Thursday, January 31, 2013

Save the Date: American Physical Society 2013 March Meeting ...

Newswise ? COLLEGE PARK, MD, January 29, 2013 - The American Physical Society?s 2013 March meeting will focus on some of the most dynamic and cutting-edge research areas in physics. The topics on tap include high temperature superconductivity, biophysics, and advanced materials, as well as talks and sessions dedicated to social issues, medical technology, energy, and national security. The meeting takes place March 18 to March 22 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, MD.

Registration is free for journalists. Contact James Riordon (riordon@aps.org, 301-209-3238) to register as press. Meeting details, including housing information and the complete meeting schedule, are available at: http://aps.org/meetings/march/index.cfm.

*Note: the deadline to reserve rooms at the discounted APS rate is February 7, although it?s best to make reservations sooner to ensure that hotel space is available - http://www.aps.org/meetings/march/housing/index.cfm

Here is a brief list of some of the topics that will be highlighted in subsequent press releases and press conferences at the 2013 APS March meeting.

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Physics of fracking, from drinking water to the global economy
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/SessionIndex2/?SessionEventID=191210

The architecture of better batteries
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/183682

Celebrating 100 Years of Physical Review at APS: A collection of talks honoring the anniversary, including the story of Einstein?s umbrage at a referee report whose criticism of his paper was eventually vindicated
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/SessionIndex2/?SessionEventID=191661

Soft polymers help steel armor stop bullets
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/184788

The physics of shells, plates and thin films: whirling skirts, Venus flytrap robots and buckligami (buckling origami)
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/SessionIndex2/?SessionEventID=188292

Social System Mechanics: power grid failures, word usage in digitized books, and the econophysics of retirement funds
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/SessionIndex2/?SessionEventID=184703

Dynamically changing surface wrinkling to reduce drag
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/190967

Listening to trees: tracking down the source of crackling emitted by trees suffering from droughts
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/189852

Climate change and global energy flow
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/191336

Fiber mats for water filtration
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/183875

Nanoscale motors made from DNA
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/184320

How women choose STEM careers
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/184460

Spiders use different cobweb architectures to snatch prey from the air and snare them from the ground
http://meeting.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/185643

Weight-loss surgery may owe its effectiveness to chemical responses in the body rather than physical changes
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/185813

Elusive Majorana fermions continue their quasi-particle debut
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/188088

High-contrast microscopy used in biomedicine can also give artwork a checkup
http://meeting.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/188681

The physics of mosh pits
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/190094

Remote-controlled worms: determining how an earthworm feeds by directly manipulating its neurons with light
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/190087

Studying how leaves survive falling raindrops gives insights into energy-harvesting
http://meeting.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/186347

Physics and the Future Economy: Industrial Physics Forum blends frontier investigation with competitive innovation http://www.aps.org/meetings/march/events/special/industrial.cfm

How cancer cells evolve drug resistance
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/SessionIndex2/?SessionEventID=191833

Distributing vaccines randomly to avert epidemics
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/MAR13/Event/183751

###

ABOUT APS
The American Physical Society (www.aps.org) is a non-profit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy and international activities. APS represents 50,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories and industry in the United States and throughout the world. Society offices are located in College Park, MD (Headquarters), Ridge, NY, and Washington, DC.


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Source: http://www.newswise.com/articles/save-the-date-american-physical-society-2013-march-meeting-march-18-march-22-in-baltimore

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Lift the Burden - Jobs not Debt

NUJ members are being asked to support the ICTU day of protest on Saturday 9 February. Barry McCall, NUJ president, and Gerry Curran,Cathaoirleach of the Irish Executive Council, have called on members to support the rallies throughout the country under the Congress banner.

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Six demonstrations (see details below) are being organised on that day by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, to call for the ?64 billion of private banking debt to be lifted from those living and working in the Republic of Ireland.

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Barry McCall, said: "This huge private banking debt was transformed into a sovereign debt. Now everybody in the Republic of Ireland is paying the massive bill, which was run up by private investors and speculators. It is astonishing that we are being penalised because the European Central Bank refused to allow senior bond holders to be burned.

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"This cannot be allowed to continue. People living and working in the Republic are suffering bitterly under the austerity measures being forced on them as a result. There is no chance of economic growth or revival while this continues. The message must go out loud and clear to those bodies that are demanding repayment of this private banking deb ? 'lift the burden now'.

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These six demonstrations give every NUJ member the opportunity to add their voice to the huge number of people who want the debt to be lifted from our backs."

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Gerry Curran said:"The Republic of Ireland currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union. This gives us the opportunity to get our message across loudly and clearly on an international, as well as a national, scale. That message is simple ? what we need are jobs, not debt.

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"I would encourage NUJ members to attend the rallies in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Sligo and Waterford.?

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"Every day our members use a variety of media to communicate with the general public to let them know what is going on in the world. Now, as trade union members, it's our chance to be part of the story by getting out on the streets and having our voices heard as citizens."

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Assembly Points at 1.30pm

DUBLIN: Cook Street (near Civic Offices, Wood Quay);

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CORK: SIPTU offices, Connolly, Hall Lapps Quay;

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Source: http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=2785

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Does Your First Time Determine Every Time? | YourTango

Losing Virginity
What was your first time like?

