Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The Top 5 Luxury Cruise Lines | Travel news




One of the most loved hobbies of people these days is going on a cruise. You would surely love going on a cruise especially if you go to different places. In case you are planning on going on a luxury cruise anytime soon, then here are some of the top five cruise lines that you might want to check out:

  • Crystal cruise is one of the cruise lines that you might want to check out. They offer awe-inspiring comfort, exquisite pleasure that would allow you to treasure a lot of memories while you are on their elegant cruise ship. The amazing Crystal Cruise is known to be one of the ?World?s Best Large-Ship Cruise Line? as stated by the Travel + Leisure magazine?s annual readers? surveys for the tenth consecutive year. The cruise ship has a spa, a salon Caesars? Palace Casino and a lot more.
  • Silversea is also considered as one of the Ultimate Luxury Cruise Vacation that people really love. It boasts of the best ocean-view suites and freedom of an all-inclusive lifestyle which is perfect for people who love going on cruise vacations. They offer great services and sumptuous dining experiences to all their guests.
  • The Seabourn is also one of the generally regarded as one of a handful of luxury cruise ships in the world. They were also able to receive awards and good ratings by travel agencies as well as by the people who love going on a cruise. The said cruise ship is known as an intimate private club which can accommodate of up to 208 guests with almost an equal number of staff and crew that are very friendly.
  • Regent Seven Seas cruise is also one of the best cruise ships because of its distinct and its unsurpassed levels of epicurean extravaganza. This is a much more expensive cruise experience, which is perfect for those people looking for luxury and a lot more. They have itineraries to more than 300 ports on all seven continents so if you really wish to explore the world, then this is what you may want to check out.
  • Sea Dream Yachts is only something that you might want to take a look into. Their cruise is equipped with 95 crews and a 5 star service perfect for up to 112 guests. They offer ocean view accommodations, gourmet meals, their excellent 24 hour services, Pool and Jacuzzi, Sauna and steam, spa that people could definitely enjoy.

This is the list of the luxury cruise lines that you might want to check out!

About the Author

World Travel Destinations dedicated to sharing useful information on world travel spots, travel tips, vacation ideas for a single traveler or family vacations, romantic getaways and whole lot more for the online community. Check out World Travel Tips at www.cybertraveltips.com.

Source: http://www.news.nhatrangtraveltours.com/the-top-5-luxury-cruise-lines/

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The Michigan-Arizona Primaries Open Thread (Little green footballs)

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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Barbaro's trainer has leading Ky. Derby contender

In a photo provided by Gulfstream Park, Union Rags, ridden by Julien Leparoux, captures the Fountain of Youth horse race Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Gulfstream Park)

In a photo provided by Gulfstream Park, Union Rags, ridden by Julien Leparoux, captures the Fountain of Youth horse race Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Gulfstream Park)

In a photo provided by Gulfstream Park, Union Rags, ridden by Julien Leparoux, captures the Fountain of Youth horse race Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Gulfstream Park)

In this photo provided by Hodges Photography, El Padrino (7) with jockey Javier Castellano pulls ahead of Mark Valeski with Rosie Napravnik to win the Risen Star Stakes horse race at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Saturday, Feb 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Hodges Photography, Lou Hodges, Jr.)

Six years after Barbaro, trainer Michael Matz has another star attraction for the Kentucky Derby.

Union Rags confirmed his status as the Derby front-runner with an impressive four-length victory in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes over the weekend at Gulfstream Park.

The win in his 3-year-old debut comes nearly four months after the colt's lone defeat ? by a head to Hansen in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Nov. 5.

"You never know after a four-month rest. Do you have the horse fit enough? Did you do this? Did you do that?" Matz said. "You ask yourself 51 questions. I guess we did it right this time."

Matz took a similar path with Barbaro, who won the 2006 Derby before breaking down in the Preakness and sustaining injuries that ultimately led to the colt being euthanized.

With his fourth win in five career starts, Union Rags remains No. 1 in the AP's latest Run to the Roses Top 10 list of Derby contenders. The Dixie Union colt will have one more prep ? the $1 million Florida Derby on March 31 ? before heading to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby on May 3.

Algorithms, scratched before Sunday's Fountain of Youth because of a splint bone injury in his right front leg, drops off the list after being ranked second. Hansen, set for his next start in Saturday's Gotham at Aqueduct, moves up to No. 2, with El Padrino moving in at No. 3 following Saturday's victory in the $300,000 Risen Star at the Fair Grounds.

It was a weekend of ups and downs for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Javier Castellano.

Pletcher trains Algorithms, and his other entry in the Fountain of Youth, 4-5 favorite Discreet Dancer, finished a distant third. Castellano, meanwhile, gave up the ride aboard Union Rags to stay with Algorithms. On the plus side, Pletcher trains and Castellano rides El Padrino,

Union Rags breeder and owner Phyllis Wyeth was feeling confident in the winner's circle at Gulfstream Park.

"We were just out for a practice run. Can you believe that one? And we didn't want him to peak to soon," she said.

As for comparisons to Barbaro, Matz says, "Barbaro was an undefeated horse and we had a lot of confidence in him, there was no doubt. If it wasn't for maybe two feet he'd be undefeated, also," said Matz, referring to Union Rags. "I think he's a real good horse. He's a got a real good disposition and I certainly don't think there's any problem with distance with him."

___

1. Union Rags (Michael Matz, trainer; Julien Leparoux, jockey): Cruised to 4-length win in Fountain of Youth (G2) in 3-year-old debut. ... Lone loss in five starts was by a head in BC Juvenile (G1). .... Next start: Florida Derby (G1), Gulfstream, March 31. ... Derby future wager odds: 7-1.

2. Hansen (Mike Maker, Ramon Dominguez): Two-year old champ worked 5 furlongs in 1:00.95 Sunday at Gulfstream. ... Headed to New York this week for next prep. ... Runner-up in Holy Bull (G3) owns win over Union Rags. ... Next start: Gotham (G3), Aqueduct, Saturday. ... Odds: 26-1.

3. El Padrino (Todd Pletcher, Javier Castellano): Survived bumping foul claim to win Risen Star (G2) by a nose over Mark Valeski on Saturday. ... Next start: Louisiana Derby (G2), Fair Grounds, April 1. ... Odds: 16-1.

4. Gemologist (Pletcher, Castellano): Worked 5 furlongs in 1:03.88 Sunday at Palm Meadows. ... Unbeaten in three starts, all as 2-year-old . ... Next start: Rebel (G2), Oaklawn, March 17. ... Odds: 22-1.

