Pilots at American Airlines will not go on strike unless it is legal to do so, the president of the pilots' union said.
The Allied Pilots Association had said last week it was making preparations to call a strike vote should American implement harsh new work terms on pilots. The carrier has been operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since late last year.
Keith Wilson, who was named to head the pilots' union earlier this month after his predecessor resigned, said on Thursday that while the union is exploring legal options, it would be difficult to stage a walkout while American is in bankruptcy.
"We will not strike unless we are legally allowed to strike," Wilson told a media briefing at the union's Fort Worth, Texas, headquarters.
A hearing on a second American Airlines request to void the carrier's collective bargaining agreements with the pilots' union is scheduled for September 4.
The union is the only major work group at American that has not agreed to a contract offer with concessions since the carrier filed for bankruptcy. Pilots rejected a last and best offer from American on August 8.
Should a bankruptcy judge allow the carrier to scrap its current contracts with the pilots' union, American could implement new work terms that are harsher as it looks to lower costs.
Wilson said his union hoped to reach a consensual agreement on a contract with the carrier.
Viruses could be the key to healthy coralsPublic release date: 30-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: George Hunka ghunka@aftau.org 212-742-9070 American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University develops treatment for deadly coral bacteria based on human medication
Corals are an invaluable part of the marine ecosystem, fostering biodiversity and protecting coastlines. But they're also increasingly endangered. Pathogenic bacteria, along with pollution and harmful fishing practices, are one of the biggest threats to the world's coral populations today.
One of the solutions to the crisis may lie in human medicine. Prof. Eugene Rosenberg of Tel Aviv University's Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, working in collaboration with Dr. Ilil Atad of his own laboratory and Prof. Yossi Loya of TAU's Department of Zoology, has developed a treatment for coral infected by Thalassomonas loyana, otherwise known as White Plague disease. This deadly bacterium infects 9 percent of Favia favus corals on the Eilat coral reef in the Red Sea and readily transmits the disease to nearby healthy corals.
Their treatment uses viruses that infect bacteria by injecting genetic material into the bacteria, a therapy originally developed to treat bacterial infections in humans. In this case, the researchers isolated a virus called BA3, one of a category of viruses known as phages. After laboratory experiments showed that BA3 had the ability to kill off White Plague disease, field experiments in the Gulf of Eilat demonstrated that the treatment stopped the progression of the disease in infected corals and prevented the spread of the disease to surrounding healthy corals as well.
These findings were presented at the American Society for Microbiology's general meeting in June.
From human to marine medicine
Treating bacterial infections in corals is no easy task. Because corals don't produce antibodies like humans, they can't be immunized. And pharmaceutical antibiotics are not a viable option because the treatment releases the drugs into the sea, harming the marine environment.
The researchers applied their treatment to two groups of diseased coral, each surrounded by a circle of healthy corals. In the test group, the researchers injected the virus into the area at a concentration of 1000 per milliliter. The control group did not receive the virus.
After 24 hours, the difference in the outcome was highly significant, says Prof. Rosenberg. In the test group, the infection of the diseased coral ceased its progression, and the disease did not spread to the surrounding healthy corals. In the control group, however, the White Plague disease progressed rapidly in the original infected coral and spread to seven out of ten of the surrounding healthy corals.
Amplifying a natural process
One of the most surprising discoveries during the course of their research, says Prof. Rosenberg, was that some corals naturally posses the beneficial virus and are already resistant to infection by the pathogen. When the researchers tested the three corals in the control group that remained uninfected, they discovered that the virus was already present in their biological composition. "We found that this is a natural process that goes on all the time. What we are doing is only shifting the situation in favor of the virus," he explains.
This method of developing an antidote to specific pathogenic coral bacteria is a crucial breakthrough, Prof. Rosenberg says. Corals in different regions of the world are infected with different pathogens. For each location, it is necessary to isolate the appropriate virus. But microbiologists should be able to develop regionalized treatments based on the methods used by Prof. Rosenberg and his fellow researchers.
The next step is to develop an effective way to spread the viruses over large areas of an infected coral reef. Sufficient amounts of these viruses can be easily manufactured in the laboratory. After that, it's a question of technology and funding, Prof. Rosenberg adds.
###
American Friends of Tel Aviv University supports Israel's leading, most comprehensive and most sought-after center of higher learning. Independently ranked 94th among the world's top universities for the impact of its research, TAU's innovations and discoveries are cited more often by the global scientific community than all but 10 other universities.
Internationally recognized for the scope and groundbreaking nature of its research and scholarship, Tel Aviv University consistently produces work with profound implications for the future.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Viruses could be the key to healthy coralsPublic release date: 30-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: George Hunka ghunka@aftau.org 212-742-9070 American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University develops treatment for deadly coral bacteria based on human medication
Corals are an invaluable part of the marine ecosystem, fostering biodiversity and protecting coastlines. But they're also increasingly endangered. Pathogenic bacteria, along with pollution and harmful fishing practices, are one of the biggest threats to the world's coral populations today.
One of the solutions to the crisis may lie in human medicine. Prof. Eugene Rosenberg of Tel Aviv University's Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, working in collaboration with Dr. Ilil Atad of his own laboratory and Prof. Yossi Loya of TAU's Department of Zoology, has developed a treatment for coral infected by Thalassomonas loyana, otherwise known as White Plague disease. This deadly bacterium infects 9 percent of Favia favus corals on the Eilat coral reef in the Red Sea and readily transmits the disease to nearby healthy corals.
