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February 09, 2012 16:52 PM

Personal Data Protection Act Will Boost e-commerce, e-business Transactions - Rais

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 (Bernama) -- The establishment of the Personal Data Protection Department following gazetting of the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 will lead in higher "e-commerce" and "e-business" transactions.

This will expedite development of the electronic networking system in the country, said Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim.

He said the government's move to recognise an individual's importance via the Personal Data Protection Act would instil confidence among the masses, practitioners of e-commerce and the electronic network that their personal information was adequately protected.

The Act would also help propel Malaysia to emerge as the hub for communications, electronic commerce and an attractive industrial investment and multimedia destination, he said when opening the department and an awareness seminar on personal data protection.

Rais said the Act would also provide the guarantee for personal data protection in accordance with the international standard to Malaysia's foreign trade partners.

"Higher electronic-based transactions have raised the status of personal data which previously did not have high commercial value. The value was equivalent to that of the main commodities," the minister said.

Rais said a person's integrity and personal data protection were crucial factors for Malaysia's transition from a manufacturing-based economy to a knowledge-oriented nation backed by information and communications technology infrastructures.

So far, more than 100 countries have and are introducing the personal data protection legislation, he added.

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Personal Data Protection Act Will Boost e-commerce, e-business Transactions - Rais

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/d53355/integrating_social) has announced the addition of the "Integrating Social Networking into Your Business Development Strategies for 2012" audioconference to their offering.

In this webinar, ExecSense examines how business development executives are leveraging social media to help fuel their business development strategies for 2012. Take the 60-minutes to view this webinar (on your computer, mobile phone, iPad, Kindle or printed out) to learn how other business development executives are establishing social networking goals for 2012, how they plan to use social networking to drive new deals, and specific ways they plan on using LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other sites.

The webinar is led by an expert on the topic, Alex Romanovich (Social2B, CMO of EuroSpaClub International), and covers:

In 60 minutes you will be prepared to take a social networking inventory and develop achievable personal and team development goals for 2012, and more How top business development executives define their social networking objectives; performing a situational analysis; determining a target audience; choosing your communication vehicles; designing your tactical calendar and most importantly - metrics for success What are the secrets to international social media networking that most business development executives haven't discovered yet and how to avoid typical cross-cultural traps A look at how top business development executives use LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter; the strategies they have found to be most successful for establishing a professional following Case studies of 2012 social networking plans for 5 leading business development executives, their best tips and techniques, and important lessons learned you can immediately implement in the year ahead

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/d53355/integrating_social

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Research and Markets: Integrating Social Networking into Your Business Development Strategies for 2012

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Business and agricultural groups told Idaho House and Senate tax committees that restoring university research and development budgets, adding incentives for job creation and eliminating Idaho's $130 million personal property tax would all help boost the state's economy.

The House Revenue and Taxation Committee and the Senate Local Government and Taxation committees met Wednesday in a rare joint session, to gather input as they consider Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's proposal to dedicate $45 million to tax cuts.

House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bedke told presenters to imagine they were in the tax policy store, hunting for the best product to stimulate the economy.

"I would like to drill down, from each of the industries, from your perspective, how is that going to move the needle on economic development in the state," said Bedke, R-Oakley. "We're on the cusp of setting tax policy here."

Clark Krause, of Jobs for Idaho, a group representing economic development groups across the state, suggested establishing a fund to reward companies that export over 50 percent of their goods and services beyond Idaho's borders. According to his plan, they would be eligible for thousands of dollars' worth of incentives for creating jobs, with the money paid out over four years to ensure that they follow through on their commitments.

"Our idea is to please consider ... a job expansion fund, so that when a value-added job company is looking to grow jobs within the state of Idaho, we have the tools to make sure that they make a decision to keep those jobs here and grow those jobs here," Krause said.

Meanwhile, Food Producers of Idaho lobbyist Brent Olmstead said his group's No. 1 priority would be restoring research and development spending.

