nefpotog's Space http://nefpotog.posterous.com Most recent posts at nefpotog's Space posterous.com Tue, 15 Jan 2013 06:02:54 -0800 Sony Open Sunset http://nefpotog.posterous.com/sony-open-sunset http://nefpotog.posterous.com/sony-open-sunset

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Fri, 11 Jan 2013 04:22:50 -0800 Jack Lew's loopy signature may have to go http://nefpotog.posterous.com/jack-lews-loopy-signature-may-have-to-go http://nefpotog.posterous.com/jack-lews-loopy-signature-may-have-to-go

10 hrs.

This loopy mark is the signature of Jack Lew, the man who will reportedly be nominated as early as tomorrow to replace Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary.

But don't expect to see those squiggles on your dollar bills.

Lew is very likely to change the way he signs his name if he is named as Treasury Secretary. At least, that's what Tim Geithner did.

Last year, Kai Ryssdal at Marketplace radio interviewed Geithner about the change in his signature.

"He had to change his autograph ? when his signature was added to the storied list of those featured on our nation's currency," Marketplace reports.

Ryssdal, who preferred the old signature, pressed Geithner on the decision.

"Well, I think on the dollar bill I had to write something where people could read my name. That's the rationale," Geithner said.

So, as disappointing as this news is, we probably won't get those awesome Lew loopty-loos on our dollars.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/jack-lews-loopy-signature-may-have-go-1B7899175

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Thu, 10 Jan 2013 06:57:53 -0800 New Illinois legislature has 3 charged lawmakers http://nefpotog.posterous.com/new-illinois-legislature-has-3-charged-lawmak http://nefpotog.posterous.com/new-illinois-legislature-has-3-charged-lawmak

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) ? As members of Illinois' newest General Assembly took the oath of office Wednesday, the state that's still struggling to rebuild its image after two consecutive governors went to prison set yet another precedent of sorts: three sitting lawmakers facing criminal charges.

Illinois is no stranger to dramatic headlines about the nexus of politics and crime in its highest offices ? most recently former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's conviction for attempting to sell Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat. But experts and capitol veterans can't recall a comparable circumstance for state legislators since the early 1970s, when several were rounded up in a bribery trial involving cement trucks.

The allegations against the three officials vary widely: bribery, bank fraud and trying to bring a gun onto a plane. But experts say that while the charges differ, the accumulation and timing is damaging to Illinois as it struggles to address some of the most serious financial problems in its history.

"All this does is confirm those negative, cynical opinions that are out there," said Kent Redfield, a University of Illinois at Springfield political scientist. "Part of that reputation is well deserved ... but if you're trying to get citizens of Illinois to accept the legitimacy of the process you need as much credibility and trust as you can muster. That's in pretty low supply in state government currently."

The three legislators, Rep. Derrick Smith, Rep. La Shawn Ford and Sen. Donne Trotter, are Chicago Democrats who were all sworn into office Wednesday in Springfield. But that's where the similarities end.

Unlike Blagojevich and former Gov. George Ryan, who were accused of abusing their powers, only one of the cases involves political corruption.

Smith, who was appointed, was arrested on bribery charges and expelled from office in August, the first such expulsion in more than a century. In November voters put Smith back in office. He pleaded not guilty to allegations he accepted a bribe in exchange for supporting what he thought was a day care center's grant application.

Smith hasn't appeared publicly much since and his attorney didn't return messages. By state law, Smith can't be expelled again for the same charges.

"I am going to let bygones be bygones," he said after the election, vowing to work for his district.

The other two cases don't involve public office.

Ford, re-elected in November, faces bank fraud charges. He allegedly made false statements to a bank to get an increase on a line of credit, saying he'd use the money to fix investment properties but using the funds for expenses like car loans and his 2006 campaign. He pleaded not guilty last month. Ford says the incident was a mistake.

Trotter, a veteran lawmaker, was arrested when airport security workers found a gun in his bag. Trotter, who works in security, contends he simply forgot it was in his bag. He pleaded not guilty. His attorney didn't return calls seeking comment.

Some of the increased legal action may stem from Illinois' intensified focus against official wrongdoing.

When he took office a decade ago, former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's mission was to clean up the corruption-plagued Illinois. The investigations of Blagojevich, Ryan and Smith came under his watch. The state has also beefed up its ethics laws; last year officials abolished a program that allowed lawmakers to award college scholarships.

Authorities in Illinois' largest county say they've also focused efforts on lower level public officials, now that the focus is off governors. Gov. Pat Quinn vowed to keep the office scandal free after Blagojevich, and so far appears to have succeeded.

In 2010, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez launched a program to fight corruption involving publicly elected officials and public employees. The first sting netted six arrests including school officials. It was dubbed Operation Cookie Jar.

The approach of the program, which now counts 35 arrests, has been to work with police departments and seek out corruption instead of reacting to tips.

"In the past we were more reactive. The cases came in and we were notified," Alvarez said. "Our role is working from the bottom up."

Resources poured into fighting corruption on a federal level are more difficult to gauge. Randall Samborn, a spokesman for the Chicago U.S. attorney's office, declined comment.

The Chicago area already has the most public corruption convictions of any federal jurisdiction nationwide, according to a 2012 University of Illinois at Chicago report. Since 1976, that's meant more than 1,500 convictions in the Northern District of Illinois. That includes the 2011 conviction of Blagojevich, who's serving a prison sentence, and Ryan, who was convicted of corruption in 2006 and is due to be released from prison this year.

Overall, during that time, Illinois has logged more than 1,800 corruption convictions, placing it third behind the more populous California and New York.

Even now, it's far from the only state with current lawmakers in legal trouble.

Those in South Carolina include Democratic Rep. Harold Mitchell, who pleaded guilty in November to misdemeanor tax charges and will pay a fine to avoid jail. Also that month, a jury found South Carolina Republican Rep. Kris Crawford guilty of failing to file past years' tax returns on time and must pay a fine but doesn't face jail time. California's Democratic state Sen. Roderick Wright won re-election despite fighting felony counts of voter fraud and perjury.

Reformers say they can't jump to conclusions about the three in Illinois. The charges against Trotter could amount to him forgetting about the gun and those against Ford as an honest mistake, said David Morrison, deputy director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. Smith's trial is in October.

"We need to watch the process play out," said Morrison.

___

Sophia Tareen can be reached at http://twitter.com/sophiatareen

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/illinois-legislature-3-charged-lawmakers-131102927.html

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Mon, 07 Jan 2013 03:51:31 -0800 Movie Reviews: 'Promised Land' Spotlights Social Issues - Oconee ... http://nefpotog.posterous.com/movie-reviews-39promised-land39-spotlights-so http://nefpotog.posterous.com/movie-reviews-39promised-land39-spotlights-so

A pair of corporate representatives, Steve Butler (Matt Damon) and Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand), arrive in a struggling farming community, intending to sell the locals on the idea of drilling for natural gas on their land. Initially, the local folks embrace the idea....all but a respected teacher, Frank Yates (Hal Holbrook). Others join in his objections, including environmental activist Dustin (John Krasinski) and local teacher Alice (Rosemarie DeWitt), who help rally the community against the drilling.?

