Social Customer Service: With Great Power Comes Great ...

Like it or not, social media has become a mainstream communications channel. What makes it so appealing for consumers is that it?s usually the shortest distance between them and a brand ? no account number, security password or wait time required to connect, and it?s especially gratifying for those wishing to vent their frustration.

Even while recognizing social media?s proliferation and the power to alter the public perception of a brand with a single post, most businesses have not moved to incorporate social media at an enterprise level. Forrester analyst Zach Hofer-Shall says that will change in 2013.

?In 2013, the trend will be about bringing social media into the business itself, not relying on a separate social media function,? notes Hofer-Shall.

Does that mean turf battles over who owns within the enterprise will subside?

?Most companies still tend to believe that social media should be owned by the marketing function, but in 2013, I think we?ll start to hear less talk about who owns it and more about how everyone should be using it,? says Hofer-Shall. It made sense for marketers to take the early reins on social CRM because they have outbound training and skills in pushing out messaging, but to keep companies competitive, customer service teams must also learn social skills.

A New Shared Social Responsibility?
Given the high-profile nature of social communications, struggles over social CRM ownership aren?t particularly surprising. Any time a customer service issue gets aired in the public domain, it immediately becomes a marketing issue, too. ?Marketing can?t respond to every tweet or monitor and maintain conversations with every customer,? Hofer-Shall says. ?To work, social CRM initiatives need the kind of workflows, business processes, and tools that customer support teams have been using for years.? Service organizations will depend on this coalescence and scalability as use of social media for service grows.

?Departments essentially use the same processes ? they monitor feeds and conversations, aggregate content, analyze it to determine relevance and importance, and take action based on their core business function,? says Hofer-Shall. Customer service wants analyzed, aggregated data to develop better support processes, improve agent and self-service knowledge content, and respond to social messages with information or solutions. Meanwhile, PR wants to find out when there?s a crisis so they can manage it. Marketing wants to see where influencers are so they can reach out and track the spread of content, and sales teams want to identify sales leads. So a way to collaborate without duplication of efforts or stepping on each other?s toes is key.

Upping the Ante on Responsiveness
While many organizations expect social CRM to increase self-service through crowd-sourcing and community development, social media will still primarily be used in 2013 as a way to seek assisted service. ?In the past, service organizations had the luxury of responding to a query in, say, 24 hours, but that?s no longer acceptable. Now they need to respond very quickly to what the market is looking for, regardless of channel, and that?s forcing them to rethink their strategies,? says Albert Pang, President of Apps Run the World.

?Companies that rely on strong service delivery should make themselves as transparent as possible so customers can be spontaneous in their communications. It?s about delivering the most relevant information to constituents in a seamless way, and not making them jump through hoops,? says Pang. 2013: the year all departments share the responsibility of social media? We?ll see?

Follow the Trends
Read more social customer service predictions, and find out the four additional customer service trends that companies can?t ignore in Parature?s most popular white paper of the year, Service Spotlight: What to Look For in 2013. Click here to access.

Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/parature/1117976/social-customer-service-great-power-comes-great-responsibility-now-who-wants-it

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NFL Draft Prospects 1. Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree didn?t ask the NFL advis...

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Sunni protesters attack Iraq official's convoy, guards wound two

RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - Bodyguards for Iraq's deputy prime minister wounded two people when they fired warning shots at Sunni protesters who pelted his convoy with bottles and stones on Sunday, witnesses said.

The incident took place in the city of Ramadi in the western province of Anbar, to where Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq had travelled to address people in an attempt to defuse sectarian tensions.

Thousands of Iraqi Sunnis have taken to the streets and blocked a main highway over the past week in protest against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whom they accuse of discriminating against them and being under the sway of non-Arab neighbor Iran.

"Leave! Leave!" the protesters shouted at Mutlaq, himself a Sunni.

"It's only now Mutlaq comes to attend the protest and after seven days. He came to undermine the protest," Saeed al-Lafi, a spokesman for the protesters, told Reuters.

Mutlaq's guards opened fire to disperse the crowd after they threw objects at his convoy. Two people were wounded, the witness said.

In a statement following the incident, Mutlaq said some "rogue elements" at the protest had tried to kill him.

"Upon the deputy prime minister's arrival, the protesters greeted him with great warmth...but some rogue elements which seek to divert the protesters from their legitimate demands carried out a cowardly assassination attempt against Doctor Mutlaq," it read.

Protesters are demanding an end to marginalization of Iraq's Sunni minority, which dominated the country until the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 that toppled Saddam Hussein.

They want Maliki to abolish anti-terrorism laws they say are used to persecute them.

Echoing slogans used in popular revolts that brought down leaders in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia and Yemen, protesters have also been calling on Maliki to step down.

"Is this the way to deal with peaceful protesters? To shoot them? This is really outrageous," said protester Ghazwan al-Fahdawi, displaying empty bullet casings from shots he said had been fired by Mutlaq's guards.

In the northern city of Mosul, the provincial council called a three-day strike to press Baghdad to release women prisoners and stop targeting Sunni politicians.

Protests flared last week in Anbar province after troops loyal to Maliki detained bodyguards of his finance minister, a Sunni.

That came just hours after Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd seen as a steadying influence on the country's tumultuous politics, was flown abroad for medical care.

The Arab League described recent developments as "worrying" and called for dialogue in a statement released on Friday.

A year after U.S. troops left, sectarian friction, as well as tension over land and oil between Arabs and ethnic Kurds, threaten renewed unrest and are hampering efforts to repair the damage of years of violence and exploit Iraq's energy riches.

(Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad, Sufyan al-Mashhadani in Mosul and Omar Fahmy in Cairo; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sunni-protesters-attack-iraq-officials-convoy-guards-wound-123953633.html

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My Take: If you hear God speak audibly, you (usually) aren't crazy ...

Editor's Note:?Tanya Marie (?T.M.?) Luhrmann is a psychological anthropologist and the Watkins University professor in the department of anthropology at Stanford University in Stanford, California. She is the author of "When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God."

By T.M. Luhrmann, Special to CNN

(CNN)?In the Bible, God spoke directly to Abraham. He spoke directly to Moses. He spoke directly to Job. But to your neighbor down the street?

Most people reading the ancient scriptures understand these accounts of hearing God?s voice as miracles that really did happen but no longer take place today, or maybe as folkloric flourishes to ancient stories. Even Christians who believe that miracles can be an everyday affair can hesitate when someone tells them they heard God speak audibly. There?s an old joke: When you talk to God, we call it prayer, but when God talks to you, we call it schizophrenia.

