Fidelity Sees Flurry of Charitable Giving in 2012 | On Wall Street

Fidelity Sees Flurry of Charitable Giving in 2012

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Donors ratcheted up their giving last year at Fidelity Charitable as outgoing grants and incoming contributions reached record highs.

Fidelity?s independent public charity and donor advised fund program reported a 24% increase from 2011 in dollar amounts going to grants and charitable accounts. In 2012, donors recommended more than 428,000 grants totaling $1.6 billion and contributed $3.6 billion to charitable accounts as an improved stock market and tax concerns helped drive up giving. Moreover, the number of new charitable accounts rose 32%.

?Throughout 2012, donors took advantage of the improved stock market and economic conditions to contribute more to their charitable accounts and in turn better support the causes they care about,? Sarah Libbey, president of Fidelity Charitable, said in a statement. ?We also saw many donors discover the benefits of using a donor-advised fund for the first time as the uncertain tax environment prompted more discussions about philanthropy between advisors and clients.?

The fourth quarter, which generally represents some of the highest levels of charitable giving, was especially active in 2012. Donors made 172,000 of the 428,000 grants during that time and contributed $2.4 billion, or 66% of the annual total, to charitable accounts. Generally, fourth quarter contributions reflect about 60% of the year?s contributions, Fidelity said.

According to Amy Danforth, senior vice president of Fidelity Charitable, the combination of information campaigns from nonprofits as well as uncertainty about the tax policies in 2013 helped to dive those numbers up.

?Americans? awareness and knowledge of what was going on in Washington and in particular seeing the charitable deduction mentioned time and time again really spurred conversations with people with their advisors,? Danforth said in a phone interview with On Wall Street. ?So we definitely saw increased results because of that.?

Fidelity Charitable augmented its giving operations in response. The charity released an app that enabled donors to recommend grants using a mobile phone, enhanced their website and extended business hours to accommodate donors and advisors.

Advisors are also becoming more involved. Seventy percent of the contributions in 2012 came from advisor referrals and according to Danforth, Fidelity is looking to help advisors open up more conversations on philanthropy in order to deepen their client relationships.

?It really pays dividends for advisors,? she said.

Source: http://www.onwallstreet.com/news/Fidelity-Sees-Flurry-of-Charitable-Giving-in-2012-2683074-1.html

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Can a computer carry out sophisticated literary analysis?

Professor and researcher Matthew L. Jockers used a computer to determine influence, patterns in literature.

By Molly Driscoll,?Staff Writer / January 29, 2013

Based on his statistical findings, researcher and professor Matthew L. Jockers said Jane Austen and Sir Walter Scott were the two most influential authors of their time.

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Yes, we as a society now use computers to analyze large amounts of data. But can a computer parse literature as well as (or better) than a human reader?

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That?s the question being explored by researcher Matthew L. Jockers, who used a computer to go through more than 3,000 works that were published between 1780 and 1900. According to a piece in The New York Times, Jockers released his findings last year and is about to publish a book compiling it titled ?Macroanalysis: Digital Methods and Literary History.?

Based on the computer?s analysis, Jockers, who is a researcher at the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities at the University of Nebraska as well as an assistant professor in the English department, found that Jane Austen (happy birthday, ?Pride and Prejudice?!) and ?Ivanhoe??s Sir Walter Scott were the most influential writers of their time.

They were ?the literary equivalent of Homo erectus, or, if you prefer, Adam and Eve,? Jockers told The New York Times.

The researcher said that using such analysis can allow society to analyze literature in a larger way than ever before.

?Traditionally, literary history was done by studying a relative handful of texts,? Jockers told the Times. ?What this technology does is let you see the big picture ? the context in which a writer worked ? on a scale we?ve never seen before.?

The computer also uncovered patterns in the writings of George Eliot that are similar to the patterns in writing of male authors. Jockers says he uses algorithms that search for patterns in words and common themes.

But can a computer ever reason on the same level as a human when it comes to literary analysis, a field where there is often more than one right answer?

Jockers told The New York Times that his algorithms can?t work on their own ? analysis is only complete when there?s someone who has knowledge of literature overseeing the process.

?You?ll always need both,? he said. ?But we?re at a moment now when there is much greater acceptance of these methods than in the past. There will come a time when this kind of analysis is just part of the tool kit in the humanities, as in every other discipline.?

What do you think? Could a literary expert and computer working in tandem analyze books to an extent that has never before been possible? Or will human beings always have the edge when it comes to matters literary?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/WlOeGp0mVLg/Can-a-computer-carry-out-sophisticated-literary-analysis

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BlackBerry Z10 vs. Apple iPhone 5: Spec Showdown

It's been a long time coming, but BlackBerry has finally taken the wraps off its first BB 10 smartphones, the BlackBerry Q10 and BlackBerry Z10. We've already had a chance to spend some quality time?with the Z10, the first of the new phones to be released, which, surprisingly, is the one that doesn't have a keyboard. BlackBerry plans to release the keyboarded Q10 at some point in the near future, but first we get the Z10, a big black slab. You might even say it looks sort of similar to another smartphone you may have heard of, the Apple iPhone 5.

Now, there's no denying Apple's got the best apps in the biz, but what if you're not a fan of the operating system? Or what if all your friends use BBM, not iMessage? Does the Z10 hold a fighting chance against the smartphone titan? We've stacked up the specs for the BlackBerry Z10 side by side against the iPhone 5 to help determine which phone is right for you.

As you can see, it's a pretty close match. From a design standpoint, the phones are actually quite similar. Each features a rounded slab design, made of high-quality materials. Compared with the large Samsung Galaxy S III?and smaller iPhone 5, the BlackBerry Z10 is a very comfortable size that falls right in the middle. It's almost an ounce heavier than the iPhone, but you also get 0.2-inches more of display.

Speaking of displays, the Z10 features a 4.2-inch, 1,280-by-768 LCD. At 356 pixels per inch, that's actually higher in density than the iPhone 5 and its vaunted Retina display, which has 326 pixels per inch. This difference is essentially imperceptible to the naked eye, so we can call this one a tie.

The iPhone 5 is powered by Apple's A6 chip, which it claims is up to twice as fast as the A5 processor found in the iPhone 4S. The Z10, meanwhile, is powered by a 1.5-GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4. We've tested that chip in lots of phones, from the Samsung Galaxy S III to the Nokia Lumia 920, and it's very fast. We didn't encounter any performance problems with the Z10, and it turned in some very respectable browser benchmarks.

