Wednesday, October 31, 2012

South African whites earn 6 times more than blacks

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? White South Africans earn six times more than black South Africans nearly two decades after the end of apartheid and much remains to be done to reduce the disparities between rich and poor, the president said after the release of the country's census.

"These figures tell us at the bottom of the rung is the black majority who continue to be confronted by deep poverty, unemployment, and inequality, despite the progress that we have made since 1994," President Jacob Zuma said of the South Africa Census 2011 released on Tuesday.

On the positive side, people's access to basic services, such as clean water, electricity and garbage removal has more than doubled in the same amount of time, he said. And more South African dwellings have TVs than refrigerators and more cellphones than electric or gas stoves, the census said.

South Africa's population has increased by 7 million people in the last decade to 51.8 million by October 2011, according to the census. And for the first time in the three censuses conducted since 1994, the number of people identifying themselves as colored ? a term used by the government for people of mixed race ? is higher, at 4.62 million, than those who describe themselves as white at 4.59 million. More than 41 million describe themselves as black and 1.3 million as Indian or Asian.

A breakdown of the population also shows that close to 60 percent of the population is under 35. There are more children under the age of four, with 5.6 million, than in each of the 5-to-9 or 10-to-14 age brackets.

The average household income in South Africa has more than doubled in the past decade, according to the census, which said that households earned an average of 48,000 rand ($6,000) per year in 2001 compared to 103,204 rand ($12,900) by October 2011.

Planning Minister Trevor Manuel said the income distribution among race and gender groups was the most startling of the figures.

"It confirms our worst fears and I think it presents us with an enormous challenge," he said.

The average annual income for black households was 60,613 rand ($7,500) in 2011, according to the census, while white households earned an average of 365,134 rand ($45,600) per year.

Meanwhile, households headed by women earned on average 67,330 rand ($8,400) in 2011, compared to 128,329 rand ($16,000) for male counterparts.

The census figures on services said nearly 1.3 million households did not have access to piped water, and the majority of those households are black.

Poverty also remains an issue with more than 1.2 million "informal" dwellings around the nation, including squatter camps, but not including the 712, 956 shacks. And while just over 8.2 million households have flushing toilets that connect to a sewage system, 748,597 households around the country have no toilets at all.

"Much remains to be done to further improve the livelihoods of our people especially in terms of significant disparities that still exist between the rich and poor," said President Zuma. "Government departments must now use this information wisely in planning for the extension of services."

He referenced a National Development Plan to eliminate poverty, reduce inequality and address the problem of unemployment. The plan says that the poor should be able to have a toilet, clean water, food, stable housing and heat by the year 2030. It also says that each community will have a school, library, teachers, a police station with "upright" police and a health clinic with nurses.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-african-whites-earn-6-times-more-blacks-152851096.html

usssa baseball alex o loughlin the godfather cape breton bowling green marysville tornados

Monday, October 29, 2012

Learn to Love Self Coaching: Self Improvement and Success go ...

Everything that happens to us happens in purpose. And sometimes, one thing leads to another. Instead of locking yourself up in your cage of fears and crying over past heartaches, embarrassment and failures, treat them as your teachers and they will become your tools in both self improvement and success.
I remember watching Patch Adams ? its my favorite movie, actually. Its one great film that will help you improve yourself. Hunter ?patch? Adams is a medical student who failed to make it through the board exams. After months of suffering in melancholy, depression and suicidal attempts ? he decided to seek for medical attention and voluntarily admitted himself in a psychiatric ward.? His months of stay in the hospital led him to meeting different kinds of people. Sick people in that matter. He met a catatonic, a mentally retarded, a schizophrenic and so on. Patch found ways of treating his own ailment and finally realized he has to get back on track. He woke up one morning realizing that after all the failure and pains he has gone through, he still want to become the a doctor. He carries with himself a positive attitude that brought him self improvement and success. He didn?t only improved himself, but also the life of the people around him and the quality of life. Did he succeed? Needless to say, he became the best damn doctor his country has ever known.
So, when does self improvement become synonymous with success? Where do we start? Take these tips, friends?
*Stop thinking and feeling as if you?re a failure, because you?re not. How can others accept you if YOU can?t accept YOU?
*When you see hunks and models on TV, think more on self improvement, not self pitying. Self acceptance is not just about having nice slender legs, or great abs. Concentrate on inner beauty.
*When people feel so down and low about themselves, help them move up. Don?t go down with them. They?ll pull you down further and both of you will end up feeling inferior.
*The world is a large room for lessons, not mistakes. Don?t feel stupid and doomed forever just because you failed on a science quiz. There?s always a next time. Make rooms for self improvement.
*Take things one at a time. You don?t? expect black sheep?s to be goody-two-shoes in just a snap of a finger. Self improvement is a one day at a time process.
*Self improvement results to inner stability, personality development and dig this ?. SUCCESS. It comes from self confidence, self appreciation and self esteem.
* Set meaningful and achievable goals. Self improvement doesn?t turn you to be the exact replica of Cameron Diaz or Ralph Fiennes. It hopes and aims to result to an improved and better YOU.
*Little things mean BIG to other people. Sometimes, we don?t realize that the little things that we do like a pat on the back, saying ?hi? or ?hello?, greeting someone ?good day? or telling Mr. Smith something like ?hey, I love your tie!? are simple things that mean so much to other people. When we?re being appreciative about beautiful things around us and other people, we also become beautiful to them.
*When you?re willing to accept change and go through the process of self improvement, it doesn?t mean that everyone else is. The world is a place where people of different values and attitude hang out. Sometimes, even if you think you and your best friend always like to do the same thing together at the same time, she would most likely decline an invitation for self improvement.
We should always remember that there?s no such thing as ?over night success?. Its always a wonderful feeling to hold on to the things that you already have now, realizing that those are just one of the things you once wished for. A very nice quote says that ?When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.?? We are all here to learn our lessons. Our parents, school teachers, friends, colleagues, officemates, neighbors? they are our teachers. When we open our doors for self improvement, we increase our chances to head to the road of success.

Source: http://learntoloveself.blogspot.com/2012/10/self-improvement-and-success-go-hand.html

Gary Collins bus driver uppercut Argo joe biden paul ryan Alex Karras houston texans

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Why Apple priced the iPad Mini at $329

12 hrs.

If Apple had popped a $249 iPad Mini, the thing would have swept down from Mount Cupertino and set fire to every competitor with its fiery breath. If Apple had gone with a $299 iPad Mini, the devastation would still have been gnarly. At $329, the iPad Mini will have no shortage of buyers, but Apple leaves open an argument for a $199 non-Apple tablet. So why did Apple price it so high?

For starters, Apple is about profit. In the computer, phone and tablet businesses, Apple's competitors whittle away their pricing until they're making little or no money, because they believe they'll gain market share.?

Apple keeps prices competitive, but only to a point. There's no $499 Apple laptop, although plenty of Dells and HPs regularly start that low. Ditto for desktop computers, where Apple's idea of a deal is the $599 Mac Mini.

The iPad Mini is $329 because that's exactly what the highly paid bean counters at Apple calculated would be the highest price possible that would still sell. It may one day go down???in fact, I would say the price has to drop by Christmas 2013, if not sooner. But while you can always lower prices, it's a lot harder to raise them later on. Apple always starts at the top.

