Source: www.nytimes.com --- Saturday, December 31, 2011
In a new system to retain young talent, about 476 teachers received sizable bonuses this year, with 235 of them getting unusually large pay raises. ...
Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=da8aa01017c06ece515a9d02999f91ea
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One of the best prognosticators out there (although he may not take to being called that) is Brian Solis (@briansolis).? In 2010 he wrote the book Engage, which leads you through the specific steps you need to take to conceptualize, implement, manage and measure a social media program.
I had the privilege of interviewing Brian Solis for an article I wrote for Personal Branding Magazine.? In some ways, he reminded me of Matthew Broderick?s character Ferris Bueller; fun, smart and super-savvy about the ways of the social media environment and how to play it.? Solis knows how to navigate, pull the technological strings and use these tools to business advantage.
But wait, there?s more
And new for 2012, Solis has released The End of Business as Usual: Rewire the Way You Work to Succeed in the Consumer Revolution. ?When I received a review copy in the mail I had high expectations and was not disappointed.
This book takes you to the next level, taking social media away from the context of tool and into the context of strategy.? Let me put it another way:? We don?t write about telephones or microwaves or stoves as revolutionary tools for communication or cooking.? We?ve integrated these items into our lives.? Business as Usual does the same thing for us in terms of social media.? Solis is taking the tools and technologies we?ve been enamored with and pushing us into accepting them as tangible, real and unimportant as tools, but vitally important in terms of what we do with them.
The End of Business as Usual is a bellwether
If you like Groundswell, then you will love this. This is a business book, a social media book and a trend book all in one.? It?s 20 chapters and 300 pages of lesson after lesson, insight after insight, and terrific charts and graphics that give you a perspective on what Solis is talking about.
There are so many facts and figures in this book relating to what?s going on in social media that you could probably tweet out a stat every day and have enough to last you a couple of years.? I?m not sure if I?m exaggerating, but I think I?m pretty close.
Here are just a few chapter names that will give you some idea of what to expect:
Chapter 3: The medium is no longer the message. This is the core message of the book. People are spending more time on social networks, TV shows are live tweeted, news comes from Twitter online video networks ? in other words, social is as integrated into our lives as phones and appliances.
Chapter 4: ?Attention deficit crises and information scarcity: This chapter addresses one of the key reasons I admire Brian Solis: ?If you don?t have anything interesting or productive to say ? then don?t say it.?? While Solis is a social media expert and evangelist, I respect his integrity in terms of using social media as a valuable communication channel rather than a vehicle for pabulum.
Chapter 7: Your audience is now an audience of audiences with audiences: This chapter has terrific visuals and charts to show you exactly how communication and information functions in the social media world.? This chapter is worth reading and rereading.
Chapter 11: The rise of connected commerce: You?ve already heard the phrase ?blurring the line between personal and business. This chapter gives you the background on how and why this is happening.? Mobile devices, constant connection and communication will force business to look and feel more personal.
Chapter 14: Reinventing the brand and sales cycle for a new genre of connecter commerce: The message in this chapter is to plug into decision making. We?ve never had better access to data about our customers? behavior.? Businesses will have to become masters at managing their brand promises.
Who should read this book?
To say that anyone who intends to be in business over the next three to five years should read this book is an understatement.? Business owners will see data and research that will help them create a context for the world that they and their customers are participating in.
Sales and marketing professionals will get insights and be able to develop much more powerful marketing strategies that get to the heart of what?s important to their customers.
Social media practitioners will have evidence and resources to share with their clients that will show exactly why the strategies they are proposing will work.
At the risk of sounding over the top, The End of Business as Usual is a book you absolutely, positively must read to succeed in 2012 and beyond.
Ivana Taylor is the publisher of DIYMarketers.com , where she shares daily do-it-yourself marketing tips, and is the President of Third Force, Inc., a marketing firm that specializes in getting your ideal customer to choose you. Ivana is the book editor for Small Business Trends and a contributor to AMEX Open Forum. She is co-author of the book "Excel for Marketing Managers." ?
Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/12/end-of-business-as-usual-book-review.html
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The 3D animation studio offer relevant services to complete your project based on a proper plan. But selection of the appropriate studio depends on the nature and genre of the project. When you outsource the 3D animation production to the right company like Zatun; the project can be competed in a timely and cost-effective manner. However, it is important to choose the company based on the nature and requirements of the project. In addition to the experience and professional expertise of the character animation and 3D animation service provider, you must consider a number of additional aspects to evaluate the eligibility of the digital animation company to complete the project within the specified time limit and on the predetermined budget. Criteria to Choose the Right 3D Animation Studio
1. Watch and Compare the Demo Reels and Videos: Before selecting the 3D animation production company to outsource your project, you can to spend some time in determining the fitness and complexity of the imagery by comparing the demo reels received from the prospective animation studios. It is also important to evaluate the creativity and story-telling skills of the sample to hold the attention of the audience. Once you short-list the character animation companies based on the sample reels submitted by them, you can watch compete videos produced by them to check out the overall effects including the script, story, sound, visuals and subject matter. 2.
2. Check the Experience of the Team of 3D Animators: After evaluating the past works of the 3D animation studio, you have to check out the professional experience and expertise of the team engaged in handling your team. Most of the best 3D animation companies select team members for a project based on the nature of the projects. When your project is handled by professionals who have prior experience in developing 3D video animation content, they can pay the exact attention required by your project. The team of 3D animators can develop the project from scratch by implementing your ideas and concepts in the appropriate manner to impress the audience with a distinct design of character animation
3. Ask the Company to Share the Work Process Document: Each professional 3D animation studio like Zatun develops the 3D content based on a work process document. The document carries the various specifications and steps to be followed for producing the 3D video animation. Some of these documents prepared by top 3D animation companies explain the processed in a detailed manner. After receiving the work process document from the 3D animation service provider, you can evaluate the same to check the suitability of the procedure to match with the nature and requirements of your project. Most of the animation studios prepare the document in a flexible manner to incorporate the modifications and alterations suggested by their clients.
4. Options to Experiment with Fresh and Creative Ideas: The 3D animation studio hired to design 3D animated characters for your project must be flexible enough to experiment and implement fresh ideas and concepts. Sometimes the nature of the digital animation content will require the implementation of a completely distinct and fresh technique. Also, most of the best 3D animation companies use the expertise of the selected team-members to develop the content in a much more effective and impressive manner. The right 3D animators love to experiment with fresh ideas to impress the audience with an entirely different category of character animation design.
5. Response to Client Feedbacks and Queries: While selecting the 3D animation studio to develop 3D video animation for your company, you have to consider the way the top 3D animation responds to your suggestions and feedbacks. When the 3D animation production company responds to your queries quickly, you can expect digital animation content of much better quality from the company. Further, the quick response from the development team will result in implementing your suggestions immediately to produce the 3D animated characters in a manner desired by the client. Further, the quick response will also indicate an effective internal process followed by a dedicated team assigned by the animation studios to make your project a huge success.
6. Transparency in Production Process: Most of the professional animation studios offer a higher level of transparency in their production process. You have to ensure that the 3D animation studio hired by your company keeps the entire production process transparent right from the initial stages of the project. When you monitor the entire development process from the beginning, it will be easier for you to detect any type of deviation from the original work process document. Also, the transparency offered by professional studios like Zatun will be further helpful in avoiding any additional demand made by the 3D animation studio in the middle of the production process. Call us on Skype at : abhi.zatun Call us at ? + 1 415 735 7021 ( usa ), +44 020 8144 2756 , +91 79 2662 3548, +91 997 923 2586 Contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Website - http://zatun.com/
Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5690247519
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Ronald Marion Jennings of San Antonio passed away suddenly on December 29, 2011. Born in Parsons, Kansas on July 8, 1941 to Otis Marion and Florence Jennings he spent most of his youth in Rich Hill, Missouri. Ron was a retired officer of AT& T Corporation working the majority of his years for Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages. Ron was a generous and loving husband and father who enjoyed golf, sports, travel and his dog. He was enormously proud of his sons and cared deeply about the happiness and security of his family and country. We will miss him dearly. Survivors include wife Jean (Pollard) Jennings. Sons, Bryan G. Jennings and wife Mary Beth of Butler Mo., Matthew S. Jennings of St. Louis, Mo, Daron R. Jennings with Alison Krumbein of Los Angeles, Ca. Grandsons, B. Colby Jennings and wife Char Marie, Jacob F. Jennings of Springfield, Mo. and Luke M. Jennings of Los Angeles, Ca. Great grandson Emery Jack Jennings. Brother Jerry Jennings of Lee Summit, Mo and sister Carolyn (Jennings) Harris of Joplin, Mo. Mother-in-law Audrey Pollard of Overland Park, KS, in-laws Mark and Chris Heider of Lawrence, Ks and Jim and Teri Orr of Westwood, Ks. Ron loved with all his heart and gave without thought to gain. He was and will remain our center, our compass and our strength. In lieu of flowers the family requests charitable donations be made to: First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio 404 N. Alamo San Antonio Texas 78205 210-299-1986 www.fpconline.org FirstPres@fpcsat.org The Fisher House 7323 W. Highway 90 ste 107 San Antonio TX 78227 210-673-7500 www .fisherhouseinc.org FisherHouseInc@ sbcglobal.net The Salvation Army www.salvationarmyusa.org A memorial service will be celebrated in Kansas City at Village Presbyterian Church, Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 11:00.
