Culture Change and Family Firms: Think about your Culture ...

I am going to be speaking at the Family Firm Institute in Brussels in October, 2012, and during my preparation work, I have really seen so many situations where family firms must take stock of their culture. They need to begin to see how to modify their ways of doing business so that they can sustain growth in changing times.

One CEO of a family firm shared with me her Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) that she had taken for a workshop I had given on culture change.

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What is an OCAI? ?The OCAI is designed to help companies diagnose their current corporate culture and determine where they would prefer it to be in the future. The ?now? and the ?preferred? areas that you see above.

It is not easy for you to capture the beauty of this if you have little knowledge of the OCAI. But just think about the CEO?s numbers on the right chart. She would prefer to be more collaborative and ?clan? like with more cooperation and team work. She would like her company to be less of an Adhocracy?the nemesis of all entrepreneurs who fight structure and systems and love to ?make it up as it goes.? She clearly needs more focus on results and more structure. But not too much to kill the spirit of the company ? one that was built by entrepreneurs who saw problems and created solutions that are highly respected and very much needed today.

A Family Firm Story to Share.?But here is her story. Her family firm has been well-established for over 40 years in an industry that is growing. She and her brother are now the senior management team. Her company designs and engineers air pollution control equipment for industrial plants. They take it from A to Z. They build customized designs for pollution control equipment that tie into the specific processes at the plant level. They outsource the metal, but they go right into a plant to supervise the assembly of the equipment and the installation.

They have quadrupled in size over the past four years. Needless to say, the growth has been both glorious and painful. It is a company built on an entrepreneurial spirit where each client?s project needs a unique, creative solution. That was the foundation of the culture of the company and you can certainly see the pink graph lines in the ?adhocracy? area which is all about innovation.

A transition from a slow growth family business to a more professional, efficient organization is never easy. The speed of growth put an enormous amount of pressure on all of the systems. The top pressure was particularly in the area of culture. You add this new work force to an existing entrepreneurial one and wires certainly will cross. One group has a ?quick to respond-old way of doing things? approach, while new employees want to know what the processes are from start to finish.

How do you train new staffers to be entrepreneurs ? and to think the way the founders do? The OCAI shows so clearly that the CEO realizes that they have to change their culture. But how do you recognize that, particularly in a family firm where the roles are complex and the passion for who the company is and what it does often transcends the reality of running a growing business with new hires that are neither family nor entrepreneurs.

Interesting challenges? I will share with you more about how they are changing in another blog. There a a number of very cool stories to share on culture change and family firms. My thanks to the family firms that are speaking with us about their cultures and the challenges of change.

Try the OCAI for yourself.?The OCAI was done on www.ocai-online.com, if you are interested in taking a cultural assessment for your own organization. If you take one there is no charge for the assessment.

Source: http://simonassociates.net/2012/09/culture-change-and-family-firms-think-about-your-culture/

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A look at Old Farmer's Almanac weather predictions

A look at the Old Farmer's Almanac weather predictions for 2013:

?Northeast: Winter will be colder and drier than normal; spring will be warmer and drier in the north and warmer and wetter in the south; summer will be drier with average temperatures.

?Atlantic Corridor: Winter will be colder and drier, while spring and summer will be warmer and drier than normal.

?Appalachians: Winter will bring lower temperatures and less precipitation while spring and summer will be warmer and drier than normal.

?Southeast: Winter will be cold and snowy; spring will have normal temperatures and with above-average rainfall; summer will be drier and a bit hotter than average.

?Florida: Winter will bring lower temperatures and less rain than normal, while April will be drier and hotter and May will be cooler and much rainier. Summer will bring more rain and near-average temperatures.

?Lower Great Lakes: Winter will be warmer than normal in the west but colder than normal in the east, with precipitation down across the region. Spring will bring less rain and warmer temperatures than normal while summer will see average rain and temperatures.

?Ohio Valley: Winter will be colder and drier while spring and summer will be rainier and drier than normal.

?Deep South: Winter will bring much cooler temperatures but less precipitation than normal; spring will be a bit warmer and wetter while summer will be cooler and drier.

?Upper Midwest: Winter will be warmer and drier, while spring will be wetter with normal temperatures and summer will be cooler with average rainfall.

?Heartland: Winter will be warmer with average or below-average precipitation; spring will bring normal temperatures and rainfall; summer will be cooler and drier than average.

?Texas-Oklahoma: Winter, spring and summer will be colder and wetter than normal. Be on hurricane watch in mid-June.

?High Plains: Winter will bring higher temperatures and more rain but less snow than normal. Spring and summer will be cooler and wetter than normal.

?Intermountain: Winter will be warmer and drier in the north but colder with above-average precipitation in the south. Spring will be cooler and drier and summer will be cooler and rainier than normal.

?Desert Southwest: Winter, spring and summer will be cooler than normal with average or above-average precipitation.

?Pacific Northwest: Winter will be warmer and drier than normal, while spring will be cooler with average rainfall and summer will be warmer and wetter than normal.

