Six Weeks From Launch, ?Mint For Student Loans? Contender ...

Currently, outstanding national student loan debt is over $1 trillion, $864 billion of which is backed by ye olde federal government. According to the Center for American Progress, the majority of those loans have an interest rate higher than six percent ? generally speaking, twice the average mortgage rate and is thrice the rate at which the government borrows. In the American education system, student debt is the 8,000-pound elephant in the room.

Tuition.io, the startup formerly-known-as Binksty, is one of a handful of companies trying to give college students some much-needed help in the loan department. A member of Launchpad LA accelerator?s fourth class, Tuition.io wants to become the Mint.com for student loans by allowing student borrowers to manage their loans from a single interface and by providing a suite of tools to help them find the most relevant repayment options.

After officially launching its public beta six weeks ago, Tuition.io is today announcing that it has surpassed the $250 million mark in aggregate user debt under management and that it has raised $1 million in seed funding from investors that include Mohr Davidow Ventures, early-stage investor Jerry Neumann, New York-based venture firm Mesa+, AF Square?s Troy Carter, Richard Wolpert, Rob Glaser and Launchpad LA ? to name a few.

Considering the media buzz around the fact that student loan debt is fast becoming the ?new subprime? category, Tuition.io?s concept is timely. More than 37 million people in the U.S. have outstanding student loan debt, including Brendon McQueen, the startup?s founder, who graduated from Columbia with 12 loans of his own.

Of course, given the timeliness of the growing student debt crisis, Tuition.io isn?t the only company tackling this space, competing with young startups like Socratic Labs? Student Loan Hero, more broadly with debt managers including ReadyForZero, PeerTransfer, SimpleTuition and the P2P lending services like the well-funded Social Finance and the new-ish Pave.com.

To stay relevant in a competitive space, McQueen says that he set out to create a loan management tool that was simple to set up for any user and would allow students to get their loans under control no matter how much they owe or where they are in the payment process.

Tuition.io offers an automated onboarding process to get students started, and then allows them to access all of their loans in one place and visualize debt via detailed charts and graphs, along with a comprehensive calendar of loan payment due dates. The site also creates a personalized action plan for each student, which provide students with better ways to save on monthly payments and tips on how to pay down loans faster, McQueen says.

Since launch, Tuition.io has partnered with socially conscious, student-focused organizations like Student Veterans of American and OurTime.org to help make student debt a bigger part of the public discourse on education in the U.S. To date, the startup is managing over $250 million in debt and over 40,000 loans from borrowers at 130 universities.

As of now, the service is free, which McQueen says will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future. While the startup now has a longer runway with its new seed capital, it will need to begin monetizing at some point, especially as it does not currently originate or consolidate loans.

McQueen says that Tuition.io may charge a fee down the road, or, like Mint.com, leverage its student financial profiles to offer refinancing or other loan services. But, for now, Tuition.io is focused on helping match students with the best loans, rates and providers, find savings and apply for consolidation if/when it makes sense for them.

For more, find Tuition.io at home here.

Tuition.io is a revolutionary new tool for managing your student loans that lets you optimize your debt for your unique situation.

? Learn more

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/02/27/six-weeks-from-launch-mint-for-student-loans-contender-tuition-io-hits-250m-under-management-lands-1m-in-seed/

red hook romney tax return the tree of life movie academy award nominees 2012 2012 oscar nominations kyle williams florida debate

3 dead in Swiss workplace shooting

Police stand in front of a wood-processing company in Menznau, central Switzerland, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, where several people were killed in a shooting. Police in Lucerne canton (state) said in a statement that the shooting occurred shortly after 9 a.m. at the premises of Kronospan, a company in the small town west of Lucerne. They said there were ?several dead and several seriously injured people? and that rescue services were deployed and the scene sealed off. (AP Photo/Keystone, Urs Flueeler)

Police stand in front of a wood-processing company in Menznau, central Switzerland, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, where several people were killed in a shooting. Police in Lucerne canton (state) said in a statement that the shooting occurred shortly after 9 a.m. at the premises of Kronospan, a company in the small town west of Lucerne. They said there were ?several dead and several seriously injured people? and that rescue services were deployed and the scene sealed off. (AP Photo/Keystone, Urs Flueeler)

Police stand in front of a wood-processing company in Menznau, central Switzerland, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, where several people were killed in a shooting. Police in Lucerne canton (state) said in a statement that the shooting occurred shortly after 9 a.m. at the premises of Kronospan, a company in the small town west of Lucerne. They said there were ?several dead and several seriously injured people? and that rescue services were deployed and the scene sealed off. (AP Photo/Keystone, Urs Flueeler)

Police stand in front of a wood-processing company in Menznau, central Switzerland, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, where several people were killed in a shooting. Police in Lucerne canton (state) said in a statement that the shooting occurred shortly after 9 a.m. at the premises of Kronospan, a company in the small town west of Lucerne. They said there were ?several dead and several seriously injured people? and that rescue services were deployed and the scene sealed off. (AP Photo/Keystone, Urs Flueeler)

A police stands in front of a wood-processing company in Menznau, central Switzerland, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, where several people were killed in a shooting. Police in Lucerne canton (state) said in a statement that the shooting occurred shortly after 9 a.m. at the premises of Kronospan, a company in the small town west of Lucerne. They said there were ?several dead and several seriously injured people? and that rescue services were deployed and the scene sealed off. (AP Photo/Keystone, Urs Flueeler)

MENZNAU, Switzerland (AP) ? A longtime employee opened fire at a wood-processing company in central Switzerland on Wednesday, leaving three people dead, including the assailant, in the country's second multiple-fatality shooting in two months, police said.

Seven other people were wounded, six of them seriously, in the shooting at the premises of the company Kronospan, in the small town of Menznau, Lucerne criminal police chief Daniel Bussmann told reporters.

The incident occurred as the Swiss parliament prepares to consider tightening some aspects of the country's famously lax gun legislation.

The assailant, a 42-year-old Swiss male, arrived at the premises shortly after 9 a.m., drew a pistol and started firing. Police spokesman Kurt Graf said the shootings took place in the building's canteen area.

Officials didn't immediately have further details on the weapon or how the assailant acquired it. They also did not know how the assailant was killed.

"A lot of things are unclear at this stage," said Ida Glanzmann-Hunkeler, a Christian Democrat lawmaker who lives near the scene of the shooting.

Glanzmann-Hunkeler said a proposal will be put before parliament in the coming weeks that would require greater exchange of information between the gun registries kept by Switzerland's 26 cantons. Authorities would also record whether a person is considered mentally fit to own a gun, and increase officials' powers to confiscate weapons if they aren't.

