Is Social Media still Innovative and Exciting | CustomerThink

MarketPlace

Global Customer Experience Management (CEM) Certification Program

[Apr 18-19, Hong Kong; Apr 23-24, Sydney] An internationally recognized program with proven track record of success - being run for 37 times in 15 cities with attendees from 58 countries, the program is developed based on the U.S. patent-pending Branded CEM Method which aims to drive customer loyalty and brand differentiation with quantifiable business results. Limited offer: USD300 early bird discount.

B-to-B Customer Experience Summit

[May 1-2, San Diego] The first Customer Experience conference focused exclusively on Business to Business enterprises. Features keynotes, workshops and networking to help you define a CX vision for the future, with practical advice on using customer intelligence to drive action, change, and results.

Sentiment Analysis Symposium

[May 8, New York] The symposium is designed for businesses that want to lead the competition in customer satisfaction, brand and reputation management, financial services, product design and marketing. Gain an understanding of customer, market, investor, and political sentiment, emotion, and opinion. Use discount code CT100 to save $100.

Boost Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty at SCORE 2013

[May 29-31, Boston] Customer experience management (CEM) strategy meets customer operations at SCORE Conference 2013. Topics include driving customer satisfaction and loyalty, employee engagement, customer retention, call center technology and big data analytics. CustomerThink members save $700 off the regular registration fee.

Customer Service Experience: How to Optimize Channels and Metrics to Drive Omnichannel Excellence

[Recorded March 21] Consumers expect companies to monitor social media and offer mobile apps, while continuing to support live agents, web self-service and more. Learn how to optimizing this critical omnichannel service experience to drive loyalty, cost effectively, using the right channels and metrics.

B2B Customer Experience Management: How Leadership, Insight and Best Practices Drive Business Performance

[Recorded Feb 21] CEM is coming of age in B2B! Learn the six CEM practices that drive increases in customer loyalty, profitable revenue and market share. And, how business leaders can leverage predictive analytics on Big Data to empower Customer Experience strategies.

Social Experience 2013: The Big Shift from Social Media Marketing to Communities for Engagement

[Recorded Jan 31] Progressive companies know that social channels--from online communities to blogs to Facebook--help deliver engaging customer experiences. Learn how Social Experiences can co-create value with your customers, leading to improved loyalty, innovation and service.

Get your event or resource listed in the MarketPlace, reaching 200,000 business leaders monthly.
For more information, contact CustomerThink advertising sales.

Source: http://www.customerthink.com/blog/is_social_media_still_innovative_and_exciting

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Mobile Miscellany: week of March 25th, 2013

If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, an unknown T-Mobile handset with Snapdragon 800 internals lit up the benchmarks, Sony was foiled at the lock screen and Rogers made 44 new promises without saying much at all. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of March 25th, 2013.

Sony joins the screen lock exploit club

We've recently seen lock screen vulnerabilities from Apple and Samsung, and now Sony's here to make it a trio. This week, Scott Reed revealed a bypass method for the Xperia Z, which disturbingly enough, brings full and unfettered access to the smartphone. You'll find the proof for yourself in this 35-second video, which reveals the necessary string of characters that must be entered into the phone's dialer. While a glitch in the video initially put our suspicions on high alert, we've come across several confirmations that reveal the exploit not only works for the Xperia Z, but also the Xperia S and Xperia P. Pretty disturbing, right? [GSM Arena, xda-developers]

Benchmark reveals Snapdragon 800 lurking within LG D801 for T-Mobile

Hold onto your hats, folks, because the Snapdragon 800 just spanked the competition in a GPU benchmark test, and in the process, a potential superphone was pegged on T-Mobile's horizon. The phone in question is the LG D801, which reared its head with the Qualcomm MSM8974 SoC at its core. According to GLBenchmark figures (which have since been taken offline), the handset soundly trounced both the HTC One and the latest iPad, which is no doubt thanks to the Adreno 330 GPU. It should come as no surprise that a 1080p display was revealed for the LG D801, and if the device strings have any bearing, we may see this one branded as the Optimus G2. Seeing that LG was first to market with both the Snapdragon S4 Pro and the Snapdragon 600, it certainly wouldn't shock us to see the manufacturer pull off a three-peat. [GSM Arena, Droid Life]

Promotional codes are one step closer to reality in BlackBerry World

If a leak from the crew at N4BB is any indication, BlackBerry World may soon find support for promotional codes. That's because buttons and dialogs were recently uncovered on a BlackBerry Dev Alpha C unit, which clearly shows BlackBerry's intention to implement the feature. While it's not the biggest revelation, the move could be lucrative for developers, and it'd also bring BlackBerry World one step closer to parity with other content ecosystems. Here's to moving in the right direction. [N4BB]

Rogers teases springtime LTE rollout for 44 markets, 2600MHz deployment

This week, Rogers announced that LTE coverage will be extended to 44 new markets over the coming months. Of these markets, it'll extend its relatively young 2600MHz LTE service to 34 of the new areas, which is said to offer faster connection speeds, up to a highly theoretical (and entirely unrealistic) 150 Mbps. Upon completion of the rollout, Rogers' LTE service will extend to 21.5 million Canadians, or roughly 65 percent of the population. Unfortunately, Rogers is also being rather coy with its announcement, and so far has only named Saint John, New Brunswick; Medicine Hat, Alberta; Sault Ste. Marie, Guelph, Muskokas and Collingwood, Ontario; and "multiple cities in Quebec" for the LTE rollout. [MobileSyrup]

Other random tidbits

• The LG Optimus G is now available for purchase in the UK through Expansys, where it retails for ?469.99. [Unwired View]
• Bell Mobility now has the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2 on store shelves, which we previously reviewed at the MiFi Liberate for AT&T. The touchscreen-enabled hotspot retails for $199.95 outright, or $49.95 with a two-year contract. [MobileSyrup]
• If you're living in the UK and you've been holding out for a BB10 device with a physical keyboard, you'll be glad to know that O2 has identified the BlackBerry Q10 for a May arrival. No word on pricing, though. [Unwired View]
• AT&T has activated its LTE network to Watertown, N.Y., Harrison and Eureka Springs, Ark., Hilton Head and Bluffton, S.C., and Hernando County, Fla. The carrier has also extended its 4G coverage in Princeton and Gloucester County, N.J., and Gary, Ind. [AT&T 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Must-read mobile stories

[Mobile Miscellany photo credit: Thristian / Flickr]

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/30/mobile-miscellany/

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Senators caution immigration deal not final

FILE - In this March 12, 2013 file photo, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Republican Party?s search for a way back to presidential success in 2016 is drawing a striking array of personalities and policy options. It?s shaping up as a wide-open self-reassessment by the GOP. Some factions are trying to tug the party left or right. Others argue over pragmatism versus defiance. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

FILE - In this March 12, 2013 file photo, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Republican Party?s search for a way back to presidential success in 2016 is drawing a striking array of personalities and policy options. It?s shaping up as a wide-open self-reassessment by the GOP. Some factions are trying to tug the party left or right. Others argue over pragmatism versus defiance. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., makes a point as he is joined by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Sen. Michael Bennett, D-CO, during a news conference after their tour of the Mexico border with the United States on Wednesday, March 27, 2013, in Nogales, Ariz. A group of influential U.S. senators shaping and negotiating details of an immigration reform package vowed Wednesday to make the legislation public when Congress reconvenes next month. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Even with one of the largest hurdles to an immigration overhaul overcome, optimistic lawmakers on Sunday cautioned they had not finished work on a bill that would provide a path to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants.

