The First Book Ever Ordered from Amazon Is Equal Parts Appropriate and Unexpected By Brian...

The First Book Ever Ordered from Amazon Is Equal Parts Appropriate and Unexpected

By Brian Barrett

Above is the first book—and first packing slip—ever to leave Amazon’s online warehouse. Well, other than the ones employees bought on test runs, or beta users. It was purchased by computer scientist John Wainwright on April 3rd, 1995. It’s not a classic, nor was it on any bestseller list at the time. It’s the liner notes to the first Third Eye Blind album. It’s just a terrifically, eye-crossingly nerdy tome about computer models.

How perfect.

Car Accessories ? What To Avoid

Car Accessories - What To Avoid

Very few in years past, the greatest vehicle add-ons contains eight-track gamers as well as stick-on splash compasses. Those times tend to be fortunately gone, as well as even though you generate a classic automobile, you don?t have to be satisfied with classic add-ons. You are able to ensemble any kind of automobile to satisfy your unique desires as well as requirements. However pay attention to the actual alerts beneath.

The current car is actually gentle many years from an easy way of obtaining from the in order to W. The current vehicles function because bulk transit techniques with regard to carpooling whole sections, leisure facilities with regard to road-weary kids, as well as transportable workplaces with regard to cellular professionals. These types of altering occasions possess caused the actual need with regard to much more devices as well as gadgets to make sure an appropriate as well as effective journey; through espresso mug warmers as well as tiger woods chair handles in order to gaming sites as well as DVD AND BLU-RAY gamers.

The actual Worldwide Placement Program (GPS NAVIGATION) is among the the majority of amazing types of contemporary cellular gadgetry. The Global positioning system enables customers to see nearby roadmaps as well as obtain precise instructions. They?re invaluable with regard to fast-moving experts having to get around city town roads, as well as wanderlust-stricken vacationers adore all of them, as well.

Vehicles took the actual jump through luxurious in order to requirement for a lot of experts as well as enthusiasts, therefore producers been employed by difficult to satisfy the actual altering requirements associated with motorists. A sizable choice of add-ons can be obtained to match motorists of kinds of vehicles. The marketplace is becoming overloaded along with add-ons and it is not necessarily simple to understand what is greatest, as well as what is required.

Here are a few advice on exactly what to consider, as well as that duds to prevent:

Understand Your requirements as opposed to Your own Desires

Investigation may be the crucial in order to producing any kind of prosperous buy. Very first, discover what you?ll need, after which shop for top cost. The web is a good investigation device, along with immediate access in order to numerous on the internet content articles, person discussion boards, as well as item evaluations. You may also buy just about any kind of vehicle item on the internet. Putting in a bid upon Web online auctions is actually a terrific way to discover high quality items from reduced costs. You are able to frequently cut costs buying on the internet simply because Online marketers possess reduce cost to do business. Without any list leasing costs as well as less costs, these types of retailers will offer reduce costs.

Store as well as Evaluate

Knowing precisely what you need as well as require, it will spend to look close to. The actual large need with regard to high quality auto add-ons has established a good ever-expanding marketplace. Evaluate costs from a number of shops, such as scaled-down shops, and do not hesitate in order to bargain for top offer. This particular will not usually function, however may be worth an attempt.

Obtain a 2nd Viewpoint

At the conclusion from the day time, each and every store has gone out to create a dollar or even 2. However, many suppliers will attempt in order to money in large period, through mind-boggling a person along with clever pitches along with a large repertoire associated with brands. Ultimately, consumers buy products these people really do not require. Be ready using the info you?ll need before you decide to go to the shop, and do not drop for that retailer?s pushy product sales strategies. Request additional vehicle proprietors regarding add-ons they have bought. Study business publications as well as investigation on the internet. Look around in order to evaluate functions, high quality as well as costs. A few wise relative info these days can help you save lots of money in the future.

Steer clear of the Add-Ons

Do you want french fries with this? Supersize? Motivating purchasers to consider extra add-ons is among the earliest product sales as well as advertising methods within the guide. You have already been compelled to purchase the belt whenever you get a brand new set of trousers, and also the exact same strategy is usually utilized in the vehicle add-ons marketplace. The store might let you know that you simply actually need the fluorescents eco-friendly GPS NAVIGATION include, however obviously it isn?t accurate. Request a person buddies as well as consult with a dependable auto technician that knows vehicle add-ons. Make use of these types of dependable views to determine what you need to, as well as that which you should not, purchase.

Fulfillment Ought to be Assured

It doesn?t matter what kind of item you purchase, you should know from the fundamental guarantee particulars prior to producing the actual buy. Realize the actual retailer?s come back or even alternative plan, in case the actual item failures, does not fulfill your own anticipation or just fails together with your automobile.

Appear Before you decide to Purchase

Make the most of any kind of chance to examine the merchandise prior to saying yes to purchase this. This isn?t a choice along with Web buys, obviously, therefore make sure that you are coping with an established on the internet seller. A few stores may request you to indication the actual invoice saying how the item is within good shape on buy, as well as doing this might lead to the actual waiving of the befitting come back when the item is definitely broken.

Very first High quality OEM

Choose OEM or even ?Original Gear Manufactured? vehicle as well as pickup truck add-ons whenever you can. This particular generally helps to ensure that the standard is actually first-rate and also the guarantee will give you buy safety.

Vehicle add-ons help to make generating easier and may significantly effect your own security whilst on the highway. End up being wise within the selection of things to purchase as well as where you can store. It is not only wise, it is also less dangerous over time, therefore do not bottom your whole choice upon cost on it?s own. Security issues must always arrive very first, as well as high quality shouldn?t be jeopardized with regard to a great deal.

Make sure to have some fun buying. In case your look for generating add-ons is actually providing you with a large head ache, perhaps it?s not worthwhile. Do not surrender in order to stress which states you need to adorn; simply get it done since it is actually enjoyable for you personally.

Source: http://www.jogero.com/car-accessories-what-to-avoid.html

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To Successfully Launch A Product, You Have To Tell A Compelling ...

?The art of narration and dramatic presentation, together with a keen sense of the oral epic style, became a characteristic quality of the Russian people.? ?Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folktale

At the end of a week filled with product launches and press conferences, it?s hard not to compare those marketing events. Without even talking about the products, some were much more compelling than others. And it all comes down to the story that you tell, as a company. Failing at that task will greatly endanger your product.

Over the past few days, I had the chance to watch and write about iPad mini?s keynote, attend Samsung?s Galaxy Note II launch event in New York, and go to Microsoft?s Windows 8 conference (and its secret Surface conference).

It?s no mistake that all of those things are happening at the same time. Even though Google had to reschedule its Nexus event, it?s only due to a hurricane. The company would have gladly unveiled its new devices shortly after its competitors.

They want to dominate the news, retaliate and change the subject as quickly as possible. That?s why Surface reviews were all published at 8PM on the day of Apple?s keynote. It?s a coverage war.

Yet, timing and money are only a small part of the equation. What many companies fail to realize is that you have to tell a compelling story in order to stay relevant, convince potential customers and drive sales growth.

Even though technology as we know it is very young, the art of narration has existed for centuries. Building on the work of Russian linguist Vladimir Propp and French philosopher Gilles Deleuze is essential. Propp demonstrated in its book Morphology of the Folktale that Russian fairy tales all had a common structure. He rigorously explained the complex pattern and analyzed all the little details that make those stories work so well.

