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Wednesday, October 31, 2012
The Benefits of Online Christmas Shopping
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I absolutely love to shop for gifts online throughout the year, but especially utilise this great tool during the holidays.? I don?t need to worry about driving to a store or shopping centre, looking for a parking space in the lots filled with cars, working my way through the crowds of people in the stores, trying to find what I am looking for, and then waiting for what feels like an eternity on one of the long checkout lines.? Instead, I stay in the comfort of my home office, surfing the internet for gifts that will be perfect for everyone in my family and for all of my friends.? I am not a big fan of shopping for holiday presents, so this method greatly reduces the level of stress I have to endure, and that is why I highly recommend it to everyone.
Find Great Deals and Free Shipping
Many online retailers that also have brick-and-mortar shops, as well as stores that are exclusively online, offer great deals during the holiday season.? Do not be the least bit surprised when, after shopping around and comparing prices for a bit, you realise that some of the gifts on your list are priced the same as retail locations, and sometimes even less.? And if you can grab a great deal that also offers free shipping that amounts to even more savings.? Not only did you not waste petrol money driving yourself to and from the stores you would need to go to, but you also do not need to pay for the potentially pricey shipping and handling fees often associated with online orders.
Some online stores offer promotional codes and special sales, so keep an eye out for the days that stores offer promotions such as ?20% off every item until Monday.?? These are especially common during the Christmas shopping season.? Sign up for emails from your favourite retailers to stay up-to-date on the latest discounts.
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Surfing the Internet for Gift Ideas
When I?m stumped for gift ideas, I take to the internet to find some great suggestions for those on my list.? Many online stores track your search queries and then provide you with recommendations that you may also like.? For example, if you are searching for some video games for your nephew but you are not sure what game to purchase, searching for a game he already owns and enjoys will yield recommendations for similar games that would also make good matches.
You can also perform a general search using your favourite online search engine to find the perfect gift for your spouse, parent, child, friend, co-worker, etc.? Simply typing in a phrase such as ?Christmas gift ideas for wives? can yield many results that can help you on your way to finding the right gift.
Checking Product Reviews
Another benefit to shopping online is being able to read product reviews on just about anything.? Check the reviews on an item before purchasing it, to determine if it is as good as the seller is making it out to be, if it is exactly what you are looking for, or if many people have encountered problems with it.
Returning Items Bought Online
When purchasing items from the internet, make sure you are clear regarding a store?s return policy.? Check if you will be required to pay return shipping and handling, if you can return the product to the site?s corresponding brick-and-mortar locations, or if all sales are final.
Consider Shipping Times and Cost
While shopping online is usually very convenient because everything gets shipped to you, make sure you order your items with enough time before the holidays arrive.? Keep in mind that, as the holidays approach, more and more people will be shopping online, so shipping times may be extended and you may not receive your order as quickly as you normally would.? Not only do the sites themselves become backed up with orders, but the holiday season is very tough on the postal service as well.? Make sure to read the estimated delivery time for your order, and pay extra to guarantee faster shipping, if necessary.
Whether you are looking for gifts for family and friends or stocking fillers for women and children, just about anything you can get in stores is also available online, and you can find great deals without the hassle of having to drive to the store, work your way through crowds, and wait at the checkout lane.
This article is written for http://www.toxicfox.co.uk/stocking-fillers/stocking-fillers-for-her.
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Synthetic magnetism used to control light: Opens door to nanoscale applications that use light instead of electricity
ScienceDaily (Oct. 31, 2012) ? Stanford researchers in physics and engineering have demonstrated a device that produces a synthetic magnetism to exert virtual force on photons similar to the effect of magnets on electrons. The advance could yield a new class of nanoscale applications that use light instead of electricity.
Magnetically speaking, photons are the mavericks of the engineering world. Lacking electrical charge, they are free to run even in the most intense magnetic fields. But all that may soon change. In a paper published in Nature Photonics, an interdisciplinary team from Stanford University reports that it has created a device that tames the flow of photons with synthetic magnetism.
The process breaks a key law of physics known as the time-reversal symmetry of light and could yield an entirely new class of devices that use light instead of electricity for applications ranging from accelerators and microscopes to speedier on-chip communications.
"This is a fundamentally new way to manipulate light flow. It presents a richness of photon control not seen before," said Shanhui Fan, a professor of electrical engineering at Stanford and senior author of the study.
A Departure
The ability to use magnetic fields to redirect electrons is a founding principle of electronics, but a corollary for photons had not previously existed. When an electron approaches a magnetic field, it meets resistance and opts to follow the path of least effort, travelling in circular motion around the field. Similarly, this new device sends photons in a circular motion around the synthetic magnetic field.
The Stanford solution capitalizes on recent research into photonic crystals -- materials that can confine and release photons. To fashion their device, the team members created a grid of tiny cavities etched in silicon, forming the photonic crystal. By precisely applying electric current to the grid they can control -- or "harmonically tune," as the researchers say -- the photonic crystal to synthesize magnetism and exert virtual force upon photons. The researchers refer to the synthetic magnetism as an effective magnetic field.
The researchers reported that they were able to alter the radius of a photon's trajectory by varying the electrical current applied to the photonic crystal and by manipulating the speed of the photons as they enter the system. This dual mechanism provides a great degree of precision control over the photons' path, allowing the researchers to steer the light wherever they like.
