Myanmar must protect Muslims and halt discrimination, U.N. says

GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights investigators called on Myanmar on Wednesday to halt deadly sectarian violence and warned it not to use the conflict as a pretext to remove Rohingya minority Muslims.

Some 89 people have been killed in clashes between Buddhist Rakhines and Muslim Rohingyas in western Myanmar in the past 10 days, according to the latest official toll.

"This situation must not become an opportunity to permanently remove an unwelcome community," said a joint statement issued by Tomas Ojea Quintana, U.N. special rapporteur on Myanmar, and independent experts on minority issues and the internally displaced.

They voiced their "deep concern about the assertion of the government and others that the Rohingya are illegal immigrants and stateless persons".

"If the country is to be successful in the process of democratic transition, it must be bold in addressing the human rights challenges that exist," Ojea Quintana said.

"In the case of Rakhine State, this involves addressing the long-standing endemic discrimination against the Rohingya community that exists within sections of local and national government as well as society at large."

The Rohingyas say their homes were burned down by Rakhines armed with slingshots, wooden staves, knives and gasoline.

The United Nations says more than 97 percent of the 28,108 people who have fled the violence are Muslims, mostly stateless Rohingya. Many now live in camps, joining 75,000 mostly Rohingya displaced in June after a previous explosion of sectarian violence killed at least 80 people.

Fearful Buddhists and Muslims are arming themselves with homemade weapons, testing the reformist government's resolve to prevent a new wave of violence.

Rita Izsak, U.N. independent expert on minority issues, said the Rohingya constituted a minority which must be protected according to international minority rights standards.

"The government must take steps to review relevant laws and procedures to provide equal access by the Rohingya community to citizenship and promote dialogue and reconciliation between communities," she said.

The U.N. refugee agency has called on authorities to restore law and order so as to prevent further bloodshed and displacement. An estimated 6,000 people are stranded on boats or on islets along Myanmar's western coast, it said on Tuesday.

"We are appealing to neighboring countries, Bangladesh being very much one of them, to keep borders open. It is clearly important that people do have access to safe haven," UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told a news briefing on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and Martin Petty in Rakhine; editing by Andrew Roche)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/myanmar-must-protect-muslims-halt-discrimination-u-n-155324840.html

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Five iPhone 5s in five days: win a 16GB AT&T model with custom Engadget case, courtesy of Cafepress!

Need ideas for a holiday present for that special someone? We know your significant other would be completely enamored at the sight of a beautiful white custom iPhone 5 case... adorned with Engadget's logo on it (the actual iPhone 5 won't hurt, of course). The phone and case was provided to us by CafePress, an e-tailer that not only specializes in custom cases but clothes, stationary, flair and plenty more. It's definitely worth a look-see, but not until after you enter to win this contest -- as well as the ones we started up Monday and Tuesday (they're still going)!

Continue reading Five iPhone 5s in five days: win a 16GB AT&T model with custom Engadget case, courtesy of Cafepress!

Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile, Apple

Five iPhone 5s in five days: win a 16GB AT&T model with custom Engadget case, courtesy of Cafepress! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/31/iphone-5-cafepress/

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Video: Election Day far from candidates' minds as Sandy barrels through East Coast

Waiting to get booted from the cancer club

This month marks a year since I finished treatment for breast cancer. The double mastectomy, chemo and radiation I wrote about last October on TODAY.com are all in the rear view mirror. But being done with cancer treatment, I have learned, is not the same as being done with cancer.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/49614592#49614592

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Using analytics for business retention & increased sales tax revenue ...

Buxton Blog Home > Using analytics for business retention & increased sales tax revenue

Oct 30, 2012

Plainfield, IL is a suburb of Chicago. They have a population just under 40K residents. They had some great success using Buxton analytics to help out their local businesses that are currently in Plainfield and also to help them recruit businesses to come to Plainfield.

Before the Village of Plainfield, IL hired Buxton, their retail sales tax revenues were declining year over year. After they hired Buxton and started taking a look at the results of what Plainfield could do as a community, their revenues stabilized and they have seen increases the last two years greater than the national average. Brian Murphy, Village Administrator, said Plainfield IL uses Buxton?s information and they have taken it to a point where they can deliver it multiple different ways. They wanted to make sure that the community was able to use the data and that they get Plainfield?s story out there. Plainfield put the data on their website and have also made the information available through their library. In Plainfield, business librarians are trained in how to use the data and are able to show the business owners who come in, how much information is available for them out of that series of reports. Plainfield also placed all of Buxton?s reports onto iPads so that when they go and meet with business owners or are out doing retention or recruitment visits, they are able to empirically show the benefits of coming to Plainfield.
SCOUT is a web-based platform that Plainfield uses quite a lot. Murphy said they use it for showing their leakage issues in the community. They also use it to show the strength of certain sites. They had three different areas in particular in the community that they studied with Buxton. They plugged in that data into SCOUT and they use that information weekly. Plainfield also had some retailers that Buxton was able to show them who would be successful in their community. Fox?s Pizza, in particular, was one of those that jumped off the page as a regional company that would have great success in Plainfield. When Plainfield presented Fox?s Pizza with the information, they were very excited. Fox?s Pizza came to town, opened a store, and have had great success ever since. When Plainfield does the community meetings, they are able to show the smaller, local entrepreneurs the opportunities in Plainfield for them. With that, The Village of Plainfield has actually seen a couple of other local folks take real chances on opening up their own stores because Plainfield gave them the information that allowed them to go out and make those conscious decisions.
Brian Murphy said, ?If I were asked by another community how they could grow their business retention plans, how they could grow their business recruitment plans, how they could improve the quality of life in their community, I would strongly tell them to meet with the Buxton folks.? He said it has been an absolutely fantastic

Posted by Courtney Hall

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Source: http://buxtonanalytics.buxtonco.com/?p=1755

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Editorial: Apple vs. everyone

It's a big storm, moving slowly. A gigantic span of ferocious swirl meets a front of chilly resistance. The effect of that collision is amplified by powerful tidal influence. Upheavals and surges swamp the landscape. Many people are displaced; countless others stay with the familiar.

Also, in the real world, some nasty weather is happening. But I'm talking about the tech industry of the last five business days, which has aligned and concentrated its forces in a crystal-clear demonstration, if one were needed, that mobile is where the bets are placed and futures will be won and lost.

Apple is at the eye of the storm, where its devoted legions expect it, but no longer as a pioneer. Defending its territory rather than breaking new ground, the post-Jobs company did something its late and fabled leader scorned, split hairs to justify it, engaged in implicit combat with four competitors, ticked off some of its best customers and was squeezed by inexorable pressure of a quickly evolving industry.