Just like technology is ruled by science, storytelling is ruled by theorems and implications.

Are you telling a story?

As we?ve recently learned, Wayne Goodrich played a key role at Apple. He was the person working behind the scene before an Apple keynote, writing the text. Even more important, he created a narration around the product launches. It was his job.

Years after those keynotes, I can still remember Scott Forstall asking questions to Siri, Steve Jobs awkwardly browsing the web on a couch with the iPad, and of course the now famous iPhone unveiling. ?An iPod. A phone. And an internet communicator.?

If you present things properly, if you go further than the specs, they will stick in your mind. You just get it.

On Tuesday, Apple unveiled the iPad mini. The anticipation was incredible and we knew nearly everything before the event. In those cases, narration is key. When you ask me about the keynote, all I can think of is that the iPad mini is small and light. In other words, specs.

The emphasis of the conference was on the fact that you can hold it with one hand. This is not a story, this is a use case. I still don?t know why it?s better to be able to hold it with one hand. Now I?ll just have to wait and see one to understand whether it is a better form factor.

Samsung and Windows 8 events

At Samsung?s press conference, the company talked a bit about the brand in the U.S. and how it has gained a lot of recognition over the past year. The Twitter and Facebook numbers were really impressive.

As there was nothing new at that conference, I spent the rest of the conference thinking about the little things that could have triggered Samsung?s incredibly successful year with its smartphones. Of course, products play an important part, but there are many Android smartphones out there. So there must be something else.

And it hit me when seeing the video ad and reading ?The Next Big Thing Is Already Here?. The aggressive ads against Apple didn?t start before the launch of the iPhone 5. It started a year before that, with the Galaxy S II commercial.

Samsung has stubbornly sticked with the same narrating strategy over the past year. When talking with friends who aren?t working in this industry, it?s easy to realize that it has definitely worked. Every few days, I get the question ?what does the iPhone do better than Samsung phones??

As you can read in the comments everyday, people are passionate about their phones. By talking to these very vocal people, Samsung has found a way to spread its message very effectively. It?s all about the story.

At Microsoft?s event, it was something completely different. The audience was composed of two very distinct groups of people: media people and OEM partners. The company went through all the new features of the Windows 8 modern UI and all the new tablet/laptop hybrids from its partners. It was both boring and uninspired.

I?m very excited about the new operating system, the Surface and, more generally, the paradigm shift occurring with Windows 8. I think it?s an important tech launch this year ? maybe even the most important one. But the excitement wasn?t there. I wanted them to tell me a story, and they failed.

Is the story compelling?

Telling a story is one thing, but it has to be a good one as well. Otherwise, at best it doesn?t resonate with the potential customers, at worst it becomes awkward.

An example would be the Windows Phone 7 ads: ?it?s time for our phone to save us from our phones.? Yes, the little scenette showing people forgetting about their environment because they are focused on their phones are funny.

But if I?m concentrated on my phone, it?s because I like it. I don?t want to have a phone to ignore it. It would mean that I have nothing to do with it.

What do the users have to say about your product?

If you get the story right, the salespeople, the early adopters and the early majority will propagate the right message around your product. Otherwise, the salespeople will just say meaningless ineffective things about the product.

Are your clients interested by your story? Could they become the main character? Thanks to the story, the clients can become product advocates. And who hasn?t talked recently with a friend who couldn?t help saying all the wonderful things that happen when you own a Galaxy S III.

Caring about propagating the story is as important as the story itself. When I received my Kindle Paperwhite, there was letter from Jeff Bezos. I remembered that it was on my first Kindle too and expected the same kind of letter. But Amazon wrote a different letter, a version for existing Kindle owners. Here?s how it starts:

Dear Romain,

Thank you for upgrading to Kindle Paperwhite. As a previous Kindle owner, we think you?ll love Kindle Paperwhite. You are holding our best Kindle yet.

The attention to the little details makes me want to tell the story as well, even if it is one of the simplest ones with the Kindle ? it?s not a device, it?s a way to read. I?m still waiting for the company who will crack the code of storytelling ? just like Vladimir Propp did for fairy tales ? and get it right every time, with every product launch.

(Image credits: Mario Lapid, Wikimedia Commons)

April 4, 1974

NASDAQ:MSFT

Microsoft, founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, is a veteran software company, best known for its Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software. Starting in 1980 Microsoft formed a partnership with IBM allowing Microsoft to sell its software package with the computers IBM manufactured. Microsoft is widely used by professionals worldwide and largely dominates the American corporate market. Additionally, the company has ventured into hardware with consumer products such as the Zune and...

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Samsung is one of the largest super-multinational companies in the world. It?s possibly best known for it?s subsidiary, Samsung Electronics, the largest electronics company in the world.

? Learn more

April 1, 1976

NASDAQ:AAPL

Started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over the last 30 years, officially changing their name from Apple Computer, Inc. to Apple, Inc. in January 2007. Among the key offerings from Apple?s product line are: Pro line laptops (MacBook Pro) and desktops (Mac Pro), consumer line laptops (MacBook Air) and desktops (iMac), servers (Xserve), Apple TV, the Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server operating systems, the iPod, the...

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Source: http://techcrunch.com/2012/10/28/tech-storytelling/

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Does gender pay gap exist? Right out of college, says new study.

The study focused on recent college graduates with few of the differences that can eventually explain some gender pay gaps ? such as children, marriage, and different work experience.

By Gloria Goodale,?Staff writer / October 24, 2012

Vice President Joe Biden meets employees of Catanzaro's Pizza and Subs where he stopped to pickup pizzas for campaign volunteers at the local Obama For America office on N. Bechtle Avenue in Springfield, Ohio, Oct. 23. Equal pay for women has been a focal point in the 2012 presidential election.

Barabara J. Perenic/AP

Enlarge

At the second debate between President Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney on Oct. 16, 24-year-old teacher Katherine?Fenton asked the candidates?for their positions?on?equal pay for women.

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She was unprepared for the shower of online criticism that began even as the debate?aired live.

?Katherine Fenton, questioner, brings up the feminazi leftist lie that women don?t get paid equally,? tweeted conservative author Matthew Vadum.

Despite ongoing criticism that the gender pay gap does not exist, a report released Wednesday cites new research indicating that the gap is stubbornly persistent.

The research, by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), narrowly focused on recent college graduates with few of the differences that can eventually explain some pay gaps ? such as children, marriage, and different work experience. It showed that female graduates make 18 percent less than their male counterparts one year out of college.

Even adjusting for differences such as career choices, the study, ?Graduating to a Pay Gap,? finds what it calls ?an unexplained seven percent pay gap.?

?This report goes behind the pay gap to fully understand its causes,? said Catherine Hill, the AAUW director of research and a study author, in a statement. ?We hope the new figures will help employers understand the problem and implement measures to pay their workers fair and honest wages.?

What makes the study particularly important is that it focused in narrowly on men and women one year out of higher education, says Francine Blau, a professor of industrial and labor relations at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

Most studies focus on the overall labor force, which contains many factors that influence differences in pay, such as career choices, college majors, children, and marriage. But, Professor Blau noted in a conference call with reporters, ?this study focuses on a relatively homogeneous group: all recent graduates and all young.?

Other factors that influence pay, such as previous experience, also are less important here, she says.

