pacifirelas: অক্টোবর 2012

সোমবার, ২৯ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Professional ... - View Job

Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development ?

Montgomery County Regional Educational Service Agency seeking experienced individual with strong leadership skills to provide services to Montgomery County schools in curriculum, instruction, and professional development.? Anticipated start date as soon as available but no later than March 2013. Responsibilities include advisory-liaison services to curriculum related groups, coordination of instructional programs, and serving as contact person for state initiated programs. Required PDE Certification: either Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, Principal K-12, or Letter of Eligibility. Minimum of 5 years of administrative experience preferred. Salary negotiable.? Send letter of interest, current resume, a copy of your PDE Certificate, and two recent letters of reference to Jack Hurd, Director of Human Resources, Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, 1605 West Main Street, Norristown, PA 19403.? For further information contact Mrs. Colelli at 610-755-9307. Deadline: December 3, 2012.? EOE

Source: http://www.topschooljobs.org/JobSeekerX/ViewJobRSS.asp?cjid=53223&AccountNo=52791

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Finnish eurosceptics gain local seats but lose momentum

HELSINKI (Reuters) - The anti-euro Finns Party won 12.3 percent of votes in Finnish municipal polls on Sunday, showing its popularity down from last year's national election while still strong enough to pressure the pro-Europe government.

Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen's conservative National Coalition party won the most seats with 21.9 percent of votes, followed by his coalition partners the Social Democrats with 19.6 percent.

The Finns Party was fourth, behind another opposition group, the traditionally agrarian Centre Party, which got 18.7 percent.

The vote for the Finns Party was higher than the 5 percent it won in 2008 local elections but a disappointment for leader Timo Soini whose fiery anti-euro rhetoric struck a chord with voters in last year's general elections, helping it secure 19 percent of votes.

The party's rise has forced the government to demand collateral in exchange for helping rescue Greece and Spain, and analysts said it now appeared to be a more established political force.

"This result means they might permanently rise into a middle-sized or even a big political power in Finland," said Ville Pernaa, researcher at Turku University's Centre for Parliamentary Studies. "But today they did not achieve the standing that would have mixed up the whole political scene like they did last year."

Racist and homophobic remarks by some Finns Party members may have turned some voters away, according to some analysts, while others said the government's insistence on collateral for loans may have appeased some eurosceptic voters.

Finland, having dutifully followed EU fiscal rules, is one of the few remaining countries in the euro zone to keep its triple-A credit rating.

The National Coalition has been pushing for fiscal reforms, including steps to improve efficiency in municipal spending, particularly in the sparsely populated countryside.

Opposition groups including the Centre and Finns Party have said such reforms could mean people in the countryside will be left with less, or more distant, access to basic services such as medical care.

Fears of such cuts have added to some voters' frustration over Finland's participation in EU rescue plans.

Many feel they are rewarding profligate countries while facing austerity at home, although most voters believe euro membership has provided stability and helped Finland emerge from the shadows of the former Soviet Union and neighbor Sweden.

Soini said the results were weaker than he expected but put on a brave face, saying his party more than doubled its seats in municipalities and would continue challenging the government on its euro policies.

"The euro crisis has not disappeared. We will see more bad news before Christmas," he said.

(Reporting by Ritsuko Ando and Jussi Rosendahl; Editing by Jon Hemming and Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/finnish-eurosceptics-gain-local-seats-lose-momentum-000159559.html

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শুক্রবার, ২৬ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

UCI: Tour winner list stays blank in Armstrong era

FILE - This July 27, 2003 file photo shows Lance Armstrong waving on the podium after he won his fifth consecutive Tour de France cycling race, in Paris. Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life by cycling's governing body Monday, Oct. 22, 2012, following a report from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that accused him of leading a massive doping program on his teams. UCI President Pat McQuaid announced that the federation accepted the USADA's report on Armstrong and would not appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

GENEVA (AP) ? The seven Tour de France titles stripped from Lance Armstrong will not be awarded to any riders, and the American cyclist and his teammates should return their prize money, the sport's governing body ruled Friday.

Acknowledging "a cloud of suspicion would remain hanging over this dark period," the UCI said the list of Tour winners will remain blank for the years from 1999 to 2005.

"This might appear harsh for those who rode clean (but) they would understand there was little honor to be gained in reallocating places," the UCI said after a board meeting in Geneva.

The UCI said Armstrong and "all other affected riders" in the case should return their prize money. That amounts to almost $4 million in Tour money from Armstrong.

The cycling body also ordered an independent, outside investigation to examine questions about the UCI's own conduct and its relationship with Armstrong raised by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report that detailed systematic cheating by the Texan and his teammates.

UCI has been accused of accepting $125,000 from Armstrong to cover up suspicious doping tests.

Riders and officials involved in doping programs will also be targeted by the inquiry commission.

"Part of the independent commission's remit would be to find ways to ensure that persons caught for doping were no longer able to take part in the sport, including as part of an entourage," the UCI said in a statement.

A potentially explosive defamation suit filed by the UCI, its president Pat McQuaid and predecessor Hein Verbruggen against Irish journalist and former Tour rider Paul Kimmage has been put on hold, the board said.

Kimmage was scheduled to defend his claims that cycling's leaders protected Armstrong at a Dec. 12 hearing in Vevey, Switzerland. Kimmage has received more than $70,000 in donations from cycling fans to fight his case.

Armstrong's expulsion from the sport he once dominated was confirmed Monday when the UCI acknowledged the USADA findings that his teams ran "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."

Friday's meeting of the UCI board was a necessary legal step to official leave a seven-year gap in the Tour de France roll of honor.

"UCI is determined to turn around this painful episode in the history of our sport," McQuaid said in a statement. "We will take whatever actions are deemed necessary by the independent commission and we will put cycling back on track."

An "independent sports body" will be chosen by UCI within two weeks to nominate members of the advisory panel, which is scheduled to report back by June 2013.

As well as leaving the Tour winner's list blank from 1999-2005, the UCI agreed "not to award victories to any other rider or upgrade other placings in any of the affected events."

