text:
Australian suspected of Mossad links dies in Israeli jail/
Evidence has been unearthed that strongly suggests Israel's infamous Prisoner X, who was jailed under extraordinary circumstances in 2010, was an Australian national from Melbourne.
Investigations by the ABC's Foreign Correspondent program have revealed Ben Zygier, who used the name Ben Alon in Israel, was found hanged in a high-security cell at a prison near Tel Aviv in late 2010.
His body was flown to Melbourne for burial a week later.
The death goes part of the way to explain the existence in Israel of a so-called Prisoner X, widely speculated in local and international media as an inmate whose presence has been acknowledged by neither the jail system nor the government.
The case is regarded as one of the most sensitive secrets of Israel's intelligence community, with the government going to extraordinary lengths to stifle media coverage and gag attempts by human rights organisations to expose the situation.
Watch the full Foreign Correspondent report on Prisoner X on iview.
The Prisoner X cell is a jail within a jail at Ayalon Prison in the city of Ramla. It was built for the assassin of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.
The ABC understands Mr Zygier became its occupant in early 2010. His incarceration was so secret that it is claimed not even guards knew his identity.
Israeli media at the time reported that this Prisoner X received no visitors and lived hermetically sealed from the outside world.
When an Israeli news website reported that the prisoner died in his cell in December 2010, Israeli authorities removed its web pages.
An Israeli court order prohibiting any publication or public discussion of the matter is still in force; Israel's internal security service, Shin Bet, has effectively blocked any coverage of the matter.
Secret imprisonment
Foreign Correspondent can reveal that Mr Zygier was 34 at the time of his death and had moved to Israel about 10 years earlier. He was married to an Israeli woman and had two small children.
Mr Zygier's arrest and jailing in Israel remains a mystery, but the ABC understands he was recruited by spy agency Mossad.
It is understood Mr Zygier "disappeared" in early 2010, spending several months in the Prisoner X cell.
At the time, human rights organisation Association for Civil Rights in Israel criticised the imprisonment and wrote to Israel's attorney-general.
"It's alarming that there's a prisoner being held incommunicado and we know nothing about him," wrote the association's chief legal counsel Dan Yakir.
The assistant to the attorney-general wrote back: "The current gag order is vital for preventing a serious breach of the state's security, so we cannot elaborate about this affair."
Contacted by the ABC, Mr Yakir would not comment on the case, quoting a court order gagging discussion.
It's called a disappearance, and a disappearance is not only a violation of that person's due process rights - that's a crime.
Bill van Esveld, a Jerusalem-based advocate for Human Rights Watch, has described the secret imprisonment of Prisoner X as "inexcusable".
"It's called a disappearance, and a disappearance is not only a violation of that person's due process rights - that's a crime," he told Foreign Correspondent.
"Under international law, the people responsible for that kind of treatment actually need to be criminally prosecuted themselves."
Mr Zygier's apparent suicide in prison adds to the mystery. He was found hanged in a cell which was equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance systems installed to prevent suicide. Guards reportedly tried unsuccessfully to revive him.
His body was retrieved and flown to Melbourne. He was buried in Chevra Kadisha Jewish cemetery in the suburb of Springvale on December 22, seven days after his death.
Mr Zygier's family has declined to speak to the ABC, and friends and acquaintances approached by Foreign Correspondent in Melbourne have also refused to comment.
Mossad activityLoading...
Australia's domestic intelligence agency ASIO has long scrutinised Australian Jews suspected of working for Mossad.
The agency believes Mossad recruits change their names from European and Jewish names to "Anglo" names. They then take out new passports and travel to the Arab world and Iran, to destinations Israeli passport holders cannot venture.
Warren Reed, a former intelligence operative for Australia's overseas spy agency ASIS, told Foreign Correspondent that Australians were ideal recruits for Mossad.
"Australians abroad are generally seen to be fairly innocent," he said.
"It's a clean country - it has a good image like New Zealand.
"There aren't many countries like that, so our nationality and anything connected with it can be very useful in intelligence work."
The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that Mr Zygier also carried an Australian passport bearing the name Ben Allen.
'Allegations troubling'
When told details of Foreign Correspondent's investigation, Foreign Minister Bob Carr said he was concerned by the claims.
"Those allegations certainly do trouble me," Senator Carr said.
"It's never been raised with me. I'm not reluctant to seek an explanation from the Israeli government about what happened to Mr Allen and about what their view of it is.
"The difficulty is I'm advised we've had no contact with his family [and] there's been no request for consular assistance during the period it's alleged he was in prison."
Senator Carr says in the absence of a complaint by Mr Zygier's family, there is little for the Australian Government to act upon.
However the transgression came about, it would have to be involved with espionage, treachery - very, very sensitive information that known to others would pose an immediate threat to Israel as a nation state.
International conventions spell out that when a foreigner is jailed or dies, their diplomatic mission must be informed.
Senator Carr claims Australian diplomats in Israel only knew of Mr Zygier's incarceration after his death.
Mr van Esveld says it is inexcusable for the Australian Government not to be notified.
"The obligation of one country to notify another when the other citizen has been arrested, detained, especially if they die - that is so basic. It is called customary law," he said.
"Which means that even if Israel didn't ratify a treaty saying it has to notify the other country, it still has to do so because that is such a basic norm of interstate relations."
The greater mystery is why Mr Zygier was imprisoned under such secrecy.
Sources with connections to Israel's intelligence community have told Foreign Correspondent his predicament would have been "extreme" to warrant such harsh treatment.
Former ASIS operative Mr Reed told the ABC: "However the transgression came about, it would have to be involved with espionage, treachery - very, very sensitive information that known to others would pose an immediate threat to Israel as a nation state."


text:
House of Tudor
Our editors will review what you've submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
Recent News
House of Tudor, an English royal dynasty of Welsh origin, which gave five sovereigns to England: Henry VII (reigned 1485–1509); his son, Henry VIII (1509–47); followed by Henry VIII's three children, Edward VI (1547–53), Mary I (1553–58), and Elizabeth I (1558–1603).
The origins of the Tudors can be traced to the 13th century, but the family's dynastic fortunes were established by Owen Tudor (c. 1400–61), a Welsh adventurer who took service with Kings Henry V and Henry VI and fought on the Lancastrian side in the Wars of the Roses; he was beheaded after the Yorkist victory at Mortimer's Cross (1461). Owen had married Henry V's Lancastrian widow, Catherine of Valois; and their eldest son, Edmund (c. 1430–56), was created Earl of Richmond by Henry VI and married Margaret Beaufort, the Lady Margaret, who, as great-granddaughter of Edward III's son John of Gaunt, held a distant claim to the throne, as a Lancastrian. Their only child, Henry Tudor, was born after Edmund's death. In 1485 Henry led an invasion against the Yorkist king Richard III and defeated him at Bosworth Field. As Henry VII, he claimed the throne by just title of inheritance and by the judgment of God given in battle, and he cemented his claim by marrying Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward IV and heiress of the House of York. The Tudor rose symbolized the union by representing the red rose of the Lancastrians superimposed upon the white rose of the Yorkists.
The Tudor dynasty was marked by Henry VIII's break with the papacy in Rome (1534) and the beginning of the English Reformation, which, after turns and trials, culminated in the establishment of the Anglican church under Elizabeth I. The period witnessed the high point of the English Renaissance. During Elizabeth's reign, too, through a generation of wars, Spain and the Irish rebels were beaten, the independence of France and of the Dutch was secure, and the unity of England was assured.
By act of Parliament (1544) and his own will and testament, Henry VIII left the crown to his three children in turn—Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I—and provided that, in the event that they died without issue, the crown would pass to the descendants of his younger sister, Mary, before those of his elder sister, Margaret, widow of James IV of Scotland. During her reign, Elizabeth refused to choose between Edward Seymour, Lord Beauchamp (descendant of Mary) and King James VI of Scotland (descendant of Margaret)—the former being the heir under Henry VIII's will and act of succession and the latter being the heir by strict hereditary succession. On her deathbed, however, she selected the king of Scotland—who became James I of Great Britain, first of the English House of Stuart.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
In another example of his highly developed strategy of "leading from behind," President Barack Obama gave a speech in Las Vegas coming out in favor of Immigration Reform just a day after a group of Senators announced the outlines of a bipartisan plan for … Immigration
Get used to this. In his first four years in office, President Obama pretended he had nothing to do with almost anything going on with the economy or in foreign policy. If it was going badly - whatever "it" might have been - it was all George W's fault. Or the Republicans in Congress. Or
If it was going well - whatever "it" might have been - it was a first person victory "I did it," or "My administration did it."
Mr. Obama got so used to this construct, that he got himself wound around the axle during a campaign address when he uttered the famous phrase "You didn't build that" which had unusual currency because of his pattern of taking full and sole credit for "it" - whatever "it" might have been.
For instance, MSNBC ran a story about part-time, or "adjunct" college teachers who are losing courses - and income - because of Obamacare.
Seems that one of the things we didn't know about until it was passed in the Affordable Care Act was a requirement that anyone working 30 hours or more had to be covered by his or her
Adjunct professors, who are often professionals in an area like accounting or politics, can provide an important alternative view, especially to upper level students, that is different from a purely academic approach normally provided by full-time professors.
Nevertheless, because of Barack Obama, "Adjunct faculty from at least four universities will see their hours cut as colleges try to reduce the number of full-time employees whose health care they need to cover."
Just to make sure that no adjunct professor slips out of its clutches, the IRS has ruled, according to the DailyBeast.com, that when determining how many hours a teacher works, "It would not be a reasonable method of calculating an instructor's work hours for colleges to take into account 'only classroom or instruction time and not other hours that are necessary to perform the employee's duties, such as class-preparation time.'"
The IRS works for Barack Obama. Maybe he could just whip out that Executive Order pen he used to such good effect on Gun Control Day and tell them to back off.
The foreign policy aspect of leading from behind is even less pleasant to examine. The Arab Spring that had American Liberals doing hand springs in celebration - albeit from 4,000 miles away - hasn't turned out all that well.
The Syrian demonstrations - turned uprising - turned civil war - has caused the death of more than 60,000 people according to the United Nations, which has not been able to find a path to helping stop the slaughter.
Just last night CNN was reporting that the riots in Egypt have gotten so bad that the Defense Minister has warned they "may lead to the collapse of the state and threaten the future of our coming generations."
In Libya, according to the Associated Press, the U.N.'s special representative yesterday "warned the Security Council that France's military offensive in northern Mali may drive Islamic insurgents out and across the porous borders with Algeria and into Libya."
The representative also told reporters that "About 200,000 armed men 'are not ready to get absorbed' into the new Libyan institutions, adding to the instability."
That leading from behind thing is working better and better in North Africa.
During his immigration speech the President said: "If Congress is unable to move forward in a timely fashion, I will send up a bill based on my proposal and insist they vote on it right away,"
Yes, well, when he is Prime Minister of the World he might be able to tell the Intergalactic Parliament what to vote on and when, but as of now Mr. Obama is merely the President of the United States and the Congress has been loathe - over the past 224 years - to cede the power of Floor scheduling to the White House.
Someone should remind the President each and every day that he is now entering his fifth year - not fifth day - in office and he could have "insisted" on Immigration Reform at any point in his first term.
Nah. Leading from behind takes time.