Both phones feature 8-megapixel rear-facing cameras. The iPhone 5 has one of the best phone cameras we've tested, along with features like the ability to create seamless, high-res panoramas up to 28 megapixels. But the Z10'S camera is no slouch either, and took some excellent images in good light in our tests. And while the Z10's camera isn't loaded with features, one of them?TimeShift?is killer. It takes a burst photos, detects the faces, then lets you swap them in or out from other photos to make sure everyone looks perfect.

Both phones feature support for 4G LTE, as well as Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi on 2.4 and 5GHz bands. The iPhone 5 comes in either 16, 32, or 64GB storage options, while the Z10 comes with 16GB of internal storage, expandable up to an additional 64GB via microSD card.

The numbers don't tell all when it comes to battery life. We got 10 hours and 54 minutes of talk time with the Z10, compared with 8 hours and 40 minutes of talk time on the iPhone 5. But the Z10 only lasted for 3 hours and 34 minutes of streaming video over LTE, which is a lot less than other results we've been seeing lately.

On the software side, the iPhone 5 is running Apple's iOS 6, while the Z10 is running the brand new BlackBerry 10. iOS 6 is smooth, simple, and chock full of app choices. BB10, meanwhile, is full of promise, like seamless messaging and support for corporate management. But the fate of the Z10, and BlackBerry 10 in general, largely rests on the strength of its apps. BlackBerry already has 70,000 apps available for BB10 in the app store, which is impressive, but lots of big names are missing, which can be a dealbreaker for lots of people.

There are plenty of other features, like voice control, which both phones have, and NFC, which is only available on the Z10. But in general, both of these phones are pretty evenly matched, from a specs perspective. So which one should you get? Well, if you want to get a new phone now, you've got no choice but the iPhone 5. The Z10 won't be available until March, and even then there's no concrete date.

If you can hold out, it'll be interesting to see what new BB10 apps appear, and if BlackBerry works out some of the kinks we saw in the operating system around the time of launch. Right now there's no clear cut winner, but it's certainly an interesting battle.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2414915,00.asp?kc=PCRSS05039TX1K0000762

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Mormon-founded Marriott supports DOMA repeal. So does eBay, Reuters, Aetna. (Americablog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Apple releases iOS 6.1, giving Siri the power to buy movie tickets

40 min.

Rosa Golijan , NBC News

Apple has released a software update?? iOS 6.1 ? which gives you the ability to purchase movie tickets through?Fandango using Siri, supports LTE?capabilities?for a bunch of carriers around the world?and adds the ability to download individual songs from iCloud.

You can find a complete list of the newly supported LTE-capable carriers on Apple's website.?(There's now support for LTE connectivity for 36 additional iPhone carriers and 23 additional iPad carriers around the world.)?

iOS 6.1 is available is compatible with the?iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, third- and fourth-generation?iPad, iPad Mini, iPad 2,?and fourth- and fifth-generation?iPod Touch. You can snag it by?connecting your device to iTunes and hitting the "check for updates" button. (Alternatively, head into your gadget's "Settings" menu, select the "General" tab, and tap the "Software Updates" option to download the update over?the air.)

Want more tech news?or interesting?links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/apple-releases-ios-6-1-giving-siri-power-buy-movie-1C8144611

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Facebook's Now Hiding Public Pages From Google's Prying Eyes

As The Register learned, in part of an ongoing effort to turn Facebook into its own, closed little ecosystem, Zuck's empire has closed off public events to, well, the public. Account-holding stalkers only, please. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/h-OPWYn92Nw/facebooks-now-hiding-public-pages-from-googles-prying-eyes

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2013: Change elements that will shape telecoms industry - The Punch

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A global market research company operating in Nigeria,TNS-RMS, highlights factors that will drive change in the country?s telecoms industry in 2013, writes DAYO OKETOLA writes

A number of developments will take place in Nigeria?s telecoms industry this year, going by the predictions by a global market research firm, TNS, which operates as TNS-RMS in the country. Firstly, TNS-RMS predicts the entrance of a new network operator into the Nigerian telecoms space.

According to the firm?s report on the expected changes in? Nigeria?s telecoms market in 2013, made available to our correspondent on Monday, the new operator will ride on the sale of the moribund Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, expected to be completed this year.

?There is every possibility that if NITEL?s assets are sold off at the rock-bottom prices proposed by relevant government officials, the transaction will provide any interested and discerning telecoms operator the requisite platform to come into the Nigerian telecommunications market space and compete favourably,? the report says.

But against TNS-RMS predictions, many industry stakeholders had recently stepped up campaign against the sale of the entity, calling for its repositioning with new investments.

?TNS RMS also predicts increase in competition and fall in prices.

Industry analysts say the recent slash in ?off-net? SMS tariffs by the Nigerian Communications Commission is a pointer to what will happen in 2013.

In view of this, the Regional Director, West Africa, TNS Connect & Telco Clients, Mr. Seyi Adeoye, says a high-level? competition will? likely weaken prices in the telecoms industry in 2013.

According to him, the pressure on telcos? revenue will further be sustained with increased use of VOIP platforms and other OTT offers.

He says the price reduction gimmicks being used by telcos may soon be over while fast-forward innovation, intelligent market segmentation, profiling and targeting become veritable tools in the hands of any telco that wants to succeed.

He says, ?When you want to see the future of the mobile market, take a look at Scandinavia. This is the region with the most competition, the lowest prices and the highest phone concentration. In Denmark, one month of mobile voice and data equals the price of a large pizza and a two-litre bottle of cola.

?In Nigeria, over the period to 2014, the increasing number of users will dominate the impact of price increase.? However, beyond 2014, increasing saturation of mobile phones will mean that continued price reductions will not lead to sufficiently large increase in user numbers to offset the impact of the price reductions.?

Adeoye says the Mobile Network Virtual Operator model, which was developed in Denmark, can happen sooner than expected in Nigeria.

MVNO is a network provider that does not own radio spectrum or wireless network infrastructure, rather it goes into agreement with an existing mobile network provider to obtain bulk access to network services and then retail same to end users at cheaper and highly competitive rates.

?MVNO is also a real possibility within the Nigerian market space. Despite current QoS issues, the installed capacity of GSM operators in Nigeria is only about 56 per cent utilised, leaving room for MVNOs to snap up idle capacity. If this happens, it will disrupt the competitive landscape of the Nigerian telecoms market,? Adeoye said.

The NCC had in December, 2012 commenced infrastructure-testing for the proposed Mobile Number Portability initiative with eyes on April 2013 for likely take-off.

TNS-RMS says this will further increase the level of competitiveness among the current operators with direct impact on products and service pricing.

Adeoye also says telecoms operators in the country will either have to accelerate innovation and diversify or lose their market share.

He observes that competition in the Nigerian telecoms market remains aggressive with over 70 per cent penetration level. Though the industry is still growing, Adeoye believes the tempo will be significantly reduced amid declining prices.

