After selling travel itinerary startup TripIt to Concur for $120 million, the startup's co-founders, Gregg Brockway and his team are launching their newest venture?Chairish. Chairish is an online consignment marketplace for people to buy and sell pre-owned home furnishings.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/jJV8OKpfWLg/
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and former NBA star Dennis Rodman watch North Korean and U.S. players in an exhibition basketball game at an arena in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Rodman arrived in Pyongyang on Monday with three members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team to shoot an episode on North Korea for a new weekly HBO series. (AP Photo/VICE Media, Jason Mojica)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and former NBA star Dennis Rodman watch North Korean and U.S. players in an exhibition basketball game at an arena in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Rodman arrived in Pyongyang on Monday with three members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team to shoot an episode on North Korea for a new weekly HBO series. (AP Photo/VICE Media, Jason Mojica)
Flamboyant former NBA star Dennis Rodman is surrounded by journalists upon arrival at Pyongyang Airport, North Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. The American known as "The Worm" arrived in Pyongyang, becoming an unlikely ambassador for sports diplomacy at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)
Flamboyant former NBA star Dennis Rodman, fifth from right, poses with three members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, in red jerseys, and a production crew for the media upon arrival at Pyongyang Airport, North Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. Rodman known as "The Worm" arrived in Pyongyang, becoming an unlikely ambassador for sports diplomacy at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman hung out Thursday with North Korea's Kim Jong Un on the third day of his improbable journey with VICE to Pyongyang, watching the Harlem Globetrotters with the leader and later dining on sushi and drinking with him at his palace.
"You have a friend for life," Rodman told Kim before a crowd of thousands at a gymnasium where they sat side by side, chatting as they watched players from North Korea and the U.S. play, Alex Detrick, a spokesman for the New York-based VICE media company, told The Associated Press.
Rodman arrived in Pyongyang on Monday with three members of the professional Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, VICE correspondent Ryan Duffy and a production crew to shoot an episode on North Korea for a new weekly HBO series.
The unlikely encounter makes Rodman the most high-profile American to meet Kim since the young North Korean leader took power in December 2011, and takes place against a backdrop of tension between Washington and Pyongyang. North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test just two weeks ago, making clear the provocative act was a warning to the United States to drop what it considers a "hostile" policy toward the North.
Kim, a diehard basketball fan, told the former Chicago Bulls star he hoped the visit would break the ice between the United States and North Korea, VICE founder Shane Smith said.
Dressed in a blue Mao suit, Kim laughed and slapped his hands on the table before him during the game as he sat nearly knee to knee with Rodman. Rodman, the man who once turned up in a wedding dress to promote his autobiography, wore a dark suit and dark sunglasses, but still had on his nose rings and other piercings. A can of Coca-Cola sat on the table before him in photos shared with AP by VICE.
"The crowd was really engaged, laughed at all of the Globetrotters antics, and actually got super loud towards the end as the score got close," said Duffy, who suited up for the game in a blue uniform emblazoned with "United States of America. "Most fun I've had in a while."
Kim and Rodman chatted in English, but Kim primarily spoke in Korean through a translator, Smith said after speaking to the VICE crew in Pyongyang.
"They bonded during the game," Smith said by telephone from New York after speaking to the crew. "They were both enjoying the crazy shots, and the Harlem Globetrotters were putting on quite a show."
The surprise visit by the flamboyant Hall of Famer known as "The Worm" makes him an unlikely ambassador at a time when North Koreans are girding for battle with the U.S. Just last week, Kim guided frontline troops in military exercises.
North Korea and the U.S. fought on opposite sides of the three-year Korean War, which ended in a truce in 1953. The foes never signed a peace treaty, and do not have diplomatic relations.
Thursday's game ended in a 110-110 draw, with two Americans playing on each team alongside North Koreans, Detrick said. The Xinhua News Agency first reported on the game, citing witnesses who attended.
After the game, Rodman addressed Kim in a speech before a crowd of tens of thousands of North Koreans, telling him, "You have a friend for life," Detrick said.
At a lavish dinner at Kim's palace, the leader plied the group with food and drinks as the group made round after round of toasts.
"Dinner was an epic feast. Felt like about 10 courses in total," Duffy said in an email to AP. "I'd say the winners were the smoked turkey and sushi, though we had the Pyongyang cold noodles earlier in the trip and that's been the runaway favorite so far."
Duffy said he invited Kim to visit the United States, a proposal met with hearty laughter from the North Korean leader.
"Um ... so Kim Jong Un just got the (hash)VICEonHBO crew wasted ... no really, that happened," VICE producer Jason Mojica wrote on Twitter.
Rodman's trip is the second attention-grabbing U.S. visit this year to North Korea. Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, made a four-day trip in January to Pyongyang, but did not meet the North Korean leader.
Extending an invitation to a man known as much for his piercings, tattoos and bad behavior as for his basketball may seem inexplicable. But Kim is known to love the NBA, and has promoted sports since becoming leader.
"We knew that he's a big lover of basketball, especially the Bulls, and it was our intention going in that we would have a good-will mission of something that's fun," Smith said. "A lot of times, things just are serious and everybody's so concerned with geopolitics that we forget just to be human beings."
Rodman's agent, Darren Prince, said Rodman wasn't concerned about criticism about making a visit to an enemy nation.
"Dennis called me last night and said it's been a great experience and he made this trip out of the love of the USA ," he said. "It's all about peace and love."
___
Associated Press NBA writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report from New York. Follow AP's Korea bureau chief Jean Lee at twitter.com/newsjean.
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Space tourist Dennis Tito celebrates after his landing near the Kazakh town of Arkalyk on May 6, 2001.
Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty ImagesThe world's first space tourist is financing a project that aims to launch an American man and woman on a mission to fly by Mars in 2018.
Back in 2001, businessman Dennis Tito shelled out about $20 million to ride a Russian spaceship up to the International Space Station. Now he's unveiled a new nonprofit group called the Inspiration Mars Foundation.
It's working to take advantage of a launch opportunity coming up in January of 2018. That's when the planets will be aligned in a way that would let people fly to Mars, loop around the planet, and return home in just 501 days ? a pretty short trip.
At their closest approach, the two space travelers would be within 100 miles of the red planet. "I mean, that's essentially being there," says Tito, who held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to announce his plans.
Tito, who made a fortune as an investment manager, is also an aerospace engineer who worked with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the 1960s, helping to plot trajectories for the Mariner robotic missions.
He hired a team of experts that concluded that sending people to loop around Mars in 2018 is doable with technology that either already exists or is nearly ready, and he's promised two years of funding for the project from his own pocket.
"This not a commercial mission. This is not a mission that, if it's successful, I'm going to come out to be a lot wealthier. Let me guarantee you, I will come out a lot poorer as a result of this mission," says Tito. "But my grandchildren will come out a lot wealthier through the inspiration that this will give them."
Dennis Tito (center) flies into the International Space Station as Russian Talgat Musabayev (right) looks on and the station's Russian commander, Yuri Usache, welcomes them, on April 30, 2001.
Oleg Nikishin/Getty ImagesDennis Tito (center) flies into the International Space Station as Russian Talgat Musabayev (right) looks on and the station's Russian commander, Yuri Usache, welcomes them, on April 30, 2001.
Oleg Nikishin/Getty ImagesThe 72-year-old businessman has no plans to do the trip himself. He wants to send a man and a woman, to represent all of humanity. Jane Poynter of Paragon Space Development Corporation, who is on Tito's planning team, said the two will have to be a "trusted, tested couple" who can provide each other with emotional support.
Poynter lived for two years inside Biosphere 2, a self-contained environment, in the early 1990s, and she says it was enormously helpful that one of the other inhabitants was the man who is now her husband.
"And so I believe that these two crew members that go on this, having that same backbone of their relationship will be of tremendous support to them during hard times," says Poynter. "After all, they are going to be millions of miles away from home."
The mission would be risky. The tight schedule means no time to test everything out. There'd be no abort. The crew would be exposed to radiation ? plus the psychological risks of being crammed together, eating dehydrated food and watching Earth grow smaller and smaller, until it looked like a pale blue dot.
John Logsdon, with the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, says he's a little skeptical. After all, 2018 isn't that far away, and he notes that this team is still exploring options for spacecraft and launch vehicles.
"It's a big jump between an idea and reality," says Logsdon. "And I think Mr. Tito and his associates are at the idea stage and have a lot of challenges of turning it into a reality."
But he also says the team Tito has assembled shouldn't be underestimated. They're experienced people who are excited about adventures ? and this would be a great one.
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I?m no great fan of Apple?s Passbook, but it seems at least a few people at Samsung have taken a shine to the same general concept. Earlier today, Samsung officially outed a new Samsung Wallet app at its Developer Day here at MWC that will allow users to store coupons, membership cards, tickets, and boarding passes on their smartphone. Sound familiar?Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/RhhU7ABv3sw/
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This week the entertainment industry and American ISPs rolled out a system that aims to curb illegal media downloads. The system is designed to first notify users of copyright infringement, and then to curtail Internet connectivity in response to repeated offenses.
The Copyright Alert System is designed as a "six-strikes" scheme to curb illegal downloads. In this Youtube video, the Center for Copyright Information shows how the system sends information about infringement to a user's ISP.
Youtube
EnlargeThe "Copyright Alert System," a six-part warning scheme aimed at curbing illegal downloads of music and movies, rolled out this week with the support of the "big five" American Internet providers -- AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner, and Cablevision. The system is designed to gradually warn, and eventually penalize, those suspected of pirating content over peer-to-peer networks.
Skip to next paragraph Jeff Ward-BaileyWriter
Jeff began writing for the Monitor's Horizons blog in 2011, covering product news and rumors, innovations from companies like Apple and Google, and developments in tech policy.
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The entertainment industry has been grappling with the question of how to curb illegal downloads for years now -- since the days of the Napster downloading proto-service, in fact. The "six strikes" policy is the result of cooperation between film and recording industry representatives and American ISPs, and is designed to educate downloaders about copyright infringement, rather than suing or fining suspected pirates.
Here's how the system operates: when a content owner -- say, a movie studio -- detects that its work is being shared on a peer-to-peer network, it makes a note of the IP address that's sharing the file and contacts the ISP that services that address. The ISP then notifies the user with that IP address about the apparent copyright infringement. "Initial alerts are merely educational, letting the user know that unauthorized content sharing was detected on their Internet account," explains the Center for Copyright Information in a video.
Repeated infringement, though, will cause you to run afoul of two "additional alert levels." The first, the CCI says, is "acknowledgement": a user has to fill out a form stating that they've received repeated notices of copyright infringement. The second step is the ominously-named "mitigation," in which the user's ISP reduces the account's connection speed or takes other slightly-punitive measures. (Strangely, the CCI offers "watch[ing] an educational video" as an appropriate alternative to performing both steps.) Customers who have been wrongly accused can appeal the mitigation step, though submitting an appeal costs $35.