A new study says how you lost your virginity stays with you the rest of your love life.

You know how you mother always told you first impressions tend to stick? She might have been right ? even in ways she was certainly not referring to. According to new research, the tone set when you lose your virginity apparently stays the rest of your love life ... forever.?

More from YourTango: 10 Signs You Have Impossible Standards

University of Tennessee psychology doctoral student Matthew Schaffer and C. Veronica Smith, Ph.D., University of Mississippi assistant psychology professor, designed a study to observe the ways in which your virginity loss affects your future sex life. The study, published in the Journal of Sex and Martial Therapy, looks at whether or not there are consequences or benefits to how unpleasantly or happily you first had sex.

Researchers questioned 331 young men and women about the way they lost their virginity, including the accompanying emotional anxiety, contentment and/or regret. Then, the respondents were asked questions about their present sex life. Topics such as how much control they felt over theirs, as well as how much satisfaction and well-being they feel.

More from YourTango: Coming Out Lowers Stress In Canada, But Would It In The US?

Those who stated their first times were fulfilling and satisfying reported happier sex lives later on, while the ones who stated their virginity loss was accompanied by negative feelings reported lower sexual functioning overall. "While this study doesn't prove that a better first time makes for a better sex life in general, a person?s experience of losing their virginity may set the pattern for years to come," said Shaffer.

The strange thing is that most of us have kinda weird first times, I think. Not bad, just awkward. As I read this research, I initially thought, "That can't be right; most people have a kinda uncomfortable first time then go on to have perfectly fine sex lives." But the more I pondered it in my head, the more I started matching up my own experiences as well as those of my friends to how we behave and feel now.

I, for one, know that my first time was an overall positive experience comparatively because I'm still sort of friends with the guy (even though it happened 9 years ago). He was super sweet about it being new to me and we had been dating for just a few months so I wasn?t particularly dead inside when we broke up a couple more months thereafter. That said, it was definitely awkward, but the rest of my sex life has been overwhelmingly not awkward. Keep reading ...

More sex stories from YourTango:

Source: http://www.yourtango.com/2013172569/does-your-first-time-determine-every-time

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Investing in Collaborative Consumption: Venture Funding in 2012

 venture funding sharing economy rise of the sharing economy collaborative consumption

 venture funding sharing economy rise of the sharing economy collaborative consumption

Image courtesy of CollaborativeConsumption.com

By Stephanie Brincat

Dubbed the ?Megatrend that swallowed Silicon Valley,??collaborative?consumption ventures will continue to be a hot area for investors in 2013. Investments in startups topped $431M in 2012, up from $400M in 2011. While not a significant increase in overall funding, the collaborative consumption space has received consistent venture capital over the last 12 months from leading investors such as Sequoia, Union Square Ventures and Floodgate.

Here?s our roundup of where the big investments were made across sectors:

Money

The biggest winner in the payment space was Social Finance (SoFi) ? a peer-to-peer student loan network ? raising an outstanding $77.2M. With student debt in the U.S. reaching $1 trillion in 2012, SoFi offers students a lending fund with a better fixed loan rate than unsubsidized government loans.

Marketplace payment platform Stripe picked up $38M in funding over two rounds, with an estimated valuation of $500M. Stripe makes it much easier for businesses to start accepting online payments, a big friction point for collaborative consumption marketplaces. Y-Combinator backed Balanced Payments is another player in the space, securing $1.4M in funding. The platform focuses on making sure sellers get paid quickly and is already being used by TheFancy, Kitchit, CrowdTilt, Copious and Zaarly.

Travel and accommodation

Airbnb?s success after its $117M Series B round in mid-2011 has paved the way for other startups seeking funding in the travel and accommodation space. HouseTrip, a platform that allows people to rent out their homes online, picked up an impressive $40M in Series C funding. Couchsurfing received $15M in Series B funding to help extend its 5-million-strong social travel network. Overall, the travel and accommodation space received over $78M in funding in 2012, making it an ongoing trend to watch for 2013.

Fashion

Online fashion marketplaces were one of the standout trends for 2012, with fashion startups receiving more than $56M in funding. Recently, there has been a move away from swapping or ?swishing? marketplaces towards the buy/sell or consignment model. Poshmark, a peer-to-peer clothing marketplace for new and used clothes, raised $12M in Series B funding. Users can download the app and start taking photos of their closet immediately, giving potential buyers the chance to purchase unwanted items. ThredUP, the children?s clothing exchange platform, moved away from swapping to a consignment model, meaning parents can now send a bag of children?s clothing, which then gets individually sorted and listed online via the thredUP marketplace. ThredUP raised $14.3M in Series C funding to help expand the business.

Ridesharing

Ridesharing experienced explosive growth in 2012, attracting investors to make some big bets. Startups in the space received more than $48M in funding worldwide. European companies BlaBlarCar, Hailo and Carpooling.com (recently expanded into the U.S) secured $37M of this funding pool, demonstrating the immense success of ridesharing in Europe.

It?s all in the niche

Collaborative consumption startups that focus on a niche market opportunity continue to attract interest as people experiment with sharing services in other parts of their lives. Pet-sitting services received just over $10M in funding, with DogVacay securing $7M over two rounds and Rover.com getting $3.4M in Series A. Cherry, an on-demand carwash service launched in San Francisco that enables you to wash your car on the spot, landed $4.5M in Series A.

