Video Marketing 101: Tips To Make It Work | The Great Blacks In ...

Online marketing through video is the future. As long as you have a camera, you can do it too. Because there are faster Internet connections now, it?s not hard to share a video. The following article has some great video marketing tips.

Use this information to make a video and have it succeed. Video promotion is key too. If you market your videos well enough, you can get a 900% increase in your subscriber base in a relatively short time. You can produce great content, but you also have to make sure targeted customers see your content.

You should think of a creative and catchy way to greet and send your viewers off. Start by saying who you are, your company, and what your video will be about. At the end, remind them of who you are and include the call to action.

Video marketing can enhance your web and social media presences. If someone sees your video on YouTube, they may not realize you also have a Facebook page. Marketing your videos on different social and websites will help broaden your audience. Social media sites that you link to a video can increase traffic by quite a bit.

TIP! Post your videos on YouTube and your primary website. People will be able to view your video and they will get great information on your business.

Your can keep your audience interested by creating more quality content. Boring content only repels viewers, which is not good for your business. It?s better to give customers just a taste of what they want so they?ll come back for more. The better your videos are, the better chance you?ll have at attracting viewers.

Optimize your videos for both computers and mobile devices. Unlike computer and laptops, these devices have considerably smaller screens and lower resolution. Your users will be pleased that you remembered them.

Use a tripod for more professional marketing videos. The only time a shaky camera is good is in a horror film. Marketing material needs clean, steady shots. The majority of visitors will give a video just a couple of seconds before they determine whether they will keep watching.

Give customers a closer look through video marketing. Take videos of the work that goes into your products and services, or give people a quick peek at the more humorous side of your office. Viewers will respond well to this.

TIP! Now that you have successfully integrated keywords and transcripts, you still have to address the subject matter in your videos. Is your video interesting? By providing this needed service, you are performing a basic step within the marketing process.

Humor can be a useful tool in video marketing. No one wants to see a boring commercial. If you have a controversial or funny commercial, it will catch and hold your potential customers? attentions. Get creative with your videos. Adding humor to your video can help push it into the social sites where you can really take off.

The most searched for topic online is how to do something. If you develop a tutorial, you will attract individuals wanting to study that subject, which represents a built-in niche audience for your product or service. People will be more interested in what you are offering if they think of you as an expert.

Are there certain questions that are asked about your products or services on a regular basis? If this is the case, you can search for videos to help you learn more. Providing brief, simple videos as a sort of ?How To Guide? helps to inform and educate your viewers, making them more likely to trust your brand and make a purchase.

Your marketing videos need to be as concise as possible. People have busy lives and will tune out if you make your videos too long and tedious. Give them the information quickly. If you do have to make a longer video, break it up into separate sections, which is easier to digest for the viewer.

TIP! Make sure your video is brief and has a lot of information in it. People on the Internet want to move around quickly.

You can use a video contest to increase your traffic and video content. This can be a funny video, demonstration, or anything you like. Sharing user videos is a great way for your customers and you to learn more about each other.

Make sure to let a little of your personality show when you are creating you are videos. Viewers will appreciate being able to relate to you. You will increase customer loyalty by becoming more than just a business. Your face will be permanently linked with the products you sell.

Videos with time-lapse photography are a ton of fun. After setting up your video camera in a single location, allow it to continuously record for as long as you?d like. Later on, you will have the ability to do some editing and develop a terrific messaging conduit for your business. It is interesting to customers to get an inside view of the company, and it makes them feel more comfortable with being a customer.

Be consistent with the tone of your marketing videos. How-to videos are not necessarily better than a funny one. Think about your product and the demographic you are striving for. Use this to figure out what you?re going to make your videos like. They can be more serious, or more fun, depending on who you?re trying to work with.

TIP! If you want to promote a certain product or service in a video, you need to provide your viewers with a link they can follow to obtain the product or service. This link is ideally within the player.

Once you have some good information, you should be able to launch your own video marketing campaign. Keep in mind the information you have learned here, and use it while creating your own content. If you take the time to implement everything you know, you will see how video marketing will benefit you.

Do you want to create a full-time income with an business opportunity you can run from your home instead of going to a regular day job? If that?s you, the most important factor to make it happen is to adjust your mindset. Orrin Woodward is one of the top authority in balancing different areas of life to build stronger, sustainable, and repeatable profitable enterprise from home. He is also a co-founder of the LIFE business.

Source: http://ngbiwm.com/video-marketing-101-tips-to-make-it-work/

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Sean Lowe and Emily Maynard: Flirting Behind Fiancee's Back, Tabloid Claims

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/sean-lowe-and-emily-maynard-flirting-behind-fiancees-back-tabloi/

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Rapid, point-of-care tests for syphilis: The future of diagnosis

Public release date: 27-Feb-2013
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Contact: Julie Robert
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca
514-934-1934 x71381
McGill University Health Centre

Montreal, February 27th Syphilis is on the rise worldwide and there is an urgent need for reliable and rapid screening, particularly for people who live in areas where access to healthcare is limited. An international research team, led by scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) in Montreal, has demonstrated that rapid and point-of-care tests (POC) for syphilis are as accurate as conventional laboratory tests. The findings, which were published in PLoS ONE, call for a major change in approach to syphilis testing and recommend replacing first line laboratory tests with POC tests globally, especially in resource-limited settings.

"There is a need to embrace rapid and POC tests for syphilis in global settings," argues Dr. Nitika Pant Pai, the study's senior and corresponding author, clinical researcher at the RI-MUHC and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at McGill University. "This meta-analysis generates global evidence across all populations for POC tests for syphilis and is the first to use sophisticated analyses to explore the accuracy of POC tests compared to the best reference standards."

Currently, syphilis is screened using conventional laboratory-based tests that can take up to three weeks to deliver results. These tests require chemical agents, trained staff and a continuous supply of electricity, which are not readily available in some parts of the world. Rapid and POC tests can be performed on a simple finger stick sample one patient at a time, and the results communicated to the patient within 20 minutes, saving time and helping doctors order confirmatory tests and rapidly flagging patients who need treatment.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the rod-like bacterium Treponema pallidum. It is transmitted between sexual partners through direct contact with a Syphilis sore. It may also be transmitted from mother to foetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis. "As well timely screening and treatment in first trimester is extremely important for pregnant women to prevent still births, pre-term births and mother-to-child transmission of syphilis," adds Yalda Jafari, the study's first author and a former master's student of Dr. Pant Pai.