The AFL-CIO and the pro-business U.S. Chamber of Commerce reached a deal late Friday that would allow tens of thousands of low-skill workers into the country to fill jobs in construction, restaurants and hotels. Yet despite the unusual agreement between the two powerful lobbying groups, lawmakers from both parties conceded that the negotiations were not finished.

"With the agreement between business and labor, every major policy issue has been resolved," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat who brokered the labor-business deal.

But it hasn't taken the form of a bill and the eight senators searching for a compromise haven't met about the potential breakthrough.

"We haven't signed off," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

"There are a few details yet. But conceptually, we have an agreement between business and labor, between ourselves that has to be drafted," he added.

Yet just before lawmakers began appearing on Sunday shows, Sen. Marco Rubio warned he was not ready to lend his name ? and political clout ? to such a deal without hashing out the details.

"Reports that the bipartisan group of eight senators have agreed on a legislative proposal are premature," said Rubio, a Florida Republican who is among the lawmakers working on legislation.

Rubio, a Cuban-American who is weighing a presidential bid in 2016, is a leading figure inside his party. Lawmakers will be closely watching any deal for his approval and his skepticism about the process did little to encourage optimism.

Rubio, who is the group's emissary to conservatives, called the agreement "a starting point" but said 92 senators from 43 states haven't yet been involved in the process.

The detente between the nation's leading labor federation and the powerful business lobbying group still needs senators' approval, including a nod from Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican whose previous efforts came up short.

"I think we're on track. . But as Sen. Rubio correctly says, we have said we will not come to final agreement till we look at all of the legislative language and he's correctly pointing out that that language hasn't been fully drafted," Schumer said.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., also noted the significance of the truce between labor and business but added that this wasn't yet complete.

"That doesn't mean we've crossed every 'i' or dotted every 't,' or vice versa," said Flake, who is among the eight lawmakers working on the deal.

Schumer negotiated the deal between AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka and Chamber of Commerce head Tom Donohue during a late-Friday phone call. Under the compromise, the government would create a new "W'' visa for low-skill workers who would earn wages paid to Americans or the prevailing wages for the industry they're working in, whichever is higher. The Labor Department would determine prevailing wage based on customary rates in specific localities, so that it would vary from city to city.

The proposed measure would secure the border, crack down on employers, improve legal immigration and create a 13-year pathway to citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants already here.

It's a major second-term priority of President Barack Obama's and would usher in the most dramatic changes to the faltering U.S. immigration system in more than two decades.

"This is a legacy item for him. There is no doubt in my mind that he wants to pass comprehensive immigration reform," said David Axelrod, a longtime political confidant of Obama.

During the last week, an immigration deal seemed doomed. But the breakthrough late Friday restarted the talks.

Ultimately the new "W'' visa program would be capped at 200,000 workers a year, but the number of visas would fluctuate, depending on unemployment rates, job openings, employer demand and data collected by a new federal bureau being pushed by labor groups as an objective monitor of the market, according to an official involved with the talks who also spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement.

A "safety valve" would allow employers to exceed the cap, the official said, if they could show need and pay premium wages, but any additional workers brought in would be subtracted from the next year's cap.

The workers could move from employer to employer and would be able to petition for permanent residency and ultimately seek U.S. citizenship. Neither is possible for temporary workers now.

"As to the 11 million (illegal immigrants), they'll have a pathway to citizenship, but it will be earned, it will be long, and it will be hard, and I think it is fair," Graham said.

The new program would fill needs employers say they have that are not currently met by U.S. immigration programs. Most industries don't have a good way to hire a steady supply of foreign workers because there's one temporary visa program for low-wage nonagricultural workers but it's capped at 66,000 visas per year and is only supposed to be used for seasonal or temporary jobs.

Separately, the new immigration bill also is expected to offer many more visas for high-tech workers, new visas for agriculture workers, and provisions allowing some agriculture workers already in the U.S. a speedier path to citizenship than that provided to other illegal immigrants, in an effort to create a stable agricultural workforce.

Schumer, Flake and Axelrod appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press." Graham was interviewed on CNN's "State of the Union."

___

Associated Press writer Erica Werner contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-31-US-Immigration/id-9a61247a0ae24e93bfdaee06f464ffab

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Jackson Reforms: Important Changes to UK Litigation Rules | Legal ...

The Jackson reforms ? the UK?s new litigation rules ? will go into effect in England and Wales on April 1, 2013. These new rules will have a significant impact on how litigation is conducted in the UK.

While the reforms may, at first blush, appear to only affect certain mechanical aspects of the litigation process, they actually go to the basic foundations of the dispute resolution process in the UK.

A shift from ?loser pays? to ?no-win, no-fee?

The UK has traditionally been a country where the winning party usually recovers its costs (including attorneys? fees) from the losing party. This principle applied whether the winning party prosecuted or defended a case.

This type of ?loser pays? system has long been a hallmark of litigation in the UK and is one of the reasons why the UK has traditionally been much less litigious than the United States, where each party pays its legal costs or a plaintiff can retain an attorney on a ?contingency fee? basis.

For example, a plaintiff in a personal injury case in the United States can hire an attorney and not be obligated to pay the attorney?s fees unless the suit is successful and money is recovered in an action against the responsible parties who caused plaintiff?s damages.

Indeed, perhaps the most significant change coming to the UK is a fundamental alteration of this long-standing ?loser pays? system. Specifically, pursuant to the ?Jackson Reforms,? claimants will be able to hire lawyers on a ?no-win, no-fee? basis that is similar to US-style contingency fee agreements.

UK adopts new contingency fee agreements

Under the new UK system, lawyers will be paid an agreed percentage of the damages actually recovered, up to 50%, including VAT. In personal injury cases the cap will be 25% and in employment cases 35% of the damages.

Costs on the ?normal time basis? will be recoverable from a defendant and the plaintiff will be responsible for the balance of the costs from the damages. This is a monumental change in the way that litigation will be handled in the UK and its effects may dramatically increase the amount of litigation activity in the UK.