So while it was foolish for me to even think Apple would price competitively, I was surprised, because now there's a new conundrum: Do you buy an iPad Mini for $329, or go just $70 more?for a full-fledged iPad 2? This struck me as tight spacing, until I realized the bigger point: Apple doesn't think you will confuse a 7.9-inch tablet with a 9.7-inch tablet.

You know from the pictures that they're quite different in size, but holding them, you realize that their uses really are different. If you are in the market for something to use for sketching and text documents and spreadsheets, maybe even accompany it with a Bluetooth keyboard or whatever, then heck yes, you will pick the iPad 2 (or a newer?model).?

But if you just want something to read books on, and watch some shows and maybe surf the Web, then you are actually more INTERESTED in a smaller iPad, and won't think too hard about what $70 more gets you in terms of screen surface area.

That brings us back to square one, however: Apple is trying to convince us of separate uses for large and small iPads, but is trying to differentiate its product from the competition by price. Riddle me that, Avi Greengart, research director for consumer devices at Current Analysis:

"The price doesn't reduce the purchase case for some of the cheaper tablets," he told me when I saw him at the Apple event. "But this one stands above them." He smiled and added, "besides, compared to the Nexus 7, the design is so much nicer."

For people who aren't buying because of?design (and there are many), Greengart contends that the universe of apps available for the iPad ? 275,000 made expressly for that tablet, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook ? means that any tablet bearing the Apple logo is simply going to be more useful. "The iPad Mini is far more versatile" than its competitors, says Greengart. "It costs more but it's worth more."

For a final thought, I turned to my friends on Twitter, with the simple question: "Do you think the $329 iPad Mini is a) a steal b) priced just right or c) crazy expensive?"

From self-described "major Apple fanboy" @jasonwal, I got "a little high." Another instapundit, @weatherninja, said that "a $299.00 price tag would have been a better value," and that $329 means he may in fact go $70 more for the full-size iPad 2. @seanethompson seems to have been thinking along the same lines as me, calling the price "more expensive than most consumers would like, but in the ballpark given component costs and great user experience." Other responses?ranged from expensive to crazy expensive. "I'm curious on the profit margin," wrote @gevans. "I bet it's at least 40 percent."

Whatever the real percentage, I think @gevans may be onto something.?Apple products can be priced as high as the company wants, as long as people buy every product that gets made, and that hasn't seemed to be a problem of late. And as competitive as Apple is, a side effect of iPad-onomics is that there's room for more affordable options at the bottom of the pricing ladder. At least until that price drops to $299, or $249, and the villagers run for cover.

Wilson Rothman is the Technology & Science?editor at NBC News Digital. Catch up with him on Twitter at?@wjrothman, and?join our conversation on Facebook.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/ipad-onomics-why-apple-priced-ipad-mini-329-1C6641506

Tony Scott UFC 151 empire state building Todd Akin Hurricane prince harry hunger games

iOS App Store Now Offers 275K iPad Apps, Up From 250K In September

appstoreiconToday, at Apple's event at the California Theater in San Jose, the company provided another update on growth of its App Store. The store now hosts 700,000 applications, with 275,000 designed specifically for iPad. That latter number refers not just the apps that "work" on the iPad (they all do), but those which offer an iPad native version that takes advantage of the device's larger screen.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Ms0N7RSB4ac/

alanis morissette adam lambert incendiary floyd mayweather winter solstice x factor finale pro bowl voting

Eyeing rivals, Apple set to unwrap mini-iPad

SAN JOSE (Reuters) - Apple Inc is expected to make its biggest product move on Tuesday since debuting the iPad two years ago, launching a smaller, cheaper tablet into a market staked out by Amazon.com Inc and Google Inc.

Apple hopes to beat back their charge onto its home turf of consumer electronics hardware, while safeguarding its lead in the larger 10-inch tablet space that even deep-pocketed rivals like Samsung Electronics have found tough to penetrate.

Amazon's Kindle and Google's Nexus 7 have grabbed a chunk of the lower end of the tablet market and proved demand for a pocket-sized slate exists. That has forced Apple into a space it has avoided and at times derided, analysts say.

A smaller tablet would mark the first device to be added to Apple's compact portfolio under Chief Executive Tim Cook, who took over from co-founder Steve Jobs just before his death.

"Apple sensed early that they had a real winner with the iPad and that has proven to be correct," said Lars Albright, co-founder of mobile advertising startup SessionM and a former Apple ad executive.

"They have a large market share, and to protect that market share they have got to be innovative," he said.

In a departure from its usual practice of tightly controlling events, Apple will livestream an invitation-only San Jose event -- where it is expected to unveil the mini tablet -- to Apple devices such as the iPad and Macintosh computers at 10 am PT (1700 GMT). [nL1E8LGBFT]http://www.apple.com/apple-events/october-2012/

Wall Street analysts have said for months that Apple was planning a less expensive version of the iPad to take on cheaper competing devices, a move they say might hurt its margins, but prevent its rivals from dominating an increasingly important segment.

The chief rival is Amazon, which proved a 7-inch tablet at around $200 has consumer appeal. The Kindle Fire, released last year for $199, was one of the hottest-selling holiday gadgets. It pressured Amazon's margins but gave it potentially millions of new high-spending customers.

Amazon sold more than a million Kindles a week during December, paving the way for others like Google with its Nexus 7 to try and beat Apple in a market the company created.

The Internet retailer has now put its second-generation Kindle Fire HD in the market, which it says is the "best-selling product across all of Amazon worldwide", based on undisclosed U.S. sales figures and international preorders.

Google's Nexus 7 tablet, built by Asian manufacturer Asustek, quickly ran out of stock after its July launch.

All three companies will be vying to get their devices on shopping lists during the U.S. holiday season, which traditionally starts next month.

"It's going to be the go-to holiday gift," said Michael Yoshikami, founder of Destination Wealth Management, which owns Apple shares.

The stock was down 1 percent at $626.88 in the morning, after gaining 4 percent on Monday in the run-up to the event.

PRICE IS KEY

Apple now has just one 9.7-inch iPad, starting at $499. The previous version, or iPad 2, is available for $399.

Jobs famously derided the 7-inch screen, saying such a device should come with sandpaper so users can file down their fingers. But an internal email revealed during a patent trial showed he turned more favorable to the idea by early 2011.

Apple has sold over 84 million iPads so far, with the device accounting for 26 percent of Apple's fiscal third quarter revenue. Most Wall Street analysts expect Apple's new tablet to fall between 7 inches and 8 inches in size, saying its price will be crucial to its success.

The "starting sweet spot" for the tablet would be in the $249-$299 range, according to a survey of over a thousand consumers by Baird Equity Research.

"When asked what the most they would pay for a smaller iPad was, our respondents on average said that they would pay $242 for a 7-inch iPad and $268 for an 8-inch iPad," William Power, Baird Equity Research analyst, said.

Any erosion in Apple's industry leading margins also hinges on the price tag. It earned gross margins of 23 percent to 32 percent on U.S. iPad sales between October 2010 and the end of March 2012, according to a July court filing by Apple.

Rivals haven't fared as well. Amazon's first Kindle Fire just about breaks even, according to IHS iSuppli estimates, and Google has said its Nexus 7 is being sold at cost.