As many as 50 million people worldwide are being treated for syphilis and about 12 million new cases are diagnosed every year. However, approximately 90% of those infected do not know it, and this is the driving force behind the worldwide epidemic. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) often refers to syphilis as the "great imitator," because many of its symptoms are similar to other diseases.

"Our study has major worldwide implications for populations living in rural areas with limited access to healthcare," says Dr. Pant Pai. "These tests offer the potential to expedite first line screening in settings where people have no access to a primary care physician or where laboratories take more than a week to deliver results."

###

About this study

The study entitled "Are Treponema pallidum Specific Rapid and Point-of-Care Tests for Syphilis Accurate Enough for Screening in Resource Limited Settings? Evidence from a Meta-Analysis", was coauthored by Yalda Jafari (Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Canada); Rosanna W. Peeling (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK); Sushmita Shivkumar (Clinical Epidemiology and McGill University , Canada); Christiane Claessens (Institut national de sant publique, Canada); Lawrence Joseph (Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, McGill University/RI-MUHC and Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Canada); and Nitika Pant Pai (Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, McGill University and RI-MUHC, Canada).

This work was funded by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Click on the link below to access the PDF: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0054695

Useful links

Media

Julie Robert
Communications Research
Public Affairs & Strategic Planning
McGill University Health Centre
Phone: 514-934-1934 (ext. 71381)
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 27-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Julie Robert
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca
514-934-1934 x71381
McGill University Health Centre

Montreal, February 27th Syphilis is on the rise worldwide and there is an urgent need for reliable and rapid screening, particularly for people who live in areas where access to healthcare is limited. An international research team, led by scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) in Montreal, has demonstrated that rapid and point-of-care tests (POC) for syphilis are as accurate as conventional laboratory tests. The findings, which were published in PLoS ONE, call for a major change in approach to syphilis testing and recommend replacing first line laboratory tests with POC tests globally, especially in resource-limited settings.

"There is a need to embrace rapid and POC tests for syphilis in global settings," argues Dr. Nitika Pant Pai, the study's senior and corresponding author, clinical researcher at the RI-MUHC and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at McGill University. "This meta-analysis generates global evidence across all populations for POC tests for syphilis and is the first to use sophisticated analyses to explore the accuracy of POC tests compared to the best reference standards."

Currently, syphilis is screened using conventional laboratory-based tests that can take up to three weeks to deliver results. These tests require chemical agents, trained staff and a continuous supply of electricity, which are not readily available in some parts of the world. Rapid and POC tests can be performed on a simple finger stick sample one patient at a time, and the results communicated to the patient within 20 minutes, saving time and helping doctors order confirmatory tests and rapidly flagging patients who need treatment.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the rod-like bacterium Treponema pallidum. It is transmitted between sexual partners through direct contact with a Syphilis sore. It may also be transmitted from mother to foetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis. "As well timely screening and treatment in first trimester is extremely important for pregnant women to prevent still births, pre-term births and mother-to-child transmission of syphilis," adds Yalda Jafari, the study's first author and a former master's student of Dr. Pant Pai.

As many as 50 million people worldwide are being treated for syphilis and about 12 million new cases are diagnosed every year. However, approximately 90% of those infected do not know it, and this is the driving force behind the worldwide epidemic. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) often refers to syphilis as the "great imitator," because many of its symptoms are similar to other diseases.

"Our study has major worldwide implications for populations living in rural areas with limited access to healthcare," says Dr. Pant Pai. "These tests offer the potential to expedite first line screening in settings where people have no access to a primary care physician or where laboratories take more than a week to deliver results."

###

About this study

The study entitled "Are Treponema pallidum Specific Rapid and Point-of-Care Tests for Syphilis Accurate Enough for Screening in Resource Limited Settings? Evidence from a Meta-Analysis", was coauthored by Yalda Jafari (Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Canada); Rosanna W. Peeling (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK); Sushmita Shivkumar (Clinical Epidemiology and McGill University , Canada); Christiane Claessens (Institut national de sant publique, Canada); Lawrence Joseph (Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, McGill University/RI-MUHC and Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Canada); and Nitika Pant Pai (Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, McGill University and RI-MUHC, Canada).

This work was funded by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Click on the link below to access the PDF: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0054695

Useful links

Media

Julie Robert
Communications Research
Public Affairs & Strategic Planning
McGill University Health Centre
Phone: 514-934-1934 (ext. 71381)
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/muhc-rpt022713.php

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Workstation design improvements for drone operators may reduce costs & mishaps, researchers suggest

Public release date: 27-Feb-2013
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Contact: Lois Smith
lois@hfes.org
310-394-1811
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

Researchers suggest multimillion-dollar drone loses might be prevented by applying commercial workstation design standards to drone workstations

The U.S. Department of Defense reports that drone accidents in which personnel or aircraft are damaged or destroyed occur 50 times more often than mishaps involving human-operated aircraft. The U.S. Marines and Army reported 43 mishaps that involved human factors issues associated with drone ground control workstations and technology during 2006?2007.

Human factors/ergonomics (HF/E) researchers Qaisar Waraich, Thomas Mazzuchi, Shahram Sarkani, and David F. Rico suggest that multimillion-dollar drone losses might be prevented if long-established and broadly applied HF/E workstation design standards had been used in designing workstations used by ground controllers.

In their Ergonomics in Design article, "Minimizing Human Factors Mishaps in Unmanned Aircraft Systems," the authors propose applying long-established commercial computer workstation standards, particularly ANSI/HFES 100-2007 Human Factors Engineering of Computer Workstations, in the absence of more specific guidelines for drone ground control workstations or a federal agency that is responsible for setting workstation standards.

Waraich et al. interviewed 20 drone operators about their ground control workstations, finding up to 98% similarity between input/output devices used in ground control workstations and those used for general purposes. Therefore, results, the authors posit that standards that have been used to improve general-purpose workstations could have the same result for drone operators' workstations. The researchers included UAS designers with the U.S. Navy, systems engineering researchers from George Washington University, and engineers from top airframe manufacturers.

Application of design guidelines from ANSI/HFES 2007-100 might have prevented the awkward placement of a landing gear button and the subsequent loss of a $1.5-million drone in 2006. Similarly, had design guidelines been applied for reducing glare from a computer screen, a drone operator might not have mistakenly shut off engines midair, resulting in the loss of a $4.34 million drone.