Broken Laws
In fashioning their device, the team has broken what is known in physics as the time-reversal symmetry of light. Breaking time-reversal symmetry in essence introduces a charge on the photons that reacts to the effective magnetic field the way an electron would to a real magnetic field.
For engineers, it means that a photon travelling forward will have different properties than when it is traveling backward, the researchers said, and this yields promising technical possibilities. "The breaking of time-reversal symmetry is crucial as it opens up novel ways to control light. We can, for instance, completely prevent light from traveling backward to eliminate reflection," said Fan.
The new device, therefore, solves at least one major drawback of current photonic systems that use fiber optic cables. Photons tend to reverse course in such systems, causing a form of reflective noise known as backscatter.
"Despite their smooth appearance, glass fibers are, photonically speaking, quite rough. This causes a certain amount of backscatter, which degrades performance," said Kejie Fang, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Physics at Stanford and the first author of the study.
In essence, once a photon enters the new device it cannot go back. This quality, the researchers believe, will be key to future applications of the technology as it eliminates disorders such as signal loss common to fiber optics and other light-control mechanisms.
"Our system is a clear direction toward demonstrating on-chip applications of a new type of light-based communication device that solves a number of existing challenges," said Zongfu Yu, a post-doctoral researcher in Shanhui Fan's lab and co-author of the paper. "We're excited to see where it leads."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Stanford School of Engineering. The original article was written by Andrew Myers.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Kejie Fang, Zongfu Yu, Shanhui Fan. Realizing effective magnetic field for photons by controlling the phase of dynamic modulation. Nature Photonics, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.236
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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
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Life In Portugal For Families - Part 1 - Maternity | The Living In The ...
With a growing number of families choosing to start a new life in Portugal there are many new issues that are facing expats who are coming to live here.
It used to be that it was predominantly older people and those coming to retire that made up the majority of the expats in Portugal but now there are an increasing number of young families coming to live in Portugal and the issues facing them and the needs that they have can sometimes be very different than the needs of older residents in Portugal.
When it comes to finding out information for younger families moving for a new life in Portugal it is much harder to find information so I hope to be able to shed some light and give a little information for anyone moving to or living in Portugal with a family.
The first place to start I would guess would be for anyone thinking about having a child in Portugal and what the options are, how the health care system stacks up and what to expect from the state when having a baby.
With the Portuguese government bringing in many new measures because of the austerity measures currently in place please bear in mind that the financial information is liable to change and it is worth checking with social security about your exact entitlements as these could change.
The first thing to note about Portugal is that the Portuguese LOVE children and a pregnant woman is something to be celebrated in Portugal which has an aging population and in many rural areas has a falling birth rate. ?It would be great if this love for children could be reflected in monetary terms but the fact is that the state doesn?t have the money to support new parents as much as in other countries, however what they lack in financial support they more than make up for in other forms of support.
There is a free family planning service available to all couples through a family doctor, you need to be registered with a doctor in Portugal to be able to access the free medical services associated with maternity and family planning.
Contraception is available for free from the nurse in all doctors surgeries and you do not need to make an appointment for this an at this point you can talk with the nurse about family planning before meeting with a doctor.
Pregnant women do not have to pay for appointments with the local doctor and most surgeries in Portugal will have one morning a week that they dedicate to pre natal care where you will be weighed, have your blood pressure taken and have a chance to chat with a doctor about how you are feeling.
If you would rather have private health care the same services are also available (and not just in Portuguese although many doctors do speak very good English) but you will have to pay for these services which can prove quite expensive.
Using the national health system in Portugal you will be given free blood tests during pregnancy and you will also be entitled to at least two free ultrasounds from clinics that are suggested to you by your doctor for this free service.
Before your baby is born you will be invited to visit the local hospital where you will have your baby and this is again a free service if going through the Portuguese health system.
When it comes to financial help the state offers a pre birth subsidy to new mothers that can be claimed from social security before you have the baby or can also be back paid after you have the baby.
New mothers are entitled to five months of maternity leave which is paid for by the state and will be the same amount as you are usually paid at work if you are on a contract. ?When you return to work you are also allowed two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon off from work to be able to go home to feed your baby also.
This is just a very quick round up of what being in pregnant in Portugal can mean to you but for full and further details I would suggest that you visit your local doctor to find out what you are entitled too and also visit the social security office to find out what you can claim for in the way of financial aid if you need it.
having a baby in Portugal should be a joyful experience and with a little help it run very smoothly.
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Source: http://livinginthesun.info/portugal/life-in-portugal-for-families-part-1-maternity/
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Friday, October 26, 2012
Sandy hits Cuba; 'high impact' likely in Northeast
HAVANA?? Hurricane Sandy grew into a major potential threat to the Northeast on Thursday after hammering Cuba's second-largest city and taking aim at the Bahamas.
Strengthening rapidly after tearing into Jamaica and crossing the warm Caribbean Sea, Sandy hit southeastern Cuba early on Thursday with 105-mph winds that cut power, damaged homes and blew over trees across the city of Santiago de Cuba.
The storm has a 90 percent chance of smacking the Northeast and mid-Atlantic early next week with gale-force winds, flooding, heavy rain and maybe even snow, forecasters said Thursday.
"It's going to be a high-impact event," said Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster with the National Weather Service's prediction center. "It has the potential to be a very significant storm with respect to coastal flooding, depending on exactly where it comes in. Power outages are definitely a big threat."
