News for today's 2018

Hot for New Years Challenge 2013!

12:40 PM Tukiyooo 0

This is my second year running the Hot for New Years challenge and i am beyond excited!  HFNY's is a 3 month challenge that runs from October 1st to December 20th. The challenge is to basically get as healthy, happy and comfortable as possible BEFORE new years. (So now we don't have to make those bound to fail 'get into shape' resolutions)  -Don't worry if you see this late, you can join in up until December 1st! Each month i will come out with a new calendar with all the challenges for that month. So for example, we're in week 2 now and the challenge is the Perfect Imperfections challenge. Each week i will <a href="http://www.youtube.com/strawberryripples" target="_blank">upload a video</a> explaining each challenge and then at the end of the week I will be announcing the winners over on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ScolaFitness" target="_blank">Facebook page </a>. And at the end of the whole challenge Hot for New Years challenge there will be an overall winner(s) who will win some awesome prizes! Check out the October calendar:  <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-ySsDzeGYOwmf6TXcgQasJAB2JQ7C7Z6QVs8priS1mf6D3GtTSxKgTSRI2pUQ8WyoWYdkjjyuxfiVOPW_hJ-EEhzluz62zP326AJo8JPVd81IjSUBpHbg891KA1tg3TUcIw-TaOa744l/s1600/Hot+For+New+Years+october-2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-ySsDzeGYOwmf6TXcgQasJAB2JQ7C7Z6QVs8priS1mf6D3GtTSxKgTSRI2pUQ8WyoWYdkjjyuxfiVOPW_hJ-EEhzluz62zP326AJo8JPVd81IjSUBpHbg891KA1tg3TUcIw-TaOa744l/s640/Hot+For+New+Years+october-2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> For more details about the Hot for New Years challenge Watch this video: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jnsjVVX5EdA?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div> Let's get healthy! x

This is my second year running the Hot for New Years challenge and i am beyond excited! HFNY's is a 3 month challenge that runs from Oc...

Another Teamster organizing victory in Georgia!

11:08 AM Tukiyooo 0

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrQGeKZvBe2BNc38lDl6OKWFrnY3QKucIBcw4rHIggnrwlM68k9UnEvdJbjAIen263klP5LX0N6OSshhgt1r_REEDhsqh6cOLzlGVpKdbL-Eq7Afa6wNxK4I9uO_FVFRRHdq9zMWUD4t1/s1600/dekalb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrQGeKZvBe2BNc38lDl6OKWFrnY3QKucIBcw4rHIggnrwlM68k9UnEvdJbjAIen263klP5LX0N6OSshhgt1r_REEDhsqh6cOLzlGVpKdbL-Eq7Afa6wNxK4I9uO_FVFRRHdq9zMWUD4t1/s400/dekalb.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DeKalb County workers celebrate.</td></tr></tbody></table>Please give a warm welcome to hundreds of soon-to-be new Teamster brothers and sisters who work as sanitation workers for <a href="http://www.co.dekalb.ga.us/" rel="nofollow">DeKalb County, Ga</a>.! Although the future <a href="http://www.teamsterslocal728.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters Local 728</a> members had the support of their company’s CEO and county commissioners, it took months to find a solution to the state’s No Rights at Work laws. State law does not give public sector workers the right to collectively bargain. Today, DeKalb County Commissioners unanimously passed an ordinance allowing county employees to organize. Commissioners essentially voted to recognize the <a href="http://teamster.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters</a> as the workers' union representative. The ordinance takes effect Jan. 1.The 400 workers who have already signed membership applications will become members of Teamsters Local 728 that day. Dejuan McDaniel, an organizing committee member and front-end loader driver for 13 years at DeKalb, is excited for the future. <blockquote class="tr_bq">We have been without a serious voice for so long. We had safety issues that have been unheard. We had pay issues, mistreatment of employees. It was long overdue.</blockquote>Eric Robertson, Teamsters Local 728 business agent, said they've been talking to the workers for more than seven years. "It's been a long time coming," he said. The new ordinance will allow about 4,000 other DeKalb County workers to join unions.

