Some simple financial resolutions for 2013

8 hrs.

Linda Stern , Reuters

WASHINGTON - Make resolutions if you must: When you vow to track every dollar and never waste money again, you feel all clean and shiny for at least a few hours into the new year.?

But that doesn't usually last. Resolutions get broken because they are too lofty and too ill-defined. It is better to break your resolutions down into a specific to do list: here are the money moves to make now and in the coming weeks that will insure you're in a better financial place before 2013 ends.?

• Analyze your entertainment budget. Television service used to be free, except for the electricity to run it. Now you have to choose cable versus satellite dish and then add on movies from a host of services (like Amazon, Hulu and Netflix)?via a host of devices (like Roku, Apple TV and internet-enabled Blu-ray players). Monthly budgets for a family run well over $100, just for television, so it's worth figuring out what you watch and how you watch it and comparison shop for the cheapest way to do that. Often, cable and satellite providers will cut you a better deal if you say you're ready to quit their service. In today's fast-shifting environment, re-do this analysis once a year at contract renewal time.?
  
• Put one savings on auto-pilot. There is nothing new or revolutionary about this particular exercise, but it works. Choose a low-cost stock mutual fund from a direct-seller like Vanguard, Fidelity Investments or T. Rowe Price. Authorize the fund to sweep a set amount out of your checking account every month. Even $100 will make a difference over time. Just ignore this fund, except to watch it build over time.
  
• Max out your credit cards -- not with borrowing, but with rewards. After five years of tight credit, card issuers are coming back at consumers with a new waves of rewards. Look at all of the cards you already have -- if you haven't paid them off, send all of your available money to the highest rate card until you kill the balances, one at a time, as quickly as possible. Then compare the rewards they pay for travel, groceries, gas and any other categories that are important to you. Check the best offers out there now at Nerd Wallet.?
  
• Refinance your mortgage. Make your move now if you expect to be in your home for at least five years. Rates hover near historic lows, and bankers are still willing to lend money for 30 years at 3.25 percent and for 15 years at 2.5 percent. Nobody can predict when rates will rise, but they aren't likely to go down. At some point over the next 10 years, those rates are likely to look excellent. Furthermore, many people who were unable to refinance before because they didn't have enough equity in their homes may get relief from recent increases in home prices. To shop for a good rate, check the listings at MortgageMarvel.com and Bankrate.com, and compare with a couple of local mortgage lenders and your own credit union.?
  
• Buy life insurance. If you have a family that depends on you, and you don't already have six times your income in term coverage, it's time to buy. Rates have been falling for more than a decade, but now that's over and some are heading back up, says Byron Udell of Accuquote.com. Furthermore, some life insurance companies are giving up on some product lines that they believe are unprofitable in today's low interest rate environment. Shop for term life at Accuquote.com, Intelliquote.com and term4sale.com, and compare rates with independent firms like Geico and -- if you have a military connection -- USAA.?
  
• Adjust your 401(k) settings. If you just let your company auto-enroll you in the program, there's a good chance you aren't saving enough. Bump up your regular contributions at least to the level your company will match, and higher if you can afford it. Authorize the company that manages your 401(k) to rebalance your assets once a year, to keep your mix of stocks and bonds where you want it to be. That will automatically have you buying lower and selling higher.?
  
• Update your resume. Many workers have been stalled at work for five years or more. But the economy is improving, so it's a good time to brush up on needed skills, rewrite your resume and start networking via LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and your own personal connections. Even if you want to stay where you are, it's a good career move to stay abreast of what's going on all around.?
  
• Organize your info and look at your money. All good financial planning starts here. If you have balances on your credit cards, make a list of all of your cards, with their effective interest rates and balances. Your debt-payoff strategy will become clear. If you don't know how you spend your money, embrace a program like Quicken or an online aggregator like Mvelopes or Mint. Investing for retirement or otherwise? Find a program or system that allows you to track your investment mix and your returns on a quarterly basis. Set it up now, and your investment decisions will be made easier all year long.?
  

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/some-simple-financial-resolutions-2013-1C7782786

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This Is Why You Don't Donate Sperm on Craigslist

If you've ever considered selling some or your swimmers on Craigslist for a little extra scratch, you might want to give it a little more thought. William Marotta, who did just that, wound up having to pay child support for his biological child, despite having signed away all rights to the little guys and any humans that might get made from them. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/34169kLhbpc/craigslist-sperm-donor-gets-stuck-with-child-support

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Star Wars Miniland at Legoland Florida

On?our trip to Legoland last week? (a Christmas?gift for our sons), my family and I were greeted with a wonderful surprise: All six episodes of Star Wars as told in Lego bricks.

I still can?t believe I didn?t know about it beforehand! It was in the press?when it opened on November 9th, but I guess I wasn?t paying attention. Earlier in 2012, a Star Wars Miniland had opened at Legoland Windsor, and the one at Legoland California has been open since March 2011 and an expansion has recently been added.

GeekMom has written plenty?already about Legoland Florida, so?while my husband and I were planning our trip, I wasn?t considering post fodder. But there it was ??some fresh new geekery to shout about to the masses. GeekMom Dakster?s husband trooped at the grand opening, but I think I might have been the first GeekMom to actually see it (and be it known it?s rare for me to be the first GeekMom to get to do anything this cool!).

And we almost missed it altogether! It?s tucked in a wooded area towards the back of the Miniland U.S.A. section of the park. You Moms know how it goes ? the kids see something off in the distance and you?re getting pulled in a different direction than you were intending. In our case, while we were at Miniland USA, the kids were begging to ride on the Dragon rollercoaster in the Lego Kingdom section.

Enjoy some pictures from our visit!

Source: http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/entertainment/~3/i0zovwMr8YU/

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STEVE VAI Endorses MOTION DEVICE Keyboardist's Cover Of 'For The Love Of God' On Facebook

In the clip below, MOTION DEVICE's 15-year-old Andrea Menoudakis covers legendary guitarist STEVE VAI's 'For The Love Of God' on piano. Vai has posted the clip on his official Facebook page in support of Menoudakis' performance.

Check it out below along with Vai's original recording of the track:

For information on Motion Device go to this location.

Source: http://www.bravewords.com/news/196221

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Bedard: Cowboys-Redskins ? fitting finale to 2012

Romo and Dallas battle RG3 and Washington for the NFC East title Sunday night (NBC)

By Greg Bedard

NBCSports.com contributor

updated 1:27 a.m. ET Dec. 29, 2012

After 255 games, the NFL regular season will come down to one of the league?s most historically intense rivalries ? Cowboys at Redskins ? on Sunday Night Football.

The NFC East title is on the line, and with it, an automatic berth into the postseason. The Cowboys have to win to claim their first postseason berth since 2009. The Redskins could lose and still return to the playoffs for the first time since 2007, but only if the Bears and Vikings drop their earlier games.

Both teams enter the game hot. The Redskins have won six straight, while the Cowboys have won four of six.

Not a bad setting for the 106th edition of this rivalry.