Here's what the critics are saying:

Director Gus Van Sant has the challenging task of taking the divisive, high-tech practice of fracking and trying to make it not just human but cinematic. Working from a script by co-stars Matt Damon and John Krasinski, based on a story by Dave Eggers, he succeeds in fits and starts. The impoverished small town that's the tale's setting, a place in need of the kind of economic rejuvenation that extracting natural gas could provide, is full of folksy folks whose interactions with the main characters don't always ring true. ?Promised Land? has its heart on its sleeve and its pro-environment message is quite clear, but it's in the looser and more ambiguous places that the film actually works.--Christy Lemire, Associated Press

?

A social-issue drama handled in a very human way, ?Promised Land? presents its environmental concerns in a clear, upfront manner but hits some narrative and character bumps in the second half that weaken the impact of this fundamentally gentle, sympathetic work. Collaborating on a screenplay for director Gus Van Sant for the third time, after ?Good Will Hunting? and ?Gerry,? Matt Damon stars as a natural gas company rep who encounters more resistance than he bargained for when trying to buy up drilling rights on struggling farmers? land. This is something of a Frank Capra story preoccupied with the idea of what the United States used to be or is supposed to be, but the film isn?t quite rich or full-bodied enough to entirely pay off. Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter

?

Promised Land, which comes out nationwide January 4, follows Steve Butler and Sue Thomason (played by Damon and the always amazing Frances McDormand), two city slickers who come into the rural town of McKinley to buy up drilling rights for their company. At first, the locals seem to bite, but then at a town meeting a curmudgeonly schoolteacher confronts them over what he deems misleading practices.
All going as planned, right? Not exactly: Just as you think you know the way this movie is going to unfold, environmental activist and friendly bro Dustin Noble (played by our NYLON Guys cover star John Krasinski) shows up in town. And the thing is, though you're supposed to like this anti-fracking activist?you don't.
And that's just the beginning of the surprising twists and turns this film makes. Does it ever convince me that fracking is a necessary evil or the key to revitalizing rural America? No--but it also made me question my assumptions about who the good and bad guys are in this debate. And for the final 20 minutes alone, it's worth the price of admission. Rebecca Willa Davis, Nylon Magazine

?

One of several ways this well-meaning picture falls short is in trying to sell a personal-salvation story as a salve to the conundrum it presents. As it unfolds on screen, it doesn't wash. When Damon's character jokes with DeWitt's Alice because despite the fact that she's got 80 acres of land, all she's growing is in a small garden in her yard, she tells him that the garden is for the benefit of her students. How so, Butler asks. "I'm teaching them how to take care of something," Alice replies, and as good and unaffected as Damon and DeWitt are in their roles, both of them might as well be wearing neon signs reading "FORESHADOWING" above their brows. And while the movie is potentially bracing in its assertion, in the tradition of such classic paranoid thrillers as "The Parallax View," that the lengths that a corporation will go to get its way can be sufficiently extreme to be almost beyond our ken, the demonstration of this assertion is more than a little on the pat side. Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies

"Promised Land" is rated R and runs 1 hour and 46 minutes. Check out show times at Beechwood Cinemas 11 and Carmike Cinema 12.

You might also be interested in reading:

'Parental Guidance' Movie Review: Great Family Entertainment

Movie Reviews: 'Django Unchained' Scores Big with Critics

Movie Reviews: 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'

'Rise of the Guardians' Movie Reviews: Complex at Times for Younger Kids

Source: http://oconee.patch.com/articles/movie-reviews-promised-land-spotlights-social-issues

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Fri, 30 Nov 2012 05:09:44 -0800 Palestinians celebrate U.N. victory http://nefpotog.posterous.com/palestinians-celebrate-un-victory http://nefpotog.posterous.com/palestinians-celebrate-un-victory

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co introduced its redesigned Civic sedan only a year-and-a-half after a major model change of the best-selling compact car in the United States. Even Honda admits that the 2012 Civic, introduced in the spring of 2011, missed the mark. For a company that prides itself on rock-solid reliability, it was a shock last summer when influential Consumer Reports ranked the Civic dead last in a field of 12 compact sedans it tested. Sales of the new Civic, a 2013 model, will start this week and the refreshed car was shown off on Thursday at the LA Auto Show. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/photos/palestine-wins-status-as-state-slideshow/

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Thu, 29 Nov 2012 03:24:23 -0800 Syrian rebels take two military bases in heavy fighting http://nefpotog.posterous.com/syrian-rebels-take-two-military-bases-in-heav http://nefpotog.posterous.com/syrian-rebels-take-two-military-bases-in-heav Interesting report from the Washington Post
Rebel fighters took over two military bases in Syria after heavy fighting Tuesday, an additional sign that the ragtag force may finally be breaking a weeks-long stalemate and making progress in its battle against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Making progress? Maybe, but keep reading.

In the past week alone, rebels have taken control of about a half-dozen military bases across the country as well as the Tishreen hydroelectric dam near the Turkish border.?
No doubt Turkey had a big role in the taking of the hydro electric dam

Both of the bases taken Tuesday were used by the Syrian air force, one of the deadliest threats to rebel fighters, according to opposition groups. The Syrian military has regularly blasted rebel positions, as well as residential neighborhoods, with jets and helicopters in recent months, killing thousands.

The deadliness of the Syrian military?s air power was on bloody display Tuesday after an air raid on an olive press in Idlib province killed at least 20 people and wounded dozens of others, according to the Local Coordination Committees, an activist network.

In a video posted online Tuesday, which reportedly showed one of the captured bases, fighters affiliated with the Free Syrian Army stomped on a bust of Assad?s father, Hafez, at the 666th air force battalion base south of Damascus.

?The second base, southeast of Aleppo, was overrun by fighters from Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Both are religious extremist groups suspected of having ties to al-Qaeda.?
?That the two air bases were taken over by such radically different groups among the opposition indicates that the recent rebel gains may not have been coordinated by any sort of unified leadership. It also hints at potential problems ahead if Islamist and secular groups begin to fight one another for control of territory.
Some observers note that while rebel fighters have been successful in taking over military bases, it is much less certain how long they will be able to hold them.
?Rebel groups have been losing territory to the Syrian military at the same time that they have been making gains.

?They?ve lost many areas in eastern Syria and near Aleppo recently,? said Rami Abdul Rahman, the director of the Syrian Observatory. ?It?s difficult to see a serious change.?

It's difficult to see a serious change. And still sounds like a stalemate
Stay tuned..

