Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo da Costa Paes waves Olympic flag at London Olympics' closing ceremony

Staff at the Rio Olympics organising body downloaded documents without consent from London 2012 organiser Locog, in a bid to glean tips on how to run a successful games.

The data breach happened during a knowledge sharing scheme, with officials from both London and Rio linked up to transfer knowledge by sharing information in digital format.

However it has emerged that the Rio team's data mining efforts exceeded the agreed scope, to the fury of the British team.

A raft of documents were hacked under the noses of UK officials, who did not realise what was happening until it was too late.

London 2012 chief executive Paul Deighton reportedly telephoned his Brazilian counterparts in person following the data breach, to demand the files be returned.

The breach of protocol caused a storm in Rio too. Nine members of staff were sacked as a result, reported Brazilian media.

A spokesman for London 2012 confirmed a data breach had taken place, telling reporters: "We can confirm that there were some files received without our permission, but the Rio organising committee acted swiftly and returned the files promptly."

To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail: To contact the editor, e-mail:

Read this article:
Rio Olympics Organisers Hacked Locog Documents in Bid to Emulate London 2012's Success

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- FICO (FICO), the leading provider of analytics and decision management technology, today issued a call for presentations for its forthcoming annual FICO World conference, to be held April 30-May 3, 2013, in Miami. FICO clients, as well as other industry leaders, are invited to submit proposals for conference sessions related to predictive analytics, Big Data and key issues in retail banking.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111010/CG83314LOGO)

Anyone interested in delivering a presentation is encouraged to submit a session proposal at http://www.ficoworld.com/sessionproposal. Preference will be given to sessions submitted by October 19, 2012.

FICO World is recognized as the foremost international conference on applications of predictive analytics and decision management technology. Key topics for the 2013 conference will include the evolution of analytics in the face of major technological advances such as Big Data, cloud and mobile, as well as innovative use of analytics to improve the customer experience, adhere to new regulations, grow profitably while managing risk, increase small business lending, and align capital levels and decisions with risk.

FICO is particularly interested in sessions that demonstrate innovative use of analytics and decision management technology to solve pressing business issues in the banking and retail industries, as well as sessions that present original research or industry studies. Attendance and accommodation is free for presenters, who will have the opportunity to share their ideas and achievements and network with industry colleagues. While the conference has a banking focus, FICO World 2013 will feature several sessions on Big Data analytics for marketing that would be of interest to retailers and other industries.

"Big Data analytics will be at the heart of every business function from fraud management to marketing to portfolio optimization and more," said Mike Gordon, vice president and leader of FICO's banking practice. "Businesses need to understand how to turn Big Data into better decisions across the customer lifecycle. We encourage proposals from presenters from around the world who can offer attendees actionable insight on how to adapt and succeed in this rapidly evolving regulatory, economic and technological environment."

Registration for FICO World 2013 opens on January 7, 2013. With immediate questions, email ficoworld@fico.com. For updates on FICO World 2013, please follow FICO on Twitter or LinkedIn.

About FICO

FICO (FICO) delivers superior predictive analytics solutions that drive smarter decisions. The company's groundbreaking use of mathematics to predict consumer behavior has transformed entire industries and revolutionized the way risk is managed and products are marketed. FICO's innovative solutions include the FICO Score the standard measure of consumer credit risk in the United States along with industry-leading solutions for managing credit accounts, identifying and minimizing the impact of fraud, and customizing consumer offers with pinpoint accuracy. Most of the world's top banks, as well as leading insurers, retailers, pharmaceutical companies and government agencies, rely on FICO solutions to accelerate growth, control risk, boost profits and meet regulatory and competitive demands. FICO also helps millions of individuals manage their personal credit health through http://www.myFICO.com. Learn more at http://www.fico.com. FICO: Make every decision count.

For FICO news and media resources, visit http://www.fico.com/news.

