Homeschooling: You Can Teach Your Kids At Home | Doc's ...

More and more parents are opting to educate their children at home to avoid the many inadequacies of public schools. But there are some downfalls to homeschooling that must also be avoided. This article contains needed information if you plan to provide the homeschooling experience for your kids.

There are homeschooling groups in many areas. You will have to do research to see if any are available where you live. You can get more information and advice by attending these meetings. You can save on the high cost of books by trading them amongst other parents.

Lay out your reasons for wanting to homeschool on paper. You already know why you have made this choice, but writing it down will help make things clear for your spouse. Write down the goals for your school, the reasons you think this is important and questions that you hope to find answers to. You can explain yourself more clearly.

TIP! Don?t just dive into homeschooling; prepare you and your child by attending some conferences or workshops. Teaching can become overwhelming! There are classes and seminars that will provide you with the inspiration and guidance you need to ensure that your venture with homeschooling is successful.

Are you ready for the financial sacrifices that come from homeschooling? For instance, it will require one parent to be at home and not working. If you choose to do it, you need to think about the time away from accomplishing your daily chores around the house, and hiring services such as grocery delivery will cost you more.

Go on excursions with other local homeschooling families. This simultaneously provides hours of fun and socialization time. Additionally, you will get a group discount!

Find some other families that home school for support. Homeschooling is a growing trend. You might be surprised at the number of other homeschoolers you find in your area. You might also look online for support or read blogs for advice. These families can be a great resource for support, ideas, materials and socialization. This will also give your children the opportunity to make friends. Having a support group can make your schooling a smoother experience.

TIP! If it?s within your budget, think about hiring someone to help around the house. Homeschool takes a lot of time, so that you don?t have as much time or energy to do housework and errands.

You should have fun when you are homeschooling your kids. If one subject in particular interests you, learn everything you can about it. Search for learning resources online, and visit your community library for copious amounts of free information. Use this information to help educate your child. That is a situation where everyone wins.

A diary or journal is a great teaching tool for a child. You can keep track of not just their progress, but their whole life. This allows them to provide their own perspective on things. Encourage them to add descriptive drawings, photos or even small objects affixed to the pages. This can be a great piece to your child?s portfolio that you can look back on for years to come.

You must find ways to keep things interesting for your children because it will be very easy for them to get bored. Your children will spend a lot of time with you, and making it interesting should be a priority. Homeschooling forums are replete with great, fun ideas.

TIP! If you?ve joined a homeschooling community, use all the resources they provide. You may get free materials, field trip assistance, music lessons and additional resources.

Create a pros and cons list about public school and homeschooling. This list will ensure that your child is getting effective homeschooling. The list can be a check list of certain situations to avoid, and what areas to be your focus as part of their education. Place it someplace safe, where you can easily reference it.

Plan meals in advance. Homeschooling takes a lot of time. Therefore elaborate meal plans are likely to become unachievable. Most of the time, you will have to resort to fast food. Prepare several meals over the weekend and freeze them. That will help you avoid an evening rush. You can make a lesson out of it by getting your children to assist you. Then when it is time to eat all you will need to do is thaw it out and reheat it.

It is important to be clear about your class schedule with your children. When school is over, allow them the freedom of choosing when they should do additional studies. For example, let your plan an activity such as going to the movies or to a theme park to help maintain a sense of family.

TIP! New information about homeschooling is always coming out. Internet groups composed of homeschooling parents are widely available.

Ensure that you are firm when it comes to your child completing homework. You don?t want your children falling behind. It is important for kids to learn how to compartmentalize time.

When you take a vacation with your kids, use them for teaching purposes. For example, take family trips to historical sites, zoos and botanical gardens, and museums. Take a day or two of each trip for learning. Your entire family will enjoy the togetherness and the opportunity to learn new things.

It is easy to overextend yourself with household chores in addition to the time and effort you need to invest in your homeschooling efforts. Never fear asking your spouse or partner to chip in with the housework. If you personally have the resources to hire external help, consider it.

TIP! You need to be dedicated to homeschooling. Lots of well-meaning loved ones are negative about homeschooling.

After reading this article, homeschooling seems more possible. Use the information you?ve learned here, and you will have no problem starting the homeschooling experience. You will also be happy knowing your children will be taught well.

Because of all the knowledge that exists on fast pay plan, your job is to pick out the right information for you. The most important thing is to learn all you can. Whenever you have learned all the information you need, you can then formulate a better plan.

Source: http://www.empowernetwork.com/global/homeschooling-you-can-teach-your-kids-at-home/

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Stocks extend losses ahead of 'fiscal cliff' talks

13 hrs.

JeeYeon Park , CNBC

Stocks took another beating for the fifth-consecutive session Friday, with the Dow logging its worst weekly drop in six, after a report that President Barack Obama said he is not going to make a new budget offer during the "fiscal cliff" summit at the White House.

Instead, Obama plans to lay out what is clear can pass with a majority in both the House and Senate and what most American people support, which includes protecting everyone making $250,000 and less from seeing their taxes go up.

The?Dow Jones Industrial Average?dropped 158.20 points, or 1.21 percent, to close at 12.938.11, dragged down?by?Hewlett-Packard?and?ExxonMobil.

The?S&P 500?slumped 15.67 points, or 1.11 percent, to end at 1,402.43. The?Nasdaq?declined 25.60 points, or 0.86 percent, to finish at 2,960.31. The?CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, spiked to close above 22 for the first time since June.

For the week, the?Dow?tumbled 1.92 percent, the?S&P 500?fell 1.94 percent, and the?Nasdaq?dropped 2.01 percent. Most Dow components ended in the red for the week, dragged by?Hewlett-Packard?and?Microsoft, while?Bank of America?squeezed out a small gain.

"Traders are so cautious and investors are also worried," said Stephen Guilfoyle of Meridian Equity Partners.?

President Barack Obama?met with a bi-partisan group of congressional leaders?at the White House, just days before the deadline to reach a deal or see the a series of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes come into force. If a deal is not possible, Obama and the leaders would leave the resolution to the next Congress to address in January.

Earlier, stocks came off their lows as investors latched onto a glimmer of hope amid reports of?progress toward a potential deal. According to sources, negotiations revolved around permitting taxes to rise to Clinton-era levels on incomes above $400,000, the level in Obama's last offer to Republican House Speaker John Boehner before their negotiations fell apart earlier this month.

Hewlett-Packard?confirmed that the Justice Department is looking into its allegations that?Autonomy?engaged in accounting fraud prior to its acquisition by HP last year.

Apple?dipped after a Chinese court fined the iPhone maker $160,000 for hosting third-party applications on its App Store that were selling pirated electronic books, Xinhua news agency said. Apple shares have declined nearly 25 percent in the last three months. The stock hit an all-time high of $705 in mid-September.

Barnes & Noble?jumped after British publisher?Pearson?said it will buy a 5 percent stake in the bookstore chain's digital Nook and college bookstore businesses for $89.5 million. Separately, Barnes & Noble said it expects holiday sales to be below forecasts and that its Nook business will not meet prior full-year 2013 projections.

Among airlines, Raymond James raised its price target on?Delta Airlines,?Southwest Airlines,?U.S. Airways,?Spirit Airlines?and?Alaska Air.

On the economic front, pending home sales rose to the highest level in more than 2-1/2 years, climbing 1.7 percent in November, according to the National Association of Realtors.?

And the Institute for Supply Management-Chicago said its index of Midwest business activity rose to 51.6 in December from 50.4 in November, edging past expectations for 51.0.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/wall-street-extends-losses-week-1C7753031

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Obama thanks EPA's Jackson for service on environment

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A homeless woman was in critical condition in a Los Angeles hospital after a man doused her with liquid accelerant and set her on fire as she slept on a bus bench, police said on Thursday. Officers arrested Dennis Petillo, 24, in connection with the early morning attack, and he has been booked in jail on suspicion of attempted murder, police said. The woman, whose name has not been released, was being treated at a local hospital with burns all over her body, said Los Angeles police Lieutenant Damian Gutierrez. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-thanks-epas-jackson-environment-154446842.html

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Healthful Vending

Vending machines can be a precious asset to your small business, keeping your workers pleased with high excellent refreshments on demand.

