Thursday, April 12, 2012

Why no monster tsunami followed this quake

  • Thousands of earthquakes happen every day around the world. Most are hardly felt, if at all. But sometimes pieces of Earth's crust suddenly slip past each other in a massive release of pent-up stress. The jolted Earth rumbles, buildings collapse, streets buckle, and thousands of people die. These movements are nature's most violent act and take a grim toll on human life and infrastructure.

    The deadliest earthquake in recorded history rattled the Shensi province of China on Jan. 23, 1556, and killed an estimated 830,000 people. The death toll was particularly high among peasants who lived in artificial caves that were dug into soft rock and collapsed during the quake. This picture shows a pagoda whose peaked top was lost in the shaking. Earthquake damage is also visible on the corners. Click on the "Next" label to learn about 11 more deadly quakes.

    ? John Roach, msnbc.com contributor

  • 1906: The Great Quake

    The California earthquake of April 18, 1906, ranks as the most deadly in U.S. history: About 3,000 people perished. The Great Quake, as the event is known, was estimated at magnitude 7.9 and ruptured along 296 miles of the northernmost section of the San Andreas fault. Broken gas lines, fractured chimneys and toppled chemical trucks sparked a series of fires that torched large sections of San Francisco, as seen in this image taken from Golden Gate Park.

  • 1964: Good Friday?

    The most powerful earthquake in North American history shook the state of Alaska on March 27, 1964, the Friday before Easter. The magnitude-9.2 temblor triggered a tsunami that was responsible for 113 of the 128 deaths associated with the earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The giant waves struck along the West Coast down to California, and rolled across the Pacific to Hawaii. This image shows the coastal town of Seward, Alaska, in the wake of the tsunami.

  • 1970: Mountains moved

    The magnitude-7.9 earthquake that struck just off the west coast of Peru on May 31, 1970, reduced the coastal towns of Casma and Chimbote to rubble and killed at least 3,000 people. Even greater disaster struck the towns of Yungay and Ranranhirca. The shaking sent an avalanche of mud, rock and ice down the slopes of the Cordillera Blanca and buried the cities under tens of feet of debris. An estimated 70,000 lives were lost. Here, a statue of Christ is all that remains in Yungay.

  • 1976: Chinese region flattened

    The deadliest earthquake in modern times flattened the industrial city of Tangshan, China, in the early morning of July 28, 1976. The Chinese government put the death toll at 255,000, though many geologists believe it was much higher ? up to 655,000. Nearly 800,000 more were injured. Tremors and damage from the magnitude-7.5 quake extended as far as Beijing, about 90 miles from the epicenter. Here, a few tents and temporary shelters are visible amid the debris.

  • 1985: Mexico shaken

    On Sept. 19, 1985, a magnitude-8.2 earthquake off Mexico's Pacific coast wreaked the greatest havoc in Mexico City, about 220 miles from the epicenter. There, hundreds of buildings were toppled, and thousands of people died. Government officials put the death toll at about 9,000, though other sources say it may have been as high as 35,000. A triggered tsunami sent waves rising almost 10 feet crashing into the coastal towns of Lazaro Cardenas, Zihuatanejo and Manzanillo. Here, a 21-story steel-constructed building in Mexico City lies in ruins.

  • 1995: Tremors hit Japan

    More than 6,400 people died in the aftermath of a magnitude-6.8 earthquake that hit Japan on Jan. 17, 1995. Most of those deaths occurred in Kobe, the city closest to the epicenter. Many buildings suffered partial collapse, such as the one shown in this picture. Total damage was estimated at more than $100 billion.

  • 2003: Iranian city crumbles

    On Dec. 26, 2003, a magnitude-6.6 earthquake crumpled the adobe city of Bam, Iran, killing an estimated 30,000 people. About 60 percent of the city's buildings were destroyed and nearly all the rest were damaged. The event ranks as the deadliest in Iran's history. Here, one of the victims is carried to the grave.

  • 2004: The Asian tsunami

    On Dec. 26, 2004, a magnitude-9.1 earthquake ruptured the ocean floor off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, and triggered a series of destructive tsunamis that killed at least 225,000 people in 11 countries. Millions more were stripped of their homes. Scientists estimate the energy released in the event was more than 1,500 times the power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Here, villagers walk through a devastated area of Pangdandaran on the Indonesian island of Java.

  • 2005: Landslides in Kashmir

    At least 86,000 people were killed when a magnitude-7.6 earthquake hit the Kashmir region of northern Pakistan on Oct. 8, 2005. Millions more were left homeless at the outset of the harsh Himalayan winter. Landslides swept away villages and blocked roads for relief and rescue workers, worsening the human toll. At least 1,350 people were killed in neighboring India, and the shaking was also felt in Afghanistan. Here, rescue workers dig through the rubble looking for survivors at a school in Balakot, Pakistan.

  • 2008: Catastrophe in China

    An estimated 70,000 people died and millions were left homeless when a magnitude-7.9 earthquake hit a region north of Sichuan's provincial capital, Chengdu, on May 12, 2008. Tremors were felt as far away as Beijing and Shanghai. One of the most tragic episodes was the collapse of a high school in Juyuan. This picture shows searchers digging through the school's rubble.

  • 2010: Huge setback for Haiti

    Extreme poverty and extremely poor construction standards contributed to the devastation and death in Haiti when a magnitude-7.0 quake hit Port-au-Prince and its surroundings on Jan. 12, 2010. The death toll amounted to more than 230,000, and aid officials say it will take years for Haiti to recover fully ... if it ever can. This picture shows rescuers carrying one of the injured away from the rubble.

  • frank gore injury

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    craig smith

    Russia's Putin calls for unity after protests, polls

    MOSCOW (Reuters) - President-elect Vladimir Putin urged his opponents on Wednesday to put aside their differences with him for the sake of Russia's economic and political future after months of protests and elections that divided the country.

    But some deputies walked out of the State Duma lower house to protest his remarks about a disputed mayoral vote following his last annual speech to parliament as prime minister, underlining the growing challenge he faces from the opposition after the biggest protests of his 12-year rule.

    Putin, who will be sworn in on May 7, said in his unemotional 1-1/2 hour speech that Russia was stronger after his four years in government and must now focus on boosting its population, improving economic growth, creating jobs, modernizing the economy and strengthening its global position.

    But to achieve this, he said, all political groups must unite following elections and four months of protests fuelled by anger over alleged electoral fraud and his domination of the world's largest country.

    "The country has gone through a tense period of parliamentary and presidential elections. And today the echoes of the heightened emotions and political battles can still be heard," Putin told the Duma to occasional bursts of applause.