"When you think about the Cowboys and Redskins, it's always been a rivalry," Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware said. "Now there's a little bit more at stake. This is like a statement game, one of those games where you can prove to a lot of people no matter what goes on with your team, guys being (injured), you can get a win. You can still play well because it's a team game. It's not just one player out there playing."

There is probably more pressure on the Cowboys (8-7) than the Redskins (9-6). This is the third time in five years Dallas has faced a win-and-in scenario on the road in its final game. Each previous time, not only have the Cowboys lost, they?ve completely flamed out: 44-6 vs. Philadelphia in 2008 and 31-14 vs. the New York Giants (31-14) last year.

Naturally, most fans are expecting the same old Cowboys to show up at FedEx Field, something the players are keenly aware of.

?It can?t be the same ol? story,? tight end Jason Witten said. ?It?s hard to get in this situation and play for a division title. It?s a great opportunity for us. Hopefully those past experiences have helped develop us so we can be better in this situation. But it is, it?s a different experience. Obviously, different opponent and it?s going to be a tough challenge.?

For the Redskins, this is uncharted territory for many of their players, including standout rookie quarterback Robert Griffith III.

"For guys like myself (and) the other rookies, we're fresh into this rivalry," Griffin said. "But we can definitely sense how the fans feel, how some of the guys who have been here for many years feel about the Cowboys, and that's the mindset we have to take on. We're doing it for them. We're doing it for the fans."

One more go ?round for the NFL and the NFC East. Time to see who wants to keep playing. This is more than a statement game, this is a defining game for those that enter.

A look at the three keys for each team heading in Sunday night?s game:

COWBOYS
Stop Alfred Morris: Everyone knows how dangerous of a weapon Griffin can be because you have to fear the run and the pass with him. The Cowboys need to do everything they can to make the Redskins more predictable and one-dimensional, and that means you need to them in bad down and distance situations, particularly on third down.

You do that by stopping rookie running back Alfred Morris, who has 1,413 yards. In the first matchup against the Cowboys, Morris had 113 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. He?s had at least 20 carries in the Redskins? last seven games.

Limiting Morris is going to be a tough chore for the Cowboys because they?re so beat up. Nose tackle Jay Ratliff is out, and outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (elbow/shoulder) will have limited reps. Ware will gut it through, but it might not be enough with down to backups Dan Connor, Ernie Sims and Alex Albright at inside linebacker. Sims is questionable after dealing with a concussion.

If Morris is able to run wild and set up Griffin, the rest might not matter.

Grind it out through the air: Because the Redskins are so dynamic offensively and the Cowboys are so beat up, the Cowboys would greatly benefit by winning the time of possession battle. You usually do that on the ground, but the Cowboys are so anemic running the ball ? DeMarco Murray has averaged 3.7 yards per carry since returning from a foot injury.

And he?ll be facing the fifth-ranked Redskins rush defense (95.5 yards per game), that it will be up to quarterback Tony Romo to control the game by throwing it. Romo has been hot in December ? 66.4 completion percentage, 1,328 yards with 10 touchdowns and one interception ? so they need to ride him again.

Keep throwing: The combination of Romo to receiver Dez Bryant has been on fire with 10 touchdowns in the past seven games, including last Sunday?s nine-catch, 224-yard and two-touchdown performance against the Saints. Bryant had eight catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns in the Thanksgiving game against the Redskins.

Washington doesn?t really have anybody to cover Bryant. DeAngelo Hall couldn?t contain him last year, so they tried Josh Wilson this year to no avail. The Redskins could also try rookie Richard Crawford, or the unheralded D.J. Johnson, who had a rough game against the Eagles last week. Even the safety play has been spotty.

In short, Romo and the Cowboys should be able to throw against the Redskins and make some plays, provided the improved offensive line gives him the opportunity.

REDSKINS
Make Romo eat elsewhere: The Cowboys will want to pass, and Romo will try to feed Bryant and tight end Jason Witten. Don?t let them. Double-team Bryant with a safety over the top, and pound/re-route Witten as soon as he breaks off the line.

Make Romo try to beat you throwing to unreliable Miles Austin, Kevin Ogletree and Dwayne Harris, and with checkdowns to backs DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones.

The odds are strong that Romo and the Cowboys won?t be able to outpoint the Redskins that way.

Block Anthony Spencer: Cowboys right outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware gets all the accolades, which he should as a perennial All-Pro with 11.5 sacks this season. But left outside linebacker Anthony Spencer has been very good of late as he finished his contract before becoming a free agent.

Ware will wear a brace on his injured right shoulder and have his reps limited, so it will be up to Spencer to pick up the pace. He?s a big key against the Redskins? read-option run game, and has done a great job in that area this season. Spencer is also an emerging pass rusher.

The Redskins are a bit weak at right tackle with starter Tyler Polumbus (concussion) cleared but questionable. Backup Maurice Hurt had some issues last week against the Eagles that he can?t afford against a talent like Spencer.

Don?t stop attacking: The Redskins led the Cowboys 28-3 on Thanksgiving and nearly blew the game. Dallas has made a living out of falling behind early and then rallying for either victory or a close defeat.

The Redskins must continue to put distance between themselves and the Cowboys, because once Romo gets in a groove, he?s hard to stop.

? 2012 NBC Sports.com? Reprints

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More newsHunter Martin / Getty Images Contributor

Prime-time win for?Redskins

PFT Picks: For the second straight year, the NFC East title game returns to prime time in Week 17. For the second straight year, the Cowboys come up short.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50315886/ns/sports-nfl/

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New Washington state minimum wage takes effect Jan. 1

Washington's minimum wage increases 15 cents to $9.19 an hour beginning Jan. 1.

Washington's minimum wage applies to workers in all industries, including agriculture, although 14- and 15-year-olds may be paid 85 percent of the adult minimum wage, or $7.81 an hour.

The Department of Labor & Industries adjusts the state's minimum wage each year in September as required by Initiative 688, which Washington state voters approved in 1998. The initiative requires the state to adjust the minimum wage according to the change in the federal "CPI-W," which is a national index covering the cost of goods and services needed for day-to-day living. That index rose 1.67 percent during the 12 months ending Aug. 31, 2012.

L&I provides an announcement of the 2013 minimum wage to print out and use as needed. The announcement is not required by L&I or Washington law. It is provided as a convenience.

Employers are still required to post the "Your Rights as a Worker" poster, which provides general information about the minimum wage and other topics.

Free workplace posters are available from any L&I office or by calling 1?866-219-7321 or downloading from the L&I website at www.posters.Lni.wa.gov.

?

Source: http://feeds.soundpublishing.com/~r/bchnews/~3/ddidIHxBrFQ/185189212.html

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GOP Weekly Address: Senator Roy Blunt Discusses Progress on Avoiding the Fiscal Cliff

United States Senate(WASHINGTON) -- In this week?s Republican address, Missouri Senator Roy Blunt highlighted the need for Republicans and Democrats to solve the fiscal cliff.

