The Last Christmas

Posted by on January 6, 2012 Comments Off

Hello All, Hope everyone had a great Christmas and holiday season, because, this holiday season was, good or bad, the very last one. That’s right ladies and gentlemen; we humans have finally reached one of those rare great turning points in history. On December 21 2012, wheather you believe in it or not, the fact is that the current Age of The two little fish is ending. We are in less than a year going to leave the Current Age of Pisces, and enter the Age of Aquarius, the age of the water carrier.

Yes, No BS, the Maya got it right, our age is just about over!

NO, this does not mean the world is ending! But it does mean that our little ball we call Earth has reached a point in its orbit where it seizes spinning through one astrological group of stars, and begins spinning through another completely different one.

So what does this mean? Quite possibly, Absolutely Nothing. Then again… I am not trying to convince anyone of anything, just speaking as someone that tries to have an open mind, and who happens to be living in this current time. Our current age, the Age of Pisces began just over 2000 years ago. Some say the star witnessed by the Three Wise Men of the Bible, marked the beginning of this current Age. Others say it occurred earlier, perhaps even several centuries earlier.

The universe is beyond vast, containing according to current estimates, over 300 sextillion stars. Therefore, saying when something as small as our little planet has reached a precise point in something as vast as a group of stars, each of which is at least several hundred times the size of Earth, and each of which is separated from each other by at least several tens of millions of miles, is impossible. Many say with perfectly logical reasoning, that the Age of Aquarius will not start for another 600 years or so. Others say that we are already in the Age of Aquarius, and have been so for at least a couple of decades.
Imagine someone walking through the desert of the American Southwest, and that there are no border guards, signs or any other kind of markers to be found. If that person started on the American side, and just started walking south, they would at some point enter Mexico. At some point, the person would know beyond doubt that they were in a completely different country, but the exact point in which they entered Mexico, would not be known by them. Therefore, it is arguably, impossible to put an exact date on the beginning or ending of something comprised of hundreds of giant balls of burning gas.

Freedom Scientific Enhances Scanning and Reading Appliances

Posted by on November 30, 2011 Comments Off

St. Petersburg, Florida: Freedom Scientific today announced an upgrade to its SARA(tm) and SARA CE Scanning and Reading Appliances to improve speed and accuracy.

“We’ve added ABBYY FineReader(r) to the OmniPage(r) OCR engine we were already using, combining the best features of both products to offer our best and fastest print to speech conversion yet,” says Dusty Voorhees, Senior Product Manager. “We’ve also made improvements to our SARA flatbed scanning model to reduce the time to gain speech and Braille access to printed text by a third. While the SARA CE camera model is faster overall, the flatbed scanner SARA now matches its processing performance.

“These enhancements are sure to improve productivity and enjoyment for our many blind and low vision customers who use the SARA and SARA CE to access books, magazines, mail, and other printed documents. The addition of FineReader should be particularly appreciated by those who use the additional languages available in both the SARA and SARA CE.”

To learn more about the SARA and SARA CE, visit the Freedom Scientific Low Vision Products page at www.FreedomScientific.com/products/lv/lowvision-products.asp, where you’ll find a listing of features, samples of the human-like reading voices, and a short video demonstration to introduce you to both products.

The SARA CE model is still available for the special introductory price of $1,895 until December 31, 2011 – a $500 savings.

For complete specifications, visit www.FreedomScientific.com or contact Freedom Scientific at 800-444-4443 or 727-803-8000.

About Freedom Scientific
Freedom Scientific is the leading worldwide provider of assistive technology products for those with vision impairments. The Company sells its products worldwide and has offices in Florida and Switzerland. The Company’s products have been translated into 24 languages and are available in 55 countries. Freedom also has a line of software products for those with learning disabilities.

Freedom Scientific(r), SARA(tm) and SARA(tm)CE are registered trademarks in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Goodwill Industries Expands Social Enterprise Model

Posted by on October 26, 2011 Comments Off

ROCKVILLE, Md.: Goodwill Industries International and The Together Foundation have partnered together to expand the Goodwill Industries® mission and social enterprise model in South Korea. Together, the organizations will create a social welfare model of creating jobs and support for people with disabilities as historically, the Korean culture has not been conducive to empowering people with disabilities. The aggressive growth plan includes opening up 100 stores, serving 3,000 people with disabilities and creating 1,000 jobs for people with disadvantages over the next five years, specifically within the network of Goodwill affiliates in the cities of Busan, Seoul and Suwon.

