Shark Tank Chaos, 40 Hacks for Great 2013, Randi Zuckerbergs Facebook Freakout, And More

2012 is quickly drawing to a close, but that doesn't mean the world has stopped turning. We had some good stuff in this last full week, and here's a selection of the best including 40 hacks you won't want to miss, the best concepts of the year that still haven't shown up, mind-bending optical illusions and logic puzzles, how to explain Santa scientifically, and how the Senate wants to keep spying on you. Check it all out below.

Watch Randi Zuckerberg Have a Facebook Freakout Over Her Photo Going Viral

You probably already read about Randi Zuckerberg's faux-privacy violation on Facebook this week. But odds are you're not part of her inner circle. Lucky for you, a tipster who's "Friends" with RZ gave up the goods directly from her wall. More ?

This Awesome Optical Illusion Will Twist Your Brain Into Knots

Kokichi Sugihara loves to screw up human perception. He is the master of 3D optical illusions, designing solid three-dimensional models that do impossible things. This house is his latest creation, presented a few days ago at the European Conference on Visual Perception in Sardinia, Italy. More ?

Senate Approves Warrantless Phone Tapping for Next Five Years

By a vote of 73 to 23, the US Senate just voted for the warrantless surveillance of American citizens until 2017. More ?

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

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

The 10 Most Exciting Concepts of 2012-Where Are You?

When you're obsessed with finding the most awesome gadgets and devices, there's nothing more heartbreaking than the word "concept." Not only does it mean you're not going to find a given device in stores-it usually means you're never going to find it anywhere. More ?

These Are the Best Android Apps of the Year According to Google

You already saw Apple's selection for best apps of the year 2012-which were kind of crappy and ridiculous. Here's Google's own list of best apps for Android. It's not much better than Apple's. Check them out and tell us what you think in the comments. More ?

Huge Shark Tank Breaks Inside Chinese Mall, 15 People Injured

Remember that fake image of a Dubai shopping mall flooded by a broken shark tank? Well, it has happened for real inside a shopping center in Shanghai, China, where 33 tons of water and three sharks invaded the mall after the glass shattered into multiple deadly shards. There are 15 people injured. More ?

40 Tricks You Must Know for a Much Better 2013

2012 is almost over. It's time to get ready for 2013 with these 40 life tricks that will make the next 12 months-and every month of your existence-a lot easier. Some hacks may be familiar, others will make you go "OMFG!" So bookmark this page and pass it along to your loved ones, because the more you remember, the easiest and more convenient 2013 is going to be. More ?

How to Scientifically Explain Santa Claus to Your Children

The Santa questions start firing at you before your kids turn five. How does he speed around the world in a single night? How does he know what I want? Sure, you could deny Santa's existence, but be ready for some tears. More ?

The Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2012

Lots of fun, good, and exciting things happened in our world this year. But there were still so many things that could've been truly great, but flopped. Broken promises. Awful gadgets. Here's what broke Gizmodo's heart in 2012. More ?

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/sXmronG8uMo/shark-tank-chaos-40-hacks-for-great-2013-randi-zuckerbergs-facebook-freakout-and-more

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In-Home Therapy-Master's Level Clinician | Child & Family ...

NEW BEDFORD-MA, Full time, 40 hour, salaried position.? Candidate will need to be able to work some evenings and be available for an on-call rotating shift.

JOB CODE: IHTNB02

Requires:

Masters Degree in Psychology, Social Work or a related field from an accredited educational institution.? Experience/interest in child/adolescent family and intensive home-based family interventions. Able to provide clinical care and support toward effort to prevent hospitalization and maintain youth safely in community. Valid Driver?s License Required.

Summary:

In-Home Therapy is a structured, consistent, strengths-based therapeutic relationship between a licensed clinician and the youth and family for the purpose of meeting the youth?s behavioral health needs, including improving the family?s ability to provide effective support for the youth to promote his/her healthy functioning within the family. Interventions are designed to enhance the family?s capacity to improve the youth?s functioning in the home and community and may prevent the need for the youth?s admission to an inpatient hospital, residential treatment facility or other treatment setting

?Responsibilities:

The following responsibilities are not meant to be all inclusive and may be adjusted to meet the agency?s needs.

• ?Provide direct diagnostic, crisis intervention and treatment services including behavioral strategies within a therapeutic relationship to assist persons to achieve stabilization with the family.
• Advocacy
• Utilize diagnostic skills involving practical knowledge of the DSM-IV and family assessment tools.
• Aggression outreach, tracking and follow-up.
• Maintain production expectations and record keeping requirements.
• Behavioral management training.
• Provide diagnostic and treatment consultation to other agency programs and community agencies.
• Provide Family therapy.
• Participate in appropriate clinical and administrative staff meetings.
• Participate in independent education and training opportunities.
• Training assistance in decision-making, vocational guidance, skill building, problem solving, and support in both crisis and non-crisis situations.

?View Available Benefits

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Source: https://child-familyservices.org/2012/12/in-home-therapy-masters-level-clinician-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=in-home-therapy-masters-level-clinician-2

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Source: http://naricadyrepi.posterous.com/in-home-therapy-master39s-level-clinician-chi

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New Israeli right-wing leader worries Netanyahu

In this Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012 photo, Naftali Bennett, head of the Jewish Home party, speaks in Ashdod, Israel. The charismatic new leader of Israel's Jewish religious right is siphoning a large chunk of votes from the prime minister's party, according to polls ahead of Jan. 22 elections, and if the trend continues, the high-tech millionaire and former commando could emerge as a powerful voice opposing Palestinian statehood. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

In this Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012 photo, Naftali Bennett, head of the Jewish Home party, speaks in Ashdod, Israel. The charismatic new leader of Israel's Jewish religious right is siphoning a large chunk of votes from the prime minister's party, according to polls ahead of Jan. 22 elections, and if the trend continues, the high-tech millionaire and former commando could emerge as a powerful voice opposing Palestinian statehood. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

In this Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012 photo, Naftali Bennett, head of the Jewish Home party, speaks in Ashdod, Israel. The charismatic new leader of Israel's Jewish religious right is siphoning a large chunk of votes from the prime minister's party, according to polls ahead of Jan. 22 elections, and if the trend continues, the high-tech millionaire and former commando could emerge as a powerful voice opposing Palestinian statehood.(AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

RAANANA, Israel (AP) ? The charismatic new leader of Israel's Jewish religious right is siphoning a large chunk of votes from the prime minister's party, according to polls ahead of Jan. 22 elections, and if the trend continues, the high-tech millionaire and former commando could emerge as a powerful voice opposing Palestinian statehood.