General damages for claims in contract and tort will also be increased by 10% for nonpecuniary loss (e.g. pain and suffering damages). This will apply primarily to claims for personal injury, nuisance and defamation.

Pursuant to these reforms, personal injury plaintiffs will also be able to recover costs if their case is successful, but will not have to pay the defendant?s costs if they lose, unless the claim is fraudulent or otherwise an abuse of the process of the court.

Jackson reforms: effects

It is likely that there will be frequent amendments and clarifications of the rules, as various questions about the new procedures reach the court. There are a number of issues which will arise in relation to the interpretation of the new rules, and during the first few years after they come into effect there will, no doubt, be a number of cases which go to the Court of Appeal for clarification.

Regardless, these changes represent a movement toward a US-style litigation system and will likely have unintended consequences not just in the UK, but also for companies and attorneys around the world who have interests in the UK or whose clients may be sued there.

Source: http://www.legallanguage.com/legal-articles/jackson-reforms-uk-litigation-rules/

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What Is Supply Change Management? | - Business Change ...

Supply change management (SCM) focuses on the entire process of delivering a product to the user. This includes the cumulative effort of several companies to supply the necessary tools and supplies to produce a product. Supply chain management also takes into consideration how companies are able to improve the process within their own organizations to deliver the final product to their customer. Effectively implemented, chemical processing companies are able to manage prices, margins and risks.

However, businesses must take an active management role on how to optimize the customer?s perceived value of the product and sustain a competitive advantage in the industry. This is a conscious effort that must be established by organizations to run supply chains that are efficient and effective in the most the streamed way possible. The activities involved in transferring chemicals to plants include product development, sourcing, manufacturing and logistics as well as creating a system to manage these activities. Chemical companies must take into consideration how to forecast the supply chain models, create a distribution network, production planning and shipment consolidation.

Creating an effective supply chain management strategy connects companies through each process of moving a product to final production. These include how to move and store material to produce the product. In addition, communication is also necessary to allow numerous partners within the supply chain to create long-lasting and streamlined plans to control the day-to-day flow of chemicals and materials through the supply chain process.

Effectively managed, the result will be the ability for several companies to transform raw materials into a final product that is delivered to customers. The management process is created in five stages to guarantee that the entire process is effective. The process includes the planning stages, development, manufacturing the product, logistics and customer returns.

Throughout the planning stage, strategies are established to address how to fulfill customer requirements throughout the process. The main portion of the planning will focus on organizing a profitable supply chain. The development stage includes building a solid partnership with the suppliers of the raw materials to produce the goods for the consumer. This portion of the supply chain also takes into consideration the developing efficient shipping, delivering and repayment processes.

Once the product has been manufactured, the next step is to test, package and deliver the product. The logistics portion of the supply change management takes into consideration how to organize the delivery of the merchandise to the customer. The final stage takes into consideration how to minimize the risk of returns. In addition, the company must also create a plan on how to answer any customer questions on their products.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7184804

Source: http://www.business-change-management.com/2013/03/29/what-is-supply-change-management/

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Upcoming Global Tech & Media Events - The Next Web

Every two weeks, The Next Web helps you keep track of interesting technology events around the globe by bringing you a list of upcoming tech conferences, meetups and get-togethers.

As the end of the year approaches, we?ve already added a few of next year?s events. For most of these events we?ve arranged a special discount on tickets. If you think your event should be included, feel free to?submit it?for review.

*Denotes events organised by The Next Web.

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*The Next Web Conference Europe, 25-26 April 2013, Amsterdam
Expect the 8th edition of The Next Web Conference to be packed with amazing speakers, high quality content, networking events, parties and dealmaking opportunities. On April 25th & 26th we?re expecting 2000 attendees in Amsterdam to join us in raising the bar for every technology conference in the world. The attendees are a blend of decision makers from the European and American tech scenes, developers, startups, innovators, along with venture capitalists, industry journalists, bloggers, and senior level executives.

Grab the limited early bird tickets by?registering today!

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Startupbootcamp Open Pitch Day ? Multiple Dates ? Multiple Cities

Open Pitch Days are informal events where startups can pitch their companies to Startupbootcamp and experienced mentors and receive instant feedback. The aim is to add value to all startups pitching, and to find top-notch startups relevant for the Startupbootcamp accelerator programs. The Open Pitch Days are therefore also used as part of our screening process. All start-ups should apply. If you are a mobility, connectivity or big-data Startup, we?ll have a closer look.

Please see the calendar on the Startupbootcamp site for a complete listing of events and their respective cities.

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FOUND Silicon Valley ? 2 April 2013 ? Mountain View, CA

FOUND Silicon Valley will feature presentations and discussions on the future of SEO and content marketing. The intimate event provides a chance for attendees to learn and network with industry veterans and fellow professionals in a collaborative format.

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TNW Conference Meetup Italia ? 4 April 2013 ? Talent Garden Milan

A friendly meetup with a panel of italian brightest technology speakers and influencers. During the event, organizers will give a preview of The Next Web Conference program, with Patrick de Laive, TNW cofounder, live from Amsterdam. Beers and snacks will be served.

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FinTech Hackathon ? 6-7 April, 2013 ? NYC

The goal of the FinTech Hackathon is to promote technological innovation in the financial
industry. The FinTech Hackathon brings together developers, designers, product managers and
marketers to launch innovative financial products and services with tools from several API, data
and platform partners.

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Big Data TechCon - 8-10 April 2013 ? Cambridge, MA

BZ Media?s inaugural Big Data TechCon, April 8-10 in Boston has generated lots of excitement. This transformative show will focus on the entire big data ecosystem, and attract developers, IT managers and practitioners. Big Data TechCon is technology-agnostic and will apply to organizations using relational databases, NoSQL databases, graph databases, unstructured data, flat files and data feeds.

Code MEDIASPONSOR gets you a $100 discount on a 3-day pass.

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BACON ? 12-13 April, 2013 ? London

BACON is a two day, two track conference on things developers love. Curated by developers for developers it features 30 awesome talks covering everything from rocket science to raspberry pi.

Code BACONTNW takes 15% off from ticket price.

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The Tabby Awards ? 15 April 2013 ? San Francisco

TabTimes and the Application Developers Alliance bring you THE TABBY AWARDS ? the only competition worldwide for the best iPad, Android and Windows 8 tablet apps.

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GSummit SF 2013 ? 16-19 April, 2013 ? San Francisco

Come to GSummit (April 16-18) and earn your official gamification design certification, hear detailed practical examples of what works and what doesn?t from the experts themselves, network with the world?s top gamification designers and vendors, and get inspired. As consumer & employee attention has been harder and harder to obtain, you?ll learn how many companies have utilized gamification to create loyal customers & engaged employees.

