Medics: Israel strike kills 11 civilians in Gaza

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) ? An Israeli missile flattened a two-story house in a residential neighborhood of Gaza City on Sunday, killing at least 11 civilians, mostly women and children, Palestinian medical officials said, as Israel expanded a military offensive to target homes of wanted militants.

The attack, which Israel said targeted a militant, was the single deadliest incident of the five-day-old Israeli operation and hiked a toll Sunday that was already the highest number of civilians killed in one day, according to Gaza medics. The bloodshed is likely to raise international pressure for a cease-fire, with Egypt taking the leading role in mediating between Israel and Hamas.

President Barack Obama said he had been in touch with the leaders of Israel, Egypt, and Turkey in an effort to halt the fighting. "We're going to have to see what kind of progress we can make in the next 24, 36, 48 hours," he said.

Obama cautioned against a potential Israeli ground invasion into Gaza, warning it could only deepen its death toll. At the same time, he blamed Palestinian militants for starting the round of fighting by raining rockets onto Israel, and he defended Israel's right to defend itself.

"Israel has every right to expect that it does not have missiles fired into its territory," Obama said in Thailand at the start of a three-nation tour in Asia.

An Israeli envoy arrived in Cairo on Sunday and held talks with Egyptian officials on a ceasefire, according to Egyptian security officials and Nabil Shaath, a top aide of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who was in the Egyptian capital.

But Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers remain far apart on any terms for a halt in the bloodshed, which has killed 70 Palestinians ? including 36 civilians, according to Gaza health officials ? and three Israeli civilians.

Hamas is linking a truce deal to a complete lifting of the border blockade on Gaza imposed since Islamists seized the territory by force. Hamas also seeks Israeli guarantees to halt targeted killings of its leaders and military commanders. Israeli officials reject such demands. They say they are not interested in a "timeout," and want firm guarantees that militant rocket fire into Israel will finally end. Past ceasefires have been short lived.

As the offensive moved forward, Israel found itself at a crossroads ? on the cusp of launching a ground offensive into Gaza to strike an even tougher blow against Hamas, or pursuing Egyptian-led truce efforts.

"The Israeli military is prepared to significantly expand the operation," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting.

At the same time, Gaza militants continued their barrage of rocket fire at Israel, firing more than 100, including two at Tel Aviv. More than 10 Israelis were injured by shrapnel, two moderately, according to police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld. Israel's "Iron Dome" rocket-defense system shot down at least 30 rockets, including the ones aimed at Tel Aviv.

Israel's announcement Sunday that it was widening its campaign to target homes of militants appeared to mark a new and risky phase of the operation, given the likelihood of civilian casualties in the densely populated territory of 1.5 million Palestinians. Israel launched the offensive Wednesday in a bid to end months of intensifying rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

The day's deadliest strike hit the home of the Daloo family in Gaza City, reducing the structure to rubble.

Frantic rescuers pulled the bodies of several children from the ruins of the house, including a toddler and a 5-year-old, as survivors and bystanders screamed in grief. Later, the bodies of the children were laid out in the morgue of Gaza City's Shifa Hospital.

Among the 11 dead were four small children and five women, including an 80-year-old, Gaza health official Ashraf al-Kidra said.

In a statement, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was "deeply saddened" by the deaths of the civilians and "alarmed by the continuing firing of rockets against Israeli towns."

Israeli military spokesman Brig Gen. Yoav Mordechai told Channel 2 TV that the Israeli navy had targeted the building and killed a "global jihad" militant.

"The targets are exact," Mordechai said. "Every (Israeli) missile has an address."

He said the army would continue its operation "as if there were no (cease-fire) talks in Egypt."

The presence of a militant in the house could not be verified. Al-Kidra said the two adult men killed in the strike were civilians.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said that "the Israeli people will pay the price" for the killing of civilians. One of the rocket attacks targeting Tel Aviv came soon after the strike on the Daloo home.

More than a dozen homes of Hamas commanders or families linked to Hamas were struck on Sunday. Though most were empty ? their inhabitants having fled to shelter ? at least three still had families in them. Al-Kidra said 19 of the 24 people killed Sunday were civilians, mostly women and children.

Israeli Vice Premier Moshe Yaalon said civilian casualties are inevitable.

"You can't avoid collateral damage if they position the rockets in densely populated areas, in mosques, school yards. We shouldn't be blamed for the outcome," he said.

Israel also struck two high-rise buildings housing media outlets, damaging the top floor offices of the Hamas TV station, Al Aqsa, and a Lebanese-based broadcaster, Al Quds TV, seen as sympathetic to the Islamists. Six Palestinian journalists were wounded, including one who lost a leg, a Gaza press association said.

Foreign broadcasters, including British, German and Italian TV outlets, also had offices in the high-rises.

Two missiles made a direct hit on Al Aqsa TV's 15th floor offices, said Bassem Madhoun, an employee of Dubai TV, which has offices in the same building.

Building windows were blown out and glass shards and debris were scattered on the street below. Some of the journalists who had been inside the building at the time took cover in the entrance hallway.

Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich, an Israeli military spokeswoman, said the strikes targeted Hamas communications equipment on the buildings' rooftops. She accused the group of using journalists as "human shields," and urged journalists to stay clear of Hamas bases and facilities.

The repeated militant rocket fire on Tel Aviv and a volley fired Friday toward Jerusalem have significantly escalated the hostilities by widening the militants' rocket range and putting 3.5 million Israelis, or half the country's population, within reach. The attempt to strike Jerusalem also has symbolic resonance because both Israel and the Palestinians claim the holy city for a capital.

Israeli radio stations repeatedly interrupted their broadcasts to air "Code Red" alerts warning of impending rocket strikes. In the southern city of Ashkelon, rocket fire damaged a residential building, punching a hole in the ceiling and riddling the facade with shrapnel.

With fighting showing no signs of slowing, international attempts to broker a ceasefire continued.

Nabil Shaath, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who was in Cairo, confirmed that the Israeli envoy had arrived in Egypt for talks, saying there are "serious attempts to reach a ceasefire." There was no immediate Israeli confirmation.

Hamas' prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, spoke to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. He told the Egyptian leader he supports such efforts, provided Hamas receives "guarantees that will prevent any future aggression" by Israel, his office said in a statement.

Morsi over the weekend hosted talks with Hamas' supreme leader, as well as leaders from Hamas allies Turkey and Qatar. He also held contacts with Western leaders.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius visited Israel on Sunday to offer his country's help toward forging an "immediate ceasefire," the French government said.

Meeting with Fabius, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman thanked him for "France's efforts to prevent casualties" but said "the moment that all the terror organizations announce a ceasefire, we can consider all the ideas that French foreign minister and other friends are raising."

___

Aron Heller contributed reporting from Beersheba.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/medics-israel-strike-kills-11-civilians-gaza-180240393.html

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Ten Powerful Employee Engagement Lessons | Switch and Shift

We have one final post to wrap up our series, ?Winning Employees through Engagement.? We are delighted that Vala Afshar rounds out our series on this topic. As an executive for his company who has been named one of the top places to work, Vala brings insights we all can learn from and apply. What we love about Vala?s post is that it?s immediately applicable. As engagement should be. It?s not rocket science. It?s human nature. (Perhaps harder than rocket science?)

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I am very proud of our company. We have had incredible success with more than three years of consecutive topline revenue growth. We have also received numerous industry awards for our innovative products and services. But what I am most proud of is that the Boston Business Journal and the Boston Globe have both recognized our company as one of the ?best places to work? in the Boston area in 2012. Our industry-best employee retention is one of the principle drivers of our company?s success, and from a CMO and Chief Customer Officer perspective, it is clear that customers want to do business with companies that have passionate, committed, and engaged employees.

In business, winning is a team sport. Building a team that is engaged and committed starts with a mindset that celebrates collaboration. Here are ten building blocks towards developing a culture of engagement:

1. Articulate the ?why?

?If you hire people just because they can do a job, they?ll work for your money. But if you hire people who believe what you believe, they?ll work for you with blood and sweat and tears.? ? @SimonSinek. Employees are engaged when they understand the purpose behind direction and destination. Share with employees where you?re going and why.

2. Work without purpose is just a job

Every employee must be given the opportunity to understand and embrace your organization and company mission. Every employee must feel as though they are helping the team achieve the collective goal. Managers must frequently and purposefully communicate direction and destination. Communication creates a culture of engagement.

3. ?What do you think??

What are the eight words that managers can use to engage employees? Tom Peters brilliantly said the eight words are: ?What do you think?? And ?How can I help?? Managers, please ask these questions daily.

4. Listen loudly

There is a difference between hearing and listening. Listening is a sign of respect. Give your undivided attention to your employees. There is no engagement without respect.

5. Cultivate collaboration in a safe environment

Demonstrate to your employees that you celebrate the questions more than the answers. In a safe environment, employees are more willing to teach and be taught and to take calculated risks.

6. Leadership is about positioning

In time of celebration, lead from the back. In time of crisis, lead from the front. Humble leaders position themselves towards success. The more credit you give, the greater the opportunity for employee engagement.

7. Remove your door

Nothing of significance was ever achieved in a manager?s office. The game is played on the outside, so implement a ?no door? policy and get in the game.

8. Indifference is unacceptable

?The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.? ? Colin Powell. You can?t be engaged unless you are accessible. Encourage feedback and be conscious of silence. Indifference is awfully quiet.

9. Respect failure, but don?t fear it

It is harder to engage when you are afraid to fail. Fail forward, fail fast and learn along the way. Most importantly, as a manager, if you make a mistake, admit it publically. Engagement cannot thrive in an atmosphere that demands perfection.

10. Break bread

Invite employees from other departments, and your own, to lunch or breakfast. Learn about what people do to make your company great. Be interested and make connections. Interest alone isn?t enough. Learn to connect authentically.

In summary, no involvement means no commitment; no exception. So remember to engage employees because together is better. Together is how we win.