Though Naftali Bennett, the 40-year-old son of American immigrants, is a classic religious hard-liner, comfortable in the settlements he champions, he has been able to draw on his military and entrepreneurial background to widen his appeal to secular circles as well. His sprawling, modern home in Raanana, an upscale suburb of Tel Aviv, is far from the barren hilltops of the West Bank settlers who form the backbone of his support.

Polls show his Jewish Home party becoming the third-largest in the upcoming parliament, behind Netanyahu's Likud-Yisrael Beitenu bloc and the centrist Labor. As Bennett's party gains ground, it has been steadily eating into Netanyahu's still-formidable lead. Several of Netanyahu's recent moves, including a surge in settlement construction announcements, have been attributed to the "Bennett factor."

Philosophically, Bennett and his party would fit easily into a hardline government of the type Netanyahu is expected to put together, though the political newcomer and the Israeli leader ? his former boss and political mentor ? have a history of bad blood that deepened over this past week.

Bennett's campaign has enlivened an otherwise drab election season. The Jewish Home party currently has five seats in the 120-member parliament, but polls since Bennett took over the leadership show it could win up to 15 in the election. Bennett says his goal is to broaden the base of his party by appealing to centrist, secular voters alongside the traditional backing of settlers and their supporters.

His political message, however, doesn't sound centrist.

"My positions are very clear: I never hide the fact that I categorically oppose a Palestinian state inside our country," Bennett told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. In the terminology of religiously devout hard-liners, "our country" means not only Israel, but also the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which the Palestinians hopes to incorporate into a future state, with east Jerusalem as its capital.

Bennett takes pride in his straight-talking campaign and accuses other politicians ? including Netanyahu ? of being "ambiguous."

Bennett, a father of four, also has an image perhaps more palatable to the Tel Aviv hipsters he hopes to target: Success on their secular terms.

After serving in the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit, Bennett made a fortune in the largely secular world of high technology. In 1999, he co-founded Cyota, an anti-fraud software company that he sold in 2005 to U.S.-based RSA Security for $145 million. He says he is living in Raanana, rather than a settlement, for unspecified "personal reasons."

"There is a huge gap between his appearance and his content," said Amnon Abramovitch, a veteran political commentator for Israel's Channel 2 TV. "He looks very modern, he speaks very liberally, but his messages are very extreme."

Political columnist Sima Kadmon said Bennett's clean, family image and modern lifestyle blind some of his supporters to his hard-line positions.

"Quite a few secular young men and women have fallen into that honey trap," she wrote.

Bennett rejects the barbs, saying his positions are clear and distinctly hawkish: He opposes a Palestinian state, the uprooting of settlements and territorial concessions that most of the world deem necessary for peace. He's presented a plan that calls for the annexation of much of the West Bank territory Israel currently controls.

"I say the same thing everywhere I go," he insists. "The mistake is to categorize me as extreme."

Bennett turned to politics after the sale of Cyota and served as Netanyahu's chief of staff for two years. They parted ways after a mysterious falling out he won't discuss but that Israeli media have linked to Netanyahu's wife, Sara, who wields great influence over the prime minister's inner circle.

He and Netanyahu clashed again when Bennett, then leader of the mainstream settler group, fiercely opposed Netanyahu's decision in late 2009 to slow settlement construction for 10 months in a U.S.-led effort to encourage Palestinians to renew peace talks.

This year, he took his positions to the national political arena. Two months ago, he captured the chairmanship of the stodgy Jewish Home party from its colorless leader and set out to transform the party's image. Bennett took his campaign everywhere from remote West Bank settlement outposts to trendy bars in Tel Aviv.

The strategy worked, and Jewish Home started gaining in the polls.

Evidence that Bennett was a political force to be reckoned with came this week when Israel's top-rated comedy show, "A Wonderful Country," introduced a new character, iBennett: a user-friendly app that shows a broadly smiling Bennett-lookalike making extremist political pronouncements ? described as bugs in the system.

Netanyahu hit back after Bennett told a TV interviewer last week that he would personally prefer to go to jail than to obey an order to evict Jewish settlers from their homes under a peace deal, as happened when Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005.

The prime minister summoned all three major Israeli TV stations for rare domestic interviews and announced that anyone who preached insubordination in the military would not be welcome in his next government. Netanyahu's camp then followed up with a campaign of posters and newspaper ads depicting Bennett as irresponsible and extremist.

Bennett says his comments have been distorted, that he wasn't preaching insubordination but voicing his own personal opinion ? one that resonates widely within the religious right, which was traumatized by the Gaza pullout.

"I think people are looking for the truth and are drawn to real people who speak at eye level, even if sometimes they make mistakes," he said. "It was an unfortunate comment, but aside from wars I don't think the prime minister ever calls all the TV stations to him at once. The public isn't buying this spin and rejects it entirely."

Despite the campaign conflicts, Bennett insists he can work with Netanyahu.

"The question is who will be by his side," he said. "Netanyahu will drive the bus, but I refuse that he be alone at the wheel. I'll be there to put a hand on the wheel and influence where it goes."

____

Follow Heller on Twitter (at) aronhellerap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-27-Israel-Rightist%20Rival/id-3f97cb2487404198a0fed4927b32a700

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Business VoIP Bolsters US BPO Companies

Outsourcing, particularly business process outsourcing (BPO), is among the booming industries in the US. Basically, outsourcing involves the hiring of an outside company by another company, government agency or an organization. The former would perform the tasks of the latter. Some of these tasks include human resource management, financial transaction processing and call centers.

Many businesses now rely on outsourcing as it streamlines work-flow and lessens their expenses. According to a study, the global outsourcing revenues reached $425 billion in 2010. This figure jumped to $500 billion in 2011. Today, US companies are among the leaders in the BPO industry. One reason why BPO companies earned the trust of customers is due to the use of communication technological advancements such as VoIP. Having a reliable communications system is essential and crucial to BPO companies especially for the starting ones.?

VoIP for business has a lot of benefits that really work to the advantage of BPO companies. Here are some of the significant benefits that matter to their business.????????????

???????? Greatly lessens their costs. The BPO companies particularly those involved in call centers have huge volumes of incoming and outgoing calls daily. The traditional phone system would cost them so much, and thus would not generate them their desired revenues. With VoIP, they enjoy lower rates on international calls and the elimination of long distance charges among offices.

???? Makes BPO work simpler. With the traditional system, BPO companies suffer from unanswered phone calls, which is not good for them. It is undesirable because it might create an impression that the company rejects the customers. But with VoIP, there are no more missed calls of customer inquiries. One good example is the voice recordings that can answer customers in the absence of the agents. Usually, BPO companies have a list of commonly asked questions. For this, they have voice recordings of answers to make work simpler and more efficient.

???????? Seamless connection among stations. As one of their strategies, BPO companies also have stations in other countries. In this situation, they need to have seamless connections for easy communication with business partners and managers. Using VoIP lets them have smooth communication. It is very important especially when giving updates and reports.