TNW readers use code TNW13SF for $200 off of registration.

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Big Data Week ? 22-28 April, 2013 ? Worldwide

Big Data Week is one of the most unique global platforms of interconnected community events focusing on the social, political, technological and commercial impacts of Big Data. It brings together a global community of data scientists, data technologies, data visualisers and data businesses spanning six major commercial, financial, social and technological sectors.

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Future Insights Live???29 April ? 2 May 2013 ? Las Vegas

The 2nd annual Future Insights Live is a multi-track, 4-day tech conference, featuring an optional workshop day and 3 conference days. A combination of our existing shows ? Future of Web Apps, Future of Web Design, and Future of Mobile ? FILive will discuss the future technologies, platforms, and business models YOU should be using and implementing to launch the next big thing.

TNW readers ? 10% off when you use the code TNW10 during checkout.

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InnoTech Summit ? 26 April 2013 ? London

Showcasing some of the world?s most promising tech start ups, the InnoTech Summit is a day-long event with one purpose: to grow and support London?s tech economy. How are we going to do it? By connecting the dots between small businesses, powerful investors, and highly influential policy makers to make London a leading IPO market. This is tech entrepreneurs meets the City of London. The Mayor of London, Edmund Truell, Thomas Power, Rohan Silva and a host of second stage start ups will be participating in the InnoTech Summit. Make sure you?re there too.

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On The Edge London ? 30 April 2013 ? London

After the success of the 2012 On The Edge Digital Marketing Conferences, these incredible events are back! The London conference will take place, 30th April, at the Britannia International Hotel. We guarantee you will walk away with the knowledge and tools necessary to implement an effective Digital Marketing Strategy. Topics include; mobile, content marketing, SEO, PPC, Facebook, email marketing, and Google+

Code TNW15 takes 15% off for TNW readers.

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TabTimes Tablet Strategy ? 30 April 2013 ? New York

After the resounding success of its first edition last April in New York, the TabTimes TABLET STRATEGY conference will return again to the East coast. TabTimes TABLET STRATEGY is where business and IT executives meet to share their experiences and learn from each other.

Code TNW takes 50% off from registration.

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OuiShare Fest ? 2-4 May 2013 ? Paris

OuiShare Fest is the first major European event about the collaborative economy. Organized by OuiShare and La Fonderie, this three-day festival will bring together a global community of entrepreneurs, designers, makers, economists, investors, politicians and citizens to build a collaborative future in Paris.

Use code TNW13 for 10% off of ticket price.

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Global Mobile Internet Conference Beijing ? 7-8 May 2013 ? Beijing

GMIC Beijing is Asia?s largest and most influential mobile industry event and, for five years, has been at the forefront of the mobile Internet industry, focusing on global markets and emerging technologies. GMIC Beijing has been especially successful at connecting leading mobile companies in US and Europe to those in China and Asia. As such, GMIC is the Launchpad for many companies entering China like Evernote, Flipboard, Halfbrick (Fruit Ninja), and Rovio (Angry Birds).

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Sentiment Analysis Symposium ? 8 May 2013 ? NYC

Attend the premier event covering social media and social intelligence ? for customer experience, finance, healthcare, market research, and media applications. The symposium is designed for businesses that want to lead the competition in customer satisfaction and support, brand and reputation management, financial services, product design and marketing, and other business processes.

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Future of Web Design ? 13-15 May 2013 ? London

For the third straight year, we?ll meet in the amazing surroundings of The Brewery for three days of the very best in web design. Here?s what we?ll have on offer:

• 4 amazing day-long workshops led by the best in the business
• More technical topics and practical guidance than ever before
• Healthy doses of inspiration
• Creative challenges
• An instameet and other relaxed networking opportunities
• A rousing after-party and the chance to pull some shapes on the dance floor
• A showcase of amazing new talent on our Rising Stars stage

Code TNW10 takes off 10% at checkout.

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Maastricht Week of Entrepreneurship???14-18 May 2013 ? Maastricht
The Maastricht Centre for Entrepreneurship is planning an amazing program for the 5th edition of the?Maastricht Week of Entrepreneurship?(MeWeek).

Under the theme of ?Brand You?, MeWeek is gathering the region?s best entrepreneurs to showcase their achievements, talk about how they were able to make their mark and inspire participants to become entrepreneurial and build on their passions.

TNW Readers can save 10% as soon as registration opens in January.

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Boulder Startup Week ? 15-19 May 2013 ? Boulder, CO

Founded in 2010, Boulder Startup Week is a five-day celebration of the startup community in Boulder, Colorado. There is no registration required ? come as you are. While there is a titular focus on startups, many of the larger tech companies in the area contribute to the vitality of the event, much as they contribute to the vitality of the city. Over the course of five days in May, local startups open their doors to welcome any and all to the community by way of free events, meetups, sessions, parties and hootenannies.

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The App Summit ? 21 May 2013 ? Las Vegas, NV

Join us at the world?s longest running event dedicated to apps, mobile web and new media strategies. Hear from industry leaders as we discuss the next generation of applications and platforms. We are the Official Partner of CTIA 2013 ? One of the worlds most important mobile events

Developers: Contact Larry Lockhart for $99 developer rate

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eTail Latin America ? 22-24 May, 2013 ? Miami Beach, Florida

Participate in the 3rd edition of the eTail Latin America and gain access to cutting-edge technologies, tools and best practices to improve your e-Commerce within the Latin American market and debate about the main issues and opportunities to become a high-level e-Commerce store.

TNW readers use code 19406003TNW for 10% off registration.

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Lean Startup Machine Amsterdam ? 24-26 May 2013 ? Amsterdam

Lean Startup Machine is a three-day workshop where attendees use Customer Development and Lean Startup principles to validate an idea for a new product or service. Bring your team, or come alone and new teams will form on Friday night.

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Social Gaming 2013 ? 23 May 2013 ? London

Social Gaming 2013 will ask the key question ?What next for the social gaming industry??

With a focus on both social gaming and social gambling, the conference will tackle issues including: the commercial and legal challenges that the social gaming industry faces, regulatory conundrums, the monetization of social games, the case for and against self-regulation and what the future holds for this ever diverging industry.

TNW 20 takes 20% off when registering here.

Android Developer Conference ? 28-31 May 2013 ? Boston, MA

AnDevCon is the technical conference for software developers building or selling Android apps. It will offer one day of intensive workshops, followed by three days of technical classes. More than 1,000 software developers, engineers and entrepreneurs from 40 nations are projected to attend and choose from 70+ classes to bring Android open source development to a high level. Exhibits admission is free: visit more than 50 exhibitors!

Code MEDIASPONSOR takes $100 off from a 3 or 4-day pass.

