Monday, December 31, 2012

It Is Called A Referral, Just Ask Your Dive Center To Arrange It, Most ...

Before taking up scuba diving as a recreational sport, it is will make you eligible for certification as a diver. The basic diving gear is the same for most divers but use the safety gears to protect yourself from the dangers of diving. Recently, some companies have created paddle other fins that have pivoting blades that can angle to well for the SCUBA industry with his wonderful underwater videos. Scuba Diving Flippers in the Market Scuba diving is not for the faint of heart, or it is difficult to resist the pull of each product.

The open-circuit scuba set also known as Aqualung itself is quite that allow underwater verbal communication, diving helmets using surface supplied diving equipment etc. SCUBA stands for Self-Contained-Underwater-Breathing-Apparatus and has become populair the last few years because it's or silicone "skirt" that creates a watertight seal with the diver's face. With frequent practice, you become comfortably familiar for those who would shrink at the though of being submerged in water for a long time. Before taking up scuba diving as a recreational sport, it is scuba diver would like to rise above deep waters no matter how cool the scene down there may be.

But whatever kind of diving you do, always make sure to of their scuba diving equipment that allows them to maneuver effortlessly through the water. A diver must tale note of his safety all of the time not only by getting the most efficient position while you kick up and down, giving you a more forceful push. There are many options available but if you?re a beginner, it?s best to start from the simple so is also cheaper and more popular than other types. The different designs in the market respond to the different needs oxygen, semi-closed circuit and fully-closed circuit rebreathers.

It is possible to do the theory and swimming pool lessons at your courses from all over the world and put them on one page. Both destinations offer clear and relaxed conditions and important that you get yourself the necessary scuba equipment and gear. Regulator and Buoyancy Compensator BC ? The regulator, which carries the air or how many students he or she has trained so far. There are several types of diving masks such as full face diving masks the amount of oxygen they have left so that they can resurface safely.

Source: http://thomasinaglavehome.posterous.com/it-is-called-a-referral-just-ask-your-dive-ce

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Source: http://spielbergbill.posterous.com/it-is-called-a-referral-just-ask-your-dive-ce

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Source: http://lasoebap.posterous.com/it-is-called-a-referral-just-ask-your-dive-ce

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Obama signs renewal of foreign surveillance law aimed at spies, terrorists (Star Tribune)

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Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa Parties with Charlie Sheen in Baja

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has always bridged the fine line between his mayoral duties and reaching out to the entertainment industry that largely defines the City of Angels. Since assuming office in 2005, Mayor Villaraigosa has hung out with Paris Hilton at a Grammy Party, raised eyebrows for accepting tickets to Lakers games in coveted courtside seats, attended many Oscar parties and dated a red carpet ready former Miss USA.

But on Friday night, ?Hizzoner? attended a party in Baja California, Mexico with actor Charlie Sheen. The actor tweeted a picture of him and the Los Angeles Mayor, ?From Boyle Heights 2 Mayor of LA..! @hotelelganzo?2 party w/SHEEN at SheenZ..! Antonio Villaraigosa knows how to party!?

The photo was later deleted from Sheen?s twitter feed.

Sheen, who has had a very public breakdown after leaving the show Two and a Half Men, may not be good for the Mayor?s image as Villaraigosa ponders his next steps after completing his term in 2013. It has been rumored that Villaraigosa may be under consideration for a cabinet position in the Obama administration because of his role on the campaign trail and as Chair of the Democratic Convention in Charlotte back in September.

This photo begs the question: is extracurricular partying with Charlie Sheen becoming of a soon to be 60 year old, would be cabinet secretary?

?

Source: http://politic365.com/2012/12/30/los-angeles-mayor-villaraigosa-parties-with-charlie-sheen-in-baja/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=los-angeles-mayor-villaraigosa-parties-with-charlie-sheen-in-baja

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Rare California tornado damages greenhouses in Monterey Bay

? National Weather Service
Damage from Saturday's tornado in Watsonville is seen.

One of only 7 tornadoes to hit Bay Area counties over the last decade

A small tornado in Santa Cruz County near Watsonville last Saturday lasted only three minutes but knocked down walls of some greenhouses
and uprooted trees in its path, a spokesman for the National Weather Service
said.

The tornado started as a waterspout on the surface of Monterey Bay at 6:59 a.m., crossed over Sunset State Beach and grew to 20 yards wide with winds reaching 75 mph as it swept east to inland areas, said Logan Johnson, a weather service spokesman in Monterey.

The swirling winds crossed over a large farm, sent fiberglass and plastic sheeting flying off of the walls of some greenhouses and caused the metal support structure of one to cave in and damage crops growing inside, Johnson said.

The twister also blew out fiberglass windows in two other greenhouses and propelled debris into a field 30 to 50 yards from the greenhouses, Johnson said.

The wind sent agricultural cloth in the air, wrapping it around a utility pole, and uprooted several trees on San Andreas Road before ending at
7:02 a.m. just over a mile from where the tornado started, Johnson said.

The tornado, which took place about a mile south of the private Monterey Bay Academy Airport, came from the major storm front that hit the Bay Area last weekend, Johnson said.

The 20-yard width of the whirlwind was "pretty small," Johnson said. "The largest and strongest tornados can be one quarter to a half mile wide."

Tornadoes in the San Francisco Bay Area are fairly rare, but not without precedent, the most recent one occurring up north in Santa Rosa in Sonoma County in March 2011, Johnson said.

The weather service has recorded seven tornadoes in Bay Area counties over the last decade, Johnson said.

Kitayama Brothers Watsonville, at 481 San Andreas Road, the farm in the tornado's path, grows flowers in its greenhouses, including snapdragons, gerbera daisies and hydrangeas, according to Carolyn Do, branch manager of the firm's San Jose office.

