Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Video: Hollywood Saving Home Entertainment?

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/45483149/

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Gay marriage champion joins Vt. Supreme Court (Providence Journal)

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Instant view: Private sector adds 206,000 jobs in November (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? The pace of job growth in the private sector accelerated in November, with U.S. employers adding 206,000 jobs, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday.

COMMENTS:

BORIS SCHLOSSBERG, DIRECTOR OF FX RESEARCH, GFT, JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY

"It's (ADP) a great number. What this suggests is that the U.S. recovery is much more stable than initially thought and combine that with the global monetary easing that major central banks did today, and we have an environment that's positive for risk."

WILLIAM LARKIN, PORTFOLIO MANAGER WITH CABOT MONEY MANAGEMENT IN SALEM, MASS

"The ADP is a pretty good number, but it will put a lot of weight on Friday's data, especially coming off of yesterday's consumer confidence number. However this news puts us on the path of stronger equities.

"The more global coordination, the less tail risk there is. A lot of people are putting more risk on today and taking off their safety trades. We're planning on doing that here. It looks like this move (in futures) is sustainable. If the monthly employment number comes in place, it's hard to see us not break out of the range we've been in."

WAYNE KAUFMAN, CHIEF MARKET ANALYST AT JOHN THOMAS FINANCIAL IN NEW YORK

"All terrific news for short-term traders. You can't fight the Fed, and now that we're in a global economy, you can't fight the global central banks. They are pushing liquidity. The upside is bigger than the downside. There is tremendous stress out there so doing something in a concerted effort to relieve some of the stress is a good thing.

"ADP news is very good news. The private sector is adding jobs. China reducing reserve ratios is also very good. Governments around the world are acting in concert to relieve the strains on the system. Stocks are very undervalued based on comparing equity yields versus bond yields, which shows the stress of the financial system. Under normal circumstances, stocks would be a lot higher."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111130/bs_nm/us_usa_economy_adp_jobs

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Low-Cal Diet Cuts Fat Around Heart in Obese People: Study (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Nov. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Heart function improved in obese people with type 2 diabetes who ate a very low-calorie diet, a small new study says.

Researchers measured body-mass index (BMI) and used MRI to analyze heart function and pericardial fat in 15 obese people (seven men and eight women) with type 2 diabetes before and four months after they started consuming a 500-calorie-per-day diet.

Pericardial fat collects around the heart and can harm cardiac function.

Their diabetes improved immediately after cutting calories, according to the study.

Four months after the participants began the low-calorie diet, average BMI fell from 35.3 to 27.5 (statistical obesity begins at a BMI of 30), and pericardial fat decreased from 39 milliliters (ml) to 31 ml.

A key measure of diastolic heart function fell to healthier levels, as well, the study found. Diastolic heart function involves that period of the heart beat when the ventricles are filling up with blood. Poor diastolic heart function can lead to congestive heart failure.

After another 14 months of follow-up when the participants ate a regular diet, average BMI increased to 31.7, but pericardial fat only rose slightly to 32 ml and E/A ratio was 1.06.

The study was to be presented Monday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

"Our results show that 16 weeks of caloric restriction improved heart function in these patients," lead author Dr. Sebastiaan Hammer, of Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, said in an RSNA news release. "More importantly, despite regain of weight, these beneficial cardiovascular effects were persistent over the long term."

While the results are promising and showed that lifestyle interventions appeared to provide more significant heart benefits than medication in these patients, obese people should not try to go on a very low-calorie diet on their own. It has to be done under medical supervision, Hammer noted.

Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more about diabetes treatments.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111128/hl_hsn/lowcaldietcutsfataroundheartinobesepeoplestudy

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Video: War on drugs takes to the air

With thousands of tons of narcotics flowing north from Mexico across the Rio Grande river into the U.S., law enforcement use tactical helicopters to track and photograph drug smuggling. To see more of Mark Potter's report watch NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams Tuesday.?

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45468088/

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

6 missing, 2 rescued after ship sinks in Irish Sea

Six people were missing early Sunday after a cargo ship sank in the Irish Sea.

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The BBC reported that he 265-foot Swanland sent out a mayday call at around 2 a.m. local time (9 p.m. ET), when it was about 30 miles northwest of the Llyn peninsula in Wales.

