Unanimous Supreme Court: Get a warrant before installing GPS tracking device

The ruling upholds a broad right to be free from unreasonable searches. But it also highlights a struggle within the Supreme Court to balance law enforcement objectives with privacy concerns.

Law enforcement officials must obtain a court-authorized warrant before using a GPS device to track the movements of a criminal suspect?s vehicle, the US Supreme Court ruled on Monday, eliciting praise from privacy advocates.

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In a unanimous decision, the high court said Fourth Amendment guarantees against unreasonable searches prohibit police or federal agents from affixing a Global-Positioning-System (GPS) tracking device to a private vehicle and then recording the vehicle?s every movement 24 hours a day for weeks or months without prior court approval.

The decision is a setback for the Obama Justice Department, which had argued that the Constitution did not hinder its use of tracking technology to monitor vehicles traveling on public streets.

The opinion in US v. Jones (10-1259) is important because it upholds a broad right to be free from unreasonable searches. But it also highlights an emerging struggle within the high court to establish a consistent method of analysis that properly balances law enforcement objectives with privacy concerns.

As the government deploys an increasingly sophisticated and intrusive repertoire of surveillance technologies, privacy advocates warn that zones of privacy are fast shrinking in America.

?We have entered a new and frightening age when advancing technology is erasing the Fourth Amendment,? said John Whitehead, president of the Virginia-based non-profit Rutherford Institute, in a statement.

?Thankfully,? he said, ?the US Supreme Court has sent a resounding message to government officials ? especially law enforcement officials ? that there are limits to their powers.?

Although all nine justices agreed that the government?s use of a GPS tracking device amounted to a search, the justices split 5 to 4 on how to properly analyze the issue.

Writing for the court, Justice Antonin Scalia tied the question to Fourth Amendment protections of the sanctity of private property against government trespass. He said the government needed a warrant not just to attach the GPS device to a piece of private property, but to attach the device with the intent of obtaining information.

?We have no doubt that such a physical intrusion would have been considered a ?search? within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment when it was adopted,? Justice Scalia wrote in an opinion joined in full by four other justices.

Joining Scalia?s decision were Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, and Sonia Sotomayor.

Justice Samuel Alito agreed with the general outcome of the case, but wrote separately to suggest the court should have based its decision on an examination of whether the owner of the monitored vehicle had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the long-term movements of his car.

Scalia?s property-based approach is ?unwise,? Justice Alito wrote. ?It strains the language of the Fourth Amendment; it has little if any support in current Fourth Amendment case law; and it is highly artificial.?

He questioned how it would apply in cases in which the government tied its surveillance to factory-installed GPS devices in vehicles or to smart phones equipped with GPS.

Three justices joined Alito?s concurrence. They were Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and Elena Kagan.

In past decisions in recent years, the court has examined whether a subject had a ?reasonable expectation of privacy? at the time of the particular government intrusion. Scalia?s private-property approach had fallen out of favor through disuse by the court, but according to Scalia, had never been overruled.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/eOe1fF88kMA/Unanimous-Supreme-Court-Get-a-warrant-before-installing-GPS-tracking-device

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Just another newbie here :P

As you probably noticed, I am fairly new here :P I am kinda an old RPer so I kinda suck at it lol.
Other then that, I am just a straight forward person, I am helping if I can and stuff. I'm alot into Anime and fighting games aswell as VNs.

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Family, football meant everything to Joe Paterno

FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2010 file photo, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno leaves Beaver Stadium after his weekly NCAA college football news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010 in State College, Pa. Paterno, the longtime Penn State coach who won more games than anyone else in major college football but was fired amid a child sex abuse scandal that scarred his reputation for winning with integrity, died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. He was 85. (AP Photo/Pat Little, file)

FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2010 file photo, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno leaves Beaver Stadium after his weekly NCAA college football news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010 in State College, Pa. Paterno, the longtime Penn State coach who won more games than anyone else in major college football but was fired amid a child sex abuse scandal that scarred his reputation for winning with integrity, died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. He was 85. (AP Photo/Pat Little, file)

FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2004 file photo, Penn State coach Joe Paterno leads his team onto the field before an NCAA college football game against Akron in State College, Pa. Paterno, the longtime Penn State coach who won more games than anyone else in major college football but was fired amid a child sex abuse scandal that scarred his reputation for winning with integrity, died Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. He was 85. (AP Photo /Carolyn Kaster, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 6, 1999, file photo, Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno, right, poses with his defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky during Penn State Media Day at State College, Pa. In a statement made Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, retired Penn State assistant coach Sandusky, who faces child sex abuse charges in a case that led to the firing of Paterno, says Paterno's death is a sad day. (AP Photo/Paul Vathis, File)

A woman pays her respects at a statue of Joe Paterno outside Beaver Stadium on the Penn State University campus after learning of his death Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

A flag and Penn State scarf are displayed on a statue of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno outside Beaver Stadium on the Penn State campus as fans pay their respects after learning of Paterno's death Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) ? Other than family, football was everything to Joe Paterno. It was his lifeblood. It kept him pumped.

Life could not be the same without it.

"Right now, I'm not the coach. And I've got to get used to that," Paterno said after the Penn State Board of Trustees fired him at the height of a child sex abuse scandal.

Before he could, he ran out of time.

Paterno, a sainted figure at Penn State for almost half a century but scarred forever by the scandal involving his one-time heir apparent, died Sunday at age 85.

His death came just 65 days after his son Scott said his father had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Mount Nittany Medical Center said he died at 9:25 a.m. of "metastatic small cell carcinoma of the lung," an aggressive cancer that has spread from one part of the body to an unrelated area.

Friends and former colleagues believe there were other factors ? the kind that wouldn't appear on a death certificate.

"You can die of heartbreak. I'm sure Joe had some heartbreak, too," said 82-year-old Bobby Bowden, the former Florida State coach who retired two years ago after 34 seasons in Tallahassee.

Longtime Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said he suspected "the emotional turmoil of the last few weeks might have played into it."

And Mickey Shuler, who played tight end for Paterno from 1975 to 1977, held his alma mater accountable.

"I don't think that the Penn State that he helped us to become and all the principles and values and things that he taught were carried out in the handling of his situation," he said.

Paterno's death just under three months following his last victory called to mind another coaching great, Alabama's Paul "Bear" Bryant, who died less than a month after retiring.

