Passage of Prop. 30 hailed by educators

With the passage of Proposition 30, college students will be spared another round of tuition increases and younger students will avoid a shorter school year, results that were met with much jubilation Wednesday.

For public school districts, the measure's success was mostly about escaping another wave of severe budget cuts, including teacher layoffs, curtailed instructional time and larger classes. But for higher education, the measure is expected to reap immediate positive benefits.

California's community college system will restore thousands of classes, somewhat easing a huge backlog of students unable to complete their degrees. Cal State students can look forward to modest tuition refunds. And annual tuition spikes at the University of California are on hold for now.

Community colleges will receive about $210 million in additional funding and serve about 20,000 more students, new Chancellor Brice W. Harris said at a Wednesday media briefing.

Financial prospects going forward also look better, he said, after several years of reductions to programs and class offerings — paired with fee increases. The system has turned away half a million students that it would have served in more prosperous times.

"I'm guardedly optimistic that we're beginning to find the bottom in California," Harris said.

The nine-campus L.A. Community College District avoided a cut of $30 million and instead will add about 200 classes this spring, said Chancellor Daniel LaVista. And Pasadena City College will receive a boost of about $6.7 million to restore classes and other student services, officials said.

Student interest in the election — and the increasing ease with which they could register to vote, including online — were powerful elements statewide for Proposition 30, said Raphael Sonenshein, who heads the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State L.A.

Students registered about 3,000 of their Los Angeles Community College District peers in the four weeks leading up to the election, said Herlim Li, 35, a political-science major and organizer who attends both East L.A. College and Cal State L.A.

The ballot measure won with 54% of California voters — nearly 60% in L.A. County.

The California State University system will reverse a $249 per semester tuition increase that took effect this fall. Tuition for undergraduates will return to last year's rate of $5,472. Students will be credited, refunded or receive a reconfigured financial aid package, officials said.

"We are hopeful that the passage of Proposition 30 will be the beginning of the state's reinvestment in higher education," Cal State Chancellor Charles B. Reed said in a statement. "The state needs to start making up for the devastating budget cuts of the past several years."

The system had wait-listed most applicants for fall 2013 pending the outcome of Proposition 30, but will now restart the admissions review process.

Students in the University of California system dodged a threatened 20% tuition increase — about $2,400 — that would probably have gone into effect next month. UC Regents Chairwoman Sherry Lansing said the measure's success "will certainly help us in our battle to restore fiscal stability to the University of California."

UC regents, however, are scheduled to vote next week on raising 2013-14 supplemental fees for graduate and professional programs such as nursing, business, social work, dentistry, medicine and architecture. Those increases could range between 1.2% and 35%, with most fees rising 7% or less.

And undergraduate tuition increases for next year remain a possibility.

In Los Angeles Unified, the good news of Proposition 30 instantly became a new source of contention. Teachers union President Warren Fletcher on Wednesday said he "expected" the nation's second-largest K-12 system to restore 10 days of pay that teachers had surrendered — as well as a full 180-day school year for students.

Schools Supt. John Deasy said he hoped the district could salvage three of five instructional days lost to previous budget cuts; it remained unclear when those days might be scheduled. And, teachers and other employees would receive lost pay only when a canceled school day is restored.

He said he was grateful to have avoided such fallback cuts as eliminating all Advanced Placement classes, all home-to-school transportation and three additional weeks of school.

San Diego Unified Supt. Bill Kowba said his district had been prepared to pare the school year by at least 14 days. In recent years, the district eliminated about 2,000 jobs and made hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts.

Kowba said he felt "an incredible sigh of relief and complete debt of gratitude to the voters."

The measure's failure would have further devastated Inglewood Unified. In September, the district received a $55-million emergency loan to avoid bankruptcy.

If Proposition 30 had lost "it would have taken us out," said Kent Taylor, the district's state-appointed administrator. "There's no way we would have been able to recover."

