Successful Online Marketing Is Doable! Try These Tips | Joe Casias ...

A partnership can greatly describe the things that you do when you try to make money in affiliate promotion. While the parent company may not hold your hand, give you advice, or directly offer you assistance; you must learn to work through their audience and both partners will benefit from the hard work put in. A little elbow grease goes a long way, but it often takes more than that. The tips contained in this article can provide the information you need to know to make that hard work pay off.

Consider using multiple affiliate programs so that you have multiple sources to generate income. Implementing several affiliate programs that are related gives your target audience a greater selection of products to choose from.

It?s not always a good idea to target products with a high popularity on the Internet. You want to support quality products; remember that popularity does not necessarily equate to quality. Going up against giant competitors, as a small business owner, can be bad for your business. This may make it hard to compete.

Including things such as pictures and videos in your review makes the product more appealing and makes you more money. This helps attract more customers to the product. You should make the advertising copy as specific as possible, so people will know what they?re getting into before they buy.

Thinking outside the box can really help to boost your sales, when you set up your affiliate links. They might also want an mp3 player to listen to on their walks.

Use screenshots and recommendations for your products. If you are able to offer prospective buyers a wealth of information, you can increase the likelihood that they?ll choose to do business with you and send others your way.

Maximize business profits by signing up with web marketing companies. There are other online advertising methods like contextual networks and banner advertising but affiliate programs will consistently generate more visitors to your site. Three factors to consider when determining which web marketing company to choose are the referral payments that you will receive, how popular the directory is and how easy it is to navigate.

Transparency is one of the most important characteristics of a successful affiliate. You must tell the truth to build a customer base. If your readers discover that you are not honest with them, they will prevent you from getting credit for the referral by bypassing your links and going directly to the product seller.

Don?t try to hide your affiliates from your audience. This is crucial to building trust with your readers and give them the information they need to not feel like they are being taken advantage of.

Learn who your audience is so that you can be a successful affiliate marketer. Everything from your marketing to your content should be designed with your audience in mind. Know what makes your website attractive to them. What are they trying to find?

It is good to act on suggestions from just a few books about affiliates than using several. The time has to be put in at the beginning with no pay and there is a risk that no money will be made. You can spend too much time in preparation, and using that preparation as an excuse to put off starting the programs. Place the books aside, choose a couple of good tips, and begin your internet marketing campaign.

Have a basic knowledge about accounting practices. This can be a program instead of a person. You want to have at least some framework to work within. Get your accounting procedures in place before you open for business; it should be ready to use when you launch.

So many affiliate product promoters try to maximize their earnings by building ?super? affiliate empires. By juggling too many products and specials, they may lose their marketing edge. Remember that maximum results are very individual, and you need not always push so hard to try and compete. You just need time, creative thinking, determination and a willingness to learn in order to be successful in online marketing.

You are attempting to understand your audience and effectively cater to them. You aren?t attempting to steal a competitor?s customers. These tips and advice should provide insight about how great affiliate marketers find success.

Source: http://www.empowernetwork.com/joecasias1/blog/successful-online-marketing-is-doable-try-these-tips/

Green Coffee Bean Extract september 11 9/11 Memorial 911 masterchef Dictionary.com Chicago teachers strike

SAfrica: Mandela responds positively to treatment

FILE - In this June 17, 2010 file photo, former South African President Nelson Mandela leaves the chapel after attending the funeral of his great-granddaughter Zenani Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. The South African presidency says Nelson Mandela was re-admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection Thursday March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Siphiwe Sibeko, Pool, File)

FILE - In this June 17, 2010 file photo, former South African President Nelson Mandela leaves the chapel after attending the funeral of his great-granddaughter Zenani Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. The South African presidency says Nelson Mandela was re-admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection Thursday March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Siphiwe Sibeko, Pool, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, July 18, 2012 file photo former South African President Nelson Mandela as he celebrates his birthday with family in Qunu, South Africa, Wednesday, July 18, 2012. The South African presidency says Nelson Mandela was re-admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection Thursday March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)

FILE - In this Wednesday May 30, 2012 file photo South Africa's former president Nelson Mandela, after receiving a torch to celebrate the African National Congress' centenary from ANC chairperson Baleka Mbete in Mandela's home village of Qunu in rural eastern South Africa. The South African presidency says Nelson Mandela was re-admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection Thursday March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Lulamile Feni-Daily Dispatch) SOUTH AFRICA OUT

FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2007 file photo, former South African President Nelson Mandela pauses during a statue unveiling ceremony in his honor at Parliament Square in London. The South African presidency says Nelson Mandela was re-admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection Thursday March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Daniel Berehulak, Pool, File)

In this photo taken on Thursday, March 14, 2013, a statue of former South African president Nelson Mandela stands at the entrance to the Robben Island ferry departure point at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa, Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first black president, has been admitted to a hospital with a recurring lung infection, South Africa said Thursday, March 28, 2013. Mandela, 94, has become increasingly frail in recent years and has been hospitalized several times since last year, mostly recently earlier this month when he received what a presidential spokesman described as a "successful" medical test. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? South Africa's presidency says 94-year-old Nelson Mandela is responding positively to hospital treatment for a recurring lung infection.

The office of President Jacob Zuma also said in a statement Thursday that the former president and anti-apartheid leader remains under observation.

Mandela was admitted late Wednesday to a hospital in Pretoria, the South African capital.

Mandela contracted tuberculosis during his 27-year imprisonment for fighting white racist rule in South Africa. He has repeatedly had lung problems.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-28-South%20Africa-Mandela/id-b3d2517c60c34658899e585e9f170c0c

george st pierre aldon smith friday night lights nick santino bruce arians the misfits hook

Dorothy Hamill on Dancing With the Stars Exit: It Hurts

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/dorothy-hamill-on-dancing-with-the-stars-exit-it-hurts/

cmas tcu dr. oz heart attack grill las vegas the heart attack grill joe kennedy iii joseph kennedy iii

Lunar cycle determines hunting behavior of nocturnal gulls

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Zooplankton, small fish and squid spend hardly any time at the surface when there's a full moon. To protect themselves from their natural enemies, they hide deeper down in the water on bright nights, coming up to the surface under cover of darkness when there's a new moon instead.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell discovered that this also influences the behaviour of swallow-tailed gulls (Creagrus furcatus), a unique nocturnal species of gull from the Galapagos Islands. They fitted the birds with loggers and wet/dry sensors which enabled them to see how much time the animals spent at sea at night. Their findings show that the birds' activity was greatest at new moon, in other words the time when the most prey was gathered at the surface of the water. The cycle of the moon therefore also influences the behaviour of seabirds.

