Tuesday 30 April 2013

7 Most Common Cover Letter Mistakes When Applying via Email ...

Cover Letter MistakesDuring your job search, how many times have you replied to a job posting by applying via e-mail?

If you?ve been job searching for a while? that number could be in the hundreds. Which means that you have most likely made hundreds of cover letter mistakes that may have cost you a good first impression.

Here are some of the worst, and most common, mistakes we?ve seen:

Attaching the Cover Letter to the E-mail

What?s wrong with that, you ask? Simple: most hiring managers aren?t going to open the cover letter attachment. Instead, they?ll go straight to the resume. Want to ensure your cover letter gets read? Copy and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Whoever received the e-mail will be much more likely to read if it?s already right there in front of their face.

Writing Your Whole Life Story in the Body of the E-mail

Don?t go overboard with details; keep it short. The hiring manager won?t be willing to invest a lot of time reading your e-mail. Keep it short and to the point.

Providing Information That Is Not Relevant to the Position

When I want to bring an additional resume/cover letter writer on staff, I want a writer who has extensive expertise and certification in resume writing. If someone goes on and on in their cover letter about all their other writing experience, they will lose my interest. Instead, I want them to tell me about their most relevant experience as it relates to my needs. This example shows that you want to give the hiring manager a brief overview of the most relevant experience you have, appropriate to the position they are trying to fill.?

Excluding Information They?ve Specifically Asked You to Include

Depending on the position, the employer may ask you to submit a sample of your work, portfolio, hours of availability, or even salary requirements. The answers must be in your cover letter! If not, you will most certainly be removed from consideration for failing to follow instructions. I tell you this from experience? because 9 out of 10 applicants will fail to address every stipulation the employer has listed.

Not Using a Cover Letter at All

We?ve received e-mails from applicants, and the body of the e-mail provides either little or no information whatsoever.? Some simply state, ?Here is my resume for your review.?? You are selling yourself short by not including at least a brief introduction.? Especially if the employer outlines specific requirements.? Take the time to write, ?I see you need someone with availability to work nights and weekends; I would enjoy working these hours and am available to do so.?? Or, ?I have included a sample of my work for your consideration along with my resume.? If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.?

Forgetting to Tell Them Why You?re the Best Fit

Let me tell you about one of THE BEST cover letters I?ve ever seen: I could tell this person put effort into it?and she took the time to specifically and meticulously review our job requirements.? She scrutinized our requirements and detailed in her cover letter how she had experience meeting those needs.? It was applicable, relevant, and attention getting.? It was probably one of the only cover letters that actually made us want to read the corresponding resume.

Using a Boring Closing Statement

Instead of using the same old boring line, spice it up a bit.? One of the more daring cover letter closings I have read closed with, ?Call today, don?t delay.?? I applauded her boldness and had to call her.? The closing was confident, feisty, and it certainly grabbed my attention.? Not to mention the entire cover letter addressed everything she brought to the table as a potential employee and how these elements were relevant to meeting our needs. Boring the hiring manager with details? not relevant to the opening?or not making the most of the space and time you?re getting is really to your detriment.

Now? go take a look at the last few email applications you sent. How many of these mistakes did you make?

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For this post, YouTern thanks our friends at Great Resumes Fast!

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Jessica-Holbrook-HernandezAbout the Author: A nationally recognized resume expert, Jessica Hernandez is President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast and a former human resources manager and recruiter. With more than ten years? experience directing hiring practices for Fortune 500 companies, she has developed innovative and proven resume development, and personal branding strategies to generate powerful results for clients.

As a global resume authority and trusted media source, Jessica has been featured and quoted on CNN.com, Monster.com, Job Talk America radio, SmartBrief, International Business Times, and more. Jessica has her Bachelor of Science degree in Communications/Public Relations from the University of North Florida. Contact Jessica on Twitter!

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Source: http://www.youtern.com/thesavvyintern/index.php/2013/04/29/7-most-common-cover-letter-mistakes-when-applying-via-email/

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Useful Social Media Marketing Tips to Get More an Audience ...

Any online business has heard of social media and social networking sites. Looking back, just a few years ago, the Internet was more of an anonymous platform. But today, people are just addicted to the net largely due to the social aspects of it. It has never been so easy to build and grow relationships with your target market online. The internet is perhaps one of the most exciting places to be as well as for the opportunities it presents. Today we?re going to discuss some excellent ways to harness the power of social media marketing.