?Pacific Southwest: Winter will be warmer and drier than normal in the Bay Area but wetter elsewhere; spring will be drier with average temperatures; summer will see average rainfall and higher temperatures on the coast and cooler temperatures inland

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/look-old-farmers-almanac-weather-predictions-170809607--finance.html

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Turning ideas into products faster

ScienceDaily (Sep. 6, 2012) ? Together with the specialty chemicals company LANXESS, Fraunhofer researchers have engineered and built a system in record time, which produces reverse osmosis membrane elements for water treatment. Virtual engineering allowed research and development to proceed simultaneously.

Only around 0.3 percent of the world's water supply can be used directly as drinking water. At the same time, the world population is growing steadily, thus increasing the need for clean water constantly. Water treatment technologies such as reverse osmosis will be instrumental in ensuring that we have enough to drink in the future: A membrane filtration system removes substances such as salts, pesticides, viruses and bacteria from water. In early 2010, the specialty chemicals company LANXESS decided to enter a new field of business, water treatment. It planned to have a high-tech production facility built by the fall of 2011in Bitterfeld, the location of IAB Ionenaustauscher GmbH, a LANXESS subsidiary. This ambitious plan meant that both the product and the manufacturing technology had to be designed and ready for manufacturing in very short time. LANXESS intended to bring outside expertise on-board to engineer the automation and hit upon the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF right in the area.

The researchers had little time for preparation. "Research and development had to proceed in parallel, which is why we relied on virtual engineering from the outset," says Prof. Ulrich Schmucker, Manager of the Virtual Engineering Business Unit at the Fraunhofer IFF. "It enabled us to start on work very early, which would not get done in a conventional approach until the final stage of development."

Simulating filter elements on the computer

Since the membrane filter elements, which were to be manufactured at the production facility, did not exist yet, a team of experts of the IAB GmbH and the Fraunhofer IFF first analyzed the product features on the computer with the aid of various simulations. This was necessary in order to determine important manufacturing parameters, such as speed, which also played a role later when the system was designed. Researchers subsequently used the virtual models of the semi-automatic system to run through and optimize the individual steps of the process. They were also able to estimate the manpower it would require.

Thus, the design engineers already had very clear specifications for the ensuing CAD. That was not all, though. The researchers from Magdeburg have developed a special method that makes it possible to start programming a control system already based on the relatively rough CAD model. Programming is usually not done until the end when the equipment has been built and hooked up. However, it is virtually impossible to modify the equipment any longer at that time. "We, on the other hand, connect the real control system to the virtual model. Then, we watch the movements of all of the parts relative to one another on the monitor. This enables the programmer to check the correctness of sequences, eliminate errors and exceptions or even perform collision analyses," explains Prof. Schmucker. When necessary, the design engineer makes changes before the equipment has even been built.

Not least, consulting with a client becomes significantly easier. "Ideas about a user interface's appearance often tend to be very abstract at the beginning," explains Prof. Schmucker. "When the client has a clear mental picture, however, it is much easier to plan and identify the required control elements expediently." The decision to enter a new realm of development with VR models proved its worth for LANXESS, too. Jean-Marc Vesselle, Head of the Ion Exchange Resins Business Unit, is convinced that, "virtual engineering is certainly going to take on greater importance for us in the future."

Membrane elements have been being manufactured in Bitterfeld since the fall of last year. The experts from the Fraunhofer IFF have already started working on the follow-up technology: A fully automatic system will commence operation in September. Around 30 million euros are being invested in the new factory in Bitterfeld. Some 200 new jobs will be created there over time. Production facilities, laboratories, logistics areas and offices are going up on an area of 4000 square meters.

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/jL5DDMpxtrY/120906092709.htm

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San Antonio Mayor Castro's DNC speech celebrated collaboration

FILE PHOTO / SAN ANTONIO BUSINESS JOURNAL

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro?s keynote address to the Democratic National Convention celebrated the story of America, though it took a different approach than what was heard at the Republican National Convention last week.

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro?s keynote address to the Democratic National Convention celebrated the story of America, though it took a different approach than what was heard at the Republican National Convention last week, The Business Journals reports.

Castro emphasized the investments that people make together, while Republicans focused on individual initiative and sacrifice, Washington Bureau Chief Kent Hoover reports.

Castro said previous generations ? such as his grandmother, who came to San Antonio from Mexico ? "believed that opportunity created today would lead to prosperity tomorrow. That's the country they envisioned, and that's the country they helped build. The roads and bridges they built, the schools and universities they created, the rights they fought for and won ? these opened the doors to a decent job, a secure retirement, the chance for your children to do better than you did,? Hoover reports.

He said businesses should be pro-education and welcome such public investment, Hoover reports. He also said that individual success should also be celebrated and that Texans ?believe in the rugged individual.?

"Texas may be the only place where people actually still have bootstraps, and we expect folks to pull themselves up by them,? he said in the speech. ?But we also recognize there are some things we can't do alone. We have to come together and invest in opportunity today for prosperity tomorrow."