The lunar cycle controls the behaviour of various animal species: owls, swallows and bats, for example, align their activity with the phase of the moon to maximise their hunting success. However, marine life is also affected by the moon. Many species of fish hide from their enemies in the depths of the sea during the daytime and only come up to the water's surface in the dark. Known as vertical migration, this phenomenon is additionally influenced by the lunar cycle. The fish thereby avoid swimming on the water's surface at full moon where they would be easy prey. Vertical migration is thus restricted on brighter nights and the animals remain at greater depths. At new moon, on the other hand, the organisms become active and migrate to the surface.

Yet also in the dark of night hunters lie in wait for them ? for instance the swallow-tailed gull Creagrus furcatus from the Galapagos Islands. With eyes that are well adapted to the dark, the gull can see fish below the water's surface even in low light conditions and so does not need the moon as a source of light. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology therefore wanted to find out what effect the lunar cycle had on the hunting behaviour of the gulls.

To this effect, they attached loggers with sensors to 37 birds, which enabled the scientists to measure where, when and how long the animals were in the water. "The gulls fly off to hunt on the open sea and plunge down to the water's surface to snatch squid or small fish," explains Martin Wikelski from the Max Planck Institute in Radolfzell. "From the contact time of the sensors with the water, we were able to conclude in which nights of the month the gulls were particularly active." The behaviour of each bird was recorded for 120 days on average in order to take in several moon phases.

The birds followed the lunar cycles strictly: at new moon the gulls were in the water particularly often. When the nights were very bright, the birds tended to stay on dry land instead. "For the swallow-tailed gulls it makes sense to be guided by the lunar cycle in their hunting, because, with a diving depth of no more than one metre, the prey is quickly beyond their reach on nights with a full moon," says Wikelski.

To facilitate their night-time hunting, swallow-tailed gulls have evolved light-sensitive eyes that are particularly well adapted to the dark nights at sea. They have also lost their melatonin rhythm ? an important clock that regulates sleep ? enabling the swallow-tailed gulls to occupy a new and unique ecological niche.

###

Sebastian M. Cruz, Mevin Hooten, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Carolina B. Proano, David J. Anderson, Vsevolod Afanasyev, Martin Wikelski

At?Sea Behavior Varies with Lunar Phase in a Nocturnal Pelagic Seabird, the Swallow-Tailed Gull

PLoS ONE 8(2): e56889. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056889

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft: http://www.mpg.de

Thanks to Max-Planck-Gesellschaft for this article.

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

This press release has been viewed 38 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127501/Lunar_cycle_determines_hunting_behavior_of_nocturnal_gulls

army wives 60 minutes go daddy Tom Kenny Long Island Medium Alfonso Ribeiro adam sandler

Jackbooted ACLU Thugs Support Drones* (OliverWillisLikeKryptoniteToStupid)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295283280?client_source=feed&format=rss

joe the plumber lra lra eric johnson eric johnson big east tournament ashley olsen

Nature versus nurture: Better looking birds have healthier babies, study finds

Mar. 25, 2013 ? A female great tits' (Parus major) appearance is shown to signal healthy attributes in offspring in a paper in BioMed Central's open access journal Frontiers in Zoology. The black stripe across her breast and white patches on her cheeks correlate to a chick's weight at two weeks and immune strength respectively -- though the former seems to signal a genetic benefit and the latter can affect an 'adopted' chick's health, suggesting nurture is involved.

Taking two mothers with different patterning, and swapping their chicks, researchers from Palacky University in the Czech Republic were able to investigate the growth and health of the infants and the 'ornamentation' of their mothers. They compared the offspring's weight, size and immune strength and found a correlation between the chick's weight at two weeks and the size of black breast stripe on the genetic mother.

The immaculateness of both genetic and foster mother's white cheek patch was related to the strength of chick's immune response suggesting that this was due to both nurture and genetics. In contrast the body size of a chick was related only to the body size of its genetic mother and not to ornamentation at all.

In these socially monogamous birds both the males and females are brightly coloured, however neither the cheek patch nor the stripe in males affected the health of the babies.

Talking about how the ornaments can have evolved to signal reproductive fitness, Vladim?r Reme? and Beata Matysiokov? who performed this study explained, "Bigger healthier babies are important to the reproductive success of individuals, because they are more likely to survive to adulthood -- so it is useful for birds to be able to work out which potential mates will produce the best babies. Maintaining bright colouration uses up resources which could otherwise be invested in reproduction or self-maintenance -- consequently the evolution and maintenance of ornamentation in female great tits is probably due to direct selection by males."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BioMed Central Limited, via AlphaGalileo.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Vladim?r Reme? and Beata Matysiokov?. More ornamented females produce higher-quality offspring in a socially monogamous bird: an experimental study in the great tit (Parus major). Frontiers in Zoology, 2013; (in press) [link]

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/yQoEjLTFYTk/130324201814.htm

Cotto vs Trout Robin Givens Gus Malzahn hyperemesis gravidarum miranda kerr BCS Bowls palestine

Taliban threat forces Pakistan's Musharraf to cancel welcome rally

Kamran Jebreili / AP

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf talks to a journalist in his office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before leaving for Karachi on Sunday.

By Waj S. Khan, Producer, NBC News

KARACHI, Pakistan - Pakistan's ex-president Pervez Musharraf who returned home Sunday after four years in self-exile, was forced to cancel a welcome rally after a video allegedly showing Taliban suicide bombers preparing to target the former leader was released.?

"The threat by the Taliban to General Musharraf's life is real, very real. There are increasing chances every hour that something could happen," said retired Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi, his former military spokesperson and now a member of Musharraf's political party, the All Pakistan Muslim League.

Musharraf had been expected to address supporters in Karachi, where he arrived from Dubai.

A video allegedly showing a squad of Pakistani Taliban suicide bombers being trained to target Musharraf was released on Saturday. Like threats in the past, they reiterated that they would kill Musharraf, who is blamed by Islamist militants for supporting the American "war on terror" in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

After landing in Karachi today afternoon, Musharraf was expected to briefly address a crowd, and will then be moved to an undisclosed location.

Photos:?Victims of Pakistan bomb attack mourned

His lawyer and party leader, Ahmad Raza Qasuri, said the former president will have a busy few days "dealing with the legal mess of three very serious cases that have been waiting for him."

