Nielsen report finds 56 percent of US households have a modern game console, total gaming time up seven percent

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Nielsen is out with its annual survey of video game use in the US today, and it’s found that gaming continues to be on the rise across the board. That includes a seven percent increase in total gaming time compared to the previous year (apparently due largely to increases in mobile and tablet gaming), and an increase in modern console ownership from 50 percent of households to 56 percent; that includes so-called 7th generation consoles like the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It also found the number of cross-platform gamers be on the upswing, with 24 percent responding that they play on two or more of a console, PC, tablet or mobile device (compared to 17 percent previously). Looking at mobile gaming, specifically, Nieslen found that while iOS gaming tended to be distributed fairly evenly across all age groups, Android gaming proved to be far more popular among those aged 25-34 than any other group.

A few other tidbits: 65 percent of consoles are located in the living room, online shopping for games is up while other channels continue to decline, and streaming video continues to be a growing secondary use for game consoles (particularly on the Wii, where it accounts for 33 percent of console usage, compared to roughly 15 percent on both the Xbox 360 and PS3).

Nielsen report finds 56 percent of US households have a modern game console, total gaming time up seven percent originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/mVh9n8PdQ1Q/

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Michigan lawmakers approve school union dues bill

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LANSING, Mich. (AP) ? The Republican-led Michigan Legislature narrowly approved a measure Wednesday that would prohibit public schools from automatically deducting union dues from the paychecks of teachers and other employees, a move that unions consider another attack on collective bargaining rights.

Some Republicans joined Democrats in opposing the measure, which was approved 20-18 in the Senate and 56-54 in the House. The bill goes to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who intends to sign it, spokesman Ken Silfven said.

The Legislature’s action came one day after a union coalition said it had started collecting signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at protecting or strengthening collective bargaining rights. If the coalition collects enough valid voter signatures, the proposal could qualify for voters to decide in the November election.

The union-led coalition, called Protect Our Jobs, viewed Wednesday’s vote as retaliation for their proposal, which could nullify some existing and future laws related to collective bargaining. Republicans said Wednesday’s vote wasn’t retaliation but rather an action that had been in the works for months.

The House passed the first version of the bill in September.

“The bill had existed long before they filed their petition language,” said Amber McCann, a spokeswoman for Republican Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville. “It was something on the minds of caucus members for quite some time.”

Supporters of the bill approved Wednesday say the measure would put more money in the paychecks of teachers, who could then choose to write checks to unions to cover dues.

“It really prioritizes that the focus of our school administration has to be on teaching the kids,” said Rep. Joe Haveman, R-Holland, the bill’s sponsor. “Let’s get out of the business of collecting bills for other people.”

Critics say the proposal is an attempt to weaken the membership and finances of teachers’ unions, making it more difficult to collect dues from members.

Sen. Glenn Anderson, a Democrat from Westland, called the bill “yet another attack on the rights of working Michiganders.”

The state’s two main teachers’ unions, the Michigan Education Association and the state’s American Federation of Teachers branch, criticized the legislation.

“Why are Lansing politicians wasting time solving problems that don’t exist instead of creating jobs, supporting public education for students and a better future for Michigan?” David Hecker, Michigan president of the AFT, said in a statement. “Keeping local school districts from deciding how union dues are collected is a waste of time and taxpayers’ dollars.”

___

House Bill 4929.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/michigan-lawmakers-approve-school-union-dues-bill-141028097.html

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Legacy News: Legacy Update Now Available PLUS Bonus Webinar …

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We have an exciting new update for you (free!) which adds the new “who-was-alive-in-the-1940-census-or-in-any-other-census” tool, otherwise known as the new Census List tool. This new feature is available in both the free AND the deluxe editions of Legacy. It will create a Search List or print a report of everyone you should look for in a census.

Bonus Webinar

PLUS – Sign up for tomorrow’s bonus webinar, “Navigating the New Census Tools in Legacy Family Tree” to learn all about it. Here’s its description:

Legacy Family Tree recently released three major census tools to assist genealogists in their census research. While the first two tools relate specifically to the upcoming release of the 1940 U.S. census (new 1940 U.S. census transcription form and 1940 U.S. census SourceWriter template), the third will help with census research around the globe (the new Census List tool). Join Legacy’s Geoff Rasmussen, the brains behind the new Census List tool, as he explores these new features and demonstrates their use.

