SLICE: A Slice of the Sweet Life in BHS Central ~ The Purple Doll

Being a dessert person, I just couldn't pass up the chance of trying out the nearly one year-old SLICE at Bonifacio High Street Central. So when a voucher for P500-worth of food and drinks at the dessert cafe became available at Ensogo, I just knew I have to grab the opportunity even if it means traveling all the way from the north to The Fort.

Located beside Jamba Juice in the restaurant filled-BHS Central, SLICE is a warm and inviting modern American bakery-inspired dessert shop and cafe owned by Senator Pia Cayetano. And while it's only been less than a year since SLICE welcomed its first guests, it has already been popular to dessert lovers and Bonifacio High Street goers.
After entering the cafe, of course, it was the array of muffins and cupcakes that caught our attention. And while there was an enticing selection of all-day breakfast items, appetizers and salads, sandwiches, pasta dishes and rice meals, the beau and I didn't get sidetracked. We went straight to order what we're here for -- the desserts and drinks.
For my choice of cake, I had the Double Choco Yema (P240) which is a slice of moist chocolate cake with layers of yema and decadent chocolate ganache. Dubbed as "Death by Choco Yema," this plate truly exudes a beautiful combination of chocolate and yema that even as a non-yema fan (Sorry, but I just find yema generally too sweet for my palate), I was satisfied with every forkful. So yema fans, I'm sure you'll love this!
I also got a piece of the Rocky Smores Cupcake (P60) which was moist, chocolatey and had lovely bits of chocolate pieces, marshmallows and nuts. And while this was not a hundred percent satisfactory, it was a nice partner to my hot cup of a hearty drink.
My drink for the evening was the Pinoy ChocNut (P130) -- a hot cup of chocolate and peanut butter-infused coffee served with a small bowl of granola sampler. Honestly, I'm not a super big fan of chocnut back in the day. However, this drink brought a feeling of warmth and coziness upon first sip. The coffee flavor's there, but was enveloped with the comforting taste of chocnut making it the perfect drink when you're under the weather.
The beau on the other hand, got the Turtle Pie (P220) -- a beautiful slice of praline pecan-infused chocolate mousse atop a lovely Oreo crust. To be honest, I was surprised to see how thin this slice of dessert was. However, upon our first forkful, both the beau and I agreed that this is way better than my Double Choco Yema Cake. The chocolate mousse layer in this treat was just so smooth and silky and had the perfect sweetness.
For the beau's choice of beverage, he had the Belgian Dark Choco (P150) which I believe is made from melted Belgian dark chocolates. A single sip was all I need as this drink is very thick, rich and super chocolatey like a choco dip. The beau seemed to have enjoyed it, although he generally prefers deeper, more bitter chocolate beverages.

THE VERDICT

Our trip to SLICE definitely confirmed that this cafe is popular for a reason. Their desserts are exceptional, and we really dig their drinks! I think the prices of the cakes were a little steep considering the size. Service on the other hand, was friendly and very courteous. However, it can still be improved as they seemed to have forgotten to serve the beau's beverage. (They served it fast right after we reminded them though.) Overall, we're pretty happy with our first SLICE experience, and I'm sure this won't be the last.

Taste - 4/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Service - 3.5/5
Price - 3/5
Overall Value - 4/5

SLICE, Bonifacio High Street Central
G/F Bonifacio High Street Central, West Superblock
7th Ave. cor. 29th St., Fort Bonifacio, Taguig
Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 553-7783
Official Website
Facebook Page
Twitter

Source: http://www.thepurpledoll.net/2012/12/slice-bonifacio-high-street-central.html

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Oil gains on positive US, China factory data

The price of oil rose Friday on positive signs for manufacturing in the U.S. and China.

Benchmark crude rose 76 cents to $86.65 in afternoon trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

A survey of purchasing managers showed that manufacturing activity expanded in China this month. And U.S. data showed that the nation's factories have rebounded from Superstorm Sandy. Both reports indicate that energy consumption could be on the upswing in the world's two biggest economies.

Still, traders are concerned that President Barack Obama and Republican leaders are far from reaching a deal to reduce the U.S. budget deficit before the end of the year. Without an agreement, significant tax increases and government spending cuts will automatically take effect ? posing the threat of recession.

Pump prices continue to decline. The national average for gas is now $3.29 a gallon after dropping a penny overnight.

Brent crude, used to set prices for international varieties of oil, rose $1.23 to $109.14 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other energy futures trading on Nymex:

? Heating oil rose 4 cents to $2.98 a gallon.

? Natural gas lost 3 cents to $3.32 per 1,000 cubic feet.

? Wholesale gasoline added 6 cents to $2.66 a gallon.

___

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok and Pablo Gorondi in Budapest contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oil-gains-positive-us-china-183820937.html

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Global telecom treaty without Net controls signed by 89 nations

DUBAI (Reuters) - An international telecommunications treaty signed by 89 countries out of a possible 144 on Friday will have little impact on how carriers operate or how consumers surf the web or make calls around the world when it comes into effect in 2015.

But the acrimonious debate over the treaty - and refusal of so many countries, including the United States and much of Europe, to sign up immediately - have exposed a deep split in the international community.

A U.S.-led bloc advocated a hands-off approach to the Internet, while Russia, China and much of Africa and the Middle East sought greater governmental oversight of cyberspace.

About 150 nations met in Dubai, under the auspices of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), to update a set of telecom rules dating back to 1988, before the Internet and mobile phones transformed communications. Their failure to find a consensus may herald a new fight over cyberspace.

"The world will still be around and countries will still cooperate along the lines they have done for decades," said Paul Budde, managing director of Sydney-based consultancy BuddeCom. "However, they have clearly drawn a line under how far they believe the ITU can go in relation to regulations that include the Internet."

As in a prior version, the International Telecom Regulations spell out guidelines on technical issues such as how carriers charge each other for incoming international phone calls, as well as taxation and accounting.

Countries that sign the treaty are supposed to be guided by its principles, although these have no force of law.

Users in countries that block certain content will still experience the same version of the Internet, while telecom operators will feel little impact because international call charges are decided via commercial contracts between them.

The new version added passages that became flash points: for example, four lines pushed by Russia and China on how governments should protect the security of networks.

The United States took a no-compromise position throughout negotiations, refusing to consider any references to the Internet in the treaty. Other countries instead agreed to restrict any explicit Internet provisions to a non-binding resolution that accompanies the treaty.

In the end, the debate over the Internet overshadowed all else at the summit, despite the ITU insisting that regulating cyberspace was not on the agenda.