?Divided government is a good time to solve hard problems?and in the next few days, leaders in Washington have an important responsibility to work together and do just that,? Blunt states.

The fiscal cliff could possibly ?lead to devastating job losses at a time when American families and small business owners are still struggling to get back on their feet,? according to Blunt.

Yet, Republicans in the House have specifically worked to pass ?bills to protect all Americans from burdensome tax increases? and ?passed legislation to replace damaging across-the-board spending cuts with responsible targeted ones, and to bring our nation?s record debt under control.?

It is now the Senate?s turn to move legislation forward.

Blunt concludes, ?We still can avoid going over the fiscal cliff if the President and the Democrat-controlled Senate step forward this week and work with Republicans to solve this problem and solve it now.?

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/abcnewsradio/politicsnews/~3/MOyHS2v43Mw/gop-weekly-address-senator-roy-blunt-discusses-progress-on-a.html

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jontusingh: layanau: writ trig: Bodybuilding Basics | Sports n ...

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Source: http://gerladina-personalized.blogspot.com/2012/12/layanau-writ-trig-bodybuilding-basics.html

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Source: http://kdiarfu.posterous.com/layanau-writ-trig-bodybuilding-basics-sports

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Source: http://oynmyd.posterous.com/layanau-writ-trig-bodybuilding-basics-sports

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Source: http://jontusingh2.blogspot.com/2012/12/layanau-writ-trig-bodybuilding-basics.html

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Praying Hitler in ex-Warsaw ghetto sparks emotion

A statue by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan shows Adolf Hitler praying on his knees in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday Dec. 28, 2012. The work, ?HIM? has been drawing visitors since it was installed last month and even some anger. One Jewish group, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, this week condemned the work?s placement in the former ghetto as ?a senseless provocation which insults the memory of the Nazis' Jewish victims.?. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

A statue by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan shows Adolf Hitler praying on his knees in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday Dec. 28, 2012. The work, ?HIM? has been drawing visitors since it was installed last month and even some anger. One Jewish group, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, this week condemned the work?s placement in the former ghetto as ?a senseless provocation which insults the memory of the Nazis' Jewish victims.?. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

A statue by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan of Adolf Hitler praying on his knees in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday Dec. 28, 2012. The work, ?HIM? has been drawing visitors since it was installed last month and even some anger. One Jewish group, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, this week condemned the work?s placement in the former ghetto as ?a senseless provocation which insults the memory of the Nazis' Jewish victims.?. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

A statue by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan of Adolf Hitler praying on his knees in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday Dec. 28, 2012. The work, ?HIM? has been drawing visitors since it was installed last month and even some anger. One Jewish group, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, this week condemned the work?s placement in the former ghetto as ?a senseless provocation which insults the memory of the Nazis' Jewish victims.?. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

WARSAW, Poland (AP) ? A statue of Adolf Hitler praying on his knees is on display in the former Warsaw Ghetto, the place where so many Jews were killed or sent to their deaths by Hitler's regime, and it is provoking mixed reactions.

The work, "HIM" by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, has drawn many visitors since it was installed last month. It is visible only from a distance, and the artist doesn't make explicit what Hitler is praying for, but the broader point, organizers say, is to make people reflect on the nature of evil.

In any case, some are angered by the statue's presence in such a sensitive site.

One Jewish advocacy group, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, this week called the statue's placement "a senseless provocation which insults the memory of the Nazis' Jewish victims."

"As far as the Jews were concerned, Hitler's only 'prayer' was that they be wiped off the face of the earth," the group's Israel director, Efraim Zuroff, said in a statement.

However, many others are praising the artwork, saying it has a strong emotional impact. And organizers defend putting it on display in the former ghetto.

Fabio Cavallucci, director of the Center for Contemporary Art, which oversaw the installation, said, "There is no intention from the side of the artist or the center to insult Jewish memory."

"It's an artwork that tries to speak about the situation of hidden evil everywhere," he said.

The Warsaw ghetto was an area of the city which the Nazis sealed off after they invaded Poland. They forced Jews to live in cramped, inhuman conditions there as they awaited deportation to death camps. Many died from hunger or disease or were shot by the Germans before they could be transported to the camps.

The Hitler installation is just one object in a retrospective of Cattelan's work titled "Amen," a show that explores life, death, good and evil. The other works are on display at the center itself, which is housed in the Ujazdowski Castle.

The Hitler representation is visible from a hole in a wooden gate across town on Prozna Street. Viewers only see the back of the small figure praying in a courtyard. Because of its small size, it appears to be a harmless schoolboy.

"Every criminal was once a tender, innocent and defenseless child," the center said in a commentary on the work.

Poland's chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, said he was consulted on the installation's placement ahead of time and did not oppose it because he saw value in the artist's attempt to try to raise moral questions by provoking viewers.

He said he was reassured by curators who told him there was no intention of rehabilitating Hitler but rather of showing that evil can present itself in the guise of a "sweet praying child."

"I felt there could be educational value to it," said Schudrich, who also wrote an introduction to the exhibition's catalogue in which he says art can "force us to face the evil of the world."

On Friday, a stream of people walked by to view the work, and many praised it.

"It had a big emotional impact on me. It's provocative, but it's not offensive," said Zofia Jablonska, a 30-year-old lawyer. "Having him pray in the place where he would kill people ? this was the best place to put it."

Cattelan caused controversy in Warsaw in 2000 when another gallery showed his work "La Nona Ora" ? or "The Ninth Hour" ? which depicts the late Pope John Paul II being crushed by a meteorite. That offended many in Poland, which is both deeply Catholic and was John Paul's homeland.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-12-28-Poland-Praying%20Hitler/id-20ce1da9b25045c9ba34a02d977c5d1d

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New Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz: Climate Change Is the "Most Urgent Challenge of Our Generation" (Little green footballs)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273479333?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Essential Apps for Kids and Teens - Helge Scherlund's eLearning ...

Get Started with These Essential Apps for Kids and Teens today.

Did your kid get a new smartphone or tablet over the holidays? (Or maybe you got a new device, and you're handing your old one down.) If so, we've got the perfect list of apps to get them started.

Our editors have combed through thousands of apps and picked their top 10 recommendations for kids ages 2-17 for the iPad, iPhone, Android phone/tablet, and Kindle Fire.

Related link
Starter Kits for iPad, iPhone, Android, and Kindle Fire

Enjoy these apps!

Source: Common Sense Media?

Source: http://scherlund.blogspot.com/2012/12/essential-apps-for-kids-and-teens.html

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Family Philanthropy | GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca

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Top Small Business 2013 Predictions and Trends (Infographic ...

Since all the hoopla about the Mayans proved to be untrue, we?ve once again reached ?prediction time? ? the time of year when everyone publishes their small business 2013 predictions.

I received a lot of great feedback for my ?Top Small Business 2012 Predictions and Trends Infographic? last year so I thought I?d spend some time creating one again for 2013.

I?ve reviewed and analyzed 70 small business 2013 predictions and trends posts and broke them down into high-level topics for your consumption.

