From Jeff Zucker to Kathleen Kennedy: 14 who have a lot on the line in 2013

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - One has to rescue a failing cable network while another has to turn Twitter's global audience into piles of cash. One is banking on Johnny Depp to save his bacon while a fourth must succeed George Lucas.

TheWrap counts down 14 executives who have a lot on the line in 2013.

DAVID ELLISON

Skydance Productions

David's sister Megan drew headlines in 2012 for bankrolling directors like Paul Thomas Anderson ("The Master") and Kathryn Bigelow ("Zero Dark Thirty"). Also armed with endless cash reserves, David, the eldest son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, can steal the spotlight in 2013 by delivering to Paramount an ambitious slate of movies. His company is producing and co-financing four of the studio's priciest releases next year - zombie film "World War Z" (starring Brad Pitt), "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," "Star Trek Into Darkness" and a reboot of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan films. "Star Trek" is expected to be a hit. The rest will help determine Ellison's reputation.

TED SARANDOS

Netflix Chief Creative Officer

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings weathered a massive storm over the past year and a half after a series of corporate miscues unnerved both investors and customers. (Quikster anyone?) Now Netflix's stock price is stable, and the company set a digital landmark by securing exclusive rights to stream future new releases from Disney. To be the next HBO, it needs original, exclusive content, and that's where Sarandos comes in. Netflix will debut several original series this year, led by "House of Cards" and the reboot of "Arrested Development." If those succeed, Sarandos can complete the Netflix revival.

NANCY TELLEM

Microsoft Entertainment and Digital Media President

Speaking of original, exclusive content? Technology companies are realizing they still need great movies, TV shows and videos to lure users. That content can be expensive to buy, so firms like Amazon and Microsoft are testing the waters of creation. That's where Tellem, the former CBS executive, enters the picture. Microsoft has charged her with developing shows specifically for Xbox, one of Microsoft's most popular products and a staple of living rooms across the nation. Microsoft, a software power, has not found a huge audience for its hardware - the Windows Phone and Surface tablet. It needs a win somewhere else.

BRUCE ROSENBLUM, KEVIN TSUJIHARA, JEFF ROBINOV

Warner Bros. Executives

Who wants to run a studio? This troika will compete for the top job at Warner Bros., which Barry Meyer vacates at the end of 2013. TV chief Rosenblum appears to be the favorite at the turn, while home entertainment leader Tsujihara has the most digital savvy. Film chief Robinov has presided over a series of blockbuster franchises but needs a strong year at the box office to help his cause.

His studio has an ambitious roster of movies coming out in 2013 - "The Great Gatsby," "Pacific Rim," "Man of Steel," a new "Hangover" and more. But will those tip the scale in favor of Robinov?

ADAM BAIN

Twitter Chief Revenue Officer

Twitter became ubiquitous in the past year, reaching a diverse audience of drunken celebrities, rambunctious teenagers, savvy media executives and, most importantly, television viewers. Bain, a former News Corp. executive, has laid the foundation for a successful advertising business. Now it needs to grow. Quickly. Twitter is expected to go public in the near future, and if it wants to convince people it's worth $100 billion, it needs real revenue. Facebook didn't have it, and took a beating. Can Bain bring in the goods?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER

Producer

Studios have humbled most of Hollywood's biggest producers over the past few years, cutting their overhead deals or ending relationships all together. Many view Bruckheimer at the one producer inured from financial pressures thanks to a breathtaking track record. However, "The Lone Ranger" could change that. The producer has already wrangled with Disney over the budget for the film, prompting the studio to temporarily shut it down in August 2011. They've since finished the movie, but the fate of this multimillion-dollar project could have a serious impact on Bruckheimer's future.

CHRIS ALBRECHT

Starz CEO

Can the former head of HBO finally go head-to-head with HBO? Showtime has been gaining on HBO thanks to shows like "Homeland," "Dexter" and "Shameless." What about Starz? Like Showtime, the pay cable channel has tried to create a string of original hits to lure new subscribers. So far, it hasn't succeeded. "Boss" won Kelsey Grammer a Golden Globe, but never found a larger audience and was canceled in late November. Liberty last year announced plans to spin off Starz as a separate company. A hit or two would make it even more attractive. One possibility? A 1960s series, "Crime," from "The Departed" writer William Monahan. It's in development.

THOMAS TULL

Legendary Pictures CEO

Tull runs one of the fastest-growing companies in Hollywood, a vital partner to Warner Bros. that will unleash its biggest slate of movies yet in 2013. Legendary has produced and financed seven movies due for release, a group more diverse than its typical Comic Con-centric fare. Tull personally produced passion project "42," the tale of Jackie Robinson, while also getting behind Guillermo Del Toro's robot porno, "Pacific Rim." New editions of "The Hangover" and "300" debut as well. Though Legendary is expected to extend its partnership with Warner Bros.,it has increased its focus on in-house development. Has it worked? We'll see in 2013.

