Sunday, December 30, 2012

Campaign Urges Mayor Brown to Block Colvin Church Demo

The Campaign for Greater Buffalo History Architecture and Culture has sent a letter, quoted in full below, to Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown urging that he direct Commissioner of Permit and Inspection Services James Comerford to rescind his issuance of a demolition permit, effective Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, to the owners of the former North park Baptist Church (later Temple Emanu-El) at Colvin and Tacoma avenues in North Buffalo.

?

Hon. Byron Brown
City Hall
Buffalo, NY 14202
VIA?HAND?DELIVERY?AND?EMAIL

Re: Former North Park Baptist Church-Temple Emanu-El, 375 Colvin Avenue.
?
Dear Mayor Brown,

At its meeting yesterday, the Buffalo Preservation Board found that the threatened former North Park Baptist Church at 375 Colvin Avenue qualified for designation as a city landmark. Only one of nine criteria need be met for designation; the board found that this building met five of the criteria. The board voted unanimously to designate the building as a landmark and scheduled a public hearing for January 10. The building is best known as the former Temple Emanu-El, the seat of the most significant rabbi within Conservative Judaism in the United States, Isaac Klein, from 1953 to 1968. The former Baptist congregation overextended itself on the grand building, and sold it in 1934 to congregation Emanu-El, led by Rabbi Joseph Gitin (upon his death in 2010 at age 104, Rabbi Gitin was believed to have been oldest Reform rabbi in the world).
?
Commissioner Jim Comerford has indicated he is "releasing" the historic building for demolition and issuing a demolition permit effective Monday, December 31 on a non-emergency basis. Such action would be taken with full knowledge and directly contrary to the Preservation Board.

This is an iconic building in North Buffalo, the demolition of which, the Preservation Board was informed, is opposed by many in the community. Councilmember Michael LoCurto informed the board that he is opposed to demolition and supports the formal designation of the building as a landmark. In addition, The Campaign for Greater Buffalo opposes the demolition and supports the desgnation of the site as a landmark.
?
That this should be happening during the holidays and after the owners cancelled an inspection of the building by the Preservation Board just hours before it was to take place (and, it seems, after Commissioner Comerford made the decision to issue the demolition permit), is of utmost concern. As indicated by the non-emergency status of the demolition permit, no health or safety reason exists for the building to be torn down.
?
You have in the past intervened to forestall demolitions of significant buildings and we must urge you once again to take immediate action and direct that this demolition permit be rescinded or delayed at least until the full Common Council has acted on the nomination.
?
Sincerely

[signed]

Tim Tielman
Executive Director

Photo by Steel

Source: http://www.buffalorising.com/2012/12/campaign-urges-mayor-brown-to-block-colvin-church-demo.html

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Friday, December 28, 2012

The year's top ancient mysteries (and missteps)

New questions are being raised about whether Jesus was married after Harvard historian Karen King found an ancient papyrus with words apparently referring to Jesus' wife. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.

By Alan Boyle

Long-ago lore still has the power to ignite modern-day controversies: Witness the tempests that were stirred up this year over the Maya calendar, the purported "Gospel of Jesus' Wife," a bone box linked to early Christians, a disputed dinosaur skeleton and the plan to clone a woolly mammoth.

It turned out that there was much more to each of these cases than met the eye. Or sometimes much less. Either way, we'll be hearing more about ancient mysteries in the year to come. Here's a status report on six of 2012's most controversial mysteries (and missteps) in the realms of archaeology, anthropology and paleontology.


Gospel of Jesus' Wife: Harvard historian Karen King stirred up a sensation in September with the unveiling of a papyrus that apparently quotes Jesus talking about "my wife." The claims quickly sparked questions about the murky origins of the papyrus, and the Vatican suggested that the controversial text was faked. Most other experts on textual analysis were similarly skeptical.

The Harvard Theological Review withdrew plans to publish a scholarly article about the papyrus in its January issue, and this month a spokesman for the journal said tests to authenticate the document were not yet complete. The Smithsonian Channel has delayed broadcasting a documentary on the find, pending further testing. Status: In limbo.

The Jonah box: In February, researchers announced that they used a camera-equipped robotic arm to study an ossuary, or funerary bone box, within a sealed underground tomb in Jerusalem. They said the box was engraved with a picture of a fish, as well as allusions to "Jonah" and resurrection. Their conclusion was that the inscriptions served as evidence that early Christians were buried in the tomb ? but skeptics disputed that interpretation. Did the picture really show a fish, or was it an upside-down tower, or an urn? The controversy was stoked by the fact that the "Jonah box" team was also behind the even more hotly debated "Jesus Tomb" project a couple of years earlier.

