Monday, December 31, 2012

Best of 2012: The Year in Ridiculous Tabloid Covers!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/12/best-of-2012-the-year-in-ridiculous-tabloid-covers/

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Peterson Falls Nine Yards Short, Leads Vikings to Postseason (Powerlineblog)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273971911?client_source=feed&format=rss

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The Seasons on Earth, Male and Female Roles open

This is my roleplay Seasons on Earth. It revolves around the four beings who can control the season they are related to with ease. These four are all brothers who were born of the sun and the moon and have lived with them since a few days ago. The four have gone to Earth secretly and are thought to be captured.

The boys have landed in a small town and it is causing the town to separate into four different quadrants which each have a different season caused by the boys. The four are also starting to fall for four of the girls in the town causing some complications for the stars searching for them.

There are currently the seasons of Spring and Summer Open and as for the girls The relations for Summer and Winter are Open as well as both stars. The link is above and I really hope you join.

Any questions? Ask below or goto the RP and ask under the questions tab

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/iyVNck6SUsI/viewtopic.php

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Sunday, December 30, 2012

More Trouble for the US Military on Okinawa

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Source: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-903912?ref=feeds/latest

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$1000 to transfer from public to private? - Adoption.com Forums

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhioFosterMom

well great on the legal risk child!!! I thought you can't transfer back to Franklin since they are all private subcontracted. I'm confused now. Hasn't it been less than a year since you went to the private? Won't Franklin place the legal risk child with your private agency now, so you can start bonding? Or , is the child with a different private.?


Honestly, I have gotten very shady answer on this one from the Adoption Worker Supervisor. IMHO, they (county) were not prepared nor knew what to do for "adoption" only families. So, as I understand it, a small section of families chose to stay as "adoption only" with the county and did not transfer their foster licenses. So, the last few kids I got info on was in September and I think the AWS "forgot" that I was transferred out. Maybe I am paranoid and they just haven't had any more littles available. It is pretty rare. Since I have been trying since May 2011, there have been 5 under 5. But, she also gets reports from other counties and forwards them out, and I havent gotten any of those either. A lot of the smaller counties have a higher percentage of kids going to adoption because they have fewer foster homes and if the foster families adopted all of the kids, they'd have no foster families. [not sure if I explained that right]

So, let me try to rephrase what I believe is the options.

A.) Maintain my FOSTER license and inherent Adoption homestudy with the private agency where the focus will be on FOSTER only, or they will assist with an adoption if either a.) it is the child I am fostering or b.) I find one on a photolisting

B.) After one year, I can close my FOSTER license and transfer my ADOPTION homestudy back to county and wait for just a legally available child. (I don't think they place legal-risk in adoption only homes as that is why I got Chubbs, because I was foster/adopt.)

And, I have to be "foster" in order to take in a sibling. So, it is quite a dilemma for me to be honest as I am only keeping out my foster license until Chubbs is about 3.

Source: http://forums.adoption.com/foster-parent-support/411403-1000-transfer-public-private.html

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Clippers beat Jazz 116-114 for 16th straight win

Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin (32) dunks the ball in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin (32) dunks the ball in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin (32) dunks as Utah Jazz point guard Randy Foye (8) looks on in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah Jazz center Enes Kanter (0) blocks the shoot of Los Angeles Clippers center Ronny Turiaf (21) in the second quarter during an NBA basketball game on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin walks off the court after the Clippers' 116-114 victory over the Utah Jazz in an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson (25) blocks the shot of Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, left, in the first quarter during an NBA basketball game on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

(AP) ? Chris Paul scored 29 points and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from a 19-point deficit in the third quarter to beat the Utah Jazz 116-114 on Friday night, stretching their winning streak to 16 games.

Ex-Clipper Randy Foye's 3-pointer at the buzzer was contested by Matt Barnes, but no foul was called. Foye finished with a season-high 28 points for Utah.

Paul scored the Clippers' final seven points, most from the free throw line, as Los Angeles extended the NBA's longest winning streak this season.

The Jazz led 74-55 with 8:08 left in the third on a pair of free throws by Paul Millsap. But the Clippers outscored Utah 29-14 the rest of the quarter to pull to 88-84 going into the fourth.

Paul provided the offense with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the third. He added nine points in the fourth and led six Clippers in double figures. Blake Griffin added 22 points and 13 rebounds, and DeAndre Jordan had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Al Jefferson added 22 points for Utah. Gordon Hayward had 17 off the bench.

The Jazz were handed their first home loss this season on Dec. 3 when the Clippers beat them 105-104. Utah led by as many as 14 in that one before Paul came on strong down the stretch.

This time, Caron Butler's four-point play tied it at 90 with 9:09 remaining.

The Jazz built another five-point lead thanks to a three-point play by Derrick Favors. Los Angeles went on a 7-0 run to surge ahead 109-106, but Jefferson scored four straight to put Utah up 110-109.

Paul made five of six free throws down the stretch, and his 17-footer with 23 seconds left gave the Clippers a 113-110 lead.

Foye countered with two free throws and Jefferson tied it at 114 from the line after grabbing Paul's lone miss in the fourth and getting fouled.

Jefferson, however, was called for a foul of his own as Paul cut inside on a pick. Paul's free throws sealed it with 3.4 seconds left.

The Jazz certainly made the Clippers work for this one. Utah used a 36-point second quarter to turn a seven-point deficit into a 58-48 halftime lead. Jazz reserves did most of the damage.

Alec Burks and Earl Watson pushed the pace, big men Enes Kanter and Favors established their presence inside and Hayward found ways to score after missing his first few shots.

Kanter's block of Ronny Turiaf ignited the crowd. Hayward's 3-pointer tied it at 34 with 7:04 left in the second and he scored 10 points straight for the Jazz, who forced eight turnovers in the quarter and held the Clippers to 37.5 percent shooting.

Foye, who kept Utah close in the first with a 13-point quarter on 4-of-5 shooting, gave the Jazz their biggest lead of the half, 54-41, with two more free throws.

Los Angeles led by as many as eight points in the first as Griffin hit four of his first five shots.

