gaiety thorny: November 2012

Friday, November 30, 2012

EMBO, EMBC and the National Science Council of Taiwan sign cooperation agreement

Public release date: 29-Nov-2012
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Contact: Barry Whyte
barry.whyte@embo.org
European Molecular Biology Organization

New ways of global scientific interaction have been created following a cooperation agreement between EMBO, its inter-governmental funding body, the European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC), and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC). The agreement will allow Taiwanese scientists to participate in EMBO training programmes and activities. It also means that EMBO Courses & Workshops can take place at Taiwanese research institutes.
This is the first cooperation agreement of its kind between EMBO, EMBC and Taiwanese scientists, represented by NSC and Academia Sinica. The Taipei City-based Academia Sinica and NSC work together to create new opportunities for Taiwanese life scientists.
"EMBO promotes and encourages the development of the life sciences within Europe and beyond. We encourage the global mobility of scientists and we look forward to the increased scientific collaboration that this agreement will bring," said EMBO Director Maria Leptin.
EMBO Associate Member and Academia Sinica President Chi-Huey Wong said: "EMBO is a leading organization that fosters new generations of life science researchers producing world-class scienti?c results. It is our delight to create great opportunities for young Taiwanese scientists to connect with the elite scientists of Europe."
Representing the NSC, the cooperation agreement was signed by Minister Cyrus C.Y. Chu. He said: "This agreement opens up a gateway for Taiwanese life scientists to interact with some of the world's brightest minds. We anticipate that more Taiwanese scientists will form affiliations with leading European life scientists because of this agreement."
Under the terms of the agreement, scientists can apply for EMBO Short-Term and Long-Term Fellowships. Young Taiwanese group leaders will be eligible to benefit from the EMBO Young Investigator Programme, which provides outstanding young scientists with financial, academic and practical support to start up their first independent research laboratories.
Taiwanese scientists and EMBO will also cooperate in the organization of EMBO Courses & Workshops, which will help to spark collaborations between different scientific disciplines. Earlier this year, Academia Sinica and EMBO jointly organized the lecture course "Logic of Regulatory Circuits in Life Sciences" in Taipei City.
Conference organizers can apply for funding for plenary lectures given by EMBO Members or lectures given by EMBO Young Investigators at Taiwanese institutes and universities. Travel stipends will be available for Taiwanese scientists to attend EMBO Courses & Workshops and The EMBO Meeting.
The cooperation agreement will run for three years.
###

EMBO
Barry Whyte
Head, Public Relations
& Communications
P: +49 6221-8891-108
communications@embo.org
National Science Council
Louis Chen
Program Director Department
of International Cooperation
P: +886-2-2737-7959
ymchen@nsc.gov.tw
Academia Sinica
Pearl Huang
Media Liaison,
Office of the Director General
P: +886-2-2789-8820
pearlhuang@gate.sinica.edu.tw
About EMBO
EMBO stands for excellence in the life sciences. The organization enables the best science by supporting talented researchers, stimulating scientific exchange and advancing policies for a world-class European research environment. EMBO is an organization of more than 1500 leading life scientist members that fosters new generations of researchers to produce world-class scientific results. EMBO helps young scientists to advance their research, promote their international reputations and ensure their mobility. Courses, workshops, conferences and scientific journals disseminate the latest research and offer training in cutting-edge techniques to maintain high standards of excellence in research practice. EMBO helps to shape science and research policy by seeking input and feedback from our community and by following closely the trends in science in Europe.
For more information: www.embo.org
About NSC
The National Science Council (NSC) is the major Taiwanese funding agency for Science and Technology. The NSC has signed 105 cooperation agreements with 43 nations for Taiwanese researchers to participate in international Science and Technology activities. Cooperation involves exchange among researchers, joint conferences, joint research projects, high-level official visits, and conferring international awards. The NSC overlooks 16 Science and Technology overseas divisions. Apart from strengthening international relations with host nations, the NSC provides support for Science and Technology researchers to pursue research at overseas universities or research organizations, to broaden global perspectives and enhance their mobility.
For more information: www.nsc.gov.tw
About Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica is the most prominent Taiwanese academic institution. It was founded in China in 1928 to promote scholarly research into sciences and humanities. In 1949, Academia Sinica was re-established in Taipei. It is now a modern institution with a worldwide reputation and a proud tradition. Academia Sinica is currently under the leadership of President Chi-Huey Wong. It is divided into three divisions, the Division of Life Sciences, the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Division of Mathematics and Physical Sciences. The institute consists of 24 institutes and 7 centers, the research from which can be seen regularly in international scholarly journals. As of November 1, 2012, it includes 1,022 research fellows and research specialists, and 662 postdoctoral researchers.
For more information: www.sinica.edu.tw
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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.

EMBO, EMBC and the National Science Council of Taiwan sign cooperation agreement Public release date: 29-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Barry Whyte
barry.whyte@embo.org
European Molecular Biology Organization

New ways of global scientific interaction have been created following a cooperation agreement between EMBO, its inter-governmental funding body, the European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC), and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC). The agreement will allow Taiwanese scientists to participate in EMBO training programmes and activities. It also means that EMBO Courses & Workshops can take place at Taiwanese research institutes.
This is the first cooperation agreement of its kind between EMBO, EMBC and Taiwanese scientists, represented by NSC and Academia Sinica. The Taipei City-based Academia Sinica and NSC work together to create new opportunities for Taiwanese life scientists.
"EMBO promotes and encourages the development of the life sciences within Europe and beyond. We encourage the global mobility of scientists and we look forward to the increased scientific collaboration that this agreement will bring," said EMBO Director Maria Leptin.
EMBO Associate Member and Academia Sinica President Chi-Huey Wong said: "EMBO is a leading organization that fosters new generations of life science researchers producing world-class scienti?c results. It is our delight to create great opportunities for young Taiwanese scientists to connect with the elite scientists of Europe."
Representing the NSC, the cooperation agreement was signed by Minister Cyrus C.Y. Chu. He said: "This agreement opens up a gateway for Taiwanese life scientists to interact with some of the world's brightest minds. We anticipate that more Taiwanese scientists will form affiliations with leading European life scientists because of this agreement."
Under the terms of the agreement, scientists can apply for EMBO Short-Term and Long-Term Fellowships. Young Taiwanese group leaders will be eligible to benefit from the EMBO Young Investigator Programme, which provides outstanding young scientists with financial, academic and practical support to start up their first independent research laboratories.
Taiwanese scientists and EMBO will also cooperate in the organization of EMBO Courses & Workshops, which will help to spark collaborations between different scientific disciplines. Earlier this year, Academia Sinica and EMBO jointly organized the lecture course "Logic of Regulatory Circuits in Life Sciences" in Taipei City.
Conference organizers can apply for funding for plenary lectures given by EMBO Members or lectures given by EMBO Young Investigators at Taiwanese institutes and universities. Travel stipends will be available for Taiwanese scientists to attend EMBO Courses & Workshops and The EMBO Meeting.
The cooperation agreement will run for three years.
###