Continue reading Passage of Prop. 30 hailed by educators

Nate Silver's book sales skyrocket

Nate Silver nailed it last night, and it's paying off.

The New York Times' political statistician recently released a book, and in the last 24 hours sales have skyrocketed by 850% on Amazon.com, CNNMoney reports. "It is now the second best selling book on the site, behind only popular children's book, 'The Third Wheel, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 7.'"

Prior to the election, Silver's methodology was called into question by pundits skeptical of his reliance on polling data, including MSNBC's Joe Scarborough and David Brooks of the New York Times. (Silver's model is based on what Ezra Klein described as "little more than a sophisticated form of poll aggregation." If Silver had been wrong, the polling would have been wrong.) Yet Silver's model correctly forecast the winner in all 50 states. Florida, which he gave Obama a 50.3% chance of winning, is still up in the air -- but the 50.3% forecast more or less accounts for that.

Silver has been a huge asset to the Times since his model correctly forecast the outcome in 49 of 50 states during the 2008 election. In the days and hours prior to the election, roughly one out of every five visitors to NYTimes.com visited his blog, FiveThirtyEight.

Late last month, Silver acknowledged that his reputation was on the line in this election. “I'm sure that I have a lot riding on the outcome," he said. "I'm also sure I'll get too much credit if the prediction is right and too much blame if it is wrong."

Whether Silver's reputation should be determined by the accuracy of his forecasts -- it is an open and feverish debate -- the fact of the matter is that 2012 earned Silver more web traffic, money, and fame than he has ever had before. He won re-election with one hell of a mandate.

Silver did not respond to requests for an interview.

Continue reading Nate Silver's book sales skyrocket

On Fox News, a Mistrust of Pro-Obama Numbers Lasts Late Into the Night

Karl Rove was incredulous. His colleagues at the Fox News decision desk had called Ohio for President Obama, a move he insisted just a few minutes earlier would be premature.

“We’ve got to be careful about calling this when we have 991 votes separating the candidates,” he scolded them. “I’d be very cautious about intruding into this process.”

Silence settled over the set.

“That’s awkward,” Megyn Kelly said, trying to break the tension. She and the co-anchor Bret Baier then offered to broker something of a compromise. One of them would walk down the hall and interview the number crunchers on the decision desk about why they made their call.

And so ensued the most bizarre on-air encounter of election night: a network anchor interrogating Arnon Mishkin, a member of the Fox News decision team and a respected voting analyst, forcing him and a colleague to defend their news judgment against Mr. Rove, one of the most powerful Republican fund-raisers and strategists.

However odd, the exchange perfectly captured one of the persistent sources of strain between the media and Republicans throughout the presidential campaign. Ever skeptical of a media bias toward Democrats, conservatives complained repeatedly that polls this year were showing an erroneous and biased edge for Mr. Obama.

As Fox News’s own polling showed an advantage for Mr. Obama late in the campaign, commentators on the network questioned whether the news organization had its numbers right. (As midnight approached on Tuesday, Mr. Rove, who helped lead one of the most powerful “super PACs” aiding Republicans this year, did appear to soften his objections somewhat.)

Some conservatives started trumpeting the efforts of polling aggregators like UnSkewedPolls.com, which purported to “debunk the media bias and shatter the false illusion being created by the mainstream media.” (The Web site employs a methodology that mainstream pollsters have said is not credible.)

By early Wednesday, UnSkewedPolls.com had posted no updates and still had a headline about “Big Election Day Romney Turnout.”

For much of the campaign, the story emanating from conservative commentators was one of mistrust. It was not only the polls that were untrustworthy. Those Labor Department numbers that showed a rosier economic picture in the final weeks of the election? The books were cooked by pro-Obama stooges, conservatives charged.

Suspicion of the other side — by conservatives and liberals alike — was evident in media coverage as the minutes ticked away to Tuesday’s poll closings across the country.

The one conclusion people across the political spectrum seemed to agree on — even before there was a clear winner — was that the other side had cheated, lied or intimidated its way to victory.