As a result, some countries in Africa and the Middle East felt the controversy overshadowed important reforms, such as provisions to improve broadband access to landlocked and island nations, which may be weakened by fewer countries signing the treaty.

Other measures include a call for greater transparency in roaming charges, which the ITU hopes will end "bill shock", plus commitments to improve disabled access to telecom services and for governments to reduce telecom equipment waste.

A clause calling for countries to stop "unsolicited bulk electronic communications" - spam - drew the ire of the U.S. bloc, which said it could be interpreted by governments to block emails, an accusation the ITU vehemently denied.

"Whatever is in place now doesn't seem to be working and this treaty calls on governments - it's a dirty word for some, but somebody has to do it - to cooperate to see what we can do better in that area," said Richard Hill, chief counselor for International Telecommunication Union's Dubai summit.

These issues are more vital in developing countries, with other countries having already addressed them to a large extent, so richer nations had less incentive to sign the treaty.

"That's certainly the case, but it's no secret they're not signing for political reasons," added Hill.

After 12 days of rancorous, largely private negotiations, the bad feeling between the two opposing camps may take some time to ease. Delegates from the pro-treaty group accused the United States and Europe of reneging on a compromise agreement that fell apart on Thursday.

ITU officials on Friday gave an upbeat interpretation of the summit, predicting many of the countries that had yet to sign the treaty would do so once they have consulted with their respective legislatures. But the failed attempts by some member states to significantly extend the ITU's remit into the Internet have weakened the 147-year-old organization.

"The ITU won't become irrelevant but it tried to claim some of the Internet without having the mandate to do so," said a European delegate who declined to be identified. "It saw an opportunity, but both the triumph and the curse of the ITU is that it can't instigate anything, it depends on member states - some said let's expand the mandate and others said let's not."

(Additional reporting by Leila Abboud in Paris; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/global-telecom-treaty-without-net-controls-signed-89-205446748.html

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No cost Laptop Certification Education | It Trainer Tips

Pc or information know-how certification coaching can variety in expenditure from absolutely free to countless dollars and sometimes can go in to the thousands. College students of information technological innovation and laptop or computer mend want the top achievable IT certification instruction readily available for the lowest feasible charge. Selling price is vital nevertheless they Gonzalo D Stevens / Margaret I Sullivanusually do not need to sacrifice within the quality of pc certification instruction.

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Source: http://ittrainerstips.wordpress.com/2012/12/13/no-cost-laptop-certification-education/

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Defiant Boehner presses for 'fiscal cliff' cuts (Los Angeles Times)

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Restore Family Heirlooms | Napauzi

December 13, 2012 by Napauzi

If a relative bequeaths you some antique furniture, your first thought may be to sell or donate it. This could be especially true if the furniture is not your style or you think it?s old and outdated. However, you could be making a mistake, because with a little bit of tender loving care that old piece of furniture could become a beautiful addition to your home. You can find a company that does French polishing in Leeds and York, and they can refinish or restore that old piece for you and bring it back to its former glory.

Sometimes a piece just needs some cleaning and polishing to bring it back to its original, beautiful condition. In other cases a bit more work may be required. You may also feel that the piece is not your particular style or does not match your existing furniture. In this case it could be refinished and stained in a different color, or painted to match your style preferences. A furniture expert can take a look at the piece and give you advice on what could be done with the piece to make it more appealing to you.

Renovating an older piece of furniture comes with some definite advantages. The main advantage is price. New furniture can be outrageously expensive, so changing up an old piece to fit your preferences would be a budget friendly option to furnish your house in style. Also, antique furniture is almost always constructed to last generations, whereas new furniture tends to wear out after only a few years. In the long run you?d be much better off restoring a classic antique piece than continually purchasing new furniture that doesn?t last. If you restore that old hand-me-down it could conceivably last the rest of your life and you?d never have to purchase another one.

Finally, holding onto family heirlooms and keeping them in great shape gives you a piece of history that you can one day give to your own children. It would be a shame to throw away a valuable piece of family history.

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Source: http://www.napauzi.com/home/restore-family-heirlooms/

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4 Texas officers accused of helping move cocaine

McALLEN, Texas (AP) ? Federal prosecutors announced charges Thursday against four officers from a South Texas anti-drug task force who they say took thousands of dollars in bribes to guard large shipments of cocaine.

The officers ? two from the Mission police department and two Hidalgo County sheriff's deputies ? were members of the "Panama Unit," which is a joint task force between the two agencies that targets drug trafficking, according to prosecutors. Mission's police chief said one of the officers was actually part of a different task force, but a prosecutor's office official didn't immediately respond to an after-hours seeking clarification.

The case sent especially large shockwaves through the local law enforcement community because two of the officers accused are the sons of top local law enforcement officials.

None of the officers has been arraigned, but Mission police officer Alexis Rigoberto Espinoza, 29, made an initial appearance in federal court Thursday on charges of twice possessing cocaine with intent to distribute. U.S. Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos set Espinoza's bond at $100,000 and ordered him to remain under house arrest with electronic monitoring if he should make bond. She denied his request for a court-appointed attorney.

Espinoza is the son of Hidalgo Police Chief Rodolfo "Rudy" Espinoza. He did not return calls for comment and none of the charges involve his department.

Also arrested was Mission police officer Jonathan Trevino, 29, who is the son of Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino.

Two of Lupe Trevino's deputies, Fabian Rodriguez, 28, and Gerardo Duran, 30, were also charged. All three were in custody Thursday afternoon.

Jonathan Trevino's attorney did not immediately respond to a call for comment and it wasn't known if the other two had lawyers. They were expected to appear in court Friday.

"It's been devastating to our family, devastating to the organization," said Lupe Trevino, who as sheriff has accused certain state officials of making Texas' border region sound like a war zone. He said he is cooperating fully with the federal investigation and conducting his own internal review. But he added that he also has responsibilities as a father.

"I have to support my son because he is my son. But I will make sure that the right thing is being done and I'm meeting my obligations," Trevino said. "Nothing is being covered up. I'm being very open with everything."

Trevino said the FBI came to his office around 3 p.m. Wednesday to tell him two of his deputies were targets of an investigation and that his son was, as well. He said the Panama Unit was formed more than three years ago to help Mission clean up its street-level drug crime, and that he couldn't comment on the specifics of the case because it wasn't his investigation.

Federal prosecutors say the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement department that conducts internal reviews received a tip in August about Espinoza and another task force member stealing drugs. Local police are often assigned to multi-agency task forces focusing on drug interdiction. Federal investigators set up a sting.