"The (management) committee decided to apply this ruling from now on to any competitive sporting results disqualified due to doping for the period from 1998 to 2005, without prejudice to the statute of limitation," the UCI said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-10-26-UCI-Armstrong/id-aa7df9beccf14e40a1f543f56be6a1c2

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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৫ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

Radioactive Fish Near Fukushima Suggest Ongoing Contamination

Bottom-dwelling fish continue to be found with high levels of radioactive elements, potentially coming from leaking radioactive water or contaminated sediments

By David Biello

RADIOACTIVE FISH: Some source of radioactive contamination is causing bottom-dwelling fish, like the greenling pictured here, to absorb high levels of radionuclides. Image: Flickr.com / Brian Gratwicke

The fish off Fukushima remain radioactive more than a year after the earthquake and subsequent tsunami triggered three meltdowns at the Daiichi nuclear power plant. In fact, bottom-dwelling greenling fish caught in August 2012 bore the highest levels of radioactive particles seen to date?25,000 Becquerels per kilogram. (A becquerel is a unit of the rate of radioactive decay?or radiation emitted by a substance.) That is 250 times higher than current Japanese safety standards, a key reason fishing off Fukushima remains prohibited.

The findings suggest that contaminated water is still leaking from the stricken power plant, the sea bottom itself is now laced with radionuclides, or both. Concentrations in the ocean water itself remain below any human health concern but they do pass into fish that swim through those waters.

"When fish 'drink' they take [cesium] and other salts up from the water they are swimming in, that accumulates in the muscle tissue," explains marine chemist Ken Buessler of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who compiled the analysis of publicly released Japanese fisheries data and published it in Science on October 26. But the fish also shed that cesium if they swim in uncontaminated waters, as has been seen in tuna that migrated from near Japan to near San Diego, suggesting that levels in fish should decrease over time. For this reason, most of the fish caught off Japan's northeastern coast are not radioactive. But roughly 40 percent of fish caught off the coast adjacent to Fukushima bear radionuclides above the Japanese food safety standard of 100 becquerels per kilogram; the concentration is highest among bottom dwellers, such as halibut.

According to a response to questions from Scientific American that was prepared by staff at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ingesting fish at that level "would only produce a dose that is a small fraction of the dose that people receive from natural levels." For example, as Buessler notes, fish caught off Japan in June 2011 boasted levels of potassium-40?a naturally occurring radionuclide?10 times higher than those of radioactive cesium from Fukushima.

Radioactive cesium decays by emitting what's known as a beta radiation, a negatively charged particle that is easily blocked by metal, plastic or wood?but not skin. In particular, ingesting beta-emitting radioactive elements is "a concern," according to the NRC. "Beta particles released directly to living tissue can cause damage at the molecular level, which can disrupt cell function." Plus, beta particles are small enough to travel far in the body, causing damage far and wide.

U.S. safety guidelines from the Food and Drug Administration permit foods to bear 1,200 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium, but the FDA declined to comment for this article. "The more restrictive action taken by the Japanese seems reasonable for the population living close to Fukushima because they receive radiation doses from other sources, including non-fish food, drinking water and land surface contamination," the NRC staff writes. "Based on the FDA and [World Health Organization] recommendations, eating fish contaminated at 100 Bq/kg would result in a small and acceptable exposure to radioactive cesium."

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=54fd7d5c6f9582c0ac1a2985b9c221fc

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Teenager arrested in Colorado schoolgirl dismemberment

WESTMINSTER, Colo. (Reuters) - A Colorado teenager has been arrested on suspicion of abducting and killing a 10-year-old girl who disappeared on her way to school and was later found dismembered, a crime that left Denver-area parents gripped with fear, police said on Wednesday.

Jessica Ridgeway vanished on October 5 in the Denver suburb of Westminster, and a man reported finding her backpack on a sidewalk in front of his house two days later, 6 milesfrom where she was last seen.

Police later confirmed that mutilated remains discovered in a park about 10 miles from the Ridgeway home belonged to the missing girl.

The 17-year-old suspect, Austin Sigg, a Westminster resident whom investigators believe also tried to abduct a jogger in May of this year near the girl's home, was taken into custody on Tuesday evening, police said.

Police said they were led to Sigg's home by a phone call but did not elaborate on the nature of the tip.

"We notified the Ridgeway family this morning of this arrest, and we hope and pray that this arrest gives them some measure of closure in dealing with this horrible tragedy and loss that they have suffered," Westminster Police Chief Lee Birk told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday.

Members of Sigg's family were not immediately available for comment. The youth's home was cordoned off with crime-scene tape on Wednesday, preventing reporters from approaching the house.

Jessica's kidnapping and slaying drew national media attention and terrified parents in Westminster and surrounding areas, leading them to walk or drive their children to and from school and to keep youngsters from playing outdoors unattended.

EASING THE TRAUMA

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said in a statement that "every parent in every Colorado community will rest a little easier tonight" following the arrest.

Lynn Setzer, spokeswoman for the Jefferson County School District, said Sigg was enrolled as recently as July in a vocational school where he earned a high school equivalency diploma.

Two 17-year-old girls who said they had attended a regular high school with Sigg described him as a member of the so-called Goth crowd of students who dressed in dark clothing and congregated in the back of the cafeteria at lunchtime.

Rachel Bradley called Sigg "very different" and said he spent a lot of after-class time in the school's computer lab. Sarah Moravec added, "And when you talked to him, you could tell he wasn't very happy."

Both girls were present at a makeshift memorial for Jessica in her neighborhood.

In March Sigg placed second in a crime scene investigation contest held by the Health Occupation Students of America leadership conference, according to a notice submitted at the time on the Denver Post's neighborhood news website.

A police custody report showed Sigg was enrolled recently at a community college in suburban Denver. A spokeswoman for the state's community college system said officials there were cooperating with police, but did not comment further.

Investigators had in recent days linked Jessica's killing to the attempted abduction in May of a jogger, a 22-year-old woman. In that incident, a man placed a chemical-soaked rag over her mouth but she managed to escape.

Sigg was due to appear in court on Thursday to face charges of murder, kidnapping and attempted murder, according to the custody report.

Sigg would not face the possibility of the death sentence if convicted. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 abolished the death penalty for those convicted of committing a crime while under the age of 18.

(Reporting by Keith Coffman; Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Steve Gorman and Xavier Briand)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/teenager-arrested-colorado-schoolgirl-dismemberment-001451306.html

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'Jesus,' 'ninja,' among worst passwords of 2012

22 hrs.

Suzanne Choney , NBC News

The next time you're asked to create?an 8-character password, don't choose "password." Despite it being the among worst possible choices, it remains the most common password?used on the Internet and posted by hackers.

No. 2 and No. 3, respectively are the tried-and-true weaklings?"123456" and "12345678." (Those two mean you can count???on being low-hanging fruit for hackers, that is.)