Olivia Pulsinelli is the web producer for the Houston Business Journal's award-winning website.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vertical_13/~3/3CUwNIJg84Q/san-antonio-mayor-castro-celebrates.html

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Five big moments from Wednesday night's DNC program

The second night of the Democratic National Convention was behind schedule and broadcast against the first night of football season. There was no shortage of hard hits and one high profile platform fumble.

1. Bill Clinton ardently backs President Obama

Former President Clinton declared that America is better off than it was four years ago during his involving, detailed, rousing speech, which ended in a joyful hug between the former president and the current Oval Office occupant and capped the speeches of the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday.

Clinton (unsurprisingly) departed from his prepared remarks to range wide, attacking Republican VP candidate Paul Ryan for his cuts to Medicare and riffing on jobs, education, and the auto bailout, among many (many) other things. And of course, there were jokes. Praising Obama for his spirit of cooperation, he quipped: "Heck, he even appointed Hillary!"

From Yahoo News's Chris Moody:

In a speech that was repeatedly interrupted by standing ovations and often veered from the prepared remarks on his Teleprompter, Clinton took on nearly every criticism that Republicans leveled at Obama last week at their party convention in Tampa. Clinton's wide-ranging speech defended several aspects of Obama's record, including his health care law, the controversial Recovery Act, the restructuring of cash-strapped American auto companies and even his choice of Joe Biden as vice president.

"We believe 'we're all in this together' is a far better philosophy than 'you're on your own,'" Clinton said in his speech that went on for nearly an hour. "I want to nominate a man who's cool on the outside but burns for American on the inside."

2. Sandra Fluke speaks to women in prime time

Women's rights activist Sandra Fluke, who became a public figure earlier this year when Rush Limbaugh attacked her sexuality and Congressional Republicans forbid her from participating on an all-male panel about women's health, emerged as a bona fide star of the Democratic Party on Wednesday night with her confident speech about choice. Her best line? You can have a president who either "has our back or turns his back."

3. Congressional Black Caucus chairman keeps 'hope' alive

Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver veered off script when he chanted "Hope on! Hope on! Hope on!" and became an Internet hit. The whole convention woke up to Cleaver:

A United Methodist preacher by trade, Cleaver's passionate speech brought the entire crowd in the Time Warner Cable Arena to their feet and even some to tears.

"Yes, President Obama! Continue to have hope," Cleaver shouted. "Continue to speak of hope to the American people, because it is impossible for hope to overdraw its account in God's bank. The tough days our nation faced may have caused us great pain, but they must not and will not cause us to lose our hope. Hope fills the holes of my frustration in my heart.

(Animated .gif tweeted by Yahoo News's Laura E. Davis.)

4. Warren to Democrats: 'Corporations are not people'

Elizabeth Warren, who is running against Sen. Scott Brown for the Senate seat once held by the late Edward Kennedy, drew shouts and applause with her retort to Mitt Romney's "corporations are people" comment at the Iowa State Fair in 2011.

"No, Governor Romney, corporations are not people," Warren said. "People have hearts, they have kids, they get jobs, they get sick, they cry, they dance. They live, they love, and they die. And that matters. That matters because we don't run this country for corporations, we run it for people. And that's why we need Barack Obama."

5. Democrats acrimoniously reinstate Isreal, God into platform

Los Angeles Mayor and DNC chair Antonio Villaraigosa needed three takes to swing a voice vote behind a Democratic platform that explicitly included mention of God and named Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Yahoo! News's Olivier Knox reported:

There was widespread booing on the floor of the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte as Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa led delegates in three voice votes that sounded, at best, equally divided on whether to restore language from the party's 2008 document. Observers said the boos were directed at Villaraigosa's decision to skip a formal ballot and declare the platform amended.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/five-big-moments-from-wednesday-night-s-dnc-program.html

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iPhone knocked off its perch as number one smartphone

DUBAI (Reuters) - Leaders of a Bahraini uprising last year, whose prison sentences were upheld by a court on Tuesday, were in "intelligence contact" with Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, a public prosecution official said on Tuesday. "It is established clearly to us from this verdict that some of the accused had relations and strived to have relations and intelligence contacts with a foreign organization, which is Hezbollah, which works in the interests of Iran," Wael Boualai told a news conference, in comments carried by state media. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/iphone-knocked-off-perch-number-one-smartphone-011529301.html

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UN chief: Both sides in Syria violating rights

UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accused both the Syrian government and the opposition Tuesday of large-scale human rights violations, including torturing and reportedly executing prisoners and failing to protect civilians fleeing the war-ravaged country in record numbers.

In an address to the U.N. General Assembly, Ban demanded that those responsible for violating international humanitarian and human rights laws be held accountable.

The U.N. chief went before the 193-nation world body to report on an intensifying conflict that he said has taken "a particularly brutal turn." He warned that "the entire region is being engulfed by the complex dynamics of the conflict."

Activists say the civil war has claimed between 23,000 and 26,000 lives.

The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday that more than 100,000 Syrians fled their country in August, the highest monthly total since the crisis began in March 2011. A total of 234,368 Syrians have fled to neighboring countries in the past 17 months, the agency said.

Ban said more than 2.5 million people inside Syria need assistance, along with those who have fled to Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. He urged donors to come forward, saying the U.N. appeal for $180 million is only half-funded.