Their treatment uses viruses that infect bacteria by injecting genetic material into the bacteria, a therapy originally developed to treat bacterial infections in humans. In this case, the researchers isolated a virus called BA3, one of a category of viruses known as phages. After laboratory experiments showed that BA3 had the ability to kill off White Plague disease, field experiments in the Gulf of Eilat demonstrated that the treatment stopped the progression of the disease in infected corals and prevented the spread of the disease to surrounding healthy corals as well.
These findings were presented at the American Society for Microbiology's general meeting in June.
From human to marine medicine
Treating bacterial infections in corals is no easy task. Because corals don't produce antibodies like humans, they can't be immunized. And pharmaceutical antibiotics are not a viable option because the treatment releases the drugs into the sea, harming the marine environment.
The researchers applied their treatment to two groups of diseased coral, each surrounded by a circle of healthy corals. In the test group, the researchers injected the virus into the area at a concentration of 1000 per milliliter. The control group did not receive the virus.
After 24 hours, the difference in the outcome was highly significant, says Prof. Rosenberg. In the test group, the infection of the diseased coral ceased its progression, and the disease did not spread to the surrounding healthy corals. In the control group, however, the White Plague disease progressed rapidly in the original infected coral and spread to seven out of ten of the surrounding healthy corals.
Amplifying a natural process
One of the most surprising discoveries during the course of their research, says Prof. Rosenberg, was that some corals naturally posses the beneficial virus and are already resistant to infection by the pathogen. When the researchers tested the three corals in the control group that remained uninfected, they discovered that the virus was already present in their biological composition. "We found that this is a natural process that goes on all the time. What we are doing is only shifting the situation in favor of the virus," he explains.
This method of developing an antidote to specific pathogenic coral bacteria is a crucial breakthrough, Prof. Rosenberg says. Corals in different regions of the world are infected with different pathogens. For each location, it is necessary to isolate the appropriate virus. But microbiologists should be able to develop regionalized treatments based on the methods used by Prof. Rosenberg and his fellow researchers.
The next step is to develop an effective way to spread the viruses over large areas of an infected coral reef. Sufficient amounts of these viruses can be easily manufactured in the laboratory. After that, it's a question of technology and funding, Prof. Rosenberg adds.
###
American Friends of Tel Aviv University supports Israel's leading, most comprehensive and most sought-after center of higher learning. Independently ranked 94th among the world's top universities for the impact of its research, TAU's innovations and discoveries are cited more often by the global scientific community than all but 10 other universities.
Internationally recognized for the scope and groundbreaking nature of its research and scholarship, Tel Aviv University consistently produces work with profound implications for the future.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Twitter ad-sales chief Adam Bain is tasting success.
A source tells Peter Kafka of AllThingsD that Twitter's ad sales will hit $350 million this year.
So Twitter's ad business has gone from a joke to an experiment to a reality in a few short years.
What will drive advertising sales this year is more precise ad targeting and the removal of various arbitrary-seeming limits on the kind of Twitter ads businesses can buy.
Advertisers can now target all of Twitter's 140 million users with Promoted Tweets. Previously, they could only target people who followed a company's account or followed similar accounts.
There's effectively no longer a minimum price for bids. Twitter charges per "engagement," which can mean a reply, a retweet, or bookmarking a tweet as a favorite. It's dropping the minimum bid from 50 cents to 1 cent.
Advertisers can target users based on what they're interested in.?Twitter has set up 350 "interest categories," and advertisers can also target ads to followers of a specific account.
The latter is particularly interesting. In 2010, Twitter hired Adam Bain, a former Myspace executive to run sales. While Myspace's business crumbled as its audience abandoned it, the company was on to something with "hyper-targeted" ads, which let advertisers show ads based on users' interests.
The difference is that Twitter's audience is growing, not shrinking, and its "interest graph"?the information Twitter deduces about users based on the accounts they follow?appears to be far more valuable than Myspace's friends lists.
A new report ranks the drivers in America's major cities, from best to worst. Which metro cam out on top (and bottom)?
By Richard Read,?Guest blogger / August 29, 2012
This June 2012 file photo shows the Chicago skyline. Chicago's drivers rank among the safest in America, but they were beat out by drivers from three major cities in the West.
Carolyn Kaster/AP/File
Enlarge
Human beings are pretty funny: put anyone behind the wheel of a car, and suddenly he's kvetching about all the idiots on the freeway. We seem certain about our own infallibility, but we can't all be stellar drivers, can we?
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Indeed, we cannot. And Allstate has the data to prove it.
The insurance powerhouse has just released its eighth annual "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report", which uses claims data to rank America's 200 (technically, 193) largest cities?in terms of residents' car collision frequency. Although the data comes solely from Allstate customers, the company writes about 10% of all U.S. auto policies, which would seem to give a reasonably accurate picture for the nation as a whole.
Allstate says that Americans tend to be involved in a collision once every 10 years. Not surprisingly, the cities that scored better than that average tended to be smaller ones. Here are the top five, in reverse order:
5. Lincoln, Nebraska (12.4 years between accidents) ?4. Madison, Wisconsin (13 years between accidents) ?3. Fort Collins, Colorado (13.6 years between accidents) ?2. Boise, Idaho (13.8 years between accidents) ?1. Sioux Falls, South Dakota (13.8 years between accidents)?
