Obama presses Congress to resolve fiscal cliff (Reuters)

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Frazer Smith’s Rose Parade Show Live

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Jon Lovitz Comedy Club & Podcast Theatre 1000 Universal Studios Blvd, #222 Universal City, CA 91608 View Map

Tuesday, Jan 1 at 8:00 AM

Frazer Smith?s Rose Parade Show Live

At?Jon Lovitz?Comedy Club Jan 1^st, 2013

LA Radio Legend Frazer Smith and The Go Cast Network bring the 125^th?Rose Parade to the stage at Jon Lovitz Comedy Club Jan 1^st, 2013 at 8am in front of a Live Audience. Frazer Smith has been covering the Tournament of Roses Parade for three decades on KLOS, KROQ, KMET and KLSX. His Comedic Commentary on the Rose Parade has become a Holiday tradition.

For several years, Smith, along with Peter "Crabman? Crabbe, made an annual tradition of offering an alternate audio commentary to television coverage of the famous?Tournament of Roses Parade. Listeners would be told to tune in to Los Angeles television station KTLA, which was hosted byStephanie Edwards?and?Bob Eubanks. Smith would tell viewers to turn down the television volume and turn up the radio to hear the comedy parody, which included discussing news themes from the past year and applying them to the floats. Smith and Crabbe would also describe the passing bands while playing over the top taped band music.
Frazer Smith is the Premiere Host in Los Angeles at the biggest comedy clubs including The Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory, The Ice House and The Improv. Once again, Frazer?s Co-Host will be Peter Crabbe, Headlining Comedian that has performed with Monty Python. The Event will be catered by the 2^nd?Floor from Huntington Beach, so Patrons can expect an Outstanding Dining experience at Frazer Smith?s Live Rose Parade Coverage of the most widely viewed parade on Earth. Home Viewers can watch it all on Ustream and?ww.gocastnetwork.com?on New Year?s Day. Come enjoy the New Year with Fine Spirts, Great Food and Lots of Laughter at

Frazer Smith?s Rose Parade Show Live

At Jon Lovitz Comedy Club Jan 1^st, 2013

Restrictions & Requirements:

• Two items minimum per person
• Seating First Come First Serve
• All Shows Have Adult Content

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Source: http://www.laughstub.com/buyTicket.cfm?showTimingID=220293&buy

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Finless Porpoises in Peril

A survey has found that fishing, pollution and other human activities along the Yangtze River in China are driving a freshwater mammal, the Yangtze finless Porpoise, to the brink of extinction

By Jane Qiu and Nature magazine

The Yangtze finless porpoise is in decline in the wild, with the latest estimate suggesting it might be critically endangered. Image: http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/7.8165.1356108785!/image/web-72578595.jpg

Fishing, pollution and other human activities along the Yangtze River in China are driving yet another species of freshwater cetacean to the brink of extinction. That is the conclusion of a six-week survey of the river?s middle and lower stretches by the Chinese Academy of Sciences? Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) in Wuhan and the conservation group WWF in China.

The final results of the survey will be announced in March. But the preliminary findings are worrying: the survey team spotted fewer than half of the Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis) that were seen during a similar expedition in 2006, which found 1,225 living in the river.

?This is really bad news,? says Wang Ding, an ecologist at the IHB who is the survey's chief scientist. ?The finless porpoises are doing much worse than previously thought along the Yangtze mainstream.?

The Yangtze finless porpoise is one of the world?s few remaining freshwater cetaceans. It is found only in the Yangtze, as well as in two adjoining lakes, called Poyang and Dongting. Scientists hope that the porpoises can avoid the same fate as the Yangtze river dolphin, or baiji (Lipotes vexillifer), which was declared effectively extinct after the 2006 survey.

Endangered ecosystem
The latest survey also found that a population of about 450 porpoises in Poyang Lake has been stable for the past six years. But only 90 of the animals remained in Dongting Lake, a decline of 40% since 2006. This means that there is a total of only around 1,000 finless porpoises in the Yangtze River basin ? making them even rarer than giant pandas in the wild.?

?Losing these big, top carnivores in the Yangtze is a pretty good indication of the terrible state of the river ecosystem,? says David Dudgeon, an ecologist at the University of Hong Kong in China, who was not involved in the survey.

"Intense human impact is to blame," says Lei Gang, director of WWF China's freshwater program. "The conflict between conservation and economic development along the Yangtze is overwhelming."

Overfishing has caused a big decline in the porpoises? food sources, says Wang, and the animals are vulnerable to unregulated fishing methods such as electro-fishing, which involves sending electrical currents into the water to stun fish before they are caught.

Pollution problem
Pollution is another major, long-term threat, says Dudgeon. The Yangtze, regarded by Chinese people as their ?mother river?, supports 40% of the country?s human population, and its riverbanks are lined with large cities, factories and power plants. According to Dudgeon, about 20 billion tons of waste are discharged into the Yangtze every year. ?This doesn?t even include diffuse pollution from agriculture or pollution caused by ships,? he says.

Like other cetacean species, the Yangtze finless porpoise uses sonar for navigation, ranging and foraging. But the high density of shipping along the Yangtze creates high levels of acoustic pollution, which interferes with the animals? sonar. ?This affects their feeding and many are also wounded or die because of ship strikes,? says Lei.

Other human activities such as dam building, land reclamation and sand dredging have contributed to large-scale habitat loss and degradation in the Yangtze River basin in recent decades, says Lei.

