Monday, August 27, 2012

Grizzly bear kills Calif. man in Denali National Park

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) ? A hiker in Alaska's Denali National Park photographed a grizzly bear for at least eight minutes before the bear mauled and killed him in the first fatal attack in the park's history, officials said Saturday.

Investigators have recovered the camera and looked at the photographs, which show the bear grazing and not acting aggressively before the attack, Denali Park Superintendent Paul Anderson said.

The hiker was identified late Saturday as Richard White, 49, of San Diego. He was backpacking alone along the Toklat River on Friday afternoon when he came within 50 yards of the bear, far closer than the quarter-mile of separation required by park rules, officials said.

"They show the bear grazing in the willows, not acting aggressive in any form or manner during that period of time," Anderson said of the photos.

Officials learned of the attack after hikers stumbled upon an abandoned backpack along the river about three miles from a rest area on Friday afternoon. The hikers also spotted torn clothing and blood. They immediately hiked back and alerted staff park.

Rangers in a helicopter spotted a large male grizzly bear sitting on the hiker's remains, which they called a "food cache" in the underbrush about 100 to 150 yards from the site of the attack on Friday.

A state trooper shot and killed the male bear on Saturday. Investigators examined the bear's stomach contents, looked at White's photos and used other tests Saturday evening to confirm that it was the animal that killed White, park officials said in a statement Saturday night.

White's remains were recovered Saturday evening and were being sent to the medical examiner in Anchorage.

There's no indication that the man's death was the result of anything other than a bear attack, investigators said, adding that it's the first known fatal mauling in the park's nearly century-long history.

"Over the years, and especially since the 1970s, the park has worked very diligently to minimize the conflict between humans and wildlife in the park," Anderson said. "We have some of the most stringent human-wildlife conflict regulations in the National Park system, and I think those are largely responsible for the fact that there hasn't been a fatal attack."

White had been in the Denali backcountry for three nights and may have recently hiked in other areas of Alaska, park officials said. It was unknown if he had previous backcountry experience in Denali.

Park officials said they don't believe other registered backpackers are in the immediate area. That portion of the park is closed but other wilderness areas remain open, officials said.

Prior to receiving a permit to hike in the area, all backpackers in the park receive mandatory bear awareness training that teaches them to stay at least a quarter-mile away from bears, and to slowly back away if they find themselves any closer. Investigators confirmed that the hiker had received that training.

Denali is located 240 miles north of Anchorage. It spans more than 6 million acres and is home to numerous wild animals, including bears, wolves, caribou and moose.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bear-kills-calif-man-denali-national-park-064602013.html

dixville notch 2013 ford fusion lsu football lsu football bcs jay z glory alabama crimson tide

Sony VAIO Z13 (SVZ13114GXX)


The Sony VAIO Z13 (SVZ13114GXX) is Sony's premium ultaportable laptop, bringing all of the thinness and performance you'd expect from an ultrabook, but also offering top-of-the-line construction and several extras for a premium price. In direct contrast to $600 ultrabooks, most ultraportables tend to cost a lot more , and the Sony VAIO Z13 is an extreme example of that, selling for $1,949.99 (direct). And while it has the slim dimensions of an ultrabook, the Sony VAIO Z13 comes with a standard-voltage processor?a subtle, but important distinction. The VAIO Z13 certainly delivers a premium experience, but a few elements fall short of what we expect, given its price.

Design
The VAIO Z13 features premium carbon fiber construction for a chassis that is exceptionally lightweight yet strong. Measuring 0.66 by 13.0 by 8.27 inches (HWD), the ultraportable weighs only 2.58 pounds, closer in design to the slim Acer Aspire S5-391-9880 ultrabook than the thicker, heavier Toshiba Portege R835-P88 , our Editors' Choice among ultraportables. The thinness doesn't stem entirely from the materials, however, as Sony uses a special drop-hinge design which actually places the rear feet of the laptop on the hinge-edge of the lid, so the open laptop is propped up slightly. This makes for a more comfortable typing experience while also keeping everything extremely compact when the system is closed. On the downside, however, this makes for a slightly less comfortable experience when you're actually using the laptop on your lap?the hinge and feet aren't very comfortable on the thighs.