    "But the logic of a mature democracy is that elections end and afterwards ... joint work always begins," he said, reading his speech from a podium to rows of deputies.

    The 59-year-old leader added: "We have one Russia, and its modern, advanced development must be the goal that unites all the country's political forces that want to work to build it."

    The speech was laced with populist references to Russia's sovereignty, its economic progress and its ability to act alone on the world stage.

    But although his authority has been dented by the protests, some of which brought tens of thousands of protesters on to the streets Moscow and other big cities before fading, Putin offered no new concessions to opponents who say he has stifled dissent.

    The former KGB spy has already offered limited political reforms such as relaxing rules on the registration of political parties and, during questions after his speech, did not rule out bringing opposition representatives into government.

    But his opponents, who fear he could seek another term when his presidency ends in 2018 and rule until 2024, have dismissed his concessions as token changes that preserve his domination of the political system.

    Several deputies walked out of the Duma when Putin suggested a Just Russia party member who is on hunger strike over alleged fraud in a mayoral vote in the southern city of Astrakhan should take his dispute to court instead.

    Losing candidate Oleg Shein has been on a hunger strike along with several supporters for nearly a month to protest the official result of the election in the southern city of Astrakhan which he lost to a rival from a pro-Kremlin party.

    "As far as I know, your colleague ... started the hunger strike but did not appeal to court. This is a bit strange. Why go on hunger strike?" Putin said when a Just Russia deputy asked his opinion of the dispute.

    Kremlin critics say courts are subject to pressure from the government and have had little success contesting results of a December parliamentary election in which allegations of fraud on behalf of Putin's party sparked the protests against his rule.

    Before Putin's address, police had detained leftist opposition leader Sergei Udaltsov and five other demonstrators as they and about 30 others tried to stage an anti-Putin protest outside the Duma before the address.

    RUSSIA IS STRONGER

    Russia's economy is in moderate recovery after the 2008-09 global economic crisis, and Russia won praise for building up a big "rainy-day fund" that helped prevent economic meltdown.

    But concerns are mounting that Putin's pre-election spending pledges will make the public finances of the world's largest energy producer more vulnerable than ever to an oil-price crash.

    Putin said it was crucially important to improve the business and investment climate, calling it a test of Russia's resolve and saying "no serious economic task" could be accomplished without improvements.

    Putin, who has said he will name outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister in a job swap with the protege he helped into the Kremlin in 2008, said his spending plans had been carefully calculated and defended his policies in general.

    "Evaluating the results of the last four years, we can rightly say Russia has not only overcome the (global economic) crisis. We have taken a significant step forward. We are stronger than before," he said.

    Drawing comparisons with the chaotic 1990s under President Boris Yeltsin, when Russia needed an international bailout after defaulting on its debt, he pledged to build a "new economy" that could withstand external shocks without help from outside.

    "Where can we go (if Russia needs the money)? Greece can go to Brussels. Where can we go?" Putin said.

    He said Russia must create jobs, vowed to increase average wages by at least 1.6 to 1.7 times by 2020, and said he would diversify the economy.

    He called for "bold, new steps" to tackle demographic problems which experts say could harm economic growth in the country of more than 140 million.

    Putin, who gave no clues about the makeup of the next government, also said the government should consider investing money held in the larger of its two sovereign wealth funds in regional development and strategic projects.

    That comment could, however, undermine efforts by Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to save Russia's windfall oil revenues as insurance against any oil-price collapse.

    (Writing by Timothy Heritage and Gleb Bryanski, Editing by Steve Gutterman and Maria Golovnina)

    pebble beach

    I'm excited about the effect of effective botanical slimming | meizitang ...

    ?I?m excited about the effect of effective botanical slimming.?? Xiangshou stomach from two groups sit do, Xiangshou arm dumbbell want stovepipe on climbing stairs, a total of 15 minutes. The day of the week and so on, in accordance with this weekly after this day do not eat staple food, adhere to the 15 minutes of fasting movement in the morning, a week lost 1-2 kg. With good weekly routine movement, has always insisted, would have been thin and thin.? Last summer, relying on this method, thin to 86 pounds.? The most important thing is this method is very easy, basically do not have taboos.
    ?Within three months down the line, I am actually successful in weight-loss by effective botanical slimming.? Of course, too evil chocolate ice cream or something I usually do not touch the drop. No.3 ginger tea fasting one week lost 5 pounds.? I heard students say that drinking ginger tea is very effective, and a week lost 5 pounds, the results I try a week, actually lost 8 pounds, I?m really excited.? I have been on a diet, but has not slim down too, now to find a such a good way to be sure to share and sisters. Ginger tea fasting For a full, fresh off a day, will feel that the mm is difficult to recommend this method. Excretory function would strengthen oh.
    ?And add brown sugar and honey in the tea habit sweets mm is also very easy to accept. Habits, usually breakfast drink ginger tea, weight loss is very obvious. [For people] Often cold hands and feet, mm The process of weight loss eat sweets mm Difficult to give yourself a break of two days mm Full off food all day absolutely can not tolerate mm.?? I have lost 42 pounds by taking effective botanical slimming.? [Ginger tea fasting schedule] First day: Morning: normal diet: ibid night: ibid. The first day of the preparation period can be a normal diet, but pay attention to after dinner, do not eat anything, quit sweets and snacks, drink honey water.
    The next day: Morning: carrot + ginger tea (400ml): ibid night: porridge of grains The day you will find that belly soft, spirit focus. The third day: morning: off food, drink 2 cups of ginger tea (400ml): Cereal porridge night: Cereal porridge Day Four: Morning: ginger tea: a normal diet night: ibid. [Ginger tea production methods] We already know from the perspective of Chinese medicine, black tea and ginger warm. Drinking ginger tea is beneficial to enhance the body metabolism, increase fat burning rate. Promote overeating, hoarding, waste excretion in vitro.? Now, I can wear a beautiful dress, which should contribute to effective botanical slimming.
    Fresh off the end of sustained weight loss results. Material: Lipton tea a packet of five peeled ginger, honey to taste Practice: the tea bags and ginger into a cup, making ninety degrees above water, slightly warm, add honey IMPORTANT: If you feel the stomach burning feeling, we should consider reducing the amount of ginger One day to drink 2-6 cups of fine. Every night before going to sleep, spend 10 minutes to practice this set of professional teacher recommended yoga, you can achieve your dream. ? This time, there have been no discomfort when I take effective botanical slimming.

