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Lenovo on Monday played down reports that it was interested in buying Research In Motion, saying that the BlackBerry maker was one of many companies it was looking at as a potential takeover target.
Lenovo's Chief Financial Officer Wai Ming Wong was quoted by the Bloomberg news service last week saying that Lenovo was looking at " RIM and many others" as takeover targets.
On Monday, a Lenovo spokesman, in a statement, said Wong only meant to include RIM in a list of possibilities, since a journalist had specifically asked about RIM.
"We are aware that Lenovo's CFO, Wai Ming Wong was speaking broadly about M&A strategy in a recent interview," the spokesman said. "RIM was raised as a potential target by the journalist and Mr. Wong repeatedly answered in a manner consistent with all of our previous statements on M&A strategy: Lenovo is very focused on growing its business, both organically and through M&A. When inorganic ideas arise, we explore them to see if there is a strategic fit."
The possibility of Lenovo's buying RIM would make sense, given Lenovo's strong push with smartphones in China and RIM's diminishing share of the global smartphone market, which is now at 5%. Lenovo's interest in RIM is an acknowledgement of the decline in PCs and the surge in interest in smartphones, tablets and other mobile hardware.
Lenovo announced the IdeaPhone K900 smartphone, which will be sold in April in China, at the International CES trade show earlier this month. The phone is unusual in that it runs an Atom processor from Intel, while most phones on the market run ARM-based chips.
However, some pundits also have noted that RIM would not need to be sold to Lenovo, since RIM has cash on hand and is willing to license its software.
RIM's biggest problem is a lack of popular smartphones, which it hopes to correct with the announcement of two smartphones on Wednesday based on the new BlackBerry 10 operating system.
The phones will also be shown in TV ads during the SuperBowl on Sunday.
One analyst noted that RIM isn't likely to exit the smartphone market yet since the company has no debt, has 80 million subscribers and some profits in recent quarters.
That analyst, Jan Dawson, at research firm Ovum, wrote Monday: "RIM continues to face the twin demons of consumer-driven buying power and a chronic inability to appeal to mature market consumers. There is nothing in what we've seen so far of BB10 that it will conquer the second of those demons and the first is utterly out of RIM's control. We don't expect a speedy exit from market...The company can continue in this vein for years. But its glory days are past and it is only a matter of time before it reaches a natural end."
Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed. His email address is firstname.lastname@example.com.
See more by Matt Hamblen on Computerworld.com.
Read more about mobile/wireless in Computerworld's Mobile/Wireless Topic Center.