On Friday his legal team won him no-arrest bail for three different cases ? one that charges him as a conspirator of the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007, the killing of Akbar Bugti, a separatist politician, in 2006, and for forcibly detaining several judges in 2007 who wouldn't anoint his military rule.

The bail, according to Qasuri, was going to ensure that Musharraf was not arrested on arrival. The country's interior ministry had warned that Musharraf would be arrested as soon as he set foot in Pakistan.

According to the lawyer, Qasuri, Musharraf will have to travel to "unsavory?and unsafe places like Quetta [in Balochistan] to face the courts, which shows that he understands the risks of returning back here."

Related:

Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani teen shot by Taliban, back at school -- in UK

Pakistan captures suspect in death of journalist Daniel Pearl, officials say

Tough neighborhood: Can Waziristan militancy be dismantled, and society built?

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/29ebe096/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C240C174371160Etaliban0Ethreat0Eforces0Epakistans0Emusharraf0Eto0Ecancel0Ewelcome0Erally0Dlite/story01.htm

dodgers rachel maddow gia la riots new jersey devils torn acl derrick rose injury

Historical Attractions In Xi'an Discover The True Spirit Of An Ancient ...

Xi'an is one the oldest cities in China that has a rich and culturally significant history. There are several historical sites in Xi'an that anyone who visits city should not miss.
Army of Terra Cotta Warriors, also known as the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, is generously dotted with sculptures of the armies from the first emperor of China Qin Shi Huang. This mausoleum is one of Xi'an city's greatest attractions which sprawl over an area of twenty hectares. The landscaping with much greenery, blossoming flowers and green grass surrounding the location attracts a large number of visitors throughout the year.
Great Mosque of Xian, one if the best preserved and largest Islamic mosques in China was constructed during the Tang Dynasty. The unique and resplendent architecture in the mosque which combines traditional Muslim and Chinese styles, thereby creating a marvel of sorts is a must see for anyone who visits Xian.
Famed for its long historical significance and the romantic love story between Emperor Xuanzon and Yang Guifei during the Tang Dynasty, the Huaqing hot spring is among the magnificent landscapes of the city of Xian. Visitors can not only enjoy the scenery but experience the joy of having a refreshing bath in this extraordinary ever-flowing water of the spring.
Apart from these three sites there is so much more to see and do in Xi'an. As with most parts of China this is a city with a strong heritage and a bold and vibrant culture. Other historical attractions include the Xian City Wall, Bell and Drum Towers, Big Goose Pagoda among many others.
When visiting the city check for Xian accommodation that is convenient and relaxing. There are several accommodation options in Xian whether you are travelling with friends and family for leisure or on a business trip. Without checking into a hotel you can book serviced apartments Xian, which are exclusive serviced residences that create a more luxurious feel than staying in a hotel. One of the best recommended apartments would be Citadines Central Xi'an, which is just minutes away from the main city with a short distance to several historical locations in Xian.

About the Author:
Nelson Osborne is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Historical-Attractions-In-Xi-an-----Discover-The-True-Spirit-Of-An-Ancient-Chinese-City-/4502478

What Time Do Polls Open Krysten Ritter v for vendetta Voting Locations atlanta falcons voting hours election results

BUSM researchers identify chemical compounds that halt virus replication

Public release date: 21-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jenny Eriksen
jenny.eriksen@bmc.org
617-638-6841
Boston University Medical Center

Could lead to the development of broad spectrum antivirals for deadly viruses

(Boston) Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified a new chemical class of compounds that have the potential to block genetically diverse viruses from replicating. The findings, published in Chemistry & Biology, could allow for the development of broad-spectrum antiviral medications to treat a number of viruses, including the highly pathogenic Ebola and Marburg viruses.

Claire Marie Filone, PhD, postdoctoral researcher at BUSM and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), is the paper's first author and led this study under the leadership of John Connor, PhD, associate professor of microbiology at BUSM and the study's corresponding author. John Snyder, PhD, professor of chemistry at Boston University (BU) and researchers from the Center for Chemical Methodology and Library Development at BU (CMLD-BU) were collaborators on this study.

Viruses are small disease-causing agents (pathogens) that replicate inside the cells of living organisms. A group of viruses known as nonsegmented, negative sense (NNS) ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses cause common illnesses such as rabies, mumps and measles. These pathogens also cause more serious deadly diseases, including Ebola, Hendra and Nipah. Currently, there are no approved and effective treatments against these viruses, which, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are associated with mortality rates up to 90 percent following infection.

"Identifying broad-spectrum antivirals is an important step in developing successful therapies against these and other viruses," said Filone. The basic idea of a broad spectrum antiviral is similar to that of broad spectrum antibacterials in that they would allow one drug to serve as a common treatment for many different viral illnesses.

In this study, researchers identified a new chemical class of compounds that effectively blocked genetically diverse viruses from replicating by limiting RNA production by the virus in cell culture. These indoline alkaloid-type compounds inhibited a number of viruses from replicating, including Ebola.

"Because the production of viral RNA is the first step in successful replication, it appears that we have uncovered an Achilles heel to halt virus replication," said Filone. "These compounds represent probes of a central virus function and a potential drug target for the development of effective broad-spectrum antivirals for a range of human pathogens."

###

Research highlighted in this press release was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under grant award numbers RO1 AI1096159-01 and K22AI-064606 (PI: Connor).

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 21-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jenny Eriksen
jenny.eriksen@bmc.org
617-638-6841
Boston University Medical Center

Could lead to the development of broad spectrum antivirals for deadly viruses

(Boston) Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified a new chemical class of compounds that have the potential to block genetically diverse viruses from replicating. The findings, published in Chemistry & Biology, could allow for the development of broad-spectrum antiviral medications to treat a number of viruses, including the highly pathogenic Ebola and Marburg viruses.

Claire Marie Filone, PhD, postdoctoral researcher at BUSM and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), is the paper's first author and led this study under the leadership of John Connor, PhD, associate professor of microbiology at BUSM and the study's corresponding author. John Snyder, PhD, professor of chemistry at Boston University (BU) and researchers from the Center for Chemical Methodology and Library Development at BU (CMLD-BU) were collaborators on this study.

Viruses are small disease-causing agents (pathogens) that replicate inside the cells of living organisms. A group of viruses known as nonsegmented, negative sense (NNS) ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses cause common illnesses such as rabies, mumps and measles. These pathogens also cause more serious deadly diseases, including Ebola, Hendra and Nipah. Currently, there are no approved and effective treatments against these viruses, which, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are associated with mortality rates up to 90 percent following infection.