The immediate priority for network operators, according to him,? is the need to accelerate diversification of revenue streams; adding that it will help reduce churn rates and increase Average Revenue Per User.

He recommends possible areas of generating revenue to include online commerce, educational services (learn foreign languages, public contents, and university exams), video/audio streaming, mobile TV, cloud services, storage apps, content streaming, mobile money, and mobile advertising, among others.

Also commenting on factors that will drive change in telecoms industry in 2013, the Chief Executive 0fficer, TNS, West, East and Central Africa, Mr. Adeola Tejumola, says provision of data services has been clearly labelled as the next revenue frontier for mobile operators in Nigeria. He, however, observes that not only GSM operators are interested in capitalising on this trend.

He, therefore, submits that the rise of Wi-Fi networks represents one of the key defining changes in the country?s telecoms landscape in 2013.

He says, ?There has been recent emergence of data-only networks with focus on providing mass access to broadband Internet service, using WiFi platform (802.11 x standards) at very affordable prices or packages. An example is Oxygen Broadband Networks now servicing the entire Computer Village, Lagos in partnership with Main-One Nigerian and Loop21 Mobile Net, a WiFi hotspot software development company in Austria.

?This scenario is creating headlong competition between these networks and mobile network providers within the country,? he observes.

Tejumola also identifies Nigeria?s rising middle income consumerism as one of the key drivers of change in telecoms industry in 2013.

He says, ?Although the African continent has always had a modest middle class, made up mostly of government workers or others tied to the ruling elite, the middle ranks have begun to expand in recent years with private sector employees. They include secretaries, computer gurus, merchants and others who by virtue of education, geography or luck have benefited from economic growth of around six per cent annually in such countries as Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, and approximately eight per cent in Rwanda.

?The Nigerian middle class is expanding and fuelling growth in Africa?s most populous nation. They also are spawning the advent of new services such as fertility treatments, online retail stores, auto workshops and funeral homes. To them, it?s all about lifestyle. Middle class Nigerians would ideally make up the mid value telecoms segment and a significant part of the high value telecoms segment.?

According to him, 80 per cent of the Nigerian telecoms market revenue is within these two spend-brackets.

?There would be need to develop a unique engagement model for this class of Nigerians hinged on enhanced personalisation of mobile products and services and context based marketing,? he adds.

The report concludes that quality of service will continue to be significant change driver in the Nigerian telecoms industry.

?Recent heightened market activities characterised by price cuts, new product offers and innovative services have broadened options before the customer; who in return raised the ?Expectation Bar?. Ease of connection and call clarity are now crucial and could easily turn to a pain point (thus encouraging multiple sim use, value-erosion and outright churn).There is need to monitor closely customer satisfaction, understand clearly the levers and maybe evolve these into some sort of Performance Score Card,? the report adds.

More Stories in Information Technology

Source: http://www.punchng.com/business/technology/2013-change-elements-that-will-shape-telecoms-industry/

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Safer way to vaccinate? Polymer film that gradually releases DNA coding for viral proteins may beat traditional vaccines

Jan. 28, 2013 ? Vaccines usually consist of inactivated viruses that prompt the immune system to remember the invader and launch a strong defense if it later encounters the real thing. However, this approach can be too risky with certain viruses, including HIV.

In recent years, many scientists have been exploring DNA as a potential alternative vaccine. About 20 years ago, DNA coding for viral proteins was found to induce strong immune responses in rodents, but so far, tests in humans have failed to duplicate that success.

In a paper appearing in the Jan. 27 online issue of Nature Materials, MIT researchers describe a new type of vaccine-delivery film that holds promise for improving the effectiveness of DNA vaccines. If such vaccines could be successfully delivered to humans, they could overcome not only the safety risks of using viruses to vaccinate against diseases such as HIV, but they would also be more stable, making it possible to ship and store them at room temperature.

This type of vaccine delivery would also eliminate the need to inject vaccines by syringe, says Darrell Irvine, an MIT professor of biological engineering and materials science and engineering. "You just apply the patch for a few minutes, take it off and it leaves behind these thin polymer films embedded in the skin," he says.

Irvine and Paula Hammond, the David H. Koch Professor in Engineering, are the senior authors of the Nature Materials paper. Both are members of MIT's David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. The lead author of the paper is Peter DeMuth, a graduate student in biological engineering.

Gradual vaccine delivery

Scientists have had some recent success delivering DNA vaccines to human patients using a technique called electroporation. This method requires first injecting the DNA under the skin, then using electrodes to create an electric field that opens small pores in the membranes of cells in the skin, allowing DNA to get inside. However, the process can be painful and give varying results, Irvine says.

"It's showing some promise but it's certainly not ideal and it's not something you could imagine in a global prophylactic vaccine setting, especially in resource-poor countries," he says.

Irvine and Hammond took a different approach to delivering DNA to the skin, creating a patch made of many layers of polymers embedded with the DNA vaccine. These polymer films are implanted under the skin using microneedles that penetrate about half a millimeter into the skin -- deep enough to deliver the DNA to immune cells in the epidermis, but not deep enough to cause pain in the nerve endings of the dermis.

Once under the skin, the films degrade as they come in contact with water, releasing the vaccine over days or weeks. As the film breaks apart, the DNA strands become tangled up with pieces of the polymer, which protect the DNA and help it get inside cells.

The researchers can control how much DNA gets delivered by tuning the number of polymer layers. They can also control the rate of delivery by altering how hydrophobic (water-fearing) the film is. DNA injected on its own is usually broken down very quickly, before the immune system can generate a memory response. When the DNA is released over time, the immune system has more time to interact with it, boosting the vaccine's effectiveness.

The polymer film also includes an adjuvant -- a molecule that helps to boost the immune response. In this case, the adjuvant consists of strands of RNA that resemble viral RNA, which provokes inflammation and recruits immune cells to the area.

The ability to provoke inflammation is one of the key advantages of the new delivery system, says Michele Kutzler, an assistant professor at Drexel University College of Medicine. Other benefits include targeting the wealth of immune cells in the skin, the use of a biodegradable delivery material, and the possibility of pain-free vaccine delivery, she says.

"It's an interesting approach that can be applied not just to delivery of DNA-based vaccine antigens, but other small molecules," says Kutzler, who was not part of the research team.

Eliciting immune responses

In tests with mice, the researchers found that the immune response induced by the DNA-delivering film was as good as or better than that achieved with electroporation.

To test whether the vaccine might provoke a response in primates, the researchers applied a polymer film carrying DNA that codes for proteins from the simian form of HIV to macaque skin samples cultured in the lab. In skin treated with the film, DNA was easily detectable, while DNA injected alone was quickly broken down.