"Quit coaching?" Bryant said late in his career. "I'd croak in a week."

Paterno alluded to the remark made by his friend and rival, saying in 2003: "There isn't anything in my life anymore except my family and my football. I think about it all the time."

The winningest coach in major college football, Paterno roamed the Penn State sidelines for 46 seasons, his thick-rimmed glasses, windbreaker and jet-black sneakers as familiar as the Nittany Lions' blue and white uniforms.

His devotion to what he called "Success with Honor" made Paterno's fall all the more startling.

Happy Valley seemed perfect for him, a place where "JoePa" knew best, where he not only won more football games than any other major college coach, but won them the right way. With Paterno, character came first, championships second, academics before athletics. He insisted that on-field success not come at the expense of graduation rates.

But in the middle of his final season, the legend was shattered. Paterno was engulfed in a child sex abuse scandal when a former trusted assistant, Jerry Sandusky, was accused of molesting 10 boys over a 15-year span, sometimes in the football building.

Outrage built quickly after the state's top law enforcement official said the coach hadn't fulfilled a moral obligation to go to authorities when a graduate assistant, Mike McQueary, reported seeing Sandusky with a young boy in the showers of the football complex in 2002.

McQueary said that he had seen Sandusky attacking the child with his hands around the boy's waist but said he wasn't 100 percent sure it was intercourse. McQueary described Paterno as shocked and saddened and said the coach told him he had "done the right thing" by reporting the encounter.

Paterno waited a day before alerting school officials and never went to the police.

"I didn't know which way to go ... and rather than get in there and make a mistake," Paterno told The Washington Post in an interview nine days before his death.

"You know, (McQueary) didn't want to get specific," Paterno said. "And to be frank with you I don't know that it would have done any good, because I never heard of, of, rape and a man. So I just did what I thought was best. I talked to people that I thought would be, if there was a problem, that would be following up on it."

When the scandal broke in November, Paterno said he would retire following the 2011 season. He also said he was "absolutely devastated" by the abuse case.

"This is a tragedy," he said. "It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more."

But the university trustees fired Paterno, effective immediately. Graham Spanier, one of the longest-serving university presidents in the nation, also was fired.

Paterno was notified by phone, not in person, a decision that board vice chairman John Surma regretted, trustees said. Lanny Davis, the attorney retained by trustees as an adviser, said Surma intended to extend his regrets over the phone before Paterno hung up him.

After weeks of escalating criticism by some former players and alumni about a lack of transparency, trustees last week said they fired Paterno in part because he failed a moral obligation to do more in reporting the 2002 allegation.

An attorney for Paterno on Thursday called the board's comments self-serving and unsupported by the facts. Paterno fully reported what he knew to the people responsible for campus investigations, lawyer Wick Sollers said.

"He did what he thought was right with the information he had at the time," Sollers said.

The lung cancer was found during a follow-up visit for a bronchial illness. A few weeks later, Paterno broke his pelvis after a fall but did not need surgery.

The hospital said Paterno was surrounded by family members, who have requested privacy.

Paterno had been in the hospital since Jan. 13 for observation after what his family called minor complications from his cancer treatments. Washington Post writer Sally Jenkins, who conducted the final interview, described Paterno then as frail, speaking mostly in a whisper and wearing a wig. The second half of the two-day interview was done at his bedside.

On Sunday, two police officers were stationed to block traffic on the street where Paterno's modest ranch home stands next to a local park. The officers said the family had asked there be no public gathering outside the house, still decorated with a Christmas wreath, so Paterno's relatives could grieve privately. And, indeed, the street was quiet on a cold winter day.

Paterno's sons, Scott and Jay, arrived separately at the house late Sunday morning. Jay Paterno, who was his father's quarterbacks coach, was crying.

"His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled," the family said in a statement. "He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community."

Paterno built a program based on the credo of "Success with Honor," and he found both. He won 409 games and took the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl games and two national championships. More than 250 of the players he coached went on to the NFL.

"He will go down as the greatest football coach in the history of the game," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said after his former team, the Florida Gators, beat Penn State 37-24 in the 2011 Outback Bowl.

The university handed the football team to one of Paterno's assistants, Tom Bradley, who said Paterno "will go down in history as one of the greatest men, who maybe most of you know as a great football coach."

"As the last 61 years have shown, Joe made an incredible impact," said the statement from the family. "That impact has been felt and appreciated by our family in the form of thousands of letters and well wishes along with countless acts of kindness from people whose lives he touched. It is evident also in the thousands of successful student athletes who have gone on to multiply that impact as they spread out across the country."

New Penn State football coach Bill O'Brien, hired earlier this month, offered his condolences.

"There are no words to express my respect for him as a man and as a coach," O'Brien said in a statement. "To be following in his footsteps at Penn State is an honor."

Paterno believed success was not measured entirely on the field. From his idealistic early days, he had implemented what he called a "grand experiment" ? to graduate more players while maintaining success on the field.

The team consistently ranked among the best in the Big Ten for graduating players. As of 2011, it had 49 academic All-Americans, the third-highest among schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision. All but two played under Paterno.

"He teaches us about really just growing up and being a man," former linebacker Paul Posluszny, now with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, once said. "Besides the football, he's preparing us to be good men in life."

Sandusky, who has maintained his innocence, lauded his former boss in a statement that said: "He maintained a high standard in a very difficult profession. Joe preached toughness, hard work and clean competition. Most importantly, he had the courage to practice what he preached."

Paterno certainly had detractors. One former Penn State professor called his high-minded words on academics a farce, and a former administrator said players often got special treatment. His coaching style often was considered too conservative. Some thought he held on to his job too long, and a move to push him out in 2004 failed.

But the critics were in the minority, and his program was never cited for major NCAA violations. The child sex abuse scandal, however, did prompt separate inquiries by the U.S. Department of Education and the NCAA into the school's handling.

Paterno didn't intend to become a coach. He played quarterback and defensive back for Brown University and set a school record with 14 career interceptions, but when he graduated in 1950 he planned to go to law school. He said his father hoped he would someday be president.

But when Paterno was 23, a former coach at Brown was moving to Penn State to become the head coach and persuaded Paterno to come with him as an assistant.

"I had no intention to coach when I got out of Brown," Paterno said in 2007 in an interview at Penn State's Beaver Stadium before being inducted into college football's Hall of Fame. "Come to this hick town? From Brooklyn?"