The mitigation measures are left up to ISPs, who have been largely mum on the Copyright Alert System so far. Only Verizon has mentioned the program on its website, and it says that while it won't terminate the service of users who received six strikes, it will reduce access speed to something "a little faster than typical dial-up speed" for two to three days. Dara Kerr, writing for CNET, notes that termination of service isn't part of the "mitigation" step, although the other four ISPs haven't made clear statements to that effect yet. And although the program withholds personal information from content owners, it doesn't shield users from legal action -- meaning you could still be sued for downloading copyrighted material.
The Copyright Alert System has been planned since 2011 and was supposed to take effect at the end of 2012, but a series of hurdles -- including Hurricane Sandy -- delayed its implementation until this week.
What's your take on this system? Does it seem like a fair way for content owners to protect their copyrights, or does the alert system punish downloaders too harshly? Let us know in the comments section below.
For more tech news, follow Jeff on Twitter: @jeffwardbailey.
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Two nuns walk past a photo of Pope Benedict XVI as they leave a souvenir shop just outside the Vatican, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI will be known as "emeritus pope" in his retirement and will continue to wear a white cassock, the Vatican announced Tuesday, again fueling concerns about potential conflicts arising from having both a reigning and a retired pope. The pope's title and what he would wear have been a major source of speculation ever since Benedict stunned the world and announced he would resign on Thursday, the first pontiff to do so in 600 years. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Two nuns walk past a photo of Pope Benedict XVI as they leave a souvenir shop just outside the Vatican, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI will be known as "emeritus pope" in his retirement and will continue to wear a white cassock, the Vatican announced Tuesday, again fueling concerns about potential conflicts arising from having both a reigning and a retired pope. The pope's title and what he would wear have been a major source of speculation ever since Benedict stunned the world and announced he would resign on Thursday, the first pontiff to do so in 600 years. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Workers sets up a stage for the media next to St Peter's Square ahead of Pope Benedict XVI's last public audience Wednesday, at the Vatican, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI has changed the rules of the conclave that will elect his successor, allowing cardinals to move up the start date if all of them arrive in Rome before the usual 15-day transition between pontificates. Benedict signed a legal document, issued Monday, with some line-by-line changes to the 1996 Vatican law governing the election of a new pope. It is one of his last acts as pope before resigning Thursday. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Posters of Pope Benedict XVI are pictured at a gift shop near the St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. Slogan between the pictures reads 'Thanks' in Italian. The Vatican on Tuesday answered some of the outstanding questions about Pope Benedict XVI's future once he's retired, saying he'll be known as "emeritus pope" and continue to wear a white cassock. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
A woman takes photos next to portraits of Pope Benedict XVI, outside a bookshop near the Vatican, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI will be known as "emeritus pope" in his retirement and will continue to wear a white cassock, the Vatican announced Tuesday, again fueling concerns about potential conflicts arising from having both a reigning and a retired pope. The pope's title and what he would wear have been a major source of speculation ever since Benedict stunned the world and announced he would resign on Thursday, the first pontiff to do so in 600 years. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)
VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI will be known as "emeritus pope" in his retirement and will continue to wear a white cassock, the Vatican announced Tuesday, again fueling concerns about potential conflicts arising from having both a reigning and a retired pope.
The pope's title and what he would wear have been a major source of speculation ever since Benedict stunned the world and announced he would resign on Thursday, the first pontiff to do so in 600 years.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Benedict himself had made the decision in consultation with others, settling on "Your Holiness Benedict XVI" and either emeritus pope or emeritus Roman pontiff.
Lombardi said he didn't know why Benedict had decided to drop his other main title: bishop of Rome.
In the two weeks since Benedict's resignation announcement, Vatican officials had suggested that Benedict would likely resume wearing the traditional black garb of a cleric and would use the title "emeritus bishop of Rome" so as to not create confusion with the future pope.
Benedict's decision to call himself emeritus pope and to keep wearing white is sure to fan concern voiced privately by some cardinals about the awkward reality of having two popes, both living within the Vatican walls.
Adding to the concern is that Benedict's trusted secretary, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, will be serving both pontiffs ? living with Benedict at the monastery inside the Vatican and keeping his day job as prefect of the new pope's household.
Asked about the potential conflicts, Lombardi was defensive, saying the decisions had been clearly reasoned and were likely chosen for the sake of simplicity.
"I believe it was well thought out," he said.
Benedict himself has made clear he is retiring to a lifetime of prayer and meditation "hidden from the world." However, he still will be very present in the tiny Vatican city-state, where his new home is right next door to the Vatican Radio and has a lovely view of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.
While he will no longer wear his trademark red shoes, Benedict has taken a liking to a pair of hand-crafted brown loafers made for him by artisans in Leon, Mexico, and given to him during his 2012 visit. He will wear those in retirement, Lombardi said.
Lombardi also elaborated on the College of Cardinals meetings that will take place after the papacy becomes vacant ? crucial gatherings in which cardinals will discuss the problems facing the church and set a date for the start of the conclave to elect Benedict's successor.
The first meeting isn't now expected until Monday, Lombardi said, since the official convocation to cardinals to come to Rome will only go out on Friday ? the first day of what's known as the "sede vacante," or the vacancy between papacies.
In all, 115 cardinals under the age of 80 are expected in Rome for the conclave to vote on who should become the next pope; two other eligible cardinals have already said they are not coming, one from Britain and another from Indonesia. Cardinals who are 80 and older can join the College meetings but won't participate in the conclave or vote.
Benedict on Monday gave the cardinals the go-ahead to move up the start date of the conclave ? tossing out the traditional 15-day waiting period. But the cardinals won't actually set a date for the conclave until they begin meeting officially Monday.
