internet businesses.
All Pure-Ecommerce internet businesses for sale come with a high quality, professionally designed site, as well as a 10- step training program and 40 hours of consulting to help burgeoning ecommerce entrepreneurs each step of the way! Every product featured on this site is drop shipped so no inventory is needed. It also allows for less overhead and gives owners more flexibility in managing their business and schedule. These sites feature upgraded designs as well as the addition of larger product counts, as well as Video Marketing and a Marketing Application and Site!
Pure-Ecommerce strives to be at the forefront of technology and incorporate the latest applications in all its internet business offerings. Varner wants her small business ecommerce clients to have all the latest and greatest technologies available to large ecommerce retailers. Pure-Ecommerce CEO Jennifer Varner says, “Mobile and Video Marketing are vital to any ecommerce strategy and help the e-retailer stay competitive, increase sales, drive up SEO rankings, build customer loyalty, and much more.” According to digital marketing technology company Monetate the growth in traffic on leading ecommerce websites over the past year has grown 103% with nearly 86 million Americans now shopping on their smartphones. And Practical Ecommerce says “increasing numbers of online retailers will be using video in 2013 to increase sales, find new potential customers, and build brand relationships.” Through personalized consultation and 24/7 access to an E-Learning Library, Varner and her team help clients understand how to use mobile and video marketing and design strategies to be best positioned to capitalize on these shifting market dynamics.
Pure-Ecommerce.com celebrates its sixth anniversary in 2013 and has helped over 550 entrepreneurs in the U.S. and Canada start their own internet businesses. CEO Jennifer Varner founded Pure-Ecommerce after gaining experience and success through starting one of the largest online maternity clothing stores, BellaBluMaternity.com. After selling her company, she began helping others realize their dreams of owning a business.
Buying a business from Pure-Ecommerce.com allows a budding entrepreneur to step into the business of their dreams with minimal start-up costs and low monthly and have someone personally mentor them through all aspects of setting up, running, and then growing an online business. Best of all, it provides them the opportunity to have a flexible schedule and to work when they want, where they want. A Pure-Ecommerce business can be run on a part-time basis while someone is still working or as a full-time business, depending upon the time one puts into growing their business. Pure-Ecommerce’s turnkey sites are especially attractive to budding mompreneurs and entrepreneurs; boomers looking for additional income to supplement their retirement; people looking for work-life balance; and the unemployed wishing to be their own boss and create their own destiny.
Pure-Ecommerce has been featured in several national magazines and websites such as Entrepreneur, Forbes and WomenEntrepreneur.com, as well as in national newspapers and on TV news programs. Pure-Ecommerce has also been
Read More..
CARY, NC (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
Pure-Ecommerce.com introduces its 2013 Premier Internet Business Site Collection. This incredible new collection of 14 internet businesses for sale has been created in some of the most popular niche markets in the online marketplace. The Collection includes: eBaseballOutlet.com, eBasketballOutlet.com, EverythingDogShop.com, BlueSkyBeachStore.com, EveryStyleGift.com, eSoccerOutlet.com, ShootandScoreSports.com, BlackandWhiteDecorShop.com, GroovyGreenToys.com, ClassActCat.com, StudioDecorBoutique.com, GlassofWinePlease.com, AllAmericanMadePets.com, and TheModernBabyNursery.com. Pure-Ecommerce.com will continuously be introducing new sites to the Collection throughout 2013. It will also be offering more “sister” sites (such as eBaseballOutlet.com, eBasketballOutlet.com and eSoccerOutlet.com) to help clients expand their brand presence in the online marketplace by owning multiple internet businesses.
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Selling flak jackets in the cyberwars
Labels: TechSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - When the Israeli army and Hamas trade virtual blows in cyberspace, or when hacker groups like Anonymous rise from the digital ether, or when WikiLeaks dumps a trove of classified documents, some see a lawless Internet.
But Matthew Prince, chief executive at CloudFlare, a little-known Internet start-up that serves some of the Web's most controversial characters, sees a business opportunity.
Founded in 2010, CloudFlare markets itself as an Internet intermediary that shields websites from distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS, attacks, the crude but effective weapon that hackers use to bludgeon websites until they go dark. The 40-person company claims to route up to 5 percent of all Internet traffic through its global network.