Topeka Capital's Brian White argued a smaller tablet could overtake sales of the iPad in a few years. He is forecasting sales of 5 million to 7 million in the December quarter.

Apple shares rose 4 percent on Monday, buoying the benchmark S&P 500 index. While the stock is up 56 percent this year, it is currently down 10 percent from its record high of $705 on September 21, struck by concerns about iPhone-supply disruption at contract manufacturer, Foxconn Technology. Sharp criticism about errors in its Maps service also hurt.

"Apple's stock is up a ton and it is only logical that it will take a breather after a while," Yoshikami said. "I don't think there is any fundamental issue beyond that."

(Editing by Edwin Chan, Richard Pullin and Andrew Hay)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apple-set-unwrap-mini-ipad-amazon-google-012636310--finance.html

royals nicole richie lyme disease symptoms esperanza spalding jessica sanchez robert kennedy cardinals

RI gas prices drop by 6 cents

{ttle}

{cptn}","template_name":"ss_thmb_play_ttle","i18n":{"end_of_gallery_header":"End of Gallery","end_of_gallery_next":"View Again"},"metadata":{"pagination":"{firstVisible} - {lastVisible} of {numItems}","ult":{"spaceid":"84397933","sec":""}}},{"id": "hcm-carousel-395732204", "dataManager": C.dmgr, "mediator": C.mdtr, "group_name":"hcm-carousel-395732204", "track_item_selected":1,"tracking":{ "spaceid" : "84397933", "events" : { "click" : { "any" : { "yui-carousel-prev" : { "node" : "a", "data" : {"sec":"HCMOL on article right rail","slk":"prev","itc":"1" }, "bubbles" : true, "test": function(params){ var carousel = params.obj.getCarousel(); var pages = carousel._pages; // if same page, don't beacon if(("_ult_current_page" in carousel) && carousel._ult_current_page==pages.cur) return false; // keep track of current position within this closure carousel._ult_current_page = pages.cur; return true; } }, "yui-carousel-next" : { "node" : "a", "data" : {"sec":"HCMOL on article right rail","slk":"next","itc":"1" }, "bubbles" : true, "test": function(params){ var carousel = params.obj.getCarousel(); var pages = carousel._pages; // no more pages, don't beacon again // if same page, don't beacon if(("_ult_current_page" in carousel) && carousel._ult_current_page==pages.cur) return false; // keep track of current position within this closure carousel._ult_current_page = pages.cur; return true; } } } } } } })); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function() { try{ if (Math.floor(Math.random()*10) == 1) { var loc = window.location, decoded = decodeURI(loc.pathname), encoded = encodeURI(decoded), uri = loc.protocol + "//" + loc.host + encoded + ((loc.search.length > 0) ? loc.search + '&' : '?') + "_cacheable=1", xmlhttp; if (window.XMLHttpRequest) xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest(); else xmlhttp = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP"); xmlhttp.open("GET",uri,true); xmlhttp.send(); } }catch(e){} })(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {Y.namespace("Media").ywaSettings = '"projectId": "10001256862979", "documentName": "", "documentGroup": "", "ywaColo" : "vscale3", "spaceId" : "84397933" ,"customFields" : { "12" : "classic", "13" : "story" }'; Y.Media.YWA.init(Y.namespace("Media").ywaSettings); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {if(document.onclick===YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.newClick){document.onclick=YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.oldClick;} }); }); });

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Republican pollster on debate: Whoever wins tonight wins election (cbsnews)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/257355526?client_source=feed&format=rss

trump 2012 groundhog day groundhog phil pee wee herman ketamine ground hogs day 2012 goundhog day

Chronic electrical stimulation at acupressure points may relieve stomach woes for diabetics

Chronic electrical stimulation at acupressure points may relieve stomach woes for diabetics [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 22-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Jacqueline Gaulin
jgaulin@gi.org
301-263-9000
American College of Gastroenterology

Study suggests home-based, non-invasive therapy is effective in treating gastroparesis symptoms

Las Vegas, NV (October 22, 2012) Diabetic patients who suffer from a common complication of diabetes called gastroparesis may find that chronic electrical stimulation (ES) at specific acupuncture points could relieve gastroparesis symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, early satiety, abdominal fullness, upper abdominal pain and bloating, according to study results unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 77th Annual Scientific meeting in Las Vegas.

The study, "Chronic Electrical Stimulation at Acupuncture Points Improves Dyspeptic Symptoms," used a watch-sized digital microstimulator that was specially developed for this project to assess the effects of ongoing electrical stimulation at acupuncture points on gastroparesis symptoms in diabetic patients with refractory gastroparesis. Despite medical therapy, these patients have not found relief for their symptoms and experience frequent physician and emergency room visits or hospitalizations because often they are unable to eat or keep food down and maintain proper nutrition, according to lead investigator Jiande Chen, Ph.D., of the University of Texas Medical Branch. "These are very severe symptoms and could be life-threatening as the treatment options for these patients are very limited and there are no effective medications," said Dr. Chen who noted that the device looks and works like the microstimualtors used to alleviate motion sickness that are already on the market.

Diabetes is a lifelong disease in which there are high levels of sugar in the blood. High blood glucose causes chemical changes in nerves and damages the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the nerves. Gastroparesis is a type of nerve damage affecting the vagus nerve which controls the movement of food through the digestive tract. Ten to fifteen percent of the 25.8 million Americans living with diabetes have gastroparesis. This condition can worsen diabetes by making it more difficult to manage blood glucose levels because a delay in gastric emptying can cause a spike in glucose levels when the food finally enters the small intestine, according to the American Diabetes Association.

The device used for this blind cross-over design study on 26 diabetic patients with gastroparesis (18 completed the study) was worn either on the wrist or the leg with four-week ES and four-week sham ES in a randomized order. Electrical stimulation was performed via surface ECG electrodes placed at acupoints PC6 and ST36 using pulse trains. Sham-ES was performed using same parameters via non-acupoints. The PC6 acupuncture point is located on the wrist about 2 1/2 fingers up from the wrist crease on the inside of the forearm, while ST36 is located on the front of the leg, one hand width (four fingers) below the kneecap, on the outside, in the depression between the shinbone and the leg muscle.

Patients were asked to self-apply ES/Sham ES for two hours after each lunch and dinner and the electrogastrogram (EGG) and ECG were recorded at the beginning and end of each 4-week treatment.

According to investigators, 4-week ES not sham-ES "significantly improved" 5 of 9 gastroparesis symptoms: nausea by 29.7 percent; vomiting by 39.3 percent; abdominal fullness by 21.4 percent, bloating by 20.6 percent and retching by 31.1 percent. ES also resulted in a trend of increased vagal activity after eating.

"With all five symptoms significantly improving between 20 and 40 percent, this home-based, non-invasive electrostimulation therapy is feasible and effective in treating gastroparesis symptoms and possible mechanisms involving central, gastric and autonomic functions require further study, " said Dr. Chen. "Although this is a small study, the results are noteworthy because the side-effects and the cost are low." Dr. Chen added that the device is not yet on the market.