"The application of this standard could help to ensure that operator workstation equipment and layouts have been designed with human compatibility considerations," says Waraich. "Commercial computer workstation standards provide quantitative parameters based on empirical data and well-established HF/E engineering practices."

Drones have been, and will continue to be, used in a broad range of applications, including police surveillance and natural disaster research, and ground control workstation designers can benefit from incorporating HF/E principles and standards.

###

To receive the complete article for media reporting purposes or for questions, contact HFES Communications Director Lois Smith (310/394-1811).

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society is the world's largest nonprofit individual-member, multidisciplinary scientific association for human factors/ergonomics professionals, with more than 4,600 members globally. HFES members include psychologists and other scientists, designers, and engineers, all of who have a common interest in designing systems and equipment to be safe and effective for the people who operate and maintain them. "Human Factors and Ergonomics: People-Friendly Design Through Science and Engineering"

2013 Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care: Advancing the Cause, March 12-14, 2013, Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel, Baltimore, Maryland.

2013 International Annual Meeting, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, San Diego, California, September 30-October 4, 2013

Photo credit: AP Images

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 27-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Lois Smith
lois@hfes.org
310-394-1811
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

Researchers suggest multimillion-dollar drone loses might be prevented by applying commercial workstation design standards to drone workstations

The U.S. Department of Defense reports that drone accidents in which personnel or aircraft are damaged or destroyed occur 50 times more often than mishaps involving human-operated aircraft. The U.S. Marines and Army reported 43 mishaps that involved human factors issues associated with drone ground control workstations and technology during 2006?2007.

Human factors/ergonomics (HF/E) researchers Qaisar Waraich, Thomas Mazzuchi, Shahram Sarkani, and David F. Rico suggest that multimillion-dollar drone losses might be prevented if long-established and broadly applied HF/E workstation design standards had been used in designing workstations used by ground controllers.

In their Ergonomics in Design article, "Minimizing Human Factors Mishaps in Unmanned Aircraft Systems," the authors propose applying long-established commercial computer workstation standards, particularly ANSI/HFES 100-2007 Human Factors Engineering of Computer Workstations, in the absence of more specific guidelines for drone ground control workstations or a federal agency that is responsible for setting workstation standards.

Waraich et al. interviewed 20 drone operators about their ground control workstations, finding up to 98% similarity between input/output devices used in ground control workstations and those used for general purposes. Therefore, results, the authors posit that standards that have been used to improve general-purpose workstations could have the same result for drone operators' workstations. The researchers included UAS designers with the U.S. Navy, systems engineering researchers from George Washington University, and engineers from top airframe manufacturers.

Application of design guidelines from ANSI/HFES 2007-100 might have prevented the awkward placement of a landing gear button and the subsequent loss of a $1.5-million drone in 2006. Similarly, had design guidelines been applied for reducing glare from a computer screen, a drone operator might not have mistakenly shut off engines midair, resulting in the loss of a $4.34 million drone.

"The application of this standard could help to ensure that operator workstation equipment and layouts have been designed with human compatibility considerations," says Waraich. "Commercial computer workstation standards provide quantitative parameters based on empirical data and well-established HF/E engineering practices."

Drones have been, and will continue to be, used in a broad range of applications, including police surveillance and natural disaster research, and ground control workstation designers can benefit from incorporating HF/E principles and standards.

###

To receive the complete article for media reporting purposes or for questions, contact HFES Communications Director Lois Smith (310/394-1811).

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society is the world's largest nonprofit individual-member, multidisciplinary scientific association for human factors/ergonomics professionals, with more than 4,600 members globally. HFES members include psychologists and other scientists, designers, and engineers, all of who have a common interest in designing systems and equipment to be safe and effective for the people who operate and maintain them. "Human Factors and Ergonomics: People-Friendly Design Through Science and Engineering"

2013 Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care: Advancing the Cause, March 12-14, 2013, Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel, Baltimore, Maryland.

2013 International Annual Meeting, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, San Diego, California, September 30-October 4, 2013

Photo credit: AP Images

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[ | E-mail | Share ]

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/hfae-wdi022713.php

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Mattei takes 'step up' to role in 'Parsifal'

In this Feb. 11, 2013 photo provided by the Metropolitan Opera, Peter Mattei performs as Amfortas in Wagner's "Parsifal," during the final dress rehearsal at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Amfortas, though a supporting role, is crucial to ?Parsifal.? He's the leader of the Knights of the Grail, but is unable to perform his duties because of an agonizing wound inflicted on him by a sorcerer after he was seduced by a beautiful woman. (AP Photo/ Metropolitan Opera, Ken Howard)

In this Feb. 11, 2013 photo provided by the Metropolitan Opera, Peter Mattei performs as Amfortas in Wagner's "Parsifal," during the final dress rehearsal at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Amfortas, though a supporting role, is crucial to ?Parsifal.? He's the leader of the Knights of the Grail, but is unable to perform his duties because of an agonizing wound inflicted on him by a sorcerer after he was seduced by a beautiful woman. (AP Photo/ Metropolitan Opera, Ken Howard)

In this Feb. 8, 2013 photo provided by the Metropolitan Opera, Peter Mattei performs as Amfortas in Wagner's "Parsifal," during a dress rehearsal at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. When Mattei agreed to debut the role at the Met, he was known mostly as a Mozart singer, and the only Wagner he had sung was the lyrical Wolfram in ?Tannhaeuser.? At first, Mattei confided, ?I was a little nervous to do it. Wolfram for me was spot on, but I knew Amfortas was a step up dramatically. (AP Photo/ Metropolitan Opera, Ken Howard)

It's midmorning, less than 12 hours after he finished another grueling performance as the tormented Amfortas in Wagner's "Parsifal," and Peter Mattei is already singing again.

"My voice is in perfect shape. I could do a show tonight," the Swedish baritone said in an interview last week, midway through a seven-performance run of Wagner's final opera. "I check after each performance. I sing some Bach, some lieder, because I want to make sure everything's OK. So far, so good."

Better than good, the critics agree. James Jorden in the New York Post praised his "velvety baritone," while Manuela Hoelterhoff for Bloomberg News enthused: "I don't think better singers exist anywhere in the world, especially Peter Mattei as Amfortas."

Listeners have a chance to judge for themselves Saturday when a live matinee performance will be broadcast on the radio and shown in HD on movie theaters around the world. Headlining the cast of the new Francois Girard production are tenor Jonas Kaufmann in the title role, bass Rene Pape and soprano Katarina Dalayman. Daniele Gatti conducts.