In 1963, he was offered a job by the late Al Davis ? $18,000, triple his salary at Penn State, plus a car to become general manager and coach of the AFL's Oakland Raiders. He said no. Rip Engle retired as Penn State head coach three years later, and Paterno took over.

At the time, Penn State was considered "Eastern football" ? inferior ? and Paterno courted newspaper coverage to raise the team's profile. In 1967, PSU began a 30-0-1 streak.

But Penn State couldn't get to the top of the polls. The Nittany Lions finished second in 1968 and 1969 despite perfect seasons. They were undefeated and untied again in 1973 at 12-0 again but finished fifth. Texas edged them in 1969 after President Richard Nixon, impressed with the Longhorns' bowl performance, declared them No. 1.

"I'd like to know," Paterno said later, "how could the president know so little about Watergate in 1973, and so much about college football in 1969?"

A national title finally came in 1982, after a 27-23 win over Georgia at the Sugar Bowl. Another followed in 1986 after the Lions intercepted Vinny Testaverde five times and beat Miami 14-10 in the Fiesta Bowl.

They made several title runs after that, including a 2005 run to the Orange Bowl and an 11-1 season in 2008 that ended in a 37-23 loss to Southern California in the Rose Bowl.

In his later years, physical ailments wore the old coach down.

Paterno was run over on the sideline during a game at Wisconsin in November 2006 and underwent knee surgery. He hurt his hip in 2008 demonstrating an onside kick. An intestinal illness and a bad reaction to antibiotics prescribed for dental work slowed him for most of the 2010 season. He began scaling back his speaking engagements that year, ending his summer caravan of speeches to alumni across the state.

Then a receiver bowled over Paterno at practice in August, sending him to the hospital with shoulder and pelvis injuries and consigning him to coach much of what would be his last season from the press box.

"The fact that we've won a lot of games is that the good Lord kept me healthy, not because I'm better than anybody else," Paterno said two days before he won his 409th game and passed Eddie Robinson of Grambling State for the most in Division I. "It's because I've been around a lot longer than anybody else."

Paterno could be conservative on the field, especially in big games, relying on the tried-and-true formula of defense, the running game and field position.

He and his wife, Sue, raised five children in State College. Anybody could telephone him at his home ? the same one he appeared in front of on the night he was fired ? by looking up "Paterno, Joseph V." in the phone book.

He walked to home games and was greeted and wished good luck by fans on the street. Former players paraded through his living room for the chance to say hello. But for the most part, he stayed out of the spotlight.

Paterno did have a knack for jokes. He referred to Twitter, the social media site, as "Twittle-do, Twittle-dee."

He also could be abrasive and stubborn, and he had his share of run-ins with his bosses or administrators. And as his legend grew, so did the attention to his on-field decisions, and the questions about when he would hang it up.

Calls for his retirement reached a crescendo in 2004. The next year, Penn State went 11-1 and won the Big Ten. In the Orange Bowl, PSU beat Florida State, coached by Bowden, who was eased out after the 2009 season after 34 years and 389 wins.

Like many others, he was outlasted by "JoePa."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-22-Obit-Joe%20Paterno/id-a53ec5f00a6b4c689f1d0a33b7264146

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RIM's BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 gets splayed by the FCC

Thus far, the Waterloo-Stuttgart wünderchild's been scooped, made official and even toyed with back at this year's CES. What hasn't happened yet, is a proper review, but until that joyous day comes we'll take what we can get in the form of this quasi-teardown, courtesy of the FCC. Those with stellar memory and a keen eye will recall we'd seen it pass through governmental annals once before, yet at that time any revealing imagery of its internals were strictly verboten. That's changed, as that once barren page now houses a PDF titled "Temp Confid_Internal Photos" which conveniently splays three snaps of the teutonic device's interior. Sure, it isn't a proper iFixit dissection -- ripe with details and color -- but it'll probably be the closest anyone will get to the innards of the $2,000 BlackBerry for quite a while. Read this far? Go on, don't be shy, espy the governmental shakedown at the source link below.

RIM's BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 gets splayed by the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aston Martin opens store in China

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18 January 2012 at 09:25

Aston Martin has continued its impressive investment and growth in the Far East with the opening of its largest flagship store, in the Pudong district of Shanghai.

The showroom has room for up to 18 new Aston Martins, as well as offering complete service with a caf?, lounge, Aston Martin merchandise display, sales area, fully equipped service centre, Jaeger-LeCoultre time-pieces and Bang & Olufsen audio/visual displays.

This is the seventh dealership to open in China for Aston Martin and the third owned and managed by Mr Zheng Ting.

Dr Matthew Bennett, Asia Pacific regional director, said: "We are excited with Aston Martin's ongoing development and performance in China. This wonderful new dealership sets the benchmark for luxury car showrooms across Asia and the experience each and every visitor should expect.

"With our existing China network of experienced Aston Martin dealerships, further future growth earmarked across the coming year and a number of exciting product developments to be announced during 2012, our China business is expected to continue growing strongly."

Copyright Press Association 2012

Source: http://www.rac.co.uk/news-advice/motoring-news/post/2012/1/aston-martin-opens-store-in-china/

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The Trailer for Hulu's First Scripted Series Is a Huge Disappointment [Watch This]

The trailer for Hulu's first scripted original series, Battlefield, is here, and it's, ugh, horrible. Too bad. We had high hopes for the future of online television. After all, the trailer for Netflix's Lilyhammer is excellent. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Qute_uqMC7s/the-trailer-for-hulus-first-scripted-series-is-a-huge-disappointment

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Rob Lowe Ignites Peyton Manning Retirement Rumor

It's playoff season, and tensions are running high among NFL fans -- as Rob Lowe just learned the hard way! The Parks & Recreation actor sent Indianapolis Colts fans into a panic Wednesday after tweeting a rumor that their star player, Peyton Manning, was retiring.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/rob-lowe-ignites-peyton-manning-retirement-rumor/1-a-420496?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Arob-lowe-ignites-peyton-manning-retirement-rumor-420496

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America's Credit Card Debt Drops

It appears Americans are paying their credit cards down.

CreditKarma.com reports U.S. credit card debt dropped 11-percent in the past year.

The research company's numbers are part of its "U.S. Credit Score Climate Report."?