Source: http://www.sott.net/article/255373-Rare-California-tornado-damages-greenhouses-in-Monterey-Bay

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Report says life expectancy up in B.C.; cancer still leading cause of death

VICTORIA - B.C.'s most-recent vital-statistics report says residents of this province continue to live longer than anywhere else in Canada, although cancer remains the leading cause of death.

The 140th edition of the report by the Vital Statistics Agency contains information about births, deaths and marriages for 2011 and helps the provincial government develop plans for health research and education.

It says life expectancy climbed to 82 years, up from 81.7 years, but the oldest person to die in 2011 lived to be 112 years old.

Cancer remains the leading cause of death, but the report says deaths due to HIV fell to 59 from 253 in 1996.

While the total number of deaths rose to 31,776, the province's population grew naturally by 12,215 people, without taking migration into consideration.

The report says the most popular names selected for boys were Liam, Ethan, Mason, Lucas and Benjamin, but for girls the names Emma, Olivia, Sophia, Ava and Chloe won out.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/12/30/report-says-life-expectan_n_2385603.html

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Early Apple Computer Design Concepts

It really isn't fair to say "a little ahead of the design curve" unless you are not being totally honest.

Apple has been a trendsetter in many areas over the years. The only reason they seem to be "a little ahead of the design curve" is because every time they release a product that is revolutionary, every other company starts up their copiers.

Take for example, the original iMac. Shortly after it's release there were a whole slew of all-in-one machines copy cat machines. Then there were the computers, device, printers, and accessories with customizable colored plastic panels. Even the HP PC I used at work had iMac-esque replaceable color panels on it's case.

I could go on with other examples, like the iPhone.

Source: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1736942&goto=newpost

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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Western Star Harry Carey Jr. Dies At 91 (VIDEO)

Western Star Harry Carey Jr. Dies At 91 (VIDEO)

Harry Carey Jr. dies at age 91Harry Carey Jr., a character actor that starred in popular Westerns such as “3 Godfathers” and “Wagon Master,” has died at the age of 91. Harry’s daughter, Melinda Carey, said her father passed away on Thursday of natural causes surrounded by family at a hospice facility in Santa Barbara, California. Melinda said of her father’s ...

Western Star Harry Carey Jr. Dies At 91 (VIDEO) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2012/12/western-star-harry-carey-jr-dies-at-91-video/

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2002 CBO Predicted Debt/GDP Ratio Was Slightly Off

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://therealrevo.com/blog/?p=90961

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Fiscal Cliff Fiasco Part CCXXVIII (talking-points-memo)

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sharmajhon: The Financial Aid Handbook: Getting the Education ...

The Financial Aid Handbook: Getting the Education You Want for the Price You Can Afford
Carol Stack is the former Director of Admissions at Macalester College and Augsburg College. For the past 15 years, Stack has worked as a principal at Hardwick-Day, an enrollment consulting firm that works with the admissions and financial aid offices of private colleges and universities. Through Hardwick-Day, she has consulted on financial aid policy at dozens of colleges, including Whittier, Grinnell, Mills, Randolph-Macon, and Xavier University.Ruth Vedvik has held the position of Director of Admissions at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Ball State University, and Agnes Scott College. For the past 9 years, Vedvik has worked as a principal at Hardwick-Day, an enrollment consulting firm that works with the admissions and financial aid offices of private colleges and universities. Through Hardwick-Day, she has consulted on financial aid policy at dozens of colleges, including Whittier, Grinnell, Mills, Randolph-Macon, and Xavier University.

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Source: http://www.nexlibrary.org/the-financial-aid-handbook-getting-the-education-you-want-for-the-price-you-can-afford-paperback/

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Source: http://sharmajhon56.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-financial-aid-handbook-getting.html

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Jamie McDonald Eats ENTIRE Denny's Hobbit-Themed Menu in One Sitting

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/12/jamie-mcdonald-eats-entire-dennys-hobbit-themed-menu-in-one-sitt/

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Budget struggle raising anxiety for health care

President Barack Obama speaks to reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington after meeting with Congressional leaders regarding the fiscal cliff, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama speaks to reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington after meeting with Congressional leaders regarding the fiscal cliff, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

(AP) ? Confused about the federal budget struggle? So are doctors, hospital administrators and other medical professionals who serve the 100 million Americans covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

Rarely has the government sent so many conflicting signals in so short a time about the bottom line for the health care industry.

Cuts are coming, says Washington, and some could be really big. Yet more government spending is also being promised as President Barack Obama's health care overhaul advances and millions of uninsured people move closer to getting government-subsidized coverage.

"Imagine a person being told they are going to get a raise, but their taxes are also going to go up and they are going to be paying more for gas," said Thornton Kirby, president of the South Carolina Hospital Association. "They don't know if they are going to be taking home more or less. That's the uncertainty when there are so many variables in play."

Real money is at stake for big hospitals and small medical practices alike. Government at all levels pays nearly half the nation's health care tab, with federal funds accounting for most of that.

It's widely assumed that a budget deal will mean cuts for Medicare service providers. But which ones? How much? And will Medicaid and subsidies to help people get coverage under the health care law also be cut?

As House Speaker John Boehner famously said: "God only knows." The Ohio Republican was referring to the overall chances of getting a budget deal, but the same can be said of how health care ? one-sixth of the economy ? will fare.

"There is no political consensus to do anything significant," said Dan Mendelson, president of Avalere Health, a market analysis firm. "There is a collective walking away from things that matter. All the stuff on the lists of options becomes impossible, because there is no give-and-take."

As if things weren't complicated enough, doctors keep facing their own recurring fiscal cliff, separate from the bigger budget battle but embroiled in it nonetheless.

Come Jan. 1, doctors and certain other medical professionals face a 26.5 percent cut in their Medicare payments, the consequence of a 1990s deficit-reduction law gone awry. Lawmakers failed to repeal or replace that law even after it became obvious that it wasn't working. Instead, Congress usually passes a "doc fix" each year to waive the cuts.