One of the main aspects that you must remember about social media marketing is that your targeted clients are the key elements of your campaign. That?s right, the social web is made up of people and if you can give them the value that they deserve you will be able to win them. Quite frankly, your prospective clients will have to trust you before they pay attention to your messages on the social boards, but this will not happen until you give them value that they can believe in. For instance, if your goal is to get more attention from your Twitter followers, then you will have to send tweets that are directed just for them. This isn?t an overnight process but will take time before you start to gain the trust of your followers. So overall, you need to understand the value of creating trust by giving value to your target audience in the best possible way. Long lasting relationships are key to your social media marketing success, learn everything you can about building them. Getting to know more people in your niche is a top priority with social media networking. The real test of long term business relationships is the growth opportunity you offer them. The fact is that being a friend to anyone will open up doors allowing for better sharing of business relationships. Where social media is concerned relationships come first with business coming second. The reason this is so true is that you must have relational trust of your prospects. You can not only create but also nurture and grow these relationships with the help of social media.

You cannot allow yourself to just sort of dissolve into the masses of humanity on these sites. You have to maintain your presence and let your markets know you?re still there and working. When your market sees you all the time, then that will create certain impressions in their minds about who you are and what you know. All in all, social media marketing can definitely help you reach out to your target audience effectively, if and only if you can put in the effort to build strong relationships, be transparent in your approach and give them what they want.

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Source: http://www.articlessquad.com/useful-social-media-marketing-tips-to-get-more-an-audience/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=useful-social-media-marketing-tips-to-get-more-an-audience

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None of These Screengrabs in This Trippy Video Are Computer-Generated

Warning: this video by filmmaker Will Witte is probably going to break your brain. It's an MC Escher-esque loop of screengrabs, and amazingly enough, none of the shots were achieved with the help of a computer.

Watch it once. Watch it twice. Watch it as many times as you can handle before your mind collapses from exhaustion. You keep wanting to figure out how Witte makes frame after frame happen. At least according to your eyes, it defies all logic. [Vimeo via booooooom via ThisIsColossal]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/none-of-these-screengrabs-in-this-trippy-video-are-comp-486113816

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Monday 29 April 2013

Experiment Will Determine Dinosaur's Skin Color

It's unlikely that this creature had feathers. Feathers are only known in Coelurosauria, which is a subset of theropods that, for example, includes Tyrannosaurus but not Allosaurus.

The hadrosaur under study is an ornithischian - a very, very distant relative that's more closely related to Stegosaurus and Triceratops. Psittacosaurus, a primitive horned dinosaur, did have tail bristles, but they appear to have been decorative for display and not feather-like at all.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/Bl_hqlwhfag/story01.htm

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Monday 15 April 2013

Supra Society ?Snakeskin? - Sneaker News


April 13th, 2013 by Aaron Hope |

Supra Society Snakeskin

Fresh off the first women?s colorway, the Supra Society super-hightop is back with another snakeskin look, this time for men. ?This pair utilizes one of the Crown brand?s favorite colorways by going tonal black/grey on the upper plus a purple sandwich of sole and sockliner. ?The rear panel gives us the namesake snake texture, but with this print atop a canvas material, it?s less flashy than your average iridescent reptile scales. ?This Year of the Snake Society is depicted further for your viewing pleasure after the jump, then you can buy them straight from Supra.

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Supra Society Snakeskin

Supra Society Snakeskin

Supra Society Snakeskin

Filed under: Just Released, Skate, Supra // Tags: Supra Society


Source: http://sneakernews.com/2013/04/13/supra-society-snakeskin/

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Two reported missing, three hurt in Washington state avalanches

By Gil Aegerter, Staff Writer, NBC News

One person was missing after two avalanches struck separate groups Saturday during heavy snowfall in the mountains near Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle, a King County officials said.

In one incident, an avalanche struck three people on Granite Mountain near milepost 47 about?five miles west of the pass?along Interstate 90, leaving one missing and one injured, King County sheriff's Sgt. Katie Larson told NBC News. The slide carried the snowshoers about 1,000 feet, NBC station KING of Seattle reported.

In the other incident, a slide hit a group of 12 snowshoers at an elevation of about 4,800 feet in an area north of the pass, KING reported.


A woman who was in the group told KING her survival instincts kicked in.

"Horrible experience, fear, avalanche came down like water ... water shape ... so we held onto trees and we survived," Kay Seo said.

KING reported that one man was buried up to his armpits and a woman with a dog was found after the dog led rescuers to her.

Snoqualmie Pass is along Interstate 90 about 50 miles east of Seattle. It is a popular skiing and snowshoeing destination in the winter and early spring.

