An Interview With Jack Olesker: The Writer Of Power Rangers - All ...

Power Rangers was a personal favourite Saturday morning show from the days of my youth; but the works of Jack Olesker have had a significant impact on practically everyone who had a childhood in the eighties and nineties.

From writing murder mysteries to The Care Bears?his portfolio is rather diverse, becoming part of the paradigm shift in children's TV in the final decade of the 20th century. ?In a classic story of chasing 'The American Dream,' Olesker went on to become a key figure in the TV industry, and has recently launched a Kickstarter project to fund his latest creation: ZTV The Zombie Network.

With a taste for horror, a fascinating career epitomised by the boom in children's TV, and his feet placed firmly on the ground alongside his fanbase. ?We speak to Jack about his big breakout into the screenwriting business, the career spanning nearly 3 decades, and his plans with ZTV.

For those who don?t know you beyond being the creator of Power Rangers, tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into the TV writing industry?

My first published novel, No Place Like Home, had the film rights purchased by horror film-producer William Castle (Rosemary's Baby) and MGM executive Sherry Lansing.? I knew so little about anything back then that I sent the only copy to G.P. Putnam?s Sons in a shirt box.? I?m not sure I would have sent it had I known they received 6,000 unsolicited manuscripts a month.? It was plucked from the slush pile and published.? Sherry would go on to become the longest serving CEO of a major motion picture studio (Paramount) responsible for such films as Fatal Attraction, The Accused?and Titanic. ?

My novel would go on to become a bestseller.? I pulled up stakes in Chicago, packed everything I owned into my tiny TR7 and drove to Los Angeles where I was convinced my ?golden fingers? would immediately procure me steady work as a screenwriter.? Unfortunately I didn?t realize there were six thousand, eight hundred and nineteen other people arriving daily in Los Angeles that had the exact same dream.? After two years working as an Associate Editor at Entrepreneur Magazine, I finally snagged a job with voice-over genius Mel Blanc?s son writing commercials for the Armed Forces Radio & Television Service. ?

Eventually I landed a position as a Story Editor at DIC Entertainment.? The first series I worked on was Care Bears?? and admittedly ZTV THE ZOMBIE NETWORK is one helluva long way from Care Bears.? I went on to write, produce and direct over 1,200 episodes of television and eighteen movies, along the way publishing five more novels.? Regrettably, when I created the original development work for POWER RANGERS, I did not own a percentage of the project.? While it certainly opened a lot of doors for me, it was also a motivating factor in my stating my own production company ? 24/7 Productions ? and developing my own projects.? ZTV THE ZOMBIE NETWORK is our present, top priority television series project.?

What was/is your attraction to storytelling of this format?

Great question!? My early background was as a novelist.? I?d published four novels before I broke into television and motion pictures.? But I?d always been a film buff.? My novels tend to be very filmic and visual, so it was a natural step for me from writing novels to screenwriting.? In fact, I sold the screen adaptation of my horror/romance novel Beyond Forever?just before I began working in television.? Also, film and television generally have a much larger audience than novels and I?m a writer that wants to have as large an audience as possible.? So that was another reason I moved into screenwriting. ?

Paint me a ?word picture? of writing for children?s TV in the 80s and 90s.? What was it like at the time?? As a fan of the likes of the likes of ?The Super Mario Bros. Super Show,? ?Aladdin? and ?Mighty Morphin Power Rangers? back in my 90s days of youth, it seems like a ?whole new world? (pardon the terrible pun there) to think about the technicalities behind such screenwriting of Disney movies and Saturday Morning Kids shows.? One that I?d love to know more about from your perspective.

Oh it was an amazing time!? A lot of people have (correctly) said the 80s was the Golden Age of animation and I?d agree with them.? I was fortunate to have three great mentors ? Jean Chalopin, who taught me the creative side of television writing, Andy Heyward, DIC?s President and Haim Saban, CEO back then of SABAN Entertainment, who then owned (and still does own, since he recently bought it back from Disney) ?Power Rangers, that taught me the business side and helped me to forge my battle armor.? Those three men were (and are) towering figures in children?s entertainment.? They are also true gentlemen and I was blessed to study under them. ?

