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Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/lego-racism-alleged-over-jabbas-palace-star-wars-set/

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Speak Now: Earning Money From Self-Publishing By Talking About It

One of the ideas suggested in the comments of [Insert Great Idea for a Blog Post Here] was an explanation of how, exactly, I started speaking about self-publishing at workshops, seminars and other events, and how a tending-towards-reclusive, sweat-pants-wearing writer is supposed to transform, Clark Kent/Superman style, into a polished, enthused and entertaining public speaker for up to six hours at a time, and stay that way while a roomful of people are looking at you.

I can?t really tell you how to start getting speaking engagements, because there?s no simple, five-step process, and anyway?controversial!?not everyone deserves to get them. It?s kind of like writing a book. Just because you managed to write 100,000 words does not mean that that book should be published, and just because you figured out how to self-publish does not mean you should be paid to explain the process to other people. Good speakers not only have the knowledge, they?re good at delivering it too. Essentially, that means that they?re entertaining. This doesn?t necessarily involve cracking jokes and doing a little jig at the top of the room, but it does mean that you can?you must? keep your audience totally engaged for anywhere from one to six hours without them feeling bored, confused or like they?re back in school, and that you have the stamina needed to do it.

Not Easy Money

If that sounds a bit scary, it should, because most of the time the events you?re speaking at aren?t free, and in fact some of them can be quite expensive. This is because it?s presumed that for whatever amount of time the workshop or seminar is on for, the participants are getting to listen to?and ask questions of?an expert. Are you an expert?

Speaking engagements tend to pay really, really well, when you consider the time involved, i.e. ?x amount for 90 minutes of my time? Yes, please! and this is why they can seem oh-so-attractive to self-publishers who only have e-book royalties coming in.

Except that?s not what you?re getting paid for. The time involved is not just the amount of time you?re scheduled to speak for, but the years of your life you?ve put into collecting the knowledge that qualifies you to speak, and the hours or days you spent preparing for the talk?which, if we?re talking about a full day?s workshop, could mean weeks upon weeks of devising, designing and practicing the delivery of a PowerPoint presentation. Consider that too.

I may sound a bit doom and gloom about this, but it?s only because I think people have a rosy view of getting paid to talk about self-publishing (or anything, for that matter), and this leads them to thinking they should be doing it when really, they?re not right for it. And who will suffer then? The people who paid to listen to them.

On the flip-side, if you?ve figured out how to do this self-publishing business, you?ve achieved more than most. It?s easy for me to format an e-book from a Word document, for example, but if someone rarely sends an e-mail, it?s going to seem like an Everest climb to them. They might relish the idea of getting a real, live person to patiently explain how to do it, instead of trawling through online articles and books full of terms they don?t understand. So if you are suitable for speaking about self-publishing, you should do it. There?s definitely a demand there, and it can be oh so much fun.

A Lucky Break

So how did I start getting speaking engagements?

I should start by telling you that even though I love to live as a hermit most of the time (as most writers do), I really enjoy public speaking. (I thought this was a bit weird until I met Joanna Penn?of The Creative Penn?and she told me that she?s the same, essentially an introvert who, for some reason, enjoys doing something totally extroverted: talking to an audience. Both of us also need post-speaking crash days to recover from what it takes out of us.) I loved debating when I was in school, and I was good at it, if I do say so myself. I have no qualms about talking in front of an audience, as long as I know what it is I?m talking about.

I should also point out that I live in Ireland, where the old joke of everyone knowing everyone else is actually true. I was told once that maybe 400 people in this entire country work in publishing; it?s not hard to meet most of them once you start going to a few events. So while I might have had a somewhat easy path to professional speaking through making contacts, it would of course be an entirely different mountain to climb for someone living in London or New York.

But anyway. In January 2010, Vanessa O?Loughlin?whom I?d ?met? through Twitter?told me that she was organizing Ireland?s first self-publishing event, the One Stop Self-Publishing Conference, in October of that year. Vanessa was already well-established as the head of Inkwell Writers, who organized writing workshops and events in and around Dublin.

At this stage the release of Mousetrapped was still two months away but I said to myself, I?m going to speak at that event. This was totally idiotic as I wasn?t even yet a self-publisher, let alone a successful one, but I promised myself I?d be there, somehow.

If you go far enough back in the chain, Twitter is responsible for every single speaking engagement I?ve ever done. Click to see a larger version.

Fast forward to October, and I was attending the One Stop Self-Publishing Conference. Attending, not speaking; I?d got a discounted ticket in exchange for agreeing to live-tweet every session of the one-day event. I?d sold just under 1,000 books since March and was hardly setting the world on fire, but in Ireland?s self-publishing sphere, this was an achievement. A week before the conference, Vanessa called to say the afternoon keynote speaker had dropped out, and could I fill in?

So now I was speaking at the One Stop Self-Publishing Conference, just as I?d told myself I would.

Here?s the funny thing: I really didn?t treat it very seriously. I wore jeans, and walked to the top of the room with my notes scribbled on a yellow legal pad. I thought about nothing other than telling my story, and telling it within the time frame: about half an hour, with fifteen minutes for questions. But I had a huge advantage before I even spoke: the person before me had been very technical, and spoke in a bit of a monotone. I?d also noticed that, during the day, the speakers the audiences seemed to enjoy the most were not the ones with the knowledge, necessarily, but the ones who told their personal stories. For example, a professional cover designer had imparted fantastically useful advice, but the self-published children?s book author before her was way more popular with the crowd, even though he ?educated? us very little.