5. Alpha (Kiaran McLaughlin, Dominguez): Withers (G3) winner worked 4 furlongs in 49.71 Saturday at Palm Meadows. ... Owned by Sheik Mohammed's Godolphin Stable. ... Next start: Wood Memorial (G1), Aqueduct, April 7. ... Odds: 19-1.

6. Secret Circle (Bob Baffert, Rafael Bejarano): Won division of Southwest (G3) in last start. ... Has four wins in five starts. ... Could run in Rebel (G2) on March 17. ... Next start: Undecided. Odds: 3-2 (mutuel field).

7. Fed Biz (Baffert, Bejarano): Allowance winner worked 6 furlongs in 1:16 last week at Santa Anita. ... Next start: San Felipe (G2), Santa Anita, March 10. ... Odds: 21-1.

8. Liaison (Baffert, Bejarano): CashCall Futurity (G1) winner worked 1 mile in 1:43 last week. ... Could end up in Rebel (G2) on March 17. ... Next start: Undecided. ... Odds: 56-1.

9. I'll Have Another (Doug O'Neill, Mario Gutierrez): Robert B. Lewis (G2) winner worked 4 furlongs in 48.60 on cushion track at Hollywood last week. ... Next start: Santa Anita Derby (G1), Santa Anita, April 7. ...Odds: 29-1.

10. Out of Bounds (Garrett Gomez, Eoin Harty): Sham winner training well at Hollywood Park. ... Owned by Sheik Mohammed's Darley Stable. ... Next start: San Felipe. ... Odds: 23-1.

___

Keep an eye on: Algorithms, Creative Cause, Dullahan, Mark Valeski, My Adonis.

___

Follow Richard Rosenblatt on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/rosenblattap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-02-27-RAC-Run-to-the-Roses/id-3a24df2f203d4db383cd5f56349e4613

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Julie Fowlis: Uam (Music) | Home and Family | mobilni.mobi

Posted by on February 27, 2012

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Julie Fowlis has got the tone of voice of a Celtic angel. Along with her historical Scottish Gaelic tracks associated with world and heavens, the lady phone calls upward a high sodium N . blowing wind in which whistles with the mossy crags regarding distant, neglected island destinations. To be with her newest discharge Uam (Cadiz Music/Shoeshine Data) she makes use of a reliable of experienced musicians, including her Dublin-born partner ??amon Doorley (regarding Danu popularity) as well as Scottish fiddler Duncan Chisholm. This particular faultless album can be a beautiful nod for the now-thriving but almost-lost Scottish Gaelic tradition. Plus a smattering associated with vibrant Irish songs retains that entertaining.special occasion dresses

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Source: http://homeandfamily.net/home-and-family/julie-fowlis-uam-music

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Monday, February 27, 2012

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Early Childhood Education (ECE) | DENNIS E. CUOMO

Early Childhood Education (ECE)

Economic development and rapid social change have significantly modified family and child-rearing patterns in OECD countries. This review of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in twenty OECD countries describes the social, economic, conceptual and research on early childhood policy.

These include increased participation of women in the labor market, balancing work and family responsibilities more equally to women, the demographic challenges faced by OECD countries, in particular, address issues of access The quality, diversity, child poverty and educational disadvantage. How countries address these issues is influenced by social and economic traditions, their understanding of families and young children, and the accumulated research on the benefits of quality early childhood services.

From Strong II outlines the progress of the countries participating are responsible for key aspects of a successful partnership of educational policies in the previous volume, begins Strong (OECD, 2001).

It offers many examples of new policy initiatives adopted in the field of early childhood. Their conclusion, the authors identify areas TEN criticize the government. The book also presents country profiles that provide an overview of ECEC systems in all 20 participating countries. This book is the importance of many worried about a childs development, balance between work and family and early childhood education and health policy.

Providing quality early childhood education care (ECEC) was firmly on government programs in recent years.

Public awareness of gaps in provision and of insufficient quality in services has moved the issue of childcare and after school on the electoral agendas in many countries. There is a growing recognition that early access to care allows young children, especially low-income groups as a second language, with a good start in life.

Twelve countries participate voluntarily in the first round again in 1998 and 2000. Recognizing the value and quality of the recommendations of the review produced a first report, the OECD Education Committee to approve a second inspection report was attended by eight countries. Both sets of auditors have adopted a broad and comprehensive approach that takes into account such as services, politics, families and communities can support the early development of young children and learning.

One of the immediate factors to translate the government?s attention to issues of early childhood education: they want to increase the female labor force participation, employment and family based on a greater number of women, too, to meet the demographic challenges facing OECD countries (in particular, lower birth rates and aging of the population) and the need to tackle child poverty and educational disadvantage. Because economic prosperity depends on maintaining high employment relationship between population, wants to bring more women into the labor market has played an important state interest in expanding early childhood education services.

European governments, including the family and the policies put in place child care to help couples have children and helping parents balance work and family. Another factor that the government?s interest in ECEC is immigration. Migration makes a significant contribution to economies, but may also raise difficulties on the labor market, social and education.

Early childhood education is the term use to describe the formal teaching and care of?young children by people other than their family. Learning Time website provides early?childhood education for kids.To know more visit http://www.learningtimenow.com/

Source: http://www.denniscuomo.com/86/early-childhood-education-ece

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Saturday, February 25, 2012

NASA pinning down where 'here' is better than ever

ScienceDaily (Feb. 24, 2012) ? Before our Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation devices can tell us where we are, the satellites that make up the GPS need to know exactly where they are. For that, they rely on a network of sites that serve as "you are here" signs planted throughout the world. The catch is, the sites don't sit still because they're on a planet that isn't at rest, yet modern measurements require more and more accuracy in pinpointing where "here" is.

To meet this need, NASA is helping to lead an international effort to upgrade the four systems that supply this crucial location information. NASA's initiative is run by Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., where the next generation of two of these systems is being developed and built. And Goddard, in partnership with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., is bringing all four systems together in a state-of-the-art ground station.

"NASA and its sister agencies around the world are making major investments in new stations or upgrading existing stations to provide a network that will benefit the global community for years to come," says John LaBrecque, Earth Surface and Interior Program Officer at NASA Headquarters.

GPS won't be the only beneficiary of the improvements. All observations of Earth from space -- whether it's to measure how far earthquakes shift the land, map the world's ice sheets, watch the global mean sea level creep up or monitor the devastating reach of droughts and floods -- depend the International Terrestrial Reference Frame, which is determined by data from this network of designated sites.