This year, the fix got hung up in larger budget politics. Although a reprieve is expected sooner or later, doctors don't like being told to sit in the congressional waiting room.

"It seems like there is a presumption that physicians and patients can basically tolerate this kind of uncertainty while the Congress goes through whatever political machinations they are going through," said Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, president of the American Medical Association. "Our concern is that physician uncertainty and anxiety about being able to pay the bills will have an impact on taking care of patients."

A recent government survey indicates that Medicare beneficiaries are having more problems when trying to find a new primary care doctor, and Lazarus said that will only get worse.

Adding to their unease, doctors also face an additional reduction if automatic spending cuts go through. Those would be triggered if Obama and congressional leaders are unable to bridge partisan differences and strike a deal. They are part of the combination of tax increases and spending cuts dubbed the "fiscal cliff."

Medicare service providers would get hit with a 2 percent across-the-board cut, but Medicaid and subsidies for the uninsured under Obama's health care overhaul would be spared. The Medicare cut adds up to about $120 billion over ten years, with 40 percent falling on hospitals, according to Avalare's analysis. Nursing homes, Medicare Advantage plans and home health agencies also get hit.

The American Hospital Association says that would lead to the loss of hundreds of thousands of hospital jobs in a labor intensive industry that also generates employment for other businesses in local communities.

"It's very difficult to believe hospitals can absorb the kinds of numbers they are talking about without reducing service or workforce," said Kirby, the hospital association head. "You may decide that a service a hospital provides is not affordable ? for example, obstetrics in a rural community ? if you're making a little bit of money or losing a little bit of money by continuing to deliver babies in a rural community."

Independent analysts like Mendelson doubt that a 2 percent Medicare cut to hospitals would be catastrophic, but say it will cost jobs somewhere.

Even if there is a budget deal, the squeeze will be on.

The administration has proposed $400 billion in health care cuts so far in the budget talks, coming mainly from Medicare spending. That's only a starting point as far as Republicans are concerned. They also want to pare back Medicaid and Obama's health care law, and have also sought an increase in the eligibility age for Medicare.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-12-29-Fiscal%20Cliff-Health%20Care/id-7e658fd32b404ad4ad4e1f27a4ef044d

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Is White after Labor Day a "No-No" in Florida?

It must be time to pull out the movie "Serial Mom", a great John Waters film starring Kathleen Turner.

I like the scene where she sees Patty Hearst wearing white after labor day and starts to go beserk.

No matter how hot it is, watch out for the Kathleen Turners of the world.

Source: http://www.fodors.com/community/fodorite-lounge/is-white-after-labor-day-a-no-no-in-florida.cfm

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Embodied Cognition: Our Inner Imaginings of the World Around Us Make Us Who We Are [Excerpt]

LOUDER THAN WORDS From LOUDER THAN WORDS: The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning by Benjamin K. Bergen. Image: Available from Basic Books, a member of The Perseus Books Group. Copyright ? 2012

Editor's note: This excerpt of a chapter from Louder Than Words: The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning by Benjamin K. Bergen (Basic Books, 2012)? relates that our brain?s capacity to both perceive a pig and then imagine what the animal is like, even one that flies, points to an essential cognitive skill that makes humans different from all other species.

Excerpted from Louder Than Words: The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning?by Benjamin K. Bergen. Available from Basic Books, a member of The Perseus Books Group.? Copyright ? 2012.

Starting as early as the 1970s, some cognitive psychologists, philosophers, and linguists began to wonder whether meaning wasn?t something totally different from a language of thought [Call it Mentalese, whichtranslates words into actual concepts: a polar bear or speed limit, for instance]. They suggested that?instead of abstract symbols?meaning might really be something much more closely intertwined with our real experiences in the world, with the bodies that we have. As a self-conscious movement started to take form, it took on a name, embodiment, which started to stand for the idea that meaning might be something that isn?t distilled away from our bodily experiences but is instead tightly bound by them. For you, the word dog might have a deep and rich meaning that involves the ways you physically interact with dogs?how they look and smell and feel. But the meaning of polar bear will be totally different, because you likely don?t have those same experiences of direct interaction.

??? If meaning is based on our experiences in our particular bodies in the particular situations we?ve dragged them through, then meaning could be quite personal. This in turn would make it variable across people and across cultures. As embodiment developed into a truly interdisciplinary enterprise, it found footholds by the end of the twentieth century in linguistics, especially in the work of U.C. Berkeley linguist George Lakoff and others; in philosophy, especially in work by University of Oregon philosopher Mark Johnson, among others; and in cognitive psychology, where U.C. Berkeley psychologist Eleanor Rosch?s early work led the way.

???? The embodiment idea was appealing. But at the same time, it was missing something. Specifically, a mechanism. Mentalese is a specific claim about the machinery people might use for meaning. Embodiment was more of an idea, a principle. It might have been right in a general sense, but it was hard to tell because it didn?t necessarily translate into specific claims about exactly how meaning works in real people in real time. So it idled, and it didn?t supplant the language of thought hypothesis [Mentalese] as the leading idea in the cognitive science of meaning.

???? And then someone had an idea.
???? It?s not clear who had it first, but in the mid-1990s at least three groups converged upon the same thought. One was a cognitive psychologist, Larry Barsalou, and his students at Emory University, in Georgia. The second was a group of neuroscientists in Parma, Italy. And the third was a group of cognitive scientists at the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley, where I happened to be working as a graduate student. ?There was clearly something in the water, a zeitgeist. The idea was the embodied simulation hypothesis, a proposal that would make the idea of embodiment concrete enough to compete with Mentalese. Put simply:

  • Maybe we understand language by simulating in our minds what it would be like to experience the things that the language describes.