You see, the only downside to ?prediction time? is that the sheer number of predictions and trends posts makes it hard to pull out the top topics ? the areas on which to focus in the year to come.

Never fear however because I?ve done that work for you once again! That?s right, I?ve reviewed and analyzed 70 small business 2013 predictions and trends posts and broke them down into high-level topics for your consumption.

And, if you?re just looking for a quick look ahead, I?ve even compiled the top predictions and trends into a handy infographic!

So read on and see what the future has in store for your small business in 2013.

Happy New Year!!!

Top Small Business Predictions and Trends 2013:
The Infographic

Below is the ?Top Small Business Predictions and Trends 2013? infographic. Below the infographic, you will find:

1. A closer look at the top small business 2013 predictions and trends, and
2. Links to the 70 small business predictions and trends posts for 2013 that I reviewed to gather data.

Notes:

1. Feel free to share this image on your own site. All you need to do is include this link either above or below the image: http://www.mattaboutbusiness.com/top-small-business-2013-predictions-and-trends-infographic/trackback
2. Click on the infographic image below to view a bigger version.
3. You can also download this infographic as a PDF.

Top Small Business Predictions and Trends 2012:
A Closer Look

Some Old and Some New Faces In the Top 5 Predictions and Trends

Even though three of last year?s top five predictions and trends are still around, focus has shifted in new directions.

There are some new, and very compelling, faces in the top 5 this year. And, even though three of last year?s top five are still around, focus has shifted in new directions.

1. Mobile, continues to dominate the top five predictions and trends however, businesses are starting to move beyond ?being mobile? to strategies and tactics that are enabled by the mobile platform:
   1. SoLoMo (the convergence of social media, local marketing and the mobile platform) continues to be a hot topic of conversation however, there?s a new term that?s buzzing strong, ?Context Marketing?. Essentially, context marketing means delivering the right message to the right person at the right time, the holy grail of marketing. Look for lots of activity in the race to deliver ?personalized? marketing.
   2. The ability to pay, and accept payments, via a mobile device is the key to the ?Mobile Wallet?. Many solutions are already available with many more to come. And, when the mobile wallet is combined with loyalty programs such as points or number of visits, we?re going to see this trend explode.
   3. Having a website that looks good no matter on what device it is viewed is called ?Responsive Design?. At the core, this means having a mobile-ready website, one that looks good on phones and tablets alike. Talking about tablets, the huge number of tablets now out in consumer?s hands is driving designers to use the tablet interface as the standard upon which all content will be designed to be viewed.
2. Advertising and marketing continues to be a high-priority for small businesses however, there are a couple of new trends to which you should pay attention:
   1. Visual marketing, videos in particular, seem to be the new standard for content delivery online. Videos can be informative and entertaining, something that customers like very much. Look for more videos (both good and bad) and a new focus on YouTube as a marketing platform.
   2. Thanks to the many changes in search engine optimization (SEO) rules during 2012, content marketing will continue to be the key to attracting attention online. Included in that are the subcategories of content filtering, curation and aggregation, all valuable types of content that help customers cut through the noise to find the information they need.
3. Social media continues to be a hot topic, but it?s almost taken for granted that a small business needs to be there these days. Two interesting new trends include:
   1. The impact of social influencers, those with strong followings on the various social media networks, will continue to grow and can be harnessed by smart marketers who make use of those influencers to reach their followers.
   2. ?Social TV? and ?Social News? are two new terms to me, but they?ve both been growing in popularity over the past few years. Social TV is the ability to comment and share during a show?s airtime and social news is the trend where ?citizen reporters? are posting the news that others consume.? Both of these trends have begun to change both the way we are entertained and the way we learn about the world around us.
4. Business intelligence makes its debut this year with a focus on three important trends:
   1. ?Big Data?, that pool of information that businesses collect about each of us, will continue to be mined for any and all insights into consumer buying behavior, wants and needs. 2013 will likely see big data become more accessible to small businesses so that they can start reaping the rewards of analyzing you and me.
   2. More and more small businesses will pay close attention to their website and social media metrics. They will analyze and act on what they find as well, all in an attempt to maximize their return on investment (ROI) which?
   3. ?is the final piece of the business intelligence puzzle. Armed with real-time metrics and reports, small businesses will be able to change their courses mid-stream and maximize the return on all their hard work.
5. Lastly, one of the most interesting new trends arising in 2013 is the increase in?Customer Power. Customers could always make or break a small business, but now they can reach both far and wide. Using review sites, social media updates, forums and more, they can praise you or complain about you and there?s not much you can do about it (aside from slander). The key to success here is twofold:
   1. Give them a safe place to complain by building relationships and communities online. If customers feel that they can be served there, then they will head on over before posting a bad review or bad-mouthing you on Facebook.
   2. And, for those times that bad things do happen, small businesses need to make use of reputation management tools and techniques so that those situations can be quickly (and hopefully happily) resolved.

Other Predictions and Trends

Here are some other interesting predictions and trends that caught my eye:

• The Power of Crowds ? yep, the use of crowdfunding, crowdsourcing and crowdsolving will continue to grow in 2013.
• Remote Workforce - with the ability to collaborate from anywhere and the growing trend to hire non-permanent workers such as freelancers, 2013 just may be the year of working remotely.
• Micro Startups ? with so many folks still out of work, the rise of successful solopreneurs serving niche markets will continue.
• Shift Back Towards Paid Content ? a couple of the posts I read argued that this was bound to start happening in 2013. I?ll be interested to see if this model, which did not fare to well a few years ago, will regain a foothold online.

Finally, Some Good Resources and a Bit of Fun

• Good roundups to check out:
• Interesting overall trends:
• REALLY Useful!
• Some fun:

Top Small Business Predictions and Trends 2012:
The Infographic Links

Below, in no particular order, are the links to the 70 small business predictions and trends posts for 2013 that I reviewed to gather data for the infographic above.