?This pay gap is not merely the result of women?s choices,? say Ms. Hill and co-author Christianne Corbett in the study.

Lower earnings have an immediate effect after college, setting into motion a chain of disparities that will follow women throughout their careers, the authors say, adding that ?women experience the consequences of the pay gap from their very first paycheck to their very last Social Security check.?

A study that has such extensive controls for the type of school, the majors they took, even their grades, and what occupation they work in now, notes Blau, ?is quite significant.?

The unexplained seven percent pay gap is important, she notes, adding it seems to fit in with a broader pattern of research results to suggest that discrimination is still a factor. While this doesn?t mean it is conscious or overt, ?it still is a problem,? she adds.

The report targeted 2008 college graduates, looking at what each group was paid a year into their work after college.

On average, women made $35,296, compared with $42,918 for men. The figures were culled from a US Department of Education survey of some 15,000 graduates, conducted via phone and the Internet.

There were differences within the various fields. While worker pay scales were relatively equal in health care and education, the fields of business, science, engineering, and technology had pay gaps of from 12 to 23 percent between the genders.

Business schools have been tracking this for over 10 years, says Patricia Werhane, a professor of business ethics at DePaul University in Chicago. Their discovery, she notes, is that after earning their MBAs, women and men earn starting salaries that are pretty much even, but within 5 years men are receiving at least 20 percent more than women as well as better promotions.

?This is true even of women who do not have families,? she says, adding via e-mail, ?the glass ceiling is alive and well.? This is unfair, she says, ?particularly in the 21st century.?

The study authors have assembled a list of recommendations to deal with the pay gap.

Individuals are encouraged to learn to value their work, familiarize themselves with pay scales in their field, and learn to negotiate. Businesses are urged to offer transparent pay information to employees as well as hire and pay without bias. And legislators are enjoined to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which is widely seen as a necessary update to the nearly 50-year-old Equal Pay Act.

The study results have also been sent to both the Romney and Obama campaigns.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/pnfrUlv0Cqc/Does-gender-pay-gap-exist-Right-out-of-college-says-new-study

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Jeter to have surgery, 4 to 5 months for recovery

DETROIT (AP) ? Derek Jeter will have surgery on his broken left ankle, and the New York Yankees say the star shortstop could need four to five months to completely recover.

The Yankees said Wednesday that Jeter will be operated on Saturday by Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C. The timetable the team announced means Jeter likely would be ready to return sometime between the start of spring training in mid-February and late spring training in mid-March.

General manager Brian Cashman called that a conservative estimate and left open the possibility that Jeter could come back sooner. Jeter had scans Sunday, which confirmed the fracture, and he saw Anderson on Tuesday.

"There's no new information," Cashman said. "Nothing seemed worse than what our team doctors saw."

Jeter has not accompanied the Yankees in Detroit.

Jeter, the Yankees' 38-year-old captain, broke his ankle Saturday in the 12th inning of the AL championship series opener against Detroit while trying to field a ground ball.

Cashman said the four-to-five month timetable represents when Jeter would be fully ready to come back and play in a game.

"My understanding is that it's possible he will be ready earlier than that timeframe," Cashman said. "But it is best to at least put out there four, five months as a safer bet."

New York trailed the Tigers 3-0 in the series heading into Wednesday night's game. Jeter is the latest of the team's longtime stars to go down with an injury. Mariano Rivera was lost for the season in May when he hurt his knee during batting practice.

This is the first time since 1981 the Yankees are playing in the postseason without both Jeter and Rivera.

This wasn't the first time Jeter had recent trouble with his left leg. Manager Joe Girardi pulled him from a game at Boston on Sept. 12 because of what Jeter said was a sprained ankle. Jeter was a designated hitter for the next four games.

Jeter fouled a ball off his left foot in Game 3 of the division series, again was taken out early, and was at DH the next day before returning to shortstop.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jeter-surgery-4-5-months-recovery-202332205--mlb.html

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'The Sessions' review: sex-surrogate story works better in bed than in church

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - On paper, it sounds like a misguided collaboration between the Lifetime network and the Playboy Channel - a 36-year-old paralytic who spends most of his time in an iron lung hires a sex surrogate to help him lose his virginity. Based on a true story, to boot.

Miraculously, "The Sessions" avoids the kind of squickyness that Hollywood usually drizzles over its uplifting movies about the physically challenged, mainly because its subject, poet and journalist Mark O'Brien, was in real life far too smart and self-deprecating for that kind of sentimental head-patting. (Just watch Jessica Yu's extraordinary Oscar-winning short "Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien" for a sampling of the actual guy's wit and forthrightness.)

In this fictionalized film, we see some news footage of O'Brien zipping through a college campus on a motorized gurney before we're introduced to John Hawkes playing the writer. Assigned an article about "Sex and the Disabled," O'Brien soon realizes he's in way over his head, given that, for all his intellectual growth, he's still a virgin. (A childhood polio sufferer, O'Brien was unable to move anything below his neck although, as we learn soon enough, he was more than capable of erections and orgasms.)

Along comes sex therapist and surrogate Cheryl (Helen Hunt) to teach Mark about his own body, not to mention the bodies of women; she makes it clear from the get-go that he is limited to no more than six sessions with her and that she has very strict boundaries regarding her private life. As you might expect, however, those boundaries start wobbling a bit, as the married Cheryl finds herself having feelings for Mark, even as she acknowledges that his crush on her is classic patient-therapist transference.

Since the movie's not about Cheryl, and we don't know how her sessions with Mark are different than the ones she's had with previous clients, we have to take it on faith that Mark is so very special as to make this professional bend her own rules. It's something of a leap, but Hawkes' charismatic performance helps fill in the gaps of the screenplay by director Ben Lewin. (The Australia-based filmmaker was himself a childhood polio sufferer.)

Given the obvious physical challenges of the role, Hawkes creates a memorable performance whose subtle pleasures will no doubt be blown all out of proportion by awards-distributing bodies that admire quantifiable acting. Despite the trophy-attracting nature of the role, however, Hawkes admirably avoids showboating.

He's got great chemistry with his co-stars, particularly Moon Bloodgood (dryly amusing as one of Mark's caretakers) and Hunt. The Oscar-winning actress often reads peevish and irritated on the screen, as though she had been called into work on her day off. Her anti-charisma works in her favor here, giving the character a prickly base from which to blossom into this unlikely flirtation. (It may have helped that Hunt explored similar territory in 1992's "The Waterdance," another movie in which her character had a sexual relationship with a paraplegic.)

Hunt deserves a lot of credit for tackling the necessary physicality of the role, particularly since so many actors, both male and female, insist on no-nudity contracts that protect their modesty but take audiences out of the movie.

Think about it: When you see a passionate love scene in which a woman leaves her bra on, or a naked actor walking through a room where there is always a lamp or a bouquet of flowers to hide his genitals, it removes you from the moment and reminds you that you're watching actors acting. There's nothing prurient about Hunt's nudity here, and it keeps the sexual scenes organic and believable; hats off to her for caring more about the character and the movie than she does about the inevitable ubiquity of her breasts on the internet.

The power of Hawkes' scenes with Hunt and Bloodgood is worth mentioning because where "The Sessions" goes awry is in the many instances in which Mark pours out his heart to parish priest Father Brendan (William H. Macy). It's a clunky way to communicate Mark's innermost feelings about his sexual education, and the whole "He's talking to a priest! About sex!" gag gets tired pretty quickly.