I?d been in a room with endless free coffee since 9:00am and I only had my personal story. So jeans or no jeans, I knew I?d do well. And I did. My little 30-minute giddy ramble about my self-publishing experience went down like a six-figure KDP Select Fund bonus, and it was the best feeling ever. I wanted to do it again.

In the audience (and also speaking) that day was Sarah, who I?d hired to copyedit Mousetrapped. Almost two years later, she?d bump into Ben, another Twitter friend and fellow Apollo nut, who had just pitched the idea of doing a social media workshop to Faber Academy. They loved it, and suggested adding a self-publishing element. Did Ben know anyone who could do that? He thought of me, but he?d never seen me speak. When he met Sarah the subject came up, and she assured him that I could do it. That?s how I got to do Faber Academy last year. It went exceptionally well, which is why Ben and I get to do it again next month.

One of the participants at the Faber Academy workshop last year was the lovely Alexandra, a traditionally published author who was looking to e-publish her backlist. A few months later she?d get in touch to invite me along to another London event she was chairing: a e-book seminar for Women in Journalism (UK). So that?s how I got to do that.

And so on and so on. I meet people through Twitter (good old fashioned networking, if you want to be fancy about it); they invite me to speak; me speaking leads to more opportunities. So if I had to answer the question ?How do I get speaking engagements?? my absolute shortest answer would be Twitter!

(But then that?s pretty much my shortest answer to everything got to do with self-publishing success, so there you go.)

How Much Not-So-Easy Money, Exactly?

You?ll probably want to know how much to ask for/expect, or even how I much I ask for/expect. Well, I?m not going to tell you. It?s private, and it?s also not going to be of any use to you, because any figure would only be an example of what I get and absolutely nothing to do with you, with your events, your environment, etc. I will tell you this though: if you?re doing this right, you won?t really need to worry about it.

I really believe that if you can, you should aim to get invited by an established company/event/festival/etc. to speak at something they?re organizing, as opposed to organizing your own workshop or seminar. It?s?so?much easier. And if they?re a professional operation, they?ll?tell?you the fee, and this fee will be what they pay all their speakers, a kind of standard. A less professional?or less reputable?operation might ask,?well, how much would you do it for??Because they?re trying to get away with paying you as little as they can.

I can tell you that in two and a half years of doing this I?ve?never?been asked how much my fee is. I?ve just been presented with what?s on offer, and either agreed or disagreed to take part. (Actually, I?ve never disagreed, come to think of it. But then I?ve been very, very lucky.)

Compensation for speaking engagements usually falls into one of these categories:

• Charity. That?s what the organizers seem to think you are anyway, because there?s no compensation whatsoever: no expenses, no fee and no feeding. They might say something like, ?We don?t offer a fee, but our previous speakers have really enjoyed themselves.? Um, riiiiiight. How wonderful. But will my credit card company take?enjoyment?in lieu of this month?s minimum payment, eh? I doubt it somehow. I would only do something for free if it was (i) likely to raise my profile and/or look good on my writing CV, (ii) for an actual charity, (iii) not going to cost me any money in terms of travel, preparation time, etc., (iv) not going to make any money for the organizers outside of their costs and (v) going to be fun for me.
• Expenses only. I have never done a speaking engagement where I live; almost all of them have been in Dublin (3 hours away by train) or London (an hour away by plane). Therefore I always incur travel expenses. Many events will not offer a fee but will offer reimbursement (or partial reimbursement) of how much it costs you to get there. At this stage in my speaking/self-publishing career, this is perfectly acceptable to me, especially because I genuinely enjoy these events and see them not only as an opportunity to travel but to meet loads of interesting people as well, and talk publishing over free coffee. (What more could a girl want?)
• Expenses + a fee (AKA cha-CHING!). The best case scenario is that you would be paid a speaking fee and offered x amount towards or a reimbursement of your expenses. When this happens, it?s a beautiful thing.

Whether it?s expenses only or expenses plus a fee, there?s a game to play. Let?s say you?re getting paid ?500 for a full day workshop, but that?s it; no expenses. Or let?s say there?s no fee at all for participating in a panel discussion, but they are willing to give you ?200 towards the expenses you incur traveling to get there. Well, in both these cases the less you spend, the more you make. (Amount paid ? expenses incurred = profit.) And so begins the challenge of budget travel.

I have this down to a fine art by now. Here are some tips for saving on your travel expenses:

• Book your travel as soon as possible. Flights, train tickets and even hotel rooms get more expensive as availability declines.
• Pre-pay for lower rates. Most hotel chains offer pre-pay rates which are 10% or more cheaper than what you?ll pay if you book now and settle the bill on check-out. The only downside is that these are normally non-refundable, so make sure you?re definitely going before you book. Failing that:
• Search for good deals. I love Booking.com because you don?t have to pay in advance but you can still avail of great rates. But here?s a tip: all the hotels that sell rooms on sites like that have to pay the site a commission. So if you?re feeling a bit cheeky, you could ring the hotel and say you want to book with them direct, and what?s the best rate they could do for you. For example, could they give you the Booking.com for a standard room, but upgrade you to a superior one? That?s a good deal for them, because you?re saving them commission.
• Stick to public transport, if possible. Avoid taxis.
• Sign up to mileage and loyalty schemes. Nearly all hotel chains and airlines have loyalty cards for their customers; sign up for them. You won?t be able to take advantage for a while but one day you might get a free night or a free flight and, hey, you were buying them anyway.
• Ask the organizers.?If this is an event that has run in the past, the organizers will probably have a list of accommodation options, and they might offer a discounted rate for attendees/speakers.
• Get creative. This isn?t a holiday, it?s a challenge: spend as little money as possible while still being sufficiently sheltered, fed and watered. For instance, on a trip to London a few months ago I made it my mission to spend as little as I thought a person possibly could without hitching and youth hostels. I flew with Ryanair to Gatwick with only carry-on luggage; I took the EasyBus from Gatwick to Earl?s Court tube station (for only ?2!!!); I ordered a visitor?s Oyster Card online so I could avail of cheaper tube fares; I stayed in an EasyHotel (a fraction?a tiny, tiny fraction?of the cost of staying anywhere else in London); instead of eating out I got ?take-away foods from places like Sainbury?s and Starbucks. Now if I was on holiday, I wouldn?t want to start it with the stress of a Ryanair flight and an hour-long bus ride into London. But I wasn?t on holiday, I was working. And my entire two night London visit came to less than ?200, which isn?t at all bad for accommodation + transport + food in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Of course, I ruined it all by spreeing in Paperchase, Foyles, etc. while I was there, but, hey, nobody?s perfect?