Source: http://kens5.tributes.com/show/Ronald-Marion-Jennings-93018883
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TOKYO ? A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck under the sea south of Japan on Sunday, shaking buildings in the capital but causing no apparent damage or tsunami.
The quake struck near the uninhabited island of Torishima in the Pacific Ocean, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Tokyo, and its epicenter was about 370 kilometers (230 miles) below the sea, the Meterological Agency said. It did not generate a tsunami.
Buildings in the Tokyo area shook, but no damage or injuries were reported. Express trains in northern and central Japan were suspended temporarily for safety checks but later resumed.
No abnormalities were reported at power plants, including the crippled nuclear power plant in northeast Japan hit by the March earthquake and tsunami, public broadcaster NHK reported.
A massive earthquake and tsunami March 11 left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing. Japan, which lies along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," is one of the world's most seismically active countries.
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FRIDAY, Dec. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors have long been concerned that increasing rates of childhood obesity could fuel a diabetes epidemic.
Study results have now underscored that fear.
Researchers have found that the length of time a person carries excess weight directly contributes to an increased risk for type 2 diabetes.
In other words, because today's children are expected to receive a larger lifetime "dose" of obesity, their chances of developing diabetes at some point in their lives will be greater.
Dr. John E. Anderson, vice president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association, said that the findings reflect what is already happening in society, with more young children and teenagers diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than ever before.
"A disease that used to be confined to older people is creeping into high schools," Anderson said. "At best, this is alarming. This obesity epidemic we have is fueling an epidemic of diabetes in young people."
Obesity among children and adolescents has almost tripled since 1980, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Today, nearly one in five American kids ages 2 to 19 -- or about 12.5 million -- are obese.
Obesity has long been linked with the development of type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body gradually loses its ability to properly use insulin to convert blood sugar into fuel, a condition known as insulin resistance.
"Extra weight gets in the way of the ability of tissues to absorb insulin and use it to convert glucose," Anderson said. "The more obese you are, the more insulin resistant you can become."
But researchers now are finding that the time spent carrying extra weight matters as much as the amount of extra weight itself.
A research team at the University of Michigan that studied the health records of about 8,000 teens and young adults found that those with a body mass index (BMI) indicating overweight or obesity for a greater length of time had a higher risk for diabetes.
For example, the researchers found that a person who carried a BMI of 35 for 10 years -- a BMI of 30 or above is considered obese -- could be considered to have the equivalent of 100 years of excess BMI.
The findings, published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, jibe with projections that show diabetes rates exploding as more people spend more of their lives either overweight or obese.
"If you're born in the year 2000 and the current trends continue unchecked, you will have a one in three chance of developing type 2 diabetes," Anderson said. That risk increases for certain ethnic minorities, including African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanics.
Diabetes is a systemic disease, and by its nature can affect almost every part of a person's body. Someone with diabetes has a shorter life expectancy, and on any given day has twice the risk for dying as a person of similar age without diabetes, according to the CDC.
"We worry this will be the first generation of Americans who don't live as long as their parents did," Anderson said.
What can be done to alter the potentially grim outlook? To start losing weight, kids need to adopt a set of healthy living skills that become part of their daily routine, said Sheri Colberg-Ochs, an exercise science professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., who works with the American Diabetes Association.
"It's not just the weight, per se," Colberg-Ochs said. "It's the lifestyle they've developed that caused them to gain the extra weight."
First, kids need to be taught to eat healthy foods and to avoid foods that are fatty, sugar-packed or heavily processed, she said.
"When food is a lot more refined, it's lacking in a lot of vitamins and minerals that are essential to your effective metabolic function," she said. "Kids eat empty calories, and those calories go straight to weight gain."
But they also need to become more physically active, she said. Exercise has been shown to both battle obesity and help better control blood glucose levels in the body.
"Those two things alone would probably solve the problem of childhood obesity, were society to pursue them vigorously," Colberg-Ochs said.
More information
The American Diabetes Association has more on living with diabetes.
For more on learning to live with diabetes from a young age, check out a companion article that details one woman's story.
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