Strong online growth seen this holiday shopping season

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - E-commerce is expected to grow strongly this holiday season, spurred by early online deals, the rise of mobile devices and more free shipping offers.

Holiday sales will likely increase 16.4 percent from a year earlier, outpacing total retail sales, which are forecast to grow about 3.9 percent, according to analysts at Jefferies & Co.

Doug Anmuth, an analyst at J.P. Morgan, expects online purchases to top 10 percent of total U.S. retail spending for the first time in the fourth quarter.

"It's still early, but our sense is that we will have a really positive holiday season," said Joel Anderson, head of Walmart.com, the online business of Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer.

Wal-Mart expects 600 million online visitors online during its holiday quarter, which runs from November through January. That is up 13 percent from the same period last year, according to Anderson.

"We're still on forecasts and off to a good start," he added.

The holiday season is crucial for retailers because that is when they make the most revenue and a big chunk of their earnings.

Thanksgiving and the days following, which include what is traditionally the busiest online shopping day, Cyber Monday, are more important this year as retailers lure consumers with earlier promotions.

"This trend could drive a disproportionately higher percent of overall holiday spending to the first half of the period," Brian Pitz and Brian Fitzgerald, Internet analysts at Jefferies, said. "Heavy promotions would be needed later on to achieve the growth rates of last year."

Starting on Thanksgiving, Wal-Mart will send early online deals to customers who connect with the retailer via email, Facebook Inc or by downloading its mobile shopping application to their smartphones.

The spread of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers, will also drive online sales growth this holiday, analysts said.

J.P. Morgan's Anmuth estimates that mobile shopping will account for 12 percent of holiday e-commerce spending in the United States in the fourth quarter, up from 3 percent in the same period of 2010 and 9 percent last holiday season.

Some mobile shopping represents a transition from personal computers to smartphones and tablets, rather than extra spending. However, Anmuth said the rise of mobile devices is fueling a faster switch to online commerce from physical retail.

Free shipping will also be a major driver of online sales growth this holiday, according to Anmuth and others.

More than half of consumers will abandon online shopping carts if they have to pay for shipping, recent data from comScore Inc showed.

Retailers have responded by offering more free shipping for online purchases. Between 50 and 60 percent of online transactions this holiday will come with free shipping, according to Shawn Milne, an analyst at Janney Capital Markets.

(Reporting by Alistair Barr; Editing by Richard Chang)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/strong-online-growth-seen-holiday-shopping-season-213558996--sector.html

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NASA scientists eyeing regional dust storm on Mars

(AP) ? NASA is tracking a regional dust storm on Mars, but says it has not affected the operations of its two rovers on the surface.

The space agency said Wednesday the storm raging in the Martian southern hemisphere was spotted earlier this month by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter circling overhead.

The storm came within 840 miles of Opportunity's location. On the opposite side of the red planet, a weather station aboard NASA's newest rover, Curiosity, detected changes in air pressure and overnight temperature related to the storm.

Scientists want to learn more about Martian dust storms, including why some morph into storms that blanket the planet.

If this latest storm turns into a global one, the solar-powered Opportunity would see an energy decline. Curiosity, powered by plutonium, won't be as directly affected.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2012-11-21-Mars%20Dust%20Storm/id-97b665de15b0496bb27988d2e850a878

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Jayawardene lavishes praise on Rangana Herath ? Cricket News ...

Jayawardene lavishes praise on Rangana Herath ? Cricket News Update

Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene, on Tuesday rated promising left-arm spinner Rangana Herath as the second-best slow bowler he has played with, after magician Muttiah Muralitharan who retired from Test cricket back in 2010.

On day three?of the first Test in Galle, New Zealand, resuming on an overnight 34 for 1, slumped to 118 all out inside the morning session, with Herath claiming six wickets in the second innings. The hosts chased down the meagre 93-run target before tea on the third day, without losing a wicket. This was New Zealand?s fifth Test defeat in a row.

Herath?s astounding five-wicket haul on Monday set the tone for Sri Lanka?s comprehensive victory over the on-tour New Zealand side. The 34-year-old left-armer returned with match figures of 11 for 108 to become the leading Test wicket-taker for 2012.

While speaking to media reporters after the win, Jayawardene said that Herath?s ability to put the opposition under pressure early on has been the key to their consistent performance in the longest format of the game over the last couple of years.

"Rangana knows what he is doing with the ball and he knows what the batsman is doing as well," said Jayawardene after the crushing victory over Ross Taylor and men on Monday.

"After Murali, from what I've seen in Sri Lankan cricket, he is the next best thing. Others have chipped in but Rangana has become the leading bowler for us."

"Because of the pressure he is creating on the opposition and the way he's performed, it has enabled us to be consistent in Test cricket in the last two years or so," added the Sri Lankan opener, who starred with the bat for the hosts, playing a meticulous knock of 91 runs to put the side back on track after an early blow in their first innings (20 for 4).

Herath made his Test debut in September 1999, and has to date played 41 Tests taking 165 wickets, including 12 five-wicket and two ten-wicket hauls. Both his ten-wicket hauls have come at Galle this year.

Sri Lanka lead the two-Test series 1-0. The second Test gets underway at P Sara Oval, Colombo on Sunday.

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Jayawardene-lavishes-praise-on-Rangana-Herath-Cricket-News-Update-a202660

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A Glimpse into the near future

Third Wave

November 19, 2012

[Editor's note: this post reports on a set of predictions from Berlin based digital strategy consultancy??Third Wave GmbH. These predictions were made in February of this year, but I felt they were interesting enough to share and reconsider as we near the end of 2012. I also like the method and approach used to create the forecasts. It is my opinion that Transhumanism isn't in something in the future but rather something that is happening right now around us. Here we see how through forward looking design and strategic business thinking,?Transhumanist ideas are entering mainstream business practice and also every day life. For those who are interested, the Third Wave is a reference to Alvin Toffler's book of the same name.]

?Around the end of the year, media outlets regularly try to out-predict each other. Particularly in tech journalism,?The Next Top Ten Trends To Watch?or?The Top Apps For 2012?are everywhere. They?re easy to write and get clicked and linked like crazy, so editors love these lists. Who?s to blame them? I openly admit: Even though I grin smugly while doing so, I read these lists myself. I?m as guilty as anyone.That said, we wanted to go beyond just a top 10 link list, both in breadth and depth. So we asked a bunch of peers and friends to share some thoughts with us. What are the main drivers of change in their respective fields, what does that mean, and what type of change do they hope for?We tried to capture specific insights into different fields & industries (deep knowledge), expectations (what will happen) and desires (what should happen).Among those we asked were designers, scientists, strategists, and a few people who, like us, squarely ?sit in between the chairs?, as the Germans say. A big thank you to those brave souls who took up the challenge: Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino, Dannie Jost, Georgina Voss, Mike Arauz, Sami Niemel?, Stefan Erschwendner and Tamao Funahashi. Your input is much, much appreciated. You?re awesome.

