Returning to school as an adult continuing education unm learner can be a daunting and intimidating process. The good news is, you are not alone. According to the American Council on Education, adult learners (over the age of 25) make up nearly 40 percent of the nations higher education student population. Due to many factors, including corporate downsizing and monetary invigoration from Government grants, workers looking to reinvent their careers via adult continuing education unm are finding more and more opportunities and services than ever before.
In partnership with New Mexico colleges and universities like unm continuing education, these Government grants are creating a renewed focus on workforce development. Specifically, continuing education unm services offered to new mexico continuing education students lies along the skills building spectrum from resume writing tips to art history courses to professional development classes like real estate licensure. These are only a few of the many services offered to continuing education unm students.
Programs and access to these services are expected to keep improving for continuing education unm learners. In a recent research paper commissioned by the American Council on Education, higher education leaders are being asked to implement new ideas that will better meet the needs of the post traditional (continuing education unm) learner. The aim, this paper contends, is to instill new life and knowledge into our economy and workforce.
LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands (AP) ? Prosecutors urged judges Tuesday to reject former Liberian President Charles Taylor's appeal against his war crimes conviction and 50-year prison sentence, saying the court should hold "lords of war" as responsible for atrocities as the machine gun-wielding killers they support.
Taylor was found guilty in April 2012 of aiding and abetting Sierra Leone rebels, becoming the first former head of state since World War II to be convicted by an international war crimes court. He was convicted of 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, torture and the use of child soldiers.
But as Taylor watched silently from his seat in the courtroom Tuesday, one of his lawyers, Christopher Gosnell, said judges at his trial had a "deep and fundamental" misunderstanding of the legal notion of "aiding and abetting."
He compared Taylor's actions with those of other governments that provide support to rebel groups, saying Taylor "had no criminal intent" in aiding armed groups in Sierra Leone. Another of his lawyers, Eugene O'Sullivan, called Taylor's sentence "manifestly excessive."
Taylor's defense lawyers have put forward 45 grounds to appeal his conviction and sentence, alleging that trial judges made dozens of factual and legal errors. Prosecutors in turn argued he should have been convicted not just of aiding and abetting rebels, but of ordering or instigating their crimes ? considered more serious.
From his presidential palace in Liberia, Taylor provided arms, ammunition and other support to rebels responsible for murdering and mutilating their enemies in Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war that ended in 2002 with some 50,000 dead. In return, the rebels paid him in so-called "blood diamonds" mined by slave labor in Sierra Leone and Taylor gained influence in the volatile west African region.
Taylor claimed he was only trying to help stabilize the war-torn country, but trial judges rejected that argument.
"The lives of many more innocent civilians in Sierra Leone were lost or destroyed as a direct result of his actions," Presiding Judge Richard Lussick said when he sentenced Taylor last year.
Rebel fighters in Sierra Leone gained international notoriety for hacking off the limbs of their victims and carving their groups' initials into opponents. The rebels developed gruesome terms for the mutilations that became their chilling trademark: They would offer their victims the choice of "long sleeves" or "short sleeves" ? having their hands hacked off or their arms sliced off above the elbow.
Taylor ran Liberia from 1997 to 2003. As his government fought a two-front rebellion in 2003, he stepped down and fled to Nigeria under international pressure. Three years later, Taylor was finally arrested and sent to the Netherlands.
Prosecutors want Taylor's 50-year sentence ? already effectively a life sentence for the 64-year-old former president ? raised to 80 years to send a message to leaders who facilitate atrocities.
"Those are the promoters of war, the lords of war that sell arms to groups engaged in these conflicts," prosecution lawyer Nicholas Koumjian said.
He likened Taylor's aid to rebels to the case of a Dutch businessman, Frans van Anraat, who was convicted by a Dutch court for selling chemicals to Saddam Hussein knowing the Iraqi dictator would use them to make poison gas.
Koumjian's comments aimed to counter Taylor's arguments that he should not have been convicted because his support for rebels was not deliberately designed to help them kill and maim.
Gosnell said that for judges to convict Taylor of aiding and abetting crimes, his help must be "connected to a specific crime and there must be a substantial contribution to that crime."
Instead, he said trial judges applied a standard "so broad that it would in fact encompass actions that are today carried out by a great many states in relation to their assistance to rebel groups or to governments that are well-known to be engaging in crimes."
In their written appeal, Taylor's lawyers said "the Trial Chamber's approach extends criminal liability far beyond its proper bounds as recognized in international law."
Taylor's lawyers also argued that his conviction was based in part on uncorroborated hearsay evidence that should not have been admitted. They have asked judges to overturn all of Taylor's convictions.
The appeals chamber is expected to take months to reach its judgment.
The first undersea fibre-optic cable between China and Taiwan is set to begin operating this week, official media reported Wednesday, the latest sign of closer links between the Cold War rivals.
Yang Yi, spokesman for Beijing's State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said the cable would enhance communications and was "good news" for the two sides, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Yang hailed the cable, set to open Friday, as another milestone in the relationship between the two following the establishment of postal and trade links as well as direct shipping and air routes.
Ties have dramatically improved since Taiwan's Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang political party came to power in 2008. He was re-elected in January 2012 for a second and final four-year term.
China still insists Taiwan is one of its provinces, even though the island has ruled itself for more than 60 years since they split in 1949 at the end of a civil war, becoming a vibrant democracy with a dynamic economy.
