সোমবার, ২৮ নভেম্বর, ২০১১

Gr8r Technology Blog: INSIGHT COMMUNICATIONS PHONE ...

For many businesses, a Insight Communications phone service outage is more than just an inconvenience- it?s a disaster!? For medical practices, it could seriously affect their quality of care and the health of their patients; for law firms, it could negatively impact their clients? cases; and for service companies, it could cause customers to suffer unnecessary losses due to a delay in response to urgent and emergency situations.? For any type of business, a Insight Communications phone service outage means missed calls, missed opportunities, and?the loss of time, money and productivity.

The threat of a possible Insight Communications phone service outage exists for all Insight Communications business customers, but the threat is higher?for some businesses due to their location or more serious because of their business model.? If your business is located in an area where there are frequent Insight Communications phone service outages, or in an area prone to natural disasters like fires, floods, tornados, hurricanes or earthquakes, your threat is high.? If you have the type of business in which phone communications is critical?such as?safety, security or medical care, the threat is more very serious for you.? Whether the threat for your business is great or small, you need a ?bullet proof? back up solution to protect your business from Insight Communications phone service outages.

Business owners who need to protect their business from the threat of Insight Communications phone service outages are turning to Gr8r Technology for a business continuity solution for their phone communications.? Business continuity means making sure you can keep doing business during any Insight Communications phone service outage. You might have employed business continuity techniques for your data and network systems, but not for your phone communications. Business continuity solutions for your phone communications is vital to the stability, survival and security of your business, and Gr8r Technology can provide the ideal back up phone communications solution for you.

Beware of any type of back up?phone service?Insight Communications might offer you as a solution to their phone service outages, because it will probably be ineffective, insufficient and incomplete for what you really need.? This is because, in the event of a?Insight Communications phone service outage, Insight Communications will probably route all of?your calls to only one alternate phone (usually a cell phone).? This?won't?solve the problem- it'll just creates more problems, because it?s impossible for one single cell phone to match the call capacity of multiple Insight Communications business phone lines or match the call processing power of?your office phone system.? You?can only answer one call on a cell phone at at time.??Your?receptionist can?t transfer calls to various employee extensions, place callers on-hold, put callers into employee voice mail boxes, or perform any other normal call processing functions on a cell phone.? Even worse, your callers hear the personal voice mail message on?your cell phone- not the professional greeting on the office auto attendant, giving your business an unprofessional phone presence.? These are just a few of the many problems, challenges and issues you?might encounter if you rely on a back up phone service solution from Insight Communications.

Gr8r Technology provides the ideal business continuity solution to protect your business from Insight Communications phone service outages called ?Back Up Phone Service? (a/k/a BUPS).? Our Back Up Phone Service (BUPS) offers you many advantages, including?

INSTANT and AUTOMATIC DEPLOYMENT

Our Back Up Phone Service deploys instantly and automatically in the event of Insight Communications phone service outages due to network problems, power failure, equipment failure, or natural disasters.? You don?t have to make a call, log into a web portal, or do anything manually yourself.? BUPS simply goes right to work when needed without any human intervention.

WORKS WITH ANY PHONE

Our Back Up Phone Service works with any type of phones and phone lines, including analog, digital, VoIP, cellular, and satellite phones, eliminating any requirement to buy any special equipment.

SOPHISTICATED CALL ROUTING

Our Back Up Phone Service routes incoming calls to multiple phones and phone lines simultaneously, eliminating busy signals, missed calls, and overwhelming one person on one phone!? This is a very important distinction between BUPS and the business continuity offerings of Insight Communications phone service providers who route all of their customer?s calls to only ONE single phone.

MIRRORS AND MATCHES

Our Back Up Phone Service mirrors and matches your normal call flow (routing, extensions, etc), eliminating confusion for your callers and employees.? BUPS uses the exact same greetings, menu options (?press 1 for sales, 2 for customer service, etc), extensions (extension 101, 102, 103 etc), hours of operation, directions, and other information, programming and settings on your office phone system.? BUPS matches and mirrors your normal call flow so well that your callers may not even realize that your regular phone lines are down.

FEASIBLE

Our Back Up Phone Service is very affordable, scalable and customizable with user access and control both online and over-the-phone.? There?s no equipment to purchase, no infrastructure to build (wiring, jacks, etc), no software to install and run on your network, no IT contractor to hire, no contract to sign, and no Internet requirements (this is not VoIP).? Turn-a-round time is only 48 hours and BUPS cost only a fraction of what you?re paying for your Insight Communications phone service.Gr8r Technology?s Back Up Phone Service (BUPS) has all the features, functionality and capabilities you need, including?

? AUTO ATTENDANT:? Automatically answers calls, plays a greeting with menu options, and routes calls based on the menu option selected by the caller, as well as processes incoming faxes.? This ensures that, during a Insight Communications phone service outage, calls are routed correctly to your various standby phones and alternate phone numbers.

? EXTENSIONS: Provides a destination to route incoming calls for a particular employee, department, or pre-recorded information.? BUPS extension numbers can match the 3 or 4 digit extensions on your phone system, eliminating any confusion for your callers and employees.

? FIND ME - FOLLOW ME: Automatically connects calls to employees ?live?, in real time, regardless of their location or the type of phone they are using at the time of the call (cell phone, home phone, office phone, Skype or any phone).? This feature is important because you don?t know where your employees will be when your phone lines go down, but your BUPS will locate them for you, ensuring that they don?t miss important calls during Insight Communications phone service outages.

? DIAL-BY-NAME DIRECTORY: Enables callers to be automatically connected with the person they are trying to reach by entering the first three letters of the person?s last name.

? CALL QUEUING: Increases call capacity by automatically fielding calls when all employees or all lines are busy, eliminating hang ups and dropped calls.? Callers are given the option to press ?1? to wait for the next available representative, or press ?2? to leave a message in voice mail.? If your phone lines go down in the middle of your peak calling period, this feature will reduce or eliminate hang ups, busy signals and dropped calls.

? AUTO RE-DIRECT: Automatically redirects incoming calls to a different extension or phone number depending on the time of day, and day of the week.? This feature ensures that calls are routed correctly if your Insight Communications phone service fails after hours and on weekends.

? ?IN CALL? CONTROLS: Empowers you to 1) transfer ?live? calls from any phone to any other phone, 2) place a caller on hold with the caller listening to your custom On-hold Music or Message, or 3) connect the caller to your voice mail without hanging up.? This feature is vital if your employees will be using their cell phones and homes phones as standby and alternate phones, in the event of a Insight Communications phone service outage at your office.

? ON-HOLD MUSIC: Plays your company message to the caller while the call is being transferred or when the caller is placed on-hold.

? VIRTUAL PHONE LINE: Empowers you to use any phone (cellular or landline) in any location to place outbound calls with the appearance that you are calling from your office phone.? The recipients of your calls only see your office number in their Caller ID- not the phone number you?re calling from!? This feature is vital if your employees will be using their cell phones and homes phones as standby and alternate phones, in the event of a Insight Communications phone service outage at your office.

? VOICE MAIL-TO-EMAIL: Delivers your employees' voice mail messages to their email address as an MP3 attachment so they can listen to their messages on any computer or smart phone!? This feature ensures that employees get their voice mail messages, even when your phone lines and office phone system are down.

? TEXT NOTIFICATIONS: Notifies employees by phone or SMS text message whenever they receive a voice mail message or fax, enabling them to respond to callers quickly, even when your phone lines and office phone system are down.