Source: http://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.com/2012/11/syrian-rebels-take-two-military-bases.html

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Tue, 27 Nov 2012 05:11:10 -0800 Gone spear hunting: Ancestors used stone spear tips 500,000 years ago http://nefpotog.posterous.com/gone-spear-hunting-ancestors-used-stone-spear http://nefpotog.posterous.com/gone-spear-hunting-ancestors-used-stone-spear

Stone spear tips from South Africa date to 500,000 years ago, says new research. Human ancestors were hunting with stone spears about 200,000 years earlier than scientists previously thought.

By Malcom Ritter,?Associated Press / November 16, 2012

This stone spear tip (shown from different angles) from Kathu Pan, South Africa, may be 500,000 years old, according to a study published in the journal Science.

(AP Photo/Jayne Wilkins)

Enlarge

Scientists say they've found evidence that stone tips for spears were made much earlier than thought, maybe even created by an earlier ancestor than has been believed.

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Both Neanderthals and members of our own species, Homo sapiens, used stone tips ? a significant development that made spears more effective, lethal hunting weapons. The new findings from South Africa suggest that maybe they didn't invent that technology, but inherited it from their last shared ancestor, Homo heidelbergensis.

The researchers put the date of the South African stone tips at about half-a-million years ago ? 200,000 years earlier than other research has suggested.

RECOMMENDED: Are you scientifically literate? Take the quiz

The new study involved analyzing stone points, a bit less than 3 inches (8 centimeters) long on average, that had been excavated about 30 years ago. Scientists had previously estimated they were about 500,000 years old, but it wasn't clear whether they were used as spear tips or some other kind of tool, said Jayne Wilkins, a researcher at the University of Toronto and lead author of the new report.

So she and her co-authors looked for evidence that the artifacts were spear tips, focusing on the way they were shaped and fractured. The pattern of damage along their edges fit in with what researchers found when they made copies of the artifacts and thrust them into the carcasses of antelopes.

From the age of the stone tips, the researchers suggest the technology may have been used by Homo heidelbergensis.

Sally McBrearty, an anthropology professor at the University of Connecticut who was not involved in the study, said it's clear that the South African artifacts are spear points. She said she sees no logical reason to doubt the trove is 500,000 years old, but she said she'd like to see some firmer proof.

"I would be happy to say that this is really half-a-million years old, I just want to be sure that it is," she said.

There's some room for doubt because of assumptions required in the dating technique and the geology of the South African site where the points were found, she said. Further sampling and analysis could firm up the evidence for the age, she said.

RECOMMENDED: Are you scientifically literate? Take the quiz

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/ENUmcDPdHas/Gone-spear-hunting-Ancestors-used-stone-spear-tips-500-000-years-ago

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Mon, 26 Nov 2012 06:42:38 -0800 Laid-off workers more likely to get cut again http://nefpotog.posterous.com/laid-off-workers-more-likely-to-get-cut-again http://nefpotog.posterous.com/laid-off-workers-more-likely-to-get-cut-again

14 hrs.

For Kathy English, it was bad enough to get laid off the first time. Then, it happened again.

The two layoffs in the past?six years have set English on a veritable employment roller?coaster: Between?bouts of unemployment, she's?worked several different short-term?jobs and taken steep pay cuts. When she is working, she often worries about whether she will end up unemployed again.

??I think you have to be extremely strong-minded to endure these circumstances,? English said.

The good news for the approximately 12 million jobseekers out there is that the employment market is slowly improving.

The unemployment rate remains relatively high, however,?meaning jobs are hard to come by. That?s left many of the millions of people who were already laid off and then found a job?worried they could be unemployed?again.

Their feelings are justified: Experts say that if you are laid off once, a combination of factors makes it more likely that you will be cut again.

?Once you?ve lost one job, even when you?re re-employed, you?re kind of set up to lose (a job) again,? said Ann Huff Stevens, an economist at UC Davis who has researched the issue.

Stevens used data from the major recession in the 1980s to evaluate why people who are laid off are likely to still be earning less money than before they were laid off, even years later and after they have found other work.

A major problem she found?was that the workers who had been laid off once were more likely to have lost a job again.

Stevens said workers who lose a job will have lower tenure in their new job, making them more susceptible to layoffs. Another issue is that they tend to have been re-employed when the economy was still weak, meaning the new employer also may encounter problems and need to cut costs.

A person who is unemployed also?is likely to take the first ? or only ? job they get offered. That means they may give less thought than they normally would to whether the job is a good fit for them.

?You may get a new job, but it just may not be a good match for your skills and your personality,? she said.

Those and other factors mean that even people who do find a new job after a layoff also are likely to be earning less for years to come.

?It takes a very long time to recover your earnings level,? Stevens said.

Angela Kelley lost a job she?d held for eight years in January of 2008. It took her six months to find a new position as a purchasing agent, and she ended up taking a pay cut.

Then just six months later, in January 2009, she was laid off again.

By then, the job market seemed even tougher. She and her husband, who have a young son, ended up moving from Austin, Texas, to East Texas. He took a new teaching job and she took a position as a teachers' aide?in the school suspension room.

It was a severe pay cut, but she stayed in the job until December of 2011, when they moved back to the Austin area for her husband?s job. That left her again searching for work.

?I can?t tell you how many resumes I sent out between January and June,? she said.

Kelley finally landed another position?as a purchasing agent. She?s very happy in her new job, but she?s still making less than she was earning in 2008.

The financial hit to the family has been substantial. Kelley said they?had to sell their house at a loss and are living with relatives in Austin while they try to find a rental home that will accept their dog.

In the meantime, they?ve cut back on everything from groceries to movie nights with their son. They have little extra to save for big expenses such as their son?s college fund.

?We?re struggling to pay the bills, so we really don?t have anything to put into savings,? she said.

English is finally earning close to what she made in 2009, after her second layoff from an administrative job. But the years of unemployment have taken a toll, and she expects it to have an effect on long-term financial goals like retirement.

She also is still haunted by the fear and frustration she felt during the months in which she was looking for work or working jobs that paid very little.

At one low point, she and her boyfriend moved from Pennsylvania to Florida, where they lived in a trailer while she spent months trying to find a job. They eventually returned to Pennsylvania, where she found clerical work that paid half of what she?d been making in 2009.

?It?s extremely frightening,? said English, 44. ?Not only do you wonder where you?re going to work, but you almost get to a point where you don?t know where you?re going to live.?

Now she is happy to have her current job, as an administrative manager with an environmental cleanup company.

The job losses also have made her more?aware of any possible concerns about her employer's financial condition. She said she?s more likely to ask if she should be worried about layoffs. She also said she?s grown much more concerned with job security than with job satisfaction.

The only upside she sees is that she has become very good at putting together resumes and explaining things like unemployment gaps. She?s thought about taking on a second job as a career coach, helping people put together resumes and cover letters.

?I?m looking at, maybe I should step out of my security zone and do this,? she said.