1. 2013: Adding Context to Content
2. Your Guide to Mobile Marketing in 2013
3. 7 Hot Trends for Small Business in 2013
4. 2013 Business Predictions for Small Business Owners
5. Hyperlocal Execs? 2013 Predictions: Goodman, Tolles, Kucharz, and More?
6. SMB analytics: Deconstructing 3 small business predictions for 2013
7. Dydacomp Shares Top Predictions for Small Business in 2013
8. Emma Jones?s 2013 Small Business Predictions
9. Tech trends to transform small business in 2013
10. The 2013 Marketing Predictions: Content Marketing And Social Business
11. 5 Trends That Will Shape Small Business in 2013
12. 7 ?Small Business? Social Media Trends for 2013 with Mike Roberts
13. Small Business Owners Think Local For 2013
14. 14 Experts Predict 2013 Social Media Trends for Small Business
15. 5 Trends in 2013 That Small Business Owners Can?t Afford to Ignore
16. Top Franchise Trends for 2013
17. 8 Online Reputation Management Trends and Predictions for 2013
18. Seven big trends for small businesses in 2013
19. Four small business marketing trends for 2013 (Video)
20. 13 small business marketing trends to watch in 2013
21. The Rise of Big Data
22. The Workspace of the Future
23. Using Transparency to Build Consumer Trust
24. 5 Small Business Trends to Embrace in 2013
25. 2013 Startup Trends
26. Growing Small Business Trends for 2013
27. 6 Small Business Marketing Trends For 2013
28. 2013 Online Marketing Trends For Small Business
29. 5 Hot E-Commerce for Small Business Trends to Watch
30. 2013 Technology Trends for UK Small Businesses
31. Four Small Business Trends For 2013
32. Five Top 2013 Trends for Small Business Social Media Engagement Using Content Marketing
33. 3 Small Business Marketing Trends for 2013
34. Social Business: 5 Trends To Watch For 2013 And Beyond
35. 5 Key Trends That Will Play A Pivotal Role For Your Small Business in 2013
36. Marketing Trends In 2013 ? How Will They Affect Your Small Business?
37. Three SMB tech trends to watch in 2013
38. 9 Online Marketing Trends For 2013
39. Trends for 2013: Making Mobile-First a Priority
40. 5 Small Business Marketing Trends for 2013
41. 5 content marketing trends to keep an eye on in 2013
42. Small Business Online Trends 2013
43. Eight Small Business Digital Marketing Trends in 2013
44. 2013 Marketing Trends: What do Small Businesses Need to Know?
45. Top 3 Tech Trends Affecting Small Business in 2013
46. 5 tech oriented marketing trends for 2013
47. 26 Social Media Marketing Trends for 2013
48. Heads Up on Top 5 2013 Business Trends
49. Gartner Declares Top 10 Tech Trends for 2013
50. A Look Into the Future: Planning Ahead for 2013 Trends
51. Top 3 Distribution Technology Trends for 2013
52. 3 Marketing Trends for 2013
53. Top 5 Technology Trends for 2013
54. Marketing Trends for 2013
55. Online Business Trends for 2013: What You Need To Know
56. Top Trends for 2013: Marketing Moves On
57. 2013: The Year of Integrated Digital Marketing
58. Three Trends in Content Marketing
59. Is Your Business Ready for 2013? Look into the Future of Marketing to Find Out
60. Digital And Media Marketing Trends For 2013
61. Six Social-Digital Trends for 2013
62. Five Social Media Trends for 2013
63. 5 Mobile Marketing Tips and Trends for 2013
64. Top Business Trends for 2013
65. Small Business SEO Trends to Keep an Eye On
66. Seven eCommerce and Marketing Trends To Watch For In 2013
67. What?s Hot and What Could Suck About 2013 Communication Trends?
68. Predicted Social Media Trends in 2013
69. The Big Tech Trends of 2013
70. Lucky Thirteen: Marketing Trends for 2013

Source: http://www.mattaboutbusiness.com/top-small-business-2013-predictions-and-trends-infographic/

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A wet end to a busy Louisiana weather year | NOLA.com

The end of a busy weather year promises two more chances of rainfall, including on New Year's Eve. It will mark a wet end to 2012, which began with near-drought conditions in New Orleans.

Forecasters with the Slidell office of the National Weather Service are expecting another cold front to usher in showers and thunderstorms to the area Friday and Friday night."A few strong to severe thunderstorms are possible during the afternoon and early evening hours," says the service's hazardous weather outlook message. "The main threat will be damaging winds."

Expect highs in the upper 60s on Friday, accompanied by winds of 15 to 20 mph out of the southeast, with an 80-percent chance of precipitation. Temperatures will drop into the upper 40s Friday night, with winds shifting to out of the northwest at 15 to 25 mph after midnight.

Saturday will be cooler under partly cloudy skies, with highs in the 50s, and winds out of the north at 15 to 25 mph. The temperature will drop into the upper 30s in New Orleans and lower 30s on the north shore overnight Saturday, and reach only the lower 50s during the day on Sunday.

By Monday, the chance of rain begins to increase again, as high temperatures rise into the lower 60s. There's a 40 percent chance of showers for New Year's Eve, continuing into New Year's Day and Tuesday night, with highs in the mid-60s and lows in the 40s.

Things get cooler again on Wednesday, with highs only in the 50s, still under mostly cloudy skies with a continuing chance of rain.

While rain has been a significant story during 2012, it's the storm surge delivered by Hurricane Isaac on Aug. 29, exactly seven years after Katrina, that was the top weather story of the year, according to Louisiana State Climatologist Barry Keim.

?"The two areas hardest hit were Braithwaite and LaPlace, where several neighborhoods were inundated," he said. "It occurred amidst a busy 2012 hurricane season that was headlined by Hurricane Sandy."?Although only a Category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale, Isaac again proved that scale's limitations, as its slow forward speed and direction resulted in surge levels of more than 13 feet at the Lake Borgne barrier on the edge of eastern New Orleans and water heights of 7 feet in Lake Pontchartrain, Keim said.

Sandy had lost its tropical characteristics, but not its storm surge, as it hammered a significant portion of the East Coast, including the New York and New Jersey shorelines, in late October.?

?The second biggest weather story of the year was one that few people in the New Orleans area probably noticed: the unusually low level of the Mississippi River during much of the year.

"Obviously, that had nothing to do with drought conditions in Louisiana, but rather drought that was experienced across the Great Plains and the Midwest," Keim said, resulting in low rates of rainwater runoff entering the river.

Ironically, river water levels were so high in 2011 that the Army Corps of Engineers was forced to open both the Bonnet Carre Spillway west of New Orleans and the Morganza Floodway adjacent to the Old River Control Structure north of Baton Rouge.

But by mid-year 2012, water levels in the river were so low that Plaquemines Parish had to stop drawing drinking water from the river and switch to an alternative water supply, because saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico had traveled upstream to the parish's river water intake structures.

In August, the corps awarded a $5.8 million contract to a dredging company to build an underwater dam in the river channel at mile marker 65, to block the salt water before it reached the drinking water intakes for the city of New Orleans and Jefferson Parish.

Corps officials continue to check the dam at least once every two weeks to assure it hasn't eroded away, although higher water levels in the river during the past two weeks have helped keep the leading edge of salt water farther downstream.

On Thursday, the Mississippi was still at only 3.2 feet at the Carrollton Gauge in New Orleans, and is forecast to rise only to about 5 feet before dropping to 3 feet again by Jan. 18, according to the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center.

The third biggest weather story has been the state's flirtation with drought conditions during the year, Keim said.

"Statewide, rainfall amounts are going to be above normal for the year, but the timing and geographic location of the rain was irregular," he said. "We're still seeing regional drought conditions, with water levels above normal in the south, but not in the north, and vice versa for drought. But the majority of weeks this year had some part of Louisiana listed in drought conditions."

As of Thursday, New Orleans International Airport had measured 67.7 inches of rain, or almost 6 inches above normal, while Shreveport had measured 49.9 inches, almost an inch below normal.

Still, total rainfall amounts statewide were significantly higher this year than last, when more severe drought conditions were experienced throughout the state.

