Local Voices ? Home Improvement Advice That Everyone Should ...

It is important to do home improvments because it will give your home more value. Of course, maintaining your home is also another good reason to do home improvements. Home improvement projects include those which enhance your room to those which are necessary for repairs. Below, you will find some great tips and techniques to get you started.

If your roof is in need of repairs due to cracking, try getting a roll of aluminum tape, three inches wide. Simply apply the tape by removing its backing and placing the sticky side to the surface you desire. This creates a waterproof barrier over these cracks.

Before installing tiles for sinks, showers or baths, be sure to back it with a cement back board. Cement backboards can reduce the likelihood that any moisture will get to your drywall. Mildew and mold will form if water makes contact with drywall.

If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you owe it to yourself to buy only the best tools and supplies. You might pay more to begin with, but it will cost less money over time. If you purchase high quality products, they will wear better and last longer. You aren?t going to want to replace tools all the time, as they are expensive.

Have an electrician install an electrical outlet in the cabinet above where you are going to have your microwave installed. This will give you a place to plug your microwave in that is not visible. Eliminating dangling cords is an easy way to improve the look of your kitchen.

If you get advice from your contractor, you must assume that it is sound. If you know he is reputable, follow his advice. Trust his judgement if he warns you against certain renovations. Also, take into consideration his budget advice before beginning your project. Take the advice given to you by your contractor.

When thinking about home improvement, think of it as a saving rather than an expenditure. When you purchase new appliances, you will automatically save electricity. Another great way to save money through improvements is to put new insulation in the home and to fix the roof if damaged. Do these things while keeping your finances in mind.

Buy new furniture every once and a while, refreshing the appearance and keeping the rooms looking new. Garage sales and thrift stores can add a new flare to your room! You may find some real hidden treasures among used things, such as furniture. Some may need a lot of work, but if you invest enough time, they can greatly improve your home.

A great way to save some money in the winter on heating is to put insulation in the attic. Heat tends to rise and without proper attic insulation; it seeps out of your house and runs your energy costs up substantially. Insulation is easily obtained at many hardware or home improvement stores and can be simple to install.

You should have a detailed plan and idea of how much money your home improvement project will cost. Do this before starting any work. Sometimes materials can be purchased in bulk but homeowners should investigate this possibility before assuming that such a cost-saving step is possible. Some materials and equipment that may be needed have significant lead times. If you do not order them ahead of time, it may make your project drag on.

Some people believe that high ticket items like radiant heating under the floors or central vacuum systems will add value to their homes. Yet they neglect important cosmetic work, like painting the interior and exterior and fixing minor eyesores. Buyers notice these things and consider the property a fixer-upper. First impressions always matter the most when it comes to a family?s house and property.

If you didn?t know what to do in order to make home improvements, you do now. This is great! Re-read the tips from the article above a second time to ensure you will remember them when the time comes that you need them.

Source: http://www.packetinsider.com/blog/localvoices/?p=268

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Hospitals battled to protect patients as Sandy raged

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hospitals-battled-protect-patients-sandy-raged-204113788.html

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Oregon Home Is a Contemporary Standout in a ... - AOL Real Estate

A #housepornthurs submission from @whererealestate, this cubic contemporary home in the Portland suburb of North Plains, Ore., is surrounded by elaborate landscaping and a large swath of timber-rich land.

Sheathed in an austere white exterior, the three-bedroom, three-bathroom home has 3,668 square feet of interior space featuring Brazilian cherry woodwork and gleaming tile floors.

The home faces a pond, and is set on 20 acres of pastures and pines. Seventeen of the acres are covered with timber that's ripe for harvest, suggests the listing. You can view the pastoral vistas from floor-to-ceiling windows, a hot tub or its back deck.

It's listed for $990,000.

Click on the images below to view other homes for sale in North Plains, Ore.:

See more Houses of the Day on AOL Real Estate.

Got a tip for House of the Day? Know of an exceptional or unusual property currently listed for sale? Please email krisanne.alcantara@huffingtonpost.com with your suggestions and be sure to include links to listing details and photos. (Due to the volume of response, we unfortunately are unable to reply to each submission.)

More on AOL Real Estate:
Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.
Find homes for sale in your area.
Find foreclosures in your area.
Find homes for rent in your area.
See celebrity real estate.

Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2012/10/31/oregon-home-is-a-contemporary-standout-in-a-rustic-woodsy-setti/

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Microsoft brings guest user account to Windows Phone 8 via Kid's Corner

Ever dreamed of having more than one user account on your smartphone? Microsoft's making that a reality with Kid's Corner for Windows Phone 8. If you're not a parent, don't let the name deceive you: this particular feature is great for both the tiny tots and all of your grown-up friends, as it allows you to choose which apps, games, music and videos show up when the device is in that particular mode. It's a feature that has strangely eluded the other major platforms, and it absolutely gives WP8 an edge for those concerned about youngsters (and potentially even colleagues) getting into trouble with your phone.

For more, check out our Windows Phone 8 event liveblog!

Gallery: Windows 8 Kids Corner

Continue reading Microsoft brings guest user account to Windows Phone 8 via Kid's Corner

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Microsoft

Microsoft brings guest user account to Windows Phone 8 via Kid's Corner originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 13:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/29/windows-phone-8-guest-access-kids-corner/

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Best Ideas For Marketing Your Business On Line Now

Thinking about Online marketing? Pretty exciting, yes? But you may be a bit stumped about how to proceed. Do not worry ? the Internet marketing tips you need are available here! Some of the tips you need to get organized to be a successful marketer on the Internet are listed below.

Set up an accounts on several social networking sites and send out relevant information. Make sure, however, that you do not send information to people who didn?t request it; this can quickly turn off potential customers.

Doing business on the internet is often an impersonal, anonymous affair. This tactic is truly effective for smaller businesses who tend to rely on the personal aspect of selling.

A 500 error page that is kind to your users is an effective tool. This page will popup whenever something on your site doesn?t work. A typical error page tells the viewer that the connection has simply timed out. There are much better ways to inform users that you know about an issue and are trying to fix it.

Add the words ?simple? and ?easy? to your online marketing lexicon. When you advertise your products as easy to use, you will attract more customers to give them a try because many consumers do not like to deal with complicated products. This is one great way to improve your sales.

Capitalize on the mobile marketing revolution. Offer customers the chance to sign up for texts alerting them to sales, product launches, or other happenings on your site. This is a new method of advertising that also will boost your advertising campaigns in Affiliate marketing.

