Sunday, March 31, 2013

Nonprofit unemployment plan doesn't change eligibility ? Business ...

Some nonprofit Minnesota em??ployers can opt into an alternative unemployment compensation plan that allows skipping quarterly unemployment taxes in exchange for reimbursing the state for any benefits paid.

Good news for those employers: The alternative plan doesn?t affect unemployment eligibility. Employees still have to show they quit for reasons attributable to their employers.

Recent case: Renee quit her job with a religious nonprofit and moved to North Dakota. She applied for unemployment benefits, arguing that even though her decision was purely voluntary, she should get the benefits because her former em??ployer opted into the alternative program.

The court tossed out her case, concluding that the same eligibility rules apply no matter which system a nonprofit opts to use. (Carlson v. The Episcopal Diocese, No. A12-0473, Court of Appeals of Minnesota, 2012)

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Southampton beats Chelsea 2-1 in Premier League

Associated Press Sports

updated 2:02 p.m. ET March 30, 2013

SOUTHAMPTON, England (AP) -Rickie Lambert scored for the 14th time in his first Premier League season as Southampton beat Chelsea 2-1 on Saturday to edge closer to securing its status in the top flight.

The highest scoring Englishman in the league this season struck from a free kick in the 35th minute only two minutes after Chelsea captain John Terry had cancelled out Jay Rodriguez's 23rd-minute opening goal at St. Mary's Stadium.

After also beating Liverpool last round, Southampton rose two spots to 13th, four points above the relegation zone with seven matches left.

The result endangers Chelsea's bid to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League. The reigning European champions are only two points ahead of fifth-place Arsenal after their first league loss in five weeks.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Must-win matches? Maybe

PST: It may be a little early for "must-win" matches. But four MLS clubs could really use wins this weekend, starting with the Red Bulls (3:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN).

Beckham relishing chance to play against Barcelona

??PARIS (AP) - David Beckham says he feels fit enough to start the biggest game in Paris Saint-Germain's recent history when the club takes on Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51380906/ns/sports-soccer/

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Review: The Host | People's Critic: Film Reviews - seattlepi.com

Stephanie Meyer trades in vampires and werewolves for an alien invasion in The Host.

How cool would it be to see a movie that?s Twilight meets Independence Day. Really cool, except The Host is more like SYFY movie of the week meets a Hallmark teen love story.

The Host is almost flawed from the start. The movie takes place sometime in the near future where earth is invaded by Invasion of the Body Snatcher jellyfish who drive shiny cars. The film?s plot revolves around Melanie (Saoirse Ronan) who, after being captured by aliens, has her body inhabited by an alien creature named Wanderer. Melanie fights to stay alive and preserve herself, but mostly because her memories may lead the aliens to the resistance where her little brother and boyfriend (Max Irons) are living. Wanderer gains information from Melanie?s life through a series of dreams that look like deleted scenes from a Nicholas Sparks movie.

In case you?ve been keeping score at home, we?ve got one alien invasion, one resistance group, a boyfriend, a brother, one girl?s body, and two people living inside of it.

Fearing they?re both going to be killed, Wanderer and Melanie escape. Despite the poorly planned escape, they both reunite with the resistance group. Melanie can?t let anyone know she?s alive inside the Wanderer ? I?m not completely sure why ? but it does lead to Wanderer falling in love with Ian (Jake Abel). That?s right! Another Stephanie Meyer love triangle.

If you?re stills scoring at home we?ve got one body, two souls, two boyfriends, and one messy love triangle.

The love triangle lead to a few of the most ridiculous movie scenes I?ve seen in the past 24 months. Inner monologues while kissing, numerous kiss/punch combos, a tag team make out session, humans falling in love with aliens, and one painful ?I love you? speech. The mushy teen love angle is so annoying, I wanted the aliens to win just so it would stop.

Two people living inside of Melanie is where the film is fatally flawed. Director Andrew Niccol?s choice to use voiceovers to tell audiences what Melanie was thinking is bearable for the first 15 minutes her body is inhabited. After that, the constant voiceovers are annoying ? especially when you realize they will keep popping up the rest of the film.

I?ll be the first to admit that inner dialogue is tough to translate into film; it?s even tougher when the script doesn?t support it. ?The film can?t be totally blamed on the flawed premise, The Host waste opportunities to tell a compelling story and focuses on the puppy love story. If ?the movie was cut by 30 minutes and also spent a little time explaining the alien world they live in, I think the film is a lot more enjoyable.

What could be a cool concept for a sci-fi tween love story is ruined by bad dialogue and a forced love triangle. The Host doesn?t offer much, but a decent look at cool alien technology and plenty of shots of the desert.

Grade: D

Source: http://blog.seattlepi.com/peoplescritic/2013/03/28/review-the-host/

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Former Atlanta schools chief, others indicted in cheating scandal

By David Beasley

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A grand jury indicted 35 former Atlanta public school educators, including an award-winning former superintendent, on Friday for allegedly conspiring to cheat on standardized test scores to obtain cash bonuses.

Former Superintendent Beverly Hall was named National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators in 2009, the same year prosecutors contend widespread cheating took place.

Hall received a $78,000 bonus that year for improving the school system's test scores, prosecutors said.

"The money she received, we are alleging, was ill gotten and it was theft," Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said at a news conference.

Besides Hall, those indicted included administrators, principals and teachers. The 65-count indictment said "test answer sheets were altered, fabricated and falsely certified."

Hall was charged with racketeering, making false statements, theft by taking and false swearing. She and others could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted, Howard said.

A state investigation of test results in 2009 found cheating in 44 of the 56 Atlanta public schools examined. The cheating was prompted primarily by pressure to meet targets in a data-driven environment, according to a investigation conducted by Georgia Governor Nathan Deal's office.

The 2009 cheating was said to include teachers erasing incorrect answers on state standardized tests.

The 2011 state report concluded that there was a "major failure of leadership throughout Atlanta Public Schools with regard to the ethical administration" of the 2009 standardized exams known as the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests.

Amid the investigation, Hall stepped down after nearly 12 years as superintendent of the Atlanta Public Schools. Her successor, Erroll Davis, said on Friday the school system now has extensive training and other safeguards to prevent cheating.

He said 95 percent of the school system's staff was not implicated in the scandal.

Justina Collins, the mother of an Atlanta public school student, told the news conference her daughter had trouble reading yet scored well on the standardized tests.

Collins said when she asked the superintendent about the discrepancy, Hall told her, "Your daughter is simply the kind of person who tests well."

Collins' daughter is now in the ninth grade but reads on a fifth-grade level, Howard told reporters, adding that the real victims of the cheating scandal were the children.

"Her example points out the plight of many children" in the scandal, said the prosecutor.

Richard Deane, Hall's attorney, could not be reached for comment.