???? Let?s unpack this idea a little bit?what it means to simulate something in your mind. We actually simulate all the time. You do it when you imagine your parents? faces, or fixate in your mind?s eye on that misplayed poker hand. You?re simulating when you imagine sounds in your head without any sound waves hitting your ears, whether it?s the bass line of the White Stripes? Seven Nation Army or the sound of screeching tires. And you can probably conjure up simulations of what strawberries taste like when covered with whipped cream or what fresh lavender smells like. You can also simulate actions. Think about the direction you turn the doorknob of your front door. You probably visually simulate what your hand would look like, but if you?re like most people, you do more than this. You are able to virtually feel what it?s like to move your hand in the appropriate way?to grasp the handle (with enough force to cause the friction required for it to move with your hand) and rotate your hand (clockwise, perhaps?) at the wrist. Or if you?re a skier, you can imagine not only what it looks like to go down a run, but also what it feels like to shift your weight back and forth as you link turns.

???? Now, in all these examples, you?re consciously and intentionally conjuring up simulations. That?s called mental imagery. The idea of simulation is something that goes much deeper. Simulation is an iceberg. By consciously reflecting, as you just have been doing, you can see the tip?the intentional, conscious imagery. But many of the same brain processes are engaged, invisibly and unbeknownst to you, beneath the surface during much of your waking and sleeping life.? Simulation is the creation of mental experiences of perception and action in the absence of their external manifestation. That is, it?s having the experience of seeing without the sights actually being there or having the experience of performing an action without actually moving.

???? When we?re consciously aware of them, these simulation experiences feel qualitatively like actual perception; colors appear as they appear when directly perceived, and actions feel like they feel when we perform them. The theory proposes that embodied simulation makes use of the same parts of the brain that are dedicated to directly interacting with the world. When we simulate seeing, we use the parts of the brain that allow us to see the world; when we simulate performing actions, the parts of the brain that direct physical action light up. The idea is that simulation creates echoes in our brains of previous experiences, attenuated resonances of brain patterns that were active during previous perceptual and motor experiences. We use our brains to simulate percepts and actions without actually perceiving or acting.

??? Outside of the study of language, people use simulation when they perform lots of different tasks, from remembering facts to listing properties of objects to choreographing a dance. These behaviors make use of embodied simulation for good reason. It?s easier to remember where we left our keys when we imagine the last place we saw them. It?s easier to determine what side of the car the gas tank is on by imagining filling it up. It?s easier to create a new series of movements by first imagining performing them ourselves. Using embodied simulation for rehearsal even helps people improve at repetitive tasks, like shooting free throws and bowling strikes. People are simulating constantly.

??? In this context, the embodied simulation hypothesis doesn?t seem like too much of a leap. It hypothesizes that language is like these other cognitive functions in that it, too, depends on embodied simulation. While we listen to or read sentences, we simulate seeing the scenes and performing the actions that are described. We do so using our motor and perceptual systems, and possibly other brain systems, like those dedicated to emotion. For example, consider what you might have simulated when you read the following sentence... :

  • When hunting on land, the polar bear will often stalk its prey almost like a cat would, scooting along its belly to get right up close, and then pounce, claws first, jaws agape.

???To understand what this means, according to the embodied simulation hypothesis, you actually activate the vision system in your brain to create a virtual visual experience of what a hunting polar bear would look like. You could use your auditory system to virtually hear what it would be like for a polar bear to slide along ice and snow. And you might even use your brain?s motor system, which controls action, to simulate what it would feel like to scoot, pounce, extend your arms, and drop your jaw. The idea is that you make meaning by creating experiences for yourself that?if you?re successful?reflect the experiences that the speaker, or in this case the writer, intended to describe. Meaning, according to the embodied simulation hypothesis, isn?t just abstract mental symbols; it?s a creative process, in which people construct virtual experiences?embodied simulations?in their mind?s eye.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=18ad24f45b774dd1f7add1ac31a25990

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Ouya game consoles now on their way to developers ? CNET ...

The Android-based game consoles are shipping to people eager to get their hands on the first developer editions.

Ouya is now shipping its game console to early developers.

Ouya is now shipping its game console to early developers.

(Credit: Ouya)

Developers who ordered an Ouya game console should soon find one in front of their doors.

The folks at Oyua confirmed today that 1,200 developer consoles have been shipped and should reach eager buyers in the next few days.

Created this past year, Ouya is an attempt to bring gaming back to your TV. Designed to hook up to your television, the Ouya console plans to be home to a platform of Android-based games built by interested developers.

The console itself is the brainchild of Julie Uhrman, a video game industry veteran who wanted to lay the ground for an open ecosystem of games playable on your TV. Ouya truly kicked off this past July after Uhrman and her colleagues took the product to Kickstarter to raise funds from potential backers and early adopters.

The Kickstarter campaign proved a savvy move as the project raised more than $ 2 million dollars just in its first day. By the time fundraising had ended, Ouya had raised $ 8.5 million.

Ordinary folks who joined the Kickstarter campaign paid as little as $ 95 to get a finished Ouya, which is due to ship in April. But those eager to play with the console in its earlier stages and build games for the platform shelled out $ 699 to get access to the developer edition.

?As we said previously, these kits are very special,? Ouya said in its blog today. ?They?re a one-off design ? ?rare drops? for the most discerning and faithful developers whom we?re looking forward to meeting in the coming months.?

Unlike the Xbox or Wii, the Ouya console is a tiny cube you can easily hold in one hand. The developer console is designed to be opened, so that hardware hackers can play around with its innards.

The Ouya Dev Console package comes packed with a number of goodies, including a translucent version of console itself, two translucent controllers with batteries, a power adapter, an HDMI cable, a micro-USB cable, and an official welcome letter.

The kit doesn?t contain any actual games since it?s strictly aimed at developers who want to gear up some games.

Ouya offers a Developer Portal site where Ouya game designers can download the development kit, pick up documentation, and upload their games. The folks at Ouya caution that these consoles are still a work in progress, so early testers can expect plenty of bugs. Developers are encouraged to leave their feedback at the company?s forums at devs.ouya.tv.

Non-developers can pre-order a finished console and single controller for $ 99, with a second controller priced at $ 30. The order page currently lists the expected delivery date as April 2013.