Compare those stats to those of drivers in the safest big cities (i.e. those with over 1,000,000 residents), and you'll notice a steep drop-off:
5. Houston, Texas?(7.9 years between accidents)? ?4. Chicago, Illinois?(7.9 years between accidents)? ?3. San Antonio, Texas?(8.3 years between accidents)? ?2. San Diego, California?(8.8 years between accidents)? ?1. Phoenix, Arizona?(10.2 years between accidents)?
But of course, what we all want to know is: where do the worst drivers live? Allstate is too nice to tell us that in its press release, but we found it in the accompanying data:
10. Alexandria, Virginia (6.4 years between accidents) ?9. San Francisco, California?(6.4 years between accidents) ?8. Jersey City, New Jersey ?(6.4 years between accidents) ?7. Hartford, Connecticut?(6.3 years between accidents) ?6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania?(6.2 years between accidents) ?5. Providence, Rhode Island?(6 years between accidents) ?4. Newark, New Jersey?(5.9 years between accidents) ?3. Glendale, California?(5.5 years between accidents) ?2. Baltimore, Maryland?(5.3 years between accidents)
And the worst drivers in America? No surprises here:
1. Washington, D.C.?(4.8 years between accidents)
Did your city get a fair shake?
The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best auto bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger,?click here.?To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on the link in the blog description box above.
" We Built It" - those were the defiant words painted all around the Tampa Bay Times Forum during last night's Republican National Convention opener. Inside the hall, the message was delivered on massive signboards and by country singer Lane Turner. Speakers - like Virginia governor Bob McDonnell and Ohio's Gov. John Kasich - made knowing allusions to it in their speeches to the party faithful.
And they're right. The construction of the arena, which has been home to the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning since Oct. 20, 1996, was very much a group effort. The "we," in this case, includes local taxpayers, who put up $86 million for the cause, along with the Lightning organization, which chipped in the remaining $53 million.
The phrase is a play on President Obama's benign, if bungled, comments about the role government plays in creating an environment for private business to grow and thrive. On July 13 he said:
"If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business - you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet. The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together."
The Romney campaign seized on the italicized bit, calling it proof the president believed all personal wealth was, and should be, tied to the whims of central government bureaucrats. On Aug. 16, a bakery in Virginia refused to serve Vice President Joe Biden because of the alleged slight.
But a turn of the phrase, from declaration to question - - "Who Built It?" or "Who rebuilds it after it breaks?" - tends to yield the same answer: "We" do.
"Every American deserves the opportunity of a limited, responsible government that performs its core functions well, and then gets the heck out of their way!" McDonnell said during his address last night.
McDonnell, though, should have few qualms with how Washington is spending American tax money. A recent Gallup poll showed that Virginia was home to more federal employees than any other state in the nation except neighboring Maryland.
A 2011 Bloomberg Government report showed that federal defense spending accounted for 13.9 percent of the state's GDP - that's $56.9 billion, the most in the nation, and equivalent to more than $7,000 per resident annually.
And when a terrible summer storm, called a "derecho," tore through the state earlier this summer, McDonnell turned immediately to Washington for money to help clean up the mess and rebuild infrastructure leveled by the squalls.
"We have determined that Virginia should meet all of the requirements for federal public assistance," the governor said. "Federal assistance is vitally important to help our localities recover significant costs associated with responding to the storms and keeping our citizens safe."
Last night, McDonnell sounded a different tune.
"The choice is clear," he told conventioneers, "the status quo of the entitlement society, or dynamic change to an opportunity society."
Just minutes before, Ohio's Gov. Kasich gave a peppy speech touting job growth in his state.
"I told you a minute ago that when we came into office, we were 48th in job creation," Kasich blared. "You know where we are today? We're fourth in American in job creation and No. 1 in the Midwest."
Kasich pegged the improvement to budget cuts he pushed through the state legislature, but the broader economic resurgence can be largely tied to the resurgent American auto industry, which has deep ties with suppliers in Ohio. Several independent reports say the auto industry was saved from crisis by a federal bailout that many Republicans opposed.
In 2010, it was Texas Gov. Rick Perry, then facing a primary challenge from Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who told a Tea Party crowd protesting the president's stimulus spending bill that "if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that? But Texas is a very unique place, and we're a pretty independent lot to boot."
The stimulus passed and Texas is still a part of the United States. Less than a year later, when thousands of wildfires were burning a path through the state's blighted central plains, Perry made an appeal to the federal government for help.
"Texas is reaching its capacity to respond to these emergencies and is in need of federal assistance," the governor said in an April 2011 statement. "I urge President Obama to approve our request quickly so Texans can continue receiving the resources and support they need as wildfires remain an ongoing threat."
And when the help didn't come at the rate and volume Perry requested, he went public with his frustration.
"There is a point in time where you say, hey, what's going on here?" he said. "You have to ask, why are you taking care of Alabama and other states? I know our letter didn't get lost in the mail."
It's not hard to see that offering high-quality games through the cloud has its pitfalls, not the least of which is getting customers to pay. Square Enix may have licked that last problem through its new Coreonline web gaming service. Players can still pony up for the full-priced games or even single levels if they want unfettered access, but the cleverness comes through Coreonline's parking meter approach to ad-supported free play: the more ads you watch and the longer they run, the longer you'll get to play without spending a single coin. As our colleagues at Joystiq found out, however, the current level of OS support is inconsistent. Windows gamers can use Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer to start playing, but their Mac-owning friends have to lean on Chrome for some games and can't even consider running the marquee title, Hitman: Blood Money. Square Enix's library of eligible games will start expanding in October; while there's no guarantee the Final Fantasy series or many other dream games will make it to the roster, Coreonline's approach might just be viable enough to spare us a few raids on the bargain bins.