Except that usually it?s not.

Hearing a voice when alone, or seeing something no one else can see, is pretty common. At least one in 10 people will say they?ve had such an experience if you ask them bluntly. About four in 10 say they have unusual perceptual experiences between sleep and awareness if you interview them about their sleeping habits.

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And if you ask them in a way that allows them to admit they made a mistake, the rate climbs even higher. By contrast, schizophrenia, the most debilitating of all mental disorders, is pretty rare. Only about one in 100 people can be diagnosed with the disorder.

Moreover, the patterns are quite distinct. People with schizophrenia who hear voices hear them frequently. They often hear them throughout the day, sometimes like a rain of sound, or a relentless hammer. They hear not only sentences, but paragraphs: words upon words upon words. What the voices say is horrid?insults, sneers and contemptuous jibes. ?Dirty. You?re dirty.? ?Stupid slut.? ?You should?ve gone under the bus, not into it.?

That was not what Abraham, Moses and Job experienced, even when God was at his most fierce.

For the last 10 years, I have been doing anthropological and psychological research among experientially oriented evangelicals, the sort of people who seek a personal relationship with God and who expect that God will talk back. For most of them, most of the time, God talks back in a quiet voice they hear inside their minds, or through images that come to mind during prayer. But many of them also reported sensory experiences of God. They say God touched their shoulder, or that he spoke up from the back seat and said, in a way they heard with their ears, that he loved them. Indeed, in 1999, Gallup reported that 23% of all Americans had heard a voice or seen a vision in response to prayer.

These experiences were brief: at the most, a few words or short sentences. They were rare. Those who reported them reported no more than a few of them, if that. These experiences were not distressing, although they were often disconcerting and always startling. On the contrary, these experiences often made people feel more intimate with God, and more deeply loved.

In fact, my research has found that these unusual sensory experiences are more common among those who pray in a way that uses the imagination?for example, when prayer involves talking to God in your mind. The unusual sensory experiences were not, in general, associated with mental illness (we checked).

They were more common among those who felt comfortable getting caught up in their imaginations. They were also more common among those who prayed for longer periods. Prayer involves paying attention to words and images in the mind, and giving them significance. There is something about the skilled practice of paying attention to the mind in this way that shifts?just a little bit?the way we judge what is real.

Yet even many of these Christians, who wanted so badly to have a back-and-forth relationship with God, were a little hesitant to talk about hearing God speak with their ears. For all the biblical examples of hearing God speak audibly, they doubt. Augustine reports that when he was in extremis, sobbing at the foot of that fig tree, he heard a voice say, ?Take it and read.? He picked up the scripture and converted. When the Christians I know heard God speak audibly, it often flitted across their minds that they were crazy.

In his new book, "Hallucinations," the noted neurologist Oliver Sacks tells his own story about a hallucinatory experience that changed his life. He took a hearty dose of methamphetamines as a young doctor, and settled down with a 19th century book on migraines. He loved the book, with its detailed observation and its humanity. He wanted more. As he was casting around in his mind for someone who could write more that he could read, a loud internal voice told him ?You silly bugger? that it was he. So he began to write. He never took drugs again.

Now, Sacks does not recommend that anyone take drugs like that. He thinks that what he did was dangerous and he thinks he was lucky to have survived.

What interests me, however, is that he allowed himself to trust the voice because the voice was good. There?s a distinction between voices associated with psychiatric illness (often bad) and those (often good) that are found in the so-called normal population. There?s another distinction between those who choose to listen to a voice, if the advice it gives is good, and those who do not. When people like Sacks hear a voice that gives them good advice, the experience can transform them.

CNN?s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories

This is important, because often, when voices are discussed in the media or around the kitchen table, the voices are treated unequivocally as symptoms of madness. And of course, voice-hearing is associated with psychiatric illness.

But not all the time. In fact, not most of the time.

About a third of the people I interviewed carefully at the church where I did research reported an unusual sensory experience they associated with God. While they found these experiences startling, they also found them deeply reassuring.

Science cannot tell us whether God generated the voice that Abraham or Augustine heard. But it can tell us that many of these events are normal, part of the fabric of human perception. History tells us that those experiences enable people to choose paths they should choose, but for various reasons they hesitate to choose.

When the Rev.?Martin Luther King Jr. sat at his kitchen table, in the winter of 1956, terrified by the fear of what might happen to him and his family during the Montgomery bus boycott, he said he heard the voice of Jesus promising, ?I will be with you.? He went forward.

Voices may form part of human suffering. They also may inspire human greatness.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of TM Luhrmann.

Source: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/29/my-take-if-you-hear-god-speak-audibly-you-usually-arent-crazy/

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Russia's Putin signs anti-US adoption bill - Salt Lake City, Utah News

By CNN Staff

(CNN) ? Aaron and Jenny Moyer already consider a Russian orphan named Vitali as their own. But a controversial Russian law that bans the adoption of Russian children by U.S. families may keep the boy from his new home in the United States.

The Moyers have photos of their visits with Vitali in Russia, and the adoption process was under way.

?He?s our son,? Aaron Moyer said. ?In our hearts, he is our son.?

Russian President Vladimir Putin may have put an end to that when he signed the controversial measure Friday.

The action could affect hundreds of American families seeking to adopt. Americans adopted close to 1,000 Russian children last year, according to U.S. State Department figures.

Though the number has been dropping in recent years, Russia remains the third most popular country for U.S. citizens to adopt, after China and Ethiopia.

The U.S. State Department said it ?deeply regrets? the new Russian law.

?The Russian government?s politically motivated decision will reduce adoption possibilities for children who are now under institutional care,? it said in a statement. ?We are further concerned about statements that adoptions already underway may be stopped and hope that the Russian government would allow those children who have already met and bonded with their future parent to finish the necessary legal procedures so that they can join their families.?

Jenny Moyer says she knows there is an orphan crisis in Russia, especially for children with special needs, an undertaking she is willing to accept. The boy she wants to adopt, Vitali, has Down syndrome.

The couple, who have two biological children and one adopted American child, said they are relying on their faith to see them through this tough time.

?We want not just our son, but all the kids over there to have families and to grow up and know the love of a mom and dad,? Aaron Moyer said.

The Russian measure also bars any political activities by nongovernmental organizations receiving funding from the United States, if such activities could affect Russian interests, Russia?s semiofficial RIA-Novosti news agency said.

It also imposes sanctions against U.S. officials thought to have violated human rights.