Prince calls his company the "Switzerland" of cyberspace - assiduously neutral and open to all comers. But just as companies like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook have faced profound questions about the balance between free speech and openness on the Internet and national security and law enforcement concerns, CloudFlare's business has posed another thorny question: what kinds of services, if any, should an American company be allowed to offer designated terrorists and cyber criminals?
CloudFlare's unusual position at the heart of this debate came to the fore last month, when the Israel Defense Forces sought help from CloudFlare after its website was struck by attackers based in Gaza. The IDF was turning to the same company that provides those services to Hamas and the al-Quds Brigades, according to publicly searchable domain information. Both Hamas and al-Quds, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, are designated by the United States as terrorist groups.
Under the USA Patriot Act, U.S. firms are forbidden from providing "material support" to groups deemed foreign terrorist organizations. But what constitutes material support - like many other facets of the law itself - has been subject to intense debate.
CloudFlare's dealings have attracted heated criticism in the blogosphere from both Israelis and Palestinians, but Prince defended his company as a champion of free speech.
"Both sides have an absolute right to tell their story," said Prince, a 38-year old former lawyer. "We're not providing material support for anybody. We're not sending money, or helping people arm themselves."
Prince noted that his company only provides defensive capabilities that enable websites to stay online.
"We can't be sitting in a role where we decide what is good or what is bad based on our own personal biases," he said. "That's a huge slippery slope."
Many U.S. agencies are customers, but so is WikiLeaks, the whistle-blowing organization. CloudFlare has consulted for many Wall Street institutions, yet also protects Anonymous, the "hacktivist" group associated with the Occupy movement.
Prince's stance could be tested at a time when some lawmakers in the United States and Europe, armed with evidence that militant groups rely on the Web for critical operations and recruitment purposes, have pressured Internet companies to censor content or cut off customers.
Last month, conservative political lobbies, as well as seven lawmakers led by Ted Poe, a Republican from Texas, urged the FBI to shut down the Hamas Twitter account. The account remains active; Twitter declined to comment.
MATERIAL SUPPORT
Although it has never prosecuted an Internet company under the Patriot Act, the government's use of the material support argument has steadily risen since 2006. Since September 11, 2001, more than 260 cases have been charged under the provision, according to Fordham Law School's Terrorism Trends database.
Catherine Lotrionte, the director of Georgetown University's Institute for Law, Science and Global Security and a former Central Intelligence Agency lawyer, argued that Internet companies should be more closely regulated.
"Material support includes web services," Lotrionte said. "Denying them services makes it more costly for the terrorists. You're cornering them."
But others have warned that an aggressive government approach would have a chilling effect on free speech.
"We're resurrecting the kind of broad-brush approaches we used in the McCarthy era," said David Cole, who represented the Humanitarian Law Project, a non-profit organization that was charged by the Justice Department for teaching law to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is designated by the United States as a terrorist group. The group took its case to the Supreme Court but lost in 2010.
The material support law is vague and ill-crafted, to the point where basic telecom providers, for instance, could be found guilty by association if a terrorist logs onto the Web to plot an attack, Cole said.
In that case, he asked, "Do we really think that AT&T or Google should be held accountable?"
CloudFlare said it has not been contacted about its services by the U.S. government. Spokespeople for Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, told Reuters they contracted a cyber-security company in Gaza that out-sources work to foreign companies, but declined to comment further. The IDF confirmed it had hired CloudFlare, but declined to discuss "internal security" matters.
CloudFlare offers many of its services for free, but the company says websites seeking advanced protection and features can see their bill rise to more than $3,000 a month. Prince declined to discuss the business arrangements with specific customers.
While not yet profitable, CloudFlare has more than doubled its revenue in the past four months, according to Prince, and is picking up 3,000 new customers a day. The company has raked in more than $22 million from venture capital firms including New Enterprise Associates, Venrock and Pelion Venture Partners.
Prince, a Midwestern native with mussed brown hair who holds a law degree from the University of Chicago, said he has a track record of working on the right side of the law.
