Dialogues on?Children's Concepts about Death and Dying

NEW YORK PSYCHOANALYTIC SOCIETY & INSTITUTE:
CHILD & ADOLESCENT ANALYSIS DIVISION
DIALOGUES ON CHILDHOOD
Marianne and Nicholas Young Auditorium
247 East 82nd St., between 2nd & 3rd, NY, NY 10028
212-879-6900
www.psychoanalysis.org
www.nypsi.org

Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 8 ? 9:15 p.m.

Children at Every Stage:Healthy Eating or Eating Disorders?

Susan P. Sherkow, M.D.

Because there is nothing more intrinsic to development than eating, parents can become pre-occupied from the moment their child is born with how, what, and when to feed their baby. Often, the concerns about how, what, and when to feed their children persist throughout the developmental stages of toddlerhood, the grammar school years, and adolescence. What can experts teach us about how much control parents have in promoting healthy eating habits and avoid eating disturbances?

Q&A to follow.

?Dialogues on?? events are geared towards professionals and parents who are involved with the care of children in the school and home environments. Educators, school administrators, community leaders, grandparents and parents are welcome.

RSVP www.nypsi.org under Events and Lectures

Susan Sherkow serves on the child psychiatry faculties of both Mount Sinai College of Medicine and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In addition, she is a Training and Supervising Analyst at Berkshire Psychoanalytic Institute as well as a Supervising Analyst and an Instructor in courses on Child and Adolescent Development at New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute. For a number of years, Dr. Sherkow managed an Eating Disorders Developmental Nursery as part of her private practice of psychiatry and psychoanalysis. She has presented and published widely on the topics of ?normal eating,? ?feeding disorders,? and ?the intergenerational transmission of eating disorders from mothers to children?.

The ?Dialogues on?? series is made possible by a generous donation to NYPSI from The Poses Family Foundation. Additional funding was received from The James and Judith K. Dimon Foundation in honor of Ms. Themis Dimon.

Stay tuned for these upcoming Dialogues on:

Wednesday, May 8, 2013
8 ? 9:15 p.m.
?Dialogues on?the Impact of Learning Disorders on Psychological Development? with Josephine Wright, M.D.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013
8 ? 9:15 p.m.
?Dialogues on?Children?s Concepts about Death and Dying? with Pat Nachman, Ph.D.

For information about NYPSI training programs please visit us at

www.psychoanalysis.org or www.nypsi.org

??? Follow NYPSI on Twitter

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Source: http://internationalpsychoanalysis.net/2013/03/30/dialogues-onchildrens-concepts-about-death-and-dying-with-patricia-nachman-ph-d-at-nypsi/

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Ruling on Stockton bankruptcy eligibility likely Monday

By Jim Christie

SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - A verbal ruling on whether Stockton, California, is eligible for bankruptcy protection will likely come next Monday, a federal judge said on the third and final day of a trial that the U.S. municipal debt market is closely watching.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Klein said he would need more time than anticipated to make a ruling over whether Stockton should be allowed to press on with its bankruptcy case, which could result in bondholders and bond insurers of the city swallowing losses while leaving pensions of city workers and retirees intact.

"I'm pretty confident I will not be in a position to make my findings by Friday," Klein told attorneys for Stockton and its so-called capital markets creditors at the third hearing of the trial that started on Monday.

Stockton aims to aggressively impair its bond debt if found eligible for bankruptcy court protection, a strategy other cash-strapped municipalities could follow, breaking a tradition in the $3.7 trillion municipal bond market, which provides financing for various public capital projects, from school construction to sidewalk repairs.

Since at least the 1930s, bondholders in major municipal bankruptcies have consistently repaid their entire principal. If Stockton establishes it is eligible for bankruptcy protection, other financially troubled municipalities could follow its example and try to adjust debts through bankruptcy.

A city of nearly 300,000 in California's Central Valley, Stockton filed for bankruptcy last year, becoming the biggest U.S. city to declare bankruptcy.

Bond insurers Assured Guaranty Corp, Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp and National Public Finance Guarantee Corp have been joined by Wells Fargo Bank, the Franklin California High Yield Municipal Fund and Franklin High Yield Tax-Free Income Fund in contesting Stockton's bid for bankruptcy eligibility.

The insurers have more than $300 million of exposure to the city's debt and have said that Stockton's decision to keep making payments to its largest creditor, the California Public Employees' Retirement System, showed lack of good faith during the initial stages of the city's bankruptcy plan.

The $254 billion pension fund manages pension accounts for Stockton's current and retired employees.

A lawyer for the capital markets creditors during the trial's closing arguments said Stockton officials gave the creditors a "take-it-or-leave-it" offer instead of negotiating in good faith, adding that the city's decision to exempt Calpers from impairment was "tainted" because city officials involved in the decision had a conflict of interest due to having retirement accounts with the pension fund.

"The process was hopelessly flawed," attorney Matthew Walsh told Klein.

Norman Hile, a lawyer for Stockton, characterized the capital markets creditors as resisting negotiations, adding that most of the city's creditors have already agreed to concessions.

Hile added that Calpers should be viewed as a trustee for Stockton's employees and retirees rather than as a creditor, adding that the city has met the requirements in federal law for eligibility for bankruptcy court protection.

Guy Neal, another lawyer for the capital markets creditors, said Stockton's financial future is bleak unless it tackles its pension obligations and brings the state pension fund into negotiations.

"The evidence demonstrates that Stockton cannot afford these liabilities," Neal said.

If Klein finds Stockton eligible for protection from creditors under Chapter 9 of the U.S. bankruptcy code, the city could begin drafting a so-called plan of adjustment for its debts.

The process could take some time and creditors can object. Any plan of adjustment would eventually require a court finding it is fair and equitable to all creditors.

Stockton's capital markets creditors will also be able to appeal a finding of eligibility to U.S. District Court or a bankruptcy appellate panel.

If Klein finds Stockton is not eligible for bankruptcy protection, the city could operate under its current spending plan while negotiating concessions with creditors, who could at the same time press their claims against the city in state or federal court.

(Editing by Paul Simao, Tiziana Barghini, Bob Burgdorfer and Philip Barbara)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ruling-stockton-bankruptcy-eligibility-likely-monday-004548108--sector.html

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Sofia Vergara Dyes Her Hair Blonde! See the Photo

The gorgeous Modern Family star lightens up for the spring! Check out other cute and candid moments from the stars

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/celebrity-twitter-pictures/1-b-229669?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Acelebrity-twitter-pictures-229669

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SEC approves Nasdaq's Facebook IPO payment plan

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday that it has approved a plan by the Nasdaq stock exchange to pay $62 million in reimbursements to investment firms that lost money because of technical problems during Facebook's initial public offering last year.

The Nasdaq had said in June that it would pay $40 million but later increased the amount to $62 million.