EMBO
Barry Whyte
Head, Public Relations
& Communications
P: +49 6221-8891-108
communications@embo.org
National Science Council
Louis Chen
Program Director Department
of International Cooperation
P: +886-2-2737-7959
ymchen@nsc.gov.tw
Academia Sinica
Pearl Huang
Media Liaison,
Office of the Director General
P: +886-2-2789-8820
pearlhuang@gate.sinica.edu.tw
About EMBO
EMBO stands for excellence in the life sciences. The organization enables the best science by supporting talented researchers, stimulating scientific exchange and advancing policies for a world-class European research environment. EMBO is an organization of more than 1500 leading life scientist members that fosters new generations of researchers to produce world-class scientific results. EMBO helps young scientists to advance their research, promote their international reputations and ensure their mobility. Courses, workshops, conferences and scientific journals disseminate the latest research and offer training in cutting-edge techniques to maintain high standards of excellence in research practice. EMBO helps to shape science and research policy by seeking input and feedback from our community and by following closely the trends in science in Europe.
For more information: www.embo.org
About NSC
The National Science Council (NSC) is the major Taiwanese funding agency for Science and Technology. The NSC has signed 105 cooperation agreements with 43 nations for Taiwanese researchers to participate in international Science and Technology activities. Cooperation involves exchange among researchers, joint conferences, joint research projects, high-level official visits, and conferring international awards. The NSC overlooks 16 Science and Technology overseas divisions. Apart from strengthening international relations with host nations, the NSC provides support for Science and Technology researchers to pursue research at overseas universities or research organizations, to broaden global perspectives and enhance their mobility.
For more information: www.nsc.gov.tw
About Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica is the most prominent Taiwanese academic institution. It was founded in China in 1928 to promote scholarly research into sciences and humanities. In 1949, Academia Sinica was re-established in Taipei. It is now a modern institution with a worldwide reputation and a proud tradition. Academia Sinica is currently under the leadership of President Chi-Huey Wong. It is divided into three divisions, the Division of Life Sciences, the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Division of Mathematics and Physical Sciences. The institute consists of 24 institutes and 7 centers, the research from which can be seen regularly in international scholarly journals. As of November 1, 2012, it includes 1,022 research fellows and research specialists, and 662 postdoctoral researchers.
For more information: www.sinica.edu.tw
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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/2012-11/embo-eea112912.php
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Casio's touchscreen graphing calculator arrives in 2013, makes the TI-84+ look dated

Everything's a battleground these days, isn't it? Even the makers of humble graphing calculators can't resist a scrap. Casio is now throwing down the gauntlet, announcing that its fx-CP400 will arrive shortly after rival TI's color-screened TI-84+. Casio's offering comes with a 4.8-inch, 320 x 528, stylus-driven display and can switch from vertical to horizontal modes at the touch of a button. If you're planning on some illicit classroom movie-watching, however, then you should know it only has around 30MB of storage -- but hey, that might be good enough for one thing.

Continue reading Casio's touchscreen graphing calculator arrives in 2013, makes the TI-84+ look dated

Comments

Via: Casiopeia

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/29/casio-fx-cp400/

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Groundhog day, self-restraint, and news that speak for themselves ...

I?ll give you a sneak peek into how the editorial process of?this blog works:

I frankly wasn?t planning on posting anything on the blog for the rest of the rather busy week.?But then?I? attended a?conference, and an idea?spurred to?mind: why not write a post on?how?a few -not all-competition conferences (topics and speakers) are starting to make us feel inside a time loop,?sort of?like in the?Groundhog day movie?

Maybe not, I thought later; perhaps some of the ~~usual suspects~~ frequent speakers in the conference market wouldn?t like it (there are categories among these:?(i) those who?never?refuse invitations out of politeness?-which I find laudable- and who are also tired of speaking always about the same stuff, however convenient;?and (ii) those?who pay for?speaking slots -which I understand less- and who wouldn?t appreciate the comment).?Moreover, we had also ~~bragged about how we would do something different~~ announced our own conference and have not yet arranged it, so it?s probably wise not to write on this. So, as you see, I?m not.??

But now Gianni de Stefano (from Latham and antitrustitalia)?sends?us a GCR?piece titled: ?Spain fines antitrust complainant??joking that?we should?write about it. And he?s right,?we could not let this?pass by without a post?

You see, I?don?t want to write too much Spain-related stuff,?and so?a few days ago I?resisted the temptation?of writing anything about prioritization and allocation of resources when the CNC sanctioned 5 distributors of Magic cards with 7,000 euros (one party received a 148 euro fine, another a 748 euro fine; the highest fine was 3,424 euros).?I won?t comment on this either (as if it was necessary?). But this silence?exhausted my self-restraint capacity.

So let?s focus on yesterday?s news. What happened is?the following:?the association of canned fish producers [yes, those responsible for the death of the sole responsible of Spain's victory in the 2010 World Cup:? Octopus Paul -evidence of the murder available here-] lodged a complaint against mussels producers alleging that?the latter?had entered into price-fixing agreements. The CNC sanctioned mussels producers with 1.7 million. So far so good (except for mussels producers). The fact of the matter is that within the framework of the investigation the CNC discovered that the complainants had themselves decided to react to the cartel by agreeing on a collective boycott. And now the complainants have received a 2.1 million fine.? Once again, no comment. [Query: could you complain about a cartel and ask for leniency regarding another reprisal cartel?]

Actually, there?s one comment. If the accusations are true there is nothing to object to the?CNC?s decision. But I have been involved in a few other cases where the complainants were also the instigators of the agreements complained of, but they weren?t sanctioned. Curiously enough, in all of these cases the complainants were not companies, but?individuals, labor unions or public bodies. There is probably a reason for this:?sanctioning companies has the political advantage that when they get ~~pi..?~~crossed they don?t do this?

P.S. The food sector has?given us so much food for ~~jokes~~ thought that the European Commission?s statement that there are no particular competition problems (after having set up a task force, drafted this report, and done all this) was a surprise to us.

Like this:

Be the first to like this.

Source: http://chillingcompetition.com/2012/11/29/groundhog-day-self-restraint-and-news-that-speak-for-themselves/

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Home Truths ? Self assessment of property tax won't be ...

irishtimes.com - Posted: November 29, 2012 @ 12:48 pm

Edel Morgan

Will detective work be required to establish values?

There are no houses on the market in the housing estate where I live? . When I key in the name of? my road? on? the property price register I find that there has been one? transaction? in the past 11 months where a house sold for ?190,000 but they give no details as to whether the house has the same number of bedrooms as mine, what the condition of the house is or if it? has a? large back garden.? However two houses around the corner sold in September, one for ?230,000 and one for ?265,000. Again the register provides no detail as to the finer points of these houses. So if I have to? self-assess the value of my house for the property tax,? is it up to me to scope these houses out, quiz the owners? or the neighbours as to the number of bedrooms and compare and contrast them to my own? Well I have a life? as it happens and won?t be doing any of these things.

