Saturday, March 31, 2012

inRandom: The Ultimate Green Store - Veggie Crate Toy Review ...

I don?t consider myself a ?green? person, but after having children I find myself venturing farther into the realm of ?green? products. I want to give my children the best possible start in life and to me that includes giving them a healthy start. That is why I started trying to change our lifestyle by incorporating the organic box from local farms and I also started watching labels. I really am shocked about what kind of things are put in products we give or use on our children, but I will leave that topic to rant about another day. The important thing is that many products that are considered ?green? offer products free of toxins that are controversial. To be frank, it doesn?t give me comfort the amount of uncertainty of long term effects of numerous materials, so I rather just steer clear ?just in case.? During some browsing online, I came across The Ultimate Green Store and wow, you have got to check this store out.
As the ultimate web-based destination for eco-conscious shoppers, The Ultimate Green Store provides a collection of many of the finest environmentally friendly products for you, your home, office, kids and even your pets! We also have an incredible collection of gifts for any occasion and you may personalize your shopping experience by creating a wishlist or custom gift registry for your special event!
Seriously, the store has an amazing selection. I have been drooling over the bamboo towel sets and hope to get some when we finally decide colors for our bathroom. Bamboo is so soft and super absorbent, and I can almost feel it against my skin now. Speaking of absorbent, they even have cloth diapers! I?ve never tried diapers from Sckoon Organics, but now I am intrigued and will have to do more research on this cute dipe. They also carry a nice selection of organic toys. You may be wondering why you should worry about whether or not a toy is organic, but if you have a toddler, you already know the answer.
There you have it. The toy goes straight into their mouth every single time. Now I will give my daughter the benefit of the doubt because that is a tomato she is sticking in her mouth and isn?t it cute! The tomato is part of the Veggie Crate with Organic Cotton Stuffed Toy Vegetables made by Under the Nile. The Ultimate Green Store sent us the veggie crate for review at the perfect time. When we started receiving our organic box of produce, we were able to give our tot her own organic crate of veggies!
The veggie crate contains a carrot, mushroom, green bean, and tomato. The items are 100% Certified Organic Egyptian cotton, which makes them perfectly safe for baby to use for teething. We actually plan to use these more for pretend play and as a learning tool for my tot. I can?t wait to see the stew she makes with these veggies or when she starts recognizing that it is a round and red tomato. For now, she just takes them in and out of the crate and carries it to different locations.

Besides being adorable this toy is

  • Super soft
  • Pesticide free
  • Made with organic dyes
  • Washable (definite perk)
The items are too big for my 3 month old to grasp, but I?m sure she?ll enjoy drooling on them in the months to come?if my oldest will share. I can?t wait to add the organic fruit basket to my daughters? toys and these items are going to be so fun in her future play kitchen!

I highly recommend The Ultimate Green Store for not only purchasing the adorable veggie crate, but because they are diligent on seeking out companies offering ?green? products. I discovered so many new companies on their website and I know that they will continue to feature the latest and greatest eco-friendly products.

Connect:

Stay connected with The Ultimate Green Store on facebook and/or twitter.

Purchase:

You can purchase the Organic Veggie Crate at The Ultimate Green Store for $26.95.

Giveaway:

You can enter to win a $20 Gift Certificate to The Ultimate Green Store to shop the huge selection of eco-friendly products for the home, babies and kids by entering the rafflecopter form below. (US only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I received samples for the purpose of reviewing. Opinions are my own and/or my families and are not influenced by any form of compensation.

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Outsourcing Your Email Marketing

Daven Michaels, 123Employee, Outsourcing in the Philippines, Offshore Outsourcing Services, Call Center Services, BPO Services Company, Call Center Services philippines, Philippine Call Center Services, Business Process Outsourcing Services, Outsourcing Company, Virtual assistantEmail marketing is the key to selling more products and keeping your business image fresh in the minds of your customers. Email marketing creates a rapport and trust with your clients that increases the customer service level you need to compete in this tough economy. Are you there for your customer? Do they have access to your information about your products and services? What additional services can you provide to monetize your business further? What new services can you sell them down the road?

These are the solutions that a good email marketing program can provide. But this can be very time consuming. Consider outsourcing as a way to cut labor costs when implementing an email marketing strategy, and put your marketing on automatic while you are busy deciding what major business strategies will grow your business for the future. Outsourcing provides the peace of mind that you need to know that important tasks are taken care of in a professional, yet inexpensive manner.

Imagine how much your business can grow when dutuies such as email marketing, researching, social networking and customer service are taken care of for as little as ?$5.00 an hour! This not only means larger profits for your business but the growth strategies it needs to compete with the big dogs. A strong marketing campaign is what the big firms rely on to keep their brand fresh in the minds of consumers, build a strong customer base and sell additional services down the road. Don?t be left?behind! It is critical now more than ever that your company takes it?s marketing to the next level. Outsourcing these marketing tasks will give you the opportunity to market like the big guys and stay a part of your customers lives and mindset.

Daven Michaels is an award-winning outsourcer and author of the book, ?Outsource This!? Daven has been honored more than any other individual or outsourcing organization. You can get more information on outsourcing by visiting www.123Employee.com

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Big Brother? Homes, cities to watch, interact with you

21 hrs.

