Facebook vs. Google: It's on in search

FORTUNE -- When Google unveiled free word processing and spreadsheet apps back in 2007, the company wasn't trying to immediately topple Microsoft's Office suite. After all, Google's apps were?and still are?inferior to powerful programs like Word and Excel. But their launch was the beginning of a long-term campaign to nibble away at one of Microsoft's core franchises. In fiscal 2012 Microsoft's business division, which includes Office, brought in $24 billion. But there is little doubt that it would be even larger had Google not offered a cheaper alternative now used by millions of businesses.

Facebook (FB) is taking a page from Google's (GOOG) playbook. The social networking giant on Tuesday unveiled a search service. It is not aimed at toppling Google from its perch as the king of Web search any time soon. Instead, it is the opening round in a long-term campaign to erode Google's monopoly over the most powerful and profitable business on the Internet. If successful, Facebook's so-called "graph search" will offer users an alternative to Google that may work better for many types of queries. In due time, it could turn into a tidy business for Facebook.

"Graph search is not Web search," Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's co-founder and chief executive, said during a packed press conference at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif.

Indeed, Facebook only searches for things that have happened on its sprawling site. For now, it concentrates on four types of searches: people, photos, interests and places. But the types of queries possible with Facebook's new service are innovative and useful. Users can "find friends who like soccer" or "find friends who like soccer in your hometown." Users can find all the photos they've liked or all the photos their friends have taken in Paris. They can find restaurants in San Francisco liked by friends who are locals, or by friends who are Indian?say if they're in the mood for spicy food. Users can't do that on Google.

MORE:?7 social networks to watch in 2013

The promise of this kind of service?which, by the way, was built by a team of 50 engineers led by two ex-Googlers?is enormous. For starters, it could broaden the utility of Facebook, turning it from a tool of interaction into one that helps users discover new things. And Google, which is trying to be the place where people find not only other Web pages, but also restaurants or plumbers or HD televisions, should be worried. (Google declined to comment.)

Yet Facebook's caution?graph search is still in beta or test mode, and is only being rolled out to a very small fraction of the site's more than 1 billion users?is warranted. The company's demo was dazzling, but the queries were for users who were also Facebook employees. These are Facebook "super-users" who likely check in every place they go, and click the Like button on every book, song or brand they, well, like.

I'd venture a guess that the majority of Facebookers are more parsimonious in their usage of the site and may not regularly share what they're reading or listening to, let alone recommend their plumber, dentist or contractor to their closest 500 friends. Without that information, their contribution to the search graph will be limited. I have hundreds of Facebook friends, yet the answer to the query "pizza places in Oakland that my friends like" was hardly satisfying?it listed just one result. (Regular Facebook users can request access to graph search here.)

And of course, Google has never been known for taking its eye off the ball when it comes to search. The company already has a social network in Google+. While it lacks the level of activity that Facebook enjoys, it could readily serve as the basis for Google to build a rival graph search service. (As?Fortune?chronicled in its 2011 cover story, this battle has been a long time coming.)

MORE:?19 incredible Apple secrets

The biggest understatement of the press conference may well have been Zuckerberg's response to the question of monetization. "This could potentially be a business over time," he said. For now, graph search has no ads. But if people start searching for restaurants of stores in large numbers, plenty of those businesses will be willing to pay Facebook in exchange for preferential placement in search results. Zuckerberg said Facebook would focus on improving the product, and rolling it out on mobile phones and in other languages, before it considers taking ads.

"This is one of the coolest things that I think we have done in a while," Zuckerberg said. Many Facebook analysts agree. If Facebook appeared beleaguered after its disastrous IPO, Zuck's crew is gunning for Google again, reminding its biggest rival that while it was down for while it certainly wasn't out.

Oh, and as the two giants battle it out in the coming years, there is bound to be collateral damage. On Tuesday, shares of Yelp (YELP), which risks being tripped up by Facebook's graph search sooner than Google will, dropped more than 6%.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/fortunebrainstormtech/~3/s3njY50qeak/

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Local sports briefs

Rugby

The Essex County Youth Rugby Football Club is holding an open sign-up and informational meeting for all U19 (15- to 18-year-olds) and U15 (12- to 14-year-olds) Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. The meeting will be held at the West Newbury Town Annex located at 381 Main Street.

Lacrosse

Triton Youth Lacrosse registration is open Jan. 31. Visit Triton?s website at www.tri-lax.com. If you have questions, call Tom Galligan at 617-548-1407 or email trilax@comcast.net.

Swimming

The YWCA Greater Newburyport will expand its Junior Breakers Swim Development Program with the new Junior Breakers Black Program. To qualify for Black Program a swimmer must be able to swim 200 yards, non-stop, wall to wall, demonstrating the front crawl stroke using rotary breathing and open turns and flip turns. Swimmers should be comfortable diving and swimming under water. Junior Breakers Black meets on Monday and Wednesday, from 4:45 to 6 p.m. Tryouts for both the Junior Breakers Orange and Black can be arranged by contacting Ilene H. Grady at igrady@ywcanewburyport.org.

