Earlier this year, Vin Diesel claimed that Universal had given the green light to sci-fi sequel Riddick, despite knowing the film would likely be given an R-rating, and sure enough, that?s exactly the certificate the new film has been given.
The MPAA has awarded the certificate on account of ?strong violence, language and some sexual content/nudity?, which should please the movie?s core demographic of teenage boys and sci-fi gorehounds.
The film will see the titular mercenary left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that he assumes to be lifeless. However, it soon proves to be anything but, with some rather bloodthirsty inhabitants coming out of the woodwork.
Forced to activate an emergency beacon, Riddick soon finds himself with even more trouble on his plate, as a crew of rival mercs come looking for their bounty. Frying pan, meet fire...
Written and directed by David Twohy, and co-starring Karl Urban, Katee Sackhoff and Bokeem Woodbine, Riddick will open in 2013, with a specific release date to be confirmed.
Ayala Land Real Estate Philippines ? OFFICE SPACE UNITS For ...
According to the property market research giant ? Jones Lang Lasalle* Leechiu, the Philippine property market shall have an OFFICE SUPPLY DEFICIT by 2015. Thus ALVEO now presents you Office Spaces For sale at High Street South!
The building location is primed at 26th corner 9th at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig ? The most modern premier financial district of the Philippines. It is also located within High Street South ? the cultural district of BGC.
The building footprint is around 7,000 SQM, where the the podium of the building shall rise. On the Podium, stands the Twin Boxy and Glassy office buildings, one being taller than the other.
The first two floors shall be commercial units for lease by Ayala Malls, then the four consecutive floors shall house the parking allotments. The office space units will start at the Podium with 22-levels of 95 to 250 SQM mixed units in a floor.
Combining units are permitted. The parking allocation is one appurtenant parking slot per 70 SQM of office space.
The high-speed elevators are zoned, much like how you experience elevator zoning at Ayala Tower One with low-zone and high-zone.
The tenant mix is preferred to be low-density corporate offices.
Property management will be under the expertise of Ayala Property Management Corp.
The turnover is 2017.
We are now accepting Letters of Intent for submission to ALVEO for the Priority Selling Event.
High Street South Fort Bonifacio Commercial Units For Sale
For Inquiries, Please Call JP, Tony or Vicky Reyes at 930-7635, 211-1970, 453-8373, 425-2979 or 09178653689 or 09173138271 or 09173138273 or 09173138278 | APReyes Realty Investment | Feel free to ask us questions, we will be happy to answer them for you. Please contact only the undersigned for viewing appointments or site tripping. Or INQUIRE NOW by CLICKING HERE
Message from Me offers dispatches from early education, we go eyes-on (video)
What do you get when you attach a point-and-shoot, display, microphone, RFID reader and a bunch of big buttons to a clear plastic box and stick it all in a classroom with a bunch of three- to five-year-olds? Carnegie Mellon's CREATE Lab calls the creation Message from Me. It's a way of engaging early education students with technology, developing language and social skills and helping keep parents abreast of their school day activities.
The tool encourages kids to record a thought or take a picture and send it to a parent by pulling a card with their face on it down from the wall and scanning on the RFID reader. Parents can get updates via text message or email from kids who are often unable to pass along such information at the end of the day. According to the lab, the machines have already been installed in nearly a dozen schools in the Pittsburgh area -- and from the looks of the boxes on the floor in the CREATE Lab, plenty more are on the way.
Top 7 Tips to Preparing Your Business For Sale ? economic news ...
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Highlights for Facebook's third quarter include a 26% yearly gain in monthly active users, who now number just over 1 billion.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Facebook's second earnings report as a public company came in just above Wall Street estimates, but that was enough for investors to give shares a nice boost.
The social network reported sales of nearly $1.3 billion for its third quarter, up 24% from the same period last year.
Facebook's shares fell 3% just after the announcement, but quickly boomeranged to rise more than 12% in after-hours trading. Facebook(FB) needs every stock boost it can get: Its shares had lost half their value since the company's May IPO.
Facebook's earnings for the quarter were complicated by a hefty tax bill related to the company's equity compensation for employees. The company took a $431 million income tax provision for the quarter, representing an eye-popping 116% effective tax rate.
The tax bill pushed Facebook to a net loss of $59 million, compared with a gain of $227 million in the year-ago quarter. Stripping out the tax bill and other equity compensation expenses, Facebook had net earnings of $311 million, slightly ahead of analysts' expectations.
On a post-earnings conference call with analysts, CEO Mark Zuckerberg struck a defensive tone about one of the company's biggest problems: its sluggish transition to mobile. The site wasn't built with mobile in mind -- it was created in 2004 -- and its first round of mobile apps were sluggish. An new iOS app launched in August , but Facebook still isn't showing mobile users as many ads as it would if accessed on a desktop.
Zuckerberg called the mobile problem overblown, saying "our opportunity on mobile is the most misunderstood aspect of Facebook today." He also complained that company watchers were looking at numbers from earlier in the year, "when we weren't really trying yet" on mobile.
A total of 14% Facebook's ad revenue came from mobile in the third quarter, the company said. Its mobile customer base rose 61% from last year, to 604 million active users.
Overall, monthly active users grew 26% over the year to just over 1 billion. Facebook pulled in $1.1 billion serving ads to those users -- up 36% from last year.
Zuckerberg and CFO Sheryl Sandberg spent much of the call discussing advertising and other ways that Facebook is monetizing its everyday users.