In theory self assessment of the property tax sounds so simple. It is speculated that the value of the home will go up in bands of ?50,000 and it will be calculated by self-assessment. Householders will pay the rate attached to the nearest ?50,000 band, so a house worth ?220,000 will pay the rate for all houses between ?200,000 and ?250,000 of ?500. The bands go up in ?50,000s . However, anyone who knows anything about property knows it won?t be that straightforward. There are all sorts of anomalies and grey areas that will make it difficult for homeowners to know how much their house is worth.

Say for example you live on a road or in a development where there haven?t been any houses sold in recent months or even years? How do you even begin to value your property?? Or you live in an area where there have been a few sporadic sales but there has been no consistency in terms of the selling prices. This could happen where there are different house types on a road or where there?s been a receiver/bank sale and a? property sold for a rock bottom price. An estate agent told me yesterday that he sold a five bed house in a well regarded development in Dublin 9 for ?170,000. Obviously the vendor wanted a quick sale because this is way below what the house is worth, even in the current market. But if , for example, this was the only recent sale in the development at the time of self assessment for the property tax, would other residents in the area be well within their rights to value their houses in the ?150,000-?200,000 price band also?

There are warnings of penalties for not paying the right amount but in this confused market, it might be hard to prove that a homeowner has under-declared . Another factor, particularly in Dublin, is that there are so few houses on the market so there will be many areas where a clear valuation is not easily deduced. There?s still? an element of trial and error with? the asking prices that estate agents affix to properties,? the property price register is still in its infancy and there has been a dearth of transactions. It has been suggested that homeowners may have to have their homes professionally valued and if that is the case,? it will be interesting to see how even a valuer would go about determining how much a property is worth in many areas where there have been no recent transactions. And if homeowners will be able to appeal if they don?t agree with the valuation or if the valuation turns out to be incorrect in the light of subsequent transactions?.whatever happens it is bound to be tricky.

Source: http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/home-truths/2012/11/29/self-assessment-of-property-tax-wont-be-straightforward/

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Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta up for FIFA award

By TALES AZZONI

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 9:22 a.m. ET Nov. 29, 2012

SAO PAULO (AP) - Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta are the finalists for FIFA's world player of the year award.

They were picked from a list of 23 candidates for this year's Ballon d'Or, with Messi looking to become the first player to win the award four times. The Argentina and Barcelona playmaker won the award last three years.

The winner will be announced in Switzerland on Jan. 7.

The finalists for the women's world player award are five-time winner Marta and United States duo Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach.

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque, former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho were in the running for the world coach of the year award.

More newsSergei Supinsky / AFP - Getty Images

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50008577/ns/sports-soccer/

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PFT: Roethlisberger limited in Steelers' practice

The Jaguars claimed via waiver on Wednesday the contract of former Eagles defensive end Jason Babin.? The contract covers three more seasons.

Under a little-known quirk in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Babin can become a free agent after the 2013 season ? if he wants.

Article 29, Section 1(a) of the CBA explains that vested veterans (i.e., players with four or more years of service) who are claimed on waivers after the trading deadline ?shall have the right to declare himself an Unrestricted Free Agent . . . at the end of the League Year following the League Year in which he is waived and awarded.?

For vested veterans who have no-trade clauses in their contracts, the ability to become a free agent applies at the end of the year in which he was claimed.? Per a league source, Babin doesn?t have a no-trade clause in his contract.? Which means that Babin will be able to become a free agent, if he chooses, in March 2014.

Until then, it?s safe to say (at least for now) that Babin has no qualms about playing for the Jaguars.? His Twitter page already has been updated to reflect that he?s a Jaguar, and he seems like a guy who would have no qualms about speaking his mind if he were not interested in playing in Jacksonville.

Of course, the Jaguars have the ability at any time to make Babin a free agent.? Since he already has received (after his 2008 release by the Seahawks) termination pay in the form of the balance of his base salary, the Jags can cut him at any time, without owing him any more money or taking a cap hit.

Babin is due to receive a base salary of $4.225 million in 2013, along with a $100,000 workout bonus.? His base salary increases to $6 million in 2014.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/11/28/roethlisberger-limited-brown-and-polamalu-practice-fully/related

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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Calne Town Football club to upgrade

2:41pm Wednesday 28th November 2012 in Calne

Calne Town Football Club?s application to renew its lease for the use of land at Bremhill View was granted by town councillors this week.

The club, founded in 1886, is one of the oldest in Wiltshire. Players train on a full size flood-lit pitch and on match day the stadium seats 100 people.

It currently has a 15 year lease with the town council for the Bremhill View site, which was signed on September 28, 2006.

Since signing it has spent around ?60,000 to improve facilities on the Bremhill site, including new seating, a referee room, a catering hut, improved changing facilities and pitch improvement.

The club now has the opportunity to apply to the Football Foundation and the local landfill community funds for a grant of ?30,000 which will cover the costs of further improvement to comply with league standards.

There are plans to add a standing stand and a new toilet block, but to apply for the money the club needs a 21-year-old lease.

This was granted on November 26 at a full town council meeting.

?A straightforward renewal of lease will cost between ?500 and ?750 plus VAT which will now be paid by the club.

Kevin Whitehorn, the town?s community football development officer, said: ?It?s fantastic news really. They?ve done a cracking job to bring it forward to where it is now, but they need new funding to improve it further and to bring it up to league standard.?

Source: http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/towns/calneheadlines/10075949.Calne_Town_Football_club_to_upgrade/?ref=rss

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iPad mini, iMac to remain in short supply until next year

Apple's retail stores were bustling with shoppers this Black Friday, but this year, its iPad tablet won the day as the favorite mobile device for online shoppers to use while buying other things. Mobile shopping overall was on the rise this year, acc ...

Source: http://www.cliqz.com/dld/c/62864.html

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Casey Anthony movie to debut in January

MIAMI (AP) ? "Prosecuting Casey Anthony" starring Rob Lowe is set to debut early next year on the Lifetime cable network.

Based on prosecutor Jeff Ashton's book, "Imperfect Justice," the movie will air Jan. 19, at 8 p.m.

Lowe plays Ashton and the story is told through his point of view, with Anthony herself as a relatively minor character.

Anthony was arrested in 2008 and charged in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. She was acquitted of murder in summer 2010.

Ashton left the State Attorney's Office after the case but then unseated his former boss in an election this past summer. Ashton will take office Jan. 8.