(Editing by Ian Simpson and Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-atlanta-schools-chief-others-indicted-cheating-scandal-010308965.html

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TV Show 'Wife Swap' Sets Up Tea Party Christian With Polyamorous ...

ABC?s ?Wife Swap? has a simple premise: Take two very, very different families, swap out the mothers (sometimes husbands), and watch what happens when cultures clash.

So while the show is good for a few chuckles, some think Thursday?s episode went out of its way to attack the Tea Party.

How so? Let?s set the stage.

Meet the Loudons:

Did ABCs Wife Swap Really Make a Polyamorous Family Look More Reasonable & Loving Than a Tea Party Family?

Courtesy ABC

Mother Gina Loudon is a proud conservative Christian and card-carrying member of the Tea Party. Originally from the South, she and her husband, former Missouri State Senator John Loudon, dedicate much of their time to conservative activism.

?The toughest part is that politics can be consuming during an election cycle, but we do it as a family (knock doors, campaign, even speeches). We work hard to balance work and family, but I admit that in peak political season, I look forward to down time with my family when campaign time is over!? said Gina, who lives in deep blue California (San Diego, to be exact).

The Loudons have five children.

?As a family, we do like to keep moving and give back to our community, so when we are not in political season, we are still busy with charity work, civic involvement, writing books, creating media, etc.,? she adds.

Now let?s meet the Envy family:

Did ABCs Wife Swap Really Make a Polyamorous Family Look More Reasonable & Loving Than a Tea Party Family?

Courtesy ABC.

Angela Envy has been married to Chris, a semi-professional wrestler, for eight years. They have four children.

They also have a 23-year-old girlfriend named Ashley.

No, not the kids. The parents. The parents share a live-in girlfriend.

?We consider ourselves to be a polyamorous family. Ashley came into our lives about one year ago, almost by accident, and she never left. And just like that, we became a triad. It was easy and natural and we have such a good time!? said Angela.

?With Ashley, there was twice the energy and convenience of a normal relationship and she fulfils the needs that Chris cannot. The three of us share a room and sleep in the same bed and I wouldn?t have it any other way. It?s going to be hard for me to be away from her for this experience,? she adds.

You get the picture.

So now that we have the stage set and we?ve been introduced to the two different clans, how do you suppose things played out? Well, let?s just put it this way: Gina Loudon is the first guest in the show?s nine year history to not stick it out the full two weeks.

Gina Loudon called it quits halfway though taping and decided that being swapped into a polyamorous family was just a bit too much for her.

But did the show really paint the Tea Party (via Gina Loudon) in an unfavorable light?

?The show definitely cut the polyamorous trio ? one dude living with his wife, his kids,?and his girlfriend ? to be the ?normal? ones. And the sympathetic ones,? writes conservative blogger Ace.

See for yourself:

And Ace isn?t alone when he writes that the disastrous episode?s purpose was to paint Tea Partiers in an unflattering light. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh is right there with him.

?The Tea Partiers are painted as the Bible-thumping freaks, and the polyamorous family portrayed as the open-minded, full of love, and sympathetic bunch,? Limbaugh said Friday. The Loudons are ?painted as intolerant, Bible-thumping prudes.?

Listen [via Daily Rushbo]:

?

Follow Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) on Twitter

Featured image screen grab.

Source: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/29/tv-show-wife-swap-sets-up-tea-party-christian-with-polyamorous-family-guess-who-ends-up-looking-reasonable/

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Business, labor close on deal for immigration bill

FILE - In this May 17, 2012 file photo, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Big business and major labor unions appeared ready Friday, March 29, 2013 to end a fight over a new low-skilled worker program that had threatened to upend negotiations on a sweeping immigration bill in the Senate providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million immigrants already in the U.S. Schumer, who's been brokering talks between the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that negotiators are "very close, closer than we have ever been, and we are very optimistic." He said there were still a few issues remaining. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

FILE - In this May 17, 2012 file photo, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Big business and major labor unions appeared ready Friday, March 29, 2013 to end a fight over a new low-skilled worker program that had threatened to upend negotiations on a sweeping immigration bill in the Senate providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million immigrants already in the U.S. Schumer, who's been brokering talks between the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that negotiators are "very close, closer than we have ever been, and we are very optimistic." He said there were still a few issues remaining. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

(AP) ? Big business and major labor unions appeared ready Friday to end a fight over a new low-skilled worker program that had threatened to upend negotiations on a sweeping immigration bill in the Senate providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who's been brokering talks between the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that negotiators are "very close, closer than we have ever been, and we are very optimistic." He said there were still a few issues remaining.

The talks stalled late last week amid a dispute over wages for workers in the new program, and senators left town for a two-week recess with the issue in limbo. Finger-pointing erupted between the AFL-CIO and the chamber, with each side accusing the other of trying to sink immigration reform, leaving prospects for a resolution unclear.

But talks resumed this week, and now officials from both sides indicate the wage issue has been largely resolved. An agreement would likely clear the way for a bipartisan group of senators to unveil legislation the week of April 8 to dramatically overhaul the U.S. immigration system, strengthening the border and cracking down on employers as well as remaking the legal immigration system while providing eventual citizenship to millions.

"We're feeling very optimistic on immigration: Aspiring Americans will receive the road map to citizenship they deserve and we can modernize 'future flow' without reducing wages for any local workers, regardless of what papers they carry," AFL-CIO spokesman Jeff Hauser said in a statement. "Future flow" refers to future arrivals of legal immigrants.

Under the emerging agreement, a new "W'' visa program would bring tens of thousands of lower-skilled workers a year to the country. The program would be capped at 200,000 a year, but the number of visas would fluctuate, depending on unemployment rates, job openings, employer demand and data collected by a new federal bureau pushed by the labor movement as an objective monitor of the market.

The workers would be able to change jobs and could seek permanent residency. Under current temporary worker programs, workers can't move from employer to employer and have no path to permanent U.S. residence and citizenship.

The new visas would cover dozens of professions such as long-term care workers and hotel and hospitality employees. Currently there's no good way for employers to bring many such workers to the U.S.; an existing visa program for low-wage nonagricultural workers is capped at 66,000 per year and is supposed to apply only to seasonal or temporary jobs.

The Chamber of Commerce said workers would get paid actual wages paid to American workers or the prevailing wages for the industry they're working in, whichever is higher. The Labor Department determines prevailing wage based on rates prevailing in specific localities, so that it would vary from city to city.

The labor organization had accused the chamber of trying to pay workers in the new program poverty-level wages, something the chamber disputed.