Shapeshifting

Earth is a shapeshifter. Land rises and sinks. The continents move. The balance of the atmosphere shifts over time, and so does the balance of the oceans. All of this tweaks Earth's shape, orientation in space and center of mass, the point deep inside the planet that everything rotates around. The changes show up in Earth's gravity field and literally slow down or speed up the planet's rotation.

"In practical terms, we can't determine a location today and expect it to be good enough tomorrow -- and especially not next year," says Herbert Frey, the head of the Planetary Geodynamics Laboratory at Goddard and a member of the Space Geodesy Project team.

Measuring such properties of Earth is the realm of geodesy, a time-honored science that dates back to the Greek scholar Eratosthenes, who achieved a surprisingly accurate estimate of the distance around Earth by using basic geometry.

Around 240 BC, Eratosthenes found that when the sun sat directly above the Nile River town of Syene, it shone an angle of 7.2 degrees (1/50 of a circle) in the northern city of Alexandria. Reasoning that the distance from Alexandria to Syene was 1/50 of the way around the globe, he came up with a circumference of roughly 25,000 miles for Earth, quite close to the modern measurement of 24,902 miles.

"Even with the sophisticated tools we have now, geodesy is still all about geometry," says Frank Lemoine, a Goddard geophysicist on the project.

Team geodesy

As in ancient Greece, geodesy today is a team sport, relying on observations conducted in multiple places. Over the years, four types of space geodesy measurements, carried out by a squad of ground stations and satellites, developed independently. Together, they tell the story of what's happening on Earth and keep track of the Terrestrial Reference Frame.

"While there is some overlap in what can be gleaned from each geodetic technique, they also provide different forms of information based on how they operate," says Jet Propulsion Laboratory's David Stowers, who manages the hardware and data flow for the GPS portion of the space geodesy initiative. "GPS was designed specifically as a positioning system and is fairly ubiquitous, thus providing data strength in numbers. It is unique in providing a physical point of reference for the Terrestrial Reference Frame, with the position of the GPS antenna as the primary type of data."

Another technique, Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), acts as a kind of GPS for Earth. To deduce Earth's orientation in space, and the small variations in Earth's rate of rotation, ground stations spread across the globe observe dozens of quasars, which are distant enough to be stable reference points.

"VLBI is the one technique that connects measurements made on Earth to the celestial reference frame -- that is, the rest of the universe," says Stephen Merkowitz, who is the project manager for NASA's space geodesy initiative.

The key is the painstakingly accurate timing of when the quasar signals arrive. "With this information, we can determine the geometry of the stations that made the observations," says Chopo Ma, head of the VLBI program at Goddard.

By knowing the geometry, researchers aim to measure the distances between the ground stations down to the millimeter, or about the thickness of a penny.

Keeping tabs on Earth's center of mass is the job of satellite laser ranging (SLR). It measures the distances to orbiting satellites by shooting short pulses of laser light at satellites and measuring the time it takes for the light to complete the round trip back to the ground station.

"SLR tells us where the center of mass is, because satellites always orbit around the planet's center of mass," says Lemoine.

Another way to measure distances to satellites is with DORIS (Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite), which was built and is operated by the French space agency, known as CNES.

DORIS takes advantage of the Doppler effect, which is at work when an ambulance's siren changes pitch as it's driving toward or away from you. The same effect retunes the frequency of a radio signal emitted by a DORIS beacon as the signal travels from the ground into space and is received by a satellite orbiting Earth. By measuring the frequency change, researchers can work backward to figure out the distance from the beacon to the satellite that picked it up.

Like GPS, DORIS requires little hardware on the ground, so its beacons are spread all over the globe, even in areas as remote as the Mount Everest base camp.

Coming together

All ground stations were not created equal. Some sites are home to one technique, others to two or three, and the sophistication of the techniques can vary from station to station. Right now, only Goddard and the station in Johannesburg, South Africa, are providing results from all four. NASA wants to change that.

"The plan for the upgraded system is to have at least three, and preferably all four, techniques at every station," says LaBrecque. "This is one of the keys to achieving the goals of a millimeter of accuracy and a tenth of a millimeter of stability for future measurements."

At the Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory (GGAO) in Greenbelt, Md., where the state-of-the-art prototype station is being developed, a new VLBI antenna was just installed. Capable of moving faster than its predecessors, the antenna will complete more observations during a run. It's the first piece of a completely revamped VLBI system that will be more sensitive yet less prone to interference from things like cell phones.

The Next Generation SLR is also being developed at GGAO, under the direction of Jan McGarry, with the goals of more automated operation and the ability to target satellites in higher orbits. Already operational for selected tasks, the system has been ranging to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter since June 2009.

Another key innovation at Goddard's new station is the "vector tie" system that will link together all four measurement techniques. "Right now, we have these four independent techniques, and they're just that: independent," Lemoine says. "Presently, at a particular ground station, the techniques are only tied together by expensive and infrequently performed ground surveys."

But with the vector tie system, which will use a laser to continuously monitor the reference points of each technique, researchers will know exactly where a station's GPS, VLBI, SLR and DORIS sit relative to each other at all times, allowing them to better correct one of the last sources of error in the terrestrial reference frame.

Between 25 and 40 upgraded stations would need to be deployed worldwide the complete the new network. The importance of this investment is detailed in the report "Precise Geodetic Infrastructure: National Requirements for a Shared Resource" by the National Research Council of the National Academies in Washington, D.C.

Agencies around the world, including Germany's Bundesamt f?r Kartographie und Geod?sie, France's Institut G?ographique National, the Geographical Survey Institute of Japan, and Geoscience Australia, would build the stations. Together, these groups would choose the best locations, and the work would be done in cooperation with the Global Geodetic Observing System, a scientific organization that helps maintain the terrestrial reference frame.

"By bringing at least three of the four techniques together in each station, we will get a stronger system overall," says Frey. "NASA is leading the way in this, building a prototype station that will go beyond our current scientific requirements and serve the satellites of the future."

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What on earth is a Holistic Health and fitness Practitioner? (HHP ...

