How to Get Apple's Black Friday Prices All Year Long

It ain't easy getting Apple gear at a discount. That's why Apple's Black Friday deals cause a fuss, even if they're unspectacular compared to what other manufacturers offer up. But here's the secret cheat code: You can get those same deals, more or less, all year long. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ywqkt6owzf8/how-to-get-apples-black-friday-prices-all-year-long

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Girlfriends Book Club: 5 Game-Changing Gifts for Writers

By Karin Gillespie
??When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.? Long ago, when I first read the statement above, I imagined an encounter with a big-bellied, toga-wearing monk who would whisper the secrets of the universe into my ear. Over the years?I've?learned you don?t necessarily need a monk to show you the way. If you?re open to it, wisdom comes in many guises, such as advice from a friend, a passage in a book, an overheard conversation or even a sudden insight. What follows are the valuable writing gifts I have received over the years. Depending on where you are in this journey, they may or may not resonate with you, but each one was precious to me and changed my way of thinking about my craft. Since I was a little girl I always dreamed of being a writer but it?wasn't?until I started doing daily morning pages that I gained the courage to face the blank page. ?And what are morning pages? Simply, first thing when you wake up in the morning, you write longhand in a notebook for twenty minutes without stopping. It?s best if you practice morning pages for two or three months and you?shouldn't?read what?you've?written until much later. ?The Artist?s Way by Julia Cameron popularized morning pages but?they've?been around for decades. Morning pages train your subconscious to write. It coaxes out the muse, and, trust me, the practice is utterly magical. Morning pages work best with new writers or writers who have abandoned the craft for a while. Storytelling is a skill separate from writing beautiful sentences and Blake Snyder, author of ?Save the Cat Strikes Back!? explains plotting in the most eloquent and accessible way possible. After reading his book, I knew I would never again plot myself into a corner or abandon a project because of structural problems.? Although his work is written in a breezy style, there?s something very elemental and old-world about Snyder?s approach. He died a couple of years ago, and even though he was a successful screenwriter, I think his insightful how-to books were his true legacy. I recommend all of his books but if you were only to buy one, I?d get ?Save the Cat Strikes Back.? In addition to giving structural advice, he shares the very personal story of how he changed his writing life around. An inspiring man who will be missed. Former Girlfriend April Henry turned me on to this incredible yet simple technique. Basically you write for twenty-five minutes, no interruptions, and then take a five minute break. Repeat as many times as necessary. This method has increased my focus ten-fold. I no longer worry about being distracted by the Internet or e-mail, because during each twenty-five minute period, you trick the brain to attend only to the writing. Here?s more about the Pomodoro technique if I?ve piqued your interest. Rachel Aaron?s Amazing Productivity Method Recently I decided I wanted to write first drafts faster, and I ran across author Rachel Aaron's advice on that very topic. Using her method, I easily upped my daily word count from 2,000 words a day to 3,000. (Accomplished in a four-hour time period with brief breaks) The secret? Aaron suggests writing a brief summary of what you?re going to write each day before plunging in. ?Her advice should be worth a $1,000 it helped me so much. But I only spent $.99 on her book. Thank you, Rachel Aaron! XOXO A recent insight about the writing game Once during one of the best performances of his life, Laurence Olivier came off the stage and was approached by a reporter who was bowled over by his mastery. Olivier acknowledged he?d done well, but he also said, ?I don?t know if I can ever repeat it, because it did not come from me.? The more I write, the more I understand that the best writing is achieved when I leave my ego outside the writing room, and surrender to my unconscious mind.

?If I show up every day, the muse will arrive, and if I?m humble and understand that I?m only a conduit or co-creator at best, then good writing will almost always result. When I?m co-creating, the supply of ideas are endless, and I never get stale. Maybe this gift was the most important one of all.

So those are the?best gifts?I've?received in over twenty years of writing, and I hope at least one will speak to you. And since it?s the gift-giving season, I would love to hear the valuable insights you have received during your writing life. I?m always looking to add a few more to my treasure chest.?????

Source: http://girlfriendbooks.blogspot.com/2012/11/5-game-changing-gifts-for-writers.html

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GOP senators 'troubled' after Rice meeting

United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice's attempts to make nice with a trio of Republican senators who have criticized her response to the Sept. 11 terror attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, seem to have backfired.

The senators said they left their face-to-face meeting with Rice this morning "more concerned" and "significantly troubled."

The three Republicans, Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, said that not only did Rice, who was joined by Acting CIA Director Mike Morell, not answer all their questions about the attack but did little to assuage their overall worries.

"We are significantly troubled by many of the answers that we got, and some that we didn't get concerning evidence that was overwhelming leading up to the attack on the consulate," McCain said.

"The concerns I have are greater today than before, and we're not even close to getting the basic answers," Graham said.

Today's meeting was seen as part of Rice's Capitol Hill "charm offensive," as her possible nomination to be the next secretary of state has met with some vocal opposition ? especially from McCain, Graham and Ayotte, who still seemed to steer clear of questions about whether they would stand in the way if Rice was nominated.

"Before anybody can make an intelligent decision about promoting someone involved in Benghazi, we need to do a lot more," Graham said. "To this date, we don't have the FBI interviews of the survivors conducted one or two days after the attack. We don't have the basic information about what was said the night of the attack ... as of this date."

Graham compared the situation to 2006, when Senate Democrats blocked the nomination of John Bolton, President Bush's choice for U.N. ambassador.

What the senators seemed to find most problematic was Rice's statement on the Sunday morning news shows days after the attack. At first, she said it was a "spontaneous" attack and not a terrorist attack.

Ayotte said that in today's meeting Rice called the information she first gave to the American people wrong.

"It's certainly clear from the beginning that we knew that those with ties to al Qaeda were involved in the attack on the embassy, and clearly the impression that was given, the information given to the American people, was wrong," Ayotte said,

Ayotte said that as the U.N. ambassador should have stepped up and said that she couldn't go on the Sunday morning news shows and talk about the attack if that was the case.