A decade ago, Prince provided free legal aid to Spamhaus, an international group that tracked email spammers and identity thieves. He went on to create Project Honey Pot, an open source spam-tracking endeavor that turned over findings to police.
Prince's latest company, CloudFlare, has been hailed by groups such as the Committee to Protect Journalists for protecting speech. Another client, the World Economic Forum, named CloudFlare among its 2012 "technology pioneers" for its work. But it also owes its profile to its most controversial customers.
CloudFlare has served 4Chan, the online messaging community that spawned Anonymous. LulzSec, the hacker group best known for targeting Sony Corp, is another customer. And since last May, the company has propped up WikiLeaks after a vigilante hacker group crashed the document repository.
Last year, members of the hacker collective UgNazi, whose exploits include pilfering user account information from eBay and crashing the CIA.gov website, broke into Prince's cell phone and email accounts.
"It was a personal affront," Prince said. "But we never kicked them off either."
Prince said CloudFlare would comply with a valid court order to remove a customer, but that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has never requested a takedown. The company has agreed to turn over information to authorities on "exceedingly rare" occasions, he acknowledged, declining to elaborate.
"Any company that doesn't do that won't be in business long," Prince said. But in an email, he added: "We have a deep and abiding respect for our users' privacy, disclose to our users whenever possible if we are ordered to turn over information and would fight an order that we believed was not proper."
Juliannne Sohn, an FBI spokeswoman, declined to comment.
Michael Sussmann, a former Justice Department lawyer who prosecuted computer crimes, said U.S. law enforcement agencies may in fact prefer that the Web's most wanted are parked behind CloudFlare rather than a foreign service over which they have no jurisdiction.
Federal investigators "want to gather information from as many sources as they can, and they're happy to get it," Sussmann said.
In an era of rampant cyber warfare, Prince acknowledged he is something of a war profiteer, but with a wrinkle.
"We're not selling bullets," he said. "We're selling flak jackets."
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Merry Christmas, America-Haters?
Labels: TechWhen TNT was preparing its annual special "Christmas in Washington" with the president of the United States, you'd think the last star musician they would consider to join the official caroling would be Psy, the South Korean rapper. What on Earth is Christmasy about this man's invisible-horse-riding dance to his dorky disco-rap hit "Gangnam Style"? It's not exactly the natural flip-side to "O Holy Night." But TNT couldn't resist this year's YouTube sensation.
This inane publicity stunt backfired when the website Mediaite reported on Dec. 7 that Psy (real name: Park Jae-sang) had participated in a 2002 protest in which he crushed a model of an American tank with a microphone stand. But that's nothing compared to the footage of a 2004 performance after a Korean missionary was slaughtered by Islamists in Iraq. These lyrics cannot be misunderstood.
"Kill those f—-ing Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives ... Kill those f—-ing Yankees who ordered them to torture ... Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers ... Kill them all slowly and painfully."
This isn't just anti-American. It's anti-human.
Guess where this story first surfaced in the American media? CNN, from the same corporate family tree as TNT. It was posted back on Oct. 6 on CNN's iReport, an open-source online news feature that allows users to submit stories for CNN consideration.
The Korean one-hit wonder put out the usual abject careerist apology, but he weirdly said, "I'm deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted." Those darn lyrics and those darn people who misinterpret lyrics about killing Yankees' mothers. It is like Barack Obama expressing regret for the awful things said about Susan Rice, ignoring the awful things said by Susan Rice.
Psy is now a millionaire. As Jim Treacher wrote at the Daily Caller: "So far he's made over $8 million from the song, about $3 million of it from the people he once wanted to kill." Brad Schaeffer at Big Hollywood noted his own father fought for South Korea's independence in the Korean War: "Had it not been for 'f——-g Yankees' like my Dad, this now-wealthy South Korean wouldn't be 'Oppan Gangnam Style' so much as 'Starving Pyongyang Style.'" (Gangnam is a posh district in the South Korean capital of Seoul.)
Despite the controversy, neither the Obama White House nor the TNT brass felt it was necessary to send Psy packing before the Dec. 9 taping. On Saturday, ABC reporter Muhammad Lila merely repeated, "the White House says the concert will go on and that President Obama will attend, saying that they have no control over who performs at that concert."