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President Obama's visit to NH, as seen from the press pool
NASHUA, N.H. – The president of the United States travels in rarified air, literally.
From a gleaming Air Force One, with nary a drip of grease on its chrome-plated hydraulics, to a sparkling black Cadillac limousine dubbed, "The Beast,'' to the traffic-free highways on which it rides, everything about the presidency exudes the best that everyone around it can do.
That was the overwhelming impression today as a Globe reporter and photographer had the chance to join the traveling circus, serving as the local "pool'' reporter and photographer accompanying President Obama in his motorcade as he visited New Hampshire and spoke at the Elm Street Middle School in Nashua.
The trade for that exclusive access was the requirement to provide pool reports and photos to all the other news organizations unable to join in. The poolers were the designated eyes and ears for all the other journalists who couldn't cram in the van.
The journey started about 11 a.m., when the media had to report to a private terminal at the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport to check in and go through a security screening.
For perspective, that was four minutes before Marine One touched down at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, after ferrying the president from the White House to the former Andrews Air Force Base.
By the time Air Force One started rolling toward the runway at 11:12 a.m., dogs were checking laptop and camera bags in New Hampshire for explosives.
And before the presidential aircraft had reached its cruising altitude, the media contingent meeting him at the airport was sitting in a sterile room inside Wiggins Airways, prepped for his arrival.
Almost nothing last-minute ever happens around the president.
About 12 minutes before the plane touched down, a member of the White House Advance Office – which sounds just like it is, traveling in advance of the president to organize his movements – moved the pool out a flat-bed trailer on the tarmac.
It offered an elevated perspective from which to watch the plane land. The pool – as well as a group of about a dozen "greeters'' who would meet the president at the bottom of the aircraft stairs, and another 60 or so VIPs in a pen at the edge of the tarmac – watched as a helicopter flew over the runway on an aerial inspection, and an airport vehicle followed with its own ground-based run.
All commercial traffic at the airport, including a Delta commuter flight, was put into a ground hold.
Soon, the plane was visible against the steel-gray sky, its landing lights and four engines making it look far more imposing than the Boeing 737s and regional jets that usually fly out of the airport.
It touched down at 12:20 p.m., a plume of blue-gray smoke billowing from its tires, and the air filled with a roar as the thrust-reversers on its engines deployed.
A few minutes later, it pulled to a stop, a Marine in uniform there to greet the military personnel aboard, a technician ready to run out with a phone line on an extra-long cord to ensure the plane had a backup to its wireless telephones.
As Air Force personnel steered the stairs to the plane's front door, a door at the base of the rear fuselage opened and off poured a group of Air Force security personnel, Secret Service agents, White House staffers, and members of the traveling press pool that accompanies the president wherever he goes.
The president emerged at 12:28 p.m. to shake hands with the greeters: Carol Shea-Porter, Jim Demers, Phil McLaughlin, Alice Chamberlin, Ron Ault, Joanne Dowdell, Jay Bowers, Deb Pignatelli, Moacir Barbosa, and David Laughton, according to the Obama campaign.
After shaking each hand, he posed for a group photo under the presidential seal on the aircraft fuselage.
The president then strode across the tarmac to greet those in the pen.
"How you doing, New Hampshire?'' he said as the group applauded him. "Good to see you guys.''
He gave a high-five to one child, and quipped, "There are some good-looking babies around here.''
The motorcade, with the president in his limousine and another identical backup alongside, was rolling at 12:37 p.m.
The motorcade traveled around perimeter of airport, inside the fence, and exited at the south end, merging into the rear entrance road that passes the cargo terminal.
A few bystanders watched from office entrances blocked off with orange cones.
The motorcade then headed on closed roads to northbound Route 3, also known as the Everett Turnpike, and in the opposite direction of Nashua.
That indicated a thoroughly planned but not previously announced "OTR, or "off-the-record'' visit someplace.
Soon Manchester proper was in sight. The exited Interstate 293 North at Exit 6, Amoskeag Street, and headed away from city.
At 12:51 pm, it arrived at an office building housing the Teamsters Local 633.
The pool was led downstairs into a basement room, where about 60 people chanted, "Fired Up, Ready to Go.''
The president entered the spartan canvassing/call center in shirt sleeves and joked he was just passing by.
He gave a mini-stump speech and rattled off a list of administration's accomplishments.
"All that's at stake,'' said Obama.
He then segued to a pro-union segment, before highlighting the importance of New Hampshire.
"These four electoral votes – right here – could make all the difference in the world,'' the president said.
He added: "I'm gonna need you guys over the next 11 days to work as hard as you can. Do it not for me, do it for your kids.''
He ended his remarks at 12:58 p.m., pointed the end of the room, and said, "I'm just going to start down here and shake every hand.''
That drew cheers.
As he worked the rope line, one woman said, "Tell Michelle to stand by; we need a woman in the White House.''
The president laughed.
The pool was then hustled out, and the motorcade was moving again at 1:11 p.m., heading on a closed I-293 South and back onto Route 3/Everett Turnpike South.
The speedometer read 75 mph most of the way, and the motorcade did not stop to pay the toll.
It left the highway at Exit 5, Route 111 East, at 1:29 p.m., and rolled onto residential streets with some residents excitedly standing on their front lawns, waving and shooting cell phone pictures and video.
It arrived at the Elm Street Middle School at 1:34 p.m., the strains of warm-up act James Taylor audible in the distance.
The pool split off from the president as he reached the back entrance of the school.
The speech was open-press, meaning the pool didn't have to transcribe or draft pool reports about it, since anyone in the media wanting to hear it could get a credential.
An hour after the president finished, the pool was hustled back to the motorcade – well in advance of the president's planned 5 p.m. airport departure. That indicated another OTR was likely.
Sure enough, after driving up the turnpike a few minutes, the motorcade pulled into The Common Man restaurant in Merrimack at 4:19 p.m.
The president went from room to room, shaking hands and posing for pictures. One patron said she knew something was up when a person in a suit told her to stay in her seat.
"We were told we couldn't go upstairs and they said we couldn't go up there,'' said Cathy Albert of Merrimack.
She was sitting at a bar with husband, Peter, and son, Steve Gosine, 18 – who will be voting in his first election.
He said he was inclined to cast his first presidential vote for Obama, but joked, "I'm going to make my decision based on his handshake.''
At 4:37 pm, the president entered and shook hands with the family.
"What's going on, guys? How's everybody doing?'' he asked.
The president then said to young Steve, "I need your vote.''
After being told he wanted to be an engineer, the president said, "Steve, we need engineers.''
He later posed for a picture with the family, joking to Cathy about her "baby's'' scruffy beard.
Then, looking elsewhere, he said, "What's up, Patriots' fans?''
The president said he liked New England's team, except when it plays the Bears, and said he hoped they did well for the fans' sake after the Red Sox dreadful season.
"Have you guys heard about the White House beer?'' he asked. "It is outstanding. Got great reviews. New York Times reviewed the beer,'' he added. "I was going to bring you a case, but someone forgot it,'' he said as he jokingly looked over at his staff.
Hoisting a beer (a Common Man Ale), he toasted, "To America. It doesn't matter what party.''
The pool was ushered out at 4:50 p.m. Obama exited the restaurant and greeted a line of people outside at 4:57 pm.
"Hey guys, how's it going?'' he asked, as he toted a Common Man takeout bag.
He gave some young children boxes on presidential M&Ms.
The pool was sent to the vans at 4:59 p.m., and, after retracing its route, was back at the airport at 5:15 p.m. – about 10 minutes behind schedule. The president was jogging up the front steps before reporters could scramble out of their vans.
Seven minutes later, the glimmering robin's egg blue-and-white Air Force One was roaring down the runway, headed back to Maryland.
As it lifted off, the local pool's responsibilities ended.
Obama's trip came during an active period of campaigning in New Hampshire.
Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, was in New Hampshire on Friday, visiting campaign offices in Concord, Berlin, Conway, and Laconia. The vice president himself is scheduled to come to Keene on Monday.
And first lady Michelle Obama was supposed to visit the University of New Hampshire on Tuesday, but cancelled Friday after the school announced it would close its campus to cope with any effects from Hurricane Sandy.
Meanwhile, Ann Romney, the wife of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, is due to campaign in the state on Monday, while Romney himself is due to have a rally in Milford on Tuesday night.
According to the Obama campaign, the president has traveled to New Hampshire ten times – including Saturday's visit – since the start of his presidency.
This year, the president has visited the six times – including Saturday – and has held six political events and one official event.
He had last been to Nashua on March 1.
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Blog Archives
Crimes of Passion – 6 Romantic Suspense Books for $0.99!
Summer is officially here and like many of our readers, I'm looking to fill up my ereader with sexy, intense, and mysterious stories for vacation reading, which is why I'm extra thrilled to tell our Kiss and Thrill audience about a new 6-book bundle available for a limited time for only $0.99!
CRIMES OF PASSION, full of heart-pounding, sexy suspense, includes books by four New York Times bestselling authors! I am so honored to have Body of Evidence included with these fantastic titles!
~ Crimes of the Heart Collection ~
Six Romantic Suspense Books
Toni Anderson – Her Sanctuary
Terri Reid – Loose Ends
M A Comley – Past Temptation
Rachel Grant – Body of Evidence
Jennifer Blake – Love and Smoke
Denise Grover Swank – Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes
To learn more about the CRIMES OF PASSION authors, I donned my James Lipton beard and put them in the Inside the Actors Studio hot seat.
What is your favorite word?
Toni: Ethereal
Terri: Pizzazz
M A: Perpendicular
Rachel: Kismet
Jennifer: Serendipity
Denise: Yes
What is your least favorite word?
Toni: Vomit
Terri: Should
M A: Scenario
Rachel: Fart
Jennifer: Skanky
Denise: No
What turns you on?
Toni: Tom Hardy's smile
Terri: A good mystery
M A: Kindness
Rachel: Wit (six-pack abs don't hurt either)
Jennifer: Tenderness
Denise: A confident man
What turns you off?
Toni: The list is endless.
Terri: Bad writing
M A: Conceit
Rachel: Fart jokes
Jennifer: Vulgarity
Denise: Negativity
What sound or noise do you love?
Toni: Bird song
Terri: An owl hooting nearby on a dark night
M A: A trickling stream
Rachel: My children's laughter
Jennifer: Ocean surf
Denise: My children's laughter
What sound or noise do you hate?
Toni: Bird song at 5 AM
Terri: Arguing
M A: Animals in pain
Rachel: Leaf blowers
Jennifer: NASCAR racing
Denise: Loud squeaks
What is your favorite curse word?
Toni: Fuck
Terri: Crap – just ask Mary O'Reilly
M A: Shit
Rachel: Fuck
Jennifer: Hell
Denise: Frickety-frack (I have little kids. Enough said.)
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Toni: FBI agent 🙂
Terri: Billionaire – that's a profession, right?
M A: Vet
Rachel: Covert operative
Jennifer: Artist
Denise: I love being an author. I wouldn't want to be anything else.
What profession would you not like to do?
Toni: Garbage man – looks like the hardest job in the world in this city.
Terri: Proctologist – 'nuff said.
M A: Slaughterman
Rachel: Any job that involves putrid odors on a daily basis.
Jennifer: Nursing
Denise: Sanitation worker
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
Toni: "They're all waiting for you." 🙂
Terri: "Welcome home."
M A: "Welcome, I've had my eye on you for a while. Thanks for going the extra mile to support all the needy animals on Earth."
Rachel: "I've decided to make an exception in your case."
Jennifer: "Come on in, honey, glad to see you could make it!"
Denise: "You made the world a better place."
I love both the similarities and differences in our answers! What do you think? Do you have a favorite word? To celebrate the release of CRIMES OF PASSION I'm giving away a copy of CONCRETE EVIDENCE in audiobook (CD format) to one randomly selected commenter.
BODY OF EVIDENCE (Evidence Series) – Rachel Grant
In North Korea retrieving the remains of GIs, archaeologist Mara Garrett is arrested and sentenced to death for spying. Curt Dominick, an ambitious, infuriatingly sexy US attorney mounts a rescue misson that morphs into an explosive chase across the Pacific. Desire clashes with loyalty when the conspiracy they uncover threatens not only their lives but national security.
HER SANCTUARY – Toni Anderson
Running for her life, ex-FBI agent Elizabeth Ward escapes to the solitude of Montana with a new identity. Nat Sullivan, struggling to keep his ranch from bankruptcy, doesn't need a beautiful stranger complicating his life. But Elizabeth isn't what she seems. And when a murderer and rapist track her down, they all discover the power of revenge — and redemption.
TWENTY-EIGHT AND A HALF WISHES (Rose Gardner Mystery – Book 1) – Denise Grover Swank
Rose Gardner's had visions before, but never of herself dead. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered instead, she's the prime suspect. Rose makes a bucketlist of 28 wishes, targeting neighbor Joe, with secrets of his own, for #15: Do more with a man. Then her house is broken into, someone else she knows is murdered, and suddenly, dying a virgin in jail isn't her biggest worry.
LOOSE ENDS (A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery – Book 1) – Terri Reid
Combining her cop experience with a talent to communicate with ghosts, PI Mary O'Reilly's big challenge is convincing the handsome police chief she's not nuts. But when the ghost of a woman drowned in a Senator's swimming pool 24 years ago points to a connection with the cold cases of five missing girls, Mary becomes a target of a serial killer out to tie up all his loose ends.
LOVE AND SMOKE (Contemporary Collection) – Jennifer Blake
Riva Staulet triumphed over past betrayal to reinvent herself as a woman of wealth and power. Noel has always been a Southern gentleman of rock-solid principle, stalward in his sense of justice. When a ruthless politician from her past resurfaces, Riva must risk utter ruin to prove him a murderer. And as death and disaster loom, Noel must choose to stand with her or against her.
PAST TEMPTATION (Temptation Series) – M A Comley
Until now, Nicole's main focus in life has been running her successful business while raising her daughter, Sammy Jo, single-handedly. Now, Nicole's ex-boyfriend, Josh, has turned up determined to rekindle the relationship he ran out on. But before they get the chance to pick up where they left off, Nicole's personal life is put in mortal danger.
Check out CRIMES OF PASSION at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
And don't forget to comment for a chance to win CONCRETE EVIDENCE in audio CD!


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3 search results
Principles of Business, Marketing, and Finance
In Principles of Business, Marketing, and Finance, students gain knowledge and skills in economies and private enterprise systems, the impact of global business, the marketing of goods and services, advertising, and product pricing. Students analyze the sales process and financial management...
- Grade Range: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Postsecondary
Lesson Plan: Foreign Exchange Market
In this lesson, students will explain how a foreign exchange market functions globally, and identify the importance of international financial markets.
- Resource ID: 11456
- Grade Range: 10, 11, 12
Lesson Plan: Advertising Media
In this lesson, the students will learn and understand that Advertising is a paid-for form of communication. The students will also learn about different types of media used in advertising.
- Resource ID: 11544
- Grade Range: 9, 10, 11, 12


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Martin Flores and Angel Cabrera lead the way after two rounds of the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte but it was an unassuming Zimbabwean who made the headlines with a record-equalling round.
Brendon de Jonge began the day dead last on the leaderboard after shooting 80 on Thursday but turned his form around in dramatic fashion 24 hours later, a 10-under-par 62 vaulting him up the standings and back to two under overall – seven shots off the joint leaders.
De Jonge's efforts saw him tie the Quail Hollow course record held by Rory McIlroy, whose final-round 62 saw him to his first career PGA victory in this tournament in 2010.
De Jonge's Friday charge has spared him from the cut and the 33-year-old is now looking forward to the rest of the weekend.
"I wish I could go into every round with that kind of a mind set, but it's easier said than done," De Jonge, who made eight birdies and an eagle, said on pgatour.com.
"As horrible as yesterday was, today was as nice. So this game gives you something and takes something away."
The story could have been even more remarkable for De Jonge when he gave himself an 18-foot putt on the last hole for a course-record 61, but it was not to be.
"I knew I had to keep going really just to make the cut, so I had that mind set all day that I needed to get out and get as far under par as possible and thank goodness it worked out," De Jonge added.
"To be honest, I didn't expect to be playing this weekend, so everything is a bonus. I have to do a good job of starting fresh tomorrow and realizing that it's a new round."
McIlroy's hopes of repeating his 2010 win receded after a nightmare round of 76 on Friday.
After starting out three strokes off the lead, the Northern Irishman suffered a back-to-back double bogeys at holes three and four, while further losses at two, six and 16 were only partially offset by three birdies to leave him at one over and spared the cut by a single stroke.
The Charlotte event has been more consistent for Argentinian veteran Cabrera, who led by one shot after a first-round 66 and followed up with a 69 on Friday to ensure he kept his place at the top of the leaderboard.
Flores joined Cabrera at the top of the pile after adding a 68 to his opening 67, while England's Justin Rose is also well in the mix, his second-round 67 keeping him just a stroke off the leaders at eight under.
Scotland's Martin Laird is on five under, but England's Lee Westwood will play no further part in the weekend after he missed the cut at three over, having added a 76 to his opening 71.