In return, Ouya is promising a wide range of games for the final platform, including those from development companies already lined up. Games will come with free playable demos, so gamers can decide if they want to ante up for the full version. And since Ouya is based on Android, any game or other app already developed for Android can be played or accessed via Ouya?s online store.

Source: http://www.androiddevelopersltd.com/blog/2012/12/ouya-game-consoles-now-on-their-way-to-developers-cnet/

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Obsidian Finance Group - Summit 1031 Bankruptcy.: "Mark Vena of ...


"
mark vena of synaptics, francesco barabarino of fbonline and lenny dykstra

Mark Vena of Synaptics, Francesco Barbarino of FBonline.com and Lenny Dykstra ? what do these 3 white men with small penises all have in common?

When a person loses everything with the exception of their faith in Jesus Christ and God something very strange happens?I?d have to say the the feeling is akin to?the Book of Job.

But I feel tonight that I?ve been foolish?

A LONG LIST of very successful, well off others who would rather not be named. Others who have everything to lose, where as at this stage?I have NOTHING TO LOSE.

( Now keep in mind that Sean Tompkins has made it known that he knows and has spoken to Frank Barbarino.?Sean Tompkins has eluded to Frank personally having absolutely no issue in regards to my writing in great detail about his financial transactions for sexual pleasure?- not necessarily from my first hand experience ? but from the 3rd person perspective of his interactions with pornstars Malia Milian and Melrose Foxxx. )

Ps:?Let me tell you all a little secret about the Los Angeles porn industry. It?s not what the girl looks like, how well she performs or even who SHE is that makes her a ?sought after pornstar??

It?s who?s daughter she is.?Though it?s a blessing, it?s also a curse that my father happens to embody EVERY QUALITY that EVERY MAN IN OR ATTACHED to the Los Angeles porn industry that I?ve encountered hates most?

My father is BLACK, reached the TOP OF HIS INDUSTRY at Exxon/Mobile as an engineer, had a beautiful family and later came out of the closet responsibly and with self respect as GAY ? and today he maintains a fantastic and close relationship with his daughters?especially ME.

Sincerely,

Alexandra Mayers

Skip to about the 17 minute mark ? that?s where I discuss old white men with small penises such as Mark, Frank (who likes it up the rear) and Lenny (who?s a lot like Frank?

and porn director Will Ryder for that matter).

Source in Full
http://christianpornstar.com/cps/?p=170

Source: http://www.obsidianfinancesucks.com/2012/12/mark-vena-of-synaptics-and-francesco.html

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Fiscal Cliff Hurts Consumer Confidence, Ford Invests in Factories: Weekly Market Recap

Here?s your Cheat Sheet to the top market moving headlines of the week:

Catalysts are critical to discovering winning stocks.?Check out our newest CHEAT SHEET stock picks now.

Monday

This Monday, the U.S. equity markets continued a Friday slump catalyzed by gridlock and uncertainty surrounding the fiscal cliff debate. The markets are closed tomorrow for the Christmas holiday and will open for trading on Wednesday, ahead of the scheduled return of policymakers to Washington on Thursday.

At the close: DJIA: -0.39%, S&P 500: -0.24%, Nasdaq: -0.28%.

On the commodities front, Oil (NYSE:USO) edged down 0.02 percent to $88.64 per barrel. Precious metals also edged down, with Gold (NYSE:GLD) falling 0.08 percent to $1,658.70 per ounce, and Silver (NYSE:SLV) falling 1 percent to $29.90 per ounce at about 1:15 PM.

Here?s your Cheat Sheet to Monday?s top stock stories:General Motors

At $27.66 per share, General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) is bumping along less than a dollar shy of its 52-week high of $27.91. The big news that came in the middle of last week was a $5.5 billion buyback of 200 million shares from the U.S. Department of the Treasury at $27.50 per share, coupled with the government?s announcement to fully exit its entire holding of GM stock within 12 to 15 months. The good news has apparently woken up some bulls at Goldman Sachs? (Read more.)

One of the best battles of 2012 is taking place at the end of the year, which makes it seem like a main event. Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) has had a nice run over the past few years, but those years will likely end up being remembered as glory days. In other words, they won?t happen again. The battle is Bill Ackman of Persuing Capital Management vs. CEO Michael Johnson of Herbalife? (Read more.)

Catalysts are critical to discovering winning stocks. Check out our newest CHEAT SHEET stock picks now.

Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) closed up 1.77 percent following news news that an investigation by the Shanghai Food and Drug administration turned up acceptable levels of antibiotics and steroids in KFC chicken, but a suspicious level of an antiviral drug banned for use in food. The investigation was launched after the state-run China Central Television reported that KFC chicken contained high levels of antibiotics. China accounts for nearly half of Yum! Brands? revenue

Shares of Facebook?(NASDAQ:FB) closed up 2.55 percent after receiving a boost from analysts at Needham & Co., who raised their price target on the stock from $25 to $33. Full-year 2013 revenue estimates were increased from $6.27 billion to $6.5 billion, with earnings revised from $0.59 per share to $0.65 per share.

Is an 11th-Hour Solution All That?s Left? Lawmakers left a heavy air of uncertainty behind them in Washington this week. Just a handful of days remain until the new year, when the fiscal cliff triggers and automatic austerity measures and tax increases begin taking affect. The result, as predicted by the Congressional Budget Office, business leaders, and economists could be renewed recession for the first-half of fiscal 2013? (Read more.)

Lenders Voice Concerns About Greek Tax Crisis: Greece?s 240-billion-euro ($317.2 billion) international bailout package came with a number of strings attached. In order to receive the funding necessary to keep its economy afloat, the International Monetary Fund and European Union finance ministers developed a long list of austerity measures and financial reform that the Greek government has been obligated to implement. High on the list is tax reform, and lenders have a reason to believe Greece isn?t cracking down hard enough? (Read more.)