Facebook went public May 18 amid great fanfare, but computer glitches at the Nasdaq delayed the start of trading and threw the debut into chaos. Technical problems kept many investors from buying shares that morning, selling them later in the day or even from knowing whether their orders went through. Some said they were left holding shares they didn't want.

Facebook's stock originally priced at $38 and closed that first day at $38.23 after going as high as $45. The lackluster close disappointed investors who had hoped for a first-day pop. Nasdaq has said that it was embarrassed by the glitches, but that they didn't contribute to the underwhelming returns.

Shares of Menlo Park, Calif.-based Facebook Inc. fell 39 cents to $25.34 in Monday morning trading. The stock has not hit its IPO price since the first day of trading.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sec-approves-nasdaqs-facebook-ipo-payment-plan-133619547--finance.html

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Kurdish rebel leader calls for cease-fire

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AP) ? The jailed Kurdish rebel leader called Thursday for an immediate cease-fire and for thousands of his fighters to withdraw from Turkish territory, a major step toward ending one of the world's bloodiest insurgencies.

Hundreds of thousands were gathered to hear the message in Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, where Abdullah Ocalan's rebel group has been waging a 30-year battle against the Turkish government for autonomy and greater rights.

Though there was a cautious response from the Turkish government, the announcement at a Kurdish spring festival was met with joy from the crowd. People sang and danced, waved rebel flags and banners with images of Ocalan and cheered at the prospect of an end to a conflict that has cost tens of thousands of lives.

Turkey announced in December that it was talking to Ocalan with the aim of persuading his Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, to disarm. The group is considered a terror organization by Turkey and its Western allies.

In his message read by pro-Kurdish legislators in the Kurdish and Turkish languages, Ocalan said: "We have reached the point where the guns must be silenced and where ideas must speak. A new era has started, where it is politics, not guns, which is at the forefront."

"We have reached the stage where our armed elements need to retreat beyond the border," Ocalan's message continued.

Despite his 14-year incarceration in a prison island off Istanbul, Ocalan still wields power over his rebel group. PKK commanders based in northern Iraq have declared support for the peace initiative and the fighters were expected to heed Ocalan's call.

Nevertheless, Turkey's Interior Minister Muammer Guler sounded a note of caution.

"The language was one of peace (but) we must see how it is implemented," the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Guler as saying.

Kurdish rebels have declared cease-fires in the past but these were ignored by the state, which vowed to fight the PKK until the end. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has also admitted to having held failed, secret talks with the PKK in past years, but this latest attempt ? held more publicly and with Ocalan's greater participation ? has raised hopes for a successful negotiated settlement.

Government officials have warned of possible attempts to "sabotage" the talks by groups opposed to the peace initiative. Erdogan on Wednesday suggested that attacks this week on the Justice Ministry and the headquarters of his ruling party ? which wounded one person ? may be an attempt to hurt the process.

In a poignant reminder of the precarious nature of the initiative, a sign posted on a podium set up at the venue of the festivities read: "We are ready for (both) peace and insurgency."

Ocalan's message did not include a time frame for his fighters' retreat, suggesting that the Kurds may be expecting the government to take some confidence-building steps. Turkish Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin suggested earlier this week that the withdrawal could be completed by the end of the year.

As part of the peace efforts, the government is expected to boost the rights of Kurds through a series of reforms, including a more democratic new constitution that is likely to underscore equal rights for Kurds and could increase the power of local authorities. Kurds are also seeking the release of hundreds of Kurdish activists jailed for alleged links to the PKK as well as improved jail conditions for Ocalan who is serving a life prison term on an island near Istanbul.

But many Kurds believe Ocalan should be freed as part of the peace deal. "A democratic solution and freedom for Ocalan," read a poster. "As long as Ocalan is not free, peace would be a mistake," said another.

A key demand by the PKK is guarantees that its fighters would not be attacked during any retreat. Erdogan has said he is open to the creation of an independent committee that could oversee the withdrawal of an estimated 4,000 rebel fighters, initially to northern Iraq.

Turkish forces reportedly attacked PKK guerrillas as they retreated in 1999 while obeying orders from Ocalan who had appealed for peace soon after his capture that year, as well as during another unilateral decision to withdraw in 2004.

"A door is opening from the armed struggle toward the democratic struggle," Ocalan said. "This is not an end this is a new start."

"We have sacrificed decades for the (Kurdish) people. We have paid a huge price," Ocalan added. "None of it was in vain. The Kurds gained their self-identity."

The spring festival, or Newroz ? which means "new year" ? is mainly marked by Kurds in Turkey. Kurdish demonstrators in the past have used the celebration to assert Kurdish demands and many events have resulted in violent clashes between participants and Turkish security forces.

In a gesture in support of the peace efforts meanwhile, the families of Turkish soldiers and Kurdish rebels killed in the conflict assembled around a "reconciliatory" dinner table in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa on Wednesday, news reports said.

Kurds make up an estimated 20 percent of Turkey's population of 75 million. The rebels took up arms in 1984 to fight for Kurdish independence but later revised that goal to autonomy in southeastern Turkey. The group frequently launches attacks on Turkey from bases in northern Iraq.

_____

Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kurdish-rebel-leader-calls-cease-fire-115340167.html

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PETA in a Dogfight over its Euthanasia Practices

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) euthanized almost 90 percent of the animals sheltered at the group's headquarters in Norfolk, Va., in 2012, and the organization is taking heat for it.

Critics are charging PETA ? renowned for its aggressive anti-cruelty campaigns ? with hypocrisy after the group's euthanasia statistics were posted on the website of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

PETA, however, insists the allegations are financially motivated by an industry group whose "goal is to damage PETA by misrepresenting the situation," said Jane Dollinger, spokeswoman for PETA, in a statement.

According to the published records, PETA euthanized 1,675 of the 1,877 animals in its care in 2012, including 602 dogs and 1,045 cats. [10 Things You Didn't Know About Dogs]

"It seems PETA is more dedicated to publicity stunts than to keeping the animals in its own care alive," Justin Wilson of the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) told the Daily Mail.

"It's the height of hypocrisy for PETA to demonstrate for the 'rights' of rats and pigs, while killing tens of thousands of pets. It's time that the Commonwealth of Virginia finally reclassifies PETA's pet shelter for what it is ? a slaughterhouse," Wilson said.

The CCF is a nonprofit organization "devoted to promoting personal responsibility and protecting consumer choices" from "animal-rights misanthropes and meddling bureaucrats," according to its website.

And the CCF, which receives financial support from the restaurant, food and beverage industries, has locked horns with PETA in the past.

"This is old information regurgitated with a slant by a front group for Philip Morris, Outback Steakhouse, KFC, cattle ranchers, and other animal exploiters that kill millions of animals every year ? and do so not out of compassion but out of greed," PETA's Dollinger wrote in an email to LiveScience.

"Most of the animals we take in are society's rejects: aggressive, on death's door or somehow unadoptable."

Each year, between 3 million and 4 million dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States, according to estimates from the Humane Society of the United States.

