Thursday, August 30, 2012

NDSU Research Connects the Dots to Renewable Energy Future

Newswise ? Svetlana Kilina, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at North Dakota State University, Fargo, has received a $750,000 five-year award from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Early Career Research Program. Funding will be used to conduct research outlined in Dr. Kilina?s proposal titled ?Modeling of Photoexcited Process at Interfaces of Functionalized Quantum Dots.?

Dr. Kilina?s research occurs at the intersection of renewable energy, high-performance computing, nanotechnology and chemistry. Only 68 awardees were selected from a pool of about 850 university- and national laboratory-based applicants, based on peer review by outside scientific experts.

Quantum dots are nanocrystals discovered by scientists in the 1980s. Ranging in size from two to 10 nanometers, billions of them could fit on the head of a pin. Their tiny sizes belie the Herculean impact they could make in semiconductors and energy. Dr. Kilina?s work centers on new generation solar cells and fuel cells using quantum-dot-based materials.

Materials at the nanoscale level behave differently than at larger scales. Energized quantum dots absorb and emit light. The color of the light depends on the size of the dot. In addition, one quant of light can generate more than two carriers of electric current (two electrons-hole pairs instead of one) in quantum dots. As a result, quantum dots could convert energy to light or vice versa more efficiently than conventional energy materials based on bulk semiconductors such as silicon. That makes quantum dots very promising materials for solar cells and other energy applications.

?One of the main obstacles in the synthesis of quantum dots is the controllable chemistry of the quantum dot surface,? said Dr. Kilina. ?Due to their nanosize, the dots are extremely chemically reactive, and different organic molecules from solvent/air environment interact with the surface of the quantum dot during and after synthesis. These molecules cover the surface of the quantum dot like a shell, influencing its optical and electronic properties.?

Dr. Kilina uses supercomputers to conduct computer-simulated experiments, investigate and advance her research in this field. Her goal is to generate theoretical insights to the surface chemistry of quantum dots, which are critical to design efficient quantum-dot-based materials for solar energy conversion and lighting applications.

To apply her model and algorithmic methods, Dr. Kilina?s research group uses supercomputers at the NDSU Center for Computationally Assisted Science and Technology, in addition to Department of Energy and Los Alamos National Laboratory leadership-class, high-performance computing facilities. The combination of NDSU supercomputing and government facilities substantially reduces the amount of time needed for the massive calculations used in this research.

?Dr. Kilina?s research aims to gain fundamental understanding of nanomaterials at the molecular and electronic level,? said Dr. Greg Cook, chair of NDSU?s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. ?Insights gained from this research will enable the progression of solar energy technology to help solve the world?s energy challenges. The Department of Energy award recognizes Dr. Kilina?s unique expertise in the area of theoretical modeling of these materials critical for the future,? said Cook.

Dr. Kilina?s research addresses fundamental questions of modern materials science that affect the design and manufacture of new-generation energy conversion devices. To design and manufacture such devices requires developing new multi-functional materials with controllable properties. As part of Dr. Kilina?s work centered around new generation solar cells and fuel cells, she develops and applies a new generation non-adiabatic photoinduced dynamics methodology that simultaneously includes electron-hole coupling response for excitonic effects and exciton-phonon coupling critical in photoexcitation and couplings between electronics and crystal-lattice vibrations responsible for energy-to-heat losses.

It is anticipated that the acquired theoretical knowledge gained from the research at NDSU will help better explain and interpret experimental data and could facilitate rational design of new nanostructures with desired optical, transport, and light harvesting properties that are fundamental to a myriad of clean energy technologies.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy website, the Office of Science Early Career Research Program awards are designed to bolster the nation?s scientific workforce by providing support to exceptional researchers during the crucial early career years, when many scientists do their most formative work. The research awards also aim at providing incentives for scientists to focus on mission research areas that are a high priority for the Department of Energy and the nation. Dr. Kilina?s research is funded by the Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy, Award No. DE-SC0008446.

Dr. Svetlana Kilina joined the faculty at NDSU in 2010. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, N.M., after receiving her Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Washington, Seattle, Wash. She received a master?s degree in physics from Belarus State University, Minsk, Belarus.

Dr. Kilina?s research was selected for most recent funding by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences and the U.S. Department of Energy Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. She previously received research funding from the North Dakota Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research from 2010 to 2012.


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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Converting Them Softly with Their Words | CRI

This article first appeared in Christian Research Journal, volume?34, number?01 (2011). For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: http://www.equip.org


SYNOPSIS

For many years, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) have practiced what they call ?friendshipping.? This coined word describes the attitude that Mormons are told to have in their relationships with less active members or those who have no connection whatsoever to the LDS Church. By going out of their way to do kind gestures, Mormons hope to present a positive image of their church and possibly entice friends and neighbors to enter into the missionary lessons. In addition, many Christians are pressured to join the LDS Church when they become involved in romantic relationships with Mormons. While Mormons apparently can date outside their faith as long as their partners are pure and wholesome, they are not supposed to marry nonmembers. Thus, the Christian boyfriend or girlfriend is typically required to join the LDS Church before the relationship can head to the next step, which could be a Mormon temple wedding ceremony. While Christians certainly can and should have friendships with those from other religions, including Mormons, they also need to understand the potential pitfalls when others are trying to convert them to their faith.


My friend and I backed the rented moving truck into the driveway of our family?s new home in Sandy, Utah, a short drive from the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Salt Lake City. It was 2:00 A.M. on a Sunday, much too late to begin unloading the twenty-seven-foot, packed-to-the-gills truck. We decided to get some sleep, knowing that some friends were scheduled to come by that afternoon to help.

Sunday is a sacred day for members of the LDS Church; Mormons are not supposed to work or recreate on the ?Sabbath.? Since more than two-thirds of Utah?s population is LDS, many stores and restaurants throughout the state are closed on Sunday. Because our friends? schedules did not allow for them to help later in the week and the truck was due back, we hoped our new Mormon neighbors (which, it turns out, includes almost everyone on the block) would understand why we had to work on Sunday.

That afternoon, as the back door to the truck rolled open and we began the backbreaking process of unloading, my next-door neighbor?sporting jeans and a T-shirt with a pair of work gloves on his hands?appeared from around the corner. ?Need a hand?? he asked. I knew that he was a former Mormon bishop who had been very friendly to me during my purchase of the home. ?Imagine,? I thought to myself, ?this man is willing to forego his day of rest to help me move.? In one way, I was duly impressed. But I wondered if ?friendshipping? was his main motivation. Regardless, he was one of the hardest workers of the afternoon, sweating profusely and refusing to take a break.