728 organizing victory waste Another Teamster organizing victory in Georgia!

DeKalb County workers celebrate. Please give a warm welcome to hundreds of soon-to-be new Teamster brothers and sisters who work as sanitati...

LIBYA - THE WILD WEST OF NORTHERN AFRICA

11:05 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiP-Ky1Et5_03cYABjQGhGgHktRpZE5Wd2Co5eS8rFPU9LhUWuJLhHpm113SpI7DQ8guzcdG8AOMp4FilFm_bMD_XHQaAdlA4YKFmi07hR_HGq2_1wPIGZHFUMehiKJ_txBqamQjtOSe2A/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiP-Ky1Et5_03cYABjQGhGgHktRpZE5Wd2Co5eS8rFPU9LhUWuJLhHpm113SpI7DQ8guzcdG8AOMp4FilFm_bMD_XHQaAdlA4YKFmi07hR_HGq2_1wPIGZHFUMehiKJ_txBqamQjtOSe2A/s320/images.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">AFTERMATH OF THE 2011 MILITARY INTERVENTION IN LIBYA?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">When coalition forces decided to intervene in LIBYA they did not consider the consequences such intervention would have on the geopolitical landscape. With the aim to gain control of the oil reserves WESTERN coalition forces thought they could outwit CHINA and RUSSIA who also invested heavily in LIBYA’S lucrative oil industry. By voting in favor of the UN resolution which in the end paved the way for Military Intervention in LIBYA, RUSSIA and CHINA expected to receive their fair slice of the “energy cake”, instead they were left out of the equation. Subsequently RUSSIA and CHINA decided to revenge this shortcoming by vetoing a UN resolution on military intervention in SYRIA. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxF97HyiHlzIHNs-gYKcqWadVkOb-X34QvAqFe0_JUPWKYWxpvz1y8PHB-vnctzeFb_p-IgepcyVQhAxH8npDUZtJYjfpbecAZCO_DILHqnTI-Rtuc_j-EOo_XicnsvLxK4F862gOgZMgq/s1600/_58771635_libya_mali_niger_1011.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxF97HyiHlzIHNs-gYKcqWadVkOb-X34QvAqFe0_JUPWKYWxpvz1y8PHB-vnctzeFb_p-IgepcyVQhAxH8npDUZtJYjfpbecAZCO_DILHqnTI-Rtuc_j-EOo_XicnsvLxK4F862gOgZMgq/s320/_58771635_libya_mali_niger_1011.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">Aside from the LIBYAN “energy sector” quarrel among WESTERN and EASTERN powers, the toppling of the Gaddafi regime unleashed another unpredicted problem. Namely that of Islamic extremists who previously trained in LIBYA, “fleeing” WESTERN forces and thus infiltrating and spreading into the Sahel Region and beyond, setting up bases in CHAD, MALI and ALGERIA, all of which have historically close ties to EUROPE. Thus causing a serious security problem for EUROPE, because in these countries jihadists are able to train and recruit undisturbed due to political instability, lack of law and order or government “control” (As was the case in LIBYA during the dictatorship of Gaddafi) and last but not least, Africa’s geographic vastness, making it difficult to locate training camps. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">Subsequently EUROPEAN coalition Forces had and will need to continue their military engagement in the region in order to prevent an Al Qaeda spillover to EUROPE and its fast growing Muslim population.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;">Background Information: WHY THE SAHEL IS CRUCIAL TO EUROPE'S NEIGHBORHOOD – AND ITS SECURITY STRATEGY  </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2013/07/eu-involvement-in-mali.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2013/07/eu-involvement-in-mali.html</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;">MILITARY INTERVENTION IN LIBYA</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_military_intervention_in_Libya">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_military_intervention_in_Libya</a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBdQfL68RNk9vpRseG4eYvY512Du12SEcw3NbBEtQs8YNqZm2HrJCqlbl1i6L1CFe3dEulUi3ewwJ5Q5fG38DO34ajfToMJosbfYenQBrA77AUiRgW85pWxOILnCQgbOHMVATii2Niri3/s1600/s1.reutersmedia.net.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBdQfL68RNk9vpRseG4eYvY512Du12SEcw3NbBEtQs8YNqZm2HrJCqlbl1i6L1CFe3dEulUi3ewwJ5Q5fG38DO34ajfToMJosbfYenQBrA77AUiRgW85pWxOILnCQgbOHMVATii2Niri3/s400/s1.reutersmedia.net.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">POROUS BORDERS TURN LIBYA INTO RADICAL SANCTUARY</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">Source: DW</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">LIBYA has morphed into the Wild West of northern AFRICA just two years after the fall of the Gadhafi regime. In particular, the LIBYAN Desert has become a sanctuary for radical forces.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">In the middle of nowhere in the SAHARA DESERT in the town of Isseyen, time seems to stand still. Now that voter registration is over for the upcoming municipal elections, tranquility has returned to the simple offices of the town hall. Visitors only come by for the satellite Internet connection, one of the very few public services provided in this remote area of post-revolution LIBYA.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">But the calm is deceptive. Located southwest of the Tuareg town of Ghat, Isseyen is the last outpost before the ALGERIAN border, a route used to enter the country by smugglers and <a href="http://www.dw.de/malis-tuareg-rebels-suspend-peace-talks-with-government/a-17118174" target="_blank">Tuareg</a> fighters from Mali, including members of AQIM, Al Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">“I saw al Qaeda vehicles there, but the authorities don’t want to have anything to do with it,” says Hassan Massafer, who belongs to an army unit stationed in Ubari, 400 kilometers further inland.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">Locals in Isseyen are skeptical. “Recently there were rumors going around that a heavily armed al Qaeda convoy was moving north. But when we looked into it, it turned out to be a local border patrol,” says tour guide Abishini Aissa, adding that “as soon as people see Tuaregs with turbans they get scared.