###

About the American College of Gastroenterology

Founded in 1932, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is an organization with an international membership of more than 12,000 individuals from 80 countries. The College is committed to serving the clinically oriented digestive disease specialist through its emphasis on scholarly practice, teaching and research. The mission of the College is to serve the evolving needs of physicians in the delivery of high quality, scientifically sound, humanistic, ethical, and cost-effective health care to gastroenterology patients. www.gi.org View releases on other research breaking at the ACG meeting at http://gi.org/media/press-releases-for-acg-annual-scientific-meeting/

Follow ACG on Twitter Tweet, Follow #ACG2012


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

?


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


Chronic electrical stimulation at acupressure points may relieve stomach woes for diabetics [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 22-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Jacqueline Gaulin
jgaulin@gi.org
301-263-9000
American College of Gastroenterology

Study suggests home-based, non-invasive therapy is effective in treating gastroparesis symptoms

Las Vegas, NV (October 22, 2012) Diabetic patients who suffer from a common complication of diabetes called gastroparesis may find that chronic electrical stimulation (ES) at specific acupuncture points could relieve gastroparesis symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, early satiety, abdominal fullness, upper abdominal pain and bloating, according to study results unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 77th Annual Scientific meeting in Las Vegas.

The study, "Chronic Electrical Stimulation at Acupuncture Points Improves Dyspeptic Symptoms," used a watch-sized digital microstimulator that was specially developed for this project to assess the effects of ongoing electrical stimulation at acupuncture points on gastroparesis symptoms in diabetic patients with refractory gastroparesis. Despite medical therapy, these patients have not found relief for their symptoms and experience frequent physician and emergency room visits or hospitalizations because often they are unable to eat or keep food down and maintain proper nutrition, according to lead investigator Jiande Chen, Ph.D., of the University of Texas Medical Branch. "These are very severe symptoms and could be life-threatening as the treatment options for these patients are very limited and there are no effective medications," said Dr. Chen who noted that the device looks and works like the microstimualtors used to alleviate motion sickness that are already on the market.

Diabetes is a lifelong disease in which there are high levels of sugar in the blood. High blood glucose causes chemical changes in nerves and damages the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the nerves. Gastroparesis is a type of nerve damage affecting the vagus nerve which controls the movement of food through the digestive tract. Ten to fifteen percent of the 25.8 million Americans living with diabetes have gastroparesis. This condition can worsen diabetes by making it more difficult to manage blood glucose levels because a delay in gastric emptying can cause a spike in glucose levels when the food finally enters the small intestine, according to the American Diabetes Association.

The device used for this blind cross-over design study on 26 diabetic patients with gastroparesis (18 completed the study) was worn either on the wrist or the leg with four-week ES and four-week sham ES in a randomized order. Electrical stimulation was performed via surface ECG electrodes placed at acupoints PC6 and ST36 using pulse trains. Sham-ES was performed using same parameters via non-acupoints. The PC6 acupuncture point is located on the wrist about 2 1/2 fingers up from the wrist crease on the inside of the forearm, while ST36 is located on the front of the leg, one hand width (four fingers) below the kneecap, on the outside, in the depression between the shinbone and the leg muscle.

Patients were asked to self-apply ES/Sham ES for two hours after each lunch and dinner and the electrogastrogram (EGG) and ECG were recorded at the beginning and end of each 4-week treatment.

According to investigators, 4-week ES not sham-ES "significantly improved" 5 of 9 gastroparesis symptoms: nausea by 29.7 percent; vomiting by 39.3 percent; abdominal fullness by 21.4 percent, bloating by 20.6 percent and retching by 31.1 percent. ES also resulted in a trend of increased vagal activity after eating.

"With all five symptoms significantly improving between 20 and 40 percent, this home-based, non-invasive electrostimulation therapy is feasible and effective in treating gastroparesis symptoms and possible mechanisms involving central, gastric and autonomic functions require further study, " said Dr. Chen. "Although this is a small study, the results are noteworthy because the side-effects and the cost are low." Dr. Chen added that the device is not yet on the market.

###

About the American College of Gastroenterology

Founded in 1932, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is an organization with an international membership of more than 12,000 individuals from 80 countries. The College is committed to serving the clinically oriented digestive disease specialist through its emphasis on scholarly practice, teaching and research. The mission of the College is to serve the evolving needs of physicians in the delivery of high quality, scientifically sound, humanistic, ethical, and cost-effective health care to gastroenterology patients. www.gi.org View releases on other research breaking at the ACG meeting at http://gi.org/media/press-releases-for-acg-annual-scientific-meeting/

Follow ACG on Twitter Tweet, Follow #ACG2012


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

?


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


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/acog-ces101912.php

herniated disc sacramento kings luke scott tom benson royals nicole richie lyme disease symptoms

Monday, October 22, 2012

Video: A Technical Slice of Apple

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/49504029/

andy cohen andy cohen mozambique oosthuizen great expectations jake owen oosthuizen louis

Ford calls Belgian union to meet amid money woes

GENK, Belgium (AP) ? A union leader says Ford officials have summoned union representatives from its Genk, Belgium, factory to an urgent meeting Wednesday

"We don't know what they're going to say," the union official said. "We can't tell you anything."

Ford Motor Co.has been under pressure in Europe due to the region's dwindling demand for cars.

The plant in Genk, in eastern Belgium, employs 4,300 people, and makes the midsize Mondeo and the S-MAX minivan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of an agreement among three unions not to speculate before the meeting.

Ford declined to comment. The company expects to lose more than $1 billion this year in Europe, where it gets a quarter of its sales. Analysts say the company has more factory capacity than it needs and will eventually have to lay off workers or close plants.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ford-calls-belgian-union-meet-amid-money-woes-162359762--finance.html

nerlens noel don t trust the b in apartment 23 world financial center shabazz muhammad angela corey zimmerman charged bonobos

What food is high protein and low fat? | Health and Fitness Tips ...

With the development of society, all aspects of our lives are also changing. For example, in the diet to eat healthy, eat nutritious. So what foods are nutritious? What food is high protein and low fat?

High protein is the level of food protein content, and low-fat is the proportion of triglycerides, cholesterol less food. Usually the two are linked together. Now to tell you about the high protein and low fat food.

1, The first category: meat (including pork, poultry, beef, etc.). Meat protein content between 10-20%, commonly known as lean meat is less fat content of meat, and the fat meat is the fat content of more meat, lean meat protein content more than fat meat. The fat content of the meat, and animal species, age, body parts, fattening situation had relations. Total of 20 kinds of amino acid building blocks of proteins, including eight (essential amino acids) is the human body can not synthesis, must rely on food intake contains eight kinds of amino acids; meat protein is a complete protein, can provide all kinds of amino acids needed by the body. When the meat protein is digested in the human body, the decomposition of the amino acids can be absorbed.

Tips: such as lean beef, each containing 100 grams of protein 20.1 g; sauce beef, each containing 100 grams of protein 32 grams, braised beef contains 25 grams of protein per 100 grams.

2, The second category: eggs. Egg by egg white and yolk. Egg white in nutrients protein, containing the essential amino acids needed by the human body, the body can be completely absorbed and used almost the whole egg protein, is the best quality protein food.

Tips: such as eggs, egg is one of mankind?s best source of nutrition. The eggs contain a lot of vitamins and minerals and proteins of high biological value. Best of the people, the quality of egg protein, second only to breast milk. According to analysis, the the hectogram eggs containing protein 12.8 g, containing 11 to 15 grams of fat. Eat eggs are also some precautions, such as avoid eating immature eggs, do not eat eggs and tea immediately.

