Social Media Trends from the Nielsen Social Media Report 2012

Last updated 13 hours ago

Nielsen?s State of the Media: The Social Media Report 2012 reflects on various social media trends of 2012, as well as the potential impact they will have on the coming year. There is no denying that social media is more popular than ever with consumers, and that having a social media presence is critical for SMBs? online marketing strategies in 2013.? Here are a few highlights from the report.

Mobile Usage Is Not Slowing Down

As you might have guessed, the amount of time consumers spent on PCs and Smartphones increased between July 2011 and July 2012.? Time spent on these devices grew by 21%, while time on apps rose 120% in that same period.? While PCs still remain our primary source of Internet access, the usage of mobile Web and apps are increasing at a significant rate. Small businesses can?t afford to ignore mobile any longer, and should invest in mobile-friendly advertising and sites to reach this growing audience.?

Time Spent on Social Networks Grew 37%.

From July 2011 to July 2012, the time consumers spent on social media sites grew from 88.4B minutes to a whopping 121.1B minutes. Nielsen attributes this substantial growth in part to the rise of mobile apps, which enable us to stay connected to our favorite sites while on the go. In fact, we spent seven times more minutes on apps than on the mobile Web. Time spent on these sites means social media access is not only on the rise, but also that we are more engaged when we do visit them. For small businesses, this means being active on social media is more important than ever in order to reach consumers spending a large portion of their time there.?

Consumers Value Social Customer Service

For more and more consumers, social care, also known as social customer service, is becoming an increasingly important, and valuable social media trend for SMBs to leverage. Nielsen reports that one in three social media users prefer social care to contacting a company by phone. That means that more consumers are using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and the company blog to reach out to businesses and brands in the hope of resolving a customer service issue. SMBs are not immune to this trend, and many will see an influx of customer complaints through these channels, which can impact their online reputation. As a result, it?s vital for businesses to monitor their social media pages regularly and respond to customer questions, complaints, and more as soon as possible.?

As we?ve seen throughout the year, mobile and social media continue to top consumers? online behavior. And as 2012 winds down, it?s important for small businesses to think about whether they have successfully taken advantage of some of these social media trends, and how they can incorporate them in the future. You can read the entire Nielsen social media report here.?

How do mobile and social media fit into your online marketing strategy? Let us know in the comments!

Related Articles

About the Author

Tamara?Weintraub?helps equip small business owners with information about local online advertising, social media, and content marketing as a writer for?the?ReachLocal?blog.

Source: http://blog.reachlocal.com/616785/2012/12/26/social-media-report-2012-top-trends-smbs-need-to-know.html

joepa sc primary bill moyers heidi klum and seal divorce craigslist killer extremely loud and incredibly close south carolina primary

Planning Ahead ? Ten Things to Shop for Post Holiday - Chaotic Life ...

It?s funny how people change over time.? Ten years ago I would have been the frantic idiot in line at the mall five minutes before closing on Christmas Eve, arms laden with stuff that may or may not have been on anyone?s wish list but at least would allow me to cross someone off my gift list. My dad was usually less frantic, standing in?line behind me.? Fast forward a decade, and I actually pride myself on being able to count in years how long it?s been since I?ve set foot in a mall.? A?downsized?gift-giving list and dedication to shopping local and sustainable whenever possible can take most of the credit.? That said, the day after Christmas is my Black Friday and so far no distance, weather event, illness or hangover has prevented me from this annual ritual.

By the time the holidays roll around I usually have a list of things I need, want, or would like to replace.? I hit the stores with a simple plan ? think outside the box, don?t buy more than I can use, and put it somewhere I?ll remember for the following year. Here is a list of ten things I look for when I hit the stores after Christmas:

1.? Ornaments and lights.? This one is obvious, but there was a time when I just packed up the old, half-lit bulbs and tossed any broken ornaments and figured I?d deal with it the following year.? Now we usually buy one new ornament as a family, typically one that commemorates something that happened that year, and the rest we get 60% ? 75% off.? I also try to stock up on those little stockings, which I use as silverware wrappers and gift card holders, and smaller ornaments that I use on top of packages instead of bows.? Now that he?s old enough, I also?scoured the discount ornaments for something I can use as a base for T to customize next year for the grand- and god-parents and found some cute snowflakes that will be perfect.? And don?t rule out ornaments as gifts for holidays other than?Christmas ? in past years I?ve found Star Wars for my brother who loves the movie series, Nascar for my dad who collects that type of paraphernalia, and multiple cows for myself who can?t get enough of them.

2.? Tableware.? I have a really hard time paying a lot of money for disposable paper so unless we have holiday-appropriate tableware when we need it, we?re out of luck.? After the holidays I stock up on plates, cups, napkins, and serving trays.? Some stores have a collection of holiday wares in ?non-traditional? color schemes like blue, yellow and magenta, and I love when I find some pretty champage glasses or tablecloths I can use for some other party.? A few years ago I replaced my chipped dishes with a set of beautiful white china rimmed in silver that I found?marked down by 80%.? We still use them and have long since gotten our money?s worth.? This year I snapped up some great little cocktail plates that will hold a wine glass and purple tablecloths ? party of the ?non-traditional? holiday color collection ? that I?ll use when the Ravens reach the playoffs. I also found some placemats and a table runner?I?ll use on the coffee and side tables in a beautiful aqua blue.

Look at all that loot!

3.? Linens and sheets.? Flannel sheets are great, especially when you find them on clearance.? I?ve also found rugs, pillows, throws, and dish towels.? Last year I found small fleece blankets which I bought for $2 each for gifts for the pups.? This year I scored a couple of kiddie hooded towels which T will love to get later in the year.

4.? Toys.? T and J both have?birthdays in the two months following Christmas and while we are usually done shopping for the event well before then, sometimes I?ll come across stuff that we pick up for the occasion.? But when the stores start marking down toys, first 60% and then 75% or more, I buy and store them for Toys for Tots the following year.? Last year I got $100 worth of charitable donations for less than $25, and used the trip to the donation box as a chance for T to learn about giving to others. Don?t forget the pets ? sets of toys packaged especially for gift giving are often on sale as well.

5.? Sporting Goods.? I?m not sure why these go on sale with the holiday stuff but every year I take the opportunity to update my camping supplies and check out the bikes, wagons, scooters, and every assortment of golfing equipment and sports ball.? This year I had my eye on a new air mattress (in the same aisle as camping) but talked myself out of it on the premise that I could probably find it cheaper online.

6.? Bakeware and cooking essentials.? I?ve already mentioned tablecloths, placemats and table runners, but there are plenty of other great deals to be had.? I finally replaced my beat up pot holders with some new ones I found in a hodge podge of discounted cookie sheets and cupcake wrappers.? This is?a great time to find holiday-themed kits (think cupcake and chocolate covered pretzel), stuff to decorate cookies, and baking equipment packaged for the holidays like cookie presses and mixing bowls.? This year I bought a few packages of gingerbread and sugar cookie mix, which will keep well into the new year, and a red cookie sheet liner that I snagged for $1.72.? I also took the opportunity to stock up on all the packaging supplies I?ll need for next year?s neighborhood cookie exchange, including some super cute gingerbread house boxes.