? GROUP MESSENGER: Empowers you to make one call and record a message to alert everyone in your company via email, text message, and phone that your phone lines are down and BUPS has been deployed.

? VIRTUAL FAX: Automatically receives incoming faxes, delivers them to employee email addresses in PDF format, and notifies employees that a new fax is waiting for retrieval.? Employees can view, print, store, and forward faxes on any computer or smart phone.? Employees can also send faxes from any computer in any location during Insight Communications phone service outages.

? PHONE-TO-FAX: Empowers employees to use their cell phone to fax any stored form or document to any fax number in the USA, during a Insight Communications phone service outage in which their office fax machine and fax line is down.

? CALL ALERT: Automatically alerts employees every time they receive a call, even if the caller does not leave a message or speak to an employee ?live?. The alert includes the caller?s number, name, location and call date & time.

? CALL TRACKING: Automatically gives you statistics and demographics on who your callers were during a Insight Communications phone service outage.? Shows all calls by dates, times, durations; and uses Google Maps to show your caller?s geographic location.

If your Insight Communications phone lines go down, do your employees have the tools to keep your business running?? If a natural disaster strikes, causing more problems than just a Insight Communications phone service outage, but also making your office inaccessible, do your employees have the tools to keep your business running from their homes or remote offices?? If your answer is no, we strongly recommend that you protect your business today with the ideal business continuity solution from Gr8r Technology- Back Up Phone Service (BUPS).? Click on one of the links below to learn more...

Source: http://gr8rtechnology.blogspot.com/2011/11/insight-communications-phone-service.html

florida gators erin brockovich clemson the duchess the duchess hope solo hope solo

রবিবার, ২৭ নভেম্বর, ২০১১

26.2 With Donna Skydive 4 Breast Cancer (Really) | News | Beaches ...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --? The 5th anniversary of?26.2 With Donna is less than three months away, and with a $100,000 marathon challenge from Delores Weaver on the line, people are coming up with very creative ways to fundraise.

First Kurtis Loftus held a surfing marathon.? He has a pending new world record after surfing non-stop for 31 hours.? Kurtis has raised more than $10,000 to help us finish breast cancer.

Then last week two little girls, Cassie and Grace, set up a lemonade stand and raked in more than $85 for the cause.

Now two grown women are planning to jump from a plane to raise funds.? Dawn Hagel and Janice Cobb will skydive from a plane over Herlong Airport Saturday November 26th at 11am.? They are welcoming spectators, and you can also follow them on facebook at 26.2 With Donna Skydive 4 Breast Cancer.

They are asking for $5 donations.?

You can also?join the 'tie in to give 5' campaign.

?

Source: http://beaches.firstcoastnews.com/news/news/65421-262-donna-skydive-4-breast-cancer-really

baby lisa irwin pearl jam 20 martha marcy may marlene lacuna lacuna paranormal activity 3 trailer paranormal activity 3 trailer

Moroccans choose new parliament after protests

A woman walks past electoral paintings representing political parties in Casablanca, Morocco, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Moroccans head to polls to elect a new parliament Friday after the king brought forward elections in response to Arab Spring demonstrations over the past nine months. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

A woman walks past electoral paintings representing political parties in Casablanca, Morocco, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Moroccans head to polls to elect a new parliament Friday after the king brought forward elections in response to Arab Spring demonstrations over the past nine months. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

A man walks past electoral paintings representing political parties in Casablanca, Morocco, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Moroccans head to polls to elect a new parliament Friday after the king brought forward elections in response to Arab Spring demonstrations over the past nine months. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

A woman walk past electoral paintings representing a political party in Casablanca, Morocco, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Moroccans head to polls to elect a new parliament Friday after the king brought forward elections in response to Arab Spring demonstrations over the past nine months. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

A man stands next to a publicity panel that reads "We can make a choice" in Casablanca, Morocco, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Moroccans head to polls to elect a new parliament Friday after the king brought forward elections in response to Arab Spring demonstrations over the past nine months. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

(AP) ? Moroccans began voting for a new parliament Friday in Arab Spring-inspired elections that are facing a boycott by democracy campaigners who say the ruling monarchy isn't committed to real change.

A moderate Islamist party and a pro-palace coalition are expected to do well in the voting, but a key test for the authorities' legitimacy will be how many voters cast ballots.

The result will be watched by Morocco's U.S. and other western allies, as well as European tourists who cherish its beaches and resorts.

In the affluent Agdal neighborhood of Rabat a steady stream of professionals lined up early in morning at a polling station to vote before work.

"I've always voted but this time it is more important," said Mohammed Ennabli, a doctor. "Before it was the king who chose, now it is the people who choose."

Nadia Zerrou, a woman in her 30s, said voting "is a right which I always exercise."

"This time there have been developments, there is more transparency and voters are more aware," Zerrou said.

Morocco's reputation as a stable democracy in North Africa has taken a hit with this year's protests. And its once-steady economy is creaking from the amount of money the government has pumped into raising salaries and subsidies to keep people calm amid the Arab world turmoil.

The election campaign has been strangely subdued, unlike the lively politicking in nearby Tunisia when it held the first elections prompted by the Arab uprisings last month.

Morocco with its many political parties and regular elections was once the bright star in a region of dictatorships.

But all that has changed with the Arab uprisings that toppled dictators in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Now a political system that holds elections but leaves all powers in the hands of a hereditary king does not look so liberal.

Under the new constitution, the largest party must form the government, which could well be the Islamist party, known by its French initials PJD. But there's uncertainty over whether it can truly change anything.

The Islamists' biggest rival for the top spot is Finance Minister Salaheddine Mezouar's Rally of Independents, which leads an alliance of seven other pro-palace parties.

Mezouar said he expected his coalition to take a majority of the parliament and ruled out any kind of alliance with the Islamists. He also told The Associated Press that he expected a high turnout.

"I am confident about the level of participation, because during this campaign we've seen how interested the citizens are in this election, enormously more than in 2007," he said.

Like elsewhere in the Arab world, Moroccans hit the streets in the first half of 2011 calling for more democracy, and King Mohammed VI responded by amending the constitution and bringing forward elections.

But since then the sense of change has dissipated.

U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said that since Oct. 20 government has taken more than 100 activist in for questioning for advocating a boycott.

"Moroccans feel that aside from the constitutional reform, nothing has really changed, meaning that the elections of 2011 will be a copy of the elections 2007 and that is what will probably keep the participation low," said Abdellah Baha, deputy secretary general of the Islamist Justice and Development Party.

The 2007 elections, the first with widespread international observation, had just 37 percent turnout, and some fear it could be even lower this time around.

The constitutional referendum passed with over 98 percent voting in favor, and a staggering 72 percent turnout, which most observers found hardly credible.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-11-25-ML-Morocco-Elections/id-9f7d9c6f52eb475e8720e9642a9ff767

texas longhorns texas longhorns oklahoma state football oklahoma state football case mccoy case mccoy kristin davis

শনিবার, ২৬ নভেম্বর, ২০১১

Ruth Stone, award-winning poet, dies in Vt. at 96 (AP)

Ruth Stone, an award-winning poet for whom tragedy halted, then inspired a career that started in middle age and thrived late in life as her sharp insights into love, death and nature received ever-growing acclaim, has died in Vermont. She was 96.