Graham also said it would have been better not to give any information at all.

"If you can give nothing but bad information, isn't it better to give no information at all? It was unjustified to give the scenarios as presented by Ambassador Rice and President Obama three weeks before an election."

Rice, defending herself in a statement following the meeting, said: "We explained that the talking points provided by the intelligence community, and the initial assessment upon which they were based, were incorrect in a key respect: There was no protest or demonstration in Benghazi. While, we certainly wish that we had had perfect information just days after the terrorist attack, as is often the case, the intelligence assessment has evolved. We stressed that neither I nor anyone else in the administration intended to mislead the American people at any stage in this process, and the administration updated Congress and the American people as our assessments evolved."

Rice is expected to meet with Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., later today. A close ally of McCain (Lieberman endorsed him for president in 2008), Lieberman has not been as quick to criticize Rice.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gop-senators-significantly-troubled-susan-rice-meeting-170637329.html

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Astronomy and Space Sticker Book | Education & Reference | paribsa

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Cambridge University starts Doomwatch unit, hires Skype co-founder to fight the future

Despite warnings to the contrary, Cyberdyne, SkyNet and Demon Seed are technological terrors that currently exist. No matter, as we've now got someone leading the fightback -- Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn. He's part of a team of scientists, engineers and philosophers at Cambridge University's newly-minted Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. Aping the plot of beloved '70s TV series Doomwatch, the unit will investigate the fringes of science fact, including biotechnology, artificial intelligence and climate change. He'll be joined by Huw Price and Baron Martin Rees, who we hope will travel around the country in a minivan and fight ghosts, just like these guys.

Filed under: Science, Alt

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Source: Cambridge University, CSER

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last bastion - Houston Criminal Law Blog - David Breston

that - to my way of thinking - is what our legal system is. Be prepared - I?m about to ?wax long and reflective? - and I can?t even say what got me started this morning. Perhaps it was the phone call from a desperate woman - wanting an answer that would prevent her from deportation with her family - maybe it was the young man whose earnest plea for help in the face of false allegations of sexual assault caught my empathy -

or maybe it?s simply looking around at the world in general and realizing that often people have nowhere to turn when caught in the ?sights? of an anonymous government who cares not about ?your? personal story.

I don?t know whether I?m old enough to understand the true machinations of the world - or young enough to still believe in what many call a fairy tale - authentic justice.

What is a bastion? It is a citadel, a stronghold - a fortress that offers protection and relief for those in need. Wouldn?t you say that is why most people pursue the study of law - to be a ?soldier in the legal army? that stands up to injustice.

Now, that?s enough of my reflecting on the greater promise of the law as a career! I will return you to our regularly scheduled blog entries.

Contact the Law Offices of David Breston at 713-224-4040 or 888-220-4040 if you need a Conroe immigration attorney. David Breston is a respected Conroe immigration lawyer.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 26th, 2012 at 9:22 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://blog.davidbreston.com/2012/11/last-bastion/

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Jukeboxsms Is A Jukebox In The Cloud Aimed At Bar, Restaurant & Club Owners

Jukeboxsms is a cloud-powered "virtual jukebox" aimed at bar, restaurant, and club owners -- an online/PC replacement for those giant hardware jukeboxes of yesteryear. The music streaming element comes courtesy of cloud-music locker service, Audiobox.fm, while customers wishing to buy song credits can order and pay by SMS. Alternatively, there's support for Paypal, or venue-owners can issue credits in person.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/uQe6TNMMDHc/

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Homo (Sans) Sapiens: Is Dumb and Dumber Our Evolutionary Destiny?

James R. Flynn?s observation that IQ scores experienced dramatic gains from generation to generation throughout the 20th century has been cited so often, even in popular media, that it is becoming a cocktail party talking point. Next stop a New Yorker cartoon. (An article about Flynn and the Flynn effect has already been published in The New Yorker.)

A recent report in Trends in Genetics (part 1 and part 2) takes a bleaker view of our cognitive future?one that foresees the trend line proceeding inexorably downward. Gerald Crabtree, a biologist at Stanford University, has put forward a provocative hypothesis that our cushy modern existence?absent the ceaseless pressures of natural selection experienced during the Paleolithic?makes us susceptible to the slow creep of random genetic mutations in the the 2000 to 3000 genes needed to ensure that our intellectual and emotional makeup remains intact. The implications of this argument are that we as a species of the genus Homo are over many generations slowly losing our sapiens.

The press justifiably had a field day with this one:

Why did Petraeus do it? Maybe humans are evolving to be dumber.

We?re getting, like, dumber

Homo ??? ?? ??? sapiens

The really clever part of Crabtree?s argument rests on the contention that a Stone Age Fred Flintstone may have been more of a dynamo in some ways than a 20th century Albert Einstein?our pre-historic forebears performed? the evolutionary heavy lifting that led to the swollen heads that we still avail ourselves of, at least until the inevitable decline predicted by Crabtree sets in.

Expansion of the human frontal cortex and endocranial volume, to which we likely owe our capacity for abstract thought, predominately occurred between 50 000 and 500,000 years ago in our prehistoric African ancestors, well before written language and before we had the modern voice-box to produce sophisticated verbal language, but after the first tools. Thus, the selective pressures that gave us our mental characteristics operated among nonverbal hunter-gatherers living in dispersed bands or villages, nothing like our present-day high-density, supportive societies.

In line with Crabtree?s take, the transition to survival through wiles?in place of speed and physical strength?required adaptations that appeared to rival or outpace the most lofty contemporary intellectual achievements like writing a symphony or cogitating on higher math. One small error in gauging the aerodynamics and gyroscopic stabilization of a spear and one of our would-be ancestors became a canape for a saber-tooth tiger.

