Employee Engagement Drives Customer Advocacy And Business ...

These days, a brand voice is a composite of how customers, employees and the rest of the ecosystem feel about the brand. Social media has given a voice to many employees, and these empowered employees now want something bigger than being a proverbial cog in a wheel. These empowered employees, driven by purpose and passion, can be true brand advocates and radically improve both: the top and bottom line.?To do so, these employees have to be committed to the organization and its goals. This commitment is also known as engagement and is a source of enduring competitive advantage. Here are just a few reasons why engaged employees are simply good for business.

Engaged employees turn customers into engaged advocates. Because employees are closest to your customers, you can improve customer experience directly through your employees. Gallup research has shown that engaged employees drive customer engagement, and?Constellation Research Group has also agreed that engaged customers are three times more likely to recommend or advocate a product or service to a friend. According to the Edelman trust barometer, the employee is the new influencer, and employers need to treat them accordingly.

Engaged and informed employees are a source of knowledge. ?People establish significant, visible expertise through their employment,? says Brian Kotlyar of Dachis Group. Your employees know what they are doing; surfacing this information helps educate the market and establish thought leadership.?Buyers aren?t content with buying simple widgets anymore; they are looking for an expert partner. To fully maximize the exposure of your employees? expertise to the rest of the world, give them the tools to keep up to date and hone their skills, and empower them to offer these resources to those in need.

Engaged employees produce. Every CEO has a vision; the challenge is to enable and inspire employees to carry out this vision. This task is made more difficult by employees? reduced dependence on company resources to develop their careers. If you engage your employees and help them feel that they can contribute the company?s goals, they will be more likely to be loyal to you and use discretionary effort vs. just scraping by and watching the clock.

Engaged employees save money. Turnover is expensive, as is low productivity. Deloitte Australia has linked higher engagement (evidence of which is engagement on Yammer)?to lower turnover: ?2% turnover rate amongst frequent Yammer posters, compared to a firm-wide average of 15-20%. Similarly, Constellation Research found that engaged workers are 37% more likely to stay with their employers.

Engagement leads to higher stock price. We already established that employee engagement drives customer advocacy and engagement, as well as cuts costs. It shouldn?t come as a surprise that all of this?ultimately drives higher revenues, profits and thus stock market performance. A recent study by Kenexa found that the most engaged companies have 5 times higher total shareholder return over 5 years than the least engaged companies. A study by Towers Perrin similarly linked employee engagement to a 6% higher net-profit margins, and a Aon Hewitt tied high?levels of engagement (65% or greater) to outperforming the total stock market index and posting total shareholder returns 22% higher than average in 2010.

It?s clear at this point that engaged employees not only advocate for the brand and turn customers into advocates, but also deliver hard financial metrics. Jack Welch, the CEO of General Electric, summed it up nicely:

?Any company trying to compete ? must figure out a way to engage the mind of every employee.?

Since engagement has such measurable positive effects, one would think that all companies have learned to harness it and appreciate it, right? Wrong! Here?s a snapshot of where we currently are with engagement:

Given how important employee engagement is to meeting business objectives, yet how disengaged employees feel, there seems to be a major disconnect. In the next post, we?ll address some of the steps you can take to ensure that your employees feel engaged and have the tools they need to advocate on your behalf.

Photo source: id-iom

Head of Community at Yammer

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PC Software World ? Communication Is Essential cheap jerseys For ...

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The amount of occasions I have sat inside a space, usually in conferences and at conferences and Ive just viewed and listened to what?s heading on around me. It is entirely fascinating when whole teams of individuals don?t have any capability to hear their colleagues, companions or buddies and for that reason can?t fully grasp or appreciate any opinion apart from their own.

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Associations aren?t any distinct for the work environment aside from you will find, ordinarily, just two of you. Frequently, what may be a marriage created in heaven is wrecked through the sheer inability to speak. cheap jerseys By far the most successful relationships, be it business or personnel are these whereby each parties have strong verbal and listening skills.

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It?s how you say something which will ruin a connection and not what you must say. The wrong way is simply to blurt out something that you know will aggravate or distress your partner. The final thing you desire is for them to obtain defensive, storm off or burst into floods of tears. You need the person you will be attempting to communicate with to be open up and perceptive and to be able to be able to achieve this, your timing and strategy has to be suitable.

Just about every individual is distinctive what will operate with one person wont automatically function with an additional and with some people all you?ll be able to do is sew the seed after which permit them walk absent and operate it out for their selves.

One person I know by no means essentially listens to everyone. She?s one of those people who?s normally correct irrespective of what, hasnt a clue about being a group participant and operates within a zero tolerance zone. Standard ways and strategy of reasoning just dont perform and alls you are able to do is plant the seed of thought which ultimately develops into her, personal acceptable idea.

Given peoples individuality you?ll need to understand what, may be the cheap nfl jerseys correct approach for you personally and your partner. Be certain which you in no way start out a dialogue should you dont have time for you to end it, dont insist on a discussion when one of you is off out to work, dealing with the children or just soothing in front of their favourite Television programme. When the timing appears to be under no circumstances suitable ask the query when would it be a fantastic time for us to only sit down and talk. Whatever you do, don?t permit yourself seem agitated either in whatever you say or how you say it. Physique language can equally as very easily put your partner on the defensive as what you say to them. Even when your companion is vying for any battle just dont react.

Recall, the very first golden rule, approaching defensive with defensive is actually a positive method to failure.

One from the important approaches to strengthen communication will be to create strong listening abilities. Couples often fall short to pay attention to what their partner must say, interrupt and provides the impression that irrespective of what?s mentioned they wont alter their mind. One trick to make sure that you have listened and you do have an understanding of would be to repeat what you may have noticed. This may demonstrate that you simply have listened to what was mentioned and by repeating it again you have the chance to comprehend and have an understanding of.

How often do we try and work via an issue and its only at the point we are describing the concern to a person else does the magic light bulb switch on which permits us to come up using the solution.

In case you are getting an examination would you anticipate to understand anything simply by getting informed it once For many persons I would say not. We?ve to operate at it and operate at it difficult.

