erinna: 2013

বৃহস্পতিবার, ১৬ মে, ২০১৩

Groundwater unaffected by shale gas production in Arkansas

May 15, 2013 ? A new study by scientists at Duke University and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) finds no evidence of groundwater contamination from shale gas production in Arkansas.

"Our results show no discernible impairment of groundwater quality in areas associated with natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing in this region," said Avner Vengosh, professor of geochemistry and water quality at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.

The scientists sampled 127 shallow drinking water wells in areas overlying Fayetteville Shale gas production in north-central Arkansas. They analyzed the samples for major and trace elements and hydrocarbons, and used isotopic tracers to identify the sources of possible contaminants. The researchers compared the chemical composition of the contaminants to those found in water and gas samples from nearby shale gas drilling sites.

"Only a fraction of the groundwater samples we collected contained dissolved methane, mostly in low concentrations, and the isotopic fingerprint of the carbon in the methane in our samples was different from the carbon in deep shale gas in all but two cases," Vengosh said. This indicates that the methane was produced primarily by biological activity in the region's shallow aquifers and not from shale gas contamination, he said.

"These findings demonstrate that shale gas development, at least in this area, has been done without negatively impacting drinking water resources," said Nathaniel R. Warner, a PhD student at Duke and lead author of the study.

Robert Jackson, a professor of environmental sciences at Duke, added, "Overall, homeowners typically had good water quality, regardless of whether they were near shale gas development."

Vengosh, Warner, Jackson and their colleagues published their peer-reviewed findings in the online edition of the journal Applied Geochemistry.

Hydraulic fracturing, also called hydrofracking or fracking, involves pumping water, sand and chemicals deep underground into horizontal gas wells at high pressure to crack open hydrocarbon-rich shale and extract natural gas. Accelerated shale gas drilling and hydrofracking in recent years has fueled concerns about water contamination by methane, fracking fluids and wastewater from the operations.

Previous peer-reviewed studies by Duke scientists found direct evidence of methane contamination in drinking water wells near shale-gas drilling sites in the Marcellus Shale basin of northeastern Pennsylvania, as well as possible connectivity between deep brines and shallow aquifers, but no evidence of contamination from fracking fluids.

"The hydrogeology of Arkansas's Fayetteville Shale basin is very different from Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale," Vengosh noted. Far from contradicting the earlier studies, the Arkansas study "suggests that variations in local and regional geology play major roles in determining the possible risk of groundwater impacts from shale gas development. As such, they must be taken into consideration before drilling begins."

Human factors -- such as the drilling techniques used and the integrity of the wellbores -- also likely play a role in preventing, or allowing, gas leakage from drilling sites to shallow aquifers, Vengosh said.

"The take-home message is that regardless of the location, systematic monitoring of geochemical and isotopic tracers is necessary for assessing possible groundwater contamination," he said. "Our findings in Arkansas are important, but we are still only beginning to evaluate and understand the environmental risks of shale gas development. Much more research is needed."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/LrGTotNmWrg/130515113835.htm

eva longoria Michael Clarke Duncan Nazanin Boniadi Deval Patrick Dedication 4 labor day college football scores

Chance The Rapper Remembers 'Talking White' And Fighting Black On Acid Rap

'I used to tell girls that I was mixed, which is a bold-faced lie," the Chicago rapper tells Mixtape Daily of his verse on "Everybody's Something."
By Nadeska Alexis

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1707326/chance-the-rapper-acid-rap-mixtape.jhtml

john mccain game changer corned beef recipe rpi dst friends with kids pacific standard time

বুধবার, ১৫ মে, ২০১৩

Should You Get BRCA Gene Testing?

May 14, 2013 10:37am

Angelina Jolie revealed she had genetic testing and a double mastectomy. ? ? (Image credit: Alastair Grant/AFP/Getty Images)

Angelina Jolie?s decision to get tested for gene mutations linked to a heightened breast cancer risk has many women wondering whether they should get tested, too.

Angelina Jolie Reveals She Had Double Mastectomy to Prevent Breast Cancer

Women with mutations in the genes BRCA1 or BRCA2 are five times more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. That means that 60 percent of women with a BRCA mutation will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, compared to 12 percent of women in the general population.

But less than 1 percent of women actually have a BRCA mutation, making costly genetic testing unnecessary for most. Could you be one of them? You can learn a lot from your family history.

For women who are not of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, the NCI recommends genetic testing if you have:

Two first-degree relatives diagnosed with breast cancer, with one of them before age 51. First-degree relatives include your mother or sister;

Three or more first- or second-degree relatives diagnosed with breast cancer. Second-degree relatives include your grandmother or aunt;

A combination of first- and second-degree relatives diagnosed with breast cancer or ovarian cancer;

A?first-degree relative?diagnosed with cancer in both breasts;

A combination of first- or second-degree relatives diagnosed with ovarian cancer;

A first- or second-degree relative diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer;

A male relative diagnosed with breast cancer.

For women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, who are more likely to carry a specific BRCA2 defect passed from generation to generation, the NCI recommends genetic testing if you have:

A first-degree relative diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer;

Two second-degree relatives on the same side of the family diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer.

About 2 percent of adult women have a family history pattern described above but, again, less than 1 percent of women will have a BRCA mutation.

?Not every?woman in such families carries a harmful?BRCA1?or?BRCA2?mutation, and?not every?cancer in such families is linked to a harmful mutation in one of these genes,? according to the NCI. ?Furthermore,?not every?woman who has a harmful?BRCA1?or?BRCA2?mutation will develop breast and/or ovarian cancer.?

Women without one of the family history patterns described above are unlikely to have a harmful BRCA?mutation, according to the NCI.

Based on her genetic testing results, Jolie opted for a preventive double mastectomy ? the surgical removal of both breasts to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Studies suggest that preventive mastectomy can reduce breast cancer risk by about 90 percent in high-risk women, according to the NCI. But surgery carries risks, too, so women are advised to talk to their doctors about the procedure?s pros, cons and possible alternatives.

Click here for more information from the National Cancer Institute.

SHOWS: Good Morning America

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/05/14/angelina-jolies-choice-should-you-get-brca-gene-testing/

4th Of July Desserts fireworks fireworks 4th of July Andy Griffith joe johnson scientology

There will be no console war! - The Worlds Best Video Game News

Microsoft vs Sony vs Nintendo. ?Console vs. mobile. Hardcore vs. casual. ?PC vs. console. ?Am I missing any?

