Innovations to be thankful for? & the importance of the NPD process ...

After sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner last week, it is hard not to think of all that we have to be thankful for. In the past year there have been some incredible new innovations revolutionizing the way people live their lives. After countless hours spent planning, researching, designing, and testing; what was once an idea, becomes a tangible reality.

Implementing innovation depends on a disciplined strategy customized to the needs, size and culture of an organization. ?Innovation can be incremental, which features a new process or way of doing business, or it can be transformative, which delivers an entirely new way to add value.

This week, let?s reflect on some of 2012?s best new ideations. Read on for a list of five amazing innovations that have been granted the prestigious Edison Award in 2012.

Nest Learning Thermostat?by Nest

Several companies have started talking about their research into predictive tech. The Nest Learning Thermostat learns about you and your home to automatically turn itself down when you?re away, guide you to energy-efficient temperatures when you?re home, and free you from programming hassles by creating a customized temperature schedule. The Nest Mobile app allows you to control Nest remotely.

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3M? Kind Removal Silicone Tape?by 3M Health Care

3M Kind Removal Silicone Tape features advanced adhesive technology, combining reliable securement with clean, gentle removal ? even on fragile, at-risk skin. It tears neatly by hand and is repositionable.

chotuKool?by Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co.

ChotuKool is a disruptive innovation aimed at meeting the daily food and beverage cooling needs of the 80% of the world population that lacks refrigerators. Priced at half of an entry-level refrigerator, ChotuKool is portable, doesn?t require constant electricity, and uses a thermoelectric chip rather than a traditional compressor.

Corning? Gorilla? Glass?by Corning Incorporated

Visually stunning, lightweight, and highly damage-resistant, Corning Gorilla Glass? is changing the way the world thinks about glass. An environmentally friendly alkali-aluminosilicate thin-sheet glass, Corning Gorilla Glass? helps protect the world?s latest devices from the many real-world events that commonly cause glass failure, enabling exciting new applications in technology and design.

DOW POWERHOUSE? Solar Shingles?by The Dow Chemical Company

POWERHOUSE Solar Shingle is a revolutionary new roofing product that combines the performance and protection of a conventional asphalt roof with an integrated photovoltaic solar system that powers the home. It is a complete solar solution and the roof reinvented.

Edison, for whom the awards are named, was no ordinary inventor. By the time of his death he amassed a record 1,093 patents covering key innovations and improvements across a wide range of fields, including telecommunications, electric power, sound recording, motion pictures and more. ?The Edison Awards honor excellence in new product and service development, marketing, human-centered design and innovation.

We all know about Edison?s success and failures ? But what we often fail to take recognize, is the process he took to develop each new idea and invention. New product Development (NDP) is cultivated in an environment where creativity combines with structure. Having a focused vision and a thorough process will deliver sustainable and transformative innovation. When beginning the ideation process, most of us focus on barriers like lack of vision, funding, risk-taking, or even talent. But to unleash innovation, it is imperative to have a process in place to move from concept to launch.

To begin, implementing innovation depends on a disciplined strategy customized to the needs, size and culture of an organization. Understanding what your organization needs is very important in the?New Product Development?process.

The best way to assess how far you are in?creating and sustaining innovation?is to first do an Innovation Evaluation or Audit.? Know your innovation grade and areas for improvement. A short audit based on Robert?s Rules of Innovation is available at: www.innovationcoach.com/solutions/short-audit.

Once you solidify the goals of your organization, it?s time to assemble your NPD team and begin the innovation process, also known as the ?Stage-Gate?? Process. ?Open wide, and keep the idea funnel open. Sharpen those teeth. Make sure your go/no go decisions have involve key personnel, have defined gatekeepers, and provide a systematic approach to gatekeeping behavior. Do not give c-level ideas free passes ? all concepts must undergo the same rigorous process. Remember to think in terms of strategic criteria, vs. focusing on the financial payoff and make your system lean, adaptive, and scalable.

To get results in Innovation, a structured, repeatable process is essential. Look to all imperatives of?Robert?s Rules of Innovation:

1. Inspire
2. No Risk, No Innovation
3. New Product Development Process
4. Ownership
5. Value Creation
6. Accountability
7. Training and Coaching
8. Idea Management
9. Observe and Measure

10. New Result Net Reward

These rules of order are meant to be applied regularly as part of a sustainable growth strategy. All these parameters should be continually utilized ? and not just when sales or ideas are low ? to achieve successful, lasting innovation.

*Descriptions of Edison Award recipients were taken from http://www.edisonawards.com/

Source: http://blog.vistage.com/business-innovation/innovations-to-be-thankful-for-the-importance-of-the-npd-process/

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UK press braces for verdict of ethics inquiry

LONDON (AP) ? Britain's rambunctious press braced Thursday for censure and tougher scrutiny as an ethics inquiry triggered by tabloid phone hacking released its wide-ranging report.

Lord Justice Brian Leveson was due to release the findings of his yearlong inquiry, which heard evidence from hundreds of journalists, politicians, lawyers and victims of press intrusion.

His report, reportedly running to 2,000 pages, was due for release at 1:30 p.m. (1330GMT, 8:30 a.m. EST).

Prime Minister David Cameron set up the inquiry after revelations of illegal eavesdropping by the now-defunct News of the World tabloid sparked a criminal investigation and a wave of public revulsion.

Leveson is expected to criticize the cozy relationship between politicians, police and the press and to recommend stronger newspaper regulation.

Many politicians and members of the public want a regulatory body enshrined in law, but some lawmakers, editors and journalists fear that could limit press freedom.

Parliament would have to approve any legal changes the report recommends, and Cameron is under intense pressure from both sides. He is also tainted by his own ties to prominent figures in the scandal.

It erupted in 2011 when it was revealed that the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World had eavesdropped on the mobile phone voicemails of 13-year-old murder victim Milly Dowler while police were searching for her.

Murdoch shut down the 168-year-old newspaper in July 2011. His U.K. newspaper company, News International, has paid damages to dozens of hacking victims, and faces lawsuits from dozens more.

The former Murdoch editors and journalists subsequently charged with phone hacking, police bribery or other wrongdoing include Cameron's former spokesman, Andy Coulson, and ex-News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks, a friend of the prime minister.

Coulson and Brooks were appearing in court Thursday on charges of paying public officials for information.

Cameron, who received a copy of Leveson's report on Wednesday, is due to make a statement about it in the House of Commons later Thursday.

He and other senior politicians insist they will not curb Britain's long tradition of free speech.

"Everybody wants two things: firstly, a strong, independent, raucous press who can hold people in positions of power to account, and secondly to protect ordinary people ? the vulnerable, the innocent ? when the press overstep the mark," Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said Thursday.

"That's the balance that we are trying to strike and I am sure we will."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-press-braces-verdict-ethics-inquiry-101004083.html

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Boehner sees no progress in 'fiscal cliff' talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said on Thursday that "fiscal cliff" talks with the White House had made no substantive progress and criticized President Barack Obama and Democrats for failing to get serious about including spending cuts in a final deal.

