Thursday, January 31, 2013

Current Trends in Corporate Social Communications - Webtrends Blog

| Engage Team

This morning?s second Engage keynote featured Brian Bailard, VP of Global Strategic Accounts at HootSuite, who provided attendees with detailed insights during his presentation on ?Current Trends in Corporate Social Communication.?

Brian stated that the first step in understanding social at the corporate level is recognizing that all departments of a company utilize social, not just the marketing team. Social media touches customer service and support, human resources, sales, product and yes, even the CEO. At the end of the day, the goals for successful social communications within a company are the same as everyday business goals: ?accessibility to customers, ?a competitive advantage over the market, ?increased revenue, and profitability.

Many companies still have reservations about jumping on the social media wagon, Brian explained, and the only way to get on board is to recognize and overcome the following fears:

  • ?Inappropriate Posts: Many companies worry that their social channels won?t reflect their corporate philosophies. You can overcome this by defining clear user-access policies and roles in advance.
  • Lack of Control: Many brands are worried that they cannot control social media in the same way that they can control marketing. The best way to harness this fear is to educate and teach employees about the appropriate ?types of content that should be shared.
  • Lack of Executive Support: The biggest step in expanding your online social presence is bringing your senior leadership on board to support your social initiatives. Profitability and socially active CEO?s go hand in hand.

Once social has been established within the company, Brian offered these three tips for leveraging your insights:

  • Listening: Using sentiment analysis determine what consumers think of your company or brand.
  • Engagement: Once you determine consumer opinion, find ways to improve it. Engage regularly with fans and followers to encourage feedback and give a voice to consumers. ?Engagement is always a two-way street in social networks, ?and ultimately is the best way to generate leads.
  • Social Business and Amplification: Once social has been fully integrated within your company, allow your employees to use it to engage in everyday business with customers, and to amplify your brand to their own networks.

Check our site next week for video footage from this great presentation!

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Categories: Engage, Events, Partners

Tags: Engage 2013, Hootsuite

Engage Team -

The Engage team of bloggers are covering the conference for Webtrends and sponsors. Ready to Engage?

Source: http://blogs.webtrends.com/2013/01/current-trends-in-corporate-social-communications/

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Thailand in Vogue with launch of local edition

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Squeals of delight erupted from two Thai women dressed in elegant designer labels as they scanned a rack of fashion magazines at a high-end Bangkok shopping mall, then pounced on the object of their quest: a copy of the Thai edition of Vogue.

"It's here, it's here," shouted Athitiya Santisuk, 31, to her friend as they eagerly turned the glossy pages.

The fashion bible's launch in Thailand on Jan 25 heralded a new era for budding fashionistas and a growing middle class whose tastes are becoming more discerning even as the Thai fashion industry grows more international, highlighted by a twice-yearly fashion week.

"Vogue has become an indicator of economic development and the sophistication of a nation. Thailand's luxury industry is mature and this is a barometer of an emerging, affluent middle class," Kullawit Laosuksri, Vogue Thailand's editor-in-chief, told Reuters.

The Thai edition, published by Conde Nast International with a Thai company, is chock full of advertising, just like its overseas cousins - including those promoting skin whitening products, a reflection of Thailand's obsession with light skin.

"Vogue Thailand will have a strong beauty component, perhaps slightly more than other Vogues," James Woolhouse, President of Conde Nast Asia Pacific, told Reuters.

Among the articles are a photo spread of Thailand's Queen Sirikit in her younger days and several fashion shoots using Bangkok as a backdrop. The cover features Si Tanwiboon, a Thai-Chinese model who has graced catwalks at Jean Paul Gaultier and Louis Vuitton.

But the magazine's presence in Thailand raises questions over the country's income gap and the stark difference between the lifestyle of many of Bangkok's urbanites and some 66 percent of the population who live in slums on the city's periphery or in rural areas far from modern, multi-storey shopping malls.

The number of Thai millionaires is expected to swell by 35 percent between 2010 - 2015, says the Swiss-based Julius Baer private-banking group, and that wealth is partly what has helped fuel the appetite for luxury shopping malls in the city.

"We are seeing an increase in both the investment in the fashion retail space and the sales of luxury goods," said Woolhouse.

Editor-in-chief Kullawit said he wants the magazine, which costs 100 baht, to inspire Thai women and "give them new ideas like how to mix high-end brands with pieces that are readily available in Thailand's flea markets".

Yet the products advertised in Vogue remain beyond the reach of the vast majority of Thai citizens, many of whom make only some 300 baht ($10) a day.

At a road-side stall steps away from the luxury Central World shopping mall in Bangkok, Pratum Singthimas sells papaya salad and makes 530 baht ($17.73) on average a day.

"It looks like a magazine for a 'Khun Noo'," she said, choosing a Thai expression for privileged women that can imply spoilt or pampered.

Analysts gave the magazine mixed reviews but said its arrival brought more positives than negatives.

"The articles will give less affluent people a taste of the world outside Thailand and could help stimulate debate in a country that, unlike America, is not big on free speech or challenging social structures," said Kan Yuenyong, director of Siam Intelligence Unit, a Bangkok think tank.

Fashion insiders point to an overall preference for high-street labels over luxury brands.

"The Thai middle class is a lot more dependent on mass brands mimicking luxury brands. This not only takes away from the luxury market but also hinders the success of young, emerging designers," said Hestie Roodt, a teacher at Accademia Italiana, a design institute in Bangkok.

Kullawit said he aimed for a mix of Thai and Western models with the magazine, which would be "surprisingly Thai."

But the reception from online fashionistas was cool.

"Boring. I thought Vogue was supposed to be international in its outlook. It looks like other Thai magazines," said Gaga91.

(Editing by Elaine Lies and Paul Casciato)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/thailand-vogue-launch-local-edition-041341980.html

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Google maps out North Korea with crowd-sourced data

15 hrs.

While Google Maps feels like a solid mapping solution, it has some blank spots?? ?particularly when it comes to regions such as?North Korea. But that's all changing thanks to a group of "citizen cartographers" and a tool which allows Google to incorporate crowd-sourced map data into its product.

As?Jayanth Mysore, a senior product manager working on the Google Map Maker project,?explains in a post on the official Google Maps blog, the Map Maker tool?has been around since 2008 and allowed users to "update the maps of the areas they know, and improve their level of detail and accuracy." Crowdsourced data like this is how Google "will build the modern map," Mysore adds, reiterating that without these details, map data is currently "very limited" in some parts of the world.

Efforts to map out North Korea have been made over the last few years, but on Monday, Google was finally ready to officially update the region on Google Maps. "We know this map is not perfect," Mysore acknowledges. "We encourage people from around the world to continue helping us improve the quality of these maps for everyone with Google Map Maker." He adds that, from now on, any further "approved" updates to the North Korean maps will also appear on Google Maps.

The Wall Street Journal's Evan Ramstad points out?that the update of North Korea on Google Maps comes about three weeks after Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt visited the area (though a Google spokesperson tells NBC News that the visit was unrelated to the timing of the Google Maps update).?During his time in the country, "Schmidt encouraged officials he met in North Korea to make the Internet available to its citizens and end its attempts to restrict information," Ramstad writes.?The Verge's Sam Byford reminds?that Internet access in North Korea remains quite restricted nonetheless, and that odds are that the "vast majority of North Korean citizens" won't be able to access Google's freshly updated maps.