The Yangtze finless porpoise is currently listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. ?The new estimate may qualify them as critically endangered,? says Wang. ?If the situation does not improve significantly, they may follow the fate of baiji in 15 years.?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=fda10c35ba8cdb1a9983bccc969989e9

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For someone not running in Italy, Monti has a plan

Italian Premier Mario Monti gestures as he speaks during a news conference in Rome, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Italy's caretaker Premier Mario Monti said Sunday he won't run in February elections, but if political parties that back his anti-crisis agenda ask him to head the next government he would consider the offer. Monti ruled out heading any ticket himself, saying "I have no sympathy for 'personal' parties." At a news conference, Monti made clear he was spurning an offer from his predecessor Silvio Berlusconi to run on a center-right election ticket backed by the media mogul, citing Berlusconi's heavy criticism of his economic policies. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Italian Premier Mario Monti gestures as he speaks during a news conference in Rome, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Italy's caretaker Premier Mario Monti said Sunday he won't run in February elections, but if political parties that back his anti-crisis agenda ask him to head the next government he would consider the offer. Monti ruled out heading any ticket himself, saying "I have no sympathy for 'personal' parties." At a news conference, Monti made clear he was spurning an offer from his predecessor Silvio Berlusconi to run on a center-right election ticket backed by the media mogul, citing Berlusconi's heavy criticism of his economic policies. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi attends a TV show in Rome, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Italy's caretaker Premier Mario Monti on Sunday said is spurning he won't take up Silvio Berlusconi's offer to run on a center-right election ticket backed the by media mogul, citing Berlusconi's heavy criticism of his economic policies. (AP Photo/Roberto Monaldo, Lapresse)

ROME (AP) ? For someone not running for political office, Premier Mario Monti has an awfully detailed plan for how to fix Italy's financial woes and bring the country and the rest of Europe back to economic health.

Monti issued a 25-page agenda to "Change Italy, Reform Europe" late Sunday after announcing he had ruled out campaigning for February elections, but would consider leading the next government if politicians who share his focus on reform request it.

Monti outlined the steps Italy must take to finish the reforms his 13-month technical government launched to reign in Italy's public debt, spur economic growth and bring Europe's No. 3 economy out of recession.

Some of his priorities include attracting greater foreign investment, investing in research, exploiting Italy's cultural treasures and fighting tax evasion and corruption.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-24-Italy-Politics/id-b035fddfdff144fab4a74cf37377fc54

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Johnson sets NFL season record for receiving yards

(Reuters) - Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson gave the home crowd something to cheer about when he set a National Football League record for most receiving yards in a season in a 31-18 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday.

Johnson caught 11 passes from quarterback Matthew Stafford for 225 yards and a total of 1,892 yards for the season with one game remaining.

The speedy, 6ft-5in (1.96m) Johnson, serenaded by chants of "Calvin, Calvin" even while the team was falling to its seventh loss in a row, eclipsed the record of 1,848 yards set by Hall of Famer Jerry Rice in 1995 for the San Francisco 49ers.

After his 26-yard fourth-quarter reception on one of his typical catch-and-run plays across the middle moved him past Rice, the Lions receiver jogged to the sideline to hand the ball to his father as the crowd roared in appreciation.

"This is a huge accomplishment to take one of those records from the great Jerry," said the 27-year-old Johnson, taken with the second overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft out of Georgia Tech.

"He's amazing," Rice said in a phone interview during the ESPN telecast. "Just watching him go out there and do his thing on the football field, he's a true talent and that's why they call him 'Megatron'.

"You never want your record broken, but if anyone is going to do it, I prefer it's Megatron."

EXCEPTIONAL THREAT

Rice said Johnson's combination of size, strength and speed made him an exceptional threat on the gridiron.

"I just sit back and I'm just like a fan," said Rice, whose NFL records include most career touchdowns (208).

"He can run every route, from the slant route, to running by you with that 4.35 (seconds over 40 yards) speed. Then he can out-jump you, where he can just get up in the air and just levitate his body and make those incredible catches. This guy has all the tools."

Lions coach Jim Schwartz said surpassing Rice was a great achievement.

"To break a record by a guy who is maybe the greatest player ever to play in the National Football League says a lot about what he accomplished," Schwartz said, adding: "His best is yet to come."

Johnson also set an NFL record by gaining more than 100 yards receiving for an eighth straight game.

It was Johnson's 11th game this season with at least 100 yards receiving, matching the NFL mark achieved in 1995 by Michael Irvin of the Dallas Cowboys.

After the game, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan sought out Johnson on the field. "I congratulated him," Ryan said. "I'm a fan."

(Reporting by Larry Fine of New York; Editing by John O'Brien)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/detroits-johnson-sets-nfl-season-record-receiving-yards-051443976--nfl.html

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Indian park guards protecting wildlife awarded their own protection

Public release date: 21-Dec-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Andrea Heydlauff
aheydlauff@panthera.org
646-786-0402
Panthera

New York, NY A major victory for wildlife protection forces was made last week with the launch of a new government-operated insurance program to cover all forest guards employed in the Indian state of Karnataka, which holds the largest number of wild tigers in India, and serves as a stronghold for this highly endangered species.

Around the world, park guards are the keepers of the forests, protectors of wildlife, and serve as the front line of defence against poachers. Tigers, elephants, rhinos and other wildlife are being heavily targeted by poachers for the illegal wildlife market which is a booming 19 billion dollar a year insidious industry. Poachers are highly organized and heavily out-fitted, more so than the park guards, who are often poorly paid, ill-equipped, and yet risk their lives to protect the world's wildlife.

Recognizing the critical role government forest staff play in conserving tigers and other species, Sanjay Gubbi, the Tiger Program Coordinator for the big cat conservation group Panthera, spearheaded this program (the first of its kind to be offered even to temporary staff) to provide the much-needed insurance protection for nearly 2,500 wildlife park guards, anti-poaching patrol members, and other frontline enforcement staff working in extremely high-risk conditions throughout Karnataka's five tiger reserves and 38 protected areas.

"Karnataka's forest staff are on the front lines defending tigers and other wildlife from poaching, habitat loss, and overhunting of their prey. Their presence on the ground, patrolling these areas and mitigating key threats, is essential in protecting wildlife, and yet they often risk their lives doing so" Gubbi stated. "The adoption of this new insurance policy demonstrates the value that the Karnataka State Government places on the well-being of its forest staff and their commitment to wildlife conservation, and this program serves as a model for other states and countries around the globe."