The 80s and 90s were heady years for animation and children?s entertainment.? Jean Chalopin was a creative pioneer, and one of the first producers to actually hire writers to write cartoon scripts.? Much of what animation is today owes a debt to Jean?as do I.? He hired me, an unproven television writer, because I was a novelist and I think he liked the idea that I could tell a good story.? Prior to that, it was mostly artists that would write a few lines of dialog here and there for an animated episode.? But Jean wanted real stories and those who worked with him were turned loose to write those stories. ?

Of course toy companies also played a major role in children?s television back then and I was fortunate to work with Mattel and Kenner and American Greetings and Hasbro and Lego.? I found, overall, that they allowed me a great deal of creative freedom.? The writers were great people as well.? You know, when you write for children there?s an inherent obligation to take into account that you are influencing young, impressionable minds.? Almost every single writer I knew and worked with took that obligation very seriously.? Those were wonderful days and I think we created some great and enduring television.? I?m honored to have been a part of it.

?

Anyway, moving away from what I?ve always wanted to ask since I was a kid, tell us about ZTV.? How has production been going?

It?s been so much fun.? But the creation, marketing and broadcast of a television series is also an arduous undertaking.? A few years ago I was the keynote speaker at The River Bend Film Festival.? A couple hundred attendees were seated in a theater to view my work on the big screen ? many of them no doubt film school students.? After the screening I delivered a talk and then opened it up for a Q&A session.? One young lady stood and suggested, ?Mr. Olesker, after all the years and successes you?ve had, it must be easy to get a television series on the air.?? I smiled a half-smile and answered, ?Every time one begins the process of creating, marketing and hopefully broadcasting a television series it?s like standing in the foothills of the Matterhorn or K2 and looking up at a 13,000 foot-tall mountain.? Granted over the years I?ve developed excellent climbing skills and can afford good climbing equipment.? But it?s still a major campaign to assault that 13,000 foot mountain.?

With ZTV we?ve been fortunate to not only have a stunning and television series concept but to also enjoy a powerful strategic alliance with the highly skilled, multiple Emmy Award-winning production personnel at WNIT Public Television.? And Wicked Jester Entertainment has provided us with a fabulous army of zombies and zombie make-up artists.? Finally, it was a huge leap to sign worldwide zombie icon Sharon Ceccatti, who played the famed Head Nurse in George Romero?s epic Dawn of The Dead, for the lead role of VP and General Manager of ZTV, Medina Madrid.? By the way, ZTV The Zombie Network takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which zombies are the dominant species and run their own television network, hence Sharon?s role as station General Manager.

The point we?re at now is that we have launched our Kickstarter site?and we have a killer promo video there explaining the show.? We also list some amazing rewards for donors.? Once we?ve funded the pilot, I?ll write the series bible, pilot episode script and I?ll produce and direct the pilot.? Then we take the entire presentation package to national broadcasters in an attempt ? which I firmly believe will be successful at ? to secure a pick-up for the production of thirteen episodes that will comprise Season One of ZTV The Zombie Network.

How did you come round to this idea?? What were your inspirations for ZTV?

Yet another great question!? I really have to give credit here to my son, Alex, who initially got me thinking about zombies (I?m anticipating someday he?ll demand a profit position in ZTV The Zombie Network). ? As a pre-teen -- and I?m reluctant to say that?s how young he was --? Alex literally forced me to watch Zombieland?with him.? Once I got past the rough language I just fell in love with the film.? Woody Harrelson and Bill Murray were fabulous in it and I loved that there were occasional doses of humor.? I began researching zombies and found it was no longer a cult or a genre but that it had crossed into the mainstream (In 2011 zombies generated $5 billion ? with a ?b? ? in worldwide revenues). ?I knew there was a lot of zombie content out there and that if we were going to be successful that we?d have to do something different.? So I started thinking about a world in which the zombie wars were over and zombies ruled.?