Some events pay on the day but most pay afterwards, in response to an invoice you?ve sent them. Remember to keep all your receipts and evidence of your travel expenses such as booking confirmations, etc. I don?t send these to the organizers; I just bill them the amount. But I do say something like ?Receipts are available on request.?

Credit: from the Mountains To Sea Dun Laoghaire Book Festival Facebook page. L-R: Vanessa O?Loughlin, me, Adrian White, Arlene Hunt.?

Some Practical Tips

About getting speaking engagements:

• If you?re unsure whether or not you?re cut out for this, start by simply sharing your self-publishing story with other people. Find an opportunity to just do that. It may be in the form of a short talk (like my break was at the One Stop Self-Publishing Conference) or it may be by participating in a panel discussion where two or three people discuss topics put forth by a chairperson. If all else fails, post your own videos on your website. If you have a popular web series going on, why wouldn?t someone want you for the live, 3-D version??
• Say yes to everything, within reason. If you get an invite to speak at an event, find out everything you can about it before you answer. Google is your friend. Does it seem like the real deal? Who else will be there? Have they done this before? If they?ve asked you to speak for free, check: are they charging for tickets to your event? Because if they are, that might be a red flag. Why are they making money when you?re expected to do this for nothing? The main questions to ask yourself are: (i) Will this cost me money? (ii) Is this a networking opportunity? (iii) Is this likely to further my profile? Sometimes you might want to do something just because it seems like it?ll be fun, and that?s fine. Go ahead. But go into everything with eyes wide open.
• Be good. Almost every speaking engagement will lead to another speaking engagement?if you?re good and impress the organizers and participants. No one will invite back someone who underwhelmed, or who made the workshop attendees? brains turn to soup. Ditto for being unprofessional late, making diva demands or being otherwise annoying.
• I?m sure many writers would see speaking engagements as an excellent opportunity to sell copies of their own books, and I?m sure it is?but I never do it. The first reason why is that as a POD paperback self-publisher, I avoid ordering stock of my own book like the plague. Second, I always travel to these events, sometimes by plane, always by public transport, and lugging a box of books there and back is just not feasible. Third, I would feel cheeky trying to sell a ?10 or ?15 ?how to self-publish? book to someone who?s just spent ?125 to hear what was advertised as everything I know about self-publishing. Instead, I bring little business cards or postcards so that if people do want to purchase the book, they have all the information they need to do it when they get back home.

About the presentation itself:

• If you are booked to talk for longer than an hour and you can, use a visual aid. For most people, this will take the form of a PowerPoint presentation. It should serve both as eye-fodder for your listeners and notes for you. (And if you have a brand, extend it to your slides?mine have a pink color scheme.) Arrive in plenty of time so you can ensure that everything is working perfectly before the attendees arrive.?
• The hardest thing to get right is timing, especially if you?re doing a whole day. Start by dividing the day into blocks, e.g. start to first coffee break, coffee break to lunch, after lunch to mid-afternoon break, mid-afternoon break to Q&A time, Q&A time. Then divide your talk into sections, e.g. Overview, Why Self-Publishing, E-books, POD Paperbacks, Social Media, etc. and match them up with the blocks of time. Try not to straddle a subject across two blocks of time if you can avoid it; you?ll lose momentum and the participants might lose out. I do an initial practice in which I quickly run through the talk?and yes, this involves talking to yourself?but keep in mind that it will always take longer on the day as people interrupt to ask questions, seek clarification, etc.
• Break up the presentation in the afternoon. Post-lunch, people will be at the most sluggish?including you. I usually talk about book trailers at this point, which allows me to spend half an hour showing funny YouTube videos. A break for my participants from concentrating, and a break for me from speaking. Hooray!
• Start with an overview. For example, ?First we?re going to talk about why you should self-publish, then move onto e-books, then?? etc. etc. This prevents people from asking questions which are going to be answered later on.

About delivering it:

• I would always recommend that you aim to get invited to speak as oppose to creating your own workshop or seminar. It?s so much easier. There?s already an established company (and so probably an established customer base), they?ll take care of everything from logistics to lunch, and they?ll pay you. They?ll also likely be a great contact for future invites.?
• Whenever I do a long-ish workshop and always when I do a full day, I tell my participants right at the start that they don?t need to worry about taking notes because the entire PowerPoint presentation and a page of all the links I mention will be on my website from Monday. (These things are always on a weekend.) Then I make a new page on my website, like http://www.catherineryanhoward.com/faberworkshop, upload the PP file and any links, etc. and make it password protected. I give the participants the password and the URL, and then they?and only they?can access the information afterwards. (Why not make it public? Because how are the participants, who paid money to attend, going to feel when they discover that anyone can now see the presentation for free?) This way they don?t stress about writing every single thing I say down, and listen to me instead. Everyone?s a winner.
• Always, always, always have two back-ups. My presentation may be on my laptop, but just in case I bring it on disk as well, and just in case just in case, I put a copy in my Dropbox folder, which can be accessed from anywhere there?s internet.
• Tailor your talk to your audience. A writers? group who have invited you to share your self-publishing experience will probably be okay with an informal chat, but if people are paying serious money to learn everything they need to know about self-publishing, they?re going to want their money?s worth.
• If you are doing a day-long workshop where lunch is provided for everyone, don?t stay for it. Or at least, don?t stay for all of it. (You do need to eat!) Get away for a while. Go for a walk. Get some air. Check your e-mails. But stop talking.
• Thanks to a haunted hotel room, I once had to do a full day?s workshop on 2 hours sleep. Two hours! I didn?t think I?d make it, but an emergency raid of the venue?s vending machines got me through. You should always have: (i) water? um, obviously, (ii) a bottle of Lucozade or some other energy drink and (iii) chocolate?a couple of squares on the coffee break, along with coffee of course, makes a world of difference.

Is there anything else you?d like to know about speaking engagements? Were there any surprises in this post? Is this the longest blog post you?ve ever read in your life? Leave your questions or comments below.

I have four speaking engagements coming up: one in London, one in Dublin, one in Waterford and one in Chipping Norton at ChipLitFest. You can find more details about each of them on my News page.

And here?s another tip: if you don?t know what to blog about, ask your followers. They?ll make great suggestions, and you?ll end up writing nearly 4,000 words about the very first one??This idea was suggested by Diane. Please contact me to claim your free digital edition of Self-Printed, if you?d like one.

Tags: chiplitfest, faber academy, inkwell writers, professional speaking, public speaking, self-publishing, seminars, workshops

Source: http://catherineryanhoward.com/2013/01/25/speak-now-earning-money-from-self-publishing-by-talking-about-it/

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Young Adults Want to Recover from Addiction but Need Help to ...

Posted on Jan 19, 2013 in Therapeutically Based Treatment | 0 comments

Young adults undergoing addiction treatment arrive ready and willing to make the personal changes that bring about recovery, but it?s the help and guidance received during treatment that build and sustain those changes, according to a longitudinal study published electronically and in press within the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. The study was conducted collaboratively by the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and the Butler Center for Research at Hazelden.

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?This study suggests that strong motivation to change may exist from the get-go among young adults with severe addiction problems entering residential treatment, but the know-how and confidence to change come through the treatment experience,? explains John F. Kelly, Ph.D., of the Center for Addiction Medicine who authored the study with Center colleagues Karen Urbanoski, Ph.D., and Bettina Hoeppner, Ph.D., and Valerie Slaymaker, Ph.D., of the Butler Center for Research at Hazelden.

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Analysis focused on 303 young adults, age 18-24, attending multidisciplinary, Twelve Step-based residential treatment for alcohol or other drug addiction. The study measured the subjects? levels of change during treatment in key areas, including motivation, psychological distress, coping skills and commitment to participation in mutual support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. Self-efficacy, or a young person?s confidence to stay clean and sober, was also assessed. Assessments were made at treatment intake, mid-treatment, at discharge and three months post-discharge.

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When entering treatment, study participants reported high levels of motivation to remain abstinent but lower levels of coping skills, self-efficacy and commitment to mutual support groups. During-treatment increases in these measures predicted abstinence from alcohol or other drug use at three months post-treatment. Self-efficacy or increased confidence in ability to sustain recovery was the strongest predictor of abstinence.

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Slaymaker of Hazelden adds, ?The young people in our study were quite motivated to do well in treatment but lacked the confidence, coping skills, and commitment to AA that are critical to longer-term success. Treatment appears to work by increasing their confidence and ability to make and sustain healthy, recovery-related efforts.?

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The findings suggest residential treatment provides the boost that the young people need. By reducing their psychological distress, developing their recovery-focused coping skills, increasing their commitment to AA and other groups, and by enhancing their overall confidence to stay clean and sober, young people make meaningful changes in treatment that position them for improved outcomes. Because self-efficacy was a strong predictor of abstinence, it may serve as a useful clinical summary indicator to monitor change and relapse potential among young adults in treatment.

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The study, titled ?Ready, Willing, and (Not) Able to Change: Young Adults? Response to Residential Treatment,? is published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Source: ScienceDaily

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Source: http://www.addictionts.com/2013/01/19/young-adults-want-to-recover-from-addiction-but-need-help-to-make-it-happen/

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Pantech Discover (AT&T)

Best known for entry-level feature phones, Pantech has been making quite a different name for itself lately with powerful, budget-priced smartphones?like the $49.99 Pantech Discover for AT&T. We really liked Pantech's last smartphone, the Flex, but we wanted a better video camera and NFC support. The Discover adds NFC, along with a bigger, sharper display, better battery life, and a 12.6-megapixel camera. Video capture still disappoints, but in every other way, the Discover competes with phones that cost up to four times the price, like the popular Samsung Galaxy S III. It's our new Editors' Choice for budget smartphones on AT&T.

Design, Connectivity, and Call Quality
You'd never guess this is an inexpensive phone by looking at it. Made of textured, rubberized black plastic with a silver accent band around the middle, the Discover cuts a sleek, attractive profile. It measures 5.28 by 2.70 by 0.36 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.76 ounces, which makes it a touch more manageable to handle than the Galaxy S III, though it's also a smidgen thicker and heavier. Also, don't confuse this with a small phone. Any device with a screen this big can be difficult to handle if you have tiny hands.