?KIND ACTS AND GETTING A FOOT IN THE DOOR

In the 2005 LDS-genre movie Mobsters and Mormons, a New Jersey ?goodfella? and his family are secretly relocated to Utah as part of the Witness Protection Program. The comedy comes as the rough-edged Italian informant?now with the assumed name of George Cheeseman?learns to adapt to the culture that feels to him like Disneyland on steroids. Soon after the Cheesemans move into their home, most of the Mormon families from the neighborhood bend over backwards to welcome the brash newcomers with visits and gifts of baked goods. In addition, it doesn?t take them long to invite this Catholic family to Mormon Church services and activities.

Louise, the local neighborhood gossip, decides she isn?t a fan of these uncouth people, so she warns Kate Jaynes, the wife of the local LDS Church leader, not to be so outgoing to them. ?We are setting a standard,? Kate ends up sarcastically responding to her complaining neighbor. ?We had the Cheesemans over for dinner. It?s called friendshipping. You know what? You should try it sometime.?

?Friendshipping? is an LDS-coined word that emphasizes the building of relationships with non-Mormon friends and neighbors. It is certainly not a strategy of the Jehovah?s Witnesses, a group that is more likely to knock on our doors, but who will shun their own neighbors and refuse to participate in neighborhood social activities.

According to Sandra Tanner, the founder of the Utah Lighthouse Ministry in Salt Lake City, Mormons have found success through friendshipping. ?The LDS Church has long realized that simply going door-to-door is one of the least efficient means of finding potential converts,? she said. ?They try to involve the local church member in supplying names of friends and relatives for missionary contact. Often the church member will invite someone over for dinner, along with the LDS missionaries, as a means of introducing the person to Mormonism.?1

Indeed, Mormon leaders encourage their members to go beyond the comfort of their own homes to engage with nonmembers. Many assume that the Mormon Church?s best tactics to entice potential converts are through direct contact with two of the church?s 52,000 missionaries as well as media campaigns. Yet the results of these two methods are less than impressive. Only two to three percent of those who initially became connected to the church through missionary efforts ever get baptized; just one to two percent of those contacted through a media campaign join the LDS Church. However, twenty to thirty percent of those whose first contact came through a relationship with current members end up getting baptized!2

While using friendships to try to make converts is certainly not new or unique to the Mormon Church, the current idea of Mormon friendshipping began in the 1970s when President Spencer W. Kimball encouraged LDS families to reach out to others in an evangelistic way. ?With your family, prayerfully select one or two families to friendship,? he said. ?Decide whom of your relatives or friends you will introduce to the Church. Perhaps you could plan a family home evening with them?.Then, when these families show interest, arrange through your ward or branch mission leader to invite them and the missionaries into your home to share the message of the restoration. If you will follow this simple procedure, you will bring a number of fine families into the Church.?3

One church manual provides a four-step list to ?sharing the Gospel effectively?: ?1. Prayerfully select a family. 2. Friendship the family. 3. Introduce the family to the Church. 4. Invite the family to meet with the missionaries.?4 Under this final step, the manual gives a sample monologue on how to convince the neighbors to meet the missionaries: ?One way of asking friends if they would like to know about the Church is to say: ?We enjoy being your neighbors. Would you and your family join us in a family home evening tomorrow night at seven o?clock? Two young men from our Church will give a presentation on how our Church began.?5

The manual records one convert?s real-life story to prove the point: ?Shortly after we moved to a new neighborhood, I was out working in my garden when one of my neighbors offered me a huge armful of tomatoes she had just picked. This was just the beginning of what was to be a forever friendship. In the months that followed, [our neighbors] proved to be the best friends?.we had ever met. They were not afraid to be too friendly and took our family in just as though we were their own family.?6

The efforts proved to be successful. ?We were always invited to Church activities but never pressured to go,? the convert continued. ?When we did decide to go, our neighbors? sweet, dependable daughter came over to babysit for us?and sometimes even refused to be paid for it. After I had had a hard day at home, my friend would ask me to come to Relief Society with her?we knew in our hearts that we wanted a more complete life like theirs.?7

This model has continued into the twenty-first century. President Gordon Hinckley told a gathering at the Salt Lake Tabernacle, ?The process of bringing people into the Church is not the responsibility alone of the missionaries,? he said. ?They succeed best when members become the source from which new investigators are found.?8 Speaking to a group of new mission presidents at the Provo Missionary Training Center, Apostle Dallin Oaks said: ?Members simply must take a more active role in our missionary efforts at every stage: friendshipping those who are not of our faith; sharing Church materials; sharing feelings about the gospel; inviting friends to Church activities, service projects, and meetings; giving the missionaries referrals to visit our friends; inviting those friends to be taught the gospel in our homes; and fellowshipping and strengthening new converts.?9

Young Mormons are especially encouraged to make friends and then introduce the Mormon gospel to them. In one Mormon youth magazine, writer Pat Graham utilized an LDS scriptural verse10 to explain how to friendship: ?President Spencer W. Kimball said that ?usually we must warm our neighbors before we can warn them properly? and that we should friendship and fellowship, ?not scold and scare them.? How can you show love to your nonmember friends and neighbors? Little kindnesses will help friends feel good about our Church. They will ?warm? up to the idea of learning more about the teachings of the Church.?11

The idea of getting friends to become involved in church activities is continually promoted. The official LDS Church Web site includes a section for youth with an explanation of how friendshipping should take place: ?Invite your nonmember friends to Church activities where they can learn about your standards and the principles of the gospel. Include them in your midweek activities and your Sunday meetings. Help them feel welcome and wanted. Many nonmembers have come into the Church through friends who have involved them in Church activities.?12 In a Sunday school manual written specifically to LDS ?young women,? the stated objective for one lesson reads: ?Each young woman will extend friendship to young women of her own age and encourage them to take part in Church activities and meetings.? For the lesson application, the girls are instructed this way: ?Invite the young women to choose a person that they, as a class, would like to reactivate or introduce to the gospel. Have them develop a plan to do this.?13

For those who move to a predominantly LDS community, friendshipping will not always look the same as it did in Mobsters and Mormons. Russ East, the director of Utah Partnerships for Christ, has lived in Utah for seven years. He says that he has excellent LDS neighbors; his wife regularly plays Bunco with the ladies in the neighborhood, and his daughter even babysits their children. While there is much interaction, he says, ?I have not sensed much in their desire to send the missionaries our way or to get us into the LDS Church.?14 Bill McKeever, who is the head of Mormonism Research Ministry, hasn?t been friendshipped in his six years living in Utah but does not have any problem with the concept. ?If the Mormons really believe they have truth and feel I am in error, I hope they would want to persuade me to their way of thinking.?15

Yet McKeever points out that Christians who have Mormon friends or neighbors should be grounded in the fundamentals of Christianity in order to understand the differences between the faiths. Since the terminology can be so very similar but with quite different meanings, this is often a difficult undertaking. It?s also hard to stand up for truth when personal relationships are at stake because nobody wants to look argumentative with friends or neighbors. If relationships hinge on a person having to join a church that rejects historic biblical teachings, however, then Christian believers need to take a stand.