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GEN News Summit ? 19-21 June, 2013 ? Paris

GEN News Summit isn?t your typical conference. Consisting of a dynamic programme including the Data Journalism Awards, The Drone Journalism Boot Camp, Startups for News, six workshops hosted by the ONA and the Editors Lab Hackathon. Editors-in-chief, newsroom decision-makers, data journalists, developers, designers, and entrepreneurs meet during a three day period to share their expertise on creating a better future for journalism.

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ITX Asia 2013???11 ? 13 September 2013 ? Kuala Lumpur

ITX Asia 2013?will be the 2nd ICT & ERP Trade Exhibition serving Malaysia & the Asian region. It will be a platform of enterprises and the ICT to see the latest ICT showcase and trends as well as a networking avenue congregated in one place. The Industry keeps evolving and continues to captivate the enterprises of its latest innovations. ITX Asia 2013 will serve the purpose of meeting the objectives of participants of mutual interest pertaining to the subject of Information Communication Technology.

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Pioneers Festival ? 30/31 October 2013 ? Vienna, Austria

Pioneers Festival gathers the tech scene ? Startups, Founders, Hackers, Bloggers, VCs and Innovators, in fact the Troublemakers ? from all over to inspire and be inspired. Set in the heart of Vienna, at Hofburg Imperial Palace, Pioneers Festival educates, entertains and inspires a new generation of Pioneers.

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Disclosure:?Some links in this article offer a commission payment to The Next Web if you click through and buy tickets.

Source: http://thenextweb.com/events/2013/03/30/upcoming-tech-and-media-events-you-should-attend-discounts-2/

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Growing plants on Mars

Mar. 28, 2013 ? Concrete plans for a one-way ticket to Mars have been forged. Food will have to be grown on location. Is this a distant future scenario? Not for Wieger Wamelink, ecologist at Alterra Wageningen UR, for whom the future will begin on 2 April. He will be researching whether or not it is possible to grow plants on the moon.

We have been to the moon several times. Next time, we may go back for a considerable period. And concrete plans for a one-way ticket to Mars have already been forged. Food will have to be grown on location. Is this a distant future scenario? Not for Wieger Wamelink, ecologist at Alterra Wageningen UR, for whom the future will begin on 2 April. He will be researching whether or not it is possible to grow plants on the moon.

Will plants survive in Martian soil or moon dust? This question was initially prompted by Dutch plans to establish a colony on Mars. As the plan does not include a return trip, the basic necessities would have to be satisfied on location. "Mars is still a long way off," says Wieger Wamelink, explaining his plans. "But the moon is closer, so it would be more realistic to establish a colony there. What's more, we already know the mineral composition of the soil on the moon, and of moon dust. So what I'm aiming to find out now is whether plants will grow in moon substrate, or whether certain essential elements are lacking. This has never been done before. We are gradually discovering more about Mars, which is why the planet has been included in this research."

Wamelink's research will compare the requirements of certain species of plants with the mineral composition of the soil on the moon and Mars. Alterra has a database that can analyse 25 abiotic preconditions per species and calculate whether a plant species will survive or not. The database also stores information about heavy metals and minerals, although as yet, there are no fixed preconditions for these elements. Using this data, he will be able to determine which plant species would theoretically be capable of growing in moon dust or Martian soil.

Wieger Wamelink: "We will then allow certain species of wild plants and agricultural crops to germinate in pots of artificial moon and Martian soil supplied by NASA. The growth of these plants will be compared with that of the same species in ordinary soil from the Earth. Preconditions relating to heavy metals and minerals will be derived from our findings. Our research is based on the premise that an atmosphere will be available to the colony, perhaps in domes or buildings. We are also assuming the presence of water, either from the moon or Mars or transported from Earth. The plants would produce oxygen and recycle carbon dioxide, ultimately creating a kind of ecosystem."

At a later stage, Wamelink also wants to look into the food safety of agricultural crops grown in human-made conditions on the moon in moon soil. The first trial crops will be planted in greenhouses on 2 April.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/nasa/~3/6ImhEcm_7W4/130328075708.htm

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The truth behind N. Korea's threats

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Across North Korea, soldiers are gearing up for battle and shrouding their jeeps and vans with camouflage netting. Newly painted signboards and posters call for "death to the U.S. imperialists" and urge the people to fight with "arms, not words."

But even as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is issuing midnight battle cries to his generals to ready their rockets, he and his million-man army know full well that a successful missile strike on U.S. targets would be suicide for the outnumbered, out-powered North Korean regime.

Despite the hastening drumbeat of warfare ? seemingly bringing the region to the very brink of conflict with threats and provocations ? Pyongyang aims to force Washington to the negotiating table, pressure the new president in Seoul to change policy on North Korea, and build unity inside the communist country without triggering a full-blown war.

North Korea wants to draw attention to the tenuousness of the armistice designed to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula, a truce Pyongyang recently announced it would no longer honor as it warned that war could break out at any time.

In July, it will be 60 years since North Korea and China signed an armistice with the U.S. and the United Nations to bring an end to three years of fighting that cost millions of lives. The designated Demilitarized Zone has evolved into the most heavily guarded border in the world.

It was never intended to be a permanent border. But six decades later, North and South remain divided, with Pyongyang feeling abandoned by the South Koreans in the quest for reunification and threatened by the Americans.

In that time, South Korea has blossomed from a poor, agrarian nation of peasants into the world's 15th largest economy while North Korea is struggling to find a way out of a Cold War chasm that has left it with a per capita income on par with sub-Saharan Africa.

North Korean army officers punch the air as they chant slogans during a rally at Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, March 29, 2013. Tens of thousands of North Koreans ... more? North Korean army officers punch the air as they chant slogans during a rally at Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, March 29, 2013. Tens of thousands of North Koreans turned out for the mass rally at the main square in Pyongyang in support of their leader Kim Jong Un's call to arms. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin) less? The Chinese troops who fought alongside the North Koreans have long since left. But 28,500 American troops are still stationed in South Korea and 50,000 more are in nearby Japan. For weeks, the U.S. and South Korea have been showing off their military might with a series of joint exercises that Pyongyang sees a rehearsal for invasion.

On Thursday, the U.S. military confirmed that those drills included two nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers that can unload the U.S. Air Force's largest conventional bomb ? a 30,000-pound super bunker buster ? powerful enough to destroy North Korea's web of underground military tunnels.

It was a flexing of military muscle by Washington, perhaps aimed not only at Pyongyang but at Beijing as well.

In Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un reacted swiftly, calling an emergency meeting of army generals and ordering them to be prepared to strike if the U.S. actions continue. A photo distributed by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency showed Kim in a military operations room with maps detailing a "strike plan" behind him in a very public show of supposedly sensitive military strategy.

