0 - E RADAR

It?s been a long while since William Caxton set up his first printing press in Westminster and provided a mechanism to help spread the written word that would eventually strike at the heart of Reformation England. Caxton?s invention in 1483 allowed for the mass production of printed matter which, in time challenged the authority of the established church, lead to the publication of?the King James Bible, and brought about the Age of Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution.

Big Data

William Caxton, inventor of the printing press

Today, we are standing on the shoulders of this great giant.?As Caxton transformed important words into powerful messages through innovation in technology over 500 years ago, so we now must learn to do similar with big data ? that?collection of?data sets?so large and complex that it has become difficult to process using on-hand database management tools -?in the 21st century.

But, is the time right?

We?ve now had around 20 years of the commercial Internet with organisations embracing innovation to find new markets globally, provide a better service to their customers, simplify processes, and generally make life easier. The explosion of social media has made our personal and business relationships more interactive online, but we are faced with the enormity of information overkill that makes any informed decisions difficult.

How do we make sense of big data,?prioristise what?s important, value and secure it?

Start-ups are among those best placed to make the most of new technology, but they may be stopped in their tracks by more established players who will protect their own interests. Many small businesses will find it difficult to defend legal challenges to intellectual property rights or stop large corporate organisations from using IP laws to restrict consumer behaviour in particular markets.

Dealing with big data brings a whole plethora of legal problems such as intellectual property rights; interoperability; licensing; platforms and processing, and services out. Who is responsible for big data, is it accurate and will algorithms that drive the data be accessible or remain commercially sensitive? Can we anonymise data so that it doesn?t breach privacy and data protection rules?

A 2011?McKinsey?report?suggests suitable technologies include?A/B testing,?association rule learning,?classification, luster analysis,?crowd sourcing,data fusion?and?integration,?ensemble learning,?genetic algorithms,?machine learning, natural language processing,?neural networks,pattern recognition,?anomaly detection,?predictive modelling,?regression,?sentiment analysis,?signal processing,?supervised?and unsupervised learning,?simulation,?time series analysis?and?visualisation.

Additional technologies being applied to big data include massively parallel-processing (MPP) databases,?search-based applications, data-mining grids, distributed file systems, distributed databases, cloud computing platforms, the Internet, and scalable storage systems.

But whilst big data may be difficult to work with using relational databases and desktop statistics and visualization packages, requiring instead massively parallel software running on tens, hundreds, or even thousands of servers, let?s not forget the end game. Everything organisations do, irrespective of size or sector must be viable financially and serve the bottom line. Solutions therefore need to be scalable and reflect the value in the big data being collected.

Caxton?s simple printing press changed the world. We?ve just got to make it a smarter planet.

Source: http://www.eradar.eu/2012/11/legal-challenges-big-data/

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Web Hosting Is Right Choice - Work On the Internet

Technology keeps changing and the way we access the information is different in parts of world. We are live in a world that where most today can attain help to access the Internet. Web Hosting is at the forefront of that delivery. Websites need web servers to upload their site pages in order for a ser to retrieve them. We as web hosts provides this server space in our format to meet that requirement.

Newer Technology can offer three formats of web hosting ??? Shared hosting, Virtual Private Server (VPS), and dedicated hosting.

Shared Hosting: Hosting enabled to host many websites with the help of a single web server. It is a website hosting service where you have maximum accessibility to your docs, data source by using an administrative interface but you share server with some other websites. The amount of disk space and RAM are assigned an agreed amount to every single web hosting service.
The Shared hosting package has an amount of actual memory and disk space making them cost-effective. It is useful for the website that has less than a 1000 clicks of traffic and usually runs CMS or static HTML files.

Virtual Private Server ???VPS???
It features both shared and dedicated hosting and removes most limitations of both these types of hosting. Via software it takes a single physical web server and divides it into 2 and most times more separate virtual web servers. A Virtual server acts as if it is a completely separate machine. The main large server is partitioned and leased out to different users, thus giving them their own operating systems and root access to these partitions. The access provides the users with the latest technical control and ability to update, install or change system software needed and to execute root user operations.

VPS is needed if your website plans are dynamic and there is an expectation of erratic traffic on your website. It???s kind of intermediate hosting plan as it is expensive than shared but cheaper than dedicated hosting.

Dedicated Hosting: provides an entire web server to a single user. It can be use to sell shared or reseller hosting or can be use by a corporate to manage all their web sites. Dedicate hosting excels over shared hosting by providing increased memory, disk space, CPU, RAM and bandwidth. It provides more security and uptime than a shared hosting as it is used by a single user.