The cable stretches 270 kilometres (167 miles) from the Chinese city of Fuzhou to Tamsui on Taiwan, the report said.
Yang also said China was willing to supply water to the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen close to Fujian province on the mainland.
Officials from Kinmen have discussed a proposal to use ships to transport water from Xiamen in Fujian.
The fortified Kinmen island group was a flashpoint during the Cold War, when it was heavily shelled from the mainland.
LONG BEACH, Calif.?? Astronomers are excited by the possibility of using one of two cast-off spy satellite telescopes gifted to NASA to probe for dark energy.
They have already come up with a design that would incorporate the spy telescope into the proposed Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), a high-priority NASA mission that would hunt for dark energy, exoplanets and supernovae.
Though a final review and economic analysis won't be released until April, the new design based on the donated scopes would boost WFIRST's abilities significantly, some researchers say. But the concept could also require more power and a bigger launch vehicle, potentially raising the project's roughly $1.5 billion price tag.
More powerful probe
In June, the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office donated to NASA two 2.4-meter telescopes that were part of a failed spy satellite program. The telescopes have roughly twice the collecting surface as earlier designs of WFIRST, which allows for better resolving power. They also have a better field of view than existing telescopes (though smaller than some initial design proposals). [Gallery: Declassified U.S. Spy Satellite Photos and Designs]
"The magic of this telescope compared to existing telescopes like the James Webb Telescope or the Hubble Telescope is it has a huge field of view," NASA astrophysicist Neil Gehrels said during a presentation of the new designs here at the 221st meeting of the American Astronomical Society on Jan. 8.
The new proposed design also includes a coronagraph, which can block out starlight to resolve exoplanets and other objects.
Complementary telescope
Another advantage of using the spy telescope is that it may complement existing projects.
For instance, the Euclid project headed by the European Space Agency will scan for dark energy ? the mysterious force thought to be accelerating the expansion of the universe ? but using a wider, shallower survey. The proposed WFIRST design could then go in and probe in more detail, researchers said.
In addition, because the new telescope would have a field of view 100 times wider than that of the Hubble Space Telescope, it could provide accurate counts of galaxy clusters, which is important for dark energy studies, said David Spergel, an astrophysicist at Princeton University who is part of the new proposed design review team.
The new design would also provide a better ability to search for the bending of light by gravity, improving the ability to find and characterize exoplanets. The proposed coronagraph could help the instrument find small, rocky worlds, researchers said.
And the new telescope could detect thousands of new supernovae, or exploded stars.
"For supernova science, it really represents a major step forward," Spergel said.
Better, faster, cheaper?
Though the cost analysis won't be completed until April, several factors could make a souped-up WFIRST as pricey as building the original designs from scratch ? or perhaps even more expensive.
Because the gifted scope has a larger mirror, it will run hotter ? currently, at 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius). To improve its ability to operate deeper into the infrared spectrum, the design team is hoping to cool it to minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 23 degrees Celsius).
Space news from NBCNews.com
Jump to hyperspace? Get a reality check
Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: In the "Star Wars" saga, the Millennium Falcon's jump to hyperspace is totally fictional ? but if it could happen, some enterprising physics students say it wouldn't look anything like the stretched-out beams of light shown on the movie screen.
Grail moon mission's legacy lives on
Saturn moon may have ice floating in lakes
Baffling star birth mystery finally solved
The big telescope might also require a bigger launch vehicle ? possibly one that doesn?t yet exist.
"It may not be cheaper; it may well be more expensive," Spergel said.
While several astronomers argued the new design would probably be cheaper, simply because the major element ? the telescope ? is already in place, others were not convinced.
Ned Wright, an astrophysicist at UCLA who spoke during the meeting, expressed extreme skepticism about the NRO's cast-off spy telescopes, saying the new design was likely to be plagued by cost overruns.
"Would anybody like to wager a case of Jameson on the question of whether this could be built by 2024 for less than $1.5 billion?" he asked.
Follow Space.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on? Facebook? and? Google+.
? 2012 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com.
AOL Tech -- the team behind Engadget, TUAW, Joystiq, Massively and more -- is looking for a great front-end developer who can help us take Engadget and our other blogs to new levels.
The job is a full-time remote worker position, so the ideal candidate has good time management skills and deals well with working outside of an office. It also means that you get to work with a great team for a great company, get great benefits and a chance to exercise your skills in a high-visibility job, all without having to relocate!
The description:
Front-end developer for AOL Tech (Engadget, TUAW, Joystiq, Massively). The ideal candidate is highly proficient in JavaScript/jQuery, comfortable with PHP / mySQL and experienced in web design, optimization and related technologies for desktop and mobile. A solid understanding of mobile-first design is a must.
Requirements
High proficiency in JavaScript/jQuery
Familiar with spriting, lazy loading, and other general performance-optimized techniques.
Here?s the bad news:?Thousands of people start an online business every day. However, only a small percentage of these online businesses actually succeed.
Here?s the good news:?There are certain basic rules you can follow to turn your online business into a successful one. Here are the 9 prime rules for running a successful online business.
?
?
?
1 ? Keep Your Website Design Simple and Well-Organized
People have a tendency to want to over-design their website in an effort to make it stand out or look cool. They may add flash animation, sound in the background, and load the site up with large graphics. This is a huge mistake, especially for business-oriented websites. It is much more important to make sure your design is organized in a way that visitors can easily find what they are looking for at a glance. Music blaring out is actually a pet peeve of many internet shoppers, especially if they are surfing at work as many do. You also want to make sure that the text is easy to read. Dark text on a simple light background is the safest way to go.
