In a development that arguably says as much (or as little) about the Eagles? players as it does about Mike Vick?s leadership skills (or lack thereof), Vick lambasted his soon-to-be former teammates on Monday.
Per CSNPhilly.com, Vick complained about the players? ?lack of effort,? which he described as ?very evident.?
?It?s all about focus, dedication and commitment,? Vick said. ?Until you get guys who are willing to better themselves week in and week out and want to win, you?re not going to win.? And I haven?t played with guys like that.? It?s unfortunate for coach thing turned out the way they are.? It could have been a lot better.? This locker room could have dictated that.?
It?s ironic, to say the least.? Vick was precisely that guy for the first six years of his career.? And some believe that he has reverted to being complacent since putting together an MVP-caliber performance in 2010.
Vick said the lack of effort from the other players ?pisses [him] off.?
And Vick said that he?s not to blame.? ?I give 110 percent effort,? Vick said.? ?My body is scarred up all year.? I?m hurt, I?m bruised, get up after every hit and still try and fight and push.? I do that for my coaches.? I do that for my teammates.? And I would expect the same thing in return.?
Vick admitted that the outcome arose at least in part from his failure to assert himself in the locker room.
?I should have done it,? Vick said.? ?But I tried to take the modest approach, I tried to lead by example.? I held a team meeting and tried to help guys recommit.? It was still the same thing over and over again.? I?m not going to tell a grown man the same thing twice because the reason I ended up incarcerated was because people told me the same thing over and over again and I didn?t listen.? I feel like if you don?t learn in the first go-around, you disregard it.? You just deal with the consequences because there will always be consequences.?
But here?s where Vick?s logic falls apart.? Vick was in the past surrounded by a bunch of ?yes? men and enablers.? A football team commands leadership ? and it holds accountable those who don?t respond.
Ultimately, Vick?s remarks aren?t the ideal way to persuade other teams that he?s suited to provide leadership in a new city.
The key to DIY wedding invitations that don?t look DIY? A fabulous font! Here is a list of some of my favorite fonts.Whether you want something retro, timeless, playful or elegant, beautifully designed fonts offer affordable graphic design for your wedding projects. There are thousands upon?
Replacement Window Solutions Denver Colorado: Replace Old Windows Denver
Replace Old Windows Denver
Replace Old Windows DenverWholesale Home Improvement is the place to go when you want to replace old windows in Denver.? For over 20 years, we have provided high quality windows for both residential and commercial properties at an affordable price.? New windows are a major investment and it?s a daunting task to pick which window suits your needs.? Our courteous and knowledgeable staff makes choosing the window that works for you a lot easier.Replacing old windows will provide you with energy efficiency while adding beauty and value to your home. Your window replacement project will be handled with professionalism and care from start to finish.? With over 108 years of window experience, we will guide you on the best possible choice to fit you and your budget.? At Wholesale Home Improvement we offer you a FREE no obligation quote and financing up to one year.? ?Buying windows for your home is an important investment that you'll only want to do once. Ask lots of questions and do it right the first time. ? We have been offering windows, doors, and siding at a discount to all of Denver and Colorado for over 20 years.? When your need to replace old windows in Denver, give Wholesale Home Improvement a call.?Why pay more?
I installed some speed reading apps and tested them. I?ve so far notices a few ?categories? or groups of equals:
One kind exists mostly from showing a text word by word in the middle of the screen. Showing each word a very short time and so you can read at a high wpm because you never need to move your eyes.
Another kind is merely a speed reading article disguised as app.
Another kind is no speed reading app but just a reading app with a fancy name.
Yet another kind is training in the form of news/actually.
And the last kind is a training app, not for your own stuff but purely for training.
I only tested them quickly and unions talked the non-interesting. But they aren?t quite what I?m looking for. Maybe I should write one myself for training and guided reading.
This entry was posted in Other and tagged Android, Self Improvement, Speed Reading. Bookmark the permalink.
UFA, Russia ? Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ryan Strome from the Niagara IceDogs scored goals as Team Canada moved to 3-0 at the World Junior Hockey Championships with a 2-1 win Sunday morning over the United States.
Goalie Malcolm Subban made 36 saves to help in the victory.
(Reuters) - A union representing dockworkers on the U.S. East Coast and an alliance of shippers have reached a labor agreement that will avert a strike that threatened to wreak havoc on the United States' economy.
The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), which represents 14,500 workers at 15 container ports in the eastern United States, and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) of shippers, terminal operators and port authorities, have agreed to extend their current contract by 30 days to finalize details, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service said in a statement on Friday.
Both sides have agreed "in principle" on the contentious issue of royalty payments for shipping containers, payments to ILA workers based on the tons of container cargo that move through a port.
The statement on Friday was light on details of the actual agreement, and the USMX declined to comment further.
The new contract does not eliminate the royalty payments, according to Benny Holland, an executive vice president for the ILA.
"The royalty will stay intact. We have worked out a formula for it," he said in an interview.
Established in 1960, the royalty payments to ILA workers are based on the tons of container cargo that move through a port. That tonnage has risen from 50 million tons in 1996 to 110 million last year, according to the alliance. Total payments last year were $211 million, according to the USMX, or an average of $15,500 per worker.
The original idea of the royalty payments was to protect longshoremen from wage losses expected as a result of "containerization," in which more and more goods are packed in the now-familiar 20- and 40-foot long boxes. Those take less manpower to off-load than the less-standardized containers they replaced.