Our top 3 trends for 2013

While 2012 has been about increased activity and competition in a number of key verticals across the collaborative consumption space, 2013 will see a focus on the market leaders, as well as enthusiasm for a number of emerging sectors. Here are our top three picks for what will make the headlines this year:

  • Errand networks go international: After proven success in local markets, errand networks like TaskRabbit will focus investment dollars on scaling up and global expansion.
  • Building trust in p2p transactions: If 2012 was the year of p2p payment systems, the rise of identity and reputation tools focused on further reducing friction in p2p marketplaces will be a hot investment area in 2013.
  • Shareable office space: The next frontier in space rental, we are seeing progression from bespoke coworking spaces, to tapping into the assets of corporate work environments through the likes of LiquidSpace, which closed a $6M round in January this year.

Where would you place your bets on the hot investment areas for the collaborative consumption space in 2013?

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Stephanie Brincat is Community Manager for CollaborativeConsumption.com,?the premier online portal for curated news, information and examples related to collaborative consumption worldwide.

Scroll down to see comments.


Source: http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/01/investing-collaborative-consumption-venture-funding-2012/

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Video: Art Auction Oversight Under Scrutiny

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50618703/

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Wash. vows to try to keep weed in state _ but how?

SEATTLE (AP) ? So far, no one is suggesting checkpoints or fences to keep Washington state's legal pot within its borders.

But Gov. Jay Inslee insists there are ways to prevent the bulk smuggling of the state's newest cash crop into the black market, including digitally tracking weed to ensure that it goes from where it is grown to the stores where it is sold.

With sales set to begin later this year, he hopes to be a good neighbor and keep vanloads of premium, legal bud from cruising into Idaho, Oregon and other states that don't want people getting stoned for fun.

It's not just about generating goodwill with fellow governors. Inslee is trying to persuade U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder not to sue to block Washington from licensing pot growers, processors and sellers. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

"I am going to be personally committed to have a well regulated, well disciplined, well tracked, well inventory-controlled, well law-enforcement-coordinated approach," said Inslee, who is due to give Holder more details this week.

Keeping a lid on the weed is just one of the numerous challenges Washington state authorities and their counterparts in Colorado ? where voters also legalized pot use ? will face in the coming months.

The potential of regulatory schemes to keep pot from being diverted isn't clear. Colorado already has intensive rules aimed at keeping its medical marijuana market in line, including the digital tracking of cannabis, bar codes on every plant, surveillance video and manifests of all legal pot shipments.

But law enforcement officials say marijuana from Colorado's dispensaries often makes its way to the black market, and even the head of the Colorado agency charged with tracking the medical pot industry suggests no one should copy its measures.

The agency has been beset by money woes and had to cut many of its investigators. Even if the agency had all the money it wanted, the state's medical pot rules are "a model of regulatory overreach," too cumbersome and expensive to enforce, Laura Harris said in a statement.

Last fall, voters made Washington and Colorado the first states to pass laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and setting up systems of state-licensed growers, processors and retail stores where adults over 21 can walk in and buy up to an ounce of heavily taxed cannabis.

Both states are working to develop rules for the emerging pot industry.

The Obama administration could sue to block the legal markets from operating, on the grounds that actively regulating an illegal substance conflicts with federal drug law. The DOJ is reviewing the laws but has given no signals about its plans.

It has never sued states like Colorado that have regulated medical marijuana, even though it could under the same legal principles.

Part of the DOJ's political calculus in deciding whether to sue is likely to be how well the department believes the two states can keep the legal weed within their borders. During a meeting with Inslee last week, Holder asked a lot of questions about diversion, Inslee said.

Alison Holcomb, who led Washington's legal pot campaign, said it's important to respect states that haven't legalized weed by not flooding their black markets. The first step, she said, is for the state to figure out how much pot should be produced, and then grant licenses accordingly.

"Excess supply creates incentive to divert outside the state," she said.

Washington's Liquor Control Board is planning a comprehensive survey to estimate how much marijuana is consumed in the state.

Inslee has boasted about the effectiveness of the State Patrol's highway interdiction program in stopping drug trafficking. Traditional police work, combined with inventory controls, will be key to clamping down on diversion, he said.

Digital tracking of the weights of marijuana shipments between processors and retailers would help make sure there isn't "10- to 20-percent shrinkage that's going to the black market," he said.

But even if the state can prevent bulk pot from being diverted, there's nothing to keep customers from walking into multiple stores, or returning to the same store, to collect more than their 1-ounce limit. Some traffickers could recruit many people to buy weed for them.

Tom Gorman, head of the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug-Trafficking Area, said efforts to keep a lid on legal marijuana simply don't work.

Pot from Colorado's medical marijuana system ? often described as the most closely regulated in the world ? routinely makes its way into Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and points east, often from dispensaries that have sold out the back door, he said.

A brief law enforcement survey the organization conducted last summer turned up numerous cases in which suspects had made purchases at Colorado dispensaries before being busted in other states.

In the past two years, Colorado's medical pot regulators have levied 54 fines against licensed businesses, but have never revoked or suspended a license.

Matt Cook, the former director of Colorado's Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division, defended the "seed-to-store" regulations in the state.