The law, which goes into effect on January 1, envisages the drafting of a list of U.S. citizens who will be prohibited from entering Russia, and will suspend the activity of any legal entities controlled by these individuals in the country.

A vote this week in the Federation Council, Russia?s upper house, was unanimous, but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the bill ahead of its signing.

Lawmakers in the State Duma, Russia?s lower house of parliament, adopted it last week.

The move by Russian politicians is widely seen as retaliation for a law that U.S. President Barack Obama signed on December 14. That bill, called the Magnitsky Act, imposes U.S. travel and financial restrictions on human rights abusers in Russia.

The Magnitsky Act is named in honor of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who uncovered the largest tax fraud in the country?s history in the form of rebates claimed by government officials who stole money from the state. Magnitsky died in 2009 after a year in a Moscow detention center, apparently beaten to death.

The Russian bill?s implementation nullifies a recent agreement between the United States and Russia in which the countries agreed to additional safeguards to protect children and parties involved in inter-country adoptions.

Backers of the Russian bill said American adoptive parents have been abusive, citing 19 deaths of Russian children since the 1990s.

In 2010, an American woman caused outrage after she sent her adopted son back to Russia alone on a one-way flight, saying the boy, then 7, had violent episodes that made her family fear for its safety.

Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian Foreign Ministry?s special representative for human rights, said Wednesday on Twitter that Russians are ?well aware of, and have pointed out more than once, the inadequate protection of adopted Russian children in the US.? He also said the United States is one of three nations that have not signed the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Anthony Lake, executive director of the U.N. Children?s Fund, touted the importance of ?inter-country adoption.?

?While welcoming Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev?s call for the improvement of the child welfare system, UNICEF urges that the current plight of the many Russian children in institutions receives priority attention,? he said.

UNICEF asked that Russia let children?s ?best interests? guide the ?design and development of all efforts to protect children.?

?We encourage the government to establish a robust national social protection plan to help strengthen Russian families. Alternatives to the institutionalization of children are essential, including permanent foster care, domestic adoption and inter-country adoption,? he said.

The United States has signed but not ratified the convention, which has sparked concerns from conservatives about its effect on U.S. sovereignty and parental rights.

Groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch had urged lawmakers to reject the bill.

?This bill hits back at Russia?s most vulnerable children and could deprive them of the loving families they desperately need,? Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said last week.

John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International?s Europe and Central Asia program director, has said that ?this bill is frankly a childish response to the Magnitsky Act.?

CNN?s Alla Eshchenko, Brian Walker and Samira Said contributed to this report.

? & ? 2012 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

Source: http://fox13now.com/2012/12/28/russias-putin-signs-anti-u-s-adoption-bill/

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Obama: modestly "optimistic" fiscal cliff deal can be reached (Reuters)

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Stahl arrested for investigation of lewd conduct

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Los Angeles police say actor Nick Stahl has been arrested for investigation of lewd conduct.

The 33-year-old "Terminator 3" star was arrested about 8 p.m. Thursday on Hollywood Boulevard. He was booked on a misdemeanor count of lewd conduct and released from custody.

The Los Angeles Times reports (http://lat.ms/YU6uBO) that Stahl was arrested at an adult movie shop during a routine undercover police operation.

In May, Stahl had been reported missing by his wife, but he later turned up.

Stahl was a child star who performed in the 1993 film "The Man Without a Face." He also has appeared in the 2003-2005 HBO series "Carnivale'" and starred in "Mirrors 2" in 2010. An email seeking comment from his publicist was not immediately returned Friday.

___

Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-12-28-People-Nick%20Stahl/id-328142bf1e9b423d8e0b22d4077769c7

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2nd International Conference on Communications and Signal ...

This information is brought to you by www.knowafest.com

---

Event: 2nd International Conference on Communications and Signal Processing 2013 | Conference

2nd International Conference on Communications and Signal Processing 2013 is Organised by: QIS College of Engineering and Technology, Ongole, Andhra Pradesh

2nd International Conference on Communications and Signal Processing 2013 dates:
Fest dates: 1st-3rd April 2013
Last Dates for Registration: Paper Submission:06-02-2013
Announcement Of Acceptance:20-02-2013
Submission Of Cameraready Paper & Registration:28-02-2013

Details:
A Major Objective Of The Conference Is To Pursue The Progression From The Theoretical Aspects Of Innovative Communication And Signal Processing Techniques Through The Implementation, Evaluation And Performance Enhancement Of Practical Communication Systems.

2nd International Conference on Communications and Signal Processing 2013 Co-ordinators Details:
Dr.Ch.Bala Swamy(HOD)
9246419590
ch.balaswamy7@gmail.com
Ch.Hima Bindu(Assoc.Professor)
Email:hb.muvvala@gmail.com
2nd International Conference on Communications and Signal Processing 2013 Website: www.qiscet.edu.in

For more information on this college fest, please contact the event co-ordinators directly by logging into this website as mentioned above. Please drop your comments below if you have been to this college fest earlier or if you are planning to go this time.

We will send you more information on 2nd International Conference on Communications and Signal Processing 2013, QIS College of Engineering and Technology, Ongole, Conference, Andhra Pradesh, April 1-3 2013 and also other Cultural Fests, Technical Fests, Conferences, Workshops, Symposiums conducted all over India.

Source: http://www.knowafest.com/2012/12/iccsp2013-qis-college-of-engineering-and-technology-ongole-conference-andhra-pradesh.html

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Stamped Concrete Can Improve Your Homes Curb Appeal | The ...

Improving the look and beauty of your home does not mean that you have to use inferior or expensive materials. In fact, one of the most inexpensive, yet durable building material is stamped concrete. Concrete is well known for being versatile, durable and inexpensive. Plus, it can also be stamped with attractive designs to make it one of the most decorative building materials as well.

Stamped concrete is perfect for decks, patios and flooring both in and outside the home. Here are just a few reasons why you should choose stamped concrete over other common building materials to help improve the look of your house.

Stability

Wooden decks are strong, but concrete is much stronger, allowing it to handle heavy weights such as hot tubs with ease. Unlike wooden decks which can splinter and get hot under sunlight, stamped concrete decks will stay cool and never harm your bare feet. Plus, stamped concrete does not get slippery when wet either.

Maintenance

One of the best reasons to choose stamped concrete is its durability and low maintenance. Wooden decks last roughly fifteen years if you maintain it on a regular basis. That means annual waterproofing and frequent checks of the supporting structure to insure it is not sagging. Plus, insects are very attracted to wood which makes them highly vulnerable to ants, certain variety of bees and most damaging of all, termites.