Offer special incentives to first-time customers. These things will help people spread the word about your company, while introducing your product or service to more people. People will want to put more of your products in their cart if they find the site to their liking. Stand by your product with confidence!

Focus on building a quality site before you worry about marketing it and obtaining a ranking. Creating a well-designed website is an essential first step for your business. Making your site look good and operate well from the beginning means less work as time goes on to re-do or fix mistakes.

Are you looking for a way to improve your website marketing campaign? You want your customers to feel like they can trust you, your site and your products. Add an explanation of your privacy policy provisions near the top of the website. You will make your customers feel as though they are being treated fairly and securely. You can help them feel comfortable that their identities are completely secure when they make a purchase with you.

When you give the option to put ads on your site make sure that the affiliates have a good reputation. Being associated with these companies increases your own credibility tenfold. By doing this, you will increase the number of visitors to your site and make it a primary web destination for them.

It helps to put user polls on the side of any content that you have on your site to see how users feel about it. Not only will this help you adjust the type of content that you include, it will also make your users feel like you care about their opinions.

Now, after reading the information above, do you feel more knowledgeable? It was a ton of info, but now you are equipped to do the best in the Internet marketing world. Do more research and do not hesitate to try new strategies if you are unsure of what will work with your audience.

Bordeaux Marketing Group is an internet marketing agency specializing Affiliate Program Management, Online Marketing Expert including Pay Per Click (PPC), Social Media Marketing, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). We are recognized by Google as ?Certified Adwords Professional? specializing in Search Marketing (PPC Management). To find out more visit their website at http://www.bordeauxmarketinggroup.com.

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Tagged as: internet marketing, online marketing, users feel

Source: http://bordeauxmarketinggroup.com/blog/2012/10/29/best-ideas-for-marketing-your-business-on-line-now/

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Easy Steps to Modernize The Lights in Your Home o5 Recipes for Life

Written by Guest Blogger

Proper, well thought out lighting can do wonders to any home. Using lighting fixtures conscientiously and providing the right light accents to your interiors is one of the best ways to really show off how your beautiful your home is. It is also a great way of jazzing up a space that you haven?t redecorated in a while.

Modernizing the lights in your home is a cool interior designer?s trick and here?s how to do it.

Assess your interiors

Walk through your home and assess the whole area and from here make an initial plan of where you plan to put up new lights or areas that you plan to light up. You can draw a rough sketch of the space and identify where you want to put the lights. You should also indicate which areas will need different lighting effects ? dim lights, bright lights, yellow lights, among others. Finally, mark which areas will need constant illumination (places where the lights will rarely be turned off) and those that will only be lighted sometimes.

Take care of the basics

The first step to modernizing your lights doesn?t start with replacing light bulbs and fixtures but on the less glamorous part of the system ? the wiring and switch boards. Have an electrician asses your connections and wiring to ensure that they?re safe and can handle the load. Repair anything that needs to be repaired. This is very important since most household fires are caused by faulty wiring. You should get new switch boards if you want a total updated look for your interiors.

Choose light fixtures

Identify what kind of fixtures you want for particular areas of the house. Do you want light scones, a chandelier, or lamps? These and more are options that are open to you but everything will have to depend on how it will look with the rest of your d?cor and the kind of atmosphere you want to create with the lights. Be very conscious about this part of the process because it is quite easy to fall into kitschiness if you choose the wrong lighting fixture for a room. Ask friends for their opinion, read up on design guides, visit design websites or participate in online forums. These are cost-effective ways of improving your interior designing skills.

Spruce up the oldies

You don?t necessarily have to buy brand new lighting fixtures. You can the old ones that you have. One great idea is to undertake improvements on the fixtures you already own. For example, placing new fabric on lamp shades or polishing up your chandelier.

Source: http://o5.com/easy-steps-to-modernize-the-lights-in-your-home/

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What a great time to be a teacher! | Nambur Yaalam Wiyeliko

An Article by Bruce Bascoe for the Eastern States Aboriginal Languages Group.

Here?s the perfect opportunity to positively affect the education of the country and bring black and white Australians towards an understanding of each other. Federal Parliament?s standing committee on indigenous affairs has released a bipartisan report calling for more action to protect endangered indigenous languages, and recommending bilingual education.

At the same time new state and federal teaching curriculum models are being formulated which include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and culture. Our educators will be responsible for the presentation of these topics to our children, not only for Aboriginal communities who already speak their language but also in communities where language is no longer spoken. This will be the best history lesson ever taught.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are not quaint anachronisms. They are vital carriers of cultural knowledge with relevance for geography, history, the environment, health, literature and philosophy. The languages speak of Aboriginal grains which require little water, tubers adapted to Australian conditions and even recipes for the cooking of these foods. The languages are not relics of a dying society but have commercial information for the new.

Teachers can embrace these opportunities knowing that Aboriginal people have been involved in preparing these languages for the classroom and that teaching First Australian languages does not diminish the importance of Indonesian, Chinese or French because it is not a simple case of words and phrases which equip a student to communicate overseas, our languages teach about the land itself and are rich in philosophical reference and intimate knowledge of what it is like to be Australian on the Australian land.

How to tackle such profundities? Simple. A student?s first task might be to study a map of the school district. Send the kids home to ask their families to find all the Aboriginal street and place names. The first task is to recognise one when you see it. As families sit around the table they can list the obvious ones like Woollongong, Bombala, Canberra, Brewarrina, Warrnambool, Kalbarri and Boorooloola but what about Kiama, Mandurah, Echuca, Caboolture and Taroona?

Now the task is to search for the meanings of these names. The most helpful resources are cheap. Aboriginal Placenames of Victoria is a great text, Shire Records of any district (surely the Shire would break their necks to provide good information to local school children), but teachers will be amazed at how many languages are being revived. Many of those communities have dictionaries which the community is happy to share with the Australian community; especially if the intention is to honour the language and not make it one more item of appropriation.

Thirty percent of Aboriginal placenames in southern states have no certain meaning. Imagine the excitement if a kid in your classroom uncovers the answer. How did she do it? Found an old surveyor?s map with the meaning sketched in pencil beside it? Worked it out by comparing similar words and walking down the road to ask Aunty Mary who came to the school last year and told them she was born in the area before any house was built. ?What does beenyak mean, Aunt?? ?I don?t know but my granny used to have a binak, basket, made it herself. I reckon that?s what it means.?