These are just some of the primary benefits of business VoIP that really works for small and medium business companies and even large BPO companies. These can also work for organizations and government agencies that seek to lessen their spending on communication. In recent years, VoIP service has become more and more attractive since it does not only offer affordable rates but also quality and excellent services. There are now actually VoIP providers that offer services and plans that specifically targets office needs. Some of the good service providers have plans such as Pro, ProPlus and ProBusiness. Basically, these plans address the needs of your company based on its level and capabilities. As a result, you enjoy efficient use of the VoIP service.??

The BPO industry has been contributing to the economy. However, it can contribute more if the companies maximize the use of VoIP, which will lead to a boost in their industry and eventually the country?s economy.

Source: http://www.itmashable.com/2012/12/business-voip-bolsters-us-bpo-companies.html

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The end of One London Bridge ? and the end of London Bridge itself ...

Old London Bridge, courtesy of Motco, with the site of my ancestor?s house at One London Brige arrowed in red.

In the second half of the 18th Century my family lived at One London Bridge ? the first house and shop you came to as you entered the City of London? from the Southwark end. One of the things which I find incredibly sad about the family diaries from the 18th and 19th Centuries is the story of Francis Hall (the younger of two sons which my 4xgreat grandfather had by his first wife). After all, he never really wanted to be a shopkeeper ? he was never trained as a haberdasher like his father and elder brother, and was only drafted in to the family business at Number One London Bridge when brother William got bored with the retail trade and deserted the shop for the freedom of being a silk-man. That was in the 1790?s.

Francis stepped into the breach without complaint. His life wasn?t easy ? his first wife died in 1799 shortly after giving birth to a son. Her previous pregnancies had resulted in three live births (all three of them boys and all three of them dying within a couple of months) and a pair of stillborn twins. She was just 28 at the time of her death, which resulted from complications linked to the birth, but the latest child, another boy, somehow survived.

Bringing up a tiny infant while trying to run the business must have been a daunting task for the newly widowed Francis ? it doesn?t bear thinking about! In practice he married again fairly soon afterwards, but never had any more children.

From the moment when he became an owner of the business (jointly with father Richard, who took no part in the running of the shop, but who paid all the bills and pocketed half the profits) Francis knew that he was in charge of an asset which had a declining value as the lease ran out. Richard had originally signed a 61 year lease from the Corporation of London at an annual rent of just under ?28. It would inevitably expire on Christmas Day 1826, at which point Francis would have to move out and surrender possession to the Landlord. He must have felt the clock ticking every day, especially after his father died in 1801 leaving him the business. He would know full well that he would be 68 years old when the lease expired ? and he would be losing not just his business but?the?home? he had lived in since he was twelve years old as well.

There was something else looming over Francis ? the knowledge that all he had worked for, all he had done, was likely to be pulled down as soon as the lease was up. He would have known that plans had been mooted from the very beginning of the century to pull down the old bridge and put up a new one just upstream? and that the building at One London Bridge would be demolished so that improved access roads could be constructed. Year by year the knife would have been driven home ? a competition to find the best design, parliamentary approval, detailed feasibility studies etc.

All the time the old bridge was deteriorating. The Great Arch had been constructed?only seventy years earlier?but the?pillars were all constructed on their original 500 year old foundations and they were beginning to suffer subsidence. Bluntly the bridge was no longer fit for purpose ? either for shipping or for pedestrians, let alone for vast numbers of carts carriages and wheeled vehicles, livestock and so on.

Rennie?s design for the new bridge showing the old bridge with its many arches and starlings.

In July 1823 Parliament finally authorised work to commence in accordance with the plans prepared by John Rennie. The first pile was driven on March 15th 1824 and a year later, on 15th June, the foundation stone was laid with great ceremony.

All day and every day Francis Hall would have had to contend with the noise and dust of construction work, especially with constant pile driving. It can hardly have been conducive to the business of selling fabrics and general haberdashery! To add to his misfortunes his second wife died in July 1825. By then his son had grown up and left home, so Francis would have been alone in the house in those final years.

The view from Francis Hall?s window, showing the new bridge on the right

The warehouse premises next door to Number One were pulled down, and Francis would have had a grandstand view from his living room window of the coffer dam being built to his right, and the excavation for a grand flight of steps leading to the water?s edge, immediately in front of him. The old bridge to the left was still in use, but shored up in places with wooden boards to try and stop any more masonry falling into the river.

Close up view of the starlings? beneath the old bridge, with St Magnus the Martyr in the background.

The excellent map by Greenwood dated 1827 shows the two bridges side by side, and I have highlighted in red the building where Francis would have watched the unfolding picture.

The stone blocks for the new bridge were cut and the arches laid out on the Isle of Dogs, and then lettered and numbered before being brought to the site and lowered into place. Everywhere cranes and derricks were loading and unloading, while stone-masons hammered away. Men swarmed over the scaffolding like ants.

The view towards the site of One London Bridge showing the lower half of the Monument in the background.

December 1826 must have been especially poignant for Francis as he found buyers for his remaining stock within the trade, and began plans for moving out. Maybe he over-did the furniture shifting. Or maybe he simply was heart-broken to be leaving ? either way, the lease expired on Christmas Day, and Francis, whose birthday it was on Boxing Day,?expired immediately afterwards.

This painting from 1827 looking at the Northern bank of the river from the Southwark side,?shows the old bridge on the right, and is looking straight at the site of One London Bridge, It is low tide and the starlings supporting the pillars of the old bridge are exposed. The parapet above the fifth arch is shored up, and the subsidence in the old arches is clearly visible. Standing above the line of the parapet can be seen a number of the cupulas, designed to give shelter and protection to pedestrians, mentioned below.

Francis never saw the New Bridge being formally opened on the 1st of August, 1831, in the presence of His Majesty King William IV. The picture above (courtesy of the Tate) shows the opening ceremony with the old bridge in the background ? demolition could not start in earnest until the new structure was fully operational

He?never got to see the old bridge being pulled down arch by arch, and the old starlings, used to protect the foundations, being excavated and removed. Today very few pieces of stonework remain ? although there are a couple of the old cupolas? to be found in Victoria Park.

?

What is especially interesting is the incredibly detailed record of the works as they progressed, drawn by a young man called Edward William Cooke. He started his drawings in 1826 when he was fifteen. Guildhall Library holds 69 of these drawings: according to their site they were presented in 1872 by Alderman Sir David Salomons, a close friend of Cooke. Twelve of the drawings were later selected for engraving and publication in 1833 under the title ?Views of the Old and New London Bridge?

Here is his?picture of the demolition of one of the pillars to the Great Arch:

Within a few years no trace remained of the old bridge, and the old family shop at Number One passed into history. But I do rather like this 1870?painting of the Rennie bridge, looking towards where the family ran their business for over 60 years. It is shown courtesy of the Atkinson Grimshaw website at http://www.johnatkinsongrimshaw.org? :

?