But the shooting is unlikely to immediately revive calls for ex-soldiers to store their military-issued firearms in secure army depot. The country has a long-standing tradition for men to keep their military rifles after completing compulsory military service.

This partly accounts for the high rate of gun ownership in the country, where some 2.3 million firearms are owned by a population of about 8 million.

A referendum to tighten the laws was defeated at the ballot box in 2011. At the time, opponents pointed to Switzerland's relatively low rate of gun crime, with just 24 gun killings in 2009, which works out to a rate of about 0.3 per 100,000 inhabitants. The U.S. rate that year was about 11 times higher.

Still, there have been several high-profile incidents over the years, including the killing of 14 people at a city council meeting in Zug, not far from Lucerne, in 2001. And in early January, a 33-year-old man killed three women and wounded two men in a southern Swiss village.

Critics and advocates of gun rights doubted the latest shooting would lead to drastic law changes beyond the proposal now before parliament.

"If we demanded another referendum now, many people would say we already dealt with this two years ago," said Tobias Estermann, a member of the anti-weapons group Switzerland Without an Army.

Peter Schilliger, a Lucerne lawmaker, said the popularity of shooting clubs in Switzerland means there is strong grassroots support for gun ownership.

"And anyway, it will always be possible to come by a weapon somehow," he said.

Kronospan Chief Executive Mauro Capozzo said that the suspected assailant had been "with us for more than 10 years ? a quiet man, no other incidents involving him are known." Graf said the man was still with the company at the time of the shooting.

According to the local town council, Kronospan has some 450 employees. There was no immediate word on a possible motive; Capozzo said the company hasn't laid anyone off recently.

___

Moulson reported from Berlin. Frank Jordans in Berlin also contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-27-Switzerland-Shooting/id-51bfaa55371b4331b01f87f53cfa368b

asante samuel salton sea arizona immigration law aubrey huff the killers julianne hough brandy

Announcing TechCrunch Disrupt Europe And Hackathon In Berlin ? October 26-29

It's with great pleasure that we can now reveal that TechCrunch's major conference, Disrupt, will be coming to Europe this October. Since TechCrunch started a European operation in 2007 we've been highly conscious of the amazing tech scene developing in this part of the world. Now we've headed the call from our fantastic readers and we're going to create a major, amazing event. "TechCrunch Disrupt Europe: Berlin" will be held - of course - in Berlin, Germany.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ZR7dWGV-DHI/

whitney houston has died whitney houston death the vow the voice season 2 ron paul maine safe house jay z and beyonce baby

Jerusalem marathon spurs political saber-rattling

FILE - In this March 16, 2012 file photo, runners are seen passing the Tower of David during the second annual marathon in Jerusalem. The Palestinians called for a boycott since the route includes a segment in the walled Old City - part of their hoped-for capital - while hardline Israeli lawmakers are planning to run it for just the opposite reason, to assert Israeli sovereignty over the entire city (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)

FILE - In this March 16, 2012 file photo, runners are seen passing the Tower of David during the second annual marathon in Jerusalem. The Palestinians called for a boycott since the route includes a segment in the walled Old City - part of their hoped-for capital - while hardline Israeli lawmakers are planning to run it for just the opposite reason, to assert Israeli sovereignty over the entire city (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)

JERUSALEM (AP) ? It's the crown jewel of Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat's ambitious grand plan to promote his ancient city: a scenic, world-class marathon winding through historic hills and religious sites.

But like many things in Jerusalem, even Friday's marathon has become fraught with politics, a magnet for opposing claims by Israelis and Palestinians.

The Palestinians have called for a boycott of the race because the route goes through east Jerusalem, their hoped-for capital. On the other side of the political divide, a hard-line Israeli lawmaker plans to run the course to assert Israeli sovereignty over the entire city.

The competing claims, even over a seemingly innocuous sporting event, reflect the deep emotions over Jerusalem.

Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war and considers the whole city its capital, though the claim is not recognized internationally. The Palestinians say there cannot be peace without shared sovereignty in east Jerusalem.

The fate of the area, and particularly the ancient Old City, which is home to sensitive Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites, has long been the most explosive issue in peace efforts.

Since taking office 4 1/2 years ago, Barkat has looked to unite the city's Arab and Jewish residents by linking them with a light rail system and hosting sporting and cultural events.

"The Jerusalem International Marathon is a symbol of coexistence and of the unique power of sport to bridge social, ethnic, and political divides," his spokesman Barak Cohen said. "The marathon will cross through many neighborhoods of Jerusalem, on all sides of the city, and is open to all residents regardless of religion, race, politics or any other personal trait or belief."

Some 20,000 participants are expected to run in the third annual Jerusalem marathon, which will include a full marathon, which is 42 kilometers (26.2 miles), a half marathon and two shorter races. The event has attracted dozens of Arab residents and more than 1,750 runners from 54 countries.

The participants include Annalisa Minetti, a blind Italian model, singer, Paralympic medalist and recent parliamentary candidate for Mario Monti's party. Barkat, a 53-year-old running buff, plans to run the half marathon.

The city has been spiffed up for the occasion. The finish line at Jerusalem's main park has been adorned with flags and banners from the many sponsors. For the Palestinians, though, the event marks a provocation.

"This marathon is part and parcel of other Israeli policies and practices in Jerusalem that are aimed at exerting Israeli control over the occupied city and isolate it from the rest of Palestine," the Palestine Liberation Organization said in a statement. "Sponsoring or participating in the marathon implies recognition and active participation by the individual or company in Israel's illegal annexation and racist policies in Jerusalem."

On Thursday, two senior clerics, one Muslim and one Christian, voiced their opposition to the race. And Omar Shalabi, an official with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, said a group of activists would hoist Palestinian flags as runners pass through the Old City. He said there were no plans to block the runners.

Among the sponsors are U.S. footwear company New Balance and the Crowne Plaza hotel chain, which is owned by U.K.-based InterContinental Hotels Group PLC. New Balance did not immediately return a message seeking comment. A spokeswoman for InterContinental said the company was not aware of any boycott efforts. Adidas, which has sponsored the marathon before despite political pressure to drop its affiliation, is not sponsoring the event this year. A spokesman did not return a message asking why the company is no longer a sponsor.

Danny Danon, a hawkish lawmaker with the ruling Likud Party, said he was running to provide a counter statement to the Palestinians.

"I think it marks a clear message: When we talk about the city being united, we mean it," he told The Associated Press.

As Barkat himself can attest, any development in the city, no matter how well meaning, can be politically explosive. The new light rail was opposed by Palestinians as an encroachment because it included the eastern part of the city in its path, though Arab residents now heavily use the train service.