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">For the people of southern LIBYA Islamists are not the problem, but rather criminality and turf wars between the drug gangs. “In the desert, it’s the rule of the strongest, but in our communities, it is usually safe because we know each other,” say several residents of Ghat.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">TENSE SECURITY SITUATION</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">On the other hand, nobody contradicts the general assessment that the security situation in the region is a disaster and that the LIBYAN authorities have no control over the border region.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">Mohamed Abdelkader, the mayor of Ghat, does not beat around the bush when he says, “The borders are wide open. Drugs and weapons flow in and out and the army has no capacity to catch smugglers or extremists.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">An army, in the conventional sense, does not exist in LIBYA anyway. Out of fear there could be attempts to overthrow him, Gadhafi, when he was alive, kept the army weak. Currently, national security forces are still in the process of being built up. The transitional government chose to incorporate rebel forces into the military in an effort to demobilize revolutionaries. For the fighters – mostly untrained youngsters – this has brought prestige and a government salary, but they are still not capable of dealing with the demands of the job.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">“There are not enough men for border guards and patrols. Normally, passports are not even checked,” notes Abdelkader.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">FAILED SECURITY STRATEGIES</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JZFBw1t6__ihgRw5kL_jGAEVINk8HwZ99C8iGKfTjAL5FpQPsse6SlEZ4nFggiONNEQuPsZJI9K3Rx7RyQ3NannypEEwdQtqw3-eSeTNc3PoQAoVvkzHAm1PC-_pQ-Qw0FsOGLqwBxWk/s1600/0,,17134086_404,00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JZFBw1t6__ihgRw5kL_jGAEVINk8HwZ99C8iGKfTjAL5FpQPsse6SlEZ4nFggiONNEQuPsZJI9K3Rx7RyQ3NannypEEwdQtqw3-eSeTNc3PoQAoVvkzHAm1PC-_pQ-Qw0FsOGLqwBxWk/s320/0,,17134086_404,00.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">Furthermore, the national government lacks authority. Most of the <a href="http://www.dw.de/libyan-militias-fight-to-maintain-power/a-16879090" target="_blank">former rebels</a> feel obliged to follow the orders of their direct superiors and the interests of their tribe, their clan and their community.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">“The way the army was formed was a big mistake,” says Barka Wardougou, who heads the military council in Murzuk in southwestern LIBYA. He argues that a core forces should have been trained abroad and then distributed across the country to create a professional armed force.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">But Wardougou does not only represent LIBYA; he also represents the interests of his tribe, the Tubu. Because of their cross-border family connections – most of them live in CHAD – the Tubu are viewed by most LIBYANS as dangerous interlopers and often face harsh discrimination.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">INCREASED EU INVOLVEMENT IN SAHEL REGION: A SUBSEQUENCE OF THE LIBYA INTERVENTION?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">Colonel Wardougou spent decades fighting a rebellion in the SAHEL region and was even the commander of the so-called Sahel Liberation Army in NIGER. In his view, the government in Tripoli is a farce because radical forces from Benghazi, the second largest city, are pulling all the strings.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">“They have sent us more Islamists [as reinforcements],” says Wardougou. “They want us to believe that they have the border region to CHAD and NIGER under control. But actually we are the only ones who provide a degree of order and root out the drug smugglers.” They never stay long anyway, he adds, because of the harsh conditions in the desert.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">The frustration of the local government is palpable and, in Wardougou’s view, the national security strategies Tripoli likes to talk about are not worth the paper they’re printed on by the time they’ve reached southern LIBYA.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"> </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">Background Information: </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">DEMOCRATIC RECESSION: 9 OF THE 11 TOP CRUDE EXPORTERS ARE LABELED AS DICTATORSHIPS</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">There are currently 22 states in the world which earn over 60% of their respective GDP from oil (and gas), and are ruled by non-democratic, authoritarian regimes. </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">Read entire article at: <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/europe-and-arab-spring-that-never-sprung.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/europe-and-arab-spring-that-never-sprung.html</a>and</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;">SEVEN ECONOMIES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA ARE EXPECTED TO BE AMONG THE TEN FASTEST GROWING ECONOMIES IN THE WORLD. Read entire article at:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/04/africa-forgotten-and-underestimated.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/04/africa-forgotten-and-underestimated.html</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;"> </div></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/04/africa-forgotten-and-underestimated.html"></a>

