সোমবার, ৩১ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini, a Revolutionary in the Study of the Brain, Dies at 103

[unable to retrieve full-text content]By studying chicken embryos in the bedroom of her house in Turin, Italy, Dr. Levi-Montalcini discovered how embryo cells built a latticework of intricate connections.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/31/science/dr-rita-levi-montalcini-a-revolutionary-in-the-study-of-the-brain-dies-at-103.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Home Based Business Can Be Tough Without These Great Tips ...

Sometimes life circumstances can really hit you hard. Suddenly you may wind up unemployed after working steadily for years, leaving you in a quandary about what to do. Have you considered opening up your own online business? This article can show you how to be your own boss.

Manage your communications with your home based business customers to find the right balance between sharing pertinent information as necessary and sending too many messages. Newsletters that are rich in content are a great way to feature discounts and specials. Be considerate, though, of their time and avoid sending an overwhelming number of communications.

Network with like-minded business to help gain exposure. Your website traffic will increase, and your ranking will also rise in the search results. Advertise your business prominently and display links to your own and others? sites so that readers clearly understand where the links will take them.

TIP! Your home business should have a checking account, separate from your personal account. This way, you can accurately track your business expenses and keep them separate from your personal expenses.

Help your home business enterprise build a web presence through SEO. Raising your rank in search query results is implemented through a tool known as search engine optimization, or SEO for short, and it can help you become more visible on the Internet. There are many professional guidelines for using SEO, and they can help you get started.

Many owners of home businesses get together online. Read all types of business forums, whether they?re about your type of business or not. Solid advice where you can learn new lessons about operating your own business can come from many different areas, so you don?t want to limit yourself to only your niche.

Always focus on what?s to come rather than what?s already happened. When you win at something you definitely should celebrate. However, you need to realize that this is success is over, and put you behind you once it?s over. Try to focus on your future goals. This will help you to prepare for any future opportunities or possible obstacles along the way. This way, you?ll avoid being surprised.

A good way to gather information on running a work from home business is join an online forum on the topic. You will be able to interact with other business owners. Other home business owners will have faced similar frustrations and obstacles, and communicating with them will allow you to share experiences and ideas.

When you are the only owner of a home based business, you will be the one making the financial decisions as well. Even small decisions can impact your ability to write off purchases, like allowing your spouse to purchase business supplies with the business credit card and discovering your spouse buys other items with the card. The entire purchase may not be able to be written off as a result.

TIP! Go to some forums or message boards for home business owners. A quick internet search will turn up quite a few good sites, and you can glean some wonderful information from them.

While reading this article, hopefully you were inspired to take your life into your own hands. You were given a lot of tips about starting a home business, and now is the time to grab the bull by the horns and go for it! You can keep this article for reference to read anytime you are not sure what the next step you should be taking is.

Are you ready to have success in the home based business industry and build it on autopilot? Click below to register for free today. See how it works here. Also check out our team benefits here

Source: http://www.empowernetwork.com/jimmcgilvary/blog/home-based-business-can-be-tough-without-these-great-tips/

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Four Benefits of ISO 9001 To Web Hosting Companies

trust-iso9001

ISO 9001 is a recognized industry standard for the quality management of business procedures. It applies to all processes, offers product control solutions and better management regulation for any business organization, and it can be especially helpful to data centres and their customers


Even so, it is expensive to implement, but once in place can help the data center save money in other operational costs. Virtual Internet can attest to the operational efficiencies and competitive "edge" it has gained by attaining both ISO 9001 and 27001 certification.? The following are four benefits ISO 9001 offers to any data center or Cloud based storage business.

?1 - Customer Trust

ISO 9001 inspires trust in your business customers an accredited certification offers proof of customer commitment. It demonstrates the data center's willingness to continually find new ways of improving their services. Once in place, orders are met consistently, issues resolved immediately and services are offered on-time and to the correct customer specifications. ISO 9001 demonstrates efficient quality management that complies with the most rigorous of external audits made by the ISO 9001 certification team.

?2 ? Cost Savings

An organization that implements ISO 9001 saves money as operations are streamlined. Every cost of every department is analyzed, creating more efficient productivity that costs less, and these savings can often be passed on to customers.

?3 ? Addresses Security Issues

ISO 9001 stresses quality assurance, and an aspect of this is security issues. Data centers complying to these standards also comply with ISO 27001 which ensures that:

  • Threats to the business are managed, assessed and managed on a continual basis.
  • Physical security is stressed within the physical environment, requiring name and restricted access to work areas.
  • ?CCTV security monitoring and planning are continually enforced.

?Bottom Line

Data centers with ISO 9001 compliance offer more efficient security options and efficiencies business clients need. Customers are more confident in trusting their crucial data to a data center that has undergone the stringent requirements of ISO 9001. Additionally, a business that undergoes the expense and the time commitment involved will continually improve services to meet their ISO9001 compliance. The only disadvantage to using an ISO compliant data center is that these require the reliance on the documentation of all procedures, decisions and implementations, including any special procedure requested by a client.


?Further Reading

Source: http://www.vi.net/blog/2012/12/four-benefits-of-iso-9001-for-web-hosting-companies/

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রবিবার, ৩০ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Daimler CEO wants Mercedes to regain top spot by 2020: paper

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche hopes to return the automaker to the top spot in the premium car market ahead of Audi and BMW by 2020, he said in an interview with a German paper.

"I am confident that we will be ahead of our rivals by 2020 at the latest," he told Boersen-Zeitung in an interview published on Saturday.

He said he hoped to reach that target during his time in office. Zetsche's contract currently runs until December 2013 but is expected to be extended by three years in February.

Daimler has already promised 2 billion euros ($2.6 billion)in cost cuts at the Mercedes-Benz division by the end of 2014 after warning in October that it would miss its operating profit target this year by 1 billion euros.

Zetsche told the paper Mercedes had failed to keep up with its rivals in the compact car market and in China.

(Reporting by Victoria Bryan; editing by Jane Baird)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/daimler-ceo-wants-mercedes-regain-top-spot-2020-111743637--finance.html

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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৭ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Newtown trying to give kids a sense of normalcy

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) ? The children at the Sandy Hook Elementary school won't be returning to classes for another week, but officials from the town, school district and local agencies are doing their best in the meantime to keep them occupied following a massacre at their school two weeks ago.

The students have not attended school since a gunman killed 20 of their schoolmates and six adults on Dec. 14. They are slated to return to a different school next Thursday.

In the meantime, they've been treated to field trips, toy giveaways and some organized play time.

"A couple of the teachers have done pizza parties," said Janet Robinson, Newtown's school superintendent. "Another met her kids at the library so they could have a little reading time together. The most important thing has been connecting the students back to their teacher and their classmates."