There was also disagreement about how to deal with certain higher-skilled construction jobs, such as electricians and welders, and it appears those will be excluded from the deal, said Geoff Burr, vice president of federal affairs at Associated Builders and Contractors. Burr said his group opposes such an exclusion because, even though unemployment in the construction industry is high right now, at times when it is low there can be labor shortages in high-skilled trades and contractors want to be able to bring in foreign workers. But unions pressed for the exclusion, Burr said.

The low-skilled worker issue had loomed for weeks as perhaps the toughest matter to settle in monthslong closed-door talks on immigration among Schumer and seven other senators, including Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Marco Rubio of Florida. The issue helped sink the last major attempt at immigration reform in 2007, when the legislation foundered on the Senate floor after an amendment was added to end a temporary worker program after five years, threatening a key priority of the business community.

The amendment passed by just one vote, 49-48. President Barack Obama, a senator at the time, joined in the narrow majority voting to end the program after five years.

___

Follow Erica Werner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericawerner

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-29-Immigration/id-f3b8353c38984d139c8d1cb47ee273d0

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After 40 years, Vietnam memories are still strong

In this March 29, 1973 photo, Camp Alpha, Uncle Sam?s out processing center, was chaos in Saigon. Lines of bored soldiers snaked through customs and briefing rooms. As the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago, angry protesters still awaited them at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes' departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future. While the fall of Saigon two years later ? with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations ? is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, Friday marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived it. (AP Photo)

In this March 29, 1973 photo, Camp Alpha, Uncle Sam?s out processing center, was chaos in Saigon. Lines of bored soldiers snaked through customs and briefing rooms. As the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago, angry protesters still awaited them at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes' departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future. While the fall of Saigon two years later ? with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations ? is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, Friday marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived it. (AP Photo)

FILE -In this Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009 file photo, Jan Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, points out where grass is growing out over the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. As the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago, angry protesters still awaited them at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes' departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future. While the fall of Saigon two years later ? with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations ? is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, Friday marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived it. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

FILE - In this March 29, 1973 file photo, the American flag is furled at a ceremony marking official deactivation of the Military Assistance Command-Vietnam (MACV) in Saigon, after more than 11 years in South Vietnam. While the fall of Saigon in 1975 ? with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations ? is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, March 29 marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived the war. (AP Photo/Charles Harrity, File)

Marine veteran Harry Prestanski, 65, poses outside his home next to U.S. Marine Corps flag, Thursday, March 28, 2013, in West Chester, Ohio. Prestanski served 16 months as a Marine in the Vietnamese War and remembers having to celebrate his 21st birthday there. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Former North Vietnamese prisoner of war James H. Warner poses in Boonsboro, Md., on Thursday, March 28, 2013, the eve of the 40th anniversary of the withdrawal of the last U.S. combat troops from Vietnam. Warner, 72, of nearby Rohrersville, Md., says his 5 1/2 years of forced labor and interrogation reinforced his conviction that the United States was right to confront the spread of communism. (AP Photo/David Dishneau)

The last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago Friday, and the date holds great meaning for many who fought the war, protested it or otherwise lived it.

While the fall of Saigon two years later is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, many had already seen their involvement in the war finished ? and their lives altered ? by March 29, 1973.

U.S. soldiers leaving the country feared angry protesters at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes' departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future.

Many veterans are encouraged by changes they see. The U.S. has a volunteer military these days, not a draft, and the troops coming home aren't derided for their service. People know what PTSD stands for, and they're insisting that the government takes care of soldiers suffering from it and other injuries from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Below are the stories of a few of the people who experienced a part of the Vietnam War firsthand.

___

'PATRIOTISM NEEDS TO BE CELEBRATED'

Jan Scruggs served in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970, and he conceived the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a tribute to the warriors, not the war.

Today, he wants to help ensure that veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan aren't forgotten, either.

His Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is raising funds for the Education Center at the Wall. It would display mementos left at the black granite wall and photographs of the 58,282 whose names are engraved there, as well as photos of fallen fighters from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"All their patriotism needs to be celebrated. Just like with Vietnam, we have to separate the war form the warrior," Scruggs said in a telephone interview.

An Army veteran, Scruggs said visitors to the center will be asked to perform some community service when they return home to reinforce the importance of self-sacrifice.

"The whole thing about service to the country was something that was very much turned on its head during the Vietnam War," Scruggs said.

He said some returning soldiers were told to change into civilian clothes before stepping into public view to avoid the scorn of those who opposed the war.

"What people seemed to forget was that none of us who fought in Vietnam had anything to do with starting that war," Scruggs said. "Our purpose was merely to do what our country asked of us. And I think we did it pretty well."

___

'MORE INTERESTED IN GETTING BACK'

Dave Simmons of West Virginia was a corporal in the U.S. Army who came back from Vietnam in the summer of 1970. He said he didn't have specific memories about the final days of the war because it was something he was trying to put behind him.

"We were more interested in getting back, getting settled into the community, getting married and getting jobs," Simmons said.

He said he was proud to serve and would again if asked. But rather than proudly proclaim his service when he returned from Vietnam, the Army ordered him to get into civilian clothes as soon as he arrived in the U.S. The idea was to avoid confrontations with protestors.

"When we landed, they told us to get some civilian clothes, which you had to realize we didn't have, so we had to go in airport gift shops and buy what we could find," Simmons said.

Simmons noted that when the troops return today, they are often greeted with great fanfare in their local communities, and he's glad to see it.

"I think that's what the general public has learned ? not to treat our troops the way they treated us," Simmons said.

Simmons is now helping organize a Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day in Charleston that will take place Saturday.

"Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another. We stick with that," said Simmons, president of the state council of the Vietnam Veterans of America. "We go to the airport. ... We're there when they leave. We're there when they come home. We support their families when they're gone. I'm not saying that did not happen to the Vietnam vet, but it wasn't as much. There was really no support for us."

___

A RISING PANIC

Tony Lam was 36 on the day the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam. He was a young husband and father, but most importantly, he was a businessman and U.S. contractor furnishing dehydrated rice to South Vietnamese troops. He also ran a fish meal plant and a refrigerated shipping business that exported shrimp.

As Lam, now 76, watched American forces dwindle and then disappear, he felt a rising panic. His close association with the Americans was well-known and he needed to get out ? and get his family out ? or risk being tagged as a spy and thrown into a Communist prison. He watched as South Vietnamese commanders fled, leaving whole battalions without a leader.

"We had no chance of surviving under the Communist invasion there. We were very much worried about the safety of our family, the safety of other people," he said this week from his adopted home in Westminster, Calif.

But Lam wouldn't leave for nearly two more years after the last U.S. combat troops, driven to stay by his love of his country and his belief that Vietnam and its economy would recover.

When Lam did leave, on April 21, 1975, it was aboard a packed C-130 that departed just as Saigon was about to fall. He had already worked for 24 hours at the airport to get others out after seeing his wife and two young children off to safety in the Philippines.