If you follow all the hype around the new consoles, apparently Nintendo is dying and Sony will beat out Microsoft depending on the DRM requirements. ?Yeah, sure, I understand where this is going. ?We have to compare, say something is better than another and all that. ?But isn?t it sort of a waste of time?

Looking at the current generation, I had two consoles, a handheld device, a computer, a tablet and a mobile phone. ?Yes, I know that I?m yuppie scum, but am I really that abnormal? ?Most people I know (gamers and non-gamers alike) have at least a computer, phone and tablet, plus a console. ?That?s four platforms for gaming, and they are all used for gaming to at least some degree. ?Then we have hard core gamers, who will definitely buy at least one console ? but probably two!

Sure, there is a battle between Microsoft and Sony, but isn?t there already brand loyalty? ?The gamer who has been using the PS3 will most likely buy a PS4 ? maybe due to the exclusive releases, or familiarity with the remote, or simply loyalty to PS. ?The same goes for the Xbox. ?As a wide sweeping generalization (and yes, I know I?m going to get flak for this), PS is for those who are more interested in RPGs and Action/Adventure genres while Xbox is for FPS players ? just look at the exclusive releases.

And then there?s Nintendo. ?Most people I know have a Wii ? whether they like gaming or not. ?What is to say it will be any different with the Wii U? ?It may not be the ?main? console in the house, but I?d wager that most gamers will end up with one, if only to play a few titles a year. ?It has unique features and certain games will simply be better on it ? plus ZombieU 2 is coming, as it Wii Fit U.

Then there is the issue of mobile gaming. ?People keep saying mobile gaming will kill PC gaming, or is it the other way around? ?Just like handheld devices are separate from consoles, mobile games are simply a new platform for different types of games. ?No one would sit and play angry birds on their next-gen console, and I doubt any phone or tablet could run a full-length RPG. ?As long as there have been phones, people have played games on them ? I certainly killed hours on my original Nokia playing snake. ?This isn?t a new concept ? it?s been around for a while and it isn?t going anywhere. ?Bigger and better games may come to mobile devices, but the same is true of consoles and PCs.

Which brings me to the humble computer. ?No matter how great consoles get, there will always be the PC gamer. ?In fact, the feud between PC and console gamers is far older and way more bitter than the feud between consoles. ?But you know what, both are still going strong. ?Some games are simply more enjoyable on the computer ? and easier to distribute. ?Some people?s lives are configured in such a way that they can only play games on consoles.

Despite numerous feuds, the industry keeps going. ?Like the battle between Coke and Pepsi, or Apple and Microsoft, or McDonalds and Burger King (which Burger King is totally gonna win in South Africa) ? the battle is both inevitable and inconsequential. ?Plenty of people are going to buy consoles, most likely more than one. ?They will also still use computers, tablets and mobile phones. ?Like the Cold War, there won?t really be any battle, and in the end, consumerism will win.

Source: http://www.lazygamer.net/editorial/there-will-not-be-a-console-war/

Bosses Day 2012 Arlen Specter Winsor McCay Amanda Todd washington nationals Gary Collins bus driver uppercut

Deadly bomb strikes civilian area in east Libya

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) ? A deadly car bomb exploded Monday near a hospital in a busy area packed with civilians in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, destroying part of the facility, officials said.

Officials gave conflicting casualty figures, with death tolls ranging from three to 10 in the chaotic aftermath of the attack.

Benghazi, which was the birthplace of the revolution that led to the ouster of dictator Moammar Gadhafi, has suffered a series of assassinations and other attacks, including the Sept. 11 assaults on the U.S. diplomatic mission that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

The oil-rich North African nation is still largely dominated by militias, many including fighters who battled Gadhafi's forces during the 2011 civil war, and many attacks are blamed on them as infighting is rampant in the battle for control.

But witnesses and analysts said Monday's explosion stood out because it struck during the day in a crowded area, putting civilians at risk.

"The bombing is significant in that it is the first that targets civilians," Frederic Wehrey of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said in an email.

"The bombing is going to put renewed pressure on an already embattled Ministry of Interior to reign in the revolutionary brigades," he added, referring to militias.

The blast took place on Beirut Street, a residential and shopping area in Libya's second-largest city and quickly drew protesters to the streets to call for stronger security measures. Other vehicles on the street were destroyed, and the windows of nearby buildings were shattered.

Jalaa hospital, just a few hundred meters (yards) away from the explosion, had been protected for months by Ansar al-Shariah, an extremist group that disbanded its work as a militia following protests by Benghazi residents after the attack on Stevens. The hospital is now secured by a mix of militias and special army forces.

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zidan acknowledged the government was in part to blame for the instability and lawlessness that continue to plague the North African nation 19 months after Gadhafi was captured and killed.

"Authorities did not take adequate precautions," he said in remarks carried live on Libya's al-Ahrar TV channel.

Zidan, who did not take questions from reporters, said that Libya is still trying to create a security force capable of tackling such attacks.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack. Zidan suggested it could be Gadhafi supporters or "other factions" ? leaving the door open for a range of groups.

In New York, the U.N. Security Council " condemned in the strongest terms the deadly attack" and "underlined the need to bring the perpetrators of this act to justice." It urged all countries to cooperate with Libyan authorities to pursue the case.

Fathi al-Ubaidi, a top commander of Libya Shield, an umbrella group of militias aligned with the military, said one man was arrested but refused to give further details.

Small protests erupted in Benghazi and Tripoli after the attack, with people chanting: "Where is the army" and "Oh Zidan, oh Zidan, the Libyan people's blood is everywhere."

Witnesses and other residents said the daytime explosion was unusual since past attacks have occurred at night and have targeted police stations or foreign missions.

"The mood is bad because the explosion took everybody by surprise," said International Crisis Group consultant Claudia Gazzini, who was in Benghazi. "People in Benghazi see this as a turning point because it is the first time to see an indiscriminate attack with civilian casualties."

Dr. Habib Mohammed el-Obeidy said three bodies had been brought to Benghazi's main Jalaa Hospital after the explosion that struck just outside its doors. He blamed the confusion over the number of dead on the fact that body parts were brought in in several bags, making a final casualty figure difficult to assess.

He also said there was no security on the street.

"When we see police stations hit we understand because a large portion of security worked closely with Gadhafi, but this is hitting a civilian area with no security in sight. It is as if someone is shuffling cards around," he said.

Over the weekend explosions went off outside three Benghazi police stations. No one claimed responsibility for those attacks.

Senior security official Abdel-Salam al-Barghathi said 10 people had been killed in the bombing when attackers used a remote control to detonate the explosives-laden car, which was parked outside a bakery near the hospital. Weapons including Kalashnikov rifles were found inside the car, he said.