Months later, the findings are still in dispute. One of the researchers behind the find is James Tabor, a religious studies professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. ?He says some experts have told him privately that they agree with his interpretation, but they're reluctant to speak out because of the acrimony surrounding the original reports. One expert who has voiced cautious support for the "Jonah and the fish" interpretation is Princeton Theological Seminary's James Charlesworth. (That support, too, has come under criticism.) Tabor acknowledges that more evidence is needed. "What we really need to do is enter the tomb and bring those ossuaries out. ... But that would have to be maybe next year," he said today.?Status: In limbo.

Maya calendar: 2012's most publicized ancient mystery has to do with the Maya calendar, and the fact that Dec. 21 apparently marked the end of a series of cycles ? including the 394-year baktun cycle as well as the 5,126-year "cycle of creation." Somehow, those calendrical cycles got mixed up with worries about the end of the world. Did the ancient Maya really think the cosmos would blink out of existence when the calendar ended? And if they did, why should we believe them?

Nothing happened on Dec. 21, other than some New Age-style celebrations of the new age. But the controversy did attract some extra attention for archaeological finds???including the discovery of a calendar workshop that clearly referred to dates beyond 2012, and an inscription that refers to the end of a calendar cycle in 2012, but not the end of the world. Status: Case closed.

Heritage Auctions via Reuters

An 8-foot-tall dinosaur skeleton is tied up in federal court proceedings.

Disputed dinosaur: You could argue that the world's hottest dinosaur fossil is currently in federal custody in New York. The 24-foot-long skeleton, nicknamed Ty, was said to come from a tyrannosaur-like species known as Tarbosaurus bataar. Fossil dealer Eric Prokopi sold it for more than $1 million in May, but experts claimed that the bones must have been smuggled out of Mongolia years earlier. Federal authorities seized the skeleton and filed criminal charges against Prokopi.

The civil and criminal proceedings yielded some surprises: Prokopi's lawyers said the skeleton was assembled from bones that were gathered up from various sources, leading to a new nickname: "Franken-saurus."?Government prosecutors, meanwhile, said they have photos and forms to back up their claims that the dealer was "a participant in the black market" in Mongolia. Just today, Prokopi pleaded guilty to the smuggling charges and agreed to give up the dinosaur skeleton. That means Ty will eventually be sent back to Mongolia. Prokopi could be sentenced to up to 17 years in prison, but today's plea may win him leniency from the court.?Status: Case essentially closed.

Pyramids on Google Earth:?Researcher Angela Micol made a splash in August with claims that Google Earth imagery appeared to show pyramid-type structures in the Egyptian desert. She suggested that these were previously unknown sites ? but it turns out that archaeologists have known about them for decades, and have studied them up close. The most intriguing formations are natural mounds, topped by structures that may have served as watchtowers and/or wells, said Italian Egyptologist Paola Davoli.

Another formation that Micol saw in the imagery is thought to be an oddly shaped natural butte.?Micol told me in September that she was working with contacts in Egypt to get a closer look, but there haven't been any new revelations lately. Status: Case close to being closed.

Cloning a woolly mammoth: Is it really possible to bring the woolly mammoth back to life, tens of thousands of years after the species went extinct? It's highly doubtful, but Korean and Russian researchers are still trying. The project, unveiled in March, would involve recovering viable cells from a mammoth specimen pulled from the Siberian permafrost, implanting the cells' genetic material into an elephant egg, creating a cloned embryo, then transferring the embryo to an elephant womb for gestation. Each of those steps is fraught with difficulty ??and the South Korea scientist in charge of the project is none other than Woo-Suk Hwang, who was disgraced several years ago in a scandal surrounding faked cloning results.

Last month, The Siberian Times reported that samples of mammoth bone marrow, hair, muscles and fat tissue were taken from Yakutsk to Seoul, to find out whether living cells could be extracted. Sources at the lab in Seoul did not respond to phone or email inquiries this week, but even if the cells turn out to be viable, don't expect to see a mammoth resurrection anytime soon. Russian researcher Semyon Grigoriev said it would be "years before we learn to choose the suitable cells or to re-create an extinct DNA molecule." Status: Case not yet closed. Or should that be, "not yet cloned"?