The crowd-sourced cartography includes mass transit, monuments and parks, as well as North Korea's massive gulags, which are signified on Google Maps with a slightly different shading. ?As?the Atlantic notes, "Naturally, the Hwasong Gulag, like any place on Google, already has some jokesters reviewing its?accommodations."?

Mysore dances around these detail in his blog post, and instead focuses on who will be able to take advantage of the information. "While many people around the globe are fascinated with North Korea," he writes, "these maps are especially important for the citizens of South Korea who have ancestral connections or still have family living there."

Want more tech news?or interesting?links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/google-maps-out-north-korea-crowd-sourced-data-1C8157346

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Triple Aught Design Artemis Hoodie review

Triple Aught Design aka TAD recently offered to send me one of their Women’s Artemis Hoodies for review. I happily accepted because I’ve been wanting to try something made from Merino wool for quite a while. This particular jacket takes its name from the fearless female hunter of Greek mythology who used her bow and [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/01/30/triple-aught-design-artemis-hoodie-review/

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Report: Passenger plane crashes in Kazakhstan

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) ? News agencies in Kazakhstan say a passenger plane carrying more than 20 people has crashed outside of Almaty, the country's principal city.

Interfax cites the deputy governor of Almaty province, Amandyk Batalov, as saying the aircraft was flying Tuesday from the northern town of Kokshetau.

There are no immediate indications of casualties. Interfax said there were 15 passengers and six crew members on the plane.

This is the second major aircraft accident in Kazakhstan in the past month. In December, 27 people killed were killed when an An-72 military plane crashed near the southern city of Shymkent.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-passenger-plane-crashes-kazakhstan-085928694.html

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Louisiana Small Business Broadband Survey | LSBDC

Louisiana Small Business Broadband Survey

Posted on

The Louisiana Division of Administration is partnering with the LSU Public Policy Research Lab to conduct the?Louisiana Small Business Broadband Survey.

The survey asks questions about businesses? access to and utilization of broadband high-speed internet. The survey is designed to measure the extent to which small businesses throughout the state are participating in e-commerce.

The goal of the survey is to produce high-quality information that will help businesses better utilize broadband internet. Responses to the survey will remain strictly confidential. The survey is a critical element in the group?s efforts to promote economic growth among small businesses within the state through in-depth training and improved internet access.

To complete the survey,?click here.

?

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Source: http://www.lsbdc.org/resources/?p=1260

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Taylor Swift Joins Forces with Great Love of Her Life

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/taylor-swift-joins-forces-with-great-love-of-her-life/

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Monday, January 28, 2013

Nokia upgrades music streaming service | Mobile News Online

Written by: Paul Withers Nokia upgrades music streaming service

Nokia Music+ to offer a number of additions to the manufacturer?s current music service, rolling out this quarter

Nokia has launched Nokia Music+, a new subscription-based upgrade to its mobile music streaming service. It will be rolling out this quarter as an optional update to the existing service, costing ?3.99 a month.

Costing ?3.99 a month, Nokia Music+ adds addition features including the ability to download unlimited mixes for offline playback, unlimited track skips and the option to select higher quality audio when connecting via Wi-Fi.

Other features include lyric streaming for some track and the ability to listen to Noia Music via internet-enabled devices, including PC and tablet.

Nokia VP for entertainment Jyrki Rosenberg said:??By removing barriers like adverts and sign-ins, Nokia Music makes it easy for users to discover and enjoy music on the go. Nokia Music+ now provides increased control over the listening experience at half the cost of many third party services.?

No related posts.

Source: http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/2013/01/28/nokia-upgrades-streaming-music-service/

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"Fruitvale," "Blood Brothers" win top awards at Sundance

PARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) - Drama film "Fruitvale" and documentary "Blood Brothers" won the top awards at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, giving them a big boost to reach independent movie audiences this year.

"Fruitvale," starring Octavia Spencer and Michael B. Jordan and directed by 26-year-old, first-time filmmaker Ryan Coogler," picked up the U.S. drama jury and audience awards for its "moral and social urgency."

The film is based on the true story of 22-year-old Oscar Grant, who was killed by police in Oakland, California, on New Year's Eve in 2008 and whose death sparked riots against police brutality. Movie studio The Weinstein Company purchased distribution rights for the film.

"This film had a profound impact on the audience that saw it ... this award goes out to my home in the Bay Area where Oscar Grant breathed, slept, loved, had fun and survived for 22 years," Coogler said in his acceptance speech.

Oscar-winning documentarian Davis Guggenheim awarded the U.S. documentary jury prize to "Blood Brothers," saying it shook the voting panel to their core.

The documentary follows an American man who moves to Africa and works with children suffering from HIV at an orphanage, and through his work, the children gain a voice.

"It is so encouraging for the kids ... their lives are so encouraging, and they die and no one remembers their name ... To take their story so that everyone sees it, it's so awesome," director Steve Hoover said."

Young actress Shailene Woodley, praised for her performance in "The Descendants" last year, and her co-star Miles Teller won the Special Jury acting prize in "The Spectacular Now."

Actress Lake Bell, who made her directorial debut in the U.S. drama category with quirky comedy "In A World," picked up the drama screenwriting award.

Hosted by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who premiered his raunchy directorial debut "Don Jon's Addiction" this year, the Sundance Film Festival Awards pick winners at the top gathering for independent movies made outside of Hollywood's major studios.

"Sundance is a community of people of filmmakers and film lovers who all believe together that there's more to movies than glitz and glamour and money and the box office. In Hollywood, you can feel like a freak if you talk about movies as art, and here, you don't have that," Gordon-Levitt said.

WORLD CINEMA WINNERS

The Sundance Film Festival, now in its 35th year, is backed by Robert Redford's Sundance Institute. The 10-day gathering of the independent film industry is held in snowy Park City, Utah.

In previous years, films that win the top prizes at the Sundance Film Festival often go on to achieve Hollywood awards success as well.

Last year, mythological drama "Beasts of the Southern Wild" won the top prize at Sundance and is now nominated for four Oscars in major categories.

The award winners are voted for by special juries of industry professionals and by the audience for the audience favorite awards.

In the world cinema categories, South Korean drama "Jiseul" picked up the grand jury drama prize. The film, directed by Muel O, follows the residents of a small town who were forced to hide in a cave for 60 days after the military attacked their village.

Cambodian documentary "A River Changes Course," about three young Cambodians struggling with adversity in a country ravaged by war and debt, picked up the world cinema grand jury award.

"Events like these really bring our communities together to share in the beauty of the world and the beauty of our future," director Kalyanee Mam said.

"Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer," which follows the story of three members of a Russian feminist punk band jailed for performing a "punk prayer" in a Russian Orthodox church, picked up special jury prize in the world documentary category.

Co-director Mike Lerner said the three members of the band had "started a feminist revolution that we hope will continue around the world."

(Editing by Philip Barbara)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fruitvale-blood-brothers-win-top-awards-sundance-044044943.html

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Sunday, January 27, 2013

CBSE students upbeat on vocational courses from IX - Think India ...

INDORE: Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools will introduce vocational courses like retail, security, information technology and automobile technology for students of IX and above from the new academic season. The board is currently offering skill-based courses at senior secondary level to impart skills and knowledge.