"My associate told me, 'You'd better go. It's critical. You don't want to end up as a Communist prisoner.' He pushed me on the flight out. I got tears in my eyes once the flight took off and I looked down from the plane for the last time," Lam recalled. "No one talked to each other about how critical it was, but we all knew it."

Now, Lam lives in Southern California's Little Saigon, the largest concentration of Vietnamese outside of Vietnam.

In 1992, Lam made history by becoming the first Vietnamese-American to elected to public office in the U.S. and he went on to serve on the Westminster City Council for 10 years.

Looking back over four decades, Lam says he doesn't regret being forced out of his country and forging a new, American, life.

"I went from being an industrialist to pumping gas at a service station," said Lam, who now works as a consultant and owns a Lee's Sandwich franchise, a well-known Vietnamese chain.

"But thank God I am safe and sound and settled here with my six children and 15 grandchildren," he said. "I'm a happy man."

___

ANNIVERSARY NIGHTMARES

Wayne Reynolds' nightmares got worse this week with the approach of the anniversary of the U.S. troop withdrawal.

Reynolds, 66, spent a year working as an Army medic on an evacuation helicopter in 1968 and 1969. On days when the fighting was worst, his chopper would make four or five landings in combat zones to rush wounded troops to emergency hospitals.

The terror of those missions comes back to him at night, along with images of the blood that was everywhere. The dreams are worst when he spends the most time thinking about Vietnam, like around anniversaries.

"I saw a lot of people die," Reynolds said.

Today, Reynolds lives in Athens, Ala., after a career that included stints as a public school superintendent and, most recently, a registered nurse. He is serving his 13th year as the Alabama president of the Vietnam Veterans of America, and he also has served on the group's national board as treasurer.

Like many who came home from the war, Reynolds is haunted by the fact he survived Vietnam when thousands more didn't. Encountering war protesters after returning home made the readjustment to civilian life more difficult.

"I was literally spat on in Chicago in the airport," he said. "No one spoke out in my favor."

Reynolds said the lingering survivor's guilt and the rude reception back home are the main reasons he spends much of his time now working with veteran's groups to help others obtain medical benefits. He also acts as an advocate on veterans' issues, a role that landed him a spot on the program at a 40th anniversary ceremony planned for Friday in Huntsville, Ala.

It took a long time for Reynolds to acknowledge his past, though. For years after the war, Reynolds said, he didn't include his Vietnam service on his resume and rarely discussed it with anyone.

"A lot of that I blocked out of my memory. I almost never talk about my Vietnam experience other than to say, 'I was there,' even to my family," he said.

___

NO ILL WILL

A former North Vietnamese soldier, Ho Van Minh heard about the American combat troop withdrawal during a weekly meeting with his commanders in the battlefields of southern Vietnam.

The news gave the northern forces fresh hope of victory, but the worst of the war was still to come for Minh: The 77-year-old lost his right leg to a land mine while advancing on Saigon, just a month before that city fell.

"The news of the withdrawal gave us more strength to fight," Minh said Thursday, after touring a museum in the capital, Hanoi, devoted to the Vietnamese victory and home to captured American tanks and destroyed aircraft.

"The U.S. left behind a weak South Vietnam army. Our spirits was so high and we all believed that Saigon would be liberated soon," he said.

Minh, who was on a two-week tour of northern Vietnam with other veterans, said he bears no ill will to the American soldiers even though much of the country was destroyed and an estimated 3 million Vietnamese died.

If he met an American veteran now he says, "I would not feel angry; instead I would extend my sympathy to them because they were sent to fight in Vietnam against their will."

But on his actions, he has no regrets. "If someone comes to destroy your house, you have to stand up to fight."

___

A POW'S REFLECTION

Two weeks before the last U.S. troops left Vietnam, Marine Corps Capt. James H. Warner was freed from North Vietnamese confinement after nearly 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war. He said those years of forced labor and interrogation reinforced his conviction that the United States was right to confront the spread of communism.

The past 40 years have proven that free enterprise is the key to prosperity, Warner said in an interview Thursday at a coffee shop near his home in Rohrersville, Md., about 60 miles from Washington. He said American ideals ultimately prevailed, even if the methods weren't as effective as they could have been.

"China has ditched socialism and gone in favor of improving their economy, and the same with Vietnam. The Berlin Wall is gone. So essentially, we won," he said. "We could have won faster if we had been a little more aggressive about pushing our ideas instead of just fighting."

Warner, 72, was the avionics officer in a Marine Corps attack squadron when his fighter plane was shot down north of the Demilitarized Zone in October 1967.

He said the communist-made goods he was issued as a prisoner, including razor blades and East German-made shovels, were inferior products that bolstered his resolve.

"It was worth it," he said.

A native of Ypsilanti, Mich., Warner went on to a career in law in government service. He is a member of the Republican Central Committee of Washington County, Md.

___

A DIFFERENT RESPONSE

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Duane Johnson, who served in Afghanistan and is a full-time logistics and ordnance specialist with the South Carolina National Guard, said many Vietnam veterans became his mentors when he donned a uniform 35 years ago.

"I often took the time, when I heard that they served in Vietnam, to thank them for their service. And I remember them telling me that was the first time anyone said that to them," said Johnson, of Gaston, S.C.

"My biggest wish is that those veterans could have gotten a better welcome home," the 56-year-old said Thursday.

Johnson said he's taken aback by the outpouring of support expressed for military members today, compared to those who served in Vietnam.

"It's a bit embarrassing, really," said Johnson. "Many of those guys were drafted. They didn't skip the country, they went and they served. That should be honored."

___

ANTI-WAR ACTIVISM

John Sinclair said he felt "great relief" when he heard about the U.S. troop pull-out. Protesting the war was a passion for the counter-culture figure who inspired the John Lennon song, "John Sinclair." The Michigan native drew a 10-year prison sentence after a small-time pot bust but was released after 2 ? years ? a few days after Lennon, Stevie Wonder and others performed at a 1971 concert to free him.

"There wasn't any truth about Vietnam ? from the very beginning," said Sinclair by phone from New Orleans, where he spends time when he isn't in Detroit or his home base of Amsterdam.

"In those times we considered ourselves revolutionaries," said Sinclair, a co-founder of the White Panther Party who is a poet and performance artist and runs an Amsterdam-based online radio station. "We wanted equal distribution of wealth. We didn't want 1 percent of the rich running everything. Of course, we lost."

The Vietnam War also shaped the life of retired Vermont businessman John Snell, 64, by helping to instill a lifetime commitment to anti-war activism. He is now a regular at a weekly anti-war protest in front of the Montpelier federal building that has been going on since long before the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Haslett, Mich., native graduated from high school in 1966 and later received conscientious objector status. He never had to do the required alternative service because a foot deformity led him to being listed as unfit to serve.