JEFF ZUCKER

President of CNN Worldwide

Other news outlets have treated CNN as a punching bag for years now because of its low ratings. Both Fox News and MSNBC draw more viewers thanks to their partisan television. Fairly or not, CNN's down-the-middle, straitlaced approach strikes many as boring.It's prime-time shows have been so unsuccessful that it airs a repeat of its one star, Anderson Cooper, at 10 p.m. Zucker, ousted from his perch atop NBCUniversal not three years ago, is supposed to be the savior. Will he poach Ann Curry? Will he give Soledad O'Brien a prime time show?

BOB GREENBLATT

NBC Entertainment Chairman

Greenblatt stunned television pundits in 2012, propelling last-place NBC out of the cellar and ahead of all its competitors for the beginning of this season. Now he has a new challenge: sustaining momentum. "Sunday Night Football," television's most-watched show, is over. There are no Olympics in 2013. "The Voice" remains on the schedule, but will it be enough?

KATHLEEN KENNEDY

Lucasfilm President

OK, OK, so the first new "Star Wars" movie doesn't open until 2015. We're still talking about a woman in charge of the future of "Star Wars" "Indiana Jones" franchises who has to oversee production of new movies, roller-coasters, web series and action figures. Kennedy has long been one of the most respected producers in Hollywood, but now she takes a job held by George Lucas for the last three decades. Will the force be with her?

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Paramount Animation Chief

Paramount has a gaping hole where its animation business used to be. A year ago, it had David Stainton running an in-house division and prominent supplier in DreamWorks Animation. Now? Stainton resigned, and DreamWorks Animation, second only to Pixar in animation prowess, is at Fox. Paramount has lined up several new features, relying on everyone from J.J. Abrams to corporate sister Nickelodeon. The division may be without a formal leader - Paramount Film Group chief Adam Goodman has taken over direct oversight - but will the studio fill Stainton's vacant office?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jeff-zucker-kathleen-kennedy-14-lot-line-2013-034608028.html

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Different challenges in Central African Rep., Mali

The final contingent of reinforcements under current deployment plans, a group of around forty soldiers from Cameroon, departs by truck after arriving to bolster the multinational central-african regional force known as FOMAC which now numbers around a thousand troops, at the airport in Bangui, Central African Republic Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013. Facing an insurgency by a new rebel coalition, Central African Republic President Bozize consolidated military power under his control Thursday after dismissing his own son as acting defense minister along with his army chief of staff. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

The final contingent of reinforcements under current deployment plans, a group of around forty soldiers from Cameroon, departs by truck after arriving to bolster the multinational central-african regional force known as FOMAC which now numbers around a thousand troops, at the airport in Bangui, Central African Republic Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013. Facing an insurgency by a new rebel coalition, Central African Republic President Bozize consolidated military power under his control Thursday after dismissing his own son as acting defense minister along with his army chief of staff. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

A Chadian soldier fighting in support of Central African Republic president Francois Bozize, sits on a truck in a convoy of other Chadian soldiers near Damara, about 70km (44 miles) north of the capital Bangui, Central African Republic Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. After troops under Bozize seized the capital in 2003 amid volleys of machine-gun and mortar fire, he dissolved the constitution and parliament, and now a decade later it is Bozize himself who could be ousted from power with rebels having seized more than half the country and made their way to the doorstep of the capital in less than a month. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

FILE - A Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012 photo from files showing Malians demonstrating in favor of an international military intervention to regain control of the country's Islamist-controlled north, in Bamako, Mali. The placard at center reads 'No negotiation with the rebels in the north.' Two land-locked, desperately poor African countries many Americans would struggle to find on a map are both gripped by rebellions in the north that have left huge chunks of both nations outside of government control. So why are neighbors rushing troops into Central African Republic after only a few weeks, while Mali is still awaiting military help from its region nearly one year after its political chaos began? (AP Photo/Harouna Traore, File)

FILE - A Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012 photo from files showing a man carrying a sign reading "No to the destructive soldiers of ECOWAS" as Malians opposed to a military intervention to retake Mali's Islamist-controlled north march in the streets of the capital, Bamako, Mali. Two land-locked, desperately poor African countries many Americans would struggle to find on a map are both gripped by rebellions in the north that have left huge chunks of both nations outside of government control. So why are neighbors rushing troops into Central African Republic after only a few weeks, while Mali is still awaiting military help from its region nearly one year after its political chaos began? (AP Photo/Harouna Traore, File)

The final contingent of reinforcements under current deployment plans, a group of around forty soldiers from Cameroon, departs by truck after arriving to bolster the multinational central-african regional force known as FOMAC which now numbers around a thousand troops, at the airport in Bangui, Central African Republic Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013. Facing an insurgency by a new rebel coalition, Central African Republic President Bozize consolidated military power under his control Thursday after dismissing his own son as acting defense minister along with his army chief of staff. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) ? Two land-locked, desperately poor African countries are gripped by rebellions in the north that have left huge chunks of both nations outside of government control. Neighboring countries are rushing troops into Central African Republic only a few weeks after rebels started taking towns but Mali's government is still awaiting foreign military help nearly one year after the situation there began unraveling. Here's a look at why there's been quick action in one country, and not in the other.