    This entry was posted in botanical slimming. Bookmark the permalink.

    macaulay culkin

    Google Chrome 19 beta brings live tab synching to the fold

    Google Chrome 19 beta brings live tab synching to the fold
    You know the score. You've stepped away from your desktop, and then you think to yourself, "Damn. If only I could remember that website I'd just visited." Now, users of Google Chrome's latest beta will no longer have that worry. The latest incarnation of Google's web browser gives users immediate access to all of their tabs, across all devices, which can be found within the new tab window. Here, users will discover an "Other devices" menu that gives quick and easy access to all those sites you just visited -- yet for the life of you, can't seem to remember. According to Google, beta users will see this feature gradually roll out over the coming week. Not a moment too soon, either.

    Google Chrome 19 beta brings live tab synching to the fold originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink   |  sourceGoogle Chrome Blog  | Email this | Comments

    nurse jackie

    Jury selection set to begin in John Edwards trial

    FILE - In this June 3, 2011 file photo, John Edwards leaves the Federal Building in Winston-Salem, N.C. After years of investigation, denials and delays, jury selection is set to begin Thursday, April 12, 2012 for the criminal trial of the former presidential candidate in Greensboro, N.C. Edwards faces six criminal counts related to nearly $1 million in secret payments made by two campaign donors to help hide the married Democrat?s pregnant mistress as he sought the White House in 2008. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)

    FILE - In this June 3, 2011 file photo, John Edwards leaves the Federal Building in Winston-Salem, N.C. After years of investigation, denials and delays, jury selection is set to begin Thursday, April 12, 2012 for the criminal trial of the former presidential candidate in Greensboro, N.C. Edwards faces six criminal counts related to nearly $1 million in secret payments made by two campaign donors to help hide the married Democrat?s pregnant mistress as he sought the White House in 2008. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)

    (AP) ? After years of investigation, denials and delays, jury selection was set to begin Thursday for the criminal trial of former presidential candidate John Edwards.

    Edwards was expected inside a Greensboro, N.C., courtroom to face six criminal counts related to nearly $1 million in secret payments made by two campaign donors to help hide the married Democrat's pregnant mistress as he sought the White House in 2008.

    The money flowed to Andrew Young, a former campaign aide who initially claimed the baby was his. Young is expected to be a key witness for the prosecution. The mistress, Rielle Hunter, may testify as part of Edwards' defense.

    Following years of adamant public denials, Edwards acknowledged paternity of Hunter's daughter in 2010.

    The trial is expected to last about six weeks.

    A key issue will be whether Edwards knew about the payments made on his behalf by his national campaign finance chairman, the late Texas lawyer Fred Baron, and campaign donor Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, an heiress and socialite who is now 101 years old. Both had already given Edwards' campaign the maximum $2,300 individual contribution allowed by federal law.

    Edwards denies having known about the money, which paid for private jets, luxury hotels and Hunter's medical care. Prosecutors will seek to prove he sought and directed the payments to cover up his affair, protect his public image as a "family man" and keep his presidential hopes viable.

    If convicted, Edwards faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and as much as $1.5 million in fines.

    ___

    Follow AP writer Michael Biesecker on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/mbieseck .

    Associated Press

    joseph kony

    Free Durham Symphony Pops in the Park Concert Series | Triangle ...

    The Durham Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro William Henry Curry, with special guest conductor, Wayne Wyman will hold their annual Pops in the Park Concert series titled ?Classical Thunder: 1812 Overture, West Side Story, and more?.

    Hear the Durham Symphony on the following dates:

    Saturday, April 14, 5:00 PM Trinity Park, Durham
    Sunday, April 15, 3:00 PM Cameron Park, Hillsborough, guest conductor, Wayne Wyman
    Sunday, April 22, 5:00 PM Piney Wood Park Pavillion, Durham

    An Instrument Petting Zoo courtesy of High Strung Violins & Guitars will be open 30 minutes before each concert starts and for 30 minutes after they end. The Instrument Petting Zoo is a great opportunity for budding musicians of all ages to learn what it feels like to play a variety of stringed instruments.

    In case of inclement weather, check the Durham Symphony website for rain locations and updated concert information.

    The concerts are free to the public. Donations will be accepted.

    For more information, visit the Durham Symphony web site at www.durhamsymphony.org or call 919-491-6576.

    VN:F [1.9.16_1159]

    Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast)

    Free Durham Symphony Pops in the Park Concert Series, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

    buckyballs

    Aggreko sees growth in 2012 after strong first quarter

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    evan longoria

    Profiting From Online Social Networking | Business Style Blog | c ...

    Social Networking 300x300 Profiting From Online Social NetworkingThis is the second in a series of articles we will be publishing relaying thoughts and ideas from the Internet Retailer Conference in Chicago, which occurred June 5th through June 7th. Peter Kosciewicz, Director of E-Commerce for the Eastwood Company, and Chris Saito, Senior Director, Shopping Products for Yahoo! Shopping, delivered a presentation entitled ?Social Networking: The Peer Pursuasion Marketing Tool.?

    According to Kosciewicz, the Web today has grown into an ?architecture of participation? that facilitates social networking through devices such as blogs, wikis, RSS, podcasts, and more. Forrester Research has published studies that show that traditional marketing is continuing to lose credibility. For example, in 2002, 78% of respondents in a survey said that ads are a good way to learn about a new product. In 2004, that number had dropped to 46%. In 2002, 14% of respondents agrees that companies generally tell the trust. As pathetic as 14% is, in 2004, it had declined even further ? down to 7%. Social networking as a means of marketing overcomes this lack of consumer trust because it relies on the word of the consumer rather than the word of the producer. Research from Datamonitor reported that 85% of repondents in a survey indicated that word-of-mouth from friends, family, or colleagues is more trustworthy than corporate-generated content.

    So how do you take advantage of social networking to sell more product? Simple ? you open yourself up. You plant the seeds of a community to grow up around your site by using devices such as blogs, customer reviews, and forums to give a voice to your customers or prospective customers. The caveat is that you must be high quality. You must have high quality service and a high quality product. If not, avoid this marketing method.

    Kosciewicz outlined four important rules for using social networking on your web site:

    1. Guide but don?t control.
    2. Never censor.
    3. Don?t be afraid of the negative.
    4. Don?t be paranoid.

    If you open up a forum on your site but then restrict what people are allowed to say, such as removing posts that are negative toward your company or that mention your competitors, then you will do more damage than good to your reputation. Use negativity as a way to improve your business. If people are negative, look at that as feedback and act on it. Make changes, and then let your community know about it. Don?t worry about your community talking about your competition. Your attitude has to be that you are the best, so why worry about it?

    As a community develops around your web site, certain members will establish themselves as more influential than others. They will be more outspoken, and will be the ones who often respond to others. Cultivate these members, because they can be powerful allies. Once you have identified the more influential members of your community, contact them regularly, give them free product, become their friend. Feed your influencers information, and they will distribute it for you. But do not make it appear that you are only interested in them because they can help you sell stuff. You need to be genuine.

