Ready to rumble: Super Bowl fans get in the game

This frame grab provided by Coca Cola, shows a moment in the Super Bowl 2013 Coca Cola campaign. The campaign, which will include TV spots as well as a Web site and interaction with consumers on social media sites like Twitter and Instagram, is the beverage maker?s latest attempt to capture interest of people who watch the Big Game with a second screen such as a tablet or smartphone nearby. (AP Photo/Coca Cola)

This frame grab provided by Coca Cola, shows a moment in the Super Bowl 2013 Coca Cola campaign. The campaign, which will include TV spots as well as a Web site and interaction with consumers on social media sites like Twitter and Instagram, is the beverage maker?s latest attempt to capture interest of people who watch the Big Game with a second screen such as a tablet or smartphone nearby. (AP Photo/Coca Cola)

NEW YORK (AP) ? You don't have to be a football player to be a part of the action on Super Bowl Sunday.

Coca-Cola is asking people to vote for an online match between three groups competing in a desert for a Coke on Game Day. Pepsi and Toyota are using viewers' photos in their ads. Audi let people choose the end of its Super Bowl ad, while Lincoln based its spot on tweets from fans about their road trips.

"We drove passed an alpaca farm, a few of them were meandering on the highway and my sister screamed, "It's the Alpacalypse!")," says one tweet in Lincoln's Super Bowl ad.

Advertisers have found new ways to get viewers into the game online. And they're going well beyond encouraging fans to tweet or "like" their ads on websites like Twitter Facebook.

They're trying to get the most of their Super Bowl ads, which cost nearly $4 million a pop. Companies that advertise during the Super Bowl get a 20 percent increase in Web traffic on the day of the game, according to the analytics arm of software maker Adobe. They also have a higher online audience than average in the week after.

"We're seeing better and more unique ways of getting people involved," said Robert Kolt, an advertising instructor at Michigan State University. "You want people to be engaged."

PepsiCo, which is sponsoring the Super Bowl halftime show, said its goal was to create buzz online with a monthlong campaign that went well beyond a voiceover saying "brought to you by Pepsi." T

For about two weeks, Pepsi asked fans online and via a digital billboard in New York's Times Square to submit their pictures for a chance to appear in a 30-second "intro" spot to air right before the halftime show.

The company said the effort was more popular than it expected: Pepsi expected to get 2,000 photos, but got 100,000 instead. About 1,000 photos were chosen to be a part of the intro, one in each frame of the spot, 15 frames a second, stitched together in "flipbook" style video that appears to show one person jumping to the tune of Beyonce's "Countdown" song.

"We don't just want (viewers) on pepsi.com, we want them telling their friends 'I just did something with Pepsi," said Angelique Krembs, vice president of trademark Pepsi marketing. "You want the friend to tell the friend about Pepsi. You want Pepsi to be always the one talking about Pepsi."

Coca-Cola created an online campaign that pits three groups ? a troupe of showgirls, biker style badlanders and cowboys ? against each other in a race through a desert for a Coca-Cola.

Starting Jan. 23 and continuing until the end of the Super Bowl, viewers can vote online for their favorite group. The group with the most votes will be revealed in an ad after the Super Bowl ends. And the first 50,000 voters will get a free Coke if they register for Coke's loyalty program.

The campaign is more interactive than Coca-Cola's online effort last year, which featured a real-time animation of Polar Bears reacting to what was happening during the Super Bowl.

"Last year's effort was much more passive. It was you watching bears watching the game," said Pio Schunker, senior vice president of integrated marketing. "This year we thought, 'Can we up ante on the fun factor by handing the reins over to consumers?'"

Audi let viewers choose one of three possible endings for its Game Day spot by voting online on Jan. 25 for 24 hours.

The ad shows a boy who gets enough confidence from driving his father's Audi to the prom to kiss his dream girl, even though he is then decked by her boyfriend. Audi allowed people to vote for one of three potential endings for the ad.

In one possible ending, the boy drives home alone in triumphant. Another ending shows him palling around with friends. The third shows the boy going home and finding a prom picture of his parents in which his dad has a similar black eye.

The first ending, called "Worth it," won.

Audi, which declined to say how many people voted, said "Worth It," was by far the most popular, getting more than half of the total views and the most "thumbs up" out of all three versions

"This year, Audi wanted to elevate fan interaction by allowing them to take part in the creative process and have a voice in how our spot should end," said Loren Angelo, Audi's general manager of brand marketing. "

The strategy seems to be working. On YouTube, the Audi ad is the third-most viewed Super Bowl ad so far, with 2.5 million views, behind a Toyota ad staring Kelly Cuoco of CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" and a teaser for Mercedes-Benz featuring supermodel Kate Upton, according to YouTube.com

________

Online:

Coca-Cola "Coke Chase" campaign: www.cokechase.com

Pepsi's "Halftime" campaign: http://halftime.pepsi.com/

Toyota's "Wish Granted" ad: http://www.youtube.com/user/ToyotaUSA?feature=watch

Ford's Lincoln "Steer the Script" campaign: http://www.steerthescript.com/

Audi's "Prom" ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANhmS6QLd5Q

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-31-Super%20Bowl-Advertising-Interact/id-156cf148c86046bd9eb7409d0ddad8f5

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This Isn't Your Mother's Pelvic Floor! - Women's Fitness, Pregnancy ...

Pelvic floor health is crucial.? As a mother of nine and an exercise enthusiast, I realize that probably one of the most important things that I can do is to strengthen my pelvic floor muscles. For women especially, the pelvic floor should always be thought of as key to the core muscles.? While? it is far too under-emphasized, it has gained attention since our mothers were giving birth.? For that we should be grateful!? I remember being told by my ob/gyn, Dr. Tommy Megremis, after the birth of my sixth child, that I should seek out the help of a physical therapist who specialized in pelvic floor therapy because I was having symptoms of a weak pelvic floor.?? I actually had no idea what he was talking about! ?I had figured that I would simply have to bide my time before a surgical procedure would become a necessary and ?normal? part of the aging process.? I am grateful to Dr. Megremis for sending me in a better direction, and after working for about 4-5 months with the physical therapist, I really noticed a change.? I was so encouraged.? Since that time I have twice more sought the help of a physical therapist for pelvic health (Barbara Green) and each time felt stronger for it.? Often women ask me what to do about issues having to do with pelvic health and I am always amazed how few know about the physical therapy option.? In fact, sports physical therapist and owner of Architech Sports , Alan Tyson, believes that just like other areas of the body that often need strengthening and rehabilitation, the pelvic floor should not be neglected, and he tells me he wishes more women would seek therapy even as soon as after their first child is born!