Dinosaurs ... and more: Science writer Brian Switek (a.k.a. @Laelaps) rounded up the year's top stories in paleontology at his "Dinosaur Tracking" blog, just before shifting over to Phenomena, National Geographic's new online science salon. In an email, he highlighted a few of his favorite stories:

"I was particularly interested by Nyasasaurus (confirming an earlier origin for dinosaurs), Yutyrannus (showing that feathers were not just for small dinosaurs)?and mammal bones adding new evidence that dinosaurs may have been endothermic," he told me. "In other fossil news, the two that jump to mind are: fossil turtles caught in the act of mating; and?a new fossil shark species which shows that Carcharocles megalodon was not a giant ancestor of today's white shark, but a member of a different lineage altogether."

I've included the fossil turtle-sex tale in our annual roundup for the Weird Science Awards, but here are 30 more ancient mysteries that should keep you clicking into the new year:

Ten top paleontology tales from Cosmic Log and NBC News:

Ten top anthropology tales from Cosmic Log and NBC News:

Top 10 discoveries from Archaeology magazine:


Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the?Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/27/16173366-the-years-ancient-mysteries-and-missteps-put-into-perspective?lite

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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

U.S., allies weighing military options if Syria uses WMD

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House and its allies are weighing military options to secure Syria's chemical and biological weapons, after U.S. intelligence reports show the Syrian regime may be readying those weapons and may be desperate enough to use them, U.S. officials said Monday.

President Barack Obama, in a speech at the National Defense University on Monday, pointedly warned Syrian President Bashar Assad not to use his arsenal.

"Today I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and those under his command: The world is watching," Obama said. "The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable. And if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences and you will be held accountable."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in Prague for meetings with Czech officials, said she wouldn't outline any specifics.

"But suffice it to say, we are certainly planning to take action if that eventuality were to occur," Clinton said.

Options now being considered range from aerial strikes to limited raids by regional forces to secure the stockpiles, according to one current U.S. official, and one former U.S. official, briefed on the matter. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue publicly.

The administration remains reluctant to dispatch U.S. forces into Syria, but a U.S. special operations training team is in neighboring Jordan, teaching troops there how to safely secure such sites together with other troops from the region, the officials said.

The warnings to Syria come after U.S. intelligence detected signs the Syrian regime was moving the chemical weapons components around within several of Syria's chemical weapons sites in recent days, according to a senior U.S. defense official and two U.S. officials speaking on Monday. The activities involved movement within the sites, rather than the transfer of components in or out of various sites, two of the officials said.

But they were activities they had not seen before, that bear further scrutiny, one said.

Another senior U.S. official described it as "indications of preparations" for a possible use of the chemical weapons. The U.S. still doesn't know whether the regime is planning to use them, but the official says there is greater concern because there is the sense that the Assad regime is under greater pressure now.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about intelligence matters.

U.S. intelligence officials also intercepted one communication within the last six months they believe was between Iran's infamous Quds Force, urging Syrian regime members to use its supplies of toxic Sarin gas against rebels and the civilians supporting them in the besieged city of Homs, a former U.S. official said. That report was not matched by other intelligence agencies, and other intelligence officials have said Iran also does not want the Syrians to use their chemical weapons.

The Assad regime insists it would not use such weapons against Syrians, though it carefully does not admit to having them. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government "would not use chemical weapons ? if there are any ? against its own people under any circumstances." The regime is party to the 1925 Geneva Protocol banning chemical weapons in war.

The Syrian assurances did not placate the White House.

"We are concerned that in an increasingly beleaguered regime, having found its escalation of violence through conventional means inadequate, might be considering the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people," said White House press secretary Jay Carney.

"Assad has killed so many of his people, I just wouldn't be surprised if he turned these weapons on them," added Maryland Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, after intelligence briefings Monday.

An administration official said the trigger for U.S. action of some kind is the use of chemical weapons, or movement with the intent to use them, or the intent to provide them to a terrorist group like Hezbollah. The U.S. is trying to determine whether the recent movement detected in Syria falls into any of those categories, the official said. The administration official was speaking on condition of anonymity because this person was not authorized to speak publicly about the issue.

Israeli officials have repeatedly expressed concerns that Syrian chemical weapons could slip into the hands of Hezbollah or other anti-Israel groups, or even be fired toward Israel in an act of desperation by Syria.

Syria has some 75 sites where weapons are stored, but U.S. officials aren't sure they have tracked down all the locations, and fear some stockpiles may have already been moved. Syria is believed to have several hundred ballistic surface-to-surface missiles capable of carrying chemical warheads, plus several tons of material stored in either large drums, or in artillery shells, which become deadly once fired.

