Sunday, June 30, 2013

Neymar, Maracana Stadium Among Reasons To Watch Spain vs. Brazil In Confederations Cup Final

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Five reasons to watch Brazil play Spain on Sunday in the final of the Confederations Cup, a warmup tournament for next year's World Cup:

Neymar

The 21-year-old Brazilian with the pseudo Mohawk recently completed a move to Barcelona, where next season he will play alongside Lionel Messi and several of the Spanish players he will face Sunday. Neymar scored in each of the team's three group matches as Brazil went 3-0 and he played a part in both Selecao goals in the 2-1 semifinal win over Uruguay. More pressure will be on him to perform not just on Sunday, but next year as Brazil tries to win its sixth World Cup title.

Maracana Stadium

The final will be played at one of the most famous soccer venues in the world, which also will host the World Cup final on July 13 next year. Once one of the largest stadiums in the world, Maracana hosted the final match of the 1950 World Cup, which FIFA says drew 173,850 and other sources list at up to 199,854. Uruguay rallied with a pair of goals in the last 30 minutes to beat Brazil 2-1 and win its second world title, leaving the Selecao still searching for a first. The stadium, which was built ahead of that World Cup and is owned by the state government, is officially named Mario Filho Stadium, after a famous Brazilian journalist. It has been remodeled and now has a capacity of about 78,000.

Spain

Almost any time you watch Spain, you're watching soccer at its best. After years of underachieving, La Furia Roja won the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, the first team to win those three major titles in succession. Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta dominate midfield play, and Spain almost always has a huge advantage in possession with the "tiki-taka" style taken from Barcelona. With Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso recovering from back surgery, coach Vicente del Bosque has switched to a formation similar to Barcelona's 4-3-3.

Brazil playing at home

Brazil invented "O Joga Bonito (The Beautiful Game)." Ever since Brazil was awarded the right to host the 2014 World Cup six years ago, there has been a huge amount of pressure on the team. And the Confederations Cup final will serve as a big test to see if the young team is ready to unseat Spain.

Preparing for the World Cup

The Confederations Cup is designed to test six of the 12 stadiums to be used for next year's tournament along with airports and transportation systems. Sunday's final can be used as an introduction to the big event, the 32-nation spectacle next year.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/30/neymar-brazil-spain-confederations-cup_n_3525937.html

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Introduction to Ohsas 18001 Management Systems - Replica Watches

Introduction to Ohsas 18001 Management Systems Sooper Articles Your Very best Report Source.. Titles Contents Authors Welcome, Guest Submit Articles Sooper Authors Leading Articles Blog Register Login Widgets RSS Feeds FAQ Make contact with Uncover us on Facebook Comply with us on Twitter Report Categories Art &amp Entertainment Automotive BusinessAdvertisingAgricultureBrandingBusiness IdeasCareer DevelopmentCase StudiesConsultingCorporate FinanceDirect MarketingE-BusinessEntrepreneurshipERPEthicsFinancial ManagementFranchisingFund RaisingFurnishings and SuppliesHome BusinessHuman ResourceIndustrial MechanicalInternational BusinessLicensingManagementManufacturingMarketingNetworkingNon ProfitOnline BusinessOrganizational BehaviorOutsourcingPresentationPress ReleaseProductivityProfessional ServicesProject ManagementPromotionRetailSalesSales ManagementSales TrainingShippingSmall BusinessStorage ServicesStrategic ManagementSupply ChainTeam BuildingVenture CapitalWorkplace Safety Careers Communications Education Finance Food &amp Drinks Gaming Wellness &amp Fitness Hobbies House and Family members House Improvement Internet Law News &amp Society Pets Real Estate Relationship Self Improvement Buying Spirituality Sports Technology Travel Writing Subscribe to Newest Articles

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Helpful Links For Authors Author Guidelines Write-up Writing Suggestions Why Submit Articles HomeBusiness ArticlesManagement ArticlesIntroduction to Ohsas 18001 Management SystemsIntroduction to Ohsas 18001 Management Systems By John Iso on March 26, 2012

Introduction

The industries are required to grow to satisfy the need to have of the society, but at the exact same time they need to do all of this in an occupational wellness and safety acceptable manner. Of late, industries have been reactive towards OHSAS management and the adhere to-up of protected production practices. In this situation, the concept of OHSMS is presented via a planned method of method implementation for occupational well being and safety concerns taking shape.