Stone, who for decades lived in a farmhouse in Goshen, died Nov. 19 of natural causes at her home in Ripton, her daughter Phoebe Stone said Thursday. She was surrounded by her daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Widowed in her 40s and little known for years after, Ruth Stone became one of the country's most honored poets in her 80s and 90s, winning the National Book Award in 2002 for "In the Next Galaxy" and being named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for "What Love Comes To." She received numerous other citations, including a National Book Critics Circle award, two Guggenheims and a Whiting Award that enabled her to have plumbing installed in her Goshen home.

She was born Ruth McDowell in 1915, the daughter of printer and part-time drummer Roger McDowell. A native of Roanoke, Va., who spent much of her childhood in Indianapolis, Ruth was a creative and precocious girl for whom poetry was almost literally mother's milk; her mother would recite Tennyson while nursing her. A beloved aunt, Aunt Harriette, worked with young Ruth on poetry and illustrations and was later immortalized, with awe and affection, in the poem "How to Catch Aunt Harriette."

By age 19, Stone was married and had moved to Urbana, Ill., studying at the University of Illinois. There, she met Walter Stone, a graduate student and poet who became the love of her life, well after his ended. "You, a young poet working/in the steel mills; me, married, to a dull chemical engineer," she wrote of their early, adulterous courtship, in the poem "Coffee and Sweet Rolls."

She divorced her first husband, married Stone and had two daughters (she also had a daughter from her first marriage). By 1959, he was on the faculty at Vassar and both were set to publish books. But on a sabbatical in England, Walter Stone hung himself, at age 42, a suicide his wife never got over or really understood.

In the poem "Turn Your Eyes Away," she remembered seeing his body, "on the door of a rented room/like an overcoat/like a bathrobe/ hung from a hook." He would recur, ghostlike, in poem after poem. "Actually the widow thinks/he may be/in another country in disguise," she writes in "All Time is Past Time." In "The Widow's Song," she wonders "If he saw her now/would he marry her?/The widow pinches her fat/on her abdomen."

Her first collection, "In an Iridescent Time," came out in 1959. But Stone, depressed and raising three children alone, moving around the country to wherever she could find a teaching job, didn't publish her next book, "Topography and Other Poems," until 1971. Another decade-long gap preceded her 1986 release "American Milk."

Her life stabilized in 1990 when she became a professor of English and creative writing at the State University of New York in Binghamton. Most of her published work, including "American Milk," "The Solution" and "Simplicity," came out after she turned 70.

Her poems were brief, her curiosity boundless, her verse a cataloguing of what she called "that vast/confused library, the female mind." She considered the bottling of milk; her grandmother's hair, "pulled back to a bun"; the random thoughts while hanging laundry (Einstein's mustache, the eyesight of ants).

"I think my work is a natural response to my life," she once said. "What I see and feel changes like a prism, moment to moment; a poem holds and illuminates. It is a small drama. I think, too, my poems are a release, a laughing at the ridiculous and songs of mourning, celebrating marriage and loss, all the sad baggage of our lives. It is so overwhelming, so complex."

Aging and death were steady companions ? confronted, lamented and sometimes kidded, like in "Storage," in which her "old" brain reminds her not to weep for what was lost: "Listen ? I have it all on video/at half the price," the poet is warned.

Stone was not pious ? "I am not one/who God can hope to save by dying twice" ? but she worshipped the world and counted its blessings. In "Yes, Think," she imagines a caterpillar pitying its tiny place in the universe and "getting even smaller." Nature herself smiles and responds:

___

"You are a lovely link

in the great chain of being

Think how lucky it is to be born."

___

Associated Press Writer Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H., contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obits/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_en_ot/us_obit_ruth_stone

glee project winner kris humphries remember the titans wale wale weather denver weather denver

শুক্রবার, ২৫ নভেম্বর, ২০১১

PFT: Chiefs claim Orton? |? Will he play Sunday?

Gary Kubiak, Matt LeinartAP

The bad news is that I gained no ground on Rosenthal last week in the picks contest.

The good news?? I lost no ground, either.

We matched our records in Week 11 with 10-4 efforts; he picked the Dolphins when I foolishly trusted the Bills.? Fortunately, Rosenthal sided with the Jaguars while a scored a near hole in one, picking the Browns to win by the score of 13-10.

For the year, he?s 109-51.? I?m 98-62.

This weekend, when factoring in the Thanksgiving picks, we disagree on five games.? If I?m right on all of them, I can cut his lead nearly in half.

Now, where?s that damn wishbone?

Vikings at Falcons

Florio?s take:? Barring a miracle, Minnesota tailback Adrian Peterson will miss the game.?? And that will make it even harder for the 2-8 Vikings to avoid losing their ninth game of the season, especially since the Falcons now have a great opportunity to leapfrog the Giants and the Bears for a spot in the playoffs.? The fact that former Falcons quarterbacks coach and current Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave knows the Atlanta offense could help keep it from being a blowout.

Florio?s pick:? Falcons 31, Vikings 20.

Rosenthal?s take:? The Falcons have shown an ability to consistently beat bad teams, which may be enough to get them back to the playoffs. While the Vikings don?t feel 2-8 bad, their offense will be among the league?s worst without Adrian Peterson. Heck, it was among the league?s worst with Adrian Peterson.

Rosenthal?s pick: Falcons 28, Vikings 17.

Browns at Bengals

Florio?s take:? After close losses to the Steelers and Ravens, the Bengals should believe that they can play with anyone.? If the Bengals somehow can?t play with the Browns, the Bengals definitely won?t be playing past January 1.

Florio?s pick:? Bengals 20, Browns 0.

Rosenthal?s take: It took a dropped pass and some bad playcalling by the Jaguars for the Browns to win their fourth game. The Bengals won?t be so forgiving.? Jay Gruden has quietly been among the best offensive coordinators in the league.? He?ll be happy to face a division rival that isn?t Baltimore or Pittsburgh.

Rosenthal?s pick: Bengals 23, Browns 10.

Panthers at Colts

Florio?s take:? Carolina has become an unexpected entrant in the ?Suck of Luck? sweepstakes.? It won?t last.? The Panthers are better than the Colts, and the Colts are fine with that . . . at least until they clinch the top pick.

Florio?s pick:? Panthers 28, Colts 14.

Rosenthal?s take: The Colts have finally found a team they can score against! The Panthers defense is second-to-last in points allowed this year.? The only problem: The Colts are dead last in the same category.? And they don?t have Cam Newton.

Rosenthal?s pick: Panthers 28, Colts 24.

Texans at Jaguars

Florio?s take:? Publicly, the Texans see the glass as half full in the wake of Matt Schaub?s season-ending injury.? Privately, they have to be worried that Matt Leinart isn?t the answer.? If the Jaguars team that beat the Ravens last month shows up on Sunday, the Texans may be bidding farewell to their shot at a bye.

Florio?s pick:? Jaguars 20, Texans 17.

Rosenthal?s take:? I don?t expect much out of Matt Leinart, but I do expect him to be better than Blaine Gabbert. The Jaguars defense has been strong all year, but it struggled last week without Terrance Knighton and Clint Session. Allowing Colt McCoy and Chris Ogbonnaya to have breakout games was a bad sign.

Rosenthal?s pick: Texans 24, Jaguars 17.

Bills at Jets

Florio?s take:? With multiple teams clustered between 6-4 and 4-6 in the AFC, one of them likely will get hot and take the final playoff spot.? Though there?s a good chance that neither the Jets nor the Bills will be that team, one of them has to win this one (barring a tie, obviously).? Injuries have decimated the Bills, and the rollercoasting Jets will head back up the mountain once again, with three winnable games on tap before a trip to Philly and a ?visit? from the Giants.