Apple.com is the perfect example of a well designed website. Apple.com has some of the best web designers in the world who develop their website, check them out and also other big company sites for ideas if need be.
?
2 ? Respond To Your Visitors Promptly
When a visitor, a potential customer, emails you or fills out your contact form, it is imperative that you get back to them as soon as possible. People always take mental note of how long it takes an online business to get back to them. Even if you are on vacation, you should either have an employee answering the emails in your absence or take your laptop along and answer the emails while your out-of-town.
There is way too much competition out there now for you to let potential clients slip through the cracks because you weren?t diligent enough to follow through.
?
3 ? Engage Your Visitors
If you can turn your visitors into active participants on your website, you will increase loyalty and sales. The simplest way to do this is to add a blog and open it up for comments from your visitors. Advertise your posts in your newsletter and ask for comments. For larger sites, you may want to add a discussion board where your visitors can create their own topics.
Set yourself up on a number of Social Media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or LinkedIn and conversate/share/inform your customers with high quality answers and content. Also make sure that you have a follow, Fan Page ?Like? widget or a Pinterest badge on your website so that people can follow you through their favorite social media platform and stay in tune with your progress and updates.
Checkout Gary Vaynerchuk?s advice on growing your business using social media, Gary is an Ace! and definitely someone you should look up to in the Online Business world.
?
4 ? Give Your Visitors a Reason To Come Back
Repeat visitors to your online business will increase sales for sure. You can give your visitors a reason to come back in many ways. For example, you can let them know that once a month you post a one-day only sale. Another example might be to write an article and let the readers know there will be a follow-up next month. Make the topic of the follow-up something that people really want to know.
Just adding quality content on a regular basis is a good way to get repeat visitors.
?
5 ? Do Not Over-Sell To Your Visitors
No one likes a pushy salesperson in a brick and mortar business. Online business are no different in this aspect. People hate to feel like they are being overly pressured to buy something. You can point out the advantages of your product or service but try not to over-sell. Watch out for superlative spammy language too. It will usually backfire on you!
?
6 ? Do Not Over Optimize Your Website
You have probably heard of the term, ?search engine optimization? or SEO. This is where people design their webpages with the intent of ranking higher in the search engines, particularly Google. Many online businesses push this way too far. Their sites end up being demoted or even banned from the search results because the search engines view their efforts as spam. Over optimizing pages also makes them less likeable and readable by real human beings.
?
7 ? Do Not List Your Website In Bad Neighbourhoods
For a long time, it has been well-known that Google and other search engines look at how many links there are to a website as one important factor in determining how to rank that website in the search engine results. This has prompted online business owners to want to get as many links as they can. Sometimes they even pay for links in directories and blogs. However, in most cases, these paid links are sites that are known as bad neighborhoods by the search engines. In other words, they are spammy sites and having your website listed in them can actually hurt you, not help you!
?
8 ? Maintain a High Quality Mailing List
Ask your visitors to sign up for your newsletter when they come to your online business site. Give them an incentive to do so such as a free report or free?e-course?on a topic related to your business. Having said this, respect your visitors and their time. Be sure not to send out your newsletter too often, perhaps once a month and occasionally send a special announcement. Also, make sure to put quality content in your newsletter and give your subscribers an easy way to opt out.
?
9 ? Remember At The End Of The Day Your Customers Are STILL Real People
A lot of people forget this, they are not treating their customers as real human beings and are not putting themselves in the customers shoes. Customer service will always be around, that?s why we need to stay good at looking after our clients. If you can?t help them with their request, get back to them and let them know that you have exhausted every avenue to find a way and maybe even refer them onto someone who can help them. Even though you may not be able to help them at that very point in time, they WILL remember you went the extra mile for them and will tell their friends via word of mouth or by social media (which would be great promotion for you), either way, you can rest your head at night knowing that you are doing everything you can to hold a good name for your business and that every one that deals with you is satisfied. Tony Hsieh has his staff at Zappos practice this commitment with their customers and he has managed to build his online retail store to a $1.2 Billion Dollar company.
This is how you secure yourself as the ?go to guy in your industry?, and as time goes by and all these ?short attention span, new comers? are so use to ONLY dealing with their customers over a keyboard and text conversation, they will be skimming over life long customers and potentially huge clients for the future.
No matter how digital the business world gets, you are and will always be DEALING WITH REAL PEOPLE. Reputation is everything, don?t forget that.
The dysfunctional U.S. government is putting the nation's top?credit rating at risk again.
Fitch Ratings warned Tuesday that failure to raise the debt ceiling in a "timely manner" would prompt it to formally review the U.S.'s Triple-AAA credit rating, which influences the nation's borrowing costs.
"Fitch Ratings' expectation is that Congress will raise the debt ceiling and that the risk of a U.S. sovereign default remains extremely low. Nonetheless, and in line with our previous guidance, failure to raise the debt ceiling in a timely manner will prompt a formal review of the U.S. sovereign ratings," Fitch Ratings said in a statement.
Congress has to increase the country's debt limit, which effectively rules how much debt the U.S. can have, by March 1 or face a potential default. There are fears that the debate will descend into the sort of squabbling and political brinkmanship that marked the last effort to raise the ceiling in the summer of 2011. The U.S. Treasury Department warned then that it had nearly reached a point where it would be unable "to meet our commitments securely."?