As of December, Credit Karma reports the average American had about 66-hundred dollars in credit card debt.

Meanwhile, the average credit score among Americans is 660.

That's down eight points from one year ago.

Source: http://arkansasmatters.com/fulltext?nxd_id=499992

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NEWS: Nintendo Holds 3D Picture Contests in Japan

Nintendo is holding three 3D photo contests for Nintendo 3DS users in Japan. Part one of the contest starts January 18 and runs until February 18 and is based on the theme, ?Interesting when put in 3D!? The winners for part one will be decided on February 24 by the Japanese celebrities and photographers Pe and Pako-san. The prizes are as follows:

First Prize: 1 Nintendo published 3DS game of your choice with special paper slip (10 people)
Second Prize: Mario Nintendo 3DS Holder (130 people)
Third Prize: Custom designed Nintendo Prepaid Point Card (1,000 people throughout all three parts of the contest)

For all three parts of the contest, there will be 30 first place winners, 390 second place winners, and 1,000 third place winners. Part two of the contest is from February 15 to March 13 with the winner being decided on March 23. Part three starts on March 14 and runs until April 17 with the winner being decided on April 27. To enter the contest, players can submit their pictures via the 3DS web browser. After opening the browser, users can click under the favorites tab and visit the Nintendo 3D pictures contest section of the Nintendo 3DS website. From there, users can create a user name and password for the contest page and have a verification token sent to their email. After receiving that, users are then able to log in to the contest page and upload their picture.?

As of this time, the themes for part two and part three of the photo contest have not been decided.?

Source: http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/28992

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Why I Won't Hire You [Hiring]

If you've ever hired anyone for a job, you understand a whole new perspective on what makes an applicant stand out?and what makes you toss an application to the bin. Fair or not, blogger, consultant, and hirer Charlie Balmer discusses honestly the mistakes that can ruin your chances with a potential employer.

Photo by StockLite (Shutterstock).

I will be very honest with you in this post. Most interview articles only show obvious mistakes, as if most people don't know showing up late is bad form. I will tell you the things I didn't really know about until I was the one interviewing, and interviewing for a variety of positions and person-types. No interview prep article ever prepared me in the right way for how interviewers really think. That is what I will be sharing with you today.

When you first walk in to my office, I am expecting you to be one of the 99%+ people who I know I won't hire in the first 5 minutes. I am hoping I will be proven wrong, because I really want to hire you and be done interviewing. Unfortunately, most people looking for jobs don't deserve them. Here are the most common ways I know you don't deserve any job I have to offer.

You send me a stupidly long resume

If I have to spend more than 30 seconds finding out what you have accomplished, forget it. You have annoyed me. Somehow, since resumes went digital, people feel like they can cram in 10 pages of boring essays talking about this achievement or that role, and expect me to read every juicy word. More likely, I will ignore the whole thing, write down in my notes "poor communicator", and move on. If you have a good set of skills or something catches my eye, you might still get an interview, but I'll still never read the resume. And you had better be a better communicator on the phone or in person.

Think about it this way ? the resume items communicate to me your past successes in a (supposedly) succinct manner. If you can't nail it in one sentence, do I really want to look forward to your rambling emails every day? If I can't read your resume, it doesn't bode well for your emails, and I get enough of those in my inbox as it is.

To craft a great resume, tailor it to my job posting. If I have a skill set in there like "Windows Administration", make sure you have at least one bullet point talking about success in a project where you used that skill. Make the bullet no longer than three sentences. One is better. I am likely to read one sentence. I might read three. More than that and I won't even know what you wrote there. You wasted my time and your own.

You can't tell me why you like your current job

I always ask people what they like most about their current job before I get into any details about a role. Why? I want to see if you'll be happy working in this new job. If you can't tell me anything you like, or you tell me something you like but it sounds really generic? Then forget it, I have no idea what you want to do in life and you probably don't either. Come see me when you know what you want to do. I would even be happy with something like "Well, this job doesn't enliven me, but my last job, I loved doing XXX every day, and man, I miss that. It looks like this role will let me get back to that." Let me know you're passionate or don't waste my time.

The worst answers? "Well I like the challenge" or some other BS. Don't BS me. I have a super BS detector, and most other interviewers do too. The worst BS is the kind where more than 50% of candidates say the same thing. If you can't be original about what you like about your unique job how can I expect you to be creative working for me?

If you have a generic answer like you enjoy learning, the challenge, helping customers, that can be alright. Just sound excited when you talk about it. Give me an example of a time when you got really fired up about it. I don't mind if it doesn't relate to the job I am interviewing you for, though that helps. Just expect me to ask why you think this job will give you the same passion ? and have a good answer ready. Really, why else are you applying if you don't know this?

No career plans or vision

When I ask you what your next role is going to be after the one you're interviewing for, you had better have a good answer. Everyone should have a story about why you want to come work for me, in this specific role. If you can tell me how this role helps you accomplish your long term goals, I'm much more likely to think you'll be happy here and work hard in the job. If you just want a job, why should I care? Someone else will come to me with their vision. Eventually.

A good answer is a well thought out vision. You should have that anyway. Here is a good example: "I am looking to move away from working in my current small company to a bigger company with more career growth and opportunities. I want to rise to an executive level in the next 10 years, but my current company is too small to allow me to stretch effectively in that way. [This role] builds on my strengths in communication and project management, and will help me grow as a leader and improve my influencing skills. In a few years, I would look to becoming a senior manager?" and on with how this role fits into your life vision.

No Skills

Please, don't bother applying if you don't have the required skills. I will know. If you'll be programming, expect to program in the interview. And program well. If you'll be project managing, you had better be able to tell me about the right way to build a project plan and project vision. I'll probably even describe a project and ask you to build a plan right there, with me. Just because the title has something in it you vaguely think you can do, if you don't meet the requirements, please don't waste my time. I might be ok if you are up front with me and tell me you want a career change and are willing to take a more junior position to learn. I might take a chance on you if everything else is solid. But tell me that in your resume so we don't waste time. Yes, telling me that in your resume improves your chances of getting hired, even if not necessarily for this job or winning an interview. I won't claim this is true for all interviewers, but it is true for me.

