FBI investigating Trenton housing developments started under former mayor Douglas Palmer

TRENTON ? The FBI is investigating federal Community Block Development Grant funds used for six to eight major housing developments in Trenton started under former Mayor Douglas Palmer?s administration, the city?s CDBG coordinator said yesterday.

Federal subpoenas have been issued regarding the CDBG money and FBI agents recently visited the office, said Mark Leckington, the city coordinator. While the projects being reviewed may have continued into Mayor Tony Mack?s administration, Leckington said an FBI agent who visited his office last week said the corruption case against Mack, who has been indicted on multiple counts of alleged bribery and extortion, is not the origin of the probe.

?He made a point of saying it had absolutely nothing to do with the situation with the mayor,? Leckington said. The subpoenas served on the city this month identified a ?person of interest? in the federal investigation, Leckington said, though he declined to identify the target.

Palmer said yesterday that the FBI has not approached him about the CDBG investigation and he did not know who could be the subject of the investigation.
?I have no knowledge of anything, no one has contacted me,? Palmer said. ?There?s nothing I did wrong.?

Leckington said the FBI was seeking to obtain updates of information from an investigation started several years ago, when agents had subpoenaed the CDBG data in an earlier probe.

Palmer said he was unaware of any FBI investigation into the city during his 20 years in office, and said he was never interviewed by agents.

?They can look all they want,? Palmer said. ?They?re welcome. They never talked to me, or anyone on my staff.?

Leckington, who started working for the city in October 2011, said he has found many CDBG project records from both the Mack and Palmer administrations to be incomplete.

However, at present the FBI?s interest is limited to housing projects initiated under Palmer, Leckington said.

Much of his work since joining the city government has involved piecing together CDBG records that were poorly compiled and maintained, he said.

?I have no paperwork on a lot of projects going into the ?90s and 2000s,? Leckington said. ?In some cases, files are missing completely on the project, like they got activated and are not accessible.?

The FBI case is considered open even though it is several years old, Leckington said.

The subpoenas for all information about the use of the CDBG money on Trenton housing development arrived earlier this month, and the data must be provided by mid-January, Leckington said.

When Leckington was hired, he was tasked with organizing the city?s CDBG records.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development gave Leckington a late September deadline to complete the records on 100 projects dating back to the 1990s. He said he could not find the full documentation for 20 projects.

Leckington got a new list of 168 HUD requests two weeks ago and has been asked to account for the money involved, he said.

Failure to provide the necessary documentation that the money was properly spent could mean the city will be forced to pay some of it back.

?They said if we don?t hit some of these time lines they will recover some of the money,? Leckington said. ?It could be several million dollars.?

While Mack is not the subject of the CDBG investigation, some of the projects being reviewed by authorities continued into his administration.

Mack is currently facing federal corruption charges accusing him of accepting bribes to help a developer with a city parking garage project. The project, however, was actually a sting orchestrated by FBI agents, authorities have said.

Macks? brother Ralphiel Mack, and a longtime supporter Joseph ?JoJo? Giorgianni also are charged in the scheme. Mack has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing.

Leckington said that the latest investigation into the CDBG money could cost the city.

While public officials have been prosecuted in the past for misuse of CDBG money, that was only when they also were accused of performing illegal acts such as bribery, fraud and bid-rigging. In cases of the money being mismanaged, the grant is more frequently ordered to be repaid, Leckington said.

?If you misuse CDBG money ? as long as it?s not criminal ? HUD will ask you to repay the money out of the next year?s award,? he said.

Contact Alex Zdan at azdan@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5705.

Source: http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2012/12/fbi_investigating_trenton_hous.html

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Charlie Sheen Apologizes for Bar-Opening Homophobic Slur

Source:

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Obama criticizes Congress; senators take over negotiations (Washington Bureau)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273674094?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Reaction to death of Norman Schwarzkopf

Reaction to the death Thursday of retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf:

___

"With the passing of Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, we've lost an American original. From his decorated service in Vietnam to the historic liberation of Kuwait and his leadership of United States Central Command, Gen. Schwarzkopf stood tall for the country and Army he loved. Our prayers are with the Schwarzkopf family, who tonight can know that his legacy will endure in a nation that is more secure because of his patriotic service." ? President Barack Obama.

___

"Barbara and I mourn the loss of a true American patriot and one of the great military leaders of his generation. A distinguished member of that 'Long Gray Line' hailing from West Point, Gen. Norm Schwarzkopf, to me, epitomized the 'duty, service, country' creed that has defended our freedom and seen this great nation through our most trying international crises. More than that, he was a good and decent man ? and a dear friend. Barbara and I send our condolences to his wife, Brenda, and his wonderful family." ? former President George H.W. Bush.

___

"With the passing of General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, America lost a great patriot and a great soldier. Norm served his country with courage and distinction for over 35 years. The highlight of his career was the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm. 'Stormin' Norman' led the coalition forces to victory, ejecting the Iraqi Army from Kuwait and restoring the rightful government. His leadership not only inspired his troops, but also inspired the nation. He was a good friend of mine, a close buddy. I will miss him. My wife, Alma, joins me in extending our deepest condolences to his wife, Brenda, and to her family." ? former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

___

"The men and women of the Department of Defense join me in mourning the loss of Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, whose 35 years of service in uniform left an indelible imprint on the United States military and on the country. The son of a decorated Army officer, Gen. Schwarzkopf followed his father's legacy of service by enrolling in West Point in the 1950s. His bravery during two tours in Vietnam earned him three Silver Stars, and set him on the path lead our troops into battle in Grenada, and then to take charge of the overall allied effort in the first Gulf War as commander of United States Central Command. Gen. Schwarzkopf's skilled leadership of that campaign liberated the Kuwaiti people and produced a decisive victory for the allied coalition. In the aftermath of that war, Gen. Schwarzkopf was justly recognized as a brilliant strategist and inspiring leader. Today, we recall that enduring legacy and remember him as one of the great military giants of the 20th century. My thoughts and prayers are with the Schwarzkopf family in this time of sadness and grief." ? Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

___

"I was saddened to learn today of the passing of Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, a fellow West Point graduate, former CENTCOM commander and one of the 20th century's finest soldiers and leaders. I join the civilian and military leaders of our country, and servicemen and women, past and present, in mourning his death. Gen. Schwarzkopf embodied the warrior spirit, serving with distinction in three conflicts over his 35 years of dedicated service. The hallmark of his remarkable career was the swift and decisive victory over Saddam Hussein's forces after they invaded Kuwait. The thoughts and prayers of the Joint Chiefs and the Joint Force are with Gen. Schwarzkopf's family and friends." ? Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/reaction-death-norman-schwarzkopf-014655500.html

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Iraq militia issues threat against Turkish interests

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi militia on Thursday issued a threat against Turkish interests in Iraq, responding to what it described as Turkey's "blatant interference" in the country's internal affairs.

Relations between Turkey and Iraq have been deteriorating over the past year, with the two countries trading accusations of inciting sectarian tensions, and summoning each other's ambassadors in tit-for-tat maneuvers.

Ankara has angered Baghdad by cultivating close ties with Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, which has defied the central government by signing contracts with foreign oil firms.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan this week accused Iraqi premier Nuri al-Maliki's government of behaving in a sectarian manner and warned Iraq was in danger of being plunged into strife like that in neighboring Syria.