"This is meant to kill civilians and to destabilize the security of the city of Benghazi," he said.

The Tripoli-based Interior Minister Ashour Shwayel said earlier in an interview with al-Ahrar TV that two or three people were killed. Meanwhile, Benghazi police chief Tarek al-Kharaz said at least 13 people were killed and 41 wounded.

Nozha al-Mansouri, a 38 year-old resident of Bengazhi, said the attack was likely meant to embarrass the central government.

"Today's incident definitely draws attention to the government's shortcomings," she said.

Militias have grown bold in the past two years, taking on greater roles post-Gadhafi by providing border protection and security of airports to fill the vacuum as the central government has been unable to exert control.

But Libyans had hoped a return to normalcy after militias ended their nearly two week siege of two government ministries in the capital over the weekend, demanding that the prime minister and other Cabinet officials resign.

___

Batrawy contributed to this report from Cairo.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/deadly-bomb-strikes-civilian-area-east-libya-202707379.html

dale earnhardt jr michigan primary daytona 500 winner cleveland plain dealer john scott barry sanders barry sanders

Univision pairs with Rodriguez on El Rey network

FILE - This Jan. 26, 2013 file photo originally released by The Producers Guild shows Robert Rodriguez during the cocktail reception at the 24th Annual Producers Guild (PGA) Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. Univision announced Tuesday, May 14, 2013, it has made a strategic investment in El Rey Network created by Rodriguez. The network will launch in December 2013 and have nation-wide distribution with initial carriage via Comcast. (AP Photo/The Producers Guild, Todd Williamson, file)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Univision Communications said Tuesday that it is pairing with filmmaker Robert Rodriguez on the English-language El Rey television network that is geared to young viewers and scheduled to debut this December.

Rodriguez is a filmmaker whose projects include "From Dusk Till Dawn." The first scripted series for El Rey will be an expansion of that movie, with the extra time allowing him to expand the story and explore richer Aztec mythology, he said.

The company that runs Univision, the most-popular Spanish-language network in the country, said Tuesday it has invested in El Rey. Terms were not disclosed. It is set to begin in December with a national distribution agreement with Comcast, the nation's largest cable company.

The network is expected to have a mix of reality, scripted, music and sports programming, along with movies.

"El Rey Network will serve as a launching pad to satisfy the tastes of young adults looking for exciting, cinematic, action-packed content," Rodriguez said.

Univision has expanded over the past two years, creating several new networks. One partnership with ABC is called Fusion, an English-language news network geared toward a Latino audience.

The Univision network said it will premiere two new telenovelas during the next season. "La Tempestad" will star William Levy and Ximena Navarrete, a former Miss Universe. "Mentir para Vivir" will star David Zepeda and Mayrin Vilanueva.

Randy Falco, president and CEO of Univision Communications Inc., told advertisers Tuesday that the company is at the intersection of two big growth opportunities: the Latino market and digital.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-05-14-TV-New%20Season-Univision/id-d03969c6c0d8421bbf99df813630a841

Katherine Jackson Olympics Opening Ceremony Time paris jackson paris jackson US weekly amelia earhart Sally Ride

মঙ্গলবার, ১৪ মে, ২০১৩

A Front-Loading Toolbox Means You'll Never Dig for Buried Pliers Again

Can the iconic red metal toolbox ever really be improved? One would assume it was too timeless a design to mess with, but Best Made has come up with a brilliant way to make them even better. Instead of having to empty its contents to reach a tool buried at the bottom, this revamped design features a front-loading trap door providing easy access to the toolbox's contents.

Hell Yes! You Can Gchat in Outlook Soon

Here's some good, good news. Microsoft is adding Google Talk (which all of you just call Gchat) support to Outlook.com. Meaning, you can use Google's chat service right through Microsoft's beautiful new(ish) webmail page. Awesome.

Finnish Startup Rightware Closes $5.2M Series B To Drive Global Growth Of Its Embedded UI Creation Tool Business

Rightware, a Finnish startup that sells embedded user interface software and performance benchmarking tools to car makers and consumer electronics companies needing to build graphical user interfaces has announced it has closed a $5.2 million Series B round. Investors in the round include Inventure and Nexit Ventures, along with new investor Finnish Industry Investment.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/xyS9vjze-sM/

Boston Strong Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev Boston Bombing Suspect obama fbi Watertown Ma Krystle Campbell

Judge finds 'good cause' to allow insanity plea for accused Colorado gunman

By Keith Coffman

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Reuters) - A Colorado judge on Monday opened the door to accused movie theater gunman James Holmes pleading not guilty by reason of insanity to charges he murdered 12 filmgoers last year, in a case that could bring the death penalty if he is convicted.

Arapahoe County District Judge Carlos Samour Jr. said he will give prosecutors and defense lawyers a chance to present further written arguments over ground rules for an insanity plea before allowing Holmes' lawyers to enter it, if they so choose, at his next court date on May 31.

Holmes, 25, faces multiple counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder in connection with the July 2012 shooting spree in a suburban Denver multiplex during a midnight screening of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises".

The Colorado theater attack ranks as one of the nation's deadliest shootings. Along with a rampage in December at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, it helped reignite a national debate on gun control.

A standard not-guilty plea, without the insanity defense, was entered on Holmes' behalf at a previous hearing in March, when his lawyers sought more time to shape their legal strategy.

In addition to the 12 members of the film audience slain in the theater shooting, 58 others were wounded by gunfire and another 12 suffered various other injuries in the ensuing pandemonium.

Should Holmes mount an insanity defense, prosecutors would bear the burden under Colorado law of proving he was mentally capable of knowing right from wrong at the time of the alleged crime in order to win a conviction.

But juries have typically shown reluctance to accept an insanity defense, legal experts said. Moreover, criminal defendants who plead insanity are potentially vulnerable under state law to self incrimination because they are required to cooperate with court-ordered psychiatric evaluations.

At the arraignment in March, defense lawyers said they were not ready to formally pursue an insanity defense.

"We now have a diagnosis that's complete," public defender Daniel King told the judge on Monday.

Samour said he took defense arguments at face value and did not believe Holmes' lawyers were engaging in "dilatory tactics."

"Good cause has been established" to permit a change in plea to not guilty plea by reason of insanity, he said.

INSANITY PLEA COULD COME BY END OF MONTH

The judge said he would rule by May 28 on the precise legal ramifications of an insanity plea, and set a hearing for May 31, in which Holmes would be advised of the consequences and could go through with a plea change at that time.