"In Syria, they have everything from mustard agent, Sarin nerve gas, and some variant of the nerve agent VX," according to James Quinlivan, a Rand Corp. analyst who specializes in the elimination of weapons of mass destruction.

A primary argument against sending in U.S. ground troops is that whoever takes possession of the chemical weapons will be responsible for destroying them, as part of the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention. Destroying Syria's stockpiles could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and take more than a decade, Quinlivan said.

Syria's arsenal is a particular threat to the American allies, Turkey and Israel, and Obama singled out the threat posed by the unconventional weapons earlier this year as a potential cause for deeper U.S. involvement in Syria's civil war. Up to now, the United States has opposed military intervention or providing arms support to Syria's rebels for fear of further militarizing a conflict that activists say has killed more than 40,000 people since March 2011.

Activity has been detected at Syrian weapons sites before.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in late September the intelligence suggested the Syrian government had moved some of its chemical weapons in order to protect them. He said the U.S. believed that the main sites remained secure.

Asked Monday if they were still considered secure, Pentagon press secretary George Little declined to comment about any intelligence related to the weapons.

Senior lawmakers were notified last week that U.S. intelligence agencies had detected activity related to Syria's chemical and biological weapons, said a U.S. intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door meetings. All congressional committees with an interest in Syria, from the intelligence to the armed services committees, are now being kept informed.

"I can't comment on these reports, but I have been very concerned for some time now about Syria's stockpiles of chemical weapons and its stocks of advanced conventional weapons like shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles," said House intelligence committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich.

"We are not doing enough to prepare for the collapse of the Assad regime, and the dangerous vacuum it will create. Use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime would be an extremely serious escalation that would demand decisive action from the rest of the world," he added.

The U.S. and Jordan share the same concern about Syria's chemical and biological weapons ? that they could fall into the wrong hands should the regime in Syria collapse and lose control of them.

___

Associated Press writers Bradley Klapper in Prague, Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Albert Aji in Damascus and Matthew Lee, Lolita C. Baldor and Julie Pace in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-weighing-military-options-syria-uses-wmd-223957678.html

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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Updating Stuff: The Great Recreation

Decals are a fail-safe way to showcase your favorite sport. Hunting Truck Decals are long-lasting and water-resistant, which insures longer lasting results and are furnished with split backing for simple application. Truck decals are heavy-duty, impermeable, and durable enough for outdoor use. The Decals are a great way to show your enjoyment for your favorite outdoor sport.

Searching on the Internet is by far the finest way. To locate the hunting decals, If you are an avid hunter, your hunting collection would not be complete without the excellent hunting decals to show the world your fervor for the sport of hunting. These hunting decals have been adhesive on back and can be applied to any smooth exterior. These hunting decals may also be applied to your trailer, tool box, or ATV or Boat.

Finding good hunting decals is an impressive way to show off your fervor for the sport of hunting on your car or truck. You can find many kinds of these decals, whether you want deer hunting window decals, bow hunting decals, elk hunting window decals, etc. Without a doubt, hunting is one of the most well-liked sports in the world today. Whether you are 16 or 92 you can partake in the remarkable sport of hunting.

Decals are really a creative and visual touch to your truck that can it stand out from the crowd. You can find these hunting decals located all around the country, so obviously you will have a choice of selections, and you'll have more designs to choose from. These are high quality decals depicting your preferred activities. Our hunting decals have an outdoor life of four years or more.

Improve the beauty of your car, SUV, truck, bus or other vehicle using rear window decals. The rear window decals available in several vivid colors and attention-grabbing designs The decals can be placed on any flat surface and are ideal to place on car and truck windows. The decals are high quality die cut vinyl graphic on the white background. The decal murals are made from the same sturdy vinyl used to letter trucks, cars, and banners.

Vinyl decals stick on to almost any flat surface and look great on cars, windshields, trucks, and vans. Improve the overall look of your truck with truck decals or window graphics. There are vinyl decals for your cars, trucks, and other vehicles, which show your enthusiasm and the humorous side of the great outdoors.

Many truck decals are available in enjoyable colors, patterns, and designs. Pickup truck graphics or pickup truck decals are one way in which individuals are able to make sure that their vehicle stands out in a tasteful, yet individual, way. Extreme to extraordinary, amazing to beyond belief, Truck Decals are here to stay. Our first-rate, high-color Truck Decals are totally stunning. Our Truck Decals are made of first-rate materials and are climate proof and are made to last as long as your truck.