Speaking on MSNBC, the former Vermont governor and Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean declared that the “only way” Mr. Obama could lose in Ohio “is if people are prevented from casting their ballots, either by voting machines that aren’t functioning right or other forms of harassment.”

Web sites with large liberal followings like Mother Jones, Slate and The Huffington Post highlighted a video that claimed to show a “Romney-loving“ voting machine in Pennsylvania that was converting Obama votes into votes for Mitt Romney.

But the cries were louder on the right.

Fox News Radio reported that a man in North Carolina claimed to observe a poll worker coaxing a woman to vote for Mr. Obama. And Fox News broadcast several segments about a mural of the president, complete with his campaign logo and the words “hope” and “change,” that greeted voters at a Philadelphia school, a possible violation of a law against campaign materials at polling sites.

After Republicans went to court and won an order to have the mural covered, the network reported that the covering was insufficient. It failed to obscure the campaign logo and slogan.

The Daily Caller led its Web site on Tuesday with a story about a photo from the James O’Keefe group Project Veritas that discovered a posterof Mr. Obama, Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks just a few feet from where voters were casting ballots in Newark.

There were other scattered reports online of possible targeting of Republicans: the Michigan Republican Party claiming that a poll watcher in Detroit was threatened with a gun; a woman in Florida initially denied entrance to a polling site because she was wearing a T-shirt with “MIT” on it.

Though some conservatives like Mr. Rove initially doubted the election’s outcome, by around 10 p.m. many in the media had turned pessimistic about Mr. Romney’s chances.

John Ellis, who worked on the Fox News decision desk in 2000, was one of them. “Obama wins. Popular vote still unclear,” he wrote on Twitter at 9:54 p.m.

Shortly after 10, Nicolle Wallace, a Republican analyst on ABC, talked of “soul-searching” ahead for the GOP; Alex Castellanos, on CNN, talked as if he assumed Mr. Romney was going to lose. “This is going to be a repudiation of the Republican Party,” he said.

At 11:12 p.m., NBC became the first network to call the election for Mr. Obama, only 12 minutes after all the networks were able to call it for him in 2008.

Continue reading On Fox News, a Mistrust of Pro-Obama Numbers Lasts Late Into the Night

Miley Cyrus home intruder sentenced Guilty

Jason Luis Rivera was ordered to mejauh Miley and 500 meters from his house, and demanded 18 months imprisonment.

LOS ANGELES, Jaringnews.com - A man who was arrested outside the home of Miley Cyrus, has been sentenced to breach and escape from the police.

Jason Luis Rivera was arrested in September after police were called when he was discovered in the yard of Miley in Los Angeles, and tried to get into. Finally, on Thursday (11/10), Jason found guilty in court.

According to TMZ, he was ordered to stay away 500 meters from Lima fiance Hemsworth and his home, and dealing with the demands of 18 months in prison.

When the police escorted, Jason also admitted he and Miley had been married. The singer of 19 years was itself not home when the incident occurred.

Hannah Montana star was also told his friends he would never be afraid to stay in his house, because he has a good security team around him.

"Miley does not plan to move out of his house and would not let crazy people ruin their lives," the source said as quoted by Femalefirst (12/10). "When he came home, he had his own security team and himself believed also sure they will protect it."

"Miley will not be affected by the incident that occurred recently at his home. He relieved that no one was injured, but the move is not an option," said the source.

so the conclusion you have to sneak into the top artists in order to get your face in a variety of media.

