Gays In The Military? What’s The Big Deal?

(By: Roc4Life)

«I have served with homosexuals since 1968. I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.» – Admiral Mike Mullen, Joint Chiefs of Staff.

These sentiments reflects the views of the top brass in our military defense team who are fighting to repeal the «Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell» law (DADT) in front of Congress this week. The issue was addressed during President Obama’s first State of the Union last week where he declared to deal with abolishing a law that threatens plenty of gay and lesbian soldiers who serve our country.

http://widgets.clearspring.com/o/4ae8d36a3102598f/4b6adcca79db8bdd/4ae8d36a3102598f/63cc5b3c/-cpid/f3dc95bfbd4dfc26 DADT was established by everyone’s favorite President, Bill Clinton, in 1993 and was fully supported by Gen. Colin L. Powell. Yesterday, Gen. Powell stood in front of law makers yesterday to announce his repeal.
«In the almost 17 years since the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed. I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen.»

Despite the Republicans who denounced the move to change the law –Surprised John McCain is apart of that crew?–citing the policy might not have been ideal, but it functioned properly, 187 members of the House have signed on to the Military Readiness Enhancement Act which overturns the DADT policy.

The next step is to conduct a one year study on gays in the military in order to accommodate them in the future, which means those who have hidden their sexuality might be at risk to being outted.

There are 80 countries in the world who view homosexuality a crime punishable by death. The Muslim world as well as religiously conservative countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America prohibit gays from serving their military.

More than 13,000 gays have been discharged since DADT was enacted in 1993, and gay groups cited studies claiming that more than 60,000 gays currently serve. Obama’s stance for change is an absolute sign of progression in the United States.

Why the big deal over Gays and Lesbians in the military? Do they have the hee-bee-gee-bees that we don’t know about?

3 Social Networks For Connecting With Entrepreneurs

(By: Read Write Start)

Written by Chris Cameron / February 4, 2010 9:10 AM

This post is part of our ReadWriteStart channel, which is a resource and guide for first-time entrepreneurs and startups. The channel is sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark. To sign up for BizSpark, click here.

As more of the business world flattens with the expansion of online services, social networking is increasingly becoming a critical factor to success in many industries. Whether you’re for a small businesses selling art at a craft fair or a Fortune 500 company trading on the stock exchange, social networking has the power to expand your brand among both your audience and fellow business owners. For the latter, entrepreneurs can take advantage of specialized social networks to meet, communicate share and partner with others.
Florida-based entrepreneur, business consultant and blogger Matthew Ringer recently posted an extensive list of the his top 40 Social Networking Sites Specifically for Small Business, Entrepreneurs, and Startups on his site Small Biz Bee. The list is an excellent resource for anyone looking to expand their professional network, but for those looking for a quick dose of business social networking, here are profiles of three great sites from Ringer’s list for connecting with entrepreneurs.

LinkedIn, an obvious choice, is the de facto business social network cementing its position as the top social network for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses with over 50 million users as of October 2009. The widespread popularity of LinkedIn has turned the site into an excellent business directory and job board while making membership in the site as much of a professional necessity as a resume or portfolio. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a site LinkedIn become a complete replacement for resumes in the near future.

PartnerUp

Ringer’s number 3 spot goes to PartnerUp, which aims to do for small businesses and budding entrepreneurs what MeettheBoss does for executives by providing the opportunity for networking, collaboration and sharing. We recently told How to Avoid Mediocre Co-Founders and PartnerUp seems to be a excellent additional resource for finding your A team.

MeettheBoss

For the experienced entrepreneur, MeettheBoss narrows the business social network focus to the management level, providing a portal for executives and higher-ups to meet and communicate. With their unique tools for tracking your interests and activty and slick professional user interface, MeettheBoss is a great place for co-founders and CEOs to meet fellow senior managers to network and share information. The site also goes beyond social networking by providing an impressive set of features including exclusive articles and videos.
Some other great networks for connecting with entrepreneurs include StartupNation, BizNik and Entrepreneur Connect. Some interesting inclusions on Ringer’s list included Qapacity, a network accompanying a website creating tool, and Ning, a site for creating and joining personalized social networks. Have some under-the-radar selections for great places for entrepreneurs to get together?