Source: http://graphics-media.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-great-recreation.html

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Monday, December 3, 2012

Lindsay Lohan Denies Punching Tiffany Mitchell, Admits "Gypsy" Comment

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/12/lindsay-lohan-denies-punching-tiffany-mitchell-admits-gypsy-comm/

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Rapid weight loss method, short period of weight loss effective speed

Speed ??weight loss, what does? Today gave you recommend the four quick way to lose weight!

Vegetable juice diet ? 3 days Less 2kg
Vegetable juice weight loss methods within three days you can lose 2KG weight specific method is to drink a glass of freshly squeezed vegetable juice before every meal meals If hunger can replace snacks with vegetable juice. Why vegetable juice lose weight in a short period of time to lose weight? Mainly because vegetables contain a lot of vitamins, dietary fiber can increase satiety, reduce the intake of meals, ultra-low calorie same morning vegetable juice, no amount will not cause excess heat.

Grapefruit diet ? 3 days by 3kg
Grapefruit weight loss method is a fast way to lose weight, lose 3KG weight within three days, the specific method is every meal to eat half a grapefruit before meals, when hunger also take grapefruit instead of snacks with the the appetite suppressant effect. This way to lose weight using mainly grapefruit appetite suppression effect to reduce the total diet, coupled with vitamin also has the effect of weight loss beauty.

Diet did not eat after 7:00 ? 3 days Less 3kg
After 19:00, do not eat very simple way to lose weight is to eat anything after 7:00 p.m., such weight loss methods take advantage of the night do not eat too much, or not different supper to prevent the accumulation of excess calories to achieve weight loss purposes.

Low-carbon diet ? 1 week less 4kg
Low-carbon way to lose weight is actually using the low-carb to lose weight, That only eat carbohydrates, do not eat fat, protein-rich food, alcohol and caffeine also prohibits eating grapefruit for breakfast or yogurt, lunch and dinner eat some fish, eat more vegetables, such control carbohydrate intake in the short term, a week can subtract 4KG, but not long-term use, otherwise it will cause nutritional imbalance.

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    Lose weight without dieting? It is rather hard to believe! You do not need to lose weight for the harsh and anxious to set up the menu, as long as you make the following changes, you can achieve true ...
Tags: Rapid weight loss method, weight loss
This entry was posted on Monday, December 3rd, 2012 and is filed under Health Tips, Weight Loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.hhtip.com/rapid-weight-loss-method-short-period-of-weight-loss-effective-speed/

the fray

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Russia willing to up winter gas flow to Turkey if asked

KARASU, Turkey (Reuters) - Russia would be willing to increase its gas supplies to Turkey this winter if Ankara asked it to and an agreement was reached, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Sunday.

"As has happened many times in the past, we have always helped Turkey when they have experienced problems managing during the winter," Novak told reporters during a visit to the Turkish Black Sea town of Karasu east of Istanbul.

"If needed and a joint agreement was reached, it is possible to do this again," he said.

Turkey's Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told Reuters last month Ankara planned to enable state pipeline company Botas to buy natural gas on the spot market, a move that would help it meet demand during harsh winters.

A country of 75 million people, Turkey has limited underground storage capacity and faces difficulties meeting high demand as temperatures plunge in the winter months. Energy ministry officials say daily demand could rise to near 220 million cubic meters this winter from 125 million.

Turkey is Russian Gazprom's second-largest natural gas consumer after Germany.

Last week, Gazprom clinched a long-term deal to export natural gas to private companies in Turkey, securing a growing market for the Russian gas export monopoly as it faces declines from its core consumers in the European Union.

The move followed a one-year impasse in gas trade between Gazprom and Turkish firms after Botas did not renew an expiring 25-year contract at the end of 2011 due to a pricing dispute.

Business has continued in the meantime only on a short-term basis.

Turkey, which is likely to overtake Britain as Europe's third-biggest electricity consumer within a decade and become an energy trading hub, is struggling to diversify its gas suppliers. It is largely dependent on the fuel because it produces the majority of its electricity via natural gas.

Novak was speaking at the opening ceremony of Russian carmaker GAZ's new factory in Karasu, some 200 km (125 miles) east of Istanbul, which will assemble commercial vehicles.

His visit comes a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in Turkey for talks on energy and the ongoing crisis in Syria, which has strained ties between the two powers because of differences over how to resolve the conflict.