"Identifying broad-spectrum antivirals is an important step in developing successful therapies against these and other viruses," said Filone. The basic idea of a broad spectrum antiviral is similar to that of broad spectrum antibacterials in that they would allow one drug to serve as a common treatment for many different viral illnesses.

In this study, researchers identified a new chemical class of compounds that effectively blocked genetically diverse viruses from replicating by limiting RNA production by the virus in cell culture. These indoline alkaloid-type compounds inhibited a number of viruses from replicating, including Ebola.

"Because the production of viral RNA is the first step in successful replication, it appears that we have uncovered an Achilles heel to halt virus replication," said Filone. "These compounds represent probes of a central virus function and a potential drug target for the development of effective broad-spectrum antivirals for a range of human pathogens."

###

Research highlighted in this press release was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under grant award numbers RO1 AI1096159-01 and K22AI-064606 (PI: Connor).

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/bumc-bri032013.php

donovan mcnabb donovan mcnabb lottery ticket megga millions what is autism the giver march 30

Tree Obama planted in Jerusalem may be uprooted for inspection

It's an old gospel song: Just like a tree planted by the water, I shall not be moved. But if you're the magnolia tree the president of the United States planted today in Jerusalem, there's a chance you might be moved.

Obama planted a tree on Wednesday in Israeli President Shimon Peres's Jerusalem garden. It's a gift for a man Obama said has planted "the seeds of progress, the seeds of security, the seeds of peace - all the seeds that have helped not only Israel grow but also the relationship between our two nations grow."

The tree was meant to signify the strong roots of the relationship between the United States and Israel. But before these American roots can take hold, the Israeli government will inspect them.

An Israeli official tells ABC News that the magnolia tree will be tested and possibly removed in a week by the Israeli Agriculture Department. The roots of the tree were apparently kept in a plastic covering during the planting. As in the U.S., Israeli law forbids plants and trees from other countries from entering Israel. The White House and the Israeli government were aware of the limitations ahead of the visit.

A White House official confirms that the tree given to Peres was grown from a set of seeds from the original Jackson Magnolia alongside the Rose Garden on the South Lawn of the White House. It was planted in the 1830s by President Andrew Jackson. An official says it is the oldest known presidential tree on the grounds of the White House.

During remarks at Peres's official residence, Obama mentioned the story in the Talmud of Honi and the Carob Tree: A man sees an older man planting a carob tree and tells him that it will take 70 years before the tree grows fruit. Obama told the crowd the older man's reply: "When I came into the world, I found carob trees. As my forefathers planted for me, so will I plant for my children."

There's good news for Obama's magnolia tree: If removed for testing, it is expected to be replanted in the same spot. It's currently near a tree given by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI during his May 2009 trip to the Holy Land. An Israeli official says Benedict's tree didn't undergo any testing because it was purchased in Israel.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tree-obama-planted-jerusalem-may-uprooted-inspection-024603990--abc-news-politics.html

doppler radar colorado rockies moonshine news channel 4 radar weather morosini death jacoby ellsbury

Cops: Disabled man shoots Wal-Mart manager over dog

By Yereth Rosen, Reuters

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A wheelchair-dependent double amputee has been charged with shooting and critically wounding an Alaska Wal-Mart manager over a disagreement about a service dog.

Daniel Pirtle, 45, was caught while attempting to flee the Anchorage store on his motorized wheelchair, according to police reports about the Saturday incident.

He was charged with first-degree assault and weapons misconduct, and on Tuesday declined a public defender, telling the judge that he preferred to represent himself. "I know how to do that," he said at the pre-indictment hearing.

The shooting left Jason Mahi, 33, in critical condition at a local hospital, a family member said.

The dispute was over a service dog used by Pirtle, according to police reports. Mahi was shot in the abdomen after he asked Pirtle to leash the dog. An off-duty police officer shopping at the store detained Pirtle, according to police reports.

Pirtle had two pistols with him at the store and later admitted to detectives that he had shot Mahi, according to an information report filed by the local district attorney.

Mahi's brother, Brandon Mahi, said the victim remained unconscious on Tuesday. "We're just praying every day," Brandon Mahi said after Pirtle's brief court appearance.

He said the family is upset that Wal-Mart continued to do business after the shooting. "They just kept running like nothing even happened," he said.

Dianna Gee, a spokeswoman at Wal-Mart's headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., said that, "considering the circumstances," store employees "did an amazing job at handling a very difficult situation."

"Their focus was on tending to the medical-emergency needs, getting help to the scene and making sure there was no immediate threat to the customers," Gee told Reuters, adding that the company had been providing support to Mahi's family since the shooting.

Although police secured the shooting scene on Saturday, the store did not close after the incident, said Anita Shell, a spokeswoman for the Anchorage Police Department.

If Mahi dies, murder charges will be added, said Anita Shell, a spokeswoman for the Anchorage Police Department.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/20/17383416-police-disabled-wal-mart-customer-guns-down-manager-over-service-dog?lite

bachelor jennifer love hewitt justin timberlake gerard butler lakers danielle fishel daylight savings

Jessica Hudson, Sweet Peas Farm Owner, Fights Williamstown Township Over Animals

When Jessica Hudson moved with her family to a small rural community located east of Lansing, Mich., last summer, she thought she had finally found the solution to her kids' troubling dietary issues. She never imagined she might be headed to court.

Hudson says that her five young children suffer from a long list of serious food allergies, including soy and corn, which severely impairs their ability to eat a balanced diet. Hudson and her husband, Jeremiah, have had an especially difficult time finding affordable non-allergenic eggs and milk to provide the kids with protein. They moved to Williamstown Township, Mich., with the goal of creating a ranch where they could raise their own animals on contaminant-free diets. Although they've succeeded in establishing a 1.5-acre homestead, Sweet Peas Farm, their animals -- including pigs, goats, chickens and rabbits -- have not been received warmly by local officials.

(Scroll down to see photos of the animals at Sweet Peas Farms)

Hudson told The Huffington Post that she had initially cleared the animals with the township before they moved, but received a letter last November saying that her farm violated a local zoning ordinance. Although Hudson has tried to settle the matter through official channels, she said the townships' board of trustees voted at their meeting last week to refer the issue to their counsel for legal action.

"They're cordial and sympathetic when they speak with me," she said, "and yet when they vote, they're not voting with their sympathies. They're voting what they believe to be the law."

Hudson insists her family has a legal right to raise animals since they plan to sell animal products.