?Holistic? is produced from the Greek phrase holos which suggests ?whole?. And so the aim of a holistic health and fitness practitioner would be to focus not on disorder, but relatively mind, physique, emotional and spiritual wellness. The difference involving what an Allopathic, standard experienced does and what a holistic practitioner does is simple to explain. Orthodox, allopathic medication has its focus on healing the signs or symptoms of disorder whereas holistic therapies focus on stopping or gaining to your induce of illness. The one treats sections or parts in the physique whereas the latter treats the individual as being a full; proper diet, healthy mental, emotional and spiritual elements of self. A holistic practitioner takes advantage of non-invasive, drugless healing methods to assistance facilitate in bringing a state of homeostasis to your shopper. The terrific profit about being a holistic health and fitness practitioner is the fact that you are able to hardly ever get bored within your apply simply because there are many strategies in holistic medication that aim at focusing on the whole particular person. It is an satisfying process to keep incorporating on your expertise base. A lot of the strategies made use of depending on qualifications; acupuncture, homeopathy, diet, self care, electricity medication, spiritual counseling, Reiki, meditation, sauna remedy, catalytic herbs, Chinese herbal medication, hair assessment, employing historical knowledge rules, energy of intention, quantum physics, mind reprogramming to name a number of. A holistic practitioner understands the physique has an innate potential and intelligence to cure when granted the correct equipment ? workout, interior reflection, diet, rest and social interaction. When holistic medication is made use of in conjunction with standard, allopathic medication, we generally simply call that Complementary and Option Medication (CAM). The key is to get in a position to harmony the body ? mind ? spirit relationship by integrating methods from all these standpoints. Holistic health and fitness emphasizes prevention, health and fitness servicing, longevity and wellness. A practitioner within a sense, also results in being an intuitive life mentor, addressing the customers complete planet which includes friends and family, occupation, health and fitness and spiritual needs. A holistic practitioner is aware the shopper is thoroughly accountable for their own individual healing and views them being an lively participant from the healing process. Allopathic medication is reactive whereas holistic is proactive. Holistic medication performs ideal for prevention of disorder and also relieving and gaining to your induce of chronic disorder. A practitioner can check out for toxicity levels and set a method in position to help the body assistance by itself by gently taking away the poisons after which using a complete method to help construct the immune process. What do holistic health and fitness practitioners locate themselves undertaking after they comprehensive a holistic health and fitness practitioner method? The ideas and opportunities are unlimited; from manufacturing or formulating nutritional health supplements to holding health and fitness seminars, tele-classes, composing articles, publications or workbooks, or educating other people, owning their own individual business enterprise or consulting apply ? you are able to see the listing is unlimited depending on how resourceful you want to get. The wonderful thing about HHP?s is the fact that they are able to successfully do the job from household and generate their own individual several hours, and also value for each shopper session. If you?re considering enrolling within a household examine, correspondence HHP method and would love to use for board certification being an HHP throughout the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, consider using a look at our HHP preset courses or choose 5 programs to build and construct your individual HHP method. Visit listed here to browse our Natural Wellbeing, Electrical power Therapeutic and Non secular Counseling courses ?Holistic? is produced from the Greek phrase holos which suggests ?whole?. And so the aim of a holistic health and fitness practitioner would be to focus not on disorder, but relatively mind, physique, emotional and spiritual wellness. The difference involving what an Allopathic, standard experienced does and what a holistic practitioner does is simple to explain. Orthodox, allopathic medication has its focus on healing the signs or symptoms of disorder whereas holistic therapies focus on stopping or gaining to your induce of illness. The one treats sections or parts in the physique whereas the latter treats the individual as being a full; proper diet, healthy mental, emotional and spiritual elements of self. A holistic practitioner takes advantage of non-invasive, drugless healing methods to assistance facilitate in bringing a state of homeostasis to your shopper. The terrific profit about being a holistic health and fitness practitioner is the fact that you are able to hardly ever get bored within your apply simply because there are many strategies in holistic medication that aim at focusing on the whole particular person. It is an satisfying process to keep incorporating on your expertise base. A lot of the strategies made use of depending on qualifications; acupuncture, homeopathy, diet, self care, electricity medication, spiritual counseling, Reiki, meditation, sauna remedy, catalytic herbs, Chinese herbal medication, hair assessment, employing historical knowledge rules, energy of intention, quantum physics, mind reprogramming to name a number of. A holistic practitioner understands the physique has an innate potential and intelligence to cure when granted the correct equipment ? workout, interior reflection, diet, rest and social interaction. When holistic medication is made use of in conjunction with standard, allopathic medication, we generally simply call that Complementary and Option Medication (CAM). The key is to get in a position to harmony the body ? mind ? spirit relationship by integrating methods from all these standpoints. Holistic health and fitness emphasizes prevention, health and fitness servicing, longevity and wellness. A practitioner within a sense, also results in being an intuitive life mentor, addressing the customers complete planet which includes friends and family, occupation, health and fitness and spiritual needs. A holistic practitioner is aware the shopper is thoroughly accountable for their own individual healing and views them being an lively participant from the healing process. Allopathic medication is reactive whereas holistic is proactive. Holistic medication performs ideal for prevention of disorder and also relieving and gaining to your induce of chronic disorder. A practitioner can check out for toxicity levels and set a method in position to help the body assistance by itself by gently taking away the poisons after which using a complete method to help construct the immune process. What do holistic health and fitness practitioners locate themselves undertaking after they comprehensive a holistic health and fitness practitioner method? The ideas and opportunities are unlimited; from manufacturing or formulating nutritional health supplements to holding health and fitness seminars, tele-classes, composing articles, publications or workbooks, or educating other people, owning their own individual business enterprise or consulting apply ? you are able to see the listing is unlimited depending on how resourceful you want to get. The wonderful thing about HHP?s is the fact that they are able to successfully do the job from household and generate their own individual several hours, and also value for each shopper session. If you?re considering enrolling within a household examine, correspondence HHP method and would love to use for board certification being an HHP throughout the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, consider using a look at our HHP preset courses or choose 5 programs to build and construct your individual HHP method. Visit listed here to browse our Natural Wellbeing, Electrical power Therapeutic and Non secular Counseling courses You could also discover additional about physical therapist salary & physical therapist schools

Source: http://mptrs.com/2012/02/23/what-on-earth-is-a-holistic-health-and-fitness-practitioner-hhp/

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Friday, February 24, 2012

Moon may contain magma, say scientists (+video)

Although the Earth's crust is still shifting, driven by the churning semimolten rock underneath it, researchers had thought the moon had cooled off much too long ago to still have any such tectonic activity.

The moon's crust was apparently active far more recently than previously believed, scientists say.

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These new findings raise questions about?how the moon formed?and evolved, researchers said.