The info?comes from?SplashData, which makes password management applications. The company's?top 25 list of the "scariest" passwords was released with?Halloween as a peg, but there's no treats here for anyone, and possibly some nasty tricks.

The list was put together "from?files containing millions of stolen passwords posted online by hackers," SplashData says. If you use any of the passwords on the list, you should change them immediately. Otherwise, users "of any of these passwords are most likely to be victims in future breaches," the company says.

While "password," "123456" and "12345678" remain the top three again from last year's list, newcomers include?"welcome, " "jesus," "ninja," "mustang" and the brilliant?"password1."?

Here's the top 25 "Worst Passwords of 2012," including their current ranking and any change from the 2011 list:?

1. ?password (Unchanged)
2, ?123456 (Unchanged)
3. ?12345678 (Unchanged)
4. ?abc123 (up 1)
5. ?qwerty (down 1)
6. ?monkey (unchanged)
7. ?letmein (up 1)
8. ?dragon (up 2)
9. ?111111 (up 3)
10. baseball (up 1)
11. iloveyou (up 2)
12. trustno1 (down 3)
13. 1234567 (down 6)
14. sunshine (up 1)
15. master (down 1)
16. 123123 (up 4)
17. welcome (new)?
18. shadow (up 1)
19. ashley (down 3)
20. football (up 5)
21. jesus (new)
22. michael (up 2)
23. ninja ?(new)
24. mustang (new)
25. password1 (new)

"At this time of year, people enjoy focusing on scary costumes, movies and decorations, but those who have been through it can tell you how terrifying it is to have your identity stolen because of a hacked password,? said Morgan Slain, SplashData CEO, in a statement.?

?Even though each year hacking tools get more sophisticated, thieves still tend to prefer easy targets,? he said. ?Just a little bit more effort in choosing better passwords will go a long way toward making you safer online.?

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on?Facebook,?and on?Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/jesus-ninja-join-password-worst-passwords-2012-1C6643652

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বুধবার, ২৪ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

Harrison Ford Skin Cancer - Malignant Tumor on Nose? | Gossip Cop

Truth rating: 2

Calista Flockhart Harrison Ford

4:46 pm, October 24th, 2012

(GettyImages.com)

?Does Harrison Ford have cancer?? asks the National Enquirer.

The tabloid?s headline screams ?Cancer Scare,? with the article claiming the actor ?has what several top medical experts believe could be a malignant skin tumor on his nose.?

?And while the blemish ? likely a basal cell carcinoma, according to doctors ? is not life-threatening, Harrison could soon face surgery that might threaten his image as a Hollywood leading man!? declares the magazine.

According to the Enquirer, Ford?s wife Calista Flockhart is ?concerned.?

?Harrison usually takes these things in stride,? explains a so-called ?insider,? adding, ?But Calista is much younger than Harrison, so she naturally worries about his health.?

Fortunately, Ford?s health is not a matter of actual concern.

Instead, it?s just another example of a tabloid looking for any excuse to exaggerate a less serious problem into a ?scare.?

A rep for Ford tells Gossip Cop that while the actor did have a benign basal cell carcinoma removed, he?s perfectly fine and no one is anxious about his health.

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Source: http://www.gossipcop.com/harrison-ford-skin-cancer-tumor-nose-malignant-basal-cell-carcinoma/

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Simon Doonan's Dos and Don'ts for a Poe-Inspired Halloween Party

How to step up your fashion and decorations for a fab (and fun) holiday

Recently, we joined Ravenswood Winery's founder Joel Peterson and always fashionable Simon Doonan for a spooky repast inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's classic poem, "The Raven," in the basement dining room of Il Buco, located in New York City's East Village.

Since Halloween is fast approaching, we wanted to get Doonan's recommendations on how to throw a fun and classy holiday dinner (and a little red from Ravenswood doesn't hurt). But you have to figure out how to source your own stuffed raven. iIf you dare!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OutComFeatures/~3/IQCbUTXpRfQ/simon-doonan-poe-inspired-halloween-party-ravenswood

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Record Food Prices Will Likely Disrupt Energy Markets

Researchers at the New England Complex Systems Institute (CSI) studied periods of social unrest in the Middle East and North Africa to attempt to explain the underlying causes of the riots that swept these areas in 2008 and 2011. The Cambridge-based researchers looked at a variety of factors that could trigger unrest ? poverty, oppression, unemployment, etc. in an attempt to explain the disturbances.

food index 2004 2012

The study found the factor most responsible for triggering riots and social unrest was rising food prices. High food prices do not trigger riots themselves according to the research, but created conditions in which social unrest could flourish.

Since the majority of the world's crude oil is produced and exported from the Middle East and North Africa ? roughly one of every two barrels is exported from this region ? instability in this area would create major global economic problems.

While the anti-U.S. riots in Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa that broke out last month were blamed on an American-made video, the study claims that periods of social instability in this region can be accurately predicted by food prices ? and the film happened to be the trigger for the unrest.

CSI Findings - Plotting global food prices, as measured using the United Nation?s Food and Agriculture Organization?s (FAO?s) Food Price Index, against the dates of recent unrest the researchers found a high degree of correlation between the high food prices and periods of instability. The chart above (from the CSI report) covers the period from January 2004 to May 2011.

When the FOA?s Food Price Index climbed above the threshold level of 210 the researchers found that conditions tend to ripen into periods of social unrest. The study doesn?t claim that a breach of the 210 level immediately leads to riots, just that the probability of instability becomes much greater.

The FAO Food Price Index is at 216 in September, slightly above the instability threshold identified in the report. The FAO Index has been above the threshold level for most of the year. Going forward the price of food is expected to move upward with the drought in the U.S. and Russia adding to pricing pressures, thus increasing the probability of unrest.

For the millions of people in developing economies food comprises anywhere from 35% to 80% of routine household expenses. The Middle East and North Africa are major importers of grains and foodstuffs, so increasing food costs are quickly reflected in local prices. In the more developed economies household expenditures on food are more like 10% to 15%. High food prices have a larger and more direct impact on households in developing economies, posing a challenge for these governments.

One of the authors of the report predicted another ?massive food price spike? this fall and winter, even bigger than the last one seen in 2011. This crest will be exacerbated? by this summer?s drought and heat wave in many grain growing areas. He noted that ?when people are unable to feed themselves and their families, widespread social disruption occurs. We are on the verge of another crisis, the third in five years, and likely to be the worst yet, capable of causing new food riots and turmoil on a par with the Arab Spring.?

fao food index 2001 to 2013 Rabobank Report - World food prices are forecast to hit an all-time high in the first quarter of next year - and then keep rising - as crops in the U.S. have been hit by the country's worst drought since 1936 according to a new report issued last month by Rabobank, a financial institution specializing in agriculture economics and research.