Baseball/Softball

The Salisbury Youth Baseball/Softball League will hold registration Jan. 23 (5 to 7 p.m.) at Salisbury Elementary or Jan. 26 (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) at Play Ball in Salisbury. The cost for coed instructional baseball is $95. The cost for baseball/softball is $115 per child, and $95 for each additional child.

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The Byfield-Newbury Baseball/Softball League is open for registration at www.byfieldnewburylittleleague.com. All players in grades 1 to 6 are required to attend the evaluations on Jan. 26 at Governor?s Academy. Call Kim Watson at 978-270-8814 for more information.

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Amesbury Girls Youth Softball League is holding sign-ups for the 2013 season. Girls from Amesbury and South Hampton who are in grades 3 through 8 are invited to play in the league. Registration is being held at Play Ball in Salisbury Jan. 19 and Feb. 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Register by January 19 and pay $50. Tryouts will be March 23. Visit http://www.agysl.org/. Contact Jill Hooper at jill.tyler@verizon.net for more information.

Hockey

The Friends of Newburyport Hockey will be co-hosting a fundraiser with Triton in efforts to raise funds for the construction of a new locker room at the Graf Rink. The event will be held Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Elks Lodge immediately following the Triton/Newburyport hockey game (puck drops at 4 p.m.). Tickets for the event are $50 and will include a buffet dinner, silent auction as well as live entertainment provided by ?The Old Brigade?, who opened for the Dropkick Murphys last year for St. Patrick?s Day. Tickets will be available at the door; however, due to the level of interest, we suggest purchasing them prior to the event. For ticket information and silent auction donations, please contact friendsofnewburyporthockey@gmail.com

Running

The 20th Annual Frigid Fiver 5-Mile Road Race will take place Feb. 3 at noon at Newburyport?s Michael?s Harborside. All race profits will go to local charities. This race will again be sponsored by the Rotary Club of Newburyport. Applications are available at Newburyport?s Ric Bayko?s running store and the Boston Running Store. You can also register at Active.com. Please go to joppaflatsrunningclub.com for additional details or email mjfiene@msn.com.

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The Frosty Knuckle 5K will be Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. at the Hobo Cafe in Salisbury Beach. The registration closing date on Active.com will be Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. The cost is $20 pre-registration or $25 on race day.

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The Winner?s Circle Running Club Boston Training Run Series includes eight runs of increasing distances, held at two-week intervals, spanning the Boston training time frame. To make sure you don?t get bored, each run will be hosted by different WCRC members at different locations. All WCRC members are invited to participate, whether or not you are running Boston. Shorter courses will also be designed for each session for those not interested in marathon distances. Hosts are needed for Jan. 13, Jan. 27, Feb. 10, Feb. 24, March 10 and March 22. Check www.runthecircle.org on the ?Running? tab for information. If you would like to host, contact Mike McCormick at 978-382-0738 or mamcc12@gmail.com.

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The Snowflake Series Running Camp with Nancy McCarthy is designed to motivate runners and walkers to continue their fitness programs outdoors all through the winter, increase their speed and endurance, and have some fun. The Snowflake Series meets at the Plum Island Coffee Roasters at 8 a.m. on Sunday mornings beginning Jan. 20 for five weeks. Contact Nancy McCarthy at 978-499-0993 or e-mail Nancy@getrealfitness.com for further information.

Learn to Skate

The Graf Rink, in cooperation with the Merrimack Valley Skating Club, is accepting applications for its Learn to Skate and Tiny Tots programs. Classes will run on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Please visit www.grafrink.com for more detailed information such as class times and cost.

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Newburyport Youth Hockey is running a holiday special accepting registrations for its Learn to Skate Program at a cost of $75. The program is open to boys and girls from ages of 3 to 9 and runs through the end of February. Classes are Sunday mornings from 10 to 10:50 a.m. at the Graf Rink. Any questions, call Dick Tierney at 978-465-0128.

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Triton Youth Hockey is accepting applications for its Learn to Play Hockey program. LTPH is open to boys and girls from area towns ages 4 through 10. The program runs for 10 sessions on Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. at the Graf Rink. The sessions begin Jan. 19. The cost is $99 per child. Contact Jon Lindholm (jon.lindholm@kraft.com) for registration questions. More details can be found at www.tritonyouthhockey.com.