The hurricane part of the storm is likely to come ashore somewhere in New Jersey on Tuesday morning, said forecaster Jim Cisco of the NWS prediction center.
"It's almost a weeklong, five-day, six-day event," Cisco added. "It's going to be a widespread serious storm."
It is also likely to hit during a full moon when tides are near their highest, increasing coastal flooding potential.
And with some trees still leafy and the potential for snow, power outages could last to Election Day, some meteorologists fear.
"It could be a Nor'easter on steroids," NWS meteorologist Robert Thompson told NBC station WHDH-TV in Boston. "It?s got the potential to rival the great Nor'easters of the past depending upon the eventual track it takes."
Nor'easters are powerful storms that come up along the East Coast from the south and then increase in volatility with winds from the northeast. In this case, another storm is expected to move into the Northeast from the Ohio Valley around the same time, adding to the weather mix.
Interactive: Wild Nor?easters explained (on this page)Sandy will likely be around for the 21st anniversary of the infamous "Perfect Storm" of Oct. 30, 1991, that killed six fishermen, WHDH noted.
Even before any Northeast impact, eastern Florida as well as the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic states will see high winds, heavy surf and potentially beach flooding, weather.com reported.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said his staff was "getting out the plans" in case evacuations in flood-prone areas were needed, NBCNewYork.com reported.
Video: Wide area of Northeast threatened (on this page)In Cuba, the eye of the Category 2 storm came ashore just west of Santiago de Cuba, the country's second largest city with 500,000 people.
The area saw waves up to 29 feet and a six-foot storm surge that caused extensive coastal flooding, Jose Rubiera of the Cuban weather service said in a television report.
Rubiera held the phone up to a window so viewers could hear Sandy's roaring winds that he said had left the city "completely dark" and created a "very tense" situation.
Heavy rains were falling throughout the storm-stricken region, with forecasters predicting six to 12 inches for most areas and as much as 20 inches in isolated places.
Rubiera said Sandy had intensified rapidly as it neared land fueled by 88-degree waters on its way from Jamaica, which was struck earlier in the day by the storm when it was still at Category 1 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale.
One person died in Jamaica, and property was damaged across the eastern side of the island.
From Cuba, Sandy was expected to pass over the Bahamas by late Thursday.
For the U.S., the threat keeps increasing for "a major impact in the Northeast, New York area," said James Franklin, chief specialist at the National Hurricane Center. "In fact it would be such a big storm that it would affect all of the Northeast."
Cisco noted the 1991 "Perfect Storm" didn't hit as populated an area and is not comparable to what the East Coast may be facing. Nor is it like last year's Halloween storm, which was merely an early snowstorm in the Northeast.
This has much more mess potential because it is a combination of different storm types that could produce a real whopper of weather problems, meteorologists say.
"The 'Perfect Storm' only did $200 million of damage and I'm thinking a billion," said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private service Weather Underground. "Yeah, it will be worse."
Masters was somewhat skeptical on Tuesday, giving the storm scenario just a 40 percent likelihood, but on Wednesday he also upped that to 70 percent. The remaining computer models that previously hadn't shown the merger and mega-storm formation now predict a similar scenario.
Related:
Northeast utilities gear up for storm
Related:
Damage could be worse than Irene, experts say
Related:
New England fears repeat of 2011 Halloween storm
The biggest question mark is snow, and that depends on where the remnants of Sandy turn inland. The computer model that has been leading the pack in predicting the system has it hitting around Delaware. But another model has the storm hitting closer to Maine. If it hits Delaware, the chances of snow increase in that region. If it hits farther north, chances for snow in the mid-Atlantic and even up to New York are lessened, Masters said.
NOAA's Cisco said he could see the equivalent of several inches of snow or rain in the mid-Atlantic, depending on where the storm ends up. In the mountains, snow may be measured in feet instead of inches.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49546844/ns/weather/
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Your vote is worth $5, give or take, this year
In an exclusive interview Thursday onboard Air Force One, President Barack Obama told NBC's Brian Williams that he believes the amount of money being spent in his campaign and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's campaign, along with Super Pac spending, is "ridiculous." Williams' complete profile of the president's recent two-day campaign blitz airs Thursday, Oct. 25 at 10pm/9c on NBC's Rock Center.
By Eamon Javers, CNBC Washington correspondent
President Barack Obama and former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney are spending a combined $26.86 every second this election cycle, as a binge of campaign spending deluges voters with rallies, banners, and of course, TV ads.
The figure comes from a grand total of nearly $1.5 billion spent by both sides just through September. And that works out to about $70 million per month, and more than $2.3 million every day, according to data provided by the Federal Election Commission.
No wonder both candidates spend so much time in fundraisers.
From January 2011 through September, the Obama campaign burned through over $470 million, with the Democratic National Committee spending another $255 million.
And the top three Obama Super PACs dumped in another $53.7 million. All that totals more than $775 million spent ? before the crucial election month of October.
Obama Says Post-Election 'Grand Bargain' Possible
On the Romney side, the campaign had spent $298 million in that same time frame, which was joined by $249 million by the Republican National Committee and $156.5 million from the top three Romney Super Pacs. All told, that?s more than $700 million.
The Obama team held the lead by about $75 million as of September.
Historically, these are big, big numbers.
In 1980, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan plus the DNC and RNC spent a combined $528 million in 2012-adjusted dollars. By 2000, that figure had jumped to $899 million in adjusted dollars.