text:
"gams developers?"
I leave THAT to folk with more wit than me...
Microsoft is throwing cash at iPhone games developers in a bid to increase the number of applications for its yet-to-launch Windows Phone 7. A report from Pocket Gamer says that Microsoft is contacting successful iPhone developers and offering them "substantial" amounts of money – up front – to port their software to Windows …
.... and I wish them every success - it can't be good there there is no practical alternative to Apple app store. Everyone will benfit if Microsoft can woo app developers into new platform and is willing to fork for the cost of porting the code. For one, Apply may be forced to rethink how they apply ever-changing app store policies.
Nokia has its OVI store and Android, um, not sure what they've got but there must be something out there for its applications. I downloaded the SDK yesterday and am currently immersing myself in the Android programming book. The device simulator looks cool. And all this is physically free and free from restrictions and was set up with Eclipse in not much time at all.
I'm going to be interested in pushing the boundaries of this puppy over the next few months; and with tablets running Android as well, oohhh... forget the app store, writing my own is going to be sooo... sweet.
Microsoft have the potential to become simply another apple. They also don't say the age of those devices that are out there. Personally, if they're more than a year old or maybe a year and a half, they shouldn't count. Windows 6 has been out there for more than three years now.
This is beginning to remind me of SCO (aka SCOX for those of you who were following the amusing stock prices). Yeah, Microsoft has much deeper pockets, but their so-called 'mobile OS' has never been as lively as Frankenstein's monster. "Igor, the monster will live in the next version!"
It doesn't really surprise me that Microsoft continues to pour good money after bad. That's just corporate inertia. The thing that amazes me is that Microsoft still hasn't figured out what's fundamentally wrong here. It's not the anti-freedom thing (projective advertising notwithstanding), but the OS mindset. If your underlying perspective of your OS is as a weapon to blow away the competition, then of course you can't make it small and nimble. Who wants a teeny tiny weapon? Weapons always get bigger and hairier, even if they sometimes plotz (like Vista). The result of Microsoft's OS philosophy HAS to be humongous and scary, so the little old lady who just wants to send email to her nieces on Sundays winds up with a trench mortar. Is anyone expecting such users to handle all the power of Windows? Nope, but the spammers sure do love those supercomputer zombots.
"...there's a huge question mark over the long-term wisdom of such a move."
Well, Windows 7 mobile games will work on Linux, Mac and Windows, both inside and outside of the browser (as they run over Silverlight). So how could you forget to mention something like that?
You convientley forget the myriad of Linix & Mac (as well as a few Windows) users who will have absoultely nothing to do with any app that run in Silverlight.
As for using Moonlight, well I did try. Honect guv but more than 90% of sites refused to recognise is as a viable alternative to Silverlight and promtly re-directed me to the Microsoft sire to download Silverlight for Windows.
In some ways, I applaud Apple's decision to not support Flash on their devices. HTML5 is a far better alternative.
So here we have Microsoft contining their Lockin mantra when the world around them is changing.
Fail for obvious reasons
Unity blows Silverlight (and Flash) out of the water, and has been gaining a lot of traction in the game development community.
It'll even run your game on the XBox360, Wii and, shortly, the PS3.
If you're building multi-platform games, Unity is a no-brainer. Even EA and Cartoon Network are using it.
... there's the small, but rather significant issue of UI design to consider. A Windows Phone 7 game isn't going to be much fun to play on a desktop PC with a much bigger display, but no multi-touch screen, compass or motion sensor installed.
There's nothing inherently useful in Windows Phone 7 relying on Silverlight for multi-platform developers. You'd still have to radically change the game's UI to work with each supported platform.
Simply because the majority of the devs had already an iPlode, so they were already stoned by Apple. That's the meaning of the halo effect.
And it's really hard to break that as long as the iPlodes successes: you feel to surf upon a really good wave.
Beside that, there is the quality of the devkit, but closed against closed, your devkits have to be wonderful otherwise, as a dev, you'll find more rooms and dreams on an open-platform.
PS: one says "aculturation" in English ?
"gams" for "games", "tat" for "that", "money" used as singular, "market place" as two words, "Microsoft hoped that by publishing...would be enough to tap a vein" (what would be enough?). I'm sure these were down to haste and not ignorance, but it only takes a couple of seconds to run a spelling and grammar check if you're writing an article for public consumption.
not likely. Verizon has a mandatory data plan for smart phone users, at&t has one -- and it's like $25-30. sprint has one, maybe t-mobile allows for "no data" still. I think Most ppl who are willing to shell out that much extra already have.
Of course, i suppose they could churn out more phones like the Kin -- which has an early winmo7 prerelease but is not a smart phone, just has a canned like twitter & facebook app on it. But i doubt they'll sell 30 million of those either.
Are they really that desperate? Smells like horse shit to me especially when they've got so many devs to hand who are already developing for the xbox. Don't get me wrong I'd like to see nothing more than Windows burn in the flames of Hades, after the years of pain gave me before I switched to something decent.
Google "500 kin phones". It's hilarious. The vanguard of Windows Phone 7, the Kin, is going down as one of the most epic failures in the history of technology. It's the CueCat all over again.
It's been available for over a month and not only has it been marked down from $349.99 to $.01 on Amazon.com, you can still be the first to review it:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003H4R6SA/
Microsoft later clarified that the slide from that presentation that said "30 million devices" was not 30 million devices shipped by the end of 2011, but it was that there would be 30 million Windows Phones in consumers' hands by the end of 2011. That means all the existing Windows Mobile devices as well.
.... obviously doesn't know where to shop ;)
Does this mean than interest in WP7 is so low MS is having to go out and buy apps so they can launch with a decent catalog (after all, for the last 5 years they've let their old phone platform wither and die so I'm not sure I'd want to take a bet on it)
or are they just being proactive and ensuring that the Marketplace has a high bar of quality apps and good experiences are available for the early adopters from day 1?
I'd like to think it's the latter
that said, beyond a few apps I care much more about having a device that's usable out of the box - snappy UI, basic smartphone functionality (have you tried to use the "contacts" app on a current generation WM device with pager and carphone and radio telephone fields?!), a decent browser (Pocket IE sure isn't one of those), decent (real world all day) battery life and... that ability to actually make calls!
For a measly two billion dollars, M$ could offer all iOS developers a two-for-one deal. They could offer to pay developers two dollars for every one dollar they earned through Apple's iOS App Store. Apple just announced that iOS developers have earned one billion dollars; clearly it's not too late yet.
Another idea: Micro$oft could offer developers the big end of a 100%:0% split on app revenues. This beats the hell out of the 70%:30% split that Apple offers. IF one billion dollars is the 70% that Apple paid, then the extra 30% is less than a half billion ($429M).
Here is the best idea of all. Microsoft could pay developers to port their apps, offer them 100% of app store revenues, and offer W7P phone owners a 100% discount on ported apps (total cost < $3.5G)
That's how the big boys flex their power!
A platform that uses existing, well established tools and languages seems like a good proposition for all those developers not already writing apps of sometimes questionable quality for Android who don't want to buy a Mac and learn Objective-C.
I dare say many developers have been waiting for Microsoft to pull their finger out and deliver the right platform with the right tools.
Microsoft have money to make this work - lots of money.
There are a number of things about Apples App Store which competition may be a good way to get suppressed.
The rules about approval for your application seems to depend on Steve Jobs whims, and it seems your application can be withdrawn at random if those whims change. It seems you are fine to have an application containing boobies if you are a large company like Playboy, but not if you're a small time developer. You have to clear a revenue threshold for each country before you get any money from that country, instead of simply clearing a number of sales internationally, which seems to me to be a scam to get more money for Apple at the expense of lower unit selling applications. At least Microsoft is actually giving developers money upfront.
Ensuring there is a level playing field for all should be mandatory, and whilst I'm not really a Microsoft fanboy, I don't have any objection to them providing competion
Windows Phone 7 won't last.
Microsoft's only stand-out feature was the ability to port XNA games from Xbox onto Windows Phone 7 handsets. But this has been a disaster, as app vendors have totally ignored it.
Now Microsoft is in the humiliating situation of having to bribe iPhone developers with cash to port their iPhone games to Windows Phone 7.
With no outstanding features, and tons of missing features, Windows Phone 7 will get slaughtered in the market, up against the very mature Android and iPhone.
The recent Reg article about the broken compass API is yet another recent example of WP7 shortcomings...
Windows Phone 7 doesn't stand a chance. DOA.
I have this soon to be developed iPhone app that does more than all other apps combined. It slices, it dices, and it talks to you. I should have it released by the end of the year, and if you give me $$$ I will make sure it works on WP7 (or whatever that is). Just send me the $$$.
If it is ready to go on your WP7 platform at the end of the year, we will both be surprised, as I might need more time to perfect the product. Be patient, it will be available "real soon now" and will perform "real good stuff". Just like Vista, the end all in operating systems.
What do you say Microsoft?? Give me the bux!
OVI store needs that, Nokia need to do that. Only way they can get buy in for whatever they call their linux OS and the dying Symbian OS that won't go away, otherwise they will always be floundering in last place. With video clips of ironman 2 and the same ten games.
Can't get people to buy in just by launching phone after crap phone. They need to bribe the developers, get the apps in which will then entice customers.
MS are doing the right thing as they know they have a mountain to climb. Problem is they are STILL trying to copy Apple, the phone OS design, the ethics, now the apps??? We really think people will go to MS after Apple for the same experience? Ballmers an idiot with way too much money.
What happens when WinCE 7 (or whatever they're branding it these days) remains a statistically insignificant global market, populated by a clusterfudge of inconsistently performing and even behaving devices owned by people who never, ever spent money on extra apps... you know, just like every previous version?
When you never cover the "advance", do they come after you looking for their money back?