?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/laid-workers-more-likely-get-cut-second-time-1C7121572

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Sat, 24 Nov 2012 04:33:25 -0800 #Breitbart.com Desperately Tries to Keep the Benghazi Fake Scandal Alive (Little green footballs) http://nefpotog.posterous.com/breitbartcom-desperately-tries-to-keep-the-be http://nefpotog.posterous.com/breitbartcom-desperately-tries-to-keep-the-be
Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/265949909?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Fri, 23 Nov 2012 04:22:47 -0800 Best-selling Australian author Courtenay dies http://nefpotog.posterous.com/best-selling-australian-author-courtenay-dies http://nefpotog.posterous.com/best-selling-australian-author-courtenay-dies

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) ? Best-selling Australian author Bryce Courtenay, whose first and final books drew on his tough early-life experiences in Africa, has died of stomach cancer. He was 79.

He started writing in midlife and called his first novels "practice books," but his debut was a success. "The Power of One" was published in 1989, translated into 12 languages and became a hit movie.

His publisher Penguin Group said Friday that Courtenay died at his family home in the Australian capital Canberra late Thursday, surrounded by his family and pets.

His 21st novel, "Jack of Diamonds," was published Nov. 12 and included a moving epilogue to his readers.

"It's been a privilege to write for you and to have you accept me as a storyteller in your lives," he wrote. "Now, as my story draws to an end, may I say only, 'Thank you. You have been simply wonderful.'"

Courtenay was born the illegitimate son of a dressmaker on Aug. 14, 1933, in the mountain town of Barberton in what is now the Limpopo province of South Africa.

By the age of 17, he was working in the dangerous mines of what is now Zimbabwe. The work paid his way to Britain, where he studied at the London School of Journalism. He met an Australian, Benita Solomon, whom he followed to her hometown of Sydney in 1958 and married.

He fell into a career in advertising with U.S. agency McCann Erikson at the age of 26 and rose to creative director. He had an epiphany at the age of 50 when he decided to fulfill a lifelong ambition to be a novelist.

"The Power of One" was to be the first of three "practice books" Courtenay planned to write over three years before taking two years to write a fourth book which he hoped would find a publisher.

"I was absolutely staggered when somebody wanted to publish it in the first place," Courtenay said in his official biography released by Penguin.

"Now its worldwide success and the fact that it's available in 12 languages still amazes me," he said. It became a movie starring Morgan Freeman.

Courtenay dedicated its sequel, "Tandia," to his third son, Damon, who died of medically acquired AIDS at the age of 24 in 1991 ? two months before the book was published.

That tragedy inspired his third book, "April Fool's Day," that deals with the public fear of AIDS and was published in 1993.

In June, doctors told Courtenay that there was no hope of curing his stomach cancer.

Bob Sessions, Courtenay's longstanding publisher at Penguin, said the author would produce a 600-page book in six months, sometimes writing for more than 12 hours a day.

"He was a born storyteller and I would tell him he was a latter-day Charles Dickens with his strong and complex plots, larger-than-life characters and his ability to appeal to a large number of readers," Sessions said.

Courtenay divorced his first wife, Benita, in 2000. She died in 2007 aged 72.

He married his partner of seven years, Christine Gee, last year. He is also survived by his sons Brett and Adam.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/best-selling-australian-author-courtenay-dies-034830584.html

Kayla Harrison

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Wed, 07 Nov 2012 02:21:55 -0800 Motivated Indy gets past Dolphins 23-20 http://nefpotog.posterous.com/motivated-indy-gets-past-dolphins-23-20 http://nefpotog.posterous.com/motivated-indy-gets-past-dolphins-23-20

Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Bruce Arians calls a play during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Indianapolis, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Bruce Arians calls a play during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Indianapolis, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill loses the ball as he's hit by Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Dwight Freeney during the first half of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012. The Dolphins recovered the ball. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri makes a field goal as punter Pat McAfee holds during the first half of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill looks to throw against the Indianapolis Colts during the first half of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne, left, celebrates with Colts wide receiver Donnie Avery after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins during the first half of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

(AP) ? Andrew Luck was sensational.

Ryan Tannehill was pretty darn good, too.

All that really mattered to the Colts was that Chuck Pagano was there to see a great duel between the rookie quarterbacks.

In a game that will be remembered for the quarterbacks' head-to-head matchup, Indianapolis gave Pagano an unforgettable memory in his first trip back to Lucas Oil Stadium since being diagnosed with a form of leukemia on Sept. 26. Luck threw for a rookie record 433 yards and two touchdowns, leading the surprising Colts past Miami 23-20.

"I don't think there was anybody in this locker room that wasn't not wanting to give everything to get a 'W' today for him," receiver Reggie Wayne said of his longtime friend and coach. "When he walked in after this victory it was tough, it was hard to hold everything back. You saw a bunch of teary eyes and everything. It was a big win for us, and it took everything we had just to get it done. It was even sweeter just to have him here to enjoy it."

Clearly, Indy (5-3) wanted Pagano around to partake in the fun and the growing talk about playoff possibilities.

And Pagano wanted to be there because, well, his team is playing his way.

The Colts traded jab for jab with the Dolphins (4-4), closing the game out in a manner befitting of Pagano's style ? with two big defensive stops and Vick Ballard's 19-yard run for the game-sealing first down.

But the emotions on the field went far deeper than football.

After making an acrobatic catch for a 9-yard TD, Wayne celebrated by high-fiving fans in the back of the south end zone ? right above the (hashtag)Chuckstrong sign. Interim coach Bruce Arians also showed a hint of emotion when he talked about Pagano coming back.

Pagano, meanwhile, provided the inspiration with his pregame and postgame speeches along with some perspective on the games themselves.

"I've got circumstances. You guys understand it, I understand it," Pagano told the team as it gathered around after the win. "It's already beat. It's already beat. My vision that I'm living is to see two more daughters get married, dance at their weddings and then lift the Lombardi Trophy several times. I'm dancing at two more weddings and we're hoisting that trophy together, men. Congratulations, I love all of you."

The timing couldn't have been better for Pagano, who is scheduled to begin a second round of chemotherapy later this week.

But players got their own morale boost from seeing their coach.

"I don't think I heard the first couple of sentences that came out of his mouth," Luck said. "I was just excited to see him there because that's the head coach talking."

Nobody was better than Luck on Sunday.

He completed 30 of 48 passes, converted 13 of 19 third-down chances and remained under control even when he started moving around in the pocket. He topped Cam Newton's year-old record of 432 yards and tied another record by becoming the NFLs' second rookie quarterback to produce four 300-yard games in a season. The other: Peyton Manning, the quarterback he replaced.

It was an uncanny performance. In addition to Wayne's big catch, rookie T.Y. Hilton made a leaping 36-yard TD catch that Luck threw into double coverage, and no matter what the Dolphins did, they couldn't stop Luck or the inspired Colts.