Florio?s pick:? Jets 27, Bills 14.

Rosenthal?s take: Even the most cynical Bills fan couldn?t have imagined a collapse like this. They?ve lost three straight games by a combined score of 104-26. Fred Jackson is done for the year. Ryan Fitzpatrick?s future looks shaky. Their defense can even make Mark Sanchez look good. Bills fans deserve better.

Rosenthal?s pick: Jets 27, Bills 13.

Cardinals at Rams

Florio?s take:? The Rams predictably struggled through the tough seven-game stretch of their schedule to open the season.? But they?re now unexpectedly struggling through the supposedly soft spot.? The Cardinals continue to have issues at quarterback, and if the Rams slide to 2-9, Steve Spagnuolo may not be around to get fired after the season ends.

Florio?s pick:? Rams 23, Cardinals 13.

Rosenthal?s take:? This is a big game for Steve Spagnuolo. If the Rams can?t beat John Skelton in St. Louis, what games can they win? I have doubts the Rams will win many more games, but Spagnuolo should at least get his third win Sunday.

Rosenthal?s pick: Rams 20, Cardinals 17.

Buccaneers at Titans

Florio?s take:? The Bucs gained some confidence via a loss at Lambeau Field, and the Titans haven?t shown an ability to take advantage of opportunities to gain ground on the Texans.? With the seat heating up for Raheem Morris, look for Tampa to string a few wins together during a rare respite from their tough schedule.

Florio?s pick:? Buccaneers 27, Titans 20.

Rosenthal?s take: The Titans are 5-5 because they beat bad teams. Tennessee is 4-0 against teams that currently have a sub .500 record. The Bucs are a bad team. Raheem Morris? defense is near the bottom of every meaningful statistical category for a reason. He can?t complain about the schedule when they lose this one.

Rosenthal?s pick: Titans 24, Bucs 17.

Bears at Raiders

Florio?s take:? The banged-up Raiders and the healthy-but-for-the-most-important-position-on-the-field Bears each need this one.? Badly.? The Raiders are fending off the Broncos, and the Bears need to guard against a gaggle of would-be wild-card contenders.? Even without Jay Cutler, the Bears have the firepower to overcome an Oakland team that isn?t as good as its record would suggest, especially in light of all the injuries.

Florio?s pick:? Bears 21, Raiders 17.

Rosenthal?s take: This would have been Sunday?s best game before Jay Cutler?s thumb injury ruined it. I?m not buying that the Bears will survive without Cutler. He made Chicago?s offensive line look a lot better than it really was by making throws Caleb Hanie shouldn?t even attempt.

Rosenthal?s pick: Raiders 24, Bears 14.

Redskins at Seahawks

Florio?s take:? But for the 49ers, the Seahawks ? even at 4-6 ? would be on track for a second straight NFC West crown.? They remain tough to beat at home; just ask the Ravens.? Or the Redskins come Sunday night.

Florio?s pick:? Seahawks 20, Redskins 13.

Rosenthal?s take: This game looks close (and uninteresting) on paper.? It won?t be close. It will be uninteresting. The Seahawks? defense has quietly grown into a difference-making unit. Tarvaris Jackson is playing well enough at quarterback.? By well enough, I mean ?better than Rex Grossman.?

Rosenthal?s pick: Seahawks 28, Redskins 14.

Patriots at Eagles

Florio?s take:? The New England defense is improving, and the offense can?t get much better.? The longest-tenured coach in the NFL never has beaten the second longest-tenured coach in the NFL, and that?s not likely to change, regardless of whether Mike Vick or Vince Young is playing quarterback for the home team.

Florio?s pick:? Patriots 24, Eagles 20.

Rosenthal?s take: This is probably the toughest game left on New England?s schedule, even if Vince Young starts. Philadelphia?s wide receiver talent can overwhelm the Patriots? undrafted afterthoughts. The Eagles have the secondary to slow down New England in man coverage. That?s a long way of saying Philly will be in position to win, but blow another fourth-quarter lead.

Rosenthal?s pick: Patriots 35, Eagles 31.

Broncos at Chargers

Florio?s take:? What you gonna do, Chargers, when Tebowmania runs wild on you?? It?s illogical and counterintuitive, but after seeing what I?ve seen over the last three weeks, I can?t pick against the Broncos.? And after what I?ve seen from the Chargers since they started 4-1, I can?t pick San Diego to win, either.

Florio?s pick:? Broncos 15, Chargers 12.

Rosenthal?s take: A month ago, who would have believed that Tim Tebow would be in position to bury Philip Rivers? playoff hopes in this game? And who would have believed John Elway would be rooting for Rivers?

Rosenthal?s pick: Chargers 24, Broncos 20.

Steelers at Chiefs

Florio?s take:? Blown out four times this year, the fifth one is coming, courtesy of the team for which Todd Haley?s dad once worked.? The Steelers have too much firepower on offense, and the Chiefs simply have no answer for it.

Florio?s pick:? Steelers 38, Chiefs 13.

Rosenthal?s take: If Tyler Palko led the Chiefs to three points in Foxborough, he may score negative three points against Pittsburgh. Perhaps Kyle Orton will come in woefully unprepared during the second half like Carson Palmer did in his first Raiders game. That may be the only way this game stays interesting into the fourth quarter. (But, uh, watch it. It?s on NBC.)

Rosenthal?s pick: Steelers 30, Chiefs 10.

Giants at Saints

Florio?s take:? With a bye week plus an extra day to prepare for the Giants, the 7-3 Saints will do their best to keep pace with the 49ers for the No. 2 seed in the NFC.? Or possibly to cut San Fran?s lead in half, if the 9-1 Niners slip up in Baltimore on Thursday night.

Florio?s pick:? Saints 34, Giants 21.

Rosenthal?s take: Conflicting emotions here. As Florio has mentioned, I got a fleur de lis tattoo while in college at Tulane. I also picked the Giants to win the NFC East, a choice that isn?t looking as good these days. When in doubt, take the team that hasn?t lost at home.? (Note: I didn?t actually get that tattoo.? Also: I?m not actually 15. I?m 19.)

Rosenthal?s pick: Saints 33, Giants 30.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/23/chiefs-claim-kyle-orton-off-waivers/related

cyber monday jill biden jill biden arkansas football player dies al mvp ama awards 2011 ama awards 2011

American Indians see lessons in sweat lodge trial (AP)

PRESCOTT, Ariz. ? Self-help author James Arthur Ray faced more than a judge at his sentencing last week for a sweat lodge ceremony that left three people dead. Members of the American Indian community sat through almost the entire trial in silent protest of Ray's use of a sacred tradition.

Ray is serving two years in prison after a lengthy trial that ended in a trio of negligent homicide convictions and that made little mention of Native culture and traditions. He has vowed not to hold another sweat lodge ceremony.

But whether Ray learned not to misappropriate cultures remains to be seen, said Ivan Lewis of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation.

"He desecrated our ceremony, he abused it," Lewis said Wednesday. "He used it in any way that he could just to get his money. He was told before not to do that, and he's paying for it now."

Sweat lodges are commonly used by American Indian tribes to cleanse the body and prepare for hunts, ceremonies and other events. They typically hold no more than a dozen people, compared with more than 50 people inside the one Ray led near Sedona in October 2009.