Author: Dennis Lewis Article Tools: Nowadays mobile phones have become the neccessary part of our life.But the most of the mobile phone users are facing the problems of high monthly phone bills. Though there are lots of mobile phone deals in the market but the monthly phone deals are the most sought after deals. sometimes,armani pas cher, we need a long talk and our credit in mobile phone finishes,ralph lauren, isn?t it really painful? yes, it is so.
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Monthly mobile is one of the various mobile phone deals offered by lots of network providers, such as Orange, T-mobile, Three, Vodafone, Virgin and many more. As per pay monthly deals, you have to make monthly payments to the network service provider of your choice. it is amazing way to deal with hefty mobile phone bills. you can keep a track on your monthly mobile phone bills. By the ending of the month,sac armani, you will get all the record of your done calls and other things done by you with the handset.
Pay monthly phone is a post-paid plan configured especially for those mobile phone users, who are petrified with high mobile phone bills. With this plan,Christian Louboutin, you will also find free mobile phones, along with different tariff rates. You can stay connected with your near and dear ones throughout the day, make or receive calls and send messages without irritating credit reminder.
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Because the Federal Communications Commission has revised its Junk Fax Prevention Act of 2005, it really is essential that you are aware with the modifications as they apply for your business. A few of the needs on the sender are:
1. The sender should have an ?established business relationship? with the recipient or have written consent from the recipient to sending all unsolicited marketing faxes.
2. Sender should have received this fax number voluntarily.
3. Receiver must possess the proper to opt-out of receiving future faxes.
4. The sender ought to honor all opt-outs within thirty days of receiving the communication.
Because the opt-out has to be integrated, you must be sure to adhere to the following guidelines:
1. Opt-out has to be clear. It has to be on the first page from the fax.
2. The opt-out must not seem to be part of the marketing. A reasonable user must be capable to figure out that it really is not marketing but a clear statement.
3. It need to state the receiver can opt-out of future unsolicited ads. It clearly should state the sender should honor the opt-out inside thirty days or they will be breaking the law.
Since the approach of opt-out should be sent within the identical style as stated in the unsolicited advertising, it truly is essential that you simply, because the consumer, comply with the letter with the rule. If you obtain a fax, comply with the directions if they need replying via fax. Only this approach is covered under this law. Be sure to supply the needed data. In the event you don?t adhere to the directions, the sender will not need to comply.
The rule when broken down in measures is simple to stick to. It?s going to assist you to remove more ?junk? information.
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On the edge of the Saif al-Dawla district of Aleppo, a commander argues with a rebel. He has ordered him to try to take out a regime tank, alone and with a single rocket-propelled grenade.
"Just one is enough -- you can take out the whole army," the commander tells the reluctant fighter.
The scene is one repeated across the frontlines of the battle between the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian regime, as the rag-tag rebel forces try to take on tanks, helicopter gunships and fighter jets with armoury that is desperately lacking.
Rebel commanders say the weapons they do have -- Kalashnikovs, some RPGs, a handful of anti-aircraft guns -- are old and expensive while the weapons they need to take on the might of an army are impossible to come by.
"I flew MIG war planes for 12 years, and we are fighting these planes with Kalashnikovs, and not even good Kalashnikovs," says Alaa Saadeddin, a defected pilot.
"Anti-aircraft guns are the heaviest weapon we have," he adds. "We don't have ground-to-ground rockets, we don't have Grads, we don't have surface-to-air missiles."
When Abu Maryam decided to set up his own rebel brigade, he approached the Liwa al-Tawhid, a rebel umbrella group, to ask about the possibility of getting weapons.
"Liwa al-Tawhid gave us two Kalashnikovs, but we had to find a way to buy the rest. We have 22 men and 12 guns, so we will go in groups. The first group will take the guns, when they come back, they will give the guns to the second group."
And the weapons that are available don't come cheap -- a Kalashnikov goes for 150,000 Syrian pounds, nearly $2,400, bullets start at $2 each, and a grenade will set you back over $150, according to commanders.
Syria's rebels laugh at stories of Libyan fighters who regularly unloaded their weapons into the air to celebrate a victory on the battlefront.
"If any rebel in any group fires a single bullet in any direction other than at the enemy, they will be kicked out of the group," Saadeddin said.
Western nations have said they are providing non-lethal aid, in the form of money or communications equipment to the rebels, and the opposition Syrian National Council says countries including Saudi Arabia and Qatar have provided arms to fighters inside the country.
But the weapons in evidence on the ground look as old as rebels claim they are -- beaten-up guns and dusty RPGs that are a world away from the shiny new equipment that was in circulation on the Libyan battlefield.
"The vast majority of the weapons we have come from the regime, either we take them from the soldiers when we kill them, or we buy them from shabiha (pro-regime militiamen) or corrupt state army troops," said Abu Walid, a commander in the city of Marea.
"Take this grenade for example, we bought it from an Alawite soldier," he said, displaying a plump green grenade with Russian labelling.
"He loves money more than he loves his side," he sneered.
Rebels said they had also managed to buy some weapons over the border, mainly in Iraq, but also in Lebanon and to a lesser extent in Turkey.
Abu Walid and other commanders said their forces were in need of everything from ammunition to ground-to-ground missiles. But the weapon that the rebels dream of most is something that can take out a plane.