"We refute and denounce the recent comments of the Turkish prime minister and consider them a blatant interference in the internal affairs of Iraq," read a statement released by Asaib al-Haq, which carried out some of the most prominent attacks on foreigners during the Iraq war.

"Any attempt to rip apart (Iraq's national fabric) by playing on sectarianism and spreading the poison of division damages the interests of all, and whoever does this will not be safe from harm."

Asaib al-Haq fighters broke away from anti-U.S. Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army. The militia, one of several in Iraq, is well-organized but its numbers are unknown.

Another source of tension between Baghdad and Ankara is the presence in Turkey of fugitive Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, who has been sentenced to death in Baghdad on charges of running death squads.

Hashemi, a Sunni Muslim who fled to Turkey earlier this year when Shi'ite-led Iraqi authorities sought his arrest, has denied the charges against him and accused Maliki, a Shi'ite Muslim, of conducting a political witch-hunt against Sunni opponents.

(Reporting by Suadad al-Salhy; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-militia-issues-threat-against-turkish-interests-175610493.html

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How the Internet IPOs of 2012 Fared

Seth Fiegerman

2012-12-27 20:49:25 UTC

This was a mixed year for tech IPOs, but overall, the Internet companies who went public in 2012 fared better than those who did in 2011.

Some 59% of the Internet companies who went public this year were trading above their IPO price as of midday Wednesday and 47% were trading above the price of their first actual trade, according to data compiled for Mashable by Kevin Pleines, an analyst with Birinyi Associates. By comparison, 42% of the Internet companies who went public last year were trading above their IPO price by the end of 2011 and just 14% were trading above the price of their first trade.

That may come as somewhat a surprise considering all the negative press surrounding the Facebook IPO, but as Pleines explains, Facebook's troubles arguably overshadowed the success of many other tech companies this year. "Facebook received the bulk of the press in the first half of the year, first on their valuation then the subsequent poor performance," Pleines said. "Many of the other internet companies flew under the radar."

What's more, Pleines says that Facebook's disastrous IPO may have caused other tech companies to rethink the timing and valuation of their own IPOs, which may have prevented similar Internet IPO disasters. In fact, 10 Internet companies went public before Facebook did in May, but only six went public afterwards.

All in all, there were two fewer Internet IPOs this year than last year. The total value of Internet IPOs this year was more than double that of 2011, but the vast majority of that was Facebook. If you take Facebook out of the equation, the total value of the Internet IPOs this year was actually 63% lower than last year, suggesting that this was a less eventful year for tech IPOs than 2011.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, Andrew Feinberg.

Topics: Business, Facebook, gallery, stocks

Source: http://mashable.com/2012/12/27/tech-ipos-2012/

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Best of Whistler 2012: Sports & Recreation - Pique Newsmagazine

Favourite Whistler Athlete (Overall)

?Ashleigh McIvor? has won everything there is to win in the sport of ski cross ? World Cups, pro events, the world championships and, with Canada cheering her on, the debut of her sport at the 2010 Olympics. She announced her retirement from racing back in November to focus on other opportunities in skiing ? and to preserve her left knee after undergoing a third major surgery in Jan. 2011 after landing flat during training at X Games.

While we'll miss all the hardware she brought home as a professional racer, McIvor is not really going anywhere. She's only 29 years old after all, and she's still an avid skier, mountain biker, surfer, etc. who will be awesome at all those things for years to come.

"I was so excited," she said of hearing that she had won this Best of Whistler category once again. "(Fiance) Jay (DeMerit) was making fun of me for how excited I was... Obviously Whistler is the one place in the world that is most important to me, and to know I have the respect of other members of the community is just amazing. Almost more amazing than any medal I've received."

McIvor's post-racer career is going strong. She worked with CBC to broadcast the ski cross World Cup, and could be in front of the camera at other events leading up to the 2014 Olympics as well. She's also getting lots of work filming, and has been approached to be in a big-mountain feature film as well ? something she always wanted to do. "Honestly, that's a big part of why I got into ski cross in the first place, to make a name for myself so I could do that sort of thing," she said.

"It's really nice to be at home skiing powder with my friends."

Second on the list for Favourite Whistler Athlete was none other than Sarah Burke, who was tragically lost to us after a halfpipe crash in Utah last January.

Burke was a true trailblazer in skiing and in women's sports.

She pushed for the inclusion of women in freeski events and competed against men when she had to ??which was often during her early years. As a competitor, she pushed her sport further and faster than anyone expected, driving the progression while maintaining her status as the athlete to beat in every event. She also happily created her own competition, coaching at Momentum ski camps in Whistler ? which she first attended as a camper at age 14 ? and inspiring other girls to get involved. When the sport of ski halfpipe was added to the Olympic Games, she was given a lot of the credit, both for the way she represented the sport and for the way she increased women's participation enough to make it an easy decision for Olympic organizers.

Source: http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/best-of-whistler-2012-sports-and-recreation/Content?oid=2444886

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Investors Dashboard View into 2013 for Real Estate Investing Cash ...

Real Estate investing for cash flow and capitol growth will be very bullish during the first half of 2013. More investors will capitalize on real estate as they understand it to be one of the best investment vehicles available today. At least half of those people who invest in real estate will be investing with strong emphasis on the first half of the year. As inventories run scarce, property values climb. With this in mind, seasoned real estate investors are looking to grab the available properties quickly so they can capitalize on the capital growth of the property.

Inflation

With threats of inflation coming, it looks like we may be safe for 2013, however 2014 and into 2015 is a concern. To hedge their money against inflation, investors will look to grab low cost property and idealistically low cost financing. Rising rents, the printing of money, federal spending which outpaces revenue, as well as a rising national debt are all factors which raise those inflationary pressures.

New Households

As many as a million new households will be formed and real estate investing will benefit from this. Millions of new households are projected to be added into the housing market for this new year. There are many young couples and many children now exiting college years and entering the workforce. Living with family members was a great way to save money but now as the economy and consumer confidence continues to improve, it is their desire to move into their own homes. For many of these entering into the housing market, a rental will be their first choice while they acclimate to some new expenses.

Rising Rental Rates

With this increased demand for housing, supply and demand laws suggests rents will also be strong and on the rise. The free flow of money by lenders will be the thing to watch, as freeing up lending standards will prompt tenants with expiring leases to dip their toes back into home ownership.

Inventory Shortages

Vacant homes and foreclosure sales are heading down. The big scare of the so called shadow inventory failed to ever really appear. Now there is a shortage of inventory. Most banks find it much cheaper to short sale a house than to go through costly foreclosures.

Affordability

Housing affordability is at best ever pricing. At least for the first half of 2013, the housing affordability is better than most have ever seen or can expect to ever see again in their life. The over correction of the real estate market, dropping prices far below the normal (in many areas), along with the historically low mortgage rates makes housing more affordable than anyone could ever have suggested. Thus, real estate investing can take advantage of this and increase the cash flow and capitol growth of their business.

Commercial Real Estate

Commercial real estate off to a sluggish start. While the uncertainty of the fiscal cliff continues to loom over America, many businesses are falling behind on implementing strong objectives moving into the 2013 calendar. Most businesses have their strategies in place to implement day one. This delayed response while they take a wait and see measure will cause a slow start to the year.