Our homes and cities may soon be filled with sensors and tiny, energy-sipping computers that watch our every move in order, we hope, to enrich our lives and lower our impact on the environment, according to researchers working in the field of ?ambient intelligence.?

While there?s a creepy Big Brother element to our houses and cities watching, learning, and interacting with our every move, the smart homes and cities of the future are really just the next frontier in our already sensor-rich and hyper-connected world.

Such technology will eliminate the programming steps needed, for example, to make our thermostats adjust depending on time of day or lighting systems that turn off lamps when nobody is in the room. The intelligent devices will just do it seamlessly by learning our patterns and preferences.

The heart of the technology is the ability to computers ?reason through? all of the data collected by our gadgets so that we can ?use them in an intelligent way,? Diane Cook, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Washington State University, told me today.

Smart thermostats and home lighting systems are obvious applications that already exist in half-baked forms such as the Nest learning thermostat and various emerging smart grid technologies. Future iterations of ambient intelligence could also have a big impact on elder care, Cook notes.?

?For segments of the population, this technology would allow them to stay at home for a couple of years longer than they could otherwise by providing continuous updated information to loved ones and caregivers about the wellbeing of their loved ones,? she said.

For example, the smart home can turn off a stove that a parent with early-stage dementia forgot about ? and send a text message to a child or caregiver that the mental lapse occurred. It could also sound alerts to remind aging parents to take medications or call 911 if they fall down in the shower.

?If there hasn?t been the normal amount of motion in the house today, that would be another good reason to contact a family member,? Cook noted.

This use of the technology could save states about $9.4 million a day in health care costs, she notes in the video below where she describes some of her research. Cook goes into more detail on the work in an article published in Friday?s issue of the journal Science.

One challenge, she told me, is to get older people to embrace ambient intelligent technology. In ongoing trials at an apartment complex is Seattle, for example, adults with cognitive health issues tend to resist any type of change in their environment.

?It is the caregivers, the children, and the spouses who say, ?Please, bring it on, we need some help,?? she said. ?And so the individuals who need it most might be reluctant but for those for whom we are providing the service because it is them who do it otherwise, they are highly embracing it.?

That?s partly because generations X, Y and digital natives are already accustomed to security cameras watching our every move and technology that keeps in constant contact with our friends and colleagues. We expect and want our technology to get even smarter.

Older folks, Cook noted, are more concerned about their privacy and the security of their data. One technique that seems to help them embrace ambient intelligence, she said, is to show them how the technology works.

?Humans don?t see it, we don?t analyze it, and that allows them to be more comfortable with it,? she said.

It is not just our homes that are getting smarter. Our cities, too, are beginning to embrace the technology, write Michael O?Grady?and Gregory O?Hare? at University College Dublin, in a related article in Science.

For example, not too far in the future, on a visit to a museum our smartphone may be able to detect what exhibits we visit and suggest other things to check out based on our preferences similar to the way Amazon.com learns our reading habits to suggest books we might enjoy.

Another technology called the Dust-Bot, the Irish researchers note, could soon have robots sweeping the streets without any human interaction. But such a technology, they note, is currently cost-prohibitive. It is still cheaper to pay a flesh-and-bone human minimum wage to do the thankless chore.

Ultimately, getting to the smart, connected city will require standardization of technology so that devices can all talk to each other and energy harvesting techniques that will let these gadgets run all the time without constantly needing new batteries or sucking more and more energy from the grid.

But such a future, the ambient intelligence researchers argue, is not to be feared akin to an Orwellian Big Brother. ?Ultimately, ambient intelligence is about people and improving their quality of life,? the Irish researchers write.

John Roach is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. To learn more about him, check out his website?and follow him on Twitter. For more of our Future of Technology?series, watch the featured video below.

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Gordon agrees to $37.5M, 4-yr deal with Royals

Associated Press Sports

updated 7:37 p.m. ET March 30, 2012

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) - Alex Gordon went from a bust to busting the bank.

Gordon, who had a breakout 2011 season after a mediocre first four years in the majors, agreed to a $37.5 million, four-year deal that includes a player option for 2016 to remain with the Kansas City Royals.

The team had been working on a long-term deal with Gordon for several months. It was finally announced Friday, one week before the start of the regular season.

Gordon will make $6 million this season, $9 million next season, $10 million in 2014 and $12.5 million in 2015. The player option is also for $12.5 million.

"This is where I wanted to be," Gordon said. "I'm thrilled it's done and over with. I can look to the future now. I'm liking what I see. Our goal was to get it done by the beginning of the year, before the season started. It's a very exciting day for me.

"Ever since Dayton (Moore, general manager) came into this organization, you kind of saw something change and he turned this organization around. We've got a great clubhouse right now. I'm excited to be part of it. I couldn't be happier to be here for five more years."

Gordon hit .303 with 23 homers, 45 doubles and 87 RBIs. He also won his first Gold Glove, setting a franchise record with 20 outfield assists. The Tigers' Miguel Cabrera, the Yankees' Robinson Cano, and the Red Sox's Jacoby Ellsbury and Adrian Gonzalez were the only others to hit.300 with 45 doubles and 20 homers last season.