No one ever before stated marriage could be easy its just a different lesson we have to learn as we knowledge life but if you want to preserve your marriage and allow it to be a lot more specific than it was prior to then there?s extremely small to stop you.

Connection challenges can lay heavy in your thoughts, develop into a burden and what was originally a modest issue can develop into an insurmountable mountain.

In case you begin to really feel that marital issues are beginning to weigh seriously on your thoughts, take a break and do a thing you appreciate and ideally with your partner. When you can refocus your awareness in the much better issues in life, day to day problems always appear that much smaller sized. Spending slightly time together and savoring every other?s company could allow you and your companion to recapture a number of the feelings that have been dropped via constant arguing and assist you to get back a constructive perspective on your connection.

Just one last term of tips, when you are experiencing down and feel you no lengthier want to conserve your marriage just keep in mind that the grass isnt always greener around the other aspect.

For those who believe you have got economic difficulties now what do you think it?ll be like any time you split your belongings, for those who feel you dont have time to do factors what is going to it be like when you are on your personal or worse only one guardian and should you really feel lonely now how will you really feel when each time you stroll in your front door alls you may have is your own company. Now none of these ideas happen to be aired to encourage you to remain in a bad connection but fairly to create you take into consideration regardless of whether or not yours is as poor when you consider.

You might be the grasp of one?s own future and if you want to turn a poor marriage around you might have the power at your fingertips.

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Times-Picayune to cut paper to 3 days a week

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? The Times-Picayune, one of the nation's oldest newspapers, will no longer offer print editions seven days a week and instead plans to offer three printed issues a week starting in the fall. The change means New Orleans would become the largest metro area in the nation without a daily newspaper in the digital age.

The changes announced Thursday were combined with similar moves at three major Alabama daily newspapers also owned by the Newhouse family group's Advance Publications. The Birmingham News, the Press-Register in Mobile and The Huntsville Times will switch to publishing three days a week as part of a new focus on online news. At all four papers, there will be unspecified staff cuts. All four papers will continue to publish continuously on their websites, and online access will remain free.

Newspapers have struggled in recent years as consumers increasingly get their news online. Print advertising declined as the economy went into recession, and newspapers have yet to learn how to make online advertising as profitable as its printed counterpart.

"For us, this isn't about print versus digital, this is about creating a very successful multi-platform media company that addresses the ever-changing needs of our readers, our online users and our advertisers," said Advance Publications' president of local digital strategy, Randy Siegel, in an interview with The Associated Press. "This change is not easy, but it's essential for us to remain relevant."

Siegel didn't say how much money the reduced print runs in Louisiana and Alabama would save, nor how many staff members would be laid off or hired in the new online units.

"To get good quality information is not cheap," said Jennifer Greer, chair of the journalism department at the University of Alabama. "What you are seeing is people trying to figure out a business model that works in a digital age."

The decision was met with sadness by some residents in New Orleans, where The Times-Picayune won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Staffers continued reporting despite being forced out of the newspaper's offices amid widespread flooding and power outages.

The storm drove away thousands of residents, some of whom never came back. The city ? and its newspaper ? struggled to recover in the years since.

The paper was a lifeline for the Southern, working-class city, providing government announcements, obituaries, Carnival and scoops on local corruption, said Cheron Brylski, a 53-year-old New Orleans-based political consultant. Not having the paper every day is like losing a sports team, she said.

"Where is New Orleans headed since Katrina? This is not something that helps our recovery," she said.

The papers in Alabama also have long histories. The Mobile paper has published every day for nearly two centuries ? the masthead has long billed it as the state's oldest, in print since 1813. And in 2007, the Birmingham News won a Pulitzer Prize for a series on corruption in Alabama's two-year college system.

Birmingham News employees were told during morning meetings that longtime Editor Tom Scarritt will retire this fall when the new companies are created, according to two reporters who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the changes for the company.

In New Orleans, a new company, the NOLA Media Group, would be created to oversee both The Times-Picayune and its affiliated website, NOLA.com.

The announcements mirror changes Advance Publications made in Michigan. In 2009, the company shut the Ann Arbor News but created AnnArbor.com, a news website that still publishes print editions on Thursday and Sunday.

In February, it launched the MLive Media Group, which runs MLive.com, to focus its efforts in Michigan digitally. Meanwhile, all of its eight other newspapers in the state offer three days of home delivery with newsstand sales from three to seven days a week.

Newspaper analyst Ken Doctor, who writes the Newsonomics blog, said the company is trying to hold on to declining print ad revenue for a few more years, and expects Advance to eventually cut print runs at its other newspapers in New Jersey, Oregon, Ohio and elsewhere. The company owns The Oregonian in Portland, Ore.; The Plain Dealer in Cleveland; and The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J.

"It's a big bet to retain profitability and hope that in the shock therapy, there are profits on the other end," he said.

Print circulation has been dropping steadily over the years at the four newspapers affected by Thursday's announcement, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. On average, the four papers' circulation in the half year through March fell about 6 percent from a year ago.

Nonetheless, the Times-Picayune remains one of the nation's most successful newspapers. Of the top 50 large-sized markets, the newspaper has the highest rate of readership of its daily edition in the U.S., according to Austin, Texas-based Scarborough Research, a firm that tracks the industry.

The Times-Picayune's average paid circulation was 133,557 in the six months through March, down 49 percent compared to March 2005, a few months before Hurricane Katrina hit.

The Birmingham News' circulation of 103,729 is down 29 percent from five years ago; the Press-Register's of 82,088 is down 18 percent; and The Huntsville Times' of 44,725 is down 15 percent.

Die-hard supporters and even Mayor Mitch Landrieu pledged to make sure the newspaper remained a part of New Orleans culture.

"Through wars and floods, the 'Aints and a Saints Super Bowl victory, the TP has been and remains an integral part of our daily routine and our culture," Landrieu said.

Anne Milling, a longtime member of the advisory board to The Times-Picayune, said an online-focused model wouldn't work in New Orleans. She said she and other supporters were exploring bringing in new owners committed to a daily paper, or even starting a new daily publication.

