Ministry Longevity

by Rob?Townshend

This year marks a milestone in my ministry that I frankly never thought I would see. When my church graduates our seniors this year, we will be graduating a class that I met as 1st graders.

As I finish my 11th year and enter my 12th here at Calvary Bible Church, I am astounded by how wonderfully blessed I have been to be a part of this family. I am also dreadfully aware that my tenure here is well outside the average for those of us in Student Ministry. In my research, I have seen the average tenure of student/youth pastors is 18 to 24 months. Frankly, exact numbers don?t matter; what matters is that here in New England I have witnessed first hand the revolving door of youth ministry taking place all around me. The other thing that matters is that students suffer when yet another adult enters and then promptly exits their lives so quickly.

Why does any of this matter? The simple answer is that longevity in ministry promotes ministry stability. I have watched these young people grow up, and, more importantly, they are aware that I have done so as well. Our ministry is filled with a sense of security, certainty, and relational living that I never saw in my first 7 years of ministry when I was the floating youth guy. These students know I am here for them no matter what they experience. They know everything about me.

More importantly, however, they know everything about my dedication to the Savior, which is what allows me to be as completely dedicated to my family, His church, and them as ministers of the Gospel. On top of this, the people of our community see a minister of the Gospel who is committed to serving our city as a resource, cheerleader, counselor, and even a moral conscience when needed. What if this kind of ministry longevity became the norm instead of the exception? I personally dream of a day when it does!

My desire to see this become a reality has caused me to evaluate the past 11 years and try to identify how I have been able to remain in a role I pray to continue in for years to come. My hope is that others who are called to do so can pursue this longevity as the norm and not the exception. I have identified 5 keys that have contributed to the success He has given us in maintaining a ?long haul? ministry.

1. Personal Commitment to Longevity. As a minister in New England, I knew that if I accepted this call for anything less than 5 years I would never see great kingdom fruit. As my wife and I considered this call, we did so with a long-term view. We literally asked ourselves if we could see ourselves retiring from this position in 30 years. Once we determined that the answer was yes, we knew it was the move God had for us. This doesn?t mean we aren?t open to His call away from CBC but it does mean we aren?t looking at the want ads on a regular basis. When things get tough, as they sometimes do in ministry, we look back to our call here in 2001 as a reminder that we are here for the good, the bad, and the ugly. Knowing that we are called here for this extended season has helped us weather storms and has kept us focused on His plans instead of ours?in ways that I never thought possible.
2. Personal commitment to spiritual growth, accountability, and transparency. I have been a ministry statistic because of my own personal pride, sin, and stupidity. In the late 90?s I worked for a parachurch outreach ministry where we had great success reaching into a local high school in the South. Unfortunately, along with this success came a slippery slope of compromise where ?Rob? became the focus - instead of Christ ? and ended in a tremendous fall. I had become so focused on doing things in my own strength that I started believing I didn?t need Christ. I eventually was forced to leave the ministry while the Lord hammered me back into shape. From this personal failing, I learned the valuable lesson that unless I am constantly growing in Christ, I have no business ministering in Christ?s name. Over the past 11 years, I have ensured that there are many wonderful men and women holding me accountable as I live transparently before them and my King. No area of my life is off limits to scrutiny because I never want to allow myself to slip away from my first love! Ministry longevity requires one to be first a sold out growing disciple of Jesus Christ!
3. Staying focused on the ?main thing? while constantly innovating. Over the years, our ministry has remained innovative and sharp simply because it has never used anything but the bible as its foundation. We have changed curriculum, programming approaches, and all the peripheral stuff but we remain committed to the call in Ephesians 4:11-16. Our mission is to equip ministers who contribute to the current generation of His church. A student in 1st grade right now knows that when they reach 7th grade, we will engage them in ministry by equipping (discipling) and empowering (training and giving authority) them to become the leaders of their ministry. They know they will have older mentors, peer mentors, and will be mentoring someone (because they themselves had someone). This knowledge sparks creativity along with a passion to live for Christ. In short, our ministry has become a vital part of the church, which leads to this kind of long-term investment because the leadership sees the value the ministry has in equipping the saints!
4. A healthy relationship with my senior pastor. My senior pastor is my biggest cheerleader! It helps that he has been here 21 years now and thus understands the value of longevity. From the very start, he and I cultivated a relationship based on positional respect, personal respect, and a mutual commitment to open, honest communication. Over the years, we have become true ministry partners, teammates, and friends. I respect his position without question. I lift him up in prayer, carry burdens for him when I can, and serve alongside him on the elder board. In 11 years, we have had 2 major disagreements and no one but us knows what they were about because we used biblical principles resolve them between us. This doesn?t mean we don?t have different opinions or positions on things; it simply means we both understand the value of team ministry and, more importantly, we each respect the other?s position and call by God.
5. Our Church leadership provides for our needs as a family. On top of a great relationship with my senior pastor, I am also blessed to serve with an elder board that understands how to care for their staff. Beyond the blessing of a salary that provides for our needs, they invest in my wife and me as a couple. They serve as mentors in our marriage, our parenting, and our lives in general. I am given the time off I need to care for my primary ministry, which is my family. Our ministry is supported with real money to accomplish our personal and ministry goals. Our church treats me as a valued member of the leadership team and not like a hired hand who is a baby sitter for their teenagers. There is no expectation that I will ?grow out of? this phase. Rather, there is a hope I will be here for their grandchildren.