In summary the type of hosting one selects depends on the requirements that a particular user has. Shared hosting will be best for blog kind of sites, VPS for users who need the features alike dedicated hosting in a cost-effective manner and dedicated hosting a must for big corporate who wants to have all of their subsidiary websites on a single server.

Web Hosting at www.net-managers.com is a large team of experienced webmasters, web users, site owners and company leaders here to help you - webmasters of the future with all of your website hosting needs

Article Tags :

Source: http://www.workoninternet.com/business/reviews/miscellaneous/220066-article.html

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MY 2 DADS: CHILDHOOD NOT SO 'HAPPY AND GAY' | The ...

Exclusive: Mike McManus shows children of same-sex parents fare poorly

By Mike McManus

Conventional wisdom is that children of same-sex parents do as well as, or even better than children from intact, two-parent married households. Many studies make that assertion.

It is massively wrong according to a new, very large, thorough study published this week by the journal Social Science Research. It was written by Mark Regnerus, a scholar at the University of Texas. The New Family Structures Study, or NFSS, is a breakthrough report.

Regnerus compares how young adult children, aged 18-39, of a parent who has had a same-sex relationship fare on 40 different social, emotional and relational outcomes when compared with traditional and other families.

The biggest differences were between children of women who have had a lesbian relationship ? and those raised by still-married biological parents.

Fully 69 percent of those with lesbian mothers were on welfare as children ? four times the 17 percent in intact families ever had that experience. In fact, 38 percent of the adult children of lesbian mothers are currently on welfare versus only 10 percent of those with married parents. That?s the same 4-1 ratio.

Only 8 percent of adult children from intact homes were unemployed when interviewed in 2011 versus 28 percent with a lesbian parent.

What?s most shocking is that only two people of those with married parents were ever touched sexually by a parent or an adult ? while 23 percent of those with a lesbian mother had that experience! Golly, they are 11 times more apt to be molested!

The design of the NFSS research was brilliant.

Most research on the impact of homosexual parenting has relied on interviews with same-sex parents who are from convenience samples. For example, the National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study conducted last year ?recruited entirely from self-selection from announcements posted at lesbian events, in women?s bookstores and in lesbian newspapers in Boston, Washington and San Francisco.?

Such a sample is biased toward including better-educated, wealthier people who visit bookstores. What about the less educated or less likely to be employed? They aren?t interviewed. Of course, the children of these more affluent parents are more apt to do well.

By comparison, NFSS asked 3,000 young adults if either of their parents had a same-sex relationship while they were growing up. Result: 175 reported their mother was in a homosexual relationship, and 73 said the same about their father. That?s about 1.7 percent, a figure comparable to other studies. The sampling was so carefully done that it included both those with listed phone numbers and those who only use cell phones (about half the total).

Only 23 percent said they had spent at least three years in the same household with a romantic partner of their mother; an additional 57 percent did so for at least four months.

Among those with a father in a homosexual relationship, fewer than 2 percent said they had spent at least three years in that household. These relationships are much more volatile and short lived, but neither compares with the stability of married heterosexual parents.

Also, by interviewing young adults of homosexual parents, we can see how the experience shaped their adult lives. This is vastly more useful information than asking volunteer same-sex parents if their kids are doing well. Of course, they say yes.

More results: Three times as many young adults of lesbians were currently cohabiting as those with married parents (24 percent versus 9 percent). Even more young adults (31 percent) of divorced parents were living together. Twice as many from intact homes were employed full time as those with lesbian mothers.

Only 5 percent of those with married parents had considered suicide in the past year versus 12 percent of those with lesbian parents and 24 percent with homosexual fathers. That?s five times those from intact homes. Similarly, a young adult of married parents is less than half as likely to be in therapy ?for a problem connected with anxiety, depression, or relationships? ? as those with homosexual parents (8 percent versus 19 percent).

Only 12 percent of young adults with married parents had ever cheated while married or cohabiting, but a big 40 percent of adult children of lesbians had done so.

Just 8 percent of those from intact homes had ever been forced to have sex against their will versus 31 percent with lesbian parents and 25 percent of ?gay? parents.

These are huge differences.

They should be cited by those opposed to same-sex marriages.

In the last two weeks, I helped gather signatures for a statewide referendum on whether to reverse a vote by the Maryland Legislature legalizing same-sex marriage.

I hope this information will give fresh ammunition to those trying to protect traditional marriage ? and children.

Michael J. McManus is president of Marriage Savers and a syndicated columnist.

http://www.wnd.com/2012/11/my-2-dads-childhood-not-so-happy-and-gay/

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Source: http://www.towncrierdubuque.com/the_town_crier/my-2-dads-childhood-not-so-happy-and-gay

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NYC train service disrupted on travel's big night

@ashleymarand via nbcnewyork.com

Crowds at Penn Station after the Long Island Rail Road suspended service because of a switching problem.