Food prices, as measured by the United Nations FAO Food Price Index, could climb by 15% from current levels according to Rabobank, reaching a record 244 by July, 2013 (see chart). This price level would be well into the zone where the probability of instability in the Middle East increases substantially. The FAO index previously hit an all-time high in February, 2011, just as the ?Arab Spring? ignited riots across the region.

As a result of drought in key exporting countries and rapid demand growth, Rabobank forecasts the combined global wheat, rice, corn and soybean stocks-to-use ratio will fall to 19.6 per cent in 2013. In addition, export bans and commodity stockpiling by concerned governments could exacerbate commodity price volatility.

According to the report the most affected commodities are those largely used in animal feed (corn and soybeans) and are not core food staples (wheat and rice), therefore the impact of the price increases might be more severe in economies that consume high levels of meat and dairy products.

The Rabobank report also made the following points regarding the agricultural sector:

Food security remains a highly sensitive issue in many regions. They expect to see a return of government intervention, which could exacerbate food and commodity price volatility. Increases in commodity stockpiling and other interventionist measures, such as export bans, are a distinct possibility as governments react to protect domestic consumers from increasing world food prices. Increased intervention will likely add to increasing world food prices.
At the end of August, severe or extreme drought conditions covered over 42 percent of the U.S. mainland. June to August precipitation and heat in the central U.S., where most of the U.S. row crops are produced, is likely to result in the least favorable growing conditions since the Dust Bowl (1936).
The scale of the production setbacks this season will underscore the need for an almost unprecedented amount of demand rationing. Rabobank?s? crop modeling indicates that there may still be a considerable downside from current official production forecasts. Fundamentals remain much tighter than current official market estimates.
The price of energy and agricultural products have correlated very closely over the last decade. The increasing production of biofuels has been one reason for this high degree of correlation, as well as the upgrading of diets and lifestyles in China and other developing countries.

With regard to China, the Financial Times pointed out last month that China?s corn imports are going through the roof ? and are expected to stay elevated for quite some time. The increase in demand, and extended drought, should help put a floor under any price weakness. The Financial Times chart at right is stunning.

Iran Embargo ? In addition to the potential unrest in the Middle East triggered by rising food prices, rising tensions between Israel and Iran could drive oil prices above $130 a barrel next year according to a new report by Goldman Sachs. They see the embargo taking a large share of Iran?s production off the market for an extended period of time, which should keep oil prices elevated.

Separately, Robert McNally, the former chief energy advisor on President George W. Bush?s National Security Council, sees a ?dangerous divergence? between market players and policy makers with regard to the risks of a conflict between Israel and Iran. McNally says the markets appear to assign only a 5 per cent probability of an escalation in the conflict, whereas policy makers ?are more like 50-50 right now.? He went on to note he has never seen a gap in probabilities so large. Oil prices should move upward as the market becomes more aware of the risks.

Portfolio Implications ? If the studies noted above are correct, rising food prices will likely generate more instability in crude oil exporting countries. The Iran/Israel conflict and ongoing embargo should also take crude oil supplies off the market. In such an environment proven oil reserves in politically secure areas of the globe should increase in value. We can buy these reserves at a steep discount in today?s equity market.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fso/~3/TFqoIl50wAU/record-food-prices-will-likely-disrupt-energy-markets

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মঙ্গলবার, ২৩ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

Off topic: Obamacare (Washington Post)

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Remembering My Grandpa ? the Great Depression Teacher | Three ...

On Friday, October 12, I got a frantic call from my wife at work. She was sobbing, and couldn?t hardly get any words out.

Jen: ?Charlie?.I?m so sorry.?
Charlie: ?What happen? Did you get in an accident??
Jen: ?No. Your Grandpa passed away this morning. He died about 8:30am at home with your Dad and Grandma. I?m so sorry.?

Life at that pointed seemed to jolt into slow motion. With how busy my Friday was it hit me like a Mike Tyson punch in the first round of a title fight. I couldn?t believe it. My Grandpa at 92 years old was dead. The guy that taught me so much had passed away. It took about 5 seconds for my wife?s words to hit my head, and about 2 seconds from there to hit my heart. That?s is when the tears began to flow. Geez?how unprofessional did I look to all my co-workers who were gathered around my desk troubleshooting some problems. I didn?t care?I?d just lost my Grandpa. Then I realized I could NEVER TALK TO HIM AGAIN! Ouch.

About 5 months ago, as Grandpa had been going through some health problems, I had a dream one night about him. In it I had a vision of my Grandpa dying, and I was crying and screaming, ?I can?t talk to him anymore. Never.? I woke up in cold sweat saying to myself I want to talk to you Grandpa. It was a glimpse into how much I?cherished?talking to a man who taught me so much about loving the Lord, loving your wife as Christ loves the church, working hard, being thrifty with your money, fighting for what you have, protecting your family, hunting, farming (corn/beans/pigs/chickens), and countless life stories on the Great Depression. As you can see the pain of his death cut me. ?Cut me deep.

Leaving a Legacy

Over the past 2 1/2 years that Aaron and I have been writing developing ThreeThriftyGuys I?ve written a ton about Grandpa Gerhardt. He has had the most pronounced impact on my life, and particularly in the area of finances. His family?s pain from the Great Depression in particular spoke to me the most. Probably because of how I saw him live such a different lifestyle than everyone else in my circle of influence. He always ate everything on his plate, would fix anything just to get a few more years of use out of it, he recycled everything before it was ever called being ?Green?, and he always saved for a rainy day.

On top of that he was devoted to Lord, his wife, and family, and that showed itself in quality time with these things he valued. Grandpa always loved having coffee at the kitchen table and chatting about the crops, the market, or what has been happening around the community/church. When you spent time with him you felt like he really loved ya, and valued your time and presence. Do you ever have people in your life that invest so much into your life that make you feel this way?