"We knew we'd have to disrupt him (Luck) a little bit. But we weren't detailed enough, we weren't disciplined enough on our rush," Miami coach Joe Philbin said. "When you have the No. 1 defense on third down, and when a team converts 69 percent of the time on third down, it's a different feel."

The difference was Luck just made more big plays.

"The kid, he continues to amaze," Wayne said after catching seven passes for 78 yards. "Hopefully I can help, you know, add on to his legacy that he's about to build."

About to? He's already well on his way.

With the Colts trailing 17-13, Luck hooked up with Hilton on the leaping grab to make it 20-17 with 1:49 left in the third quarter.

Miami got a slicing-and-dicing 18-yard TD run in the first half from Reggie Bush, a play that rekindled images of his college days, and the Dolphins eventually tied the score on Dan Carpenter's 31-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

But Luck answered immediately with a 13-play, 69-yard drive to set up Adam Vinatieri's decisive 43-yard field goal with 5:58 to go and the Colts wound up celebrating.

"I mentioned before the game that you guys were living in a vision, and you weren't living in circumstances," Pagano said. "You know where they had us in the beginning, every last one of them. But you refused to live in circumstances and you decided consciously as a team and as a family to live in a vision, and that's why you bring things home like what you bring home today. That's why you're already champions and well on your way."

NOTES: Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon, the reigning AFC Special Teams player of the week, was credited with blocking Vinatieri's 54-yard field goal Sunday. ... Colts defensive end Robert Mathis sacked Tannehill in the first quarter, giving him a sack in his eighth straight game. ... Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake recorded a sack in his fifth consecutive game. ... The Colts had a long postgame injury list that included cornerback Jerraud Powers (toe), right tackle Winston Justice (knee), running back Donald Brown (knee), receiver Donnie Avery (hip), outside linebacker Robert Mathis (back) and center Samson Satele (back). ... Miami linebacker Kevin Burnett, cornerback Nolan Carroll and defensive tackle Paul Soliai all sustained undisclosed injuries.

___

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

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-11-05-Dolphins-Colts%20Folo/id-a6cb8b83f3d9494d8b9eab6691b6b48b

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Mon, 05 Nov 2012 02:25:27 -0800 Small Business Owner: I'll Invest In 100 New Jobs ? If Romney Wins ... http://nefpotog.posterous.com/small-business-owner-i39ll-invest-in-100-new http://nefpotog.posterous.com/small-business-owner-i39ll-invest-in-100-new A "for rent" sign hangs in a window.  (credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A ?for rent? sign hangs in a window. (credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (CBS Atlanta) ? If you?re one of many who are currently unemployed, you may be in luck.

According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, one area real estate company is willing to invest thousands to create new job opportunities.

However, there is a catch.

Frank Duffy of Duffy Realty says he will only create the jobs if Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney wins this Tuesday?s election.

?It?s about a $50,000 investment that we?re willing to make on these new agents,? ?Duffy told?WGCL-TV. ?It?ll only happen if there?s a Republican in the White House after Wednesday. If there?s a President-Elect Romney, we?re willing to make that investment.?

Some jobs will still open up at Duffy Realty even if current President Barack Obama is re-elected, though it will not amount to the reported 100 openings Duffy would potentially bankroll if Romney wins.

?I?m not willing to take that $50,000 out of my cash to make that investment,? Duffy added to the station. ?I will hire agents piecemeal, five, six, seven, eight at a time, but I?m not going to make the investment going out on a limb to help the unemployed ? start their life over.?

He reportedly supports Romney because he feels he?ll be better for small business.?Despite his choice in candidate, however, Duffy did tell admit to WGCL-TV that his company has succeeded during President Obama?s time in office.

Source: http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2012/11/04/small-business-owner-ill-invest-in-100-new-jobs-if-romney-wins/

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Sat, 03 Nov 2012 03:43:51 -0700 Care With Regards To Payday Loans http://nefpotog.posterous.com/care-with-regards-to-payday-loans http://nefpotog.posterous.com/care-with-regards-to-payday-loans

Great deals of people have actually considered payday loans, however do not have crucial knowledge. If you should purchase something right away, a pay advance might be an essential expenditure. Keep reading for some ideas of when an advance is ideal choice. Although you should sign types and be qualified to obtain a pay loan, you ought to not continue with process like just one more consumer. Do not be frightened to request a manager and also request for a package that is a lot more practical. Any kind of business will normally provide up some return margin to obtain some profit. You require to take treatment and also stay clear of fraudsters that function under the cover up of an on-line Pay advance creditor. Typically these scammers can be identified by having names like credible providers giving loans by telephone, or telling you they do not care concerning your credit score. They simply want your personal info for dishonest causes. Maintain an eye out for people that connect you with a creditor. The location of creditor could be out of the nation, even if hyperlink shows that they are within Canada. This will certainly aid you prevent unpleasant economic consequences down the road. Consider personal debt counseling if you discover yourself taking out a payday loan every paycheck. Pay advance may mean big debt issues as well as receiving it under control can assist you and your adored ones.

While Pay advances have really higher passion rates, recognize that these prices are restricted by the federal government. Pay advance have a much higher than average default hazard. For this factor, most payday providers are enabled to charge much higher interest. Many individuals who work in finance think payday loans misbehave. The costs and passion fees are quite high, so you must be mindful prior to getting this kind of loan. If you do your analysis, chances are you can get what you need at at acceptable rate. Whenever obtaining a pay advance, do not hesitate to shop about for the best promotion. You could check in-person loan providers and also on-line systems to see who can deliver you the most effective rate. This will certainly aid you save time as well as cash on your payday loan. If you locate that you have multiple cash advance, you should not attempt to consolidate them. It will certainly be impossible to pay off larger loan if you can?t handle small ones.

Trying to lower your rate of interest on your smaller loans as well as paying them off is a much smarter idea. Even before you accept a promotion for a Pay advance loan, ensure that you totally comprehend passion rate and also additional charges that you will be charged for this sort of loan. Taking a moment to review specifics of agreement now could save you hundreds of bucks later on. If you require money promptly, you could prefer to think about acquiring from a short-term lender such as Western Union. Pay advance loans can easily be really useful, provided you don?t overuse them! If you have to pay for something right away, a pay advance loan may be a required cost. You need to sign forms as well as be eligible to obtain a pay advance loan, you ought to not continue via process like merely yet another customer. While payday loans have truly higher interest prices, recognize that these prices are restricted by the federal government. Many individuals who function in finance think payday loans are bad. Whenever using for a money advance loan, do not be afraid to shop about for best promotion.

Source: http://www.tellmethestory.net/uncategorized/care-with-regards-to-payday-loans/

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Thu, 25 Oct 2012 06:47:21 -0700 Q&A: Martin Rae, President of the Academy of Interactive Arts - Joystiq http://nefpotog.posterous.com/qa-martin-rae-president-of-the-academy-of-int http://nefpotog.posterous.com/qa-martin-rae-president-of-the-academy-of-int
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has announced the dates for next year's D.I.C.E. summit, which will once again encourage the game industry to Design, Innovate, Communicate and Entertain. Joystiq's especially aligned with the "C" and "E" parts, so we thought it apt to accompany the summit's aesthetic upgrade with a look at what the AIAS (Academy of Interactive ... okay, you get it) does to promote and augment games.