Wall Street Real Estate Investing

The Mom and Pop real estate investor faces huge corporate competition. Just like the little hardware store down the street that gets squeezed out by the big home improvement stores, so is the little individual investor getting squeezed out by Wall Street. Hedge fund managers continue to buy up properties (with billions of dollars in cash). The small investor looking to leverage a great investment for optimum returns are no longer attractive to banks and housing liquidators of real estate. They find it easier to sell in massive quantities for quick cash than to work with individual investors.

Single family homes are a growing asset class entering Wall Street. With low acquisition costs and high rents, the returns of rental income are being packaged up and sold as an asset class on Wall Street. As long as the returns are strong, the single family homes will be a commodity Wall Street will not want to avoid.

Multifamily Construction

Multifamily apartments will be the strongest growth for builders. Millions of households will be formed and the apartment (which tends to have lower cost rents) will be in higher demand. In recent years, inventory of the apartment buildings were stripped away as many apartments? buildings were converted into condos. This will be a huge opportunity for builders to build more of them and for the investor lucky enough to acquire some attractively priced ones will benefit with big cash flow.

The housing sector will dominate the recovery of the economy. Builders confidence is at the highest level since 2004 and this will cause a lot of building, which will bring with it jobs and more sales of goods and services to accommodate all the building.

Community Banking

Borrowers turn to small local community banks for their home loans. Recently, a majority of home loans have been acquired through the big name lenders in the industry. Continued strict requirements of these big lenders have made it way too challenging to acquire a loan. Buyers are finding that the local community banks are much easier to deal with, and actually these community banks are rapidly growing their output of loans while the big lenders are reducing their loan output. Check to see who is lending.

Changing Condo Requirements

FHA loosens rules on condo purchases. Investors used to have big limitations in buying and selling their condos as investment properties. Many investors paid cash for condos, only to learn that in order to sell the condo they needed a cash buyer or one who could at least finance with a 20% down payment loan (conventional loan) because of FHA restrictions. This restriction, which used to cap investor owned properties at 10% of the total number of units within the complex, has changed to allow up to 50% renter occupied units. This allows more investors within a community. (Please note you still want to make sure bylaws of the units allow the same thing, but the financing aspect of it has become much friendlier).

---

The Top Reasons For NOT Investing ? NO PLAN

Looking for an easy way to get all your real estate investing goals written down and clear in your thoughts? Use our FREE Real Estate Investing Planning Worksheet to clarify your goals! Not only that, but (if you like) we will give you a FREE 15 Minute Consultation to go over any of your questions and fill in any gaps.

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Source: http://howtobuyusarealestate.com/investors-dashboard-view-into-2013-for-real-estate-investing-cash-flow-and-capital-growth/

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Principal Financial launches bid for Chile pension fund

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - U.S. insurer and asset manager Principal Financial Group launched a bid on Thursday to buy Chilean pension company AFP Cuprum for $1.39 billion as part of an expansion drive in emerging markets.

Principal Financial agreed in October to use a public tender to buy Cuprum, including a 63 percent stake held by financial groups Empresas Penta and Inversiones Banpenta.

The U.S. insurer and asset manager offered 36,698.44 pesos for each of Cuprum's 17,996,300 shares, Principal Financial said in an advertisement in a local newspaper.

The success of the takeover bid, which starts December 28 and ends January 28, hinges on at least 63.44 percent of Cuprum's shares being sold to Principal Financial.

Chile's pension funds regulator has given the green light to the planned takeover of Cuprum, which has $32.7 billion in assets under management.

Cuprum shares were up 0.52 percent on the Santiago Stock Exchange at 39,000 in early trade on Thursday, outpacing the blue-chip IPSA's <.ipsa> mild 0.05 percent increase.

Chile's private pension fund system has attracted investor attention due to high returns and robust local economic growth.

Medellin, Colombia-based Grupo Sura paid more than $3.5 billion last year for the regional assets of ING Groep NV , including Chilean pension fund AFP Capital.

($1 = 477 Chilean pesos)

(Reporting by Felipe Iturrieta and Anthony Esposito; editing by John Wallace)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/principal-financial-launches-bid-chile-pension-fund-143023142--sector.html

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"ABC of Computing for Kids": A Free eBook By E-junkie.info

"Help your kids understand the world of computing better".

You got that right; the wait is finally over! We promised in our last free eBook - ABC of eCommerce to bring out an eBook as a Christmas gift for all the wonderful kids. We often hear people saying its a rat's race and one has to keep apace to survive. Moreover, knowledge is a vast ocean unto itself; the more one thinks they know, there's always a person one step ahead of you that you have to catch up with. But that's not a cause for worry anymore.

While not trying to take a moral high ground, we the E-junkie team honestly wish to do our small part in helping kids learn better. The "ABC of Computing for Kids" aims at helping kids familiarize with the day-to day terms related to computing in an absolutely easy and fun-loving manner. What's more! As parents and teachers, sometimes you may find it difficult to make the tiny tots understand things when they suddenly throw a volley of questions at you. Well, we assure you that you will no longer be caught in a jiffy. Alphabets, from now, will have a whole new conception. So forget the old style A for Apple and B for Ball. We are the Gen Y and learning things the bizarre way, is our way!

Hope all of you enjoy going through this eBook as well.?Do share with us your comments and experiences. Tell us if it made a small difference in your kid's learning process. We'd be satisfied to have done a good job.

Merry Christmas folks!

For more of such helpful eBooks, follow us on Twitter.

Source: http://www.e-junkie.info/2012/12/abc-of-computing-for-kids-free-ebook.html

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Global Enterprise Unified Communication Infrastructure Market 2011 ...

NEW YORK, Dec. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ ? Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Global Enterprise Unified Communication Infrastructure Market 2011-2015
http://www.reportlinker.com/p01055025/Global-Enterprise-Unified-Communication-Infrastructure-Market-2011-2015.html#utm_source=prnewswireutm_medium=prutm_campaign=Telecommunication_Services

TechNavio?s analysts forecast the Global Enterprise Unified Communication Infrastructure market to grow at a CAGR of 3.11 percent over the period 2011-2015. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the increasing globalization of enterprises. The Global Enterprise Unified Communication Infrastructure market has also been witnessing the increasing demand for enterprise mobility. However, the high initial cost could pose a challenge to the growth of this market.

TechNavio?s report, the Global Enterprise Unified Communication Infrastructure Market 2011-2015, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the Americas, and the EMEA and APAC regions; it also covers the Global Enterprise Unified Communication Infrastructure market landscape and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

The key vendors dominating this market space are Cisco Systems Inc., Avaya Inc., Microsoft Inc., and Alcatel-Lucent SA.

The other vendors mentioned in the report are Siemens AG, IBM Corp., NEC Corp., Mitel Networks, Interactive Intelligence Inc., and SAP AG.

Key questions answered in this report:
What will the market size be in 2015 and what will the growth rate be?
What are the key market trends?
What is driving this market?
What are the challenges to market growth?
Who are the key vendors in this market space?
What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?
You can request one free hour of analyst time when you purchase this report. Details provided within the report.