___

THE INSURGENTS

The simple answer lies in the vastly different challenges faced by intervention forces. Northern Mali is home to al-Qaida-linked militants who are stocking weapons and possess stores of Russian-made arms from former Malian army bases as well as from the arsenal of toppled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. The local and foreign jihadists there are digging in and training forces in preparation for jihad and to repel an invasion. Central African Republic, by contrast, is dealing with home-grown rebels who are far less organized and have less sophisticated weapons.

The numbers of troops being sent to Central African Republic are relatively small ? Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Gabon are each sending about 120 soldiers. The rebels stopped their advances toward the capital on Dec. 29, perhaps at least in part because of the presence of the foreign troops who have threatened to counterattack if the rebels move closer to Bangui, the capital. In Mali, it will take far more than the 3,000 African troops initially proposed for a military operation to be successful in ousting the militants, analysts say.

___

THE MISSION

The military objectives are also a stark contrast. In Central African Republic, neighboring nations have a mandate to help stabilize the region between rebel-held towns and the part of the country that is under government control. The intervention force will fire back if fired upon, but so far are not being asked to retake the towns already in rebel hands.

The mission in Mali that foreign forces are slowly gearing up for is far more ambitious. It involves trying to take back a piece of land larger than Texas or France where militants are imposing strict Islamic law, or Shariah. Making things even more complicated there: A military coup last year that created chaos and enabled the rebels to more easily take territory has left the country with a weak federal government and the country's military with a broken command-and-control structure, and with its leaders reluctant to give real power to the civilians.

"In Mali you have a very undefined mission. What does it mean to retake the country and give it back to government forces that were not able to hold it in the first place?" noted Jennifer Cooke, director of the Africa program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Central African Republic's situation "is a more limited, defined and frankly somewhat easier mission in the military sense," she said.

___

THE TERRAIN

Northern Mali is a scorching desert that is unfamiliar to many of the troops who would be coming from the West African regional bloc of countries known as ECOWAS. By contrast, Central African Republic's neighbors already have been pulled into past rebellions in the country.

Chadian forces helped propel President Francois Bozize into power in 2003 and they have assisted him in putting down past rebellions here.

"These forces ? particularly the Chadians ? have been there before," Cooke said. "They know the players, they have an interlocutor in Bozize however fragile he is. This is familiar territory to them."

The Economic Community of Central African States, or ECCAS, also already had established a peacekeeping force in Central African Republic known as MICOPAX.

"From the beginning, they knew that they needed to have troops on the ground. MICOPAX was already there, had already been deployed there. There was already a structure in place," said Thierry Vircoulon, project director for Central Africa at the International Crisis Group.

___

DIFFERING MOTIVATIONS

The rebels in Central African Republic are made up of four separate groups all known by their French acronyms ? UFDR, CPJP, FDPC and CPSK. They are collectively known as Seleka, which means alliance in the local Sango language, but have previously fought one another. For instance, in September 2011 fighting between the CPJP and the UFDR left at least 50 people dead and more than 700 homes destroyed. Insurgent leaders say a 2007 peace accord allowing them to join the regular army wasn't fully implemented and are demanding payments to former combatants among other things. Rebel groups also feel the government has neglected their home areas in the north and particularly the northeast, said Filip Hilgert, a researcher with Belgium-based International Peace Information Service.

In northern Mali, the Islamist rebels are motivated in large part by religion. Al-Qaida fighters chant Quranic verses under the Sahara sun , displaying deep, ideological commitment. They consider north Mali as "Islamic territory" and say they will fight to the death to defend it. They also want to use the territory to expand the reach of al-Qaida-linked groups to other countries. This would seem to make other countries more motivated to intervene in Mali than in Central African Republic, but the challenges are so steep and convoluted that an intervention mission is still on the drawing board.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-04-AF-Central-African-Republic-Mali-News-Guide/id-9f8e383a57eb41dba83607aaaf64a13f

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New Juice Cleanses to Detox & Boost Your Immune System | Live ...

Are you feeling a little bloated and uncomfortable after all the holiday feasting? This is the best time to do a mini or full-fledged juice cleanse! Today?s guest blogger, Trishia Laucklier, shares with us 5 juice cleanse manufacturers on the market to try.?

In recent years a number of new juices have been developed that, according to their manufacturers, are excellent at cleansing the body of its toxins and boosting the immune system. The ones described below are all rated highly by either Well & Good NYC or brit.co. Their names are as attractive as their tastes and the positive effects that they have on human health!

Urban Remedy

Urban Remedy comes in three distinct types?Signature Cleanse, Purify Cleanse and Super Green Cleanse?which are respectively for beginners, experienced users and ?super juicers.??Each set consists of six drinks, each of which serves a different purpose.

For instance, the drinks in the Super Green series are labeled dynamo, rebuild, clear, soothe, refresh and glow. Each drink contains a distinct set of ingredients. Thus, the clearing drink in the aforementioned series consists of broccoli, cucumber, celery, spinach and gala. Each of these ingredients serves a different function, for instance:

• Cucumbers clean the blood, purifies the skin and divests the body of its excess heat.
• Celery calms the nervous system and the liver and is good for the bones, ligaments and arteries because of its high silicon content.

