Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Video: GOP makes a hard right on women?s issues

Still too much sugar in kids' diets, study finds

??America?s intake of sugary foods and drinks has dropped in recent years, but U.S. kids are still consuming too much, government researchers say. Added sugars make up about 16 percent of a typical child's diet, regardless of family income.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46563481#46563481

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Cats dumped near Sutherlin home | Pet Pro Plus

Sutherlin , Ore (KMTR) Douglas County Sheriff?s Deputies are trying to find out who brutally killed two cats and dumped them near a family?s Sutherlin home. Now the Oregon Humane Society is hoping to help bring the suspects to justice. The Oregon Humane Society is offering a $500 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the animal?s death. The cats were found dead outside a private home on the 1500 block of Plat I Rd. on Friday, Feb. 24. Douglas County authorities believe the cats were brought to the home after they were killed by someone at another location. One cat belonged to the family living at the home; the other did not. One cat was tan and black with long hair, the other had tan-colored medium-length fur. Both cats were found with twine around their necks, although this was not the cause of death.

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The Douglas County Sheriff?s Office believes the cats were killed sometime between noon on Thursday, Feb. 23 and noon on Friday, Feb. 24. Aggravated animal abuse (defined as maliciously killing or intentionally or knowingly torturing an animal) is a felony in Oregon , punishable by up to five years in jail.

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Anyone with information that could be of help in solving the crime should contact the Douglas County Sheriff?s Office at (541) 440-4471 .

Click here to read this story on www.kmtr.com

Source: http://www.petproplus.com/2012/02/29/cats-dumped-near-sutherlin-home/

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Teen appears in court after Ohio school shooting (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - The 17-year-old suspect in a deadly shooting rampage at an Ohio high school appeared briefly in juvenile court as residents of the shaken community offered sympathy and support for families and friends of the three students who were killed and two who were wounded.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120229/ap_on_re_us/us_school_shooting_ohio

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Statistics - Teaching Fellow in Paediatric Education

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Teaching Fellow in Paediatric Education - Posted in Statistics - Science Jobs, Postdoc Fellowships, Events - Published by TheScienceJobs.com.

Source: http://www.thesciencejobs.com/jobs/mathematics/statistics/49775

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Tips That Distinguish Personal Finance Experts From Amateurs

One way to find success in Forex is by allowing your profits to run. Use the tactic in moderation so that greed does not interfere. Once you make a profit on a certain trade, know when to take the money off the table.

You should always keep a spending account that is somewhat flexible. Everything that you put away will lower your tax liability on your payroll check.

It is a good idea to add some type of foreign intrigue to one of your investments. The easiest way to invest abroad is to use a basic mutual fund. This will diversify your investment naturally and you won?t be forced to research too much.

Get a checking account that is free. Look at getting an account with a credit union or a local bank; you may also want to check out online banks.

Watch out for heavy investors? fees. Long term investing brokers charge fees for their services. Anything you pay them in fees works to reduce your overall earnings. Avoid brokers who retain large commissions. You should also try to sidestep funds that entail unreasonably high management costs.

Follow your credit rating. There are a lot of ways to see your credit report at no cost.Check yours twice a year for unauthorized changes or errors and to make certain that no one has stolen your identity.

No one desires to go through losing their home. If you are in a tough money situation, try to find a home with a cheaper payment. Getting evicted from the place you call home is the absolute last event you want to transpire, should your repayment efforts not succeed. Some people facing foreclosure choose wisely and act first to preempt the eviction by moving.

Cooking and eating at home, as opposed to eating in restaurants, is a good way to save money if you desire to improve your financial situation. For instance, a meal that costs thirty dollars for one person at a restaurant may only cost half as much to feed a whole family at home. All of those savings will add up rather quickly. Ordering two pizzas and a 2-liter will cost you more than that these days.

Use your financial mistakes in the past as learning opportunities. Spending years paying off debt should be a lesson in and of itself. You should strive to avoid debt in your future. Perhaps you spent many years working for less money than you should have; the lesson here is that you should negotiate a higher salary for your next position. As you review your history of personal finances in your mind?s eye, realize that every lesson you can learn from your experiences is worthwhile. Do your homework and take your lumps, and your monetary circumstances will get better until you find yourself in a life you never imagined.

Having a well thought out budget is the best way to be successful with your finances. In order to maintain a written budget, at the start of every month, compile a list of all of your expenses. Remember to include all expenses due, such as rent, lights, cars, phones and food. Try to remember every single expense, even ones that occur only occasionally. Add up your anticipated monthly expenses, and make sure you don?t spend more than what you have left after paying them.

It is extremely important for your personal finances that you have a method for disposing of old financial documents safely. A shredder is the best way to dispose of documents. Identity theft is prevalent in today?s society, and you could become a victim if your documents aren?t disposed of correctly. You need to thoroughly protect yourself to prevent this from occurring.

If you are shopping for a mortgage, make sure your credit score is in the range of at least 740. If you have a high credit rating you will get a good interest rate. Repair your credit and raise that credit score. Don?t try to get a new mortgage loan if your credit is terrible.

Don?t let your personal finances get to you, clear your head, and realize it is time for you to tackle the issues. The article has provided you with the information you need to get on the right track, so apply this information to your personal finances and you will make a difference.

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Source: http://turnkeyloans.com/personal-finance/tips-that-distinguish-personal-finance-experts-from-amateurs/

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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins - Patent Law Blog ...

Conference on Industry/Academic Collaborations: Lessons from the Trenches

  • Innovation remains a major driver of economic growth in this country, and research universities provide a key reservoir of innovation. Increasingly, universities and industry have joined forces to translate that potential into jobs and commercial industries. Designing the complex legal and business frameworks for these collaborations is an evolving art, which will be discussed by those at the forefront of these transactions. On February 29, at UC Hastings College of Law, individuals from some of the biggest companies in the world will discuss their relationships with Universities. Google, Hoffman-LaRoche, Intel, Pfizer and BP will speak about their collaborations. The Keynote Speaker will be Chris Vein, The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Guest speakers include: Robin Feldman, Susan Capello, Paul Willems, Louisa Daniels, Jeff Walz, Laura Berner, and many others. This event will also be streamed online for individuals who are unable to attend. [Link]

Federal Court Dismisses OSGATA Lawsuit

  • The OSGATA suit against Monsanto has been dismissed by the US District Court for the Southern District of NY. OSGATA claimed that they did not want or intend to grow crops containing Monsanto patented gene traits and they feared being sued by Monsanto. Judge Naomi Buchwald noted that, Monsanto averages about 13 patent infringement lawsuits targeted towards farmers per year, which is considered insignificant compared to the number of farms in the US. The court held that there was no case or controversy because Monsanto has yet to take action against any of the plaintiffs. [Link]

USPTO Detroit Office Update

  • The Elijah J. McCoy United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will open in Detroit, Michigan in July 2012. The USPTO plans to hire for more than 100 positions, including patent examiners and Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences judges. The USPTO hopes to fill more than 50 percent of the positions by the end of the summer. Vacancy announcements for patent examiner positions and judges have been posted on the USA Jobs website.

Student Writing Contest

  • The Pennsylvania Bar Association IP Law Section is accepting papers for its annual IP writing contest. The competition is open to all students enrolled in one of the Pennsylvania law schools and Pennsylvania residents enrolled at other law schools within the US. The first place winner will receive $2500 and the paper will be published. [Link]

Patent Jobs:

  • Banner & Witcoff is seeking an International IP Manager with a minimum of 10 years of experience in management to work in their DC or Chicago office. [Link]
  • Axiom is looking to hire patent attorneys with 7+ years of experience to work remotely. [Link]
  • Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is looking for electrical IP attorneys with 1-4 years of experience to work in their DC office. [Link]
  • Hiscock & Barclay is seeking patent attorneys/agents with a minimum of 3-5 years of experience to work at their Syracuse & Rochester offices. [Link]
  • The Coca-Cola Company is searching for a patent agent with 2-4 years of experience to work at their Atlanta location. [Link]
  • The USPTO is looking for patent examiners with a BS degree in engineering to work at their Alexandra location. [Link]
  • Steptoe & Johnson is seeking IP associates with a minimum of 4 years of experience in IP litigation to work in their DC office. [Link]
  • Fish & Richardson is looking for technical advisors with a background in EE, physics, or CS to work at one of their several offices. [Link]
  • Klemchuk Kubasta is searching for a patent associate with at least 4 years of experience to work in their Dallas office. [Link]
  • Guntin Meles & Gust is seeking patent attorneys with 3+ years of experience and a degree in EE or Computer Engineering to work in their Chicago office. [Link]
  • Levine Bagade Han is looking for a patent associate with 2-6 years of experience to work in their Palo Alto office. [Link]
  • Myers Wolin is searching for a patent attorney with 3-5 years of experience and a degree in EE to work at their Morristown, NJ office. [Link]
  • Young Basile is seeking a patent attorney with 2+ years of experience and a degree in ME, EE, or CS to work in their Ann Arbor office. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • The Florida Bar 3rd Annual IP Law Symposium will be held on March 1-2 on Orlando. The IP Symposium will address recent developments and important issues in IP law, including: Perspectives on the America Invents Act, Copyright Law and the First Sale Doctrine, Third Party Liability in IP, Enforcing IP on the Internet, Latest Developments in Patent, Trademark, and Copyright Law, and Recent Developments at the TTAB. Guest speakers include; Anne Gilson LaLonde, Scott Bain, John Welch, and many others. [Link]
  • Section 101 Gatekeepers: Finding the Patentable Subject Matter Line in a Judicial Sandstorm, webinar will be hosted by AIPLA on March 7. The webinar will be presented by Professor Christopher Holman and attorney Robert H. Fischer. [Link]
  • LES (USA & Canada) 2012 Winter Meeting will be held March 12-14 in Anaheim, CA. The meeting will focus on cutting-edge issues in the high tech space with overlapping content in related industries, including clean tech, nanotech, and medical devices. Featured speakers include Honorable Randall Rader, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; Catherine Casserly, CEO, Creative Commons; and Patrick Ennis, Head of Global Technology, Intellectual Ventures. Patently-O readers save $100 with code PO1. [Link]
  • The New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association will hold a half-day Patent Litigation Seminar on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 11:45 am to 5:45 pm. Guest speakers include: Paul Berghoff, Kara Stoll, William McElwain, Richard Bress, Barbara Fiacco, and Lewis Ho. [Link]
  • C5's 22 Forum on Biotech Patenting conference will take place March 14-15 in Munich, Germany. The conference brings together experienced in-house counsel from both innovator and generic pharma and biotech companies and their expert legal advisors from various jurisdictions across the globe. Session will cover the patentability of gene sequence patents in Europe and the US, current developments on biotech products and patent considerations for bio-deposits, and many other sessions. (Patently-O readers register with PO 10 for a discount). [Link]
  • American Conference Institute's FDA Boot Camp conference is scheduled for March 20-21 in New York, NY. ACI's FDA Boot Camp has been designed to give products or patent litigators, as well as patent prosecutors, industry in-house counsel, and life sciences investment and securities experts, a strong working knowledge of core FDA competencies. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • American Conference Institute's PTO Procedures Under the America Invents Act conference is scheduled for March 26-27 in New York, NY. This conference will serve as a practical and tactical guide for PTO practice post-Patent Reform. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]
  • The ABA Section of IP Law will hold its 27th Annual IP Law Conference March 28-30 in Arlington, VA. The conference is recognized for its national and international scope and preeminent programming. It attracts IP practitioners from across the nation and around the world. Speakers and moderators include: Sharon Marsh, Keisha Hylton-Rodic, Alexander Wilson, Steven Emmert, Teresa Rea, James Bikoff, David Kappos, and many others. The discounted early registration deadline is March 14. [Link] [Link]
  • The IP Section of the Atlanta Bar Association and Georgia State University Law School will hold its 8th annual SpringPosium at the Barnsley Gardens resort on April 13 &14. Some example seminars will include: the new America Invents Act, Federal Court best practices, IP law and life practice management, and recent developments in damages law. Guest speakers include: Clerk of Court and Chief Deputy Clerk of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Jan Horbaly and Pamela Twiford and Clerk of Court of the US District Court for the North District of Georgia, James Hatten.
  • The European Generic Medicines Association is hosting the 10th EGA International Symposium regarding Biosimilar Medicines on April 19-20 in London. Greenblum & Bernstein is providing a pre-symposium workshop on April 19, 2012 titled: Biosimilars In America: IP Strategy and Due Diligence. The workshop will explore the mechanics of the Biologics Act with an emphasis on how the Act relates to the involved intellectual property and how the intellectual property may impact the biosimilar applicant's strategy for entering the market. [Link]
  • ACI will hold its 6th Annual Paragraph IV Disputes conference on April 24-25 in New York City. The conference will cover topics such as: the impact of the AIA on Hatch-Waxman litigation, claim construction, prior art obviousness and obvious-type double patenting, and many other topics. (Patently-O readers register with PO 200 for a discount). [Link]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.

Source: http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2012/02/patently-o-bits-bytes-by-lawrence-higgins-2.html

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IndianVideoGamer | Video Game News, Video Game Reviews ...

It won?t change your life, nor is it a waste of time. 38 Studios? debut effort manages to tightrope both extremes with aplomb and does a great job of keeping you entertained.

Game Info

  • Developer: 38 Studios, Big Huge Games
  • Publisher: EA
  • Distributor: Milestone Interactive/Redington
  • Genre: RPG
  • Age Rating: 18+

Available On

All it takes to suck the creativity out of making video games is success.

Have one blockbuster hit and soon enough, everyone else is trying to do the same thing. We?ve seen it with Doom, GTA and Call of Duty. Before you know it, the market is filled with cookie cutter games, clones that have few buyers, followed by publishers and developers shutting shop and people moaning about how the industry is dying. At the first glance, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning appears to be one such game.

The art direction is a dead ringer for World of Warcraft; the combat is slovenly inspired by God of War III; and the character design (and voiceovers) is reminiscent of Fable. This would perhaps be the most apt description of the game if you just had one look at it. Spend a little time and you?d realise how foolish you were to judge a book by its cover, or in this case, a game from its presentation. Open the box and you?re greeted by a code that lets you download the House of Valors questline, also known as a slap in the face for someone buying an offline-only game to discover that a part of the content is gated behind EA?s online servers. In a word, uncool.

Nevertheless, what makes Reckoning unique is its lore. You?re in a world where everyone believes in their fate, that their lives follow a linear path where everything is predestined, and that there is no deviation from it. So much so that an entire side-quest is devoted to the House of Ballads, a sect of Fae? an immortal race of elf-like creatures and their need to reenact key moments in their history over and over.

Unlike everyone else, you?re an anomaly in the system. You are not bound by fate as you?ve been resurrected from the dead by a device known as the Well of Souls. With it comes great power, such as being able to change the destiny of others, namely the Tuatha, a radical clan of Fae hellbent on dominating all the other races in the name of their yet to be born god, Tirnoch. How do you go about achieving this noble cause, you ask? Simple; by beating the crap out of every assassin, soldier or troll (non-Internet variety, sadly) that stands in your way.

And beat you shall. The combat mechanics of Reckoning are easy to grasp. It?s all in real-time, with no rules, time gauge, VATS or party members to worry about. You block with the left trigger, dodge by pressing B, mash on X or Y to attack opponents with your primary or secondary weapon respectively, and hold down the right trigger and Y to unleash magic spells. You can seamlessly switch between spewing fireballs and pummeling foes quicker than you can say, ?fus roh d?oh!?

Rain death on enough hostiles and you can enter Reckoning mode, which happens when a purple bar known as a fate meter becomes full. Hold down both trigger buttons and the screen is bathed in a violet-pinkish hue and enemies start taking a lot more damage than they usually would. Oh, and it?s all in slow-motion too. Stun an enemy in this mode and you can QTE your way to a very gory (and stylish) kill that?s a pleasure to watch.

As I mentioned earlier, it ends up being similar to God of War and that isn?t a bad thing. It is very visceral with no slowdown whatsoever even with an entire horde of enemies filling the screen. In a big fight, the camera is prone to losing direction every now and then, being a hindrance. Luckily, you can manually adjust it with a flick of an analog stick. This aside, combat is one of the game?s most enjoyable features.

Like most western RPGs, you choose your character class and skills. Unlike most western RPGs, you?re not stuck to one solitary class or set of abilities. Character stats and abilities are dependent on might, finesse and magic. You can very well have a balanced build that has a degree of proficiency in all three without any penalties in combat. For example, you can be a rogue, sporting lightweight mana regenerating armour that lets you pick up the pace in combat with a slew of spells where your heavy axe left off.

Such flexibility fits in well with the game?s mantra of letting you choose your own fate and is a welcome, if subtle, addition to the gameplay. On reaching a requisite number of points in might, finesse and magic, you can choose your fate card. This allows for additional perks such as bog standard ones like a lower cost of casting spells to more interesting choices such as replacing dodge with teleporting across the battlefield. If you?re not happy with your character progression, you can visit a fate weaver (the game?s version of a soothsayer) and reset your stats.

Also, there are skills such as lockpicking, persuasion and blacksmithing, and each time you level up, you get a point to spend on a skill, which has an impact on how you play. Investing in a skill like sagecrafting allows you to create gems that could be used to power your weapons or amour with additional bonuses such as fire damage or greater health; or you could max out your smithing skills, which allows you to create your own weapons. And on the topic of weapons, the game gives you access to a wealth of loot. From poison-tipped daggers or greatswords that deal elemental damage, there?s a generous amount to be picked from chests or the corpses of your enemies.

Along with this, there?s a rather large number of quests to undertake that should keep you playing this game long after the main quest ends, which in itself is around 18-20 hours. These range from the usual and mundane fetching of items, to some epic, memorable quest lines such as the aforementioned House of Ballads.

There?s a firm focus on freedom; so much so that you can accomplish these even when you?re done with the game?s core story and they?re available thick and fast. I had about 30-odd side-quests to keep me busy well after the main story did. It?s a meaty game with a lot to keep you interested. The story takes a while to pick up, but when it does, it becomes an involving tale with a cornucopia of characters to interact with and some nicely written dialogue to keep it going.

You?ll rendezvous with a hot dark elf who knows more about your past than she lets on, help a down and out fate weaver change his life around, and meet a Fae prince with a macabre sense of humour and a kingdom to reclaim. RPG veterans won?t find anything spanking new, but there?s more than enough to see you through the closing credits. It?s a pity that it ends on a slightly weak note, because for most of the part, it works.

Another thing that works is the welcome lack of bugs. My entire playthrough was a stable, crash-free affair. Given the number of issues people have had with other open-world RPGs such as Fallout and Skyrim, this was quite a pleasant experience. There?s a level of spit and polish that would put Bethesda to shame.