Boehner said he was "disappointed" after a phone call with Obama on Wednesday night and a meeting with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Thursday moved the two sides no closer to an agreement to avert the tax hikes and spending cuts that will be triggered at the start of 2013 unless Congress intervenes.

"I'm disappointed in where we are and disappointed in what's happened over the last couple of weeks," Boehner, of Ohio, told reporters after a private session with Geithner at the Capitol.

"No substantive progress has been made in the talks between the White House and the House over the last two weeks," he said. "There's been no serious discussion of spending cuts so far, and unless there is, there's a real danger of going off the fiscal cliff."

Markets dipped briefly into negative territory on Boehner's comments before finishing higher, continuing a pattern of gyration tied to the latest utterances about the outlook for an agreement to avert the fiscal cliff.

"Until the fiscal cliff is solved, the madness of the crowd will not subside," said James Dailey, portfolio manager at TEAM Asset Strategy Fund in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The tone in Washington was in sharp contrast to the one expressed on November 16, the last time Obama met with congressional leaders. Boehner then stood next to Democratic leaders and voiced optimism they could find common ground in fiscal cliff negotiations.

Thursday, as Obama prepared for a campaign-style trip Friday to sell his argument to the public, Boehner said the last thing the country needs is "a victory lap" by the president.

There were also signs that the debate was about to get more, rather than less, complicated thanks to a renewed fight over raising the U.S. debt ceiling. That explosive issue, which could have been handled separately in the spring, was thrust into the fiscal cliff fray on Thursday in an exchange between Republicans and Democrats.

Boehner said any debt limit increase needed to be matched or exceeded by spending cuts to be proposed by Obama as part of the cliff negotiations.

"DEEPLY IRRESPONSIBLE"

White House spokesman Jay Carney responded by demanding that Congress go ahead and raise the debt ceiling as part of any year-end deal to avoid the cliff. To do otherwise, he said, would be "deeply irresponsible."

Geithner, for his part, requested in his meetings on Capitol Hill that the president be given new powers to raise U.S. borrowing authority, according to a Republican aide. Currently, Congress must pass legislation.

The last partisan fight over the nation's borrowing limit in 2011 was settled by a law that led directly to the fiscal cliff and to a downgrade of the government's credit rating.

Geithner, Obama's top negotiator in the talks, met with congressional leaders from both parties at the Capitol as the end-of-year deadline approaches to avoid the onset of $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts that analysts warn could push the U.S. economy back into recession.

The immediate issue is whether the tax cuts that originated in the administration of former President George W. Bush should be extended beyond December 31 for all taxpayers including the wealthy, as Republicans want, or just for taxpayers with income under $250,000, as Obama and his fellow Democrats want.

Republicans have said they are willing to consider new ways to raise revenue as long as Democrats and Obama agree to accompany it with significant spending cuts, particularly to entitlement programs like the government-sponsored Medicare and Medicaid healthcare plans.

Boehner said Geithner and the administration had not offered any new plans during the meeting to break the impasse, while Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said Democrats were still waiting for a "reasonable" proposal from Republicans.

In the meetings with Republicans, Geithner set forth a series of proposals - most taken straight out of Obama's budget proposal last February - that include $1.6 trillion in new revenue increases and Medicare savings of more than $300 billion that mainly would hit healthcare providers.

The White House, according to the Democratic aide, also called for another extension of the 2 percentage point payroll tax cut that is due to expire on December 31. In recent weeks, Democrats in Congress had been talking about growing support for the tax cut extension to help stimulate the economy.

One of the Republican aides said the White House wants $75 billion in additional economic stimulus, which likely would consist of previously proposed White House initiatives, the Democratic aide said.

CRACKS IN REPUBLICAN RANKS

Just as Boehner begins serious wrestling with the White House, there were indications that his hand may be weakening with a small but growing number of House Republicans saying they believe some type of tax increase on the rich will be part of a fiscal cliff deal.

"I wouldn't have a problem with letting those tax rates go up," if they are coupled with spending cuts, Representative Mike Simpson of Idaho told Reuters on Thursday.

A similar sentiment expressed by about a half-dozen House Republicans in recent days likely will increase pressure on Boehner to reach a bipartisan agreement with Obama and his fellow Democrats.

In the absence of progress, or any realistic understanding as to when or if the cliff might be averted or a deficit reduction agreement reached, prodding has started to come on a regular basis from business leaders as well as Federal Reserve officials.

New York Fed President William Dudley and Richard Fisher of the Dallas Fed, highlighted the problems that U.S. lawmakers were causing for both hiring and the economy with each day they fail to strike a deal to avoid a pending fiscal crisis.

Dudley said on Thursday that if it is not addressed, the economic contraction is likely to be larger than normal because interest rates are so low.

(Additional reporting by Rachelle Younglai, Thomas Ferarro and Kim Dixon; Writing by John Whitesides and Fred Barbash; Editing by Peter Cooney and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boehner-sees-no-progress-fiscal-cliff-talks-002150403--business.html

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Federal agencies have avoided $47 billion in improper payments ...

Wednesday, November 28th, 2012

Federal government agencies have avoided $47 billion in improper payments over the past three years, according to Danny Werfel, Controller of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).? Werfel announced these results in a blog on the OMB website this week.

Even though the government will come up a bit short of its goal of $50 billion in improper payments avoidance by the end of FY2012, Werfel said the current results are significant and reflect an aggressive approach by agencies to eliminate wasteful improper payments.? As a result, he said the government-wide error rate has been reduced to 4.3 percent from 5.4 percent in FY2009.

Werfel pointed out that factoring in Department of Defense (DoD) commercial payments adds another $70 billion to avoided improper payments and lowers the government-wide error rate to 3.7 percent.

He also emphasized that federal agencies have recaptured $4.4 billion in overpayments since FY2009, more than twice the $2 billion goal.? Much of this success, he said, is due to the Medicare Fee-for-Service Recovery Audit Contractor program.

Werfel said agencies have been able to significantly reduce the level of improper payments by intensifying and expanding efforts to identify, recovering improper payments and establishing ?Do-Not-Pay? lists, and implementing provisions of the ?Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act?.? He said agencies have, for the first time, ?deployed cutting-edge forensic technologies? to curb improper payments.

Source: http://www.asmconline.org/2012/11/federal-agencies-have-avoided-47-billion-in-improper-payments/

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Discovr Music (for iPad)

By Jeffrey L. Wilson

Is your iPad??music playlist in need of an overhaul? Discovr Music?a $1.99 iOS app that serves up music recommendations based on artists and bands that you like?may be what's needed to freshen your collection. Discovr Music gives you a central location to watch artist videos, read album reviews, and sample tunes, but its core functionality?music discovery?is one already available in various iPad streaming music apps, such as Slacker Radio. If you aren't into streaming music, however, you may find it a solid tool to help you try before you make your next music buy.