The ceremony involves stones heated up outside the lodge, brought inside and placed in a pit. The door is closed, and water is poured on the stones, producing heat aimed at releasing toxins in the body. In traditional ceremonies, the person who pours the water is said to have an innate sense about the conditions of others inside the sweat lodge, many times recognizing problems before they physically are presented.

Day after day, Lewis and his companion, Cheryl Joaquin, slipped into a central Arizona courtroom to listen to trial testimony. Prosecutors hardly mentioned a sweat lodge, instead referring to Ray's event as a "heat endurance challenge." Most of the participants had never been in one before.

The families of the victims ? Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y., James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee, and Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn. ? asked Lewis and Joaquin to keep in mind their loved ones when they could not be in court. The couple wore bracelets bearing Brown's name, given to them by her parents. On the day Ray was sentenced, Joaquin's children handed a single red rose to the victims' families to promote healing.

Brown's mother, Virginia, expressed sorrow "that their sacred traditions were defiled in this event."

"We have experienced hundreds of years of generational transgressions against our way of life and the value of human life for the purpose of power and greed," Joaquin, of the Gila River Indian Community, wrote as Ray was being sentenced. "Today we pray and envision a time of unity for all mankind, with a humble understanding of love, peace and harmony."

Lewis was among a group who sued Ray following the ceremony, alleging that Ray violated the Indian Arts and Crafts Act by running the sweat lodge. A federal judge dismissed the civil complaint, saying the act applies to goods, not services.

Bill Bielecki, an attorney representing the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council on South Dakota's Pine Ridge reservation, said the trial would encourage non-Natives to focus on safety when running sweat lodge ceremonies.

"They're going to look at the facts," said Bielecki, who also was party to the lawsuit, "You don't use a large sweat lodge, you make sure people can leave and you don't coerce the occupants into staying beyond their limits or capabilities. If you do that, then you avoid gross negligence."

Ray touted his sweat lodge ceremony as "hellacious hot" and said he learned from a Native American shaman. He told participants shortly before they entered the structure that he would incorporate teachings from different cultures and religions, according to an audio recording played by prosecutors. Ray said a friend once told him: "no one has been in a sweat lodge until they've been in your lodge."

He charged more than $9,000 to participants of his five-day "Spiritual Warrior" event that culminated with the sweat lodge.

Three people died and 18 others were hospitalized, yet others emerged with no problems. The deaths and illnesses sparked outrage among American Indians, who drew distinctions between what Ray did and what would be considered a traditional American Indian sweat lodge.

Jonathan Ellerby, author of "Return to The Sacred: Ancient Pathways to Spiritual Awakening," said the trouble Ray encountered suggests a breakdown in either training, facilitation or the unskilled blending of materials and practices.

"Sweat lodges and fasting are ancient traditions that promote health and healing when done well," said Ellerby, a non-Native who also has run the ceremonies. "The trouble is that anything that can help, if misused or poorly delivered can hurt, even kill. This raises a lot of questions (about) qualifications, cultural appropriation and intent."

Arizona lawmaker Albert Hale introduced a bill shortly after the ceremony to sanction the use of American Indian ceremonies off tribal land for profit and without permission. But he pulled it after others raised concerns about government regulation of religious practices.

Hale, former president of the Navajo Nation, said Wednesday that the lessons from Ray's trial don't apply only to Ray.

"The lesson should also be to the people who want to participate," he said. "They have to take care and make certain the person advertising himself to be an expert in the area is indeed an expert."

Ray's supporters testified during the sentencing phase that his qualifications to lead physical activities mattered little to them because they trusted him to keep them safe.

"It should matter now," Hale said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_re_us/us_sweat_lodge_deaths

grimm jello shots tashard choice tashard choice amityville horror puss in boots the rum diary trailer

বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৪ নভেম্বর, ২০১১

[OOC] Into The Light

Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.

Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Into The Light?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.


I have two questions.
1: Can we create neko-like hybrids?
2: Can we use anime pictures?

User avatar
Aixulram
Member for 0 years



Return to Out of Character

Post a reply

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Who is online

Registered users: Ace Darkfire, Akantha*, AnimeGirl, Archlkan*, Ark Reahver, AugmentationAudit, AzricanRepublic*, bananaramma, BekaL101, Black, Blackbird26, brigitteanncastro, Cienpher, conor, CriminalMinds, DanielleShorty, dealing with it, deathrisesagain, DemiKara, dig17, DumbDora, Eleera Cain*, Evangeline_Taylor, Everscale, fogindoor, freakofnature, Gasmask, Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], Google Feedfetcher, GracieGray, grahamcr@cker, Harlequin Smile, HelecateRhapsody223, iApple, jakelovesyuna, Kai, Kestrel*, Lee, Lucentfir*, Lucy Knox, Majestic-12 [Bot], MaxStokes, Midnight's Work, Mimic*, MSN [Bot], MSNbot Media, Nocte*, Patcharoo*, pieluver*, Porecomesis*, Precious*, Rem?us*, Ropeburn*, Sanick, SarahGracie*, Script*, Serly*, Shan?*, shmband, Sibrand, Skuld, SkullsandSlippers, Sora112112*, Spiral Thoughts, StandardFiend, stormwolf321, Sweet Angel Jocelyn, Terror Mechina, Thirion1850, Thorait, Tiko*, Valor*, VitaminHeart*, Wake, wednesdaysun, William Krypt, Wudgeous, xXMcDumbassXx*, Yahoo [Bot], Yashie, Yonbibuns*, Zenia, Zetna

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/mETIQD1kjfc/viewtopic.php

best iphone 4 case best iphone 4 case sonic youth sonic youth make your mark make your mark stop loss

বুধবার, ২৩ নভেম্বর, ২০১১

Bioterror fears could block crucial flu research

A US biosecurity committee is deciding whether crucial research on H5N1 bird flu is too dangerous to publish. The work shows a few mutations that might allow H5N1 bird flu to cause a lethal human pandemic.

The work was reported by New Scientist in September but its formal publication has now been delayed by fears that the information could be dangerous in the wrong hands, including those of other researchers. Virologists argue that publication is essential for keeping watch on natural H5N1, which poses a far greater threat.

H5N1 kills more than half the people it infects, but cannot be readily passed from person to person. Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, reported at a flu conference in Malta in September that giving H5N1 two mutations known to adapt it to mammals, then passing the modified virus repeatedly between ferrets, led to further mutations and an H5N1 that was just as deadly but spread readily in airborne droplets. The five mutations involved have occurred separately in wild H5N1.

The work was submitted to the journal Science, but has now been passed to the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, a committee of researchers which advises on whether published research "may be misused to pose a biologic threat". Its advice is not binding, but it is influential.

Human mistake

"The benefits of publishing this work do not outweigh the dangers of showing others how to replicate it," says Thomas Ingelsby of the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, which has long warned of bioterror risks.

Someone might try to make it into a weapon, Ingelsby says, but a more likely threat is that more scientists will work with the modified virus, increasing the likelihood of it escaping the lab. "Small mistakes in biosafety could have terrible global consequences," he says.

"The potential for escape of that virus is staggering," says D.A Henderson, also at the Center for Biosecurity, who spearheaded the eradication of smallpox. If a highly contagious virus with a 50 per cent kill rate got loose "a catastrophe would result", he adds, especially given the world's slow and limited ability to make vaccine. There is a precedent, he notes: the mild H1N1 flu that circulated before 2009 escaped in 1977 from a lab in Russia or China.

The Rotterdam team will not comment while the review is underway, but at the conference in Malta they said the experiment was approved by Dutch and international reviewers before it began, and no one suggested it should not be published. It was performed at the equivalent of BSL4 ? the highest bio-safety level.