See the rest here:
FICO Seeks Presentations on Big Data Analytics and Banking Success for FICO World 2013

A growing body of research suggests that self-compassion, rather than self-esteem, may be the key to unlocking personal and career potential. Psychologist Heidi Grant Halvorson explains why self-compassion a willingness to look at your own mistakes and shortcomings with kindness and understanding is more than just a buzzword.

Image remixed from Ljupco Smokovski (Shutterstock).

If you look under the Self-Help heading on Amazon, youll find roughly 5000 books listed under the subhead Self-Esteem. The vast majority of these books aim to not only tell you why your self-esteem might be low, but to show you how to get your hands on some more of it. Its a thriving business because self-esteem is, at least in Western cultures, considered the bedrock of individual success. You cant possibly get ahead in life, the logic goes, unless you believe you are perfectly awesome.

And of course you must be perfectly awesome in order to keep believing that you are so you live in quiet terror of making mistakes, and feel devastated when you do. Your only defence is to refocus your attention on all the things you do well, mentally stroking your own ego until it has forgotten this horrible episode of unawesomeness and moved on to something more satisfying.

When you think about it, this doesnt exactly sound like a recipe for success, does it? Indeed, recent reviews of the research on high self-esteem have come to the troubling conclusion that its not all its cracked up to be. High self-esteem does not predict better performance or greater success. And though people with high self-esteem do think theyre more successful, objectively, they are not. High self-esteem does not make you a more effective leader, a more appealing lover, more likely to lead a healthy lifestyle, or more attractive and compelling in an interview. But if Stuart Smalley is wrong, and high self-esteem (along with daily affirmations of your own terrificness) is not the answer to all your problems, then what is?

A growing body of research, including new studies by Berkeleys Juliana Breines and Serena Chen, suggest that self-compassion, rather than self-esteem, may be the key to unlocking your true potential for greatness. Now, I know that some of you are already sceptical about a term like self-compassion. But this is a scientific, data-driven argument not feel-good pop psychology. So hang in there and keep an open mind.

Self-compassion is a willingness to look at your own mistakes and shortcomings with kindness and understanding its embracing the fact that to err is indeed human. When you are self-compassionate in the face of difficulty, you neither judge yourself harshly, nor feel the need to defensively focus on all your awesome qualities to protect your ego. Its not surprising that self-compassion leads, as many studies show, to higher levels of personal well-being, optimism and happiness, and to less anxiety and depression.

But what about performance? Self-compassion may feel good, but arent the people who are harder on themselves, who are driven to always be the best, the ones who are ultimately more likely to succeed?

To answer that, its important to understand what self-compassion is not. While the spirit of self-compassion is to some degree captured in expressions like give yourself a break and cut yourself some slack, it is decidedly not the same thing as taking yourself off the hook or lowering the bar. You can be self-compassionate while still accepting responsibility for your performance. And you can be self-compassionate while striving for the most challenging goals the difference lies not in where you want to end up, but in how you think about the ups and downs of your journey. As a matter of fact, if you are self-compassionate, new research suggests you are more likely to actually arrive at your destination.

In their studies, Brienes and Chen asked participants to take either a self-compassionate or self-esteem enhancing view of a setback or failure. For example, when asked to reflect on a personal weakness, some were asked to imagine that you are talking to yourself about this weakness from a compassionate and understanding perspective. What would you say?

Read the original post:
To Succeed, Forget Self-Esteem

A growing body of research suggests that self-compassion, rather than self-esteem, may be the key to unlocking personal and career potential. Psychologist Heidi Grant Halvorson explains why self-compassiona willingness to look at your own mistakes and shortcomings with kindness and understandingis more than just a buzzword.

If you look under the Self-Help heading on Amazon, you'll find roughly 5,000 books listed under the subhead Self-Esteem. The vast majority of these books aim to not only tell you why your self-esteem might be low, but to show you how to get your hands on some more of it. It's a thriving business because self-esteem is, at least in Western cultures, considered the bedrock of individual success. You can't possibly get ahead in life, the logic goes, unless you believe you are perfectly awesome.