Conclusion

Reckoning isn?t the most creative of games, and it isn?t the most derivative either. It won?t change your life, nor is it a waste of time. 38 Studios? debut effort manages to tightrope both extremes with aplomb and more importantly, does a great job of keeping you entertained. After all, that?s what gaming is about, isn?t it?

  • Great combat
  • Versatility in character progression
  • Interesting lore
  • Plot takes awhile to pick up
  • ...much like the camera in big battles
  • Ending could've been better
  • Online pass nonsense?

IVG Verdict

8

Buy
Playing it will give you a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Tags: 38 studios, ea, india, ivg, kingdoms of amalur, reckoning, review, rpg

Source: http://www.indianvideogamer.com/reviews/review-kingdoms-of-amalur-reckoning/

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Polysternon isonae, a new species of turtle that lived with dinosaurs in Isona (Spanish Pyrenees)

ScienceDaily (Feb. 27, 2012) ? Researchers* have recently published in the online edition of the journal Cretaceous Research the discovery and description of a turtle from the end of the age of dinosaurs.They have named this new species as Polysternon isonae, in recognition of the municipality of Isona I Conca Dell? (Catalonia, Spain), where the fossil remains of the specimen type have been found.

The abundance of dinosaur fossils that lived between 65 and 70 million years ago in the area currently occupied by the Pyrenees It is well known. In this range we find dozens of sites with bones, footprints and eggs of the last dinosaurs that inhabited our planet, the Tremp basin being one of the areas with the highest concentration of fossils.

However, lesser-known are the other organisms that completed the ecosystems at the end of the Cretaceous period, consisting of other vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, fungi, etc. A common feature of these ecosystems were turtles. In the Pyrenean sites, their fossils are relatively abundant and, in general, consist of isolated shell plates or small sets of plates that can help us get a general idea of the morphology and size of the animal. Instead, the entire shell finding is rare and even more exceptional are the findings where parts of the skeleton are preserved within the shell.

In recent years, in the municipality of Isona i Conca Dell? (Catalonia) numerous discoveries of turtle remains have been made, spread over several sites. One of these sites, that of Barranc de Torrebilles, has given fairly complete remains that allowed describing a new species: Polysternon isonae. The remains found consist of dozens of isolated plates derived from the fragmentation of shells through their sutures, and what is more important: a fragment of the ventral side of a shell and an almost entire shell, which without being totally complete, show morphological features of great interest to paleontologists and have allowed to describe this new species. These remains were recovered during two excavation campaigns conducted during the summers of 2008 and 2009.

So far, two species of the genus Polysternon were known : P. provinciale and P. Atlanticum (plus a possible third P. Mechinorum), distributed only in what is know the south of France and the Iberian Peninsula. They were animals adapted to swimming and living in fresh waters, in the deeper areas of rivers and lakes. Specifically, the shell of the new species P. isonae was oval, measuring about 50 centimeters long and 40 wide. The remains were found preserved in a very hard sandstone strata now exposed in the Barranc de Torrebilles. Just over 65 million years ago, when the animal died, this was not a lithified sandstone and consisted of fine sand that was washed away by river streams and that was deposited, along with the remains of other turtles of the Barranc de Torrebilles, at the bottom of one of these rivers.

Unlike other kinds of turtles, it seems that Polysternon did not survive the end of Cretaceous and went extinct with the dinosaurs. The close proximity of the site Barranc de Torrebilles to the geological level that marks the end of the Cretaceous extinction, indicates that Polysternon isonae was possibly one of the last species of the genus Polysternon.

* Josep Marmi, Angel Lujan, Angel Galobart from Institut Catal? de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP), Rodrigo Gaete from the Museu de la Conca Dell? (MCD) and Violeta and Oms Oriol Riera from the Universitat Aut?noma de Barcelona (UAB)

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Universitat Aut?noma de Barcelona, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. J. Marmi, ?.H. Luj?n, V. Riera, R. Gaete, O. Oms, ?. Galobart. The youngest species of Polysternon: A new bothremydid turtle from the uppermost Maastrichtian of the southern Pyrenees. Cretaceous Research, 2012; 35: 133 DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2011.12.004

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/~3/w9AhVz1wiL8/120227111236.htm

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Monday, February 27, 2012

Non Profit Conference Calling Services : Home Business Blogs

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Source: http://www.homebizblogs.com/2012/02/non-profit-conference-calling-services/

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Angry Birds Space to launch on Samsung's Galaxy Note (video)

Rovio described the upcoming Angry Birds Space as its biggest launch since the original game, but has been coy about platform details until now, as Samsung has revealed it's launching on the Galaxy Note. We're not sure how the phablet's 5-inch (or possible 10.1-inch) display comes into play, but the extra area can't hurt. Other than the "Houston... we have a slingshot" tagline there's not many other details revealed, but if you're (still) obsessed with taking down those pigs once and for all then press play on the teaser video above.

Angry Birds Space to launch on Samsung's Galaxy Note (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/1hxiSEBMVwg/

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Sunday, February 26, 2012

Saturday, February 25, 2012

The Emotional Freedom Tapping Technique How To Tap Away ...

Did you know that the Emotional Freedom Tapping technique or EFT can be used to get rid of smoking? Most of the time, smokers are much more affected by withdrawal symptoms than the realization that smoking is dangerous the biggest reason why they almost always fail to quit smoking. Smoking-related deaths have greatly risen these past few years and it is probably the reason why a lot of smokers are now considering quitting the habit.

Now, one of the big questions of smokers who are wanting to quit smoking is: What method are they going to use to get rid of smoking? Nowadays a lot of methods are being offered like nicotine tablets, patches and other replacements for nicotine. One of the methods that have emerged is called the Emotional Freedom Tapping technique or EFT.

What is EFT?

EFT aims to relieve a person from anxiety, stress, fear, hatred, addiction, or any kind of negative emotion. It not only helps eliminate negative emotions from your system, it installs renewed and positive beliefs as well. If done properly, EFT provides instant relief and the negative emotion that has been tapped away usually never comes back.

To be healthy, the body must have an uninterrupted flow of energy. Negative emotions cause the interruption of the flow of energy in our body. EFT deals with this by clearing out energy blockages through tapping at nerve end points. Once the blockage is cleared, the negative emotion is released from the body. It works like acupuncture without the needles.

How Do I Tap Away from Smoking?

Quitting smoking using the emotional freedom tapping technique can be done with three easy steps. First, you must acknowledge that you have a smoking problem. Most smokers think that smoking is not a problem for them, but on the contrary, a relief to their problems. For example, if a person is tense or anxious because of an upcoming event or deadline to meet at work, he feels the need to smoke and usually smokes more than one cigarette to help them get rid of the unwanted feeling.

Second, accept the fact that you need help with getting rid of the habit. If you deny that you need help, it will just worsen your condition for EFT doesnt work that way. Third, learn to tap the right points to get rid of not just smoking, but other negative emotions you would want to remove from your system as well.

If you are not yet familiar with the emotional freedom tapping technique, there are seminars being conducted by experts. There are meet-ups and tutorials being held as well. Also there are training videos all over the internet so you could try learning it at the comfort of your own home. EFT is a great method to get rid of negative emotions and negative beliefs. So use the Emotional Freedom Technique now to help you get rid of that itch to light another cigarette.

Visit my website at attract abundance where I provide the most effective information on attracting abundance on the planet!

Source: http://www.1directory.net/health-fitness/the-emotional-freedom-tapping-technique-how-to-tap-away-from-smoking-8073.html

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Does this mean their bird won't bite me? | Pet Warehouse Direct

Friday, February 24th, 2012 at 5:32 pm ?

Question by : Does this mean their bird won?t bite me?
I want to get a pet bird from PJ?s Pet store. Is it a bad idea to get a bird from a pet store?

?When you purchase a bird from us, you can be confident that your bird has received the very best care and an abundance of love during its stay with us. Our babies are raised in our nurseries by specially trained staff. Every effort is made to encourage proper physical and emotional development. You will always find our birds housed appropriately in the best quality cages. No expense is spared in providing toys and optimal nutrition.?

^ That?s what it says on their site?what do you think? I don?t want to get bitten lol..
How bad does it hurt to get bitten by a bird? Is it dangerous?

Best answer:

Answer by Alex
depends on the size of the bird. if its a parakeet or around that size it can be very painful when they bite their hardest. if its around the size of an indian ringneck it can make you bleed? ALOT? and cockatoos and macaws have the ability to amputate human fingers. but all birds would only bite like that when theyre defending themselves or food or young etc. if its your first bird reach for the small birds, budgies, lorikeets, cockatiels, loris, senegals, caiques, lovebirds, conures and many many more. dont worry, your fingers are going to be just fine lol :P

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Source: http://petwarehousedirect.com/2012/02/does-this-mean-their-bird-wont-bite-me/

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Friday, February 24, 2012

The Art of Guerrilla Filmmaking

Independent filmmakers working on a project constricted by a limited budget will sometimes have to resort to a film tactic known as ?Guerrilla Filmmaking.?? Guerrilla filmmaking is a type of filmmaking that does not involve obtaining the proper permission to film in public or private areas through film permits.? This is because independent filmmakers do not often possess the budget needed to spend the additional amount of money on film permits to finish the movie as they desire.? Instead, independent filmmakers who have to resort to guerrilla filmmaking tactics will break such laws as ?trespassing? or ?entering without consent? in order to capture on camera the scenes they may need.? This sometimes however can result in consequences such as warnings, fines, or even possibly jail time.? Although guerrilla filmmaking is illegal where filming is prohibited, this rule has never stopped some of the most famous directors from achieving the status that they have now such as Robert Rodriguez or even Spike Lee.?

