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Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Riedel provides end-to-end communications solutions for Red Bull ...
Pilot and skydiver Felix Baumgartner steps into the capsule at its Roswell, NM, launch site.
Photo courtesy Red Bull Media House. Copyright: Red Bull Stratos Mission Control: Limex Image Production GmbH
The Red Bull Stratos, the 120,000ft skydive from the edge of space, was a mission that transcended human limits. Riedel Communications provided the entire communications solution for this project, integrating both wireless and wired digital intercom systems. Additionally, Riedel furnished the fiber-based video and signal distribution as well as the wireless video links from the capsule?s onboard cameras?? enabling the stunning pictures delivered from the Red Bull Stratos capsule.
Felix Baumgartner, renowned extreme base jumper and sky diver, ascended to 24mi (39km) in a stratospheric balloon and made a freefall jump rushing toward earth at supersonic speeds before parachuting to the ground, breaking three world records with one jump: the highest skydive, the longest free fall, the first to reach supersonic speeds in free fall and the highest manned balloon ride.
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For the capsule that transported Baumgartner into the stratosphere, Riedel provided the on-board video control system for nine HD video cameras with specially developed telemetry control. This system was responsible for the control of the video recording and also works as a comprehensive digital video router?? not unlike a mini OB truck inside the capsule. It offered complete remote control of the whole video system and featured three HD video downlinks that were dynamically assigned to the selected cameras.
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he communications infrastructure on-site included the entire compound, mission control, the production offices, the media/press center and the OB truck. All these facilities and positions were integrated into one single communications infrastructure via a Riedel Artist Digital Matrix system. Artist is a fiber-based communications solutions that offers highly flexible, reliable and decentralized communications in broadcast-quality audio. The redundant ring topology makes Artist systems an extremely reliable solution for mission-critical applications such as the Red Bull Stratos project.
Riedel also furnished the on-site digital radio network with more than 100 radio receivers and?10 channels, which were seamlessly integrated into the wired matrix intercom system. This means radio users were able to directly talk to intercom users and vice versa.
All video signals on ground were distributed and routed with Riedel's MediorNet technology. MediorNet is a fiber-based real-time network for HD video, audio, communications and data signals that also provides integrated signal processing saving time, cost and effort in installation and maintenance. For the Red Bull Stratos project, 24 Riedel MediorNet nodes were installed in a redundant ring topology to provide maximum reliability. In case of a potential connection loss between two nodes, the signals would have still been distributed due to the redundant topology. The connection to the launchpad of the capsule was also realized with the MediorNet system?? this time with two MediorNet Compact frames that were connected to the main system. All links in the MediorNet system were realized with Riedel PURE, an extremely robust, tactical fiber cable for demanding mobile applications that is equipped with ruggedized Neutrik OpticalCON Quad connectors.?
The MediorNet backbone transported all video signals of the Red Bull Stratos mission as well as all signals from the OB truck and from the tracking truck. It also distributed the broadcast audio between Mission Control and the recording facility. Furthermore, the data of the telemetry that was used for some broadcast applications such as the Moving Map was transported via MediorNet.?
In addition to the video transport, MediorNet also serves as a network backbone for the on-site Internet connection providing the Ethernet connectivity in all areas of the compound.
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George Golf Club results
Results:
Tues 2 Oct (ladies competition, WGU Medal and IPS, sponsored by Dis-Chem):
A division: 1 Annamie van Rensburg 68 nett; 2 Sylvia Mackay 71 nett.
B division: 1 Liz Hughes 67 nett; 2 Gwen de Villiers 70 nett.
C division: 1 Sheila Fraser 73 nett; 2 Stephanie Bennett 74 nett.
Individual Stableford winner: Daleen Rowe on 39 pts.
Wed 3 Oct (members competition, Four Ball Alliance, Bells BMW Members Classic): 1 Mark Rostance, Colin Goss, Peter Sieberger, Arthur Gullan on 100 pts; 2 John Cossey, Koos Louw, Johan Coomans, Gordon MacMillan on 98 pts; 3 Claude Malan, Chris Mackay, Johan Laubser and Ray Durden on 95 pts.
Sat 6 Oct (members competition, Four Ball Alliance, sponsored by the Club and the George Golf Shop): 1 Suzette Nel, Koos Nel, Ray Durden, Werner Kemp on 93 pts; 2 Willie van der Merwe, Mike Rohwer, Harry Venter and Philip Upton on 93 pts c/o; 3 John Peterson, Chris Lamprecht, Leon Pio and PW Vermaak on 91 pts.
Schedule for week:
Wed 10 Oct - Members competition, Better Ball Stableford, Castle Lite Ambassador Golf Day.
Thurs 11 Oct - pm: Meyer Otto Corporate Golf Day (course closed).
Fri 12 Oct - pm: Men's B League vs Simola (singles matches only).
Sat 13 Oct - Members competition, Individual Stableford, Hellenic Day.
Sun 14 Oct - Monthly Mixed, sponsored by Dis-Chem.
Mon 15 Oct - am: Ladies B League vs Mossel Bay, Willie Bauscher party, Rod Sleep party.
Source: http://www.georgeherald.com/news.aspx?id=37696
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US homebuilder confidence at 6-year high
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Confidence among U.S. homebuilders remains at its highest level in six years, reflecting improved optimism over the strengthening housing market this year and a pickup in visits by prospective buyers to builders' communities.
The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index rose to 41 this month, up from 40 in September. That's the highest reading since June 2006, just before the housing bubble burst.
Any reading below 50 indicates negative sentiment about the housing market. The index hasn't reached that level since April 2006, the peak of the housing boom.
A measure of traffic by prospective buyers rose 5 points to 35, the highest level since April 2006.
The survey is based on responses from 400 builders. It has been trending higher since last October.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-homebuilder-confidence-6-high-140141919--finance.html
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CEOs urge compromise on U.S. fiscal cliff, debt
WASHINGTON |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Corporate chief executives ramped up their calls on Monday for Congress to reach a compromise deal that keeps the looming "fiscal cliff" from crushing the U.S. economy and starts to shrink U.S. debt levels.
CEOs of some of the largest U.S. companies said that Congress will need to raise taxes on the wealthy and cut federal benefit programs like Medicare and Social Security to effectively shrink federal debt and safeguard economic growth.
Their message runs squarely against long-held partisan positions on Capitol Hill, where Republicans have resisted any revenue increases to reduce deficits and Democrats have largely vowed to maintain popular entitlement programs.
"There has to be shared pain," Robert Greifeld, chief executive of stock exchange operator Nasdaq OMX Group Inc, told a Bloomberg Television roundtable.
"It's very difficult for politicians to run on a platform where they're getting everybody mad at them. But for us to address this, there's going to have to be revenue increases. There are going to have to be spending cuts," Greifeld said.
"We need compromise," added Scott Davis, CEO of United Parcel Service Inc.
"It's not going to get solved on one party's wishes. Simpson-Bowles lit the path forward. It was a good plan," Davis told the Bloomberg Roundtable, referring to the 2010 presidential commission that recommended both tax hikes and spending cuts. Simpson-Bowles' prescriptions were never adopted.