Study Participants:

Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino?is an interaction designer & entrepreneur. She is the co-curator of This Happened London and a collaborator at the design partnership RIG London. She has been focused on the ?Internet of Things? and its implications in the design of everyday products since 2005. Her work has been exhibited at the Milan Furniture Fair, London Design Festival, The Victoria & Albert Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Dr Dannie Jost?has been Consulting Science Advisor and Senior Research Fellow at the World Trade Institute (WTI), NCCR Trade Regulation, Law Faculty, University of Bern, Switzerland since 2008. She works in policy and regulation issues where science, technology and trade are involved. Work in progress includes advising federal agencies on the scope of action for nanomaterial regulation within the framework of international trade law.

Dr Georgina Voss?is a Research Fellow at the Faculty of Arts, Brighton University, and also holds teaching and visiting positions at Sussex University and the Science and Technology Studies Department, UCL. Prior to this, Georgina was the Research Manager at Tinker London where she managed the Homesense Project. Georgina has conducted research for organizations including MIT, the European Commission, WIRED UK, and BERG; and has been an invited speaker at renowned international conferences.

Mike Arauz?is a Strategy Director at Undercurrent, and lives in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Since moving to New York City in 2000, Mike has led many lives. Starting as a theater actor and director, Mike studied acting at The Atlantic Theatre Company, and performed improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

Sami Niemel??is a designer. He is also one of the founding partners and the creative director of Nordkapp, a Helsinki-based design consultancy. At times, he lectures about design to business people and likes to talk about cities, behavior, ubiquitous computing and cyborgs in public.

Stefan Erschwendner?is co-founder and managing partner of the interdisciplinary think tank LHBS in Vienna, Austria. LHBS is specialized in cultural innovation and helps companies and brands to understand how emerging patterns of human behavior across categories can create new opportunity spaces for branding and innovation.

Tamao Funahashi?is a freelance photographer, born in Tokyo, living and working in Aomori city. A graduate of visual art communication design from Musashino Art University, Tokyo, she has worked in museums (Aomori Prefectural Museum and Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum of Art) and newspaper companies (Asahi Shimbun and The Nikkei) for 10 years. Her photos have been featured on CD and DVD covers, in books and magazines, and also at some galleries.

A Glimpse into the near future

We tried to make these slides (A glimpse into the near future?)?primarily an embeddable version of this blog post. You?ll find the blog post pretty much copied and pasted in the speaker notes on?Slideshare. You?ll find them on Slideshare right next to the comments.

We asked for unstructured responses to two questions and ran a qualitative analysis, clustering individual ideas by field and into the (slightly fuzzy) categories ?drivers?, ?indicators?, ?implications? and ?hopes?.

To be respectful of the participants? time, we didn?t require any particular format. Some responded in bullet points and idea sketches, some included screenshots. A few sent more or less fully publishable longform. (Dannie actually wrote more or less an essay which we posted over?here.) Either format was fine for us, and that way we received a wall chock-full of ideas and data points:

Post it notes?Post it notes? by the waving cat, on Flickr. CC (by-nc-sa).

After compiling everything, we went at it in a quite exploratory way, adding our own insights, expectations and hopes, and compiled it all in this blog post.

Please note that the absolute majority of the ideas in here come straight from our participants. With the volume of ideas and their overlap, it was impossible to directly reference every point of input, so we highlighted just a few quotes. It?s the participants who collectively deserve the credit. Again, thank you!

There are a number of key drivers of change as well as megatrends that stand out. We?re keeping them deliberately fuzzy as there?s plenty of overlap between these. They influence and reinforce each other.

Our panel sees a few very concrete drivers built around technologies as well as global external factors at work:

  • Connections: Ubiquitous networked sensors and computers, the Internet of Things. Everything becomes more networked, with vast implications.
  • The Data Layer: Across the world, there is a layer of data that is growing thicker and more dense by the day. It is fed by our online behavior, by sensor networks, by the Internet of Things (IoT).
  • Alternative means of production: The rise of rapid prototyping, 3D printing & open-source hardware.
  • External, global factors: Economic and environmental woes & aging populations in industrialized countries increase the pressure to change, adapt and innovate. Stagnation and preserving the status quo isn?t a viable option.

Some of the key ways these drivers manifest are the following. We?ll dig deeper into these and many more.

  • Small pieces loosely joined: The network as the dominant paradigm in most fields (economy, work, organization, technology). This brings with it a trend towards smaller organizational units ? think freelancers, single households, startups, local food production, bottom-up innovation.
  • New interfaces, ranging from more human (gestures etc) to machine-readable (robots, sensors, IoT).
  • The times they are a?changing: Massive disruption across the board. Nothing stays as it was or is, ranging from economy to organization to education. ?Digital? is one of the main drivers, but not the only one.

?

snow patrol:make this go on forever?snow patrol: make this go on forever? by visualpanic, on Flickr. CC (by).

One thing becomes clear. Our experts all agree that we live in interesting times. Things are changing, and rapidly so. Nothing stays as it is; the status quo turns into a state of flux. While in some, mostly global contexts this includes massive collateral damage (global financial markets, global warming), there are plenty of cracks and new, as of yet largely unregulated areas where innovation thrives.

Let?s break it down by categories. The boundaries are blurry as everything is increasingly connected. Squeezed in between the expectations are the hopes, the desired development as our expert panel and we see it.

As the global economy remains shaky at best, we expect?things to go smaller, more granular. This means further rise of freelancers and talent networks. Innovation is coming increasingly from startups and other independent actors rather than big R&D departments. As global governance systems ? unable to adapt quickly enough to new realities ? fail to some degree, there are?cracks in regulation?where bottom-up innovation thrives. This can happen in more formal contexts, like when big corporations try to get a piece of the cake by establishing VC-style investment divisions. Or it can happen by way of Sterling-esque ?Favela Chic?-style street smarts.

This comes with a certain rise of more?self-reliant communities?as trust in institutions is shrinking. We expect to see manifestations of this in many places. The local food movement along with urban gardening is just one of the first and most obvious. The growing popularity of Collaborative Consumption projects is another.