That's it From me

Continue reading Miley Cyrus home intruder sentenced Guilty

Breaking news for PTC users

for users of PTC I want to tell you that one of the possible of your favorite PTC is a scam, and he was Tdbux, PTC recently I tell you, today I go to the website Tdbux.com then click View ads and columns apparently open only 4 pieces of the same ad with the title of "NO INVEST IN Tdbux" as I opened the shame that comes out images.

huh very unfortunate, but I expect much more to this new PTC and we received a lot now is the time to remove as much detraction to the site tdbux.com.

so from me, bye

Continue reading Breaking news for PTC users

original creator of the character upin & ipin

I want to raise this topic because, yesterday I played a friend's house, doing things that other people usually do when sedan to a friend's house to play, chat, bercand, playing guitar, and others.

when they talked once told me about upin ipin and author, was the 3D animated series was made with the intervention of Indonesia who were internships in companies les copaque (production house), his name is Marsha Cikita son of legendary artist named Ikang Fawzi Indonesia, Indonesia chikita added many elements to the series Upin & ipin, when the internship because its performance is very satisfactory paid RM 500 (ringgit Malaysia) or USD 1.4 million (exchange rate of 1 RM = Rp 2,800) per month and that's just an internship, especially if the finished permanent members, Marsha is also the one who made ​​the slogan "Peace Come" which mempergambarkan Upin and Unyil.

And the second person to be discussed is a former student called Burhanuddin Radzi ITB man of his age, which is now in excess of 50 years, in the 1980's he majored in petroleum ITB (admittedly rather not connect well), but from it's origins now he became a producer and owner of the company les copaque, and his wife called Enon BTE Ariff, yes he is the voice of the animated Oppa Upin and Ipin.

One more thing I will say, why Upin and Ipin series so famous?, It's because it follows the two couples film festival in Cannes,French (yes the place where Rowan Atkinson on vacation), because it Upin and Ipin became famous and was asked right siarnya by several TV series

One greeting again, it turns out that a lot of people berdominansi behind Upin & Ipin is Indonesian, so do not you make up a story about Upin & Unyil fights.
A few of My

Continue reading original creator of the character upin & ipin

Conquering The Future of Data Visualization

When you go to Google's homepage today, you will notice that Google presented a birthday cake filled with glowing 14 candles. In a manner of seconds, the cake has "Google" spelled on top of the chocolate-like cake, and the candlesticks began to form a sort of tally system where viewers can easily count "14." Needless to say, that visualization presented by Google speaks for itself. It needs no further explanation to conclude that Google is celebrating its 14th year today.

That kind of visualization is what most organizations are trying to achieve - simple, easy to communicate and understand, and something that will make a lasting impression. But with a huge amount of data that we have, are there tools that could help people understand data simpler? Gladly, there are!

Aside from information graphics, or "infographics" as most people call it, there are data tools or visual devices that can present data in the simplest form that most people can comprehend. With these tools at hand, they can be able to transfer the information easily. These two data phenomenon are in the form of Microsoft Excel and Mapping Applications.

The Power of Excel

People may are confused and at times overwhelmed by how to use Excel. Almost all businesses are using this tool for data gathering and analysis. Even stay-at-home moms use Excel to track their budget. Excel presents formulas that aid in quickly sorting out data and thereby managing it appropriately.

The Mind-Blowing Uses of Mapping Applications

Map experts claim that mapping technology came into existence at the start of the 13th century. But the technology was only appreciated by millions of people all over the world when modern GPS was applied at the turn of the 20th century. Since then, the technology of mapping brings people in the forefront of geography. Mapping applications make it easy for users to organize different layers of data, filter them for in-depth analysis, and easily search even within the whole bunch of data. With these applications, you can already build maps for free using the data coming from Excel spreadsheets.

Taking Advantage of the Perfect Partnership

With these two data tools combined, you can definitely achieve data visualization that people want - simple, easy to understand and communicate, and has a lasting impression. But there's another reason why most people choose this partnership for data visualization - it is free to use. Whatever industry you are in, learning your geography will enhance your business understanding. The data collated from spreadsheets are applied to mapping applications. The results are truly astounding!

First, the fear of "big data" will automatically melt down. Even if you add multiple sets of data on a mapping application, the data can still be easy to process. In fact, the more you map your spreadsheets, the more you are able to search, share and analyze the data. Second, building maps from Excel allows you to create attention-grabbing visualization. You can filter the location to include only the points that you need to raise. Filter again and you can have deeper analysis. Filter a third time, and you can identify the relationship between each data set. Third, with visualization of data all in front of you, the information is easier to be shared with others in different departments and agencies. Hence, collaboration of ideas leads to creating important decision-making for the entire organization.