The alternative amongst chocolate and crisps is a dilemma of the past. There a number of vending machines offered ranging from Traditional snack based machines, hot food, Water coolers, cold drinks and Coffee machines.

The addition of excellent vending machines suggests that your workers develop into additional time effective. With excellent hot drinks and snacks offered there is no will need for queuing in busy shops for food and drink. The hassle of managing the lunchtime is removed; the lunch break can be applied as a relaxation period as an alternative of a race about town and back to the location of work. The vending machines are generating life less difficult for the workplace, predominately minimizing mess developed and providing food and drink on demand.

With folks becoming additional health conscious there is an emphasis on Healthful consuming. Vending machine organizations have now begun providing Wholesome options to fizzy drinks and crisps. Smoothies, pasta dishes and Paninis are among a couple of of the Wholesome alternatives obtainable in these vending machines.

Hot food at work can aid you get by means of the day, if no facilities are accessible such as a canteen or kitchen; a hot food vending machine is an straightforward way to supply this. These machines can be run simply with no mess to clear up they are unmanned and can offer hot food all day with no waste.

Water coolers are straightforward but also invaluable to a operating atmosphere; just drinking a couple of cups a day has fantastic outcomes for your health. There is a limit to the quantity of caffeine based drinks you can drink and at times the easiest way to refresh is a cup of chilled water and it is occasionally more than looked

Coffee machines have also come a lengthy way not too long ago and now the workplace jar of instant coffee has been ostracized in favor of authentic tasting simple to use machines. Everyone is accommodated and there is anything for Everyone from jasmine tea to hot chocolate and decaffeinated coffee. Now some coffee machine distributors are supplying fair trade merchandise and also operating alongside charities to assist the coffee farmers which let you peace of thoughts when enjoying the coffee.

A busy operating workplace desires fuel in order to keep peoples productivity up. The benefit of possessing the option of food and drinks readily accessible with no mess will allow the customer to not waste any time and continue operating in a productive manner.

Vending machines are as versatile as the individuals who use them and are set to develop into an integral element of quite a few work areas as they enable excellent top quality refreshment at your comfort.

As lengthy as the machines continue to grow to be a lot more user friendly there is no purpose for your workplace to turn out to be a bland snack atmosphere. The advent of healthier vending machines signals a positive adjust in the course of a thing that is only going to develop much more.

Source: http://www.mygenesiscentre.com/healthful-vending/

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Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S. commander in Gulf War, dies at 78

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., the hard-charging U.S. Army general whose forces smashed the Iraqi army in the 1991 Gulf War, has died at the age of 78, a U.S. official said on Thursday.

The highly decorated four-star general died at 2:22 p.m. EST (1922 GMT) at his home in Tampa, Florida, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Schwarzkopf, a burly Vietnam War veteran known to his troops as Stormin' Norman, commanded more than 540,000 U.S. troops and 200,000 allied forces in a six-week war that routed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's army from Kuwait in 1991, capping his 34-year military career.

Some experts hailed Schwarzkopf's plan to trick and outflank Hussein's forces with a sweeping armored movement as one of the great accomplishments in military history. The maneuver ended the ground war in only 100 hours.

Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, who built the international coalition against Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait, said he and his wife "mourn the loss of a true American patriot and one of the great military leaders of his generation," according to a statement released by his spokesman.

Bush has been hospitalized in Houston since late November.

In a statement, the White House called Schwarzkopf "an American original" whose "legacy will endure in a nation that is more secure because of his patriotic service."

PHYSICAL PRESENCE

Schwarzkopf was a familiar sight on international television during the war, clad in camouflage fatigues and a cap. He conducted fast-paced briefings and reviewed his troops with a purposeful stride and a physical presence of the sort that clears bar rooms.

Little known before Iraqi forces invaded neighboring Kuwait, Schwarzkopf made a splash with quotable comments. At one briefing he addressed Saddam's military reputation.

"As far as Saddam Hussein being a great military strategist," he said, "he is neither a strategist, nor is he schooled in the operational arts, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general, nor is he a soldier. Other than that, he's a great military man, I want you to know that."

Schwarzkopf returned from the war a hero and there was talk of him running for public office. Instead, he wrote an autobiography - "It Doesn't Take a Hero" - and served as a military analyst.

He also acted as a spokesman for the fight against prostate cancer, with which he was diagnosed in 1993.

Schwarzkopf was born August 22, 1934, in Trenton, New Jersey, the son of Colonel H. Norman Schwarzkopf Sr., the head of the New Jersey State Police. At the time, the older Schwarzkopf was leading the investigation of the kidnapping and murder of aviator Charles Lindbergh's infant son, one of the most infamous crimes of the 20th century.

The younger Schwarzkopf graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1956. He earned a masters degree in guided-missile engineering from the University of Southern California and later taught engineering at West Point.

Schwarzkopf saw combat twice - in Vietnam and Grenada - in a career that included command of units from platoon to theater size, training as a paratrooper and stints at Army staff colleges.

CHESTFUL OF MEDALS

He led his men in firefights in two tours of Vietnam and commanded all U.S. ground forces in the 1983 Grenada invasion. His chestful of medals included three Silver and three Bronze Stars for valor and two Purple Hearts for Vietnam wounds.

In Vietnam, he won a reputation as an officer who would put his life on the line to protect his troops. In one particularly deadly fight on the Batangan Peninsula, Schwarzkopf led his men through a minefield, in part by having the mines marked with shaving cream.

In 1988, Schwarzkopf was put in charge of the U.S. Central Command in Tampa, with responsibility for the Horn of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. In that role, he prepared a plan to protect the Gulf's oil fields from a hypothetical invasion by Iraq. Within months, the plan was in use.

A soldier's soldier in an era of polished, politically conscious military technocrats, Schwarzkopf's mouth sometimes got him in trouble. In one interview, he said he had recommended to Bush that allied forces destroy Iraq's military instead of stopping the war after a clear victory.

Schwarzkopf later apologized after both Bush and Defense Secretary Dick Cheney fired back that there was no contradiction among military leaders to Bush's decision to leave some of Saddam's military intact.

After retirement, Schwarzkopf spoke his mind on military matters. In 2003, when the United States was on the verge of invading Iraq under President George W. Bush, Schwarzkopf said he was unsure whether there was sufficient evidence that Iraq had nuclear weapons.

He also criticized Donald Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense at the time, telling the Washington Post that during war-time television appearances "he almost sometimes seems to be enjoying it."

Schwarzkopf and his wife, Brenda, who he married in 1968, had two daughters and one son.

In a statement, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta praised Schwarzkopf as "one of the great military giants of the 20th century."

General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he "embodied the warrior spirit," and called the victory over Hussein's forces the hallmark of his career.

(Reporting by David Alexander, Ian Simpson and Roberta Rampton; Writing by Bill Trott; Editing by Stacey Joyce and Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/famed-gulf-war-u-general-schwarzkopf-dies-former-012253521.html

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5 tips to help you pack like a pro - TODAY Travel

Travel + Lesiure's Nilou Motamed challenges TODAY's Natalie Morales and Willie Geist to find out who is better at packing an efficient suitcase, and shares her tips to make sure bulky baggage won't complicate your vacation plans.

By Travel + Leisure staff

With ever-changing airline rules and restrictions, packing can get stressful. But it doesn?t have to be.

Here are five quick strategies to make your packing routine more efficient.