Lombardi also further described Benedict's final 48 hours as pope: On Tuesday, he was packing, arranging for documents to be sent to the various archives at the Vatican and separating out the personal papers he will take with him into retirement.
On Wednesday, Benedict will hold his final public general audience in St. Peter's Square ? an event that has already seen 50,000 ticket requests. He won't greet visiting prelates or VIPs as he normally does at the end but will greet some visiting leaders ? from Slovakia, San Marino, Andorra and his native Bavaria ? privately afterwards.
On Thursday, the pope meets with his cardinals in the morning and then flies by helicopter at 5 p.m. to Castel Gandolfo, the papal residence south of Rome. He will greet parishioners there from the palazzo's loggia (balcony) ? his final public act as pope.
And at 8 p.m., the exact time at which his retirement becomes official, the Swiss Guards standing outside the doors of the palazzo at Castel Gandolfo will go off duty, their service protecting the head of the Catholic Church now finished.
Benedict's personal security will be assured by Vatican police, Lombardi said.
___
Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield
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In the past few weeks, I?ve been confronted multiple times by the question of whether social media is truly worthwhile for local businesses. The question comes from companies feeling the pinch of costs while also desiring to promote themselves adequately. The ROI may not be clear in many cases, so let?s examine it.
First of all, businesses have been propelled toward being involved in social media because marketers are attracted to any channels or arenas that large swaths of consumers gravitate to. As the usership of various social media services has grown, the rule-of-thumb is that their worth as a promotional vehicle has grown as well. Advertisers want eyeballs.
According to Experian Hitwise, Google and Facebook are both the top websites in terms of number of visits:
And, according to comScore, users have been spending a lot more time in Facebook, too:
No one particularly questions the value of Google as a source for customer referrals to businesses; (although, some debate the ROI of PPC advertising for some companies/industries), however, almost everyone wants to be found in the organic search results to one degree or another. And, Facebook is clearly right up there in its volume of visitors.
Of course, just the fact that a service has a huge audience doesn?t automatically equate to worth in business promotions. For instance, a video game service isn?t going to be as worthwhile as a search engine where people are trying to research products and services, selecting the companies that provide them.
So, there?s a valid criticism that some social media services and the activities taking place on them will not lend themselves to some types of business promotions as readily as for others.
Most of the conversations I?ve had with those questioning the value for small businesses center on criticisms around a few common gripes:
From my perspective, these criticisms are sometimes skewed and are not showing a complete picture.
First, the ?sharecropping? metaphor seems like a straw man argument to me. Quite a lot of promotion work is ephemeral in nature, providing benefit for only a limited period of time. Just because it could evaporate tomorrow doesn?t negate its worth today. For that matter, you could build your shop in a particularly popular neighborhood only to have highways change and traffic directed away from your district. Point is, there are risks involved with business and promotion channels, but we don?t close down and go home because of it.
It is valid to consider that your business might not see sales and website traffic directly from your activities on social platforms. Although, this is by no means a foregone conclusion. I had a client in an esoteric service industry just a few weeks ago who thanked me profusely for recommending Twitter to him, because he immediately gained a new customer who found him due to his Tweeting activities.
While my client?s target demographic is well within that of Twitter users (he caters to technologists), all sorts of businesses can gain clients from their social network promotions to some degree, if they know what they?re doing. Merely spewing self-referencing mentions or a barrage of ads is probably going to result in irritation for the social audiences and frustration for the business owner who sees no ROI arising from the effort.
Those complaining of lack of sales and site traffic might not be doing effective social promotion work to begin with. As Derek Edmond points out in his article on How B2B Marketers Can Develop A Better Social Media Plan,?it can take a while for a company to learn how to use a social channel properly and to promote through it ? over 50% require from seven months to four years to ?get it?!
So, if you?ve experimented around with a social platform for only a few months and throw in the towel, it?s possible you haven?t given yourself a chance to master the medium.
But, even if a particular social platform doesn?t lend itself to your business through sending traffic or sales prospects, there may be substantial indirect benefits that should be taken into account. Here are the main ones:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Social media activities provide signals that can help sites rank better. Google and Bing have both acknowledged that they?re now using social activity signals in the mix. While we don?t know the exact methods they use, it doesn?t stop us from integrating social media work in order to extract ranking value.
With 200+ ranking signals in an algorithm, it?s difficult to isolate the influence of any one factor, but I?ve seen enough anecdotal evidence to believe good social media development over time does, indeed, provide some ranking benefit. Particularly if your competitors are not doing it.
There are only a handful of ?prominence? signals that we?re certain of ? external links, citations, business listing interactions (clicks on maps, driving directions, clicks to website), frequency and volume of user ratings and reviews, and ? social media interactions. Do you think you can afford to throw away one of those?
Proactive Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Being involved with a few of the more popular social media services provides a level of insulation from attacks on your reputation. The profiles of social media sites and status updates or other activities on them can rank in Google search results, making it harder for any negative webpages to appear when your name is Googled.
Without enough content ranking on your name, any dissatisfied customer, competitor, disgruntled former employee, or random crazy can say something bad about you, and it could appear prominently in search results. So, social media work carries a benefit that?s similar to insurance ? if you get hit by a false claim or exaggerated criticism, your bottom line could take a substantial blow.
Availability
It?s possible that making your business available through some of the higher ranking social media platforms could be a sign of your relative stature. Not that it?s a status symbol, so much as a subtle signal to consumers that your business is important enough to merit having a presence in places where they ?live? online.
Facebook?s rollout of Graph Search for instance, could push users into searching for businesses more. (If you?ve opted into Graph Search, try searching for ?restaurants my friends like.? This sort of search capability is ultra-strong for many types of business where endorsements from a consumer?s social circle can heavily influence decisions!)