I started thinking about what that world would be like and that?s how ZTV The Zombie Network was born.? As an aside to all those that believe zombies have peaked, bear in mind that on June 13, 2013 ? if the Mayans were wrong and we?re still here ? World War Z, starring Brad Pitt, will premiere.? That film was budgeted at around $150 million dollars.? Trust me, studios do not put a hundred and fifty million dollars into a genre-project unless they?ve done an awful lot of research, conducted exhaustive focus groups and are convinced a genre is not only still hot but is rising. ?World War Z will kick up the already popular world of zombies into a new level?and with ZTV The Zombie Network we?ll have exactly the right television series at exactly the right time.

How are you finding the experience of creating this show different from your screenwriting of the past??

My being not only the writer and creator of ZTV The Zombie Network, but also its producer and a director is very different from being just ? and I don?t say ?just? as a diminutive term ? its writer and creator.? As a producer I?m basically the mayor of a small town, ensuring that it runs smoothly, efficiently and within budget.? It means I?m responsible for shepherding fifty to a hundred people through the production.? As a director I get the thrill of seeing my writing come to life.? WNIT?s staff ? and particularly VP Production Angel Hernandez ? have been invaluable by giving us the station to shoot at as well as top quality post-production facilities.? And Wicked Jester?s zombies and make-up artists did a stupendous job on the promo.? Their learning curve was a joy to behold.? ?How do I find the experience of creating this show??? Humbling, exhilarating and a joy beyond description?all at the same time.

As the successful funding will pay for a Pilot Episode to be shown to broadcasters, is there a ?Plan-B,? so to speak, if the show doesn?t get picked up?? I feel it would make for a great web series, as it has shown strength on social media; but how would you proceed with this?

I?m stunned because we?re on exactly the same page.? Your Plan-B is exactly our Plan-B.? As you likely know, there have been a number of series that began as webisodes and then made the leap to primetime commercial television.? Moreover, some web series are so lucrative as web series that they don?t need to become commercial television.? ZTV The Zombie Network is a perfect fit for being a web series because its intended audience ? i.e., young demographic ? are so linked into the web. ?

If we do not receive a commercial television pick-up for the series, then we?ll immediately and aggressively proceed to the web, and we will definitely broadcast there.? We?re fortunate to have social media, web aficionado Matt Cail on-board as Creative Consultant.? Matt is one of the top web-savvy execs in the world and he will spearhead taking us to the web if we don?t get a commercial pick-up.? But for my money I?m betting the commercial television acquisitions executives (Ya hear me Syfy, G4, Spike, NBC, CBS and NBC, ?cause we?re comin? loaded for bear!) won?t let me out of their offices after they hear my pitch and see the presentation package.

And finally, what advice would you give to people aspiring to become screenwriters?

About five year ago, when my Alex was eight years old, he sauntered into my home office one night after dinner and announced, ?Daddy, I?ve decided when I grow up I wanna be a writer and a producer and a director just like you.?? I looked him square in the eye and answered, ?Honey, why don?t you consider a field that?s a little easier to break into, like astrophysics or thoracic surgery??? He kind of tilted is head in question, but I?m pretty sure he got the point.? From then on he concentrated on being a paleontologist.? To my dismay, the last few years he?s swinging back more and more toward the entertainment industry.

My advice to anyone that wants to be a screenwriter is that first you?d first better consider if you?ve got guts made out of steel.? This business will rip your heart out.? Unlike selling insurance or real estate or widgets, a screenwriter is selling their creations.? When we get a turndown it is as if a part of us dies.? Yet?yet?

No one could have dissuaded me from being a screenwriter.? Someone once asked Orson Welles what it was like directing CITIZEN KANE.? The Great Man thought a moment? and then replied, ?It was the biggest electric train set a boy ever had.?? Screenwriting is a lot like that.? You?re a creator and that?s a priceless thing. ?