Many kinds of modern refined intellectual activity (by which our children are judged) may not necessarily require more innovation, synthesis, or creativity than more ancient forms: inventing the bow-and-arrow, which seems to have occurred only once about 40,000 years ago, was probably as complex an intellectual task as inventing language. Selection could easily have operated on common (but computationally complex) tasks such as building a shelter, and then computationally simple tasks, such as playing chess, became possible as a collateral effect.

Flintstone vs. Einstein smarts are contrasted most starkly by looking at the case of artificial intelligence. AI has achieved major strides in emulating certain aspects of intellect: playing chess or Jeopardy and finding patterns in large collections of data, a field dubbed ?deep learning.? But the remaining and still immense challenges AI confronts lie elsewhere, as Crabtree, points out:

AI promised household robots that would wash dishes, mow the lawn, and bring us freshly cooked croissants and coffee in the morning. Needless to say we do not have these robots now and none of the readers of this piece will probably ever see them, despite the immense financial impetus to build them.

The things at which AI excels?playing chess, Jeopardy or keeping an airplane on course?are, in fact, a cognitive piece of cake compared to washing dishes and putting them away in the right place. I remember roboticist Rodney Brooks demonstrating this during a talk at MIT in which he simply put his hand in his pocket and pulled out some change, an extraordinarily tough task for the current generation of R2-D2s.

Without the rigors of strong selection in our extended urban conglomerates?no more necessity of getting it right the first time on that spear throw?the slow but relentless decline of those 2,000 to 5,000 cognition-related genes has already begun?as this argument goes. Crabtree begins the first part of? his essay by asserting that the average citizen from Athens circa 1,000 B.C.?or anyone from Africa, India, Asia or the Americas millenia back?would be among the ?brightest and most intellectually alive of our colleagues and companions, with a good memory, a broad range of ideas, and a clear-sighted view of important issues??personal qualities supplemented by an astonishing emotional aplomb. This hyper-fit type would have prevailed even before the rise of civilization:

A hunter?gatherer who did not correctly conceive a solution to providing food or shelter probably died, along with his/her progeny, whereas a modern Wall Street executive that made a similar conceptual mistake would receive a substantial bonus and be a more attractive mate. Clearly, extreme selection is a thing of the past.

Maybe this explains our fascination with post-apocalyptic Mad Max-style fantasies?? But where?s the proof for Crabtree?s musings and what about contradictory evidence?? Crabtree proposes a test of his hypothesis and he also dismisses the Flynn effect that suggests that we have been getting progressively smarter generation after generation. Better IQ scores, Crabtree posits, are not a result of natural selection, but rather may have resulted from getting rid of lead and other heavy metals from gasoline and paint, from elimination of hypothyroidism by putting iodine in salt and from learning how to take tests better. Notwithstanding the Flynn effect, our slow genetic decline continues apace.

And what does the author of the Flynn effect? think about the Crabtree effect?

Crabtree suggests?that our genetic IQ is in?decline and proposes a direct genetic test of his hypothesis. We should await the results without ?sharing his pessimism. ? As he says, the environment that pressures us to perform intellectually is competition with other people, which could be argued to be at its maximum today. He ?fears? it is not enough and that is not a solid foundation foundation for his speculations. ?A much more direct test of trends is reproductive patterns. ?Only recently have the better educated been out-reproduced by the less educated. ?One can imagine events that would reverse this, so it is premature to panic.

Meanwhile, noted British anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar questions the premises of any postulated slow slide toward imbecility:

Crabtree?s argument is built on the assumption that the selection pressure for big brains (aka IQ) was solving instrumental problems (how to survive in the world by building better weapons, better tools, etc). In fact, the selection for larger brains across all mammals and birds (and specifically primates) is the complexities of the social world, and this remains at least as complex as it ever was ? in fact, the social world may have even become more complex than it ever was due to a combination of higher population density and urbanization. The ability to build clever tools or novel hunting techniques appears to be a by-product of the [neural] software needed to handle a complex world (they both use the same logic and cognitive processes). So we haven?t in fact lost the selection process that kept the pressure on.

The question, as often happens in evolutionary biology, is how to distinguish assertions like Crabtree?s from a Rudyard Kipling ?just so? story. Crabtree has thought of a test that would sequence whole genomes of carefully selected individuals?ones whose genes could be traced back through an involved analysis to ancestors who lived at different times during the past 5,000 years when the transition from hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture was taking place. The test would look for an increase in mutations for those individuals with genes linked to ancestors who lived more recently along the 5000-year continuum, a confirmation of the gradual decline in intellectual ability.

Finding these people might require more than posting notices on Twitter and Facebook and Crabtree?s? proposal is probably not going to get pegged high on the NIH?s funding priorities for the 2014 federal fiscal year. But the Stanford professor still does not despair. He ends this entropic projection of our evolutionary future on an optimistic and self-deprecatory note. Science, he says, may yet find a way to counteract this trend. ?One does not need to imagine a day when we could no longer comprehend the problem, or counteract the slow decay in the genes underlying our intellectual fitness, or have visions of the world population docilely watching reruns on televisions they can no longer build.?

We may still have a few hundred years before we lose the modifier denoting ?intelligent? in Homo sapiens and science may yet find a way to save us ?by socially and morally acceptable means. In the meantime [Crabtree volunteers], I?m going to have another beer and watch my favorite rerun of Miami CSI (if I can figure out how to work the remote control).?

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Image Source: Nevit Dilman

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Cruise Ship Jobs - Sports Staff onboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

The Seven Seas Group and SSG Evropa form a dedicated team of recruitment professionals with nearly 20 years of experience in the cruising industry. We are currently seeking motivated, energetic and flexible candidates to work onboard leading cruise liners like Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises.

At the moment we are looking for experienced Sports Staff.

Contracts are 6-7 months long, and automatically re-newable.

Salary to be discussed.