The new policy was presented by Gubbi, who worked with the State Government for several months to implement this insurance scheme, and it was formally approved during the Karnataka State Wildlife Board Meeting on Saturday, December 15th. The meeting was overseen by Chief Minister, Jagadish Shettar, and attended by instrumental supporters of the initiative, including Karnataka's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Dipak Sarmah, Forest Minister C. P. Yogeshwar, and former Indian cricket team captain, Anil Kumble.

Insurance is a critical security component and incentive for wildlife enforcement staff, and up until now there has been a significant dearth of such state-funded protection for fulltime and temporary workers. Without insurance initiatives, forest staff face illness, and a range of injuries from their jobs, some as serious as losing limbs, and even losing their lives. Worse yet, the families of guards who have perished, up until now, have been left without any form of government-funded social security.

Panthera's CEO, Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, stated, "Today, the Indian subcontinent is home to the world's highest densities of tigers. If we are to see the species rebound from its current state of fewer than 3,200 individuals, the philosophy is simple: properly protect and equip the foot soldiers fighting to conserve the last viable tiger populations." He continued, "We applaud Karnataka's government for bolstering its wildlife protection forces and establishing a sound insurance model to be replicated across the tiger's range."

Above all, highly organized and well-armed gangs of poachers targeting and trafficking animals for their meat, skins and body parts serve as the number one threat to tigers, their prey and to the wildlife enforcement patrols themselves. Serving as a biodiversity hotspot, the threat of poaching is particularly real within Karnataka State. Nestled in southwest India's Western Ghats region, Karnataka is home to one of the world's largest remaining wild tiger populations and substantial populations of the leopard, Asian elephant, and other endangered species. Today, Karnataka's estimated population of 300 wild tigers primarily live within the region's five tiger reserves, including the Bandipur, Dandeli-Anshi, Biligirirangaswamy Temple, Bhadra, and Nagarahole Reserves.

Expected to be fully established within these reserves in the coming year, the State's insurance policy is currently being implemented on a pilot basis within Bandipur Tiger Reserve, where Panthera's Gubbi has played a pivotal role in convincing the reserve Director, Kumar Pushkar, to provide insurance for the 471 wildlife enforcement staff. Pushkar, a dynamic officer, took up the suggestion immediately and implemented the policy. In collaboration with the Nature Conservation Foundation, Gubbi and other field scientists are implementing Panthera's Tigers Forever program to reduce habitat fragmentation of India's tiger reserves, connect Karnataka's remaining tiger populations to ensure the species' genetic diversity, mitigate threats facing tigers and implement public awareness campaigns to galvanize local support for the future of this iconic species.

###

About Panthera

Panthera, founded in 2006, is devoted exclusively to the conservation of wild cats and their ecosystems. Utilizing the expertise of the world's premier cat biologists, Panthera develops and implements global conservation strategies for the largest, most imperilled cats tigers, lions, jaguars, and snow leopards. Representing the most comprehensive effort of its kind, Panthera works in partnership with local and international NGOs, scientific institutions, local communities and governments around the globe. Visit: www.panthera.org

About Tigers Forever

Launched in 2006 after decades of continuing tiger declines, Tigers Forever is changing the face of tiger conservation. Tigers Forever makes a unique commitment to increase tiger numbers at key sites by at least 50% over a 10-year period by relentlessly attacking the most critical threats to tigers poaching of tigers and their prey. Utilizing rigorous science to maintain constant vigilance on conservation efforts and on the tiger itself, this transformative program is the only one of its kind to guarantee success the recovery of the wild tiger. Visit Tigers Forever.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 21-Dec-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Andrea Heydlauff
aheydlauff@panthera.org
646-786-0402
Panthera

New York, NY A major victory for wildlife protection forces was made last week with the launch of a new government-operated insurance program to cover all forest guards employed in the Indian state of Karnataka, which holds the largest number of wild tigers in India, and serves as a stronghold for this highly endangered species.

Around the world, park guards are the keepers of the forests, protectors of wildlife, and serve as the front line of defence against poachers. Tigers, elephants, rhinos and other wildlife are being heavily targeted by poachers for the illegal wildlife market which is a booming 19 billion dollar a year insidious industry. Poachers are highly organized and heavily out-fitted, more so than the park guards, who are often poorly paid, ill-equipped, and yet risk their lives to protect the world's wildlife.

Recognizing the critical role government forest staff play in conserving tigers and other species, Sanjay Gubbi, the Tiger Program Coordinator for the big cat conservation group Panthera, spearheaded this program (the first of its kind to be offered even to temporary staff) to provide the much-needed insurance protection for nearly 2,500 wildlife park guards, anti-poaching patrol members, and other frontline enforcement staff working in extremely high-risk conditions throughout Karnataka's five tiger reserves and 38 protected areas.

"Karnataka's forest staff are on the front lines defending tigers and other wildlife from poaching, habitat loss, and overhunting of their prey. Their presence on the ground, patrolling these areas and mitigating key threats, is essential in protecting wildlife, and yet they often risk their lives doing so" Gubbi stated. "The adoption of this new insurance policy demonstrates the value that the Karnataka State Government places on the well-being of its forest staff and their commitment to wildlife conservation, and this program serves as a model for other states and countries around the globe."

The new policy was presented by Gubbi, who worked with the State Government for several months to implement this insurance scheme, and it was formally approved during the Karnataka State Wildlife Board Meeting on Saturday, December 15th. The meeting was overseen by Chief Minister, Jagadish Shettar, and attended by instrumental supporters of the initiative, including Karnataka's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Dipak Sarmah, Forest Minister C. P. Yogeshwar, and former Indian cricket team captain, Anil Kumble.

Insurance is a critical security component and incentive for wildlife enforcement staff, and up until now there has been a significant dearth of such state-funded protection for fulltime and temporary workers. Without insurance initiatives, forest staff face illness, and a range of injuries from their jobs, some as serious as losing limbs, and even losing their lives. Worse yet, the families of guards who have perished, up until now, have been left without any form of government-funded social security.