Both sides also fought over the guaranteed eight-hour workday in the current contract and the seven-man "lashing gang." Lashing crews, or gangs, secure the cargo containers to the vessel using metal lashing rods to keep them from moving while the vessel is at sea. The maritime alliance wanted to eliminate each.
The agreement comes as union forces felt emboldened by recent victories by other unions across the United States. At the same time, shipping companies and port operators have been using more automation, and have seen profits shrink. The Baltic Dry index, which tracks the cost to ship materials overseas, is down 55 percent in the past year and currently at levels it hasn't been in a decade.
(Reporting By Ernest Scheyder, additional reporting by Kevin Gray in Miami; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Bob Burgdorfer and Andrew Hay)
Atlanta is back to within two games of the first-place Heat in the Southeast division, which has turned out to be a two-horse race.
The Miami Heat lost a game on the Atlanta Hawks after the defending champions fell to the Detroit Pistons, 109-99, on Friday night in the Motor City.
Atlanta got past the Cleveland Cavaliers, 102-94, to pull to within two games of the division-leading Heat. Those are the only two teams currently in the mix in the NBA's Southeast division, as the Orlando Magic lost their fourth straight game, a disappointing 105-97 defeat at the hands of the Washington Wizards, and have fallen to nine games behind Miami.
Although they lost their 17th straight game on Friday, the Charlotte Bobcats have still been able to remain out of the cellar, sitting two games in front of the 4-23 Wizards.
There are many appealing aspects of home businesses, but there are also intimidating aspects. It can be hard to decide exactly where it is you need to start. What makes a online business successful? It can be challenging because of the many questions involved. Fortunately, with the following article at your disposal, some direction is at your fingertips.
Knowing how to market online is the key to good profits. By blogging, using email newsletters, and publishing articles online, you can boost your business?s visibility and build your customer base, which will lead to higher profits.
When starting out in a home business, you need a website to start selling your services or products. This is a key opportunity for you to expand your target audience and maximize sales. If you need to get your website set up quick, you can hire a professional.
When you are ?knee-deep? in work, inform your friends and loved ones so that you are not bothered at that time. When somebody begins to interrupt you, try to nicely explain to them that you are doing work. If they arrive during your work hours, ask them to go somewhere else in the house and read a magazine or watch television until it?s your break time.
Don?t forget to add a link where someone can sign up for your email list. Furthermore, provide them with an array of chances to become a member of the mailing list by placing it on multiple pages throughout your site.
If you?re the only owner of your business on paper, don?t let anyone else make executive financial decisions for the company. Giving your spouse your business credit card may not seem like a bad idea, but if they go to buy business supplies and end up buying other items as well, you may lose the right to write off that purchase.
You must have the trust and support of your loved ones and family before you consider starting a home-based business. Running a online business is very time consuming, and can be both difficult and stressful. Your home business is less likely to succeed if your family will not help you.
Make sure any contracts related to your online business are in one spot, so you will have no problem locating them if you need them. You should also keep your own contracts, such as with your phone company or Internet provider, in the same place in case YOU have to battle with THEM over service!
If you do not know what you want to sell or market, consider making it something you use or could use. To choose the best product to represent, you must first identify a need. The higher the chance that you could use an item or service, the higher the chance others could use that item or service too.
Designate an area in your home that is devoted to work and nothing else. Make sure you have the space in your house to keep all things organized. This helps keep your business better organized so that you can be successful.
If you are setting up a work from home business, you must pay close attention to financial business planning. Write down your projected income for your new business. Inside of the statement you would guess the growth of your business and it?s needs along the way. You need to know how to estimate what you think your sales, expenses, and profits would be. These estimates will provide you with an idea of future income to plan your business finances.
Don?t just do the bare minimum to keep customers happy. Think about adding a little extra to their order, or slip a thank you note into the package. When you show someone that you are grateful for their business, they will come back for more. Two things that customers like are appreciation and free things. Find ways to show your customers that you appreciate them.
Make your own website banner page. Such a page will give you the opportunity to swap banner links and similar advertisements with affiliated websites. Utilizing a banner page will increase your search engine rankings and help your audience find your site and products easily.
As was mentioned earlier in this article, a home based business can be both appealing and intimidating. Hopefully you have gleaned some good information and advice from the tips shared in this article. Put that advice into action, and watch as things begin to work more smoothly for your online business.
P.S.-If you love to have an office home business and would love to make an extra $1000/day blogging about it, find out how my 2 friends are helping thousands of people make money about their passions ===> Discover why this game-changer is the most bad-ass business for home in the industry?s history!
Google + is powering full speed ahead to compete with the largest social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.? With now 100 million active users, as of September 2012, Google + is definitely worth keeping an eye on.? Google + has just recently added Communities, a new feature similar to that of Facebook?s Groups.? They have made it no secret that they are directly competing with Facebook as the ultimate social network with added features and benefits.? That is why it makes sense for them to now move into the advertising arena, matching Facebook Ads with Google + ads.
?