Elizabeth Mitchell, of "Lost," plays prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick. Oscar Nunez, of "The Office," plays defense attorney Jose Baez.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-11-28-US-Casey-Anthony-Movie/id-8c187410cbb942b79f1fe01cd4b7b16c

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Finance ministers strike Greek bail-out deal | European Voice

Raft of measures agreed to help lower Greece's debt burden; cash-strapped country to get ?43.7bn if it implements reforms; IMF sounds note of caution.

Eurozone finance ministers agreed in the early hours of this morning (27 November) steps to help Greece make its huge mountain of debt more sustainable ? and approved the release of its next bail-out instalment.

The finance ministers' third meeting on Greece this month ? this one again lasting more than ten hours ? saw a deal reached under which eurozone member states will make it easier for Greece to meet new debt-reduction targets.

It paves the way for a decision to release Greece's next instalment, totalling ?43.7 billion, to be approved formally when ministers meet on 13 December, providing that national parliaments give their assent before then.

The deal reflects a determination by member states to keep Greece in the eurozone and an acknowledgement that the government in the stricken country has lived up to its commitments to reform.

Olli Rehn, the European commissioner for economic and monetary affairs and the euro, who attended the meeting, said that the decision ?removes the uncertainty that has been hanging over Greece for too long?.

?For the eurozone, this was a real test of credibility and of its ability to take decisions on challenging issues, and it was a test we couldn't afford to fail,? he added.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg who presides over meetings of eurozone finance ministers, acknowledged that ?it has been a very difficult deal?.

Part of the difficulties lay in disagreements between eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ? which provides a proportion of the money to Greece ? over how quickly the country should bring its debt down to sustainable levels, and what help it should get to achieve that.

Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the IMF, said she was happy with the deal, but warned that the IMF would not approve the disbursement of its share of the loans until it had proof that one of the measures that eurozone countries have pledged to take ? a debt buy-back scheme ? was operational.

?Under today's deal, Greece will aim to get its debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio, which is currently estimated to be about 144%, to 124% by 2020 and to ?substantially lower than 110%? by 2022.

To help Greece meet its targets member states agreed to take a series of measures:

? the rate of interest that Greece has to pay on it loans from eurozone countries will be reduced by 100 basis points;

? profits made on European Central Bank purchases of Greek government bonds ? about ?11 billion ? will be given back to Greece; and

? the maturities on bilateral and eurozone loans will be extended by 15 years and interest payments on eurozone loans by ten years.

In a statement, finance ministers warned that countries would take part in these initiatives only ?in a phased manner and conditional upon a strong implementation by the country [Greece] of the agreed reform measures?.

The bail-out instalment will amount to ?43.7bn and will be paid in three stages, during the first three months of 2013, on condition that Greece implements its agreed reforms, notably a sweeping reform of its tax system in January.

In a statement, Lagarde said: ?Once progress has been made on specifying and delivering on the commitments made today, in particular implementation of the debt buy-backs, I would be in a position to recommend to the IMF executive board the completion of the first review of Greece's programme.? ? ?

Source: http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2012/november/finance-ministers-strike-greek-bail-out-deal/75798.aspx

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RetailMeNot Facebook App: Improved Targeting | Small Business ...

More and more consumers are steering away from traditional paper coupons in favor of electronic deals and coupon codes. But not only can these electronic coupons be more convenient for consumers, they can also allow for more effective targeting and analytics options for the businesses that offer them. And since social media sites hold so much information about their users and their interests, it only makes sense that these sites could assist businesses better target deals to their best customers.

RetailMeNot

Coupon website RetailMeNot just launched a Facebook app that recommends deals and coupons based on users? Likes and interests.

The RetailMeNot site, which currently boasts more than 500,000 offers a year, can often seem overwhelming for consumers looking for deals. But the new Facebook can help make these offers more relevant to consumers, and thus more effective for the businesses that submit offers.

Users of the RetailMeNot app simply give it permission to see their Likes, and then they can also select a few of their favorite retailers in order to get an even more personalized feed of offers and coupons. Then, over time, the RetailMeNot app also takes into account the offers that users click.

The photo above shows the Facebook app, which includes a customized feed of coupons and offers. It details how much of a discount the user can receive, the expiration date, and more personalized information. Users can also save coupons and add favorite stores to their preferences.

Coupon codes can be submitted by any online retailer, and printable coupons that include scannable bar codes can be submitted by local stores. In addition, the site allows businesses to submit sales or shopping tips that just give consumers information about saving money.

To submit a coupon or sale, you need only create an account and then provide the name of the retailer, type of deal, and any other information necessary for shoppers to redeem the offer.

Offers are then reviewed by the site and often go live within a few hours. You can then track how many users have redeemed your coupon and how much they saved.

RetailMeNot was launched in 2006 and is owned by Whale Shark Media. RetailMeNot also offers a coupon app for iPhone, as well as a weekly email with a stream of recent deals.

About Annie Pilon

Annie Pilon is a freelance writer specializing inmarketing, social media, and creative topics. When she?s not writing for her various freelance projects or her personal blog Wattlebird, she can be found exploring all that her home state of Michigan has to offer.

Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/11/retailmenot-facebook-app-improved-targeting.html

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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Norquist's Tax Pledge: What It Is and How It Started

As Congress wrangles over the fiscal cliff, one tiny document will loom large over the negotiations.

Known in Republican circles simply as "The Pledge," the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) Taxpayer Protection Pledge has steered GOP tax policy for decades, applying pressure to any candidate, lawmaker, or president who would raise taxes. If tax rates aren't at stake, the pledge is equally unforgiving to those who would limit deductions, even as a tradeoff, as Republicans are now being asked to do by Democrats and President Obama.

It reads:

I, ______, pledge to the taxpayers of the ______ district of the state of ______ and to the American people that I will: One, oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses; and Two, to oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates

Much has been made lately of the pledge's allegedly diminishing influence, after House Speaker John Boehner indicated revenue increases would be on the table in fiscal-cliff talks. But Republicans who hint at pledge violations have a way of revising their statements with vague language about filling government coffers without going against the vow.

In the current Congress, 238 representatives and 41 senators have signed the Pledge. In the next Congress, ATR claims 219 representatives and 39 senators as adherents-although a small handful have already backed away from their commitments.

The pledge began in 1986 under the aegis of president Ronald Reagan.

Grover Norquist, a Republican and former staffer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, had launched Americans for Tax Reform in 1985 to advocate for tax reforms Reagan was pushing in his second term. The group was financed largely by corporate sponsors such as Kraft, the Associated Press reported at the time.

In the midterm campaign year of 1986, Norquist rolled out the Taxpayer Protection Pledge as a way to pressure candidates to support Reagan's tax agenda, and as a cudgel for Republicans to wield against Democrats on the campaign trail.

"We intend to make tax reform permanent," Norquist explained that year. Reagan had already passed tax reforms in 1981-drawing the same Democratic criticism of GOP tax policies as today, namely that they favor the wealthy-and the second-term president eyed the 1986 bill as part two of his tax agenda.