At least 1 year experience with physical fitness or recreational sports instruction.

Ability to coordinate and instruct recreational sports and activities for large groups and/or individual sessions.

Knowledge of the rules of basketball, volleyball, golf, ping-pong, shuffle board, etc.

Ability to provide one-on-one Rock climbing wall instruction and Flowrider instruction.

Master of ceremonies experience preferred.

University degree or diploma in Sports, Kinesiology or Recreation preferred.

Must have a valid passport.

Fluent English

Age 21 ? 35

If you possess excellent communication, great customer service skills and have relevant experience in the related field then please send your up to date resume with a short motivation letter ( IN ENGLISH!! )

Source: http://www.allcruisejobs.com/i4288/sports-staff-onboard-royal-caribbean-cruise-lines/

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Will election results affect NASA funding?

Predictions say NASA funding is unlikely to rise under either a Democratic or Republican president. However, NASA's priorities under Obama or Romney might be different. ?

By Mike Wall,?SPACE.com / November 6, 2012

President Barack Obama (left)/Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Obama: NASA; Romney: www.MittRomney.com

Enlarge

The outcome of today's (Nov. 6) presidential election is unlikely to have a profound impact on the future direction of American spaceflight and exploration, experts say.

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While Republican candidate Mitt Romney has revealed few details about his?space plans, a Romney Administration probably wouldn't dramatically alter the path NASA is currently pursuing under President Barack Obama, according to some observers.

"There are unlikely, as a result of the election, to be seismic changes," said space policy expert John Logsdon, a professor emeritus at George Washington University.

The status quo

In 2010, President Obama directed NASA to work toward getting astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid by 2025, then on to the vicinity of Mars by the mid-2030s. [Gallery: President Obama and NASA]

To reach these deep-space destinations, the agency is developing a huge rocket called the?Space Launch System?and a crew capsule called Orion. NASA hopes the SLS-Orion combo will begin launching astronauts by late 2021.

The Obama Administration has also encouraged NASA to hand over crew and cargo activities in low-Earth orbit (LEO) to private American companies. The aim is to fill the void left by the 2011 retirement of the?space shuttle program, which was set in motion by President George W. Bush back in 2004.

NASA has doled out a total of $1.4 billion in the past two years to firms developing crewed vehicles. The agency wants at least two crewed commercial spaceships to be up and running by 2017; until then, the United States will remain dependent on Russian Soyuz spacecraft to provide this orbital taxi service.

The progress has been faster on the cargo front, with California-based SpaceX completing the first of 12 contracted supply flights to the International Space Station with its?robotic Dragon capsule?last month. NASA has also inked a resupply deal with Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp., which aims to launch a demonstration mission to the orbiting lab in the coming months.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/2w2_pMTyHMY/Will-election-results-affect-NASA-funding

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Video: Senator on fiscal cliff: ?Rip the Band-Aid off and deal with this?

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Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/49770891/

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Coffee is more than just a stimulant, it's a way of life | Pipe Dream

When I drink coffee I feel like Popeye eating spinach: alive, empowered, emboldened and ablaze. (Be my Olive Oyl, won?t you?)

My morning ritual involves two cups on average. I wouldn?t conceive of making it to class (and/or staying awake) before having at least a large one to start the day. I need my caffeine fix because, well, how else could I get anything done?

I?ve been told that my caffeine intake is high. And it?s true, I?ve developed a self-diagnosed intolerance to lactose, my stomach making it clear that more than three cups of coffee isn?t what it wants. Are the wholesome pages of Pipe Dream too pure for me to insinuate the free-falling, deleterious effects of a caffeine dependency coupled with all that healthy, agreeable Sodexo food? Let?s just say it?s a slippery slope.

Before we go down that path though, let?s not be dramatic. Surely the sensations drinking coffee engenders are somewhat psychosomatic and not strictly chemical. Sure, caffeine induces some stimulation and alertness. But the feelings of confidence, attentiveness and even restlessness which I and many of you associate with coffee dramatically exceed its chemical effects.

It seems that at least part of the draw and effect of drinking coffee as habitually and excessively as I do is psychological. Coffee is like any other commodity in our culture, then, in the sense that we attach certain feelings and ideologies to it which are not necessarily contained in the drink itself. In this case, the feelings of energy, edginess and dependency are simply exaggerated reports of authentic chemical reactions.

There is also the image factor. Marx was the first to talk about commodity fetishism, wherein we transplant subjective emotions, relationships and statuses onto objective objects. Just as an iPod is more than an MP3 player ? it represents individuality and personalization, too ? carrying a cup of coffee earns you an aura of ambition and intelligence.

These two factors ? the inflated expectations along with the superficial image ? may very well be at the heart of my attraction to coffee. Yet this awareness prompts a perplexing question: How come it still works after the fact?

What we are saying is that at least part of the draw to caffeine is psychological. Sure, the chemicals are still all there. But the intense feelings of dependency we attach to coffee are seemingly the results of a self-deceptive placebo effect, right? Why am I still drawn to the warm, milky beverage when I know that at least part of the promise it holds is made up?

We?ve all construed and upheld the myth that coffee will help you get what you need to do done. Psychologically, I can hardly get started on that looming term paper without a cup of coffee at my side. I know drinking coffee won?t make me any smarter, but I?m still not really sure if my computer or thermos is more indispensable for me to achieve any writing.

I suppose it?s comparable to Hemingway?s relationship with alcohol, Burroughs?s heroin habit or Rand?s dependency on amphetamines (not that I include myself in that list of greats). Point being, as writers and artists, we attach our creative juices to particular substances. In those cases, the substances had addictive features far greater than caffeine. But the initial association between productivity and some external substance is the heart of the matter. It functions like a crutch. It?s sort of like saying, ?Once I?ve got a warm cup then the paper will be doable.?