"They were pretty formative times in our lives and we saw incredible damage being done, it was the first war to really show up on television. I remember looking in the newspaper and seeing the names of people I went to school with as being dead and injured every single week," said Snell, who attended Michigan State University before moving to Vermont in 1977.

"Things were crazy. I remember sitting down in the student lounge watching the numbers being drawn on TV, there were probably 200 people sitting in this lounge watching as numbers came up, the guys were quite depressed by the numbers that were being drawn," he said. "There certainly were people who volunteered and went with some patriotic fervor, but by '67 or'68 there were a lot of people who just didn't want to have anything to do with it."

___

Dishneau reported from Hagerstown, Md., and Reeves reported from Birmingham, Ala. Also contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Chris Brummitt in Hanoi, Jocelyn Gecker in Bangkok, Gillian Flaccus in Tustin, Calif., Lisa Cornwell in Cincinnati, Kevin Freking in Washington, Wilson Ring in Montpelier, Vt., Susanne M. Schafer in Columbia, S.C., and Jeff Karoub in Detroit.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-29-Vietnam%20Withdrawal-Anniversary/id-dc920bb9a253483fb111a3ffe74e054a

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Cutting copays may increase women's cancer screening

By Andrew M. Seaman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - More women may get screened for breast and cervical cancers if they don't have to pay for the tests, according to a new study from Japan.

A year after the Japanese government started picking up the tab for Pap smears and mammograms for certain groups of women, the percentage of eligible women who got screened nearly doubled compared to a few years earlier when most women had to pay for screenings.

"This is consistent with prior research. We know that imposing out-of-pocket costs for screenings - including cancer screening services - deter their use," said Dr. Amal Trivedi, who was not involved with the new research but has studied cancer screening use.

The new study may also suggest that more U.S. women will get screened for cancer now that many of those services are covered under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, said Trivedi, from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

But he added that it's hard to know exactly how the results of the program in Japan would apply to the U.S. because the two healthcare systems are different from each other.

To encourage women to be screened for breast and cervical cancers, and to target specific socioeconomic and age groups who were not generally going in for screening, the Japanese government in 2009 began giving women vouchers to get free Pap smears and mammograms every five years.

Younger women were invited to get Pap smears when they turned 20 years old and every five years after that. Women were also invited to get mammograms every five years starting when they turned 40.

In contrast, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government-backed advisory group, recommends screening for cervical cancer in women ages 21 to 65 years every three years. Or, a Pap smear and human papillomavirus (HPV) test every five years. The USPSTF also recommends women get mammograms every other year from age 50 to 74 years, but they may choose to get screened earlier.

To see whether eliminating the cost of screenings increased their use, the researchers, led by Takahiro Tabuchi of the Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, analyzed data from a survey that collects health information on Japanese citizens every three years.

Overall, they had information for more than 34,000 women.

In 2007, when women had to pay for screenings, about 22 percent of eligible women were screened for cervical cancer and about 27 percent were screened for breast cancer.

In 2010, the year after the government began picking up the cost of the screenings, about 43 percent of women were screened for both cervical and breast cancers.

Meanwhile, there was only a small increase in screenings among the women who were not eligible for the free tests.

Trivedi called the increase in screening with the vouchers "striking," but said more research is needed to know whether those women will continue to get screened in such large numbers.

The study's authors, who were not available for comment, write in the International Journal of Cancer that about 472,000 women were screened for breast cancer through the program, which prevented an estimated 461 deaths.

That is about 4 percent of the number of breast cancer deaths that are expected annually in Japan, they say.

But raising rates of screening did come at a cost of over $100 per additional screening, the report adds.

"It's not surprising that there are extra costs associated with these services. The bottom line is that we think they improve public health," Trivedi said.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/Xf4EuF International Journal of Cancer, online March 13, 2013.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cutting-copays-may-increase-womens-cancer-screening-210338745.html

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Elusive 'Superman' particle caught changing flavor

Paolo Lombardi INFN-MI

The Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the Italian Institute of Nuclear Physics, located nearly a mile below the surface of the Gran Sasso mountain about 60 miles outside of Rome, detects tiny particles called neutrinos.

By Tia Ghose
LiveScience

Physicists at an underground laboratory have caught an ultra-rare particle in the act of reappearing.

For only the third time, scientists have detected elementary particles called neutrinos in the act of changing from one type, called muon, to another, called tau, on the several-hundred-mile trip between two laboratories.?

"It proves that the muon neutrinos are some kind of Superman-type particle: They get into a phone booth somewhere in between and change into something else," said Pauline Gagnon, a particle physicist at Indiana University, who was not involved in the experiment.

The new discovery bolsters the theory that the sneaky neutrinos oscillate from one type to another, which is why physicists detect fewer coming from the sun than predicted. [Wacky Physics: The Coolest Little Particles In Nature]

Sun particles
The nuclear reaction that powers the sun also produces massive numbers of solar neutrinos, tiny, uncharged particles that reach Earth and pass virtually undetected through ordinary matter, said researcher Antonio Ereditato, a physicist at the University of Bern in Switzerland and a member of the team that conducted the experiment, called OPERA (Oscillation Project with Emulsion-tRacking Apparatus).

"Each square centimeter of your body is touched every second by 60 billion neutrinos from the sun," Ereditato told LiveScience.

But for the last two decades, scientists have detected fewer neutrinos from the sun than they expected.

The dominant explanation for this neutrino shortage, proposed in 1957 by Italian physicist Bruno Pontecorvo, argued that neutrinos oscillate between three flavors, or types: electron, muon and tau.

As a result, neutrinos seem to disappear, because detectors try to measure them in one flavor when they have oscillated to another one.

Scientists have caught many neutrinos in the act of disappearing. But catching neutrinos as they appear has been far more elusive ? since 2010, only two other tau neutrinos have been discovered.

Reappearing particles
To find these rare events, physicists with the OPERA project shot a beam of muon neutrinos from the physics lab CERN in Switzerland 454 miles (730 kilometers) through the Earth's crust to Gran Sasso Laboratory, buried underneath a mountain in Italy. ?

During the travel, a very small fraction of the neutrinos naturally changed flavor, and when they reached the laboratory some tiny fraction of them were detected by a 4,000-ton "camera," transforming into a similar flavored particle and then decaying after a short distance. These fleeting events produce a faint blip of light recorded by one of 9 million photographic plates, Gagnon told LiveScience.

Because neutrinos have no charge, they only interact with matter through the weak force, which doesn't happen very often, Gagnon said.

Tau neutrinos morph into tau particles that travel for?just a few millimeters before decaying into hadrons, so they are even harder to detect.

The newly discovered tau neutrino bolsters the notion that the discovery of two others, in 2010 and 2012, were real.

