Nose around

Etsy, the hand-made/ vintage marketplace, also has a top blog, etsy.com/blog/en. Love its weekly get the Look slot (sellers show off their creative pads and, at a click, let you buy their style). new York Magazine’s Design Hunter (nymag.com/homedesign), almost a blog, is also ace for nosing.

Rubbish collection

Part personal scrapbook (covering shed-pimping, junk-collecting and hand-made weddings), part practical craft and upcycling tips, Artemis Russell’s junkaholique.com is perfect for makers and flea-market fans.

Reality show

Ever find interiors writing po-faced? Yearn for more tell-it-like-it-is? Myfriendshouse.wordpress. com is your answer. Beside beautifully edited style picks, it chuckles at gruesomely smug graphic art and (its own) messy bedroom floor. I also love catalogliving.net: you’ll never look at a styled photoshoot in the same way.

Pin it down

The blog at Pinterest (blog.pinterest.com), the addictive socially networked visual pinboard, is a good intro to the site. try the pinterest trend slot, where you can swot emerging fashions and style it out like a pro.

Ideas in store

Discover colourful new designers at howkapow.blogspot.com; the couple behind the shop of the same name specialise in showcasing new talent. for French-tinged chic, bodieand fou.blogspot.com (also a store) is good, while hisforhomeblog.com (by the owners of vintage shop, H is for Home) champions retro chic.

Find Kate’s blog on affordable interiors at yourhomeislovely.com

Article from here:The Insider: Keeping your bookmarks up to date

What’s the deal with sex and romance among the Occupy Wall Street protesters in Zuccotti Park? After twenty years, does Pearl Jam still rock? and should Iraq help pay for the Iraq war? a look at the most interesting stories in the Wall Street Journal blogs.

At Zuccotti Park, love under the Tarps: Occupy Wall Street is an experiment in communal living, with basic human needs on public display. Even, at times, very intimate human needs. [Metropolis]

Nissan To Build Plug-In Hybrid by 2016: Nissan Motor co. said it will develop a new hybrid model and a plug-in hybrid by the 2016 fiscal year as part of a plan called the Nissan Green Program 2016, or NGP 2016. [Driver's Seat]

Tokyo Police Target Subway Molesters: some of Japan’s most stubbornly persistent criminal activities have a common subterranean quality to them – there is the underworld of the yakuza organizations and the wily backyard underwear snatchers, for example. and then there’s the gropers on Tokyo’s underground train system. Luckily, efforts to tackle the problem are under way once again. [Japan Real Time]

Twenty Years Later, does Pearl Jam Still Rock? Judge for yourself: Watch an exclusive live performance of the song “Last Exit” from the DVD “Pearl Jam twenty,” which hits stores today. [Speakeasy]

A Child of Holocaust Survivors Takes On German Military History: Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind’s newest project is an extension to the German Military History Museum (MHM) in Dresden, the official museum of the German Bundeswehr that opened last Friday. an interview with the architect. [Speakeasy]

The Seven-Billion-Person question: who will be the world’s 7 billionth person? [Numbers]

Clutter Wars: Work Edition: In your workplace, are you pro-clutter or anti-clutter? [Juggle]

Bachmann: Iraq must ‘Reimburse’ for War: the war in Iraq came at a high price: More than 4,400 U.S. troops lost their lives there, and Congress has allocated upwards of $800 billion to pay for the nearly decade-long military campaign. Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann (R., Minn.) thinks it’s time to present the Iraqis with a bill. [WashWire]

Apple Jumps on TV Excitement; ‘I Finally Cracked It’: Apple shares are jumping this morning on anticipation that an Apple TV is in the pipeline. Wait, wait, you might be thinking, we already kind of knew an Apple TV was in the pipeline, didn’t we? Maybe, but now we have something more tangible to go on, with some hints from the new Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson, as excerpted in the Washington Post. [MarketBeat]

Twelve Questions on Obama’s Refi Plan: the Obama administration is revamping a program that’s designed to let more homeowners refinance their mortgages even if they don’t have any equity. this isn’t a new program, but instead attempts to turbo-charge an existing federal initiative called the Home Affordable Refinance Program. Here’s a look at some frequently asked questions. [Developments]

Christopher John Farley is the editorial director of the Wall Street Journal blogs. You can follow him on Twitter @cjfarley.

Article from here:Best in Blogs: Rebellion and Romance in Zuccotti Park

FAO Schwarz unwraps magical holiday shopping experience with extraordinary playthings and the 2011 Ultimate Holiday Collection Catalog. Even though FAO Schwarz has decorated its windows with lights and the perennial toy soldier, the store has amazing new and classical toys. The maximum collection of merchandise shown in the store and online at FAO.com is exhibited in The 2011 Ultimate Holiday Collection Catalog. this catalog has 40 pages of fabulous playthings. The catalog presents merchandise from famous brands, the fashion world, baby items, and specialty playthings.new Yorkers and visitors to FAO Schwarz fifth Avenue are getting into the spirit of Christmas by aiding needy children. The store accepts cash to fund the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation through Christmas Eve. The donated funds will help to buy toys for children who might not have a present on Christmas morning. On Thursday, December 1st and Friday, December 2nd, the store will host a program from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for the Toys for Tots. Marine representatives will greet shoppers and encourage donations. this is the only time FAO Schwarz fifth Avenue will collect toys to be given out to the local community.

I think FAO Schwarz is doing a good deed with The Marine Toys for Tots. all children should wake up on Christmas morning and have gifts waiting for them. Christmas should be one of the happiest times for children.

Here is the official press release:

FAO Schwarz® Unwraps Magical Holiday Shopping Experience with Extraordinary Playthings and The 2011 Ultimate Holiday Collection Catalog

In the Spirit of the Season, Legendary Toy Store Helps Give Back Kids In Need through Partnership with Marine Toys for Tots Foundation

WAYNE, N.J., Nov. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — with families everywhere already starting their Christmas shopping, FAO Schwarz® has unwrapped its plans to provide a magical holiday season to its customers. Beyond trimming the windows of its world-famous fifth Avenue store with lighted versions of its iconic toy soldier, FAO Schwarz is now stocking its shelves with wonderful, new and classic playthings. The ultimate assortment of items featured in the store and online at FAO.com is showcased in The 2011 Ultimate Holiday Collection, a 40-page display of wondrous toys. The collection includes product presentations from iconic brands, the world of fashion, baby products, specialty toys and more. Additionally, to help new Yorkers, and visitors to FAO Schwarz fifth Avenue, get into the Christmas spirit by helping children in need, the store is now accepting cash contributions to benefit the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation through Christmas Eve.

“for new Yorkers and tourists alike, a special part of any holiday season is a visit to see the amazing toys at FAO Schwarz,” said Richard Barry, Vice President, General Merchandising Manager, Toys”R”Us, Inc. “To offer a preview of the wondrous playthings featured in our world-famous store, The 2011 Ultimate Holiday Collection catalog takes customers on a magical journey of the unique items available this year, from classic playthings to limited edition items.”