Related story: Debt ceiling fight could be threat to economy
Standard & Poor's was so concerned by the dysfunctional nature of the 2011 debate that it stripped the U.S. of its triple A rating for the first time in the country's history. Like Fitch, Moody's has a negative view on the U.S. outlook.?
"The pressure on the U.S. rating, if anything, is increasing," said David Riley, managing director of Fitch Ratings' global sovereigns division. "We thought the 2011 crisis was a one-off event .... if we have a repeat we will place the U.S. rating under review."?
Fitch already has a negative outlook on the U.S. as the country's debt burden has risen to around 100 percent of its gross domestic product, and has said it will make a decision on the rating this year, regardless of how the debt ceiling discussions pan out. The U.S. government reached its statutory debt limit of nearly $16.4 trillion at the end of 2012 but has engineered extraordinary measures that should see it through February.?
Riley's comments come just two weeks after U.S. lawmakers agreed a budget deal with the White House that avoided the so-called "fiscal cliff" of automatic tax increases and spending cuts that many economists thought could plunge the U.S. economy, the world's largest, back into recession. Relief that a deal was cobbled together, albeit at the final hour, is one of the reasons why sentiment in the financial markets has been buoyant in the first trading days of the new year. Many stock indexes around the world are trading at multi-year highs.?
"The 'fiscal cliff' bullet was dodged .... (but it's) a short-term patch," said Riley.?
Riley warned that the different arms of the U.S. government still have a number of issues to address. As well as increasing the debt ceiling, they have to agree to spending cuts that were delayed as part of the 'fiscal cliff' agreement and back measures to avoid a government shutdown, potentially in March.?
Though short-term fixes are more likely than not, Riley said the U.S. political environment is not as good as it should be for a country holding the gold-chip AAA rating. The past few years, Riley said, have been marked by "self-inflicted crises" between deadlines.?
The major reason behind the lack of swift action in the U.S. is that the Democrats control the White House and the Senate, while the Republicans have a solid majority in the House of Representatives. Both sides have differing visions of the role of the state in society and often varying political objectives.?
Despite his cautious tone on the rating, Riley said the U.S. has a number of huge advantages and that getting the country's public finances into shape will not require the same level of austerity that many countries in Europe have had to enact over the past few years, partly because the U.S. economy is growing at a steady rate.?
Other factors Fitch says support the U.S.'s AAA rating are the country's economic dynamism, lower financial sector risks, the rule of law as well as the global benchmark status of the country's bonds and the dollar.?
However it says these "fundamental credit strengths are being eroded by the large, albeit steadily declining, structural budget deficit and high and rising public debt."?
We all know our past and upbringing all contribute to the type of adults and spouses we become. Unfortunately, a large number of individuals who were raised in homes where arguing, yelling, and name calling were the norm later grew up and, more than likely, sought a partner they could have a similar relationship with. People who came from loving and nurturing environments looked for a mate that showed them the same kind of love they were already accustomed to. Parents don?t often realize the affect their parenting skills have on the future families their children will create.
Usually in relationships when things don?t go our way we pull out certain behaviors that happen to be familiar to us because they were what we remembered most from childhood. In most cases, the actions we observed as children are the ones that now show up in our relationships and raise all kinds of hell. Watching our parents display a particular conduct proved to us that this was how to cope whenever similar challenges arose in our own lives.
We carry this around with us and sometimes pick up even more baggage from the failed relationships along the way. Then after all that, we meet the person who decides to share their life with us and they have no idea what they are really getting into. With all of that back-story, our unsuspecting spouse is better prepared to deal with the good and the bad that comes along with being involved in a relationship with us. But we are not alone, everyone brings to the table their own personal set of issues. We are all just a little bit quirky, have bad habits we wish we could get rid of, and are holding on to things we really need to let go of. Not one of us is perfect, nor should we ever be expected to be. That?s why it?s so important that we open up and share with our spouse what really makes us tick.
Our partners should know our back-story. Can you imagine how much better you would feel knowing why your spouse sometimes reacts a specific way in certain situations instead of guessing and wondering? This isn?t to say individuals shouldn?t be working toward change and making self-improvements. Couples must be honest with one another while working hard at building a successful marriage. I?ve said it before, love isn?t always easy. It requires effort, honesty, and real communication. In order to give the relationship a stronger foundation we must be willing to invite our partner completely into our world. There is healing in sharing and our partners will have a deeper understanding once we?ve revealed our back-story.
BMWK, have you shared your back-story with your spouse?
About the author
Tiya Cunningham-Sumter is a Certified Life & Relationship Coach and founder of Life Editing. She helps couples and individuals rewrite their life to reflect their dreams. Tiya was featured in Ebony Magazine in the October 2008 and November 2010 issues. She resides in Chicago with her husband and two children.
Coca-Cola became one of the world's most powerful brands by equating its soft drinks with happiness. Now it's taking to the airwaves for the first time to address a growing cloud over the industry: obesity.
The Atlanta-based company on Monday will begin airing a two-minute spot during the highest-rated shows on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC in hopes of flexing its marketing muscle in the debate over sodas and their impact on public health. The ad lays out Coca-Cola's record of providing drinks with fewer calories and notes that weight gain is the result of consuming too many calories of any kind ? not just soda.