That means the campaigns are spending a lot more per voter than they did years ago. Take a look at the math.
With more than $770 million in campaign and Super Pac spending for Obama this year, the forces supporting the president have spent about $5.33 per registered voter when you calculate using the total number of registered voters in the last campaign, which was just over 146.3 million.
Romney?s team, similarly, has spent about $4.81 per voter. Combined, that?s $10.14 per registered voter.
Wall Street Gaming Romney Win: 'Trillion at Stake'
Compare that to how much it cost to reach registered voters in 1980: The $528 million spent by Reagan and Carter campaigns plus their parties reached fewer voters ? 105 million registered voters. That made total spending over $5 per registered voter.
Twenty years later, George W. Bush and Al Gore and their party committees combined spent $899 million to reach that year?s nearly 130 million registered voters. That?s just under $7 per registered voter.
By our math, the cost to reach each voter in America has gone up consistently over the past three decades. There's lesson in that for the campaigns and the fundraisers who push for more cash each year: that flood of money is causing political inflation. And that makes the constant reach for new fundraising records a self-fulfilling prophesy.
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Sunday, October 14, 2012
ygandafile: bologna tori: Travel Leisure City Guides and Information ...
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Yes On Idaho's Innovative Educational Reform Measures - - Idaho ...
By Richard Larsen
There are three Propositions on the general election ballot in Idaho. If all three receive a majority vote, the Students Come First legislation signed into law last year, will remain on the books and will begin the process of innovatively ameliorating the quality of public education across the state.
Proposition 1 does primarily three things. It allows for parents to have input on teacher evaluations, phases out tenure for educators, and mandates that contract negotiations be conducted in open meetings.
A supportive and involved parent largely determines the academic success of a student. Including parental involvement in teacher evaluations will foster a more synergistic relationship between the teacher and the parent, with the predictable outcome of additional parental involvement and children who perform better academically.
Teacher tenure is preserved for those who already have it. Tenure is an obstacle for school districts and administrators to work around when faced with reductions in force. Phasing out tenure allows increased flexibility to retain the best teachers, regardless of seniority or tenure. This is clearly in the best interest of students and academic performance, but is also the major objection teachers have to the Students Come First legislation.
Collective bargaining is limited to matters pertaining to salary and benefits. In the past they could negotiate bell schedule, school calendar, teacher evaluations, and grading methods. This gives the local school board more flexibility and latitude in those peripheral issues without jeopardizing salary and benefit negotiations.
Contract negotiations have sailed through with few exceptions, since the open-meeting negotiations law went into effect. Everyone involved in such negotiations behaves more circumspectly when the public eye is on them.
Proposition 2 implements Pay for Performance (PFP) incentives for teachers, allowing for bonuses based on one of three criteria. The minimum teacher salary was raised and a funding mechanism added to increase the minimum salary in the future. The current salary apportionment grid for teachers with longevity and added educational credits is maintained.
PFP provides extra compensation for teachers who serve in hard-to-fill positions, like calculus teachers in small school districts, or leadership roles, like mentoring new teachers or developing curriculum. This comes as a bonus to those teachers on top of their pay grid compensation. The local school board determines hard-to-fill positions and the extra compensation.
PFP also allows for teachers to earn bonuses beyond their base salary for meeting or exceeding student achievement goals at the state and local levels. This will provide for the entire certified staff of a school to receive bonus pay when their school is showing growth in student achievement. Local school boards set student achievement goals for bonus participation. Bonuses will be paid to nearly 85% of Idaho?s teachers next month, based on last year?s performance.
Proposition 3 allows for high school juniors and seniors to earn up to a years worth of college credit, and provides for technology in the classroom as well as individually to students. In addition, new standards of transparency and public disclosure are required of school districts.
All local school boards and school districts must be totally transparent in fiscal matters, including master contracts and associated information. Further, the State Department of Education will create a web-based fiscal report card and will post financial data and statistics for every school district and public charter school.
For teachers who don?t already have a personal computer in their classroom, they will get one. They will also be trained on how to integrate computer technology into the curriculum and into the classroom to raise student achievement. This school year, high school teachers will be provided mobile computing devices.
High school students will be provided access to similar devices. Local districts will determine how best to utilize this technology on a daily basis and teachers will decide how to incorporate them into the learning process. The local boards will also set student-use policy for the mobile devices.
Starting with the graduating class of 2016, students will have some online curriculum. The State Board of Education has determined that two of the 46 credits required to graduate will be completed online, but local districts will determine the curriculum. And the digital learning component allows students in small districts to enjoy the same curriculum breadth of the larger schools.
As taxpayers, we benefit by the increased transparency in the disposition of financial resources. As parents of public schools, we benefit by the increased focus on results and achievement, by rewarding schools and teachers for jobs well done. The incorporation of technology in the classroom and online curriculum prepares students for college and the work force, while increasing efficiency. And the Students Come First legislation empowers teachers to earn more based on their performance and grants more flexibility and authority to local school boards to manage resources. Everyone should visit the studentscomefirst.org website to learn more.
There is no doubt that each of these measures brings something to the table to improve our public education system. All three Propositions should be approved to realize those benefits.
AP award winning columnist Richard Larsen is President of Larsen Financial, a brokerage and financial planning firm in Pocatello, and is a graduate of Idaho State University with a BA in Political Science and History and former member of the Idaho State Journal Editorial Board.? He can be reached at rlarsenen@cableone.net.?