Subastan su virginidad en internet

(By: El Universal)

Internet es un gran invento, quizá el más importante de los últimos 50 años, pero también ha sido causa de muchas polémicas en numerosos casos de violencia o religión y también en temas de sexualidad, no sólo los que atañen a la pornografía, sino en fenómenos como la subasta de la virginidad por internet.
En 2008 la estadounidense Natalie Dylan inició la subasta de su virginidad para pagar su posgrado y para enero de 2009 ya había acumulado más de 10 mil ofertas y la mayor alcanzó los 3 millones 700 mil dólares. La residente de San Diego, California, dice que se ofertó luego de que su hermana pagó sus estudios tras trabajar como prostituta tres semanas.
Y como este caso hay muchos. El más reciente sucedió ayer 3 de febrero cuando la agencia de noticas AP informó que una adolescente neozelandesa de 19 años subastó su virginidad por 32 mil dólares para pagar sus estudios universitarios en el portal http://www.ineed.co.nz, bajo el nombre de Unigirl.
La chica dijo que más de 30 mil personas vieron su aviso y más de mil 200 hicieron ofertas hasta que aceptó una superior a los 45 mil dólares neozelandeses (32 mil dólares estadounidenses).
Unigirl dijo en su aviso: “Ofrezco mi virginidad al mejor postor con la condición de que se observen todos los aspectos de seguridad personal”.
No sé. En mi opinión dudo mucho que la seguridad esté garantizada en este tipo de actos. ¿Quién le asegura a Unigirl y a todas las mujeres que subastan su virginidad que el hombre en cuestión es sano?, ¿qué no le hará un daño físico o psicológico?, ¿qué el acto no traerá consecuencias graves?
Chicas, mejor busquen un empleo, ahorren dinero y páguense sus estudios. Es más seguro.
En este video se muestra otro de tantos ejemplos.

IPhone Loses Market Share in Fourth Quarter

(By: The Wall Street Journal)

In the last quarter, Apple Inc.’s iPhone did something it’s rarely done before: lose market share.
Worldwide, the iconic device accounted for 16.6% of smartphone sales in the fourth quarter, dropping from 18.1% in the third, according to data compiled by ABI Research.

Apple’s sales still grew, just not as quickly as everybody else’s. Apple sold 8.7 million iPhones in the fourth quarter, which is 18% more than in the quarter before. But the overall smartphone market grew 26% in the same period of time, as Motorola Inc. introduced its first devices on Google Inc.’s Android platform and Nokia Oyj boosted its sales by 4.6 million alone.
The last time the iPhone took a dip in market share was in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to ABI Research. Michael Morgan, an analyst at the firm, says Apple could be running into a case of “Razr burn.” In 2004, Motorola launched the Razr phone, which shot to the top of the charts. But after a little over two years of selling the same device with the same look, it dropped in popularity.
That of course is a little rich. The California device maker still enjoys profit margins among the industry’s highest. And the attention it commands is unrivaled (see the frenzy around the iPad unveiling last week). An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.
The iPhone is still the measuring stick for new phones and has influenced the industry quite disproportionate to its share, however that may fluctuate. But for Apple, says Mr. Morgan, “To lose market share in a record quarter, that’s got to sting a little bit.”

Parodia de Nintendo Wii en Los Simpsons

(By:Mediotiempo.com)

La temporada número 21 de Los Simpsons se puede ver en Estados Unidos desde sepriembre pasado, y en el último episodio, proyectado el domingo pasado, la familia amarilla se encargó de parodiar al Nintendo Wii.

En el capítulo llamado «Million Dollar Maybe, los residentes del asilo de ancianos están algo deprimidos por no poder ver la TV debido a la falta de un convertidor; Lisa, que está visitando al abuelo Simpson en ese momento, decide tomar cartas en el asunto. Al llegar a la tienda de electrónicos, la hermana mejor de Bart ve cuánto se divierte el señor Burns jugando el Zii Sports y el Call of Duty: World at War en el Funtendo Zii, por lo que se convence de comprar una de estas consolas para los viejitos.
Luego de no tomar muy bien la noticia, los habitantes del Castillo del Retiro de Springfield terminan felices jugando al Zii Sports con todo y los sonidos originales incluidos.

Gobierno Mexicano quiere poner restricciones a Twitter

(By:Truthout)

Mexicans are using Twitter to avoid drunk-driving checkpoints. Drug cartels might be using it too. Does that justify restricting social networking sites?