I?ll say it again: I am blessed and honored to serve at Calvary Bible Church and hope to do so for many years to come! I pray that senior pastors, elders, and youth pastors alike see this as encouragement. Senior pastors and elders, I implore you to evaluate how you view your youth pastor (or your worship leader, discipleship pastor, etc...). Are you setting them up to succeed or are you guaranteeing that you will be looking for a new one every two to three years? Prayerfully look at your pay packages, budgets, and expectations. Expect them to produce fruit but be sure to reward them for their efforts, because your church will reap eternal benefits as they invest in your students.?

I ask my fellow youth pastors to prayerfully consider committing to a ministry of longevity. There are certainly some serving in youth ministry who will be called for short-term assignments and many who will be called on to other roles. To those that this applies to, I say thank you for your faithfulness; you need to go without guilt or reservation. Always remember our primary call is obedience to the Lord?s call, not to a position. Having said that, I also believe there are some who need to simply stay where they are. For those who are, I challenge you to stick it out, be committed to personal growth in Christ, develop great relationships with your pastor and elders, and keep challenging the younger portion of the current generation of the church to service and growth!

Source: http://www.youthworkers.net/index.cfm/fuseaction/blog.view/BlogID/1569

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Poor engagement is damaging business process outsourcing - Statco

Poor engagement is damaging business process outsourcing ? sourcingfocus.com

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 30th, 2012 at 6:23 am and is filed under Recent News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Source: http://www.statco.com/poor-engagement-is-damaging-business-process-outsourcing-sourcingfocus-com/

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British October consumer morale drops to lowest in six months - GfK

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Boxee TV heads to Walmart shelves in time for the holidays

Boxee has some fairly grand plans for its Boxee TV set-top box, and it's now set to get a sizeable boost from the biggest retailer around. According Bloomberg News, the device will be available at more than 3,000 Walmart stores in the US starting tomorrow, where the retailer is also said to be setting up displays to demonstrate the device and provide marketing materials. As Bloomberg notes, the deal comes at a fairly critical time for Boxee, which sold some 120,000 devices in the past year compared to 1.4 million Roku boxes and 5.3 million Apple TVs. It also comes on the heels of another attempt by Boxee to win over customers, with it announcing just a few days ago that that it'd be handing out free Boxee TVs to some early adopters.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Boxee TV heads to Walmart shelves in time for the holidays originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/31/boxee-tv-heads-to-walmart-shelves-in-time-for-the-holidays/

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Video: Dramatic aerials of Breezy Point

>> striking view to show you from the air. this is a neighborhood also in new york city , in the borough of queens, and they have been asked to bear a lot. keep in mind this is home to a lot of police officers and firefighters. they lost a lot of residents on 9/11. after that they had a plane crash , and now the community of breezy point has lost over 100 homes to fire. somebody said this tiny couple of blocks area looked like dresden while the fires were burning, jumping from house to house, because they couldn't take fire trucks to the area because there was standing water. the extent of the damage is catastrophic, where block upon block neighbors are pledging to rebuild, what is usually a lovely, close neighborhood there in queens new york.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/49631169/

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Novo Nordisk raises year view after Q3 beats fcasts

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark's Novo Nordisk lifted third-quarter core profit by 40 percent and above expectations on the back of strong sales of diabetes drug Victoza and modern insulins.

The world's biggest insulin producer raised its 2012 sales growth forecast in local currencies to 10 to 12 percent from 9 to 12 percent and said it expected operating profit growth of 16 to 18 percent versus 15 percent previously.

"Continued strong sales of our modern insulins and Victoza have led to a robust financial performance in the first nine months of 2012," Chief Executive Lars Sorensen said.

Releasing forecasts for 2013, Novo Nordisk said it saw operating profits and sales growth in high single digits, measured in local currencies.

"The expectations to 2013 sales could have been a little higher," said Sydbank analyst Soren Lontoft.

"The earnings forecast looks fine considering the high costs for the launch of Tresiba in the new year," Lontoft said.

Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) rose to 7.86 billion Danish crowns ($1.37 billion) from 5.61 billion in the third quarter last year, beating an average 7.23 billion forecast in a Reuters poll of analysts.

Sales of Victoza, one of Novo's biggest growth drivers, jumped 62 percent in the quarter while sales of modern insulins grew 23 percent.

Sales grew 20 percent year-on-year to 19.85 billion crowns, roughly in line with analysts' average 19.92 billion estimate.

Novo Nordisk said a new share buy back programme would be launched shortly.

(Reporting by Mette Fraende; Editing by David Cowell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/novo-nordisk-raises-view-q3-beats-fcasts-071935802--finance.html

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Improve your memory with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids

A new study found that healthy young adults, aged 18 to 25 years can further enhance their working memory by increasing their intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs). Researcher affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh published their findings online on October 3 in the journal PLoS One.

The researchers note that previous human studies suggest that n?3 PUFA deficiency is associated with impairment in mood and cognitive functioning. In addition, some but not all studies suggest that the supplementation of n?3 PUFA in several neuropsychiatric disorders such as mood disorders, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) holds promise as a primary or adjunctive (supplementary). In contrast to seniors or individuals with neurologic disorders, healthy young adults are at the peak of their cognitive function.

The researchers found that n?3 PUFA supplementation improved working memory in these individuals; however, they were unable to determine the underlying mechanism.