The movie ?El Mariachi?, directed by Robert Rodriguez, only had a budget of $7,000 which was mostly earned by Robert Rodriguez donating his body to medical testing prior to the filming of the movie.? Due to the lack of budgeting, Robert Rodriguez had to film the entire movie ?guerrilla style? which eventually earned him the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival in 1992.? The movie ?El Mariachi?, spoken entirely in Spanish, was then picked up by Columbia Pictures and remade into the movie ?Desperado? starring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek.? Soon after, Robert Rodriguez not only earned a reputation as a famous director but also went on to write the book ?Rebel Without A Crew? to inspire other independent filmmakers about the art and success of guerrilla filmmaking.? Spike Lee?s full length feature film ?She?s Gotta Have It? only had a budget of $175,000 which later made $7,137,502 in the box office after he used guerrilla filmmaking tactics to complete his project.? This later inspired Spike Lee to write the book ?Spike Lee?s Gotta Have It: Inside Guerrilla Filmmaking.?? ?

Guerrilla filmmaking can take place almost anywhere such as a local high school or even a grocery store with very few customers.? Most times, small business owners will not mind a team of independent filmmakers filming in their location but larger establishments will expect film permits or even compensation checks as the filming may disrupt their business for the day.? Because of this, independent film teams will have to either find ways to build a larger budget or resort to illegal methods of guerrilla filmmaking to obtain the scene necessary for their project.? This action of course does not go without consequences but this is the risk that independent filmmakers will take in order to achieve the status of an established director.? ?

Sources:

?Guerrilla Filmmaking: No Such Thing As No Budget.? By Sid Kali

?A Film For A Song: Robert Rodriguez Garage Movie.? By Peter Broderick

Source: http://film-production.factoidz.com/the-art-of-guerrilla-filmmaking/

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THE CONNING TOWER: Richards-Ross, Madison, Simpson ...

INDIANAPOLIS - World leaders Sanya Richards-Ross and Tianna Madison along with reigning world champion Jenny Simpson highlight strong fields in the women?s running events at the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships February 25-26 at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, N.M.
? PhotoRun

The fourth and final stop on the indoor Visa Championship Series, the meet will be broadcast on ESPN on Sunday, February 26, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Eastern. Spots will be on the line for Team USA for the World Indoor Championships, which will be held March 9-11 in Istanbul, Turkey.

You can also tune in via a live webcast on www.usatf.org provided in partnership with RunnerSpace on Saturday from 4:30-8:20 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00-4:10 p.m. mountain time. The webcast will feature full coverage of Saturday?s events including the men?s and women?s 3,000m races, and select events on Sunday.

With the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau, the New Mexico Sports Authority, University of New Mexico, the city of Albuquerque and USATF New Mexico all as official hosts, this is the third consecutive year the Albuquerque Convention Center has hosted the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships.

World leader Madison taking it to the track
Madison is best known for sprinting down the long jump runway, but this year the 2005 world long jump champion is turning heads with her times on the track. Madison owns three of the four fastest times in the world this year in the 60m. At the USATF Classic, Madison ran the world leader in the prelims and came back to improve it again in the finals to 7.02. Madison is currently second (behind Jenn Suhr) in the overall standings in the race for the Visa Championship Series title. But Madison will have to fight to claim her first USA title on the track. Reigning indoor champion Alex Anderson and two-time indoor champion Me?Lisa Barber are two of the top challengers in the 60m along with 2006 World Indoor silver medalist Lauryn Williams.

Richards-Ross on a roll
While Richards-Ross struggled with ups and downs in 2011, she has been on a winning streak so far for 2012. In her first season of indoor competition since 2006, Richards-Ross has been victorious in all three races she has entered this year, including running the world leading time of 50.89 with her win at the Millrose Games. The top challenger in the 400m will be DeeDee Trotter, who sits at No. 2 on the U.S. list and is also undefeated for the year. Trotter picked up a win earlier in the Visa Championship Series with her win in the 300m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. Natasha Hastings will also be looking for the win as she looks to defend her 2011 indoor title.

Simpson defends double
Reigning 1500m world champion Jenny Simpson is entered in both the 1500m and 3,000m. At last year?s edition of the Indoor Championships, Simpson successfully completed the double to win both national titles. Simpson recently won the 1500m at the Millrose Games to garner the top seed time of the field at 4:07:27. Simpson?s top challenger in the 1500m will be Brenda Martinez, who has been on a roll this indoor season after winning the U.S. Open and finishing as the top American at the USATF Classic.

In the 3,000m, Simpson will face Sara Hall (Montgomery HS, Santa Rosa 2001; Stanford 2005)who has finished as the USA Indoor runner up the past three times in this event. Hall has recent wins under her belt with the USA Cross Country title and the Pan Am Games steeplechase title.

In other events, Kristi Castlin is the top entrant in the women?s 60m hurdles with reigning world champion Lolo Jones unable to compete due to a hamstring injury. The women?s 800m should be a close battle with Phoebe Wright, Erica Moore and Latavia Thomas all entered with marks under 2:03. In the women?s 3,000m race walk, the two-time defending USA Indoor champion Maria Michta will face veteran Joanne Dow who has five USA Indoor titles to her name.

For more information on the USA Indoor Championships, the Visa Championships Series or USA Track & Field visit www.VisaChampionshipSeries.com and www.usatf.org.
About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track & field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the World's #1 Track & Field Team, the most-watched events at the Olympics, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States: www.usatf.org.

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Source: http://theconningtower.blogspot.com/2012/02/richards-ross-madison-simpson-headline.html

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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Emergency Radio Communications

Types of radio

There are a few choices when it comes to two way radios. Having one does you no good if there isn?t someone on the other end to talk to. If you have someone in mind you want to keep in touch with in an emergency, you can simply get one for each of you. If you don? t have anyone in particular to keep in touch with, you can check your local city and/or county authorities for disaster preparedness guidelines. Sometimes they will suggest a type of radio for your area. Here is a rundown of the more common types.

CB

CB radios were once widely used by truck drivers and other motorists to communicate on the highway. Cell phones have reduced the use of these radios, but not eliminated them.

CB radios are still widely used for professional and recreational communications across the country. In an emergency, it is possible to contact help on CB channels 9 and 19. A hand held CB will only get 1-2 miles range. A good mobile CB radio (installed in a vehicle) with a 4 foot antenna will get about 4-5 miles. This range limitation is due to the 4 watt power limit put on CB radios by the FCC. It is possible to get more range by adjusting or modifying the CB.

FRS/GMRS

Family radio service or FRS frequencies are commonly used in ?walkie talkie? type radios. These radios are used a lot for family activities like hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, etc. GMRS frequencies are usually included on these radios. GMRS frequencies legally require a license, but only something like .02 percent of the people operating on these frequencies actually carry one.

The range on these radios is limited to 1-2 antennas. FRS and GMRS radios have a fixed antenna, so you cannot extend the range.

10 meter

10 meter radios (also known as amateur or ham radios) have long been in use by hobbyists and various organizations. The biggest drawback to a 10 meter is they require a license. This is greatly offset by the power and range they provide. I would suggest if you are going to get one to just get the license, but in an emergency, I doubt anyone is going to complain. The range on a 10 meter radio depends on the power output and antenna setup for the radio. The Magnum 1012 hand held 10 meter will get upwards of 10 miles on USB. A Galaxy DX94HP mobile 10 meter radio with a 4 foot antenna can get a 100 miles range. Many 10 meter radios can also be modified to get the same range on CB frequencies, though this technically isn?t legal.

Listening

Even if you have a good two way radio, it isn?t bad to have some kind of receive only radio to get information on. While you can?t send out a signal with them, these radios can receive information from sources hundreds of miles away, possibly guiding you to evacuation area or warning of dangerous areas and situation.

AM/FM

If you haven?t heard of AM/FM radio, you may want to get out more. AM/FM , more commonly FM, radio is a daily part of most American?s lives. They?re used in almost every vehicle, portable radios are used by joggers, alarm clocks, etc. You?ve probably heard a test of the emergency broadcast system on the radio. It comes across as an irritating buzzing noise followed by a message stating something to the effect of ?This has been a test of the emergency broadcast system?. In an emergency situation, you will most likely be hearing important information on most FM stations.

Weather/alert

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) operates a collection of transmitters across the country that continually broadcast weather information and also broadcast alerts and emergency information related to various situations. A special kind of radio is required to pick up these broadcasts. A good weather/alert radio with SAME technology can be programmed for your local county so that you receive alerts whenever there is an emergency situation close by.

Scanner

If you don?t have an AM/FM radio or a weather/alert radio available a radio scanner (also known as a police scanner or race scanner) can be a good alternative to get information. Depending on the scanner?s capabilities, they can pick up a wide range of frequencies, including the NOAA frequencies. Like the AM/FM radios and weather/alert radios, they cannot transmit a signal.

So what should you get?

For communicating, I would recommend getting a good 10 meter radio that can be converted for CB easily. The DX94HP is a great 100 watt radio. Converting for CB frequencies is as easy as switching on solder point.
It would also be a good idea to have a decent set of FRS/GMRS radios for portable short range communications. The GXT1000VP4 and GXT1050VP4 are great options.
Finally, get a good AM/FM-weather/alert combination radio. The Midland WR300 is one of the more popular.

Source: http://www.1directory.net/writing-speaking/emergency-radio-communications-7020.html

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FDA Steps In To Ease Critical Cancer Drug Shortage ? CBS Dallas ...