LIBYA - THE WILD WEST OF NORTHERN AFRICA

AFTERMATH OF THE 2011 MILITARY INTERVENTION IN LIBYA ? When coalition forces decided to intervene in LIBYA they did not consider the conseq...

Download Lorde Pure Heroine

11:00 AM Tukiyooo 0

amazon #1 music download lorde pure heroine royals Download Lorde Pure Heroine

Download the best selling album Pure Heroine from Lorde . The album contains the songs 1. Tennis Court 2. 400 Lux 3. Royals 4...

Teamsters challenge layoffs after organizing victory.

10:38 AM Tukiyooo 0

In a stunning reversal of fortune, <a href="http://www.pyramidbrew.com/" rel="nofollow">Pyramid Brewery</a> in Berkeley, Calif., closed its facility and laid off all the employees ... who had voted to join <a href="http://www.teamsterslocal896.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters Local 896</a> just two months ago. Brother Doug Bloch, <a href="http://www.teamstersjc7.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters Joint Council 7</a> political director, shared the bad news with us. <blockquote class="tr_bq">...the company has indefinitely shuttered the facility and laid off the employees, presumably because the plant needs cleaning.  If this all sounds fishy to you, it does to us, too.  Local 896 is communicating with the company to get more information and we will keep you posted. </blockquote>On August 7, the workers at Pyramid Brewery had voted overwhelmingly to be represented by the Teamsters. Brian Indelicato, business agent, said at the time: <blockquote class="tr_bq">The parent company, North American Breweries, ran a hard dishonest campaign. However, the workers were all engaged and saw through the lies.</blockquote>The members were eager to get to the table to negotiate ways to improve their jobs. Their concerns included unsafe working conditions, unfair and inconsistent treatment, no pension, substandard benefits, wages well below the industry standard, no established work schedule or work week and a working relationship completely lacking in dignity and respect. Watch this KTVU-TV news report to hear the workers' side of the story: <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" height="392" id="flashObj" width="615"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=2720517730001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ktvu.com%2Fvideos%2Fnews%2Fberkeley-brewery-employees-go-public-with-labor%2FvCD69s%2F&playerID=836564367001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAVzySoEk~,39KWv4t6IXBhr9fjdqt8jJhoVTxYZojR&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=2720517730001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ktvu.com%2Fvideos%2Fnews%2Fberkeley-brewery-employees-go-public-with-labor%2FvCD69s%2F&playerID=836564367001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAVzySoEk~,39KWv4t6IXBhr9fjdqt8jJhoVTxYZojR&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="420" height="290" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" swLiveConnect="true" allowScriptAccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object>