With stamped concrete decks all you need is the occasional water sealant application every few years and that is it. Insects do not care for concrete at all, plus all you need to do is sweep it occasionally to keep it clean of dirt and debris or you can use the water hose after it has been sealed for a more thorough cleaning effort.

Versatility

Concrete is a very malleable material as well, meaning it is perfect for stamping attractive designs as well as being used in a number of ways around the home. Here are just a few ways that people use stamped concrete both in and outside their home.

-?????? Decks

-?????? Sidewalks

-?????? Driveways

-?????? Patios

-?????? Wrap Around Porches and more

Having attractive designs stamped into concrete can improve the look of your home as well as add your own sense of style. There are literally thousands of designs to choose from which means you can add your own personal touch to common areas around your home. From short walkways to large pool decks and patios, stamped concrete can reflect your own personal taste that runs through how you decorate your own home. Tying together both the inside and outside of your residence.

Price

Concrete is one of the least expensive building materials, being made from common rocks and used for thousands of years in all types of structures. Compared to wood for example, concrete is not only less expensive, it will last for generations with little maintenance.

All in all, if you are thinking about adding a new deck, walkway, wrap around porch or other type of flooring. Then you want to consider stamped concrete as your material of choice.

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About the Author: Flat and Fancy, Inc. creates decorative concrete in Colorado Springs, Castle Rock, and the surrounding areas in Colorado. To learn more about stamped and decorative Colorado Springs concrete visit the website.

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Source: http://www.theupperdeck.com/stamped-concrete/

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Consumer confidence falls to 4-month low

15 hrs.

Reuters

Consumer confidence fell to a four-month low in December as a looming budget crisis sapped what had been a growing sense of optimism about the economy, a private sector report released on Thursday showed.?

The Conference Board, an industry group, said its index of consumer attitudes fell to 65.1 from a downwardly revised 71.5 in November. Economists had expected a reading of 70.0, according to a Reuters poll.?

November's number was originally reported as 73.7.?

While the present situation index rose to 62.8 from an upwardly revised 57.4, its highest in more than four years, the overall survey suggested most consumers expect things to worsen.?

"Consumers' expectations retreated sharply in December resulting in a decline in the overall index," Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center, said in a statement. "The sudden turnaround was most likely caused by uncertainty surrounding the oncoming fiscal cliff."?

The fiscal cliff refers to $600 billion of automatic tax increases and spending cuts set to take effect in January unless Congress acts to stop them. President Barack Obama and Republican leaders have failed to agree to a long-term deficit reduction deal that would avert the situation.?

The expectations index fell to 66.5 from a downwardly revised 80.9. December's reading was the lowest in more than a year.?

Franco said a similar pullback in consumer expectations was seen in August 2011, when political bickering over raising the U.S. debt ceiling led to a sharp drop in the stock market.?

Consumers' labor market outlook also turned a bit more pessimistic. The "jobs hard to get" index fell to 35.6 percent from a revised 37.4 percent the month before, but the "jobs plentiful" index also fell to 10.3 percent from 11.0 percent.?

Consumers' expectations for inflation in the coming 12 months held steady this month at 5.6 percent.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/cliff-worries-push-consumer-confidence-4-month-low-1C7750594

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NBC seizes ratings lead with football and 'Voice'

NEW YORK (AP) ? Powered by football and "The Voice," NBC took the lead in the ratings last week.

But even football couldn't tackle CBS' indomitable "NCIS," which edged out the Seahawks-49ers clash to become the week's most-watched show. It drew 19.6 million viewers, the Nielsen Co. said Thursday.

In third place was "NCIS: Los Angeles," followed by the season finale of "The Voice." The season finale of Fox's singing competition "The X Factor" ranked 14th.

Among several Christmas specials, "A White House Christmas: First Families Remember" was the most-watched, ranking 20th place.

A preview airing of a new NBC sitcom, "1600 Penn," ranked 23rd with 6.9 viewers. It premieres next month.

Overall for the week, NBC averaged 8.12 million viewers in prime time (4.9 rating, 8 share). CBS ranked second with 7.50 million viewers (4.9 rating, 8 share), while Fox had 5.64 million (3.3 rating, 6 share), ABC had 4.78 million (3.0 rating, 5 share), the CW had 1.43 million (.9 rating, 1 share) and Ion had 1.12 million (.8 rating, 1 share).

Among the Spanish-language networks, Univision led with an average of 3.21 million viewers (1.7 rating, 3 share). Telemundo had 1.24 million (0.6 rating, 1 share), TeleFutura had 740,000 (0.4 rating, 1 share), Estrella had 270,000 (0.1 rating, 0 share) and Azteca had 140,000 (0.1 rating, 0 share).

NBC's "Nightly News" topped the evening newscasts with an average of 9.1 million viewers (6.1 household rating, 11 share). ABC's "World News" was second with 7.9 million (5.3 rating, 10 share) and the "CBS Evening News" had 7.0 million viewers (4.6 rating, 9 share).

A ratings point represents 1,147,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 114.7 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.

For the week of Dec. 17-23, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: "NCIS," CBS, 19.59 million; NFL Football: San Francisco at Seattle, NBC, 19.50 million; "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 15.48 million; "The Voice" (Tuesday), NBC, 14.13 million; "Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick," NBC, 13.67 million; "The Voice" (Monday), NBC, 13.37 million; "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 10.95 million; "The OT," Fox, 10.94 million; "Mike & Molly," CBS, 10.79 million; "Hawaii Five-0," CBS, 10.54 million.

___

ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co. CBS is owned by CBS Corp. CW is a joint venture of Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corp. Fox is a unit of News Corp. NBC and Telemundo are owned by Comcast Corp. ION Television is owned by ION Media Networks. TeleFutura is a division of Univision. Azteca America is a wholly owned subsidiary of TV Azteca S.A. de C.V.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nbc-seizes-ratings-lead-football-voice-185644103.html

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Excellent weather attracts boaties | Stuff.co.nz

Boaties making the most of southern weather have been flocking to Central Otago and the Queenstown Lakes but harbourmasters are warning those using the water to take more care.

Lifejackets must be worn on Lake Wakatipu and Lake Wanaka but are not compulsory on Lake Dunstan.

Queenstown Lakes District Council harbourmaster Marty Black yesterday said warnings were issued to people who were not using common sense on the water.

Several boats were towed back to shore after leaving unprepared and jet skis driven by youngsters who did not know the rules were causing some concern.

On Christmas Day in Wanaka, kite surfers were also going through the water beside swimmers. "That's extremely dangerous," he said.