"The hope is that that's an indication that this will translate to large animals and hopefully humans," Irvine says.

The researchers now plan to perform further tests in non-human primates before undertaking possible tests in humans. If successful, the vaccine-delivering patch could potentially be used to deliver vaccines for many different diseases, because the DNA sequence can be easily swapped out depending on the disease being targeted.

"If you're making a protein vaccine, every protein has its little quirks, and there are manufacturing issues that have to be solved to scale it up to humans. If you had a DNA platform, the DNA is going to behave the same no matter what antigen it's encoding," Irvine says.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The original article was written by Anne Trafton.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Peter C. DeMuth, Younjin Min, Bonnie Huang, Joshua A. Kramer, Andrew D. Miller, Dan H. Barouch, Paula T. Hammond, Darrell J. Irvine. Polymer multilayer tattooing for enhanced DNA?vaccination. Nature Materials, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nmat3550

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/S-p9Fg4Dyxo/130128113922.htm

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Repair Your Roof With A Smart Contractor - Tools and Equipment

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Gone would be the days when obtaining a damaged roof fixed was a Herculean job, and was sure to provide people many the sleepless evening. These days, nevertheless, instead of needing to worry about obtaining the roof repaired, most people end up spending many the sleepless night locating the 'right roof restore contractor' for performing.

Now, one might wonder, what makes hiring a roof repair contractor this type of serious job. Well the solution is simple. Each roof restores contractor has their own skill and type of repairing the roof that sets him in addition to the rest. In fact you might say that the choices you have while picking out an Olathe roofing repair contractor, are as varied as the choices you have while picking out a roof for a person's house. Also, since your option depends much about the nature of the roof you'll want to get repaired,Servizio Pubblico, 24 gennaio 2013, live, selecting a perfect roof repair service provider for yourself could be a Herculean task.

This is particularly true if you want to get your roofing repaired immediately. Nevertheless,French Courses In Lyon For All Ages And Abilities - Languages - Education, in case your roof isn't very seriously broken, you can afford to spend time doing your research and looking into the potential companies. When the damage caused towards the roof is a good extreme one, say for example a leak,gucci borse, and you desire to get it repaired as quickly as possible, then you might have a rather tough time having your roof repaired.

In case your roof must be repaired immediately, you better expect you'll find your Olathe roofing repair contractor charging a premium for the task. This is easy to understand, because just such as getting any work done quickly, even getting the roof repaired quickly will cost you much more. Therefore, it is essential that you should weigh all the benefits and drawbacks before hand, and judge carefully if you want to get your roofing repaired at a good urgent notice, or if you're able to do without one. Managing your demands together with your contractor's schedule could reduce your expenses.

When you are searching for a roof restore contractor, try to end up one who offers enough experience dealing with the same material since the material used in the roof that you intend to get repaired. The reason being different kinds associated with roofing material have to be repaired and handled differently. In fact it's not uncommon to visit a roof repair contractor refusing to correct a particular type of roof, because he's used for repairing a specific type of roofing only. For example, for a roof repair contractor who handles the repairing associated with roofs of amalgamated shingles, repairing a roof of tiles or even wood shingles can be a very difficult job,Chambave, la caccia al ladro-br ---unisce carabini.

Source: http://iwjfpsago3.blogbus.com/logs/227961216.html

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'Argo' wins Producers Guild Awards

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? "Argo" continues to shake up the Oscar race by taking the top honor at the Producers Guild Awards on Saturday.

Ben Affleck, coming off winning Golden Globe Awards for best motion picture drama and director for the real-life drama, received the award handed out at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

"I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I'm still working as an actor," he said in his acceptance speech.

Affleck also stars in "Argo" as the CIA operative who orchestrated a daring rescue of six American embassy employees during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. George Clooney and Grant Heslov share the producer award with Affleck as "Argo" beat out the Civil War saga "Lincoln," which has a leading 12 Academy Awards nominations.

Other nominees in the PGA movie category were "Les Miserables," ''Zero Dark Thirty," ''Beasts of the Southern Wild," ''Django Unchained," ''Life of Pi," ''Moonrise Kingdom," ''Silver Linings Playbook," and Skyfall."

Along with honors from other Hollywood professional groups such as actors, directors and writers guilds, the producer prizes have become part of the preseason sorting out contenders for Academy Awards.

The big winner often goes on to claim the best-picture honor at the Oscars on Feb. 24.

Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" won the guild's animation category, beating "Brave," ''Frankenweenie," ''ParaNorman" and "Rise of the Guardians."

"Searching for Sugar Man" took the documentary prize, beating "A People Uncounted," ''The Gatekeepers," ''The Island President," and "The Other Dream Team."

Showtime's "Homeland" won the producer's award for television drama series, which beat out "Breaking Bad," ''Downton Abbey," ''Game of Thrones," and "Mad Men."

The ABC sitcom "Modern Family" took the prize for best comedy series for the third straight year, beating "30 Rock," ''The Big Bang Theory," ''Curb Your Enthusiasm," and "Louie."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/argo-wins-producers-guild-awards-071407529.html

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Obama lauds Clinton as she prepares to leave

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama lauded Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as one of his closest advisers and said their shared vision for America's role in the world persuaded his one-time rival ? and potential successor ? to be his top diplomat while he dealt with the shattered economy at home.

During a joint interview that aired Sunday, Obama and Clinton chuckled as they described their partnership and stoked speculation that Obama may prefer Clinton to succeed him in the White House after the 2016 elections. Clinton is leaving Obama's Cabinet soon, and speculation about the former first lady and senator has only grown more intense after a heated appearance last week on Capitol Hill.

Both Obama and Clinton batted away questions about future campaigns, but the joint interview ? the president's first with anyone other than first lady Michelle Obama ? was only likely to increase the fascination with Clinton's future.

"The president and I care deeply about what's going to happen for our country in the future," Clinton said. "And I don't think, you know, either he or I can make predictions about what's going to happen tomorrow or the next year."

Obama, who suggested the joint interview as Clinton prepared her exit from the State Department, lavished praise on his rival for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. He called her a friend and an extraordinary talent, and praised "her discipline, her stamina, her thoughtfulness, her ability to project."

It teetered on an endorsement of a 2016 presidential bid that is still an open question. Clinton advisers say she has not made a decision about a run, while Democratic officials suggest Clinton would be an early favorite if she decided to mount another campaign.

Obama and Clinton laughed when asked about the political future.

"You guys in the press are incorrigible," Obama said when pressed on another Clinton presidency. "I was literally inaugurated four days ago. And you're talking about elections four years from now."