We'll be publishing several Q&As with high-profile designers in partnership with the AIAS, but today we're starting with Martin Rae, President of the AIAS.

Joystiq: Hi, Martin. For the benefit of our readers who may not know you, could you give us a brief intro to your work at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences?

Martin Rae: No problem! I am Martin Rae, the president of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS). We are the professional video games organization with over 22,000 members, advancing the artistic values of the interactive entertainment community. What that means is that we celebrate the best in games and honor the talented and hard-working game makers that develop and produce those games. Additionally, we are very proud of our scholarship program, where we help make the dream of game making a reality for students aspiring to break into the games industry.

What is the primary purpose of the AIAS, and why is it important for those who follow games to know more about it?

The primary purpose of the AIAS is to celebrate games and the individuals behind the games. We do so at our annual D.I.C.E. Awards (formerly Interactive Achievement Awards), which will be in its 16th year on February 7, 2013. On that one night, all the prominent game makers in the community gather to bestow these honors to the community. What's unique about the D.I.C.E. Awards is that it is a peer-based Awards system, so the winners are selected by game makers for game makers ? the highest form of recognition that can be bestowed a game maker. You can liken that evening to the Oscars for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.

Another big initiative by the AIAS is our annual D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Community, Entertain) Summit, where the decision makers and the creatives of the game industry gather for several days to be inspired by our celebrated speakers. The conversations tend to examine what is relevant now and what is coming on the horizon ? a little more "big picture" about the nature of entertainment, creativity and innovation. A great example we always return to is Jesse Schell's 2010 D.I.C.E. talk on game-a-geddon, also known as Design Outside the Box, where we underestimated it with things like Facebook at the time, and where we might be headed in the coming years. That is just one talk that has had great legs online and blew people away in the room.

A lot of deal making happens there, and everyone is approachable. This is the only time and place in the industry where you can walk up and have a conversation with folks like Todd Howard, Richard Garriott, David Jaffe, Ted Price, just to name a few.


Where does the purview of the AIAS start and end? Can games be considered a "science"?

The purview of the AIAS is to celebrate games as an art form. Legal and rights issues in relation to the gaming industry is upheld by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).

Sure, there is a lot of "science" involved in games from a technological standpoint ? for example the constant drive to create deeper, more immersive experiences though improving graphics fidelity or innovating new interfaces and methods of input and interaction. Science along with imagination and creativity are key to interactive entertainment as they are to other forms of entertainment like movies, music and literature.

How would you like to affect or augment gaming's status in culture right now?

By celebrating the games and individuals in the industry through our D.I.C.E. Awards, we hope to elevate our game creators to promote recognition amongst consumers as well as the industry itself.

Joystiq, in cooperation with the AIAS is hosting a series of Q&As with prominent designers. What kind of insight can we expect from these, and why is it important to get to know these people better?

Every two weeks, we will post a new feature examining the tastes and influences of folks from the game industry and entertainment ? what inspires them in the realm of literature, film, music and videogames? What app can you not live without at this moment? And what key elements fortify their game room, living room or den? We are fascinated by what inspires our favorite creative minds and we are sure others will be as well. We're honored to partner with Joystiq to provide their readers with this glimpse.

We are going to start off our Hitlist with some of the D.I.C.E. Summit speakers that have been announced today ? Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford (who is responsible for the Borderlands franchise), thatgamecompany's Jenova Chen (the creative director of Flow, Flower and Journey) and Schell Games' Jesse Schell (from our famous 2010 D.I.C.E. Summit session on game-a-geddon). Many other great game makers will follow in the coming weeks. We are sure that many of their answers will surprise you, and perhaps even inspire you to go out and check out some of their recommendations. Either way, your readers will undoubtedly learn something new and interesting from them.

If there's one crucial thing you'd like to be conveyed throughout this series, what is it?

Many gamers have that one title that they keep returning to, like a novel they re-read every couple of years and see something new in it ? a game that they will gladly take out and play over and over again or continue thinking about long after they've completed it. Perhaps it's the haunting score, or the surprise ending or some intangible beauty that keeps you coming back. Whatever it is, we hope this series will inspire these gamers to learn about the gifted game makers and what truly inspires them to push the medium.

Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/24/qanda-martin-rae-president-of-the-academy-of-interactive-arts-and/

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Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:22:55 -0700 Ellen DeGeneres To Receive Top Humor Prize ? CBS Miami http://nefpotog.posterous.com/ellen-degeneres-to-receive-top-humor-prize-cb http://nefpotog.posterous.com/ellen-degeneres-to-receive-top-humor-prize-cb (Photo by Matthew Peyton/Getty Images)

(Photo by Matthew Peyton/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Jane Lynch and John Leguizamo are joining a lineup that includes Jimmy Kimmel and Kristin Chenoweth to honor Ellen DeGeneres with the nation?s top humor prize in Washington.

The Kennedy Center is awarding DeGeneres the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Monday night. The show will be broadcast Oct. 30 on PBS stations.

Star entertainers will deliver tribute performances to salute DeGeneres. The lineup also includes Jason Mraz, John Krasinski and Sean Hayes.

DeGeneres began her career as a comedy club emcee in her native New Orleans. Soon after, she became the first female comedian summoned to late-night host Johnny Carson?s desk to chat.

The prize honors Mark Twain?s tradition of satire and social commentary. Past winners include Bill Cosby, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell and Steve Martin.

(? Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Source: http://miami.cbslocal.com/2012/10/22/ellen-degeneres-to-receive-top-humor-prize/

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Thu, 18 Oct 2012 04:34:00 -0700 But I Read That Online? OMBE Center http://nefpotog.posterous.com/but-i-read-that-online-ombe-center http://nefpotog.posterous.com/but-i-read-that-online-ombe-center

From the desk of Kristen M. Reynolds, PT, DPT, PMA?-CPT?

Low back pain. Headache. Foot cramps. Occasional eye twitch. Restless legs?google all of those symptoms together and what do you have? An even bigger headache with fear of what you may be suffering from! The Internet is a wonderful resource for investigating conditions and medical options, but everyone must take caution that online literature is not always written by a licensed health care professional.

?

THE CONS

- Many people are guilty of establishing a self-diagnosis, and even a treatment plan, from the world wide web. However, such medical advice is inaccurate the majority of the time due to the source.

- In the case that what you are reading is written by a professional it is essential to note that the information provided is not intended to substitute for the diagnosis, education, or treatment of a medical professional familiar with your specific conditions and needs. Individuals should always consult with a professional for answers to personal health questions within that professional?s scope of practice.