Last year, Shreveport had only 33 inches of rain, or close to 18 inches below normal, while the New Orleans airport saw 54.6 inches, or 7 inches below normal.

Indeed, the recent outbreaks of cold weather may stave off a record for the average statewide temperature for the year, Keim said. According to the National Climate Data Center, the average temperature for 12 months through November was 69.9 degrees, which was 1.9 degrees warmer than the 20th Century average annual temperature, and ranked as the 5th warmest similar 12-month period. The record for the same period was in 1927, when the average temperature was 70.6 degrees.

Source: http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2012/12/a_wet_end_to_a_busy_louisiana.html

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Spokesman: George H.W. Bush in intensive care

FILE - In a Tuesday, June 12, 2012 file photo, former President George H.W. Bush, and his wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, arrive for the premiere of HBO's new documentary on his life near the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said Wednesday, Dec. 26. 2012 that doctors at the Houston hospital where Bush has been treated for a month remain ?cautiously optimistic? that he will recover. Still, no discharge date has been set, and McGrath says that doctors are being cautious because at Bush?s age ?sometimes issues crop up that are beyond anybody?s ability to discern or foretell.?(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

FILE - In a Tuesday, June 12, 2012 file photo, former President George H.W. Bush, and his wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, arrive for the premiere of HBO's new documentary on his life near the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said Wednesday, Dec. 26. 2012 that doctors at the Houston hospital where Bush has been treated for a month remain ?cautiously optimistic? that he will recover. Still, no discharge date has been set, and McGrath says that doctors are being cautious because at Bush?s age ?sometimes issues crop up that are beyond anybody?s ability to discern or foretell.?(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

HOUSTON (AP) ? Former President George H.W. Bush has been admitted to the intensive care unit at a Houston hospital "following a series of setbacks including a persistent fever," but he is alert and talking to medical staff, his spokesman said Wednesday.

Jim McGrath, Bush's spokesman in Houston, said in a brief email that Bush was admitted to the ICU at Methodist Hospital on Sunday. He said doctors are cautiously optimistic about his treatment and that the former president "remains in guarded condition."

No other details were released about his medical condition, but McGrath said Bush is surrounded by family.

The 88-year-old has been hospitalized since Nov. 23, when he was admitted for a lingering cough related to bronchitis after having been in and out of the hospital for complications related to the illness.

Earlier Wednesday, McGrath said a fever that kept Bush in the hospital over Christmas had gotten worse and that doctors had put him on a liquids-only diet.

"It's an elevated fever, so it's actually gone up in the last day or two," McGrath told The Associated Press. "It's a stubborn fever that won't go away."

But he said the cough that initially brought Bush to the hospital has improved.

Bush was visited on Christmas by his wife, Barbara, his son, Neil, and Neil's wife, Maria, and a grandson, McGrath said. Bush's daughter, Dorothy, was expected to arrive Wednesday in Houston from Bethesda, Md. The 41st president has also been visited twice by his sons, George W. Bush, the 43rd president, and Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida.

Bush and his wife live in Houston during the winter and spend their summers at a home in Kennebunkport, Maine.

The former president was a naval aviator in World War II ? at one point the youngest in the Navy ? and was shot down over the Pacific. He achieved notoriety in retirement for skydiving on at least three of his birthdays since leaving the White House in 1992.

___

Plushnick-Masti can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RamitMastiAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-26-Bush%20Hospitalized/id-67312f9230a84781acb118b71910e0d5

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Egypt's ex-dictator moved to military hospital

By Taha Belal and Ayman Mohyeldin, NBC News

CAIRO ? Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is to be transferred from prison to a military hospital for medical treatment on the orders of?Egypt's public prosecutor, NBC News has confirmed.

Counselor Hassan Yassin, official spokesman for prosecutor Counselor Talaat Ibrahim,?told NBC News?that the decision was taken based on the former leader's medical reports.

Philippe Bouchon / AFP - Getty Images

The President of Egypt for nearly 30 years, Mubarak was an advocate for peace in the Middle East and a major U.S. ally, but Egyptians eventually grew tired of his corrupt regime and he was ousted in a popular revolt in February 2011.

He will be taken to a military hospital in Maadi, a suburb of Cairo.

Egypt's ex-dictator slips into coma

Mubarak was forced from power as part of the Arab Spring uprisings in February 2011, ending three decades of increasingly totalitarian rule.

He is serving a life sentence in prison for his role in killing protesters during the uprising, and has been in prison hospital for most of his time in jail.?

More world stories from NBC News:

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

?

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/27/16188852-egypts-ex-dictator-mubarak-to-be-moved-to-military-hospital?lite

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Simple Self Improvement Tips That You Should Try | Andie ...

Self improvement is very subjective, but each individual can arm themselves with the most information available. If you want to grow and be a better person, start with learning and applying that knowledge to your life as often as possible.

One of the most basic requirements for your effective personal development is to willingly choose to change who you are. If we want to grow or change, we have to accept and choose the change.

People who are looking for self improvement methods often make the mistake of setting goals that are too vague or too hard to target. Make a specific goal for yourself. When you have specific goals set, you will find that you get results.

You will be healthier and you will go further than you ever thought possible. Being in a good state of health makes anyone feel better. You will feel stronger and have more control over your time and money since you won?t have as many medical expenses. Place a priority on having good health.

TIP! Exercise should be a part of everyone?s routine. There are lots of good, healthy reasons for exercising.

Write a pep talk to yourself. Get a postcard and fill it with positives about yourself, your personality and your accomplishments. You can take this with you wherever you go, and review it when you want motivation. Even better, read it aloud on video and watch the video often. What good would this do?

Be pleased about all that you can do well instead of focusing on what you cannot do. Everybody has unique skills, and it?s those skills that make our world diverse and an excellent planet to live on. Rather than worrying about the skills you don?t have, concentrate instead on the skills you do possess, and the success you can achieve with them.

Try to make the most out the time you are working. One trick to doing this, is to take more breaks. It can seem like the opposite would be true, but taking mini breaks frequently will allow you to feel less bored, and get more done during the times you are working.

You must understand that a divide exists between where you currently are, and the place you would like to go. This attitude will help you get started on your journey to improve yourself. Without a clear understanding of exactly where you need to go, the process of achieving your personal development goals will be long and frustrating.

TIP! Failure at some task can seem like a devastating injury to your self confidence. It is just a learning experience along your path! Failure helps you figure out what you are good at and what needs improvement.

Go to the movies with a friend to help overcome anxiety. Movies are wonderful ways to socialize without feeling like you have to carry on a conversation. It will help you get used to the social scene.

Are you having trouble meeting someone that you can love and call your own? Try the world wide web. Almost half of all couples meet online. Your special someone could be looking for you right now. Each has its good and bad points.

Learning to react selflessly is a sign of progress in the path of personal development. Your inner character will benefit greatly from helping others, and making sacrifices to do it. When you can decide to make a sacrifice that will help another person, and it doesn?t end up jeopardizing your well being, then you will become the person you?ve been searching for.