Nature vs nurture

Researchers familiar with the work say the risks are overstated. "Nature is much more likely to come up with highly pathogenic influenza than we humans," says Peter Palese of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

Daniel Perez of the University of Maryland in College Park says publishing will generate more biosecurity, not less. That's because it will show which mutations to look for in natural H5N1 ? and why more such monitoring is needed. "H5N1 is out of control," he says.

"A bit of a wake-up call on flu might not go amiss," agrees Peter Doherty of the University of Melbourne in Australia, who won the Nobel prize in physiology or medicine in 1996 for work in viral immunity and now works on flu. "H5N1 is mutating a lot, and virologists need to know the ferret study so they can watch for those mutations," he says. "The real bioterror threat comes from nature itself."

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

Have your say

Only subscribers may leave comments on this article. Please log in.

Only personal subscribers may leave comments on this article

Subscribe now to comment.

All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.

If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1a471f15/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn211950Ebioterror0Efears0Ecould0Eblock0Ecrucial0Eflu0Eresearch0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

black star joan baez gravitas steve jobs and bill gates steve jobs quotes pancreatic cancer symptoms apple stock

Kilobots are leaving the nest

Kilobots are leaving the nest [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Michael Rutter
mrutter@seas.harvard.edu
617-496-3815
Harvard University

Swarm of tiny, collaborative robots will be made available to researchers, educators, and enthusiasts

The Kilobots are coming.

Computer scientists and engineers at Harvard University have developed and licensed technology that will make it easy to test collective algorithms on hundreds, or even thousands, of tiny robots.

Called Kilobots, the quarter-sized bug-like devices scuttle around on three toothpick-like legs, interacting and coordinating their own behavior as a team. A June 2011 Harvard Technical Report demonstrated a collective of 25 machines implementing swarming behaviors such as foraging, formation control, and synchronization.

Once up and running, the machines are fully autonomous, meaning there is no need for a human to control their actions.

The communicative critters were created by members of the Self-Organizing Systems Research Group led by Radhika Nagpal, the Thomas D. Cabot Associate Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. Her team also includes Michael Rubenstein, a postdoctoral fellow at SEAS; and Christian Ahler, a fellow of SEAS and the Wyss Institute.

Thanks to a technology licensing deal with the K-Team Corporation, a Swiss manufacturer of high-quality mobile robots, researchers and robotics enthusiasts alike can now take command of their own swarm.

One key to achieving high-value applications for multi-robot systems in the future is the development of sophisticated algorithms that can coordinate the actions of tens to thousands of robots.

"The Kilobot will provide researchers with an important new tool for understanding how to design and build large, distributed, functional systems," says Michael Mitzenmacher, Area Dean for Computer Science at SEAS.

"Plus," he adds, "tiny robots are really cool!"

The name "Kilobot" does not refer to anything nefarious; rather, it describes the researchers' goal of quickly and inexpensively creating a collective of a thousand bots.

Inspired by nature, such swarms resemble social insects, such as ants and bees, that can efficiently search for and find food sources in large, complex environments, collectively transport large objects, and coordinate the building of nests and other structures.

Due to reasons of time, cost, and simplicity, the algorithms being developed today in research labs are only validated in computer simulation or using a few dozen robots at most.

In contrast, the design by Nagpal's team allows a single user to easily oversee the operation of a large Kilobot collective, including programming, powering on, and charging all robots, all of which would be difficult (if not impossible) using existing robotic systems.

So, what can you do with a thousand tiny little bots?

Robot swarms might one day tunnel through rubble to find survivors, monitor the environment and remove contaminants, and self-assemble to form support structures in collapsed buildings.

They could also be deployed to autonomously perform construction in dangerous environments, to assist with pollination of crops, or to conduct search and rescue operations.

For now, the Kilobots are designed to provide scientists with a physical testbed for advancing the understanding of collective behavior and realizing its potential to deliver solutions for a wide range of challenges.

Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation and the Wyss Institute.

###


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


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


Kilobots are leaving the nest [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Michael Rutter
mrutter@seas.harvard.edu
617-496-3815
Harvard University

Swarm of tiny, collaborative robots will be made available to researchers, educators, and enthusiasts

The Kilobots are coming.

Computer scientists and engineers at Harvard University have developed and licensed technology that will make it easy to test collective algorithms on hundreds, or even thousands, of tiny robots.

Called Kilobots, the quarter-sized bug-like devices scuttle around on three toothpick-like legs, interacting and coordinating their own behavior as a team. A June 2011 Harvard Technical Report demonstrated a collective of 25 machines implementing swarming behaviors such as foraging, formation control, and synchronization.

Once up and running, the machines are fully autonomous, meaning there is no need for a human to control their actions.

The communicative critters were created by members of the Self-Organizing Systems Research Group led by Radhika Nagpal, the Thomas D. Cabot Associate Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. Her team also includes Michael Rubenstein, a postdoctoral fellow at SEAS; and Christian Ahler, a fellow of SEAS and the Wyss Institute.

Thanks to a technology licensing deal with the K-Team Corporation, a Swiss manufacturer of high-quality mobile robots, researchers and robotics enthusiasts alike can now take command of their own swarm.

One key to achieving high-value applications for multi-robot systems in the future is the development of sophisticated algorithms that can coordinate the actions of tens to thousands of robots.

"The Kilobot will provide researchers with an important new tool for understanding how to design and build large, distributed, functional systems," says Michael Mitzenmacher, Area Dean for Computer Science at SEAS.

"Plus," he adds, "tiny robots are really cool!"

The name "Kilobot" does not refer to anything nefarious; rather, it describes the researchers' goal of quickly and inexpensively creating a collective of a thousand bots.

Inspired by nature, such swarms resemble social insects, such as ants and bees, that can efficiently search for and find food sources in large, complex environments, collectively transport large objects, and coordinate the building of nests and other structures.

Due to reasons of time, cost, and simplicity, the algorithms being developed today in research labs are only validated in computer simulation or using a few dozen robots at most.

In contrast, the design by Nagpal's team allows a single user to easily oversee the operation of a large Kilobot collective, including programming, powering on, and charging all robots, all of which would be difficult (if not impossible) using existing robotic systems.

So, what can you do with a thousand tiny little bots?

Robot swarms might one day tunnel through rubble to find survivors, monitor the environment and remove contaminants, and self-assemble to form support structures in collapsed buildings.

They could also be deployed to autonomously perform construction in dangerous environments, to assist with pollination of crops, or to conduct search and rescue operations.

For now, the Kilobots are designed to provide scientists with a physical testbed for advancing the understanding of collective behavior and realizing its potential to deliver solutions for a wide range of challenges.

Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation and the Wyss Institute.

###


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


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


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/hu-kal112111.php

meteor shower kathy griffin playstation network down martin scorsese kim zolciak kim zolciak jerry sandusky interview

মঙ্গলবার, ২২ নভেম্বর, ২০১১

Tyson Foods 4Q profit falls on higher costs (AP)

ST. LOUIS ? Tyson Foods' net income for the fourth quarter was less than half of what it was last year, the meat producer said Monday, with higher grain costs offsetting better prices and revenue, particularly in its chicken business.

While there were operating income declines of $3 million and $12 million for beef and pork, respectively, that metric tumbled $223 million for chicken, meaning that an operating income of $141 million last year in chicken turned into an operating loss of $82 million in the final quarter of the year.