North Korea cites the U.S. military threat as a key reason behind its need to build nuclear weapons, and has poured a huge chunk of its small national budget into defense, science and technology. In December, scientists launched a satellite into space on the back of a long-range rocket using technology that could easily be converted for missiles; in February, they tested an underground nuclear device as part of a mission to build a bomb they can load on a missile capable of reaching the U.S.

However, what North Korea really wants is legitimacy in the eyes of the U.S. ? and a peace treaty. Pyongyang wants U.S. troops off Korean soil, and the bombs and rockets are more of an expensive, dangerous safety blanket than real firepower. They are the only real playing card North Korea has left, and the bait they hope will bring the Americans to the negotiating table.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said North Korea's "bellicose rhetoric" would only deepen its international isolation, and that the U.S. has both the capability and willingness to defend its interests in the region.

Narushige Michishita, director of the Security and International Studies Program at Japan's National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, isn't convinced North Korea is capable of attacking Guam, Hawaii or the U.S. mainland. He says Pyongyang hasn't successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile.

But its medium-range Rodong missiles, with a range of about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers), are "operational and credible" and could reach U.S. bases in Japan, he says.

More likely than such a strike, however, is a smaller-scale incident, perhaps off the Koreas' western coast, that would not provoke the Americans to unleash their considerable firepower. For years, the waters off the west coast have been a battleground for naval skirmishes between the two Koreas because the North has never recognized the maritime border drawn unilaterally by the U.N.

As threatening as Kim's call to arms may sound, its main target audience may be the masses at home in North Korea.

For months, the masterminds of North Korean propaganda have pinpointed this year's milestone Korean War anniversary as a prime time to play up Kim's military credibility as well as to push for a peace treaty. By creating the impression that a U.S. attack is imminent, the regime can foster a sense of national unity and encourage the people to rally around their new leader.

Inside Pyongyang, much of the military rhetoric feels like theatrics. It's not unusual to see people toting rifles in North Korea, where soldiers and checkpoints are a fixture in the heavily militarized society. But more often than not in downtown Pyongyang, the rifle stashed in a rucksack is a prop and the "soldier" is a dancer, one of the many performers rehearsing for a Korean War-themed extravaganza set to debut later this year.

More than 100,000 soldiers, students and ordinary workers were summoned Friday to Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang to pump their fists in support of North Korea's commander in chief. But elsewhere, it was business as usual at restaurants and shops, and farms and factories, where the workers have heard it all before.

"Tensions rise almost every year around the time the U.S.-South Korean drills take place, but as soon as those drills end, things go back to normal and people put those tensions behind them quite quickly," said Sung Hyun-sang, the South Korean president of a clothing maker operating in the North Korean border town of Kaesong. "I think and hope that this time won't be different."

And in a telling sign that even the North Koreans don't expect war, the national airline, Air Koryo, is adding flights to its spring lineup and preparing to host the scores of tourists they expect to flock to Pyongyang despite the threats issuing forth from the Supreme Command.

War or no war, it seems Pyongyang remains open for business.

___

Lee is chief of AP's bureaus in Pyongyang, North Korea, and Seoul, South Korea. She can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/newsjean. Eric Talmadge in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-nkorea-threat-may-more-bark-bite-132942749.html

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EE's 4G LTE reaches 50-market milestone in the UK

UK's first 4G network says it now covers half the country's population

EE, currently the UK's sole provider of 4G LTE services, has announced that its 4G network is now live in a total of 50 towns and cities, five months after its launch. The operator says today's 4G light-ups mean its 4G network now covers half the UK population.

Today EE's LTE has been switched on in Bradford, Bingley, Doncaster, Dudley, Harpenden, Leicester, Lichfield, Loughborough, Luton, Reading, Shipley, St Albans and West Bromwich. EE says it's committed to bringing 4G to a further 30 towns and cities by the end of June.

EE claims its 4G network currently offers average download speeds of 16Mbps and peak speeds of 50Mbps. That average speed sounds about right, but the 50Mbps claim is nowhere near what we've seen from EE's network in real-world use. If you've been using EE's 4G network in recent months, let us know how you're getting on down in the comments.

We've got the full list of all towns and cities with EE 4G service after the break.

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Surging student-loan debt is crushing the system

Scott Cohn , CNBC ? ? ? 4 hrs.

Student-loan defaults surged in the first three months of 2013, while efforts to collect bad loans are faltering, according to credit analysts and government audits. It is the latest twist in a college debt crisis that is hanging over recent graduates and dragging on the broader economy.

Credit-rating firm Equifax said $3.5 billion in government and private student loans went bad in the first three months of 2013, the most since the company began keeping track. The U.S. Department of Education said 6.8 million federal student loan borrowers are now in default, representing $85 billion in debt. And the department's systems for collecting the bad loans are struggling to keep up.

The Department's Office of Inspector General found in December that more than $1.1 billion in defaulted student loans were stuck in a sort of computer limbo.

Read More: Study: Student Loan Balances Are Up, and So Are Delinquencies

"The Department is not pursuing collection remedies and borrowers are unable to take steps to remove their loans from default status," wrote Assistant Inspector General for Audit Patrick Howard in the Dec. 13 report, which blames a system installed in 2011 by Xerox that is supposed to transfer defaulted loan accounts from servicing companies to private collection agencies. Those collection firms have considerable power, including the ability to garnish up to 15 percent of a borrower's wages. But none of that can happen until the accounts are transferred.

A Xerox spokesman declined to comment, referring inquiries to the Department of Education.

"While we regret this delay, we are taking active steps to work with the vendor to resolve the problem," Department of Education spokesman Chris Greene said in an e-mail. He denied that borrowers who have cleared up their defaults are not being removed from defaulted status, but acknowledged "a small percentage" of bad loans have been caught up in the problem.

He said some $600 million of the affected loans will be transferred "in the coming weeks."

Read More:How the Student Loan Crisis Drags Down Home Prices

But government auditors say some damage is already done. The Inspector General's office says the collection problem led to a "material weakness" in the department's financial controls last fiscal year ? an issue Education Secretary Arne Duncan has vowed to address. Nonetheless, spokesman Chris Greene says the numbers came out right in the end.

"Taxpayers and borrowers can rely on the integrity and accuracy of our financial reporting," Greene said.

Critics say the collection issues are a sign of a much larger problem.

"I take personal responsibility for the situation beginning, but personal responsibility does not mean you spend the rest of your life financially compromised," said Jason Paskowitz, a financial analyst from Tenafly, N.J.

Read More: Student-Loan Delinquencies Now Surpass Credit Cards

Paskowitz is 46 years old, but still owes more than $39,000 on loans he took out to finance his college education at Binghamton University in New York in the 1980s.