Google + ads are now active and available to select US brands on Google +, according to this post by Google?s Christian Oestlien.? Google + will presumably be using AdWords Express to roll out this feature for Google + page owners to advertise their pages.? By offering these ads, this will be first time Google + page owners will be able to pay to promote their pages.? Whereas, Facebook page owners have been able to pay for promotion for quite a while now.? However, there is a major difference between Facebook ads and Google + ads.? Facebook ads are only placed within the social network itself, and they do not expand beyond that reach.? Google + won?t be promoting within Google+ itself, but instead they will be promoting ads on their existing external ad networks.? The ads will exist in the same place where Google search ads already are: Google search, Google maps, and other Google properties.? Instead of creating interruptive advertising like Facebook, these ads will only appear to those who are intentionally searching for related information.? The benefit of this strategy is that your ads will reach customers at their moment of intent, when they actually want to buy what your business is selling.
?
As you can see from the screenshots above, you will soon be able to use Google AdWords Express to Connect with new customers and control how much and when you pay.? You can currently create ads via Google AdWords for your Twitter or Facebook pages, but soon you will be able to promote your Google + page as well.? What?s great about what is to come is that Google will actually find the best places to promote it.? They?ll do the dirty work for you, so you don?t have to spend your time on keywords, bids, or placement.? By using Google + ads, you will have more time to focus on selling rather than spending that time promoting.
The Jawbone UP?($149.99 direct)?is in some ways everything I want from a fitness-tracking gadget. It tracks daily activity and sleep efficiency, comes with a supremely well-designed iPhone app, feels comfortable around my wrist, and includes a vibrating silent alarm, which anyone who shares a bed should at least try. And yet, when I compare it with my favorite fitness device and PCMag's Editors' Choice, the $100 Fitbit One, the Jawbone UP doesn't quite measure up.
The UP costs $50 more and misses many key features that the Fitbit just gets right. One is discretion?not everyone wants to be seen wearing what is essentially a pedometer. The Fitbit One fits snugly on a bra strap, in a pocket, or attached to your waistband. Also, the Jawbone doesn't connect to any other apps or devices. The Fitbit integrates with all the major calorie-counting apps, as well as a Wi-Fi bathroom scale, the Fitbit Aria, for automated weigh-ins.?I wanted to love the Jawbone UP, just as I wanted to love the Nike+ FuelBand. I had high expectations of both, but a middling and lackluster experience.
Design The relatively thin and flexible bracelet comes in three sizes (small, medium, large) and eight colors: onyx, mint green, light gray, blue, navy blue, red, orange, and hunter green. An embossed zigzag extends the length of the wrap-around band, which is made of medical-grade, hypoallergenic TPU rubber. In theory, you can wear it all the time, even in the shower, although I have not yet given it the full splash test. I'll let common sense, rather?than the instruction manual,?guide that decision.
What's included? You get the UP band, a not-very-helpful quick start guide that will point you to Jawbone's website for additional instructions, and a USB charging cable. Inside the band is a lithium-ion polymer battery that lasts about 10 days on a single charge.
Some reviewers like the Jawbone UP's look, but I doubt they went to a formal dinner in a sleeveless dress while still wearing it. If a device is meant to be worn 24/7, as the Jawbone UP is, I need the option to wear it discreetly. That's a huge selling point for the Fitbit, and a major con for the UP.
It's All in the App The best aspects of the Jawbone UP are found in the iOS app, the primary?nay, only?way you interact with data. The app shows how many miles you've walked, calories you've burned, charts of your sleeping patterns, your mood should you choose to log it daily, and a summary of what you've eaten.
But wait. There's more. From the app, you can set a silent alarm that vibrates up to 30 minutes ahead of your designated wake up time if it spots an ideal moment for you to get up based on your REM cycles. Pretty neat, eh? There's also a power nap switch that, when activated, looks at your sleep habits to determine whether your best nap would be a 27-minute rest or a 45-minute siesta, or something in between. It then sets the appropriate alarm. The Fitbit One has a silent alarm, too, but it only vibrates at the time you set. One more silent alarm I like in the Jawbone UP is an "idle alert," which I scheduled to remind me to get off my butt after 90 minutes of inactivity Monday through Friday, from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Graphics in the Jawbone UP's app delight the eye with vivacious colors. Interactive gesture-based motions look smooth and fluid. But here's the catch: You must connect the Jawbone to your iPhone's or iPad's headset jack to sync the data and be able to see it. That is to say, the rubbery and lightweight bracelet tells you next to nothing in itself. There are no readouts or displays on the device.?In other words, you need an iOS device. According to the company, an Android app is in hopper, but it's not on the market yet.
The Fitbit One, meanwhile, spoils you with data in a Web app, in mobile apps, and on the gadget itself. Press its tiny button, and you can cycle through your fitness stats, or just view the time, at a moment's notice.
What's Missing and Conclusions The latest gadgets in the personal fitness market add a heart rate monitor directly on the device, no chest strap needed. I recently received a Basis Alpha to test, which has this feature, and am psyched to write about it soon. A high-tech feature such as this one sets the Jawbone UP even further behind the pack.
The few aspects of the Jawbone UP that I like, I really like. This device could have been great, but the fact that it's limited to iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users decreases its overall appeal considerably. And in light of our Editors' Choice, the Fitbit One, Jawbone's band doesn't really compete. If you have an iPhone and don't mind not being able to see your data right on the device, it could be a great option, but it's still 50 bucks more.
A mathematical formula to decipher the geometry of surfaces like that of cauliflower Public release date: 19-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Ana Herrera oic@uc3m.es Carlos III University of Madrid
This press release is available in Spanish.