What a great moment in Australian education!

Now you help the class prepare a presentation to the shire so that all known names have their meanings included in the street sign every time a sign has to be replaced. Of course we?re not recommending students graffiti signs in order to accelerate the process. That would be mischievous.

Young Australians have had no part in the destruction of these langauges but they can have an enormous influence on their reclamation. Immersion in the language will teach students about a culture that many older Australians have tried to forget. The mere familiarity with the names of country is a huge step toward reconciliation.

The other great function of Aboriginal language tuition is for the survival of those languages in the mouths of the new generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

So much damage has been done to these languages in the last decade by political zealots who thought knowledge of one?s own language and culture prevented progress in a world dominated by English. Those people singled out dual language education as the impediment faced by Aboriginal people as if poor educational provision, deplorable health facilities and the worst employment provision in the country were not the root cause of the gap in health, education, employment and longevity between Indigenous people and other Australians.

I urge all schools to embrace the opportunity being offered. Most Australians know so little about Aboriginal culture that presentation of such simple information is a transformative act in the national consciousness.

Imagine what else you could do. As far as education is concerned it is a Greenfields estate. Teachers excited, students excited, Aboriginal communities proud, Australians more in love with their country than ever.

This is a wonderful opportunity and must not be missed. It?s not an expensive innovation but it requires vision and that most electrifying of all educational pre-conditions ? curiosity.

?Bruce Pascoe 2012 (900)
BrucePascoe?s most recent books were
Convincing Ground (ASP) and Bloke (Penguin).

Source: http://easternstateslanguages.org.au/what-a-great-time-to-be-a-teacher/

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Japan industrial output falls, unemployment steady

TOKYO (AP) ? Japan's industrial output contracted by 4.1 percent in September from August and 8.1 percent from a year earlier as automakers and steel mills cut production due to shrinking demand and antagonisms with China.

The data released Tuesday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industrial add to pressures on the central bank to stimulate the economy.

The economic recovery that followed Japan's March 2011 disasters has been doused by slowing global growth. Flaring tensions with China over disputed islands in the East China Sea have further crimped demand, especially for big-ticket items like cars. Slowing growth in China, meanwhile, has hit demand for industrial inputs like steel and machinery.

"Industrial production is on a downward trend," the ministry said, forecasting a further decline in October, followed by a rebound in November.

Exports, usually a bright spot for Japan's economy have also been sapped by the prolonged crisis in Europe and the persistent strength of the yen, which makes products made in Japan relatively more expensive in overseas markets.

Shipments of passenger cars dropped 12.6 percent in September from August and 13.2 percent from a year earlier, METI reported. Shipments of virtually all other products also fell.

Jobless rate figures for September likewise offered little encouragement, as the government reported the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in September, unchanged from August.

The ratio of job offers to seekers fell to 0.81 from 0.83 in August, meaning there were 81 jobs for every 100 job seekers.

The central bank was meeting Tuesday, with many expecting it to expand its assets-purchasing program, aimed at catalyzing demand to counter slowing growth.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-10-29-Japan-Economy/id-8ba6f9b90cec43fa80e09596c7ee398c

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Obama, Romney Legal Teams At The Ready For Voting Disputes As ...

The Obama and Romney legal teams are on standby for the coming election, ready to battle it out over disputed results in the already hotly contested race.

The Obama and Romney legal teams are (probably like the rest of us) remembering the epic nightmare unleashed on the United States back during the election of 2000, when a disputed state (Florida) held the results of the election in the balance for several weeks as the nation waited for word as to how the vote count in the swing state would be handled.

Ultimately, the Supreme Court stepped in and handed the election to former President Bush over Vice President Al Gore, and despite winning the popular vote for the election, Bush took office.

The intervening eight years were no picnic for most Americans, and by the time Obama took office in 2009, the country had suffered the effects of seemingly endless wars and endless recession, and an economy battered by regressive tax policies that caused income inequality to skyrocket and resemble the financial situation of the 1920s.

Reuters has analyzed the situation that the Obama and Romney legal teams are currently gearing up for, explaining how a neck and neck tie could precipitate a bitter battle for the White House when the polls close:

?With Obama and Romney in a virtual dead heat in the polls, the state-by-state race for president has a range of chaotic possibilities ??The mostly likely scenario is that there will be a clear winner on election night, or the next morning. But the closeness of the race raises the possibility of a range of less conclusive, more confusing scenarios ??Among them: a disputed result in a state because of voting delays, problems with ballots or vote counting.?

With the expected devastation from Hurricane Sandy emerging as a nightmare polling scenario, the Obama and Romney legal teams may be in for an even bigger fight than anyone has anticipated.

Democratic strategist Tad Devine spoke to the newswire, confirming that Obama and Romney?s legal teams should gear up just in case the dead heat becomes a contested race. Devine said that back in 2000, no one anticipated what Gore faced in the Florida dispute:

?We really weren?t ready for the level of dispute in 2000 ? We had a lawyer in every state, but we hadn?t gone out and found the best lawyers in the country to represent our cause.?

As the Obama and Romney teams prepare to battle, both sides say they are confident they will prevail in any legal voting dispute that may arise.

Source: http://www.inquisitr.com/380013/obama-romney-legal-teams-at-the-ready-for-voting-disputes-as-race-tightens/

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SEO Boston MA | Search Engine Optimization | Small Business ...

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the art of getting a company higher on search engines including Google, Yahoo, and Bing. ?In Boston, MA a common misconception when we speak to potential clients is the assumption anyone who speaks with them including companies such as Yelp, Citysearch, and Yellowpages are performing this service. ?The reality of SEO is it is a fairly ambiguous term, that is bandied about by sales people without any actual substance.

A great search engine optimization company in Boston, MA will provide:

1. Quality content on a variety of sites (Including your own website)
2. Back end coding (including; titles, descriptions, headers etc)
3. Social media business pages (As well as updates)
4. Social Book Marking
5. Video Optimization
6. Listing Sites (Including Google + Local, Yahoo Local, and Bing Business)

?

A great way to find out the extent of knowledge of the person you are speaking with is to ask them about Panda, and Penguin. ?These two words will mean a lot to the SEO expert who is really trying to help your business succeed online. ?To the marketer of yesteryear who is simply throwing out terminology to try and get your business, they will have no clue. ?Panda and Penguin are Googles two current algorithm iterations, simply defined, they are what govern how different businesses come up to the top of Google for searches.