City schools have received circular from board officials to introduce vocational courses under national vocational education qualification framework (NVEQF). Ministry of human resource and development has started NVEQF from 2013-14 in schools, colleges and universities. Read more

Source :?timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Source: http://www.thinkindia.net.in/2013/01/cbse-students-upbeat-on-vocational-courses-from-ix.html

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Sundance Proves A Filmmaking Renaissance Is Happening In The ...

What would Variety, Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, The Wrap, MovieCityNews, Filmmaker Magazine & Deadline report if a single film company took the following awards at Sundance this year?

  1. Narrative Grand Jury Prize
  2. Audience Award For Narrative Film
  3. Best Directing of a Narrative Film
  4. Best Directing of a Documentary Film
  5. Special Jury Award For Documentary Film #1
  6. Special Jury Award For Documentary Film #2

I can?t help but think they would announce the arrival of a powerhouse.

Well, allow me the pleasure of breaking such an announcement. ?In case you missed it: a filmmaking renaissance is happening in The Bay Area. ?All of the following films that premiered at Sundance and won an award there had a major Bay Area connection: Fruitvale, Afternoon Delight,?Cutie and the Boxer, Inequality For All, and American Promise.

I don?t know when was the last time a film won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at Sundance as Fruitvale?did this year. ?Not only is director Ryan Coogler from Oakland, not only was the story and subject from The Bay Area, not only was the film shot in The Bay Area, and not only was it mixed at Skywalker, but the San Francisco Film Society & The Kenneth Rainin Foundation granted the film $200,000.

If that wasn?t enough to crow about, allow me the thrill of mentioning that this is the second year in a row that a film supported by the?San Francisco Film Society?& The Kenneth Rainin Foundation won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. ?Yup, Beasts Of The Southern Wild received similar support last year as Fruitvale?did this year. ?Do we need non-profit support in order to make ambitious socially relevant cinema in America? ?It sure damn looks that way, and if it is not necessary, it sure helps! ?A market-driven entertainment economy encourages one thing; if we want diversity we must support our cultural institutions (and build new ones!).

But allow me to go on with the glory that this year?s Sundance has bestowed upon the cities by The Bay? ?I don?t know when the last time a producer had both a documentary film and a narrative film in each of the Sundance competition. ?I definitely don?t think a producer who managed that feat ever won awards for both films (okay, I once had a film in each section, but only one of them one an award). ?Winning an award for each of their films is exactly what 72 Productions accomplished with Afternoon Delight?s Best Directing of a narrative film award (directed by Jill Soloway) and Inequality For All?s U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award (directed by Jacob Kornbluth). ?And did you know that 72 Productions? Jen Chaiken sits on the San Francisco Film Society?s Board of Directors? And that the SFFS was Inequality For All?s fiscal sponsor? ?Surely you know that I4A?s incredibly inspiring subject, Robert Reich, teaches and lives in Berkeley, and yup, that is in The Bay Area. I imagine your collective head is now reeling in wonder about what is happening here; I know I am impressed, verily.

Yes, it?s true that the Directing Award at Sundance is one of the great honors. ?Yes, the aforementioned?Afternoon Delight?won that award for Narrative, and Cutie and the Boxer, directed by Zachary Heinzerling, won for Documentary. The San Francisco Film Society?s Doc Film Fund gave?Cutie and the Boxer?s $50,000? ?That ain?t chicken feed. ?And that?s a Bay Area connection for both sections? Directing Award. ?It must be something in the water!

But The Bay Area?s dominance continues on from there. It kind of takes your breathe away, doesn?t it? ?The other winner of a Special Jury Prize For Documentary Film,?Joe Brewster and Mich?le Stephenson?s?American Promise, ?also received funding from The San Francisco Film Society. How great is it to give money ?away to films that lift our culture up? ?I suppose you don?t know that feeling until you?ve done it, but know what? ?You too can do it and I will tell you how below?

Yup. Five films. ?Count ?em and tells what it all adds up to?

That is five films, six awards, at Sundance 2013 with Bay Area connections. ?Pretty awesome. ?In addition to all of that, the Bay Area was represented by other filmmakers at Sundance too; Rob Epstein?and Jeffrey Friedman were there with TWO films, one narrative, one doc: Lovelace and The Battle For AmFar. The list goes on and on and on.

That is not a rumbling you are feeling underground, that is the roar of a community?s heart beating as one, and quite rapidly at that mind you. ?You don?t just have to be from Poland to have that flutter (if you watched the Awards, you will understand the reference).

I think it is now abundantly clear that if you love independent film, if you want diverse, ambitious film to prosper, you have to act now. ?You must not delay. ?You can either pack your bags and get the hell out of town and arrive in Fog City or one of it?s many surrounding communities, or you can show your love for such cinema by helping to support the San Francisco Film Society. ?Either one will do. ?Just take some action. ?The momentum will carry you forward.

I am investing my time, labor, & mind to help building a better infrastructure for such cinema through the SFFS. ?But it takes more. ?Money almost always helps. ?Please consider doing what you can to keep this exciting time alive. ?Join SFFS & become a member. Support SFFS here. ?It takes more than a village if we are going to build it better. ?We can only do it together.

The San Francisco International Film Festival is the longest running film festival in the Americas. ?I hope to see you there this year ?(April 25- May 9th); we have some great stuff planned for you. ?The San Francisco Film Society was founded 56 years ago. ?It was built by the passion and commitment of several key individuals. ?We lost one of those individuals just as the Sundance Film Festival began this year. ?George Gund?s love and knowledge of cinema was as legendary as his great spirit and generosity. ?I can not help but think of how wide his grin would be now in knowing the legacy his support has helped build. ?Thank you, George.

?

Source: http://trulyfreefilm.hopeforfilm.com/2013/01/sundance-proves-a-filmmaking-renaissance-is-happening-in-the-bay-area.html

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Media sync - Family Tree Maker software - Family History ...

I just noticed that I was missing some of the census images for a family on FTM2012. I sync regularly (almost every day) with Ancestry. I thought maybe I had collected those records before I switched to FTM so I went on Ancestry, brought up the 1860 census for the family, saved two records - one for the husband and one for the wife (1860 doesn't auto-add family members). Then I did a new sync and check for media - no 1860 census image for either!

I checked my sync options and media download is on. Is there something else I need to do? I know I have lots of images being downloaded... even 1860 census.

Another mystery! ;) Lori

Source: http://boards.ancestry.co.uk/topics.software.famtreemaker/9410/mb.ashx

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Saturday, January 26, 2013

Carbonite Currents (beta)


Everyone and his brother seems to be getting into the folder and file syncing business of late. Dropbox, SugarSync, and Microsoft have been in the game for nearly a decade. The recent trend started with Microsoft's folding its Mesh syncing product into SkyDrive, followed by Google Drive, both arriving last April. More recently, we've seen online backup services such as our Editors' Choice SOS Online Backup, with its launch of the security-focused FileLocker syncing service. And online backup providers IDrive and Mozy have offered syncing services for over a year. Now it's Carbonite's turn. And the noted online backup firm takes a decidedly unique approach to syncing that may be just what the doctor ordered?at least for people with very simple file access and versioning needs.