Source: http://blog.mikerendell.com/?p=4736

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The Tech Writing Prof: Things that Technical Writers Need to Provide ...

A recent discussion on the Technical Writer group at LinkedIn asked how to explain to a client that a technical writer need not be an expert in the subject matter of the manuals. As technical writers, we have to be learners, but we usually do not begin as experts in the scientific topics we cover. However, we must be:

• Experts in Document Design
Although technical writers do not need to be experts in semiology, psychoanalysis, or content analysis, we need to know enough about document design to create manuals, web sites, brochures, and other communication packages that speak to the audience. We need to know enough about the audience's eye movement across the page to make a page that flows. That is, for English speaking audiences, we need to know that the audience's eye will track from the upper left to the lower right of the page. For audiences who primarily read Chinese, Hebrew, or Arabic, those eyes will track in different directions.

Additionally, we need to be aware of the limitations of the fonts we incorporate (Are the lines so thick that they are hard to read from a distance?), the mix of colors we use (Can the elements of our pictures be distinguished as separate elements?), and the amount of white space incorporated in our illustrations and text. Although Jan White claims that serifs have a functional value in that they direct the eye and san serif fonts anchor the eye (Kostelnick and Roberts, 1998, p142), there have not been corroborating studies confirming these findings. Therefore, other than my own anecdotal evidence in support of White's study, I really cannot recommend this limitation on use of fonts. However, I can point to more than a few sources that would confirm that using more than two or three fonts on a page will reduce the readability of the page (Becker, 2009)(Krug, 2006, p36).

As mentioned previously, we also need to consider the cultural side of our pages and illustrations. Do procedural photos that are directed at Americans include someone pointing to the audience with the middle finger? Does a photo for an Arabian audience show the sole of a model's foot?

Becker, E. (2009). AMWA Presentation to UHD.
Kostelnick, C., & Roberts, D. D. (1998). Designing Visual Language: Strategies for Professional Communicators. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Krug, S. (2006). Don't make me think: A common sense approach to web usability. Berkeley, Calif: New Riders.

Source: http://techwritingprof.blogspot.com/2012/12/things-that-technical-writers-need-to.html

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Source: http://clementscarey.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/the-tech-writing-prof-things-that-technical-writers-need-to-provide.html

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Source: http://akludale.posterous.com/the-tech-writing-prof-things-that-technical-w

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Californians act like pot is legal | Lake Tahoe News

Posted by admin in News on December 23rd, 2012 | 2 responses

By Adam Nagourney, New York Times

LOS ANGELES ? Let Colorado and Washington be the marijuana trailblazers. Let them struggle with the messy details of what it means to actually legalize the drug. Marijuana is, as a practical matter, already legal in much of California.

No matter that its recreational use remains technically against the law. Marijuana has, in many parts of this state, become the equivalent of a beer in a paper bag on the streets of Greenwich Village. It is losing whatever stigma it ever had and still has in many parts of the country, including New York City, where the kind of open marijuana use that is common here would attract the attention of any passing law officer.

?It?s shocking, from my perspective, the number of people that we all know who are recreational marijuana users,? said Gavin Newsom, the lieutenant governor. ?These are incredibly upstanding citizens: Leaders in our community, and exceptional people. Increasingly, people are willing to share how they use it and not be ashamed of it.?

Marijuana can be smelled in suburban backyards in neighborhoods from Hollywood to Topanga Canyon as dusk falls ? what in other places is known as the cocktail hour ? often wafting in from three sides. In some homes in Beverly Hills and San Francisco, it is offered at the start of a dinner party with the customary ease of a host offering a chilled Bombay Sapphire martini.

Lighting up a cigarette (the tobacco kind) can get you booted from many venues in this rigorously antitobacco state. But no one seemed to mind as marijuana smoke filled the air at an outdoor concert at the Hollywood Bowl in September or even in the much more intimate, enclosed atmosphere of the Troubadour in West Hollywood during a Mountain Goats concert last week.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor, ticked off the acceptance of open marijuana smoking in a list of reasons he thought Venice was such a wonderful place for his morning bicycle rides. With so many people smoking in so many places, he said in an interview this year, there was no reason to light up one?s own joint.

?You just inhale, and you live off everyone else,? said Schwarzenegger, who as governor signed a law decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Some Californians react disdainfully to anyone from out of state who still harbors illicit associations with the drug. Bill Maher, the television host, was speaking about the prevalence of marijuana smoking at dinner parties hosted by Sue Mengers, a retired Hollywood agent famous for her high-powered gatherings of actors and journalists, in an interview after her death last year. ?I used to bring her pot,? he said. ?And I wasn?t the only one.?

When a reporter sought to ascertain whether this was an on-the-record conversation, Maher responded tartly: ?Where do you think you are? This is California in the year 2011.?

John Burton, the state Democratic chairman, said he recalled an era when the drug was stigmatized under tough antidrug laws. He called the changes in thinking toward marijuana one of the two most striking shifts in public attitude he had seen in 40 years here (the other was gay rights).

?I can remember when your second conviction of having a single marijuana cigarette would get you two to 20 in San Quentin,? he said.

In a Field Poll of California voters conducted in October 2010, 47 percent of respondents said they had smoked marijuana at least once, and 50 percent said it should be legalized. The poll was taken shortly before Californians voted down, by a narrow margin, an initiative to decriminalize marijuana.

?In a Republican year, the legalization came within two points,? said Chris Lehane, a Democratic consultant who worked on the campaign in favor of the initiative. He said that was evidence of the ?fact that the public has evolved on the issue and is ahead of the pols.?

A study by the California Office of Traffic Safety last month found that motorists were more likely to be driving under the influence of marijuana than under the influence of alcohol.

Still, there are limits. No matter how much attitudes in California may have changed, it remains illegal in most of the country ? as Californians have been reminded by a series of crackdowns by the Justice Department on medical marijuana here. People who use the drug recreationally, who said they would think nothing of offering a visitor a joint upon walking through the door, declined to be quoted by name, citing the risks to career and professional concerns.

That was the case even as they talked about marijuana becoming commonly consumed by professionals and not just, as one person put it, activists and aging hippies. Descriptions of marijuana being offered to arriving guests at parties, as an alternative to a beer, are common.

In places like Venice and Berkeley, marijuana has been a cultural presence, albeit an underground one, since the 1960s. It began moving from the edges after voters approved the legalization of medical marijuana in 1996.

That has clearly been a major contributor to the mainstreaming of marijuana. There is no longer any need for distasteful and legally compromising entanglements with old-fashioned drug dealers, several marijuana users said, because it is now possible to buy from a medical marijuana shop or a friend, or a friend of a friend growing it for ostensibly medical purposes.