Their drinks include many other herbs, spices and vegetables?lemons, apples, a type of blue-green algae called E3Live, parsley, vanilla, coconuts, raspberries, chia seeds, turmeric, garlic and many more.

Life Juice Shop

The logo of Life Juice Shop is a drop formed by various words (including natural, beautiful, health, fire, yin yang, pure, root and others). The goal of this business, in the owner?s words, is ?lead healthy, eco-friendly lives?lives that are sustained by whole foods and vitamins retrieved straight from the earth.?

Their juices, whose ingredients are not pasteurized, are sold frozen so that their freshness can be maintained. They can be ordered in a package of six?the individual juices are alkaline blend, Oh My Green goodness, local liquid, happy belly, osteo bust and ABC (for apple, beet and carrot?lemon is also included) and each has a different combination of ingredients.

When you order a package it is delivered to your doorstep overnight. Since the juice is not pasteurized, you will have to use it within three days of defrosting.

Revitalive

Revitalive markets its line of organic juices that come in 18-pint pastel-colored bottles: probiotic punch, bunny boost, lean green, minty melon and green lemonade. Customers can have a full set of all these drinks delivered to them once a week, drinking one bottle per day. All of these ingredients are taken from local farms.

Revitalive also maintains a caf? in the Tannery Place, Newburyport, in far northeastern Massachusetts, where they serve organic, raw, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and vegan dishes.

Gingersnap?s Organics

At Gingersnap?s Organics you can order cleansing products in various packages for one-, three-, five- or seven-day delivery. These packages include:

• Original Go Cleanse?chia pudding for breakfast, large salad for lunch, entree and side salad for dinner, dessert pudding, and a juice or almond milk
• Go Liquid Cleanse?six seventeen-ounce bottles of liquid, four juices, almond milk, soup
• Go Have a Life Cleanse?juice, chia pudding for breakfast, large salad for lunch
• Go Snacks?getaway two-meal and treats packages

The drinks on their menu include green (all greens, Norwalk cold pressed), kick (same as green but with pear and ginger added), beet it, ginger lemonade and green smoothie.

Juice to You

The Juice Shop, which is based in San Francisco, markets cold-pressed unpasteurized juices which include coco-chlorophyll, A+ deep green, beta green (this is actually orange!), pineapple pear chia, deep green, apple lemon ginger and lever green. You can order them individually or in packages labeled beginner, intermediate, advanced or ?pro cleanse.? Each of these packages contains, in addition to the drinks, a four-ounce aloe bottle and a two-ounce container of E3 Live.

Whatever their ingredients, whatever company they come from, cleansing juices all have something in common. They give the body a break from food. They give the body all the nutrients that it needs for optimal health.

About the Author

Trishia Laucklier is a fitness and nutrition enthusiast who is helping men and women alike gain confidence and pride with juice fast weight loss the natural way to boost your energy and kick start your diet.

Have you tried any of these juice cleanses? Tell us about them!

Source: http://livelighter.org/new-juice-cleanses-to-detox-boost-your-immune-system/

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Who Said This? (talking-points-memo)

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Syria rebels push to seize air base

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NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin has more on one of the bloodiest weeks of the 22-month conflict.

By NBC News staff and wire services

Rebels battled on Thursday to seize an air base in northern Syria, part of a campaign to fight back against the air power that has given President Bashar Assad's forces free rein to bomb rebel-held towns.

More than 60,000 people have been killed in the 22-month-old uprising and civil war, the United Nations said this week, sharply raising the death toll estimate in a conflict that shows no sign of ending.

After dramatic advances over the second half of 2012, the rebels now hold wide swathes of territory in the north and east, but are limited in exerting control because they cannot protect towns and villages from Assad's helicopters and jets.

Hundreds of fighters from rebel groups were attempting to storm the Taftanaz air base, near the northern highway that links Syria's two main cities, Aleppo and the capital Damascus.

Rebels have been besieging air bases across the north in recent weeks, in the hope this will reduce the government's power to carry out air strikes and resupply loyalist-held areas.

Dozens killed in Syrian blast as UN says 60,000 dead in conflict

A rebel fighter speaking from near the Taftanaz base overnight said the base's main sections were still in loyalist hands but insurgents had managed to infiltrate and destroy a helicopter and a fighter jet on the ground.

The northern rebel Idlib Coordination Committee said the rebels had detonated a car bomb inside the base.

The government's SANA news agency said the base had not fallen and that the military had "strongly confronted an attempt by the terrorists to attack the airport from several axes, inflicting heavy losses among them and destroying their weapons and munitions".

Rami Abdulrahman, head of the opposition-aligned Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which monitors the conflict from Britain, said as many as 800 fighters were involved in the assault, including Islamists from Jabhat al-Nusra, a powerful group that Washington considers terrorists.