The Newtown Youth Academy, a nonprofit sports center, opened its doors to all kids in town at no cost shortly after the shooting. But from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. last week, the building's turf field, basketball and tennis courts, and giant inflatable obstacle course were reserved just for Sandy Hook Elementary students.

There have been arts and crafts for the smaller kids, as well as face-paintings. Some celebrities, including two members of the Harlem Globetrotters and former University of Connecticut basketball star Tina Charles, also have stopped by to play with the children. UConn's men's basketball team was making a trip Thursday.

"The idea was to get them away from the house, the television and all the coverage of this tragedy and get them to a place where kids can just be kids," said owner Peter D'Amico, a longtime youth coach in town.

On Thursday afternoon, school buses were loading up at the Youth Academy for a trip to Stamford and a larger complex, Chelsea Piers, which also has ice rinks and an indoor swimming pool, he said. Sports celebrities, such as Brooklyn Nets forward Kris Humphries, planned to meet them there. No media were allowed.

University of Connecticut psychologist Julian Ford, who spent time counseling in Newtown in the first days after the shooting, said it's important for the grieving process to include an outlet that lets children know that while things will never be the same, it's OK to enjoy life.

"They are all going to be thinking about what happened," he said. "That, unfortunately, is inescapable. But this gives them a chance to say, 'Life is carrying on.' Nothing will be the same, but it's also continuing in ways that it should be."

Some students and their parents on Thursday toured the Chalk Hill school in Monroe, a former middle school being reopened next week for the Sandy Hook students. An open house is planned for Wednesday.

"Getting back into the school is like getting back on the horse," Robinson said. "Some of the scariness is gone once they cross that threshold. They are just so happy to see their teachers."

State police said they plan to keep their contact with the children to a minimum as they continue investigating the shooting.

"We certainly don't want to traumatize them any more than they've already been traumatized," said Lt. J. Paul Vance, the department's spokesman. "If (an interview is) not necessary it won't be done. Our investigators will make all those determinations."

In the meantime, Ford has encouraged parents to keep the kids involved in a normal holiday routine and deal with the tragedy as it comes up, rather than making it a focal point of their lives.

David Connors, who has 8-year-old triplets who attend Sandy Hook, said he and his wife have made play dates with their friends, brought the kids to see family for the holidays and participated in the class get-togethers and recreation events.

"That's been, I think, helpful at least in the short term just to kind of keep them doing things, keep them seeing their friends and being nearby and talking to family," Connors said.

Todd Wood of Newtown has five children, the youngest age 4 and the oldest in college. His children's piano teacher lost a child in the shooting, and the family knows other victims as well.

He said he's found that each child has reacted differently to the tragedy. He said he is not making the shooting the center of his family's life but is not pretending it didn't happen, either.

"We did Christmas, we had our lights here, we've tried to make things as normal as possible," he said. "But we also went down to see the memorials. I don't want to shield them from it. I want to let them grieve in their own way."

Ford said that is healthy. He said children will remember their friends as they go about doing normal kid things.

Chris Wolcott, the sport's academy's operations manager, said the best part of having the kids at the center is that the tragedy is pushed aside, at least for a little while.

"A couple times someone would drop a weight (in the facility's health center) and you would hear a bang and there would be a kid who would freeze for a second," he said. "But that would last a split-second. Most of the time, everyone just had a great time."

___

Associated Press writer John Christoffersen in New Haven, Conn., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/newtown-trying-kids-sense-normalcy-193206806.html

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মঙ্গলবার, ২৫ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

How Intimate Relationships Fail | Psychology Today

There are three clear cut ways to measure if your relationship is thriving or headed for trouble. Independently or simultaneously, they pose significant threats to a relationship?s survival. The sooner intimate partners recognize them and change their patterns, the more likely they can get their relationship back on track and recreate the love they once knew. ?

Threat Number One ? When bad interactions begin to outnumber good ones

Most intimate love relationships begin with many more positive, intriguing, and loving interactions than painful ones. In time, though, every relationship will face unexpected hurdles that create negative interactions. If the partners do not resolve the resulting emotional damage at the time, they will silently suffer from those buried, unresolved issues and begin the process of withdrawing energy and hope from the relationship. ?

When your relationship began, you most likely remember how treasured you felt by your partner, praised for your assets and readily forgiven for your faults. Some ?not-so-compatible? areas may have existed, but consciously or unconsciously, you chose to give them less attention. ?

Over time, those non-attended-to negative interactions may have changed the percentages of good connections to bad ones. Now you are having more difficulty both erasing them and also holding on to the positives you once took for granted. The good parts of your relationship may still be there, but the damage is taking its toll and you can feel each other?s lowered frustration tolerance and increased quickness to anger. Emotional scars are building and your relationship?s ability to create new options is diminishing.

If you cannot transform your negative patterns and grow beyond your current limitations, your lack of action will keep feeding energy into the bad interactions and starve out the good ones. Your relationship will begin to show signs of decay: loss of hope, more conflict, and decreased intimacy. Stuck in old patterns and destructive rituals, you may no longer be able to access the resilience you once had.

Solution

The imbalance of bad interactions to good can be reversed if both partners do the following:

  1. Recognize the direction the relationship is going without blaming each other for what has happened. This is a crucial time to not judge, but simply to share your observations with each other without becoming defensive.
  2. Identify and stop whatever interactions that may be causing either of you to feel scarred. You must stop your destructive behaviors destruction before you can move forward.
  3. Begin focusing on behaviors that still feel positive between you, and share those observations. Agree to continue to remind each other of feel-good interactions every day until your love feels stronger again.
  4. Look for new ways to go beyond your current relationship?s limitations by creating better communication skills, more joyful times together, re-prioritizing your obligations and commitments, and cutting down on any stressors that have weighed your both down.

Threat Number Two ? Letting attachments suppress authenticity

Every partner in an intimate relationship has attachments to his or her significant other. An attachment is anything that you may be afraid to lose or something you want from your partner. As the relationship matured, you may both have increased or added attachments to certain behaviors, and found others to be less important. ?

As you deepened your commitment to each other, your attachments likely increased as well. To keep them secure, you had to sacrifice some of your own needs at times in order to give your partner what he or she wanted from you. You may have felt a little martyred some of the time, or even gave up some of your own self-respect, but in the moment, it seemed the right thing to do. You felt that your partner not only recognized your willing sacrifice, but would readily have done the same for you.

Somehow, over time, you began to feel that you were giving more than you were getting back. Your sacrifices now appear to be more expected and your paybacks are not adequately compensating you for your efforts. Your partner not only doesn?t give you more of what you want, he or she doesn?t even recognize that you?ve been silently bargaining.