According to prosecutors, a confidential source working for the government told Duran in September that the drug trafficking organization he was working for needed corrupt law enforcement officers to escort drug loads. On Oct. 19, Duran and another individual escorted a load of 20 kilograms of cocaine north from McAllen to the Border Patrol checkpoint in Falfurrias about an hour away. Duran was allegedly paid $4,000, they said.

The officers earned thousands of dollars more for allegedly escorting four more cocaine shipments in November that were part of the sting operation, prosecutors contend.

The complaint said all four "utilized their positions as law enforcement personnel to escort and protect loads of narcotics." Nothing in the charging documents accuses them of stealing drugs, which was the original tip.

Mission Police Chief Martin Garza said Thursday that Jonathan Trevino was the only officer from his department assigned to the Panama Unit and that Espinoza was assigned to an ICE task force that had its own supervisor.

Garza said both officers were fired Thursday. The FBI visited his office late Wednesday afternoon to advise him of their investigation and to collect documents related to it. Garza said he cooperated fully and his department would conduct its own investigation.

If the allegations against his officers are proven, Garza said cases they worked on would have to be reviewed with the district attorney. "There's going to be a domino effect," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Dallas contributed to this report.

___

Follow Chris Sherman on Twitter at https://twitter.com/chrisshermanAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/4-texas-officers-accused-helping-move-cocaine-000525174.html

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Nike+ Accelerator program to boost innovation in self-improvement

Nike announced yesterday that its first Nike+ Accelerator program targeted at companies interested in leveraging Nike+ tech like the Nike Fuel Band to explore creating mobile products or services that will inspire athletes for better fitness and healthier living.

To begin in March, Nike in association with TechStars has launched the 3 month accelerator to draw 10 organisations in an effort to develop new health and athletic mobile technology by providing them with software tools and direct interaction with tech industry mentors like Nike?s Vice President of Digital Sport Stefan Olander, TechStars founder David Cohen, and Foursquare co-founder Naveen Selvadurai.

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TechStars has successfully carried out over 15 intensive, mentor-driven, 3-month accelerator programs which has raised $275 million in venture capital for its graduates in the six years they have been using this model. They will develop the program centered around the Nike+ API and SDK (Software Development Kit) to inspire innovation ?across a broad range of activity and health goals including training, coaching, gaming, data visualization and quantified self.?

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Nike is accepting applications for the accelerator program now, with the course intended to run ?from March until June. Upon completion of ?the program, graduates will be able to showcase their Nike+-inspired tech to investors, and will also get to spend 2 days ?in the field?- one day at Nike?s World Headquarters in Portland, Oregon, and another in Silicon Valley.

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Nike+ creates athletic fitness hardware and software for self-enrichment purposes, like the Fuel Band, Nike Sportwatch GPS, and the Nike+ fitness tracker app for iOS and Android. Products conceptualised at this accelerator will have a similar focus sports, coaching, and exercise.

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Source: http://www.mobile88.com/news/read.asp?file=/2012/12/11/20121211111802&phone=nike-nike+-accelerator-techstars

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Report: 2011 Record year for elephant poaching

UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? Elephant and Rhino poaching surged to record levels in 2011 and an increase in illegal tiger hunting makes the species' extinction a real near-term threat with only about 3,200 of the big cats left in the wild, according to a report commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund.

The report, launched Wednesday, found that illicit trade in wildlife is worth at least $19 billion a year with organized criminals viewing it as high profit and low risk because governments don't give it a high enough priority and haven't implemented an effective response.

Germany's U.N. Ambassador Peter Wittig, who hosted the launch, said strong demand and high prices for rhino horn and elephant ivory in particular have spurred poaching, which is an organized crime.

"2011 was the highest year on record for elephant poaching: ivory estimated to weigh more than 23 metric tons ? a figure that represents 2,500 elephants ? was confiscated in 2011," Wittig said. "And the illegal poaching of rhinos surged to a record high in 2011, with a final death toll of 448 rhinos in southern Africa alone."

He said this trend continued in 2012, with ivory prices up to $1,000 a pound and rhino horns up to approximately $30,000 per pound.

Wittig stressed that it isn't only rhinos and elephants that are at risk.

"There may be as few as 3,200 wild tigers left in the world ? and the increase in poaching makes extinction of tiger species a very real threat," he said.

According to the report, although illicit wildlife trafficking has a well-documented link to other forms of illegal trafficking, the financing of rebel groups, corruption and money laundering, "the issue is primarily seen as an environmental issue, which puts it low on governments' agendas."

They also called for governments to be held accountable for enforcing regulations on wildlife, including imposing sanctions where necessary, and a campaign to reduce demand for endangered species.

The World Wildlife Fund, known as WWF, and TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, called on governments to recognize the threat to their sovereignty posed by illegal wildlife trafficking and treat the crime "equally and in coordination with efforts to halt other forms of illegal trafficking, corruption and money laundering."

"Wildlife crime has escalated alarmingly in the past decade," said Jim Leape, director general of WWF International. "It is driven by global crime syndicates, and so we need a concentrated global response."

He said communities, often the world's poorest, lose the most from the illicit trade because families that depend on natural resources are losing their livelihoods while criminal gangs and corrupt officials rake in profits.

The report was produced for WWF by Dalberg Global Development Advisors, a strategic consulting firm that says it "works to raise living standards in developing countries and address global issues such as climate change."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-2011-record-elephant-poaching-034059121.html

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New method to understand superconductors

Dec. 12, 2012 ? Researchers at The Open University have devised a new method to understand the processes that happen when atoms cool which could lead to new materials for superconducting power grids and widespread use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

In a paper, "Bilayers of Rydberg atoms as a quantum simulator for unconventional superconductors" just published in Physical Review Letters, Dr Jim Hague and Dr Calum McCormick at The Open University's Department of Physical Sciences describe a new method to understand the cooling of atoms, which is to simulate a superconductor using a "quantum simulator" (a kind of bespoke quantum computer for examining specific problems) rather than a supercomputer.

The researchers found that just such a simulator can be built to examine atoms cooled to just a millionth of a degree above absolute zero. The atoms are controlled using laser beams which enhance the electrical forces between the atoms, which are usually weak and unimportant. These forces mimic the physics of the superconductor, and the proposed simulator includes far more physical detail than ever before.

"The problem is that up to now nobody knew how to build such a material because physics of the best superconductors are extremely difficult to understand," said Dr Hague. "By studying the atoms in the quantum simulator, we expect that it will be possible to make major progress in unravelling the underlying theory of these fascinating materials. A superconductor (a material with no electrical resistance) operating close to room temperature would offer potentially revolutionary technology."