Amfortas, though a supporting role, is crucial to "Parsifal." He's the leader of the Knights of the Grail, but is unable to perform his duties because of an agonizing wound inflicted on him by a sorcerer after he was seduced by a beautiful woman. His two long monologues in Acts 1 and 3 are punctuated by cries of rage and remorse, often over heavy orchestration.

When Mattei agreed to debut the role at the Met, he was known mostly as a Mozart singer, and the only Wagner he had sung was the lyrical Wolfram in "Tannhaeuser." At first, Mattei confided, "I was a little nervous to do it. Wolfram for me was spot on, but I knew Amfortas was a step up dramatically.

"You have to dig in a little bit," he said. "But I try to do it in the same way as Wolfram, because the beautiful melodies are really there, even if it is very powerful sometimes."

In the Girard production, the physical demands are as great as the vocal ones. While some Amfortases are carried in a chair or stretcher, Mattei staggers on and off the stage leaning on two extras, who have to support virtually his entire weight. Since Mattei is well over 6 feet, that's no easy task, for him or for them.

"Girard told me, 'They are your legs,'" Mattei said. "He told me Amfortas has syphilis, so that's why his legs aren't working. The bone structure is breaking up. My body has this huge tension, singing crumpled over, not using my legs and always leaning on somebody."

Mattei said he wasn't familiar with "Parsifal" when he began studying the role last summer. "I found it a very good piece to not know so much about," he said, "because then you can just listen to the music, and you'll have a much more instinctive input from Wagner than from a professor who knows everything about Wagner and can explain it for days."

Mattei, 47, was born in the town of Pitea in northern Sweden into a family he describes as "quite poor." His father, an Italian, worked in a factory and his mother sold bread in a shop. He said he began singing "before I could speak," though he didn't study music full-time until he was 18.

"Singing is something I cannot be without," he said. "Even if there's no audience. It's a need." In fact, during the interview ? conducted in the Manhattan apartment where he was awaiting the arrival of his wife and two young children from Sweden ? he repeatedly broke into snatches of an aria or recitative to illustrate a point about this or that role.

Mattei made his professional debut in Mozart's "La Finta Giardiniera" at the Drottningholm Court Theatre in 1990, and a year later he drew acclaim in Sweden in Daniel Bortz's "The Bacchae," directed by Ingmar Bergman at the Royal Swedish Opera. An international career soon followed.

He'll be back at the Met next season for Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin." Beyond that, he said, he's interested in exploring some Verdi roles, including the Marquis di Posa in Verdi's "Don Carlo," a role he has sung only in Scandinavia.

And more Wagner? "Maybe the young Wotan," he said, referring to the god who appears in "Das Rheingold," the first opera in the "Ring" cycle.

His fans will be keeping their fingers crossed for that one.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-26-Music-Peter%20Mattei/id-9dbd2e92435147af8136fea593aaf064

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New 'Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2' Poster Is Deliciously Ferocious

Just like the first teaser image, the new poster for "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" continues to wow us with its wide variety of creative food monsters. Also, Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally have a special song for you in today's Dailies! » A 10-minute documentary on Patton Oswalt, "To Be Love & [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/02/26/cloudy-with-a-chance-poster/

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Pope to be called 'emeritus pope,' will wear white

Workers sets up a stage for the media next to St Peter's Square ahead of Pope Benedict XVI's last public audience Wednesday, at the Vatican, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI has changed the rules of the conclave that will elect his successor, allowing cardinals to move up the start date if all of them arrive in Rome before the usual 15-day transition between pontificates. Benedict signed a legal document, issued Monday, with some line-by-line changes to the 1996 Vatican law governing the election of a new pope. It is one of his last acts as pope before resigning Thursday. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Workers sets up a stage for the media next to St Peter's Square ahead of Pope Benedict XVI's last public audience Wednesday, at the Vatican, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI has changed the rules of the conclave that will elect his successor, allowing cardinals to move up the start date if all of them arrive in Rome before the usual 15-day transition between pontificates. Benedict signed a legal document, issued Monday, with some line-by-line changes to the 1996 Vatican law governing the election of a new pope. It is one of his last acts as pope before resigning Thursday. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI will be known as "emeritus pope" in his retirement and will continue to wear a white cassock, the Vatican announced Tuesday, again fueling concerns about potential conflicts arising from having both a reigning and a retired pope.

The pope's title and what he would wear have been a major source of speculation ever since Benedict stunned the world and announced he would resign on Thursday, the first pontiff to do so in 600 years.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Benedict himself had made the decision in consultation with others, settling on "Your Holiness Benedict XVI" and either emeritus pope or emeritus Roman pontiff.

Lombardi said he didn't know why Benedict had decided to drop his other main title: bishop of Rome.

In the two weeks since Benedict's resignation announcement, Vatican officials had suggested that Benedict would likely resume wearing the traditional black garb of a cleric and would use the title "emeritus bishop of Rome" so as to not create confusion with the future pope.

Benedict's decision to call himself emeritus pope and to keep wearing white is sure to fan concern voiced privately by some cardinals about the awkward reality of having two popes, both living within the Vatican walls.

Adding to the concern is that Benedict's trusted secretary, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, will be serving both pontiffs ? living with Benedict at the monastery inside the Vatican and keeping his day job as prefect of the new pope's household.

Asked about the potential conflicts, Lombardi was defensive, saying the decisions had been clearly reasoned and were likely chosen for the sake of simplicity.

"I believe it was well thought out," he said.

Benedict himself has made clear he is retiring to a lifetime of prayer and meditation "hidden from the world." However, he still will be very present in the tiny Vatican city-state, where his new home is right next door to the Vatican Radio and has a lovely view of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

While he will no longer wear his trademark red shoes, Benedict has taken a liking to a pair of hand-crafted brown loafers made for him by artisans in Leon, Mexico, and given to him during his 2012 visit. He will wear those in retirement, Lombardi said.

Lombardi also elaborated on the College of Cardinals meetings that will take place after the papacy becomes vacant ? crucial gatherings in which cardinals will discuss the problems facing the church and set a date for the start of the conclave to elect Benedict's successor.

The first meeting isn't now expected until Monday, Lombardi said, since the official convocation to cardinals to come to Rome will only go out on Friday ? the first day of what's known as the "sede vacante," or the vacancy between papacies.