In September it unveiled Facebook Gifts, a feature that lets users send friends real, physical goods. Sandberg mentioned that in October -- which isn't part of the quarter Facebook is currently reporting -- it released a "Promote" feature to a small group of U.S. users. The experimental program lets Facebookers pay a fee, currently around $7, to promote important pictures or announcements.
Zuckerberg addressed another worry while on the call: Zynga(ZNGA), the game maker that accounts for a significant portion of Facebook's sales.
Earlier this month, Zynga scaled back its outlook for 2012, citing a bunch of problems including "reduced expectations" for certain games and delays in launching new titles. Tuesday afternoon -- during Facebook's earnings call -- Zynga announced plans to cut 5% of its roughly 3,000 employees.
Problems for Zynga means problems for Facebook. Zynga accounted for 14% of Facebook's revenue in the first six months of 2012, including payment processing fees, direct advertising, and outside ads shown on pages generated by Zynga apps.
Payments revenue from Zynga declined 20% in the latest quarter compared to last year, Zuckerberg said, but he shrugged it off, saying revenue from other games gained. Zynga is slated to report its earnings on Wednesday.
Also of concern in Tuesday's report: It's getting more expensive for Facebook to do business. Excluding some compensation expenses, Facebook's operating margin shrank to 42%, down from from 51% a year ago.
Student poll has called last four elections correctly
An online poll taken by millions of American students has forecast four presidential elections correctly. But will it get another election correct next Monday, when the public finds out the results from the OneVote 2012 project?
onevoteChannel One, the education media service, ran the elaborate polls in 1992, 2000, 2004, and 2008, and the middle- and high-school students picked Bill Clinton, George Bush (twice), and Barack Obama correctly.
The students and teachers involved in the OneVote project aren?t taking a simple straw poll.
Students across the country are filling out ballots this week, which are vetted in the classroom by their teachers. The educators file the votes on the OneVote website. Voting ends at 10 p.m. ET on Friday.
A team at OneVote then looks at polling patterns to make sure there aren?t any irregularities.
The final results will be listed at onevote.channelone.com.
It?s unknown if political pollsters and the campaigns will slice and dice the OneVote results like they examine political tracking polls.
But OneVote could be a window into the future of voting, since all the votes are submitted electronically after the students fill our paper ballots (no hanging chads here).
The OneVote project also mimics other institutions in the mainstream voting world. Teams of students work on videos throughout the fall, which classes watch as students prepare to research issues.
The candidates have student ?surrogates? who write about their parties, and there will be a post-election spin room where the results are argued about and analyzed.
The results from past elections, though, varied greatly from this year?s election.
For example, in 2000, Bush won the student election with 58.9 percent of the 877,497 middle- and high-school students who voted. The biggest issue to students then was crime and violence.
In 2004, Bush won again with 55 percent out of 1.4 million student votes. He even won Pennsylvania and had a near sweep of the swing states.
In 2008, Obama had a big win with 58.5 percent of the student vote, according to OneVote?s press release. The economy was the biggest issue, followed by the war in Iraq.
Currently, the economy is the biggest issue on students? minds, based on survey data from OneVote.
Recent Constitution Daily Stories
Making sense out of Gallup and other presidential polls Inside America?s first dirty presidential campaign, 1796 style Romney?s ace could come from a mystery swing state
Debt Management Plans | Personal Finance Blog - Personal ...
Posted by admin in Uncategorized | 0 comments
Most people will have heard of a debt management plan before. About 5 years ago, it was one of the most popular debt solutions out there, with plenty of major advertising campaigns based around them. However, do you actually know what it is and what happens when you are in a debt management plan?
What is a debt management plan?
A debt management plan is an informal agreement between you and your creditors (people you owe money too) to pay off your debts over an extended period of time, with regular affordable monthly payments. A debt management plan is useful when you are struggling to make payments towards your debt each month. This is because it allows you to pay back your debts over a longer period of time, so the amount you pay each month towards your debts is lower. You can arrange one yourself but this can often prove difficult.
What happens in a debt management plan?
The first step is sitting down with an insolvency practitioner or going to a debt advice centre and working out your income and expenditure. Income is simply how much money you earn/receive each month and expenditure is how much you spend on the essentials you need to live. It is important at this point to not include your creditors (debt) when you calculate your expenditure.
Once you?ve worked this out, then you can see your disposable income:
DISPOSABLE INCOME = INCOME ? EXPENDITURE
From this, your advisor will know how much you can reasonably afford to pay to service your debts. From this, they will create a proposal for your creditors, outlining how much you will pay each month and how much your creditors will receive.
The plan will last for an agreed amount of time, usually several years, but once this payment period is over, your debts will have been paid in full. It?s worth remembering though that your credit rating may be affected after this.
How do I know if it?s right for me?
A debt management plan is often a good solution when you?re struggling to pay all your bills every month and often find yourself short. You do need to have a regular source of income, however, as you need to be able to pay regular sums each month.
The best way to find out if a debt management plan is right for you is to get professional advice, whether that be from the Citizens Advice Bureau or through a debt solutions company. Our staff have years of experience of helping people deal with debt and have the knowledge to advise you on the right debt solution for your needs.