His plan to develop an Arab neighborhood outside the walls of the Old City also ran into fierce opposition from residents, while archaeological excavations and even road construction have frequently sparked religious or ethnic strife.

Since capturing east Jerusalem in 1967, Israel has ringed the sector with a series of settlements that are now home to roughly 200,000 Jews, in addition to about 300,000 Palestinians in the area.

The international community bitterly opposes these developments, saying they are illegal settlements on occupied land. Some 300,000 Jews live in the western part of Jerusalem. Under Israeli control, though, the city is open, and the lines between east and west have become blurred.

The marathon route will take the runners through the Old City, past the president's residence and past Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem to the campus of the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus.

One of the foreign participants is Raef Guirges, a 56-year-old Egyptian-American who plans to run draped in a tricolor flag bearing the message "God is love" in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

"I don't like politics. I am a very simple person with a very simple message: Let's try to love each other the same way God loves us," said Guirges, a Christian who has run more than 100 marathons worldwide.

____

On the Web: http://www.jerusalem-marathon.com/

____

Associated Press Writer Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.

____

Follow Heller on Twitter (at)aronhellerap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-28-Israel-Jerusalem%20Marathon/id-d558791d294144a4914340f87f59863c

Ravi Shankar Geminid meteor shower right to work Clackamas Town Center 12 12 12 Anne Hathaway Wardrobe Malfunction man of steel

Prince William rescues stranded hikers at night via helicopter

Adrian Dennis / AFP / Getty Images file

Prince William is pictured during his training at airbase RAF Cranwell in January 2008.

By Alexis L. Loinaz, Eonline

He may not have come riding in on a white horse, but this prince still came to the rescue, albeit on a different steed altogether.

On Tuesday, Prince William swooped in to help save a pair of hikers via helicopter after the two were reported missing earlier this week while trekking the mountainous north Wales region of Snowdonia.

Per British media reports, the unidentified hikers, who were in their 40s and 50s, made their way to the area's Glyder range but were forced to camp out there on Monday ??where freezing temperatures could prove life-threatening ??after lacking the necessary gear to get them off the mountain before nightfall.

Prince William saves schoolgirls in helicopter sea rescue

The two had promised to phone a friend with an update during their trip, but when the call never came, authorities were alerted and a search party was dispatched.

The pair were eventually found by a mountain rescue team aided by rescue dogs, and William and his helicopter crew arrived to take them to safety.

Consider it yet another heroic feather in the royal's increasingly be-feathered cap: Duchess Kate's hubby, who is a trained pilot with the RAF Search and Rescue Force, has been putting those chopper skills to essential use. Over the last six months, he's participated no fewer than four rescue missions, including saving shipwrecked Russians in the Irish Sea and schoolgirls stranded off the Welsh coast.

Looks like this is one prince whose duties to his people transcend mere ceremonial pomp and pageantry.?

More:

?

Source: http://theroyals.today.com/_news/2013/02/27/17120274-prince-william-rescues-stranded-hikers-at-night-via-helicopter?lite

my bloody valentine Super Bowl Winners what time does the superbowl start Kaepernick Tattoos superbowl time what time is the super bowl world war z

Trauma Can Up Risk of Mental Disorders in First Responders ...

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on February 27, 2013

A new study suggests repeated exposure to traumatic events increase the risk of developing a psychiatric disorder among protective service workers, especially for those early in their careers.

Overall, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that protective services workers do not appear to have a higher prevalence of mental health problems than workers in other occupations.

The critical factor appears to be exposure to trauma, as only those with repeated contact to violence or suffering have an increased likelihood of developing psychiatric problems. A hardening effect also appears to occur as contact with trauma among well-experienced protective services worker is less harmful.

?Our findings suggest that exposure to diverse types of traumatic events among protective services workers is a risk factor for new onset of psychopathology and alcohol use disorders,? said Christopher N. Kaufmann, M.H.S., lead author of the study.

?When we examined the relationship of exposure to common traumas with the development of mood, anxiety and alcohol use disorders among protective services workers, we found that these workers were at greater risk for developing a mood or alcohol use disorder.

?Interestingly, this relationship was not seen in those who had been in these jobs for a longer period, but was strong and statistically significant in workers who recently joined the profession. Developing curricula in coping skills and providing timely interventions for early career protective services workers may help reduce future psychiatric morbidity in these workers.?

Using data from the U.S National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions researchers compared the prevalence of mental disorders of protective services workers to that of adults in other occupations.

In addition, they examined the association of exposure to common traumatic experiences with the development of new mood, anxiety and alcohol use disorders among protective services workers who recently joined the workforce and those who had been in these jobs for a longer period.

Lifetime and recent trauma events most commonly reported by protective services workers included: seeing someone badly injured or killed; unexpectedly seeing a dead body; having someone close die unexpectedly and having someone close experience a serious or life-threatening illness, accident or injury.

?The association between the number of different traumatic event types and incident mood and alcohol-use disorders, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder, was virtually confined to the group of early career protective services workers,? said Ramin Mojtabai, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., senior author of the study.

?Future research should examine the coping skills of protective services workers who have been in these jobs for many years, which might make them less likely to develop psychiatric complications in the face of various potentially traumatic experiences, ? said Mojtabai.

The authors note, ?Special support programs and services for these early career workers can potentially help to prevent development of chronic psychopathology and attrition from these critical jobs.?

Source: Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2013). Trauma Can Up Risk of Mental Disorders in First Responders. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 27, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/02/27/trauma-can-up-risk-of-mental-disorders-in-first-responders/51995.html

?

Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/02/27/trauma-can-up-risk-of-mental-disorders-in-first-responders/51995.html

Obama 2016 Who Is Winning The Election 2012 Election Coverage 2012 the blaze Linda McMahon Voting Results 2012 pbs

SES New York Keynote Speaker Says Internet is TV's Best Friend ...

The Internet didn?t kill TV! According to Mike Proulx, the Internet has become TV?s best friend. Proulx will be the opening keynote speaker at SES New York 2013. The leading event for experienced marketing and advertising professionals will take place March 25-28, 2013, at the New York Marriott Marquis.

Proulx is a Senior Vice President and the Director of Social Media at Hill Holliday, a renowned advertising agency based in Boston, where he leads a team with a focus on cross-channel integration, emerging and social media. He has spent the last 17 years working at various interactive, high-tech, and new media companies on the agency-side, client-side, and as an entrepreneur. He has spoken at dozens of events and has been widely featured in the press including The New York Times, Fast Company, TV Guide, Forbes, BusinessWeek, Mashable, BuzzFeed, and NPR.