retaliation union-busting Teamsters challenge layoffs after organizing victory.

In a stunning reversal of fortune, Pyramid Brewery in Berkeley, Calif., closed its facility and laid off all the employees ... who had vote...

Augusta County woods on an October day

9:30 AM Tukiyooo 0

Augusta County woods on an October day

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell October 7, 2013

Treating Cancer that Has Spread to the Brain Locally with Neurosurgical Resection and Chemotherapeutic Wafers Can Improve Cognitive Function - Penn Medicine

8:47 AM Tukiyooo 0

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; ">A new approach to treating cancer that has spread to the brain is able to preserve and, in some cases, improve cognitive function in patients, while achieving local control of tumor progression. A study led by researchers with the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that 98 percent of patients who deferred whole brain radiation therapy and had chemotherapeutic wafers placed around the areas where metastatic tumors in the brain had been surgically removed showed preserved cognitive function in one or more of three domains; 65 percent showed preservation in all areas tested: memory, executive function, and fine motor skills. The study, published <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.28307/abstract">online in Cancer</a>, demonstrated improvements in cognitive function, particularly in executive function and memory, which were observed in more than 40 percent of patients. In the fine motor movement category, 50 percent of patients showed improvements.<p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; ">Brain metastases affect between 25 and 45 percent of all cancer patients. Whole brain radiation therapy is often used to control recurrence and spreading of metastases in the brain, but it causes cognitive decline in more than a third of patients and fails to improve independent function or prolong overall survival. Newer treatments, such as stereotactic radiation (e.g. Cyberknife or Gamma knife) and chemotherapeutic wafers (Gliadel® wafers) aim to treat metastases or recurrences locally while preserving cognitive function. These new approaches preserve white matter integrity; <a href="http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/04/brem/print.html">previous studies</a> have looked at current surgical approaches using advanced neuroimaging, such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI or diffusion tractography), that enable surgeons to remove the tumor while sparing the fiber tracts that mediate language, motor skills, and other key functions.<p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">"While not denying the value of whole brain radiation therapy for select patients, the current study supports the growing trend for some patients to have surgery and local therapy to the tumor bed, via stereotactic radiosurgery or chemowafers," said lead author Steven Brem, MD, professor of Neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine. "We know that about half of patients with metastatic brain cancer go on to develop a new, separate brain metastasis, which can be detected by using surveillance MRI every 2 to 3 months. Some patients can go for years with normal brain function without risking the toxicity of whole brain radiation."<p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">The study – by a team of researchers from Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of North Carolina, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Moffitt Cancer Center – followed 59 patients with up to three metastatic tumors who had received surgery and chemowafers wafers lining the tumor cavity. Of the 54 patients who followed the post-surgical protocol, 63 percent of patients had preserved fine motor coordination (34 of 54 patients), 72 percent had preserved executive function (39 of 54), and 69 percent had preserved memory (37 of 54), including 48 percent that saw an improvement in memory function (26 of 54). Only one patient (2 percent) had a decrease in all three cognition domains. Local tumor recurrences occurred in 28 percent of patients evaluated at the end of the one-year study. Distant recurrences were found in 48 percent of patients, with more than half of recurrences happening within four months of the treatment.<p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">"We will continue to try to find interventions that preserve function while preserving or increasing the quality life for patients with cancer that spreads to their brain," said Dr. Brem, noting that further studies comparing treatment options are needed to determine the optimal treatment strategy.<p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; ">The toxicity profile was that expected for a patient population with advanced cancer metastatic to the brain. Serious adverse events were reported in 40 of 59 patients; complications related to the chemowafers were resolved with medical or surgical intervention. Nine patients died during the study, one from a neurologic cause and eight as a result of their primary cancers.</div><a href="http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/09/brem/">http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/09/brem/</a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "> </div>