Now the mobile phone goes emotionalPublic release date: 25-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dr Eve Hoggan eve.hoggan@helsinki.fi University of Helsinki
Mobile devices include an increasing number of input and output techniques that are currently not used for communication. Recent research results by Dr Eve Hoggan from HIIT / University of Helsinki, Finland, however, indicate that a synchronous haptic communication system has value as a communication channel in real-world settings with users that express greetings, presence and emotions through presages.
-Pressure and tactile techniques have been explored in tangible interfaces for remote communication on dedicated devices but until now, these techniques have not been implemented on mobile devices or been used during live phone calls, says Eve Hoggan.
Using a lab based study and a small field study, Doctor Hoggan and her co-workers show that haptic interpersonal communication can be integrated into a standard mobile device. The new non-verbal design was also appreciated.
-When asked about the non-verbal cues that could be represented by pressages, the participants in our study highlighted three different approaches: to emphasise speech, express affection and presence, and to playfully surprise each other, she says.
When asked about the specific ways in which they adapted their communication style to accommodate the tactile modality, all of the participants stated that they tended to pause briefly after sending a pressage to "make space for it in the conversation".
According to the longitudinal study results the participants' phone calls lasted on average 4 minutes and 43 seconds with an average of 15.56 pressages sent during each call. All phone calls involved the use of pressages.
The prototype developed in this research, ForcePhone, is an augmented, commercially available mobile device with pressure input and vibrotactile output. ForcePhone was built at the Helsinki Institute of Information Technology and Nokia Research Center, Finland.
###
The research paper Pressages: Augmenting Phone Calls with Non-Verbal Messages by Eve Hoggan, Craig Stewart, Laura Haverinen, Giulio Jacucci and Vuokko Lantz was presented at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology UIST'12 in Boston, MA, USA, October, 2012.
For more information:
Dr Eve Hoggan
Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT
Aalto University and University of Helsinki
Mob: +358-9-191 51363
eve.hoggan@helsinki.fi
Professor Giulio Jacucci
Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT
Aalto University and University of Helsinki
www.hiit.fi/giulio.jacucci
Mob: +358 09 191 51153
giulio.jacucci@hiit.fi
The work was partially funded by the Nokia Research Center (NRC) Finland and Tekes collaboration project HEI.
Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT is a joint research institute of Aalto University and the University of Helsinki for basic and applied research on information technology. Its research ranges from fundamental methods and technologies to novel applications and their impact on people and society. The current foci of research are computational modelling and data analysis, and ubiquitous ICT in the modern networked world.
My best regards,
Minna Merilinen-Tenhu, Press officer, minna.merilainen@helsinki.fi
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Now the mobile phone goes emotionalPublic release date: 25-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dr Eve Hoggan eve.hoggan@helsinki.fi University of Helsinki
Mobile devices include an increasing number of input and output techniques that are currently not used for communication. Recent research results by Dr Eve Hoggan from HIIT / University of Helsinki, Finland, however, indicate that a synchronous haptic communication system has value as a communication channel in real-world settings with users that express greetings, presence and emotions through presages.
-Pressure and tactile techniques have been explored in tangible interfaces for remote communication on dedicated devices but until now, these techniques have not been implemented on mobile devices or been used during live phone calls, says Eve Hoggan.
Using a lab based study and a small field study, Doctor Hoggan and her co-workers show that haptic interpersonal communication can be integrated into a standard mobile device. The new non-verbal design was also appreciated.
-When asked about the non-verbal cues that could be represented by pressages, the participants in our study highlighted three different approaches: to emphasise speech, express affection and presence, and to playfully surprise each other, she says.
When asked about the specific ways in which they adapted their communication style to accommodate the tactile modality, all of the participants stated that they tended to pause briefly after sending a pressage to "make space for it in the conversation".
According to the longitudinal study results the participants' phone calls lasted on average 4 minutes and 43 seconds with an average of 15.56 pressages sent during each call. All phone calls involved the use of pressages.
The prototype developed in this research, ForcePhone, is an augmented, commercially available mobile device with pressure input and vibrotactile output. ForcePhone was built at the Helsinki Institute of Information Technology and Nokia Research Center, Finland.
###
The research paper Pressages: Augmenting Phone Calls with Non-Verbal Messages by Eve Hoggan, Craig Stewart, Laura Haverinen, Giulio Jacucci and Vuokko Lantz was presented at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology UIST'12 in Boston, MA, USA, October, 2012.
For more information:
Dr Eve Hoggan
Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT
Aalto University and University of Helsinki
Mob: +358-9-191 51363
eve.hoggan@helsinki.fi
Professor Giulio Jacucci
Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT
Aalto University and University of Helsinki
www.hiit.fi/giulio.jacucci
Mob: +358 09 191 51153
giulio.jacucci@hiit.fi
The work was partially funded by the Nokia Research Center (NRC) Finland and Tekes collaboration project HEI.
Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT is a joint research institute of Aalto University and the University of Helsinki for basic and applied research on information technology. Its research ranges from fundamental methods and technologies to novel applications and their impact on people and society. The current foci of research are computational modelling and data analysis, and ubiquitous ICT in the modern networked world.
My best regards,
Minna Merilinen-Tenhu, Press officer, minna.merilainen@helsinki.fi
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Broncos coach John Fox wants to let go of Stickum issue
The Broncos returned to work Monday after their bye but had one remaining item to address from the team's victory over San Diego last week.
Coach John Fox brushed aside an ongoing NFL investigation into whether the Chargers were using Stickum, or a similar banned adhesive, during the Oct. 15 game in San Diego. Stickum and similar products that are designed to improve a player's grip on the football have been banned since 1981.