The possibility of a presidential campaign for Vice President Joe Biden did not come up during the interview, taped Friday at the White House.

Obama described why he insisted Clinton become his secretary of state.

"She also was already a world figure," Obama said. "To have somebody who could serve as that effective ambassador in her own right without having to earn her stripes, so to speak, on the international stage, I thought, would be hugely important."

It was a job she initially refused. But Obama kept pushing, Clinton said.

"The one thing he did mention was he basically said: 'You know, we've got this major economic crisis that may push us into a depression. I'm not going to be able to do a lot to satisfy the built-up expectations for our role around the world. So you're going to have to get out there and, you know, really represent us while I deal with, you know, the economic catastrophe I inherited."

It's a job she embraced during the last four years. She arrived on the job with a global brand she quickly lent to promoting U.S. interests. In return, the public rewarded her with high approval ratings that could come in handy if she runs in 2016.

But her tenure has had its blemishes. For example, the United States did not directly intervene in the civil war in Syria, where the United Nations says more than 60,000 people have been killed and more than 2 million people have been internally displaced since the start of the conflict in March 2011.

"There are transitions and transformations taking place all around the world. We are not going to be able to control every aspect of every transition and transformation," Obama said, saying his jobs are to protect the United States and engage where the U.S. can make a difference.

In a separate interview with The New Republic, also released Sunday, Obama said, "As I wrestle with those decisions, I am more mindful probably than most of not only our incredible strengths and capabilities, but also our limitations."

On "60 Minutes," he praised Clinton's State Department for helping him sort out what the United States can ? and cannot ? accomplish.

"It has been a great collaboration over the last four years. I'm going to miss her. Wish she was sticking around. But she has logged in so many miles, I can't begrudge her wanting to take it easy for a little bit," Obama said.

It's something of a turnaround from 2007 and 2008, as the two raced through Iowa and New Hampshire and onward. In increasingly bracing language, the two excoriated the other. At one point, a visibly angry Clinton seethed, "Shame on you, Barack Obama."

Obama now jokes about the rivalry.

"Made for tough debates, by the way, because we could never figure out what we were different on," the president said.

Both acknowledged disagreements continue but said they had common goals.

"Are there going to be differences? Yeah. Deep differences? Of course," Clinton said. "You had a lot of strong-willed, -minded people. But the president deserves our best judgment, our advice and then he deserves us to stand with him and to execute."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-lauds-clinton-she-prepares-leave-000119075--politics.html

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USDA offers loans to farmers who grow for locals

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) ? With interest in locally grown food soaring, the federal government said Tuesday it has created a small loan program to help community farmers who might not be able to borrow money from banks.

Call it seed money.

The low-interest "microloans" of up to $35,000 are designed to aid startup costs, bolster existing family-run farms and help minority growers and military veterans who want to farm. Over the last three years, there has been a 60 percent increase in local growers who sell directly to consumers or farmers markets, Agriculture Department Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

Kay Jensen, an organic farmer who grows broccoli, strawberries and tomatoes in Sun Prairie, Wis., saw two immediate benefits from the program ? paperwork would go from about 30 pages to seven, and it would be easier to borrow a manageable sum. She said she might consider a loan for $3,000 to $10,000 to expand her irrigation systems.

"A lot times what we need is just small amounts of money, but a lot of times the only funding available is large amounts of money," she said. "This whole concept of a microloan, where you're looking at smaller, reasonable amounts of money, this really fits an incredible niche."

The loan can cover the costs of renting land, buying seed and equipment, and other expenses. One goal is to create more opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment in the farming industry, Vilsack said. Another goal is to provide beginners a chance to build credit, so that they can eventually qualify for higher-value loans and expand.

"It's about making sure that we have diversity within agriculture, that we have a good blend of large production facilities, medium-sized operations and smaller operations," Vilsack said. "It will help bolster the local and regional food system movement that is taking place."

Alan Wedemeyer, a farmer in northwest Iowa, was optimistic. He said banks tend to want to work with bigger farms because small farms have difficulty determining ahead of time what price they're going to get for their crops.

Wedemeyer's farm, A & A Acres in Lake City, focuses on vegetables and poultry, and might consider applying for a loan to build a greenhouse system for year-round production.

The "entrepreneurial side of it ... that's where this would really help out, kind of seed money almost," he said.

The loans could help urban farmers who grow fruits and vegetables ? or raise chickens for eggs or bees for honey ? on lots that can be as small as one-eighth of an acre, said Chad Hellwinckel, a research assistant professor at the Agricultural Analysis Center at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn.

"These individuals lease city lots, so they need a small amount of startup capital," Hellwinckel said.

However, Iowa State University economist and local food researcher David Swenson said that $35,000 isn't enough to significantly help a startup farm or "capitalize any kind of meaningful food production system." He said materials and equipment were just too costly.

Swenson also noted that local food production still makes up a very small percentage of the U.S. agriculture industry, despite its recent growth.

Swenson said the loan program is a positive first step, but the prospects of local food being a viable economic engine for most regions is highly limited.

"This is a policy area where community affection and political affection for the idea of local foods has gotten itself way out in front of the economics," Swenson said.

Rick Hartmann of Small Potatoes Farm in Minburn, in central Iowa, said the program needs to be balanced with farming education and good business planning.

"Access to capital is going to be very important for young and beginning farmers, as long as it's tempered with other support," he said. "That's what's going to make that capital return an investment back to the lender and to the lendee in the long run."

Vilsack announced the program a day after speaking at the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual meeting in Nashville. Since 2009, the federal government has increased the number of loans to beginning farmers and ranchers from 11,000 loans in 2008 to 15,000 loans in 2011.

The interest rate for the new loan program changes monthly, and is currently 1.25 percent, according to the USDA, and the loan does not have to be repaid for seven years.

Karen Archipley of Archi's Acres in San Diego said she and her husband, Colin, an Iraq vet and former Marine Corps sergeant, run a program on their three-acre organic, hydroponic farm that teaches returning veterans how to be farmers and marketers of their own produce.

She said they were recently contacted by one of the country's largest distributors of organic kale about buying a large quantity. They have three new farmers who want to supply the contract, but they lacked the capital.

"I'm so excited to hear about this because it impacts us directly," Karen Archipley said. "We have some farmers working to get capital and they only needed $35,000 to set up crop production for organic kale."