President and CEO Donnie Smith said he expected chicken supplies to drop next year, giving the company a chance to raise prices and profits.

"I feel confident that we will see progressive improvement throughout the year," Smith told analysts during a conference call. But he warned it could still be months before the chicken division returns to strong profitability. "Our best shot is going to be in the back half" of the year, he said.

All segments are profitable midway through the first fiscal quarter, Smith said.

Tyson posted a net income of $97 million, or 26 cents per share for the final quarter of the year, compared with $213 million, or 57 cents per share, a year ago.

The results fell short of the 31 cents per share that analysts had expected, according to a survey by FactSet. Revenue climbed 13 percent to $8.4 billion, beating expectations for revenue of $8.2 billion.

The company increased prices sharply, with chicken up 5 percent, pork up 13 percent, and beef up 19 percent. Still, profit margins remain under pressure because of higher costs at Tyson, based in Springdale, Ark. That was a shift from previous years, as recently as 2008, when feed costs rose but Tyson was unable to pass along those costs to consumers because of weak demand.

Yet margins are under pressure. The company said its fourth-quarter operating income was 2 percent, compared to 5.3 percent the year before. For the full year, operating income fell to 4 percent from 5.5 percent.

While it was worse than thought in the chicken segment, KeyBanc Capital Markets sees a turnaround in 2012, like Smith.

That is part of the cyclical nature of the business, in which companies cut back on production to counter weak profits.

"It will improve," Jagdale said. "Supply is coming down; that is the main reason."

Net income for the full 2011 fiscal year fell slightly from the year before, in part because of a $675 million jump in feed and ingredient costs.

Grains and beans to feed animals are the most expensive cost to raise chicken, pigs and cattle. Corn hit record highs this summer and other crop prices have shot up as well.

Tyson Foods said it earned $750 million, or $1.97 per share, compared to $780, or $2.06 during the same period last year.

Annual net income was below analyst expectations for net income of $2.01 per share.

Revenue was $32.27 billion, compared with $28.43 billion the year before.

Tyson reported adjusted net income for the year, excluding gains from tax provisions and equity sales, of $1.89 per share. That was below analyst expectations of $1.95 per share.

Revenue will likely be flat during its current fiscal 2012 year and Tyson forecast sales of roughly $34 billion. That was roughly in line with analyst forecasts for revenue of $34.02 billion.

But profits might improve during 2012. Tyson said it expects U.S. meat supplies to fall between 2 percent and 3 percent during the fiscal year, which will help the company raise prices further. Tyson expects to spend between $800 million and $850 million to update its facilities to make them more efficient.

Analysts are expecting net income of $2.13 per share in 2012, and adjusted net income of $2.11. Smith would only say Wednesday that Tyson Foods is expecting "in excess" of $2 per share for the year.

Shares of Tyson Foods fell 31 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $19.14 in morning trading amid broader market declines. The stock has traded between $15.46 and $20.12 over the past 52 weeks.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111121/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_tyson_foods

11/11/11 11 11 11 activision blizzard acrylamide 12 days of christmas advent calendar adobe air

সোমবার, ২১ নভেম্বর, ২০১১

Nigel Sheinwald: The Greenest Garden in Washington (Huffington post)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/164807979?client_source=feed&format=rss

reno fire regis philbin last show regis philbin last show ray lewis crystal cathedral sarah vowell fire in reno

Markets fear failure in US debt talks (AP)

LONDON ? Fears that talks to reduce the U.S. deficit will collapse added to existing worries about European debt to push global markets lower on Monday.

A special deficit-reduction supercommittee in Washington was expected to admit failure in its quest to agree on how to improve government finances by $1.2 trillion over the coming decade. The main hurdle in the bipartisan panel's negotiations was how much to raise in new taxes.

The panel's failure would trigger about $1 trillion over nine years in automatic across-the-board spending cuts that some investors fear might not be tuned well enough to sustain growth and create jobs.

The talks' expected collapse revived market fears that politicians ? whether in the U.S. or Europe ? are often unable to take the decisive action required to reduce debt during a difficult period of economic slowdown.

Spain on Sunday became the third European country in as many weeks ? after Greece and Italy ? to change its government because of discontent generated by the debt crisis. It dumped its ruling Socialists for the conservative leadership of Mariano Rajoy, who inherits an economy wracked by debt and nightmarish unemployment, which at more than 21 percent is the highest among the 17 nations that use the euro.

Rajoy must lower Spain's soaring borrowing costs with deficit-reducing measures while preventing an already moribund economy from heading into a double-dip recession.

The country's borrowing rates fell in early trading on Monday, suggesting investor relief at the outcome of the elections, but rose again as global market sentiment soured. The borrowing rates for other key countries, such as Italy, also increased slightly.

With traders fearing another dismal week of losses, stock markets fell heavily. Britain's FTSE 100 dropped 2.0 percent to 5,254.76 while Germany's DAX fell 2.4 percent to 5,662.23 and France's CAC-40 slid 2.3 percent to 2,926.98.

After Asia mostly closed lower, Wall Street was also set to lose ground. The Dow Jones industrial futures were down 1.2 percent at 11,621 and S&P 500 futures shed 1.5 percent at 1,195.20.

Besides news on the U.S. deficit deal, market sentiment in Europe will likely be influenced by data to be released later in the day on how much in government bonds the European Central Bank bought last week to keep down the borrowing rates of countries like Italy.

The ECB buys bonds in the open market in relatively small amounts to lower the bond yields from dangerous highs above 7 percent. Some governments would like the ECB to step up those purchases massively to fight the debt crisis, but Germany is against such a move, saying austerity measures are the only sustainable way to alleviate the debt market turmoil.

As an alternative to massive ECB bond-buying, some suggest that eurobonds ? debt issued jointly by all euro nations ? would be a key tool in calming the crisis. The European Commission will issue a report on Wednesday favoring such a solution, which is also strictly opposed by Germany, which worries about exposing its taxpayers to the bad debt of profligate countries.

In Asia, the Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo fell 0.3 percent to end at 8,348.27, its lowest closing since March 2009. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.4 percent to 18,225.85 and South Korea's Kospi dropped 1 percent to 1,820.03.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.3 percent to 4,163. Mainland Chinese shares fell slightly, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index inching down less than 0.1 percent to 2,415.13, its lowest close in almost one month.

Stocks that are heavily dependent on exports to the West have come under pressure recently, said Linus Yip of Hong Kong-based First Shanghai Securities. "The market right now is still worried about future economic growth, the European debt problem," Yip said.

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan, who oversees trade and finance, said this weekend that the global economic situation is "extremely serious" and predicted the malaise is likely to be long term, state media reported.

In Tokyo trade, Mazda Motor Corp. lost 5.1 percent and Panasonic Corp. lost 2 percent. South Korea's LG Chem Ltd., which makes batteries for cars, lost 4.3 percent.

Benchmark crude for December delivery was down $1 at $96.65 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Monday. The contract fell $1.41 to finish at $97.41 per barrel on the Nymex on Friday.

In currency trading, the euro fell to $1.3462 from $1.3518 late Friday in New York. The dollar weakened to 76.79 yen from 76.97 yen.

___

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok and Fu Ting in Shanghai contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111121/ap_on_bi_ge/world_markets

exotic animals college board scott hall lra lra collegeboard kelsey grammer

রবিবার, ২০ নভেম্বর, ২০১১

Adele aims for big night at American Music Awards (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? With her throat on the mend after recent surgery, "Rolling in the Deep" singer Adele enters the American Music Awards on Sunday with a leading four nominations for her work on the smash hit album "21."