Speaking of institutions,?mass media are entering the endgame?of this second phase of the web. The fight for control over and profit from the internet is on. The established players (broadcasters, telcos and infrastructure providers like Time Warner, Verizon etc) and the new establishment (Google, Facebook, Apple etc) will?fight it out. Expect nasty lawsuits, mergers and acquisitions and plenty of chaos. In the short term, this is likely to be at the expense of consumers. Media and content industries will have to re-invent themselves bottom-up to cope with change and harness new technologies.

What?s interesting is that the business models of all these companies are very diverse. There?s a lot of overlap certainly, but there?s also a lot of diversity. Seeing who breaks through with Content? Social network management? Relevance? Convenience? User experience? to establish new dominance will be a fascinating battle to watch unfold.

?Mike Arauz, Undercurrent

Sami Niemel? shares the story of an election campaign project he?s been involved with pro bono, getting candidate Pekka Haavisto to the final election round:

Our spark lit a fire and pretty much started a perfect storm. The old media is clueless about this, it?s clear they have no capacity to understand the mechanics of mesh democracy and social media.

What he?s hinting at is this: media outlets don?t have the basic understanding to see what?s going on, so how could they even begin to harness the change? We think it?s important to note that this is what happens at the organizational level ? individuals inside the media outlets might be very well versed, yet there are internal and external?factors that prevent appropriate action. In some cases the org chart gets in the way, in others the profit margin just doesn?t easily allow major changes to the otherwise ?functioning? business. Working around these organizational restrictions is a major road block. Again, size matters as smaller units are more agile.

In terms of economy and businesses, we?ll increasingly see the effects of what has been going on for the last few years:?Whatever is touched by ?digital? is changed massively. The impact is usually most visible in the business model, in organizational structures or in product development, but every single field is affected.

Grace Hopper and UNIVAC?Grace Hopper and UNIVAC? by public.resource.org, on Flickr. CC (by).

Apropos product development. We expect to see a period where the?product design & development industry will suffer?just like the content industry did. Collaborative design processes, open source hardware and 3D printing in all its shapes and forms will uproot this whole industry in ways hard to grasp yet. Particularly the?open, flat infrastructures?we see evolving in 3D printing today will have profound impacts driven by hobbyists and free market demand alike. We have seen the first Kickstarter projects that collected north of one million US dollars, and we expect crowdsourcing to gain in importance quickly. Some companies will harness this demand and make it work for themselves ? imagine a high-priced, gorgeously designed and strongly regulated market for (DRM?d) 3D print models by Apple, maybe even before the decade is over.

Which companies will dominate in this?New World Order? Our guess is: the ones that best adapt their business model to truly harness sharing. Incentives to make your creations available to others could be financial ? kickbacks, discounts etc ? or non-financial: sharing is caring, as the old saying goes. From today?s point of view, Google and Facebook are obvious candidates to leverage this redistribution of data, just as Apple could build a strong platform for sharing. However, this is a fickle, fast-moving industry, and a strong contender might come out of nowhere. We dare not make a prediction.

We hope?to see Arduino, prototyping and 3D printing become more accessible and gain the power to democratize the means of production. Only then will we also see growing ecologies of businesses built around these tools. It will be thriving, exciting, and?very, very normal.

Tech & Web is a wide field. Since we recruited strongly from that background, this is also at the very core of our collection of predictions. So let us divvy this up into smaller chunks.

We?ve established the?dominance of the digital?already. Its younger, but no less powerful sisters are?ubiquitous 3D printing and rapid prototyping?as well as the?Internet of Things. Overall, we expect networked technology to become even more ubiquitous, and more invisible. This is right at the intersection of two notions mentioned before: everything becomes smaller & more granular, and there?s a?new data layer spanning all aspects of our lives.

We used to like our technology visible as a sign of high tech quality ? we proudly displayed our TVs, stereos, computers. It stood out. But as technology became ubiquitous, we entered a phase of humanized and intuitive technology, popularized by the likes of Minority Report and iPhones. Now we are seeing the rise of invisible technology ? technology simply baked into daily life, utilized but non-intrusive.

?Stefan Erschwendner, LHBS

From a?design perspective, this changes a few things. A networked environment can and should be able to react more contextually and more appropriately to our needs. Interfaces should become more subtle; gestural interfaces will proliferate and turn technology even more into a true extension of ourselves. Ambient technology ranging from playful applications like the Bubblino to more work-related tools like interactive whiteboards become more powerful, and if not more useful, then at least smarter.

The proliferation of gestural interfaces (iPhones and Android touch-screen mobile phones, iPads and other touch-screen tablets, and XBox Kinect-type motion-driven interfaces) will have a quiet, yet seismic affect on disintegrating the boundary between the technological and the human. In the more distant future when we take the integration of digital/computer with our physical and mental selves for granted, we?ll look back on these few years as one of the major milestones along that road, due in large part to how gestural interfaces contributed to making technology a true extension of ourselves.

?Mike Arauz, Undercurrent

The looming problematic that is the third industrial revolution is going to open up some interesting design challenges. Design has a chance to truly influence and make the world a better place here. A long as we as an industry get over the needs and wants of selling glorified sugar to infant children.

?Sami Niemel?, Nordkapp

Consumer electronics?will be better designed and much better networked then today, thanks to the open web. Once it becomes industry best practice to put APIs on our gadgets and services and we can more easily make our things talk to each other, our experience will be a league better.

On the other hand, not all things look bright. We and our stuff are becoming ever more digitally connected. Yet this does not mean that we will always feel more connected on a personal level. There will be the occasional feeling of intense loneliness, as well as a demand & need for?smaller, more protected social networks. Think the next iteration of Path or Instagram. The group/list/circle concept is as yet only rudimentarily developed. We think that will change as social software and non-human actors grow more sophisticated.

Avioncitos?Avioncitos? by josemanuelerre, on Flickr. CC (by-nd).

The?rise of indie tech movements?isn?t going to slow anytime soon. We already mentioned makerbots, 3D printing and collaborative design. Add the more techy flavor of the DIY/craft scene, physical computing and group funding and you get a pretty potent mix. This means a massive?change in how we perceive physical goods. If that doesn?t replace the current system of massive, mainstream-oriented production, then at least it will complement it through small production runs and mass customization. We?re talking about the real thing, not swapping colored pieces of plastic. Remixing will increasingly be applicable to physical goods, like toys. Today we see only the tip of the iceberg, the equivalent of the home computing movement in the 70s. Industrial production as we know it today will experience a profound disruption. Who will turn out to be today?s Wozniak and build the next Apple?

I hope these kind of products and services we may see in the near future will come with open-source platforms that allow you create your very own network and run it on a server of your choice. To find the right (or better) balance between access and security, convenience and control, global approach and local action, etc., more positive interactions and discussions will be needed for sure.