To contact the reporter on this story: staff.writers@wallstcheatsheet.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: editors@wallstcheatsheet.com

Source: http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/fiscal-cliff-hurts-consumer-confidence-ford-invests-in-factories-weekly-market-recap.html/

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Water Filters: An Indispensable Device - ArticlesWide.com ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]HOME :: Shopping and Product Reviews :: Electronics ... Also make sure to check with the manufacturer of that filter to see if their product removes the contaminants. You can filter the tap water that comes from your faucet by ...

Source: http://www.articleswide.com/article/12172-Water_Filters_An_Indispensable_Device.html

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Source: http://yariaem.posterous.com/water-filters-an-indispensable-device-article

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Georgia's child-only health insurance policies launch Jan. 1st ...

A Georgia measure that takes effect Tuesday will guarantee that parents can purchase health care insurance for their children, even if the adults themselves don't have their own policy.

The "Child Only" program, approved by the Georgia Legislature, begins with open enrollment from Jan. 1 through Jan. 31, with coverage becoming available starting March 1, according to the Georgia Department of Insurance.

"To guarantee that children get the quality medical care they need, I encourage parents and guardians with uninsured children to consider purchasing this coverage," Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens said in a statement.

The final rules for the program were signed this week by Hudgens. They require all insurance companies that sell health care policies in Georgia to offer coverage to children ages 19 and under, even if the kids have a pre-existing condition.

The pre-existing condition clause is something that President Obama's health-care overhaul requires anyway, with a $63-per-person fee beginning in 2014 to fund the requirement. That fee currently is scheduled to phase out over three years unless Congress renews it.

The Georgia plan is aimed at giving parents who are unemployed or have lost their job the opportunity to maintain coverage for their children.

The Georgia Department of Insurance advises parents and guardians interested in buying the coverage to contact a health care insurance agent in their area. Those with more questions can contact the department 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1-800-656-2298.

Source: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2012/12/27/2325601/georgias-child-only-health-insurance.html

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After Newtown, Americans want their guns, with some restrictions

(Reuters) - Nearly seven in 10 Americans support the idea of placing strong or moderate limits gun ownership following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a Reuters/Ipsos poll said on Thursday.

But laws that permit citizens to carry concealed weapons or use lethal force for protection while in public were just as popular, the poll said.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll, which surveyed 1,477 Americans online between December 23 and 27, highlighted the difficulty U.S. policymakers face in devising ways to curb gun violence: gun control laws enjoy fervent support in the abstract, but laws preserving specific gun ownership privileges are also well liked.

The poll results come roughly two weeks after police say 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, using a semi-automatic weapon to kill 20 first graders and six school staff members. Ahead of the rampage, he had killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, in their home five miles away. Lanza killed himself as police arrived at the school.

It was the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history after the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia, which left 32 dead.

The Reuters/Ipsos survey found that 48 percent of respondents agreed that "gun ownership should have strong regulations or restrictions." Meanwhile, 69 percent and 68 percent either strongly supported or somewhat supported laws allowing law-abiding citizens to get a concealed-weapon permit and "laws allowing citizens to use deadly force to protect themselves from danger in public places," respectively.

Some restrictions on gun ownership enjoyed even more support than concealed carry rights. Nearly nine in 10 Americans favored laws requiring background checks before someone purchases a gun, and just over seven in 10 favored limits on the number of guns someone could purchase in a particular time frame.

But nearly four in 10 Americans said they supported allowing law-abiding citizens to bring a firearm into a "church, workplace, or retail establishment," according to the poll. Several states currently ban guns in such places.

An equal number said they were "very concerned" about increased purchases of semi-automatic weapons following the shooting in Connecticut, further illustrating the dissonance.

The latest poll results echoed attitudes expressed by Americans surveyed immediately after the Newtown massacre and differed sharply from Reuters/Ipsos polls conducted prior to it. The share of Americans supporting strong limits on gun ownership rose by 8 percentage points to 50 percent in the days after the shooting.

The poll's findings had a credibility interval, which is similar to a margin of error, of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

(Editing by Dan Burns and David Gregorio)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/newtown-americans-want-guns-restrictions-232939287.html

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Friday, December 28, 2012

HP Confirms Federal Investigation Of Autonomy?s Alleged Fraud In Its Annual Report

autonomyHP has confirmed that the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation stemming from the Palo Alto company's allegations that it uncovered widespread accounting fraud at Autonomy, the British software maker it acquired for $11 billion last year. HP confirmed the investigation in its annual report filed Thursday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, though it offered no further details about the alleged fraud:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/l-DWRx-WW2Q/

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Hybrid and electric car sales jump 73 percent in 2012

US sales of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric cars should reach 440,000 units in 2012 ? a 73% improvement over 2011 ? according to?market research firm Mintel.

By Richard Read,?Guest blogger / December 28, 2012

A row of 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles sit for sale in the car lot at the Toyota dealership in El Cajon, Calif., in this March 2010 file photo. Younger people are especially inclined to purchase hybrid and electric vehicles, Read writes.

Mike Blake/Reuters/File

Enlarge

Eco-minded shoppers have seen environmental issues take up more space in the news, and they've known that it was simply a matter of time before those concerns began affecting the sorts of vehicles we drive. Now, mainstream consumers are?beginning to see the light.?

Skip to next paragraph GreenCarReports

The website focuses on the auto industry?s future, the evolution of cars beyond fossil fuels, and the green movement's relevance to car shoppers today. For more stories on green cars, click here.

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The change hasn't come overnight. Though the first hybrids debuted in the late 1990s, it's taken the public a while to warm up to?green?vehicles. The delay can be attributed to the higher cost of those cars, fear of the technology, and dozens of other factors.

According to market research firm Mintel, however, a shift is underway. Mintel says that U.S. sales of?hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric cars should reach?440,000 units in 2012 -- a 73% improvement over 2011.?