It is very easy to lump everything together from an advertising perspective and declare; ??I have already heard about this and I am not doing it?. ?Unfortunately, this doesn?t diminish the importance of Google, Yahoo, and Bing on your business, and will not turn the clocks back to 15 years ago before the internet influenced your company. ?As a business owner, you are worried about paying your bills, your employees, buying product, customer service, and a myriad of other issues that determine your success. ?Allow a company that is credible, who has years of experience and multiple employees to be responsible for your online image. ?When it comes to your business, can you really afford not to?

If you are interested in more SEO techniques or would like to hire us to manage your reputation online contact us at: sales@getfoundquick.com or call 857.526.0096.

Boston Web Marketing | 108 Union Wharf Boston | MA 02109 | www.getfoundquick.com

Tags:boston ma, company, Search engine optimization, SEO, small business

Source: http://www.getfoundquick.com/blog/company-news/seo-in-boston-ma

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Tending To The Child Obesity ProblemYour Health Journal | Your ...

From Penn Live?..

I was recently part of a UC Davis group that teleconferenced with Meron Agonafer, staff member for Assemblyman Isadore Hall, II . His office was concerned that approximately half of the children in the district are either overweight or obese. Initially, we examined legislative efforts outside of California, such as New York?s limit on soda sizes. However, we recognized the potential resistance to initiating additional bills in an election year. Rachel Hollander, a Research Fellow in our group, offered a non-legislative alternative. She proposed employing community gardens as a strategy to address pediatric obesity.

Sacramento and other cities have adopted ordinances in which groups may petition to cultivate vacant lots. The lot owner retains the right to terminate the gardens once development begins. We thought this might work in the 52nd District, which is located in south central Los Angeles.

My connection to the district stems from my family medicine residency training at the King/Drew Medical Center. At that time over twenty years ago, gang violence was the chief health concern for the area. The violence remains, but its impact has extended beyond immediate assaults. The violence has rendered the streets unsafe for routine physical activity and non-motorized travel. Parents report extremely limited access to safe playgrounds. This landscape diminishes opportunities for exercise and fitness.

Currently, there are no local ordinances in District 52 for community gardens. However, we wanted to frame community gardens as an invitation, not an intrusion. Instead of concentrating efforts to enact legislation, we proposed promoting community gardens to families and local business owners as a means to increase: fresh produce availability to urban populations, physical activity through gardening, property value of vacant lots by enhancing foot traffic, and social capital by bringing together a wide spectrum of neighborhood stakeholders to create a sustainable platform for increased health.

To read the full story?..Click here

Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/?p=6045

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PayNet report: Small business in the Dallas Fed district are ...

Small business in Texas and parts of two nearby states are investing to expand at twice the national average rate ? around 26 percent, according to the PayNet Small Business Outlook report released today.

However, business failure rates in the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas district for 2013 also will post the highest percentage of all the 12 Fed districts nationwide. The Dallas Fed district includes Texas, northern Louisiana and southern New Mexico, but roughly 96 percent of the district?s output is from Texas.

?Sure business failures in the Dallas region will be above the national average next year, but reward is the strongest in the country right now,? said PayNet president William Phelan. He released the report today at Risk Management?Association?s annual conference in Dallas.

Most parts of the nation are reporting similar trends in local investment growth and business failures. Small businesses in most Federal Reserve districts ? Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Richmond and San Francisco ? are investing to expand at a double digit rate at or close to the national average of 13 percent.

The St. Louis Fed district? ? including Arkansas, eastern Missouri, northern Mississippi, southern Illinois, southern Indiana, western Kentucky and western Tennessee ? is another exception. Construction and small retailers in that area still find it tough to pay their bills on-time, according to the PayNet report. In addition, local markets in the southern part of the country have not bounced back from the housing crisis and recession.

Cyclical industries, such as transportation and retail, have been harder hit.

PayNet, based near Chicago, provides risk management tools to?small businesses.

Source: http://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com/2012/10/paynet-report-small-business-in-the-dallas-fed-district-are-expanding-at-twice-the-national-average.html/

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Indiana hoping to match hype of being No. 1

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) ? Jordan Hulls walks into Assembly Hall wearing a T-shirt that reads "How Sweet It Is," a phrase intended to celebrate Indiana's return to the NCAA tournament regional semifinals last spring.

This fall, those words have a whole new meaning.

After spending three years in the abyss and another year trying to prove themselves, the Hoosiers are ranked No. 1 and squarely in the discussion about the national championship.

Indiana is back. Finally.

"It could be a really special year and everybody is anxious to start seeing what this team is capable of," junior guard Victor Oladipo said with his usual exuberance. "It's the stuff you dream about, trying to chase this one goal that everyone is trying to chase."

Outsiders certainly believe Indiana has the combination to do that this season.

For the first time since 1979-80, and only the third time in school history, the Hoosiers open this season ranked No. 1. Sophomore center Cody Zeller is the early favorite to be the Big Ten player of the year, and the campaigning to make him this year's national player of the year is in full swing, too. Indiana basketball tickets are again one of the hottest items in the state.

Don't believe it?

Eager fans are so excited about this season they filled every seat inside Assembly Hall for an open practice Oct. 20 two hours before it began. Coach Tom Crean apologized to those who were turned away.

"It makes you appreciate winning that much more," said Hulls, a senior guard and one of the team leaders. "But it is kind of crazy to think about how far we've come."

Crean was hired in April 2008 to clean things up after an embarrassing NCAA phone-call scandal tainted the school's pristine image and gutted the roster. He promised to restore the program's image, its national prestige and to win championships with a team that would make everyone proud.

Nobody expected the long road back to be easy, least of all Crean, who had only two returning players, both walk-ons, in that first season.

Crean remembers it well. Indiana crashed to 6-25, losing to the likes of Lipscomb and barely avoided losing to Division II school Chaminade in the seventh-place game at the Maui Invitational. It was ugly.

"We had no leadership that year," Crean said. "You look around pro and college sports, you take the leader out of a business and the business will be affected. Now you take the leadership out of a program, and the players don't have anyone to look up to, nobody who's been through that. We had to grow into that. We could have signed junior college kids, but it wouldn't have made any difference because they hadn't been through Indiana and neither had we."

While Hulls was busy winning the state's 2009 Mr. Basketball Award, he watched disbelievingly as his hometown school tumbled.

When Crean offered him a chance to be part of the solution, Hulls couldn't pass it up.