What an OHSMS System Is

OH&ampS Management Program (OHSMS) refers to a technique utilised by an Organization to handle its activities, item, or services in such a way to lessen or eradicate the adverse dangers on Occupational Health and Security hazards to workers. Much more explicitly, the OHSMS is that component of the overall management system by means of organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes, and resources by which establishing, implementing, reviewing and preserving the organization?s OH&ampS policy occurs.

Evidently, OH&ampS Management System is not a Hi-tech mechanism to address Occupational Wellness and Security concerns of an organization. Generally OHSMS is a manual system consisting of 3 elements, namely:

I. Design or development of components of the OHSMSII. DocumentationIII. Implementation

Of course, the documentation can be supported by software program.

Unlike the Quality Management System, which concentrates only on buyer satisfaction, the OHSMS is essential to satisfy diverse stakeholders- e.g., staff, shareholders, regulatory authorities, buyers, and the basic public as well. Also, since top quality can be defined by technical specification, satisfying consumers is reasonably less complicated than under OHSMS, which is dependent on the diverse interest of these stakeholders. Additionally, OHSMS is needed to make certain compliance with relevant legislation and regulations. Hence, the scope of application and operation of the OHSMS is wider than that of a QMS.

Want for OHSMS

With increasing overall health and safety awareness, compulsions and competitors, it becomes crucial to not only manufacture, but also to source raw components, and sell goods in a manner that takes care of OHSAS issues.

quality manual template

International trade henceforth would reinforce the flow of safer goods and services, in which only OHSAS complying firms shall be able to retain and enhance their share of the expanding international market place.

Whilst all industrial enterprises are needed to comply with a developing quantity of OHSAS regulations, it is only these who proactively seek to demonstrate OHSMS overall performance far beyond compliance, who would be the market leaders.

Credibility comes in only when an independent, effectively-respected, internationally recognized third party speaks of these OHSAS achievements. Then, it not only carries conviction, but also has dangers that the consumer does not mind.

Occupational Overall health and Safety Management Technique (OHSMS) certification is a single such opportunity that can enable the firm to acquire the label of sound enterprise and increase its financial functionality at the same time.

Why implement OHSMS?

* Systematic approach* Enhanced communication* Enhanced compliance* Enhanced profitability* Reduction in liability and danger* Improved internal management* Confidence with stakeholders* Improved employee self-assurance/faith* Market place credibility/image* Enhanced emergency preparedness

Establishing an OHSMS

Any organization could develop its own OHSMS Management Program to address OHSMS concerns arising out of its activities, products, or solutions. The elements of such a technique may be decided by the organization itself based upon the want.

Such a method may be functioning effectively to boost the OHSMS performance still it will lack credibility and conviction. In these situations third party certification of OHSMS is essential. For this objective the organization?s OHSMS has to be developed, created, and implemented as per specification of recognized requirements.

Therefore, OHSMS scope is as outlined:

* Need to be primarily based on manage of causes, not hazards and risks reactive.* Have to address all management components of handle.* Should address Regular/Abnormal/Emergency conditions.* Should have measurable parameters.* Need to be purpose driven.* Have to be relevant to dangers.* Have to involve all.* Must market continual improvement.* Need to be management and not manage/eradication.* OHSMS is managing dangers and hazards.* The essence of hazard management is to stay away from high risks, manage medium dangers, and reside with low dangers

Importance of OHSAS 18000

The requirements are generic, i.e., applicable to both manufacturing and service organizations in public and private sectors. They say what must be carried out by an organization to handle the effect on the OHSAS of its activities, but do not dictate how to do it. As a result, OHSAS 18001 impacts the concerns listed below.