Cook, who is applying for a job as a consultant to Washington's marijuana regulators, noted that at any time officials could check the digital records, pull the surveillance video or drop in for an inspection ? and the fear of getting busted keeps people in line.

Bob Hoban, whose law firm represents nearly 100 medical marijuana businesses in Colorado, agreed, and noted another incentive for dispensaries to behave.

"It's a cutthroat business," he said. "If somebody sees something unusual, they're going to provide a tip. ... There's just about as good of a safeguard as you can have for diversion in the state of Colorado, and a lot of that is Big Brother watching you."

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Associated Press writer Kristen Wyatt in Denver contributed to this report.

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Johnson can be reached at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wash-vows-try-keep-weed-state-094725851--finance.html

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Group: Israel using deadly force against protesters

Abed Al Hashlamoun / EPA

An Israeli soldier covers a small video camera that a Palestinian man was using to film a clash in El Aroub, in the southern West Bank, on Wednesday. Israeli soldiers were reportedly attacked with rocks and molotov cocktails, and responded using "crowd control" methods. Lubna Hanash, a Palestinian woman, was killed when shot in the head with live ammunition.

By Noah Browning, Reuters

RAMALLAH, West Bank - Israel is breaking its own rules of engagement by using deadly force to disperse unarmed Palestinian protesters in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli rights group B'Tselem reported on Monday.

Israeli forces have killed 56 people since 2005 in clashes with rock-throwing Palestinians, said B'Tselem, which accused the military of having "extensively and systematically violated" rules barring deadly retaliation for non-lethal assault.

"The Israeli military's standing orders explicitly state that live ammunition may not be fired at stone-throwers," it said.

In the past two weeks, Israeli forces have shot dead two Palestinians in unrest that Israeli officials said may foreshadow a third Palestinian uprising. Peace talks have been frozen since 2010 and Palestinian anger is running high against expanding Jewish settlement in the West Bank, captured along with East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Golan Heights in a 1967 war.

'Biased narrative'
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said the B'Tselem report "presents a biased narrative, relying primarily on incidents that are either old or still under investigation by the Military Police."

"The IDF does everything in its power to ensure that the use of riot dispersal means is done in accordance with the rules of engagement," the IDF said in a written response sent to Reuters.

Bernat Armangue / AP

Relatives and friends of Palestinian Lubna Hanash, who Israeli soldiers shot and killed, mourn during her funeral in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Wednesday. The Israeli military said soldiers were attacked with firebombs and fired back. Hanash was driving in a car when she was shot.

Of the Palestinian fatalities since 2005, six were killed by rubber-coated metal bullets and two by teargas canisters, both supposedly non-lethal weapons which were fired directly at protesters, B'Tselem said.

"In practice, members of the security forces make almost routine use of these weapons in unlawful, dangerous ways, and the relevant Israeli authorities do too little to prevent the recurrence of this conduct," the report said.

The other 48 protesters killed where hit by live ammunition, according to the group.

The protests come as sanctions imposed by Israel after Palestinians won de facto statehood recognition at the United Nations have crippled the Palestinian government in the West Bank and deepened economic malaise.

Faced with the threat of a general strike by the government workers union, top Palestinian officials have encouraged protesters to direct their anger against Israel instead.

Related content:

Surprisingly centrist vote has Israel's Netanyahu reaching to left

Israeli-Palestinian conflict plays out in rocky field

Reuters journalists: Israel troops assaulted us, forced us to strip in street

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/28/16733185-rights-group-israel-using-deadly-force-against-unarmed-protesters?lite

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Tips To Consider While Starting An Online Business ? Weblink India ...

Tips To Consider While Starting An Online BusinessFor small-time entrepreneurs, starting an online business makes a lot of sense, especially with many buyers indulging in online shopping today.? Online stores are fast emerging as the preferred option among the new age buyers, who prefer shopping while sitting in the comfort of their homes. To make a success out of the online business venture, one can consider the many tips suggested below.

Tips To Consider While Starting An Online Business

  • Before starting an online business, it is essential to decide upon a target audience. Questions like ? who are the target group, what are their needs, etc. are relevant to a business & should be duly considered.
  • A well designed website is a very important aspect of online business. Since for an online business the website is going to be the point of contact between the sellers & customers, it is essential that the website is an appealing one & makes a positive impression on the visitors? minds.? A well designed website with good content can also attract word-of-mouth publicity for the business which will lead to increased visibility and more sales.
  • An SEO optimized website is a must, if one wants to attract more of web traffic. There are other ways to increase the flow of visitors to a website too, like listing the business on Online Business Directories. This is a foolproof way of providing more exposure to the online business.
  • The special offers, discounts and deals should be displayed in a prominent manner on the website, so that visitors can easily spot the offers & respond if they want to. For this, providing up to date contact information (of the company) on the website is also essential. Another important point that needs to be ensured is to keep the navigation part (while browsing the website) easy and hassle-free for the visitors.
  • Building contacts is very essential for the online business in the long run. For this, an online business can make use of networking tools like blogging, twitter, Facebook, etc. to build up a network of useful contacts.

The best thing about Online Business is that it is easy to measure the results & to determine whether the strategies being implemented are having the desired effect or not. Implementing the tips mentioned above will ensure that the Online Business turns out to be a successful venture.


