0 Comments | Charleston Daily Mail, May 20, 2010 | by MARGARET SHAPIRO
We know a mother’s touch can make a young child feel secure enough to try new things. It turns out a gentle touch from a woman can evoke that response even in adults, according to new research.
In a study published online in Psychological Sciences, researchers assembled a group of undergraduate business students, both men and women, for several experiments in which they were asked to invest money with a sure return or take a riskier gamble with a larger payoff. (Real money was used in two of the experiments: Participants could keep their earnings or be required to pay off any losses.). The students had their choices explained by a woman who gave them a light touch on the back of the shoulder, by a man who shook their hand or by a woman who did not touch them.
The researchers found that people touched on the shoulder by the woman were more willing to go for the riskier option. They concluded that “certain types of female physical contact reactivate the sensory and perceptual states that are associated with the feelings of security originally evoked by maternal physical contact in infancy” and that this feeling encouraged the risk-taking.
“There is a lot of work in developmental psychology connecting maternal-infant touch to sense of security, attachment, and consequent risk-taking (which for babies means checking out some strange toy on the other side of the room). We drew an analogy with adults,” study co-author Jonathan Levav, an associate professor of marketing at Columbia University Business School, wrote in an e- mail.
Asked whether some of the participants might have been motivated to make riskier behaviors to show off to the woman lightly patting them, he said, “All the conditions in which women did the touching were paired with control conditions in which the same women were present but did not touch
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Perhaps the United States needs to pay more attention to its money flows and the legal immigration problem than some of the other non-crisis events we hear about in our news. The amnesty will not work and the promotion of amnesty only spurs on more people to illegally come to our nation. Consider this in 2006.
Lance Winslow – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/.
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Not for use on the web.
.gif
Pronounced both “Gif” and “Jif”, this file is one of the most popular for web graphics as it loads quickly. 8 bit format (256 colours max.). It has possibilities for transparent colour and animation.
.png
New format for use on the web that is intended to replace both gif and jpeg. Compressed, millions of colours, transparencies. It compress in a different way than jpeg, and has advanced possibilities, such as alpha channel (opaque or partly transparent colours). The only trouble is: Internet Explorer doesn’t support these! In 8 bit (256 colours) mode it compresses better than gif.
.bmp
Windows bitmapped image. Used by Microsoft Windows applications. Good quality, large file size. Not for use on the web.
.wmf
Windows MetaFile. Useful for clipart, and can be used to make large area, small sized background files.
.pcx
Older general purpose format. Practically obsolete now. Not for use on the web.
.psp
Internal format for Paint Shop Pro, useful if you want to swap files between these two applications.
.pcd
Kodak PhotoCD format, used with Photo Developing – although most photo processors will save your photos as jpegs if you ask them to.
Portable Document File.
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But a special agent’s job is rewarding if you enjoy serving the public. Long before applying for a job as an FBI special agent, you’ll need to plan carefully what you need to do to qualify.
The FBI Special Agent
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents are the Government’s primary investigators, who investigate criminal violations of over 260 statutes not assigned to another federal agency. Agents may conduct surveillance, monitor wiretaps, examine financial records, or participate in undercover assignments, just to name a few.
The FBI investigates organized crime, white collar crime, such as health care fraud, counterterrorism, copyright infringement, civil rights violations, bank robbery, extortion, kidnapping, terrorism, espionage, violent crimes, drug trafficking, and other violations of Federal statutes.
The following was adapted from The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Facts and Figures 2003, FBI Priorities (http://www.fbi.gov/priorities/priorities.htm)
The FBI’s priorities are to:
Protect the United States from terrorist attack.
Protect the United States against foreign intelligence operations and espionage.
Protect the United States against cyber-based attacks and high-technology crimes.
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Unemployment safety net doesn’t catch all
0 Comments | Sunday Gazette – Mail; Charleston, W.V., Jun 27, 2010 | by Christine Vestal
WASHINGTON – Unemployment insurance is helping millions of Americans stay afloat while they search for jobs, but gaps in the safety net are leaving out many who need it most.