Those that want to be screenwriters are fortunate far beyond most who want to work in other fields of endeavor because all they need to do to study is to turn on the television or go to the movie theater.? It?s all there.? Study, study, study.? And not just The Hunder Games?and Iron Man.? Study Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce?and Bridge on The River Kwai?too.? Find out why a film or television series works and, more importantly, why it doesn?t work.? Rent or buy the first season of Dallas?? not the new incarnation, but the original.? Warning: if you watch three episodes you?re hooked.? Understand that it is characters like J.R. Ewing and Bobby and Sue Ellen that grab viewers. ?

Learn your craft.? That?s very important.? So many young people that want to write a screenplay just sit down and try do it.? You first need to understand the elements of drama and the classic three-act structure and how to create compelling characters and a thousand other things before you?re ready to write.? How much and for how long does a medical student study before they perform their first operation?? There is a misconception that ?we can all write?.? No.? We can all spell.? We can?t all write.

So do the hard work and study before you write.? Then find a mentor.? That?s very, very important.? Find someone ? a teacher, a friend, a relative ? that writes.? Draw upon them.? Those that have succeeded understand the importance of giving back.

Then, when you?re ready, write the very best script you can possibly write?and get in touch with me because, once you?ve signed a release, I?ll be happy to read it.? See?? You?ve already got an ?in? to the entertainment industry.? Run with it?and good luck.

Take a look at the ZTV Kickstarter project!

Jason England

Source: http://newrisingmedia.com/all/2012/12/13/an-interview-with-jack-olesker-the-writer-of-power-rangers.html

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Lethal stings from the Australian box jellyfish could be treated with zinc

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Box jellyfish of the Chironex species are among the most venomous animals in the world, capable of killing humans with their sting. Their venom, though, which kills by rapidly punching holes in human red blood cells, can be slowed down by administering zinc, according to research published December 12 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Angel Yanagihara from the University of Hawaii and colleagues.

The researchers developed ways to extract venom from the jellyfish, and tested it on human blood and on mice. They found that the venom created pores in human red blood cells, making them leak large amounts of potassium, which causes cardiac arrest and death.

As Yanagihara elaborates, "For over 60 years researchers have sought to understand the horrifying speed and potency of the venom of the Australian box jellyfish, arguably the most venomous animal in the world. We have found that a previously disregarded hemolysin can cause an avalanche of reactions in cells. This includes an almost instantaneous, massive release of potassium that can cause acute cardiovascular collapse and death."

The authors treated the cells with a zinc compound which inhibits this process, and found that the treatment could slow the pore-forming process in cells, and increased survival times in the mice treated with the compound, zinc gluconate. The research suggests that the venom's capacity to increase potassium levels is what makes it so dangerous, and that rapid administration of zinc may be a potential life-saver in human sting victims.

###

Yanagihara AA, Shohet RV (2012) Cubozoan Venom-Induced Cardiovascular Collapse Is Caused by Hyperkalemia and Prevented by Zinc Gluconate in Mice. PLoS ONE 7(12): e51368. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051368

Public Library of Science: http://www.plos.org

Thanks to Public Library of Science for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/125911/Lethal_stings_from_the_Australian_box_jellyfish_could_be_treated_with_zinc

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IELTS Writing Task 2: 'video games' essay - ielts-simon.com

Some people regard video games as harmless fun, or even as a useful educational tool. Others, however, believe that videos games are having an adverse effect on the people who play them. In your opinion, do the drawbacks of video games outweigh the benefits?

Many people, and children in particular, enjoy playing computer games. While I accept that these games can sometimes have a positive effect on the user, I believe that they are more likely to have a harmful impact.

On the one hand, video games can be both entertaining and educational. Users, or gamers, are transported into virtual worlds which are often more exciting and engaging than real-life pastimes. From an educational perspective, these games encourage imagination and creativity, as well as concentration, logical thinking and problem solving, all of which are useful skills outside the gaming context. Furthermore, it has been shown that computer simulation games can improve users? motor skills and help to prepare them for real-world tasks, such as flying a plane.