?

THE PROS

- Patients can learn more about their injury or condition after being diagnosed by a medical professional.

- There is a wealth of information on how to prevent injuries or conditions that individuals can safely employ.

?

THE RECOMMENDED

As a PT, I greatly enjoy giving my patients a variety of ways to educate themselves about their bodies and self-care. It is always helpful to narrow down ?the good? sources from ?the bad? sources by going to a professional organization or association website. My favorite consumer friendly site is from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA):

Move Forward PT

- Explains why individuals may seek out physical therapy services.

- Allows you to browse a libary by symptoms, conditions, or diagnoses to learn how a physical therapist can help you.

- Has an ?Interactive Body? to browse by body part to learn how a physical therapist can treat you.

- ?Find a PT? section helps you locate and choose a physical therapist from a national database of APTA members that is right for you, as well as prepare for you for your first visit and how to get the most out of the session.

- Offers ?Ask a PT? is to provide consumers with the opportunity to send questions to a panel of APTA therapists. The panel selects a variety of questions each month that cover of a variety of consumer health issues.

- Posts injury prevention tips and sample exercises to help reduce your risk of injury from activities such as backpacking, gardening, and biking.

?

Kristen Reynolds, DPT, PMA?-CPT

Doctor of Physical Therapy and PMA? Certified Pilates Teacher

Kristen Reynolds earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Science from James Madison University in 2006 and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the MGH Institute of Health Professions in 2009. While practicing in orthopedics and sports medicine, a mentor introduced her to the Pilates Method and she has since pursued comprehensive certification to compliment her clinical interests. She has studied with Balanced Body, Peak Pilates, and most recently Balancepoint Pilates. She is an active member of the Pilates Method Alliance, American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy Sections, as well as the APTA of Massachusetts Shoulder and Manual Physical Therapy Special Interest Groups.

Always interested in sports and fitness, she is a former YMCA and Junior Olympic gymnast, coach, and ACE personal trainer. Integrating the Pilates principles and Mat, Reformer, and Cadillac repertoire into her physical therapy practice has produced successful rehabilitation outcomes for a wide variety of patients, including adolescents, elite athletes and dancers, and individuals with chronic orthopedic conditions. Kristen utilizes this alternative therapeutic approach to improve muscle performance and joint mobility, correct posture and alignment, enhance body awareness, and create an evenly conditioned body that is more resilient to extremity and spinal injury. She greatly enjoys designing programs to target personal goals, educating clients to incorporate Pilates into their daily activities, and teaching small group classes.

Book online for any private session or mat class in our Boston Pilates studio or contact?OMBE for additional information.

~ by admin on October 17, 2012.

Physical Therapy, Pilates

Source: http://www.ombecenter.com/blog/?p=844

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Wed, 17 Oct 2012 05:20:43 -0700 The FCC, Google and the Reality of Net Neutrality http://nefpotog.posterous.com/the-fcc-google-and-the-reality-of-net-neutral http://nefpotog.posterous.com/the-fcc-google-and-the-reality-of-net-neutral

A little history to begin: Google (GOOG) controls the money that is the Internet. They would like to keep it, apparently by any means possible.

Comcast (CMCSA) had a problem with a service called BitTorrent that was interfering with most of its customers. Comcast decided to protect, favor, etc. the thousands of customers who were checking email and Facebooking over the handful who were choking the services of the entire neighborhood by throttling BitTorrent using a technology called deep packet inspection.

As a consumer who would like to choose the speed of various services, I applaud this move; as a business whose profits were threatened, Google attacked.

A quick diversion before we get back to the facts: Internet bandwidth is finite, thus control is inevitable, contrary to Google?s "net neutrality" claims. In other words, Google is simply lying to you. WHY? Distraction. The real question is, who will do the controlling? Consumers, free to pick and choose the most efficient service for their needs, or the FCC, which will control the Internet depending upon which way the political wind blows: who has the most power? Right now, it?s Google.

Back to the facts: Google has a long financial association with the current administration. They cashed in their chits and ordered them to attack Comcast. The FCC responded by ordering Comcast to halt throttling BitTorrent and fining them; Comcast responded by suing in Federal court and winning so decisively that the illegitimacy of FCC?s power grab became apparent to all; the FCC responded by using an obsolete telephony law from the 1930s to declare they were taking over the Internet; and, so-called civil libertarians decided to back the federal government takeover of the Internet. (So, are Google?s commercial interests freer than Comcasts, or are the civil libertarians hypocrits?) Apparently the FCC knows they have trouble legally because Google and Verizon are presently at the White House, dividing up the spoils of the Internet. At this point, the media and civil libertarians are confused, thus I am here to explain.

Some have tried to paint (more accurately, tar) this as a free speech issue. The only way to describe that arguement is stupid. Throttling BitTorrent is completely agnostic; think of it like your local book store deciding to discontinue distribution of magazines in general. BitTorrent is a service, and throttling it does not arguably slow down your ability to communicate on the Internet. There are still uncountable video services left unthrottled, some of which have much larger exposure. As long as Comcast provides unthrottled video services then no freedom of speech issue exists, period. Equally important, consumers presently have choice. if you do not like Comcast, get another service. I repeat: stupid.

Net Neutrality is about who will control the money on the Internet; who will receive the advertis ing dollars that companies receive for putting information, i.e. advertising, in front of eyeballs. Now, Google controls most of that money; this is their reward for building a search engine that blew the competition out of the water. Thus consumers ride the Internet on the Google ?engine? and Google gets paid for what they see on that ride.

Change is on the way. Deep packet inspection allows new, innovative companies to evaluate Internet users and market to them more specifically, which will allow them to offer cheaper, more efficient advertising than Google can. Consumers get cheaper products, and sellers can make more money at lower prices ? new jobs, new capital, new wealth, more total economic utility. Google has no legitimate defense against this change which will inevitably take advertising dollars away and give it to smaller, smarter, more nimble competitors. Since Google has no legitimate defense, they are doing the next best thing: distract voters from the true battle, advertising, and try to convince them that this is a free speech issue. Meanwhile, they are using the politicians they have bought and paid for to do their really dirty work, protecting them from competition.

Do not let Google?s cries of freedom distract you from their monopolistic goals. They want to keep all the money and they do not care how long it takes for you to get your email. Deep packet inspection is a progressive improvement in the Internet, not a threat to your rights.

Google wants all the money, and the FCC wants all the power. Google controls the FCC, for now, so they are perfectly comfortable. Deep packet inspection is inevitable, but if Google can delay it for a few years then they will have an extra few billion dollars in their pockets. If Google and the FCC succeed in taking over the Internet, you will live under their thumb.

However, more shady characters have entered the debate: Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T). I own AT& T, and I applaud their attempts to make me money, but what is the point of collecting a few extra cents here while dollars are destroyed elsewhere? Google and Verizon met in the White House to divide up the Internet for a simple reason: Verizon and AT&T also have a lot of control in Congress because their employees are unionized; that is a lot of political money and influence spread over both parties for a long time. If Verizon, Google and the FCC decide to divide up the Internet, you can bet you will be living under THAT massive thumb for a long time.