What moral cowardice. On Monday morning, another pliant publicist, NBC correspondent Peter Alexander, calmly relayed that the White House did take control on the Psy front — on its own "We The People" website, where the people may post petitions to the president for their fellow citizens to sign. A petition asking Obama to dump Psy from the Christmas concert was itself dumped. Alexander explained: "But that petition was removed because the rules say the petitions only apply to federal actions. And, of course, the President had no say over who the private charity chose to invite."
This is double baloney. The White House hasn't removed silly "federal action" petitions like the one asking to "Nationalize the Twinkie Industry," or one to "Secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016." They removed one that they didn't want people to sign.
As for Obama having "no say over" who appeared on the TNT show, the president could easily declare he wasn't going to share a stage with this America-hater. Or he could have obviously placed one phone call to Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes (an Obama donor), and expressed the dismay of the President of the United States.
Instead, the Obamas came and honored Psy. Yes, the president honored a man who despised America enough to want its citizens slaughtered.
John Eggerton of Broadcasting and Cable magazine observed, "At the end of the taping, when the First Family customarily shakes hands and talks briefly with the performers, the First Lady gave Psy a hug, followed by a handshake from the President, who engaged Psy in a short, animated discussion — at one point Psy appeared to rock back with laughter — and patted the singer on the shoulder."
I never thought I'd ever view a Christmas special featuring a hideous hater of America celebrated by the President of the United States.
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Why does Google build apps for its rival Apple's iPhone?
Labels: TechWhy help a key competitor? Two words: Advertising and data
There isn't any other way to say it: Apple and Google really don't like each other. Apple CEO Steve Jobs vowed to destroy the Google geniuses behind the Android operating system for allegedly stealing the basic mechanics of the iPhone. Apple and Google-partner Samsung are constantly at one another's throats over patents. And most recently new Apple CEO Tim Cook gave two of Google's most popular products — Google Maps and YouTube — the boot from iOS 6.
Then the unthinkable happened: Fans started turning on Apple. Even the most gushy tech critic had to admit that Apple's replacement for Google Maps was a train wreck, a rare blight on the company's otherwise stainless track record (a failure, notes Zara Kessler at Bloomberg, which ironically might ultimately benefit Apple).
Why, then, would Google throw its chief rival a life preserver this week and deliver Google Maps to iOS — as well as handing over Chrome and an awesome new Gmail app in recent weeks? Two main reasons:
1. Potential advertising: "Google doesn't make money off of Android which is open source; they make money when people use Google services," Joel Spolsky, CEO of Stack Overflow, tells Wired. Google Maps on the iPhone doesn't have ads yet, although the Android version does. In the end, Google's primary concern is to get its services in front of as many eyeballs as possible — even if those eyeballs are peering into an iPhone.
SEE MORE: Steve Jobs' mysterious iMac-controlled yacht
2. More data with which to make its products better: Google Maps is every marketer's dream. Mapping software gives them invaluable consumer data to work with, like the city you live in, the stores you shop at, the restaurants you frequent, where you get your coffee, and much, much more. "Google needs the traffic that iOS users bring," says Casey Newton at CNET. Those millions of iPhone owners unknowingly feed Google the analytics it needs to make Google Maps the superior, celebrated product it's become. The same goes for Chrome. And Gmail.
And "Google is hardly the first company to aggressively support a rival platform for selfish reasons," says Ryan Tate at Wired.
Microsoft was a strong backer of Apple's Macintosh for decades because its core business was selling applications [Word, Excel, etc.], not Microsoft's competing operating system Windows… Google's willingness to ship iOS apps could look smarter as time goes on. The company trounces Apple when it comes to all things cloud, not just maps and e-mail; its social network, search engine, and highly optimized data centers could give its iOS apps an even bigger edge in the coming years.