The Syrian army has rained destruction on Aleppo and its surroundings with its fleet of warplanes and helicopter gunships.
"When we say a neighbourhood has been liberated, it doesn't mean in the air, but only on the ground, because at any point a plane or helicopter can come (and strike) and we don't have rockets," said Abul Abbas, another Liwa al-Tawhid commander in Marea.
"The most important thing is to have a weapon that can take out a plane," Abu Walid added emphatically.
In the absence of anything heavier, rebels are working to make homemade devices, bombs and rockets.
But a group of three rebels who proudly shared a video showing the firing of what they said was a homemade rocket, admitted they had no way to aim the device and no idea where it lands.
"We've tried to make some homemade rockets, but honestly most of them have blown up in our faces," Saadeddin said.
In the Mashhad neighbourhood of Aleppo, as a tank round landed ever closer, a group of rebels found themselves armed with nothing more than their Kalashnikovs and Molotov cocktails made out of old pickle jars.
"That's the difference between us and them," one commander said of the Syrian army. "They have everything, we have nothing but God."
The
Wildlife Conservation Society Archives (headquartered at the Bronx Zoo)
is accepting applications for internships from graduate students
seeking to gain experience
in archives, libraries, or museums.? Two internship projects are
available, both under the supervision of professional library staff:?
Processing and description internships: projects include surveying, arranging, and describing archival
collections; entering data into an archival management system; and creating EAD finding aids.
Art collection management internship:
projects include surveying artwork held throughout the Bronx
Zoo, performing research on artists and items, and recording
information in a collections management database.? Other duties may
include making conservation recommendations as needed
?
Interns
must schedule their work Monday through Friday, 10-5, and must be
willing to commit at least 120 hours to the internship.? Participants
may arrange to
receive course credit.? WCS Archives internships are unpaid.
About the organization:
Founded
in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society, the Wildlife Conservation
Society is committed to saving wildlife and wild places worldwide.? This
initiative
is carried out through science, global conservation, education, and the
management of the world?s largest system of urban wildlife parks, led
by the flagship Bronx Zoo.? Documenting the history of this work, the
WCS Archives includes records related to the
histories of the Bronx Zoo, the New York Aquarium, international field
work projects, and other WCS institutions and activities.? In addition
to print records, the Archives also manages WCS?s art collection, which
consists of paintings, sketches, and sculptures,
primarily of wildlife and scientific specimens.
?
How to apply:
Interested
individuals should send a resume and a cover letter indicating which
internship project they are applying for and describing what they hope
to bring
to the internship and gain from the experience.? Materials should be
sent to
library@wcs.org.? Applications will be considered until the positions are filled.
As the US government deports tens of thousands of immigrants, children are increasingly watching their parents handcuffed and dragged away as they get handed to social workers and denied contact with their broken up families.
Nearly 45,000 parents who were illegally in the US were deported in the first six months of this year, leaving behind parentless American children, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Even though President Obama promised to focus on removing criminals and keeping families together, regardless of immigration status, the number of deportations this year is breaking records.
?How can my country not allow a mother to be with her children, especially when they are so young and they need her, and especially when they are Americans?? Rony Molinda said to AP.
?Gone were the egg-and-sausage tortillas that greeted him when he came home from school, the walks in the park, the hugs at night when she tucked him into bed,? AP writes, telling the story of a 10-year-old boy whose mother was torn unexpectedly from his life. ?Today the sweet-faced boy of 11 spends his time worrying about why his father cries so much, and why his mom can?t come home.?
While the boy and his father had US citizenship, the boy?s mother, who was from Guatemala, was in the US illegally.
More than 5,100 children in 22 states live in foster care, some of which are being put up for adoption against the wishes of their deported parents. If a US judge decides that a child is better off in the US, parents may not have their child back and families are permanently broken up.
During his 2008 campaign, President Obama told a Texas audience that deportations should target violent offenders and criminals, not families.
"When nursing mothers are torn from their babies, when children come home from school to find their parents missing ? when all this is happening, the system just isn't working and we need to change it," Obama said in 2008.
But four years later, it has not been changed. A 2010 analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center found that one in every ten American children faces the threat of deportation of a parent. The study also found that children of immigrants, living in a state of constant worry, showed an increase in crying, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, clingy behavior, fear and anxiety and fears of law enforcement officials.
When 16-year-old Janna Hakim of Brooklyn had her mother taken away from her and locked up for three months awaiting deportation, her family fell apart.
?It was horrible, horrible,? the girl said, describing how she felt when she saw her mother behind a glass panel in a detention center, wearing a prison uniform. After Hakim?s mother was deported, the girl?s 13-year-old brother began wetting the bed and her 15-year-old brother started to get involved with gangs and drugs.
?I am not a criminal. I am the mother of American children and they need me, especially the younger ones,? the mother told AP over the phone. ?How can a country break up families like this?"
?As crying babies are ripped from mothers? arms, parents are taken away in handcuffs and illegal immigrants disappear into faraway detention centers, thousands of anxiety-stricken American kids continue to fill up foster homes ? and will most likely be placed for adoption.
There are also widespread file formats which may be shared by giant predominant-body and desktop personal computers that permit online and real-time inputs and validations. The event of software has also fragmentized with specialist technicians using commonplace methodologies that present predictable outcomes that are easily accessible. Workplace managers might be able to customise their data technology varieties or databases and get passable results.