    Measuring the impact of social networking is difficult. Unlike other forms of marketing, there is no direct connect between social networking activity and sells. What you will want to do is track traffic to pages such as customer reviews, referral links, etc.

    Social networking can be a powerful marketing tool, if you have a high quality product and are not afraid of an open dialogue with your customers.

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    msnbc

    HTML Mobile Gaming Site Cellufun Is Now Tylted, Eyes Up ...

    Facebook is banking a lot on the future of HTML5 and the idea of people going web-first instead of native-apps for their mobile content fixes, and today mobile gaming company Cellufun taking one step in its strategy to position itself as a key player in that space, too: it?s announcing that it is rebranding itself as Tylted.

    Tylted ? a name chosen from 30,000 entries in a competition run by Cellufun (the unnamed winner got $10,000) ? says that strategy also includes the launch of a new ad platform, the expansion of its virtual good business, and ? as you might expect from a social gaming company doing a lot of work in HTML ? plans to do a whole lot more on Facebook?s mobile platform this calendar year.

    The company today also launched a new game to kick off that virtual goods/advertising push: CuBug, it says, is a ?Tetris-style? tile matching game where captured bugs ?hatch into virtual features like wall papers that can be gifted to other players in rainbow colors.? As for advertising, Tylted gives brands the option of integrating in different parts of the game from chat rooms, to score comparisons, customized virtual goods and so on.

    Founded back in 2005 way before our smartphone world was changed by the iPhone, Tylted today attracts some 10 million monthly unique users, with half a billion monthly page views covering 33 different casual and social games, with the most popular of these currently Pocket Beanie Babies, Mobile Wars and Vampires Rising.

    The big task ahead is to make sure that it changes with the times: can it remain attractive to a base of consumers that are wowed by brands like Angry Birds and Draw Something? This, says CEO Lon Otremba, was part of the logic for rebranding: ?When we wanted to take the company to the next level, and we thought people might think ?Cellufun? looked backward.?

    Tylted?s revenues are currently split 50 from advertising and 50 percent from virtual goods ? both areas that the company want to grow in future. And for what it?s worth, Otremba has a background that seems to lend itself well to the tasks ahead for Tylted: among his past roles, he was EVP for AOL?s interactive marketing group, where he led the strategy and operations for AOL?s advertising and e-commerce business. And he also has background in helping legacy companies turn themselves around: another past role was as CEO of Muzak, where he took the company best known for cheesy instrumental versions of well-known songs, and helped it pivot into one of the world?s largest providers of commercial music services and custom music programming.

    In virtual goods, Otremba says these need to be appealing to a ?wider base of users.? That speaks to a problem other gaming companies have also found, with Kongregate noting last month that in its high-ARPU games, typically two percent of users account for 40 percent of all in-game revenue, and 90 percent of revenues come from users who spend more than $100 in games.

    For Tylted, that will mean focusing on virtual goods that it has seen already gain traction with more than just hardcore gamers: these areas include anonymous personal avatars, in-game chat, and the ability to share virtual currency with other users. Otremba also says the company is looking to sell more virtual items, the kinds of things a ?more casual user might buy without taking away from the interest in virtual currency for more avid users.?

    On Facebook, Otremba admits that for now the company has not ?done much yet? but that it is ?substantially increasing our involvement with Facebook? this calendar year. ?Facebook?s overall strategy of embracing the mobile web is absolutely in line with us,? he says. That move may be about the launch of new games and ?new ideas that could be more appropriate? to the social network, he says. Advertising, he says, is an ?explosive? area that has been relatively untouched so far by his company.

    It is in the process of building up a new ad sales force, including hiring some of his ex-colleagues from AOL. He says that Tylted?s unique selling point for Madison Avenue is that it has the scale that ?would matter? to them. ?To establish a direct relationship with those companies is a huge opportunity,? he says. While companies like Zynga and Rovio already offer advertising alongside their games,? what is perhaps notable here is that Tylted may be willing to go much further than bigger players in bending its own branding in favor of that of advertisers.

    One of those areas where you can see advertisers potentially calling the shots more is in the area of apps. That?s an area that so far Tylted has steered away from ? something Otremba notes as an advantage: ?We have been somewhat immune from the discovery problem that has presented itself to app developers,? he says. ?Our site is one of the busiest on the mobile web and is a destination in its own right.?

    But he also says: ?I don?t rule anything out on apps. I?m happy to say that we are looking. We are very opportunistic, and certain partners have asked us to do something different from what we?ve traditionally done.?

    Tylted has had just under $8 million of backing to date and was profitable last year, but to accelerate growth the company has gone back into the red. ?We could be immensely profitable right now if we chose not to invest in the future,? says Otremba. That may take the company into looking for more funding towards the end of this year.


    Cellufun is one of the world?s largest mobile communities where people socialize, play games, and buy virtual goods for self expression, gifting, and competitive advantage. People around the globe can access the Cellufun platform on any mobile network, on any phone, and in over ten languages to create personal avatars, compete, collaborate, chat, and celebrate special occasions. Cellufun partners with global brands and media companies to deliver branded entertainment and custom-designed mobile marketing solutions. With a quarter billion monthly...

    Learn more

    sexiest man alive

    'Avengers' Cast: Who Got Roughed Up The Most?

    At the film's red-carpet premiere, the stars pick which superheroes took the hardest beating.
    By Kara Warner


    Scarlett Johansson at the premiere of "The Avengers"
    Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

    If you've been following the comings and goings surrounding "Marvel's The Avengers," one of this year's most highly-anticipated films, you've probably noticed in watching the action-packed trailers that everyone onscreen either initiates or suffers from a few decent beatings.

    It's not surprising, considering the film revolves around a group of superheroes fighting a supervillain and an unidentified alien race, but when MTV News hit up the star-studded premiere in Hollywood Wednesday (April 11), we were curious to find out who suffered the most onscreen violence.

    "Probably me!" lamented Chris Evans, a.k.a. Captain America. "Probably me. I don't know, I think we all play our roles," he added with a mischievous wiggle of his eyebrows.

    "We all took a pretty big beating," admitted Scarlett Johansson, who plays the very adept assassin Black Widow. "I would have to say either [Black] Widow or Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner). We're on the ground so we're fighting hand-to-hand and it hurts."

    "I think it's me, actually," said Chris Hemsworth, whose demigod Thor sees plenty of action in the film. "When I saw the trailer I thought, 'I get knocked around the whole time!' "

    Clark Gregg, however, insisted the film's bad guys get the worst of it, saying it's the aliens who suffer the most physical abuse. "[And] anybody who crosses the Hulk basically," he added.