Panthera's CEO, Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, stated, "Today, the Indian subcontinent is home to the world's highest densities of tigers. If we are to see the species rebound from its current state of fewer than 3,200 individuals, the philosophy is simple: properly protect and equip the foot soldiers fighting to conserve the last viable tiger populations." He continued, "We applaud Karnataka's government for bolstering its wildlife protection forces and establishing a sound insurance model to be replicated across the tiger's range."

Above all, highly organized and well-armed gangs of poachers targeting and trafficking animals for their meat, skins and body parts serve as the number one threat to tigers, their prey and to the wildlife enforcement patrols themselves. Serving as a biodiversity hotspot, the threat of poaching is particularly real within Karnataka State. Nestled in southwest India's Western Ghats region, Karnataka is home to one of the world's largest remaining wild tiger populations and substantial populations of the leopard, Asian elephant, and other endangered species. Today, Karnataka's estimated population of 300 wild tigers primarily live within the region's five tiger reserves, including the Bandipur, Dandeli-Anshi, Biligirirangaswamy Temple, Bhadra, and Nagarahole Reserves.

Expected to be fully established within these reserves in the coming year, the State's insurance policy is currently being implemented on a pilot basis within Bandipur Tiger Reserve, where Panthera's Gubbi has played a pivotal role in convincing the reserve Director, Kumar Pushkar, to provide insurance for the 471 wildlife enforcement staff. Pushkar, a dynamic officer, took up the suggestion immediately and implemented the policy. In collaboration with the Nature Conservation Foundation, Gubbi and other field scientists are implementing Panthera's Tigers Forever program to reduce habitat fragmentation of India's tiger reserves, connect Karnataka's remaining tiger populations to ensure the species' genetic diversity, mitigate threats facing tigers and implement public awareness campaigns to galvanize local support for the future of this iconic species.

###

About Panthera

Panthera, founded in 2006, is devoted exclusively to the conservation of wild cats and their ecosystems. Utilizing the expertise of the world's premier cat biologists, Panthera develops and implements global conservation strategies for the largest, most imperilled cats tigers, lions, jaguars, and snow leopards. Representing the most comprehensive effort of its kind, Panthera works in partnership with local and international NGOs, scientific institutions, local communities and governments around the globe. Visit: www.panthera.org

About Tigers Forever

Launched in 2006 after decades of continuing tiger declines, Tigers Forever is changing the face of tiger conservation. Tigers Forever makes a unique commitment to increase tiger numbers at key sites by at least 50% over a 10-year period by relentlessly attacking the most critical threats to tigers poaching of tigers and their prey. Utilizing rigorous science to maintain constant vigilance on conservation efforts and on the tiger itself, this transformative program is the only one of its kind to guarantee success the recovery of the wild tiger. Visit Tigers Forever.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-12/p-ipg122112.php

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Rockmelt social browser comes to iPhone, Android version still in development

When we heard Rockmelt was going to announce some news about its social browser becoming available to lots more people, we assumed that meant the Android version was finally ready. Not quite: turns out the company was just referring to iPhone users. Indeed, the startup just announced an iPhone version of its news aggregator, which should go nicely with the iPad app that launched back in October. Like the iPad version, it presents articles as endlessly scrollable tiles, not unlike the way your Facebook timeline is laid out. Similar to Facebook, too, you can use so-called emoticodes to like things or indicate other profound human responses, such as "hmm" or "WTF?" Other than that, there's not much to it: swipe left to close out of a story; swipe right to save it as a bookmark. It's available for free in the App Store now; no ETA on that Android version, but we're told the company is actively toiling away on it.

Gallery: Rockmelt for iPhone

Filed under: Software, Mobile

Comments

Source: App Store

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/20/rockmelt-for-iphone/

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How Leaders and Citizens Can Learn From Qatar?s Focus on the Water-Energy Nexus

Qatar?s policies offer lessons on how countries can develop a strategy to cope with the ever-complicated energy-water nexus.

The post How Leaders and Citizens Can Learn From Qatar?s Focus on the Water-Energy Nexus appeared first on Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit.

Source: http://www.TriplePundit.com:
How Leaders and Citizens Can Learn From Qatar?s Focus on the Water-Energy Nexus

Source: http://elitestv.com/pub/2012/12/how-leaders-and-citizens-can-learn-from-qatar%E2%80%99s-focus-on-the-water-energy-nexus

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SKorea's 1st woman leader vows new NKorea effort

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Park Geun-hye, daughter of a divisive military strongman from South Korea's authoritarian era, was elected the country's first female president Wednesday, a landmark win that could mean a new drive to start talks with rival North Korea.

After five years of high tension under unpopular incumbent Lee Myung-bak (Lee Myuhng Bahk), Park has vowed to pursue engagement and step up aid to North Korea, despite the latter's widely condemned long-range rocket launch last week.

North Korean state media, however, have repeatedly questioned the sincerity of Park's North Korea policy since she and Lee are from the same conservative party.

Ties between the Koreas plummeted during Lee's term. Many voters believe Lee's policies drove North Korea to renew nuclear and missile tests and to launch two attacks in 2010 that killed 50 Koreans.

The rocket launch made North Korea an issue in the closing days of campaigning, although many voters said they cared more about the economy.

Park (Bahk guhn-hae) has said she is open to dialogue with North Korea, but she has also called on Pyongyang to show progress in nuclear dismantlement. She has also raised the possibility of a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but only if it's "an honest dialogue on issues of mutual concern."

Huge crowds lined up in frigid weather throughout the day to choose between Park and liberal candidate Moon Jae-in (Moon Jay-in), the son of North Korean refugees. Both candidates steered away from Lee's policies, including, most strikingly, his hard-line stance on North Korea.

Turnout was the highest in 15 years, and some analysts thought that might lift Moon, who is more popular with younger voters. Despite moving to the center, however, Park was carried by her conservative base of mainly older voters.

They fondly remember her father, Park Chung-hee, dictator for 18 years until his intelligence chief killed him during a drinking party in 1979.

Much of 60-year-old Park's public persona is built on her close association with her father's rule. When she was 22 her mother died in a botched attempt to assassinate her father, and she stood in as first lady for five years until her father's death.