There are two physical therapists who are bringing attention to this topic by sharing up-to-date information and providing a wonderful source for all things having to do with pelvic health. Stephanie A. Prendergast (MPT) and Elizabeth H. Rummer (MSPT), who work at Pelvic Health Rehabilitation Center (PHRC),? write at the blog? Pelvic Health and Rehab.? Their responses to my questions might surprise you! You will notice that I?add a few comments of my own in purple after some of their responses. ?I know you will find the interview interesting?

Whitney: I appreciate you answering my questions, Liz and Steph.?Tell me about PHRC!

PHRC is one of the very few physical therapy clinics that focuses solely on pelvic floor physical therapy. We espouse a multidisciplinary approach where we work closely with other providers to develop and implement treatment plans for our patients. The providers we commonly work with include ob/gyns, urologists, urogynocologists, colorectal specialists, pain management physicians, sex therapists, psychologists, among others. And since we?re the provider that?s going to be spending the most time with the patient, we tend to take a leadership role in the patient?s treatment, acting as CEO, if you will, of their overall healing process. ?

Lastly, it?s important to us at PHRC to play a role in the education arena of the pelvic pain PT community as well as in the conversation about pelvic floor health in general. Toward that end, we teach a class titled ? Demystifying Pudendal Neuralgia as a Source of Pain: A Physical Therapist?s Approach? four times a year in different cities across the U.S.; are active in the International Pelvic Pain Society (IPPS)?Stephanie is the first PT ever to serve as the IPPS president?, the American Physical Therapy Association; and the World Congress on Pelvic Pain.

Whitney: What are your backgrounds?

Stephanie received her master?s in physical therapy at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. She learned about myofascial pelvic pain at the start of her career, became intrigued, and chose to dedicate her life to helping men and women suffering from these syndromes. In addition to her involvement with the IPPS and World Congress on Pelvic Pain, she recently traveled to China to help begin educating the Chinese medical community on pelvic pain treatment.

For my part, I (Liz) received my master?s in physical therapy at the University of Miami Medical School. I am a Pennsylvania native, but I soon became a San Francisco convert after moving to the city more than a decade ago. One of the things I love to do is community outreach/education here in SF. For the past year or more, I?ve held regular workshops around the city on pelvic floor-related topics, including pain and sex and postpartum health/rehab. ?

Whitney: What made you decide to start this blog? What are you hoping to share with men and women?

For ?years Steph and I have gotten emails and phone calls from people dealing with pelvic pain as well as the providers struggling to treat them. As I?m sure you?re aware, pelvic floor health and rehab is relatively under-explored territory within the medical community. While it?s come a long way in the past decade?in just the past five years even!?it remains an under-researched and misunderstood area of medicine.

Meanwhile, there are as many people suffering with pelvic pain/dysfunction as there are suffering with back pain! So while the numbers of sufferers are quite high, many struggle to find the proper diagnosis and treatment and?quite frankly, just accurate information. So we thought that a blog would help us do what we were already doing, trying to give guidance to people navigating pelvic pain, but on a more widely accessible scale.? (Whitney): I am so happy to know about your resource. As one who writes about fitness and likes to share information with others, it is wonderful to find a reliable source of up-to-date wisdom regarding pelvic health!

Whitney: ?Are kegels important for all women?

Historically, across the board all women were being advised to do kegels. For the most part, this is still very much the case. But here?s the thing: the only women that should be doing kegels are women who have a truly weak pelvic floor.

There are a variety of reasons that the pelvic floor can become weak; childbirth and aging are two of the most commonly discussed. However, the fact of the matter is that not everyone who has children will develop a weak pelvic floor and not everyone is going to ultimately be stuck with a weak pelvic floor due to the aging process. ?

So to tell all women across the board to do kegels is bad advice.

For one thing, women who have tight pelvic floors/and or trigger points within their pelvic floor muscles who do kegels could end up doing harm to their pelvic floors. In these situations kegeling could cause these women to present with pain or if they already have pain, it could worsen their pain.

For another thing, studies show that the majority of women who are told to do kegels without the proper instruction on how to do them, don?t do them correctly anyway.

And lastly, kegels will not prevent the pelvic floor from becoming weak. They can, however, when done correctly, help to strengthen an already weakened pelvic floor.

So, to summarize, the current conversation is incorrect: not everybody across the board needs to do kegels?just women who have a truly weak pelvic floor. And the fact of the matter is, and I know this sounds self-serving, but it is the hard truth: the only way to tell if you have a truly weak pelvic floor is to go to a PT for an evaluation. Unless, you?ve been diagnosed as having a prolapse by a physician. In that case, your pelvic floor is obviously weak. (Whitney): I was actually told by my PT that I need to be very careful when I do kegels.? In the past I have done them incorrectly (basically ?pushing out? on those muscles instead of ?pulling up?).? Now I do my kegels when I am on the floor stretching.? If I had not been told how to properly do a kegel, I would probably be negating any positive effects of doing them at all.

Whitney:? After the birth of my sixth child, I went to a physical therapist who specialized in pelvic floor muscles?and I was amazed at the difference after a few months of working with her. Biofeedback and strengthening exercises helped tremendously?is that your primary mode of rehab?

That?s wonderful that you found relief through PT! We love success stories!

To answer your question: the short answer is no. The mode of rehabilitation we deploy depends entirely on what the patient?s findings are when we evaluate him or her.

If the problem is a weak pelvic floor with poor motor control then yes, strengthening exercises are likely among the treatment methods we will deploy. But, at PHRC it?s our preference not to use a Biofeedback machine. We prefer to use manual strategies to help our patients regain motor control and strengthen their pelvic floors. That?s not to say there is anything wrong with using a Biofeedback machine, we just prefer manual, hands on treatment approaches.

Say the patient comes to us with incontinence as her (or his) primary symptom. We wouldn?t automatically assume that weakness is the issue because the fact is that there are a variety of issues beyond weakness that can cause someone to suffer with incontinence. So we would have to do a thorough evaluation to determine exactly what is causing the patient?s incontinence before we would determine what treatment approach to take. So the underlying reasons for the symptoms are what dictate our treatment approach?in every situation. There is no one-size-fits-all treatment protocol for pelvic floor problems. Each case is unique and requires a tailored treatment plan.

For instance, you?ll notice that in the first part of my response I said that strengthening exercises would most likely be what we would deploy if a patient had a weak pelvic floor. I was careful to leave wiggle room because it?s possible for a patient to present with both a weak pelvic floor and an overly tight pelvic floor with trigger points. In a circumstance such as this strengthening runs the risk of causing the patient pain. So, most likely we would have to take care of the tightness and trigger points before we could strengthen. And that?s another thing I should point out: as the patient progresses in treatment, the plan will change and evolve.