By NBC News staff

Updated at 7:23 p.m. ET: Service out of New York's Penn Station has been delayed between 60 and 90 minutes because of a commercial power failure, Amtrak said on its Facebook page.

The Long Island Rail Road resumed limited service for its eastbound service out of the station just before 7 p.m., LIRR said on Twitter.

At issue was a power outage caused by Con Ed work, the New York Post reported. The outage resulted in the temporary suspension of all service on the busiest travel night of the year as thousands of commuters and visitors headed for Long Island and New Jersey.


No additional passengers are being allowed into the station, due to overcrowding. NJ Transit said its trains are delayed indefinitely. Amtrak is also reporting delays.

The fury and frustration was felt immediately on social media.

"Oh my!!! #lirr NJT and Penn station SHUT DOWN on the busiest travel night of the year. Enough is enough for us!," said Leslie on Twitter.

The timing could not have been worse for thousands of commuters who had their travel routines upended by Sandy.

Mother Nature (mostly) cooperates during travel rush

"I've tried to be understanding because of Sandy, but "Switching problems" at Penn Station the night before Thanksgiving?!?! #njt #lirr," tweeted Rob Celletti.

But there was also some humor.

"Good thing New Yorkers and New Jerseyans are a famously calm people who always handle unexpected delays with tact. #njt #lirr," wrote Chris Heller on Twitter.

More on Twitter from NBCNewYork.com

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/21/15343267-switch-problem-stops-long-island-rail-road-service-to-penn-station-on-busiest-travel-night-of-year?lite

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Watch Out For These Common Internet Scams ... - Business Insider

The holiday shopping season is here, and shoppers are expected to dig deeper into their pockets.

A new survey by Accenture shows consumers will spend about $582 on average just for holiday shopping this year.

Moreover, an incredible 23% of consumers are expected to spend more than $750 on holiday gifts, increasing holiday spending from previous years.

However, this year more than 50% of consumers are switching to shop online to find discounts for holiday gifts and to avoid the madness of Black Friday?bargain hunters.

But as more people shop online for discounts, cyber criminals are waiting to take advantage. Therefore, NerdWallet has listed the latest online scams for this holiday season.

1. Smartphone Scams

Because smartphones are so portable and convenient, more and more people are using their smartphones for online shopping. Lawyer, Professor at Bentley University, and Scam Expert, Steven J.J. Weisman, Esq., cautions online shoppers when using smartphones and mobile devices:

?The biggest scams that online shoppers are not aware of is the great risk presented by shopping with their mobile devices and smart phones.?Tainted phony apps can be downloaded on to your mobile device or cell phone that will install keystroke logging malware programs on your devices that will steal all of the information from your smartphone including your Social Security number, your credit card number and your passwords. The combination of people often not even thinking to password protect their phones and mobile devices?as well as failing?to utilize security software for their phones and mobile devices puts them in great damage of identity theft.?

Many people aren?t aware of the dangers of shopping on their smartphones because we rarely hear of people?s phones being hacked, but in fact, personal and financial information is downloaded from mobile devices every day without the user?s awareness. Weisman suggests some ways to protect yourself when using your smartphones for online shopping: ?Don?t download apps except from legitimate sources such as Apple?s App Store. Your smart phone and other mobile devices should be password protected with a hard to break password.? These devices should also have security software installed to protect you from viruses and malware.? This software should be constantly updated.?

2. Aid to Hurricane Sandy Victims

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, there are now scams out there that target and take advantage of natural disasters and anything tragic in the news. If you plan to donate funds or material goods to aid Hurricane Sandy victims and rebuilding efforts, make sure you are donating to a credible charity organization. Do not click on links from unsolicited spam emails and beware of organizations with names that sound similar to reputable charities. Here are some more Hurricane Sandy scam tips from the Herald-Dispatch.

3. Unsolicited Emails

Don?t click on links or open attachments in emails from people that you don?t recognize. Scammers often send phishing emails to steal your personal information or hack into your computer especially during the holidays when people are looking for shopping deals. According to Derek Manky, Senior Security Strategist at Fortinet, ?Spammers and scammers love the holidays, because they know a large number of people on the Web during that time have their wallet open and are looking for bargains. And while it may be really tempting to click on an email link that says, ?Great Deal on iPads? 50% off!? be careful! By clicking on that link, you could be taken to a compromised Website that downloads malware onto your computer.?