There are many astounding results as we take advantage of these two data analysis tools. After reading this, you can get started conquering the future of data visualization. Simple and easy to understand visualizations are now within your means with the help of Excel and a free mapping tool.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

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How To Know If A Colocation Data Center Is Right For You

We all know the importance of being connected today, especially for businesses, that's why I'd like to help you by answering one of the many questions you might have about what your business needs. Our specific topic is on colocation data centers. What are they and are they the right choice for you and your business?

First, let me start by explaining exactly what a colocation data enter is. Colocation means that the data center is co-inhabited, or in other words, several people and businesses use the same center. This is especially useful for small and mid-sized businesses, saving them time, money, and undo stress. With a colocation center, everything is taken care of for you, like the cooling system, security, and physical space needed. The biggest benefit would be the cost. When you share a server with several other people and businesses, you also share the cost of keeping it running, whereas with a dedicated server (only you use it) you have to do everything yourself, which requires a lot more money and a much larger IT department.

Now that you know a little more about colocation, is it the right choice for you? Generally speaking, most businesses only need a relatively small amount of band width and storage space, so paying a lot for a dedicated server can be a huge waste of money. On the other hand, with a colocation center, you are only paying for what you need. Think of it as renting a home in a mansion, why pay for the entire mortgage, when all you really need is one room? Colocation data centers give you flexibility; you can get a service package that will give you exactly what you need, no more, no less.

There are a lot data centers out there, some good, but a lot of bad, so it is really important that you make sure that the one you go with offers the following: a climate controlled environment, 24/7 customer service, physical security, human monitoring services, and a backup power supply. Climate control is more than just air conditioning, it's also fire protection with sprinklers and fire prevention systems that will detect the potential for a fire before it starts. Their physical security should include guards and some sort of PIN or biometric system in place for accessing an individuals locked cage or cabinet. Human monitoring is crucial, you always want an actual person on hand to make sure everything is running and if any failures happen that they are dealt with immediately. Power supply may not seem important, but just think what could happen to all your data if there was a power failure and no backup power supply. They must have a backup generator in case of such an emergency.

I really hope this information will help you to figure out if a colocation data center is right for you, and what to look for in a center.

Jennifer Blunt is the author of this article on London data centre.
Find more information, about Colocation data center here

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

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The mindset of great leaders

(MoneyWatch) The most common feedback I get about my leadership seminars, whether at the University of Southern California where I teach or at corporations, is, "I thought this was going to be garbage, but I was surprised -- it's really good!" People say that as if they've given me a great compliment. But such faint praise is  actually a serious criticism of my field, and one every leader needs to take seriously.

Would a surgeon feel about good a patient telling them: "I assumed you didn't know what you were doing, being a surgeon and all, but you correctly removed my gall bladder, not my left leg!"

Except that the critics are right. Most of what passes for leadership advice is fluff -- platitudes, repackaged conventional wisdom and broad principles that lack any rigor. 

Prove your worth

In one sentence, here's how to become a better leader and make your organization more effective: Do what the evidence says to do, and then go beyond what's known and imagine what's possible.

I'm an empiricist (in the same way some people are Republicans or Democrats). That means I make decisions based on data, not just on what others are doing, not on philosophy or intuition, and definitely not on what most people are doing. If the data says an action will get a better result, empiricists try their best to do it. 

When leaders become empiricists, they are guided by all available evidence, letting that data tell them the right thing to do. When they reach the edge of the cliff of what is known, they jump off, creating visions or futures of what can be. The result is great companies, like Agilent Technologies (A), Intuit (INTU), or Edwards Lifesciences (EW) -- all companies that have impressed me with their focus on empirical decision-making.