The corporate chieftains are among 100 CEO members of a campaign called "Fix the Debt," which is urging Washington to set aside partisan differences to put the United States on a sustainable fiscal path.
Steven Rattner, head of Willett Advisors LLC and the former U.S. Treasury's auto industry "restructuring czar," said that CEOs were converging on solutions that are "balanced and where everything is on the table."
"For the first time, there is tremendous support in the business community even if it isn't exactly what everyone in the business community would want to see," Rattner said.
The head of corporate America's most prominent CEO lobbying group also chimed in, warning on Monday that uncertainty over the year-end fiscal cliff - some $600 billion in looming tax hikes and automatic spending cuts - is choking off hiring and investment.
Business Roundtable President John Engler, a former Republican governor of Michigan, also called for compromise - Simpson-Bowles style - in a speech to the Detroit Economic Club.
"I think the American people care about the future of their country, and they understand there's going to have to be a compromise," Engler said. "Our present course is unsustainable and unfair to future generations."
Republicans in Congress have long resisted any revenue increases - especially through higher tax rates - as part of any deal to cut deficits, which just ended a fourth year above $1 trillion.
President Barack Obama's Democrats have been pushing for higher tax rates for those making over $250,000. However, in a debate last week, Vice President Joe Biden said he wanted higher taxes on those making over $1 million.
EARNINGS CALLS SEEK CLARITY
As corporate America's third-quarter earnings season gathered steam this week, CEOs emphasized the importance of Congress shielding the fragile U.S. economy from massive tax hikes and spending cuts.
"In the U.S., there are promising signs that more robust economic growth is within reach, assuming the resolution of the fiscal cliff," Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit told a conference call. "Lack of a resolution of the cliff situation would be highly disruptive."
Engler warned that uncertainty over future taxes, from individual rates to capital gains to research and development tax credits, was seriously reducing CEO expectations for hiring, capital investments and sales.
"The bottom line: We really don't have a tax code in this country today. It's no wonder there's uncertainty," he said. "It's no wonder businesses are reluctant to invest, even when they have cash on their balance sheets."
While CEOs have been voicing concern about the fiscal cliff for months, U.S. consumers do not appear fazed yet. U.S. retail sales rose more than expected in September, with increased purchases of everything from cars to electronics, in a sign that consumer spending is driving faster economic growth.
The 1.1 percent jump in September retail sales reported by the Commerce Department beat forecasts and was powered partly by the release of Apple Inc's new iPhone 5, analysts said. It comes after U.S. consumer sentiment on Friday spiked to its highest level in five years in a Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Survey taken following a drop in the unemployment rate.
Economists, like CEOs, warn that consumer spending could be hurt by job cuts triggered by fiscal tightening and a snap-back in payroll tax rates that could slice $1,000 off of an average family's take-home pay.
LAME-DUCK HIKE IN DEBT LIMIT?
Engler said he doesn't expect Congress to resolve all of its fiscal issues during a short lame-duck session after the election. He is mainly hoping for temporary fixes that let a larger tax reform deal get done in 2013.
These include short-term extensions on expiring tax rates, and putting off the automatic spending cuts that were set in motion by last year's landmark debt limit deal.
He also said he would like Congress to raise the debt ceiling again, which would allow the government to continue borrowing. The government is expected to reach the $16.4 trillion debt limit close to the end of this year, with the Treasury Department able to take emergency cash management measures to avoid a default for a couple of months into 2013.
Businesses are fearful of a spike in interest rates that could occur if the United States is again brought to the brink of default and its credit rating is cut further.
"If we can finish just these items, the real challenges will still be waiting," Engler said.
Obama and congressional Republicans wrangled for months last year over whether to raise the federal debt limit. The impasse ended in August with Obama signing a debt-ceiling increase, but Standard & Poor's downgraded the U.S. credit rating shortly after, citing political gridlock in Washington and the nation's long-term fiscal challenges.
Two Republican senators on Monday demanded that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner give them more information on his plans for avoiding a debt limit-related default in coming months.
"With more complete information about when the debt limit may next be reached, we hope to aid decision-makers and pre-empt any need for such a contingency plan in the future," said Senator Orrin Hatch, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, and Senator Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee.
(Additional reporting by Lauren Tara LaCapra in New York; Editing by Fred Barbash,; Eric Walsh and Jan Paschal)
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Monday, October 15, 2012
Be Nice To The Moon. Stop Writing On It
Dot
Dash
Dot
Dash
This is the moon as Morse code.
Beautiful, yes, but not right. The moon isn't a dot. It's too elegant, too pale, too ghostly to be a bit of "information." It's got moods, changes, and on certain nights it's got a Man on it, with eyes and a mouth, and yet some people treat the moon as if it's something you can write on.
All over the world, ham radio operators and Morse Code enthusiasts beam dot, dash messages straight at the moon, then wait 2.7 seconds for the signal to bounce back. They call these "E.M.E." transmissions, which stands for "Earth-Moon-Earth" or ? more popularly ? "moonbouncing." I suppose it's fun to smack little beeps against a sleepy rock 239,000 miles away and have those beeps come flying back at you. Plus, it's easy.
MoonBouncing with the MorseResource
Anybody with a good transmitter and an antenna "capable of being rotated in both the azimuth and elevation planes" (ask your hardware store or any ham radio jock to explain) can bounce messages off the moon. You don't even have to know Morse Code. There's a shortcut. Just type your message ("Happy Birthday, Munchkins!") onto a screen at The Morse Resource and in less than a minute they translate it into long and short beeps you can hurtle moonwards. The moon must be twitching.
Not so long ago, a Scottish artist, Katie Paterson, turned Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata into Morse code, (yup, you can do that, too) and bounced it off the moon. Some musical phrases got trapped in moon craters and didn't come back, which she found so intriguing, she put the ricocheted, fragmented Moonlight Sonata on a player piano and you can now see her MoonBounced, Morse-Coded piece being not performed by anyone, the keys going up and down on their own, on YouTube.
The latest insult (for those of us who think being MorseCoded upon is a kind of diss) took place in the dirt of Mars itself. A few weeks ago, NASA began testing its newest rover, Curiosity. They turned it on and let it move a little, and it turns out Curiosity's wheels have little grooves in them that are dots and dashes of Morse code, spelling J..P..and L..for Jet Propulsion Laboratory. You can see them here.
Why dig Morse Coded signals into the soil on Mars? So that NASA can look down from orbiters above and measure how far the rover has gone. Every time they see a new "J", "P" and "L" in Morse, they know the rover has moved a full turn of its wheels, which is a specific distance. It's like a measuring stick. Here's JPL engineer Armen Toorian, to demonstrate...
I have no argument with NASA's need to measure, or with artists' desire play Beethoven in odd places, or with ham operators' idea of fun. In each case, the Moon is being used as a tablet to write or bounce Samuel Morse's code on. The Moon isn't going to complain. Walls don't complain when kids zap them with graffiti. But that doesn't make it right.
This is a Do Unto Others thing. The Moon, in its quiet, moonish way, must be peeved.