For Coca-Cola, the world's No. 1 beverage company, the ads reflect the mounting pressures on the broader industry. Later this year, New York City is set to enact a first-in-the-nation cap on the size of soft drinks sold at restaurants, movie theaters and sports arenas. The mayor of Cambridge, Mass., has already introduced a similar measure, saying she was inspired by New York's move.
Even when PepsiCo Inc., the No. 2 soda maker, recently signed a wide-ranging endorsement deal with pop singer Beyonce, critics called for her to drop the contract or donate the funds to health initiatives.
AP
This undated image shows a frame grab taken from a new commercial from Coca-Cola. The Atlanta-based company on Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, said it will start airing a two-minute spot during the highest-rated shows on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC in hopes of flexing its marketing muscle in the debate over sodas and their impact on public health. The ad lays out Coca-Cola's record of providing drinks with fewer calories over the years and notes that weight gain is the result of consuming too many calories of any kind, not just soda. (AP Photo/Coca0Cola) Close
New research in the past year also suggests that sugary drinks cause people to pack on the pounds independent of other behavior. A decades-long study involving more than 33,000 Americans, for example, suggested that drinking sugary beverages interacts with genes that affect weight and enhances a person's risk of obesity beyond what it would be from heredity alone.
Michael Jacobson, executive director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, was skeptical about Coca-Cola's ads and said the company would stop fighting soda taxes if it was serious about helping reduce obesity.
"It looks like a page out of damage control 101," he said. "They're trying to disarm the public."
The group has been critical of the soft drink industry and last year released a video parodying Coke's famous polar bears becoming plagued with diabetes and other health problems.
Coca-Cola said its ads aren't a reaction to negative public sentiment. Instead, the idea is to raise awareness about its lower-calorie drinks and plans for the coming months, said Stuart Kronauge, general manager of sparkling beverages for Coca-Cola North America.
"There's an important conversation going on about obesity out there, and we want to be a part of the conversation," she said.
In the ad, a narrator notes that obesity "concerns all of us" but that people can make a difference when they "come together." The spot was produced by the ad agencies Brighthouse and Citizen2 and is intended to tout Coca-Cola's corporate responsibility to cable news viewers.
Another ad, which will run later this week during "American Idol" and before the Super Bowl, is much more reminiscent of the catchy, upbeat advertising people have come to expect from Coca-Cola. It features a montage of activities that add up to burning off the "140 happy calories" in a can of Coke: walking a dog, dancing, sharing a laugh with friends and doing a victory dance after bowling a strike.
The 30-second ad, a version of which ran in Brazil last month, is intended to address confusion about the number of calories in soda, said Diana Garza Ciarlante, a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola Co. She said the company's consumer research showed people mistakenly thought there were as many as 900 calories in a can of soda.
An audit has found that EU-funded energy efficiency projects are not cost-effective in EU member states.
The projects examined by the Court of Auditors were in the Czech Republic, Italy and Lithuania. Those countries received the most EU funding for such projects in 2007-2013.
National authorities used the funds to refurbish buildings, but the spending would not be recouped for 50 years on average, the report said.
That time scale was "far too long".
In some cases the savings would not appear for up to 150 years. Such a delay would go beyond the expected lifetime of the buildings concerned.
In a wide-ranging package of green energy measures the EU has set itself the target of increasing energy efficiency by 20% by 2020.
The auditors looked at a sample of 24 energy efficiency projects co-financed by the Cohesion Fund and European Regional Development Fund. Under co-financing, the national governments contribute a percentage of the investment themselves.
The auditors say the European Commission, which allocates EU budget funds, should ensure that such projects undergo a thorough needs assessment first, and that proper monitoring for cost-effectiveness is done.
The report complained of a lack of necessary data, because energy audits are not mandatory in Italy and Lithuania. In the Czech Republic, where they are required, the recommended investment options were far too costly.
Last September the EU adopted a new Energy Efficiency Directive, in a drive to reach the 20% savings goal.
It calls on energy companies to cut by 1.5% annually the amount of energy they sell to customers and requires national authorities to refurbish at least 3% of public buildings.
The Washington Capitals have released their schedule?for the upcoming 2013 season which will begin on January 19th. After waiting months for the season to start, Caps fans can finally start thinking about the action on the ice.
Due to the NHL?lockout, the season has been reduced to 48 games, with no cross-conference matchups. All games for the Capitals?will be played against conference opponents with 18 coming against division foes.
Washington travels to Tampa Bay on Saturday, January 19th?to kick off the season with a battle against the Southeastern?Division-rival Lightning at 7 p.m. EST.
Tuesday, January 22nd marks the first time that the raucous Verizon Center crowd will get to cheer on the home team when the Capitals host the Winnipeg Jets at 7 p.m. EST.
If the team has any rust due to the layoff, it will have to work it out quickly. The first week is packed with four games, including a trip to visit the defending Eastern Conference champs, the New Jersey Devils on January 25th. ?
Due to the condensed schedule, the Capitals will have eight different times where back-to-back games occur. Four of those?will happen in the month of March.?
Fans won't have to wait long to see their beloved Caps take on hated rivals Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Flyers visit DC on Friday, February 1st and?the Penguins come in for a Super Bowl Sunday tilt on February 3rd.
Washington will see both teams three times during the year.
The regular season wraps up for the Capitals at the end of April?with three-straight home games against Winnipeg, Ottawa and Boston.