Being available for this type of search is likely to become more important over time, and signaling that people can communicate with you through the platforms they?re comfortable with is likely beneficial as well.
So, while it?s true that many businesses may not see as direct of a return on social media development work, there are a number of significant indirect benefits that make it worthwhile. This does not mean that a company needs to be involved with every large and small social media platform, and it doesn?t mean that large quantities of time must be spent on social media activities.
Different businesses are going to be more or less relevant to audiences at particular social networks. But, assess the bigger ones carefully: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Google+, Tumblr and LinkedIn.
In terms of the amount of time spent, there?s usually some amount of time savings if you?re engaging with multiple social platforms, if you?re using good management tools to do it, and if you understand how to go about it.
Just because you may not see direct or immediate benefits fresh out-of-the-box when you begin using social media does not mean that you are not getting some benefit. Over time, the slow accrual of SEO benefit alone may make it a necessity for you, while proactive reputation management and consumer engagement may also be compelling reasons to be present and active.
Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.
Related Topics: Local Search
Source: http://searchengineland.com/is-social-media-worthwhile-for-local-businesses-149092
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When a social movement must rely on euphemisms to obfuscate its goals, it is a good bet that there is something wrong with its agenda. From the very beginning of the modern movement, euthanasia advocates have euphemistically bent language as a means of convincing society to endorse killing?an accurate and descriptive term that simply means to end life?as an acceptable method of ending human suffering.
Euthanasia, from the Greek, literally means ?good death.? As the historian Ian Dowbiggin has noted, the term once described ?a calm and easy? natural death at home, ?so family members and friends could say their farewells.?
That changed after an 1870 essay by a teacher named Samuel D. Williams was published arguing that the value of human life depends on whether it is ?worthwhile?? an idea known today as the ?quality of life ethic? ? and moreover, that mercy killing and assisted suicide should be allowed for those who are ?hopelessly suffering.? The essay went viral ?to use today?s terminology?and within a few years, the word euthanasia had taken on its modern meaning. The euthanasia movement has been coining new definitions and idioms ever since.
The movement?s latest euphemistic phrase is ?aid in dying,? promoted most prominently by the (euphemistically) named assisted suicide advocacy organization Compassion and Choices (which came into being after a merger with the more descriptively named Hemlock Society). According to C&C, when a terminally ill patient swallows an intentionally prescribed lethal overdose of barbiturates, it isn?t really suicide. Why? Because the word ?suicide? has negative connotations, and C&C wants people to feel positive about some self-killings.
Here?s the idea: A terminally ill patient doesn?t really want to die, but has no choice. Hence, taking an intentionally prescribed lethal overdose of ?medication?? another euphemism, since the purpose is not to treat but to poison oneself?doesn?t constitute suicide. Thus, in a C&C press release from a few years ago boosting use of ?aid in dying,? the (late) Peter Goodwin, a prominent assisted suicide-participating doctor, said, ?As a physician, I resent the term ?physician-assisted suicide.? I never felt I was assisting a suicidal patient, but rather aiding a patient with his or her end of life choice.? Since then, ?aid in dying? has become ubiquitous in media stories and assisted suicide advocacy.
Note that Goodwin?s complaint had nothing to do with accuracy and everything to do with emotions. He ?feels? rather than ?thinks.? And that?s how C&C wants listeners and readers to react?emotionally rather than rationally?toward the end that people are more likely to approve of legalizing assisted suicide if it isn?t called what it actually is.
But surely, accurate language must still mean something in public policy debates. Suicide is defined as ?the act or an instance of taking one?s own life voluntarily and intentionally especially by a person of years of discretion and of sound mind.? Thus, under C&C?s reckoning, if the distraught owner of, say, a failed business intentionally takes an overdose of prescribed sleeping pills, it?s suicide. But if the same man takes the pills because he has cancer, and the doctor prescribed the pills for that purpose, it isn?t suicide. That?s nonsensical.
Assisted suicide proponents claim that changing the lexicon is necessary to avoid furthering a supposed stigma associated with suicide. I am not sure whether that stigma exists anymore. But if some suicidal people don?t kill themselves because they worry what others might think, why is that so bad? I mean, the outcome is a saved or extended life. Indeed, many once-suicidal terminally ill people later come to be glad that they didn?t do the deed. Aren?t their lives worth protecting?
I want to make it very clear that I don?t think we should judge or condemn anyone who is suicidal or commits suicide. None of us knows what our own emotional limits might be. Given sufficient despair, fear, or pain, any of us might be attracted to the siren song of self-destruction. The good news is that such causes of despair can often be treated and overcome?including in the dying.
The real issue, then, is how we react to our brothers and sisters who have fallen into a darkness sufficient to make them want to end it all. Should we engage in suicide prevention for all, or only for some? I believe that the dying deserve to have their suicidal desires treated just as seriously as the despairing widow or the troubled teen.
That?s certainly the hospice philosophy, the truly compassionate approach to terminal illness. In contrast to assisted suicide?which is about dying?hospice is about living. Hospice does not seek to simply ?extend life? but maintain its quality to the natural end, and that explicitly includes suicide prevention.
Assisted suicide is suicide.The term is descriptive and accurate. When legalized, it amounts to state-approved suicide, an issue too culturally consequential for us to allow gooey euphemisms to serve as the sugar that helps the bitter hemlock go down.
Source: http://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2013/02/euthanasia-euphemisms.html
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By M. Alex Johnson, staff writer, NBC News
The number of 16- and 17-year-old drivers who died in traffic accidents rose significantly in the first half of 2012, creeping back toward what traffic safety experts called "unacceptable" levels, according to research published Tuesday.