The live webinar is scheduled for Friday, March 9, 2012 at 2PM Eastern U.S., so register today to reserve your virtual seat. Registration is free but space is limited to the first 1,000 people to join that day. Join at least 15-20 minutes early to ensure your virtual seat.

Registerbut

What’s New in this update

Census List Tool.?Cool new tool to create a Search List or print a report of everyone you should look for in a census. We have the settings for several countries and each of their census years. But, this tool is really a lot more than that. You can find a list of people who were alive at a particular date – for example, during a war or other event where you would like to go search for records of your ancestor. Have fun!

Census1

Works great for finding anyone in a state census too! Just type in the state, the year, and now you know who you should look for.

After installing this update, look for the new Census button in your main toolbar:

Census2

Or just click on the Search button, then click on the Census List tab.

What’s Been Fixed

View the March 8, 2012 release notes?here.

How to Update

For our Deluxe Edition users, all you have to do is connect to the Internet, start Legacy 7, and click on the “Install and Download Now” link on the?Legacy Home tab. (If you’re reading this from within the?Legacy Home?tab inside of Legacy 7, you’ll first need to click on the?Home?button in the top left of the Legacy Home tab which looks like the following picture:

Home1

If you are a Standard Edition Legacy user, you will need to visit our website. Go to?http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/DownloadUpdate.asp?and follow the instructions.

Source: http://news.legacyfamilytree.com/legacy_news/2012/03/legacy-update-now-available-plus-bonus-webinar-on-friday-march-9-navigating-the-new-census-tools-in-.html

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Video: Matthews, Scarborough offer ‘Game Change’ reaction to Steve Schmidt

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When the Internet and school violence fears collide

“He’d be the type to bring a gun to school.” These words ? or something close ? were allegedly uttered by a female student in a high school last Friday in Girard, Pa., about one hour’s drive from Chardon, Ohio, where a shooting killed three students.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46646625#46646625

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US Rep. Schmidt loses Republican Ohio primary

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CINCINNATI (AP) ? An Iraq war veteran and former contender for Cincinnati mayor has defeated U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt in Ohio’s Republican primary.

Schmidt called Army combat surgeon Brad Wenstrup to concede just before midnight Tuesday. Wenstrup held a 6-point lead with 99 percent of precincts reporting in the four-way race.

Democrat William Smith led the Democratic primary to oppose Wenstrup in the southern Ohio district that stretches east from Cincinnati into Appalachia.

Schmidt was first elected in a 2005 special election and is in her fourth term.

Wenstrup was an unsuccessful nominee in the Cincinnati mayoral race in which Democrat Mark Mallory won re-election in 2009. He said he wants to change government, cut spending and empower small businesses.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-rep-schmidt-loses-republican-ohio-primary-061005098.html

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Kutumb ? Kutumb ? Episode 100 | Relationships and Commitment

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Kutumb is the story of a strongly bonded and a well respected Mittal family. It?s a Diwali evening and like any other Indian household, there are preparations for the festival of light going on in the Mittal house. Everyone is ready for the Diwali Pujan to start but they find Pratham Mittal, Umesh Mittal?s son, missing. Pratham ends up in a drunked brawl as a club and gets arrested. He breaks the relationship with Tanu and she attempts suicide.A brilliant story that takes a close look at relationships, Kutumb is a story about two young people stuck in the cross fire between the heart and the head. Kutumb is a dramatic love story of Gauri and Pratham Mittal. The two central characters are poles apart and cannot live with or without each other. Pratham Mittal is son of a rich business tycoon and Gauri Pradhan is an independent middle class girl. Gauri deals with unacceptance. Her mind wants revenge but her heart and her upbringing tell her otherwise. Kutumb showcases the love and hate relationship of Gauri and Pratham. Pratham is flirtatious and does not believe in love until he meets Gauri who is different from most girls he knows. Destiny plays a big role in how Gauri and Pratham get attracted towards each other. But for how long will it last?