Source: http://www.pocatelloshops.com/new_blogs/politics/?p=9675
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PieceBlog: 3 EZ Ways to Finance Your Flip! - Real Estate - Property ...
3 EZ Ways to Finance Your Flip! - Real Estate - Property Investment
Ask any home flipper and they will tell you one thing. It can be stressful! You will have to find contractors if you do not plan to do the work yourself. You will also have to make all the decisions as to what items will be used such as faucets, paint, and floor coverings. However, none of these decisions will be as stressful as choosing the right financing method if you do not already have a choice made. Of course, your first thought may be to finance your flip through the bank. However, there are many situations in which financing through the bank will not be the best choice. Bank financing will require you to provide credit info and work history, along with many other contingencies. Most times, traditional bank financing will not be the best financing for a quick sale. There are other ways you can creatively finance your flip, and some of them are much easier. Here are three ways you can finance your flip without the hassle of dealing with the bank. Home Equity Line of Credit / Unsecured CardsIf you already own a home and you have equity in it, you can actually open a line of credit and then make use of this equity to finance your flip. A home equity line of credit is much easier than having to go through the hassle of getting a bank loan or mortgage. Often, you can open these lines of credit with just a telephone call and a couple of signatures. Usually, you can get them through the same lender that holds your mortgage. This makes things much simpler overall and you can easily get enough funding to finance your flip provided you have the equity available. Another option would be to tap into low interest credit cards; these are unsecured and offer another creative financing method, pool together three or four cards and you could have $50-$100,000 instantly!Hard Money LendersHard money loans are often referred to as rehab loans because they are used predominately for real estate investments and home investing. This is because the loans are designed to make it easy for you to finance the cost of the home, along with enough money to pay for the renovations. Here is how a hard money lender will work the loan. These loans are solely for investment properties.For the most part, if you are using a hard money loan to purchase your flip, you will be able to finance up to 65% of "as is" value of the acquisition, along with 100% of the renovation costs. This way, you will be able to borrow enough money to buy the home and then have enough cash to actually do all the repairs.
IRAsAll IRAs are not created equal! In order to use your funds tax deferred, you will need to open a Self Directed IRA. This will allow you to (just as the term says) direct your funds to the investment of your choice that is allowed under IRS guidelines, real estate being one of them. So, you will be able to borrow against your retirement and use the money for a home flip. You will need to pay the funds back to the IRA within a certain amount of time that you determine, but this is a good way to free up cash for your flip and also build up your retirement tax deferred.Should you not have loads of cash at your disposal, use one of the above financing options to get your deal done quickly and grow your business.
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Source: http://aku-mahu-hidup-bebas.blogspot.com/2012/10/3-ez-ways-to-finance-your-flip-real.html
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Saturday, October 13, 2012
Scientists discover that shape matters in DNA nanoparticle therapy
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Public release date: 12-Oct-2012[ | E-mail |
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Northwestern University
Particles could become a safer, more effective delivery vehicle for gene therapy
Researchers from Johns Hopkins and Northwestern universities have discovered how to control the shape of nanoparticles that move DNA through the body and have shown that the shapes of these carriers may make a big difference in how well they work in treating cancer and other diseases.
This study, to be published in the Oct. 12 online edition of the journal Advanced Materials, is also noteworthy because this gene therapy technique does not use a virus to carry DNA into cells. Some gene therapy efforts that rely on viruses have posed health risks.
"These nanoparticles could become a safer and more effective delivery vehicle for gene therapy, targeting genetic diseases, cancer and other illnesses that can be treated with gene medicine," said Hai-Quan Mao, an associate professor of materials science and engineering in Johns Hopkins' Whiting School of Engineering.
Mao, co-corresponding author of the Advanced Materials article, has been developing nonviral nanoparticles for gene therapy for a decade. His approach involves compressing healthy snippets of DNA within protective polymer coatings. The particles are designed to deliver their genetic payload only after they have moved through the bloodstream and entered the target cells. Within the cells, the polymer degrades and releases DNA. Using this DNA as a template, the cells can produce functional proteins that combat disease.
A major advance in this work is that Mao and his colleagues reported that they were able to "tune" these particles in three shapes, resembling rods, worms and spheres, which mimic the shapes and sizes of viral particles. "We could observe these shapes in the lab, but we did not fully understand why they assumed these shapes and how to control the process well," Mao said. These questions were important because the DNA delivery system he envisions may require specific, uniform shapes.
To solve this problem, Mao sought help about three years ago from colleagues at Northwestern. While Mao works in a traditional wet lab, the Northwestern researchers are experts in conducting similar experiments with powerful computer models.
Erik Luijten, associate professor of materials science and engineering and of applied mathematics at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science and co-corresponding author of the paper, led the computational analysis of the findings to determine why the nanoparticles formed into different shapes.
"Our computer simulations and theoretical model have provided a mechanistic understanding, identifying what is responsible for this shape change," Luijten said. "We now can predict precisely how to choose the nanoparticle components if one wants to obtain a certain shape."
The use of computer models allowed Luijten's team to mimic traditional lab experiments at a far faster pace. These molecular dynamic simulations were performed on Quest, Northwestern's high-performance computing system. The computations were so complex that some of them required 96 computer processors working simultaneously for one month.