Gordon, 27, was the second player picked in the 2005 draft and after one minor league season was the Royals starting third baseman in 2007. Curt Schilling struck him out with the bases loaded in his first big league at-bat, but he was projected to be a superstar, maybe the next George Brett.

In 2010, Gordon hit .215 in 74 games and spent more time in the minors than he did in the majors. He entered last season with a career .244 batting average. He had hip surgery in 2009 and hit .232 with 22 RBIs in 49 games.

Gordon altered his swing last year under the tutelage of hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and put up the best numbers by far of his career.

"This is a special, special individual who broke into the major leagues the way he did with all the expectations and all of the hype and where our organization was and then to go and switch positions for the good of the team," Moore said. "Who knows if he was ever going to make it back to the major leagues?"

Gordon is one of the longest tenured Royals.

"I feel like one of the old guys around the clubhouse," Gordon said. "It's good to part of this, all these young guys coming up."

Moore said manager Ned Yost believed in Gordon from day one.

"Alex most importantly believed in himself," Moore said. "To do what he's done is an incredible to his character and leadership. You have to have examples of greatness on your team if you're going to win championships. The way Alex prepares and focuses as a baseball player is an example of greatness in our minds. We live with him every day. We see it. He's won us all over."

The Royals also signed shortstop Alcides Escobar and catcher Salvador Perez to multi-year contracts in spring training.

"We want to keep as many of our good players here as long as we can, knowing full well it's going to be a difficult challenge because we feel like we have talented players and as they get into arbitration and so forth, it's going to be tougher to manage the payroll going forward," Moore said. "The way Alex worked with us and structured this deal helps us a great deal. Alex can't go out and win championships by himself. We've got to have a team that's committed to winning."

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Jamie Moyer, 49, has made the Colorado Rockies starting rotation. Moyer, who is entering his 25th major-league season, posted a 2.77 ERA this spring and beat out two 20-somethings for a rotation spot.

For 40-ish baseball stars, these are good ol' days

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Mariano Rivera kneeled in his spring training clubhouse and stretched out flat on the floor, his white No. 42 - matching his age - pressed to the gray carpet. He stretched his right foot out and slowly drew it back over his left shoulder. He switched sides and then swung both legs over his head at the same time.

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10 Alternative Spring Break Trips In Latin America And The Caribbean (PHOTOS)

For an outdoor adventure during Spring Break, Costa Rica is the place to visit. The Central America country is a hot spot for surfers and other wildlife fanatics.

Deemed as the ideal place for "adrenaline junkies" by Lonely Planet, Costa Rica is for those who like canopying, zip-lining, visiting active volcanoes or doing coast-to-coast mountain biking.

And, of course, there's great partying too!

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WTTC: Business Travel Research ? Views On Tourism

Business Travel ? a Catalyst of Economic performance

Business travel has accounted for one third of growth in global trade over the past decade, improved global corporate productivity tenfold and created millions of jobs worldwide, according to this special study undertaken by Oxford Economics on behalf of WTTC.

The research, launched in May 2011 showed that:
? Growth in business travel from 2000 ? 2007 helped create over 40 million jobs through increases in trade and productivity representing 20% of the growth in global employment over the same period.
? Global business travellers believe that 50% of their prospective customers are converted to new customers with an in-person meeting compared with 31% without such a meeting.
? If business travel were cut by 25% for two consecutive years, global GDP would be 5% lower than would otherwise be the case after a five-year period resulting in 30 million fewer jobs than forecast under baseline assumptions for the same period ? an average loss of 1% of global employment.
? Business travel improves corporate productivity yielding a return on investment of 10:1.
? Business travel is integral to international trade and it is estimated that one third of global trade over the past decade has been driven by international business travel.

A special focus on Asia was launched in October 2011. This showed that Business Travel is even more important in terms of driving economic growth in Asia than in other regions of the world.

Download WTTC reports on business tourism
Business Travel: A Catalyst for Economic Performance
Business Travel: Executive Summary
Why Business Travel in Asia Matters (18 October 2011).

About WTTC
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is the forum for business leaders in the Travel & Tourism industry. With Chief Executives of some one hundred of the world?s leading Travel & Tourism companies as its Members, WTTC has a unique mandate and overview on all matters related to Travel & Tourism.
WTTC works to raise awareness of Travel & Tourism as one of the world?s largest industries, supporting more than 258 million jobs and generating 9.1 per cent of world GDP.

This article is quoted from WTTC .
Follow the links to read the original article .
This article is uploaded by Majbritt Thomsen, administrator on ?Views On Tourism?.

Posted in Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Market knowledge, Middle East, Oceania, Performance and management, Sale and marketing, Uncategorized.

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Credit-card data breach hits Discover Financial - Finance News ...

(Crain's) ? Discover Financial Services is among the credit card-payment processors hit by a data-security breach when Global Payments Inc. had its systems breached.