NOTES: An unidentified Jazz employee was disciplined and had his access to the team Twitter account discontinued after what team officials deemed an inappropriate tweet regarding the firing of Nets coach Avery Johnson and Brooklyn's interest in Phil Jackson. The tweet said Jackson only wants "great players," an apparent reference to ex-Jazz point guard Deron Williams, who had criticized Johnson's offense. ... Jazz point guard Mo Williams still has swelling in his sprained right thumb and remains out indefinitely. ... The Clippers got a scare late in the first quarter when Lamar Odom came up limping. He returned in the second and finished with 12 points.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-29-Clippers-Jazz/id-f0c6d4c851744b15b2a97c460fd1e92d

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inrng : roads to ride - alpe d'huez

Alpe d'Huez

As the first part of a series to explore the famous roads of cycling, here is the Alpe d?Huez in France. The idea with this weekly series is to discover the road and its place in the world, whether its part in cycling?s folklore or to explore what it is like on a normal day without a race.

Alpe d?Huez is first as it?s one of road cycling?s most famous routes, an Alpine theatre that has become famous and even had books written about it. Next summer the Tour will climb the road twice in one day.

But for all its fame, this is a new climb that only gained in notoriety during the 1980s where began to feature almost annually on the Tour?s route.

The Route
The D211 road climbs out of Bourg d?Oisans to the ski resort of Alpe d?Huez at 1,860 metres above sea level. It is 13.2km long with an average gradient of 8.1% making it a tough climb but the road is wide, well-surfaced and a work of engineering that tames the mountain.

Alpe d'Huez

Much of the engineered sensation comes from the famous 21 hairpin bends. A typical bend in the mountains sees the inside of the road rise up so steeply that most cyclists avoid cutting the apex when climbing so as not to stall. But the road to the Alpe has many flat and wide bends to allow even the largest of vehicles to corner with ease.

Alpe d'Huez hairpins

Le zig et le zag

Everyone says the climb has 21 hairpins which is correct if you stop upon entering the ski resort of Alpe d?Huez only few stop at the sign. This means there are more bends to climb.

It?s not necessarily the most beautiful climb. The road climbs up some steep slopes where it flanked by steep concrete walls on one side which radiate heat back to the riders on a hot day, the green pastures only emerge at the end. But there are good views of the Romanche valley.

Feel
You can count the hairpins and measure the gradient but roads often have an unquantifiable feeling. This is a busy road that has been designed by civil engineers and without a race the climb feels functional. There?s none of the ersatz spiritualism of Mont Ventoux nor is it the toughest of climbs ? there are harder roads nearby.

The climb starts steep, going from flat road to a 10% grade in an instant, big ring to inner ring in a click. The best part is the middle section, with elevation a rider can gaze at the valley below but also spot the road snaking ominously above. Unlike other Alpine roads this does not meander up a valley, following the natural course of a river. Instead this is a supersize parking garage with 21 levels connected by a series of ramps.

It?s rural but there?s a mild suburban vibe with the street furniture, the concrete wall and crash barriers that line much of the road. As the top approaches the ski resort and its ugly constructions detract from the mountains around.

Scanning the photo archives, there are few scenic photos, instead the focus is on the action and also the dense crowds which part to let the leaders pass although perhaps this is because most photographers don?t have the time to compose a shot since they need to get to the finish to capture the winning moment.

History
The village of Huez sits about halfway up the climb and has long been inhabited, perching on the slopes. But higher up the open pastures were used for grazing cattle. At one time a silver mine was operated for the benefit of the local royalty and protected by the Chateau de Brandes. The fort has crumbled now the mine has gone. Instead the place earns its coin from tourism and in the 1920s winter sports became a leisure activity and the ski resort began to take shape. If others invented the ski lift by accident, for example to transport goods up the mountain by sliding sacks uphill over the snow, Alpe d?Huez claims it was the first to install a formal ski lift.

Tour de France History
The nearby Galibier pass was first included in 1911 but the Tour did not climb the Alpe until 1952 when it was used for the race?s first ever summit finish. Fausto Coppi won. It was not until 1976 that the race returned meaning the road is a relic of the modern era as it established itself as a regular summit finish in the 1980s and 1990s. This suggests the sport?s pantheon of legendary venues can be opened up to include new places with relative ease.

The Dutch left their mark with wins two stage victories each for Joop Zootemelk, Hennie Kuiper and Peter Winnen in the 1970s and 80s, along with Steven Rooks and Gert-Jan Theunisse. To this day the place is a big draw with the Dutch in summer and winter alike.

The resort has made up for lost time and embraced cycling. Each hairpin bend is named after a Tour stage winner but given the race has visited so often now some corners now have two names? although the local council is set to delete Lance Armstrong. But if the hairpins are numbered this owes little to the Tour: the bends were numbered to help snow plough drivers in heavy snowfall.

Owing to its regularity in the Tour as a summit finish in recent years it has indeed proved decisive for the race although this is not always so:

  • Carlos Sastre?s attack in 2008 saw him ride away with the stage win and yellow jersey. Many expected Cadel Evans to overhaul the Spaniard in the final time trial but Sastre?s advantage was too big
  • He?s not so popular these days but Lance Armstrong?s ?look? in 2001 might be a defining image of his career, he fixed long time rival Jan Ullrich with a gaze before riding away. Both riders later downplayed the incident but it lives on as a TV moment
  • The race took a flat approach in 1997 and Marco Pantani?s Mercatone Uno team drove the pace all the way to the foot of the climb and then left their leader to finish the job on the slopes. Pantani flew up in record time of 37m35s, although this time is disputed. His memory lives on with a modest Prix Pantani usually awarded to stage winners now
  • In 1986 Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond were on the same team but fought each other during the race in a tale recounted by Richard Moore?s ?Slaying The Badger? book. Hinault and LeMond arrived at the finish line together
  • In 1984 Luis ?Lucho? Herrera won the stage on his way to taking the King of the Mountains prize, the first Colombian to win a stage in the race and marking the emergence of riders from beyond Europe

On A Normal Day
So what?s it like when the crowds are gone? Well it?s busy, at least for an Alpine road. The road is open all year as the ski resort requires easy access.