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Source: http://blogs.weblinkindia.net/2013/01/28/tips-to-consider-while-starting-an-online-business/

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Now you can get your 'Downton Abbey' on

Joss Barratt / Carnival Films

Michelle Dockery is Lady Mary and Laura Carmichael is Lady Edith on "Downton Abbey." The drama has spurred interest in Edwardian fashion, home furnishings and books about the era.

By Tanya Mohn, TODAY contributor

?Downton Abbey? fans may be effortlessly transported back to another time and place, but the impact of the television series is also firmly rooted in the real world. The popular costume drama has reportedly spurred sales in everything from wedding dresses, lingerie and other Edwardian fashions to home furnishings and even what people are reading.

?Etiquette books are selling through the roof right now? said Scott F. Stoddart, dean of the School of Liberal Arts at the Fashion Institute of Technology. So are history books about World War I and recently reprinted titles like ?To Marry an English Lord.? ?People are drawn to a bygone era, a more romantic time of gracious living,? he said.

Related: 'Downton Abbey' is hit by tragedy

The influence of popular culture on style and taste goes back to the early days of Hollywood, when film stars like Joan Crawford, dressed as a flapper in the 1920s and 1930s, inspired shorter hemlines. After Elizabeth Taylor appeared in ?A Place in the Sun? in the early 1950s wearing a distinctive dress, ?every girl wanted to wear it to the prom that year,? said Stoddart, author of ?Analyzing Mad Men? and of the forthcoming ?Exploring Downton Abbey? to be released during the summer of 2013.

The trend for a television series to impact the marketplace is more recent, as the medium typically influenced viewers through advertising. ?To my mind, ?Mad Men? is one of the first,? inspiring companies like Brooks Brothers, Banana Republic and Crate & Barrel to create everything from 60s-era men?s suits to living rooms sets, said Stoddart. ?It really takes about two to three seasons before retailers really get on the band wagon. It?s happening now with ?Downton Abbey.??

Ralph Lauren has a new collection, modeled by actress Jessica Chastain, that features Lady Mary-type turn-of-the-century hunting garb, and other "Downton"-inspired products include 1920s-era jewelry collections and T-shirts based on characters in the series.?

Skinny ties made a comeback after ?Mad Men,? said Stoddart, and soon ?we will give gloves a nod because of 'Downton Abbey.' ?

Leonard Lee, an associate professor at the Columbia Business School, said the financial impact of popular shows is difficult to measure. But while he is not aware of any academic research or tracking of the phenomenon, the underlying psychological process is consistent with what is known about consumer behavior. Repeated exposure, positive feelings, imitating behavior, and the desire to be a part of the larger experience and enjoy it in a more proactive way, he said, are factors that typically influence spending choices.

Emotional resonance, not logic, is often key, said Lee, referring to a well-known study that analyzed how decorative posters were chosen and found that participants who deliberated more about which one to buy were less likely to hang them up. ?Sometimes when you think too much about options, you tend to be more dissatisfied than when you rely more on feelings and evaluate holistically.??

The influence of popular culture on spending is growing, said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst of The NPD Group, a market research company, who has followed consumer behavior and retail trends for more than 30 years. ?It used to be that fashion led the way for what?s in, what?s out,? he said, but today, entertainment and popular culture have taken on a larger role, though the public typically downplays it.?

The NPD Group conducts a survey each year in which respondents are asked if they made purchases influenced by celebrities. ?Every year consumers deny it, yet the numbers show they do it more and more,? Cohen said. A decade ago, for example, 8 percent of survey respondents said they made purchases as a direct result of celebrity influence. But in the most recent survey, conducted in March 2012, 18 percent admitted they did so. ?They don?t like to admit they are easily influenced and swayed,? said Cohen, who is the author of ?Why Customers Do What They Do?and ?Buy Me! How to Get Customers to Choose Your Products and Ignore the Rest.?

?Fashion is easiest industry to see the cause and effect,? of popular culture, but interior design, home furnishings and other lifestyle areas are also impacted. During the recession, the fashion industry ?was scared. It didn?t take chances on color and design,? resulting in safe products that lacked inspiration and bored consumers.

But the "Downton Abbey" influence is positive, for the public and the retail industry, experts say.

?It?s so different; it?s new and fresh,? said Cohen.

?Anything that expands your mind is always a good thing,? said Stoddart, whether it?s fashion or reading history. ?It adds to a strong conversation between people.? ??

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Monday, January 28, 2013

Angels Online

Angels Online

Ever thought you would be captured inside a game with the name Angels Online? Save the Eden World from the Devil.

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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Angels Online?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Egypt court sentences 21 to death for stadium disaster

updated 6:03 a.m. ET Jan. 26, 2013

CAIRO, Jan 26 - An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced to death 21 people found guilty of involvement in the Port Said soccer stadium disaster in which 74 people died last year.

The ruling could help reduce prospects of fresh clashes on Egypt's turbulent streets. Soccer fans and families of those killed had threatened more violence if the punishments did not satisfy them, and many had demanded the accused be executed.

The ruling followed nine deaths during protests nationwide on Friday and early on Saturday, held to mark two years since Egypt's revolution forced strongman Hosni Mubarak from power and to accuse President Mohamed Mursi and his Islamist allies of reimposing authoritarian rule.