In all, 115 cardinals under the age of 80 are expected in Rome for the conclave to vote on who should become the next pope; two other eligible cardinals have already said they are not coming, one from Britain and another from Indonesia. Cardinals who are 80 and older can join the College meetings but won't participate in the conclave or vote.

Benedict on Monday gave the cardinals the go-ahead to move up the start date of the conclave ? tossing out the traditional 15-day waiting period. But the cardinals won't actually set a date for the conclave until they begin meeting officially Monday.

Lombardi also further described Benedict's final 48 hours as pope: On Tuesday, he was packing, arranging for documents to be sent to the various archives at the Vatican and separating out the personal papers he will take with him into retirement.

On Wednesday, Benedict will hold his final public general audience in St. Peter's Square ? an event that has already seen 50,000 ticket requests. He won't greet visiting prelates or VIPs as he normally does at the end but will greet some visiting leaders ? from Slovakia, San Marino, Andorra and his native Bavaria ? privately afterwards.

On Thursday, the pope meets with his cardinals in the morning and then flies by helicopter at 5 p.m. to Castel Gandolfo, the papal residence south of Rome. He will greet parishioners there from the palazzo's loggia (balcony) ? his final public act as pope.

And at 8 p.m., the exact time at which his retirement becomes official, the Swiss Guards standing outside the doors of the palazzo at Castel Gandolfo will go off duty, their service protecting the head of the Catholic Church now finished.

Benedict's personal security will be assured by Vatican police, Lombardi said.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-26-Vatican-Pope/id-1e89f46d393340dcbb5d55d625e374e1

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Coral comeback: Reef 'seeding' in the Caribbean

In this May 30, 2012 photo released by the Puntacana Ecological Foundation, a diver works on a coral reef restoration program in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, live coral coverage in the Caribbean is down to an average of just 8 percent, from 50 percent in the 1970s. Caribbean islands ranging from Bonaire to the U.S. Virgin Islands, conservationists are rearing and planting fast-growing coral species to try and turn things around by ?seeding? reefs. (AP Photo/Puntacana Ecological Foundation, Victor Manuel Galvan)

In this May 30, 2012 photo released by the Puntacana Ecological Foundation, a diver works on a coral reef restoration program in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, live coral coverage in the Caribbean is down to an average of just 8 percent, from 50 percent in the 1970s. Caribbean islands ranging from Bonaire to the U.S. Virgin Islands, conservationists are rearing and planting fast-growing coral species to try and turn things around by ?seeding? reefs. (AP Photo/Puntacana Ecological Foundation, Victor Manuel Galvan)

In this March 16, 2012 photo released by the Puntacana Ecological Foundation, coral grows in a coral reef nursery as part of reef restoration work in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Advocates say the reef restoration work, focused on the region?s fast-growing but threatened staghorn and elkhorn coral species, can boost rates of recovery and improve the outlook for coral. The efforts will never resurrect the vibrant reefs of 50 years ago, they acknowledge, but they believe they can help preserve some of a reef?s functionality and beauty. (AP Photo/Puntacana Ecological Foundation, Victor Manuel Galvan)

In this April 13, 2012 photo released by The Nature Conservancy, coral grows in a coral reef nursery as part of a Caribbean coral reef restoration program off Cane Bay, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Across the globe, reefs that have proven resilient for thousands of years are in serious decline, degraded by over fishing, pollution, coastal development and warming ocean waters. And threats to coral are only expected to intensify as a result of climate change and ocean acidification due to greenhouse gases. (AP Photo/The Nature Conservancy, Kemit-Amon Lewis)

In this March 16, 2012 photo released by the Puntacana Ecological Foundation, a healthy coral grows in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Some scientists predict that coral is headed for extinction, possibly within this century. (AP Photo/Puntacana Ecological Foundation, Victor Manuel Galvan)

In this Oct. 18, 2011 released by the Puntacana Ecological Foundation, a healthy coral grows in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The tropical islands' reefs protect fragile coastlines by absorbing energy from waves during hurricanes and normal conditions. In the face of decline of coral reefs, some coral specialists and conservationists say passive inaction would be a grave mistake. (AP Photo/Puntacana Ecological Foundation, Victor Manuel Galvan)

ORACABESSA BAY, Jamaica (AP) ? Mats of algae and seaweed have shrouded the once thick coral in shallow reefs off Jamaica's north coast. Warm ocean waters have bleached out the coral, and in a cascade of ecological decline, the sea urchins and plant-eating reef fish have mostly vanished, replaced by snails and worms that bore through coral skeletons.

Now, off the shores of Jamaica, as well as in Caribbean islands from Bonaire to St. Croix, conservationists are planting fast-growing coral species to try and turn things around by "seeding" reefs. The strategy has doubters, with one expert joking that prayer might be as effective, but conservationists say the problem is so catastrophic that inaction is not an option. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, live coral coverage on Caribbean reefs is down to an average of just 8 percent, from 50 percent in the 1970s.

Lenford Dacosta grew up in the north Jamaican fishing village of Oracabessa Bay and spear-fished the waters for most of his 46 years. Now he is part of a crew that tends to a small coral nursery in a fish sanctuary, hoping to revitalize the reef that sustained his village, whose shoreline is now dominated by ritzy resorts.

"I used to think that children would only hear about coral reefs and fish in books," said Dacosta, expressing hope that his work will yield fruit.

Seascape Caribbean, the fledgling company that employs Dacosta and touts itself as the region's first and only private coral restoration business, uses low-tech coral nurseries consisting of buoys and weights with small fragments of staghorn coral suspended from them on strings. The fragments grow on the strings until bits of tannish coral with the beginnings of antler-like branches are ready to be planted onto reefs. Other specialists grow coral fragments on concrete pedestals placed on the seabed.

Advocates say the reef restoration work, focused on the region's fast-growing but threatened staghorn and elkhorn coral species, can boost rates of recovery and improve the outlook for coral. The efforts will never resurrect the vibrant reefs of 50 years ago, they acknowledge, but they believe they can help preserve some of a reef's functionality and beauty.

"Coral cover is getting a little better here and I believe it will keep improving in the gardened areas," said Andrew Ross, a Canadian marine biologist and entrepreneur who founded Seascape Caribbean.

Reef-building coral is a tiny polyp-like animal that builds a calcium-carbonate shell around itself and survives in a symbiotic relationship with certain types of algae. Its reefs serve as vital spawning and feeding grounds for numerous marine creatures. It comes in some 1,500 known species, ranging from soft, undulating fans to those with hard skeletons that form reef bases.