(Reporting by Evrim Ergin; Writing by Jonathon Burch; Editing by Helen Massy-Beresford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-willing-winter-gas-flow-turkey-asked-145538415.html

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Women, more than men, tend to use online government services ...

David Akin - December 1st, 2012

There?s a new paper out in the latest edition of Government Information Quarterly which takes a look at how Canadian business managers feel about interacting with government electronically.

It?s co-written by Christopher Reddick of the University of Texas at San Antonio and Jeffrey Roy of Dalhousie University in Halifax. Their abstract:

This paper examines business perceptions and satisfaction with e-government. Survey data is analyzed from businesses across Canada to determine their use of e-government and their perceived satisfaction with this technology for public service delivery. There are three research questions of this paper: 1) Are there significant differences for businesses that use the internet to contact government compared to those that do not? 2) Is there is a relationship between having a more positive perception overall by business of government and e-government satisfaction? and 3) Is there a relationship between businesses having input into regulatory changes, essentially being inclusive of business in the regulatory process, and e-government satisfaction? The results from the statistical models indicated that all three questions were confirmed. The findings of this study imply that governments should try to understand the business environment. A more positive attitude by business towards government, and being more inclusive of business in regulatory changes, leads to greater e-government satisfaction.

When the authors talk about e-government, they are talking about the electronic or online delivery of services, regulation, information gathering, information dissemination by all three levels of government. They take particular note of the Canada Revenue Agency and Industry Canada at the federal level, of municipal initiatives in Toronto and in Edmonton and at inter-governmental initiatives such as BizPal.?

The paper is based on a survey of Canadian businesses that was on the spring of 2010.

Some interesting tidbits that stood out for me:

  • 60% of male business managers said their business did not use the Internet to contact any level of government. Wow. Female business managers were much more likely to use e-government programs than male managers.
  • Those in the health, education or social services sector used e-government way more than those in other sectors.
  • In order of most frequently used method that businesses use to interact with government: Phone, mail, then Internet.
  • Business managers were asked if they agree with this statement: ?My business gets good value for its tax dollars? and rank their level of agreement on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being ?strong agree? and 1 being ?strongly disagree?. Most, or 36 per cent of respondents, picked 3. Right in the middle. But 28.5 per cent picked 4 or 5 meaning they agreed with the statement while 35.5 per cent picked 1 or 2 which means about one-third of business managers in this country think the taxes they pay are a rip-off.
  • Denmark, apparently, is leading the way when it comes to e-governance and, in fact, plans to make the state officially paperless by 2015 with laws that will require all citizens and businesses to interact with the government of Denmark online only.

?

?

Categories: Politics

Source: http://blogs.canoe.ca/davidakin/politics/women-more-than-men-tend-to-use-online-government-services/

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?Internet Hai Toh Friendship Hai? ? Crazy Mind's Eye

?Buy a phone which supports Wassap,? said a student friend and added, ?Then we can be in regular touch.?

On another day I heard another student friend telling one of her classmates, ?Join Wassap. Its easy to be in touch with it.?

On both occasions the same jingle rang in my mind, the jingle of the Airtel ad which has the line, ?Internnet hai toh friendship hai.?

On my birthday last year, to my surprise, a dear friend who had not been in touch for long called at the stroke of midnight. I asked my friend why was she absconding from my world and my friend after giving a series of explanation on how hectic work is and what not said, ?I have a BB now so I do not even come on gtalk.?

That was the first time the jingle had hit me on my head.

Why these incidents that I quote disturb me is because not just that our relationships are operating only in virtual space and are becoming technologically driven but how relationships are being defined by technology and how the condition of our times has pushed relationships to a level where relationships also become a tool to sell products and inject consumerism, in the hands of a market driven society.

By equating the idea of friendship with a product what has been done is that first of all products are being sold in the wrapper of friendship making the human quality of friendship a tool to sell and then making friendship depend on the item being sold. So what happens is that eventually the wrapper gets its value only because of what is wrapped inside and wrapper becomes a dependent on the item being sold though in the beginning, it was only a tool to sell the product.

Mixing the need of man- human touch- and greed- material requirements- what market has done is disturbing. Edward Bernays in his book Propaganda had said that better than selling a piano by going to the customers and asking them to buy the piano is to create a situation like say, creating a belief that piano is a marker of a standard house, and make the customers themselves come to the seller and by their own will buy a piano. In a similar fashion the slogan ?Internet hai toh friendship hai,? has created the <rather voiced the already existing> mindset that certain products are necessary for maintaining relationships. So with that mindset in operation now for the sake of those relationships the products are being sold and advertising happen by word of mouth method.