"I feel it's going to culminate at some point in a trial, because we're not planning to back down. We feel we are completely protected by the state's Right To Farm Act."

She asserts that the 1981 Michigan law protects commercial farms in Michigan from local nuisance ordinances, as long as they are in compliance with certain guidelines. Last year, another Michigan couple, the Buchlers, won a similar case in Marquette County Circuit Court based on the law.

The township, however, has a different take on the situation. Williamstown Township supervisor Mickey Martin told WILX-TV that the Hudsons were keeping the animals in an "R-1" zone, a residential zone where farm animals are not allowed, adding that legal protection doesn't extend to zoning issues. She also said she couldn't find any township employee who could recall Hudson's original request for information on keeping animals on her property.

Hudson, however, points out in an entry on her blog that the "high-residential" zone where her property sits only has six houses distributed over 70 acres of land.

In an interview with the Lansing State Journal, Martin defended the zoning code.

"There are good reasons to have these types of zoning laws in place," Martin told the newspaper. "Although we are sympathetic to her situation, we have to abide by our zoning."

The Hudson family could be fined up to $100 for the animals, and be required to pay some of the township's legal fees, according to the Journal, citing the Williamstown Township website. Hudson believes that her family will face further sanctions and be forced to remove the animals if she doesn't pursue a legal challenge. In addition to concerns about her children's nutritional needs, she said that her children are worried about losing animals that they consider pets.

Anticipating a legal battle, she has taken to social media to raise awareness and support for her struggle. With the help of a survivalist podcast hosted by an Internet broadcaster named Jack Spirko, she says she's raised more than $10,000 for her struggle, or about half her projected legal expenses.

A request for comment to the township had not been returned at the time of publication.

Despite the groundswell of support, Hudson thinks its "crazy" that lawyers may be needed to resolve this issue.

"We really tried to do everything right and still it blew up in our faces," she said. "It's just been so confusing and so disheartening that something so little as us just trying to feed our family has become such a huge thing."

Also on HuffPost:

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/19/jessica-hudson-williamstown-michigan-farm-animals_n_2904190.html

Cut for Bieber AJ McCarron Johnny Manziel ups Aj Mccarron Girlfriend linkedin linkedin

Does Greek coffee hold the key to a longer life?

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

The answer to longevity may be far simpler than we imagine; it may in fact be right under our noses in the form of a morning caffeine kick. The elderly inhabitants of Ikaria, the Greek island, boast the highest rates of longevity in the World, and many scientists turn to them when looking to discover the 'secrets of a longer life'. In a new study in Vascular Medicine, published by SAGE, researchers investigating cardiovascular health believe that a cup of boiled Greek coffee holds the clue to the elderly islanders' good health.

Only 0.1% of Europeans live to be over 90, yet on the Greek island of Ikaria, the figure is 1%. This is recognized as one of the highest longevity rates anywhere ? and the islanders tend to live out their longer lives in good health.

Gerasimos Siasos, a medical doctor and professor at the University of Athens Medical School, Greece set out with his team to find out whether the elderly population's coffee drinking had an effect on their health. In particular, the researchers investigated links between coffee-drinking habits and the subjects' endothelial function. The endothelium is a layer of cells that lines blood vessels, which is affected both by aging and by lifestyle habits (such as smoking). The team homed in on coffee because recent studies suggest that moderate coffee consumption may slightly reduce the risks of coronary heart disease, and that it may also have a positive impact on several aspects of endothelial health.

From a sample of 673 Ikarians aged over 65 who lived on the island permanently, the researchers randomly selected 71 men and 71 women to take part in the study. Medical staff used health checks (for high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) and questionnaires to get more detail on the participants' medical health, lifestyles and coffee drinking, in addition to testing their endothelial function.

The researchers investigated all types of coffee taken by participants ? but interestingly more than 87% of those in the study consumed boiled, Greek coffee daily. More importantly, subjects consuming mainly boiled Greek coffee had better endothelial function than those who consumed other types of coffee. Even in those with high blood pressure, boiled Greek coffee consumption was associated with improved endothelial function, without worrying impacts on blood pressure.

"Boiled Greek type of coffee, which is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants and contains only a moderate amount of caffeine, seems to gather benefits compared to other coffee beverages," Siasos concludes.

The new study provides a new connection between nutritional habits and cardiovascular health. Given the extent of coffee drinking across the world, and the fact that even small health effects of at least one type of coffee could have a large impact on public health, this study provides an interesting starting point. However, further studies are needed to document the exact beneficial mechanisms of coffee on cardiovascular health.

###

SAGE Publications: http://www.online.sagepub.com

Thanks to SAGE Publications for this article.

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

This press release has been viewed 47 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127353/Does_Greek_coffee_hold_the_key_to_a_longer_life_

jason wu Mavericks Surf Stonewall Inaugural Ball julio jones j crew san francisco 49ers

Why is BlackBerry?s CEO being so weird about the low-end market?

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins

BlackBerry (BBRY) executives have a history of making condescending comments to analysts, but this time, Thorsten Heins has really broke new ground in haughtiness. At an Ontario conference, Mr. Heins was asked about the low-end smartphone market and he firmly stated that his company is ?not going to get into $50-60 segment,? Bloomberg reported. This, of course, is pure straw man construction. Nobody thinks BlackBerry should or can get into the $50-60 price segment. Mostly because that price segment does not exist. There are no $50 smartphones.

[More from BGR: Leaked photos may finally reveal Samsung?s Galaxy S IV]

No one believes that BlackBerry should get into the $100-120 price segment, either. The thing everyone wants to know is when BlackBerry intends to enter the $200-250 price segment. This is a real smartphone price segment that exists in the real world. This is the price segment where models such as the?Micromax Canvas 2 and Karbonn S1 Titanium are making huge market share gains in regions like Asia. This is the price segment where Windows Phones like Nokia?s (NOK) Lumia 520 are entering right now. This is the price segment where Samsung (005930) and HTC (2498) are triumphing from Brazil to Malaysia.

[More from BGR: Google ?X Phone? specs reportedly revealed: Quad-core CPU, 4.7-inch HD display, 16MP camera]

You see, the biggest problem BlackBerry is now facing is the global subscriber base erosion that started in the November quarter. BlackBerry?s subscriber base shrank for the first time in the company?s history, by a relatively sharp 2 million subscribers. This happened because subscriber growth in markets like Nigeria, South Africa, the Philippines and Indonesia is no longer strong enough to offset the weakness in markets like North America and Europe. That BlackBerry sub growth slowdown in Africa and Asia is directly linked to the loss of competitiveness of its cheap Curve product range against Samsung, Huawei, ZTE, Spice and Micromax? in the sub-$250 price category.