Kite surfers could travel at high speed and boards were classed as vessels so they needed to keep clear of swimmers.

Lake Dunstan harbourmaster Shayne Hitchcock, of Alexandra, said it was the best leadup to Christmas in several years given the number of people out on the water.

"With the weekend falling before Christmas we've struck a lot of locals able to go out."

Lake conditions were perfect and the temperature was sitting about 18 degrees Celsius in most parts.

"It's the best conditions, beautiful clear water all over which hasn't been happening for a long time."

He reminded boaties in the water near Old Cromwell to be aware of yellow buoys to mark the keep-right line.

Fine weather in the next few days meant the lakes were expected to be busy at New Year.

- ? Fairfax NZ News

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Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/8120621/Excellent-weather-attracts-boaties

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Write Your Life: Top Blog Posts of 2012

At Write Your Life, we enjoy sharing tips and information to help you get smart about becoming a self-published author. Throughout 2012, our team of bloggers has shared valuable expertise and knowledge to help you succeed. Here, we share a few of our top picks from the year.?

Many authors do all their writing first and think that they can wait to work on plans and goals later, when the book is ready to be released. But in doing that, they?re starting out behind.?Here are five questions to consider before writing and publishing your book.

Stop searching for the Holy Grail of all writing instruction materials and instead build your network of academic pros, literary pros, and colleagues to hone your craft.

Time and patience and inspiration allow great authors to achieve eloquent and emotional introductions. With a little effort, you, too, can craft a strong opening line.

Writers need to write. The learning curve can be tough. Demanding. But it?s important to your craft. If you want to get better, here are some ways to improve.?

Most often, new authors consider the dollar cost of book production as an expense rather than an investment. The distinction, as I see it, is that an investment suggests an anticipated return while an expense may not. And so it should be with your book project.

The time to begin making connections and building relationships for marketing is BEFORE your book is complete. Small, consistent steps make it easy.

Taking the time at the start of your writing journey to consider how you might wrap up your story will become one of the biggest favors you?ve ever done for yourself.

A professional edit is an essential component of a well-produced book. So why do so many authors, particularly self-published authors, skip this vital step? It could be that they do not know what to look for when choosing an editor.

Many think the hardest part of publishing a book is writing it, but that?s the easiest part for most authors. Marketing is equally important. Here are some ideas for generating special market sales.

For strategic authors, identifying an ideal reader ? a target audience, as it's called in marketing ? is an unvoidable and absolutely necessary first step in creating a book that will appeal to a niche market.

If you?re looking to get a commercial or academic publisher, here are the top five things you should include in your book proposal.?

The power of a dollar can go quite far with your book marketing budget. As the co-author of How to Market Your Book For Free, I have learned to use various strategies to market my books while on a budget, through healthy self-competition, for a substantial return on my investment.?

We wish you a peaceful, prosperous, and phenomenal New Yew Year.?

Source: http://writeyourlifeblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/top-blog-posts-of-2012.html

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E.F. Boyd: Finding Creative Ways to Cope With Loss in Bedford ...

E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home in Warrensville Heights, Ohio knows that losing someone close to you can be a devastating event, and that during this time of years with the New Year approaching, it can be even harder. Often we may feel guilt, denial, and other emotions of sorrow or loss that make remembering a loved one difficult for us in Bedford, Ohio. Think of all the good times you and that person shared, how much they meant to you, and how they would want to be remembered. There are creative ways to cope with grief, some of which can be painting, making a scrapbook of happy times spent with that individual, and even a slideshow. Being able to share those good memories with friends and family in Chagrin Falls, Ohio will make your loss easier to navigate, and may even help your grieving children by allowing them to keep these memories alive in their hearts and minds as well.

Finding creative ways to cope with grief for your grieving children can also help you cope with your own grief. Answering their questions honestly, sharing photographs, home videos, and other items of remembrance can help your child understand their loss as well as give them a way to remember those that are no longer with them through celebrating the life they lived well. E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home in Warrensville Heights knows what it means to be a family, and knows how great a support system your family can be during an emotional time. Sharing memories together during the holiday season and the New Year can strengthen your bond as a family as well as allow you to find new ways of remembering loved ones that can no longer be with you in Chagrin Falls. Grieving should never be looked down upon. It is a natural way of dealing with a great personal loss, whether through tears or through meditation. Each person deals with grief in their own way. If you live in the Bedford area, know that E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home understands, and can make the recent loss of a loved one as smooth a process as possible, especially as the New Year approaches.

Though there are creative ways for you to cope with your grief in Bedford, Ohio, such as taking up a hobby or gathering old photos to make memorable collages, the best way to cope is by having a great emotional support system. Grieving children also need a great support system of family and friends so that they can remember those that have since passed on and understand how to deal with their loss. Remembering loved ones and the good times you shared together in Chagrin Falls, Ohio is some of the greatest things you can keep with you. It?s not the things you have, but the memories that keep your loved ones alive. By being able to pass on stories of their lives, you can keep them alive in the hearts of younger generations and possibly even those to come. To find out more about E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, visit their website at www.efboyd.com or call 216.831.7906 today.

Source: http://ishopblogz.com/e-f-boyd-son-funeral-home-knows-suggests-finding-creative-ways-to-cope-with-loss-in-bedford-ohio/

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University of California Develop Spintronics-Based MRAM

By using electric voltage instead of a flowing electric current, researchers from UCLA have made major improvements to an ultra-fast, high-capacity class of computer memory known as magnetoresistive random access memory, or MRAM. The UCLA team's improved MRAM has great potential to be used in future memory chips for almost all electronic applications.

MeRAM's key advantage over existing technologies is that it combines extraordinary low energy with very high density, high-speed reading and writing times, and non-volatility. Currently, magnetic memory is based on a technology called spin-transfer torque (STT), which uses the magnetic property of electrons ? referred to as spin ? in addition to their charge. STT utilizes an electric current to move electrons to write data into the memory.

Yet while STT is superior in many respects to competing memory technologies, its electric current?based write mechanism still requires a certain amount of power, which means that it generates heat when data is written into it. In addition, its memory capacity is limited by how close to each other bits of data can be physically placed, a process which itself is limited by the currents required to write information. The low bit capacity, in turn, translates into a relatively large cost per bit, limiting STT's range of applications.

With MeRAM, the UCLA team has replaced STT's electric current with voltage to write data into the memory. This eliminates the need to move large numbers of electrons through wires and instead uses voltage ? the difference in electrical potential ? to switch the magnetic bits and write information into the memory. This has resulted in computer memory that generates much less heat, making it 10 to 1000 times more energy-efficient. The memory can be more than five-times as dense, with more bits of information stored in the same physical area, which also brings down the cost per bit.