Booting up Discovr Music brings you to a minimalist gray screen that has a search engine near its center and "Favorites," "Recommended," and "Trending" tabs at the bottom. It's a very simple design that serves two purposes: Easy navigation and keeping the focus on the music recommendations.

Turn the Radio On
There are two ways to begin your musical journey. You key in a band or artist name into the search engine, or tap the "Trending" tab where you'll find popular artists like Adele, Justin Bieber, and Nicki Minaj. I keyed in "The Dirtbombs"?one of my favorite independent acts?into the search box and Discovr Music opened an interactive map with recommendations. The very solid recommendations included The Gories (The Dirtbombs founder Mick Collins' old band) and other Detroit rock indies like The Detroit Cobras. Bringing a finger to any of the recommendations opens up even more recommendations. Tapping and holding an icon opens a menu that lets you play an artist's top songs, queue them up, add the artists to Favorites, and more. Music diehards would appreciate that extra layer of detail that comes with finding specific albums and songs that have similar structures as ones they like.

You cannot, unfortunately, search by album or song title. That's a huge drawback for a music discovery app.

Double-tapping an artist icon gives users related info such as a biography, selected song samples, blog posts, album reviews, tweets, videos, and links to places where you can view or purchase music (Amazon, iTunes). You can save an artist entry to "Favorites" by tapping the heart icon. Note: Favoriting only saves the artists' recommendation list?not the actual the biography and other details?to the "Favorites" tab.

Turn the Radio Up
Discovr Music is a simple method to discover new music?perhaps too much so. Some will decry spending $1.99 on an app whose entire shtick, music recommendation, is a feature found in several other iPad music apps. That's a fair criticism. Discovr desperately needs to provide users with more functionality?song and album search are the obvious needed additions. Still, if you want an interesting way to discover new music?and digest relevant information?Discovr's not a bad choice.

More iPad Apps Reviews:
??? Discovr Music (for iPad)
??? Discovr Movies (for iPad)
??? Science360 (for iPad)
??? Elgato EyeTV Mobile
??? Flipboard (for iPad)
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/WUfMDXZtbCs/0,2817,2412612,00.asp

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Discovr Movies (for iPad)

It's Friday night and you're in the mood for a flick?what to do? You can comb through your Blu-Ray or DVD stacks, or hope that Netflix serves up a relevant recommendation (good luck). If you have an iPad handy, however, you can fire up Discovr, a $0.99 iOS app that serves up film titles based on genre. It's a fine idea in theory, but the product is quite bare bones in practice.

Booting up Discovr brings you to a minimalist gray screen that has a search engine near the center with "Favorites," "In Cinemas," and "Our Pick" tabs at the bottom. It's a very simple design that serves two purposes: Easy navigation and keeping the focus on the movie recommendations.

At The Movies
Tapping "In Cinema" reveals movies that are currently playing in theaters such as Wuthering Heights and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II (two movies playing at the time of this writing). Tapping the Twilight film icon, for example, opens an interactive map that showcases other movies related by genre and/or actor such as Snow White and the Huntsmen, Red Riding Hood, and the other marvelous Twilight movies. Tapping any of the new icons pulls up additional recommendations based on that flick. I like this discovery method more than Netflix', where my recommendations are suddenly flooded with Star Trek if I watch just one episode of The Next Generation. It's fun to see how quickly you can go from a quality flick like Blade Runner to not-so-quality flicks like Ghoulies III: Ghoulies Go To College (note: it's seven). "Our Picks" is where you'll find the likes of Aliens, The Dark Knight, and other popular films.

Double-tapping a movie icon gives users related movies info such as rating, release year, runtime, genre, plot synopsis, Rotten Tomatoes review scores, actor list, trailers, and links to places where you can view or purchase the flick (iTunes, Netflix). You can save a movie entry to "Favorites" by tapping the heart icon. This only saves the movie's recommendation list?not the actual film details?to "Favorites."

Alternately, you can use the search box to search for movies by title, but it's extremely limited. You can search by movie title, but not by actor or director. That's a huge oversight, especially for movie fans who want to see other works by their favorite artists. What's currently there is not enough.

It's a So-So Showing
Discovr is a simple method to discover new films?perhaps too much so. Some will decry spending $0.99 on an app that essentially serves as a movie database. That's a fair criticism?there's a great free one online?IMDB. Discovr desperately needs to provide users more functionality?actor and director search are the obvious needed additions. Still, if you want an interesting way to discover new movies, Discovr's not a bad choice.

More iPad Apps Reviews ??? Discovr Movies (for iPad)
??? Science360 (for iPad)
??? Elgato EyeTV Mobile
??? Flipboard (for iPad)
??? Boingo Wi-Finder (for iPad)
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/onFGx-OMEOE/0,2817,2412596,00.asp

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Facebook Removes Elbows Photo: Blonde's Bathtub Pic Mistaken for Nude Breasts, Site Apologizes for 'Nipple' Gaffe, Censorship Policy Tested

(Photo : Facebook) Facebook mistakes elbows for breasts.

The controversial bloggers over at "Theories of the Deep Understanding of Things" have managed to make an "innocent" photo infamously viral once again! An image of an attractive blonde lounging in a bathtub was recently uploaded to the Tumblr site's official Facebook page - with her exposed elbows apparently too-closely resembling nude breasts and nipples! Thinking that the photo was entirely explicit and inappropriate, moderators over at Facebook promptly took the image down. When they figured out the "nipples" were actually just the young woman's strategically-placed elbows, the popular social networking site re-posted the pic with an official apology. Even so, the "naked elbow" has since gone viral!

Like Us on Facebook

While initially thought to be an innocent mistake, turns out the elbows picture was "Theories of the Deep Understanding of Things" (TOTDUOT)'s way of testing Facebook's (strict) censorship policy. Facebook's Terms of Service states that users will not post content that is "hate speech, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence." Site moderators immediately mistook the elbows for breasts and the image was promptly taken down to adhere to Facebook's policy. TOTDUOT's response - "FB moderators can't tell an elbow from a dangerous, filthy, uncanny and violent female breast. No questions were asked and the post is down. Imagine our surprise!"

The bathtub photo was clearly not in violation of Facebook's Terms of Service - this was TOTDUOT's way of testing Facebook moderators (who apparently jump on the opportunity to censor images before they even fully open their eyes to what lies in front of them).

FYI - TOTDUOT is the same organization that posted breastfeeding photos which were also taken down by Facebook, leading to a controversial debate over what exactly should be considered "explicit" content in social media.

Following the "nipple gaffe," Facebook quickly re-posted the elbows image with this official apology:

"This photo does not violate our content standards and we have already restored the photo. We made a mistake removing the picture and apologized to the page admin."

"Theories of the Deep Understanding of Things" - 1. Mark Zuckerberg - 0.