Reagan and congressional Republicans signed onto it. ATR pushed the pledge through the Republican Information Network, a newfangled proto-Web tool for GOP campaigns, along with sample press releases offered up as blueprints for GOP candidates to attack their Democratic foes.

Reagan promoted the pledge, and Republican candidates ran on the pledge, and while the GOP lost House and Senate seats in the election year, Reagan's tax-reform bill passed: ATR and the pledge had succeeded.

Since then, Norquist's pledge has helped enforce near-uniformity in Republican ranks, enshrining as dogma a policy of never raising tax rates. George H.W. Bush, who did not sign the pledge, lost re-election after raising taxes, breaking his own "read my lips: no new taxes" vow, as Norquist is usually quick to point out. Raising taxes "ruined" Bush's presidency and "cut it in half," Norquist told ABC in a phone interview in June.

The pledge has worked for 26 years because it's simple.

'If you want a politician to make a commitment and you want it to matter, it can't be four paragraphs long, I can't have moving parts - you can't remember what's in it," Norquist told The Atlantic in 2011.

And as Norquist puts it, signers are beholden to voters, not to him or his group.

The pledge may be facing its biggest test yet. Norquist has his enemies and frenemies on both sides of the aisle, including Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tom Coburn, both of whom have stood cleanly against any obligation to the pledge. About a dozen incoming House Republicans haven't signed it, and a few more have distanced themselves from it, The Hill's Russell Berman reported after the 2012 election.

Throughout 2012, with fiscal-cliff negotiations approaching, Norquist has been adamant that Republicans will not vote to raise taxes or limit deductions without finding new tax cuts elsewhere. Even as some Republicans have backed away from his anti-tax line, the pledge has history on its side.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Google Acquires Wireless Internet Network - Business Insider

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Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-acquires-wireless-internet-network-2012-11

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Man who performed world's first successful kidney transplant dies at 93

BOSTON (AP) ? Dr. Joseph E. Murray, who performed the world's first successful kidney transplant and won a Nobel Prize for his pioneering work, has died at age 93.

Murray's death in Boston at Brigham and Women's Hospital was confirmed Monday by hospital spokesman Tom Langford. No cause of death was immediately announced.

Since the first kidney transplants on identical twins, hundreds of thousands of transplants on a variety of organs have been performed worldwide. Murray shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1990 with Dr. E. Donnall Thomas, who won for his work in bone marrow transplants.

"Kidney transplants seem so routine now," Murray told The New York Times after he won the Nobel. "But the first one was like Lindbergh's flight across the ocean."

Murray's breakthroughs did not come without criticism, from ethicists and religious leaders. Some people "felt that we were playing God and that we shouldn't be doing all of these, quote, experiments on human beings," he told The Associated Press in a 2004 interview in which he also spoke out in favor of stem cell research.

In the early 1950s, there had never been a successful human organ transplant. Murray and his associates at Boston's Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, now Brigham and Women's Hospital, developed new surgical techniques, gaining knowledge by successfully transplanting kidneys on dogs. In December 1954, they found the right patients, 23-year-old Richard Herrick, who had end-stage kidney failure, and his identical twin, Ronald Herrick.

Because of their identical genetic background, they did not face the biggest problem with transplant patients, the immune system's rejection of foreign tissue.

After the operation, Richard had a functioning kidney transplanted from Ronald. Richard lived another eight years, marrying a nurse he met at the hospital and having two children.

"Post-operatively the transplanted kidney functioned immediately with a dramatic improvement in the patient's renal and cardiopulmonary status," Murray said in his Nobel lecture. "This spectacular success was a clear demonstration that organ transplantation could be life-saving."

Murray performed more transplants on identical twins over the next few years and tried kidney transplants on other relatives, including fraternal twins, learning more about how to suppress the immune system's rejection of foreign tissue. One patient who received a kidney transplant from a fraternal twin in 1959, plus radiation and a bone marrow transplant to surpress his immune response, lived for 29 more years.

But it was the development of drugs to suppress the body's immune response, a less radical approach than radiation, that made real breakthroughs in transplants possible. In 1962, Murray and his team successfully completed the first organ transplant from an unrelated donor. The 23-year-old patient, Mel Doucette, received a kidney from a man who had died.

Murray continued a long career in plastic surgery, his original specialty, and transplants. He was guided by his own deep religious convictions.

"Work is a prayer," he told the Harvard University Gazette in 2001. "And I start off every morning dedicating it to our Creator."

Murray told the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2004 that he continued to get letters from patients he helped years earlier and from relatives of those who died during the early efforts.

"They often say ... that they are happy to have played some small part in the eventual success of organ transplants," he said, praising the courage of his patients and their families.

Murray was honored at the 2004 Transplant Games, for athletes who have received organ transplants, along with Ronald Herrick, the man who had donated a kidney to his twin brother a half-century earlier.

Murray's interest in transplants developed during his time in the Army during World War II when he was assigned to Valley Forge General Hospital in Pennsylvania while awaiting overseas duty. The hospital performed reconstructive surgery on troops who had been injured in battle.

The burn patients, who were often treated with skin grafts from other people, intrigued Murray.

"The slow rejection of the foreign skin grafts fascinated me," Murray wrote in autobiography for the Nobel Prize ceremony. "How could the host distinguish another person's skin from his own?"

The hospital's chief of plastic surgery, Col. James Barrett Brown, had performed skin grafts on civilians and noticed that the closer the donor and recipient were related, the slower the tissue was rejected. A skin graft between identical twins had taken permanently.

Murray said that was "the impetus" of his study of organ transplantation.

Murray was ever the optimist and kept on his desk a quotation, "Difficulties are opportunities," his son Rick Murray said.

"It reflects the unwavering optimism of a great man who was generous, curious, and always humble," Rick Murray said in a statement released by the hospital.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/transplant-doc-nobel-winner-murray-dies-boston-021318579.html

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Reading, writing and playing games may help aging brains stay healthy

ScienceDaily (Nov. 25, 2012) ? Mental activities like reading and writing can preserve structural integrity in the brains of older people, according to a new study presented November 25 at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

While previous research has shown an association between late-life cognitive activity and better mental acuity, the new study from Konstantinos Arfanakis, Ph.D., and colleagues from Rush University Medical Center and Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago studied what effect late-life cognitive activity might have on the brain's white matter, which is composed of nerve fibers, or axons, that transmit information throughout the brain.

"Reading the newspaper, writing letters, visiting a library, attending a play or playing games, such as chess or checkers, are all simple activities that can contribute to a healthier brain," Dr. Arfanakis said.

The researchers used a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method known as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to generate data on diffusion anisotropy, a measure of how water molecules move through the brain. In white matter, diffusion anisotropy exploits the fact that water moves more easily in a direction parallel to the brain's axons, and less easily perpendicular to the axons, because it is impeded by structures such as axonal membranes and myelin. "This difference in the diffusion rates along different directions increases diffusion anisotropy values," Dr. Arfanakis said. "Diffusion anisotropy is higher when more diffusion is happening in one direction compared to others."