An official, line judge Jeff Bergman, confiscated a cloth covered with an unknown substance during the game. The cloth was sent to the NFL.
"I'm not really all over that," Fox said Monday. "I'm sure the league has got their ways of dealing with it and will let us know the outcome. I believe
it is in the rule book."
Stickum is sold by many sporting goods suppliers, both on-line and in stores, in aerosol form, a paste and a powder.
The Chargers could lose one or more draft picks if the league determines a banned substance violation has occurred. San Diego will face the Broncos again Nov. 18 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Chargers, tied at 3-3 with the Broncos atop the AFC West, also had a bye Sunday.
Remember when??The last time the Broncos faced the Saints, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees threw for the sixth-highest yardage total by any opposing quarterback in Broncos history.
In a Sept. 21, 2008, meeting ? Mike Shanahan's last season in Denver ? Brees completed 39-of-48 passes for 421 yards and a touchdown. The Broncos also sacked Brees just once in that game, a 34-32 Denver victory after the Saints missed on a two-point conversion attempt with 10 minutes left in the game.
One of just two players in the current Broncos defense to play in that game, Elvis Dumervil was asked if the Saints' offense of 2011 bears any resemblance to 2008 since Brees still is behind center.
"Just a lot better, more experienced," Dumervil said.
The Saints had four players finish with at least 75 yards receiving in that game. Cornerback Champ Bailey is the other current Broncos defensive starter who played in that game.
Follow the rules. Fox routinely tells his players before the bye weekend he doesn't "want to read about them unless they won the lottery."
After a four-day weekend for the players ? Thursday through Sunday ? Fox said he felt like the team got back to business without a major stumble.
"I think we did well in that department, maybe not so well winning the lottery, but we didn't read about them," Fox said.
Footnotes.?Rookie linebacker Danny Trevathan had an excused absence from Monday's practice. ... Fox said cornerback Tracy Porter, who missed the Chargers game with what the Broncos described as an illness, was cleared for "noncontact" work Monday. ... Fox, a former Carolina coach, on the Panthers firing general manager Marty Hurney: "It's a tough business. We had some good moments, some very good moments there. Went to a Super Bowl, couple of championship games. It's unfortunate. I'm sure he'll do fine moving forward." Hurney was the team's general manager during Fox's nine-year run as the team's coach. Jeff Legwold, The Denver Post
Most recent NCAA rankings bode well for future of Lightning
For those in doubt about the future of the Tampa Bay Lightning, look no further than the most recent NCAA Men?s Division I ice hockey rankings.
Of the top 10 teams, five feature a Lightning prospect, while two other schools, ranked 17th and 20th respectively, have two additional Bolts hopefuls.
In all, teams ranked in the current top 20 include a total of seven Lightning prospects, each of whom are expected to be a big part of the Lightning?s future down the road.
Among the hopefuls making a big impact on their respective school?s squad this season are goaltender Adam Wilcox of the No. 2 Minnesota Golden Gophers, forward Jimmy Mullin of the No. 3 Miami (Ohio) RedHawks, forward Brendan O?Donnell from the No. 4 North Dakota Fighting Sioux, defenseman Kirill Gotovets of the No. 7 Cornell Big Red, and defenseman Luke Witkowski of the No. 10 Western Michigan Broncos. Forward Brian Hart, meanwhile, currently plays for the No. 17 Harvard Crimson, while forward Matthew Peca centers a line for the No. 20 Quinnipiac Bobcats.
We like the young guys who are up and coming. They?re all at different stages of their development, and we know we have to be patient with them, but we?re pleased to have them here.- Lightning GM Steve Yzerman
?We like the young guys who are up and coming,? Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said. ?They?re all at different stages of their development, and we know we have to be patient with them, but we?re pleased to have them here.?
And with good reason, too.
Recently, Lightning assistant general manager Julien BriseBois noted that there is something to be said about the organization?s prospects who play on championship-caliber teams. The idea, according to BriseBois, is that if players can help their teams win at the collegiate, junior, or at even the AHL level, they will be better groomed to do much of the same by the time they reach the NHL.
Not to mention, succeeding at such a competitive level also has a positive impact on a player?s more subtle and intrinsic qualities, such as breeding a desire to win, certain leadership capabilities, and the value of being a professional.
All of that, will certainly be put to use when the prospects finally do reach the NHL, which for the Lightning?s sake, hopefully comes sooner rather than later.
Of course, however, as Yzerman stated, the path to the NHL for the team?s hopefuls is likened to more of a marathon rather than a sprint.
?For now, all of our prospects will continue to develop and work to become better hockey players,? BriseBois said.
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index dived as much as 2 percent on Tuesday, with energy and mining shares leading the retreat after a downgrade of five Spanish regions and lackluster U.S. corporate earnings rekindled worries about the global economy.
"It's everything. Everything is down. The mood in the United States has been pretty black. Everything is red across the board," said John Ing, president of Maison Placements Canada.
Energy stocks, already hit hard in the previous session, fell another 2.5 percent. Suncor Energy, one of the most heavily weighted decliners, dropped 2.64 percent to C$32.50. Fellow oil producer Canadian Natural Resources was another key decliner, tumbling 4.06 percent to C$29.53.