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Journal Reference:

1. J. Hague, C. MacCormick. Bilayers of Rydberg Atoms as a Quantum Simulator for Unconventional Superconductors. Physical Review Letters, 2012; 109 (22) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.223001

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/physics/~3/V7M0RGpPblQ/121212111017.htm

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Automated design for drug discovery

Public release date: 12-Dec-2012
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Contact: Roddy Isles
r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
44-013-823-84910
University of Dundee

A system of 'automated design' for new drugs could help develop the complex therapies needed for many medical conditions while also improving drug safety and efficiency, new research from the University of Dundee has shown.

The 'Moneyball' approach taken by the research team utilises the principles of advanced statistical and data analysis which have seen to be increasingly influential in areas as varied as sport, finance and in forecasting the recent US Presidential election.

As more complex drugs are needed to treat more complicated problems - particularly in areas such as neuroscience, infectious diseases and cancer - the task facing biologists and chemists is daunting. However, researchers at the College of Life Sciences at Dundee, in collaboration with partners in North America, have shown that an automated computational process analysing huge amounts of existing data could provide a valuable new tool in drug discovery.

The innovative approach taken by the research team mimics the creative process of human chemists, where drug molecules are steadily improved through successive cycles of design and selection.

"One of the things that makes drug discovery so hard is that you're trying to improve several different properties at the same time," said Professor Andrew Hopkins, Chair of Medicinal Informatics at Dundee. "Evolution is a mechanism than can be applied to solving these kinds of optimisation problems, and the iterative process of adaption and selection of hundreds of thousand of possible solutions can be simulated in a computer.

"We have effectively proved the concept of automated design of new compounds, showing that by using algorithms to process massive amounts of data we can tackle problems of huge complexity. The system solves the design problem by using computational evolution to mimic the design process of human chemists but running it on a very large scale."

The research is published in the journal Nature. The research team's work is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Drugs have to be able to deliver their primary effects and not present adverse side effects or toxicity that render them unsafe. But for complex conditions drugs also have to be designed to hit multiple targets. Designing drugs to this kind of multi-target profile is a complex and exceedingly difficult task for medicinal chemistry.

Professor Hopkins and colleagues developed an automated adaptive design approach that can mimic the creative, iterative process of medicinal chemists by using computational evolution of large numbers of compounds. They initially used it to look at an existing drug, Donepezil, which is used in treating Alzheimer's Disease.

"Professor Sir James Black, the Nobel Laureate and former Chancellor of the University, proposed that 'the most fruitful basis for the discovery of a new drug is to start with an old drug' and we followed that advice," said Professor Hopkins.

"We took the structure of Donepezil as a starting point and from there the system evolved its structure, computationally, over many generations to a variety of different profiles across a range of drug targets. The predicted profiles were then tested experimentally and we found that 75% of them were confirmed to be correct.

"This proof of concept shows that we could make significant advances in discovering and designing complex drugs, which could lead to improvements in safety and efficacy, while also potentially reducing the cost of drug discovery, which is a high-risk and expensive process."

Professor Hopkins said improvements in data capture and management were key to developing the research.

"Just a few years ago this would not have been possible because we need the existing drug data to build on and it was not held in a way that it could be analysed like this. But there have been significant developments, aided by groups like ChEMBL in Cambridge, who are funded by The Wellcome Trust, in making drug design data available in a format computers can process. What we have found particularly exciting is the way the algorithm has been able to learn from the human experience of drug design and mimic it on a massive scale to solve complex design problems."

This phenomenon is reflected in the name of a new spin out company which has been formed to commercialise the technology ex scientia which is the Latin for "from knowledge".

###

Roddy Isles
Head of Press
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN.
TEL: 01382 384910
MOBILE: 07800 581902
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk

UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE - No. 1 IN THE UK, TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENT EXPERIENCE SURVEY 2012

The University of Dundee is a Scottish Registered Charity, No. SC015096

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Public release date: 12-Dec-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Roddy Isles
r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
44-013-823-84910
University of Dundee

A system of 'automated design' for new drugs could help develop the complex therapies needed for many medical conditions while also improving drug safety and efficiency, new research from the University of Dundee has shown.

The 'Moneyball' approach taken by the research team utilises the principles of advanced statistical and data analysis which have seen to be increasingly influential in areas as varied as sport, finance and in forecasting the recent US Presidential election.

As more complex drugs are needed to treat more complicated problems - particularly in areas such as neuroscience, infectious diseases and cancer - the task facing biologists and chemists is daunting. However, researchers at the College of Life Sciences at Dundee, in collaboration with partners in North America, have shown that an automated computational process analysing huge amounts of existing data could provide a valuable new tool in drug discovery.

The innovative approach taken by the research team mimics the creative process of human chemists, where drug molecules are steadily improved through successive cycles of design and selection.

"One of the things that makes drug discovery so hard is that you're trying to improve several different properties at the same time," said Professor Andrew Hopkins, Chair of Medicinal Informatics at Dundee. "Evolution is a mechanism than can be applied to solving these kinds of optimisation problems, and the iterative process of adaption and selection of hundreds of thousand of possible solutions can be simulated in a computer.

"We have effectively proved the concept of automated design of new compounds, showing that by using algorithms to process massive amounts of data we can tackle problems of huge complexity. The system solves the design problem by using computational evolution to mimic the design process of human chemists but running it on a very large scale."

The research is published in the journal Nature. The research team's work is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Drugs have to be able to deliver their primary effects and not present adverse side effects or toxicity that render them unsafe. But for complex conditions drugs also have to be designed to hit multiple targets. Designing drugs to this kind of multi-target profile is a complex and exceedingly difficult task for medicinal chemistry.

Professor Hopkins and colleagues developed an automated adaptive design approach that can mimic the creative, iterative process of medicinal chemists by using computational evolution of large numbers of compounds. They initially used it to look at an existing drug, Donepezil, which is used in treating Alzheimer's Disease.

"Professor Sir James Black, the Nobel Laureate and former Chancellor of the University, proposed that 'the most fruitful basis for the discovery of a new drug is to start with an old drug' and we followed that advice," said Professor Hopkins.

"We took the structure of Donepezil as a starting point and from there the system evolved its structure, computationally, over many generations to a variety of different profiles across a range of drug targets. The predicted profiles were then tested experimentally and we found that 75% of them were confirmed to be correct.

"This proof of concept shows that we could make significant advances in discovering and designing complex drugs, which could lead to improvements in safety and efficacy, while also potentially reducing the cost of drug discovery, which is a high-risk and expensive process."