Lastly, another reason we wouldn?t depend on strengthening and biofeedback as our primary mode of rehab is that we also see patients with pain, not just weakness. And the treatment for pain is the opposite of the treatment for weakness. Pain is typically caused by a too-tight pelvic floor and/or trigger points within the pelvic floor muscles. Treatment for those impairments would involve lengthening the muscle and releasing the trigger points.

So, again, the mode of rehab depends entirely on what we find in our evaluation and consider to be the underlying reasons for the patient?s complaints.

Whitney:? I have had nine children and no C-sections?is it inevitable that I will deal with problems like incontinence or prolapse?

The good news is no. There really is no hard and fast way of predicting if an individual will end up with incontinence or prolapse.

That said, there is research that shows that if a women has any level of incontinence during pregnancy than she will be more likely to suffer with it after delivery. But other than that, just because you have one child, or nine for that matter, does not mean you?ll inevitably have to deal with incontinence or prolapse.

On the flip side, there is research that was conducted abroad in places where women are given pelvic floor rehabilitation after pregnancy and delivery that showed that as a result of the intervention, the incidence of incontinence was lowered. (France is perhaps the country most well-known for its postpartum pelvic floor rehab.)? (Whitney): Alan Tyson, sports PT, has told me that he believes pelvic floor rehabilitation should begin right after birth and should be a focus of the postpartum care with women being referred to a PT who specializes in the pelvic floor. I wish I had not waited until after my sixth child was born!

Whitney: What should we be doing to help ourselves to avoid these things?

My best advice is that at some point in a woman?s life, whether it?s after having a child (or after each child) or when she?s reached middle age, she should see a pelvic floor PT, or in the case of prolapse a urogynocologist, and have what is, for all intents and purposes, a pelvic floor check up. The provider will be able to tell her if there is weakness and/or prolapse. If there is an issue or the beginnings of an issue, than getting evaluated at this point will be proactive in the sense that there can be some sort of intervention, which could fix the problem so that future symptoms/issues don?t arise or are not as serious if/when they do.

Here?s the thing: in our society we are accustomed to being proactive about certain health issues? colon cancer, breast cancer, our oral health?so it?s not unprecedented for a woman to be proactive in this way about preventing future problems with her pelvic floor. As women are becoming more and more aware of their pelvic floors my hope is that they will begin to go for a pelvic floor check up at some point, and in that way give themselves a chance of avoiding future issues. (Whitney):? I hope so, too!

Whitney: I read an article awhile back at the blog Katysays about squats and I noticed that you also commented on that article in your blog. ?Since reading that article, I try to do squats fairly regularly. Do you also recommend squats for women?

It sounds as if you are talking about squatting to release your pelvic floor. If that?s the case, then yes, squats to release your pelvic floor can be helpful if you are someone dealing with an overly tight pelvic floor. This is a way to relax your pelvic floor. However, if you are someone dealing with nerve-like symptoms, such as burning, shooting, or stabbing pain in your pelvic floor region, I don?t recommend this position because it stretches the pudendal nerve, which in turn can cause irritation.

Other strategies to achieve pelvic floor relaxation are flat back pelvic floor drops and diaphragmatic breathing. However, if your goal is to strengthen your pelvic floor, none of these exercises will achieve this.

Whitney:? If someone has already had a prolapse and undergone surgery, what kinds of things can she do to strengthen the pelvic floor?

There isn?t really a laundry list of exercises I can give you here because it?s not a good idea to do pelvic floor strengthening exercises in this situation without being under the supervision of a doctor or PT. That?s because before you do pelvic floor strengthening you want to know exactly what?s going on with your pelvic floor.

Whitney:? If a woman is having symptoms of a prolapse, would you advise her to seek a surgical option?

It all depends on the level of the prolapse. And only a physician can determine this. However, there are levels of prolapse that can be controlled with less invasive methods, such as use of a pessary. In our book, the less invasive the option, the better as any kind of pelvic floor surgery can cause scar tissue to form, which in turn can open the door to a whole new set of issues. (Whitney):? Here is a blog from your website that I thought would be great for those interested in finding a pelvic floor PT!

Whitney: ?Are there certain sports or fitness routines that you tell women to avoid if they have weak pelvic floor muscles?things like tennis, running, plyometrics, jump rope exercises?

The exercises you mention do indeed cause stress to the pelvic floor muscles and if they are truly weak can further weaken or irritate already existing symptoms. (Whitney): I have gladly given up many plyometric type exercises that involve jumping, however running will always be a cherished form of fitness for me and I hope to continue it for some time to come!

Whitney:? If there is one thing women should be doing to help themselves to avoid future problems having to do with a weakened pelvic floor, what would it be?

Here my answer is the same as with the question about about avoiding incontinence and prolapse. At some point/points, if there is concern or if a woman has just had a baby, going for a pelvic floor check up is the best way to avoid problems that could arise because of weakness. Going for a pelvic floor check up can result in existing problems being caught and corrected before getting worse. Another course of action might be to see a pelvic floor PT before delivery if you are pregnant and are already dealing with any incontinence issues. (Whitney): I would have to agree.? The wealth of information, strategies, and new techniques and exercises that were introduced to me by Barbara Green (PT) were tremendously helpful and I am grateful that I have found her!

Whitney:? What resources can you recommend for women?

? ???????PHRC?s Pelvic Health & Rehab Blog
? ???????Mindandbody.org: Great website that explores the connection between pain and our brain!
? ???????http://tallirosenbaum.com/en/blog: Talli is super-knowledgeable about pelvic health.
? ???????http://beyondbasicspt.wordpress.com/: As is Amy at Beyond Basics.
? ???????Happy Pelvis: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/happypelvis/: this is a Yahoo group that supports folks through pelvic floor PT and beyond. The members are very positive and proactive.
? ???????http://drjengunter.wordpress.com/: Dr. Jen Gunter is a great resource!
? ???????http://www.ic-network.com/
? ???????IPPS.org: stay tuned for a complete revamp of the org?s Internet presence!

Whitney:? Thank you Liz and Steph for your thoughtful responses to my questions!? I will continue to read your outstanding blog and consult you for your experience and knowledge in the area of pelvic health!

Source: http://9kidfitness.com/this-isnt-your-mothers-pelvic-floor

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Streaming video over temporary networks

Jan. 29, 2013 ? There are extra challenges when accidents occur in hard-to-reach locations such as in a tunnel or impassable mountain terrain where no stable computer networks are found. For the past ten years, however, technology for mobile ad hoc networks that enable rescue workers to communicate with one another or with a command control centre has been available. These networks configure themselves automatically among mobile devices located within a given geographic area.