Holmes, sporting a shaggy beard and dressed in maroon prison garb, sat impassively as usual at the defense table without saying a word for the hour-long proceedings.

Prosecutors announced last month that they would seek to put the California native to death if he is convicted of the massacre, citing the "especially heinous, cruel or depraved" nature of the crime. Since it is a capital case, Samour is widely expected to grant a change of plea if one were sought.

Holmes' lawyers have said that their client suffers from an unspecified mental illness.

In court pleadings, they have cited two occasions on which Holmes has been hospitalized since his arrest - once for treatment of apparently self-inflicted head injuries and again when he was deemed a potential threat to himself and was admitted for several days to a psychiatric unit.

Prosecutors have depicted Holmes as a once-promising neuroscience doctoral candidate at the University of Colorado whose academic career fell into disarray. He had failed graduate school oral board exams in June 2012, and a professor suggested he may not have been a good fit for his program.

A university psychiatrist, Dr. Lynne Fenton, has testified that she treated Holmes more than a month before the shooting and that her professional relationship with him ended in mid-June of that year.

Police affidavits in the case said Fenton had advised campus authorities in June that Holmes had been having homicidal thoughts and that she had stopped seeing him after he began threatening her with text messages.

Police said a search of Holmes' apartment turned up a bottle of the anti-seizure medication clonazepam, which can also be used to treat anxiety disorders, and a bottle of the anti-depressant sertraline, known by its brand name Zoloft.

It is unclear if Holmes had either drug in his system when he was arrested.

Craig Silverman, a former Denver prosecutor now in private practice as a trial attorney, has said compelling evidence was offered during Holmes' preliminary hearing in January indicating Holmes was responsible for his actions.

As an example, he cited a posting found on Holmes' online dating profile from weeks before the shooting that carried the headline: "Will you visit me in prison?"

Prosecutors also presented considerable evidence suggesting that the movie theater rampage was planned out well in advance.

On the night of the shooting, Holmes is accused of entering the theater with a ticket he bought 12 days earlier, then leaving through a rear exit minutes into the movie and re-entering moments later wearing body armor and a gas mask.

Armed with a shotgun, pistol and semi-automatic rifle, authorities say, Holmes lobbed a tear gas canister into the auditorium and sprayed moviegoers with bullets until one of his guns jammed, then surrendered to police without a struggle in the parking lot behind the theater.

Police testified that Holmes began assembling his collection of guns and ammunition two months before the shooting and scouted out the multiplex weeks ahead of time. His apartment near the theater was also found to have been booby-trapped with explosives. The bombs were later defused.

Holmes' trial is scheduled for February 2014.

(Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Bernard Orr and David Gregorio)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/judge-finds-good-cause-allow-insanity-plea-accused-164206007.html

Gangnam Style Ryan Lanza Sandy Hook kanye west Univision josh hamilton Susan Rice

Police end hostage standoff in New Jersey; suspect dead

By David Jones

NEWARK, New Jersey (Reuters) - Three children trapped all weekend in a New Jersey bedroom with a gunmen and the dead body of their mother were freed early Sunday when police burst through the door and stopped the gunman with a single shot, authorities said.

The suspect died of his wound shortly after the siege ended.

A SWAT team using flash-bang grenades stormed a back door of the home in Trenton about 3:45 a.m. EDT Sunday and moved to the second floor, where they fired the single shot at gunman Gerald Tyrone Murphy before taking him into custody, State Police Colonel Rick Fuentes told a news conference.

Another official said the children had been trapped inside the room for at least the length of the standoff.

"I have every reason to believe that the kids were in the room and that they were possibly restrained during" the standoff, Mercer County prosecutor Joseph Bocchini Jr. said at the news conference.

Officials said the girls, both teenagers, may have been physically abused by Murphy, 38, a convicted sex offender.

The partially decomposed bodies of Carmelita Stevens, 44, believed to be Murphy's girlfriend, and her 13-year-old son were discovered in different second-floor bedrooms of the two-story home in Trenton, a rundown city that is the state capital, authorities said.

Murphy had threatened to harm his hostages - Stevens' two daughters, 16 and 18, and her 4-year-old son - and claimed to have a gun and explosives. Officials declined to say whether any explosives were recovered.

Murphy had barricaded himself inside the house on Friday afternoon after police were called to check on a resident there, a Trenton police spokesman said on Friday.

Police went to the home after an unidentified relative of Stevens reported to authorities that neither she nor some of her children had been seen since April 24, Trenton Police Director Ralph Rivera said.

Once there, officers noticed an odor and discovered the partially decomposed body of a woman, but pulled back when they saw Murphy had a gun, Rivera said.

Police said Murphy was not the father of any of the children.

Fuentes said hostage negotiators had maintained contact with Murphy throughout the ordeal, passing food and water through an upper window. Residents on the surrounding block were evacuated during the standoff as a precaution.

Murphy had an extensive criminal record, including arrests for robbery, a weapons offense and child endangerment, according to Bocchini. An arrest warrant had been issued in Pennsylvania for Murphy after he failed to register there as a convicted sex offender.

(Reporting by David Jones; Editing by Chris Francescani, Maureen Bavdek and Philip Barbara)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-end-hostage-standoff-jersey-detain-suspect-115012647.html

case mccoy case mccoy UFC 155 Jack Klugman merry Christmas a christmas story twas the night before christmas

Deaths from West Nile virus hit record last year

FILE -In this May 11, 2007 , file photo, Scott Sawlis sorts mosquitos according to species and gender before testing them at a the county mosquito lab in Dallas. Health officials say 2012 was the worst for West Nile deaths since the virus was reported in the country over a decade ago. The final tally reported Monday, May 13, 2013, was 286 deaths or two more than the previous record set in 2002. But there were far fewer illnesses overall, and fewer serious cases than in many previous years. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

NEW YORK (AP) ? U.S. health officials say last year was the worst ever for West Nile virus deaths.

The final tally reported Monday was 286 deaths ? or two more than the record set in 2002.

But there were far fewer illnesses overall, and fewer serious cases than in previous years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had predicted it would be a bad year because of weather conditions that promote breeding of the mosquitoes that spread the virus to people.

The CDC report Monday showed Texas had nearly a third of the serious cases, and about a third of the deaths.