The following concerns for industry are regarded as:

* Occupational concern for the organization* Health issues* Safety of workers* Water use* Other resource use* Hazardous substances* Biological hazards* Radiation* Waste* Noise* Neighborhood issues* Wildlife and habitats* Accidents and emergencies* Preparing problems* Interface with other overall health and safety issues

OHSAS 18000 series of standards can be classified as the specification regular and guidance regular. OHSAS 18001 is the only specification common to which organizations would be registered.

The overall aim of this international regular is to support the OHSMS system. Even so, it is not intended to be utilised to develop non-tariff trade barriers or to enhance or adjust an organization?s legal obligations.

The firm has to set targets and ambitions relating to OHSAS problems for the long run and these should be achievable. top quality manual template Also, provisions for emergencies have to be taken into consideration so that OHSAS will not be impacted. The elements of OHSAS 18001 are listed next.

1. Commitments and Policy:An organization need to define its OH&ampS policy and concentrate on what wants to be completed for ensuring continual OHSMS overall performance. It must also guarantee commitment to the policy.

2. Organizing:An organization should formulate a strategy to fulfill its OH&ampS policy and legal specifications.

3. Implementation:For powerful implementation an organization need to create the capabilities and help mechanisms necessary to attain its OH&ampS policy, objectives, and targets.

four. Measurements and Evaluation:An organization must measure, monitor, and evaluate its OHSMS overall performance.

five. Testimonials and Improvement:An organization need to review and continually enhance its OHSMS management system, with the objective of enhancing its general OHSMS functionality.

Purpose and Benefits of OHSMS (18001):

Organizations certified to OHSAS 18000 would obtain considerable competitive edge more than organizations engaged in similar operations (activities, goods, and solutions), as certification reflects the proactiveness of an organization to defend the atmosphere via OHSAS by a preventive mechanism rather than a corrective or reactive a single.

Again, a well-functioning OHSMS offers self-confidence to the organization and its numerous stakeholders. Some of the advantages are listed under:

1. Increases the acceptance from financial institutions, banks, the public, insurance, etc.two. Improves business-government relations3. Improves OHSAS functionality, which in turn increases productivity of man and machine4. Meets customer?s OHSAS expectations and maintains excellent public relations5. Government benefits6. Ability to meet:* National/International legislation* Regional variation in legislation7. Well being and safety of workers8. Public image* Customer opinion* Inter-company/International trade9. Increases employee self-assurance

Global Manager Group stands with mission and purpose to assist occupation wellness and safety for achieving organization excellence with assist of the ohsas 18001 common certification consultancy. Also supplies ready to use ohsas 18001 manual and other iso quaility manual and sample formats.

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Samsung Galaxy S4 takes prize for speed, battery life

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Lindsay Lohan: Adderall-Free Apparently!

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Yahoo shutting down a dozen products, including AltaVista and Axis

Yahoo shutting down a dozen products, including AltaVista and Axis

As expected, in amongst the high profile acquisitions that have thus far marked the next step in Yahoo's evolution, the web company is doing some serious house cleaning. EVP Jay Rossiter took to the exclamatory search company's Tumblr to announced a whole slew of shut downs. The list includes properties old and new, from AltaVista to Yahoo Axis, along with the sunset date of each one (July 8th and June 28th, respectively). There are a dozen properties in all -- you can check out the full list of obits in the source link below.

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Does Student Debt Spell Trouble for America?s Youth?

College Graduation

Researchers from the Urban Institute have released a new study exploring the demographic boundaries of student loans and their impact on the U.S. economy.

The study, by?Caroline Ratcliffe and Signe-Mary McKernan,?analyzed which demographics bear the highest burden of student debt, what borrowers are afraid of, their ability to pay loans back, and how this phenomenon has increased over the years.

Since 1989, student loans have become the second most prevalent debt held among 29- to 37-year-olds in America.?The debt is dispersed across demographic lines, with 16 percent of whites carrying student loan debt, 34 percent of African Americans doing so, and 28 percent of Hispanics holding it.