"Anyone who is shocked to learn how many animals have to be euthanized annually should ask themselves if they're spaying and neutering their companion animals, adopting from shelters instead of buying from breeders and pet stores, and demanding higher animal care standards in their own communities," Dollinger said.

Follow Marc Lallanilla on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/peta-dogfight-over-euthanasia-practices-214525873.html

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Analysis: Obama scores unexpected successes on Middle East trip

By Crispian Balmer

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama flew out of Israel in a duststorm on Friday, leaving behind a trail of symbolic gestures and fine oratory that should help preserve the status quo at a time of regional upheaval.

In an unexpected diplomatic flourish, he also facilitated a surprise telephone call between the prime ministers of Israel and Turkey, putting two U.S. allies firmly on track to revive a once close relationship that had become badly frayed.

Obama set such low expectations for the three-day trip that he can easily proclaim it is mission accomplished, having wooed skeptical Israelis, eased their fears over Iran and shown Palestinians that he had not forgotten their aspirations.

True, many Palestinians remained disillusioned, feeling that Obama had buckled to Israeli pressure and backtracked from his previous demands for a halt to Jewish settlement building in the occupied West Bank on land they want for a future state.

But after a bruising first term of failed Middle East diplomacy, Obama's prime concern seems to be that the situation does not get any worse, while keeping alive slender hopes that a comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian peace deal is still possible.

"This visit marks a resumption of American attention to the conflict, which is very important after two years of utter absence from the scene," said Ghassan al-Khatib, an academic and a former Palestinian government spokesman.

"It probably won't lead to any new negotiations, which in any case would be meaningless given the huge gulf between the two sides. But it might bring some accountability to the Israelis."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared highly satisfied by the public show of joviality displayed by Obama during their meetings, dispelling the frosty scowls and sniping that marked encounters over the previous four years.

"The atmosphere was much better than in all their meetings before," said a senior Israeli official. "He gave the impression that he really wanted to start afresh," he said of Obama.

IRAN CONNECTIONS

Obama has already spent more time talking to Netanyahu than to any other world leader, according to the White House, and the pair put several more hours on the clock through this week.

Iran topped their initial agenda, aides said, with Obama seeking to build mutual trust and convince Israel that he was serious when he said he would not let Iran get nuclear weapons.

As a joint news conference on Wednesday, Netanyahu repeated that Israel had a right to defend its own national interests, but added that he was "absolutely convinced" Obama meant what he said - a strong statement seen as significant by some analysts.

"Now I think there is almost complete understanding between Israel and the United States on the Iranian issue," said Amotz Asa-El, fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.

"Specifically, they are waiting to see if the June election in Iran ignites some kind of social upheaval, a prospect that both Washington and Jerusalem obviously prefer," he added, referring to a mid-year presidential poll.

Israel and Western powers believe Iran is looking to prepare a nuclear arsenal - something Tehran denies, while defending its right to enrich uranium for civil uses. Netanyahu has set a "red line" across Iran's progress on enrichment, which he has said could be crossed in the spring or summer - hinting at unilateral military action unless the Islamic republic backs down.

Giora Eiland, a retired general and former Israeli national security adviser, said the prospect of such an attack was receding: "I think that the option still exists," he said, "But that every day that passes lowers its chances of success."

Reflecting Israel's isolation in a largely hostile region, Obama engineered a call between Netanyahu and his Turkish counterpart on Friday, enabling the two U.S. allies to overcome a diplomatic crisis sparked by the deaths of nine Turks in 2010 during an Israeli commando raid off the Gaza Strip.

The move to normalize relations with a NATO member state that was one of its few Muslim friends in the region could help coordination to contain spillover from the Syrian civil war.

"Given what we see in the Middle East, we see a situation in which our relations with Turkey can be very, very important for the future, regarding what happens with Syria, but not just what happens with Syria," said a source in Netanyahu's office.

PALESTINIAN STALEMATE

Yet if the tensions with Turkey unexpectedly eased, Obama's visit did little to raise hopes that the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was any nearer resolution.

Going over the heads of Israeli leaders, who have questioned whether they have a viable negotiating partner on the other side of the separation barrier that twists through the West Bank, Obama appealed directly to ordinary citizens to push for change.

In a powerful speech to appreciative students, the U.S. president warned on Thursday that the Jewish state risked growing international isolation without a peace accord.

However, he did not bring any proposals on how to resume negotiations, which broke down in 2010, and he backed away from a previous demand for Israel to end settlement building, simply calling the construction an impediment to peace.

He promised that his new secretary of state, John Kerry, would dedicate much time and energy to the problem, but many Israelis saw his comments as a sign Washington would distance itself from a diplomatic quagmire familiar to his predecessors.

"The era when the USA pushed Israel and the Palestinians into a political process is gone," said Gidi Grinstein, president of the Reut Institute, a Tel Aviv-based think tank.

"In the absence of American vision and strategy, considering Obama's priorities and with the present positions of Israel and the Palestinians, the USA is basically saying: 'You call us. We won't call you'," he added.

Although Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed Obama's speech, some of his political allies were more damning.

"Obama's visit provides no clear way forward for a serious solution to the conflict," said Wasel Abu Yousef of the Palestine Liberation Organisation. "It seems the U.S. is not interested in solving the conflict, but rather managing it."

(Additional reporting by Dan Williams and Noah Browning; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-obama-scores-unexpected-successes-middle-east-trip-165559853.html

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'The Croods' is sweet, but lacks wit, robust plot

By David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

DreamWorks

REVIEW -- Two of the principal plot drivers in "The Croods" are an athletic Neanderthal chick with a wild titian mop top and a rockin? bod packed into a tiger-fur sheath and a brainy boy babe with skater-dude hair, perfect pecs and the waistline of a supermodel, not to mention a pioneering flair for accessories. But the core audience for DreamWorks? 3D animated prehistoric family adventure is probably less the tweens and teens those adolescent lovebirds would suggest than the younger tykes who flocked to a comedy franchise situated elsewhere on the paleontology chart,?"Ice Age."

More from THR: PHOTOS: Berlin 2013: Behind the Scenes of THR's Actors Roundtable

The humor and charm in?Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco?s film is too uneven to help it approach that series' mammoth market share. But its mostly fast-moving roller coaster of kinetic action and its menagerie of fantastic creatures ? from cute to menacing ? should keep kids entertained. They?ll also have no trouble grasping the simple message to face your fears and embrace change.

The film evolved out of a project first announced at Cannes in 2005 under the title "Crood Awakening," which was to reteam DreamWorks with artisanal British toon shop Aardman Animation after successes like "Chicken Run." That earlier version was being co-written by DeMicco with John Cleese, who retains a story credit here.