West Nile virus was first diagnosed in Uganda in 1937, but no cases were reported in the U.S. until 1999 in New York. It gradually spread to the West Coast.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-05-13-US-MED-West-Nile-Deaths/id-6d4c004fd86d458e8d0be5a622428e40

glen campbell jerusalem artichoke bud shootout aretha franklin new orleans weather new orleans weather sparkle

রবিবার, ১২ মে, ২০১৩

Bullies Turn Cyberspace Sour

By Mark Elkington MADRID, May 12 (Reuters) - Barcelona were turning their attentions to strengthening the squad for next season after second-placed Real Madrid drew 1-1 at Espanyol on Saturday, to gift them a fourth La Liga title in five years. Barca, who play at third-placed Atletico Madrid later on Sunday, have an unassailable lead in the table as Jose Mourinho's team trail them by seven points with only two games left to play. "There'll only be a few changes," Barcelona vice-president Josep Bartomeu told Barca TV. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bullies-turn-cyberspace-sour-172008420.html

sweet potato casserole turkey Pumpkin Pie Recipe wii u wii u American Music Awards turkey brine

School bus overturns in Ky.; students hurt

SMITHLAND, Ky. (AP) ? A bus carrying a high school girls softball team overturned Friday in far-western Kentucky, injuring several students.

Kentucky State Police say the school bus was carrying the Union County High School girls' softball team and had 28 people on board when the accident occurred on U.S. 60 just before 5 p.m. CDT, in Livingston County, along the Ohio River.

The bus ran off the right shoulder, then swerved to the other side of the road, rotating 180 degrees before rolling on to its side, State Police Trooper Richie Wright said Friday night.

Wright said 25 of those on board were taken to local hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. One patient was airlifted from the scene, but it was not due to serious injuries, Wright said.

"When you have 25 injured, that takes a lot of resources from a lot of counties," Wright said. "By the time they had that many patients, they needed the helicopter to take one to the hospital."

Officials expressed relief that more of those on board weren't seriously injured.

"Boy, they really dodged the bullet on this one," Kentucky Transportation Cabinet official Keith Todd said.

Wright said he was unsure if a bend in the road near the crash scene caused the bus to go off the shoulder. Some passengers had to be extricated from the bus with emergency mechanical cutting tools. Four of the passengers on the bus were adults and the rest were students, Wright said.

Police were diverting traffic several miles from the scene on US 60. State police were planning to do an accident reconstruction before reopening the road to traffic Friday night.

The bus was on its way to Smithland for an evening softball game, and overturned about three miles from the city near the Illinois border. The Union County team was scheduled to play Livingston Central High School at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, according to its schedule on the school's website. The team's roster lists 15 players and five coaches.

Injured people from the scene were being taken to two Paducah hospitals and Livingston County Hospital, Wright said.

Emergency responders from three surrounding counties were called to the scene.

The crash happened to occur just a few days before the 25th anniversary of one of the deadliest school bus crashes in U.S. history, which happened near Carrolton, Ky., on May 14, 1988. Twenty-seven people, including many children, died in that fiery crash after a bus was struck by a drunk driver on Interstate 71.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/school-bus-overturns-western-ky-students-hurt-032551909.html

Carolyn Moos Danny Brown The Following amy schumer amy schumer Real Madrid Neverwinter

Politics commandeer stage in Mideast TV contest

BEIRUT (AP) ? TV singing contests around the world tend to serve up light, glitzy entertainment with a dash of emotional drama. But in the Middle East's version of "American Idol," it's the region's troubles that often take center stage.

Two contestants are from civil war-ravaged Syria, including a singer-composer whose bus was ambushed by gunmen en route to her audition and a music student who brought judges to tears with a song lamenting the devastation of his hometown of Aleppo. A performer from the Gaza Strip has become an audience favorite for singing about the plights of Palestinians under Israeli rule.

"The show has become a platform for Arab Spring youth to express themselves artistically and show the region that there's hope for the future," said Mazen Hayek, the spokesman for the Dubai-based, Saudi-owned MBC Group that broadcasts "Arab Idol" from a studio in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

The show's producers say political expression is allowed. But in a region where tribal, religious and political affiliations often define identity, performers walk a fine line ? especially in a contest where winning is based on popularity.

"It's live and people around the region, and Arabs around the world, follow it in real time, posting praise or criticism on Twitter and Facebook, before they even vote for their favorites," Hayek said.

Now in its second season, the show has jumped in the ratings in part because of an eclectic mix of contestants, including several from nations wracked by conflict, such as Syria, as well as those still reeling from the fallout of the Arab Spring.

The current season began in March with 27 contestants from across the Arab world, including Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Syria and the Palestinian territories. The group has been whittled down to 10, and two will compete in the June 21 final.

Several contestants bring political baggage to the Beirut stage from which young singers in evening gowns and smart suits dazzle a TV audience of millions with a repertoire running from Arab classics to modern pop songs.

But the Syria crisis, now in its third year, has loomed largest. More than 70,000 Syrians have been killed and millions displaced since an uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime erupted in March 2011. Now a civil war, the conflict has taken an enormous toll on the country.

Farrah Youssef, 23, a singer and composer from the Syrian port city of Tartous, was nearly killed on her way to Beirut in October. Syrian gunmen fired on the bus she was traveling in and robbed the passengers.

She said several of her friends have been killed in bombings in Damascus, the capital, where she's been studying English. A younger brother was gravely wounded in a shooting attack and four of her girlfriends were kidnapped, raped and killed, their bodies dumped on the side of a deserted road outside the capital, she said.

"I've been so sad that I can't grieve any longer," Youssef said in a recent interview. "I ask myself all the time, 'what on earth happened?' Everything was so calm and then suddenly my country was on fire."

While Damascus has been largely spared the destruction that has hit other cities, Aleppo has not been so fortunate.

Ten months of street fighting have devastated Aleppo, Syria's largest urban and commercial center, leveling entire neighborhoods and leaving landmark mosques, the ancient souk and other historic treasures in ruins. Once one of Syria's most beautiful cities, Aleppo is now scarred, carved up into rebel- and government-held areas.

Abdelkarim Hamdan, who grew up poor in a traditional Muslim family in Aleppo's walled Old City before becoming a contestant on the show, refuses to choose sides in the conflict.

"I sing for Syrians regardless of their opinions and their political affiliations," Hamdan said in an interview in Beirut.

The 25-year-old did not join anti-government protests when the uprising broke out. He has expressed his opposition to violence in his own lyrics about his hometown, set to a popular folk tune. His performance on a recent episode brought the four-judge panel to tears and prompted patriotic cheers in the audience.

"Aleppo, you are a spring of pain in my country," he sang. "So much blood has been shed in my country. I cry and my heart is burning for my country and my sons who have become strangers in it."