Treating Cancer that Has Spread to the Brain Locally with Neurosurgical Resection and Chemotherapeutic Wafers Can Improve Cognitive Function - Penn Medicine

A new approach to treating cancer that has spread to the brain is able to preserve and, in some cases, improve cognitive function in patient...

Partners in Learning School Research Now Live on PILN

8:37 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <a href="http://www.pil-network.com/sites/schoolresearch/index">Partners in Learning School Research</a> is now available on the <a href="http://www.pil-network.com/">Partners in Learning Network</a>. A school in Canada started a survey and sent this feedback, “I spent some time this morning setting up a survey. I also did a test survey myself. I can tell you honestly that the process was significantly less cumbersome than the last version. It was certainly easy to navigate. I am going to wait until tomorrow when I have this survey set to close to see what the results look like…In the meantime, kudos to Microsoft on an excellent revamp to an amazing resource.” What is Microsoft Partners in Learning School Research (PILSR)? PILSR provides individual schools with an online research tool to measure their own innovative teaching practices that develop the skills students need for life and work today. Based on globally-recognized research, the PILSR research tool is international in scope, enables school-specific measurement of innovative teaching, and provides a common language to drive community dialogue and systemic change – all at no cost to schools. A sample report is attached. Overview page <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJQWVHHF8hvzpwZ5u-TQtglQaKgUimAc1UQnZVZ_lccLvfvKBY2Qne6_4tBcvjTaw2b2dXDLNPYoB99rl4O2uL2iXC0nSHBRod31_1xYA1kQvrRcNL2Hq-DyCQnjVCfIh9E97HLhwq-A/s1600-h/image%25255B15%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPE4zLqwlve-mukA2V_QsJCRPqmE0CP4_UU_bOVGmchRBr1Ew4y-JMyu2Lf84e9Qy2aJFkXtK8zb6NdWu9pyVi9rVTb8KwqYAaC0gInbCwzT217QkZNAuePZz0HikKpjoYs17UmuWYQ8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a> What’s changed from the older version that was separate from PILN? 1. The survey has been updated 2. Once the survey is set up it sits in the School Profile on PILN 3. To help you drive your registration goals, everyone involved in the survey must be a member of PILN 4. When a teacher is invited to take the survey and clicks a link to take it, they are automatically joined to a school profile 5. The PILSR badge will automatically be awarded when a survey is complete What are the benefits of the online research tool? Partners in Learning School Research helps schools achieve a common understanding of innovative teaching practices, educational transformation, and how all parties can collectively move forward.  PILSR is: Credible:  The research tool validates the role/importance of ICT and is based on globally-recognized research* that measures innovation in three key areas: <ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Student-centered pedagogy (teaching/learning)</li><li>Extend learning beyond the classroom</li><li>ICT** used for teaching and learning</li></ul> Complimentary:  Available at no cost to primary and secondary schools worldwide. Easy/Accessible:  Available online and easy to administer. Set up, distribute surveys, and receive data easily and with minimal time commitment. Measurable:  School-specific measurement and a path to innovation.  