7.? Packaging.? Also obvious, but this is another thing I hate spending a lot of money on.? We do a pretty good job of reusing bags and boxes but sometimes it takes a while for them to cycle back.? I?stock up on coordinated paper, bags, boxes and tissue for ?Santa? gifts, and find other bags and paper for the rest.? I love when I find pretty gift?boxes or even decorated cardboard boxes that don?t need to be wrapped.? This year I grabbed a bunch of gift card holders including some that are basic enough they can be used for pretty much any occasion.? I also scored a several giant gift bags, enough small handled bags to use as ?stockings? next year, and several containers to package and dress up the wine bottles we tend to give throughout the year.? But my favorite score was two fabulous red totes I?d had my eye on for months, with which I plan to (finally) organize by trunk.

8.? Craft supplies.? Places like Michaels and JoAnn Fabrics stock plenty of crafty stuff in time for the holidays, including tons of kid-friendly stuff.? From the holiday surplus I culled paints, markers, stickers, pipe cleaners and pompoms, plus a bunch of kid-friendly craft kits that he?ll grow into by next year.? Bonus score:? Multi-packs of crayons we can grab and go when we eat out ? it?s not like T will care they have stockings on them!

9.? Gifts and stocking stuffers.? I can appreciate the pre-packaged gifts that stores put out during the holidays, stuff like electronic coin banks and hair hockey tables and mitten sets, but not so much the prices.? I don?t buy this stuff to have it ?just in case,? but occasionally I come across something that will be a great match for someone on my gift list.? This year I brought home several book ?safes? with the hollow middle, which J and his cousins will love.? I?ll probably wait another week or so but I usually buy several glove and scarf sets, which I donate to charity during the coat and mitten drive.??A few years ago I purchased a set of?glass candle holders that I gave as a wedding gift later that year, and often find pretty plant bulb sets that make sweet Mother?s Day gifts.? And?this is a great time to find?picture frames, some of which I keep and?some will be used?to?gift next year?s?holiday pics.?Several stores now have dollar sections, great for stocking stuffers pre-holiday; they are even been post when the stuff is 70% off.? I cleaned up at Michaels, finding everything from glow sticks to model car kits to temporary tattoos, everything but the edible treats we?ll pick up closer to Christmas.

10.? Storage.? Craft stores have their holiday baskets on sale most of the month before the holiday, and they are even cheaper after.? I usually hit this section after a good look around the house to see what needs to be organized, revamped, or redone.? This year the craft supplies are getting an overhaul thanks to metal buckets I found for less than $2 each; the bathroom towels will find a new home in baskets on the wall; and we will finally have some sort of system for the various cords, remotes and controllers that have overgrown the media center using the felt totes I discovered on an endcap at Target.

As I hauled in my?goods DH rolled his eyes a bit but I know he?s pretty proud not only of the money we save, but of the fact that we don?t need to scramble around last minute.? I usually make it to retail box store, a craft store and a home improvement store like Home Depot or Lowes, which provide a great supply of lights and ornaments.? Places like CVS and Walgreens also have a nice selection of packaging and toys. Many years, in addition to preparing for Christmas future, we stock up for other coming events such as birthdays, Mother?s Day and Father?s Day, weddings, even Easter.? With a little foresight and planning, post-Christmas clearance can be one-stop shopping for a year full of great times.

?

Source: http://chaoticlifehappyhome.wordpress.com/2012/12/27/planning-ahead-ten-things-to-shop-for-post-holiday/

macular degeneration whitney houston funeral judi dench bobby brown leaves funeral donnie mcclurkin whitney houston funeral live stream kevin costner whitney houston

Legal Assistance for Game Developers - Creative Commons

Elliot Harmon, December 18th, 2012

Our friends at New Media Rights are putting together an ambitious project, a collection of videos called Legal Assistance for Game Developers (LAGD). NMR is in the last days of an Indiegogo campaign to fund the next season of LAGD videos.

From NMR:

The goal of the LAGD videos is to empower indies as well as people who want to enter the ?mainstream? game industry with information on how they can prevent problems before they happen. Free access to this information up front, as well as access to direct legal services means that indie developers can spend more time making successful, innovative games and less time dodging legal threats.

In season two, we?d like to do episodes on some of these topics:

• Cloning games: what you can do if your game has been cloned OR what you can get away with cloning
• Privacy policies and data collection in mobile games
• Putting together your own contracts without a lawyer in the indie games industry
• An introduction to contracts in the mainstream game industry
• FTC disclosure and advertising requirements
• Venture financing and mergers/acquisitions

Interviewees include luminaries like Valve cofounder Gabe Newell, Gish designer Edmund McMillen, and IGN cofounder Peer Schneider.

Intriguingly, NMR has chosen a sliding-scale approach to CC licensing. All videos are currently licensed CC BY-NC. If the fundraiser reaches $20,000, the videos will be licensed CC BY-SA. At $30,000, CC BY, and at $50,000, NMR will release the videos into the public domain under the CC0 waiver.

But if you?re interested, act quickly. The fundraiser ends on Friday.

Read more:

No related posts.

Source: http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/36023

capybara duggars peter facinelli bobby rush supreme court justices 19 kids and counting danny o brien

Polaroid rumored to be working on Android-powered camera with interchangeable lenses

Nikon and Samsung have already brought Android-powered smart camera to market, and now it seems Polaroid may be looking to edge into this market with a somewhat different device. According to the latest round of online rumors, the company may be bringing to market the world's first Android-based compact camera with interchangeable lenses.

Today's leak comes from Photo Rumors, which sources a company profile for article in industry publication Dealerscope. The article about Sakar international, which is apparently collaborating with Polaroid on the device, reveals the camera as the Polaroid IM1836. This apparently features a 18.1MP sensor, pop-up flash, a 3.5-inch touchscreen and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The camera is said to offer Wifi and HDMI connection options, but there's no mention of any cellular data option, or internal hardware like CPU or RAM.

Visual similarities between the IM1836 and the Nikon 1 J2 have led to speculation that the Polaroid may use the Nikon's lens ecosystem, though right now the relationship between the two cameras remains unclear.

Crucially, the inclusion of interchangeable lenses would indicate that this device is more focused on image quality than earlier Samsung and Nikon offerings. Image quality been a common complaint of the Samsung Galaxy Camera, which costs as much as a mirrorless camera, but produces point-and-shoot quality pictures.

There's no word as yet on when Polaroid's Android-powered camera might make an official appearance, but we'll be on the lookout for it at CES in Las Vegas next month.

Source: Photo Rumors; via: The Verge

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Vgv3kvhTfns/story01.htm

scott walker recall fisker atlantic social darwinism jamie lynn spears wisconsin recall election april 4 santa monica college

IBM's 5 in 5 predicts cognitive computing will complement our senses, virtualize touch

IBM thinks cognitive computers that can adapt to their surroundings will be a large part of our future, and that their ability to take unprocessed data and find patterns in different environments will augment our sensory interactions with our surroundings. While many of us associate haptic feedback with video game controllers, IBM says that we'll soon be able to use variable vibrations to feel physical textures while, say, shopping for garments on our mobile devices. If shopping is too material for your tastes, imagine farmers being able to touch their crops out in the fields to remotely monitor the harvest's health.