Two male crew members were later rescued from the water.

Britain's Sky News quoted a coast guard spokeswoman as saying that the vessel had suffered a "cracked hull." She described the sea conditions in the area as "challenging at best." Gale-force winds were also reported.

The BBC reported that rescuers arriving at the scene found "two life rafts and some floating debris."

The ship was reportedly carrying 3,000 tons of limestone.

The rescue operation was launched from RAF Valley, the UK air force base where Prince William is based. He serves as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot. However, it was not immediately clear whether he was on duty this weekend.

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45451709/ns/world_news-europe/

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Election day in Egypt (Americablog)

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Senate Democrats push Obama payroll tax cut (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Senate Democrats are pressing ahead on President Barack Obama's plan to cut in half every worker's payroll taxes next year ? paid for by a 3.25 percent tax surcharge on the very wealthy.

The $248 billion plan would trim Social Security payroll taxes from 6.2 percent to 3.1 percent in hopes of propping up the still-weak economy. It also would cut in half the 6.2 percent tax paid by employers on the first $5 million of their payroll.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., says Democrats will hold a test vote on the plan later this week.

A 2 percent payroll tax holiday enacted a year ago expires on Dec. 31 and it tops the agenda in the waning days of this congressional term.

Republicans are likely to oppose the plan because it would post a permanent surcharge on income exceeding $1 million, including income earned by many small businesses.

"Any attempt to pass another temporary stimulus funded by a permanent tax hike on the very people we're counting on to create the private-sector jobs we need is purely political, and not intended to do a thing to help the economy, since we all know it's likely to fail with bipartisan opposition," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Monday.

Reid's move is the latest political salvo by Democrats as the two parties spar over the best way to create more jobs. Monday's move appears aimed at drawing a distinction between Democrats and Republicans on taxes, with Reid seeking to maneuver Republicans into opposing the payroll tax cut.

Indeed, the payroll tax cut is unpopular with many Republicans who say the existing 2 percent cut hasn't done much to create jobs.

But many economists say that allowing the tax cut to expire is likely to do at least some damage to the economy.

"More than 120 million families took home an extra $120 billion this year thanks to payroll tax cuts Democrats championed," Reid said. "The average family held onto $935 more of their heard-earned dollars this year. We need to assure those families that they can rely on that tax cut next year as well."

Republican leaders have signaled a willingness to work with Democrats on both the payroll tax cut and a further extension of jobless benefits for people who have been unemployed for six months or more. But the proposals are so expensive that it's unlikely that lawmakers will find a way to fully pay for them.

Instead, after spending most of the fall waiting for the deficit "supercommittee" to devise a plan to cut the deficit by $1.2 trillion or more, it seems that lawmakers are actually on track to increase the deficit as the congressional session comes to a close.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111128/ap_on_re_us/us_democrats_payroll_tax

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Expanded Gaming in Massachusetts Creates Huge Competition in ...

Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation November 22 permitting casino gambling in Massachusetts. CBS News reports that now Connecticut and Rhode Island are seriously considering legalizing casinos as well to keep up with the increasing competition in New England.

Currently, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority behind the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut is seeking to build a gaming resort?complete with a 600-room hotel and spa, and a casino with slots, table games and poker?in Palmer, Massachusetts. On December 8 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Mohegan Sun will co-host a conference to explore the opportunities for community businesses as a result of new destination casino resorts popping up in Western Massachusetts in the near future. Mohegan Sun planned the conference, Destination Casino Resorts: Opportunities for the Business Community of Western Massachusetts, in partnership with the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts, the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, the Massachusetts Latino Chamber of Commerce and the Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce.

The new law authorizes up to three casinos and one slots parlor in Massachusetts. Other casino developers are currently pursuing casinos in Springfield and Holyoke in Western Massachusetts.

Next year, Rhode Island voters will be asked to answer a ballot question on whether a slot parlor should be made into a full-fledged casino, CBS News reports.

While the Connecticut government cannot project dollar amounts related to the impact from new casinos in Massachusetts, it expects competition to be ?negative for Connecticut?s casinos,? Gian-Carl Casa, spokesman for the state Office of Policy and Management, wrote in an email to CBS News.