That's happening, at least in a limited way, with Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter promoting his IGEM program that will direct $5 million toward universities to partner with private industry on new ideas that could eventually become commercially viable products.

Alex LaBeau, the top lobbyist at the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, told the panel that the Legislature's failure to eliminate the $130 million personal property tax on business equipment has been a drag on economic development. Dumping the tax would allow businesses to direct newly available cash to job creation, he said.

"This is a bad tax," LaBeau said. "It's the one that all the businesses talked to us about and said, 'This is a nightmare. It has to go away.' "

And recently appointed Department of Commerce Director Jeff Sayer told the panel that one thing he's learned in his four months on the job is that Idaho should develop attractive incentives that go well beyond the state's traditional attributes of low energy costs, a flexible, affordable workforce and quality of life.

Sayer called it "window dressing" — the kind of knockout package meant to catch the fickle eye of head hunters hired by companies to negotiate the best relocation package possible. Without that, companies will consistently overlook Idaho's deeper qualities because the incentives in the store front aren't alluring enough, he said.

"When I walked into this position, I fully expected when it came to recruiting new companies we'd be dealing with the principles of those organizations, we'd be sitting down with the CFOs, we'd be sitting down with the decision-makers, and saying 'These are the benefits of Idaho,' " Sayer said. "That's not the way the game is being played. Companies are literally hiring site selectors, and those site selectors are being compensated on the incentive package that they can bring to the table.

"The biggest issue," he said, "is getting them here."

Read more from the original source:
Idaho biz, ag groups promote economic incentives

Published: Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 3:00 a.m. Last Modified: Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 8:11 a.m.

The idea that hard work and initiative pay off proved true for her father, a truck driver who built his own trucking company and replaced his family's used mobile home with a new three-bedroom house near Port Angeles, Wash.

Lawson parlayed her Harvard Business School idea into a software company that she sold after two years for $60 million, keeping $6 million and going on to hold corporate executive jobs paying as much as $300,000 a year.

Now Lawson, 41, who's lived quietly and privately in San Francisco and San Rafael for 20 years, is engaged in her first-ever political campaign, bidding for the most sought-after political post on the North Coast. She's running as a pro-business Democrat with liberal values, intent on lifting the middle class out of an economic funk.

“I come from those roots. I had the benefit of living the American dream,” Lawson said. “I see that slipping away.”

She has made the progression from entrepreneur to congressional candidate — Lawson calls it an “evolutionary path” — aided by an Indian guru who kindled her spiritual quest and a San Francisco political maven who cultivated her political inclinations.

Lawson, who is single and has been a San Rafael resident for the past three years, has bolted into a wide-open race for the Congressional seat being vacated after 20 years by Democrat Lynn Woolsey, the liberal Petaluma Democrat best known for her steadfast opposition to the Middle East wars.

She is now out meeting voters in the district that stretches from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border, seeking the 3,000 signatures needed to qualify for the June 5 ballot without paying a $1,740 filing fee.

She's already grabbed attention by raising more than $450,000 for her campaign, and intends to pull in a total of $2million, money she will need to overcome a near zero in name recognition.

Lawson's fundraising has eclipsed one of her leading opponents, activist Norman Solomon, who has spent decades cultivating relations with the North Coast's most liberal Democrats. And she's betting on a November runoff against Democratic Assemblyman Jared Huffman, who has represented the North Bay in Sacramento for five years, has the largest campaign warchest and a long list of endorsements.

On Wednesday night, seven Democratic candidates, including Lawson, Solomon and Huffman, are expected to participate in a public forum at the Petaluma Boys and Girls Club.

Lawson is unknown to most of the district's 400,000 registered voters, but two Democratic heavyweights are already in her corner.

Doug Bosco, a Santa Rosa attorney and former North Coast Democratic congressman, said he is quietly introducing Lawson to his friends.

“Everyone is enthusiastic about Stacey,” said Bosco, who lives in a McDonald Avenue mansion in Santa Rosa and has closed ties to monied Democrats. “She has a charisma and a sense of purpose about her that is appealing to people.”