The Riverwoods-based financial company, along with MasterCard Inc., Visa Inc. and American Express Co., were affected by unauthorized access to Global Payments' data. Global Payments is a third-party services provider. The breach also affected banks that issue debit and credit cards.

It was not immediately clear how many cardholders are victims of the breach.

Global Payments said it had detected a breach of card data in early March. Breaches of card data can lead to identity theft and unauthorized charges.

U.S. law enforcement authorities including the Secret Service are investigating and MasterCard said it has hired an independent data-security organization to review the incident.

Credit card companies generally protect customers against fraudulent transactions, and Visa said specifically Friday that its U.S. customers were not at risk. Both Visa and MasterCard said their own systems had not been compromised.

JPMorgan Chase & Co, as well as American Express and Discover, which issue their own cards, said they are monitoring customers' accounts and would issue new cards to anyone whose information may have been compromised.

Analysts said any financial losses from the data breach would be shouldered by merchants, card issuers and Global Payments rather than Visa or Mastercard, which operate payment networks.

Citigroup Inc said it has been notified by processors of the breach. Bank of America Corp declined to comment on the matter and Wells Fargo & Co said it was too early to comment on the impact.

Banks and processors emphasized customers would not be held liable for any fraudulent charges that may occur.

Last June, hackers stole information for 360,000 credit card accounts at Citigroup. In the past year, there have been high-profile data attacks against the International Monetary Fund, National Public Radio, Google and Sony's PlayStation Network.

(The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.)

? ?

(Note: Your first name and last initial will appear with your remarks.)

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FTSE 100 shares rise

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Are pesticides responsible for bee deaths? (+video)

Important pollinators, both bumblebees and honeybees have trouble functioning after being exposed to pesticides, two new studies say. Industry experts question several aspects of the work.

A common class of pesticide is causing problems for honeybees and bumblebees, important species already in trouble, two studies suggest.

Skip to next paragraph In this video, Dr. Jan Knodel, NDSU Extension Entomologist, discusses how to protect honeybees and native pollinators from pesticide poisoning. Pollinators are a vital part of our agricultural food production and should be protected from pesticide poisoning.
Special thanks to beekeeper Todd Weinmann.

But the findings don't explain all the reasons behind a long-running?bee?decline, and other experts found one of the studies less than convincing.

The new research suggests the chemicals used in the pesticide ? designed to attack the central nervous system of insects ? also reduces the weight and number of queens in bumblebee hives. These pesticides also cause honeybees to become disoriented and fail to return to their hives, the researchers concluded.

The two studies were published online Thursday in the journal Science.

Just last week activists filed a petition with more than a million signatures asking the government to ban the class of pesticides called neonicotinoids. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it is re-evaluating the chemicals and is seeking scientific help.

For more than a decade, pollinators of all types have been in decline, mostly because of habitat loss and perhaps some pesticide use. In the past five years, a new mysterious honeybee problem, colony collapse disorder, has further attacked hives. But over the last couple of years, that problem has been observed a bit less, said Jeff Pettis, lead?bee?researcher at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's lab in Beltsville, Md.

Other studies have also found problems with the pesticide class singled out in the new research. These "strengthen the case for more thorough re-assessing," said University of Illinois entomology professor May Berenbaum, who wasn't involved in the new studies. "But this is not a slam-dunk indictment that could compel a ban. It's complicated."

In the honeybee study, French scientists glued tiny radio transmitters to the?bees?managed for orchard pollination. The?bees?were tracked when they came and left the hive. The?bees?that were dosed with neonicotinoids were two to three times more likely not to return.

In the bumblebee study, British researchers dosed?bees?with the pesticide and moved their hives out into the field. After six weeks, they found the pesticide-treated hives were 10 percent lighter than those that weren't treated. And more important, the hives that had pesticides lost about 85 percent of their queens.

Bayer Crop Sciences, which is the leading producer of this type of pesticide, says it is used on 90 percent of the corn grown in the U.S. and is safe. Bayer eco-toxicologist David Fischer said the honeybee study used unrealistically high doses of the chemicals, amounts that would not be used on crops?bees normally pollinate.

Berenbaum, Pettis and a third outside scientist said the bumblebee study was a more convincing study than the honeybee research because it used lower doses and didn't make as many assumptions.

Bees?are needed to pollinate fruit, vegetables and nuts. Without them experts say our diets would be very bland. Honeybees, which aren't native to America, are managed by professional beekeepers, carted from farm to orchard and raised to produce honey. Bumblebees, native to this country, are wild pollinators.

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Mapping the brain?s superhighways

Scanning technique reveals order to information flow

Web edition : Thursday, March 29th, 2012

The impossibly complicated brain just got a little simpler. Instead of looking like a tangled mess of noodle soup, pathways in the brain are arranged more like a package of neatly interwoven ramen noodles, a new brain scanning study reveals. The results offer more clues to how the human brain gets built and how it has evolved.

Scientists led by Van Wedeen of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston used a scanning technique called diffusion magnetic resonance imaging that detects the direction of traffic flow along white matter tracts, the brain?s information superhighways. The scans revealed that these brain signals form a grid, made up of parallel and perpendicular tracts woven together into curved sheets.?