Source: http://www.newburyportnews.com/sports/x1746078892/Local-sports-briefs

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Sandy aid package moving toward House votes

This Jan. 3, 2013 photo shows a beach front home that was severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy resting in the sand in Bay Head, N.J., Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013. House conservatives opposed to more deficit spending chip away at a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package by seeking spending cuts in other programs to pay for recovery efforts and stripping money for projects they say are unrelated to the Oct. 29 storm. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

This Jan. 3, 2013 photo shows a beach front home that was severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy resting in the sand in Bay Head, N.J., Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013. House conservatives opposed to more deficit spending chip away at a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package by seeking spending cuts in other programs to pay for recovery efforts and stripping money for projects they say are unrelated to the Oct. 29 storm. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

In this Jan. 3, 2013, file photo, an unsafe for human occupancy sticker is attached to a home that was severely damaged two months ago by Superstorm Sandy in Bay Head, N.J. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, blasted his party's "toxic internal politics" after House Republicans initially declined to approve disaster relief for victims of Superstorm Sandy. He said it was "disgusting to watch" their actions and he faulted the GOP's most powerful elected official, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. The Republican Party seems as divided and angry as ever. Infighting has penetrated the highest levels of the House GOP leadership. Long-standing geographic tensions have increased, pitting endangered Northeastern Republicans against their colleagues from other parts of the country. Enraged tea party leaders are threatening to knock off dozens of Republicans who supported a measure that raised taxes on the nation's highest earners. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., right, accompanied by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y, enter a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, to discuss Superstorm Sandy aid. The first large aid package for victims of the deadly Superstorm Sandy started moving through the U.S. Congress on Friday, as the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved $9.7 billion to pay flood insurance claims. A Senate vote was expected later in the day. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2013, file photo, Kim Baker works to clean up her Superstorm Sandy damaged home in Seaside Heights, N.J. Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package that Northeastern governors and lawmakers hope to push through the House the week of Jan. 14, 2013. Their complaint is that lots of that money actually will go toward recovery efforts for past disasters and other projects unrelated to the late-October storm. The measure bill includes $150 million for what the Commerce Department described as fisheries disasters in Alaska, Mississippi and the Northeast, and $50 million in subsidies for replanting trees on private land damaged by wildfires. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

National Guardsmen Specialist Ivan Pimentel, left, and PFC Harry Cadet walk along the beach past a destroyed house during a break in their work in the Rockaways, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, in New York. The guardsmen said they were working with the New York City Office of Emergency Management going door-to-door to determine if residents needed portable heaters or other items to in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. Using portable personal tablets, they said they could provide residents with a heater within 30 minutes. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The House moved toward action Tuesday on a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package that Northeast lawmakers hoped could be approved despite attempts by fiscal conservatives to eliminate unrelated projects and to gain offsetting spending cuts to cover the costs of the bill. Amendments offered by opponents of full funding set up a faceoff on the emergency spending package, with Northeast lawmakers in both parties eager to provide recovery aid for one of the worst storms ever to strike the region.

"I urge my colleagues to show fundamental humanity and pass the bill today," said Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., noting it has been more than seven weeks since the storm struck.

Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., complained that billions of dollars would go for projects that are not urgently needed.

"It's supposed to be for emergency repairs," said McClintock.

The base $17 billion bill by the House Appropriations Committee is aimed at immediate Sandy recovery needs, including $5.4 billion for New York and New Jersey transit systems and $5.4 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief aid fund.

Northeast lawmakers will have a chance to add to that bill with an amendment by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., for an additional $33.7 billion, including $10.9 billion for public transportation projects.

The Club for Growth, a conservative group, is urging lawmakers to oppose both Sandy aid measures. Sandy aid supporters, nonetheless, voiced confidence Monday they would prevail. The Senate passed a $60.4 billion Sandy aid package in December with bipartisan support.

Lawmakers emerging from a private meeting of House Democrats Tuesday morning said they were urged to support the bill despite imperfections.

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said after the meeting that he believed the full Sandy measure would pass. He said he was expecting about 50 Republican votes for the $33 billion portion of the measure, and he said he believed the votes would be there for the $17 billion portion and to defeat a GOP across-the-board spending cut amendment as well.

"I think we'll be all right," he said.

Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., said Congress had waited far too long to act, 79 days after the storm struck.

"It is imperative that we pass this package today," said Lowey.

The House is considering 13 amendments, including one requiring spending offsets and four seeking to strike money for some projects either not directly related to Sandy or not seen as emergency spending.

As with past natural disasters, the $50.7 billion Sandy aid package does not provide for offsetting spending cuts, meaning the aid comes at the cost of higher deficits. The lone exception is an offset provision in the Frelinghuysen amendment requiring that the $3.4 billion for Army Corps of Engineers projects to protect against future storms be paid for by spending cuts elsewhere in the 2013 budget.

Sandy aid supporters are most concerned about the amendment by conservative Reps. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., Tom McClintock, R-Calif., Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., to offset the $17 billion base bill with spending cuts of 1.6 percent for all discretionary appropriations for 2013.

Northeast lawmakers said passage of the Mulvaney amendment could complicate prospects for quick action on the broader Sandy aid package in the Senate, which passed a $60.4 billion aid package with bipartisan support that does not have offsetting spending cuts.

Other amendments set for floor debate would cut $150 million for Regional Ocean Partnership Grants, $13 million for the National Weather Service ground readiness project, $1 million for the Legal Services Corporation and $9.8 million for rebuilding seawalls and buildings on uninhabited islands in the Steward McKinney National Wildlife Refuge in Connecticut.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, planned votes on both the $17 billion base bill and the Frelinghuysen proposal for $33.7 billion more. He's responding both to conservatives who are opposed to more deficit spending, and to pointed criticism from Govs. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., and Chris Christie, R-N.J., who are fuming because the House hasn't acted sooner.