Although the Earth's crust is still shifting, driven by the churning semimolten rock underneath it, researchers had thought the moon had cooled off much too long ago to still have any such tectonic activity. For instance, the youngest known tectonic features on the lunar landscape until now ? small cliffs in the lunar highlands resulting from wrinkling of the surface as the moon's interior cooled and shrunk ? are thought to be less than 1 billion years old, although by how much is uncertain.

Now, images collected by the?Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter?hints the moon has probably seen tectonic activity within the last 50 million years.

In these photos, researchers spotted a dozen or so narrow, trenchlike features known as graben in the lunar highlands and in the dark plains of volcanic rock known as the mare basalts. Graben are essentially troughs with two faults or cracks in the surface on either side of them. They are thought to have formed as the lunar crust was stretched.?[10 Coolest Moon Discoveries]

"Overall on the moon, you have this contracting, shrinking environment, but in some places, apparently there's this stretching extension of the crust," said study lead author Thomas Watters, a planetary scientist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

The graben the scientists detected, which reach up to about 1,640 feet (500 meters) wide and 1.1 miles (1.8 kilometers) long, appear relatively pristine. This suggests they formed recently ? otherwise, they would be marred more often by craters from meteor impacts over time.

"We think they're less than 50 million years old, but they could be 10 million years old, could be 1 million years old, could have happened 40 years ago," Watters told SPACE.com. "The intriguing picture that's emerging of the moon is that there is recent geological activity going on."

Moonquakes?detected by seismic sensors installed during the Apollo missions support the notion of recent activity on the moon, researchers added. All in all, the moon's interior may still be hot.

"The moon may not only have been tectonically active recently, but may still be tectonically active today," Watters said.

Models of how the moon cooled over time suggest it was totally molten after its formation, and that it should now be contracting as it cools, forcing the surface to wrinkle. However, if this was true, such compression would have suppressed the creation of graben ? these ditches typically form when the crust stretches, not crinkles.

Instead, these findings suggest the moon was not completely molten after it was formed. If this were the case, the moon would not contract strongly enough to suppress the emergence of graben.

"Currently, a popular idea for how the moon formed is that it was completely molten in the beginning? after a?Mars-size object hit Earth?very early in its history, the debris cloud from the surviving material formed the moon," Watters said. "This may lend support to alternative scenarios that the moon was not completely molten when it formed, that only part of it was, forming a magma ocean."

Future research can look for more graben in Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photos once the satellite finishes imaging the moon, Watters said. He and his colleagues detailed their findings online Feb. 19 in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter@Spacedotcom?and on?Facebook.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/GYwaXGXDOig/Moon-may-contain-magma-say-scientists-video

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Thursday, February 23, 2012

6 Great Food and Drink Combinations! | welcome to suntripcr.com

[unable to retrieve full-text content]6 Great Food and Drink Combinations! Posted by admin in Food and Drink on 02 22nd, 2012 | no responses. 1.Cajun Food and Beer. Cajun food is really good. Its also really spicy. I love having an ice cold beer with my crawfish jambalaya.

Source: http://www.suntripcr.com/6-great-food-and-drink-combinations/

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Video: Contraception remains on front burner in 2012 race

'American Idol' reveals 14 of 24 semifinalists

??If your favorite singer is a woman whose fate hasn?t been revealed yet, you may be in trouble. If it?s a man you?re worried about, you have a better shot. And if you?re cheering for Adam Brock, you really, really hate the show right now.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46488060#46488060

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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Rare fungus kills endangered rattlesnakes in southern Illinois

Rare fungus kills endangered rattlesnakes in southern Illinois [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Diana Yates
diya@illinois.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

CHAMPAIGN, lll. A small population of rattlesnakes that already is in decline in southern Illinois faces a new and unexpected threat in the form of a fungus rarely seen in the wild, researchers report. The finding matches reports of rattlesnake deaths in the northeast United States.

The eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus), a candidate for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, suffers from habitat loss and environmental stresses wherever it is found, said University of Illinois comparative biosciences visiting instructor and wildlife veterinarian Matthew Allender, who led the health investigation. Long-term population studies of the snake in Illinois and elsewhere had never turned up evidence of debilitating fungal infections. But in 2008, biologists studying the snake reported to Allender that they had found three sick snakes in a park in southern Illinois, all with disfiguring lesions on their heads. The snakes died within three weeks of their discovery. A fourth snake with a similar syndrome was discovered in the same park in the spring of 2010.

Allender conducted necropsies on the snakes and identified the pathogen that had killed them: Chrysosporium, a fungus that plagues portions of the pet reptile industry but is not normally seen in the wild, he said.

"Chrysosporium causes disease in bearded dragons and in other snakes and it's a bad bug," Allender said. "We see it in captive animals worldwide, but we don't typically find it in free-ranging animals."

Chrysosporium also is emerging as a dangerous infection in humans with weakened immune systems, he said.

Shortly after he first presented his findings at a meeting of the Fish and Wildlife Service, Allender heard from other biologists about similar infections in snakes in the northeast United States.

"They seem to be having a similar problem in timber rattlesnakes in New Hampshire and Massachusetts," Allender said. Although biologists have sporadically identified Chrysosporium in those snakes, the symptoms they report facial swelling and ulcers and malformations of the jaw are the same, he said. These infections also occurred only within the last five years.

"Fungal pathogens have been increasingly associated with free-ranging epidemics in wildlife, including the well-known effects of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on frog populations globally and white-nosed syndrome in bats," Allender wrote in a December 2011 report in Emerging Infectious Diseases. "Both of these diseases cause widespread and ongoing deaths in these populations that seriously threaten biodiversity across the United States."

Allender sees this new occurrence of a fungal infection in endangered snakes as a "yellow flag" that warrants more study.

"Wildlife diseases and human health are not that different," he said. "And often wildlife are our window into a weakened environment that leads to disease in both people and animals."

###

Editor's note: To contact Matthew Allender, call 217-265-0320; email mcallend@illinois.edu.


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?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Rare fungus kills endangered rattlesnakes in southern Illinois [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Diana Yates
diya@illinois.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

CHAMPAIGN, lll. A small population of rattlesnakes that already is in decline in southern Illinois faces a new and unexpected threat in the form of a fungus rarely seen in the wild, researchers report. The finding matches reports of rattlesnake deaths in the northeast United States.

The eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus), a candidate for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, suffers from habitat loss and environmental stresses wherever it is found, said University of Illinois comparative biosciences visiting instructor and wildlife veterinarian Matthew Allender, who led the health investigation. Long-term population studies of the snake in Illinois and elsewhere had never turned up evidence of debilitating fungal infections. But in 2008, biologists studying the snake reported to Allender that they had found three sick snakes in a park in southern Illinois, all with disfiguring lesions on their heads. The snakes died within three weeks of their discovery. A fourth snake with a similar syndrome was discovered in the same park in the spring of 2010.