  • Right now the ski season is on and the road is open and you can ride up but the descent will be cold. But summer is closer than you think with graffiti left by cycling fans. If the road gets resurfaced the walls can retain tributes to Pantani or Virenque. The road is busy with tourist traffic as there is no ski piste down to the valley. So everyone has to go up the mountain before they can slide down. Large coaches exploit the wide hairpin bends with ease whilst many vehicles ferry food and other supplies to resort
  • There is a summer season and the road creaks with cyclists winching their way uphill. This includes keen amateurs in town for the annual Marmotte ride, the world?s first gran fondo event which started in 1982. But the climb?s reputation goes far and you will spot Dutch couples pushing their town bikes. There is bike rental in several bike shops in Bourg d?Oisans where casual visitors can try it for themselves. Less adventurous tourists just drive up, their vehicles reeking of burning clutch plates and brake pads
  • The third season is the quiet time of year, in between the Tour and the snow, between the heat and the winter. Here the road is much quieter as the ski resort gets repaired during the off-season. The road can be fixed but still cyclists will tackle the slopes including many ski instructors who work on their fitness when there?s no snow
Marmotte

The world?s first gran fondo

Overflow
The road is proving so popular with cyclists that one reason for this year?s Tour de France double ascension is to showcase the Col de Sarenne. After climbing up to Alpe d?Huez the race will tackle the Col de Sarenne which sits behind the ski resort at 1,999m before descending to the valley and riding back to Bourg d?Oisans for the final climb. If only a fraction of the visiting cyclists take this alternative descent in the summer it will ease the traffic

Travel and Access
Grenoble is the nearest city with rail connections from Paris and both Lyon and Geneva airports are not far. The only public transport is a bus to Bourg d?Oisans.

You can stay in Alpe d?Huez but like many purpose-built ski resorts, it looks better when buried under the snow and its charm melts with the snow. Down below Bourg d?Oisans makes a better base with a range of family-run hotels.

As well as ascending the main road via Huez and the back route via the Col de Sarenne there is a third route up via the village of Villard-Reculas. There are also many other cols in the area that have been used by the Tour de France, from giants like the Galibier via the Lautaret and the Glandon and Croix de Fer sisters, all of which tend to be open from May until October.

Summary
The most famous climb of the Tour de France? Perhaps but the Alps have plenty more to offer. The wide road and regular gradient make it a hard climb but it?s a steady ramp test, there are no nasty surprises. It?s more access road than mountain pass, and if it?s no Alpine highway, there can be enough traffic to ensure the mountain air has a diesel tang.

This is a road brought to life by racing and in fact it is a relatively recent edition to the sport. It is worth trying on a visit to the Alps but nearby roads offer a more typical Alpine experience of high altitude, green pastures and open space.

I?m sometimes asked by email about where to ride in France and Italy. With this series hopefully there are some answers. Next week the climb from Bellagio to the Madonna dello Ghisallo Chapel

Source: http://inrng.com/2012/12/roads-to-ride-alpe-d-huez/

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Health & Fitness: The Most Effective Eczema Natural Remedies ...

Many people are turning to eczema natural remedies due to their effectiveness in relieving the discomfort caused by this condition. In addition, the natural solutions are a better option when it comes to treating and preventing skin diseases and disorders from occurring in the future. Eczema is normally characterized by dryness of the skin, inflammation, a persistent itch, and reddening of the skin. If left untreated, the condition worsens rapidly.

Skin inflammation, accompanied by flaking, persistent itching and red patches is very common in patients suffering from eczema. For you to effectively deal with the condition, you must find a solution that will provide fast relief from the discomfort, as well as address the underlying causes. Corticosteroids have been in use for many years to treat these ailments. However, these drugs only offer temporary relief.

Many eczema sufferers usually visit dermatologists and other skin specialists with the hope that they will find simple, yet effective cures that they can use in the comfort of their homes. However, they may be surprised to discover that their efforts are in vain. Home treatments such as moisturizers, balanced diet, Blueberry leaf lotion, emollients, herbal baths, and Lactobacillus Acidophilus provide a simple solution for them.

Appropriate skincare is necessary if one wants to prevent this condition. For instance, ensuring that the skin is moist and supple prevents skin irritation and itching. To achieve this, one is required to use a variety of skin moisturizers such as creams and lotions on a regular basis. These products consist of high quality moisturizing regimens that will help to keep the skin healthy at all times.

A change of diet is a great way of dealing with this condition, owing to the fact that everything that one eats affects his/her overall well-being. According to recent research studies, a diet with high acidic content has a direct link to the occurrence of eczema in many patients. For this reason, health experts recommend the consumption of natural kelp supplements, whose alkaline content neutralizes the acidity.

Natural remedies containing Blueberry extracts are some of the best skincare products that you could use to treat your condition. The active ingredient in these products is the Chlorogenic acid that is found in Blueberry leaves. It contains antimicrobial agents, which are very beneficial in dealing with skin disorders. You can use the Blueberry leaf lotion to provide rapid relief from skin inflammation, swelling and itching.

Emollients are some of the best home treatments for this condition. These creams seal and moisturize the skin to prevent moisture from escaping from its layers. They have some of the greatest properties that prevent the skin from flaking and itching and in effect, make it supple and moist. Unfortunately, many people are not aware about these products, even though they can work wonders for them.

Skin conditions are known to cause low self-esteem and lower one's confidence. If left untreated, most of the skin diseases cause discomfort and discoloration, and become very hard to treat. Skincare specialists recommend the use of eczema natural remedies and products such as lavender, chamomile, oatmeal and herbal baths because they are easily accessible and can be administered in the comfort of one's home.

Source: http://health-and-fitness-way.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-most-effective-eczema-natural.html

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Source: http://genosyl.posterous.com/health-fitness-the-most-effective-eczema-natu

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Source: http://brucefarrell11.posterous.com/health-fitness-the-most-effective-eczema-natu

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We Should Do More Things For Social Crime - News and Society

When you hear of sex crime most people think that to be of such a crime, DNA, witnesses and other physical evidence that can be used in court would be needed but this is not always the case. Sex crime charges only require a defendant to file a complaint and you can find yourself in court facing these charges.

Educate students to talk freely about relationship issues a student who has been caught under abusive relationship may be reluctant to talk about it. Educate students to talk about relationships freely so that they can help each other, in identifying an abusive relationship and taking corrective steps. Teach them about traits and behavior patterns of a victim in abusive relationship. It is noteworthy that most young people have a sense of what?s abusive. They must be further educated about abusive and healthy relationships and how to deal with the former. It is for this reason that you need a sex crime attorney Cleveland that understands that losing your case is not an option because of the repercussions that come with being found guilty. The penalties for the sex crimes vary from one state to another and your lawyer should inform you on the penalties that you are facing in case you are found guilty. Some of the common sex crime charges include rape, child molestation, sexual battery and solicitation.