Continue reading Editorial: Apple vs. everyone

Filed under: Tablets, Apple, Google

Editorial: Apple vs. everyone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/4tkr_Exx4SY/

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Military veterans with history of heavy alcohol use more likely to seek treatment and afterwards report better overall health than civilians

ScienceDaily (Oct. 29, 2012) ? Male military veterans with a history of heavy alcohol use are more likely to seek treatment and, later, report better overall health and less depression than their civilian counterparts, according to new research released tat the American Public Health Association's 140th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

According to the National Institutes of Health-funded research from the Public Health Institute's Alcohol Research Group, 29 percent of veterans under 50 years old who reported a long history of heavy alcohol use sought treatment for alcohol dependence compared with just 17 percent of their civilian counterparts. Among these younger men who continued to drink heavily into their 30s, civilians were more than twice as likely (35 percent) to report current depression than veterans (15 percent).

The research also found that younger veterans who report a history of heavy drinking in their 30s reported better overall health and less depression than veterans who did not report heavy drinking in their 30s.

"The findings suggest not only that Veterans Affairs treatment is available to help young veterans who have a history of heavy drinking, but that it is an effective service outreach to young veterans that can improve their health and overall quality of life" said Katherine Karriker-Jaffe, PhD, researcher at the Public Health Institute and APHA Annual Meeting presenter. "Those younger veterans without alcohol or drug problems may benefit from additional outreach from targeted services to improve their mental and physical health."

Results were analyzed from the 2010 National Alcohol Survey. Heavy drinking was defined as drinking five or more drinks at a time at least once a week. Military service was not associated with heavy drinking histories of older men, although veterans over 49 years old were somewhat more likely than civilians to report heavy drinking in the year prior to the interview.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Public Health Association (APHA), via Newswise.

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/mental_health/~3/tYUC6jObldI/121029081213.htm

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Refurbished - Sony Ericsson Play Verizon PlayStation Gaming Cell ...

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to go to the online offer at eBay

Free Carrying Case. ($25 value)
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Also You'll earn $1.66 in eBay Bucks

Seller refurbished, 30-day satisfaction guarantee.
Super-fast graphics and dedicated game controls deliver a superior smartphone gaming experience.
Combines PlayStation-quality gaming with Android smartphone technology.
Top titles from leading game publishers, including Electronic Arts, Gameloft, Glu Mobile and more.
Built-in 5.1-megapixel auto-focus camera with video recording.
Runs Google's Android 2.3 mobile operating system with access to Google Search, Google Voice Search, Google Talk, Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps and Android Market.
Wireless Band : CDMA 800 / 900.

Source: http://www.buxr.com/deal/refurbished-sony-ericsson-play-verizon-playstation-gaming-cell-phone-w-50-accessories_122471

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Ukraine votes with opposition leader in jail

Ukrainians cast their ballots at a polling station in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012. Voters in Ukraine are choosing a new parliament Sunday. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukrainians cast their ballots at a polling station in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012. Voters in Ukraine are choosing a new parliament Sunday. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A woman goes to market in the village of Bobryk, some 60 km (37 miles) north of Kiev Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012. Ukraine is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on Oct. 28. (AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov)

An Orthodox priest blesses his ballot paper at a polling station in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012. Voters in Ukraine are choosing a new parliament Sunday. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Orthodox priests receive their ballot papers at a polling station in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012. Voters in Ukraine are choosing a new parliament. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

An Orthodox priest leaves a voting booth at a polling station in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012. Voters in Ukraine are choosing a new parliament Sunday. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) ? Ukrainians are electing a parliament on Sunday in a crucial vote tainted by the jailing of top opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko and fears of election fraud.

With the charismatic former premier serving a seven-year sentence on abuse of office charges and the opposition split into two parties, President Viktor Yanukovych's Party of Regions is expected to retain its parliamentary majority.

The West is paying close attention to the conduct of the vote in the strategic ex-Soviet state, which lies between Russia and the expanding European Union and is responsible for transporting energy supplies to many EU countries.

A strong showing by the Party of Regions will cement Yanukovych's grip on power and likely turn Ukraine further away from the West. Ukraine's relations with the U.S. and the European Union have soured over the jailing of Tymoshenko, pushing Brussels to shelve a long-awaited partnership deal with Kiev. If the West turns a cold shoulder on Ukraine, Moscow is likely to court Kiev to create a greater economic and political alliance.

The pro-Western opposition groups hope to gain enough parliament seats to challenge Yanukovych's power and undo what they call his undemocratic and harmful policies, such as the jailing of Tymoshenko and her top allies, the concentration of power in the hands of the president, the upgrading of the status of the Russian language, which some believe poses a threat to the Ukrainian tongue, waning press freedoms, a deteriorating business climate and growing corruption.

Dmitry Kovalenko, a 50-year-old entrepreneur in Kiev said he voted for Tymoshenko's Fatherland party in hopes of ending Yanukovych's monopoly on power.

"I am against repression," Kovalenko said after casting his ballot in a polling station in central Kiev. "It's easy to win when your opponents are in jail."

But the opposition has been weakened with Tymoshenko, the 51-year-old heroine of the 2004 Orange Revolution that had ousted Yanukovych from power, in jail. Tymoshenko's Fatherland party is running neck-to-neck with another pro-Western group, the Udar (Punch) party led by world boxing champion Vitali Klitschko.

Klitschko's party has gained popularity in recent months, capitalizing on voter disappointment with both Yanukovych and Tymoshenko's years in power, which were marked by a slow pace of reforms and constant bickering in the Orange camp.

"We've tasted both the orange and the blue and life hasn't changed for the better," said Zhanna Holovko, a 43-year-old high school teacher in Keiv referring to the campaign colors of the Orange revolution team and Yanukovych's party. "I am voting for a third force that I can trust," Holovko said after voting for Klitschko's group.

The opposition's failure to form a strong alliance has played into the hands of Yanukovych.

And while Tymoshenko's and Klitschko's parties are expected to make a strong showing in elections by party lists, half of the 450 seats in the Verkhovna Rada will be allocated to the winners of individual races where the Party of Regions are stronger. Yanukovych has centered his party's campaign on bringing stability after years of infighting in the Orange camp and relative economic recovery after the global financial crisis, which hit Ukraine severely.

"Stability, stability, stability is what Ukraine needs," said Olexiy Nalivaichenko, 35, a civil servant in Kiev, who voted for Yanukovych's party. "We want to feel confident and secure about tomorrow."

Also expected to get into parliament is the Communist party, which is expected to side with Yanukovych's lawmakers. Another party that could pass the 5 percent threshold is the nationalist Svoboda (Freedom), a staunch government critic infamous for xenophobic and anti-Semitic statements.

Besides Tymoshenko's jailing, which already raises big questions about the fairness of the vote, preliminary reports by international observers have identified numerous other problems during the election campaign. They include the use of state funds, bureaucracy and facilities by the ruling party in support of their candidates, media coverage on television tilted toward the Party of Regions, reports of intimidation of opposition candidates and the opposition's fears of ballot stuffing and other vote fraud.