?Tamao Funahashi

Physical goods?will face piracy in very similar terms as digital goods today when consumers can just print knock-off toys and spare parts. Intellectual property will be redefined yet again.

Arduino has become a ubiquitous tool, rapid prototyping at home will become ubiquitous and as interesting as a hammer or a set of nails. Which means that ecologies of businesses will grow around the tools. You hire a plumber to fix your kitchen even if you could probably figure it out yourself don?t you? Will you have your furniture designed online and press print? Most probably.

?Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino, RIG

As a side note,?who is responsible if a 3D printed object fails??Current laws might struggle just a tad with this.

While multi-purpose devices like the iPad will grow in popularity, they will not at all kill?single-purpose devices?like the Kindle. This follows a rough pattern. New products will end up as features in multi-purpose devices for less demanding consumers, while power users will always favor dedicated devices. The core of adaption stays in the software and the surrounding ecosystem. As iOS and Android have shown us, functionally largely equivalent devices and services can be used to create very different types of ecosystems.

Speaking of ecosystems, Social Media services are run by companies and thus legitimately need to earn money. The rules of user consent and privacy will be put to the test. The?privacy wars?will be one of the big conflicts in the years to come. Always remember: if you?re not paying for the product, you are the product. If you?re not paying, you?re being sold.

Things get smarter, and by ?smarter? we really mean more connected and responsive. In households we can already see the first steps of networking, but?smart homes?are still quite a way off. The more interesting innovation in the field doesn?t come from the big R&D departments but from more bottom-up, user-centric design studios (like our friend and contributorAlexandra) and hobbyists from all kinds of backgrounds.

In the automotive industry, things look a little different as car manufacturers explore new technologies but won?t just let any hobbyist play with their software. They get support from the big tech companies like the Facebooks and Googles.?Driverless car, anyone? Again, gestural interfaces will also help control both your car and your home in more human, intuitive ways. And while we?re putting chips in our environment, let?s not forget pets and humans, either:?RFID chips might make a good implant?if there?s a valid, convincing use case that is so good that it tops the inherent creepiness we associate with chip implants today.

A field that will see?massive?change is the?health and fitness sector. Over the last couple of years we?ve gotten a first glimpse at where things are going through the?Quantified Self?movement. There?s a lot more to come, though. What we know today as the?Quantified Self (QS), the measurement of body and behavioral data for further analysis, will become more embedded in our daily lives as sensors get cheaper and network usage gets both easier and more ubiquitous. QS will get a simpler, more snappy name; seem less strange as applications are mainstreamed and become easier to use; be?more hidden and embedded. The challenge will be to find more?meaning and relevance in the measurements?and, as boundaries between humans and technology grow ever more blurry, to make sure that the necessary?privacy safeguards?are in place. Non-human actors, namely bots in both the software and the hardware sense, will find lots of use in medical contexts.

Nike Fuelband is a start, esp. its Swatch-time like common measurement. But it?s not enough yet. Context makes it relevant when it should be the other way around.

?Sami Niemel?, Nordkapp

We hope?that we will, on a global as well as local scale, be able to close thegrowing technology gap?between rich and poor. Technology can empower and democratize, or it can be exclusive. We think that inclusion is key.

We hope?to find a?balance between access & security, between convenience & control, between global & local?needs. All of thesedichotomies?axes represent legitimate needs and agendas that often are highly complex. Yet this is where we as a society need all the smart minds we can find.

We hope?that our networks, including the Web and the Internet of Things, will be?free & open, as this is the basic foundation for true innovation and democracy. To harness the smarts of the tech community, we need a true read-write web.

We hope?to see?more mature & more valuable social networking software. More nuance and sophistication, more focus on user needs than marketers? needs. In other words, not just iterations of Facebook, but a different paradigm.

?

As the industrialized countries globally face?aging populations, smaller families and single households, needs in housing and social care change drastically. Examples? Increasingly, the need for?tele-medicine?and assisted care will rise. Our smart homes will need to double as early warning systems in case the inhabitant has medical issues.

In the face of even stronger globalization, the need for?cultural identitygrows stronger again. What will be the primary point of cultural reference? Nation, city, block, tribe, operating system?

Global mobility, especially among young professionals, fosters a?lifestyle of less?? at least in terms of physical ownership. The lifestyle of ?digital nomads? isn?t a rare exception anymore, but becoming the norm in at least our industry. And no matter where you are, chances are your data lives in the cloud anyway. The physical things you own can easily become a burden rather than an asset. Again, we refer to our trusted Guide To The Clutterless, Mr. Bruce Sterling for?guidance?on what to keep ? and what to give away.

Education will change drastically. The US model of?university funding is broken, yet it is copied and implemented across the globe. The #Occupy movement featured?student loans?prominently, and for a reason. More educational material than ever before is available?online for free. Yet questions of how to curate and how to?validate & certify knowledgeacquired this way remain. Will a Harvard degree stay the most desirable standard of education? Which institutions could provide validation services? Maybe?Open Badges?are a careful step in the right direction.

Everyone hot-desks, people have lockers, the buildings are empty vessels for activity. (?) It?s education as office work. We all know hot-desking only works for journalists, that it kills ideas, innovation and community building but it?s the most efficient use of space for education as a corporate activity. Education will be powered by corporations not government.

?Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino, RIG

School design, after hardly changing for the better part of the last century, is taking a sharp turn towards corporate settings. This is just one of many symptoms of the?corporate influence on education. It?s a double-edged sword: on one hand, big companies step in where governments don?t provide the best education, and help get students ready for their careers. On the other hand, this kind of education is aimed primarily at streamlining corporate careers.?Do we want a Google University??How would it be biased? Is it a bad influence or good for choice? Questions we can only ask, not answer.

Increased awareness that the ?democratisation? of technology is still a limited process, and that people who can engage in it are still those in regions with fast broadband, access to a free/open internet, access to tablets/PCs/smartphones etc. Aiming to create inclusive processes of social/political/cultural participation, rather than privileging those who already have substantial social and technological capital. In practical terms this means keeping libraries open ? maybe opening more of them ? as they may be the only space where many citizens can access the internet; not shifting educational tools entirely to ?e-books? and online learning; recognising that digital techs complement, not replace, paper.