This detection is statistically quite strong: The chance that the researchers are mistaken is about one in a million, Ereditato said.

The findings could provide other insights into tau neutrinos.

"Neutrinos have a mass and measuring this mass is quite difficult, because it's extremely small," Gagnon said.

But because neutrinos' mass determines how quickly they oscillate, and in turn how frequently they should be detected, finding tau neutrinos could help physicists nail down these elusive particles' mass, she said.

Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter @tiaghose.?Follow?LiveScience @livescience, Facebook? and Google+. Original article on?LiveScience.com.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2a1b2621/l/0Lscience0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C280C1750A3810A0Eelusive0Esuperman0Eparticle0Ecaught0Echanging0Eflavor0Dlite/story01.htm

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Chris Christie to Prince Harry: Don't Get Naked in N.J.!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/chris-christie-to-prince-harry-dont-get-naked-in-nj/

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Chris Rauschnot: Review: myFC Powertrekk Handheld Fuel Cell Charger For Gadgets

my FC Powertrekk fuel cell charger
Want to unplug from the grid and go exploring, but don't want to leave the tech behind? Now it's possible with myFC's PowerTrekk, a water-powered fuel cell charger, that's actually portable. my FC Powertrekk handheldEach year, new devices get released to market that require even more power to function throughout a full day. A rising number of the population have started to collect multiple devices; like GPS navigational units for the car, tablets for reading or surfing the web and smartphones with multiple CPU cores and large bright screens. Having all of that technology at hand is great, but keeping them charged takes work. That's where external batteries and alternative charging solutions come into play. The Powertrekk hybrid fuel cell system can definitely be defined as an alternative way to make and take power virtually anywhere. It has a fuel generation system on the bottom and a removable battery on top. Combined, they offer the flexibility to have power available nearly on demand.
my FC Powertrekk Top Details
All together, it's about the size of a few smartphones stacked on top of each other. The small form factor device creates energy from FuelCellSticker technology made of foils and adhesives that convert hydrogen into electricity. The chemistry behind how this type of fuel cell works is somewhat complex.
my FC Powertrekk water
Fortunately, it's user-friendly enough to create near instantaneously available power. To create energy with the fuel cell, one side is filled up with about a tablespoon of fresh water. The other side is where the powerpukk with sodium silicide is installed. That's definitely straightforward, simple and can be performed in less than a minute.
my FC Powertrekk powerpukks
There are no moving parts, just a chemical reaction that drives the creation of energy. The ease at which everything operates is what attracted me to it during a CES 2013 demo.
my FC Powertrekk CES 2013 booth
Photo by Bill Cody @VegasBiLL on Twitter
This 2-in-1 solution can be used in a few practical ways. The lithium polymer battery atop the water well and fuel compartment is rated at 1,500mAh and it acts as an energy buffer for the fuel cell and as a simple backup battery. Like most external battery packs, it can be charged by a USB cable connected to a computer or wall outlet. It also acts as a buffer for the fuel cell system, where the battery regulates power sent to devices plugged into its USB port. The package comes with I-Go connector tips for mini and micro USB, and a 30pin module for Apple compatible devices. For those with an iPhone 5, a Lightning to 30-pin adapter will be needed to charge.
2013-03-25-myFCPowertrekkdetails.png
Most of the gadgets made today utilize a micro USB port for charging. While there are some devices that can be powered by USB, some may not be universally USB compatible. The fuel cell charging system produces 2.5 watts at 5 volts up to 1 Amp of continuous power, and runs for a little more than two hours. It can charge USB standard 5V devices and can also "trickle" charge higher wattage gadgets like the Kindle Fire and iPad. The fuel cell system is safe to bring onto airplanes, according to Industrial Revolution, its US distributor. The Powertrekk and powerpukks are both IEC approved for carry-on luggage. However, making energy with the fuel cell system is not approved for operation while flying.my FC Powertrekk Charging Having the ability to create energy at nearly any moment is worth the price of the fuel cell system and pucks. It can create energy day or night, rain or shine. Its ability to generate power when solar-powered chargers are ineffective is key. While other battery solutions might be less expensive, this hybrid system gives people the freedom to go out, explore and unplug from the grid whenever. Once the PowerTrekk and powerpukks start shipping in the US, you can find them from the myFC US distributor Industrial Revolution for $229.99 and $11.99 for a three pack of pucks. Thanks to them for the live demo during the International Consumer Electronics Show 2013. My recap of the biggest and most attended International Consumer Electronics Show ever, in Las Vegas.

More 2013 CES Videos By 24kMedia.

Disclosure: I received a review unit from Industrial Revolution. Opinions expressed here are my own. All but one photo are courtesy of myFC.

?

Follow Chris Rauschnot on Twitter: www.twitter.com/24k

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-rauschnot/review-myfc-powertrekk-ha_b_2937845.html

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Mabel Bobo, 88, Loses Home When Investor ... - AOL Real Estate

Mabel Bobo, Pat Rader

How does a house worth more than $200,000 get sold for a mere $5,000? Pure deception, says the family of an 88-year-old woman who, they claim, was swindled while she lay sick in a nursing-home bed. Mabel Bobo (pictured above left with her daughter) owned her Charlotte, N.C., home for 56 years and raised three kids there. But when her loan became delinquent, the home in the Charlotte's Dilworth neighborhood fell into foreclosure and was put up for auction last June. It garnered bids as high as $48,358, but one investor snapped it up for just a tenth of that -- allegedly through shady means, WCNC-TV in Charlotte reported.

Mabel Bobo home, Charlotte, NCBobo, who suffers from dementia, had to move into a nursing home nearby when she could no longer care for herself. She says that she had no idea that her home was even foreclosed on. But while she was at the nursing home, she said that she began receiving frequent "surprise visits" from a woman named Laura Shields, who represents Home Appeal, LLC.

During the visits, Bobo was allegedly asked by Shields to sign over the deed to her small home at 515 Ideal Way. Despite Bobo's lack of understanding and discomfort -- she said that she told Shields to "leave her alone" -- family members said that Bobo was essentially forced to sign the paperwork in order to get Shields to stop visiting her. "[Shields] came to someone who is almost 90 years old and shoved a piece of paper in front of them," Bobo's daughter, Patricia Rader, told WCNC. "[It happened] repeatedly until she was so tired of seeing them, she signed it to get rid of them."

When WCNC presented the signed deed and asked Bobo if it was her signature on the paper, she answered: "Yes, but I don't remember signing it." Shields' lawyers explain that Bobo was paid $5,000 for the house when she signed the deed in her bed in the nursing home, and that they have an undated check stub to prove it. But according to the family, Bobo does not have any more bank accounts and her family "never received a dime." Bobo's family is currently fighting a legal battle to get the home back, saying that Bobo wasn't in "any mental condition" to sign the house away.