The study group comprised 11 healthy young adults who underwent positron emission tomography (PET) using a selective VMAT2 PET tracer before and after six months of n-3 PUFA supplementation (Lovaza, 2 grams/day, containing docosahexaenoic acid, 750 mg/day, and eicosapentaenoic acid, 930 mg/day). The subjects also completed a standard working memory task (the n-back test) and analysis of red blood cell membrane fatty acid composition before and after supplementation. The presupplementation n-back test results correlated positively with plasma omega-3 levels. This finding meant that omega-3 fatty acids they were getting from their diet already positively correlated with their working memory. In addition, performance on the working memory task improved after six months of n-3 PUFA supplementation.

Take home message:
This study suggests that it might be prudent to take a daily dietary supplement of n-3 PUFA. Oils from cold water oily fish, such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines have a high content of n-3 PUFA. Other oily fish, such as tuna, also contain n?3 PUFA in somewhat lesser amounts. Consumers of oily fish should be aware of the potential presence of heavy metals such as mercury and fat-soluble pollutants like PCBs and dioxins, which are known to accumulate up the food chain. Vegetarian sources of n-3 fatty acids are also available. Flaxseed (or linseed) and its oil are a widely available source of the n?3 fatty acids. Flaxseed oil consists of approximately 55% ALA, which makes it six times richer than most fish oils in n?3 fatty acids. Eggs produced by hens fed a diet of greens and insects contain higher levels of n?3 fatty acids than those produced by chickens fed corn or soybeans. In addition to feeding chickens insects and greens, fish oils, flax seeds, and canola seeds may be added to their diets to increase the n-3 fatty acid concentrations in eggs. When purchasing eggs at the supermarket, select ones labeled ?Omega-3.? Grass-fed beef also contains omega 3 fatty acids.

Reference: PLoS One

See also:
Which organic foods are worth the higher price?
US boys now attaining puberty earlier
Mercury exposure during pregnancy and ADHD risk in offspring

Source: http://www.emaxhealth.com/11306/improve-your-memory-omega-3-polyunsaturated-fatty-acids

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Opening of DWIH New Delhi: German science and industry join together in India

Public release date: 31-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Marco Finetti
marco.finetti@dfg.de
49-228-885-2230
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Initiative Promotes Germany as a location for research and innovation / 14 Partners with DFG as coordinator / Intensive collaboration between both countries

This press release is available in German.

German science and industry have joined together to promote collaboration with Indian partners and expand existing contacts. On 27 October 2012 the German House for Research and Innovation (DWIH) opened its doors in New Delhi. Funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, this institution combines the expertise of research and funding organisations and businesses active in research. The objective is to further promote Germany as an excellent location for science and innovation. A total of 14 partners are participating in the consortium, which is coordinated by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation).

"Starting today, there will be one umbrella organisation for major organisations operating in India. This is a milestone that will create synergies and drive forward joint initiatives that operate hand-in-hand with Indian partners," said DFG President Matthias Kleiner, addressing the audience during the opening ceremony. The opening was attended by high-ranking politicians, representatives of scientific organisations, and researchers from Germany and India.

In her remarks, German State Secretary Dr. Emily Haber of the Federal Foreign Office stated: "The German House for Research and Innovation in New Delhi is a landmark in cooperation between Germany and India on science and research. The German House will advance our academic and scientific exchange and dialogue with India, a true hub for science and research. It will provide the primary point of contact for academics and researchers from Germany and India." Dr. Karan Singh, a prominent Indian literary figure, politician, and diplomat stated: "Cultural and scientific relationships between Germany and India will bring our people closer together. Focusing on these relationships will strengthen the ties between our two countries."

Commenting on the participating partners, DFG President Kleiner added: "I am very pleased that representatives of 14 German organisations have joined together to bring the DWIH to life. The institution in New Delhi has attracted a particularly high number of partners with regard to the DWIH network worldwide." The consortium includes research funding organisations such as the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH), the Fraunhofer Society (FhG), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and the Max Planck Society (MPG). Industry is represented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce. Participating research institutions and universities include Research Centre Jlich GmbH, Free University of Berlin, Heidelberg University, RWTH Aachen University, Technical University of Munich (TUM), University of Cologne, and the University of Gttingen.

The DWIH in New Delhi is the fifth consortium of this type. Other centres are located in New York, So Paolo, Moscow, and Tokyo. Over the past two decades, India has experienced continuously strong economic growth, during which time collaboration between Germany and India has also intensified. As a result, an increasing number of German organisations have established a presence in this country with Indian partners and the public often finding it difficult to distinguish between their competencies and responsibilities. "The time had come to bring things to the next level and systematically establish local structures that give Indian students, researchers, and other interested persons a central point of contact," said DFG President Kleiner during the opening ceremony.

Scientific collaboration in particular is already very intensive. According to a study published by the DFG in 2011, Germany is already India's second most productive cooperation partner after the United States as measured by the number of joint publications. In fact, Indian researchers cooperate with German colleagues on more than 10 percent of all international publications. Overall, binational research collaborations grew by 6.8 percent per year from 2004 to 2009. These include, among other things, the two DFG-funded German-Indian Research Training Groups in the areas of glycochemistry and molecular infection biology, in which early career researchers are trained at a high scientific level through exchanges between the two countries.

The DFG itself has had an office in New Delhi since 2006. According to Dr. Torsten Fischer, who has been the director of the DFG India Office since 2009, the new German House has two primary tasks: First, it will elevate the visibility of all partners, for example through events such as workshops, seminars, and lectures as well as a joint website and marketing activities. Second, it will serve as a one-stop shop for the German and Indian communities during the planning and implementation of joint projects.