Sure, we?re limiting ourselves by thinking that we can?t accomplish whatever we?ve got on the plate before then. But if all it takes for me to study another hour to come up with a thesis or memorize these 25 index cards is another $2 off the meal plan and a little jitteriness, why not?

Source: http://www.bupipedream.com/opinion/14518/coffee-stimulant-its-life/

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Retiring boomers could pose challenge for transportation ...

By The Associated Press

Published: Thursday, November 8, 2012, 6:54?p.m.
Updated 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON ? Baby boomers started driving at a young age and became more mobile than any generation before or since. They practically invented the two-car family and escalated traffic congestion when women began commuting to work. Now, 8,000 of them are turning 65 every day, and those retirements could once again reshape the nation?s transportation.

How long those 74 million people born between 1946 and 1964 continue to work, whether they choose to live in their suburban houses after their children leave home or whether they flock to city neighborhoods where they are less likely to need a car will have important ramifications for all Americans.

If boomers stop commuting in large numbers, will rush hours ease? As age erodes their driving skills, will there be a greater demand for more public transportation, new business models that cater to the home-bound or automated cars that drive themselves?

It was the boomers who made ?his? and ?hers? cars the norm when they started building families and helped spread a housing explosion to the fringes of the nation?s suburbs.

This generation ?has been the major driver of overall growth in travel in the United States and that has had a tremendous impact over the past 40 years in how we have approached transportation planning,? said Jana Lynott, co-author of a new report by the AARP Public Policy Institute on how boomers have affected travel in the U.S.

The report is an analysis of national surveys by the Federal Highway Administration of Americans? travel patterns since 1977.

Over the last four decades, the number of vehicles has nearly tripled, the report said, and total miles traveled has grown at more than twice the rate of population growth.

Since 1977, travel for household maintenance trips ? a category that includes doctors? appointments, grocery shopping, dry cleaning and the like ? has grown fivefold.

But what really caught transportation planners flat-footed was the soaring growth in traffic congestion in the 1980s after large numbers of women started commuting alone in their cars, said Nancy McGuckin, a travel behavior analyst and co-author of the AARP report.

Highway engineers, who hadn?t anticipated the consequences of the women?s movement and dual-earner families, had just finished building the interstate highway system only to find it insufficient to meet the demands of the new commuters, she said.

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Source: http://triblive.com/usworld/nation/2922650-74/boomers-travel-transportation-driving-report-cars-public-commuting-drive-growth

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Sony Xperia S removed from AOSP, project will live on at Sony GitHub

The Sony Xperia S has been kicking around in the Android Open Source Project for a while now. It never was an official target, but with the work from Sony and JBQ it was a usable option for those willing to tinker around, and by most accounts a success. With things ramping up and preparing for the AOSP to move on to Android 4.2, it has been removed.

The project will still live on, though, as Sony has set up a dedicated git for the Xperia S at their GitHub space. Interested parties can still hack away at Android 4.1 for the device, with plenty of community and official support. Full instructions for pulling and building are available, and folks interested should find the experience hasn't changed much.

As for why it was removed, Sony engineers explain that Google can't commit time and resources to maintaining anything other than Nexus devices in the official AOSP. We still see the Pandaboard in AOSP though, so there's more to the issue. It appears that Sony is unwilling to release all the binary files needed to boot the Xperia S into a usable state, which is a good reason to have it removed from the AOSP. We're not sure if the move was mandated or voluntary, but it certainly wasn't unexpected with needed files being withheld.

Update: Jean-Baptiste Quéru, Google's "Android Open Source Tech Dude" and wrangler of the huge AOSP, has taken the time to reiterate that there is no conspiracy going on, and that Sony is now the company with the expertise needed to carry on the project, not Google. In addition, none of the current devices have all the proprietary files available, and never have. Thanks for taking the time, JBQ! 

Sony, we applaud you for taking an interest in the AOSP, and for the time you've spent working with the community and Google to come this far. We're not so happy about the binaries not being made available, but it's good the see a strong base being continued by your own engineering team instead of just abandoned.

Source: Sony. More: Sony on GitHub

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/axBvIJ2c8II/story01.htm

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Business ethics: am I boring you? ? The Guardian (blog)

on November 8, 2012 11:56 am in UK Business News / no comments

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The Guardian (blog)

Business ethics: am I boring you? The Guardian (blog) While a survey from the Institute of Business Ethics showed that 60% of UK employees received training on standards of ethical conduct another revealed that less than a third (29%) were aware of the values of their organisation while another from . It ... and more??

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Source: http://www.thefinancialherald.com/?p=350511

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Syrian president says he will not leave country

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed defiantly to "live and die" in Syria, saying in an interview broadcast Thursday that he will never flee his country despite the bloody, 19-month-old uprising against him.

The broadcast comes two days after British Prime Minister David Cameron suggested that Assad could be allowed safe passage out of the country if that would guarantee an end to the civil war, which activists estimate has killed more than 36,000 people.

"I am not a puppet, I was not made by the West for me to go to the West or any other country," Assad, 47, said in the interview with the English-language Russia Today TV. He spoke in English and excerpts of the interview were posted on the station's website Thursday with an Arabic voiceover.

"I am Syrian, I am made in Syria, and I will live and die in Syria," he said.

Assad also warned against foreign military intervention at a time when the West is taking steps to boost the opposition.

"I don't think the West is headed in this direction. But if it does, nobody can predict the consequences," he told the station. The full interview will be broadcast on Friday, the station said.

The excerpts show Assad casually talking and later walking with RT's reporter outside a house, wearing a gray suit and tie. It was not clear where the interview took place.

The uprising against Assad's regime began as mostly peaceful protests in March last year but quickly morphed into a civil war. The fighting has taken on grim sectarian tones, with the predominantly Sunni rebels battling government forces loyal to a regime dominated by minority Alawites, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

On Wednesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced his country will deal directly with Syrian rebel military leaders. He spoke during a trip to visit Syrian refugees in Jordan. Previously, Britain and the U.S. have acknowledged contacts only with exile groups and political opposition figures ? some connected to rebel forces ? inside Syria.