TechNavio?s research portfolio in the Telecom series includes reports on the GPS Market, eCommerce Market, Mobile Application Market, M2M Market, VoIP Market, LBS Market, NFC Market, IPTV Market, Set Top Box Market, Unified Communications Market, Mobile Enterprise Market, Mobile Commerce Market, GPS Navigation Market, Telepresence Market, Femtocell Market, Telecom Software Market, LTE Infrastructure Market, Digital Map Market

Methodology
Research methodology is based on extensive primary and secondary research. Primary research includes in-depth interviews with industry experts, vendors, resellers and customers. Secondary research includes Technavio Platform, industry publications, company reports, news articles, analyst reports, trade associations and the data published by Government agencies.

01. Executive Summary
02. Introduction
03. Market Coverage
Market Overview
Key Offerings
04. Market Landscape
04.1 Structure of Global Enterprise UC Infrastructure Market
04.2 Size and Forecast of Global Enterprise UC Infrastructure Market
04.3 Enterprise UC Infrastructure Market by Category
Enterprise Legacy UC Infrastructure Market
Enterprise UC Ready Infrastructure Market
04.4 Enterprise UC Infrastructure Market by Components
04.5 Telephony Infrastructure Market
Market Size and Forecast
Enterprise UC Telephony Infrastructure Market by Category
Enterprise Telephony Infrastructure Market: UC Ready
Enterprise Telephony Infrastructure Market: Legacy UC
04.6 E-mail Infrastructure Market
Market Size and Forecast
UC E-mail Infrastructure Market by Category
Enterprise E-mail Infrastructure Market: UC Ready
04.7 Unified Messaging Infrastructure Market
Market Size and Forecast
04.8 Wireless E-mail Server Infrastructure Market
Market Size and Forecast
UC Wireless E-mail Server Infrastructure Market by Category
Enterprise Wireless E-mail Server Infrastructure Market: UC Ready
04.9 Video Infrastructure Market
Market Size and Forecast
UC Video Infrastructure Market by Category
Enterprise Video Infrastructure Market: UC Ready
Enterprise Video Infrastructure Market: Legacy UC
04.10 Web Conferencing Infrastructure Market
Market Size and Forecast
Enterprise UC Web Conferencing Infrastructure Market by Category
Enterprise Web Conferencing Infrastructure Market: UC Ready
04.11 Audio Conferencing Infrastructure Market
Market Size and Forecast
Enterprise UC Audio Conferencing Infrastructure Market by Category
Enterprise Audio Conferencing Infrastructure Market: UC Ready
Enterprise Audio Conferencing Infrastructure Market: Legacy UC
04.12 Enterprise Instant Messaging Infrastructure Market
Market Size and Forecast
04.13 Voice Mail Infrastructure Market
Market Size and Forecast
Enterprise UC Voice Mail Infrastructure Market by Category
Enterprise Voice Mail Infrastructure Market: UC Ready
Enterprise Voice Mail Infrastructure Market: Legacy UC
04.14 Fixed Mobile Convergence Infrastructure Market
Market Size and Forecast
04.15 Enterprise Session Border Controller Infrastructure Market
Market Size and Forecast
UC Enterprise Session Border Controller Infrastructure Market by Category
Enterprise Session Border Controller Infrastructure Market: UC Ready
04.16 Five Forces Analysis
05. Geographical Segmentation
06. Vendor Landscape
07. Buying Criteria
08. Market Growth Drivers
09. Drivers and their Impact
10. Market Challenges
11. Impact of Drivers and Challenges
12. Market Trends
13. Key Vendor Analysis
13.1 Cisco Systems Inc.
Business Overview
SWOT Analysis
13.2 Avaya Inc.
Business Overview
SWOT Analysis
13.3 Microsoft Corp.
Business Overview
SWOT Analysis
13.4 Alcatel-Lucent SA
Business Overview
SWOT Analysis
14. Other Reports in this Series

List of Exhibits:
Exhibit 1: Structure of Global Enterprise Unified Communication Infrastructure Market
Exhibit 2: Global Enterprise Unified Communication Infrastructure Market 2011-2015 (US$ million)
Exhibit 3: Enterprise Unified Communication Infrastructure Market by Category
Exhibit 4: Global Enterprise Unified Communication Infrastructure Market by Type of Unified Communication Infrastructure 2011-2015 (percentage)
Exhibit 5: Global Enterprise Legacy Unified Communication Infrastructure Market 2011-2015 (US$ million)
Exhibit 6: Global Unified Communication Ready Enterprise Infrastructure Market 2011-2015 (US$ million)
Exhibit 7: Components of Enterprise Unified Communication Infrastructure Market
Exhibit 8: Global Enterprise Unified Communication Infrastructure Market by Components 2011 (percentage)
Exhibit 9: Global Enterprise Unified Communication Infrastructure Market by Components 2011-2015 (percentage)
Exhibit 10: Global Enterprise Unified Communication Telephony Infrastructure Market 2011-2015 (US$

Article source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-enterprise-unified-communication-infrastructure-market-2011-2015-184667371.html

Source: http://ctolabs.com/2012/12/global-enterprise-unified-communication-infrastructure-market-2011-2015/

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Mass. fines Morgan Stanley $5M over Facebook IPO

BOSTON (AP) -- Morgan Stanley, the lead underwriter for Facebook's troubled public stock offering, has agreed to pay $5 million to Massachusetts' securities regulators after they accused it of disclosing a revenue shortfall only to certain analysts and not the general public.

According to state regulators, a Morgan Stanley banker organized phone calls between Facebook's treasurer and the analysts of major underwriters to relay revenue figures that weren't included in revised documents Facebook Inc. filed with U.S. securities authorities on May 9, about a week before the initial public offering of stock.

The numbers were lower than what many analysts had expected and caused them to revise their annual revenue estimates down about 3 percent below the $5 billion that Facebook had earlier forecast for 2012, according to Massachusetts officials.

The renewed estimates were available to investment banks but not individual investors who bought into one of the most highly anticipated initial public offerings of stock in history.

"Main Street investors were put at a significant disadvantage to Wall Street," Massachusetts' Secretary of the Commonwealth, William Galvin, said in a press release Monday.

Facebook shares were priced at $38, the top of a projected range, but finished the first day of exuberant trading barely above its initial public offering price, at $38.23. Since then, shares have failed to return to that lofty valuation. On Monday, they closed down 3 cents at $26.78, about 30 percent below the IPO price.

Morgan Stanley didn't admit guilt but agreed to be censured and pay the fine. Spokesman Wesley McDade said in a statement that the company was pleased "to have put this matter behind us."

"Morgan Stanley is committed to robust compliance with both the letter and the spirit of all applicable regulations and laws," he said.

In October, Massachusetts' Galvin also slapped Citigroup with a $2 million fine after one of its analysts leaked information to a popular technology blog that was supposed to be private until 40 days after Facebook's IPO. The employee was fired.

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FACEBOOK_IPO_FINE?SITE=TXCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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As 2013 Looms, U.S. Housing Market Completes 13th Straight ...