While his neighbors steadily have succumbed to the perils of the Stone Age, Crood brood patriarch Grug (Nicolas Cage) has kept his family safe by sticking to the simple rules mapped out in the cave paintings. His credo is: ?Fear keeps us alive. Never not be afraid.? (Grammar obviously isn?t his strong point.) ?No one said survival was fun.? Curiosity, for Grug, equals danger.

The hell they have to go through for sustenance is outlined in a dizzying hunting sequence near the start that?s like an over-caffeinated pro football game with a giant bird egg in place of the pigskin. Everyone in the family plays a role on the team, from wife Ugga (Catherine Keener) to plucky teenage daughter Eep (Emma Stone), lunkhead son Thunk (Clark Duke) and leathery Gran (Cloris Leachman), Grug?s barely tolerated mother-in-law. Even the feral infant, Sandy, is deployed on cue with the battle cry, ?Release the baby!?

But despite their tight synergy, the Croods? world literally is crumbling around them. Eep?s growing rebellion against the physical and mental darkness of cave life also is causing friction with Dad. When she follows the light one night and meets Guy (Ryan Reynolds), with his mysterious invention of fire and his warnings of the destruction to come, Eep propels the family onto a quest toward the higher ground of tomorrow. Once she?s seen fire and she?s seen rain, there?s no looking back.

Aside from the earth opening up beneath them, the boulders flying and the predators at every turn, the chief conflict is between brawny Grug?s belief in his strength and Guy?s revolutionary reliance on ideas. The protective father?s anxiety over his daughter?s first crush adds to this still-somewhat-undernourished friction. Guy has a de rigueur animal sidekick in a sloth named Belt (?voiced? by co-director Sanders), who serves to hold up his pants as well as bring a cheeky sense of the dramatic.

Sanders and DeMicco?s script doesn?t have the robust plotting, consistent wit or flavorful character development of the best family animation. And some of the voice actors have too little to work with. Keener?s Ugga, for instance, is a strictly standard-issue caring Mom, while much of the humor built around Thunk?s obtuseness is soft. And like Betty White?s raunchy oldsters, Leachman?s ornery crones are starting to get as tired as those funky rapping grannies from ?90s New Line comedies.

More from THR:'The Croods' Makes World Debut With Eye Towards Possible Franchise

With his weary rasp, however, Cage makes Grug a touching figure -- a knuckle-dragger at first and then steadily more resourceful as he sees the light. Stone?s smoky-voiced sweetness is nicely paired with the character?s butt-kicking physicality (it?s refreshing to see an animated teen girl more strapping than the cookie-cutter slender-princess model), and Reynolds brings the right note of earnestness to his forward-thinker.

Basically a journey tale with its erratic momentum pumped up by Alan Silvestri?s hard-working score, "The Croods" has its share of rambunctious episodes and frantic narrow escapes. Notable among them is the threat of a tornado-like flock of vicious Piranhakeets, razor-toothed birds that can strip a beast to its bones in seconds. ?Stay inside the family kill circle!? warns Grug as they descend.

There?s a large assortment of fantasy animals to keep the merchandise division busy, among them parrot-hued giant felines, dogs with crocodile jaws, land-dwelling whales, monkeys with killer right hooks and owl-headed bears that owe a debt to Maurice Sendak. These critters give the film more in common with the slapsticky Looney Tunes era than with animation of recent vintage.

"The Croods"?mercifully refrains from leaning too hard on anachronistic dialogue for laughs, settling for the occasional ?awesome? or ?sucky.? And it?s light on pop cultural cross-referencing, which also is a blessing. But especially after so many animated movies have raised the bar, the shortage of sophisticated humor likely will narrow the appeal here chiefly to the 4-to-10 age range.

More from THR: DreamWorks Animation Stock Surges 8 Percent After Analyst Upgrade

There are some decent gags built around inventions and accidental discoveries, such as snapshots, shoes (?Aaahhh!!! I love them,? squeals Eep in her prototype Uggs) and popcorn, in a crowd-baiting wink to the multiplex populace. Other touches, like the birth of the hug (rhymes with Grug), tap into an innocuous vein of schmaltz. But another polish or two to punch up the script wouldn?t have hurt.

Aside from teen dreamboat Guy, the character animation is not the prettiest; even Eep is slapped with rough-hewn features on an ultra-wide face. But there?s considerable imagination in the rendering of the landscapes, ranging from barren rock to lush jungle vegetation full of vibrantly exotic flora. Cinematography luminary Roger Deakins is credited as visual consultant, his influence perhaps discernible in the glow of stars, sun and fire, which is fitting given the thematic centrality of stepping into the light after hiding in darkness.

More in Entertainment:

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Source: http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/21/17404747-the-croods-is-sweet-but-lacks-wit-and-robust-plot?lite

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Colorado corrections chief shot dead in home

Andy Cross / Denver Post via Getty Images

Tom Clements, Executive Director of Department of Corrections, exits the Fort Lyon Correctional Facility in Las Animas, Colorado on March 2, 2011.

By Matthew DeLuca, Staff Writer, NBC News

The executive director of Colorado?s department of corrections was shot dead by an unknown gunman at his home on Tuesday night, authorities in Colorado confirmed to NBC News.

Why the director, Tom Clements, was shot and by whom was not clear.

?The initial information was the doorbell had rung and when Mr. Clements answered the door he was shot,? El Paso County Sheriff's Department spokesman Lt. Jeff Kramer said. Investigators were working to confirm that information.

No one else in the house was injured.

A call was received by the sheriff?s office at 8:37 p.m. local time Tuesday from a person in Clements' home in the town of Monument, Kramer said. Deputies responded and confirmed that a deceased male, later identified as Clements, was on scene. The 58-year-old man was not transported to a hospital, Kramer said.

The governor addressed Clements' shooting in a letter sent to all Department of Corrections employees early on Wednesday, Hickenlooper spokesman Eric Brown told NBC News in an email.

?Last night, Tom Clements was killed at his home in Monument,? Hickenlooper wrote in the message. ?I can hardly believe it, let alone write words to describe it.?

Hickenlooper praised Clements as a man who was ?unfailingly kind and thoughtful.?

Investigators had not identified a suspect as of Wednesday morning.

?Because we don?t have a suspect identified, we don?t have an understanding at this point of what the suspect?s motive might have been,? Kramer said.

?We will be at work today,? corrections department spokesperson Alison Morgan told local NBC affiliate KUSA. ?That?s how we honor and respect Tom?s memory and that?s how we will do it every day.?

The news of Clements' death came as Hickenlooper was expected on Wednesday to sign new gun bills limiting ammunition magazine capacity and expanding background checks on firearm purchases in the state, eight months after the Aurora movie theater shooting.

Clements wrote about the challenges faced by corrections officers in a message that remained posted on the Departments of Corrections website on Wednesday morning, including the violent death of one officer in September.

?Together we are ?building a safer Colorado for today and tomorrow,?? Clements wrote in the message.

The man leaves behind a wife and two daughters, KUSA reported.