Five games are slated to be shown to a national television audience by the NHL Network. Washington will appear twice as part of NBC's NHL Game of the Week against Pittsburgh on February 3rd?and the?New York Rangers on March 10th.
As part of the college?s accreditation renewal process, Green River Community College will be visited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) April 22 through 24 to conduct an on-site evaluation
?Accreditation is a nationally recognized, formal process of institutional self-study and peer?evaluation,? said Green River President Dr. Eileen Ely.? ?This process, which allows input from all College members, focuses on continuous institutional improvement.? Green River is committed to maintaining high quality learning opportunities and support services for all students, and accreditation is a means of gauging our success.?
The 2013 accreditation, if approved, would certify Green River through 2020. The college?s most recent evaluation was in 2011 when it submitted a year one report to the commission. Green River, which is currently accredited, was first granted accreditation by the NWCCU in 1967.
The NWCCU is an independent non-profit organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The commission assesses colleges and universities to ensure the quality of education and institutional improvement. It evaluates colleges and universities in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington. Accreditation qualifies an institution and enrolled students for access to federal funds in support of teaching, research and student financial aid.
Members of the public are welcomed to submit comments about Green River?s accreditation to the NWCCU. Comments, which must be submitted to the commission by March 22, may be sent to:
If you knew some sort of secret that may make your Internet business an in a single day success, will you share the idea? One of the real secrets of thriving Internet marketing is expressing your knowledge with other people. This secures you for expert with your field, plus contrary to understanding, does not take away from your profits.Start a word of mouth program. Provide incentive to be able to customers who refer five or more shoppers to your web page. This could be in the form of discounts, concessions, coupons, free software or a no cost e-book. You can also use fantasy to come up with some thing to give away that could be creative plus relevant to your websites.Tell me methods to save us money and also I?ll be ones customer forever! Everyone is seeking a way to purchase a product or service which is convenient and either saves or causes them to be money, it?s the same up to you to trade what you?re reselling in that way.
Numerous online marketers are faulty on holiday seasons because they think their prospects for making a deal is unlikely, which is exactly why you?ll want to jump when it reaches this opportunity to promote your own online enterprise. While gross sales certainly will not be booming upon Christmas or maybe Thanksgiving, any target audience is certainly available. Lots of people receive hard cash or gift cards in Christmas and also waste almost no time in searching regarding something where to spend it all. With negligible competition vying for the interest of these consumers, you have an amplified chance of accomplishing them straight through contact. Keeping one step ahead of the level of competition is the best way to keep the business booming.
One great online marketing agency is offer gains to perform repeatedly customers. Repeat customers witout a doubt demonstrate amazing loyalty, as well as an online business of which rewards these kinds of loyalty can only strengthen the idea. Even the most compact reward contains a beneficial influence. Surprise bonuses and clearly-advertised gains both have his or her advantages. Integrating both methods can offer greatest results.Post your thinking on present-day events and discuss the way these functions affect your subscriber list. When some thing major is situated the world, it is a hot topic a large number of people look for. If you are among the initial websites to write about a modern issue, then you?re a valuable aid to visitors who desire fast updates. Search engines like yahoo crawling with regard to information will also add a person?s relevant content to their index chart for that keyword and key phrase.
Promote different products or companies on your own website which have been related to the industry, however, not direct rivals. This will let you build robust relationships along with other companies since they could help a person?s marketing campaign through advertising the brand on site. Consequently, your company will get additional exposure.All that Now i?m saying will definitely happen particularly if found a fantastic online marketing consultant for your business.
Check that your entire links are working, within your web page and on outward websites. When people are excited about one of your commercials but are not able to access the web site, they will most likely not spend when looking for it. If persons cannot obtain all the pages of your website, they will get frustrated immediately. As mentioned earlier, Internet marketing offers a fantastic way to relate with potential customers. Look at these strong strategies and develop some sort of Internet marketing plan that?s right for you. Utilize tips from this article to present your business boundless success having Internet marketing. Incorporating an online marketing consultant is something that many businesses are trying to do these days.
It seems as if Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has emerged as one of the leading candidates to fill the Eagles? head coaching vacancy.
According to several reports, Kelly, who first met with the Eagles on Tuesday night, is meeting again with the Eagles this weekend. Kelly left the country after his initial sit-down with team brass, but ESPN is reporting that Kelly will be back in country Saturday to attend an event in New Haven, Conn.
The Eagles aren?t commenting on any interactions with college coaches. The search committee of owner Jeffrey Lurie, president Don Smolenski and general manager Howie Roseman had already met with Penn State coach Bill O?Brien and Oregon coach Chip Kelly -- each of which opted to return to their schools -- before meeting with Kelly, who is the only known candidate to have a second interview.
Kelly has even started soliciting advice from NFL circles about the jump from college to the professional ranks, a source told the Chicago Tribune.?
The trio is slated to meet tonight with Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, according to a source (see story). Bradley is believed to be the top choice of the Eagles, who also plan to interview Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden and Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians in the coming days.
Kelly, 51, first spoke to the Eagles one day after his Irish played in its first national championship game since 1988, an embarrassing 42-14 defeat to Alabama in the BCS title game. After the game, Kelly called coaching Notre Dame his dream job and said leaving the school was ?not an option.?
A report from Sports Illustrated said that Kelly, who is 28-11 in his three seasons at Notre Dame, would likely receive a raise and contract extension from the school but neither has yet to materialize.
