Skip the bonus and pour on the praise

5 hrs.

Michelle V. Rafter , NBC News contributor

When it comes to rallying the troops, bonuses aren?t always?the best way to go --?or the cheapest.

As common as holiday bonuses are, some workplace experts argue that the little something extra some?companies tack onto paychecks come December isn?t the greatest way to say thanks for a job well done.

?The $500 bonus check is a sugar rush,? says Razor Suleman, chairman and chief evangelist at Achievers, a company that sells employee rewards and recognition software. ?You?re happy when it hits; you pay for your January credit card bills. But you don?t feel it.?

Pay annual year-end bonuses long enough and employees start to feel entitled to them regardless of how they have performed, Suleman says.

Others agree. Using money to motivate people doesn?t work, especially if they anticipate the reward before they?ve finished the task, Edward Deci,?a University of Rochester human motivation psychologist, says in this Entrpreneur.com blog post.

Companies do better at engaging workers if they pair bonuses with employee recognition programs, according to a recent Society of Human Resources Management/Globoforce survey. Companies that spend 1 percent of payroll on programs that publicly call out employees for above-average performances see an 85 percent positive impact on worker engagement, and 61 percent hang onto workers longer, according to the survey.

Acting on employees? suggestions is just one way companies can recognize and reward workers in addition to or in lieu of year-end bonuses -- and not spend a lot doing it.

At the Las Vegas Cosmopolitan Hotel, for example,?employees get three minutes to pitch new business ideas to the?company?s executives a la ?Shark Tank,? an ABC television series in which budding entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to potential investors. In the past two years, the hotel has adopted more than 70 suggestions from staff members, including creating an internal mentor program and starting a ?Costar Closet? employees can use to swap household items and clothing they no longer need,?according to Alyssa Anderson, a company spokeswoman.

Companies can please employees by keeping communications open between managers and subordinates, and between co-workers, says Robert Levering, co-founder of Great Place to Work Institute, publisher of annual lists of exemplary U.S. employers. The real distinguishing characteristic of great places to work ?is the level of trust, how much employees trust the management,? Levering says.

Here are other ways companies can show the love to employees and not break the bank:

Create a formal employee recognition plan. A plan doesn?t have to be complicated. It could be praising that week?s all-star performers at the end of a routine meeting, or recognizing stand-out employees at a monthly town hall or in a company newsletter.

Praise peers in public. At Achievers, staff meetings end with employees sharing something about one of their co-workers? accomplishments. ?It costs the company nothing, and it leaves (employees) with a different level of enthusiasm,? Suleman says. ?Recognition is free, that?s the brilliance of it. Every company can afford free.?

Don?t wait until December to pay bonuses. If you have money set aside for bonuses, pay it out a little at a time throughout the year instead of in one lump sum at the end.

Offer rewards that employees value. If companies offer a recognition plan that includes financial rewards, make sure they?re rewards that employees perceive to be high in quality and financial value, according to a study from human-resources researcher Bersin & Associates. Forget one-size-fits-all prizes; employees want a say in the types of rewards they get, according to the Bersin & Associates survey.

Offer flexible schedules. Another way to recognize employees: Offer them more flexibility. Employees want more work/life balance, whether they?re parents juggling caring for kids and aging parents, or older employees who want to work part time, Levering says.

Provide challenging work. Interesting work is a more powerful incentive than money, says?Charalambos Vlachoutsicos, an adjunct professor at Athens University, in this Harvard Business Review blog post. As an example, Vlachoutsicos shares how he once helped a Russian sawmill with an employee whose bad temper and drinking caused problems for his foreman and co-workers. The man also was the mill?s only employee with certain technical skills, so Vlachoutsicos put him in charge of running a new machine -- and he rose to the occasion. ?When you're thinking about ways to motivate your work?force, always acknowledge and praise their worthwhile contributions and try to find out more about their interests, their backgrounds, their skills,? Vlachoutsicos writes. ?These will give you insight into their non-financial, intrinsic motivations.?

Let employees share recognition on their social networks. Companies can use social media-style internal networks or smartphone apps such as Achievers, iAppreciate, GiveaWow and Sparcet to give digital shout outs to employees. On some of these networks, employees can display awards on their profiles and share them with friends on public social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/skip-bonus-pour-praise-1C7393763

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Workshop helps doctors to give better treatment for diabetes | Kuwait ...

Dr Gordon Guyatt and Dr Fahad Al-Ghimlas

KUWAIT: ?A dream come true? is how Dr Fahad Al-Ghimlas, the chairman of the first Kuwait evidence-based clinical practice workshop described the event as he inaugurated it. Dr Al-Ghimlas, who is also a consultant in respiratory medicine and director of fitness and rehab center at Dasman Diabetes Institute, declared open? the workshop conducted in collaboration with McMaster University (Canada) as well as Kuwait Institute for Medical Specialization (KIMS). The workshop is part of the activities of Dasman Institute to improve the level of patients? care. He told the Kuwait Times that this will help the doctors acquire new critical appraisal skills, and treat patients in a better fashion.

He also informed that another event next week will focus on teaching the clinicians to improve their way of delivering information to their juniors and their patients, and will be held in cooperation with Harvard University.
Dr Al-Ghimlas said Dasman Institute focuses on teaching healthcare workers because ?we believe the network of professionals should work hand in hand to improve the health care system and deliver better medical care to our valued patients.?

He added that it was important to focus on other health care workers including allied health professionals, pharmacists, nurses and others ?just as we focus on educating our fellow physicians.? Meanwhile Dr Gordon Guyatt from McMaster University said ?what we are here to do is to train the residents, who are doctors in training, in what we call evidence-based medicine.? What EBM does is train the doctor to be able to read the medical literature, to be able to read the original research studies, so they are up to date with the best evidence and can apply it in their patient care.?

He said, ?We have a number of tutors at the workshop who take the rounds with the residents and deal with issues of therapy including? how to give the best therapy, reach best diagnosis and how to predict what is going to happen in the future? and to use the medical literature to do that.? He said the idea is if they understand how to use the medical literature, they can stay up to date and deliver the best care to their patients. When asked if this program will only be for doctors, or will also focus on other healthcare professionals, he said, ?We hope that it ultimately applies across all professions.?