Stan Humphries
December 18th, 2012

Zillow?s November Real Estate Market Reports, released today, show that national home values rose 0.6% from October to November to $156,200 (Figure 1). November 2012 marks the 13^th consecutive month of home value appreciation. On a year-over-year basis, home values were up by 5.2% (Figure 2) in November 2012 ? a rate of annual appreciation we haven?t seen since August 2006 (when the rate was 6%), before the peak of the housing bubble. Rents are still appreciating, currently at 4.5% on a year-over-year level (Figure 3). The Zillow Home Value Forecast, which is now available on a monthly basis, calls for 2.5% appreciation nationally from November 2012 to November 2013. Most markets have already hit a bottom ? with only 10 out of 255 not projected to hit a bottom within the next year ? and 46 out of the 255 markets covered are forecasted to experience home value appreciation of 3% or higher.

Home Values

The November Zillow Real Estate Market Reports, the first measure of November national home value trends available anywhere, cover 361 metropolitan and micropolitan areas, more markets than any other available source of real estate data. In November, 214 (59%) of the 361 markets showed monthly home value appreciation, and 226 (63%) of the 361 markets saw annual home value appreciation. Among the top 30 metros, 25 experienced monthly home value appreciation and 26 saw annual increases. The only annual declines among the top 30 metros took place in Chicago (-1.4%), Atlanta (-1.4%), Philadelphia (-0.4%) and New York (-0.3%). Leading the pack in positive monthly appreciation were Sacramento, Detroit, Phoenix and San Francisco, which experienced 1.8%, 1.5%, 1.4%, and 1.4% monthly home value appreciation, respectively. Overall, national home values were down 19.4% from their peak in May 2007 and up 5.3% from the post-recession trough in October 2011.

Rents

The Zillow Rent Index (ZRI) covers 436 metropolitan areas and shows year-over-year gains for 290 metropolitan areas covered by the ZRI. Even as the housing market picks up steam again, the rental market remains strong (Figure 3). Markets that saw extremely strong annual rent appreciation include Chicago (7.3%), Boston (7.1%), Pittsburgh (6.4%), Baltimore (6.3%) and San Francisco (5.8%). Part of the reason the for-sale market has been seeing such strong home value appreciation in some California markets, Phoenix and Florida markets (among others) is that investors have been buying for-sale properties, mostly distressed, and have been converting them to for-rent units to satisfy increased demand since the housing bubble burst.

Foreclosures

The rate of homes foreclosed continued to decline in November with 5.26 out of every 10,000 homes in the country being liquidated. Nationally, foreclosure re-sales continued to fall, making up 12.4% of all sales in November (Figure 4). This is down 3.8 percentage points from November 2011.

Outlook

As we are nearing the end of 2012, it?s safe to say that 2012 was indeed a transitional year as we had predicted at the end of 2011. Home values rose much stronger than we thought ? up 5.3% from the October 2011 bottom in home values. We are in the midst of a housing recovery, and the majority of markets across the nation have hit a bottom in home values. The Zillow Home Value Forecast calls for 2.5% appreciation nationally from November 2012 to November 2013. The rental market was indeed a bright spot in 2012, with rental values appreciating throughout the year compared to the prior year. This rental appreciation spurred investor interest (wanting to convert distressed single family residences into rental units), which in turn translated into rising home value appreciation in the for sale market in many markets across the nation.?Negative equity is now below 30 percent (28.2%) nationally and is trending down. The year-end ?fiscal cliff? remains a risk factor in our forecast, as it will likely create uncertainty with consequences for consumer confidence and employment growth and, if not successfully navigated, will create real disruptions in the economy.

Source: http://www.zillow.com/blog/research/2012/12/18/as-2013-looms-u-s-housing-market-completes-13th-straight-month-of-home-value-appreciation/

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Israel to face new condemnation for settlements

UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? The Palestinians said Tuesday that all of the U.N. Security Council members except the United States will condemn Israel's recent announcements of new settlement construction which are making a two-state solution more difficult to achieve.

Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said the 14 other council members will tell reporters after the council's monthly Mideast meeting on Wednesday that continuing settlement activity is illegal and must be stopped.

The United States delivered a rare blunt rebuke to Israel, its top Mideast ally, on Tuesday for its new settlement construction, but Mansour said the Obama administration won't approve a Security Council resolution or statement.

He said there is near global unanimity against Israel's actions, pointing to the 169-6 vote in the General Assembly Tuesday on a non-binding resolution condemning settlement activities by Israel and demanding their immediate cessation.

"Unfortunately, one powerful country with veto power does not want the Security Council to act accordingly," Mansour said. "Therefore, the 14 other countries in the Security Council, in their own creative way, will make their position clear, collectively or separately, to the media outside the chamber on Wednesday."

He said the four West European council members ? Germany, France, Britain and Portugal ? would issue a statement of condemnation, followed by India speaking on behalf of the Nonaligned Movement of mainly developing countries, and other council members likely including South Africa, Russia and China.

"Therefore one can say 14 versus 1 is the reality of the Security Council in condemning Israel settlement activity ? although the one is also condemning," Mansour said.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced plans to build thousands of homes in settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in response to the U.N. General Assembly's decision last month to upgrade the Palestinians' status to a nonmember observer state. On Monday, he said Israel will push forward with plans to build 1,500 apartments in east Jerusalem, the Palestinians' hoped-for capital.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland accused Israel of engaging in a "pattern of provocative action" that runs counter to the government's commitment to peace. She said settlement activity only puts the goal of peace "further at risk" and urged both Israel and the Palestinians to halt all provocations and take steps to revive long-stalled peace talks.

Her comments came as the United States grows increasingly frustrated with the Israelis, who continue to announce new settlement activity and take other measures to punish the Palestinians for the U.N. vote recognizing the state of Palestine, despite U.S. calls for restraint.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Tuesday called all Israeli settlements "illegal under international law."

He urged Israel to reverse its latest expansion plan in east Jerusalem, warning that if implemented "it would make a negotiated two-state solution, with Jerusalem as a shared capital, very difficult to achieve."

The European Union, Israel's biggest trading partner, has been increasingly vocal in its criticism of new settlements just as Israel is gearing up for general elections next month. In an unprecedented move, a string of European governments summoned their local Israeli ambassadors to lodge protests following the Israeli settlement announcements.

Wednesday's expected statement by key European countries on the U.N.'s most powerful body would be a symbolic, but nonetheless high-profile show of displeasure with the Israelis.

Israel's Netanyahu has been unshaken by the criticism, and on Tuesday he vowed to continue building in east Jerusalem. "Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the state of Israel, and we will continue to build there. A united Jerusalem expresses a wide national agreement," he said in the northern Israeli town of Acre.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said the idea of taking action at the United Nations only lowers the chances of renewing peace talks, and he insisted the only way to advance negotiations is "to weigh on the Palestinians and convince them to return to the negotiating table."

"Fiddling with U.N. resolutions will take us the opposite way," he added. "So it's their choice to make, a step forward or two steps backward."

Despite its vocal frustration, the United States has repeatedly blocked Security Council condemnation of Israeli settlements.

Almost exactly a year ago, the four West European nations issued a statement critical of Israeli settlements at the Security Council. They and the other 10 members pointed a finger at the United States for blocking any condemnation of Israel's accelerated settlement construction.

That scenario is likely to be repeated on Wednesday.

The United States also vetoed a U.N. resolution in February 2011 that would have condemned "illegal" Israeli settlements and urged an immediate halt to all settlement building. The 14 other Security Council members voted in favor of the resolution.