Research data provides factual, school-specific information to empower leaders to make educated, data-driven decisions. Personalized:  Provides school-specific results based on each individual school’s own environment. How does the research tool work? 1. Schools sign up using a simple set up wizard:  Sign up for PILN. Identify a research leader. Invite teachers. Invite School leaders. Takes 15-20 minutes to set up. (Note: it is only available to schools on PILN, so if you try to set one up using your Microsoft company profile, you will be prompted to establish a school profile.) Set up wizard start page <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5chXrBe32fNVKnFZcSfyjypWsJ9yTnwmiqoc-DMGLc58k95VDO6Le8VUfaCMRD9ssO9O0KRnIY6n-KGX-KYfPS_7KjH_x15uJb1httTL5jrgAkHchM6cFaO6h2TnP3A7Z9PLOu7FpEw/s1600-h/image%25255B6%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAbhSXHUx3zbQW_GtEzeHoIdfOR57G7MXySoKpCDeJmWJqnZ0WgtaZCZlpbqpNk_z3FzKqBwqIcfXHkl71YDSy8_6yL4dXdMtsjT3iLvj_hhGUBvZXYDlZokvfwdeHV46NDpOJxgUpHw/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a> 2. Distribute Surveys & Reminders Easy Distribution:  PILN sends emails that contains survey links, call-to-actions, and deadlines. PILN enables research leaders to see who has and has not taken the surveys and sends reminder emails to complete surveys. Invitation to take the school survey <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqltXv5GdSBZEYSluTqBmlJO9kDNiOnSYrGN_KeCOuIINH2NN95kv1JI7bTa_d763KwbpNGasH4-ggbMNoAA9PkPxhkp7SyCQnKDDAZDR_gbhZBJzKjU9qh61LJZsicemvd5kYDAphzN4/s1600-h/image%25255B24%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLeGnX0oBQgsZ9JrKLvuec97CDqLFzYiks9fgdZPsaU21Nnme6M4CgRO5FScZ6Z8B9CQERpz9BR-k3R7r-lPZtVCgt6eEvNDs4mMASj6g0I0LHxJ6tbOoyxbo4BwS7AQE5mAgxhLWunI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="316" /></a> Monitor your school’s survey progress screen <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRHFKrjUhyu23Qsx1gAvgyk3u1dxxopgmsB9drhQJD_pGheon5weJOJCPF3oYtDyyiCFXald6NpOdGdVkvecgh8QvsG4MBJ0gMJBlA4r6Q_BUbAAyGC1TXPiSVLmiQh3ZYNHDPy2WQ3o/s1600-h/image%25255B26%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3alMlrykfYLPtWuSau1ANwNi446GDQxqL6KZTDyBJ-dvbj_RCQDGP7QsXoIz_cKBTW0fok7NQiCZZ53QVhwGvRxJj_7Kk8w3Xu9-5YCydnW42e00u3aSh-NSK0HrFxllBug53DZdBA2o/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a> Reminder emails are sent to participants who haven’t completed their survey <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJJBvJ7WUpDpc00BuBl19zYgC29_U2lshOL22ZmKRp-DpfidEB3VgaIuDd4Hw_hgjA0PmEjj8NoIMAE5jgnwEnNeAVqtDRx1cyp3MuIDSEUZH3ESaOWXobiPb-ljJXbrVEq3DlKZO6q8/s1600-h/image%25255B28%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4aC1YLD42VAWjqSmyt-jY0iM-hwlaW0Tu8wrIe6x0WXjN6giDl9HEV5EPWzC17yopGeFqz5QsVD_tIRQu_GuYGOP4-zi0koDA5O6SvtrdVgQyQWa3FOUoAaO5FBTKRPZXVSTyVFkQAss/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a> 3. Use the Report Insightful Results:  Once the survey window has closed, a report is generated and available to people who participated in the survey. The report measures elements of innovative teaching practices and compares educator and school leader responses. Below are a few examples of PILSR results. <ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Innovative Teaching Practices Index</li><li>Student Centered Pedagogy</li><li>Extending Learning Beyond the Classroom</li><li>ICT Used for Teaching and Learning by Educators</li><li>ICT Used for Teaching and Learning by Students</li><li>Barriers to Technology Use</li><li>Topics of Professional Development and Levels of Innovative Teaching Practices</li><li>Types of Professional Development and Levels of Innovative Teaching Practices</li><li>Collaboration among Educators</li><li>Incentives and Recognition for Innovative Teaching</li></ul>One page from the sample report which is attached via this link<a href="https://app.box.com/s/dv4nnms3f6t0pgptmnqc" target="_blank">Microsoft Partners in Learning School Research Report September 2013</a> <div style="text-indent: 