He said, ?In my university, it was a very important part of the nursing program, and the physiotherapy programs.? On his part, KIMS Secretary General Dr Ibrahim Abbas Hadi said this is the first local workshop for the Kuwait Board Residency Program. He said, ?We currently have 25 residency training programs and there are a total of 935 residents enrolled in our program.? He said there is no course that teaches our residents evidence based practice, and this is currently a very important issue in medicine. He said, ?Our residents are learning how to become good physicians, but since they should also learn how to become good clinical investigators, we decided to run workshops for our doctors.

For this purpose, we studied various capacities and communicated with our program directors through KIMS, and they gave us a list of doctors, and we hope that over a period of one year, all our resident doctors will be able to benefit from our endeavours.? Dr Hadi thanked Health Minister Dr Ali Al-Obaid, and Undersecretary Dr Khalid Al-Sahlawi for their continued support for these workshops, and said he was confident that KIMS will evolve into an excellent future with regard to medical education. The workshop will continue until Thursday.

By Abdellatif Sharaa, Staff Writer

Read by 133

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Source: http://news.kuwaittimes.net/2012/12/04/workshop-helps-doctors-to-give-better-treatment-for-diabetes/

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Sheryl Paul: The Fear of Loss

My mother was in town recently to celebrate an early Thanksgiving. We had a lovely time and it filled my heart to see the way she delights in my boys and affirms our out-of-the-box parenting choices. Being of like-mind and similar temperament, she and my older son have always had a special connection, but something seemed to cross over to a new level this trip. As he shared his passion for technology and she reveled in the workings of his mind, I could see my son opening his heart to her fully. He taught her how to make a Bucky Ball cube, showed her his Perplexus 3D marble maze, and listened together to Jack and Annie traveling to Italy to apprentice under Leonardo da Vinci for a day in a Magic Treehouse audiobook. Grandma scratched his back as they lounged on the couch together and he relaxed completely into their bond. It was beautiful to watch.

The day before she had to leave he started to ask, "Why does Grandma have to leave? Grandma, can't you stay a little longer?" We explained all of the understandable reasons why she had to leave, none of which mean anything to the heart of a young boy. I could see him battling with his conflicting desires to fold himself into her comforting embrace and alienate her with his hyper antics. He's been struggling with the concept of keeping his heart open even though he knows people can hurt him and possibly leave him. He's been able to articulate his fears and doubts about loving in ways that have truly astonished me lately. So it wasn't a complete surprise when, a few hours before my mom had to leave, he said to me, "Mommy, I'm scared to love Grandma because I'm scared she's going to die."

If I could crystallize my work with clients who are scared to take the next step in their relationships, it would be this sentence: "I'm scared to love because I'm scared I'm going to lose him/her." Of course, the fear doesn't present as the fear of loss; that would be much too vulnerable for the fear-based self to admit. The fear presents as any or all of the following statements:

? I don't really love him/her.
? I've never loved him/her.
? I don't love him/her in the right way (i.e. I love him as a friend but not as a marriage partner)
? I'm not attracted enough.
? I'm settling.
? I'm only with him/her because I'm scared to be alone.
? Love shouldn't have to be this hard. If I was with the right person, I would just know.
? Etc.

Are there times when these statements are accurate and coming from a truthful place inside? Yes. But for the vast majority of my clients and e-course members, there's plenty of love, connection, shared values, honesty, and goodness to sustain a lifetime of a great marriage. The only problem is that fear, once it rears its forceful head, shuts down the heart and eclipses any knowledge of the truth. Fear's entire mission in life is to keep you safe from the risks of loving. Fear will go to great lengths and concoct elaborate stories about why you need to leave your partner. After all, didn't you always imagine that you would marry someone with a great sense of humor, who's taller than you, and is socially at ease? How is it that your partner doesn't always laugh at your jokes, is shorter than you, and is awkward around others? And so the fear-self spins you into a tizzy of anxiety that can take months, if not years, to unravel. And at the very core of it is the fear of loss, the fear that just when you open your heart to loving this person completely, something tragic will occur that will take him away.

Does it hurt to lose someone you love? I don't think there is any greater pain. When you lose a loved one, your heart breaks into a million pieces. You scream and wail and curl up in a ball of heartbreak. And then, if you've loved well and grieved to completion, your heart grows back together again stronger than before. If you trust that you can attend to your big and painful feelings, you can take the risk of loving.

As my mom and I sat with my son at the breakfast table, we said to him, "You know, no one wants to lose someone they love. But when you protect yourself and don't open your heart to love someone completely, how do you think you would feel when that person dies?" "Not good," he responded. "So it's a funny thing, but the more you love, the more you'll grieve if you lose that person, but the more fully you'll be able to say goodbye and love again."

"It's why we're here, sweetheart," my mom said.

"Why, Grandma?"

"We're here to give and receive love. There's really nothing else that matters."

And in her simple wisdom, she's right. Nothing else matters -- not the job, the house, the city, the car, the clothes -- if we don't take the risk and learn to open our hearts to love.

***
Sheryl Paul, M.A., has counseled thousands of people worldwide through her private practice, her bestselling books, her e-courses and her website. She has appeared several times on "The Oprah Winfrey Show", as well as on "Good Morning America" and other top media shows and publications around the globe. To sign up for her free 78-page eBook, "Conscious Transitions: The 7 Most Common (and Traumatic) Life Changes", visit her website at http://conscious-transitions.com. And if you're suffering from relationship anxiety - whether dating, engaged, or married - give yourself the gift of the Conscious Weddings E-Course: From Anxiety to Serenity.

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Follow Sheryl Paul on Twitter: www.twitter.com/consciousbride

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sheryl-paul/im-scared-to-love-you-bec_b_2127095.html

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Taking Control Of Your Workers Compensation Program: Hidden ...

While many of you have already probably heard, insurance rates for workers compensation are heading up again beginning January 2013. As many of you also know, I spend an inordinate amount of time teaching, speaking, and communicating about what elements of a workers compensation plan an employer can control, and which elements they cannot.