It's about setting expectations. If you come in, and my expectation is, for instance, that you know Unix administration, and then you tell me "Well, I read a book and I really want to learn it", no, I won't like that. If instead you put in your resume an objective line "Looking to grow skills in Unix administration from a project background", now we are on the same page. If I don't need an expert right now, maybe I will invest in training you since you have the vision and self-motivation. Oh, and describing what you are doing to prepare is also good, even if you don't have on the job experience. See how the expectation can change my perspective? Give me happy surprises, not unhappy surprises.

Answer my questions with conjecture

I will test you in a lot of ways. I will ask you to describe a lot of situations ? where you failed, where you succeeded, what you would change, what you hate and what you love. Don't sit there and tell me what you would do in the future. I didn't ask what you would do, I asked what you did. If I have to wait for you to finish talking, then say "Could you give me a specific example where you did something like that?" Then you have failed to answer my question. If I ask for an example, please give me one. If you don't have one, that's ok, tell me you have never been in that situation, but you have some ideas if I would like to hear them. Yes, I probably would like to hear them, but I might also have another question with different examples I would rather know about.

If you don't think well on your feet, spend some time reading through and practicing situational interview questions. I won't ever use one I see online, but it will help train your mind to answer, and give you fresh memories to draw from. I also don't mind when a candidate pauses to think. I will wait. I know everyone has different styles of thinking and responding.

How to Win the interview

I think it's pretty simple. I look for a few traits in people I am going to hire. If you are missing even one, I'm probably going to pass you up for someone who doesn't. Do your best to show off these traits and you'll win. This is true in every case, from hiring a janitor to an executive.

• Show me you can get things done. This means you can accomplish challenging tasks quickly, come up to speed when necessary, go the extra mile if you have to, influence peers. You must be self-motivated.
• Show me you are intelligent. I will ask you questions that are designed to make you think. Show me you can. Don't confuse intelligence with education. I don't care what kind of schooling you had, if you can't think, no job. If you can think, and aren't educated, no problem in my book, though I'll probably look for more experience instead.
• Show me how I fit into your vision. Truthfully, we'll work best together if you think this job is the best place for you to be right now. I want to help you succeed in your career, let me.
• Be highly skilled. Unfortunately, I don't hire awesome people who don't have the right skill mix. But I do keep their information around for when I need their skill mix. I also tend to recommend these people to others who are hiring as strong candidates. The skill level required to be hired depends on the job and expectations. Entry level can get away with rough skill sets or classwork. Senior needs to be top of the field, regardless of years in the workforce.
• Be Passionate. If you are bored working in a similar job somewhere else, you'll be bored with me. Period. I don't want any of that.

• The End

  Most of the stuff I am talking about here has nothing to do with Golem Technologies, but more about what it is like to hire in the first place. There are so many articles out there with bad advice for both those hiring and those trying to be hired, I wanted to inject some raw honesty into the equation. If you are looking to hire people, then I would recommend you use my 5 points above to screen people. As for me hiring, no, I am not currently hiring, so please don't ask me. When I am hiring though, and if you happen to apply, the above is the criteria I will use to decide.

  This is true across business functions and across companies. The people who have the stuff I listed to win the interview will get jobs they want consistently. If you are lacking something, then figure out a way to get there. Just having a plan puts you ahead of 99% of job candidates. I also like giving people a chance whenever they let me, as long as I have the flexibility to do so. So far, I haven't been disappointed.

  Do you have hiring war stories (interviewer or interviewee)? Share them in the comments!

  Why I Won't Hire You | Golem Technologies

  Charlie Balmer is an entrepreneur, technology blogger, and website consultant. He has worked for multiple fortune 500 companies in IT management, marketing, and application design. His latest company, Golem Technologies, is a cloud based website security scanning application for IT departments and security professionals.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/89uWW1M-kdQ/why-i-wont-hire-you

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Does Your Family Need A Health Insurance Policy? ? ArticlezRank ...

Online resources can be very helpful in your search for health insurance. Naturally, you don?t want to provide your personal information haphazardly, but there are insurance agents through specific companies or websites who can help you in your search. Among other tips, a good rule of thumb is to try contacting a specific agent by telephone before beginning an Internet search.

Increase out-of-pocket expenses. If you are in general good health, and don?t anticipate any large medical expenses in the near future, think about choosing a plan with larger out-of-pocket expenses. Most health insurance companies offer an option of reduced monthly premiums if you agree to pay a yearly deductible and co-pay for certain services and medications.

A good health insurance tip that can save you a lot of money is to be very careful about going to the emergency room. If you go to the emergency room to get treated, you can expect to pay a huge medical bill. In some cases you can even receive two medical bills!

If your family is in the fortunate position of both husband and wife being offered by health insurance it puts you in a good position. Simply choose one over the other, and in no way pay for both. You will save money, and have a luxury most don?t have, the luxury of an option.

Most of us have had to deal with HMO?s, which wield a lot influence. However good their plan may sound on paper, you may want to make a visit to their offices. Are you able to talk face to face with a human being? Or are you doomed to speak anonymously with ?John? or ?Jane? in a call center. This can make a big difference if a problem arises.

A great health insurance tip that can save you money is to make sure you don?t use any prescriptions that have expired. You might think you?re saving money by using up your old prescriptions, but you?ll only harm yourself, and you?re just insuring another medical visit in the future.

Create a plan of action for handling your deductible in the event of a health related incident. These situations are normally few and far between, yet you should set aside a few dollars each pay period until you reach your deductible amount. If it is not easy to save on your own, look at a health insurance savings plan which will be deducted from your paycheck.

If your insurance plan offers prescription drug coverage, make sure you understand it. With some plans, you will pay a considerable amount more for brand name medications. With others, you can save by ordering three month supplies from a particular pharmacy. If you play by the rules you?ll get the medications you need and save money too.

Take detailed noted. When speaking with an insurance agent, take notes regarding the conversation you are having. These could come in handy later. If you are not particularly good at taking notes, request having your conversation recorded. Always ask first. Never record someone without their consent as this is illegal in some states.

If you need or want health insurance and it is offered by your employer then it would be your best bet to get it through them. Many employers pay a certain percentage of the premiums making insurance much cheaper through them than what it would be if bought in the private market.

Generally, the larger the pool, the lower the cost of insurance for those people in the pool. This is why many states are now starting to implement exchanges on the open market, because it will eventually enable a pool the size of the population of the state. It also is why federal insurance plans can be so cheap ? because the pool is millions of employees large. You can also take advantage of this by getting your health insurance through whomever in your family works for the larger company. These premiums will likely be cheaper.