But across the globe, reefs that have proven resilient for thousands of years are in serious decline, degraded by overfishing, pollution, coastal development and warming ocean waters. And threats to coral are only expected to intensify as a result of climate change and ocean acidification due to greenhouse gases.

The stakes couldn't be higher along the Caribbean Sea, which has nearly 8,000 square miles (20,720 sq. kilometers) of coral reefs.

The tropical islands' iconic reefs protect fragile coastlines by absorbing energy from waves during hurricanes and normal conditions. Financially, the Caribbean has a multibillion-dollar beach tourism and commercial fishing economy. In Jamaica alone, reef fisheries support up to 20,000 fishermen.

Caribbean coral has deteriorated so badly in recent decades that a new report from a team of international scientists says that the rocky structures of the reefs are on the threshold of gradual erosion.

"The Caribbean, as a whole region, seems to be in a very poor state," said Chris Perry, a geography professor at the University of Exeter who led the regional coral research.

In the face of this decline, some coral specialists and conservationists say passive inaction would be a grave mistake. They argue that the results of the nascent coral restoration work will be seen in coming years.

In the U.S. Virgin Islands, scientists with The Nature Conservancy have reared some 2,500 coral colonies and transplanted over 1,000 fragments to local reefs with the aid of U.S. stimulus money. In the Dominican Republic, the Puntacana Ecological Foundation in the thriving tourist town of Punta Cana has planted some 1,200 fragments of Acropora coral, a genus that includes staghorn and elkhorn.

"What started as an experiment to protect the endangered Acropora species has become one of the largest nurseries in the Caribbean and a laboratory for other resorts and researchers to conduct restoration work," said Jake Kheel, the foundation's environmental director.

The Key Largo, Florida-based Coral Restoration Foundation, a pioneer in efforts to revitalize stressed reefs, has helped the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire set up coral nurseries. Meanwhile, in southern Jamaica, researchers are feeding low-voltage electricity to young coral to try and spur growth, a method that has been used in places like Indonesia and Malaysia.

Some coral experts say the labor-intensive reef restoration projects may be increasingly popular but they have yet to see any significant successes out of them. These critics believe the scope of the problem is simply too vast and restoration efforts don't address the underlying, accelerating forces collapsing reefs.

"It responds more to the very human need to 'do something' in the face of calamity, even if what you do is really a waste of time. Prayer would be just as useful," said Roger Bradbury, an ecologist and adjunct professor of resource management at Australian National University in Canberra.

Bradbury argues that coral restoration actually diverts scarce resources away from what should be researchers' main focus, which is what to do with reef regions after the reefs are gone. "The reefs just won't be there, but something will ? a new sort of ecosystem," he said.

Phil Kramer, a marine geologist who is director of The Nature Conservancy's Caribbean program, acknowledges that the long term outlook for coral reefs is poor in the face of current threats and projected increases in temperature and ocean acidification. But he says that can't justify the "abandonment" of reefs.

"It is true that Caribbean reefs are generally in bad shape at the moment and that if more interventions are not taken we will continue to lose what remains. But I remain cautiously optimistic about the future," Kramer said.

Helping the various restoration efforts, some regional governments are taking action to protect key species on the reefs. Belize, which boasts the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, has established bans on harvesting parrotfish, a colorful herbivore that grazes on the algae and seaweed that smothers coral.

By contrast, parrotfish are now the most popular catch in heavily-overfished Jamaica, sold at the side of the road and in supermarkets and restaurants.

Increasing sea surface temperatures have led to a dramatic rise in coral bleaching incidents in which the stressed organisms expel the colorful algae living in their tissues, leaving a whitish color. Up to 90 percent of corals in parts of the eastern Caribbean suffered bleaching in 2005, and more than half died.

But on Jamaica's north coast, Dacosta says he is gradually seeing some balance restored to the Oracabessa Bay fish sanctuary where he works to transplant coral fragments and scoop up snails and worms from reefs. He says bigger fish and algae-grazing black sea urchins are seen more frequently.

"I tell you," Dacosta said. "We should have started this a long time ago,"

___

David McFadden on Twitter: http://twitter/com/dmcfadd

___

Online:

Seascape Caribbean: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seascape-Caribbean/346524898685

The Nature Conservancy's Caribbean programs: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/caribbean/index.htm

Puntacana Ecological Foundation: http://www.puntacana.org/

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-26-Caribbean-Saving%20Coral/id-8223de4ff7f34e6ea1e7c3207639f3a0

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Leap Motion Controller starts shipping May 13th, hits Best Buy on the 19th

If you were still thinking that the Leap Motion Controller was going to turn into vaporware, it looks like you were wrong. Just less than a year after the company first made waves with its tiny gesture recognizing box, a finished product is getting ready to ship. Those that pre-ordered should receive their shipping notices starting May 13th. If you weren't willing to commit to the device before hand, you'll still be able to snatch one up at Best Buy on May 19th for $80. Or, if you're so inclined, you can continue to use your mouse to play Cut the Rope on your desktop... your choice we suppose.

Filed under: Peripherals

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/OFEAImMc_tY/

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Derek Fisher returns to Oklahoma City Thunder

Derek Fisher became the third point guard in the Oklahoma City Thunder line up. Derek Fisher won five NBA championship rings with the Los Angeles Lakers.

By Staff,?Associated Press / February 26, 2013

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Derek Fisher (37) seen here last year during the NBA finals basketball series against the Miami Heat in Oklahoma City. The Thunder signed veteran Derek Fisher again on Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. (

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, FIle)

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The Oklahoma City Thunder signed veteran Derek?Fisher on Monday, filling an opening for a third point guard that was created when Eric Maynor got traded to Portland.

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Fisher joins Oklahoma City for the stretch run for the second straight season. He played in 20 regular-season games and then all 20 playoff games last season. He played briefly for the Dallas Mavericks this season, asking for his release in December after injuring his right knee.

Why bring Fisher back? " For a team that expects to make another deep playoff run, entering the postseason with only two lead guards would have been risky. Fisher also brings stability to the position in the event that Jackson, still in just his second season, struggles under the playoff spotlight," writes?Darnell Mayberry, of the Oklahoman.

Fisher won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers before getting traded to Houston last season, then buying his way out of his contract with the Rockets.