Leave the abusive relationship you deserve better. Most of young women take up to a year to leave their relationships. If you feel you have been caught in an abusive relationship, get out of it. You deserve better and you will get it. The longer you stay in the relationship, you make you suffer more. If you meet these questions about crime, you can ask criminal lawyer and compensation lawyer for help, and compensation lawyer will deal with your personal rights well, you cannot ignore the importance of compensation lawyer.

Source: http://www.gongyifair.org/we-should-do-more-things-for-social-crime.html

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Friday, December 28, 2012

Video: Consumer Shopping Habits Changing

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50303162/

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The Hardest Logic Puzzle Ever (and How to Solve It)

It's that strange time of year, the lull between Christmas and New Year, when you're not really celebrating but not really working either. So, how about you wrap your brain around the world's hardest logic puzzle to keep yourself amused? Y'know, just for fun. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/KDClVRDBldM/the-hardest-logic-puzzle-ever-and-how-to-solve-it

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Mod Mobile 11 Under 40 ? Class of 2012 | Mod Mobilian

On his recent visit to Mobile, urban planner Andres Duany made it clear (see Robbie McClendon?s article) that for Downtown Mobile to prosper it needs to attract the Creative Class ? artists and musicians. ?These ?colonists? begin the development that eventually leads to professionals ? ?dentists from New Jersey? ? patronizing and investing in the neighborhood.

Economist Richard Florida?of the University of Toronto described the Creative Class as ?people in design, education, arts, music and entertainment, whose economic function is to create new ideas, new technology and/or creative content.? ?The Creative Class is critical for the prosperity of post-industrial cities. ?The class not only creates new art, ideas and content themselves that contribute to the economy, but their efforts create the arts and entertainment that are essentially for attracting other professionals and entrepreneurs to make Mobile a ?real city.?

Florida stresses that to succeed a city?must possess ?the three ?T?s?: Talent (educated/skilled population), Tolerance (for diversity), and Technology (infrastructure and knowledge). Leaders in this regard are Chapel Hill, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Austin, Seattle, Toronto, Portland, Oregon, Lexington and Milwaukee. ?Think Apple CEO Tim Cook (who is from Robertsdale) and hundreds of other young, educated Mobilians who have fled to these cities. ?Within Alabama, Huntsville (and to a lesser degree Birmingham) have been successful in developing these as well.

?Florida and others have found a strong correlation between those cities and states that provide a more tolerant atmosphere toward culturally unconventional people, such as gays, artists, and musicians (exemplified by Florida?s ?Gay Index? and ?Bohemian Index? developed in?The Rise of the Creative Class), and the numbers of Creative Class workers that live and move there (2002).?

Most of Mobile ? both the citizens and ?leadership? ? have practically no concept of the importance of the knowledge-based economy and Creative Class. ?They remain solidly in the early 1900s paradigm of low-wage industry and natural resource exploitation ? while affluent areas of the country moved on long ago. Mobile will not succeed with this approach in the modern economy as those resources are both non-renewable and much more cheaply produced by emerging markets. ?Without a diversified economy ? a ?Plan B? ? Mobile will suffer from the ?Dutch disease? and be at risk for local depressions at the whims of commodity prices and the decisions of the Boards of major employers (remember Brookley?). ? With a reliance on cheap labor and resource exploitation (i.e. a Third World economy) it is not a coincidence that Mobile has per-capita income significantly below the national average.

Although some debate Florida?s ideas ? it is clear that in this day and age where corporations will pick up and move where ever labor is cheapest and incentives highest, it is very risky for Mobile to put all its eggs in the industrial recruitment basket. ?Certainly, Airbus is a blessing for Mobile, but if we don?t build a solid, cosmopolitan downtown around it we could easily slip into decline again. ?Unless the populace and leadership change their mindset Mobile will waste this opportunity. ?We need to use Airbus to attract intelligent and educated people to build a diversified set of businesses based in Mobile.

What has traditionally been seen as Mobile?s class of ?young leaders? is too often engaged in unproductive or even counter-productive behavior. ?Watching college football, hunting and fishing are the accepted pastimes of most young Mobilians and?are enjoyable for sure (we enjoy them ourselves occasionally), but the fact is those pursuits do nothing to advance the community vis a vis the cities mentioned above. ? Even worse, we have encountered racism and other forms of intolerance and bigotry in some of our ?young leaders,? and we have seen them run off young, talented people. ?Mobile?s??Country Club White Trash? are killing us in this respect. ?This does not apply to everyone, but if we are dependent upon these ?leaders? Mobile is sure to remain mired in poverty and ignorance.

So we feel it is critical to recognize the young, creative people who are putting their efforts into actively bettering Mobile with their talents. ?You will find them spending their weekends building businesses Downtown and creating works of art. ? If Mobile is ever to catch up with Birmingham or Huntsville or New Orleans or Atlanta or Chapel Hill or even Austin, to any degree, we are dependent on these young men and women.

Unfortunately these people are still far and few between in Mobile ? diamonds in the rough.

We hope to name 10 or so people (plus or minus)?to the Mod Mobile 40 under 40 for the first four years and then we hope to build to a ?rolling? 40 members after that. ?They will receive recognition during Arts Alive/SouthSounds weekend (April 12-14).

?

We are proud to announce the following people as members of the 2012 class of Mod Mobile 11 Under 40:

Dan Anderson: ?Photographer and videographer for Lagniappe and Mod Mobilian

?

Courtney Dreher-Matthews: Artist; makeup artist; owner of Lunatix & Co.

?

Elizabet Elliot: Artist; founder of the Rumor Union.

?

April Hopkins: ?Artist; co-proprietor of PortAl Studio.
Zach Depolo: Artist; co-proprietor of PortAl Studio. ?Founder of the Downtown Creative and Wellness Foundation.

?

Carson Kennedy: Filmmaker and Program Director for the South Alabama Film Festival.

?

Brent ?Pluto? Parker: ?Musician/rapper and entrepreneur (owner of Club Infinity)

?