The 2011 Ultimate Holiday Catalog – In Mailboxes Now and Available Digitally!

Now landing in mailboxes nationwide, The 2011 Ultimate Holiday Collection from FAO Schwarz features toys beyond kids’ wildest imaginations, along with items that will catch the eye of discerning collectors. Presented in thematic pages, the 40-page book presents statements dedicated to FAO Schwarz collectibles, over-the-top toys, playthings from Paul Frank, Lionel Trains, life-sized plush animals, baby items and more. Customers can view the entire catalog online at FAO.com/2011Holiday.

Those who cannot visit the store in-person can experience all of the items in The 2011 Ultimate Holiday Collection catalog online at FAO.com. this fully interactive version of the catalog, with flippable pages, allows customers to begin browsing the assortment of classic toys, incredible games and extraordinary items beginning Friday, November 11. Items featured in The 2011 Ultimate Holiday Collection catalog can also be ordered via phone by calling 800-426-8697.

Additionally, fans of the store’s official Facebook Fan page at Facebook.com/FAO can tune in every Monday to find additional information about products displayed in the catalog.

FAO Schwarz fifth Avenue Helps Children in Need

This holiday season, the legendary toy store is once again serving as a donation headquarters for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Now through Christmas Eve, customers visiting FAO Schwarz fifth Avenue can donate to Toys for Tots, in any amount starting at $1. with more than 16 million kids living in poverty in the United States, according to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, funds donated at FAO Schwarz will help purchase toys for children who might otherwise go without a gift on Christmas morning.

To help celebrate the partnership with Toys for Tots, on Thursday, December 1 and Friday, December 2, FAO Schwarz fifth Avenue will host a kickoff for the program from 9 am – 4 pm. during this time, Marine representatives will report for duty at the iconic toy store to greet customers as they enter the store and encourage them to donate cash and toys. this will be the only time that FAO Schwarz fifth Avenue will collect toys for Toys for Toys, which will be distributed within the local community. To help visitors get into the holiday spirit, carolers will provide musical accompaniment in the donation area while offering complimentary candy canes, while supplies last.

Unique Toys, Classic Playthings and Limited Edition Items

A sampling of exquisite playthings and baby items available at FAO Schwarz fifth Avenue, in The 2011 Ultimate Holiday Catalog and online at FAO.com, includes:

2011 Collectible Bear from FAO Schwarz®

The 14th addition to the FAO Schwarz signature series of annual collectible and lovable teddy bears will enchant both kids and adults. Adorably outfitted in a faux leather jacket, this soft oatmeal-colored bear is ready for snuggling or to be displayed among a collection. his left foot is embroidered with the FAO Schwarz logo and “2011,” while the company’s whimsical mascot Wit is featured on his right.

The Big Piano from FAO Schwarz®

One of the highlights of the legendary FAO Schwarz fifth Avenue store is the bigger-than-life piano that everyone can dance on. Now, kids can take the experience home and tickle the ivories with their feet on this replica Big Piano. Ideal for budding musicians to practice their talents, the soft dance mat has 24 keys and allows kids to play classic tunes, record and playback unique masterpieces, and more.

Busytown Big Town Playset from The Bridge Direct

The beloved books of Richard Scarry come to life in a collection of wood vehicles and figures. with curiosities to discover everywhere, the set encourages social interaction between kids as they explore and play in their own version of Busytown, in which vehicles can travel on a double oval roadway layout. Bringing the full story to life, this playset comes with the Town Hall, Hilda’s Pencil Car, Banana’s Banana Car, Huckle’s classic Blue Car, Lolwy’s Apple Car, Mr. Frumble’s Pickle Car, Mr. Fixit’s Van, the Town Home with Garden and the Town Gas Station. for added fun, kids will also find signs and figures, along with 12 roadway pieces that connect with most wooden train track systems.

Calico Critters® Cloverleaf Manor from International Playthings™

This super-deluxe dream house features enough space to play home to an entire community of Cloverleaf Critters in this house that opens and closes for lots of pretend play, as well as fun and easy storage. Featuring nine large rooms on three floors, spacious is the keyword for this elaborate mansion. Beyond spending time indoors, the residents can lounge outside on the spacious balcony or the railed rooftop patio. those looking for illumination will also find a chandelier that can be placed in any room. The manor measures 36-1/2″ x 20″ x 9-1/4″ when opened and 18-1/2″ x 20″ x 14.5″ when closed.

Dancing with the Stars Prototype dolls from Mattel®

FAO Schwarz is giving lucky Dancing with the Stars fans the chance to own one of the original prototype Barbie dolls, inspired by real costumes from the show! Barbie is ready to dance in each of three dolls, sold separately, including an elegant Waltz featuring a gown with a strapless pink bodice that is trimmed with diamonds; the Paso Doble doll, dressed in a bodice and red satin and black lace skirt that has hoops that link the skirt to Barbie’s hand for a dramatic, sweeping effect; and Samba featuring an orange two-piece costume with a short, open skirt that is accented with yellow feathers and pink and orange organza. with the purchase of each prototype doll, customers will also receive two coveted tickets to see a taping of Dancing with the Stars in Los Angeles! Airfare is not included.

Digital 1:24 Scale Custom Rods Racing Set from Carrera

Slot car enthusiasts can get their motors running with this racing set that comes with two classic automobiles with this FAO Schwarz exclusive item. Racers can speed through straights, curves, change lanes and pass opponents while racing either of the included ’34 and ’41 Hotrods. To add to the excitement, the set can accommodate additional cars, allowing four separate drivers to race. with digital enhancements, this set allows users to add a Ghost Car, as well as alter the speed, braking and fuel level (when used in conjunction with Pit Stop Lane) of each car.

This convertible stroller is designed to grow with any family. Whether walking about the neighborhood with one child or two, this stroller fits any family configuration. with just three simple clicks, the Bugaboo Donkey converts from a full-size mono to a full-size duo stroller and back again. plus, flexible luggage options make it spacious enough to fit travel gear for a family on the go.

Ellowyne Wilde: Woeful Romance from Robert Tonner Doll Company

Inspired by goth and anime influences, this FAO Schwarz exclusive doll has dark brown hair and inset blue eyes with applied lashes and is the perfect doll to add to any collection. Outfitted in a designer bodysuit with faux pearl buttons, embroidered skirt, matching decorative cape with organza ribbon, belt, knit tights and designer shoes, Elloywne stands 16-inches tall and has 12 points of articulation.

Hello Kitty® Signature Diamond Jewelry from Placeholder Request

Hello Kitty fans can show off their favorite cat with this collection of diamond encrusted jewelry. Sure to dazzle on any occasion, fans can find hello Kitty’s adorable, diamond encrusted face adorning a charm bracelet or acting as a pendant. Each sold separately.

I’m The Boss Dino Ball Pit from K’s Kids

Toddlers will dive right into this friendly, stuffed dinosaur whose back opens to reveal a play space filled with 60 soft plastic balls. Vibrant colors, fun textures and patterns on the outside make this dinosaur a valued friend for children, while the inside hosts a world of crawl-through fun.