See also:
Bank Flip-Flops, Forecloses on Woman With Stage 4 Breast Cancer
Foreclosure Scam: 530 Charged for Allegedly Defrauding 73,000 Homeowners
Woman Tags Home With Message to Bank: You're 'Stealing' My House

More on AOL Real Estate:
Find out how to
calculate mortgage payments.
Find
homes for sale in your area.
Find
foreclosures in your area.
See celebrity real estate.

Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook.

Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/03/26/mabel-bobo-loses-charlotte-home/

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Dana White?s latest video blog shows he is a fan of shooting guns, riding motorcycles and apple-picking

With no fight this week, UFC president Dana White released a video blog that shows what he and his "idiot friends" do when visiting his place in Maine. Yes, there's plenty of NSFW language. Take a look and see what White and his friends are up to, including:

1. Talk one friend into trying the spiciest hot sauce ever.
2. Blow things up.
3. Shoot guns while calling each other a nickname for a cat.
4. Apple-picking, though it doesn't look like they're picking honeycrisp apples, the finest of all apple varieties.
5. Milk goats in a way that looks pretty uncomfortable for the goat.
6. Drive motorcycles.

And a little advice for Nick the Tooth. I was once told at an Indian restaurant, after eating very spicy food, that beer or soda pop are your best bets to cool a burning mouth.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/dana-white-latest-video-blog-shows-fan-shooting-164921000--mma.html

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

NY cuts cancer programs in state budget

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York is cutting funding for cancer screenings for the uninsured along with programs to curb teen smoking in a state budget that expands spending to help the Buffalo Bills and Hollywood.

Details of the budget plan struck behind closed doors by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders are starting to surface as lawmakers hammer out details before the April 1 deadline.

And with those details come critics.

"The governor wanted to cut breast cancer screenings and programs to keep kids from smoking and he got them," said Blair Horner of the American Cancer Society.

Cuomo had proposed 10 percent cuts for the programs in the plan presented to the Legislature in January, but the final budget will likely result in 5 percent cuts ? saving $3.5 million in a $135 billion budget.

The budget is also expected to cut $90 million for programs to help the developmentally disabled ? less than the $120 million cut Cuomo proposed ? but chips in $54 million to help renovate Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium. It also has a provision that appears tailored to provide a 30-percent tax break to draw the "Tonight" show back to New York.

"The role of state government is to have spending priorities and protect our most vulnerable citizens in the state budget," said Republican Assemblyman James Tedisco representing Schenectady and Saratoga counties. "Our priority should be looking out for families and people with developmental disabilities in communities .... not giving taxpayer-funded handouts to support the lifestyles of the rich and famous in Beverly Hills."

In an interview on public radio's The Capitol Pressroom, Cuomo said he didn't like the cuts for the disabled, either.

"But I am more the keeper of the economic reality here ... we have a lot of wants. Unfortunately, we cannot meet all our wants. I believe this budget meets our needs," he said.

Cuomo said the cut is forced by the federal government seeking to recover more than $1 billion that New York had overbilled for decades. Cuomo also said he will direct the cuts to come from administration, rather than in programs.

The Senate is scheduled to pass its final budget bills sometime early Wednesday. The Assembly will return to Albany on Thursday to give final legislative approval.

The Cuomo administration also defended some of its other choices Monday.

In return for the $54 million for stadium renovations ? Erie County will pay $41 million and the team will chip in $35 million ? the state will get a luxury box Cuomo's administration said can be used to promote upstate to employers and the team will stay put for seven years. State officials will be able to use the box only by paying the full cost of a ticket, officials said.

The Cuomo administration also argues any benefit sought by "Tonight" wouldn't cost the state more. It would come from the $420 million film tax credit program to encourage production in New York, which results in hiring and tax revenues. This year the fund was expanded to include TV shows and the state is extending its tax break to the new "Spider-Man" to film in New York City, on Long Island and in Rochester.

The budget includes extending two taxes that were to expire to help pay for $350 checks to most families with children beginning just weeks before Election Day in 2014.

"It's gross negligence on Governor Cuomo's part, to cut the funding for the developmentally disabled as the same time giving tax rebate checks for people making $300,000," said advocate Michael Carey, who has fought for greater safeguards in the system against abuse and neglect since his son died in it.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ny-cuts-cancer-programs-state-140922466.html

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Ask This Question at Your Next Interview to Find Out if the Job Is Worth Your While

Ask This Question at Your Next Interview to Find Out if the Job Is Worth Your WhileA good way to assess how excited you'll be to work somewhere is by seeing how excited current employees are about their work. With that in mind, code blog Runtime Era suggests that you ask your interviewer what the most interesting thing they've worked on during their time with the company was.

The work itself doesn't even have to be thrilling, as long as the people are:

Nobody wants to work on uninteresting things with uninteresting people. I want to know if the work is compelling and if the team finds it compelling. Even if the work doesn't sound too exciting, if the interviewer is genuinely enthusiastic about it, I'll be more interested to explore it. Passion and interest in work is always impressive.

We've written lots on how asking your own questions at the end of an interview can help you find out if a job is a good fit for you. Remember, a good interview works both ways. Hit the link for a few more questions you may want to consider.

My Interview Questions for Potential Employers | Runtime Era

Photo by Gvahim.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/NL1CmQtf4xc/ask-this-question-at-your-next-interview-to-gauge-how-passionate-employees-are

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Weekly Performance Update On 7 Offshore Drilling Stocks - Seeking ...

This was a very volatile week for the overall market, as measured by the S&P 500 index due mostly to the developing financial fiasco in the small European nation of Cyprus. The market rallied on Monday, corrected very sharply on Tuesday, then shot up strongly overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, then remained flat on Wednesday, bounced around on Thursday, and had a weak rally on Friday. There were significant changes between the closing price of the index and the opening price of the market the next day nearly nightly this whole week. The price of crude oil was less volatile than the overall market index, although it also displayed some volatility of its own. We witnessed a sharp rally followed by an equally sharp correction in the first few days of the week and then saw another rally late in the week. As usual, this market action had vastly different effects on the stock prices of the seven offshore drilling companies that I track in this weekly series.

Seadrill (SDRL) opened on Monday, March 18 at $37.18. The stock closed at $36.61 in after hours trading on Friday, March 22. Seadrill shareholders thus saw the value of their holdings decrease by $0.57 per share or 1.53% over the past week. Seadrill opened at $37.04 on February 25, 2013. This gives the stock a trailing four-week loss of $0.43 per share or 1.16%. Seadrill gave a presentation at the Howard Weil 41st Energy Conference earlier this week. The PowerPoint document accompanying the presentation is available on the company's web page. It details the company's growth prospects going forward and provides an excellent analysis of the company's debt going forward that should provide some comfort to investors who are concerned about Seadrill's higher leverage level compared to its peers.