Late Friday evening California Insurance Commissioner Davey Jones released his decision on what direction workers compensation rates will head beginning January 1st, 2013. With this rate decision, Commissioner Jones agreed with the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) that the insurance industry's balance sheets, and income statements are not as healthy as they should be. As you can surmise, the Commissioner has recommend a rate increase of approximately 15.6%!?http://www.wcexec.com/Pure-Premium-Rates-Go-Way-Up-for-Workers-Comp-Video.aspx

Since 2004, many purchasers of Workers Compensation Insurance have sought to solve their cash flow problems by placing insurance out to bid every few years in lieu of tackling the real culprits of excessive workers compensation costs. This strategy actually harms the employer while simultaneously lining the pockets of insurance company executives.. Many employers simply do not know what to do to significantly reduce their workers compensation costs and often rely on the bid process to help them reduce some of the increased expense.

What is the real trick to putting more money in your pocket, and less in the insurers? Controlling your own companies safety, culture, and leadership environment are just a few that come to mind. Have you ever stopped to think about the equivalent top line impact from reducing your Experience Mod by just 25%? What would a 50% reduction in your experience mod equate to in top land bottom line impact? How much would it cost you to capture the savings? The analysis can be quite compelling when you are searching out ways to find equivalent top line growth without adding an undue burden to your sales force.

If you have never asked your broker/consultant for what the impact would be on your current premiums, I would strongly recommend you either fire him for not bringing it to your attention sooner, or call your local rating bureau to get your lowest possible experience mod. Then do the math yourself.

Let's analyze the impact of the Commissioner's decision and it's impact on the experience rating of your business. While rate increases are never a good thing to employers who sign the front of the check, they do have some hidden benefits to the experience rating of small to mid sized employers who qualify for an experience modification.

Is there a silver lining on experience mods from the Insurance Commissioner's decision? First, it is important to understand some basics of experience mods. As new and future expected claim costs go up, so do workers compensation rates. As new and future expected claims costs go down, so do workers compensation rates. Experience mods are a function of actual claims of an employer divided by the expected claims of your industry (The formula is actual employer losses/expected industry losses). Therefore, as you increase the expected claims costs, you decrease the experience mod on a proportional level. All things being equal, this increase in basic expected future claims costs (agreed upon by Commissioner Jones), will drive average experience mods down as well.

While the decrease in average mods will be a good sign for some employers who are trending their actual losses downward, it still means thousands of employers who don't capitalize on reducing losses are leaving millions of dollars on the table. I encourage you to gain a better understanding of how this system really and how to capitalize on it by reducing your costs ?by calling me directly at 661-332-0382, or reaching out to me via email at riskmanager@vzw.blackberry.net.

Source: http://privateequityriskmanagers.blogspot.com/2012/12/hidden-benefits-of-recent-california.html

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Gainesville luxury real estate report: Homes sold through November ...

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Gainesville luxury home sales ? that is, homes that sell for $500,000 or more ? comprised approximately 2.6% of the Alachua County real estate market through November 2012.

New construction accounted for 24% of Gainesville luxury homes sold through November 2012, with luxury homes being built in Wilds Plantation, Carriage Way, Town of Tioga, Cheney Walk Estates, and Haile Plantation.

Sixty one percent of luxury homes sold in Southwest Gainesville, with the greatest amount of luxury homes being sold in Haile Plantation. Luxury homes in Southwest Gainesville also sold in Hayes Glen, Town of Tioga, Wilds Plantation, Cheney Walk Estates, Abbey Glen, Cambridge Forest, and Cobblefield.

Luxury homes in Northwest Gainesville sold in Thornehill, Sawbuck, Elizabeth Place, Carriage Way, San Felasco Estates, Hermitage, Millhopper Forest, Turnberry Lake, Windy Hills Farms, Splitrail, and Pine Hill Estates.

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Gainesville?s luxury home market experienced a contraction this year, with the amount of luxury homes sold down 14.5% from 2011.

On average it?s taken 18% longer to sell luxury homes in Gainesville in 2012 than it did in 2011.

Shop Gainesville luxury homes for sale

Source: http://haileplantationrealestate.com/gainesville-real-estate/gainesville-luxury-homes-sol/

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Your Brand Is Spreading Rumours About You Again! | Small ...

What?s your brand saying about you?

It?s all over the street ? nobody really knows what you do there at ABC Co. It?s not like your customers or potential customers are spreading bad news about you, it?s more the fact that they?re not saying anything at all. There is no buzz. Everybody knows you but for some reason that?s not translating into tangible business. You appear to be doing everything right on the ground. But are you really?

From my experience dealing with SME?s (small to medium enterprises), a common misconception about marketing is that have to list everything that they do on their business cards, brochures and marketing materials in general. ?Ed,? they tell me, ?if I don?t say ? it I don?t do it!? Maybe you?re saying too much. They seem to feel that an overall strategy is less important than a great eye-popping graphics. Manufacturers give more space on their marketing materials to pictures of their plants and group shots of the entire staff. Retailers are preoccupied with getting that price as low as possible and pretending to have great service while remaining closed on days popular with customers. Service businesses are more concerned with their convenience than their customers by relying entirely on email for connections.

The common problem is not that you may be known physically, but you?re unknown intellectually. Your customers can?t identify you with a need they have for your products or services. They?re confused. It?s a common communication/branding problem. The few example above point directly to:

1) No positioning strategy. Your audience ?is never everyone? it?s always a segment. It?s the segment that brings the most cash your way. Inevitably if you list everything, you?re bound to forget one thing. In the customers mind, since you do list everything, then you must be telling them that if it?s not listed ? you don?t do it. A simple but uncompromising rule. It?s much better to chose the service or category that brings you the highest opportunity and separates you from your competition. This will position you as the leader or the go to company.

2) Lack of communication. Everyone loves those super graphics that are so cool in marketing. The viral video. Anything that will catch the eyes and minds of the viewer. The problem is that while cool, they communicate nothing. Their goal is quantity over quality. Who cares if hoards of people look at you, if they don?t translate into business for you. If you don?t have a consistent strong ongoing compelling message to tell, what is your brand really saying about your business? You are ultimately responsible for what your brand is saying ? make it count.

3) Authenticity. You?ve seen it I?m sure; businesses bragging how service is the key to their brand and they make you wait on hold for 20 minutes. They open when it?s convenient to them and they connect entirely by email because it wouldn?t be convenient to drive all the way over to see you. Their entire brand is a contradiction. These are companies that don?t live up to their brand values.

To brand effectively you must say it, believe it and live it. Branding is all about controlling your perception on the street. You have the opportunity to define yourself, drop the ball and the marketplace will not be kind. Once the rumour mill takes over, you will spend more time correcting and following, than doing what makes you income and moves you forward.