This grid is a general feature of primate brains, Wedeen and colleagues report in the March 30 Science. Brains of rhesus monkeys, owl monkeys, marmosets and prosimian galagos contained similar geometric patterns to those found in human volunteers, suggesting the grid?s deep evolutionary roots.

One day, doctors may be able to diagnose brain disorders by identifying variations in this regular brain pattern.?


Found in: Body & Brain

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/339536/title/Mapping_the_brain%E2%80%99s_superhighways

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Friday, March 30, 2012

Attacking Iran: Did US just torpedo Israeli deal for a base in Azerbaijan?

Israel is developing a 'secret staging ground' in Azerbaijan for a possible attack on Iran, reports Foreign Policy magazine. US officials aren't happy with that, and may have leaked the story.

The three-way tension between the United States, Israel, and Iran became tenser this week with a widely cited report that Israel is developing a ?secret staging ground? in Iran?s neighbor to the north ? Azerbaijan ? for a possible attack on Iran?s nuclear facilities.

Skip to next paragraph

Quoting unnamed senior US diplomats and military intelligence officials, a lengthy article in Foreign Policy magazine asserts that ?Israel has recently been granted access to airbases on Iran's northern border.?

"The Israelis have bought an airfield," a senior administration official is quoted as saying, "and the airfield is called Azerbaijan."

Why would US officials be talking about this? Likely to slow down any rush to war in an already volatile region, some speculate.

"I think this leak today is part of the administration's campaign against an Israeli attack," former US diplomat John Bolton said Thursday on Fox News.
?
"Clearly, this is an administration-orchestrated leak," Mr. Bolton said, adding, "It's just unprecedented to reveal this kind of information about one of your own allies.?

The challenge for Israel in planning such a strike is the long distance to potential targets ? some 2,000 miles round-trip ? for its F-15 and F-16 fighters. Planning for such strikes always involves tradeoffs between fuel and bombs.

Bases in nearby Azerbaijan (including abandoned former Soviet airfields) could be used for landing and refueling after any strike, allowing Israeli jets to carry more ordnance. Such airfields also could be a staging point for search-and-rescue helicopters that might be necessary to recover downed Israeli pilots. They also could be used to launch drone aircraft for bomb damage assessment once any strike is concluded.

Israel and Azerbaijan have developed an economic military relationship over the years.

Israel buys oil from Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan recently agreed to buy $1.6 billion in military hardware from Israel, including drones, antiaircraft, and missile-defense systems.

This week?s report of a possible basing agreement with Israel does nothing to improve the relationship between neighbors Azerbaijan and Iran.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/8YaIfTJPZAk/Attacking-Iran-Did-US-just-torpedo-Israeli-deal-for-a-base-in-Azerbaijan

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Apple patents Siri-like system for controlling cameras, PMPs through a computer or smartphone

Image
"Siri, turn on the flash and take three pictures with my camera after waiting two seconds." Apple's intelligent voice control system has been wildly popular amongst consumers in the U.S., and abroad, but Siri could be making her way to other devices in the future, including iPods, cameras and other consumer electronics. "Okay, Rock God, I will take your picture in two, one..." A patent by Apple filed in 2010 but published today describes a scenario in which you could control a secondary electronic device using your voice, with all of the backend processing passing through a connected smartphone or computer. According to the patent:

One embodiment may include a first electronic device communicatively coupled to a server and to a second electronic device. The second electronic device may be a portable electronic device, such as a digital media player, that includes a voice user interface. The second electronic device may be capable of accurate speech recognition, but may not include additional computation hardware and/or software for training the speech recognition engine. As such, the bulk, weigh, and cost for manufacturing the second electronic device may be reduced, resulting in a more portable and affordable product.

In other words, you could have Siri-like control of virtually any device, with all of the required hardware and software residing on an iPhone or MacBook, linked with other devices over WiFi or Bluetooth. Voice control wouldn't be practical in all situations, but it could be enormously helpful for certain operations, like adjusting settings or reviewing images. Instead of scrolling through hundreds of images, you could simply say "Siri, show me pictures from last Thursday," and see exactly the shots you were searching for. As always, this is one of thousands of Apple patents, and it quite possibly may never come to fruition as described. But here's to hoping it will. "Siri, show our readers the patent application" -- you'll find it at the source link below.

Apple patents Siri-like system for controlling cameras, PMPs through a computer or smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceUSPTO (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/29/apple-patents-siri-like-system-for-cameras-pmps/

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Marketing your business | Marketing Consultant, Marketing Coach ...

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3 Tech Myths Of Marketing: Segmentation, Testing, Analytics | Small ?