The VAIO Z13 features a 13.1-inch backlit display panel with 1,920-by-1,080 resolution. This resolution is well higher than those of the displays seen on most ultraportables and ultrabooks, including the 1,600-by-900 display on the Samsung Series 9 15-inch (NP900X4C-A02US) , but it's matched by the 1080p displays seen on the Editors' Choice Asus Zenbook Prime UX32VD-DB71 and its Zenbook Prime siblings, some of which can be bought for under $1,000. Sony pairs the VAIO Z13's display with built-in stereo speakers and Dolby Home Theater v4 software, which offers clear sound at most volumes. The audio provides enough sound for one or two people to listen to and understand dialogue in a Netflix or Hulu video, but not enough to share music with a room.

The VAIO Z13 is equipped with a full-size chiclet keyboard, and the keys have a slight sheen to them despite their matte appearance. Though the keyboard isn't as comfortable to type on as the one on the Lenovo ThinkPad X230 , it's more than passable. The accompanying touchpad is accurate and responsive, but it has a strange glossy, fingerprint-collecting surface on the buttons and a textured hexagonal snakeskin pattern. I didn't particularly care for either. Between the two mouse buttons is a fingerprint reader for easy secure logins.

Features
The VAIO Z13 fits two USB 3.0 ports (one with power for charging devices while the system is asleep), an HDMI-output, and a compact Ethernet port that opens to full-size when needed, but closes up when not in use to maintain the laptop's slim lines. On the right is a full-size VGA port, and on the front edge of the palm rest are two card reader slots?one for Sony's proprietary memory formats (MagicGate/HG Duo) and another for the more common SD formats. Between the right and left mouse buttons is the aforementioned fingerprint reader, with a TPM chip inside for further security. Above the display is a 1.3-megapixel webcam, equipped with an Exmor sensor from Sony's camera and imaging department. Wireless connectivity comes by way of 802.11n Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth 4.0 and Intel's Wireless Display (WiDi) technology, which lets you wirelessly stream HD content to TVs through an Netgear Push2TV adapter.

As is often the case with ultrabooks, there is no optical drive, but the 256GB solid-state-drive (SSD) should provide a workable amount of storage space while also helping the VAIO Z13 to zip right along. Installed on the drive are the usual bits of trialware and bloatware, like a 30-day trial of Kaspersky Internet Security, Microsoft Office 2010 Starter, Microsoft PowerPoint Reader, and a few free programs like Evernote and Skype. Sony piles on with proprietary utilities, like VAIO Media Gallery, VAIO Care, VAIO Messenger, VAIO Gate, Sony PlayMemories, and Sony Music Unlimited. But Sony also includes a few extra premium offerings as well, namely full versions of Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum, ACID Music Studio, and Sound Forge Audio Studio. These premium multimedia tools are bundled with the laptop, along with Sony's one-year warranty.

Performance
Sony VAIO Z13 (SVZ13114GXX) While the VAIO 13 may be slim, there was no skimping on the processor; it's equipped with the same 2.1GHz Intel i7-3612QM quad-core processor seen in the Dell XPS 15 (Summer 2012) ?a full-size laptop. This almost-ultrabook packs a processor more commonly seen in larger laptops, offering a step up in processing power from the low-voltage CPUs used in ultrabooks.

Sony VAIO Z13 (SVZ13114GXX)

Paired with 8GB of RAM and given a healthy speed boost from the aforementioned SSD, the VAIO Z13 scored an impressive 7,096 points in PCMark 7, well ahead of the Acer Aspire S5-391-9880 (5,053 points) and Asus Zenbook Prime UX32VD-DB71 (2,523 points), both of which have a low-voltage quad-core processor, and ahead of the Toshiba Portege R835-P88 (2,313 points) which used an older second-gen Core i5. With four cores running a total of eight logic threads, the VAIO Z13 also rocketed ahead of competitors in Cinebech R11.5, scoring 5.64 points. The nearest competitor, the Asus UX32VD-DB71, scored 3.58 points. With that sort of processing power, it's no surprise that the VAIO Z13 also led the category in our multimedia tests as well, zipping through Handbrake in 1 minute 22 seconds and Photoshop CS5 in 3:31.

Unlike premium ultrabooks, however, the VAIO Z13 doesn't have a discrete graphics processor, relying instead on Intel's integrated graphics processing. In 3DMark 06, therefore, the VAIO Z13 scored a respectable 7,462 points at medium detail and 1,366-by-768 resolution, but was challenged by the Nvidia-equipped Dell XPS 14 (Summer 2012) and the Asus UX32VD-DB71, which scored 7,047 points and 8,627 points, respectively. Even with its healthy graphics capability, the VAIO Z13 wasn't able to produce playable results in either of our gaming tests.