Signup and Setup
Currents' setup is just about the easiest of any syncing service's, and it doesn't require you to create a separate syncing folder. Clients are available for Windows, Mac, iOS & Android. You can sign up for a free beta test account at labs.carbonite.com. The tiny 6MB Windows installer installs Microsoft .NET 4.0 if that's not already on your system. (The Mac installer is small, too, at 8.4MB) After you OK a second User Access Control dialog, the Currents signup window appears. After initial installation, the Mac and PC interfaces are identical. A simple email address, confirmed password, and agreement to the terms of service are all that's required to create an account.

As with FileLocker, the only Currents password strength requirement is that it be six characters long?you can't even open an Outlook.com account with that kind of password weakness, so this raised a security red flag for me. But the knowledge base for Currents states that the service "encrypts your files on your computer before sending a copy of them to our secure online servers. Your data is then sent to us using a secure SSL connection?" This is actually pretty impressive, since competitor FileLocker only pre-encrypts files you've included in folders you've designated as "UltraSafe."

If you already have a Carbonite account with the email you use, you can't create a new Currents account with that address, but you can log into Currents with the existing account. Next, you'll get a confirmation email to verify your account so you can get going with Currents. Once this is done, you'll see an explanatory graphic, telling you pretty much to keep calm and carry on working on your documents as you normally do.

The graphic also says that the last 30 days of your work will be continuously synced, that you can access them from anywhere you have Currents installed, and that you'll be able to share everything with friends and coworkers. That 30 days is a big differentiator from FileLocker, which saves all your changes indefinitely. But as I saw later, a Currents Premium version will extend this, when the service is fully launched. No pricing details yet.

What's Being Synced?
But the big mystery of where your files can be located isn't covered in this introductory panel. Tapping Next answers that?anything you save to Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Music, or Movies will by synced by default. As with FolderShare and SugarSync (but unlike SkyDrive or Google Drive, which keep a single uber-syncing folder to which you can pile on subfolders), you can designate any folder on your PC for syncing. To my surprise, I was even able to specify external and network drives. Next, the setup wizard starts "gathering your stuff from the past 30 days."

The program's window is divided into two panels, which at first were empty for me. On the left a manageable three buttons looked like a document, a group, and a settings gear. In fact, the only option when you click Settings is to go back to the synced folders selection page. At the bottom of the right panel was an orange "Open" button. Finally, the panels populated with some file entries. When hovered over, the line for each presented three green buttons?Share, Versions, and Comment. In keeping with the service's simplicity, its window isn't resizable.

As you use Currents, your most recently edited file moves to the top of the list, which seems pretty helpful. When I signed into the same account on a Mac on which I'd set up Currents, the same list appeared, except when I clicked on a file entry, the right panel displayed a preview of the file?even documents?rather than just a huge icon my Windows installation. One thing I noticed was that when I signed into Currents on the Mac (which I hadn't used in a long time), that computer's Documents and Desktop files weren't synced, though the settings seemed to indicate that they would be. A little more experience with the service cleared all this up, as you'll see presently.

Even on the first PC, only four documents were synced, though the settings indicated that everything in my Desktop and Documents would be synced, and there were far more files in those places. What's going on here? Then it struck me: they really mean that part about the 30 days. The service is only concerned with files you've accessed in the last 30 days. Other syncing services simply cover all documents in the folders you designate. But Currents doesn't care about files you haven't touched in the last 30 days. Those files will remain on their original PC or Mac locations, but won't be available remotely. This could be a problem if you simply have a set of files or folders you want remote access to or to share to collaborators, but haven't edited all the files in the past month.

If you're just concerned with files you're currently working on, Currents is an appealing choice. It doesn't require you to save your work document to a specific syncing folder as DropBox and SkyDrive do. But the only way to include a file among the synced is to open and edit it. I wish I could drag and drop files or folders onto Currents' window to add them to what's synced. A right-click choice in Windows Explorer or Finder would work too. But neither of these choices was in the cards.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/TnYaYdKzsgg/0,2817,2414688,00.asp

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Britney Spears Welcomes Hit-Boy To Her Clique On Next Album

Producer opens up to MTV News about bringing his hip-hop swag Spears' next album to create a 'global sound.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by James Lacsina


Hit-Boy
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700785/britney-spears-hit-boy-new-album.jhtml

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Sundance 2013: Magnolia nabs North American rights to "Prince Avalanche"

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Magnolia Pictures has nabbed North American rights to David Gordon Green's "Prince Avalanche," one of the hottest titles at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

The film stars Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch and marks Green's return to indie film after a lucrative stint directing Hollywood comedies like "Pineapple Express." The company said it is eyeing a summer release for the film.

The low-budget comedy centers on two road workers, who spend the summer of 1988 in rural Texas repairing a stretch of country highway that has been damaged by wildfires. It was loosely adapted from an Icelandic film called "Either Way."

"'Prince Avalanche' was a strange joy to make and the reaction by audiences has been beautiful," Green said in a statement. "The pleasure continues as we join with Magnolia to distribute the movie. I couldn't be more proud."

For the most part critics have been kind, pleased in part to see Green return to his more lyrical, less commercial roots. The filmmaker made a name for himself as a disciple of Terrence Malick, spinning such visually rich, regional tales as "Undertow" and "George Washington," before shifting course to work on films including the comedy "Your Highness." The decision perplexed many of his early champions.

In IndieWire, Eric Kohn said the new movie stumbles, but still welcomed Green's attempt to take on more challenging fare.

"If not a return to form, it's nevertheless a long-overdue explanatory note for the last five years," Kohn wrote.

In the Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney echoed Kohn's enthusiasm and praised the performances of Hirsch and Rudd, along with Green's script and directing.

"Perhaps Green's chief accomplishment in this odd little gem of a movie is that he coaxes that mutual compassion out of the characters without having to put it into words," Rooney wrote.

The deal was negotiated by Magnolia Senior Vice President of Acquisitions Dori Begley with John Sloss and Cinetic.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sundance-2013-magnolia-nabs-north-american-rights-prince-224821237.html

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No. 1 Duke routed by No. 25 Miami 90-63

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) ? With a steady din coming from the sea of orange behind the visitors' basket, No. 1 Duke had a tough time making a shot.

The Blue Devils went more than 8 minutes without a field goal in the first half Wednesday night, and a sellout became a blowout for No. 25 Miami, which delighted a boisterous crowd with a 90-63 victory.

The defeat was the third-worst ever for a No. 1 team. The last time Duke lost a regular-season game by a bigger margin was in January 1984.

"It wasn't demoralizing; they played better," Blue Devils guard Rasheed Sulaimon said. "I believe we have them on the schedule again."

"We expected them to be terrific, and we have to match terrific, and then you have a terrific game," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "What you had was a terrific win for them, but not a terrific game. We didn't hold our end of the bargain."

Miami (14-3, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat a No. 1 team for the first time, taking control with a stunning 25-1 run midway through the opening half. The Blue Devils missed 13 consecutive shots despite numerous good looks, while four Hurricanes hit 3-pointers during the run that transformed a 14-13 deficit into a 38-15 lead.

Duke (16-2, 3-2) fell to 0-2 when playing on an opponent's court. The Blue Devils' other loss came at North Carolina State, a defeat that cost them the No. 1 ranking.