The scientists have found a formula that describes how the patterns found in a multitude of natural structures are formed. "We have found a model that describes, in detail, the evolution in time and in space of cauliflower-type fractal morphologies for nanoscopic systems", explains Professor Rodolfo Cuerno, of UC3M's Mathematics Department, author of the research, together with scientists from Universidad Pontificia Comillas (UPCO), the Instituto de Ciencia de los Materiales de Madrid (the Materials Science Institute of Madrid) of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientficas (CSIC) (Spanish National Research Council), la Escuela Politcnica de Pars (Polytechnic School of Paris, France) and the Universidad Catlica de Lovaina (Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium).
This work, which was recently published in the New Journal of Physics, falls within the field of fractal geometry, which is based on the mathematical description of many natural forms, such as sea coasts, the borders between countries, clouds, snowflakes and even the networks of blood vessels. A fractal is characterized because its parts are similar to the whole. "In the case of cauliflowers, this property (self-similarity) becomes evident if you look closely at a photo of them," says another of the researchers, Mario Castro, a professor at UPCO. "In fact," he adds, "without more information, it is impossible to know the size of the object." This way, using relatively simple algorithms, complex structures almost indistinguishable from certain landscapes, leaves or trees, for example, can now be generated. "However, the general mechanisms that govern the appearance or evolution over time of those natural structures have rarely been identified beyond a merely visual or geometric reproduction," clarifies the researcher.
From the supermarket to the laboratory
The cauliflower-type morphologies were known is this realm in an empirical way, but no one had provided a model like the one that these scientists have developed. "In our case," they comment, "the connection came about naturally when a certain ingredient (noise) was added to a related model that we had worked on previously. When we did that, in the numeric simulations, surfaces appeared, and we quickly identified them as the ones that our experiment colleagues had been able to obtain, under the right conditions, in their laboratories." Based on the characteristics of this theoretical model, they have inferred general mechanisms that can be common and can help in making models of other very different systems, such as a combustion front or a cauliflower like the ones that can be found in any supermarket.
Fractals of this type are interesting because they are ubiquitous, that is, they appear in systems that vary widely in their nature and dimensions. In general, fractals can be found in any branch of the natural sciences: mathematics (specific types of functions), geology (river basins or the outline of a coast), biology (forms of aggregate cells, of plants, of the network of blood vessels...), physics (the growth of amorphous solid crystals or the distribution of galaxies), chemistry (the distribution in space of the reagents of chemical reactions). Moreover, they have also been studied due to their relationship with structures created by man, such as communication and transportation networks, city layouts, etc.
This finding may help to discover concrete applications for improving the technologies used in thin film coatings, and to understand the conditions under which they are smooth or have wrinkles or roughness. "This is also useful in generating textures in computer simulations," the researchers point out. "And, conceptually," they add, "this can give us clues about the general mechanisms involved in forming structures in areas that are very different from the ones in which the model was formulated, such as those in which there is competition for growth resources among the various parts of the system."
###
Further information:
Universality of cauliflower-like fronts: from nanoscale thin films to macroscopic plants
Authors: Mario Castro, Rodolfo Cuerno, Matteo Nicoli, Luis Vzquez and Josephus G. Buijnsters
Journal: New J. Phys. 14 (2012) 103039 doi:10.1088/1367-2630/14/10/103039
http://iopscience.iop.org/1367-2630/14/10/103039/article
[ | 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.
A mathematical formula to decipher the geometry of surfaces like that of cauliflower Public release date: 19-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Ana Herrera oic@uc3m.es Carlos III University of Madrid
This press release is available in Spanish.
The scientists have found a formula that describes how the patterns found in a multitude of natural structures are formed. "We have found a model that describes, in detail, the evolution in time and in space of cauliflower-type fractal morphologies for nanoscopic systems", explains Professor Rodolfo Cuerno, of UC3M's Mathematics Department, author of the research, together with scientists from Universidad Pontificia Comillas (UPCO), the Instituto de Ciencia de los Materiales de Madrid (the Materials Science Institute of Madrid) of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientficas (CSIC) (Spanish National Research Council), la Escuela Politcnica de Pars (Polytechnic School of Paris, France) and the Universidad Catlica de Lovaina (Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium).
This work, which was recently published in the New Journal of Physics, falls within the field of fractal geometry, which is based on the mathematical description of many natural forms, such as sea coasts, the borders between countries, clouds, snowflakes and even the networks of blood vessels. A fractal is characterized because its parts are similar to the whole. "In the case of cauliflowers, this property (self-similarity) becomes evident if you look closely at a photo of them," says another of the researchers, Mario Castro, a professor at UPCO. "In fact," he adds, "without more information, it is impossible to know the size of the object." This way, using relatively simple algorithms, complex structures almost indistinguishable from certain landscapes, leaves or trees, for example, can now be generated. "However, the general mechanisms that govern the appearance or evolution over time of those natural structures have rarely been identified beyond a merely visual or geometric reproduction," clarifies the researcher.
From the supermarket to the laboratory
The cauliflower-type morphologies were known is this realm in an empirical way, but no one had provided a model like the one that these scientists have developed. "In our case," they comment, "the connection came about naturally when a certain ingredient (noise) was added to a related model that we had worked on previously. When we did that, in the numeric simulations, surfaces appeared, and we quickly identified them as the ones that our experiment colleagues had been able to obtain, under the right conditions, in their laboratories." Based on the characteristics of this theoretical model, they have inferred general mechanisms that can be common and can help in making models of other very different systems, such as a combustion front or a cauliflower like the ones that can be found in any supermarket.