The U.N. chief accused Syrian forces of indiscriminately shelling densely populated areas with heavy weapons, tanks and military aircraft and urged both sides ? but especially President Bashar Assad's government ? to end the fighting.

Ban lamented that civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence, saying even people in bread lines have been attacked.

"Prisoners on both sides are subject to harsh treatment and, often, torture," he said. "There have been alarming reports of summary executions on both sides."

He added, "government forces and the armed opposition have clearly failed to protect civilians and respect the rules of international humanitarian law."

The U.N. chief urged the world to unite behind a plan to end the conflict.

Missing in all international initiatives so far, Ban said, "is a unity of effort that will have an impact on the ground."

"How many more will be killed and wounded, their lives shattered, before president Assad and his advisers are persuaded to change course?" Ban asked. "How can we convince armed groups that a better future lies not in fighting, but in building the foundations of a new political and social contract that guarantees freedom and justice?"

Syria's most important allies, Russia and China, have vetoed three Western-backed resolutions in the U.N. Security Council aimed at stepping up pressure on Assad's government to end the conflict by threatening sanctions. As a result, the U.N.'s most powerful body remains paralyzed and unable to address the escalating civil war.

The secretary-general appealed to those providing arms to either side to end the "highly dangerous" escalating military action.

"Those who provide arms to either side are only contributing to further misery ? and the risk of unintended consequences as the fighting intensifies and spreads," he warned.

The General Assembly meeting also provided the first opportunity for U.N. member states to hear from Lakhdar Brahimi, the new U.N.-Arab League special representative to Syria. Brahimi replaced Kofi Annan on Sept. 1.

Ban urged all countries to unite behind Brahimi's mission, which he called "daunting but not insurmountable."

Ban said Brahimi will visit Cairo shortly for talks with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby before heading to Damascus "as soon as possible."

In his brief speech to the General Assembly, Brahimi called the support of the international community for his mission "indispensable and very urgent."

"It will only be effective if all pull in the same direction," he said.

Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told the assembly that his government is fully prepared to cooperate with Brahimi "with a view to bringing about the full success of his efforts." He called on all parties with influence on the armed groups to ensure their cooperation with Brahimi.

Elsewhere, the head of the main Syrian opposition group called Tuesday for a massive aid program to rebuild Syria in the event of the fall of the Assad regime and warned that a lack of economic development would open the door to extremism.

Abdelbaset Sieda, the head of the Syrian National Council, told a meeting of Syrian opposition representatives and diplomats in Berlin that a program similar to the post-World War II European reconstruction effort, commonly known as the Marshall Plan, would be needed.

The gathering of a working group on economic rebuilding, which Germany chairs jointly with the United Arab Emirates, was designed to address how to prevent basic services and infrastructure collapsing, and how to revive the economy in a post-Assad Syria.

Unlike neighboring Iraq, Syria lacks vast oil reserves that could kick-start the economy and help finance the reconstruction of infrastructure damaged in the fighting.

The meeting's host, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, said economic recovery and a successful political transition must go hand in hand, and called on the international community to be ready to provide economic support.

But he said the divided Syrian opposition must urgently unite.

"The people in Syria must see that there is a credible alternative to the regime of Bashar Assad," he said.

"There can be no doubt, the days of the regime are numbered," Westerwelle added. "It has lost all legitimacy to represent the Syrian people, it is crumbling from inside."

___

Associated Press writer David Rising contributed to this report from Berlin.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-chief-both-sides-syria-violating-rights-201818752.html

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[unable to retrieve full-text content]Find News of the world from CharlesAyoub.com. There are news from all over the world plus music, games and so much more.

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Obama, Romney visits to Gulf highlight differences

LaPLACE, La. (AP) ? President Barack Obama's trip to the hurricane zone three days after rival Mitt Romney looked over flooded homes and businesses underscores the differences in the way the presidential candidates see the role of government.

So far, the president's remarks about the storm have focused on what money and resources the federal government can marshal to help. Romney, the Republican challenger, used his trip Friday to emphasize the need for charitable donations to help people recover.

Obama was visiting Louisiana late Monday to hear about the damage from local officials, view the recovery efforts and make a statement likely to highlight the government's role in the crisis. Obama was slated to walk through hard-hit St. John the Baptist Parish, 30 miles outside of New Orleans. It's a small, heavily Catholic area of about 45,000 residents. The largest city is LaPlace, where several neighborhoods were inundated by water and some residents were rescued from rooftops by boats.

Greeting the president at the airport in New Orleans were Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal; members of the state's congressional delegation, including Democratic Sens. Mary Landrieu and Republican David Vitter, and Landrieu's brother, Mitch, the city's mayor.

On the flight from Ohio, White House press secretary Jay Carney said natural disasters are "apolitical," but he jabbed at the Republican presidential ticket and their stand on the government's role in aiding the victims.

"It is worth noting that last year there was an effort to underfund the money that's used to provide relief to Americans when they've been hit by disasters," Carney said. "That effort was led by Congressman Paul Ryan, who is now running to be vice president."