_____

Yuras Karmanau contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-10-28-Ukraine-Election/id-0e28a459b0a34380a10513b4e45857ee

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Stina Auer: Almost one month

So time flies, we've already made that clear. Almost one month has gone since I came here and the most common question I get is; "are you happy"?
But you know what, I hardly have time to think about my own happiness with a small toddler around having as much energy, curiosity and serenity as life itself. I mean, of course I'm happy most of the times, something else would obviously occupy my time enormous. There's nothing more time consuming than being unhappy and depressed about whatever it is in life. I've learned to be very active in my own happiness and to changes myself, my life, my mind and thoughts or whatever the reason is when feeling so. No one will turn a bad feeling around, unless yourself. Perhaps that's also why I seldom regret things, because at the time, it was probably exactly what I wanted.

I see this as an adventure, one wonderful opportunity to live in two different countries and explore and use the best of both worlds. Sweden has so many things I love. My family and dear friends most of all, but also my career and my work over there which I gave a good couple of long years to develop, indulge and love. Sweden is so much more family friendly and so far beyond when it comes to fathers combining a well going career with fatherhood and mothers are being allowed to stay home for a proper amount of time with the child and still have her job waiting for her when she decides to return. ?That's something Switzerland should be very ashamed over, both concerning men and women. It's absurd to see how three month babies are put to some kind of "kindergarden" just because of the fact that mothers, in best cases, have about 6w-3month of motherhood and the fathers non. A lot of the mothers I meet here are stay at home wives/mothers for the simple fact that It was impossible to combine motherhood and job.

I've never liked the Swedish weather very much and I'm allergic to rain. In fact, weather and nature wise I am more attractive to everything not Swedish, like lushy green nature with palm trees, never ending sun and long beaches. Not even Switzerland can offer me that unfortunately, but Switzerland has somewhat milder temperatures which I appreciate.
I like the more present international feeling I have here and how the city is build more pretty and thought through in a architectural way which looks more residential. People is less "over-the-top" trendy here and not everyone wants to be seen and noticed as in Stockholm - it's very refreshing. What I do notice here it some sort of segregation between absolute "no sense of fashion what-so-ever" and a much more high end, elegance which I love to adore. Classy has got a new term since I came here. It's very appealing and very inspiring to see the real fashion, the more classical and timeless way of dressing walking the streets.
Not to talk about the shopping! I mean we have almost all the important brands here in Zurich and although I can't walk around shopping all day, it's fun to know that I can if I want. Just window shopping is fun here and also for the fact that I always find a new store, restaurant, art gallery, flower shop etc I'd like to visit.

The hard things is the language though, you would think that everyone is as fluent in English as in Sweden, but as soon as you come to a less international store, like the supermarket, people has extremely little knowledge in English and making myself understood is sometimes very hard and in the end very frustrating. I was trying to find coconut milk the other day and tried with body language and English make them understand, but absolute no response. They took me to baby milk and by then, I just gave up. The Schweizer-dutsch is also quite far from German which normally would be easier to understand for ?a Swedish person.
It's also a lot of rules here which drives me a bit insane sometimes, the country itself is more "square" if you know what I mean, but in the same way, Sweden also has its personality, both good and bad.

But as an conclusion so far, I like it. It makes me grow as a person to do this journey and you need to dare more in all aspects of life to melt in, see all the positive things and live in a different country. I've made some new friends which is of large importance and finding myself around pretty good I have to say, both with car but mostly by walking or with the excellent tram system.
As soon as we're more settled in with the new apartment and so, I hope we will find time to go up more in the mountains, renting a nice Chalet and have some time for some wonderful skiing in the magnificent nature. I would also love for M and me to be able to take mini weekends to Milano, Paris, Como and other places that are as close as some hours in car. Another great thing with living in the smack middle of Europe.

And when we now found a very kind Nanny for Alexis a couple of hours per week, I'm sure that M and me will also explore more of the evening and night life in Zurich that both haven't had the time to enjoy due to the fact that he is working so much and I'm with Alexis.

So, a little "so-far" conclusion in the end of October.

Have a great weekend!

(at hotel Baur Au Lac)

Source: http://awomanalifeablog.blogspot.com/2012/10/almost-one-month.html

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Muzzled by the Bots

Iranians outside France's embassy protest the publication of a cartoon about the Prophet Mohammed on Sept. 23, 2012

Photograph by ATTA Kenare/AFP/Getty Images.

?Disintermediation? is often heralded as the defining feature of the digital age. Thanks to innovative new technologies, middlemen of all stripes are believed to go the way of the dodo. Once editors, publishers, and bookstores wither, the story goes, our public life will finally be liberated from their biases, inefficiencies, and hidden agendas. To quote Amazon's Jeff Bezos?a master slayer of intermediaries if there ever were one??even well-meaning gatekeepers slow innovation. When a platform is self-service, even the improbable ideas can get tried, because there?s no expert gatekeeper ready to say ?that will never work!? Even if Bezos is right, he's missing one important aspect of this story: The digitization of our public life is also giving rise to many new intermediaries that are mostly of invisible?and possibly suspect?variety.

Consider blogging. When the first generation of bloggers got online in the late 1990s, the only intermediaries between them and the rest of the world were their hosting companies and their Internet service providers. Anyone starting a blog in 2012 is likely to end up on a commercial platform like Tumblr or WordPress, with all of their blog comments run through a third-party company like Disqus. But the intermediaries don't just stop there: Disqus itself cooperates with a company called Impermium, which relies on various machine learning tools to check whether comments posted are spam. It's the proliferation?not elimination?of intermediaries that has made blogging so widespread.? The right term here is ?hyperintermediation,? not ?disintermediation.?

Impermium's new service goes even further: The company claims to have developed a technology to ?identify not only spam and malicious links, but all kinds of harmful content?such as violence, racism, flagrant profanity, and hate speech?and allows site owners to act on it in real-time, before it reaches readers.? It says it has 300,000 websites as clients (which is not all that surprising, if it's incorporated into widely used third-party tools like Disqus). As far as intermediaries go, this sounds very impressive: a single Californian company making decisions over what counts as hate speech and profanity for some of the world's most popular sites without anyone ever examining whether its own algorithms might be biased or excessively conservative.

Impremium's model is interesting because it adds a ?big data? layer to the usual process of determining what counts as spam or hate speech. It used to be that anyone who mentions ?Viagra? in his comment or blog post would be deemed a spammer and thus blocked immediately. Now Impremium claims that, by leveraging user data that come from its network of 300,000 participating websites, it can actually distinguish jokes about Viagra from spam about Viagra.

This might seem liberating: Adding context to the moderation decision could save legitimate jokes. However, in other contexts, this marriage of big data and automated content moderation might also have a darker side, particularly in undemocratic regimes, for whom a war on spam and hate speech?waged with the help of domestic spam-fighting champions?is just a pretense to suppress dissenting opinions. In their hands, solutions like Impermium's might make censorship more fine-grained and customized, eliminating the gaps that plague ?dumb? systems that censor in bulk.