?Georgina Voss

We should ask equivalent questions for museums. The one thing we already know is this: museums are going to get a tech overhaul as they get more connected. Lots has been happening in that space, and there?s more to come. We recommend looking at the fantastic work our friend?Jake Barton?has been doing in New York.?Networks help us overcome growth barriers. This holds true for the small (self-reliant or mutually supportive communities) as well as for larger societal challenges. Just to name a few: finding better solutions for outdated copyright laws and industry protection. More flexible work visa regulations for a globally mobile workforce including tax models and pension plans that should move with the person. While easily explained historically, the paperwork associated with moving and working internationally creates barriers that stand in the way of global talent distribution and equal chances.

I would like to see my peers tackle financial regulation, social equity, and produce technology that liberates instead of technology that enslaves. A lot of technology today enslaves, it does not liberate. Come to think of it, the same can be said of regulations and laws that are there to guarantee our freedoms but that over time have been highjacked in the service of few and alienate the masses. The results are not pretty. I exaggerate. Still, sometimes it looks like one large group gets the obligations, and a small minority get the rights. That is not the idea.

?Dannie Jost, WTI

Programming and basic electronics skills will be the true lingua franca, and hopefully will be taught in primary school. A key moment of the networked, new century will be when good ol? hardware stores will install ?computing aisles?.

A whole?new industry focused on pre-production processes?will arise, as opposed to those focused on final products. Instead of IKEA we might go to a cutting & printing place for furniture, toys or spare parts. As one of the leading producers of final products today, Apple merits a closer look. Will they go away, stay largely untouched because their production methods are so advanced, or build a beautiful, highly restrictive and controlled?3D printing platform?

We hope?that this?Third Industrial Revolution?will provide apt solutions for the more-than-just-interesting design challenges the world faces.

We hope?that designers will put their skills to use to?design for a better world, and focus on values, attitudes and resources that increase quality of life.

We hope?that?governments invest massively in R&D?to foster innovation beyond the high-risk, financially driven free market.

?

As organizers of the?Cognitive Cities Conference?and urbanism geeks, we were particularly happy to see visions of the?future of cities?among the input, too.

Cities have always been a focal point for innovation and early tech adoption. We expect?urban spaces to open up to all kinds of connected things, ranging from?smart screen solutions?to responsive buildings and vehicles.

Cultural identity, as mentioned before, might be provided or at least fostered on the local level. Think?urban ?villages??within cities, strong tribe-like connections. These ?tribes? might be defined regionally, within the city, or by shared interests, spread out across several cities.

Either way, we can expect that?cities will become more responsive, both on an architectural and a transportation level. Truly interesting things won?t happen in the planned corporate cities of East Asia, but in the?messy underbellies?of big, organically grown cities, ranging from Sterling?s notion of?Favela Chic?to grassroots?tech activism?in the hackerspaces of New York, Hong Kong, Berlin, Rio and Shanghai.

Now where does all that leave us? We see some big drivers of change as outlined in the beginning. Across the field and in all disciplines,?things are getting more connected. This holds true for the global ? world, country, economy, internet ? as well as the super local ? our homes, our gadgets, our bodies.?The network is the absolute paradigm, now more than ever. Decentralization means a redistribution of power. It also means that if you pull one string, something might unravel in unexpected places. If there?s one thing that seems certain, it?s that we?re headed for more complexity, not less. In your business,?embrace this complexity. There?s a ton of opportunities in there.

grandmaster FLAX ~ II?grandmaster FLAX ~ II? by striatic, on Flickr. CC (by).

The cultural and socio-economic implications of all these things are huge. In a nutshell,?we expect culture to thrive while parts of the content industries fail. Yet, the overall global economic structures will lead to certain uncertainties that foster small, bottom-up business and innovation.

That said, this is a blog about digital strategy, so let?s not go to deep into fields where we lack reliable data and rather look at the things we actually know.

Rather than giving any concrete answers, we have?more questions?for your business.

  • Look at your current business. What are its touchpoints with the digital sphere? Do you get as much out of every single one as you possibly could? Where do you not currently see any of these touchpoints? Have a really thorough look at those places ? chances are you?re missing something.
  • How can you connect all aspects of your organization with all the other parts? How can you connect them more with people, ideas, products outside your sphere of direct influence? Looking at these scenarios through your users? eyes, what would really have a positive impact? What would make you say ?whoa!?, and mean it?
  • Does your business rely on a centralized offer that sells scarcity? Think again.
  • Whatever you offer, chances are it?s going to be hacked. Hope that it is: if it?s not relevant enough to get hacked, you?re in trouble. Encourage the interaction, empower these power users. They?re your best friends.
  • Is there someone in your company who smugly says they have ?no clue about technology?? We think that?s nothing to boast of. Offer to help and build structures that allow your teams to stay on top of trends. Also, make sure everybody knows that?feeling good for not knowing things?isn?t an option1.
  • Whether you offer software, a service or a physical product, do you play fair? Do you allow for your users to export their data? Is it easy? Do you monetize your users? data? Do they know how, and what it means? Can they opt out, for example by paying a premium? Are there bits of fine print in your ToS that you?re embarrassed by? When are you going to rewrite them? Why don?t you invite your users to pitch in?
  • If you sell physical goods, how is the stuff you ship better than a copy might be? What?s unique in your process, your team, your culture?
  • When was the last time you asked your team for ideas on improving what you do? When was the last time you implemented their proposals?
  • What data exists as a by-product of your offerings? How do you use it to create value for your community? Can you make the data directly available to the community?

We hope these questions help you make your organization fitter for the near future.

We have all the reasons in the world to believe that the trends outlined above will, in some way or another, manifest. We?d love to see you take full advantage of them. We can influence the way the world develops ? together, in small steps, by asking the right questions.

I?d like to leave you with this quote by our friend Dannie Jost. Seems to me this is the right mental setting for the next few years:

The times ahead will surprise us. I will continue to search for the perfect hot chocolate mix.

See you on the other side.

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Source: http://hplusmagazine.com/2012/11/19/a-glimpse-into-the-near-future/

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Enlightening Relationships and Sexuality 11/19 by REALife | Blog ...

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    Find out how to get the best haircut, color or style with tips from hair pro Ashley Mecham. We?ll also be taking questions for any of your hair-care needs so call in for your chance to win free Paula's Choice products!

  • Jolene Puffer welcomes Stacey Thureen as our guest for eFitFamily. She will share her thyroid journey and provide possible preventions to our beloved listeners.

  • Chat with actor, writer and director John Cabrera, who co-created the hot new web series produced by Bryan Singer (X-Men, Superman Returns) called H+: The Digital Series.

  • Kevin Howlett, editor of Colombia Politics, an English speaking online website about Colombia politics. We will discuss the current state of US-Colombia relations.

  • Please join me as I chat with actor, Eric Roberts, whose career has spun film, television and daytime. We will chat about his career, talk to fans and catch up with what he is working on now, plus connect with him with his fans.