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1. Use shoe bags and packing organizers
Shoe bags keep clothes clean and shoes in order. Put smaller items like socks and underwear in packing cubes or bags so that they are easy to find.

Related:?Most annoying airport security checkpoints

2. Pack larger items first and put heavy items at the bottom
Shoes, jeans, and corduroys should go at the bottom so that lighter items don?t get squished as much.?

3. Roll casual items
The rolling method works well for casual clothes, such as jeans and t-shirts; belts can also be rolled.

4. Limit quantities and wear what you can
Limit yourself to three pairs of shoes ? pack two and wear one ? and wear your heaviest shoes, as well as blazer or big sweaters, onboard. A puffer coat, which can be squished, packs better than others. If your coat is bulkier, wear it onboard.?

5. Pack accessories, lighter clothes, and smaller items at the end
This strategy will fill in spaces and make liquids and lotions easily accessible in 3-ounce containers in a zip-top bag to take out at security. Button-down shirts and lighter items can also go on top.?

More From Travel + Leisure

Source: http://todaytravel.today.com/_news/2012/12/27/16175376-5-tips-to-help-you-pack-like-a-pro

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Tigers roar back: Great news for big cats in key areas

Dec. 26, 2012 ? The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has announced significant progress for tigers in three key landscapes across the big cat's range due to better law enforcement, protection of additional habitat, and strong government partnerships.

The successes are much-needed good news as tiger numbers worldwide continue to hover at all-time lows due to the combined threat of poaching, loss of prey, and habitat destruction. WCS estimates that only 3,200 tigers exist in the wild.

The news begins in southwestern India where WCS research and conservation efforts that began 25 years ago now show a major rebound of tigers in the Western Ghats region of Karnataka State. Over 600 individuals have been identified to date from camera trap photos during the last decade in this mountainous landscape. In Nagarahole and Bandipur National Parks, tigers have actually reached saturation levels, with surplus young tigers spilling out into forest-reserves and dispersing using secured forest corridors through a landscape that holds over a million human beings. The combination of strict government-led anti-poaching patrols, voluntary relocation of villages away from tiger habitats, and the vigilant local presence of WCS conservation partners watching over tigers has led to the rebound of big-cat populations and their prey. In newer tiger reserves including Bhadra and Kudremukh, numbers have increased by as much as 50 percent after years of neglect and chronic poaching were tackled.

In Thailand, WCS conservationists report a tiger comeback in Huai Kha Khaeng (HKK) Wildlife Sanctuary -- a 2,700 square kilometer (1,042 square mile) protected area in the vast Western Forest Complex. WCS has worked closely with Thai authorities to beef up enforcement and anti-poaching patrols in the region. Last year, a notorious poaching ring was busted, and this year the gang leaders were given prison sentences of up to five years -- the most severe punishments for wildlife poaching in Thailand's history. Since their capture, there have been no known tiger or elephant poaching incidents in the park. Tiger numbers have been rising steadily in the park since 2007, with a record 50-plus tigers counted last year.

Meanwhile in Russia, government officials are drafting a new law that will make transport, sales, and possession of endangered animals a criminal offense rather than just a civil crime. This will close a loophole that currently allows poachers to claim they found endangered species like tigers already dead and thus avoid stiffer criminal penalties for poaching.

Russia is making progress in creating additional protected areas for tigers, too, declaring a new corridor called Central Ussuri Wildlife Refuge on October 18. The new refuge acts as a linkage between the Sikhote-Alin tiger population in Russia, which is the main population of Amur tigers, and some of the best tiger habitat in China's Heilongjiang Province in the Wandashan Mountains. The creation of the new refuge ensures that tigers have the capacity to move across the international border between Russian and China in this region. WCS first identified this key corridor in 1999 after conducting joint wildlife surveys with Chinese and Russian scientists there. WCS President and CEO Cristi?n Samper said: "Tigers are clearly fighting for their very existence, but it's important to know that there is hope. Victories like these give us the resolve to continue to battle for these magnificent big cats. While the news about tigers has been bleak, these recent developments clearly show how smart strategies and strong partnerships are ensuring tigers are saved for centuries to come."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wildlife Conservation Society.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

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/top_environment/~3/R4fMvR8-z6Q/121226153034.htm

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2013 Expected to Bring Severe Computer Viruses and Spyware ...

2013 Expected to Bring Severe Computer Viruses and Spyware Activity says OnlineVirusRepair.com | Virtual-Strategy Magazine: "The previous year has been nothing short of an eruption of new viruses and spyware. Millions of people each year are attacked by all different sorts of viruses and malicious software, some of which aren?t even aware that their computer is infected. 2012 presented many new types of infections, which has kept antivirus and anti-spyware companies busy. The new viruses have made online virus removal more difficult and have forced new techniques to be put in place."

'via Blog this'

Source: http://steve-twincities.blogspot.com/2012/12/2013-expected-to-bring-severe-computer.html

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Best Web Hosting For Newbies | The Floor Geek

How to Prefer the most suitable Internet Structure Small business

Your company?s word wide web existence can be an necessary element within your company. Virtually someone who is looking into carrying out firm with you is guaranteed to groundwork your business on-line earlier than signing a contract or doing a buy. But, many people aren?t included in word wide web projects incredibly commonly and are not guaranteed what to try to find when choosing the very best web layout agency. Deciding upon the incorrect web site model workforce could verify devastating, and that means you ought to be cautious.

Below are 5 things take into consideration when picking an online style supplier:

Is their world wide web design and style pricing very extremely good to become right? Inside of the world of net model, affordable equates to weak outstanding. Quality-cutting measures include things like:
Outsourcing give good results
Re-packaging styles (which have been usually rejected by other buyers), or
Neglecting good assurance and testing A new everyday tactic is to try to present a low original quote when hiding expenditures that should inevitably pile up over the scope of the task. You can expect to also wish to be careful which the corporation might have small practical experience, or that it could not be in opportunity tomorrow. We frequently have clientele come to us to rescue their web site following possessing labored by having a ?discount? word wide web style and design business, ensuing in lost time and wasted income. Don?t permit that be you.

Saving a bit of up front could set you back far more from the long term.

Are they a vendor or even a lover? The net design and style company?s solution to their loving relationship along with you is extremely immensely important. Vendors reflect on success by their very own eyes, and also you and your online business ambitions are of no issue to them. When your challenge concludes, they go away, without having vested desire in your results. Associates, in contrast, try to get mutual achievement over the long run. It is actually a victory for them at the time you succeed. Right being successful is measured not by just launching a blog, but by that webpage getting return on investment decision and expanding your enterprise.

Always make sure they?re as passionate about your achievements while you are.

Where?s the information coming from? Subject matter isn?t an afterthought ? it?s integral to a powerful web page. Your articles has to be persuasive to visitors and optimized for lookup. It should always communicate the worth of one?s company, suit your brand id, be visually participating, and be optimized for converting website visitors to prospects. You need a husband or wife who will work together with you to translate your online business and benefit proposition into spectacular textual, graphic, and video subject material.

Choose an organization with subject matter development and optimization in the center of their process.

Are they an one-trick pony? Your business will always be evolving, as well as your must have will possibly transcend the world wide web. If web style and development certainly is the business?s only vicinity of competence, their eyes will glaze greater than the second you point out immediate mail, creating a movie, developing your tradeshow booth, composing a push launch, or solidifying their model position. Question no matter whether the company has just like a whole lot expertise in branding, promotion, and print pattern as they do with word wide web.

Determine a full-service organization to create not just an impressive website, but a comprehensive promotional technique.