Source: http://www.smallbusinessbranding.com/5294/your-brand-is-spreading-rumours-about-you-again/

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Land For Sale Prescott AZ 18-Acres $129000 Prescott AZ ...

MLS# 960771 P# 928-776-1166 http://9760_960771.ClickForListingInfo.com
Welcome to another Prescott, AZ property for sale brought to you by LEN MCGEE of Windermere Real Estate Northern Arizona ? The Leader in Prescott, AZ Real Estate Services.
This video contains information on one of our Prescott, AZ Homes for sale.
Listing Address: 5131 W Dillon Wash Rd Prescott, AZ 86305
Property Type: Land
Price: 129,000
Agent Name: LEN MCGEE
Agent Email: lenmcgee@windermere.com
Agent Phone: 928 713 4666
Agent Website: www.lenmcgee.com
Agency: Windermere Real Estate Northern Arizona
Agency Phone: 928-776-1166
Agency Website: http://www.WindermereNAZ.com

Property Information:<br />Building Square Feet: 0
Bedrooms:
Bathrooms:
Property Size: 18-Acres

Description: Beautiful and level 18 acre parcel in Crossroads Ranch Phase 2-5. Paved roads and underground utilities. Talk to owner/builder about building your dream home on this lot with it?s own well and bordering BLM State Land. Notice the taxes. Grazing rights have been assigned to this parcel. Well sleeve has been drilled.607 feet deep.

If you are looking to purchase a home in Prescott, AZ you can visit our website at http://9760_960771.ClickForListingInfo.com to view all listed homes and real estate for sale in Prescott, AZ

If you are thinking about buying or selling a home or property in Prescott, AZ give LEN MCGEE a call at 928 713 4666 for a free no obligation consultation.

Our Real Estate brokers offer years of experience helping home buyers and sellers in Prescott, AZ and our market area.

Thank you for viewing our real estate listings and remember you can search all listed homes, property and real estate at our website: http://9760_960771.ClickForListingInfo.com

To view more listings for LEN MCGEE please click here
http://homes-for-sale-real-estate.com/prescott-az/windermere_real_estate_northern_arizona-9760/len_mcgee-4403/

Property details have not been verified, lot size, square footage and other details are approximate.
Buyer must investigate property details to their own satisfaction.

Source: http://www.windermerenaz.com/2012/12/02/land-for-sale-prescott-az-18-acres-129000-prescott-az-2/

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Pre-caffeine tech: Internet banhammer, Batmobile!

4 hrs.

Helen A.S. Popkin

Here's everything that you need to know before taking that first sip of coffee today.

The?Vatican unveiled the?Pope's Twitter handle: @pontifex.

Facebook's latest feature: Automatic photo syncing. ?Here's what that means for Facebook.?

What's more, Facebook may be fixin' to buy Whatsapp. Here's why.?

Here are?the very interesting things that happen?to your smartphone after you sell, recycle or donate it.?

Syria's?Internet and phone service are largely restored.?

Here's what the?Internet's dad, Vint Cert, says about keeping the Internet free and open.?

Could a Syria-style Internet blackout happen in the US??Let's find out!?

Meanwhile, the Internet is completely off-limits to this 15-year-old?kid until he's 21!?

The first iPad-only newspaper app, The Daily, is dead.?

Want to see some infamous dictators as anime ladies? No, you don't. But here, look anyway.?

In closing, if you're wondering what to buy me this holiday season: The original Batmobile is going on sale for the first time!?

? compiled by Helen A.S.?Popkin, who invites you to join her on?Twitter?and/or?Facebook.?Also,?Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/pre-caffeine-tech-internet-banhammer-batmobile-1C7389507

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Northern California escapes flooding

The last in a series of punishing storms swept through Northern California on Sunday, leaving downed power lines, cracked tree limbs and buckets of rain ? but not, it appeared, the disastrous flooding that authorities had feared.

Since Wednesday, a string of storms had passed through the region. Each passed over an unusual band of tropical moisture hovering above the Pacific. That was the root of the concern: Officials feared that the warmed storms would leave a torrent of rain rather than snow, and flooding was feared along at least seven rivers.

"If this was a more typical cool event, a lot of that would have been snow and wouldn't have run off into the rivers," said Eric Kurth, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Sacramento.

The rains came ? nine inches east of Sacramento; a foot in Paradise, near Chico.

"We're seeing some of the most intense rain we've seen," Kurth said.

Some rivers, such as the Napa, began topping their banks. Roughly 100,000 homes and businesses lost power, powerful winds knocked over a truck on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, and Bay Area Rapid Transit train service was disrupted briefly after a power outage. And the threat was not over; the Russian River in Sonoma County could overflow its banks Monday.

But in several communities, calamity was narrowly avoided.

Authorities had warned, for instance, that flooding could be most severe along the Truckee River north of Lake Tahoe. According to the Truckee Police Department, the river reaches its flood point near the city of Truckee at 41/2 feet; authorities had predicted that a storm could swell the river to 71/2 feet.

Then, just in time, the temperature dropped to freezing, and officials were heartened to see wet snow, not rain. Rather than snow levels remaining at 10,000 feet and above, as predicted, areas as low as 7,000 feet were being blanketed.

Vic Ferrera, the Nevada County Emergency Services manager, said that although there was standing water in some parking lots, the threat of significant flooding had subsided by Sunday afternoon. Evacuation centers had been established but were empty, so far.

"We're basically on the back end of it now," Ferrera said. "It looks like the Truckee River is not a threat."

In the city of Napa, too, authorities had distributed more than 8,000 sandbags and braced for the worst. But the latest storm moved through more quickly than had been predicted, and officials said in a recorded message to residents that flooding of the Napa River would be limited to rural and agricultural areas. Riverside parks and the city's Promenade were closed as a precaution.

Flood warnings were also canceled in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties.

scott.gold@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/l-z3XfmsRmA/la-me-storms-20121203,0,6394810.story

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Art Therapy And Mindfulness Training Lower Stress In Breast ...

Stress is especially dangerous for those with cancer -- it's even been tied to lower survival rates -- but a new study suggests art and mindfulness could help decrease anxiety among this group.