They regained the top spot this week but seemed rattled by the capacity crowd, only the 10th in 10 years at Miami's on-campus arena. Students began lining up for seats outside the arena almost 24 hours before tipoff, a rarity for the attendance-challenged Hurricanes.

"I don't know how you can sit outside for a basketball game for that long," Miami guard Durand Scott said. "That made me want to win for them even more."

The Hurricanes, who are alone atop the league standings, won their sixth consecutive game. They beat Duke for the second straight time ? but only the fourth time in the 19-game series.

Miami had been 0-6 against No. 1 teams. Coach Jim Larranaga also beat a No. 1 team for the first time.

"This is a great memory," Larranaga said.

Scott scored a season-high 25 points for the Hurricanes, and Kenny Kadji added a season-high 22. Shane Larkin had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and Durham, N.C. native Julian Gamble had 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Miami senior center Reggie Johnson came off the bench in his first action since being sidelined with a broken left thumb Dec. 18. He had two points and five rebounds in 16 minutes.

The Hurricanes, ranked this week for the first time in three years, improved to 8-0 at home.

Seth Curry, Tyler Thornton and Quinn Cook went a combined 1 for 29 for the Blue Devils, who shot a season-low 30 percent. Sulaimon led them with 16 points.

Duke went 4 for 23 from 3-point range, while Miami went 9 for 19 and shot 57 percent overall.

"Especially in the first couple of minutes, we got a lot of great shots," Blue Devils forward Mason Plumlee said. "You're going to miss some, but you have to keep shooting. The biggest mistake you can make is questioning your shot because you're missing open shots."

Kadji made two 3s during the Hurricanes' first-half spurt, then capped it with a three-point play. Duke shot 22 percent in the first half, including two for 11 on 3-pointers, and trailed 42-19 at halftime.

There was no letup by the Hurricanes to start the second half. They scored the first seven points for a shocking 49-19 lead, and punctuated the drubbing with five dunks in the final 10 minutes.

"Some teams come out in the second half flat and think they have the game won," Larkin said, "but we stayed with it with the same energy in the second half. We played great the whole game."

A Duke mistake ? one in a long series ? early in the second half had Krzyzewski red-faced and on the court, screaming at his team. But he couldn't inspire a turnaround.

"Over-rated," fans chanted with 3 minutes left. When the game ended, they poured onto the court and mobbed their team.

"The crowd I'm sure helped them some," Krzyzewski said. "But they didn't need much help."

Back in North Carolina, fans of the Tar Heels savored the loss by their rivals. When the final score of the Duke game was posted on the video board at the North Carolina-Georgia Tech game, students chanted, "Go to hell, Duke!"

___

AP Sports Writer Joedy McCreary in Chapel Hill, N.C., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/no-1-duke-routed-no-25-miami-90-021117874--spt.html

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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

CTW, LLC Is Acquired By MUY Hamburger | The Middle Market: Our ...

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 15, 2013) ? Statesman Corporate Finance, LLC (?Statesman?) is pleased to announce that CTW, LLC (Central Texas Wendy?s ? ?CTW?) of Waco, TX has been acquired by MUY Hamburger Partners, LLC, an affiliate of MUY Brands, LLC (?MUY?) located in San Antonio, TX. The transaction was completed on December 21, 2012.

WendysFounded in 1997, CTW owns and operates 18 Wendy?s franchise locations throughout the Central Texas region. The Company was privately held by several individuals. CTW has a geographical focus on the I-35 corridor which experiences heavy road traffic between the major metropolitan areas of Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. Key markets CTW serves include Waco, Temple, Killeen (Ft. Hood Army Base), Copperas Cove, Marble Falls, Cleburne, and Burelson, TX. CTW?s business has benefited from a strong combination of factors including well positioned stores in growing markets with strong population demographics and sound regional economies. Additionally, Wendy?s overall has experienced meaningful brand momentum driven by thoughtful strategic improvements at the corporate level including menu innovation, increased national advertising, and selective reimaging.

The Wendy?s Company (NASDAQ: WEN) is the world?s third largest quick-service hamburger company. The Wendy?s system includes more than 6,500 franchise and Company restaurants in the U.S. and in 27 other countries and U.S. territories.

MUY was founded by Jim and Cathy Bodenstedt in 2003 when the company originally acquired 18 existing Taco Bell and KFC restaurants in West Texas and Corpus Christi. Today, MUY is the 14th largest private franchise restaurant company in the U.S. with over 9,000 employees. The Company?s current holdings include Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Wing Street stores.

Statesman served as the exclusive financial advisor to CTW, LLC. The Statesman transaction team included Principal Will Jaco and Associate Karla Bayer. Gregory Chanon of McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, LLP located in Austin, TX served as legal counsel for CTW, LLC.

Statesman Corporate Finance is a leading middle market investment bank headquartered in Houston, Texas. Statesman provides merger and acquisition sell-side and buy-side advisory services and general corporate financial advisory services to small and middle-market companies.

Statesman Contact:

Will Jaco
Principal
(713) 595-1342
wjaco@statesmanbiz.com

Source: http://mandaconnection.org/ctw-llc-is-acquired-by-muy-hamburger/

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Re: Notes for Online tree - Family Tree Maker software - Family ...

1830 was a typos should have been 1850. While there are mothers who are 16 (1884) at the time of their first child, in my experience the average age was about 20 in the communities that my families lived.

On the other end a woman born in 1850 would have been 50 at the time of her last child. This is unusual, but again possible. A again in my families, especially the ones with a lot of children, there are those children that were I am sure surprises in women near 50. Even to day you see the 50 year old mothers.

Also based on my families (1600 people 8 generation from Europe and most of the eastern US) natural life spans have not increased in the last 200 years. People who live natural life spans, whether born in the early 1800's or more recently, have lived into the mid 90's. I have multiple examples of people reaching these ages, some to over 100. At least one 104 year old was born in 1788. In my mother's family, over 90 year olds are quite common

Because of Child birth and childhood disease, many did not live a natural life span. Better control of these items have made the apparent life span increase.

Source: http://boards.ancestry.co.uk/topics.software.famtreemaker/9389.2.1.1.1/mb.ashx

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Video: Oil Closes At 4-Month High

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

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50552636/

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Single parenthood contributes to disparity | parenthood, single ...

Angel Castro?s days teeter between determination and desperation. She is 28, impoverished, scarred from a chaotic childhood and adolescence, raising two young children alone.

She lives in a subsidized apartment in Englewood, scrambles to arrange child care that she can afford, and races to catch the bus to a part-time job that paid her $452 for one recent month.

To know the circumstances of Castro?s life is to understand something of the odds against her. Still, as she attends to her dark-haired, bright-eyed Aaron, 3, and Alexis, 17 months, she speaks with a voice that musters hope.

?I try to be the best mom I can,? she says. ?I want to give my kids a chance at a healthy lifestyle. I want them to go to school, get good grades, be able to go to college and have a good future.?

Big indicator of poverty

In analyzing the widening gaps between minority groups and whites in Colorado on key measures of social progress, there are harsh realities behind the numbers. One is that among homes with children living in poverty, 68 percent are headed by one parent, typically the mother.