And of course you must be perfectly awesome in order to keep believing that you areso you live in quiet terror of making mistakes, and feel devastated when you do. Your only defense is to refocus your attention on all the things you do well, mentally stroking your own ego until it has forgotten this horrible episode of unawesomeness and moved on to something more satisfying.

When you think about it, this doesn't exactly sound like a recipe for success, does it? Indeed, recent reviews of the research on high self-esteem have come to the troubling conclusion that it's not all it's cracked up to be. High self-esteem does not predict better performance or greater success. And though people with high self-esteem do think they're more successful, objectively, they are not. High self-esteem does not make you a more effective leader, a more appealing lover, more likely to lead a healthy lifestyle, or more attractive and compelling in an interview. But if Stuart Smalley is wrong, and high self-esteem (along with daily affirmations of your own terrificness) is not the answer to all your problems, then what is?

A growing body of research, including new studies by Berkeley's Juliana Breines and Serena Chen, suggest that self-compassion, rather than self-esteem, may be the key to unlocking your true potential for greatness. Now, I know that some of you are already skeptical about a term like "self-compassion." But this is a scientific, data-driven argumentnot feel-good pop psychology. So hang in there and keep an open mind.

Self-compassion is a willingness to look at your own mistakes and shortcomings with kindness and understandingit's embracing the fact that to err is indeed human. When you are self-compassionate in the face of difficulty, you neither judge yourself harshly, nor feel the need to defensively focus on all your awesome qualities to protect your ego. It's not surprising that self-compassion leads, as many studies show, to higher levels of personal well-being, optimism and happiness, and to less anxiety and depression.

But what about performance? Self-compassion may feel good, but aren't the people who are harder on themselves, who are driven to always be the best, the ones who are ultimately more likely to succeed?

To answer that, it's important to understand what self-compassion is not. While the spirit of self-compassion is to some degree captured in expressions like "give yourself a break" and "cut yourself some slack," it is decidedly not the same thing as taking yourself off the hook or lowering the bar. You can be self-compassionate while still accepting responsibility for your performance. And you can be self-compassionate while striving for the most challenging goalsthe difference lies not in where you want to end up, but in how you think about the ups and downs of your journey. As a matter of fact, if you are self-compassionate, new research suggests you are more likely to actually arrive at your destination.

In their studies, Brienes and Chen asked participants to take either a self-compassionate or self-esteem enhancing view of a setback or failure. For example, when asked to reflect on a personal weakness, some were asked to "imagine that you are talking to yourself about this weakness from a compassionate and understanding perspective. What would you say?"

Others were asked to instead focus on boosting their self-esteem: "Imagine that you are talking to yourself about this weakness from a perspective of validating your positive qualities. What would you say?"

Read the original post:
To Succeed, Forget Self-Esteem [Success]

HOUSTON, Sept. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Jose Canseco gives an insider point of view of what it's like to experience a public fall from grace.

In his latest, exciting video blog for Steroid.com, Jose Canseco candidly discusses the twisted spiral of what it was like to experience a much publicized fall from fame and success. Covering topics ranging from losing millions, no longer being in the game, and personal struggles, Canseco offers an insightful glimpse into the highs and lows of a professional sports career. Regarding becoming addicted to the success and fame, he says...

"You know I do think you get addicted to that lifestyle and I think you're always trying to get back what you lost or trying to become better but you never get it back."

Answering fan questions with thorough honesty and unvarnished candor, Canseco discloses that he misses the game today. When asked how much he still thinks of professional baseball, Canseco states...

"Yeah. I think if you have an addiction that long - playing major league baseball you constantly dream about it and I am dreaming about trying to get back to the game all the time and trying to play."

Canseco also reveals the personal sacrifices that had to be made while fashioning his career. Specifically, he addresses his regrets of not getting more time to spend with family, especially his daughter...

"My relationship with my daughter...she's gonna be sixteen now...I traveled so much...I didn't get to see my daughter as much as possible...I've missed a lot of time with my daughter... I wonder if she knows who her father is. I wonder if she knows who daddy is..."