Though some Christians in his neighborhood felt that Mormons practicing their ?Welcome Neighbor? program were merely offering conditional friendships, Mormon author Darl Anderson believes it shouldn?t be this way. ?I learned that our expressions of friendship need to show more sincerity and consistency if we want them to be correctly understood,? he wrote. ?Many of our non-Mormon neighbors sincerely feel that every Mormon gesture toward them is devious?We need more communication as friends to know and do what they want for their benefit?not for our personal or selfish desires.?16

On the opposite end, while Christians ought to desire evangelistic opportunities, attempting to make friendships merely to win neighbors to Christ is also suspect. What will happen to this relationship if the other person continually rejects the Christian faith? Should this really be considered ?friendship??

?THE MISSION FIELD OF DATING

Former LDS President Spencer W. Kimball was very clear in 1969 when he admonished his followers not to date nonmembers. He wrote, ?Clearly, right marriage begins with right dating?.Do not take the chance of dating nonmembers, or members who are untrained and faithless. A girl may say, ?Oh, I do not intend to marry this person. It is just a ?fun date.? But one cannot afford to take a chance on falling in love with someone who may never accept the gospel.?17

Kimball told his members to not date until they were at least sixteen years old.18While this rule appears to be followed by most Mormon youth throughout the United States, the idea of dating only those in the church is no longer emphasized. Rather, it seems that high moral behavior is the main requirement. In an article titled ?Dating FAQs? published recently in an LDS youth publication, the question was asked, ?Should I date someone who is not LDS?? The answer? ?Possibly, but don?t date anyone (LDS or not) who, because of low standards, will drag you down.?19

This idea is echoed on the official LDS Web site, which says Mormons should only date ?those who have high standards, who respect your standards, and in whose company you can maintain the standards of the gospel of Jesus Christ.?20 Speaking to youth, current LDS prophet Thomas S. Monson stated, ?Begin to prepare for a temple marriage as well as for a mission. Proper dating is a part of that preparation?.Because dating is a preparation for marriage, ?date only those who have high standards.??21

Many local LDS congregations host weekend dances and other social events where their young people are encouraged to invite nonmember friends. With hormones raging, many nonmembers end up becoming attracted to the wholesome Latter-day Saints whom they meet. In the past few months, I have counseled two former Christian high school teenage male students, each of whom had independently become romantically involved with Mormons. They both were encouraged to participate in the missionary lessons and join the LDS Church if they hoped to take their relationships to the next level. Granted, it was the choice of these young men to date outside their faith, but they ended up getting pressured to convert to Mormonism. Neither one had even thought about cajoling the girls to leave Mormonism for Christianity. Despite the fact that they both recognized the falsehoods of Mormonism, they desperately wanted to continue their relationships but didn?t know how, unless they became Mormons.

This ?missionary dating? tactic is common. Sandra Tanner believes the problem is especially prevalent with those attending college. ?I often get calls from Christian parents who are deeply concerned about their son or daughter because they have started to date a Mormon at college and have gotten involved in the LDS college social group,? she said. ?Often the person has joined the LDS Church without even telling the parents, informing them on their next school break. By that time, the person is often in a serious relationship that will lead to a temple wedding, which the parents will not be allowed to witness.?22 Bill McKeever adds, ?I have seen far too many cases of Christian young people rejecting their faith in order to win the ?love? of a Mormon.?23

At a recent talk that we gave at a Christian church, two families?one LDS, the other Christian?attended together. Their twenty-year-old college-aged children?the girl is LDS, the boy a Christian?had been dating for several years and were getting more serious in their relationship. In fact, the only college that the boy had applied and been accepted to was LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University. The Christian parents were distraught with their boy?s choices, as it certainly appeared that he was moving much closer to Mormonism than she was to evangelical Christianity. Going to one meeting on the topic of Mormonism probably wasn?t going to change the way things were already headed.

It would appear that the advice that Spencer Kimball gave to his people more than four decades ago remains wise. ?Mixed faith? marriages are a recipe for disaster, to both the couple and the children. Utilizing the concept of 2 Corinthians 6:14 when speaking to Christian missions teams visiting Utah, Russ East says, ?I always send home the message that God does not approve when two oxen are unequally yoked.?24

With the dynamics that can occur between a boy and a girl, this is probably the most dangerous of situations. Love can be very emotional, and when the differences between the two religions are minimized (?We?re ?Christian? too!? many Mormons will argue) and ignorant young lovers become confused, the results can be disastrous. Rarely do we hear stories of Mormons becoming Christians in order to save a relationship. Instead, we hear far too often how Christians are becoming Mormons because their relationship with another human means more to them than their relationship with God.

In addition, ?missionary dating? is neither biblical nor ethical and should not be a practice of faithful Christians. While the Bible does say that believers should be ?shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves,? using ?love? in an attempt to change the faith of those they?re dating is certainly a wrong application of this passage. The end does not justify the means. As Bill McKeever puts it, ?A Christian who manipulates a Mormon?s emotions for the sole purpose of conversion places his integrity in a precarious situation.?25

It is self-centered as well. If dating is to be considered the first step to courtship, which leads to engagement and ultimately marriage, then a biblically sound Christian has no business getting romantically involved with an unbeliever, even if it?s ?just? dating. The risk is high and the fallout ultimately will end up hurting both parties.

?THE INTRINSIC VALUE OF NEIGHBORLINESS

In the short time that my family has resided in Utah, our neighbor is turning out to be one of the best we?ve ever had. He has encouraged my wife in her new business venture. He made sure that we were welcomed to the neighborhood?s Fourth of July party.26 He spent three hours with me one sultry July morning fixing my house?s swamp cooler and helped me repair a lawnmower. And, though he knows I?m not LDS, he has not yet mentioned Mormonism or asked about having my family meet the missionaries.

Have we been targeted for ?friendshipping?? An invitation to a local Mormon ward?s barbeque was taped to our front door just two days after moving in. Perhaps he put it there, though I don?t think so. Either way, I?m sure he would love to see our family become members of his church. At the same time, wouldn?t I like to see his family come to know the true Jesus as described in the Bible? Christians certainly should be cautious when entering into friendships with those from other religions. Still, I will do my part to continue this relationship and pray that I, in turn, will ?love (my) neighbor as (my)self,? as Jesus said in Matthew 22:39, and be the best neighbor this man has ever known.

Eric Johnson now lives in Utah and works full-time with Mormonism Research Ministry (www.mrm.org). He also teaches college classes and is an associate editor for the Apologetics Study Bible for Students (Holman, 2010).