? 2012 Mstarz All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Source: http://www.mstarz.com/articles/6648/20121128/facebook-removes-elbows-photo-blonde-bathtub-pic-mistaken-nude-breasts-site-apologizes-nipple-gaffe-censorship-policy-tested.htm

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HyTAQ hybrid quadrotor robot travels by air and land, leaves us no place to hide (video)

Few robots can travel gracefully through more than one medium; more often than not, they're either strictly airborne or tied to the ground. The Illinois Institute of Technology's HyTAQ quadrotor doesn't abide by these arbitrary limits. The hybrid machine, designed by Arash Kalantari and Matthew Spenko, uses the same actuators to drive both its flight as well as a surrounding cage for rolling along on the ground, quickly switching between the two methods. It's clearly adaptable, but using the one system also provides large power advantages over a traditional quadrotor, Spenko tells us. While HyTAQ's battery lasts only for 5 minutes and 1,969 feet of pure flight, that jumps to 27 minutes and 7,874 feet when the robot can use a smooth floor instead -- and of course, it can hop over ground obstacles altogether instead of making a detour. The range of the robot and its pilot are the main limiting factors, but the patent process is already underway with hopes of winning commercial deals. We're both excited and worried as a result; as wonderfully flexible as HyTAQ is, widescale adoption could lead to especially relentless robots during the inevitable takeover.

Continue reading HyTAQ hybrid quadrotor robot travels by air and land, leaves us no place to hide (video)

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Well being Dangers Of Asbestos | Voooz.com

Asbestos is a kind of mineral fiber that used to be utilized in several goods for the goal of producing them more resistant to the extremes of heat and cold. For a lot of years asbestos was use?

Mesothelioma and asbestosis are the long phrase outcome of prior exposure to asbestos. You have undoubtedly heard of asbestos, and are most likely aware of its dangers. But many people are not aware as to precisely what it is and exactly where it can still be located in the surroundings in which we reside.

Asbestos is a variety of mineral fiber that used to be utilized in numerous items for the goal of producing them more resistant to the extremes of heat and cold. For many years asbestos was employed extensively by the developing market, before it was identified that this material releases particles which create mesothelioma ? an aggressive form of lung cancer ? when they are inhaled. Asbestos is no longer employed, for this cause.

There is also active controversy that some sectors of the developing market continued to exposure their workers to asbestos, with the attendant risks of asbestosis and mesothelioma long following the constructing industry was in possession of compelling evidence of the dangers of asbestos use.

One problem numerous folks might not realise is that asbestos use was not restricted to commercial buildings ? it was commonly used in the creating of houses, and yours could be 1 of them. The fibers of asbestos are in some roofs and tiles constructed up with asbestos cement. They also can be discovered in paintings and substances to cover holes in walls or ceilings. Some old hot water pipes may be covered with asbestos also. Ask a qualified to take a look to your residence in order to ascertain if you and your loved ones are in risk.

Undoubtedly, if you are considering demolishing any walls, or renovating or remodelling your property, it is crucial that you have an asbestos expert decide whether or not there is asbestos present in your house. Indeed, it is illegal to demolish or otherwise interfere with any structure containing with asbestos. It is needed to have the asbestos professionally removed by individuals who know precisely what precautions to take to eliminate asbestos containing structures, and how to safely dispose of the asbestos so as not to lead to any inadvertent exposure to asbestos, which could effectively cause the improvement of mesothelioma some years later.

For more information, please go to: e cigarette v2

Source: http://voooz.com/2012/11/29/well-being-dangers-of-asbestos/

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The New Internet Teaching Stars - Technology Review

Gold star: Calvin Hollywood created a business teaching Photoshop tricks online.

Who is Calvin Hollywood? In the world of Photoshop instruction in Germany, Hollywood?s name towers above the rest.

A self-styled maverick of online Photoshop tutorials, Hollywood sticks to his strengths: retouching photographs, teaching others to do the same, and marketing himself. It?s an expansive and lucrative enterprise.

His business includes DVDs, live online webinars, and $30 downloadable courses that people can complete on their own time and schedules. To help generate Internet sales, Hollywood does appearances at shows like ?Horror Nights,? a dance party frequented by people dressed as vampires and zombies. Hollywood says online teaching earns him as much as $16,000 a month.

The Web is starting to change education (see ?The Most Important Educational Technology in 200 Years?) and perhaps nowhere are its transforming effects so apparent as among teachers. Teaching is among the worst paid professions in the U.S. (starting salaries are $30,377 a year). But the Web is rewriting the rules of supply and demand. For popular instructors like Hollywood, who reach beyond physical classrooms, teaching has never offered a greater chance to become rich and famous.

This effect of technology was dubbed the ?Superstar Phenomenon? in a now canonical 1981 paper by the labor economist Sherwin Rosen. In his study, The Economics of Superstars, Rosen described mathematically how new media, like radio and TV, concentrated earnings among fewer performers or bestsellers. It did so by increasing the audience of stars, and because consumers flocked to the product they considered the best.

The Web, with its ability to broadcast video, live exercises, and interactive documents, is extending the superstar rule to teachers of everything from computer programming to probability analysis. One expected result, say economists, is that a small number of popular teachers could end up winning the vast share of teaching income. The Wall Street Journal, which discovered a guitar teacher streaming paid classes for 1,500 people from his basement computer, concluded that although we will always need teachers, we may need ?fewer of them.?

Because teaching is a performance art, online education is favoring those like Hollywood, who has a flamboyant style, or others able to connect with their audience. Salman Khan, the stock-picker-turned-tutor whose YouTube math lessons have been viewed over 200 million times (see ?Q&A: Salman Khan?), was recently judged by Yuri Milner, the Russian Internet investor, as the world?s ?first superstar teacher.?

Now more teachers are looking for online outlets, including on commercial websites such like Lynda.com and Udemy, which act as digital adult-education catalogs. Udemy broadcasts classes; any teacher can join in exchange for a 30 percent cut of their revenue. The company?s most popular classes include courses like ?Become a Web Developer from Scratch,? taught by Victor Bastos, a 32-year-old Spanish programmer living in Lisbon, Portugal.

Hollywood, who is 36, says he did not know how to use Photoshop until 2005. At the time, he was a boot camp instructor in Germany?s Air Force. But after seeing a friend stitch together two images using the program, Hollywood says, it was Liebe auf den ersten Blick, or ?love at first sight.? He bought a DSLR camera, a Nikon D70, just so he could have pictures to retouch.

He began teaching Photoshop to Air Force colleagues, eventually branching out into DVDs and seminars, and taking on his stage name, Calvin Hollywood (he declined to reveal his real name). The first time he put a seminar online, he says, 100 spots sold out in 10 minutes. These days, he does most of his Web teaching during the winter. ?September to March, where the weather is not good here in Germany,? says Hollywood. ?People don?t like to travel.?

The Web?s new celebrity teachers don?t necessarily need any academic credentials. Hollywood says he never got further than middle school. What counts is personal style and knowledge to impart. In Hollywood?s case, what he teaches is an unusually heavy style of digital photo enhancement he calls ?Calvinization.? He recalls how other Photoshop teachers scolded him: ?You can?t do that. You don?t do that. Calvin Hollywood, ?Oh my god you can?t do that!??