Video streaming crucial

The ability to stream video from the site of an emergency to the command centre will in many cases be essential. Today, there are a number of quality solutions for mounting cameras to helmets or integrating them into eyewear. While there are thus no longer the same obstacles to recording video, streaming it is another story. Existing mobile ad hoc networks lack the stability and the bandwidth to be reliable for transmitting video.

However, smart phones of today are ubiquitous and have become so powerful that they can be integrated in temporary emergency networks, providing a platform for efficient video transmission.

Developing software for multimedia data

Professor Thomas Plagemann of the Department of Informatics at the University of Oslo is heading a research group working with what are known as Delay Tolerant Streaming Services (DT-Stream) systems. This is a type of network that tolerates disruptions and delays, in contrast to the Internet, for example.

Dr Plagemann and the rest of his team have studied what it will take to enable a mobile ad hoc network to manage relatively large amounts of multimedia data, such as video, adequately in emergency and rescue operations.

Can connect to permanent emergency network

Some of the criticism being levied against the new Norwegian emergency network currently under development is that during its initial phase it can not handle either photo files or video. Connecting via a mobile ad hoc network is one possible approach to solving this.

"First and foremost, we are concentrating on transmitting multimedia data over mobile ad hoc networks with an eye to use in emergency and rescue operations in areas with no permanent data infrastructure. Of course, it will also be possible to connect to the Internet or the Norwegian digital communication network for emergency and public safety (N?dnett)," says Dr Plagemann.

From pieces of the puzzle to solution

With funding from the large-scale programme "Core Competence and Value Creation in ICT" (VERDIKT) at the Research Council of Norway, Dr Plagemann's research group has reached the point where they have partial solutions ready for use. The next step is to put these pieces of the puzzle together into a complete application.

The work of Thomas Plagemann's group is drawing attention from research circles around the world. An article summing up the state-of-the-art in video transmission in mobile and ad-hoc networks was at the top of the list of articles downloaded most from the periodical, Multimedia Systems Journal in 2011 and 2012.

Breaking programming rules -- more efficient

One of the solutions developed by the Norwegian researchers came into being as a result of violating some of the classical engineering principles of network programming. Instead, the researchers have utilised a process called cross-layer optimisation.

Network systems today are highly complex. In connection with testing and development, programmers divide them up into separate layers in order to simplify the work. The result is a stack composed of several layers.

The bottom layer is the physical layer, i.e. whether it is a wireless, cable or fibre-optic network. Above this is a data linking layer that transmits bits from one computer to another. On the top is the network layer where operations such as running Internet protocols are carried out.

The rule in network programming is to address only the layer directly beneath the layer being worked on. Dr Plagemann's group has developed middleware that processes all the various layers simultaneously.

"We don't want the applications programmer to have to worry about where the data are being sent or what type of device or operating system is in use. This is all hidden away in our middleware," Thomas Plagemann explains. The middleware reduces data loss in the network, saves energy and improves data-transmission speeds.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by The Research Council of Norway.

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/computers_math/information_technology/~3/ouNjinpta38/130129075618.htm

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In-brain monitoring shows memory network

Jan. 29, 2013 ? Working with patients with electrodes implanted in their brains, researchers at the University of California, Davis, and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) have shown for the first time that areas of the brain work together at the same time to recall memories. The unique approach promises new insights into how we remember details of time and place.

"Previous work has focused on one region of the brain at a time," said Arne Ekstrom, assistant professor at the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience. "Our results show that memory recall involves simultaneous activity across brain regions." Ekstrom is senior author of a paper describing the work published Jan. 27 in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Ekstrom and UC Davis graduate student Andrew Watrous worked with patients being treated for a severe seizure condition by neurosurgeon Dr. Nitin Tandon and his UTHealth colleagues.

To pinpoint the origin of the seizures in these patients, Tandon and his team place electrodes on the patient's brain inside the skull. The electrodes remain in place for one to two weeks for monitoring.

Six such patients volunteered for Ekstrom and Watrous' study while the electrodes were in place. Using a laptop computer, the patients learned to navigate a route through a virtual streetscape, picking up passengers and taking them to specific places. Later, they were asked to recall the routes from memory.

Correct memory recall was associated with increased activity across multiple connected brain regions at the same time, Ekstrom said, rather than activity in one region followed by another.

However, the analysis did show that the medial temporal lobe is an important hub of the memory network, confirming earlier studies, he said.

Intriguingly, memories of time and of place were associated with different frequencies of brain activity across the network. For example, recalling, "What shop is next to the donut shop?" set off a different frequency of activity from recalling "Where was I at 11 a.m.?"

Using different frequencies could explain how the brain codes and recalls elements of past events such as time and location at the same time, Ekstrom said.

"Just as cell phones and wireless devices work at different radio frequencies for different information, the brain resonates at different frequencies for spatial and temporal information," he said.

The researchers hope to explore further how the brain codes information in future work.

The neuroscientists analyzed their results with graph theory, a new technique that is being used for studying networks, ranging from social media connections to airline schedules.

"Previously, we didn't have enough data from different brain regions to use graph theory. This combination of multiple readings during memory retrieval and graph theory is unique," Ekstrom said.

Placing electrodes inside the skull provides clearer resolution of electrical signals than external electrodes, making the data invaluable for the study of cognitive functions, Tandon said. "This work has yielded important insights into the normal mechanisms underpinning recall, and provides us with a framework for the study of memory dysfunction in the future."

Additional authors of the study are Chris Connor and Thomas Pieters at the UTHealth Medical School. The work was supported by the Sloan Foundation, the Hellman Foundation and the NIH.

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Journal Reference:

1. Andrew J Watrous, Nitin Tandon, Chris R Conner, Thomas Pieters, Arne D Ekstrom. Frequency-specific network connectivity increases underlie accurate spatiotemporal memory retrieval. Nature Neuroscience, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nn.3315

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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/~3/-ao3Knadd_w/130129144817.htm

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Apple announces 128GB iPad 4, available Feb. 5 starting at $799

Apple this morning announced new versions of the fourth-generation iPad, bringing the maximum storage level to 128 gigabytes. The upgraded storage applies to the Wifi-only and Wifi/cellular versions of the iPad and doubles the previous max. 9 to 5 Mac first reported the impending change earlier this week.

The beefier iPads will be available Feb. 5, in either black or white (or both if that's how you roll), for $799 for the Wifi model, and a whopping $929 for the cellular version.