She has created an image as a selfless daughter of Korea, never married, then a female lawmaker in a male-dominated political world.

After Moon conceded defeat, Park said that she would dedicate herself to uniting her people and improving their livelihoods.

"I really thank you. This election is the people's victory," Park told a crowd packing a Seoul plaza.

With about 98 percent of votes counted, Park had won 51.6 percent to Moon's 47.9 percent, according to the state-run National Election Commission. Park is to take office in February when Lee ends his single five-year term.

No Korean woman is believed to have ruled since the ninth century. Park becomes the most powerful figure in a country where many women earn less than men and are trapped in low-paying jobs despite first-class educations.

Her father's legacy is both an asset and a weak spot. Older South Koreans may revere his austere economic policies and tough line against North Korea, but he's also remembered with loathing for his treatment of opponents, including claims of torture and summary executions.

Park's win means that South Korean voters believe she would evoke her father's strong charisma as president and settle the country's economic and security woes, according to Chung Jin-young, a political scientist at Kyung Hee University in South Korea.

"Park is good-hearted, calm and trustworthy," 50-year-old housewife Lee Hye-Young said at a polling station at a Seoul elementary school. "Also, I think Park would handle North Korea better. Moon would want to make too many concessions to North Korea."

___

Associated Press writers Youkyung Lee and Sam Kim contributed to this story.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/skoreas-1st-woman-leader-vows-nkorea-effort-191259557.html

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Scientists debunk the IQ myth: Notion of measuring one's intelligence quotient by singular, standardized test is highly misleading

Dec. 19, 2012 ? After conducting the largest online intelligence study on record, a Western University-led research team has concluded that the notion of measuring one's intelligence quotient or IQ by a singular, standardized test is highly misleading.

The findings from the landmark study, which included more than 100,000 participants, were published Dec. 19 in the journal Neuron. The article, "Fractionating human intelligence," was written by Adrian M. Owen and Adam Hampshire from Western's Brain and Mind Institute (London, Canada) and Roger Highfield, Director of External Affairs, Science Museum Group (London, U.K).

Utilizing an online study open to anyone, anywhere in the world, the researchers asked respondents to complete 12 cognitive tests tapping memory, reasoning, attention and planning abilities, as well as a survey about their background and lifestyle habits.

"The uptake was astonishing," says Owen, the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience and Imaging and senior investigator on the project. "We expected a few hundred responses, but thousands and thousands of people took part, including people of all ages, cultures and creeds from every corner of the world."

The results showed that when a wide range of cognitive abilities are explored, the observed variations in performance can only be explained with at least three distinct components: short-term memory, reasoning and a verbal component.

No one component, or IQ, explained everything. Furthermore, the scientists used a brain scanning technique known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), to show that these differences in cognitive ability map onto distinct circuits in the brain.

With so many respondents, the results also provided a wealth of new information about how factors such as age, gender and the tendency to play computer games influence our brain function.

"Regular brain training didn't help people's cognitive performance at all yet aging had a profound negative effect on both memory and reasoning abilities," says Owen.

Hampshire adds, "Intriguingly, people who regularly played computer games did perform significantly better in terms of both reasoning and short-term memory. And smokers performed poorly on the short-term memory and the verbal factors, while people who frequently suffer from anxiety performed badly on the short-term memory factor in particular."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Western Ontario.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Adam Hampshire, Roger?R. Highfield, Beth?L. Parkin, Adrian?M. Owen. Fractionating Human Intelligence. Neuron, 2012; 76 (6): 1225 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.06.022

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/V1BZOjISILw/121219133334.htm

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China to up vigilance over IP, software piracy

China has reiterated its commitment to improve protection of intellectual property (IP) rights and tackle software piracy in its country. In return, United States will look at increasing the export of high-tech products, and facilitate more Chinese investments in the country.

In a China Daily report Thursday, China's Commerce Minister Chen Deming pledged the country will "do more" to protect IP rights and combat software piracy by promoting the use of legal software. It was reported in July the government had spent US$156.9 million on software licenses to stem the use of pirated software within all public sector agencies. ?

Chen acknowledged these are "longstanding" complaints from its U.S. counterparts, and they are being addressed. He was speaking at the plenary session of the 23rd Session of China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), which was co-chaired by Vice Premier Wang Qishan and Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Black and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.?

The U.S. trade officials, in turn, has promised to address China's demands for greater exports of American-made high-tech products. It has also agreed to look into facilitating more Chinese investments into the country, the Chinese minister revealed.

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Source: http://www.zdnet.com/cn/china-to-up-vigilance-over-ip-software-piracy-7000009058/

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Steve Biko Was Born Today... And Denzel Washington Would 'Cry Freedom' Later

Today in history... December 18th, 1946, South African anti-apartheid activist and?black student leader Steve Biko was born in King William's Town, in the present-day Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

After years of as a leader in the anti-apartheid movement, inspirational writings and empowering activism, he would die at the very young age of?30 (just over a month before his 31st birthday) while in police custody - a death that would trigger international outrage, and make him a matyr?of the anti-apartheid movement.

A decade after his death, in 1987, Richard Attenborough?would direct the movie Cry Freedom, a biographical drama about Biko, starring Denzel Washington and Kevin Kline.

The film, while certainly well-intentioned, was essentially a Hollywood white-washing of the Apartheid-set story (business as usual). But it's a start if you must watch it. For his efforts, Denzel was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award.

Also worth noting, in 1980, Peter Gabriel told the Steve Biko story in the track titled Biko, from his album, Peter Gabriel.

In memoriam, first, watch a rare televised interview with Steve Biko from German TV, sharing his views on creating a non-racial egalitarian society; second, watch the music video for Peter Gabriel's Biko; and finally, watch the trailer for Cry Freedom underneath:

Source: http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/steve-biko-was-born-today-and-denzel-washington-would-cry-freedom-later

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Opinion: Walmart Bribery And Mexico

A woman shops in a Mexico City Wal-Mart store on April 23, 2012. (credit: Daniel Aguilar/Getty Images)

The New York Times has broken news on the Wal-Mart bribery scandal in Mexico. It is abundantly clear, based on reporting, that Wal-Mart promotes a culture of corruption globally and has used it as a tool for business advantage.