text:
SAN DIEGO — In a race against the clock, a San Diego lab is scrambling to get a COVID-19 vaccine out and on the market. As the days go by, Inovio Pharmaceuticals is getting closer to releasing the desperately needed vaccine against the deadly virus.
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, which is located in Sorrento Valley, has also created a vaccine for the Zika virus, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and the vaccine for Ebola.
RELATED: CDC cites label error in mixup involving San Diego COVID-19 patient
Dr. Trevor Smith, who is the director of research and development at Inovio, said, "It's something we are trained to do, and the infrastructure is here and the expertise is in house."
When Chinese scientists released the genetic sequence on Jan. 9, Inovio researchers got to work immediately and within 3 hours they had a vaccine for coronavirus, or COVID-19 as it is now being referred to.
"We have an algorithm which we designed, and we put the DNA sequence into our algorithm and came up with the vaccine in that short amount of time," said Dr. Smith.
Tens of thousands in China have been quarantined and continue to suffer from the virus. That's why scientists at Inovio Pharmaceuticals say they feel the sense of urgency to get the vaccine out.
The vaccine has been tested on mice and guinea pigs. It will next be tried on a group of human patients.
Scientists hope the vaccine will work like a piece of biological software. In other words, the vaccine will give the human body instructions to create the proper attack in the form of T-cells and antibodies against COVID-19.
If all goes as planned, clinical trials in humans could begin by early this summer, but they will still need FDA approval.
Currently, an Inovio Pharmaceuticals lead researcher is in Sweden meeting with the World Health Organization to come up with the best plan of attack against COVID-19.
RELATED: San Diego County declares public health emergency due to COVID-19
RELATED: More people wearing face masks since COVID-19 outbreak


text:
Sidney Center Outcrops
Sidney Center Outcrops
Located in Delaware County
Image courtesy of Dan Bishuk, Jon Hairabedian, James Ebert
Type: Quarry.
Features: Non-marine to marine transition of the Catskill Clastic Wedge;
Rare ripple cross-lamination; sparse fossils (Sphenotus, fish plates, plant fragment).
Delicate in loco plant stems preserved as a carbonized impression.
Feature Type: Stratigraphic, Outcrop, Fossils, Scenic, Other.
Reference: NYS Geological Association Field Trip Guidebook, 63rd Annual Meeting 1991;
Storm-Dominated Shelf and Tidally-Influenced Foreshore Sedimentation, Upper Devonian Sonyea Group,
Bainbridge to Sidney Center, New York. For Online Reference Please visit: - www.nysga.net/Guidebooks.html
Quadrangle: Unadilla.
Reason for Designation: The suspected oxisol profile at the Steele Residence Quarry is not known
to occur outside this study area in NYS. The oxisol is believed to be unique within NYS because development
of large, long-lived interfluve areas where tidal processes dominated has not been documented elsewhere in the state.
Cattarugus Magnafacies rocks of this kind have not been described elsewhere in NYS.
Sedimentary structures are displayed in dramatic fashion.


text:
Amazon Opens Portal for Mobile App Distribution in Japan
Amazon Opens Portal for Mobile App Distribution in Japan
Amazon continues to expand internationally, invites developers around the world to start submitting apps for distribution in Japan later this year
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (Nasdaq: AMZN) - Amazon.com, Inc. announced that developers can now submit apps for distribution later this year in Japan. This is another significant addition to Amazon's complete end-to-end platform for developers looking to build, market, and monetize their apps and games. Developers can get started today by visiting the Amazon Mobile App Distribution Portal.
Millions of customers have been discovering and buying Android apps for their phones and tablets since the launch of Amazon's U.S. Appstore last year, and the company's merchandising, personalization and recommendation technologies are enabling developers to attract even more customers. Amazon also recently expanded distribution into the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany and Spain, further enabling developers to grow their business. Additionally, Amazon's developers have reported strong monetization from the apps they have distributed, by incorporating services like In-App Purchasing and Amazon's secure, 1-Click purchasing. The In-App Purchasing API makes it easy to offer digital content and subscriptions —such as in-game currency, expansion packs, upgrades, magazine subscriptions and more— for purchase within their apps. Amazon's secure 1-Click purchasing experience gives customers a seamless shopping experience when purchasing content.
Developers distributing game apps on Amazon's platform in the U.S. have also reported increased customer engagement using services from Amazon such as GameCircle, which offers features like leaderboards, achievements and syncing game-state between Kindle devices. To get started developers can visit https://developer.amazon.com/sdk/gamecircle.html.
GameCircle is just one of the many unique developer tools and services offered from Amazon for gaming. To learn more, including Amazon Web Services and how developers are building games in the cloud, visit http://aws.amazon.com/game-hosting/.
"Opening our portal to app and game developers looking to reach Japanese customers is an important milestone as we strive to serve consumers and developers globally," says Jim Adkins, Vice President of the Amazon Appstore. "Many of our existing developers are anxious to localize their apps and games for Japanese consumers, and we look forward to working with new developers that have been waiting for a chance to bring their Japanese content to the Amazon platform. By continuing to expand our app program internationally, as well as build upon the app services offered by Amazon, we are giving developers the opportunity to attract more customers and expand their businesses."
"I am delighted with the strong relationship that we've cultivated with Amazon, in both Mobile App Distribution and AWS. Amazon boasts some of the highest customer LTVs we've seen on any platform, and a suite of end-to-end developer solutions that impact bottom line results. The flexible and cost-effective platform allows us to scale up and down as needed while only paying for the resources used. In addition, their recommendation features really benefit customer experience and discovery," said Suli Ali, CEO of TinyCo, maker of Tiny Monsters, and Tiny Village. "We think the services offered through the Amazon platform have contributed to much of the success, so we are very excited to expand our offerings to Amazon's customers in Japan."
"With chart-topping fan favorites from acclaimed series such as Final Fantasy, Square Enix firmly believes that distribution in Japan through Amazon will be a fantastic avenue to reach an entirely new segment of Amazon's loyal user base," said Yoichi Wada, CEO of Square Enix. "We have been eagerly awaiting Amazon's expansion into Japan, and think it marks an exciting opportunity to tailor our interactive entertainment experiences for even more players around the world."
"We are very excited by the launch of the Developer Portal in Japan, and look forward to introducing the Yahoo! Japan app to Amazon's Japanese customers," says Manabu Miyasaka, President and CEO of Yahoo Japan.
"We've been a top app on the Amazon Appstore in the U.S. and we look forward to expanding to Japan with Amazon," said Diana Moldavsky, Chief Revenue Officer, ZeptoLab. "Amazon's strong app discovery tools such as Free App of the Day will make it easy for Japanese users to discover and experience local favorites, as well as best-selling games loved by millions of people around the world."
"We see Amazon's plans to expand their services into Japan as a very exciting opportunity for Halfbrick. Amazon's name is synonymous with quality e-commerce and that quality can be seen throughout their mobile game and application distribution," said Shainiel Deo, CEO of Halfbrick. "Features like 1-Click purchasing, customer reviews and In-App Purchasing are just part of what helps Amazon deliver an excellent experience for developers and consumers. In addition, Amazon's unique marketing opportunities, such as Free App of the Day, really help us deliver our games to end-users."
"Gamers are always hungry for great content and Amazon has been a fantastic avenue for G5 Entertainment to reach a huge new segment of consumers. Our fan-favorite, premium hidden object and time management games like Royal Trouble and Virtual City Playground are topping the casual gaming charts," said Marta Miernik, Head of Communications for G5 Entertainment. "Amazon's expansion into Japan broadens our reach and enables us to bring great mobile entertainment experiences to an even larger consumer base around the world."
"The Weather Channel is happy to be available with Amazon's mobile app distribution in Japan. Our app offers Japanese consumers the most comprehensive set of weather information available in order to plan their day - whether they're headed to work, school, the movies or the park," said Mike Zarrilli, Vice President of international at The Weather Channel Companies. "Working with a strong global partner like Amazon helps us reach our goal to provide the most accurate weather to users anywhere in the world, no matter the screen, platform, country or language."
For developers looking to market their apps to tens of millions of customers across the globe, Amazon makes it easy to take advantage of unique marketing and awareness-building programs like Free App of the Day. Developers can also make their apps more attractive to an international audience by referring to the Distribution Portal for Android localization tips. Developers have the ability to select the countries where they would like to sell their apps and can set their list prices by country. Developers can sign up at the Amazon Mobile App Distribution Portal, and for new developers, Appstore will waive all first year program fees.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) , a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the most-advanced e-reader ever constructed with 62% more pixels and 25% increased contrast, a patented built-in front light for reading in all lighting conditions, extra-long battery life, and a thin and light design. The new latest generation Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, now features new, improved fonts and faster page turns. Kindle Fire HD features a stunning custom high-definition display, exclusive Dolby audio with dual stereo speakers, high-end, laptop-grade Wi-Fi with dual-band support and dual-antennas/MIMO for 40% faster throughput than other tablets, enough storage for HD content, and the latest generation processor and graphics engine—and it is available in two display sizes—7" and 8.9". The all-new Kindle Fire features a faster processor for 40% faster performance, twice the memory, and longer battery life.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, and www.amazon.es. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.
Amazon.com, Inc.
Media Hotline, 206-266-7180
KEYWORDS: United States Asia Pacific North America Washington Japan