Ryan spokesman Brendan Buck said the Wisconsin congressman "believes providing aid to victims of natural disasters is a critical obligation and should be treated as a high priority within a fiscally responsible budget."

Aside from drawing a distinction with Romney on the role of government, Obama also will signal the advantages he has over his opponent as a sitting president. The White House publicized how much Obama has done to oversee the storm response ? he called governors and mayors, received briefings by weather and security advisers, and declared states of emergency before the storm hit.

Since the storm hit last week, Democrats have been using the disaster issue to hammer Romney and his running mate, whose budget had proposed eliminating $10 billion a year in disaster spending and requiring Congress to pay for emergencies by cutting from elsewhere in the budget. GOP leaders blocked that proposal, and Romney hasn't said whether he agreed with Ryan's proposed cuts.

Residents of LaPlace spent Monday cleaning their homes, dragging out waterlogged carpets and furniture, using brooms to push out mud and debris and relying on water and bleach to clean what was left.

"It's gross," said Barbara Melton, 60, who has lived in her home for 23 years and never experienced flooding. "It's hot, it stinks, but I'm trying to get all this mud and stuff out of my house."

Melton, broom in hand, smiled when talking about Obama visiting the area.

"Having him here and seeing the situation really helps people be able to cope with what's going on, what's happened here."

Both Romney's team and the president's insist that their visits are not aimed at political gain. But the specter of Hurricane Katrina helps explain why both men sought to tour Isaac's damage. Presidents, and would-be presidents, can't afford to get panned the way President George W. Bush did in the days after Katrina crippled New Orleans and the Mississippi and Alabama coasts in 2005, killing more than 1,800.

Romney spokesman Kevin Madden last week characterized Romney's visit as intended to focus people on "the needs of the affected region, particularly the need for charitable donations and resources to aid relief efforts."

As Romney's visit to Louisiana was wrapping up on Friday, Obama was in Texas talking to U.S. troops about the disaster, telling them that as president he had "directed the federal government to keep doing everything that it can to help our partners at the state and local level. As a country, we stand united with our fellow Americans in their hour of need."

It was more than Romney said publicly that day about the hurricane, even though he spent more than three hours driving down the flooded Jean Lafitte Boulevard, a main road, his motorcade inching past flooded gas stations, houses and front lawns.

"I'm here to learn and obviously to draw some attention to what's going on here," Romney told Jindal, whom he accompanied to the Jean Lafitte town hall to meet with emergency workers and local officials. "So that people around the country know that people down here need help."

That snippet of conversation represented the bulk of Romney's remarks in Louisiana on Friday.

Throughout his visit, Romney was confronted with reminders that locals were most concerned about extending flood protection ? paid for by the federal government ? far enough to protect their community. In New Orleans, $14 billion in federal aid was set aside to build a complex flood protection system of sea walls and levees after the devastation of Katrina in 2005.

__

Hunt reported from Wolfeboro, N.H. Associated Press writers Stacey Plaisance in LaPlace, La., Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, La., Ken Thomas in Charlotte, N.C., and Brian Schwaner in New Orleans contributed to this report.

__

Follow Ben Feller on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/benfellerdc and Kasie Hunt on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/kasie.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-romney-visits-gulf-highlight-differences-214623316--election.html

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Swallowed magnets in children need quick evaluation and treatment

ScienceDaily (Sep. 4, 2012) ? Children who swallow powerful neodymium magnets are at risk of serious complications, requiring emergency evaluation and possible treatment. That's the message of a new clinical algorithm published in the September issue of The Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, official journal of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN). The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

Developed by an NASPGHAN expert panel, the algorithm provides doctors with a recommended, step-by-step approach to managing children who have swallowed these powerful magnets. "The algorithm is a concise guide to the evaluation and treatment of magnet ingestions meant to reduce the gastrointestinal complications in children," commented lead author Dr R. Adam Noel of Children's Hospital of New Orleans.

Informal Survey Identified More Than 80 Cases

"Neodymium or rare earth magnets are not our grandfather's magnets," Dr Noel and coauthors write. "Composed of iron, boron & neodymium, they are at least five to ten times more powerful than traditional magnets." Used in many industrial products, the powerful magnets are also marketed as "desk toys" or "stress relievers" for adults.

Because of their "formidable" attractive force, neodymium magnets pose a serious health hazard if swallowed. That's because ingested magnets can "find each other" even if they are in different areas of the digestive system. "The magnets can therefore cause two pieces of bowel to stick together with great strength and do not separate," the authors explain. This can result in gastrointestinal perforation or obstruction, sometimes requiring surgery.

An informal survey of NASPGHAN members highlighted the frequency and seriousness of the problem. Pediatric gastroenterology specialists responding to the survey reported more than 80 children with magnet ingestion. Most patients required endoscopy to remove the magnets or surgery to repair damage to the bowels. Twenty-six children had bowel perforation; three needed major surgery to remove a section of damaged intestine.