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More Gunfire on Day Four of Nairobi Mall Siege
Residents awoke to gunfire around Nairobi's Westgate Mall on the fourth day of a standoff between terrorists and Kenyan forces. The WSJ's Heidi Vogt gives us the latest details emerging about the assailants.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the the ... seats at an upscale mall in Kenya was believed to be nearing an end Intel gunfire erupted again this morning ... I'm Deborah con joining me now its height and weight is the Wall Street Journal reporter ... based in Nairobi ... Friday the government had said that they believed ah everyone who remained inside ... had been freed is this the longer the case ... no they ... are still sticking with that I'm not confirming that everyone's been freed but they're saying they they ... they don't even have a ... well one thing ... I can say he's what's happening with the attackers so ... what's possible is point eight ... eight meeting all of the civilians out and just a gunbattle between ... the security forces ... and that the militants ... okay so are we getting any more information about add the ins as a Lance and ... any idea of outcrops how many remain inside ... almost the exact numbers but we are starting to get some information about these people are ... we were told by Kenyan officials last night that they were from multiple countries ... and down my sources tell me is well that it was ... over one more minute head start ... what is she needed ... some shoppers and that ... they know me her down confirmation from the foreign minister here yet ... a who's on some of the attackers ... I spent time in the U S are made ... in America ... ok and at any idea about what this Adelaide as gunfire was about the situations surrounding it and ... whether or not found this whole ordeal could actually be nearing an end ... well we do we're hearing from the Chinese government's insider databases ... it's quiet ... aam ... and ... it seems closer to the end ... it yesterday but ... I have a hard time speculating because I don't know ... him ... Wednesday's letter out again ... ok and that is the Kenyan military receiving any outside help of from that from anyone else and in this situation ... mm ... themselves from another and number of countries from the UK in the US ... also we received confirmation by Israeli forces actually ... gone into the mall alongside me troops to help then try to ... track down and eliminate the assailants ... the heightened risk that frazzled what is it like in Nairobi right now is their cost in time ... amongst the entire city is this just one contained area ... aam and are enhanced heightened security in all of its borders and airports and seaports ... all day yesterday although the rest of the losses but I also was found ... on now to gain a summer has started to Rio a ... but around Westgate Mall the government has just been why he didn't want any security perimeter closing off Morris streets sound ... particularly after ... not that large fire broke out yesterday ... okay thanks Fran much Heidi for more on that star a pink


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Just over a week ago, we had a chance to attend a vernissage of a diminutive, yet undeniably inspiring, exhibition surveying the work of 20 young contemporary Swiss designers organised by
Sachenmachen.ch. Entitled 'feuille blanche' – French for 'blank page' – the show focused on the very first, preliminary stage of a creative process and a variety of approaches adopted by each of the designers.
Working methods, which differ among various creative disciplines, have been juxtaposed with each other thus revealing a highly-imaginative, conceptual, almost artistic aspect of industrial design. A large, rectangular 40x50cm wooden board, the said feuille blanche, served as a focal point of the show, onto which each of the exhibiting designers has projected their work in a very individual, unique manner.
The participating designers include: Gabriela Chicherio, Laetitia Florin, Fries & Zumbühl, Christian Horisberger, Thai Hua, IT'S LAUBER, Tomas Kral, Nicolas Le Moigne, Loris & Livia, Laend Phuengkit, Postfossil, Laura Pregger Designlab, Adrien Rovero, Njomza Sadikaj, Andreas Saxer, Moritz Schlatter, Moritz Schmid, Fabian Schwärzler, Sibylle Stœckli, Julie Usel, Sara Vidas and ZMIK and the exhibition will remain on show at the gallery up the rock until 15 October.
Here's how some of the designers explained the concepts behind their works:
Christian Horisberger (above):
'Meeting friends, reflecting everyday life, and being curious about details (how things are made) – playing with correlations and coming up with simple but complex solutions – is the most important part of my work., I am interested in the challenge of merging new applications, approved techniques, know-how and formal aspects., The wooden tong like piece represents my fascination of Halbzeugs and its certain beauty, in this case – pieces of a former arm rest of a vintage chair.'
Thai Hua:
'Ideas from everyday life, or that I derive from encounters when I travel are essential for my work. They are triggers of a trivial nature, but from them arise projects that have an intense internal driving force. These projects are developed further in my atelier in Zurich. For each theme, sketches are made, models developed and refined on computer, and presentations are prepared with the goal of convincing a suitable producer to take up, and with us, further develop the project. '
'First, the eye glides over the object, considering it as a whole and in ist particular form. Then the eye fixes on a detail. And so the association of ideas takes place, and the typologic element, which makes sense, unfurls and takes on a new meaning., This is how Sibylle Stoeckli invests herself in the three dimensions which surround her. She likes to modify, with a simple detail, the perception of of an object. Always with humour, she is sensitive to the modular aspect of things, the various uses that we can give them; a freedom she also leaves to the user, proposing elements which are an invitation to interact. She's also the director of a textile-project which is called louise blanche.'
'Research of an ordinary form, I am fond of simple objects that accompany us every day. I like playing with material and form, searching for limits and conventions. A spoon is a utensil of this kind, but when do we recognise a shape as a spoon?, In my experiments I combine opposites as precision and imperfection, familiarities and strangeness, sequences and unique copies, industry and handcraft and coincidence and strategy. At the end a spoon is an extension of the hand, a tool to eat and to feed, an object to measure and to dig and also to look at.'
'The situation in which a project starts is always the ground of my work. Constant observing and questioning brings it forward. In doing so I like to change the perspective from distance to focus when a colordot becomes an object or an object a colordot.'
'I often start from approved principles, systems which interest and fascinate me, solutions which are almost forgotten, or products appealing me. I interpret, transfer, change their context, or give them new assignments purpose. In order not to loose my sources of inspiration, I continuously collect them: ideally with samples, otherwise with reference pictures, sketches or notes.'
'My design practice is starting obviously by everyday life and the sensibility regarding our surrounding. Daily observations help me to develop new objects and projects. Sometimes called: technology transfer or "détournement d'objets" I like creating meeting points where the designer associates different worlds that are not supposed to meet. This means diving into unknown or less known spaces to look for unexpected things and links to create. The work "Les plaques" for Sèvres (shown for feuille blanche) explains clearly the first "dive" into Sèvres archive to understand the history and the context for new proposals.'
'I always photograph people with whom I cross paths. At some point I realised that I photograph almost exclusively older people. They tend to mix clothing from several decades, perhaps because they like a particular colour, or cut, or material, or because the piece of clothing is bound to a particular history, or holds particular memories for them. They make daring combinations in their mode of dress, because they have no need to conform. Young people always want to be extremely individual – but in the end, we all look the same. The elderly are the real punks, and my greatest inspiration.'
'The white board Postfossil shows an abstract of the project 'Trattoria utopia', which was shown during the furniture fair in Milan 2011. The project ventures a peek at the future, suggests possible scenarios and combines these with impossible ones. With help of the comments on the blog and the coloured threads Postfossil shows how they work together, how the project develops with the inputs of everybody and how the single objects arises.'
'While designing a product, I'm more interested in the first stage of creation than in the final result. For me, the object is a way to apply and exhaust what I discovered through my research. I like the beginning of a project, when the only priority is to avoid limits and open one's mind and senses, no matter where it will lead to. The process of imagining, picking up samples in the surrounding, creating shapes and feelings. This is the most difficult part of the birth of an item, but also the most gratifying and enriching. Then comes the less enjoyable but neverless essential part of the design process, during whitch a real object is developped and made feasible for production.'
'The design of furniture and home accessories became a core area of my work. By closely paying attention to work processes, concepts, and goals I build up a strategy of design process. Picture of reference and inspiration lead me to a design with a strong sense of aesthetic and visual coherence., After taking a closer look, understand, comprehend and reduce to essentials I store the collected impressions in sketchbooks and photos. This way of observation and partly unconscious look at things flows into my creative process.'
Njomza Sadikaj:
'Record and Play Life brings along a flood of information, sounds, and impressions that add up to my inspiration.'
'Creation means for me: inhaling, tracking-down, plumbing depths, testing, analysing, revising, composing, voting. I continually collect pictures, material samples, techniques for use and re-use, texts and objects. This material is stacked on my desk and fills my archive boxes. The creation phase begins with me as pictorial images in my head, or a kind of feeling on need in my belly. I pin the chosen fragments as collages on the wall. Mostly these are haptic structures and objects that fascinate me and constitute the core of the new collection. This entire inspirational world is the background and sets the standard for the first creations on paper. , The transformation of the models to complete compositions in the collection then proceeds in parallel and in sequence with drawings, and shaping through cut and draping on busts.'
'I experiment, usually working directly with a chosen material. In this project, I am interested in the idea of wearing the inside of the body on the outside, as a means to express my anxieties about my position in the world as an artist and a woman. This work talks about tensions and contradictions; they are flesh-like objects that look repulsive and attractive at the same time. It is an instinctive approach thus the title "gut feeling". They challenge our own perception of what they represent.'