His ode to Aleppo instantly went viral on the Internet, but with praise came criticism from Muslim hardliners, who consider the talent show un-Islamic.

Some people urged Hamdan to go fight or not sing. Others posted comments online saying Hamdan and Youssef should not be engaging in frivolous entertainment when so many people back home are suffering.

The two contestants shrug off the criticism. They say they don't regret being on the show and will stay unless voted off.

"I believe that if God gave you a nice voice that you should use it," Hamdan said.

One of 14 children from his father's two marriages, Hamdan put himself through school by working at gas stations and construction sites since he was 15. His goal is to win and use any earnings from the show to get his degree in music and help support his elderly parents.

Youssef, who spent most of her childhood in Europe, was already a known composer and singer in Syria before the conflict erupted. With a voice that one of the judges described as reminiscent of the Egyptian diva Umm Kalthoum, Youssef has gained a huge following.

As a Muslim woman, she has been criticized for wearing revealing gowns and heavy makeup on the show. She takes such comments to heart, but refuses to indulge those who have labeled her an Assad supporter because she comes from Syria's coastal region, the heartland of the president's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

"People are very emotional because the situation in our country is just horrible," Youssef said. "I don't sing for myself, but for all people in Syria, to make them happy just a bit and to make people forget the reality for just one moment."

The two Syrians are not the only contestants who bring regional politics to the show.

In an early episode, an Iraqi contestant from the autonomous Kurdish region in the north of the country stirred emotions after listing her country of origin as "Kurdistan."

One of the judges admonished her, noting that the panel and the audience consider Kurdish provinces of Iraq as an integral part of the country. After that, Barwas Hussein listed her country as Kurdistan, Iraq, and performed in Arabic, instead of Kurdish, the language of her first song.

And a Palestinian singer from the Khan Younis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by the Islamic militant group Hamas, was a favorite from the start because of the obstacles he had to overcome to reach Beirut.

Mohammed Assaf, 23, first had to plead with Hamas to let him leave. He then had to bribe Egyptian border guards to let him cross into Egypt, and from there applied for his Lebanon visa, he said. A fellow Palestinian eventually gave up his slot for Assaf during the audition phase because he believed Assaf ? already a minor celebrity in Gaza as a wedding singer ? had a better chance of winning.

Assaf often sings about the plight of Palestinian refugees and those imprisoned by Israel.

"I wanted so badly for the Arab world to hear my voice," said Assaf.

In Gaza itself, Assaf's image is posted on some seaside restaurants, where people gather on Friday nights to watch the show on big screens, and the Palestinian cell provide Jawal is allowing customers to send free text messages in order to vote for Assaf.

Not everyone has welcomed the excitement, though, including Hamas.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum noted on his Facebook page that the singer has experienced the hardship of life in Gaza and comes from a "decent and respected" family. But at the same time, he said, "we don't share the same ideas."

"My complaint is with the name of the show," Barhoum wrote. "No one is an idol. God is the idol for us."

___

Associated Press writer Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/politics-commandeer-stage-mideast-tv-contest-182931290.html

Adrienne Maloof Telemundo real housewives of beverly hills Pink Floyd 12 12 12 Concert amazing race miley cyrus

HP Pavilion G6-2368CA

The HP Pavilion G6-2368CA ($499.99 list CAD) is an affordably priced and relatively well-equipped laptop that gives the average user interested in exploring Windows 8 a decent option. Overall, it's a fairly humble system that's bolstered by some useful perks, like a spacious hard drive and large display. Still, its AMD APU and its so-so performance keep it from achieving higher marks and, ultimately, undermines its overall effectiveness in the face of similarly-priced Intel-equipped competitors.

Design and Features
The Pavilion G6-2368CA's chassis measures 1.4 by 14.8 by 9.6 inches (HWD). Its weight of 5.08 pounds is reasonable for a 15.6-inch laptop and is slightly less bulky than the equally-sized HP Pavilion G6-2248CA (5.47 pounds) and Lenovo IdeaPad N581 (5.71 pounds). However, users on the market for a more featherweight system should at least briefly consider checking out an ultrabook along the likes of the Acer Aspire V5-571P-6627 (4.63 pounds).The Pavilion G6-2368CA's plastic body sports a glossy black finish that's subtly covered in glitter, in turn creating a look that can be described as "sparkly obsidian."

One place where glossiness benefits the Pavilion G6-2368CA is its 15.6-inch display, which dishes out rich colors and sharp images in an eye-pleasing fashion. Its maximum resolution of 1,366 by 768 is capable of supporting 720p content, a useful feature since the Pavilion G6-2368CA sports an integrated DVD burner. It doesn't support touch functionality, though that's an understandable omission at this price point. Comparatively, the Aspire V5-571P-6627 sports a touch capacitive touch screen, and accordingly costs $200 more. Music on the Pavilion G6-2368CA's Altec Lansing speakers often sounded muddled and there's noticeable distortion at higher levels.

Despite some mild flexing, the Pavilion G6-2368CA's chiclet-style keyboard nonetheless serves up a fairly comfortable typing experience. While it deserves credit for featuring a dedicated alpha numeric keypad, its lack of a backlight is an easily avoidable shortcoming that does the keyboard a disservice. The Pavilion G6-2368CA partially acquits itself with its comfortably textured touchpad, whose fluid Windows 8 gesture support helps make up for the absence of a touch screen.

The right side of the chassis features a USB 2.0 port and a DVD burner while left side houses a pair of USB 3.0 ports, the usual audio jacks, an SD/MMC card reader, and full-size VGA and HDMI outputs. While a pair of USB 3.0 ports is fairly generous, their black color makes them indistinguishable from the system's USB 2.0 port?save for a faint "SS" (super-speed) logo that HP uses in lieu of the standard blue color?which will likely trip up less discerning users.

The Pavilion G6-2368CA's 750GB, 5,400rpm HDD offers abundant storage for program files and media. Users that prefer working with a clean slate, however, must initially confront a sizable amount of preloaded software. The usual suspects are all present, like bloatware (Windows Live Essentials, desktop links to eBay and Netflix), trialware (Office 2010 Starter, 60-days of Norton Internet Security), and, of course, proprietary offerings from HP (HP Connected Music, Connected Remote, CoolSense, HP Games, and many, many more).