Pointing to Lawson's business record, Bosco said: “She can take ideas and make jobs out of them.”

Susie Tompkins Buell, who lives in a penthouse apartment in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood, is among the Democratic Party's most prolific donors and is on Lawson's campaign finance committee.

“She's a great breath of fresh air. What we really need in politics,” said Buell, a co-founder of the Esprit clothing company.

Buell and Lawson met in 2007, when Lawson participated in Emerge California, a political candidate training program for Democratic women and worked together on Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. Buell co-founded Emerge and serves on its advisory board with Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Buell, who said her passion is the environment, declined to say how much money she would raise for Lawson. She already has donated the $5,000 maximum personally.

“I'm inviting people to meet her,” Buell said. “Stacey really sells herself. I don't ask for favors.”

Lawson's fresh face and fundraising adds “an element of sizzle” to the congressional race, said David McCuan, a Sonoma State University political scientist.

The money makes her “instantly credible,” and Lawson's jobs-first campaign pitch could resonate in a district where unemployment runs as high as 18 percent in rural Trinity County, he said.

“In the primary, you're buying visibility,” he said.

About eight Democratic and Republican candidates are expected to be on the June ballot, and unless someone gets a majority the top two vote-getters will advance to the November election.

If two Democrats make it to the runoff, Lawson's pro-business credentials could appeal to Republicans and independents, who make up 44 percent of the district's registered voters, compared with 50 percent Democrats.

Lawson hopes to follow in Woolsey's footsteps.

Woolsey a former welfare mother, started her own personnel agency in Petaluma, got elected to the city council, then pulled a stunning upset in 1992, the “year of the woman” in California politics. She won a crowded primary with a $62,000 campaign against better-known and far better-funded male candidates.

Woolsey's personal appeal and a cadre of women backers propelled her into Congress, and her liberal politics — in perfect tune with prevailing North Bay sentiments — cemented her two-decade run in office.

Lawson claims the same liberal credentials: abortion rights, marriage equality, open space preservation and clean energy. She is “100 percent on board,” she said, with expanding marine sanctuaries to protect the coast from oil drilling, a legislative goal that Woolsey has pursued for years and hopes to achieve in the 2012 session.

Lawson's campaign mantra, “restoring middle class prosperity,” derives from her upbringing in Port Angeles, Wash., a blue-collar town supported by logging, fishing and lumber mills.

Her truck-driving father prospered by dint of “hard work and handshakes,” she said, enjoying an upward mobility that Lawson intends to rekindle. Her 49-page campaign report, released last week, aims to revive manufacturing and promote technology. Her policy recommendations include repealing the Bush tax cuts for people making more than $250,000 and implementing the Buffett rule, which says millionaires should pay the same tax rate as working people.

But her campaign says nothing about the mantras she learned at an ashram in India in 2004.

That was a pivotal year for Lawson, who wound up walking away from the work that made her rich. “I've always been an entrepreneur,” she said. “I never identified with business per se.”

She earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Washington in 1992 and worked at IBM in San Jose for two years. At Harvard Business School she hatched an idea for industrial design software, and after graduating with a master's degree in 1996 launched her first company, InPart Design, to produce it.

At Parametric Technology Corp., which bought InPart for $60 million in 1998, Lawson helped build a new division into a $300 million a year business. At Siebel Systems, she developed a $100 million a year business from 2001 to 2004.

Stepping away from corporate boardrooms in 2004, Lawson co-founded the Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology at UC Berkeley, a program that has graduated more than 3,000 engineers and scientists and developed 18 companies with more than 1,000 jobs in Northern California.

In 2004, she made her first trip to India, where she met Baskaran Pillai, a guru who teaches that repeated sounds, or mantras, can cultivate a “spiritual awakening.”

In an hourlong audiotape at the Sacred Awakenings Series website, Lawson described her first meeting with Pillai, saying he “touched my third eye” and enabled her to “see the light bodies of all the people in the meditation hall.”