"We always do things differently," she said. "It's part of our tradition: You wake up with a cup of chicory coffee and read the newspaper."

___

Business Writer Ryan Nakashima in Los Angeles, Phillip Rawls in Birmingham, Ala., and Janet McConnaughey in New Orleans contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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Businesses wanting to streamline their communications need not look any further: VoIPdito has all the answers - and it even offers unique solutions that take care of any customers' literal need for safety and security.

London (UK), 23^rd March 2012 - London-based VoIPdito operates on the premise that the future of business communications would rely heavily on VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol solutions. But VoIPdito goes even further than this - and makes sure that its advanced internet telephony systems offer more than a convenient solution to modern business processes. Along with a plethora of features, VoIPdito partners with VoIP Innovations to offer E911 service to US customers - making it one of the first in its field.

Imagine being able to communicate - in seconds - with virtually anyone in the globe - without having to pay exorbitant fees. This is the principle behind VoIP, and it has served to improve business relations and transactions in recent years. Granted, the traditional workings of VoIP had much room for improvement. But thanks to the creativity and genius behind cloud-based technology, VoIP has risen to new heights.

At the forefront of the VoIP revolution is VoIPdito. VoIPdito prides itself in being a leading provider of business telephone solutions over the internet, and it strives to improve its offerings continuously in different ways. Not only does VoIPdito offer hosted PBX that maintains and upgrades telephone systems - it also offers a host of other services that include virtual telephone numbers in more than 4000 cities around the world, conferencing anytime and anywhere, instant deployment of communications systems, free internet calls, professionally-made virtual receptions, and more.

To add to VoIPdito's benefits, it is now providing emergency calling not only in the United Kingdom, but also in the United States through its E911 service to customers. With this comes further proof of VoIPdito's passing of all regulatory requirements, making it entirely legal to operate in the US.

Hugh Porter, VoIPdito's Chief Technical Officer, says it best: "From now on our customers in the US will be able to call Emergency Services!" And this is only the tip of the iceberg: with E911, callers are automatically identified and their address forwarded to the nearest Public Safety Answering Point, allowing faster, more effective response from emergency workers.

If you'd like more information about how VoIPdito partners with VoIP Innovations to offer E911 service to US customers, visit http://voipdito.com

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VoIPdito-Partners-with-VoIP-Innovations-to-Offer-E911-Service-to-US-Customers.pdf

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Lovely University Transforming Many Lives

The growing competition to excel in career is making today's youngsters selecting courses and study programs with thoughtfulness. Many fly to overseas destinations to seek admissions in universities and colleges. Foreign institutions offer new courses keeping with the trends of market conditions. The Private colleges and universities in India are coming with new and innovative programs. Lovely University is one such institution, which caters to the needs of students in India.

Lovely Professional University (LPU) located in Jalandhar city quality higher education in the country. This university is a venture of prestigious Lovely Group, a well-known corporate house of North India. It is one of the largest private universities in India offering more than 200 courses in sciences, humanities and social sciences.

Lovely University courses are at par with global standards and encourage entrepreneurship development. The state-of-the-art campus of this university fosters learning.

Lovely University is a member of Association of Indian Universities. This institution has good record of accomplishment of placements of students after completing graduation and post graduation. To meet the professional work force, the university has placed more than 6000 students in Indian and Global super brands. Another good point of studying in this university is that students and staff of various Indian states come to study here. The environment of cultural diversity promotes growth and overall development.? The institution has tie-up with various universities and colleges of UK, USA, Canada, Brazil, Singapore, Australia, Poland et al. these tie-ups provide students exchange programs and gives exposure to students to learn about the social and economic aspects.

?The IT infrastructure makes Lovely University student management easy. The university has an online portal that caters to technological requirements of university's staff and students. There is the Learning Management System, which is an online website for students. They can download assignments, homework, term papers from this website. Another is the Relationship Management System, which is a student and parents portal. Parents as well as students can file complaints, suggestions etc to the university. The Online Attendance and Result System as the name says register student's presence in the university. There is also the Electronic Bulletin Board that has information about ongoing activities in Lovely Professional University.

Various news channels, career publications and websites have ranked Lovely University high in various parameters. The university enjoys best outstanding B-school, best study environment and has received Asia's Best Emerging B School Award.

Courses/ Study Program available at Lovely Professional University:

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Wallace heads Hall of Fame group

Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace smiles after being elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Wednesday, May 23, 2012, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace smiles after being elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Wednesday, May 23, 2012, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) ? Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace hated running second to anyone and doesn't plan to start now that he's part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Wallace, the 1989 series champion who won 55 races, headed the group of five picked Wednesday as NASCAR's newest Hall of Famers. The others selected were Leonard Wood, Herb Thomas, Cotton Owens and Buck Baker.

Wood was a famed member of the Wood Brothers teams whose brother, Glen, was picked for the hall last year. Thomas was one of NASCAR's first superstar drivers, Owens a success as driver and owner, and Baker is 14th on the victory list with 46.

But it was Wallace, the sharp-tongue, quick-witted driver turned TV analyst, who promised to keep promoting the sport and the hall to anyone who'll listen.

"I can tell you what, I'm not going to run second to Darrell Waltrip. I can tell you that," Wallace said.

NASCAR chairman Brian France said the fourth class was the hardest so far to select. Voters said there was a divide between those panelists eager to honor the sports' pioneers and those understanding what a personality like Wallace could do for the Hall and NASCAR's continued growth.

"We need people who can represent the Hall of Fame now," said Hall of Fame member and voter Ned Jarrett.

Still, Wallace was third among inductees at 52 percent of the vote behind Thomas and Wood, who received 57 percent. Owens was next at 50 percent with Baker and Fireball Roberts tying at 39 percent. A re-vote was done ? the first time that's happened in four Hall of Fame classes ? and Baker took the final spot.

Wallace said he was honored to be nominated and was comfortable waiting his turn behind others.