The judge, Sobhy Abdel Maguid, read out a list of 21 names "referred to the Mufti", a phrase used to denote a death verdict as all such sentences must be reviewed by Egypt's top religious authority.

Seventy-three people have been charged with involvement in the Feb. 1, 2012 disaster at the end of a match between Cairo's Al Ahly and al-Masry, the local side.

Spectators were crushed when panicked crowds tried to escape from the stadium after a post-match pitch invasion by supporters of al-Masry. Others fell or were thrown from terraces, witnesses said.

Many of those who died were supporters of Al Ahly.

The verdicts for others accused will be announced on March 9, said the judge, who had called for calm in the court before and during the reading of the ruling.

In response to the sentences, supporters gathered at Al Ahly club in Cairo cheered. In the courtroom on the outskirts of Cairo, familes of victims clapped and some wept with emotion.

"God is greatest" one shouted, while others held up pictures of the victims.

People gathered near the Port Said prison where most of the suspects were held. State television reported the sound of gunshots and said police fired tear gas in the area. (Reporting by Yasmine Saleh and Omar Fahmy; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Andrew Roche)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Click For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp


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Death toll from Port Said rising

PST: An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced to death 21 people found guilty of involvement in the Port Said soccer stadium disaster in which 74 people died last year. Ensuing protests have resulted in more deaths.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50596236/ns/sports-soccer/

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Free Natural Pet Ebook: Natural Help for Hoof Problems in Horses ...

As part of our ongoing effort to provide our readers with quality information on natural pet health we?d like to offer you this completely free ebook.

Our ebooks cover a wide variety of topics including dog and cat health; horse training dog training and cat training; natural equine health and many ebooks which offer valuable information on unusual or exotic pets or information on many common pet health conditions.

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Natural Help for Hoof Problems in Horses

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About Dee Braun

Dee is an Adv. Certified Aromatherapist, Reiki Master, Adv. Color/Crystal Therapist, Herbalist, Dr. of Reflexology and single mom who is dedicated to helping others any way she can. One way she chooses to help is by offering information on the benefits and uses of natural health and healing methods for the well-being of both people and pets. Dee also teaches Aromatherapy, Reflexology and Color/Crystal Therapy at the Alternative Healing Academy

Source: http://www.natural-holistic-health.com/free-natural-pet-ebook-natural-help-for-hoof-problems-in-horses/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=free-natural-pet-ebook-natural-help-for-hoof-problems-in-horses

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Saturday, January 26, 2013

Republicans' Electoral College Plan In Michigan - Business Insider

Michigan House of Representatives

Michigan state Rep. Pete Lund, a Republican, is considering re-introducing a bill similar to one being advanced in Virginia?that would revamp the way Electoral College votes are allocated in the state.

Lund introduced a similar bill last year that failed in the legislature. The plan would have awarded a vote?to the winner of each of Michigan's 14 Congressional districts. The remaining two electoral votes would go to the winner of the statewide popular vote.

Lund's?explanation for why it failed, via The Detroit Free Press, is rather revealing:

"It got no traction last year. There were people convinced Romney was going to win and this might take (electoral) votes from him."

In other words, as Kevin Drum observes, the interest in this measure is relating to helping Republicans, not actually improving democracy!

Later in the story, he attempted to explain why he thinks it would make each vote more important:

"Right now, in most states it's like the vote doesn't even matter to presidential candidates," Lund said. "If we do this, all of Michigan won't necessarily be in play, but maybe some of it will."

But The Free Press estimated that under Lund's proposed plan, Mitt Romney would have won nine of Michigan's electoral votes, while President Barack Obama would have won seven.

Obama won Michigan by almost 450,000 votes in 2012.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/republican-electoral-college-plan-michigan-virginia-2013-1

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LaCie Blade Runner drive now available, offers stand-out storage for $300

LaCie Blade Runner drive now available, offers standout storage for $299

LaCie teased us at CES with the prospect of a rare high-concept hard drive design in the Blade Runner, but it left out the rather important matter of when we could buy the Philippe Starck-designed storage. As we've discovered, we didn't have to wait long -- the Blade Runner has just become available. Plunk down $300 and you'll get a 4TB, USB 3.0-based external drive that melds a blob-like disk shell with aluminum blades that both cool the main body and create a (minor) conversation piece. Just be sure to hurry if you're looking for a dash of art with your extra drive space, as it's doubtful that the Blade Runner's 9,999-unit production run will last.

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Source: LaCie

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/25/lacie-blade-runner-drive-now-available/

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NY dad forgets baby in car for 8 hours on cold day

(AP) ? Authorities say a New York man who left his 1-year-old son in his car for eight hours in frigid weather only realized his mistake after a call from his wife.

Police in the Albany suburb of Colonie say the man forgot to drop off his son at day care and left the child strapped in the back seat of the car when he parked outside his office Thursday morning.

Officials say the man received a call from his wife at about 4 p.m. inquiring about their child. He called for an ambulance and the boy was checked out at a hospital and released. Police say the baby didn't suffer any injuries despite temperatures that didn't top 15 degrees.