Professor Hopkins said improvements in data capture and management were key to developing the research.

"Just a few years ago this would not have been possible because we need the existing drug data to build on and it was not held in a way that it could be analysed like this. But there have been significant developments, aided by groups like ChEMBL in Cambridge, who are funded by The Wellcome Trust, in making drug design data available in a format computers can process. What we have found particularly exciting is the way the algorithm has been able to learn from the human experience of drug design and mimic it on a massive scale to solve complex design problems."

This phenomenon is reflected in the name of a new spin out company which has been formed to commercialise the technology ex scientia which is the Latin for "from knowledge".

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Roddy Isles
Head of Press
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN.
TEL: 01382 384910
MOBILE: 07800 581902
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk

UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE - No. 1 IN THE UK, TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENT EXPERIENCE SURVEY 2012

The University of Dundee is a Scottish Registered Charity, No. SC015096

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-12/uod-adf121112.php

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Rays, Royals Trade: James Shields, Wade Davis Shipped To Kansas City In Blockbuster Deal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. ? The Kansas City Royals acquired former All-Star James Shields and fellow right-hander Wade Davis from the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday night for outfielder Wil Myers and a package of minor league prospects.

Kansas City has been working all offseason to shore up a starting rotation that has been abysmal for years, re-signing Jeremy Guthrie and acquiring Ervin Santana from the Los Angeles Angels. But the trade for Shields and Davis represents the most aggressive move yet under general manager Dayton Moore, who believes the Royals are primed to contend as early as this season.

"We have to start winning games at the major league level, and the way you develop a winning culture is by winning major league games," Moore said. "It's time for us to start winning at the major league level."

The blockbuster deal essentially means the Royals are mortgaging part of their future to start winning in the present.

Along with giving up Myers, widely voted the minor leagues' top player last season, the Royals also traded away right-hander Jake Odorizzi, who would have competed for a spot in the Kansas City rotation this season. Left-hander Mike Montgomery and third baseman Patrick Leonard also are headed to the Rays, while the Royals will receive a player to be named or cash.

"When you can acquire a pitcher like James Shields and Wade Davis, we have to do it, because that's what we've committed to our team ? we've committed to our organization," Moore said. "It's important that we start winning games."

Shields was an All-Star two years ago for Tampa Bay, when he went 16-12 with a 2.82 ERA and finished third in the American League Cy Young Award voting. He was 15-10 with a 3.52 ERA in 33 starts last season, when he pitched 227 2-3 innings.

The only other pitchers to log at least 200 innings in six straight seasons are the Jays' Mark Buehrle, San Francisco's Matt Cain, Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia and the Tigers ace Justin Verlander.

Davis made 64 starts for Tampa Bay from 2009-11 before transitioning to the bullpen last season, where he went 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA. He'll likely get a look at returning to the rotation in Kansas City.

The jewel of the deal for Tampa Bay is Myers, who will turn 22 on Monday. The power-hitting outfielder batted .314 with 37 homers and 109 RBIs in 134 games split between Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha, and eventually could help provide some protection in the batting order for Rays star Evan Longoria.

Odorizzi was 15-5 with a 3.03 ERA for Northwest Arkansas and Omaha before making two starts for the Royals in September, while Montgomery ? once a highly prized prospect ? struggled to a 5-12 mark with a 6.07 ERA at the same two stops.

"It's not easy to give up prospects," Moore said. "What we do is just focus on making our team the very best we can. We focus on making our team the best we can make it, and let (manager) Ned (Yost) and the coaching staff and the rest of the players go out and compete, and see how we match up."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/09/rays-royals-trade-james-shields-wade-davis-deal_n_2269041.html

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Vocabulary Test Results Show Top U.S. Students Losing Ground, Others Stagnate

If you can identify the meaning of the word "prospered" within a passage, chances are you know more vocabulary than most American high school seniors.

The results of the national standardized vocabulary tests are in, and the scores are troubling -- but not unexpected -- experts say. Average performance on the U.S. Education Department's national exams was mostly stagnant at low levels between 2009 and 2011, and the highest performers lost ground during that time.

"We should be worried about this," said Cornelia Orr, executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board. "It's not any more of a crisis than we've been seeing in reading."

On Thursday, the National Center for Education Statistics, the U.S. Education Department's research arm, released the vocabulary scores for fourth- and eighth-grade students on the 2009 and 2011 reading comprehension exams administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. This is the first time the results of a separate scale for vocabulary questions on the national reading comprehension test have been released. NAEP is considered the "gold standard" of standardized testing, since stakes are low for children and since the tests are designed by the federal government, which has no skin in the game in terms of how states perform. (The release also included 12th grade scores for only 2009, since that exam is only given every four years).

On average, fourth-graders scored 218 out of a total of 500 points, and eighth-graders scored 265. The top-performing fourth-graders (in the 90th percentile) only netted a 266; in eighth-grade, these students got a 311; and in 12th grade, they scored at 334.

"There is the expectation that students would know all of the words that were assessed," Orr said. "The lower the percentage of students who get these questions correct means they do not know enough."

Fourth-graders were tested on words like created, spread, clenched, outraged, puzzled and striking. Eighth-graders were expected to know anecdotes, edible, replicate, specialty, laden and permeated. High school seniors were asked about prospered, capitalize, articulate, proactive, mitigate and delusion. As NCES described it, these words are used in written language across a variety of content areas.

The results are particularly concerning, some say, as most states begin implementing the Common Core standards in language arts. The learning standards represent higher goals for what kids should know, and are supposed to result in a sustained focus on less material (rather than a general focus on too much material). The standards also push a significant amount of early reading of informational texts. "What's troubling is that we haven't moved the needle more on vocabulary," said Sharon Darling, president of the National Center for Family Literacy. "With the upcoming Common Core standards, it's going to be a steep hill to climb."

The results are also vexing because early vocabulary skills have long been a divider between rich and poor kids before they even step foot in the classroom: a seminal study in 1995 found that children whose families were on welfare heard on average 616 words per hour, while children from wealthier families heard 2,153 words per hour. These results, Darling said, have been shown to last into adulthood.

And apparently, schools aren't helping to narrow that gap. "There's quite a bit written on vocabulary and the best way to teach it -- unfortunately we're not seeing it go into the classroom," said Margaret McKeown, a learning research professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. "For the younger kids, teachers are using as vocabulary words words that kids already know."