In Maryland, a new college graduate who lands her first job and gets laid off in the first nine months would be denied unemployment benefits under current state rules. The same is true for a factory worker in Michigan who just entered a training program to learn a new trade and for a single mom in Texas who can only work part time because she cannot afford child care.
For these and other workers whose jobs may be part time or sporadic, an unemployment check is not a sure thing. That is why the federal economic stimulus plan included $7 billion in incentive funding for states that enact, or already have on their books, unemployment insurance modernization reforms. Advocates say those changes would bring 75-year-old state unemployment systems more in line with today’s workplace.
Despite the hefty federal incentives, the decision to expand an already overburdened unemployment system has involved careful analysis and delicate negotiations in most states. Before the ink was dry on the stimulus bill last year, seven Republican governors refused the federal unemployment reform money because they said businesses would end up paying the bill for expanded unemployment benefits once the stimulus money runs out.
Still, lawmakers approved a flurry of new unemployment laws this year and last year, making 32 states eligible for $4.2 billion in federal stimulus funding so far.
States administer the program, determining who is eligible and how much the benefits will be. As a result, states have widely varying benefit levels.
Starting in the early 1990s, the federal government and Congress began urging states to update their obsolete unemployment laws to reflect the realities of the work force, in which many families have more than one breadwinner and fewer people have long-term jobs. Over the last decade, nearly half of all states enacted one or more of the recommended laws. But in most of the nation, many low-wage workers continued to be left out.
The economic stimulus act incentives were designed to even out the differences
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There are many other stories that teach valuable lessons to our children. Lessons like handling money wisely, honoring our parents, and treating others with kindness and respect can be taught through stories. Here, are some good stories that drive home these important lessons:
?The Whistle?, ?Going to Sea?,
and
?Stories about Jefferson?.
So much of what we learn is through reading and listening, so it is vitally important that your children master these two skills. When you read stories to your children or they hear stories by listening to audio CDs, they improve their attention span and listening skills. When kids master these skills early, they are more likely to become better learners. They also develop a greater interest in both books and reading. By listening, while following along in a book or printed story, your children will quickly learn to recognize more words and steadily increase their vocabulary.
Children?s stories can also be great tools for stimulating your child?s imagination.
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Dating friend’s ex can be tricky
0 Comments | Buffalo News, Jul 17, 2010 | by Patti Novak
I’m in my early 40s and have been divorced for about two years now. I am hesitant to get back into the dating scene due to some baggage from my marriage. However, I have found myself increasingly attracted to an ex-boyfriend of one of my good friends. The attraction seems to be mutual, and I’m wondering if this is something I should consider. Please advise!
— H.L., Lackawanna
Most people establish rules for themselves when it comes to dating. These guidelines set the pace for who they can and cannot date.
For example, some people have strict rules against dating co- workers, what they will and will not do on a first date, and the ever-popular situation involving dating a friend’s ex.
Obviously, you’d like to date the ex while maintaining the same level of integrity and closeness with your friend, but this can be very tricky. You have to ask yourself if the risk of losing your friend is worth starting a relationship with this man.
The first thing you should consider is how their relationship ended. If he cheated, lied, was abusive or otherwise exhibited behavior that merited the split, you should immediately look the other way. Remember that your loyalty belongs with your friend, first and foremost, and if the ex acted unforgivably, therefore hurting your friend, you owe it to her to stay away from him.
You need to determine whether your feelings for your friend’s ex are meaningful and real, or if they’re superficial and sexual. Just because there’s an attraction doesn’t mean that it will be a relationship worth taking on. Keep in mind that a short-lived, sexual fling does not warrant the end of a close friendship
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Robot clean put to test
0 Comments | Press, The; Christchurch, New Zealand, Jul 27, 2010 | by Louisa HEARN
Samsung Navibot SR8855 robot vacuum cleaner (RRP A$999)
I have long dreamed of the day a posse of contented little robots will wheel into my house and polish everything in sight. So will a new army of robot vacuum cleaners be able to deliver on the promise of hands-free housework?