You should work on ensuring that each day is an improvement over the previous one. Push yourself to achieve growth that is constant and unwavering. Try and improve yourself daily.

TIP! Use your core principals to your advantage. Everyone has certain beliefs that reinforce their sense of self at the core.

Regardless of your surroundings, you should be ready to record ideas when they come to mind. Carry a journal or diary with you, everywhere you go. Just write down what their idea or thought is and then develop it more when you have the time and are feeling creative.

In this article, we have provided some valuable tips. Implement them into your daily life and your personal growth journey will be a fulfilling one. Always keep your eyes peeled for new ideas that will help you grow into a better person who is more productive and relaxed.

If you enjoyed this post, please ?like and share? this content for more.

Have an empowering day!

Entrepreneur/Attraction Marketer
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Source: http://www.empowernetwork.com/andreapetoskey/blog/simple-self-improvement-tips-that-you-should-try/

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?Yes, I Can!? Is The #1 Self Improvement Mantra! - Empower Network

You?re in the correct place if you?re concerned about you can grow personally. In this article we will discuss many self improvement tips. You can easily implement them into your life and begin to make the changes you desire.

Make sure you treat all people with respect, no matter who they are, how powerful they are or what benefits you can obtain from them. How you treat someone says a lot about the kind of character you possess.

Making yourself number one, and not overextending yourself, is very important. You are responsible for your own personal happiness, but this shouldn?t be at the expense of other people?s feelings. If you remain true to yourself while honoring your personal code of ethics, you will be better prepared to develop yourself more fully.

Strive to be the best at whatever it is you do. Use your passions to fuel your journey of personal fulfillment. The fact is that we can never be the absolute best at a single thing, but we can aspire to be an inspiration to others in our fields. Do what you can to improve yourself in your work, and you should feel more confident.

Keep looking for new challenges you are interested in. This can create new possibilities in your life. It is possible to gain new abilities and new perspectives. You could end up creating something new or doing something no one else has done. Be your own greatest inspiration, instead of following in the footsteps of others.

You can use your willpower to make your life more positive, which means that the wishes you have for others can impact your circumstances, as well. For this reason, it is important to wish only positive things for the people in your life. If you try to remain positive in all aspects of your life, you will not be as likely to get dragged down by sadness, anger and other negative feelings.

You only need to remember one key to live and lead a successful life. It is important to play an active role in your own life story, instead of just watching it pass by. Being alive means learning, exploring, and forever enhancing your own personal development.

Taking a few risks can help you feel happier. It is not uncommon for an individual to avoid the feeling of rejection or failure while at at the same time, leading a life that they feel is confining and unfulfilled. Taking some chances is a key component of happiness. It demonstrates courage and a lust for life.

Let your personal principles guide your self improvement. Your personality is strongly shaped and supported by these principles. Having a good foundation based on your core principles will benefit your sense of self esteem. This practice will encourage consistency, a valuable character trait to keep.

Getting and staying healthy is one of the most important parts of self improvement. Eating right and working out are part of the equation, but motivation is the real key. If you feel healthy, then you will always be at the top of your game, which makes it easier to meet your other personal development goals.

If you experience anxiety in social situations, ask a friend to join you at the movie theater. This gives you the opportunity to engage in a social activity that does not have a lot of risk. In addition, it enables you to accustom yourself to being in an environment with many other people.

If you take care of your health you will be able to get the most out of your self improvement. Achieving your self improvement goals is more likely if you keep your energy levels high by getting a sufficient amount of sleep, exercising on a regular basis, and maintaining a nutritious diet. Although it seems so simple, this can be a struggle for some people.

Writing out your goals will help you develop your own plan for personal growth. Find things you want to possess, a career you want to pursue or a quality you want to acquire. Next, think of different ideas and resources that could help you to achieve that goal. Next, place yourself in scenarios where that is possible. When you tackle it methodically, you give yourself a better chance at succeeding.

Now that you know some things to help you personally develop yourself, feel better about starting out! Self improvement is a goal that requires continuous searching for inspiration and new ideas, but once you begin it is much easier to keep learning and growing.

P.S.-If you love personal development and would love to make an extra $1000/day blogging with it, find out how my 2 friends are helping thousands of people make money about their passions ===> Discover why this game-changer is the most bad-ass personal development plan in the industry?s history!

Source: http://www.empowernetwork.com/valentinocrawford/blog/yes-i-can-is-the-1-self-improvement-mantra/

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VP says Chavez up, walking; doubts persist

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? Vice President Nicolas Maduro surprised Venezuelans with a Christmas Eve announcement that President Hugo Chavez is up and walking two weeks after cancer surgery in Cuba, but the news did little to ease uncertainty surrounding the leader's condition.

Sounding giddy, Maduro told state television Venezolana de Television that he had spoken by phone with Chavez for 20 minutes Monday night. It was the first time a top Venezuelan government official had confirmed talking personally with Chavez since the Dec. 11 operation, his fourth cancer surgery since 2011.

"He was in a good mood," Maduro said. "He was walking, he was exercising."

Chavez supporters reacted with relief, but the statement inspired more questions, given the sparse information the Venezuelan government has provided so far about the president's cancer. Chavez has kept secret various details about his illness, including the precise location of the tumors and the type of cancer. His long-term prognosis remains a mystery.

Dr. Michael Pishvaian, an oncologist at Georgetown University's Lombardi Cancer Center in Washington, said it was an encouraging sign that Chavez was walking, and it indicated he would be able to return to Venezuela relatively soon. But he said the long term outlook remained poor.

"It's definitely good news. It means that he is on the road to recover fully from the surgery," Pishvaian said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "The overall prognosis is still pretty poor. He likely has a terminal diagnosis with his cancer that has come back."

Pishvaian and other outside doctors have said that given the details Chavez has provided about his cancer, it is most likely a soft-tissue sarcoma.

Chavez first underwent surgery for an unspecified type of pelvic cancer in Cuba in June 2011 and went back this month after tests had found a return of malignant cells in the same area where tumors were previously removed.

Venezuelan officials said that, following the six-hour surgery two weeks ago, Chavez suffered internal bleeding that was stanched and a respiratory infection that was being treated.

Maduro's announcement came just hours after Information Minister Ernesto Villegas read a statement saying Chavez was showing "a slight improvement with a progressive trend."

Dr. Carlos Castro, director of the Colombian League against Cancer, an association that promotes cancer prevention, treatment and education, said Maduro's announcement was too vague to paint a clear picture of Chavez's condition.

"It's possible (that he is walking) because everything is possible," Castro told AP. "They probably had him sit in up in bed and take two steps."

"It's unclear what they mean by exercise. Was it four little steps?" he added. "I think he is still in critical condition."

Maduro's near-midnight announcement came just as Venezuelan families were gathering for traditional late Christmas Eve dinners and setting off the usual deafening fireworks that accompany the festivities. There was still little outward reaction on a quiet Christmas morning.

Danny Moreno, a software technician watching her 2-year-old son try out his new tricycle, was among the few people at a Caracas plaza who said she had heard Maduro's announcement. She said she saw a government Twitter message saying an announcement was coming and her mother rushed to turn on the TV.