On the chemosensation front, scientists envision phones that can detect biomarkers in our breath that may predict when a cold is coming, before you get your first sniffle (and it might be Dr. Watson making that diagnosis). While some of this seems even a bit far-fetched to us, it's inspiring to see what the researchers at IBM are thinking up. Check the videos in the source below to see what else could be in our future, and let's check back in December 2017 to see how far we've come.

Continue reading IBM's 5 in 5 predicts cognitive computing will complement our senses, virtualize touch

Filed under: Alt

Comments

Source: A Smarter Planet

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/AWKL64tjxS0/

weather san diego unitarian new black panther party lost in space elizabeth banks battle royale key largo

Imagination Tech raises MIPS offer to $100 million

LONDON (Reuters) - British chip designer Imagination Technologies on Monday agreed to buy MIPS for $100 million after it outbid Ceva Inc for a second time.

Imagination and Ceva have been battling to buy the operating business of MIPS since last month when a $60 million agreed offer from the British company triggered a bidding war.

Imagination's $100 million offer trumps a $90 million bid from Ceva last week.

MIPS was a pioneer of 32-bit and 64-bit processing, and its technology is in blu-ray players, digital televisions and video games consoles such as the Sony PlayStation 2.

The California-based company agreed to sell 498 patents for $350 million to a consortium of technology companies organized by patent holding company Allied Security Trust and led by ARM when it agreed the initial Imagination deal.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by James Davey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/imagination-tech-raises-mips-offer-100-million-075649210--finance.html

Shark Week London 2012 closing ceremony Shark Week 2012 evelyn lozada UFC 150 Caster Semenya Medal Count 2012 Olympics

Simmons Field lease is approved | KenoWi

The topic of the Simmons Athletic Field lease between the city, the Board of Park Commissioners, and Baseball Like It Oughta Be, LLC, and the Northwoods League, Inc., was on the agendas of both the Finance Committee and the Common Council meetings tonight.? Vern Stenman and Conor Caloia were the two representatives from the Northwoods League present at both meetings to answer questions.

Alderperson David Bogdala said that he was in attendance at the public meeting held last Tuesday.? To read the article on that meeting, click here:? ?Simmons Field Meeting.?? Bogdala made several amendments to the lease, including inserting a security deposit performance bond, a renaming clause, language regarding the sale of alcohol and wine beverages, fireworks displays, and handicapped access.?? He said, ?If these are not detailed, written in the contract, we?ll have problems down the road.?? Bogdala?s motion to amend the lease at the Finance Committee failed for lack of a second.

Alderperson Tod Ohnstad made a motion to approve the contract as is.? Bodgala?s comments were that ?he was hopeful, but this was not unexpected.?? He felt that there were some definite issues with the current contract.

Chairman of the Finance Committee and Alderperson Daniel Prozanski said that he received the lease via e-mail last week with the 42-page document attached.? The city attorney reviewed the lease, and it was negotiated with the two representatives from the Northwoods League.? Prozanski said that he got his questions answered.? ?Now, at the 11th hour, with 59 minutes to spare, we get another lease to review, to protect the citizens of the city.?? Bogdala said that, ?As long as I sit on this committee, I will be reviewing and providing feedback on any contract/lease the city is involved in.? We?re not done til we?re done with it.? This lease requires Parks, Finance, and Common Council approval.? The changes I?m proposing have to do with breach of contract, legal ramifications, and gaps that are open to interpretation.?? Prozanski?s issue was that he was just given Bogdala?s document tonight.? ?If my colleague wants consideration, then I need time to consider it.? I?m satisfied with the document, that the city?s interests are protected,? he said.

Prozanski asked Frank Pacetti, the city administrator, was asked to delineate the $1 million in improvements.? His reply was that the team would be spending $250,000 on capital improvements to the field, and the city would be contributing $750,000.? The sources for the city?s money were in the form of rent paid to the city ($30,000/year for 10 years), $300,000, $100,000 in insurance proceeds due to the fire at the Alford Storage Building, and the remaining $350,000 would come from park impact fees from the district, and cell tower revenue.

Prozanski wanted to know how the $300,000 was going to be guaranteed, and assistant city attorney Jon Mulligan replied that, if the work was not completed by May 1, 2014, the city would be under no further obligation to continue with the lease.

Ohnstad said that, ?There was no gun to my head.? This was a good proposal.? It was vetted six months ago.? I read it and understood it.? I?m voting for it tonight, and I?m looking forward to seeing a game the year after next.

The vote at the Finance Committee was 5 to 1 for approval, with Bogdala being the sole dissenting voter.

On the Common Council floor, Alderperson Steve Bostrom said several times that he was a big supporter of the baseball project.? He stated that he felt that the Northwoods League was going to be a good operator, and he wanted to see the items spelled out in the lease.? He stated that he was thankful that Bogdala took the time to review and make changes to the lease.

The roll call vote to amend, as presented by Bogdala, however, failed by a vote of 4 to 11.

Bogdala then commenced taking each change individually.? He started with the alcohol sales.? Alderperson Anthony Kennedy called for a point of order, and the city attorney, Ed Antaramian, checked into it.? Kennedy?s point was that individual motions could not be made after the ?wholesale? motion was voted down.? Antaramian said it was up to the presiding officer?s discretion.? Alderperson Eric Haugaard was filling in for the mayor tonight, and he allowed it.

Bogdala said that ?these were common? sense changes that benefit the taxpayer.? The ball field is located in a neighborhood.? We have alcohol throughout the city.? They do have similar language in other municipalities,? he said.? Bostrom was supportive.? ?This is the only way to ensure that these items are covered, is to put them in the lease.? He asked for the Council?s support on this one item, the one having to do with the alcohol sales.? Bogdala?s amendment prohibited alcohol sales after the seventh inning, or after 9 pm, whichever came first.? After Alderperson Scott Gordon said that he had a problem with the 9 pm time frame due to possibly the holding of other events before a baseball game, Bogdala was willing to remove that stipulation from his amendment.

Stenman said that in Madison, they were allowed to sell alcohol through the end of the game.? They worked with the Alcohol License Review Committee in Madison, and he also said that it?s never been a part of the lease agreement.? A question was raised about Wisconsin Rapids? end time, and Mulligan said that he didn?t know off the top of his head.? He?d have to go back and review the other sixteen lease agreements.

Alderperson Scott Gordon wanted to know if there were serious issues with the team, does the Licensing & Permit Committee have the ability to call the owners and pull their permit, and the answer was yes.

The roll call vote on Bogdala?s amendment failed by a vote of 7 to 8.? Prozanski then called for the question, thereby ending the debate.? That vote was 10 to 5.? Those voting no were Alderpersons Eric Haugaard, Kevin Mathewson, Steve Bostrom, Jesse Downing, and David Bogdala.