The report ? a preliminary compilation of data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia by the Governors Highway Safety Association ? found that 240 16- and 17-year-olds died behind the wheel from January through June 2012. That's a 19 percent increase over the same period in 2011 and a startling 26 percent more than in the first half of 2010.
It also outpaces the rise in overall traffic deaths last year, which increased by 5 percent, the National Safety Council reported?last week.
The report identified no single overarching reason teen mortality jumped. Instead, it theorizes that two-decade-old state regulations on the youngest drivers haven't kept up with the teen driving population, which has been given more reasons to drive by the improving economy.?And like numerous other traffic safety groups, the governors association warned of the distractions posed by cellphones and other electronics.
"We know from research and experience that teen drivers are not only a danger to themselves, but also a danger to others on the roadways," said Kendall Poole, chairman of the governors' safety organization and director of the Tennessee Governor's Highway Safety Office.
The rise in deaths last year is "unacceptable," he said.
Separate data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, peg traffic accidents as the single biggest killer of U.S. teens, accounting for more than third of all deaths among Americans 15 to 20 years old.
Read the full report, including state-by-state data (.pdf)
Until 2011, the number of deaths among beginning drivers had been falling since 2002, when it hit a modern annual record of 544. That was roughly a decade after states began adopting so-called graduated driver licensing laws, which impose restrictions on the youngest drivers in stages as they approach age 18.?
All 50 states now have such laws, and increases in deaths over the last two years could simply reflect officials' and parents' letting their guard down as the laws have become a part of everyday life, said Allan Williams, former chief scientist for the National Highway Traffic Safety Institute, who conducted the study.
The improving economy may also be an incentive for more teenagers to drive, statistically increasing their risk, Williams said.
Whatever the reason, "based on 2011 final data and the early look at 2012, it appears that we are headed the wrong direction," he said.
The report called on states to renew their focus on graduated driving laws and to establish programs to help parents keep their children safe.
"Parents have a huge responsibility to ensure safe teen driving behavior," said Barbara Harsha, executive director the governors group. "States can facilitate this by providing innovative programs that bring parents and teens together around this issue."
The NHTSA has proposed new federal grants to help states fine-tune and enforce their graduated driver laws. To qualify for the money, states would have to require new drivers to go through a learner's permit stage and an intermediate permit stage before they could get full licenses.
Public comment on the proposals closes April 23.
The proposals closely mirror a three-part program to restrict beginning drivers recommended by the governors safety group. That template calls for:
"Our main goal is to save lives," said Jeff Bledsoe, sheriff of Dickson County, Tenn., whose state has already put most of those ideas in place.
Dickson especially stressed the ban on electronics behind the wheel, telling NBC station WSMV of Nashville: "With all of the technology we have these days ? with cell phones and other items in the vehicle that could take our focus off the roadway ? we have to be cautious and know what a huge responsibility it is when we operate a vehicle."
Related
National Safety Council: Traffic deaths surged in 2012
Red state, blue state divide reflected in fatal traffic accidents
Authorities could go even further in West Virginia, where a measure was introduced in the state House last week to require beginning drivers to pass drug tests ? three of them, once before they could get a learner's permit, again before they could step up to an intermediate license and one last time before they could get a full license.
"Obviously, any time you can take an opportunity to try and eliminate drugs ? and especially in driving ? that's obviously a good thing," said Bernie Buttrey, a driver's education instructor in Parkersburg, W.Va.
Buttrey told NBC station WTAP of Parkersburg that he was hesitant because of the constitutional implications, but he said such tests may be reasonable to ensure that beginning teenage drivers remain safe.
"We've passed laws that some people think maybe are excessive in the use of your cellphones, but I think evidence proves that the less you use your cellphone, the less you're distracted," he said. "So this is just maybe another step in the right direction."
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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50948302/
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Boston-based VC firm Spark Capital is announcing its fourth fund this evening, raising $450 million for the firm's biggest investment fund to date. Spark, who raised $360 million for its last fund, now has $1.4 billion under management. Partner Bijan Sabet tells us this fund was oversubscribed.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/4ye7uoavvFk/
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FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, file photo, South Korean models pose with a CINEMA 3D Smart TV during a press conference to introduce the LG Electronics' television and the company's marketing strategy for 2012 in Seoul, South Korea. Hewlett-Packard said Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, it is selling its webOS operating system technology to South Korea's LG Electronics Inc. for an undisclosed sum. Hewlett Packard Co. and LG said on Monday that LG will use webOS to support its "smart TV" technology. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, file photo, South Korean models pose with a CINEMA 3D Smart TV during a press conference to introduce the LG Electronics' television and the company's marketing strategy for 2012 in Seoul, South Korea. Hewlett-Packard said Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, it is selling its webOS operating system technology to South Korea's LG Electronics Inc. for an undisclosed sum. Hewlett Packard Co. and LG said on Monday that LG will use webOS to support its "smart TV" technology. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Hewlett-Packard is selling its webOS software to South Korean electronics company LG Electronics, securing a new home for a technological orphan.
The deal announced Monday rids HP of the centerpiece of its ill-fated, $1.8 billion purchase of Palm Inc. three years ago.
HP used webOS as its springboard into the smartphone and tablet computer market in 2011, but quickly scrapped the mobile devices running on the software amid disappointing sales. With that retreat, Hewlett-Packard Co. stopped developing webOS for its own products and gave away the underlying technology as open-source software for programmers elsewhere to modify for their own needs.