That has also meant, several users said,?that the quality of marijuana is more reliable and varied, and there are fewer concerns about subsidizing a criminal network. It also means, it seems, prices here are lower than they are in many parts of the country.

Newsom ? who said he did not smoke marijuana himself ? said that the ubiquity of the drug had led him to believe that laws against it were counterproductive and archaic. He supports its legalization, a notable position for a Democrat widely considered one of the leading contenders to be the next governor.

?These laws just don?t make sense anymore,? he said. ?It?s time for politicians to come out of the closet on this.?

?

Source: http://www.laketahoenews.net/2012/12/californians-act-like-pot-is-legal/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=californians-act-like-pot-is-legal

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New details emerge a week after school massacre

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) ? He was the awkward, peculiar kid who wore the same clothes to school every day.

He rarely spoke and even gave a school presentation entirely by computer, never uttering a word.

He liked tinkering with computers and other gadgets, and seemed to enjoy playing a violent video game, choosing a military-style assault rifle as one of his weapons.

New details about Adam Lanza emerged Friday, as the nation paused to mark one week since he slaughtered 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

Multiple funerals and visitations were held Friday, and at the hour of the attack, 9:30 a.m., a bell tolled 26 times, once for each victim killed at the school.

Lanza also fatally shot his mother before blasting his way into Sandy Hook, and killed himself after the school massacre.

In high school, Lanza would slither through the hallways, awkwardly pressing himself against the wall while wearing the same green shirt and khaki pants every day. He hardly ever talked to his classmates.

"As long as I knew him, he never really spoke," said Daniel Frost, who took a computer class with Lanza and remembered his skill with electronics. Lanza could take apart and reassemble a computer in a matter of minutes

Lanza seemed to spend most of his time in the basement of the home he shared with his mother, who kept a collection of guns there, said Russell Ford, a friend of Nancy Lanza's who had done chimney and pipe work on the house.

Nancy Lanza was often seen around town and regularly met friends at a local restaurant. But her 20-year-old son was seldom spotted around town, Ford and other townspeople said.

The basement of the Lanza home had a computer, flat-screen TV, couches and an elaborate setup for video games. Nancy Lanza kept her guns in what appeared to be a secure case in another part of the basement, said Ford, who often met her and other friends at a regular Tuesday gathering at My Place, a local restaurant.

During the past year and a half, Ford said, Nancy Lanza had told him that she planned to move out West and enroll Adam in a "school or a center." The plan started unfolding after Adam turned 18.

"She knew she needed to be near him," Ford said. "She was trying to do what was positive for him."

Ford said Nancy Lanza didn't elaborate on what type of services she wanted her son to receive. He said she made fewer appearances at the restaurant in recent months.

Mark Tambascio, owner of My Place, said Nancy Lanza described the same plan to him, saying she might move to Washington State.

Back in high school, Frost recalled, someone brought in a video game called "Counter-Strike," a shooting video game in which players compete against each other as either terrorists or counter-terrorists.

Lanza "seemed pretty interested in the game," Frost said, and would play it with other students. He remembers the weapons Lanza chose: an M4 military-style assault rifle and a Glock handgun.

Authorities said Lanza used a military-style assault rifle and carried handguns during the rampage at the school. They still have no clear reason why Lanza would lash out at defenseless first-graders and their caretakers.

State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said a final report on the investigation could be months away.

A moment of silence was held Friday in remembrance of those killed at the school. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy gathered with other officials in rain and wind on the steps of the Edmond Town Hall as the bell rang. Similar commemorations took place across the country.

Also on Friday, the National Rifle Association called for armed police officers to be stationed at schools. Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the nation's largest gun-rights lobbing group, said at a Washington news conference that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

LaPierre blamed video games, music and videos for exposing children to violence.

The founder of a video game website said he expects tens of thousands of players of online shooter games to participate in a 24-hour cease-fire that started at noon Friday. Antwand Pearman, founder of GamerFitNation, said the cease-fire is meant to show respect for those killed in the Newtown shooting. He said video games don't cause violence.

___

Associated Press writers Matt Apuzzo in Washington and Pat Eaton-Robb in Newtown contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/details-emerge-week-school-massacre-080111997.html

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Video Interview with Quentin Tarantino

Nothing says Christmas better than seeing people's heads explode, Quentin Tarantino style. His latest film, Django Unchained, gives the touchy issue of slavery a Grindhouse flare.

Luke Goodsell sat down with six members of the cast to talk about their accents, favorite QT characters of all time, Bill Cosby, and Prince (just go with it).

The man himself, Quentin Tarantino:

More Django Unchained videos:

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1926540/news/1926540/

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Katie Price has tweeted Peter Andre after the death of his brother Andrew, who lost his battle with kidney cancer aged just 54.

• Ex-wife Katie offered her support to the entire Andre family
• Peter Andre's brother passed away on Sunday morning after losing his fight against kidney cancer
• Andrew is the first family member that Peter has experienced losing
• Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby broadcast a message of sympathy to Peter on This Morning
• Celebrities take to Twitter to offer their condolences
  

By Kimberley Dadds and Lucy Buckland

PUBLISHED: 10:50 EST, 18 December 2012 | UPDATED: 11:46 EST, 18 December 2012

Katie Price has tweeted her support to ex husband Peter Andre after the death of his brother Andrew, who lost his battle with kidney cancer aged just 54.

Andrew passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning with Peter and the rest of the Andre family by his bed side.

On Tuesday, Katie, whose children Princess and Junior were Andrew's niece and nephew, apparently ended her feud with her ex by writing on Twitter: 'My thoughts are with the Andre family at this difficult time.'

Support: Katie Price tweeted her thoughts were with the Andre family after Andrew's death

Bury the hatchet: Katie Price sent her friendly words to ex-husband Peter via Twitter

Katie and Peter - who first met on reality TV show 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!' in 2004 - split in May 2009 after three-and-a-half years of marriage.

A host of Peter's friends from the entertainment industry have also sent him messages of support at this difficult time.

Spice Girls star Emma Bunton used Twitter to get in touch, writing: 'Thinking of @MrPeterAndre and all your family at such a sad time.'

In mourning: Peter Andre is said to be 'devastated' after his eldest brother Andrew passed away on Sunday, losing his cancer fight

Devastated: Peter's brother Michael shared the news of Andrew's death on Twitter

'The Only Way Is Essex' star Jessica Wright tweeted: 'Heart goes out to @MrPeterAndre and his family at this terrible time. So sad. Thoughts are with you all xxxx.'

Spanish model Elen Rivas - who Peter dated for a few months in 2011 - wrote on her Twitter account: 'So sorry to hear that Andrew, @MrPeterAndre brother has passed away. Hope he is in a better place, such a great loss to the Andre Fam RIP x.'