What often surprises people in "empirical leadership" sessions is that there is an emerging new way to lead. It doesn't require believing anything other than empirical data. It gets better results than what's dominated the field for the last century. Employees love it, shareholders enjoy the benefits and the methods delight customers. 

Ignorance isn't bliss

The problem is, we don't do it. Here's what typically happens instead: 

We hire people based on the number of years of industry experience they have, and then wonder why our company is just like our competitors. We tell people to be inspired by the company vision, when they had no role in setting it and will never be asked their opinion about how to make it better. We ask employees to do as they are told and to feel empowered while doing as we tell them -- and wonder why they think executives aren't very smart.

We ignore learning styles when we put people in jobs, and then try to figure out why people are always scrambling to catch up. We focus people on bringing their weaknesses up to the company standards instead of building on our strengths, and wonder why our company isn't best in class.

We learn what our competitors are doing (called "best practices") and do the same, and scratch our heads about why we aren't leading our fields. We work sitting down rather than moving around, and complain about the 3 p.m. energy drain. We discourage power naps.

We praise employees who respond to email in minutes, almost guaranteeing that people aren't thinking about the long term. We tell people to add more responsibilities without giving them someone to offload some of what they're doing, and wonder why they aren't thrilled with their increase in responsibilities.

Company vending machines are filled with products that make employees obese and slow-thinking. We have corporate retreats where the executives lecture from PowerPoints, rather than engage in discussions.

We issue orders (like "fly coach"), while executives fly first-class and hope no one notices. We reward our top performers with a raise that is barely above the average, and can't figure out why we have a motivation problem.

We hire for skills, not values, and then wonder why we don't have good teams. We make decisions about what companies to acquire based on strategic or operational synergies, ignoring culture, and then wonder why the two groups don't integrate.

We tell people how they're doing in the same conversation that we ask them how they'd like to develop, and can't figure out why they aren't more passionate about their personal growth.

We hire consultants to tell senior management what most employees already know. We elevate decisions to the highest possible level, and wonder why we have organizational cultures where people don't think for themselves.

We tell people it's safe to fail and fire those who don't hit their numbers when they try something new. We turn culture and values over to the human resources department rather than the CEO owning the effort, and can't figure out why no one takes the effort seriously.

Where the evidence leads

Now here's what we'd do if we implemented what the evidence says to do:

We'd turn control of the company over to the values that the employees share. This would mean starting with the employees we already have, and discovering what principles, for them, "without which, life wouldn't be worth living." 

We'd seek places in the market where our values and strengths would give us the ability to earn high margins and win the loyalty of great customers. 

We'd find intersections among what we're uniquely good at doing, our values and those needs for which people are willing to pay a premium. 

We'd hire only people with both the skills for the jobs and the values that match the employees we already have. CEOs would own "organizational culture" in the same way most own EBITA (earnings before interest, taxes and amortization). 

We'd make M&A decisions based primarily on cultural alignment, not just on opportunities for integration through cost-cutting. Companies would run experiments, in which the goal was actionable insights, and we'd turn that learning into the next decisions we make. Decisions would be made at the lowest possible level, and closest to the customer. 

We'd build loops of communication from the customer to the people making decisions, so that each decision becomes more informed, faster and brings us closer to maximizing our potential as a company.

If leaders were empiricists, this description would be normal. So why isn't it? Two reasons. First, what passes for "leadership training" often amounts to personal philosophy, platitudes and motivational speeches, rather than practices grounded in evidence. Second, the change needs to start at the top. Most of the CEOs I know are empirical leaders, and their companies are almost always considered best in class. 

One of the greatest experiences in the Executive MBA is taking students to one of these companies, meeting with key leaders and then asking the student: "So how is this different than where you work?" Often, they just keep saying things like "wow," and "this is really inspiring." Who would have thought that following the evidence trail could be so fun?

Empirical leadership should extend to our personal lives, as well. Read about what a personal life looks like when it's guided by evidence in my personal blog.