text:
October 3, 2008
No More Definition Links in Google Search?
Here are some other ways to find definitions using Google:
1. search for [define word] and you'll get a short definition for your word, most likely from WordNet. To get other definitions from different glossaries and dictionaries, click on "web definitions for...". Example: define cup.
2. a shortcut for finding a list of definitions from the web is to use the define: operator. Just search for define:cup and you'll get a lot of definitions from a variety of source, but not all of them are authoritative.
3. subscribe to the Merriam-Webster OneBox to add a special search result with definitions.
According to Search Engine Land, Answers.com got 20-25% of its traffic from the Google definition links in 2007 and there wasn't any paid deal between Google and Answers.com. The only other important search engine that shows definition links is Yahoo, but it doesn't use a third-party service.
{ via Google Blogoscoped }
Update: The feature is back. Maybe it was just a technical glitch.
16 comments:
- AnonymousOctober 3, 2008 at 4:14 PM
What? Why? That was so handy.ReplyDelete
Great tips. On a different note, does anyone have rumors of what updates are coming to Google Docs? I am a big time user of it and am curious as to how advanced the editing will become. Thanks and enjoy the weekend.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 3, 2008 at 6:30 PM
Awww. I used this all the time.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 3, 2008 at 6:42 PM
Aww this sucks. I was wondering why the words don't turn blue anymore :(ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 3, 2008 at 7:06 PM
I have always had problems with Google Definitions results. The way they show the definitions are often useless because you have to click that search link to go to the definition page to read complete definitions. I am always happy with Ask.com layout. They show full definition on the right sidebar. Very handy because it has the complete definition.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 3, 2008 at 8:10 PM
Nooo! I loved that feature. It was invaluable.ReplyDelete
I liked the feature. What made them to remove the feature?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 3, 2008 at 10:14 PM
Hey is it just me or the feature is back? :D Few hours ago it's still gone, but now it's back for me...ReplyDelete
I have seen it disappear several times as well in the last few weeks. I also noticed that it was "using personal history" when that happened.ReplyDelete
Perhaps Google is testing the removal of this feature. IMHO, this is one of the worst decisions they could make. I depend on the definitions a lot.
Yahoo! Search uses definitions from the American Heritage Dictionary, with which it has a tie-up for the Yahoo! Reference service.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 4, 2008 at 7:17 AM
If you got Firefox you can get the "Google Define" search engine plugin from the Mycroft Project http://mycroft.mozdev.org/search-engines.html?name=google+define which also got a multitude of other search engine plugins.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 4, 2008 at 10:10 AM
I use this feature all the time. In my opinion Answers.com is the best reference site on the web. You got a multiple resource at the same page and you can choose which one of them to use.ReplyDelete
It is a good thing that it is still exists.
- AnonymousOctober 4, 2008 at 10:41 AM
The blue word links are still working for me.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 8, 2008 at 3:31 PM
why google has done yet, that was such a handy feature. Now a days all companies are adding additional features into their old application. In such Era, Google shouldn't have done that. :(ReplyDelete
just goReplyDelete
define: word
it will work.
- AnonymousNovember 12, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Why was it removed? Was there a falling out?ReplyDelete


text:
- Save Cooper Union! A large group of Cooper students and three faculty members have taken over President Jamshed Bharucha's office, in the hopes of forcing his resignation. They report to Gothamist that they're willing to stay as long as necessary. While Bharucha inherited massive debt, some off-the-record reports make it sound an awful lot like he's got blood on his hands. You can follow Free Cooper Union on twitter, livestream, and facebook.
- Save the library! Mira Schor reported from a small, poorly-attended protest yesterday to save the New York Public Library, and from the sounds of it, it's not going well. The Central Library Plan involves demolishing the historic stacks and shipping 1.5 million books to a storage space in New Jersey. [A Year of Positive Thinking]
- Speaking of student debt, Occupy presents Debt Fair: artist DIY booths throughout the city, with checks payable to the artist's bank. [debtfair]
- It's official: come fall, Postmasters will open in its new home at 54 Franklin Street in Tribeca, a 4,500-square-foot ground floor space with Corinthian columns and sofas. [Postmasters]
- Running for mayor seems like a game of who can apologize the most. In a public forum held this week, New York mayoral candidate Joe Lhota apologized for waging war with the Brooklyn Museum in the 1990s. While deputy mayor to Rudy Giuliani, the city pulled the museum's funding; in turn, the museum sued. Lhota then went on to put his foot in his mouth during the same conference, referring to the Port Authority police force as "mall cops". [New York Daily News]
- There's some secret art to be found at Chelsea's Waterside Park Playground. From 4-8 PM on Friday, the park will be home to Jasper Spicero's "Open Shape", an undercover exhibition of 3-D printed objects. Here's what "Open Shape" looked like in Wichita, Kansas. [Jasper Spicero]
- The Worst Room. [Tumblr]
- The Guggenheim's "Gutai: Splendid Playground" closed yesterday, but Ben Davis summed up the entire exhibition quite nicely. Gutai fizzled out in the early 1970s due to a split among factions: those who didn't mind making tech-inspired work for government-sponsored exhibitions, and those who thought that conflicted with their progressive ideals. Today, Davis writes, Western artists are only beginning to understand Gutai's lesson: "the price paid when critical art becomes repurposed as high-tech entertainment." [ARTINFO]
- The National Design Awards have been announced. [cooperhewitt]
Posts tagged as:


text:
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Pass \Pass\ (p[.a]s, p[a^]s), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Passed; p. pr. & vb. n. Passing.] [F. passer, LL. passare, fr. L. passus step, or from pandere, passum, to spread out, lay open. See Pace.] 1. To go; to move; to proceed; to be moved or transferred from one point to another; to make a transit; -- usually with a following adverb or adverbal phrase defining the kind or manner of motion; as, to pass on, by, out, in, etc.; to pass swiftly, directly, smoothly, etc.; to pass to the rear, under the yoke, over the bridge, across the field, beyond the border, etc. "But now pass over [i. e., pass on]." --Chaucer. [1913 Webster] On high behests his angels to and fro Passed frequent. --Milton. [1913 Webster] Sweet sounds rose slowly through their mouths, And from their bodies passed. --Coleridge. [1913 Webster] 2. To move or be transferred from one state or condition to another; to change possession, condition, or circumstances; to undergo transition; as, the business has passed into other hands. [1913 Webster] Others, dissatisfied with what they have, . . . pass from just to unjust. --Sir W. Temple. [1913 Webster] 3. To move beyond the range of the senses or of knowledge; to pass away; hence, to disappear; to vanish; to depart; specifically, to depart from life; to die. [1913 Webster] Disturb him not, let him pass paceably. --Shak. [1913 Webster] Beauty is a charm, but soon the charm will pass. --Dryden. [1913 Webster] The passing of the sweetest soul That ever looked with human eyes. --Tennyson. [1913 Webster] 4. To move or to come into being or under notice; to come and go in consciousness; hence, to take place; to occur; to happen; to come; to occur progressively or in succession; to be present transitorily. [1913 Webster] So death passed upon all men. --Rom. v. 12. [1913 Webster] Our own consciousness of what passes within our own mind. --I. Watts. [1913 Webster] 5. To go by or glide by, as time; to elapse; to be spent; as, their vacation passed pleasantly. [1913 Webster] Now the time is far passed. --Mark vi. 35 [1913 Webster] 6. To go from one person to another; hence, to be given and taken freely; as, clipped coin will not pass; to obtain general acceptance; to be held or regarded; to circulate; to be current; -- followed by for before a word denoting value or estimation. "Let him pass for a man." --Shak. [1913 Webster] False eloquence passeth only where true is not understood. --Felton. [1913 Webster] This will not pass for a fault in him. --Atterbury. [1913 Webster] 7. To advance through all the steps or stages necessary to validity or effectiveness; to be carried through a body that has power to sanction or reject; to receive legislative sanction; to be enacted; as, the resolution passed; the bill passed both houses of Congress. [1913 Webster] 8. To go through any inspection or test successfully; to be approved or accepted; as, he attempted the examination, but did not expect to pass. [1913 Webster] 9. To be suffered to go on; to be tolerated; hence, to continue; to live along. "The play may pass." --Shak. [1913 Webster] 10. To go unheeded or neglected; to proceed without hindrance or opposition; as, we let this act pass. [1913 Webster] 11. To go beyond bounds; to surpass; to be in excess. [Obs.] "This passes, Master Ford." --Shak. [1913 Webster] 12. To take heed; to care. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] As for these silken-coated slaves, I pass not. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 13. To go through the intestines. --Arbuthnot. [1913 Webster] 14. (Law) To be conveyed or transferred by will, deed, or other instrument of conveyance; as, an estate passes by a certain clause in a deed. --Mozley & W. [1913 Webster] 15. (Fencing) To make a lunge or pass; to thrust. [1913 Webster] 16. (Card Playing) To decline to play in one's turn; in euchre, to decline to make the trump. [1913 Webster] She would not play, yet must not pass. --Prior. [1913 Webster] To bring to pass, To come to pass. See under Bring, and Come. To pass away, to disappear; to die; to vanish. "The heavens shall pass away." --2 Pet. iii. 10. "I thought to pass away before, but yet alive I am." --Tennyson. To pass by, to go near and beyond a certain person or place; as, he passed by as we stood there. To pass into, to change by a gradual transmission; to blend or unite with. To pass on, to proceed. To pass on or To pass upon. (a) To happen to; to come upon; to affect. "So death passed upon all men." --Rom. v. 12. "Provided no indirect act pass upon our prayers to define them." --Jer. Taylor. (b) To determine concerning; to give judgment or sentence upon. "We may not pass upon his life." --Shak. To pass off, to go away; to cease; to disappear; as, an agitation passes off. To pass over, to go from one side or end to the other; to cross, as a river, road, or bridge. [1913 Webster]Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
53 Moby Thesaurus words for "passed": accepted, adopted, ago, antiquated, antique, appointed, approved, blown over, by, bygone, bypast, carried, chosen, dated, dead, dead and buried, deceased, defunct, departed, designated, elapsed, elect, elected, elected by acclamation, embraced, espoused, expired, extinct, finished, forgotten, gone, gone glimmering, gone-by, handpicked, has-been, irrecoverable, lapsed, named, no more, nominated, obsolete, over, passe, passed away, past, picked, ratified, run out, select, selected, unanimously elected, vanished, wound up