There are all kinds of different malware attacks that can result from unsolicited phishing emails. ?That malware can then be used to capture your computer key strokes, download additional malware, such as fake antivirus applications, or simply turn your computer into a spam generator,? says Manky. The Security Strategist also offers suggestions on what to do if you see unsolicited emails in your mailbox: ?If the deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. But if you?re still tempted to click on that link, place your cursor over the link (without clicking on it) and check the URL where you would be directed had you clicked on it. If you don?t recognize the URL, stay far away.? Also, avoid emails with suspicious attachments or emails that ask you to update your account information or change your password because your personal information may get compromised.

4. Social Media Scams

Droves of people are now connected via social media and constantly sharing daily life updates and popular links on Facebook and Twitter and more. Scammers exploit social media to spread bogus promotions that often require clickers to fill out online surveys to steal their personal information. Executive Director of the?Identity Theft Council?and?CEO of My Security Plan, Neal O?Farrell discusses how scammers use social media to their advantage. ?Facebook is very popular with scammers, and the scams range from infected links to click and like-jacking (where the thieves generate advertising revenue from ?likes? of bogus pages), to fake coupons, competitions, and sweepstakes. If you?re surfing for deals, consider using one of the many free safe surfing tools, like McAfee Site Advisor, that will tell you if a site is suspicious before you click on it.?

Andrew Schrage, co-owner of Money Crashers Personal Finance, emphasizes how common social media scams can be. ?One of the latest scams involves social media. Be wary of any suspicious links you see on your Facebook feed or Twitter account, even if they have been posted by one of your friends. You could end up at a website that downloads spyware onto your computer to steal your personal information.?

If you see your friends sharing suspicious spam links, don?t click on the links but tell your friends that their social media account has been hacked so that they can take action to fix their account.

5. Craigslist Scams

Craigslist continues to be a popular online venue for finding unexpected deals on anything from appliances and furniture to cars and concert tickets. But Schrage from Money Crashers warns that Craigslist scams are abundant. ?If you agree to buy something from a Craigslist seller, only pick it up in person ? do not pay to have it shipped. Be sure to meet in a brightly lit public place, and take a friend along if possible. People have been robbed and even physically injured during Craigslist transactions that go bad.? Also, if you conduct your transaction in person, bring a strong friend so you don?t meet the seller alone and don?t even buy the item if the deal sounds like too good of a bargain.

There are many more nefarious scams out there that target people online during the holiday season but just remember to always be cautious of what you?re doing online can save your personal information and your money from falling into the wrong hands.

6. Unsecure Wi-Fi Hotspots

Scammers know that tablet and smartphone shopping is on the rise and, in turn, take advantage of gadget users. Manky from Fortinet underscores the consequences of using unsecured Wi-Fi hotpots in a jam: ?If you?re a holiday shopper who likes to augment online shopping with actual store browsing and like toting your notebook along for the ride so you can do quick price comparisons, do not connect to an unknown unsecure hotspot. An unsecure hotspot allows hackers to capture any and all data that?s flowing to and from the hotspot, enabling them to intercept logins and passwords, email messages, attached documents and other personal and confidential information.? If you can?t help but jump online while shopping, go to familiar places that offer secure Wi-Fi connections. When you?re connected to a public unsecured Wi-Fi connection, never log into email or social networks or any personal accounts because any of your private data, passwords, or account information could be saved and accessed by any hacker who knows how to take advantage of it.

7. Untrustworthy Search Engine Results

Hackers know that the search terms ?black friday? and ?black friday deals? get millions of searches during the weeks prior to Black Friday. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) attacks will be common especially during the holidays when cybercriminals game the ranking algorithm of search engines like Bing or Google to drive their virus-ridden websites to the front page of key word search lists for popular holiday search terms. Clicking on these links could take unsuspecting deal-seeking shoppers to malicious websites that immediately compromise your computer and steal personal information. When you?re looking for Black Friday deals, be incredibly cautious and don?t click on suspicious URLs even if top search engines display them as the top results. Hover over hyperlinks with your cursor to see if the link directs you to a website that is not what you searched for. Also, if the text preview of the search result is just a list of keywords and not full sentences, the search result will probably lead you to a malware site that you should definitely avoid.

8. Unknown Coupon Websites

Lots of scams target Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers who get lured in by phony coupons that don?t work or lead you to fake websites that just steal your credit card and personal information. These coupon websites that provide these fake coupons only want to steal your identity or surreptitiously install malware on your computer. To avoid unknown coupon websites, don?t fall for unbelievable coupons for hot holiday products like iPad?s and Wii U?s. Do some research to make sure the coupon website is credible, legitimate and not compromised by server attacks. Always maintain up-to-date Anti-Virus protection on all your computers to block any viruses or malware from attacking your computer and compromising your personal information. The FBI provides valuable tips to protect your computer, which includes installing a firewall, turning your computer off when not in use, and frequently updating your Antivirus and Antispyware software.