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Samsung Smart TVs: The next frontier for data theft and hacking [video]
Labels: TechSmart TVs, particularly Samsung’s (005930) last few generations of flat screens, can be hacked to give attackers remote access according to a security startup called ReVuln. The company says it discovered a “zero-day exploit” that hackers could potentially use to perform malicious activities that range from stealing accounts linked through apps to using built-in webcams and microphones to spy on unsuspecting couch potatoes. Don’t panic just yet, though. In order for the exploit to be activated, a hacker needs to plug a USB drive loaded with malicious software into the actual TV to bypass the Linux-based OS/firmware on Samsung’s Smart TVs. But, if a hacker were to pull that off, every piece of data stored on a Smart TV could theoretically be retrieved.
[More from BGR: Has the iPhone peaked? Apple’s iPhone 4S seen outselling iPhone 5]
[More from BGR: Dell confirms it will exit smartphone business, drop Android]
As if the possibility of someone stealing your information and spying on you isn’t scary enough, according to ComputerWorld, “it is also possible to copy the configuration of a TV’s remote control, which would allow a hacker to copy the remote control’s settings, and remotely change the channel.”
ReVuln told The Register it hasn’t informed Samsung of the vulnerability and plans to sell the details of in hopes of “speeding up” development of a fix. A video of the exploit as proof from ReVuln follows below.
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Huge Wave of Google App Updates Hits iOS, Android
Labels: TechGoogle just brought iPhone and Android phone users a holiday gift. Google Maps has returned to the iPhone, this time in the form of its own separate app, while Google Currents -- the company's Flipboard-style online magazine app for Android -- received a substantial update as well.
Besides the two big updates, about a half-dozen other apps for Android and Google TV received bug fixes and new features, according to Android Police blogger Ryan Whitwam. Here's a look at what to expect, and where the rough edges still lay.
Google Maps is back
It was technically never there to begin with; the iPhone simply had a "Maps" app included, which used Google Maps' data. But a few months ago, Apple switched from using Google's map data to its own, which caused no end of problems as Apple's data was incorrect much more often. These problems were sometimes hilarious, but in at least one case they were dangerous, as several motorists had to be rescued after becoming stranded inside an Australian national park (where Apple's maps said the town they were trying to get to was).
Google Maps has also received a thumbs-down from the Victoria police in Australia, but is regarded as more reliable overall. It's a completely new app this time, and while it has at least one "Android-ism" according to tech expert John Gruber (an Ice Cream Sandwich-style menu button), it's reported to work well and doesn't show ads like the YouTube app does.
It does, however, keep asking you to log in to your Google account so that it can track your location data.
Google Currents has a new look and new features
The update to digital magazine app Google Currents brings its features more in line with Google Reader, the tech giant's online newsreader app which can monitor almost any website for updates. Like Google Reader, Currents can now "star" stories to put them in a separate list, can show which stories you've already read, and has a widget to put on your Android home screen. Other added features include new ways to scan editions and stories, and filter out sections you aren't interested in.
Bugfixes and updates for other Google apps
Google Earth and Google Drive received miscellaneous bugfixes "and other improvements," while Google Offers (a Groupon competitor) now features a "Greatly improved purchase experience."
The Google Search app received a slew of additions to its Siri-like Google Now feature, including new cards to help while you are out and about and new voice actions (like asking it to tell you what song is playing nearby). The Field Trip augmented reality app now uses less battery life, and lets you "save cards" and favorite places you visit, as well as report incorrect data to Google. Finally, Google TV Search and PrimeTime for Google TV both received performance and stability updates.
Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.
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Strict Gun Control - Fewer Shootings in Australia, Japan and the UK; Would It Work in US?
Labels: WorldSix days after the tragic shooting in Newtown and one day after President Obama announced a gun control task force, hundreds of you wrote in asking about future legislation and the consequences of this new task force.
Pam Ramagano tweeted asking "What can the president really do? Doesn't he need the approval of Congress to do anything?"
Kevin Boutelle wondered "What about the support that is so desperately needed for the mentally insane?…Those that would still do harm to others regardless of the weapon they wield? Where is that "task force"?"
And @ViPearson asked "Do you think that the media is partly responsible for the violence…?"
Excellent questions, and here are the answers:
Keep the questions coming via Twitter and Facebook. I'll see you tomorrow on GMA and Sunday on This Week.
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Pam Ramagano tweeted asking "What can the president really do? Doesn't he need the approval of Congress to do anything?"