Still, the rest of the movie works so effectively that it makes the many church-bound scenes worth enduring. Smart films about sex are as rare as intelligent cinematic explorations of the lives of the differently-abled, so for "The Sessions" to accomplish both so well makes it the movie equivalent of Halley's Comet; take a good look, because it might be decades before we get another one.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sessions-review-sex-surrogate-story-works-better-bed-014456359.html

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Using the eye as a 'window into the brain' - Brain -Eye ... - Health.am

? Brain ? ? Eye / Vision Problems ? Oct 16, 2012

An inexpensive, five-minute eye scan can accurately assess the amount of brain damage in people with the debilitating autoimmune disorder multiple sclerosis (MS), and offer clues about how quickly the disease is progressing, according to results of two Johns Hopkins studies.

?The eye is the window into the brain and by measuring how healthy the eye is, we can determine how healthy the rest of the brain is,? says Peter A. Calabresi, M.D., a professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and leader of the studies described in recent issues of The Lancet Neurology and the Archives of Neurology. ?Eye scans are not that expensive, are really safe, and are widely used in ophthalmology, and now that we have evidence of their predictive value in MS, we think they are ready for prime time. We should be using this new quantitative tool to learn more about disease progression, including nerve damage and brain atrophy.?

Calabresi and his colleagues used optical coherence tomography (OCT) to scan nerves deep in the back of the eye, applying special software they co-developed that is capable of assessing previously immeasurable layers of the light-sensitive retinal tissue. The scan uses no harmful radiation and is one-tenth the cost of an MRI. The software will soon be widely available commercially.

In the Lancet paper, Calabresi and his team reported measuring thickness or swelling of the inner nuclear layer of the retina in 164 patients with MS and 60 healthy controls, following changes in these tissues over four years. At the same time, they also used brain MRI to measure inflammation spots directly, and performed clinical tests to determine disability levels.

The more inflammation and swelling the researchers found in the retinas of the MS patients, the more inflammation showed up in their brain MRIs. The correlation, they said, affirmed the value of the retinal scans as a stand-alone surrogate for brain damage. Having such information so easily available could allow physicians to accurately tell how far the disease has progressed, and to better advise patients about how they should proceed with their care.

The researchers also found microcystic macular edema in the central part of the retinas of 10 of the MS patients, tiny pockets of fluid typically found in older, usually diabetic people. While Calabresi cautions that eye scans do not as yet have primary diagnostic value for MS, he says finding a cyst like this on the eye of a young, healthy person might be reason to have her evaluated for the disorder.

In the United States, there are roughly 400,000 people living with MS. The disorder typically strikes between the ages of 20 and 50 and affects two-to-three times as many women as men.

In the paper published in the Archives of Neurology, Calabresi and colleagues looked at eye and brain scans of 84 MS patients and 24 healthy controls. This time, they focused on two other deep retinal layers, the ganglion cell layer + inner plexiform layer (GCL+IPL), and the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRFNL). Greater cell wasting in those areas was strongly correlated with more atrophy in the gray matter of the brain, signifying more nerve damage from MS. Gray matter consists of the part of the brain where nerve cells live, and plays a role similar to a computer?s hard drive, in contrast to white matter that is more like the wiring that sends information out from the brain to the spinal cord and the rest of the body?s nerves.

Calabresi, director of the Johns Hopkins Multiple Sclerosis Center, says this finding is particularly important because neurodegeneration is so difficult to accurately gauge. In a young person with MS, the brain may be atrophying but may cause no symptoms because the brain is able to compensate for what is being lost. Ultimately, though, the loss of brain cells becomes apparent and is irreversible. Calabresi says that if he saw the kind of thickness on an eye scan indicating severe atrophy, he would consider a patient?s prognosis less encouraging than someone with a healthy retina, and this information may guide physicians to treat more aggressively. For example, he says he would likely redouble efforts to enter a patient into a clinical trial for an experimental medication before too much permanent damage takes place.

Calabresi says his findings could also shift how researchers approach MS, long believed to be caused by an immune system that wrongly attacks the fatty protein called myelin that insulates nerves and helps them send electrical signals that control movement, speech and other functions. The usefulness of the scans raises the possibility that there could be something else going on, as there is no myelin deep in the retina of the eye. If the immune system is going after something else along with myelin, it could help researchers find new medications to target the incapacitating symptoms of MS, such as blurred vision, numbness and weakness.

?It is really important to know what the immune system is attacking,? he says. ?The treatments we have right now are only moderately effective, so maybe we?re not blocking the right kinds of cells.?

###

Other Johns Hopkins researchers involved in the Lancet study include Shiv Saidha, M.B.B.Ch., MRCPI; Elias S. Sotirchos, M.D.; Mohamed A. Ibrahim, M.D.; Ciprian M. Crainiceanu, Ph.D.; Yasir J. Sepah, M.B.B.S.; John N. Ratchford, M.D.; Jiwon Oh, M.D.; Scott D. Newsome, D.O.; and Quan D. Nguyen, M.D.

Other Johns Hopkins researchers involved in the Archives study include Saidha, Sotirchos, Oh, Newsome, Ratchford, Crainiceanu and Daniel S. Reich, M.D., Ph.D.

Both studies were funded by grants from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the National Eye Institute (RO1 EY014993 and RO1 EY019473), and the Braxton Debbie Angela Dillon and Skip (DADS) Donor Advisor Fund.

###

Stephanie Desmon
sdesmon1@jhmi.edu
410-955-8665
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Provided by ArmMed Media

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Source: http://www.health.am/ab/more/eye-as-a-window-into-the-brain/

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The Internet of Things will transform our everyday life, experts say

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) ? The next ICT revolution will have a profound impact on our lives and the economy. Ubiquitous computing and the Internet of Things are experiencing remarkable growth. The effects are becoming more and more apparent wherever you look: in housing, transport, health care, and retail, as well as the security and energy industries. VTT has developed key technologies for ubiquitous computing. These include situation awareness for portable devices, mixed and augmented reality, and interoperability solutions enabling devices made by different vendors to share information.

Information technology and electronics are becoming entwined with our everyday lives in industry, the service sector, transport, logistics, health care, housing, education, and our leisure time, almost without our noticing it..

The changes are already apparent to consumers in the energy sector, for example: remotely readable meters are rapidly becoming more common, enabling developments such as new pricing models that encourage the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. The remote control of machines and devices is experiencing substantial growth and spreading to smaller and smaller appliances. Smart buildings use building automation to control their own functions to an ever greater extent, and remote health care applications are increasing apace with the aging of the population.

"VTT is developing uID (universal Identification) technology with our Japanese partner, the University of Tokyo," says VTT Research Professor Heikki Ailisto. "This technology enables the identification and tracking of individual products, components, and food products. With uID, information on origin, manufacture, and history can be attached in the digital world to the most commonplace items over their entire life cycle. A timber plank, for instance, can be tagged with information on which forest the timber was cut from, where it was sawn, how many times it has been painted, and with what paints."

"Three big waves can be identified in telecommunications in the past century or so. First, the telephone connected 500 million places. The mobile phone then connected 5 billion people. The Internet of Things will connect 50 billion devices, machines, and objects. Objects and packages that do not require an actual data connection can also be named and connected to background systems with the help of identifiers," says Ailisto.