He called on the U.S. to join his country in doing more to shape the Syrian opposition into a coherent force, saying the re-election of President Barack Obama is an opportunity for the world to take stronger action to end the deadlocked civil war.

Washington has been pressing for a new, more unified opposition leadership that will minimize the role of exiles and better represent those risking their lives on the front lines. The initiative was being discussed Thursday at an opposition conference in the Qatari capital of Doha.

The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Qatar and Turkey, both leading backers of the Syrian rebels, as well as Western diplomats and Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby. On the table is a proposal to set up a new leadership team that would become the conduit for international support to rebel-held areas in Syria. The U.S. has suggested that the main group in exile, the Syrian National Council, can no longer claim a key leadership role and must make way for those representing activists inside Syria.

Under a revised plan, the SNC would receive 22 out 60 seats in the new group and effectively be sidelined. The author of the plan, Syrian dissident Riad Seif, and representatives of the SNC and other opposition groups met in a Doha hotel to try to hammer out an agreement.

Seif said he expected a decision on his plan by Friday. He said he was "very optimistic" it would win approval and that most Syrians would be satisfied with the new leadership. Seif said the international community's promises to the new group included setting up a fund worth billions of dollars and international recognition.

Further down the road, the international community hopes for negotiations on a political transition between the opposition and those in the Assad regime who were not involved in bloodshed and corruption. The opposition has agreed to such talks, in principle, but said it could take many more months of a war of attrition before Assad is ready to leave Syria.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose government has remained one of Syria's most loyal and powerful allies, criticized the West for supporting the opposition, saying foreign powers should try to force both sides to stop fighting. Russia has shielded Damascus from strong international action at the U.N. Security Council.

He said Moscow would not support any resolution that would threaten the Syrian regime with sanctions. The remarks were posted on his ministry's website Thursday.

"If their priority is, figuratively speaking, Assad's head, the supporters of such approach must realize that the price for that will be lives of the Syrians, not their own lives," Lavrov said. "Bashar Assad isn't going anywhere and will never leave, no matter what they say. He can't be persuaded to take that step."

Assad has rarely appeared in public since the revolt began in March 2011. Last month, state TV showed him attending prayers for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha in Al-Afram Mosque in the Al-Muhajireen district of Damascus, sitting on the floor and praying.

In several televised speeches this year, Assad has blamed the uprising on a foreign plot to destroy Syria and accused rebels of being mercenaries of the West and Gulf countries Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The daily death toll in the civil war has been averaging 100 people or more recently, killed in clashes between rebels and troops, and in artillery shelling and regime airstrikes on rebel-held areas.

At least 104 people were killed in fighting on Wednesday, according to the Britain-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Most of the dead ? 31 people ? were killed in the fighting between rebels and government troops in the suburbs of Damascus as the rebels made a new push into the capital, said Rami Abdul-Rahman, the Observatory's chief.

The Observatory said it has received reports of fresh fighting in the Damascus suburbs and in the neighborhood of Souseh in the capital on Thursday. It also said there were heavy clashes in northern Idlib province and in Aleppo, Syria's largest city which has been a major front in the civil war since the summer.

Regime forces also battled opposition fighters trying to take control of a region in the far northeastern corner of the country, Turkey's state-run agency reported. Two people in the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar were wounded by stray bullets from the fighting.

The clashes broke out in the town of Ras al-Ayn in al-Hasaka province in northeastern Syria, a few hundred meters (yards) from Ceylanpinar, the Anadolu Agency said.

The mayor for Ceylanpinar told The Associated Press that the rebels had taken over the border crossing of Ras al-Ayn on Thursday. Ismail Aslan said in a phone interview that the rebel flag was flying on a building across the Turkish border. However, fierce fighting between rebels and government troops continued around what Asalan said was an "intelligence building" on the Syrian side of the border where the regime troops had retreated to.

Around 5,000 Syrians from Ras al-Ayn crossed into Ceylanpinar Thursday to escape the fighting and at least 14 Syrians were being treated for injuries in hospitals around the region, Aslan said.

More than 111,000 Syrians are being sheltered in refugee camps in Turkey.

Turkish authorities also inspected the cargo of a Syria-bound plane from Armenia to make sure it was not carrying military equipment.

In Geneva, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, said the downward spiral in violence since the summer makes it impossible for the organization to cope with some of Syria's humanitarian needs. He also said there has been no "major progress" on gaining better access to prisoners.

____

Associated Press writers Karin Laub in Doha, Zeina Karam in Beirut, Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and John Heilprin in Geneva contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-president-says-not-leave-country-110437744.html

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Religion News Service | Blogs | Mark Silk - Spiritual Politics ...

The morning-after snapshot of religion and the election is that, as usual, Catholics were the bellwether. They voted for Barack Obama over Mitt Romney by 50-48, and Obama captured the popular vote by...50-48.

Obama lost non-Catholic Christians (i.e. Protestants) by a hefty 15-point margin, 42-57. but this was more than compensated for by the rest of the pack: Nones (70-26), Jews (69-30), Others (74-23).?

Evangelicals in the end don't seem to have sat on their hands, and they voted for the Mormon candidate at Bushian levels, 78-21. Indeed, evangelicals voted for Romney at exactly the same rate as his own co--religionists. Imagine that.

As for the God Gap, despite earlier signs to the contrary, it again outstripped the Gender Gap. Those who said they attend worship weekly preferred Mitt Romney by 20 points, 59-39. Those who said they attend less frequently went for Obama by 25 points. That compares to a male preference for Romney of seven points and a female preference for Obama of 11.

All told, it looks like the basic religious divides in the U.S. electorate remain where they were established in the 1990s. Plus ?a change, plus c'est la m?me chose.