"I'm total surprised. I really am," he said. "My numbers are one thing and the wins, that's there. But the names, you think of Benny Parsons, you think of Freddy Lorenzen, Fireball Roberts and Wendell Scott, these are guys I grew up listening to."

Wallace thought those were the people who would get in.

"And I was like, I made it? I don't know if I'm going to sleep tonight," he said.

Wallace is ninth on the career victory list. He was a master of the short tracks with 25 of his victories coming at Bristol, Martinsville, North Wilkesboro and Richmond.

"I'm just humbled, I really am," he said.

Wallace's former crew chief, Robin Pemberton, works as NASCAR's vice president for competition and is a Hall of Fame voter who considered his former driver a strong candidate.

"There were a lot more people that had good things to say about Rusty and what he had done after he hung up the helmet. I felt pretty good that he would have enough votes to get in," Pemberton said.

The Wood Brothers team was credited as pioneers of the modern pit stop. Leonard, alongside Glen and Delano Wood, was the team's chief mechanic. Leonard Wood won 96 races and 117 poles in 900 races as a crew chief

Wood compared this moment to February 2011 when the Wood Brothers and driver Trevor Bayne stunned the NASCAR world with a victory at the Daytona 500.

"We won the Daytona 500 the year before last and it was one of the most excited and celebrated winning circles ever ? and I think this fits right in with that," he said.

Wood remembered in the early 1960s when he watched drivers like Roberts and Smokey Yunick take 45 seconds in the pits. His mechanical mind got going on how to cut that down and the modern pit stop was taking shape. "We figured we could save a lot of time," Wood said.

Owens had success as a driver and owner in NASCAR. He won nine races in NASCAR's premier series and finished second for the 1959 championship to Hall of Famer Lee Petty. Owens later hired Hall of Fame drivers in Junior Johnson and David Pearson, winning 38 times as an owner.

Thomas, who died in 2000, is considered one of NASCAR's first superstars by winning championships in 1951 and 1953 and finishing second in 1952 and 1954.

Baker became the first NASCAR driver to win consecutive championships in 1956 and 1957. He died in 2002.

Wallace was honored to be among so many historic names.

"To go in with some of those pioneers is just amazing," he said. "They showed every one of the inductees in the ceremony in black and white and show me in color. I went, 'This is kind of crazy.' I had a blue uniform and everyone else is black and white pictures."

Associated Press

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Why do you think there is such and influx of kids ... - Health and Fitness

Question by momo5j7: Why do you think there is such and influx of kids with allergies?
I was reading an article about a child with allergies http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/11/30/teddys.allergies/index.html?imw=Y&iref=mpstoryemail. I noticed that many children are coming up with these allergies, especially recently. Why do you think this is? Is it possible that many people didn?t know about allergies several years ago, or is it just that today?s kids are just more prone to getting allergies?

Best answer:

Answer by K. F
Mothers aren?t breast feeding long enough, children are being started on solids earlier than they should, food manufacturers are putting additives into food that don?t need to be there. There are a lot of reasons.

Doctors are diagnosing these things more often now.

Give your answer to this question below!

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'My Last Wish': The social media app ripe for trolling

21 hrs.

Helen A.S. Popkin

A social networking app ostensibly designed to help users meet people with "a similar wish as yours before you die," "My Last Wish" is more like a crowdsourced bucket list or a retirement fund commercial than what its name implies.

Registered users, or "Fellow Wishers" of the free app ?? available through Apple's App Store ?? share so-called "last wishes" on their wish wall, where similar wishes are highlighted. Fellow Wishers who allow their profiles to be public can contact each other through the app. You can also share your wishes via Facebook and Twitter.

A quick view of the variety of reveals that White Lotus Corporation, the company behind the app, as well as those using it, are not clear on what a "last wish" truly is.

Not-for-nothing, Fellow Wishers, but "I want to travel all the countries in the world," "write a novel," and "try the whole metal band thing again," are not last wishes, but rather, that stuff you ramble about to your co-workers after you've had one white wine spritzer too many after happy hour. You know, that last fleeting wish you had before you let it go and moved on to another.

Frankly, with a name like "My Last Wish," I was hoping for something a little more delightfully morbid to take me away from my own life of quiet desperation. You know, something like, "Take me off the oxygen," "Remember me as?awesome," "I wish I didn't smoke so many cigarettes," "I wish I didn't answer that Craigslist ad," "I wish I didn't climb Mount Everest,"?"I wish the governor called with my stay of execution" ? these are real?last wishes you won't find on "My Last Wish."?

Not yet, anyway.

via Mashable

Helen A.S. Popkin goes blah blah blah about the Internet. Tell her to get a real job on?Twitter?and/or?Facebook. Also,?Google+.?

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Evening star goes black in rare celestial event

Astronomers position themselves to capture crucial measurements as Venus passes across the face of the sun

Web edition : Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012

On June 5, skywatchers will have their last chance to glimpse a rare celestial spectacle, a ?transit of Venus,? in which the planet passes directly between Earth and the sun. Venus will take six hours to march across the star?s face, appearing as an inky black dot in silhouette against the looming solar disk.

After that, the sun-shadowed Venusian outline will disappear until 2117. Because the planet?s orbit is slightly off-kilter, its solar transits come in pairs spaced eight years apart, with more than 100 years between pairs.

During the most recent transit pair of 1874 and 1882, observers around the world focused on triangulating the Earth-sun distance. They tried to time precisely when Venus entered and exited the sun?s disk, so they could calculate the size of the sun (a complicated endeavour, it turns out, since an optical effect that blurred the boundary between planet and sun muddied the timing measurements). The most recent transit happened in 2004 ? only the sixth such performance seen through telescopes ? and it revealed that large portions of the Venusian atmosphere are visible to Earthly observers.

Now, scientists are hoping not only to study Venus itself during the transit, but are using the crossing to inform observations of far-off exoplanets that similarly betray their presence by passing between their star and Earth. ?Over 100 years ago, astronomers couldn?t have anticipated this transit question,? says astronomer Jay Pasachoff of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., who will observe the transit from Hawaii.

Pasachoff and his colleagues are also deploying nine instruments to locations including Japan, Kazakhstan, and Norway, to study the sunlight filtered through Venus? toxic clouds.