Jeweled Classic Etch-A-Sketch from Ohio Arts

The world’s favorite drawing toy has become the ultimate display piece, with over 10,000 dazzling handset sapphire Swarovski crystals in this FAO Schwarz exclusive. with only six available in the world of this sparkling blue plaything, this Limited Edition bejeweled Etch-A-Sketch combines can’t stop playing value with over-the-top luxe, making it the perfect gift with super glam!

The Muppet Whatnot Workshop Kit from Disney®

Kids and Muppet aficionados looking for hands-on, crafting fun can create their very own quirky Whatnots – the extras of the Muppet world, exclusively at FAO Schwarz. after choosing from three different body styles creators can customize their Muppet with 14 sets of eyes, 16 noses and 23 hairstyles. Fifteen unique fashions are also available to choose from to outfit a Whatnot for any occasion.

The Polar Express O-Gauge Ready To Run Train from Lionel

All aboard! Now kids can take home the Polar Express train featured in both the best-selling book and the hit movie. Designed to be true to the page and film, this set features a die-cast metal Berkshire steam locomotive with a larger pilot, a headlight lens cap, and a unique whistle. following the locomotive’s lead are two lighted coach cars and an observation car that features a rounded observation platform. The four main characters also make an appearance as articulated figures with turning heads, movable arms, bendable waists, and jointed knees. Ready to run out of the box, this set comes complete with a generous loop of Lionel’s patented FasTrack track system and a powerful CW-80 Transformer.

Soft Character Dolls from Madame Alexander Doll Company

Children can recreate scenes from their favorite books with these 14-inch soft-bodied versions of classic storybook characters. Fancy Nancy comes from her stylish book and is ready to play dress-up, while Angelina Ballerina is ready to pirouette into her next adventure. And, Pinkalicious steps out of her newest story, Goldilicious, in a sparkly ensemble, complete with her magic wand and princess cone hat.

24-inch Uglydoll® from Pretty Ugly™, LLC

From the creative minds of two love-struck artists, David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim, what started as a drawing of a quirky, playful orange character known as Wage has turned into a whole new world of fun. after Sun-Min sewed Wage into a plush toy as a surprise gift for her then boyfriend, the couple soon pulled more characters from the Uglyverse to create the now iconic world of Uglydoll. Featuring unique shapes and silly expressions, these 24-inch soft characters have special personalities.

Yottoy 30-inch Knit Julius the Monkey from Paul Frank

Even though he’s world-famous, this curious monkey is ready to come home with kids everywhere. Designed with a soft-knit fabric to evoke a nostalgic look and feel, this monkey is the coolest cuddle companion on the block and is always ready for an imaginary adventure!

For high-resolution images of items featured in The 2011 Ultimate Holiday Collection from FAO Schwarz, please click on the following link: https://toysrus.sharefile.com/d/s192c7b5948b4f01b.

For high-resolution images of sample pages from The 2011 Ultimate Holiday Collection from FAO Schwarz, please click on the following link: https://toysrus.sharefile.com/d/s192c7b5948b4f01b.

For nearly 150 years, FAO Schwarz has been a brand synonymous with quality and innovation, offering an unparalleled selection of extraordinary toys that have enchanted generations and cultivated a loyal clientele. The famous FAO Schwarz flagship store on fifth Avenue in new York City, which attracts millions of visitors annually, is the only one of its kind anywhere in the world. The complete assortment of the company’s products, including a line of toys marketed under the FAO Schwarz brand name, can be found in-store and online at FAO.com. The iconic FAO Schwarz brand is exclusively operated by Toys”R”Us, Inc., the world’s leading dedicated toy and juvenile products retailer.

Article from here:FAO Schwarz Prepares For Upcoming Holiday Season – Toy Soldier

These 62 photographs have one thing in common: none of them uses more than two base colors. these two colors in tiny dots produce halftones from which all the gorgeous shadows and highlights derive. They’re simple yet striking.

This is my entry for the duotone challenge. Living on the water provides lots of photo options & daily inspiration. this week in CT, we had some extremely foggy days. The original image of a fogged in river boat started out looking black and white. I thought it took the moody blue duotone applied in photoshop rather well. I normally have my D5000 glued to my hip but on this day I only had my iphone to snap with – nothing fancy. -Lauren Fister

Leaving Yosemite National Park for the season my girlfriend and I stopped at Olmsted Point. It had just rained and we were trying to beat the snow over the pass. this was taken at sunset as we make our way east towards our final destination of New Orleans. Camping outside the park it snowed on us and the pass was closed with almost a foot of snow on the road. Camers-Nikon D7000, Lens-Nikon Nikkor 135mm f/3.5 AI ISO-100, f/3.5, 1/125s -Chris Riggleman

I hadn’t tried doing a duotone picture before now. I love the drama it provides – I had a hard time choosing the photo to submit! this was taken at sunset at The Oasis in Austin, Texas at Lake Travis. I really enjoyed adding to my Photoshop skills, too. Thanks for the challenge! f/2.8, 1/640 sec, ISO 80 – Karen Tarlow

Taken with a Sony Alpha a230 in Atlanta, GA with ISO at 100 and edited in iPhoto, GIMP, and Snapseed. -Matthew Carr

In my opinion, there are certain photographs that just have to be black and white. being fairly new at photography, I had never heard of duotones. Doutones give a new twist to black and white photography. Winter has set in here. I could have tried something safe in my warm house, but my love is out in the field driving around till I find a Gem. after all Idaho is the Gem State. So I loaded up the dog, camera, lenses, and left all my filters at home.

“Demonic Fire” was shot in Clover, Idaho. this Lutheran church and school are the only thing in Clover. other than thousands of acres of rolling farm land. It is an absolutely beautiful setting in the middle of nowhere. The photograph was captured with my Canon T1i Rebel with the 18-55mm lens at 18mm. Settings were, 1/25, f-14.0, ISO 100.