The vote on the item, as presented by the city then was approved by a vote of 12 to 3.? Those voting against were Alderpersons Mathewson, Downing, and Bogdala.

Source: http://www.kenowi.com/2012/12/18/simmons-field-lease-is-approved/5341

cnet iPhone 5 9-11 Chris Brown Tattoo Innocence of Muslims Clara Schumann Jael Strauss

Injured coral? Expect less sex

Dec. 17, 2012 ? Coral colonies that suffered tissue damage in the Bahamas were still producing low numbers of eggs four years after the injuries occurred, according to new research by University at Buffalo scientists. Tiny sperm-producing factories called spermaries were also in short supply.

The slow recovery was a surprise, said UB geology professor Howard Lasker, PhD, who led the study on the coral species Antillogorgia elisabethae.

"The really interesting finding was that four years later, these colonies were still displaying an effect," Lasker said. "They don't necessarily look damaged anymore, but it takes some time to get back to where they were in terms of reproduction."

"This research has broader repercussions," Lasker said. "When you start talking about damage to reefs from events like hurricanes, you might say that the coral survived, that it lost some tissue, but it's still reproducing. That's true, but we now know the corals are not quite as healthy as we thought."

The study appeared Dec. 1 in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. Lasker's co-author was Christopher Page, a master's student in UB's Graduate Program in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior. Page, who has since graduated, is a biologist at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida.

The species that the researchers examined -- A. elisabethae, formerly known as Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae -- is a Caribbean gorgonian coral. The coral forms male and female colonies and, during reproduction, the females release eggs which remain on the colony's surface to be fertilized and develop into larvae.

To study the effect of tissue damage on sexual activity, Lasker and Page looked at egg and sperm production in A. elisabethae colonies near Cross Harbour, Abaco in The Bahamas.

In this region, workers harvest the coral, pruning branches from large, sexually mature colonies to obtain an anti-inflammatory chemical used in a skin care product.

Such harvests took place in 2002 and 2005. In 2009, Lasker and Page returned to the area before the annual spawning, which for A. elisabethae occurs in November and December. The researchers compared 24 colonies that had been cropped to 20 that had not, carefully dissecting 24 individual coral polyps from each of the 44 colonies to count the reproductive organs within.

What they found:

• In cropped female colonies, roughly one in three polyps carried no eggs at all, compared with roughly one in six in uncropped colonies. The uncropped colonies also had more than double the number of polyps producing three or more eggs -- 120 polyps in all, compared with just 53 polyps in the cropped colonies.
• More than three quarters of polyps in uncropped male colonies housed 11 or more spermaries, organs that produce sperm. In contrast, less than 60 percent of polyps in cropped colonies had 11 or more spermaries.

In most corals, sexual maturity is understood to be a product of colony size, as opposed to age. As a general rule, large corals reproduce. Small ones don't. The new research is the latest to support the notion that damaged corals may have lower fecundity because they divert resources away from reproduction and toward growth and injury repair, Lasker said.

"The mechanism controlling resource allocation is unknown, but regardless of the process the important implication of the finding is that populations that appear to have survived and to have recovered from disturbance events may produce fewer gametes than the size and number of colonies would suggest," Page and Lasker wrote in their study.

The researchers added that it's still unknown how changes in egg and spermary production impact long-term population growth.

The National Science Foundation and Mark Diamond Research Fund of the UB Graduate Student Association supported the study, which is titled, "Effects of tissue loss, age and size on fecundity in the octocoral Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University at Buffalo, via Newswise.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Christopher A. Page, Howard R. Lasker. Effects of tissue loss, age and size on fecundity in the octocoral Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 2012; 434-435: 47 DOI: 10.1016/j.jembe.2012.07.022

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/X8Fd3GrhatY/121217102529.htm

annalynne mccord billy the kid neville neville george lucas numerology the game

Relax! StationCreator is bringing scheduled TV broadcasts to online ...

By Michael Carney
On December 17, 2012

TV is magic in a number of ways that online video has not yet replicated. For starters, there?s always something playing the second you turn it on. Also, even though there are more channels today than ever before, there remains a finite amount of choices. When you don?t know what you?re looking for, it?s actually comforting to know that you won?t be scrolling forever. With most online video portals, however, the experience is quite the opposite. There?s a reason that an endless feed of Web video content aggregated and curated into one place, hasn?t been enough to kill traditional TV because. In many ways, the massive amount of options leads to paralysis by choice, and sometimes, it?s still nice to have a fully leanback consumption experience.

San Diego online video startup StationCreator hopes that its scheduled, continuous broadcast technology is the key ingredient missing amid today?s Web TV world. Via its platform launched publicly just last week, viewers have the option to browse by a traditional channel guide and select a never-ending content stream to watch and enjoy. Like traditional TV, everyone around the world that?s tuned into that same station will be viewing the same content at the same time.

StationCreator channel owners are given a suite of video scheduling tools built on top of its hosting infrastructure to aggregate content from existing online video sites including YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, UStream, LiveStream, and Justin.tv. Users can import a single item or a full channel from each source. Crucially, the video is played directly from the source and any existing interstitial or overlay advertising from the source is maintained within StationCreator. Users can even mix in live streams and advertisements. It?s incredibly easy to allow the system to create a schedule automatically, or the channel owner can be more deliberate and manually program the content.

In either case, the result is a continuous broadcast stream that viewers can watch on a fullscreen player page, or in a custom player that can be embed on any website. Users can check out the broadcast schedule to see what?s playing at later in the day or can just sit back and enjoy whatever appears on screen. For those more impatient, all content is available ?On Demand? as well.

(Check out PandoDaily?s sample StationCreator station created from our YouTube channel.)

Previously, running a terrestrial television network required equipment, permits, and content licensing that was out of reach for nearly every individual and organization. StationCreator is available to anyone, from premium content providers to individual video bloggers and hobbyists. This means that its channels will range from the equivalent of online HBO to Public-Access Television. The platform won?t be able to make dull content interesting, but at least it will offer a compelling new consumption experience that may give it a fighting chance.

StationCreator is available in a Free and paid Pro version. Free users don?t have the option to manually schedule content or to embed their channel onto another site. Pro users get all-you-can-eat access to the platform?s features including a customizable player and schedule widgets, as well as robust reporting that goes beyond Google Analytics to offer proprietary real-time user behavior tracking tools.

The technical problem solved here is actually quite complex, according to StationCreator founder and former NBC and CBS interactive producer Jon Labes. The startup has developed a patent-pending scheduler and autopilot system that intelligently analyzes existing online video metadata to interpret duration and other key details and then assemble it into a seamless broadcast experience. ?It would still take YouTube a good six to eight months to cook up a bad version of what we have,? he says. (That?s assuming they haven?t already.)

YouTube is actually not the most natural competitor to StationCreator. Given that the startup?s cross-platform support, it?s actually more likely that a third-party company attempts to duplicate its offering. Given his head start and the technological hurdles, Labes is rightfully pleased with his position.