However, I would argue that these benefits are outweighed by the drawbacks. Gaming can be highly addictive because users are constantly given scores, new targets and frequent rewards to keep them playing. Many children now spend hours each day trying to progress through the levels of a game or to get a higher score than their friends. This type of addiction can have effects ranging from lack of sleep to problems at school, when homework is sacrificed for a few more hours on the computer or console. The rise in obesity in recent years has also been linked in part to the sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise that often accompany gaming addiction.

In conclusion, it seems to me that the potential dangers of video games are more significant than the possible benefits.

(258 words, band 9)

Source: http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2012/12/ielts-writing-task-2-video-games-essay.html

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Venezuela says Chavez in tough fight after surgery, warns he may miss swearing-in for new term

CARACAS, Venezuela - Somber confidants of President Hugo Chavez say he is going through a difficult recovery after cancer surgery in Cuba, and one close ally is warning Venezuelans that their leader may not make it back for his swearing-in next month.

Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said Wednesday night that Chavez was in "stable condition" and was with close relatives in Havana. Reading a statement, he said the government invites people to "accompany President Chavez in this new test with their prayers."

Villegas expressed hope about the president returning home for his Jan. 10 swearing-in for a new six-year term, but said in a written message on a government website that if Chavez doesn't make it, "our people should be prepared to understand it."

Villegas said it would be irresponsible to hide news about the "delicateness of the current moment and the days to come." He asked Venezuelans to see Chavez's condition as "when we have a sick father, in a delicate situation after four surgeries in a year and a half."

Moving to prepare the public for the possibility of more bad news, Vice-President Nicolas Maduro looked grim when he acknowledged that Chavez faced a "complex and hard" process after his latest surgery.

At the same time, officials sought to show a united front amid the growing worries about Chavez's health and Venezuela's future. Key leaders of Chavez's party and military officers appeared together on television as Maduro gave updates on Chavez's condition.

"We're more united than ever," said Maduro, who was flanked by National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello and Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez, both key members of Chavez's inner circle. "We're united in loyalty to Chavez."

Analysts say Maduro could eventually face challenges in trying to hold together the president's diverse "Chavismo" movement, which includes groups from radical leftists to moderates, as well as military factions.

Tapped by the 58-year-old president over the weekend as his chosen political heir, Maduro is considered to be a member of radical left wing of Chavez's movement that is closely aligned with Cuba's communist government.

Cabello, a former military officer who also wields power within Chavez's movement, shared the spotlight with Maduro by speaking at a Mass for Chavez's health at a military base.

Just returned from being with Chavez for the operation, Cabello called the president "invincible" but said "that man who is in Havana ... is fighting a battle for his life."

After Chavez's six-hour operation Tuesday, Venezuelan television broadcast religious services where people prayed for Chavez, interspersed with campaign rallies for upcoming gubernatorial elections.

On the streets of Caracas, people on both sides of the country's deep political divide voiced concerns about Chavez's condition and what might happen if he died.

At campaign rallies ahead of Sunday's gubernatorial elections, Chavez's candidates urged Venezuelans to vote for pro-government candidates while they also called for the president to get well.

"Onward, Commander!" gubernatorial candidate Elias Jaua shouted to a crowd of supporters at a rally Wednesday. Many observers said it was likely Chavez's candidates could get a boost from their supporters' outpouring of sympathy for Chavez.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who lost to Chavez in the October presidential election and is running against Jaua, complained Wednesday that Chavez's allies are taking advantage of the president's health problems to try to rally support. He took issue with Jaua's statement to supporters that "we have to vote so that the president recovers."

Maduro looked sad as he spoke on television, his voice hoarse and cracked at times after meeting in the pre-dawn hours with Cabello and Ramirez. The pair returned to Venezuela about 3 a.m. after accompanying Chavez to Cuba for his surgery.

"It was a complex, difficult, delicate operation," Maduro said. "The post-operative process is also going to be a complex and hard process."

Without giving details, Maduro reiterated Chavez's recent remarks that the surgery presented risks and that people should be prepared for any "difficult scenarios."