text: Josh has been described as "honest", "goofy", "kind", and my favorite, "a good kid". What made Josh "a good kid"? Our pastor stopped by shortly after Josh died. I'm not sure if this is standard procedure, or not, but I felt compelled to give him stories about Josh and assignments that he had written for school that described, what I termed "the essence of mooseness". The essence of mooseness is about being a good kid, not so unlike many other good kids around, but maybe with a little twist or two.Josh was not unlike many pre-teens as he frequently had mustard on his shirt (and face) and dirt under his fingernails. Josh was also organizationally challenged. But, he also possessed a sensitivity about others' feelings and was one of those "wise beyond his years" kind of kids. Josh was intensely concerned with what was "fair" and "unfair". Josh liked doing things for other people; it was who he was. Josh knew exactly how I liked my coffee, and made it perfectly on many ocassions. Josh had learned about random acts of kindness or RAK's (as people in the know call them) in school and tried to institute this in our busy family for a time. Josh was also very passionate about soccer. He got that from his dad, and took on his dad's soccer number, 8, onto his jersey. Josh loved to play the game and watch it. Josh also loved to spend time playing anything from video games to outdoor games with his friends- typical twelve year old boy "stuff". Josh had a wicked sense of humor, a beaming impish smile, and an awesome laugh. He put his contact information into my phone (technologically challenged that I am) as "Josh is my favorite". Josh still is "a good kid". The essence of mooseness lives on in the many RAK's that people have done since he passed away. Josh's dad and I both knew very soon after he died that we wanted to do a foundation to help others, in his name. It just came to us, probably from him. He gives us signs from time to time that we are on the right path…a path where I think Josh walks beside us, still sharing the essence of mooseness.


text:
Grand Canyon at sunset
Grand Canyon Arizona at sunset with colorado river
Memphis Trolley
Trolley driver and passenger in a the old Memphis trolley found on Main Street in Memphis
Emergency Entrance
Emergency room entrance of a hospital in North Central Indiana
West Baden Hotel Lobby-Indiana
This is the lobby of the West Baden Hotel in French Lick Indiana. This was one of the conuntry's premier resorts during the 1930's. Many people from Chicago including gansters went there. The hotel was completely renovated in 2006.
Trail Wanderings
Trails at Brown County State Park near Ogle Lake
Hendry's Beach at Sunset
Hendry's Beach at Sunset, Arroyo Burro Beach County Park, Santa Barbara, California
Sunrise at Old Mission Point Michigan
Sunrise at Old Mission Point Michigan
Autumn Glowing
An early Autumn morning at McCormick Creek State Park in Owen Counting Indiana
Top down viwe of Tacos
Top down view of three tacos on a cutting board with all the extra such as cheese, quacamole and salsa.


text:
The Universe Has Your Back
Price: $15.94
In Stock
CMC *Supporting Members* pay only $14.35
To become a CMC *Supporting Member* click here
Subtitle: Transform Fear to Faith
In her latest book, The Universe Has Your Back, New York Times best-selling author Gabrielle Bernstein teaches readers how to transform their fear into faith in order to live a divinely guided life. Each story and lesson in the book guides readers to release the blocks to what they most long for: happiness, security, and clear direction. The lessons help readers relinquish the need to control so they can relax into a sense of certainty and freedom. Readers will learn to stop chasing life and truly live.
Making the shift from fear to faith will give readers a sense of power in a world that all too often makes them feel utterly powerless. When the tragedies of the world seem overwhelming, this book will help guide them back to their true power.
When readers follow this path, they'll begin to feel a swell of energy move through them. They will find strength when they are down, synchronicity and support when they're lost, safety in the face of uncertainty, and joy when they are otherwise in pain. Follow the secrets revealed in this book to unleash the presence of your power and know always that The Universe Has Your Back.
"I love, love, love this book. I need to go back and reread it. Gabby gives some great, insightful advice matched with philosophical and spiritual wisdom, for getting your stuff together. I like that the book is for anyone from an atheist to a very spiritual person - anyone can benefit from this book. Very practical approach to improving your life. Highly recommend this." — LillyBy Gabrielle Bernstein


text:
As we all know by now, the Jolie wasn't with Brad Pitt at the Killing Them Softly premiere last night. We'll get to that in a minute. Without Angelina, Brad stayed close to his team, preferring to pose with them in a group instead of alone. Not that he blended in...
He was definitely the leader. They moved when he moved. They stopped when he stopped. They waited while he spent time with fans. They waited for him to finish waving to his public. Behind his shades the whole time, pointing, directing, controlling, that carpet was his show. And there's something so irresistibly cool about the way he owns it, even Dylan, a man's man if there ever was one, who was with me shooting the arrivals, had to concede. As Dylan put it, "yeah, that guy's a badass". And that's 20 years of understanding and living with fame, and learning how to manipulate it in your favour.
Also, he's a lot more attractive and impressive in person than he is in photos. You know that "It" they talk about? Brad Pitt is it: a real Movie Star.
Who also takes video with his iPhone.
He pulled it out several times towards the photographers and the fans. I'll go ahead and assume it's to show Angelina and the kids. He was 10 feet away from me at one point when he was shooting. Um, I did not try to get out of his shot. In fact, I may have been waving to Miss Zahara.
OK so about the Jolie's absence...
No, they are not fighting. I'm told they apparently left London together on Monday. Last night the house in London where the Family Brange has been staying the last few weeks is empty. No Angelina, no kids, no idea where they are, no idea when they'll be back. But all indications point to him leaving Cannes right after his press obligations today. He said at the press conference that she's prepping Maleficent. I'm not sure Angelina Jolie couldn't get one day off to fly with him and show up at the top of those red steps as the King & Queen of Cannes. It's not like she's a struggling supporting actor, you know?
She is Angelina Jolie. Half of the best at this game. What's she playing at then? Well, she's playing us, as usual. They all called for her to make her first red carpet post-engagement appearance here in Cannes. We all marked it on our calendars. Entertainment tv shows were lined up around it with teasers the previous day. And then she decided that was too easy. Too easy to forgive us for sh-tting on her leg. She's making us miss her. I miss her.
As we all know by now, the Jolie wasn't with Brad Pitt at the Killing Them Softly premiere last night. We'll get to that in a minute. Without Angelina, Brad stayed close to his team, preferring to pose with them in a group instead of alone. Not that he blended in...