The awards telecast is among the most widely watched of the annual U.S. musical honors, next to the Grammys, and a long list of top artists will be on hand to claim trophies and perform, including pop star Katy Perry and rapper Pitbull.

Awards are divided into genres of pop or rock, rap or hip-hop, country and R&B, and nominees will compete in categories for favorite artists and best albums.

Adele's leading four nominations include best female artist in the pop or rock category, top album with "21," adult contemporary singer and the night's top honor, artist of the year.

The British singer suffered a setback this month when she underwent surgery in Boston to treat a benign polyp on her vocal cords, which was causing recurrent bleeding. The surgery was a success, but she is currently unable to perform.

Last week, she posted a notice on her website saying, "I'm just chilling out now until I get the all clear from my doctors."

Even though Adele is leading the AMA nominations, she faces stiff competition from the likes of Perry and Lady Gaga for best female artist and artist of the year. Also competing for artist of the year are rapper Lil Wayne and country sensation Taylor Swift.

Adele has enjoyed a huge year of sales with "21," which includes hit songs such as "Rumor Has it," but her luck at awards shows has been mixed. At the MTV Video Music Awards, for instance, Adele's videos won some minor categories such as art direction, but lost in top categories.

Perry won video of the year and Gaga had best female video. Similarly, Gaga came up a big winner at MTV's recent Europe Music Awards.

Elsewhere, several celebrities received three American Music Award nominations each, including Perry, Gaga, Swift, R&B artist Rihanna and country sensations The Band Perry, which also earned a nod for best new artist in the country genre.

Singers Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, country sensation Jason Aldean, rapper Kanye West, the band LMFAO, Nicki Minaj and Pitbull all collected two nominations each.

Winners were picked by fans via online voting, and the telecast will air on the ABC television network from Los Angeles, starting at 8 p.m. EST/0100 GMT on Monday.

(Reporting and writing by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111120/music_nm/us_ama_awards

ford evos ford evos ides of march starship troopers starship troopers the skin i live in charlie daniels band

Fire crews gain upper hand on destructive Nevada blaze (Reuters)

RENO, Nev (Reuters) ? Firefighters working to extinguish a blaze that blackened 2,000 acres of suburban scrubland and damaged dozens of homes on the edge of northern Nevada's biggest city had the fire mostly under control on Saturday, Reno city officials said.

The blaze, which prompted Nevada's governor to declare a state of emergency, was blamed for one death -- a 74-year-old man who authorities said died after he suffered a heart attack and lost control of his car while fleeing with his wife.

The so-called Caughlin Fire erupted well before dawn on Friday in the hilly, scrub-covered southwest suburbs of Reno, a metropolitan area consisting of about 420,000 people.

Whipped by erratic winds gusting to 60 miles per hour, the fire charred an estimated 2,000 acres, much of it parched cheat grass and sagebrush, as a pall of dark gray smoke and soot clung over much of the northern Nevada city.

Around 9,500 people were evacuated from homes in the area, including some in a gated community. But by Saturday afternoon the fire was 80 percent contained, and authorities said residents could begin returning home.

"Today is mop-up," said Chris Good, Reno director of neighborhood services. "There are still some hot spots where there is the potential to reignite."

The damage from the fire, which burned in middle class and affluent areas of southwest Reno, was estimated in the "multi-millions" of dollars, Good said. Dozens of structures, most of them homes, were damaged, including 32 rendered uninhabitable.

Reno resident Iva Haislip, who was out of town visiting her mother when the blaze erupted, returned to her home of 21 years to find her house intact but surrounded by charred trees and bushes. Her neighbor's windows were shattered from the heat.

"I was hysterical," she said of the moment she learned of the fire from her housekeeper, who had rescued her two cats. "You're afraid you're going to lose your home, everything you've worked for your whole life."

"I consider this to be the happiest Thanksgiving I ever lived through," she added.

Officials said the fire, which they hoped would be fully contained by Saturday evening, may have been caused when a power line fell, shooting sparks that might have ignited dry vegetation. They ruled out fires set by the homeless for warmth, or by teenagers, as causes of the blaze.

Sixteen people had been hospitalized for respiratory or cardiac illnesses on Friday, and a firefighter had suffered first- and second-degree burns, but his general condition was not immediately disclosed.

The fire was the latest in a string of northern Nevada disasters in recent months. A deadly Amtrak collision 70 miles east of Reno killed six people in June.

Later, a gunman opened fire in a Carson City pancake house in September, killing four people before committing suicide. Then, in the same month, a vintage plane nose-dived near the grand stands at a Reno air race, killing 11 people.

(Writing by Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Mary Slosson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111120/us_nm/us_wildfire_nevada

corn maze icloud apple update apple update download ios 5 pokey find my mac

শনিবার, ১৯ নভেম্বর, ২০১১

Jobless claims drop to 7-month low

Paul Sakuma / AP

Job applicants wait in a long line at a job fair in San Jose, Calif. Jobless claims dropped to a seven-month low in the latest week, a sign that hiring may be picking up.

By Msnbc.com staff and wire

New claims for unemployment insurance dropped to their lowest level in seven months, government data showed on Thursday, raising hopes that hiring may be picking up.

The Labor Department said seasonally adjusted initial claims dropped 5,000 to 388,000, versus the previous week's revised 393,000 figure. The 4-week moving average, widely considered a more accurate measure of labor market trends,?was 396,750, a drop of 4,000 from the previous week's revised average of 400,750.

"The U.S. economy continues to show signs of strong momentum. The improvement in claims underscores that the gains in labor market activity over the past few months are being sustained," said Millan Mulraine, a senior macro strategist at TD Securities in New York.

Applications need to consistently drop below 375,000 to signal sustained job gains. They haven't been that low since February.

The total number of people receiving benefits also fell to the lowest level since September 2008, when Lehman Brothers collapsed and the financial crisis intensified.

After wobbling in the second quarter, the labor market is regaining momentum, but not enough to cut into a 9 percent unemployment rate and promote faster economic growth. The unexpected decline in claims last week was the latest sign that the economy maintained speed in the fourth quarter, further reducing the risk of a new recession.

But the crisis in Europe, which has caused bond market turmoil across the region, could derail the recovery.

A Labor Department official described the report as straightforward.

The jobless claims data were the latest in a string of reports showing the U.S. economy gaining some momentum of late. Factories are running at a faster pace and?inflation is almost nonexistent.

Factories made more cars, electronics and business equipment in October, a sign that manufacturing is recovering after slowing this spring.
Industrial production rebounded 0.7 percent last month, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday, after slipping 0.1 percent in September. October's increase was the largest since July.

The Labor Department said Wednesday that consumer prices dropped 0.1 percent last month, which was roughly in line with expectations, as Americans paid less for new cars and gasoline. The data reinforce the view that inflation is poised to trend lower following a spike in oil prices earlier in the year.

The low inflation also gives the Federal Reserve room to move if the economy begins to stall again. Europe is the dark cloud looming on the U.S. economic horizon. The eurozone's growing debt crisis threatens to throw the global economy into recession if European leaders don't act swiftly to contain the damage.?

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

The recent economic data shows an improvement in the economy since mid-Summer, says James Bullard, St. Louis Fed president.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/17/8856371-new-jobless-claims-slide-to-7-month-low

broncos jets jessie james clayton kershaw osu basketball dale sveum tori spelling ny jets