Clements was confirmed as the head of the state?s department of corrections in February 2011 in a unanimous vote of the state senate. He had previously worked as director of operations for adult correctional facilities in Missouri, and had over three decades of experience working in corrections, according to a 2011 press release from Hickenlooper?s office.

This story was originally published on Wed Mar 20, 2013 7:30 AM EDT

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/20/17384666-colorado-department-of-corrections-chief-shot-dead-in-home?lite

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Cyprus crisis talks end, to resume Thursday

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot leaders adjourned crisis economic talks for the night and President Nicos Anastasiades was to meet party leaders on Thursday to discuss a "Plan B" to avoid a financial meltdown after the island rejected the terms of an EU bailout.

The next meeting was set for 9:30 a.m.

Talks between Anastasiades and a number of senior political figures ended without any statements to the media.

The government has extended a bank lockdown until next week.

Officials involved in the talks said leaders were considering a plan to nationalise pension funds and issue an emergency bond based on future gas revenues, trying to raise 5.8 billion euros ($7.5 billion) as a condition for securing a 10-billion euro bailout from the European Union.

They also spoke of reviving a rejected plan for a levy on bank deposits, though at a lower level than first proposed.

(Reporting by Michele Kambas; Writing by Matt Robinson; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cyprus-crisis-talks-end-resume-thursday-214805071--finance.html

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Benefit for Used Dogs at the Bulldog Mid City Thursday evening ...

Madalin Bernard, founder of Used Dogs, with Zampino, one of her rescues.

Animal lovers are invited to attend a benefit and silent auction for Used Dogs at the Bulldog Mid City, 5135 Canal Blvd., Thursday, March 21, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Proceeds from the auction and the sales during those two hours will go to Used Dogs to help pay some of the dog rescue's costs. The group also hopes to recruit volunteers to work with the dogs and kennels.

Madalin Bernard, founder of Used Dogs, started rescuing dogs in Algiers when she returned to New Orleans after living in California for 20 years. The animal lover was dismayed to see ?so many homeless dogs in the neighborhood where she had spent an idyllic childhood.

In 2005, she formed Used Dogs as a 501(c)3 organization. After Hurricane Katrina, Laurie and a small band of volunteers rescued more than 300 dogs, and the group has worked tirelessly to save countless dogs since it began.

Renee Kientz learned about Used Dogs after one of her dogs died and she was looking for a companion for her lonely greyhound.

"I found the Used Dogs website and it looked like a great organization," she says. "It's a nonprofit no-kill shelter and all the animals looked like pets."

Kientz ended up adopting two half-brothers, whose mother was a feral dog.?

"Madalin finally caught the mother, Kate. She now has a permanent home at the shelter," Kientz says.

Kientz's dogs, Miguel and Liam, have proved to be wonderful pets.

"They're little mutant-looking dogs, kind of like Corgi-retriever-basset hounds, and they're incredibly sweet," she says.

After meeting Bernard and seeing how dedicated she is, Kientz tries to do what she can to help Used Dogs.

"Madalin's goal is to get dogs out of bad situations, bring them back to health and find them homes," she says. "She's really dedicated to the animals. This has become her life's work."

You can learn more about Used Dogs and see dogs available for adoption at the Used Dogs blog.

If you're interested in fostering, adopting, or volunteering with the rescue, contact Bernard at madalin@useddogs.org or 504.442.3647. Or just show up at the Bulldog Thursday evening and meet her.

Source: http://www.nola.com/pets/index.ssf/2013/03/benefit_for_used_dogs_at_the_b.html

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College mourns pregnant Pa. coach killed in crash

This undated photo provided by Seton Hill University shows women's college lacrosse coach Kristina Quigley. A tour bus carrying the Seton Hill women's lacrosse team to a game went off the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Saturday, March 16, 2013, and crashed into a tree. Authorities said the accident killed the driver and Kristina Quigley, who was about six months pregnant, and sent others to the hospital. (AP Photo/Courtesy Seton Hill University)

This undated photo provided by Seton Hill University shows women's college lacrosse coach Kristina Quigley. A tour bus carrying the Seton Hill women's lacrosse team to a game went off the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Saturday, March 16, 2013, and crashed into a tree. Authorities said the accident killed the driver and Kristina Quigley, who was about six months pregnant, and sent others to the hospital. (AP Photo/Courtesy Seton Hill University)

Emergency and rescue crews respond to the scene of a tour bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Saturday, March 16, 2013 near Carlisle, Pa. Authorities say the tour bus crashed on the freeway at mile marker 227 in central Pennsylvania, and serious injuries have been reported. Megan Silverstram of the Cumberland County public safety department says the crash in the eastbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was reported just before 9 a.m. Saturday. She says there are reports of multiple injuries, including that some are serious. (AP Photo/The Sentinel, Jason Malmont ) MANDATORY CREDIT

UPDATES INFORMATION ON BUS CRASH - Members of the Cumberland County Coroners Office investigate the scene of a tour bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Saturday, March 16, 2013 near Carlisle, Pa. Authorities say the tour bus crashed on the freeway at mile marker 227 in central Pennsylvania, and serious injuries have been reported. Lacrosse players from Seton Hill University and three coaches were among the 23 people aboard when the bus crashed at about 9 a.m., turnpike spokeswoman Renee Colborn said. It's not clear what caused the crash, but state police were investigating, said Megan Silverstram of the Cumberland County public safety department. (AP Photo/The Sentinel, Jason Malmont ) MANDATORY CREDIT

Emergency and rescue crews respond to the scene of a tour bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Saturday, March 16, 2013 near Carlisle, Pa. Authorities say the tour bus crashed on the freeway at mile marker 227 in central Pennsylvania, and serious injuries have been reported. Megan Silverstram of the Cumberland County public safety department says the crash in the eastbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was reported just before 9 a.m. Saturday. She says there are reports of multiple injuries, including that some are serious. (AP Photo/The Sentinel, Jason Malmont ) MANDATORY CREDIT

UPDATES INFORMATION ON BUS CRASH - Emergency and rescue crews respond to the scene of a tour bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Saturday, March 16, 2013 near Carlisle, Pa. Authorities say the tour bus crashed on the freeway at mile marker 227 in central Pennsylvania, and serious injuries have been reported. Lacrosse players from Seton Hill University and three coaches were among the 23 people aboard when the bus crashed at about 9 a.m., turnpike spokeswoman Renee Colborn said. It's not clear what caused the crash, but state police were investigating, said Megan Silverstram of the Cumberland County public safety department. (AP Photo/The Sentinel, Jason Malmont ) MANDATORY

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) ? A small Catholic college outside Pittsburgh mourned the loss of a women's lacrosse coach who died along with her unborn child when the team's bus crashed on the way to a game, remembering her Sunday as warm, outgoing and a natural leader.