The mountains in the region have been hit by spring snowfall in the past couple days, with the Alpental ski area at Snoqualmie Pass reporting about 11 inches of new snow. The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center reported considerable avalanche danger above 4,000 feet and moderate danger below that level on Saturday, with the risk increasing in the afternoon.

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Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2ab02500/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C130C177380A160Etwo0Ereported0Emissing0Ethree0Ehurt0Ein0Ewashington0Estate0Eavalanches0Dlite/story01.htm

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China agrees on push for peaceful resolution of North Korea nuclear standoff

In Beijing, John Kerry tried to persuade China's President Xi Jinping to lean on his ally, North Korea - arguing that Pyongyang's erratic young leader is now threatening the stability of the entire region. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.

By Becky Bratu, Staff Writer, NBC News

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Secretary of State John Kerry and China?s top diplomat on Saturday reiterated the two countries? commitment to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.

"China and the United States must together take steps in order to achieve the goal of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, and today we agreed to have further discussions, to bear down very quickly with great specificity on exactly how we will accomplish this goal," Kerry said Saturday before flying on to Japan, the last stop on his Asian tour.

China's top diplomat echoed the goal, but wasn't specific about how pressure might be applied on North Korea, which had been threatening the United States and its "puppet" South Korea almost daily in recent weeks.

"China is firmly committed to upholding peace and stability and advancing the denuclearization process on the peninsula," Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi said.

"We maintain that the issue should be handled and resolved peacefully through dialogue and consultation," he added.


Visiting Beijing for the first time as secretary of state, Kerry tried to persuade China's President Xi Jinping to rein in North Korea, his country's ally, arguing that Pyongyang's erratic young leader, Kim Jong Un, is threatening the stability of the entire region.

Kerry declined to comment on what specifically China may do to push for a peaceful solution on North Korea, saying only that he and Chinese officials had discussed all possibilities.

On Sunday, Kerry arrived in Japan, which is in range of North Korea's medium-range missiles. He'll meet with his?Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, Reuters noted, as North Korea prepares for its biggest holiday -- the birthday of founder Kim Il Sung on Monday.?

North Korea has prepped two medium-range Musudan-1 missiles waiting on its east coast, and analysts have said that it might fire one or both as a means for Kim Jong Un -- the founder's grandson -- to save face and appease his military after the weeks of saber-rattling.

Related:

Kerry to North Korea: We will 'defend our allies'

Analysis: China grows weary of North Korea

Full North Korea coverage from NBC News

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2ab0a82e/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C130C177386840Echina0Eagrees0Eon0Epush0Efor0Epeaceful0Eresolution0Eof0Enorth0Ekorea0Enuclear0Estandoff0Dlite/story01.htm

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Sunday 14 April 2013

Alt-week 4.13.13: micro-LED mind control, clear brains and clairvoyant ants

Alt-week takes a look at the best science and alternative tech stories from the last seven days.

Altweek 41313 microLED mind control, clear brains and clever ants

Brains are complex things. Man's quest to understand this lump of gray mass has become something of an obsession. In this edition, we learn about two new studies that could help oil the wheels of this cerebral journey. That, and some clever ants. This is alt-week.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/vwqqeb9_AJ0/

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Two women shot at Virginia community college

(Reuters) - A lone gunman opened fire on Friday at a community college campus located in a southwestern Virginia shopping center, wounding two women before he was arrested and prompting an evacuation of the mall, police said.

The shooting erupted shortly before 2 p.m. local time at a satellite campus of New River Community College in Christiansburg, a town on the fringe of the Blue Ridge Mountains about 28 miles southwest of Roanoke.

The college campus lies at one end of the New River Valley Mall.

One of the victims was airlifted and the second was taken by ambulance to a hospital, the Christiansburg Police Department said in a statement, adding that no information about the women's condition or identities was immediately available.

The suspect, a man whose identity authorities did not disclose, was taken into custody and was being questioned by investigators, police said.

The mall was cleared of shoppers and employees as officers searched the complex to ensure there were no further victims or possible suspects, though police said they believed the accused gunman had acted alone.

Area schools were also briefly placed on a security lockdown as a precaution. A message posted on the website of the shopping center in the afternoon stated: "New River Valley Mall is currently closed until further notice."

The incident marked the second shooting scare at a U.S. college on Friday.