In Photoshop I used the gradient map to select two different shades of red. I then played with the sliders till I got the highs and lows where I wanted them. Opening a new layer in curves I went crazy until I got the exorcist need for the photograph. I know the color is extreme, but I think I got the Good vs. Evil feel I wanted for the photograph. Thanks for teaching me something new in Photoshop. -Ron Barrett

I took a picture of a red maple leaf on top of a lighted tracing pad so the background was all white and the light shone through the leaf. I generally followed the Photoshop instructions provided in the challenge, but tweaked a few settings such as gradient map colors and the curves adjustment layer. I like how the picture looks artificial even though it started with something real. Canon 7D with 100mm macro lens. 1/100s, f/2.8, ISO 200. – David Lee

Well I didn’t even know this contest started and yesterday we were all hanging out since Liya is moving so we took pictures of her before she left. iPhone 4s. -Josean Rosario

When a trip to the Dia:Beacon was planned for this weekend, I decided it would be a good time to try my hand at a shooting challenge again. The trip didn’t let down in terms of striking landscape views, but what was really eye catching were these window shadows in the Richard Serra room. they seemed to be begging for this challenge’s treatment, the problem being the photography rules in museums. So instead of the old phrase “the best camera is the camera you have on you” this instead is “the best camera is the camera you can use incognito”. Therefore this was taken on the iPhone 4, with some contrast adjustments and straightening. I originally wanted to colorize it to reflect the fall colors outside, but ended up liking the blue more due to its resemblance to the Madlib “Shades of Blue” cover art. -Zach Chapman

I had a busy weekend and was afraid I would miss out on this competition, a real shame because I’d been looking for an excuse to try making duotones for a while now! on the way down to a parts store I happened to find this cool abandoned factory. I figured the shadows and the texture of the bricks would work pretty well in duotone, and I think it worked pretty well. Worked purple in as the shadow tone to keep it interesting. Canon 400D with Cannon 18-55mm IS lens at 29mm, 1/320 sec, f/16, ISO 200 -Brenda Dunne

Every single one of these photos looks fantastic. I was particularly impressed by a few shots that, in regular color, we probably wouldn’t have given them a second look. but thanks to the duotone process, we can appreciate all of their rich midrange unctuousness. If you ever find that you’ve taken a wonderful shot that just doesn’t pop, it’s a good tool to have in your arsenal. full galleries below, wallpapers on flickr.

Mark Wilson is the founder of Philanthroper, a daily deal site for nonprofits.

Article from here:62 Beautiful Photos That Only Use Two Colors

Wed Nov 9, 2011 5:50am EST

(The following statement was released by the rating agency)

– We are reviewing our Banking Industry Country RiskAssessments after having published our updated methodology.

– We are revising our BICRA on Colombia to group ’5′ fromgroup ’6′.

– We are revising our economic risk score to ’6′ from ’5′,and the industry risk score to ’5′ from ’6′.

On Nov. 9, 2011, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services saidthat it is revising its Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment(BICRA) on Colombia to group ’5′ from group ’6′. It is alsorevising the economic risk score to ’6′ from ’5′, and theindustry risk score to ’5′ from ’6′.

We have reviewed the banking sector of the Republic ofColombia (BBB-/Stable/A-3) under our updated BICRA methodology.The BICRA groups summarize our view of the risks that a bankoperating within a particular country and banking industry facesrelative to those in other banking industries. They range fromgroup ’1′ (the lowest risk) to group ’10′ (the highest risk).Other countries in BICRA group ’5′ are Panama, Trinidad yTobago, China, India, and Turkey.

Our economic risk score of ’6′ reflects our opinion thatColombia has “high risk” in “economic resilience” and “creditrisk in the economy,” and “intermediate risk” in terms of”economic imbalances,” as our criteria defines those terms.

The Colombian economy’s concentration in certain commoditiesmakes it vulnerable to external shocks. Additionally, GDP percapita is low at about $6,400 and unemployment is still highcompared with other countries. However, the Colombian economyhas shown increased resilience that, combined with favorablemedium-term growth prospects, should restrain public sector debtburden. Deepening domestic capital markets and improvingexternal liquidity should continue to reduce vulnerability ofthe sovereign debt burden. Exchange-rate flexibility and amonetary policy targeting inflation should help the economywithstand external shocks.

In our view, Colombian economy is in an expansionary phase.Private-sector credit has been increasing at more than 18% inthe past few years. Residential real estate prices havemoderately increased, but we expect high growth in commercialreal estate prices, which could erode the banking system’s assetquality. The exposure to equity prices is limited. The currentaccount deficit is likely to be 2.8% of GDP in 2011 and will bemostly funded by foreign direct investment.

Low incomes are the main reason behind the private-sectorcredit to GDP ratio of 34%, since debt capacity and leverage arelow. The country has strengthened its underwriting standards.Loan-to-value ratios are conservative, at about 53%, and thebanking sector’s exposure to foreign currencies is low, at lessthan 10%; however, its exposure to commercial real estate isincreasing. Payment culture is solid, but a still inefficientrule of law slows the claims process over loan collaterals.

Our industry risk score of ’5′ for Colombia is based on ouropinion that the country faces “high risk” in its “institutionalframework,” and “intermediate risk” in its “competitivedynamics” and “system-wide funding.”

Our institutional framework assessment is based on thecountry’s accounting standards, which are still not aligned withinternational standards. Regulators monitor market, credit, andliquidity risks, but not operational risk, which is supervisedin most investment-grade sovereigns. Supervision of existinglarge and complex financial conglomerates is challenging forauthorities, particularly now that these conglomerates areexpanding abroad. However, regulators have well documentedprocedures and adequate track record of early action andprevention towards distressed financial institutions.Improvements in transparency and good disclosure of accounts andownership of banks have created favorable conditions,strengthening supervision and coverage.

The banking sector has shown prolonged profitability levelsthat are higher than those of other sectors in the economy.However, banks offer traditional service products and a limitednumber of high-risk products, and commercial practices havestrengthened. Colombian banking system is moderatelyconcentrated: three local banks– Bancolombia S.A. ,Banco de Bogota S.A. , and Davivienda S.A. DVIp.CN-accounted for 48% of the loans as of June 2011. Additionally,the two largest financial groups, Grupo Aval (notrated) and Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana S.A. (BBB-/Watch Neg/–), account for more than half of the marketshare. Market distortions, in our view, are limited, given thelow presence of government-owned financial institutions.

Banks enjoys a stable and growing core customer depositbase, which has been the main source of funding for the sector.The country’s still shallow capital markets, lack of long-termfunding alternatives that harm asset liability management, and amoderate use of securitization continue to constrain theindustry. The central bank’s lending facilities and policies areadequate in terms of its capacity and good track record ofproviding guarantees, transparency, and liquidity.

We classify the Colombian government as ‘supportive’ towarddomestic banking. We recognize the government’s long trackrecord of providing support to the banking system in times ofexceptional duress.

RELATED CRITERIA AND RESEARCH

– Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment Methodology AndAssumptions, Nov. 9, 2011

– Standard & Poor’s BICRAs Highlight The Shifting BalanceIn Global Banking, Nov. 9, 2011

– S&P’s BICRAs Measure Banking Risks for 86 Countries, Nov.9, 2011

Article from here:TEXT-S&P: BICRA on Colombia revised to Group ’5′ from Group ’6′

TARBORO – the Tarborough Junior Cotillion takes the timeless tradition of etiquette and modernizes its lessons for children in the Twin Counties.

“Courtesy, respect and manners are three principles of character that cease to age. for the art of etiquette is a timeless tradition,” said Laura Ashley Lamm, executive director of the Tarborough Junior Cotillion, which is entering its third season of serving young adults in the Twin Counties in the education of manners and dance.

Children in fifth through seventh grades are invited to participate in this unique social education experience.