Thomas Smith:?Director for Mobile?s Fighting Owl Films.
Erin Lilley: Actress for Mobile?s Fighting Owl Films.
?

?

Heath Underwood: Singer and songwriter for El Cantador; contributor to Tributaries 2012 anthology.

Jesmyn Ward: Author, winner of the National Book Award for Salvage the Bones;?Assistant Professor of English at the?University?of?South Alabama.

Source: http://modmobilian.com/2012/12/mod-mobile-40-under-40-class-of-2012/

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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Los Angeles police offer gift cards to take guns off streets

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Police traded gift cards for guns in Los Angeles on Wednesday, in a buyback program Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced as a crime-fighting response to the deadly shooting rampage in Newtown, Connecticut.

Police officers handed out $200 grocery store gift cards to people who turned in an automatic weapon, and $100 gift cards to those who provided a handgun, rifle or shotgun.

Los Angeles has held an annual gun buyback since 2009, and similar events have been organized in years past in several other cities, including Detroit and Boston. Police in San Diego had a buyback earlier this month.

Some experts say the buybacks have little effect in reducing gun violence, but Villaraigosa touted the buyback program as one step that can be taken in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14 that claimed the lives of 20 children and six adult staff members.

The shooter, Adam Lanza, killed himself and also shot to death his mother at the home he shared with her, police said.

Los Angeles normally has its gun buyback in May, but Villaraigosa announced last week that the city would have this special buyback in response to the Newtown tragedy.

"There are a number of things we can do. This is just one of them," Villaraigosa said on CNN. "We've got to also address the culture of violence that we've got in this country."

At last count, the Los Angeles gun buyback had collected 1,366 firearms, including 477 handguns and 49 assault weapons, said Vicki Curry, a spokeswoman for the mayor.

The buyback ended at 4 p.m. local time, but a final tally of guns collected was not expected to be released before Thursday. In May, the city's annual gun buyback program collected 1,673 firearms at six locations, compared to two locations used for the program on Wednesday, Curry said.

At each of the locations where the buyback was held, a line of cars stretched around the block, Curry said. People dropping off their guns were asked to leave them in the trunks of their cars, where officers retrieved the weapons. Those surrendering their guns were allowed to remain anonymous.

While officials in Los Angeles and elsewhere have said the gun buybacks help keep streets safe, a 2004 report by the National Research Council of the National Academies questioned that conclusion.

Among the report's findings were that guns surrendered in buybacks tend to be old or inherited from previous owners, and not likely to be used in crime. Also, gun owners find it easy to replace their firearms, according to the report, which was titled "Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review."

(Reporting By Alex Dobuzinskis; editing by Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/los-angeles-police-offer-gift-cards-guns-off-012126480.html

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Bush spokesman says ex-president's fever rising

HOUSTON (AP) ? A "stubborn" fever that kept former President George H.W. Bush in a hospital over Christmas has gotten worse, and doctors have put him on a liquids-only diet, his spokesman said Wednesday.

Jim McGrath, Bush's spokesman in Houston, had said earlier in the day that the fever had gone away, but he later corrected himself.

"It's an elevated fever, so it's actually gone up in the last day or two," McGrath told The Associated Press. "It's a stubborn fever that won't go away."

Doctors have run tests and are treating the fever with Tylenol, but they still haven't nailed down a cause, McGrath said. Doctors also have put Bush on a liquid diet, though McGrath could not say why.

The bronchitis-like cough that initially brought Bush to the hospital on Nov. 23 has improved, McGrath said. The 88-year-old is now coughing about once a day, he said.

Bush was visited on Christmas by his wife, Barbara, his son, Neil, and Neil's wife, Maria, and a grandson, McGrath said. Bush's daughter, Dorothy, will arrive Wednesday in Houston from Bethesda, Md. The 41st president has also been visited twice by his sons, George W. Bush, the 43rd president, and Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida.

Bush and his wife live in Houston during the winter and spend their summers at a home in Kennebunkport, Maine.

The former president was a naval aviator in World War II ? at one point the youngest in the Navy ? and was shot down over the Pacific. He achieved notoriety in retirement for skydiving on at least three of his birthdays since leaving the White House in 1992.

___

Plushnick-Masti can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RamitMastiAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bush-spokesman-says-ex-presidents-fever-rising-194812748.html

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In Mexico, Tech Is Used To Help Combat Narco Violence, Insecurity

Mexican flag muralGoogle has been used for many ends, but in the hands of researcher Viridiana Rios, the search engine has become a tool to fight Mexican drug cartels and help the government organize to prevent violence. Rios is a researcher at Harvard University who recently published a paper about a tool she created to track publicly available cartel data and how it can inform Mexican security officials? work.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Uttdwr-73QY/

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The King of Snowtopia | Writelink Creative Writing Challenges