Police said Friday they haven't determined if the father would be charged.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-01-25-US-Baby-Left-In-Car/id-8167d962f5d14b758c4a2b20c21e84a0

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Friday, January 25, 2013

Easing into Networking - Business Networking With Dr. Ivan Misner

Professionals in business are truly professionals because they?re great at their chosen career, but they often don?t look forward to getting out of the workplace and networking.? In this brief video, I talk to Sarah Owen, referral marketing expert and Master Franchisee for the Referral Institute in the UK, and she offers some real-life, highly effective, and simple-to-implement tips on making the move from the office into networking events.

Do you have any tips or suggestions to add to what Sarah talks about in this video?? If so, please share them with us in the comment forum below?thanks!

To find out more about the Referral Institute, please visit: www.ReferralInstitute.com.

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Source: http://businessnetworking.com/easing-into-networking/

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Obama taps former federal prosecutor to head SEC

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated former federal prosecutor Mary Jo White to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, picking a tough enforcement hand who more recently has defended Wall Street figures.

White, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York known for prosecuting terrorists and mob bosses, would become the third consecutive woman to hold the post.

"We need to keep going after irresponsible behavior in the financial industry so that taxpayers don't pay the price. I am absolutely confident that Mary Jo has the experience and the resolve to tackle these complex issues and to protect the American people in a way that is smart and in a way that is fair," Obama said in announcing the nomination.

The pick quickly drew praise from both Wall Street and reform advocates who say White would ably steer the powerful agency that plays a key role in overseeing U.S. financial markets.

However, White does not have a deep securities policy background, and in her recent private practice work she represented major players in the financial crisis, including former Bank of America Corp Chief Executive Ken Lewis.

The president also renominated Richard Cordray to continue as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the U.S. watchdog for consumer products such as mortgages and student loans.

New York's Charles Schumer, a Democrat who is part of the Senate leadership and sits on the powerful Senate Banking Committee, praised White's reputation as a tough-as-nails prosecutor and predicted she will "easily be confirmed."

A swift confirmation for White could help the SEC speed up its implementation of the dozens of unfinished rules required by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law.

White would succeed current SEC Chairman Elisse Walter, a Democratic commissioner who took over in December after predecessor Mary Schapiro stepped down.

Schapiro's departure left the commission divided between two Democrats and two Republicans, and observers said the split could make it nearly impossible to complete controversial rules, such as the Volcker Rule, which bans banks from proprietary trading.

HIGH-PROFILE CASES

White, now a respected white-collar defense attorney with the law firm Debevoise and Plimpton, was the only woman in the 200-year history of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York to serve in the top spot there.

She was in office from 1993 through to 2002, during a tumultuous time starting with the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and then later, the infamous September 11 attacks of 2001.

Under her watch, the U.S. Attorney's office won about 35 convictions of militant Muslims charged with plotting against Americans.

"I view her as an incredibly well-regarded lawyer who has spent a significant amount of time as a partner at Debevoise representing companies and individuals in high-profile securities related matters," said Cheryl Scarboro, the former head of the SEC's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act unit and now a partner with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

As a defense attorney, White has been involved in high-profile SEC and Justice Department cases.

She conducted an internal investigation into corruption at Siemens AG that resulted in a record settlement for the German engineering conglomerate. She also represented healthcare provider HCA Holdings Inc in an insider-trading investigation, according to her online biography.

She has also represented JPMorgan Chase & Co in major matters related to the financial crisis, as well as former Bank of America CEO Lewis over a civil lawsuit in connection with Bank of America's acquisition of Merrill Lynch.

It is unclear whether her defense of Wall Street clients could prove troublesome for her during the U.S. Senate confirmation process. But Wall Street champions and critics both had positive takes on White.

"I have met Mary Jo White, and anyone who knows her at all - extremely capable, competent, bright, tough, and a perfect choice," JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said in an interview on Thursday with Fox Business News from Davos.

Neil Barofsky, who was hired as an assistant U.S. attorney by White in 2000 and went on to become the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, called Obama's pick an "inspired choice."

"I expect that she will be unfazed by the intimidation tactics of the usual suspects in Washington - be they antagonistic members of Congress, captured officials from other parts of government or those who so relentlessly push the agendas of the largest banks," Barofsky said.

Like Schapiro, White has previously been identified as a political independent. Unlike Schapiro, White has not worked as a Wall Street regulator.

However, White's husband, John White, served as the director of the SEC's Corporation Finance division, which oversees public company disclosures, from 2006 to 2008.

HIGH-CALIBER

Known for a legendary work ethic and a fondness for beer and baseball, White also developed a reputation as a ferocious basketball player when in the U.S. Attorney's office, even though she stands around 5 feet tall.

Former SEC enforcement director William McLucas said it was an "excellent sign" that the White House could get someone of her caliber to take the position. "There is no one I know that works harder," McLucas said.

James Cox, a professor of law at Duke University who has served with White on various panels, said White will be a very different SEC chairman than Schapiro.

"Mary Schapiro was a politician," Cox said. Mary Jo White, by contrast, he said, will be more blunt and direct. "She can unpack somebody's argument really quickly."

CORDRAY CONTROVERSY

As for Cordray, he has already faced some uphill battles with Republicans in Congress.

Cordray, a former Ohio attorney general, was appointed in January 2012 while Congress was in recess after Republicans who were wary of the CFPB's independence blocked his nomination.