In their paper, the researchers also wanted to show the importance of particle shapes in delivering gene therapy. Team members conducted animal tests, all using the same particle materials and the same DNA. The only difference was in the shape of the particles: rods, worms and spheres.
"The worm-shaped particles resulted in 1,600 times more gene expression in the liver cells than the other shapes," Mao said. "This means that producing nanoparticles in this particular shape could be the more efficient way to deliver gene therapy to these cells."
The particle shapes used in this research are formed by packaging the DNA with polymers and exposing them to various dilutions of an organic solvent. DNA's aversion to the solvent, with the help of the team's designed polymer, causes the nanoparticles to contract into a certain shape with a "shield" around the genetic material to protect it from being cleared by immune cells.
###
Lead authors of the Advanced Materials paper are Wei Qu, a graduate student in Luijten's research group at Northwestern, and Xuan Jian, who was a doctoral student in Mao's lab. Along with Mao and Luijten, the remaining co-authors of the paper, all from Johns Hopkins, are Deng Pan, who worked on the project as an undergraduate; Yong Ren, a postdoctoral fellow; John-Michael Williford, a biomedical engineering doctoral student; and Honggang Cui, an assistant professor in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering.
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Public release date: 12-Oct-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Megan Fellman
fellman@northwestern.edu
847-491-3115
Northwestern University
Particles could become a safer, more effective delivery vehicle for gene therapy
Researchers from Johns Hopkins and Northwestern universities have discovered how to control the shape of nanoparticles that move DNA through the body and have shown that the shapes of these carriers may make a big difference in how well they work in treating cancer and other diseases.
This study, to be published in the Oct. 12 online edition of the journal Advanced Materials, is also noteworthy because this gene therapy technique does not use a virus to carry DNA into cells. Some gene therapy efforts that rely on viruses have posed health risks.
"These nanoparticles could become a safer and more effective delivery vehicle for gene therapy, targeting genetic diseases, cancer and other illnesses that can be treated with gene medicine," said Hai-Quan Mao, an associate professor of materials science and engineering in Johns Hopkins' Whiting School of Engineering.
Mao, co-corresponding author of the Advanced Materials article, has been developing nonviral nanoparticles for gene therapy for a decade. His approach involves compressing healthy snippets of DNA within protective polymer coatings. The particles are designed to deliver their genetic payload only after they have moved through the bloodstream and entered the target cells. Within the cells, the polymer degrades and releases DNA. Using this DNA as a template, the cells can produce functional proteins that combat disease.
A major advance in this work is that Mao and his colleagues reported that they were able to "tune" these particles in three shapes, resembling rods, worms and spheres, which mimic the shapes and sizes of viral particles. "We could observe these shapes in the lab, but we did not fully understand why they assumed these shapes and how to control the process well," Mao said. These questions were important because the DNA delivery system he envisions may require specific, uniform shapes.
To solve this problem, Mao sought help about three years ago from colleagues at Northwestern. While Mao works in a traditional wet lab, the Northwestern researchers are experts in conducting similar experiments with powerful computer models.
Erik Luijten, associate professor of materials science and engineering and of applied mathematics at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science and co-corresponding author of the paper, led the computational analysis of the findings to determine why the nanoparticles formed into different shapes.
"Our computer simulations and theoretical model have provided a mechanistic understanding, identifying what is responsible for this shape change," Luijten said. "We now can predict precisely how to choose the nanoparticle components if one wants to obtain a certain shape."
The use of computer models allowed Luijten's team to mimic traditional lab experiments at a far faster pace. These molecular dynamic simulations were performed on Quest, Northwestern's high-performance computing system. The computations were so complex that some of them required 96 computer processors working simultaneously for one month.
In their paper, the researchers also wanted to show the importance of particle shapes in delivering gene therapy. Team members conducted animal tests, all using the same particle materials and the same DNA. The only difference was in the shape of the particles: rods, worms and spheres.
"The worm-shaped particles resulted in 1,600 times more gene expression in the liver cells than the other shapes," Mao said. "This means that producing nanoparticles in this particular shape could be the more efficient way to deliver gene therapy to these cells."
The particle shapes used in this research are formed by packaging the DNA with polymers and exposing them to various dilutions of an organic solvent. DNA's aversion to the solvent, with the help of the team's designed polymer, causes the nanoparticles to contract into a certain shape with a "shield" around the genetic material to protect it from being cleared by immune cells.
###
Lead authors of the Advanced Materials paper are Wei Qu, a graduate student in Luijten's research group at Northwestern, and Xuan Jian, who was a doctoral student in Mao's lab. Along with Mao and Luijten, the remaining co-authors of the paper, all from Johns Hopkins, are Deng Pan, who worked on the project as an undergraduate; Yong Ren, a postdoctoral fellow; John-Michael Williford, a biomedical engineering doctoral student; and Honggang Cui, an assistant professor in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/nu-sdt101012.php
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Seven things a comedian can teach a writer about public speaking
Some writers don?t like to talk in public. Some do. But all of us could probably use some tips on how to be a better speaker.
Here are seven tips you can learn from stand-up comedians:
1. Use humbling personal stories.?
2. Just say no to PowerPoint.?
3. Use gestures and facial expressions.
4. Move the audience through a roller coaster.
5 Step out from behind the lectern.?
6. Don?t use notes.?
7. Loop back to the beginning.
To read these seven tips in detail, click here.