These products are very class specific. So what happens, also, is that our social circles become too restricted to a particular class. If I don?t have a BB or on Wassap I will, slowly, I will move out of your social circle and if you are not an internet literate you will slowly move out of my social circle. These products, without our knowing, marks its own inclusion and exclusion which is class driven.

What market driven society has done to us, is beyond our imagination. It reveals its ugly face when we feel an emotional loss and suddenly realize that the loss, to a great extent, was caused because of not buying a product. But to blame those ?friends? who want you to be on Wassap or buy a BB to be in touch also appears meaning less. You are asked to ?upgarde? yourself because market has equated the idea of friendship and some products.

Source: http://acrazymindseye.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/internet-hai-toh-friendship-hai/

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What Men Love About Women (Part 1) | Psychology Today

Last month, I shared some thoughts from women who participated in my recent survey. I asked them what they like about men, and what they find frustrating. (You can find that post here.) The survey is part of my 2014 book, The Woman?s Guide to How Men Think: Love, Commitment, and the Male Mind.?I'm posting a few of the responses as a great big thank-you to all who have generously participated.

This month, it?s the men?s turn. To my own surprise, a great number of men have responded to the survey. Most had good things to say, a few were critical, and some were just plain confused. As one man put it, ?I understand everything about women, except all those weird things they do.?

Confused or not, it seems that men like women. A lot.

First, the Complaints

Before we discuss what?s great about women, here are some male frustrations. One of the most common complaints I hear from men, both in the survey and in the clinic, is the fear that no argument can end positively. They fear they are destined to lose, and that women never forgive.

?I get a lot of grief for not communicating better, even though I have good intentions. Men are always told we need to communicate better. What do women need to do better? Nothing, it seems. Always, the fault seems to be mine. Can a woman lift as much weight as a man? In general no, and who expects her to? A man would be a jerk for suggesting that she should. Why then are we men constantly expected to communicate the same way women do? There are inherent differences between men and women.?

?When we [men] argue, we?re arguing about that particular conflict; you?re arguing about that conflict plus past conflicts.?

?We don?t expect our women to be perfect, but they seem to expect that from us. We?re not perfect. Neither are they.?

?They don?t forget anything. The old mistakes, purchases that didn?t work out, the thing said in anger.? You can never take them back, even if you wish you hadn?t said them, and they always bring it back up in an argument. They will not accept an apology and forget it.?

?We think you expect us to be perfect when you remember our past mistakes but forget our successes.?

?It seems like I can knock myself out doing repairs, cutting firewood, working on the cars, even housework(!) but somehow, there?s an issue with what I HAVEN?T done. That really makes me retreat. I don?t need to discuss everything and explain what I was thinking at any given moment!?

?I guess, in the end, men just want to remove the guesswork. We just want to know that there IS a right answer.?

Another common frustration: the different approaches men and women take toward fixing problems.

?Women seem to focus more on the problem rather than the solution.?

?I think guys would be more inclined to be more communicative if women would be more agreeable to get to the point and fix the problem, rather than avoid it and focus on the symptoms.?

?Women don?t like to fix problems; rather, ?venting? about it is often enough. This, of course, just means that the problem comes back later and we go through the cycle all over again.?

?Why is venting enough to calm you down? It?s frustrating when I vent and realize I?ve not accomplished anything to fix the problem.?

One of the most common frustrations that women expressed was about male silence. Here?s what men had to say in defense of silence and stoicism:

?Being quiet is a way to process, much in the same way that women need to talk to process?

?She should understand there are times were I just want to sit calm, think about it, and remain silent, at least for a couple of minutes. Or she should at least understand that she?s simply better than me at arguing.?

?When I talk, it is to convey information and thoughts or ask for your opinion. Just chattering away about random details makes it really hard to figure out what, if anything, I am expected to do. I realize that sometimes there is no action item for me in their 50 stage loosely related detailed report, but most of the time there is something they want me to do at step 37 of 50 and I can miss it due to low signal to noise ratio. I wish I could tell my wife how hard it is to follow her train of seemingly unrelated thoughts sometimes.?

?Because men relate by doing things together, we rely more on nonverbal communication.?

?If we are being silent it?s because we either (a) don?t want to hurt your feelings with the truth, (b) trying to word our reply just right so we don?t hurt your feelings even more or (c) don?t know what else to say to comfort you because you?ve already said it all!"?