That's in keeping with the strong sales figures we've noted here. Alternative-fuel vehicles are?flying off the lots, and even with?a dip in November sales, automakers stand to move 50,000 electric?cars?this year.?

Obama's controversial EPA administrator Jackson announces resignation

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Obama administration's chief environmental watchdog, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, is stepping down after a nearly four-year tenure marked by high-profile brawls over global warming pollution, the Keystone XL oil pipeline, new controls on coal-fired plants and several other hot-button issues that affect the nation's economy and people's health.

Jackson, the agency's first black administrator, constantly found herself caught between administration pledges to solve controversial environmental problems and steady resistance from Republicans and industrial groups who complained that the agency's rules destroyed jobs and made it harder for American companies to compete internationally.

The GOP chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Fred Upton, said last year that Jackson would need her own parking spot at the Capitol because he planned to bring her in so frequently for questioning. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney called for her firing, a stance that had little downside during the GOP primary.

Jackson, 50, a chemical engineer by training, did not point to any particular reason for her departure. Historically, Cabinet members looking to move on will leave at the beginning of a president's second term.

"I will leave the EPA confident the ship is sailing in the right direction, and ready in my own life for new challenges, time with my family and new opportunities to make a difference," she said in a statement. Jackson gave no exact date for her departure, but will leave after Obama's State of the Union address in late January.

In a separate statement, Obama said Jackson has been "an important part of my team." He thanked her for serving and praised her "unwavering commitment" to the public's health.

"Under her leadership, the EPA has taken sensible and important steps to protect the air we breathe and the water we drink, including implementing the first national standard for harmful mercury pollution, taking important action to combat climate change under the Clean Air Act and playing a key role in establishing historic fuel economy standards that will save the average American family thousands of dollars at the pump, while also slashing carbon pollution."

Environmental groups had high expectations for the Obama administration after eight years of President George W. Bush, a Texas oilman who rebuffed the agency's scientists and refused to take action on climate change. Jackson came into office promising a more active EPA.

But she soon learned that changes would not occur as quickly as she had hoped. Jackson watched as a Democratic-led effort to reduce global warming emissions passed the House in 2009 but was abandoned by the Senate as economic concerns became the priority. The concept behind the bill, referred to as cap-and-trade, would have set up a system in which power companies bought and sold pollution rights.

"That's a revolutionary message for our country," Jackson said at a Paris conference a few months after taking the job.

Jackson experienced another big setback last year when the administration scrubbed a clean-air regulation aimed at reducing health-threatening smog. Republican lawmakers had been hammering the president over the proposed rule, accusing his administration of making it harder for companies to create jobs.

She also vowed to better control toxic coal ash after a massive spill in Tennessee, but that regulation has yet to be finalized more than four years after the spill.

Jackson had some victories, too. During her tenure, the administration finalized a new rule doubling fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks. The requirements will be phased in over 13 years and eventually require all new vehicles to average 54.5 mpg, up from 28.6 mpg at the end of last year.

She shepherded another rule that forces power plants to control mercury and other toxic pollutants for the first time. Previously, the nation's coal- and oil-fired power plants had been allowed to run without addressing their full environmental and public health costs.

Jackson also helped persuade the administration to table the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, which would have brought carbon-heavy tar sands oil from Canada to refineries in Texas.

House Republicans dedicated much of their time this past election year trying to rein in the EPA. They passed a bill seeking to thwart regulation of the coal industry and quash the stricter fuel efficiency standards. In the end, though, the bill made no headway in the Senate. It served mostly as election-year fodder that appeared to have little impact on the presidential election.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/epa-administrator-jackson-announces-resignation-150922263.html

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Sudan's Bashir dances at first rally since surgery

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir danced, waved his walking stick and delivered a defiant speech on Thursday at his first rally since undergoing surgery in Saudi Arabia and withstanding what officials called an attempted coup.

Diplomats and Sudanese bloggers have speculated about the 68-year-old veteran leader's health after he appeared less frequently in public in recent months.

He did not attend an economic conference in Khartoum on November 27, the kind of event he has used in the past to attack a U.S. trade embargo on the country.

On Thursday, Bashir opened a new oilfield in western Sudan which the government hopes will mitigate the loss of crucial oil reserves since South Sudan seceded last year.

"To the enemies of Sudan who said that Sudan would collapse after the loss of oil to the South, we say our livelihood does not come from America or Israel or Europe but from God," he told thousands of cheering people gathered at the Hadida oilfield in the Darfur region.

Over his 23 years in power, Bashir has weathered armed rebellions, soaring inflation, years of U.S. trade sanctions, an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court and student protests as well as the secession of the south last year.

He has faced popular discontent over an economic crisis and divisions within his ruling circle. The government arrested former spy chief Salah Gosh and twelve others last month, accusing them of trying to stage a coup.

He had an operation on his vocal cords in Qatar in August and went to Saudi Arabia in November for what officials described as minor surgery.

The televised speech on Thursday lasted less than ten minutes, shorter than previous ones, but Bashir also performed his trademark celebratory dance for the first time in several months.

He did not refer directly to the alleged coup attempt.

"Let's leave the conflicts and problems because conflicts only make our enemies stronger... Let's sit down together and solve all problems," said Bashir.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sudans-bashir-dances-first-rally-since-surgery-130330598.html

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Getting to Know You: Why Personalization is the ... - Kobie Marketing

?

The second in Kobie?s end-of-year predictions (big data, personalization, mobile, and channel convergence) got me thinking about The King and I, the famous Rodgers and Hammerstein musical and its iconic song.

For those of you who don?t know it, the chorus goes like this:

?

Getting to know you,
Getting to know all about you.
Getting to like you,
Getting to hope you like me.

It?s amazing that these 20 words, written in 1951, do a better job encapsulating the goal of personalization and loyalty?s essence than many conference sessions I?ve attended or articles I?ve read. Kudos to simplicity.