In the Walton families? quest to become such a global giant, they may have created their undoing.

They face investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, the United States Congress and Mexican authorities. Wal-Mart also faces investor lawsuits from pension funds.

Their troubles are tied to the decision by Wal-Mart?s most senior executives to ignore clear evidence of widespread corruption in Mexico.

The allure of building a Wal-Mart near the ancient pyramids in Teotihuac?n, Mexico, and gaining access to tourists from across the globe was so strong that Wal-Mart circumvented democratic institutions and bribed the right people to get their way.

Starting with a $52,000 bribe to change the zoning map, Wal-Mart de Mexico bribed their way to get the store built despite local opposition ? to the tune of over $200,000.

In the world according to Wal-Mart a few dollars slipped to the right hand is the way to expand. It has been a large part of their global corporate culture.

It is also the reason Wal-Mart is the largest private sector employer in Mexico.

The Teotihuac?n example is but one of many documented incidents of bribery by Wal-Mart?s foreign operations to ensuring expansion on Wal-Mart?s terms.

When Wal-Mart?s corporate offices were tipped off to the bribery in Mexico, officers at the top of the company shut down an investigation that was initiated by more junior executives. They clearly were more interested in getting results than following the law.

It was not just local laws that corporate officers were violating; they were also systematically violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act which forbids American companies and our citizens from engaging in bribery.

Where Wal-Mart shut off the investigation, the Times picked it up. Their conclusion: ?The Times?s examination reveals that Wal-Mart de Mexico was not the reluctant victim of a corrupt culture that insisted on bribes as the cost of doing business. Nor did it pay bribes merely to speed up routine approvals. Rather, Wal-Mart de Mexico was an aggressive and creative corrupter, offering large payoffs to get what the law otherwise prohibited. It used bribes to subvert democratic governance ? public votes, open debates, transparent procedures. It used bribes to circumvent regulatory safeguards that protect Mexican citizens from unsafe construction. It used bribes to outflank rivals.?

Through the Fall, this space pointed out the strong ties of Karl Rove and his dark money political fund and GOP allies that are accused of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

From Casino moguls like Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn to the Koch Brothers to the Walton family, some of America?s billionaires wrote the largest checks in our history to influence to 2012 elections.

Based on the reporting from Mexico, we may soon discover that these billionaires were more interested in new leadership at the Justice Department when they spent their money on outside groups this election cycle.

About Bill Buck

Bill Buck is a Democratic strategist, President of the Buck Communications Group, a media relations and new media strategies consulting business based in Washington, DC, and Managing Director of the online ad firm Influence DSP. He has over twenty years of international and national communications experience. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CBS Local.

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Source: http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2012/12/19/opinion-walmart-bribery-and-mexico-2/

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HTC Windows Phone 8S review: Icebreaker

GSMArena team, 18 December 2012.

Introduction

No one's had any reason to question HTC's commitment to Windows Phone. The Taiwanese have been on board since the heyday of PocketPCs, helping Redmond quickly man a nascent WP7 army. Now they're back in the thick of it for the next generation of the platform; this time with a smaller, more focused squad.

In the couple of the so-called signature WP8 devices, the HTC Windows Phone 8S is playing second fiddle to the 8X. The current flagship however, didn't quite convince us it had what it takes to put real pressure on competing platforms or stand up to the other big fish in the small pond that the Windows Phone market still is.

HTC Windows Phone 8S official photos

Fortunately, the HTC Windows Phone 8S has little of that to worry about. Not only is it the most affordable of WP8 smartphones, but it keeps a safe distance too from the Android heavyweights. We don't think that much pressure will be felt either from the iOS end. So anyone keen to try Microsoft's latest on a tight budget is seemingly already in the loop and the 8S has a chance of winning over some converts too.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Dual-band 3G with 42 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA support
• 4" 16M-color S-LCD capacitive touchscreen of 480 x 800 pixel resolution
• Scratch resistant Gorilla Glass 2 display
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 720p@30fps video recording
• Windows Phone 8 OS
• 1GHz dual-core Krait CPU, Adreno 305 GPU, Qualcomm S4 chipset, 512MB of RAM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band
• GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS support
• Digital compass
• 4GB of inbuilt storage, microSD card slot
• Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
• Built-in accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port
• Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and EDR, file transfers
• Impressively deep and coherent SNS integration throughout the interface
• Xbox Live integration and Xbox management
• Data Sense
• HTC exclusive apps
• Beats audio enhancements

Main disadvantages

• Non user-replaceable battery
• App catalog falls short of Android and iOS
• No front-facing camera
• No FM radio
• No system-wide file manager
• No voice-guided navigation
• No music player equalizers
• No lockscreen shortcuts

Granted, the Windows Phone 8S by HTC (as the smartphone's official name goes) has the least capable hardware of all WP8 smartphones, but a dual-core Krait CPU device with the new-generation Adreno 305 GPU is not what we'd call underpowered. In fact, while the top dogs of its platform have to face Android rivals with double the computing power, this one is actually playing against equals.

HTC Windows Phone 8S studio shots

It's a package that makes sense, never mind the hardware limitations. The lower screen resolution should be less strain on the GPU, while the microSD card slot makes up for the limited inbuilt storage. In theory, the HTC 8S should give the same solid smartphone experience as the high-end WP8 devices at a fraction of the price. Intriguing indeed. Let's see how the HTC Windows Phone 8S goes about it.

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_windows_phone_8s-review-863.php

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Kreditech, The Big Data-Driven Credit Scoring Service, Raises Further $4M From Blumberg Capital, Others

Explicitly or implicitly, users are generating an insurmountable?amount of data online, hence the plethora of startups touting their BIG DATA credentials by building applications or services that create utility out of these mass data points.?Kreditech, which describes itself as a 'Scoring as a Service', is one such startup, with technology that claims to process over 8,000 data points in real-time -- made up of things like location data, social graph data, web analytics, e-commerce behavior, and device data -- to give consumes a credit score which it then sells on to retailers. Today, the Hamburg-headquartered company has announced that it's raised a further $4 million in funding from Blumberg Capital, the management of an unnamed German investment bank, and previous backer Point Nine Capital.