3, The third category: fish. Fish food meat tender and delicious, nutrient-rich, easy to digest, and is a favorite food. Especially suitable for the elderly, young children and patients eat. Fish is low in fat content of 1 to 10%, and the protein content in the 15 to 20%, is a high-quality protein, the shorter fish muscle fiber, protein organization structure soft, moisture content of the meat is tender, easily digested and absorbed, digestibility 87 ? 98%.

Tips: pregnant women and the baby fish to be careful.

4, The fourth category: beans. Many varieties of beans, soybean, broad beans, green beans, peas, red bean. According to the type and quantity of beans nutrients they may be divided into two categories. Soybeans represented a class of high-protein, high-fat beans. Another beans while high in complex carbohydrates characterized, such as mung bean, red bean. Very high nutritional value of the beans, eat beans every day, the human body can reduce the fat content, increase immunity and reduce the risk of illness, beans contain high protein content, good quality, its nutritional value is close to the animals protein, is the best plant protein.

Tips: fat content of soy beans in about 16% to more than 35% are proteins, can be processed into tofu, dried tofu, tofu skin, like red beans, mung soup to drink, good taste can also the disease prevention.

5, The fifth category: cereals. Cereals mainly refers to the seeds of plants of the Gramineae. It consists of rice, wheat, corn and other grains, such as millet, black rice, buckwheat, oats, barley rice, sorghum, etc..

Tips: such as wheat rich in starch, protein, fat, minerals, calcium, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin A. Protein content of 10% to 20%.

Accounted for 80% of rice protein containing lysine high alkali insoluble glutenin, lysine content higher than the other cereals, amino acid composition ratio is reasonable, the digestibility of the protein is more than 90%, the nutritional value is very high.

Per 100 grams of corn in the corn calories 106 kcal, 2.9 g of cellulose, 4.0 g protein, 1.2 g fat, 22.8 g carbohydrates, and the other containing the mineral elements and vitamins.

Per 100 grams of millet and millet 9.7 grams of protein, 1.7 g fat, 76.1 g carbohydrates, the millet gruel healthy food. Boiled available separately, can also add jujube, red bean, sweet potato, lotus, lily, millet gruel boiled flavor nutrition sedative effect.

  • The effect and role of lecithin
    1, The protector of the liver Phospholipids contain choline, have an affinity for fat, if the body of choline deficiency, it will affect fat metabolism, resulting in the accumulation of fat in the l...
  • How to skin care with milk
    Rational use of milk is not only a nutritious meal, even more beauty of the best product. If reasonable drink milk, not only beauty, but also fitness. 1, Milk and soy milk are all beauty of high qu...
  • What is the best time to eat fruit
    People is generally used to eat some fruit after a meal, this fact is very not scientific. People eat a meal, food into the stomach, 1 to 2 hours to go through the digestive process to slow discharge ...
  • The nutritional value of Pear
    Per 100 grams of edible parts of pears, 167.5 kJ of energy, contains about 0.1 grams of protein, 0.1 grams fat, 9 grams carbohydrates, 5 milligrams of calcium, phosphorus 6 mg, 0.2 mg of iron, vitamin...
  • The nutritional value of mantis shrimp
    Mantis shrimp protein content of up to 20%, fat 0.7%, and contains vitamins, chlorate, inosinic acid, amino propionic acid and other nutrients needed by the body. 1, Mantis shrimp rich nutrition, a...
  • The nutritional value of walnuts
    Hectogram walnut with 15 to 20 grams of protein, fat 60 to 70 grams, 10 grams carbohydrates; and contains essential calcium, phosphorus, iron and other trace elements and minerals, carotene, riboflavi...
  • How to supplement Vitamin A for children
    Supplement Vitamin A for children. Children lack vitamin A, it is easy to respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, once a cold or diarrhea, vitamin A levels will decline further. In general, co...
  • 5 kinds of food can lower blood sugar
    What foods to eat can lower blood glucose? High blood sugar not only do not eat high-sugar foods, but also need eat some lowering blood glucose foods. 1, Salmon Wild salmon is rich in omega-3 fatt...
  • Fasting can not eating bananas
    Fasting can not eat bananas. Why is this? Fasting eat bananas for health affected? 1, Fasting eat bananas on the gastrointestinal damage. Because bananas can promote gastrointestinal motility, and ...
  • Nutritional value and efficacy of Chives (leeks)
    Leeks high nutritional value, each containing 100 grams of edible portion 2 to 2.85 grams of protein, fat 0.2 to 0.5 grams, 6 grams carbohydrates, 2.4, 0.6 to 3.2 g of cellulose. There are a lot of vi...
Tags: high protein and low fat food, high protein food, low fat food, nutritious food

Source: http://www.hhtip.com/what-food-is-high-protein-and-low-fat/

tim tebow Tom Kenny Long Island Medium Alfonso Ribeiro morgan freeman cbs sports adam sandler

StormHarbour Targets Real Estate Investments in Japan ? Real ...

Global financial services firm, StormHarbour Partners, has announced plans to expand property investments in Japan to meet rising demand from investors overseas. In Japan, StormHarbour Japan Ltd., will invest in buildings which are reported to be worth about 10 billion yen each. This was confirmed by Michimasa Naka, head of the Japan office of the financial firm.

Naka says in an interview in Tokyo that many investors are seeking returns in Japan because of the recovery seen in the real estate market. In fact, property investments in major cities in the country offer as much as 6% yield while those in the countryside offer as much as 10%.

Mitsubishi Estate Co., and Sparx Group Co., already announced plans to venture into private real estate investment trust. Mitsubishi was able to raise 11.2 billion yen to purchase properties in Tokyo for its REIT while Sparx started a property fund with the help of a sovereign wealth fund from the Middle East.

Naka, who was also head of global investor sales of Citigroup Global Markets Japan Inc., also adds that investments in Tokyo and Fukuoka remain the most popular because of its location and accessibility to the rest of the countries in Asia. Aside from this, financing for property transactions are becoming a trend, pulling more investors in. He adds that the company?s Tokyo office has been struggling to match the success of its overseas counterparts by expanding their offers, going beyond basic financial services and products.

Original Article: BloombergPhoto Credits: thinkpanama?and?.accidentalist.?via Flickr

Tokyo Apartments For Sale | Tokyo Apartments For Rent | Real Estate Japan

Source: http://www.realestate.co.jp/2012/10/22/stormharbour-targets-real-estate-investments-in-japan/

sprint Sam Bacile thursday night football At&t Wireless apple apple 9/11

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Future of Internet Marketing Field ? WP Hive

</p>

jordan-11-retro.com<p>
</p>

<p>t's in store for those trying to become successful in the Internet Marketing field in the future?

Will the increasing popularity of the Internet benefit or hinder your efforts?

How do I as a marketing professional take advantage of this popularity explosion?

These are a few of the questions being asked by those looking to build a successful business online.

With the number of participants online ever increasing, the pool of prospective clients continues to grow. This is a trend that will give those dedicated to marketing the opportunity to build a successful business online.