Proulx conceived, produced, directed, and co-host the TVnext summit, which took place in early 2011 and 2012. He is the co-author of Social TV, a best-selling book from Wiley publishing that launched in February of 2012. He is also the host of the social TV web series, ?The Pulse on Lost Remote?. He holds a Master?s degree in Computer Information Systems from Bentley University and in 2012 was named the Ad Club?s Media All Star.

His opening keynote is titled, ?Social TV: How Marketers Can Reach and Engage Audiences by Connecting Television to the Web, Social Media, and Mobile.?

Search Engine Watch (SEW) asked Mike Proulx (MP) five questions about his upcoming keynote. Here are his answers:

SEW: How does the convergence of television with the web, social media, and mobile change our behaviors and shake up our long standing beliefs about TV?

MP: There are those who believe that television is a traditional medium with an impending death. The web, social media, and mobile have evolved TV into a multi-screen experience that transcends devices. Not only are we watching more television than ever before, we?re interacting with programming on the ?second screen? in ways that enrich storylines and bring us together to virtually co-view. The modern era of television is a new media that?s more social, more connected, and more portable?and because of this TV is more alive than it?s ever been.

SEW: How has social media created a new and powerful "backchannel" and why does this fuel the renaissance of live broadcasts?

MP: There are a ton of posts happening in social media about any given TV show as it airs. Since Twitter is open and public, it acts as television?s backchannel filled with real-time commentary and conversation ? And it?s not just about TV series but also TV commercials giving producers and marketers instant feedback about their content. Live television events are seeing some of the highest ratings in years and social media brings a level of community and connection to TV watching the likes of which the medium has never before experienced.

SEW: Can you give us some examples of how mobile devices allow us to watch and interact with television whenever and wherever we want?

MP: Tablets, smartphones, and laptops enable television?s portability but it?s apps like HBO Go, ABC Player, Xfinity Remote, and CNN that deliver ?TV? content via those devices. And in the 4G world of mobile, we can watch TV in places once inconceivable. My favorite spot? Laying out on the roof deck on a warm summer night with my iPad in hand streaming HBO?s The Newsroom.

SEW: Why would ?connected TVs? blend web and television content into a unified big screen experience that will bring us back into our living rooms?

MP: Apple TV, Roku, Boxee TV, Google TV, Samsung Smart TVs, etc. stream online video (that was once relegated to our computer screens) onto the ?big screen? of our living rooms. HD YouTube clips suddenly come to life in ways that are far more impactful and dynamic than tiny smartphone screens further blurring the lines of what?s ?TV.? While the notion of TV everywhere lets us watch TV at will regardless of our physical location, the increasingly seamless ability to channel streaming video through the TV set makes the living room that much more compelling.

SEW: With the television landscape changing, why should brands approach the medium once labeled ?traditional? as new media?

MP: TV has become mashed up with the Web, social media, and mobile. Television networks, providers, brands, and agencies must continue to unshackle themselves from dated business and advertising models and rediscover television as a new medium. This means planning television and digital together to tell stories across devices and engage viewers with TV experiences not just TV shows. The speed, scale, and degree of change that has and is happening create enormous opportunity for those brands who have the courage to innovate.

SES New York 2013 offers a variety of conference passes and on-site training. If you register by Thursday, March 7, 2013, you can save up to $600 on Platinum or All Access passes.

For more information, click on Rates and Registration Details. Group discounts for 4 or more pass holders from the same company are also available by contacting [email?protected] and are the best value for the lowest price possible.

I should disclose that SES New York is a client of my agency. But, trust me, TV is not dead yet.

---

Become an Expert Digital Marketer at SES New York
March 25-28, 2013: With dozens of sessions on Search, Social, Local and Mobile, you'll leave SES with everything and everyone you need to know. Hurry, early bird rates expire February 21. Register today!

Source: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2250850/SES-New-York-Keynote-Speaker-Says-Internet-is-TVs-Best-Friend

obama on jimmy fallon google drive pilar sanders andrew young real life barbie zipper armenian genocide

Infrared digital holography allows firefighters to see through flames, image moving people

Feb. 26, 2013 ? Firefighters put their lives on the line in some of the most dangerous conditions on Earth. One of their greatest challenges, however, is seeing through thick veils of smoke and walls of flame to find people in need of rescue. A team of Italian researchers has developed a new imaging technique that uses infrared (IR) digital holography to peer through chaotic conflagrations and capture potentially lifesaving and otherwise hidden details.

The team describes its breakthrough results and their applications in a paper published February 26 in the Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal Optics Express.

Firefighters can see through smoke using current IR camera technology. However, such instruments are blinded by the intense infrared radiation emitted by flames, which overwhelm the sensitive detectors and limit their use in the field. By employing a specialized lens-free technique, the researchers have created a system that is able to cope with the flood of radiation from an environment filled with flames as well as smoke.

"IR cameras cannot 'see' objects or humans behind flames because of the need for a zoom lens that concentrates the rays on the sensor to form the image," says Pietro Ferraro of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Istituto Nazionale di Ottica in Italy. By eliminating the need for the zoom lens, the new technique avoids this drawback.

"It became clear to us that we had in our hands a technology that could be exploited by emergency responders and firefighters at a fire scene to see through smoke without being blinded by flames, a limitation of existing technology," Ferraro says. "Perhaps most importantly, we demonstrated for the first time that a holographic recording of a live person can be achieved even while the body is moving."

Holography is a means of producing a 3-D image of an object. To create a hologram, such as those typically seen on credit cards, a laser beam is split into two (an object beam and a reference beam). The object beam is shone onto the object being imaged. When the reflected object beam and the reference beam are recombined, they create an interference pattern that encodes the 3-D image.

In the researchers' new imaging system, a beam of infrared laser light is widely dispersed throughout a room. Unlike visible light, which cannot penetrate thick smoke and flames, the IR rays pass through largely unhindered. The IR light does, however, reflect off of any objects or people in the room, and the information carried by this reflected light is recorded by a holographic imager. It is then decoded to reveal the objects beyond the smoke and flames. The result is a live, 3-D movie of the room and its contents.

The next step in moving this technology to the field is to develop a portable tripod-based system that houses both the laser source and the IR camera. The systems may also be suitable for fixed installation inside buildings or tunnels. In addition, the team is exploring other applications, most notably in the biomedical field for non-destructive testing of large aerospace composite structures.