Will their CMS contribute to you anxiety?Presume of a Subject material Administration Structure (CMS) as ?the wheel.? Some web pattern companies you could try to reinvent the wheel on each and every venture, developing proprietary customized choices that will be rarely essential and include sizeable prices for your venture. Employing a proprietary solution could also lock you in to working with that service for all of your word wide web repair or internet page upgrades inside of the upcoming.Other services (this type of as Intuit or Volusion) cause you to rent their wheel, actually leasing a web site from their platform by having a ?software as the service? CMS. These alternatives are really modest in layout and performance (with basically no power to customize possibly), therefore you won?t be in a position to acquire any belonging to the page along with you in case you depart. And after that you?ll find even now some internet style and design organizations who will have a shot at to encourage you that you just do not need a wheel, applying their web sites in outdated know-how these kinds of as Dreamweaver templates (or some times static HTML) so that you?re pressured to count on the company to make even minimal updates (regularly underneath an overpriced upkeep arrangement). Locate an online structure firm who:

Considers websites without a CMS to become just plain nutty
Builds online pages on an wide open resource Subject material Management Solution platform (this kind of as WordPress or Drupal)
Listens to, documents, and implements your distinctive prerequisites
Happily claims, ?You individual the code? Your website ought to be developed on a scalable, customizable, open-source platform making sure that it delivers lasting worth and grows with your organisation.

Consider your time and efforts and look into many web site style service providers before you generate a dedication. This really is a significant expense, plus a very important portion of your respective opportunity, so guantee that you might be making the appropriate resolution.

And, at the same time you might be considering your web existence, you really should consider a glance at the five doubts to your Search engine optimisation service.

Cpanel Internet Hosting Consumer Critiques Plus Vps InternetSite Hosting Evaluation In Your Yr 2013 can provide you with highest details for Best Web Hosting Sites Assure You Get The Most Effective Results.You should look at the article for more data!

Related posts:

1. Reseller Internet Hosting
2. Enterprise Internet Hosting Made Easy With Top Web Hosting Firm
3. Necessities Of Internet Hosting
4. Shared Web Hosting Simplified
5. Internet Hosting Critiques An Exquisite Option To Analyze A Hosting Company

Source: http://www.thefloorgeek.com/2012/12/best-web-hosting-for-newbies/

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What I Learned This Week in ActiveRain-December 9-December 15 ...

I Learn Something New at ActiveRain Every Day and It's Time I Showed You. ?December 9 to December 15, 2012.

I learn something new every day at ActiveRain! ?With this series I try to highlight one post per day that gave me that ?lightbulb? moment. ?It could be something techie, about Real Estate, about a place or person!

December 9: ?Sharon Lee ?Speechless Sunday-Nothing Can Stop Best Friends
Sometimes my Ah-ha moment comes not so much from what is said but what I see. ?Please take a look at Sharon?s post and see for yourself.

December 10: ?Gary Woltal ???Be a Master Storyteller with Words.
This post is moving on different levels. ?Gary reminds us to choose our words because they don?t just go away. ?And, they can make a difference to a person?s life. ??And, the video is worth the not quite 2 minutes it takes to watch. ?(You can do it while you brush your teeth!)

December 11: ?Sharon Tara ??New Life For Your Old Balls! Paint Christmas Ornaments for a New Look!
I am always eager to see what creative project Sharon Tara has tackled and this time the title and the post are very creative! ?And take a look at how she was able to meet a challenge put forth by Sheila Anderson!

?Joe Smith ?Back From the Grave-A Google Panda Recovery Success Story-Great SEO

If you haven?t subscribed to Joe?s blog, then I urge you to do so. ?He?s back after a short absence (and I know it?s because he?s had so much work coming his way. ?Read how patience and some helpful hints from Joe could help you get your site back up on Google after being penalized.

December 12: ?George Souto ?What ActiveRain Member Number Are You?
I think it?s fun roaming around the Rain and finding out some ?hidden? facts and numbers. ?I?m ?88505... head to George?s post to learn your number!

December 13: ?Michael O?Donnell ??Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and My Dad.
Who out there hasn?t seen White Christmas with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen? ?If you haven?t... read no further until you?ve turned on almost any station and watched this classic. ?Now read Michael?s post. ?This will bring a smile to your face, and maybe make you realize that what?s real is life.. not the movies.

December 14: ?William J. Archambault, Jr. ???Are You Too Opinionated For One Blog a Day?
Bill makes a good case that if you right more than one blog a day, ?it may be missed by the very people who enjoy reading your blog. ?I don?t think he means the Client-geared posts such as listings and market reports. ?I know that it?s all I can do to generate 1 blog per day but I actually have found that I?ve missed second posts by some of my favorite bloggers because I read their first post for the day and wasn?t actively looking for another one from them. What do you think?

December 15: ?Maureen McCabe ?What Is ASDFASDFASDF?
OK, this is a twist on my AHA moment... I know what ?asdfasdfasdf means but have you seen it around the Rain? ?Read Maureen?s post to find out. ???And if you want to know what asdfasdfasdf is.... Google it!

Thank you for letting me do what I love to do each day... learn something new!

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Source: http://activerain.com/blogsview/3555115/what-i-learned-this-week-in-activerain-december-9-december-15-2012-

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Video: RNC finance chair blasts Detroit voters

DETROIT (AP) ? The finance chair for the Republican National Committee told a Michigan tea party gathering this summer that Detroit's plummeting population and lack of a mayoral machine to get voters "to stop playing pool and drinking beer in the pool hall" has decreased its influence in elections.

Ron Weiser's comments were secretly videotaped Aug. 9 by a Democrat shadowing a Republican congressional candidate. The Detroit Free Press obtained the video from the Michigan Democratic Party and reported (http://on.freep.com/ZaRArP) on it Sunday.

In the video, Weiser, the state's former GOP chairman, can be seen telling attendees what his thoughts were heading into the Nov. 6 presidential election, which President Barack Obama won.

Detroit ? which is more than 80 percent black and votes almost overwhelmingly Democratic ? isn't to be feared as much because the city's population has dropped below 700,000 people and there no longer are strong, mayor-led machines to get voters to the polls, Weiser said.

There is "no Coleman Young machine. No Kwame Kilpatrick machine. There is no Dave Bing machine," he said. "There's no machine to go to the pool halls and the barbershops and put those people on buses, and then bus them from precinct to precinct where they vote multiple times.

"And there's no machine to get 'em to stop playing pool and drinking beer in the pool hall. And it does make a difference."

Young was Detroit's first black mayor and served nearly 20 years in the office. Kilpatrick resigned in 2008 during his second term while facing perjury and other charges related to text-messaging sex scandal. Bing, a professional basketball Hall of Famer and former businessman, was elected mayor in 2009.

"Obama has hired a lot of people to go help him get that vote out," Weiser continued in the video. "But if you're not from Detroit, the places where those pool halls and barbershops are, you're not going to be going at 6:30 in November. Not without a side arm."

The Rev. David Bullock, chairman of the Michigan Rainbow Push Coalition, characterized the remarks as racist.

"Detroit is much more than pool halls and barbershops," Bullock told the Free Press. "There are churches, there are parks, there are universities. It's disheartening that the political culture in Michigan and much of the country is so subversively and racially charged."

The comments also drew a sharp response by Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer.

"We have a major Republican figure in Michigan and nationally who is making racist stereotype remarks about voters in Detroit," Brewer said.

Weiser, an Ann Arbor businessman and Michigan Republican Party chairman from 2009-10, later told the newspaper his comments were "never intended to be racist" and that he didn't intend to offend anyone by his statements at the tea party meeting in Milford, northwest of Detroit.

He said he believes voter fraud occurred in Detroit during Young's and Kilpatrick's time in office and defended his statements.

"I don't think there's anything negative about pool halls and barbershops," Weiser told the newspaper Friday "There are many other places I could have talked about that would have had negative connotations.

"Since when is it a stereotype to talk about the fact people drink beer in pool halls? What do you think they drink? Soda pop?"

He also defended his view of crime in Detroit, a city with one of the highest violent crime rates in the country.