?The ability to switch nanoscale magnets using voltages is an exciting and fast-growing area of research in magnetism. This work presents new insights into questions such as how to control the switching direction using voltage pulses, how to ensure that devices will work without needing external magnetic fields, and how to integrate them into high-density memory arrays. [?] MeRAM's advantage over competing technologies will not be limited to its lower power dissipation, but equally importantly, it may allow for extremely dense MRAM,? said Pedram Khalili, a research associate in electrical engineering and project manager for the UCLA?DARPA research programs in non-volatile logic.

MeRAM uses nanoscale structures called voltage-controlled magnet-insulator junctions, which have several layers stacked on top of each other, including two composed of magnetic materials. However, while one layer's magnetic direction is fixed, the other can be manipulated via an electric field. The devices are specially designed to be sensitive to electric fields. When the electric field is applied, it results in voltage ? a difference in electric potential between the two magnetic layers. This voltage accumulates or depletes the electrons at the surface of these layers, writing bits of information into the memory. ?

"Ultra-low?power spintronic devices such as this one have potential implications beyond the memory industry. They can enable new instant-on electronic systems, where memory is integrated with logic and computing, thereby completely eliminating standby power and greatly enhancing their functionality," said Kang L. Wang, UCLA's Raytheon professor of electrical engineering.

Tags: MRAM, MeRAM

Source: http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/memory/display/20121218230816_University_of_California_Develop_Spintronics_Based_MRAM.html

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Scientists create nanoscale window to biological world

Dec. 20, 2012 ? If the key to winning battles is knowing both your enemy and yourself, then scientists are now well on their way toward becoming the Sun Tzus of medicine by taking a giant step toward a priceless advantage -- the ability to see the soldiers in action on the battlefield.

Investigators at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have invented a way to directly image biological structures at their most fundamental level and in their natural habitats. The technique is a major advancement toward the ultimate goal of imaging biological processes in action at the atomic level.

"It's sort of like the difference between seeing Han Solo frozen in carbonite and watching him walk around blasting stormtroopers," said Deborah Kelly, an assistant professor at the VTC Research Institute and a lead author on the paper describing the first successful test of the new technique. "Seeing viruses, for example, in action in their natural environment is invaluable."

The technique involves taking two silicon-nitride microchips with windows etched in their centers and pressing them together until only a 150-nanometer space between them remains. The researchers then fill this pocket with a liquid resembling the natural environment of the biological structure to be imaged, creating a microfluidic chamber.

Then, because free-floating structures yield images with poor resolution, the researchers coat the microchip's interior surface with a layer of natural biological tethers, such as antibodies, which naturally grab onto a virus and hold it in place.

In a recent study in Lab on a Chip, Kelly joined Sarah McDonald, also an assistant professor at the VTC Research Institute, to prove that the technique works. McDonald provided a pure sample of rotavirus double-layered particles for the study.

"What's missing in the field of structural biology right now is dynamics -- how things move in time," said McDonald. "Debbie is developing technologies to bridge that gap, because that's clearly the next big breakthrough that structural biology needs."

Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea among infants and children. By the age of 5, nearly every child in the world has been infected at least once. And although the disease tends to be easily managed in the developed world, in developing countries rotavirus kills more than 450,000 children a year.

At the second step in the pathogen's life cycle, rotavirus sheds its outer layer, which allows it to enter a cell, and becomes what is called a double-layered particle. Once its second layer is exposed, the virus is ready to begin using the cell's own infrastructure to produce more viruses. It was the viral structure at this stage that the researchers imaged in the new study.

Kelly and McDonald coated the interior window of the microchip with antibodies to the virus. The antibodies, in turn, latched onto the rotaviruses that were injected into the microfluidic chamber and held them in place. The researchers then used a transmission electron microscope to image the prepared slide.

The technique worked perfectly.

The experiment gave results that resembled those achieved using traditional freezing methods to prepare rotavirus for electron microscopy, proving that the new technique can deliver accurate results.

"It's the first time scientists have imaged anything on this scale in liquid," said Kelly.

The next step is to continue to develop the technique with an eye toward imaging biological structures dynamically in action. Specifically, McDonald is looking to understand how rotavirus assembles, so as to better know and develop tools to combat this particular enemy of children's health.

The researchers said their ongoing collaboration is an example of the cross-disciplinary work that is becoming a hallmark of the VTC Research Institute.

"It's an ideal collaboration because Sarah provides a phenomenal model system by which we can develop new technologies to move the field of microstructural biology forward," said Kelly.

"It's very win-win," McDonald added. "While the virus is a great tool for Debbie to develop her techniques, her technology is critical for allowing me to understand how this deadly virus assembles and changes dynamically over time."

The paper "Visualizing viral assemblies in a nanoscale biosphere" was published online and will appear in a 2013 edition of Lab on a Chip.

The authors are Brian Gilmore, a research associate at the VTC Research Institute; Shannon Showalter, a research assistant at the VTC Research Institute; Madeline Dukes, an applications scientist at Protochips; Justin Tanner, a postdoctoral associate at the VTC Research Institute; Andrew Demmert, a student at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine; McDonald, in addition to her position at the VTC Research Institute, is an assistant professor of biomedical sciences and pathobiology in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine; and Kelly, in addition to her position at the VTC Research Institute, is an assistant professor of biological sciences in Virginia Tech's College of Science.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University), via Newswise. The original article was written by Ken Kingery.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Brian L. Gilmore, Shannon P. Showalter, Madeline J. Dukes, Justin R. Tanner, Andrew C. Demmert, Sarah M. McDonald, Deborah F. Kelly. Visualizing viral assemblies in a nanoscale biosphere. Lab on a Chip, 2013; 13 (2): 216 DOI: 10.1039/C2LC41008G

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/biochemistry/~3/5TCFMVlhxpI/121220143311.htm

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Texas landowner: Judge delays TransCanada hearing

HOUSTON (AP) -- A Texas landowner battling TransCanada Corp. says a judge has declined for now to hear arguments on whether to temporarily stop work on the property.

Michael Bishop says a Nacogdoches County judge put off a hearing scheduled for Wednesday until he can determine whether the matter should be in state court.

Bishop wants work on his property to cease until the judge rules on whether the product TransCanada plans to carry through it is crude oil.

TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline is meant to transport tar sands - or diluted bitumen - from Canada to Texas. Bishop says tar sand isn't crude oil.