Over these 2 1/2 years I?ve written about 30 articles where I?ve either written exclusively about my Grandpa?s experiences or mentioned him. Here are my top 10 articles on Gerhardt Gutz:

How People Survived the Great Depression
Watching Your Dad Go Through Bankruptcy
How Loving Your Neighbor as Yourself Can Save You Money
How the Great Depression Changed People
Great Depression Video Series ? Marriage Advice
Great Depression Video Series ? Living Through the Great Depression
Great Depression Video Series ? Living Through the Dust Bowl
Farming During The Great Depression
How to Prepare for a Great Depression
Live Like No One Else ? Part 2

Well Done Good and Faithful Servant

To date, Grandpa is the closest person that I?ve ever known who has died. Towards the end of his life he was experiencing a lot of pain, and?deterioration of bodily functions, which was hard to watch. The weekend before he died all the?grand-kids?came back home and spent time with him. It was a great weekend to get the whole family together as we had all the grand-kids out in the field finishing up harvest. Grandpa?s spirits were up as the playfulness of the?grand-kids?and the smell of harvest filled the aroma of the house.

That weekend I looked at my Grandpa and said, ?Grandpa, it?s alright to go. You?ve lived a good life. I know your body is hurting, and it?s alright for you to?go. You?ve already lived your legacy.? When I said that I didn?t expect him to die 5 days later. Geez. If I?d known he would have gone so quickly after I?d said that I?d never said it.

With all kidding aside we all knew soon would be Grandpa?s time to go. He?d already left his imprint on our family. Just saying goodbye is so hard. At his funeral I had the?privilege?of giving his eulogy, and the verse that spoke to me the most about my Grandpa was Matthew 25:23 ? ?Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.Come and share your master?s happiness!??

I?ll miss ya Grandpa. Love ya!

**I?apologize?about the ?soapbox? moment of mentioning my Grandpa?s death, but there are certain people who leave a?indelible impact on your life that you can?t help but mention.?

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How to Keyword Optimize Your Resume [Webinar] - Daily Blog World

2WayResume iPhone App: Career Expertise/Social Media Optimize Job Search

2WayResume 2.0, a resume creation app developed by award winning career site, AdvancingWomen, uses strategy and techniques from 16 years experience in online technology and job markets to optimize job search for app users. AdvancingWomen developed 2WayResume iPhone / iPad app as a strategic tool for job seekers, incorporating features designed to speed up the [...]. Via: AppCraver

The Few Things On Your Resume That Matter

The Few Things On Your Resume That Matter Job-hunters spend hours, if not days or weeks, honing their resumes to a fine point. They're hopeful that their tweaks and optimizations will do just enough to grab the attention of job recruiters and managers. But much of that work may be in vain, because resumes often only get a few seconds to do their jobs before they're dismissed.. Via: The Consumerist

Kindle App for Android Gets Updated to Support Android Honeycomb Tablets [Blip]

The Kindle app for Android is now optimized for Android Honeycomb tablets. Newspapers and magazines look much better on the larger screen, there's a better word look-up feature, and you can pause and resume downloads. [Android Market] More ?. Via: Gizmodo

Resume Optimization for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are a reality in today's world of the job search and resume posting. Regardless of your opinion of them or mine -- which is that the way companies set them up makes them ineffective and costs them lots of dollars -- they are here to stay and are increasing in number.. Via: Secrets of the Job Hunt

Carolina Panthers Get Back to Work, Prepare for Tennessee Titans After Bye

The Carolina Panthers (2-6) will resume their 2011 NFL schedule with renewed optimism at home this Sunday against the Tennessee Titans (4-4) following a well-timed and much-needed break at the midway point of the season. Normally, a. Via: Bleacher Report - NFL

Iran Nuclear Talks Are Working

A glimmer of optimism has surrounded the talks between Iran and the P5+1 world powers since the current round resumed in April. While it?s unlikely that there will be a breakthrough soon, and probably not until after Iran?s 2013 presidential.... Via: The Diplomat

Use the Internet to Find a Job ? Part 8: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Unfortunately with today?s online hiring and recruitment practices, some of the older job search methods, like only posting your resume on a job board like Monster, do not cut it anymore. Effectively standout by creating and managing an online presence that puts your name at the top of the recruiters? search results.. Via: Business Insider: Money Game

12 Ways to Optimize Your Resume for Applicant Tracking Systems

You filled out the job application, updated your resume and clicked ?Submit.? But as the days or weeks pass, you never receive a phone call?. Via: Mashable

Optimism sparks up as transportation bill negotiations get a fresh start

A new sense of optimism percolated at transportation negotiations as the leaders of House-to-Senate talks resumed their work.? Read more.... Via: Yes, But, However!

Source: http://www.dailyblogworld.com/9077/how-to-keyword-optimize-your-resume-webinar

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Debate moderating: a thankless job

NEW YORK (AP) ? Beneath Bob Schieffer's Southern charm is the tough spine of someone used to dealing with politicians. The moderator of Monday's final presidential debate will need it, because it has been open season on the other journalists who have done that job this campaign.

Thanks to a bitter campaign rivalry, thriving partisan media outlets and the growth of social media, debate moderator is approaching baseball umpire on the scale of thankless jobs.

Jim Lehrer was criticized for not doing enough, Candy Crowley for doing too much and Martha Raddatz worked over about the wedding guest list for a marriage that ended more than a decade ago. Though not unanimously so, the barbs were usually partisan in nature.

"There are millions of people with their hands over their keyboards ready to analyze every single moment of what's happening," said veteran TV journalist Jeff Greenfield. "That puts even more pressure on ... It's a no-win situation."

Conservative columnist George Will called last week's get-together on Long Island the best presidential debate he's ever seen.

It didn't take long, however, for Republican Mitt Romney's supporters to go after CNN's Crowley. They said questions that she chose from undecided voters on immigration, gun control and equal pay for women played to President Barack Obama's strengths. They were incensed when Crowley, faced by two candidates in a dispute over what was said during a presidential address about Libya, corrected Romney by saying Obama had referred to an attack on Americans in Benghazi as an "act of terror." Crowley also noted that others in the administration suggested for nearly two weeks that the reaction to an anti-Muslim video was a motivating factor in the attack.

Radio host Rush Limbaugh called Crowley's work "an act of journalistic terror."

"If there were any journalistic standards, what she did last night would have been the equivalent of blowing up her career like a suicide bomber," he said.

The conservative Media Research Center criticized Crowley for having only one question on a foreign policy issue, even though this Monday's Schieffer-moderated debate is supposed to focus on foreign policy.

Thanks to a clock that airs on CNN's screen during the debate, some conservatives saw as a sign of bias that Obama spoke for 44 minutes, 4 seconds during the debate, compared to Romney's 40:50. This prompted CNN to count the actual words spoken by each candidate. The faster-talking Romney said 7,984 words and Obama 7,506.