A fantasy: If I were the moon goddess, Artemis, I'd be asking Zeus to take a bolt of lightning and zap 'em back, so they feel what it's like to be "bounced" on. Take that, Scottish composer! Rover engineer! Ham Radio guy! Nothing too painful. Just pings. In Morse.
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How To Make Money With Web Marketing | Valentino Crawford's ...
Internet marketing is among the greatest ways to get your business out to as many people as possible. Most people surf the web daily. The following generation of kids will have no idea what yellow pages of today were. Online marketing can be used to increase customer awareness.
As far as your site and products are concerned, you should make yourself an expert in your niche as quickly as possible. This is vital not solely because it gains you credibility about your field, but it also prevents you from appearing dishonest because you don?t know what you?re talking about.
Read up on psychology to understand marketing online. A person?s perception of a brand or product can be significantly impacted by psychological aspects of the website, such as the layout, color scheme and theme. You can apply this information in order to increase your profits.
TIP! Consider various methods of advertising for your website. Excellent sources of advertising your site include blog promotion, posting to them, and hanging around all the social networking sites.
Try to understand your competitors. Take a look at your competitor?s site to see what you need to work on. Also, find out how much traffic they are seeing so you can compare it to your own site.
You can make a great impression by including a banner showing your business name, mission statement or slogan. Banners are generally displayed along the top of a website or just under the title. That will give your site a professional look, and tell visitors exactly what to expect and what you want to do. This is a great strategy if you are trying to highlight a specific product or service.
Don?t just abandon and reject ideas that did not produce the results that you wanted. What did not work at one time, may well work in the future. The Internet evolves daily. Don?t pour money into ideas that don?t work out, but do hang on to them for later.
TIP! Advertise your company with the Internet?s most popular sites. Having your brand recognized can be a powerful way to increase your business success.
Incorporate free components on your site to lure your customers in. An excellent freebie to give to your customers is the ability to download a protected article that others may need to pay for. For instance, if you are in the construction industry, you could offer an article or book on the changing code regulations in your area. Besides enhancing your reputation for knowing your subject, this also demonstrates your willingness to share your knowledge and help your visitors.
Creating unique and quality content is important to successful Affiliate marketing. The search engines have gotten much better at identifying duplicate content, and even if you find that copying from others works for a little while, it can be devastating in the long run. Innovation is the key.
TIP! If you regularly email possible customers and regular customers, try rotating links in the emails. If your links are the same in all of your email communications, your customers will ignore them and possibly send your messages to their spam filters.
By studying your competition you can achieve even greater success in your Affiliate marketing. Familiarity with the products of your competitor and good marketing skills equal success for you and will leave your competitor watching gape-jawed as you successfully and profitably win the day. Studying your competition and improving on what they?ve done is crucial to Affiliate marketing success.
The internet enables businesses to focus their advertising efforts on certain markets. This will allow customers to get the most out of your advertising. The results of a company?s Website marketing investments are easy to track, too. You will get the most out of your investments by spending your money on website marketing methods
P.S.-If you love to make money in internet marketing and would love to make an extra $1000/day blogging with it, find out how my 2 friends are helping thousands of people make money about their passions ===> Discover why this game-changer is the most bad-ass make money internet marketing deal in the industry!
Source: http://www.empowernetwork.com/valentinocrawford/blog/how-to-make-money-with-web-marketing/
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Let the Journey Begin | Fitness for Fatherhood
I was 30 pounds overweight. As I was sitting on the couch, looking at his attractive, thin family, it hit me: I don?t care about my health. They do. I want to be like them.
My best friend from high school was trying to be polite. ?You don?t look very overweight,? he said. I responded my grabbing my stomach nervously and showing him how wrong he was.
For the first time in my life, I was envious of someone?s health. I wanted what he had. More important than wanting it, I realized for the first time that I needed it.
That was almost 13 weeks ago. Today, I am 25 pounds lighter and can run a 5K. More importantly, I can keep up with my infant son.
My biggest accomplishments over the last 13 weeks, however, are becoming disciplined and consistently exercising self control. My?commitment?to physical health has benefits beyond my body.?I now have a morning routine. At work, I get tasks done early and without being asked. At home, I?m motivated to take on bigger projects and to help my wife around the house.
Thirteen weeks sounds like a long time, but it is only the beginning of my journey. As I eluded to in the previous paragraph, the journey is not just about physical health. It?s about becoming healthy in every aspect of life.
This blog will detail my journey, while sharing insights about what I?m learning as I go.
To learn more about me, stop by my About page. I?d be honored if you?d commit to taking this journey with me by subscribing.
Here we go.
Source: http://johncade.com/let-the-journey-begin/
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Sunday, October 14, 2012
Election 2012: How another Obama term might be different
Would four more years of Obama change the Washington dynamic?? A two-part election 2012 report profiles the stark differences and interesting similarities of a second-term Obama White House vs. a? Romney White House ? either of which would have to deal with a highly polarized Congress.
This two-part cover story for the Oct. 15 issue of The Christian Science MonitorWeekly looks here at how a second-term Obama White House might be different, and in a companion article at how Romney White House might operate.
Staff illustration
EnlargeSuppose President Obama wins reelection and the Republicans win control of at least one house in Congress. In other words, the status quo prevails.
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Are Americans, therefore, in for four more years similar to the past two, defined by intense partisanship and?gridlock? Or would Mr. Obama's reelection change the dynamic in Washington and pave the way for compromise?
Obama is asserting the latter. By definition, he has said in recent interviews, being reelected will put to rest Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell's priority of making Obama a one-term president, and will add new fuel to Obama's agenda ? to lock in place health-care reform, raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans, and cut subsidies for oil companies, to name a few of his goals.
"The American people will have spoken," the president told The Associated Press.
It is that vote of confidence, Obama hopes, that will bring Republicans back to the table ready to make a deal ? not just on the critical "fiscal cliff" issues that must be resolved by the end of the year, but also toward a "grand bargain" on deficit reduction: spending cuts, including on entitlement programs such as Medicare, in exchange for Republican concessions on revenue.
But it remains far from clear just what kind of mandate, if any, Obama will have gained from reelection, especially if he wins by a slim margin. After all, the Republicans ? having lost the presidential race ? will probably be embroiled in their own internal battles over the future of their party, and may be in no mood to give ground to a newly energized Democratic president, just as they weren't in the mood in January 2009 after Obama's first inauguration.
"Any kind of dream that it will be 'Kumbaya' up there and that gridlock will suddenly end and Republicans will work with him, that ain't happening," says Democratic strategist Peter Fenn.
But that doesn't mean Obama would give up. Far from it. During his first presidential campaign, in an interview with a Reno, Nev., newspaper, he portrayed himself as a Reaganesque figure who could change the trajectory of America. President Reagan, Obama said, "tapped into what people were already feeling, which was, we want clarity, we want optimism." The senator from Illinois suggested he would do the same.