The anisotropy values in white matter drop, however, with aging, injury and disease.

"In healthy white matter tissue, water can't move as much in directions perpendicular to the nerve fibers," Dr. Arfanakis said. "But if, for example, you have lower neuronal density or less myelin, then the water has more freedom to move perpendicular to the fibers, so you would have reduced diffusion anisotropy. Lower diffusion anisotropy values are consistent with aging."

The study included 152 elderly participants, mean age 81 years, from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a large-scale study looking at risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. Participants were without dementia or mild cognitive impairment, based on a detailed clinical evaluation. Researchers asked the participants to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 the frequency with which they participated in a list of mentally engaging activities during the last year. Among the activities were reading newspapers and magazines, writing letters and playing cards and board games.

Participants underwent brain MRI using a 1.5-T scanner within one year of clinical evaluation. The researchers collected anatomical and DTI data and used it to generate diffusion anisotropy maps.

Data analysis revealed significant associations between the frequency of cognitive activity in later life and higher diffusion anisotropy values in the brain.

"Several areas throughout the brain, including regions quite important to cognition, showed higher microstructural integrity with more frequent cognitive activity in late life," said Dr. Arfanakis. "Keeping the brain occupied late in life has positive outcomes."

According to Dr. Arfanakis, diffusion anisotropy drops gradually beginning at around age 30. "Higher diffusion anisotropy in elderly patients who engage in frequent cognitive activity suggests that these people have brain properties similar to those of younger individuals," he said.

The researchers will continue to follow the study participants with an eye toward comparing the diffusion anisotropy results over time.

"In these participants, we've shown an association between late-life cognitive activity and structural integrity, but we haven't shown that one causes the other," Dr. Arfanakis said. "We want to follow the same patients over time to demonstrate a causal link."

Coauthors are Anil K. Vasireddi, B.S., Shengwei Zhang, B.Eng., David A. Bennett, M.D., and Debra A. Fleischman, Ph.D.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Radiological Society of North America.

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

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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/~3/XzBz8H5HJZ8/121125103947.htm

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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Irish Greyhound Derby 2012: A big win for Skywalker Puma | bettor ...

Irish Greyhound Derby 2012: A big win for Skywalker Puma

Sometimes, everything goes against predictions and expectations. The same happened in the high-profile event of Irish Greyhound Derby 2012. Unlike the betting forecast, that showed Milldean Panther, as the hot favourite candidate before the start of the tournament, Skywalker Puma eventually walked away with the glorious title on September 8.

The ?225,000 racing festival of Ireland began with the dawn of August. There took place some thrilling and awe-inspiring contests at Shelbourne Park. After the hullaballoo of more than five weeks, F. O'Donnell?s Skywalker Puma walked away with the grand victory along with earning ?120,000.

That race was full of excitement and thrill. Being the 2-1 favourite, Skywalker Puma broke from Trap 2. Within a few seconds after the break call, D. Ruth?s Cuil Cougar was in command.

That was a moment of great depression for the punters who had put their money on the favourite candidate. The huge crowd of sport lovers, who had come to watch the heated action, were also spellbound to see the situation going against the hopes.

Skywalker Puma and Cuil Cougar kept fighting neck-to-neck throughout the time. Even a few steps ahead of the finish line, nothing was clear. Most of the spectators had regarded Ruth?s pupil as winner.

Suddenly, there came a startling change in the playfield. Skywalker Puma summed up his entire courage and took a long leap to finish first by a neck?s margin, making the bettors? breathes flow smooth.

The two-year-old young black dog completed the 550-yard distance in 29.39 seconds. It was the greatest success of his career. Neither he nor his trainer had even imagined such a feat before.

With Cuil Cougar being the runner-up, Razldazl George finished third on the podium. The fourth spot went to Coolykereen Imp. Tyrur Sugar Ray and Camas were 5^th and 6^th respectively.

The Derby poses to be the top-ranked racing event of Ireland. Inaugurated in 1928, this is held every year. In the beginning, the mega series was hosted by Harold?s Cross, but Shelbourne Park became the permanent host in 1968.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of sport lovers of the world gather at Ireland to enjoy this event. In fact, this is the jewel of greyhound racing.

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Irish-Greyhound-Derby-2012-A-big-win-for-Skywalker-Puma-a201803

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Gravity offers lessons in innovation - The Nation

Pichaya Changsorn November 26, 2012 1:00 am

What does your firm do?

Our firm, Gravity Innovation Consulting (www.gravity-innovation.com), is best viewed as "the doctor for innovative organisations". Organisations come to us to get a check-up evaluation from all angles, including innovation strategy, product development process, organisation structure, teamwork, talent utilisation, and so on.

We also take this time to interview the executives to get a clear understanding about the major symptoms of their firms that led them to come to us in the first place, and also their visions - how they want to see their firms a few years from now.

After we understand the context and the firms evaluated, we then proceed to put together a proper action plan aimed at getting the firms back on track toward organisation excellence once deployed.

We also coach executives on various subjects centred around building sustainable innovative organisations - how you apply your knowledge and expertise to help Thai companies become more innovative.

How do you apply your knowledge and expertise to help Thai companies become more innovative?

Gravity applies our expertise to three areas within an organisation.

First, for the corporate level, we help redesign the existing organisational structure, teamwork and culture to be more suitable for creativity and innovation to thrive.

Secondly, for executive and leadership, we coach them in |the best practices of effectively using their talent pool, empowering their organisation, and building a deeper bench of leadership in the pipeline. Finally, for the "innovation engine" within an organisation, we coach department directors and team leaders in the best practices of steering ideas with potential into real world products, and incubating innovation through |carefully crafted development phases.

What is your mission? What are the challenges?

My mission is to help Thai businesses stay competitive in this era of innovation economy.

While I prefer the top-down approach within an organisation for coherence and synergy reasons, when it comes to the national level and beyond, I deeply believe in the power of a bottom-up approach - helping a multitude of contrasting innovative organisations grow simultaneously and see how a few of them ultimately stand out - the survival of the fittest, if you will.

Thailand is relatively strong in many aspects, but the challenge is that when it comes to innovation, we don't seem to have much exposure to world-class innovation or R&D processes, or innovative organisation designing and leading.

This is exactly where Gravity comes in; we help leverage Thai businesses to achieve their full innovation potential through our innovation process and innovative organisation expertise. Furthermore, we help executives sharpen their innovation strategies and understand their power to lead and inspire effectively.

Can you offer some advice for Thai firms looking to become more innovative?

Possessing knowledge and skills in several fields, and being creative and open-minded so that they can be "cross-pollinated" to create a unique solution to elegantly solve a problem are the keys to being innovative for individuals. Leonardo da Vinci is probably the best example for this, so are Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs.