The opening of the German House included the first DWIH lectures in which renowned researchers provided a glimpse into their research in engineering sciences, system biology, and supramolecular chemistry as well as a "Science Slam" in which early career researchers gave original talks on their research topics such as contemporary German pop literature, waste recovery, and demarcations in chromosomes and between nations. The opening ceremony also provided the backdrop for a delegation of German scientists under the leadership of the DFG President. In order to further facilitate collaboration, an agreement was signed between the DFG and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of the Indian government, which defined a framework for close collaboration. During the visit, DFG President Matthias Kleiner was inducted into the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) as a Foreign Fellow. This prestigious distinction further underscores the extraordinarily close scientific relationships between the two countries.

###

Further Information

Media contact:

Marco Finetti, Head of DFG Press and Public Relations
Tel. +49 228 885-2230, Marco.Finetti@dfg.de

The DFG Office India and the DWIH New Delhi may be reached as follows:

2, Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri
New Delhi 110021, India
www.dfg.de/india
www.dwih.in

Contact:

Dr. Torsten Fischer
DFG Office India
Director of the DFG Office India and coordinator of the DWIH New Delhi
Tel. +91 11 4922-4999, Torsten.Fischer@dfg.de

Ruchika Christ
DFG Office India
Press and Public Relations and Programme DWIH New Delhi
Tel. +91 11 4922-4905, Ruchika.Christ@dfg.de

DFG programme contact:

Dr. Ingrid Krmann, International Affairs
Tel. +49 228 885-2786, Ingrid.Kruessmann@dfg.de

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 31-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Marco Finetti
marco.finetti@dfg.de
49-228-885-2230
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Initiative Promotes Germany as a location for research and innovation / 14 Partners with DFG as coordinator / Intensive collaboration between both countries

This press release is available in German.

German science and industry have joined together to promote collaboration with Indian partners and expand existing contacts. On 27 October 2012 the German House for Research and Innovation (DWIH) opened its doors in New Delhi. Funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, this institution combines the expertise of research and funding organisations and businesses active in research. The objective is to further promote Germany as an excellent location for science and innovation. A total of 14 partners are participating in the consortium, which is coordinated by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation).

"Starting today, there will be one umbrella organisation for major organisations operating in India. This is a milestone that will create synergies and drive forward joint initiatives that operate hand-in-hand with Indian partners," said DFG President Matthias Kleiner, addressing the audience during the opening ceremony. The opening was attended by high-ranking politicians, representatives of scientific organisations, and researchers from Germany and India.

In her remarks, German State Secretary Dr. Emily Haber of the Federal Foreign Office stated: "The German House for Research and Innovation in New Delhi is a landmark in cooperation between Germany and India on science and research. The German House will advance our academic and scientific exchange and dialogue with India, a true hub for science and research. It will provide the primary point of contact for academics and researchers from Germany and India." Dr. Karan Singh, a prominent Indian literary figure, politician, and diplomat stated: "Cultural and scientific relationships between Germany and India will bring our people closer together. Focusing on these relationships will strengthen the ties between our two countries."

Commenting on the participating partners, DFG President Kleiner added: "I am very pleased that representatives of 14 German organisations have joined together to bring the DWIH to life. The institution in New Delhi has attracted a particularly high number of partners with regard to the DWIH network worldwide." The consortium includes research funding organisations such as the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH), the Fraunhofer Society (FhG), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and the Max Planck Society (MPG). Industry is represented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce. Participating research institutions and universities include Research Centre Jlich GmbH, Free University of Berlin, Heidelberg University, RWTH Aachen University, Technical University of Munich (TUM), University of Cologne, and the University of Gttingen.

The DWIH in New Delhi is the fifth consortium of this type. Other centres are located in New York, So Paolo, Moscow, and Tokyo. Over the past two decades, India has experienced continuously strong economic growth, during which time collaboration between Germany and India has also intensified. As a result, an increasing number of German organisations have established a presence in this country with Indian partners and the public often finding it difficult to distinguish between their competencies and responsibilities. "The time had come to bring things to the next level and systematically establish local structures that give Indian students, researchers, and other interested persons a central point of contact," said DFG President Kleiner during the opening ceremony.

Scientific collaboration in particular is already very intensive. According to a study published by the DFG in 2011, Germany is already India's second most productive cooperation partner after the United States as measured by the number of joint publications. In fact, Indian researchers cooperate with German colleagues on more than 10 percent of all international publications. Overall, binational research collaborations grew by 6.8 percent per year from 2004 to 2009. These include, among other things, the two DFG-funded German-Indian Research Training Groups in the areas of glycochemistry and molecular infection biology, in which early career researchers are trained at a high scientific level through exchanges between the two countries.

The DFG itself has had an office in New Delhi since 2006. According to Dr. Torsten Fischer, who has been the director of the DFG India Office since 2009, the new German House has two primary tasks: First, it will elevate the visibility of all partners, for example through events such as workshops, seminars, and lectures as well as a joint website and marketing activities. Second, it will serve as a one-stop shop for the German and Indian communities during the planning and implementation of joint projects.

The opening of the German House included the first DWIH lectures in which renowned researchers provided a glimpse into their research in engineering sciences, system biology, and supramolecular chemistry as well as a "Science Slam" in which early career researchers gave original talks on their research topics such as contemporary German pop literature, waste recovery, and demarcations in chromosomes and between nations. The opening ceremony also provided the backdrop for a delegation of German scientists under the leadership of the DFG President. In order to further facilitate collaboration, an agreement was signed between the DFG and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of the Indian government, which defined a framework for close collaboration. During the visit, DFG President Matthias Kleiner was inducted into the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) as a Foreign Fellow. This prestigious distinction further underscores the extraordinarily close scientific relationships between the two countries.