If you allow this imbalance to continue, you will eventually feel like you?re being taken for granted and lose trust in your partner?s willingness to reciprocate. Shutting down your own needs to keep your attachments from being threatened, you are now self-blackmailing just to keep things in place. Worse, you may be blaming your partner for breaking a contract that he or she never signed.

Status quo attachments are hard to give up. You started out readily sacrificing and expecting reciprocity, as your partner may have as well. Over time, you may have also have created many other legitimate tethers: children, possessions, families, friends, business partnerships, spiritual communities, values, and commitments. You would understandably want to hold on to those attachments, not knowing how to resolve with the imbalance that is now expected.

Solution

  1. Make a list of the behaviors or things you are attached to in your relationship. Put a number from one to ten after each to let your partner know how important they are to you. Asking yourself what you would be afraid to lose can help guide you in creating your list.
  2. Tell your partner which of the things on the list he or she already provides for you, and which you feel you are not getting.
  3. Let your partner know those things or behaviors you have been willingly sacrificing, and those you martyred yourself in giving.
  4. Ask your partner if there is anything you can do to get your needs met.
  5. Ask your partner which things you are presently sacrificing that may no longer be important to him or her.

Threat Number Three ? Trust-breaking incidents

Most new couples do not address their non-negotiable bottom lines up front. They either trust that their lovers have the same values and ethics, or believe that they would never hurt them by doing something they have agreed would be unacceptable.

You probably began the same way. Then, as your relationship matured, you discovered new things about each other that altered your initial perceptions. Some of those revelations were delightful surprises that deepened your trust and love. Others may have caused concern, like past behaviors that your current relationship could not survive. You?ve probably talked to each other about what each of you holds sacred, and trusted that your commitment would keep any potential trust-breaking at bay.

As you grew to know what your partner could or could not tolerate, you may have begun withholding some potentially relationship-destroying thoughts, telling yourself that you would never act upon them. Perhaps you feared a loss of your intimacy or painful criticism if you did share what you were thinking. Whatever the apprehension, you chose to keep them in an internal, emotionally secret compartment to keep the love between you intact. ?

If you were aware of the slippery slope you were creating by rationalizing the situation, you may have decided to risk sharing your internal desires with your partner to restore your relationship?s authenticity. Hopefully, your partner was grateful that you were honest and was willing to work with you. If, instead, he or she communicated anger, resentment, or fear, you may have regretted your decision to be honest, offered superficial reassurance to ameliorate the situation, and gone underground again. That choice will have left you vulnerable to act out your hidden desires at some future time.

Couples who cannot share their secret thoughts or behaviors risk the loss of their intimacy. Their bond weakens, and they are more likely to act without considering the outcome. For instance, one partner may have started a non-flirtatious relationship with a co-worker, then found it slowly becoming more intimate over time. Were the other partner to know, he or she would feel exposed, threatened, or embarrassed. The initially innocent partner now cannot share how far it has gone without fearing incrimination or loss.

If you have been the unfortunate one who discovers your partner?s secret, threatening behavior, your trust may be irrevocably shattered. You must now decide whether you to stay in the relationship, and, if so, what it would take to rebuild. A significant break in trust is agonizingly difficult to repair, and you both must decide if you have what it takes to stay together.

Solution

Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/rediscovering-love/201212/how-intimate-relationships-fail-0

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Health & Fitness: Are You the Best Candidate for a Plastic Surgical ...

By Jean P. Avis

The concept of getting a plastic cosmetic surgery is exciting because everybody wants to enjoy a youthful appearance and slimmer physique. Nonetheless, there is no assurance that this specific surgical procedure will offer 100 percent good results. You must be evaluated if plastic surgical treatment is suitable for you. Asking your doctors some questions will also assist you understand the likelihood of getting your needed outcomes. You must know whether or not you are physically fit to have the surgical treatment.

1. You should have a healthy body

You can become a great candidate for plastic surgery if you never suffer health concerns like lung or heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, rheumatoid arthritis or bleeding issues. These types of diseases will increase the chances of problems associated with infection, anesthesia, skin loss or blood loss. All surgical procedures are predicted to have natural hazards; nevertheless, if you are suffering from medical concerns you are more likely to experience issues.

2. You must be in your great health or near to it

When you undergo surgical treatment while you are obese, you may have loose skin after the process. This can cause losing all health benefits which you obtain from the procedure. If you desire to undergo a surgical procedure you must try to keep your best weight and tone up muscles by undertaking a lot of exercises. Furthermore, you will have an overstressed heart when you're overweight which implies that surgery won't be encouraged.

3. You should not be smoking

Smoking any types of tobacco will likely cause problems during a plastic surgery. If you are planning to undergo this treatment you should quit smoking at least a few weeks before your operation and stay smoke-free until at least a couple weeks following the surgery so that you could easily heal and recover. Individuals who smoke have a higher rate of skin break up, infections, anesthesia troubles and skin death. As reported by a survey, active smokers have a 100% likelihood of losing an important part of their skin due to poor supply of oxygen during a facelift. Also, smoking cigarettes reduces blood circulation that is important to fast recovery. It may also cause the lungs to be predisposed to pneumonia and limit your resistance to potential infections.

4. You have to be stable psychologically

With plastic surgical treatment, your whole body is predicted to change and this type of change will demand emotional response from you. Your energy will be exhausted during a surgery predisposing your emotional stability to depression. It is necessary that you have a sound emotional condition to manage your responses and the responses of other people. Individuals will be able to accept and adjust to your changes as time passes. However, you can expect some unpleasant responses from them in the short term. This requires you a good support system.

5. You needs to be backed by your loved ones

In the first fourteen days, you will need the assistance of the people close to you. Again, you should be reminded that you must recover without being anxious. In order for your body to recover, you need relaxation. You need to talk to your loved ones about daily activities and chores. You can ask someone to help you with cleaning or cooking if you really need to do it.

6. Your whole body must not be stocked with a huge amount of caffeinated drinks and alcohol

Alcohol and caffeine are culprits that disrupt the healing and should be avoided if you intend to have breast implants. These types of substances affect the blood flow that's needed to provide healing to cuts. Also, they have an effect on maintaining the quality of the skin; hence, you must take them moderately.

Plastic surgical treatment comes with dangers but the most vital thing is you know whether or not it is perfect for you. You could reduce the dangers by choosing the right doctor, understanding the process, talking to your physician regarding your objectives, coming up with expectations that are realistic and following the instructions of your surgeon carefully.