Source: http://unicaguia.com/archives/4567

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Disney Brings 70 TV Episodes to YouTube [YouTube]

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Disney and YouTube’s content deal is alive, which means that roughly 70 episodes from Disney Channel shows are now available for free viewing on YouTube. Fan favorites like Hannah Montana, That’s So Raven and the Suite Life of Zach and Cody are all available in 23-minute long bursts on Disney’s YouTube channel. (http://www.youtube.com/user/disneysshows/videos?sort=dd&view=u&page=2) More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/9vEQ1iEvEVE/disney-brings-70-tv-episodes-to-youtube

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Featured Blogger: Amy W | Natural Parents Network – Clayton …

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March 3rd, 2012 | 1 Comment
Written by Shannon
Posted in Featured, Featured Blogger

Image credit: Sears Portrait StudioAmy, one of NPN?s authors, has written about helping develop your child?s self-esteem by honoring the talents of their hearts, an introduction to potty learning, and a special moment in nursing her older child. She has her own blog at Toddler in Tow. She was born in Texas, and met and married her husband there. His career with the Coast Guard took them all the way to Southern Maine where they are raising their two children, Abbey and Joe. Amy, at home with the kids all day, loves watching the kids? interactions, and seeing their individual personalities develop. She is also working to develop a business, Silly Bear Handmade, making diapers and toys. As a family, they enjoy spending time outdoors with their black lab, Raven.

Amy started her blog, originally called Little Willa Lamb, from the computer at the Ronald MacDonald House where she was staying following Abbey?s emergency surgery immediately after birth. She breastfed exclusively, despite the challenges presented by the surgery and opposition from their pediatrician and specialists when Abbey was slow to gain weight. Because she wanted to support other mothers in their breastfeeding journeys, she became a Peer Counselor with WIC. Through her work with them, she reached out to La Leche League and learned more about Natural Parenting. Now she loves being a part of the NP community online. ?The fact that we enjoy parenting in an authentic, gentle, and natural way while also being a military family, with frequent deployments, different perspective shifts for Hubs, and an ever-changing home and family dynamic, I think that our experience in natural parenting is an interesting one, and I hope that people can see that if we can do it, anyone can!?

If you clicked on a random post on her blog, you would see a picture of one of her adorable children and a suggestion about how to be a natural parent. Amy hopes that she can inspire others through her blog to lead their families in a holistic and peaceful way. She loves that in the NP community, just a little comment can inspire a great conversation or collaboration, like when Dionna left a comment on Amy?s blog that her posts inspire her to be a more patient mother, which led to a lively discussion about the challenges of raising preschoolers, and their hopes for the future. Hopefully one of her three favorite posts can similarly inspire you.

  • Reflections of Compassion is a follow up to a guest post she wrote for Code Name: Mama, where she talks about how easy it was to be compassionate toward her family, and how much it positively affected her daughter?s attitude.
  • Friday Focus: Lactivists ? We?re Really Not Trying To Be Bullies was written in response to the first ever negative comment she received on her blog. ?I realized that the things that I have to say about formula companies and our society?s huge barriers to natural and term feeding of infants at the breast really upset people.?
  • Peaceful Toddler Discipline: You Gotta Have Faith is a post she rereads often to remind herself of her convictions. Now that Abbey is a preschooler, Amy finds it even harder to remember to have that faith.

?I?m excited to be an author on NPN,? she says. ?I hope that I?m able to inspire a parent to trust the natural ways of parenting and know that natural parenting is something that you can fit into any lifestyle in individual ways.?

While it?s only been three years since they became parents, Amy feels like it has caused major changes in the way she and her husband view their lives and the world. ?I was playing with both littles in Abbey?s room one morning, and I realized how beautiful it was that both of our kids are such an amazing blend of the love and character and life in my Hubs and in myself, and that the two of us are blends of our parents, and that that chain goes on forever in both directions.? She has also found herself more in tune in her relationship with God since becoming a parent.

Thank you for sharing your amazing journey with us, Amy. The way you fought to provide the best for Abbey while she was in the NICU, and then used your struggles to help other mothers, is a great inspiration for me.

?

Are you interested in being featured on Natural Parents Network? Just email ShannonH@naturalparentsnetwork.com, with a link to your blog and I will send you our questionnaire. You must be linked up on the blogroll to be featured.

Source: http://naturalparentsnetwork.com/amy-w/

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Source: http://harrington42.typepad.com/blog/2012/03/featured-blogger-amy-w-natural-parents-network.html

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3 Tips for Making the Most of Social Media | Raxa Design

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Because so many people use social media, there are tons of guides and ebooks about how businesses can benefit from this trend. While there’s no denying the fact that social media presents an amazing opportunity for businesses, the problem with many of these guides and ebooks is they treat social media like it’s some kind of “get rich fast” solution.