###

Further Information

Media contact:

Marco Finetti, Head of DFG Press and Public Relations
Tel. +49 228 885-2230, Marco.Finetti@dfg.de

The DFG Office India and the DWIH New Delhi may be reached as follows:

2, Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri
New Delhi 110021, India
www.dfg.de/india
www.dwih.in

Contact:

Dr. Torsten Fischer
DFG Office India
Director of the DFG Office India and coordinator of the DWIH New Delhi
Tel. +91 11 4922-4999, Torsten.Fischer@dfg.de

Ruchika Christ
DFG Office India
Press and Public Relations and Programme DWIH New Delhi
Tel. +91 11 4922-4905, Ruchika.Christ@dfg.de

DFG programme contact:

Dr. Ingrid Krmann, International Affairs
Tel. +49 228 885-2786, Ingrid.Kruessmann@dfg.de

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/df-ood103112.php

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Powerhouse Google Nexus 4 set for November launch

The Nexus 4, the latest smartphone from Google and LG, will run the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system.?

By Matthew Shaer / October 30, 2012

The Google Nexus 4 smartphone.

Google

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Google yesterday unveiled three new products: the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system, a ten-inch tablet called the Nexus 10, and a new smartphone called the Nexus 4.

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We'll circle back to the Nexus 10 in a separate post. For now, let's concentrate on the Nexus 4, a handset with the firepower and looks to challenge both the iPhone 5 and the extremely-popular, Android-powered Samsung Galaxy III.?

Mountain View is billing the Nexus 4, which is built by LG, as the "best of Google" ? a phone packed tight with Google products, from full Gmail integration to the Chrome browser to Google Maps. For some folks, of course, that's going to be a little too much Google, but for anyone who spent long hours trying to suss out the intricacies of the Apple Maps app on the iPhone 5, it might come as welcome news indeed.?

The specs on the Nexus 4 are pretty impressive: A 4.7-inch display ? compared to four inches on the iPhone 5 ? an 8-megapixel camera out back and a 1.3-megapixel camera out front, 2GB of RAM,?and a jumbo?Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor.?The phone will be sold without a two-year contract through the Google Play store?? $299 will get you an 8GB model and $349 will get you the 16GB model. Release date is Nov. 13.?

"For those of us in the US," writes JR Raphael of Computerworld, "the phone will work on either T-Mobile or AT&T with HSPA+-level 4G speeds; you'll buy the device outright from Google and then use it either with your existing plan or a new plan. You can also opt to use it with a?prepaid smartphone plan?? something I'd strongly suggest considering."

Raphael says T-Mobile will also sell the 16GB model for $200, with a two-year contract.?

So how does the Nexus stack up against its chief rivals??

Well, the team over at Ars Technica has crunched the numbers, and staffer Andrew Cunningham predicts that the Nexus 4 will be "easily?the fastest Android handset you can buy today."

And while the Nexus "doesn't always beat the Apple A6 in the iPhone 5, it's always very close in synthetic benchmarks," Cunningham adds. "Between the two, the iPhone's dual-core A6 may have the advantage in real-world performance, since not all apps will be able to take advantage of all four of the Snapdragon's CPU cores, but we need more real-world comparison time to say for certain."?

For?more tech news, follow us on?Twitter @venturenaut.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/NSkn84J5dII/Powerhouse-Google-Nexus-4-set-for-November-launch

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New study sheds light on how and when vision evolved

ScienceDaily (Oct. 29, 2012) ? Opsins, the light-sensitive proteins key to vision, may have evolved earlier and undergone fewer genetic changes than previously believed, according to a new study from the National University of Ireland Maynooth and the University of Bristol published October 29 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) .

The study, which used computer modelling to provide a detailed picture of how and when opsins evolved, sheds light on the origin of sight in animals, including humans. The evolutionary origins of vision remain hotly debated, partly due to inconsistent reports of phylogenetic relationships among the earliest opsin-possessing animals.

Dr Davide Pisani of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences and colleagues at NUI Maynooth performed a computational analysis to test every hypothesis of opsin evolution proposed to date. The analysis incorporated all available genomic information from all relevant animal lineages, including a newly sequenced group of sponges (Oscarella carmela) and the Cnidarians, a group of animals thought to have possessed the world's earliest eyes.

Using this information, the researchers developed a timeline with an opsin ancestor common to all groups appearing some 700 million years ago. This opsin was considered 'blind' yet underwent key genetic changes over the span of 11 million years that conveyed the ability to detect light.

Dr Pisani said: "The great relevance of our study is that we traced the earliest origin of vision and we found that it originated only once in animals. This is an astonishing discovery because it implies that our study uncovered, in consequence, how and when vision evolved in humans."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Bristol.

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Journal Reference:

1. Roberto Feuda, Sinead C. Hamilton, James O. McInerney, and Davide Pisani. Metazoan opsin evolution reveals a simple route to animal vision. PNAS, October 29, 2012 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1204609109

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/1pBQZ73Fsc0/121029154324.htm

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Rise in prescription drug deaths highlights issue of chronic pain ...

In 2008, deaths from prescription drugs were more than double the number of accidental overdose deaths from heroin. Photo: Justin McManus

The recent National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre report raising alarm about increasing numbers of deaths from prescription opioids, reflects a much bigger issue: the millions of Australians whose lives are severely affected by chronic pain.