Katrin Eismann, chair of the digital photography department at New York?s School of Visual Arts, hosted Hollywood on his first trip to the United States in 2008. She says he is part of a new generation of Photoshop teachers who are turning retouching into a form of illustration. That?s different than how Adobe?s image-editing program was used in the past, which was more about correction than creation, and not very glamorous.

Internet instruction has changed that, at least for Hollywood. ?He has good energy, he?s fun, and he ? doesn?t take himself too seriously,? says Eismann. ?He even says that his way is not [necessarily] the right way. As an educator, I admire that.?

Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/506381/the-new-internet-teaching-stars/

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Finding The Right Injury Lawyer | Reference and Education ...

Whether you have recently been hurt in a car or truck accident, burned or injured by chemical exposure, hurt on a construction site, or simply frustrated by an insurance company that has refused to pay benefits that are owed to you, a personal injury lawyer can help! The aim of this article is to help you understand how to select the best one.

The personal injury lawyer you choose should be more than just "competent." Your legal team should be "remarkable". Your personal injury lawyer should provide you with resources to deal with all aspects of your case, answer questions, prepare intensely for trial, try your case (if need be) and always be prepared to fight on your behalf.

A truly remarkable firm will work hard to exceed your expectations. They will pull out all stops to get you compensation to cover damages you have suffered, which may include but are not limited to, medical and surgical costs, lost work time and wages, anxiety, pain and suffering, car mileage and many out of pocket costs that you may face. A respected firm will follow up with clients promptly. Look for a lawyer who has a reputation for being tough but fair, smart and compassionate. A great law firm will make sure the client feels comfortable, and at the same time, they need to send a message, loud and clear, to insurance companies and liable parties that they mean business. The right firm will not be scared to throw their credentials around for the benefit of the client.

Accident and injury victims often find themselves in a state of a shock after a traumatic event and do not act swiftly enough. When a terrible event disrupts everything in your world, it's only human nature to "wait a bit" to get your head together before moving forward, but this approach may not be the best idea. Here's why: Evidence from the accident or injury may get lost or even be deliberately destroyed in the hours and days after the accident. Witness recollections may grow foggier and more inaccurate as time passes after the incident. Even your own recollection of the event will give way to hazier, less accurate memories. And if you wait too long after the accident or injury, you may lose your ability to make a claim altogether, even if you have compelling evidence on your side, due to the "statute of limitations".

Each personal injury case is unique and needs to be looked at by an experienced injury lawyer. Choose a car accident lawyer that will give you the time and attention you deserve and need to win your case. Be sure they listen astutely to what you want and need and help you feel calm, comfortable, and taken care of throughout your case. Most injury law firms takes cases on a contingency basis. This means that until they win a trial verdict or reach a settlement, you do not owe anything.

Source: http://thebesteducationreference.blogspot.com/2012/11/finding-right-injury-lawyer_26.html

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Source: http://sylvesterbenton.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/finding-the-right-injury-lawyer-reference-and-education.html

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PTLens 8.9

If you care about getting your digital photos correct?that is, looking as close to the scene you saw before you?lens-profile-based image correction is your ally.? The foremost exponent of this technology has, unsurprisingly, been Adobe, with its?Photoshop CS6 and?Lightroom 4 apps offering leading lens-profile-based image corrections. Camera calibration software maker DxO is a leader in this field, too, with its?DxO Optics Pro 7. This kind of correction is particularly important when it comes to geometry issues introduced by lens optics, such as pincushion (from wide-angle lenses) or barrel distortion (from telephoto lenses).

Lens physics also comes into play with chromatic aberration?those color fringes at high contrast edges, and with vignetting?the effect of darkening at the edges of the photo. PTLens's home page claims that it was the first software to automatically correct these kinds of lens distortion. Let's see whether this $25 single-task program can still keep up with the big boys of photo adjustment.

Installing
PTLens is available for both Windows and OS X PCs, though the Windows version is at 8.9, while the Mac version is still at version 1.6. A trial version only lets you work on 10 images. The Windows version works with OS versions all the way back to Windows 2000 or later, while the Mac one works on 10.5.2 and later systems. The installer is a tiny sub 4MB download.

You can also install PTLens as a Photoshop plugin, for Photoshop versions back to CS3. The Windows download is a ZIP you have to extract, and then you run a standard MSI that takes you through an installation wizard. When I run this, it asked me if I wanted to additionally install PTLens as Photoshop and Photoshop Elements plugins, which is a help. On first run, you choose your language from a dropdown, and are informed how many processors are in you system, e.g., 4 for a quad core.

Interface
PTLens's bare-bones interface uses a single window, and its non-standard control layout makes using it less intuitive than more polished apps. The File menu didn't let me open a photo as I expected it might, instead, to get started, you click the "Directory" button at top right. This opens a typical system-folder tree. Once you choose a folder, the image files are listed below the button, and clicking on one displays the photo in the main large window on the left. Below the image are the camera and lens selection dropdowns and option buttons for geometry correction of barrel-pincushion, Fisheye, or none.

Next to the file list on the left is a tabbed section with correction sliders. Its three tabs are Vignetting, Perspective, and Chromatic Aberration. Zooming was only available in the Chromatic Aberration tab, which makes sense. A final help is the Preview check box, which lets you switch between viewing the corrected and original image; even easier is just holding the mouse button down while the cursor is over the image to show the unmodified version. Convenient Reset buttons on each tab let me undo adjustments gone awry.

When using PTLens as an external editor with Lightroom, it only worked if I chose to edit on the original, not a copy that Lightroom offered at the handoff.

Using PTLens
On my first try, the software correctly identified my DSLR, and displayed the focal length and aperture, but I had to tell it which lens model I was using?something Lightroom can figure out by itself from the image's EXIF data. Happily, my 55-250mm lens was the top choice in the option list. Once I selected the lens, the edges of the photo were cropped unevenly to make up for the geometry correction, which is normal. You'll want to go back and crop in your image software to straighten out the edges after, or you can use PTLens's Scale slider in the Perspective tab to do this or you can check the "resize to remove black edges from pincushion images" box in Options.

By default, the program uses the same settings from the previous image, since a batch of images you're working on will often require the same corrections. On my first test, even after I chose the lens I shot with, the program only corrected geometry, not chromatic aberration, or vignetting, as DxO and Lightroom did. But more troubling was that the Red Cyan slider in the chromatic aberration tab did nothing to my image when I slid it.

The problem? I was working on a JPG image without the necessary metadata. When I opened a CR2 raw file, everything but vignetting was corrected automatically. But there was another problem: The chromatic aberration was overcorrected, to the point of producing a worse distortion than the original. By comparison, Lightroom's built-in chromatic aberration correction did as close to a perfect job of removing the color fringes on the same test image, as does DxO Optics Pro.