Taftanaz is mainly a helicopter base, used for missions to resupply army positions in the north, many of which are cut off by road because of rebel gains, as well as for dropping crude "barrel bombs" of explosives on rebel-controlled areas.

A bloody week
Syrian opposition activists said a Syrian fighter jet targeted a gas station near the capital Damascus Wednesday, killing and wounding dozens of people who were waiting in line to buy gasoline.

Amateur footage posted online but that could not be independently verified by NBC News shows disturbing images, including charred bodies.

This attack, activists say, is one of the latest in a string of deadly incidents that have made this week one of the bloodiest in the nearly 2-year-old conflict.

Reuters contributed to this report.

More world stories from NBC News:

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/03/16329743-syria-rebels-push-to-seize-air-base?lite

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John Boehner re-elected speaker of the House (Los Angeles Times)

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Gunmen kill 5 female teachers in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) ? Gunmen killed five female teachers and two other people on Tuesday in an ambush on a van carrying workers home from their jobs at a community center in northwest Pakistan, officials said.

The van was transporting teachers and aid workers from the center in conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Two health workers, one man and one woman, were also killed and the driver was wounded.

The attack was a reminder of the risks faced by educators and aid workers, especially women, in an area where Islamic militants often target women and girls trying to get an education. Many militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province oppose female education and have blown up schools and killed female educators as a way to discourage girls from getting an education.

In a case in the same province that gained international attention, a Taliban gunman shot 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai in the head last October for criticizing the militants and promoting girls' education. She is currently recovering in Britain.

The workers were on their way home from a community center in the town of Swabi where they were working at a primary school and adjoining medical center. Gunmen on motorcycles opened fire with automatic weapons, said Javed Akhtar, executive director of the non-governmental organization Support With Working Solutions.

The NGO conducts programs in the education and health sectors and runs a primary school and a medical clinic at the community center in Swabi, he said.

He provided the details on who was killed.

Swabi police chief Abdur Rasheed said most of the women killed were between the ages of 20 and 22. He said the four gunmen who used two motorcycles fled the scene and have not been apprehended.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-01-Pakistan/id-65d08fc9a1af44898875257bf79d6271

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House will vote on Senate-passed 'cliff' bill (The Arizona Republic)

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W&M Blogs ? One More.

At this point last year, I was relaxing in my hometown of Franklin, Virginia, sitting around a firepit with close friends, and reminiscing about the 3 1/2 years of college that were behind me ? the undergraduate career that had just finished. I was not nervous about the future. I was not apprehensive of finding a job. Because I had?another year and a half. A year and a half left of graduate school ? a year and a half where I would be taught and learn to teach, a year and a half where I would learn so much about how to help children learn. And here it is. I?m sitting here again, in my hometown, and although I?ve relaxed a little bit and been able to sit by the firepit in the backyard, I?am apprehensive this time. I?am?nervous about my future. And that?s because this time I don?t have that cushion of a year and a half. I only have?five months.

Classes start back for us at the School of Education on January 16th, along with the rest of the William & Mary community (minus the Law School, who starts back a week prior). And then, Commencement is the 12th of May. That leaves those five months for me to accomplish so much ? to complete the intensive first five-week course load that my program goes through, to complete 10 weeks of student teaching, to receive my Master?s of Arts in Education, to receive my certification from the Virginia Department of Education to be a teacher, and so much more. That date of May 12th feels so far away, so infinite, but the reality is that I know it?s coming.?I just registered today for my last standardized test left ? the Reading for Virginia Educators test. That means, come February 2nd, 2013 ? I?ll be done with test taking (for now). Thankfully, that will fall before I am thrown into the craziness of student teaching. Thrown into those 10 weeks of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. working life where I am with my students every minute of the day (minus resource time and lunch!). It seems hard to believe that this is all so very real.

Earlier in the semester, when I was conducting my very first guided reading lesson, I was overwhelmed with nerves and thoughts of ?how horrible it would be. In all actuality, it went incredibly well. I surprised myself, with thinking on my feet, with engaging my students, and with my classroom management skills and differentiation strategies. As I taught my final lesson on Friday the 14th in a third grade classroom at the elementary school at which I work, it was a different story. I was comfortable, didn?t need to reference my lesson plan every two seconds, and so much more at ease. However, before the lesson started, the teacher I was working with pulled up the document camera for me (to which the news was connected). We glanced in horror at the news of the Sandy Hook shooting as the document camera booted up. I couldn?t let the news phase me ? I had a lesson to teach to 19 beautiful and energetic 8 and 9-year-olds. They were counting on me, much like many students across the nation count on their teachers every single day.

Although I didn?t have time to let the news phase me then, I got in my car to return home to grab a coffee, and watched President Obama?s speech. I listened to a report on NPR on my way back to a review session for my math exam the following Monday. Tears streamed down my face, thoughts ran through my head, and all I wanted to do was head back to school and hug my second graders a little tighter.?Often times, when a horrific event happens in the world, it draws others back from entering the field associated with the event. This event has made my passion for teaching so much stronger, my love for my students so much more precious, and the respect that I have for other educators so much greater.