Bloggers in China, for example, regularly employ euphemisms and allusions to trick the censorship algorithms of the country's online platforms. A seemingly innocuous expression like ?river crab? often stands in for ?Internet censorship? while ?vacation therapy? has been used to refer to arrests of government officials. Left uncensored?since they don't use big words like ?human rights? or ?democracy??such expressions quickly become memes and trigger critical discussions about Chinese politics.

With the help of ?big data,? content-moderation software can check the relative frequency with which such expressions have been used on other popular sites and investigate the actual commentators using them?who are their friends? what other articles have they commented on??to spot suspicious euphemisms. Or they might investigate where some of the posts containing those euphemisms come from. Just imagine what kind of new censorship possibilities open up once moderation decisions can incorporate geolocational information (what some researchers already call ?spatial big data?): Why not block comments, videos, or photos uploaded by anyone located in, say, Tahrir Square or some other politically explosive location?

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=b23035e6f0979bc98bd08ceac76da6fe

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The Stoner Channel: Defusing Stash Jars, Fluting Cosplayers, and Feeding Lorises

More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/nubd_ASQm4I/

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How to Approach Recovery in Cases of Physical Media Corruption ...

Like any other storage media, hard drives may fail in myriad ways. There are some definitive signs that may come as early warnings. Sometimes, the damage can be seen on chips and connectors on the exterior of your drive. If the damage is not visible, your drive may produce a loud clicking noise when accessed. A physically damaged drive may even fail to show up in Windows Disk Management. Some possible types of physical hard drive damages are listed below:

• Head Crash

The hard drive head is responsible for reading and writing data on its magnetic plates. If these plates have developed scratches, the movement of the head on them will emit an unusual noise. This may affect the functioning of head and result in data damage.

• Bad Sectors on Hard Drive

Bad sectors may result due to wear and tear of the hard drive over time. When attempting to read data from these sectors, the drive stops working and the computer hangs. A weird sound is also heard when the corrupt sectors are scanned on the drive.

• Logical Board Failure

This type of failure includes broken power or data connectors, spindle or arm driver chip failure, and the like. Such cases require replacement of the logic board or a chip.

• Damage Due to Lesser Storage Space

When the amount of data stored on your drive exceeds its maximum storage limit, the hard drive uses virtual memory for processing system tasks through a technique called paging. This increases the disk activity and indeed makes it susceptible to failures.

All incidents of physical hard drive failures can quickly turn into big data disasters, if you do not seek professional expertise. Internal recovery efforts in these cases may lead to more damage and permanent data loss. If your data is important, you should immediately send the troubled media to an expert data recovery service provider. Through rigorous research and years of experience, these companies have gained expertise in dealing with all cases of physical media damage.

Data recovery from physically damaged media should be performed in Clean Room environment. Data recovery providers open the case of your hard drive in CLASS 100 Clean Room labs to prevent any further damage to the magnetic substance on the drive. These labs are anti-static, dust-free, and highly sterile. Furthermore, the data recovery service providers use leading-edge, proprietary technology to solve simple as well as complex cases of physical data loss.

Source: http://www.stellarinfo.co.in/blog/how-to-approach-recovery-in-cases-of-physical-media-corruption-or-damage/

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New clues to how the brain and body communicate to regulate weight

ScienceDaily (Oct. 26, 2012) ? Maintaining a healthy body weight may be difficult for many people, but it's reassuring to know that our brains and bodies are wired to work together to do just that -- in essence, to achieve a phenomenon known as energy balance, a tight matching between the number of calories consumed versus those expended. This careful balance results from a complex interchange of neurobiological crosstalk within regions of the brain's hypothalamus, and when this "conversation" goes awry, obesity or anorexia can result.

Given the seriousness of these conditions, it's unfortunate that little is known about the details of this complex interchange. Now research led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) provides new insights that help bring order to this complexity. Described in the October 26 issue of the journal Cell, the findings demonstrate how the GABA neurotransmitter selectively drives energy expenditure, and importantly, also help explain the neurocircuitry underlying the fat-burning properties of brown fat.

"Our group has built up a research program with the overall goal of unraveling the 'wiring diagram' by which the brain controls appetite and the burning of calories," says senior author Bradford Lowell, MD, PhD, a Professor of Medicine in BIDMC's Division of Endocrinology and Harvard Medical School. "To advance our understanding to this level, we need to know the function of specific subsets of neurons, and in addition, the upstream neurons providing input to, and the downstream neurons receiving output from, these functionally defined neurons. Until recently, such knowledge in the hypothalamus has been largely unobtainable."

A pearl-sized region that directs a multitude of important functions in the body, the hypothalamus is the brain's control center for energy balance. This balance results when the brain receives feedback signals from the body that communicate the status of fuel stores and then integrates this with input from the external world as well as a person's emotional state to modify feeding behavior and energy expenditure.

In this new study, the researchers investigated a unique population of neurons that are located at the base of the brain in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. "We genetically engineered mice such that they have a specific defect that prevents these neurons from releasing the inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA," says Lowell. "Mice with this defect developed marked obesity and, remarkably, their obesity was entirely due to a defect in burning off calories," he explains, adding that food intake was entirely unaffected.

By next engineering another group of mice in which these neurons could be selectively turned on at different times, the team went on to show that the arcuate neurons act through a series of downstream neurons to drive energy expenditure in brown fat. Brown fat has been making headlines lately because many recent studies have revealed that, unlike energy-storing white fat, brown fat burns energy to generate heat. This process is called thermogenesis.

"Energy expenditure mediated by brown adipose tissue is critical in maintaining body weight and prevents diet-induced obesity. Its brain-based regulatory mechanism, however, is still poorly understood," says first author Dong Kong, PhD, an Instructor in Medicine in Lowell's laboratory. "Our discovery of a hypothalamus-based neurocircuit that ultimately controls thermogenesis is an important advance," adds Lowell. The investigators additionally found that when they turned on these neurons, energy expenditure was entirely dependent upon release of GABA. These results reveal that release of GABA from arcuate neurons selectively drives energy expenditure.

"Our findings have greatly advanced our understanding in the control of energy expenditure and have provided novel insights into the pathogenesis of obesity," says Kong.

The unique features of arcuate neurons are important because they could provide an opportunity to experimentally modify the brain's control of energy expenditure. Specifically, neurons receiving GABA-mediated signals from arcuate neurons are likely to play important roles in regulating energy expenditure, but not food intake.

"It is now important to fully delineate the upstream neurons that control these thermogenesis-regulating arcuate neurons, and also the downstream neurons that complete the 'circuit' to brown adipose tissue," Lowell adds. He and his colleagues have identified several specific types of neurons that act downstream of arcuate neurons, but more research is needed to provide a clear and definitive diagram. Such work could uncover new opportunities for pharmacologic interventions that might lead to effective treatments for obesity and its related complications such as diabetes.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Dong Kong, Qingchun Tong, Chianping Ye, Shuichi Koda, Patrick?M. Fuller, Michael?J. Krashes, Linh Vong, Russell?S. Ray, David?P. Olson, Bradford?B. Lowell. GABAergic RIP-Cre Neurons in the Arcuate Nucleus Selectively Regulate Energy Expenditure. Cell, 2012; 151 (3): 645 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2012.09.020

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/uVPGitGK6bs/121026153740.htm

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The Importance of Goal Setting | Weight Loss Camp UK Blog

Every success starts off with a goal, a plan, a vision.