Source: http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/11/29/expanded-gaming-in-massachusetts-creates-huge-competition-in-new-england-64945

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No. 21 Baylor wins 66-42 over Tech after RG3 out

Texas Tech defensive end Dartwan Bush (54) pressures Baylor quarterback Robert Grifin III (10) in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)

Texas Tech defensive end Dartwan Bush (54) pressures Baylor quarterback Robert Grifin III (10) in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)

Baylor wide receiver Kendall Wright (1) beats Texas Tech safeties Cody Davis (16) and Terrance Bullitt (1) to score a touchdown in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)

Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege (7) throws a pass in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)

Texas Tech safety Cody Davis (16) tries to stop Baylor running back Terrance Ganaway (24) in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)

Texas Tech defensive end Jackson Richards (43) can't stop Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) on his way to a second-quarter touchdown during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)

(AP) ? Robert Griffin III stood on the sideline after halftime holding a towel and watching, the Heisman Trophy hopeful done for the night because of an apparent concussion.

Though Griffin wanted to play, Baylor medical officials took away his helmet before the second half against Texas Tech.

Even without their leader, the 21st-ranked Bears practically scored at will in a 66-42 victory Saturday night.

"I'm excited. I've got a smile on my face," Griffin said. "I only got to play half of the game, but I tried to contribute as much as I could."

Baylor (8-3, 5-3 Big 12) set a school mark for most points in a conference game ? Big 12 or the Southwest Conference for decades before that ? but was already ahead to stay when Griffin scored on a 3-yard keeper just before halftime. That score came after he was on the sideline for one play after taking an elbow to the helmet while sliding at the end of a run.

"We got in at halftime, he had a little trouble remembering what was going on," coach Art Briles said. "We were going to be cautious because that's the right thing to do. Robert's a tough guy. He wanted to go. ... But he didn't need to go."

Nick Florence, the junior who hadn't thrown a pass all season and was possibly going to be redshirted, filled in aptly.

Florence completed 9 of 12 passes for 151 yards with a pair of long touchdowns. He threw a 46-yard TD to Kendall Wright and a 40-yarder to Terrance Williams before Joe Williams returned an interception 90 yards to push Baylor ahead 52-28.

"It was a team win. I'm still kind of taking it all in right now," said Florence, the primary starter after Griffin got hurt only three games into the 2009 season. "If I'm going to remove (the redshirt), let's remove it like that."

Terrance Ganaway rushed 42 times for 246 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a school-record 14 for the Bears, who reached eight wins for the first time since 1991.

"Never would I have thought that we would have that many rushes in a game with Art Briles' offense," Ganaway said, smiling.

"Our offensive line was just dominating," Briles said. "There's not many 242-pound backs in the nation that have the agility and speed that Ganaway has."

Texas Tech (5-7, 2-7) finished with its first losing record since 1992. The Red Raiders lost their last five games after a 41-38 upset last month at Oklahoma, which Baylor beat at home last week.

"This is as frustrating as it gets. We didn't meet the expectations we had," Tech quarterback Seth Doege said. "When your season doesn't end on a high note, you feel bad for the seniors."

Griffin had scrambled from one side of the field to the other and slid inside the 5 with a first down when defensive back Cornelius Douglas came in hard with an elbow that knocked Griffin's head back to the turf. The quarterback remained flat on his back for a couple of moments before coming out of the game for a play. He then returned for his second touchdown run to make it 31-21.

When the game was over, Briles hugged a smiling Griffin and kissed him on the cheek.

The two teams combined for 108 points and 1,061 total yards at Cowboys Stadium, where Baylor outgained the Red Raiders 617 to 444. The Bears had 294 before halftime with Griffin.

"It was pretty much tonight like it's gone the rest of the year. We just haven't been able to stop anybody on defense," said coach Tommy Tuberville, whose team also gave up 66 points against Oklahoma State earlier this month.

Griffin, the national leader in total offense (412 yards per game), completed 7 of 11 passes for 106 yards with a touchdown. He ran 14 times for 62 yards.

Griffin had a school-record 551 total yards against Oklahoma, including the game-winning TD pass with 8 seconds left in a 45-38 victory for the Bears' first win in 21 chances against the Sooners.