Boehner decided on New Year's Day to delay a scheduled vote after House Republicans rebelled over a bill allowing taxes to rise on families making more than $450,000 a year because it included only meager spending cuts. Christie called the speaker's action "disgusting."

The Senate's $60.4 billion bill on Sandy relief expired with the previous Congress on Jan. 3. But about $9.7 billion was money for replenishing the government's flood insurance fund to help pay Sandy victims, and Congress approved that separately earlier this month. Whatever emerges from the House this week is scheduled for debate in the Senate next week after President Barack Obama's second inauguration.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has spent about $3.1 billion in disaster relief money for shelters, restoring power and other immediate needs after the Oct. 29 storm pounded the Atlantic Coast with hurricane-force winds and coastal flooding. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were the hardest hit.

Sandy is the most costly natural disaster since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and was blamed for 140 deaths. The storm damaged or destroyed 305,000 housing units in New York and more than 265,000 businesses were disrupted there, officials have said. In New Jersey, more than 346,000 households were destroyed or damaged and more than 40,000 families remain living out of their homes, according to officials.

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Associated Press reporter Alan Fram contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-01-15-Superstorm%20Aid/id-228565460919415b8852f13daf4deadd

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Hubble Telescope to Snap 6 New 'Deep Field' Views of Universe

The Hubble Space Telescope's iconic "Deep Field" photo wowed the world in 1996 by revealing a huge collection of galaxies hiding inside a patch of the sky that looked like nothing more than blank space. Now NASA plans to image six more "empty" bits of sky for a whole new set of deep fields that could revolutionize astronomy once again.

Hubble captured the Deep Field by staring at the same point over many hours, letting particles of light from extremely distant objects slowly pile up to reveal celestial bodies that would otherwise be too faint to see.

Since the original photo's release, Hubble looked even longer at the same spot to create the "Ultra Deep Field" in 2004 and then the "eXtreme Deep Field" in 2012. But the new effort, called Hubble Frontier Fields, will be the first to try a similar technique on some new areas of the heavens. These photos won't go quite as deep as the Ultra Deep Field, but will represent some of the deepest images of the universe ever taken.

"As iconic as the Ultra Deep Field is, now we'll have six that are almost as nice," said Hubble scientist Dan Coe of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md., which manages the telescope. [Hubble's Ultra Deep Field Revealed (Video)]

The Hubble Frontier Fields will collect light for about 45 hours each, spread over a period of three years, imaging objects that existed in the first 500 million years after the Big Bang.

Plus, in a new twist, astronomers will image each of the six blank patches of sky in combination with nearby galaxy clusters, whose gravity can act as a cosmic magnifying lens to zoom in on small, distant objects behind them.

Researchers will "observe six galaxy clusters and blank fields in parallel," Coe told SPACE.com. "While they're observing a cluster, the other camera is just far enough away where it's not really looking at the cluster anymore. It'll be essentially blank. To really go deep in both of these at the same time, that's never been done before."

The added magnification boost of the clusters' gravity should make these pictures the deepest glimpses of the universe yet. The shots could capture galaxies that are older and farther away than anything ever seen before.

"Some of them will be among the most distant galaxies yet found," said Coe, who led the study of one of the current contenders for farthest galaxy ever seen, MACS0647-JD, which lies about 13.3 billion light-years away.

The original Deep Field photo revealed about 3,000 previously unknown galaxies in a patch of sky only 2.5 arc-minutes across, or about one 24-millionth of the whole sky.

The new fields will determine whether that huge haul was a fluke, or if almost any patch of blank sky contains a similar wealth of treasures."You don't know, it might be a special part of the sky you're looking at," Coe said.

Hubble will begin observing the first of the new fields later this year.

The nearly23-year-old telescope is still going strong after five upgrades from visiting space shuttle crews. NASA hopes to keep the observatory running until at least 2018, when its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, is due to launch.

Follow Clara Moskowitz on Twitter?@ClaraMoskowitz?or SPACE.com?@Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook?&?Google+.?

Copyright 2013 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hubble-telescope-snap-6-deep-field-views-universe-120909636.html

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Ski fall! Madonna bonds with Swiss snow

By Brandi Fowler, Eonline

Something tells us this isn't the pose Madonna meant to strike.? The 54-year-old "Give Me All Your Luvin'" songstress, who's had her fair share of onstage spills, took a tumble offstage, while skiing in Gstaad, Switzerland, on Dec. 29.

INFphoto.com

Madonna is seen sprawled in the snow during a ski trip to Gstaad, Switzerland.

Madonna's sign-wielding fan sentenced to probation for resisting arrest outside her home.