The constitution says presidents should be sworn in before the National Assembly, and if that's not possible then before the Supreme Court.

Former Supreme Court magistrate Roman Duque Corredor said a president cannot delegate the swearing-in to anyone else and cannot take the oath of office outside Venezuela. A president could still be sworn in even if temporarily incapacitated, but would need to be conscious and in Venezuela, Duque told The Associated Press.

If a president-elect is declared incapacitated by lawmakers and is unable to be sworn in, the National Assembly president would temporarily take charge of the government and a new presidential vote must be held within 30 days, Duque said.

Chavez said Saturday that if an election had to be held, Maduro should be elected president.

The dramatic events of this week, with Chavez suddenly taking a turn for the worse, had some Venezuelans wondering whether they were being told the truth because just a few months ago the president was running for his fourth presidential term and had said he was free of cancer.

Lawyer Maria Alicia Altuve, who was out in bustling crowds in a shopping district of downtown Caracas, said it seemed odd how Maduro wept at a political rally while talking about Chavez.

"He cries on television to set up a drama, so that people go vote for poor Chavez," Altuve said. "So we don't know if this illness is for that, or if it's that this man is truly sick."

Some Chavez supporters said they found it hard to think about losing the president and worried about the future. His admirers held prayer vigils in Caracas and other cities this week, holding pictures and singing hymns.

Chavez has undergone four cancer-related surgeries since June 2011. He has also undergone months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Throughout his treatments, Chavez has kept secret some details of his illness, including the exact location and type of the tumors.

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa wished his close ally the best, while also acknowledging the possibility that cancer might end his presidency. "Chavez is very important for Latin America, but if he can't continue at the head of Venezuela, the processes of change have to continue," Correa said at a news conference in Quito.

___

Associated Press writer Christopher Toothaker contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/venezuela-says-chavez-tough-fight-surgery-warns-may-073016339.html

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Sir Ian McKellen Does Not Have Prostate Cancer, Says Rep ...

Christina's latest Voice look, Lindsay's possible jail time and Sir Ian McKellen's false alarm: See what Us Weekly's preferred partners are buzzing about in this Wednesday's roundup!

Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake's October nuptials were the most searched wedding of 2012 -- according to Google, anyway (Just Jared)

Meanwhile, Whitney Houston was the most Googled phrase (Vulture)

Channel your inner Sasha Fierce with some helpful hints from Beyonce's makeup artist (ET Online)

Why Lindsay Lohan will probably avoid jail time -- again (The Stir)

Who doesn't love love? Check out the sweetest celeb PDA moments of the year! (PopSugar)

Sir Ian McKellen's rep says the actor's quotes were "taken out of context" and that he does NOT have prostate cancer (Zap2It)

From Miley Cyrus' punky cut to Kate Middleton's bangs, take a look back at the most buzzed-about hair transformations of the year (The Daily Beast)

The always over-the-top Christina Aguilera went with a rather interesting look for the Voice semifinals results show Tuesday (toofab)

Donald Trump is lobbying hard to get Anna Wintour a British or French ambassador gig (Fashionista)

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/sir-ian-mckellen-does-not-have-prostate-cancer-says-rep-20121212

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It's 12/12/12: That's bad ? and good

A seemingly benign number that defines everything from a dozen eggs and the hours of day and night to the days of Christmas and the astrological signs, 12 may be in the spotlight today, 12/12/12.

This date structure, in which the same two-digit number gets repeated three times, won't happen again until 2112, according to the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP).

But does the triple dose of 12 hold any meaning? Depends on whom you ask, but in Hong Kong and Singapore, couples are crowding the aisles for a chance to tie the knot on a day they say symbolizes love, according to news outlets. Las Vegas is also abuzz with nuptials, according to CNN, which also reported an Indian numerologist saying today is a great day to start a new business venture. Making the rounds online, a boy who will turn 12 today at 12:12 p.m. in Bronxville, N.Y., suggests we're all a bit "number crazy."