The question of when a competitive, cheap Curve model debuts in emerging markets is thus extremely important. BlackBerry?s future may hinge on when it can get a solid, sub-$250 smartphone out in Africa and Asia. So the decision of BlackBerry?s CEO to brush off this question by a snide comment about ?not entering $50-$60 segment? is not only completely inane, it is insulting for the company shareholders.

Nobody is expecting BlackBerry to produce a smartphone that is cheaper than any other smartphone in the world. People simply want to know when BlackBerry intends to enter the price segment where smartphone volume growth is now exploding. Mr. Heins?s?defensiveness and shiftiness?on this topic is not encouraging.

This article was originally published on BGR.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/why-blackberry-ceo-being-weird-low-end-market-162045552.html

ncaa march madness mario williams vcu unlv sam young ncaa bracket ramon sessions

No Firefox web browser for iPhone or iPad unless Apple relaxes its rules

Mozilla has no plans to bring its Firefox browser to the iPhone or iPad in the future and it is putting the blame firmly at Apple?s door. Mozilla vice president Jay Sullivan was speaking at the mobile browser wars panel at SXSW Interactive. According to CNET:

The sticking point for Mozilla is not being able to carry over its sophisticated rendering and javascript engines to iOS. Essentially, the organization doesn't feel like it can build the browser it wants to for Apple's platform, Sullivan told CNET.

Of course this should come as no great surprise to iOS users; the browser debate has been rumbling on for a long time. The App Store already offers a lot of different web browsers which include the likes of Google Chrome, Dolphin Browser and more.

The fact that none of these alternative browsers can be set as the default browser is hindering enough. When you also factor in the lack of access to the Safari exclusive Nitro JavaScript engine; which considerably speeds up the browsing experience, you can see why it is not an attractive platform for third party browsers.

Nitro gets its speed by using a just-in-time compiler that can execute code faster, but at the expense of security. Given the amount of security exploits that target web content, Apple only uses it in aspects of iOS it can be completely responsible for securing, namely Safari and in web.app (web apps clipped to the Home screen). Third party apps are restricted to UIWebView, which uses the older, more secure yet slower JavaScript engine. That means all alternate browsers can really offer are different interfaces and add-on services, like Chrome does with tabs and sync.

Now that Mozilla is making their own mobile operating system, however, perhaps they can lead by example and show how alternate browsers can run with their own HTML and JavaScript engines, unrestricted, and in a completely secure manner.

Source: CNET

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/6W0ANgReu0Q/story01.htm

Pokemon nhl jillian michaels Freddy E NHL lockout Honey Boo Boo pirate bay

New center offers help for dogs consumed by fear

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? People want their dog to be a friend, not afraid.

But sometimes, fear grips dogs so tightly they shake, cower, bite, growl or pee. It can be constant, painful and hard to overcome. Such dread can consume a dog when it's freed from a cage at a puppy mill or hoarder's home because that's the only life the dog has ever known.

Until now, it was up to animal shelters to ease the fears, knowing if they didn't, euthanasia was the likely alternative. But this week, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opens its Behavioral Rehabilitation Center at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, N.J.

It's a two-year research project being financed by the ASPCA.

For now, dogs seized from puppy mills and hoarders will be the primary patients, said Kristen Collins, ASPCA's director of anti-cruelty behavior rehabilitation and director of the center. It will also include some dogs that have been confined for long stretches as evidence in court cases.

Dogs will come from shelters across the country as well as from seizures involving the ASPCA.

It's groundbreaking and exciting, Collins said. "It's the first ever facility that's dedicated strictly to providing rehabilitation for dogs that are victims of animal cruelty."

The research will also provide some numbers, Collins said. No one knows how many shy dogs are being placed in homes now. And little is known about how they fare after placement, so center staff will spend a lot of time following up on animals.

There are 27 kennels, an office, real life rooms, treatment rooms and common areas at the center.

The average stay for most dogs will be six to eight weeks, "but we don't have a hard and fast rule. All dogs are individuals. We will be flexible," Collins said.

A team of 10 people, including two behavior experts from St. Hubert's, will staff the center. Volunteers and daily caretakers will feed the dogs and clean kennels.

Graduating dogs will return to a shelter for placement and ASPCA shelter partners will continue working with the dogs if needed, Collins said.

St. Hubert's is a longtime disaster partner of the ASPCA and jumped at the chance to be involved, said President and CEO Heather Cammisa.

Fear and anxiety are major factors that can hinder a dog's quality of life, she said.

"If they are hiding in the back of the cage and they are fearful, No. 1, they don't have a good quality of life and, No. 2, they are not going to be selected for adoption and when they go home, they are not really prepared to be the family pet that adopters seek, so this is just a win-all-around," she said.

The ASPCA spent over half a million dollars on the building, Cammisa said, and will pay all other expenses, including vaccinations, spaying or neutering, treatments and other care.

Weather permitting, the first few dogs will arrive in the next day or two from the Pacific Northwest, Collins said.

They will be the last of 213 Alaskan malamutes seized from a Montana breeder who was convicted in December 2012 of 91 counts of animal cruelty. After being starved and living in filth at the breeding facility, the dogs then had to be kept in kennels as evidence for 16 months while the trial played out.

Malamutes are 75-pound dogs. "Eighteen of the dogs were pregnant. One pregnant dog only weighed 48 pounds and had eight pups. Only one survived," said Bob Sutherland of Anchorage, president of the Alaska Malamute Assistance League.

The dogs were released to a humane society in Helena, Mont., where they were spayed and neutered, and another group helped place the animals.

While some dogs are in malamute rescues waiting for the right owner, many have found forever homes. Sutherland and his wife, Nicole McCullough, adopted one.

When the dogs were in evidence custody, Sutherland would visit to help out once a month. Cinder, a 6-year-old female, became his special project.

She is missing the tip of her ear, has broken teeth and a broken toe, injuries Sutherland said were caused when what little food was given to the dogs was thrown over a fence, causing food fights. Many of the dogs are even missing their tongues, he said.

Cinder has come a long way. "We took a shy dog, and she's all grins and giggles now. If you work with these dogs, they rise and shine. That's why this ASPCA facility is so valuable to us. We were super excited to get these dogs in there to go through a training regimen. It saves us a lot of heartbreak about what we do with these dogs," Sutherland said.