Fractals of this type are interesting because they are ubiquitous, that is, they appear in systems that vary widely in their nature and dimensions. In general, fractals can be found in any branch of the natural sciences: mathematics (specific types of functions), geology (river basins or the outline of a coast), biology (forms of aggregate cells, of plants, of the network of blood vessels...), physics (the growth of amorphous solid crystals or the distribution of galaxies), chemistry (the distribution in space of the reagents of chemical reactions). Moreover, they have also been studied due to their relationship with structures created by man, such as communication and transportation networks, city layouts, etc.
This finding may help to discover concrete applications for improving the technologies used in thin film coatings, and to understand the conditions under which they are smooth or have wrinkles or roughness. "This is also useful in generating textures in computer simulations," the researchers point out. "And, conceptually," they add, "this can give us clues about the general mechanisms involved in forming structures in areas that are very different from the ones in which the model was formulated, such as those in which there is competition for growth resources among the various parts of the system."
###
Further information:
Universality of cauliflower-like fronts: from nanoscale thin films to macroscopic plants
Authors: Mario Castro, Rodolfo Cuerno, Matteo Nicoli, Luis Vzquez and Josephus G. Buijnsters
Journal: New J. Phys. 14 (2012) 103039 doi:10.1088/1367-2630/14/10/103039
http://iopscience.iop.org/1367-2630/14/10/103039/article
[ | 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.
Sprint this morning announced that it's lit up a handful of new cities with its 4G LTE data. They include:
Indianapolis/Carmel, Ind.
Santa Rosa/Petaluma, Calif.
Vallejo/Fairfield, Calif.
Southern Puerto Rico (including Ponce, Coamo and Guayama)
York/Hanover, Pa.
Franklin County, Pa.
Also, Shenandoah County and Page County (Va.), as well as Chicago, should see enhanced LTE coverage, Sprint says.
So if you've got an LTE-capable Sprint device and live in one of those areas, congrats. And let's hope the Myans are wrong. We've got a full list of Sprint's LTE locations after the break.
Bidmanagement, the company behind Adspert, a web-based bid management tool for Google AdWords campaigns, has raised funding from the ProFIT finance programme, the early-stage investment arm of Investitionsbank Berlin. The amount is being disclosed only as a "seven-figure financing", though TechCrunch has learned that it is just over ?1 million (~$1.3m).
Wealthy foreign students now account for 29% of all private tenants on the books of one large property manager in prime central London.?
According to Central London Portfolio, a property investment firm, foreign students represent the second biggest proportion of its market. The largest single group are Chinese students.
At LCP?s pre-credit crunch audit in 2006, overseas student represented just 12% of LCP?s market.?
LCP says that the average foreign student pays rent of ?28,878 per annum in Westminster.?
The findings follow the results of the last Census, which show that people in London classifying themselves as ?white Britons? are now a minority of 45%.
LCP criticised government measures to cut back on overseas student numbers, including abolishing visas allowing them to stay on after graduating.
Naomi Heaton, CEO of LCP, said: ?Foreigners are attracted to prime London as a financial centre, a ?go to? destination and as a premier league provider of education.?
?Alongside the aspiration for a great British education, there has been a significant appetite to invest in bricks and mortar. Recent changes to the immigration rules could send these students, and with them significant international wealth and investment, elsewhere.?
?Hopefully David Cameron?s new stance on Chinese visas will trigger a more commercial approach to the rules on immigration so that international students will continue to make London their first choice, to the benefit of the UK economy.?
Article courtesy of Letting Agent Today Sign up for LAT newsletter
NEW YORK (AP) ? Diet Pepsi is quietly changing its sweetener, with the goal of helping the soda maintain its taste longer.
Cans of Diet Pepsi around the country now list a mix of two artificial sweeteners, a pairing that is commonly found in newer diet sodas. Previously, Diet Pepsi used only aspartame, which is sensitive to heat and breaks down more easily.
This summer, PepsiCo Inc. had declined to say whether it would go ahead with such a change after reports surfaced that it was testing the new sweeteners. Although the switch is only intended to help prevent the taste from degrading over time, companies are often sensitive to public perceptions that they might be tinkering with major brands. PepsiCo executives likely don't want to call any attention to the use of artificial sweeteners in the drink either.
When reached for comment Sunday, PepsiCo spokeswoman Andrea Canabal said that Diet Pepsi using the new sweetener mix started hitting shelves in early December. She said the new mix will be more widely available in the coming weeks.
"It's not like a light switch. It'll start appearing as shelf space clears," she said. In January, Canabal said the company is planning a major "relaunch" of the brand that will include a new logo and an ad campaign with the theme "Love Every Sip."
In addition to aspartame, cans of Diet Pepsi found in New York, Omaha, Neb., and the Bay Area now list acesulfame potassium as an ingredient. The ingredient is often used in combination with other artificial sweeteners and can be found in a wide range of foods including baked goods, chewing gum and gelatin desserts.
John Sicher, editor and publisher of the industry tracker Beverage Digest, said the synergistic effect of mixing the two sweeteners is intended to help keep the drink's sweetening power at a constant level, making it taste fresh longer.
"A change in sweetener does not change the flavor," he noted.