Creative art therapy, in addition to a mindfulness training program, seems to provoke actual brain changes linked with decreased stress in women with breast cancer, according to the small new study published in the journal Stress and Health.

"This type of expressive art and meditation program has never before been studied for physiological impact and the correlation of that impact to improvements in stress and anxiety," study researcher Dr. Daniel Monti, M.D., the director of the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine, said in a statement.

The study included 18 people with breast cancer, who received their diagnosis sometime between the three years before the study and six months before the study. None of the participants were in active treatment for their cancer. At the start of the study, they were asked to fill out a checklist of 90 symptoms, and they also underwent fMRI brain imaging as they did a "neutral" task, a stressor task, and a meditation task.

Some were assigned to take a mindfulness based art therapy course, while others were assigned to just take an education course, both for eight weeks. The mindfulness based art therapy course included lessons in mindful yoga, mindful breathing, emotional awareness, etc., as well as art activities where they were able to express themselves emotionally.

After the eight-week period, the study participants filled out the symptom checklist again, and also underwent the brain scans again.

Researchers found that the study participants who were assigned to the mindfulness based art therapy course had actual brain changes linked with stress, reward and emotions. Specifically, they experienced more cerebral blood flow in the left insula, amygdala and hippocampus regions of the brain.

The study participants in the mindfulness based art therapy course also experienced less anxiety and stress, according to their responses to the symptom checklist.

For more ways to naturally relieve stress, check out the slideshow below:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/02/art-mindfulness-stress-relief-breast-cancer-patients_n_2219268.html

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Some sanity on STAAR (Offthekuff)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/267833096?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Value Of India Real Estate: Sprint To Marathon - Jones Lang LaSalle

In mid-2010, India?s investment grade real estate that was under construction joined the 100-billion-dollar club. Currently, the value of the investment grade real estate in India that is under construction is estimated to be USD 173.9 billion (nearly 35% more than Vietnam?s nominal GDP), a figure that has grown from USD 160.1 billion in 2Q11 and USD 101.3 billion in 2Q10. Following a steep rise of 58% y-o-y during 2Q11, the past 15 months have seen the value of these projects grow by a mere 8.6%. Rising input costs in recent quarters and an unenthused macro-economic sentiment have led to relatively fewer new construction starts in the sector compared to 2010. Between then and now, the country?s real estate market has traversed from a great deal of positivity to uncertainty. With 2012 nearly through, it hard to deny that it has been a forgettable year for the Indian realty market.

Source: Real Estate Intelligence Service, Jones Lang LaSalle

The market value of the commercial (office and retail) real estate that is under construction is USD 41.6 billion. The commercial office space that is under development contributes approximately 78% to the estimated market value of the commercial sector. The nominal decrease in supply, which was offset by a marginal rise in capital values, caused the share of the market value of commercial (office and retail) assets that are under construction to remain range bound to the figures estimated in 2010 and 2011. As the number of malls that were under development dropped and the size of malls increased, compared to 2Q11, the market value of retail assets that were under construction remained unaltered during 3Q12.

The Tier I cities of Mumbai, NCR-Delhi and Bangalore contribute approximately 67% to the market value of the commercial office space that is under construction, while the Tier II cities of Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata contribute about 17%. Other investment grade developments in Tier III cities contribute about 16% to today?s Pan-India market value. With infrastructure developments and relatively lower real estate costs, the share of the market value of Tier III cities grew from 9% in 2Q10 to 16% presently. While Tier I cities have contributed about 58% of the commercial retail space that is under development, Tier II and Tier III cities supplied approximately 27% and 15%, respectively.

Unlike the commercial sector, due to the increased construction activity and rapid recovery of property prices since their trough levels in mid-2009, the contribution of the residential sector has grown The market value of residential real estate that was under construction increased from 66% in 2Q10 to 76% in 3Q12, touching USD 132.3 billion, a figure that nearly doubles the levels seen in 2Q10. While NCR-Delhi has the largest volume of residential properties currently being developed, Mumbai contributes a larger share to the market value. Aided by its self-liquidating nature and the high demand for housing in India, the resilient residential sector has been the focus of developers and investors.

About the author
Hariharan Ganesan is the Senior Manager, Research for Jones Lang LaSalle in India, based in Mumbai.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 3rd, 2012 at 9:15 am and is filed under India, Real Estate Research. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.joneslanglasalleblog.com/APResearch/india/value-of-india-real-estate-sprint-to-marathon

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ASU Startup AlphaStripe Raises Funding to Help Veterans and Military Tell Their Story

Funding comes from MAC6 incubator.

Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) November 28, 2012

AlphaStripe, a student-led startup supported by ASU?s successful Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative, has received an undisclosed angel funding round and additional support from Tempe?s new MAC6 incubator. AlphaStripe is a global, online networking platform for veterans, military service members, and military families. AlphaStripe makes it easier for users to connect, network, and tell their own stories. Now, users can create an AlphaStripe account by simply signing in with Facebook and linking both social networks. In addition to this seed funding from MAC6, AlphaStripe also recently received grant funding from IBM to support its mission and initiative.

?MAC6 believed in our vision and passion to give back to a community that gives so much and continually impacts the entire world. Receiving funding at this stage validates our mission and propels us to do even greater things," said Eli Chmouni, co-founder and CEO of AlphaStripe.

The AlphaStripe platform is designed to allow users to document their military experiences and legacies in videos and photos. Earlier in the summer, the startup beta tested a variety of tools before redesigning the website to optimize the user experience.

"We invested in AlphaStripe because of what they are doing at a massive scale to improve the quality of life for the many past and current military members who have given so much to our country.? said Kyle McIntosh, co-founder and lead Creative Excitant at MAC6. ?We believe that the AlphaStripe team, with a for-profit approach to this business model, will create a platform that will help connect, share stories with, and change the world and how we view armed conflict, forever.?

The main areas of the AlphaStripe website are open to the public with secure areas available to veterans to allow private sharing of stories and the ability to reconnect with old comrades. The startup has developed an incredibly comprehensive military database for the US armed forces dating back to World War II, allowing veterans to connect based on their service history.

?I spent eight years in the US Army and there are so many stories to share. Some are too personal to share with the world. Some are so funny I have to share them with the world. AlphaStripe was created to share stories of conflict that so many soldiers understand only too well," said Jason Brown, Military Relations Officer and co-founder of AlphaStripe.