(CBS/AP) ? The federal government is stepping in to help ease the shortage of two life-saving cancer drugs, Doxil and methotrexate, regulators announced Tuesday.

The FDA said it will temporarily allow importation of a replacement drug for Doxil, a drug for ovarian and other cancers that hasn?t been available for new patients for months.

The agency also approved another supplier for a preservative-free version of methotrexate, a crucial drug for children with a type of leukemia calledacute lymphoblastic leukemia and for high-dose treatment of bone cancer. The version with preservatives can be toxic or cause paralysis in children and other patients getting the drug high doses.

The FDA also has approved the release of a batch manufactured by Ben Venue Laboratories Inc., shortly before it closed several factories and its complex in Bedford, Ohio, possibly for a year, due to serious quality problems. That closing is what turned the on-again, off-again methotrexate shortage that began in late 2008 into a crisis almost overnight, with fears that patients would begin missing treatments as soon as the end of this month.

???Click Here To Read The Entire Story At cbsnews.com???

Also Check Out:

Source: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/02/22/fda-steps-in-to-ease-critical-cancer-drug-shortage/

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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Business Blogging: Are You Over-Thinking It? | Social Media Today

About the panel

Jonathan Salem Baskin is an author who writes a regular column on Advertising Age & posts on his award-winning blog. More??

John Bell heads up the 360? Digital Influence team & teaches graduate studies in Digital Influence at Johns Hopkins University. More??

Don Bulmer is Vice President of Communication Strategy at Royal Dutch Shell More??

John Byrne is chairman & editor-in-chief of C-Change Media Inc. & the author or co-author of eight books. More??

Gini Dietrich Gini Dietrich is the founder and chief executive officer of Arment Dietrich, Inc. More??

Vanessa DiMauro is the CEO of Leader Networks & has been creating successful online communities for over 15 years. More??

Maggie Fox is the founder and CEO of Social Media Group & was named one of the Top 100 Marketers in Marketing Magazine. More??

Laurent Francois I lead the marketing&development hub @ Express Roularta Services, a media company. I focus on 2 main brands (L'Express, More??

Rachel Happe is a Co-Founder and Principal at The Community Roundtable & a blogger at The Social Organization. More??

JD Lasica is a consultant who is considered one of the leading authorities on social media & user-created media. More??

Brian Solis s author of Engage and is recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders & authors in new media. More??

Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/rachel-strella/451972/business-blogging-are-you-over-thinking-it

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Saturday, February 18, 2012

Lil Kim Labels Nicki Minaj a "Stupid Hoe"


It took some poking, and a bit of prodding, but Lil Kim came out with her true feelings last night.

Appearing on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live, the rapper was asked about Nicki Minaj, whether she thinks that artist is stealing her look/material and how she interpreted Nicki's controversial Grammy performance.

"I don't know what that was. I'm pretty sure I feel the same way everybody else feels right about now," Kim said at first, hemming and hawing before finally just saying:"If you have to make a song called 'Stupid Hoe,' you must be a stupid hoe."

Watch the exchange now:

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/02/lil-kim-labels-nicki-minaj-a-stupid-hoe/

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Friday, February 17, 2012

AP Source: Shooting at ICE offices over dispute (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - The shooting at a Southern California federal building of a high-ranking Immigration and Customs Enforcement official was over an unspecified disciplinary matter, a person familiar with the case told The Associated Press Friday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120217/ap_on_re_us/us_federal_building_shooting

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Defiant Iran claims major steps in nuclear fuel (AP)

TEHRAN, Iran ? In defiant swipes at its foes, Iran said Wednesday it is dramatically closer to mastering the production of nuclear fuel even as the U.S. weighs tougher pressures and Tehran's suspected shadow war with Israel brings probes far beyond the Middle East.

Iran further struck back at the West by indicating it was on the verge of imposing a midwinter fuel squeeze to Europe in retaliation for a looming boycott of Iranian oil, but denied reports earlier in the day that six nations had already been cut off.

The uncompromising messages from Iran, however, came with a counterpoint. The official IRNA news agency said Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, told European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton that Iran is ready to return to talks with the U.S. and other world powers.

The dual strategy ? taking nuclear steps while proposing more talks ? has become a hallmark of Iran's dealings for years and some critics have dismissed it as a time-buying tactic. The advances claimed Wednesday could likely feed these views.

In a live TV broadcast, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was shown overseeing what was described as the first Iranian-made fuel rod inserted into a research reactor in northern Tehran. Separately, the semiofficial Fars agency reported that a "new generation" of Iranian centrifuges ? used to enrich uranium toward nuclear fuel ? had gone into operation at the country's main enrichment facility at Natanz in central Iran.

In Washington, the assistant secretary of state for International Security and Nonproliferation, Tom Countryman, dismissed the Iranian claims of reaching a pivotal moment. "The announcement today by Iran has much more to do with political developments in Iran than it has to do with factual developments," he said.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Iran's "defiant acts" seek to "distract attention" from the damage brought by international sanctions.

Meanwhile, Iran is facing major new international complications: Accusations of bringing an apparent covert conflict with Israel to points stretching from Thailand and India to the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

Officials in Israel ramped up allegations that Iran was linked to international bomb plots, saying magnetic "sticky" bombs found in a Bangkok house rented by Iranians were similar to devices used against Israeli envoys in a foiled attack in Georgia on Monday and a blast in New Delhi that injured four people, including a diplomat's wife.

"In recent days, Iran's terror operations are being laid bare for all," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who convened his security cabinet. It included discussions about "preventive measures" against Iranian threats, said a statement from Netanyahu's office that did not elaborate.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, called the allegations "baseless" and an attempt to push "conspiracy" theories to discredit Iran with its Asian partners, including major oil buyer India.

Iran, in turn, accused Israel of being behind clandestine attacks that have claimed the lives of at least five members of Iran's scientific community in the past two years, including a "sticky" bomb blast that killed a director at the Natanz labs last month.

Framed photos of the five scientists were shown by Iranian TV before a speech by Ahmadinejad, who was flanked by the flags of Iran and the country's nuclear agency.

He repeated Iran's goal of becoming a technological beacon for the Islamic world and insisted that scientific progress is the right of all nations. Here rests one of the biggest dilemmas for the West. Iran has merged the nuclear program with its national identity and is unlikely to make any concessions without huge incentives.

"I hope we reach the point where we will be able to meet all our nuclear needs inside the country so we won't need to extend our hand before others, specifically before the world's dastardly people," Ahmadinejad said. "For a gentleman, for a chivalrous nation, the most difficult moment is when he has a need to ask (for something) from a dastardly person."

Iran also used the announcements as a carefully crafted show of unity.

The families of the slain scientists attended the ceremonies. State TV showed the father of the scientist killed last month, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, clicking on the computer to inaugurate the advanced centrifuges inside the Natanz facility. TV showed tears in the eyes of Roshan's mother and wife when the father opened the project.

Ahmadinejad put the young daughter of slain electronics student Darioush Rezaeinejad on his knee and patted her long hair.

The purported new frontiers for Iran's atomic program showcase what could be significant steps at becoming self-sufficient in creating nuclear fuel ? the centerpiece of the dispute with the U.S. and its allies.

In the fuel cycle, mined uranium is processed into gas, then that gas is spun in centrifuges to purify it. Low-enriched uranium ? at around 3.5 percent ? is used to produce fuel rods that power a reactor. But the same process can be used to produce highly enriched uranium ? at around 90 percent purity ? that can be used to build a warhead.

Iran claims it only seeks reactors for energy and medical research.

The Tehran facility where IRNA said the new fuel rods were installed is intended to produce isotopes for cancer treatments. It requires fuel enriched to around 20 percent, considered a threshold between low- and high-enriched uranium.

Iran began enriching up to near 20 percent in February 2010 after attempts at a deal with the West to import the fuel rods broke down.

Iranian officials have long spoken of introducing faster, more efficient centrifuges at the Natanz facility. The Fars report did not give further details, but Iran also says it also has sophisticated centrifuges in a new site built into a mountainside south of Tehran and possibly impervious to airstrikes.

A diplomat accredited to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors Iran's known nuclear programs said the "new generation" of centrifuges appeared to be referring to about 65 IR-4 machines that were recently set up at an experimental site at Natanz. The new model can churn out enriched material at a faster rate than the more rudimentary IR-1 centrifuges, thousands of which are at work in Natanz producing low-enriched uranium, said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is privileged.

In still another development, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Abbasi, was quoted as saying Iran will open a new facility to produce "yellowcake," which is concentrated natural uranium and is the foundation material in the process to make nuclear fuel. In the past, Iran has purchased most of its yellowcake abroad, including South Africa and China.

The U.S. and EU have tried to rein in Iran's nuclear program with new boycotts and banking restrictions targeting Iran's crucial oil exports, which accounts for about 80 percent of the country's foreign revenue.

The Obama administration is now weighing an even harsher blow: possibly seeking Iran's removal from SWIFT, an independent financial clearinghouse that is crucial to the country's overseas oil sales. But such a move could push oil prices higher and undercut fragile Western economies.

Iran pushed back at Europe.

State TV quoted Foreign Ministry official Hasan Tajik as saying that six European diplomats were summoned Wednesday and told that Iran has no problem replacing customers ? an implied warning that Tehran would carry out plans to cut off EU countries immediately to pre-empt sanctions set to go into effect in July.