Madonna, who spent New Year's Eve in the resort town with her daughters, Lourdes and Mercy, and her 25-year-old beau Brahim Zaibat, according to the New York Daily News, was spotted sprawled out in the snow after the fall, bundled up in a heavy black ski jacket and pants.

While her 16-year-old daughter Lourdes managed to glide down the slopes effortlessly, the superstar continued to have a tough time, taking more spills and even landing face-down in the snow at one point.

More Entertainment news:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/01/03/16329101-madonna-hits-the-slopes-ends-up-face-down-in-snow?lite

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Laws of geo-engineering to mitigate global warming?

Jan. 2, 2013 ? With policymakers and political leaders increasingly unable to combat global climate change, more scientists are considering the use of manual manipulation of the environment to slow warming's damage to the planet.

But a University of Iowa law professor believes the legal ramifications of this kind of geo-engineering need to be thought through in advance and a global governance structure put in place soon to oversee these efforts.

"Geo-engineering is a global concern that will have climate and weather impacts in all countries, and it is virtually inevitable that some group of people will be harmed in the process," says Jon Carlson, professor of law at the UI College of Law. "The international community must act now to take charge of this activity to ensure that it is studied and deployed with full attention to the rights and interests of everyone on the planet."

Carlson is an expert in environmental law and international law who believes geo-engineering is inevitable and will likely happen sooner than later. He considers the issue in a new paper, "Reining in Phaethon's Chariot: Principles for the Governance of Geoengineering," published in the current issue of the journal Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems. His co-author, Adam D.K. Abelkop, is a UI law graduate now in the doctoral program at the Indiana University School of Public Health and Environmental Affairs.

Carlson says the concept of geo-engineering goes back to at least the 19th century, when scientists proposed seeding clouds to increase rainfall. Today, scientists have a long list of geo-engineering ideas that could be used to slow the impact of global warming while other methods are developed to actually mitigate the damage. Some ideas are simple and locally focused, such as planting new forests to absorb carbon dioxide, or painting roofs and paved areas white to reduce solar heat absorption.

Others are more complex and controversial -- manually cooling oceans so carbon dioxide-laden water sinks to the bottom more quickly; building space-based shields and mirrors to deflect solar heat from the planet; or injecting chemicals like hydrogen sulfide or sulfur dioxide into the upper atmosphere, creating an aerosol shield that reduces the amount of solar heat reaching Earth's surface.

But Carlson says geo-engineering comes with obvious international legal implications because no one country can implement its own geo-engineering plan without causing weather or climate changes in other countries. There's also the law of unintended consequences, because while many geo-engineering concepts have proved hopeful in the lab, nobody knows what will happen when actually put into practice. For instance, Carlson says that while manually cooling the ocean may be seen as a generally good idea, what impact will that have on farmers in India whose crops depend on rain from heat-induced tropical monsoons?

To address these issues, Carlson urges the creation of an international governing body separate from any existing organization that approves or rejects geo-engineering plans, taking into consideration the best interests of people and countries around the world. He says any legal regimen involving geo-engineering activities should require they be publicly announced in the planning stage, and all countries are notified so they have a voice in deliberations.

As a model for his oversight body, Carlson suggests the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Like the IMF, his proposed organization would give all countries a place during discussions, but decisions would be made by a relatively small group of directors, each of which has a weighted vote that's based on their country's greenhouse gas production. That is, countries that produce more greenhouse gases will spend more money to combat global climate change, and so will have more votes.

Carlson's proposed body would oversee a compensation fund to help people and countries that are harmed by other country's approved geo-engineering activities, or by unseen effects of those activities.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Iowa. The original article was written by Tom Snee.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Abelkop, Adam D. K. and Carlson, Jonathan C. Reining in Pha?thon's Chariot: Principles for the Governance of Geoengineering. Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems, October 22, 2012 [link]

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/_t7GYrIpoOs/130102140521.htm

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Don't Underestimate the Power of ?Old School? Direct Mail | Smart ...

You are here: Home / Creative / Don?t Underestimate the Power of ?Old School? Direct Mail

Social media and web marketing have pushed direct mail to the back burner for some marketers, but a classic direct mail package, using all the tactics and techniques that have been tested for generations, can still be a powerful marketing tool.

Here?s why ?old school? direct marketing still packs a punch ? and some tips for using it in your smart marketing strategy.

Elements of a Classic Direct Mail Package

I began my marketing career as a copywriter at a marketing agency in Washington, DC that specialized in direct mail. I learned from a master (the great Dorothy Kerr) how to craft a classic direct mail package. Here?s what a package typically contains:

• A carrier envelope carefully designed to stand out in the mailbox and engage the reader with teaser copy or design;
• A letter that uses techniques like handwritten notes in the margin or underscored text to help the reader grasp the key points at a glance;
• A second, shorter letter with a second call to action, called a ?lift letter? because it can lift response;
• A descriptive brochure or insert, usually not personalized;
• A personalized response form;
• A business reply envelope.