The King of Snowtopia

White. Everything was white.
The children collected what they needed from their mothers? kitchens. Up they trooped to the top of the road that overlooked the valley. Here, beneath the shelter of the Hanging Tree, they got to work. It was here, the previous Christmas, the father of one of the children had been found dead.
They compacted the soft snow into three parts. With these they formed his legs, his torso and his head. Two black olives they inserted as his eyes, for his mouth a half-moon of coffee beans, and for his nose, a carrot. His arms they fashioned from long twigs, on whose ends they put a pair of mittens. And lastly, upon his head they placed a ring of holly with red berries ? the youngest boy?s idea. An undersized kid named Joshua, Josh to his little pals, the boy whose father?s dead body had been found in that very spot last Christmas.
Bluster Blizzard, the name they always gave him, was complete.
Around their creation they danced and laughed until creeping darkness scared them and they ran home. All except, Josh, who stayed with Bluster Blizzard so the snowman wouldn?t be alone in the scary darkness. Besides, Josh?s mom was still in work, and he didn?t like being by himself since his daddy left them. He moved in close to the tree for shelter.
Daylight, pure and bright, slunk off at the approach of her shadowy stalker the Night. The realization that the kingdom of Snowtopia would soon awake came to Bluster Blizzard as a fuzzy feeling. The previous year, Snowtopia, like Bluster Blizzard, had lain dormant.
The snowman, the king of Snowtopia, trembled at the consequences of his absence. Without their yearly period of respite in Snowtopia, the world of mortals would have forgotten its humanity. And the birds and animals, too, would have been corrupted. Perhaps he was already too late.
Silence, no sound save for the far-off whispering of a million tiny voices told the snowman king his loyal army was on its way.
From the skies they fell, a myriad of snowflakes. Into his ears they whispered confirmation of his fears. Mortal mothers and fathers, they told him, had neglected their parental duties. Instead of bonding with their children last Christmas, they?d abandoned them, left them with nannies and child-minders so that they were free to make merry in public houses.
The king lowered his head, his dark-eyed gaze locked to his own blue shadow. But he looked up quickly when a robin landed on his outstretched arm.
?Ah, my little friend. Good to see you?re still thriving.?
The robin hopped onto the king?s shoulder. ?Sire. For eight seasons I have awaited your return. I have much to report.?
?So. How fares the birds and beasts??
The robin broke into a sweet melody that told Bluster Blizzard of the changes his absence had wrought upon the animal kingdom. The bird sang of how Winter, the goodly white giant, confused when the snow-king failed to greet his arrival the year before, departed hurriedly. The little bird sang too of how the goddess Spring came early. And following her the buzzing of a billion wing-beats. The bees pollinated the flowers that had bloomed too soon. And so formed seed and berries that swelled beneath Spring?s tender touch.
In their thousands they came, the Scandinavian winter visitors, ravenous flocks of redwings and fieldfares. But they were too late. Stripped of winter food supplies, the land offered no sustenance. A deadly change came over these winter migrants. Those that rejected the change in diet from fruits and seeds to flesh and blood succumbed to Mac Tire, a wolf known to all the birds and mammals as the Black Beast. Death.
As he listened to the robin?s tale, the red berries in Bluster Blizzard?s holly crown began to melt. He wept crimson tears.
A voice, unknown to the snowman king, speaking from within the tree, refocused his attention.
?My son Josh. You?ve got to help him. The cold has put him to sleep. He?s freezing to death.?
As familiar with and fearless of the dead as he was the not-yet-dead, Bluster Blizzard summoned his second in command, the North wind. A feisty old fellow, he appeared from nowhere.
?Quick,? Bluster Blizzard said. ?Carry to the boy?s mother his father?s words.?
The North Wind sucked in his cheeks and with them the plea from the silhouetted figure dangling from a rope above. And with that the old man sprinted off down the hill, and off to the factory where the boy?s mother was working late.
Another surprise awaited the snowman king. Talk of death had lured from the shadows a creature with amber eyes: Mac Tire. The dark wolf skulked forward towards the tree to where lay the boy called Josh.
?No,? the king said. ?It?s not his time.?
The great wolf turned his pointy muzzle to the king, his jaws open in a canine smile. His tongue he drew across his lips. First Mac Tire licked the boy?s neck, and then his face, until Josh made audible breathing sounds.
?You are a noble creature,? the snowman king said. ?Sometimes all of us, immortal or immortal, are as blinded by mythology as we are in a whiteout.
Another voice, a woman?s, calling out turned the heads of snow, feather and fur alike. That old lank grey hair, the North Wind. Back already. From his toothless and gaping mouth came the boy?s mother?s voice.
At the far end of the whitened street came the voice?s real owner.
?Sylvia,? a strangled voice called from the branches overhead.
The snowman king craned his neck as the voice called again his wife?s name, his words sounding as though a pair of huge hands were wrapped about his neck, her name choking in his throat. The silhouette of the hanging man than grew faint and disappeared.
?Help her,? Bluster Blizzard commanded the North Wind.
In a huge leap, the old man was next to her. He took her by the hand and helped her climb the icy incline. The birds and beasts melded into the shadows on her arrival.
?Josh,? she said, with outstretched arms. ?My baby. Josh.?
The boy awoke as though from a dream-filled slumber. He smiled at her a smile so bright and filled with the greatest love that exists: the love that bonds a mother and a child.
From the surrounding bushes and shadows there began a chorus of chirrups, whistles, hoots, grunts, clucks and cackles. A sound so wondrous, so sublime, parents and children, from the warmth of their homes in the valley below, pulled back curtains and opened blinds. And they watched through lighted windows the swirling snowflakes dancing and spiralling from the sky. Perfect. Christmas as it should be; Christmas, a time for families to be together, to stay indoors, to share stories, to play games, to reconnect through laughter, fun, and magic.
The snowman king, from the top of the hill that overlooked his kingdom, Snowtopia, closed his eyes, exhausted yet elated that his arrival hadn?t, after all, been too late. And he dreamt. For even snowmen find time to dream.

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Source: http://write-link-creative-writing-contests.com/christmaschillers2012/the-king-of-snowtopia/

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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Online Radio ??? An Avatar Of Traditional Radio | Nextengland.co.uk

Online radio is an innovation that has changed the way the world entertains and does business. Radio stations worldwide can be enjoyed over the internet. It also gives businesses? marketing strategy a new dimension.

With internet technology taking over the communication industry, traditional radio has taken a new avatar?radio on internet. Developers are now busy finding new and more efficient ways for integrating the radio to the internet. Radio streaming on the net has produced a number of audiences that conventional radio has never enjoyed before.

Radio on Internet: What It Is?

Audio stream is transmitted to listeners via a continuous stream over the World Wide Web. This enables users all across the world download radio software programs and listen to worldwide streaming of internet music stations, right in the comfort of their homes. This is different from podcasting as people are not required to download individual radio stations of their choice. The radio broadcasts streams freely sans any media device.

Radio on Internet: Entertainment Value

Online music stations are basically local music radio stations from different parts of the world. This enables you to listen to music according to your taste. The easy-to-use control panel, upon installation of the streaming software, enables users to quickly access worldwide radio stations with a clear reception. You can now find the radio station you prefer just by choosing either the particular region or the music genre. When you choose a region or music genre, you will get a list of radio stations broadcasting specifically on the genre.

Online radio music is also executable in a USB flash drive. The device allows the user to download the radio software straight to the flash drive. With this device, you can listen to your favorite programs anywhere in the world. The device is compact and can be easily carried, letting you entertain yourself anytime you want.

Radio on Internet: Business Value

Businesses can rope in radio on internet for their marketing strategy. They can partner with internet radio stations to promote their brand and message out to their consumers. Talk programs are the best way for creating a buzz about products. You can get experts or guests talking about the utility, benefits of your product, thus highlighting it.