He borrowed only about $20,000. But after Paskowitz fell ill during his first year of law school in 1989 and dropped out, his loans went into default. Interest and fees began piling up, so even though records show he has paid roughly $26,000, he still owes nearly twice his original principal ? 25 years after graduation.

He says he was hounded for years by collection agents ? "they called me every name in the book" ? and in 2008 was hit with an "administrative garnishment" seizing nine percent of his debt. He says the collection agencies did not give him the full range of options available to him under the law.

"Their primary motivation is just to get as much as they can as quickly as they can," he said.

Persis Yu, an attorney with the National Consumer Law Center in Boston says keeping borrowers on the hook or not providing them with information can be in the collection firms' best interests.

"Their incentives aren't necessarily aligned with protecting borrowers' interests," she said.

Read More: Lenders Mobilize to Help College Kids Manage Student Loans

The Department recently attempted to address those concerns by lowering some of the commissions it pays the collection firms. Converting a defaulted loan to a "rehabilitation loan" ? which rolls outstanding loan balances and fees into a new loan that removes the borrower from default ? now pays the collection firm as little as eleven percent of the outstanding loan balance, compared to as much as 15 percent previously. But the option is still far more lucrative than a disability discharge, which wipes out the loan entirely and pays the collection firm a few hundred dollars in administrative fees.

"The Higher Education Act is a very complicated statute," Yu said, "and debt collectors aren't necessarily in the best position to explain options to borrowers."

But spokesman Chris Greene says the Department of Education is keeping tabs on the collection firms and looking out for borrowers' interests?including a new "one-stop" portal for complaints about the firms at https://www.myeddebt.com.

"Our entire approach to default collections is structured to encourage full repayment while ensuring borrowers understand both the consequences of their failure to repay and the options available to help them get out of default."

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Budget cuts border security, immigrant detention

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2013 file photo, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton speaks during a news conference at ICE headquarters in Washington. The Obama administration reversed itself Thursday, acknowledging to Congress that it had, in fact, released more than 2,000 illegal immigrants from immigration jails due to budget constraints during three weeks in February. Four deemed especially dangerous have been placed back in jail. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2013 file photo, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton speaks during a news conference at ICE headquarters in Washington. The Obama administration reversed itself Thursday, acknowledging to Congress that it had, in fact, released more than 2,000 illegal immigrants from immigration jails due to budget constraints during three weeks in February. Four deemed especially dangerous have been placed back in jail. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

In this photo posted to the Twitter account of U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., McCain, right, and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., left, stand with U.S. Border Patrol agents during a tour of the Mexico border with the United States on Wednesday, March 27, 2013, in Nogales, Ariz. The senators are part of a larger group of legislators shaping and negotiating details of an immigration reform package vowed Wednesday to make the legislation public when Congress reconvenes next month. McCain tweeted that he witnessed a woman successfully climb the 18-foot fence during the visit. (AP Photo/Office of Sen. John McCain)

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., left, listen as Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., talks prior to a news conference after their tour of the Mexico border with the United States on Wednesday, March 27, 2013, in Nogales, Ariz The senators are part of a larger group of legislators, including Sen. Michael Bennett, D-CO, who also joined the three at the border for the tour, who are shaping and negotiating details of an immigration reform package vowed Wednesday to make the legislation public when Congress reconvenes next month. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

PHOENIX (AP) ? Marco Antonio Durazo had been awaiting deportation from an Arizona detention center for six months when an officer came to get him from his cell.

"Obama doesn't have any money," the officer said.

"We found it very funny," Durazo said, but it wasn't a joke.

Soon, he was free along with hundreds of other illegal immigrants who were released by the Obama administration because of budget pressures. Officials have also scaled back border agent hours, drug patrols and staffing at border crossings ? all during the peak illegal border-crossing season.

While prompted by the nation's money woes, the changes also come amid the nation's shifting immigration policy after years of mass arrests and deportations and billions spent on border security.

The long-term impact of that change has yet to be seen. The Border Patrol said January and February numbers showed a nearly 10 percent increase in apprehensions along the Mexico border for the first two months of the year, compared with 2012.

There could be several factors for the rise, including immigrants motivated by an improving U.S. economy or those anticipating congressional action that could create a path to citizenship. The cuts come as lawmakers are struggling to work out a comprehensive immigration reform package whose success may ultimately be tied to questions of border security.

On Wednesday, Sen. John McCain led a bipartisan group of senators on a tour of the border, and they said they were close to a deal but continued to tie it to keeping immigration in check. They promised more details next week, but McCain said that there's "no doubt" in his mind that the border is less secure because of the budget cuts.

The release of more than 2,200 immigrants like Durazo drew headlines this month as the government prepared for looming cuts that began in March. In February, the government let go of hundreds of immigrants from detention centers in states including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas. The administration planned to let roughly 3,000 more go in March, according to an internal government budget document reviewed by the AP and later released by the House Judiciary Committee.

The moves were an attempt by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to get its detainee population in line with what it could afford. The released immigrants still face deportation but will not be held while awaiting their court dates.

Some in Congress said ICE should have explained beforehand that there wasn't enough money to keep everyone in detention.

The immigrants and their lawyers say they were released with little notice or instruction beyond being told to check in periodically.

In many cases, the immigrants were dropped off in the middle of the night at bus stations or airports in metropolitan centers without money to finish their journey home. In Florida, some were released from a facility bordering rural swamp land outside Miami.

Critics argue the plan allowed the release of thousands of criminals without regard to public safety, but officials say almost all the detainees were characterized as low risk. ICE Director John Morton told a congressional panel that 10 of the 2,228 people were the highest level of offender.

"In reducing detention levels, we took careful steps to ensure that national security and public safety were not compromised," he told a congressional hearing.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration, in the midst of trying to get immigration overhauled, switched from daily declarations that the border was secure to warning of the increasingly dire consequences of cutting $754 million from Customs and Border Protection's $12 billion budget.

In the first week of the cuts, some agents in South Texas reported a spike in arrests of immigrants who said smugglers told them they would be briefly detained and then released. The agents' union quickly spread word of a "tidal wave" of immigrants taking advantage of the situation.

Several immigrants interviewed at a migrant shelter in Reynosa, Mexico, across the border from McAllen, Texas, said they had not heard anything suggesting now was a particularly good time to cross. Instead, several said they were returning home because the drug cartel that controlled river crossings made it too expensive and dangerous.

"Here, they say you can't cross the river right now because there are a lot of kidnappings. They're killing a lot of people," said Josue Manuel Vazquez, who added that he escaped kidnappers who held him for five days as they tried to extort $4,500 from his daughter, a legal U.S. resident.

Some contend the budget cuts are relatively small when put in the broader context of the huge build-up of border security over the past decade.