NOTES

  1. Personal e-mail, July 21, 2010.
  2. Ensign, March 2003, 54.
  3. Sharing the Gospel through Priesthood Missionary Service filmstrip, 1975.
  4. Lesson 9, Duties and Blessings of the Priesthood: Basic Manual for Priesthood Holders, Part B, 1996, 81?85.
  5. Ibid, 85.
  6. Ibid, 79.
  7. Ibid.
  8. ?Feed the Lambs, Feed the Sheep,? Ensign, May 1999, 104. From a satellite broadcast given at the Salt Lake Tabernacle on February 21, 1999.
  9. ?The Role of Members in Conversion,? Ensign, March 2003, 55, based on his talk on June 20, 2000.
  10. Doctrines and Covenants 88:81 says, ?It becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.?
  11. ?Sharing Time: Friendshipping with Love,? Friend, February 1986, 42.
  12. http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,30-1-7-4,00.html.
  13. Young Women Manual 1 Lesson 20, http://www.lds-youngwomen.com/taxonomy/term/6763/friendshipping.
  14. Personal e-mail, July 21, 2010.
  15. Ibid.
  16. Soft Answers to Hard Feelings (Orem, UT: Granite Publishing, 1998), 80.
  17. The Miracle of Forgiveness (Salt Lake City: Publisher?s Press, 1986), 241?42.
  18. ?The Marriage Decision,? Ensign, February 1975, 2?6.
  19. ?Dating FAQs,? New Era, April 2010, 20?32.
  20. http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,30-1-7-4,00.html.
  21. ?Preparation Brings Blessings,? Liahona, May 2010, 64.
  22. Personal e-mail, July 21, 2010.
  23. Ibid.
  24. Ibid.
  25. Personal e-mail, July 22, 2010.
  26. Because July 4, 2010, landed on a Sunday, this year?s festivities were actually held on July 3. Most secular holidays in the state of Utah are celebrated on Saturdays when they land on Sundays.

Source: http://www.equip.org/articles/converting-them-softly-with-their-words/

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88% Robot & Frank

All Critics (58) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (7)

It may not seem like an even playing field pitting an actor as powerfully intense as Frank Langella opposite a robot, but that's the game plan behind the waywardly endearing, slightly futuristic fantasy Robot & Frank.

Much of Robot & Frank is (frankly) resistible, including the climactic narrative twist, but there is also a likeable oddness that transcends the sentimental contrivance.

An endearing movie about a human and his mechanical new buddy.

Just about the time that Robot starts to grow on his curmudgeonly client, so may this movie -- a sci-fi fantasia that's surprisingly sweet and old-fashioned -- win over any skeptics.

Turns out to be a hard, funny and realistic movie about the future.

Charming, playful and sly, it makes us believe that a serene automaton and a snappish human being can be best friends forever.

Amusing and ingratiating, leaving a bittersweet afterglow

Smart and sweet, Robot and Frank feels familiar while you're watching it yet consistently finds ways to catch you off-guard.

Further proof that sci-fi need not be high-budget spectacle, and can actually do a good little job exploring the human condition, our characters, and our memories.

Frank Langella's presence would be enough to pique my interest in any film. Robot & Frank offers him a modest starring vehicle with a science-fiction spin, and the result is one of the most enjoyable indie films of the year.

Blessed with artistry bordering on magic, Langella carries the film.

Robot & Frank settles for what it is, a short, slight story, sweetly told and gently and believably acted.

A bittersweet, quietly hilarious buddy caper that deserves to be the sleeper hit of the summer.

Cold-staring with a black, reflective visor, a robot helps a fading old man to see life, and himself, more clearly.

In a traditionally excellent, subtle performance, Langella embodies a man recapturing his purpose.

More Critic Reviews

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/robot_and_frank/

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Selecting Suitable Phone Systems For Your Business | Internet ...

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Any technology under consideration should be fully scalable and easily modified by the company as needed. The scalability feature often sought after helps ensure that the entire system is able to adapt to the needs of the business while keeping the entire technology as large or small as is needed. This allows the company to expand and contract to meet their revenue needs.

Most companies are also focused on the idea of being able to monitor all data and calls that are placed to the company on a regular basis. Data management is traditionally performed for quality and training reasons which make each interaction as effective as possible. This monitoring feature should be offered from a comprehensive and easy to operate website.

Deciding from great phone systems for business is inclusive of a price assessment. The monthly fees that are required of any business to pay out can be quite large and difficult to manage on a monthly basis. Finding the most affordable rates possible is always a best practice to consider as needed.

Today?s author Ruben Alker supplies and installs phone systems for business in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast. For more information on the most suitable telephone system for your business jump over to www.hipcom.com.au

Source: http://www.internettoddler.com/selecting-suitable-phone-systems-for-your-business/

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Monday, August 27, 2012

My latest run-in with the blue shirt brain trust (Unqualified Offerings)

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Total Vibration ? Blog Archive ? Make Acquiring Insurance policy ...

Insurance coverage handles you financially in the course of an illness, tragedy, or even an automobile accident. Various kinds of insurance coverage really exist that will help guard you in numerous ways. Insurance coverage can include issues starting from your property, your car or truck, your life, as well as novelty things such as pets or collectible goods. Insurance coverage will assist you to take care of charges linked to accidents and crisis situations. Keep reading right here to obtain some knowledge on the various types of insurance policies you can buy and ways to reap the benefits of them.

Try bundling your guidelines with one particular organization to economize. By way of example, you might be able to make sure both an automobile and motorcycle for the marked down fixed rate. Many insurers have a variety of home owner protection options. You ought to however, always be certain the insurance plan you get fits your needs.

In case you have something relating to your coverage, however, you can?t find it inside the imitate of your insurance policy that you have available, call your representative. Consult with them over the phone, and inform them what your concerns are. They probably hold the answers to the queries you might have and they are generally delighted to assist.

It is a good idea to determine whether your condition provides selling price comparisons of various insurance companies. The state insurance plan division can give you a standard breakdown of insurance charges. You will be able to get the best selling price on insurance policy by knowing this information.

Analysis insurance companies and acquire rates online to check coverage and locate the best fees. As a result an informed buyer, and you may have the knowledge to be aware what the appropriate price ought to be when the determination creating time arrives. On the web rates are certainly not recognition. The insurance carriers will still ask you to fill in software and consider health care examinations.

To save cash with your insurance coverage, try looking around. It will be possible to locate sites that may offer free of charge quotations, and in addition let you examine various firms and coverages.

In case you are running a small business, you should ensure that all your insurance policy options are covered. Check around to get a coverage that includes all problems connected with your sort of company.

As stated at the beginning of the article, there are numerous varieties of insurance coverage accessible. With a little luck you might have discovered ways for you to protect your self and/or your home that you simply hadn?t considered prior to. Experiencing insurance policy gives you item of brain that within the sad function of the tragedy, health issues, or crash, your household will likely be protected, and a bit more well prepared.