Mexico – Mexico has racked up its fair share of menacingly named outlaws in a three-year drug war: the Zetas, Aztecas and even a band of female assassins called the Panthers.

Now, if the government gets its way, another name will also make the wanted list: los Twitteros.

That’s right. Twitter users are fast becoming public enemy No. 1, at least in Mexico City, where they have angered authorities by warning one another of roadside «alcoholimetro» — or Breathalyzer — checkpoints set up by the police.

But the case against the Twitteros is about more than alcohol.

Mexico is, after all, a country at war — at least according to President Felipe Calderon, who launched the crackdown on drug cartels shortly after taking office. Three years later, the streets of border cities like Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana remain full of soldiers. In many ways, the government is still playing catch-up to the nation’s criminals.

In this context, the issue of the Twitteros has quickly expanded into an argument over whether public safety takes priority over free speech in a country struggling to contain serious social ills. Fearing that kidnappers and drug cartels use Twitter, Facebook or MySpace to communicate, the Mexican government is considering a bill to restrict social networking websites and to set up a police force to monitor them.

The Twitter feed in question, Anti Alcoholimetro, doesn’t hide its intent. On any given night, a dozen people write in listing the time and location where they saw a police checkpoint, helping others to avoid it.

The government’s response has been erratic. At first, city officials said tweeting the location of police checkpoints was a crime, akin to helping someone break the law, and vowed to find a way to prosecute Twitteros. But after a media frenzy, they quickly backed down.

«We’re not taking any action against the Twitteros,» said Othon Sanchez, director of preventative programs for Mexico City’s public safety office.

«I don’t think it’s a crime to say, ‘Hey, I just passed Reforma Avenue and there’s an alcoholimetro,'» he said. «But it is an irresponsible act because here in Mexico drunk driving is a serious problem. We see it on a daily basis.»

In fact, Sanchez said the Twitteros had been a blessing in disguise: their tweets have helped publicize the alcoholimetros and spurred his office to launch its own Twitter campaign in support of the program.

Yet the right to tweet is far from guaranteed, even in the relatively liberal capital of Mexico City. Article 320 of the city’s penal code prescribes prison terms of up to five years for those who «in any way help a delinquent avoid investigation by the authorities or escape their actions.»

If that seems vague, it is. But federal lawmakers are quickly working on specific legislation to track down and punish Twitteros who break the law or help others escape it.

«We have to regulate these websites to make sure there aren’t people breaking the law, making death threats or committing crimes via electronic means,» said Nazario Norberto, a federal representative and member of the leftist Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD).

Although Twitter asks users to abide by local laws, it and other social networking websites are currently completely unregulated and un-policed in Mexico, according to Norberto.

He says his bill is still in the works, but is modeled in part after a controversial Spanish bill that would allow judges to shut down websites that, according to the government, help people break copyrights and other laws.

The Spanish bill has already drawn fierce criticism from civil liberties groups. But Norberto denies his bill would restrict free speech. Instead, he argues, it would keep Twitteros from sharing private government data about the location of alcoholimetros.

«This isn’t public information because the federal police and public safety officials set up these roadblocks without telling anyone where they’ll be,» he insisted. «That’s the whole point.»

If passed, the bill would do much more than prevent Twitterers from revealing Breathalyzer checkpoints. It would also create a «cybernetic police force» to scour the web for crime, including kidnappings and drug activity, Norberto said.

His bill reflects a growing fear in Mexico that kidnapping rings and drug cartels are using social networking sites like Twitter to do business.

«It’s a way for drug cartels to locate targets,» said Ghaleb Krame, a security expert at Alliant International University in Mexico City.

«Facebook and Twitter have lots of weaknesses,» he said. «For instance, criminals can find out who are the family members of someone who has a high rank in the police. Perhaps they don’t have an account on Twitter or Facebook, but their children and close family probably do.»

Indeed, a recent string of killings suggest drug cartels are more web-savvy than the police. In December, a marine was killed during an operation to capture one of Mexico’s most wanted drug lords, Arturo Beltran Leyva, who also died in the shootout. Less than a week later, gunmen attacked the marine’s home, killing his mother and three relatives.

«How did they know where his parents lived?» Krame asked, suggesting that the cartel could have used websites like Facebook to track down the family. «Drug traffickers have an intelligence network and, as far as I know, at this moment in time it’s more effective than ours.»