Performance
The Pavilion G6-2368CA's 2.7GHz AMD A6-4400M Accelerated Processor Unit (APU) bakes the system's CPU and AMD Radeon HD 7520G GPU onto the same die. Performance-wise, this duo is a mixed bag that yields competitive graphics processing and so-so performance in daily computing and media creation. The system's PCMark 7 score of 1,319 points landed at the bottom of the pile, falling short of Intel-equipped Asus VivoBook X202E-BH91T-CB (1,589 points) as well as the AMD-equipped HP Pavilion M6-1148CA (1,654 points). Its Cinebench R11.5 score of 1.13 points fared somewhat better, surpassing those of the Pavilion G6-2248CA and VivoBook X202E-BH91T-CB (1.01 points and 0.86 point, respectively), though it still fell considerably short of the class-leading Lenovo N581 (2.49 points).

Hobbyists that occasionally dabble in light multimedia creation will be well-served by the Pavilion G6-2368CA, though anything beyond that is out of the question. It completed our Handbrake video-encoding test in 3 minutes 8 seconds, outpacing the Asus VivoBook X202E-BH91T-CB (4:54) but more than twice as long as the Ideapad N581 (1:27). Similarly, it applied the dozen or so filters in Photoshop CS6 in 7 minutes 45 seconds, which was quicker than the Pavilion G6-2248CA (8:17) but short of the Aspire V5-571P-6627 (7:36) and, to a greater extent, the Ideapad N581 (5:34).

The Pavilion G6-2368CA's AMD Radeon HD 7520G handily outflanked the competition in 3DMark11 (1,263 points in Entry-level settings, 257 points in Extreme mode). While the Ideapad N581 managed to come within striking distance (1,234 points and 224 points, respectively), the Pavilion G6-2368CA's prowess for rendering 3D graphics is easily apparent. Still, its GPU isn't potent enough to distinguish itself from its peers in high-end gaming, as it also failed to crack the 30 frames per second (fps) playability barrier in both Aliens vs. Predator and Heaven.

The Pavilion G6-2368CA's removable 4,200 mAh battery lasted 4 hours 3 minutes on our battery rundown test, which gives it an edge over the Asus X202E-BH91T-CB (3:55) It's a fairly average time for this class, though, so users planning on working for an entire day on a single charge should be prepared to shell out the extra cash for a spare battery.

With its affordable price tag and decent feature set, the HP Pavilion G6-2368CA gives average users a decent option for jumping into Windows 8 without breaking the bank. While its AMD processor offers so-so performance, it's partially remedied by useful perks like a spacious hard drive and large display. Casual users should give it a chance, but only after exploring other options first.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/DTWDp7wgqEQ/0,2817,2418810,00.asp

keanu reeves whitney houston national anthem beverly hills hotel beverly hills hotel the watchmen whitney houston dies dolly parton i will always love you

New 3-D technology to treat atrial fibrillation

May 11, 2013 ? Researchers at the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center have developed a new 3-D technology that for the first time allows cardiologists the ability to see the precise source of atrial fibrillation in the heart -- a breakthrough for a condition that affects nearly three million Americans.

This new technology that maps the electronic signals of the heart three dimensionally significantly improves the chances of successfully eliminating the heart rhythm disorder with a catheter ablation procedure, according to a new study presented at the Heart Rhythm Society's National Scientific Sessions in Denver on Saturday, May 11, 2013.

Atrial fibrillation occurs when electronic signals misfire in the heart, causing an irregular, and often chaotic, heartbeat in the upper left atrium of the heart.

Symptoms of atrial fibrillation include irregular or rapid heartbeat, palpitations, lightheadedness, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath or chest pain. However, not all people with atrial fibrillation experience symptoms.

"Historically, more advanced forms of atrial fibrillation were treated by arbitrarily creating scar tissue in the upper chambers of the heart in hopes of channeling these chaotic electrical signals that were causing atrial fibrillation," said researcher John Day, MD, director of the heart rhythm specialists at the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center. "The beauty of this new technology is that it allows us for the first time to actually see three dimensionally the source of these chaotic electrical signals in the heart causing atrial fibrillation."

Previously, cardiologists were able to map the heart in 3-D to enhance navigation of catheters, but this is the first time that they've utilized 3-D imaging technology to map the heart's specific electronic signals. Armed with this information, cardiologists can now pinpoint exactly where the misfiring signals are coming from and then "zap" or ablate that specific area in the heart and dramatically improve success rates.

With this new technology, cardiologists will now be able to treat thousands of more patients who suffer from advanced forms of atrial fibrillation and were previously not felt to be good candidates for this procedure.

"The capabilities of the new technology can be compared to a symphony concert," said Jared Bunch, MD, medical director for electrophysiology research at the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center. "During the concert, you have many different instruments all playing different parts, much like the heart has many frequencies that drive the heartbeat. This novel technology allows us to pinpoint the melody of an individual instrument, display it on a 3-D map and direct the ablation process."

The research team used the new 3-D mapping technology on 49 patients between 2012 and 2013 and compared them with nearly 200 patients with similar conditions who received conventional treatment during that same time period.

About one year after catheter ablation, nearly 79% of patients who had the 3-D procedure were free of their atrial fibrillation, compared to only 47.4% of patients who underwent a standard ablation procedure alone without the 3-D method.

"This new technology allows us to find the needles in the haystack, and as we ablate these areas we typically see termination or slowing of atrial fibrillation in our patients," says Dr. Day.

All of the patients in the study had failed medications and 37 percent had received prior catheter ablations. The average age of study participants was 65.5 years old and 94 percent had persistent/chronic atrial fibrillation.

Previous research has shown that the incidence of atrial fibrillation increases with age. A report from the American Heart Association shows the median age for patients with atrial fibrillation is 66.8 years for men and 74.6 years for women.

If untreated, atrial fibrillation can lead to blood clots, stroke and heart failure. In fact, people with atrial fibrillation are five times more likely to have a stroke than people without the condition.

Intermountain Medical Center is the flagship facility for the renown Intermountain Healthcare system.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/heart_disease/~3/sO2VxivmqZw/130511194906.htm

ozzie guillen castro comments phish gluten free diet barry zito mac virus santorum drops out bby

শনিবার, ২০ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Nike PHOTOid: Design Awesome Kicks Inspired by Your Instagrams

Oh this shoe? It doesn't just look like an Animal Style burger from In 'n Out, it was directly inspired by it thanks to Nike PHOTOid, which lets you customize your kicks based on the color scheme of your Instagram pics. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/AxB0hn1sQgg/nike-photoid-design-awesome-kicks-inspired-by-your-instagrams

Jessica Ennis Aliya Mustafina Kirk Urso London 2012 Javelin roger federer Olga Korbut Usain Bolt 2012 Olympics

Social Media Strategies No One Ever Thinks Of | SiteProNews ...