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well, he ACTS nice, it seems to me at least. in New Moon he greeted Edward in a seemingly friendly way, and when he told Alice, Bella, and Edward they could go, it said that "his tone was as warm as if they were all lifelong friends". though it is an act, he keeps up the "nice" charade to manipulate people [or attempt to]Jack wrote:Hmmm. I'm not entirely sure about the acting nice. I mean, I think in a way he is the "nicer" of the twins. It's shown throughout the book that he has a much calmer temperament than Jane and I think that it allows him to be.... more manipulative, but also a little bit less petty and revengeful. She's always trying to hurt Bella over and over as soon as she finds out her powers don't work on her. Alec however, I can see him rolling his eyes behind her back while she's trying to hurt Bella.Jane V wrote:exactly. though i do think Alec could be VERY manipulative, especially since he acts all nicey-nicey.Jack wrote:I don't think I'd want Alec's power. I'd personally prefer Jane's. I mean, ok. Hers is a little sadistic, and Alec's power can be used mercifully, but we all know why Aro sends Jane to go pick up Edward, Bella and Alice instead of Alec. Jane is just more effective in getting people to behave her way. I mean Alec can use his talent but when he puts it away, they'll start fighting again. No one wants to fight Jane after she's given them a taste of her powers.
but i agree that he is wayyyy better at controlling himself than Jane


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Willard Library GhostCams
One day, we may find out who is haunting the Willard Library. Until then, watch quietly. Perhaps you'll see our Lady in Grey as she passes in front of our cameras.
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America's Favorite Quilt Shop!
Keepsake Quilting has come a long way since 1986 when Judy and Russ Sabanek turned their vision of a quilting catalog into reality. The first catalog, which mailed in the spring of 1987, met with such great enthusiasm that customers started showing up at Russ and Judy's small office hoping to see the fabrics in person. Thus, in 1988, the retail shop, which quickly became a Mecca for quilters from around the world, was born in Center Harbor, New Hampshire.
Our mostly black and white digest size catalog has grown over the years to a beautiful, full-color, full size catalog and a Web site offering a huge selection of highest quality cotton quilt fabrics, a vast array of quilting books, quilt kits, quilt patterns, specially coordinated precut quilt fabrics and quilting supplies. The shop has also grown and now includes items from our sister catalogsKeepsake NeedleArts™ and Patternworks™. The shop is not only a quilter's paradise; it has become a knitter's paradise with the adjoining Patternworks Shop. We are "America's Favorite Quilt Shop, established 1986!"


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We value the fresh perspective, deep knowledge and experience-based instincts of professionals.
We value the fresh perspective, deep knowledge and experience-based
The KPMG Global Strategy Group wants industry experts. Experienced professionals who can inspire and even shake-up their clients' thinking, and know how to create and execute winning strategies.
Whether you are currently working in management consulting, finance, industry, the public sector, an NGO or another 'big four' organization, you can expect to make an impact from day one.
Apply your expertise within KPMG's Global Strategy Group to diverse client challenges, from developing enterprise-wide strategies to shaping a client's next growth story. You'll work with a wide range of businesses, multinationals and smaller local companies, and have opportunities to expand your management and leadership skills. International assignments are a vital part of learning and development, and you may have the chance to experience a global assignment.
Explore open positions within KPMG Strategy in one of our many locations across the globe .
Working in the KPMG Strategy Group
Find out what it's like from a KPMG Strategy member firm professional. Meet the KPMG Strategy people.
KPMG's Global Strategy Group offers a fantastic career opportunity.
KPMG people are driven to find solutions for their clients, enabling them to transform their businesses and compete at a new level.
Success requires a change in thinking and execution.


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CCAC offers free tuition to dislocated workers in Allegheny County
January 13, 2009
In response to the economic downturn, Community College of Allegheny County is introducing its own stimulus package for Western Pennsylvania, offering free tuition for laid-off workers and transition programs for employers forced to downsize.
"Allegheny County and CCAC have a long history of working together to provide educational support and workforce training to our residents and businesses, especially during difficult economic times," said Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato. "Allegheny County and CCAC are proud to join together again to offer a new initiative that will provide laid-off workers with free tuition in targeted fields in order to help them retool for high-demand jobs in our area. We're fortunate to have an institution like CCAC that can quickly respond to the changing needs and circumstances of our community."
The Career Transition Center for Dislocated Workers will extend a waiver of tuition and fees to unemployed individuals when they present a letter from their employers verifying that the unemployment was due to company layoffs and not employee choice or fault. Dislocated workers can then receive free tuition and fees in one of five high-priority, high-demand certificate and degree programs within the first year after becoming unemployed.
Five programs will participate in the tuition waiver this spring, with special courses opening at a later start date in March and continuing through May. Credit programs include Information Technology Support at Boyce campus, Welding at the West Hills center and Phlebotomy at South campus.
Non-credit certificate programs include Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training at Allegheny campus and Certified Nurse Aide training, which is currently offered at the Downtown center.
The special start date in March will enable participants to complete the spring term and, in the longer programs, continue with regularly scheduled courses during summer sessions. CCAC's regular spring term began Jan. 12.
"We want to remain responsive to the needs of the community," said Dr. Alex Johnson, CCAC president. "Combined with our other short-term retraining, assistance and partnership programs, the Career Transition Center will help us to continue to support the economy of our region by providing affordable education for dislocated workers."
Interested individuals must apply for financial aid; the Dislocated Worker Tuition Waiver will cover tuition and fees beyond what is paid by other grants. Additional financial aid, such as GAP scholarships, may be able to assist with textbooks and other expenses.
The costs of the tuition waivers and establishing the Center will be absorbed by CCAC, noted Tom Santone, chair of the college's board of trustees. "CCAC has a rich history of stepping up when we face these economic crises in our region," he said. "At this time, our region and our community need CCAC."
The Career Transition Center will offer processes for individuals and employers. Dislocated workers can directly contact CCAC to find out what types of short-term options they can choose. Alternately, employers facing layoffs, downsizing or restructuring that will affect 50 or more employees can begin to plan transition strategies with the aid of Allegheny County Economic Development and CCAC through the CCAC–Allegheny County Workforce Alliance.
For more information about the Career Transition Center for Dislocated Workers, call 412-788-7351.


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Vector Advanced Metering Services (Vector AMS) is New Zealand's leading advanced metering hardware and services provider. We provide an end-to-end suite of energy metering and control services to energy retailers, distributors and consumers throughout NZ. We work closely with energy retailers and businesses to provide our services safely, efficiently and reliably.
Vector AMS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vector Limited, New Zealand's largest energy infrastructure company. We are leading the market transition to advanced metering in New Zealand. In 2008, Vector metering started the nationwide installation of advanced meters, and to date we have installed over 900,000 throughout the country.
Vector has a long history in metering through its ownership of Stream and NGC prior to the establishment of Vector AMS. Together Vector AMS and Stream own and manage electricity and gas metering throughout New Zealand, as well as provide energy data management services to commercial and industrial electricity and gas users.
Vector AMS operates independently from energy retailers and distributors and offers extensive local market knowledge. We have an ongoing commitment to significantly reduce operating costs and to provide information so energy can be managed more efficiently for our customers.


text: I don't profess to be an expert on much, such is my modesty. Even though I've lived in Korea for over nine years now and am invested in the country through family, I can't really attest an authority on much of the country's history. This is certainly an embarrassment as I'm supposed to be a history graduate.