Source: Apple PR

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/xHYLjPAUmSw/story01.htm

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Cyprus: German politics and 'envy' hurt bailout - The Local

Cypriot officials are hitting back at Germany with charges that German domestic politics and "envy" over the island's role as a financial hub are damaging efforts to seal an EU bailout before the eurozone nation sinks into bankruptcy.

German politicians have criticized plans to bail out Cyprus, saying its banks are havens for tax evaders and money launderers.

Cyprus's request for EU financial aid for its debt-ridden economy has been undermined by damaging allegations it is a laundromat for dirty Russian money as international lenders call for greater transparency.

"The issue is a political one because of the German elections," a government source told news agency AFP on condition of anonymity.

Cyprus sought out aid last June. But suspicions over banking sector transparency and Nicosia's reluctance to push through tougher reforms such as privatization have delayed the urgently needed bailout, leaving the country on the brink of bankruptcy.

"We are making sure we comply with all recommendations of the International Monetary Fund and the Eurogroup to ensure these allegations go away," said the
government source, referring to money-laundering charges.

"Another reason is that countries would like to have a piece of our pie as a financial centre," the source added.

Former finance minister Michalis Sarris said the money laundering issue keeps resurfacing because it is a "sexy topic" that sells in the German media and the election campaign in that country.

"Cyprus has to be above suspicion and do more than is necessary to demonstrate it is a reputable financial centre," Sarris told AFP.

He said under a draft bailout agreement, international lenders called for more transparency and a timely exchange of data when other countries request tax information.

"The government should ask for specifics and take the necessary measures required."

Nicosia is now on the counter-offensive on the issue of financial crime.

"It is obvious that behind the attacks against Cyprus there are vested interests. Those who attack Cyprus want to take its role as a serious, international, financial and investment centre," government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou told reporters on Thursday.

He said Cyprus was the fourth largest investor in Russia and the second biggest in Ukraine.

Fed up with negative reports alleging Cyprus to be a haven for the ill-gotten gains of Russian oligarchs, the Cypriot parliament is launching a campaign to defend the island's "clean" reputation on the European stage. And the government says it welcomes closer scrutiny of its financial sector.

"We are doing everything within our power for the implementation of all international recommendations. We disagree with allegations that there is non-implementation of laws and regulations," said central bank official Michalis Stylianou.

Eurogroup finance ministers made no decision on a rescue package for Cyprus
at a meeting in Brussels on Monday because negotiations on bank recapitalization are continuing. They said a decision would most probably be taken in March.

Outgoing Eurogroup president Jean Claude Juncker said this wait will also provide time for "close monitoring of the anti-money laundering" framework and its implementation.

Cyprus says it has adopted more international standards and recommendations than many of its fellow eurozone colleagues.

A Deutsche Bank report on the Cyprus debt crisis issued last week said there was an "excessive focus" on money laundering.

"It is rather Cyprus's status as an offshore tax haven with a relatively opaque banking sector heavily used by foreign depositors that is under scrutiny," said the report, referring to non-resident deposits of ?24 billion, or $32 billion, much of it from Russia.

Nicosia called for a bailout in June when its banks, hit by the EU-imposed writedown on Greek debt, needed financial assistance.

In a draft agreement with the EU and IMF, the amount for the banks was set at up to ?10 billion as part of a total package which could reach ?17.5 billion - matching the output of the island's entire economy.

Although Cyprus has pushed through harsh austerity measures of around ?1.2 billion in tax hikes and savings, fellow EU partners have called for more reforms.

AFP/mry

Source: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20130128-47607.html

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What?s next for Anthony Pettis? Waiting patiently for the lightweight title shot

With his performance against Donald Cerrone on Saturday night, Anthony Pettis made a believer out of many fight fans. One of those who now thinks Pettis belongs in the title shot conversation is UFC president Dana White.

Pettis =AMAZING!!!! Ok I'm sold

? Dana White (@danawhite) January 27, 2013

While the next bout for UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is set with Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez in April, Pettis has set himself up as the obvious next man up.

"I think the Melendez fight is pretty set, but (Pettis is) next. I can't say enough things about the kid tonight. That was incredible," White said in the postfight press conference.

The last time Pettis had a title shot, he had a wrench thrown into the plans. Pettis won the WEC lightweight belt in the promotion's final fight. A title shot was promised to whoever had the belt when the WEC merged with the UFC.

But two weeks after Pettis won the belt, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard faced off for the belt. They fought to a draw and Edgar kept the belt, but Maynard was given an immediate rematch.

Instead of waiting for the title shot then, Pettis fought Clay Guida. He lost a decision, and the title shot was gone. This time, he's not going to let the title shot slip through his hands.

"If it's a guaranteed title shot, then I'm waiting. That was my goal this year, and I'm definitely going to wait and get better," Pettis said.

The way title shots have been going in the UFC, there's no way to know if Pettis is making the right call. However, what Pettis is doing is setting himself up as the go-to guy if the UFC needs him. Melendez has had to postpone fights because of injuries in the past, and you never know what could happen as fighters prepare for their bouts.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/next-anthony-pettis-waiting-patiently-lightweight-title-shot-172409772--mma.html

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Feeling flirty? Wait for the sun to shine

Jan. 28, 2013 ? We all know how casual flirtation can lift one's mood, which can be important at this time of year when the winter blues are at their peak. But if you are more serious about your flirting and hope to get that all important phone number, you're better off waiting until it's sunny, according to new French research published in the journal Social Influence.

Nicolas Gu?guen of the University of South Brittany -- who has previously investigated how wearing red lipstick can increase a waitress' tips -- conducted a study in which an 'attractive' 20 year old male approached 18-25 year old women walking alone in the street and asked them for their phone numbers. The women were solicited on both sunny and cloudy (but not rainy) days, when the temperature was about the same.

In the past other environmental factors have been found to make people more likely to flirt or exchange phone numbers -- the presence of pleasant smells, romantic music or certain colours have all been found to have an effect.

Previous research has also shown how the weather can affect certain social behaviours -- sunshine makes people more likely to help strangers or answer a survey, and people tend to leave bigger tips in restaurants on sunny days. But this is the first research to explore how the weather may influence courtship or dating behaviour.

It was found that women were more receptive to being approached and flirted with -- and give out their phone numbers -- on sunny days: over a fifth -- 22.4% -- of women did so when the sun was out, as opposed to 13.9% on the cloudy days.

(The phone numbers were later used to contact the women and tell them the true nature of the study, as per the recommendation of the ethics committee of the lab which reviewed the project!)