At least one in five Australians, including children, lives with chronic pain; among people aged over 65, it?s one in three. The report?s revelation there were more than 500 opioid-related deaths in a year ? the majority from prescription drugs such as oxycodone ? is indeed tragic. In 2008 deaths from prescription drugs were more than double the number of accidental overdose deaths from heroin. But the number of young people whose lives are ruined because of chronic pain is devastating on an even bigger scale.

Opioid drugs such as oxycodone play a valuable role in treating acute pain, especially after surgery or trauma. However, they may not be suitable for the treatment of long-term chronic pain from a disease or injury.

Among the vast majority of people with chronic pain, other measures such as cognitive behavioural therapy, exercise, physio or occupational therapy and meditation, can actually be more effective in managing, if not eliminating the pain.

However, such programs are not covered by Medicare or health insurance so are available to relatively few people who could benefit from them. Plus waiting times at pain clinics may range from six month to two years.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the federal government are pushing for a nationwide electronic system that would allow pharmacists, doctors and state health authorities to monitor the prescribing and dispensing of addictive drugs.

But it is not helpful to call for further restrictions on prescribing opioids. A more rational and strategic approach to managing pain in a holistic and enlightened manner, is by far the best way to tackle this problem.

We need to transform the way doctors, and their patients, think about pain. The experience of pain is subjective, and is influenced by physical, psychological and environmental factors. I have lived with chronic pain from osteoarthritis since my 30s, which forced me to retire from my work and sports I loved, such as tennis, golf and sailing. I have had two hip replacements and a shoulder replacement, but continue to live with pain from arthritis in my spine and other joints. I manage it with non-opioid medication, hydro and physiotherapy but now have difficulty walking and even swimming. I have used opioids including oxycodone for post-surgical pain but as a pharmacist I knew I could not continue this long term.

Pain is the most common symptom reported by people visiting a GP. Pain-relieving medications are the most frequently requested over-the-counter medication in pharmacies.

About 20 per cent of suicides are linked to physical problems, often associated with chronic pain. The most common reasons for people of working age to drop out of the workforce are back problems and arthritis ? both associated with severe, debilitating chronic pain.

The National Pain Strategy, developed by more than 150 healthcare professionals and consumers at a 2010 national summit, recommended chronic pain be recognised as a priority health issue and constitute a disease in its own right. Yet it remains one of the most neglected areas of healthcare.

While committing the resources needed for a strategic national campaign, similar to those for chronic heart disease and cancer, may be a bridge too far for government in the fiscal climate, one option could be a ?Better Outcomes in Pain Management? program. It could be treated nationally through Medicare as we do for mental health.

We would need to provide education and training for health professionals in multi-disciplinary pain management, and introduce strict guidelines on prescribing and managing opioids, including a timeframe for ceasing the drugs.

We should provide better access to integrated approaches to pain management including medical, psychological and physical therapies such as massage and acupuncture appropriately, paid for by Medicare (again, as we do for mental health.)

We need to develop community education and support networks for people living with pain, such as those run by not-for-profit bodies such as the Australian Pain Management Association, with its Pain Link helpline, and Chronic Pain Australia.

The Mackay Pain Support Group in north Queensland is an example where this community approach is working well.

Patients need to be referred seamlessly from primary care through to a specialist pain clinic followed up by ongoing support in the community. Telehealth could help ensure better access to pain management services in regional areas and indigenous communities, which are among the most vulnerable.

The alarm over opioid deaths needs to be considered as part of a much bigger problem requiring a strategic, humane approach to addressing chronic pain in our community.

Lesley Brydon is CEO of the non-profit Painaustralia.

Article source: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/rise-in-prescription-drug-deaths-highlights-issue-of-chronic-pain-20121029-28fkb.html

Source: http://www.mhhub.com/archives/24675

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World stocks down, NYSE closes trading floor

BANGKOK (AP) ? World stock markets fell Monday as a mammoth storm heading toward the eastern U.S. caused the New York Stock Exchange and CME Group to shut trading floors.

Stocks ran out of momentum as traders refrained from bold moves amid global growth woes, while Hurricane Sandy ? expected to join up with two other weather systems to combine into a superstorm by Tuesday ? brought the potential for havoc as it bore down on major eastern U.S. cities such as New York and Washington.

CME, which operates the New York Mercantile Exchange, and NYSE said they would shut their New York trading floors Monday but electronic trading would continue.

Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.3 percent to 5,786.24. Germany's DAX lost 0.4 percent to 7,200.70. France's CAC-40 shed 0.8 percent to 3,407.32.

Stan Shamu, market strategist at IG Markets in Melbourne, said in an email commentary that he expects lackluster trading this week, "until the US election process has run its course and the investing world has a clearer picture as to who will be leading the US."

The U.S. holds presidential elections on Nov. 6. President Barack Obama is seeking re-election against Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Asian stock markets shed early gains and closed mostly lower. Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell marginally to 8,929.34 a day before the Bank of Japan's monetary policy committee was to meet, to grapple yet again with the country's longstanding economic doldrums.

"The faster-than-expected deterioration in the economy requires further policy support from the central bank," analysts at DBS Bank Ltd. in Singapore said in a market commentary. "Market expectations are building that the BOJ will ease policy again."

South Korea's Kospi ended barely changed at 1,891.52. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.1 percent to 4,476.90. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.2 percent to 21,511.05, with property shares leading the way down after the government said it would tamp down prices by imposing a 15 percent tax on nonresident buyers of Hong Kong properties.

"I think they blame the nonresident buyers, mainly from China's mainland, for driving up the prices of residential properties in Hong Kong," said Francis Lun, managing director of Lyncean Holdings in Hong Kong. "But any kind of control is not good. You will distort the market. The key is to increase the supply."