Earlier in the day, North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro was locked down for several hours in response to reports of a gunman spotted near a classroom building. But that lockdown was later lifted with no shots fired.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Scott Malone, David Gregorio and Bob Burgdorfer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/two-wounded-shooting-virginia-community-college-police-193633750.html

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Tuesday 9 April 2013

DOD moves to take sex assault convictions out of commanders' hands

By Bill Briggs, Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube, NBC News

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Monday cracked down on generals who now possess the power to overturn sex assault sentences, ordering the first substantive shift of his tenure in how the military handles rape convictions in the ranks.

But victims? advocates quickly lashed the move as merely a meager tweak that fails to meet mounting calls to remove all sex-assault investigations from the chain of command and to inject civilian oversight into a controversial system of justice further exposed by the recent Aviano case.?

Hagel directed the Pentagon's General Counsel to strip the authority of commanding generals to void military court convictions. The Pentagon must seek fresh Congressional legislation to rewrite a section of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to make the planned change legal.

The decision follows a firestorm ignited last month when Air Force Lt. General Craig Franklin overturned the sex-assault conviction of Air Force Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, an F-16 combat pilot. Wilkerson was court martialed and convicted by a military jury in the assault of a civilian woman at the U.S. Air Base in Aviano, Italy. He was sentenced to one year in the brig and booted from the Air Force.


But using current UCMJ laws, Franklin reversed that jury's ruling for apparent lack of evidence. Wilkerson was subsequently released from jail, reinstated and assigned to a staff job at an Arizona air base.

The head of the Service Women's Action Network (SWAN), which seeks to help women serve without discrimination, harassment or assault, said she is "encouraged" by Hagel's proposal to reform a portion of the UCMJ, particularly "in light of the perceived travesty of justice in the recent Aviano case." But she added that the modification is not enough.

"The Department of Defense has effectively acknowledged that commanders currently have undue influence on post-trial decision-making," said Anu Bhagwati, executive director of SWAN and a former Marine Corps captain. "However, post-trial review is only one component of the command-driven system that currently governs how military crimes are handled.

"Unless pre-trial decision-making around investigation and prosecution of offenses is also removed from the hands of commanders and given to impartial prosecutors, military criminal justice will remain a lesser form of justice, both for victims and defendants."

Measures 'fall short'
Protect Our Defenders, an advocacy group for military sex-assault victims, called the generals? current prerogative to toss out sex-assault convictions "only one part of much larger fundamental problems."

"Today?s proposed changes from the Pentagon fall short of the necessary fixes to end the epidemic of sexual assault in the military," said Nancy Parrish, president of Protect Our Defenders. "The military has always contended that incidences like Aviano are extremely rare and we have never disputed that. But, we have always contended that the more insidious problem is that convening authorities can unilaterally lessen sentences, and today?s announcement does not change this.

"Commanders now have the power to reduce any sentence for any reason or no reason," Parrish added. "Under the current proposal ... this will not change. In the Aviano case, rather than setting Lt. Col. Wilkerson?s sexual assault conviction aside, Lt. General Franklin could have simply reduced the sentence to no punishment.

"For the system to be legitimate ? the reporting, investigation and adjudication must be taken completely out of the chain of command if we are to avoid another case like Aviano," she added.

Under UCMJ, Hagel and Congress are powerless to change Franklin's decision to overturn the conviction of Lt. Col. Wilkerson.

In a written statement released Monday, Hagel said he is seeking to eliminate the ability of commanders who are the "convening authority" to override convictions for sexual assault or other serious crimes.

Defendants still will retain the right to appeal convictions through the military judicial system, Hagel said. He also wants to require the convening authority to put into writing any changes they may make in sentencing for major offenses.

"From the survivors we talk with," Parrish said, "a written explanation as to why their perp's sentence was lessened unilaterally will be of no comfort to them. This still constitutes an extraordinary power resting in the hands of one person with no equivalent in the civilian criminal justice system."

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Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2a7bb432/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C0A80C176583880Edod0Emoves0Eto0Etake0Esex0Eassault0Econvictions0Eout0Eof0Ecommanders0Ehands0Dlite/story01.htm

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Sunday 7 April 2013

98% 56 Up

All Critics (55) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (54) | Rotten (1)

Yes, on some level it's just a seven-year check-in with people maybe half-remembered, if that. Yet the films also serve as a kind of check-in with us, too.

What ultimately is so compelling about 56 Up is the universality of the experiences. We were all once children. And we all will die. And in between, there is everything else.

We feel good, refreshed and depressed in watching these people get older, also embarrassed in moments and cautioned about the passage of time.

Apted, himself now in his early 70s, says he hopes to continue the series further. Long may it live.

Watching "56 Up" gives you the wonderful feeling of seeing a sociological experiment blossom into something novelistically rich and humane.