I recently spoke with Helena Bouchez of Marketing Profs about the three myths of marketing, related to technology. These three myths are that segmentation is. ? tech insight and news for small business. Home ? Archives ? Events ? Videos ?
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Top 5 Ways To Use Small Business Email Marketing

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"We conduct our annual survey to gain insight into the mindset of small business owners so we can better meet their needs," said John Wandishin, Vice-President, Marketing, Business Machine Group. "This year's survey was interesting because we saw ?
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Libya militias resume fighting after ceasefire

[ [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Afghan security forces and police killed three', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/H9BcJE', '[Related: Bales\' wife on his alleged shooting: \'He would not do that\']', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['looking for fireworks between the opposing camps', 16]], 'http://yhoo.it/GSvEsj', '[RELATED:\?It?s going to be a circus\?: Activists begin protests outside Supreme Court]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 8]], 'http://yhoo.it/GE6jSh', '[RELATED: Obama\?s health care law passed 2 years ago, but where are we now\?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Witnesses said the gunman pulled up on a black scooter', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GzwOIW', '[Related: New York police tighten security at Jewish sites]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['test Zimmerman for alcohol or drugs', 11]], 'http://yhoo.it/Gzn6VF', '[Related: White House says Trayvon Martin is local issue]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GUovUP', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/61/261d2c36bccf0971c2734a4d4398aa5a.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP/David Goldman', ], [ [['Can you create commerce in order to regulate it', 9]], 'http://yhoo.it/GSgtu8', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/78/778e2416573870cd705774e92403447d.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP/Charles Dharapak', ], [ [['associated with such a small earthquake', 4]], 'http://yhoo.it/GTco9z', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/0/b4/0b493c1a47b6e3f97f8f48a2b251d7d4.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger', ], [ [['Fox News host Geraldo Rivera sparked outrage', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GKMVTk', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/7c/27c7367bc512d233ae1790b320a5e92c.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['The charges signed against Bales include', 1]], 'http://yhoo.it/wZT5zV', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/a0/7a07c51b2aa0f39b1a23355046d13870.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP Photo/DVIDS\, Spc\. Ryan Hallock\, File', ], [ [['George Zimmerman, if I had a son', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/thousands-protest-fla-teen-death-1332387124-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/22/d761a49f3fcc99080a0f6a70670053cd-jpg_150905.jpg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['Mohamed Merah', 10], ['prosecutor Francois Molins', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/four-dead-in-french-jewish-school-shooting-1332173151-slideshow', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120321/2012_03_21t151508z_425380421_gm1e83l1sqs01_rtrmadp_3_france_shootings_raid.jpg', '630', ' ', 'REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier', ], [ [['Shortly after he wrapped up his victory remarks', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['best understands the problems of average Americans', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GB2RVy', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/20/photo-1332257995646-4-0-jpg_171722.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AFP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/libya-militias-resume-fighting-ceasefire-192400379.html

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Google+ gives you a few more reasons to Hangout, put mustaches on things

Image
So you've started a Hangout on Google+ with some pals. Now what? Are you just going to sit around and talk? Thanks to some new additions to the social network, you don't have to rely solely on your conversational skills anymore. The software company announced today the addition of a number of apps to the Facebook competitor, which should make your Hangout time all the more riveting. Now you and a few close friends can play poker and pop culture trivia, add mustaches and glasses to one another, collaboratively doodle and share presentations on the service. Google+ also announced today that it has taken its Hangouts API out of preview, letting developers share the fruit of their work with the rest of the site's fake facial hair-sporting community.

Google+ gives you a few more reasons to Hangout, put mustaches on things originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceGoogle+, Google+ Developers Blog  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/28/google-gives-you-a-few-more-reasons-to-hangout-put-mustaches-o/

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Nokia unveils the Lumia 800 in China, calls it the 800C

So if you live out in China, and were counting down the days until you could get your hands on a legit Lumia 800 (or the 610), you're almost there. Nokia's slab of Windows Phone, renamed the 800C was unveiled by China Telecom today as we'd heard, and will launch in stores fully next month. There'll be 20,000 apps available in the Marketplace when it does finally ship, which should be enough to keep you going. Color-wise there'll be cyan and black options, setting you back 3599 RMB sans contract. Head down to the official PR for the company pomp.

Continue reading Nokia unveils the Lumia 800 in China, calls it the 800C

Nokia unveils the Lumia 800 in China, calls it the 800C originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 04:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNokia Conversations  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/_nX0SuSafNw/

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Trayvon Martin PSAs: Chaka Khan, Other Celebrities, Ordinary People Pay Tribute to Slain Teen


A pair of videos - one featuring celebrities, one starring ordinary people - have surfaced online as public service announcements and tributes to Trayvon Martin.

In the first, singer Chaka Khan enlisted the help of celebrity friends Kelly Price, Eric Benét, Eva Pigford, Kenny Latimore, Terry Crews, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Kimberly Elise for a public service announcement for Trayvon Martin:

Donning a black hoodie, Chaka sings “A mama’s cryin’ ’cause another young man has gone and died. He’s not some statistic. He’s an awesome destiny denied.”

In a second video, filmmakers from Newark, N.J., assembled 30 African-American males to lend their voices to speak out on the Trayvon Martin case and the way they believe black men are being perceived in the media and society.

They, too, wear hooded sweatshirts as audio of a 911 dispatcher speaking to George Zimmerman, and Geraldo Rivera's comments, play in the background:

These tributes are moving, however, some have suggested that Martin becoming a national symbol and media obsession has indirectly led to bias against George Zimmerman, who claims self-defense and has not been charged with a crime.