While eighth-graders who performed at lower levels than their peers in 2009 scored higher in 2011, fourth- and eighth-graders at the top of the performance curve actually scored lower in 2011 than in 2009. Top scores in fourth grade declined from 269 to 266, and from 314 to 311 in eighth grade. "We're losing at the top," said Mark Schneider, the former NCES commissioner who is now a vice president at the American Institutes of Research. "What's happened is that where there's been changing in scores, it's gone down at the two top tiers. It's very disappointing because we're not getting the kinds of gains we need at the top in a global economy."

The exams didn't test for rote definitions, instead checking to see if students understood words' meanings within passages. NCES designed the vocabulary scoring to be compatible with overall reading scores, and found the two to be closely linked. NCES commissioner Jack Buckley said a significant amount of the variance in reading scores can be attributed to differences in vocabulary abilities. That's important because historically, while students have gained in math over time, reading scores have been notoriously flat and hard to change. "We know how to teach math -- it's a school-based skill," Schneider said. "We've had a really hard time in trying to teach language arts, because vocabulary and reading are things that are wired into students before they even set foot into a classroom."

Darling said the results underscore a need for more emphasis on making sure kids learn vocabulary at home. "We need to look outside what teachers can do and look at out-of-school time in a new way," she said. "We need to look at activities that are fun and engaging."

While it's hard to interpret trends between only two administrations of one test, researchers point out that only in Pennsylvania did fourth-grade students score higher in 2011 than in 2009. Overall, most states stagnated, but average students in Arkansas, Indiana and Iowa did worse in 2011 than in 2009.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/06/vocabulary-test-results-us_n_2249647.html

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Matt Crowe - Founder and CEO of AHHHA

Plain and simple: execute, execute, execute. And work my ass off doing whatever it takes to get the job done.

Since establishing his first business at age 16, Matt?s journey as an entrepreneur has led to a variety of successful business endeavors in an assortment of industries. In 2011, he founded AHHHA, an online platform that facilitates collaboration between innovators and trendsetters. AHHHA allows people with creative ideas to share their thoughts and receive insight from other collaborators on the web in order to turn the a concept into an executable product, business, or social movement. Visitors can stake their claim to in a new idea or provide other users with feedback and comments to improve their innovation, with the overarching goal being to produce tangible products and services. He calls it ?social ideation,? as opposed to social media or networking.

As the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AHHHA, Matt Crowe has maintained intimate involvement through all stages of the business? development, from writing the algorithms and developing the technology for the platform, to recruiting advisors, investors, developers, and other talented partners. Matt has been featured on CNN, Forbes, The New York Times, BBC, and Entrepreneur Magazine and he tries to keep an active voice in the entrepreneurial and personal development scene nationally and continue to write, speak, and motivate others from my his philosophical approach to business and life.

What are you working on right now?

Building AHHHA:, the product, team building, fundraising, coordinating university research studies, traveling to meet with partners, speaking events, hustling, innovating, creating, working closely with my team and ultimately trying to change the world with our Social Ideation platform?one idea at a time. It?s more than a full time job ? I live and breathe the brand as the Founder and CEO.

Where did the idea for AHHHA come from?

After years of struggling being an innovator and person having ideas all the time, and not being part?of the ?lucky sperm club? ? I realized that for myself and others, the reality of successfully turning an idea successfully into a product, company, or service is nearly impossible without the right resources, tools, connections and money. I simply wanted to make it easier for the average everyday person to bring their ideas to life. I saw truly great ideas not getting off the ground because they lacked those resources and didn?t think that was right or fair. Ultimately I?m working to democratize the process.

What does your typical day look like?

I get up in the morning without an alarm clock, check emails, Facebook, news, ?meditate, exercise, shower, get into office (which is no joke a real Silicon Valley startup garage). I have between 300-400 emails per day and, a distributed team of people all over the world working all over the world on AHHHA. I check in with my team, go to meetings, eat lunch, spend the afternoon responding to emails and working on random crap -sometimes an afternoon siesta, then back to work for a few more hours, eat some dinner, and then back to work again until I can?t keep my eyelids open anymore?.and do it all over again the next day.

How do you bring ideas to life?

Plain and simple: execute, execute, execute. And work my ass off doing whatever it takes to get the job done.

What?s one trend that really excites you?

Online collaboration tools and the ability to connect with literally anyone /anywhere in the world. This will break open the floodgates of innovation.

What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?

To be honest I haven?t really had any jobs that I?d consider my ?worst job? ? and have done?a lot of nasty jobs when I was younger ?- from construction to interior demolition to working in a restaurant as a bus boy. All of them were dirty and nasty, but at the end of the day, someone had to do them and I made me money. I quickly learned that is was much better be the boss.

If you were to start again, what would you do differently?

I would go to Yale Undergrad and Harvard Business School.

Either that or I?d be a chef.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Don?t ever quit. Ever. Not matter what people say, or how hard it is or how tired and, worn out you are ? never ever ever ever give up. People will always try to bring you down to their level and will tell you all the reasons why you can?t or shouldn?t simply because that?s what ?they? would do. There is no greater glory in the world that proving people wrong when all the odds were are against you.

What is one problem you encountered as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Investors are like lemmings, and most of them aren?t nearly as smart as they try to shout the world pretend they ar- especially VCs. Weeding out the jerks with egoss the size of Oklahoma and finding the right financial partners for long term success takes a lot of time, and trial, and and error. It?s and very similar to dating, since ultimately you?re going to be married to these guys for many, many years. I think it?s really important to trust your own intuition in these scenarios, since generally speaking your gut feeling is almost always right.

What is one business idea that you?re willing to give away to our readers?

?Ideas are cheap, execution is rare.?

Business ideas are easy to come by and simply solutions to problems.any idea is simply a solution to a problem. One example is I?ve been thinking about starting a super hip wicked new restaurant chain selling only real Chicago Style Hot Dogs and Italian Beef?in California ? since there is no good food in Northern California?and everyone else I know in the my area I live are also?screaming for something truly great delicious as well.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and how would you go about it?

I?d get rid of all the douchebags ? I mean like just completely wipe them out and ship them off to Mars to fend for themselves ? like when Great Britain ?sent prisoners to Australia. The problem with people is they let their own ego get the best of them and can end up being assholes.

I also think there is far too much loneliness, sadness and depression in the world because of technology and the ?false? sense of connection. That said, people forget that what brings us together as humans is our vulnerabilities, and genuine relationships are more important than any other thing in the world ? they give life meaning, provide us with joy and love, and unforgettable experiences.

Tell us a secret.

You don?t even have to speak a single word and I can already sense everything about you. I and have an incredibly strong intuition and discernment.

What are your three favorite online tools or resources and what do you love about them?