Many online radio stations bear close resemblance to social media outlets. They invite the end users to comment or share what they think about related topics with the hosts and participants. This helps business managers to determine what the general public thinks about their products or services. After all, feedback carries great importance for every business. This feedback can be used for the betterment of the products.

Catchy infomercials are the key to captivate people on the internet. An intelligently produced commercial would drive people to the website or business, taking up the volumes in tandem. As the medium is not limited to any particular geographical or demographic region, advertising on internet radio would give the business an international audience base.

For enjoying radio on internet, you can use the services of several communications convergence technology providers. This would enhance your experience of online entertainment.

Source: http://www.nextengland.co.uk/2012/12/online-radio-an-avatar-of-traditional-radio/

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US storm's toll up to 6 dead as system heads east

Motorists travel slowly on a snow-covered Interstate 24 during a winter storm Wednesday, December 26, 2012, in Paducah, Ky. The storm dumped several inches of snow making travel hazardous. (AP Photo/Stephen Lance Dennee)

Motorists travel slowly on a snow-covered Interstate 24 during a winter storm Wednesday, December 26, 2012, in Paducah, Ky. The storm dumped several inches of snow making travel hazardous. (AP Photo/Stephen Lance Dennee)

A house in the Midtown section of Mobile, Ala. is damaged after a tornado touched down Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. A Christmas Day twister outbreak left damage across the Deep South while holiday travelers in the nation's much colder midsection battled sometimes treacherous driving conditions from freezing rain and blizzard conditions. (AP Photo/AL.com, Mike Kittrell) MAGS OUT

The front wall of the parish hall at Trinity Episcopal Church on Dauphin Street in Mobile, Ala. was torn off by a tornado on Christmas Day, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012 in Mobile, Ala. The tornado hit midtown Mobile causing extensive damage to the church as well as Murphy High School. (AP Photo/AL.com, Bill Starling) MAGS OUT

Matthew Patterson and Jenetta McGee work to tape plastic over the window of McGee's car after a tree smashed it Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. The tree, which is laying across South Carlen St. over a downed power line, was uprooted and knocked down by a tornado which hit midtown Mobile Christmas Day. (AP Photo/AL.com, Bill Starling) MAGS OUT

Lightning flashes as another line of thunderstorms approaches a severely damaged home near McNeill, Miss. on Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. A Christmas Day twister outbreak left damage across the Deep South while holiday travelers in the nation's much colder midsection battled sometimes treacherous driving conditions from freezing rain and blizzard conditions. (AP Photo/Hattiesburg American, Ryan Moore)

(AP) ? A powerful storm system that erupted Christmas Day with Gulf Coast tornadoes and snow in the nation's midsection headed for the Northeast on Wednesday, spreading blizzard conditions that slowed holiday travel.

The death toll rose to six with car accidents on snow and sleet-slickened highways in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Post-Christmas travelers braced for flight delays and a raft of weather warnings for drivers, a day after rare winter twisters damaged buildings in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Snow blew across southern Illinois and southern Indiana early Wednesday as the storm tracked up the Ohio River valley toward the Eastern seaboard and New England.

There were whiteout conditions in parts of southwestern Indiana, where 6 inches or more of snow had fallen by midmorning around Evansville. State police reported dozens of vehicles stuck after not being able to get up a hill on a central Indiana highway, while some roads around Evansville were impassable with wind gusts around 30 mph.

A blizzard warning was in effect for much of the state's southern two-thirds and more than a dozen counties issued travel watches asking residents to make only essential driving trips.

Indianapolis had 7 inches on the ground by 10 a.m. after receiving as much as 3 inches of snow in a single hour, said John Kwiatkowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Indianapolis. He said the storm's winds were just high enough to classify the storm as a blizzard, making it one of the strongest snowstorms in years to strike central and southern Indiana.

"The way I've been describing it is as a low-end blizzard, but that's sort of like saying a small Tyrannosaurus rex. Just to become a blizzard is quite an accomplishment. And it's sure a heck of a lot more than we've seen," he said.

In Arkansas, the storm left more than 189,000 customers without electricity Wednesday, utility Entergy Arkansas said.

Severe thunderstorms were forecast for the Carolinas while a line of blizzard and winter storm warnings stretched from Arkansas up the Ohio River to New York and on to Maine.

State police reported scores of accidents on snow-covered highways in central and western Maryland, where forecasters predicted up to 5 inches of snow in most counties west of the Baltimore-Washington area, followed by freezing rain.

Thirty-four tornadoes were reported in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama during the outbreak Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.

Rick Cauley's family was hosting relatives for Christmas when tornado sirens went off in Mobile. Not taking any chances, he and his wife, Ashley, hustled everyone down the block to take shelter at the athletic field house at Mobile's Murphy High School in Mobile.

It turns out, that wasn't the place to head.

"As luck would have it, that's where the tornado hit," Cauley said. "The pressure dropped and the ears started popping and it got crazy for a second." They were all fine, though the school was damaged, as were a church and several homes, but officials say no one was seriously injured.

Camera footage captured the approach of the large funnel cloud.

Mobile was the biggest city hit by numerous twisters. Along with brutal, straight-line winds, the storms knocked down countless trees, blew the roofs off homes and left many Christmas celebrations in the dark. Torrential rains drenched the region and several places saw flash flooding.

More than 900 flights around the U.S. were canceled as of Wednesday midday, according to the flight tracker FlightAware.com. The cancelations were mostly spread around airports that had been or soon would be in the path of the storm.

Holiday travelers in the nation's much colder midsection battled treacherous driving conditions from freezing rain and blizzard conditions from the same fast-moving storms. In Arkansas, highway department officials said the state was fortunate the snowstorm hit on Christmas Day when many travelers were already at their destinations.

Two passengers in a car on a sleet-slickened Arkansas highway died Wednesday when the vehicle crossed the center line and struck an SUV head-on. In Oklahoma, the Highway Patrol said a 76-year-old Wisconsin woman died Tuesday when the car she was riding in was hit head-on by a pickup truck on Interstate 44.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol had earlier reported that a 28-year-old woman was killed in another crash Tuesday on a snowy highway. The storm's winds were blamed Tuesday for toppling a tree onto a pickup truck in Texas, killing the driver, and another tree onto a house in Louisiana, killing a man there.