text:
Serviços Personalizados
Links relacionados
- Citado por Google
- Similares em Google
SAMJ: South African Medical Journal
versão On-line ISSN 2078-5135
versão impressa ISSN 0256-9574
SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. vol.102 no.3 Pretoria Mar. 2012
Health professionals should be speaking out about the victimisation of doctors in Bahrain
To the Editor: Doctors in Bahrain who treated people wounded during and after demonstrations have been arrested, tried by a military court and given sentences of up to 15 years' imprisonment. A report by the Physicians for Human Rights1 recounts the result of an on-the-spot inquiry as follows: 'Our investigators spoke to eyewitnesses of abducted physicians, some of whom were ripped from their homes in the middle of the night by masked security forces ... [the report] documents other violations of medical neutrality, including the beating, abuse and threatening of Shi'a physicians at Salmaniya Hospital; government security forces stealing ambulances and posing as medics; the militarisation of hospitals and clinics, thus obstructing medical care; and rampant fear that prevents patients from seeking urgent medical treatment.' Most of the doctors are women, and there have been reports of torture, including electrocution and threats of rape while in detention.2
These accounts are shocking and remind South Africans of a sorry history where human rights abuses at the hands of security forces were allowed to go unchecked and where the health sector was drawn willingly and unwillingly into violations of the rights of patients and professionals.3 Not surprisingly, there has been sustained outcry from the medical profession in other parts of the world.4-7 Following the exposé by Physicians for Human Rights, and pressure by the World Health Organization and the World Medical Association, it was announced by a civilian court that some charges against 20 health professionals would be dropped and that a new trial would begin to assess the allegations.8
We ask why there has been so little outcry in South Africa, a country whose history should make it acutely aware of the consequences of the political abuse of doctors. The South African Medical Association released a Medigram reporting the resolution of the WMA,9 but has not taken any proactive steps to champion the cause of the persecuted doctors. Why has SAMA not been more active? Why have members of the medical profession not seen it as their ethical obligation to take action in solidarity with colleagues, if only to press our government, a member of the UN Security Council, to take diplomatic action? One of the consistent findings of research into complicity of health professionals in human rights abuses3,10,11 has been the effect of isolation and a failure to stand up for colleagues under threat, a finding echoed in the conclusions of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.3,11
It appears that since the late 1970s we have not learnt sufficiently the importance of health professionals speaking truth to power. One of us (SS) wrote to the President of SAMA, urging SAMA to take action, to which there was not even an acknowledgement. South Africans deserve better.
Stuart Saunders
Emeritus Professor
University of Cape Town
Leslie London
School of Public Health and Family Medicine
University of Cape Town
1. Physicians for Human Rights. Do no harm: A call for Bahrain to end systematic attacks on doctors and patients. Physicians for Human Rights, Cambridge. April 2011. https://s3.amazonaws.com/PHR.../bahrain-22April_4-45pm.pdf (accessed 12 January 2012). [ Links ]
2. Sky News. Bahrain docs face jail despite torture claims. 22 November 2011. http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16115007 (accessed 17 January 2012). [ Links ]
3. Baldwin-Ragaven L, de Gruchy J, London L. An Ambulance of the Wrong Colour. Health Professionals, Human Rights and Ethics in South Africa. Cape Town: UCT Press, 1999. [ Links ]
4. Gray B, Ockelford P. Bahrain health workers in danger: call to action. N Z Med J 2011;124:109-110. [ Links ]
5. Devi S. Medical community urged to defend Bahraini doctors. Lancet 2011;378:1287. [ Links ]
6. Jackson G. Stop: the medical and human rights scandal in Bahrain. Int J Clin Pract 2011;65:823. [ Links ]
7. Friedrich MJ. Human rights report details violence against health care workers in Bahrain. JAMA 2011;306:475-476. [ Links ]
8. Nathanson V, Chrispin E. Bahraini health workers to be retried before a civilian court. BMJ 2011;343:d6547. [ Links ]
9. South African Medical Association. SAMA insists on a fair trial for Bahrain physicians. Press release 17 October 2012. http://www.samedical.org/newsroom/media-releases/archived-mediareleases/17-october-2011.html?searched=Bahrain&advsearch=oneword&highlight=ajaxSearch_highlight+ajaxSearch_highlight1 (accessed 12 January 2012). [ Links ]
10. British Medical Association. The Medical Profession and Human Rights. Handbook for a Changing Agenda. London: Zed Press, 2001. [ Links ]
11. Rubenstein LS, London L, Baldwin-Ragaven L, and the Dual Loyalty Working Group. Dual Loyalty and Human Rights in Health Professional Practice. Proposed Guidelines and Institutional Mechanisms. A project of the International Dual Loyalty Working Group. Physicians for Human Rights and University of Cape Town, Boston, 2002. https://s3.amazonaws.com/PHR_Reports/dualloyalties-2002-report.pdf [ Links ]


text:
You're reading an outdated article. Please go to the recent issues to find up-to-date content.
A proposal's primary objective is to persuade your customer to take specific action, including contracting your products and services. Often you will write a proposal in response to a request for proposal (RFP) or request for quotation (RFQ) that the prospect and/or consultant sends. In the present market to win a customer, or to retain an existing customer, you will usually face strong competition. A good written proposal often represents your only opportunity to stand out from the crowd. When writing your proposals it is important to remember that your contact will not be the only one to read your proposal. There will be others who have not had the opportunity to listen to your verbal message and will be developing their opinions and recommendations on your written proposal. People with direct influence on the decision of the project are presidents, financial officers, consultants, management, and technical staff. That is why your proposal must stand on its own merits and consistently convey your intended message. The proposal must be a consistent reminder of the features, advantages, and benefits (F/A/B) of your product and service for the customer. This point is especially important when you are required only to submit your bid. Proposals need to be clear and concise, but above all, tailored to the customer's benefits, needs, and future wants. Proposal objectives The appropriate choice of words can strengthen any presentation. It is necessary to separate the benefits of your proposal from your technical solutions to their problems. Words, therefore, become your tools. They can be soft and appealing or strong and powerful. You can use short words to add strength and force to your presentation or to provide direction and encourage action. The following is a list of suggestions: * Know the customer and their needs and wants. * Know your capabilities, product, and service. * Know the prospect's motivation to buy. * Understand the F/A/B concept. * Keep your writing natural and conversational. * Get to the point: omit needless words. * Avoid using abbreviations and clichés. * Keep it direct, focused, and simple. * Edit and review your proposal. * Remember the proposal is about your solution tailored to the specific customers' wants and needs. When writing a proposal, it is important not to write more, but to write better. The quality of your words, not the quantity, will bring the desired results. Before you start, consider the following recommendations: * Paper stock—60# (Thin paper gives a "cheap" look to proposals. In addition, there is no benefit to using heavier stock or linen paper.) * Paper color—white, off white, light gray, or tan are acceptable. Bright colors are perceived to be unprofessional. * Type—Gothic, Times Roman * Size—12- to 14-point texts and 18-point headlines Any logos that need to be printed should be of the same stock and color as the rest of the proposal. Standardizing your proposal will give you a consistent representation and will project an image with consultants, engineers, and architects that becomes familiar. Once you have your materials, it is time to assemble your proposal. The marketing proposal consist of six sections: * Introductions * Specifications * Quotation * Summary * Terms and Conditions * Literature Each section should address the motivation to buy. Let's investigate each section in detail. INTRODUCTION The Introduction section has four parts: * Cover * Company history * Staffs' qualifications * Success stories COVER * Center the following: * Customer Name and Title * Company's Name * Location (the location of presentation and location of the project) * Four line returns * Your Company's Name and Title * Date of Presentation Place the following information on the lower right-hand side of the proposal cover * Bid Due Date * Bid # * Bid Received By (if you have to only submit a proposal for review, always get a signature of who received your bid) Bottom of the cover (centered): * Validation Terms—Proposal Valid for (30, 45, 60, 90, 120) Days. Because this is your company's offer of commitment, there are two reasons why it is important that you have Validation Terms. First, it is a legal document that requires you to do the work as stated in the proposal and at the price stated. If there is an increase in the cost of materials, unless you've spelled it out in your proposal that you can change the price at any time, you may be forced to absorb the additional cost. Second, having a date gives you and your customer a time frame in which to work. It will also give you a reason to contact the customer giving you the opportunity to answer any question or objection, discuss competition, or just encourage the customer to take action by asking for the order. History of the company This is your opportunity to discuss the beginning, present status, success, growth, and anything else that will project strong roots, stabilization and longevity of your organization. The purpose of this section is to appeal to the customer that you have identified as "SECURITY" minded. We need to project a strong image that we have proven our capabilities over the years and that the organization will be around in the future. Staff's qualifications In Part I, which ran in November, we discussed "ACHIEVERS." This section is for them. We want to display our expertise and our staff's education. Display the modernization of your present company and your attitude and progressive plans for future markets. Most important is to project the image that you are dedicated to efficiency and effectiveness is your business philosophy. Success stories This is the section in which to discuss your major accounts. Discuss the size and scope of the organization and how you play an important part of their growth, upgrade, and modernization. This will appeal to the third buying motivation, which is "RECOGNITION." In this section, you want to convey the feeling of belonging to a prestigious list of accounts. You want the "RECOGNITION" type to feel that you want them to be apart of your list. Specifications * Copy of the technical data sheet or bid, RFD, RFP—Specification Sheets, or all other customer-produced technical data sheets, should be included in your bid. This will help other readers who are unfamiliar with the specification to avoid confusion. Experience with doing proposals has taught us that somebody other than the main principals will have questions about or objections to your response to a particular article. Because these people were not part of the development of the original bid specifications they do not realize that you were responding to their own company's requests. By adding the specification sheets you can avoid any misinterpretation of your proposal's response to individual articles. * Response to technical data sheet—This is your solution to customer needs and wants. It is advantageous to respond to the technical data sheet in a positive manner. You accomplish this by addressing each article or group of articles. For example: Article: 1 to 10 met and agreed or accepted. Address 10 or fewer articles per response. You want to make a long positive list. Listing all the articles with your positive response will give the customer confidence that you can meet its needs and wants. It will also help you to offset any discrepancies by showing more positive than negative responses. (This is known as the Benjamin Franklin Close, where you explain to the customer that Benjamin Franklin made his decisions based on how long his list of positives and negatives were. Whichever list was longer, that was the direction he would take. We are using the same strategy as the Benjamin Franklin Close by producing a list of positive responses, offsetting the list of discrepancies or negative responses. n Identify discrepancy by article number—Response to discrepancies requires creativity. You have to turn a negative into a positive. First you must respond to each article discrepancy in a less conflicting or contrary manner. Example: Article: 6 met and (revised, or with change, or amended.) You want to convey that you have met or exceeded the specification even if it is not exactly as written in the data sheets. If you cannot meet the specification, you must describe the benefits of your product and solution (F/A/B) versus the data sheet specification. This is not easy, but customers always want a positive solution in responding to their wants and needs, while giving them a comfortable and confident image towards you and your company. To project a positive image, you must always respond positively. * Summarize your proposed design/ build solution—Certain questions must be decided on before starting a design/ build project, such as: * Do you have the resources to design this project? * Can you use your in-house engineering without significantly sacrificing the operation of your business? * Will it be more effective and cost efficient to use outside engineering firms? * Is there a requirement for a certified BICSI member? * Do the Manufacturer's Programs offer Design/Build engineering services? (Most manufacturers have BICSI certified estimators) * Does your distributor have a design/ build service? (Most distributors have BICSI-certified estimators.) * Is it better to pool resources on a project by developing a Partner or Joint Venture relationship with another organization? After answering these questions, you can develop your design/build documentation, which is added to the proposal and includes: * Equipment and material specification * Equipment location * System riser diagram * Copper/fiber optic cable type * Cable routing and support * Power layout and supply requirements (unique to ECs) * Surge and data protectors/ suppression (unique to ECs) * Grounding and bonding layout (unique to ECs) * Other required information After gathering the completed data, review it with internal personnel and also with the customer. It is important to involve the customer so they feel a part of the design of their project and you show your interest in producing a proposal design to meet their needs and wants. * Product specification—Technical Data of your proposed product. In describing your product, whenever possible, use F/A/B, which was described in November, when Part I of this article ran. Describe the feature, the advantage of having this feature and the benefits to the customer that will be derived from this feature. * Timetable/progress charts, graphs, and drawings—Layout your proposal based on the time frame starting with the Validation Date that was used on the cover of your proposal. This will give the customer a starting point of reference to better understand the timetable to get to the date of completion. (Most customers want the installation to be completed as soon as possible or yesterday.) QUOTATION * Total price—If possible, give a single price for the complete project. There are several reasons why you want to do this: First the customer, in most cases, is working with a single budget number that has already been approved internally for this project. The project cannot exceed that number without going for prolonged budget change requests. In a large organization, that can terminate a project before it even starts. Second, this is your starting point for price negotiation. It is easier to discuss a single price point than to discuss individual pricing for products/services with time and material. * Discount percentage—Manufacturer, distributor, cash, or any other discounts you want to pass on to the customer should be shown as a percentage of the total. * Finance price—If the project is being financed (there are finance companies that will not only finance products and material, but also labor) display the monthly payments based on the total price. * Time and material rates—Labor and material rates during the time of the installation. These rates are based on your personnel still being on the job site installing the original project. Fact is that the customer will always have changes to the project during installation. * Equipment option price list—Cost of products that are not part of the original specification or are part of your suggestions in your proposal. Example: power supply, generator, surge protection, lighting reflectors or electrical maintenance service review for cleaning up the power and/or monitoring the grounding layout. * Moves, adds and changes(MACs)pricing—Cost of material and labor after completion of the original project. Labor fees are based on hourly rates with product materials that are higher from original project pricing. * Maintenance fee—In VDV markets, a maintenance contract may be required. Contracts should be shown on a yearly, monthly, or per-call basis. SUMMARY * Reason your company should be awarded the bid—Summarize your proposal on how you met the wants and needs of the customer. Highlight the benefits you provide to the customer while still meeting the specifications. Explain your organization's plan to support the customer needs today and in the future. This is the section where you take the opportunity to explain the reason that you deserve this project. Remember that others, not part of the daily evaluation, will be reading your proposal and introduction to your company for the first time. They have not had the opportunity to hear your verbal presentation and the reasons you deserve this project. Executives who are not involved with the daily process but have direct responsibilities for the project might include presidents, comptrollers, consultants, and technical staff. The Summary section may be the only section they will take the time to review. TERMS and CONDITIONS * Contract or agreement—Include a fill-in contract that can be signed by the customer. It will allow you to encourage the customer's decision by discussing the terms of your contract. If the customer suggests that you review their companies' contract, this indicates the decision is being made. In either case, you want to discuss a mutually agreeable date that you can start on the project and what your obligations are. If you are discussing contracts, you should be asking for the order! * Warranty agreements—Show product and manufacturers warranty agreements. If you are part of a Manufacturer value-added program, then the manufacturer gives a 15-year warranty. * Financial agreements—If the customer is financing the project, then the fill-in terms and conditions should be submitted for the customers review. LITERATURE * Brochures for both company and products—Include all brochures that will give the customer the feeling you can perform the project. Company brochures should discuss your history and commitment. The idea is to appeal to the SECURITY motivation. * Press release/company references—Past successes and accomplishments are meant to motivate the ACHIEVER. * Association/affiliation—Customers that are motivated by RECOGNITION are interested with the prestige of your associations and affiliations. Understand and remember this statement: "Proposals are the written solutions to the customers' problems or needs." Remembering this statement forces you to create a personalized customer proposal. Such proposals respond not only to the technical specification, but also address the needs, wants, and motivations-to-buy of the customers. In this competitive changing VDV market, whether the proposal is for a new prospect or an existing customer, by becoming more market-oriented in our proposal and in our approach, the electrical contractor can create a distinct advantage over present or future competitions; long-term customer loyalty. MARTIN is a management consultant with the NECA Management Education Institute, based in Morris Plains, N.J. He can be reached by calling (973) 540-1298, or through e-mail at [email protected].