9. Bogus Email Receipts

When you shop online, every online store big and small sends customers receipts via email soon after your purchase, but beware of fake email receipts for things you never ordered. O?Farrell, Executive Director of the Identity Theft Council, warns ?this is the easiest scam of all. The scammers send you a bogus receipt by email, maybe waiting for the busiest shopping days, for some large purchase you never made. In panic, you open the attached receipt only to find the gift in question is either a piece of malware that takes over your computer, or a link to a phishing web site that tries to steal your personal information.? Make sure you keep track of your purchases so you can immediately delete the bogus email receipts.

10. Gift Card Scams

Giving gift cards as holiday presents is growing in popularity to give to people who are hard to shop for so they can choose something they want. However, gift cards are extremely easy to tamper with since they are just a string of numbers with no identifying name attached to them. In stores, scammers take gift cards off the racks, copy down the gift card numbers and PIN numbers, then replace the gift cards back on the racks. Once they have stolen all the gift card data, the thieves check the gift card balances online or by phone. Once they discover that the gift card was activated, they spend the balance online and steal your money that you intended to gift to someone. When buying a gift card, always check that the gift card was not tampered with and that the protection coating over the PIN number is not scratched off. Also, avoid buying discounted gift cards at online auction sites since those gift cards are probably stolen or fraudulent.

Also, beware of smishing where scammers send you fake SMS texts to try to trick you to claim a desirable prize. Don?t be fooled by texts, emails, or phone calls that you?ve won a gift card in a high dollar amount from a big name store like Best Buy or Walmart. Often, these scams are after your personal information and require you to send money to claim your prize or to divulge your credit card number to remove you from their contact list.

Whether you are shopping for that perfect gift for your beloved or selling products to holiday shoppers, stay vigilant about scammers and never let your guard down online when it comes down to where your money and personal information goes. Be skeptical of everything that sounds too good to be true like free iPad deals or 80% off your entire order. It?s your money and your identity so be especially paranoid about cyber security while shopping online, especially during the holiday shopping season.

DON'T MISS: 5 restaurant tricks designed to make you spend more >

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/watch-out-for-scams-during-the-holidays-2012-11

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Top 5 Dirtiest Crimes Committed in the Name of Love | YourTango

love crimesLove hurts.

These misdeeds and misdemeanors are stranger than romantic fiction.

After a bad breakup, feelings of love can quickly turn to hatred. You say things you don?t mean and wish for things you don?t actually want. But what happens when a person becomes so livid that bitter hypotheticals become actual actions??Some strange tales prove that all is not fair ? or sane, for that matter ? in love and war.

More from YourTango: Weird News: Soccer Not Enough Of A Distraction For Outdoor Sex

Love Explosion
While flying to Dallas, Christopher Shell?s plane was turned around and boarded by a SWAT team--that were coming for him. Shell?s ex-girlfriend had phoned in a bomb threat, saying he possessed liquid explosives. Fortunately, Shell was quickly cleared, but the ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend were brought into custody soon after.

Below The Belt
A couple days post-breakup, Indiana woman Christina Reber stormed into her ex-boyfriend?s apartment, hit him on the head, then grabbed his scrotum, "squeezing as hard as she could" until it was almost completely severed from the victim?s body. Afterward, he was able to seek medical attention at--no joke--Ball Memorial Hospital.

What A Long, Strange Road Trip It's Been
In 2007, astronaut Lisa Nowak allegedly drove nonstop from Orlando to Texas in order to confront her ex-lover?s new girlfriend, Claudia Shipman, and informed she had worn a diaper in order to avoid any bathroom stops. Upon arrival, she disguised herself and attempted to kidnap Shipman who managed to get away, leading to Nowak?s arrest.

The 90-Cent Car
When British shock jock Tim Shaw speculated on-air that he would leave his family for pin-up girl Jodie Marsh, he didn?t suspect that his wife Hayley was listening. Mrs. Shaw sought revenge in the form of an auction for his $45,000 Lotus Esprit Turbo sports car via eBay, as its registration was in her name. Not only did she sell it in 5 minutes, she let the luxury vehicle go for a mere 50 pence (90 cents).

More from YourTango: Thanksgiving Playlist: 10 Feel-Good Songs About Giving Thanks

"Crazy Love" Story
Perhaps one of the most infamous bizarre crimes of love is that of Burt Pugach and Linda Riss. The pair dated in the 1950s, but Riss found out that Pugach was married and left him. Pugach didn't?take the news well;?he hired someone to throw acid in Riss? face and leaving her disfigured and blind. After Pugach?s conviction, prison sentence and release 14 years later, the two actually reconciled and have now been married several decades.