Team members and fans at a Seton Hill University baseball game observed a minute of silence for the two crash victims. With the players in the background on a cold day, students and other mourners visited a tribute set up in front of a lacrosse net next to the baseball field that featured bouquets of flowers, stuffed animals, a lacrosse stick, a whistle and a candle sat in front of a team photo and signs reading "In memoriam - Kristina Quigley - Forever a Griffin."

Players and coaches from Seton Hill were among 23 people aboard when the bus crashed into a tree Saturday morning on the Pennsylvania Turnpike outside Harrisburg. The team was headed to an afternoon game at Millersville University, about 50 miles from the crash site in central Pennsylvania. Police are investigating the cause.

Head coach Quigley, 30, of Greensburg, died of her injuries at a hospital, Cumberland County authorities said. Quigley was about six months pregnant, and her unborn son didn't survive. The bus driver, Anthony Guaetta, 61, of Johnstown, died at the scene.

Saturday's game and a Sunday home game were canceled after the crash, and Seton Hill, a Catholic liberal arts school of about 2,500 students, said a memorial Mass was planned for Sunday night on campus. The school is also offering grief counseling to students.

Duquesne University women's lacrosse coach Mike Scerbo remembered Quigley as a warm, outgoing person who immediately impressed him when he hired her to be an assistant during the 2008 season. Quigley, a Duquesne alum, spent just one season under Scerbo before moving to South Carolina to start Erskine College's NCAA Division II program.

"In that time, I really saw how much passion she had to be a coach, and how much she enjoyed working with the kids," Scerbo said. "She was a teacher, and she wanted to help kids grow and learn, not just about the sport, but about life."

She spent three years at Erskine before taking the top job at Seton Hill for the 2012 season. She stayed in touch with Scerbo, often seeking his guidance and showing up at the Duquesne alumni game.

"She was a very happy person, very passionate about life, about her players, about her job and most importantly about her family," Scerbo said.

Quigley, a native of Baltimore, was married and had a young son, Gavin, the school said.

Two victims flown to Penn State Hershey Medical Center remained there Sunday, and no information was released about them. A woman injured in the crash was discharged Sunday afternoon from another hospital. All others aboard the bus were taken to hospitals as a precaution, but almost all were treated and released.

Police couldn't immediately say what had caused the crash. The front side of the bus, which was towed from the scene Saturday night, was shorn away, and the vehicle came to rest upright about 70 yards from the highway at the bottom of a grassy slope.

The bus operator, Mlaker Charter & Tours, of Davidsville, Pa., is up to date on its inspections, which include bus and driver safety checks, said Jennifer Kocher, a spokeswoman for the state Public Utility Commission, which regulates bus companies.

The agency's motor safety inspectors could think of no accidents or violations involving the company that would raise a red flag, she said, though complete safety records were not available Saturday.

On Tuesday, another bus carrying college lacrosse players from a Vermont team was hit by a sports car that spun out of control on a wet highway in upstate New York, sending the bus toppling onto its side, police said. One person in the car died.

___

Todt reported from Philadelphia.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-17-Lacrosse%20Team-Bus%20Crash/id-41b223facc72466e9f20f5e447abb078

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Trans-Canada Highway consultation costs $350,000

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation says the ongoing consultation process for Trans-Canada Highway upgrades from Kamloops to the Alberta border will cost about $350,000.

In response to questions from the Times Review, a ministry spokesperson said the process included seven public meetings, meetings with many stakeholder groups, as well as new signs.

The sign budget is about $10,000 for 10 new signs. The Times Review asked if old signs announcing highway upgrades had been replaced with new signs before any actual work had been done.

The spokesperson said the ministry places their signs into two categories. ?Project? signs announce an approved project, while ?program? signs announce things such as a consultation process.

The spokesperson was adamant that no project signs had come and gone without construction ? although construction has been greatly delayed in some instances.

The new program signs may replace older signs. These new program signs inform of the ongoing consultation process and do things like point towards a website, bchwy1.ca, where motorists can find more information.

In addition, the federal government chips in signs of their own for projects they help fund.

B.C. Transportation Minister Mary Polak announced the consultation process when she visited Revelstoke in early February.

An official Ministry of Transportation media release announcing the consultation process was sent out days later.

?

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my scandinavian home: A relaxed family home in Gothenburg

Hej hej and happy Friday! The week has flown by! Here on My Scandinavian Home it's been a week of relaxed, bohemian homes hasn't it? It wasn't planned, it just happened seemed to happen that way. This Gothenburg home belongs to Nanna and her family and I feel it fits in perfectly! Nanna writes a lovely blog called 'S? vint Jag vill' ('As nice as?I want') which is full of really wonderful photography documenting her days on maternity leave at home, it's definitely worth heading over and taking a look. Here are a few snaps from her lovely blog.

I love the art wall, it reminds me very much of my own one in fact. And also the wallpaper in the kitchen dining area. It makes me wonder if we should change our blackboard wall for wallpaper.....shhh don't tell my husband he'll go nuts! You can see a complete interview with Nanna and more pictures here.

Before I head off for the weekend I wanted to share some fab links with you from around the web.

If you like vintage Nordic...errr hello....you'll like this home.

Speaking of homes (always) my home was featured in a guest post over at Like Want Need last week. it was the first time I've shown a home tour of my own home so I was a?little nervous!

This weekend I have my eye on these fab new cushions at LET LIV, the thing is, which to choose?!

I recently won a fab and cosy Dot Grey Merino Blanket in a give-away at Vosges Paris and now I see they are giving away another cosy blanket here. Hurry, hurry, hurry!

And finally, If you're thinking of brightening your home up with some pretty flowers this weekend, how about Quince?

Have a wonderful weekend all, up to anything fun?

Source: http://myscandinavianhome.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-relaxed-family-home-in-gothenburg.html

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Can Buick's new leasing program lure young buyers?

Buick is widely viewed as a luxury brand for an aging demographic, but a short term leasing program is having some success luring a younger crowd. Can it convert them into Buick owners?

By Kurt Ernst,?Guest blogger / March 16, 2013

The 2013 Buick Enclave SUV sits on display at the Washington Auto Show last month. Buick's new leasing program is driving up lease rates and lowering the average age of the brand's customers.

Gary Cameron/Reuters/FIle

Enlarge

Buick is fighting hard to overcome its image problem. Once considered a domestic luxury brand for those not quite affluent enough to purchase a Cadillac, in recent decades the Buick name has become synonymous with a mainstream product line and an aging demographic.

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?Five years ago, the average age of its customers was 64, and few were looking to lease cars. Thanks to an innovative program called ?Experience Buick,? the automaker?s lease rates are up from 14-percent in early 2012 to 36-percent at the end of last month, while the average age of its customers has fallen to 57 years old.

?As The Detroit News explains, Experience Buick has many features designed to lure in buyers from other brands. At just 24 months, the lease doesn?t require a long-term commitment to the brand, encouraging shoppers to sample Buick?s wares on a shortened time frame.