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Google Cloud IoT
Unlock business insights from your global device network with an intelligent IoT platform.
Platform for intelligent IoT services
Google Cloud IoT is a complete set of tools to connect, process, store, and analyze data both at the edge and in the cloud. The platform consists of scalable, fully-managed cloud services; an integrated software stack for edge/on-premises computing with machine learning capabilities for all your IoT needs.
Accelerate business agility and decision making with IoT data
Gain real-time business insights from globally dispersed devices, at the edge or in the cloud, with comprehensive services from Google Cloud IoT. Device data captured by Cloud IoT Core gets published to Cloud Pub/Sub for downstream analytics. Easily do ad hoc analysis using Google BigQuery or run advanced analytics and apply machine learning with Cloud Machine Learning Engine. Plus, you can visualize results with rich reports and dashboards in Google Data Studio.
Improve operational efficiency
Discover how efficiently your devices operate, manage global assets, and carry out firmware updates on Google Cloud IoT platform. The platform supports a wide variety of embedded operating systems, works seamlessly with Debian Linux OS, and provides out-of-the-box support for devices from leading manufacturers like Intel and Microchip. Plus, trigger automatic changes based on real-time events using Cloud Functions workflows.
Enhance your IoT solution with location intelligence
Make your business location-aware with the power of Google Maps. Visualize where assets are located in real time, where they've traveled, and how often they've moved. Whether your IoT assets are indoors, in remote areas, or distributed across hundreds of cities, track them with precision.
Reference architecture
Use cases
Predictive maintenance
Automatically predict when equipment needs maintenance; optimize equipment performance in real time; predict downtime; detect anomalies; and track device status, state, and location.Read case study
Real-time asset tracking
Track valuable assets in real time, perform complex analytics and machine learning on the data collected, and display the status of your business to deliver actionable insights.Learn more
Logistics & supply chain management
Perform fleet management, inventory tracking, cargo integrity monitoring, and other business-critical functions with Google Cloud IoT's logistics solution.Read case study
Smart Cities & Buildings
Build a comprehensive solution that spans across billions of sensors and edge devices, and bring a new level of intelligence and automation to entire homes, buildings, or cities.Read case study
Our customers
Resources and integrations
Try out tutorials, launch quickstarts, and explore reviews.
Get started
Work with Google Cloud
Tell us about your business, and our experts will help you build the right solution for your needs.
Work with a Google Cloud Partner
Choose one of our global partners for help with development, deployment, consulting, support, training, and more.


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Mission Hospital was founded in Mission Viejo in 1971 and has continued to develop new programs and services to meet the ever changing needs of the community. In 1993, Mission Hospital partnered with CHOC Children?s to provide pediatric services and a year later, became a member of the St. Joseph Health network of care. In 2009, Mission Hospital expanded its geographic footprint to include south Orange County?s coast line by acquiring Mission Hospital Laguna Beach.
Mission Hospital has an award-winning staff that is leading the way in medical ingenuity. Our accomplishments have led to such awards as the Outstanding Achievement Award for the Commission on Cancer in 2008 ? causing us to be one of 66 hospitals in the entire nation to be honored. Combining care for the mind, body and spirit, we take a unique approach to every individual patient.Learn More About Our Doctors
At Mission Hospital, our Centers of Excellence offer a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to a specific condition. Choosing where to receive your healthcare is an important decision. When you choose Mission Hospital, you benefit from the convenience of advanced technology, and the peace of mind that comes from being cared for by compassionate staff. Read More [+]
At Mission Hospital, we are proud to offer many support services to provide the communities within Laguna Beach, Mission Viejo, and the surrounding areas with the optimal healthcare they deserve.Support Services
The Mission Hospital Foundation embodies the Spirit of Giving by building lifelong relationships with community members and raising funds to support Mission Hospital.
Mission Hospital Foundation will be the critical force in supporting Mission Hospital's vision to serve the community with the most advanced diagnostic care in the world.
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text: Tenacious_Peaches 0 Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Okay, I'll start a thread for new riddles, but leave the old one up for you sentimental fools. So this is a clean slate...any riddle goes, including ones that may have been mentioned in the old one. I'll start. Mrs. Shady is lying dead on a bed, and on the floor beside it is a pair of scissors. The scissors were instrumental in her death, yet there is no trace of blood. Mrs. Shady's body reveals no signs of any cuts or bruises. How could she have been murdered with the pair of scissors? Link to post Share on other sites


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This article is from the archive of our partner .
After U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry brokered a deal in the Afghan presidential election recount Saturday, he suddenly found himself on the elusive receiving end of some praise. Even The Wall Street Journal begrudged him this:
Secretary of State John Kerry may finally have accomplished a major diplomatic breakthrough: saving the Afghanistan project from the jaws of defeat.
It took 20 hours of talks over the course of two days, but the crisis between the two presidential candidates was defused. The opposing sides agreed to a deal that will have United Nations inspectors as well as observers from the parties oversee the count of the eight million ballots cast in the June 14 runoff. Current Afghan President Hamid Karzai will postpone his successor's August 2 inauguration and continue on as president until the new government is formed.
"This job will not be done until Afghanistan's leaders certify an election and honor the determination of millions of Afghans to make their voices heard," Kerry said standing next to both candidates at a joint news conference Saturday night.
Kerry initially flew to Kabul after ex-foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah accused inspectors of rigging the election for his opponent, former World Bank official Ashraf Ghani, and threatened to form a parallel government if the vote wasn't independently verified.
Perhaps most significantly, U.S. officials confirmed Sunday that they have reached the framework for an agreement to reshape the Afghan government from its current centrally structured presidency to a parliamentary system with a prime minister serving as head of the government and a president serving as head of the state. Since the political system won't change for another two or three years, the winner of the current election will become president with the second-highest vote-getter named chief executive.
American officials said it had become increasingly clear that the Afghan election process gave too much control to the winner, which is dangerous in a country with many different ethnic and religious groups.
Also of major consequence, Saturday's agreement set the stage for American military personnel to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014. This is something Karzai resisted, despite American urging. The U.S. sought a similar "Status of Forces" agreement when leaving Iraq in 2011, but failed due to the unwillingness of Prime Minister Maliki. With Iraq now fighting a civil war, the U.S. hopes to avoid a similar fate for Afghanistan.
"I think that's the message everybody's been getting from this," Said Sabir Ibrahimi an Afghanistan expert at NYU's Center for International Cooperation told The Wire.
In Iraq, Maliki purged Sunnis from his administration as he centralized power around a Shiite majority. With little role to play in the Maliki administration, many Sunnis turned elsewhere.
"When people do not have any input in determining their future and feel that the democracy that has been promised to them is a rhetorical farce, it leads to anarchy and extremism. Groups such as ISIL and the Taliban capitalize on these fears and hopelessness," Wazhmah Osman wrote in an op-ed in Al-Jazeera English Monday.
While Karzai maintains a relatively inclusive government despite centralizing power in the presidency, the United States seems unwilling to bet thirteen years of blood and treasure on the promise that his successors to take a similar approach.
The U.S. intervened in 2009 amid similar accusations of widespread voter fraud in the previous presidential election, which Abdullah eventually conceded to Karzai. There have been two additional election crises in the country in the past five years.
"You can say that the idea here is to make sure that Afghans don't have to have negotiations to create an inclusive government each time they have an election," an American official told The New York Times on the condition of anonymity Sunday.
The plan marks a change for U.S. officials who opposed such a framework in 2003 believing that a parliamentary system would be too unstable for a new democracy. Karzai has continued to express his strong opposition to a parliamentary system. Before any major changes can be made to the internal governmental structure, Abdullah and Ghani must uphold the vote count and agree on a unity government.
"The way the Afghans see it is that while the agreement is good news, they need to wait and see if the audit process goes well," Ibrahimi said. "Everyone is cautious."
If both parties maintain the deal, the inauguration of the new president will mark the first peaceful and democratic transfer of power in the history of Afghanistan.
This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Behind the lens...
This is the camera behind the stunning European imagery from Mars. The High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA's Mars Express is now mapping most of the Martian surface with unprecedented detail.
The HRSC was originally designed for the Russian Mars '96 space mission. After an unsuccessful launch in November 1996, the back-up model of the camera was modified for use on the European Mars Express mission. Another version, the HRSC-AX, has been built for airborne high-resolution 3D Earth reconnaissance and has already been used in a large number of projects.
The main part of the HRSC, the Camera Head, has a resolution of 10 metres per pixel at an altitude of 250 kilometres, the point of closest approach to Mars. The Super Resolution Channel (SRC) part is the high resolving channel with a resolution of down to 2.3 metres per pixel. The whole unit measures only 515 mm by 300 mm. SRC images will provide the most detailed information about areas of special interest, for example the examination of future landing sites.
The imaging electronics of the HRSC are based on the principle of a 'linescan' camera. This means only a line is exposed to the light, and not an area (like on ordinary 35 mm film). One CCD line of the HRSC consists of 5184 light-sensitive cells (pixels). The HRSC has nine of these lines, one for each imaging channel. The CCD exposure time is adjusted to match the ground velocity of the spacecraft.
Three channels are sensitive to the spectral ranges of red, green and blue. Another one obtains data in near-infrared. Then there are three stereo channels which are used to the digital terrain models – these take angled views to get a downward, backward and a forward-view of the surface.
From these different views, you can derive three-dimensional images. The last two channels are two photometric channels, giving data for the physical analysis of the Martian surface.
The SRC is the second part of the HRSC camera system and uses an area sensor. This means the light intensity is measured by a matrix of 1024 by 1032 elements. This produces a picture of 1024 x 1032 pixels and, from an altitude of 250 kilometres, this corresponds to a square on the Martian surface with sides of length 2.35 kilometres, each pixel representing 2.3 metres.
Normally, the main camera and the SRC work simultaneously, because of the difficulty in locating the SRC images on the Martian surface. The high-resolution SRC images are nested in the HRSC strips, giving very detailed information about areas of special interest.