During the transit the sun will act as a giant light bulb, illuminating Venus? upper atmosphere and providing information about temperature and aerosols across the planet. The orbiting Venus Express spacecraft can gather data only about isolated portions of the swirling sulfuric acid clouds, begging the question of how the shroud behaves globally. ?As temperatures and winds are closely linked, those measurements will be fed into models that aim to explain the exotic dynamics of the Venusian atmosphere,? says astronomer Thomas Widemann of the Paris Observatory, who will join Venus Express team members in Svalbard, Norway to observe the transit against the midnight sun.

When Earth?s little sister passes before the solar backdrop, its planetprint produces the type of dimming that occurs when exoplanets periodically block their stars? light. Astronomers have been able to study the atmospheres of Jupiter-sized exoplanets, but similar observations of terrestrial planets are still a thing of the future.

Gathering data about a known planet ? Venus ? will help ground those future observations, says astronomer Paolo Tanga at the Cote d?Azur Observatory in Nice, France. ?Maybe one day we will be able to measure the same light that is filtered from the atmospheres of exoplanets ? exo-Venuses and exo-Earths,? says Tanga, who will be in Arizona for the transit.

But such observations aren?t so simple. ?Big mirrors and sensitive detectors are not good things to point at the sun,? explains planetary astronomer Heather Knutson of Caltech. Instead astronomers will use the Hubble Space Telescope to capture sunlight reflected off the face of the moon during the transit. In that light are signatures of chemical compounds in the Venusian atmosphere, Knutson says. ?It?s the first time we can make this measurement for a truly terrestrial planet.?

Found in: Atom & Cosmos

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play-station-3-system | TravelBuddies.us ? Travel Tips

The New Generation of Interactive Entertainment

The birth of the seventh generation of video game consoles marks the changes that would be made on the gaming industry. Large game console manufacturing companies continue to discover new innovations that could be integrated into their new game consoles. Thus, interactive entertainment is now on its all time high, producing video game consoles that will definitely change the way we play video games?a mileage that would not be forgotten since the Magnavox Odyssey and Atari game console eras.

And Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. (SCEI) is on its way to create such unforgettable mileage on the video game console industry.

SCEI, the subsidiary of Sony Corporation that handles the research, development, manufacturing, and sales of software and hardware for the corporation?s PlayStation game console series, launched another game console, which will most likely to be matched up with Microsoft?s Xbox 360 and Nintendo?s Wii ? PlayStation 3. It was unveiled during the E3 Conference in Tokyo on May 16, 2005 and expected to be a success just like its two predecessors, the PlayStation 1 and 2.

PlayStation 3 features two different system configurations, as detailed in their previous press release after its unveiling during the E3 Conference ? the basic and the premium. The basic system configuration of PlayStation 3 has four robust features. It holds a memory of twenty gigabytes, which could be upgraded. A Blu-ray drive is also included in the basic edition. With a Blu-ray drive and disc as its major media format, you will not find it difficult to store digital media. It can save data six times more than the current generations of digital video discs (DVDs). In addition, a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port is also available with the basic system configuration of PlayStation 3.

On the other hand, the premium version of PlayStation 3 comes with an internal sixty gigabytes of hard drive, multiple flash memory card readers, and wireless Internet connectivity. It also features controllers connected via Bluetooth, HDMI port, and Blu-ray drive.

For those who have been attached with the previous versions of PlayStation, Sony promised that PS3 is compatible with them. PlayStation 3 can support all media formats of the previous PlayStation game consoles. Plus, PS3 has slots for the memory stick duo, SD, and that for compact flash memory.

PlayStation 3 has distinctive specs. The game console features a cell processor, which runs 3.2GHz for an excellent overall performance. It also sports immense multimedia features namely, digital photo, digital audio and digital video. Sonny propagated the panoramic video feature for the current version of PlayStation. Thus, expect that you will enjoy the refined audio-video digital technology incorporated in PlayStation 3.

The game interface of PlayStation 3 has the ability to save various user profiles, explore images, play music files of varying media format, and watch movies saved from the game console?s hard drive or removable memory. It is also compatible with a USB mouse and keyboard and has the capability of multitasking?that is, you can listen to your favorite music tracks while at the same time looking at saved images or browsing the Internet. In addition, the cross media bar of PS3 supports different file formats.
PlayStation 3 is the video game console that you should watch out for. It will definitely change the way you play your favorite video games?and probably will define interactive entertainment in the 21st century.

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Contraceptives Birth Control: Health and Fitness: Contraceptives ...

When a woman has determined that she has had all the children she wishes to have and that she does not want any additional children in the future, a surgical procedure called tubal ligation surgery is usually recommended. Most women have heard of this procedure and commonly refer to it as " getting your tubes tied".

Tubal ligation surgery is a procedure in which a woman's fallopian tubes are cut, tied, or blocked to prevent future fertilization and implantation during sexual intercourse. There are many approaches to this surgery, and with today's more minimally invasive techniques, it is no longer considered major abdominal surgery. In many cases, it can be done as an outpatient procedure. Depending on the type of tubal ligation procedure that is performed, the surgery can take up to about thirty minutes. Some women may choose to have the procedure done while they are delivering their children via C-section since the abdomen is already open.

According to the Women's Specialists of Plano, Texas, tubal ligation is considered female sterilization, and only your doctor will know which procedure is most suitable for your body and lifestyle. A few of the tubal ligation approaches are:

• Laparoscopic Tubal Ligation: During this procedure your gynecologist will insert a small camera and surgical instruments through a very small incision made in the abdomen. The tubal ligation will take place via this method which is considered a more minimally invasive approach.
• Mini-Laparotomy: During this procedure your gynecologist will perform the surgery by making an incision in the abdomen about 2 inches in length.
• Post-Partum Tubal Ligation: This procedure is very similar to the mini-lap, except that the incision will be made just below the belly button because the fallopian tubes are higher in body after childbirth. Many women will choose to have the procedure done at this time because it eliminates having to have two separate recovery periods.
• Trans-Uterine Tubal Occlusion: This procedure is performed with anesthesia. The cervix is dilated and a hysterscope is placed in the uterine cavity. The opening of the tube into the uterus is identified and a "plug" is placed into the fallopian tube as it passes through the uterine wall.
• Open Tubal Ligation: This procedure is performed when a woman desires a tubal after delivering via caesarean section, because the abdomen is already open. This procedure is also performed when a woman has pelvic inflammatory disease, or is already receiving a surgery which requires the opening of the abdomen.