"I challenge you to find anyone who says you can walk around the neighborhoods of Detroit at 6:30 in the morning and not find it dangerous," Weiser said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/video-rnc-finance-chair-blasts-detroit-voters-184714640.html

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Powerhouse Internet Marketing ? A Canadian Search Engine ...

(PRWEB) December 13, 2012

Motivating force Internet Marketing, a Canadian Search Engine Optimization Outfit is offering a 20% off on all SEO packages for its customers. This discount is a part of the Christmas celebrations and will be on the market for a small period of time. It seems like Member of the clergy Christmas has stopped by ahead of schedule this year and brought a delightful surprise for all businesses looking to establish their name in the market.

This Canadian Search Engine Optimization Company has already informed its regular customers through mail ahead of schedule on in the week. The mail has been well accepted with tremendous answer as existing clients know the importance of Christmas. Christmas is a season when everyone tends to spend a lot of money on gifts, Christmas decoration, clothes, etc. As a result, businesses will be aiming to get their brand out to the masses and experience higher sales. Motivating force knows the significance of being on the 1st page of the search engines and hence offers SEO services, which will help their clients to achieve 1st page item on the search consequences ranking pages.

Keeping in mind the business needs of the different size companies, this Canadian Search Engine Optimization Company has improved its existing marketing packages. With the aim to appeal to a higher number of customers, these services have been optimized. These deals meet the needs of all sorts of businesses from new ventures to multi-national corporations as well as promoting a passionate brand image. Businesses are sure to experience a boost in site traffic and a rise in overall sales.

This Canadian Search Engine Optimization Outfit provides a review of the site, keyword research and evaluation, designing landing pages, search engine monitoring, etc. in this discounted SEO service. Motivating force offers complete satisfaction guarantee and infinite modifications to ensure that their clients receive their ideal designs.

Motivating force Internet Marketing started in the year 2005 and has reached a commanding spot in the SEO field. This Canadian Search Engine Optimization company provides in depth solutions to their customers and makes use of most of the most current technologies. Apart from SEO, they also provide E-buying, Social Media Marketing like Facebook and Twitter, Pay Per Click Publicity and Web Design. This company has the skills and practical experience that usually takes to make, introduce and manage any internet marketing plot no matter how challenging and complicated it will be.

A pleased customer stated ?Motivating force Internet Marketing were tremendously beneficial in regards to attracting a large number of public to our blog.? Another pleased client had been heard to express ?From the time, I spar to Motivating force?s team on a social media marketing plot, we?ve got an incredible answer. We?ve gotten plenty of messages and calls coming from prospective customers saying that they learned us from a acquaintances Facebook account. The custom-made social media marketing strategy they devised for us has served us enormously.?

Celebrities Marketers

Source: http://www.likeplusfollow.me/2012/12/powerhouse-internet-marketing-a-canadian-search-engine-optimization-company-announces-christmas-sale-on-seo-packages/

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Sorry, Google: NORAD gives gift of tracking Santa to Microsoft

1 hr.

Rosa Golijan , NBC News

Google has supported the NORAD Santa Tracker since 2007, but in 2012 things are changing. This year, the?jolly man in red will be tracked using Microsoft products.?

There doesn't appear to be any bad blood between NORAD?? a "bi-national U.S./Canadian military organization responsible for aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning in the defense of North America"?? and Google. It simply looks like it was time for the two organizations to part ways.

"Google supported NTS from 2007-2011 and helped increase NTS program awareness across the globe; NORAD is grateful for the partnership and the resulting success," a NORAD spokesperson tells NBC News. "This year, NTS and Google mutually agreed to go in new directions, and we are excited to welcome a number of new contributors, to include Microsoft, Windows Azure, Bing, and iLink-systems, among others, to help us in our mission of tracking Santa. The ability to work with a diverse team of contributors is fundamental to the NTS mission, and we appreciate all of the continued support of all contributors."

I'll leave the jokes about those contributors and?Google Maps vs. Bing Maps vs. Apple Maps to you?? I'm trying to be nice for Santa.?

Want more tech news?or interesting?links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/sorry-google-norad-gives-gift-tracking-santa-microsoft-1C7596676

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Finding the Golden Ratio of Faith and Bartending, Part III

Well, well, well, it's finally the last call in this little trilogy known by some as "The Chronicles of Barnia" (a title I was discouraged from using by a good friend who was tipsy enough to tell me it was stupid.). It's finally here. I've procrastinated long enough. Here's your Part III.


Now, just to clarify, I'm not trying to be the Tim Tebow of the bar industry or anything. All I've tried to do thus far is simply offer the simple idea that being a bartender doesn't dilute any deep convictions of personal holiness (if you missed those discussions be sure to hit up part 1 and part 2). In my previous posts, I tried to engage some common ideas I think might keep some fellow believers from accepting that a Christian can indeed flourish in the bar industry and remain "above reproach," faithfully upholding the Christian? morals concerning drunkenness and debauchery. Hopefully it has been flavorful and well-balanced discussion.


Yet, in the crafting of any argument and to make any concoction palatable, this discussion calls for a final garnish, if you will, and a good positive response for why bar tending can be an acceptable means of employment as it relates to the Lordship of Jesus. Whether folks pass on the chance to explore the fascinating history or craft of alcohol (which is an admirable decision, no question), I simply want all who love Christ and the Bible to acknowledge that the crafting of wine, beer, spirits, and cocktails is an area where the creativity, wisdom, and skill of man is a wonderful manifestation of a creative, wise, skillful Creator God who can reign and be glorified in this midst of an industry that's too often run amok. Again, as I've wanted to make clear in this whole discussion, I don't think it's profitable for every Christian to work at a bar. Nor am I suggesting that every bar is acceptable to work at. There are indeed only a few contexts that can allow for both the "lawful and profitable" (1 Cor. 6.12) learning experience that I've received. I also want to acknowledge the long list of heartbreaking examples from my own life and those close to me of the devastating consequences of alcohol abuse. Please hear my effort to offer a balanced perspective that allows for a deep appreciation for a fine, well-made, hand-crafted beverage, while still giving full credence that booze can be a life-enslaving substance that can bring out the worst in our savior-seeking hearts. We good?

Okay. Cheers. Let's do this.

Let's start with a quote from a notable work on the history of cocktails:

"Now, admittedly, mixed drinks are not paintings, sculptures, novels, or poems. They are disposable and, frankly, not a little bit disreputable, standing roughly in the same relation to the culinary arts that American motor sports do to automotive engineering or hot jazz to musical composition: they smack of improvisation and cheap effects and even the most august [i.e., respectable] of them lack the cachet [i.e., state of being respected] accorded to fine wines, old whiskies, and cognac brandies. The are easily abused: they can degrade lives and even destroy them. Even if appreciated in moderation, they are appreciated in surroundings that rarely lead to detached meditation on truth and beauty (if those are not the same thing) or constructive engagement with the great moral and social questions of the age. And yet neither are they contemptible. A proper drink at the right time--one mixed with care and skill and served in a true spirit of hospitality--is better than any other made thing at giving us the illusion, at least, that we're getting what we want from life. A cat can gaze upon a king, as the proverb goes, and after a Dry Martini or a Sazerac Cocktail or two, we're all cats."

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? --David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 10.?

So, the thing my friend here is getting at is that cocktails, in particular, naturally have an uphill battle to climb on two fronts. First, as he says, "they are easily abused: they can degrade lives and even destroy them." No question there. But, secondly, "Even if appreciated in moderation, they are appreciated in surroundings that rarely lead to detached meditation on truth and beauty (if those are not the same thing) or constructive engagement with the great moral and social questions of the age." So, not only do folks get hammered, but even if they drink in moderation, the context in which they do rarely has the ambiance of thought or intentionality. When people occasionally stand on the tables at my bar, it often isn't to find better footing for reciting Shakespeare. So, if you want to snuggle up to your favorite book with a cocktail in hand, you should probably invest in a home bar. However, "a proper drink at the right time--one mixed with care and skill and served in a true spirit of hospitality (now there's an idea)--is better than any other made thing at giving us the illusion, at least, that we're getting what we want from life." Smells like a whiff from Psalm 104:15.Hospitality, creativity, and context are all key to the Golden Ration of appreciation for the mixed drink.?