While he seconds Rep. Norberto’s call for police to mine Twitter and Facebook for data, Krame said any attempt to restrict social networking websites would be a mistake.

«We have to play within the rules of the game,» Krame said. «These are open sources. If we try to regulate them we’re just going to end up like China battling Google.»

«We can’t go down that path,» he added. «It would be absolutely anti-democratic.»

All republished content that appears on Truthout has been obtained by permission or license.

Hallar empleo en México lleva 6 meses

(By: CNNExpansión.com)

El 76% de quienes buscan un trabajo tarda medio año para colocarse, según una encuesta; la búsqueda puede llegar al año mientras el aspirante encuentra una plaza acorde a su experiencia.

<!–Más noticias de mi-carrera

Los expertos recomiendan definir un plan para la búsqueda de empleo. (Foto: Jupiter Images)

ARTÍCULOS RELACIONADOS

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El mejor momento para encontrar mejores opciones laborales es cuando no hay presión para hacerlo.

Evita fraudes en tu búsqueda laboral
La desesperación por encontrar un empleo hace que la gente sea más susceptible de ser engañada.

¿Dónde están los trabajos?
Cerca de 80% de los empleadores no publican sus vacantes y confían en recomendaciones personales.

Por: Tania M. Moreno

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO (CNNExpansión.com) — El 76% de quienes buscan empleo en México tardan en promedio 6 meses para colocarse, de acuerdo con la encuesta Motivaciones del Mexicano en el Trabajo. Aunque existen algunas vacantes en el mercado, este proceso puede extenderse hasta un año completo, tiempo en el que el aspirante encuentra algún puesto acorde a la experiencia que tiene, según el análisis de la compañía de soluciones de Recursos Humanos, Randstad México que realizó una encuesta a 1,367 personas de entre 25 y 35 años durante enero de 2010.
Este periodo se mantiene igual sin importar si el aspirante es egresado de una maestría o sólo terminó la secundaria, lo que pone de manifiesto la importancia de la especialización y definición de objetivos laborales concretos que impulsen el desarrollo de carrera y de la empresa.
«En el mundo actual las personas deben preocuparse más por la especialización, y por definir un plan para la búsqueda de empleo, por lo que deben conocer qué buscan las empresas, qué pueden ofrecer al mercado y cómo explotar sus cualidades», dice el director general de Randstad México, Alejandro Álvarez.
La planeación es fundamental para competir por mejores oportunidades, actualmente el 95% de quienes buscan trabajo se encuentran desempleadas, por lo que tiene un margen menor de negociación y aceptan ofertas que incluso están por debajo de su perfil laboral.
Esto sumado a la poca especialización obliga a los trabajadores a no ampliar sus horizontes para desarrollarse en diferentes ramas y limitar el crecimiento laboral.
El sueldo es el mayor estímulo que se toma en cuenta para elegir un empleo, y lo que menos importa es la distancia que existe entre el área de trabajo y la casa del aspirante.
No obstante muchas empresas toman en cuenta el aspecto de la distancia para reclutar personal activo.
El factor más importante para mantener un empleo en México es el sueldo y las prestaciones, secundado por el trabajo que se desempeña, el plan de carrera y el ambiente laboral.
También se toma en cuenta en renombre de la empresa donde se labora y el reconocimiento de los superiores.

Bear With Us – Excelente puntada de Grooveshark

Going down for a bit. That’s what she said.

To those of you who were redirected here, we apologize.
In an attempt to befriend Asian investors and increase office morale, we here at Grooveshark established some connections with the Chinese black market and imported our very own black-and-white Giant Panda (hereby known as «Pickles»). Unfortunately, due to circumstances no one could have foreseen, Pickles became agitated at the fluorescent lights and near-constant belly rubs and began clawing at our computers.
Pickles is currently thrashing about in the server room, causing the technical difficulties and temporary outage you just experienced. As soon as our interns return from Pier 1 with synthetic bamboo, a picnic basket and an oversized net, we will be able to return the servers back to normal and, if we can, rescue the coder that Pickles has taken as a prize.
Thank you for your patience.

Would You Buy an iPad? Wired Readers Weigh In

(By:Wired.com)

The Apple iPad tablet is finally here, but it hasn’t drawn quite the same cheer from Apple enthusiasts and gadget fans that some observers expected.
About 60 percent of the 1,114 readers that took Wired.com’s iPad poll said they would not buy the iPod. Some 41 percent of the 892 readers who took a separate poll said the tablet did not live up to its hype, though they expect it to find a home among high-end consumers.
The quick verdict: “It’s an iPod Touch on steroids.”