Time has been neither kind nor cruel to the 13 men and women profiled in "56 UP." It has just been time, which is what this groundbreaking series is about.

Chances are that you'll come away from this long film feeling a sense of knowing its characters.

We might say that '56 Up' serves much the same function as 'Amour,' but it responds to the inevitability of decline with compassion, not dread.

What started as a crafty way of looking at the U.K.'s rigid class structure has grown into a portrait of melancholy middle age, with its heartbreaks and minor-key triumphs.

Those British kids are now 56

Watching the eighth film is intriguing but, in a way, disappointing. At this point in the game, it feels as if all the characters have determined their lots in life and are simply plodding through their interviews.

Quite simply one of the great documentary projects in the history of cinema, an engrossing sociological experiment on film; and though this mostly mellow installment isn't as revelatory as some earlier ones, it's still a remarkable document.

... feels like a retrospective and summation of the whole series, with ample quotation from the previous films, an approach that makes it interesting even for viewers who haven't seen the previous installments.

A completely unique and remarkable documentary project.

Apted skillfully weaves old footage with the new, and we become poignantly aware of another factor shaping their lives (and our own): biology, as the we watch the once-cute kids grow gray and heavy.

Perhaps the boldest and probably longest running sociological experiment on film.

I think the best thing about this movie (and the entire series) is that it forces the viewer to think about their own lives. It's kind of an awakening experience.

Once again, Apted assembles a captivating documentary that's profoundly educational, essential viewing to aid the understanding of the human experience.

"56 Up" is well worth seeing.

56 Up is still moving and philosophic, though not as exciting as earlier episodes, which had more drama.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/56_up/

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Democrats lose fight in Montana Senate over ballot measures (reuters)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/297158751?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Selena Gomez "Come & Get It" Teaser: Take 2!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/selena-gomez-come-and-get-it-teaser-take-2/

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Saturday 6 April 2013

Hitcase Pro Sports Wide-Angle Lens, Water and Dust Protection

Hitcase has launched its Hitcase Pro for the iPhone 5 offering outdoor types ruggedized protection for their iPhone as well as enhanced camera optics for action shots. In addition to a range of mounting options, the Hitcase Pro also incorporates a 3x wide-angle lens that increases the iPhone 5?s field of view to 170 degrees. The product also ships with a free companion app, Vidometer, which allows users to record their speed, altitude, shock and G-Force on top of videos for instant upload to YouTube.

The Hitcase Pro uses an ABS/Polycarbonate exterior combined with a dual cushioning system that utilizes Poron to absorb vibration and impacts. It is also water resistant to a depth of 33 feet or 10 meters, which the company says is the deepest of any touchscreen case on the market. At the same time, Hitcase also says that users can quickly access the iPhone from the case in under 3 seconds.

The Hitcase Pro is retailing for $130 with models for both the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4/4S. The pack includes a Hitcase Pro, 1x GoPro compatible railside mount, 1x tripod ?tiltr,? 1x ?stickr? mount, 1x wrist strap as well as an additional port plug. The Vidometer app is available free from the App Store.

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Source: http://www.takesontech.com/hitcase-pro-sports-wide-angle-lens-water-and-dust-protection

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Duck Genitals And The People Who Love Them (talking-points-memo)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/296765512?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Friday 5 April 2013

Venezuela's Flores: from Chavez's lawyer to first lady?

By Marianna Parraga

CARACAS (Reuters) - A tough lawyer who helped win Hugo Chavez's release from prison after a failed coup two decades ago, Venezuela's former attorney general Cilia Flores has since never been far from the circle of power around the late socialist leader.

If her partner, acting President Nicolas Maduro, wins an April 14 election to replace Chavez after his death from cancer, the 60-year-old Flores will become even more influential.

"She has a fiery character. What you saw of her in parliament, that's exactly what she is like at home," Maduro told one rally.

"But I always have the last word, when I say 'You're right my dear!'" he joked, presenting Flores to the crowd as a leading member of his campaign team.

A law graduate from the private Santa Maria university in Caracas, Flores first shot to attention in 1994 when she helped secure the release of Chavez from prison. He had been sent there after leading a failed coup attempt two years earlier.

Four years after his release, Flores helped the charismatic but divisive former soldier win power in a presidential election. She has since become the most powerful woman in Venezuelan politics.

After serving as a loyal "Chavista" lawmaker in the National Assembly, in 2006 she became the first woman elected as president of the legislature - taking over the role from Maduro.

Between 2005 and 2010, dissident lawmakers boycotted the Assembly, partly in protest at pressure from the government for them to join Chavez's Socialist Party.