Brown served for 8 years in the United States Army. He was in the 4/25th Airborne Infantry out of Fort Richardson Alaska for the first portion of his service. During this time he deployed to Iraq for a 15 month rotation cut short by 4 months after sustaining a gunshot wound during a fire fight. After recovery, he deployed once more to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan.

MAC6 is an early stage business incubator that supports the growth of Conscious Capitalism business models in 10,000 square feet of state-of-the-art office space in Tempe. Additionally, MAC6 provides angel funding, an intensive mentorship program, and access to elite business community partners.

The MAC6 program advocates capitalism as a force for good and supports the growth of for-profit, early-stage companies with epic, paradigm-shifting ideas through creativity, collaboration, community and change. MAC6 is not industry exclusive and has set up a collaborative environment where many companies doing very different things are working side by side.

The ASU Venture Catalyst is a strategic unit of ASU?s Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development, the research arm of ASU. Eli Chmouni, co-founder and CEO of AlphaStripe, has been supported two years in a row through the ASU Edson student entrepreneur accelerator based in ASU SkySong, the Innovation Center in Scottsdale. The Edson accelerator provides funding, mentoring, and office space that enables students to advance their ventures and is part of the Venture Catalyst.

About AlphaStripe (http://www.alphastripe.com):

AlphaStripe allows the brave men and women of the United State Armed forces and their families to document their military experiences and preserve their memories for the future generations. AlphaStripe is the place to preserve your history, share your legacy story and build connections.

About MAC6 (http://www.mac6.com/):

MAC6 is an early stage business incubator accelerating Conscious Capitalism through collaboration, creativity, community and change. With a view that placing people and planet before profits, paradoxically increases profits, our mission is to foster free enterprise/ social venture business models in support of individual and community self reliance, worldwide. The businesses we support seek to affect positive change in the world, while growing and sustaining long-term profitable business models.

About the Edson Entrepreneur Initiative (http://studentventures.asu.edu/)

The Edson program provides funding, office space, and guidance to teams of students within all university disciplines. This accelerator gives student entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop their innovative ideas and launch viable businesses. As an integral program of ASU Venture Catalyst, students in the Edson accelerator have access to seasoned entrepreneurs, industry mentors, and other Catalyst programs that allows students to advance their enterprises.

Meagan Garrett
ASU SkySong
480-884-1814
Email Information

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asu-startup-alphastripe-raises-funding-help-veterans-military-100034478.html

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Iowa State, Ames Lab chemist elected president of American ...

AMES, Iowa ? Tom Barton, a chemist with long ties to Iowa State University and the U.S. Department of Energy?s Ames Laboratory, has been elected president-elect of the American Chemical Society.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) has more than 164,000 members and is the world?s largest scientific society.

Barton will be the society?s president-elect in 2013, its president in 2014 and its immediate past-president in 2015. He was recently elected with 62 percent of the vote.

Barton is currently an Iowa State Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and an associate of the Ames Laboratory. He has been at Iowa State since 1967 and a distinguished professor since 1984. He directed the Ames Laboratory from 1988 to 2007. He directed Iowa State?s Institute for Physical Research and Technology from 1998 to 2007. He was also interim director of the Iowa Energy Center in 2009. He retired from Iowa State in May 2012.

And why does he want to lead the ACS? These, after all, are difficult times for chemistry. Jobs are being outsourced, unemployment of chemists is high, research funding is uncertain and young people are less interested in the field. The ACS has developed plans and strategies to address those issues.

?However,? Barton wrote on his candidate website, ?plans remain only words unless there is leadership who passionately believes in our mission, and has the background, talents, capabilities and time available to lead the effort to carry out these strategies, to sell these strategies and to energize the membership of ACS to carry them out with zeal.?

Barton said his priorities will be improving elementary and secondary science education in America, boosting the public?s appreciation of chemistry and addressing employment and globalization issues.

About American education, he said, ?Everybody knows that in K-12 we?re not doing a good job in science, technology, engineering and math. We have more conferences and special reports but still do little or nothing. We need drastic changes. I hope this new bully pulpit of mine will add to the efforts in getting this done.?

Barton, who?s not shy about sharing an opinion or telling a story (he?s even writing some fiction these days), said it?s purely an accident that he?s a chemist.

He started college on a music scholarship ? half voice and half clarinet ? and was asked to pick a science class to meet his degree requirements. When a college official tried to steer him away from a chemistry class for science students, Barton rose to the challenge and took the harder course.

?The next thing you know I had a Ph.D. in chemistry,? he said.

And now, instead of settling into retirement, he?s preparing to advance chemistry and meet the changing needs of chemists.

?While the ACS president is only one person,? Barton wrote on his website, ?an energetic, experienced president can lead by coordinating the effort of 164,000 bright, well-educated members and their collective wisdom to take us into the future.?

Source: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2012/11/27/bartonacs

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ACU Conference: Do University Rankings Matter? | Marketing and ...

Do they really matter? This was the question asked of university rankings and benchmarking at the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Conference of Executive Heads held at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus from November 9th to 11th. Leaders and educators from around the world collected to explore the theme, ?University Rankings and Benchmarking: Do they really matter?? as well as other drivers such as economic policies, changing political and social agenda, staff recruitment and retention, and student aspirations. The event called on participants to seek to measure and demonstrate their university?s ?value? to prospective students, parents, alumni, governments and other stakeholders.
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In his address, Chairman of the ACU and Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor E. Nigel Harris revealed regionally, institutions are facing difficulty in defining productivity and value. He hoped the conference would bring new insights in light of the global competition fostered by increased access to post-secondary education.?
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The Honourable Portia Simpson-Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica, in opening the conference, declared that, ?Any country that wants to be strong must have a strong university base.? ?
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She also welcomed the emphasis of the conference on performance indicators in higher education. She recognised that, sensitively handled, such rankings can strengthen the culture of transparency, quality, and inform better decision making from students and other stakeholders.?
The conference also marked the beginning of the ACU Centenary celebrations under the theme ?Future Forward; design, develop and deliver? which will consider key issues relating to the future of international higher education: designing academics and universities for the future, developing tools to meet new challenges, and delivering, recognising and measuring growth, impact and success.?
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At 100 years, this year, the ACU is the oldest conglomeration of universities in the world.?
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Source: http://myspot.mona.uwi.edu/proffice/newsroom/entry/4884

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Yahoo's stock hits $19 for 1st time since 2010

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Yahoo's shares touched $19 Monday, the first time they have traded that high in more than two and half years.