  • Paul Gant's GO4IT(@goforitgant) will be be joined by one of the newest members of BET's hit series "The Game" actor Jay Ellis. Jay will discuss the show and some of the happenings in the NBA.

  • VividLife Radio?s Ed and Deb Shapiro welcome Jeff Brown author and Soul Shaper, to discuss his new book Ascending with both feet on the Ground a collection of author Jeff Brown?s most inspiring and well-loved Facebook quotes, soul-bytes, excerpts and aphorisms

  • WWE Survivor Series 2012 is tonight and on Tuesday, we will not only review Survivor Series, but also Monday Night Raw the following night!! Survivor Series is one of the top 4 shows of the entire wrestling year and this is a must feature event on BTR!!

  • Exclusive preview of Bio's HAUNTED ENCOUNTERS with stars Daniel, Jordan, Helmey - investigating the paranormal residue of America's darkest deeds

  • For his first feature film The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert Tim won an Oscar, British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award and Australian Film Institute (AFI) award for his costume design

  • David Venable is program host of the "In the Kitchen with David" show on the very popular cable tv retail shopping network, QVC. He drops by to discuss his brand new cookbook & his love of food.

  • Singer/songwriter Margo Rey revisits Olivia Wilder to talk about her booming career and her new CD, "Habit." Margo is offering 2 CDs and 2 Christmas 3-song EPs to 4 lucky live listeners!

  • The Drew Show welcomes Former MLB Pitcher Kerry Wood. Best known for his 20 strikeouts in one game against the Houston Astros. Now he has created with his wife 'The Wood Family Foundation' which helps intercity youth. Come hear this amazing story!

  • Best Ever You welcomes former NFL football player Vernon Turner. He played running back for six seasons and is the author of "The Next Level: A Game I Had To Play!"

  • Will Smith Sr, (proud father of actor, Will Smith), and Tony Smith will chat about their wonderful novel that's entitled "The Waymor". "It is a jazz club where you just might get way more than you bargained for!"

  • Nicholas Snow of Snow Biz Now welcomes Del Shores as he drops by the studios to discuss how his hit play, Southern Baptist Sissies, is being filmed for the big screen.

  • Rising star Rick Yune visits Movie Addict HQ to discuss playing a chilling James Bond villain in "Die Another Day" and a dashing hero in "Man with the Iron Fists." Yune, named one of People magazine's Sexiest Men, is the first Asian-American in Versace ads.

  • Real Sisters will be talking with wine expert, Sean Sullivan, of the Washington Wine Report, and getting his take on some of the best wines for the holidays. We welcome listener's calls and questions to help you navigate what can be a confusing choice.

  • Join SportsRantz.com's Anthony DiMoro & Katy Mitchel as they welcome MMA fighter Cassie Crisano to "The Rantin & Ravin Show" on SportsRantz Radio. Tuesday night 7pm EST

  • Wing Chun in the USA has become popular with such celebrities as Phil Morris & Robert Downey Jr. making it part of their lives, Wing Chun Grandmaster Jason Lau is the Pioneer in bringing Wing Chun to America, he will telling us his story.

  • This is the time of year people are thinking "next year I'm getting in shape" Our guest Robert Hopper is a renowned expert in the field of exercise with an emphasis on fun! Author of several books his latest, "Stick with Exercise For a Lifetime".

  • Special Agent Gregory K. Baker is a twenty-five year veteran of the FBI and has spent the majority of his career investigating and supervising agents and conducting criminal investigations in the FBI's Organized Crime/Violent Crime programs.

  • Kick Ass Fantasy Football is back for the 2012 Fantasy Football Season! We are here to help you Cruise to a Championship every Tuesday evening at 9:00 pm and Sunday at 11:00 am. 2 Great shows plus our anchor show Sunday Morning on 973ESPN.com and 97.3 ESPN

  • LOTL Welcomes Singer-Songwriter Tyme Johnson debut her latest CD "A Matter of Tyme: The Soundtrack This album is the Soundtrack to "A Matter of Tyme: The Book" It is the musical narration of the book. The songs were inspired by chapters in the book.

  • Tune in to listen to Season 1, Episode 4 of Verses and Flow Grammy-nominated Tyrese, and spoken word by Gina Loring and Pharoahe Monch Brought to you by lexus

  • Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/realife/2012/11/19/enlightening-relationships-and-sexuality-with-mark-kennedy

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    SFU earns berth in Final Four of the NCAA Division II men's soccer championships

    A kid from Switzerland scores an unlikely goal on a setup from a kid from Germany and suddenly the SFU Clan men?s soccer team is two wins away from becoming the first non-U.S. school to win an NCAA title.

    Defender Marco Voegli?s tally in the 81st minute Saturday in Phoenix gave the Clan a 1-0 win over the University of Incarnate Word of San Antonio, Tex., and a berth in the Final Four of the NCAA Division II championships.

    ?Honestly, we haven?t talked a lot about the national championship, but it?s definitely an exciting thing now that we?re at this stage,? junior midfielder Lucas Ferritto of Hamilton, Ont., said after the game. ?Facebook and twitter are just blowing up. It?s definitely sending a good vibe.?

    SFU, now 19-1-1 on the season, will face either Saginaw Valley of Michigan or Northeastern State of Oklahoma in one semifinal Nov. 29 in Evans, Ga., The final goes Dec. 1.

    Voegli, a junior from the mountain resort of Lenzerheide, and goalless in 15 games this season, somehow found himself inside the six-yard box and managed to get enough of a body part on a cross from Chris Bargholz to have the ball slide just across the goal line.

    ?We had started pushing forward at that point, taking the game to them a little bit more,? said SFU head coach Alan Koch. ?I don?t know if Marco should have been pushing up as much as he was was, but we?re glad he did. He chose a great time to score his first goal of the season.?

    Bargholz, a sophomore midfielder from Fuessen, had made a terrific play down the right side, taking the ball to the touch line and turning a Cardinals player inside out before making the short cross.

    ?Chris destroyed his guy down the sideline, made the cross and Marco, I think he got his hip on it and somehow it crossed the line,? said Ferritto, who had started the play taking a pass from Voegli and then finding Bargholz. ?It was a real grinder?s goal.?

    Koch said the Clan, on the road for 11 days and three games in the San Francisco area and then Phoenix were fortunate to be in the game at that point.

    ?The first half was the worst 45 minutes we played all season. We were heavy legged, didn?t have much energy. I don?t know if it was nerves or fatigue from a long, long trip.

    ?But in the second half the guys were a lot more positive, all pulling for each other and we showed a lot of character to really come together at the end.?