The purpose of each session is to provide youth with both memories and instruction of proper etiquette techniques and social graces. Cotillion sessions will consist of lessons in basic etiquette through the use of ballroom dancing during seven hour-and-a-half sessions. Sessions are held one Saturday evening a month from 5-6:30 p.m. at Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church in Tarboro.

During these sessions, students will learn a variety of ballroom dances, including the Waltz, Cha-Cha-Cha, Carolina Shag, Tango, Rumba and Fox Trot. Students will also learn notable line dances, such as the YMCA, Electric Slide, Cupid Shuffle, Bus stop, Cha Cha Slide, Mississippi Cha Cha and unique line dances to the TJC such as the Jump, Cotton Eyed Joe and the last Round-Up.

“the purpose of each session is to help children build ease in social situations, for good manners that are learned at a young age are ones that are with them for a lifetime,” said Lamm. “while dancing socially, students learn in an atmosphere that is filled with creativity, fun and respect for oneself and others.”

Students are taught ways to make good first impressions by being able to shake hands and to greet adults, to converse on the telephone and at meal time, to write a thank-you note, to set the dinner table, to be a courteous host, to be a vital participant in the classroom, to win and lose on the sports field with grace, and much more.

Each cotillion session is themed and this season students will enjoy a night of dancing on Broadway, grabbing their boots and cowboy hats for the popular return of country night featuring “the last Round up,” grooving to the sounds of the 1970s, and going for a walk “under the Boardwalk,” to name a few.

Other special evenings during the season include the Holly Ball and the 
Magnolia Ball.

The Holly Ball is an evening free of 
instruction and serves as an opportunity for students to display the dances learned during the first half of the year.

The Magnolia Ball, a formal ending to the season, gives students a chance to review what they have learned during their course of study.

“new students will enjoy the variety of the experience while returning students will be surprised by the new twists in the season this year,” said Lamm.

Cotillion themes and dates for the year include: “Lights, Camera, Action!” on Oct. 29; “the last Round-Up” on Nov. 12; “Holly Ball” on Dec. 10; “that 70’s Groove” on Jan. 7; “Queen of Hearts” on Feb. 11; “under the Boardwalk” on March 3; and “Magnolia Ball” on April 28.

Lamm has been dancing for more than two decades. Born and reared in Kinston, she studied dance for 16 years under the direction of Robb Beaman with Studio ’86.

Under Beaman’s expertise she mastered the art of jazz, tap, ballet, pointe, lyrical and hip-hop. while in Kinston, Lamm learned the art of ballroom dancing and the importance of etiquette as a student under Ann Brown Cherry, executive director of the Carolina Junior Cotillion.

Following completion of the cotillion, Lamm served as a Cotillion Marshall, helping her peers learn etiquette and ballroom dancing.

Lamm has a bachelor’s degree in communication with a minor in professional writing and presentation media from Meredith College. while in college, Lamm studied jazz dance at Meredith and modern dance at N.C. State University. she serves on a variety of community boards including the position of vice president of the Edgecombe County Chapter of the N.C. Symphony.

The Tarborough Junior Cotillion enrollment is a non-refundable fee of $135 for the year. Registration continues through Oct. 24.

For more information and registration forms email Lamm at 
tarboroughjunior
 or call 252-373-1413.

Article from here:The Rocky Mount Telegram

You go outside, you commune with nature. You feel good. That’s familiar and simple enough that it hardly seems like a fruitful area for research. but in recent years, an entire field of environmental psychology has arisen in the efforts to tease out the relationship between nature outside of our heads and psychological and neurological processes inside. Proponents see this as integral to understanding how to heal ourselves – and perhaps the planet. 

These mental processes turn out to be subtle and nuanced. for instance, there’s the matter of differentiating stress from mental fatigue. De-stressing is about getting away from the grind, visiting with a good friend, or watching the Tigers win a doubleheader. Mental restoration is different. it comes from a solo walk in the park, or time spent gardening. that was where we began a conversation with Raymond de Young, associate professor of environmental psychology and planning in the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. 

Metro Times: Words like "stress" and "tiredness" are part of our everyday vocabulary, but researchers in your field are working to make some distinctions. 

Raymond de Young:De-stressing might be compared to letting your car cool down after a long, hard ride. we can recover from stress by just taking time off work, getting a good night’s sleep, or doing other physically relaxing things: going to a bar, talking with some friends, venting a little. 

But attentional fatigue needs a different kind of restoration. the mental fatigue we’re talking about in our research, being tired in the head, is more like an empty gas tank. You’ve got to fill it up on a regular basis. we use up a part of our brain on a daily basis, and we have to restore it on a similar schedule. 

This need for regular restoration isn’t a new idea. but somehow, our culture has gotten the wrong idea about how to go about doing it. we have led ourselves to think that vegging out in front of a TV, hanging out at the coffee shop or playing video games will restore our brains, but it doesn’t. 

MT: why not? 

De Young:We have to start by understanding what is fatiguing. the thing that runs down is a mental resource that directs our attention and allows us to focus on an important task while surrounded by a lot of distractions. we have to suppress these distractions in order to focus on the task at hand. Imagine you’re at a meeting at a restaurant, and there is a lot of activity going on around you, but you need to focus on what the person you are meeting with is saying. to do this you have to suppress all of the background noise and movement, the conversations and music, waitstaff activity, even the meal in front of you. This suppression, inhibiting all of those competing pieces of information, is what we use our directed attention to do. 

But directed attention wears out. the resulting mental fatigue is not a bad thing, it’s just the normal result of getting our work done. to remain effective we have to restore this mental resource. And the only way to restore directed attention is not to use it; let it rebuild through rest. 

If we don’t restore it, a large number of things can go wrong, such as irritability and impulsivity that result in regrettable choices, impatience that has us making poor decisions, and distractibility that allows other people to have a large effect on our behavior. In short, mental fatigue reduces our ability to make and follow plans, and leads to an inability to mentally restrain impulsive thought or action.

A lot of the things that we imagine are restorative actually require us to continue using directed attention. Imagine you are going to a bar with a bunch of friends, you’re having a great time, having conversations, enjoying some stories told. but if you’re not careful, what you say you might easily hurt a friend’s feelings, and if you say the wrong thing to the wrong person, you’re in trouble. If you act too crazy they kick you out. So you still have to use your directed attention to manage your behavior. another example of how we get things wrong is what we think "screen time" does to us. People think that while playing a video game they are vegging out and letting the brain recover. but, in fact, you are using directed attention to play the game.

MT: So if I walk down to Detroit’s RiverWalk or some artificial wetland, once I’m there, the idea is then that I’m not going to be focusing on one thing, I’m going to let the whole thing envelop me. I’m not using my directed attention?

De Young: Exactly. And to understand how this works it helps to know that there’s another kind of attention, called involuntary attention. it describes what happens when something catches our attention, engages our mind, without our effort. Loud noises certainly grab our attention, but nature, in a gentle way, also does that. the wind through the trees, the water flowing over the rocks, sunlight through the branches, an animal moving off in the distance, these things are aesthetically beautiful and capture our attention effortlessly. while our involuntary attention is engaged, our fatigued directed attention can restore itself. 