Classic direct mail has a great offer, a deal so good the reader can?t resist saying yes, like a free trial, bonus gift, special discount, or a volume deal on the product (such as two for one or 15 months for the price of twelve). And classic direct mail is packed with benefits copy?all the ways the reader will benefit by saying yes to the offer.

A Case in Point: Mayo Clinic Health Letter

Smart direct marketers know there are many proven ways to engage the recipient in a direct mail package and generate a response.

A recent newsletter subscription package from the Mayo Clinic Health Letter is an ideal example of ?old school? direct mail tactics that still work.

The offer is a trial issue plus a free report on arthritis. Here are some of the techniques the Mayo Clinic deployed in this mailing:

• A huge carrier envelope, 9.5? x 14,? using uncoated stock printed brown to look like a business mailing, a white area with rounded corners to look like an adhesive address label, and an indicia designed to look like metered postage (it even has the zigzag edge of old metered paper postage);
• A envelope teaser in handwriting font: ?Please favor us with a reply within 10 days;?
• An eight-page letter (yes, eight pages) on white, lined notebook paper with a personalized Johnson Box (a message above the salutation), text in typewriter font, ?over, please? copy at the bottom of each page to keep the reader going, and a double P.S. with a final, personalized call to action;
• An insert that touts the credibility of the Mayo Clinic, economically produced in two colors;
• A lift letter with testimonials from readers;
• A reply form with an engagement device (peel-off stickers for the bonus offer), certificate-style framing to look official, a prominent money-back guarantee boxed in a certificate-style graphic with the word ?guarantee? in all caps and half-inch-high letters, and tried-and-true trial offer text: ?Send no money now. This is a trial offer!?
• A bright yellow BRE with a personalized corner card from the mail recipient and a classic message to the mail room about the enclosed response: ?MAIL ROOM: SEND FREE GIFT RIGHT AWAY.?

The package repeats the offer no less than eight times. The letter copy piles on the benefits of subscribing. It?s all about the reader ? and it works like dynamite.

Why Old School Techniques ? and Direct Mail ? Still Work

The Mayo Clinic Health Letter package doesn?t just make me nostalgic for my early days in marketing. It also serves as a reminder that the proven principles of direct mail are still true today:

• Copy focused on the interests of the reader and the benefits of the product is still the most effective message to produce sales;
• A great offer, well-stated and prominently, repeatedly promoted, can still make people say yes;
• Creative approaches and engagement techniques that have stood the test of time still work.

Granted, the target market for the Mayo Clinic mailing is an older demographic perhaps less accustomed to email and social media marketing. But even industries targeting very young audiences ? such as colleges and universities recruiting students ? rely heavily on direct marketing and use many of the same tactics seen in the Mayo Clinic campaign.

So the next time a marketing consultant advises you on how to reach your prospects, don?t overlook direct mail marketing. Even in a world of electronic media, direct mail can be a high-impact way to deliver a compelling message to an individual customer or prospect and a powerful tool in a smart marketing strategy.

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Posted by jeangianfagna on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at 12:09 pm?
Filed under Creative, Direct Mail Marketing, Direct marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategy, Uncategorized ? Tagged with Cleveland, Creative, Direct mail, Direct marketing, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Consulting, Marketing Plans, Marketing Strategy

Source: http://www.gianfagnamarketing.com/blog/2013/01/02/don%E2%80%99t-underestimate-the-power-of-%E2%80%9Cold-school%E2%80%9D-direct-mail/

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Vodafone UK launches discounted 'Nearly New' pre-owned handset

Vodafone UK has announced the launch of 'Nearly New' -- a way for Pay As You Go or contract customers to get hold of a smartphone at a lower cost, provided they're happy with using a handset that's not fresh out of the box.

PAYG customers will be able to pick up a pre-owned handset at a reduced up-front price, while contract customers will pay a lower monthly fee if they take a pre-owned phone.

Vodafone says all 'Nearly New' handsets have been returned in "very good condition" by previous owners, and have been factory reset and boxed up with accessories. Vodafone offers the example of the Galaxy S3, which is free on a £33 per month deal on 'Nearly New,' versus £37 per month brand new. Devices bought on PAYG will come with a 12 month warranty, the network says; for contract customers, it's 24 months.

'Nearly New' launches today for contract customers online and at Vodafone stores today; PAYG phones are available in-store today and online from today.

It's not the first time Vodafone has experimented with unconventional ways of getting phones into customers' hands. Back in November the carrier started offering 12-month handset rentals, allowing subscribers to get a new smartphone every year, provided the old one is returned undamaged.

2013 is set to become an interesting year for UK mobile operators, as Vodafone, O2 and Three prepare to launch LTE services to compete with 4G incumbent EE.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/8AobkekLOE0/story01.htm

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Answers for Special Kids - 10 Basic Steps in Special Education

From the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities website: http://nichcy.org/schoolage/steps

Children can have all sorts of difficulties growing up. Sometimes problems are obvious right from the start; and sometimes they don?t appear until a child is in school. Some children have trouble learning to read or write. Others have a hard time remembering new information. Still others may have trouble with their behavior. For some children, growing up can be very hard to do!