    The Clan returned home Sunday. Koch said he?ll give the squad a few days to rest and recover before he begins ?a mini-type training camp? to get energized for the Final Four.

    ?People are realizing what a big deal this is and guys are aware of it, but we have to make sure we keep our focus,? said Koch. ?If we start to see bigger things, it?s going to come back to haunt us at some stage.?

    gkingston@vancouversun.com

    Source: http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/earns+berth+Final+Four+NCAA+Division+soccer+championships/7567020/story.html

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    What Higher Taxes Mean For The Market? | iStockAnalyst.com

    (By Mani) A resolution to the so-called "fiscal cliff" is anyone's guess at the moment, but what is clear is that the prospect of higher taxes has clearly spooked investors. In fact, the S&P 500 has shed close to 5 percent since Election Day.

    President Barack Obama and Republicans are negotiating "fiscal cliff," which is nothing, but a budget and tax deal to avoid tax increases and automatic spending cuts.

    "While we will leave it to the experts to discuss the specifics of potential fiscal cliff outcomes, we are certain that any eventual deal will require a balanced approach of spending cuts and revenue increases in order to effectively put our fiscal house back in order," BMO Capital Markets Chief Investment Strategist Brian Belski wrote in a note to clients.

    For instance, government spending as a percentage of GDP has skyrocketed over the past several years while tax receipts have plummeted. Thus, it is not a stretch to suggest that both will need to return closer to historical norms to make meaningful strides with deficit reduction.

    So what does the prospect of higher taxes mean for the markets?

    Despite the common perception, historical evidence suggests that tax policy generally does not?affect market returns. In fact, the lowest and most volatile average annual returns for the S&P 500 have come during years with the lowest average tax rates.

    "According to our analysis, tax policy has not had a meaningful impact on market returns throughout history even for dividend paying stocks. Instead, it is the business cycle that ultimately determines stock market direction and current trends appear to support further momentum, in our view," Belski said.

    On the other hand, years where top marginal tax rates were significantly higher have produced the most favorable risk and return characteristics for the market. The rationale is quite simple ? market?performance is ultimately determined by the economic cycle, not policy and economic growth?has typically been stronger during years where taxes were higher.

    Although, changes in tax policy have not occurred too frequently throughout history, particularly tax hikes. In fact, over the past 100 years taxes have been increased just 17 times and just seven times during the post Word War II period.

    "According to our work, average market returns are quite strong in the years immediately following tax hikes," the analyst said.

    For instance, the S&P 500 has returned roughly 18 percent during the first year of a tax hike, on average, and was able to maintain high levels of return for up to five years following the initial tax hike. By contrast, market performance has been well below historical norms in the years?immediately following tax cuts. Again, this is because the economy happened to be weaker in?those years, not because of tax policy.

    Meanwhile, much of the worry surrounding tax hikes and potential market impact has centered on dividend stocks, given the strategy's prominence over the past few years.

    "Our analysis similarly suggests that higher levels of tax rates are not necessarily a performance impediment for dividend stocks. Like the overall market, dividend stocks have generally exhibited better average annual returns during years with higher tax rates," Belski noted.

    The one caveat is that dividend stocks have produced their lowest average annual returns during years of exceedingly high tax rates. However, the average return is still nearly 10 percent, a far cry from the impending doom that some suggest for this group, given the prospect of higher tax rates.

    In addition, returns for dividend stocks in the years immediately following a change in tax rates?are quite similar regardless of the direction of the change. Lastly, despite some arguments to the contrary, tax rates have also had little impact on the growth rates in dividend payments, which has shown better growth rates in the years immediately following tax hikes.

    "Given that payout ratios remain historically low while corporate cash levels remain historically high, we would expect current dividend growth trends to continue regardless of the tax environment, particularly considering our own more muted earnings growth outlook for 2013," Belski noted.

    Consequently, the business cycle determines stock market direction, not taxes. Fortunately, the market is seeing some tailwinds in important parts of the economy lately that are likely to persist unless our government does the unthinkable and allows us to go over the fiscal cliff ? which as of now is a low probability outcome.

    'We continue to believe that many investors are underestimating US economic growth prospects in 2013. For our part, we believe US growth will end up somewhere between 2.5% to 3% next year, driven mainly by a rebound in capital expenditures but also improvement in personal consumption," Belski added.

    Source: http://www.istockanalyst.com/finance/story/6149676/what-higher-taxes-mean-for-the-market

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    Audi A4 Avant (B6) OEM-Look SQ Install - DIYMA Car Audio Forum

    This is my build thread for my build from March 2011 in my 2003 Audi A4 Avant. I completed this install shortly after finishing my degree during spring break before starting my full time job. I would like to thank Brad Scott of Brad's Car Tunes in Eugene, Oregon for making this build possible. Brad hired me to work for him when I was a 16 year old high school student that didn't know anything about car audio and taught me a ton along the way. At the time I did this build I had been out of the industry for about two years. Brad generously let me bring down my tools and my gear work on my build at his shop. If you are in Eugene and looking to have some work done to your personal car I can't say enough good things about the guys at Car Tunes.

    Here is my car before it started (totally stock):



    The goal of this install was to keep the stock appearance from the outside due to me living in downtown Portland at the time. For this reason the stock headunit (Bose Symphony II) was retained. The rest of the gear used in the install:

    McIntosh MC4000M
    Hybrid Audio L6
    Hybrid Audio L1PRO
    Pioneer TSW-12PRS
    AudioControl DQX (Which died and was replaced with a JBL MS-8)

    The installation accessories used are:
    Dynamat Xtreme
    Dynaxorbs (had these in my toolbox for a long time, finally used them)
    Kicker wire
    Audison distribution block
    Kinetik HC600

    Source: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/build-logs-project-install-gallery/139584-audi-a4-avant-b6-oem-look-sq-install.html

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    California | Public Refrigerated Warehouse & Distribution Directory

    Oct 2, 2012 3:11 PM

    Directory HOME ???<< ARKANSAS??CALIFORNIA???COLORADO >>

    Additional Services Key
    a. Load consolidation
    b. Statewide or regional delivery
    c. Pool truck delivery
    d. EDI/Internet computer link
    e. Truck icing
    f. Daily/Web inventory report
    g. Customs bonded
    h. Pallet exchange
    i. Transloading/interline service
    j. Blast freezing
    k. Cross-dock delivery
    l. Live internet inventory control
    m. Heated storage
    n. Dry storage

    Bakersfield CA 93313
    United States Cold Storage
    6501 District Blvd
    Ph?661-832-2653
    www.uscold.com
    Services?a, b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k