Trees fell on homes and across roadways in several communities in southern Mississippi and Louisiana. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency, saying eight counties reported damages and some injuries.

It included McNeill, where a likely tornado damaged a dozen homes and sent eight people to the hospital, none with life-threatening injuries, said Pearl River County emergency management agency director Danny Manley.

The snowstorm that caused numerous accidents pushed out of Oklahoma late Tuesday, carrying with it blizzard warnings for parts of northeast Arkansas, where 10 inches of snow was forecast. Freezing rain clung to trees and utility lines in Arkansas and winds gusts up to 30 mph whipped them around, causing about 71,000 customers to lose electricity for a time.

Christmas lights also were knocked out with more than 100,000 customers without power for at least a time in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.

Blizzard conditions were possible for parts of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky up to Cleveland with predictions of several inches to a foot of snow. By the end of the week, that snow was expected to move into the Northeast with again up to a foot predicted

Jason Gerth said the Mobile tornado passed by in a few moments and from his porch, he saw about a half-dozen green flashes in the distance as transformers blew. His home was spared.

"It missed us by 100 feet and we have no damage," Gerth said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-12-26-Christmas%20Weather/id-b6779e2470584e20b3f2ae4642aa27cf

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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Are There Lessons in Life, Finance and Urban Design to Be ...

Over at Wise Bread, a frugal living website, Julie Rains lists a number of lessons that one can learn from the film "It's a Wonderful Life." I am not sure she gets it right; George made a lot of mistakes, almost loses everything and only survived the event because his plastic-making war-profiteering University buddy, Sam Wainwright, bailed him out at the last moment on Christmas Eve. I wrote about this in 2006, pre-housing crash, wondering why everyone thought it was such a wonderful life, taking people's money to build suburbs.

George made his money by building suburban houses in a Levittown-like Bailey Park, where the houses are far apart and the street allowance looks about 300 feet wide. Here he is giving a lift to the Martini family, who are leaving a dense, racially mixed and multicultural community. Mr. Martini could probably walk to his restaurant from there.

In Bailey Park, Mr. Martini has a lovely detached house, On moving in George gives him bread, so he will never know hunger, salt so that life will always have flavour and wine, that joy and prosperity may reign forever. but what about gas? How will he get to work? Mr. Martini will now have to feed a car as well as a family.

Of course George built the houses for Joe and the Kennedys and Mrs. Maitland with money he got from depositors , sliced and diced them up and gave them notes as security, but that didn't stop them from demanding their money back from a bank so under-capitalized that it couldn't cover a four thousand dollar error. Talk about living on the edge.


Bailey house/Public Domain

Meanwhile, like all bankers and developers, he spends his money on a big old drafty house that keeps his wife working day and night just to hold together.

In the end, Bailey gets Bailed out; bankers always do, and the opportunity to turn Bedford Falls into the thriving hotspot that Mr. Potter envisioned, with tourists and restaurants and music and dancing, is lost. Gary Kamiya described it:


Pottersville/Screen capture

Pottersville offers a rich variety of nightlife and entertainment. There is something for every taste and every budget. Pool and billiards sharpen hand-eye coordination. Dime-a-dance joints promote bonhomie. Prize fights and strip clubs provide weary citizens with much-needed catharsis. ..And, of course, there are the town?s many fine taverns. Alas, we will never know what delights are hidden behind the door of the Indian Club or the Bamboo Room, the Midnight Club or the Blue Moon.

Like so many New England mill towns that thrived on water power, Bedford Falls needed revitalization, a new commercial raison d'etre. And what did George Bailey give it? Real estate development in the 'burbs.

Sorry, Julie at Wise Bread, if there are any financial lessons to be learned from "It's a wonderful life", you are not going to learn them from George Bailey.

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/are-there-lessons-life-finance-and-urban-design-be-learned-its-wonderful-life.html

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Video: Bethlehem: Message of peace and hope

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Refresh Roundup: week of December 17th, 2012

Refresh Roundup week of December 17th, 2012

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of December 17th, 2012

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Monday, December 24, 2012

Professional Web Design And SEO Service Providers Needed By ...

In this highly progressive business environment we have nowadays, it is important for every business to have a website.? And such website shouldn?t be a ordinary but one which makes a difference above the rest.? This can be done with the assistance of an established ecommerce website builder.?

The design of a website is an integral part of the advertisement for a business. As a result, it?s important to put in extra efforts on the web site design in order to make your website get noticed from countless websites getting launched day by day.? In addition, it is important for a business to build a strong web presence. A professionally designed website is an outstanding form of advertising and can be a very means of communicating with customers and attracting new business opportunities.?

Countless businesses have tapped website design and seo service providers to assist their business stay on track over the past fifteen years.? It is worth mentioning that website design alone is not enough to become successful as an online business ? it has to be combined with effective internet marketing and seo strategy. Having trustworthy website design along with seo service providers, it?s certain that the company will work hand in hand with a team of specialists who have considerable experience in this area.? A professional seo provider must also have knowledge on web design.

Because of the fact that there are many businesses that are been launched every day, the need for these service providers have greatly increased. This requires you to be thorough when it comes to choosing a partner in the internet industry.? Here are the qualities of an SEO service provider and professional web site designers that assures top quality service:

Integrity ? A great deal of clients that come from recommendations or regular customers can validate this.? A completely satisfied client will happily spread the word to others.? Even so, a one who?s disappointed will not be reluctant to bad mouth a service provider which didn?t provide whatever they paid for.?

Innovativeness ? A company that aim to stay ahead in internet technology developments and also changes in the business nearly quickly acquire clients.? Select a service provider that provides a sustained as well as long-term innovativeness for your business.?

Prioritizes Quality over Quantity ? It?s not the number but how effective and efficient the service being offered is.? For instance, in making sites, the focus must be on clarity along with user friendliness, not the huge blocks of information that always brings about undesirable impression from visitors.? Very best websites are the effective ones, not the extensive ones.

Good value ? A high quality service does not always come expensive. A quality service provider is able to give customer quotes regarding the services they provide without asking for any fees.

A service provider with the above-mentioned qualities will really be very helpful for a company trying to invest on online reputation.? Consider these qualities when choosing your service provider partner.

Source: http://joealdegueronline.com/professional-web-design-and-seo-service-providers-needed-by-internet-businesses/

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