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      Researchers have revealed what the face of a controversial ancient human nicknamed "the Hobbit" might have looked like.

    2. Serbian mountain draws 'Doomsday' crowd
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Doom isn't far behind the celebrations. While most believers in the Mayan apocalypse think the end of the world will come on Dec. 21, 2012, apparently some have interpreted the end of the Maya Long Count calendar differently, pinpointing Dec. 12, 2012, as a day of reckoning. (There is no evidence to suggest the Mayans predicted the end of their calendar to mean the end of the world.)

Turning doomsday on its head, the ASP has coined today "Anti-Doomsday."

"While many pundits and prognosticators lament the supposed end of the world on Dec. 21, 2012 (thanks to misinterpreting Mayan predictions), here at the ASP we encourage everyone to go in the opposite ? and accurate ? direction. Thus, we are declaring Dec. 12, 2012 as Anti-Doomsday Day in celebration of rational thinking and reasoned discourse," according to an ASP statement. [ End of the World? Top Doomsday Fears ]

And if one were to tie any significance to today, and numerology in general, the ASP reminds us of plenty of auspicious associations with the number 12: the months in a year on contemporary calendars; 12 traditional zodiac signs; 12 Olympic gods and goddesses in Greek mythology; and 12 bottles of wine in a case. In Christian belief, Jesus had 12 apostles.

Then there's Mars, which is 12 light-minutes from the sun, and Jupiter, which takes 12 years to orbit the sun, according to the ASP.

The most recent triple-digit setup like today's occurred on Nov. 11, 2011 ( 11/11/11 ), another day some associated with Mayan doom. That day most likely became linked with Dec. 21, 2012, when believers noticed that the U.S. Naval Observatory had set the exact time of the 2012 winter solstice ? when Earth's tilt is angled at its farthest from the sun ? for 11:11 Universal Time on Dec. 21, John Hoopes, a scholar of Maya history at the University of Kansas, told LiveScience last year. (The Observatory now lists the official time for the winter solstice at 11:12 Universal Time.)

While the meaning behind numbers, called numerology, has yet to be grounded in science, humanity seems hard-wired to find such numerical associations.

"Cognitive scientists have demonstrated that our brains are hard-wired to look for meaningful patterns in the sensory data it collects from the world," said Alan Lenzi, professor of religious studies at University of the Pacific. "Numbers that are already significant to us, such as calendar dates, that also coincidentally fall into an obvious pattern become doubly significant," Lenzi told LiveScience in 2011, speaking about 1/11/11.

Lenzi added, "Given the propensity for people to look for significance in particular days and times (e.g. the "end of the world"), patterns are easily imbued with imaginative meaning," Lenzi said.

And patterns tend to stick in our heads ? you're more likely to remember a birthday that's on 11/11, 12/12, or 10/10, than one on 12/5, for instance. The same would be the case for various times of the day. "People are more likely to remember 11:11 than they are, say, 4:29 or 6:53 or 3:17 or something like that," Hoopes said.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook? and Google+.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50175929/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Chobani founder turns centuries old Greek yogurt into billion dollar craze

By Alissa Figueroa
Rock Center

One day in 2005 Hamdi Ulukaya, owner of a small feta cheese company in upstate New York, took a tour that would change his life. As he walked through the 100-year-old yogurt factory, a handful of employees were busying themselves with the work of shutting the factory down.

?On the way back, I called my attorney and I said, ?I just saw a plant and I think I want to buy it,?? explains Ulukaya, a 40-year-old immigrant who grew up on a dairy farm in eastern Turkey. ?He said, "You?re really, really crazy. That's not going to happen.?"

But Ulukaya saw something in the defunct factory that no one else did: an opportunity to bring the yogurt of his youth to the masses. So using loans of less than $1 million, some backed by the Small Business Administration, he bought the plant.

Ulukaya spent the next two years developing the recipe for Chobani yogurt.

NBC News

Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya and Rock Center's Harry Smith.