Soothing sentiments: Peter's ex-girlfriend Elen Rivas also tweeted her condolences and emotional support for the Andre family

Close: The pop star flew Andrew (R) to be with him in the UK as soon as he was diagnosed with kidney cancer in February

Andrew was diagnosed with kidney cancer in February and had been responding well to treatment before his situation worsened last month.

Peter - who recently cancelled tour dates so he could spend as much time as possible with his brother - took Andrew and his wife and daughter into his home in England so he could care for him and get him the possible treatment for his illness, and he regularly appeared in his reality TV series.

A spokeswoman for Peter - who was by Andrew's bedside when he died, along with other family members - said: 'Peter is devastated. He was very, very close to his brother. This is the very first family member Peter has experienced losing. He just needs time to grieve.'

Devastated: Peter has kept a low profile since postponing his tour earlier this month when his brother's health took a turn for the worse

The representative then added that Andre 'needs time to grieve'

This Morning, where Peter sometimes presents segments, also sent their best wishes to the singer at this difficult time.

Phillip Schofield said: 'We just wanted to send our love to Peter Andre - who lost his brother Andrew Andre who died of kidney cancer aged just 54 with Peter and his family by his side - so we just wanted to send lots of love to Peter and the rest of the family and we're thinking of you.'

Peter was due to perform the latest gig on his Up Close And Personal UK Tour at Cardiff's Motorpoint Arena earlier this month but he cancelled it to be with his brother.

Band of brothers: From left, Danny, Peter, Andrew and Chris Andre back in 2007

A statement from his management company on Twitter at the time read: 'It is with great regret that Peter Andre has postponed his remaining December 2012 tour dates, starting from Liverpool tomorrow, Sat Dec 8th.

'His brother Andrew's health has taken a turn for the worse and Peter has made the decision to be with him and his family at this time.'

Peter has rescheduled the five remaining dates on of the 2012 tour.

He recently wrote in his magazine column about how his brother was feeling about his treatment.

He told New! magazine: 'One positive thing is that my brother Andrew has been feeling good at the moment.

'He's still having chemotherapy but, as usual, he's being so strong.

'I spent the day with him and Mike (another brother) at the Royal Marsden Hospital last Tuesday and it was great to all be together.'

Andrew was diagnosed with cancer in February this year and within weeks had flown to the UK from his home in Australia so he could be with his family while going through treatment.

Changed man: Andrew, pictured in 2008, had become physically weaker over the past few weeks

Since the Spring, Andrew and his wife Magda had been living with Peter and his two children Junior and Princess at the singer's Sussex home.

When Peter was told by doctors that his brother didn't have long to live, he said it was the 'worst possible end to the year'.

Speaking to new! a source said: 'He is inconsolable. He didn't think it would come to this. Everyone has been trying to comfort him, but no one can make him feel any better.'

Andrew's illness completely tore Peter apart and during filming of Peter Andre: My Life, the singer described how much his brother had changed.

He said: 'I've seen my brother go from strong - two, three jobs a day kinda guy - to hardly being able to walk. I've seen it with my own eyes. I live with it.

'He's there in my house and I love him being there, but I guess even I wasn't prepared for how heartbreaking it can be.'

His ex-wife Katie Price tweeted on Tuesday: 'My thoughts are with the Andre family at this difficult time xx.'

Peter's ex-girlfriend Elen Rivas passed her condolences to the family and tweeted: 'Soo sorry to hear that Andrew, @MrPeterAndre brother has passed away. Hope he is in a better place, such a great loss to the Andre Fam RIP x'. (sic).

She added: 'Im so sorry guys about Andre.. @mrpeterandre @mrmichaelandre @mrchrisandre My thoughts are with you and the family. Lots of love xxx #RIP.'

And friend Emma Bunton wrote on Twitter: 'Thinking of @MrPeterAndre and all your family at such a sad time'.

VIDEO Peter & bro escape daily troubles with drive in countryside earlier this year?

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dailymail/tvshowbiz/~3/5EPjLFfTvfM/Katie-Price-tweeted-Peter-Andre-death-brother-Andrew-lost-battle-kidney-cancer-aged-just-54.html

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Joe Peyronnin: Newtown's Law

The tragic deaths at Newtown, Connecticut, have once again focused attention on one of the most painful problems this nation faces, gun violence. The nation cannot let this moment pass without some meaningful action to stem America's epidemic of gun violence.

About 30,000 people are killed by firearms in America each year. All too often the victims are young. At least 26 people were killed Friday in Newtown, 18 of them were young children. The assailant used a semiautomatic assault rifle in his massacre, the same weapon used in the 2002 Washington area sniper shootings that left 10 people dead. Since 1982, there have been at least 62 mass murders carried out with firearms across the United States. In a majority of these cases the assailants obtained their weapons legally.

The killings at a lower school in Newtown are inexplicable. How could anyone commit such evil? The deaths of these innocent children, who were robbed of their precious and promising lives, must be a turning point for this country. It is time to act.

In his speech Sunday, before grieving parents, friends and neighbors, President Barack Obama challenged himself, and all Americans, to face this most heinous problem. "In the coming weeks, I'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens, from law enforcement, to mental health professionals, to parents and educators, in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this, because what choice do we have?" the president said. "We can't accept events like this as routine. Are we really prepared to say that we're powerless in the face of such carnage? That the politics are too hard? Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?"

But this problem is made even more complicated by the fact that there are more than 200 million privately-owned guns in America. The right to own guns was enshrined in the U. S. Constitution by America's Founding Fathers. The second amendment to the Constitution reads, "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

But two hundred years ago there weren't any semiautomatic assault weapons or high capacity magazines filled with ammo. There weren't any warlike computer games. There weren't any violent movies that captivate audiences with bloody shoot outs. Today, these are all as American as apple pie.

At this moment all Americans feel the suffering and pain that was brought on by a deranged lone gunman in a quiet village that represents the values and ideals of this great Democracy. It is time to send a powerful message. Congress must quickly pass a ban on semiautomatic assault weapons so the president can sign it into law before the end of the year.

And in memory of those 26 innocent victims of Friday's senseless mass murder, call the legislation the Newtown Semiautomatic Weapons Ban Act. Give those who have suffered from this latest atrocity, and the countless thousands of other gun violence victims, the comfort of knowing something has been done.

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Follow Joe Peyronnin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/joepeyronnin

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-peyronnin/newtowns-law_b_2319825.html

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Olympus E-PL5 and E-PM2 review: Great shots in a not-so-great package

9 hrs.

Devin Coldewey , NBC News

The E-PL5 and E-PM2 (or PEN Lite and PEN Mini, respectively) are the latest micro four-thirds cameras from Olympus. The competition is fierce at the $500-$700 level, which is what these devices go for;?Are these cameras worthwhile? And which should you get?