More juicy stories on YourTango:

Source: http://www.yourtango.com/2012165827/top-5-dirtiest-crimes-committed-name-love

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Holiday Gift Guide for Babies, Families and Bloggers! | Don't Mind ...

Here it is, the thing you?ve all been waiting for?

gift guide graphic 300x189 Gift Guide for Babies, Families and Bloggers

I?ve got stuff for babies, kids, families and even us humble bloggers. Read on!

For Baby (aka Mama)

2012 02 25 11 40 27 186 e1353507788778 224x300 Gift Guide for Babies, Families and Bloggers

The Isis Carseat Cozy Cover is my #1 winter baby recommendation. Lots of people use various items like the BundleMe to keep their babies warm. I use it in the stroller. But for the infant bucket seat it can make getting little arms and legs in and out a chore. The Cozy Cover goes over your buckled in baby, meaning there?s nothing interfering with the straps or safety. It zips up super easy and is a breeze to put on or remove. We used ours when we took Tessa home from the hospital well into the spring.

I heard nary a peep through the cold weather. That little girl was snug as a bug. And this is an exclusive item you can?t just find anywhere. (Isis is also a small business, a great place to put your cash.) AND, you get not only your snug and warm baby, you have a built-in baby-shield. No one ever tried to put a finger on that baby when we were out and about with the cover. If you don?t like your little one being touched in the germy season, I can?t recommend this enough.

It comes in pink and blue. We liked the gender-neutral green/blue bird. Isis worked with Tuff Cookie to make these, they?re made in MA out of 50% recycled fleece. I know you guys are into shopping for good quality, made in the US products. ?Isis Parenting, $58.00, Available online or in Isis stores in metro Boston.

 Gift Guide for Babies, Families and Bloggers?When Tessa?s Grandma visited a few weeks ago she came bearing gifts as grandparents tend to do. Since then, the Roll and Chase Bumble Bee from Bright Stars has been the IT toy in our house. Tessa LOVES it. She cannot get enough of it.

When you press the buttons, the bee vibrates, rolls and plays music. Tessa goes nuts for it. And my favorite thing is that Graham will play with it, too.

He?ll come sit with Tessa, press the light up buttons, watch it roll and the two of them will laugh and laugh. Sure, music and lights toys aren?t a parent?s favorite, but I am totally won over by this bee for getting my kids to laugh together. I?m a sucker that way.

I?d definitely encourage it for babies who are good sitters, it?s been great to encourage Tessa to scoot around to catch it.

Available online at ToysRUs and Target for about $14.

2012 05 15 18 52 16 836 Gift Guide for Babies, Families and BloggersIf you know an expecting mom, a great baby shower gift is the Zen Swaddle. A swaddler is a must for a new baby if you?re going to manage to get any sleep. The Zen Swaddle has some great features: super soft 100% cotton fabric, a pocket for tiny baby legs that allows small ones to wear it and continue to grow with it, the adorable stitching. But it also has soft weighted sections on baby?s chest and sides to mimic the gentle pressure you give your baby when they have trouble sleeping. (If you?ve never tried the light pressure on baby?s chest trick, it?s a good one.) You can tell this is a product invented by a Mom.

Also, it has the cutest baby ever on the package.

Available at Magic Beans in Boston metro area, or find a store near you. Retails for about $39.99

Other Baby Favorites:?Highlights Hello! Magazine, Zutano Baby Booties.

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Kid & Family Gifts

2012 09 17 18 20 18 781 300x224 Gift Guide for Babies, Families and BloggersGraham really enjoys playing with Daddy?s iPad. But with that brand new and expensive piece of equipment (which is for WORK rather than kid play) we have to play it safe around the kiddos.

Thanks to Mommy Niri and Fisher Price, we?ve made the iPad safe from kid hands and bumps with the Apptivity Case. It has a durable screen to keep smudges off. You can block the home screen button (or not). The little chew rings for baby are a great touch with our little one. Also it?s easy to take on and off (only tool you need is a coin) but too hard for little hands to do themselves.

Graham likes to use the iPad himself, but we can usually convince him to play with Tessa. When they both play, we?ve used the free Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Apps. They?ve worked astonishingly well with both kids.

The Apptivity iPad case is available at stores everywhere and retails for around $30. There?s also an iPhone case which retails from $10 to $15.