Continue reading The mindset of great leaders

Romney: "47 percent" remarks "completely wrong"

Mitt Romney, trying to distance himself from perhaps his most damaging campaign moment, said Thursday that his infamous "47 percent" remarks were "completely wrong."

"Clearly in a campaign with hundreds if not thousands of speeches and question-and-answer sessions, now and then you are going to say something that doesn't come out right. In this case I said something that's just completely wrong," Romney told Sean Hannity on Fox News. "And I absolutely believe, however, that my life has shown that I care about 100 percent. And that has been demonstrated throughout my life. And this whole campaign is about the 100 percent. When I become president it will be about helping the 100 percent."

A leaked videotape last month revealed Romney telling wealthy donors at a Boca Raton, Fla. fundraiser that 47 percent of the country, President Obama's supporters, don't pay income taxes; consider themselves victims; feel entitled to government handouts, and will never be persuaded to take personal responsibility for their lives.

• One retools, other rebuilds
 
• Obama campaign readies post-debate counterpunch
 
• Romney basks in debate afterglow at surprise CPAC visit

As Obama and his allies have noted in ads, speeches, and everywhere they can, the 47 percent is for the most part veterans, active military, seniors, and low-income workers, most of whom are paying an array of sales, property, payroll, local and state taxes.

Romney initially described his remarks as not "elegantly stated" but said they reflected the choice in the election between "a government-centered society that provides more and more benefits" or "a free-enterprise society where people are able to pursue their dreams." The video went viral and polling suggested his words were taking a toll.

The New York Times reported that Romney had hoped to try to repair the damageduring the debate, when more than 67 million people were watching. But Obama did not bring it up, in part to deny Romney that opportunity, an aide told the newspaper.

Continue reading Romney: "47 percent" remarks "completely wrong"

Apple's online store down, raising product anticipation

Apple's online store is down at this hour, which is typically indicative of a new product release on the horizon.

However, what that might portend is a bit of mystery. With the iPhone 5's launch and new iPods already in Apple's rear-view mirror and the unannounced but much-rumored iPad Mini still apparently further down the road, it leaves one to wonder what Apple is adding to the store.

Might Apple have some last-minute changes in store for the Mac line before the holiday shopping season kicks in to full gear next month? It's anyone's guess at this point.

The store doesn't usually go down for long, but CNET will keep an eye out for significant additions. In the meantime, review our gallery below of "We'll be back" messages and see how many languages you can identify.

Continue reading Apple's online store down, raising product anticipation

Live ecstatic experiences booking best airfares for Flights to Cape Town

Cape Town, the enthralling capital city of South Africa is popular for its wide variety of destinations, activities and sights. Surrounded by two mighty oceans and blessed with a pleasant climate increases its allure. With its scenic beauty mixed well with attractions and entertainment attracts several tourists each year. Go for a ride on a cable car, hike and walk along the beach sides or taste the feel of exhilarating adventures taking home memorable experiences. Some of the popular destinations in Cape Town are Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Rondevlei Nature Reserve, District Six Museum, Two Oceans Aquarium, South African Museum, Robben Island, Castle of Good Hope, Good Hope Nature Reserve, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront and so on. Take time exploring attractions, savoring scrumptious cuisines of seafood, authentic African dishes and undeniably international cuisines. Shop, party or explore, there are surprises every corner making your trip unforgettable.

Whale Watching

Cheap Flights to Cape Town offers the best deal of whale watching all around the world. August as well as November is best for whale watching as you can see several whales at the bay. Walk along the path on the cliff to spot whales as closely as 20 meters from the sheltered bay. Whale criers signal the visitors with horns. You can go for a walk along the long beach and also go for swimming with these gentle creatures.

Swim along with Penguins

Boulders Beach is famous for its colony of penguins. Visitors from around the world hunt for cheap airfares and book Flights to Cape Town to swim along the penguins. Considered as the sanctuary of penguins, share a swim with them in their environment. Penguins found at Boulders Beach are Jackass African Penguins, known to be funny and delightful.