On another test with shots from a Sony SLT-A77V with a DT 16-50mm lens set at the widest focal length, I saw good geometry corrections, though vignetting again wasn't changed, and chromatic aberration again was overcorrected for a worse result than the original.

If you want more than simply "correct" geometry, PTLens's Perspective tab lets you simulate a tilt-shift lens: For example, it let my change a photo of a building taken on a steep angle to look like it was shot straight on.

The Best Lens Correction?
PTLens deserves hats off for being a pioneer in the lens-profile-based corrections field. Once you're familiar with its quirks and limitations, it can do a fine job of correcting geometry, and it's a reasonable value at $25. Just don't rely on it for chromatic aberration correction. But for more effective corrections, look to DxO Optics Pro, which offers similar but superior functionality, or to our Editors' Choice photo workflow applications, Adobe Lightroom, which does this stuff and a whole lot more.

More Photo Software Reviews:
??? GraphicConverter
??? ACDSee Pro 6
??? Lightt (for iPhone)
??? Adobe Photoshop Elements 11
??? CyberLink PhotoDirector 4
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/rnixMPyNpk4/0,2817,2412465,00.asp

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Myanmar cracks down on mine protest; dozens hurt

Buddhist monks with burn injuries are treated at a hospital in Monywa, northwestern Myanmar, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. Security forces cracked down on protesters occupying a copper mine early Thursday, using water cannons and other devices to break up the rally hours before opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was expected to hear their grievances. Unexplained fires engulfed the protest camps at the Letpadaung mine in northwestern Myanmar and dozens of Buddhist monks and villagers were injured, according to several protesters. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Buddhist monks with burn injuries are treated at a hospital in Monywa, northwestern Myanmar, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. Security forces cracked down on protesters occupying a copper mine early Thursday, using water cannons and other devices to break up the rally hours before opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was expected to hear their grievances. Unexplained fires engulfed the protest camps at the Letpadaung mine in northwestern Myanmar and dozens of Buddhist monks and villagers were injured, according to several protesters. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

A Buddhist monk with burn injuries lies in a hospital bed in Monywa town shop, northwestern Myanmar, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. Security forces cracked down on protesters occupying a copper mine early Thursday, using water cannons and other devices to break up the rally hours before opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was expected to hear their grievances. Unexplained fires engulfed the protest camps at the Letpadaung mine in northwestern Myanmar and dozens of Buddhist monks and villagers were injured, according to several protesters. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

In this early Nov. 29, 2012 photo provided by a monk, flames are seen at the gate of Chinese mining partner Wan Bao where protesters camped before the police crackdown in Monywa, northwestern Myanmar. Security forces cracked down on protesters occupying a copper mine, a joint venture between the Chinese firm and a company controlled by Myanmar's military, early Thursday, using water cannons and other devices to break up the rally hours before opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was expected to hear their grievances. Dozens of Buddhist monks and villagers were injured, according to several protesters. Those who fled the site emerged with burns and charred clothing on their bodies. (AP Photo) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

A Buddhist monks with burn injuries lies in a hospital bed in Monywa, northwestern Myanmar, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. Security forces cracked down on protesters occupying a copper mine early Thursday, using water cannons and other devices to break up the rally hours before opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was expected to hear their grievances. Unexplained fires engulfed the protest camps at the Letpadaung mine in northwestern Myanmar and dozens of Buddhist monks and villagers were injured, according to several protesters. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

A Buddhist monk with burn injuries sits in his hospital bed in Monywa, northwestern Myanmar, Thursday, Nov 29, 2012. Security forces cracked down on protesters occupying a copper mine early Thursday, using water cannons and other devices to break up the rally hours before opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was expected to hear their grievances. Unexplained fires engulfed the protest camps at the Letpadaung mine in northwestern Myanmar and dozens of Buddhist monks and villagers were injured, according to several protesters. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

MONYWA, Myanmar (AP) ? Security forces cracked down on protesters occupying a copper mine early Thursday, using water cannons and other devices to break up the rally hours before opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was expected to hear their grievances.

Unexplained fires engulfed the protest camps at the Letpadaung mine in northwestern Myanmar and dozens of Buddhist monks and villagers were injured, according to several protesters. Those who fled the site emerged with burns and charred clothing on their bodies.

"Around 2:30 a.m. police announced they would give us 5 minutes to leave," said protester Aung Myint Htway, a peanut farmer whose face and body was covered with black spots where his skin was burned. He said police fired water cannons first and then fired from what he and others called flare guns.

"They fired black balls that exploded into fire sparks. They shot about six times. People ran away and they followed us," he said, still writhing hours later from pain. "It's very hot."

The government ordered protesters earlier this week to evacuate the mine by Wednesday or face legal action.

The protesters, who had set up six camps at the site, say the Letpadaung mine near the town of Monywa is causing environmental, social and health problems.

The protest is the latest major example of increased activism by citizens since an elected government took over last year following almost five decades of repressive military rule.

"This is unacceptable," said Ottama Thara, a 25-year-old monk who was at the protest. "This kind of violence should not happen under a government that says it is committed to democratic reforms."

The mine is a joint venture between a Chinese firm and a company controlled by Myanmar's military. China is a major investor and strategic ally of Myanmar, and the backing of the military is crucial to government stability.

The mine protest was clearly an irritant to Thein Sein's government, which warned it could deter badly needed foreign investment.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to visit the mine area around midday Thursday to hear the protesters' grievances, adding to the pressure on the government. Her visit is also bound to draw more attention to the protest, which partly due to its remote location has been largely ignored.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-29-AP-AS-Myanmar-Protest/id-cd4dc3a0a8d342a3aeb93c4d32d8f0b9

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Mobile Ad Network InMobi Announces Free ?Lifetime Value Platform? To Help Developers Deliver Targeted Content

Thanks in part to some recent acquisitions, InMobi has been expanding its services for mobile developers. Its latest feature is something called the Lifetime Value Platform, which will help developers divide their audience into different segments and customize the experience accordingly ? in InMobi's words, it's going to be "democratizing the understanding of user behavior." As for how the LTVP compares to the many other mobile app analytics and messaging services (for example, not only does Urban Airship offer messaging infrastructure, it also announced audience segmentation earlier this year), an InMobi spokesperson argued, "Unlike other products in the market which just stop at providing analytics, this platform enables developers to understand their users and deliver targeted actions in real time, without having to resubmit the app to the App Store."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/wyoJfKi67x8/

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Four Baby Lion Cubs Born in Seattle Zoo

Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park ZooTune in to this video of the four baby lion cubs for your daily cuteness quotient. They were born Nov. 8 in Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo.

The cubs are the first litter born to South African lion mother, Adia, 3, and father, Hubert, 13. They're also the first litter born at the zoo since 1991.

The now three-week-old cubs are not ready for public viewing yet, as the zoo is trying to allow plenty of family bonding time in a quieter environment.