___

Associated Press writers Dinesh Ramde in Milwaukee; Barbara Rodriguez in Des Moines, Iowa; and Tracie Cone in Fresno, Calif., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/usda-offers-loans-farmers-grow-locals-213041199.html

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JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon gets big pay cut

FILE- In this Tuesday, June 19, 2012, file photo, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, testifies before the House Financial Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. JPMorgan Chase said Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, that it will dock the pay of CEO Jamie Dimon by more than half, to $11.5 million from $23 million. It's the latest fallout from an embarrassing trading loss at the bank last year, one that eventually ballooned to $6 billion. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

FILE- In this Tuesday, June 19, 2012, file photo, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, testifies before the House Financial Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. JPMorgan Chase said Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, that it will dock the pay of CEO Jamie Dimon by more than half, to $11.5 million from $23 million. It's the latest fallout from an embarrassing trading loss at the bank last year, one that eventually ballooned to $6 billion. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

FILE - In this May 11, 2012 file photo, people stand in the lobby of JPMorgan Chase headquarters in New York. JPMorgan Chase reported a 55 percent jump in earnings for the last three months of 2012 as mortgage fees and other income surged. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? America's best-known banker is getting a big pay cut.

JPMorgan Chase said Wednesday that it will dock the pay of CEO Jamie Dimon by more than half, to $11.5 million from $23 million.

It's the latest fallout from an embarrassing trading loss at the bank last year, one that eventually ballooned to $6 billion. Its ripple effects have already been numerous, forcing Dimon to appear contritely before Congress and putting the bank squarely in the cross hairs of regulators and lawmakers.

The pay cut didn't come as a surprise on Wall Street. What set it apart was that it amounted to a reprimand from the bank against a CEO who remains popular and well regarded, despite the stain of a trading loss that Dimon once dismissed as a "tempest in a teapot."

And even as it cuts his pay, the board of directors praised Dimon for responding "forcefully" to the trading loss, presiding over an overhaul of the bank's risk management and booting out responsible executives. A report from a bank task force placed most of the blame on other executives and traders who have since left.

Compensation consultant James F. Reda was underwhelmed. He called Dimon's pay cut "ceremonial," a way for the bank to show that it is paying penance.

"He doesn't need the money," Reda said. "He was probably very proactive in accepting this to keep people off his back. To get punished, if you will, so he can then point to that and say, 'Look, I was punished. Isn't that enough? Leave me alone. Let me run my business.'"

Dimon's job was never seriously in danger, even with the trading loss, and the pay cut hasn't changed that perception. Wall Street saw it less as an indictment of Dimon and more as a sign of the board's commitment to taking the trading loss seriously.

"It's bitter medicine, but he swallowed it and is moving on," said James Post, an expert on corporate governance who teaches at Boston University. "I think that still leaves him in a very strong leadership position in both the bank and the industry."

JPMorgan, and Dimon, are essential players in U.S. banking. JPMorgan emerged from the financial crisis as one of the strongest banks in the country, a winner in a meltdown that forced other banks to their knees. Its blockbuster fourth-quarter earnings, which were released Wednesday, will almost certainly cement it as the most profitable U.S. bank of 2012.

Such accomplishments have made Dimon one of the best known, and most outspoken, bank leaders of his generation, even in a time of heightened scrutiny and public anger against the industry.

While some of his peers have tried to stay under the radar, he has spoken out against many new regulations ? including some, the bank's critics say, that could have prevented the trading loss.

Dimon has publicly chafed at criticism of banking's big pay packages, including President Barack Obama's famous "fat-cat bankers" comment. "Acting like everyone who's been successful is bad and because you are rich, you are bad ? I don't understand it, I don't get it," he told an investment conference.

On calls with reporters and analysts Wednesday, he was his usual swashbuckling self, intensely proud of the bank he runs and sometimes impatient with critical questions.

He said the portfolio where the troubled bets were made is "very close to being a non-issue" as far as trading losses are concerned. Asked for thoughts on his pay cut, Dimon said he respected the board's decision. Pressed for his "gut feeling," he replied, "Nope, you're not gonna get it."

When analyst Guy Moszkowski asked about the "exotic investment strategies" of the Chief Investment Office, where the loss occurred, he shot back, "It has got not a damned thing to do with exotic investment strategies ? zero, nada, nothing. OK?"

For 2012, Dimon will get $1.5 million in salary and $10 million in restricted stock awards. It likely means that he'll no longer be the highest-paid CEO among the country's six mega-banks.

Even with the pay cut, and even by the lofty standards of big-time CEOs, the 56-year-old Dimon will still be well paid. The median pay for CEOs of S&P 500 companies for 2011 was $9.6 million, according to the latest data from executive compensation firm Equilar.

Though Dimon made clear that he is eager to put the so-called London whale loss behind him, there could be more reminders in store.

The bank has said it received requests for information related to government inquiries and investigations by Congress, the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the U.K. Financial Services Authority, the state of Massachusetts and others.

On Monday, the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, both bank regulators, slapped sanctions on JPMorgan for the trading loss and ordered it to tighten up its risk management procedures. The bank neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing, but said it was working to correct any issues identified by the regulators.

The bank released two reports Wednesday on the loss, one from bank executives and the other from the board of directors. These said that traders and executives in the Chief Investment Office didn't understand the risks they were taking, didn't adequately question risky decisions and didn't properly report ballooning losses.

The board of directors said executives didn't keep them adequately informed about potential problems and used unapproved models for calculating risk.

Despite the fallout from the trading loss, JPMorgan turned in a strong fourth quarter. Earnings shot up 55 percent over the same period a year ago to $5.3 billion after paying preferred dividends, up from $3.4 billion.

Per share, those earnings amounted to $1.40, blowing away the $1.16 expected by analysts polled by financial data provider FactSet. The bank's stock rose 47 cents to $46.82, up 1 percent.

Revenue also beat Wall Street's forecasts, rising 10 percent to $24.4 billion, after stripping out an accounting charge. Mortgage originations jumped 33 percent.

Dimon said the housing market "has turned," echoing a statement he made in October after the third-quarter earnings report.

___

AP Business Writer Steve Rothwell contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-16-Earns-JPMorgan/id-0cac35e62b144b57835ca10a984e0b7b

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Two car crash under investigation in Union Township

UNION TOWNSHIP, ?OH (FOX19) - Union Township Police have released information about a accident that happened just before noon on Wednesday.

At approximately 11:40 am, a vehicle was traveling eastbound on Clough Pike in the 990 block when the operator lost control of the vehicle in the curve. The operator overcorrected and crossed over into the westbound lane.? When the operator?s vehicle crossed over into the westbound lane it was struck by a vehicle traveling westbound.

The driver was transported to a local area hospital and is in stable condition. Drugs or alcohol are not suspected as being a contributing factor in this accident. Clough Pike was closed for approximately one hour.

The investigation is continuing at this time.