Kevin Boutelle wondered "What about the support that is so desperately needed for the mentally insane?…Those that would still do harm to others regardless of the weapon they wield? Where is that "task force"?"
And @ViPearson asked "Do you think that the media is partly responsible for the violence…?"
Excellent questions, and here are the answers:
Keep the questions coming via Twitter and Facebook. I'll see you tomorrow on GMA and Sunday on This Week.
Cricket-NZ board to meet former captains to improve communication
Labels: WorldDec 21 (Reuters) - New Zealand Cricket (NZC) will meet with former skippers in a bid to improve communication within the national set-up in the wake of the controversy surrounding the handling of Ross Taylor's demotion from the captaincy.
Taylor was stripped of the one-day and Twenty20 captaincy this month at the recommendation of head coach Mike Hesson following their tour of Sri Lanka and the disgruntled batsman then turned down an offer to continue as test skipper.
Former players criticised NZC for the controversy, forcing the board to make a public apology to the cricketer, who made himself unavailable for the South Africa tour.
Taylor's absence and the unavailability of former skipper Daniel Vettori due to injury meant that opener Brendon McCullum, another former captain, was handed the reins of the team.
"Former captains will be invited to attend the meeting which is intended to be an annual event designed to provide quality input from both the former captains and the players who were part of their era in cricket," NZC said in a statement.
"NZC has reached the conclusion that there was obviously misunderstanding and miscommunication between the parties involved," the board's Chief Executive David White said.
"We've already acknowledged mistakes were made on this issue and we have learned from those mistakes. Team management has given an undertaking to improve communication and to ensure nothing similar occurs again.
"The board and management of NZC make that same commitment. NZC believes it now serves no useful purpose to further rake over the events of the captaincy change. It is time to draw a line under the issue."
The Black Caps will open their campaign in South Africa with a T20 game in Durban on Friday. The tour includes two tests, three ODIs and three Twenty20 matches. (Writing by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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Taylor was stripped of the one-day and Twenty20 captaincy this month at the recommendation of head coach Mike Hesson following their tour of Sri Lanka and the disgruntled batsman then turned down an offer to continue as test skipper.
Former players criticised NZC for the controversy, forcing the board to make a public apology to the cricketer, who made himself unavailable for the South Africa tour.
Taylor's absence and the unavailability of former skipper Daniel Vettori due to injury meant that opener Brendon McCullum, another former captain, was handed the reins of the team.
"Former captains will be invited to attend the meeting which is intended to be an annual event designed to provide quality input from both the former captains and the players who were part of their era in cricket," NZC said in a statement.
"NZC has reached the conclusion that there was obviously misunderstanding and miscommunication between the parties involved," the board's Chief Executive David White said.
"We've already acknowledged mistakes were made on this issue and we have learned from those mistakes. Team management has given an undertaking to improve communication and to ensure nothing similar occurs again.
"The board and management of NZC make that same commitment. NZC believes it now serves no useful purpose to further rake over the events of the captaincy change. It is time to draw a line under the issue."
The Black Caps will open their campaign in South Africa with a T20 game in Durban on Friday. The tour includes two tests, three ODIs and three Twenty20 matches. (Writing by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
Australian boy's egg collection turns into snakes
Labels: WorldCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A 3-year-old Australian boy was lucky to escape uninjured after a collection of eggs he found in his yard hatched into a slithering tangle of deadly snakes.
Reptile specialist Trish Prendergast said Friday that young wildlife enthusiast Kyle Cummings could have been killed if he had handled the eastern brown snakes — the world's most venomous species on land after Australia's inland taipan.
Kyle found a clutch of nine eggs a few weeks ago in the grass on his family's 1.2-hectare (3-acre) property on the outskirts of the city of Townsville in Queensland state, Prendergast said. He had no idea what kind of eggs they were.
He put the eggs into a plastic takeout food container and stashed them in his bedroom closet, where his mother, Donna Sim, found them Monday. Seven had hatched, but the snakes remained trapped under the container's lid. The remaining two eggs were probably infertile and were rotten, Prendergast said.
"I was pretty shocked, particularly because I don't like snakes," Sim told the Townsville Bulletin newspaper.