Conflicting information about the cutoff has been relayed by Iranian media throughout the day: first the full blockade on six countries, then a report carried by the semiofficial Mehr agency saying that exports were cut to France and the Netherlands with four other European countries receiving ultimatums to sign long-term contracts with Iran.

Iranian officials say an immediate cutoff will hit European nations before they can line up new suppliers, and that Tehran has already found buyers for the 18 percent share of its oil that goes to Europe.

In Vienna, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized the U.S. and the EU for instituting "one-sided sanctions" on Tehran that "erode unified action against Iran's nuclear program."

At the same time, he said the suspicion ? nurtured by years of Iranian secrecy ? that Tehran is covertly working on a nuclear arms program "must be clarified without any doubt."

In Bangkok, Thai officials held three Iranians rounded up after a cache of explosives detonated accidentally in their home. Bomb disposal teams combed the damaged house while security forces sought an Iranian woman they said had originally rented it.

Thai authorities have not disclosed any potential targets for the explosives.

Israeli defense officials, however, believe the Iranian men were plotting to attack the Israeli ambassador in Thailand, Israel's Channel 10 TV reported. It said the investigation was still ongoing and its conclusions were not final.

In a reflection of how the attacks caught Israel off guard, the Israeli Counter Terrorism Bureau last month lifted a travel warning to Bangkok after Thai authorities arrested a suspect with alleged links to Hezbollah. The warning was issued Jan. 13 and lifted less than two weeks later.

The bureau lifted a similar travel advisory for Israelis going to Georgia in November.

___

Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, George Jahn in Vienna and Thanyarat Doksone and Todd Pitman in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120216/ap_on_bi_ge/iran_nuclear

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Thursday, February 16, 2012

22 Inspirational Australian Female Entrepreneurs | Credit Card Finder

22 Inspirational Australian Female Enterpreneurs

Move over men! Long gone are the days when women stayed in the shadows, forging a career in ironing, cooking and childbearing. More and more women are developing their own business empires, and some are even leaving the men trailing far behind. Read on to find out about some of Australia?s female success stories. Men, be scared. Women, be inspired.

Health

Diana Williams

Diana Williams

Fernwood Fitness

Self-made and down to earth fitness mogul Diana Williams got off the starting blocks early, beginning a very successful chain of fitness franchises back in the eighties, when the gym was dominated by sweaty, grunting men. Inspired by the effect that light resistance training had on her own body, Diana realised a gap in the market for weight training that focused on women. Despite resistance and scepticism from potential investors and banks Williams, accompanied by local fitness centre manager John Clow, took a gamble and pumped her own savings into her very own first gym.

A successful empire grew from these humble beginnings, and franchises of the Fernwood Woman?s Health Club sprung up across Australia. The empire has not developed without its problems, and Williams struggled with adapting her business to suit the franchise model it follows to this day. There are now an amazing 74 such Fernwood Gyms across Australia and the number is rising steadily. Many offer additional lifestyle advice and inspiring programs, geared to changing the way women look at their relationship with their bodies and exercise. Williams is now a much respected fitness consultant, approached by government and other public bodies on issues of health and fitness that effect women.

Fernwood empowers women to shine through pioneering health and fitness programs and expert advice. With over 70 clubs Australia-wide, Fernwood are modern full-service fitness clubs with a huge range of group exercise classes, top of the line equipment and cardio gear, passionate personal trainers and food coaches, child minding (in most cases), a friendly and motivating environment. All of our clubs also offer FREE breakfast. Fernwood Fitness really is the key to feeling foxy.

Every year Fernwood offers a 12 Week Challenge program to motivate and help the members to maximise their New Year?s resolutions. The 12 Week Challenge is a crucial self driven challenge and a fantastic opportunity for Fernwood Fitness members to build friendship with like-minded women and also to help each other to reach the fitness goals. The Get Foxy 12 Week Challenge includes personal training and food coaching, group activities, weekly challenges and specific workout plans with many prizes up for seize to promote a healthy competition between the members. Moreover, Fernwood Fitness is also offering a great joining deal. If you join before the end of February 2012, they will waive the joining fee for you.

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Mining

Gina Rinehart

Gina Rinehart

Hancock Prospecting

Gina Rinehart is not only an Aussie female entrepreneur; she happens to be the country?s richest person, and if recent reports turn out to be correct, is fast on track to becoming the wealthiest person in the world. With an estimated personal fortune of $10.3 billion (AUD), Gina is benefactor to her fathers? multi-million pound mining empire, Hancock Prospecting, which turns over just under a billion AUD every year.

But her successes are her own. After her father?s passing, Hancock Prospecting was forced to liquidate and mortgage assets to cover mounting debt. The breakthrough came when she entered into a joint venture with Rio Tinto that saw her net profit surpass her fathers total accumulative wealth in a single year, showing that the apple does not fall far from the tree, perhaps only shines a little brighter and tastes a little sweeter.

The powerful business woman learnt the ropes of her father?s business from the bottom up, which is why her climb to the top is such an achievement ? although, it does help if your dad is the boss. After her fathers? death, Rinehart decided to pay tribute to him, and to the legacy that his mining company had left to the region of Pilbara. Instead of erecting a nice tomb stone or perhaps dedicating a tree to dad Lang Hancock, Rinehart did what every good daughter should and named an entire mountain range after her father ? The Hancock Range.

Gina is also a prominent figure in certain environmental political circles, and is a notorious climate change sceptic and supporter of climate change deniers? activities.

More: Visit Website

Recruitment

Therese Rein

Therese Rein

Ingeus

International employment guru Therese Rein certainly clocks up the airmiles. Her worldwide employment business Ingeus spans almost half the world, has offices in 100 countries, and is particularly successful in the United Kingdom. The independent wife of former Australian PM Kevin Rudd continued to work whilst he was in office, making her the first woman to do so in the history of Australia.

This busy mum and female entrepreneur still makes time for her family ? she has three children with Rudd ? and manages to squeeze in plenty of charity work. Much of her inspiration derives from the fact that her father was injured in a plane crash while flying for the Australian Air Force. This has driven her passion for rehabilitation and helping those who are disadvantaged enter the workforce. Therese has also won the prestigious Human Rights Medal for her work with the disabled.

It?s hard to see where this busy woman fits in time for her family, never mind time for herself. Rein was the first prime minister?s wife to keep her own surname and maintain her very own identity, so she deserves the kudos, and is living proof that women can have it all, and more.

Igneus has recently re-entered the Australian marketplace with the acquisition of Assure Programs, a business psychology services provider offering specialised organisational development services and employee assistance programs that are both designed and delivered by their team of registered psychologists.

More: Visit Website | Follow Therese Rein on Twitter

Julia Ross

Julia Ross

Ross Human Directions

A real example of a self-made career woman who has climbed her way to the top, Julia Ross is a true inspiration to all. Instead of wallowing in self pity and reaching for a bowl of ice cream after separating from her husband, Julia, who was pregnant at the time, decided to launch a recruitment business, which has gone on to become one of Australia?s most successful.

By 2010, Ross Human Directions was generating a revenue of around $400 million and soon gained the eye of potential buyers. The company was taken over at the end of 2010 by Chandler Macleod, who insisted Ross resign as part of the bid. Of course, she pocketed the very handsome sum of $26 million as a result of the takeover, so things didn?t turn out too badly.

Topped with her already vast personal wealth ? recorded to be $75 million back in 2003 ? Ross stands out amongst the handful of other women on Australia?s rich list, having achieved her fortune completely by herself. Not bad for a women who 20 odd years ago had nowhere to live. Despite her success, Julia remains unaffected by her wealth, claiming only to have wanted to provide a decent upbringing for her son. And, despite having created an empire out of nothing, Julia still claims to feel that men dominate big business in Australia, and has been involved in trying to change the current situation. Looks like there?s a long way to go to breaking the glass ceiling, but with women like Julia leading the way no doubt changes will come sooner rather than later.

More: Visit Website

Retail

Janine Allis

Janine Allis

Boost Juice

Boost Juice founder and owner Janine Allis has a trip to the US to thank for giving her the idea for a smoothie chain. Inspired by the healthy bars she had seen in America, Allis and her husband decided to try their luck with their own version of the fad in Oz. Starting in Adelaide, Boost Juice franchises began to spring up throughout Australia, before going global as other countries joined in on the healthy lifestyle wagon. With food production giant Nestle on board in the United Kingdom, the company is going from strength to strength and continues to rack up awards every year,

In just 10 short years, Allis has developed a successful business empire which has taken others decades to replicate. From its humble beginnings in her own suburban home, where Allis conducted her original market research with one of her children on her knee, Boost Juice now has 88 stores worldwide and a turnover of $54 million AUD every year, Allis can certainly afford to sit back, put her feet up and enjoy a Strawberry Squeeze or Blueberry Blast.

More: Visit Website

Maxine Horne

Maxine Horne

Vita Group

Maxine Horne is co-founder and CEO of the Vita Group, one of Australia?s electronic retail giants. From humble beginnings of one store in 1995, the company has branched out into mobile phones and computers, and is appears frequently on Australia?s lists of fastest growing companies.

Taking home over half a million AUD per annum, Maxine enjoys focussing on the Phone Zone brand and developing the customer service network of the company. She is also committed to ensuring her staff feels valued, and that there is a positive work ethic. She even devotes a few hours a day to checking in with her staff to ensure they?re happy with everything.

The idea for Phone Zone, as the Vita Group is also known, came on a trip back to Maxine?s native UK. There, she realised that no one was selling mobile phones in a retail capacity back in Australia, and she, along with her husband, decided to take the market down under.