The iPad name was the focus of many jokes with, predictably, the comments hitting the “pad” aspect of it.
“I think they should have gone with iSlate for the name,” commenter Navi101 wrote in response to our live coverage of the event. “iPad makes me think of feminine products.”
There’s more. The Jezebel blog, written for women, published an entire article summing up the “best period-related iPad jokes.”
“Not gonna lie, the name iPad makes me shudder a bit,” tweeted Lisa Gumerman. “Kind of even makes me less interested in buying it.”
The iPad name is also symptomatic of the lack of women engineers in IT, said Eve Tahmincioglu on the Huffington Post blog.
“I suspect a room full of female computer engineers would not have named Apple’s new cybertablet the iPad,” she wrote. “This naming faux pas is a perfect example of why we need more women IT professionals in this world. Apple wants women to buy these gizmos, but is anyone really thinking about us gals?”
Still some Apple fans says that customers are likely to warm up to the name after the initial reaction. “It’s a poorly chosen name. But so was Wii, and everyone got over those jokes after the first week,” tweeted Rob Sheridan, creative director for Nine Inch Nails.
Other users focused on the real shortcomings of the device. “What? iPad has no [Adobe] Flash player. That’s what it needs for so many websites. That’s not good,” tweeted Andrea Bakes.
Others pointed to the lack of USB port and multitasking in the device as features that will be missed.
“I don’t understand no multitasking, I mean how can you expect anyone to use this for work?” commented ’spitfiredd’ on Wired.com.
Though Apple’s Steve Jobs introduced the iPad as a device that would occupy the world between smartphones and laptops, potential customers aren’t convinced. A full 71 percent of 934 readers polled said they won’t buy an iPad, because they are happy with their smartphone and notebook.

Some Apple fans are not ready to give up on the device.
“I am not a fanboy at all, and I find it absolutely awe inspiring,” commented NickSA. “This is the future. Hats off to Apple, they have done it again — though personally I would wait till the second generation [of the device] for all the bugs to get ironed out.”
Ultimately, the question is, who really needs an iPad and is the data plan worth it. “Why would you take a iPad with you if you have a iPhone? Do you need to have both?,” commented jescott418. “Why spend an amount on two service plans with AT&T two basically do the same thing? I am scratching my head at who really needs this except for the base model for a coffee table piece.”
And as for the publishing industry, where some had pinned their hopes on the tablet, the iPad is unlikely to prove to be the digital savior that was wished for. About 59 percent of 824 readers who took the poll say the iPad won’t save the publishing industry.
That’s a few hundred readers that publishers won’t be able to count on.

Affair’s scent

Nota Importante: En uno de mis misteriosos encuentros con lo desconocido, encontré esta carta de amor, un amor distinto al convencional y correcto, un amor que no le da a nadie orgullo presumir. Socialmente penado por el morbo de las costumbres y el compromiso, peligra entre lo aceptable y el odio.

Dear Little Jebi,
Please keep in your mind that there is a pretty girl in California who often thinks of you. Know in your heart that there is a warm place in mine for you.

Remember always that life is made up of moments, like the moment you walked into a restaurant in Madrid and our eyes met. It was a pleasure to meet you that night, and I am so thankful to know you. I’ve looked at your profile many times and I must admit that I’ve seen you are in a relationship and do not care at all. You are beautiful and intelligent, a sexy man who must have his needs met. You deserve a girlfriend. I want nothing more than for you to be happy every moment of your life. Please don’t feel wrong for having a girlfriend and talking to me; I don’t want you to think ill of me.

Every girl has dreams about a tall, dark and handsome man who comes and sweeps them off of their feet and that is what you are to me. My dream come true. You and I have separate lives–different countries, schools, languages, friends–but I will come to see you (I’ll get a hotel) and expect you to detach from your life to enter into a romantic dream with me. A romantic affair. With me. And I will do nothing other than expand your heart and mind, deepen your spirituality and fuel your confidence. Trust in love. Be true to yourself. You’re heart does not lie so listen to it.

Don’t let your girlfriend see the package I sent you. I don’t want to get you into trouble; you have all of my respect. I adore you.

Peace and love, LEW