Oil and gas companies had fallen on Monday after Canada's shock weekend decision to block Malaysian state oil firm Petronas's C$5.17 billion bid for Progress Energy Resources Corp, raising concerns the government might also veto state-owned Chinese company CNOOC's C$15.1 billion takeover bid for oil producer Nexen Inc.
On Tuesday, lower oil prices were also pushing energy shares down as investors focused on the fragile world economy and its impact on demand for oil, copper and other commodities. The Toronto index's resource sectors tracked bullion and copper prices, which both hit six-week lows.
The index's materials group, home to miners, slid 2.33 percent. Goldcorp Inc was down 2.7 percent at C$42.20.
At mid morning, the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was down 1.82 percent, or 225.24 points, at 12,178.30. It fell as much as 2.12 percent to 12,141.19 earlier in the day .
All 10 of the TSX index's 10 main groups were negative, with nine down 1 percent or more. Only seven stocks on the index eked out gains.
Soft earnings from major U.S. companies like DuPont, 3M, United Technologies also fueled worries over the economy of Canada's largest trading partner.
Meanwhile, a Moody's credit rating downgrade of several regions in Spain added to concerns over the euro zone, which were already heightened as Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government remained undecided on whether to seek a bailout.
The financial sector, the index's biggest group, was down 1.7 percent, led by Royal Bank of Canada, the decliner with the biggest impact on the index. RBC, which said on Tuesday it agreed to buy the Canadian auto finance and deposit business of Ally Financial for $4.1 billion, dropped 2.05 percent to C$56.81.
Toronto-Dominion Bank, which struck a deal to buy Target Corp's credit card portfolio, was 1.58 percent lower, at C$81.61.
The financial, energy and materials groups combined make up roughly 75 percent of the index's weight.
Canadian National Railway was down 1.31 percent, at C$85.93. The rail operator posted a modest increase in quarterly profit on Monday as revenues climbed for all its business segments, and affirmed its full-year forecast despite its caution over the economy.
(Additional reporting by John Tilak; Editing by Peter Galloway)
Englerin A Selectively Induces Necrosis in Human Renal Cancer Cells
by Florian J. Sulzmaier, Zhenwu Li, Mika L. Nakashige, David M. Fash, William J. Chain, Joe W. Ramos
The number of renal cancers has increased over the last ten years and patient survival in advanced stages remains very poor. Therefore, new therapeutic approaches for renal cancer are essential. Englerin A is a natural product with a very potent and selective cytotoxicity against renal cancer cells. This makes it a promising drug candidate that may improve current treatment standards for patients with renal cancers in all stages. However, little is known about englerin A?s mode of action in targeting specifically renal cancer cells. Our study is the first to investigate the biological mechanism of englerin A action in detail. We report that englerin A is specific for renal tumor cells and does not affect normal kidney cells. We find that englerin A treatment induces necrotic cell death in renal cancer cells but not in normal kidney cells. We further show that autophagic and pyroptotic proteins are unaffected by the compound and that necrotic signaling in these cells coincided with production of reactive oxygen species and calcium influx into the cytoplasm. As the first study to analyze the biological effects of englerin A, our work provides an important basis for the evaluation and validation of the compound?s use as an anti-tumor drug. It also provides a context in which to identify the specific target or targets of englerin A in renal cancer cells.
For the full article visit: Englerin A Selectively Induces Necrosis in Human Renal Cancer Cells Syndicated from:PLoS ONE
Article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.
Adams-Cheshire Regional treasurer has plan to lower debt of Hoosac Valley school project
Adams-Cheshire Regional School District (ACRSD) treasurer Richard Jette announced plans to manage Hoosac Valley Middle & High School building project debt. (Transcript file)
Tuesday October 23, 2012
CHESHIRE -- Adams-Cheshire Regional School District (ACRSD) treasurer Richard Jette announced Monday financing plans to manage the district's Hoosac Valley Middle & High School building project debt that will save $2.5 million off the original expected cost.
The savings will be realized, according to Jette, by dropping from a 25 to a 20-year bond and permanently financing the Hoosac Valley Middle & High School building project, given a current market of favorable interest rates.
"It's a process that we think makes a lot of sense," Jette said at an ACRSD meeting at Cheshire Elementary School.
This fiscal year, residents of Adams and Cheshire are subject to the first three tax rate increases associated with the project, but the full amount won't weigh in until fiscal 2015.
Before Monday's announcement, tax rates for the two towns in fiscal 2015 were projected to be up $1.47 in Adams and $1.04 in Cheshire per $1,000 of valuation.
Under the new plan, these figures drop to $1.25 and $0.84, respectively.
"We're expecting that [this plan] will substantially lower the interest rate," Jette said.
The total cost of the Hoosac Valley Middle & High School Building project was roughly $40 million, 78 percent of which was covered by the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The refurbished school opened for business in September.
ACRSD officials will discuss the plan further in meetings next month.
In
other business, reported technology issues at Hoosac Valley are nearly resolved, according to the school's technology department.
At Monday's meeting, the district's Technology Facilities Specialist Dayne Poirot said only 16 of the school's 154 new computers require programming.
The technology department incurred issues while attempting to network computers to the school's system, which led last week to a visit from "corporate people from Apple," who also had problems. Poirot and others have been working on the computers one-by-one.
Projectors in the school's auditorium and library are also in the process of being programmed.
Once the system is established, Tech nology Coordinator Peter Breen said at the meeting, faculty would benefit from additional training.