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?I had a dream?, said Martin Luther King.

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Danny Boyle also had a dream, a dream about what the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games would look like. If he hadn?t been able to visualise it, there is no way he could have made it happen. The logistics, the coordination of all those people, the timing - all of this had to be planned out carefully, but it all started with a vision of what it would look like. Winging it just wouldn?t have worked.

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When embarking on a health and fitness regime, it is similarly essential that you have a vision, a goal, and subsequently a plan for how you are going to get there.

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The first step is setting your goal, and this has to be specific. It can be getting into a certain size of dress, being able to climb the stairs without getting out of breath, or just being able to look in the mirror again and like what you see. The key to setting goals though is making it specific.

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?Specificity makes it real?, I always say. The more details there are to your goal, the more you think about the finer points, the more real it becomes. Being able to picture it is crucial.

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As part of our weight loss camp programme consultation, we always ask people at the very beginning what it is that they are looking to achieve. Having a goal is so important, as it keeps you focused on what you are doing, and why you are doing it, therefore keeping you motivated.

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One of the best goals I heard was from someone who wanted to look fabulous for when she stepped off the plane to see her daughter when she went to visit her in Australia. She was so specific about it, and it was an emotionally charged goal - she wanted her daughter to be proud - that she was sure to achieve it. And she did.

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For really effective goal setting, ask these questions:

What is it you are looking to achieve?

Which 3 things in particular do you want to notice when you have achieved this?

Why is this so important to you?

When do you want to have acheived this by?

How are you going to feel when you have achieved this?

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It is also crucial that you are able to believe it is possible,?so visualisation?is a good technique to use here. Athletes do this before a race, they close their eyes and imagine themselves?running the race, the entire race and then winning it. They see all the details, and they are?programming their minds to?increase the chances of it actually happening. You can do the same with your health and fitness goals - close your eyes, and see it?as real.

We talk alot about visualisation and goal setting at the weight loss reterat FitFarms. There is a page on the website that you can visit at www.fitfarms.co.uk.

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Many people successfully use vision boards to help cement their goals and make them real. Use a good old fashioned chalk board, a big sheet of paper, or go high tech with a web-based system like pinterest. Collect images, words and pictures that relate to your goals. Perhaps photos of people that are inspirational to you, or that are a part of your goals, like your children. Search magazines for pictures of things you would like to have, places you would like to go. Cut out words that describe how you want to feel. Maybe even create an image of yourself looking and feeling the way you would like to be.

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What you should end up with is a really specific, inspiring collage that describes your goal and brings it you life. This is the key to your success.

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?What you can conceive, you can achieve?. You must believe that.

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In the next installment, I will tackle how to strengthen your belief. It?s all about the mantras!

Source: http://www.weightlosscamp.co.uk/blog/the-importance-of-goal-setting/

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BoE's Bean says UK economic growth should pick up - paper

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Ryan: Poverty winning in 'war on poverty'

CLEVELAND (AP) ? Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan said Wednesday that, "in this war on poverty, poverty is winning" and he called for a retooled approach to help the 46 million people who are living in it.

In a speech in politically crucial Ohio, Ryan said he and running mate Mitt Romney would work to help the one in six Americans in poverty climb into the middle class and help keep those already in the middle class on solid financial footing. But he offered no specific or new policy proposals for how they would achieve that.

"In this war on poverty, poverty is winning. We deserve better. We deserve a clear choice for a brighter future," said Ryan, a congressman from Wisconsin who also is chairman of the House Budget Committee.

"Many of those living in poverty today were in the middle class just a few years ago. We can help them regain the ground they've lost," he added.

Yet Ryan criticized existing anti-poverty programs for spending too much with too few results.

"Just last year, total federal and state spending on means-tested programs came in at more than one trillion dollars. How much is that in practical terms? For that amount of money, you could give every poor American a check for $22,000," he said. "Instead, we spend all that money attempting to fight poverty through government programs."

"And what do we have to show for it?"

A spokesman for President Barack Obama, Danny Kanner, said Ryan's speech "existed in an alternate universe. Unfortunately for Mitt Romney, no matter how they couch it, their agenda is extreme."

Kanner added that, "The American people understand that Mitt Romney would take us back, and no change in rhetoric in the campaign's final weeks can change that."

In his speech at Cleveland State University, Ryan said success can't be counted in dollars and cents.

"In most of these programs, especially in recent years, we're still trying to measure compassion by how much government spends, not by how many people we help escape from poverty," Ryan said.

The answer, he said, is education.

"Sending your child to a great school should not be a privilege of the well-to-do," Ryan said. "Mitt Romney and I believe that choice should be available to every parent in our country, wherever they live."

Ryan's visit to Ohio comes as he and Romney are putting new emphasis on winning this state's 18 electoral votes in the Nov. 6 election. Without a win here, Romney and Ryan would have to sweep the other in-play states to win the election.

To that end, Ryan sought with the speech to connect with moderates, independents and even blue-collar Democrats who are frustrated with Obama's term.

"Whatever your political party, this nation cannot afford four more years like the last four years. We need a real recovery," Ryan said to applause. "Mitt Romney? This is a man who is uniquely qualified and ready to deliver this recovery. Why? Because he understands how an economy works and what it takes to make it grow."

In Cleveland, where boarded-up businesses dot block after block and most voters have an unemployed neighbor, Ryan's message could help fire up solidly Republican voters.

While Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is located, is among the most Democratic counties in the country and is a place where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 2-to-1, the city's sheer size guarantees a significant bloc of Republicans that Romney will need if he is to compete in the state, which has become a linchpin of his electoral strategy.

Ryan also promised that a Romney-Ryan administration would protect safety-net programs for the poor while overhauling benefits for wealthier people who might not necessarily need Social Security in their later years.

Ryan spoke using a teleprompter, a rare prop for a politician who can tick through budget policy details with little prodding. The formal address was one of the few speeches he has delivered since joining the GOP presidential ticket in August. He has preferred to use his skill as a campaigner to connect with voters in a way that Romney seems to struggle with.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ryan-poverty-winning-war-poverty-185445667--election.html

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II-VI fiscal 1Q net income falls 32 pct

SAXONBURG, Pa. (AP) ? II-VI Inc. posted a 32 percent decline in net income for the first quarter as customers delayed orders for engineered materials and optical components in the shaky global economy.

The company earned $12.7 million, or 20 cents per share, down from $18.7 million, or 30 cents per share, in the same quarter last year.