The section of the pipeline that would cross the international border has not been approved. A shorter portion from Oklahoma to Texas is under construction.

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OIL_PIPELINE_TEXAS?SITE=NELIN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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Take Maximum Advantage of Multifunction Printers

Take Maximum Advantage of Multifunction Printers

Tuesday, 18 December 2012 17:44

The multifunction printers that are presently available in the market can easily be considered as multiple machines combined in single units. These devices generally include print, copy, scan and fax functionalities and can really save a lot of useful space in any office or business structure. Though these products were originally manufactured and marketed for home and small scale business users but due to their effectiveness larger and more robust models suitable for large scale usages are also being offered by many manufacturers. There are of course some advantages and disadvantages of these machines and one must make an informed decision while purchasing them to ensure better result and productivity.

Use LaserJet printers

Though many different kinds of printers are still available in the market but according to most users Laserjet Printers are undoubtedly the best of the lot. One of the major benefits of these printers is their ability to print more copies compared the inkjet or other available printers in the market. There is another very prominent advantage of these LaserJet printers and that is their ability to print a lot faster than the inkjets. That is the reason they are particularly popular for official and commercial purposes where a lot of printing is required on a regular basis and the amount of time that can be saved with these printers can really have a positive impact upon the productivity of the organization.

Advantages of multifunctional printers

Most multifunctional printers that are currently available worldwide are LaserJet printers that also have scanning and copying capabilities. Moreover these particular systems can also be used to fax almost every kind of documents and are really a great thing to have in most modern office enterprises. Apart from their unmatchable efficiency they can also effectively save a lot of office space and as available space is always a concern in most modern offices they are undoubtedly the most convenient that have been ever available.

Another very important feature of these multifunctional Laserjet Printers is their cost saving capability. Though they are more expensive than traditional printers but certainly cost less than the total price of four individual machines and that is certainly the unique selling proposition of these great and most effective equipments. There is another cost saving aspect that deserves a special mention and that is, as these systems run on a single power source they always consume less energy than four different machines and can be really considered as a cost saver for a long time. But at the same time, there is a very prominent drawback of these multifunctional printers and that is in case of a problem with the system every single feature of the product will fail at the same time and that can really hamper office activity unless the machine is repaired on a immediate basis.

The author is an eminent writers related to the field of computer hardware for Small and Medium Enterprises. He is known for his insightful knowledge about multifunctional printers, colour laser printer including IT Support Services.

FG_AUTHORS: Computers-and-Technology:Hardware Articles from EzineArticles.com

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Source: http://www.readingprinters.co.uk/computer-hardware-articles/2671-take-maximum-advantage-of-multifunction-printers

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India v England: Jonathan Trott and James Anderson rested for opening one-day international in Pune

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How to Properly Use Technical Analysis to Boost ... - Investment U

by Marc Lichtenfeld, Investment U Senior Analyst
Wednesday, December 19, 2012: Issue #1929

Oxford Club and Investment U Investment Director Alexander Green and I agree on most issues when it comes to investing. It?s one of the reasons I jumped at the chance to join The Oxford Club.

Alex?s approach to investing and portfolio management is spot on in my opinion, and he has the track record to prove it. The independent?Hulbert Financial Digest has ranked Alex?s trading portfolio in The Oxford Club Communiqu? in the top 10 for 10-year risk-adjusted returns for years. Despite all the other newsletter writers thumping their chests, you?ll be hard pressed to find one who has a better track record than Alex.

But ? you knew there was going to be a ?but? ? one area I don?t agree with him about is the usefulness of technical analysis (the study of stock charts) in trading systems.

In his column on Friday titled Would You Invest in the ?Math of God?? Alex took aim at technical analyst Tom DeMark, his use of Fibonacci sequences and the A-list names in finance who follow him.

I?m somewhat familiar with DeMark?s work, but don?t have a strong opinion on it. So this column isn?t a defense of DeMark per say, but of the usefulness of stock charts in trading and investing.

A Little Background?

My first job in the markets was as an assistant on a trading desk. I learned about the markets by watching the ?tape? ? how stocks moved throughout the day. Trying to make some sense of it all, I turned towards technical analysis.

I soon became an enthusiastic convert. I joined and became the vice president of the Technical Securities Analysts Association of San Francisco, published papers on chart patterns and embarked on obtaining my Chartered Market Technician (CMT) designation.

I never completed the CMT because, at the time, the third and final part of the process dealt mostly with Elliott Wave theory ? which I think is a load of bunk. So you can see that while I was a believer in technical analysis, I did not drink the Kool-Aid on every aspect of it.

Then, a funny thing happened. I was hired by a boutique contrarian research firm as a fundamental analyst. In order to get my required NASD licenses, I had to pass a grueling test that is equivalent to the first level of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam. It was 100% fundamentals based.

I passed the test, got my licenses and published research on companies based purely on fundamental data (although my company also asked me to publish comments based on technical analysis).

I bring all of this up to show you that I have deep experience in both worlds. In my career I have studied thousands of stock charts and an equal number of financial statements.

Not a Crystal Ball

The biggest misperception about technical analysis is that it?s a crystal ball and can tell you exactly when to get in and out of an investment or trade. That?s not the case at all, and any technician who tells you that he?s got a fool-proof system for doing so is lying either to you or himself.

Rather, technical analysis is a guide for risk. There have been many academic studies that have shown that certain patterns, such as head and shoulders, triangles and trendlines, have a greater than 50% chance of moving in the predicted direction (look up Thomas Bulkowski?s excellent work on this subject). This isn?t some kind of voodoo. It?s because human behavior is somewhat predictable.

All the charts show is how humans are behaving in relation to fear and greed. And that behavior tends to repeat itself over and over.

How to Properly Use Technical Analysis

Let?s take a look at how someone can use technical analysis in their investing.

Above is a two-year chart of Citigroup (NYSE: C). You can see that back in 2011, the area just under $40 served as support. That means every time the stock traded down to that level, it bounced.

If at that time, you liked Citigroup?s fundamentals, that would have been a good place to buy it, because if you were wrong, you would?ve known right away. You can see that in August the stock began to fall well below that $40 level. Since the area around $40 held up before, when the stock fell below, it was a signal that investors? psychology on the stock changed. By realizing that, you?d get out with a small loss.

Today, the stock is approaching that $40 level again. You can see that each time it tried to break $40 to the upside this year, the stock was rejected. If the stock meaningfully breaks $40, that suggests the psychology has changed again and investors are finally willing to pay more than $40 for the stock, when they weren?t several times before.