The tax will also apply to companies to close a loophole that has seen companies buying up residences and then transferring them to nonresidents.

Hong Kong-listed Henderson Land Development Co. and Sino Land Co. both plummeted 6.4 percent.

Japanese car maker Honda Motor Corp. fell 4.7 percent after lowering its forecasts for fiscal year 2013 due to a recent sales drop in China sparked by a territorial dispute.

On Wall Street on Friday, stocks finished mixed after investors found little to like in weak corporate earnings reports and news of only tepid growth in the U.S. economy in the third quarter.

The government estimated that the U.S. economy expanded at a 2 percent annual rate from July through September. That was better than the previous quarter but not strong enough to bring down the unemployment rate.

Benchmark oil for December delivery was down 68 cents to $85.60 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 23 cents to finish at $86.28 in New York on Friday.

In currencies, the dollar fell to 79.58 yen from 79.66 yen late Friday in New York. The euro fell to $1.2894 from $1.2932.

___

Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pamelasampson

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/world-stocks-down-nyse-closes-trading-floor-094918478--finance.html

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The Best (and Worst) Video Game Controllers

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/video-games/the-best-and-worst-video-game-controllers?src=rss

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Obama to air ads in Mich. touting auto bailout

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Excerpts from ?The No. 1 Enemy of Creativity: Fear of Failure? | Lesly ...

October 29, 2012 in Articles

?. . . the odds are you were never, at any point in your educational or professional career given permission to fail, even on a ?little bet.? Your parents wanted you to achieve, achieve, achieve ? in sports, the classroom, and scouting or work. Your teachers penalized you for having the ?wrong? answers, or knocked your grades down if you were imperfect, according to however your adult figures defined perfection. Similarly, modern industrial management is still predicated largely on mitigating risks and preventing errors, not innovating or inventing.

?But entrepreneurs and designers think of failure the way most people think of learning. As Darden Professor Saras Sarasvathy has shown through her research about how expert entrepreneurs make decisions, they must make lots of mistakes to discover new approaches, opportunities, or business models. She frequently references Howard Schultz who, when he started Il Giornale in Seattle, the company that Schultz used to later buy the original Starbucks brand and assets, the store had nonstop opera music playing, menus written in Italian, and no chairs. As Schultz has often said, ?We had to make a lot of mistakes? before discovering a model that worked.

?So, I ask you: how do you personally define a ?failure??

?If it?s going bankrupt with a company you started, getting fired for doing something inconsistent with your values, or needing to break off a wedding engagement or a divorce that could have been avoided if you listened to your heart originally, then, yes, that is a failure, and I can empathize.

?However, if your internalized view of failure is anything that is not perfect, then you are disempowering yourself from exercising your inherent creativity.

?You?re certainly not the only one shackled by these norms, and I don?t blame you with the way our educational system is focused so rigidly on ?correct answers? and standardized testing. This must change. . . .

?. . . As Col. Casey Haskins, who heads up military instruction for West Point, has said, ?You have to make it cool to fail.? . . .

?At GE, instead of focusing on completing solutions, Comstock focuses on providing tools and resources to drive a discovery mindset, to identify problems first before jumping in with solutions. And, to do so, they?ve got to change a bunch of internal review approaches so that it becomes cool to be imperfect and half-baked at the early stages of new projects ? so long as you?re learning quickly.

?. . .? Bill Hewlett, cofounder of Hewlett Packard, an ardent proponent of what he called ?small bet? innovation, found that HP needed to make 100 small bets to find 6 breakthroughs.?

(Written by Peter Sims. Check out the full article here: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/10/the_no_1_enemy_of_creativity_f.html)

Source: http://www.leslykahn.com/blog/excerpts-from-the-no-1-enemy-of-creativity-fear-of-failure/

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Romney, GOP suddenly plunging onto Democratic turf

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney lifts bottles of water to load into a truck as he participates in a campaign event collecting supplies from residents and local relief organizations for victims of superstorm Sandy,Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, at the James S. Trent Arena in Kettering, Ohio. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney lifts bottles of water to load into a truck as he participates in a campaign event collecting supplies from residents and local relief organizations for victims of superstorm Sandy,Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, at the James S. Trent Arena in Kettering, Ohio. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama gestures while speaking during the his visit to the Disaster Operation Center of the Red Cross National Headquarter to discuss superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds bags of food as he participates in a campaign event collecting supplies from residents local relief organizations for victims of superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, at the James S. Trent Arena in Kettering, Ohio. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama, accompanied by American Red Cross President and CEO Gail J. McGovern, gestures while speaking during the his visit to the Disaster Operation Center of the Red Cross National Headquarter to discuss superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney loads a truck as he participates in a campaign event collecting supplies from local relief organizations for victims of superstorm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, at the James S. Trent Arena in Kettering, Ohio. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ? Mitt Romney is suddenly plunging into traditionally Democratic-leaning Minnesota and Pennsylvania, and his GOP allies are trying to put Michigan into play. It's forcing President Barack Obama to defend his own turf ? he's pouring money into television ads in the states and dispatching top backers ? in the campaign's final week.

The question is: Why this Republican move?

GOP efforts in the trio of Rust Belt states could indicate that Romney is desperately searching for a last-minute path to the needed 270 Electoral College votes ? without all-important Ohio. Or just the opposite, that he's so confident in the most competitive battlegrounds that he's pressing for insurance against Obama in what's expected to be a close race.

Or perhaps the Republican simply has money to burn. Use it now or never.