Opposition candidates stood again at parliamentary elections in 2010 that gave them 40 percent of the seats.

That ballot was widely seen as a protest vote by Venezuelans who accused lawmakers of neglecting grassroots problems such as crime, inflation and problems with public services.

At this testing time for the Socialist Party, Flores moved from the president's chair back to the floor of the house where she was a central figure in enforcing discipline in the ranks.

In 2012, she was named by Chavez as attorney general. And during the last weeks of his illness, she staunchly backed up the government at key moments - defending it against opposition accusations that there was a power vacuum while the president fought to recover from his fourth and final cancer operation.

"She has been an excellent official who completed the president's instructions to the letter," said a senior National Assembly official who worked closely with Flores.

"She will be Maduro's 'strong arm'. She has authority, the ability to command, and she is a woman who moves quietly."

'I'LL DEFEND MY FAMILY'

Flores' strong character is well known in the legislature, where critics accused her of using her influence to secure jobs for dozens of close associates and relatives. They included four brothers, two nephews, two cousins and her ex-husband, who is the father of her son and daughter.

She hit back at any allegations of impropriety.

"I feel proud that they are my family and I will defend them as workers in the Assembly," she said at the time, accusing journalists who published the claims of trying to blackmail her.

She also showed her determination in leading a drive to allow only state media cameras to cover debates in the Assembly after opposition lawmakers returned to the chamber in 2011.

"Out of order, deputy!" she once said to a former colleague while switching off his microphone as he complained that the government was not addressing the daily problems of voters.

In recent weeks, Flores has left behind the elegant outfits she favored as a senior official to put on her campaign boots - dressing down in jeans and casual wear to join the often track suit-clad Maduro at chaotic, dusty rallies in provincial cities.

Joining Maduro at his public events, she has sometimes had her hair dyed red, under a baseball cap in the colors of the Venezuelan flag and bearing the legend "4F" - referring to February 4, 1992, the date of Chavez's failed coup attempt.

"The far-right believes the commander-president lost his battle for health," she told one recent rally. "We tell them: you've got it wrong again ... The president didn't die, he multiplied, he became immortal, and here he is, millions-strong!"

While never shy to strike out at critics, the experienced Flores is seen as a calm operator. Some colleagues attribute that to her being a follower of the late Indian spiritual guru Sai Baba, whom she and Maduro visited in India in 2005.

Thrusting her into the spotlight during the campaign, Maduro has recounted her life story growing up in a mud-floored home in rural Cojedes state, and then the poor "barrio" of Catia in western Caracas, before going on to give her services to Chavez's self-styled revolution.

Maduro often talks about how Flores' family were harassed by the police back then because of her unconditional support for Chavez. It remains unclear exactly what role Flores will play if Maduro wins the vote and continues Chavez's leftist project.

It is also not known whether she would push for moderate policies, or take a more radical line. Like Maduro and many top officials, her fierce loyalty to Chavez precluded offering any different opinions when he was president.

When they first met, Maduro joked recently, during those "years of struggle" as she fought to free Chavez from prison, the feisty lawyer broke the ice by winking at him.

They have been a Chavista "power couple" since then, although they are not believed to be married. Flores could be appointed to a ministry or another influential position, perhaps - given her legal background - president of the Supreme Court.

In any case, a Maduro election win would cement her position as the most powerful woman in Venezuelan politics.

"I've told her she is not going to be First Lady," Maduro said recently, adding that official ranks meant nothing to them.

"I've told her to get ready to be the First Fighter of the fatherland, the First Socialist, the first woman of the people of the barrios, of the streets," he added, giving her a kiss.

(Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Kieran Murray and Philip Barbara)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/venezuelas-flores-chavezs-lawyer-first-lady-151409726.html

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Wednesday 3 April 2013

Trying to figure out Kim Jong Un

Kim Jong Un, center, inspects air drill at an undisclosed airbase in North Korea on Feb. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/KCNA??
OK, it?s not ?all? about the tightly-closed Stalinist regime?s 30-year-old supreme leader and noted Dennis Rodman pal. There are allies like South Korea to reassure, global markets to calm, and rivals and foes to impress.

But President Barack Obama?s muscular response to North Korea?s escalating saber-rattling ? a response that has included ordering nuclear-capable bomber flights over the Korean peninsula, dispatching U.S. warships to the region, and beefing up missile defense systems ? owes a lot to the fact that it?s Kim?s first major confrontation with America and its allies.