There will be those dogs that cannot overcome the fear, Collins said. But behaviorists will do everything possible and consider euthanasia as a last resort only if the dogs are suffering from an extremely poor quality of life or if they pose a significant threat to the public, she said.

The center will only be able to handle about 400 dogs during the project's two scheduled years, so it won't take an immediate burden off shelters, Collins said, but if researchers can come up with new ways to ease fear, anxiety and shyness in abused dogs, it could have a widespread impact.

And success could mean another phase in the study, to include fighting dogs, or even cats, Collins said.

___

Online:

? http://www.sthuberts.org

? http://www.malamuterescue.org

? http://www.aspca.org

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-12-Pets-Dog%20Rehab/id-75cba085536c4b7ba5a962efcded2796

monday night football monday night football SEC Championship Game 2012 kansas city chiefs Javon Belcher express kindle fire

Six teens killed in Ohio crash

By Andrew Rafferty, Staff Writer, NBC News

Six Ohio teenagers died and two more were injured on Sunday after the car they were traveling in hit a guardrail, went airborne and landed in a pond, according to authorities.

The single-car accident occurred when a sport utility vehicle carrying eight people in Warren, Ohio veered to the left, hit a guardrail and flew out of control, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol. ?

Killed in the crash were 19-year-old Alexis Cayson, 14-year-old Andrique Bennett, 17-year-old Brandon Murray, and Kirklan Behner, Daylan Ray, and Ramone White, all 15-years-old, according to NBC Cleveland affiliate WKYC.

All the victims were from Warren, Ohio, about 60 miles east of Cleveland.

Brian Henry, 18, and Asher Lewis, 15, survived and were taken to a local hospital. There was no information immediately on their condition, but state police plan to address the media on Sunday night.

Authorities say the Honda Passport was traveling more than 70 mph when the driver hit the guard rail.

The crash occurred just before 7 a.m. EST. Along with state police, the dive team and Ohio State Troopers Crash Reconstruction team responded at the scene.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/10/17259173-six-teens-killed-in-ohio-crash?lite

skier sarah burke gingrich wife cheryl burke danielle fishel mothers day daylight savings time

Gay GOP activist considers primary against Sen. Lindsey Graham (Washington Post)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/290660030?client_source=feed&format=rss

natalie wood patriots Sandy Hook Hoax 2014 Corvette Stacie Halas Corvette Stingray Claire Danes

Curated Food Delivery Service Caviar Opens To The Public And Launches Group Ordering

Last September, we told you about Caviar, a food delivery service that works directly with awesome restaurants in San Francisco to have their food delivered for a flat fee of $9.99 in less than an hour. That service has now exited its invite-only beta period, and also just launched a group-ordering feature that will allow users to quickly and easily share their shopping cart with others.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/o7t47wrslBQ/

micron ceo glenn miller who do you think you are superpac steve appleton bishop eddie long madonna give me all your luvin video

NY Based Firm Launches Custom Online Marketing Solutions ...

In today?s technological business structure, online marketing is the most sought after viral propositions businesses look forward to enhance their competitive positions. To help online entrepreneurs adopt the right online marketing strategies to successfully impact their business, Asahi Technologies launches customized online marketing solutions at affordable cost in New York.

New York, NY (PRWEB) March 09, 2013

The dominating presence of web and its influence over consumers has led online retailers to devise appropriate strategies to strategically position themselves in the competition. Companies ought to choose online marketing solutions wisely by taking into account their customer demographics, budget and other considerations. There are several techniques available to market a business online. However, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an excellent tool to augment customer base and sales revenues. The benefits associated with this online strategy are definitely worth the time and expense. Nevertheless, every business organization should thoroughly evaluate to determine which online marketing strategies are the best match. Also, it is highly crucial for firms to choose the right people to work out their online marketing plans. And to help internet marketers with bespoke online marketing features and offerings, the NY based firm has launched professional online marketing services in New York.

SEO is the process by which a site achieves a higher rank for a given keyword, on popular search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing. SEO friendly web design & development enables a website for optimal search engine ranking. SEO techniques that were proven effective for improving brand visibility ensure the readiness of websites for future SEO and internet marketing campaigns. However, SEO does have its share of complexities. At Asahi Technologies, the SEO team evaluates and analyzes websites for search engine optimization, including everything from keyword research, generation, on-page optimization, off-page optimization, social media optimization and search engine reputation management (SERM). Providing viable online marketing solutions for any business type and size, the NY based firm offers a spectrum of distinctive solutions of online marketing that are customized for diverse industries. Unlike SEM, SEO targets searches like image, video, local and academic searches.

Using specific social media tactics that are most effective in marketing a business online, the company helps to create and effectively maintain social media campaigns. The efficient SERM team helps marketers to reduce the impact of negative views by monitoring and moving them from initial pages of search engine results. ?Our competitively priced SEO solutions help companies to make it big in the online space, while simultaneously letting them to focus on their core business objectives?, stated MR. Vinod Subbaiah, the CEO and Founder of Asahi Technologies.

To help businesses know more about custom online marketing services, Asahi Technologies provides a free online consultation to clients letting them understand their development options.

About Asahi Technologies

Asahi Technologies is a New York based web design and development firm that provides software consulting and Web solutions to small and medium level businesses all across North America. Asahi Technologies specializes in responsive design, cloud computing, online marketing, mobile application development and open source technologies. Under the leadership of Mr. Vinod Subbaiah, who himself started his career as a software programmer, Asahi Technologies? team comprises of experienced software professionals having extensive knowledge of technology with B2C and B2B operations. The firm?s headquarters is located in New York City, NY.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2013/3/prweb10514788.htm

Source: http://pressreleases.bloginteract.com/2013/03/ny-based-firm-launches-custom-online-marketing-solutions-focused-on-smes-to-enhance-their-online-visibility-in-new-york/

man of steel man of steel Adrienne Maloof Telemundo real housewives of beverly hills Pink Floyd 12 12 12 Concert

Libyan congress temporarily suspends sessions over security

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's General National Congress has temporarily suspended its sessions due to security concerns after a violent protest that left its members barricaded in a meeting room for several hours and a gun attack on its leader's car.

The congress had been due to hold a session on Sunday but congress leader Mohammed Magarief said that meeting as well as Tuesday's would be canceled. He said the lack of a secure meeting hall was also one of the reasons for the suspension.

"We will not meet under pressure or while being threatened," Magarief told a news conference late on Saturday. He did not say whether the suspension would last beyond Tuesday.