Former President Bill Clinton was dispatched in response on Tuesday. "Barack Obama's policies work better," he declared on the University of Minnesota campus, one of his two stops in a state that offers 10 electoral votes and hasn't voted for a Republican presidential candidate since Richard Nixon in 1972.

This late-game expansion of a campaign playing field that, until now, had focused on just nine states was taking place exactly a week from Election Day. At the same time, Obama spent a second day in Washington to focus on his presidential duties and Romney edged back into active campaigning in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy.

"This is a tough time for millions of people ... but America is tougher," the president said during a brief visit to the American Red Cross, where he sought to reassure victims, encourage aid workers ? and warn of more storm damage to come with rising floodwater.

In Ohio, Romney, too, spoke of concern for storm victims, telling supporters who were collecting supplies that "a lot of people hurting this morning."

Beyond the candidates' pause from feverish campaigning, the impact of the storm on the election wasn't all that clear.

National polls show an even race for the popular vote, though Obama appears to have both an edge in key battleground states in the electoral vote hunt and more state-by-state pathways to reach the 270-vote threshold.

Of the nine states where the two men have spent more than $1 billion in advertising since June, Romney is in the strongest position in North Carolina. But public and internal campaign polls show he's locked in stubbornly tight battles in Colorado, Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada and Virginia and is fighting to overtake Obama's advantage in crucial Ohio as well as Iowa and Wisconsin.

That said, Romney still could win. Anything can happen in the race's closing days ? including Democratic-leaning states like Minnesota, Pennsylvania or Michigan going Republican.

Clinton's Minnesota visit came just days after Romney and his allies started airing TV ads in the state. GOP-leaning groups including Americans for Job Security and American Future Fund were spending $615,000 this week. Romney spent a much lighter $29,000 last week, and it was unclear how much his campaign was spending this week. All together, the efforts led Obama to follow suit to prevent the state from slipping out of his grasp. His campaign was spending $210,000 on ads in Minnesota this week.

Polls show Romney having gained ground in Minnesota though still trailing Obama. And Obama has a much larger campaign footprint of paid staff and volunteers, including more than 30 full-time workers and 12 offices. Romney never has established much of campaign organization in Minnesota.

In Pennsylvania, Romney's campaign started pouring money into TV ads Monday for the first time, though Republican-leaning groups have been on the air in recent days trying to narrow the Obama advantage indicated by surveys. Republican groups - American Crossroads, Restore Our Future and Americans for Job Security - are spending at least $3.9 million this week. That does not include spending by Romney's campaign. Obama aides said the president's campaign is spending $625,000.

Romney has sent most of his Pennsylvania team to other states in recent weeks, and he has had no plan to visit, raising questions about whether he is actually playing to win the state that offers 20 electoral votes and last went Republican in the 1988 presidential election.

GOP allies also were running TV ads in Democratic-tilting Michigan in hopes of softening the ground for Romney in the final days, but there was no indication yet that the Republican himself would make a strong 11th-hour play for the state where he was born and raised. Obama's team said late Tuesday that it was answering Restore Our Future's $2 million in ads in Michigan, which has 16 electoral votes.

Obama's team cast Romney's moves into the three states, which have trended Democrat for more than 20 years, as a desperate act by a candidate who hasn't locked up the states he needs for a White House win.

"They understand they're not going to be able to win Ohio and now they're getting desperate and want to be able to put other states in play," Messina said. "We're going to win Pennsylvania, but we aren't taking anything for granted."

Romney political director Rich Beeson argued that Romney was playing to win, saying in a campaign memo: "With one week to go, and 96% of the vote on the table on Election Day in Pennsylvania, this expansion of the electoral map demonstrates that Governor Romney's momentum has jumped containment from the usual target states."

Other Republicans debated Romney's tactics.

Some GOP strategists in Washington and key states suggested the moves into Minnesota and Pennsylvania provide a cushion for the GOP candidate in case he loses Ohio or another key state.

"I don't think he has to break down a wall," said Republican strategist Greg Strimple, who was the pollster for 2008 GOP nominee John McCain's presidential campaign. "He's in position to run the table, but he needs to have an insurance card in there in case he doesn't."

Still others said it was simply a matter of Romney's campaign and backers having so much money that they can afford to make low-probability efforts in the off-chance that one might bear fruit. Many pointed out that it is almost impossible at this late date for the campaigns and their allied groups to buy more ads in saturated states such as Ohio, Virginia and Florida.

"It's not really desperation" that drives such decisions, said veteran GOP strategist Mike McKenna of Richmond, Va. "You think, 'Maybe I can make the other guy spend some money there,'" even if the state is probably out of reach.

Other Republicans joined Democrats in saying that Romney options are shrinking and he had no choice but to find different paths to victory, and had the money to do it.

"If they didn't have so much money, they wouldn't be able to do something with so little chance of success," said Tad Devine, top electoral strategist for Democratic nominee Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004.

He called the Minnesota and Pennsylvania efforts by Romney more a "head-fake than a strategic move" because of what he called enormous Democratic voting trends and electoral advantages. Those include a heavy union presence in both states and a large minority population in Pennsylvania.

Obama carried Pennsylvania and Minnesota each by 10 percentage points in 2008.

___

Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa; Charles Babington and Ken Thomas in Washington, Beth Fouhy in New York and Steve Peoples in Kettering, Ohio, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-10-30-Presidential%20Campaign/id-f48fe145bb7947de8ce7e7f1b337e5c6

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GSK starts final-stage tests on severe asthma drug

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