 Gift Guide for Babies, Families and Bloggers?Since Graham got his cow hat, I?ve had absolutely no difficulty getting him to put it on each morning before the bus comes. Also, his awesome bus driver greets him with ?Moo!? most mornings.

The hat is by Knitwits, made by hand with New Zealand wool. The inside has a fleece lining that?s very warm. I am so in love with these. It is possible that people who live in cold climates that I send gifts to just *might* find one in their Christmas gifts this year. (So if you have a preference, let me know. I am a big fan of the fox, the moose and many, many more.)

They have kids sizes and youth/adult. And they make mittens, scarves and a variety of other adorable products. (If your kids are character-oriented, they also have Sesame Street and Hello Kitty.)

You can find Knitwits animal hats in their online store. They retail for $29.99

Experience gifts are awesome. Getting a family a membership to a local zoo, museum or aquarium is worth so much more than its actual value. Especially if it means the kids will have somewhere to run around in the summer. We?re loving having regular access to the New England Zoo and its amazing new playground. We can be in and out in an hour or two. And while we?re there I feel bad for the one-visit parents who keep telling their kids, ?Come on! Come look! Let?s go look at this!? instead of letting their kids roam and relax. We?ve also enjoyed an Aquarium membership, which gives us an indoor place to seek warmth and fun in the winter.?A one-year family membership for 2 adults and up to 4 children at the New England Zoo is $95. A one-year membership for 2 at the New England Aquarium is $85, a membership for 4 is $135.

You don?t have to be a foodie to appreciate a subscription to ChopChopMagazine. It?s full of snack ideas and fun recipes. It?ll also encourage your kids to help in the kitchen and get them eating healthier. Especially good if you?ve got a wide range of ages, this is great for little and big kids.?A?1 year subscription is $14.95, 2 years is $24.95

Or give a family photo session with an awesome local photographer. (Here in MA I recommend Rebecca Deaton.)

Or how about a gift card to a getaway, like?my favorite Maine B&B?for some tired parents?

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Gifts for Bloggers (aka Me)

Here we?re moving into stuff I haven?t actually used or owned to the stuff I just plain want.

I figure if I just keep talking about the Microsoft Surface long enough maybe they will see how desperately I want it. If your laptop is a hand-me-down from your husband who doesn?t go easy on his electronics and the hinges are getting scary and the keys are starting to stick and the operating speed is dismally slow, well? you could wish for a lot of things.

But I?m wishing for a Surface because I love the look, I love the portable tablet capability, and I love the simple add on of the keyboard which is also a cover. Why bother with a laptop? It will go swimmingly with my Arc Touch Mouse.?Surface starts at $499, the Arc Touch Mouse is $69.?

I?m also drooling over cameras for the second year in a row. When you go to events as press it does look a little flimsy to take phone pics. (And my phone does not take great pics, as you may have noticed. The fuzzy feature on Instagram is my friend.)

Real bloggers use DSLR cameras and one of these days I?m really going to join them. Lately I?m eyeing the Nikon D3000. I?ve also looked at the Canon T3. A good beginners model would be awesome.?They retail for far more than I?ve got to spend, and they?re the CHEAP DSLR?s.

If you already have a camera, start dropping hints about a photography class. Check your local adult education center. Boston?s has a Digital Photography Class for Beginners?($320) and a How to Figure Out a Digital Camera class ($58).

You may also want to set your blogger up with a Conference ticket (there are TONS of them) or even just a gift card for airfare or hotel to help them pay their way to fun and learning and dance parties.

We also rack up blog expenses that aren?t fun and have to be paid every year and every time we update. Hosting, design, themes, coding, backups, domain names? blogs are not all fun and games. Getting them up and running takes not just a lot of time but some cash, too. You may want to send your blogger a little gift via Paypal to help them cover their blogging expenses. Very simple to do if you have a Paypal account of your own and someone?s email address.

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Now it?s your turn: what do you have your eye on to give or receive this year?

Disclosure: I have no relationship with any of the items here, although I am open to such things and yes, I?m talking to you, Microsoft Surface. I bought the Isis Carseat Cover and Zutano booties but all other baby and kid items were received as gifts.

Source: http://theseversons.net/2012/11/gift-guide-babies-families-bloggers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gift-guide-babies-families-bloggers

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U.S. releases new health insurance reform rules

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. administration on Tuesday proposed new health insurance rules aimed at ending discrimination against the sick and guaranteeing minimum benefits for millions of Americans who are expected to obtain coverage under President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law.

The rules, unveiled by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, provide states and insurers with details about how the Obama administration intends to achieve its long-stated goals of guaranteeing access to those with preexisting conditions and making affordable coverage available to families through new online health insurance exchanges.