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

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Mandela hospitalized for 10th day in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela remains hospitalized for a tenth day in South Africa.

Government officials said the 94-year-old Mandela underwent a successful surgery for gallstones on Saturday. Officials say Mandela has been hospitalized since Dec. 8 for tests and later medical treatment for a recurrent lung infection.

President Jacob Zuma and delegates at a convention for the African National Congress political party honored Mandela on Sunday in song. Mandela was a leader of the ANC and served as the nation's first democratically elected president under the party's banner.

Mandela is revered for being a leader of the struggle against racist white rule in South Africa. He served one five-year term as president before retiring from public life.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mandela-hospitalized-10th-day-south-africa-093016982.html

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Home Story: Full Family | Pikes Peak Urban Living

Housing changes often follow life stage changes.

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For this client, it was time to find a home that would fit their growing fun family. They love outdoor living, entertaining and living near great schools for their children was a big priority. Like many people in this market, they wanted to find a home that would suit their family for the long haul, rather than a quick fix they would outgrow in no time.

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They found their home just in time for the holidays in the Northwest side of Colorado Springs, a great neighborhood with excellent schools and tons of family fun to choose from.

Source: http://ppul.copilothangar.com/2012/12/home-story-full-family/

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Begin Making A Difference WIth Your Internet Promotion With These ...

Mistakes Are Costing You! Learn To Stop?Making ALL 189 Of Them!

Struggling With WordPress? 100+ Step-By-Step Videos Now Available!

Posted by Administrator on Dec 17, 2012 in Uncategorized | Comments Off

As a business owner, you may want to increase demographic awareness and, of course, drive profits. Internet marketing is the obvious solution. Affiliate marketing utilizes fresh research to create approaches to advertising specifically meant to benefit website owners. This article will help you take advantage of the many opportunities website marketing provides.

Offering discounted prices is a very efficient marketing strategy. This is done simply by incorporating the original cost next to the discounted price of the item. Or if you prefer, you can offer today-only deals.

Html Tags

TIP! Make a place for customer comments and suggestions on your site. Oftentimes, people are interested in see what others buyers have to say about the product and enjoy seeing the experience others had.

HTML tags are crucial for highlighting content on your website. There are many different HTML tags that can add styles to your text, including bold, italic and underline. Search engine spiders determine where to place your website based on whats shown by these tags. It?s important, then, to emphasize the keywords that are most essential for your SEO.

Think about using mobile marketing. When something goes on sale you will be able to tell your customers through a text message. This is a newer method of advertising that will give you assistance in your online marketing campaign.

Be original if your goal is to see Internet success in marketing. Google and other search engines have filters that can see if you are plagiarizing. Discover how to be creative.

TIP! Address any complaints personally. You may want to get some outside help, but you will do better to handle customer service yourself.

Always offer freebies to visitors to your website, even if they consist of no more than a handy checklist or some good advice. One free offer that gets good results is a downloadable article that focuses on your area of business expertise. For example, if you are a general contractor, you might have a good article of home repair tips for your customers to download. This demonstrates to your visitors that you understand their needs and are capable of helping them to solve their problems.

Calls to action can be made more attractive with the use of words such as ?simple? and ?easy?. People do not like products that seem overly complicated, so adding tag lines like ?easy to use? or ?easy to order? will entice customers to try out your product. This can be a powerful strategy to grow your sales.

One fun marketing campaign is to have a contest on your website that offers great prizes. An excellent example is a word search in an article you have written where clients could win a surprise for completing the puzzle. Offer a special discount or prize for solving the word puzzle. Contests like these that get your customers engaged in your website will make them more likely to spend money on your products.

TIP! You can measure conversion rates between site visitors and paying customers by using technology tools offered by different companies as a means of evaluating your online marketing campaigns. There are lots of different tools available to help you track your site statistics, from your overall traffic to your sales figures.

Viral Videos

Viral videos can generate a lot of traffic for your website. Creating a video that is successful to the magnitude that viral videos are can take quite a bit of creativity. If you do it properly, it will have more impact than any type of marketing campaign.

It is important to have evidence that supports any claims you make in your advertisements. A lot of people will not believe what you say about your products or services until you provide more details. You will come off much more credible if you provide references, guarantees, studies and testimonials. If you do not provide proof of your statements, people will quickly dismiss your business and the products you offer.

TIP! It is very helpful to have a 500 error page. If your data codes do not work this might happen.

Receiving and sustaining your customer?s trust is imperative. Your promotions and marketing efforts must be based in fact. Only supply your customers with the most honest claims. You will want to be able to verify them if need be.

Take an international approach, and welcome visitors to your site from around the world. You can do this by implementing a version of your site in several different languages. This is a proven technique for drawing in more global customers. Customers will be far more likely to purchase your products and services if you offer the information in their own languages.

These tips will help to improve the profits, productivity, and sales of your business. Affiliate marketing can be a good thing for a webmaster who wants to optimize their website. Customers will flock to you, like moths around a flame, if you follow these tips.

TIP! It is both a science and art to do internet marketing. Prior to starting an Internet marketing campaign, make sure you understand both parts.

Are you ready to have success in the home based business industry and build it on autopilot? Click below to register for free today. See how it works here. Also check out our team benefits here

Source: http://leucabiz.com/blog/begin-making-a-difference-with-your-internet-promotion-with-these-good-ideas/

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U.S. National Guard Awarded GSN 2012 Most Notable Emergency Response Implementation for Usage of the Desktop Alert Mass Notification System Nationwide

Award reflective of the Desktop Alert Emergency Notification Platform Selection for nationwide deployments to the U.S. Air National Guard and The U.S. Army National Guard enterprise-wide computerized networks. Key award criteria was based on highly positive past performance reports provided to Desktop Alert by the National Guard.