The collaboration will also focus on promoting mission-based services, such as multicultural family support services and the North Korean resettlement program. The Together Foundation plans to increase the partnership to include: housing for people with disabilities, support services for people from other cultures that have married Koreans and assistance to North Korean refugees.

Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International and Dr. Young Woo Kang, founder of Goodwill Industries of Korea and former Goodwill Industries International board member have been instrumental in the strategic growth plan together with Hyong Ok Jang, Chairman of the Together Foundation and former CEO of Samsung China.

“We are confident that Goodwill Industries of Korea has the capacity to lead, unify and strengthen the Goodwill brand in Korea,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “We are now in a position to create thousands of jobs for people with disabilities and other disadvantages in Korea through the sustainable Goodwill social enterprise model.”

Goodwill Industries of Korea was formed to provide job training and career services to people with disabilities and others who are trying to enter the workforce. Goodwill Industries of Korea has been in existence for nine years and serves as the national organization for Goodwill Industries International in the republic of Korea. It is comprised of 4 affiliates throughout Korea that operate five stores where the majority of the employees have disabilities in order for them to receive employment and training skills.

“The Together Foundation will cooperate and unite with the Goodwill Industries of Korea member agencies and invest every ounce of energy into spreading the Goodwill enterprise throughout Korea,” said Dr. Young Woo Jang.

The Together Foundation was first established in February 2011 and serves as an umbrella organization to provide services for vulnerable populations in South Korea. The Together Foundation operates with a similar mission to Goodwill, aiming to provide stable jobs to people with disabilities and those facing challenges to finding employment.

Goodwill Industries International is a social enterprise with 14 affiliates in 13 other countries that advance the Goodwill model of sustainability by investing in global communities.

For more information on Goodwill’s presence outside North America, visit http://global.goodwill.org.

About Goodwill Industries International

Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based, independent agencies in the United States, Canada with 14 affiliates in 13 other countries. Goodwill is one of the nation’s top five most valuable and recognized nonprofit brands as well as a leading social services enterprise (Source: Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100). Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that fund job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 2,600 stores and online at shopgoodwill.com. Local Goodwill agencies also build revenue and create jobs by contracting with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food service preparation and document imaging and shredding. In 2010, 2.4 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill’s career services. Goodwill channels 84 percent of its revenues directly into its programs and services. To find your local Goodwill, use the online locator at www.goodwill.org or call (800) 741-0186. Facebook: GoodwillIntl Twitter: @GoodwillIntl

SOURCE Goodwill Industries International

Congressman Fattah Cites Study Showing Malleability of IQ in Teenage Brains

Posted by on October 22, 2011 Comments Off

WASHINGTON: Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), senior Democrat on House Appropriations’ Commerce, Justice, Science and related agencies (CJS) Subcommittee and leading Congressional neuroscience research advocate responds to intriguing new brain research in the journal Nature.

Congressman Fattah said of the article, “Verbal and non-verbal intelligence changes in the teenage brain,” “This ground-breaking research calls into question so many of our assumptions; I want to thank the authors and sponsors for this impressive undertaking. We are called to reexamine our preconceived notions about the permanence and reliability of IQ in measuring the intellectual ‘potential’ of individuals.”

The new research found significant changes in teenagers’ IQs, up to a 20-point swing, are substantiated by MRI scans — counter to the long-held understanding that IQ remains stable across lifespan.

“I hope policymakers will see this preliminary research as a reason to continue to support interventions throughout children’s development,” Fattah said. “More importantly, this study raises new and interesting questions about the brain. The authors themselves ask whether this ‘plasticity’ is present through the life of an individual, or speaks to the unique developmental phase of adolescence. I am excited about the new discoveries future research will provide.”

As the senior Democrat on CJS, Fattah has pursued a long-standing interest in cognitive brain function, brain disease and brain injury. This study touches on all these issues by raising new and interesting questions about the brain. He expects to make an announcement relating to future research in these areas in the coming weeks.