Do you agree?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/03/trayvon-martin-psas-chaka-khan-other-celebrities-pay-tribute-to/

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Health And Fitness Facts And Myths Exposed | 123ofweightloss.com

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Within this article we're going to explore a bit more thorough in the misconceptions and information associated with health and fitness. Yoga along with low back pain merchandise along with connected details can be seen ...

Source: http://123ofweightloss.com/2012/03/health-and-fitness-facts-and-myths-exposed/

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Slate Staff on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+

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

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=ec2546d3c5502352196449b25693c936

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States keep up with ozone mandates

States keep up with ozone mandates [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 28-Mar-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: David Ruth
david@rice.edu
713-348-6327
Rice University

Rice University study finds federal efforts most effective at cutting pollutants

States are doing an effective job of monitoring air quality, but the federal government remains the primary player in clearing the air, according to a new study by Rice University.

In a recent study published by the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, the Rice research group of environmental engineer Daniel Cohan looked at state implementation plans (SIPs) mandated by the United States Clean Air Act. SIPs detailed how states would attain standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for cutting ozone and other ground-level contaminants by 2009.

The study found a "remarkable amount of progress in just six years," as ozone levels declined over six years by an average 13 parts per billion (ppb) at monitors in nonattainment regions, areas where the level of air pollutant was higher than that allowed by federal standards that went into effect in 2004. Most of these regions reached federal standards by 2009. The researchers determined that, apart from California, the majority of emission reductions documented by SIPs were due to federal policies for the likes of vehicle and power plant emissions.

Cohan, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, set students led by Rice senior Andrew Pegues to the task of analyzing how states reacted to federal mandates and how successful they were in reducing levels of ozone and nitrogen oxides (a precursor of ozone).

Narrowing their focus from the 22 available SIPs, the team analyzed six state plans and one for the Los Angeles South Coast, all of which were categorized by the EPA for "moderate" nonattainment of standards and for which actual air-quality measurements from 2009 (the most recent data available) could be matched to levels predicted by the plans. (California is the only state allowed to set its own vehicle emission standards, as long as they are more stringent than federal standards.)

The other SIPs centered on the metropolitan areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston and Springfield, Mass.

The timing was right for such a study, Cohan said. He cited the current gap between states' efforts to attain the previous standard for ground-level ozone -- 84 ppb in any eight-hour period -- and implementation of the current standard of 75 ppb, which will soon set off another round of SIPs by states in nonattainment. The EPA is also considering further tightening of the ozone standard.

"Overall, it's a success story because it shows that nationally, ozone levels have improved substantially," Cohan said. "In the report, we suggest that much of that improvement is coming from federal and EPA efforts, and not as much is coming from the individual state plans.

"But pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter cross state boundaries, so often it's not within the state's power to totally control air quality," he said. While states are responsible for developing air-quality plans and meeting standards, most of the ability to effectively control pollutants from motor vehicles (through setting tailpipe emission standards) and industry lies with the federal government, he said.

Cohan said Pegues did most of the legwork to gather data for the study. "He's a multitalented student," Cohan said. "He's pursuing a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering and degrees in economics, policy studies and political science, so he has all of the technical and programming abilities to work effectively as a scientist, but also the interest in delving into state policies."

Pegues spent months, including one entire summer, calling state officials and found it best to approach them from an engineering perspective. "I think if I'd come at this from the political science area, they would think I didn't have the necessary science background," he said. "When I told them I was from Rice Civil Engineering, they (thought), 'We can deal with engineers. He speaks our language.'"

Pegues, who plans to attend law school in the fall, began working with Cohan as a freshman through Rice's Century Scholars program, which matches freshmen with faculty mentors to pursue specific projects.

Cohan said analysis showed five states claimed attainment with standards not borne out by the 2009 observations. In most of those cases, the states' air-quality modeling correctly predicted nonattainment, but deviations from EPA methodology allowed the SIPs to claim attainment. The National Research Council has recommended that a more collaborative approach to air pollution between states and the federal government would cut costs and achieve better results.

Still, Cohan was happy to see progress in the most recent round of monitoring and remediation.

"It was a rare opportunity to look at how well policies worked in fulfilling their goals and how models of air quality for 2009 matched actual air quality," Cohan said. He noted the EPA is using the study as it considers more stringent ozone standards. "I think the paper gives them the encouraging news that when their modeling protocol is followed, it does reasonably predict whether the standards are going to be achieved."

###

Co-authors of the study are graduate student Antara Digar and alumna Catherine Douglass, both of Rice, and Robyn Wilson, an assistant professor at The Ohio State University.

The research was supported by the EPA, the Century Scholars Program at Rice, the National Science Foundation and a Brown Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

Read the abstract at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10473289.2011.646049

EPA ground-level ozone standards: http://www.epa.gov/ozonedesignations/

Cohan Research Group: http://cohan.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=41

Image for download:

http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/0/120326_Cohan_Fitlow_080.jpeg

Rice environmental engineer Daniel Cohan, left, and senior Andrew Pegues led a study to evaluate how well states did in reducing ozone levels as mandated by the federal government. (Credit Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is known for its "unconventional wisdom." With 3,708 undergraduates and 2,374 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice has been ranked No. 1 for best quality of life multiple times by the Princeton Review and No. 4 for "best value" among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to http://www.rice.edu/nationalmedia/Rice.pdf.