?The program also includes Sirius XM radio, OnStar Directions and Connections and scheduled maintenance for the term of the lease. Longer-term, it will get Buick customers back into Buick showrooms more quickly, while increasing the inventory of certified pre-owned cars available at dealerships.

?The Experience Buick program has clearly helped to up Buick?s ?conquest rate,? defined as customers trading in a competing brand (or lacking a trade-in altogether). Buick?s overall conquest rate has grown to an all-time high of 43-percent, while the conquest rate for the Experience Buick program is at 55-percent.

?For some models, it?s significantly higher: the compact Buick Verano has a conquest rate of 66-percent, while the next-size-up Buick Regal has a rate of 63-percent.

?It?s easy to read between the lines here, and the numbers clearly indicate that more shoppers than ever are giving GM?s near-luxury brand a second look. Could the once-stodgy brand become GM?s next big thing? Stranger things have happened in the automotive world.
?

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best auto bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger,?click here.?To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on the link in the blog description box above.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/y8OP5x0I4_I/Can-Buick-s-new-leasing-program-lure-young-buyers

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Optimism in the Air - Larry Kudlow - Townhall Finance Conservative ...

You might not know it from the acrimonious political debate on cable and broadcast TV, or on talk radio, or on websites and blogs. But here's a counterintuitive observation: Amidst all the negativism out there, I believe? optimism is in the air.

That's right.? Optimism.

Sometimes you have to search for it, or read it in the fine print. But I believe the political economy is getting better, not worse.

Let me make a few points to defend what most folks believe is an indefensible position.

The stock market is hitting record highs daily, returning a tremendous amount of wealth to the half of American households that own shares. This investor-class wealth-creation alone is sparking a new sense of confidence and optimism.

Then on a smaller scale, housing -- the other great source of American wealth -- is beginning an impressive recovery. Over 60 percent of Americans own their own home, a key form of wealth. Like stocks, the housing recovery is creating a new sense of optimism after a very long and depressing dry spell.

Then there's the anemic economic recovery. It's the worst in modern times going back to 1947. But wait a minute -- things are looking up here, too.

Let me quote from the highly respected economists Conrad DeQuadros and John Ryding: "In the last two weeks, we have seen manufacturing ISM, non-manufacturing ISM, ABP employment, payrolls, jobless claims, retail sales, and industrial production beat expectations and show an upswing in economic activity."

Record profits for business may be driving this economic pickup. And it's all unfolding after the supposedly catastrophic budget-cutting sequester, and after a tax-hike bill that supply-siders like myself opposed (although income and investment taxes went up much less than feared).

In fact, even the eruption in government spending is showing signs of calming down. Taking into account a modest recovery, spending-cut bills of roughly $2 trillion and an end to the failed spending stimulus of 2009, the federal spending share of the economy has dropped from 25 percent in 2009-10, to 24 percent in 2011, to just below 23 percent last year.

As I have argued time and again, spending cuts and limited government lower the overall tax burden and promote economic growth.

Source: http://townhall.com/columnists/larrykudlow/2013/03/15/optimism-in-the-air-n1535746

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Katie Holmes: Topless For IRIS!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/katie-holmes-topless-for-iris/

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ElBulli's Cooking App Is Perfect

Adri? en Casa is the cooking app by the most famous chef in the world, Ferran Adri?, the co-owner of ElBulli—the best restaurant in the world that sadly is no more. It is the distillation of decades of experience and cooking technique into a clever app with a perfect design. I'm on a two month sabbatical now, but I'm enjoying it so much that I had to write about it. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Q_eMWNMOohg/elbullis-cooking-app-is-perfect

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Facebook explains how the fresh News Feed came to be: a deck of cards

Facebook made a sharp break from tradition when it unveiled the simplified News Feed, but how did it get there? As the social network's Jane Justice Leibrock has just explained, it was as simple as shuffling cards. Well, almost. Leibrock gave focus group subjects a stack of cards reflecting their recent social updates and asked them to pick the cream of the crop as well as sort the rest into groups. The results led to the filtered approach that's rolling out now: users tend to gravitate toward specific categories such as close friends, photos and direct interests, rather than piling everything together. As often as people accuse Facebook of launching surprise changes, it's clear that the News Feed revamp involved at least some deliberation.

Filed under: Internet, Facebook

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Source: Facebook

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/12/facebook-explains-how-the-fresh-news-feed-came-to-be/

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Success mantra:Franchising way ahead for diagnostics | Firstpost

By Avanish Tiwari, Entrepreneur

Healthcare in India has always suffered due to the lack of adequate hospitals and testing centers in remote areas.

Three decades ago, with the aim of increasing the network in small towns to correct that, diagnostics chains in India decided to adopt the franchise model.

Back in 1981, the 60-year-old diagnostics chain, Dr Lal Pathlabs, began the diagnostics franchise model in India. It now boasts of more than 135 labs across the country. ?In the healthcare and diagnostics industry, it is we who brought in the trend of franchising. Like any other franchise model, ours is also based on a hub and spoke model,? says Dr. Arvind Lal, Chairman and Managing Director, Dr Lal Pathlabs.

In the hub and spoke model, there is one main laboratory at the central location (hub) around which small collection points (spokes) are located. At the end of the day, these collection points take all the testing samples to the main laboratory, where the actual testing is done.

Sanjeev Vashishta, Chief Executive Officer of SRL Diagnostics, says the reason they took the franchise path was when they realized that it was difficult for people to travel long distances for their diagnostics needs. SRL Diagnostics, which is the diagnostics arm of Fortis Hospitals, started operations in 1996, but did not adopt the franchise model until 2003. ?Right from the beginning we knew that we had to reach out to people, instead of expecting them to come to us. In 2003, we thought of having a franchise model which would reinforce our existing network in the remote areas,? Vashishta says.

The franchise model has also helped SRL Diagnostics get local support. ?As we are always moving ahead aggressively and want to have a pan-India presence, we realized that franchising is the way to go,? he adds.

The franchise model has also helped SRL Diagnostics get local support. Getty Images

All-India reach

The firm, Vashishta says, is now present in nearly every nook and corner of India. Speaking on the growth trajectory, he says that till 2006, they had only about 20 laboratories. Post 2006, the company spread much faster and now has 242 laboratories and more than 1,300 collection centers across India. ?We have labs in far-flung places like Imphal now,? he says.

The unique quality of the franchise model is that it can make the company?s presence felt in more places. Birla Kerala Vaidyashala (BKV), a part of Birla Wellness Private Ltd., which offers ayurveda treatment, was able to reach remote areas in the country with the help of their franchisees.

?The model allowed us to expand beyond Mumbai to Bengaluru, Chennai, Puducherry, Kerala, and smaller towns of Maharashtra like Shirdi, Wada, etc. It has also helped us increase our presence in Mumbai and Thane. Our revenues almost doubled in a very short period of 18 months,? informs Tanjai Kapoor, Vice President, Marketing and Sales, BKV.