"Besides life-saving applications in fire and rescue, the potential to record dynamic scenes of a human body could have a variety of other biomedical uses including studying or monitoring breathing, cardiac beat detection and analysis, or measurement of body deformation due to various stresses during exercise," Ferraro says. "We are excited to further develop this technology and realize its application for saving and improving human life."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Optical Society of America.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. M. Locatelli, E. Pugliese, M. Paturzo, V. Bianco, A. Finizio, A. Pelagotti, P. Poggi, L. Miccio, R. Meucci, P. Ferraro. Imaging live humans through smoke and flames using far-infrared digital holography. Optics Express, 2013; 21 (5): 5379 DOI: 10.1364/OE.21.005379

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/bXDcFd2sAks/130226101454.htm

Jerry Nelson Foo Canoodle Isaac path Tropical Storm Isaac path Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Isaac Path

Mindy McCready Funeral: Singer Laid to Rest in Florida Hometown

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/mindy-mccready-funeral-singer-laid-to-rest-in-florida-hometown/

cleveland plain dealer john scott barry sanders barry sanders jimmie johnson juan pablo montoya crash chardon high school shooting

New Jersey approves online gambling bill | VG247

Tue, Feb 26, 2013 | 23:14 GMT

The state of New Jersey has passed a bill intended to make online gambling legal, GamePolitics reports. New Jersey joins Nevada and Delaware in allowing real-money online gambling, something Zynga has bet the bank on. The bill comes into effect when the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement sets an official start date, which is likely to be somewhere between three and nine months from now.

Source: http://www.vg247.com/2013/02/26/new-jersey-approves-online-gambling-bill/

JJ Watt jerry sandusky johnny depp hayden panettiere raul ibanez completely wrong mila kunis

Obama, Lawmakers to Meet on Cuts (WSJ)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287818393?client_source=feed&format=rss

Stores Open On Christmas Day Santa Claus Feliz Navidad Netflix down Ryan Freel Melissa Nelson sound of music

Orders jump for key US long-lasting factory goods

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Orders for U.S. factory goods that signal business investment plans jumped last month by the most in more than a year, suggesting companies are confident about their business prospects.

The Commerce Department said Wednesday that orders for so-called core capital goods, which include industrial machinery, construction equipment and computers, rose 6.3 percent in January from December. A sharp fall in demand for commercial aircraft caused overall durable goods orders to drop 5.2 percent, the first decline since August.

Orders for commercial aircraft are volatile from month to month and can cause large swings in the overall figure. Boeing reported orders for only two planes in January, down from 183 in December. Orders for defense equipment also plummeted by the most in more than 12 years.

Durable goods are items expected to last at least three years.

The increase in core capital goods suggests companies are willing to expand their production capacities despite worries that automatic government spending cuts will slow the economy in the coming months.

"The fact remains that capital spending appears to be holding up very well," Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG, a brokerage firm. "In fact, it appears to be accelerating."

Still, the jump in orders wasn't broad-based and occurred mostly in machinery and manufactured metal products. Orders for computers and communications equipment both fell and orders for autos and auto parts were unchanged.

About $85 billion in spending cuts are scheduled to kick in Friday and there is little sign that the White House and Congress will reach a deal to avoid them. Defense Department officials may have slowed purchases in January in anticipation of the cutbacks.

Business investment plans have held up in recent months despite the uncertainty surrounding tax and spending policies. Core capital goods orders dipped 0.3 percent in December but posted strong gains of 3.3 percent in November and 3 percent in October.

The report suggests U.S. manufacturing is strengthening. The Institute for Supply Management said earlier this month that factory activity grew in January at the fastest pace in nine months. Measures of new orders and hiring both rose.

But industrial production fell in January after two months of increases, the Federal Reserve said. Much of the decline reflected a big drop in auto production that was likely temporary. The auto industry is coming off its best year for sales in five years. Sales continue to rise, so production will likely rebound in February.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-27-US-Durable-Goods/id-524da65e0dd24d6cbfde6ca466455ded

matthew broderick tax refund calculator huntington disease west memphis three taxes game of thrones season 2 trailer sag award winners

Alton Coal pursuit of legal fees may have - The Salt Lake Tribune

Alton Coal Development won in its bid to strip-mine coal on private land near Bryce Canyon National Park and now wants to extract legal costs from the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and other groups. AP file photo

Mining ? Company wants groups that challenged its strip mine to pay.

An attorney-fee dispute arising from the controversial Coal Hollow strip-mine in Alton could have far-reaching consequences on citizens and conservation groups? ability to legally challenge coal projects.

Alton Coal Development prevailed in its bid to strip-mine coal on private land near Bryce Canyon National Park after a string of legal skirmishes that ended last October in the Utah Supreme Court. Now the company wants to extract its legal costs ? it hasn?t detailed a dollar amount ? from the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and three other groups.

But not content with state regulators? formal opinion that developers must show their adversaries acted "in bad faith" to collect legal costs, Alton Coal lawyer Denise Dragoo has asked the Utah governor to intervene and impose a much lower standard.

The matter, to be argued before the Board of Oil, Gas and Mining Wednesday, could result in environmentalists being liable for hefty legal costs every time they take a Utah coal project to court and lose.

A finding for Alton would deter groups from taking coal developers to court, according to Tim Wagner, head of the Sierra Club?s Utah chapter, which joined SUWA in the Alton suit.

"The availability of the courts for any groups, no matter their agenda, is a part of democracy," Wagner said. "These challenges are not frivolous. These projects are being challenged for good reasons."

The other plaintiffs are the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Parks Conservation Association. This consortium alleged that the Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, or DOGM, failed to perform an adequate environmental review when it authorized the state?s only strip mine on 600 acres of private coal in 2009.

A separate proposal by Alton, to expand operations onto 3,500 acres, is still under analysis.

The environmentalists lost at every level and now Alton says it?s entitled to be reimbursed for its legal costs. The company contends that an old legal standard ? requiring the winner in coal disputes to show that its opponent sued simply to harass and embarrass ? no longer holds.

DOGM opposes that position, saying the bad-faith standard was "inadvertently omitted" from the state?s administrative code. In its filings with the mining board, regulators argue the state is obligated to abide by this standard as part of a deal it forged 32 years ago with the federal government to win primacy over coal mining regulation. The federal Office of Surface Mining is now threatening action against the state if it fails to apply the bad-faith standard in the Alton matter.

story continues below

Dragoo is seeking help from Gov. Gary Herbert, who received a $10,000 from Alton for his 2010 election campaign, and his energy adviser Cody Stewart.

In a Feb. 21 letter, she accused state regulators of "prematurely capitulating" their authority to the feds and asked the governor to allow the mining board "to proceed unfettered" by federal standards.

bmaffly@sltrib.com

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55904038-78/coal-alton-utah-legal.html.csp

whip it gabby giffords gabby giffords geithner gabrielle giffords juliette lewis chelsea handler

Your health: perfect and intact?

A Christian Science perspective.