The 4.8-inch, 720p HD TFT LCD looks rich and sharp. It isn't quite as saturated as the Galaxy S III's AMOLED display, but it also isn't PenTile, so it looks clearer. All of your buttons are on-screen, which helps reduce the size of the bezel, and looks pretty snazzy. There's a Power button and 3.5mm headphone jack on top of the phone, Volume controls on the left, and a micro USB charging port on the bottom. The top quarter of the phone bumps out a little bit more than the rest, to accommodate the 12.6-megapixel camera sensor and stereo speakers on either side. More on those in a bit.

The Discover runs on AT&T's EDGE, HSPA+, and LTE networks. There's also 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, with support for both the 2.4 and faster 5GHz bands. You can also use the phone as a hotspot to connect up to 10 additional devices with the proper service plan. Reception is solid, and the phone turned in typically excellent speeds on AT&T's LTE network in New York City. If you take a look at our?Fastest Mobile Networks survey, you'll see AT&T's LTE can exceed Verizon's LTE speeds, though Verizon's LTE is more consistent and covers more of the nation.

Voice quality on the Discover is average. Voices sound full but fuzzy in the earpiece, with a faint hissing sound in the background. Calls made with the phone sound better; voices are very clear, with just a faintly hollow quality to them. Noise cancellation is average. The speakerphone sounds good, and is actually loud enough to be heard outdoors. Calls were fine over a Jawbone Era?Bluetooth headset and standard Android voice dialing worked accurately. The Discover's 2100mAh battery was good for an impressive 14 hours and 53 minutes of talk time. It's also removable, so you can always carry a spare.

Hardware, OS, and Apps
The Discover is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 processor, which is the same processor that was in the Flex. It's also the same chip that powers the Galaxy S III. It should go without saying that benchmark scores were solid, and you won't have trouble running any of the 600,000+ apps in the Google Play store.

The Discover runs Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich), which is a little disappointing. Pantech promises an update to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), but won't say when. In the meantime, you get Pantech's heavily skinned interface, which lets you choose between Standard or Easy Experience, the latter of which simplifies the phone's UI for inexperienced users.

(Next page: Multimedia and Conclusions)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/M2ApsPxWAPc/0,2817,2414376,00.asp

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Va. killer shows bits of humanity before execution (Providence Journal)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Listen to President Barack Obama?s Inauguration Playlist

With the Inauguration activities soon to take place, President Barack Obama has just shared his official playlist via Spotify. Featuring tracks from artists set to perform during the event, the 17-track mix includes the likes of?Beyonc?, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Usher,?Stevie Wonder?and many more. While some may be saddened at the absence of Young Jeezy, who released his ?We Done It Again? track following Obama?s re-election, we?re sure you?ll find a way to forgive the POTUS. Stream the songs down below, and be sure to let us know a few tracks you?d like to see in mix that didn?t make it.

Information Wired from: HYPETRAK

Source: http://thehiphopwire.com/music/listen-to-president-barack-obamas-inauguration-playlist/

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New Year Detox | Slimming Solutions

Recently there has been a lot of criticism towards detoxing and sometimes with good reason. The key is not to go to over the top. If you?re planning a detox make sure you do it safely and focus on vitality, health and fitness.

A detox is a digestive rest period. In this day and age we tend to overload on alcohol, caffeine, sugar and food additives while consuming diets that are high in fat, refined carbohydrates and protein. So sometimes it is good to redress the balance.

Make sure you do not invest a detox with more powers than it really has. The detox will not change your life nor will it make you lose weight overnight. What it will do, however, is give you a spring in your step, and set you off on the road to trimming off a pound or two! When you start a detox you may experience headaches, if you are a caffeine lover these headaches will usually be down to caffeine withdrawal. You may also experience a furry tongue; this is because your digestive system throws off toxic compounds.

Finally you should not feel hungry whilst on the detox; you should feel digestively ?lighter ?and if you are following a sensible plan you should never feel unwell.

Over the course of the detox your urine may change?color?but if you make sure you are drinking at least 2 litres of water a day then it should be pale straw?color? You may find you have changes in your bowel movements for the better. You should never attempt a radical detox if you are diabetic, pregnant, have an eating disorder or have a diagnosed medical condition. The following weekend detox plan is really just a healthy eating regime focusing on light, fresh foods.

Start your weekend on Friday evening after work and plan to take it easy over the weekend. Take a reasonably brisk half hour walk each day rather than an intense workout in the gym. Eat as much as you want to satisfy your hunger but only from the recommended foods. Make sure you also get eight hours sleep each night, and take the time to pamper yourself or learn a new technique such as meditation.

This weekend you will be eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, getting your proteins from pulses, beans, nuts, seeds and fresh fish, enjoying wheat-free grains and live?yogurts?By doing this you won?t really miss the caffeine, alcohol, red meat, gluten grains and high-fat dairy products. Some of the food mentioned, such as roast barley coffee substitute or nut butters, can be found in good health food shops rather than supermarkets.