Emphasis on Rapid Medical Evaluation of Swallowed Magnets

In response, a NASPGHAN task force was formed to develop a new algorithm for evaluation and management of ingested neodymium magnets. X-rays are needed to confirm that the child has swallowed magnets and to show their location. Because the magnets are usually small, there may be no or only mild symptoms.

A critical step is determining how many magnets the child has swallowed. A single magnet will likely pass through without causing any harm. However, if two or more magnets have been swallowed (or a magnet with another piece of metal), attraction between them may result in serious complications. Because magnets may overlap, multiple x-rays from different angles are needed.

Rapid evaluation is critical, as complications appear more common if the child is not seen within twelve hours. The algorithm recommends removal of the magnets using an endoscope, if possible -- although this can be difficult because the magnets can get stuck on the sides of the removal instrument. Surgery may be needed if medical care is delayed, if the magnets pass out of the stomach, or if complications occur.

While the new article was being prepared for publication, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) took action to ban the sale of neodymium magnets as toys. But Dr Noel notes that the CPSC action affects only the small magnets that make up adult magnet toys and that the biggest company selling the toys is resisting. In addition, the ban won't apply to magnets used in other products, such as children's toys and tools.

"Therefore there will be a significant exposure to the extremely small powerful magnet for the foreseeable future," commented Dr Noel. "I hope for our children's sake that the CPSC action will stick. But even so, the magnets that are already in our environment are a clear and present danger."

Coauthor Dr Mark Gilger of Texas Children's Hospital agrees, suggesting that cases of magnet ingestion in children may even increase over the short term. He added, "If one used a risk/benefit analysis on neodymium magnet desk toys, it's quite simple: the risk of injury to children is high and the population benefit is little or none. Do we need this toy, really?"

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Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Hussain, Sunny Z.; Bousvaros, Athos; Gilger, Mark; Mamula, Petar; Gupta, Sandeep; Kramer, Robert; Noel, R. Adam. Management of Ingested Magnets in Children. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition, 2012; 55 (3): 239-242 DOI: 10.1097/MPG.0b013e3182687be0

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/most_popular/~3/z6mPFzfOMdE/120904100844.htm

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Tutu: Bush, Blair should face trial at the Hague

FILE - Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his part in fighting apartheid, speaks during a felicitation event for him in Dharmsala, India, in this Feb. 10, 2012 file photo. Archbishop Desmond Tutu in an op-ed piece in the Observer Sunday Sept. 2, 2012 has called for Tony Blair and George Bush to be hauled before an international criminal court and delivered a damning critique of the physical and moral devastation caused by the Iraq war. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)

FILE - Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his part in fighting apartheid, speaks during a felicitation event for him in Dharmsala, India, in this Feb. 10, 2012 file photo. Archbishop Desmond Tutu in an op-ed piece in the Observer Sunday Sept. 2, 2012 has called for Tony Blair and George Bush to be hauled before an international criminal court and delivered a damning critique of the physical and moral devastation caused by the Iraq war. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair smiles as he delivers a speech during a meeting of the Competitive Brazil Movement, MBC, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

LONDON (AP) ? Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu called Sunday for Tony Blair and George Bush to face prosecution at the International Criminal Court for their role in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq

Tutu, the retired Anglican Church's archbishop of South Africa, wrote in an op-ed piece for The Observer newspaper that the ex-leaders of Britain and the United States should be made to "answer for their actions."

The Iraq war "has destabilized and polarized the world to a greater extent than any other conflict in history," wrote Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel prize in 1984.

"Those responsible for this suffering and loss of life should be treading the same path as some of their African and Asian peers who have been made to answer for their actions in the Hague," he added.

The Hague, Netherlands, based court is the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal and has been in operation for 10 years. So far it has launched prosecutions only in Africa, including in Sudan, Congo, Libya and Ivory Coast.

Tutu has long been a staunch critic of the Iraq war, while others opposed to the conflict ? including playwright Harold Pinter ? have previously called for Bush and Blair to face prosecution at the Hague.

"The then-leaders of the U.S. and U.K. fabricated the grounds to behave like playground bullies and drive us further apart. They have driven us to the edge of a precipice where we now stand ? with the specter of Syria and Iran before us," said Tutu, who last week withdrew from a conference in South Africa due to Blair's presence at the event.

While the International Criminal Court can handle cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, it does not currently have the jurisdiction to prosecute crimes of aggression. Any potential prosecution over the Iraq war would likely come under the aggression category.

The U.S. is among nations which do not recognize the International Criminal Court.

In response to Tutu, Blair said he had great respect for the archbishop's work to tackle apartheid in South Africa, but accused him of repeating inaccurate criticisms of the Iraq war.

"To repeat the old canard that we lied about the intelligence is completely wrong as every single independent analysis of the evidence has shown," Blair said. "And to say that the fact that Saddam (deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein) massacred hundreds of thousands of his citizens is irrelevant to the morality of removing him is bizarre."

However, Blair said that "in a healthy democracy people can agree to disagree."

In Britain, a two-year long inquiry examining the buildup to the Iraq war and its conduct is yet to publish its final report. The panel took evidence from political leaders including Blair, military chiefs and intelligence officers. Two previous British studies into aspects of the war cleared Blair's government of wrongdoing.