By Lyle Young / February 26, 2013

Your health is perfect and intact ? no matter how you may feel, look, or sound.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

Now, before you conclude that this is a preposterous statement, let me explain.

The conventional way of thinking is that life is material, that we develop over time, having our own thoughts and bodies ? and thus our own state of health ? all of which are governed by genes and by our life experience. According to this way of thinking, we live biologically and are governed by organic laws that dictate that illness is normal and self-evident reality. Logically then, at best we try to manipulate the body with surgery or drugs or with less invasive methods such as physiotherapy or change of diet.

But instead of considering that all that I?ve just described is reality, could it be that it?s actually a state of consciousness, a way of thinking that we may have unwittingly adopted but that we can consciously change?

The founder of the Monitor, Mary Baker Eddy, contributed not only to journalism but also to health and health care. Sick for years, she teetered between living and dying. But in the Bible, her solace, she saw that the healings of Jesus were not miraculous but a natural expression of his understanding of the true nature of health. In the 1860s, when she was in her late 40s, she came to understand her way out of the health theories prevalent at that time. This restored her health, allowing her to serve society vigorously for another four decades. She began to teach this understanding, both in person and through her books. (Her main work, ?Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,? was first published in 1875.) Soon, many of her students were practicing this method of healing, and teaching others, too. Her method of healing is not faith healing as it?s popularly known. Rather, it?s based on deep spiritual insights about the nature of identity, insights that Mrs. Eddy found in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

Eddy, a keen observer of human thinking, identified the kinds of thoughts that lead to illness. She saw that sickness is an unnatural, unconscious deviation from the perfection of God and of each one of us as His image and likeness. She came upon a place in thought at which individuals adopt a concept of themselves that leads either to discord and sickness or to holiness and health. She discovered that everyone can become aware of their thoughts and respond obediently to thoughts from God, those thoughts being spiritual, pure, and healthy. For her, mental self-awareness is key ? just as knowing how you?re spending money is essential to sound personal finance.

Most especially, Eddy discovered in the Bible that there?s a reliable source for healthy thoughts ? God, the one divine Mind ? that knows each of us, God?s children, as spiritual, perfect, free, and well. This fundamental truth, though not visible physically, gives each of us a strong platform from which to claim and even demonstrate that we are healthy.

Try this: Instead of assuming that you?re largely a set of body parts that can become ill, feel your oneness with this purely good, infinite Mind as its spiritual reflection. Start from the standpoint that your health is intact because goodness and wellness are inherent in this one infinite God that you reflect. This way of thinking has made a vast difference in my life, giving me both a more moral approach to living and better health. It can do the same for you.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/2inm-XDvkws/Your-health-perfect-and-intact

kourtney kardashian kourtney kardashian DNS Changer ernest borgnine ESPYs 2012 venus williams Freeh Report

Human Rights Watch: Syrian Regime Missiles Killed 140 In Aleppo

BEIRUT ? An international human rights organization says the Syrian military fired at least four ballistic missiles into the embattled northern city of Aleppo over the past week, killing more than 140 people, including 70 children.

Human Rights Watch says the attacks by the regime of President Bashar Assad on residential areas of Aleppo mark an "escalation of unlawful attacks against Syria's civilian population."

A researcher with the U.S.-based group, who visited Aleppo last week to inspect the targeted sites, said up to 20 buildings were destroyed in each area hit by a missile. There were no signs of any military targets in the residential districts, located in rebel-held parts of Aleppo, the group said in a report Tuesday.

Aleppo has seen some of the heaviest fighting in Syria's nearly 2-year-old conflict.

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/26/syrian-regime-missiles-human-rights-watch_n_2763266.html

romney michigan derrick williams railgun jk rowling new book between two ferns statins chardon

Immigration reform would strain English schools

Students at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan speak into headsets as they practice their English. (Liz Goodwin/Yahoo??

The thorny topic of immigration reform has catapulted to the top of the to-do lists of both Republicans and Democrats, even as both sides continue to bicker over details. President Barack Obama and a bipartisan group of senators are eager to pass an immigration bill this year, with their main points of disagreement, deliberated in public and in private, centering around topics like border security, guest-worker programs and how long undocumented immigrants should have to wait before gaining citizenship.

There's one issue, however, both sides agree on: The nation?s 11 million illegal immigrants will need to know English before they can earn permanent legal status, commonly referred to as a green card. And therein lies a barely discussed problem with the potential to overwhelm states and put up a barrier to immigrants who want to legalize: The nation?s English as a Second Language system may not be up to the task.

Those familiar with the issue say the woefully underfunded adult ESL system would face challenges that could stretch it to its breaking point. They include the influx of millions of new students, a severe lack of clarity around funding, and the need for more flexible learning situations, as many immigrants?who often work several jobs?will find it difficult to attend classes.

The current ESL system is "cobbled together with toothpicks and Band-Aids,? said Paul Musselman, the president of Carnegie Speech, a virtual learning company that makes language software.

It would be ?insane? to require illegal immigrants to learn English, added Leslie Robbins, the executive director of Riverside Language Program in Manhattan, which teaches legal immigrants intensive English courses. For one, she noted, the system is already overloaded. "There's not enough funding currently to deal with the numbers of people who both need and want English-language instruction," she said.

And Margie McHugh, an expert on immigrant integration issues at the Migration Policy Institute think tank, noted that ?the idea that somehow the system could accommodate 11 million new people is beyond anyone?s imagination."

McHugh estimated that, without schooling, about 55 percent of undocumented immigrants wouldn?t be able to pass the English portion of the U.S. citizenship test?which requires someone to understand English phrases when spoken to slowly and with repetition?if it were given today. That means about 4 million to 5 million people could simultaneously need instruction under the immigration reform law.

Politicians want to add a stricter English requirement in the reform bill in part to make sure undocumented immigrants are integrating and able to succeed economically. Immigrants who speak English well earn on average between 10 and 24 percent more than immigrants who don't, according to several studies, which means providing effective English courses could have a huge economic impact for the country as a whole and immigrants themselves. (Legal immigrants to the U.S. are not required to learn English to gain a green card, but must pass an English test in order to become citizens.)

But the current system in place for teaching English to the nations? immigrants?state- and federally-funded classes provided by a patchwork of community colleges, public libraries and other community organizations?has been hit hard by state budget cuts since the recession began. Nationwide, 1.1 million people were enrolled in ESL courses in the 2006-2007 year, compared with just 730,000 people last academic year due to those cuts.

States may end up shouldering hefty costs associated with immigration reform if lawmakers don?t explicitly reimburse them in a bill. In 1986, Congress promised to reimburse state and local governments $4 billion in costs associated with the amnesty program, including providing adult ESL classes.