The recovery period after most tubal ligations is about a week although you will most likely leave the hospital within a few hours after surgery. Because the procedure is immediately effective, you can maintain sexual activity as soon as you feel well enough.

If you change your mind after receiving a tubal ligation surgery and decide that you may want to have children in the future, there is a reversal procedure. It is important to note that tubal ligation reversals are very expensive and in many cases are not effective. The statistics are somewhat low regarding women having children after a reversal has taken place.

Because tubal ligation is considered permanent, it is vital that a woman understand all of her options and evaluate all of the pros and cons:

Pros:

• Female sterilization that is effective immediately
• It can be done at the same time as other surgeries like C-section during following the immediate birth of a child or during the removal of ovarian cysts
• It is a very reliable form of permanent birth control
• Requires no daily attention (such as with the birth control pills, condoms, etc.)
• More cost effective in the long run then a daily procedure
• Allows for sexual spontaneity

Cons:

• It is a surgery and with every surgery, there are risks to consider
• The procedure is not 100% reversible in the event of regret
• Does not protect against STD's (only the proper use of condoms can do this)
• Is more expensive than the male form of permanent contraception (vasectomy)

If you are researching permanent birth control for women, it is suggested that you do proper research and reflection to be sure that you will not regret the decision in the future. If you are sure about your decision to receive permanent birth control (female sterilization), join your doctor so that the two of you can discuss which procedure will be most fitting to your life.

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Lockerbie bomber died today: brother ? Hot Air

posted at 11:01 am on May 20, 2012 by Ed Morrissey

The strange and murderous journey of Abdel Basset al-Megrahi has finally come to a destination, at least according to his brother.? The Lockerbie bomber died in his bed this weekend of cancer almost three years after a sleazy deal with the British government sent him back to Libya:

The former?Libyan intelligence officer?convicted of the 1988?Lockerbie bombing?that killed 270 people has died, his brother said on Sunday. He was 59.

Abdel Basset al-Megrahi died at home after a long battle with cancer. His health had deteriorated quickly, his brother Abdulhakim told Reuters on Sunday.

Megrahi had a status unusual in Libya the past two years.? At first he lived under the protection of Moammar Qaddafi, whose son publicly celebrated Megrahi?s release despite an agreement with the British government to keep the return more low-key.? After a NATO bombardment initially led by the US allowed rebels to overthrow Qaddafi, we asked for Megrahi?s extradition.? Despite Megrahi?s connection to the old regime, the new regime refused to extradite Megrahi for his murders, most of which victimized Americans.

In the end, Megrahi only served eleven days for each of the murdered victims in the Lockerbie bombing.? The Scottish and British governments granted Megrahi a compassionate release with an explanation that he only had weeks to live.?? That was in the late summer of 2009.? At that time, the UK was negotiating oil contracts with Qaddafi, which made the ?compassionate release? appear a lot more like ?mercenary release.?? The release violated an agreement to extradite Megrahi to the US if and when the UK decided to release him.

Megrahi has gone on to his final judgment.? We still need an accounting for the violation of that agreement and the appeasement involved in Megrahi?s release.

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Climate change miscues may shrink species? outer limits

Ecological partnerships are getting out of sync, especially at high latitudes

Web edition : 12:21 pm

Throughout the world, climate change is causing age-old ecological partners to miss their cues as seasons shift. The trend may be so strong at higher latitudes that researchers now propose that some species? ranges could actually shrink away from the poles.

This idea comes from studying broad-tailed hummingbirds that migrate north from Central America each spring to high-altitude breeding sites in the western United States. With only brief mountain summers to raise chicks, male hummingbirds typically arrive in the region before the first flowers bloom and scout for territories.

Around the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colo., near the upper limit of the broad-tailed hummingbird breeding range, the gap between the first hummingbird arrival and the first bloom has narrowed by roughly 13 days during the last four decades. Amy McKinney of the University of Maryland in College Park and her colleagues report the discovery online May 14 in Ecology.

Glacier lilies start blooming roughly 17 days earlier than they did in the 1970s, but birds haven?t sped up nearly as much. In a few extreme years, lilies have already started blooming before the first hummingbird showed up. Researchers calculate that if the timing trends continue, in about two more decades the males will routinely miss the first flowers.

Other flowers do bloom throughout the summer, but losing the beginning of the flowering season cuts into an already tight breeding schedule. Around the Rocky Mountain laboratory, broad-tailed hummingbird pairs now have time to raise only one brood, with at most two chicks, per summer. And as far as timing goes, McKinney points out, ?they?re already falling behind.?

If shifts in available flowers end up hampering efforts to raise chicks, then this northerly zone of current breeding territory may someday dwindle away.??

Such timing mismatches are probably very common, says evolutionary ecologist Marcel Visser of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology in Wageningen. He has documented difficulties with the spring return of migratory European birds, called pied flycatchers, that have been left behind by earlier and earlier peaks of caterpillars that would once have fed the chicks.

Some broad-tailed hummingbirds that breed farther south have less of a problem, McKinney and her colleagues report. By pooling decades of data collected for various projects, the group compared timing on the north rim of the birds? breeding range with almost 30 years of bloom and bird records at sites in Arizona. There?s no clear-cut narrowing of the gap between arriving males and the first blooms of an Indian paintbrush species that starts off the nectar season.

Climate change ecologist Anthony Richardson says he?s not yet convinced that higher latitudes on land really do see more dramatic changes in timing of biological events. And marine trends so far seem to lessen with increasing latitude, reports Richardson, of the University of Queensland in St. Lucia, Australia.