The name "micro four-thirds" refers to the size of?cameras' sensor, which is four-thirds of an inch diagonally. It's smaller than the most common DSLR sensor (APS-C) by quite a bit, and in the early days that meant image quality and size weren't as good. But the later generations improved that, and in particular Olympus's?E-M5, which we reviewed here, stood out as at least as good as the DSLR competition.

The 16-megapixel sensor that produced such solid images in the E-M5 was passed on to the new PEN series, which means you can get essentially the same images as that $1,300 camera for half the price. You give up the electronic viewfinder and a number of other features, but you'll get great pictures and solid HD video. That we knew before even holding the cameras. So, how do they handle?

Lite vs. Mini
The two models of PEN are totally interchangeable as far as image quality is concerned. If you put them in the same situation with the same settings, the resulting pictures will be more or less indistinguishable. They do differ in other ways, however.

The E-PL5 costs $100 more (for a total of $699 with kit lens), and for that extra bill you get a few things: An articulating LCD screen that can tilt down, up, or flip over completely; A dial to switch quickly between shooting modes; a more "pro" looking button layout; and, lastly, swappable front grips. It's also a little thicker, but both cameras are very compact.

Trust me, go with the E-PL5 over the E-PM2. I like the buttons and layout better, the articulating LCD is useful and the mode dial is more convenient than using the menu to change modes. Losing those features isn't worth keeping that $100.

Small hands recommended
Compact cameras tend to fall under two categories: fiddly and non-fiddly. These are definitely fiddly.

If you have large hands and/or do not enjoy navigating menus via tiny control dials and microscopic buttons, these cameras are not for you. The thumb dial is scarcely half-an-inch in diameter and those with large fingers will have to use a fingernail for fine adjustments.

Fortunately, you have a touchscreen with which to change settings, but it too is petite, and while sometimes it's convenient to use a fingertip instead of the control dial, the settings?don't feel like they were designed for touch.

Using the touchscreen to take a picture, however, is snappy and fun, just as it was on the E-M5. Autofocus performance is not supposed to be as good, but it's definitely fast enough to catch a cat jumping or a kid smiling.

Power users, prepare for frustration
The documentation and settings for the PEN series are just plain bad. The manual is incomplete and the translation so-so. And while a simplified menu might make sense for the consumer-oriented PEN Mini, why not pull out the stops?on the more upmarket PEN Lite?

Let's say you wanted the function button to switch between manual and autofocus, and you want the dial to control aperture in A mode. You have to go deep into the menus to enable advanced settings at all, then navigate to Settings ->?Custom Menu ->?Button/Dial ->?Button Function ->?Function and search through the list for what you want. Then you have go deep into Dial Function to "unlock" the dial, allowing it to... work like a dial. Why was it "locked" in the first place?

These buried settings give you a lot of control over the camera, which was one of the things that made the E-M5 so exciting. And if you spend half an hour poring over these things (as I said,?the manual is little help), you can get things set up nicely. But why are some basic settings five menus deep? And why do?others, like flash mode, offer more options than you need from the get-go? It's?illogical, and potentially confusing to someone who doesn't want to spend a lot of time experimenting with their new camera.

Better than the rest?
The new sensor in the PEN cameras gives them a leg up on?the competition; super-compact camera systems like Pentax's Q and Nikon's 1 series have compromised on image quality to save space (though?they're by no means poor cameras). Other M4/3 systems, like those from Panasonic, are better but still not up to the challenge.

On the other hand, I felt like Panasonic's GX1 (released early this year) was more friendly to serious shooting ? and it has a pop-up flash to boot. Handling isn't the PEN series' strong point, and Olympus should consider doing a serious redesign of the layout and interface.

If you're willing to spend a little more, Sony's NEX series has improved quite a bit since its early days; The NEX-5R is the latest in the line and has garnered solid reviews. And Canon's first foray into mirrorless cameras, the EOS?M, is also an attractive option if you want to take advantage of that company's great lens selection.

Leave the E-PM2 on the shelf; if?you want to save money, pick up a high-end point-and-shoot like the Canon S110 or the?Panasonic LX7. But if you have small hands, love good image quality, and want an articulating screen, the E-PL5 is a solid choice ? once you spend a little time getting it to work the way you want it to.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC?News Digital. His personal website is?coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/olympus-e-pl5-e-pm2-review-great-shots-not-so-1C7397154

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Reducing The Risk Of Seniors Falling ? CBS Philly

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - As baby boomers get older there is no doubt that medical care will need to be readily available and there will need to be effective treatments in the form of medications and procedures but there is no doubt that some of the best medical treatments are preventive.

A report in ?the American Family Physician focuses on the eldrly and preventing falls and while many baby boomers are not at this point, there are many baby boomers with parents who are at risk for falls.

The American Geriatric Association recommends everyone over 65 be screened for falls. Home visits looking at lighting and areas of potential dangers like throw rugs.

The bottom line is that prevention is key.?

Source: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/12/18/reducing-the-risk-of-seniors-falling/

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In South Korea's "Exam Village" young voters yearn for change

SEOUL (Reuters) - Living on $2 bowls of rice in rows of tiny rooms, thousands of young South Koreans are voting early ahead of Wednesday's presidential election as they cram for exams that they hope will lead to a government job for life.

There are 30,000 residents of a drab neighbourhood of the South Korean capital known as Exam Village, where people preparing for tests for low-level civil service jobs have gravitated for years.

There is a growing sense of frustration among the young in a country where there are simply not enough jobs to go round, especially for graduates of less prestigious universities whose options are largely limited to the public sector.

That frustration might translate into votes for the leftist candidate, Moon Jae-in, who has promised more welfare, better education and taxes for the super-wealthy.

Moon is competing against Park Geun-hye from the ruling conservatives, who has pledged a continuation of current policies.

Opinion polls show the race is too close to call, with Park, the 60-year-old daughter of South Korean dictator Park Chung-hee, relying on older voters who tend to turn out in force, while Moon's chances might depend on more fickle younger voters.

They often can't be bothered to vote but that might be different this time.

In Exam Village, or Goshichon in Korean, there were so many young people who wanted to cast early ballots last week that extra polling booths had to be brought in.

"I want to see regime change. Everything is so stuck," said Kim Sa-myeong, 27, in his tiny room in one of the many private dorms that house students in the neighbourhood.

In the past four decades, South Korea has transformed itself from one of the world's poorest countries into an industrial powerhouse where top companies like Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor make telephones and cars for global markets.

Gross domestic product per capita is more than $30,000 a year, the world's 29th highest, and South Korean television dramas and pop stars are taking the world by storm.

But reality for many young South Koreans is a world away from glitzy showbiz and corporate triumph.