Friday evening

Snack-

Fruit and 10-15 unsalted almonds/walnuts

Main meal-

A glass of water before your meal

Fresh vegetable soup low in salt Steamed or grilled fish, flavoured with ginger, garlic and fresh coriander, and lots of steamed vegetables dressed with two teaspoons of sesame oil Herb tea such as mint or camomile

Before bed-

Live plain yoghurt, a teaspoon of honey and a banana

Saturday-

Cup of hot water and lemon on rising

Breakfast-

A generous bowl of unsweetened organic rice puff cereal, served with rice or soya milk and fresh strawberries

A small glass of freshly squeezed orange juice

A cup of coffee substitute such as Bambu made with soya milk

Snack-

A generous handful of dried blueberries (or other dried fruit) and an oatcake

Lunch-

A glass of water before your meal

A main meal salad consisting of varied green leaves, dressed with lemon and balsamic vinegar, grilled asparagus, grapes, cherry tomatoes, flakes of fresh grilled tuna or tined tuna in spring water if fresh is not available, topped with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds

Snack-

A couple of Rye crackers spread with nut butter or 100% fruit jam

An apple

Evening meal-

A glass of water before your meal

Lentil soup with lemon Falafel and roasted Mediterranean vegetables, red onion, tomatoes, aubergine, red and yellow peppers, sprinkled with olives and baked for half an hour in a little olive oil.

Herb tea

Before bed-

Apricot and plain live yoghurt puree

Sunday-

Cup of hot water and lemon rising

Breakfast-

Bowl of porridge made with soya or rice milk. ?Serve with a sliced banana and a tablespoon of pine nuts

A cup of coffee substitute made with soya milk.

Snack-

Watermelon and apple juice Place a generous amount of water melon flesh, including the seeds which are mineral-rich, in a blender on high speed, and add high quality cloudy apple juice or pass an apple through the juicer.

Lunch-

A glass of water before your meal Chicken breast fillet with no skin and pan-fried in one teaspoon of olive oil with lots of garlic and mixed herbs, serve with minted salad Herb tea Snack- Vegetable sticks with hummus

Evening meal-

Tomato and spring onion salad dress with lemon Corn pasta with pesto, green salad Herbal tea

Before bed-

Rice crackers with avocado slices

?

What next? It?s back to work on Monday and you should feel refreshed and revitalised. Before sinking back into old habits see what positive benefits you can take forward with you into the week. After all, the point of this detox is to act as a springboard to healthy eating.

Aim to snack on fresh fruit, nuts and seeds instead of chocolate or biscuits. Keep drinking the herbal tea and coffee substitutes. Make at least one meal a day vegetarian based on beans, salads and pulses, without too much cheese butter and meat featuring in your day. And vary your grains from wheat to incorporate other grains such as oats, barley, rice and rye.

Check out some of our detox products here

This entry was posted on Friday, January 18th, 2013 at 3:15 pm and is filed under Blog about food, Diets . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Source: http://www.slimmingsolutions.co.uk/slimmingblog/diets/new-year-detox/4763/

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Anthony Bourdain Goes Off on American Airlines, Wet Deuce-Based Delay

Source:

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Apple's 2013 Product Roadmap Predictions: Multiple iPhones, Retina iPad Mini, All-Retina MacBook Pros

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a very good track record in predicting Apple's product plans, has issued a new research report outlining his expectations for Apple's 2013 product launches. Kuo believes that Apple will focus its launches on the third quarter of this year, with a number of updates throughout the company's various product families.

- iPhone: Kuo expects that Apple will introduce both an iPhone 5S and a revamped iPhone 5 around June or July of this year, with the iPhone 5S appearing very similar to the current iPhone 5 but carrying a number of upgrades including an A7 system-on-a-chip for better performance, a fingerprint sensor, and camera improvements such as an f2.0 aperture and a smart LED flash. He also believes that the lower-cost iPhone will in many ways simply be an iPhone 5 repackaged into a slightly thicker (8.2 mm vs. the current 7.6 mm) plastic enclosure available in six colors.

- iPad and iPad mini: Kuo forecasts that Apple will update both lines during the third quarter of the year, with the iPad mini gaining a Retina display as the most notable change. He also predicts that the full-size iPad will become considerably slimmer and lighter and adopt the thinner side bezels seen on the iPad mini.

- MacBook Pro: In line with his predictions from last year, Kuo believes that Apple will do away with the non-Retina MacBook Pro line in 2013, moving to an all-Retina lineup at cheaper price points than the current Retina models. Kuo also believes that Apple will tweak the design of these thinner Retina MacBook Pros, despite having just introduced the current form factor last year.

- MacBook Air: Retina displays remain a challenge for the MacBook Air given their relative thickness, and Kuo predicts that they will not be appearing in the 2013 MacBook Air lineup. Kuo believes that a move to Intel's forthcoming Haswell platform will be the main upgrade for the machines, with the update coming perhaps as soon as late in the second quarter.

- Desktops: Kuo notes that the iMac redesign has been well-received, but it appears that he does not see Retina displays coming to the lineup in 2013. He simply predicts a shift to the Haswell platform for the iMac and Mac mini in the fourth quarter of the year. Kuo's report does not address a new Mac Pro, even though Apple CEO Tim Cook had personally shared that a significant update for the line was due in 2013.

- iPod touch: Apple will reportedly discontinue the fourth-generation iPod touch, which is currently being sold alongside the new fifth-generation models. In order to fill the gap, Kuo believes that Apple will introduce a scaled-back fifth-generation model with 8 GB of storage and no rear camera at $199.

- Apple TV: Kuo predicts a minor update to the existing Apple TV product as soon as late this quarter, but he offers no details on what the update would entail. He also notes that Apple's more substantial television effort is unlikely to appear in 2013, with content issues and a lack of experience in the television set industry pushing things back until 2014.

Source: http://www.macrumors.com/2013/01/16/apples-2013-product-roadmap-predictions-multiple-iphones-retina-ipad-mini-all-retina-macbook-pros/

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Mali war shows France is Africa's reluctant gendarme

PARIS: Despite sending warplanes and soldiers to fight Islamists in the Sahara, President Francois Hollande has largely kept his promise to shun the shady system that saw France dictate politics in former African colonies, analysts said.