While the full-voltage processor made for some impressive results in our performance tests, it chewed through battery-life pretty quickly, as the VAIO Z13's battery lasted only 4 hours 51 minutes when tested it in MobileMark. In a category defined by convenience and portability, the failure to hit the five-hour mark is a pretty big disappointment, especially considering that the Toshiba Portege R835-P88 stretches well past it (8:40) and the Dell XPS 14 (Summer 2012) nearly doubles it (9:37).

The Sony VAIO Z13 (SVZ13114GXX) sets out to dominate the pricier end of the ultraportable category, and in some respects it does, with unbeaten processing power, featherweight carbon fiber construction, and great multimedia performance, along with the software tools to take advantage of it. If you want the best ultraportable available, this may well be it, but with the highest price in the category, you'd expect a discrete graphics processor and the long battery life seen in other ultraportables and ultrabooks. It can't match the value-per-dollar offered by the ultraportable Editors' Choice Toshiba Portege R835-P88, and the leading ultrabook Asus Zenbook Prime UX32VD-DB71 offers an equally gorgeous display, crisp audio, and strong multimedia performance, and for considerably less. Nevertheless, if money is no object, the Sony VAIO Z13 is a top-tier ultraportable, if not the best value for the price.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Sony VAIO Z13 (SVZ13114GXX) with several other laptops side by side.

More laptop reviews:
??? Acer Aspire TimelineX 4830TG-6808
??? Sony VAIO Z13 (SVZ13114GXX)
??? Apple MacBook Air 11-inch (Mid 2012)
??? Samsung 17-inch Series 7 Chronos (NP700Z7C-S01US)
??? Vizio 15.6-inch Thin + Light (CT15-A1)
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/wcopXSR1sAQ/0,2817,2408845,00.asp

lionel richie mike brown jacoby ellsbury jacoby ellsbury morosini death kenny rogers avatar the last airbender

Home health aide classes - HEALTH, BEAUTY & FITNESS

This bull can reduce lower the price of costly medicines which are frequently accustomed to treat these ailments. How light and seem wavelengths can impact your mood. Instead of confine these training courses to some weekend in hotel or conference room somewhere, we made the decision to maneuver red it to some cruiseship and also the beautiful waters and scenery from the Caribbean. You will find lots of top health insurance providers in america today: Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, Tufts Connected red bull health risks Health Maintenance Organization, Capital Health Plan, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Allstate, and many more. The youthful coconut that consists of water is within classes great demand all over the world. The insurance coverage industry uses terms like ? indemnity? and ? handled care,? which cause more confusion than understanding. It keeps the blood stream stream flow to make certain that essential diet might home health aide classes be moved while using the blood stream stream for that locations where they are needed most likely. And you know what? For those who have also developed exactly the same thinking, it? s right time to adjust it! Which will allow these to design programs home and guidelines that meet Medicare insurance beneficiaries? needs.? Presently, California has got the biggest quantity of Medicare insurance receivers associated with a condition at 4. 5 million enrollees. This is not to be mistaken with a co- payment. Let us mention them. They record medical histories and administer medicines. Start right now to collect and organize your loved ones health information. You are able to keep your health insurance and feeling of wellness by selecting acupuncture. Begin right now to track and document: Vaccination/ Immunization records home health aide classes Child- prenatal visits Allergic reactions Test results Treatment history Dental history Optical care Medication record Baby key events Medical visits Empower Your Loved Ones with Information Information is paramount to patient empowerment. Apollo Munich Maxima Medical Health Insurance Apollo munich medical health insurance is counted one of the main names in insurance providers, that is involved with offering health insurance policies. Beet as well as their health effects happen to be pointed out within the documents from the neo- Babylonian period that the way health they affect your wellbeing. A number of them are aide Affordable, Family, individual and condition Medical Health risks Insurance. This allows to create the plaque, thus intimidating dental health. For additional info on Nutrition Store, Visit His Site at Nutrition Store The Actual Price health of Medical Health Insurance in america If you are online trying to find health insurance online quotes, you are for grounds. As toppings for cold drinks with fruit. An easy and efficient method to stir- fry bok choy would be to first prepare the cabbage by sliced the leaves into large pieces and cutting the stems into small bite- size pieces. John 14: 13 Facts 22: 17 We Can? t Do With No Medical Health Insurance Plan Medical health insurance plan? s an agenda that is taken through the people because of themselves or their kids, wife or other relative of his individually or all- in- one having a family medical health insurance plan.