She called it a “turning point” in her life, and has worked with Pillai ever since, combating poverty in India and Southeast Asia. She meditates for two hours every morning, or at least as often as her schedule allows.

In an interview with The Press Democrat, Lawson described Pillai as a “close friend,” humanitarian and “spiritual leader.”

Pillai contributed $5,000 to her campaign, as did Vish Iyer, who serves with Lawson on the board of Pillai's Tripura Foundation, and Iyer's wife, Akila.

Lawson also serves on the board of the Petaluma-based Institute of Noetic Sciences, along with George Zimmer, chairman of the Men's Wearhouse, who joined his wife, Lorri, in giving Lawson a total of $10,000.

The institute, dedicated to exploring the bounds of consciousness, describes Lawson as “equal parts entrepreneur and spiritual leader” on its website.

“I believe in helping make people's lives better,” she said.

Read this article:
Political newcomer drawing attention, cash

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES: Pasco senior Mike Larry survives all that life throws at him — including the murder of his mother, his father and brothers being jailed — to raise his grades at an alternative center, make a football team and win a college scholarship. (Times photo, Stephen Coddington)

LET THEM ANSWER: The Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association complains that some teachers were left out of the district's annual climate survey. 

FOUR-DAY WEEK: Pasco parents raise multiple concerns about a proposal to have students attend fewer, longer school days.

NO SUBSTITUTE: Online education isn't the same as a classroom experience with good teachers and classmates, Eckerd College president Donald Eastman writes in a column for the Times.

WHAT MATTERS MOST: Lake County teachers ask to be freed of extra duties so they can focus more on academics, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

UNFAIR: An Orange County principal says schools serving poor students won't get fair treatment in the state's merit pay system, WKMG-6 reports.

STRAIGHT TO STUDENTS: The Florida Department of Education studies the Lake Wales Charter Schools model of directing grant funds straight to schools, the Ledger reports.

COLLEGE CREDIT: A growing number of Miami-Dade and Broward high school students take dual enrollment college courses, the Miami Herald reports.

LIBRARY FINES: Palm Beach schools fail to collect about $2 million in lost book fees, the Palm Beach Post reports.  

FOLLOW THE RULES: A finalist for Palm Beach superintendent withdraws after the School Board allows the interim superintendent, who was contractually barred from applying, to be considered for the job, the Palm Beach Post reports.

SUE YOU: Two ousted Brevard maintenance workers file a lawsuit saying their were wrongfully terminated, Florida Today reports.

PAY UP: Former Monroe superintendent Randy Acevedo, ousted and found guilty of public corruption, has yet to pay his criminal fines, the Keynoter reports.

Visit the Gradebook at noon for an interview with Monica Verra-Tirado, newly appointed director of the state's Bureau of Exceptional Education.

Originally posted here:
Florida education news: Success story, four-day school week, online education and more

OTTAWA — Many young people remain vulnerable to online predators because they are dangerously unaware that privacy on the Internet is an illusion, experts say.

And the Internet has opened so many avenues for young people that they've become blissfully ignorant it can also be used to harm them.

Teenage girls in particular tend to be easy prey because they see the Internet as part of their living space and consider — incorrectly — whatever they do online as private, said Shaheen Shariff, an associate professor of education at McGill University, who specializes in cyber-bullying and online social networking.

The reality is that the Internet has no boundaries — once an image leaves a home computer or cellphone, it becomes universally available.

What makes teenage girls who are frequently online even more vulnerable is the fact that many are at an age where they are experimenting with their sexuality, and it's easy to take advantage of them, experts add.

They say the case of a 20-year-old Ottawa man who used threats and extortion to lure young women into performing online sexual acts reinforces the need for more Internet-usage education.

"Young people today see the Internet as part of their lived space . . . and when they send photographs, or are seduced by people to do it online, they consider that to be private space," Shariff said.

"They do not understand that what they send is available to an infinite audience and the information can be permanently damaging to them."