text:
SpaceX is working on a network of micro-satellites that will be used to provide Internet access, according to the company's founder and CEO Elon Musk.
"SpaceX is still in the early stages of developing advanced micro-satellites operating in large formations," Musk wrote in a message on Twitter on Monday. "Announcement in 2 to 3 months."
Musk added that the satellites would be "unfettered certainly and at very low cost." The remark was in response to a Twitter comment about whether the project would be "about free and unfettered Internet access for the masses."
Musk's comments follow a Wall Street Journal report Friday that said Musk and Greg Wyler, the founder of satellite company O3b networks, are hoping to launch some 700 compact, low-cost satellites to deliver Internet access around the world.
But the SpaceX head also wrote on Twitter that "WSJ was wrong on several important points. The article shouldn't have been written on rumor and hearsay." Musk did not respond to a message seeking more information.
The SpaceX project follows reports earlier this year that Google is planning to build a satellite network to bring remote parts of the world online. The search giant also envisions spreading the Internet via high-flying balloons in its Project Loon, which has undergone tests in the Nevada desert.
Facebook also has plans to connect areas of the world with no Internet, but by using a fleet of drones instead of balloons.
According to an International Telecommunication Union report from May, nearly 3 billion people will be online by the end of this year. That means more than 4 billion, or 60 percent, still lack Internet access. The vast majority live in developing countries.


text:
The industry association was speaking for the first time since the deaths of the protected birds at the 120MW Pine Tree project in Tehachapi hit the headlines nationwide in August. The golden eagle deaths are being investigated by the US Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), which could lead to the first US criminal prosecution of illegal bird kills at a wind project. The project is owned and developed by Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).
Nancy Rader, executive director of Calwea, noted that LADWP is a municipal utility, so it is allowed to approve its own environmental-impact report for a pre-construction land-use permit. LADWP is not a member of Calwea.
Conservation plan
A spokesman for LADWP declined to comment, including on whether there is a conflict of interest in self-regulation. Previously, an LADWP official had said the utility was "concerned" and was expanding its "extensive field monitoring". The utility also said it would develop an eagle conservation plan with federal and state wildlife agencies.
Tehachapi bird kills may be under official scrutiny because of the fast wind development both in California and in Tehachapi. Installed wind capacity in the Tehachapi area has recently doubled to 1.58GW. Another 3.02GW had been permitted or was in the pipeline as of 31 August.
"The agencies are trying to scare the living daylights out of our industry," said Rader, who added that she was "frustrated" that the wildlife agencies had not yet assessed the significance of Pine Tree's six eagle kills to the area's eagle population. FWS would not comment on the probe, which will take months.
The Pine Tree probe comes as FWS is finalising its voluntary wind-energy guidelines, designed to minimise impacts to federally protected migratory birds, bats and other wildlife, which it hopes to publish in January.
The agency is also finalising its guidance on eagle conservation, which could allow wind developers to apply for permits that would allow a certain number of accidental goldenand bald-eagle deaths. Critics say the guidelines should be mandatory, and eagle populations will be damaged.
Birds or bats and wind power often make headlines. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal have both highlighted recent cases. In November, 484 migrating birds were found dead near AES Corporation's Laurel Mountain wind farm in West Virginia during a single week in October.
They died during a night of high winds, low cloud and cold temperatures, after being disoriented by lights on the electrical substation, a battery energy-storage unit and electrical switchyards. Such mass deaths are not unheard of at electrical facilities such as communication towers during similar weather conditions, said a source. An AES spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.