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Missouri WebEOC
Missouri WebEOC is an online tool for information sharing and resource request tracking during emergencies, disasters, significant events and daily operations. SEMA and our response partners believe WebEOC provides the opportunity for leadership at all jurisdictions to work with a common operating picture and real time situational awareness of events affecting their region and the state. SEMA encourages all Missouri response partners to utilize WebEOC so that we can all be as responsive as possible to the people we serve. Use of WebEOC is restricted to Missouri response partners.
WebEOC is currently used by local and federal government agencies including, FEMA Region 7, Missouri Region D, Kansas City, faith-based and volunteer response partners, and private industry. Through WebFUSION, Missouri WebEOC users can share and access information with other WebEOC systems.
Missouri WebEOC includes a customized set of boards that have been developed specifically for Missouri. Within the context of WebEOC, boards are electronic displays of information grouped by subject matter. Information contributed to boards is displayed in real time and visible to other WebEOC users. Missouri WebEOC also contains a resource request process. WebEOC is a tool users will find both easy to learn and easy to remember.
New users can request WebEOC access on the forms on the right or contact their local emergency management director.
What users are saying about Missouri WebEOC
If you have an idea and/or need for a future board, please contact your local advisory council. Click here to check for the next council meeting.
"Great tool for Rural Emergency Management." - WebEOC Train the Trainer Evaluation comment
"I'm VERY happy with WebEOC! I truly believe that utilization of WebEOC will redefine and streamline how we do business not just during disaster but everyday work as well." - Rhonda Wiley, Atchison County emergency manager and 911 director
"Platte County has had WebEOC for 11 years and we use it on most incidents from snow storms to tornadoes, floods, and hazardous material issues. This is a system that anyone can use and it keeps those in an EOC or JIC informed of the situation and helps to make decisions on questions posed by those in the field on needs, resources and shelters. WebEOC is easy to learn, easy to use and will take a small amount of training to get you started to use immediately." - Michael O'Neal, Platte County deputy/assistant EM coordinator
In the unlikely event of a server failure, you can access the disaster recovery site at https://webeoc-dr.sema.dps.mo.gov/eoc7/.
"From the emergency management perspective, I cannot speak highly enough of WebEOC. The visibility and ability to track resource requests is phenomenal. Having everything in one place, road closures, shelter information, damage assessments and situational awareness of adjacent counties is valuable information, especially during significant weather events. Most of all, WebEOC is very user friendly; even those who have limited technical savvy will easily be able to use and navigate this system." - Michelle Kidwell, Callaway County emergency management director and 911 director
"We loved using WebEOC. We can't wait to expand the user base and use it more." - Glen Briggs Grundy County emergency management director
New users can request WebEOC access by submitting a request form or by contacting their local Emergency Management Director. Use the helpful search tool at the bottom of the SEMA home page.


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We know that when we are selling older homes there is that lead paint exhibit we must deal with. We also know that an inspection may turn up asbestos. so many folks have these issues dealt with and feel they are ready to market and sell. You get a contract you make it through an inspection. You are elated. Then ENTER the insurance company.
If you are not the original owner of the home you need to be prepared to answer some questions. Has the electric been replaced or up graded? If so when. Is the home serviced with water and sewer. If not when was the last time the septic system was serviced and has the well been tested for bacteria ? When was the last time the roof was replaced? These questions come from insurance companies so they can figure out IF they will insure the home and what they are going to charge.
Go through your older home, assemble all the records you have. You will, believe me, need them


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We are looking for highly qualified applicants for all of our programs. HUC-JIR's student body is diverse and there is no "correct path" to becoming a strong candidate. Each applicant is viewed as a unique individual. For example, a degree in Jewish studies is not required but it is important to have some background with liberal arts classes where reading and writing are emphasized.
You must be able to meet the following requirements by June of the summer you intend to enroll:


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Start your day with a steaming bowl of oats, which are full of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. This fiber-rich superfood can lower levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear.
Opt for coarse or steel-cut oats over instant varietieswhich contain more fiberand top your bowl off with a banana for another 4 grams of fiber.
Try this recipe: Chai Oatmeal
Watch the video: How to Make Overnight Oats
Photo: Istockphoto
Super-rich in omega-3 fatty acids, salmon can effectively reduce blood pressure and keep clotting at bay. Aim for two servings per week, which may reduce your risk of dying of a heart attack by up to one-third.
"Salmon contains the carotenoid astaxanthin, which is a very powerful antioxidant," says cardiologist Stephen T. Sinatra, MD, the author of Lower Your Blood Pressure In Eight Weeks. But be sure to choose wild salmon over farm-raised fish, which can be packed with insecticides, pesticides, and heavy metals.
Not a fan of salmon? Other oily fish like mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines will give your heart the same boost.
Try this recipe: Salmon Scallopini with Almond Orzo
Photo: Fotolia
Add a bit of avocado to a sandwich or spinach salad to up the amount of heart-healthy fats in your diet. Packed with monounsaturated fat, avocados can help lower LDL levels while raising the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body.
Related video: Avocado Toast, 4 Ways "Avocados are awesome," says Dr. Sinatra. "They allow for the absorption of other carotenoidsespecially beta-carotene and lycopenewhich are essential for heart health."
Try this recipe: Shrimp, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad
Photo: Fotolia
Olive oil
Full of monounsaturated fats, olive oil lowers bad LDL cholesterol and reduces your risk of developing heart disease.
Results from the Seven Countries Study, which looked at cardiovascular disease incidences across the globe, showed that while men in Crete had a predisposition for high cholesterol levels, relatively few died of heart disease because their diet focused on heart-healthy fats found in olive oil. Look for extra-virgin or virgin varietiesthey're the least processedand use them instead of butter when cooking.
Try this recipe: Shrimp With Garlic in Olive Oil
Photo: Fotolia
Walnuts are full of omega-3 fatty acids and, along with almonds and macadamia nuts, are loaded with mono- and polyunsaturated fat. Plus, nuts increase fiber in the diet, says Dr. Sinatra. "And like olive oil, they are a great source of healthy fat."
Try this recipe: Honey-Glazed Marcona Almonds
Photo: Fotolia
Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries—whatever berry you like best—are full of anti-inflammatories, which reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer.
"Blackberries and blueberries are especially great," says Sinatra. "But all berries are great for your vascular health."
Try this recipe: Angelic Berry Trifle
Photo: Istockphoto
Fill up on fiber with lentils, chickpeas, and black and kidney beans. They're packed with omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and soluble fiber.
Try this recipe: Triple Bean Salad
Photo: 123rf
Spinach can help keep your ticker in top shape thanks to its stores of lutein, folate, potassium, and fiber.
But upping your servings of any veggies is sure to give your heart a boost. The Physicians' Health Study examined more than 15,000 men without heart disease for a period of 12 years. Those who ate at least two-and-a-half servings of vegetables each day cut their risk of heart disease by about 25%, compared with those who didn't eat the veggies. Each additional serving reduced risk by another 17%.
Try this recipe: Seasoned Spinach
Photo: Istockphoto
Full of fiber and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, a little sprinkling of flaxseed can go a long way for your heart. Top a bowl of oatmeal or whole-grain cereal with a smidgen of ground flaxseed for the ultimate heart-healthy breakfast.
Try this recipe: Hearty Multigrain Bread
Photo: Fotolia
Soy may lower cholesterol, and since it is low in saturated fat, it's still a great source of lean protein in a heart-healthy diet.
Look for natural sources of soy, like edamame, tempeh, or organic silken tofu. And soy milk is a great addition to a bowl of oatmeal or whole-grain cereal. But watch the amount of salt in your soy: some processed varieties like soy dogs can contain added sodium, which boosts blood pressure.
Try this recipe: Edamame Couscous