The latest gains extend a rally that has been gaining momentum in recent weeks as Yahoo Inc. buys back its own stock and more investors bet on CEO Marissa Mayer's ability to turn around the long-struggling company.

Mayer, a former top executive at Internet search leader Google Inc., became Yahoo's fifth CEO in less than a year when the company hired her in July. Since her arrival, Mayer has vowed to make Sunnyvale, Calif., company a better place to work, refine its online services and roll out more products tailored for smartphones and tablet computers.

Yahoo has also been trying to boost its stock price by spending most of money that it received from a recent deal to buy back its own shares.

After taxes, the company pocketed $4.3 billion by selling half its stake in Chinese Internet company Alibaba Group Ltd. Mayer has pledged to spend $3.6 billion buying back Yahoo's stock, including $600 million that had gone toward share repurchases before the Alibaba deal closed in mid-September.

Yahoo had spent $212 million buying back 13 million shares from Oct. 1 through Nov. 8, according to a recent regulatory filing, with $928 million spent so far this year.

Since Mayer made the buyback commitment, Yahoo's stock has climbed by nearly 20 percent. The shares hit $19 in Monday's early trading for the first time since April 2010.

Goldman Sachs analyst Heath Terry believes Yahoo's stock will climb even higher, as more investor enthusiasm builds for Mayer's turnaround strategy and the value of the company's remaining holdings in Asian Internet companies becomes clearer. Besides retaining a 24 percent stake in Alibaba, Yahoo also owns 35 percent of Yahoo Japan. He also thinks Yahoo's stock will get a boost from future buybacks planned by Yahoo.

In a Monday research report, Terry raised his price target for Yahoo's shares to $24 from $22. The price targets of 15 other analysts surveyed by FactSet range from $16.50 to $22.

After climbing to $19 in Monday's early trading, Yahoo shares closed at $18.75, up 18 cents.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-11-26-Yahoo-Stock/id-d504f29fccb0446588741e5007eba095

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Is Quantum Reality Analog after All? (preview)

See Inside

Quantum theorists often speak of the world as being pointillist at the smallest scales. Yet a closer look at the laws of nature suggests that the physical world is actually continuous?more analog than digital

By David Tong

Image: Kenn Brown, Mondolithic Studios

In Brief

• Quantum mechanics is usually thought of as inherently discrete, yet its equations are formulated in terms of continuous quantities. Discrete values emerge depending on how a system is set up.
• Digital partisans insist that the continuous quantities are, on closer inspection, discrete: they lie on a tightly spaced grid that gives the illusion of a continuum, like the pixels on a computer screen.
• This idea of pixilated, discrete space contradicts at least one feature of nature, however: the asymmetry between left- and right-handed versions of elementary particles of matter.

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Editors' note: Last year the Foundational Questions Institute's third essay contest posed the following question to physicists and philosophers: ?Is Reality Digital or Analog?? The organizers expected entrants to come down on the side of digital. After all, the word ?quantum? in quantum physics connotes ?discrete? ?hence, ?digital?. Many of the best essays held, however, that the world is analog. Among them was the entry by David Tong, who shared the second-place prize. The article here is a version of his essay.

In the late 1800s the famous german mathematician Leopold Kronecker proclaimed, ?God made the integers, all else is the work of man.? He believed that whole numbers play a fundamental role in mathematics. For today's physicists, the quote has a different resonance. It ties in with a belief that has become increasingly common over the past several decades: that nature is, at heart, discrete?that the building blocks of matter and of spacetime can be counted out, one by one. This idea goes back to the ancient Greek atomists but has extra potency in the digital age. Many physicists have come to think of the natural world as a vast computer described by discrete bits of information, with the laws of physics an algorithm, like the green digital rain seen by Neo at the end of the 1999 film The Matrix.

This article was originally published with the title The Unquantum Quantum.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=ff441d8b6b030fe62ee1110881f7ed20

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Alliant Physical Therapy continues its Investment in the Central City

Written by admin ? // November 26, 2012 ? // 0 Comments

Alliant Physical Therapy Group is proud to announce its continued expansion into the Central City of Milwaukee with the addition of two new clinics to serve this historically underserved market.? Chad Novasic, P.T., president of Alliant Physical Therapy group states ?I am excited to be able to open these two clinics.? We are committed to providing quality physical therapy services and to providing jobs within the City of Milwaukee.? As others take jobs away from the city we want to be moving in.??

The first clinic is located at 2578 North Martin Luther King Drive, Milwaukee, WI? 53212 and will be managed by Operating Partner Cari Kuehmichel.? Cari is well versed in orthopedics, geriatrics and a multitude of manual therapy techniques including craniosacral therapy.? ?Kari is a great therapist with a proven track record of success. We are excited about this new venture and look forward to seeing it blossom.? Novasic said.

The second clinic is located at 756 N. 35th Street, Suite #203 Milwaukee, WI 53208 and will be managed Ryan Garman.? Alliant Physical Therapy Group is excited to be working with Ryan to open its newest clinic on the north side of Milwaukee.? ?This community really needs more quality health care, and Alliant is committed to adding Physical Therapy services where they are needed. ?

Both Clinics are currently open and actively seeing patients.? In order to schedule a schedule an appointment please call Alliant Physical Therapy at (262) 898-3930.

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Source: http://www.communityjournal.net/alliant-physical-therapy-continues-its-investment-in-the-central-city/

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Chris Brown deletes Twitter account

Jonathan Alcorn / REUTERS

By The Hollywood Reporter

Another day, another Chris Brown controversy.?The singer has deleted his Twitter account -- again -- on the heels of a heated exchange with comedy writer Jenny Johnson.

PHOTOS: Hollywood's Twitter feuds

According to E! News, Brown sent out a tweet reading, "I look old as [expletive]! I'm only 23...," that prompted Johnson to reply with: "I know! Being a worthless piece of [expletive] can really age a person."

Brown responded: "Take them teeth out when u Sucking my [expletive] HOE."

Apparently, several more tweets followed between the two. Johnson at one point corrected Brown's spelling -- "It's 'HO' not 'HOE' you ignorant [expletive]" she wrote -- and linked to a story about his 2009 assault involving then-girlfriend Rihanna. For his part, Brown -- whose Twitter handle was @ChrisBrown -- repeatedly insulted Johnson.