When a child is having trouble in school, it?s important to find out why. The child may have a disability. By law, schools must provide special help to eligible children with disabilities. This help is called special education and related services.

There?s a lot to know about the process by which children are identified as having a disability and in need of special education and related services. This section of NICHCY?s website is devoted to helping you learn about that process.

This brief overview is an excellent place to start. Here, we?ve distilled the process into 10 basic steps. Once you have the big picture of the process, it?s easier to understand the many details under each step. We?ve indicated throughout this overview where, on our site, you can connect with that more detailed information.

Step 1. Child is identified as possibly needing special education and related services.

There are two primary ways in which children are identified as possibly needing special education and related services: the system known as Child Find (which operates in each state), and by referral of a parent or school personnel.

Child Find. Each state is required by IDEA to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities in the state who need special education and related services. To do so, states conduct what are known as Child Find activities.
When a child is identified by Child Find as possibly having a disability and as needing special education, parents may be asked for permission to evaluate their child. Parents can also call the Child Find office and ask that their child be evaluated.

Referral or request for evaluation. A school professional may ask that a child be evaluated to see if he or she has a disability. Parents may also contact the child?s teacher or other school professional to ask that their child be evaluated. This request may be verbal, but it?s best to put it in writing.

Parental consent is needed before a child may be evaluated. Under the federal IDEA regulations, evaluation needs to be completed within 60 days after the parent gives consent. However, if a State?s IDEA regulations give a different timeline for completion of the evaluation, the State?s timeline is applied.

Step 2. Child is evaluated.

Evaluation is an essential early step in the special education process for a child. It?s intended to answer these questions:

• Does the child have a disability that requires the provision of special education and related services?
• What are the child?s specific educational needs?
• What special education services and related services, then, are appropriate for addressing those needs?

By law, the initial evaluation of the child must be ?full and individual??which is to say, focused on that child and that child alone. The evaluation must assess the child in all areas related to the child?s suspected disability.

The evaluation results will be used to decide the child?s eligibility for special education and related services and to make decisions about an appropriate educational program for the child.

If the parents disagree with the evaluation, they have the right to take their child for an Independent Educational Evaluation?(IEE). They can ask that the school system pay for this IEE.

Step 3. Eligibility is decided.

A group of qualified professionals and the parents look at the child?s evaluation results. Together, they decide if the child is a ?child with a disability,? as defined by IDEA. If the parents do not agree with the eligibility decision, they may ask for a hearing to challenge the decision.

Step 4. Child is found eligible for services.

If the child is found to be a child with a disability, as defined by IDEA, he or she eligible for special education and related services. Within 30 calendar days after a child is determined eligible, a team of school professionals and the parents must meet to write an individualized education program (IEP) for the child.

Step 5. IEP meeting is scheduled.

The school system schedules and conducts the IEP meeting. School staff must:

• contact the participants, including the parents;
• notify parents early enough to make sure they have an opportunity to attend;
• schedule the meeting at a time and place agreeable to parents and the school;
• tell the parents the purpose, time, and location of the meeting;
• tell the parents who will be attending; and
• tell the parents that they may invite people to the meeting who have knowledge or special expertise about the child.

Step 6. IEP meeting is held and the IEP is written.

The IEP team gathers to talk about the child?s needs and write the student?s IEP. Parents and the student (when appropriate) are full participating members of the team. If the child?s placement (meaning, where the child will receive his or her special education and related services) is decided by a different group, the parents must be part of that group as well.

Before the school system may provide special education and related services to the child for the first time, the parents must give consent. The child begins to receive services as soon as possible after the IEP is written and this consent is given.

If the parents do not agree with the IEP and placement, they may discuss their concerns with other members of the IEP team and try to work out an agreement. If they still disagree, parents can ask for mediation, or the school may offer mediation. Parents may file a state complaint with the state education agency or a due process complaint, which is the first step in requesting a due process hearing, at which time mediation must be available.

Step 7. After the IEP is written, services are provided.

The school makes sure that the child?s IEP is carried out as it was written. Parents are given a copy of the IEP. Each of the child?s teachers and service providers has access to the IEP and knows his or her specific responsibilities for carrying out the IEP. This includes the accommodations, modifications, and supports that must be provided to the child, in keeping with the IEP.

Step 8. Progress is measured and reported to parents.

The child?s progress toward the annual goals is measured, as stated in the IEP. His or her parents are regularly informed of their child?s progress and whether that progress is enough for the child to achieve the goals by the end of the year. These progress reports must be given to parents at least as often as parents are informed of their nondisabled children?s progress.

Step 9. IEP is reviewed.

The child?s IEP is reviewed by the IEP team at least once a year, or more often if the parents or school ask for a review. If necessary, the IEP is revised. Parents, as team members, must be invited to participate in these meetings. Parents can make suggestions for changes, can agree or disagree with the IEP, and agree or disagree with the placement.