Michael Hoechsmann, another McGill University expert in education, media and new technology, says the Internet is not to blame.

Young people have always experimented, he says, but what has changed is that the Internet offers an avenue for mass distribution, especially for images.

And since it has become such an integral part of the culture and personality for young people, abuses are inevitable. But malicious acts are seemingly becoming more the exception than the rule.

"Increasingly, young people are living virtual lives and using the Internet as a form of expression and meeting place. The fact that many young people carry cameras with them on a daily basis has made them broadcasters," Hoechsmann said.

"When people bring whatever element of their identity to that meeting place, you're going to have some that are going to express it in a hateful manner," he added.

Shariff says that while a number of incidents involving predators has created a "moral panic" in the media, making the Internet seem "bad" for girls, the contrary is true.

The Internet, she says, remains a positive instrument for young people — but the challenge is to identify those who are vulnerable, and put in measures to protect them.

She says the problem is that "the lines between public and private" are blurred for teen girls, and it is important to get them to understand the limits of online privacy.

It is a task that requires the combined effort of parents, teachers and everyone involved in teenagers' lives.

"The advent of the Internet has posed a whole new series of challenges to our society and the youth in particular," said Alex McKay, research co-ordinator of the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada.

"Clearly, there are some kids who are not aware of what can happen to their communications and images that are posted on the Internet. It is extremely important that schools as part of the education they provide, include information and skills that will help young people navigate the Internet safely."

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

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Teens need education in online privacy

SHCOE to provide career-based high school diploma program to inmates in several Florida correctional facilities.

Pensacola, FL (PRWEB) February 09, 2012

The Florida Department of Corrections has formally announced its intent to award a contract to Smart Horizons Career Online Education (SHCOE) for the provision of online career training and high school education services to Florida inmates. According to Dr. Howard Liebman, CEO and Superintendent of SHCOE, the initial pilot program is scheduled to begin March 1 at the Madison Correctional Institution and either the Lowell Correctional Institution or the Hillsborough Correctional Institution.

Based in Pensacola, Florida, SHCOE is the world’s first AdvancED/SACS accredited online school district. SHCOE offers an instructional program that enables students returning to the education process to earn an 18-credit high school diploma while also completing coursework for a credentialed career certificate. SHCOE forms strategic alliances with school districts, post-secondary institutions, community organizations and non-profit foundations in an ongoing effort to reach an ever-widening circle of adult learners.

“We are excited that the Department of Corrections will use SHCOE’s online academic program to provide inmates with an innovative career-based online high school education,” Dr. Liebman said. “We have specifically developed a career online education and training model for the corrections industry that is flexible, cost-effective and readily adaptable to prison populations.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice statistics, approximately 75 percent of America’s state prison inmates are high school dropouts. “Equally telling is the fact that only 20 percent of adults who have been in prison education programs are re-incarcerated as compared to a 49 percent rate of re-incarceration for adults who did not participate in those programs,” said Dr. Liebman. “SHCOE offers the State of Florida an ideal means of lowering recidivism rates, reducing costs, and preparing prison inmates for careers in various occupational areas.”

According to Florida Department of Corrections data, the state’s current prison population exceeds 100,000 individuals.

________________________________________________________________________________

Smart Horizons Career Online Education, founded in 2009 and located in Pensacola, Florida, is a private, AdvancED/SACS accredited online school district. AdvancED/SACS District accreditation signifies that SHCOE and all of its schools are fully accredited and that SHCOE is recognized across the nation as a quality school system. Smart Horizons Career Online Education offers 18–credit, career–based high school diploma programs that are designed to prepare students for entrance into the workplace. Career certificate offerings include Childcare Education, Office Management, Protection Services, Homeland Security, Healthcare (coming soon), Transportation Services, and Professional Skills.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.shcoe.org, call our office at 855–777–4265 or email us at info(at)smarthorizonsonline(dot)org

Contact: Dr. Howard Liebman, Smart Horizons Career Online Education, CEO & Superintendent, 305–962–6489 or hliebman(at)smarthorizonsonline(dot)org

###

Howard Liebman
Smart Horizons Career Online Education
305-962-6489
Email Information

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Florida Department of Corrections Announces its Intent to Award Smart Horizons Career Online Education Contract to ...