Criticism of Crowley was a relentless post-debate topic on Fox News Channel, which knows CNN isn't popular among Republicans in its audience. Conservatives on Fox and liberals on MSNBC offer an echo chamber for partisan complaints and have far greater prominence than they had even a decade ago.

"I knew from the start," Crowley told The Associated Press, "somebody is going to be unhappy no matter what you do."

Crowley's bosses leapt to her defense: "She had to deal with the tricky format, the nervous questioners, the aggressive debaters, all while shutting out the pre-debate attempts to spin and intimidate her," CNN U.S. chief Mark Whitaker said in a memo to staff. "She pulled it off masterfully."

Even as each debate progresses, Twitter is crackling with reactions. Type in the moderator's name in a search and the screen immediately fills with tweets. Generally, it's a dependable way to gauge how a candidate is doing. The harsher one party's reaction to a moderator is, the tougher time their candidate is having onstage.

"I've never known the winning side to (complain)," said Aaron Brown, the former ABC and CNN anchor who is now a professor at Arizona State University.

Frustration against Lehrer boiled over predominantly among Democrats like Michael Moore and Rachel Maddow who were witnessing Obama's admittedly poor performance in the first debate. The former PBS host said he essentially tried to get out of the way, asking general questions and letting the candidates go after each other.

"I wondered if we needed a moderator since we had Mitt Romney," Obama's deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter said, even though her candidate talked longer. As in the second debate, Romney spoke more words.

ABC's Raddatz generally received strong reviews for her work moderating the one debate between Vice President Joe Biden and challenger Paul Ryan. Conservative media was buzzing days before the event, however, with the story that future president Obama attended her 1991 wedding to Julius Genachowski, Obama's Harvard classmate. The couple divorced in 1999. Allusions to the wedding popped up in grumbling tweets by Republicans about Raddatz's questioning.

One motive of the pre- and post-debate criticism is to "work the refs," to let the moderators know that partisans are watching. If intimidation works, even on a subtle level, it can seep into their performances at a time when even modest advantages can make a big difference.

During the second debate, George Mason University went so far as to count how many times each candidate and Crowley interrupted one another. They found that Romney was interrupted 58 times and Obama 43. The numbers came with little context, however, so it wasn't clear how many interruptions were related to candidates exceeding agreed-upon time limits.

Crowley's role in the Libyan discussion also raised the issue of how much the moderators should be prepared to practice journalism while onstage. If you hear something factually incorrect or misleading, is it your duty to point it out to viewers, or is that strictly the candidates' job?

For most viewers, the answer no doubt has to do with which candidate is being corrected.

So let's get this moderator's job straight:

Craft sharp questions to get the candidates to talk, while being meticulously fair not to challenge one more than another. Keep an eye on the clock so one candidate doesn't get to hog the time. Don't be bullied; be firm in forcing the candidates to move on. But be flexible enough to keep a productive discussion flowing. Know the difference. Keep the focus off yourself. And do it all on live television before some 60 million people.

Any applicants?

"There is not enough money to get me to do one of these things," Brown said.

___

CNN is a unit of Time Warner Inc.; Fox is owned by News Corp.; MSNBC is controlled by Comcast Corp.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/debate-moderating-thankless-job-141253447.html

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Thousands gather for Lebanese official's funeral

Volunteers distribute placards in Martyrs' Square before the funeral for the country's intelligence chief, Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. Lebanese forces set up road blocks and cordoned off Beirut's central square Sunday, boosting security in the capital ahead of a public funeral for Al-Hassan, a powerful opponent of Syria. The placards depict Al- Hassan, who was assassinated Friday in a car bomb attack, and Rafik Hariri, former Prime Minister of Lebanon, who was assassinated in 2005 in a car bombing. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Two young Lebanese women, one draped in the national flag, wait in Martyrs' Square for the funeral for the country's intelligence chief, Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. Lebanese forces set up road blocks and cordoned off Beirut's central square Sunday, boosting security in the capital ahead of a public funeral for Al-Hassan, a powerful opponent of Syria who was assassinated Friday in a massive car bombing. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

A man carries one corner of the Syrian revolutionary flag as well as a Lebanese national flag, as people gather in Martyrs' Square before the funeral for the country's intelligence chief, Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. Lebanese forces set up road blocks and cordoned off Beirut's central square Sunday, boosting security in the capital ahead of a public funeral for Al-Hassan, a powerful opponent of Syria who was assassinated Friday in a massive car bombing. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

A Lebanese protester gestures from the top of the monument at Martyrs' Square as the crowd begins to gather for the funeral of the country's intelligence chief, Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. Lebanese forces set up road blocks and cordoned off Beirut's central square Sunday, boosting security in the capital ahead of a public funeral for Al-Hassan, a powerful opponent of Syria who was assassinated Friday in a massive car bombing. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

BEIRUT (AP) ? Thousands of Lebanese waving the national flag packed a central square in downtown Beirut Sunday for the funeral of a top intelligence official assassinated in a car bombing that many blame on the regime in neighboring Syria.

Lebanese soldiers set up road blocks and cordoned off Martyrs Square, where Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan's coffin, draped in a Lebanese flag, was to be brought for burial.

Al-Hassan, 47, was a powerful opponent of Syria in Lebanon. He headed an investigation over the summer that led to the arrest of former Information Minister Michel Samaha, a Lebanese politician who was one of Syria's most loyal allies in Lebanon. He was among eight people killed in the attack on Friday.

"He was killed while he was defending his country," said Samer al-Hirri, who traveled from northern Lebanon to attend the funeral.

Ahead of the burial, there was a memorial ceremony attended by government officials and al-Hassan's wife Anna, his two sons, Majd and Mazen, and his parents.

Even before Friday's bombing, the civil war in neighboring Syria had set off violence in Lebanon and deepened tensions between supporters and opponents of President Bashar Assad's regime. The attack heightened fears that Lebanon could easily plunge back into cycles of sectarian violence and reprisal that have haunted it for decades.

France's foreign minister said it was likely that Assad's government had a hand in the assassination. Laurent Fabius told Europe-1 radio that while it was not fully clear who was behind the attack, it was "probable" that Syria played a role.

"Everything suggests that it's an extension of the Syrian tragedy," he said.

Dozens of anti-Syrian protesters erected eight tents near the Cabinet headquarters in central Beirut, saying they will stay until Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government, which is dominated by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah and its allies, resigns. Hezbollah is Syria's most powerful ally in Lebanon, which for much of the past 30 years has lived under Syrian military and political domination.