Source: http://health-and-fitness-way.blogspot.com/2012/12/are-you-best-candidate-for-plastic.html

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শনিবার, ২২ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Egyptians vote on Islamist-backed constitution

An Egyptian elderly man shows his inked finger after casting his vote on the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Fayoum, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Cairo , Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

An Egyptian elderly man shows his inked finger after casting his vote on the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi in Fayoum, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Cairo , Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Egyptian women voters queue outside a polling station during the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of president Mohammed Morsi, in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Egyptian voters check voter lists outside a polling station during the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of president Mohammed Morsi, in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Egyptian women line up to vote under posters showing Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi and Arabic reading, "our strength in our unity," in the second round of a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of Morsi in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie, second right, waits in line outside a polling place in Beni Suef, Egypt, to vote on a constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Ahmed Ramadan)

(AP) ? Egyptians voted on Saturday in the second and final phase of a referendum on an Islamist-backed constitution that has polarized the nation, with little indication that the result of the vote will end the political crisis in which the country is mired.

For some supporters, a 'yes' vote was a chance to restore some normalcy after nearly two years of tumultuous transitional politics following Egypt's 2011 revolution, or to make society and laws more Islamic. Opponents saw their 'no' vote as a way to preserve the country's secular traditions and prevent President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood group from getting a lock on power.

"I came early to make sure my 'no' is among the first of millions today," oil company manager Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz said as he waited in line outside a polling station in the Dokki district of Giza, Cairo's twin city on the west bank of the Nile. "I am here to say 'no' to Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood," he said.

Another Giza voter, accountant and mother of three Sahar Mohamed Zakaria, had a different take on Saturday's vote.

"I'm voting 'yes' for stability," she announced.

Saturday's vote is taking place in 17 of Egypt's 27 provinces with about 25 million eligible voters. The first phase on Dec. 15 produced a "yes" majority of about 56 percent with a turnout of some 32 percent, according to preliminaryl results. Preliminary results for the second round are expected late Saturday or early Sunday.

As was the case in last week's vote, opposition and rights activists reported numerous irregularities: polling stations opening later than scheduled, Islamists outside stations trying to influence voters to say "yes," and independent monitors denied access.

The vote comes a day after clashes between Morsi's opponents and supporters in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria. It was the latest outbreak of street violence in more than four weeks of turmoil, with the country divided first over the president's powers then over the draft constitution.

The clashes ? in which opponents of Islamists set fire to cars and dozens of people were hurt ? illustrated how the new constitution, regardless of whether it is adopted or not, is unlikely to ease the conflict over the country's future.

In Fayoum, the capital of an oasis province of the same name where Islamist groups have traditionally had strong support, a member of the local Christian community said she also supported the charter ? a break with most Christians nationwide who oppose the draft.

Hanaa Zaki said she was also voting "yes" for stability and an end to the country's deepening economic problems.

Speaking as she waited in line along with bearded Muslim men and Muslim women wearing headscarves, Zaki said: "I have a son who didn't get paid for the past six months. We have been in this crisis for so long and we are fed up."

In the village of Sanaro, also in Fayoum province some 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Cairo, farmer Azouz Ayesh sat with his neighbors as their cattle grazed in a nearby field. "I don't trust the Brotherhood anymore and I don't trust the opposition either. We are forgotten, the most miserable and the first to suffer. If I say 'yes' there will be stability and if I say 'no' there will still be no stability," he said.

"But I will vote against this constitution," he added.

In the neighboring village of Sheikh Fadl, a car fitted with loudspeakers toured the area with a man shouting, "Yes, yes to the constitution!" In the city of Fayoum, a man could be seen painting over posters urging people to vote "no."

In Giza's upscale Mohandiseen neighborhood, a group of 12 women speaking to each other in a mix of French, Arabic and English said they all intended to vote "no."

"My friends are Muslim and are voting 'no.' It's not about Christian versus Muslim, but it is Muslim Brotherhood versus everyone else," said one of the 12, Christian physician Shahira Sadeq. "Voting 'yes' does not mean stability."

Kamla el-Tantawi, 65, voted with her daughter and grand-daughter. "I voted 'no' against what I'm seeing," she said, gesturing to a woman standing close by wearing the full-face veil known as niqab and as a hallmark of ultraconservative Muslim women. "I lose sleep thinking about my grandchildren and their future. They never saw the beautiful Egypt we did."

"Morsi, God willing, will be better than those who came before him," said Zeinab Khalil, a mother of three who wears the niqab, said. "A 'yes' vote moves the country forward. We want things to calm down, more jobs and better education," she said, while waiting for her turn to vote in Giza's poor Imbaba district, a one-time stronghold of militant Islamists.

In part, Egypt's split has been over who will shape the country's path nearly two years after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak nearly two years ago.

An opposition made up of liberals, leftists, secular Egyptians and a swath of the public angered over Morsi's 5-month-old rule fear that Islamists are creating a new Mubarak-style autocracy. They accuse the Brotherhood of monopolizing the levers of power and point to the draft charter, which Islamists on the Constituent Assembly rammed through despite a boycott by liberal and secular members. They are calling on supporters to vote "no."

Morsi's allies say the opposition is trying to use the streets to overturn their victories at the ballot box over the past two years. They also accuse the opposition of carrying out a conspiracy by former members of Mubarak's regime to regain power.

If the constitution is adopted, Morsi will call for the election of parliament's law-making lower chamber to be held within two months while giving the mostly toothless upper chamber legislative powers until the lower house is seated.

The upper chamber, known as the Shura Council, was elected by less than 10 percent of the country's 50 million registered voters. It is dominated by Islamists.

Morsi was already gearing up for the next steps after the constitution's passage, making a last-minute appointment of 90 new members to the Shura Council, a third of its total membership. Current rules allow him to do so, but if he waited until the charter was passed he could only appoint 10.

Friday's appointments added to the handful of non-Islamists in the upper house, but preserved the Islamists' overwhelming hold.

A spokesman for the main opposition umbrella National Salvation Front dismissed the appointments, accusing Morsi of setting up a token opposition much like Mubarak did.

___

Associated Press writer Maggie Michael reported from Fayoum, Egypt.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-22-Egypt/id-9a695d9a75eb487b868057493c0124b3

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Wells Fargo agrees to proposed settlement on shareholder actions

(Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co would pay up to $2.5 million in attorneys' fees and implement certain corporate governance changes under a proposed settlement of lawsuits brought by shareholders on behalf of the company, according to a securities filing by Wells on Friday.

The suits were filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California in 2010 on behalf of Wells Fargo and its shareholders against current and former directors and executives largely related to conduct at Wachovia bank, which Wells bought in 2008.