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Cuban missile crisis beliefs endure after 50 years
A soldier poses for a photograph on the outer casing of an old, empty Soviet missile on exhibit at the military complex Morro Cabana which is open to tourists in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. The world stood at the brink of Armageddon for 13 days in October 1962 when President John F. Kennedy drew a symbolic line in the Atlantic and warned of dire consequences if Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev dared to cross it. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis, historians now say it was behind-the-scenes compromise rather than a high-stakes game of chicken that resolved the faceoff, that both Washington and Moscow wound up winners and that the crisis lasted far longer than 13 days. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Cubadebate)
A soldier poses for a photograph on the outer casing of an old, empty Soviet missile on exhibit at the military complex Morro Cabana which is open to tourists in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. The world stood at the brink of Armageddon for 13 days in October 1962 when President John F. Kennedy drew a symbolic line in the Atlantic and warned of dire consequences if Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev dared to cross it. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis, historians now say it was behind-the-scenes compromise rather than a high-stakes game of chicken that resolved the faceoff, that both Washington and Moscow wound up winners and that the crisis lasted far longer than 13 days. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Cubadebate)
FILE - In this June 3, 1961, file photo, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and President John F. Kennedy talk in the residence of the U.S. Ambassador in a suburb of Vienna. The meeting was part of a series of talks during their summit meetings in Vienna. Fifty years after the Cuban missile crisis, the National Archives in Washington has pulled together documents and secret White House recordings to show the public how President John F. Kennedy deliberated to avert nuclear war. The exhibit opens Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, to recount the showdown with the Soviet Union. It is called "To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis." (AP Photo)
This image provided by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum show the chairs used by President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and President John F. Kennedy talk in the residence of the U.S. Ambassador in a suburb of Vienna during talks on June 3, 1961. Fifty years after the Cuban missile crisis, the National Archives in Washington has pulled together documents and secret White House recordings to show the public how President John F. Kennedy deliberated to avert nuclear war. The exhibit opens Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, to recount the showdown with the Soviet Union. It is called "To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis." (AP Photo/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
The wing of a U.S. Air Force plane, front, sits on exhibit along with the old, empty outer casings of Soviet missiles, top, at the military complex Morro Cabana which is open to tourists in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. The Cuban government says the wing belonged to the plane of U.S. pilot Rudolf Anderson who was killed on Oct. 27, 1962, when his reconnaissance aircraft was shot down while over flying Cuban air space during the Cuban Missile Crisis. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis, historians now say it was behind-the-scenes compromise rather than a high-stakes game of chicken that resolved the faceoff, that both Washington and Moscow wound up winners and that the crisis lasted far longer than 13 days. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Cubadebate)
HAVANA (AP) ? The world stood at the brink of Armageddon for 13 days in October 1962 when President John F. Kennedy drew a symbolic line in the Atlantic and warned of dire consequences if Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev dared to cross it.
An American U-2 spy plane flying high over Cuba had snapped aerial photographs of Soviet ballistic missile sites that could launch nuclear warheads with little warning at the United States, just 90 miles away. It was the height of the Cold War, and many people feared nuclear war would annihilate human civilization.
Soviet ships carrying nuclear equipment steamed toward Kennedy's "quarantine" zone around the island, but turned around before reaching the line. "We're eyeball-to-eyeball, and I think the other fellow just blinked," U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk famously said, a quote that largely came to be seen as defining the crisis.
In the five decades since the nuclear standoff between Washington and Moscow, much of the long-held conventional wisdom about the missile crisis has been knocked down, including the common belief that Kennedy's bold brinksmanship ruled the day.
On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis, historians now say it was behind-the-scenes compromise rather than a high-stakes game of chicken that resolved the faceoff, that both Washington and Moscow wound up winners and that the crisis lasted far longer than 13 days.
Declassified documents, oral histories and accounts from decision-makers involved in the standoff have turned up new information that scholars say provides lessons for leaders embroiled in contemporary crises such as the one in Syria, where President Bashar Assad has ignored international pleas to stop attacks on civilians in an uprising that has killed more than 32,000 people.
Another modern standoff is over Iran, which the West accuses of pursuing a nuclear weapons program. In a recent U.N. speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew a red line on a cartoon bomb to illustrate that a nuclear Tehran would not be tolerated.
"Take Iran, which I have called a Cuban Missile Crisis in slow motion," said Graham Allison, author of the groundbreaking study of governmental decision-making "Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis."
"This same process is looming on the current trajectory, inexorably, toward a confrontation at which an American president is going to have to choose between attacking Iran to prevent it becoming a nuclear weapons state or acquiescing and then confronting a nuclear weapons state," Allison said.
"Kennedy's idea would be, 'Don't let this reach the point of confrontation,'" he added. "The risks of catastrophe are too great."
Among the common beliefs about the Cuban missile crisis that have been reevaluated:
___
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: The crisis was a triumph of U.S. brinkmanship.
REALITY: Historians say the resolution of the standoff was really a triumph of backdoor diplomacy.
Kennedy resisted pressure from aides advising that he cede nothing to Moscow and even consider a preemptive strike. He instead engaged in intense behind-the-scenes diplomacy with the Soviets, other countries and the U.N. secretary-general.
Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy met secretly with the Soviet ambassador on Oct. 27 and conveyed an olive branch from his brother: Washington would publicly reject any invasion of Cuba, and Khrushchev would withdraw the missiles from the island. The real sweetener was that Kennedy would withdraw Jupiter nuclear missiles from U.S. installations in Turkey, near the Soviet border. It was a secret pledge known only to a handful of presidential advisers that did not emerge until years later.
"As the historical record has expanded, the image of the resolute president has given way to the resolution president," Cuba analyst Peter Kornbluh wrote in an article in the November issue of Cigar Aficionado, an advance copy of which was made available to The Associated Press.
Nevertheless, the brinkmanship myth persists, with President George W. Bush in 2002 citing the missile crisis as a historical lesson in fortitude that justified a preemptive invasion of Iraq.
"The storyline is a lot easier that Kennedy stood steely-resolved, faced Khrushchev down and that's it," said Allison, a professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and former senior defense adviser to several Democratic and Republican administrations. "If you hang tough enough the other guy will eventually yield ? that is actually the lesson that became part of the popular mythology."
____
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: Washington won, and Moscow lost.
REALITY: The United States came out a winner, but so did the Soviet Union.
The Jupiter missiles are sometimes described as nearly obsolete, but they had come online just months earlier and were fully capable of striking into the Soviet Union. Their withdrawal, along with Kennedy's assurance he would not invade Cuba, gave Khrushchev enough to feel he had saved face and the following day he announced the imminent dismantling of offensive weapons in Cuba.
Soon after, a U.S.-Soviet presidential hotline was established and the two nations initiated discussions that led to the Limited Test Ban treaty and ultimately the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"The major lesson is the necessity of compromise even when faced with a crisis like that," said Robert Pastor, an international relations professor at American University and former national security adviser for Latin America under President Jimmy Carter.
Pastor said he had many discussions about the missile crisis over the years with his late father-in-law, Robert McNamara, who was Kennedy's defense secretary. Pastor said domestic politics made it tough for both Kennedy and successive presidents to heed that lesson, as evidenced by Kennedy's intense efforts to keep the deal secret.
President Barack Obama, for example, faces considerable pressure to maintain a tough line on Cuba. Among the issues are the U.S. embargo, demands for political change, an American government subcontractor imprisoned in Cuba as an alleged spy and five Cuban intelligence agents serving long sentences in the United States.