Connect with Vala

Vala Afshar is Chief Marketing Office and Chief Customer Officer for Enterasys Networks, a Siemens Enterprise Communications Company. Afshar is responsible for worldwide services operations and technical support functions including contact center operations, field engineering, support engineering and infrastructure technologies. Afshar and his team have successfully implemented an award winning cloud computing and social collaboration customer relationship management framework that enables Enterasys to achieve best-in-class customer satisfaction and employee retention. Enterasys? strong technical service and support capability is recognized globally by customers, partners and industry analysts as a true company differentiator.

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Graphic by Shawn Murphy

Source: http://switchandshift.com/ten-powerful-employee-engagement-lessons?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ten-powerful-employee-engagement-lessons

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European Exoplanet-Hunting Space Telescope Nears Its End

The French-led mission that discovered the first rocky extrasolar planet is on its last legs

By Eric Hand and Nature magazine

CoRoT's discoveries include a new class of exoplanet and a pulsation in red giant stars that can be used to understand their interiors. Image: CNES/D.Ducros

A pioneering European space telescope that discovered the first rocky extrasolar planet is on its last legs, Nature has learned.

According to the French space agency CNES, the Convection, Rotation and Planetary Transits (CoRoT) satellite suffered a computer failure on 2 November. While the spacecraft is still functioning, it can no longer retrieve data from its 30-centimeter telescope, which spots exoplanets by looking for transits ? a dimming in brightness as the planet crosses its host star.

?To be frank, I think the problem is serious,? says Fabienne Casoli, the director of space science and exploration at CNES headquarters in Paris.

Launched in 2006, CoRoT set about monitoring thousands of stars. The mission survived its first computer failure in 2009 by relying completely on a second, redundant unit. Casoli says the team has tried several times to reboot the second computer to no avail. The engineering team hasn?t given up on a rescue, and, sometime in December, it will try and reboot the first computer using an alternate power chain. ?For the time being, we don?t give up,? she says. ?But it is one of the last things we can do.?

In the meantime, Malcolm Fridlund, the project scientist from the European Space Agency, says he?s got plenty of data to work with. He?s preparing a paper that will describe five new exoplanets, bringing the mission?s confirmed count to 31. And there are some 200 candidate exoplanets that remain unconfirmed. ?You have to be grateful for what you have,? says Fridlund, who points out that CoRoT had already doubled its three-year design life, and was about to embark on another extension. ?It has done what it was designed for and you can?t ask more from a spacecraft.?

As it stands, CoRoT was the first space mission to discover new planets using the transit technique. With its small mirror, it was never a match for the much bigger (and more expensive) 0.95-meter Kepler space telescope, a NASA mission that launched in 2009 and, at latest count, has discovered some 3,000 candidate planets (see ?The exoplanet next door?).

But Ronald Gilliland, a Kepler co-investigator at the Pennsylvania State University in State College, says that CoRoT will be judged an ?excellent success? for at least two reasons. First, it found that red giant stars oscillated in a way that theorists hadn?t expected, giving astronomers new insight into the structure and evolution of the aging stars. Second, it found CoRoT-7b, the first rocky planet, 1.7 times the diameter of Earth ? the first in a whole new category of exoplanets called super-Earths. ?It beat the Kepler mission to the punch, so to say, in a few areas,? says Gilliland.

Flying in a 900-kilometer polar orbit, CoRoT has to cope with relatively high doses of radiation and seesawing temperatures at it repeatedly crosses in and out of Earth's shadow. By contrast, the Kepler mission has drifted far from Earth in its own separate orbit around the Sun, a far cleaner radiation environment. Yet it, too, has started to show its age. In July, the Kepler team reported the failure of one of the spacecraft?s four reaction wheels, used to keep the telescope pointed on a fixed region of the sky. On 14 November, NASA announced the end of Kepler?s 3.5-year prime mission, and the start of an extension that could last four years. It will need its three remaining reaction wheels to survive for all of that time in order for the mission to reach a major goal: an Earth-twin orbiting in the habitable zone.

?The reaction wheels are the big worry,? says Gilliland.

This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on November 16, 2012.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=4ebaa29e195d9285dd75ce1c1ad20453

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Pflanns: RT @HowardBeckNYT: NBA referee Greg Willard, one of the league's best, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Refs will wear #57 pat ...

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According to the National Weather Service the tornado warning for Vermilion Pari...

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4 Movie Marathon: Romantic Comedy Collection (About a Boy / Prime / The Wedding Date / Intolerable Cruelty) (2-DVD)

Film Collectors & Archivists: Alpha Video is actively looking for rare and unusual pre-1943 motion pictures, in good condition, from Monogram, PRC, Tiffany, Chesterfield, and other independent studios for release on DVD. We are also interested in TV shows from the early 1950s. Share your passion for films with a large audience. Let us know what you have.

Source: http://www.oldies.com/product-view/33464O.html

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All The Location Apps You Have To Use At The SXSW Royal Rumble

It's turning into a battle of apps at SXSW - the sheer number of location-based networking apps hoping to emerge from the conference as this year's breakout hit is nearly overwhelming. What's worse, the apps are often so similar in nature, it's hard to discern the advantages of one over another. Is the app for business networking or making new friends? Does it use check-in data from other networks like Facebook and Foursquare, or does it just connect you with friends? How does the app know who's nearby? Does it kill your battery?

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