The suits claim that from 2005 to 2008 the former Wachovia defendants disregarded "their fundamental responsibilities" with respect to Wachovia's acquisition of mortgage lender Golden West Financial and other activities at Wachovia, according to settlement documents. The suits also allege that Wells directors did not pursue "valuable claims" that it inherited in the Wachovia acquisition, according to the documents.

Wells bought Wachovia as the lender verged on collapse due to ballooning mortgage losses and a run on its deposits. All the defendants denied wrongdoing and filed motions to dismiss, according to the documents.

A hearing will be held on the settlement on March 5, according to Friday's filing by Wells with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The governance changes include a requirement that the risk committee of the Wells Fargo board hire an outside consultant for three years.

Under the proposed settlement, the defendants would not make any payments to Wells Fargo or the plaintiffs, according to the securities filing. Wells will pay any attorneys' fees.

The cases are Feuer v. Thompson et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 10-0279; and Rogers v. Thompson et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 12-0203.

(Reporting By Rick Rothacker in Charlotte, N.C.; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wells-fargo-agrees-proposed-settlement-shareholder-actions-235702469--sector.html

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Obama hails Inouye as 'extraordinary'

President Barack Obama wipes his eye as he is seated with Vice President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at the funeral service for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, at the Washington National Cathedral, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama wipes his eye as he is seated with Vice President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at the funeral service for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, at the Washington National Cathedral, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada stand as the casket is brought in at the funeral service for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, at the Washington National Cathedral, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., stands with Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., as they attend with President Barack Obama, not pictured, the funeral service for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, at the Washington National Cathedral, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama speaks at the funeral service for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, at the Washington National Cathedral, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, the second-longest-serving senator in history, lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. Inouye was a Medal of Honor recipient who represented his state in the U.S. House and then the Senate, where he served for five decades. He died Monday evening at age 88 of respiratory complications. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

(AP) ? With reverential words and warm memories, President Barack Obama on Friday led the admirers paying tribute to the late Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, a war hero and senator for 50 years who was hailed for his leadership and modesty. Obama said Inouye was the one who "hinted to me what might be possible in my own life."

"For him freedom and dignity were not abstractions," Obama said at the National Cathedral Service. "They were values that he had bled for."

Inouye died Monday of respiratory complications. He was 88.

The tributes from the nation's political leaders were deeply personal. Vice President Joe Biden said he remembered thinking of Inouye: "I wish I could be more like that man. He's a better man than I am."

Former President Bill Clinton described Inouye as "one of the most remarkable Americans I have ever known."

Inouye was the first Japanese-American elected to both houses of Congress and the second-longest serving senator in U.S. history. He was awarded a Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor, for bravery during World War II, including a heroic effort that cost him his right arm.

"They blew his arm off in World War II, but they never, never laid a finger on his heart or his mind," Clinton said.

Inouye became one of the nation's most influential politicians, playing key roles in congressional investigations of the Watergate and Iran-Contra scandals.

Obama told a story of taking a summer trip across America as an 11-year boy and spending the nights watching the Watergate hearings on TV with his mother. The president said that as the son of white mother and a black father, he found it captivating to watch Inouye.

"To see this man, this senator, this powerful, accomplished person who was not out of central casting ... and the way he commanded the respect of an entire nation, it hinted to me what might be possible in my own life," Obama said.

Hawaiian music played during the service, reflecting Inouye's love for his home state. Inouye was Hawaii's first congressman.

One speaker after another described Inouye as a political giant with refreshing humility.

Obama said that Inouye ultimately decided he had done OK in representing his state and his nation the best he could.

"Danny, you were more than OK," Obama said. "You were extraordinary."

As a legislator, his specialty was steering federal money back home to help build the kinds of roads, schools and housing that Americans on the mainland took for granted.

On Thursday, colleagues and aides lined the Capitol rotunda five deep to say farewell.

The rare ceremony demonstrated the respect and good will he generated over the years. Only 31 have lain in the Capitol rotunda; the last was former President Gerald R. Ford nearly six years ago.

Inouye's body will be returned to Hawaii on Saturday.

__

AP White House Correspondent Ben Feller contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-21-AP-US-Inouye-Memorial-Service/id-c96def1d0e874f1a8ad5deb1ffa747e5

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Genetic differences may influence sensitivity to pain, according to new study

Dec. 20, 2012 ? The study, published in PLOS Genetics on 20 December, adds to growing evidence that particular genes are involved in chronic pain and highlights this pathway as a potential target for more effective pain relief treatments for patients.

The collaborative study between King's, Pfizer Ltd and the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), used a new method to study and compare DNA, called 'exome sequencing', to identify genetic variations relating to pain sensitivity.

Lead author Dr Frances Williams, from the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London said: 'Chronic pain is a significant personal and socio-economic burden, with nearly one in five people experiencing it at some time in their lives. Current pain treatments often have either limited efficacy or side effects for many, so the possibility of a new approach to pain relief is an exciting development.

It is known that people who are most sensitive to pain encountered in everyday life are more likely to go on to develop chronic pain. To identify sensitivity levels, researchers tested 2,500 volunteers using a heating probe on the arm. Volunteers were asked to press a button when the heat became painful for them, which allowed the scientists to determine individuals' pain thresholds. Exome sequencing was then used to analyse the DNA of 200 of the most pain sensitive and 200 of the least pain sensitive people.

Xin Jin, project manager from BGI, said: 'More and more evidence supports our theory that rare variants, which were overlooked in genome-wide association study, play a very important role in complex diseases and traits. The next generation of sequencing will make it possible to explore these rare variants and will lead to a wave of new discoveries in biomedical research.'

The results showed different patterns of genetic variants in each group -- the pain sensitive people had less variation in their DNA than those who were pain insensitive. Serena Scollen, Geneticist from Pfizer and co-author on the work said: 'Further studies are needed to understand fully the genetics that underlie pain sensitivity in humans, but early studies in this area are promising.'

Ruth McKernan, Chief Scientific Officer of Pfizer's Research Unit in Cambridge that works on new pain drugs said: 'This study demonstrates the value of collaborative efforts between academia and industry. The genetic influence on normal pain processing in human volunteer populations will add to other approaches and help us prioritise potential new mechanisms for treating pain.'