"Look at U.S.-Cuban relations right now," Pastor said. "I don't think Obama would consider a compromise, because the pressure on him that 'You gave in to the Cubans' is too great."
__
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: It was a high-seas showdown.
REALITY: It's true the missile crisis was full of tense moments. On Oct. 27, a U.S. warship dropped depth charges over a nuclear-armed Soviet sub and the Soviets shot down a U-2 spy plane over Cuba. It was "the darkest, most dangerous day of the crisis," Kornbluh said.
Yet after Kennedy on Oct. 22 announced a U.S. naval quarantine around the island to prevent more military equipment from arriving, Khrushchev recalled ships carrying nuclear equipment the following day, according to the 2008 book "One Minute to Midnight" by Michael Dobbs, which was based on newly examined Soviet documents.
That means that on Oct. 24, when Secretary of State Rusk made his famous "eyeball-to-eyeball" statement reacting to supposedly up-to-the-minute intelligence, the vessels were already hundreds of miles away, steaming home.
"This thing about eyeball-to-eyeball, it never was. That confrontation never took place," said Kornbluh, who is a Cuba analyst at the nongovernment National Security Archive, which has spent decades working to get missile crisis documents declassified.
___
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: It was an intelligence coup for the CIA.
REALITY: Along with being a day late on the turnaround by Soviet ships, the CIA missed several key developments that would have helped Kennedy and his advisers navigate the crisis.
The CIA learned late in the game about the ballistic missiles' presence in Cuba, and they were already operational by the time Kennedy was informed of their existence.
The agency was also unaware of other, tactical nuclear missiles in Cuba that could have been deployed against a U.S. attack. The Soviets had even positioned nuclear-tipped missiles on a ridge above the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay in preparation for an invasion.
"They were going to obliterate the base," Kornbluh said.
___
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: The crisis lasted just 13 days.
REALITY: This myth has been perpetuated in part by the title of Robert F. Kennedy's posthumous memoir, "Thirteen Days," as well as the 2000 movie of the same name starring Kevin Costner.
Indeed it was 13 days from Oct. 16, when Kennedy was first told about the missiles, to Oct. 28, when the Soviets announced their withdrawal.
But the "October Crisis," as it is known in Cuba, dragged on for another tense month or so in what Kornbluh dubs the "November Extension," as Washington and Moscow haggled over details of exactly what weapons would be removed.
The Soviet Union also had problems dealing with Fidel Castro, according to a Soviet document made public this month by Svetlana Savranskaya, a Russia analyst for the National Security Archive.
Deputy Premier Anastas Mikoyan traveled to Cuba that Nov. 2 and spent 20 days in tense talks with the Cuban leader, who was angry the Soviets had reached a deal without consulting him. Castro lobbied hard but unsuccessfully to keep the tactical nuclear weapons that the Americans had not learned about.
____
Associated Press writer Peter Orsi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Peter_Orsi
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Russian punk band members face tough life in penal colony
MOSCOW (AP) ? It's a far cry from Stalin's gulag, but the guiding principle of the Russian penal colony -- the destination of two members of punk band Pussy Riot -- remains the same: isolate inmates and wear them down through "corrective labor."
Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova will have to quickly learn the inner laws of prison life, survive the dire food and medical care, and risk bullying from inmates either offended by their "punk prayer" against President Vladimir Putin or under orders to pressure them.
"Everyone knows the rule: Trust no one, never fear and never forgive," said Svetlana Bakhmina, a lawyer who spent three years in a penal colony. "You are in no-man's land. Nobody will help you. You have to think about everything you say and do to remain a person."
Alekhina, 24, Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred for an impromptu performance in Moscow's main cathedral as Putin headed into an election that handed him a third term as Russia's president. The women insisted their protest was political. But many believers said they were deeply offended by the sight of the band members dancing on the altar in balaclavas.
An appeals court released Samutsevich on Wednesday, but upheld the two-year prison terms of the others. The presiding judge said that "their correction is possible only in isolation from society."
In colonies for women, inmates live in barracks with 30 to 40 to a room. They begin the day by shuffling outside for compulsory exercises at daybreak, in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius in winter. After roll call and a breakfast of gruel, they spend seven to eight hours a day at work, usually hunched over sewing machines working on uniforms and other clothing.
Since there is only one women's penal colony near Moscow, female prisoners from the capital are commonly sent to Mordovia, a swampy, mosquito-infested province on the Volga River. Defense lawyers said Alekhina and Tolokonnikova would be transported to a penal colony within two weeks, after receiving copies of their sentences. The location was not yet known.
Despite the harsh conditions, many prisoners nonetheless prefer the colonies to the pre-trial detention centers, where they are kept in cramped, sometimes spectacularly unhygienic cells and only allowed out for an hour a day. The three Pussy Riot members were held in such a center since their February arrest.
Russian inmates are kept in a system that Russia's own justice minister has described as "monstrously archaic" and whose purpose has changed little for hundreds of years. Czarist Russia sent prisoners to remote Siberian colonies where labor was in short supply; the system was inherited and expanded by the Soviet Union, which worked millions of prisoners to death in the gulag. Russia incarcerates more people than any country in the world bar the United States and China, according to the International Centre for Prison Studies.
There have been other high-profile penal colony inmates in Putin's Russia.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the imprisoned head of the Yukos oil company, served part of his 14-year sentence in an Eastern Siberian colony. Once Russia's richest man, he served his time making mittens. Arrested in 2003, Khodorkovsky was convicted in two cases seen as punishment for challenging Putin's power.
Bakhmina, who once worked for Khodorkovsky, said you have little free time to yourself in the prison colony, where guards often compel prisoners to attend classes or participate in cultural activities. In a U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks in 2010, former Ambassador William Burns recalled visiting a women's prison where inmates put on a "bizarre fashion and talent show" for American officials.
"Boredom doesn't exist in the colony. It's too good a concept for it. You just regret the time you spend," Bakhmina said. "A normal person can't even imagine that environment ? you have to get used to it and people have to get used to you. It takes several months, maybe half a year. It's all about how you behave ? you have to not be conceited and respect other people."
Prisoners are typically paid the equivalent of about $10 a day, which they can use to buy food, cigarettes, and toiletries. Those whose families don't send them supplies scrape through on the unofficial labor market, cleaning up the facilities or doing work for wealthier inmates. Cigarette packs are the colony's internal currency.
Alekhina and Tolokonnikova, both university graduates, are unlikely to have much in common with their fellow inmates. "I didn't think there even were people like 90 percent of the people I met," Bakhmina recalled. "I never had any idea there were so many drug addicts, or so many people with speech impediments."
Spouses are allowed three-day conjugal visits four times a year. Prisoners who show especially good behavior can even be given two weeks' leave outside the camp. Bakhmina became pregnant while serving her term and was released several months after giving birth to a daughter. She saw her two older sons only twice during her three years in the penal colony, afraid it would be too traumatic for them to see their mother imprisoned.