StationCreator began as an idea inside Howard Lindzon?s StockTwits in mid-2011, and now exists as a standalone venture. The five person team is being incubated by the Southern California angel investor?s Social Leverage fund and has raised approximately $350,000 to date from Lindzon and other angels. StationCreator will likely pursue a traditional Seed round of $1 million to $2 million in Q1 2013.

The startup has been in private beta ?for months, with approximately 600 early users ranging from NBC News and the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper, to a large number of regional mega-churches. According to Labes, the startup has been receiving an overwhelming amount of inbound demand and is currently in partnership discussions revolving around licensing its API for use in third-party integrations. In the future, StationCreator hopes to offer users one-click publishing of a unique mobile app built around their channel and available for download on the iTunes and Google Play app stores.

For many of these potential broadcasters, YouTube and/or their website or blog are the current the default repositories for original and curated video content. The problem is, that for frequent visitors, the reverse chronological list of content rarely changes, with occasional new content appearing at the top and old content getting quickly buried. With StationCreator, there?s always something on to engage would be visitors, and new life is breathed into evergreen legacy content. There aren?t many other places in the world of online video where you can say either of those things.

Michael Carney

Michael Carney has spent his career exploring the world of early stage technology as an investor and entrepreneur and has participated in building companies in multiple countries within North and South America and Asia. Ultimately, he is an enthusiast of all things shiny and electronic and is inspired by those who build businesses and regularly tackle difficult problems. You can follow Michael on Twitter @mcarney.

Source: http://pandodaily.com/2012/12/17/relax-stationcreator-is-bringing-scheduled-tv-broadcasts-to-online-video/

neighborhood watch dennis rodman dodgers sale tami roman jetblue captain los angeles dodgers christie brinkley

If schools had all the funds they need?to buy guns?who holds a bake sale then? (Unqualified Offerings)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/271013124?client_source=feed&format=rss

swizz beatz mpaa south carolina debate lauren scruggs william shatner seattle weather skier sarah burke

No Link Between Asperger's Syndrome And Violence, Experts Say

NEW YORK -- While an official has said that the 20-year-old gunman in the Connecticut school shooting had Asperger's syndrome, experts say there is no connection between the disorder and violence.

Asperger's is a mild form of autism often characterized by social awkwardness.

"There really is no clear association between Asperger's and violent behavior," said psychologist Elizabeth Laugeson, an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Little is known about Adam Lanza, identified by police as the shooter in the Friday massacre at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school. He fatally shot his mother before going to the school and killing 20 young children, six adults and himself, authorities said.

A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the unfolding investigation, said Lanza had been diagnosed with Asperger's.

High school classmates and others have described him as bright but painfully shy, anxious and a loner. Those kinds of symptoms are consistent with Asperger's, said psychologist Eric Butter of Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, who treats autism, including Asperger's, but has no knowledge of Lanza's case.

Research suggests people with autism do have a higher rate of aggressive behavior ? outbursts, shoving or pushing or angry shouting ? than the general population, he said.

"But we are not talking about the kind of planned and intentional type of violence we have seen at Newtown," he said in an email.

"These types of tragedies have occurred at the hands of individuals with many different types of personalities and psychological profiles," he added.

Autism is a developmental disorder that can range from mild to severe. Asperger's generally is thought of as a mild form. Both autism and Asperger's can be characterized by poor social skills, repetitive behavior or interests and problems communicating. Unlike classic autism, Asperger's does not typically involve delays in mental development or speech.

Experts say those with autism and related disorders are sometimes diagnosed with other mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

"I think it's far more likely that what happened may have more to do with some other kind of mental health condition like depression or anxiety rather than Asperger's," Laugeson said.

She said those with Asperger's tend to focus on rules and be very law-abiding.

"There's something more to this," she said. "We just don't know what that is yet."

After much debate, the term Asperger's is being dropped from the diagnostic manual used by the nation's psychiatrists. In changes approved earlier this month, Asperger's will be incorporated under the umbrella term "autism spectrum disorder" for all the ranges of autism.

__

AP Writer Matt Apuzzo contributed to this report.

___

Online:

Also on HuffPost:

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/violence-aspergers-syndrome-adam-lanza--newtown-shooting_n_2312545.html

sasha baron cohen oscars oscar winners the artist sacha baron cohen oscars the old curiosity shop jane russell meryl streep

Kevin Love, Fitzgerald Raise $86K For Breast Cancer Prevention ...

(credit: Kevin Love/YouTube)

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ? Two pro athletes with Minnesota ties had teamed up to show their support for breast cancer awareness, and they?re showing off the results of their efforts.

They pledged 25 cents for every time someone shared or ?liked? their video on social media ? and ended up raising $86,000.

Love will present his half of the funds to ?Bright Pink,? an organization that focuses on breast and ovarian cancer prevention and detection.

The original video:

Like this:

Be the first to like this.

Source: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/12/15/kevin-love-fitzgerald-raise-86k-for-breast-cancer-prevention/

sandra dee twilight zone december 21 2012 mayan calendar nfl playoff picture nfl playoff picture rose bowl 2012

Connectify Dispatch now available, melds all our internet access into one speedy link (video)

Clearly, there's a lot of us out there who like the idea of blending multiple connection types: in the wake of a better than expected Kickstarter run, Connectify's Dispatch is ready to download. As promised, the app unifies as many cellular, Ethernet and WiFi connections as a computer can muster, whether it's for a simple speed increase or a quick handover if one or more links goes down. It's also smart about bandwidth use, tracking usage and prioritizing connections to avoid using that heavily capped mobile data plan until it's absolutely necessary. Only Windows users get to boost their internet for now, although Connectify is hoping for Android, Linux and Mac ports in 2013.

Continue reading Connectify Dispatch now available, melds all our internet access into one speedy link (video)

Filed under: Networking, Software

Comments

Source: Connectify

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/13/connectify-dispatch-now-available/

petrino clayton kershaw tyler perry face transplant maundy thursday fab melo google glasses

Baby eye injuries how to deal with | health and fitness guide ...

Eye injuries, should comply with the site of injury and illness as differences in processing:

1 after pregnancy, pregnant women should not strenuous physical exercise, not too tired, but also to the appropriate exercise.Blepharal contusion swelling can be. Early fetal education is not simply a cold compress fetal directly from the mother to accept education, but mainly refers to the mother?s mental state effect on fetal growth, advocated by adjusting the pregnant body inside and outside environment, avoid undesirable stimulation on embryonic and fetal effects, to make fetal growth in body and mind, more health mature., let its surrounding vascular shortened, 1 ? after 2 can be changed into heat, in order to promote the swelling receive; at the same time oral some antibiotics, promote inflammation subsidise.

In 2 conjunctival contusion, a small amount of bleeding can receive because in the transportation, marketing process, severe concussion caused yolk membrane formed by the breakdown of the scattered yellow eggs, no smell, the egg is still relatively thick, can give children to eat, but not in storage.At the same time, some antibiotic eye drops drip; if the injury is heavy influence of vision, should be to the hospital for conjunctival mucosa graft repair, in order to prevent symblepharon.