So many starting out, expect to work a few hours a week, spend no money, and yet they expect immediate success air jordan 6 rigns. this is the text that will type when you click your cursor on a form field, then click on Sample Button 1These people are destined for failure. for more details visit to They usually end up doing a lot of jumping from program to program searching for that "Golden" program that is going to put them on the Forbes "Top Ten List" of the wealthiest people in the world.

To be successful in Internet Marketing, one must be willing to put some time and money into their business. If you are starting your own business, it does not matter if you are starting a landscaping business or an Internet marketing business jordan retro 11, the formula for success remains fairly constant.

To be successful you must be willing to invest a lot of time and be willing to invest some money in advertising as well as your education.

You can start out slow and work with a small advertising budget.

If you choose to start out with a small budget, that is fine, just don't expect your business to grow at a full-time pace. Too many people want to make a full-time income with a part-time effort.

With the influx of new people to the net, the opportunity exists to build a nice online business. Just be realistic with the results you expect.

One of the toughest decisions to make when you first start working online, which program should I work or which program should I join?

There are many good programs and products available. Too many people think a good program or product will just pull them along and bring success with it.

When this doesn't happen, you will see them jump ship. The problem is, the next program will offer no more success unless you are willing to put forth the effort required to make it happen. Type any text here This includes educating yourself as well as spending the time and money necessary to get your product or service out there for others to see.

Jumping from one program to another is a sure sign that disaster is just around the corner.

If you decide to become serious in the Internet Marketing field, check out some of the programs or products available. for more details visit to programs or products you think will be of interest to others. Make a decision to join a program or two and commit to them. Please remember, building an income online does not happen overnight.

Advertising is one of the largest contributing factors to determining the success of your online business. Working hard, posting to free classifieds, ezines, etc. can help bring a certain degree of success, but the fact is those who are successful with a marketing business ha</p>

Related articles:

Source: http://wp-hive.com/forums/topic/future-of-internet-marketing-field

matt lauer divine mercy chaplet albert pujols the shining mariano rivera mariano rivera jobs report

#5: Sony 360 Watt All-In-One iPod & iPhone Audio Hi-Fi Stereo ...

Sony 360 Watt All-In-One iPod & iPhone Audio Hi-Fi Stereo Sound System with CD Player, Digital Tuner AM/FM Receiver with 30 Presets, DSGX Bass Boost, 7 Equalizers, 4 Play Modes, 3-Way Bass Reflex Speakers & Full Function Remote Control with Full iPod Menu by Sony Buy new: $189.99 $169.99 3 used & new from $169.95 (Visit the Hot New Releases in Home Theater Systems list for authoritative information on this product?s current rank.)

Sale On:
#5: Sony 360 Watt All-In-One iPod & iPhone Audio Hi-Fi Stereo Sound System with CD Player, Digital Tuner AM/FM Receiver with 30 Presets, DSGX Bass?
check price

Source: http://www.wiki-products.com/5-sony-360-watt-all-in-one-ipod-iphone-audio-hi-fi-stereo-sound-system-with-cd-player-digital-tuner-amfm-receiver-with-30-presets-dsgx-bass/

posterior adam lambert arrested barkley beltran space ball jim mora the weeknd echoes of silence

Hong Kong tycoon Richard Li returns to insurance with $2.1 billion ING deal

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong businessman Richard Li, the younger son of Asia's richest man, is buying ING's Hong Kong, Macau and Thailand insurance units for $2.14 billion in cash, bringing the Dutch financial services company a step closer to paying off its state bailout.

Li's bid, through unlisted Pacific Century Group, marks his return to an industry he exited in 2007 and would help expand his business empire, which is now made up of telecoms, media and funds management.

He is paying 24.3 times estimated 2012 earnings for the three units. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2013, according to a statement from ING.

"What we really want to do is to expand the business regionally," Li, 45, told Reuters, walking by himself from the Citibank office tower toward downtown Hong Kong on Friday.

He previously owned a Hong Kong life insurance company, called Pacific Century Insurance (PCI), which he sold to Dutch and Belgian financial services firm Fortis in 2007.

Li said that when he invested in PCI, the business plan was very narrowly aimed at the Hong Kong market. "And then, after a while, we realized that this is a good business," Li said, referring to the overall insurance sector.

A source familiar with the sale process said that Li is interested in other insurance acquisitions and distribution agreements in Asia-Pacific.

Li's father, billionaire Li Ka-shing, is a legendary businessman and a rags-to-riches property tycoon. The family's business empire spans property, ports, power, water, supermarkets, drug stores and is spread across 52 countries.

In May Li Ka-shing named elder son Victor Li his formal successor but also pledged to continue to back the younger son's ventures.

Richard Li did not say how he plans to fund the acquisition but bankers are already betting he will participate in other insurance deals in the region.

"I will call him on every single sell-side I run," one Hong Kong-based M&A banker said.

DIVESTMENT PLAN ALTERED

The timing of Richard Li's comeback plans to the insurance business coincided with ING's need to shed assets to repay the 10 billion euro ($13.1 billion) state bailout it received during the 2008 financial crisis.

Last week, ING announced the sale of its Malaysian insurance business to AIA Group Ltd for $1.73 billion in cash, helping it to strike its first deal in a nine-month drive to sell its Asian insurance and investment management assets.

AIA paid 14.3 times 2011 earnings for the Malaysian business. Insurers in Asia-Pacific on average trade at a 12-month forward multiple of 15.9 times, according to Thomson Reuters data.

With the latest deal, ING would be raising a total of $3.87 billion so far from its Asia exit plan, with the divestment of its much bigger Japan and South Korean operations still pending.

"It seems to be going well," Cor Kluis, an analyst at Rabobank, said on Thursday when Reuters reported the news of Li's purchase based on sources.

Kluis said he had expected the Hong Kong and Thai businesses to be sold for about 1.4 billion euros ($1.84 billion) and for the Asian insurance and investment assets to raise 6.1 billion euros in total.

Negotiations to sell ING's Japan and South Korean operations have been dragging on and it was not immediately clear when the sale of those two units would be announced.

Li has also bid for part of the Japan business though it was not clear if he was still interested in that. ING's South Korea unit is expected to be sold to KB Financial Group , sources previously told Reuters.

ING launched the sale of its Asian insurance and asset management operations in March and had planned to find a single buyer for the insurance units, raising more than $7 billion.

With no single suitor emerging, the Dutch firm decided to break up the auction along different geographies.

ING shares were down 0.6 percent in Friday morning trade in a flat Amsterdam market <.aex>. The insurer's shares are up 27 percent this year.

KEY LIEUTENANTS

Li was a surprise bidder for ING's insurance operations, which had attracted interest from global insurers, including Metlife Inc and Manulife Financial Corp .

His purchase of the assets would shake up the sector less than if they had gone to another insurer.

"Richard Li coming in and doing this doesn't really change the market because there's no consolidation. It's just a new owner for the ING assets," Barclays Asia insurance analyst Mark Kellock said before the official confirmation of the deal.

Li has two key lieutenants advising him on his insurance and financial services business - Martina Chung Kit Hung, a former AIA employee, and Alvin Chooi, an ex-Temasek Holdings insurance specialist - separate sources told Reuters.

The purchase would give Li access to ING's 270,000 customers and 1,600 tied agents in Hong Kong and Macau, and its 300,000 customers and 4,000 tied agents in Thailand.