Just above $40 would be a good entry price from a risk-reward standpoint. If the stock falls back below $40, you know the psychology, in fact, didn?t change and you can get out with a small loss. But with such significant resistance at $40 over the past year, a break above $40 is a very good sign that there are more potential gains to come.

Hopefully, from that description, you can see that technical analysis is an art, not a science. You may see something different in the chart than I do, just as two analysts can look at the same income statement and come away with different opinions.

Alex mentioned that legendary investors like Leon Cooperman and Paul Tudor Jones read Tom DeMark?s technical work. Those guys aren?t looking for a crystal ball. If they did, you never would have heard of them. People who depend on definite predictions don?t have iconic careers. Rather, they?re looking for a perspective they, perhaps, aren?t trained to find themselves.

Sure, DeMark made a bad call on Research in Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM), as Alex pointed out. And I can name dozens of analysts who used nothing but fundamentals and downgraded a stock after the company reported weak earnings and the stock dropped dramatically.

How many investment strategists were telling you to load up on stocks in early 2009 or summer of 2011? Other than Alex, almost none. All of the other strategists and gurus were looking at the same financial statements and economic data, yet Alex was one of the only ones to conclude that investors should buy stocks at that time. The market went up 122% from the 2009 low and 37% from the low point in 2011. Scores of other analysts who had the exact same fundamental data got it wrong.

Technical analysis does work if you know how to use it ? as a tool to guide your decisions based on risk versus reward. I know several people who make their living off nothing but stock charts and indicators. It?s not a foolproof system for trading. Any technician worth his charts would tell you that.

And if they do say their systems never fail ? don?t walk away. Run. That?s something Alex and I can both agree on.

Good Investing,

Marc

How to Properly Use Technical Analysis to Boost Returns, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

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Source: http://www.investmentu.com/2012/December/use-technical-analysis-to-boost-returns.html

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Who likes bling? The answer relates to social status

Dec. 17, 2012 ? A desire for expensive, high-status goods is related to feelings of social status -- which helps explain why minorities are often attracted to bling, a new study suggests.

Previous research had shown that racial minorities spend a larger portion of their incomes than do whites on conspicuous consumption -- buying products that suggest high status.

But a new study showed that whites could be induced to crave expensive, high-status products if they imagined themselves in a low-status position.

These findings cast doubt on the notion that urban minorities have developed a corrosive "bling culture" that is unique to them, said Philip Mazzocco, lead author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University's Mansfield campus.

"Minorities don't buy high-status products because of some 'bling culture.' It is a basic psychological tendency that we all share when we're feeling inferior in some part of our life," Mazzocco said.

"Anyone who is feeling low in status is going to try to compensate. And in our capitalistic, consumption-oriented society, one way to compensate is to buy high-status products."

Mazzocco conducted the study with Derek Rucker, Adam Galinsky and Eric Anderson of Northwestern University. The findings appear in a recent issue of the Journal of Consumer Psychology.

For the study, the researchers conducted several related experiments.

In the first experiment, 146 American adults -- about half white and half black -- were told they would be participating in a study of consumer preferences. They were asked to rate how positively or negatively they viewed 10 products on a nine-point scale from "extremely negative" to "extremely positive."

Five of the products had been rated by a separate group of people as high in status (fur coat, cuff links, caviar, an Italian suit and Italian loafers), while five were rated as relatively low in status (vacuum cleaner, sofa, refrigerator, washing machine and an unbranded shirt).

The study found that, overall, blacks had more positive evaluations of the high-status products than did whites. But more importantly, blacks who considered their race to be an important part of their identity rated high-status goods higher than did blacks who had lower racial identification.

There was no such difference among whites in the study.

"Because African Americans are seen as lower in status in our society, those who identify more strongly with being black are more likely to compensate by seeking high-status goods," Mazzocco said.

A second study provided more evidence of the role that status plays in conspicuous consumption. In this experiment, 117 white college students were asked to write a story in which they imagined themselves as a character with certain demographic characteristics.

In all cases, the demographic characteristics -- including income -- remained the same. But half of the students were asked to imagine their character was white, and half were told their character was black.

Afterward, the participants were asked to rate the desirability of high-status and low-status products. Findings showed that the white students who imagined themselves as a black character rated the high-status products as more desirable than did the white students who imagined themselves as white characters.

"We called this vicarious conspicuous consumption. White students who temporarily identified with a low-status racial group showed an increased desire for high-status products," Mazzocco said.

The findings don't relate only to race, he said. Another study showed that other situations involving status can affect how people feel about conspicuous consumption.

In this experiment, 50 white adults were again asked to write a story imagining themselves as a specific character. In this case, the character was always described as being white. But in half the cases the character was a janitor (a low-status job) and in the other half the character was a brain surgeon (a high-status job).

The findings were clear. Participants who imagined themselves as a janitor had more positive evaluations of high-status products than did the participants who imagined themselves as brain surgeons.

In a final experiment, 69 white adults wrote a story in which they imagined themselves as a white or black character. In this case, they rated their desire to own or purchase specific high- and low-status products. They were then asked to rate the level of social status of the character they wrote about, on a scale of 1 to 10.

In this case, the participants who wrote about the black character were more likely to say they wanted to purchase the high-status products, similar to findings in the earlier studies. And they also rated their character as having lower social status than did the participants who wrote about a white character.

"This provides additional evidence that it is a perception of having low status that is driving the increased preference for high-status products," Mazzocco said.

"It suggests that people don't like being in a low-status situation, and they compensate for that by trying to acquire high-status products."

Mazzocco said having this knowledge may help people as they're shopping.

"If you're in a store and find yourself craving an expensive 60-inch flat-screen TV, think about why you want it. It may not be because of the positive attributes of the TV, but because you have a feeling of low status in some part of your life at that time.

"Think about parts of your identity where you excel. Maybe you're a good father or mother, or a good student or a good friend. There are many parts to our identity, and it may help to call to mind parts where we feel we have higher status when we're shopping."

Mazzocco said future studies will examine whether people can resist conspicuous consumption when they call to mind parts of their lives where they feel they have high status.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Ohio State University. The original article was written by Jeff Grabmeier.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Philip J. Mazzocco, Derek D. Rucker, Adam D. Galinsky, Eric T. Anderson. Direct and vicarious conspicuous consumption: Identification with low-status groups increases the desire for high-status goods. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2012; 22 (4): 520 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcps.2012.07.002

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/consumer_behavior/~3/aCHg3hDMdMs/121217121357.htm

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