"We've been monitoring them the last few weeks by video camera," Martin Ramirez, the zoo's mammal curator, told ABCNews.com. "By using the video, we've been able to tell the mother is taking great care of them. There was one cub early on that was making us very nervous, though.

"She's a first-time mom, and a typical litter size for a first-time mom is two. We were all really excited when she had the one, and then she had two, and then three came along, and we were like 'O.K., wow,' and then the fourth one came along and we were a little worried because that's a handful. That's when we made the decision that we're just going to watch and if we have to intervene, we will."

But not to worry, the fuzzy felines had their first medical exam and wellness check today and are doing very well.

Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park ZooThey're doing great," Ramirez said. "We could always see round bellies on them, which is an indication that they're getting enough to eat. At this point they're just drinking mom's milk. But we could see the round bellies on the video. We were seeing normal development on video. Eyes opened when we expected them to open, because they're born with their eyes closed."

The cubs are holding their weight now and are walking normally on their four legs. During the exam, it was also finally determined there are two boys and two girls in the litter.

"Now that we know we have two boys and two girls, we can start looking around for appropriate names. We'll select about 10 or 15 potential names and let the public choose from those," Ramirez said.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/four-baby-lion-cubs-born-seattle-zoo-233620818--abc-news-topstories.html

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World Bank approves $500 million loan for Tunisia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank on Tuesday approved a $500 million loan to Tunisia to help it recover from the Arab Spring uprising that toppled the former regime, with another $700 million loan coming from other donors.

The loan, the World Bank's second since the revolution, aims to support Tunisia's economic recovery by providing funds to improve the business and financial sectors and reform social services, which are vital for reducing inequality.

The World Bank said the European Union and the African Development Bank are giving a further $700 million to support Tunisia's transition.

The loans show global development lenders support the direction of Tunisia's reforms, which aim to satisfy citizens' demands for jobs, social services and transparent government.

"The agreement signed today sends a clear signal about the historic changes under way in Tunisia," said Inger Andersen, the World Bank's vice president for Middle East and North Africa.

Part of the reform program will involve eliminating 10 percent of tax and customs regulations in some government ministries, increasing competition in the telecommunication sector, and expanding the new Access to Information Law.

Tunisia was the birthplace of the Arab Spring uprisings last year across the Middle East and North Africa, which toppled its ruler after an almost 23-year reign. Since then, the country has struggled to regain economic stability while dealing with political transition and a slowing global economy.

The government has also committed to helping the poor, as well as thousands of former political prisoners and others who suffered under the former president.

Tunisia's government has said it will need about 7 billion dinars of loans and aid next year as it proceeds with a costly plan to compensate former political prisoners freed by the 2011 revolution.

In August, Tunisia announced that it expected the World Bank and the African Development Bank to each lend it $500 million to support its budget.

The World Bank previously approved a loan for the country in June 2011.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/world-bank-approves-500-million-loan-tunisia-050843322--business.html

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US Refrains from Branding China 'Currency Manipulator'

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Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/409242/20121128/china-forex-yuan-dollar-currency-manipulator-mitt.htm

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S.Africa's Naspers turns again to China for growth

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - China's massive but increasingly competitive Internet market was the main driver of 15 percent first-half earnings growth for Naspers, prompting questions over how long the company can keep growing at such speed.

From its origins as a newspaper publisher in apartheid South Africa, Cape Town-based Naspers has morphed into a global multimedia business acquiring stakes in emerging-market Internet companies including China's Tencent.

Naspers' shares have risen over 50 percent this year, boosting its market capitalisation to $25 billion and making it more valuable than better known media firms such as Britain's Pearson Plc and Thomson Reuters.

But much of the growth has been driven by its 34 percent stake in Tencent, and some analysts say the company has become too reliant on China to fatten its bottom line - and too expensive.

"It's a wonderful business, very well run but you are effectively investing in Chinese internet stock Tencent by buying Naspers," said Nic Norman-Smith, chief investment officer at Lentus Asset Management in Johannesburg.

"We think that market is a little bit competitive and the barriers to entry for Internet companies are generally relatively quite low, so there is a chance that a big competitor comes out and puts Tencent under pressure."

Tencent contributed the vast majority of Naspers' earnings, delivering 2.99 billion rand of the total 4.1 billion rand of core headline earnings, or earnings before one-time items.

Naspers is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 70 times, the tenth most expensive stock among 220 global media companies tracked by Thomson Reuters.

However, some remain positive on Tencent.

"There are a lot of new growth initiatives that will probably play out in the next 12-24 months, be it in mobile, or advertising. Its coming pipeline is the strongest it has ever been in the history of Tencent," said one Johannesburg-based analyst who declined to be identified.

"(Naspers) can give you 30 percent growth for the next two to three years once you are out of the development spend cycle," he said.

DIVERSIFICATION

The company said it spent $530 million investing in new e-commerce businesses including Netretail, an on-line retailer with operations in Eastern Europe.

Management has in the past said it was finding fewer acquisition opportunities because valuations for new purchases were becoming expensive.

The company spent 45 percent more on development, rising to 1.6 billion rand in past six months and Chief Executive Koos Bekker said he would be spending a similar amount in the second half.

"We'll look at acquisitions and if it makes sense we may still buy companies, but the emphasis is more on organic growth now than it is on buying something," he told Reuters.

Naspers is rolling out infrastructure for digital terrestrial television that will make pay television affordable to even more people in Africa, where it is in 6 million homes.

Total revenue climbed 22 percent to 23 billion rand after Internet revenue rose 70 percent to 14.1 billion rand. The pay television segment grew 19 percent, contributing 14.4 billion rand to revenue.

Core headline earnings came in at 1,062 cents per share in the six months to end-September, up from 921 cents a year earlier.

It had flagged this month that underlying profit would rise by between 10 to 20 percent. Core headline profit, which Naspers says is its main earnings measure, excludes one-time items.

One-time items included a 1.5 billion rand profit from the sale of some Facebook shares by Russian affiliate Mail.ru. Naspers owns 29 percent in Mail.ru

Naspers' shares were down 0.4 percent to 538 rand at 1300 GMT, compared with a 0.18 percent rise by the Top-40 index.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/africas-naspers-turns-again-china-growth-145404919--sector.html

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Navy fires president, provost of grad school

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has fired the top two administrators of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., for mismanagement and fostering an atmosphere of defying Navy rules and regulations.

The firings of the school's president and provost come after an investigation by the Navy's inspector general. It found that the president, Daniel Oliver, failed to comply with federal and naval regulations, circumvented federal hiring authorities and inappropriately accepted gifts from a private foundation that supports the school.

The investigation also found that the provost, Leonard Ferrari, did not comply with Navy regulations and accepted gifts from the foundation.

According to the IG report, Oliver arranged for an unidentified woman to be hired as a contractor so that she could be paid more money than the school could legitimately offer. The report said Oliver circumvented federal salary limits after the applicant turned down the school's initial salary offer of $162,000, with a recruitment bonus of $25,000, according to the IG report. The offer was the maximum allowed under federal salary caps at that time, in 2009.