Single parenthood is a bigger indicator of poverty than race, according to six decades of U.S. Census Bureau data analyzed by I-News Network. Combined as it often is with curtailed educational and employment opportunities, the rise of the single-parent family is a major factor in the widening disparities between blacks, Latinos and white state residents since the decades surrounding the civil rights movement.

The I-News analysis covered family income, poverty rates, high school and college graduation and home ownership as reported by the Census Bureau from 1960 to 2010. Health data and justice reports were also examined.

While the rate of single parenthood has increased among all races, its surge has been particularly dramatic among blacks. In Colorado, more than 50 percent of black households with young children are headed by a single parent compared with 25 percent of white households. Among Latino households in the state with young children, 35 percent are headed by a single parent, according to the I-News analysis.

Those figures dovetail with the growing trend of births to single women. Nationally, 29 percent of white babies are born to unwed mothers, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while 53 percent of Hispanic babies and ?73 percent of black babies are born to single mothers.

?When you talk with some of the older experienced folks of the civil rights movement, the one thing that we continue to come back to is the challenged family structure ? African-Americans and Latinos ? in the sense that back in the ?60s the family structure was much more solid,? Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said. ?There were more men in the house. There were less single women trying to raise children on their own.

?The family structure has disintegrated in a sense. That challenge is real.?

While many single parents raise thriving, productive children, the growing trend of fatherless homes has enormous implications for future generations. Children raised in female-headed homes in Colorado are four times more likely to live in poverty than those from married-couple homes, according to the I-News analysis. Other studies show they are less likely to go to college or graduate high school.

Also factor in families split by domestic violence. Sandra Hernandez, executive director of Centro de la Familia in Colorado Springs, sees a lot of single Latino mothers ? especially undocumented residents ? who fall into poverty because they leave a violent relationship then struggle to stay afloat because it?s more difficult for them to find jobs and assistance.

?I think if you?re a minority, it?s tough. If you?re an undocumented minority, it?s tougher,? said Hernandez, who estimates that about 45 percent of Centro de la Familia?s clients are single mothers.

Some experts link the absence of fathers in the home, in part, to the rising number of black and Latino men in prisons, often for drug crimes.

In 2010, about one in every 20 black men was incarcerated in Colorado state prisons compared with one out of every 50 Latino men and one of every 150 white men, according to an I-News analysis of government figures.

The state?s black and Latino incarceration rates are higher than the national averages, where disparities also exist, according to an analysis of Bureau of Justice reports. Nationally, one of every 33 black men and one of every 83 Latino men was behind bars in 2010. Colorado?s rate for white men was equivalent to the national figure, one in 150.

?The combination of the war on crack and mandatory sentencing saw a huge sweep of black males into prison and further degeneration of the black family,? said Theo Wilson, a district director for BarberShop Talk, a mentorship organization for men.

No financial help from dads

Angel Castro?s 3-year-old son, Aaron, has lived in 10 shelters, hotel rooms and apartments. By the time Alexis was born in August 2011, Castro had landed her Englewood apartment through the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, which pays all but $54 of her monthly rent.

With no financial support from the fathers of her children, Castro scrapes money together any way she can. She makes burritos to sell on city buses. She raids Dumpsters for metal and aluminum, cleans houses and has evicted deadbeat renters, trained dogs and sold her plasma.

Castro?s mother endured struggles of her own. She was just 16 when she gave birth to Angel, the first of her six children by three men. Castro says her father has eight children by five women.

Throughout her childhood, Castro lived in countless foster homes and group homes. By the time she was 12, she was living with her 22-year-old boyfriend at his house in Aurora. As a teenager, she was involved in an assault that landed her in prison.

As for the men who fathered her children, she says, ?I overlooked a lot of red flags. I was searching for that bond with both of my children?s fathers and having that family I always wanted.?

Welfare?s effect debated

Nearly everyone cites the impact of welfare programs on families as a major factor in the growing divide between the races, though for different reasons. Some said cutbacks in government support disproportionately hurt minorities, while others said the system encourages dependence on government and keeps minorities and the poor from improving their future.

Former U.S. Senator Hank Brown said the welfare system rewards behavior that leads to poverty.

?Most states operate in a way so that the more children you have out of wedlock, the more money you get,? Brown said. ?If you chart it, I know this is painful to hear, but if you look at the statistics on births to unmarried women, it correlates directly with the start? of welfare payments. ?Then, of course, once you start the cycle, it?s hard to get off.?

But former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb said welfare reform that passed under President Bill Clinton catapulted ?a lot of people who were receiving government assistance off into a kind of a never-never land, which also then increased the number of disadvantaged that previously had been receiving assistance.?

This Gordian knot can be untangled, said Isabel V. Sawhill and Ron Haskins, senior fellows at the Brookings Institution, the Washington, D.C., think tank. Their 2009 book called ?Creating an Opportunity Society? advocates increased educational opportunities for children from preschool on, encouraging and supporting work among adults and reducing the number of out-of-wedlock births while increasing the number of children raised by their married parents.

?A whole chaotic life?

For now, Angel Castro?s days revolve around trying to figure out how to feed and clothe Aaron and Alexis. She threw a small party a few months ago for Alexis? first birthday and was relieved when she got gifts of diapers and wipes rather than toys.

She used to count herself lucky to have a neighbor who watched her children for $20 a week so that she could work. But Castro had to give up her position after her sitter got a better-paying job.

Castro is frustrated by the endless rules and paperwork of a welfare system she believes is ?built to set you up for failure.? She said she has only four hours per day of government-supported child care, which means she can?t work full time.

She sometimes thinks the only solution is to put Aaron and Alexis in foster care and hope for a better fate for them than she experienced.

?I?ve had a whole chaotic life, feeling hurt and angry with my whole situation,? Castro said. ?I don?t want my kids feeling like I felt growing up.?

?

Gazette reporter Barbara Cotter contributed to this report.

Contact Ann Carnahan Espinola at aespinola@inewsnetwork.org. ?I-News intern Leia Larsen contributed to this report, which was made possible, in part, by grants from The Colorado Health Foundation and the French-American Foundation.

---

A FOUR-DAY SERIES

This is the second of a four-day series about racial and ethnic disparities in Colorado.

Tuesday: The changing economy is a root source of growing inequities.

Wednesday: Hispanics and blacks in Colorado have not equally enjoyed the benefits of health care advances.

---

RELATED COVERAGE

? Interactive graphic: A Civil Rights history timeline.

? Interactive graphic: How the state's minorities are faring on important measures of social progress.

? Video: Coloradans speak out on the issue.

---

THE PROJECT

The project has been assembled as a 128-page e-book in PDF format. The e-book includes stories, graphics, a selection of photos and more. Download at ?www.inewsnetwork.org.

? The I-News Network at Rocky Mountain PBS is a nonprofit investigative news service that focuses on investigative reporting. Its funding comes from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, the McCormick Foundation, The Fund for Investigative Journalism and others. I-News, founded in 2009, this month merged with Rocky Mountain PBS and public radio station KUVO. Learn more about I-News at www.inewsnetwork.org.

? I-News and The Gazette will host a community conversation about the findings of the Losing Ground project 5:30-7 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Tim Gill Center for Public Media in Colorado Springs, 315 E. Costilla St. For information, call Keanna Smith, 418-5851. Other such events are planned along the Front Range.