Source: http://aprilhenry.livejournal.com/1081088.html
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HUD secretary to speak at Del. housing conference
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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hud-secretary-speak-del-housing-conference-132114396--finance.html
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Marketing Case Study: The Curse Of Being Multi-Talented ...
October 12, 2012
Like many of us who are self-employed, Martha is an individual with many talents.
This characteristic became obvious in yesterday?s 15-minute laser coaching session with Martha.
It helps explain her lack of focus in terms of target market and the services that she delivers. It also helps clarify why her client pipeline is running dry.
Martha started her business in response to requests for friends who were having problems with their small businesses. At the time her skill set included such functions as ?brainstorming, decision-making, planning projects, office systems? so she applied these tools to help her friends. Happily, as a result of her assistance, Martha?s friends resolved their problems. Encouraged by her friends, she started her own business, offering the same kinds of services that had helped these friends.
As a result of referrals from friends and friends of friends, she was able to build a sustainable flow of new business.
Along with the sustainable flow of new business, two new trends developed. The work that was initially challenging and engaging for Martha became more routine and started to lose its appeal.
And second, her clients and friends suggested that she start training sessions and write a book to showcase her skills. Since she loved writing and public speaking, Martha did both?and then more of both. After a few years of writing books conducting training workshops and accepting whatever speaking engagement came along (mostly without getting paid), she noticed that her flow of new clients had virtually disappeared.
I have asked Martha to reflect on one question for next week?s session. What do you think that question is?
* * * * *
Complete your own marketing performance assessment.
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Source: http://larryeasto.com/2012/10/12/marketing-case-study-the-curse-of-being-multi-talented/
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Friday, October 12, 2012
JAMB Doubts Varsities' Readiness For 2012 Admission | P.M. ...
Published on October 11, 2012 by pmnews ????? 1 Comment
Posted by pmnews 1 day, 6 hours ago on October 11, 2012, 5:22 pm. Filed under Campus, Metro, National, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Indications emerged on Thursday that many applicants who applied for entry into Nigerian Universities for the 2012\ 2013 session would not realize their ambition as the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board declared that only 10 out of the nation?s 71 Universities may likely meet the 31st October, 2012 admission deadline for the 2012\2013 academic session.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde ?made this known at a meeting in Abuja between the Minister of Education and management of the tertiary institutions, to review the preparedness of the institutions ahead of the October deadline.
In view of the development, Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufai, issued a Seven day ultimatum to all the institutions to meet with the relevant admission and regulatory agencies to iron out their challenges ahead of the deadline.
Out of the 71 institutions invited for the meeting, including Colleges of Education and Polytechnics, only 31 of them attended, raising concern over their ability to meet the October 31st admission deadline, with the fate of hundred of candidates hanging on the balance.
By?Nnamdi Felix / Abuja
Posted by pmnews 1 day, 6 hours ago on October 11, 2012, 5:22 pm. Filed under Campus, Metro, National, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.Source: http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/10/11/jamb-doubts-varsities-readiness-for-2012-admission/
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Thursday, October 11, 2012
Newly discovered 3G flaws allows your device to be tracked - e27
By | Oct 10, 2012 | Featured
Researchers have discovered 3G security flaws that allows your devices to be tracked. Proposed fixes will need to be deployed by cellular operators.
According to a report on SC Magazine, a research led by chief researchers at the University of Birmingham in collaboration with the Technical University of Berlin has discovered new privacy threats that allow every device operating on 3G networks to be tracked. 3GPP, the 3G global industry watchdog, was reportedly informed about the flaws six months ago and is investigating the research. The research team will detail the flaws at the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security event this month.
The security flaws affects the latest 3G networks which have already been secured by discarding GSM interoperable networks that were long known to be vulnerable. The new found vulnerabilities could be exploited with the use of readily available consumer technology.
Using an off-the-shelf and a rooted, or modified, femtocell unit which broadcasted a 3G signal, the attacks were made by intercepting, altering and injecting 3G Layer-3 messages into communication between the base station and mobile phones. Researchers told SC that the attacks would work against any provider that adhered to the 3G standard.
Of the two attacks conducted, one attack forced mobile devices to reveal the static identity, the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), in response to the Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI). By revealing the IMSI and TMSI correlation, the attacker can reveal the presence of devices in the monitored area.
In the second attack, involving the Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA) protocol attack, the same authentication request would be sent to all phones in range causing all but the targeted device to respond with synchronisation failures. According to the research, ?The captured authentication request can now be replayed by the adversary each time he wants to check the presence of?[a device] in a particular area. In fact, thanks to the error messages, the adversary can distinguish any mobile station from the one the authentication request was originally sent to.?
The researchers also wrote, ?If devices with wider area coverage than a femtocell are used, the adversary should use triangulation to obtain finer position data.?
The research proposed fixes for the flaws which uses public-key cryptography and needs to be deployed by cellular operators within their networks. According to the report, the fixes would not be expensive. ?The solutions we propose show that privacy friendly measures could be adopted by the next generation of mobile telephony standards while keeping low the computational and economical cost of implementing them.?
Source: SC Magazine, Flaws allow 3G devices to be tracked
Image Credits: Colin Peebles, News.com.au
Source: http://e27.sg/2012/10/10/newly-discovered-3g-flaws-allows-your-device-to-be-tracked/
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Home workout Six Pack Abs in 3min | Bodybuilding, Supplements ...