The message seems clear: flirting is more likely to have a positive outcome on sunny days. But Professor Gu?guen was careful to include certain caveats regarding the applicability of the research to everyday situations: the sunshine (or other factors) may after all have improved the attractive 20 year old male's flirting skills on those days. Other atmospheric conditions such as windiness or humidity were not accounted for. And, perhaps most crucially, the research was conducted in France, where 'men traditionally approach women in romantic relationships'.

The journal article concludes with suggestions for further study in this area -- for instance, are men themselves more likely to initiate flirting behaviour when the sun is shining? We'll have to wait until the Spring to find out!

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Taylor & Francis, via AlphaGalileo.

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. Nicolas Gu?guen. Weather and courtship behavior: A quasi-experiment with the flirty sunshine. Social Influence, 2013; : 1 DOI: 10.1080/15534510.2012.752401

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/top_news/~3/nJgVrRL2lXo/130128081950.htm

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Holocaust archive reunites long lost families

Nearly 70 years after the end of the Second World War, a Holocaust archive in Germany is helping victims and survivors of Nazi atrocities to find clues about the past -- and is still reuniting families. NBC News' Andy Eckardt reports from Bad Arolsen, Germany.

By Andy Eckardt, Producer, NBC News

BAD AROLSEN, Germany -- Wilhelm Thiem may be 72 but he celebrated his first real birthday in November.

Abducted in Poland by Nazi troops aged two, Thiem has spent most of his life on a painful journey, seeking to discover his true name and identity.?

Until just a few months ago, the retired entrepreneur had not known his birth date, where he was born, what had happened to his mother or whether he had any other family members.

"I hardly knew anything about my personal history," Thiem said.?"I always felt like an outsider, it was a feeling of not belonging in this world."

Thiem was raised by a foster parent in northern Germany who was appointed by the Nazis to take care of the young child. Thiem called her "Mrs. Huebner" but was later officially adopted and given her maiden name.

At age 12, Thiem learned that Mrs. Huebner was not his real mother. He started asking her about his past, wanting to learn more about his family, but his questions remained unanswered. For decades, his personal history remained a mystery.

Early last year, Thiem came across a newspaper article about the International Tracing Service?(ITS), an organization that maintains a vast archive of files related to more than 17.5 million victims of the Holocaust and Nazi oppression.

"At first the ITS researchers told me that they could not find any documents with my name on them," Thiem recalled. "But then they contacted the Red Cross in Poland and in the end, there were some leads."

'Very emotional moment'
After several months of research, Thiem was informed that he had been born in Lodz, Poland, and that his birth name was Zbigniew Wilhelm Katmierczak.

For the first time in his life, Thiem held a birth certificate in his hands that gave him an identity.

"It was a very emotional moment," Thiem recalled. "Both my wife and I could not hold back tears."

Researchers revealed that his mother was also sent to Germany as a forced laborer but later returned to Poland. She eventually married a Frenchman and relocated to France.

Thiem was also told of a surviving aunt, who still lives in his Polish hometown.

He is now anxiously making plans for a trip to Lodz with his wife for a very special family reunion.

"I am hoping to learn more facts, maybe find other family members," Thiem said. "Maybe I can find traces of my mother and father.?All of this is of huge interest to me, it means so much."

Established by Allies in the final days of the Second World War and originally run by the Red Cross, the ITS helps to uncover the fates of Holocaust victims and others who suffered under the Nazi regime.

The archive in Bad Arolsen is said to be the largest storage facility of documents related to the Holocaust. It includes 30 million documents in 16 miles of shelves housing information about Holocaust survivors, displaced persons, slave laborers and political refugees from former Eastern Bloc countries.

Over the past 50 years, the ITS has answered more than 10 million requests. About 1,000 search requests continue to trickle in to the archive monthly.

"Many people still do not know what has become of their loved ones,"?said Dr. Ingeborg Berggreen-Merkel from Germany's federal commission of culture. "Even decades after the end of the Holocaust and the war, there is this persisting uncertainty, which results from the fact that part of one's own history remains untold."?

Visitors to the archive come into direct contact with the bureaucracy of mass murder.

Its meticulous records include concentration camp files, "deportation cards," patient records and a post-war index of non-German citizens. Its researchers plow through the stacks of yellowing paper, registering and scanning as many of the historic documents as possible. More than 95 percent have now been digitized.

But due to concerns about the victims' privacy, the ITS and the German government kept the files closed to the public for half a century. While search requests have been accepted since the end of the war, the archive was initially not "open source."

Following public pressure from survivor groups, historians and researchers, who called for public access to the archives, the ITS Commission -- consisting of 11 member states -- declared itself in favor of opening up Bad Arolsen in 1998.

Yet, scholars and researchers were only given access to the documents beginning in 2007.

"I think it was criminal that the documents were not opened up earlier," said Holocaust survivor and U.S. judge Thomas Buergenthal. He was able to find?records of his father's ordeal in the concentration camps of Auschwitz, Sachsenhausen and Buchenwald at Bad Arolsen.

"This archive is my father's only memorial, we have no other," Buergenthal added.

But although time has claimed many eyewitnesses, the archive is still helping to reunite survivors of Nazi terror -- such as Thiem and his long lost aunt. She remembers her nephew -- who is now an elderly man -- as a "little child."

"I spent a lifetime wondering who I really am, now I know," Thiem said.

Related:?

A retired teacher's courageous crusade: Tackling neo-Nazi hate

Despite dark past, young Israelis seek new lives in German capital

Warm glow of Berlin's 'beautiful' gas streetlights set to fade

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/26/16641847-holocaust-archive-rescues-lost-identities-reunites-long-lost-families?lite

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Regarding iPad 5, iPad mini 2, iPhone 5S, and other rumored Apple hardware

With the new year comes new speculation about what's next from Apple. We've been inundated with rumors already, everything from iterative to big to cheap iPhones, and everything from thinner iPads to Retina iPad minis. Today, Jeremy Horowitz from iLounge, which has a very good track record with this kind of stuff, gave a rundown of what he's hearing for 2013, including:

• iPhone 5S (N51), coming as early as July, and perhaps with an upgraded 13-megapixel rear camera.

• iPad 5 (J72), coming in October, with a thinner, lighter iPad mini-like casing.

• iPad mini 2 (J85), also coming in October, with the same design but perhaps with a Retina display.

• Cheaper iPhone for China with a plastic casing

• Larger iPhone, which may or may not make it to market.

Some of this lines up with what I've seen and heard, and what prompted my posts on the less expensive iPhone, the 5-inch iPhone, and the iPad 5 design. All of it sounds reasonable, and depicts logical next-steps for Apple's product line.