SDRL 5-Day Chart

(click to enlarge)

Source: Fidelity Investments

SDRL 4-Week Chart

(click to enlarge)

Source: Fidelity Investments

Ensco (ESV) opened at $58.51 on Monday, March 18. The stock closed at $58.52 in after hours trading on Friday, March 22. Shareholders thus saw the value of their holdings increase by $0.01 per share or 0.02% over the past week. The stock opened at $61.90 on February 25. Stockholders in the company thus saw their holdings decrease by $3.38 per share or 5.46% over the trailing four-week period.

ESV 5-Day Chart

(click to enlarge)

Source: Fidelity Investments

ESV 4-Week Chart

(click to enlarge)

Source: Fidelity Investments

Transocean (RIG) opened at $52.61 on Monday, March 18. The stock closed at $51.67 in after hours trading on Friday, March 22. Transocean's shareholders thus saw the value of their holdings decrease by $0.94 or 1.79% this week. The stock opened at $53.05 on February 25, 2013. This gives Transocean stock a trailing four-week loss of $1.38 or 2.60% over the trailing four-week period. Stock ratings site TheStreet.com reiterated its HOLD rating on Transocean stock, citing revenue and earnings per share growth as positives and poor stock performance and high debt as negatives. Transocean also rejected activist investor Carl Icahn's proposal to pay out a $4 per share special dividend. Considering the company's ongoing legal problems, this may be a good thing as the company should have sufficient cash on hand to defend itself and pay out any eventual settlement levied against it.

RIG 5-Day Chart

(click to enlarge)

Source: Fidelity Investments

RIG 4-Week Chart

(click to enlarge)

Source: Fidelity Investments

Diamond Offshore (DO) opened at $69.40 on Monday, March 18. The stock closed at $68.54 in after hours trading on Friday, March 22. Shareholders of Diamond Offshore thus saw the value of their holdings decrease by $0.86 per share or 1.24% over the week. The stock opened at $72.20 on Monday, February 25. The stock thus had a trailing four-week loss of $3.66 per share or 5.07%.

DO 5-Day Chart

(click to enlarge)

Source: Fidelity Investments

DO 4-Week Chart

(click to enlarge)

Source: Fidelity Investments

Atwood Oceanics (ATW) opened at $51.10 on Monday, March 18. The stock closed at $49.95 in after hours trading on Friday, March 22. This gives the stock a loss of $1.15 per share or 2.25% for the week. Atwood opened at $52.67 on February 25, 2013. Thus, shareholders in the company saw the value of their holdings decrease by $2.72 per share or 5.16% over the trailing four-week period. Atwood Oceanics also presented at the Howard Weil Energy Conference this week and provided the presentation on its web page. This presentation provides a number of reasons to like Atwood, including its strong financial position and growth prospects. I intend to write a more in-depth analysis on this promising offshore driller, but investors may want to have a look at the linked presentation in the interim.

ATW 5-Day Chart

(click to enlarge)

Source: Fidelity Investments

ATW 4-Week Chart

(click to enlarge)

Source: Fidelity Investments

Noble Corp (NE) opened the week at $37.24 on March 18, 2013. The stock closed at $36.63 in after hours trading on Friday, March 22. Thus, shareholders saw the value of their holdings decrease by $0.61 per share or 1.64% for the week. Noble opened at $37.38 on February 25, 2013. Thus, the stock had a trailing four week loss of $0.75 or 2.01%.

NE 5-Day Chart

(click to enlarge)
Source: Fidelity Investments

NE 4-Week Chart

(click to enlarge)

Source: Fidelity Investments

Pacific Drilling (PACD) opened the week at $9.62 on March 18, 2013. The stock closed at $9.87 in after hours trading on Friday, March 22. Thus, shareholders saw the value of their holdings increase by $0.25 per share or 2.60% for the week. Pacific Drilling opened at $9.64 on February 25, 2013. Thus, the stock had a trailing four week gain of $0.23 per share or 2.39%.

PACD 5-Day Chart

(click to enlarge)

Source: Fidelity Investments

PACD 4-Week Chart

(click to enlarge)

Source: Fidelity Investments

Five of these seven stocks saw their share prices decline over the past week and six of seven saw their share prices decline over the trailing four-week period. This is in spite of the fact that the offshore drilling industry is encountering near perfect conditions for companies in the industry right now. Overall, this creates an excellent situation for long term investors looking to either enter the industry or increase their positions in it. The best performing stock over the past week was Pacific Drilling, being one of two stocks that delivered positive returns over the week. The other company to deliver a positive return was Ensco, although its return was negligible. Pacific Drilling was the only company to deliver a positive return over the trailing four-week period and, as such, was the best performing stock over the period. Ensco was the worst performer, although Atwood and Diamond Offshore delivered similarly bad performances.

Disclosure: I am long SDRL, PACD. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)

Source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/1297501-weekly-performance-update-on-7-offshore-drilling-stocks?source=feed

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Google Launches Nik Collection, A $149 Bundle Of Nik Software's Plugins For Photoshop, Lightroom And Aparture

01 - LogoWhen Google acquired Nik Software, the development shop behind the popular Snapseed mobile photography app, it wasn’t clear what Google’s plans for Nik’s other products was. Today, Google announced that it has created a $149 bundle that includes all of Nik Software’s six plugins for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture. This bundle, the Nik Collection by Google, is about 70% cheaper than buying Nik’s old “Complete Collection.”?Google will also offer a 15-day free trial. The bundle includes the HDR photography tool HDR Efex Pro 2, Color Efex Pro 4 for color correction and retouching, Sliver Efex Pro 2 for black-and-white photography, Viveza 2 for selectively adjusting the color and tonality of images, Sharpener Pro 3 and Dfine 2 for noise reduction. Google’s Vic Gundotra always said Google would continue to offer Nik’s high-end tools and plugins , but today’s announcement will surely come as welcome news to Nik Software’s existing customers, especially given that the Snapseed desktop apps for Mac and Windows got the ax during Google’s latest spring cleaning round. It was never quite clear what Nik Software’s role inside of Google would be, besides likely adding some Snapseed features to the Google+ app, but right after the acquisition, Gundotra assured Nik’s users that Google cared “deeply about their artistry.” Talking to our own Drew Olanoff after the acquisition, the Snapseed Team noted that the company had launched Snapseed to “?bring sophisticated photo editing and post-processing to the masses, which was clearly what interested Google in the first place.” For Google, the acquisition was about more than just Snapseed, though, and now that the Nik Collection is available, it will be interesting to see how and when the team will update the actual plugins.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/E6gNUDVfR7M/

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