?That place became my home,? Ulukaya told Rock Center's Harry Smith in an interview airing Thursday, Dec. 13 at 10pm/9CT on Rock Center with Brian Williams. ?It was lonely days, difficult days, a lot of question marks, a lot of pressure to see if I would make it to the next day.?

No longer does Ulukaya have to worry if his company will make its next payroll.

WATCH: Chobani founder on billion dollar Greek yogurt business

Since launching in 2007, Chobani has grown into a $1 billion business, according to Ulukaya, with no signs of slowing down. He also did something arguably more impressive: he changed what Americans eat.

Before Chobani came along, Greek yogurt sales in America were nearly nonexistent. Now, more than a third of the yogurt we eat is Greek, and Chobani is the biggest seller.

Ulukaya's personal wealth is now valued at $1.1 billion by the Bloomberg Billionaire's Index.

Impact on the local community

The good fortune, though, is not only his. Chobani's rise has been a lifeline for one of the most economically depressed parts of the country: rural upstate New York. This area was struggling long before the recession hit, with tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs disappearing in the last few decades.

?I expected the plant to sit there vacant [after Kraft left]. I had these visions of it becoming dilapidated and falling apart,? says Maria Wilcox, one of the four remaining Kraft workers that Ulukaya hired from New Berlin, the tiny town where the plant is located.?

Growing from those first few workers, Chobani now employs more than 1,300 people in upstate New York and has made $193 million in capital investments on the old factory.


?Other companies came and looked at the plant and the surrounding area and left. [Ulukaya] always had a vision for the plant here that included the community,? says New Berlin Mayor Terry Potter.? ?He?s brought a sense of rejuvenation to the community.?

Along with good-paying jobs, Chobani built New Berlin its first little league field, free of charge.

Chobani also trucks 4 million pounds of milk daily to its New Berlin factory from the area's 5,300 dairy farms. New York produced some 530 million pounds of yogurt in 2011 -- more than twice 2008 levels ? and a direct result of Greek yogurt production.

A new kind of CEO

Ulukaya has been able to accomplish all of this so quickly by bypassing many of the traditional models for business success, especially in the food industry. Instead of focus groups, consultants and big marketing campaigns, Ulukaya has focused on perfecting his product based on response from consumers. Ulukaya still has messages from customers (every single one) forwarded to his cell phone daily.

The company has been particularly good at harnessing the power of positive feedback online.

?The communication is so fast; you don't need huge money for the marketing or your voice to be heard,? says Ulukaya. ?It's a flat world.?

In fact, Chobani has only launched two television ad campaigns, the most recent during the 2012 London Olympics, for which they were an official sponsor. Ulukaya had to pull the ads because the factory couldn?t keep up with the increased demand.

Chobani runs on the idea that consumers? voices will shape the market; with the internet, word of mouth is a more valuable marketing tool than ads, says Ulukaya. This helps new guys on the scene make a big impact quickly. And, he adds, it?s their responsibility to challenge the status quo.

?It's a shame what's in the supermarkets today,? says Ulukaya. ?It doesn't have to have all these preservatives.? It doesn't have to have all these bad colors and stuff like that. . . It's the manufacturer's responsibility. They can make it better. They can make it nutritious, and they can make it accessible. That's what we did in Chobani.?

So what?s next for the company?

Chobani just opened its first retail store, a boutique yogurt bar in SoHo, this summer. Now customers can sit down to enjoy a ?yogurt creation," with gourmet fresh toppings and, of course, Chobani.

Ulukaya is coy about what?s on the horizon for Chobani as far as new products, but he?s clear about one thing: this is only the beginning.

Editor's Note: Harry Smith's full report airs Thursday, Dec. 12 at 10pm/9CT on NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams.

Source: http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/12/15866373-chobani-founder-turns-centuries-old-greek-yogurt-into-billion-dollar-craze?lite

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Is investing in Real estate a good idea? | HomeBackers Realty

Posted on December 12th, 2012 by Homebackers

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Source: http://www.homebackers.com/is-investing-in-real-estate-a-good-idea/

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