    Fresno CA 93725
    United States Cold Storage
    2525 E North Ave
    Ph?559-237-6145
    www.uscold.com
    Services?a, b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k

    Los Angeles CA 90023
    Preferred Freezer Services
    3100 E Washington Blvd
    Ph?323-526-4134
    www.preferredfreezer.com
    Services?a, b, c, d, g, h, i, k, l

    Manteca CA 95336
    Millard Refrigerated Services
    730 Spreckels Ave
    Ph?209-239-2888
    www.millardref.com

    Mira Loma CA 91752
    Millard Refrigerated Services
    3251 De Forest Circle
    Ph?951-360-7970
    www.millardref.com
    Services?a, b, d, f, h, j, k

    Modesto CA 95357
    WEL Companies
    770 Garner Rd
    Ph?800-659-8936
    www.welcompanies.com
    Hours/days?M-Th 7am-4pm; Sa by appointment only
    Services?a, b, c, d, i, k

    National City CA 91950
    Harvest Meat Co
    1022 Bay Marina Dr, #106
    Ph?619-477-0185
    800-653-2333
    www.harvestmeat.com
    Hours/days? (1st come, 1st served) Su-Th 5am-9am; Fri 7am-11am; Sa closed
    Minimum time/quantity?N/A, Call for more information
    Commodities?Fresh & frozen protein products
    Services?b, h, k

    Sacramento CA 95823
    Harvest Meat Co
    3100 52nd Ave
    Ph?913-399-1079
    866-318-6328
    www.harvestmeat.com
    Hours/days?M-F 7:30am-4pm; Sa closed; Su 8am-1pm
    Minimum time/quantity?N/A, Call for more information
    Commodities?Fresh & frozen protein products
    Services?b, h, k

    Sacramento CA 95823
    United States Cold Storage
    3100 52nd Ave
    Ph?916-392-9160
    www.uscold.com
    Services?a, b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k

    San Luis Obispo CA 93403
    T Horzen Refrigerated Transport
    PO Box 4707
    Ph?888-777-0710 ext 56
    www.thorzeninc.com
    Services?a, b, h, i, k, n

    Tracy CA 95376
    United States Cold Storage
    1400 N MacArthur Dr
    Ph?209-835-2653
    www.uscold.com
    Services?a, b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k

    Tulare CA 93274
    United States Cold Storage
    1021 E Walnut Ave
    Ph?559-686-1110
    www.uscold.com

    Tulare CA 93274
    United States Cold Storage
    810 E Continental Ave
    Ph?559-686-1110
    www.uscold.com
    Services?a, b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k

    Turlock CA 95380
    Americold Logistics Inc
    525 S Kilroy Rd (2 facilities)
    Ph?209-668-3802
    888-808-4877
    www.americold.com
    Services?a, d, f, h, j

    Turlock CA 95380
    United States Cold Storage
    537 Fransil Ln
    Ph?209-668-1636
    www.uscold.com

    Union City CA 94587
    United States Cold Storage
    33400 Dowe Ave
    Ph?510-489-8300
    www.uscold.com
    Services?a, b, c, d, f, g, h, i, j, k

    Vernon CA 90058
    Preferred Freezer Services
    4901 Bandini Blvd
    Ph?323-263-8811
    www.preferredfreezer.com
    Services?a, b, c, d, g, h, i, k, l

    Vernon CA 90058
    Preferred Freezer Services
    2050 E 55th St
    Ph?323-587-4600
    www.preferredfreezer.com
    Services?a, b, c, d, h, i, j, k, l

    Vernon CA 90058
    Preferred Freezer Services
    3200 E Washington Blvd
    Ph?323-261-4500
    www.preferredfreezer.com
    Services?a, b, c, d, g, h, i, k, l

    Vernon CA 90058
    Preferred Freezer/Ultra Freeze
    2100 E 55th St
    Ph?323-582-6333
    www.preferredfreezer.com
    Services?a, b, c, d, h, i, k, l

    Watsonville CA 95077
    Americold Logistics Inc
    750 W Riverside Dr
    Ph?831-761-4500
    888-808-4877
    www.americold.com
    Services?a, b, c, d, f, h, i, j

    Wilmington CA 90744
    Preferred Freezer Services
    900 East M St
    Ph?310-518-1800
    www.preferredfreezer.com
    Services?a, b, c, d, g, h, i, k, l

    HOW TO GET LISTED! The basic listings in this directory are free. If you would like to be added, submit this Listing Form. (PDF)
    ???If you have changes to your listing, please let us know by e-mailing rt.directories@penton.com.

    For information on advertising in this section, contact Ray Anderson ray.anderson@penton.com or call 800-880-0368 or 713-523-8124.

    Source: http://refrigeratedtrans.com/directory/warehouse-distribution/california/index.html?imw=Y

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    Auckland University?s independence threatened by Steven Joyce, say Greens

    Press Release ? Green Party
    Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce?s threat that he can step in to decide how many students Auckland University should enrol in each department is a direct assault on academic freedom and the independence of Universities, the Green Party said today.

    ?Universities have a very clear understanding of what the country?s economic and social needs are, and work hard to develop a balanced and strategic approach to filling these needs. They don?t need to be the victims of ministerial interference,? Green Party tertiary education spokesperson David Clendon said.

    ?Universities must remain independent of political interference if they are to fulfil their role as critic and conscience of society.

    ?I?m doubtful that the Minister can legally do what he is threatening.

    ?Both the Education Act and the Auckland University charter emphasise the independence of the university to make academic, operational and management decisions.

    ?By making direct demands to Auckland University over the number of engineering students they must enrol, Joyce?s comments fly in the face of this.

    ?While we do need to encourage more engineering and science graduates, Joyce is suggesting a singular approach rather than looking at the wider problem, brought about because of decades of short sighted, cost-driven decisions.

    ?The National Government?s hollowing out of the public service has diminished the supply of skills that traditionally flowed into the private sector from areas such as the defence forces and railways.

    ?To encourage more people into engineering and science we need to start with better resourcing and support for primary and secondary schools. Students and their parents need to see a long-term sustainable career path.

    ?Perhaps Minister Joyce should reflect on the reasons that he did not pursue a career in science when he graduated and consider whether similar disincentives still exist.

    ?The Government should also be developing decent mechanisms for supporting private investment in Research and Development, rather than the current voucher system, to encourage and enable more private companies to invest in on the job training of people with the right aptitude and attitude.?

    Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz
    Original url

    Source: http://auckland.scoop.co.nz/2012/11/joyce-launches-direct-assault-on-university-independence/

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