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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


States keep up with ozone mandates [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 28-Mar-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: David Ruth
david@rice.edu
713-348-6327
Rice University

Rice University study finds federal efforts most effective at cutting pollutants

States are doing an effective job of monitoring air quality, but the federal government remains the primary player in clearing the air, according to a new study by Rice University.

In a recent study published by the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, the Rice research group of environmental engineer Daniel Cohan looked at state implementation plans (SIPs) mandated by the United States Clean Air Act. SIPs detailed how states would attain standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for cutting ozone and other ground-level contaminants by 2009.

The study found a "remarkable amount of progress in just six years," as ozone levels declined over six years by an average 13 parts per billion (ppb) at monitors in nonattainment regions, areas where the level of air pollutant was higher than that allowed by federal standards that went into effect in 2004. Most of these regions reached federal standards by 2009. The researchers determined that, apart from California, the majority of emission reductions documented by SIPs were due to federal policies for the likes of vehicle and power plant emissions.

Cohan, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, set students led by Rice senior Andrew Pegues to the task of analyzing how states reacted to federal mandates and how successful they were in reducing levels of ozone and nitrogen oxides (a precursor of ozone).

Narrowing their focus from the 22 available SIPs, the team analyzed six state plans and one for the Los Angeles South Coast, all of which were categorized by the EPA for "moderate" nonattainment of standards and for which actual air-quality measurements from 2009 (the most recent data available) could be matched to levels predicted by the plans. (California is the only state allowed to set its own vehicle emission standards, as long as they are more stringent than federal standards.)

The other SIPs centered on the metropolitan areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston and Springfield, Mass.

The timing was right for such a study, Cohan said. He cited the current gap between states' efforts to attain the previous standard for ground-level ozone -- 84 ppb in any eight-hour period -- and implementation of the current standard of 75 ppb, which will soon set off another round of SIPs by states in nonattainment. The EPA is also considering further tightening of the ozone standard.

"Overall, it's a success story because it shows that nationally, ozone levels have improved substantially," Cohan said. "In the report, we suggest that much of that improvement is coming from federal and EPA efforts, and not as much is coming from the individual state plans.

"But pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter cross state boundaries, so often it's not within the state's power to totally control air quality," he said. While states are responsible for developing air-quality plans and meeting standards, most of the ability to effectively control pollutants from motor vehicles (through setting tailpipe emission standards) and industry lies with the federal government, he said.

Cohan said Pegues did most of the legwork to gather data for the study. "He's a multitalented student," Cohan said. "He's pursuing a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering and degrees in economics, policy studies and political science, so he has all of the technical and programming abilities to work effectively as a scientist, but also the interest in delving into state policies."

Pegues spent months, including one entire summer, calling state officials and found it best to approach them from an engineering perspective. "I think if I'd come at this from the political science area, they would think I didn't have the necessary science background," he said. "When I told them I was from Rice Civil Engineering, they (thought), 'We can deal with engineers. He speaks our language.'"

Pegues, who plans to attend law school in the fall, began working with Cohan as a freshman through Rice's Century Scholars program, which matches freshmen with faculty mentors to pursue specific projects.

Cohan said analysis showed five states claimed attainment with standards not borne out by the 2009 observations. In most of those cases, the states' air-quality modeling correctly predicted nonattainment, but deviations from EPA methodology allowed the SIPs to claim attainment. The National Research Council has recommended that a more collaborative approach to air pollution between states and the federal government would cut costs and achieve better results.

Still, Cohan was happy to see progress in the most recent round of monitoring and remediation.

"It was a rare opportunity to look at how well policies worked in fulfilling their goals and how models of air quality for 2009 matched actual air quality," Cohan said. He noted the EPA is using the study as it considers more stringent ozone standards. "I think the paper gives them the encouraging news that when their modeling protocol is followed, it does reasonably predict whether the standards are going to be achieved."

###

Co-authors of the study are graduate student Antara Digar and alumna Catherine Douglass, both of Rice, and Robyn Wilson, an assistant professor at The Ohio State University.

The research was supported by the EPA, the Century Scholars Program at Rice, the National Science Foundation and a Brown Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

Read the abstract at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10473289.2011.646049

EPA ground-level ozone standards: http://www.epa.gov/ozonedesignations/

Cohan Research Group: http://cohan.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=41

Image for download:

http://news.rice.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/0/120326_Cohan_Fitlow_080.jpeg

Rice environmental engineer Daniel Cohan, left, and senior Andrew Pegues led a study to evaluate how well states did in reducing ozone levels as mandated by the federal government. (Credit Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is known for its "unconventional wisdom." With 3,708 undergraduates and 2,374 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice has been ranked No. 1 for best quality of life multiple times by the Princeton Review and No. 4 for "best value" among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to http://www.rice.edu/nationalmedia/Rice.pdf.


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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-03/ru-sku032812.php

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