Health insurance can be a dirty word in this day and age. Many who have it, don?t have enough, and many don?t have any at all. Using the information here, you will be better prepared to get the health insurance you need and the most benefit from what you have.

Are you interested in learning more about Massage Tables? Great information and links are available from Jayne?s Massage Table website.

Source: http://articlezrank.com/2012/01/does-your-family-need-a-health-insurance-policy/

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Environmental fears mount in Italian cruise wreck (AP)

ROME ? Italy's cruise liner tragedy turned into an environmental crisis Monday, as rough seas battering the stricken mega-ship raised fears that fuel might leak into pristine waters off Tuscany that are part of a protected sanctuary for dolphins, porpoises and whales.

The ship's jailed captain, meanwhile, lost the support of the vessel's Italian owner as he battled prosecutors' claims that he caused the deadly wreck that killed at least six and left 29 missing.

Earlier, authorities had said 16 people were missing. But an Italian Coast Guard official, Marco Brusco, said late Monday that 25 passengers and four crew members were unaccounted for three days after the disaster. He didn't explain the jump, but indicated 10 of the missing are Germans. Two Americans are also among the missing.

At least three families of Italian passengers have said that despite their loved ones' being listed among those safely evacuated, they hadn't heard from them.

There still is "a glimmer of hope" that there could be survivors on parts of the vast Costa Concordia that not have been searched by rescuers, Brusco said. A search of the above-water portion of the ship last yielded a survivor, a crewman who had broken his leg, on Sunday.

Waters that had remained calm for the first three days of the rescue turned choppy Monday, shifting the wreckage of the Costa Concordia and temporarily suspending divers' searches for survivors. A search for bodies was suspended overnight.

Italy's environmental minister raised the alarm about a potential environmental catastrophe if any of the 500,000 gallons (2,300 tons) of fuel begins to leak into the waters off Giglio, which are popular with scuba divers and form part of the protected Tuscan archipelago.

"At the moment there haven't been any fuel leaks, but we have to intervene quickly to avoid an environmental disaster," Corrado Clini told RAI state radio.

Even before the accident there had been mounting calls from environmentalists to restrict passage of large ships in the area.

The ship's operator, Costa Crociere SpA, has enlisted Smit of Rotterdam, Netherlands, one of the world's biggest salvagers, to handle the removal of the 1,000-foot (290-meter) cruise liner. A study could come as early as Tuesday on how to extract the fuel safely.

Smit has a long track record of dealing with wrecks and leaks, including refloating grounded bulk carriers and securing drilling platforms in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. A spokesman for Smit did not immediately return calls seeking comment on the Concordia salvage.

The Italian cruise operator said Capt. Francesco Schettino intentionally strayed from the ship's authorized course into waters too close to a perilous reef, causing it to crash late Friday off the tiny island of Giglio and capsize.

The navigational version of a "fly by" was apparently made as a favor to the chief waiter who is from Giglio and whose parents live on the island, local media reported.

A judge on Tuesday is to decide whether Schettino should remain jailed.

"We are struck by the unscrupulousness of the reckless maneuver that the commander of the Costa Concordia made near the island of Giglio," prosecutor Francesco Verusio told reporters. "It was inexcusable."

The head of the U.N. agency on maritime safety said lessons must be learned from the Concordia disaster 100 years after the Titanic rammed into an iceberg, leading to the first international convention on sea safety.

"We should seriously consider the lessons to be learned and, if necessary, re-examine the regulations on the safety of large passenger ships in the light of the findings of the casualty investigation," said Koji Sekimizu, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization.

Miami-based Carnival Corp., which owns Costa, estimated that preliminary losses from having the Concordia out of operation for at least through 2012 would be between $85 million and $95 million, though it said there would be other costs as well. The company's share price slumped more than 16 percent Monday.

Two of the missing are Americans, identified by their family as Jerry Heil, 69, and his wife Barbara, 70, from White Bear Lake, Minnesota.

Costa Crociere chairman and CEO Pier Luigi Foschi said the company would provide Schettino with legal assistance, but he disassociated Costa from his behavior, saying it broke all rules and regulations.

"Capt. Schettino took an initiative of his own will which is contrary to our written rules of conduct," Foschi said in his first public comments since the grounding.

At a news conference in Genoa, the company's home base, Foschi said that Costa ships have their routes programmed, and alarms go off when they deviate. Those alarms are disabled if the ship's course is manually altered, he said.

"This route was put in correctly upon departure from Civitavecchia," Foschi said, referring to the port outside Rome. "The fact that it left from this course is due solely to a maneuver by the commander that was unapproved, unauthorized and unknown to Costa."

Foschi said only once before had the company approved a "fly by" of this sort off Giglio ? last year on the night of Aug. 9-10. In that case, the port and company had approved it.

Residents, however, said such displays have occurred several times in the past, though always in the summer when the island is full of tourists.

Foschi didn't respond directly to prosecutors' and passengers' accusations that Schettino abandoned ship before all passengers had been evacuated, but he suggested his conduct wasn't as bad in the hours of the evacuation as has been portrayed. He didn't elaborate.

The Italian coast guard says Schettino defied their entreaties for him to return to his ship as the chaotic evacuation of the 4,200 people aboard was in full progress. After the ship's tilt put many life rafts out of service, helicopters had to pluck to safety dozens of people remaining aboard, hours after Schettino was seen leaving the vessel.

The captain has insisted in an interview before his jailing that he stayed with the vessel to the end.

Foschi defended the conduct of the crew, while acknowledging that passengers had described a chaotic evacuation where crew members consistently downplayed the seriousness of the situation as the ship lurched to the side.

"All our crew members behaved like heroes. All of them," he said.

He noted that 4,200 people managed to evacuate a lilting ship at night within two hours. In addition, the ship's evacuation procedures had been reviewed last November by an outside firm and port authorities and no faults were found, he said.

Once on land, the survivors complained that Costa was stingy with assistance.

Blake Miller, on board to celebrate his partner's 50th birthday, said Costa representatives rebuffed his efforts to get some reimbursement so he could buy a change of clothing.

"The Costa representative at our hotel told me, 'you might want to get a lawyer when you get back to the States,'" to pursue reimbursement, Miller told The Associated Press from his hotel in Rome Sunday night, where he was staying at his own expense.