The 27-year old Kim moved from his rural town outside Seoul to his cubicle with a desk, chair and tiny fridge to try again to pass the civil service exam. He has failed once already.

He borrows money from his family to get by and studies until midnight. The drab walls of his room are plastered with lists of English words he's trying to learn.

"Even if I become a public servant, I don't think it will be much fun if this continues," said Kim, referring to the conservative government of President Lee Myung-bak, whose single mandatory five year term is coming to an end.

Kim speaks in a hushed voice, wary of disturbing fellow students immersed in books in their rooms all around.

PROMISES

South Korean students consistently outperform their counterparts in reading and maths. University enrolment rates are 80 percent, the highest in the world, and tuition costs are ranked the third highest among rich nations.

While graduates of top universities can aim for jobs with Samsung or Hyundai, those from lower-ranked universities set their sights on a state job, with 28.7 percent of graduates wanting to get government work.

Exam Village, the real name of which is Noryangjin, is packed with cram schools and study rooms. Students trudge along narrow alleys, backpacks full of books slung over their shoulders.

No one was willing to say they were supporting Park.

"My parents are saying that now is much more difficult than the IMF crisis," Christine Kang, 24, told Reuters after she cast her vote. The 1997-98 Asian financial crisis is known in South Korea as the IMF crisis.

Kang has been living and studying in Exam Village for a year in the hope of passing exams to become a police officer.

She said she voted for Moon and tweeted a picture of herself carrying a sign reading "12.19 Vote!" to encourage her friends.

Moon came to the neighbourhood to campaign and stood with students at a street stall to eat one of their staple $2 rice meals from a plastic container. He promised job quotas for young people and an increase in the number of civil service job opportunities.

But he's got his work cut out, if he wins.

The percentage of people between 15 and 29 who are not in employment, education or training stood at 36.8 percent, the highest level among OECD countries in 2008, according to Korea Labor Institute.

Of a total of about 300,000 people taking the civil service exams, only about 10,000 will pass.

"No matter who becomes president, the job problem isn't going to be solved quickly," said Oh Eun-a, a 25 year-old woman also hoping to pass the police exam. "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer and it's is getting worse."

"Becoming a public servant is the only dream that the have-nots can pursue," Oh said.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by David Chance and Robert Birsel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-koreas-exam-village-young-voters-yearn-change-210059310--finance.html

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Congratulatory address by President Serzh Sargsyan on the 75th anniversary of creation of Armenia?s State National Academic Choir

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I cordially congratulate Armenia?s State National Academic Choir on its 75th anniversary.

Led by the devotees of the Armenian national song art Tatul Altunian and Aram Ter-Hovhannissian, the Choir became the best interpreter and propagator of the Armenian folk songs not only in Armenia but all over the world. In 1961, the artistic direction of the Choir was assumed by the young conductor Hovhannes Chekijia, who repatriated to Motherland from Istanbul, and whose name later was crowned with many laurels and honorary titles. Through his exceptional talent and boundless dedication, Maestro Chekijian marked the golden age of the Choir, enriching its biography with many glorious pages and achievements.

Accomplishments of the Choir are particularly impressive in the performance and dissemination of the Armenian spiritual music, pieces for choir by Komitas, Makar Ekmalian, Christorpher Kara-Murza, Armen Tigranian, Aram Khatchaturian, Arno Babajanian, and Alexander Haroutunian. It would suffice to mention that the Choir has performed 813 concerts outside Armenia, casting spell on multi-thousand audiences with the ascendancy of its art. It is no accident that on the eve of its 75th anniversary and in recognition of its glorious path, the Choir was awarded the honorary title of the National Choir.

I cordially congratulate the State National Academic Choir of Armenia on its 75th jubilee and wish new recurring success, boundless energy and incessant artistic progression.

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Source: http://www.president.am/en/congratulatory/item/2012/12/17/President-Serzh-Sargsyan-congratulatory-the-state-academic-choir-of-Armenia/

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After 5M iOS Downloads, House Remodeling Platform Houzz Launches Its Android App

Houzz is one of those quiet success stories that have the potential to completely change their niches. At its core, the service lets you browse beautiful pictures of home remodeling projects that are organized by metro area and style. If you ever needed some inspiration for your own remodeling project or if you felt like you are due for of a bout of house envy, look no further than the almost 1 million images in the company's catalog.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/cFf8e8cfjkk/

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There's an App for That: Apps for Job Seekers | Business 2 Community

These days, there seems to be a mobile app for absolutely everything, and job seekers have not been forgotten. Search ?jobs? in the Android or iTunes stores and you can spend hours browsing through the hundreds of apps that have been developed to promote jobs, give advice, and prepare you for the interview.

Below are six apps that I have personally used and highly recommend to those who are looking for a job, preparing for an interview, or trying to develop their network and personal brand.

Indeed (free) ? this app was developed by the fastest growing job search site and provides you with access Indeed?s enormous database of jobs aggregated from all over the web ? including Monster and Careerbuilder. You can share jobs, read company reviews, and in some instances, apply online.

Monster Interviews (free) ? this app developed by Monster.com provides users with the opportunity to track and prepare for their job interviews. Read through job interviewing tips or practice answering common interview questions.

MindTools DX (free) ? this an app full of quizzes and articles to help you assess and develop your professional skills. Use this app to enhance your leadership, time management, communication, decision making, and project management skills.

CamCard ($ 2.99) ? this app allows you to scan and organize business cards. It?s a great way to keep track of your network. It saves your cards on the Cloud, so you can access them from multiple devices and you can share a card using a QR code.

LinkedIn (free) ? the app version of the largest professional networking site out there ? with many of the same features. Access your messages, groups, and network updates on the go.

Job Interview Question & Answer by Career Confidential (free or paid) ? this app is a good way to go through and practice some of the most popular interview questions. You can practice your answers and watch videos of ?good? answers to help you prepare.

Using apps like these is a great way to search jobs, build your network, and polish your brand, all in the palm of your hands.

Author:

Mike Spinale is a corporate Human Resources leader at a healthcare information technology company located outside of Boston, Massachusetts and is an adjunct professor at Southern New Hampshire University. He has over eight years of experience in HR and management including career counseling, recruitment, staffing, employment branding, and talent management. Mike has dedicated his HR career to modern views on the field ? HR is not about the personnel files ? it?s about bringing on the best talent, ensuring they?re in the right seat, and keeping them motivated and growing in their careers. In addition, Mike is the author of the CareerSpin blog where he offers advice and opinion on job search, personal & employment branding, recruiting, and HR. Mike is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Babson College. He is also a board member of the Metro-North Regional Employment Board, a board which sets workforce development policy for Boston?s Metro-North region, and an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management and the Northeast Human Resources Association.

Source: http://www.business2community.com/mobile-apps/theres-an-app-for-that-apps-for-job-seekers-0352151

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