The report said Oliver arranged for an existing school contractor ? Digital Consulting Services ? to hire the woman, for a salary of $275,000, which she accepted.

"We conclude President Oliver's conduct amounts to waste and gross mismanagement," the IG report said.

The report also said that Oliver solicited and accepted gifts from the foundation, including a gas grill and patio furniture for his home on the campus, in violation of Navy procedures. The IG also concluded that both Oliver and Ferrari authorized the foundation to repay themselves, faculty members and staff for expenses ? such as luncheons, dinners, small gifts, or wine for a reception ? that they knew they could not otherwise use school funding to buy.

Oliver, a retired vice admiral and naval aviator, has held the job since April 2007, and Ferrari has been in place since July 2006.

Mabus has appointed Rear Adm. Jan Tighe to serve as interim school president, and O. Douglas Moses, the current vice provost of academic affairs, will serves as the acting provost. Mabus also has created a working group that will implement the recommendations in the IG report.

A message seeking comment from the school was not immediately returned.

Oliver and Ferrari could not be located for comment.

___

Online:

IG Report: http://www.ig.navy.mil/Divisions/Legal/FOIA%20Reading%20Room.htm

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Navy-fires-president-provost-of-grad-school-4071454.php

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AMD CEO encouraged by Black Friday PC sales

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Results from the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend look encouraging for PC sales although it's too early to make predictions about the entire holiday shopping season, and the PC industry still faces long-term problems, the CEO of chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices said.

The growing popularity of Apple's iPad and other tablets have sapped demand for PCs, and with economic growth slowing in China and struggling in Europe and the United States, global shipments are expected to decline slightly this year, the first annual drop since 2001.

"We've seen some positive news out of Black Friday over the past several days," AMD Chief Executive Rory Read told investors at a conference in Scottsdale, Arizona on Tuesday. "Our performance over that period looked reasonably well but I think it's a little early to call the holiday season."

Read reiterated that he does not expect the PC market, which accounts for about 85 percent of AMD's business, to recover for several quarters.

Manufacturers have been betting Microsoft's long-awaited launch of its Windows 8 platform in October will help drive PC sales this holiday season. But Read said the operating system's release came at an awkward time and held up inventories going into September, when manufacturers are normally busy building PCs for the holiday season.

One of Silicon Valley's oldest chipmakers, AMD has been laying off engineers while looking for new markets for its chips as it faces depleting cash reserves.

It has hired JPMorgan Chase & Co to explore its options, although an outright sale of the company is not the main option, according to sources.

Sales over the Thanksgiving weekend and the holidays in general are closely watched by investors. U.S. retailers can generate a third of their sales and up to half of their annual profit in November and December.

Like its larger rival Intel, Sunnyvale, California-based AMD was caught flat-footed in recent years with the emergence and fast growth of mobile devices.

Shares of AMD were up 0.53 percent at $1.88.

(Reporting By Noel Randewich; Editing by Bernard Orr)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/amd-ceo-encouraged-black-friday-pc-sales-182355727--finance.html

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AvePoint DocAve Governance Automation Service Pack 1 Redefines Microsoft SharePoint as a Service

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The next generation of AvePoint's product for automating end-to-end SharePoint service and information management delivers new features for site collection provisioning, site provisioning, site collection lifecycle management, and permissions management

Jersey City, New Jersey ? November 6, 2012 ? AvePoint, leader in governance and management solutions for social enterprise collaboration platforms, today announced the latest version of its flagship product for automated service and information management, DocAve Governance Automation Service Pack (SP) 1. DocAve Governance Automation SP1 encourages users to readily adopt SharePoint by easily requesting resources and enables organizations to provide SharePoint as a service to their enterprise by offering a fully auditable, business approval process and automating the provisioning of common service requests.

"DocAve Governance Automation SP1 shatters the silo between business and IT by ensuring self-service, measuring service levels down to the individual user, and most importantly, gives organizations the ability to monitor and track SharePoint and other line-of-business applications as a service," said Dr. Tianyi (TJ) Jiang, AvePoint Co-Founder and Co-CEO. "This marks the continued evolution of AvePoint providing a truly integrated end-to-end business solution, with compliance and governance management functionality, to stitch together a better enterprise solution story to meet organizations' needs now and in the future."

DocAve Governance Automation SP1 transcends the capabilities of niche security management solutions and enables organizations to close the custom code gap created by home-grown governance solutions and by automating the provisioning of Service Catalog Offerings such as site collection provisioning, site provisioning, site collection lifecycle management, and permissions management. Business advantages include:

• Provide SharePoint as a Service: Encourage end users to adopt SharePoint and enable them to request resources, such as a SharePoint site or site collection, by exposing all available options through an intuitive service catalog.
• Increase Transparency Between Business Users and IT Administrators: Resolve ambiguity around provisioning, managing, and archiving sites and site collections and simplifies the way business users interact with IT. All service catalog requests can be subject to fully auditable approval processes to verify any requests are in full compliance with governance policies.
• Increase IT Productivity through Business Process Automation: Allow skilled IT administrators to focus on more strategic, higher-value operations by automating the repetitive and time-consuming processes involved in configuring, managing, and enforcing SharePoint governance policies for access controls, storage optimization rules and configurations, backup policies and SLA management, auditing, branding, and information management.
• Enhance Internal Audit Functions and Enable Chargeback: Improve ongoing realignment of cost allocation and enable chargeback to business units by utilizing holistic auditing to analyze business usage of SharePoint assets.
• Powered by DocAve 6: By leveraging the entire DocAve 6 platform ? including modules for data protection, administration, storage optimization, compliance, reporting, and migration ? DocAve Governance Automation SP1 transcends the capabilities of niche SharePoint security management and site provisioning tools.

DocAve Governance Automation SP1 is generally available today. For more information on DocAve Governance Automation SP1, please visit AvePoint's website.

About AvePoint

AvePoint is a global technology company and proven software leader. Since its founding in 2001, AvePoint has become the world's largest provider of enterprise-class governance and infrastructure management solutions for enterprise social collaboration platforms. AvePoint helps more than 10,000 customers ? including many Fortune 500 companies and government agencies ? meet their specific business objectives utilizing the SharePoint platform. AvePoint, Inc. is headquartered and maintains its principal operational center in Jersey City, NJ, with wholly owned operational centers in the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, and China. AvePoint is a Depth Managed Microsoft Gold Certified Portals and Collaboration Partner and Gold Certified ISV Partner as well as a US Government GSA provider via strategic partnerships.

AvePoint Media Contact

Christopher Musico ? Vice President, Corporate Marketing & Global Communications
AvePoint
Tel: 201-793-1111
Email: Christopher.Musico@AvePoint.com

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.

Source: http://www.avepoint.com/news/2012/11/06/avepoint-docAve-governance-automation-service-pack-1-redefines-microsoft-sharepoint-as-a-service/

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