Texas Tech had won all previous 15 games against the Bears as Big 12 members.

Doege completed 41 of 55 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. Eric Ward set a Tech single-game record with 16 catches for 151 yards.

Baylor scored on its first five drives, including Griffin's 33-yard TD pass on fourth down to Wright, who caught the ball in the middle of the field at the 25 and spun away from a defender to sprint to the end zone for a 10-0 lead.

Griffin had a 4-yard TD run on the first play of the second quarter to put the Bears up 17-7.

The Red Raiders then went 74 yards on 10 completions by Doege. Six were to Ward, the last for a 2-yard TD.

A couple of plays after Baylor got the ball back, officials were blowing the whistle for a false start when safety Terrance Bullitt came from Griffin's blindside and undercut his legs, knocking the quarterback to the ground. That drew a personal foul penalty, and the drive eventually ended with a 4-yard TD by Ganaway.

Tech then used a little trickery to score quickly. Backup quarterback Jacob Karam, wearing a No. 85 jersey instead of his normal No. 3, lined up as a receiver and went in motion. He took a pitch from Doege and then threw a 43-yard TD to Darrin Moore, who later caught a 1-yard TD from Doege.

The Red Raiders then recovered an onside kick. But they failed to get a first down and punted.

That led to the wild 12-play drive on which Griffin got hurt. Both teams called a timeout before a fourth-and-7 play, but Tech was called for delay of game ? and coach Tommy Tuberville was then flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when he protested, giving Baylor a first down without having to snap the ball.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-27-T25-Texas%20Tech-Baylor/id-9d6dedd9a565487aaa5d08466d4687b9

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Video: Video: 8th grader's bat study helps scientists

An eighth grade scientist is conducting ground-breaking research on bat disease for Bucknell University. WVIT's Brad Drazen reports.

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Monday, November 28, 2011

Gr8r Technology Blog: INSIGHT COMMUNICATIONS PHONE ...

For many businesses, a Insight Communications phone service outage is more than just an inconvenience- it?s a disaster!? For medical practices, it could seriously affect their quality of care and the health of their patients; for law firms, it could negatively impact their clients? cases; and for service companies, it could cause customers to suffer unnecessary losses due to a delay in response to urgent and emergency situations.? For any type of business, a Insight Communications phone service outage means missed calls, missed opportunities, and?the loss of time, money and productivity.

The threat of a possible Insight Communications phone service outage exists for all Insight Communications business customers, but the threat is higher?for some businesses due to their location or more serious because of their business model.? If your business is located in an area where there are frequent Insight Communications phone service outages, or in an area prone to natural disasters like fires, floods, tornados, hurricanes or earthquakes, your threat is high.? If you have the type of business in which phone communications is critical?such as?safety, security or medical care, the threat is more very serious for you.? Whether the threat for your business is great or small, you need a ?bullet proof? back up solution to protect your business from Insight Communications phone service outages.

Business owners who need to protect their business from the threat of Insight Communications phone service outages are turning to Gr8r Technology for a business continuity solution for their phone communications.? Business continuity means making sure you can keep doing business during any Insight Communications phone service outage. You might have employed business continuity techniques for your data and network systems, but not for your phone communications. Business continuity solutions for your phone communications is vital to the stability, survival and security of your business, and Gr8r Technology can provide the ideal back up phone communications solution for you.

Beware of any type of back up?phone service?Insight Communications might offer you as a solution to their phone service outages, because it will probably be ineffective, insufficient and incomplete for what you really need.? This is because, in the event of a?Insight Communications phone service outage, Insight Communications will probably route all of?your calls to only one alternate phone (usually a cell phone).? This?won't?solve the problem- it'll just creates more problems, because it?s impossible for one single cell phone to match the call capacity of multiple Insight Communications business phone lines or match the call processing power of?your office phone system.? You?can only answer one call on a cell phone at at time.??Your?receptionist can?t transfer calls to various employee extensions, place callers on-hold, put callers into employee voice mail boxes, or perform any other normal call processing functions on a cell phone.? Even worse, your callers hear the personal voice mail message on?your cell phone- not the professional greeting on the office auto attendant, giving your business an unprofessional phone presence.? These are just a few of the many problems, challenges and issues you?might encounter if you rely on a back up phone service solution from Insight Communications.