Mothers with children under the age of 3 can keep them in centers on penal colony grounds, or in the case of one colony in Mordovia in their barracks. Alekhina's 5-year-old son and Tolokonnikova's 4-year-old daughter will live with relatives.
The two punk band members can be punished with up to 15 days in solitary confinement for minor infractions such as failing to make their beds or to put their hands behind their backs at roll call or to greet guards quickly enough.
Perhaps the greatest danger for the band members, however, will be posed by their fellow inmates. Physical violence, while a danger, is relatively rare in comparison to men's colonies. But the psychological pressure can be greater, said Vitaly Borshchyov, head of the Public Monitoring Commission, a human rights organization that works with the government to improve prison conditions.
"Colonies are all-consuming for women," he said. "Having a large group of women together in a single space is a recipe for tension and conflicts. You might get beaten up, sexually humiliated or forced to be someone's lover, especially if you're a young woman."
The Pussy Riot members' lawyers and supporters also fear that Orthodox believers may attack them, either inspired by the extremely negative coverage of their protest on state television or egged on by state officials.
"When things get worse on the outside, it gets transferred into the colonies," said Lev Ponomarev, a Soviet dissident who runs the Defending Prisoners' Rights foundation. "Scoundrels think they can get away with more. The authorities are totally indifferent."
The band members have vowed to remain defiant.
"We will not be silent," Alekhina told the appeals court Wednesday. "And even if we are in Mordovia or Siberia we will not be silent ... however zealously you try to smear us."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pussy-riot-members-face-tough-life-penal-colony-103422387.html
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Turkey's prime minister slams Security Council over Syria
ISTANBUL (AP) ? Turkey's prime minister sharply criticized the U.N. Security Council on Saturday for its failure to agree on decisive steps to end Syria's civil war, as NATO ally Germany backed the Turkish interception of a Damascus-bound passenger jet earlier in the week.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan told an international conference in Istanbul that the world was witnessing a humanitarian tragedy in Syria.
"If we wait for one or two of the permanent members ... then the future of Syria will be in danger," Erdogan said, according to an official interpreter.
Russia and China, two of the five permanent Security Council members, have vetoed resolutions that sought to put concerted pressure on Damascus to end the conflict and agree to a political transition.
Erdogan called for a reform of the Security Council, which he called an "unequal, unfair system" that didn't represent the will of most countries.
He spoke as Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Arab and European leaders amid growing tensions between Turkey and neighboring Syria.
Davutoglu held talks Saturday with Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and U.N. envoy on Syria Lakhdar Brahimi. He told reporters after the meetings that Turkey was prepared to use force again if it was attacked, just as it did last week when a shell fired across the border from Syria killed five Turkish villagers.
"If a similar incident occurs again from the Syrian side, we will again take counter action," Davutoglu told reporters, while stressing that the border between Syria and Turkey is also the frontier of NATO.
One week after the shelling, Turkey intercepted a Syrian passenger plane en route from Moscow to Damascus and seized what it said was military equipment on board.
Syria denounced the move as air piracy, while Russia said the cargo was radar parts that complied with international law.
Germany's foreign minister backed Turkey on Saturday, saying Berlin would have acted the same way if it believed weapons were being transported to Syria over its airspace.
"It's not just about weapons. Weapons need to be steered. Weapons need to be delivered," Westerwelle said. "These are all things that don't need to be tolerated."
But he cautioned the situation between Turkey and Syria could quickly escalate out of control.
"The danger of a 'wildfire' is very big," said Westerwelle, who also met briefly with Abdelbaset Sieda, head of the Syrian National Council opposition group. "If that happens, then this can become a devastating conflict for the whole region."
In Syria, activists said Saturday that army troops clashed with rebels on several fronts across the country, including in Aleppo, the largest city.
Amateur video posted online Saturday shows the aftermath of what is described as an artillery attack on a neighborhood in Aleppo. The video shows a large cloud of gray smoke pushing through a narrow street lined by apartment blocks. Residents then converge on a damaged building. "Is anyone in there?" one of the men is heard calling out as others try to put out small flames with pieces of cloth.
Eventually, rescuers are seen pulling at least two bodies out of the building. One has a bloody face, and another is carried away on a stretcher, amid shouts of "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Great.
The authenticity of such videos cannot be confirmed independently, since Syria imposes tight restrictions on foreign journalists.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group, said at least two people were killed in the shelling.
Another amateur video posted Saturday showed the scattered, burning wreckage of what appeared to be an aircraft. Several gunmen stood near the debris, as civilians rushed to the scene. The narrator said video was shot in the countryside west of Aleppo.
Rami Abdul-Rahman, the head of the Observatory, said he was told by local rebel fighters in the area that they had shot down the plane. The video showed flames shooting out of what appeared to be left of a wing or tail, and other wreckage a few dozen yards away.
The claim could not be verified independently.
Opposition fighters have claimed to have shot down helicopters and warplanes in the past, although the regime blamed most of the problems on mechanical difficulties.
Over the past month, rebels overran two air defense bases, including one on Friday near Aleppo. This would give them access to heavy weapons, though experts questioned whether they would be able to make use of any missiles they may have spirited away.
More than 32,000 people have been killed in Syria since a revolt against President Bashar Assad erupted 19 months ago. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have fled the fighting, which has devastated whole neighborhoods in Syria's cities and towns.
The Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said regime forces were pounding the rebel stronghold of Homs in central Syria with mortar fire and artillery Saturday. The southern province of Daraa, the birthplace of the revolt, also sustained shelling by the Syrian army throughout Saturday. Fighting between army troops and rebels raged around Idlib province, in and around Aleppo and on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, the Observatory said.
Earlier, Syria's state-run news agency reported that Damascus supported a proposal by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to find a "mechanism of direct security communication between Syria and Turkey."
SANA reported that Syrian government officials and Russia's ambassador in Damascus discussed ways to establish a joint Syrian-Turkish security committee that would "control the security situation on both sides of the border in the framework of respecting the national sovereignty of the two countries."
Turkey has made no comment on the proposal, and it is unclear whether Moscow has presented it to the Turkish government yet.
___
Barbara Surk in Beirut contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/turkish-premier-slams-security-council-over-syria-161243532.html
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Fukushima operator must learn from mistakes, new adviser says
TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power Co must adopt measures used in other Japanese industries to reform after acknowledging that it failed to anticipate and tackle the Fukushima disaster, the utility's newly installed outside adviser said on Saturday.
Tokyo Electric, also known as Tepco, acknowledged for the first time on Friday that it failed in its response to the radiation crisis in March 2011 when three reactors melted down at its Fukushima Daiichi plant after it was hit by an earthquake and tsunami.
Dale Klein, appointed last week to head a panel of outside specialists overseeing the company's reforms, said in an interview that Tepco could look to other Japanese companies.
"We had some open and frank discussions with our committee and with the Tepco management," Klein, a former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, told Reuters.
Klein said Japan "has demonstrated excellence in manufacturing. In that process any worker can stop the process, if he believes there is a defect. Tepco needs to do the same thing with their nuclear safety culture".
Klein, associate vice chancellor for research at the University of Texas, said the latest findings "will be a strong wake-up call for Tepco.