PepsiCo said in a statement Sunday that it was adding a "very small amount" of acesulfame potassium "to ensure consistency with every sip."
The move to improve Diet Pepsi comes amid a broader push by PepsiCo to revitalize its namesake soda, which has lost market share to Coca-Cola Co. in recent years. Under pressure from investors, CEO Indra Nooyi earlier this year announced the company would step up investment in its flagship brands.
Already this year, PepsiCo has made several splashy moves including a wide-ranging partnership with singer Beyonce and a multiyear deal with the National Football League to sponsor the Super Bowl halftime show. TV ads for Pepsi have also featured singer Nicki Minaj, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, the boy band One Direction and international soccer stars including Lionel Messi.
Whether the efforts will pay off with increased sales remains to be seen. In the latest quarter, PepsiCo said its soda volume in North America fell 2 percent, reflecting the broader decline in soft drink consumption that has plagued the industry since 1998. But the company noted that its share of the market had improved.
For now, Diet Pepsi remains the No. 7 carbonated soft drink with 4.9 percent of the market, according to Beverage Digest. That's down from 5.3 percent in 2000. Meanwhile, Diet Coke's share has increased in that time from 8.7 percent to 9.6 percent. Diet Coke, which still only uses aspartame, overtook regular Pepsi to become the No. 2 soda brand in 2010.
Coke remains No. 1 and Pepsi is No. 3.
Still, Diet Pepsi rakes in roughly $5 billion in a year in revenue and remains one of PepsiCo's biggest moneymakers. The company, based in Purchase, N.Y., also makes Frito-Lay snacks, Tropicana juices and Quaker oatmeal.
It's not the first time a soda company is tweaking the sweeteners in its drinks; PepsiCo made a similar move with Diet Mountain Dew in 2006, while Coca-Cola did the same with Diet Sprite in 2000.
___
Follow Candice Choi at www.twitter.com/candicechoi
Following closely on the heels of the mHealth Summit, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) recently released the research report, ?Improving Quality and Reducing Risk in Health Care:? Engaging Consumers Using Electronic Tools?.? Arriving in the shadows of the fiscal cliff discussion, the report notes that healthcare spending currently places a considerable burden on our economy.? And with a focus on cost reduction, implementing the right measures to improve quality and individual health remain tantamount as well.
Originally identified in the 2001 report, ?Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century?, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) promoted patient-centeredness as one of six key aims for the nation?s health care system, thereby making it well-established and widely embraced today.? And building on the January 2012 report, Transforming Health Care: The Role of Health IT, the BPC identified six attributes that emphasize patient engagement?s role in supporting high performance organizations:
1. Organization-wide focus on the needs of the patient
2.? Strong organizational and clinical leadership
Bring the patient?s perspective to the design, delivery, and management of care.
Patients are involved in governance and advisory boards to provide input.
Create organizational culture that focuses on the needs of the patient and encourages continuous learning and improvement
3.? Access to information to support efficient, coordinated care
Successfully coordinate care across providers, settings, conditions, and time
Care teams and patients have access to an individual patient?s records across settings in which care and services are delivered.
Patient preferences and status are included in the record to inform clinical decision-making
Reminders and alerts for both clinicians and patients help eliminate medical errors as well as gaps and duplications in care
Privacy and security are carefully managed
4.? Timely access to care
High-performing organizations provide multiple avenues for patients to receive timely care.
Care teams are available when needed, whether by phone, by mail, online, or in person, including nights and weekends.
5.? Emphasis on prevention, wellness, and healthy behaviors
Recognize that providing educational resources and self-management tools to promote prevention and wellness, as well as management of chronic conditions can lead to better health outcomes
6.? Accountability, alignment of incentives and payment reform
High-performing organizations continuously measure and take actions to continually improve performance on the cost and quality of care, including patient experience of care and health outcomes.
Clinical, administrative, and patient-generated data inform goal-setting, the identification of areas needing improvement, and the effectiveness of interventions.
Financial incentives are aligned with better outcomes in cost, quality, and patient experience.
In efforts to support cost and quality goals, there have been a number of new models being tested by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMSI), including the Medicare Shared Savings, Advanced Payment and Pioneer ACO models, as well as the, Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative Demonstration.? Together with the Partnership for Patients:? Community Based Transition Care program, these arrangements are helping demonstrate that patient engagement, activation and communication are all associated with lower cost and better outcomes.
Despite the forward movement, significant challenges continue to exist for patient-centered care and patient engagement.? Such challenges include the need to expand patient engagement in medical education, post-graduate training and continuing medical education.? Making a fundamental shift in practice and reimbursement will not only improve physician-patient interaction, but also help to align participant goals with health, wellness and prevention.? And as Susannah Fox, Associate Director, Digital Strategy, Pew Internet & American Life Project, outlines below ? organizational culture should embrace the ?e? in e-Patient, since engagement is an instrumental step towards achieving the IOM goals.
Whenever I work on display ads (marketing banners for the internet) I spend some quality time perusing the internet to find out what makes me click. Because the age and other customer demographics of my website are like me, I can guess that having ads that make me notice them, will make my viewers notice them to.
If your customers are not in your customer demographic, I would do a mini panel or quiz to ask your current customers which ads THEY would be most apt to click on.
So what is display ad conversion? In simple terms, it is when you have one or ads sitting there, and your ad gets clicked instead of the others. It also has to be compelling enough to make someone notice it outside of the content that they are already looking at.