For a firm, which is a synergic group of individuals, it needs a little more on top of that to constantly give out high-impact innovations.

It needs the right kind of corporate infrastructure, namely: visionary leaders, decentralised organisation structure, effective innovation process, and smart innovation strategy.

So in sum, what Thai firms need to be innovative are: creativity, ability to "cross-pollinate", and the right infrastructure.

Can you share your broader view on the innovation landscape in Thailand?

In order to be economically strong, Thailand needs to be innovative more in the upstream - I'm talking about technology and product R&D. These days in Thailand, we see a lot of downstream innovation in marketing, packaging and distribution. I don't really see innovation at any level beyond that, which has a substantial impact on the Thai economy.

South Korea and Japan, for example, have a lot of marketing or packaging innovation too, but what sets them apart is the ability to innovate at deeper levels and leverage their innovation engine to boost their economic and technical advancement.

What advice and words of inspiration do you have for Thai youth for their future career?

Know your core competencies, and have a dream - a big one. And don't limit your view to your local economy.

Look out for global opportunities. You'll be surprised how much is in store for those with talent and ambition.

Latest stories in this category

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Gravity-offers-lessons-in-innovation-30195023.html

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AP Interview: Hamas No. 2 rejects Gaza arms halt

Palestinian schoolchildren walk in debris by a damaged school in Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Schools in Gaza opened Saturday for the first time since the truce, which calls for an end to Gaza rocket fire on Israel and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, came after eight days of cross-border fighting, the bloodiest between Israel and Hamas in four years. The school was damaged when Israeli forces struck on a nearby building. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Palestinian schoolchildren walk by a damaged school, right, in Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Schools in Gaza opened Saturday for the first time since the truce, which calls for an end to Gaza rocket fire on Israel and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, came after eight days of cross-border fighting, the bloodiest between Israel and Hamas in four years. The school was damaged when Israeli forces struck on a nearby building. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Hamas militants of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades attend the funeral of Hamas member Joudeh Shamallah in Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. According to family members, Shamallah was badly injured during the latest Israeli-Hamas fight and died from wounds Saturday. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Un grupo de palestinos se congrega frente a la alambrada en la frontera Israel-Gaza al este de Khan Younis, en el sur de la Franja de Gaza, el viernes 23 de noviembre de 2012. Israel relaj? algunas restricciones fronterizas como parte de su tregua con los dirigentes de Hamas en territorio palestino el s?bado 24 de noviembre. (Foto AP/Bernat Armangue)

A relative of Hamas member Joudeh Shamallah makes the victory sign while weeping during Shamallah's funeral in Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. According to family members, Shamallah was badly injured during the latest Israeli-Hamas fight and died from wounds Saturday. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

CAIRO (AP) ? Gaza's ruling Hamas will not stop arming itself because only a strong arsenal, not negotiations, can extract concessions from Israel, the No. 2 in the Islamic militant group told The Associated Press in an interview Saturday.

The comments by Moussa Abu Marzouk, just three days after the worst bout of Israel-Hamas fighting in four years, signaled trouble ahead for Egyptian-brokered talks between the hostile neighbors on a new border deal.

Hamas demands that Israel and Egypt lift all restrictions on the movement of goods and people in and out of the Palestinian territory, which has been buckling under a border blockade since the Islamists seized the territory in 2007. The restrictions have been eased somewhat in recent years, but not enough to allow Gaza's battered economy to develop.

Israeli officials were not immediately available for comment Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. However, an Israeli security official said this week that Israel would likely link a significant easing of the blockade to Hamas's willingness to stop smuggling weapons into Gaza and producing them there.

Abu Marzouk said Saturday that the group would not disarm, arguing that recent Palestinian history has shown that negotiations with Israel lead nowhere unless backed by force.

"There is no way to relinquish weapons," Abu Marzouk said in his office on the outskirts of Cairo. "These weapons protected us and there is no way to stop obtaining and manufacturing them."

Hamas' founding charter calls for Israel's destruction, but leaders of the group have also said they are ready for a long-term cease-fire with the Jewish state.

The group is believed to have amassed a large arsenal of thousands of rockets since Israel's last military offensive in Gaza four years ago. Hamas has been smuggling weapons through tunnels under the border with Egypt, but also claims to have begun manufacturing longer-range rockets in Gaza.

During the latest round of fighting, Hamas fired Iranian-made Fajr-5 rockets that came close to Israel's heartland, including the cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for the first time. Israel warplanes pounded the tunnel area during the offensive to disrupt smuggling, and tunnel operators reported serious damage, but in the past were able to rebuild quickly.

Hamas used to be evasive about Iranian weapons support, but in recent days senior officials in the group have openly thanked Tehran. Gaza strongman Mahmoud Zahar told reporters on Saturday that he is confident that Iran will increase military and financial support to Hamas and the smaller militant group Islamic Jihad.

Iran and its regional rivals, the Sunni Muslim-led states in the Gulf, have been competing in recent months to lure Hamas into their respective camps. The top Hamas leader in exile, Khaled Mashaal, is being hosted by the Gulf state of Qatar, which has promised hundreds of millions of dollars for Gaza reconstruction.

Zahar said Saturday that Hamas is not beholden to anyone, but defended the group's ties with Iran. "If they don't like it, let them compete with Iran in giving us weapons and money," he said in an apparent jab at the Gulf states.

Abu Marzouk, meanwhile, said Hamas would not stand in the way of a bid by its main political rival, internationally backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, to seek U.N. recognition for a state of Palestine next week.

Abbas will ask the U.N. General Assembly to approve "Palestine" ? made up of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in 1967 ? as a non-member observer state.

Such a state is far from being established, but Palestinians hope U.N. recognition would affirm its future borders, to be used as a baseline once negotiations with Israel resume. Israel, while willing to cede some land, refuses with withdraw to the 1967 lines and opposes Abbas' U.N. move as an attempt to bypass negotiations. Israel has moved half a million Israelis into settlements on war-won land.

Abu Marzouk suggested that Abbas is wasting his time at the U.N. "Hamas believes the General Assembly is not the one to create states," he said. "Occupation needs resistance, not negotiations."

Israel and the West have shunned Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in shootings and bombings over the years, as a terror organization. However, Hamas officials believe the boycott is slowly eroding, pointing to U.S. support for the cease-fire deal brokered by Egypt and the ongoing indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Overall, Hamas leaders have claimed the group has emerged victorious from this round, noting that Israel did not make good on threats to send ground troops into Gaza. Israel says it has achieved its goal of halting rocket fire on Israel.

Abu Marzouk said the next round of indirect talks will take place in Cairo on Monday. He has not met his Israeli interlocutors, he said, but said they are security officials and experts on border arrangements.

Until late last year, most top Hamas leaders in exile were based in Syria, the Islamists' main foreign backer in addition to Iran. However, Syrian President Bashar Assad's brutal crackdown on a popular uprising there made Hamas' alliance with the Damascus regime untenable.