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Source: http://blog.thorsrubberhammer.com/2012/08/make-acquiring-insurance-policy-much-easier-by-making-use-of-these-guidelines-6/

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Large Law Firm Wins with ShoreTel Unified Communications ...

By: Liz Pedro, Customer Programs Manager

ShoreTel?s at the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) conference this week. (Come by and visit us at booth #226!)

As noted last week, law firms around the world are finding a competitive edge by replacing business-as-usual with new thinking, and choosing ShoreTel to handle their integrated business communication ? including Burr & Forman, firm of ILTA regional vice president for the southeast region, David Michel.

Burr & Forman, LLP is a full-service law firm with nearly 250 attorneys, several hundred support staff, and offices in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Its lawyers are regularly recognized among The Best Lawyers in America, and the firm is noted as one of the nation?s top law firms and best places to work.

Burr & Forman has diverse workforce needs, with some employees used to physical desk phones for handling calls, and a new generation of staffers who prefer using flexible tools such as instant messaging and softphones. Each of the eight offices had a separate phone system and the firm was using various voicemail applications.

Burr & Forman selected a ShoreTel UC Solution designed with simplicity in and complexity out. The solution includes ShoreTel Communicator, the ShoreTel Conference Bridge, and ShoreTel Web Dialer for online click-and-dial ease. To deploy optimum performance across the installation design, Burr & Forman enlisted ShoreTel Implementation Services.

And Michel added a five-year ShoreTel Enterprise Support contract for post-implementation support. The ShoreTel implementation included 700 licenses across all eight offices for 525 users and multiple conference rooms, with particular emphasis on use of the ShoreTel core software and softphone capabilities.

The ShoreTel system was tested and operational in six weeks. The benefits have included:

  • Return on investment in 26 months
  • 80% cost savings on long-distance charges
  • Flexibility and ease of use for meeting users? diverse work needs
  • High availability and rapid disaster recovery with N+1 redundancy
  • Expanded capabilities for reducing workloads and improving productivity including instant messaging
  • Architecture to support our plan to go to an all softphone deployment

?We chose ShoreTel for its ease of use, simplicity, disaster recovery, and cost savings. And for a 60-month purchase, we calculated ROI at 26 months?impressive. ShoreTel has changed how people work at Burr & Forman. We now have tools in place to help us work more effectively and increase productivity?
- David S. Michel, Chief Information Officer, Burr & Forman

David Michel serves as the firm?s Chief Information Officer where he is responsible for the firm?s technology infrastructure, assisting in the development of the firm?s technology strategy, and for the delivery of technology services and litigation support to all of Burr?&?Forman?s offices.

Categories: Customer Experiences, Unified Communications

Tags: Burr & Forman, ILTA, law firm, legal industry

Source: http://blog.shoretel.com/2012/08/large-law-firm-wins-with-shoretel-unified-communications/

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Sunday, August 26, 2012

Florida prepares for Tropical Storm Isaac on eve of GOP convention

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? The site of the National Republican Convention showed no signs of a coming deluge Saturday, even as the approaching Tropical Storm Isaac sent officials across the state into full-scale preparation mode.

Streets were already shut down around the Tampa Bay Times Forum, where former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will accept his party's presidential nomination Thursday night. Law enforcement milled about downtown, and some protests already were under way. One group protesting homelessness and the housing crisis "took over" a foreclosed home by cleaning the yard and planned to help a homeless couple move in.

So far, most people attending the convention seemed to be brushing off any notion of danger, even though Gov. Rick Scott had declared a state of emergency. A hurricane warning had been issued for the Florida Keys, and officials warned tourists to leave. Forecast models show Isaac won't hit Tampa head-on, but the storm will still likely lash the city with rain and strong winds just as the convention ramps up.

"I told some of my Democratic friends, 'We are the storm, baby, we are the thunder,'" said Steve Linder, whose business is planning all events for the Michigan delegation. Linder added, smiling, "and it ain't gonna stop until November."

Dianne Joachim of New Richmond, Wis., was in town for her first convention ? and vowed not to let Isaac ruin it.

"I just figure God's got this," she said as she arrived at her downtown hotel.

The governor said during a media briefing that delegates were being told how to stay safe during a storm, and officials were ready for storm surge, bridge closures and other problems that could arise during the convention. He also said he was in close communication with local, state and federal agencies, as well as convention officials.

"We are a hospitality state. We know how to take care of people and we want to ensure their safety," Scott said Saturday.

Isaac was blamed for at least three deaths after dousing flood-prone Haiti and was expected to scrape eastern Cuba on Saturday. It was forecast to hit the Keys late Sunday or early Monday, and it then could bring stormy conditions to Florida's west coast before moving to the Panhandle.

Isaac was expected to pass over the Keys as a hurricane late Sunday or early Monday. There, preparations had begun in earnest. Richie Moretti, founder of the Sea Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Fla., noted that Hurricane Wilma was initially expected to come ashore as a Category 1 hurricane, the weakest classification.

"It took out the motel, the hospital, the docks, and all the boats. So, I don't take anything for granted. If there's a storm coming, I don't care what number they give it. We're going to batten down and be ready," he said.

Yet the storm was days away from the Panhandle. It was sunny and breezy on the beach Saturday in Pensacola, with people out strolling and playing in the sand. Condo associations told people to move furniture inside, but full-scale preparations hadn't yet begun. Waves weren't yet big enough for surfers.

When the storm hits, strong winds will be "enough to knock you over" and produce severe thunderstorms, said National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen.

Storm surge and tornadoes also are possible when Isaac hits, and winds could topple power lines and lead to lengthy power outages, Feltgen said. The Panhandle already has had a wet summer, so potential flooding was especially possible there.

Schools, airports, parks and beaches across South Florida closed ahead of the storm. In the Florida Keys, officials said they would open storm shelters and urged vacationers to leave. State officials warned Isaac was a massive storm ? even though the eye may not pass over Tampa, tropical storm-force winds extended 230 miles from the center.

Officials were handing out sandbags to residents in the Tampa area, which often floods when heavy rainstorms hit. Sandbags also were being handed out in Homestead, 20 years after Hurricane Andrew devastated the community there. Otherwise, however, convention preparations were moving ahead as usual.

Police said even heavy rain could reduce the protesters' ranks, and could also bring relief from another worry: extreme heat.