Only passengers who had paid for special insurance to cover lost belongings would receive compensation to buy replacements, he said they were told.

Costa Crociere didn't immediately respond to a phone message or an emailed request for a response.

Miller, from Austin, Texas, said survivors were taken to a hotel near Rome's airport and told Costa would pay for one night's stay and their plane fare home only "if we pack up and leave the country" on Sunday morning.

Miller, who is director of business travel for Intercontinental hotels, said Costa representatives spoke to passengers about potential refunds or free cruise vouchers. But besides what he paid for the cruise, he said he paid several hundred more euros (dollars) for excursions during port calls and drinks on board.

Foschi, the Costa CEO, said he was certain "we'll be able to find a material solution that will make them happy."

Class action suits are a rare novelty in Italy, but Italian consumer advocacy organization Codacons said more than 70 passengers had indicated that they wanted to join a class-action approach to winning compensation from Costa.

"Our aim is to make every passenger obtain an indemnity of at least euro10,000 (more than $12,500) for the material damage suffered and for moral damage, such as the terror suffered, ruined vacations and the grave risks that they ran," said Codacons president Carlo Rienzi.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120116/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_italy_cruise_aground

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Ask Engadget: Is there a Roku DVR?

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Jaime, trying to escape the tyranny of Windows Media Center with a DVR-enabled Roku. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

I gave up cable TV last year, making do with a (not very user-friendly) HTPC running Windows 7 Media Center. I watch free over-the-air HD and Netflix, but WMC is buggy and crashes a lot. Is there a Roku-style streaming player that has a built-in TV tuner and DVR functionality in addition to Netflix, Hulu and other services? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Our first thought was to hook up a Roku with Nowhere DVR and Elgato's EyeTV, but perhaps there's a device that's even simpler to set up that wedges both functions into a single unit without any sort of tweaking required. If you know the inside-skinny, rock on over to the comments and holler.

Ask Engadget: Is there a Roku DVR? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/PwLjWVl3SXg/

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McDonnell stokes VP talk in S.C. (Politico)

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.? Just in case anyone wasn?t clear that Bob McDonnell was interested in being picked for the GOP ticket this year, the Virginia governor came here Saturday to help seed the talk.

One week before South Carolina?s primary, McDonnell ? not formally a candidate for anything, but whose aspirations for the national stage are no secret ? flew in Saturday for a town hall meeting with freshman Rep. Tim Scott, a tea party favorite.

Continue Reading

He spent nearly an hour touting his accomplishments and attacking President Barack Obama.

?We need a leader that wants to put in place results-oriented conservatism,? McDonnell told a friendly crowd of more than 150 huddled for warmth at the outdoor event. ?That is: Stick to your conservative guns but quit making excuses. Just get things done.?

McDonnell succeeded Rick Perry as chairman of the RGA when he stepped down to run for president last August. Being RGA chairman has offered a handy justification for traveling around the country increasing his visibility. The Missouri Republican Party announced this week that he?ll keynote their Lincoln-Day dinner next month. More speaking engagements will be announced soon.

Though he has not endorsed in the presidential race, he reiterated Saturday that he thinks the party should choose a governor ? narrowing the choices to Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman.

?That?s exactly the kind of leadership that you need,? he said, touting the experience a state executive has at balancing budgets.

McDonnell spent most of the time highlighting his own background: Telling the crowd that his family regularly vacationed here in the 1960s and ?70s. As ?an aside? to a question about offshore drilling, he noted that he?s the son of an Army officer, that he served 21 years himself and that his daughter spent a year in Iraq as a platoon officer.

McDonnell?s approval rating is in the high 50s. On his coattails, Republicans just captured control of the state House and Senate for the second time in the state?s history.

The governor could be attractive to Romney by offsetting some of his biggest weaknesses. He?s a Southerner in a party dominated by Southerners, and popular in a traditionally Republican state that went for Barack Obama in 2008. A fiscal conservative focused on jobs creation in the governor?s office, McDonnell made a name for himself as a state legislator and his state?s attorney general as a social conservative ? which gives him credibility with evangelicals.

Plus, he?s been building a national fundraising network through his RGA position. But mindful of the criticism that McDonnell?s predecessor Tim Kaine engendered for all the time he spent out of state while simultaneously serving as governor and chairman of the Democratic National Committee, aides note that the South Carolina event and other out-of-state engagements have been on Saturdays.

This one was a love fest for McDonnell ? that repeatedly drove home the point.

Celebrity focus group convener Frank Luntz introduced McDonnell as ?a future vice president of the United States of America.? The crowd cheered. McDonnell smiled.

The first question from the audience addressed McDonnell as ?Mr. Vice President.?

?He may just be the balancing act necessary to bring the White House back to our side because he might be our next vice president,? Scott said. ?You never know. Perhaps.?

?I like to get used to the new titles and give him an opportunity to warm up to it,? he added.

McDonnell smiled again.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0112_71450_html/44182568/SIG=11m93dg0t/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71450.html

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Top 10 Tricks for Getting Better Sleep [Lifehacker Top 10]

For something we spend half our life doing, a lot of us are pretty awful at sleeping. Here are our top 10 tips for falling asleep faster, getting quality rest, and waking up easier in the morning.

10. Prepare a Worthy Bed

While your bed probably isn't the primary cause of insomnia, snoring, or other sleep problems, it can certainly contribute to your comfort at night. Make sure you're using the right pillow based on your sleep type, and when it comes time to buy a new mattress, make sure you shop smart (and don't get fleeced). Once you know it isn't your bed, you can start getting to the bottom of your sleep issues. Photo by Daehyun Park.

9. Eat Better

What you eat can greatly affect how you sleep, even during the early half of the day. Eat breakfast first thing in the morning to sleep better at night, and make sure it's a big one. After eating well throughout the day, avoid eating spicy or junk foods at night, and instead choose something that will help you drift off. And remember: no booze! Not only will it not help you get to sleep, it'll cause you to snore all night, too. Photo by D Sharon Pruitt.

8. Wake Up Pleasantly, Not Roughly

The days of the ever-annoying *bzzt*-*bzzt*-*bzzt* alarms are over. Instead of being jerked awake by an old clock, consider getting a smart alarm app for your phone, like our favorites for iPhone and Android. Then, try waking yourself up more comfortably. If you need a bit more of a push, of course, we've got more methods for manipulating yourself to wake up. And, whenever possible, do it without stimulants?caffeine can wreak havoc with your brain and body. Photo by Lars Plougmann.