The Iraq war was bitterly divisive in the U.K. and saw large public demonstrations. However, Blair subsequently won a 2005 national election, though with a reduced majority.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-09-02-Britain-Blair/id-cd3eead7c9cd425b885ff999648a1e94

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Pakistani cleric faces possible blasphemy charge

Pakistani police officers escort blindfolded Muslim cleric Khalid Chishti to court in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012. In the latest twist in a religiously charged case that has focused attention on the country's harsh blasphemy laws, Pakistani police arrested Chishti who they say planted evidence in the case of a Christian girl accused of blasphemy. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistani police officers escort blindfolded Muslim cleric Khalid Chishti to court in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012. In the latest twist in a religiously charged case that has focused attention on the country's harsh blasphemy laws, Pakistani police arrested Chishti who they say planted evidence in the case of a Christian girl accused of blasphemy. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

ISLAMABAD (AP) ? Pakistani police are investigating whether a Muslim cleric who allegedly tried to frame a Christian girl for blasphemy should be charged with insulting Islam himself and potentially face life in prison, a police officer said Monday.

Khalid Chisti was arrested Saturday after a member of his mosque accused him of stashing pages of a Quran in a Christian girl's bag to make it seem like she burned the Islamic holy book. He allegedly planted the evidence to push Christians out of his neighborhood in Islamabad. He has denied the allegations.

The case has generated significant international attention because of reports that the girl is as young as 11 and is mentally handicapped.

Human rights activists have long criticized Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws, saying they are misused to persecute non-Muslims and settle personal vendettas. They have hailed Chisti's arrest as unprecedented and hope it will prevent false blasphemy accusations in the future.

More immediately, they have called for the release of the Christian girl, who has been held in prison for over two weeks.

She will remain in jail until at least Friday after her bail hearing was postponed for a second time Monday, said her lawyer, Tahir Naveed Chaudhry. The court adjourned the hearing until then because of a lawyers' strike, he said.

Police registered a blasphemy case against Chisti on Monday for allegedly desecrating the Quran, said police officer Munir Jafferi. If he is charged by a court and convicted, he could face life in prison, said Jafferi.

A separate section of Pakistan's blasphemy laws says insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammed carries the death penalty.

Police are also contemplating leveling additional charges against Chisti, such as fraud, planting evidence and making false allegations, said Jafferi.

Police arrested the girl from her neighborhood in Islamabad over two weeks after an angry mob of several hundred appeared at a local police station, demanding action against her for alleged blasphemy. Police said at the time that they took her into custody partly to protect her from potential harm.

People accused of blasphemy, even those who aren't convicted, often face vigilante justice by outraged Pakistanis. A Pakistani man accused of blasphemy in July was dragged from a police station in the center of the country, beaten to death and his body set on fire.

Christians in the girl's neighborhood left the area en masse as soon as the accusations surfaced, fearing retribution from their Muslim neighbors.

The Associated Press has withheld the girl's name because it does not generally identify juveniles under 18 who are accused of crimes.

The girl's supporters say she is 11 years old and has Down syndrome; a medical board said she was about 14 and that her mental age didn't match her physical age.

____

Associated Press writer Zarar Khan contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-09-03-Pakistan-Christians/id-cccd1460a4ed42e79637a429a2740117

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Oscar-winning songwriter Hal David dead at 91

Hal David, an Oscar- and Grammy-winning lyricist who produced dozens of hit songs with composer Burt Bacharach, died in Los Angeles. He was 91.

David died of complications from a stroke, according to Jim Steinblatt, spokesman for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers that the songwriter once led.

Bacharach and David's long series of hits during their collaboration from the 1950s through the 1970s included "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," "What The World Needs Now Is Love" and "What's New Pussycat?"

As a lyric writer, Hal was simple, concise and poetic -- conveying volumes of meaning in (the) fewest possible words and always in service to the music," ASCAP president and chairman Paul Williams said in a statement.

"It is no wonder that so many of his lyrics have become part of our everyday vocabulary and his songs... the backdrop of our lives."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oscar-winning-songwriter-hal-david-dead-91-234030305.html

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Isaac Insurance Claims Begin

Insurance claims from Hurricane Isaac are trickling in, with one estimate saying losses to insurers could total $1.2 billon.

AIR Worldwide, which models losses for insurers, says insurers could pay between $700 million and $2 billion depending on how much damage Isaac's winds and rains produce.

State Farm Insurance Cos., the largest homeowners insurer in Louisiana and Mississippi, says it has received more than 4,000 homeowners claims as of Friday. The company says it has also received more than 1,000 auto damage claims.

Other companies have received fewer claims. Bob Warner, claims manager for Louisiana Farm Bureau Insurance, says loss claims don't appear to be coming in at a high rate.

FEMA says it won't have an estimate of federal flood insurance claims for weeks.