Objects converse with each other, mobile phones identify our movements

Ubiquitous computing (ubi) and the Internet of Things (IoT) will revolutionise technology and business. VTT sees an opportunity in this revolution; an opportunity that it wants to grasp together with the industry and other actors. The goal is to create a technological operating environment and to build business on it.

VTT has been developing ubiquitous computing applications and basic technology in the OPENS (Open Smart Spaces) programme. The programme's achievements include the implementation of the interoperability platform Smart M3, which enables various appliances and objects in the home or office to "converse," understand each other, and share information. This interoperability platform, created for devices produced by different manufacturers for a variety of purposes, is based on so-called semantic technology, which defines a common "language" for devices and applications. The interoperability of devices promotes energy saving, comfort, and safety at home and at work. The solution was developed together by VTT, industrial partners, and universities in various national and European projects.

One way to make appliances and services feel "smart" for the user is to make them situationally aware. Situation and location awareness has already been put into practice in mobile communications devices and other appliances. VTT has brought a new dimension to awareness with the solutions it has developed to enable additional recognition of the user's activities -- is the user sitting, walking, or running? -- and his or her method of travel -- is the user travelling by train, bus, car, or bicycle? In this way the user can be offered the most appropriate services for the situation.

One example of interaction technology between man and machine is mixed and augmented reality, an area in which VTT has achieved globally significant results. Such applications include motion sensing input devices and 3D cameras for games and practical applications. Mixed and augmented reality as an interface for mobile phones, for example, is just breaking into the market and entering consumer consciousness.

The worth of business related to IoT technology and applications is rising by 30% each year, and by next year will reach EUR 300 billion. VTT is helping Finnish companies reap their share of this growth. Research in the field is continuing strongly, with a particular focus on the Internet of Things.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT).

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/Lb0HH-lOllM/121017091728.htm

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Special Needs Trusts: To Spend of Not to Spend?

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

One of the more frequent questions I get from clients is, ?What can Special Needs Trust funds be spent on??? The short-hand answer is that special needs trust funds CANNOT be used to purchase food, pay for routine shelter costs like rent/mortgage/basic utilities, or be spent on something for someone other than the trust beneficiary. Also, the Trustee should NEVER make a cash distribution to the disabled trust beneficiary for any reason.

Whether the client is the Trustee of a Wholly Discretionary 3^rd Party Trust or a Medicaid Payback Special Needs Trust, the same distribution rules and restrictions apply. Both these types of trusts fall under the category of ?special needs trusts,? but are different when it comes to whose funds the Trust can/should hold.

A Wholly Discretionary 3^rd Party Trust holds funds/property owned by someone else besides the disabled trust beneficiary ? like monies from a parent/grandparent?s estate or life insurance policy. This type of trust is usually part of a parent?s, grandparent?s, or other relative/friend?s estate plan.

A Medicaid Payback Special Needs Trust holds funds/property that the disabled beneficiary either owns or has a legal interest in. This type of trust can only be established by a parent, grandparent, legal guardian or court.

So, what can a Trustee buy with special needs trust funds ? The list is pretty long and broad as long as you remember the restrictions I mentioned earlier. The Trustee can spend funds on the cost of a cell phone for the beneficiary ? both to purchase the phone itself and to carry the service to use the phone.? Trust funds can be used to cover the expenses associated with hobbies the disabled trust beneficiary may enjoy ? the cost of crafting supplies, music/art lessons, sporting event tickets, movie tickets, gaming consoles and video games, gym/fitness center/pool memberships, pet/pet supplies/vet services, camera/picture development costs, etc.? The Trustee can pay for school tuition costs and school supplies, as well as transportation services to school (if there is no other funding source/provider for that transportation).? If the disabled beneficiary benefits from certain medical treatments/equipment not covered by Medicaid or private insurance, then special needs trust funds can be used to purchase those items for him or her.

A few things for a Trustee to remember when making a distribution from a special needs trust:

1. The Trustee can only use the trust funds to purchase goods or services for the SOLE BENEFIT of the disabled trust beneficiary ? no gifts either of cash or items/services to anyone else, regardless of how ?small? the gift might be.
2. The Trustee should pay the provider of the goods or services DIRECTLY from the trust funds/accounts.
3. The Trustee should keep a record/history of distributions made from the special needs trusts, including itemized receipts and proof of payment for the items purchased.

The items/services listed above are a few examples. There are other goods/services special needs trusts funds can be used to purchase depending upon the disabled trust beneficiary?s interests, abilities, and needs.? If you have a question about a specific situation/distribution, you should contact one of the attorneys in Hickman & Lowder?s special needs law practice for more information. The information presented is general legal information and you should always consult an attorney if you have a specific matter you wish to address.

- Posted by Attorney Lisa Montoni Garvin

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Source: http://www.hickman-lowder.com/hickman-lowder-weblog/29-estate-planning/310-special-needs-trust-spend

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5 Key Steps To Resolve Difficulties In Your Relationship

People frequently come to me for coaching and advice about how to resolve difficulties in their relationship. In this article, I would like to share with you the 4 most common mistakes people make and how this keeps them stuck. I would also like to share the 5 key steps they take to resolve their difficulties.

The 4 most common mistakes are:

1. To focus on the other person and what they are doing wrong, seeing this as the primary cause of the problems in their relationship.

2. To believe that there is no way to overcome the negative feelings or loss of feeling that exist between them and their partner, rather than realising that good feelings and love can be reborn.

3. They believe that they have no personal power to be able to transform the situation.

4. They think it is easier to begin again with a different person instead of realising that they will simply repeat the same mistakes unless they learn how they have contributed to their current situation.

So, if you are currently experiencing difficulties in your relationship, take a moment to be honest with yourself and reflect on which of these 4 errors you are currently falling prey to. Then read on to gain a different perspective.

Let me now share with you the 5 key steps that you can take to resolve your difficulties. They are:

1. Increase your capacity to influence others. In reality every person has a tremendous capacity to influence the people around them; they simply need to believe that they can. The basis of this capacity comes from developing surety about yourself, staying true to what is important in your life and the values that you choose to live by. The more you keep your focus on the actions you can take and the changes you can make the more influential you will be. Every time we focus on someone else or problems that are beyond our sphere of control or influence the weaker we become. Some of the other steps below then increase your skill at influencing others.

2. Transform the feelings between you and re-develop trust. Have you ever been in a situation when you have felt really angry with someone and yet they responded to your anger in such a way that you just couldn?t maintain the emotion any longer, even ending up feeling closer and warmer towards them? If this can occur in these moments then it can happen with any emotion. The basis of this transformation comes from trust. In these cases the other person nearly always transforms the anger by demonstrating that you and your feelings are important to them and by showing you understanding and respect. They then take the appropriate action in accordance with this understanding and respect. They will normally do one other thing and that is to listen to you neutrally and once the trust is regained to lead the relationship to a lighter or more joyful note.

Of course, your situation may be the other way round and you feel colder or more distant towards your partner. Now, there may be some real issues that need to be resolved, however, there is usually also an element of putting too much emphasis on their faults. It is ironic that in the early stages of a relationship we have a tremendous capacity to filter out any imperfections that the other person might have and in the rose tinted haze of love we enlarge their virtues in our mind. Yet as the relationship progresses we steadily begin to do the reverse. We focus on their faults, giving them great emphasis and grandeur in our mind and somehow all the things they bring to the relationship or do well, seem to get smaller and smaller or even filtered out completely. So it is well within your power to reverse this trend and focus once again on all the positive aspects of their personality and what they say and do.