Gr8r Technology provides the ideal business continuity solution to protect your business from Insight Communications phone service outages called ?Back Up Phone Service? (a/k/a BUPS).? Our Back Up Phone Service (BUPS) offers you many advantages, including?

INSTANT and AUTOMATIC DEPLOYMENT

Our Back Up Phone Service deploys instantly and automatically in the event of Insight Communications phone service outages due to network problems, power failure, equipment failure, or natural disasters.? You don?t have to make a call, log into a web portal, or do anything manually yourself.? BUPS simply goes right to work when needed without any human intervention.

WORKS WITH ANY PHONE

Our Back Up Phone Service works with any type of phones and phone lines, including analog, digital, VoIP, cellular, and satellite phones, eliminating any requirement to buy any special equipment.

SOPHISTICATED CALL ROUTING

Our Back Up Phone Service routes incoming calls to multiple phones and phone lines simultaneously, eliminating busy signals, missed calls, and overwhelming one person on one phone!? This is a very important distinction between BUPS and the business continuity offerings of Insight Communications phone service providers who route all of their customer?s calls to only ONE single phone.

MIRRORS AND MATCHES

Our Back Up Phone Service mirrors and matches your normal call flow (routing, extensions, etc), eliminating confusion for your callers and employees.? BUPS uses the exact same greetings, menu options (?press 1 for sales, 2 for customer service, etc), extensions (extension 101, 102, 103 etc), hours of operation, directions, and other information, programming and settings on your office phone system.? BUPS matches and mirrors your normal call flow so well that your callers may not even realize that your regular phone lines are down.

FEASIBLE

Our Back Up Phone Service is very affordable, scalable and customizable with user access and control both online and over-the-phone.? There?s no equipment to purchase, no infrastructure to build (wiring, jacks, etc), no software to install and run on your network, no IT contractor to hire, no contract to sign, and no Internet requirements (this is not VoIP).? Turn-a-round time is only 48 hours and BUPS cost only a fraction of what you?re paying for your Insight Communications phone service.Gr8r Technology?s Back Up Phone Service (BUPS) has all the features, functionality and capabilities you need, including?

? AUTO ATTENDANT:? Automatically answers calls, plays a greeting with menu options, and routes calls based on the menu option selected by the caller, as well as processes incoming faxes.? This ensures that, during a Insight Communications phone service outage, calls are routed correctly to your various standby phones and alternate phone numbers.

? EXTENSIONS: Provides a destination to route incoming calls for a particular employee, department, or pre-recorded information.? BUPS extension numbers can match the 3 or 4 digit extensions on your phone system, eliminating any confusion for your callers and employees.

? FIND ME - FOLLOW ME: Automatically connects calls to employees ?live?, in real time, regardless of their location or the type of phone they are using at the time of the call (cell phone, home phone, office phone, Skype or any phone).? This feature is important because you don?t know where your employees will be when your phone lines go down, but your BUPS will locate them for you, ensuring that they don?t miss important calls during Insight Communications phone service outages.

? DIAL-BY-NAME DIRECTORY: Enables callers to be automatically connected with the person they are trying to reach by entering the first three letters of the person?s last name.

? CALL QUEUING: Increases call capacity by automatically fielding calls when all employees or all lines are busy, eliminating hang ups and dropped calls.? Callers are given the option to press ?1? to wait for the next available representative, or press ?2? to leave a message in voice mail.? If your phone lines go down in the middle of your peak calling period, this feature will reduce or eliminate hang ups, busy signals and dropped calls.

? AUTO RE-DIRECT: Automatically redirects incoming calls to a different extension or phone number depending on the time of day, and day of the week.? This feature ensures that calls are routed correctly if your Insight Communications phone service fails after hours and on weekends.

? ?IN CALL? CONTROLS: Empowers you to 1) transfer ?live? calls from any phone to any other phone, 2) place a caller on hold with the caller listening to your custom On-hold Music or Message, or 3) connect the caller to your voice mail without hanging up.? This feature is vital if your employees will be using their cell phones and homes phones as standby and alternate phones, in the event of a Insight Communications phone service outage at your office.