text:
Leah Busque, the founder and chief product officer at TaskRabbit, is a former IBM software engineer who started her company to solve a problem she had one very cold evening in Boston. She ran out of dog food at home and wished there was someone she could pay to run the errand. She thought: 'it's a simple problem, there should be a simple solution.' That was February 2008. She went online that evening, registered runmyerrand.com, quit her job at IBM four months later, and spent the next year building the initial service.
Nine months into the effort, Leah got an initial round of angel funding from the early investors in Zipcar: Baseline Ventures, First Round Capital, and Maples Investments. An invitation to participate in the fbFund — Facebook's incubator program — led to a $1.8 million seed round investment that allowed her to make the move from Boston to San Francisco in June of 2010, where she relocated the office and renamed the service to TaskRabbit.
We caught up with Leah recently to talk about how she views TaskRabbit in relation to the other emerging sharing services, and how the current economic climate is affecting her business.
[image_1_small_right]Shareable: How does TaskRabbit work?
Leah Busque: We're an online and mobile marketplace where people can go to outsource jobs and tasks that are done by background-checked and fully vetted community members called "TaskRabbits."
We're focused on being a service network that connects neighbors and community members to help each other out with small tasks, and essentially bring old time neighborhood camaraderie to the web. There are a lot of other marketplaces popping up, especially around transportation like AirBnB and RelayRides, where you're sharing homes or cars. When you think about sharing businesses and why we see some of them taking off: it's all about people making profit on their high value assets.
What other high value assets do you have? You, as an individual, as well as your unique skills, are your greatest asset of all.
Who were the first communities to use TaskRabbit?
LB: What's interesting is when I was bootstrapping, I focused on how to bring this idea to market. I felt like if I could be focused it would help. I did a closed beta launch with the Charlestown Mother's Group. It was a great way to understand the value-add. Word spread across the city and I recruited TaskRabbits in those different areas. I thought I'd have students, but we've ended up with lawyers and other highly skilled professionals using their entrepreneurial impulses to build their reputations, supplement income, and hone their skills.
That brings up an interesting point. Has the recession affected how people are using the service?
LB: One of the trends I'm seeing is that people are starting to rethink and redefine what work means to them. The TaskRabbits become empowered. They begin to act as micro-entrepreneurs — setting their own schedules, naming their price and selecting only the jobs they want to work on. Many TaskRabbits have made this their fulltime gig because it offers unprecedented flexibility and fits their lifestyle so much better. They have a consistency in enthusiasm and engagement.
What's the most effective method of community growth?
LB: We tried all different kinds of marketing. Peer-to-peer word of mouth is the key to organic growth. People have a great experience with the service, either working as TaskRabbits or employing TaskRabbits, and they tell their friends.
What's your design process?
LB: To be quite honest, coming out of IBM I had zero design background. It was all back-end code. When I started building the site, I needed to ramp up and understand that design is the most important thing when you're building a consumer-facing product. We went through a lot of design iterations early on. Four years later, I can't tell you how much we value the design interaction and customer discovery process. Really understanding how people are interacting with the service has been really important for us.
Any larger project we want to tackle always starts with customer discovery. We've sat in people's houses to understand how they would use the service. We learned a lot from early interviews. We start with mockups and prototyping. From there we go into quick sprints and design and discovery.
The whole process is very iterative. We are pushing code every night and look to make small changes over time. We try to break things down to smaller buckets that we can test quickly and get feedback on.
Does the service rely on people creating new habits or behaviors?
LB: I think what we're doing is taking an age-old problem — that there's never enough time in the day to get everything done — and providing an innovative solution. In the past, people relied on their neighbors for help with everyday tasks. Unfortunately, the advent of the web has siloed us a bit from our community. I see companies forming around this idea of the resurrection of the neighborhood, and I think that is exciting.
Technology is at a point where it can mimic human behavior, which is interesting to see develop. These are things you used to do with your neighbors. And we're getting people comfortable again with doing them online.
Another big pattern is the emergence of location-based technologies. Three to five years ago, these technologies were relatively nascent. Now, geo-location has become a critical piece of our (and many other) platforms. Knowing that you are being connected with people in your local community builds trust and makes people feel more connected. And it makes the Internet not feel so vast and anonymous.
How do you encourage people to overcome any reluctance they have to trusting others online?
LB: Again, geo-location helps in inspiring trust. We also build trust through TaskRabbit vetting process. All of our TaskRabbits go through a four-step vetting process before being allowed in the network. This includes an online application, a video interview, a criminal background check, as well as a quiz. Our proprietary reputation engine is really important for marketplace models. Social graphs and social components are incredibly important — that's a big pattern I'm seeing. It is important for people who use our service to see which one of their friends use certain TaskRabbits. They're more likely to use the same TaskRabbit to help with their tasks. Our messaging system is also important. People communicate before the task, make clear agreements and set expectations. Community members post tasks and the TaskRabbits bid on them.
How do you tune your reputation system?
LB: Quite a lot is known, researched and understood. eBay nailed that 15 years ago for product-related exchanges using a reputation system. We do a background screening on each of our TaskRabbits, and employ badges and a point and level system to display community reputation. That has provided a lot more context for people, and allows them to make decisions about whom they want to work with. TaskRabbits are proud of what they're doing. They want to showcase their accomplishments.
Do you think there could be one reputation system for the emerging sharing service ecosystem?
LB: I think that all these networks are going to have their own reputation engines that are important to them, and that there's also a need for augmentation. It's better for the ecosystem. I would love for a TaskRabbit to take their reputation over to AirBnB. I think there's a natural connection through all of these services and marketplaces.
We have an interesting way of interacting with some of the other services. For example, AirBnB needs help exchanging keys so they utilize TaskRabbits to help them. What's exciting for me is that we have the ability to aid and help and cultivate a lot of the other communities across the board. I feel we're coming to a point where there's groundswell of activity. I've seen this marketplace develop and I think it's a major trend that will continue to develop over the months and years ahead.


text:
|Page tools: Print Page Print All
One in ten families with dependants were jobless in 2012
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures released today show that 11 per cent of families with dependants in June 2012 had no one in the family who was working.
ABS Director of Labour Force, Cassandra Gligora said today's Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families publication uses data from the ABS Labour Force survey to understand the labour force status of Australian families.
"While just over one in ten families with dependants were jobless in June 2012, this proportion has remained stable over recent years," Ms Gligora said.
"Over one-third of one parent families with dependants were jobless compared to one in 25 couple families with dependants. Of the jobless one parent families, 89 per cent were single mother families. 72 per cent of jobless single mothers had children under 10 years old living with them."
"There were 638,400 dependants aged under 25 living in a jobless family, and 83 per cent were children under 15 years," she said.
The survey also found that 62 per cent of couple families with dependants had both partners working. In opposite-sex couple families, 90 per cent had fathers who were employed and 67 per cent had employed mothers. Most of these employed fathers (92 per cent) were in full-time employment, while full-time employment for these mothers increased as the age of their youngest child increased - 19 per cent with 0-4 year olds, compared to 41 per cent with 15-24 year old students.
There were 1.4 million dependent students aged 15 to 24 years attending school or studying full-time and still living with their parents in June 2012.
There were an estimated 6.4 million families living in Australia with a total of 19.4 million family members, of which 5.7 million were dependants aged under 25 years.
More details are available in the June 2012 issue of Labour Force, Australia: Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families (cat. no. 6224.0.55.001) available for free download from the ABS website<www.abs.gov.au>
Media note:
Please ensure when reporting on ABS data that you attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or ABS) as the source.
A jobless family is a family where no persons in the family aged 15 years were employed, including dependants.
A dependant is someone under 15 years, or aged 15-24 years attending school or a tertiary education institution full-time usually living in the same residence as their parent/ guardian.
A family is a group of two or more people that are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering, and who usually live together in the same household. Persons who live in a group household and are not related, or live in a lone person household are not members of a family.
Document Selection
These documents will be presented in a new window.


text:
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
Infants' Inattentiveness Might Signal Later Autism, Study Says
Signs of social impairment may be evident early, research suggests
Friday, February 8, 2013
Yale School of Medicine researchers found that these infants paid less attention to people's overtures and activities than infants who did not develop autism, according to the study recently published online in the journal Biological Psychiatry.
This information could be used to identify infants at greatest risk of developing autism and provide them with early treatment, the researchers said.
"This work is highly consequential for identifying new treatment targets and early intervention strategies," said Katarzyna Chawarska, associate professor at the Yale Child Study Center and a study co-author.
The study included 67 infants at high risk for developing autism and 50 low-risk infants. Their eye movements were tracked while they watched a video of a woman doing everyday things, such as making a sandwich, looking at toys, or speaking.
Compared to the other infants, those who were later diagnosed with autism spent less time watching the social activities depicted in the video. When they did pay attention, these infants spent less time watching the woman's face.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired communication and social interactions. The researchers said this is the first study to show that early signs of autism are present in the first year of life.
The researchers are now trying to determine the specific causes behind this lack of attention to social activities in infants later diagnosed with autism.
Health News Copyright (c) 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
- More Health News on:
- Autism


text:
Found 5 results
Filters: Keyword is paper and Author is Isnard, O [Clear All Filters]
"XMCD measurements and calculations at the CoK edge in YCo4B", JOURNAL OF MAGNETISM AND MAGNETIC MATERIALS, vol. 242, pp. 861-863, 2002.,
"Ce valence state probed by XAFS study in Ce2Fe17-xGaxHy compounds", JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS, vol. 262, pp. 198-201, 1997.,
"Magnetic Circular X-ray Dichroism at the Ce L-II,L-III edges in ferromagnetic iron based intermetallic", JOURNAL DE PHYSIQUE IV, vol. 7, pp. 439-440, 1997.,
"X-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic circular x-ray dichroism in Ce2Fe17N3", JOURNAL OF PHYSICS-CONDENSED MATTER, vol. 8, pp. 2437-2446, 1996.,
"MAGNETIC STUDY OF THE CE2FE17HX COMPOUNDS - MAGNETIC CIRCULAR X-RAY DICHROISM, X-RAY-ABSORPTION NEAR-EDGE STRUCTURE, MAGNETIZATION, AND DIFFRACTION RESULTS", PHYSICAL REVIEW B, vol. 49, pp. 15692-15701, 1994.,