Where Are Your Display Ads Positioned
On the site (http://www.topmommyblogs.com/) the owners have ads at the top that direct to different areas of their website. The ads at the side (labeled sponsors) are outside advertisements. Now, they could be people who paid the site directly or they could be part of the google adwords network.
Since I am doing ads for my own sites, I am going to be putting them in three main areas, in the sidebar, in the posts and at the end of the posts. Because I have my products and affiliate products to sell I am using my own websites and I can control which ads are sitting next to mine and where I want to direct people.
If you are buying ad space from someone else, you will need to make sure your ads are super special and generally AMAZING because they will be sitting next to other ads competing for space!
Some things I like about display ads
So I am not an expert in display ad marketing, I just have looked at hundreds of them and found some that I like and discovered some key factors for what would make me click them. Again, these ideas are just to get you started thinking, make sure to contact a company that is expert at this when you are ready to do your own ads!
I think this is my favorite ad of all time! I like the photography (Wix is a photography website ? score!), I like how the cow is sticking out over the bottom part of the ad and overall it is a happy ad! That being said, there is no call to action, no click here or really anything else to do.
?
This is one we did for our client, they have a great internal graphics department and started the ball rolling. That said, we added a call to action and made the person stand out from the background which is eye catching. Speaking of the person, people like looking at faces (people faces, animal faces, etc.) so you can rarely go wrong by adding an attractive person or fun animal in your ad.
Okay, whoever does the creative for Zulily is rocking my world! I do not buy children?s clothing and I am attracted to their ads. Love the contrast between the black and white with the pop of color and also the fact that they have a shop now call to action!
?
These ads from Coupon money saver have a really neat premise?they have the coupon like border that we all know from offline marketing. They were interesting enough to jump out on a page of other display ads I was searching for!
?
?
Alright, enough about thinking about display ads, I have to leave you my fine friends and go make some for my business. Hopefully this has given you some inspiration for how you want to take your ad design and make sure there are some conversion factors included!
Display Ad Resources
Okay, can?t leave you hanging here, so here are some of my top display ad resources to keep you going!
While work is still in progress on the proposed diamond-tax levy and mining royalties, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel has expressed concern over the rehabilitation of mines once they close and has offered another tax break to mining firms to ensure that this is provided for.
Already, tax relief is granted to mining enterprises that make financial provision, in the form of trust funds, for the rehabilitation of mines once they close. cement grinding mill used
This relief entails a deduction for reserves as well as the tax-free build-up of those reserves.
However, government has received rjaw crusher reinforcement concreteequests from the industry to consider the use of insurance products to facilitate rehabilitation of defunct mines, as such, the current income-tax mobile stone crushers in zaexemption for mining rehabilitation trusts will be extended to insurance products and other instruments dedicated solely to rehabilitation funding.
Lestone crushing equipment in india 2gal changes are expected that will extend environmental-rehabilitation requirements to sectors other than mining and the current tax incentive for rehabilitation will be extended as required.
Meanwhile, the proposed diamond-export levy, which aims to reinforce regulatory measures to ensure an adequate supply of rough diamonds for domestic beneficiation, is still under consideration. However, the Budget indicates that the levy will be designed to provide credits for local sales that would act as an offset in the determination of the export levy.
The mining sector as a whole showed growth of 3,6% for the first nine months of last year but growth slowed in the third quarter thanks to wage strikes.
Production of platinum-group metals showed strong growth last year on the back of surging prices and coal production also experienced steady growth.
However, gold production continued to decline despite a near ten per cent increase in prices last year as mines face dwindling reserves.
The Basal Temperature Test is not to be used as a replacement for a proper medical assessment.? Instead it can help you determine whether you may have a thyroid imbalance and a low functioning thyroid gland in particular.? Low thyroid function can cause many symptoms ranging from fatigue to difficulty losing weight.? Check out my blog ?Is an Underactive Thyroid Making You Overweight??
Because the thyroid gland reflects the body?s metabolic rate and heat is generated during metabolism, assessing body temperature can give clues regarding the function of the thyroid gland.
1.? Shake down a thermometer until the mercury falls below 95 degrees Fahrenheit if using an older thermometer.? Place it by your bed at night when you retire.
2.? Upon waking, before getting up (yes, even to use the bathroom) place the thermometer under your armpit for 10 minutes.? Digital thermometers may automatically stop before that.? That?s fine.? Try to lay in bed as still as possible during this time.? Rest and close your eyes.? Don?t get up until after the 10 minutes have passed or until a digital thermometer has registered your temperature.
3.? Record the temperature, time, and date.
4.? Conduct the same test for at least three mornings at the same time each day.
Assessing Your Basal Temperature Test
A healthy resting temperature ranges between 97.8 to 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit or 36.6 to 36.8 degrees Celsius.? Natural fluctuations can occur during menstrual cycles.? If you are still menstruating, perform the test on the second, third, and fourth days of the menstrual cycle.
Post-menopausal women or men can conduct the tests any days of the month.
If your temperature is consistently lower than the range indicated above for at least three days, this may be an indication of hypothyroidism.? Conversely, temperatures consistently higher than this may indicate hyperthyroidism but can also suggest a possible infection.? If so, you should see a physician.