7. Exercise in the Morning

Exercising in the morning or afternoon?not at night?can help deepen your sleep and make sure you fall asleep quicker, according to a study by the National Sleep Foundation. If you aren't much of an exerciser, there's no better time than now to upgrade your health and fitness routine than now. Photo by lu-lu.

6. Fix Your Sleeping Position

You may not realize it over the course of the night, but your sleeping position could not be great for your body?or the quality of shuteye you get. Find out which sleeping style is best for you, and make a conscious effort to fix it when you go to bed, and you'll wake up feeling more refreshed in the morning.

5. Cool Yourself Off at Night

Cooling down your body temperature makes a huge difference in how easy it is to fall asleep, but that can be hard to do when it's hot outside (or when your significant other has body temperature nearing the surface of the sun). From DIY air conditioners to cooling pillows to more extreme methods, we've got the lowdown on staying cool while you sleep. Just make sure you don't wake up freezing in the morning?that's never a fun way to start the day. Photo by Rob.

4. Get the Perfect Amount of Sleep

Not everyone needs the same exact amount of sleep, but with a little trial and error, you should find your sweet spot pretty easily. Count back 7.5 hours from when you need to wake up, and make sure you get to bed at that time?then adjust accordingly. Of course, you could also try a webapp like Sleepyti.me to help you calculate the perfect number of hours, too.

3. Learn to Nap Like a Pro

If you feel yourself getting drowsy during the day, you might be tempted to nap?but that can be disastrous for your sleep schedule if done incorrectly. Learn to master the power nap, then calculate the best time to nap and crank one out then (if you have a hammock, all the better). And, if you really want to make the most of your naps, try a caffeine nap to reboot your brain in the middle of the day. Photo by Dion Hinchcliffe.

2. Cultivate the Perfect Evening Routine

As the end of the day rolls around, you should be winding yourself down for bed to get the best sleep possible. If you really want to fall asleep easily, take some time to cultivate the perfect evening routine?some light reading, a nice bubble bath, and something that doesn't involve a backlit screen?to fall asleep quickly and keep your energy up the next day. Photo by Chelsea Oakes.

1. Get Some Help From Technology

If your sleep cycle seems beyond repair, you might need to get some outside help...from our favorite therapist, technology. From cheap methods like sleep tracking apps to full-on sleep tracking gadgets like the Wakemate, we've tested a number of technological sleep aids and found them to be rather helpful. If you're really motivated, you can reboot your entire sleep cycle and get the rest you deserve, and your midday self will thank you for it.

---

We've written about a ton of different sleep hacks over the years, including but not limited to the above. So, for even more great slumber-related tips and tricks, check out our #sleep tag. And, as always, share your own tips in the comments below.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/6VR4d0cVNDQ/top-10-tricks-for-better-sleep

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Thai police say Bangkok bomb plot called off (AP)

BANGKOK ? An alleged terrorist plot aimed at Bangkok that sparked urgent warnings of danger from the United States and Israel has been thwarted, Thai police said Saturday.

National Police Chief Gen. Priewpan Damapong said the alleged bombing scheme was called off by the alleged plotters ? two Lebanese men said to be linked to pro-Iranian Hezbollah militants. One man was in custody for questioning, and the other was at large.

The U.S. Embassy had circulated a warning Friday that there was a "real and credible" terrorist threat against Americans in Bangkok, and Israel issued a similar warning to its citizens. Thai authorities confirmed being informed of a plot, and said they were pursuing the missing suspect.

The warnings came during heightened tension over U.S. and Israeli responses to the prospect that Iran is going forward with developing nuclear weapons.

Priewpan's remarks came less than 12 hours after police held a hastily arranged news conference late Friday night in which they circulated a sketch of the missing suspect, with a call for the public to help track him down. They said the man in custody told them the plot was supposed to be carried out between Jan. 13 and 15.

Thailand seemed to have been caught by surprise by the publicity over the alleged plot, which officials said they had been informed about before New Year's. The U.S. Embassy warning was the first public notice of the affair, and Defense Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapa said Thai authorities did not release news of the alleged plot because of fears that it would hurt the tourist industry and cause panic.

Thailand is acutely sensitive to news that could affect its huge tourism industry, one of the country's biggest revenue earners.

Foreign Minister Surapong Tovijakchaikul said Saturday that he was greatly disappointed the United States and other countries had issued travel warnings to their citizens over terrorism risks without consulting the Foreign Ministry, which he said is the normal procedure.

Surapong said such actions adversely affect Thailand's tourism industry, its image and confidence among other nations, and that the ministry would seek an explanation from the countries involved and consider measures to remedy the problem.

Thailand also seeks to keep friendly relations with Iran. Although Thailand is firmly pro-American, Iran is a major trading partner, especially as a top market for Thai rice.

Iran sees possible U.S. complicity in a series of assassinations of its nuclear experts ? the latest coming Wednesday, when scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan was killed by a bomb attached to his car by a passing bicyclist.

Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim militant group, is the most potent military force in Lebanon, far stronger than even the national army. It is backed mainly by Iran and Syria.

Thailand's Metropolitan Police spokesman Piya Utayo said Friday night that the man in custody told police the pair had arrived before New Year's with plans to stage a bombing attack.

Priewpan, the police chief, however, said Saturday that the man ? a Swedish national of Lebanese origin identified as Attiris Hussein ? told police an attack had been prepared but was called off when the authorities learned about it.

Priewpan said the suspect had been questioned by Thai authorities after being detained at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport as he was about to leave Thailand. Police can hold him for questioning under immigration law for 60 days before deportation.

Priewpan said police would not file any charges against him because he had not committed any crime.

Thailand has rarely been a target for foreign terrorists, although a domestic Muslim insurgency in the country's south has involved bombings of civilian targets.

In 1994, an attempt to bomb the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok was abandoned when the driver of a truck packed with a massive car bomb fled after a minor traffic accident. Several Iranians were arrested in connection with the attempt ? which some terrorism experts blamed on Hezbollah ? but all were eventually released.

There have been several reported plots against the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok in the past two decades, but no attacks.

___

Associated Press writer Ian Deitch in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/terrorism/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120114/ap_on_re_as/as_thailand_terror_threat

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