3. Learn to manage and control your feelings and emotions. Our feelings are essential as they are the life blood of a relationship. They also inform us when things are not going as they should or when there are problems that need addressing. However, too often we ignore the feelings when they first begin to prick us and put off dealing with the situation until it becomes emotional and dramatic. This brings the problem that when you are emotionally charged you are much less intelligent in your communication and ability to handle a situation. Additionally, the emotional charge will be instantly picked up by the other person putting them in a defensive frame of mind. When we are emotional, very little listening occurs and the bed rock of good communication and a good relationship is listening.

4. Use the power of your non-verbal communication to improve your relationship. Did you know that over 90% of what you communicate comes from your body language and your tone of voice rather than the words you say? Therefore, one of the best investments that you can make is to learn how to improve your non-verbal communication and ensure that it says just what you want it to say.

5. Learn to speak in a way that people will listen to you. You can also learn step-by-step how to communicate with your words as well as your body language in a way that people will listen to you. To some people it seems contradictory; however, that this begins with listening to the other person to truly comprehend them. Think about how many times you listen in order to correct the other person or to give your opinion? This immediately reduces their motivation to listen to you. However, in addition, you can learn to become very precise with your words, keeping them neutral and concise. This means you will be clear about when you are giving your opinions, when you are stating facts, when you are expressing your feelings and when you are talking about your needs, desires and wants.

There is so much you can do to transform a relationship which has lost its charm, to rekindle the love and fun. I have had the honour of accompanying many people as they fall back in love with each other again. Although in reality what they do is rise in love together. Whatever happens, what you are guaranteed is to learn how to be really great in relationships which will sooner or later be reflected back to you not only by your partner, but also by your family and friends. I believe that relationships are the source of some of our greatest joys in life and I wish you much happiness, fun and love in yours.

Source: http://www.streetarticles.com/enhancement/5-key-steps-to-resolve-difficulties-in-your-relationship

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Common peasantry joins with kulaks against ... - Legal Insurrection

The much demonized kulaks (a/k/a the top 5%, 2%, 0r 1% depending upon the?speech) were the first to rise up against Obama.

Now the kulaks have been joined by the common peasantry, via NPR:

As Mitt Romney and President Obama get ready for their second debate, a new bipartisan survey shows a surge for Romney in a key voter group following their first debate Oct. 3.

The random cellphone and land line poll of 600 likely rural voters in nine battleground states Oct. 9-11 has Romney at 59 percent among the survey?s respondents. Obama?s support is now down to 37 percent among rural battleground voters, a plunge of 10 points from the actual rural vote in those states four years ago?.

The nine battleground states of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin have a collective rural population of 13.6 million, according to the Census Bureau.

?It?s a boon to Romney,? says pollster Anna Greenberg of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, the Democratic partner in the survey. ?It will help him ? because, of course, he will lose urban areas by a similar margin. And the suburban areas are still pretty competitive.?

The unreliable nature of the common peasantry was?described in what has become known as ?The Great Speech About The Unreliable Nature of the Common Peasantry??(video) given by Obama?in the City of San Francisco in the early?spring of 2008:

You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing?s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not.

And it?s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren?t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

This is not the position Obama wants to be in, as he understands the strategy of encircling the cities.

At least there are no cracks in Obama?s?ditzy?youthful?Hollywood-type city dwelling base.? Oh wait.

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Source: http://legalinsurrection.com/2012/10/common-peasantry-joins-with-kulaks-against-obama/

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Avoid Costly PR Mistakes In Your Small Business | Business 2 ...

Some of the top CEOs in the world have come under fire recently due to PR mistakes in their companies. While PR is a critical aspect for any business ? helping to shape how the public views a company ? it can very often make or break a small business. Here are some vital tips to heed to avoid costly PR mistakes of your own:

• Don?t dismiss bloggers. Blogging is the new media and the number of influential bloggers is growing daily. More and more people are turning to blogs to garner information on the people and companies they do business with. If you have (or want) a blogger interested in your business or products, you need to spend time fostering that relationship. For a small business, this can be done in simple ways such as liking the blogger?s Facebook page, interacting with him or her on Twitter and sharing or posting comments on their content on an ongoing basis (not just when you want them to pay attention to you). A blogger scorned can make for very bad PR.
• Writing a press release isn?t enough. Press releases can be an effective way to get the media interested in whatever your business is doing. But just writing one isn?t enough ? it will take a little homework on your end to get to know the reporters that cover your business area and why they would/should/could be interested in reading your news. Be sure you read what they write on a regular basis, understand how your news might fit into that ?beat? and provide them with an angle that is compelling to their readers specifically.
• Trust your PR agency. Public relations agencies get paid to help their clients and are attune to handling situations that might be new to you. The best ones will never give bad or ill-timed advice and if you have invested in them ? assuming you went through a strategic process to choose them ? you need to let them do the job you hired them to do. Listen to what they say, ensure they aren?t ?yes men? (they should push back and/or question the status quo) and create a partnership with them. Agency relationships fail when clients hire experts and then try to control every aspect of what they do, rather than trusting their counsel.
• Have a plan. You cannot control everything ? but you can plan for most things. Have a strategic communications plan with clear goals, and also plan for the inevitable crisis so that if it happens, you can react appropriately. Too many companies fail to properly and swiftly address a crisis ? including clear messages to its customers as well as the media ? and suffer the consequences for it, which can include losing trust from your most valuable constituents.
• Don?t fail to invest. I don?t mean investing capital to start your business; I mean investing in your brand on an ongoing basis. Updating photography and sales media are two very simple ways to invest in your brand.
• Know your company?s marketing goals. You have to know and understand your marketing goals prior to investing in PR. PR is, in essence, an extension of marketing. You would never leave on a trip without a destination; make your marketing goals your PR destination. PR should also encompass a part of your business plan. What is the company trying to accomplish overall? Align your strategies and goals accordingly.
• Target audiences appropriately. If you are selling hearing aid batteries, you may want to rent a billboard near a hospital, not the one by the local university . Understanding your target audience ? who they are, where they are, what they need and want ? is crucial to maximizing your PR and marketing dollars.

Overall, the best tip is to construct your business practices, ethics, and PR strategies to ensure that people are always saying good things about your business. Sharing content, ideas and news that?s helpful to your core audiences is a great way to ensure that happens ? and that PR is working for your company.

Author: Megan Totka????

Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for?ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide. She has spent time working for major? View?full?profile

Source: http://www.business2community.com/public-relations/avoid-costly-pr-mistakes-in-your-small-business-0308498

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Man pleads guilty to church, bar burglaries

Story Published: Oct 15, 2012 at 9:01 PM MDT

Story Updated: Oct 15, 2012 at 11:00 PM MDT

COLUMBUS, Mont. (AP) ? A Billings man has pleaded guilty to a string of burglaries in Rapelje and Reed Point in an agreement that calls for a 20-year prison sentence.

The Stillwater County News reports (http://bit.ly/RZNKMh) 43-year-old John Wilson Chambers pleaded guilty on Oct. 5 to eight counts of felony burglary and one felony count of criminal mischief by common scheme. Sentencing is set for January.

Chambers was arrested in May outside a Reed Point church. He pleaded guilty to break-ins at churches, bars, a school and a post office. About $900 was taken in the break-ins that caused more than $3,000 in damages.