Yammer: Lets me run my company and communicate with my team from anywhere in the world.
Google: Seriously everything ? docs, phone, emails, etc ? makes life easier.
Craigslist: I mean where else can you sell your random sh*t and have a search for missed connections all in the same place?

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Napoleon Hills? Think and Grow Rich. Because everyone has the ability to achieve any and all of the goals in life they want, and the only thing that holds them back is themselves.

Three people we should follow on Twitter and why?

@scottlazerson ? a superconnector.
@mittromney it?s an election year, and this one will determine the fate of America and it?s time to get the US back on track with a real leader.
@tonyrobbins ? he?s the very best peak performance coach and a true inspirational leader that everyone should know, follow and learn from.

When was the last time you laughed out loud? What caused it?

Driving down the road and thinking how unreal my life really is. Having gone through all of the experiences, ups and down, pain, heartache, excitement joy and that I?m still going strong!! I never thought I?d be where I am right no living in California, being the Founder of a super cool Internet startup trying to change the world.

Who is your hero?

Richard Branson. I mean, he?s?a branding genius!

Why did you choose something as hard as AHHHA to tackle??

I never wanted to do the easy things in life, and have always been driven by challenges. Ultimately true leaders and innovators can swim against the current if they truly believe in what they?re doing and use their own tenacity, passion, creativity, and perseverance to succeed.

What would you do if you no longer had to work and there were no physical or financial constraints?

I would be a motivational speaker.

Connect:

AHHHA?s Website: ahhha.com
Matt Crowe?s Website: mattcrowe.com
Matt Crowe on Twitter: twitter.com/matthewcrowe
Matt Crowe on Facebook: facebook.com/matthew.crowe1

Source: http://ideamensch.com/matt-crowe/

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IVR Process Can Challenge Sex Life | Psych Central News

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on October 31, 2012

A new study discovers that infertility treatment can negatively impact a women?s sex life. Despite the importance of sex in conceiving a child, little attention has been given to the sexual dynamics of couples as they work to overcome infertility challenges.

?Sex is for pleasure and for reproduction, but attention to pleasure often goes by the wayside for people struggling to conceive,? said Nicole Smith, a doctoral student with Indiana University?s Center for Sexual Health Promotion.

Smith is conducting the study in collaboration with Jody Lyne? Madeira, Ph.D.

?With assisted reproductive technologies (ART), couples often report that they feel like a science experiment, as hormones are administered and sex has to be planned and timed. It can become stressful and is often very unromantic and regimented; relationships are known to suffer during the process.?

Researchers say the study is one of the first in the United States to examine women?s sexual experiences while undergoing assisted reproductive technologies. Investigators used a Sexual Functioning Questionnaire to assess the impact of IVF treatment on couples? sexual experiences.

Compared to a sample of healthy women, women undergoing IVF reported significantly less sexual desire, interest in sexual activity and satisfaction with their sexual relationship. They had more difficulty with orgasm and were more likely to report sexual problems such as vaginal pain and dryness.

Experts have recognized that emotional and relationship challenges intensify as a couple?s use of ART proceeded. Attention to challenges in having sex has somehow escaped the purview of key parties.

When couples meet with their physicians, their sex life might not top the list of issues they want to discuss, either because of unease talking about the subject or simply because they have so many other important issues to discuss.

Still, Smith and Madeira say, the doctor-patient relationship is key, and couples can be told up front about the potential sexual side effects and resources that can help.

If they have issues with dryness, for example, they could be counseled on remedies such as purchasing lubricant or other sexual enhancement products. In addition to referring couples to mental health counselors, reproductive endocrinologists could also refer them to sex therapists.

?There?s just a dearth of knowledge on how infertility affects sexual behavior,? Madeira said. ?The focus is more likely to be on the social and support dimensions of the relationship, but sex is a big part of that. Just letting patients know they aren?t alone in this would be helpful.?

If more information about sexual challenges becomes available, couples might find it on their own.

?Women interested in ART are generally well-educated and tend to spend time researching these issues,? Madeira said. ?They would be very responsive to this information, and proactive.?

The study involved 270 women who completed an online questionnaire; interviews with 127 men and women using IVF to try to conceive; and interviews with 70 professionals, including physicians, nurses, mental health experts and other providers who work directly with patients.

IVF is a procedure in which mature eggs are retrieved from a woman?s ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab, forming embryos. The embryo(s) are then implanted in the woman?s uterus. It is considered an effective procedure but one that is used after couples try several other less invasive procedures.

By the time couples begin IVF, they might have been trying to conceive for many years. Nine percent of the women in their study had been through five IVF cycles, which could take at least a year.

Here are some of their other findings:

• Women who reported being sexually active with a partner in the past month also were more likely to engage in masturbation and report fewer sexual problems;
• The women reported similar problems with sexual function regardless of the type or source of infertility involved: male factor, female factor, or both male and female factor;
• Hormonal treatments used in assisted reproductive technologies likely affect women?s sexual experiences and pain, but these effects are not as well understood and receive less priority than other conditions, such as heart disease and cancer.

Source: Indiana University

APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2012). IVR Process Can Challenge Sex Life. Psych Central. Retrieved on October 31, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/10/31/ivr-process-can-challenge-sex-life/46923.html

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Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/10/31/ivr-process-can-challenge-sex-life/46923.html

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Wireless Computers: Formerly A Luxury, Now A ... - Retirement Homes

It?s sometimes easy to forget how much technology has changed in the last 10 years. Personally, I grew up with a generation that had Internet access from the moment it was available to everyone, nearly 2/3 of my life. At the beginning, getting online was much different. Our family computer was a $3000, large and bulky, tan colored machine that had its own room in our house. It used a loud modem to connect to the only phone line we had, which meant no one could make a call while the Internet was in use.

Today, getting online is easier and more convenient than ever before. With the introduction of WIFI, which is the name commonly given to the concept of connecting to the Internet with a device wirelessly using radio waves, everything changed. Our computers (laptops) got smaller and more powerful, which promoted using these tools in a more mobile way. We were no longer forced to sit in our computer rooms anymore. We had the freedom to sit on the couch and check our email, or watch a cooking tutorial while preparing dinner in the kitchen. WIFI made it possible for the Internet to be available to everyone virtually anywhere. What a game changer!

Connecting to the Internet using WIFI is also the technology that makes new gadgets such as tablets, smart phones, and new laptops possible, as these devices do not have another means to get online. So, when you walk around your retirement home sharing photos of your grandchildren on Facebook with your neighbors, imagine trying to do the same with a long wire attached to the wall. It would actually seem ridiculous. Future technologies will undoubtedly all use WIFI to access the Internet. Wires will soon be a thing of the past.