And it doesn’t have to be pristine, gorgeous, picture-postcard-perfect nature. Research suggests that you need very little exposure to nature, just a few trees will do, a glimpse of the water, a small park or maybe time spent viewing someone’s front yard garden. If you let yourself soak up this everyday nature even for just a short time, restoration can occur. 

But it’s important to realize that you’ve got to let the environment capture your attention. If you go walking with a friend along the river but your conversation is the main focus, then nature, while all around, isn’t able to help you. 

So if you walk with a friend in a place filled with everyday nature, then you should both go with the intention of trying to help each other focus on the environment. was it Ram Dass who said, "be here, now"? that concept of being in the moment, letting the environment wash over you is what we mean when we talk about nature as a restorative tonic. 

MT: That reminds me of two phrases I’ve come across. One is an "an environmental engagement plan" and also the idea of "walking mindfully."

De Young: the engagement plan idea is about not leaving things up to chance. It’s like giving yourself some homework that focuses on the environment. Imagine you had a camera with only three pictures left on the roll of film. Now go take a walk of about 20 minutes focusing on the environment and deciding what you would take pictures of to describe the beauty of what you’re seeing. since you have only three photos left, you have to constantly focus and engage with the environment to select just the right scenes to photograph. Now there’s some use of directed attention in this task because you’re making judgments, you’re discriminating. but most of the focus is on nature and that use of directed attention is an investment paying off in mental restoration. other engagement plans involve asking people to imagine what they would change in the environment to make it more beautiful, or imagine what would happen if the environment had far fewer cars or if it had more people gardening in the front yards. or look for things that would bring a smile to a child’s face. You’re trying to be playful with the environment. the purpose is to engage yourself toward the environment rather than toward your own thoughts or the rest of your day or any emotions you are feeling. 

Now mindfulness is interesting. There’s a lot of research and controversy over whether or not you’re supposed to be mindful or mindless. Are you supposed to focus on yourself or on the environment? 

If you go to a Buddhist temple and take a course on walking meditation, it would seem like what we’re talking about in the engagement plans. You’re outside, you’re walking, and you’re in a meditative state. but, a lot of the instructions are to turn inward and to feel the ground under you and to feel the wind against you and to feel your muscles working. So it’s not focusing on nearby nature, it’s focusing more on your own sensations and the muscular effects of being outdoors. In this sort of situation you’re using your mind to do a body audit and you end up using directed attention.

But when walking meditation tells you to turn outward and look at the nature around you, then it’s promoting a mentally restorative experience. And here we again are using a small amount of directed attention as an investment, engaging our involuntary attention and allowing for mental restoration. 

MT: can you give me some examples of how you can measure these effects?

De Young:Well that’s the key thing, measurements, as researchers that’s what we spend a lot of our time on. There are some visual tests that we use, and we’ve also developed paper-and-pencil tests that measure our ability to focus attention. One of the tests is called digit-span backwards. someone gives you a series of letters and your task is to recall them back to the person in reverse order. As we increase the length of the digits string, it gets harder and harder to do correctly. And it turns out that you can recall longer digit strings when your attention is restored than when you have directed attention fatigue. 

There’s another measurement that uses a Necker Cube. It’s a wire-frame cube, and if you look at it, it tends to flip back and forth, one side looks like it’s in the front, then a moment later that side looks like it’s in the back. If you use your directed attention you can slow down the rate of flipping, and some people can hold it frozen in one state for awhile. the amount of directed attention you have is related to how long you can hold the wire frame image from flipping. 

Another measurement uses a Stroop image. This is a list of color words, where each word is printed in a color of ink different than what the word represents. So the word "red" is printed in blue ink, and so on. the task is to quickly go through the list naming the color of the ink. we use directed attention to inhibit the word we see while naming the ink color. the more mentally fatigued we are the harder this task is to do, so our error rate is related to the state of our directed attention. but, interestingly, if the color words were spelled out in a language that we don’t know, or the words were just nonsense syllables, then the task is easy to do.

MT: And then basically one group would walk down the city street and another group would walk through the arboretum and then test them after that? 

De Young: Exactly. we use the same length of walk with the same conditions, whether they’re alone or walking with someone else, and roughly the same amount of difficulty walking. A nature walk, say walking down a tree-lined street produces a lot less mental fatigue, or produces more restoration, than a walk through a more urban area. 

What’s fascinating is that we don’t have to use large wilderness expanses or huge beautiful parks, not that those aren’t also effective, but it turns out that for the restoration of mental vitality, we don’t need anything quite as dramatic. I think that’s hopeful; a lot of our cities just don’t have access to wilderness areas or beautiful arboretums. 

MT:Some researchers in your field use the term "nature deficit disorder." 

De Young: Long ago people didn’t have to use anywhere near the amount of directed attention that we do, they didn’t have that many distractions, they didn’t have as many electronic gadgets that are always interrupting or distracting them. Many people spent more of their day out in nature. or, if most of their work was indoors, nature was right out their door. but today, a good deal of our work is spent indoors, with abstract concepts, lots of distractions, and lots of interruptions. And very few of us have an opportunity to literally turn around and look at nature. these days, we have to purposefully go out and find nature. 

We can add to this a second problem. Even aside from our work, people are spending more time indoors, whether it’s watching television, playing games, e-mailing. 

We see this most dramatically in our children. Back 40-50 years, your parents would send you outside to play, telling you to come back home for lunch. then you’d go out again and come back home for dinner. for some of us, our parents would never see us in between. these days the kids are kept very close. Perhaps for good reasons, but the result is that they’re not getting the same dose of nature as kids got years ago. There’s been a subtle and incremental decrease in our access to nature. the term we’re using is "nature deficit disorder," which is about kids, of all ages, not getting adequate access to nature. some people have speculated that this might explain why there’s more anxiety among our children, perhaps a little more anger. 

MT: Is there a notion that if we improve our relationship with nature we’ll be better shepherds of it?

De Young:Now you’re jumping into what I’m currently working on. my belief is that burned-out people can’t help heal the planet. If people are mentally fatigued, from their work or from trying to restore their directed attention in ways that don’t work, then they’re not going to be able to help themselves, their neighbors, their community or the environment.

A lot of what environmental conservation involves is restraint, it’s not doing everything you want to do at the moment you want to do it. think about something like saving energy or reducing emissions from cars. it involves planning your trips, coordinating with other people, thinking ahead. the very act of planning and scheduling a trip uses a lot of directed attention because you’ve got to think through and imagine the route you’ll take, what stops need to be made, what needs to be done at each stop. And it turns out this kind of deep planning uses a lot of directed attention.

You can think about environmental stewardship as sustaining our relationship with nature. but it also involves social sustainability — maintaining the sustainability of the neighborhood, our relations to our family, our relations to one another. 

I think people, cultures and societies, already know this. we already know that taking time off at the end of the week is really good for our well-being. it makes for a better community and a whole lot better person. Mental restoration is probably essential for environmental stewardship, social stewardship, community building and everyday civility.