    Speaking of the villains, Tom Hiddleston, who plays Loki, the evil god of mischief, made a case for his own suffering.

    "Me," he said with certainty. "Someone's got to do it."

    Check out everything we've got on "Marvel's The Avengers."

    For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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    Wednesday, April 11, 2012

    ? and Italian Easter menu! - Total Food Geeks Edinburgh

    [unable to retrieve full-text content]I am passionate about nature, seasonal food and drink, growing, cooking and eating vegetable and fruit and generally trying to live in a way that is not too onerous for the planet... follow my musings on seasonality, what's ...

    michele bachmann

    Sony Xperia S heading to Canada on April 17th, exclusive to Sony Stores

    Sony Xperia S heading to Canada on April 17th, exclusive to Sony Stores
    Still patiently waiting to find out when Sony's NXT child will hit Canadian shelves? According to the Japanese outfit, residents of the Great White North can finally expect the Xperia S to make a grand entrance on April 17th. The handset is set to be sold exclusively at Sony Stores around the country, but unfortunately, there's no word on how much it'll cost. That said, we do know that the 4.3-inch Gingerbread device will only be compatible with Rogers network, so Xperia lovers on Telus and Bell need not apply. So, not all Canadians can grab the new Sony slab, but at least some of you can before your neighbors down south.

    Continue reading Sony Xperia S heading to Canada on April 17th, exclusive to Sony Stores

    Sony Xperia S heading to Canada on April 17th, exclusive to Sony Stores originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink MobileSyrup  |   | Email this | Comments

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    Argentine 'miracle' morgue baby improving

    Analia Bouter and her husband Fabian Veron pose for a photo outside the hospital in Resistencia, Argentina, Wednesday April 11, 2012. Bouter found her baby alive in a coffin in the morgue nearly 12 hours after the girl had been declared dead. The tiny girl, born three months premature, was in critical but improving condition Wednesday in the same hospital where the staff pronounced her stillborn on April 3. (AP Photo/Juan Pablo Faccioli)

    Analia Bouter and her husband Fabian Veron pose for a photo outside the hospital in Resistencia, Argentina, Wednesday April 11, 2012. Bouter found her baby alive in a coffin in the morgue nearly 12 hours after the girl had been declared dead. The tiny girl, born three months premature, was in critical but improving condition Wednesday in the same hospital where the staff pronounced her stillborn on April 3. (AP Photo/Juan Pablo Faccioli)

    Analia Bouter, right, poses for a photo with friends outside the hospital in Resistencia, Argentina, Wednesday April 11, 2012. Bouter found her baby alive in a coffin in the morgue nearly 12 hours after the girl had been declared dead. The tiny girl, born three months premature, was in critical but improving condition Wednesday in the same hospital where the staff pronounced her stillborn on April 3. (AP Photo/Juan Pablo Faccioli)

    Analia Bouter and her husband Fabian Veron sit outside the hospital in Resistencia, Argentina, Wednesday April 11, 2012. Bouter found her baby alive in a coffin in the morgue nearly 12 hours after the girl had been declared dead. The tiny girl, born three months premature, was in critical but improving condition Wednesday in the same hospital where the staff pronounced her stillborn on April 3. (AP Photo/Juan Pablo Faccioli)

    (AP) ? A mother in Argentina says she fell to her knees in shock after finding her baby alive in a coffin in the morgue nearly 12 hours after the girl had been declared dead.

    Analia Bouter named her newborn Luz Milagros, or "Miracle Light." The tiny girl, born three months premature, was in critical but improving condition Wednesday in the same hospital where the staff pronounced her stillborn on April 3.

    The case became public Tuesday when Rafael Sabatinelli, the deputy health minister in the northern province of Chaco, announced in a news conference that five medical professionals involved have been suspended pending an official investigation.

    Bouter told the TeleNoticias TV channel in an interview Tuesday night that doctors gave her the death certificate just 20 minutes after the baby was born, and that she still hasn't received a birth certificate for her tiny girl.

    Bouter said the baby was quickly put in a coffin and taken to the morgue's refrigeration room. Twelve hours passed before she and her husband were able to open the coffin to say their last goodbyes.

    She said that's when the baby trembled. She thought it was her imagination ? then she realized the little girl was alive and dropped to her knees on the morgue floor in shock.

    A morgue worker quickly picked up the girl and confirmed she was alive. Then, Bouter's brother grabbed the baby and ran to the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, shouting for the doctors. The baby was so cold, Bouter said, that "it was like carrying a bottle of ice."

    A week later, the baby is improving. Bouter said she still has many unanswered questions about what happened. She said she had given birth normally to four other children and doesn't understand why doctors gave her general anesthesia this time. She said she also doesn't know why she wasn't allowed to see her baby before it was put into a coffin.

    She said she had to insist on going to the morgue's refrigeration room, where she brought her sister's cell phone to take a picture of the newborn for the funeral. Her husband struggled to open the lid, and then stepped aside to let her see inside.

    "I moved the coverings aside and saw the tiny hand, with all five fingers, and I touched her hand and then uncovered her face," she said in the TeleNoticias interview. "That's where I heard a tiny little cry. I told myself I was imagining it ? it was my imagination. And then I stepped back and saw her waking up. It was as if she was saying 'Mama, you came for me!'

    "That was when I fell to my knees. My husband didn't know what to do. We were just crying and I laughed and cried, cries and laughter. We must have seemed crazy."

    She says the family plans to sue the staff at Hospital Perrando in the city of Resistencia for malpractice, and still wants answers. But they've been focused for now on their little girl, whom she described as amazingly healthy despite being born after just 26 weeks of gestation. So far, she hasn't needed oxygen or other support commonly provided to preemies, she said.

    "I'm a believer. All of this was a miracle from God," she told Telam, Argentina's state news agency.

    Associated Press

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    A CATALYST FOR CHANGE ? Food and Drink News

    JRP Solutions, the UK based business improvement specialist, have developed an innovative new methodology designed to reduce process energy consumption by up to 30%.

    This new methodology, called Energy Catalyst, has been developed in collaboration with a select number of JRP?s existing customers from across a number of industry sectors to help manufacturing businesses reduce their operating costs whilst also lowering their emissions thus helping to achieve their sustainability targets.

    The current and potential energy performance of individual assets, process lines, buildings or even sites are evaluated and certified using a similar A ? G system to that used for domestic white goods. Practical Improvement opportunities that will close the energy performance gaps are identified, evaluated and costed before being uploaded to a Continuous Improvement database that is used to drive and measure the implementation programme.

    In recognising the resource constraints many businesses experience, JRP are able to manage the implementation programme from capital approval and tender analysis to project management. And where capital investment is required the typical payback of less than 18 months meets the investment criteria of most businesses.