Li, who runs phone, pay-television and Internet company PCCW Ltd , also hired HSBC to advise on the deal.

ING hired Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan to advise on the divestment.

(Additional reporting by Sara Webb in Amsterdam and Michael Flaherty in Hong Kong; Editing by Helen Massy-Beresford and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hong-kong-tycoon-richard-li-returns-insurance-2-062332543--finance.html

2013 nissan altima masters par 3 contest google augmented reality glasses wonderlic test texas tornado fantasy baseball jared sullinger

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

PeoplePlotr: Create Interactive Family Trees & Organizational Charts

I come from a large family, and we are all quite close. In fact, we?re even close to the extended family ? uncles, aunts, cousins. My grandfather and his five siblings made it a point to maintain a healthy relationship, which they passed on to the next generations. So for a long time, I have been pondering making a family tree to chart out our herd.

When I first came across PeoplePlotr, it seemed like a good idea to give it a try. The web app is made by the same guys who developed the easy-to-use timeline-maker Tiki-Toki. I?ve used that before and have been quite happy with it, so I dove right in.


Like the article? You should subscribe and follow us on twitter.

A sample PeoplePlotr graph

First Impressions

Sign up for the free account and you are asked to create your first plot. For the sake of this review, I decided to go with a family tree of the characters from the TV show Modern Family. Along with the title and about box, you get to add intro and background images ? what I particularly liked was that PeoplePlotr allows a space to give credit for both images, saving you the trouble of editing it.

Now, there was one big downside here. In the free account, you can only add images through links, so the photos have to be hosted on some other service, like Flickr. The paid accounts allow you to upload images from your hard drive. Still, given that most of us have our photos stored somewhere in the cloud, it?s not a deal-breaker.

Let?s start making a tree

The ?plot? doesn?t start off with a blank slate, since you?ve already added a background image that will fill the screen. PeoplePlotr does a pretty good job of scaling the background to fit the screen, though make sure you use a high-res image here for best results.

By default, you?ll get a dummy tree already made that you can choose to use or discard. I discarded it and started afresh for my project, switching Edit Mode to ?on? in the toolbox at the bottom-left.

Designing your plot with premade elements

When you start off, PeoplePlotr has handy tutorials popping up as tooltips to help you through the initial process. I?d recommend reading these the first time, although the service is pretty intuitive to use even without any instruction. What?s annoying, though, is that the tips keep popping up long after you?ve learned how to use the service, taking up valuable screen space. You?ll quickly want to turn the ?Show Help? settings to ?Off?.

Adding people and making the tree is an absolute breeze. I was quite taken in with how easy it all was. Just drag and drop the element you want from the toolbox to the plot. The toolbox includes Male and Female profiles, basic tree line, vertical and horizontal lines, corners, text box and legends. It?s a simple, intuitive process that no one will find complicated.

Personalize it

Where PeoplePlotr shines is in the additional details it lets you add about each person. Let?s face it, if you?re making a family tree in the digital age, then in all likelihood, you have media related to a lot of people. You would obviously want to augment a person with that media then.

Once you create a new person, you can add their name, date of birth and death, sex, an image, and a description. If that person has a website or a Facebook page, throw it into the ?Link? box. In the ?Images/Video? tab, you can add as much media as you want to that person?s profile. Again, you can?t upload anything if you?re using a free account, but you can add links to media. It?s not complicated at all, but again, just make sure you have all your media uploaded somewhere.

Editing info

There was a bit of a problem in the design here. There are two sizes that a profile can be put in: Standard and Large. The Large size looks better with the person?s name coming under the photo in a thick frame. But the Standard size only allows you to put the name to the left or the right of the image. It?s a small thing, but it can throw off the whole design you had in mind for your family tree. I hope the guys at PeoplePlotr fix this soon. There is no reason why a user shouldn?t be able to customize where the text appears.

Also, there is a bug in the service at the moment. Sometimes, if you change the size from Large to Standard, then for some reason, the name reverts to the default ?John Smith? or ?Jane Smith?, so you have to key it in again. And the formatting goes for a toss too, with the box?s arrow pointing to the right while aligned to the bottom. Instead of resizing, it ends up meaning you have to create that person?s profile all over again, which is a major pain.

Browsing The Plot

Once you are done making your plot, you can share its link with anyone, and browsing a plot is a wonderful experience. It?s an easily navigable interface, like Google Maps, where you can click your mouse and ?grab-and-drag? the screen to move around.?Click on any person?s thumbnail and a lightbox pops up with the profile, showing all the description, videos, images, links, and more that you?ve added.

Digging into your plot

At the bottom of the screen, you?ll find a bar to search for or browse through the people in your plot, or check out a timeline of all the major events. In the case of families, this will be mainly about dates of birth and death, but if you are creating an organizational chart, you could use the date fields creatively to suit your needs, such as the date a person joined and quit the business. There?s no default option for that, but no reason you couldn?t use the service in that way.

Restrictions

The Free account allows you to create only one plot of up to 30 people, and as mentioned, you can?t upload any media. The Bronze account, at $7.50 a month, allows up to five plots with unlimited people, and even lets you embed that plot on your site (up to 5,000 views per month). The Silver account ($20 a month) increases that to 25 plots and 20,000 views. These options would make more sense for a business than a family project.

PeoplePlotr account options

Conclusion

PeoplePlotr makes it really easy to create a family tree, especially if you want to add images, videos, links, and more to each person?s profile. It?s also a handy tool to create an organizational chart. And the pleasing interface ? helped by your personalized background image ? only makes the experience more pleasurable.

I tried out a few of its competitors, like Geni and Family Echo, and while these are good services too, they don?t have the breadth of features that PeoplePlotr currently offers.

It?s not without its flaws, but we would definitely recommend PeoplePlotr nonetheless.

Source: http://web.appstorm.net/reviews/portfolio/peopleplotr-create-interactive-family-trees-organizational-charts/

marchmadness mike d antoni nba trade rumors 2012 ncaa tournament schedule laurent robinson dantoni gillian anderson

Video and Audio player for AVI using Python and pipelines not ...

I have been looking for the method to use avidemux, pipelines and python to display the video and audio from a single avi video file. I can do it using gst-launch but i wanted to implement it in code. Right now it sais that all the elements are created but it doens't access any of the dynamic alloction of pads from the avidemux or the decoder.

The entire code for python is below.