"It really needs another 16 hours per faculty member of training," Breen said. "The more we can do on the technology, the better."
Friday marks the district's final "professional development" day, but officials said they'd consider expending the amount required to provide additional training and discuss it at a future meeting.
To reach Phil Demers, email pdemers@thetranscript.com.
Guest Post: Debt - Driving The Economy Since 1980 | ZeroHedge
Debt. ?There isn't a day that passes as of late that the issue of debt doesn't arise. ?Federal debt and consumer debt (including mortgages) are of the most concern due to its impact on the domestic economy. ? Debt is, by its very nature, a cancer on economic growth. ?As debt levels rise it consumes more capital by diverting it from productive investments into debt service. ?As debt levels spread through the system it consumes greater amounts of capital until it eventually kills the host. ?The chart below shows the rise of credit market debt and its impact on both personal savings and economic growth.
?
From the 1950?s through the late 1970?s interest rates were in a generally rising trend with the Federal Funds rate at 0.8% in 1954 and rising to its peak of 19.1% in 1981. ?Of course, during this time the U.S. was the manufacturing and production powerhouse of the entire global economy post the wide spread devastation of Europe, Germany and Japan during WWII. ?The rebuilding of Europe and Japan, combined with the years of pent up demand for goods domestically, led to a strongly growing economy and increased personal savings.
However, beginning in 1980 the world changed. ?The development of communications shrank the global marketplace while the rise of technology allowed the U.S. to embark upon a massive shift to export manufacturing to the lowest cost provider in order to import cheaper goods. ?The deregulation of the financial industry led to new innovations in?financial engineering, easy money and wealth creation through the use of leverage which led to a financial boom unlike any seen in history. ?The 80-90's was a period of unrivaled prosperity and the envy of every nation on earth.
Unfortunately - it was the?greatest economic illusion ever witnessed.
The reality is that the majority of the aggregate growth in the economy was financed by deficit spending, credit creation and a reduction in savings. ?In turn this reduced productive investment in the economy and the output of the economy slowed.?? As the economy slowed, and wages fell, the consumer was forced to take on more leverage to maintain their standard of living which in turn decreased savings.?? As a result of the increased leverage more of their income was needed to service the debt - and with that the?"debt cancer"?engulfed the system.?
The Austrian business cycle theory attempts to explain business cycles through a set of ideas. The theory views business cycles
?as the inevitable consequence of excessive growth in bank credit, exacerbated by inherently damaging and ineffective central bank policies, which cause interest rates to remain too low for too long, resulting in excessive credit creation, speculative economic bubbles and lowered savings.?
In other words, the proponents of Austrian economics believe that a sustained period of low interest rates and excessive credit creation results in a volatile and unstable imbalance between saving and investment.?? In other words, low interest rates tend to stimulate borrowing from the banking system which in turn leads, as one would expect, to the expansion of credit.?? This expansion of credit then, in turn, creates an expansion of the supply of money.
Therefore, as one would ultimately expect, the credit-sourced boom becomes unsustainable as artificially stimulated borrowing seeks out diminishing investment opportunities. Finally, the credit-sourced boom results in widespread malinvestments. When the exponential credit creation can no longer be sustained a ?credit contraction? occurs which ultimately shrinks the money supply and the markets finally ?clear? which then causes resources to be reallocated back towards more efficient uses.
The chart below shows the increasing levels of money supply and debt versus the changes in economic and wage growth. ?The impact of debt on the economy remains unrecognized by policy makers and central bankers who have failed to understand what the current downturn encompasses. ?Therefore, these same individuals continue to chase economic theories based on a mistaken belief that the current recession is an ordinary period of falling aggregate demand. ?However, the reality is something far different. ?
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The reason that the policies which have been enacted by the current Administration up to this point have all but failed, be it ?cash for clunkers?? to ?Quantitative Easing?,?is because they were designed to either drag future consumption forward or to slow the deleveraging process. ?The Keynesian view that?"more money in people's pockets"?will boost consumer spending, and ultimately grow GDP, has clearly been wrong. ?It hasn?t happened in 30 years.?? What is missed is that things like temporary tax cuts, or one time injections, don?t create economic growth but merely reschedules it. ?While the average American will act on a near-term increase in their take home pay - any increased consumption in the present will be matched by a decrease later when the tax cut is revoked. ?
This is, of course, assuming the balance sheet at home hasn?t broken. ?The problem today is that for only the second time in the history of the United States we are in the process of deleveraging the balance sheet of the U.S. economy.?? As we saw during the period of the ?Great Depression? most economists thought that the simple solution was just more stimulus.?? Work programs, lower interest rates, government spending all didn?t work to stem the tide of the depression era.??
The problem is that during a ?balance sheet? recession the consumer is forced to pay off debt which detracts from their ability to consume.?? This is the one facet that Keynesian economics doesn?t factor in. More importantly it also impacts the production side of the equation as well since no act of saving ever detracts from demand. ?Consumption delayed is merely a shift of consumptive ability to other individuals, and even better, money saved is often?capital supplied to entrepreneurs and businesses that will use it to expand, and hire new workers.?
So, while classical economics says that production comes first, the problem becomes that during a ?balance sheet recession? the economy is put into a stranglehold for productive investment. The continued misuse of capital and continued erroneous monetary policies have instigated not only the recent downturn but actually 30 years of an insidious slow moving infection that has destroyed the American legacy.??