Allender conducted necropsies on the snakes and identified the pathogen that had killed them: Chrysosporium, a fungus that plagues portions of the pet reptile industry but is not normally seen in the wild, he said.

"Chrysosporium causes disease in bearded dragons and in other snakes and it's a bad bug," Allender said. "We see it in captive animals worldwide, but we don't typically find it in free-ranging animals."

Chrysosporium also is emerging as a dangerous infection in humans with weakened immune systems, he said.

Shortly after he first presented his findings at a meeting of the Fish and Wildlife Service, Allender heard from other biologists about similar infections in snakes in the northeast United States.

"They seem to be having a similar problem in timber rattlesnakes in New Hampshire and Massachusetts," Allender said. Although biologists have sporadically identified Chrysosporium in those snakes, the symptoms they report facial swelling and ulcers and malformations of the jaw are the same, he said. These infections also occurred only within the last five years.

"Fungal pathogens have been increasingly associated with free-ranging epidemics in wildlife, including the well-known effects of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on frog populations globally and white-nosed syndrome in bats," Allender wrote in a December 2011 report in Emerging Infectious Diseases. "Both of these diseases cause widespread and ongoing deaths in these populations that seriously threaten biodiversity across the United States."

Allender sees this new occurrence of a fungal infection in endangered snakes as a "yellow flag" that warrants more study.

"Wildlife diseases and human health are not that different," he said. "And often wildlife are our window into a weakened environment that leads to disease in both people and animals."

###

Editor's note: To contact Matthew Allender, call 217-265-0320; email mcallend@illinois.edu.


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?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/uoia-rfk022112.php

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Tohoku grim reminder of potential for Pacific Northwest megaquake

Tohoku grim reminder of potential for Pacific Northwest megaquake [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Feb-2012
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Contact: Mike Wolterbeek
mwolterbeek@unr.edu
University of Nevada, Reno

University of Nevada, Reno geophysicist presents study at science conference in Vancouver, B.C.

RENO, Nev. The March 11, 2011 Tohoku earthquake is a grim reminder of the potential for another strong-motion mega-earthquake along the Pacific Northwest coast, geophysicist John Anderson of the University of Nevada, Reno told members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in a lecture at their annual conference in Vancouver, B.C. Sunday.

"The Cascadia fault line, which runs from southern Canada all the way to Northern California, could have much stronger ground-motions than those observed in Japan," Anderson, a professor of geophysics, said. "The Tohoku earthquake, while only half the length of Cascadia, is an analog for an earthquake that could happen here in the northwestern United States and southwestern British Columbia."

Both Japan and Cascadia sit above subduction zones that dip at a low angle beneath the land. One might consider them roughly mirror images, he said.

"In this mirror image, one can see that if the same earthquake occurred in Cascadia, the fault would rupture to a significant distance inland, since the Cascadia trench sits much closer to the coastline than the trench off the coast of Japan, Anderson said. "Some models predict that a Cascadia earthquake will not rupture so far under the land, but if it does, the data from the Tohoku earthquake predict stronger ground motions along our west coast than those seen in Japan. In any case, the ground motions from Tohoku are critical for understanding the seismic hazard here in Vancouver, and in Seattle, and Portland, and Eureka and all points in between."

In Cascadia, the last great earthquake occurred on January 26, 1700. Based on the size of the tsunami, the magnitude of that earthquake was about magnitude 9.0.

"Although the average interval is apparently larger, earthquakes of this size in the past may have recurred with intervals of as small as about 300 years. So it would not be a scientific surprise if such an event were to occur in the near future," Anderson said. "If you live in the Pacific northwest, look at the videos of Tohoku as a reminder to be prepared for an earthquake and tsunami."

Anderson, who studies strong ground-motions, spent nine months recently as a visiting research professor at the prestigious Tokyo University, home of one of the world's premier seismology programs. Before coming to the Universtiy of Nevada, Reno in 1998, he earned his doctorate in geophysics from Columbia University and has held appointments at the California Institute of Technology, University of Southern California and the University of California at San Diego.

In his presentation at the AAAS conference, about the strong ground motions in the Tohoku earthquake, he discusses the significance of the data, the effects of the source on the nature of the data, the effects of site response, and some discussion of the engineering effects.

"There have of course been other mega-earthquakes, but this is by far the best-recorded," he said. "The Japanese event will undoubtedly stand as the best-recorded megaquake for a long time to come, both because megaquakes are rare and because no place is as well instrumented as the islands of Japan."

For instance, the strong ground motions that could be generated along Cascadia, unfortunately, might not be observed nearly as thoroughly, since the strong motion instrumentation in most of the Cascadia region is sparse compared to Japan.

Anderson said that in spite of the occasional records with high accelerations, damage to structures from the shaking in Tohoku was reduced by high building standards, and because the ground velocities caused by the earthquake were not high enough to cause damage even at sites with peak acceleration over 1g.

###

Nevada's land-grant university founded in 1874, the University of Nevada, Reno has an enrollment of 18,000 students and is ranked in the top tier of the nation's best universities. Part of the Nevada System of Higher Education, the University has the system's largest research program and is home to the state's medical school. With outreach and education programs in all Nevada counties and with one of the nation's largest study-abroad consortiums, the University extends across the state and around the world. For more information, visit www.unr.edu.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Tohoku grim reminder of potential for Pacific Northwest megaquake [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Mike Wolterbeek
mwolterbeek@unr.edu
University of Nevada, Reno

University of Nevada, Reno geophysicist presents study at science conference in Vancouver, B.C.

RENO, Nev. The March 11, 2011 Tohoku earthquake is a grim reminder of the potential for another strong-motion mega-earthquake along the Pacific Northwest coast, geophysicist John Anderson of the University of Nevada, Reno told members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in a lecture at their annual conference in Vancouver, B.C. Sunday.

"The Cascadia fault line, which runs from southern Canada all the way to Northern California, could have much stronger ground-motions than those observed in Japan," Anderson, a professor of geophysics, said. "The Tohoku earthquake, while only half the length of Cascadia, is an analog for an earthquake that could happen here in the northwestern United States and southwestern British Columbia."

Both Japan and Cascadia sit above subduction zones that dip at a low angle beneath the land. One might consider them roughly mirror images, he said.