Source: http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/Isaac-Insurance-Claims-Begin-168264756.html

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Prezs Homebrew - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

Yesterday, 13:44	? #1
Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 195	Prezs Homebrew ' + '?' + google_ads[i].line2 + '?' + google_ads[i].line3 + '?' + '' + google_ads[i].visible_url + ' '; } } '' } if (google_ads[0].bidtype == "CPC") { /* insert this snippet for each ad call */ google_adnum = google_adnum + google_ads.length; } document.write(s); return; } google_ad_client = 'ca-pub-7757781251671730'; google_ad_channel = '1963435248'; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '6'; google_ad_type = 'text'; google_feedback = 'on'; // --> __________________
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Yesterday, 13:53	? #2
Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Lakewood Ranch, FLORIDA Boat: Alden 50 in Narragansett Bay, RI Posts: 938	Re: Prezs homebrew no thanks ' + '?' + google_ads[i].line2 + '?' + google_ads[i].line3 + '?' + '' + google_ads[i].visible_url + ' '; } } '' } if (google_ads[0].bidtype == "CPC") { /* insert this snippet for each ad call */ google_adnum = google_adnum + google_ads.length; } document.write(s); return; } google_ad_client = 'ca-pub-7757781251671730'; google_ad_channel = '4899262343'; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '6'; google_ad_type = 'text'; google_feedback = 'on'; google_skip = google_adnum; /* to skip for multiple units, insert this snippet for each ad call */ // --> __________________
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Yesterday, 13:55	? #3
Registered User Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: in a box in cornwall Boat: 63 custom alloy sloop,macwester26,signet20 Posts: 3,662	Re: Prezs homebrew isn't the president a muslim? __________________ The possible we can do today,the impossible takes a little bit longer................
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Yesterday, 15:00	? #5
Registered User Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 1,135	Re: Prezs homebrew Quote: isn't the president a muslim? LMFAO. __________________ I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me.
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Yesterday, 16:08	? #6
Registered User Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: NW Carib Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33 Posts: 1,028	Re: Prezs homebrew Quote: isn't the president a muslim? Yeah, that's why they brew beer and serve pork at the Whitehouse. __________________
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Yesterday, 16:33	? #7
Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Catskill Mountains (too far from the sea) Boat: 31' homebuilt Michalak-designed Cormorant "Sea Fever" Posts: 775	Re: Prezs Homebrew I think Atoll was making a bit of a joke. In any case, the presence of Kent Goldings (English) hops in the recipe proves he is not a muslim but a European Socialist! Sounds like a good recipe to me, a once and future homebrewer. __________________
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Yesterday, 17:09	? #8
Registered User Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: NW Carib Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33 Posts: 1,028	Re: Prezs Homebrew r Quote: I think Atoll was making a bit of a joke. In any case, the presence of Kent Goldings (English) hops in the recipe proves he is not a muslim but a European Socialist!... Hey - another home brewer! Could it be that we home brewers are all just part of big scary socialist plot to bring good beer to the masses? The oppressed workers, who slave away under horrible conditions for me, really like my home brew. Well, except for the one guy who does not drink -- he must be a communist -- or maybe a Mormon. __________________
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Yesterday, 18:59	? #11
Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Lakewood Ranch, FLORIDA Boat: Alden 50 in Narragansett Bay, RI Posts: 938	Re: Prezs Homebrew Yea, but he really didn't brew it himself... __________________
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Yesterday, 19:03	? #12
Registered User Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: NW Carib Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33 Posts: 1,028	Re: Prezs Homebrew Quote: So are there any boat brewers amoungst us? I am a home brewer even grow our own hops. I have not btewed much except IPAs for the past couple of years Don't worry, be hoppy! No not on the boat, I brew at home in the off-season. I've done little things aboard like ginger "beer", but nothing serious. I would need a small ship for brewing: where would I put the keezers, kegs, brew kettles, commercial stove.... 10 gallons of mead perking away ashore now, and just got in ingredients for 10 gallons of brew. __________________
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Yesterday, 19:07	? #13
Registered User Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: NW Carib Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33 Posts: 1,028	Re: Prezs Homebrew Jefferson too as I recall, and a few brewers have re-created their recipes. __________________
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Yesterday, 19:11	? #14
Commercial Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Under a boat, in a marina, in the San Francisco Bay Posts: 1,235	Re: Prezs Homebrew Quote: Hey - another home brewer! Could it be that we home brewers are all just part of big scary socialist plot to bring good beer to the masses? Yes. __________________
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Yesterday, 19:28	? #15
Senior Cruiser Join Date: May 2005 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 767	Re: Prezs Homebrew I believe Jefferson made wine. ' + '?' + google_ads[i].line2 + '?' + google_ads[i].line3 + '?' + '' + google_ads[i].visible_url + ' '; } } '' } if (google_ads[0].bidtype == "CPC") { /* insert this snippet for each ad call */ google_adnum = google_adnum + google_ads.length; } document.write(s); return; } google_ad_client = 'ca-pub-7757781251671730'; google_ad_channel = '2339395729'; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '6'; google_ad_type = 'text'; google_feedback = 'on'; google_skip = google_adnum; /* to skip for multiple units, insert this snippet for each ad call */ // --> __________________ s/y Eagle's Wings? Catalina 30 MkII
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Source: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f91/prezs-homebrew-88399.html

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