Crean gave the same sales pitch same everywhere he went: Come to Indiana and you'll get playing time right away, maybe start, become part of something bigger than themselves, earn a degree from a highly-respected institution and forever be known in Hoosiers lore as part of the group that rebuilt Indiana basketball.

"I remember the dark days, and now I see the guys being picked high. The program is back," said shooting guard Maurice Creek, who came to Indiana to help restore the basketball program before three season-ending injuries derailed his career. "We have more pieces than when I first got here."

The struggles continued through Crean's next two seasons as Indiana went 10-21 and 12-20. Doubters began to wonder how long all this would take.

The Hoosiers answered that challenge with a magical 2011-12. Indiana won 15 more games, finishing 27-9 and making their first NCAA tourney under Crean. But it wasn't just the Hoosiers record that got national attention.

On Dec. 10, Christian Watford hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat No. 1 Kentucky 73-72. Three weeks later, the Hoosiers upset then No. 2 Ohio State 74-70. In February, as No. 5 Michigan State closed in on a Big Ten title, the Hoosiers did it again, soundly beating the Spartans 70-55.

It marked the first time in school history that Indiana had beaten three top-five teams in the same season, and the first time in Crean's tenure that the Hoosiers became a ranked team. The only real glitch came in the March rematch with Kentucky, won by the eventual national champs 102-90 ? a loss the Hoosiers are now using as motivation.

"It probably always lingers because you never want to lose a game," Hulls said. "You hate the feeling of a loss, and we don't want to get back to that point and lose again."

Zeller, who averaged 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds last season, has grown about one-half inch to an even 7-feet, has added 10 to 15 pounds of muscle and feels stronger and better than he did a year ago. He is also ready to start shooting 3-pointers.

"I worked on it a lot this summer," he said after Hoosier Hysteria. "I shot 3s in high school, but I know I'll have to shoot some from outside this year."

Watford (12.6 points), Hulls (11.7 points) and Oladipo (10.8) also are back.

What else does Indiana have? Depth and one of the nation's top freshmen classes.

Backup Will Sheehey (8.6) and sophomores Remy Abell and Austin Etherington could all have expanded roles this year. New point guard Yogi Ferrell and two 6-foot-8 forwards, Hanner Mosquera-Perea and Jeremy Hollowell, all freshmen, could both see significant playing time, too, especially with forward Derek Elston expected to miss six to eight weeks with a torn meniscus.

But Crean has another advantage other national contenders don't. His team has enough players still around from those losing seasons to remind players to ignore the chatter and just work toward getting their sweetest finish of all ? a sixth national championship banner.

"I'm not even going to try to downplay that it's not a big deal. It's not a 'hey, we told you so.' It's none of that. We lived it. And I think it's a great testament to everybody that's been a part of that program with sticking with it and moving onward and upward," Crean said. "It's an incredible program. It's an incredible school. We need people that are going to come in and leave it in a better place than they found it. That's exactly what our players are trying to do."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indiana-hoping-match-hype-being-no-1-204449478--spt.html

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Romney urges Ohio supporters to persuade Democrats

ABC News' Shushannah Walshe and Emily Friedman Report:

MARION, Ohio-Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan wrapped up a three-stop bus tour of the Northwestern part of this critical state, striking a bipartisan tone with the top of the ticket urging the crowd to talk to their friends who may have cast a ballot for a Democrat in the past.

"Your friends may have voted last time, perhaps in the Democratic primary, they may have voted for who knows? They may have voted for Hillary Clinton or they may have voted for Barack Obama, they may have voted for then-candidate Obama in the final election," Romney, standing next to his running mate, told the crowd of about 5,000.

Romney continued, telling supporters in this reliably red county which John McCain won four years ago by ten points, he needed their help convincing those who may still be undecided.

"But I need you to convince them to vote for Paul Ryan and me and that's not always easy but you can ask them this question: you can say do you think everything's going just fine?," Romney asked, before telling the audience how to pitch his ticket to their friends.

"You're gonna say, 'Do you think should just go on like they're going for the last four years? And if they have the same answer you just had then you have the number one argument why for why they should vote for us. Because our campaign is about fundamental change, our campaign is about real change, taking a course correction in this country," Romney said.

President Obama and Mitt Romney Battle for OhioABC News' David Muir examines what the candidates need to do to win the contested state.

?

Romney continued the theme saying under a Romney-Ryan administration he would work across the aisle, something his running mate also likes to mention when he's on the stump.

"We're going to have to do something that has been done in the past in this country and that is we're going to have to reach across the aisle we're going to have to find good Democrats, by the way Democrats love America too, we've got to reach across the aisle find ways to bring in people from the other party work together, collaborate, meet regularly and fight for the American people and we will!," Romney said.

He added that working with Democrats is one of the reasons he selected Ryan as his running mate, saying "he 's worked with people across the aisle and has their respect."

Of course, Democrats fiercely dispute this version of history and the Obama campaign was quick to point that out Sunday saying, "The American people can't trust a word Mitt Romney says, especially when he claims he'd work across the aisle as president."

"As Governor, he refused to work with Democrats in the legislature," Obama campaign spokesperson Danny Kanner said in a statement. "And throughout this campaign, he's refused to stand up to the most extreme voices in his own party?The middle class deserves a president they can trust and Mitt Romney just doesn't pass that test."

At their first stop today in Celina, Ryan noted that the campaign is finally in the single digits, "nine more days, we will debating this for nine more days and then on November the 6th you decide."

"Our obligation to you is to give you, our fellow citizens, a very clear choice, that's what we are offering, and so November 6th is the day but I'd like to ask you to think about November 7th for a moment. Think about what that morning on Wednesday November the 7th will be like, when we wake up and we turn on the TV, we can either have four more years of the same that are just like the last four years or we can wake up and we can see that we just elected a leader to get our country back on the right track," Ryan said.

At the final stop in Marion, he was interrupted twice in his brief introduction of his running mate with chants of "Nine more days!" from the boisterous crowd.

And at their second stop in Findlay this afternoon, Ryan noted the political reality of this crucial state: "As goes Ohio, so goes America."

No Republican has got to the White House without taking Ohio.

Ryan has spent two days campaigning in the Buckeye state covering 400 miles on what was originally supposed to be a solo bus tour, but due to Hurricane Sandy Romney re-routed his schedule from Virginia to Ohio.