"Canseco on Steroids" has fresh, new exhilarating episodes every Monday and Thursday, exclusively on http://www.steroid.com.

http://www.Steroid.com

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

More here:
Jose Canseco Discusses Fall from Fame and Success

By Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel 7:26 p.m. EST, September 18, 2012

Lerentee McCray, front (34), and other Florida players celebrate with fans after defeating Tennessee 37-20 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. (Christine Casey for the Orlando Sentinel / Sep 18, 2012)

GAINESVILLE As an 18-year-old freshman for the 2008 Florida Gators, linebacker Lerentee McCray enjoyed the ultimate success in college football.

With a national championship ring on his finger already, McCray looked ahead to his best years with the Gators. Instead, injuries, position changes and coach Urban Meyer's departure stalled McCray's career.

Things were no better an hour down the road from Gainesville, back home in Dunnellon, where McCray faced a family crisis and questions about his struggles with the Gators.

But McCray never questioned himself and has become a leader on defense three games into his fifth and final season at Florida.

"The most difficult point was hearing everybody back home just asking my mom what is going on with me and all that," McCray recalled. "That and just a couple of injuries that bumped me down the road. That's been the hardest part, but I have been able to overcome it."

No one on the Gators defense the backbone of the nation's 14th-ranked team preparing to host Kentucky (1-2) Saturday has made more impact plays than McCray.

During last weekend's 37-20 win at Tennessee, McCray intercepted a pass to set up the game's first touchdown and forced another pick in the third quarter, with the score 20-20. A week earlier at Texas A&M, McCray sacked elusive freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel as the Gators shut out the Aggies explosive offense during the second half of a 20-17 win.

"He can drop in coverage; he can rush the quarterback; he's physical," senior inside linebacker Jon Bostic said. "He's everything you want in a player."

Read more:
Gator Lerentee McCray's personal adversity has fueled his success

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Personal injury lawyer Cameron Brock believes in seeing a case to its conclusion. He and his associates have a 97% success rate, and a no-win, no-pay policy. They've seen every kind of case, from dog bites to product liability, and they're always eager to educate the public about their rights and the ways in which the legal system protects them. A recent case in which Kobe Bryant was charged with assaulting a spectator at a basketball game is an unusual and interesting example.

Celebrity justice is a favorite topic in the American media. Some feel it's because we like to see the rich and famous taken down a peg, while others are just reading to root for their favorite celebrity during a tough time. While Kobe Bryant is no stranger to legal trouble, the dusty old assault case from an incident that occurred in 2005 is a stranger case of celebrity justice than you might think. Nonetheless, the Law Offices of Burg & Brock, Inc. have seen even weirder cases, naturally.

Cameron Brock, the premier personal injury attorney in Los Angeles, says the case highlights how the plaintiff can change in a case, how the appeals process can work for a plaintiff, and how an impending jury selection process affects a defendant's decisions.

The case, which was just settled for an undisclosed amount, took an interesting turn in 2008 when the plaintiff died, leaving his mother to continue the case. "Someone's estate can sometimes carry on a lawsuit. Plaintiffs need to know that. This is an extreme case, but wrongful death isn't the only way a lawsuit can outlive a person," says the personal injury lawyer.

Additionally, the case was dismissed in 2010. The plaintiff then continued with appeals and won a victory: the 6th U.S. Circuit Court told the lower court it had to hear the case after all. Two years later, jury selection was set to begin, and Kobe Bryant settled for unknown reasons. "In some cases a plaintiff just doesn't want to go to court, and will settle the case in order to avoid it," the personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles said.

"I don't expect this plaintiff to be popular around Los Angeles, but it does show the kind of David vs. Goliath effect our legal system allows," he said. No puns about the 6'6" defendant were intended.

For more information about how the legal system and a great personal injury attorney can work for you, go to http://www.legaldefenders.com or call 1 (888) 509-2998 for a free consultation now.