What?s needed now, says hummingbird study co-author David Inouye of the University of Maryland, is more data on timing of events in whole communities of creatures. As ranges change at different rates, he says, ?I think we?ll see a lot of shuffling.?
Found in: Environment and Life

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French Le Pen to lose to leftist in assembly vote: poll

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Understanding What A Personal Bankruptcy Means For You

Safeguard your most valuable asset?your home. Filing for bankruptcy does not mean you have to lose your home. For instance, if your home value has dropped recently, or even if you happen to hold a second mortgage, you may not necessarily lose the home. There are also homestead exemptions which, depending on your other finances, may allow to remain in your home.

After filing bankruptcy, many people refuse to use credit cards or get loans. However, building a good credit history requires that you occasionally use credit. Avoiding credit altogether prevents you from rebuilding your credit standing, and will therefore serve as an obstacle when you wish to finance a house or a vehicle. Start with one single credit card, and rebuild your credit once more.

Don?t file for bankruptcy until your represented by an attorney. It is unlikely that you will be able to comprehend all the various rules and regulations involved in bankruptcy law. An attorney will make sure that everything is being done correctly.

Obtain copies of all credit reports about six months after the bankruptcy petition has been approved. Check to make sure your credit report accurately reflects your recently discharged debts. If there are any errors, make sure that you take action to resolve them as soon as possible.

You should not let your bankruptcy lawyer take complete charge of your case. Your attorney is a professional who knows about laws regarding bankruptcy, but you should still know as much as you can about the proceedings. You might feel overwhelmed by the process and want to leave your bankruptcy entirely up to your attorney, but stay involved ? your financial future is involved.

After your bankruptcy goes through, avoid taking on new debt. There are lenders out there who will try to tempt you with high interest loans and credit cards which are directed towards people who have gone through the bankruptcy process. There are normally the strings attached of high interest rates. You need to maintain tight control over your finances following bankruptcy; using unfavorable credit offers can land you in serious debt trouble all over again.

If you are in a situation that may result in bankruptcy, you will probably have a lot of contact with creditors. You should always get written documents to support any agreement you make with them. Any flexibility with creditors can affect the process of bankruptcy, as long as it is recorded.

Figure out what caused the financial situation you are in right now. Unexpected medical bills is one thing, but blowing money on shopping is another. If you have a history of buying lots of useless junk on credit, you may require professional help, lest you find yourself in this situation against in a few years.

It?s important that you understand what bankruptcy is and how it will change your life before you attempt to file a claim. The United States Some valuable resources include the U.S. Dept of Justice and American Bankruptcy Institute. The more knowledgeable you are, the more you can be sure that you are making the right decision and that you are taking the right steps to ensure your personal bankruptcy goes as smoothly as possible.

Bankruptcy is extremely popular nowadays due to the terrible economy. When deciding how to tackle your bankruptcy, make sure that you employ the advice that you read here.

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Tiny Tots in the Dentist's Chair Among Changes in Pediatric Dentistry

FRIDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) -- If you've been to the dentist with your children recently, you may have noticed that things have changed since you were a kid.

Many dental offices are more kid-friendly these days, offering books and toys to pass the time in the waiting room and maybe even TV or videos to watch while they're getting dental work.

But, there have also been changes in the actual practice of children's dentistry. You probably never got dental sealants as a child, or had topical fluoride treatments. If you had your wisdom teeth removed, more than likely it was because they were causing a problem, but today those teeth may come out sooner to reduce the risk for complications.

Here's a sampling of what's new in pediatric dentistry:

Dental Sealants

Many teeth have rough surfaces that are hard to clean. When applied to these surfaces, a dental sealant makes the pitted and grooved area of a tooth smooth and easy to clean.

"Back teeth have a biting surface and crevices that are hard to clean," said Dr. Larry Kronenberg, a pediatric dentist affiliated with Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y. "Depending on the depth of the crevice, bacteria and food can get lodged in the tooth and cause cavities."

"If your child has shallow crevices, sealants probably aren't indicated," he said. "But if you've ever given your child a pretzel and later saw that the food was still stuck on the teeth, your child could benefit from sealants."

Sealants are easy to apply. The dentist brushes them onto the teeth, and the sealant bonds with the tooth's enamel, according to the American Dental Association (ADA). Sometimes a curing light is used to help the sealants dry faster.

Fluoride Treatments

"Ingested fluoride works on teeth that haven't yet come into the mouth, those that haven't erupted yet, but it has no effect on the teeth already in the mouth," Kronenberg said. "A fluoride treatment using a gel or varnish incorporates the fluoride into the surface outer layer of the tooth. It has to be repeated because it gets worn off."

Fluoride is applied using a cotton swab or brush, or it's placed in a tray that the child bites down on and then holds in the mouth for several minutes. Once a fluoride treatment is done, there should be no eating or drinking for 30 minutes to allow the fluoride to soak into the teeth, according to the ADA.

Kronenberg explained that the difference between the fluoride contained in toothpaste and fluoride treatments is the concentration. The fluoride in toothpaste is much less concentrated, he noted.

Wisdom Teeth

Should they stay or should they go? That's the question kids and parents face.

Kronenberg said that most dentists start to look at a kid's wisdom teeth at about age 16 or 17 to see if there's room for the teeth to come in properly, without causing problems. If a tooth looks like it won't come in properly, some dentists now suggest removing these teeth sooner rather than later to make the removal easier. The less chance the tooth has to develop, the shallower the roots will be, explained Kronenberg.

But not everyone is practicing early removal.

"There's no cut-and-dried protocol saying that all wisdom teeth have to be extracted," said Dr. Joshua Verona from the division of dental medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. "If they don't affect function or appearance, we just leave them in. We only extract wisdom teeth when they're symptomatic."

Parents should discuss with their family dentist the risks and benefits associated with leaving wisdom teeth in or taking them out.

Reducing Anxiety

Kronenberg said that pediatric dentists are seeing patients at a younger and younger age. Some recommend that well-dental visits, much like well-child visits at the pediatrician, start at age 1 so that dentists can discuss the importance of diet and oral hygiene with the parents. But more importantly, he said, early visits "help start a relationship between the child and the dentist at an early age, and generally if you've built a positive relationship, children are more willing to accept necessary treatments in the future."