Beginning the company in her home whilst pregnant with her first child, Maxine has seen Phone Zone expand beyond expectations. Adopting a ?no business at home? rule (which is enforced by her son), Maxine somehow manages to maintain a healthy work-life balance, just like one of her female inspirations ? Margaret Thatcher!

More: Visit Website | Follow on Twitter

Jan Cameron

Jan Cameron

Retail Adventures

Jan Cameron, creator of Kathmandu outdoor wear and accessories is, thanks to her empire, one of the richest women in Australia and New Zealand. She?s notorious for her clear-headed, quick-thinking business decisions, a trait that must have helped her enormously when she began her forage into the strongly masculine outdoor equipment market in the dark days of the 1970s.

Having sold the business in 2006, Jan netted a very respectable $230 million, and managed to hold on to 49 percent of the company. Not a bad result! Since the sale, although most thought she was settling down for retirement years in Tasmania Ms Cameron instead bought out Australian Discount Retail Group in 2009, who went into administration. The chain were responsible for around 350 discount variety stores under the brand names Go-Lo, Crazy Clarks and Sam?s Warehouse, but their Tasmanian Chickenfeed stores remained profitable, and continues to do well under the management of Jan Cameron. In fact, it?s doing so well, as it?s business owner, that 100 percent of profits are donated to charity. Something that is not common knowledge and will surely drive consumers to the store, and also something that goes to show many entrepreneurs are not just business people, but philanthropists too.

More: Visit Kathmandu Website | Visit Chickenfeed Website

Naomi Simson

Naomi Simson

Red Balloon

Internet marketing guru Naomi Simson decided that she?d had enough working for the man and decided to launch her own web-based business Redballoon, selling quirky presents and gift experiences online to the Australian population. Like Julia Ross, founder of her hugely successful recruitment business, Naomi too took the self employment route for family reasons ? she wanted more time to spend with her children.

In the running for BRW?s Entrepreneur of The Year, it is clear that Naomi?s vibrant and quirky personality is having not only a positive effect on the business, but also on the people around her ? one of her best achievements is the fact that Redballoon has been voted one of Australia?s best places to work.

Having won an accolade of awards, Naomi is now turning her hand to advising other women on how to make their own success stories. A true inspiration, her self-developed business has enabled her to indeed ?have it all?. Naomi is now trying to impart her knowledge onto others, in the aptly named book ?I Want What She?s Having.?

Ever found yourself stuck for gift ideas for that special someone as their birthday draws closer and closer? At redballoon.com.au you can find a range of amazing gift ideas that they will truly remember. From V8 racing to massage vouchers, Red Balloon has gone above and beyond to hunt out the best gifts for both men and women.

If you?re a budding entrepreneur looking to stamp your ground in the Australian marketplace, grab a free eCopy of Naomi?s business book ?I Want What She?s Having?. Rated an ?essential business read? by The Australian, the e-version is available on her blog naomisimson.com for download.

More: Subscribe to Naomi Simson?s Blog | Follow Naomi Simson on Twitter

Gillian Franklin

Gillian Franklin

Heat Group

Hugely successful marketer, manager and owner of the Heat Group Gillian Franklin learned the ropes whilst working for others, before taking her experience and setting up shop on her own. At 23, Gillian already had 23 juniors reporting for her, and she was Revlon?s youngest general manager in history. Her company owns exclusive rights to the retail of many of the world?s most famous brands, including Max Factor.

Originally from South Africa, Gillian?s entrepreneurial spirit has helped her succeed in one of her many goals ? providing employment opportunities for women and improving the quality of their lives whilst advising them on the largely male dominated world of business.

Set up in 2000, and now employing almost 100 members of staff, Gillian is proud to have seen the business grow from a home start-up to the thriving company it is today. Now worth almost $80 million, the company is at the forefront of women?s cosmetics in Australia. Gillian?s shrewd business planning, advanced thinking and can do attitude have convinced many, including industry giant Proctor and Gamble, that her company is the way forward. And, she?s just about convinced us too.

More: Visit Heat Group Website

Jo Horgan

Jo Horgan

Cosmetics Cubed

London born and bred Jo, like Franklin, learned the tricks of the cosmetics trade whilst working for an industry giant (L?Oreal) in the UK and Australia. Whilst abroad, Jo realised there was a gap in the Australian cosmetics market for high quality, niche products, and thus her company Cosmetics Cubed, which incorporates the Mecca Cosmetica brand.

With 30 stores across Oz and New Zealand, Mecca Cosmetica leads the way in women?s cosmetics. Like many of the successful women on this list, Horgan keeps herself to herself, but her products, which include her own branded ranges, are known to women and teenage girls throughout Australia.

Jo claims most of her business planning was done on long haul flights, but it turned out the ideas were more than just pie in the sky fantasy. Having built her business up and successfully passed the 10 year mark, Jo remains grounded, quoting her best achievements as her family, and speaking at industry conferences in front of some of the world big names in the beauty world. She also enjoys travelling and meeting her suppliers and business contacts. At least she?ll have to hand plenty of creams and lotions to hide any jet lag and fatigue.

More: Visit Mecca Cosmetica Website

Property

Iris Lustig Moar

Iris Lustig Moar

Lustig and Moar

Director of one of Australia?s most luxurious property development chains, Iris Lustig Moar continues the vision that her late father and ex-husband had, that is, the creation of iconic and simply fabulous properties and buildings, including the Hyatt Hotel chains. Pulling in a cool $150 million dollars revenue a year, the company gives Lustig Moar a nice return, and plenty of spare cash to add to her magnificent modern art collection. Famously spending a whopping $5.5 million in a few months on some collectors items, including an $840,000 Albert Tucker Painting, Iris and ex-husband Ted are prominent movers in the art scene.

Iris takes an active role in the running of the property business, which has expanded to the development of high specification luxury apartments, fancy hotels and top of the range villas.

Caroline Treacy

More: Visit Website

Caroline Treacy

CORE Architecture

Caroline Treacy is the managing director of successful and much in demand architecture firm CORE, based in Queensland. Despite being pestered by government, property developers and businesses alike, who all vie for Core?s cutting edge building designs, Caroline also manages to support local women looking to find their way in the male dominated world of business, and is part of the Women in Business Network. She also mentors young up-and-coming architects in an apprentice scheme, and still has time to generate $9 million per year through CORE?s innovative designs, including some of Australia?s highest profile public buildings.

Caroline has been pivotal in the direction of the growth of the business, and now manages over 50 staff across the company?s various locations in Australia, and is instrumental in the growth of the business and the management of staff. Caroline takes particular interest in the niche architectural sectors of education and care homes. She?s also mother to two young children, and proved she can practice what she preaches when she successfully renovated and redesigned her own home to a very high standard.

More: Visit CORE Architecture Website | Connect with Caroline Treacy on Linkedin

Hospitality

Charlotte Vidor

Charlotte Vidor

Toga Group

Joint owner of the massive Toga Group, Vidor has her finger in a lot of business-flavoured pies. Valued alongside her husband at $440 million, Vidor?s company is involved mainly in the hospitality chain, but also fund management, the environment and property management, and includes the Medina and Vibe brands.

Spanning 45 years, the company hires almost 2000 people and has exported the brand to Europe and elsewhere. The business portfolio includes hundreds of hotels, apartments and businesses, including Travel Lodge Australia and New Zealand, and many others.

Given the companies interests, it?s no surprise that Vidor has a heavy interest in the Australian tourist industry, and is a strong advocate for the development of the sector. She played a prominent role whilst a member of the New South Wales Tourism Board, and developed the concept of fully-serviced business apartments way back in 1982.

Unfortunately for Charlotte, a pitiful net worth of $440 million means she just scrapes into fourth position on Australia?s rich list. Shame.

More: Visit Tega Group Website

Communications

Emma Isaacs

Emma Isaacs

Business Chicks

Emma Isaacs is a busy, busy woman, and loves it. She is a long time entrepreneur, having never worked for anyone else ? apart from a few coffee shops during her teens ? and manages to juggle mommyhood with business quite nicely.

At just 18, Emma started her first business, a recruitment company, and by the age of 28 had bought four other businesses and sold one. One of her companies, Business Chicks, is an online community for business women in Australia wanting to connect with likeminded career women. Their ethos is to empower working women, whether from small home-based businesses or a large multinational corporation, through sharing ideas, knowledge and skills. Competitiveness is shunned ? although that must be hard with a group of strong-willed women ? and peer encouragement is embraced, with the aim of achieving better business results, while trying not to take it all too seriously. There are chances to meet up in real life, too, during national events programs, fundraising ventures and other initiatives. Ranging from the ages of 25 to 65, around 25,000 business women have joined the community so far.

When not in the throes of organising Business Chicks, Emma is an Ambassador for 1 Million Women, writes a regular column for Latte, the Business Chicks magazine, and has only recently given up the Presidency of the Sydney-based Entrepreneur?s Organisation.

More: Visit Business Chicks Website | Follow Emma Isaacs on Twitter

Claire Moffat

Claire Moffat

Connected Women

While the term ?tech head? is usually reserved for men, Clarie Moffat has knocked the idea firmly on the head by starting Australia?s only technology site for women, Connected Women, and it?s a big hit. Of course being CEO of Connected Media, which is responsible for Australia?s leading online news service for the consumer electronics industry Connected Australia, would have helped.

Spanning a publishing career of 30 years, Claire has created and managed a number of leading magazines, electronic newsletters and websites across various industries, but Connected Women is closest to her heart. Her insight into the women?s tech market niche is sought after by many in the industry and she relays her knowledge and expertise through a range of online editorials, her blog and presentations and events within the business and technology industry.