Festivals and Events

Cape Town is famous for its music events, food and wine festivals and annual sports. Cape Argus cycle tour is a great sporting event attracting both casual and competitive cyclists to book Cape Town Flights. Another great sporting event is the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon. North Sea Jazz festival is full weekend show consists of several artists from Africa and other countries. Klein Karoo National Arts Festival offer dance, poetry, music and cabaret. Both British and American comedians along with locals are showcased in Cape Town International Comedy Festival. The Cape Times V&A Waterfront Wine Affair consists of more than 75 wine estates from Western Cape. Cape gourmet Festival consist of two weeks wine and food events witnessing visitors from the entire globe booking Flights to Cape Town.

Shopping

Cape Town is a popular and affordable destination for shopping as it offers a variety of things. You can find traditional African art and beadwork, designer products, precious stones, gold, diamonds, hand-crafted jewelry, gifts and souvenirs. Visit the trendy malls or local markets as well as street side shops for shopping. Get memorabilia and antiques for souvenirs at reasonable rates while flying cheap flights to Cape Town from London.

Author

John Kelly is an expert content writer at crystal travel for business development. If you want to know about cheap flights to Cape Town then you must visit www.crystaltravel.co.uk or call 0800 368 0300 for book your cheap flights to Cape Town from London.

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India Establishes Itself as a Hub for Research and Analysis

Why should you outsource your research and analysis requirements to India? This is a question that has often been triggered in the minds of our numerous offshore clients, who want an insight into India’s position as a global solutions provider for research and analysis.

Over the years, India has established its position as a credible watering hole for knowledgesolutions. The presence of a large intellectual knowledge pool, bestowed with specialized expertise, computer skills and proficiency in English language provides outsourcers with well defined advantages.

The increasing population of chartered accountants, MBA’s, research analysts, engineers, doctors, scientific researchers and programmers, have made it easy for Indian companies, to cater to millions of job works from across the boundaries. The Indian education system provides opportunities for higher education and world class degrees in different fields of specialization and this has given rise to a large database of efficient research and analysis service providers.

The remarkable steps undertaken by the Indian Government, in relation to liberalization and deregulation, has reduced licensing requirements, improved accessibility to foreign technology and made foreign investments simpler. Global clients are now leveraging the comparatively lower service costs and the experience of the outsourcing companies to tap the resources provided by the Indian companies.

The development of Knowledge Parks in many silicon cities of the Subcontinent, has erected stoic infrastructure that supports the highest levels of research, through world class technological inputs. The communication networks in India have managed to shorten distances through international gateways, submarine cable landing stations, internet telephony, high speed internet connectivity and a host of other modes of communication. This has brought global clients and Indian service providers on a common forum.

Brand India, has established its credibility and high trust levels globally, through the initiatives of private companies, government institutions and associations committed to the cause of converting India into a popular hub for research and analysis and outsourced services.

Other proactive statutory legislations initiated by NASSCOM and the government authorities, have aligned the data privacy, intellectual property rights and information security measures to those practiced by the leading states in the world. Global clients are now assured of the highest levels of confidentiality and security while outsourcing their research and analysis jobs to Indian companies.

The advanced security systems that have been installed in house in these companies monitor phone calls, conversations, emails and all other employee movements. Regular employee background checks and proper scanning of all accessibility options are certain other measures which alleviate the security and privacy concerns of clients, wishing to avail research and analysis services from India.

Indian companies have achieved the highest standards of quality and performance with the help of well qualified professionals, state of the art technology and sophisticated equipments which has added immensely to the expertise, experience and skills of the companies catering to global clients.

The debate on the virtues and vices of outsourcing will continue. However, for business houses, the bottom line is getting value for every cent spent. Outsourcing research and analysis to India, not only provides a definite cost advantage in the long run but also brings in new and fresh thoughts and concepts into the client’s business model.

infoAnalytica provides a range of research and analysis services such as financial research, market research and analysis, product research and analysis to help our customers gain significant competitive advantage.

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