The presidential race has come down to just a few battleground states, but none are more important than Ohio, hence the aggressive air and ground wars by both sides as the race comes to a close. Recent polls have Obama ahead, but still show a major tightening since before the presidential debates. A CNN/ORC poll released last week shows the president with 50 percent and Romney with 46 percent here. The latest ABC News/Washington Post national tracking poll has the race at a dead heat with Romney at 49 percent and Obama at 48 percent.

Romney continues campaigning here Monday with a stop in Avon Lake, just west of Cleveland.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/critical-ohio-mitt-romney-urges-supporters-persuade-democrats-012531229--abc-news-politics.html

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Individual Consultant /Trainer for selected local NGOs | Jobs.ps

Individual Consultant /Trainer for selected local NGOs on Palestinian
Authority Budget Preparation Process

Short term SSA contract
Location : Occupied Palestinian territory (Ramallah)
Application Deadline : 31st October 2012
Post Level : Consultant
Languages Required : Arabic/English
Starting Date : 15th of November -2012
Duration of Initial Contract : 6 days
Expected Duration of Assignment 6 days
?

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Background
In response to calls from gender equality advocates for increased accountability for implementation of gender equality commitments in economic policies and financing decisions related to aid and domestic resources, UN Women will be implementing the programme Increasing Accountability in Financing for Gender Equality (2012-2015) funded by the European Union and the Spanish cooperation.
The programme aims at increasing the volume and effective use of aid and domestic resources to implement national commitments to gender equality and women's empowerment. It will be implemented in 15 countries 1 in close partnership with the European Commission (EC), International Training Center/International Labour Organization building on the results of collaboration in the area of gender responsive budgeting and aid effectiveness carried out over the past years.

The programme in the occupied Palestinian territory is twofold: (1) to achieve Gender Responsive Planning, Programming and Budgeting within the Palestinian Authority (PA) in such a way that Palestinian women and men benefit more equally from national public policies, and related aid and domestic resources, and (2) to enhance effectiveness of aid resources in relation to the advancement of national Gender Equality /Women Empowerment priorities through building capacity for mainstreaming gender equality within aid coordination management and structures, and stepping up accountability for implementation of funding modalities used by donors.

The Programme will focus on: a) donor performance with regard to gender equality and women?s
empowerment content, including donor allocations and expenditures; b) development and implementation of a set of indicators to measure progress of the 5 principles of the Paris Declaration as a means to promote gender equality within the PA and donor key stakeholders in aid coordination, as well as with Local Aid Coordination Structure (LACS) staff; c) engagement in the national Public Finance Management system with regard to its responsiveness to gender equality; d) building capacities and resources of key institutions within the PA and CSO, as well as gender advocates and donors in gender responsive planning, budgeting and aid effectiveness; and, e) mainstreaming gender equality and women?s rights in aid coordination structure with regard to gender equality and women?s empowerment.

The specific programme objectives are:
1-To strengthen national action plans for gender equality so that they have defined targets, financing and implementation arrangements line with national planning and budgeting processes.
2-To strengthen capacity and accountability of national governments to implement gender equality
commitments and address women?s priorities in national planning, budgeting systems and programming.
3-To strengthen capacity and accountability of donors and stakeholders in aid coordination mechanisms to achieve commitments towards gender equality in stable and fragile countries.
Globally, the programme will also support the effective engagement of feminist economists and gender equality advocates? in contributing to stronger policy coherence on gender equality in economic and development policy for a and facilitate learning and south-south exchange.

Objective of this Assignment:
General objective: Engage Civil society Actors in gender mainstreaming efforts and in national plans and budgets preparation processes.

The specific objectives of this assignment are:
-Increase knowledge of the target Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) regarding the PA budget
preparation process and the new PA budget structure.
-Strengthen their engagement in later stages on gender mainstreaming in PA National Planning and Budgeting processes
-Prepare them to undertake more specific capacity development initiatives on Gender Responsive
Budgeting process.
-Leverage their capacities to implement advocacy campaigns, networking and awareness promotion on gender mainstreaming in national planning and budgeting cycles.

Scope and Duration
The Scope of this assignment includes designing and delivering a 3-full day training course to 20 selected Palestinian NGOs in the field of PA budget preparation.
The duration of this assignment is 6 days: 3 days preparation and 3 day training
Designing and delivering the training course should be if full coordination with UN Women and the PA Ministry of Finance (namely the General Directorate of budgets).

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of UN Women?s Special Representative, and the direct supervision of the F4GE programme coordinator, the trainer will be responsible for designing and delivering the training course on PA, Budget preparation intended to be delivered to selected local NGOs included all of the logistical aspects of the training.

The consultant should perform the following duties:
-Design and deliver a customized training course for selected local NGOs on PA Budget Preparation
process.
-Design training material and manual to be used as a knowledge reference upon completion of the
training course.
-Coordinate with MoF and UN Women

Evaluation :
-Develop attendance sheets
-Develop self-evaluation forms (evaluation ex-post).

Training themes include:
-Overview of new PA budget structure.
-Budget allocations to programs & projects.
-Current planning and budgeting system.
-Changing the budget planning process.
-Identifying features of new budget planning.
-Budget forms and templates.
-Basic budgeting and finance skills.
-Budget Monitoring and reporting.

Time frame
The assignment is expected to start in 17th November 2012 and to be finalized by 22nd November 2012.

Key deliverables
1-Training materials, including PowerPoint slides and the training manual (training materials design ?
3 days), (from November 17-19)
2-Training delivery (from November 22-22)
3-Final training activity report, including participants? evaluation report on the delivered material, and
Participants? attendance sheet. (November 25)

Competencies
CORE VALUES / GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
-Integrity: Demonstrating consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in
actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct;
-Cultural Sensitivity/Valuing diversity: Demonstrating an appreciation of the multicultural nature of
the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating
differences in values and learning from cultural diversity.

CORE COMPETENCIES:
-Ethics and Values: Demonstrating / Safeguarding Ethics and Integrity;
-Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
-Developing and Empowering People / Coaching and Mentoring: Initiative-taking; coaching and
mentoring ability;
-Working in Teams: Acting as a team player and facilitating team work;
-Communicating Information and Ideas: Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the
team, communicating effectively;
-Self-management and Emotional intelligence: Creating synergies through self-control.
-Conflict Management / Negotiating and Resolving Disagreements: Managing conflict;
-Knowledge Sharing / Continuous Learning: Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the
learning of other.