Now, infuse this idea with the following from one of my favorite spiritual leaders:

?He created the flavors! He created the colors. He created it all, and he did it all out of the overflow of his perfections. It?s not like he was thinking, ?Oh, I?ve got some fajita flavoring over here. I know: let?s put it on the cow and the chicken.? He created the avocado to have a certain flavor; he created the skirt steak, the fillet, and the tenderloin to have certain flavors. That was God?s doing. So every aspect of creation, from the largest galaxy to the tiniest burst of flavor in food or drink or seasoning, radiates the goodness of God.??

Matt Chandler, The Explicit Gospel, 102.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. All of it. "The earth is the Lord's, and all the fullness thereof" (Psalm 24:1). God, in His infinite wisdom and creativity, designed fermentation--not man in his limited foolishness and fallen ingenuity. God, because He's a genius, gets biological fermentation and how yeast converts sugar into ethanol. That process brings Him glory and He took pleasure in gifting humanity with such a discovery. God is a master chef and understands the culinary science of flavor. He gets dry-shaking and the emulsification of an egg white in a Pisco Sour...aaaand why consuming it can increase the risk of food borne illness (that was for free). In His great generosity and kindness, God gifted humanity with a planet bursting with potential ingredients for us to enjoy with gratitude (1 Tim 6:17). He gave us taste buds because He knows that food and drink and dessert makes our hearts glad. Alcohol, though easily abused and turned into an object of worship, can be enjoyed in moderation as an act of worship.?

In one last word, let me say it this way. Even if Jesus never turned water into fantastic wine (John 2:1-11) or been falsely accused of over-consumption (Matt. 11:19; Luke 7:34), and even if Paul would've never allowed Timothy to use wine as a 1st century version of Pepto (1 Tim. 5:23), and even if Psalm 104 didn't rejoice in the way our majestic God tenderly cares for His creation by, of all ways, causing wine to "maketh glad the heart of man" (v.15), and even if 1st century wine was of lesser alcohol content than today, and even if we weren't explicitly told that we would drink wine in heaven with Jesus (Mark 4:25), there's still enough revealed in Genesis 1 and 2 to at least allow non-drinking Christians to give props to God for what is now culinary art found in the crafting of cocktails, beer brewing, and wine making. The freedom or restriction to participate in that art is determined by your conscience.

Hospitality, creativity, context, and conscience. Golden Ratio.?


If you decline the opportunity to explore the craft of alcoholic beverages, hopefully I've provided enough of a framework for you to apply this to every other venue of life and culture. Don't be afraid to enjoy God's good creation. Give thanks to God for creating the resources necessary to enjoy that cup of coffee you're drinking as you read this. Go back to your favorite restaurant with a new appreciation for God's genius and the skill imparted by Him to your chefs. Go enjoy some art or a play or live jazz or some other form of human culture that has God's creativity stamped all over it. And, if you're ever in Louisville, stop by Meat. I'll be there and I'll make you the best Shirley Temple that your Prohibitionist, tee-totalin' britches will be pleading for a repeal of conscience!


Cheers!

The end.

Source: http://inchoatethoughtsoftruth.blogspot.com/2012/12/finding-golden-ratio-of-faith-and.html

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Roanoke Valley retailers seeing business uptick | WSLS 10

HARDY, VA --

The holiday shopping season isn't over yet but new numbers just out today show sales have rebounded slightly following super storm Sandy. The census bureau reports overall sales nationwide rose point-three percent in November. This comes after sales dropped that same amount in October. Many analysts attributed that decrease to stores that were forced to close in the northeast.

With the national numbers trending up, we talked to a local businesses about why they believe shoppers are spending more confidently this holiday season.

"I came in today to buy a Christmas present for my wife" said Glenn Pierce, just one of the many customers keeping Haywood's Jewelers busy. "Wherever I go, I see more people out spending their bucks."

"People have been excited about the holidays" said Joanna Hudzik, Haywood's co-owner. She says holiday business is up 12-percent this year and she's hired extra staff.

"When the economy originally took a downturn, that's all you heard and customers were coming in and they weren't spending as much and they were talking about it. They're not talking about it and they're coming and spending" said Hudzik.

Because of where Thanksgiving fell this year it's given people an extra week to shop before Christmas and businesses say that's a good thing.
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"That got people kind of into the spirit of shopping and gift giving, perhaps a little earlier" said Joyce Waugh the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce President.

She says many local retailers are reporting a boost. We checked with business in downtown Roanoke and Valley View mall management who say they're doing well this holiday season.

"The election is over, a lot of things were wafting for that" said Waugh.

"The real make it or break it time ends up being this next week but going into that week already ahead, is encouraging and exciting" said Hudzik.

Waugh says although retail business is up for some, other sectors are fluctuating, like the restaurant industry in our area.

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Source: http://www2.wsls.com/news/2012/dec/13/roanoke-valley-retailers-seeing-business-uptick-ar-2415652/

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Should we pull out of our 401k due to loss for last ... - Roth IRA News

NO.
Do not stop contributing to your 401k

This is a natural thought?. That you must fight.
See if this story below helps.

Looking back to June of 2007 you were very happy with the returns you were seeing on XYZ fund within your 401k.
Back then for every $100.00 dollars you were buying 5 shares @ $20.00 per share, and you noticed that over the previous 3 years its price had went from $15. per share to $20.00. You said to yourself wow that is a 25% return over 3 years.

Now that same $100 is buying the same quality investment but since you are ?stayng the course? your $100 is buying 10 shares. How smart are you! , when the price is low you are doubling the amount of shares you buy.

Now in the future when (not if) the share price returns to $25.00
the shares you bought in JUne 2007 (5 shrs @ $20) are worth
$125.00 or 25% increase (if you assume that takes 5 years ) that is
still 5% a year growth on your money. (Pre-Tax,Grows Tax Deferred, and because of pre-tax savings it possibly lowers your overall family tax rate. You keep more of your money)

Now lets look at the shares you bought in March m2009.
(10 shares @ $10.00 per share)
When (not if) the share price recovers to $25. per share
your $100 dollars is worth (10 shrs x $25.) $250.00 or a 250% return.

So June 2007 buys + March 2008 buys = 5 shares + 10 shares = 15 shares. 15 shares x $25.00 = $375.00 ( from your personal investemnt of $200.00) or a $175.00 gain.

If it takes 5 years from June 2007, June 2012 that is approximately a
87% return divided by 5 years = 7.2% return average per year.
Not Bad !

At that rate, if you could continue your Money would double every 10 years.

If i am 50 years old, plan ot retire @ 66 yrs old, might need to use my 401k moey when i am 70 years old, and i have $50,000 in my 401k right now, that means wehn i am 70 the 401k would be worth $200,000.(My account doubles every 10 years is you average 7.2%)

Once again. Not Bad.

Believe in the US/Global Economy, you are much closer to the end of this recession then the beginning. Keep doing what you are doing for yourself and your family.

People who have money, are also asking quesitons like yours, except one slight difference.
They are asking should i be increasing what we put in our 401k to take advantage of this ?Short Term? drop in prices.

I hope this helps.

Source: http://rothira.solve-up.com/roth-ira/should-we-pull-out-of-our-401k-due-to-loss-for-last-few-quarters/

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North Korean satellite 'tumbling out of control,' - World News ...

China has offered a rare criticism of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, after the country fired a long-range rocket that has been described by U.S. officials as a weapons test. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.