I have one semester left ? one more semester, one more standardized test, and one more round of finals (thank GOODNESS). But I also only have one more semester left with my students, and that leaves me with such bittersweet feelings. Bittersweet feelings knowing that I have so much ahead of me ? 10 weeks of student teaching, applying for my Virginia Teaching license, lots of last-time hangouts with my favorite friends who are graduating this year, more late-night lesson planning, and soaking up the joys that William & Mary has to offer.

In the next few weeks, I know that I?ll be continuing to hug my students a little tighter, embracing my role as a student teacher a little more, and living each day and moment to the fullest, trying to remember and honor the memories of those teachers who gave their lives for their students in the Sandy Hook shooting.

Harking upon the gale and hoping that your holiday was as wonderful as mine,

Kylee

Source: http://blogs.wm.edu/2013/01/01/one-more/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=one-more

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Biggest iPhone, iPad, and Apple how-tos of 2012

Mobile Nations was founded on the idea of helping readers get the most out of their devices, and that's why how-to tips and guides have been a staple of all of our sites, including iMore, from the very beginning. In 2012 Apple released more devices, and iOS came to include more features than ever before. iMore met this escalation with one of our own -- our ultimate guide series. Better organized and better presented, your response to them has been tremendous, and almost all of them proved to be among our most popular how-to posts of the year.

So here they are, your favorite how-tos of 2012!

5: DIY repair guides

Ally graciously decided to share her years of iPhone and iPad repair experience with us over the course of the last year, and put together these phenomenal, step-by-step, do-it-yourself guides to getting the most out of older, or damaged devices. Not everyone can afford out-of-warranty or accidental repairs at the Apple Store, but are handy enough to do them more economically on their own.

• iPhone 4S: Ultimate DIY repair guide
• AT&T/GSM iPhone 4: Ultimate DIY repair guide
• Verizon & Sprint iPhone 4: Ultimate DIY repair guide
• iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G: Ultimate DIY repair guide

4: iPhone photography guides

With the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5, Apple really upped their optics game. The best camera we had with us turned into a pretty darn good camera all-around. And Leanna decided to teach a master's class on how to make it even better.

• iPhone photography: The ultimate guide

3. Buyers guides

You think it would be easy to figure out which iPhone or iPad to get, given that there seems to be so few choices. Yet with new and old models on the market, different color, storage capacity, and cell carrier options, it can be a challenge figuring out what to buy, and where to buy it.

• 2012 iPhone buyers guide
• 2012 iPad and iPad mini buyers guide
• 2012 App product buyers guide

2. iOS Feature guides

Just because the iPhone and iPad are easy to use, doesn't mean they're easy for everyone to use all the time. Setting up a new device, taking control of apps and media, getting the most out of Siri and iMessage and Notification Center, can be challenging. That's why, in 2012, iMore took all the how-to posts we'd been working on for years, and started to collect them together into the ultimate guides series.

• iCloud: the ultimate guide
• Siri: the ultimate guide
• iMessage: The ultimate
• Notification Center: The ultimate guide

1. How to fix battery life issues with iOS 6 or iPhone 5

Battery life is the ultimate quest, the holy grail, the life on mars. Every time Apple issues an update, it's even odds what it'll do to battery life. Luckily, Georgia's gotten just as good at updating her battery life tips.

• How to fix battery life issues with iOS 6 or iPhone 5

Your favorite how-tos?

Just because something is the most popular, doesn't mean it was your personal favorite. So, let us know, which how-to helped you the most in 2012?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/ec72cJEM7U8/story01.htm

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Student Loans ? The Giant Scam That Robs The Nation | Think Left

?Peter Kellow writes

It was one of the grand projects of current JP Morgan Director, Tony Blair, in one of his previous employments as British Prime Minister: make university education open to the many. The many here was meant to be 50% of the young now going through education. The plan included making students pay for their higher education through loans. In the earlier years of the project, they paid just a little, then a lot, then practically the whole of the cost of the education.

Students now going through university will emerge up to their eyes in debt and this debt will dog them for years. Debt is not a superficial aspect of life. It drags you down. R.W. Emerson whom I cited in?Newsletter 109?put it aptly when he said back in 1836 ?Debt, grinding debt ?? which disheartens a great spirit with cares that seem so base..? Debt is a scourge of our lives.

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Leaving aside the question of whether we really need 50% of our young going to higher education, let us ask whether there is any alternative to making people pay for higher education and let us ask whether it might be more sensible for the nation to pay for it. All the four main parties (we have to say ?four? now with UKIP at 10% in the poles) support the current system, the only debate being about whether former students should pay for the education with loans or whether they will should do it through taxation ? the so-called ?graduate? tax.

Education is an investment. Everyone is agreed on that. An investment, let us remind ourselves, is simply this. You place money in a certain way by purchasing a good or a service and you expect to see a return, a payback, at some later date on the money you placed. If the investment is sound, the payback will cover, or more than cover, the costs involved in the investment, that is, the money placed and the charges (interest, fees, etc.) incurred. In short, a good investment shows a profit.