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:
-Substantial previous experience in design, development and delivery of training manuals, training
curricula and courses on PA budget preparation;
-Demonstrated experience in developing and managing capacity development programmes for
professionals within the public and CS sectors.
-Understanding and experience of public financial management system , including in the context of
planning and budgeting processes;
-Sound understanding of issues related to integration of CSOs in public policy formulation and
advocacy activities;
-Demonstrated strong, coordination and facilitation skills;
-Strong communication skills in English/Arabic (oral and written);
-Results oriented, flexible and problem solving skills.

Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Master and above University Degree in accounting, economics or related fields desirable.

Experience:
The trainer/local expert should have the following qualifications:
-A minimum of 3 years of experience in capacity development and training in general, and in
particular a proven record in designing and delivering training courses for PA staff and/or NGOs
representatives on Public Finance Management & PA budget preparation process. Split out in 2
-Working experience and knowledge of International Institution ?
-Excellent English and Arabic writing skills
-Excellent computer skills
-Good interpersonal and communication skills

Language Requirements:
Fluency (both oral and written) in English and Arabic essential.

Submission of Application:
Interested candidates must apply on-line

This SSA modality is governed by UN WOMEN General Terms and Conditions.
UN Women will only be able to respond to those applications in which there is further interest

Source: http://jobs.ps/job/individual-consultant-trainer-for-selected-local-ngos/13737

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Israeli company focuses on Ogaden and Afar lands ? Ethiopian News

By Yonas Abiye | Ethiopianreporter.com

October 27, 2012

Looking at a wide portion of Somali or Afar regions, one might be tempted to call it as an unproductive or non-loam soil because of the hottest temperature and the acacia trees as well as thorny prosopis juliflora (derogatorily otherwise known as Woyane tree).
Meanwhile, in the eye of anyone from Israel, this is a funny view. For them, Somali or Afar areas are like a virgin and fertile land.

For Ethiopian pastoralists, whose livelihood depends on animal husbandry, agriculture had almost ?zero position?. For them livestock are everything. Most of them have a belief that there is no life without livestock.

Though the Ethiopian government, as a national development strategy, had attempted to introduce the agriculture system to pastoralist areas, most of them seem hardly manageable to accept agriculture as an alternative means to their livelihood. Their life is always mobile.

Within these prevailing facts and challenges an Israel company, Agropeace, came to Ethiopia two years ago to engage in the country?s large-scale agriculture mainly focusing in the mass production of biofuel plants and floricultures as well as crops, unlike most local as well as oversees investors who do not dare to engage in such ventures in the region. This is obviously seem that many of the investors, if not all, prefer putting their money near fertile lands of the country around Addis Ababa and in the nearest and relatively modest towns.

Meanwhile, Agropeace looks determined to grow more in one of the country?s hottest and remote areas of Somali region such as Shinile and Gad districts.

In fact, for a longtime, ploughing lands or having agriculture practice has been an unusual, or unpreferable business in Shinile and Gad localities which are not very far from the town of Dire Dawa.

Having secured nearly 2000 hectares from the Somali region four years ago, Agropeace launched its first pilot project by producing maize and caster seeds. Since such kind of agri-business has not been common in the pastoralist?s areas, for Agropeace it was a challenging mission to gain the support of the local residents.

According to the existing tradition of most pastoralists, every plot of land belongs to their communal property where they feed their cattle no matter the title deed given to them as is common in other parts of Ethiopia. As a result, the Israel company had not received positive welcome from the resident pastoralist communities from Shinile as well as Gad.

So, the company had to work hard to get the goodwill of the pastoralists. Eventually since water shortage is the serious problem of the, Agropeace first built around six wells and delivered water to the community for their livelihood and to their livestock. Next, in its first year the company produced tomato, green pepper and maize and distributed it to the community. This was also coupled by teaching them a new trend of agricultural production on how to produce it and create employment opportunities.

Recently, the company organized a two-days field trip where its major shareholders from the US and the UK, along with the Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia, as well as local officials visited the project sites in Shinile and Gad.

Briefing on the progress of the project, the founder of the company, Zir Brosh, told visitors that ?the project is very promising. So far, from this pilot project, we have learnt that the area is very fertile and suitable for castor, any crops and vegetables so that we are able to grow year round. ?

Yohash Zohar, the general manager of Agropeace Ethiopia, said that despite some challenges the company faces as an initial development cost the company is profitable in a short period of time.

?This project, I believe, will be a benchmark for Ethiopia and will attract many other foreign investors,? he told The Reporter.

?We truly believe that the drier regions of Ethiopia such as Somali and Afar regions can actually be the bread-basket of Ethiopia,? he said, adding that with the right development and usage of underground water they (Afar and Somali regions) can produce more cash crops probably for all other parts of Ethiopia together.

He also explained that the advantage of investing in the Somali region is also advantageous, logistically citing its proximity to the Port of Djibouti.
?It makes a lot of sense to invest in such areas,? Zohar said.

According to the general manager, the company is investing a total amount of 20 million dollars for its 2000 hectare project, out of which 70 percent of the investment loan is acquired from Development Bank of Ethiopia (DBE) while the rest is partly financed from Agropeace, development partners as well as from the income generated from the project itself.

He told The Reporter that the company aims to start exporting in 2013 for the first time, starting with some 2000 tons of castor seed that is estimated to be roughly worth about 2.5 million dollars.

So far, over 350 hectares of land has been cleared for castor production.

?In Israel we have a lot of experiences in developing deserts and turn it into productive agricultural farm. Once you have enough water and use it with kid gloves, it will be advantageous because being very dry is an advantage. When you have water for irrigation, you can absolutely control how much water you can use for your farm.?
For the company, infrastructure development is a bottleneck challenge that has already forced it to incur core investment costs.

Anteneh Gelaye, chief operation manager of the project, explained that such a kind of investment is the first project in the area.

Anteneh told The Reporter that at that demonstration site, Agropeace has carried out pilot project and has seen satisfactory results particularly in castor seed, soya bean, groundnut as well as maize.

?Though this areas is semi-desert, for example, last year using Israeli technology we grew an American maize seed. And we have harvested about 80 quintals from a hectare while is 30 quintals in normal case.?

The Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia, Belaynesh Zevadia, hailed the company?s project saying, ?I?m happy about this promising achievement. They did a great job.?

She also told the company, ?I hope in a couple of years, you would reap good production.