___

Associated Press writers Suzette Laboy in Miami and Tony Winton in Marathon, Fla., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fla-prepares-isaac-eve-gop-convention-151829570.html

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Ken Garen, CPA, Co-Founder and President, UBCC

Ken Garen, CPA, Co-Founder and President, UBCC skip to main | skip to sidebar
FCC eyes tax on Internet serviceBy Brendan Sasso???? - 08/26/12 06:00 AM ETThe Federal Communications Commission is eyeing a proposal to tax broadband Internet service.The move would funnel money to the Connect America Fund, a subsidy the agency created last year to expand Internet access.The FCC issued a request for comments on the proposal in April. Dozens of companies and trade associations have weighed in, but the issue has largely flown under the public's radar. "If members of Congress understood that the FCC is contemplating a broadband tax, they'd sit up and take notice," said Derek Turner, research director for Free Press, a consumer advocacy group that opposes the tax.Numerous companies, including AT&T, Sprint and even Google have expressed support for the idea.Consumers already pay a fee on their landline and cellular phone bills to support the FCC's Universal Service Fund. The fund was created to ensure that everyone in the country has access to telephone service, even if they live in remote areas.Last year, the FCC overhauled a $4.5 billion portion of the Universal Service Fund and converted it into a broadband Internet subsidy, called the Connect America Fund. The new fund aims to subsidize the construction of high-speed Internet networks to the estimated 19 million Americans who currently lack access. Julius Genachowski, the FCC's chairman, has made expanding broadband access his top priority. He argues that a high-speed Internet connection is critical for succeeding in the 21st century economy and that expanding Internet access is the country's next great infrastructure challenge.But the money for the new Internet subsidy is still coming from the fees on phone bills.And in recent years, with more people sending emails instead of making long-distance phone calls, the money flowing into the program has begun to dry up. The Universal Service fee has had to grow to a larger and larger portion of phone bills to compensate.The FCC floated a number of ideas for reforming the fund's contribution system. In addition to the broadband fee, the commission also sought comments on taxing text messages, as well as levying a flat fee on each phone line, instead of the current system, which is based on a portion of the revenue from interstate phone calls.The commission only sought input on the ideas and did not indicate whether it planned to move ahead with any of them, including the broadband fee.When the FCC released its proposal, Genachowski issued a statement saying the current contribution system is outdated and full of loopholes."Today we propose three goals for contribution reform: efficiency, fairness, and sustainability," Genachowski said. "And we underscore that any reforms to the contribution system must safeguard core Commission objectives, including the promotion of broadband innovation, investment, and adoption."In its filing, Google argued that the evidence "strongly supports expanding the [Universal Service Fund] contribution base to include broadband Internet access services."According to Google, taxing broadband service is preferable to taxing the kinds of online services it offers, like email or Google Voice."Saddling these offerings with new, direct USF contribution obligations is likely to restrict innovative options for all communications consumers and cause immediate and lasting harm to the users, pioneers, and innovators of Internet-based services," Google argued.But Turner argued that imposing a fee on broadband access, even if it is only a dollar or two, would discourage many people from buying the service?the exact opposite outcome of what the FCC is trying to achieve."For folks who are thinking about adopting broadband, who have much lower incomes or don't value broadband as much?that extra dollar on the margins will cause millions of people... to not adopt," Turner said.The FCC could run into legal problems with the Internet Tax Freedom Act, a 1998 law that bans the government from taxing Internet access. But the FCC has long argued that Universal Service is a fee that the providers choose to pass on to consumers and not a tax.Turner said it is unlikely that the FCC will make any controversial moves before November's election."I don't anticipate that the chairman would move to adopt a drastic overhaul ahead of the election," he said.

?

Source: http://ubcckengaren.blogspot.com/2012/08/fcc-eyes-tax-on-internetservice-by.html

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Kamran Akmal hopeful for India tour selection ? Cricket News - Bettor

Kamran Akmal hopeful for India tour selection ? Cricket News Roundup ? Part 3 ? August 25, 2012

Pakistan?s wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal has stated that he will be treating the upcoming series against Australia and the ICC World Twenty20 as keys to his selection for Pakistan?s short series against India, scheduled for later this year in December.

?I am looking forward towards doing well against the Australians and the World T20 championship as it ensures selection in the squad for the India series. I would love to come to India again,? said Akmal.

Akmal was recently cleared by the PCB?s integrity committee, and selected for both the series against Australia (3 ODIs and 3 T20Is to be played from August 28 to September 10 in the UAE) and the ICC World Twenty20, due to take place in Sri Lanka this September. Later in the year, the Men in Green will also be touring their neighbouring country for a short series, which marks the first time the two teams will be meeting each other on the cricket field since 2007.

With the ICC?s Under-19 World Cup final scheduled to take place between the India and Australia Under-19s, on August 26 in Townsville, India?s skipper Unmukt Chand has claimed that he is confident his side will put up a good show against their hosts.

?I am very optimistic about the final. We have played Australia in Australia and that too at the same venue. We are used to the conditions, and should do well,? Chand said.

India, who won a Quadrangular Under-19 Series in Australia earlier this year in April, have been victorious in all of their matches in the tournament, save the first encounter (against the West Indies Under-19s), while Australia are as yet unbeaten. The India U-19s have won the tournament twice before (2000, 2008), while Australia have emerged triumphant thrice (1988, 2002, and 2010).

Pakistan?s former skipper and fast bowler Wasim Akram has backed the Men in Green as favourites for the upcoming ICC World Twenty20, going on to advise the team to intensify their batting performances in order to be truly successful in the shorter formats of the game.

?Pakistan are favourites. Players like Imran Nazir and Abdur Razzaq have the ability to turn a match on its head and there is no reason why Pakistan can't do well,? Akram said, adding that the team?s approach to batting needed to be more ?adventurous? if they wanted ?more success in the format.?

The Men in Green are due to play a limited-overs series against Australia in the UAE before the head into the mega event. Pakistan lost the final of the inaugural edition of the World T20 in 2007-2008 to India, but went on to win the 2009 competition. However, England claimed the title during 2010, and all teams will be battling it out for the title once again in Sri Lanka this September.

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Kamran-Akmal-hopeful-for-India-tour-selection-Cricket-News-Roundup-Part-3-August-25,-2012-a182492

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America's Descent into Poverty | Peak Oil News and Message Boards

America?s Descent into Poverty thumbnail

The United States has collapsed economically, socially, politically, legally, constitutionally, and environmentally. The country that exists today is not even a shell of the country into which I was born. In this article I will deal with America?s economic collapse. In subsequent articles, i will deal with other aspects of American collapse.

Economically, America has descended into poverty. As Peter Edelman says, ?Low-wage work is pandemic.? Today in ?freedom and democracy? America, ?the world?s only superpower,? one fourth of the work force is employed in jobs that pay less than $22,000, the poverty line for a family of four. Some of these lowly-paid persons are young college graduates, burdened by education loans, who share housing with three or four others in the same desperate situation. Other of these persons are single parents only one medical problem or lost job away from homelessness.