The General Assembly decision recognized a Palestinian state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. That annexation that has not been recognized internationally.

Israel rejects a return to the 1967 lines and accused the Palestinians of bypassing negotiations with the U.N. bid.

Peace talks have been frozen for four years, in large part because of the settlement issue. The Palestinians refuse to negotiate while Israel expands its settlements, which are now home to more than 500,000 Israelis.

Netanyahu has rejected calls to halt settlement construction, saying that a partial freeze he imposed in 2009 and 2010 failed to restart substantive negotiations. He says talks should resume without any preconditions.

Israeli officials have brushed off the international criticism as either unfair or by portraying it as a disagreement among friends. But officials say the increasingly frosty relations with Europe are a cause for concern.

___

Keaten reported from Paris. Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Juergen Baetz in Berlin and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-face-condemnation-settlements-214807008.html

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Google Maps For iOS Was Downloaded Over 10M Times In Its First 48 Hours After Launch

According to Google's Jeff Huber, Google Maps for iOS is a runaway success, having seen more than 10 million downloads in just 48 hours after its launch. This is a pretty huge number, and it's rare that a company as large as Google would share such numbers. The app stands atop the free app leaderboard on Apple's App Store, clearly suggesting that the people have spoken. They prefer Google's offering to Apple's, which is bundled with iOS 6.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/a6vTRGGylIo/

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Deal of the Day ? 14? HP ENVY TouchSmart 4t-1100 Core i3 Ultrabook

Saturday’s LogicBUY Deal is the customizable 14.1″?HP ENVY TouchSmart 4t-1100 Ultrabook, starting at $649.99. ?Features: ?Core i3-3217U 1.8GHz Dual-core 500GB hard drive and 32GB mSSD, 4GB RAM, 14″ 1366 X 768 LED-backlit LCD screen, Intel HD 4000 graphics, HD webcam, Wireless N and Bluetooth, WiDi, 4-cell Lithium-ion battery, 15-month subscription to NIS, Windows 8. $799.99 [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/12/15/deal-of-the-day-14-hp-envy-touchsmart-4t-1100-core-i3-ultrabook/

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Self Improvement Times: Power of Mind Techniques Will Speed Up ...

There has been a lot of work done on the way our mind functions in relation to what we accomplish in life.There is a strong link between success development and the way we think. Researchers have discovered that successful people think in a particular way and manage their life better and more effectively than unsuccessful people.This has led them to develop power of mind disciplines to educate others to think in a similar way. These tools are readily available to all of us.

Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP)

NLP explores the relationship of how we think, communicate and behave. It helps people unblock the structures of human communications and excellence. People can study and learn how these are related and they can change the way they think and act. They can then adopt new, more successful models of human excellence.

It has been used effectively in all areas of personal development such as business management, sales, and sports coaching. It is an effective tool to help you remove barriers and roadblocks that might stand in the way of your own success development. There are a number of books, CDs and online courses you can use. You can employ the services of a NLP coach for faster more effective results.

Self-Hypnosis

When we think of hypnosis we can get images of a stage hypnotist or a Svengali type taking control of our minds and having us do things we would not normally do. Just as an aside: hypnotists cannot put us under their influence unless we want that to happen and they cannot make us do things that would go against our normal behaviour.

A Scottish doctor, James Braid in 1841, brought self-hypnosis to light. He employed the same hypnotherapy techniques he used on patients to relieve his own severe rheumatism. Since then, it has been used extensively to relieve many physical and mental ailments. Its techniques can be applied to any area of life we want to change and they can be learned by anyone. It is one of the most effective self-help systems we have.

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)

This is a combination of Western and Eastern medicine. We use the repetitive phrasing of hypnotherapy with the physical connection to the meridians of the body found in Chinese acupuncture. You stimulate energy points in the body by tapping with your fingers while repeating a phrase. Professionals who use it say is quicker than traditional treatment, which can take several sessions with a psychiatrist to get the same results. Many professional believe it is a breakthrough in modern mental treatment.

The great part is, it is something we can all easily learn, it does not cost anything and it is effective. While it was originally used to deal with emotional issues, it is now used to relieve physical pain, overweight and habits such as smoking. It is very effective in helping us to change the way we think and to remove mental barriers to our personal development.

These three disciplines have been proven to be effective in success development. They recognize the fundamental principle that proper use of mind power dictates the results we get in life. They can be an effective form of self-help, but NLP is more difficult and works better with a professional. However, it is easy to learn the basics of self-hypnosis and EFT and they work very well together.

You can use these modern power of mind techniques to start changing yourself to the person you want to be. There is no doubt they will accelerate your success development and give you every chance of achieving the goals you have set.

----------------------------------------------------
Speed up you success development with EFT and hypnotherapy techniques on the FREE software at http://powerofmind.personaldevelopment.mobi William Burnell has built and sold his own business, and he has run successful sales teams. He knows what it takes to stay motivated and to stay focused on your objectives to get what you want.

EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=304576

Source: http://selfimprovementtimes.blogspot.com/2012/12/power-of-mind-techniques-will-speed-up.html

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Source: http://kivaceu.posterous.com/self-improvement-times-power-of-mind-techniqu

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Congress Is On Instagram ? Why Isn&#39;t Your Nonprofit? | Business 2 ...

What was once a bastion for teens and the tech-savvy to share photos of their?feet at the beach,?food porn?and?tall buildings shot from interesting angles, Instagram has now attracted a new set of users ? politicians.

According to?The Hill?s Twitter Room, Congressmen and women are now jumping on the Instagram bandwagon.

Instagram account for Rep. Steny Hoyer, Maryland

Since being acquired by Facebook in April, the popular photo-sharing site has grown in leaps and bounds.

According to a September comScore report, Instagram now has more active daily visitors on mobile than Twitter!

Many nonprofit organizations that have a visual element (i.e., all of them) still have not heard of Instagram, which is a shame.

The site remains popular due to the absence of ads (but no lack of spam unfortunately) and the pure quality of the site.

Members of Congress use Instagram to:

• Connect directly with their constituents
• Show their personality
• Photographing interesting meetings ? for example, House Speaker John Boehner showing Myanmar?s opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi the view from his balcony
• Post photos of Washington DC and Capital Hill
• Showcase photos and events from the Congress person?s home district

Couldn?t your nonprofit use Instagram to do many of these things?

Worth thinking about!

Does your nonprofit use Instagram? If not, why not? If so, post your link in the Comments or on myFacebook Page?and we?ll check you out. Thanks for reading!?

Source: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/congress-is-on-instagram-why-isnt-your-nonprofit-0356171

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Source: http://dokholjobor.blogspot.com/2012/12/fonz-impelled-kinramnaiji-farrahjhonson.html

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Flesh-eating fungus responsible for five deaths in wake of massive tornado

Dec. 14, 2012 ? A fast growing, flesh-eating fungus killed 5 people following a massive tornado that devastated Joplin, Mo., according to two new studies based on genomic sequencing by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Health officials should be aware of infections caused by the fungus Apophysomyces, according to the studies, which tracked 13 people infected by the pathogen during the Class EF-5 tornado -- the most powerful category -- whose 200-plus mph winds plowed through Joplin on May 22, 2011, initially killing 160 and injuring more than 1,000.