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by King's College London, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Frances M. K. Williams, Serena Scollen, Dandan Cao, Yasin Memari, Craig L. Hyde, Baohong Zhang, Benjamin Sidders, Daniel Ziemek, Yujian Shi, Juliette Harris, Ian Harrow, Brian Dougherty, Anders Malarstig, Robert McEwen, Joel C. Stephens, Ketan Patel, Cristina Menni, So-Youn Shin, Dylan Hodgkiss, Gabriela Surdulescu, Wen He, Xin Jin, Stephen B. McMahon, Nicole Soranzo, Sally John, Jun Wang, Tim D. Spector. Genes Contributing to Pain Sensitivity in the Normal Population: An Exome Sequencing Study. PLoS Genetics, 2012; 8 (12): e1003095 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003095

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/jZIdEUs7TCA/121220171810.htm

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Global doomsday hot spots draw believers, revelers

A dog plays with a tennis ball backdropped by the Pic de Bugarach mountain in the town of Bugarach, France, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. The clock is ticking down to Dec. 21, the supposed end of the Mayan calendar, and from China to California to Mexico, thousands are getting ready for what they think is going to be a fateful day. The sleepy town of Bugarach, nestled in the French Pyrenees mountains, is bracing for the arrival of hundreds of New Age enthusiasts and UFO believers that want to witness the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

A dog plays with a tennis ball backdropped by the Pic de Bugarach mountain in the town of Bugarach, France, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. The clock is ticking down to Dec. 21, the supposed end of the Mayan calendar, and from China to California to Mexico, thousands are getting ready for what they think is going to be a fateful day. The sleepy town of Bugarach, nestled in the French Pyrenees mountains, is bracing for the arrival of hundreds of New Age enthusiasts and UFO believers that want to witness the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

Stefano Ariu, a Dutch artist, puts the finishing touches to his painting depicting the Pic de Bugarach mountain in the town of Bugarach, France, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. The clock is ticking down to Dec. 21, the supposed end of the Mayan calendar, and from China to California to Mexico, thousands are getting ready for what they think is going to be a fateful day. The sleepy town of Bugarach, nestled in the French Pyrenees mountains, is bracing for the arrival of hundreds of New Age enthusiasts and UFO believers that want to witness the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

A man walks past street art in east London, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. The clock is ticking down to Dec. 21, the supposed end of the Mayan calendar, and from China to California to Mexico, thousands are getting ready for what they think is going to be a fateful day. The Maya didn't say much about what would happen next, after a 5,125-year cycle known as the Long Count comes to an end. So into that void have rushed occult writers, bloggers and New Age visionaries foreseeing all manner of monumental change, from doomsday to a new age of enlightenment. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

People walk past a model meant to represent a UFO hanging outside a window in the town of Bugarach, France, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. The clock is ticking down to Dec. 21, the supposed end of the Mayan calendar, and from China to California to Mexico, thousands are getting ready for what they think is going to be a fateful day. The sleepy town of Bugarach, nestled in the French Pyrenees mountains, is bracing for the arrival of hundreds of New Age enthusiasts and UFO believers that want to witness the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

People work on a roof backdropped by the Pic de Bugarach mountain in the town of Bugarach, France, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. The clock is ticking down to Dec. 21, the supposed end of the Mayan calendar, and from China to California to Mexico, thousands are getting ready for what they think is going to be a fateful day. The sleepy town of Bugarach, nestled in the French Pyrenees mountains, is bracing for the arrival of hundreds of New Age enthusiasts and UFO believers that want to witness the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

Though the Mayans never really predicted that the world would end on Friday, some New Agers are convinced that humanity's demise is indeed imminent. Or at least that it's a good excuse for a party.

Believers are being drawn to spots where they think their chances of survival will be better, and accompanying them are the curious, the party-lovers and people wanting to make some money.

Here are some of the world's key doomsday destinations and other places marked by fear and fascination.

FRANCE

According to one rumor, a rocky mountain in the French Pyrenees will be the sole place on earth to escape destruction. A giant UFO and aliens are said to be waiting under the mountain, ready to burst through and spirit those nearby to safety. But here is bad news for those seeking salvation: French gendarmes, some on horseback, are blocking outsiders from reaching the Bugarach peak and its village of some 200 people.

One believer, Ludovic Broquet, a 30-year-old plumber, made his way to the mountain after a year of preparation, hoping to find a "gateway, the vortex that will open up here (at) the end of the world."

Local residents, instead, are skeptical ? and angry at having their peace disturbed. "What is going on here is the creation of an urban legend," fumed resident Michele Pous, who blamed those who spread Internet rumors. "They created a media frenzy, they created a false event, they manipulated people."

RUSSIA

For $1,500, a museum is offering salvation from the world's end in former Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's underground bunker in central Moscow ? with a 50 percent refund if nothing happens.

The bunker, located 65 meters (210 feet) below ground, was designed to withstand a nuclear attack. Now home to a small museum, it has an independent electricity supply, water and food ? but no more room, because the museum has already sold out all 1,000 tickets.

BRITAIN

Hundreds of people have already converged on Stonehenge for an "End of the World" party that coincides with the Winter Solstice.

Arthur Uther Pendragon, Britain's best-known druid, said he was anticipating a much larger crowd than usual at Stonehenge this year. But he doesn't agree that the world is ending, noting that he and fellow druids believe that things happen in cycles.

"We're looking at it more as a new beginning than an end," he said. "We're looking at new hope."

Meanwhile, end-of-days parties will be held across London on Friday. One event billed as a "last supper club" is offering a three-course meal served inside of an "ark."

SERBIA

Some Serbs are saying to forget that sacred mountain in the French Pyrenees. The place to go Friday will be Mount Rtanj, a pyramid-shaped peak in Serbia already drawing cultists.

A local legend has it that the mountain once swallowed an evil sorcerer who will be released on doomsday in a ball of fire that will hit the mountain top. The inside of the mountain will then open up, becoming a safe place to hide as the sorcerer goes on to destroy the rest of the world. In the meantime, some old coal mine shafts have been opened up as safe rooms for the dozens who have arrived already.

"We got calls from as far away as Holland from people trying to seek shelter," said Vlada Minic, a local villager. "They are asking to be as close as possible to the mountain."

TURKEY

A small Turkish village known for its wines, Sirince, has also been touted as the only place after Bugarach that would escape the world's end. But on Thursday there were more journalists and security officials present there than cultists ? to the great disappointment of local restaurateurs and souvenir shop owners.

Nobody was quite sure where Sirince's alleged powers to survive the Mayan doomsday come from, but the idyllic village in western Turkey is close to an area where the Virgin Mary is believed to have lived her final days, and some New Agers reportedly believe the region has a positive aura. For months, local business owners have been promoting the village and even produced wines with special labels to commemorate the event.

ITALY

Another spot said to be spared: Cisternino, in southern Italy, plans a big party Friday with hot-air balloons and music in the main piazza. "Nobody will want to sleep anyway as they await the end of the world," Mayor Donato Baccaro was quoted as saying in the newspaper La Stampa on Wednesday. Though Baccaro goes on to say he doesn't really believe the end is coming, hundreds have reportedly booked hotel rooms.