---

FINDING HELP

Single parents and families can find information on parenting classes and assistance with rent, food, clothing and other necessities by calling the United Way 2-1-1 help line. Some agencies that specialize in parenting education include:

? Centro de la Familia, 227-9170: Counseling, parenting classes, advocacy and referral services for the Latino population.

? El Paso County Public Health, 578-3199: The Nurse-Family Partnership sends nurses to the homes of first-time, low-income parents, beginning when a woman is pregnant, to provide help with health and social issues, including parenting skills; the Strong & Healthy Families program educates new mothers about fetal and child development, financial management, goal setting and problem solving.

? Kids? Resource Network of Colorado Springs, 227-7477: Parenting classes and an in-home family preservation program.

? Center on Fathering, 634-7797: Classes and programs to help men become better fathers. Services include education

training, support groups and referrals to other resources.

? Marian House, 866-6283: Free Love & Logic parenting classes. Call for dates and times.

? Family Connections, 520-1019: Nurturing parenting programs; respite child care through KPC Kids Place for stressed parents who need a break.

Source: http://www.gazette.com/articles/parenthood-149987-single-angel.html

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Monday, January 21, 2013

LG Optimus G sales hit 1 million worldwide

LG Optimus G sales hit 1 million worldwide

LG proved with the Optimus G that it can produce a smartphone that stacks up with the best of 'em, and according to the company's newly released sales figures, consumers are starting to take notice. As it stands, more than 1 million Optimus G's have been sold since the handset's September debut. While the figure pales in comparison to heavyweights like the Galaxy S III and iPhone 5, that's not too shabby for a phone that's only been available in North America since November. Given the similarities between the Optimus G and the Nexus 4, we're quite curious to know how sales of the two smartphones compare, but Google's currently keeping those numbers close to its chest. That said, there's little doubt that LG currently has its hands full at the production line.

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Harbaugh brothers take 49ers, Ravens to Super Bowl

This combo image made of Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, photos shows San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, left, in Atlanta, and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh in Foxborough, Mass., during their NFL football conference championship games. Get ready for the Brother Bowl_ it'll be Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh when Big Bro John's Baltimore Ravens (13-6) play Little Bro Jim's San Francisco 49ers (13-4-1) in the Super Bowl at New Orleans in two weeks. (AP Photos/Mark Humphrey, Matt Slocum)

This combo image made of Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, photos shows San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, left, in Atlanta, and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh in Foxborough, Mass., during their NFL football conference championship games. Get ready for the Brother Bowl_ it'll be Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh when Big Bro John's Baltimore Ravens (13-6) play Little Bro Jim's San Francisco 49ers (13-4-1) in the Super Bowl at New Orleans in two weeks. (AP Photos/Mark Humphrey, Matt Slocum)

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, right, talks to head linesman Tony Veteri, left, during the first half of the NFL football AFC Championship football game in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, left, hugs Colin Kaepernick after the NFL football NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, in Atlanta. The 49ers won 28-24 to advance to Superbowl XLVII. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick celebrates with teammates after the NFL football NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, in Atlanta. The 49ers won 28-24 to advance to Super Bowl XLVII. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick has water thrown on him as he celebrates with teammates after the NFL football NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, in Atlanta. The 49ers won 28-24 to advance to Super Bowl XLVII. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Preparing to coach the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game Sunday night, John Harbaugh watched on the stadium's big video screen as Jim Harbaugh's San Francisco 49ers wrapped up their victory in the NFC championship game.

John looked into a nearby TV camera, smiled broadly and said: "Hey, Jim, congratulations. You did it. You're a great coach. Love you."

Less than four hours later, the Ravens won, too. Some siblings try to beat each other in backyard games. These guys will do it in the biggest game of all. Yes, get ready for the Brother Bowl.

It'll be Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh when Big Bro John's Ravens play Little Bro Jim's 49ers in the Super Bowl at New Orleans in two weeks.

As much chatter as there will be about the players involved ? from Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and his impending retirement to 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's sudden emergence ? the Harbaugh family angle will make this coaching matchup the most scrutinized in the nearly half-century of Super Sundays.

The Harbaughs' sister, Joani Crean, wrote in a text to The Associated Press: "Overwhelmed with pride for John, Jim and their families! They deserve all that has come their way! Team Harbaugh!"

Who's a parent to cheer for?

During the 2011 regular season, the Harbaughs became the only brothers to coach against each other in any NFL game (the Ravens beat the 49ers 16-6 on Thanksgiving Day that year).

Now they'll be squaring off with a championship at stake in a Super Bowl filled with firsts ? and one truly significant last.

It will be the first one between coaching brothers, of course. First one for Joe Flacco, the oft-doubted Ravens quarterback with the superb touch on deep balls and a QB-record six postseason road wins. First one for Kaepernick, the second-year player with the tattooed arms, the sprinter's speed, and a shoulder that zips throws like the high school baseball pitcher he used to be.

And it will be the last game for 17-year veteran Lewis, Baltimore's emotional leader and this postseason's top tackler with 44 so far.

"This is our time," Lewis pronounced.

He appeared to be on the verge of tears before and after helping Baltimore become the only team in 68 tries to overcome a halftime deficit against Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in Foxborough, Mass.

The NFC West champion 49ers (13-4-1) open as 5-point favorites, seeking a record-tying sixth Super Bowl title but first since 1995. The franchise of Hall of Fame quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young is 5-0 in Super Bowls.

The AFC South champion Ravens (13-6) are headed to their second Super Bowl; Lewis was the MVP when Baltimore beat the New York Giants in 2001.

With Kaepernick's terrific passing ? he was 16 of 21 for 233 yards and a touchdown in only his ninth career NFL start ? and two TD runs by Frank Gore, San Francisco erased a 17-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 28-24 Sunday.

Baltimore then fashioned a comeback of its own by scoring the last 21 points to defeat the New England Patriots 28-13, thanks in large part to Flacco's three second-half touchdown tosses, two to Anquan Boldin.

In the often risk-averse NFL, each Harbaugh made a critical change late in the regular season in a bid to boost his team's postseason chances. Clearly, both moves worked.

After 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, the starter in last season's overtime NFC title game loss to the New York Giants, got a concussion, Jim switched to Kaepernick for Week 11 ? and never switched back. Now San Francisco has its first three-game winning streak of the season, at precisely the right time.

Baltimore, meanwhile, was in the midst of a three-game losing streak when John fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and promoted quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell to replace him.

The 50-year-old John is 15 months older than Jim and generally the less demonstrative of the pair, although John certainly did not lack intensity while making his case with officials a couple of times Sunday.

The ever-excitable Jim ? who was treated for an irregular heartbeat in November ? was up to his usual sideline antics in Atlanta.

He spun around and sent his headset flying when the original call stood after he threw his red challenge flag on a catch by the Falcons. He hopped and yelled at his defense to get off the field after their key fourth-down stop with less than 1? minutes left. He made an emphatic-as-can-be timeout signal with 13 seconds remaining.

Expect CBS to fill plenty of time during its Super Bowl broadcast with shots of Jim, that trademark red pen dangling in front of his chest, and John, who usually wears a black Ravens hat. Yes, that is sure to be a focal point, until they meet for a postgame handshake.

___

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

___

AP sports writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report from San Francisco.