The common fungus -- which lives in soil, wood or water -- usually has no effect on people. But once it is introduced deep into the body through a blunt trauma puncture wound, it can grow quickly if the proper medical response is not immediate, the studies said. Five of the 13 people infected through injuries suffered during the Joplin tornado died within two weeks.

"Increased awareness of fungi as a cause of necrotizing soft-tissue infections after a natural disaster is warranted ? since early treatment may improve outcomes," concluded one study published Dec. 6 in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Using whole genome sequencing, which decoded the billions of chemical letters in the fungus' DNA, TGen scientists concluded that the Joplin infections represented the largest documented cluster of Apophysomyces infections, according to a study published Nov. 27 in the journal PLOS One.

"This is one of the most severe fungal infections that anyone's ever seen," said David Engelthaler, Director of Programs and Operations for TGen's Pathogen Genomics Division. Engelthaler was the senior author of the PLOS One study, and a contributing author of the NEJM study.

"We're able to apply the latest in science and technology to explore these strange and dangerous pathogens, like we've never been able to before," said Engelthaler, adding that this is the latest in a series of collaborations between CDC and TGen. "This is the first peek into the genome of this dangerous fungus."

Dr. Benjamin Park, chief of the Epidemiology Team at the CDC's Mycotic Diseases Branch, said the victims were infected when their injuries from the tornado were contaminated with debris from the storm, including gravel, wood and soil, as well as the aerosolized fungus.

Without the multiple and deep wounds caused the by the storm, cases involving fungal infection are rare, said Dr. Park, the senior author of the NEJM study and a contributing author of the PLOS One study. "A typical hospital might normally see one case in a year."

Engelthaler said Apophysomyces infections rapidly ravage the body, quickly sealing off capillaries, shutting off the blood supply and leaving tissue to rot. Physicians try to get ahead of the infection by surgically removing sections of dead, damaged or infected tissue, a process called debridement.

For example, Engelthaler said, one victim who suffered a deep wound to the upper right chest required a new titanium rib cage after the fungus rapidly destroyed skin and bones.

"It's unlike anything you've ever seen before," said Engelthaler, a former State of Arizona Epidemiologist and former Arizona Biodefense Coordinator. "It's unreal. It looks like there is no way this person can be alive."

The studies show the need for rapid and accurate identification of the exact mold causing an infection, since only two FDA-approved drugs -- amphotericin B and posaconazole -- are commonly used against mucormycetes, the group of molds that includes Apophysomyces and causes mucormycosis.

"It is not known whether the outcomes for these case patients would have been different if mucormycete-active agents had been used initially," said the NEJM study. "The timely diagnosis of mucormycosis is essential for guiding therapy, because the early initiation of appropriate anti-fungal medication and aggressive surgical debridement are associated with improved outcomes."

Both the NEJM and PLOS One studies said whole genome sequencing could lead to better diagnosis and a better understanding of this pathogen.

TGen's DNA sequencing identified Apophysomyces in all 13 of the Joplin cases. The DNA analysis also established that several strains of Apophysomyces were involved in the outbreak, giving scientists further clues that this fungus was well established in the area, and probably had been so for a long time.

"These disasters put us at risk for exposure to organisms that are around us, but don't normally cause disease," Engelthaler said. "There's clearly an entire world out there that we're not seeing on a regular basis. It takes a severe event like this tornado for us to come face-to-face with some of the more dangerous pathogens out there."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by The Translational Genomics Research Institute.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Marion A. Kainer, David R. Reagan, Duc B. Nguyen, Andrew D. Wiese, Matthew E. Wise, Jennifer Ward, Benjamin J. Park, Meredith L. Kanago, Jane Baumblatt, Melissa K. Schaefer, Brynn E. Berger, Ellyn P. Marder, Jea-Young Min, John R. Dunn, Rachel M. Smith, John Dreyzehner, Timothy F. Jones. Fungal Infections Associated with Contaminated Methylprednisolone in Tennessee. New England Journal of Medicine, 2012; 367 (23): 2194 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1212972

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/qCDDzjIS8Lo/121214190951.htm

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888 Locks In Real-Money Gaming Deal with Facebook - Online ...

By: PokerListings.com

UK gaming and poker site 888 Holdings and social media giant Facebook announced today they've reached an agreement to begin offering real-money games.

Using 888's existing social gaming platform, Bingo Island, a real-money gaming option will be offered to Facebook users in the UK in the near future.

Casino and slots options are scheduled to be added in the New Year with poker also a possibility for 2013.

Second Company to Secure Deal

888 becomes just the second gaming company to secure a deal with Facebook for real-money gaming after Gamesys launched Bingo & Slots Friendzy in August.

"888 has long recognized the potential for social gaming," 888 COO Itai Frieberger said in a release.

"Our Facebook freemium (play for fun) offerings have found a significant audience, and we are very excited by the opportunity that real money gaming on Facebook provides.

"We are working closely with Facebook on this launch, ensuring we introduce the best of both worlds of real money and social gaming."

Social gaming heavyweight Zynga is also planning to release a real-money product to its UK customers in 2013 through its deal with bwin.party.

Source: http://www.pokerlistings.com/888-locks-in-real-money-gaming-deal-with-facebook-37521

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Time and Punishment: Mandatory Sentences Face Growing Skepticism

William Widmer for The New York Times

LEFT BEHIND Wendy Evil raised her sister's three children when her sister, Stephanie George, went to prison.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ? Stephanie George and Judge Roger Vinson had quite different opinions about the lockbox seized by the police from her home in Pensacola. She insisted she had no idea that a former boyfriend had hidden it in her attic. Judge Vinson considered the lockbox, containing a half-kilogram of cocaine, to be evidence of her guilt.

Time and Punishment

Tossing the Key

John Tierney, the Findings columnist for Science Times, is exploring the social science of incarceration. Future articles in this series will look at the effects of current policies on families and communities, and new ideas for dealing with offenders.

But the defendant and the judge fully agreed about the fairness of the sentence he imposed in federal court.

?Even though you have been involved in drugs and drug dealing,? Judge Vinson told Ms. George, ?your role has basically been as a girlfriend and bag holder and money holder but not actively involved in the drug dealing, so certainly in my judgment it does not warrant a life sentence.?

Yet the judge had no other option on that morning 15 years ago. As her stunned family watched, Ms. George, then 27, who had never been accused of violence, was led from the courtroom to serve a sentence of life without parole.

?I remember my mom crying out and asking the Lord why,? said Ms. George, now 42, in an interview at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee. ?Sometimes I still can?t believe myself it could happen in America.?

Her sentence reflected a revolution in public policy, often called mass incarceration, that appears increasingly dubious to both conservative and liberal social scientists. They point to evidence that mass incarceration is no longer a cost-effective way to make streets safer, and may even be promoting crime instead of suppressing it.

Three decades of stricter drug laws, reduced parole and rigid sentencing rules have lengthened prison terms and more than tripled the percentage of Americans behind bars. The United States has the highest reported rate of incarceration of any country: about one in 100 adults, a total of nearly 2.3 million people in prison or jail.

But today there is growing sentiment that these policies have gone too far, causing too many Americans like Ms. George to be locked up for too long at too great a price ? economically and socially.