Kelly has 22 years of coaching experience but has never coached above the college ranks. He spent 13 years at Grand Valley State, where he went 118-35-2 with no losing seasons, and three years at Central Michigan (19-16 record) before moving onto Cincinnati (34-6) and then Notre Dame.
Kelly has had just one losing season, a 4-7 year in his first season at Central Michigan, in 2004. The Eagles have not had a head coach with no NFL experience either coaching or as a player since Bert Bell in 1936.
Before setting out on his search to replace Andy Reid, who was fired after 14 seasons on Dec. 31, Lurie said his list of candidates was ?very defined? and later discussed the advances made by college coaches in their ability to be successful in the NFL.
?I?ve thought a little bit about it. It?s interesting,? Lurie said. ?I think right now the NFL tends to borrow more from college than the other way around. But I think it?s more about leadership. Some of these coaches in college are outstanding leaders and they just go from a younger roster [in college] to a slightly older roster.
?Still, the average age is 26, 27, 25 in the NFL. They?re dealing with 19- and 20-year-olds. It?s not that big of a difference. There is no question I?m not the only that thinks college coaches are well-trained and have experienced tremendous pressure and can handle it and are smart.
?On the other hand, that?s not to diminish that most of the successful coaches come from the coordinator ranks and are NFL coaches as well. Again, as I said in there, no stone unturned. We?ve got our target list. And it?s from all sides.?
E-mail Geoff Mosher at gmosher@comcastsportsnet.com
Coin Community Rules - Please Read Before Posting Last Update 1/19/2012 Please take a few minutes to review the rules before posting or when they are updated.?
?
Welcome - Introduce Yourself Here Please feel free to introduce yourself and let us know what you collect. Also, new members will find some helpful information here regarding the use of avatars and how to set up your birthday.?
3262
26118
Today 14 Min ago DVCollector?
??
CCF Coin Show: World's Fair ANA Philly Show Aug 7 - 11 All topics relating to the Philly Show and CCF get together and the first annual "Get the Kids Hooked" drive.?
22
761
11/23/2012 03:56 am austrokiwi?
?
CCF Coin Show: FUN Show Orlando Show Jan 10-13, 2013 All topics related to the 58th Annual FUN Convention on January 10-13, 2013. CCF will be there!?
29
322
Today 4 Hrs 15 Min ago The Silver Searcher?
?
Contest, Quiz, and Giveaway Come join us for our contests, quizzes, and giveaways sponsored by the members of Coin Community!
534
49768
Today 4 Min ago sel_69l?
?
?US Coins and Currency Discussion Forums??
?
Modern US Coins Lincoln Cents, Jefferson Nickels, Roosevelt Dimes, Washington Quarters, Franklin Halves, Kennedy Halves, Presidential Dollars, Sacagawea Dollars, SBA Dollars, Eisenhower Dollars, All Bullion Eagles
20684
240243
Today 2 Min ago Mach1?
??
Classic US Coins US Colonials, Half Cents, Large Cents, Flying Eagle Cents, Indian Cents, Two Cents, Three Cents, Half Dimes, Shield Nickels, Liberty V Nickels, Buffalo Nickels, Mercury Dimes, Twenty Cents, Standing Liberty Quarters, Walking Liberty Half Dollars, Trade Dollars, Morgan Dollars, Peace Dollars, Flowing Hair Coinage, Bust Coins, Seated Liberty Coinage, Barber Coinage, Gold Coins
18214
216459
Today 3 Min ago jsbruton?
??
US Commemoratives This is the place to discuss all United States Commemoratives, early and modern.?
1086
11317
Today 3 Hrs 52 Min ago commems?
??
US Paper Money and Banknotes From the colonies to the present.?
3018
22998
Today 2 Hrs 45 Min ago tzarmarko?
??
?General Numismatic Discussion Forums (Non Country Specific)??
?
Numismatic Search Engine Coin Community member hand picked sites powered by Google.?
?
Main Coin Forum Discussions that are not coin specific, such as subjects like cleaning, insuring, or storing coins.?
7034
92650
Today 1 Min ago smokeriderdon?
??
Numismatic Crime All topics about theft of numismatic items, detective work, news updates, etc. Please put the location in your title.?
36
403
Today 1 Hr 32 Min ago nickelsearcher?
?
Coin Roll Hunting All topics related to coin roll hunting.?
727
23059
Today 13 Min ago Murphy?
?
Supplies, Books, Reference, Software, etc ?
922
7012
Today 2 Hrs 8 Min ago Dave H?
??
Identification: Unidentified Coins, Medals, and Tokens If you have a coin, medal, token, or note and don't know what it is, post it here. Once identified, it will be moved to the appropriate forum for further discussion.?
2472
13989
Today 2 Hrs 3 Min ago Roderick?
?
Third Party Coin Grading (TPG) In addition to discussion about the known TPG's, this forum should also be used to discuss any new or unknown companies.?
984
8901
Today 7 Min ago banknotelover?
??
Numismatic Calendar | Coin Shows, Release Dates, Etc. Please post US and World upcoming shows, product release dates, and any other numismatic events here using the event calendar.?
Tokens, Medals, and other Exonumia Discuss tokens, medals, and all other exonumia.?
2068
11259
Today 12 Hrs 51 Min ago NathanASE?
??