Because WIFI is so common, it?s important that everyone understands a few basic concepts about it, to use it confidently and safely. First, if you have your own WIFI connection at home, be sure to setup a WIFI password. This will ensure that only the people who know your password can get access to you WIFI connection. Second, when using public WIFI, like at Starbucks or your modernized retirement home, avoid making online purchases or doing online banking. With no WIFI password, anyone could view all the activity on the public WIFI connection, which includes your credit card number and bank information. Reserve this type of online activity for at home, when you?re using a private, password protected WIFI connection.

Finally, it?s important to know how to make your WIFI connection signal as strong as possible, so your Internet loads quickly. Be sure to have the WIFI router (electronic box with an antenna that transmits wireless radio waves) at a high elevation, wherever it?s setup. Also, keep it away from other electronic devices. This will help create a wide open area for the WIFI Internet connection to be projected and will decrease the amount of electronic interference other technologies might create.

Have fun out there in our WIFI enabled world. Just imagine when entire cities offer free WIFI to everyone?wow! WIFI truly is a technology for seniors.

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Australia's Sermanni hired as new US women's coach

FILE - In this July 6, 2011, file photo, Australia head coach Tom Sermanni smiles prior to their group D match against Norway at the Women?s Soccer World Cup in Leverkusen, Germany. Sermanni was hired Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, to replace Pia Sundhage, who led the United States women's soccer team to back-to-back Olympic gold medals and their first World Cup final in 12 years. Sermanni has spent the last eight years as Australia's coach, taking the Matildas to the quarterfinals of the last two Women's World Cups. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

FILE - In this July 6, 2011, file photo, Australia head coach Tom Sermanni smiles prior to their group D match against Norway at the Women?s Soccer World Cup in Leverkusen, Germany. Sermanni was hired Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, to replace Pia Sundhage, who led the United States women's soccer team to back-to-back Olympic gold medals and their first World Cup final in 12 years. Sermanni has spent the last eight years as Australia's coach, taking the Matildas to the quarterfinals of the last two Women's World Cups. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

CHICAGO (AP) ? When Tom Sermanni shook hands with Pia Sundhage after her last game as coach of the U.S. women's soccer team, he should have asked her for a few tips.

Sermanni was hired Tuesday to replace Sundhage, who led the Americans to back-to-back Olympic gold medals and their first World Cup final in 12 years. Sermanni has spent the last eight years as Australia's coach, taking the Matildas to the quarterfinals of the last two Women's World Cups.

"He has the knowledge, experience and vision to take on the challenge of keeping our team at the top of the world," U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said in a statement. "He has a tremendous passion for the game, knows the American players, understands our system and knows the process of preparing a team for a World Cup tournament."

Sermanni, a 58-year-old originally from Glasgow, Scotland, has spent much of the last 20 years in Australia, where he is credited with transforming the Matildas into one of the world's top programs. In addition to their quarterfinal appearances at the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, the young Australians won the 2010 Asian Women's Cup. Their runner-up finish at the same tournament in 2006 earned Sermanni Asian Football Confederation coach of the year honors.

The Australians are ninth in the world, matching their highest ranking.

Sermanni also coached Australia from 1994-97, leading the Matildas to their first appearance in a World Cup, the 1995 tournament in Sweden. He was among 10 candidates for FIFA's 2011 Women's Coach of the Year.

"Tom's legacy for Women's Football in Australia will be felt for many years to come as he has helped transform our women's national team to a very professional and competitive group of players," Ben Buckley, CEO of Football Federation Australia, said in a statement. "Tom will always be considered a close friend of Australian football no matter where he is in the world."

Sermanni was selected after a five-person search committee, which included Mia Hamm, considered more than 30 candidates. The current U.S. players said they didn't care whether the new coach was male or female, American or foreign-born, so long as the right coach was selected.

The coaches of both U.S. national teams are foreign-born, with German-born Jurgen Klinsmann, a longtime California resident, coaching the men.

"Someone who's good enough, that's all I care about," Abby Wambach said earlier this month. "Be the person who brings the World Cup back."

Sundhage was 91-6-10 in her five years with the Americans, including a 23-1-1 record this year, and the U.S. was ranked No. 1 in the world for most of her tenure. She resigned Sept. 1 to return to her native Sweden, where she is now the women's national team coach.

"We need a strong person to come in and add to the history that this team, specifically, has created in the last two years," Wambach said. "... This team is scary good, and we need to have someone who can put all the Xs and Os together."

After Sermanni's hiring was announced, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Wambach welcomed him via Twitter.

"really pumped about (at)TomSermanni being the new uswnt head coach!!! Welcome. (hashtag)movingforward," Wambach said.

Sermanni has experience coaching young players, which will be key as the U.S. begins integrating its next generation. Though veterans like Wambach, captain Christie Rampone and Shannon Boxx have all talked of playing through the 2015 World Cup in Canada, the next major tournament, there is plenty of depth and talent at the lower levels, too. The U-20 team just won the World Cup, and the U-23 team won both tournaments it played this year.

Sundhage had also begun changing the Americans' style of play. As the game evolves and improves around the world, relying on the advantages it has in size, speed and power is no longer enough for the U.S. Sundhage introduced a Barcelona-style attack that relied on creativity and ball possession, and Sermanni will have to decide whether to continue that or not.

"U.S. Soccer has always been at the forefront of supporting the women's game, and it's exciting to coach the team in this next chapter of its history," Sermanni said. "After coaching against many of these players for years, I am looking forward to working with an accomplished group of veterans while integrating the numerous talented young players who are itching for a chance to prove themselves.

"I'm honored to have this opportunity to work with tremendous players and in a program that has had such a tradition of success," he added.

Sermanni does not take over officially until Jan. 1, and will coach Australia in the East Asian Cup Qualification tournament from Nov. 20-24 in Shenzen, China. Interim coach Jill Ellis will lead the Americans in exhibitions against Ireland on Nov. 28 in Portland, Ore., and on Dec. 1 in Glendale, Ariz., as well as three games that have yet to be announced.

A midfielder, Sermanni played professionally from 1971-89 at clubs in Scotland, England, Australia and New Zealand, including Blackpool and Torquay, and scored more than 50 goals. He got into coaching soon after, and has had stints as both a men's and women's coach in Japan, the U.S. and Malaysia, in addition to Australia.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-10-30-US%20Women-Sermanni/id-580af4064cff4c7a9a5a94356e4e8762

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