Fisher is also the president of the NBA Players Association, which recently ousted longtime executive director Billy Hunter.

The Oklahoma City Thunder was helped to victory by some terrible Chicago shooting, beating the Bulls 102-72 on Sunday in a surprisingly one-sided contest.

Russell Westbrook scored 23 points and Kevin Durant had 19 points and 16 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which moved 6-1/2 games clear atop the Northwest Division.

The Thunder, who had allowed an average of 113 points over their previous four games, broke out of a rough defensive patch by limiting Chicago to 29.1 percent shooting. Midway through the third quarter, Chicago had missed 44 of its 55 shots.

O.C. led 61-39 at that point, and the margin reached 32 with both teams' starters sitting out the fourth quarter.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/72x5mKKhwl0/Derek-Fisher-returns-to-Oklahoma-City-Thunder

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Google Settings app sneaks onto Android to bolster G+ Sign-In

If you're wondering what that pretty green icon is that may have popped up recently on your Android device, worry not -- it's just the new Settings app from Google. You can now access preferences from Maps, Google+ and Search from one place through the app, and also see which are hooked in to the new Google+ Sign-In system we saw yesterday. Google took the unusual step of installing the app without asking via a Google Play service update, and if you haven't seen it yet you can force the issue by going to the application manager, clearing the data from Google Play services and rebooting. With its various apps becoming more intertwined, it wouldn't be surprising if Google dumped more settings there in the future, so you may as well get a handle on it now.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Google

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Via: Android Central

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/27/google-settings-app-sneaks-onto-android-to-bolster-g-sign-in/

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Should You Take Calcium, Vitamin D?

Popping calcium and vitamin D pills in hopes of strong bones? Healthy older women shouldn't bother with relatively low-dose dietary supplements, say new recommendations from a government advisory group.

Both nutrients are crucial for healthy bones and specialists advise getting as much as possible from a good diet. The body also makes vitamin D from sunshine. If an older person has a vitamin deficiency or bone-thinning osteoporosis, doctors often prescribe higher-than-normal doses.

But for otherwise healthy postmenopausal women, adding modest supplements to their diet ? about 400 international units of D and 1,000 milligrams of calcium ? don't prevent broken bones but can increase the risk of kidney stones, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said Monday.

It isn't clear if those doses offer bone protection if taken before menopause, or if they help men's bones, the guidelines said.

What about higher-dose supplements that have become more common recently? There's not enough evidence to tell if they would prevent fractures, either, in an otherwise healthy person, the panel concluded. It urged more research to settle the issue.

It's a confusing message considering that for years, calcium and vitamin D supplements have been widely considered an insurance policy against osteoporosis, with little down side to taking them.

AP

A photo illustration shows a container of over the counter calcium supplements, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. A government advisory group says the relatively low doses found in today's dietary supplements don't prevent broken bones in women after menopause. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) Close

"Regrettably, we don't have as much information as we would like to have about a substance that has been around a long time and we used to think we understood," said Dr. Virginia Moyer of the Baylor College of Medicine, who heads the task force. "Turns out, there's a lot more to learn."

The main caution: These recommendations aren't for people at high risk of weak bones, including older adults who have previously broken a bone and are at risk for doing so again, said Dr. Sundeep Khosla of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. Those people should consult a doctor, said Khosla, a bone specialist at the Mayo Clinic who wasn't part of the panel's deliberations.

Calcium and vitamin D work together, and you need a lifetime of both to build and maintain strong bones. Vitamin D also is being studied for possibly preventing cancer and certain other diseases, something that Monday's guidelines don't address and that other health groups have cautioned isn't yet proven.

For now, national standards advise the average adult to get about 1,000 mg of calcium, 1,300 for postmenopausal women, every day. For vitamin D, the goal is 600 IUs of vitamin D every day, moving to 800 after age 70, according to the Institute of Medicine, which set those levels in 2010. The nutrients can come from various foods, including orange juice fortified with calcium and D; dairy foods such as milk, yogurt and cheese; certain fish including salmon; and fortified breakfast cereals. Harder to measure is how much vitamin D the body also produces from sunshine.

Most people should get enough calcium from food, said Mayo's Khosla. But while he cautions against too high doses, he frequently tells his patients to take a multivitamin because it's harder to get vitamin D from food and during the winter.

While supplement science gets sorted out, the task force's Moyer advises healthy seniors to exercise ? proven to shore up bones and good for the rest of the body, too.

???

Online:

http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/recommendations.htm

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/panel-questions-calcium-vitamin-pills-18592259

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Light Sensitivity and Multiple Sclerosis - Multiple Sclerosis Blog

February 25, 2013

Light Sensitivity and Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis and bright light may not mix. A rare bright and sunny day here on the edge of Europe and I?m just now realizing that the place I?ve chosen to place my desk looks directly into the afternoon sun. It brought to mind several warning labels on meds I once took which indicated ?sun sensitivity? or ?light sensitivity?.

A quick search around the web found several medications which I still have in the medicine locker that no longer carry said warning labels. I had to wonder if it was just my pharmacy that was no longer listing this side-effect (though I know which I have to take with food or milk, which I should use care when operating machinery, and the list goes on).

There are aspects of the disease MS that can cause sensitivity to sun having to do with optic neuritis and migraine. Most of the references I found had to do with medications; usually symptom management meds, but some disease modifying medications as well.

Seems odd that we are encouraged to get our twenty minutes of vitamin D via the sun every day (when possible) but at the same time, drugs we take that might help us actually get out into the sun may make us sensitive to it.

I cannot say that I recall having any adverse reaction to sunlight or that I felt particularly sensitive to it when taking the aforementioned drugs. I quite frankly don?t know if it was sensitivity in the eyes or the skin or what was purported to be so hyper reactive to that all to odd ball in my sky.

How about you? Have you had issues with sun sensitivity? Have you too noticed that the warning labels for this have gone away on your Rx bottles? In case some other folks are not aware of meds that may cause said sensitivity; how about you list those that you have on your shelf which warn about light/sun?

My list came from a search of articles by the NMSS. While not 100 percent relevant, over 160 links were listed. How about we talk about the sun while I go out and bag my limit for the day?

Wishing you and your family the best of health.

Cheers

Trevis

You can also follow me via our Life With MS Facebook page, on Twitter, and in our group on MS Connection.org. Also, check out our bi-monthly MS blog for the United Kingdom, look for our very special new monthly blog for the National MS Society, and don?t forget to check out TrevisLGleason.com.