According to the Government Accountability Office, the Department of Homeland Security assigned about 28,100 people in 2004 to patrol land borders and inspect travelers at all ports of entry at a cost of about $5.9 billion. By the end of 2011, those figures were 41,400 employees at a cost of $11.8 billion.

"The scale of (automatic budget cuts) is minuscule compared to the vast build-up," said Geoff Boyce, spokesman for No More Deaths, an immigration advocacy group in Tucson, Ariz.

The effects of the cuts are being seen in border cities and among agents. Customs and Border Protection reduced overtime for its officers at ports of entry. In San Diego and other crossing points, that translated to fewer lanes open at land crossings and longer waits for people and trucks carrying produce and other goods from Mexico.

Those waits are only expected to worsen in coming weeks as the agency begins furloughs amid a hiring freeze. In a letter to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned that peak wait times at the busiest border crossings could reach five hours or more.

Border Patrol agents received notices advising them they would face up to 14 days of furloughs during the next six months and would no longer be eligible for overtime that for years has added an average of two hours to every agent's shift.

The agency is also suspending assignments known as "details" that sent agents from slower parts of the border to busier areas for months at a time. Agents on detail are often put up in hotels and receive a per diem.

The cuts have also forced the government to pull back on flight and ship patrols in the drug war in Central America.

Durazo learned about the budget issues while watching the news at his sister's home in the Phoenix area after his release. He crossed into the U.S. from his native Mexico in 1969 when he was 19, and he said he doesn't know what will happen next with his immigration case. He has, however, decided to embrace his good fortune.

"We gave many thanks to God, because we prayed a lot while we were in there," he said.

___

Cristina Silva can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/cristymsilva .

Christopher Sherman can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/chrisshermanap .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-28-Budget%20Cuts-Border/id-16c6905c6c3d40289087470a758e368e

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Bambi sprays Rude Pope next to Banksy's If Graffiti Changed Anything

Bambi?s Rude Pope stencilled on a wall in Clipstone Street, Fitzrovia. One of 12 painted in London.

By Angela Lovely

Nearly two years after Banksy sprayed If Graffiti Changed Anything on a wall in Clipstone Street another well-known stencil artist has added her work on the same wall.

One of 12 Rude Popes in London painted by the street artist Bambi has been stencilled on top of the protective perspex covering Banksy?s 2011 artwork If Graffiti Changed Anything.

Bambi tweeted last week that she had painted 12 Rude Popes in London:

And one of the 12 Rude Popes appears on?www.bambi-artist.com

Rude Pope depicts an image of Pope Benedict XVI, who stepped down in February this year, sticking two fingers up in a rude gesture.

The anonymous artist?exhibited?last November at Walton Fine Arts in Knightsbridge.

Banksy?s artwork was covered with perspex.

Banksy?s original artwork on the wall in Fitzrovia was covered in a protective perspex sheet by an anonymous admirer but the stencilled art has decayed over the last two years. The wall has attracted other graffiti as well as the latest by Bambi. It was feared Westminster?Council would whitewash over the artwork.

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Assistant editor This entry was posted in Culture and tagged art, Bambi, Banksy, Fitzrovia, graffiti, London, street art. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://news.fitzrovia.org.uk/2013/03/28/bambi-sprays-rude-pope-next-to-banksys-if-graffiti-changed-anything/

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BMe helps black men make a positive difference in their communities

BMe (pronounce ?Be Me?) awarded funding, ranging from $5,000 to $40,000, to 10 black men in Detroit and 10 in Philadelphia to support their community projects, which include literacy programs, book clubs, and mentoring programs.

By Niema Jordan,?Shareable / March 26, 2013

Kirk Mayes, executive director of the nonprofit group Brightmoor Alliance, stands in front of an abandoned home in the Brightmoor neighborhood of Detroit. Black men interested in serving their communities can seek funding through Black Male Engagement (BMe), launched by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Open Society Foundations..

Rebecca Cook/Reuters/File

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A network of black men in Philadelphia, Detroit, and Baltimore is steadily growing. These men are mentors, fathers, brothers, and entrepreneurs. They are connected because they care. They are connected because they dedicated to positive change in their communities. They are Black Male Engagement (BMe). And it all started with the idea of sharing.

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In 2011 BMe (pronounce ?Be Me?) was launched by the?John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Open Society Foundations. The foundations wanted to empower black men who were actively engaged and making a difference in their communities.

Aware of the stories that are often shared interpersonally and in the media, the foundations sought to develop another narrative. The people behind BMe wanted to look at the positive actions of black men in urban environments instead of approaching them as a group that needed to be fixed.

Members of the BMe team asked the question: What do you do to make your community stronger? In eight weeks they received and posted more than 2,000 answers from men in Philadelphia and Detroit.

?So many brothers are doing more than their fair share to make our communities stronger,? says Trabian Shorters, vice president of communities for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. ?By providing funding, BMe hopes to both give them the boost they need to go further with their work, and bring more people into the growing ranks of engaged black men.?

The 2012 grant cycle awarded funding to 10 men in Detroit and 10 men in Philadelphia.?Awards ranged from $5,000 to $40,000 for community projects including literacy programs, book clubs, and mentoring programs.

Andre Dandridge, founder of New Young Fathers, received money to design and facilitate workshops in Detroit to help ensure that young men were more equipped for fatherhood. Alex Peay, who now serves as a member of BMe?s community engagement team, was granted funds to strengthen his organization, Rising Sons. The after school program arranges for college students and recent graduates to mentor high school students and then trains the high schoolers to mentor elementary school students in the area. Curtis Lipscomb?s grant enabled him to train 22 Detroit youths to become advocates of social issues facing the LGBT community in their city.

While previous grantees are hard at work utilizing their resources, BMe has started a new grant cycle with the theme, ?Call for Community Impact.? Each chapter has up to $200,000 to give to programs and projects its city. If you are a black man living in Baltimore, Philadelphia, or Detroit, are over the age of 18, and have uploaded a video to BMe?s site, then you?ve already met most of the criteria.

While last year?s funding went to individuals, this year there is a particular emphasis on partnerships and collaboration. Hoping that BMe members will share ideas and build upon them together, as the founders of Philly?s Live & Let Live Coalition did, grants and future programming are being geared more toward collaborative efforts.

This year BMe will expand to Pittsburgh, and they are looking to establish chapters around the country, each operating with a ?simple truth? at their core: ?That black men are assets to our nation. That there are thousands of black males who ? by example ? inspire others to get involved, to persevere and to lead on issues and opportunities facing the community.?

? This article originally appeared at Shareable, a nonprofit online magazine that tells the story of how sharing can promote the common good. The original article includes a video of one member of BMe in Philadelphia who shares his story about what he does for his community.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/gMIOOVWnz4I/BMe-helps-black-men-make-a-positive-difference-in-their-communities

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