48px;"> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-670eQHvPozk1D9awM-fsZETEpBz_1JiJV_Yt3HXxz4-FivSF36S6OedaHIvQuizjQ0Ov7M4IV59DuRpf5eD5VSFRYujPmUYp4_2JYz41k-awItkv-EPpXatKcSWi32pimgOnNEt9Oww/s1600-h/image%25255B32%25255D.png" style="background-color: transparent; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhki1iZgbquLsYNjvtI8nDsx5WQLHxW5H_H-KqGZ1Jg4nNOBo5UYHq1XRFFNBXb-c2K1DTnzzxDWcznR4Ba-bIhdv7neYo5ss_b8nGHrK7IJ-OCLQZI5PopaSSufAuC58dxM_ViXB-jKO4/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a> In what languages have the surveys, invitations and reports been localized? In addition to English, PILSR surveys and their corresponding report have been localized in the following languages: 1. Brazilian Portuguese 2. Polish 3. Finnish 4. Greek 5. Latvian 6. Lithuanian 7. Norwegian 8. Portuguese 9. Slovenian 10. Spanish 11. Russian 12. Swedish Action Items: 1. Countries who localized the surveys: a. Amplify in your social media channels, for example; <ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Schools can now measure their innovative teaching practices with this tool <a href="http://bit.ly/1bwXk5C">http://bit.ly/1bwXk5C</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23msftpil">#msftpil</a></li><li>New research tool supports schools to evolve teaching practices, provides tangible measures of innovation. <a href="http://bit.ly/1bwXk5C">http://bit.ly/1bwXk5C</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23msftpil">#msftpil</a></li></ul> b. Let schools know the tool is ready c. Continue to include PILSR in Shape the Future deals and the sales motion as a value-added tool 2. Countries who did not localize: a. If you are in a country where customers will be using PILSR with the Microsoft Translator, walk through the customer experience and suggest and approve better translations. Note that their reports can only be generated in English. FAQ 1. What will happen to the old version of PILSR? The old site is offline and the URL <a href="http://www.pilsr.com/">www.pilsr.com</a> will be redirected to <a href="http://www.pil-network.com/">www.pil-network.com</a>. 2. Will the old customer data be on PILN? No, for several reasons including that there is no way to tie the customer accounts together between the two systems because the sites used different authentication methods. 3. What if I would like to localize PILSR into an additional language for my country/region? We will look at the cost for each additional language and determine when the work could be done among other development efforts. 4. Where are there likely to be customer support issues with PILSR? <ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Schools often lock down their internet environments which prevents them from accessing many websites. If PILN is blocked, the invitations that are sent to take the survey may not be received. When this has happened in the past, schools simply email their IT departments who put <a href="http://www.pil-network.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">www.pil-network.com</a> on the “white list” and invitations can be resent.</li><li>School leaders can set up a survey in English and then translate the page using the Bing machine translator. However, the report they receive, will be in English. There is no way around this scenario, other than to localize the surveys and reports.</li></ul> 5. What happens if customers encounter issues with PILSR? As with any major, multi-lingual release, we expect to have to issues that we couldn’t foresee. Ask customers to email <a href="mailto:Contact-PILN@microsoft.com">Contact-PILN@microsoft.com</a>. Please let us know if you have questions.</div>

Microsoft Partners in Learning School Research Now Live on PILN

Partners in Learning School Research is now available on the Partners in Learning Network . A school in Canada started a survey and sent th...