The franchise journey, which BKV started 10 years ago, did not meet with success initially. The model started showing results only from 2009 after the management brought in a few strategic changes.

?It is only in the last three years that the numbers are up as we have minimized the investment from the company?s side and have been choosy in terms of access to good retail locations. We also started targeting niche segment such as clubs, residential societies and hotels,? says Kapoor. Over 30 percent of the overall revenues of the Kerala-based BKV comes from South India and they are also looking to expand in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/business/why-franchising-is-the-way-ahead-for-diagnostics-655110.html

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Xiaomi Expects To Double Sales To 15 Million Handsets This Year

Chinese Android-based phone maker Xiaomi said it will produce 15 million handsets for this year, and expects no overstock. This is double the 7.19 million units that were sold in 2012, which netted the firm 12.6 billion RMB ($2 billion) in revenue after tax. Its CEO and founder, Lei Jun, said that the firm is going to produce as many handsets as it expects to sell, because it doesn?t intend to hold any overstock. Xiaomi has been accused of deliberately underproducing in order to falsely raise demand for its phones. Lei said that the company doesn?t intend to waste resources overproducing, but admitted that producing only to demand has delayed delivery dates by about three to four months per batch. The company’s?flagship phone, the Mi2, sells for just 1,999 RMB (US$318). Hans Tung, a partner at Qiming Venture Partners and an investor in Xiaomi, has said in reports that Xiaomi makes about 10 percent profit on its handsets, translating to 1.2 billion RMB ($190 million) in profit for 2012. This exceeded the profit margins of other Chinese handset vendors such as ZTE, Huawei and Lenovo. (via Sohu)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/GnmpxdFUUEI/

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Google Now Coming To The Desktop, Per Chromium Builds For Windows And Chrome OS

Google Now on Android is one of the more genuinely exciting developments for that mobile OS in recent memory, and new evidence today signals it's on its way to the desktop, too. A new reference to Google Now support for Windows and Chrome OS in the latest Chromium backend specifically allows a user to enable or disable Google Now notification support, which follows earlier indications Google might bring the feature to its desktop Chrome offerings.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/NhxHjOlzfjI/

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STC signs strategic agreement with Aljomaih Automotive Company ...

Posted by Ishraq Al Tal
Saturday, March 09 - 2013 at 15:45 UAE local time (GMT+4)

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Source: http://www.ameinfo.com/stc-signs-strategic-agreement-aljomaih-automotive-332651

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Danica Patrick hit by rock, says she's OK

Danica Patrick hit by rock: The NASCAR driver, who had a bad wreck last weekend in Arizona, says she's fine after the encounter with a rock. Danica Patrick was hit by a rock while driving on a dirt track.

By Associated Press / March 8, 2013

Danica Patrick hit by rock: Danica Patrick watches while her crew makes adjustments to her car in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., last month.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP

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Danica?Patrick says she's fine after getting hit in the head by a rock while racing on a dirt track.

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Patrick says she got smacked by a stray rock Thursday night, leaving her feeling like she had a concussion. But she says the infield care center checked her out and pronounced her healthy.

Patrick says it hit her "straight in the head" and she's glad she had a hat on or "there would have been blood."

Patrick had one of the most significant crashes of her career last Sunday in Phoenix, slamming into a wall with about 100 laps left and leaving her with a stiff neck.

Patrick became the first woman to win a pole and lead green-flag laps at the Daytona 500 last month, finishing eighth.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/3u4mq78lQls/Danica-Patrick-hit-by-rock-says-she-s-OK

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Mauritanian president Aziz is emancipating from Algiers' tutelage ...

Morocco World News with Maghreb Intelligence

Rabat, March 8, 2013

President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz?s statement, in which he argues that his country is ready to engage militarily in Mali, was barely a surprise.

While he had initially rejected any foreign military intervention in the neighboring country, aligning totally with the Algerian position, General Aziz just changed his strategy, stating that the armed forces of his country could send troops to Mali within the framework of the UN.

Mauritanian President has thus broken a tacit agreement he had reached with the Algerians. The success of operation ?Serval? and the increasing role played by Burkina Faso and Chad in the Sahel, pushed Mauritanians to reconsider their initial decision.

In addition, General Aziz is said to be very jealous of the new posture of Chad, which has become indispensable in the regional geostrategic, while the role of Mauritania has continued to decline since it started following the Algerian positions.

Edited by Louise riodenl

Source: http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2013/03/81465/mauritanian-president-aziz-is-emancipating-from-algiers-tutelage/

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J.C. Penney puts disputed Martha Stewart goods on hold

NEW YORK (Reuters) - J.C. Penney agreed on Thursday to hold off on its plan to sell certain Martha Stewart-designed products in its stores at least until an April 8 court date.

Macy's, which claims the exclusive rights to sell the products, has sued J.C. Penney and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia to prevent its rival from selling them.

Justice Jeffrey Oing of New York state Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned a trial over the dispute until April because of attorneys' scheduling conflicts, and ordered the companies to try to resolve their differences in the meantime.

The adjournment is a blow to J.C. Penney, which has said Martha Stewart is key to its turnaround plan and the products had already been manufactured.

A spokeswoman for J.C. Penney declined to comment on Thursday.

"Macy's, of course, will comply with the court's orders," said Jim Sluzewski, a spokesman for Macy's.

MSLO said Martha Stewart, who testified in court on Tuesday, held a "productive conversation" with Macy's Chief Executive Terry Lundgren before the judge ordered the companies into mediation. "We view today's actions as a positive step forward," MSLO said in a statement. Asked about the conversation, Sluzewski said Macy's had no comment.

Last week, Lundgren testified that he had not spoken to Martha Stewart since she called in December 2011 to tell him about her deal with J.C. Penney, the night before it was announced publicly. He said he felt "sick" to his stomach and hung up the phone on Stewart.

In testimony on Thursday, Charles Koppelman, who stepped down as chairman of MSLO last year, said the company should have given Macy's the chance to match J.C. Penney's offer, but he said he was rebuffed by Martha Stewart and the board.

Last summer, Oing put in place a temporary block that stopped J.C. Penney from selling Martha Stewart-branded home goods in product categories Macy's claims it has exclusively, including cookware, bedding and bath.

J.C. Penney then said it would sell Martha Stewart-designed items in those categories under the brand "JCP Everyday" starting this spring.

Earlier this week, as the trial dragged on, Macy's lawyer Theodore Grossman asked the judge to consider expanding the block to include all Martha-Stewart designed goods in the exclusive product categories.

Under Thursday's agreement, J.C. Penney will hold off on selling the products until the April court date.

The agreement does not impact J.C. Penney's plans to sell Martha Stewart-branded window coverings and other product categories not claimed by Macy's. Those products are expected in J.C. Penney stores in late March or early April.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Editing by Eddie Evans and Carol Bishopric)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/j-c-penney-puts-disputed-martha-stewart-goods-000221136--sector.html

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