The administration also proposed rules laying out new consumer protections for wellness and other preventive healthcare coverage. The public has 30-60 days to comment on the proposals before the government finalizes them.

The proposed measures were likely to come under fire from healthcare reform opponents including a growing number of Republican governors who have rejected the provisions calling on states to operate their own healthcare exchanges beginning January 1, 2014.

States have until December 14, under a newly extended deadline, to tell the Department of Health and Human Services whether they intend to pursue their own healthcare exchanges, which are designed to offer consumers private insurance at subsidized rates beginning in October with open enrollment.

About 17 states have told the administration they plan to move ahead on exchanges, while at least eight Republican governors in recent days have rejected the plan outright or opted to cooperate with Washington in setting up a hybrid federal partnership exchange.

Still more states, which delayed implementation in hopes that Republican Mitt Romney would win the presidential election earlier this month and repeal the law, are only now deciding what to do and had called on the administration for more time and information.

Meanwhile, the administration is moving ahead to complete rule making to ensure timely implementation.

"The information we're putting out today will answer many of the states' remaining questions, as will additional guidance to be issued in the days and weeks ahead," Sebelius said in a conference call with reporters.

"I'm confident states will have what they need to move forward with creating these critical new health insurance markets," she said.

Sebelius said she would "sit down" with governors to discuss their concerns in the coming weeks, but provided no details.

State-level opposition and lethargy have raised concerns about whether the administration can establish functioning exchanges in states that need them. But administration officials insisted on Tuesday that the system will be up and running in all 50 states and the District of Columbia when the healthcare law comes fully into force in 2014.

"FOOD FIGHT"

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the most sweeping healthcare legislation since the 1960s, would extend coverage to more than 30 million uninsured people with about half that number obtaining insurance through the healthcare exchanges. The remainder would receive benefits from an expanded Medicaid program for low-income people.

To address regional inequities in the healthcare system, the law requires insurers to provide benefits across 10 categories in the individual and small-group markets, whether or not the plans are part of an exchange.

The categories are: ambulatory patient services; emergency services; hospitalization; maternity and newborn care; mental health and substance use disorder services; prescription drugs; rehabilitative and habilitative services; laboratory services; preventive and wellness care and chronic disease management; and pediatric services.

The proposed benefits rule largely codifies the contents of an administration bulletin last December that allowed each state to select a private or public insurance plan already operating in its market as a benchmark for benefits.

Dr. Arthur Kellermann of RAND Health, a think tank, said the approach leaves in place state variations in insurance quality the law was meant to eliminate. But he said the proposed rule still represented a significant improvement.

"It is a major step forward for consumers in trying to bring consistency to the insurance market in terms of covered services and the value of policies," Kellermann said.

The only major benefits change from last December, according to officials, is a richer prescription drug benefit. Instead of requiring insurers to offer one drug per class, the rule calls for either one drug or the same number as the benchmark plan, whichever is greater.

However, critics said the new rules lack important details and definitions about relatively new coverage for the disabled, the mentally ill and substance dependent, which are subject to a mandate that eliminates lifetime spending limits in health insurance plans.

"They're going out of their way to avoid doing what the law envisioned, which is spelling out the details, because it's such an ugly interest-group food fight," said Edmund Haislmaier of the conservative think thank, Heritage Foundation.

Health insurance companies would be prohibited from denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition, or from charging higher premiums because of current or past health problems, gender or occupation. The rules also would ensure access to catastrophic coverage plans for young adults and others who could not afford coverage otherwise.

The administration also proposed rules for expanding employment-based wellness programs to help control healthcare spending and to protect individuals from unfair underwriting practices that could otherwise reduce benefits based on their health status.

Gary Cohen, an administration official helping to oversee implementation, said the wellness rules seek to protect consumers from practices that could be used to reduce benefits based on a participant's health status.

(Editing by David Gregorio and Carol Bishopric)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-releases-healthcare-reform-rules-insurance-coverage-172918517.html

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Video: The ?Key? to ?Peele-ing? back layers of political comedy

Surviving Thanksgiving -- and grammy's parenting advice

??On Thanksgiving, sometimes, along with the turkey and stuffing comes a nice, big helping of unsolicited parenting advice from relatives. Ettiquette guru Anna Post and other parents who've navigated those waters offer tips on how to keep the peace without losing your mind.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/49909029#49909029

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Theoretical Physics at McGill University?

Hi all,
I still have a year of undergraduate studies left but I'm very, very interested in mathematical, theoretical physics. I would love to do research in string theory; does anyone know if McGill University is at least decent for this as a graduate school? It's probably a naive question to ask but I couldn't find much on the internet. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Source: http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=653305&goto=newpost

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