Let us consider education as an investment in two ways:

one, as an investment by an individual
two, as an investment by the state.

At present, it is the individual who makes the substantial investment in higher education, with the state just contributing some financial support through capital expenditure and some fixed costs. Essentially it is the student who buys his or her education by taking out a ?student loan? and then has to repay that loan during their working life. The payback comes, in theory, in the form of higher salaries than would have been the case without the education. If that does not happen the investment loses money and the individual has debts that will be difficult to pay off.

Thus, at present, the state invests relatively little in higher education. The investment is seen purely as an individual matter.

Now look at education as a different kind of investment: an investment by the state, ie, by the nation. In this, the government finances the education of students itself and also gives the student a grant to enable them to support themselves during the period at university. In any current discussion by the main parties on the subject, that situation would be considered as a straight loss for the government with no payback of any kind in the future. Thoughts would be directed only to the increase in government debt today. That is all. It was not so in Britain in the past and it is not so in other countries today (eg. France).

Investment, as I said, is where you place a sum of money today in order to see a payback and a profit in the future. So how does a government investing in education today get its money back? Simple. Through future taxation. The economy needs an educated workforce in order to compete and prosper in the future. Without that, we will go into decline and as the economy falters so will government tax revenues. But can we be sure that the money invested in education will be recovered in the future through taxation? For,if it is not recovered the government will be out of pocket and the national debt will rise.

Well, clearly we will never be able to carry out a watertight accountancy exercise to show that investment in education is a ?good deal? for the government. Any attempt to put figures on the matter is foolhardy. You cannot estimate the benefits that ensue from having a well educated population. But equally you cannot?overestimate them. If you want to appreciate all the benefits you have also to put into the equation that free education means social mobility and so the nation benefits from talent that would otherwise be wasted. The social mobility also creates a financial benefit for the nation by reducing isolated deprived communities that nurture delinquency and crime. I could go on. The associated benefits are as enormous as they are unquantifiable.

But leaving aside the larger societal perspective, the strong likelihood is that the government will collect sufficient returns on its investment simply and visibly through taxation. After all, if it works for the individual, it must also work for the government, and for this reason. By the government investing it has one big advantage over the individual ? the interest rate on the loan. Under the present economic model the government would finance the education through bond issues which would attract a much lower interest rate that the individual student loans.

Now a Democratic Republican Party government will do better than that. It will change the whole financial system and the government will not raise the money through bonds issues but through direct money creation. This will eliminate the interest charges so making the investment much more profitable for the government. Once this system is in place, there will overall be no increase in the money supply, as collection of taxation directly and indirectly will pay back the investment. (It is, by the way, vital to control the money supply because too big an increase would result in economic damage.)

We now come back to the question: why do the current parties favour putting people into debt in order to take higher education? To answer this we have to bring in our old friends that feature so often in these newsletters: the banks and the non-taxpaying global superrich. These are the real drivers behind the current policy of massive student indebtedness. They have an insatiable need for debt that they can buy and profit from and the JP Morgan Director we mentioned at the beginning of this piece was an enthusiastic promoter of their interests when a holder of political office, prior to taking up his ?1 million per year official position among their ranks.

It works like this. It is all down to the magic of securitisation, the financial instrument dreamed up in the 1960s but that really took off in the 1980s and reached stratospheric proportions in the noughties. All, yes,?all, student loans are now subject to securitisation. The high street bank that offers you the loan is just an agent collecting the fees for ?originating? the loan.

The student signs up for the loan and is then in long term debt. This makes this individual?s financial life perfect for securitisation. The banks transfers a big bundle of student loans to a company called a special purpose entity (SPE) so they are shifted off its balance sheet, freeing it up to make more similar loans. The SPEs are located in tax havens, usually, the British Cayman Islands, and the fact that they are in tax havens is integral the high profitability of the deal. The SPE then performs the ?securitisation? process, whereby it takes the bundled up loans and divides them up into sellable units called collateralised debt obligations (CDOs). These are then offered on the global market. Many will be bought by individuals who avoid tax in a variety of way such us by hiding behind shell companies registered in tax havens or secretive low tax countries like Switzerland. Meanwhile the student tries to get on with his or her life and in doing so supports the global banks and their superrich clients.

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Flag of the Cayman Islands?

Many people think that the reason for students paying for their education is to avoid government debt. But this is not the real driver and never was. JP Morgan Director Blair, expanded the student population and at the same time forced them all into debt. This was neither an educational programme nor a social mobility programme but part of the ongoing process of ?the ?financialising? all of our citizens lives burdening them with grinding debt that can be securitised so transferring ?wealth from working people to the superrich.

But there is a further major aspect to student loans that has to be emphasised. Financing higher education through student loans means that the government effectively abrogates any responsibility to direct education into areas where is it likely to be needed and away from those where it is not. If it is the state that invests in higher education then it has an interest in making sure that its investment will result in good employment for the graduates so that it can recoup the investment through taxation. With the individual funding their own education this direct line between investment and return does not exist. The state simply washes its hands of the matter.