By Jim Miklaszewski and Alan Boyle, NBC News

The object that North Korea sent into space on Wednesday appears to be ?tumbling out of control? as it orbits the earth, U.S. officials told NBC News.

The officials said that it is indeed some kind of space vehicle, but they still haven?t been able to determine exactly what the satellite is supposed to do.

In a statement, the White House said the rocket launch was a highly provocative act that threatens regional security and violates U.N. resolutions.

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday condemned the launch, calling it a "clear violation" of U.N. resolutions. A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he "deplores" the launch.

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North Korea is banned from conducting missile and nuclear tests, under the terms of U.N. sanctions imposed after a series of nuclear weapons tests in 2006 and 2009.

Missile warning systems detected the launch at 7:49 p.m. ET Tuesday.?North American Aerospace Defense Command officials said in a statement that the initial indications were that the first stage fell into the Yellow Sea and the second stage fell into the Philippine Sea.

North Korea said the launch was an attempt to place a satellite into a pole-to-pole orbit.?Pyongyang's official KCNA news agency said that the rocket was fired from the Sohae Satellite Launch Center on the secretive country's west coast, and that the Kwangmyongsong weather satellite went into orbit as planned.

KCNA via Reuters

North Korean scientists work as a screen shows the Unha-3 (Milky Way 3) rocket being launched at the satellite control center in Cholsan county, North Pyongan province.

But U.S. officials say the launch was a thinly veiled attempt to test a three-stage ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead as far as the U.S. West Coast.

ANALYSIS: 'Spoiled child' North Korea snubs China

Russia added its voice to the condemnation of the launch and also called on other nations to refrain from further escalating tensions.

"The new rocket launch carried out by North Korea flaunts the opinion of the international community, including calls from the Russian side," it said.

China, North Korea's only major diplomatic ally, said officials had urged Pyongyang not to go ahead with the launch, and expressed regret that it had taken place.

Japan and South Korea voiced concern as well. "The Japanese government regards this launch as an act compromising the peace and stability of the region, including Japan," said Osamu Fujimura, Japan?s chief cabinet secretary. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak convened an emergency meeting of his national security council.

North Korea has successfully launched a long-range rocket, defying a U.N. Security Council Resolution and warnings from the West. On the streets of the country's capital, there were celebrations at the announcement. But internationally, the launch has provoked widespread condemnation and threats of further sanctions. ITN's Angus Walker reports.

The liftoff came as a shock to many South Koreans because they thought it would not take place until after South Korea's presidential election on Dec. 19.

Only a day earlier, North Korea hinted that the launch time might have to be readjusted due to weather or a technical problem.

"It was a surprise in terms of the timing," Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst with the RAND think tank, told The Associated Press. "They had talked about postponing for a week. To recover so quickly from technical problems suggests they have gotten good at putting together a missile."

This was North Korea's fifth test launch of a long-range rocket or ballistic missile ? and the second launch since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un came to power in the wake of his father?s death a year ago. Experts say none of the previous attempts was successful, although Pyongyang says otherwise.

The last rocket was launched in April but fell apart shortly after being fired.

One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told NBC News that Kim was under pressure to launch a success.

"He knows the stakes are high either way, and it is really what he does next that matters," the official said.

Jim Miklszewski is NBC News' chief Pentagon correspondent. Alan Boyle is NBC News' science editor.?This report includes information from NBC News' Julie Yoo in Seoul and Arata Yamamoto in Tokyo, as well as Reuters and The Associated Press.

Ezra Klein reports the breaking news that North Korea has test-fired a long-range rocket in defiance of the international community.

More world stories from NBC News:

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/12/15866530-north-korean-satellite-tumbling-out-of-control-us-officials-say

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Ratings wins in key demographics at UFC on Fox 5 thrills Dana White

UFC president Dana White was in an extraordinary mood Tuesday thanks to the ratings his fight card on Fox delivered.

The UFC on Fox 5 card from Key Arena in Seattle improved the performance of UFC on Fox 4 by 83 percent and won all key male demographics in its time slot. The show attracted an average of 4.4 million viewers, doing a 2.5 household rating and a 4 share overall.

White pointed out that the UFC show trailed the Heisman Trophy ceremony and 48 Hours Mystery in its time slot in terms of total viewers, but UFC on Fox 5 finished as the No. 3 show for the week among males 18-49. In addition, it won the night among males 18-34, males 18-49, adults 18-34 and adults 18-49.

That younger demographic is what the UFC targets and is coveted by advertisers.

"We just killed it," an ebullient White told Yahoo! Sports. "We killed it in every demo."

The ratings increased during every fight. Matt Brown's knockout of Mike Swick in the opener drew an average of 3.6 million viewers. That number increased to 4.3 million for Rory MacDonald's beating of B.J. Penn. Alex Gustafsson's victory over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua had 4.5 million viewers, while the main event received an average of 5.7 million.

Though it was third in total viewers, White said what mattered most was the 18-34-year-old male demographic, which advertisers so desperately seek.

"There are always going to be older people home watching TV on a Saturday night," White said. "But the advertisers are trying to reach that demo and we just dominated it. That was a huge night for us."

Las Vegas was the top market with a 6.3 rating and 11 share. It was followed by Louisville (5.0/8), Sacramento (4.7/9), Columbus (4.6/8) and Phoenix (4.2/8).

The card drew the second-highest average viewership of the four shows on Fox in 2012. UFC on Fox 2 in January averaged 5.7 million viewers. UFC on Fox 5 on Saturday was at 4.4 million average. UFC on Fox 3 and UFC on Fox 4 each averaged 2.4 million viewers.

The next UFC card on Fox is on Jan. 26 in Chicago beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Demetrious Johnson defends the flyweight title against John Dodson in the main event.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ratings-wins-key-demographics-ufc-fox-5-thrills-005157121--mma.html

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Nintendo moves over 300K Wii U consoles in Japan after first week

Nintendo had a so-so stateside Wii U debut, but with 300,000 units chalked up after a week in Japan, it's become the seventh best hardware launch in that country, according to Famitsu and Enterbrain. Games selling well alongside the device include evergreen Super Mario, which tagged along to the tune of 170k units, while Monster Hunter rang up 110k titles. All that is a modestly successful debut for the console at home so far, considering that its more revolutionary predecessor became a monster hit after selling a fourth-best 370,000 copies during its first week in the island nation. On the other hand, Sony's PS Vita also racked up decent early numbers, and we all know how that turned out.

Filed under: Gaming, Nintendo

Comments

Via: Games Industry International

Source: Famitsu (translated)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/11/wii-u-seventh-all-time-console-launch-in-japan-with-300k-sold-in/

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Watching This Guy Make Cotton Candy Art Is Incredibly Tasty

Have you ever tried to make cotton candy? Whenever I start twirling that stick in that intimidating centrifugal force of a cotton candy machine, my cotton candy turns out lumpy, tumorous and never looks appetizing. I mean it's still delicious—like any sugary cloud would be—but it looks disgusting. This guy though, makes art with cotton candy. Imagine an edible balloon animal. That's what this guy makes. God's work. [YouTube via Neatorama] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Zu9yDe6uw0Q/watching-this-guy-make-cotton-candy-art-is-incredibly-tasty

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US defends $1.9B deal with British banking giant

FILE -- In a July 30, 2012 file photo people walk past a logo of HSBC headquarters in Hong Kong . HSBC, the British banking giant, will pay $1.9 billion to settle a money-laundering probe by federal and state authorities in the United States, a law enforcement official said Monday Dec. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, file)

FILE -- In a July 30, 2012 file photo people walk past a logo of HSBC headquarters in Hong Kong . HSBC, the British banking giant, will pay $1.9 billion to settle a money-laundering probe by federal and state authorities in the United States, a law enforcement official said Monday Dec. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, file)