The controversial appointment limited the amount of time Cordray could serve without going through a full confirmation process.

The CFPB has drawn criticism from Republicans and business groups, who say it is virtually unchecked and will hurt lending and put small banks out of business.

Asked whether the administration foresees any problems getting Cordray confirmed, White House spokesman Jay Carney said he did not expect any objections to him "on substance."

"He is absolutely the right person for the job," Carney said. He said earlier obstacles to Cordray's nomination had been based on "political considerations" from lawmakers who had opposed the creation of the financial protection board.

Some political observers, however, said Thursday that any fights to come will not be about Cordray personally, but about the overall structure of the CFPB itself.

"Issues larger than his handling of the bureau will probably dictate that," said Jason Rosenstock, the director of government relations at ML Strategies.

(Reporting by Aruna Viswanatha, Emily Stephenson, Sarah N. Lynch and Matt Spetalnick, with additional reporting by Douwe Miedema, Jonathan Stempel, Anna Sussman and David Henry; editing by Karey Wutkowski, Vicki Allen, John Wallace, Tim Dobbyn and Matthew Lewis)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-tap-attorney-white-sec-cordray-stay-cfpb-135108530--sector.html

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Google Images Just Got a Whole Lot More Slick

Google has just announced that it's given Images an overhaul. Placing an emphasis on speed, metadata and slick looks, image previews will now appear in an inline panel to make it easier to browse large previews. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/IHridiiWG40/google-images-just-got-a-whole-lot-more-slick

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Motion control keeps electric car's four wheels -- and four motors -- on the road

Jan. 23, 2013 ? It weighs half as much as a sports car, and turns on a dime -- so its no surprise that the electric car being developed at Ohio State University needs an exceptional traction and motion control system to keep it on the road.

With four wheels that turn independently, each with its own built-in electric motor and set of batteries, the experimental car is the only one of its kind outside of commercial carmakers' laboratories.

"It is considered one of the promising future vehicle architectures," said Junmin Wang, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and Director of the Vehicle Systems and Control Laboratory at Ohio State. "It would make a good in-city car -- efficient and maneuverable, with no emissions. Our task is to make a robust control system to keep it safe and reliable."

In a paper in the January 2013 issue of the journal Control Engineering Practice, his team described the car's ability to follow a specific trajectory.

In tests on good road conditions at the Transportation Research Center in East Liberty, Ohio, the car followed a driver's desired path within four inches (10 cm). To test slippery road conditions, the researchers took the car to an empty west campus parking lot on a snowy day. There, the car maneuvered with an accuracy of up to eight inches (20 cm), and the vehicle traction and motion control system prevented "fishtailing" through independent control of the left and right sides of the car.

Wang characterized these results as more accurate than a conventional car, though the comparison is hard to make, given that conventional cars are much more limited in maneuverability by the transmission and differential systems that link the wheels together mechanically. The four independent wheels of the electric car give drivers greater control and more freedom of movement.

The experimental car also weighs half as much as a conventional car -- only 800 kg, or a little over 1,750 pounds -- because it contains no engine, no transmission, and no differential. The researchers took a commercially available sport utility vehicle chassis and removed all those parts, and added a 7.5 kW electric motor to each wheel and a 15 kW lithium-ion battery pack. A single electrical cable connects the motors to a central computer.

One hundred times a second, the onboard computer samples input data from the steering wheel, gas pedal and brake and calculates how each wheel should respond. Because the wheels are independent, one or more can brake while the others accelerate, providing enhanced traction and motion control.

In fact, a driver who is accustomed to conventional cars would have a difficult time driving a car of this experimental design, known as a "four-wheel independently actuated" (FIWA) car without the help of the vehicle motion and traction control system. With its ability to turn sharply and change direction very quickly, the car could be hard to control. Wang has tried it.

"Without the controller, it's very hard to drive. With the controller, it's quite nice -- quiet, and better control than commercial four-wheel drive," he said.

The main challenge for his team -- which consists of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral students as well as a few local high school students -- is to make the whole traction and motion control system energy-efficient and fault-tolerant, so if one wheel, motor or brake malfunctions, the others can compensate for it and maintain safety. It's a situation analogous to a multi-engine plane losing an engine: the other engines have to adjust thrust and angle to keep the plane safe and on course.

Future work will concern the FIWA car's energy efficiency for increasing its travel range in urban environments, and optimizing the weight distribution in the car.

Wang estimates that we won't see a FIWA car on the road for another 5-10 years, as researchers continue to develop new algorithms to control the car more efficiently and add more safety features.

The coauthor on the paper was Rongrong Wang, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering, and the team's high school participants came from the Columbus Metro School, a state of Ohio public STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) high school open to students from around the state.

This research was supported by Junmin Wang's awards from the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program (2009) and the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Program (2012); the Honda-OSU Partnership program; and the OSU Transportation Research Endowment Program.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Ohio State University. The original article was written by Pam Frost Gorder.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Rongrong Wang, Junmin Wang. Tire?road friction coefficient and tire cornering stiffness estimation based on longitudinal tire force difference generation. Control Engineering Practice, 2013; 21 (1): 65 DOI: 10.1016/j.conengprac.2012.09.009

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/matter_energy/electricity/~3/tjvWL2DGiRA/130123164902.htm

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