Source: http://www.religionnews.com/blogs/mark-silk/religion-and-the-election-short-version

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Though displaced by Sandy, New Jersey residents head to polls (Los Angeles Times)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/260998565?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Workers return to South Africa's Gold Fields mine

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Fox has no problems with Rove a day later

NEW YORK (AP) ? The on-air spectacle of Fox News analyst Karl Rove publicly questioning his network's call of the election for Barack Obama happened because Rove and Fox's decision desk both had pieces to a puzzle that the other wasn't aware of, a network executive said Wednesday.

Far from an embarrassment, the incident proved Rove's value to the network as more than an analyst, said Michael Clemente, Fox News Channel executive vice president of news editorial.

Rove, former top advisor to President George W. Bush and a prominent fundraiser for Republican Mitt Romney, suggested Fox had prematurely declared Obama the winner in Ohio and thus for the election as a whole. "I'd be very cautious about intruding in this process," Rove said.

It led to Fox anchor Megyn Kelly getting up from her desk and marching down a hallway to question the off-air analysts responsible for the network's election calls.

The incident was "an odd civil war," noted Tampa Bay Times news analyst Eric Deggans.

Rove "finally had to concede to the arithmetic, but not before creating a defining image of a partisan, and a network, at war with the very reality it could not avoid reporting," wrote Time magazine critic James Poniewozik.

Fox declared Ohio for Obama because its decision desk knew that the uncounted vote at that time in the evening was in areas with overwhelming Obama support. Rove didn't know that, Clemente said. Through his own reporting, Rove saw the actual vote count narrowing to a margin below 1,000 ? information the decision desk didn't know at the time.

"It all came out at once," Clemente said. "It would have been easier if it had all come out in some linear fashion, but it didn't."

Rove's information explains why it took the Romney campaign some time after the network declarations to eventually concede the race, he said.

The day after the election resulted in the usual round of post-mortems, reevaluations and recriminations. NBC was also in an awkward spot with a feud between its top news anchor, Brian Williams, and Donald Trump, star of its longtime reality series "The Apprentice."

Trump sent out a series of angry tweets Tuesday night after it became apparent that Obama had earned enough electoral votes to win the presidency, but before it became clear that he would also win the popular vote. "We should have a revolution in this country!" the real estate mogul tweeted.

He called for a march on Washington, said the country was in serious trouble and said Congress "shouldn't give anything to Obama unless he terminates Obamacare."

Williams, during NBC's election night coverage, noted the comments and said Trump had "driven well past the last exit to relevance and veered into something close to irresponsible."

Trump retaliated with tweets on Wednesday, bragging about his television ratings. "The only thing more boring than (at)bwilliams' newscast is his show Rock Center, which is totally dying in the ratings. A disaster," he wrote. Trump is filming a new season of "The Apprentice" due to air in the spring.

The sting of defeat was apparent on Wednesday within media that appealed to conservatives and Romney supporters.

After Steve Doocy on "Fox & Friends" praised Obama for saying nice things about Romney, his broadcast partner, Brian Kilmeade, said, "it took awhile."

Kilmeade also didn't understand an exit poll result that found 42 percent of the electorate considered the president's response to superstorm Sandy an important factor in their vote. Polls generally gave Obama praise for his actions.

"We're the shallowest country in the history of man," Kilmeade said. "One photo-op, walking over a two-by-four, and all of a sudden he's handling a storm, which, by the way, hasn't been handled well."

The website Breitbart.com poked fun at Obama's "Forward" theme with a headline: "Downward: Stocks crash after Obama win." A columnist, Ben Shapiro, urged Republicans not to bend to Obama's will. "The war begins now," he wrote.

The day after Obama was elected, Fox News radio reporter Todd Starnes tweeted that the first order of business should be a full investigation into the Obama administration's handling of the Sept. 11 killing of Americans in Libya, "followed by impeachment proceedings."

Tim Graham, director of media analysis at the watchdog Media Research Center, said there is likely to be a lot of anger among conservatives, particularly given the closeness of the election. The same would have been true of Democrats had Obama lost, he said.

"If you watch a football game and your team is down by three touchdowns, you're more angry at your team," he said. "If it's a two-point game, you're mad at the referees. There's going to be a lot of anger at the media."

Wednesday's immediate target for criticism was MSNBC's Chris Matthews for comments saying he was "glad" for Sandy because it turned out to be good politically for the president. Matthews clarified himself later to make clear he wasn't talking about the storm's horrific damage to life and property, and was glad it led to bipartisan cooperation between Obama and Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

One conservative columnist, Matt K. Lewis of The Daily Caller, suggested that conservative media figures should also look inward.

"It's time for conservative talking heads ? many of whom misled their readers and audiences the last few weeks ? to think more about the future of conservatism than about their own personal popularity," he wrote.

___

AP Television Writer Frazier Moore contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fox-no-problems-rove-day-later-221626339.html

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Suzuki Bankruptcy: What You Need to Know - KickingTires - Cars.com

Suzuki filed for bankruptcy Monday, officially eliminating its automotive arm in the U.S.

That leaves current and potential owners with a lot of questions. We answer the most significant ones below, but if you have a question, please ask it in the comments below or email us at editor@cars.com.

Will my warranty still be honored?
Yes, Suzuki says all currently valid warranties will be honored. If you buy a new Suzuki today going forward, the existing new-car warranty will be included.

Many may remember that when Saab was finally liquidated, it stopped honoring warranties for cars bought during the period after its GM ownership when a Swedish firm was operating it. Suzuki?s bankruptcy will allow for continued warranty service in line with how GM still services the Saabs sold under its ownership.

Where do I take my car for service?
There were 246 Suzuki dealers nationwide as of January 2012, according to Automotive News, and Suzuki says they will transition to delivering parts and service only from here on out. Seventy-seven of those 246 are combination dealers that sell other brands, so owners should expect them to remain in place for the foreseeable future. The 169 standalone dealers are less likely to stay in business after the bankruptcy unless they also sell Suzuki motorcycles and ATVs, which will continue after car sales cease.