PR Submitted by http://www.cyberset.com

Follow this link:
According to Law Offices of Burg & Brock, Bryant Settlement Gives Rare Insights into Personal Injury Law

If the Federal Reserve had a manual, the current chapter might be called "Giving it the old college try."

More than four years after the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the economy is still limping along, companies are reluctant to hire and the unemployed are so discouraged that millions have given up looking for jobs. So the Federal Reserve announced Thursday it is trying yet another round of economic stimulus without any certainty it will bring people back to work.

In essence, Chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed doesn't have the ability to provide all the fixes the economy needs, but he's using what he has to try to get companies to hire more. What he can do is try to influence interest rates, the stock market and confidence.

He's trying to make it cheaper for companies to borrow money and for individuals to buy or refinance homes so both groups will spend more. If spending picks up, the thinking goes, companies will need to hire so they can produce and sell more.

The central bank said it would begin buying billions of dollars of mortgage-backed securities, its best shot at pushing down mortgage rates. To prove the Fed's commitment, it left the program open-ended and said it was prepared to do even more "if the outlook for the labor market does not improve substantially."

In a dramatic acknowledgment of the depths of the problems, the Fed said it would try to keep interest rates at their current near-zero level until at least mid-2015. That pushes back the commitment from late 2014.

But Bernanke said the new action "is no panacea," and analysts are skeptical that it will accomplish little more than give a bump to the stock market, which typically spikes on dramatic Fed pronouncements. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 206.51 points on the Fed's news and is up almost 11 percent this year, but that gain will disappear quickly if the economy fails to gain traction.

Bernanke thinks the Fed's planned actions will help. But he notes that economists, and Fed governors too, disagree on how much.

The job market is being affected by several factors that tend to be outside the Fed's control, Bernanke noted: the European recession, which curtails spending on U.S. products; cuts and layoffs coming in state and local governments; and a continued lack of lending from banks. In other words, while people with strong credit scores can borrow, those hit by the housing crisis and layoffs can't refinance homes or borrow to buy them.

Also looming over business confidence is a threat to the economy from political leadership. At the end of this year, hundreds of billions of dollars in tax increases and spending cuts are scheduled to occur. And if Congress is paralyzed and lets them happen, Bernanke assumes the economy will go into recession.

Link:
Personal Finance: Fed's latest move no guarantee of success

By Andrs Cardenal - September 17, 2012 | Tickers: AAPL, BRCM, CHL, CRUS, QCOM | 0 Comments

Andrs is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.

The much-anticipated iPhone 5 is here, and the discussion is getting hotter by the day: Should you bet on the new Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) product or is it a big disappointment signaling the end of the good times at Cupertino?

The bearish argument for Apple and the iPhone 5 is mostly related to the operational and technological aspects of the new product. Most people in this camp are pointing to the fact that the iPhone 5 does not include any big technological breakthrough. In comparison to the Samsung Galaxy S III, for example, the Apple product seems to bebehind in aspects like RAM, battery life or screen size.

On the other hand, I dont think that's going to be the main driver of a purchase decision for most customers.People buy Apple products because of their brand differentiation, image, and user experience. When the iPod was launched, the acronym idiots price our products became very popular, and there were some objective reasons for that. After all, the iPod was a more expensive MP3 player lacking some valuable features, like a radio.

But the consumer business is not only about objective and measurable reasons, and there are some counterintuitive aspects to consider. A higher price tag is not always a negative for sales. Pricing is a marketing tool, and Apple has positioned itself as the premium player in the industry. The iPhone 5 may not be better than the latest Samsung product based on technological capabilities, but its more elegant and cooler, mostly because its an Apple product.

Sales are off to an auspicious start, and I would expect nothing else than a new blockbuster from Apple in spite of some well-argued, though ultimately misguided, critiques of the iPhone 5. And the good news is than betting on the iPhone 5 doesn't require any sophisticated analysis, as shares of Apple itself still offer a considerable upside potential from a valuation point of view.