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Many South African music lovers will flock to see R&B star Chris Brown perform in December. A man who assaulted pop superstar Rihanna in 2009, she was his girlfriend at the time. Unless you've been living under a rock these last few years, you know a few vivid details about the assault. You may have seen pictures of Rihanna's bruised face, read about blood in her mouth as he continued to beat, strangle and threaten her while driving. Pictures and the details of the charge sheet made their rounds through mainstream media outlets and went viral on social media. For a quick summary you can read this. Or you just google the whole ugly saga.
Since then we've been subjected to suggestions that Rihanna may have taken him back as boyfriend/lover/friend after forgiving him. She was on Oprah recently and it was widely circulated that even her father felt warmth and sympathy for Brown. We've been told of how Brown grew up in a violent home and that his own violence is explained by this past. After all, violated children sometimes turn into violent people, right?
This means Brown's South African fans are supporting him with full knowledge of his record. Indeed, many who are vocal about their support to end gender-based violence in South Africa, will buy tickets as part of the partying that characterises the "festive season". South Africans are not renowned for their healthy sense of irony. Nor do we hold violent men accountable. We simply like to march against violence against women but we are generally loathe to intervene and condemn it when it actually happens. We don't really like to denounce men who beat and/or rape women. We do often judge and badmouth abused women. So much commentary has focused on what Rihanna and her family feel or do not feel. If I had a rand for every time I heard "but women are their worst enemies in such cases" I would be a rich woman.
Feminists, gender activists and people opposed to violence elsewhere in the world have not found this such a complicated issue. In Guyana, several women's rights activists made it very clear that Brown was not welcome in Georgetown to perform on December 26. The Code Red for Gender Justice website outlined that although there was disagreement over the Guyanese government's decision to welcome Brown to Guyana in order to boost tourism to the Caribbean country, those critical of Brown's tour and the Guyanese government's insensitivity did not mince their words. It quoted Guyanese feminist columnist Stella Ramsaroop saying that the "decision to bring Chris Brown to entertain Guyana is a slap in the face to every single victim of domestic violence in the country". Sukree Boodram of the Caribbean American Domestic Violence Awareness said "as the grim situation on domestic violence has become a staple part of Guyana's everyday life and landscape, I believe that having a known abuser perform, gives credit to him and sends an unspoken message that it is okay to beat up on your wife or girlfriend and still stay popular and famous".
Vidyaratha Kisson wrote a much publicised letter in which he suggested what he saw as more useful options to the Brown tour. His solution is similar to that proposed by Nicole Cole from the Guyanese Women and Gender Equality Commission.
I am not convinced that there is a good way in which a woman beater can be supported. We simply cannot have it both ways: claim we want to end violence against women at the same time that we swoon over men who violate women. We should make Chris Brown unwelcome in South Africa if we are serious about ending the siege under which women live.
I share Boodram's stance where she says: "The fact that we are allowing a publicly known abuser to enter our country is blatant disregard and disrespect to our people and the cause we claim to want to eradicate. That cause is domestic violence. What kind of signal does this send? It says that 'bringing wealth into Guyana' is more important than the safety of the nation's women. It says that talking out of both sides of your mouth concerning violence against women is justified so long as everyone can dance." (Emphasis added)
And although there have been suggestions that Brown and his team did not cancel the Guyanese concert because of the outrage from women's rights activists, there is no convincing alternative explanation. South African feminists would do well to emulate our Caribbean feminist counterparts in telling Chris Brown that he is not welcome here. If we succeed in keeping him from performing, or even cut his trip short, it does not matter who gets the credit.
Written by: Pumla Gqola
Picture credit: thoughtleader.co.za
- This article was published on www.thoughtleader.co.za.
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What we read while finally knocking Ghana down a peg…
- Hillary Clinton is promoting her new book. Since it's a prelude to her campaign, it's worth considering who she might bomb, and if she would make a good candidate.
- Are there more guns in schools or fewer than years past? And on why it's hard to be "a good guy with a gun."
- The cast of Orange is the New Black as seen on Law and Order.
- New York City will finally pay out $40 million to the Central Park Five.
- Why we only like dissidents from far away.
- Hipster juries loving convicting people, presumably ironically.
- Borges was right about soccer.


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Emotiva, which started out marketing amplifiers, expanded to include preamplifiers, SSPs, speakers, and now, to complete the line, a complete series of cables. These include coaxial analog RCA, coaxial digital RCA, digital Toslink, balanced XLR, HDMI, and speaker cables. They come in two models, one being the X-Series that we review here, and the Ultra-Series, which is the entry level.
They range in price from about $40 per 1 meter pair of interconnects, up to $140 for a 3 meter pair of speaker cables. The AC power cord is $70 for 2 meters.
The Design
The cables have solid brass machined terminals that are gold-plated. Each has a PVC inner jacket, over which is a nylon braided anti-scuff jacket.
The wiring is soldered to the connectors, rather than clamped.
Conductors are oxygen-free, and are double-shielded with a solid mylar wrap overlaid with tin-plated oxygen-free copper braiding.
Speaker cables use 10 gauge stranded copper.
With the X-Series speaker cables, you can change the termination from a spade lug to a banana plug. You just unscrew the termination and screw the other one on. The inside of the screw-on termination is also gold plated.
In Use and On the Bench
Emotiva sent me a full set of cables, except for HDMI, so I was able to connect my Blu-ray player Toslink audio output to my SSP, the SSP to the power amplifiers, and the amplifiers to the front main speakers for stereo audio listening.
Emotiva claims that there is " . . . no hype, no redefining the laws of physics, just the highest level of workmanship and performance."
What I found was a sound that was pretty much what I hear with my reference cables, which cost a lot more. Bass was deep and the highs were clear. You can't ask for more than that.
Although I am skeptical about whether or not AC power cables can improve the sound, I do like the idea of having a more robust power cord than is usually included with most components, and have no problem with spending the $70 for an Emotiva X-Series AC power cable. It's very heavy, and power cables do tend to get strained and bent because they have to go from the equipment rack down to the AC receptacle on the lower part of the wall or AC power strip on the floor. So, for example, they are more likely to get pushed against when vacuuming the floor behind the equipment rack.
If you compare the impedance curve of the Emotiva speaker cables (3 meter length) with that of Legenburg's Zeus speaker cables (my current reference cables), you can see that the Emotiva cable has a bit more impedance in the frequencies above 4 kHz, but even at 20 kHz, the impedance is only 0.2 ohms. Keep in mind this is the reactive impedance, not resistive (not DC impedance), which includes the effects of any capacitance and inductance. Whether or not this produces an audible high end rolloff is debatable. I could not hear it. The Legenburgs, which are the size of a garden hose, are $8,000 for a 10 foot pair.
Here is the Impedance-Phase curve for the Emotiva X-Series RCA coax cable. This one was 2 meters (a little over 6 feet) in length. The impedance curve represents "reactive" impedance, meaning the impedance when alternating current (like music) is passing through the conductors.
I have used Nordost cables over the years and have several models because I really like them. I decided to compare the Emotiva to a Nordost RCA coax cable, so here is the curve for a 5 foot Nordost Valhalla.
Lastly, the Impedance-Phase curve for a 12 foot Radio Shack RCA coax cable.
What is interesting here is that the Emotiva coaxial cable was 0.1 Ohm for most of the audible band, and then rose to 0.12 Ohm at 20 kHz. The phase was 240 at 20 kHz. For the Nordost Valhalla, the impedance was a bit lower for most of the audible range (0.06 Ohms) and then rose to 0.1 Ohm at 20 kHz. So, the Valhalla cable had a higher rise in impedance (0.04 Ohm compared to the Emotiva which rose 0.02 Ohm) than the Emotiva, and the Emotiva was a foot longer. The phase for the Emotiva cable rose to 240, while for the Valhalla, it rose to 300 just before 20 kHz, then dropped slightly. This indicates that the Emotiva X-Series RCA interconnect has slightly superior performance, which is saying something considering the price difference, although it is impossible to say if this difference is audible. The Radio Shack 12 foot RCA interconnect was 0.3 Ohm impedance through most of the audible range, then rose 0.05 Ohm at 20 kHz. The phase rose to 300. The Radio Shack cable was 12 feet in length, so if it were 6 feet instead, the impedance would have been 0.15 Ohms instead of 0.3, which is still higher than either the Emotiva or Nordost. Note that all the cables tested for comparison had gold-plated terminations. I tested the cables using DH Labs RCA connectors which had been "zeroed" as to their own contribution to resistance and reactive impedance. The DH Labs connectors are pure copper with gold plating.
Now to something very intriguing that has just been published. In the latest issue of Audio Xpress (November, 2009), Ed Simon wrote an article about building a distortion meter to test audio cables. He was very surprised to learn the following:
(1) Solder connections were at least 50 times better than the best plain mechanical connections. (in other words, ICs should be soldered onto their circuit boards, not just plugged in).
(2) Gold connectors mating to gold connectors work best.
(3) Shiny (chrome, nickel) connectors mating to gold are not quite as good – when clean and newly inserted – but become worse within hours.
(4) Shiny plugged into shiny is not as good as gold on gold.
(5) Some gold (connectors) made for video and audio were horrible (the really cheap ones, probably gold on tin).
(6) Putting a surge through a cable lowers the distortion for a time, but it comes back.
What we can conclude from this is that a lot of what has been reported in cable reviews, as to an increase in clarity, "as if a veil had been lifted", etc., could very well be due to the simple act of pulling out the old connector and inserting a new one (a cable being reviewed). Also, whether there was gold on gold, or gold on tin, or tin on tin, could have an effect on the sound. In other words, the "improvement" in sound with a cable under review could be more from the connector – the type of metal on the surface and having just plugged it in – than from the wiring. Lastly, there are some products out there that "condition" or "burn in" cables. They may actually work, but only for awhile. So, if you have one of these burn in products, use it often. My theory about how this might work is perhaps the oxidation on the surface of the connectors is affected by a high voltage signal surge, but that is just a guess.
I was really glad to see that the Emotiva cable connectors are gold-plated. That is half the battle of the connectors. Some of my components have gold-plated plugs and jacks, others don't. I would suggest to manufacturers that they routinely use gold-plating on all of their input and output jacks. It would be important to use high quality solid copper plugs and jacks, perhaps with 0.5% tellurium as the alloy, which will make machining easier (and less expensive). They should have Teflon insulators and all connection surfaces plated with at least 3 microns of pure gold. XLR cables with gold-plated contacts are rare, and I plan on using the Emotiva XLRs in the lab now (most of my equipment is XLR balanced). So it raises the price a little. We will gladly pay it, because apparently, it will make a difference in the sound quality.
Emotiva now has a complete line of A/V components, including all types of A/V cables. They are well built and perform admirably. And, they won't set you back four figures. The fact that the contacts are gold-plated bodes well for their success in your A/V system.