One finding showed that roughly half of students with debt did not finish their degrees. The problem with this situation is twofold: Not only are students leaving school early ? before having developed a robust skill set ? they are doing so with an amount of debt almost assured to make life harder. Average student debt hovers around $26,000 dollars.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WallStCheatSheetEconomy/~3/ZxodT6b0kqA/

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Jackie Pilossoph: Sharing the Silver Linings of Divorce

As a divorced person, I describe it this way: heartbreaking, scary, gut-wrenchingly sad, and really, really depressing at times. That said, I've come to learn that there IS a flipside. Divorce brings growth and acceptance and self-introspection and empowerment. And, divorce brings advantages. That's right, advantages. Would you believe there are ADVANTAGES of being divorced? Let me share the silver linings of divorce.

8 Silver Linings of Divorce:

1. You have an out whenever you want it. I believe that at this stage in my life, I shouldn't have to do anything I don't want to do. Let me clarify. We all have things everyday that we HAVE to do. Meetings we must attend, people we go to see out of the goodness of our hearts, chores, errands, work outs, and business events. Doing those things is just living up to your responsibilities. But, I believe that a person shouldn't do anything he or she does not WANT to do. In other words, don't do anything out of obligation or because you think you will upset someone if you're not there (unless you care deeply for the person). If there is an event that you really don't care to attend, don't. If a person who typically makes you feel bad about yourself wants to get together, don't. Enjoying life and your time is just too valuable. So, here's the divorce benefit: In order to spare someone's feelings, if you simply don't want to get together with someone, you can just say, "Sorry, it's my weekend with the kids!" How great is that?

2. Having to go back to work brings only good things. This applies mostly to women. When divorce happens, women are often forced to go back to work because of finances. I can tell you firsthand it was very scary. I hadn't worked in 10 years. Getting up to speed on computer technology was probably the most frightening thing for me. But, going back to work has HUGE benefits! Work is productive, and that brings self-esteem, self love and confidence! You will love yourself when you feel smart and productive and you see that "You still got it!" AND, you will meet so many men and women that could become friends, and maybe even romantic interests. Nothing bad ever comes from work. It's always good.

3. Loneliness subsides, empowerment takes its place: When I was getting divorced, people would always give me this look that was saying to me, "I feel so sorry for you." I felt like saying, "Please don't give me that look! I didn't just tell you I had cancer. I'm just a little lonely, that's all." The thing is, it took awhile, but I kicked the loneliness thing. I learned how to be alone, and it's a wonderfully empowering feeling. I can go to a movie or shopping or sit in a coffee shop myself and enjoy it. That to me is very empowering. Loneliness is hard at first, but you won't be lonely forever. Learn how to be alone!

4. Your house is your own. Do you realize that you can re-decorate and re-organize your home, and make it exactly the way you want it? Pink and shabby chic and feminine for the ladies. Guys, bean bag chairs, dart boards, pool tables, the biggest flat screen you can find... whatever you want! You're the boss!

5. You can really Live! I have a friend who was married for 27 years. Her husband blindsided her and left her for another woman. She was obviously devastated. In fact, there were times I was beyond worried about her and wasn't sure she'd be okay. Let me tell you what she has done over the past four years. She has run a marathon, she's traveled to Israel, Spain, China, and all over the U.S., she has joined a softball league, and she never says no to any adventure. She said she would never have done all these things if she was still married.

6. The door is open. Regardless of who left who, the door is now wide open for you to have a meaningful, loving relationship with someone who is right for you. If your husband or wife left you, they did you a favor. Because, who wants to be with someone who doesn't want to be with them? Mr. or Ms. Right is out there. Give it time and don't try too hard. Just enjoy your life. Refer to point #5!

7. Your mother-in-law just went bu-bye. For some people, never seeing their in-laws after divorce is very upsetting. To others, never having to deal with their in-laws again is a huge perk. So, obviously this only applies to people who look at never having to see their mother-in-law again as a gift. Everything that bugged you about her is ancient history! Woo hoo!

8. You just became a single parent. "Why is that a plus, Jackie?!" Because a lot of people I talk to tell me that they became a better parent after their divorce. As single parents, we appreciate our time with our children more. Quality always wins over quantity. In other words, sure, you may see your children a less number of days throughout the year, but if you take advantage of every moment you have with them, you will be truly fulfilled, and you will continue to be a wonderful parent, even better. Talk to your kids, laugh with them, hug and kiss them, play with them. Just love them. They need you now more than ever. And you are here for them.