Kim took over in December 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, who regularly defied the international community. The elder Kim tested nuclear weapons, test-fired missiles, and in a pair of 2010 incidents shelled a South Korean island and allegedly sank a South Korean Navy ship. His regime repeatedly promised to turn South Korea's capital, Seoul, into a ?lake of fire.?

His people starved. He parked many into prison camps regularly denounced by human rights groups as among the most brutal in the world. He allegedly shared nuclear and missile know-how with countries like Iran and Syria. How could the younger Kim be worse?

?There is some concern that maybe, unlike his father, this guy doesn?t know where the edge is ? he keeps pushing, and doesn?t know where the edge is,? Victor Cha, the top Asia hand on President George W. Bush?s national security council from 2004-2007, told Yahoo News.

Obama?s response sends a message, Cha explained: ?If you don?t know where the red line is, we?re going to draw it for you.?

Peter Brookes, who served as Bush?s deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific affairs, called the standoff uncharted territory.

?This is the first serious crisis we?ve had with this new leader and this regime,? Brookes said.

?He (Kim) doesn?t want to nuke New York,? Brookes added. ?But there is a high likelihood that he?ll have to do something based on all of the threats that he?s made, because if you make threats and you don?t fulfill them then they lose their meaning, they lose their leverage.?

The U.S. approach naturally has other goals.

At the White House briefing, press secretary Jay Carney repeatedly said the U.S. response meant to ?reduce pressure on Seoul to take unilateral action.? Carney also denied that Washington's actions risked escalating the crisis. "Not at all," he said.

American military officials in the region worry that South Korea could miscalculate and cause "some kind of escalation where we can't pull back the ROKs (South Koreans), and it becomes a wider crisis," a congressional aide familiar with policy towards the region told Yahoo News. The aide requested anonymity in order to speak candidly.

Gen. James Thurman, the top U.S. commander in South Korea, told ABC News in an exclusive interview that he has never seen the situation tenser in his two years on the job.

Jim Walsh, an international security expert who teaches at the Masschusetts Institute of Technology?s Security Studies Program, recalled a briefing with uniformed American officers some time ago in which one explained that the purpose of U.S. forces on the Korean peninsula was ?to deter North Korea and restrain South Korea.?

Some of South Korea?s English-language papers have been playing up the importance of hand-in-glove cooperation with Washington.

?So, sure, there?s an element of telling North Korea ?be careful what you wish for,? but I think the primary audience was our allies, and the American audience,? Walsh told said of South Korea's message.

The show of American military might also aims "to show allies that we?re not going to sit back and allow them (North Korea) to do this sort of stuff," said Cha.

That "stuff" really began in December 2012 when North Korea tested a long-range rocket. That provocative act was followed quickly in February with a nuclear test. Both steps drew condemnation from the international community, and the U.N. Security Council tightened already stringent sanctions on Pyongyang, which countered with a stream of escalating menace.

The regime seized international headlines with threats to carry out nuclear strikes against the United States and South Korea, repudiated the armistice that halted -- but did not technically end -- the Korean War, and vowed to reopen a nuclear reactor thought to be able to produce enough plutonium to make one atomic bomb per year.

Secretary of State John Kerry is due to visit South Korea, China, and Japan starting April 12. It will be his first visit to Asia since taking office, and North Korea will surely dominate the agenda.

"I don't think the Administration has any other choice" than take a hard line, the congressional aide said. "They can't put more carrots down on the table or they'll look incredibly weak and naive -- they know that."

A major challenge for U.S. policymakers is that North Korea -- sometimes dubbed "the hermit kingdom" -- is tightly closed to outsiders, the analysts said.

"Fundamentally, we don?t know what?s going on," said Walsh. "We have to continually remind ourselves that this is the most opaque country in the world."

And what role is Kim playing in all this? Unclear, Cha said.

"We don't know what his relationship is to the military. We don't know what his relationship is to the party," Cha said, referring to the totalitarian state's Communist bureaucracy.

Because of that uncertainty, American policymakers "must be challenged by not having a good feel for Kim Jong-un," Brookes said.

"What you really have to do is discern intent," Brookes said. "I?m worried that he might be anxious to prove his mettle."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/america-north-korea-response-kim-jong-un-101411449--politics.html

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10 Remakes of Classic Horror Movies

shiningHorror movies derive most of their power and enjoyment (you sicko) from a combination of novelty and surprise.The novelty: how the filmmakers will have this particular bad guy stalk and kill the good guys. The surprise: OHMYGODLOOKOUTBEHINDYOUDREWBARRYMORE!