?There is a jewish saying that goes ?If you save one life, you will save the world?, Belaynesh said after she saw the water wells the company provided for the local residents ?I was born in Gondar and grew up in Addis Ababa before leaving for Israel when I was 17. I didn?t know we have such kind of place. Now I?m proud of being Jewish. I?m proud of Ethiopia. Please keep saving more lives.?

Similarly, the vice president of development DBE, Tadesse Oge?e, praised the company for its project.

?Your commitment to invest in such kind of area is very fantastic while most investors prefer to invest in Addis Ababa and surrounding areas. We are ready to support this project and continue to support it.

Issayas Kebede, from Ministry of Agriculture, on his part said, ?This is the kind of development that Ethiopia seeks. When you lose, we lose, when your gain we gain.
For a long time the area was known as one of the country?s smuggling corridor and black market zones.

?

Source: http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/42251

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What is Alicia Keys' Greatest Collaboration? Hint -- He's Just Two!

Ask Alicia Keys about her two-year-old son Egypt and she literally bounces. She is a woman transfomed -- from Grammy Award-winner, supremely talented singer-songwriter to beaming, ridiculously happy mom. It's clear her Grammys are no match for what Egypt means to her.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/alicia-keys-son-egypt-her-greatest-collaboration/1-a-497152?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aalicia-keys-son-egypt-her-greatest-collaboration-497152

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Mom raises money to watch daughter's killer die

Friends, family members and strangers have helped Tina Curl's grim dream come to fruition-to watch the man who raped and murdered her 9-year-old daughter be strapped to a gurney, fight for his final breath as lethal drugs course through his veins.

Curl, 50, spent months raising money for the trip from New York to South Dakota where she'll get a "front row seat" to watch Donald Moeller be executed. The execution could happen any time between today and Nov. 3.

"I have waited 22 long years for this," Curl, who has arrived in Sioux Falls, S.D., told ABCNews.com during her fundraising drive. "He watched her die and I am going to watch him die."

Becky O'Connell went to the convenience store to buy candy on May 8, 1990. The following morning, her body was found in a wooded area in Lincoln County, S.D.

An autopsy found Becky had been raped vaginally and anally and died of a cut to the jugular vein of her neck, according to court documents.

Curl and her husband, Dave, who was Becky's stepfather, had lived in South Dakota for five months at the time of the murder. The couple later relocated to Lake Luzerne, N.Y.

"After this she wasn't going to stay in that state," said Rhonda Springer, a longtime friend of Curl who is helping to spearhead the fundraiser to send Tina and Dave Curl to South Dakota to witness the execution.

The Curl family is driving 1,400 miles from their home in New York since Tina Curl said she has a bad heart and is unable to fly.

The couple said they would go if they could raise between $3,000 to $4,000, which they estimated would cover their gas and stay in a motel during the one week time frame when Moeller is scheduled to die.

Tina Curl said she receives a $721 disability check each month that "doesn't even cover the bills." Dave Curl is currently laid off and looking for work.

Although a one week window has been set for Moeller's execution, the actual date of lethal injection is at the warden's discretion, with 48 hours' notice required, Curl said.

"It means everything," she said. "I ain't only doing it for me. I am doing it for Becky."

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/mom-raises-money-watch-daughters-killer-die-223026288--abc-news-topstories.html

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Keep Walking To Keep Obesity At BayYour Health Journal | Your ...

From The Times Of India?..

More and more Indians are using cars to travel distances which are short enough to walk. A survey of 13 countries have found that 13% Indian men and 15% women use vehicles for trips that could be covered by foot.

In countries like the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia, this figure, however, rises to around one-in-five. Globally, the number of people walking is in decline.

The study says that rising car ownership in India is discouraging walking, while in China the reduction in walking has seen an increase in obesity levels among drivers.

The proportion of children walking or cycling to school fell from 48% to 13% between 1969 and 2009 in the US, and from 62% to 50% between 1989 and 2004 among primary-school children in the UK.

Doctors say walking just an extra 15 minutes a day can extend human life by up to three years. A recent study of 400,000 people found that every additional 15 minutes of daily exercise such as brisk walking reduced premature death rates by a further 4%.

Even slow walking burns around 114 calories per mile for someone weighing 91kg. Researchers in US have found that each extra km walked per day was associated with a 4.8% reduction in an individual?s probability of becoming obese, whereas each hour spent driving was linked to a 6% increase in an individual?s probability of becoming obese.

The study by Max Bupa says, ?Cars are often used for very short journeys that could be walked. In the US, cars are used for 55% of trips of one-third of a mile (half a km) in length and 85% of trips that are two-thirds of a mile (1 km) in length. A car journey of one mile (1.6 km) emits around 574g of carbon dioxide ? twice as much as the average emission of 287g of carbon dioxide per mile on longer journeys.?

To read the full story?..Click here

Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/?p=6021

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Controversial labour law changes considered by Cabinet... | Stuff.co.nz

Cabinet will today consider changes to labour laws including the future of a controversial provision protecting vulnerable workers when their work or job is restructured.

The changes will be included in wider reforms signalled by Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson in May which include allowing employers to walk away from collective bargaining, opt out of multi-employer negotiations, deduct the pay of partially striking workers and initiate collective bargaining.

Workers will be able to ask for flexible work arrangements without having to wait until they have been employed for six months.

Labour claims the changes will drive down wages.

It is understood Cabinet will today consider the Government's response to a review of Part 6A of the Employment Relations Act.

The provision, introduced by the former Labour government, provides ''continuity of employment'' for groups of low-paid employees such as cleaners when a business is restructured. It prevents workers having their pay and conditions reduced for the same job, or being replaced by cheaper contractors.

Labour's industrial relations spokeswoman Darien Fenton said she was concerned the Government would limit the provision to large workplaces.

''It would exclude all the vulnerable workers in small work places. The cleaning industry is mainly small work places, apart from institutions such as hospitals. There are not many workplaces that have more than half a dozen cleaners.''

The wider changes to labour laws would drive down wages, particularly in low paid jobs, because thousands of New Zealanders relied on collective bargaining to gain improvements to their salaries and conditions, she said.

Many more non-unionised workers also relied on collective bargaining because it set the standards for their negotiations.

Commercial cleaning company Crest Cleaning has lobbied the Government hard to scrap Part 6A, calling the provision a ''roadblock'' for the industry.

Crest has this year been forced to pay an Auckland couple more than $14,000 and a Nelson cleaner nearly $5000 after losing cases over Part 6A in the Employment Court.

- ? Fairfax NZ News

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7876821/Controversial-labour-law-changes-considered

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