More information

The Nemours Foundation KidsHealth website has more on good oral hygiene.

A companion article recounts changes in pediatric dentistry from one generation to the next.

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Student killed, 7 hurt in blast near Italy school

Italian policemen, background left, walk on the site where an explosive device went off outside "Francesca Morvillo Falcone" high school in Brindisi, Italy, Saturday, May 19, 2012. Several students were wounded. (AP Photo/Max Frigione)

Italian policemen, background left, walk on the site where an explosive device went off outside "Francesca Morvillo Falcone" high school in Brindisi, Italy, Saturday, May 19, 2012. Several students were wounded. (AP Photo/Max Frigione)

An Italian Carabiniere, paramilitary police officer, left, walks on the site where an explosive device blasted outside "Francesca Morvillo Falcone" high school in Brindisi, Italy, Saturday, May 19, 2012. ( AP Photo/Max Frigione)

Notebooks are seen on the site where an explosive device blasted outside "Francesca Morvillo Falcone" high school in Brindisi, Italy, Saturday, May 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Max Frigione)

Italian firefighters inspect the site where an explosive device blasted outside "Francesca Morvillo Falcone" high school in Brindisi, Italy, Saturday, May 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Max Frigione)

ROME (AP) ? A bomb exploded outside a high school in southern Italy named after a slain anti-Mafia prosecutor as students arrived for class Saturday, killing a teenage girl and wounding several other classmates, officials said.

The device went off a few minutes before 8 a.m. in the Adriatic port town of Brindisi just as students milled outside, chatting and getting ready for class at the Morvillo-Falcone vocational institute. The school is named after the slain anti-Mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone and his wife, Francesca Morvillo, a judge who was also killed in the 1992 bombing in Sicily by Cosa Nostra.

One of the wounded students, a girl who was walking alongside the victim outside the school in Brindisi, was reported in critical condition after surgery. Officials said at least seven students were injured, but some news reports put the figure at 10.

Brindisi's Perrino hospital, where the wounded were taken, declined to give out information by phone.

Dr. Paola Ciannamea, a Perrino physician who helped treat the injured at the hsopital, told reporters there that one of the injured was a teenage girl who was in grave but stable condition after surgery. She added that plastic surgery was still being performed on some of the other injured, who suffered burns in the blast.

An unidentified hospital official, briefing reporters there, said the critically injured student was in stable condition after surgery and that several of the injured students had suffered burns and is undergoing plastic surgery.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility.

Italy has been marking the 20th anniversary of the Sicilian highway attack, but it was unclear if there was an organized crime link to Saturday's explosion.

In Brindisi, local civil protection agency official Fabiano Amati said a female student died of her wounds after being taken to a hospital and at least seven other students were hospitalized.

Sky TG24TV said the victim was a 16-year-old girl.

Interior Minister Anna Maria Cancellieri, in charge of domestic security, said she was "struck" by the fact that the school was named after the slain hero and his wife, but she cautioned that investigators at that point "have no elements" to blame the school attack on organized crime.

"It's not the usual (method) for the Mafia," she told Sky in a phone interview. The Sicilian-based Cosa Nostra usually targets specific figures, such as judges, prosecutors, turncoats or rival mobsters in attacks, and not civilian targets such as schools.

"The big problem now is to get intelligence" on the attack, said Cancellieri. She added that she had spoken by phone with Italian Premier Mario Monti, in the United States for the G-8 summit.

Outside the school, textbooks, their pages flipping in a breeze, notebooks and a backpack littered the street near where the bomb exploded. At the sound of the blast, students already inside the building ran outside of the school to see what happened.

Officials initially said the device was in a trash bin outside the Morvillo-Falcone school, but later ANSA, reporting from Brindisi, said the device, consisting of three cooking-gas canisters, a detonator and possibly a timer, had been placed on a low wall ringing the school. The wall was damaged and charred from the blast.

Public high schools in Italy hold classes on Saturday mornings.

A school official, Valeria Vitale, told Sky that most of the pupils were females. The school specializes in training for jobs in fashion and social services, she said.

The bombing also follows a number of attacks against Italian officials and government or public buildings by a group of anarchists, which prompted authorities to assign bodyguards for 550 individuals and deploy 16,000 law enforcement officers nationwide.

Minister Cancellieri indicated that after the school blast, authorities' sense of what could be a possible target had been tested.

"Anything now could be a 'sensitive' target," she said.

Austerity measures, spending cuts and new and higher taxes, all part of economist Monti's plan to save Italy from succumbing to the debt crisis roiling Greece, have angered many citizens, and social tensions have ratcheted up.

"The economic crisis doesn't help," Cancellieri said, referring to the tensions.

Brindisi is a lively port town in Puglia, the region in the southeastern "heel" of the Italian boot-shaped peninsula. An organized crime syndicate known as the Sacred United Crown, has been traditionally active there, but crackdowns have been widely considered by authorities to have lessened the organization's power in the region.

Associated Press

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Motorola: If ICS won't make our device better, we won't update to it

Motorola yesterday updated its device update schedule, with the crux being that we'll finally start to see some phones get Ice Cream Sandwich in the next month or so. Specifically, that's the Droid RAZR/MAXX, with the Atrix, Atrix 2, Droid 4 and Xyboards getting it in Q3.

Have a Droid 3 or Droid X2? Sorry, you're out of luck. And today Motorola expanded on why, saying:

"... obviously we want the new release to improve our devices. If we determine that can’t be done—well then, we’re not able to upgrade that particular device."

Interesting choice of words. What it probably means is that Moto determined that the cost in time and effort to update those older phones to ICS outweighs the benefit of Ice Cream Sandwich, which indeed sucks given how young those phones are. But that's the crapshoot we all enter into these days, unfortunately.

Good luck convincing folks that Ice Cream Sandwich won't improve their phones, Moto.

You can get the full statement at the source link below.

Source: Motorola

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