Make no mistake; in spite of the fact that theshare price ofApple has risen exponentially over the last years, and is even at all-time historical highs, the company is still trading at a P/E ratio of 16. This is below the average of 20 times earnings for the tech sector, and also below the five year average P/E of 22 the company has carried in the past. On a forward basis, the stock looks even more attractive with a P/E ratio of only 13.

And it doesnt end there.Many other companies will benefit from strong sales at Apple, with Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) being one noteworthy example. The company provides chips and technologies used in the iPhone 5, as well as the iPad and other high end smartphones, so Qualcomm is actually a bet on the mobile revolution, not just the new Apple smartphone. At a P/E of 19 Qualcomm is more expensive than Apple, but still reasonably priced for a tech leader with exciting growth prospects.

Another way to bet on the mobile revolution, with Apple as a main customer and the iPhone 5 as a middle-term growth driver,is Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM). The company provides chips for many highly demanded technologies including mobile, wireless and connectivity chips. Broadcom operates in a very competitive industry, but the company has positioned itself as a market leader thanks to its outstanding R&D capabilities. The stock trades at a P/E ratio of 26, but on a forward basis it carries a much cheaper ratio of 12.

See the original post:
Why the iPhone 5 Will Be a Success, and 5 Stocks to Benefit From It

By Richard Saintvilus - September 17, 2012 | Tickers: AAPL, DELL, HPQ, MSFT, RIMM | 0 Comments

Richard is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.

Sir Isaac Newton reminded the world that "for every action, there is an equal or opposite reaction." According to history, Newtons theory was said to have been inspired by a fallen apple.

Today however, and for better of the past three years, it is yet another Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), a technological force, or as some would proclaim, "The leader of the free world," that now wants to defy gravity and proclaim its irrelevance. However, Wall Street has its own theory one that investors know all too well "what goes up, must come down." Nonetheless, so far Apples stock has been doing a great job convincing us that gravity does not exist in Cupertino. But the question is, for how long?

After being one of the best growth stocks on the market, the company almost gave in to gravity in the mid '90s as it flirted with bankruptcy with some nudging from rival Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT). Since then, Apple has been on a mission to not only redefine every market it enters, but kill off the previous leader Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) being the most recent casualty.

It started with the success of the iPod, which then convinced Apple it had a shot in the smartphone market. Since then, the company's cruising altitude has yet to be reached. Whats more, the success of its iPads have placed once-dominant PC manufacturers such as Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) and Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) in a position to either reorganize their businesses or perish.

Now here comes its highly anticipated iPhone 5. That the company recently stopped accepting preorders means that we now live in a world where consumers value iPhones over oil. How else could Apple have surpassed ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) as the largest and most valuable publicly traded company in the world? But it doesnt end there. Because with any level of success it earns, Wall Street wants more.

On Friday, the stock closed at $691.28 after reaching yet another all-time high at $696.98. When one considers that the stock started the year at $403, it has gained as much as 73%. This is despite a disappointing fiscal third quarter where its iPhone sales underperformed broadly due to cannibalization of its anticipated iPhone 5. As noted, that preorders of the new phone have now ceased should serve as confirmation that this was in fact the reason.

What this means is that Apple is now playing by a different set of rules. Wall Street has shown to be completely unforgiving while demonstrating righteous anger towards any company that disappoints on earnings but not here. And it seems that what is now going on in the stock, aside from the bulls loading up in anticipation of higher highs, is that the Apple bears have caved in causing what appears to be a panic rally. They figure if a miss cant turn the tides, its best to change sides. But for how long can this momentum continue? One has to wonder that gravity, or in this case, logic has to step in.

The new iPhone 5 is now the primary driver of the stock. That, coupled with the prevailing horror of missing the run. The stock is now mere percentage points away from that magical and psychological $700 mark. There will be no resistance I assure you. The only question is, when it breaks $700 where is it heading next? If the early iPhone sales are any indication, year-end predictions of $750 not only now seem too conservative, but certain to be blown entirely out of the water. Investors should now set their sights on $800 and possibly $820 heading towards that all important holiday quarter.

Follow this link:
Can Apple Defy Gravity Forever?