"The Syrian regime started a war against us and we will fight this battle until the end," said protester Anthony Labaki, a 24-year-old physiotherapist who is a member of the right-wing Phalange Party. He said the protesters will not leave the area until Mikati's government resigns and those behind al-Hassan's killing are uncovered.

Syria's hold on Lebanon began to slip in 2005, when former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, an opponent of Syria, was assassinated in truck bomb along Beirut's Mediterranean waterfront. Syria denied any role. But broad public outrage in Lebanon expressed in massive street protests forced Damascus to withdraw its tens of thousands of troops from the country.

For years after the pullouts, there was a string of attacks on anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon without any trials for those responsible. Assad has managed to maintain his influence in Lebanon through Hezbollah and other allies.

Samaha, the former minister arrested in al-Hassan's investigation, remains in custody. He is accused of plotting a wave of attacks in Lebanon at Syria's behest.

Syrian Brig. Gen. Ali Mamlouk, one of Assad's most senior aides, was indicted in absentia in the August sweep that saw Samaha arrested. Samaha's arrest was an embarrassing blow to Syria, which has long acted with impunity in Lebanon.

The car bombing struck Beirut's mainly Christian Achrafieh neighborhood and also wounded dozens of people, including children.

Al-Hassan will be buried in Beirut's Martyrs Square next to the late Hariri. Security was tight as thousands of people headed to the capital from around the country to attend the funeral.

Al-Hassan's body will first be taken to police headquarters for an official procession to the square.

Policemen and soldiers cordoned off the square, searching people trying to enter and barring vehicles. Giant posters of al-Hassan were set up around Beirut ahead of the funeral, calling him a "martyr of sovereignty and independence."

On Saturday, Mikati linked the bombing to the Samaha case.

"I don't want to prejudge the investigation, but in fact we cannot separate yesterday's crime from the revelation of the explosions that could have happened," he said.

Mikati, who opponents say is too close to Syria and Hezbollah, offered to resign after the bombing. But President Michel Suleiman asked him to stay so as not to add to the instability.

Many of Lebanon's Sunni Muslims have backed Syria's mainly Sunni rebels, while Shiite Muslims have tended to back Assad. Assad, like many who dominate his regime is a member of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Al-Hassan was a Sunni who challenged Syria and Hezbollah.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-21-Lebanon/id-65b0d48284db4a82bad94ba66d8819a0

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No. 3 Florida drubs No. 9 South Carolina 44-11

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) ? Florida went 0-for-October last season, with humbling losses to Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Georgia.

It bothered coaches and players for a year.

It motivated them, too.

A year later, the Gators have a chance to end the month with a division title.

"I like this better," coach Will Muschamp said. "So does everybody else."

Jeff Driskel threw four touchdown passes ? three of them after turnovers ? and the third-ranked Gators matched their win total from 2011 with a 44-11 drubbing of No. 9 South Carolina on Saturday.

The Gators avenged consecutive losses to the Gamecocks, including one a couple of years ago that ended with Steve Spurrier and his players celebrating a division title in The Swamp.

"We remember the feeling, how bad it hurt," center Jon Harrison said. "We even had guys getting emotional over it. We just used that as pure motivation to come out here and completely dominate this team."

Florida's latest whatever-it-takes win kept Muschamp's team undefeated and put it on the cusp of the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division title. The Gators (7-0, 6-0 SEC) can clinch a spot in the league's championship game by beating No. 13 Georgia next week in nearby Jacksonville.

Florida won this one with turnovers, stellar defense and more halftime adjustments ? the kind of successful tweaks that are making Muschamp and his staff seem like the right fit in Gainesville.

The Gators finished 7-6 last season, barely avoiding the program's first losing season since 1979. The struggles had outsiders questioning whether Muschamp could get Florida back to national prominence.

He's got the team there now ? even if it hasn't always been pretty.

The Gators managed just 29 yards and two first downs in the first half against South Carolina (6-2, 4-2). But they led 21-6 thanks to three turnovers.

Loucheiz Purifoy knocked the ball out of Connor Shaw's hands on the first play. Lerentee McCray recovered, giving Florida the ball at the 2-yard line. Driskel hooked up with Jordan Reed on third down, putting the Gators up early.

It also was a sign of things to come for the Gamecocks, who had trouble holding onto the ball all afternoon.

Ace Sanders fumbled on a punt return that led to Driskel's second TD pass. He found Quinton Dunbar for a 13-yard score. Dunbar spun out of DeVonte Holloman's grasp before coasting across the goal line.

On the ensuing kickoff, Solomon Patton forced Damiere Byrd to fumble. Chris Johnson picked it up and nearly scored. He was stopped at the 1, setting up Driskel's third TD pass to Reed. Driskel faked a handoff and found Reed alone in the back of the end zone, which made it 21-3.

"I'd rather have 1 yard in front of me than 75," Driskel said.

South Carolina failed to generate much offense. In fact, the Gamecocks managed two field goal in the first half thanks to penalties and returned a blocked extra point for two points in the third quarter.

Shaw completed 9 of 20 passes for 72 yards. He was benched in the second half, replaced by Dylan Thompson. Thompson completed 8 of 20 passes for 83 yards, with an interception.

"Coach Spurrier told me at halftime we were going to make the change," Shaw said. "He told me I wasn't getting the job done. I was completely supportive of him. Bottom line today, we just didn't execute."

The Gators put the game away by scoring on all three possessions in the third quarter, getting a 6-yard TD run by Omarius Hines, a field goal and a 6-yard pass from Driskel to Frankie Hammond Jr.

They made South Carolina's defensive front, which dominated in the first half, look suspect. They also better controlled standout end pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who gave them fits early. And they kept South Carolina off balance with creative play-calling that included tight end Trey Burton in the wildcat.

"It was embarrassing for us, very embarrassing to lose," Spurrier said. "We've got to reevaluate a lot of our personnel and get players out there who really want to play for South Carolina. Two weeks ago, I wouldn't have thought this. We had a bad one today. LSU was bad (last week). This one was worse. We've got to regroup somehow."

Driskel completed 11 of 16 passes for 93 yards. Mike Gillislee ran 19 times for 37 yards. Reed caught four passes for 44 yards.

Florida's defense and special teams were much more impressive.

The Gators held South Carolina to 191 yards, including minus-1 in the third quarter. Marcus Lattimore, who didn't start because of a hip injury, ran just three times for 13 yards. And Florida dominated every aspect of special teams. In addition to the two forced fumbles, Kyle Christy had seven punts of at least 50 yards.