Celebrity Tweet has compiled the past month's worth of tweets from Brown, who reportedly had 11.6 million followers. The final few read: "To teambreezy... Know that I'm not upset. Just felt like entertaining the ignorance. These [expletive] crazy.. Further proved my point of how immature society is. #CarpeDiem Catch me in traffic..."

PHOTOS: Worst Twitter gaffes

Johnson's final tweet on the matter was posted Sunday.

"According to Team Breezy, if you have a difference of opinion with someone, 'eating a [expletive]' is the cure for any and all problems. ?#Knowledge," she wrote.

According to Huffington Post, Johnson has mocked Brown on Twitter since his 2009 arrest. Her tweet "Call me old fashioned, but Chris Brown should be in prison" has been retweeted more than 1,800 times.

Brown previously deleted his Twitter account in 2009 -- he was then using the handle @MechanicalDummy -- after going on a rant against Walmart and other major retailers, who he claimed had refused to carry his album "Graffiti "(Walmart, in fact, did carry the disc).

PHOTOS: Kanye West, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Chris Brown rock the BET Awards

At the time, he tweeted: "JUST WAS AT WALMART IN wallingford CT,844 north colony.. the didnt even have my album in the back... not on shelves, saw for myself...we talked to the managers and the didnt even know anything. wow!!! but they had alicia keys album ready for release for this tuesday comin...no disprespect to alicia at all.. just givin an example to whos album is loaded and ready to go next week."

He later wrote: "I WANNA THANK MY FANS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT. I LOVE YALL. GOODBYE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Brown's latest Twitter-related controversy comes just a few weeks after he tweeted out a photo of himself dressed as a terrorist for Halloween, which many people called racist.

He also cursed out his critics on Twitter after the Grammys earlier this year before deleting those tweets.

Related content:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2012/11/26/15453754-chris-brown-deletes-twitter-account-after-heated-exchange-with-comedy-writer?lite

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Syrian rebels capture air base near Damascus

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian rebels captured a helicopter base just outside Damascus Sunday in what an activist called a "blow to the morale of the regime" near President Bashar Assad's seat of power.

The takeover claim showed how rebels are advancing in the area of the capital, though they are badly outgunned, making inroads where Assad's power was once unchallenged. Rebels have also been able to fire mortar rounds into Damascus recently.

The director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul-Rahman, said rebels seized control of the Marj al-Sultan base on the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday morning. He said at least 15 rebels and eight soldiers were killed in the fighting that started a day earlier. The rebels later withdrew from the base.

Rebels appear to be trying to take over air bases and destroy aircraft in order to prevent the regime from using them in attacks against opposition forces around the country.

The rebels have no protection against the attack helicopters and fighter jets that have been blasting their positions.

Rebels have been attacking air bases in different parts of Syria, mostly in the northern regions of Idlib and Aleppo.

In the battle at the base outside Damascus, Abdul-Rahman and Damascus-based activist Maath al-Shami said rebels destroyed two helicopters with rocket propelled grenades and captured a tank. They say the base, which is on the eastern outskirts of Damascus, houses several radar positions.

"This is a blow to the morale of the regime, because it is close to the heart of the capital," said Abdul-Rahman, referring to the base that is about 15 kilometers (10 miles) from Damascus.

Al-Shami said the rebels withdrew from the base after they captured some ammunition. He said they feared counterstrikes by regime aircraft.

An amateur video posted online showed rebels walking next to two destroyed helicopters. At least three other helicopters appeared undamaged. Black smoke billowed in the distance.

Another video showed several radar posts on hills inside the large compound. Parked military trucks stood inside as rebels roamed freely.

The activist videos appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting about the events depicted. Syria restricts the access of reporters.

The Observatory also reported violence in other parts of Syria, including the country's largest city of Aleppo in the north and the capital itself.

It said rebels on Sunday captured a training base for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command near the Damascus suburb of Douma. The PFLP-GC is one of the Palestinian factions most loyal to Assad.

The PFLP-GC said in a statement late Saturday that the base was under attack. It said that thousands of activists and fighters who fought against Israel were trained at the base over the past 30 years.

Also Sunday, the Observatory said a bomb targeted a bus in the southern village of Othman, killing at least five people and wounding dozens. It said rebels and troops clashed in the southern region of Quneitra on the edge of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The Local Coordination Committees, another activist group, said residents found 12 bodies in the Damascus suburb of Daraya, scene of heavy clashes between rebels and government troops over the past few days.

State TV said troops clashed with al-Qaida militants in Daraya, killing some of them and confiscating a mortar that they were using in their attacks.

The station said that troops killed an al-Qaida affiliated Palestinian militant known as Abu Suhaib in the Damascus suburb of Hajira. It said his group was behind several bombings in Syria that killed and wounded dozens of people.

Assad's regime blames the revolt on a foreign conspiracy. It accuses Saudi Arabia and Qatar, along with the United States, other Western countries and Turkey, of funding, training and arming the rebels, whom it calls terrorists.

Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with an uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime, inspired by other Arab Spring revolts. It quickly morphed into a civil war that has since killed more than 40,000 people, according to activists.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-capture-air-near-damascus-140725464.html

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Obama?s pick for CIA could affect drone program (Washington Post)

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iPad mini (Verizon LTE): what's changed?

Well, what's this, then? Another little tablet from Apple? We surprised ourselves by being quite fond of the first iPad mini, which crossed our desks just a few weeks ago. It strikes the perfect blend of size, performance and capability, but without a proper wireless connection its usability on the road is definitely hampered. Thin and light devices like these were meant to come with you when you leave the house, and you shouldn't leave high-speed data behind.

So, we're very glad to now be testing the $459 LTE version of that very tablet, this one Verizon-flavored. It's every bit as thin and very nearly as light as its WiFi-only predecessor but can send and receive your precious (and also your more disposable) data with way more oomph than before. Is such freedom of connectivity worth the $130 price premium? And, just how bad is the hit to battery life? Let's find out, together.

Gallery: Apple iPad mini cellular

Continue reading iPad mini (Verizon LTE): what's changed?

Filed under: Tablets, Apple

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/syS2kbZaOkY/

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