Prendergast, who is the Townsville-based reptile coordinator of the volunteer group North Queensland Wildlife Care, was handed the container on Tuesday and released the snakes into the wild that night.
She was relieved that no one had handled the snakes.
"Their fangs are only a few millimeters long at that age, so they probably couldn't break the skin, but they're just as venomous as full-grown snakes," Prendergast said.
"If venom had got on Kyle's skin where there was a cut of if he put it in his mouth, it could have been fatal," she added.
Eastern brown snakes — which can grow to more than 2 meters (6 1/2 feet) long — usually stay with their eggs but sometimes leave for short periods to feed.
"He's very lucky he didn't encounter the mother while he was taking her eggs. That also could have been fatal," Prendergast said.
The snakes were 12 to 15 centimeters (5 to 6 inches) long and had probably hatched around five days before they were released, she said, adding that they were thirsty but otherwise healthy.
Australia averages around three fatal snake bites a year, and eastern browns are responsible for the majority of them.
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Reptile specialist Trish Prendergast said Friday that young wildlife enthusiast Kyle Cummings could have been killed if he had handled the eastern brown snakes — the world's most venomous species on land after Australia's inland taipan.
Kyle found a clutch of nine eggs a few weeks ago in the grass on his family's 1.2-hectare (3-acre) property on the outskirts of the city of Townsville in Queensland state, Prendergast said. He had no idea what kind of eggs they were.
He put the eggs into a plastic takeout food container and stashed them in his bedroom closet, where his mother, Donna Sim, found them Monday. Seven had hatched, but the snakes remained trapped under the container's lid. The remaining two eggs were probably infertile and were rotten, Prendergast said.
"I was pretty shocked, particularly because I don't like snakes," Sim told the Townsville Bulletin newspaper.
Prendergast, who is the Townsville-based reptile coordinator of the volunteer group North Queensland Wildlife Care, was handed the container on Tuesday and released the snakes into the wild that night.
She was relieved that no one had handled the snakes.
"Their fangs are only a few millimeters long at that age, so they probably couldn't break the skin, but they're just as venomous as full-grown snakes," Prendergast said.
"If venom had got on Kyle's skin where there was a cut of if he put it in his mouth, it could have been fatal," she added.
Eastern brown snakes — which can grow to more than 2 meters (6 1/2 feet) long — usually stay with their eggs but sometimes leave for short periods to feed.
"He's very lucky he didn't encounter the mother while he was taking her eggs. That also could have been fatal," Prendergast said.
The snakes were 12 to 15 centimeters (5 to 6 inches) long and had probably hatched around five days before they were released, she said, adding that they were thirsty but otherwise healthy.
Australia averages around three fatal snake bites a year, and eastern browns are responsible for the majority of them.
3-year-old Australian boy's egg collection hatches into slithering tangle of 7 deadly snakes
Labels: WorldCANBERRA, Australia - A 3-year-old Australian boy was lucky to escape uninjured after a collection of eggs he found in his yard hatched into a slithering tangle of deadly snakes.
Reptile carer Trish Prendergast said Friday that young wildlife enthusiast Kyle Cummings could have been killed if he had handled the eastern brown snakes — the world's most venomous species on land after Australia's inland taipan.
Kyle found a clutch of nine eggs a few weeks ago in the grass on his family's 1.2-hectare (3-acre) property on the outskirts of the city of Townsville in Queensland state, Prendergast said. He had no idea what kind of eggs they were.
He put the eggs into a plastic takeout food container and stashed them in his bedroom closet, where his mother, Donna Sim, found them Monday. Seven had hatched, but the snakes remained trapped under the container's lid. The remaining two eggs were probably infertile and were rotten, Prendergast said.
"I was pretty shocked, particularly because I don't like snakes," Sim told the Townsville Bulletin newspaper.
Prendergast, who is the Townsville-based reptile co-ordinator of the volunteer group North Queensland Wildlife Care, was handed the container on Tuesday and released the snakes into the wild that night.
She was relieved that no one had handled the snakes.
"Their fangs are only a few millimeters long at that age, so they probably couldn't break the skin, but they're just as venomous as full-grown snakes," Prendergast said.