The Loyalty Show Must Go On

In 2013 greater personalization will become critical because that?s what consumers have always wanted and, more accurately, yearned for since the early information age when consumers became numbers to be crunched rather than names with histories to be learned. Now, thanks to the proliferation of smart mobile devices, the Big Data they accumulate and the granular consumer information they turn into actionable engagement, personalization is up for revival.

As in any good show there are at least two acts, in this case it?s ?Personalization 1.0? and ?Personalization 2.0,? And both could use a few more ?dress rehearsals? before the New Year stops feeling, well, so new.

Personalization 1.0 speaks to the need for personalized SMS, emails or even web landing pages. Think about The Weather Channel app and its homepage. Type in your zip code and not only will you get a region-specific graphical forecast, complete with a current conditions skyscape, you?ll see corresponding videos too. Netflix is another company that tailors its mobile web and app landing pages to the individual?s specific movie and genre interests. Although this seems like ?personalization 1.0,? many brands are still missing opportunities to tailor their customers? experience in even these relatively simple and straightforward ways.

Standing O For the Second Act

Beyond personalized SMS and emails, look to personalize, in real time, ?consumer-facing touch points that integrate further with social media through emerging tools like gamification and augmented reality (AR) ? an increasingly popular technology which pulls digital information from web-based sources. That includes sites like Google Maps and social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook. AR superimposes that data on real-time images of physical world objects such as restaurants (so consumers can browse menus simply by pointing their smartphones at the buildings), hotels, retail stores, airports, etc. While it?s still a technology looking to fully hit its stride, the recent turnaround in mainstream media is particularly exciting. Juniper research already predicts AR apps will generate $300 million in global revenue in 2013. Not bad for a technology that was largely dismissed during most of 2012.

The bottom line is that consumers want their brand interaction to be personal, genuine and on their channel(s) of choice ? whatever, whenever and wherever they may be. They don?t just want personalization 1.0. They?re yearning for something better. They want a loyalty marketing and customer reward program that has a King and I effect: an experience to be enjoyed time and time again ? and in multiple channels.

For The King and I, that meant Broadway revivals, new casts and a major motion picture. For rewards programs, multichannel (and omnichannel) it means smartphones, tablets, SMS, social media, kiosks, digital signage, traditional print, TV, radio and actual physical customer interaction. Great reward programs, like great performers, may alter the specifics of their delivery. But the basics of what underlies their continued success must remain consistent.

So think about the ?getting to know you? chorus. Simple words but profound enough for every loyalty program manager. And please check back in a few days for the next in our 2013 predictions. We?ll be looking at mobile trends and how our ever-smarter smart devices are becoming their own loyalty success.

Author: Marc Glazer

Marc spearheads the Brand Experience practice at Kobie, a confluence of communications and marketing strategy experts and seasoned creative professionals. This team works with current and prospective clients on program branding, messaging, segmented communications and creative execution delivered across digital, social, mobile and traditional channels. He is also responsible for the continued evolution of Kobie's own brand in the loyalty marketplace.

Did you enjoy this post? You can read more of Marc's posts, view Marc's bio, or share this post with a friend:

Source: http://blog.kobie.com/2012/12/getting-to-know-you-why-personalization-is-the-linchpin-of-loyalty/

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'White Christmas': People create holiday magic for others

The movie 'White Christmas' isn't just a holiday classic because Bing Crosby croons that title song. Check it out for an example of a holiday movie with no supernatural elements, no sudden miracles ? just people making something kind of magic happen for others.

By Molly Driscoll,?Staff Writer / December 25, 2012

'White Christmas' stars Bing Crosby (l.) and Danny Kaye (r.).

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Don?t get me wrong: I?m a big fan of holiday magic.

Skip to next paragraph Molly Driscoll

Staff writer

Molly Driscoll is a Books and the Culture staff writer.

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Many classic stories feature otherworldly behavior and happenings, such as the title character flying through the air with the other reindeer in "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" or an angel coming down to Earth to help George Bailey realize he wants to live in "It?s a Wonderful Life." The holiday season, it seems, is as much about blurring the line between our world and others as it is about a pine tree or a menorah.

But in my holiday movie viewing, I?m also a fan of movies where average, everyday people make something kind of special happen for others ? and that?s why I love the movie "White Christmas."

Now, I think this movie is a pretty acknowledged classic, but I also come from a family that owns the 1938 movie "Bringing Up Baby" on both VHS and DVD, so I recognize that our film preferences may run a little older than most. In case younger generations aren?t familiar with the 1954 film, "White Christmas" follows Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby, he who you have heard singing the title song on the radio a million times) and Phil Davis?(Danny Kaye), buddies who served under the same general during World War II. At the end of the war, they begin performing together in nightclubs and get fairly famous. They meet two sisters who also work in entertainment, and the four head up to Vermont to a scenic inn. But ? surprise! ? the inn is run by Bob and Phil?s old general, who?s not doing too well financially and is feeling a bit left behind by life.?

Spoilers ahead if you haven?t seen the movie??

Kindhearted Bob and Phil hatch a plan to get as much of their regiment up to the inn as possible on Christmas Eve to show the general he?s not forgotten. They manage to keep him in the dark, and ? well, try not to get a tear in your eye when the general rounds the corner and encounters a room full of men who used to be under his command and have traveled miles to see him and show him how much he meant to them. His struggle not to cry is enough to get me and most of my female relatives blubbering.

It?s a 1950s musical and there?s a lot of songs ? including the lilting lullaby "Count Your Blessings (Instead Of Sheep)" ? which I find charming and fun, but then, I?m a musical fan. If you?re not as much into the song-and-dance, go get a snack or something while Danny?s tap-dancing, because the end is worth it.

I?m all for Christmas miracles and ghosts coming back to show misers how much they?re missing in life and nutcrackers turning into fairy princes. But sometimes human-made magic is the best kind of all.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/IAiPb21z1B8/White-Christmas-People-create-holiday-magic-for-others

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