Excluding one-time charges, the company posted an adjusted profit of 21 cents per share for the recent quarter.

Revenue fell 4.4 percent to $132.3 million from $138.4 million.

The company fell short on both figures and its outlook disappointed as well. Shares slid more than 3 percent.

Wall Street was looking for per-share profits of 23 cents and $130 million in revenue, according FactSet.

II-VI cited economic and political uncertainties which it believes led to a pullback by customers. The company said it was monitoring spending closely and adjusting its cost structure to match market demand.

Total bookings, which are orders expected to be converted into revenue within the next 12 months, fell 12 percent to $114.4 million.

The company projected a second-quarter profit of 20 to 22 cents per share on $128 million to $132 million in revenue. Analysts expect a profit of 25 cents per share on $133.4 million in revenue.

For the full fiscal year ending June 30, the company said it expects a profit of $1 to $1.06 per share on $550 million to $560 million in revenue. Analysts expect a fiscal-year profit of $1.07 per share on $558.1 million in revenue.

Shares of I-VI, based in the Saxonburg, Pa., fell 56 cents, or 3.2 percent, to $16.78 in morning trading.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ii-vi-fiscal-1q-net-income-falls-32-150359896--finance.html

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Paper Examines Historical Origins of America's Mortgage Laws ...

WASHINGTON, DC ? October 23, 2012 ? (RealEstateRama) ? Today the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released a paper entitled, ?The Historical Origins of America?s Mortgage Laws,? conducted by Andra Ghent, Assistant Professor of Real Estate at Arizona State University and sponsored by MBA?s Research Institute for Housing America.

This paper examines the different legal frameworks for mortgage markets in different states, focusing on how and when they came into existence, including the British influence on laws in some of the older states, with a particular emphasis on foreclosures, including judicial vs. non-judicial regimes, redemption rights and deficiency judgments. Ghent concludes that mortgage laws in America are a patchwork driven by path dependence, rather than a coordinated effort or a reaction to some economic event or condition.

?This research shows that, historically speaking, mortgage laws in this country are not the result of intentional design, nor were they necessarily driven by a consistent set of economic events or circumstances,? said Mike Fratantoni, RIHA?s Executive Director. ?As a result, there may well be significant gains from ongoing efforts to harmonize these laws across the states.?

?With the exception of anti-deficiency statutes, mortgage laws seem to be the outcome of path-dependent quirks in the wording of various proposed statutes and decisions of individual judges, said Andra Ghent, Assistant Professor, W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. ?Mortgage laws have been extremely slow to change, and while this slow adjustment is perhaps necessary to maintain the integrity of the rule of law in a common law legal system, the result is a diverse set of laws that seem poorly suited to a mortgage market that is increasingly integrated across state borders.?

Topics covered in the paper include:

? Mortgages and Foreclosures in America Today
? The English Origins of American Mortgages
? Title vs. Lien Theory
? The Historical Development of Foreclosure Procedures
? Redemption Rights
? Restrictions on Deficiency Judgments and the One Action Rule

To view the paper, click here.

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The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) is the national association representing the real estate finance industry, an industry that employs more than 280,000 people in virtually every community in the country. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the association works to ensure the continued strength of the nation?s residential and commercial real estate markets; to expand homeownership and extend access to affordable housing to all Americans. MBA promotes fair and ethical lending practices and fosters professional excellence among real estate finance employees through a wide range of educational programs and a variety of publications. Its membership of over 2,200 companies includes all elements of real estate finance: mortgage companies, mortgage brokers, commercial banks, thrifts, Wall Street conduits, life insurance companies and others in the mortgage lending field. For additional information, visit MBA?s Web site: www.mortgagebankers.org.

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Related posts:

• MBA Releases White Paper and Testifies on the Future of Residential Mortgage Servicing
  WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released a new white paper which provides background information and an environmental scan of the events leading up to the current foreclosure crisis and examines some of the myths surrounding servicer incentives in the loss mitigation process. The white paper is being released in conjunction...

• MBA Statement on Fed?s Housing Policy White Paper
  WASHINGTON, D.C. - January 10, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- David H. Stevens, President & CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) issued the following reaction to the white paper released by the Federal Reserve, titled, "The U.S. Housing Market: Current Conditions and Policy Considerations."...

• Study Examines the Impact of Homebuyer Education and Counseling on Mortgage Performance
  WASHINGTON, DC - April 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Potential homeowners who participate in prepurchase education and counseling programs may be more likely to pay their mortgages on time, although the evidence on this point is not consistent and compelling, according to a study released today by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The study also finds that those who participate...

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Source: http://www.realestaterama.com/2012/10/23/paper-examines-historical-origins-of-america%E2%80%99s-mortgage-laws-ID017286.html

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Polish thieves accidentally steal van with 12 coffins inside

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Futurity.org ? Religion's impact grows for wealthy white voters

The finding that an increase in secular-religious polarization was restricted to the upper-income white voters, even during a period of increasing economic inequality, runs counter to the predictions of a society-wide ?culture war,? says Professor Thomas Hirschl. (Credit: "American flag and church" via Shutterstock)

CORNELL (US) ? Religion?s influence on voter choice intensified between the 1980 and 2008 elections, but only among upper-income white Protestants and Catholics, a new study shows.

Every four years, the differences between the US political parties are thrown into sharp relief, thanks to presidential elections.

For the study published in the Review of European Studies, researchers analyzed two large surveys of voter choice.

The General Social Survey is a nationally representative, repeat cross-section of American voters across eight presidential elections from Ronald Reagan?s win in 1980 to Barack Obama?s in 2008, and the Cornell National Social Survey (CNSS) recovered identified presidential choice in 1,000 households for the 2008 election.

In addition to basic demographic information collected in both surveys, the CNSS included a ?biblical authority scale? to assess the degree to which a respondent agreed with such statements as ?The Bible is without contradiction? and ?The Bible is to be read literally.?

A thorough analysis of voter presidential choice and personal characteristics, from family income to race, gender, and religious identity, allowed researchers to identify not only the magnitude of polarization, but also its specific source within the general population.

?Upper-income white Protestants who believe the Bible is the literal word of God have more than doubled their odds of voting Republican?from 2.7 GOP voters for every one Democratic voter among this group in 1980, to 6.1 for every one in 2008,? says Thomas Hirschl, professor of developmental sociology at Cornell University.

?Conversely, secular-minded, upper-income white Protestants reversed their partisan preference, from 1.9 to 1 in favor of the Republican Party in 1980, to a 2.2 to 1 advantage for Democratic voters in 2008.?

A less dramatic but significant increase in religious-partisan differences was also found in upper-income white Catholics. Contrary to popular belief, this polarization was evident only in white households that had a total income greater than $75,000 (2009 equivalent) per year?the ?comfort class.?

?There was no comparable trend among lower income white Protestants or Catholics,? Hirschl notes. ?In addition, African-Americans remained loyal Democratic voters throughout the 28-year study period, regardless of their religious identity.?