The first person hired by Google's founders is leaving the Internet giant to devote himself to an innovative online education website called Khan Academy.

Google on Thursday confirmed that Craig Silverstein is departing the California company he helped Larry Page and Sergey Brin build into the world's most popular search engine.

"Craig's been with Google since the early days," Google said in an emailed response to an AFP inquiry.

"He was instrumental in the development of search and made numerous contributions to Google over the years.

"We wish him all the best at the Khan academy and know that he will do great things to help them promote education around the world," Google said.

Silverstein was "Googler number 3," joining graduate students Brin and Page about 14 years ago after they launched the service in a Stanford University dorm room.

The engineer planned to join Salman Khan at the nonprofit Khan Academy, which provides online video classes. Google and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are listed among the academy backers.

The rest is here:
First Google hire leaving for online academy

Bridget Baldwin is working toward her online bachelor's in business management from Champlain College.

College education takes all sorts of shapes these days, as students more often choose nontraditional routes to a degree. Many people of different ages, backgrounds, and career goals are now looking to online education programs. Here's why one person chose an online degree.

Bridget Baldwin has had quite the relationship with Champlain College, a small, private school in Vermont. She graduated high school, and then earned her associate degree in retailing and fashion merchandising at Champlain in 1992. After a few jobs, she circled back to her alma mater, where she's worked for the last dozen years, first in alumni affairs, and then in the Division of Continuing Professional Studies, where she is now the director of enrollment management.

About a decade ago, Baldwin began working toward a bachelor's degree from Champlain, by taking part-time evening classes when she could. Though Baldwin spent a lot of time at her job in the Division of Continuing Professional Studies talking adult learners into taking online classes, Baldwin admits that she was skeptical of the idea. She finally gave in and figured she ought to try the learning method she promotes, so, six years ago, Baldwin started taking online classes from Champlain and hasn't looked back. She says that if she hadn't switched from on-campus to online learning, she probably wouldn't have completed her degree.

Age: 39

Online program: Champlain College

Degree pursuing and graduation year: B.S. in business management, expected May 2012 (20 years to the day after earning her associate degree)

Why an online degree: "It really came down to time management around my family and quality time with them," says Baldwin. She was already spending more than 40 hours per week on campus for work, Baldwin says, and she didn't want to spend any more time away from her two children and husband. Instead of attending class on campus for three hours around dinner time, Baldwin says she now studies early in the morning before her kids awake, and late at night after they go to bed.

Degree impact: Baldwin has just been promoted in her job at Champlain College because of her nearing degree completion. She says, too, that she has more "drive" to learn than ever before, thanks to fighting negative thoughts. "As an adult learner, I think there can be a lot of things in life that tell you can't: not enough time, not enough money, not enough confidence," says Baldwin. "But you get that confidence as you learn." She adds that, "you start to become part of this community of adult learners that is really engaging and motivating."

Biggest challenge of earning an online degree: Baldwin, who spent a decade earning her degree (the first four years on campus, and the last six online), cites time as her most daunting struggle. "That's a big commitment, not just by me, but by my family."

Advice for future online students: "Be open to online [education]," says Baldwin. "You can do it. There are ways to manage everything in life and make that commitment to yourself."

Searching for an online program? Get our complete rankings of Top Online Education Programs.

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Why I Chose Online Education: Bridget Baldwin

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giAt-SMiPE0

09-02-2012 22:44 Hello there and thanks for stopping by! Here I introduce myself and explain how I got into my own "fat" predicament, discussing my current diet, PCOS diagnosis, and a proposed 2 month long wellness challenge. Join me 🙂

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Weight loss Vlog - Week 1 - Intro to Diet Plan