Jackie Pilossoph is the author of the blog, Divorced Girl Smiling. She is also the author of the comedic novel, FREE GIFT WITH PURCHASE about life after divorce. Ms. Pilossoph is a weekly business features reporter for the Pioneer Press, with the monthly column, "Heart of the North Shore." She lives in Chicago with her two kids. And she's divorced (obviously.)

?

Follow Jackie Pilossoph on Twitter: www.twitter.com/divorcedgirlJP

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jackie-pilossoph/sharing-the-silver-lining_b_3519734.html

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Saturday, June 29, 2013

Sears, Penney sever ties with Paula Deen

NEW YORK (AP) ? Paula Deen's media and merchandising empire is collapsing.

Sears, J.C. Penney and Walgreen said Friday that they're cutting ties with Deen, adding to the growing list of companies severing their relationship following revelations that the Southern celebrity chef used racial slurs in the past.

Meanwhile, Deen's publisher has canceled a deal with her for multiple books, including an upcoming cookbook that was the No. 1 seller on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.

Ballantine Books said Friday it would not release "Paula Deen's New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up," which was scheduled for October and was the first of a five-book deal announced early last year. Interest in it had surged as Deen, who grew up in Albany, Ga., and specializes in Southern comfort food, came under increasing attack for acknowledging she had used the N-word.

Ballantine, an imprint of Random House Inc., said it decided to cancel the book's publication after "careful consideration." It had no comment beyond what was in its brief statement, spokesman Stuart Applebaum said.

Sears Holdings Corp. said it will phase out all products tied to the Paula Deen brand after "careful consideration of all available information."

"We will continue to evaluate the situation," said the parent company of Sears and Kmart stores.

Both Sears and Kmart sold Paula Deen products.

In an email statement to The Associated Press, J.C. Penney Co. Inc. said it will stop selling Deen-branded products.

Walgreen Co. said it was phasing out Paula Deen-branded products, which include tortilla chips and a selection of soups.

QVC took a more gentle approach on Friday and said that it has decided to "take a pause" from Deen. The home shopping network said that Deen won't be appearing on any upcoming broadcasts, and it will phase out her product assortment on its online sales channels over the next few months.

"We all think it's important, at this moment, for Paula, to concentrate on responding to the allegations against her and on her path forward," said Mike George, QVC's president and CEO in a letter posted on the company's website.

But QVC left the door open for Deen to return. "Some of you wonder whether this is a 'forever' decision ? whether we are simply ending our association with Paula," continued George. "We don't think that's how relationships work. People deserve second chances."

Deen issued her own statement that was posted on QVC's webpage. "As you know, I have some important things to work on right now, both personally and professionally. And so we've agreed that it's best for me to step back from QVC and focus on setting things right

The developments are the latest blows dealt to Deen since comments she made in a court deposition became public.

Earlier this week, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp. and Home Depot all announced that they plan to stop selling cookware and other items with Deen's brand.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Novo Nordisk said it and Deen have "mutually agreed to suspend our patient education activities for now." Deen had been promoting the company's drug Victoza since last year, when she announced she had Type 2 diabetes

On Monday, pork producer Smithfield Foods dropped her as a spokeswoman.

Caesars Entertainment also announced that Paula Deen's name is being stripped from four buffet restaurants owned by the company. Caesars said that its decision to rebrand its restaurants in Joliet, Ill.; Tunica, Miss.; Cherokee, N.C.; and Elizabeth, Ind., was a mutual one with Deen.

Last week, the Food Network said that it would not renew her contract.

The stakes are high for Deen, who Forbes magazine ranked as the fourth highest-earning celebrity chef last year, bringing in $17 million. She's behind Gordon Ramsay, Rachael Ray and Wolfgang Puck, according to Forbes.

Paula Deen Enterprises, which spans from TV shows to cookware and furniture, generates total annual revenue of nearly $100 million, estimates Burt Flickinger III, president of retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group.