The study data did not allow investigation of additional racial or ethnic groups. The finding that an increase in secular-religious polarization was restricted to the upper-income white voters, even during a period of increasing economic inequality, runs counter to the predictions of a society-wide ?culture war,? Hirschl says.

The study?s results are evidence of a decoupling of religious politics from the politics of economic inequality, presenting opportunities for the political parties to market themselves differently to different sectors.

?Overall, it?s clear that religious identity strongly motivates upper-income white voters, but does not seem to drive African-Americans or lower income whites headed to the ballot box,? says Hirschl.

?Heading into election 2012, there?s no doubt religious worldviews will continue to play an active role in presidential politics and little evidence to suggest this role will diminish in the near future.?

Source: Cornell University

Source: http://www.futurity.org/society-culture/religions-impact-grows-for-wealthy-white-voters/

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Why 10 percent unemployment and worse is our future, unless we ...

People waiting in line for unemployment relief in Chicago in October 1960. Photo by Myron Davis for LIFE Magazine

In the next 20 years, the United States and the broader global economy will either dramatically rethink its employment structure or a history-altering societal change will take place.

Of course, unemployment numbers are gamed by those who give up on looking for jobs, but the idea here is that it?s hard to understand why anyone seems to think that the overall employment numbers for our country will trend anywhere but upward.

Let me be clear, this is armchair commentary from someone with absolutely no background in economics or geopolitical, socioeconomic trends, so I am writing this hoping for outside insight because I can?t figure this out.

Below, I (a) outline the problem as I see it, (b) look at big economic drivers that seem to be chances for more problems, (c) list all the opportunities I understand that could reverse somewhat this trend and then (d) highlight some of the transformational changes that could lie in wait for the next generation, before offering some more reading and then waiting to get yelled at in the comments.

A. THE PROBLEM

First, some figures floating around in my head recently:

• The U.S. had fewer overall jobs in 2010 than in 2000, some 134 million* ? the first decade loss in net employment in recorded U.S. history, which, admittedly, starts just in 1940. A lot of factors go into this total, not the least of which is comparing seasonal and degrees of part-time, but even the most optimistic accounts suggest that if the 2000s saw even seven million new jobs, that was far behind the projected 22 million.
• The longterm unemployed and so-called ?Lost Generation? are creating a new underclass ? The pipeline of our country?s future leaders are rethinking their options: from entrepreneurship to job-hopping. But many other young people are now chronically underemployed and in debt.
• Higher structural unemployment is here to stay ? Where economists once pegged 5 percent as the figure, some analysts are suggesting 6-7 percent could be a more attainable goal and others say we could see 10 percent again and learn to accept it [Watch below], particularly considering how employment numbers can be spun. We have a very large, diverse population, but it?s worth noting that there are exceptions with far lower unemployment rates (and better education systems).
• Innovation and businesses of today seem to be more adept at efficiencies that reduce overall jobs ? I struggled to find a more comprehensive look at web-driven job growth in the last 20 years, but I?d guess that the big drivers of IT jobs of today have erased more jobs than they?ve created (have firms like Google, Amazon and their peers made other industries less relevant because of their services?) And, yes, even if the manufacturing businesses in the U.S. aren?t leaving at the same rate as recent, more painful decades, they are becoming more and more efficient (meaning, they need fewer employees to do more work).
• Meaningful U.S. innovation has all but stalled ? Meaning new technologies and the job growth that follows has slowed, which means white-collar technology jobs could leave the country, just like low-paying manufacturing jobs have.
• Income inequality is growing ? As you might expect when economic growth is stalled and technologies create fewer, better-paying jobs and opportunities at wealth creation.
• Competition for job growth is murkier in a more globalized world ? As the international market continues to develop its interconnectedness, the idea of one city (Philadelphia), or one state (Pennsylvania), or one country (the United States) or even one part of the world (developed countries) luring jobs from elsewhere or fast out-pacing other places in opportunities looks less a success than in generations passed.
• More and more, the jobs we do create don?t actually matter ? We aren?t solving problems (policemen, firemen and doctors, who keep us safe, or machinists and construction workers, who build things), but creating an increasingly ethereal world. If humanity is wiped out and the electricity shuts down all of our servers, where will our legacy be?
• Humans are living longer (at least educated ones) and efficiencies are reducing the number of jobs ? If there?s more of us, living longer and fewer (if better-paying, more skilled) overall jobs, doesn?t that centrally look like a scarce place for micro financial security?

Let me say again: I have no education in this space, so I am seeking clarification for how this all doesn?t result in an overall trend of unemployment rising. Help me in the comments and tell me what I?m missing ? as I continue to suss things out below.

Expedited by the financial crisis, a portion of the developed world seems to be facing a scary reality. What if this economic shock isn?t just a recession, it?s a warning sign.

Though few developed countries are as hard hit as 25 percent unemployment in Greece, it seems to me that the biggest reason why we don?t talk more openly about this madness (and why both presidential nominees talk like they can actually solve this problem, and boast about it) is because BRIC nations are still driving through something of their jobs-heavy industrialization.

How could we entirely rethink our economy ? job-sharing, fewer hours or service banking, as listed below ? when our ?competition? for economic hegemony is surging up the traditional understood pathway?

It?s like environmental concerns in China, where the developed world (which already went through industrialization) wants the country to be more green-conscious, but China doesn?t want to miss out on the shortcuts the West got. Their industrialization will keep Apple manufacturing jobs from ever coming back to U.S. soil, but whatever happens to our workforce here in coming years will follow to Asia, so China, too, is surely interested (China, for example, is also trying to look more like an American consumer-focused culture).

Whatever the case, for at least the next two years, we will likely see economic and jobs growth that will simply be bringing us back to where we might be if the Great Recession hadn?t frightened the world into hiding.

B. CULTURAL CHALLENGES

So, in a down economy, with unemployment still high in the United States, we are on the hunt for what can grow job opportunities, but I?m fearful. Here are some possible economic game-changers that, in the end, might seemingly result in fewer net jobs (the common theme being that they, as the market wants to do, created efficiencies in labor):