    Damian Magill, former Chief Engineer at Weetabix, commented ?The Food Industry faces a challenging future with rising costs and tough sustainability targets. The development of the Energy Catalyst couldn?t have come at a better time and will provide a welcome relief particularly for those businesses struggling to maintain their competitive advantage.?

    JRP Solutions founder and Managing Director, Jes Rutter commented ?We recognised that whilst food manufacturers were aware that 80-90% of their energy is used within the conversion process there was no fit for purpose tool that would help reduce the process energy consumption. We recognised this as being a huge opportunity and the development of the Energy Catalyst is an exciting prospect not just for us but all manufacturing businesses.?

    Further information is available from JRP Solutions via www.jrpsolutions.com or tel. 01454 299175

    ?

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    Catholic Abuse Scandals Continues To Take Toll On US Church, $144 Million In Settlements

    Jonathan Benson
    Natural News
    Wednesday, April 11, 2012

    A Facebook petition signed by more than 157,000 people has prompted the Mattel company to create a new Barbie doll in the likeness of a cancer victim. According to?News.com.au, the bald-headed doll, which will be dubbed ?a friend of Barbie,? is set to be released in 2013, and will come with an assortment of head dressings and clothing commonly worn by real-life female cancer victims.

    Cancer rates are apparently skyrocketing so much in the U.S. today ? even among children ? that certain individuals feel Mattel should release a cancer-stricken Barbie doll for children in order to keep up with this disastrous trend. These individuals, in other words, appear to fully endorse the bizarre materialization of one of America?s most deadly conditions into a children?s toy.

    ?We would like to see a Beautiful and Bald Barbie made to help young girls who suffer from hair loss due to cancer treatments, alopecia or trichotillomania,? says a petition written to Mattel by?Beautiful and Bald Barbie, the Facebook group that first promoted the idea. ?Also, for young girls who are having trouble coping with their mother?s hair loss from chemo. Many children have some difficulty accepting their mother, sister, aunt, grandparent or friend going from long-haired to bald.?

    Mattel says it will not actually sell the ?Beautiful and Bald Barbie? in retail stores, but rather it will distribute it to children with cancer in hospitals throughout the U.S. and Canada. Some of the cancer dolls will also reportedly be offered to charity partners on other continents as well, as an act of goodwill towards those suffering from cancer globally.

    You can see a rendering of cancer Barbie at:
    http://articles.nydailynews.com

    As generous and well-meaning as this initiative is, one cannot help but notice the disturbing symbolic implications of a Barbie doll with cancer. Since Barbies were originally created as a fashion doll for young girls to relate to, the concept of a Barbie doll with cancer not only shows just how prevalent this horrible disease has become, but also how cancer is becoming typecasted as commonplace and fashionable.

    In the same way that creating an obese Barbie or a Barbie with leprosy, for instance, would be a morbid venture, creating a Barbie with cancer only helps to normalize a devastating condition that is largely avoidable and treatable outside the conventional medical paradigm. Rather than attempt to turn cancer into a type of cultural paragon, perhaps the ?Beautiful and Bald Barbie? group, as well as Mattel, could funnel their well-intentioned efforts into promoting cancer prevention and alternative cancer treatments.

    • A d v e r t i s e m e n t

    Sources for this article include:

    http://www.news.com.au

    http://www.naturalnews.com/cancer_prevention.html


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    ferris bueller

    Samsung Galaxy Note is a surprise hit

    Samsung said the next big thing is already here, and it looks like they weren?t kidding.


    Way back during the dawn of the smartphone era, PDAs like the Palm Pilot ruled the mobile world. With their resistive monochrome displays and hideaway stylus, Palm?s devices were beloved by productivity geeks the world over. Then, everything changed.

    With the arrival of the gorgeous, full color capacitive touchscreens that we?ve come to expect in any high-tech gadget, the stylus appeared to have run its course. For a time, it looked like Nintendo?s potrable gaming systems were about the only place you?d ever see one again.

    But the came the Samsung Galaxy Note. Depending on your view, it?s either a giant phone or a diminutive tablet. Either way, the stylus it packs is what Samsung has leaned on to promote the Galaxy Note, and it?s pretty clear that this reincarnated Palm Pilot has struck a chord with consumers: Samsung has reported that they?ve sold more than five million Galaxy Notes since it launched just five months ago.

    How does that stack up to the competition? Compared to the iPhone, it?s a drop in the bucket: Apple moved 37 million units during the first quarter of 2012. If you?re comparing the Galaxy Note to tablets, it?s still not in the same league ? more than 10 million units behind the iPad?s 3-month sales total.

    It?s not necessarily fair to compare the Galaxy Note to Apple?s devices, though. Samsung is competing against scores of Android smartphones and tablets, and there?s no denying that selling five million on any one device in such a crowded market is a major feat ? especially a device that?s trying to resurrect the stylus.

    The Galaxy Note isn?t the only recent device that has tried, either, but it?s certainly the most successful. HTC tried, too,with the 7-inch Flyer tablet, but it just didn?t take off (pardon the pun). Curiously, though, HTC seemed to be on the fence about whether or not the Flyer was really intended for stylus ? since it was mostly sold as an optional accessory.

    So what?s the difference this time around? Is it the power of Samsung?s brand? Is 5.3? a more appealing size for a device with a stylus? Maybe it?s those ads Samsung has been running. What?s your take, Sync readers?

    [Source: Samsung Tomorrow (translated)]


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    FP# 227: The Pathway to Love: How to Create Intimacy and ...

    Julie is a speaker, psychotherapist, coach, and consultant. She has had different kinds of relationships throughout her life and, in conjunction with her 24 years of helping people as a psychotherapist and coach, it became clear to her that there really is a predictable developmental pathway that all relationships take but people are lacking the guidance that will help them navigate it. Thus, she wrote a book, The Pathway to Love: Create Intimacy and Transform your Relationships through Self-Discovery, which aims to show couples the importance of understanding and acceptance in a developing relationship.

    In this interview, Julie talks about her passion ? to empower others to achieve the kind of lasting and positive relationship they want. She cites the phases of a relationship, discusses their characteristics and shares her insights on how to deepen their relationship into lasting intimacy.

    WHAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

    1. There really is a predictable developmental pathway that all relationships take
    2. Once you understand this gift, you will know the right places to move at the right time and what you have to move through
    3. A relationship is a being in and of itself and you have to address it as a life force that has its own personality

    ? A 2-year old needs to act like a 2-year old and not like a 10-year old

    ? Your relationship is growing and evolving just like a person and you need to nourish it to make it grow and develop

    ? This evolution is affecting your own growth and change. Thus, you need to know where you are in a relationship as well as where your partner is

    THE PHASES OF A DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIP

    Phase 1: THE FANTASY PHASE

    ? Both partners have a romanticized idea of love. The euphoric feeling causes it to be confused with real love which it is not

    Phase 2: THE SELF-DISCOVERY PHASE

    ? Together with Phase 3, this is where real love occurs and intimacy grows as you discover more about yourself and realize what the relationship is teaching you

    Phase 3: THE PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION PHASE

    ? You take much of the pressure off your partner as you understand yourself and fully accept your partner for who he or she is. You try to work on your own areas, not those of your partner, that need improvement

    ??? ? Ironically, full acceptance of yourself, your partner and the situation automatically creates a space for stretching, growing and healing which leads to a loving feeling towards each other

    WHY RELATIONSHIPS GET STUCK OR FAIL

    1. Since it?s impossible to sustain the kind of ?high? of Phase 1, people tend to look for the stimulus in other relationships
    2. Each partner focuses too much on the other, expecting his or her own needs to be met by the other
    3. People fail to reflect on the fact that a relationship mirrors where they are in their own relational journey

    FINAL THOUGHTS

    A. We all really want to be understood, respected and appreciated for who we truly are, not for the fantasy that people want.

    B. Acceptance doesn?t mean Yes, though. You?re only accepting someone for who he or she is, not that he or she is right for you. This helps you get clear on what you want so you can make powerful choices from a place of acceptance of the reality and determine what to do with that acceptance.

    C. At the core of a relationship is honoring each other and each other?s values

    You can learn more about relationships at Julie?s website at JulieOrlov.com. She?s giving away a workbook with a complementary guide which you can pick up for free at ThePathwayToLove.com.

    Remember to subscribe to Full Potential Show updates to get more great insights and be the first to get valuable free stuff you will ONLY find here on the Full Potential Show with James Rick! And ?like? our Facebook page for a chance to enter into our weekly drawings for even more free stuff.

    ?

    ?


    Spread The Love, Share Our Article

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    The best sales person makes the best sales manager, right ...

    Sue Barrett is one of the leading female voices commenting on sales today. An experienced business speaker and adviser, facilitator, sales coach, training provider and entrepreneur and founder of Barrett Consulting, which provides sales assessments, sales consulting, sales coaching and sales training programs. Visit Barrett Consulting's website, Facebook page, or follow @SueBarrett on Twitter.

    Myth:?The best sales person makes the best sales manager.

    Fact: Selling and managing are two very different positions with different demands and expectations. Most exceptional sales people do?not?make great sales managers. On the contrary, they usually make the worst sales managers for the following reasons:

    1. They were not properly educated, trained or coached to be a sales manager and a sales coach, or
    2. they are not personally suited to being a sales manager; their personality, motivations and ambitions do not match the qualities of effective sales managers. They tend to be competitive, personally ambitious, and have difficulty understanding why they are good and therefore struggle to transfer and teach how to be effective, instead telling people to be like them ?do like I do?, etc. which is not helpful.

    So in the absence of proper sales strategy, sales force blueprints, clear sales processes and no formal sales and sales management education we see too many organisations promote their best sales people to sales management positions with no training, education or formal coaching support. I am not saying great sales people can not become great sales managers, many could but there needs to be a structured approach for them to make this transition, with the right support, coaching and training. Most of the time there isn?t any support process, which is why we still see ineffective sales management in many companies these days. Instead, they focus on throwing the training at their salespeople in trying to improve sales performance.

    Experience has shown me that sales managers are the most critical when it comes to creating and driving sustainable sales performance change and improvement. Really proficient sales leadership and sales coaching can do wonders to improve the skills, strategies and competencies of average and elite salespeople alike.

    In appointing a sales manager there are a few things we need to keep in mind. The best sales managers are leaders and coaches rather than administrators and organisers. They know they can not lead from behind a desk. Effective sales management consists of the following:

    • Planning: Developing and owning the sales operating plan for the business unit in concert with marketing, service, and all other parts of the business,
    • People development: Establishing the people resources needed to successfully execute the operating plan by hiring, coaching, developing, measuring and leading the ?right? people, and
    • Proactive review: Managing revenue and profit by monitoring, controlling and reviewing sales, business, customer and competitor activity. Proactively reviewing the sales plan and consolidating this plan into the business forecast for the organisation.

    Sadly, this is not how most sales managers are spending their time. Many are prevented from performing their optimal role. A recent study found that only 37% of the sales manager?s day is spent in planning, people development and proactive review. The rest of their time was spent with administration, reporting, reacting and handling customer issues.

    So if you want to improve your overall sales results start by looking at your sales management. How well trained are they to be sales managers? Do they know what it takes to be an effective sales manager and sales coach? Does your business allow them to be sales managers in the truest sense or are you tying them up in administration and meetings? Are you training your sales people and your sales leaders?

    Whatever answers you get make sure that you and your business place a value on sales management and get the right people in place to take charge of your sales teams. The results will speak for themselves.

    Remember everybody lives by selling something.

    ?

    flying car

    Turkmen president wins on racing track

    ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) -- Turkmenistan's authoritarian leader has proven he doesn't only win elections easily, coming first in a car race he wasn't even supposed to take part in.

    President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov drove to the racing track in a Bugatti sports car Saturday morning ostensibly to give his blessing to the former Soviet Central Asian nation's maiden automotive competition.

    While an event presenter introduced the president, he received a request nobody in Turkmenistan would be likely turn down. "Can I take part?" Berdymukhamedov asked.

    Before long, the president had changed into racing gear, entered the zippy and diminutive Turkish-made Volkicar automobile and promptly proceeded to record the best time in the time-trial challenge.

    Announcers at the race said the winning car will be given to the national sports museum.

    The apparently choreographed display appears to be another episode in an ongoing state project to cast the president as an effortlessly competent man of action.

    Berdymukhamedov initially favored a low-key style after taking power in the wake of his eccentric predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov's death in late 2006, but his public persona has become subject of an increasingly grand mythology. He won presidential elections in February with 97 percent of the vote.

    His choice to travel to Saturday's race in a Bugatti was in stark contrast with his preferred mode of transport during the elections, when he drove to a polling station with his family in a cramped Soviet-era Zhiguli - a car much derided in the West for its unreliability.

    The government is loudly proclaiming the need to turn Turkmenistan into a sporting power at the behest of the fitness-obsessed president, and the race was touted as the opening salvo in the country's plan to develop competitive automotive sports.

    The energy-rich desert nation, which gained independence amid the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, has never won a medal in the summer Olympic Games.