"There is a tendency among companies and individuals when there first is a problem of denial. So you try to justify your actions to either cover up, save face, whatever you want to call it," he said. "Fukushima Daiichi cannot be covered up."
An inquiry ordered by Japan's parliament concluded in July that the disaster was the result of "collusion" between Tepco, the government and regulators.
COMPANY REVERSES STAND
In Tepco's draft plan for reform issued on Friday, the company said it could have undertaken better preparations, reversing its previous stand that the disaster was unavoidable because of the unexpected force of the tsunami.
The draft also said the company had feared that implementing accident measures "would exacerbate ... public anxiety and add momentum to anti-nuclear movements".
In future, the company said, Tepco had to "have the courage and capability to share problems with the siting community and the public".
All 50 working nuclear reactors in Japan were shut down for safety checks after the disaster.
The government's decision this year to restart two units to preclude possible summer power cuts galvanized the country's anti-nuclear movement, prompting mass demonstrations.
A new government energy policy, taking account of that sentiment, seeks to end reliance on nuclear power, though ministers are vague on setting any deadlines.
Klein said the sight of Fukushima, where three reactor buildings were badly damaged in the worst civil nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986, was "devastating".
"When you look at the site, it is very depressing. The damage is stunning. The amount of forces that were released."
Recorded radiation levels were as high as 1,000 microsieverts an hour on Friday when a Reuters journalist visited the site as part of a media tour. Typical background radiation levels are usually 2.4 microsieverts per year, according to the World Nuclear Association.
Workers were seen putting together water filtration systems and shifting equipment near the damaged reactors, two of which remain capped by twisted steel and damaged concrete. A third damaged reactor building is covered up by a giant tarpaulin.
(Reporting by Aaron Sheldrick; Editing by Ron Popeski)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fukushima-operator-must-learn-mistakes-adviser-says-075348132--finance.html
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Saturday, October 13, 2012
OK to terminate, even after FMLA leave request ? Business ...
The FMLA protects employees from retaliation for requesting or taking FMLA leave and guarantees they can return to the same or an equivalent position. Other than that, however, the law doesn?t grant extraordinary job protection to those who take FMLA leave.
Put simply, if you were going to terminate an employee before you learned she wanted FMLA leave, you still can. Just be sure you can document when and why the termination decision was made.
Recent case: Luanne went to work for an advertising agency as a senior art director. At first she struggled and was placed on a performance improvement plan. When her performance improved, she was moved to another spot better suited to her specialized skills to enhance her chance at success.
About a year later, the agency decided it had to lay off several artists. It looked at performance and skills and determined that it could do without some specialties, including Luanne?s. Managers decided that Luanne would be one of the em??p?loyees to be let go.
Meanwhile, Luanne had asked HR for FMLA leave so that she could care for her mother, who had cancer. When her manager found out, he explained to her that the decision to terminate her had already been made, but as a courtesy, he would extend her employment until her FMLA leave was up.
Luanne sued anyway, for interference with her right to reinstatement and retaliation for requesting FMLA leave.
Her lawsuit failed. The court said it was clear the termination decision had already been made before anyone knew Luanne needed leave. Since those who take FMLA leave don?t have greater protection from layoffs than those who don?t take leave, the court tossed out the case. (Mann v. Navicor Group, No. 11-4028, 6th Cir., 2012)
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Iran leader: Army ready to deter any invasion
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran's supreme leader says the readiness of the country's military is such that it will dispel any "thoughts of invasion" by the enemies of Iran.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted by state TV on Friday as saying that Iran would never "give in" to foreign attacks or any "act of aggression."
The remarks came during Khamenei's visit to an army base in the country's northeast.
Khamenei says Iran's readiness has weakened warmongering among the country's enemies and limited an appetite for attacking Iran.
Israel, which considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be an existential threat, has not ruled out a military option against Iran's nuclear facilities.
The West suspects Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon program, a charge Iran denies.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-leader-army-ready-deter-invasion-112758143.html
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New Linkedin Feature: Endorsements ? IsaGeeks
I don?t usually have a reason to write about Linkedin, which is weird, considering most of the people who read this blog are business owners.
Unfortunately, the reason I don?t write about Linkedin more is most people don?t seem to actively use it. For such a long time it was just an online resume people forgot about.
It has grown into a lot more than that, though ? you can leave status messages there, you can create a profile for your business, and you can ask/answer questions with other industry professionals. Think of it as Facebook with a productive purpose.
When people go looking for information on you and your business, a Linkedin profile is a handy thing. It can tell people about you and your history. It gives people a context for who you are and can help build their trust with you.
Now Linked has added a new feature, Endorsements ? and it?s really something you should take advantage of.
Here?s the deal: Last year, Linkedin introduced Skills. This was a little extra on your profile where you could add a quick tag for all the things you?re good at. If you are an experienced carpenter, for example, you might add:
Renovation
Remodeling
Sustainable Design
Aging in Place
Additions
This would give people who view your profile a better idea of what you?re good at, and what you think your strong points are.
Naturally, this comes with a problem: Just because someone says they?re good at these things doesn?t necessarily mean they are.
This is where Endorsements come in. Now your contacts ? the people you?ve presumably worked with ? can essentially give you a vote for these skills.
Let?s say you listed ?Public Speaking? as one of your skills. If you have contacts you?ve done public speaking with before, they can now come in and give you a quick vote of confidence. If a number of people do the same thing, someone looking at your profile can see not only that YOU think public speaking is your strong suit, but a bunch of other people agree.
In a real sense, this is what social networking really is: Getting the people in your circle to participate in what you post.
If you have a Linkedin profile already, make sure you have some skills added to it ? if you don?t, people can?t give you these endorsements.
If you do have a profile AND skills, start endorsing your contacts. That way, they?ll be encouraged to return the favor.
About the author
Source: http://isageeks.com/socialmedia/new-linkedin-feature-endorsements/
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Friday, October 12, 2012
Get Connected with the Realtor.com Real Estate Search app ...
October 11th, 2012
Every real estate agent needs a real estate app on their mobile device. Realtor.com Real Estate Search provides accurate, up-to-date real estate info right at your fingertips.
Using the Realtor.com mobile app you and your clients can instantly access over 3 million homes for sale, highlight a particular area to search within, view recently sold homes around homes for sale and much more.
The Realtor.com Real Estate Search app also provides a sign-in feature where your clients can view, rate and create notes about various properties and then share the view with you, their agent, or other family members.Tags: Get Connected, Realtor.com, www.cbcaine.com
Source: http://www.cbcaine.com/blog/get-connected-with-the-realtor-com-real-estate-search-app/
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Property Management - Susie Isaacs
If you are looking to rent out a piece of real estate, whether it be a home or commercial lot, one option to consider is renting through a property management companies. These companies, which are typically run by licensed real estate agents, market and manage rental properties for owners who wish to maintain a measure of distance from their tenants.
The role of a property management company is to serve as a go-between for the landlord (owner) and the tenant. Often these companies will accept rent from tenants, help address maintenance concerns, and express any tenant concerns to the landlord on the tenants' behalf. The company will also help negotiate the lease on a home or commercial lot, and may market homes available for rent.