3 corneal epithelial abrasion, between the person and person?s individual difference is very large, even with the same approach to vaccination, each produced within the human body?s response was not identical, some produce antibodies, acquired immunity is strong; and some antibodies produced less, acquired immunity is weak.Apply ointment, should be part of the affected eye adorn, individual 24 hours will be healed; corneal edema by 50% glucose hypertonic eyedrops.

4 contusion of the iris and ciliary body can be divided into several scenes, mydriasis, deformation, can take J black glasses light; anterior chamber bleeding, both eyes should adorn, half supine rest, should go to the hospital to cure; if flash diplopia, should immediately go to hospital for treatment; part of operation of antibiotics and drugs of lowering intraocular pressure, in order to prevent the generation of secondary glaucoma.

Color orbital contusion, lens injury, retinal and choroidal contusion and optic nerve contusion, should immediately be eyes with sterile gauze adorn after hospital treatment.

Fast and easy ways to lose weight

No related posts.

Source: http://health-and-fitness-guide.lu72.com/20121210/baby-eye-injuries-how-to-deal-with.html

Ledecky Nadia Comaneci Rebecca Soni Snoop Lion London 2012 Table Tennis badminton Dominique Dawes

Source: http://stobbettalesha7.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/baby-eye-injuries-how-to-deal-with-health-and-fitness-guide.html

jon hamm heather morris ncaa bracket predictions jeff foxworthy the bachelor finale march madness bracket south by southwest

Source: http://oalnemog.posterous.com/baby-eye-injuries-how-to-deal-with-health-and

wnba draft tax day april 17 boston marathon tu pac hologram shuttle pippa middleton

Judge revokes Lohan's probation, sets hearing date

FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2012 file photo, Lindsay Lohan attends the Mr. Pink Ginseng launch party at the Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Los Angeles city prosecutors said Tuesday Dec. 11, 2012 that they will seek to revoke Lohan's probation because the actress has been charged with three misdemeanors stemming from a June car crash. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2012 file photo, Lindsay Lohan attends the Mr. Pink Ginseng launch party at the Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Los Angeles city prosecutors said Tuesday Dec. 11, 2012 that they will seek to revoke Lohan's probation because the actress has been charged with three misdemeanors stemming from a June car crash. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2012 file photo, Lindsay Lohan attends the Mr. Pink Ginseng launch party at the Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Lohan is due to be arraigned on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012 on three misdemeanor charges filed after authorities say they determined the actress lied about being a passenger when her Porsche slammed into the back of a dump truck in June. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2012 file photo, Lindsay Lohan attends the Mr. Pink Ginseng launch party at the Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Los Angeles city prosecutors said Tuesday Dec. 11, 2012 that they will seek to revoke Lohan's probation because the actress has been charged with three misdemeanors stemming from a June car crash. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A judge revoked Lindsay Lohan's probation on Wednesday and scheduled a hearing that could result in more jail time for the closely watched "Liz and Dick" star.

The ruling in Los Angeles came as the 26-year-old actress ? who did not appear in court ? faces misdemeanor counts of reckless driving, lying to a police officer and obstructing an officer from performing duties after an accident in which her Porsche slammed into the back of a dump truck in June.

Lohan told police in Santa Monica that her assistant was driving, but detectives now believe the actress was behind the wheel as she headed to a movie set.

Lohan was on probation at the time after previously being convicted of the misdemeanor theft of a necklace and two DUI charges.

A probation violation hearing was set for Jan. 15. A judge could sentence the actress up to 245 days in jail after the Santa Monica case is resolved.

Lohan was not required to appear in court Wednesday. She was represented by her attorney, Shawn Holley.

Lohan also faces a misdemeanor assault charge in New York after a woman claimed she was hit by the actress at a nightclub.

The jewelry case sparked months of court hearings and morgue cleanup duty for the star who has struggled personally and professionally since being arrested twice in 2007 for driving under the influence.

After being removed from supervised probation in March, Lohan attempted to mount a comeback, filming two movies and a cameo with Charlie Sheen in the latest installment of the "Scary Movie" franchise.

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang

___

AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney contributed to this reporter. He can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-12-12-People-Lindsay%20Lohan/id-71f3f20ab0084077bf224619cb42a7e7

demi moore hospitalized james farentino somali pirates navy seals navy seal team 6 tim gunn tim gunn

UK Closes Property Tax Loophole

It used to be that the ultra-rich could buy luxury residential property in the United Kingdom (UK) using offshore corporate funds and designate the purchase as a business expense, which would then allow them to sidestep a 15% tax on the purchase. The UK?s 2013 Finance Bill will close that loophole and avoiding the tax will only be possible if future buyers can prove the property will be used for a genuine commercial purpose. Experts say central London will see the greatest impact since more than 60% of residences there meet the ?2 million value threshold for the tax to be imposed. For more on this continue reading the following article from Property Wire.

Amendments to the UK?s 2013 Finance Bill will mean that foreign buyers of luxury residential property who use an offshore company will have to pay more tax but not genuine commercial investors.

The UK Chancellor George Osborne announced in his March Budget that he intended to close an alleged ?1 billion stamp duty loophole where some super rich foreigners avoided paying the levy by putting expensive homes in offshore companies.

Residential properties used for ?genuinely commercial activities? will be relieved from the 15% rate for corporate vehicles holding properties valued above ?2 million, the goverment has confirmed.

It means that bona fide businesses such as developers, traders and for investors holding buy to let properties, will instead pay a more general 7% rate introduced at the same time for properties over ?2 million.
?
The relief will have no restriction on the number of properties held by a company.? This means there will be no discrimination between size of company or length of trading history.
?
A ?claw back? regulation is also to be introduced. It means that companies will pay the additional 8%, taking the total to 15%, if they fail to prove the property has been used for genuinely commercial purposes within three years.
?
The Annual Levy, which will? be called the Annual Residential Property Tax (ARPT), is expected to come into effect on 01 April 2013 and will be payable by 31 October for the first year. Thereafter it will be due on or before 30 April.

The tax will amount to ?15,000 on properties bought for between ?2 million and ?5 million; ?35,000 for properties between ?5 million and ?10 million; ?70,000 on properties between ?10 million and ?20 million and ?140,000 on properties sold for more thatn ?20 million.
?
The tax will have the greatest impact on the prime London central (PLC) market where 60% of properties about ?2 million are located, according to Naomi Heaton, chief executive officer of London Central Portfolio Ltd, fund and asset managers that specialises in this property sector.
?
'Whilst all investors of ?2 million plus properties will still be liable for the 7% stamp duty, this positive clarification by the government as to the exemptions from the 15% SDLT and ARPT (Annual Levy) means the wait and see attitude adopted by buyers should now diminish. This had caused transactions to drop by 9% in the last quarter and resulted in a declining tax take for the Exchequer,' she said.
?
'It is likely that the 7% SDLT will be absorbed in due course, just as the dampening effect from the 5% rate for properties above ?1 million from the 2011 Budget has finally been rectified. Nevertheless, the domestic market is still reeling from this rise, with transactions falling 53% in Greater London for properties costing over ?2 million,' she explained.
?
She believes that the 15% tax and new ARPT may be a small price to pay for owner occupiers purchasing through a corporate vehicle, in relation to the benefit of owning a property in London, IHT savings and personal privacy. 'This levy is likely to be accepted as part of the investment cost, in the same way as a series of SDLT rises seen over the years have,' she said.
?
She added; 'The government should be applauded for this considered decision and the recognition of the genuinely commercial contribution of residential investment and the private rented sector. Hopefully, they have learned from their mistakes, and will not apply any more knee jerk or ill thought out measures, which may be populist but not prudent, without prior consultation and thorough research'.