As to the timeline, a lot of it might simply depend on how long it takes to get things done. Making a Retina iPad 4 as relatively thin and light as an iPad mini, and giving an iPad mini a Retina display while keeping it thin and light are tremendous undertakings. Apple needs more power efficient panel technology, perhaps Sharp's IGZO. They need more power efficient chips, especially GPUs, to drive them, perhaps at smaller die sizes. They need more efficient LED to light them. And they need as much from as little battery as possible to power it all. If that's not in place in time for spring, the fall is the logical launch slot.

With the phones, Apple did a tremendous amount of work making the iPhone 5 as thin as they did. Getting an iPhone 4S-class camera in something as thin as the iPhone 5 took a lot of that work. Now that it's done, ramping up the quality of the camera even higher certainly sounds like something Apple would do. It's what they did with the iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S jump, after all. Add possible advances in processor tech, panel tech, and battery tech, and it starts to take shape.

The less expensive iPhone and bigger iPhone may or may not leave design and prototype stages. That's likely a go-to-market decision, and will depend on Apple's business -- and business relationships -- in emerging markets, and competitive pressures. Neither feels imminent.

What that means for February and March is interesting. With Apple dropping as much new product as they did last fall, renewing virtually every line they make, there've been a lot of questions about what's left for early 2013. Two years ago we had the Verizon iPhone in February and the iPad 2 in March. Last year we had OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and the education event in February, and the iPad 3 and Apple TV 3 in March.

I mentioned Apple TV 4 earlier in the week. An OS X 10.9 preview could be in the works again. Beyond that, there's always the chance for something new, or at least something unexpected.

All of that being said, and as cool as the thought of new hardware is, I still think iOS 7 and iCloud will be far, far more important for Apple in 2013.

Check out iLounge's post for everything they're hearing.

Source: iLounge)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/bja1D6T_dC8/story01.htm

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PFT: Adrian Peterson says he is NFL MVP

Getty Images

From the moment the NFL pulled the sheet off the Saints bounty case, the NFL accused Saints coach Sean Payton of telling his staff to ?get your ducks in a row? when the league first investigated the situation in early 2010.

Here?s how we explained it on March 7, quoting from the NFL?s initial report:? ?When NFL Security went to interview Saints employees, coach Sean Payton instructed his staff to ?get your ducks in a row.?? The report doesn?t elaborate on the meaning of Payton?s remark; he quite possibly was telling the assistant coaches to get their stories (or, as the case may be, their categorical denials) straight.?

But the NFL elaborated on?get your ducks in a row? two weeks later, explaining in the statement announcing Payton?s suspension that he ?encourage[d] the false denials by instructing assistants to ?make sure our ducks are in a row.??

On Friday?s PFT Live, I asked Payton whether he said ?get your ducks in a row,? and if so what he meant by that.

?It was really a comment that I had made in preparation for what I knew was going to be an investigation,? Payton said.? ?I had been contacted, our front office had been, . . . and I wanted to make sure, more importantly than anything else that anyone that was going to be investigated or questioned had their facts straight and the specifics of it.?

Asked specifically whether he was suggesting that the coaches should lie, Payton said, ?I think more than anything else it just meant be prepared and, listen, I?ve read and seen a lot of the reports about what that was insinuating and I think, you know, we?re stretching it or really looking for something there.? It really wasn?t what I was insinuating at all.?

To be clear, the NFL never insinuated that.? The NFL flat-out said it, assuming that Payton meant he wanted his assistants to lie based on the perception that they did lie.? But given that Commissioner Paul Tagliabue found that defensive end Anthony Hargrove ? who was suspended eight games by Roger Goodell for allegedly lying at the behest of former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and Saints linebackers coach Joe Vitt ? may not have been lying based on the specific questions he was asked, then the presumption that getting ?our ducks in a row? was an instruction to tell lies may have been erroneous.

As we wrote after Tagliabue scuttled the player suspensions in December, ?In fairness to Payton, ?making sure our ducks are in a row? doesn?t necessarily mean ?making sure our lies are in a row.?? Lawyers routinely prepare witnesses before hearings and trials not with the goal of suborning perjury but of ensuring that an inadvertent misstatement of fact doesn?t provide the opposition with an unintended ?gotcha? moment.?

Though Payton is now back and the process has concluded, the fact remains that the NFL?s presumed smoking gun in the case supporting Payton?s full-season suspension may not have been.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/27/adrian-peterson-thinks-hes-the-nfl-mvp/related

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Potential benefits and threats of nanotechnology research

Jan. 25, 2013 ? Every day scientists learn more about how the world works at the smallest scales. While this knowledge has the potential to help others, it's possible that the same discoveries can also be used in ways that cause widespread harm.

A new article in the journal Nanomedicine, born out of a Federal Bureau of Investigation workshop held at the University of Notre Dame in September 2012, tackles this complex "dual-use" aspect of nanotechnology research.

"The rapid pace of breakthroughs in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and other fields, holds the promise of great improvements in areas such as medical diagnosis and treatment" says Kathleen Eggleson, a research scientist in Notre Dame's Center for Nano Science and Technology and the author of the study.

"But the risk of misuse of these breakthroughs rises along with the potential benefit. This is the essence of the 'dual-use dilemma.'"

The report examines the potential for nano-sized particles (which are measured in billionths of a meter) to breach the blood-brain barrier, the tightly knit layers of cells that afford the brain the highest level of protection -- from microorganisms, harmful molecules, etc. -- in the human body. Some neuroscientists are purposefully engineering nanoparticles that can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) so as to deliver medicines in a targeted and controlled way directly to diseased parts of the brain.

At the same time, the report notes, "nanoparticles designed to cross the BBB constitute a serious threat?in the context of combat." For example, it is theorized that "aerosol delivery" of some nano-engineered agent in "a crowded indoor space" could cause serious harm to many people at once.

The problem of dual-use research was highlighted last year when controversy erupted over the publication of findings that indicate how, with a handful modifications, the H5N1 influenza virus ("bird flu") can be altered in a way that would enable it to be transmitted between mammalian populations.

After a self-imposed one-year moratorium on this research, several laboratories around the world announced that they will restart the work in early 2013.

The FBI is actively responding to these developments in the scientific community.

"The law enforcement-security community seeks to strengthen the existing dialogue with researchers," William So of the FBI's Biological Countermeasures Unit says in the study.

"Science flourishes because of the open and collaborative atmosphere for sharing and discussing ideas. The FBI believes this model can do the same for our two communities?[and] create effective safeguards for science and national interests."

The scientists and engineers who conduct nanoscale research have the ability and responsibility to consider the public safety aspects of their research and to act to protect society when necessary, argues Eggleson.