If you have ever served as the landlord for a property, then you know how valuable these services can be. Allowing someone else to screen maintenance concerns, market the piece of real estate, and draw up leases will free up much of your time to pursue other interests or homes to buy. The company also handles other unpleasant tasks that come with being a landlord, such as notifying tenants when rent increases and dealing with negligent tenants or eviction problems.
There can be some downsides to working with a property management firm as an owner. First, some of these companies do not behave responsibly toward tenants, as they have less of a vested interest in the property than you do. For instance, if your tenants are complaining of a maintenance issue, the company has the responsibility to deal with the problem. If they do not do so in a timely manner, you will have unhappy tenants, while you know nothing of the problem. If the problem is a serious one that could lead to personal injury, you could be held liable, even though the manager is the one at fault.
This is a rare problem, however, as most property management companies have your best interests in mind. After all, if the tenant becomes unhappy and leaves the home, you lose money, but so do they.
The best way to avoid any potential problems is to carefully screen the various companies you find as you look for a property management company to work with. Talk with other owners about their experiences in the industry. Choose a company that has a list of repair professionals on hand to call instantly. For instance, does the firm work with a qualified plumber, ensuring that your tenants can have their plumbing fixed quickly and efficiently when there is a problem? With the right company, you can have all of the benefits and few of the headaches, allowing you to earn income from your rental homes with little effort on your part.
Source: http://susieisaacs.blogspot.com/2012/10/property-management-pros-and-cons-to.html
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Turkey says Syrian plane was carrying ammunition
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) ? A plane intercepted by Turkish fighter jets on its way from Moscow to Damascus was carrying equipment and ammunition destined for the Syrian Defense Ministry, Turkey's prime minister said Thursday.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments follow a fierce denial by Syria that anything illegal had been aboard the Airbus A320 that was forced by Turkey to land in Ankara late Wednesday. Syria, whose relations with neighboring Turkey have plummeted over the Syrian war, branded it an act of piracy.
Earlier in the day, Turkish officials had rejected claims by Syria's ally, Russia, that Turkey had endangered the lives of Russian citizens on board the aircraft.
"These were equipment and ammunitions that were being sent from a Russian agency ... to the Syrian Defense Ministry," Erdogan told reporters in Ankara.
"Their examination is continuing and the necessary (action) will follow," he added.
Yeni Safak, a newspaper close to the Turkish government, reported Thursday there were 10 containers aboard the plane, whose contents included radio receivers, antennas and equipment "thought to be missile parts."
Turkish state-run television TRT also reported the plane was carrying military communications equipment. Neither TRT nor the newspaper cited sources for their claims.
A western diplomat in Ankara told The Associated Press that Turkish authorities had found "military equipment" on board the plane, but did not elaborate. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about sensitive issues.
The plane was allowed to continue to Damascus after several hours, without the cargo.
"As you know, defense industry equipment or weapons, ammunitions and such equipment cannot be carried on passenger planes," Erdogan said. "It is against international rules for such things to pass through our air space."
Erdogan refused to say how ? or from whom ? Turkey had learned that the twice-weekly scheduled flight would be used to transport military gear to Syria.
"As you will appreciate, those who gave the tip, which establishments, these things cannot be disclosed," he said.
Turkey has called for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down and Damascus accusing Turkey of supporting the rebels. The two neighbors have traded artillery fire over Syria's northern border throughout the past week.
Hours before the Turkish statement, Russian Ambassador Vladimir Ivanovsky had held talks with Turkish officials at the Foreign Ministry.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich had said earlier Thursday that Moscow was concerned that lives and safety of the 35 passengers, including 17 Russian citizens, had been endangered.
He said Turkey without explanation denied Russian consular officials and a doctor access to the passengers, who had not been allowed into the airport for eight hours or provided with food.
"The Russian side continues to insist on an explanation for the Turkish authorities' actions toward Russian citizens and on the adoption of measures to avoid such incidents in the future," Lukashevich said in a statement.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that the pilot of the Syrian Air plane from Moscow had been warned of Turkey's intention to ground it as he approached from the Black Sea on Wednesday evening. It said he was given the chance to turn back, but that he decided to continue his course.
Rejecting claims that passengers were ill-treated, the Turkish statement said they were allowed to leave the plane if they wanted and that there was a medical crew and ambulances on standby. It also said that the pilot did not provide a passenger list and therefore Turkish officials did not know there were Russians on board until after it landed.
Separately, the Foreign Ministry said it had submitted a formal protest note to Syria for the violation of civil aviation rules and declared Syrian air space unsafe for Turkish planes.
Syrian Transportation Minister Mohammad Ibrahim Said said Turkey's decision to force the plane to land amounted to piracy.
The general manager of the Syrian Civil Aviation Agency also blasted Turkey's forced landing of the plane, calling it "contrary to regulations and aviation norms."
Ghaidaa Abdul-Latif told reporters in Damascus that the plane's pilots were not asked to land but were instead surprised by Turkish F-16 fighter jets, which forced them to land.
A Syrian Airlines engineer who was aboard, Haithan Kasser, said armed Turkish officials boarded the plane and handcuffed the crew before inspecting packages that he said contained electrical equipment.
Abdul-Latif said the officials seized some packages after presenting official documents.
Turkey's Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim said on Thursday that the cargo "was not suitable for a civil plane."
The Moscow airport that cleared the Syrian plane for takeoff denied there was any forbidden cargo on board.
"No objects whose transportation would have been forbidden under aviation regulations were on board," said Vnukovo Airport spokeswoman Yelena Krylova, ITAR-Tass reported
Krylova said all documentation related to the cargo was in order. She would not say who had sent the cargo.
A Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman also denied that the plane carried any arms or prohibited goods and called on Turkey to return the plane's full contents.
Also on Thursday, family and supporters of two journalists believed to be detained in Syria appealed in Istanbul for their release. Arzu Kadoumi said her husband Bashar Fahmi, a reporter for Al-Hurra network, and his Turkish cameraman, Cuneyt Unal, had been missing for 53 days.
Inside Syria, battles continued in the southern Idlib province that abuts the Turkish border as rebels sought to consolidate control of a strategic town on the country's main north-south highway. Rebels said they captured Maaret al-Numan on Wednesday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said clashes continued Thursday after rebels attacked a military convoy and nearby army checkpoints. The fighting killed more than a dozen people, the Observatory said.
The Observatory also said eight people were killed and another eight wounded when unknown gunmen fired on their bus near the coastal city of Tartous. Syria's state news agency SANA said the men were Syrian workers returning from Lebanon.
In the southern province of Daraa, gunmen shot dead the brother of a member of Syria's parliament while raiding his home, the Observatory and SANA said. The parliament member, Khalid al-Abboud, regularly defends the Syrian regime on TV.
The Observatory said gunmen also killed the son of another legislator, Mohammed Kheir al-Mashi, at his home in Idlib province.
Activist claims could not be independently verified because of restrictions on reporting in Syria.
___
Jordans contributed from Istanbul. Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Nataliya Vasilyeva and Max Seddon in Moscow, also contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/turkey-syrian-plane-carrying-ammunition-154739782.html
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