Thanks,

    #!/usr/bin/env python     import gobject, pygst     pygst.require("0.10")     import gst       def allocate_muxer_pad(dbin, pad, islast):         print "allocate prog entered"             if pad.get_caps()[0].to_string().startswith("a"):             pad.link(audioqueue.get_pad("sink"))             print 'audio Mux connected'          elif pad.get_caps()[0].to_string().startswith("v"):               pad.link(videoqueue.get_pad("sink"))                 print 'Video Mux connected'      def new_Adecode_pad(dbin, pad, islast):         pad.link(audioconvert.get_pad("sink"))           print 'audio decode connected'      def new_Vdecode_pad(dbin, pad, islast):           pad.link(videoconvert.get_pad("sink"))         print 'video decode connected'      pipeline = gst.Pipeline("PIPELINE")     Bin = gst.Bin("pipeline")      src = gst.element_factory_make("filesrc", "source")     src.set_property("location", "testav.avi")      demux = gst.element_factory_make("avidemux","avi-demuxer")     audioqueue = gst.element_factory_make('queue', 'Audioqueue')     videoqueue = gst.element_factory_make('queue','videoqueue')     audiodecoder = gst.element_factory_make("decodebin2","Adecoder")     videodecoder = gst.element_factory_make("decodebin2","Vdecoder")     audioconverter = gst.element_factory_make("audioconvert","Audio_Converter")      videoconverter = gst.element_factory_make("ffmpegcolorspace","Video_Converter")     audioSink = gst.element_factory_make("autoaudiosink","Sink_Audio")     videoSink = gst.element_factory_make("ximagesink","Sink_Video")      Bin.add(src)     Bin.add_many(demux,audioqueue,videoqueue,audiodecoder,audioconverter,videodecoder,videoconverter,audioSink,videoSink)      src.link(demux)     gst.element_link_many(audioqueue,audiodecoder)     gst.element_link_many(audioconverter,audioSink)     gst.element_link_many(videoqueue,videodecoder)     gst.element_link_many(videoconverter,videoSink)      if (not(src) or not(demux) or not(audioqueue) or not(videoqueue) or not(videodecoder) or not(audiodecoder) or not(audioconverter) or not(videoconverter) or not(audioSink) or not(videoSink) ):         print "Elements not Created"     else:         print "Elements Created"       demux.connect("pad-added", allocate_muxer_pad)     demux.connect("pad-added", allocate_muxer_pad)      audiodecoder.connect("new-decoded-pad", new_Adecode_pad)     videodecoder.connect("new-decoded-pad", new_Vdecode_pad)       pipeline.set_state(gst.STATE_PLAYING)     print "Pipeline Playing"      # enter into a mainloop     loop = gobject.MainLoop()      loop.run() 

Source: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12926832/video-and-audio-player-for-avi-using-python-and-pipelines-not-working

the cell dickclark gavin degraw gavin degraw alec time 100 bob beckel

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Mitt Romney's '$5 trillion tax cut': 5 things you should know

Romney has proposed about $5 trillion in specific, gross tax cuts over the next decade relative to current policy, most but not all of which would go to high-income taxpayers. He has also promised to offset a substantial portion of those cuts?presumably in the trillions of dollars?by reducing deductions and other tax breaks.

By Donald Marron,?Guest blogger / October 14, 2012

Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney waves to the crowd as he arrives for a rally in Richmond, Va., Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. There is speculation that Romney will propose nearly $5 trillion in tax cuts. Marron argues that without specifics, that figure is merely speculative.

Steve Helber/AP

Enlarge

You?ve probably heard claims that Mitt Romney wants to cut taxes by $5 trillion. Here are five things you should know about that figure:

Skip to next paragraph TaxVox

The Tax Policy Center is a joint venture of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution. The Center is made up of nationally recognized experts in tax, budget, and social policy who have served at the highest levels of government. TaxVox is the Tax Policy Center's tax and budget policy blog.

Recent posts

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

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

1. $5 trillion is the gross amount of tax cuts he has proposed, not the net impact of all his intended tax reforms.

Governor Romney has been very specific about the taxes he would cut. Most notably, he would reduce today?s individual income tax rates by one-fifth (so the 10 percent bracket would fall to 8 percent, the 35 percent to 28 percent, etc.) and reduce the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent. In addition, he would eliminate the alternative minimum tax (AMT), the estate tax, the taxes created in 2010?s health reform act, and taxes on capital gains, dividends, and interest for incomes up to $200,000 ($100,000 for singles). The $5 trillion figure reflects the revenue impact of all those cuts.

But Romney has also said that he intends his reforms to be revenue-neutral, with the specified revenue losses being offset by a combination of economic growth and unspecified cuts in deductions and other tax preferences. The net impact of his reforms would undoubtedly be less than $5 trillion, perhaps much less if he?s aggressive in going after tax breaks or willing to compromise on some of his other tax reform goals (e.g., not raising taxes on investment income). Without any details about what he would do, however, we can?t measure the net revenue impact of his ideas.

2.?$5 trillion is a 10-year extrapolation from a TPC estimate for 2015.

TPC has?estimated?that the gross tax cuts proposed by Romney would amount to $456 billion in 2015. Budget debates in Washington often focus on ten-year periods, so commentators have coalesced around a natural, if imprecise, extrapolation: multiply by 10 and round up because of a growing economy. Result: $5 trillion over ten years.

3.?$5 trillion does not include the impact of permanently extending many expiring tax cuts, including those from 2001 and 2003.

In budget parlance, the $5 trillion is measured against a current policy baseline, not a current law one. TPC?s current policy baseline assumes that many expiring tax cuts, including the 2001 and 2003 cuts, the AMT patch, the current version of the estate tax, and the tax credits enacted or expanded in 2009 will all be extended permanently. Romney proposes to extend all of these except the 2009 credits. Because it is measured against current policy, the $5 trillion figure does not include the revenue impact of any of those extensions (but does include a small revenue increase from expiration of the credits).

The current law baseline assumes all tax cuts expire as scheduled yielding almost $5 trillion more revenue than does current policy. Relative to current law, Romney?s tax proposal would thus be roughly a $10 trillion gross tax cut. (The same issue arises with President Obama?s tax proposals, which?we estimate?amount to a $2.1 trillion net tax increase relative to current policy, but a $2.8 trillion net tax cut relative to current law.)

4.?$5 trillion includes more than $1 trillion in gross tax cuts for families earning $200,000 or less.

Governor Romney?s specified tax cuts would go primarily to high-income taxpayers for a simple reason: they pay a large share of taxes and thus get a large benefit from a proportional reduction in tax rates. But that doesn?t mean that all the tax cuts go to top earners. Middle- and upper-middle income taxpayers would also get a gross tax reduction because of the reduction in tax rates, the elimination of taxes on capital gains, dividends, and interest for low and middle incomes, and, for some, the elimination of the AMT. Those gross tax cuts amount to more than $1 trillion over ten years.

5.?$5 trillion includes around $1 trillion in gross tax cuts for corporations.

Cutting the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent would lower corporate tax revenues by roughly $1 trillion over the next decade. Little-discussed in the current debate is whether and how Governor Romney would offset this revenue loss.

As he has rightly noted,?corporate taxes are ultimately borne by people, including workers and shareholders. Most of the corporate rate reductions would ultimately benefit high-income taxpayers since they own more investment assets and earn higher labor income. But about two-fifths of the benefit would go to low-, middle-, and upper-middle income workers and investors.

Bottom line: Governor Romney has proposed about $5 trillion in specific, gross tax cuts over the next decade relative to current policy, most but not all of which would go to high-income taxpayers. He has also promised to offset a substantial portion of those cuts?presumably in the trillions of dollars?by reducing deductions and other tax breaks, primarily for high-income households. Lacking any specifics, however, we can?t know what net tax cut, if any, he proposes.

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here. To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on taxvox.taxpolicycenter.org.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/dmW1rGEaCoE/Mitt-Romney-s-5-trillion-tax-cut-5-things-you-should-know

hunger games Ronda Rousey Joey Kovar Expendables 2 Pussy Riot National Hurricane Center Zeek Rewards