I expect that the FCC, Verizon and Google will come up with a way to limit deep packet inspection that is so heavily regulated that only the biggest companies like Google, Verizon, Time Warner (TWX), etc. will be able to generate enough revenue to use it profitably. This will prevent new businesses and jobs from forming and it will prevent you, dear consumer, from buying cheaper goods and services, not to mention dow nloading your email quickly; meanwhile, everyone at the FCC is now more powerful and better paid. Hopefully, a more progressive administration that responds to small/medium business rather than the oligarches will someday win election and throttle back the FCC.

Every business needs to evolve or die. Ask yourself, net neutrality supporters, how is Google evolving now? The essence of Net Neutrality is the creation of a new federally protected oligopoly, and as you can see, it has NOTHING to do with free speech.

Disclosure: I own AT&T, Procera, and Google in a couple ETFs, and I know all (the ETFs, not Google) will be healthiest in the long run without net neutrality; I am not short GOOG presently.

Source: http://www.distocks.us/the-fcc-google-and-the-reality-of-net-neutrality/

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Mon, 15 Oct 2012 03:23:58 -0700 Cabinet: Israel to head to polls January 22 http://nefpotog.posterous.com/cabinet-israel-to-head-to-polls-january-22 http://nefpotog.posterous.com/cabinet-israel-to-head-to-polls-january-22 {ttle}

{cptn}","template_name":"ss_thmb_play_ttle","i18n":{"end_of_gallery_header":"End of Gallery","end_of_gallery_next":"View Again"},"metadata":{"pagination":"{firstVisible} - {lastVisible} of {numItems}","ult":{"spaceid":"2145868274","sec":""}}},{"id": "hcm-carousel-1095842533", "dataManager": C.dmgr, "mediator": C.mdtr, "group_name":"hcm-carousel-1095842533", "track_item_selected":1,"tracking":{ "spaceid" : "2145868274", "events" : { "click" : { "any" : { "yui-carousel-prev" : { "node" : "a", "data" : {"sec":"HCMOL on article right rail","slk":"prev","itc":"1" }, "bubbles" : true, "test": function(params){ var carousel = params.obj.getCarousel(); var pages = carousel._pages; // if same page, don't beacon if(("_ult_current_page" in carousel) && carousel._ult_current_page==pages.cur) return false; // keep track of current position within this closure carousel._ult_current_page = pages.cur; return true; } }, "yui-carousel-next" : { "node" : "a", "data" : {"sec":"HCMOL on article right rail","slk":"next","itc":"1" }, "bubbles" : true, "test": function(params){ var carousel = params.obj.getCarousel(); var pages = carousel._pages; // no more pages, don't beacon again // if same page, don't beacon if(("_ult_current_page" in carousel) && carousel._ult_current_page==pages.cur) return false; // keep track of current position within this closure carousel._ult_current_page = pages.cur; return true; } } } } } } })); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function() { try{ if (Math.floor(Math.random()*10) == 1) { var loc = window.location, decoded = decodeURI(loc.pathname), encoded = encodeURI(decoded), uri = loc.protocol + "//" + loc.host + encoded + ((loc.search.length > 0) ? loc.search + '&' : '?') + "_cacheable=1", xmlhttp; if (window.XMLHttpRequest) xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest(); else xmlhttp = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP"); xmlhttp.open("GET",uri,true); xmlhttp.send(); } }catch(e){} })(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {Y.namespace("Media").ywaSettings = '"projectId": "10001256862979", "documentName": "", "documentGroup": "", "ywaColo" : "vscale3", "spaceId" : "2145868274" ,"customFields" : { "12" : "classic", "13" : "story" }'; Y.Media.YWA.init(Y.namespace("Media").ywaSettings); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {if(document.onclick===YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.newClick){document.onclick=YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.oldClick;} }); }); });

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cabinet-israel-head-polls-january-22-103205641.html

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Wed, 10 Oct 2012 06:17:22 -0700 FedEx to cut costs, raise profitability of Express unit http://nefpotog.posterous.com/fedex-to-cut-costs-raise-profitability-of-exp http://nefpotog.posterous.com/fedex-to-cut-costs-raise-profitability-of-exp

(Reuters) - FedEx Corp , the world's second-largest package delivery company, plans to cut costs at its Fedex Express business to boost profitability amid slow growth in major economies, its chief executive said on Tuesday.

FedEx CEO Fred Smith, speaking at a dinner with investors and analysts in Memphis, Tennessee, said the benefits of those efforts would start to show next year.

FedEx, which last month cut its 2013 profit forecast citing a weaker economy and customers' shift toward lower-priced shipping options, is targeting $1.7 billion in profit improvements by the end of fiscal 2016, with a significant portion of that coming the year before.

"We intend to improve annual profitability substantially in our Fedex Express segment," said Smith.

Smith, whose comments were broadcast over the Internet, also told investors he intended to raise dividends in years to come.

The Memphis, Tennessee-based company, which competes with larger rival United Parcel Service Inc , saw its profit in the latest quarter take a hit from the performance of FedEx's express segment, which handles overnight package delivery by aircraft.

The segment's operating earnings fell 28 percent, and U.S. package deliveries were down 5 percent in that quarter. FedEx is more reliant on air freight than UPS.

(Reporting by Nick Zieminski, Additional writing by Phil Wahba; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fedex-cut-costs-raise-profitability-express-unit-013314886--sector.html

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Tue, 25 Sep 2012 05:56:53 -0700 Rental cars insurance | Europe Forum | Fodor's Travel Talk Forums http://nefpotog.posterous.com/rental-cars-insurance-europe-forum-fodor39s-t http://nefpotog.posterous.com/rental-cars-insurance-europe-forum-fodor39s-t

I used to take full insurance (usually with AutoEurope) for "peace of mind". But then a phone rep from AutoEurope actually talked me out of it once renting a car in the UK asking me "doesn't your credit card take care of all that?" Indeed it does. But the kicker is that sure enough, that trip we totaled the car in a wreck! If we had taken the "full insurance" from AutoEurope we still would have had a deductible of several hundred dollars and various other items would not have been covered -- like removal and "storage" of the wrecked car", transporting us to our next destination, and other matters. The bottom line was that our credit card paid every penny of expence, but the "full insurance" from the rental car would have still cost nearly a thousand dollars PLUS the cost of the insurance itself! And to get your credit card to pay you MUST DECLINE all optional insurance with the rental car company. Now I know, to take ONLY required insurance and leave the rest to my credit card.

Oh, and by the way -- such a wreck or claim will have NO affect on your own car insurance -- they weren't even notified as it has nothing to do with them.

Source: http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/rental-cars-insurance.cfm

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