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In building an investment advisory business, providing the right mix of services, and focusing on how they are delivered, is critical for practice success. While the service model offered to clients has remained fairly stable over the past several years, the latest AdvisorBenchmarking survey indicates advisors may be spending more of their time helping clients deal with challenging markets. This may explain why a significant level of RIAs either hold or are planning to hold some professional license or designation.
The largest shifts in how advisors spend their time have persisted for several years, according to the latest AdvisorBenchmarking study. This suggests that the industry may have settled into a "new normal" with a strong emphasis on relationship basics, including spending more time on client communication and client relationship management. The single biggest change in the latest survey was a shift toward more time spent on portfolio management. Challenging markets appear to be taking up more of advisors' attention as they develop investment strategies focused on meeting clients' objectives, in spite of volatile market conditions.
The areas that appear to be suffering from a lack of focus are those that require the advisor to work "on" the business: e.g., business strategy and business administration. The one increase in this area was time spent on marketing, which is important given advisors' constant focus on asset growth. What was surprising in the latest data was the decline in time spent on compliance–despite the fact that many advisors see their compliance burden as a threat to the business. The decrease in time spent on compliance, however, corresponds to a sharp increase in outsourcing in this area, suggesting that advisors have found an effective way to manage their compliance challenges while freeing up their time for other important activities.
The service offering of most RIA firms has not changed significantly in the last couple of years. The four cornerstones of advisory firms appear to be relatively stable and include: basic investment advice; retirement planning; investment management and financial planning. The second tier of services includes insurance, estate and charitable giving planning–although anywhere from 14% to 21% of advisors refer the business out, which one could speculate is part of a center of influence (COI) referral marketing strategy.
Advisors often use COI marketing to establish mutual referral relationships, and close working relationships, with specialists in other professions–with whom they can also confer and work on clients' financial issues. To help improve bottom-line performance, many investment advisors are looking to boost productivity by outsourcing solutions that create capacity for their teams or meet specific business needs. The interest in–and increased usage of–outsourcing suggests that advisory firms are looking to drive growth in more scalable ways. Each of the top outsourced functions has seen tremendous growth: tax filings (up to 54%), bookkeeping (up to 26%), human resource functions (up three-fold to 26%) and compliance (up threefold to 22%).
The service model offered by advisors appears to be relatively static and will remain so for the foreseeable future: Across a wide range of services, the "plan to offer" category did not break out of the single digits for any type of service. The services we are likely to see RIAs offer in the future are investment services to other advisors and charitable giving planning, each of which 6% of advisors plan to offer. With regard to the former, just over a fifth (21%) of advisors are offering investment management services to other advisors, a number that has remained steady since last year. But as a continuing influx of products makes portfolio construction more complex and time consuming, portfolio construction may be decreasingly productive–and even unrealistic–for the advisor to efficiently manage alone. Specializing in investment management to other advisors could provide a competitive advantage. Firms that delegate at least some investment management to subadvisors may be able to improve their overall business profile.
As with professional services, advisors' attitudes toward professional designations appear relatively static, with the lone exception being the CFP designation. The "working toward" response for the CFP designation was three to seven times higher than for other designations, which were only in the single digits–the highest being CFA at 5%. Yet the percentage of those "working toward" their CFP was considerably higher at 14%. This result is not surprising given the emphasis on planning in the RIA service model. From this data, one could argue that the "planning" services being offered by advisors is indeed getting more robust as more advisors take a regimented approach, governed and designed by an independent standard-setting body.
Many advisors find that the effort to provide the right services is often rewarded, allowing them to match their resources with the needs of their particular client base. We believe those advisors who offer the appropriate mix of services and outsource efficiently may be in the best position to strengthen relationships, improve asset flows and ensure that they are spending their valuable time in the best possible way.
AdvisorBenchmarking is a research and analysis center focused on the registered investment advisor (RIA) marketplace. Study results quoted in this article are based on the 300-plus RIA firms that took the online survey in March-May 2011. The service is aimed at helping advisors grow and enhance their firms by comparing how their businesses fare against other advisors. Advisors also learn best practices of the most successful advisors in the business.
AdvisorBenchmarking is an affiliate of Guggenheim Investments. The analysis on AdvisorBenchmarking.com is based on the number of completed surveys and reflects only information from those surveys. This information is intended to be general in nature, and these overviews are no substitute for professional, legal or consulting advice. This information should not be construed as advice from Guggenheim Investments or any of its affiliates.


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Remember the beautiful Apollo music player that a CyanogenMod developer released earlier this year? The music player was eventually included in CyanogenMod 9 and 10 builds. However, the development of the music player pretty much stopped from Andrew soon after.
Today, Andrew Neal has released an updated version of the Apollo Music Player on the Play Store — Apollo+. The new version has been completely written from scratch and contains lots of under-the-hood enhancements and bug-fixes. He will also merge the updated app with CyanogenMod sometime soon.
However, the version of the app included in CyanogenMod will be different from Play Store one. The latter will be updated more frequently and contain more features. The app also comes in two versions – a free, ad supported version and a paid one for a mere dollar.As of now, the app is not optimized for the tablet layout, but Andrew is working on it and expects to add it sooner than later.
The developer is eagerly responding to all feedbacks, including negatives ones and feature requests, over at Reddit. So head over and directly give him your feedback!


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Rebels, Central African Republic to hold talks
Talks between Central African Republic's government and the rebels who now control much of the country's north are set to get under way no later than Friday, the president of Republic of Congo has announced.
Delegations were expected to travel to Gabon on Monday, though a plane carrying the government officials along with members of the country's political opposition failed to leave Bangui, the capital, as scheduled.
President Denis Sassou Nguesso of Republic of Congo met Monday with the embattled leader of Central African Republic, Francois Bozize, and declined to comment on reports the rebels are still seeking his ouster as a condition of the talks.
"In our capacity as mediator, we can't interpret the declarations of others," he said. "The fact that we hold to is that all the parties have agreed that we are going to negotiations."
The rebel delegation, meanwhile, arrived Monday in Gabon as a spokesman in Paris claimed the fighters could still take the government-fortified city of Damara or Bangui but were holding back out of concern for the 700,000 people who live there.
"If we wanted to take Damara, it would already be done. We have the means to take Damara and also to take Bangui today, but we don't want the capital to suffer attacks," rebel spokesman Eric Massi told The Associated Press in Paris on Monday.
The meetings were set to begin Tuesday, with high-level discussions due to take place later in the week. But the president of Republic of Congo said late Monday that talks will begin no later than Friday, and he urged the rebels to hold their positions at the demarcation line already established.
Meanwhile, a plane carrying members of the government delegation, the country's political opposition and other scheduled participants did not take off as scheduled Monday evening.
The passengers were told the flight was canceled due to a "technical problem" and would fly to Gabon early Tuesday, said Abdoulaye Issene, president of the CPJP, a rebel group that signed a peace agreement with the government who says he is not part of the alliance behind the recent offensive.
This week's scheduled meetings between rebels, the government and the country's political opposition in Libreville, Gabon, come a month after fighters from several armed groups began their rebellion against a government that has wielded little power over its vast and sparsely populated north.
While the rebels - who call themselves Seleka, which means alliance in the local Sango language - have halted their advance toward Bangui, they now hold a dozen cities and towns. The rebellion poses the greatest threat to Bozize's presidency since he himself seized power in 2003.
Bozize already has offered up the possibility of a coalition government, a proposal the rebels have dismissed. A rebel spokesman has said the fighters want Bozize gone, a stipulation that could derail talks altogether.
The government's chief mediator, Willibiro Sako, said the objective of the talks is "to try to look into the problems of our country and find solutions for the peace, security and development of Central African Republic."
"We have to start to enter into dialogue even if at times there were some who did not agree with each other," he said on Monday.
In this nation of 4.4 million, many have little faith the government will be able to reach a lasting agreement with the rebels, especially because multiple peace accords already have been signed over the years with several different groups.
"Even if the rebel leaders reach an agreement with the Bangui government, their people on the ground will not get their piece of cake," said Henry Yenzapa, 42, a history professor at the University of Bangui.
While the rebels had vowed to halt their advance pending the negotiations, residents said two towns were seized over the weekend. Massi, the Paris-based spokesman, accused Bozize of planning to use those towns as jumping off points to spy on Seleka forces.
"We were simply securing our position in taking these two towns and preventing these acts of espionage," said Massi, who identifies himself as Seleka's spokesman, though others within Central African Republic also say they speak for the alliance.
Residents in the capital have been reassured by the presence of regional troops from Gabon, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, and Chad to help stabilize the country. South Africa also has said it is sending 400 soldiers to help support national forces here.
"The military aid provided by the (10-nation) Economic Community of Central African States reassures us that the rebels are not going to continue their advance in the direction of Bangui," said Patrick Bangui, a 27-year-old student.
The shaky rebel alliance, Seleka, is made up of four rebel groups all known by their French acronyms - UFDR, FDPC and CPSK and a faction of CPJP.
The rebels "are going to have zero confidence in many promises that Bozize makes," said Jennifer Cooke, director of the Africa program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Still, she had a scrap of optimism.
"There's a possibility of an agreement - the question is building confidence on both sides, particularly the rebel side, and maintaining it going forward," Cooke said.
Associated Press writers Louis Okamba in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo; Sarah DiLorenzo in Paris; Hippolyte Marboua in Bangui, Central African Republic; and Yves Laurent Goma in Libreville, Gabon, contributed to this report.