Nevertheless, because horror movies are eternally popular, Hollywood remakes the biggest ones, as they would any genre of film. However, horror movies also boast extremely devoted and defensive cult bases, so time will tell if this weekend?s Evil Dead reboot is as good as Sam Raimi?s original 1981 classic, despite Sam Raimi?s seal of approval and active involvement. Here then are 10 more notable horror remakes.

Friday the 13th (2009)
There was once a rumor that they were going to eventually make 13 Friday the 13thmovies. But after sending camp drowning victim/supernatural hockey mask-wearing murderer Jason Vorhees to space, hell, and Freddy Krueger, the franchise ran out of steam at 11 movies. So in 2009 they rebooted the franchise by remaking the original 1980 film, set at the proven horror setting of a summer camp full of libidinous teens getting brutally murdered.

The Wolfman (2010)

This one was delayed for years, and it?s tricky to remake those classic Universal monster movies. Lon Chaney is an icon, and Beneicio Del Toro is a good choice to replace him, because he?s already a wolfman.

Village of the Damned (1995)

Yes, it?s a remake of the 1960 horror standard, but it?s directed by Halloween horrorsmith John Carpenter, so it?s arguably better. Also, the spooky little Aryan kids make the adults do way, way more violent stuff than they could get away with onscreen in 1960. Village of the Damned is most notable for its super-famous, post-peak-popularity cast, such as Kirstie Alley, Mark Hamil, Linda Kozlowski, and Christopher Reeve in his final starring role before that paralyzing horse accident.

The Last House on the Left (2009)

The original from 1972: horror icon Wes Craven?s first film, and basically porn made of violence. The remake: also deeply uncomfortable, but better than it had any right to be due to the casting of Garret Dillahunt, the marvelous character actor from Winter?s Bone and Deadwood.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

George Romero?s ?70s zombie movie was fraught with heavy-handed satire (the zombies are descending on a mall because consumerism is zombielike HAHAHAHA). The remake is more akin to a season of The Walking Dead, playing up the claustrophobic terror of being in a see-through prison. And it?s got the dad from Modern Family convincingly playing a badass.

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Definitely an improvement on the original, a quickie, only slightly funny B-movie shot for about $85 by Roger Corman. The Frank Oz-directed remake is a film version of the stage musical based on the first movie, and it?s got a soul-singing cannibalistic plant, cameos from Christopher Guest and Bill Murray, and Steve Martin as Elvis-as-sadistic-dentist.

The Good Son (1993)

In the early ?90s, Macauley Culkin starred in every movie that came out. The studios had to occasionally throw him a bone for starring in family-friendly garbage by allowing him to play occasionally against type, such as a sadistic wee sociopath in?The Good Son,?a gender-switched unofficial remake of?The Bad Seed.

The Omen (2006)

The 1977 version was a legitimately good movie if still a horror movie, a classy joint with real actors (like Gregory Peck), in the vein of The Exorcist. The remake, I would venture to guess, was only made so they could release it on Satan?s birthday, which was 06/06/06.

The Shining (1997)

In 1980, Stanley Kubrick directed the psychologically terrorizing and also bloody screen adaptation of Stephen King?s The Shining. King never much liked the movie, even though literally everybody else on earth did, so in 1997 he authorized, oversaw, and wrote the script for another version of The Shining, which aired on ABC television. It starred Steven Weber, the guy from Wings. Because what do Kubrick and Jack Nicholson know about filmmaking? Not as much as the guy from Wings.

The Wicker Man (2006)

When remaking a movie, you have to update certain staid and stale references so everything makes sense. You know, for the kids. So when they remade the creepy 1973 horror movie The Wicker Man, they added on to the burning wicker man, the island?s method of ritualistic human sacrifice to ensure a harvest, with a face-cage of bees. Beeeeeeeeeees.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1927159/news/1927159/

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AT&T to offer 16GB Samsung Galaxy S 4 for $200, 32GB for $250

AT&T to offer 16GB Samsung Galaxy S 4 for $200, 32GB for $250

Interesting timing, AT&T: just a day after the HTC One pricing was announced, the carrier has clarified its launch plans for the Samsung Galaxy S 4. We already knew the phone would be available on pre-order for $250 on April 16th, but AT&T has now specified that this will be for the 32GB model; the 16GB flavor will actually be $200, both with two-year commitments. This certainly doesn't help HTC's hopes of conquering the world, though the $200 One will hold twice as much internal storage as the GS 4 (although Samsung's flagship at least offers expandable memory, whereas the One does not). AT&T still hasn't announced an official release date, so that's the last remaining piece of the puzzle yet to be revealed.

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