But the Mali conflict shows that the Socialist leader must accept that France is destined to play gendarme in Africa, they noted.

Hollande made his vow in a speech to Senegal's parliament in October, saying "francafrique", the murky system France used to maintain political and business interests in the colonies it gave up in the 1960s, was dead and buried.

On Tuesday he insisted his decision to send hundreds of troops to Mali -- to battle Islamists poised to seize control of the entire country and install a Taliban-like regime -- had "nothing to do with the policies of another era".

The intervention that began Friday was of a very different nature to previous French military ventures in Africa, said Paul Melly of the Chatham House think-tank in London.

"You can't say it is like the old-style 'francafrique' because that was France getting involved in decisions about overthrowing African governments or changing presidents or keeping allied regimes in place," he said.

In Mali, "what we've got is a normal interaction between sovereign governments", with the former colony asking Paris to provide support for its ramshackle army in the fight against the Al-Qaeda-linked extremists.

"I think that what you might call the face-value explanation given by the French government, that if the French had not intervened then the jihadists would probably have taken over southern Mali, including (the capital) Bamako, seems entirely plausible," he said.

And that would have been a threat to all of West Africa, Melly noted.

France, whose colonial empire was the second largest in the world after Britain's and spanned much of west and central Africa, has thousands of troops stationed in Africa and maintains three major military bases in Djibouti, Senegal and Gabon.

Its soldiers have frequently intervened on the continent in the post-colonial era, sometimes to sway an African state's internal politics under the "francafrique" system put in place by president Charles de Gaulle.

An uprising in the Central African Republic provided an opportunity last month to test Hollande's resolve to break with past practices, said Antoine Glaser, a writer on African affairs.

Despite pleas from the country's president who was worried that rapidly advancing rebels were about to capture the capital, he conspicuously refused to let French troops stationed there be used to prop up the regime.

In stark contrast, Glaser said, Hollande made a snap decision to deploy major military force in Mali.

"When it is a question of international security, such as the battle against terrorism, then obviously it is France that will be on the front line" in much of Africa, he said.

Richard Banegas, a historian and Africa specialist, said the Mali crisis gave France the chance to face up to the fact that it was a country "that has a foreign policy which can include military engagement if our interests are at stake, which does not mean that this is a recolonisation of the continent".

"Africa for the Africans is not operational (in the case of Mali) because the problem is not African, it is global, it is regional and it concerns the interests of France in the sub-region and on its own soil," he said.

West African states had been preparing a United Nations-approved force to intervene in Mali to oust the Islamists, who had seized the north after a coup last March.

But they were dithering and after a swift Islamist advance towards the capital, France decided to send in its own force to hold back the rebels until the African troops were in place.

France's foreign minister recently rejected the suggestion that France was obliged to be Africa's gendarme. But given its military presence and its historic links with the continent, this is the role it will likely have to play, said analysts.

"It would be very difficult for France not to be involved in conflicts on the continent," said Glaser.

Melly of Chatham House said that in the case of Mali, Hollande had little choice.

"If having made those commitments to support reform and economic development and the progress of a modern democratic Africa, if France had then done nothing (in Mali)... that would have been a betrayal of what Hollande was saying," he said.

But he noted that as the president has only been in power a few months, it is still too soon to say whether he can keep his promise on "francafrique".

His predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy also promised to break with the 'francafrique' networks of his predecessors. In his five years in power he used French troops to help install the democratically elected president in Ivory Coast and spearheaded the international intervention in Libya in 2011.

Critics point out that France under Hollande still has close ties with African states, such as Gabon, Cameroon, Congo and Chad, whose governments have poor human rights records.

"If there is a domestic political problem in these countries France will not of course intervene like it might have in the past, but at the same time it doesn't want to offend these presidents" because of its economic or military interests in these countries, said Glaser.

Source: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jan-16/202444-mali-war-shows-france-is-africas-reluctant-gendarme.ashx

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Home Improvement Contractor, Hutchinson, MN | Larson Family of ...

Having always been a Minnesota Vikings fan, I usually learned the hard way and bet with my heart instead of my head.? It seemed as though my favorite team in purple always found a way to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory, and come up just a little short.?

Nothing reflects that statement more than Adrian Peterson?s attempt to break a 28 year old NFL record for most rushing yards in a season.? Peterson, after having knee surgery just a year ago, finished 8 yards short of Eric Dickerson?s record.? A mere 25? more, and a new record would have been established.? Peterson?s strong off season rehabilitation, and SMART goal setting allowed him to finish with the second most rushing yards in the history of the NFL.

SMART goal setting can be just as important when it comes to home improvement projects around the house.? Without a game-plan, the average home owner can, and quite possibly will, struggle with home renovation adventures.? The goal of your remodeling (or any) undertaking should include the following, use the acronym SMART to help remember this key aspect:

Specific:? Any goal must have complete details on what is to be accomplished.? The goal must be simple to understand, well defined, and filled with clarity.? A person cannot say, ?I want a more energy efficient house.?

Measurable:? Comparisons are usually employed at this level.? If you have windows that only have an R Value of 1, a measurable goal may be to increase the insulating value to a value of 4 or 5.

Attainable:? In laymen?s terms, ?you need to be able to hit the bulls-eye.?? The goal should stretch your comfort zone a little farther, but still be realistic and possible.? If you need more storage place in your house, adding onto the garage may not be realistic, but organizing your existing storage area may be possible.

Relevant:? A goal must directly relate to the purpose.? If your goal is to add on another bedroom, the additional expense of a theater room is not relevant to your goal.? This is a common mistake that homeowner?s make during the remodeling phase, and it is important to not let yourself slip into the depths of irrelevancy.?