State records indicate Wilson has burglary convictions dating back to 1994 in Lewis and Clark, Chouteau, Yellowstone and Liberty counties. He was on probation at the time of his arrest.

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Information from: Stillwater County News, www.stillwatercountynews.com

Source: http://www.kulr8.com/news/state/174233741.html

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Dark matter filament studied in 3-D for the first time

ScienceDaily (Oct. 16, 2012) ? Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have studied a giant filament of dark matter in 3D for the first time. Extending 60 million light-years from one of the most massive galaxy clusters known, the filament is part of the cosmic web that constitutes the large-scale structure of the Universe, and is a leftover of the very first moments after the Big Bang. If the high mass measured for the filament is representative of the rest of the Universe, then these structures may contain more than half of all the mass in the Universe.

The theory of the Big Bang predicts that variations in the density of matter in the very first moments of the Universe led the bulk of the matter in the cosmos to condense into a web of tangled filaments. This view is supported by computer simulations of cosmic evolution, which suggest that the Universe is structured like a web, with long filaments that connect to each other at the locations of massive galaxy clusters. However, these filaments, although vast, are made mainly of dark matter, which is incredibly difficult to observe.

The first convincing identification of a section of one of these filaments was made earlier this year [1]. Now a team of astronomers has gone further by probing a filament's structure in three dimensions. Seeing a filament in 3D eliminates many of the pitfalls that come from studying the flat image of such a structure.

"Filaments of the cosmic web are hugely extended and very diffuse, which makes them extremely difficult to detect, let alone study in 3D," says Mathilde Jauzac (LAM, France and University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa), lead author of the study.

The team combined high resolution images of the region around the massive galaxy cluster MACS J0717.5+3745 (or MACS J0717 for short), taken using Hubble, NAOJ's Subaru Telescope and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, with spectroscopic data on the galaxies within it from the WM Keck Observatory and the Gemini Observatory. Analysing these observations together gives a complete view of the shape of the filament as it extends out from the galaxy cluster almost along our line of sight.

The team's recipe for studying the vast but diffuse filament combines several crucial ingredients.

First ingredient: A promising target. Theories of cosmic evolution suggest that galaxy clusters form where filaments of the cosmic web meet, with the filaments slowly funnelling matter into the clusters. "From our earlier work on MACS J0717, we knew that this cluster is actively growing, and thus a prime target for a detailed study of the cosmic web," explains co-author Harald Ebeling (University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA), who led the team that discovered MACS J0717 almost a decade ago.

Second ingredient: Advanced gravitational lensing techniques. Albert Einstein's famous theory of general relativity says that the path of light is bent when it passes through or near objects with a large mass. Filaments of the cosmic web are largely made up of dark matter [2] which cannot be seen directly, but their mass is enough to bend the light and distort the images of galaxies in the background, in a process called gravitational lensing. The team has developed new tools to convert the image distortions into a mass map.

Third ingredient: High resolution images. Gravitational lensing is a subtle phenomenon, and studying it needs detailed images. Hubble observations let the team study the precise deformation in the shapes of numerous lensed galaxies. This in turn reveals where the hidden dark matter filament is located. "The challenge," explains co-author Jean-Paul Kneib (LAM, France), "was to find a model of the cluster's shape which fitted all the lensing features that we observed."

Finally: Measurements of distances and motions. Hubble's observations of the cluster give the best two-dimensional map yet of a filament, but to see its shape in 3D required additional observations. Colour images [3], as well as galaxy velocities measured with spectrometers [4], using data from the Subaru, CFHT, WM Keck, and Gemini North telescopes (all on Mauna Kea, Hawaii), allowed the team to locate thousands of galaxies within the filament and to detect the motions of many of them.

A model that combined positional and velocity information for all these galaxies was constructed and this then revealed the 3D shape and orientation of the filamentary structure. As a result, the team was able to measure the true properties of this elusive filamentary structure without the uncertainties and biases that come from projecting the structure onto two dimensions, as is common in such analyses.

The results obtained push the limits of predictions made by theoretical work and numerical simulations of the cosmic web. With a length of at least 60 million light-years, the MACS J0717 filament is extreme even on astronomical scales. And if its mass content as measured by the team can be taken to be representative of filaments near giant clusters, then these diffuse links between the nodes of the cosmic web may contain even more mass (in the form of dark matter) than theorists predicted. So much that more than half of all the mass in the Universe may be hidden in these structures.

The forthcoming NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled for launch in 2018, will be a powerful tool for detecting filaments in the cosmic web, thanks to its greatly increased sensitivity.

Notes:

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.

The international team of astronomers in this study consists of Mathilde Jauzac (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, France, and University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa), Eric Jullo (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, France and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA), Jean-Paul Kneib (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille), Harald Ebeling (University of Hawaii, USA), Alexie Leauthaud (University of Tokyo, Japan), Cheng-Jiun Ma (University of Hawaii), Marceau Limousin (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille and University of Copenhagen, Denmark), Richard Massey (Durham University, UK) and Johan Richard (Lyon Observatory, France)

The research is presented in a paper entitled "A Weak-Lensing Mass Reconstruction of the Large-Scale Filament Feeding the Massive Galaxy Cluster MACSJ0717.5+3745", to be published in the 1 November 2012 issue of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The paper will be published online this week.

[1] The first identification of a dark matter filament was published in J. Dietrich et al, "A filament of dark matter between two clusters of galaxies" published in Nature on 4 July 2012.

[2] Dark matter, which makes up around three quarters of all matter in the Universe, cannot be seen directly as it does not emit or reflect any light, and can pass through other matter without friction (it is collisionless). It interacts only by gravity, and its presence must be deduced from its gravitational effects, for example its effect on the rotation rate of galaxies and its ability to deflect light according to the theory of general relativity.

[3] The light captured by telescopes encapsulates information about the object that emitted it. One important application of this is to study the redshift of an object (the extent to which its light is reddened by the expansion of the Universe) which can be used to measure distances. Estimating distances based on the relative brightnesses of colours that galaxies appear in images is done using a technique called photometric redshift. Although the precision of the distance estimate is limited, it is a relatively straightforward technique to use on large numbers of galaxies, and it works well even for faint objects.

[4] Spectrometers analyse the detailed properties of the light coming from an object. In this study, the subset of galaxies observed with spectrometers provided detailed information on the motion of the objects within the filament.

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/nasa/~3/KfOO0xT2fk0/121016092208.htm

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Reggie: "Certainly Possible" Wii U Consoles Could Be Sold By ...

Reggie's got some big plans for Wii U

Nintendo of America president hints on the future of Wii U

In an interview with the Seattle Times, Nintendo of America President Reggie-Fils Aime left open the possibility of selling Wii U consoles through cable providers.

While this might seem pretty far-fetched, it's well-known that Nintendo is hoping for big things from its Nintendo TVii service, which aims to combine Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu Plus, and TiVo all into one centralized service. And although Reggie asserts that Nintendo is a game company first and foremost, the interview touched upon the possibility of selling Wii U consoles through cable TV providers.

Seattle Times: Will you sell this system through Comcast or other TV partners?

Reggie: It's certainly possible.

Seattle Times: Why didn't you just buy TiVo and go the whole DVR route?

Reggie: That's not what we do.