This is why we need real reform in government that leads to a smaller government, more clarity for businesses through pro-growth policies, real regulation of Wall Street which separates banks and brokerages, as well as programs and subsidies for bringing back to America those jobs that require a little hard work and a little bit of sweat but create a whole lot of pride and prosperity along the way.?
It?s time for our leaders to wake up and smell the burning of the dollar ? we are at war with ourselves and the games being played out by Washington to maintain the status quo is slowing creating the next crisis that won?t be fixed with monetary bailout.
Apple's iPad and Mac event is scheduled to kick off at 10am PT/1pm ET and iMore will be watching Apple's live stream and proving all our usual context, color, and commentary. It's been a long ride getting to the iPad mini and the new Macs, and we'd love for you to join us now that it's finally here.
We kick off right before Apple. 10am PT, 1pm ET. Be here.
Want to go full screen? Head to iMore.com/live. Want to watch via iPhone or iPad? Grab the Ustream app and search for "mobilenations". Want to subscribe to any or all of our shows? Head on over to our podcast page.
5 Tips on How to Start Investing in the Stock Market Today
By Kelly Clifford
Many new investors have read up on the theories of stock market investing but are still unsure as to the actual steps involved in the investing process. How to start investing in the stock market is a question faced by many beginner investors. This article offers you some basic steps that you can start with today.
Why are you investing? Ask yourself your reason for stock investment ? is it to get a fixed income every few months? Is it to save up for your retirement? Is it to generate profit over the long term? Is it part of your get rich quick scheme? The latter is called speculating and investors usually do this on a short?term basis; however speculating in the market is not advised for beginner investors. More commonly, investors invest for income (in the form of dividends) or growth (in the form of rising stock prices whose stock can be later sold for a handsome profit).
Figure out how much risk is associated with share market investing and what your risk threshold is. Yes everyone?s is different; yours will depend on many factors including your financial situation, your nature, your psychological needs, etc. There are many different kinds of risks that you must consider before investing in the stock market ? everything from financial risk to interest rate risk to personal risk. Once you have understood each type of risk, you must evaluate how risk?averse you are and then set about minimizing your risk and maximizing your profits in the stock market. Some strategies for minimizing risk are market research, diversification and sound financial management and planning. Once you have covered this, then you can begin to understand how to start investing in the stock market.
Many people start investing by playing it safe with mutual funds. Mutual funds are stock portfolio aggregates compiled by most brokerage and financial firms. They are just that company?s estimation of a fairly ?safe? balance of stocks to hold ? the aim of mutual funds is to provide stable income so they are not too risk?intensive. The theory is that since mutual funds invest in stable stocks in the major markets and stock indexes, then their rate of return closely mirrors those indexes.
Some people start stock investing by going for the hot tips offered by the internet or local brokerage services. This may not be a wise strategy for a beginner investor because it means relying on others to tell you what to buy and sell and when. If you really want to treat stock market investing seriously then you must do all the hard work yourself and start to trust your own instincts. Sometimes just by having your pulse on the market, you can come to insightful conclusions and beat the ?hot tips? guy.
Start by investing small amounts. Most traders refer to the first 6 months as the green period. You should not be making any major investments during this time. Instead you should be closely studying the market, making small investments and tracking and monitoring them continuously so as to be able to gauge developing trends and develop a knack for picking winners.
Stock market investing is not a game, nor is it a gamble. It?s a carefully calculated program, and when used properly can generate a continuous stream of passive income for you. So follow the tips outlined here and learn how to start investing in the stock market today.
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Kelly Clifford from StockMarketsMadeSimple.com has put together a complimentary report titled ?Stock Market Basics: A Beginners Guide To Understanding The Stock Market? that will likely prove invaluable in putting you on the fast track to becoming a knowledgable and successful Stock Market investor. To download your copy now instantly? CLICK HERE [http://www.stockmarketsmadesimple.com/index.php]. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Clifford. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3568640
VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI named six new cardinals on Wednesday, adding prelates from Lebanon, the Philippines, Nigeria, Colombia, India and the United States to the ranks of senior churchmen who will elect his successor.
Among them is Archbishop James Harvey, the American prefect of the papal household who was the direct superior of the pope's former butler, Paolo Gabriele. Gabriele was convicted Oct. 6 of stealing the pope's private papers and leaking them to a reporter in the greatest Vatican security breach in modern times. Harvey will now become archpriest of a Roman basilica. The Vatican spokesman denied he was being removed because of the scandal.
Benedict, 85, announced the new cardinals during his weekly general audience and said they would be formally elevated at a consistory Nov. 24. The nominations help even out the geographic distribution of cardinals, which had tilted heavily toward Europe in general in the last few consistories and Italy in particular.
With the new cardinals, there will be 120 cardinals under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Europe still has the most, with 62. But with the new additions, the College of Cardinals is a tad more multinational: Latin America will have 21, North America 14, Africa 11, Asia 11 and Oceana one.
Aside from Harvey, the new cardinals are: Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan; Archbishop of Bogota, Colombia, Ruben Salazar Gomez; Archbishop of Manila, Philippines, Luis Antonio Tagle; Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon, His Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai; and the major Archbishop of the Trivandrum of the Siro-Malankaresi in India, His Beatitude Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal.
Harvey, a native of Milwaukee, became prefect of the papal household in 1998 after serving for less than a year as a top administrator, the assessor, in the Vatican's secretariat of state. His office organizes the pope's schedule, and one of his most visible duties was to escort visiting dignitaries through the Apostolic Palace to the pope's library.