Along with the global economic struggle is the arrival of modern expertise, specifically the Internet. It allows the establishment of more online business opportunities in numerous marketplaces. It also resulted to the emergence of numerous Data Expertise industries. Actually, in response to a contemporary survey, 38 percent of software program development professionals use outsourcing to stick to the necessities of their organization.
At this time I was using my iPhone and it struck me that before smart phones things took just a bit bit longer. Mobile technology simply makes every part much more convenient.
HP LTO-5 ultrium tape media and drives are built robust to effectively address the exploding needs of complex I.T environments and information centers. Shelf lifetime of HP LTO5 cartridge is more than 30 years, making it perfect for regulatory compliance requirements. Moreover the HP LTO-5 drives also secure your prior funding in LTO technology. The LTO5 ultrium drives are backward compatible with earlier two variations of LTO. The LTO-three tape media cartridges are learn-suitable, and its subsequent technology LTO 4 tape is totally write-and-learn compatible. The HP LTO-5 drives provide glorious reliability at a brilliant-quick rate of 140MB/second (native).
As smartphones, tablets and different contextlinks1 options flood the market, mobile functions will change into an enormous contributor to business value. Though the increased mobility, productivity and employee satisfaction from utilizing mobile gadgets continues to achieve ground, certain issues exist within the firm IT department.
PBX VoIP is the know-how that provides enterprises a brand new option to communicate. It is recognized to simplify every problems associated to the communication in any and all organizations be it small, medium or massive business. It boosts the business productiveness effectively in an environment friendly way costing you minimum charges. It can give your company a properly managed and professional look to impress the customers. It?s the value saving telecommunication system that will revolutionize the way in which you talk with your consumer because of the pliability it supplies to any workplace.
Know-how keeps businesses working smoothly. Online money registers, gross sales order management software, stock software, and software scanners are making it attainable for businesses to run more smoothly. Not does every bit of merchandise should be counted and recorded. At this time, companies are taking all of this expertise and making it rely within the workplace. Staff are studying the way to save each time and money for the company, while additionally learning simpler ways to get issues done.
The smartcard was the subsequent huge factor that worked on the RFID principle. Nonetheless, the smartcard doesn?t deal in simple plain-text information alternate just like the RFID chip. They?re geared up with chips which can be able to info change (sending and storing) that is based mostly on state-of-the-art encryption levels. Smartcards are more and more being utilized in company and authorities operations that require high degree security. Until the appearance of NFC expertise and its essential constituents such as NFC tags stickers and NFC tags, all of the above radio-frequency based mostly communication options heavily relied on the usage of chips containing passive sensors.
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Not everybody loves redecorating and there is a difficult time from it way too. There are many careers that virtually you can now do once they find out what is engaged. Try the following tips on increasing your household after you have check out what you ought to do.
Always take care of up and guard other surface areas when conducting a demolition or color venture. It is possible to avoid additional work by covering regions of your work space up. You must also take care of wall space if debris is going to be traveling about if you whack out a cupboard. All fixtures ought to be covered should you be piece of art.
Sort your tools into various toolboxes organized by projects. For example, possess a toolbox specifically for domestic plumbing jobs, containing various pipe fittings, a pipe wrench, and PVC glue. Likewise, you can make a toolbox which has the elements and tools you need for electric projects. By doing this, you will be able to get specific tools once you need to have them.
Be certain of safety safety measures from your outset of your home improvement undertaking. Comply with these security rules to stop injuring oneself or harming your own home. Refer to the instructions on the equipment and look at lessons before you begin your renovations.
You may not understand just how long you possess been working exterior from the warmth. Safety troubles could be significant, but hydration is far more crucial. Have normal breaks from the try to cool away within the color and also have an enjoy water.
Many more mature residences are carpeted throughout, but decades of wear, often leaves a stained, obsolete mess. Wooden flooring surfaces are traditional and can very last noticeably longer than also the most plush carpeting.
The bristles could bend, therefore, ruining the broom. It should be hung up so bristles works excellent by remaining direct. As well, you need to hang your mops. This helps them free of moisture and stay mildew-free of charge.
You may make a tiny specialized niche or alcove truly burst by utilizing vibrant color or wallpaper to pay your back surface area of your inlaid location. This venture is rather economical, considering that you can use a test-measured fresh paint can rather than buying a complete gallon.
An unattractive air conditioner may be less attractive, however in certain settings it is an important. Wooden trellis and latticework are great for powerful camouflaging. Make sure you abandon no less than one ft . of empty area among what ever camouflage you choose to use as well as the unit itself.
There are lots of home improvement work that one could take on on your own. It is important to show patience when you are performing fix function. The content was composed as a way to offer you the suggestions you must make productive adjustments to your house. If you use the recommendations you can expect to have a nicer household before long!
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Singer, songwriter, producer, Daron Jones, stops by the Jammin Jukebox on 8/23 @8pm EST to talk about his musical experiences with Usher, Pink, Jamie Foxx and his own band, 112. We'll talk about his latest project, "Reinvention" & what's on tap for the future.
Please join us as we chat with singer/songwriter with the beautiful angelic voice, Amiena. We will discuss her career thus far, working with Chris Mann (from The Voice) and her new EP available now on iTunes. Stay after the show for us to play her EP!
Kick Ass fantasy football is back for the 2012 Fantasy Football season! Listen Each week Tuesday and Wednesday at 9pm and Thursdays at 7pm. We are here to get you ready for the draft and help you Cruise to a Championship.