    Berdymukhamedov's predecessor, Niyazov, was celebrated in a cult of personality that saw cities, streets, months, periodicals and public organizations after the leader and his family members and made a two-volume spiritual tome he wrote mandatory reading.

    In a vein reminiscent of Niyazov's title of Turkmenbashi, or father of all Turkmens, state media now routinely refers to Berdymukhamedov as Arkadag, which is Turkmen for protector.

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    Why Victims Neglect Hiring A Personal Injury Lawyer | Profit Pro ...

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    By Valerie Evans

    Personal injury is not a matter to be taken lightly most especially if you are a victim. There are hundreds of personal injury victims in the country today who are unable to hire a <a href=?http://bobcohenlaw.com/locations/sherman-oaks-ca/?>Sherman Oaks CA Personal Injury Attorney</a> to help them protect their rights, demand justice and get the maximum compensation they deserve to cover for all expenses and inconvenience caused. There are many reasons as to why victims neglect hiring a personal injury attorney and they are very common reasons too.?

    The first reason as to why these victims neglect hiring a legal professional is due to their lack of finances. They assume that in order to hire a lawyer, you would need large funds. Little did they know, that there are personal injury lawyers out there offering their services on a contingency basis. There are numberous of law firms offering their legal services on a contingency basis so you can easily find one. Such legal firms have legal offices located throughout the country and they specialize in personal injury claims of different sorts. No personal injury victim can feel neglected and helpless when these legal professionals see to it that their claims are well structured and presented in court for a trial or for a settlement out of court.

    Another reason why victims refuse legal assistance is due to fear. Depending on the type of personal injury claim being filed, there is a possibility that a victim and his or her family would fear being harmed by the other party and so, they would simply shrug the incident aside or accept whatever monetary compensation the other party would offer to prevent a claim. This is what legal professionals try to avoid and since they have a well trained and well equipped staff, any threats or lack of evidence can be prevented.

    When you are involved in a personal injury accident, a legal professional or a personal injury lawyer or attorney is the best help you can get. Regardless of whether you have the basic knowledge of law or not, it is always wise to see the professional help from a personal injury lawyer located within your area who can effiicently assist you.

    If you feel that your claim lacks evidence or if you do not understand your rights, there is nothing wrong with consulting with a lawyer. After all, personal injury lawyers also offer free initial consultations so you need not have to worry about any legal or consultation fees.

    Valerie Evans is a freelance writer who writes for law firms and Sherman Oaks CA Personal Injury Attorney such as Bob M. Cohen & Associates of http://bobcohenlaw.com/ specializing in personal injury claims that fall under the Tort Law.

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    Tuesday, April 10, 2012

    What&#39;s the Difference Between Short Sales, Foreclosures and ...

    Residential real estate has been turned upside-down in the last 4 years. Purchasing a home was a fairly simple process. A buyer could find a home they like, make an offer directly to the owner, negotiate price and terms, then close within thirty days. Today real estate is a completely different world and the market is dominated by short sales and foreclosures ( up to 50% of all sales in some areas). However, there?s a lot of confusion concerning expectations and values between these types of sales. The largest differences between the three types of sales are price, timing, terms, and condition.

    A traditional real estate sale will usually reflect the top price of the market. In most cases the owner has maintained the home and will quickly negotiate reasonable offers. In addition they will be open to fixing problems that come up during an inspection. This situation is ideal for a purchaser that wants to quickly.

    Short sales are a type of distress sale where the owner can not keep up with mortgage payments or property maintenance. This type of purchase can take between two & six months before receiving a counter offer from the seller?s mortgage company. Most cases the seller will likely not make repairs to defects in the home. The typical discount when purchasing a short sale is 13%-30%. If you have time to wait and don?t mind making a few repairs this can be a great option.

    Foreclosures are usually the deepest discount, but there are many unknowns. The home has been vacant for some time and an empty home in the winter has a high probability of frozen water pipes which then break. Repairs can be extensive and a buyer will need cash or a rehab loan. If the repairs needed are extreme, the home may not qualify for financing. A very thorough home inspection is needed to determine what type of repairs are necessary and how they will cost. Responses from the bank are usually quick and very from 24-72 hours. Closings can also happen quickly and in 30 days or less. This is definitely a ?buyer beware situation.? If not planned properly a foreclosure could turn into a money pit.

    When purchasing a home you must consider which option best fits your situation. Before falling in love with a home find out what type of sale it is and can it be financed. Realistic expectations are critical.

    BY: Jeff Donnellan

    C-Bruce "Mr RE Swag"?
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    Study Suggests Gaming Leads To Cooperation, Not Aggression ...

    Pretty much from the start of video gaming, but particularly since games like?Doom, there?s been a big hubub about violence in video games. Critics seem to believe violent video games are sure to cause aggression in children who play them and ??despite?the fact that video games, like movies, are not all made for children ? that video games should be subject to additional taxes or covered with fallacious warnings as a result. A new study from researchers at?the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, however, suggests even the most violent of video games actually promote cooperation and encourage gamers to control their aggression.

    The paper, ?How gamers manage aggression: Situating skills in collaborative computer games? published in?International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, concerns the results of violent video games, specifically ones with a strong cooperative or competitive focus.

    According to Science Daily, the data collected included first-hand?experience?from the research group, observation of third party gamers, and video recordings. What the researchers found was that even in particularly violent games, success involves cooperation with teammates in order to kill other players (in competitive play) or NPCs (in co-op). Successful gamers tend to be relatively calm and stragetic, whereas gamers that do exhibit?aggressive?behavior, tend to perform poorly because no one wants to play with them.

    ?The situations gamers encounter in these games call for sophisticated and well-coordinated collaboration. We analysed what characteristics and knowledge the gamers need to have in order to be successful,? says?Jonas Ivarsson, one of the study?s authors and?Docent at the Department of Education, Communication and Learning.

    It actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Behaving aggressively outside the game?s universe is generally not encouraged by games. Regardless of how many enemy soldiers you may be slaughtering, you?re going to have to be polite to the squadmates you?re murderin? with if you want to continue playing and continue playing well. On the other end of the spectrum, there are no video games that come to mind which reward players for swearing at their opponents or throwing their controllers at a wall.

    According to the researchers, the whole issue comes down to that of ?transfer.? That is, situations in which knowledge or behavior in one situation is able, or likely, to be applied in another. Transfer is a big part of teaching; How can you teach a kid in a way that he?ll apply it elsewhere on his own? With violent video games, it?s a question of whether or not this violent behavior is something that?s likely to be taken away from the games and applied elsewhere.

    Ivarsson thinks it is not:??In a nutshell, we?re questioning the whole gaming and violence debate, since it?s not based on a real problem but rather on some hypothetical reasoning.?

    (via Science Daily, image credit Shutterstock)

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