Time-Bound:? This aspect defines a period for meeting the goal.? It provides for a deadline, and incremental measurements.? ?We want to replace our windows someday,? doesn?t cut it, but ?We want to replace the lower level windows this spring, and complete the upper level before winter,? is an excellent example of a time bound goal.

The use of SMART goal setting will?help make your remodeling project less stressful, and more enjoyable for yourself, your family, and for your contractor.

Source: http://www.larsonbuilders.com/twenty-five-feet/

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The Art of Death (Group RP)

It's a lot like Angel Beats, but not exactly like it. So, I will still be putting it down as an Angel Beats when creating it.

Anyways, here's the information.

Please reserve the character and/or ask questions in the comments down below.

- P L O T -

A young adult male has just come into a form of Limbo that is created just for humans around his age group. Unfortunately, he has come to Limbo at a time when everything is starting to fall to ruins. Almost a year ago, animalistic demons began entering Limbo and devouring the people trapped there. Though the demons haven't caused too much damage to the surroundings in this Limbo, those who they have devoured are now permanently dead and are unable to reincarnate like anyone who passes on from Limbo.

The newly arrived male finds himself running in to a small group consisting of four people whom have chosen to risk their own future existences and fight off the demons. Their goal is to make sure that no one else will be get devoured by the demons before they are able to find their peace and move on. The group quickly takes him in in hopes that he will be able to help them get rid of as many demons as possible as well as help others stuck there come to find their peace and pass on.

- N O T E ( S ) -

* To pass on, the character must fulfill something that they missed out on before they died. (EX: If a character's biggest dream was to get married before they died, they must actually get married within Limbo, then they will pass on to be reincarnated.)

* If killed within Limbo, they will be regenerated almost automatically in their bed. This does not happen if they are killed/devoured by a demon. If they are killed/devoured by a demon, they will not regenerate or reincarnate ever again; thus causing them to disappear forever.

* If a character is injured, but not killed, then they must heal naturally, or another character can kill them so that they regenerate. But, if a character is wounded by a demon and dies hours, or even days later, then it is considered getting killed by a demon and they will disappear forever.

* The Limbo they are in looks like a college university. Thus, all characters must live within a dorm room and all characters must be between the ages of 18 and 25.

- C H A R A C T E R S -

New Arrival - Male - Open
Group Leader - Female - Taken by Devil Within
Second In Command - Male - Open
Member Three - Female - Open
Member Four - Male or Female - Open

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/rr-MVH0TrTg/viewtopic.php

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Last Chance: Cheer On Scarsdale High Cheerleaders - Scarsdale ...

The Last Chance column is a new feature highlighting deadlines and events that are coming up this month. Have a "Last Chance" to spotlight? Send an email to lisa.gentes@patch.com today. Thanks to Patch user Mary Blum for providing this information:

The Scarsdale Cheerleaders will be hosting their 8th Annual Cheerleading Competition at Scarsdale High School on Saturday, January 12. (Snow Date- Jan. 13.)

This competition is a fundraiser for the high school cheerleading program, helping to send both their JV and Varsity teams to compete at the National Championships in Orlando, Fla., the weekend of February 8, 2013.

Food and drinks are donated by local merchants and a journal with local ad support is also published to raise funds. Admission is $10.

• First session - 10:00 a.m (Youth recreation, Modified and JV teams)
• Second Session - 2:00 p.m. (Varsity teams)

Like us on Facebook ?|? Follow us on Twitter ?|? Sign up for our newsletter

Source: http://scarsdale.patch.com/articles/scarsdale-high-hosting-cheering-competition

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Twitter Roach takes guidance from tweets, ushers in a terrifying 2013 (video)

We've already seen cockroaches turned into unwitting puppets for human overlords, but never have we seen dominance quite so casual as with Brittany Ransom's recent Twitter Roach art project. While part of the exhibition, one of the insects wore a modified RoboRoach backpack with an Arduino add-on that took commands from Twitter: mentions including specific hashtags steered the roach left or right by stimulating its nerves. Yes, that meant the poor roach rarely had the dignity of seeing its master face to face, although there's some consolation in knowing that it wore the backpack for limited periods and had a required 30-second pause between instructions.

As to why Twitter Roach came to be? Ransom tells CNET she imagined the currently dormant project as a reflection of the "overstimulation" us humans encounter in a digital world. We can certainly sympathize given our livelihoods, although its existence makes us nervous about 2013. If we're fighting off remote-controlled insect armies a year from now, we'll have to admit we had fair warning.

Continue reading Twitter Roach takes guidance from tweets, ushers in a terrifying 2013 (video)

Filed under: Robots, Alt

Comments

Via: CNET

Source: Chicago Artists' Coalition

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/01/twitter-roach-takes-guidance-from-tweets/

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Real Estate Management For Buildings of All Types | Surfing Dinosaur

Idaho Property Manager Owning real estate can be a lucrative and memorable experience as you watch the development and profits of your property over time. It can also be an incredibly stressful process with money to collect, tenants to find, and materials to update and repair. If you have purchased a property but are often involved in other projects, you probably don?t have the time to manage your investment properly. Select a responsible property management and maintenance company to help alleviate this burden. Property management companies can help in the process of finding tenants, receiving payments, and communicating with the residents of the property. We always work diligently to be the source of the finest property management services you can find anywhere. We know that different forms of real estate require different procedures and we are flexible and innovative. Call us today for a great solution to your property management concerns.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 1st, 2013 at 8:26 am and is filed under Property Management. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a comment. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Source: http://surfingdino.com/real-estate-management-for-buildings-of-all-types/

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