The criticism is resonating with some state and federal officials, who have started taking steps to stop the prison population?s growth. The social scientists are attracting attention partly because the drop in crime has made it a less potent political issue, and partly because of the states? financial problems.

State spending on corrections, after adjusting for inflation, has more than tripled in the past three decades, making it the fastest-growing budgetary cost except Medicaid. Even though the prison population has leveled off in the past several years, the costs remain so high that states are being forced to reduce spending in other areas.

Three decades ago, California spent 10 percent of its budget on higher education and 3 percent on prisons. In recent years the prison share of the budget rose above 10 percent while the share for higher education fell below 8 percent. As university administrators in California increase tuition to cover their deficits, they complain that the state spends much more on each prisoner ? nearly $50,000 per year ? than on each student.

Many researchers agree that the rise in imprisonment produced some initial benefits, particularly in urban neighborhoods, where violence decreased significantly in the 1990s. But as sentences lengthened and the prison population kept growing, it included more and more nonviolent criminals like Ms. George.

Half a million people are now in prison or jail for drug offenses, about 10 times the number in 1980, and there have been especially sharp increases in incarceration rates for women and for people over 55, long past the peak age for violent crime. In all, about 1.3 million people, more than half of those behind bars, are in prison or jail for nonviolent offenses.

Researchers note that the policies have done little to stem the flow of illegal drugs. And they say goals like keeping street violence in check could be achieved without the expense of locking up so many criminals for so long.

While many scholars still favor tough treatment for violent offenders, they have begun suggesting alternatives for other criminals. James Q. Wilson, the conservative social scientist whose work in the 1970s helped inspire tougher policies on prison, several years ago recommended diverting more nonviolent drug offenders from prisons to treatment programs.

Two of his collaborators, George L. Kelling of the Manhattan Institute and John J. DiIulio Jr. of the University of Pennsylvania, have joined with prominent scholars and politicians, including Jeb Bush and Newt Gingrich, in a group called Right on Crime. It advocates more selective incarceration and warns that current policies ?have the unintended consequence of hardening nonviolent, low-risk offenders? so that they become ?a greater risk to the public than when they entered.?

These views are hardly universal, particularly among elected officials worried about a surge in crime if the prison population shrinks. Prosecutors have resisted attempts to change the system, contending that the strict sentences deter crime and induce suspects to cooperate because the penalties provide the police and prosecutors with so much leverage.

Some of the strongest evidence for the benefit of incarceration came from studies by a University of Chicago economist, Steven D. Levitt, who found that penal policies were a major factor in reducing crime during the 1990s. But as crime continued declining and the prison population kept growing, the returns diminished.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/12/science/mandatory-prison-sentences-face-growing-skepticism.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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AP source: no prior record for 22-year-old suspect

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A law enforcement official says the suspect in the Oregon mall shootings is 22 years old and has no prior criminal record.

The official spoke only on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak about an ongoing criminal investigation.

Police say the gunman who opened fire on shoppers at the mall in Portland on Tuesday had no connection to the two people he fatally shot and wanted to kill as many people as possible. Police have not released the gunman's identity of the gunman.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-source-no-prior-record-22-old-suspect-180641950--politics.html

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Most Googled in 2012: Whitney, PSY, Sandy

FILE - In this Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 picture, Whitney Houston accepts an award at the Warner Theatre during the 2010 BET Hip Hop Honors in Washington. Houston was the ?top trending? search of the year, according to Google Inc. People around the globe searched en masse for news about the superstar singer's sad, accidental drowning (AP Photo/Nick Wass, file)

FILE - In this Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 picture, Whitney Houston accepts an award at the Warner Theatre during the 2010 BET Hip Hop Honors in Washington. Houston was the ?top trending? search of the year, according to Google Inc. People around the globe searched en masse for news about the superstar singer's sad, accidental drowning (AP Photo/Nick Wass, file)

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2012, file photo, a man raises his hand during at Google offices, Oct. 17, 2012. The world's attention veered from the tragic to the silly in 2012, and along the way, Web surfers searched in huge numbers to find out about a royal princess, the latest iPad, Mother Nature's wrath and a record-breaking skydiver. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The world's attention wavered between the tragic and the silly in 2012, and along the way, millions of people searched the Web to find out about a royal princess, the latest iPad, and a record-breaking skydiver.

Whitney Houston was the "top trending" search of the year, according to Google Inc.'s year-end "zeitgeist" report. Google's 12th annual roundup is "an in-depth look at the spirit of the times as seen through the billions of searches on Google over the past year," the company said in a blog post Wednesday.

People around the globe searched en masse for news about Houston's accidental drowning in a bathtub just before she was to perform at a pre-Grammy Awards party in February.

Google defines topics as "trending" when they garner a high amount of traffic over a sustained period of time.

Korean rapper PSY's "Gangnam Style" music video trotted into second spot, a testament to his self-deprecating giddy-up dance move. The video is approaching a billion views on YouTube.

Superstorm Sandy, the damaging storm that knocked out power and flooded parts of the East Coast in the midst of a U.S. presidential campaign, was third.

The next biggest trending searches globally were a pair of threes: the iPad 3 tablet from Apple Inc. and Diablo 3, a popular video game.

Rounding out the Top 10 were Kate Middleton, who made news with scandalous photos and a royal pregnancy; the 2012 Olympics in London; Amanda Todd, a Canadian teen who was found dead of an apparent suicide in October after being bullied online; Michael Clarke Duncan, the "Green Mile" actor who died of a heart attack in September at age 54; and "BBB12," the 12th edition of "Big Brother Brasil," a reality show featuring scantily clad men and women living together.

Some trending people, according to Google, were:

? Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian skydiver who became the first to break the sound barrier without a vehicle with a 24-mile plummet from Earth's stratosphere;

? Jeremy Lin, the undrafted NBA star who exploded off the New York Knicks bench and sparked a wave of "Linsanity";

? Morgan Freeman, the actor whose untimely death turned out not to be true.

The Internet also continued its rise as a popular tool for spreading addictive ideas and phrases known as "memes." Remember LOL? If you don't know what it means by now, someone may "Laugh Out Loud" at you.

This year, Facebook said its top memes included "TBH (To Be Honest)," ''YOLO (You Only Live Once)," and "SMH (Shake My Head)." Thanks to an endlessly fascinating U.S. presidential campaign, "Big Bird" made the list after Republican candidate Mitt Romney said he might consider cutting some funds for public broadcasting.

Yahoo said its own top-searched memes for the year included "Kony 2012," a reference to the short film and campaign against Ugandan militia leader Joseph Kony; "stingray photobomb" for an unusual vacation snapshot that went viral; and "binders full of women," another nod to Romney for his awkward description of his search for women cabinet members as Massachusetts' governor.

Ask.com said the top trending news question was related the 2012 Olympics: "How many medals did the U.S. gymnastics team win?" Other top queries on Ask.com included "When is the Facebook IPO?" and "Why was Trayvon Martin shot?"

And people were happy to pass on popular Twitter posts by retweeting them. According to Twitter, the year's most popular retweets were President Barack Obama's "Four more years," and Justin Bieber's farewell to six-year-old fan Avalanna Routh, who died of a rare form of brain cancer: "RIP Avalanna. i love you".

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-12-12-US-Internet-Searches-2012/id-290fe9435ff348038f1f5e50532df45d

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