Precious Metals and Bullion - Gold, Silver, Copper, Platinum Precious metal and bullion related discussions. This is NOT a political forum and purely political discussions will be locked.?
2519
40472
Today 1 Hr 49 Min ago basebal21?
?
?Australian Coins and Currency Discussion Forums??
?
Australian Coins, Bank Notes, and Paper Money ?
2139
26060
Today 1 Hr 30 Min ago goatieman23?
??
Australian Variety and Error Coins, Bank Notes, Paper Money ?
823
10429
Today 1 Hr 59 Min ago Squire Wilson?
??
Australian Coin, Bank Note, and Paper Money Grading ?
230
2992
01/08/2013 11:43 pm stevo1962?
?
Australian Commemoratives and Non-Circulating Coinage (NCLT) ?
336
2269
Today 1 Hr 4 Min ago sel_69l?
??
?Canadian Coins and Currency Discussion Forums??
?
Canadian Coins, Bank Notes, and Paper Money Please share your Canadian coins and numismatic items here.?
4067
45086
Today 20 Min ago trimble?
??
Canadian Variety and Error Coins, Bank Notes, Paper Money Discussion of errors and varieties on Canadian Coinage.?
1994
16948
Today 5 Hrs 14 Min ago morgandude?
??
Canadian Coin, Bank Note, and Paper Money Grading Post pictures of your Canadian coins here for honing our grading skills.?
826
6546
Today 37 Min ago bmxboy?
??
Canadian Commemoratives and Non-Circulating Coinage (NCLT) All Canadian commemoratives and non-circulating coinage and paper money goes here.?
981
18078
Today 1 Hr 3 Min ago shopaholic?
??
?World Coins and Currency Discussion Forums??
?
World Coins and Commemoratives If you are unsure of what type/country or your coin doesn't fit into the more specific categories.
8690
55377
Today 24 Min ago swamperbob?
??
United Kingdom (Great Britain) Coins Discuss coins from England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland here. Very early Welsh conders and coinage also belong here (prior to inclusion into England's realm).?
1660
11359
Today 28 Min ago Coinaholic73?
??
Ancient, Greek, and Roman Coins Such a fascinating history behind these old coins. Post your ancients here for discussion or just to show off.?
3515
37706
Today 1 Hr 1 Min ago sel_69l?
??
International Paper Money and Banknotes Paper money and banknotes from around the world.?
975
5557
Today 12 Hrs 47 Min ago lettow?
??
?On Line Coin Auction Discussion Forums??
?
Auction | eBay, eCrater, Heritage, Paypal, etc. This is the place for auction site discussions. eBay, Heritage, Stacks and similar sites.
2574
23279
Today 4 Hrs 40 Min ago The Silver Searcher?
??
eBay Auction Violation Reporting Always use this link to the CCW to report eBay auction violations. Do not use the standard auction reporting methods. This link has a much faster response time.?
?
?Metal Detecting Discussion Forums??
?
Metal Detecting This section is for general information and questions about metal detecting, including metal detectors and how to use them.
1019
6130
Yesterday 5:33 pm mdpmedia?
??
?Buy / Sell / Trade | 250 Posts to Sell | 50 Posts to Buy??
?
Coin Community Auction and Pocket It Now Listings You must have at least 250 posts and have been a member for at least 90 days to start a listing. You must have at least 50 posts and have been a member for at least 14 days to bid on or pocket an item. Auctions and PINs may be promoted in this forum.?
?
Member eBay and eCrater Listings Let's support our members sales!?
?
Post Your Numismatic Want Lists Here You must have at least 50 posts and have been a member for at least 14 days to post a want list. You must have at least 250 posts and have been a member for at least 90 days to respond to a want list. Topics in this forum may be edited forever so only one topic per member.?
219
3170
Yesterday 11:21 pm jlgaudlitz95?
?
Post Numismatic Items You Have For Trade Here You must have at least 250 posts and have been a member for at least 90 days to start a trade. You must have at least 50 posts and have been a member for at least 14 days to reply. List items for TRADE only. Items for sale must be listed in the Auction/PIN section. Topics in this forum may be edited forever so only one topic per member.?
248
4071
Today 3 Hrs 4 Min ago jgfindring?
??
Sales Promotion: CCF, eBay, eCrater, Heritage, Teletrade etc You must have at least 100 posts and have been a member for at least 30 days to post links here.?
1429
4232
Today 3 Hrs 12 Min ago oih82w8?
??
?Support and Testing Area??
?
Coin Community Support Please post any problems with any of the Coin Community Family Websites here. If you are not a member of the forum you should either sign up for free, (preferred) or use the "contact us" link at the bottom of the page.
1108
7995
Today 14 Hrs 7 Min ago bobby131313?
??
?Numismatic Interviews??
?
Completed Numismatic Interviews Interviews that are concluded.?
76
210
07/25/2012 3:39 pm Indian1?
??
Listing Categories and Newly Listed Items
Active Users
Members: 179??
Lurkers: 663??
Forum Total: 842??Entire Site: 2853
???Forum Record: 1389 on 10/14/2012 at 11:17 pm
Here?s the bad news:?Thousands of people start an online business every day. However, only a small percentage of these online businesses actually succeed.
?
You must have at least 250 posts and have been a member for at least 90 days to start a listing. You must have at least 50 posts and have been a member for at least 14 days to bid on or pocket an item. Auctions and PINs may be promoted in this forum.