Source: http://clermontcounty.fox19.com/news/news/102580-two-car-crash-under-investigation-union-township

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How Artificial Arms Could Connect to the Nervous System (preview)

See Inside

A new way to link artificial arms and hands to the nervous system could allow the brain to control prostheses as smoothly as if they were natural limbs

By D. Kacy Cullen and Douglas H. Smith

REACH: Advances in neuroengineering are starting to catch up to the tremendous progress that has recently been made in prosthetic design.

Image: Jean-Fran?ois Podevin

In Brief

• Bioengineers would like to connect prosthetic arms and hands directly to the nervous system.
• Two-way communication would allow the brain to control a limb's movements and to feel its presence.
• The first step is to develop a kind of adapter cord that translates nerve impulses into electrical signals.
• The authors are developing such an interface with laboratory-grown nerve fibers and electricity-conducting polymers.

In one of the most iconic scenes in science-fiction films, Luke Skywalker casually examines his new synthetic forearm and hand. The Star Wars hero is able to move the fingers by extending and contracting pistons shown through an open flap along the wrist. Then he senses the robotic surgeon's pinprick of one of the fingers. Not only can the prosthesis be moved with Skywalker's thoughts, it feels to him like his own hand.

What the audience does not see, however, is the actual connection between man and machine. And yet to neuroscientists like the two of us, it is precisely this hidden interface that should have been at the center the scene. In order for such a linkup to work, it would have to have converted nerve impulses from the brain into electrical signals in the artificial arm, and vice versa. In the world beyond movies, however, no one has yet figured out how to splice together nerves and electrical wires in a way that allows them to control an artificial limb as if it were a natural extension of the body.

This article was originally published with the title Bionic Connections.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=02dcfd5b843c74ef05eb987ca97dbe03

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ANIMAL COLLECTIVE (USA) RETURN IN HELSINKI

News

We are happy to announce that Animal Collective, one of the most influential indie groups of the past decade, return in Helsinki in July. This is really something that we've been waiting for since last time Animal Collective played in Finland in Summer 2006.

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE (USA)
Tuesday 2nd of July 2013 @ The Circus, Helsinki
Tickets: 49?, pre-sale: Tiketti.
Partners: Rumba & Radio Helsinki

?Although the quartet might not have topped Merriweather Post Pavillion, it did the next best thing: make an album that's entirely new and just as exciting? ?Magnet Magazine
?Centepede Hz is somehow both futuristically innovative and welcomingly accessible (...) strong choruses likely to get any form of life dancing, 9/10? ?Clash Music
?A magical album? ?Under the Radar
?The album captures the sound of studio wizards who are once again ready to unleash some sweaty savagery on the live stage? ?NPR
?H?ly??net, suhinat ja pulputukset soivat t?ydellisess? harmoniassa kesken??n, 4.5/5? ?Rumba?
?Pakko n?it? perhanan huurup?it? on rakastaa, 4/5? ?Soundi

www.myanimalhome.net
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How to save money on your smartphone bill when you travel

23 hrs.

Adam Dachis, Lifehacker

Q. I'm planning a trip abroad and I want to be able to use my smartphone without racking up an enormous bill. What's the best way to save money and stay in contact while traveling internationally??

A.?Your smartphone provider loves to charge high rates for international roaming. The charges, to some extent, are understandable because they don't necessarily have infrastructure where you're traveling. That said, charges are higher than you want to pay and, in some cases, much higher than they ought to be. With a few adjustments and tricks, you can communicate on the cheap without a problem.

Get a pay-as-you-go SIM

Although you can't sign up for a full smartphone contract for a short trip abroad (or, at least, you wouldn't want to), you can get a pay-as-you-go SIM card from most providers if you have a device that supports one.?

In the U.S., we have two primary types of technologies used by carriers: CDMA (Verizon and Sprint) and GSM (AT&T and T-Mobile). Because the majority of the rest of the world uses GSM, you need a smartphone that supports it if you're going to be able to use a SIM card.?

Even if you have a CDMA carrier, some devices still support GSM nonetheless. These are known as "world phones" and describe few devices. Regardless of your provider, you'll need a GSM-capable phone if you want to take advantage of a local SIM card when traveling.

On top of that, you'll want your international provider to support the same cellular frequencies, or bands, as your phone. Basically, AT&T and T-Mobile use the same technologies for 3G service but through different bands. By searching for the technical specifications of your phone, you can find out which bands it supports. You'll then want to find an international carrier that uses those bands for their 3G service, otherwise coverage will be less than ideal and often slow.

When traveling internationally, you have a lot to consider before you even get to the problem of price. Once you find a compatible carrier, however, you can easily pick up an inexpensive pay-as-you-go SIM card and stick it in your smartphone for use. That is, barring one more problem: your phone must be carrier unlocked.?

If you purchased your phone on contract, chances are it is locked to your carrier. In some cases you can ask your carrier to unlock your phone for travel purposes, but often times this will come at a cost. In the end, a pay-as-you-go SIM card is a great way to save money but the many requirements to make this option worthwhile will restrict most people (in the U.S., at least).

Get a pay-as-you-go, Wi-Fi hotspot

If the above method seems like far too much work, you can save yourself some grief by simply picking up a pay-as-you-go Wi-Fi hotspot from a carrier abroad.

?This will allow you to use your phone's Wi-Fi to connect to the hotspot and freely use data without paying any international roaming charges. If you need to make calls, setting up a VOIP number won't take much work. Skype is the obvious choice, as it supports most smartphones and offers inexpensive calling to pretty much any location.?

Google Talk, on the other hand, costs you nothing for Google Voice Chat if calling the United States or Canada. GrooVe IP for Android and a combination of Google Voice and Talkatone for iOS will get the job done.

The downside to this option, of course, is that your connectivity relies on the hotspot. For data usage, this won't feel much differently. Calls, on the other hand, will drop more easily when you're moving about because VOIP doesn't recover from dropouts like traditional cellular calls can.?

Additionally, you'll have two devices to charge: the hotspot and your smartphone. Often times the hotspot won't last quite as long as your smartphone will and you'll need to spend a bit of time thinking about power management throughout the day.?

Finally, although you can sometimes rent a hotspot as a traveler, you may have to buy one. They aren't exactly cheap and can quickly approximate the cost of roaming charges. Research providers and contact them in advance so you can find out your options before you travel.

Get a temporary local phone

Just as you can often rent a hotspot, carriers offer rental devices for traveler who only require temporary communications. While this means getting another number, and generally a local one, you can use your own smartphone over Wi-Fi for everything else.

In fact, if your rental phone has Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities you can use it to provide data to your smartphone and reap the benefits described in the section above. Carrying around two phones isn't perfect, but if you want to save money you often have to make a concession or two.