Bad Boys and Good Men

One of the things that confounds men is women?s attraction to ?bad boys.? Men who regard themselves as communicative, humble, and reliable find it baffling when women choose disrespectful men.

?Why do you date men who treat you poorly and miss out on the good ones? We have to compete with the bad ones. Women need to look beyond urges or first impressions.?

?I wish we understood what it is women want in a man. I have learned that though you say you want a nice, emotional guy, those aren?t the guys that attract you.?

?Honest guys don?t try to portray themselves as perfect, but there are definitely plenty of guys that will put on that mask so they can ?bag? a girl and then leave her when he?s done. Ironically, they get most of the women... then women complain ?You just can?t trust guys. All they ever want to do is sleep with you, and they will say or do anything to accomplish that goal.? I?m sure she was warned about this guy from SOMEONE and she used the typical excuse: ?No! He?s not like that at all. With me it?s different!.??

?I happen to be rather good at communicating what I feel and need, and notice that a lot of women find this unattractive.?

?We are so basic, so easy to keep happy. I think in a way this frustrates women. I think many women want us to meet them on the more emotional plane but that contradicts what may have originally attracted them to us in the beginning. They want the strong, silent type or the bad boy but once the relationship is up and running then they want us to be more sensitive or open to talking about more things. Unfortunately, I don?t really think you can have it both ways.?

?Women will never truly understand that they are the reason there are poor quality men in the world. If women stopped befriending and forgiving misogynists, the world would be better off.?

?I think women have a hard time understanding what kind of guy is good for them. They often choose men who (as other men already see) are bad for them, then bitch after they get dumped. They like confident men. Well, men are rarely super confident around women they care about. They are however confident around women they don?t care about. Why? Because they don?t care whether the woman likes them or not and are freely themselves. This attracts women to men who don?t like them much. Guys can see this a million miles away. Women have a hard time figuring this out.??

Let?s leave it there for now, and next time I?ll let you know what men had to say about making women happy, keeping a peaceful relationship, and a few of the many things that men like most about women. (If you don?t want to wait, the whole thing is here.)

* ?* ?* ?* ?*

Dr. Smith?is a psychologist in Denver, Colorado and the author of The User?s Guide to the Human Mind: Why Our Brains Make Us Unhappy, Anxious, and Neurotic and What We Can Do about It. Be sure to follow Shawn on Facebook for his latest rants and ramblings.

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Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ironshrink/201211/what-men-love-about-women-part-1

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Saturday, December 1, 2012

Web Design Helps in Improving your Search Engine Rankings ...

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There is not even an iota of doubt in stating that web design plays a pivotal role in enhancing the appeal of a website among the vast number of online audience. It is the sheer layout of a website that helps in drawing the attention of the online visitors. And it also plays a decisive role in transforming an online visitor to a potential customer. All companies in today?s world focus on this aspect of business as it helps them to maintain the reputation and goodwill of their business.

Especially small business ventures that face a tough competition from various other small concerns need to focus on the design of the website. A good web design helps a website to be more user-friendly and easy to access. Below mentioned are some great benefits that pone will be able to get with the help of a proper web design.

  • Efficient promotion of business ? A good design definitely helps in booting the presence of a website on the vast online platform. With the advent of internet, marketing a product has become quite easy. You can easily reach to a worldwide audience simultaneously and let them know about the products and services you are dealing with. However, there lies the actual challenge. The website that is more enticing in your niche will definitely draw more traffic attention.
  • Reduced costs ? A web design service can help in reducing your expense. A well designed website can itself advertise its products and simultaneously deal with it too. That way you will not have to implement other modes of advertisements to gain online recognition for your company.
  • Helps in enhancing user experience ? Effective web design helps in enhancing the surfing experience of the online visitors. They will be able to locate the required things quite easily. A good web designer will always ensure a proper display of company and product information, thereby helping the visitors in surfing.

These are some of the ways in which a good web design can help in improving your website?s online presence. A good web design will also help in enhancing the visual experience of a website, which will further help in drawing more traffic to it. Eventually you will find your website climbing up the ladder of success with a good rank on the leading search engines.

Author?s bio ? James is a freelance writer who is most often blogging about web design, web development, and gadgets. James is normally writing about how to utilize a?Web site Builder?to create a site, how to grow your site through social media, and how to blog to the best of your ability. James has been writing online for 3 years now.?

Source: http://www.ourbusinessnews.com/web-design-helps-in-improving-your-search-engine-rankings

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