Gunmen in a crowd of Libyans demanding that lawmakers pass a bill barring former associates of ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi from power shot at Magarief's car last Tuesday.

Magarief was driving away from a building on the outskirts of the capital Tripoli where lawmakers had gathered to vote on the bill when the unknown assailants shot at his car.

Protesters had stopped him and about 100 congress members from leaving for several hours.

Congress members were forced to move from their headquarters in February when it was occupied by wounded former rebel fighters demanding compensation for injuries sustained in the 2011 war.

The group of about 30 left the building on Tuesday but damage still remains in the hall. Magarief said it needed some repair work before members could meet there again.

Insecurity persists in Libya, and politicians, state buildings and oil installations have become a focal point of protests as the government struggles to impose order on a vast and divided country awash with weapons.

Last week, unknown assailants stormed the building of the private al-Assema television station in Tripoli, abducting its owner and other staff members. They were eventually released within 24 hours.

(Reporting by Ali Shuaib; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/libyan-congress-temporarily-suspends-sessions-over-security-185110354.html

bachelor pad bachelor pad Green Coffee Bean Extract september 11 9/11 Memorial 911 masterchef

Facebook tries to stay hip with jazzier News Feed

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) ? Facebook doesn't want to be dismissed as an Internet has-been before its social network even enters its adolescence.

In an effort to remain hip, it is infusing the focal point of its website with a more dynamic look and additional controls designed to empower its 1 billion users to sort streams of photos and other material into more organized sections that appeal to their personal interests.

The changes unveiled Thursday are an attempt to address complaints that Facebook's hub ? the News Feed ? is degenerating into a jumble of monotonous musings and disjointed pictures. This has come as users' social circles have widened from a few dozen people to an unwieldy assortment of friends, family, businesses, celebrities, co-workers and fleeting acquaintances.

That evolution requires a more nuanced approach than the computer-generated algorithms that Facebook has been relying on to pick out the most relevant content to display in each user's News Feed. The growing popularity of smartphones and tablet computers equipped with high-quality cameras also is turning the News Feed into a more visual gallery, another shift that Facebook is tackling by carving out more space to display photos and video.

Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg hopes the makeover turns the News Feed into something like a newspaper tailored to fit the particular interests of each user on every visit to the website.

"This gives people more power to dig deeper into the topics they care about," Zuckerberg said while discussing the makeover at Facebook's Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters.

By keeping Facebook relevant, Zuckerberg hopes to avoid the fate of his company's social networking forerunners, Friendster and MySpace. Those once-trendy sites quickly flamed out, largely because they didn't say attuned to the changing interest of fickle audience. Making that mistake is even more costly in an age of increasingly short attention spans and technological tools that make it easy to find some other diversion with a quick click of the computer mouse or the swipe of a finger on a smartphone.

"They needed to freshen things up," said Brian Blau, research director of consumer technologies for Gartner Inc. "This should bring a lot of cooler things" into the News Feed.

Although Zuckerberg didn't say it, the overhaul also appears to be aimed at carving out more space to show larger and more compelling ads within the News Feed as Facebook seeks to boost its revenue and stock price.

Previous tweaks to the News Feed have triggered howls of protest among Facebook's users. Hoping to minimize the grousing this time around, Facebook intends to roll out the changes in phases. It will probably be at least six months before everyone who accesses Facebook on a personal computer sees the revamped News Feed, the company said. New mobile applications featuring the changes should be released within that time frame too.

The transition is likely to be completed before Facebook celebrates its 10th birthday next February.

The facelift is likely to be more jarring for those who only visit Facebook on a PC because it incorporates some features already deployed in the social network's mobile applications for smartphones and tablet computers.

The new features will enable users to choose to see streams of content that may feature nothing but photos or posts from their closest friends, family members or favorite businesses. Or they can just peruse content about music, or sports, as if they were grabbing a section of a newspaper. Other newspaper-like changes will include lists of events that users' social circles have flagged for the upcoming weekend and other summaries meant to resemble a table of contents.

Facebook still intends to rely on algorithms to select some material to feature on the main part of the News Feed, much like newspaper editors determine what goes on the front page.

The additional space being devoted to photos and video is an acknowledgement how dramatically the composition of Facebook's content has changed during the past 16 months. About 50 percent of the posts on News Feed now include a photo or video now, up from 25 percent in November 2011, according to Facebook's data.

Bigger pictures also will give advertisers a larger canvass to make their marketing pitches. Facebook is hoping marketers will seize the opportunity to develop more creative ways to entice and intrigue customers so advertising can become a more acceptable fixture on the social network.

More than anything else, the changes are meant to make Facebook a more fun place to hang out.

"This is all about keeping people engaged," Blau said.

Although Facebook's website remains one of the Internet's top destinations, there have been early signs that the social network is losing some of its pizazz, particularly among younger Web surfers who are starting to spend more time on other fraternizing hubs such as Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram, a photo-sharing site that Facebook bought for $521 million last summer.

A phenomenon, known as "Facebook Fatigue," was recently documented in a report from Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project. The study found that about 61 percent of Facebook users had taken a hiatus for reasons that range from boredom to too much irrelevant information to Lent.

That's a worrisome trend for Facebook because the company needs to ensure that its audience keeps coming back so it can learn more about their interests and, ultimately, sell more of the advertising that brings in most of the company's revenue.

"I don't think it had turned into a crisis, but Facebook was probably seeing some internal data that was telling them they needed to do something," said Greg Sterling, a senior analyst for Opus Research.

Facebook has been struggling to find the right balance between keeping its fun-loving audience happy and selling enough ads to please investors who want the company to accelerate its revenue growth.

Wall Street seems to think the redesigned News Feed might be a step in the right direction. Facebook's stock gained $1.13, or 4.1 percent, to close Thursday at $28.58. The shares still remain 25 percent below the $38 that they fetched in Facebook's initial public offering last May.

The mobile-friendly redesign of News Feed underscores the company's intensifying focus on smartphones and tablet computers as more of its users rely on those devices to interact on the social network.

About 23 percent, or $306 million, of Facebook's advertising revenue came from the mobile market during the final three months of last year. Zuckerberg thinks more than half of Facebook's revenue will be coming more mobile devices within the next few years ? a goal that should be easier to reach if the redesigned News Feed turns out to be as compelling as he envisions.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-08-Facebook-Remixed%20News%20Feed/id-fd44081bb9264d3093b4612eb9fc0378

mc hammer pecan pie recipe Hector Camacho Jill Kelly McKayla Maroney gronkowski jeremy renner