Sign up for a global traveler plan

If?you're planning on traveling for a month or more, check with your cellular provider about a global traveler plan. Almost every carrier has one (e.g. AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, T-Mobile).?

Basically, the plan costs you a nominal monthly fee for access to discounted roaming rates. If you plan to use your phone a lot when abroad, you can save a decent chunk of change with a plan like this. That said, the savings aren't enormous. Going directly through your provider will still cost you more money than the aforementioned options. In the end, you'll be paying extra for convenience but that convenience may be preferable over longer trips.

Depending on where you're traveling, however, you may have the option of adding free calling to and from that destination specifically. U.S. travelers visiting Canada or M?xico, for example, can often take advantage of a plan add-on that costs a nominal monthly fee with no additional roaming or international calling charges. The same goes for many European countries. Depending on the carrier and the countries, an additional fee may not even be required. Before jumping on a global traveler plan, make sure your carrier doesn't offer a better option for the specific place you're traveling.

With these options, you should find at least one way to reduce the cost of using your smartphone while traveling abroad. It's never a cheap endeavor, but with a little effort you can cut costs and have a better, less-expensive trip.?

More from Lifehacker:

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/how-save-money-your-smartphone-bill-when-you-travel-abroad-1B7941698

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Wellness by the Water Retreat

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the Wellness by the Water Retreat, which is a one-day event with fitness, yoga, nutrition, spa services, and wellness. The organizers, Kendall Covitz and Celeste Platt, actually invited me last year, but I wasn?t able to attend, so I?m so glad Kendall reached out again. The retreat was such a nice way to spend the day!

The event was held at the fancy-schmancy Lenox Hotel, located right in the heart of the city, which made it easily accessible via public?transportation, especially for those of us coming from the ?burbs.

The actual retreat was held on the second floor of the hotel in a gorgeous space with a huge, beautiful dome in the center, which was especially nice to gaze up at during yoga.

The event kicked off with a warm welcome from Kendall and Celeste, who, I must say, are two of the nicest people I?ve ever met through blogging. They?re both incredibly sweet people, and they?re so passionate about health and wellness. I could tell they were super excited about hosting the retreat yesterday.

Our first activity of the day was an hour-long bootcamp class instructed by Celeste. It was high-energy and a lot of fun.

All of the exercises were done without equipment and some were done with a partner.

The class concluded with some team ab exercises. Check out the photo below?we all linked arms and then did crunches together!

[image via @BAUMSawayy]

Sarah and me post-bootcamp!

After the bootcamp, we had a few minutes to catch our breath and then it was time for yoga with Kendall. She instructed us in a Vinyasa-style class, which included a bunch of (much-needed for me) hip openers.

The pose below (firestarter?) was no bueno for Sarah and me since we both had super tight hips. I guess you could say it ?hurt to good.?

After lunch, it was time for lunch at City Table, which was located in the Lenox Hotel.

It was a quite a fancy lunch, especially for a health conference!

We started with a roasted beet salad with goat cheese, arugula, and candied pecans. It was fresh, flavorful, and delicious, and I gobbled it right up.

Our entr?e was grilled salmon with roasted ratatouille, tomato broth, and orzo salad. It was also really delicious, and I ate almost the entire portion. Food for the Wellness by the Water Retreat = A+.

After lunch, there was an ?Open Market? where we could learn about local health and wellness companies and their products and services.

Some highlights for me:

Perfect Fuel Chocolate, which is a Boston-based start-up company that makes dark chocolate for active lifestyles. Basically, it?s intended to give you a natural boost without refined sugars or other crazy ingredients.

It?s made with high-quality organic raw cocoa and tastes really delicious. I received a sample in my goodie bag from the event and ate it for dessert last night.

Core Power, which is a ?natural? high protein milk shake.

I?m usually not into these kinds of protein drinks because they?re?typically?loaded with all kinds of weirdo ingredients. I actually avoided this table on my first lap of the Open Market, but then I decided to keep an open mind and see what it was all about. Plus, why would Kendall and Celeste have a bad product at their event, right? Well, I was REALLY surprised to see the ingredient list. I was expecting a mile-long list, but the honey shake only had a handful of ingredients: filtered low-fat milk, honey, and less than 1% off green tea extract, natural flavors, lactase enzyme, carrageenan (stabilizer), vitamin A Palmitate & vitamin D. Not too bad, right?

I?m not planning to drink these shakes all the time or anything like that, but if I was in a situation where I really wanted some quick protein to refuel my muscles, I?d definitely buy one of these over a similar kind of product. Taste: Really good! It was lightly sweetened and not super thick like some of the other bottled protein shakes out there.

The final part of the retreat included spa treatments. Oh, yes! There were all kinds of services, including massage, acupuncture, reflexology, energy healing, styling, medium readings, and more. Prior to the event, we picked our top choices, so there wasn?t any confusion or long waits for the services.

First up for me: acupuncture! Remember when I tried it a couple of years go? Acupuncture is so cool.

Since we only had about 30 minutes for each spa session, we didn?t have time to undress and do a full treatment, so our acupuncturist focused on two points in our ears that were intended for relaxation.

The needles look kind of scary, but they don?t hurt at all. I barely felt the prick.

I?m not sure I felt any different after having a little acupuncture, but it was still a neat experience!

My next session was Astro Therapy, which was so interesting. I love astrology. Jennifer Marie Forchelli read my birth chart, which was based on the day, time, month, and year of my birth, so she explained my behavior, relationships, goals, ambitions, and why I react in certain ways. She was accurate with just about everything she said. Some things that rang true:

• I?m?extremely?adaptable and go with the flow.
• I?m most happy and balanced at home.
• I?m a worrier.? (Her exact quote: ?Oh, honey, you worry, worry, worry.? Haha!)
• I enjoy time alone.
• When people first meet me, they sense a controlling energy, not my easygoingness.
• I have a really good balance between dreams and reality when it comes to goals, plans, and ideas.

Another treatment that I enjoyed was a ?cupping? facial from Face Facts Healing Spa in Boston. The cupping/sucking increases circulation and drains stagnant fluid from the face to decrease puffiness. The woman giving me my facial only cupped (sucked?) half of my face, so I could feel the difference, and I totally did. One side of my face definitely felt lighter. It was weird, but really cool too!

Kendall and Celeste did such a great job with the Wellness by the Water Retreat. They created such a nice day away. I left the event feeling renewed,?re-energized, and at peace with the world. I?m so glad I had the opportunity to attend!

Tagged as: Acupuncture, Astro Therapy, bootcamp, Core Power, cupping facial, facial, Lenox Hotel, Perfect Fuel Chocolate, Wellness by the Water Retreat, yoga

Source: http://carrotsncake.com/2013/01/wellness-by-the-water-retreat.html

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