Samsung joins the likes of Roomba with the launch of its Navibot range of robotic vacuums, which do their business with the aid of a little embedded camera that maps out the layout of your home.
I put it straight to work in the lounge, dodging children, cables, toys and chairs.
Its first challenge was the very thick and fluffy rug in the lounge. It attempted to mount the edge a few times but then seemed to give up and head for refuge under the dining table. But it was not to be bested by my maroon shagpile, and returned a minute or two later for a secondary assault. This time it was victorious, roving triumphantly all over the rug.
But it was not all smooth sucking. A long piece of discarded plastic hidden in the fibres managed to stop it in its tracks but it was a simple enough job to unwind it from the brush and switch the Navibot back on
A new wave of animal testing
0 Comments | Out & About, Oct 2009 | by Gury, Alexandra
It’s 3 a.m. and I awake to sounds of water splashing. I am groggy, and somehow the sounds filter into my dream.
I’m on a boat and the waves are just lapping against the side as I drift aimlessly into the sunset. And then suddenly, I am yanked from the dream by a wet set of paws landing on the side of my head – my cat Harvey propels from my body. I bolt up and hear some skittering, and then the splashing starts again.
“Oh God,” I think. “The f-ing ceiling is leaking in the bathroom.” I walk into the bathroom expecting to see a mess on the floor, my face still wet from the attack.
I flip on the light to find Harvey, propped on the side of the toilet, ass in the air, splashing and swirling the toilet water with his front paws. I run to the sink and wash my face, while Harvey wraps himself around my ankles biting and kicking. My other cat, Eloise, begins to yowl because she, too, wants some attention.
I open a can of tuna and pour the juice into their bowls to distract them as I crawl back into bed. Jimi rolls over and puts his arms around me and whispers, “If we can do this, we’ll be totally fine when we have kids.”
Then, I question, in my sleepy state, the accuracy of his statement. This seems to be the predominant attitude of 20 somethings (gay and straight) who want a taste of what it is like to be responsible for another living thing, but aren’t quite ready for the leap into parenthood. I can’t go a day without a Twitter or Facebook update about so-and-so’s new pet.
Whereas I used to scroll tirelessly through Facebook pictures taken at frat parties and dive bars, I’m suddenly looking at my old friend’s new cat in a tiara. As we grow older, and perhaps a little wiser, we open our homes and hearts to fuzzy companions to test the waters for what’s to come.
In these instances, it seems that the biggest risk we are facing is beginning to treat these little place holders as though they are real living, breathing humans. We risk the possibility of turning into those people who dress their dogs to match themselves and set a place at the dinner table for their cat.
I have friends whose dogs have designer car seats. I have a friend who is training her cat to use the toilet. My mother keeps her “empty nest syndrome” at bay by cooking our family dog (who has been in therapy for social anxiety disorder) healthy dinners of rice and veggies. I knew a girl once who never wanted her dog to be “naked,” so she made her sleep in pajamas.
Once at a party, her brother took the dog’s party dress off as a joke, and the girl threw a full bottle of salsa at his head
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Perhaps the academic requirements were just too challenging or a family circumstance interfered. Economics, health, learning disabilities and maybe just plain old immaturity can trip up even the most well-meaning students. But that is not a reason to sit and watch the rest of the world prosper while you settle for less.
Pursuing a high school diploma online opens the door to greater career options and higher earning potential. Federal government estimates indicate that a high school diploma can be worth as much as $280,000 during a wage-earners lifetime. That alone should be an incentive to investigate the programs that offer the courses and testing online that can result in the award of an accredited high school diploma.
By studying for your high school diploma online, you can fit your classes into a schedule that allows you to continue with your daily obligations. Your spare time is still your spare time.
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