This workout will really help you build eye popping abs at home fat using just a exercise band. Did you enjoy the ?Get Six Pack Abs in 3min at home workout? video? For the web?s best Six Pack ABS Workout & Exercise Videos.
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BBAWC Hosts Cat Adoption Friday & Saturday At Pet's Emporium ...
Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition will host its latest cat & kitten adoption this Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Sammy?s Pet?s Emporium, 105 Montague Street, in Brooklyn Heights. BBAWC tells BHB that this is their ?Big Event? for October, and they are eager to find homes for the rescued felines. The non-profit is a no-kill, all-volunteer cat rescue and adoption group. All cats have been rescued from the streets and ?kill shelters.? While waiting for forever homes, they live with loving foster caretakers. See the poster with more info below. 
Source: http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/49134
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Video: Fantasy football: Buy low, sell high on these guys
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Economy expanding modestly, Fed says
Walmart announces same-day delivery service in its latest attempt to capture Amazon's business. NBC's Chris Clackum reports.
By Jessica Wohl, Reuters
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. touted strong sales at its U.S. grocery stores and a big start to holiday layaway sales today, helping to send shares of the world's largest retailer to an all-time high.
Wal-Mart has lined up $400 million in U.S. layaway sales in less than a month, half of the amount shoppers put on hold for all of the 2011 holiday season. This comes as the chain makes a concerted push to entice shoppers before the typical start of the holiday season.
Shares of Wal-Mart reached as high as 76.81 and closed at $75.42 today as the company held its annual meeting with analysts and investors, which was also broadcast over the Internet.
Wal-Mart U.S. plans to more than double the number of its Neighborhood Market grocery stores in the United States by fiscal 2016, putting more pressure on grocers such as Kroger Co , Safeway Inc and Supervalu Inc.
The stores, which are smaller than traditional supercenters and focus on groceries, have become more profitable as Wal-Mart adds more of them. Sales at existing Neighborhood Market stores have grown at a rate of more than 5 percent, or double the rate of the overall Wal-Mart U.S. chain.
"They kind of have the keys to the castle now," Susquehanna Financial Group analyst Bob Summers, who has a "buy" rating on Wal-Mart, said of the Neighborhood Market format.
Wal-Mart should have more than 240 Neighborhood Market stores by the end of fiscal 2013, ending in January, and more than 500 by fiscal 2016, ultimately adding more than $10 billion in sales, said the company's U.S. Chief Executive Bill Simon.
In the year since the last investor meeting, Wal-Mart's U.S. arm, by far its largest business, has rebounded from a prolonged slump. At the same time, its international operations have come under scrutiny following a New York Times article in April about alleged bribery at its Mexican unit.
Investors have shrugged off the bribery probe, which has already cost Wal-Mart tens of millions of dollars as it takes a closer look at operations around the globe. Shares of Wal-Mart are up roughly 22 percent since just before the New York Times story was published, compared with a 3 percent increase in the Dow Jones industrial average, of which Wal-Mart is a component.
More than half of Wal-Mart's shares are owned by the family of founder Sam Walton.
Placing big orders for the holiday season
Wal-Mart U.S. is preparing for a strong holiday season, ordering twice as many Apple Inc iPads and other tablet computers as last year, said Duncan Mac Naughton, the chief merchandising and marketing officer at Wal-Mart U.S.
The company also started offering layaway in mid-September, a month earlier than it did when it restarted the service back in 2011. With layaway, shoppers buying certain items can put them on hold and pay for them over time.
"They could conceivably do 50 percent more layaway this year than they did last year," which has the potential to add half a percentage point to same-store sales growth, said Susquehanna analyst Summers.
Wal-Mart U.S. has now posted four consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth after nine straight quarterly declines, though the pace of growth slowed to 2.2 percent in the second quarter from 2.6 percent in the first quarter. The pace of quarterly same-store sales growth still trails competitors such as Target Corp. and Dollar General Corp.
Plans for Wal-Mart U.S. this holiday season include offering sale prices on certain toys on Tuesdays based on weekend feedback from social media followers and using 100 "Twitter elves" to help with marketing and customer service on the popular microblogging site. At the Sam's Club warehouse chain, holiday season plans include selling Children's Place merchandise in its stores, said Sam's Club CEO Rosalind Brewer.
Wal-Mart is gaining market share nearly everywhere it runs stores and still sees its international business as a growth engine despite its decision to slow the pace of store openings in some key countries, said Chief Executive Mike Duke.
Duke also said he believes the company is "playing to win in a very real way now" in e-commerce. He said he is pleased with Wal-Mart's progress in online search and other areas.
Wal-Mart still plans to open more stores around the world, but as it announced earlier this year, it will slow the pace of store openings in Brazil, China and Mexico. In Brazil and China, Wal-Mart has said it wants to work on making improvements in its hundreds of stores. Meanwhile, the store approval process in Mexico, where its local affiliate has more than 2,000 locations, has slowed and become more complex following allegations that the company had bribed government officials to speed up approvals.
Wal-Mart U.S. plans to add roughly 205 stores this fiscal year, and about 220 to 240 in fiscal 2014. Sam's Club plans to open nine stores this year and 10 to 15 next year.
Wal-Mart International plans to add 21 million to 23 million square feet of store space in fiscal 2013, down from an original target of 30 million to 33 million. It plans to add another 20 million to 22 million square feet of store space in fiscal 2014.
Related:
Wal-Mart tests limited same-day delivery of online orders
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