Anyone who thinks that they can bring in a flood of new customers by spending a few hours on Facebook or Twitter is going to be very disappointed. As with any channel that can actually help a business, social media is not an overnight solution. However, if you’re willing to invest your resources into it, the payoff can be quite substantial.

Since a strong social media presence for your business is something you have to cultivate, here are three tips for making the most of the time and resources you invest;

Listen First: Many business owners think they should sign up for a Twitter account and then start blasting out updates about their business. In reality, one of the most compelling features of Twitter is being able to “listen” to potential customers in real-time. Not only can you find out what they think, but you can also engage with them. The best way to keep up with this type of activity is to use a free tool like Monitter or Social Mention.

Be a Giver: Just because you’re keeping up with relevant conversations on Twitter does not mean that you want to bombard the people who are having them with a canned promotional response. If you are going to use Twitter and other social media platforms to reach out to potential customers, make sure you actually help them solve a problem.

The reason this distinction is so important is because no one likes to be the recipient of a cookie-cutter marketing message. However, what people do like is having their lives made easier by successfully eliminating a problem that has been plaguing them. By making this one of your primary social media goals, you will be very happy with the response that you get from potential customers.

Be Responsive: When you first start building a social media presence for your business, it will primarily be you initiating conversations with current and potential customers. However, as your presence increases, both of these groups of customers will begin coming directly to you through these channels.

When that occurs, the worst thing you can do is take forever to respond or completely forget to get back to someone. While this is the ideal opportunity for you to win a customer over, neglecting it can have the opposite effect.

Even though this may sound like a lot to manage, it’s really not that difficult once you commit to it. Since customers aren’t going to expect an immediate response from a small business at 3 in the morning, the main thing is to keep up with any questions or messages you receive during the day. Since any social network you use will allow you to have notifications sent to your inbox, you’ll find that you are able to provide prompt responses without any issues.

What social media platforms are currently the most important for your business?

About The Author


Brian Waraksa

Brian Waraksa, founder of Raxa Design in Houston, Texas has been in marketing and small business branding since 2002. He writes the Raxa Design blog on issues affecting small business marketing and corporate brands. Posted on Mon, March 5, 2012 by Brian Waraksa filed under

Source: http://www.raxadesign.com/3-tips-for-making-the-most-of-social-media

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Diesel Truck MPG ? Beating Gasoline Engines For Additional Mpg

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Frequently occasions the diesel engine truck can be used to haul very heavy products, choosing to choose a diesel engine won?t benefit for that heavy load, but it will help using the mpg (mpg). Diesel truck mpg is way better compared to gasoline engines. While regular unleaded gasoline runs more easily and it is simpler to locate, the engine that operates on diesel fuel should be considered when purchasing a brand new truck.

If your consumer is looking for a brand new truck and they have to haul heavy loads regularly, that individual should most likely stick to diesel. Since diesel trucks could possibly get better mileage (for they?re created to go 250,000 miles more) perfect for heavy loads and several outings backwards and forwards. Due to each one of these reasons, and although diesel trucks often are more expensive, they?ll finish up being worth the money over time.

One good reason diesel fuel may have a greater cost than most gas is it has greater energy content than gasoline, and diesel performance is generally better when it comes to engine output. These reasons also imply that automobiles running on diesel put less global-warming pollution in to the air. Because of its greater energy content and it is efficient combustion process, diesel performance allows vehicles to visit a minimum of 30% farther on the gallon of fuel than comparable gasoline models. The enhanced efficiency of diesel engines will also help reduce oil consumption.

Many shops aren?t offering a range of whether diesel engine or perhaps a gasoline engine. While both of them are equal diversely, the diesel engines tight on continue. Gasoline engines require a optimize every thirty 1000 miles, while a diesel engine will go considerably longer with no optimize.

Vehicle, Ford and several others do extensive research on applying a vehicle that doesn?t operate on gasoline, but presently you will find many customers which are choosing for any diesel engine on the gasoline engine. Some gasoline engines really are a standard in cars, to be able to keep diesel truck mpg lower, many organisations are earning the diesel engine a typical in many trucks. Hybrid trucks will also be becoming a significant popular commodity too, but before the cost of hybrid trucks goes lower, the diesel truck it?s still among the best options.

Source: http://automotive-hybrid-energy-efficient.chailit.com/diesel-truck-mpg-beating-gasoline-engines-for-additional-mpg.html

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