Social media is one of the hottest trends on the Internet today. No matter who you are or what you do, chances are you use social media in some way. If you are involved in some type of online business, you definitely have to make use of social media. If you aren?t, then you are missing out on everything that social media has to offer.

That being said, there is a lot more to social media than just posting updates on Facebook or Twitter. Although these two are certainly tremendously useful platforms that can help your business in numerous ways, it shouldn?t end there. Here are a few tips on how to leverage the vast power of social media to benefit your online business.

Bring out the best in others ? There is only so much mileage you can gain from giving properties to yourself. If you spend more time talking about other people rather than yourself, you have a much better chance of attracting the interest of a broader group of people. Never hesitate to showcase the best of other people. It?s good karma, and your readers will definitely appreciate you because of it.

Get ideas from the best of the best ? Not all your posts have to come from you. Of course, you will still have to generate original content on your social media sites, but drawing from the thoughts and idea of recognized authority figures will help you come up with fresher and more engaging content.

Go beyond mobile ? Don?t just focus on providing content for the mobile crowd. While more and more people are accessing the Internet from mobile devices these days, there are still a substantial number of people who use desktops and laptops. Make sure your content is accessible to people using non-mobile devices, and you will reach a wider audience.

Be yourself?no really ? Everyone knows the importance of staying true to oneself on social media, but there are many who don?t actually take this to heart. Because of insecurity and other reasons, many people tend to ?put on a mask? when dealing with social media. Be yourself and don?t try to be something you?re not. It?s much easier to remain consistent this way, and you will be rewarded by an army of loyal followers who will hang on your every word.

Paint a thousand words ? The value of pictures on social media simply cannot be overestimated. People will be more likely to stop and check out your post if a picture first grabs their attention. Pictures also help break up a page and prevent your readers from falling prey to text fatigue.

Build it?then get ready for when they come ? Many people think getting a social media site together is all the work that needs to be done. In many ways however, it is just the start. If you build it, they will come, and you have to be ready for when they do.

Media instead of surveys ? For purpose of gauging your market performance, surveys can be very flattering. Unfortunately, the results of surveys aren?t always accurate. By focusing more of your attention into social media and when and how people are talking about you, you will have a much more accurate and broader picture of what areas you are strong in, and which ones you will need to bolster.

Find out where it hurts ? Although getting negative feedback is never a good thing, you do have to find out where the backlash is coming from and what you can do about it. By doing so, you maybe able to address the root problem at the core and offer concrete solutions.

Spread the love ? Many of the followers that you will attract have their own stories to share as well. By retweeting your visitors? posts, you not only help pull in more visitors to your site, but it will give your existing audience the idea that you are totally behind every post and know how to show your appreciation when it is deserved.

Be a problem solver ? People tend to gravitate toward those who can offer them useful solutions to their problems. The world has enough critics and haters; what we need is more people who can actually help. You don?t necessarily want to spend all of your time solving other people?s problems, but being there when you can and offering concrete solutions will help trigger a significant boost to your popularity.

Get in the trenches ? Social media really is all about connecting with other people. Don?t just sit behind your desk and let it do all the work for you. By engaging your readers as often as possible in as many different ways as possible, you will help establish your image as an approachable human being with whom they can relate.

Mikhail Tuknov is a president and founder of Internet marketing company?Infatex.com, focused on helping businesses increase online sales, strengthening their overall brand and dramatically boosting website traffic through proven online marketing concepts, such as viral marketing, SEO, PPC and social media.

Source: http://www.sitepronews.com/2013/04/19/social-media-strategies-no-one-ever-thinks-of/

toysrus how to carve a turkey ipad 2 wal mart happy thanksgiving Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade 2012 Turkey Cooking Times

Sinkhole swallows 3 cars in Chicago

This is not how most people expect to start the day.

A sinkhole unexpectedly opened up on a residential street in Chicago?s southeast side Thursday morning, swallowing three cars.

Officials blamed the sinkhole on a broken water main, according to the Chicago Tribune. Heavy rains and flooding have also been drenching the area.

[See a slideshow of the flooding in Chicago.]

One man on his way to work could not avoid driving his car into the crevasse. He was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries, according to report from Reuters.

Witnesses told the Tribune that the hole appeared to open up around 5 a.m., quickly spreading from 20 to 40 feet wide.

Neighborhood resident Ola Oni told the paper she was getting ready for work around 5 a.m. but had not yet gotten into her car when it fell into the gaping hole.

"It could have happened to me, I am lucky, I'm happy," Oni told the Tribune. She added,"In this kind of neighborhood, I don't think this should happen."

Sinkholes have plagued other areas like Florida, which has seen the underground dangers swallow businesses and homes, even taken a life.

Jeff Bush, a resident of Seffner, Fla., near Tampa, was killed last month when a hole opened up under his bedroom and swallowed him.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/sinkhole-swallows-three-cars-chicago-183001183.html

Sandy Hook Hoax 2014 Corvette Stacie Halas Corvette Stingray Claire Danes Amy Poehler Australian Open

বুধবার, ১৭ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Toshiba KIRAbook hands-on (video)

Take a stroll through the laptop section at Best Buy recently? If you have, you know Toshiba's got a firm stronghold on the cheapie notebook market. The thing is, $400 systems don't exactly offer high margins -- a problem when people aren't buying that many PCs to begin with. And besides, who wants to be known for shoddy build quality and ho-hum designs? Not Toshiba, anyway. The suits in Tokyo were so fed up with the company's low-rent reputation that they decided to launch a premium line to prove Toshiba is indeed capable of making high-end machines. That line is called KIRA, though for now there's just one product to speak of: the KIRAbook, a 13-inch ultraportable starting at $1,600.

For the money, you get a mix of modern design, top-shelf components and a whole lot of sucking-up from Toshiba's technical support. Topping the list is a 2,560 x 1,440 display, making this the first Windows Ultrabook to sport such a high-res screen. (We've already seen similar panels on the Chromebook Pixel and the Retina display MacBooks.) Additionally, users receive two years of warranty coverage and a dedicated support line, with near-instant pick-up times and a US-based staff (something customers have been asking for, says Toshiba). Also included: full versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 and Premiere Elements 11, along with 25GB of online storage and a two-year Norton subscription -- something HP already bundles on select machines. The KIRAbook will be sold in the US, Japan and Australia, with prices ranging from $1,600 to $2,000. It'll ship May 12th and go up for pre-order on May 3rd, but for now, we've got a detailed walk-through video waiting after the break, along with some early impressions. So come join us -- because who doesn't enjoy laptop porn?

Filed under: Laptops