Also universities are forced to design their courses to attract students and increase their income. Long term interests of the nation are therefore not a part either of the students? or the universities? calculations as to the choice of subjects and syllabuses. While it is desirable for the universities to have a good degree of independence they should not be forced to have to make choices simply to increase student intake. If they are then those courses are likely to be ill-conceived in relation to their likely usefulness.

As an example to illustrate this, I can cite my own profession of architecture. A few years ago there was a glut of students doing architecture. There were fees at the time but they were affordable for many. Architecture was popular amoung the young as a future career and so the universities provided a lot more places in order to collect lots of fees. This increase was quite unrelated to the demand for architects in the profession and so a glut of recently qualified graduates was produced and many could not find jobs. This meant they could not advance their experience and in many cases the resulting big ?hole? in their CV meant that their career was in ruins before they started. As they aged employers would take the more recently qualified and they could be left ?on the shelf?.

Now the situation is the reverse whereby not enough are studying architecture, especially because it is a five year course and so you emerge with huge debts. Coupled with this is the thought that if you do no complete the five years (many don?t) you will have incurred a debt for nothing.

This argument has no traction with any of the main parties. It is just part of the competitive market for them. The waste of lives and resources does not enter into their thinking.

The proposal, I put forward here, that the state must see education as an investment in the nation is not in any way radical. It used to be received opinion. The Conservatives started to reverse policy under Thatcher but it was with the demand for securitised debt in the 1990s that began the big spur to more and more student debt. Since then, it has ballooned unstoppably as the financial markets have cried out for more and more financialisation of every aspect of our lives. Their servants in politics have contrived to deliver exactly what they want. ?Regardless.

Think Left agrees with the Democratic Republican Party on the need to?change the whole financial system, and specifically, that government should raise the money not through bonds issues but through direct money creation. ?As Peter says of student loans:

?This was neither an educational programme nor a social mobility programme but part of the ongoing process of ?the ?financialising? all of our citizens lives burdening them with grinding debt that can be securitised so transferring ?wealth from working people to the superrich.? ?

The 99.9% must join together to take back that wealth for the good of the global population and the natural world.

Source: http://think-left.org/2012/12/31/student-loans-the-giant-scam-that-robs-the-nation/

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flormcavoy: Tips for B2B Sales Online | Personable Follow Up Tools ...

Selling business to business (B2B) through online tools can be extremely difficult. The internet if full of slimy scams that make you look bad when you are simply contacted by someone online, asking about their current services or products related to your business. The prospect wonders if you are simply a robot that sent this email out to a bazillion of prospects hoping that a sliver percent respond. Cutting through the spam clutter is difficult but possible using a few methods.

Personalize the Email & Offer Value

In my business of selling website services I come across a lot of ugly websites. This encourages me to reach out to the owner of the business in order to?esquire?about what on earth they are thinking?! A simple email is a great way to reach them and supplies basic information for them to consider. As long as you send them a personal email you won?t be marked automatically as spam. However, when the prospect receives the email they possibly will classify you in their own minds as spam. One way to assure them you are not spam is to start the email with a personalized message. ?Hey Mike, I was in your restaurant eating last week?the meatloaf tasted awesome?and I noticed you needed [insert service]??

It?s also important to take some time give them something they find valuable. If you sell business insurance, put some basic tips that are related to their business and how you see they are lacking. I generally put together an analysis video of their website so they can watch and learn a few quick tips about why their website isn?t functioning as they might think. Much of the information I give them they could do on their own.

This might seem like ?a lot of preparation simply to contact one prospect. At times this is true but it sure beats getting caught in a spam filter and never have a chance to begin with.

Follow Up With a Phone Call

Follow up to make sure they realize you are human. I generally send a follow up email after my initial email and if they don?t respond I give them a call on the phone. I can?t count the times I have called someone and asked, ?Did you get a chance to review my email?? They then apologize because they thought I was spam. This gives them confidence to look through my email and consider the information.

Last Resort: Sent a Personalized Postcard

Many times I email a prospect and get no response. I send a follow up email?no response. I give them a call and get pushed to their voice mail again and again?no response. At this point I have put a lot of effort into contacting this person so I want to make sure I take every opportunity to let them know I am wanting to help them. The best last resort is to send a card in the mail. There are great services out there for this. The one I use is SendOutCards.com. You can do it all online and they make it simple. I generally send a postcard with a picture of their website on the front. This gets their attention when it comes with a stack of mail coupons and bills. Just yesterday I had a prospect (that I had already given up on) call me and say they got my postcard and apologized for not responding sooner.

About Kurt Francom

We build awesome websites for small businesses. Need a mobile-compatible website? A website makeover? What about a custom online solution to manage employees or inventory? Local business SEO? We do all that, and do it well! Kurt on Google+

Source: http://fiddlerstudios.com/uncategorized/tips-for-b2b-sales-online-personable-follow-up-tools/

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Source: http://leracov.posterous.com/tips-for-b2b-sales-online-personable-follow-u

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Source: http://flormcavoy.blogspot.com/2012/12/tips-for-b2b-sales-online-personable.html

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