Related Post Home health aide classes

This describes what you ought to know before declaring benefits. You will need to take a look at coverage with an annual basis to One major, affordable frequently overlooked a part of a great health insurance plan is a that can help you maintain and encourages a healthy The Patriot Go Travel Plan? s cooperative and encouraging for that U. S. It doesn? t only provide you with the chance to produce If you are looking at being a public health diet skilled, you will want to not only promote programs and guidelines, you will be The large question you need to request immediately is that if your plan? s considered ? handled care? health or otherwise. This could include

Source: http://curryrecipe-jp.net/health-2/home-health-aide-classes/

nhl realignment nhl realignment new earth light year light year michelle rounds michelle rounds

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Ann Romney has Secret Service protection

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney now has Secret Service agents assigned to her at all times. The move comes as her husband is set to formally receive the GOP presidential nomination later this week.

Mitt Romney has had Secret Service protection since January.

It's standard practice for the wives of presidential candidates to receive such protection as Election Day approaches.

Agents accompanied Ann Romney to a supermarket near the Romneys' New Hampshire vacation home on Sunday morning.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ann-romney-secret-protection-144536920.html

boston marathon tu pac hologram shuttle pippa middleton space shuttle discovery spacex ann romney

Little respect for conventions in never-ending U.S. campaign (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 News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/243615566?client_source=feed&format=rss

leon russell meredith vieira prop 8 larry bird maria menounos proposition 8 ricky martin

#8: Sony HDR-TD20V High Definition Handycam 20.4 MP 3D ...

Sony HDR-TD20V High Definition Handycam 20.4 MP 3D Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom and 64 GB Embedded Memory + Extended Life Battery + Ac/Dc Rapid Charger + 16GB SDHC Class 10 Memory Card + USB Card Reader + Memory Card Wallet + Deluxe Case w/Strap + Mini HDMI to HDMI Cable + Professional Full Size Tripod + Accessory Saver Bundle! by BVI Date first available at Amazon.com: July 18, 2012 Buy new: $1,270.69 (Visit the Hot New Releases in Camcorders list for authoritative information on this product?s current rank.)

Hot Deal On:
#8: Sony HDR-TD20V High Definition Handycam 20.4 MP 3D Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom and 64 GB Embedded Memory + Extended Life Battery + Ac/Dc Rapid?
check price

Source: http://www.wiki-products.com/8-sony-hdr-td20v-high-definition-handycam-204-mp-3d-camcorder-with-10x-optical-zoom-and-64-gb-embedded-memory-extended-life-battery-acdc-rapid/

waste management two fat ladies dennys kindle fire glen davis a christmas story prime rib

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Insights on Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations ? Part 1 |

[By?Arturo J. Bencosme-D?vila, CPS Affiliate Faculty with the Master of Nonprofit Management and Dual Language program] ?This is the first in a series of postings on strategic planning in the nonprofit sector. While borrowed heavily from the for-profit world, the approach described here has elements that are specifically useful for nonprofits. It comprises four parts and is based on several major references:? Collins & Porras (2007)[1]; Kaplan & Norton (2007)[2]; Niven (2003)[3]; and Bencosme (2013)[4].

I.???????? Visionary Part: ?This is the alignment station in the process. Clarifying the values that the organization believes in and the purpose that it serves constitutes the starting point. A mission statement will express how values and purpose will be manifested. Next, a portrait of the aspired long term future that results from accomplishing the mission is composed in a vision statement. Finally, visionary objectives embedded in the vision are translated into goals.

II.???????? ?SWOT? and Scenario Analysis Part: ?It refers to scanning for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.? Even though this is a traditional strategic planning tool, it can be far more complex in nonprofits than is for-profits. The organization?s current reality relative to its aspired future is assessed. This sets the stage for developing strategies under several scenarios.

III.???????? Strategy Part: ?A set of mutually supporting themes that will drive the organization to materialize its visionary goals is constructed now:? one theme for each visionary goal. In turn, the themes are translated into strategic enablers from four perspectives namely, beneficiaries and the community, financial accountability, internal processes and organizational learning and growth. The set of measurements for these enablers is a ?balanced scorecard?.? Interconnecting them through causal relationships supporting the strategic themes produces a ?strategy map?:? a powerful, visual tool for becoming a strategy focused organization. Naturally, these maps will be different in nonprofits from their for-profit counterpart.