To read the complete article found in the journal Nature, click here.

SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah

Al Jazeera English Comes to Chicago on WTTW

Posted by on October 20, 2011 Comments Off

CHICAGO: This month, Al Jazeera English (AJE) programming will become available for the first time across Chicago, joining a growing list of US cities carrying AJE content.

As of October 31, Chicago viewers will be able to watch Al Jazeera English’s award-winning global news coverage on two channels, WTTW11 and WTTW Prime (11-2; Comcast 370). WTTW is the most-watched public television station in America, serving more than 65% of Illinois’ population, as well as sections of Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Since February, cable and satellite providers have received more than 70,000 emails from Americans asking for access to the channel. Although many viewers watch live streams of AJE coverage online, this will be AJE’s first foray into mainstream public television in Chicago. AJE will air for 30 minutes at 6:30 am and 11:00 pm Monday-Friday on the WTTW Prime channel and from 5:30 am-6:30 am on WTTW11 on Saturdays. Additional time slots for AJE on WTTW11 will be available beginning in early 2012, which will mean even more exposure for AJE and provide viewers with more opportunities to see the program.

“We are thrilled to have AJE’s programs become available to Chicagoans,” said Amjad Atallah, AJE Bureau Chief for the Americas. “WTTW is widely known for its award-winning local and national productions, and we are pleased to now be providing global news to so many households throughout Chicago.”

Dan Schmidt, President and CEO of WTTW added, “WTTW is excited to be adding this important programming to our schedule. Our station has a long history of providing quality public affairs programming and, by adding broadcasts from Al Jazeera English, we are providing a broader perspective on critical global issues.”

This news comes just a day after Al Jazeera was named as one of the Huffington Post’s “Game Changers” at an awards ceremony in New York. Al Jazeera English is truly an international network with over 70 bureaus around the world which span six different continents.

The channel’s content is already on the air across the United States in places like Washington D.C., Los Angeles and Ohio; and it can also be viewed across Latin America and Canada. Most recently, AJE launched in New York City. Al Jazeera English is available as a live stream online at http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/. Over 40% of the traffic to the website comes from the U.S. and Americans have watched 275 million minutes of AJE live stream this year.

“The US is important for us, both in terms of news and viewership, so this latest development is excellent,” said AJE Managing Director, Al Anstey. “We are the lead provider of stories from regions like Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and we are glad to meet the demand for international news in Chicago.”

“The addition of Al Jazeera English to our lineup is an excellent complement to our commitment to news,” added Dan Soles, WTTW’s Senior Vice President and Chief Television Content Officer. “These award-winning newscasts will give our viewers access to coverage that already is being seen throughout the globe. This is another example of WTTW acting as a Window to the World for the Chicago community,” he added.

WTTW11 airs on all broadcast providers in the Chicago area (Comcast, RCN, AT&T, WOW, Direct TV and Dish). WTTW Prime is carried on Comcast, and AT&T U-verse is expected to add that channel later this year.

About AJE:

Al Jazeera English was established in 2006 as part of the Al Jazeera Network, with its own content, editors and journalists reaching a global English-speaking audience which currently stands at over 250m households across 130 countries. The channel has continued to grow in reach and popularity, and has been recognized for its distinguished reporting and programming including being awarded this year’s Columbia Journalism Award and “Best 24 Hour News Program” at the 48th and 50th Annual Monte-Carlo Television Festival. Al Jazeera English has also won Best News Channel three years running at the UK’s Freesat awards. Al Jazeera English has received awards from the Royal Television Society, Amnesty International and YouTube and has received nominations for international Emmy awards in both the News and Current Affairs categories and the Royal Television Society awards as the 2009 and 2010 “News Channel of the Year” in the UK.

About WTTW:

For more than 55 years, audiences have turned to WTTW for quality television that informs, inspires, educates, and entertains. WTTW reaches 1.5 million weekly households over a four-state area. Recognized for its award-winning local and national productions, WTTW is committed to presenting the very best in cultural, nature, science, public affairs, and children’s programming across its four distinct television channels: WTTW11, WTTW Prime, its Spanish-language channel WTTW V-me, and WTTW Create, its “how-to” channel. For more information, please visit www.wttw.com.

SOURCE Al Jazeera English