"The relationship between science and society is an uneasy one, but it is undeniable on the whole and not something any individual can opt out of in the name of progress for humanity's benefit," she says.

"Thought about dual-use, and action when appropriate, is inherent to socially responsible practice of nanobiomedical science."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Notre Dame, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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. Kathleen Eggleson. Dual-use nanoresearch of concern: Recognizing threat and safeguarding the power of nanobiomedical research advances in the wake of the H5N1 controversy. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2012.12.001

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/top_news/top_technology/~3/3_zmdBmTbYE/130125154815.htm

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Go International, Young Startup - Harvard Business Review

by Michael Fertik??|??10:36 AM January 25, 2013

Conventional wisdom says that startups need to embed themselves with American customers, sometimes for a stretch of years, before branching out to Europe and then Asia.

Like most conventional wisdom, it's nonsense (or bollocks, absurdit?, ?? ? take your pick).

It's seductive to listen to, especially if you're at all concerned about becoming profitable (a major preoccupation for nearly every entrepreneur, unsurprisingly). Traditionally, you'd start with the U.S. market and stay there, often for several years, because it's worth twice as much as the European market and three times that of going to Asia.

That was true once, but it's not anymore. The whole world is fast becoming one market ? and money is a universal language uniting all, whether you're selling in China, marketing to the French or closing a deal in New York City. It may be a happy accident, but it's just as easy to generate revenue internationally as it is to do with your home base clientele.

That's why I think it's critical for companies ? including and especially young businesses ? to go international earlier, rather than waiting five, seven or 10 years. That was a decision we made for our company, Reputation.com, and it was the right move. It opened some good revenue streams for us and, almost more importantly, helped surface rich cultural intel about our products and what offerings would appeal the most in which markets. As a result, we were able to intelligently redirect resources to capitalize on the countries with the most initial promise for us.

A recent conversation with Dave Goldberg, CEO of SurveyMonkey, reinforced the benefits of international expansion.

"If you have a product business and you aren't focused on international, you are missing out on two-thirds of your potential customers," Goldberg told me.

SurveyMonkey was international from its inception, Goldberg said, in that customers overseas could purchase its services. But these customers could only see an English-language website and buy in U.S. dollars and most didn't really want to do business that way. "We were not optimized for international customers," he said.

All of that changed two years ago, when SurveyMonkey localized its site. Goldberg said the transition was fascinating to watch: "Our customer support was only in English, but the next day, those same customers were contacting us in their native language." Today, customers can select from 15 different languages and 29 individual currencies.

There are several lessons here, especially for startups, which would benefit hugely from rapid advances in market share, profit and capability:

Get international. When you focus only on customers in your backyard, you're effectively slamming the door in the faces of international consumers who might be very interested in what you're offering. There are few legitimate arguments for keeping your customer base to one-third its potential size. How can you really say no to expanding by 67 percent? After SurveyMonkey really committed to its international strategy, Goldberg says organic growth accelerated dramatically.

Speak their language. Sales and profits generally increase when companies pursue smart localization. Why? It's the same reason the late Tim Russert secured an incredibly hard-to-get interview with Pope John Paul II. He followed advice from his beloved father, known as Big Russ, to literally speak the pope's language. Russert's earnest letter, written in the pope's native Polish, made the critical difference. The point? Using the right language conveys respect for others ? you're meeting them on their terms. It's also proof of a thoughtful commitment to convenience, making it easy for consumers to engage with you.

Don't be unreasonably constrained by cost concerns. Goldberg says the costs to launch a new language for SurveyMonkey are very reasonable, with the tab for annual maintenance even less. They work with a small company that handles the change management associated with multiple languages, and just one full-time employee is responsible for the workflow of these language sites and associated teams. The lesson is clear: Don't just assume international growth will be too expensive. Really do the research and think creatively to see if and how it can be done.

Consider an acquisition. Inorganic growth still very much "counts" as growth and purchasing another company is often an excellent part of a global expansion strategy. Even a small acquisition can open the door to rich opportunities in a new market, expansion of native capabilities, use of patented technologies, etc. Over time, these can contribute mightily to the bottom line.

As I helped ring the "remote" NYSE Opening Bell here in Davos this week, and throughout the meetings here, the markets have clearly been a key topic. For entrepreneurs, the U.S. markets are always fodder for discussion and enthusiasm ? but what's interesting is the clear emergence of international markets as attractive contenders for startups. And at Davos, the vibrant discussions and global ideas are a great reminder that shedding inward myopia expands the potential for real and significant success.

Perhaps companies should put a fresh spin on the famous exhortation: "Go West, young man, and grow up with the country." While lacking that historic ring, "Go international, young startup, and grow the company," is absolutely the right advice for young businesses.

Put another way: get aggressive, get purposeful and get global.

Source: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/01/go_international_young_startup.html

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Saudi prince calls for Syrian rebels to be armed

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - A senior member of Saudi Arabia's monarchy called on Friday for Syrian rebels to be given anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons to "level the playing field" in their battle against President Bashar al-Assad.

Insurgents in Syria have seized territory in the north of the country and control suburbs to the east and south of the capital, but Assad's air power and continued army strength have limited their advances 22 months into the conflict.

"I'm not in government so I don't have to be diplomatic. I assume we're sending weapons and if we were not sending weapons it would be terrible mistake on our part," said Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former intelligence chief and brother of Saudi Arabia's foreign minister.

"You have to level the playing field. Most of the weapons the rebels have come from captured Syrian stocks and defectors bringing their weapons," he said at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos.

"What is needed are sophisticated, high-level weapons that can bring down planes, can take out tanks at a distance. This is not getting through."

More than 60,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which started nearly two years ago with mainly peaceful protests but has mushroomed into a civil war that has driven half a million people from the country and displaced many more.

Syria has accused Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, the United States and France of funding and arming the rebels, something they have all denied. But U.N. diplomats say that weapons are clearly reaching the rebels via Gulf Arab states and Turkey.

Saudi Arabia has called in the past for the rebels to be armed, but diplomats say that Western countries are reluctant to allow sophisticated weapons into the country, fearing they would fall into the hands of increasingly powerful Islamist forces.

The United States has designated one Islamist group in Syria - the Nusra Front - as a terrorist organization and expressed concern about the growing Islamist militant strength in Syria.

But the Saudi prince said foreign powers should have enough information on the many rebel brigades to ensure weapons only reached specific groups.

"Leveling the plain militarily should go hand in hand with a diplomatic initiative ... You can select the good guys and give them these means and build their credibility," he said.

"Now they don't have the means, and the extremists have the means and are getting the prestige."

(Reporting by Paul Taylor; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-prince-calls-syrian-rebels-armed-140944304.html

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