Will parts be hard to find?
If past bankrupt automakers are any indication, parts will be available but may be harder to track down. A repair may have to wait on parts being delivered as opposed to a healthy brand?s vehicle having them in stock.

Will this lower my resale value?
Yes, we have seen bankruptcies directly impact resale value of existing cars, most recently with Saab. We did a search of Cars.com?s extensive used-car inventory for Saab?s most popular model, the 9-3, for the past three model years it was produced, 2009-2011. The listed price for the Saabs in our inventory are on average 5% lower than the Volvo S60, which averages twice as many miles, and nearly 20% lower than the Acura TL, with nearly 80% more miles on average.

Should I buy a new Suzuki?
If you fully understand that a Suzuki will have a lower resale value and that parts and service will be harder to track down, then yes, you should feel comfortable with Suzuki products. Check out our rundown of how the four existing models stack up here.

Source: http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2012/11/suzuki-bankruptcy-what-you-need-to-know.html

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Learning Commons Coordinator - HigherEdJobs

Learning Commons Coordinator
Information Technology Services
The University of Iowa

Information Technology Services organization (ITS), a campus-wide provider of technology services for academic, research, and service missions, is seeking to fill a Learning Commons Coordinator. This position will promote student success through the integration of information services, institutional resources and technologies for the University of Iowa Main Library Learning Commons. As the part of the Learning Commons operations team, the successful candidate will seek to enhance information discovery, collaborative learning and knowledge building, particularly for the undergraduate student population.

Specifically, the position will be responsible for developing and coordinating workshops, programs, technology and select services available in the Main Library Learning Commons. To be successful, the right individual will display excellent collaboration and team building skills, a firm grasp of educational technology and the ability to deploy and coordinate learning resources in a constantly evolving environment.

The position will be filled as an Educational Support Services Specialist (PCE2).

DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES include:

• Collaborate with core Learning Commons partners (University Libraries, ITS, University College) to develop and coordinate workshops, programs, technology and select services for delivery at the Learning Commons.
• Identify best practices in academic information delivery, technologies and services and oversee their integration into the Learning Commons.
• In coordination with the Learning Commons Operations Team, foster and manage relationships with academic departments, university administration and campus partners to advocate for and create effective service and educational outcomes in the learning commons.
• Collaborate with campus partners in the creation, delivery and evaluation of student-focused academic workshops in the Learning Commons.
• Provide leadership to the Learning Commons Support Community; facilitate regular meetings
• Work with UI faculty to ensure the Learning Commons offers tools and training appropriate for their course expectations.
• Lead the selection, deployment, support and maintenance of technology in the Learning Commons.
• Develop and recommend policies regarding facility use based on input from support community, students and analysis of operational trends.
• Assess and evaluate the efficacy of Learning Commons tools and technology.
• Identify emerging student-focused learning tools and technology and oversee their integration into the Learning Commons.
• Develop and provide technology training to learning commons staff, partners and users as it relates to programs and services in the LC.
• Work with partners (ITS, Libraries) to develop technical documentation, FAQs and knowledgebase articles pertaining to Learning Commons tools and technology.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENT
A bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

• Experience (typically 1-3 years) delivering, coordinating or managing services or technologies in a higher educational environment.
• Demonstrated ability building successful working relationships and partnerships with colleagues across the university.
• Demonstrated success in cross-functional teams or initiatives.
• Experience applying current technologies and social media tools in an academic setting.
• Experience developing and delivering presentations to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Microsoft Office tools such as MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills; the ability to effectively explain educational technology concepts.
• Ability to quickly learn and adapt to new situations, tools and technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver formal and informal training programs in a variety of settings.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's degree in Library Science, Education, Instructional Technology or related field.
• Experience with technology documentation\instructions, knowledgebase maintenance or technical writing.
• Familiarity with basic academic assessment methods and activities.
• Experience with iMovie, Windows Movie Maker or other basic digital media tools.
• Experience evaluating new and emerging technologies or other instructional tools and services.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• The selection process will include a credential and criminal background check on final candidates.
• To apply please visit: https://jobs.uiowa.edu/ and reference the position by classification Educational Support Services Specialist (PCE2) or Requisition #61735.

ITS offers competitive salaries and an attractive flexible and friendly work environment. As an institution of higher education, we encourage and support your professional growth.

The University of Iowa offers a full array of benefits, or cafeteria-style programs that ad considerable value to your total compensation. The flexibility allows you to select the option that best suits your personal needs.

• There are four "core" insurance benefits provided for all Faculty and Professional & Scientific staff as follows:

o Comprehensive Health Insurance plan
o Comprehensive Dental Insurance plan
o Group Term Life Insurance
o Disability Insurance

• Offers two retirement plans from which you may choose, both with generous University contributions as well as a Voluntary Retirement Savings Program.
• Provides Vacation, Sick Leave, Family Caregiving Leave, Catastrophic Leave and Holiday pay.

o Vacation accrues at 16 hours/month; the accrual rate includes 2 personal holidays.
o All regular employees receive 11 paid holidays: 9 scheduled holidays and 2 personal holidays that accrue and are taken as vacation.

• Offers a variety of wellness programs and membership incentives to our Campus Recreation and Wellness Center
• The option to deposit pre-tax money to use toward eligible health and dependent care spending accounts.
• More detailed information is available on the Benefits Office website. http://www.uiowa.edu/hr/benefits/

The University of Iowa is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

The University of Iowa prohibits discrimination in employment, educational programs, and activities on the basis of race, national origin, color, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or associational preference. The University also affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunities and equal access to University facilities. For additional information contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, (319) 335-0705.

Source: http://www.higheredjobs.com/details.cfm?JobCode=175689069

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