? ON-HOLD MUSIC: Plays your company message to the caller while the call is being transferred or when the caller is placed on-hold.

? VIRTUAL PHONE LINE: Empowers you to use any phone (cellular or landline) in any location to place outbound calls with the appearance that you are calling from your office phone.? The recipients of your calls only see your office number in their Caller ID- not the phone number you?re calling from!? This feature is vital if your employees will be using their cell phones and homes phones as standby and alternate phones, in the event of a Insight Communications phone service outage at your office.

? VOICE MAIL-TO-EMAIL: Delivers your employees' voice mail messages to their email address as an MP3 attachment so they can listen to their messages on any computer or smart phone!? This feature ensures that employees get their voice mail messages, even when your phone lines and office phone system are down.

? TEXT NOTIFICATIONS: Notifies employees by phone or SMS text message whenever they receive a voice mail message or fax, enabling them to respond to callers quickly, even when your phone lines and office phone system are down.

? GROUP MESSENGER: Empowers you to make one call and record a message to alert everyone in your company via email, text message, and phone that your phone lines are down and BUPS has been deployed.

? VIRTUAL FAX: Automatically receives incoming faxes, delivers them to employee email addresses in PDF format, and notifies employees that a new fax is waiting for retrieval.? Employees can view, print, store, and forward faxes on any computer or smart phone.? Employees can also send faxes from any computer in any location during Insight Communications phone service outages.

? PHONE-TO-FAX: Empowers employees to use their cell phone to fax any stored form or document to any fax number in the USA, during a Insight Communications phone service outage in which their office fax machine and fax line is down.

? CALL ALERT: Automatically alerts employees every time they receive a call, even if the caller does not leave a message or speak to an employee ?live?. The alert includes the caller?s number, name, location and call date & time.

? CALL TRACKING: Automatically gives you statistics and demographics on who your callers were during a Insight Communications phone service outage.? Shows all calls by dates, times, durations; and uses Google Maps to show your caller?s geographic location.

If your Insight Communications phone lines go down, do your employees have the tools to keep your business running?? If a natural disaster strikes, causing more problems than just a Insight Communications phone service outage, but also making your office inaccessible, do your employees have the tools to keep your business running from their homes or remote offices?? If your answer is no, we strongly recommend that you protect your business today with the ideal business continuity solution from Gr8r Technology- Back Up Phone Service (BUPS).? Click on one of the links below to learn more...

Source: http://gr8rtechnology.blogspot.com/2011/11/insight-communications-phone-service.html

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Moody gibbon wins BIAZA photography award

Chelsea Whyte, contributor

Samuel-the-agile-gibbon-by-Anna-Francis-of-Bristol-Zoo.jpg(Image: Anna Francis)

Monkeying around in his pen, this serious-faced gibbon gives a staff member at Bristol Zoo Gardens a moment of his time for a portrait.

Anna Francis, a graphic designer for the zoo, caught this moody shot of the swinging primate, Samuel, as he glided through his enclosure. She won first place for the photograph at the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) awards in the "Life in a BIAZA collection" category.

Francis is an amateur photographer who has been taking pictures for 20 years. This image is part of a series of black and white photos she has taken over the last year, entitled Behind the scenes at Bristol Zoo.

"They are created using my old 35mm film camera. I love using black and white film, it's always more atmospheric, and the analogue photographic process has always fascinated me," Francis says.

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Arab League sanctions Syria

In an unprecedented move against a fellow Arab nation, the Arab League on Sunday approved economic sanctions on Syria to pressure Damascus to end its deadly suppression of an 8-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad.

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But even as world leaders abandon Assad, the regime has refused to ease a military assault on dissent that already has killed more than 3,500 people. On Sunday, Damascus slammed the sanctions as a betrayal of Arab solidarity and insisted a foreign conspiracy was behind the revolt, all but assuring more bloodshed will follow.

The sanctions are among the clearest signs yet of the isolation Syria is suffering because of the crackdown. Damascus has long boasted of being a powerhouse of Arab nationalism, but Assad has been abandoned by some of his closest allies and now his Arab neighbors. The growing movement against his regime could transform some of the most enduring alliances in the Middle East and beyond.