If you are working with a naturally-minded physician, be sure to bring the results of your three days of basal temperature tests.? If your doctor wants to conduct blood tests to confirm your results, ask him or her to test for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free T3, free T4, and thyroid antibodies.? All four tests give a more accurate picture of the health of your thyroid gland than testing solely for TSH like many doctors do.? Actually, many people test normal for their TSH even when they have all the symptoms of hypothyroidism.? Check out my blog ?Is an Underactive Thyroid Making You Overweight?? for more information.
Source: ?Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? (Elephant Printing: 2010).
Subscribe to my free e-magazine World?s Healthiest News to receive monthly health news, tips, recipes and more. Follow me on Twitter @mschoffrocook and Facebook.? Copyright Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD.
The proposed charter is largely supported by Islamist parties, while opposition groups accuse it of being a power grab for the Muslim Brotherhood.
By Aya Batrawy and Sarah El Deeb,?The Associated Press / December 15, 2012
Women queue outside a polling center to vote in a referendum on Egypt's new constitution in Cairo. Egyptians queued to vote on Saturday on a constitution promoted by its Islamist backers as the way out of a prolonged political crisis and rejected by opponents as a recipe for further divisions in the Arab world's biggest nation.
Khaled Abdullah/Reuters
Enlarge
With their nation's future at stake, Egyptians lined up Saturday to vote on a draft constitution after weeks of turmoil that have left them deeply divided between Islamist supporters of the charter and those who fear it will usher in religious rule.
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
The referendum caps a nearly two-year struggle over the post-revolutionary identity of Egypt after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian regime.
The vote has turned into a dispute over whether Egypt should move toward a religious state under President Mhoammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and ultraconservative Salafi allies, or one that retains secular traditions and an Islamic character. But many Egyptians said they were mainly looking for stability.
Many also fear the newly empowered Muslim Brotherhood and more ultraconservative Islamists are taking advantage of their current political dominance to adopt a charter that will be nearly impossible to amend.
According to the draft, articles 217 and 218 state that the president and parliament have the right to make a "request" to "amend an article or more," then parliament must discuss the request within 30 days. Two thirds of parliament members are needed to pass the request. Then parliament has 60 days to finalize the amended articles, and a third of parliament is needed to pass the final text before putting them to a national referendum.
Highlighting the tension in the run-up to the vote, nearly 120,000 army troops were deployed on Saturday to protect polling stations. Clashes between Morsi's supporters and opponents over the past three weeks have left at least 10 people dead and about 1,000 wounded.
"The times of silence are over," bank employee Essam el-Guindy said as he waited to cast his ballot in Cairo's upscale Zamalek district. "I am not OK with the constitution. Morsi should not have let the country split like this."
El-Guindy was one of about 20 men standing in line. A separate women's line had twice as many people. Elsewhere in the city, hundreds of voters waited outside polling stations for nearly two hours before stations opened at 8 a.m.
"I read parts of the constitution and saw no reason to vote against it," said Rania Wafik as she held her newborn baby while waiting in line. "We need to move on and I just see no reason to vote against the constitution."
IN PICTURES: Egypt grapples with an uncertain future
Morsi, whose narrow win in June made him Egypt's first freely elected president, cast his ballot at a school in the upscale Heliopolis district. He did not speak to reporters, but waved to dozens of supporters who were chanting his name outside.
In Cairo's crowded Sayedah Zeinab district, home to a revered Muslim shrine, 23-year-old engineer Mohammed Gamal said he was voting "yes" although he felt the proposed constitution needed more, not less, Islamic content.
"Islam has to be a part of everything," said Gamal, who wore the mustache-less beard that is a hallmark of hard-line Salafi Muslims. "All laws have to be in line with Shariah," he said, referring to Islamic law.
Critics are questioning the charter's legitimacy after the majority of judges said they would not supervise the vote. Rights groups have also warned of opportunities for widespread fraud, and the opposition says a decision to hold the vote on two separate days to make up for the shortage of judges leaves the door open for initial results to sway voter opinion.
The shortage of judges was reflected in the chaos engulfing some polling stations, which by early afternoon had led the election commission to extend voting by two hours until 9 p.m.
Mohammed Ahmed, a retired army officer from Cairo, said bearded men he suspects of being Muslim Brotherhood members were whispering "vote yes" to men standing in line outside a polling center in Cairo's poor district of Arab el-Maadi.
Getty Images
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 19-Dec-2012
Share ] 
Bidmanagement, the company behind 
Since I am doing ads for my own sites, I am going to be putting them in three main areas, in the sidebar, in the posts and at the end of the posts. Because I have my products and affiliate products to sell I am using my own websites and I can control which ads are sitting next to mine and where I want to direct people. 
I think this is my favorite ad of all time! I like the photography (Wix is a photography website ? score!), I like how the cow is sticking out over the bottom part of the ad and overall it is a happy ad! That being said, there is no call to action, no click here or really anything else to do.
This is one we did for our client, they have a great internal graphics department and started the ball rolling. That said, we added a call to action and made the person stand out from the background which is eye catching. Speaking of the person, people like looking at faces (people faces, animal faces, etc.) so you can rarely go wrong by adding an attractive person or fun animal in your ad.
Okay, whoever does the creative for Zulily is rocking my world! I do not buy children?s clothing and I am attracted to their ads. Love the contrast between the black and white with the pop of color and also the fact that they have a shop now call to action!
These ads from Coupon money saver have a really neat premise?they have the coupon like border that we all know from offline marketing. They were interesting enough to jump out on a page of other display ads I was searching for!