I try to get my students to internalize this idea that mental restoration is the key to their living a better life. And more down-to-earth, I tell them they’re going to do much better on their late-term projects and final exams if, towards the end of the term, they continue to take time to take walks in the woods or spend time at a park. some listen, but others say that at the end of the term is when they don’t have time for such activities. they wish they could, they know they’re supposed to do it, but they can’t find the time. And my response is if you believe you don’t have the time then you’ve flunked the class — that’s exactly when you most need to take a walk. 

Raymond de Young is currently on sabbatical from the University of Michigan, among other things working with co-editor Thomas Princen, also professor in U-M’s School of Natural Resources, on The Localization Reader: Adapting to the Coming Downshift. the MIT press publication is slated for January 2012. A number of de Young’s papers can be read at tinyurl.com/3paa55d.

> Email W. Kim Heron

Article from here:Your brain on greenery

MINNEAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–BreathableBaby is changing the descriptive name of their flagship product from a breathable mesh crib “bumper” to a breathable mesh crib “liner” to more accurately convey the true nature of their product and to distinguish it from traditional bumpers that consumers should avoid due to the risk of suffocation.

“Injuries Associated With Cribs, Playpens, and Bassinets among Young Children in the US, 1990-2008”

“Our Breathable Mesh Crib Liner is not made from padding material or a roll of stuffed fabric and it’s not designed to cushion a crib’s inner sides. It is designed to keep babies’ arms and legs from getting stuck in the crib slats without suffocation, entrapment and strangulation risks, which are associated with traditional crib bumpers,” said BreathableBaby CEO, Marc Grossfield.

the use of traditional bumpers in cribs has been correctly questioned because they pose a suffocation risk. BreathableBaby was founded by parents, Dale and Susan Waters, after being told by their pediatrician that traditional bumpers were dangerous. they searched but could not find a safe solution for their daughter Sierra’s crib. As a result, the Waters’ invented a line of breathable products to help provide safer sleep for babies.

Susan Waters, BreathableBaby co-founder, said, “Our daughter Sierra was very active in the crib and kept getting her arms and legs caught in the crib slats. She would cry night after night. Sierra wasn’t getting any sleep and neither were Dale or I. but we refused to use a bumper because our doctor told us that it was too dangerous and we were afraid she might suffocate. That’s when we decided to create a safer alternative and the Breathable Mesh Crib Bumper (now ‘Liner’) was born.”

the BreathableBaby technology that reduces the risk of suffocation is based on simple physics. the construction of the tiny fibers that make up BreathableBaby’s spacer-mesh fabric will not allow an airtight seal to be created when it’s compressed, making it virtually impossible for a baby to suffocate. BreathableBaby calls this feature Air Channel Technology™ (A.C.T.™). “The ability of air to move through the Breathable Mesh Crib Liner is obvious because you can see and breathe through the fabric,” says Peter Raynor, Ph.D., a public health professor. “More importantly, the Breathable Mesh Crib Liner permits airflow even when it is compressed. Many bumper and bedding fabrics restrict airflow when compressed, thereby increasing the risk of suffocation for an infant,” added Professor Raynor. the best way to understand a.C.T. technology is through personal experience. BreathableBaby makes a.C.T. kits available to the public – submit a request providing full name, street address, city, state and zip code to: and BreathableBaby will send you an a.C.T. kit at no charge.

According to an Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics article1 there were over 151,000 crib injuries treated in emergency rooms between 1990 and 2008; and there were 2,680 non-falling crib injuries per year in the U.S. among children under two years old during the same eighteen year period. However, this study accounts for injuries treated only in emergency rooms, and does not include injuries treated in the offices of pediatricians and orthopedic surgeons, so the number of actual injuries may be much higher. a story aired in August on the local Fox News affiliate in the Twin Cities about a girl who got her foot caught in the crib slats. It killed the nerves in her foot. Her foot became deformed and caused many physical and social problems for her. Fortunately, she met a highly skilled orthopedic surgeon at Gillette Children’s Hospital in St. Paul who completely reconstructed her foot.

“The issue goes beyond serious injuries and their prevention – parents also want to use crib bumpers to prevent babies from crying and the sleep deprivation that results from it. When babies become active they roll around and stretch out in the crib, often times getting their arms and legs caught in the crib slats and naturally they cry. Based on emails and conversations with parents who have contacted us, we have heard overwhelming feedback that crying and sleep deprivation among parents and their babies is reduced by using our Breathable Mesh Crib Liner because babies don’t get their arms and legs stuck in the crib slats,” said Susan Waters, BreathableBaby co-founder.

BreathableBaby CEO, Marc Grossfield added, “Recently we had a booth at the New Parents Expo in New York City. Our booth was located next to the education area where there were guest speakers throughout the day. While most of the speakers had limited attendance, there was standing room only for Harvey Karp M.D., FAAP, author of The happiest Baby on the Block: the New Way to calm crying and Help your Baby Sleep Longer. Apparently crying babies, and sleep deprivation among babies and parents is a widespread problem.”

There are several articles and studies accessible online about sleep deprivation and their effects on babies and parents. “Parents can help prevent crib slat injuries and sleep deprivation caused by babies crying from getting stuck in crib slats without the worries associated with traditional crib bumpers. Our Breathable Mesh Crib Liners are a simple and safe solution to a common everyday problem for about $30 and gives parents peace of mind,” said Dale Waters, BreathableBaby co-founder.

BreathableBaby products are available nationwide from retail and online merchandisers in the U.S. and Canada. Visit breathablebaby.com for more product information and a list of retailers.

About BreathableBaby®BreathableBaby is dedicated to developing breathable innovations that address parents’ concerns for baby’s safety inside the crib. the recipient of numerous awards for creative innovations in making the crib environment safer for babies, the company began out of a need in the market for products that were safer and competitively priced. BreathableBaby’s products are patent-protected.

1 Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics: “Injuries Associated With Cribs, Playpens, and Bassinets among Young Children in the US, 1990-2008” by Yeh, Rochette, McKenzie and Smith, February 17, 2011. pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/3/479.full?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=cribs&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT

2 Harvey Karp M.D., FAAP has not reviewed or endorsed BreathableBaby’s products.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery available: businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50052234&lang=en

Article from here:BreathableBaby® Offers Breathable Mesh Crib Liners to Help Avoid Dangers of Traditional Bumpers and Protect against Entanglement Hazards and Disrupted Sleep

what has the business community been reading lately? 800-CEO-READ, a leading direct supplier of book-based resources, compiles a monthly list of best-selling business books based on purchases by its corporate customers nationwide. here are the best sellers for September, plus descriptions of the top 10.

1. Lean Startup: how Today’s Entrepreneurs use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries; Crown, 336 pages ($26).

2. what to Ask the Person in the Mirror: Critical Questions for becoming a More Effective Leader and Reaching your Potential by Robert Steven Kaplan; Harvard Business Press, 288 pages ($26.95).