Transcendence Part:? It consists of story telling the future of the organization to surface and to engage the organization members through grasping meaning in the organization?s trajectory: past, present, and what might lie ahead. The hero?s journey archetype is used as a story guiding pattern to bring an epic spirit to the organization. Just as is important to know:? what is being strived for -a sense of vision; why that is wanted -a sense of values, purpose and mission; and how to strive for it -a sense of strategy;? being mindful of the path of the organization over time is meaningful, specially for nonprofit organizations ?a sense of journey.



[1] Collins, J.C. & Porras, J.I. (1996): Building Your Company?s Vision.? Harvard Business Review.? September, 1996.

[2] Kaplan, R.S. & Norton, D.P.: ?Using the Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management System.? Harvard Business Review. Managing for the Long Term.? July-August 2007

[3] Niven, P. (2003):? Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step for Government and Nonprofit Agencies. ?John Willey & Sons, Inc.

[4] Bencosme (2013):? Committing to a Shared Epic Intent ? Organizational Learning along the Hero?s Journey. [Forthcoming]

?

I ? THE VISIONARY PART

The essence of truly powerful visions is formed by the values, purpose and mission underlying it. Values refer to the deep-rooted fundamental beliefs with which the organization identifies itself. They are worthy in and by themselves and have to be identified, defined and their utilization explained through principles. For example, if TRUST ?is one such value, the definition utilized by the organization could be:? the quality of believing into something or someone. And in our organization: ?We build our all relationships on trust? (a principle). Only a handful of values (no more than nine) need to be considered:? those that matter the most to the organization?s identity.

A mission statement describes what the organization offers to its beneficiaries: products and / or services. On the other hand, is necessary to be mindful that missions constitute a particular way of manifesting the purpose of the organization. For example, a nonprofit that provides personal growth tools to inmates in prisons (its mission) contributes in this manner to the wellbeing of those individuals and that of society at large (its purpose).

Mission statements are important to any organization and even more so for non-profits which are frequently referred to as ?mission driven organizations?. This contrasts with the for-profits, which are driven by ?stockholder wealth? optimization.

While mission statements are useful because they clarify what the organization delivers and separates that from what it does not, ?only a shared vision of the successful future of the organization will bring about the alignment needed to accomplish the mission. This insight can mark a valuable difference in organizational leadership. To that end, a useful, effective vision needs to be constructed that will be congruent with the values, purpose and mission.? Visions take the form of? a detailed, vivid narrative -a portrait painted with words- of what will be like and how will feel having attained the goals of the long term, overarching? goals of the organization. The latter are called visionary goals.

There seems to be several routes to develop a vision. One such route starts with establishing the goals and then writing the narrative. A practical procedure for following this route is offered by Collins & Porras (1996)[1]. The opposite route starts with a narrative and then extracts the goals from it. This route relies more on the intuition of those following it. In either case, the important result to obtain is a set of worthwhile goals that invite stretch, are feasible (but not certain), measurable, timely and totally congruent with the underlying essence of the vision: values, purpose and mission.

Next month I?ll present Part II,??SWOT? and Scenario Analysis. We welcome your comments.


[1] Ibid.

Arturo J. Bencosme-D?vila is an independent management consultant and coach, an affiliate faculty with CPS, Dual Language Program, Master in Nonprofit Management, and a CPS Ignatian Faculty Scholar.? His 35+ year path through engineering, business & nonprofit executive, strategic planning, organizational development, MBA teaching, and management consulting have led him into emphasizing organizational learning: the art and practice of expanding the capacity for clarifying the desired future and the means to attain it.

His education includes an Engineer degree from Universidad Cat?lica Andr?s Bello (Caracas, Venezuela), and two M.Sc. and a PhD from Stanford University.? ?Dr. Bencosme?s ?personal legend? includes the intent to reinforce the epic spirit in individuals and organizations, especially in the nonprofit sector.? His favorite Jesuit value is to be a ?contemplative in action?.

Source: http://cps.regis.edu/blog/insights-on-strategic-planning-for-nonprofit-organizations-part-1/

jason wu for target underwood buffalo wings superbowl kick off time 2012 new york giants hot wings recipe 7 layer dip recipe