Others might be Ph.D.s teaching at universities as adjunct professors for $10,000 per year or less. Education is still touted as the way out of poverty, but increasingly is a path into poverty or into enlistments into the military services.

Edelman, who studies these issues, reports that 20.5 million Americans have incomes less than $9,500 per year, which is half of the poverty definition for a family of three.

There are six million Americans whose only income is food stamps. That means that there are six million Americans who live on the streets or under bridges or in the homes of relatives or friends. Hard-hearted Republicans continue to rail at welfare, but Edelman says, ?basically welfare is gone.?

In my opinion as an economist, the official poverty line is long out of date. The prospect of three people living on $19,000 per year is farfetched. Considering the prices of rent, electricity, water, bread and fast food, one person cannot live in the US on $6,333.33 per year. In Thailand, perhaps, until the dollar collapses, it might be done, but not in the US.

As Dan Ariely (Duke University) and Mike Norton (Harvard University) have shown empirically, 40% of the US population, the 40% less well off, own 0.3%, that is, three-tenths of one percent, of America?s personal wealth. Who owns the other 99.7%? The top 20% have 84% of the country?s wealth. Those Americans in the third and fourth quintiles?essentially America?s middle class?have only 15.7% of the nation?s wealth. Such an unequal distribution of income is unprecedented in the economically developed world.

In my day, confronted with such disparity in the distribution of income and wealth, a disparity that obviously poses a dramatic problem for economic policy, political stability, and the macro management of the economy, Democrats would have demanded corrections, and Republicans would have reluctantly agreed.

But not today. Both political parties whore for money.

The Republicans believe that the suffering of poor Americans is not helping the rich enough. Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney are committed to abolishing every program that addresses needs of what Republicans deride as ?useless eaters.?

The ?useless eaters? are the working poor and the former middle class whose jobs were offshored so that corporate executives could receive multi-millions of dollars in performance pay compensation and their shareholders could make millions of dollars on capital gains. While a handful of executives enjoy yachts and Playboy playmates, tens of millions of Americans barely get by.

In political propaganda, the ?useless eaters? are not merely a burden on society and the rich. They are leeches who force honest taxpayers to pay for their many hours of comfortable leisure enjoying life, watching sports events, and fishing in trout streams, while they push around their belongings in grocery baskets or sell their bodies for the next MacDonald burger.

The concentration of wealth and power in the US today is far beyond anything my graduate economic professors could image in the 1960s. At four of the world?s best universities that I attended, the opinion was that competition in the free market would prevent great disparities in the distribution of income and wealth. As I was to learn, this belief was based on an ideology, not on reality.

Congress, acting on this erroneous belief in free market perfection, deregulated the US economy in order to create a free market. The immediate consequence was resort to every previous illegal action to monopolize, to commit financial and other fraud, to destroy the productive basis of American consumer incomes, and to redirect income and wealth to the one percent.

The ?democratic? Clinton administration, like the Bush and Obama administrations, was suborned by free market ideology. The Clinton sell-outs to Big Money essentially abolished Aid to Families with Dependent Children. But this sell-out of struggling Americans was not enough to satisfy the Republican Party. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan want to cut or abolish every program that cushions poverty-stricken Americans from starvation and homelessness.

Republicans claim that the only reason Americans are in need is because the government uses taxpayers? money to subsidize Americans who are unwilling to work. As Republicans see it, while we hard-workers sacrifice our leisure and time with our families, the welfare rabble enjoy the leisure that our tax dollars provide them.

This cock-eyed belief, on top of corporate CEOs maximizing their incomes by offshoring the middle class jobs of millions of Americans, has left Americans in poverty and cities, counties, states, and the federal government without a tax base, resulting in bankruptcies at the state and local level and massive budget deficits at the federal level that threaten the value of the dollar and its role as reserve currency.

The economic destruction of America benefited the mega-rich with multi-billions of dollars with which to enjoy life and its high-priced accompaniments wherever the mega-rich wish. Meanwhile, away from the French Rivera, Homeland Security is collecting sufficient ammunition to keep dispossessed Americans under control.

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts is the father of Reaganomics and the former head of policy at the Department of Treasury. He is a columnist and was previously the editor of the Wall Street Journal. His latest book, ?How the Economy Was Lost: The War of the Worlds,? details why America is disintegrating.

www.paulcraigroberts.org/


Source: http://peakoil.com/consumption/americas-descent-into-poverty/

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Sony Wants To Let You Skip Commercials But Only If You'll Stand Up and Shout Brand Names At Your TV [Patents]

As technology marches ever forwards, there are companies who will want to make sure advertising can keep up. That's why Sony filed a patent for next-gen ads that let you skip through them, but only if you yell a brand name at your TV. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ZSQegfDF0Z8/sony-wants-to-let-you-skip-commercials-but-only-if-youll-stand-up-and-shout-brand-names-at-your-tv

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Saturday, August 25, 2012

GunBroker.com and USA Shooting Bring London Games to Fans with a Special Auction; Winner Can Shoot with Five-Time Olympic Medalist Kim Rhode

GunBroker.com is hosting a special champion-themed Charity Auction. New and existing GunBroker.com site users can currently bid on a one-of-kind experience that includes: a 3-day/2-night trip for two to Colorado Springs, a VIP tour of the Olympic Training Center and an afternoon of shooting with five-time Olympic medalist Kim Rhode.

Source: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/127372699/GunBrokercom-and-USA-Shooting-Bring-London-Games-to-Fans-with-a-Special-Auction-Winner-Can-Shoot-with-Five-Time-Olympic-Medalist-Kim-Rhode

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Friday, August 24, 2012

Guest Post: Venezuela Ramps up China Oil Exports Unsettling Washington

Submitted by John Daly of OilPrice.com,

The biggest geostrategic change of the past decade overlooked by Washington policy wonks in their fixation on their self-proclaimed ?war on terror? is that Latin America has been throwing off the shackles of the Monroe Doctrine.

These ignored developments may well soon refocus Washington?s attention on the Southern Hemisphere, as Venezuela?s President Hugo Chavez reorients his country?s to China.

It is not an inconsiderable element of concern for the Obama administration. According to the U.S. Energy Administration, the United States total crude oil imports now average 9.033 million barrels per day, with the top five exporting countries being Canada (2.666 mbpd), Mexico (1.319 mbpd), Saudi Arabia (1.107 mbpd), with Venezuela in fourth place at 930 thousand barrels per day. Note that two of America?s top four energy importers are south of the Rio Grande.

Furthermore, Venezuela?s reserves according to OPEC now top those of Saudi Arabia, with Venezuela now estimated to have the largest conventional oil reserves and the second-largest natural gas reserves in the Western Hemisphere. Two years ago OPEC reported that of the organization?s 81.33 percent of the globe?s known oil reserves Venezuela had 24.8 percent, exceeding Saudi Arabia with 22.2

So, why is Chavez in Washington?s bad books? Well, among other reasons, for the company he keeps, as the Russian Federation, Iran and Cuba are all allies. Note that the first two are also major oil exporters.