3. from Values to Action: the four Principles of Values-Based Leadership by Harry M. Jansen Kraemer; Jossey-Bass, 224 pages ($27.95).

4. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath; Gallup Press, 175 pages ($22.95).

5. Superfreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes and Why Suicide Bombers should buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner; William Morrow, 288 pages ($29.99).

6. the Thank you Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk; HarperBusiness, 256 pages ($24.99).

7. Practically Radical: Not-So-Crazy Ways to Transform your Company, Shake up your Industry, and Challenge Yourself by William C. Taylor; William Morrow, 320 pages ($27.99).

8. Drive: the Surprising Truth about what Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink; Riverhead Books, 256 pages ($26.95).

9. Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh; Business plus, 253 pages ($23.99).

10. Innovator’s DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen and Clayton M. Christensen; Harvard Business Press, 304 pages ($29.95).

11. what Got you here Won’t Get you There: how Successful People Become even More Successfu l by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter; Hyperion Books, 236 pages ($24.99).

12. Enchantment: the Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions by Guy Kawasaki; Portfolio, 211 pages ($26.95).

13. It’s your Ship: Management Techniques from the best Damn Ship in the Navy by D. Michael Abrashoff; Warner Books, 212 pages ($24.95).

14. Innovator’s Manifesto: Deliberate Disruption for Transformational Growth by Michael E. Raynor; Crown, 256 pages ($23).

15. the Go-Giver: A little story about a Powerful Business idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann; Portfolio, 144 pages ($21.95).

16. how we Lead Matters: Reflections on a Life of Leadership by Marilyn Carlson Nelson; McGraw-Hill, 144 pages ($19.95).

17. It’s Not what you Sell, It’s what you Stand for: Why every Extraordinary Business is Driven by Purpose by Roy M. Spence; Portfolio, 336 pages ($25.95).

18. Brains on fire: Igniting Powerful, Sustainable, Word of Mouth Movements by Robbin Phillips, Greg Cordell, Geno Church and Spike Jones; John Wiley & Sons, 184 pages ($24.95).

19. the First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at all Levels by Michael Watkins; Harvard Business Press, 208 pages ($29.95).

20. Multipliers: how the best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Elizabeth Wiseman and Greg McKeown; HarperBusiness, 288 pages ($25.99).

21. Clutch: Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and others Don’t by Paul Sullivan; Portfolio, 256 pages ($25.95).

22. I Love you More than my Dog: Five Decisions That Drive Extreme Customer Loyalty in Good Times and Bad by Jeanne Bliss; Portfolio, 224 pages ($22.95).

23. Love Leadership by John Hope Bryant and Bill George; Jossey-Bass, 203 pages ($27.95).

24. Blue Ocean Strategy: how to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne; Harvard Business Press, 256 pages ($29.95).

25. how to Market to People Not like you: ‘know It or Blow It’ Rules for Reaching Diverse Customers by Kelly McDonald; John Wiley & Sons, 218 pages ($24.95).

Article from here:Check out the top 25 books corporate America’s reading

Most men don’t give much thought to their prenatal care, but,according to male-fertility experts, what guys do now could makethe difference between becoming a dad or not.

Unlike women — who have all the eggs they will ever have whenthey’re born — men produce sperm all day long. Sperm takes abouttwo to three months to fully mature, so a guy’s behavior during thepast 90 days will affect the baby he makes today, or whether he canmake one at all, said Dr. Sijo Parekattil, director of urology atWinter Haven Hospital, where he specializes in maleinfertility.

Although society tends to focus on women when couples can’tconceive, about half the time it’s the guy’s fault, Parekattilsaid.

Among the more common sperm-killing behaviors guys engage in arekeeping cellphones in pants pockets and working with laptops ontheir laps, which raises sperm temperature.

Other behaviors not conducive to fatherhood are smoking,excessive drinking, frequenting saunas and hot tubs, wearing tightunderwear, using recreational drugs, including marijuana, takingmale supplements and getting sick. Studies show that such behaviorscan reduce sperm quality and quantity.

Ashok Agarwal, director of the Center for Reproductive Medicineat the Cleveland Clinic, has conducted several studies on theeffects of cellphone radiation on sperm. in one lab study, he foundthat the viability of sperm exposed to cellphone radiation for onehour dropped by 11 percent compared with control samples.

His research also found that sperm count, motility and viabilitydropped more as cellphone exposure went up.

“Cellphones emit radiation, which can potentially harm the spermin men who carry their phones in their pockets or on their belts,”Agarwal said. “We believe these harmful effects are due to theproximity of the phones to the groin area.”

A bout with the flu can lower sperm count, too, which is whyexperts recommend that men trying to have children get flushots.

Chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, alsotake their toll. Obesity can foster low sperm counts because excessfat causes men to produce more female hormones, Parekattilsaid.

When men take male supplements, including anabolic steroids,their bodies think they’re making too much testosterone and shutdown the testicles, which actually atrophy, Parekattil said. Onceguys stop taking supplements, sperm production can take a year toresume.

“A man’s lifestyle can impact the DNA organization inside thesperm and the surface properties of the sperm, which are criticalfor penetrating the egg, fertilizing it and helping the embryo getto full term,” said Dr. Michael Witt, a urologist andmale-fertility specialist who divides his time between Winter Park,Fla., and Atlanta.

Avoiding these sperm-unfriendly behaviors and conditions aresometimes all men need to do to give their sperm a boost, Wittsaid.

Besides having a better understanding of how lifestyle andanatomical stresses can affect sperm, men trying to become dadsalso benefit from another advance in male infertility: in-homesperm-test kits.

Although the home tests aren’t as sensitive as those in theurologist’s office, they’re a lot more convenient and lessembarrassing than giving a sample at the doctor’s office.

A normal sperm count is about 40 million motile sperm perejaculation, according to the World Health Organization. most menproduce that well into their 70s. However, of those men who haveproblems with infertility, about 10 percent to 15 percent make nosperm, and an additional 30 percent have low sperm.

Among all men, about one in seven has a varicocele, in whichexcess blood vessels impair the count and quality of sperm, Wittsaid. Surgery to remove the veins often restores fertility.

Like 15 percent of American couples, Clay and Wendi Harris ofOrlando, Fla., couldn’t have a baby, despite trying for fiveyears.

“We were tested seven ways to Sunday” to look for the cause,Clay Harris said.

After five failed rounds of in vitro fertilization, they hadjust about given up. then tests showed that Harris, 38, had a spermcount in “the midrange.” However, Witt reviewed Harris’ sample andthought the sperm quality would improve if he had varicocelesurgery.

In November 2010, Harris had the surgery, and afterward, “mysperm count went through the roof. it skyrocketed to 90million.“

Now, the Harrises are expecting a baby boy in earlyFebruary.

“When we go for our weekly ultrasound,” said Clay Harris, “wejust stare at the baby on the monitor and hold hands.”

Article from here:Sperm quantity, quality matter in male fertility