Source: http://www.everydayhealth.com/blog/trevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms/light-sensitivity-and-multiple-sclerosis/

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Ethics Newsline? ? News ? Business-Ethics Stories Are The Focus ...

Feb 25th, 2013 ? Posted in: News

Business groups want clarification of anti-bribery laws; University of Pennsylvania Health System says it won?t hire smokers, prompting critics to cry foul; U.K. business schools seem to be leaning toward trend of integrating ethics into all classes

VARIOUS DATELINES

Last week?s business news included several stories with ethics angles. Among the coverage:

• Several U.S. business groups, including the Chamber of Commerce, are asking for changes in the 1970s-era laws that bar U.S. companies from paying bribes overseas, saying the measures are too vague. One request of the groups is for a company to not be held criminally liable for the actions of an employee if the firm has strong anti-bribery safeguards and compliance programs, reports the Reuters news agency. The Justice Department said it welcomed the request and would continue a dialogue. Various law enforcement agencies, according to Reuters, have attempted to address the complexities and nuances of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, but business groups still maintain that there is too much gray area in enforcement.
• The University of Pennsylvania Health System says it will not hire smokers starting in July, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. The hospital says it wants to improve the health of its workers and cut down on insurance costs. But critics, including the director of the university?s smoking treatment program, say such a penalty is likely to induce smokers to lie, hide their habit, and fail to seek treatment, reports Philadelphia-based online site Newsworks. Others argue that an employer has no right to govern off-workplace behavior.
• The London Telegraph reports that there is growing sentiment in U.K. business schools to make ethics an integral part of the curriculum rather than compartmentalizing it in discrete courses. ?If you think back to the economic crisis, there was a lot of comment about how business schools were to some extent implicated, in that they had taught a lot of the models that the bankers were implementing. To a degree, I think there?s merit in that view,? Simon Learmount, director of the MBA program at Cambridge Judge Business School tells the Telegraph. ?The way we have taught business in the past is to split it into functional areas such as strategy, marketing, and finance,? he says. ?That militates against having a societal or ethical view of business as a whole ? it?s a systemic problem.?

Sources: Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb. 19 ? Reuters, Feb. 19 ? Telegraph, Feb. 18.

For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Feb. 18 ? Related Newsline story, Feb. 18 ? Related Newsline story, Feb. 11 ? Related Newsline story, Feb. 11 ? Related Newsline story, Feb. 4.

User content does not reflect the views of the Institute for Global Ethics or its affiliates. IGE neither guarantees the truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of any user content, nor endorses any opinions expressed therein.

Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership; lively debate and opposing opinions are welcome. While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic, non-proselytizing, and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can.

Source: http://www.globalethics.org/newsline/2013/02/25/business-ethics-51/

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Finance ministers in APEC | East Asia Forum

Author: Herfan Brilianto, Jakarta?

Indonesia assumes the 2013 APEC chair as the Asia Pacific economy faces a challenging 12 months.

Indonesia?s choice of APEC theme, ?Resilient Asia-Pacific: Engine of Global Growth?, reflects concern over downside risks that need to be managed if the regional economy is to achieve sustainable growth.

So far, APEC has successfully built its reputation in promoting regional integration by focusing on promoting open trade and investment. But given the current global context, greater Asia Pacific economic integration can only be realised if the region promotes better coordination of cross-border macro and financial issues. APEC finance ministers are able to play a more substantial role in this by promoting sound and credible policies, particularly in two areas.

First, finance ministers could strengthen their dialogue and develop strategies to ensure the region remains financially stable. Stability is a key issue, despite recent assessments that forecast global growth to pick up marginally in 2013 and the reduced danger of downside risks. The global financial market is still uncertain and business confidence remains weak in the region. An opinion leaders? survey conducted by the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council in 2012 showed that macro and financial issues dominated APEC business leaders? concerns about growth. Issues such as the euro zone and US debt crisis, and exchange rate and capital flow volatility, are now replacing tariffs and impediments to business as the main concerns.

The nature of globalisation is that many problems now can only be solved by international coordination. APEC is increasingly interdependent, which means that utilising domestic monetary and fiscal policy instruments is limited by international market conditions and by policy decisions taken by other economies. Finance ministers have less macro policy space and fewer effective policy instruments. They must balance adopting proactive and timely policies with the efficient use of resources. APEC finance ministers could help address these challenges by building a common understanding of the risks faced by the region and the policy options available to member economies. An improved dialogue process could enhance the effectiveness of domestic policies through open coordination. While it is unlikely that APEC could take collective action on macroeconomic policy itself ? due to substantial diversity among APEC members and the immaturity of the dialogue process ? it can spread macroeconomic best practice and work on translating best practice into domestic policy.

Second, finance ministers should explore new policy instruments to promote regional growth. Until now, many APEC economies have been dependent on a production and investment model, designed to support export-oriented activities. This reliance on exports makes the Asia Pacific particularly vulnerable to external factors, such as the current contraction of global aggregate demand. Indeed, East Asia?s exports growth slowed in 2012, and trade as a whole no longer contributed to regional growth.

There is concern that growth may remain stalled in advanced economies for some time. Asia Pacific economies need a new long-term strategy. They need to find new sources of growth. In recent years, there has been some interest in infrastructure investment and its growth-lifting potential, and Indonesia has proposed to put infrastructure investment and building connectivity at the centre of its APEC 2013 agenda.

Finance ministers could play a substantial role in turning this ambition into reality but they have to confront huge challenges. Financing is one of them. With some economies in a difficult fiscal position, resources are often tied up and financing needs to be prioritised. But there are still various public and private sources of finance that could be mobilised ? public?private partnerships are one example. Another could be to develop local capital markets to bring down the cost of financing and prevent mismatching the risks of long-term infrastructure finance with short-term lending.

Beyond the financing issue, finance ministers need to show leadership on strengthening the institutions through which ?infrastructure projects can be delivered, so that projects become bankable for both international financial institutions as well as the private sector. For example, finance ministers could help create an institutional and regulatory system to streamline infrastructure investment and facilitate public?private partnerships. These steps play an important role in identifying productive projects, determining the level of market support for projects, and helping resolve issues necessary to bring projects to fruition.

Herfan Brilianto is Deputy Director at the Fiscal Policy Office, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia. The views expressed in this article are those of the author.

Source: http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/02/26/finance-ministers-in-apec/

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