"We all said, thank God, he's okay," she said, smiling.

Dr. Gustavo Medrano, a lung specialist at the Centro Medico hospital in Caracas, said if Chavez is talking, it suggests he is breathing on his own despite the respiratory infection and is not in intensive care. But Medrano said he remained skeptical about Maduro's comments and could deduce little from them about Chavez's prognosis for recovery.

"I have no idea because if it was such a serious, urgent, important operation, and that was 14 days ago, I don't think he could be walking and exercising after a surgery like that," Medrano said.

Over the weekend, Chavez's ally, Bolivian President Evo Morales, made a lightning visit to Cuba that only added to the uncertainty.

Journalists had been summoned to cover his arrival and departure in Havana, but hours later that invitation was canceled. No explanation was given, though it could have been due to confusion over Morales' itinerary as he apparently arrived later than initially scheduled.

Cuban state media published photos of President Raul Castro receiving Morales at the airport and said he came "to express his support" for Chavez, his close ally, but did not give further details. He left Sunday without making any public comments.

For the second day in a row Tuesday, Morales made no mention of his trip to Cuba during public events in Bolivia.

Yet more questions surround Chavez's political future, with the surgery coming two months after he won re-election to a six-year term.

If he is unable to continue in office, the Venezuelan Constitution calls for new elections to be held. Chavez has asked his followers to back Maduro, his hand-picked successor, in that event.

Venezuelan officials have said Chavez might not return in time for his Jan. 10 inauguration.

Opposition leaders have argued that the constitution does not allow the president's swearing-in to be postponed, and say new elections should be called if Chavez is unable to take the oath on time.

But government officials have said the constitution lets the Supreme Court administer the oath of office at any time if the National Assembly is unable to do it Jan. 10 as scheduled.

___

Associated Press writers Peter Orsi in Havana, Vivian Sequera in Caracas, Camilo Hernandez in Bogota, Colombia, and Paola Flores in La Paz, Bolivia, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vp-says-chavez-walking-doubts-persist-175119675.html

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

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/googlemoneyscam

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Harper College for Firefox 0.6.5.0

Harper College is a Firefox and Google Chrome theme especially designed for Harper College Athletics fans. It brings news from all sports, and it integrates with Twitter and Facebook.

Harper College is an add-on designed to work with the Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer web browsers.

This add-on doesn't require you to restart the web browser.

Product's homepage

Requirements:

? Mozilla Firefox

Source: http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Firefox-Extensions/Harper-College-Firefox-95159.shtml

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MacNN | iPhone News: Analyst: Apple 'iTV' ships late 2013; iPhone '5S' in June

Expected products include prepaid iPhone 4, IGZO screen upgrades

Yet another analyst firm has made its Apple prognostications for calendar year 2013. Investment firm Jefferies has guessed that Apple is going to launch its highly-anticipated television set in fall of 2013, bolstered by an "iPhone 5S" in June or July. The firm also believes a fifth-generation iPad will be be released in June, with an IGZO screen.

The research document, penned by Jefferies analysts Peter Misek, has no supporting data. Despite the lack of solid proof, Misek believes that "iTV prototypes are also floating around. Gesture and voice control along with new user interface are the main innovations." UK broadcast network iTV owns the name selected by Misek for the product, and has indicated it will not license the name to Apple (former CEO Steve Jobs wanted the name for the Apple TV) so the product would have to be named something else on release.

Possible updates to the next iPhone are listed as a Sharp-manufactured IGZO screen that the analyst calls a "Retina+" display, as well as models with 128GB of storage and multiple color options beyond just black and white.

A prepaid low-cost iPhone is also expected by Misek, but he says that the project is "not greenlit yet." He expects a pricepoint for a new device between $200 and $250 for a retooled iPhone 4 with a "scaled-down modem, apps processor, etc."

Misek sees the fifth-generation iPad as boasting significantly reduced weight, and half the thickness of the current model. No source for any of the predictions are named, other than alleged reports from Misek's "industry sources."

By Electronista Staff

Source: http://feeds.smartphonemag.com/~r/iPhoneLife_News/~3/-TVHti6mWBc/story01.htm

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Tim Hudak wonders why the Ontario Film Review - Canada.com

A likely Ontario provincial election in 2013 has found Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak questioning the current degree of provincial regulations in the sale of beer and wine.

Now, he has turned his attention to the Ontario Film Review Board, which monitors every movie that is commercially screened or sold in the province in exchange for a $4.20-per-minute fee paid by distributors.

?We have to ask ourselves, what is the core role for government today in the 21st century?,? Hudak asked members of the media on Wednesday, as reported by the CBC. ?And is the core role ensuring that government appointees are sitting in a dark room reviewing movies all day long??

While the purpose of the agency might be up for debate, the OFRB emphasizes that fees have covered the cost of what they do ? with any spare change dropped into provincial coffers.

Hudak raised the fact that most Canadian provinces have continued to maintain their own separate classification systems.

Each regional board has developed a slightly different approach to the process of providing ratings and warnings, ensuring that certain films are not seen by anyone who might be easily offended.

The current classification system for Ontario now mostly mirrors the one established by the non-governmental Motion Picture Association of America, whose ?R? rating allows children to be accompanied by an adult, which means that very few mainstream movies are considered too extreme for kids.

But, as Hudak alluded, there is still plenty of porn being watched at the OFRB.

The graph below shows the number of adult movies approved for screening in Ontario in the past quarter-century. This covers the period before restrictions on the degree of sexual activity that could be shown for profit in the province were lifted in 1991, along with the transition from VHS to DVD.

Assuming that they?re now finished monitoring porn for 2012, the 2,944 titles skimmed for approval this year was down slightly from last year, although far below the peak porn year of 2003, just as online video downloading and streaming started to become commonplace.

Yet there was evidently still a sizable number of adult movies being sold in stores ? or at least gathering dust while waiting for someone to buy them.

Source: http://o.canada.com/2012/12/19/tim-hudak-wonders-why-the-ontario-film-review-board-watched-3000-porn-movies-this-year/

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Highest-Paid California Trooper Is Chief Banking $484,000

From Bloomberg:

California Highway Patrol division chief Jeff Talbott retired last year as the best-paid officer in the 12 most-populous U.S. states, collecting $483,581 in salary, pension and other compensation.

Talbott, 53, received $280,259 for accrued leave and vacation time and took a new job running the public-safety department at a private university in Southern California. He also began collecting an annual pension of $174,888 from the state.

Union-negotiated benefits, coupled with overtime that can exceed regular pay and lax enforcement of limits on accumulating unused vacation, allow some troopers to double their annual earnings and retire as young as age 50. The payments they get are unmatched by those elsewhere, according to data compiled by Bloomberg on 1.4 million employees of the 12 states. Some, like Talbott, go on to second careers.

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Source: http://survive-prosper.com/2012/12/19/highest-paid-california-trooper-is-chief-banking-484000/

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