• World Wide Web ? History?s most powerful communications platform has fueled new industries, but if someone could more broadly envision the impact of this remarkable tool of efficiency, it?s hard to understand a net gain, or at least as large a one as we sometimes suggest. As early as 2009, we were touting that the Internet had directly created 1.2 million U.S. jobs, helped stimulate at least double that number and fueled some $175 billion in new spending or maybe it?s $300 billion. As I read some of these studies and the coverage of them, consistently the reference to this possibility is through efficiency, which, among other things, certainly means the reduction of redundant or otherwise unnecessary jobs. So, I read those numbers to be a transfer of wealth (i.e. Google makes money in more efficient online advertising, which knocks out more profitable print advertising). The argument here may be that the Internet has created so much access to opportunity, that globally it will be seen as a growth engine. Still, it?s something I find unsettling.
• Travel and transport ? In his compelling indictment of the failure of our country?s innovation pipeline, Peter Thiel points out that we have stopped moving faster: from trains to cars to planes, but now a stalled high-speed rail network. (He also contrasts progress like our first black president with progress like new industries, like cheap solar technology.) There is innovation to be had there, but might efficiencies follow and hurt in other, unforeseen ways?
• Consumer culture ? Any big movement our country has in employment is in service-sector retail jobs, but that?s slowing. And, still, I think about how little of that process is automated ? grocery store self-checkout, inventory management and the push to ecommerce and online shopping ? I fear that that?s a segment of the economy that will have its own slashing in the near future.
• Military and prison industrial complexes ? U.S. military spending is getting trimmed by billions of dollars (though there is political disagreement there), which is meaning fewer jobs, and there is regular shock at the spiraling size of the American incarceration system ($74 billion in annual spending and 800,000 jobs). These are enormous corners of employment there that are due for longterm cutbacks.
• New urbanism is shrinking sprawl ? Instead of the growth of suburbs that dominated the 20th century in the U.S., people are trending back to the cities now and leaving those suburbs. And while U.S. cities can still be a place of new construction (which accounts for GDP, unlike selling existing homes), I am still stunned by how integral construction and new homes-building is to our economy, considering the backlog of housing stock.

The concept that we have seen the End of Average for hiring is a compelling one, something that I might take further by expecting to see played out by bringing entrepreneurship into the fold as a natural progression for young people. You finish college or a graduate degree, and then go into business by yourself, doing whatever it is you want to do ? accounting, blogging, video production, robotics ? before being hired by way of acquisition. It is the ultimate job interview.

Which is fine, but, unless we?re suggesting that there will be real losers in that option (if you aren?t the best at creating the job you want, you fall through the cracks) then we still need job growth for these people to eventually take on.

C. SMATTERING OF SOLUTIONS

What are some possible sources of buoyancy for the U.S. economy?

• A weaker U.S. dollar can be a boon for American manufacturing, in industries like automobiles and heavy machinery. That alone may only be enough to stem the loss, as the U.S. business of making things continues to be hurt.
• Surging consumerism in developing countries creates and distributes wealth ? Right now, less than a third of the Chinese economy is built on spending, if that spendthrift society would more frequently spend out that money (in the U.S. that total is closer to 70 percent), might it flood the world with new job opportunities (making stuff that the Chinese want to buy, like web-based products that can be created here)?
• China and countries in the Middle East will develop reputations as hubs of immigration, as jobs draw people there. There is a loss of vulnerable, job-seekers from here, forcing a transformation of what the United States is. This includes a massive rethinking of immigration policy.
• Massive government-backed infrastructure spending ? Trillions on the elusive high-speed rail, mass transit and urban housing, energy innovation and, though it might sensibly result in an even larger, older population, science and healthcare innovation.
• Green technology ? If the world over begins to embrace cheap solar energy and new energy creation (in addition to a varied energy policy), thousands of jobs could be created, though we?ve struggled to capitalize on this promise before.
• Skills-based learning works itself out and we retain jobs here ? As a country (and increasingly as a global community), we face the stark skills mismatch more systemically: finding pathways to, say, take people from an over-burdened construction industry and move them to healthcare. This is getting more and more challenging as our positions become more specialized. And we?re really bad at this, though we?re trying to rethink education reform.
• The U.S. maintains a strong hold of large business that further create efficiencies but employ many people ? Yes, for all the political bluster about small businesses (while they do create a lot of jobs, they also destroy a lot of jobs by failing often), lots of academic studies show that the world?s strongest economies have the largest share of large employers, which create efficiencies and accelerate innovation. Instead, we should focus on making it easier and easier to create businesses and have them flourish, hoping they?ll grow to a scale and size that impacts employment.
• Legal drug economy: In the next 10 years, a serious, mainstream case for legalizing marijuana and/or related narcotics will be made an increasing number of states leading to a new growth sector for employment, and creating taxable income.
• Military industry complex: Though, as stated above, the federal government is shrinking its defense spending, another military build-up or greater weapons manufacturing could sustain some corners of employment. Though, World War III would probably end the world, the Cold War (and its end) was good for business.
• Exporting efficiency ? As the rest of the world mechanizes, could the U.S. export its automated manufacturing base to the rest of the world?
• Someone smart comes along and save us ? As I?ve written before, our surging population has always been a defense, out of which an innovative thinker comes along to, say, increase food production or create prosperity (and therefore consumers) out of previously impoverished communities. In the middle of the last century, there was fear that a population boom would mean mass starvation by today. Of course, advances in farming and science have kept the production of food mostly caught up with population ? in fact, politics starves more people than overpopulation. So, the other side of this doomsday jobs conversation is that someone or something starting soon will shift this entire conversation.

There is some real promise in there, but what may be most frightening is that we are not done automating and creating efficiencies in the labor force. Not globally, and not in this country.

1. In just the last decade, a third of all remaining U.S. manufacturing jobs were replaced or lost abroad, according to a sprawling Planet Money podcast from December.
2. According to projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the next six years, we?ll see the creation of fewer than 400,000 net retail jobs ? the attainable, working class jobs of a consumer economy that follows a manufacturing one (that followed an industrial one) ? and I wonder if that fully takes into account all the automation that isn?t even fully in place. Considering that retail and service accounts for nearly one in five jobs in the United States, there should be some fear there.
3. Even white collar jobs are still being lost due to efficiencies and more are sure to follow.

To put that on a more local scale from the not-so-distant past, the riverwards section of Philadelphia alone lost more than 300,000 manufacturing jobs from the 1950s to 1980s, so while the technology business conversation locally is an interesting one, these small job-additions just cannot keep up.

D. DRAMATIC MAKEOVERS

If all else slows or fails, how could the economy dramatically shift (something I shared as a key for Philadelphia to remain innovative)?

• Job sharing ? In which more of us share more, smaller ?mini jobs,? like here.
• Trading in services ? The oldest of economies, the barter economy like here.
• Reduced work week ? Trade unions once fought for 40-hour work weeks and for generations, thinkers have predicted the time of no or far reduced work weeks. Suppose we rolled back efficiencies, with the above two in mind.
• Focus on solving problems ? Social entrepreneurship could infuse what we do with a patronage and support network, as the businesses we grow do the work of bringing everyone up, but that sounds a lot like it would need rethinking of how the entire world goes round.
• Mandatory retirement ages ? And make them a lot younger, though a balance with government support would have to be better understood.
• Broadly rethinking capitalism ? I?m not one of *those guys,* but there is an interesting argument that capitalism was a powerful tool but that its race for efficiencies eventually unravels its effectiveness. So it?s time to talk about what?s next.

A few big trend stories on this that are absolutely worth reading:

So how did I get this wrong? Why aren?t we doomed for increasingly unemployment?

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Source: http://christopherwink.com/2012/10/22/why-10-percent-unemployment-and-worse-is-our-future-unless-we-rethink-our-economy/

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