If parents do not agree with the IEP and placement, they may discuss their concerns with other members of the IEP team and try to work out an agreement. There are several options, including additional testing, an independent evaluation, or asking for mediation, or a due process hearing. They may also file a complaint with the state education agency.

Step 10. Child is reevaluated.

At least every three years the child must be reevaluated. This evaluation is sometimes called a ?triennial.? Its purpose is to find out if the child continues to be a child with a disability, as defined by IDEA, and what the child?s educational needs are. However, the child must be reevaluated more often if conditions warrant or if the child?s parent or teacher asks for a new evaluation.

Source: http://www.answersforspecialkids.org/answers_for_special_kids/2013/01/10-basic-steps-in-special-education.html

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(ethics, law) ETHICS DESK REFERENCE FOR - landon's Site ...

About (ethics, law) ETHICS DESK REFERENCE FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS (Book + 6 CE Credits) by Jeffrey Barnett, Psy.D., and W. Brad Johnson, Ph.D., ISBN 13 978 1 4338 0352 9, ISBN 10 1 4338 0352 6, (continuing education, psychology, social work)

TRAINING OBJECTIVES are to learn the following: the ethics governing confidentiality, the ethics regarding multiple roles & relationships, the ethics of advertising, the ethics of research, the ethics of teaching, the procedures for resolving ethical dilemmas?????????..DESCRIPTION: This text presents, explains, and then elaborates on the principles of the 2002 Ethics Code of the American Psychological Association in a no-nonsense fashion. It is very well written, highly educational, and very succinct. It is an essential desk reference for all psychologists, trainees, and graduate students?????????AUTHORS: Jeffrey Barnett, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist in private practice and a professor in the Department of Psychology at Loyola University in Maryland. He is a diplomate of the ABPP. He has published widely on issues relevant to ethical practice in psychology and he has served in several leadership positions in the field??????????CE Procedures: (1.) Purchase a CE course, which will be shipped within two days. (2.) Return the accompanying test within three years of purchase. (3.) Receive a certificate of completion within one week of returning your passing test (75% or more correct). Failed tests can be retaken.

(ethics, law) ETHICS DESK REFERENCE FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS (Book + 6 CE Credits) by Jeffrey Barnett, Psy.D., and W. Brad Johnson, Ph.D., ISBN 13 978 1 4338 0352 9, ISBN 10 1 4338 0352 6, (continuing education, psychology, social work) Features

• 218-page spiral bound book, APA Publications, 2008, ISBN 13 978 1 4338 0352 9, ISBN 10 1 4338 0352 6
• 60-item test, 6 CE credits,
• Sponsored by an APA Approved Sponsor and registered with CE Broker of Florida
• Accepted by most state licensing boards for psychologists, MA level counselors, and social workers
• The RTR CE Company is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The RTR CE Company maintains responsibility for this program and its contents.

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Another Year And I'm Still Here: A New Year's Meditation

Look at yourself. Right now.

You are muscle,skin, bone, brain, blood, warmed by energy, and all of you, every cell, even the subsets of those cells, all trillions and trillions of them, are going to tire, waste and depart. In 10 years almost every bit of you will have been replaced by new bits.

And yet, you will still be you. You will look like you do (sort of), you will behave like you do (sort of), others will know it's you (most of the time), and though a census of your innards will say, this is a new body, a different collection of atoms, you will know it's the same old you. How come?

If you are all new on the inside, how do you persist?

What Keeps Us Whole?

Well, there's your soul. If this weren't a sciencey blog, we could stop here. Your soul, breathed into you at your conception, will hang around till it's time to go and then be off to wherever it is souls go to. But suppose you are a "materialist"? Suppose you choose to imagine this journey naked, you as just a bunch of atoms, nothing added? What holds a soulless soul together?

The answer, these days, is your brain. Your memory. It's the story you tell yourself as you grow up, the unfurling narrative that begins with faces and smells and meals and sounds, then stretches into tales about your mom, dad, siblings, your pets, your family, your friends. It deepens with loves, joys, disappointments. It is always told by you, filtered through you. You are the one who tells it, you are the one who hears it, you are the only one who knows every bit of it.

Memories Are Our Duct Tape

To a significant degree, you are the sum of the stories you tell yourself about yourself.

Take away your memories, the connective tissue of your life, and what's left? You may be breathing, but in the late stages of memory loss, you aren't really there any more. You have unraveled.

We live this life together, but we experience it alone.

And when you actually die, what is annihilated? Well, there are tens of thousands of private images in your head right now: the pigeon you once almost caught when you were 4. The sight of a particularly beautiful girl disappearing through a doorway. The brief whoosh made by a snowy owl flying low that time you were walking alone in the woods. These are things no one knows, no one ever knew, no one but you.

When you go, they go. Forever. But as long as you're here, they stay. So, to all those pigeons, those girls, those owls that live in our heads, as long as we're here ? to all of you, and to us, Happy New Year!

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/12/31/168352281/another-year-and-im-still-here-a-new-year-s-meditation?ft=1&f=1007

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