LG Electronics has grander plans for webOS. Initially, the software will be melded into a new line of Internet-connected televisions from LG Electronics Inc. If those are successful, LG Electronics is considering selling household appliances and other devices that run on webOS in an attempt to create a so-called "smart" home. That's a concept that could appeal to a generation of consumers who wouldn't consider leaving their homes without their smartphones.
In a sign of its commitment to webOS, LG Electronics also acquiring the team of engineers who had been working on the software for HP. Those employees will be able to keep working in their current California offices in Sunnyvale and San Francisco. The precise number of HP workers moving to LG Electronics wasn't disclosed.
The opportunity to pick up a pool of talented software programmers and gain control over the core of webOS were the main reasons LG Electronics wanted to do the deal instead of simply relying on the free open-source project, LG Electronics spokesman John Taylor said.
Financial terms of the webOS sale weren't disclosed. It's unlikely that LG Electronics had to pay much, given that HP had already absorbed $1.6 billion in charges to account for the diminished value of Palm and other costs caused by its decision to stop making webOS devices.
HP, which is based in Palo Alto, is in the process of eliminating 29,000 jobs in an effort to cut costs amid a slump that has seen its revenue falling for the past 18 months. Through January, HP had jettisoned more than 15,000 of the jobs targeted in its streamlining.
HP is still holding on to some vestiges of its Palm acquisition. Among other things, HP retains ownership of other computing coding outside webOS, along with Palm's hardware and Palm's customer contracts. HP will also continue to employ former Palm employees who weren't involved in webOS and will continue to handle customer support for people who still use Palm products made in the past.
Besides getting webOS' source code and other key parts of the technology, LG Electronics will take over stewardship of the open-software project.
HP is jettisoning webOS just as the company is gearing up to introduce a new tablet that features a 7-inch screen and will sell for just $169. The upcoming device, called Slate 7, will run on the popular Android software made by Google Inc. It will supplement a more sophisticated and expensive tablet computer designed primarily for business users. That tablet runs on Windows 8, a recently released makeover of Microsoft's ubiquitous operating system.
HP's stock fell 13 cents to close Monday at $19.07.
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Hear that? That's the sound of the entire point-and-shoot camera industry bracing for yet another blow. As smartphone cameras mature, it's becoming ever more difficult to convince consumers to use anything other than their phone outside of special occasions where ILCs or DSLRs are necessary. Aptina has a lot to do with that. Here at Mobile World Congress, the sensor outfit has announced its 12 megapixel and 13 megapixel mobile image sensors, aimed squarely at next-gen flagship phones that ought to be coming out in Q2 or Q3 this year. The smaller 1.1-micron pixel construction is the standout feature, with the AR1230 capable of capturing 4K video at 30fps as well as 1080p video at up to 96fps. The AR1330 throws in electronic image stabilization support at 1080p, while snagging 4K UHD and 4K Cinema formats at 30fps.
Over on the tablet PC / TV front, the AR0261 is a new 1080p-capable sensor that's destined to redefine what a front-facing camera can accomplish. It relies on a 1.4-micron pixel, and should have no issues capturing faces at up to 60fps when using its 720p mode. Furthermore, Aptina promises that this guy can work with applications involving gesture recognition and 3D video capture, but sadly, no OEMs are coming forward just yet with concrete plans to include it.
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, NVIDIA
Source: Aptina
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/aptina-1080p-4k-mobile-sensors-smartphones/
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How would you like to win a brand new Samsung Galaxy S4, courtesy of Android Central? In 'The World's First Samsung Galaxy S4 Contest', you can win the device, no strings attached.
Here's how you can submit your entry:
That's it.
Pretty easy, right? Leave a comment on this post and you're automatically entered to win. A winner will be announced shortly after the official device announcement on March 14th, and we will ship the device as soon as it becomes available.
Good luck to all!
P.S. Once you've left your comment, head on over to the Samsung Galaxy S4 Forum for more chat, banter and general S4 goodness.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/iSfISu0XrSE/story01.htm
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The former Boise State tailback performed 23 reps in the 225-pound bench press Saturday, the 10th-most among 31 running backs, including fullbacks. Harper is scheduled to take part in on-field testing, including the 40-yard dash, at 11 a.m. MST Sunday.
NFL Network and NFL.com will provide live coverage.
? Former Boise State cornerback Jamar Taylor is scheduled to lift Monday and run Tuesday.
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Timely hitting and a good relief effort on the mound gave the Wildcats their first victory of the 2013 season, 6-4 over Pike County in Baseball at the Beach in Brunswick Friday.
Richmond Hill found their bats after being one-hit on Monday at Statesboro to even their record at 1-1.
After falling behind 3-0 in the top of the third inning, Richmond Hill came back to tie it with 3 runs on three singles and an error in the bottom half of the inning.
The Wildcats fell behind again in the top of the fifth inning, but came back again with 3 runs on two hits and a?walk in the bottom half to go ahead for good.
A strong relief?effort by Trey Shuman and Kyle Jamar?helped seal the Wildcats win.
The leading hitter for Richmond Hill was Dallas Daniel with two hits.
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WP- K. Jamar; LP- J. Fletcher
Hitting- PC- K. Cox 1-3, 2 RBI; RH- D. Daniel 2-2, RBI, D. Montalto 1-3, RBI
Source: http://savannahnow.com/bryan-county-now/2013-02-23/baseball-wildcats-get-win
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Nearly 72,000 Californians have had their mortgages reduced or forgiven under terms of a multi-state mortgage settlement with five major banks, according to a report Thursday from the state appointee monitoring the banks' compliance.
"California is faring very well under this deal," said Katherine Porter, the UC Irvine law professor who is serving as the state's monitor of the settlement with 48 state attorneys general.