Gabriele, 46, worked as an usher in the Vatican's secretariat of state before coming to work for Harvey. In 2006, Gabriele was named Benedict's butler, replacing Pope John Paul II's longtime butler, Angelo Gugel.
In announcing the new cardinals, Benedict said he was naming Harvey, 63, archpriest of St. Paul's Outside the Walls, one of the Vatican's basilicas in southern Rome.
Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi denied any connection between the leaks scandal and Harvey's new posting, saying it was "more than normal" that after 14 years as prefect, Harvey would be named a cardinal. That said, Harvey's predecessor, Cardinal Dino Monduzzi, retired as prefect after reaching 75 and was named a cardinal.
Harvey, 63, is well shy of the normal retirement age for bishops.
The timing of the move is also remarkable. Just Tuesday, the Vatican tribunal that convicted Gabriele issued its written explanations for reaching its verdict, saying the theft caused "reprehensible" damage to the pontiff, the Holy See and the entire Catholic Church.
The Vatican has taken such actions in the past. Last week, Benedict transferred to the United States the No. 2 official in the Vatican's office for religious orders, Archbishop Joseph Tobin, who had spoken out in support of American nuns in the wake of a Vatican crackdown.
Last year, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the then-No. 2 administrator of the Vatican City State, begged the pope not to be transferred after exposing corruption that cost the Vatican millions of dollars. He was named the pope's envoy to Washington soon thereafter.
Lombardi said he "never would have imagined" that a face-saving promotion was behind Harvey's move to St. Paul's Outside the Walls.
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FMI - Field Management Ireland - Field Sales Manager - Dublin ...
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Field Sales Manager - Dublin/Leinster - Residential Sales
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We are currently looking to recruit an experienced Field Sales Manager in Dublin for one of?our largest sales campaigns on behalf of Irelands leading charities. ? ?
This campaign has undergone significant expansion and the role will suit a driven individual with a strong desire to succeed. Experience in direct and/or residential sales management is essential for the role.
The role
?Min of?3 years Sales management experience
?Reporting to the Sales Director/Senior Account Manager, you will have responsibility for 20+ Field Sales executives working in Dublin & Greater Leinster. This is a largely field-based role involving meeting and accompanying team members on a daily basis to excel in their sales roles.
Strong management, analytical and planning skills
Ability to forecast, and deliver on expected targets and KPIs
Delivering team targets and building strategies around this and moving the business forward in terms of revenue generation
Exceptional customer service/communication skills
Team motivation and training (both office- and field-based training)
Manage the internal training?of all staff and team members
Regular reporting on sales activity and all issues involving the sales team to the Account Director/Sales Director
? The person
?Requires an impressive track record of delivering volume sales in a direct/residential sales environment
?Excellent motivational and sales training skills
?Excellent communication and people management skills
?Strong experience in project planning and implementation
?Proactive and innovative
?Self motivated, target driven, structured and organised
?Ability to prioritise tasks and good time management skills?
?Must have own car and full driving licence
Benefits:
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?35K basic plus uncapped commission (OTE ?50K +)
Blackberry phone
Fuel card
Full and extensive sales training provided
FMI is one of Irelands leading Field Management companies involved in a wide range of activities including sales, retail services/management, merchandising & auditing, on behalf of many of the leading companies in their fields such as Kraft, UPC, Canon, Superquinn, BMW, Irish Cancer Society, Glanbia, Electric Ireland and Dogs Trust Ireland.
Apply below with your CV and cover letter outlining your suitability for this role.
European Union Set To Increase Online Gambling Regulations
The European Union has done its best in recent years to make sure that online gambling companies have a fair market share across the board. Several countries that have previously allowed monopolies on the gaming industry, have since opened their doors to regulated online casinos from other countries.
All the while, the EU has maintained that their goal is fair business for all their member countries. On Tuesday, the EU will unveil their latest plan to ensure that more monopolies are broken, while at the same time strengthening regulations for existing online casinos.
The first part of the plan would seek to clarify if Internet gambling prohibition, such as the one in the US, are legal under trading laws. The EU has cracked down over the past decade on countries who have kept out regulated gaming companies. The betting companies themselves, including Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, Betfair, and Ladbrokes, have launched lawsuits claiming they were illegally being discriminated against in certain companies.
The companies claim countries have illegally targeted online gambling in their effort to keep prohibition in place. The countries have responded by claiming their Internet gaming laws are in place to deal with a growing gambling addiction problem.
Although the EU would like to end these monopolies, they still must only craft a solution that fits the framework of the laws in each country. That could be a difficult task, according to several legal experts.
The second part of the new plan will strengthen regulatory framework for existing gaming companies. The companies would be required to do identity checks on their customers. Any suspicious betting patterns would also be required to be reported to local authorities. The aim of this portion of the plan is to eliminate money laundering within the Internet gambling industry.
The US is the largest online gaming market in the world, and only recently have individual states started to pass legislation that would regulate the industry within their borders. Federal legislation has stalled several times in Congress, and the issue is likely to not see the light of day again until after the new year.
Other countries such as Germany, France, Spain, and Italy have all changed laws in the past few years to comply with EU trading agreements.
In all, the European Commission has received complaints from gaming companies involving 20 of the 27 EU member nations.
October 22, 2012 Posted By April Gardner Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com Submit News!
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Public release date: 25-Oct-2012
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