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-20-Super%20Bowl%20Lookahead/id-90a0e29b00014044a4b718f039c904ef

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Sunday, January 20, 2013

Activist Post: Rotten to the (Common) Core

Dave Hodges, Contributor
Activist Post

Your child has been sentenced from 12-16 years to a re-education camp. No, we are not talking about a FEMA camp, but we may as well be.

Our education system is rotten to the core, the Common Core, that is. Common Core is the latest of the educational fad programs which is supposedly designed to raise American school children?s academic performance. This program is insidious and bad for students and America at its core. This is a multi-part series which will examine the origins of this Common Core program, the stated goals behind the program, the real hidden agenda behind Common Core and most importantly, the threat that this program poses to our children and to the United States as whole.

One Fad After Another

Most any veteran teacher in the public school system will tell you that about every six to seven years, the American educational system embarks on the latest ?miracle? designed to fix the low standardized test scores American students achieve in comparison to our international counterparts. Teachers have endured such educational faux pas from Goals 2000, to School to Work, to No Child Left Behind and now we are witnessing the latest in fad in American education, Common Core Standards.

Each one of the aforementioned programs threw billions of taxpayer dollars down the toilet, while contributing to the dramatic decrease in student performance. For example, SAT Reading scores, for the high school class of 2012, reached a 40+ year low since the implementation of No Child Left Behind.

Everyone of these previous educational reform programs emanated from the United Nations organization, UNESCO. Everyone of these programs is a propaganda tool designed to dumb down our children and these programs are being remarkably effective to this end.


The Hidden Agenda Behind Common Core

The undeniable truth is that each of these United Nations inspired and failed educational programs have ulterior designs on what should be taught to our children. The undeniable fact is that the brainwashing of our children is the ultimate goal of Common Core.

Common Core is based upon social justice, arriving at knowledge and subsequent decision making through a spirit of collectivism and developing a communal agreement about the need to teach and to integrate into each classroom an underlying theme of sustainable development. These goals are not just going to be taught in specific Environmental Science courses, but these philosophies are to be implemented and taught in EACH and EVERY course that a child takes during their educational experiences beginning with pre-K and stretching to post graduate secondary education.

Agenda 21 Controls Your Child?s Mind

For the more aware readers, you surely recognize the terms, sustainable development, social justice and collectivism as staples of the philosophy which underlies Agenda 21.

Globalist and Eugenics proponent, Bill Gates, is one of the Founding Fathers of the Common Core movement and its copyright holders, NGA/CCSSO. Gates donated about $25 million dollars to promote his version of global education. Gates has made several donations to CCSSO to promote Common Core. In 2009, Gates made two separate donations of $9,961,842 and $3,185,750.cIn 2010, Gates donated $743,331 and in 2011, he contributed $9,388,911 . In 2008, Gates donated $2,259,780 to the National Governor?s Association (NGA) to develop and implement Common Core. The NGA is the conduit into America from the United Nations UNESCO, Education for All Agenda 21 version of globalist education being forced down the throats of our young people.

Gates is listed as partner with UNESCO/UN to fund ?Education For All,? which in turn was transferred to the NGA which changed the name to Common Core. In a key document, The Dakar Framework for Action: Education For All: Meeting Our Collective Commitments? which identifies the goals for what became Common Core. The document speaks directly to the Agenda 21 educational ideals of collectivism, social justice, environmental justice and the espousing of the beliefs of the pseudoscience known as sustainable development.

Chapter 36

Chapter 36 of Agenda 21 Public Awareness and Training focuses on impressing upon every citizen on the planet, the indispensable need for achieving sustainable development. In plain language, Common Core is going into every country. The implementation names of this global education may vary, but the underlying Agenda 21 philosophies do not. Chapter 36 also states that the globalists plan to ?reorient? worldwide education toward sustainable development. In future installments in this series, the weak academic standards of Common Core will be revealed.

Reform of the nation?s standardized objectives is merely a smokescreen to the true intent of the program which is the acceptance for Agenda 21 policies. Subsequently, the Agenda 21/UNESCO documents clearly state their intention to turn each student into a globalist who will accept smaller living space, residing in the stack-and-pack cities of the future, acceptance of drastic energy reduction and the loss of Constitutional liberties. The document goes on to say that

While basic education provides the underpinning for any environmental and development education, the latter needs to be incorporated as an essential part of learning. Both formal and non-formal education are indispensable to changing people?s attitudes so that they have the capacity to assess and address their sustainable development concerns. It is also critical for achieving environmental and ethical awareness, values and attitudes, skills and behaviour consistent with sustainable development and for effective public participation in decision-making. To be effective, environment and development education should deal with the dynamics of both the physical/biological and socio-economic environment and human (which may include spiritual) development, should be integrated in all disciplines, and should employ formal and non-formal methods.
Please take note of reference to spiritual education. The implication is subtle, but undeniable. This phrase opens the door to the evisceration of the Christian religion. This phrase allows Common Core to propagandize school children into belittling the importance of Jesus Christ. And what will Christianity be replaced with? Anyone who has read the Agenda 21 documents in earnest, understands that the replacement for Christianity has been groomed for decades, and that replacement is the pagan religion called GAIA.

GAIA changes the Christian worldview significantly. Christians fundamentally believe that God gave dominion over the earth to man with the remainder of the hierarchy consisting of animal, fish, plants and finally, the earth. GAIA teachers that the earth reigns supreme followed by animal, fish, plants, and man in last place. This is a decidedly anti-human agenda. The undeniable conclusion is that your children will receive cleverly crafted lessons designed to lessen the appreciation for their own worth as a human being. This is the beginning of spiritual enslavement paradigm which will accompany the already implemented policies of economic enslavement presently being thrust upon the American people through the acquisition of massive debt created by the globalists.

When Common Core is fully implemented in 2015 and your child begins being assessed on the PARCC and Smarter Balanced assessments, your child will be an Agenda 21 globalist minion in training. This is not a warning about what will be, the enemy is already inside the gates propagandizing your child.

Education Without Representation

The Common Core is an untested, federally promoted, unfunded experiment. The standards creators (NGA/CCSSO) have not set up a monitoring plan to test this national experiment, to see what, if any, unintended consequences the Common Core will have on our children. This is a game of Russian Roulette being played on the socio-emotional, intellectual and spiritual aspects of our children?s development.

No teacher and no school board member was asked to contribute to the Common Core standards. Nor was any State Legislature involved in the creation of this monstrosity.


Under this plan, every teacher will teach the same material with the same teaching strategies as every other teacher. This is the 21st Century educational version of the Stepford Wives. The Tenth Amendment is dead and individual freedom is being stamped out.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, the more serious threats to our children?s educational futures, under this misguided plan, will be laid out and documented in the future parts of this series.

Dave is an award winning psychology, statistics and research professor, a college basketball coach, a mental health counselor, a political activist and writer who has published dozens of editorials and articles in several publications such as Freedoms Phoenix, News With Views?and The Arizona Republic.

The Common Sense Show features a wide variety of important topics that range from the loss of constitutional liberties, to the subsequent implementation of a police state under world governance, to exploring the limits of human potential. The primary purpose of The Common Sense Show is to provide Americans with the tools necessary to reclaim both our individual and national sovereignty.

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Source: http://www.activistpost.com/2013/01/rotten-to-common-core.html

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