Worse however are the social programs that Chavez has implemented to benefit his people, which not only smack of socialism but offer an alternative to Washington?s proscriptions. Case in point - Venezuela?s health care system. A joint Cuban-Venezuelan medical program, ?Barrio Adentro,? has made health care free and accessible to all Venezuelans. Founded in 2003,? Barrio Adentro expanded Venezuela?s national health care system by employing more than 30,000 Cuban medical professionals as the government equipped clinics and hospitals with advanced high technology diagnostic and surgical equipment.

Something that Americans might consider as the presidential race heats up, with Medicare on the table. Such alternatives hardly please the powers that be in Washington, but are increasingly considered in Latin America.

But, back to energy. Despite the primacy of Venezuelan oil sales to the U.S. Caracas is shifting gears, and China will soon to become Venezuela?s main trade partner, with oil sales surging 60 percent in 2012.

During a recent interview Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said, ?We are selling 640.000 barrels of petrol per day to China.? This is now equivalent to 2/3 of Venezuela?s oil exports to the U.S., up from 400,000 barrels per day in February. For those with a sense of history, before President Chavez took office in 1999, Venezuela did not ship oil to China, but Chavez has stated that by 2015 he intends to ramp up Venezuelan oil exports to China to one million barrels of crude per day. According to Ramirez, the rise in exports will come from increased production in the natural resource-rich Orinoco Oil Belt in the east of the country.

It is hard to see this emphasis shift as anything but a short-sighted diplomatic disaster for the U.S. Compounding the degradation of Washington, which insists that China in Africa in particular exploits poor nations by buying resources at rock bottom prices, Ramirez said simply, "We are selling oil to China at a better price than what is sold in the U.S. market.'' And, given Washington?s foreign aid stinginess, last week President Chavez announced that China Development Bank will bankroll $4 billion dollars in development projects, to include housing, energy and industrial growth.

Again, those with a sense of history might note that the year Chavez took office, Venezuela exported to the U.S. market 1.5 million bpd.

So, where does Washington go from here? If it wants to preserve its increasingly tenuous foothold in a nation with the world?s largest oil reserves, it might begin by engaging in some honest diplomacy.

And match Chinese rates of pay.

?

[ZH addition - there appears to be more to this whole Venezuela thing - cue: Gratuitous picture of Miss Venezuela]

Your rating: None Average: 4.1 (19 votes)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/7C629iUuKMM/guest-post-venezuela-ramps-china-oil-exports-unsettling-washington

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Olympian Gabby Douglas Throws First Pitch at Mets Game

She may not have met up with Prince Harry in Las Vegas like fellow gold medalist Ryan Lochte, but Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas did get to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a Mets game.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/gold-medalist-gabby-douglas-throws-first-pitch-mets-game/1-a-482674?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Agold-medalist-gabby-douglas-throws-first-pitch-mets-game-482674

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Chrysler's Ram 1500 pickup truck relying on fuel economy, price

(Reuters) - Chrysler Group LLC is betting that better fuel economy and a moderate 1 percent increase in price from last year's models will help its line of 2013 Ram 1500 pickup trucks gain ground on industry leaders from Ford and Chevrolet.

The first redesign since 2009 for the biggest-selling vehicle in the Chrysler lineup has led to a pickup truck with more technology and less weight to go along with the usual pickup truck marketing features of power and towing ability, analysts who have driven the new Ram 1500 said.

The Ram 1500 goes on sale in the United States in October.

The starting price will be $23,585, including destination charges, Chrysler said on Friday. The highest-priced version in the Ram 1500 lineup will be a four-wheel-drive "Laramie Longhorn" crew cab at $48,415, including destination charges.

Chrysler, majority-owned by Italy's Fiat SpA , won't be able to topple the top-selling Ford Motor Co F-150 or the No. 2 General Motors Co Chevrolet Silverado in U.S. sales, but this improved Ram offering may narrow the gap, said analysts.

Edmunds.com director of vehicle testing, Dan Edmunds, said the Ram 1500, even an improved offering, faces an uphill battle against Ford and GM because pickup truck customers have fierce brand loyalty.

"There's definitely some technical benefits and there's some real benefits to the customer," Edmunds said. "They've got a good solid product here. The question is - does it overcome years of brand loyalty? That's hard to say."

Sales of the current 2012 versions of the Ram pickup trucks rose 23 percent this year through July in the United States, U.S. market, compared with a 12 percent rise for Ford F-Series pickup sales and a 3.5 percent gain for the Silverado pickups.

Still, Ford's pickup trucks made up 39.5 percent of the lucrative U.S. full-size pickup truck market, followed by 34.7 percent for GM's versions including the Silverado and the GMC Sierra, and 18.3 percent for Ram pickup trucks.

The GM total combines a 25.2-percent full-size pickup truck share of the Silverado and the 9.5 percent share of the Sierra.

The Ram 1500 "is not going to be a class leader in terms of sales volumes and Chrysler knows that," said Aaron Bragman, autos analyst with IHS Automotive. "They don't even have the capacity to do that. What they are is an alternative.

"Chrysler's goal is not to have a segment leader. It's goal is to make quite a bit of money, as all pickups do, and it does that quite well," said Bragman.

Pickup trucks have wider profit margins than do smaller vehicles, which makes the Ram 1500 an important product for Chrysler. Without Chrysler's profits, almost all from North America, parent Fiat would have shown a loss in the second quarter.

FUEL ECONOMY

Fuel economy, because of higher gasoline prices, has become a bigger factor for consumers when selecting a pickup truck in the past few years, said Bob Hegbloom, director of Ram Trucks for Chrysler.

So the Ram Truck brand and Chrysler will emphasize the version with a 3.6-liter, V6 engine and 8-speed automatic transmission that can get 17 miles per gallon of gasoline in the city and 25 mpg on the highway, Hegbloom said, citing estimates by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The primary model of the Ram 1500 lineup, the 4.7-liter with a V8 engine and a 6-speed automatic will get 14 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway.

The 3.6-liter version of the Ram 1500 with the 8-speed transmission will surpass the upcoming 2013 Ford F-150 pickup truck with a 3.7-liter V6 engine, which gets 17 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway, according to Ford.

GM's 2013 Chevrolet Silverado has a version of that truck with a 5.3-liter, V8 engine that can get 15 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway.

(Corrects market share figures for U.S. full-size truck market in ninth and 10th paragraphs)

(Additional reporting by Deepa Seetharman in Detroit and Ian Geoghegan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chryslers-ram-1500-pickup-truck-relying-fuel-economy-040458976--finance.html

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