"In this mirror image, one can see that if the same earthquake occurred in Cascadia, the fault would rupture to a significant distance inland, since the Cascadia trench sits much closer to the coastline than the trench off the coast of Japan, Anderson said. "Some models predict that a Cascadia earthquake will not rupture so far under the land, but if it does, the data from the Tohoku earthquake predict stronger ground motions along our west coast than those seen in Japan. In any case, the ground motions from Tohoku are critical for understanding the seismic hazard here in Vancouver, and in Seattle, and Portland, and Eureka and all points in between."

In Cascadia, the last great earthquake occurred on January 26, 1700. Based on the size of the tsunami, the magnitude of that earthquake was about magnitude 9.0.

"Although the average interval is apparently larger, earthquakes of this size in the past may have recurred with intervals of as small as about 300 years. So it would not be a scientific surprise if such an event were to occur in the near future," Anderson said. "If you live in the Pacific northwest, look at the videos of Tohoku as a reminder to be prepared for an earthquake and tsunami."

Anderson, who studies strong ground-motions, spent nine months recently as a visiting research professor at the prestigious Tokyo University, home of one of the world's premier seismology programs. Before coming to the Universtiy of Nevada, Reno in 1998, he earned his doctorate in geophysics from Columbia University and has held appointments at the California Institute of Technology, University of Southern California and the University of California at San Diego.

In his presentation at the AAAS conference, about the strong ground motions in the Tohoku earthquake, he discusses the significance of the data, the effects of the source on the nature of the data, the effects of site response, and some discussion of the engineering effects.

"There have of course been other mega-earthquakes, but this is by far the best-recorded," he said. "The Japanese event will undoubtedly stand as the best-recorded megaquake for a long time to come, both because megaquakes are rare and because no place is as well instrumented as the islands of Japan."

For instance, the strong ground motions that could be generated along Cascadia, unfortunately, might not be observed nearly as thoroughly, since the strong motion instrumentation in most of the Cascadia region is sparse compared to Japan.

Anderson said that in spite of the occasional records with high accelerations, damage to structures from the shaking in Tohoku was reduced by high building standards, and because the ground velocities caused by the earthquake were not high enough to cause damage even at sites with peak acceleration over 1g.

###

Nevada's land-grant university founded in 1874, the University of Nevada, Reno has an enrollment of 18,000 students and is ranked in the top tier of the nation's best universities. Part of the Nevada System of Higher Education, the University has the system's largest research program and is home to the state's medical school. With outreach and education programs in all Nevada counties and with one of the nation's largest study-abroad consortiums, the University extends across the state and around the world. For more information, visit www.unr.edu.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/uonr-tgr022112.php

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Monday, February 20, 2012

Santorum said Obama's faith not the issue, but 'phony ideal' promoting Earth and abortions (Star Tribune)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/201956933?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Marketing | SMS text marketing :: By dasha veronica | bharatbhasha ...

With technology advancing like it has never done before, now is the opportunity to take advantage of the wonderful opportunities. One of these ways is by text marketing. Text marketing is where a company or an organization will send their given audiences text messages. These messages will inform the person of special offers as well as features that is going on with the company. Not only a company that is selling a product participate in sms messaging, but also organizations such as political campaigns. They will inform the audience of any upcoming events the political official will attend as well as if any elections are coming up.

This form of communication is very informative in a society where everyone is on the go. Many people do not have the time to watch the news station to stay informed or sit and read the newspapers for deals and specials. This also helps the consumer who loves a particular place keep updated on that company. SMS marketing is simple and is sync with whatever data plan you have with your mobile carrier. SMS text marketing has become so successful that now they are branching out into other forms of marketing such as Multi channel marketing.

This form of marketing is definitely going to be used in the future. This is where all forms of communications are linked together so that one can reach their audience. Some people may not like text messages sent to them, but love emailing. Others may not be that advanced with technology and prefer the old basic mail correspondence or phone calling methods. No matter what form of communication the audience prefer, they organization or companies will be able to reach out to them.

As of today though, SMS marketing is what is the form of communication that everyone is migrating to. Majority of people today has a cell phone and Many are on the unlimited text messaging plan, so this is perfect for that audience because they do not have to pay extra to receive messages. Sms text marketing is showing the growth of our society and hoe technology now plays a major role in our everyday living. One can receive anything through text messages. Whether it?s an update of their bank statement to a company advertising a new product that has been placed on the market, it is all at the consumer fingertips.

When text marketing transitions into multi channel marketing, then there is not such thing as the sky is the limit anymore. That transition is going to take everyone on a global scale, With this being in place, no other countries can capitalize on this and advertise their products over here in America and vice versa. Mobile phones are a powerful tool. And the companies are making sure that they use every aspect to help benefit themselves as well as offering the consumers better deals.

About Author dasha veronica :


I have been working in this mobile marketing industry for many year. I truly believe, bulk sms is the new way to market your business. There are a lot of different companies out there are offering this text message marketing. You have to do your research and choose the best company for you. You have to check their mobile text marketing technology. If you have any question just email me.


Article Source:?http://www.bharatbhasha.net
Article Url: http://www.bharatbhasha.net/marketing.php/343841

Article Added on Sunday, February 19, 2012

Source: http://www.bharatbhasha.net/marketing.php/343841

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Sunday, February 19, 2012

Daniel Pargman's academic homepage: Beyond sports vs games

.

I attended the "Beyond sports vs games" workshop at the IT University of Copenhagen this week. The workshop was an attempt to get (sociology of) sports and computer games researchers to meet and discuss, but the sports researchers didn't show up.Knowing what I know about the organizer, T.L. Taylor (her new book is called "Raising the stakes: E-sports and the professionalization of computer gaming"), I thought the topic of the workshop would be competitive computer gaming and the "sportification" of computer games. My contribution was a "curveball" as it wasn't about competitive computer gaming, but about competitive programming (i.e. programming competitions) in relation to "electronic sports".

It turned out that my contribution was even more peripheral, as most of the participants were interested in sports computer games, i.e. for example (annually released - great for business!) football, american football and basketball computer games. The emphasis wasn't on "how computer games are turned into sports", but on "how sports are turned into videogames". Which is really really really big, but also situated straight in my dead angle. One of the papers we read in preparation for the workshop stated that:

"The sports gaming industry is the crown jewel of the video games world. It is a one billion dollar per year industry; sports games account for more than thirty percent of all video games sales."

I had no idea. To a large extent, we are talking about computer games for sports fans. I'm not a sports fan. Truth be told, I hardly play computer games anymore due to lack of time (except of course together with my children as a family activity).