CHINA

A fringe Christian group has been spreading rumors about the world's impending end, prompting Chinese authorities to detain more than 500 people this week and seize leaflets, video discs, books and other material.

Those detained are reported to be members of the group Almighty God, also called Eastern Lightning, which preaches that Jesus has reappeared as a woman in central China. Authorities in the province of Qinghai say they are waging a "severe crackdown" on the group, accusing it of attacking the Communist Party and the government.

UNITED STATES

For some, doomsday will be a chance for mockery.

Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, producer and host of the History Channel's "Ancient Aliens" program, is throwing a party in New Orleans on Friday where he will descend onstage in a mock spaceship. Tsoukalos is a leading proponent of the idea that ancient myths arose from visits by alien astronauts, an idea rejected by many mainstream researchers. Still, Tsoukalos scoffs at the idea that the world will come to an end Friday.

___

Associated Press writers Florent Bajrami in Bugarach, France; Mansur Mirovalev in Moscow; Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey; Paisley Dodds in London; and Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-20-Doomsday%20Destinations/id-f420ad62b02d4eadaeeccaea158d8211

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Armored backpacks and a rush on guns after Conn.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) ? The reaction to the deadly Connecticut school shooting can be seen at gun stores and self-defense retailers across the nation, with anxious parents buying armored backpacks for children and firearms enthusiasts stocking up on assault weapons in anticipation of tighter gun control measures.

A spike in gun sales is common after a mass shooting, but the latest rampage has generated record sales in some states, particularly of rifles similar to the AR-15 the gunman used in an attack Friday on Sandy Hook Elementary School that killed 26 people, including 20 children.

Colorado set a single-day record for gun background check requests the day after the shootings, while Nevada saw more checks in the two days that followed than any other weekend this year. Records were also set in Tennessee, California and Virginia, among others.

Some gun shop owners stopped selling their remaining stock of military-style rifles, anticipating only more interest and value after President Barack Obama on Wednesday instructed his administration to create concrete proposals to reduce gun violence.

Robert Akers, a Rapid City, S.D., gun seller who specializes in such rifles, said the rush of customers had transformed his Rapid Fire Firearms store into a "madhouse" and that he's not actively selling the guns and has turned off his phone.

"The price is only going to go up higher," he said.

There was also an unusual increase in sales for armored backpacks designed to shield children caught in shootings, according to three companies that make them.

The armor inserts fit into the back panel of a child's backpack, and sell for up to $400, depending on the retailer. The armor is designed to stop bullets from handguns, not assault weapons like the one used in the shooting at the Newtown, Conn., school.

Still, the manufacturers and some parents say that while they don't guarantee children won't be killed, they could still be used as shields.

Ken Larson, 41, of Denver, Colo., already had an armored backpack for himself and persuaded his wife to buy one for their 1-year-old after the latest shootings. He knows the backpack won't guarantee his son's safety. But, he added, it was a worthy precaution.

"It's a no brainer. My son's life is invaluable," Larson said. "If I can get him a backpack for $200 that makes him safer, I don't even have to think about that."

Some experts, however, say sending children to school in armored backpacks is not a healthy response to fear about mass shootings. Anne Marie Albano, psychiatry director at Columbia University's Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders, said parents should convey calmness, not anxiety.

"This is not serving to keep children safe," she said. "This is serving to increase their fear and their suspicion of their peers."

At Amendment II in Salt Lake City, sales of its children's backpacks and armored inserts have increased, with 200 purchase requests Wednesday alone.

"The incident last week highlights the need to protect our children," said co-owner Derek Williams. "We didn't get in this business to do this. But the fact is that our armor can help children just as it can help soldiers."

Kerry Clark, president of Texas-based Backpackshield.com, began making the backpacks after the deadly mass shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007. Clark said he sold 15 backpacks Wednesday. Prior to Friday's shooting, he said, the company would sometimes go an entire month and just sell one.

"It's the busiest I've seen it in my life," he said.

Bullet Blocker, a Massachusetts-based company that sells the backpack armor, declined to provide sales numbers but noted that recent sales were substantially more than normal.

Sales of assault weapons also were on the rise.

Austin Cook, general manager of Hoover Tactical Firearms in suburban Birmingham, Ala., said the spike in sales since Friday's shootings has been so intense that federal background checks that typically take five minutes or less are now taking up to an hour.

Cook said about 50 people were waiting in line for his store to open the morning after the shootings, and that he's since sold nearly all of his assault weapons. Now, he's trying to find more distributors.

"I can't keep them in the store," Cook said.

In Pittsburgh, Dick's Sporting Goods said it was suspending sales of modern rifles nationwide because of the shooting. The company also said it's removing all guns from display at its store closest to Newtown.

Aaron Byrd, co-owner of Patriot Shooting Sports in Youngsville, N.C., is sold out of the AR-15 rifles, ammo for those types of guns and high-capacity magazines.

"Things have been crazy the past couple of days. A lot of people have been coming in looking to purchase semiautomatic rifles. They're worried that the government's going to ban semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines, so they've been coming in looking for those," he said.

He added, "I think it is a knee-jerk reaction by both parties ? both the government and the citizens."

___

Skoloff reported from Phoenix. Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Allen G. Breed and Mitch Weiss in North Carolina; Scott Sonner in Nevada; Steven K. Paulson in Colorado; Dirk Lammers in South Dakota; Pam Ramsey in West Virginia; Matt Gouras in Montana; and Jay Reeves in Alabama.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/armored-backpacks-rush-guns-conn-182739177.html

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Pay-Per-Click Advertising: What It Is and How It Works ? Cybertary ...

By now, you have probably heard all the enthusiasm and talk over Pay-Per-Click Advertising. If you haven?t heard about this kind of advertising, then you?ve no doubt seen Pay per clickplenty of it in action on the web. Pay-Per-Click Advertising is that ever-changing, ever-present and seemingly mind-reading list of sponsored ads you see posted alongside your search engine results pages every time you conduct a search. I know I?m always impressed when I ?Google? a phrase and?the search engine instantly offers up a list of countless businesses providing the exact product or service for which I?m searching. I?ve even seen this amazing ?mind reading? in action in ad listings on Gmail, on blogs and elsewhere on the web.

The good news about Pay-Per-Click Advertising, or PPC, is that small businesses of all sizes can utilize its effectiveness with ease and little risk. It allows you to very affordably place an ad for your business on a search engine results page-and even appear on the same page with some of the ?big boys? in your industry. ?PPC is proving to be one of the most successful kinds of ?advertising we?ve seen.

What Is Pay-Per-Click Advertising?