The British Property Federation, which raised concerns at the time that the plan was announced, welcomed the changes. It said that the amendments show that it will not be applied indiscriminately across the UK market which could have had potentially disastrous consequences for commercial investment in residential property.
?
It added that the changes also ensure capital gains tax and an annual charge catch foreign buyers of luxury residential property, while not impinging on genuine business investment in UK residential property.

?Foreign buyers of luxury residential property for their own enjoyment were always the intended target of the stamp duty changes. It was never designed to deliberately clobber commercial investment in UK housing,? said Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation.

?The devil will be in the detail, but it appears Ministers have listened and sensibly decided to make technical changes that ensure the scope of the measure is not wider than it needs to be,? she explained.

?It is, however, unfortunate the confusion has led to an investment hiatus due to the uncertainty. Because of the legislative procedure businesses looking to invest today will have to wait until next summer, or pay the additional 8%,? she added.

This article was republished with permission from Property Wire.

Source: http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/articles/uk-closes-property-tax-loophole-60232.aspx

badgers nbc sports network mendenhall demarcus cousins savannah brinson mount rainier capital one bowl

Why did Jon Stewart nearly quit 'Daily Show'?

Montclair Film Fest

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

By Randee Dawn, TODAY contributor

When Jon Stewart took over "The Daily Show" from Craig Kilborn in 1999, he was not immediately made welcome and even considered quitting the show, he revealed in an interview with Stephen Colbert Friday night.

"I walk in the door, into a room with the writers and producers, and the first thing they say is, 'This isn't some MTV bull----.' ... And then I was told not to change the jokes or improvise," he told the former "Daily Show" correspondent, now host of "The Colbert Report," according to Third Beat Magazine.?

Stewart told his agent, "get me the f--- out of this. These people are insane ... I had to be talked down from a moderately high cliff ... What I did not realize is, a lot of the people who worked there were a-------."

Two and a half years later, Stewart had the staff and the show he wanted.

The conversation between the two titans of late-night satire took place as part of a fundraiser for the Montclair Film Festival in New Jersey. The pair sat in curved brown comfy chairs in the Wellmont Theatre, simulating a fireside chat, and talked about their lives, their jobs and other stories to the delight of the sold-out crowd.

Further fertile territory for discussion involved show guests -- Stewart revealed that his least-favorite was Hugh Grant, who displayed divalike behavior during his appearance to promote "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" in 2009.

"He's giving everyone s--- the whole time, and he's a big pain in the a--," said Stewart, who added that Grant complained about the movie clip provided to the show by the film's publicist. He said Grant asked, "What is that clip? It's a terrible clip." Stewart replied, "Well, then make a better f------ movie."

He said he'd never let Grant back on the show.

Even more tricky territory came from Stewart's inclusion of Yusuf Islam (who changed his name from Cat Stevens) in the "Rally to Restore Sanity" in 2012. Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, the O'Jays and Colbert joined Islam in a train-themed song parody (Islam/Stevens famously recorded "Peace Train"). But afterward, Stewart heard from author Salman Rushdie, who was disappointed to see Islam included, believing he had supported the 1989 fatwa leveled against Rushdie after the publication of "The Satanic Verses."

Stewart relayed that he got a call from Rushdie, and assured him he hadn't known of Islam's support of the fatwa. "So I'm like, I'm sure he doesn't believe that people should be put to death for apostasy," said Stewart, who promised to call Islam and get it smoothed over.?

His chat with Islam later didn't go as he'd hoped. "We get into a whole conversation, and it becomes very clear to me that he is straddling two worlds in a very difficult way," said Stewart. "It broke my heart a little bit. I wish I had known that. I wouldn't have done (the routine), I don't think ... Because that to me is a deal-breaker. Death for free speech is a deal breaker."

It wasn't all about Stewart and the ups and downs of working with "The Daily Show," but Colbert's recollections were largely less polarizing -- although he did surprise the audience and Stewart with the revelation that he used to sleepwalk -- and act out his dreams.

Colbert revealed that when he and his wife were still newlyweds, he dreamed ghosts were coming out an imaginary tracheotomy hole in her neck -- and he had to hold them in. She woke up to find him with his hands on her neck.?

When she asked what he was doing, Colbert replied, "I'm keeping the ghosts in."

Related content:

More in The Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2012/12/11/15840284-jon-stewart-tells-stephen-colbert-i-nearly-quit-daily-show-over-insane-co-workers?lite

barney frank barney frank kim richards robert hegyes mary louise parker mary louise parker cher

No iMore show tonight -- come back Wednesday!

No iMore show tonight, folks. But all is not lost! We'll be back on Wednesday night with our annual gift guide edition!

We'll also have a brand new Debug for you tomorrow to tide you over, with a very special guest. Don't miss it.

• Previous podcasts

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/m7heRG-zVic/story01.htm

mega ball lottery winner lottery numbers mega millions lottery jackpot winning numbers mega millions megamillions drawing

Italy awaits market reaction to Monti exit soon

In this photo taken at Chigi Palace government's office in Rome, on Dec. 6, 2012, Italian Premier Mario Monti gestures during a press conference at the end of a cabinet meeting. Premier Mario Monti told the Italian president Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012, he plans to resign following the sudden loss of support from Silvio Berlusconi's party, paving the way for early elections a year after the economist helped pull the country back from the brink of financial disaster. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

In this photo taken at Chigi Palace government's office in Rome, on Dec. 6, 2012, Italian Premier Mario Monti gestures during a press conference at the end of a cabinet meeting. Premier Mario Monti told the Italian president Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012, he plans to resign following the sudden loss of support from Silvio Berlusconi's party, paving the way for early elections a year after the economist helped pull the country back from the brink of financial disaster. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

FILE -- In this file photo taken at Chigi Palace government's office in Rome, on Dec. 6, 2012, Italian Premier Mario Monti gestures during a press conference at the end of a cabinet meeting. Premier Mario Monti told the Italian president Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012, he plans to resign following the sudden loss of support from Silvio Berlusconi's party, paving the way for early elections a year after the economist helped pull the country back from the brink of financial disaster. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

FILE - In this Friday, Nov. 18, 2011 file photo, Italy's former premier Silvio Berlusconi, left, talks to Italian Premier Mario Monti at the lower chamber in Rome. Although Italy's Silvio Berlusconi resigned in disgrace a year ago, has been convicted of tax fraud and now faces plunging poll numbers, the media baron is showing he still has the power to put pressure on his successor, Premier Mario Monti. With Europe still deep in its debt crisis, it doesn't take much to make the markets nervous. That's what happened Thursday when the 76-year-old Berlusconi withdrew his party's support for Monti's government, threatening a premature end to its ambitious reform program. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

ROME (AP) ? Italy and the rest of Europe on Sunday anxiously awaited the reaction of financial markets to Premier Mario Monti's surprise decision to resign and set the stage for an early vote, as speculation abounded over whether he might dive into politics and challenge Silvio Berlusconi in the election.