More: Visit Connected Women Website | Follow Claire Moffat on Twitter | Connect with Claire Moffat on Linkedin | Subscribe to Blog

Clare Lancaster

Clare Lancaster

Women in Business

As Clare says: ?When most people think of the words ?women in business? they think of women in 80?s power suits, or women climbing the corporate ladder while figuring out the balance between work and family.? But things have changed, and Clare is key to that change.

Putting her background in Communication Design and SEO to good use, partnered with her experience in affiliate marketing and search and domain monetisation, Clare founded Dot Marketing. There, through strategy workshops, online business owners and bloggers with a business model learn how SEO, social media and marketing can benefit their business.

Helping online business owners is something Clare is passionate about, and her new venture Women in Business reflects that. It stemmed from wanting a life where work, home and play mingle easily, where women can have it all, do what they love, without having to give up too many things to be successful. If Clare?s success is anything to go by, she seems to know what she?s talking about.

More: Visit Website | Follow Clare Lancaster on Twitter | Subscribe to Blog

Catriona Pollard

Catriona Pollard

CP Communications

With such an established career in developing and managing public relations and marketing programs, it was only a matter of time before Catriona would utilise her diverse skills to go it alone. In 2001, she set up CP Communications, a Sydney-based boutique PR agency, and hasn?t looked back since.

Part of her repertoire is to manage public affairs and marketing for the federal and state governments, which must provide a few challenges, to say the least, and she regularly authors articles on PR and marketing for a number of business journals. Catriona is also tipped as one of the top 100 people in PR to follow on Twitter, where she is active most days, and she is co-founder of Social Media Women ? an online networking group that assists and encourages women to get more involved in social media.

More: Visit Website | Follow Catriona Pollard on Twitter | Subscribe to Blog

Helen Logas

Helen Logas

Travelcorp

It?s not often you hear of a high school teacher making the big bucks, well, not if they stay in education. A passion for travel coupled with a strong desire to be her own boss saw Helen Logus leave the teaching ranks and join the madness of entrepreneurism.

In 1994, Helen started her corporate travel business Travelcorp and within a year was in the position to employ commission-based staff and undertake a targeted advertising campaign. In 2003, Travelcorp was awarded ?Best Corporate Travel Agent? at the National Travel Industry Awards for Excellence, and by 2010 the company had a recorded revenue of $65 million, with an average annual growth of 38 percent.

Her obvious knack for negotiating and seeking out a deal played a key role in the growth of her business, but so too did the technology behind Travelcorp?s booking system, which was customizable to each client. This allowed corporate clients to not only retain a certain amount of control of their travel plans, but also analyse their costs and spending patterns over the year.

The biggest deal of her life was to come when, in 2010, Helen was approached by Corporate Travel Management (CTM) with an offer for the company. By the end of that year Helen was a whole lot richer and freed up to pursue her next venture, which should be due to launch any time soon.

More: Visit Travelcorp Website

Suzy Jacobs

Suzy Jacobs

SHE Business

Having worked for many years in large corporations, Suzy Jacobs was keen to test the waters of the small business world and do something which demanded her real passions ? building relationships and women in business. In 2009, she brought the UK?s Athena Network to Australia ? the Athena Network provides business women with opportunities to make strategic connections with other professionals and encourages members to develop their business potential through a series of workshops. Now Suzy has gleaned from her past experiences and set up her own community for business women within Australia.

Toted as ?the new kind of business club for women?, SHE Business offers a holistic approach to success based on a gender science model developed from months of research. Sounds fancy, but what it means is that the SHE Business recognises that women work quite differently from men in the business world, and therefore have different needs.

SHE Business offers members various paths to professional success through a range of events led by other successful female entrepreneurs. There are numerous opportunities to network ? although Suzy is keen to label it as ?nurturing not networking? ? and lively discussion and debate are positively encouraged so that others may draw on collective experience.

More: Visit SHE Business Website | Follow Suzy Jacobs on Twitter | Connect with Suzy Jacobs on Linkedin

Up and Coming Entrepreneurs

Finalists in AusMumpreneur of the Year 2011

Laura Trotta

Laura Trotta

Sustainababy

It?s often true that if you want something done you may as well do it yourself. When environmental professional Laura Trotta was pregnant with her son Matthew she spent hours researching where she could find sustainable products and clothes, but found that the items while available were not collected in one place. This led her to start her own online business Sustainababy just last year, and so far it?s a great success.

Offering one of the most comprehensive selections of organic and eco-friendly baby and children?s products, Sustainababy is a valuable resource for environmentally conscious parents. A large portion of the items available have been either designed or made in Australia or New Zealand, too.

Laura?s previous professional experience as an environmental engineer reducing the environmental impact of large organisations has meant she was able to not only transfer her knowledge to the online world, but is able to help others to lessen their family?s environmental impact whether they?re aware of it or not ? a certain portion of the profits of sales goes to towards the regeneration of degraded South Australian landscapes. Customers also have the opportunity to offset emissions for delivery of their goods, a first in terms of service in online stores in Australia.

Laura is constantly loading new products and brands on the site and is pleased to welcome new products from Petit Collage and Apple & Bee in addition to new season stock from Purebaby, Baobab and Cheeky Little Soles. Laura is also pleased to announce that Sustainababy has expanded to now cater for children aged up to 6 years rather than just toddlers as was the case in the past.

You also can check out the following offers from Sustainababy

  • They have their FINAL summer clearance on now (until mid Feb) where most of their summer stock is reduced by 50%.
  • Autumn/Winter stock will all be available in the online store from mid March.
  • They will be continuing to post eco-parenting articles written by environmental professionals (who are also parents) on their blog. As the only eco-parenting store operated by environmental professionals, they really are the credible information resource out there.
  • Sustainababy?s Facebook fans enjoy tuning into daily eco-parenting tip where they get the latest and greatest ideas to help them build a more sustainable lifestyle.
  • They will be running an eco-tip competition during March through their blog and Facebook page which gives the fans the opportunity to submit their best eco tip for the chance to WIN a $250 Sustainababy voucher. Details will be released by week end.

More: Visit Sustainababy Website | Like Sustainababy on Facebook

Michelle Wright

Michelle Wright

Mishfit

The path to achieving professional success is not always easy. There are peaks and troughs along the way, which mostly make us stronger; some stronger than others. It was a after a personal setback that Michelle Wright found her strength and carved a totally new, successful career.

Michelle is the owner of Mishfit, a personal training service that educates and provides safe exercise care to pregnant and post-natal women. It means women, especially those with a gym phobia, can partake in exercise when they need it most without having to worry what they look like, and in the knowledge that their trainer is specifically trained to meet their needs.

Spurred on by a bout of post-natal depression that was only remedied with exercise, Michelle was quick to recognize that she would not have been the only new mum to feel that way. So she ditched the decision to go back to teaching and instead became a fitness guru, which surprised her more than anyone considering she had previously abhorred exercise.

Now, Mishfit is a growing business with franchise opportunities, and is pitted as a true child-friendly business ? Mishfit is one of the few exercise establishments that allows mothers to bring their children with them to classes, meaning they don?t have to worry about the added cost of child care; a rare find indeed.

Starting in February this year there is a new franchisee running Mishfit in Ringwood Victoria. Moreover, Michelle has also just released a new double CD Called Active Pelvic Practice ? The Gift of Inner Strength. This is to help women remember and to correctly contract their pelvic floors. It is available from either the Mishfit website or from iTunes.

More: Visit Mishfit Website | Like Mishfit on Facebook | Follow Michelle Wright on Twitter

Yvette Adams

Yvette Adams

The Creative Collective

Yvette Adams? quest for the ?ideal lifestyle? ? to be able to juggle her family and professional life ? was fulfilled much quicker than she thought. In 2007, Yvette decided to set up her online marketing services business, The Creative Collective, from home so she could still spend time with her two young children, yet within six months the increasing demand for web marketing meant she was able to employ five contractors.

The Creative Collective recognises that business owners can?t possibly do it all themselves and so provides a platform for outsourcing certain components of the business, from website design and SEO management to social media and market research, to highlight a few of the services available.

The company?s success was evident very quickly and by December 2009, the company was granted Federal Government funding through the AusIndustry Small Business Online in conjunction with TRAC Consulting, which has led to The Creative Collective being able to research and develop a wide range of webinars, full day events and e-lessons to business owners in the Whitsunday, Bundaberg and Sunshine Coast regions.

Now Yvette manages a team of 25 contractors in addition to a small team of permanent staff, and services clients locally, nationally and internationally. All that and she still manages to find time for her family, which is part and parcel of being a female entrepreneur.

The Creative Collective hosts a stack of full-day workshops and webinars (online seminars) offering key advice on how to run a successful online business. Yvette is a a regular guest speaker at many of these events. Visit the Creative Collectives events page for details of all upcoming events.

More: Visit The Creative Collective Website | Follow The Creative Collective on Twitter

Help Promote Inspirational Australian Female Entrepreneurs

Congratulations to all of the bloggers who participated in the awards and thank you to everyone who has voted. If you would like to promote these awards to help give these great blogs the recognition they deserve place one of these badges on your website by embedding the code into your websites source code.

25 Amazing Australian Female Entrepreneurs Badge

25 Amazing Australian Female Entrepreneurs Badge

25 Amazing Australian Female Entrepreneurs Badge

Source: http://www.creditcardfinder.com.au/22-inspirational-australian-female-entrepreneurs.html

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