PPC is advertising that you purchase to be placed on specific search engine results pages. There are several reasons that businesses of all sizes are seeing great results with this online advertising method:

Targeted

PPC Advertising is incredibly targeted unlike, say, a costly billboard you hope will be seen or an expensive radio ad you hope will be heard by potential customers in a sea of millions of distracted commuters who may or may not ever even visit your website. In contrast, PPC connects seeking customers with your product or service the precise second they are searching for it-24 hours a day, whether they?re searching for your offerings at 2 a.m. or 2 p.m.

You can even set up your PPC to target local or regional audiences. There is no better way to drive traffic to your site on the spot-and the right traffic too!

Affordable

With PPC, you only pay when a searcher clicks through your business?s displayed ad to your site. You do not have to pay for views or ?impressions? of your ad.

Prices can get more costly if you bid on more popular keyword searches on more popular search engines. However, for the most part, you can stick to your own budget because there is no minimum spending requirement, and you can set maximum daily spending limits and costs per click. Of course, you do have to spend more to make more-just like with all forms of advertising-but PPC is much less risky than the big-buck advertising.

Very Fast

It can take months or years to climb the ranks of regular ?organic? search engine lists. It can also take loads of hard work and search engine optimization strategizing and expertise. PPC gets your business listed alongside the higher ranked search engine much faster. You can sign up and usually start seeing and tracking results within a few hours. Furthermore, studies show that searchers often assume the top sponsored link is most relevant to their search. That means you can quite possibly see clicks and conversions very quickly.

Measurable

The most exciting part of using PPC over, say, radio or outdoor advertising is that it?s easily and extensively measurable within a few hours of setting up your ad.

Most of the popular search engines with PPC Advertising programs include tools to manage your account and easily track its performance, and these features are getting better all the time. Already, you can effortlessly research keywords and check your account statistics, including impressions, click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates and costs-per-conversion (CPC). You can even follow a click all the way through to conversion (i.e., sale, information request, newsletter signup, etc.). Plus, you can schedule and maintain PPC ad campaigns and build customized reports based on overall account performance or individual campaign.

Having the ability to measure results optimizes every aspect of your advertising-from keyword status to ad campaign and/or website effectiveness.

Flexible

PPC Advertising is unsurpassed in its capacity to allow your business to continually fine tune every keyword phrase, ad and campaign. This is what makes it so effective.

If you don?t make many conversions to sales with your first PPC ad, then you can finesse it and try again at a minimal cost to find which ones bring you the best return. Since PPC Advertising is low risk and flexible, you have a lot of leeway to try different angles, or even several simultaneously, to find which ones bring you the most conversion. Essentially, there are innumerable ways optimize PPC advertising so it works well for you.

How Do I Get Started With PPC Advertising?

There are several good keyword PPC programs out there. Google Adwords is the most popular one. It?s easy to use and boasts an excellent rate of return. Some others include Yahoo! Search Marketing, Ask Sponsored Listings and Microsoft adCenter. Some product-based search engines include BizRate.com, Shopzilla.com and PriceGrabber.com. Some service-based search engines include NexTag and TripAdvisor. Of course, many keyword-based search engines can handle product and service searches as well.

The steps to getting started generally consist of:

Determining your PPC Advertising budget: Always consider how and where your dollars will be best spent to get you the best rate of return. You may have to pay a little more, but it can make all the difference if you can bid on keywords/phrases that will place your ad in one of the top three spots.

Choosing a search engine PPC program: Until you get familiar with using PPC, it?s probably best to use one of the more popular search engines like Google or Yahoo!. They?re easy to use and will set your business up for a higher level of beginner?s success.

Brainstorming a list of possible keywords/phrases: Think specific rather than generic to really define your niche and attract the right customers for you. Before you begin a program, it?s best to brainstorm your business from all angles. Being thorough at start will help you choose the best keyword/phrase for your PPC Advertising.

Defining your keywords/phrases: Use search engine tools to research and help you choose keywords based on ranking and cost. You can find loads of tips and information about choosing the best keywords on the Internet.

Writing your text-only ad: Be specific in your ad copy. Avoid generic language and extraneous punctuation (i.e., Big Sale!!! or Great Service!!!) and focus on your company?s unique advantages or a special offer.

Creating a specified landing page: It?s not always best to drop your clicking customers onto your home page in hopes that they find what they?re looking for. Consider creating a landing page written specifically to the PPC customer, based on the keyword and/or a special promotion.

Testing your ad: Watch your stats, analyze them and get to know where your results are or are not coming from. You can always tweak your PPC Advertising as you go in order to get the most bang for your buck.

If you?re a small business owner, PPC might be the advertising answer you?ve been looking for-whether you?re building your online presence, seeking new customers or wanting to mingle with the ?big boys? in your industry. PPC is the one fairly new option that is affordable, flexible and that seems to be working out just as well for the smaller business as for the ?big boys? who are using it.

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Source: http://cybertaryroseville.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/pay-per-click-advertising-what-it-is-and-how-it-works/

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SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans Available in Virginia Following Secretary of Agriculture Disaster Declaration

ATLANTA, Dec. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --?The U.S. Small Business Administration announced today that federal economic injury disaster loans are available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private non-profit organizations of all sizes located in Virginia as a result of the drought and excessive heat between April 1 and July 31, 2012.?

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110909/DC65875LOGO)

This SBA's disaster declaration includes the following counties: ?Halifax and Mecklenburg in Virginia.

"When the Secretary of Agriculture issues a disaster declaration to help farmers recover from damages and losses to crops, the Small Business Administration issues a declaration to eligible entities affected by the same disaster," said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA's Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.

Under this declaration, the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is available to eligible
farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. With the exception of aquacultural enterprises, agricultural producers, farmers and ranchers are not eligible to apply to SBA.? Nurseries are eligible to apply for economic injury disaster loans for losses caused by drought conditions.

The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates of 3 percent for private non-profit organizations of all sizes and 4 percent for small businesses, with terms up to 30 years.? The SBA determines eligibility based on the size of the applicant, type of activity and its financial resources.? Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant's financial condition.? These working capital loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred.? The loans are not intended to replace lost sales or profits.

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA's secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Disaster loan information and application forms may also be obtained by calling the SBA's Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.? Loan applications can be downloaded from www.sba.gov. ?Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.?

Completed loan applications must be returned to SBA no later than August 12, 2013.

For more information about the SBA's Disaster Loan Program, visit our website at www.sba.gov .

Contact: Mark Ihenacho
Phone: 404-331-0333

Release Number: 13-151 NC 13429

SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sba-economic-injury-disaster-loans-available-virginia-following-172000184.html

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