Monti has been widely credited with restoring faith in the country's capacity to survive the eurozone debt crisis since he took over the helm of a non-elected "technocrat" government. But he told the Italian president Saturday it was impossible to continue to lead after Berlusconi's party, Parliament's largest, dropped its support and blamed his austerity measure for Italy's staying mired in recession.

"We'll see what the markets will do," President Giorgio Napolitano told reporters asking if he was worried about the repercussions of the political crisis, including how it would affect its credibility and financial ratings.

It was Napolitano who appointed Monti, an internationally respected economist, last year to replace Berlusconi, the three-time premier whose resistance to potentially unpopular austerity measures panicked financial markets and helped set Italy tottering toward a Greece-style debt crisis.

Monti told Napolitano he would step down as soon as Parliament passes a budget bill, likely within two weeks, setting the stage for elections as soon as February.

Monti's accomplishments at the helm of the nonpartisan government included steering through Parliament tough pension reform, higher sales taxes and a revived property tax. He nonetheless enjoys high popularity ratings.

Supporters have encouraged Monti to run for the premiership. Speculation about whether he would face off with Berlusconi and others has been rife in the media, and Italians were lamenting his early departure.

A video and song quickly put together by popular Italian comedian and TV host, Rosario Fiorello, made the rounds of the Internet. The video shows Sunday's newspaper headlines about Monti's decision to quit and Berlusconi's bid to return to power.

"Let's do ourselves some harm, as only we know how to do" Fiorello sings in Italian as the camera pans the headlines. "We're Italians. We like to suffer."

Once he resigns, Monti will have a freer hand to jump into politics, since he no longer needs to guarantee the nonpartisanship that had until this week assured him broad backing in Parliament.

But, he he smiled and said nothing when reporters came up to him after he left a Milan church with his wife where the couple attended Mass.

"It's clear that he (Monti) feels free to decide. He's thinking about it, and many are pushing him to take a step" into politics, Corriere della Sera's editor, Ferruccio de Bortoli wrote.

He has been widely praised by economic analysts, central bankers and many European leaders.

"Mario Monti's government has achieved great things in a short period of time ? won back the confidence of investors, moved forward budget consolidation," Joerg Asmussen, a German member of the European Central Bank's executive board, was quoted as telling Germany's Bild daily.

A London-based analyst at UniCredit, Erik F. Nielsen, said in his weekly comments Sunday that he wasn't worried that Berlusconi was running again, but warned that "you should expect some short-term market reactions."

Nielsen, the Italian bank's global chief economist, said there would probably be a sell-off in Italian assets Monday morning, followed by some pressure into Thursday's bond auction. But "I am not seriously worried about the direction of policies in Italy ? and if Monti were to take a clear stand in the election, I suspect that the rally could be back on before long."

Defying opinion polls that indicate Berlusconi's party's popularity has taken a dive, to under 15 percent, the media baron announced on Saturday that he was running to regain the premiership, shortly before Monti's own decision to step down was revealed by Napolitano.

Possibly banking on appealing to his populist base, Berlusconi has vowed to again abolish the property tax on primary residences that Monti quickly reinstated as part of revenue-building measures for state and local coffers. The tax had been abolished by Berlusconi as part of a campaign promise during his successful 2008 run for office.

Central banker Asmussen added a warning: "Whoever governs Italy, a founding nation of the EU, after the elections will have to continue this course with the same earnestness" that Monti employed.

______

AP reporter Geir Moulson contributed from Berlin.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-09-Italy-Politics/id-76d61ecca51a47039bf2f1677c668389

mike wallace chicago cubs split pea soup recipe the client list yahoo.com/mail baylor april 9

Maldon Business Networking: Attendess at The Maldon Biz ...

The latest attendees list from Maldon Business Networking Christmas Party held at a secret location in the heart of Maldon, Essex on Friday the 7th?December 2012.

The Maldon Biz Attendees list.

Heather Matheson - HR Insight
Lee Jiggins - ICentreB2B
Glen Laing - Innovate Financial Solutions
Stella Bradbrook - AboutMyArea
Wayne Collier - Wayne Collier Company Limited
Paul Hoskin - Hoskin Financial Planning
Karen Hughes - Spectrum Merchandising
Stephanie Valentine - Topsail Charters Ltd
Janet Gilbert - The Village Emporium Magazine
Chris Ives - Utility Warehouse Discount Club
Sue Mallett - Sovereign Estate Planning
Jenny Sjollema - PA Angels
Jackie Barber - Pure Balance Natural Therapies
Malcolm Brown - MJB Images
Sam Harris - SJH Counselling
Dallas Willcox - Simply Words Editing Services
Melinda Whiting - Melinda Whiting Photography
Alasdair Dodds - WSI Business Sense Ltd
Roger Lucking - Roger Lucking FCIPD
Liz Jones - Liz Jones Coaching
Charles Payne - Business Aspirations
Martin Roberts - Sales and Marketing Store
Paul Churchouse - Paul Churchouse Proofreading Services
Roger Webber - RSW Photos

What a great way to finish 2012.?Special thanks to Lee for organizing, Heather?for?all the food and wine along with Roger for the photos that will follow of the Maldon Biz carol singing and general happiness and fun had by all.

Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas.

Source: http://maldonbusinessnetworking.blogspot.com/2012/12/attendess-at-maldon-biz-christmas-party.html

aj jenkins shea mcclellin nfl draft 2012 whitney mercilus 2012 nfl draft picks andrew luck andrew luck

Apple CEO Tim Cook?s full TV interview is now available on YouTube in case you missed it

Last night, US television network NBC ran the first ever official television interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook. Unfortunately if you?re outside of the United States or were out for the evening, you may have missed it. Luckily some kind sole has captured the complete interview and shared it on YouTube in two parts. As it is not an official release, it may get taken down fairly quickly so if you are interested in what Tim Cook has to say, don?t hand around to watch it.

The interview is split into two parts on YouTube and Cook responds to questions about Apple?s product design, its plans to bring some production of Macs back to the US and its ?intense interest? in the TV. Hopefully NBC will release its own HD version of the interview soon; until then, you can enjoy this version. It is certainly worth a watch and lasts for a total of around nineteen minutes. The second part of the interview is right below, the quality is not great but they are still very watchable.

Source: YouTube via 9to5 Mac

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IphoneIpadBlog/~3/UcVuKcHBq1Y/

russell brand files for divorce bowl game schedule katy perry and russell brand katy perry divorce brock lesnar retires new years wake forest