"If venom had got on Kyle's skin where there was a cut of if he put it in his mouth, it could have been fatal," she added.
Eastern brown snakes — which can grow to more than 2 metres (6 1/2 feet) long — usually stay with their eggs but sometimes leave for short periods to feed.
"He's very lucky he didn't encounter the mother while he was taking her eggs. That also could have been fatal," Prendergast said.
The snakes were 12 to 15 centimetres (5 to 6 inches) long and had probably hatched around five days before they were released, she said, adding that they were thirsty but otherwise healthy.
Australia averages around three fatal snake bites a year, and eastern browns are responsible for 60 per cent of the country's fatalities.
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Reptile carer Trish Prendergast said Friday that young wildlife enthusiast Kyle Cummings could have been killed if he had handled the eastern brown snakes — the world's most venomous species on land after Australia's inland taipan.
Kyle found a clutch of nine eggs a few weeks ago in the grass on his family's 1.2-hectare (3-acre) property on the outskirts of the city of Townsville in Queensland state, Prendergast said. He had no idea what kind of eggs they were.
He put the eggs into a plastic takeout food container and stashed them in his bedroom closet, where his mother, Donna Sim, found them Monday. Seven had hatched, but the snakes remained trapped under the container's lid. The remaining two eggs were probably infertile and were rotten, Prendergast said.
"I was pretty shocked, particularly because I don't like snakes," Sim told the Townsville Bulletin newspaper.
Prendergast, who is the Townsville-based reptile co-ordinator of the volunteer group North Queensland Wildlife Care, was handed the container on Tuesday and released the snakes into the wild that night.
She was relieved that no one had handled the snakes.
"Their fangs are only a few millimeters long at that age, so they probably couldn't break the skin, but they're just as venomous as full-grown snakes," Prendergast said.
"If venom had got on Kyle's skin where there was a cut of if he put it in his mouth, it could have been fatal," she added.
Eastern brown snakes — which can grow to more than 2 metres (6 1/2 feet) long — usually stay with their eggs but sometimes leave for short periods to feed.
"He's very lucky he didn't encounter the mother while he was taking her eggs. That also could have been fatal," Prendergast said.
The snakes were 12 to 15 centimetres (5 to 6 inches) long and had probably hatched around five days before they were released, she said, adding that they were thirsty but otherwise healthy.
Australia averages around three fatal snake bites a year, and eastern browns are responsible for 60 per cent of the country's fatalities.
Tennis-Zvonareva misses Australian Open with shoulder injury
Labels: WorldDec 21 (Reuters) - Former world number two Vera Zvonareva of Russia has pulled out of the Australian Open with a shoulder injury, organisers of the opening grand slam of the season said on Friday.
"Sorry to report that Vera Zvonareva has withdrawn from the AO due to a continuing right shoulder injury," organisers of the Jan. 14-27 event said on their Twitter account.
The injury-prone 28-year-old 2010 Wimbledon and U.S. Open finalist will also miss the Auckland Classic starting on Dec. 31.
Tournament director Karl Budge lamented world number 96 Zvonareva's last minute withdrawal but insisted the Auckland tournament still enjoyed a strong field.
"We have six top 30 players gracing our courts in just over a week's time headlined by world number four Agnieszka Radwanska, who is in world-beating form.
"We also have three former champions competing with 2003 and 2004 winner Elena Daniilidou given a wildcard yesterday," he added.
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"Sorry to report that Vera Zvonareva has withdrawn from the AO due to a continuing right shoulder injury," organisers of the Jan. 14-27 event said on their Twitter account.
The injury-prone 28-year-old 2010 Wimbledon and U.S. Open finalist will also miss the Auckland Classic starting on Dec. 31.
Tournament director Karl Budge lamented world number 96 Zvonareva's last minute withdrawal but insisted the Auckland tournament still enjoyed a strong field.
"We have six top 30 players gracing our courts in just over a week's time headlined by world number four Agnieszka Radwanska, who is in world-beating form.
"We also have three former champions competing with 2003 and 2004 winner Elena Daniilidou given a wildcard yesterday," he added.
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