Lanny Breuer, right, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, addresses a news conference in Brooklyn, N.Y., Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. British bank HSBC has agreed to pay $1.9 billion to settle a New York based-probe in connection with the laundering of money from narcotics traffickers in Mexico, U.S. authorities announced Tuesday. Joining Breuer are, from left, Treasury Under Secretary David Cohen; Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement John Morton; and Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Lanny Breuer, center, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, addresses a news conference in Brooklyn, N.Y., Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. British bank HSBC has agreed to pay $1.9 billion to settle a New York based-probe in connection with the laundering of money from narcotics traffickers in Mexico, U.S. authorities announced Tuesday. Among those joining Breuer is Treasury Under Secretary David Cohen, left. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement John Morton, addresses a news conference, in Brooklyn, N.Y., Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. British bank HSBC has agreed to pay $1.9 billion to settle a New York based-probe in connection with the laundering of money from narcotics traffickers in Mexico, U.S. authorities announced Tuesday. He is joined by US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta Lynch, left, and Lanny Breuer, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Lanny Breuer, left, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, addresses a news conference in Brooklyn, N.Y., Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. British bank HSBC has agreed to pay $1.9 billion to settle a New York based-probe in connection with the laundering of money from narcotics traffickers in Mexico, U.S. authorities announced Tuesday. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK (AP) ? American authorities on Tuesday cited "astonishing" dysfunction at the British bank HSBC and said that it had helped Mexican drug traffickers, Iran, Libya and others under U.S. suspicion or sanction to move money around the world.

HSBC agreed to pay $1.9 billion, the largest penalty ever imposed on a bank.

The U.S. stopped short of charging executives, citing the bank's immediate, full cooperation and the damage that an assault on the company might cause on economies and people, including thousands who would lose jobs if the bank collapsed.

Outside experts said it was evidence that a doctrine of "too big to fail," or at least "too big to prosecute," was alive and well four years after the financial crisis.

The settlement avoided a legal battle that could have further savaged the bank's reputation and undermined confidence in the banking system. HSBC does business in almost 80 countries, so many that it calls itself "the world's local bank."

Lanny A. Breuer, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department's criminal division, cited a "stunning, stunning failure" by the bank to monitor itself. He said that it enabled countries subject to U.S. sanction ? Cuba, Iran, Libya, Myanmar and Sudan ? to move about $660 million in prohibited transactions through U.S. financial institutions, including HSBC, from the mid-1990s through September 2006.

Officials noted that HSBC officers in the United States had warned counterparts at the parent company that efforts to hide where financial transactions originated would expose the bank to sanctions, but the protests were ignored.

HSBC even instructed an Iranian bank in one instance how to format messages so that its financial transactions would not be blocked, Breuer said at a news conference announcing the settlement.

"The record of dysfunction that prevailed at HSBC for many years is simply astonishing," Breuer said.

For the government not to go a step further and prosecute was "beyond obscene," said Bill Black, a former U.S. regulator for the Office of Thrift Supervision who now teaches at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

"Regulators are telling us, 'Yes, they're felons, they're massive felons, they did it for years, they lied to us, and they made a lot of money ... and they got caught red-handed and they're gonna walk.'"

Black disputed the government's concern that indicting HSBC could take down the financial system.

"That's the logic that we get stability by leaving felons in charge of our largest banks," he said. "This is insane."

Breuer defended the government's agreement with HSBC. He said that U.S. employees in particular seemed duped by criminal enterprises taking advantage of HSBC oversight policies that over decades became increasingly lax.

Court documents showed that the bank let over $200 trillion between 2006 and 2009 slip through relatively unmonitored, including more than $670 billion in wire transfers from HSBC Mexico, making it a favorite of drug cartels and money launderers. HSBC Bank USA at the time rated Mexico in its lowest risk category.

Top executives who felt "the pressure of the bottom line" continually cut staff that might have discovered how criminal enterprises were taking advantage of the bank, Breuer said.

Officials noted that the deal for the first time resulted in U.S. court supervision of a foreign banking institution and lengthy monitoring of a radically changed bank that had changed all its top management.

Before the government stepped in, HSBC used only one or two compliance officers to monitor its banknotes business ? the wholesale buying and selling of bulk cash around the world ? even though the business is highly vulnerable to money launderers.

Despite the high risk, discrepancies and suspicious activity in banknotes transactions were not reported from July 2006 to July 2009, when the banks' compliance staffing was at its worst.

In March 2008, when 13,000 to 15,000 suspicious wire alerts were generated per month by such transactions, only four employees were around to review them, according to court papers. HSBC Bank USA now has 430 employees reviewing suspicious wire alerts.

"I think it's a disservice to suggest that anyone's getting a pass here," Breuer said.

Asked repeatedly why no bank executives were being prosecuted, Breuer said, "I'm not here to defend HSBC." Yet, he added: "Our goal is not to bring HSBC down."

He said to do so would affect the economy and cost thousands of people their jobs. He said no criminal charges would be brought unless it could be proved that executives purposely tried to let criminal organizations launder money.

Other officials noted that some of what was going on may have violated U.S. laws but not the laws of Britain or other nations where HSBC employees were carrying out their work.

The bank's CEO, Stuart Gulliver, said that it accepted responsibility for its mistakes and was "profoundly sorry." He added: "The HSBC of today is a fundamentally different organization from the one that made those mistakes."

U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch in Brooklyn said the bank's "blatant failure" to implement proper anti-money laundering controls permitted drug organizations in Mexico to launder at least $881 million in drug proceeds through the U.S. financial system. Court documents show that HSBC expanded its banking links with Mexico in 2002 when it acquired Mexico's fifth-largest bank with approximately 1,400 branches and 6 million customers. According to the documents, HSBC's head of compliance acknowledged at the time that what became HSBC Mexico had "no recognizable compliance or money laundering function ... at present."

Besides forfeiting $1.25 billion in its deal with the government, HSBC also agreed to pay $665 million in civil penalties, including $500 million to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and $165 million to the Federal Reserve. The U.S. said the United Kingdom's Financial Services Authority was pursuing a separate action.

It was not the first time that the bank has gotten in trouble with American authorities. In July, a Senate subcommittee on investigations criticized HSBC for lax controls that allowed money laundering.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., accused the bank of "playing fast and loose with U.S. banking rules."

In the middle of the hearing, HSBC's head of group compliance, David Bagley, acknowledged "some significant areas of failure" in the bank's compliance, then broke from his prepared testimony to resign.

At the same Senate hearing, the head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Thomas Curry, found fault with his own agency. It "could have and should have" addressed problems at the bank sooner, he said.

Money laundering by banks has become a target for U.S. law enforcement. Since 2009, Credit Suisse, Barclays, Lloyds and ING have all paid big settlements related to allegations that they moved money for people or companies under U.S. sanction.

The money-laundering affair is the latest scandal to strike the banks since the 2008 financial crisis.

Standard Chartered PLC, another British bank, signed an agreement with New York regulators on Monday to settle a money-laundering investigation involving Iran with a $340 million payment.

HSBC should easily be able to absorb the $1.9 billion penalty issued this week. It turned a profit of $17 billion last year alone.

John Martin, the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the settlement resulted from a five-year investigation that included the study of 9 million documents.

"Money is what makes the world of organized crime go around," he said. "HSBC got into a bad place."

Gulliver assumed the CEO job Jan. 1, 2011, but has been at the company since 1980. In late 2010, when Gulliver was preparing to take the CEO job, the bank shook up top management.

"After the financial crisis, I believe customers are thinking more carefully about who they trust with their wealth and savings," Gulliver said in a statement at the time.

___

Associated Press writers Pan Pylas in London and Pete Yost in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-12-11-HSBC-Bank%20Case/id-18ae1f45951a411a9cb320caa9e024df

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