On this week's edition of The Show with Steve and Bo, we welcome credentialed freelance reporter Brandon C. Williams to the program to help us put the NFC South under the microscope as our NFL Spotlight series continues.
Host Tim Gordon sits down with writer/director Craig Zobel, who has created one of the Summer's best film, the disturbingly gripping thriller, Compliance. Based on a true story focusing on a prank caller who pretends to be a police officer.
Join the ladies of Klassy Dimes Radio as we interview Love & Hip Hop Atlanta's Rasheeda about Music, her Jewelry line & Much Much More! Rasheeda will also be taking your calls & questions LIVE so you do not want to miss this!
Join Dan and Chris as they interview Susan Farewell of Farewell Travels to discuss the importance of travel to education in an increasingly global world.
Archived interviews with actors Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, The Bourne Legacy), Antonio Banderas (Interview with the Vampire, Shrek), and Jon Voight (Deliverance, National Treasure) are featured in this special series episode celebrating the best of Movie
Hosts Monica & Ken welcome 100 Thousand Poets for Change founder Michael Rothenberg, Program Organize R J Jeffreys & Boston Executive Coordinator Rachael Popek to speak of the positive impact via their global and community events.
Wednesday night we will hit the airwaves as the NFL and College football seasons rapidly approach. We have a 2 hour event packed show full of College Football and NFL talk. I have 3 guests lined up but I'll only be choosing 1 for this show.
Join Jeff as he talk with Christopher Saint Booth, Christopher is from The booth Brothers (as seen on SyFy/Chiller) and he will talk about their new film THE UNSEEN!
CROWN aka Purple Crown, or Tajh Abdulsamad most commonly known as one forth of the 90's Motown Records multi platinum selling teen group THE BOYS. CROWN (Tajh) is now all grown up and producing soulful heart inspired music.
Over 50 years after her death, Marilyn Monroe is bigger than life, towering over tourists in Palm Springs, California. The "Forever Marilyn" sculpture is inspired by the famous photograph by Bernard of Hollywood from the film The Seven Year Itch.
Did you know that: If the U.S. Hispanic market were its own country, its buying power would make it one of the world?s top 20 economies? Recession or no recession, U.S. Latino households earning $50,000 or more annually, are growing at a faster rate than total households? The U.S. Hispanic market is projected to account for $1.5 trillion in purchasing power by 2015? The stats above are from a recent Nielsen report on Hispanic households in America . And I sure hope they whet your appetite to cater to this important and growing consumer group. There are more than 52 million U.S. Hispanics, Nielsen says, and they are the fastest- growing ethnic group in the country. By 2050, the Hispanic population in the U.S. will grow by 167 percent, compared to just 42 percent for the overall population. One thing that makes Latinos a particularly profitable market for small businesses is their youth. While the U.S. as a whole is graying, the median age of Hispanics in the U.S. is just 28 (almost 10 years younger than the overall median age of 37). More than half the U.S. Latino population is under 35 years old. That means Hispanics are in the market for: New homes and everything that goes with them (appliances, furniture, d?cor, home services). Weddings and everything that goes with them (flowers, catering, honeymoons and travel). Children and everything that goes with them (clothing, accessories, toys, education and tutoring, extracurricular activities). MediaPost reports that research firm IBISWorld has identified seven industries that will benefit most from the growing Hispanic population: Residential buying, food (grocery and restaurants) Retail (especially clothing and electronics) Education (higher education and technical schools) Financial services Transportation (automotive and airline) Entertainment Media If you?re in one of these areas and want to reach Hispanic consumers, you?d best get active on social media. MediaPost says Hispanics are avid social media users and that trend is likely to grow. As of February 2012, Hispanic Internet users? visits to social networking sites rose 14 percent year-over-year. Hispanics are the fastest-growing U.S. ethnic group on Facebook and WordPress, and Hispanics over age 18 are 25 percent more likely to fan or follow brands on social media than the general population. Are you targeting Hispanic customers in your marketing tactics and how is it working for your business? Hispanic Family Photo via Shutterstock From Small Business Trends Is Your Small Business Marketing to Hispanic Consumers?
Hulu has a fresh new layout that's rolling out to users today. Say goodbye to the streaming service's old, cluttered design. Say hello to big, beautiful images and improved navigation. More »
Internet and Technology | Computers and Technology | * Written by petricam | Tuesday, 21 August 2012 01:13 | Word Count: 625
In today?s modern day world computing devices are the most essential and effective tools. Almost every enterprise and business organization depends on a set of techniques that are based on computer along with software engineering processes for saving data and implementing various services and productions.
By using a server, it is possible for multiple computers having a huge central storage unit rather than having several areas of storage. This is what makes it simple to have the access to any kind of data files kept in one unit rather than searching for it on all computers that are connected to the network. In case of small scale business companies, a NAS, known as network attached server is adequate to cater to the requirements. However, its primary objective is to make the data accessible from the computers that are linked to the network. The process is very similar to an external hard disk drive that facilitates access of data for computing devices as well as data storage. Alternatively, a storage server can be designed with a complementary operating system that can possess multiple functions for instance data management, web-based interface and storage reporting.
A storage server is a unique way to share common data from a group of members. These servers are further associated to a network and enable any user connected to that particular network to store data and files on that server. In the past few years, storage servers have become extremely reasonably priced than before. As a result of which, they are not used by huge MNC?s but also by small businesses. Furthermore, for home users and small businesses it is simpler than ever to own their storage server. The benefits of creating and installing a server for storing data has its own benefits, more so if the data is required to be shared amidst multiple users.