----------

There were a couple of presentations (Olli Sotamaa and Abe Stein) about sports fandom and fantasy sport games, i.e. putting together you football "dream team" (with players from many different real-world teams) and competing against other teams based on how well "your" players are doing in their real-life games. I thus learned that there is a massive group of people who spend a humongous amounts of time in the sports fandom-sports television-sports computer games nexus, speculating about future games and also simulating and replaying different imaginary pasts ("who would have won in a boxing match between Muhammed Ali and Mike Tyson?"). I like the term "imaginative labor" which was used, it's such a charming combination (contradiction?) of work and play. Even sportsmen have apparently been known to do it, playing "themselves" in computer games and trying out things in the computer game that they later bring with them to the real-world sports games.There were some interesting musings about how the "tribal" factor of sports is on the decline because of the ascent of fantasy sports games (which apparently is really big in the States). Your allegiance to your favorite team is weakened because you can also cheer for one (or several) players in the opposing team (because you've recruited them to your fantasy team). There were also plenty of references to the movie "Moneyball" (based on a book by one of my favorite journalists, Michael Lewis). To some sports fans, the focus has now shifted from the actual weekly games to the statistics that these games generate (and that is immediately inputted in to the fantasy league circus).

----------

Another interesting talk (by Chris Paul) was about how sports game revenue is changing from the game (a physical disc) to charging (also) for online access. The world's largest publisher, Electronic Arts (EA) is leading the way with their sports games. It's in the nature of things that last year's sports game is less interesting than this year's, but when the focus shifts to online, new ways of decreasing the value of the game you bought last year appear; when others fans/gamers shift to the new game, you're not where the action is anymore unless you too buy the game, and EA can find ways to further decrease the value of your "old" game, for example by not updating or supporting it - thereby implicitly forcing you to move on and buy (also) the latest annual ($60) edition of the game. My personal question was if/how the economic recession and youth unemployment has affected gaming revenues (youth - under 25 - unemployment in Greece and Spain is almost at 50% according to 3rd quarter 2011 Eurostat figures). Do people nowadays play more (since they have more time) or less (since they have less money)? More generally, is gaming (considered) expensive or inexpensive compared to other expenses? Is it recession-proof or does it suffer from harsh economic times? The answer was apparently that gaming has been perceived to be recession-proof - up until the most recent (2008-) recession. So, what would happen to the gaming industry if/when the economic cake doesn't grow anymore? How would a prolonged period of no/negative economic growth affect gaming and the gaming industry?

--------

Ren Reynolds' "Sports law and digital play" started from a perspective of sports law before moving to games. Sports have become an arena where some (violent) behaviors are OK/permitted - even though the same behaviors aren't OK in the rest of society, i.e. it is permitted to hit each other hard (in boxing) and hitting others is tolerated (in American ice hockey). In-between play and non-play (ordinary life) is a zone where "shit that goes down" happens (fighting in ice-hockey) and that the law (lawyers, judges, courts) nowadays stay away from. The question becomes if this is what is happening in gaming right now - despite long and complicated End User License Agreements (EULAs) that supposedly or purportedly regulates gaming (but is increasingly dismissed by courts when game-related cases arrive there).

----------

The two talks that were most interesting to me were two of the organizers' talks about pro-gaming and competitions, i.e. T.L. Taylor's talk about "institutional governance in e-sports" and Emma Witkowski's talk about "negotiations of hegemonic sporting masculinities at LANs".T.L. talked about the sometimes-fraught relationship between two very powerful actors (institutions) in the e-sports space; the influential game developer Blizzard and the Korean e-Sports Professional Association (KeSPA). They have very different views of authorship and ownership of "digital playing fields", so what happens when a "property" (a computer game) becomes an important cultural phenomenon (as Blizzard's "Starcraft" game is in Korea)?

Emma talked about what is and what isn't considered to be "real sporting skills" in e-sports, with plenty of references to non-gamer/athletic ideals and cultures. E-sports is a gendered space, rife with masculinity and sexism and where pro-gamers (and their fans) predominantly are young, white, straight, middle-class men. Emma's talked about a study of hers on how players from "the margins" (women, minorities, but primarily players of a marginalized game) navigate and rebel against these structures and practices.

----------

I should also write something about my own contribution to the workshop, "Programming competitions as (e-)sports", as well as an analysis of what I personally got out of the workshop and in relation to my study. I won't do that in this particular blog post though (it is long enough already). I might write a follow-up blog post where I summarize my thoughts as well as implications and decision related to my ongoing study in a week or two.

.

Source: http://danielpargman.blogspot.com/2012/02/beyond-sports-vs-games.html

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Pogo Sketch Pro (for iPad)

Our favorite iPad stylus is the simplest we tested. The Pogo Sketch Pro ($24.95), the highest-end model in Ten One Design's Pogo stylus series, is a serious, well-balanced stylus for creating artwork on your iPad (and maybe your Android tablet as well.)

Why use a stylus on your iPad? It gives you more precision when you're drawing or making handwritten notes, and it gets your finger out of the way. A stylus turns your tablet into a true sketchbook or notepad.

The Sketch Pro is a tapered aluminum stylus with a comfortable, slightly bulging rubber grip. It comes with two screw-on tips: one is squishy, the other firmer with a rough texture. The stylus also comes with a little travel bag.

Compared to last year's Editors' Choice, the Wacom Bamboo Stylus ($29.99, 4 stars), the Sketch Pro is longer at 5.5 inches, and its tapered body speaks more of drawing and painting than the more pen-like Bamboo. I liked the additional length, which gave the stylus excellent balance.

I had professional artist (and my wife)?Leontine Greenberg test the Pogo Sketch Pro and she pronounced it "boring, but in the end my pick? most like a regular thing you would draw with in real life." The tip's friction made it easier to control than the Nomad Compose ($39, 3.5 stars) and oStylus ($37.50, 3 stars), and the stylus had better balance and was easier to maneuver than the Cosmonaut ($25, 3 stars).

I agree: for note-taking as well as drawing, the Pogo Sketch Pro is the best stylus we tested. There's nothing we'd improve about this. It's our Editors' Choice.

More Accessory Reviews:
??? Crayola ColorStudio HD iMarker (for iPad)
??? Nomad Play (for iPad)
??? AppCrayon (for iPad)
??? Pogo Sketch Pro (for iPad)
??? Cosmonaut Stylus (for iPad)
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/BbUJg0BDkiI/0,2817,2400330,00.asp

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