Abu Marzouk, who has settled in a quiet Cairo suburb, said the follow-up talks with Israel were going well so far.

In Gaza, residents said Saturday that Israel has already eased some restrictions.

Fishermen were able to sail six nautical miles out to sea, or double the previous limit, said Mahfouz Kabariti, head of the local fishermen's association. "This is an opportunity and a chance for a better catch, though it is still a limited area," said Kabariti, who represents some 3,500 fishermen.

Israeli navy boats have been enforcing a sea blockade in an attempt to prevent weapons smuggling to Gaza. The restrictions on fishermen have fluctuated over the years, linked to the ups and downs in Israeli-Palestinian relations.

Meanwhile, some Gaza residents said they were able to enter an Israeli-enforced buffer zone on the Gaza side of the border Saturday with Israel without fear of being fired on.

Israel's military had carved out a 300-meter-wide (300-yard-wide) zone several years to try to prevent militants from sneaking into Israel. The zone gobbled up scarce farmland in one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

On Saturday, 42-year-old farmer Nidal Abu Dakka said soldiers stood and watched as he and others moved close to the fence. In other border areas, residents said Hamas police kept them away from the fence.

An Israeli government spokesman said he was unaware restrictions had been eased. A defense official said the Israeli military was no longer enforcing the no-go zone, but reserved the right to act against suspicious people. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss the issue with reporters.

___

El Deeb reported from Gaza City. Associated Press writer Karin Laub in Gaza City contributed reporting.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-24-Israel-Palestinians/id-710e64bf3b8c4036b6e9d550fda9618b

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Saturday, November 24, 2012

jaime's Site - What do You Imply by Internet Hosting

With Online selling and online search engine optimization (Search engine marketing) now very important elements to owning a business site, most internet designers are including Web optimization to their arsenal of functions.

The issue is the fact the majority of these self-proclaimed SEO/web designers are unsuccessful to fully realize the complete picture of natural and organic Website positioning. The tips to properly optimize a website are dramatically evolving. And although anybody can do keyword examine and compose meta tags and website page duplicate, a large number of web-site designers pass up the mark with Search engine optimization using a site's back-end.

Whether or not you happen to be thinking about choosing a solo designer or full-service online layout small business, it is actually important that the supplier has learned what they is working on if Search engine optimization is concerned. In reality, respecting the SEO-friendly parts of the webpage is often a should always in the course of the online model process.

Within this piece, we protect a handful of unique parts that website designers (or providers selecting an internet designer) ought to be conscious of when making a well-optimized websites.

Research Helpful CMS

A good number of online business companies design their internet websites approximately a CMS platform or articles and other content administration product like WordPress or Drupal. CMS software application constantly features 'plug-ins' for Search engine optimisation which allow customers to write down custom URLs, web page titles, and meta descriptions. However these Search engine optimization parts are important to own key phrase optimized for each site, a research welcoming CMS goes perfectly beyond what a Website positioning plug-in can provide.

The real difference maker in having a SEO-friendly CMS facilities over the coding structure from the internet site. Some world-wide-web designers, though resourceful, will use completely graphic intense ideas which can diminish a site's Search engine optimization future. Most people are effectual at balancing aesthetics with small, search-friendly coding.

Down below are a few things to consider despite the fact that utilizing a CMS in your optimized web-site:

Locate articles and other content administration devices that use CSS style sheets (in contrast to nestled tables). This enable search engine spiders to crawl and catalog your site's subject matter a lot more competently.

Consider a CMS that allows you to place interior one way links and navigation over the web-site in targeted regions, these given that the footer or column. Some platforms and online create templates will probably restrict exactly where one can destination one-way links, which is huge consideration for Search engine marketing.

Stray absent from CMS platforms that instantly established static URLs for each site. Definitely opt a CMS that permits end users to jot down vibrant, key phrase optimized URLs for each site (and that's regularly periods feasible by way of a plug-in).

Find out if the content material management method allows for computerized XML sitemap generation. If it is not going to, consult you world-wide-web designer if they will be making and submitting the XML sitemap manually.

These points it's possible you'll aspire to bear in mind as likely requests for your potential word wide web design group, primarily those that intend on using a website content administration technique to function your internet site.

Back-End Code Structure

The procedure of designing a well-optimized resource site are advised to concentrate on the back-end composition from the website's code, or HTML. This includes webpage aspects that can be visible over the site (these kinds of to be the content or web page duplicate) at the same time as things that off the page (these kinds of as meta facts). The way in which during which the code is structured, also towards different types of code being used, can eventually effect Search engine marketing effectiveness.

The 2 primary off-page components that keep the greatest weight for Search engine marketing is definitely the site title and meta description. The webpage title and meta description should probably be scripted as early as feasible in HTML of every web page. The title particularly (which defines a website page and normally include things like a key phrase reference for Search engine optimisation) is most significant. An internet site designer or developer will want to ensure the internet search engine spiders strike the webpage title as one in all the initial bits of code wherein it crawls.

Likewise, the on-page subject matter of a website would be wise to also be introduced as earlier as possible inside code. The human body copy is the pages' bread and butter for Search engine optimization, and when this articles and other content is at the bottom in the page's back-end, the spider crawls it very last (which happens to be not the top for Search engine optimization). Expert word wide web designers and developers can use 'div' tags to indicate the articles and other content earlier inside HTML, even if lots of navigation back links could quite possibly be earlier mentioned the content material as it is actually demonstrated concerning the website page.

These coding variables might probably also rely upon the content material administration process that's getting used. This is why, it is important to possess a suitable recognizing of just how SEO-friendly your CMS is, also as your web site designer's coding functions.

Go for an internet Style Corporation Correctly

If you are in search of a web style and design business enterprise for both the look and Web optimization of your respective site, do not ever be bashful. Which is, don't wait to check with your potential customers plenty of requests. Some sectors you might like to deal with will be the provider's technical knowledge, this kind of as her or his HTML coding capabilities, also as their graphic structure ability. Talk to to view if they have any references and examples of well-ranking websites that they have fashioned and optimized inside earlier.

In summary, there's multiple websites companies that promote Seo, yet failed execute search engine optimization proficiently. Just make certain that you come organized when searching for these dueling solutions in one package deal.

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Diet Tips for an Effective Weight Management part 1

It is to get access to the right weight management plans in case you are determined and well focused on your endeavor. If you try to lose weight, you?ve probably questioned, what?s the greatest weight reduction policy for me? It is dependent upon you. Exactly what your own goals for losing weight and what type of food do you think would be healthy to lose weight? Precisely your physician suggest as a possible suitable objective for weight control and to manage fat? They are a few queries you ought to answer in order to manage excess fat. If you answer these concerns truthfully, the way to go should be with regard to weight reduction plans will probably be clarified.

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