At a news conference in Cairo, Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim said 19 of the League's 22 member nations approved a series of tough punishments that include cutting off transactions with the Syrian central bank, halting Arab government funding for projects in Syria and freezing government assets. Those sanctions are to take effect immediately.

Story: UN: 'Numerous' reports of child torture by Syria's security forces

Other steps, including halting flights and imposing travel bans on some, as-yet unnamed Syrian officials, will come later after a committee reviews them.

"The Syrian people are being killed but we don't want this. Every Syrian official should not accept killing even one person," bin Jassim said. "Power is worth nothing while you stand as an enemy to your people."

He added that the League aims to "to avoid any suffering for the Syrian people."

Video: Inside Syria: Underground network of cyber activists keeps revolution alive (on this page)

Iraq and Lebanon ? important trading partners for Syria ? abstained from the vote, which came after Damascus missed an Arab League deadline to agree to allow hundreds of observers into the country as part of a peace deal Syria agreed to early this month to end the crisis.

Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby said the bloc will reconsider the sanctions if Syria carries out the Arab-brokered plan, which includes pulling tanks from the streets and ending violence against civilians.

The regime, however, has shown no signs of easing its crackdown, and activist groups said more than 30 people were killed Sunday. The death toll was impossible to confirm. Syria has banned most foreign journalists and prevented independent reporting inside the country.

The Local Coordinating Committees, a coalition of Syrian activist groups, praised the sanctions but called for a mechanism to ensure compliance.

"The sanctions leave open the opportunity for the regime to commit fraud and strip the sanctions of any substance, thereby prolonging the suffering of the Syrian people at the hands of an oppressive and brutal regime," the group said.

The Arab League move is the latest in a growing wave of international pressure pushing Damascus to end its crackdown. The European Union and the United States already have imposed sanctions, the League has suspended Syria's membership and world leaders increasingly are calling on Assad to go. But as the crisis drags on, the violence appears to be spiraling out of control as attacks by army defectors increase and some protesters take up arms to protect themselves.

Syria has seen the bloodiest crackdown against the Arab Spring's eruption of protests, and has descended into a deadly grind. Though internationally isolated, Assad appears to have a firm grip on power with the loyalty of most of the armed forces, which in the past months have moved from city to city to put down uprisings. In each place, however, protests have resumed.

The escalating bloodshed has raised fears of civil war ? a worst-case scenario in a country that is a geographical and political keystone in the heart of the Middle East.

Syria borders five countries with whom it shares religious and ethnic minorities and, in Israel's case, a fragile truce. Its web of allegiances extends to Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement and Iran's Shiite theocracy. Chaos in Syria could send unsettling ripples across the region.

For now, Assad still has a strong bulwark to prevent his meeting the same fate as the leaders of Egypt, Tunisia or Libya anytime soon. His key advantages are the support of Russia and China, fear among many Syrians about a future without Assad, and the near-certainty that foreign militaries will stay away.

But the unrest is eviscerating the economy, threatening the business community and prosperous merchant classes that are key to propping up the regime. An influential bloc, the business leaders have long traded political freedoms for economic privileges.

Video: Start of a civil war in Syria? (on this page)

The opposition has tried to rally these largely silent, but hugely important, sectors of society. But Assad's opponents have failed so far to galvanize support in Damascus and Aleppo ? the two economic centers in Syria.

Sunday's sanctions, however, could chip away at their resolve.

Since the revolt began, the regime has blamed the bloodshed on terrorists acting out a foreign conspiracy to divide and undermine Syria. The bloodshed has laid bare Syria's long-simmering sectarian tensions, with disturbing reports of Iraq-style sectarian killings.

Syria is an overwhelmingly Sunni country of 22 million, but Assad and the ruling elite belong to the minority Alawite sect. Assad, and his father before him, stacked key military posts with Alawites to meld the fates of the army and the regime ? a tactic aimed at compelling the army to fight to the death to protect the Assad family dynasty.

Until recently, most of the bloodshed was caused by security forces firing on mainly peaceful protests. Lately, there have been growing reports of army defectors and armed civilians fighting Assad's forces ? a development that some say plays into the regime's hands by giving government troops a pretext to crack down with overwhelming force.

___

Youssef reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Adam Schreck contributed from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45451537/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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