About 41 percent of the relief so far has gone to Californians, she said.
"We think that's the result of two things -- a California commitment by three banks and the attorney general who made itclear how serious she was about enforcement of this deal. My office also worked really hard to educate borrowers," Porter said.
California Attorney General Kamala Harris held out for a special "California commitment" from three of the six banks -- Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America -- which is increasing the state's share.
The three banks committed to $12 billion in principal reductions and the appointment of a monitor. "The banks that participated in the California commitment are exceeding what they said they would do to help," pushing the expected total of all forms of relief to struggling home owners in the state to $20 billion, Porter said.
An additional 24,377 borrowers are "in progress" on mortgage reductions, and the total is expected to reach 100,000 before the settlement ends. Out of a total
of $16.9 billion so far, $7.5 billion has been in first or second mortgage reductions or forgiveness, Porter said.Other relief includes assistance on short sales and "cash for keys" to homeowners who want to leave their homes.
Six banks agreed to a $25 billion multi-state settlement of charges stemming from a "robo-signing" scandal involving improper foreclosures. They are Citibank, JP Morgan Chase/Washington Mutual, Bank of America/Countrywide, Wells Fargo/Wachovia, and Ally Financial
Contact Pete Carey at 408-920-5419 Follow him on Twitter.com/petecarey
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SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea on Sunday warned the top U.S. military commander stationed in South Korea that his forces would "meet a miserable destruction" if they go ahead with scheduled military drills with South Korean troops, North Korean state media said.
Pak Rim-su, chief delegate of the North Korean military mission to the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom, gave the message by phone to Gen. James Thurman, the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, KCNA news agency said.
It came amid escalating tension on the divided Korean peninsula after the North's third nuclear test earlier this month, in defiance of U.N. resolutions, drew harsh international condemnation.
A direct message from the North's Panmunjom mission to the U.S. commander is rare.
North and South Korea are technically still at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
The U.S.-South Korean Combined Forces Command is holding an annual computer-based simulation war drill, Key Resolve, from March 11 to 25, involving 10,000 South Korean and 3,500 U.S. troops.
The command also plans to hold Foal Eagle joint military exercises involving land, sea and air manoeuvres. About 200,000 Korean troops and 10,000 U.S. forces are expected to be mobilized for the two month-long exercise which starts on March 1.
"If your side ignites a war of aggression by staging the reckless joint military exercises...at this dangerous time, from that moment your fate will be hung by a thread with every hour," Pak was quoted as saying.
"You had better bear in mind that those igniting a war are destined to meet a miserable destruction."
Washington and Seoul regularly hold military exercises which they say are purely defensive. North Korea, which has stepped up its bellicose threats towards the United States and South Korea in recent months, sees them as rehearsals for invasion.
North Korea threatened South Korea with "final destruction" during a debate at the U.N. Conference on Disarmament on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Sung-won Shim; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-warns-u-forces-destruction-ahead-war-071306123.html
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Van Jr. High School student Byron Jones found out in January that he had leukemia and had to leave school. Now he has to get regular costly chemotherapy, bone marrow and blood transfusions.
"I drive to Dallas every Thursday to get chemotherapy, and if I need blood or anything, I do that," he said.
Van Jr. High School has rallied behind Byron. The students started collecting donations, selling t-shirts and bracelets, and now they're having a silent auction, and they invite everyone to be a part!
?
If you are interested in bidding on an autographed Jonny Manziel football,? the? silent auction is occurring this week, Feb. 18-22.
The bidding will start at $2500.00 and the auction will end at 3:00pm, Friday, February 22, 2013.? You will need to email Paige Redmond your bid at redmondp@van.sprnet.org to place your bid.
An email to each bidder will go out daily at 3:00pm to give them an update on the highest bid and bidder. On the final day Paige will send an email out at 12:00pm stating who is currently in the lead and at what amount.?
In the event of a tie bid at the deadline on Friday, February 22, 2013, she will notify the parties involved with the tie to give them an opportunity to place one final bid.? If the winning bidder cannot follow through on the promise to pay, then the second place bidder will be notified.?
Cashier checks and money orders are the only forms of payment that can be accepted.?
The monies received will go directly to the family to help pay cover costs incurred from weekly medical treatments.
You can also donate in any amount to Byron at Texas Bank and Trust. Just go to any Texas Bank and Trust and donate to the Byron Jones fund.
There will be a blood drive for Byron at the Van Jr. High gymnasium on February 26 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Copyright 2013 KLTV. All rights reserved.
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BRUSSELS (AP) ? With cyberthreats escalating, the next meeting of NATO defense ministers will include a major focus on cybersecurity, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said.
Panetta said he called on NATO to address the issue, as the cyberthreat from other nations and hackers continues to grow.
"We are seeing continuing attacks in the cyber arena, on the private sector, on the public sector, in the defense arena," Panetta told reporters as the two-day NATO ministerial here wrapped up. "This is without question the battlefield of the future and a scenario that NATO needs to pay attention to."
His comments come in the wake of a new report by a private cybersecurity firm that concluded that a special unit of China's military is responsible for sustained cyberespionage against U.S. companies and government agencies. China has denied involvement in the attacks in which massive amounts of data and corporate trade secrets, likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars, were stolen.
U.S. government officials have said that nations around the world must work together in order to tackle the growing cyberthreats. To date there are no broadly accepted rules that describe what constitutes a cyberact of war or the parameters of the battlefield in cyberspace. Nations also have widely disparate laws governing Internet crime.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/panetta-cybersecurity-focus-next-nato-meeting-175218163--finance.html
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