Today eminent companies dealing in custom computer systems offer innovative storage server solutions that are that are cost-efficient, highly reliable, provides excellent performance and are energy efficient. They are ?built-to-order? generic purposes and are appropriate for companies of all kinds and sizes. These service providers efficiently configures the consumers? operating system and software in order to function at an optimal level and provide any feature that is required for new custom servers. Furthermore, innovative enterprise storage server solutions offered by leading brands also offer versatile blade server with numerous processor and speed combination that are completely optimized for any critical mission data center application and server consolidation.
In this four part audio interview, Emma Bryn Jones of Zero Credit UK explains how a personal quest of offering credit free living tips through social media evolved into UK cooperative serving debt professionals and indirectly borrowers looking for richer information to base decisions on.
Zero Credit UK purpose
the point of zero credit is that it trades in research and development information so that borrowers own information on which decisions are made.
Zero Credit UK have authored a substantive Digital Presence Guide and Emma goes on to explain it?s purpose:
the primary customer of the document [The Digital Presence Guide] is any debt professional hoping to have a presence online of any kind?
With proliferation of choice of debt companies the credibility of debt professionals to borrowers is crucial these days:
the consumer is probably looking for a little bit more than just a statement of I?m good because of somebody says I?m good, you want the background of professional associations of this body says I?m good.
Debt organisations and transparency
In part 2, I ask Emma if it is a positive development that debt companies increasingly reveal their employees.
I think it is really important to showcase the employees because any kind of service related to advising on debt is a service not a product.
Emma also notes that digital media can humanise the relationship between debt advisor and a debtor.
you may feel happier revealing your circumstances to somebody who is a cricket fan because you?re a cricket fan and you?ll feel that they abide by the same sort of moral compass?.you need to feel comfortable if you?re going to tackle a debt as a debtor.
Emma?s team also carry out mystery shopping on debt websites to test the waters for industry compliance with increasingly stringent standards and produce the Digital Presence Guide document to address common industry weaknesses such as greater emphasis of complaint procedure policies.
Debt Industry Compliance
In part 3, I mentioned that ClearDebt, during the OFT Debt Management Guidance Consultation period in 2011 had defended the right to revert to social media where appropriate.
Some people still continue to use social media as a sort of advertising channel.
There was a worry it [social media] was a just a new advertising channel to put links to get people into things.
Social media remains a legitimate channel but there was agreement that transparency practised by virtue of bio and profile links that link back to the company is essential.
In the final part of the audio interview I ask Emma if there is more scope for regulation of non compliance.
Emma believes this is almost an impossible task.
We have done a lot of work on business directories in debt advice, debt collection and ppi and the number of people listed in there who clearly have no compunction to follow any code of conduct at all is quite formidable.
Consumer choice for debtors
I asked Emma if consumers had enough resources to make independent choices among debt companies and debt professionals.
It?s very easy for a consumer to make the wrong decision?.that they didn?t realise how much debt they were in because they were meeting the minimum repayment?.some people are are using short term credit [fast loans, payday loans] to deal with a debt problem and this need for speed is encouraging those people to make decisions that are probably not rationale given their circumstances.
The Zero Credit UK Digital Presence Guide is a must have document for debt professionals and organisations marketing their services in this era.
Digital Presence Guide ? Zero Credit UK
It?s value packed with useful advice and examples of not only how to practically comply with industry standards but also how to excel in open customer communications following the best practice of UK organisations and professionals.
Obtain the full version from the Zero Credit UK website or enjoy an extract below.
ClearDebt Group plc is a corporate supporter of Zero Credit UK.
What?s your opinion of debt companies online behaviour? Leave your comment below.
(Reuters) - Lowe's Cos Inc reported weaker-than-expected quarterly results and cut its profit outlook for the fiscal year as the world's second-largest home improvement chain lost market share to larger rival Home Depot Inc.
Lowe's shares fell more than 8 percent in premarket trading.
The lacklustre results came just days after Home Depot beat Wall Street's quarterly profit estimates with the help of cost controls and market share gains, and raised its earnings outlook for the year.
Lowe's recently decided to offer fewer discounts on expensive items like appliances, in sync with its bigger plan to offer "everyday low prices" rather than promotions. The move has driven some shoppers away.
Sales suffered in the traditionally strong second quarter, which ended on August 3, as unseasonably warm weather early in the year pulled some demand into the first quarter.
Sales at Lowe's stores open at least a year fell 0.4 percent, including a 0.2 percent decrease for the U.S. business, marking the 13th straight quarter that the company trailed Home Depot Inc in same-store sales.
"Lowe's inability to drive sales despite discounting remains a concern," Janney analyst David Strasser said in a research note.
Net earnings fell to $747 million (476 million pounds), or 64 cents a share, from $830 million, or 64 cents a share, a year earlier.
Analysts on average had expected a profit of 70 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Sales fell 2 percent to $14.25 billion, while analysts had expected $14.46 billion.
Lowe's, which has stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico, now expects flat total sales for the fiscal year ending on February 1. It forecast earnings of $1.64 a share for the period, compared with an outlook of $1.73 to $1.83 that it gave in May.
Lowe's shares were down 8.1 percent at $25.60 in trading before the market opened.
(Reporting by Dhanya Skariachan in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
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Public release date: 30-Aug-2012
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