"We're on our way to being what Florida used to be, what Florida's known for," Harrison said. "We hope to accomplish that this season."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/no-3-florida-drubs-no-9-south-carolina-231652101--spt.html

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PETS: Dog, Cat, Stray Ducks Need Homes - Bel Air, MD Patch

From the?Humane Society of Harford County:
???

Dog of the Week: Penny
Age: 9 years
Color: Black and Tan
Breed: Miniature Pinscher Mix
Gender: Female
Adoption Fee: $95
Pretty Penny here is a wonderful older gal! She was originally adopted from us many years ago, only to be returned because her owners no longer had the time to take care of her. So she spent a couple weeks here before being adopted yet again, only to come back a few weeks later because she was having accidents in the house. It's important to give your new adopted family member a period of adjustment, and expect senior dogs to need to go outside more often than their younger counterparts. Penny will make a great companion for someone, so can you prove to her that the third time is the charm?

Cat of the Week: Whistler
Age: 6 years
Color: Orange and White
Breed: Domestic Shorthair Mix
Gender: Female
Adoption Fee: $47.50 (reduced from $95)
Hi everyone! I'm Whistler, and I'm a 6-year-old female. I was brought in to the shelter by a Good Samaritan who found me in her neighborhood. I must have been someone's cat because I'm so nice! I have the loudest purr, the largest eyes and the biggest heart. I like to lounge around and keep people company and I love talking to you! I'm in the Admin Building, so ask to see me.

Small Critter of the Week: Quackers 1-5
Age: Adult
Color: White
Breed: Ducks
Gender: ??
Adoption Fee: $10 each
Stray ducks? Really? Yes, it's true. Somehow we lost our way and were found wandering along Tollgate Road in Bel Air. Luckily we?re here at the shelter now and we?re staying in their nice, warm barn. Do you have a farm with a lake where we could go to live out our days?

???

Find the Humane Society of Harford County on Facebook.

Source: http://belair.patch.com/articles/pets-dog-cat-stray-ducks-need-homes

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How to drive PC traffic through the mobile Web - Luxury Daily - Mobile

Movado mobile site

Some marketers are wary to roll out sites optimized for mobile devices because they are worried that the traffic will clip into their PC Web numbers. However, experts agree that if done correctly, mobile can actually increase traffic to a Web site.

Digital traffic from both mobile and Web sites is growing across the board for brands, meaning that a mobile site should be used as an additive part of overall traffic instead of being a substitute for Web traffic. Additionally, it is important to tailor the experience across each medium to tap into a user?s intent.

?From my experience working with enterprise clients in media, retail and even business-to-business consulting, the mobile Web is driving significant PC Web traffic,? said Giovanni Calabro, vice president of design at Siteworx, Reston, VA.

?For example, the iPhone iOS 6 is making it easier to post to Twitter and Facebook,? he said. ?This aspect of social alone shows how people are engaging in separate areas and tying the separate devices together.?

Mobile driver
With more consumers using their?handsets for quick access to information while on the go, mobile Web is typically one of the first focus areas for marketers.

Consumers are often interacting with multiple screens at the same time, meaning that if something does not render correctly ? such as non-optimized content ? users are likely to move on to another experience elsewhere.

From researching to buying, consumers are doing everything on mobile sites. However, the mobile Web does not replace a PC experience for many users.

Take the car-buying experience, for example.

Consumers might be looking for quick information about a car model while at a dealership from their handset, but they are most likely not going to buy a car over their handset on the spot. Instead, mobile serves as a research tool, which will ultimately help a brand drive more traffic to its PC Web site.

Research from Google also points to how mobile can be an initial starting point for driving Web traffic. According to a recent study, 65 percent of consumers begin a search on a smartphone with 60 percent of users transitioning the task to a desktop and four percent moving to a tablet.

The same study also found that 66 percent of social media access begins on a smartphone. Of those users, 58 percent continued the experience onto a laptop and eight percent moved to a tablet for the same purpose (see story).

Mr. Calabro used USA Today as an example of a brand that is designing fluidly for both PC and mobile Web as the company sees an uptick in both types of traffic.

?Marketers who are hesitant to get into mobile should recognize that the trends are just not in their favor,? Mr. Calabro said.

?Instead of trying to influence their customers? channel preferences, they should start by learning their customers? engagement preferences and focusing on serving them effectively,? he said.

Mobile implications
Recently, an executive from floor products maker Armstrong Worldwide at the Netbiscuits World 2012 conference in New York said that mobile makes up approximately four percent of overall traffic to the company?s consumer-facing site.

The company launched a mobile site in May and has seen that Web traffic is up almost 30 percent year-over-year (see story).

Although the executive declined to provide specific data, she does believe that mobile is contributing to the brand?s Web growth.

Armstrong?s mobile site is not commerce-enabled, meaning that consumers are using the site to research quick bits of information and are likely going back to their PCs to finish tasks that they begin on their handsets and tablets.

Multiple contexts
Given how consumers are using mobile and PC Web in conjunction, there are also strong implications for marketers looking to retarget consumers across multiple screens.

Tracking is still a challenge on mobile with privacy concerns. Additionally, the lack of compatible cookies in most devices also poses a problem.

Therefore, location and social media play a big role in connecting the dots between mobile and PC usage. Based on signals from a consumer?s intent, similar ads can be served across Web and mobile screens to get users to convert.

Although mobile commerce continues to grow, some consumers are still wary of transacting over their devices, which can be reflected in the way marketers present advertisements.

For example, a brand could serve an ad aimed more at brand-building to mobile users. On the PC side, the ad could include a call-to-action to let consumers buy a product or service.

Mobile and PC Web go together hand-in-hand. Both serve important but different roles for a brand and should not be substituted for one another.

If done correctly, mobile Web can also increase traffic rankings and impressions in the marketplace, according to Craig Besnoy, president and managing director of North America at Netbiscuits, New York.

?Marketers today are more conscientious about setting up their mobile sites so as to increase the effectiveness of their SEO,? Mr. Besnoy said. ?Leveraging the mobile experience correctly will drive online and offline actions that deliver advertisements with higher yields.?

?We see geo-content ? content that is accessed because of your surroundings ? as the biggest driver of mobile to traditional Web traffic,? he said. ?The mobile Web increases the amount and relevancy of the content you can provide a consumer who is mobile and on the move versus stationery in front of their desktop or laptop.?

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York

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Source: http://www.luxurydaily.com/how-to-drive-pc-traffic-through-the-mobile-web/

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