But even if the money's there, existing ESL classes on average have not proven to be all that effective at teaching its students English, in part because many immigrants don't have the time to attend classes frequently enough to make a difference.

Some techies as well as immigrant advocates, however, are hoping new language-learning software and online courses could help solve some of the issues, softening the blow to the ESL system if immigration reform passes.

?We need to get out there that there has to be a different way for people to learn English fast and with digital skills,? said Ada Williams Prince, the policy director for OneAmerica, a nonprofit immigration advocacy group. ?It?s not enough to sit people in an ESL class."

A handful of colleges and community organizations are already experimenting with lower-cost digital ESL classes that use free online language programs instead of costly textbooks. They also allow teachers to have larger classes or, in at least one case, remove the need for ESL-trained teachers altogether.

A Gates Foundation-funded pilot program in Washington state?with the help of OneAmerica?taught 250 immigrants English in a 13-week program last year using free language-learning software provided by Livemocha, a Rosetta Stone-like online tool. Students were each given a laptop with a permanent Internet connection and worked in class with the help of a tech coach, but no formally trained ESL teacher. They also spent hours of their own time using Livemocha at home, with the goal of learning both digital and English skills at once.

This fall, another online ESL pilot program funded with $3.5 million by the Gates Foundation will begin in 10 community colleges, also in Washington. The colleges, partnering with Livemocha, will create an interactive curriculum including video and text chatting with native English speakers as a way to improve conversational skills. Each student will be given a laptop or tablet, but this time they'll be assisted by trained ESL teachers and tech coaches in classrooms.

The colleges hope the program will eventually be cheaper than traditional ESL classes, despite the costs of computers. They also hope the digital approach will be more effective than their previous textbook-based ESL classes, which have had a dismal track record of moving students to higher levels of English.

?We don?t believe it is more expensive to put technology in the hands of students than it is to put really not very exciting books in the hands of students,? Kathy Cooper, a policy associate at the Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges, said.

These types of online language programs weren't available 25 years ago when Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which required the 2.7 million undocumented immigrants who were legalized under that law to enroll in at least 40 hours of English courses before obtaining green cards. No one knows how effective these courses were, because immigrants were not required to take a test at the end of them. But experts estimate it takes about 600 hours of instruction for someone to move from the bottom levels of English understanding to a conversational competence, which suggests 40 hours would not do much toward helping someone become fluent.

The Department of Education would have final say on which ESL classes are approved, but experts think it's possible it would approve online classes.

?I'm sure that if they go with a 40-hour seat time requirement that many people would try to come up with an online way for folks to fulfill that,? said the Migration Policy Institute's McHugh. She added that the Department of Education would have to create ?appropriate safeguards? to make sure the programs were high-quality.

Of course, the digital divide creates its own share of problems: Immigrants are far less likely than nonimmigrants in the U.S. to have access to a computer or Internet connection. (That wouldn?t be an issue if students are provided with computers as they are in the Gates-funded programs.)

Some in the ESL field also cautioned that digital-language programs may make instruction better and more efficient, but it will not replace the need for a qualified teacher and classroom.

"When we use technology it?s an enhancement, not a replacement,? said Helene Rubenstein, the coordinator for ESL programs at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.

Whatever the solution, McHugh said she hopes Congress does not scrimp on funding. Good English classes, she noted, are necessary "if we really expect people to succeed in integrating or improving their long-term prospects of joining their mainstream workforce and community."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/english-requirement-immigration-reform-test-underfunded-esl-system-171501009--election.html

stacy francis tournament brackets 2012 ncaa basketball tournament walt what time is it current time a thousand words

Cats Needed for Stem Cell Study - PawNation

You Say.??

• button.wow
• button.lol
• button.aww
• button.poop

Source: http://www.pawnation.com/2013/02/26/cats-needed-for-stem-cell-study/

jr smith chris anderson rondo suspended bay bridge band of brothers presidents george washington

Jose Aldo-Anthony Pettis featherweight championship fight back on

Over the weekend, UFC president Dana White said featherweight champion Jose Aldo was refusing to take a fight with Anthony Pettis, the lightweight who was scheduled to fight Aldo in August. As Kevin Iole wrote, Aldo told White he didn't think Pettis had earned the title shot.

The fight is back on. Andre Pederneias, Aldo's manager, told SporTV in Brazil (with translation from our friends at Yahoo! Brazil) that Aldo will take the fight, with one condition:

?I had a meeting today (Monday) with Jos? Aldo, who said: ?I?m going to end with this clownery. People are saying that I?m running, so they are going to see who will run from who when the time comes. If you enjoy a brawl, you can buy the pay-per-view on August 3 and that's what you are going to watch because heads will roll?. At that moment I called Dana White to agree with the fight, but on one condition: after that fight, the winner gets a title shot at [lightweight]?.

White confirmed that the fight is on.

Yes Aldo vs Pettis and it's for Aldo's UFC 145lb title

? Dana White (@danawhite) February 26, 2013

ESPN is reporting that Aldo will get his wish, and that if he beats Pettis on Aug. 3, he will get a shot at the UFC lightweight belt. Benson Henderson is currently the title holder, and will fight Gilbert Melendez in April.

This means the UFC lightweight belt has a clear path for 2013. Pettis was supposed to be the next lightweight contender, but pushed for the Aldo fight because he didn't want to wait until the Henderson and Melendez fight was over.

Are you looking forward to seeing Aldo possibly fight for the lightweight belt? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Boxing video from Yahoo! Sports:

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Tom Brady puts Patriots in position to keep winning for years to come
? Watch: NBA storylines to watch
? Putting Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria's 'facts' to the test
? Michigan State's Chris Norman chooses seminary over NFL

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/jose-aldo-anthony-pettis-featherweight-championship-fight-back-163108872--mma.html

the shore meryl streep oscar wins sasha baron cohen oscars the artist sacha baron cohen oscars the old curiosity shop jane russell

Italy's Berlusconi: ignore the 'crazy' markets

ROME (AP) ? Italy's post-election political paralysis is spooking financial markets. But former Premier Silvio Berlusconi, whose strong showing defied pro-Europe pundits who thought he was politically finished, insists a government can be formed.

The conservative leader said Tuesday that Italians should ignore the "crazy" markets. His center-left rivals won Parliament's lower house after votes were counted Monday. But they failed to win an absolute majority in the upper house.