This strategy, which provides a service or product for a subsidized cost by requiring owners to sign contracts, is nothing new of course. Apple has been very successful with their line of phones, which they provide for a fraction of the price if you sign a two-year contract. Granted, we haven't seen Nintendo do anything like this before, but gaming stalwart Microsoft provided a similar service with their Xbox 360, which was sold at a heavily discounted price in return for subscribing to multiple years of their Xbox Live Gold service.

Source: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/10/reggie_certainly_possible_wii_u_consoles_could_be_sold_by_cable_providers

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Stocks higher after retail sales improve

Traders Ronald Madarasz, left, and Vincent Quinones work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, Oct. 15, 2012. Stocks opened higher Monday on Wall Street after a strong report on retail sales. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Traders Ronald Madarasz, left, and Vincent Quinones work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, Oct. 15, 2012. Stocks opened higher Monday on Wall Street after a strong report on retail sales. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Stocks rose on Monday after a strong gain in retail spending suggested that consumers could be getting more confident about the economy. Bank stocks rose broadly after Citigroup delivered a strong earnings report.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 95.38 points to close at 13,424.23, its biggest gain since Sept. 13.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index was up 11.54 points at 1,440.13 and the Nasdaq composite index rose 20.07 points to 3,064.18.

Companies that rely on consumer spending, like Lowe's, TJX Cos. and Yum Brands, rose after the government reported that retail sales rose 1.1 percent in the U.S. last month. The Commerce Department also revised August growth up to 1.2 percent, marking the two largest gains since October 2010.

Sales rose in most major categories. Electronics and appliances jumped 4.5 percent with help from the new iPhone. Sales at auto dealers increased 1.3 percent. Building materials and garden supplies, furniture and clothing sales all gained, too.

"The retail sales numbers tell us that the economy in general, and consumer spending in particular, probably did better than most expected in the third quarter," said Hugh Johnson, chairman and chief investment officer of Johnson Illington Advisors.

Citigroup rose $1.91, or 5.5 percent, to $36.66 after beating beat Wall Street earnings estimates.

Most other financial stocks followed Citi higher. Bank of America rose 3.5 percent, and JPMorgan Chase rose 1.8 percent. However, Wells Fargo continued to struggle after reporting a record profit on Friday. Analysts warned it might have trouble making money on interest payments for loans. Its stock fell 1 percent on Monday, after dropping on Friday, too.

Economic figures from China helped support markets in Europe at the start of a week that could offer greater clarity on the economic fates of Greece and Spain.

China's inflation rate fell to 1.9 percent in September from 2 percent the month before, reinforcing investor hopes for more stimulus in the world's second-largest economy.

Good news for two major drugmakers boosted pharmaceutical stocks and pushed the whole health sector to the biggest gains among 10 industry groups in the S&P 500.

Eli Lilly said a potential stomach cancer treatment met goals for improved patient survival. It hasn't yet submitted the drug, ramucirumab, for government approval.

And Abbott Laboratories said an experimental drug regimen cured 99 percent of patients with hepatitis C. Patients in the trial had genotype 1 hepatitis C, the most common type in the Western world, and the hardest to treat.

Eli Lilly rose $2.08, or 4 percent, to $52.53. Abbott rose $2.77, also 4 percent, to $72.05. Other drugmakers also rose. Pfizer and Merck rose more than 1 percent and Bristol-Myers Squibb rose 2.5 percent.

Telecommunications stocks were the only declining industry among the 10 in the S&P 500.

Travel deals website operator Travelzoo Inc. fell again after warning on Friday that its poorly-performing hotel search business will hurt third-quarter results. On Monday, its stock fell 85 cents, or 4.2 percent, to $19.17.

Home health care provider Amedisys Inc. fell $1.25, or 9.4 percent, to $12.08 after saying revenue from health insurer Humana Inc. will shrink.

Investors sold government bonds and drove yields slightly higher. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose to 1.67 percent from 1.66 percent Friday.

The price of crude oil fell a penny to finish at $91.85 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-10-15-Wall%20Street/id-8968bbaec71b48278ebf5f07c4e7706a

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Good Advice On Improving Your Home Painlessly! | Content for ...

Author: Greg James | Total views: 74 Comments: 0
Word Count: 813 Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:50 PM

Home improvement projects can be very difficult, especially if you don't know what you are doing. If you don't know how to begin when you are planning, you should check out these tips to see if they give you great advice for starting and completing projects.

Identify your style prior to getting started on customizing your home. Figuring out your decorative style has a major impact on what decisions you make. If you do not plan ahead, you can easily end up mixing various styles without even realizing it. Adjustments mid-project can be very costly and not appeal to your budget.

A central heating/air conditioning system that was installed in your home more than seven years ago may be ripe for replacement, even if it's functioning properly. Some heating systems could cut down on the amount of energy you use by up to 20%. They also run much quieter than the older models.

Think about your surroundings and the environment you live in before you make any improvements to your home, but make sure you consider adding adequate fencing. This can help keep annoying animals out of your yard.

Give your home furnishings and accessories a thorough dusting weekly. Just a few days could allow for quite a bit of dust to build up and cause allergy issues in the home. If you clean your home accessories you will rid yourself of bugs and the dirt!

Before starting work on your next home improvement job, take time to create a list of steps you will need to complete in order to finish the project. You can even have someone else go over the list to make sure you haven't forgotten something important. Make sure you set aside enough time to tackle your project.

Make sure you accentuate your home's selling points. Don't block any windows with excellent views. Take down your bedroom canopy if you want to show off your high ceiling. The positive points have to be accentuated. When you do these things your potential buyers will see what makes the home special and more desirable.

Put a new ceiling fan in your room. This can be a simple home improvement that is cost effective and not to difficult to do. Ceiling fans can also reduce your costs. Ceiling fans promote air circulation, which means you can hold off on turning on the air conditioning in hot weather.

Even modest home improvement projects can increase the resale value of your home. If you plan to list your home for sale in the near future, it may behoove you to take on a series of small projects beforehand. A good example is a clean coat of interior and exterior paint. Something as simple as this, which costs you only one or two hundred dollars, can increase the value by nearly one thousand dollars!

For a peaceful feel in any room, choose analogous colors. Analogous means the colors are harmonious on the color wheel, one next to the other, like violet to blue and red to orange. If you have such a color scheme, studies have shown that it is a relaxing place to be.

It can be costly to replace flooring. One inexpensive and simple option is to remove your existing flooring, and then add a stain in the color of your choice to the concrete below. The look is modern and industrial, and the color possibilities are nearly endless.

Homeowners are increasingly turning their attention towards installing vinyl decks. It is vital that the deck be cleaned at least twice a year so the surface looks nice, and it is viable for many years to come. The best seasons to clean your vinyl deck are spring and fall.

Be safe when it comes to any type of home improvement project. If working in your kitchen or anywhere else where gas may be present, turn off the gas for the duration. Working near gas can have disastrous consequences. Locating your gas shutoff valve should be your very first step. When your project is extensive enough to involve opening up walls, you should also know where your gas lines are placed and steer well clear of them.

Hire an interior designer if you can afford it. They are experts at squeezing the best designs out of every penny, and will create amazing looks for your home. The assistance of a professional can be a great help.

You should now be ready to begin your next home improvement project to turn your house into the home of your dreams. The tips that you just read will allow you to tackle your home improvement project with the confidence that you will carry it out correctly.

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