Chatham, New Jersey (PRWEB) December 17, 2012

At a gala dinner that drew hundreds of government officials and industry executives to the Washington Convention Center on November 29, Government Security News announced the winners -- including The United States National Guard -- in 42 different categories in its 4th Annual Homeland Security Awards competition.

In the Most Notable Emergency Response Implementation category, GSN identified The United States National Guard as a category winner. All winners were honored at a festive banquet GSN hosted in a ballroom of the Washington, DC Convention Center.

One of the highlights at the dinner was the presentation of the GSN / Raytheon Award for Distinguished Leadership and Innovation in Public Safety and Security to Richard Reed, Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security. Reed delivered an insightful keynote address to an audience of industry executives and government officials at the federal, state and local levels.

The winners were selected by a panel of objective judges, according to Jacob Goodwin, Editor-in-Chief of Government Security News. "We received an outstanding group of entries and have handed winners? plaques to an exceptional group of companies and government agencies," said Goodwin.

"The U.S. Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) has mandated that all DoD agencies shall implement an emergency mass notification system prior to a 2014 deadline. Currently, worldwide the vast majority of U.S. Army installations benefit from the use of our award winning mass notification technology every day. For example: Fort Gordon 7th Signal uses our system daily with highly positive and documented results. The U.S. Army along with FEMA and the National Guard will meet the 2014 requirements ahead of schedule. The entire Desktop Alert team continues its goal and commitment to ensure that all branches of the U.S. military, government and homeland security sectors complete their SECDEF mass notification mission requirements ahead of schedule and with firm-fixed cost capabilities," said Howard Ryan, Desktop Alert Founder.

The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of National Guard militia members or units of each state and the territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands plus the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia (54 organizations) under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States.

The Air National Guard (ANG), often referred to as the Air Guard, is an air force militia and a reserve component of the United States Air Force. Air National Guard organizations are organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Each state, the District of Columbia and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico each have a minimum of one ANG flying unit with either assigned aircraft or aircraft shared with a unit of the active duty Air Force under an "Associate" arrangement. The ANG of the territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands have no aircraft assigned and perform ground support functions. Air National Guard activities may be located on active duty air force bases, air reserve bases, naval air stations/joint reserve bases, or air national guard bases and stations which are either independent military facilities or collocated as tenants on civilian-controlled joint civil-military airports.

Desktop Alert customer, Fort Hood is one of the largest United States military installations in the world, and is the home of III Corps, 1st Cavalry Division, 13th Sustainment Command, First Army Division West, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 41st Fires Brigade and many other corps and echelons above corps units.

Fort Hood consists of three sections: the main cantonment, West Fort Hood, and North Fort Hood. The main cantonment is bounded by Killeen on the east and Copperas Cove on the west. The Fort Hood main cantonment area, otherwise referred to as Main post, holds its own airfield, Hood Army Airfield. North Fort Hood is bounded by Gatesville to the northwest. West Fort Hood, bounded by Killeen and Copperas Cove, includes Fort Hood's second airfield, Robert Gray Army Airfield, which has been expanded for civilian use (Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport (GRK)). To the east and southeast, the reservation is bounded by Harker Heights, Nolanville, Belton, and Morgan's Point Resort.

"Our team of world class mass notification engineers have proposed a new standard for mass notification alerting within the Department of Defense. That proposed standard is 15 seconds or less for 99% of all IP-Based alerts published and received. This is more than a proposed standard. This is documented by our DoD customers as a daily desktop alerting delivery rate reality. Our engineers eliminated over 90% of the bandwidth other systems normally require to publish and send the alert. This accomplishment is unrivaled industry-wide and something that we are very proud of at Desktop Alert. We do it better, faster and often for MANY millions of dollars less than all known and approved DoD vendors across the life-cycle of the product and service requirements,? added Ryan.

Desktop Alert customer, the Army?s 7th Signal Command is responsible for the integration, security and defense of the Army LandWarNet within the Continental U.S. (CONUS). The 7th Signal Command is designed to extend LandWarNet capabilities to generating and operating forces in support of CONUS-based information-enabled expeditionary operations. The command is one of five theater Signal Commands worldwide, and is a subordinate element of NETCOM/9th SC (Army) at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

Desktop Alert customer, Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. Fort Huachuca is also the headquarters of Army Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS). Major tenants are the NETCOM/9th Signal Command (A) and the United States Army Intelligence Center. Other tenant agencies include the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC), Information Systems Engineering Command (ISEC) and the Electronic Proving Ground.

The Desktop Alert System has also attained the high honor of being selected and centrally deployed at FEMA Headquarter locations nationwide as well as NORAD/Northern Command.

About Desktop Alert: http://www.desktopalert.net

Worldwide U.S. Military organizations such as U.S. Northern Command, The United States National Guard, The United States Air Force Academy, The United States Military Academy at West Point, Multi-National Forces in IRAQ, The U.S. Air Force, The U.S. Army now utilize the Desktop Alert mass notification platform daily for their organizations emergency communication requirements. Desktop Alert can contact thousands of users with desktop alerts and require receipt confirmation of the message. Those not verified can then be listed on a report and/or sent as a "Target Package" to be automatically contacted by other means such as email, SMS, phone calls and other devices.

Howard Ryan
Desktop Alert System
9737270066
Email Information

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-national-guard-awarded-gsn-2012-most-notable-081226846.html

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At memorial, Obama pledges effort to reduce gun violence

NEWTOWN, Connecticut (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, speaking at a memorial service for the victims of a mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, said on Sunday the United States was not doing enough to protect its children and pledged in coming weeks to launch an effort to reduce violence in the country.

"We can't tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them we must change," Obama said at a somber interfaith service.

"In the coming weeks I'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this," he said. "Because what choice do we have? We can't accept events like this as routine."

Members of the audience wept when the president read the names of the 20 children and six adults who were shot at Sandy Hook Elementary school on Friday.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason in Connecticut and Mark Felsenthal in Washington; editing by Philip Barbara)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/memorial-obama-pledges-effort-reduce-u-gun-violence-021846856.html

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