Pro-Europe leaders, who were hoping Italy would stay the course of tough economic reforms, are rattled by the prospects of legislative gridlock. Berlusconi says having another election soon won't solve problems, and called on fellow leaders to "make some sacrifices," an apparent call for a coalition government.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-26-Italy-Elections/id-c9e255be3f1e4e279c8a3b0b77ed7b9a

Emmy nominations 2012 Ramadan 2012 Michelle Jenneke batman Colorado Shooting News joe paterno British Open

Top NFL draft prospect from Utah has heart ailment

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Defensive tackle Star Lotulelei will be heading home from the NFL's combine Monday night after doctors discovered he had a heart condition.

His agent, Bruce Tollner, confirmed the diagnosis in an email to The Associated Press on Monday. ESPN first reported the story Sunday night.

Lotulelei is one of the top prospects in April's draft. Some mock drafts even had the Utah star going No. 1 overall. He is expected to see a specialist.

A heart condition could have a significant impact on his draft stock as he tries to become the second Utes player chosen No. 1 overall. Alex Smith was taken first in the 2005 draft.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-25-FBN-NFL-Combine-Lotulelei/id-a588f63f04414d038ac4047277eb4e88

Facebook Down bo jackson bo jackson hanukkah justin tv justin tv Sarah Savage

10 Areas Where Small Businesses Lack an Online Competitive Edge

This is a guest post by Pratik Dholakiya.

We all know it; even though we wish it weren?t true: small businesses have limited resources. They often have only enough time, money, and patience for the core of their business. Certainly, a small business should never sacrifice its unique selling position. But it?s equally true that businesses need exposure in order to stay up and running.

Thankfully, the web makes it possible to boost awareness at relatively low costs. Even so, many businesses struggle getting a competitive edge online. Here are some of the reasons why.

1. Poor Market Research Before Creating a Web Presence

Often, small businesses are simply creating a website because they feel it?s the modern thing to do, and they just want to get it over with. But it?s important to understand the online marketplace before diving in.

The market for products online may look very different from your local market or the medium you are used to. It?s important to address what the online competition looks like, how many resources they have, and how you can stand out from the crowd.

2. A Cluttered, Ugly Website Design

WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr have made it so that anybody can put up a website. This is exciting because it has given consumers and small businesses a voice that they haven?t had in a very long time, but it also means that users won?t trust you just because you have a website. It?s important to invest in a sleek appearance and intuitive navigation so that users feel they can trust your website.

3. Not Setting a Unique Selling Proposition

As we mentioned in the intro, a business can?t sacrifice its core if it is going to survive long term, and this is only more true online. All to often, businesses try to convince consumers that they are ?the best.? This is typically a waste of time because most consumers will not believe you.

It is important to be more specific about what you have to offer, and, most importantly, draw attention to how you are different.

Online efforts should focus on giving consumers a unique and specific reason to choose their product. Often this means creating a brand image as much as it means promoting the products themselves. It also often means that your site?s content must itself offer unique value that isn?t easily attainable anywhere else on the web.

4. High/identical price of Products/services compared to big names in industry

If your product or brand does not offer a unique and specific benefit over the alternatives, there is no reason it should be priced the same or higher. Big name brands have a very huge advantage in the marketplace and consumers need a very good reason to consider your products instead. This often means your prices must be lower, even if the product is in some ways superior. It is only if your product is clearly different from the competition that you may charge a higher price.

5. Don?t know the exact target audience

This is essentially the same problem as #1, but it?s important enough that it deserves its own category. Businesses often focus so much on creating the superior or cheaper product, when the real goal is to solve a problem for consumers.

You must understand your target consumer and the problems that they want solved. Often, your online content should also help them solve that problem, or related problems. This will help them trust your brand and the ability of your product to solve their problems as well.

6. Undefined Online Marketing Strategy

You need to be able to answer questions like:

• Why are you online?
• How will customers find you?
• Why will customers choose your products over others?
• How will your online presence grow?
• Where are your target consumers most active online?

Unfortunately, it?s not uncommon for businesses to have no answers to these questions.

7. Ignoring Social Media (or Being Ignorant of it)

Virtually everybody uses Facebook, and the most influential people online also use other networks such as Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and others. Making yourself known online requires building relationships with influencers as well as keeping consumers engaged with online conversations and community building.

At the same time, many of the businesses who use social media are ignorant of how it works and why people use it. The vast majority of people use social networks to entertain themselves first and foremost, as well as to express themselves and communicate. They do not use social networks to find information, especially not about consumer products.

8. Underestimating (or Overestimating) the potential of SEO software/tools

Businesses that do not track the results of their online efforts are waving their hands in the dark. It?s important for them to track their rankings, link building efforts, traffic, and other factors in order to understand what is working and what isn?t, so they don?t waste time on failing strategies. Some examples of low cost SEO tools include:

1. SheerSEO
2. W3optimizer
3. SearchEnabler
4. SERPS.com
5. UpCity?(Formerly?known as DIYSEO)

Tools like these will help you understand how you can improve your site so that it is more easily discovered in the search engines.

However, equally dangerous is the possibility of overestimating such tools. It is important to understand that SEO and online marketing in general are not mechanical processes. You must create outstanding content, build relationships, and become a unique voice in the community in order to improve your visibility online and in the search engines.

9. Lack of Online and Offline Local Marketing Strategies

If your business is local, or has physical locations that consumers can visit at all, it is important to have a local marketing strategy. Some businesses are still under the impression that because the internet is a ?world wide web,? it is useless for local marketing. This hasn?t been true for quite some time.

The search engines currently localize search results to display web pages from local businesses and results from Google Maps with driving directions. Foursquare and Yelp have become widely used to find and review local businesses. Facebook has local event notifications, and consumers can review local businesses in Google+ Local or Google Places.

Devise an integrated local marketing strategy that makes the most of the online and offline world in combination with events to spread publicity.

10. Ignoring Mobile

As more and more people own smartphones and tablets, it is becoming unacceptable to pretend that people only use PCs to access the internet. Consumers are frustrated with sites designed for desktops that they have to zoom in and out of and scroll all over the place to use. Sleek and uncluttered sites that they can slide their way through, easily reading and pressing buttons with their fingertips, are far more successful.

But mobile is an opportunity, not just something you need to adapt to. Mobile users tend to be more wealthy, they are more engaged with their devices, and they are often already on the go looking for nearby businesses to visit. Conversions are much higher on mobile devices, and apps keep your brand where consumers will see it.

Conclusion

Understand the web and you will beat your competitors, becoming a successful small business in the online world. Fail to keep up and you will lose touch with your customer base. The web presents a promising opportunity for the businesses willing to make the most of it. Don?t fall behind.

Source: http://kikolani.com/10-areas-where-small-businesses-lack-an-online-competitive-edge.html

tom hardy British Open leaderboard Jessica Ghawi People Water Fred Willard Emmy nominations 2012 Ramadan 2012