But Flickinger estimates she could lose up to 80 percent of her business by next year as suppliers extricate themselves from their agreements.

Not every company Deen does business with has severed ties. Among other stores that sell her products, Kohl's Corp. declined to comment, while Macy's Inc. said Thursday that it continues to "monitor the situation."

Hoffman Media LLC, the publisher of "Cooking with Paula Deen" magazine, announced Friday that it will continue publishing her bi-monthly publication.

"Hoffman Media has worked closely with Ms. Deen since 2005," said Eric Hoffman, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Hoffman Media in a statement. "The recent images portrayed by the media do not reflect the person we know on a personal or a professional level."

___

AP National Writer Hillel Italie contributed to this report

Follow Anne D'Innocenzio on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sears-penney-sever-ties-paula-deen-194710329.html

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Obama jabs Russia and China

By Jeff Mason and Mark Felsenthal

DAKAR (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday he would not start "wheeling and dealing" with China and Russia over a U.S. request to extradite former American spy agency contractor Edward Snowden.

Obama, who appeared concerned that the case would overshadow his three-country tour of Africa begun in Senegal, also dismissed suggestions that the United States might try to intercept Snowden if he were allowed to leave Moscow by air.

"No, I'm not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker," he told a news conference in Dakar, a note of disdain in his voice. Snowden turned 30 last week.

Obama said regular legal channels should suffice to handle the U.S. request that Snowden, who left Hong Kong for Moscow, be returned to the United States.

He said he had not yet spoken to China's President Xi Jinping or Russian President Vladimir Putin about the issue.

"I have not called President Xi personally or President Putin personally and the reason is ... number one, I shouldn't have to," Obama said sharply.

"Number two, we've got a whole lot of business that we do with China and Russia, and I'm not going to have one case of a suspect who we're trying to extradite suddenly being elevated to the point where I've got to start doing wheeling and dealing and trading on a whole host of other issues."

Snowden fled the United States to Hong Kong in May, a few weeks before publication in the Guardian and the Washington Post of details he provided about secret U.S. government surveillance of Internet and phone traffic.

The American, who faces espionage charges in the United States and has requested political asylum in Ecuador, has not been seen since his arrival in Moscow on Sunday. Russian officials said he was in a transit area at Sheremetyevo airport.

A Russian immigration source close to the matter said Snowden had not sought a Russian visa and there was no order from the Russian Foreign Ministry or Putin to grant him one.

CHARGES OF U.S. HYPOCRISY

Snowden's case has raised tensions between the United States and both China and Russia. On Thursday, Beijing accused Washington of hypocrisy over cyber security.

Obama's remarks in Senegal seemed calibrated to exert pressure without leading to lasting damage in ties with either country.

"The more the administration can play it down, the more latitude they'll have in the diplomatic arena to work out a deal for him (Snowden)," said Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

Obama indicated that damage to U.S. interests was largely limited to revelations from Snowden's initial leak.

"I continue to be concerned about the other documents that he may have," Obama said. "That's part of the reason why we'd like to have Mr. Snowden in custody."

Still, Snowden's disclosures of widespread eavesdropping by the U.S. National Security Agency in China and Hong Kong have given Beijing considerable ammunition in an area that has been a major irritant between the countries.

China's defense ministry called the U.S. government surveillance program, known as Prism, "hypocritical behavior."

"This 'double standard' approach is not conducive to peace and security in cyber space," the state news agency Xinhua reported, quoting ministry spokesman Yang Yujun.

In Washington, the top U.S. military officer dismissed comparisons of Chinese and American snooping in cyber space.

"All nations on the face of the planet always conduct intelligence operations in all domains," Army General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told an audience at the Brookings Institution.

"China's particular niche in cyber has been theft and intellectual property." Dempsey said. "Their view is that there are no rules of the road in cyber, there's nothing, there's no laws they are breaking, there's no standards of behavior."

In Ecuador, the leftist government of President Rafael Correa said it was waiving preferential rights under a U.S. trade agreement to demonstrate what it saw as its principled stand on Snowden's asylum request.

Correa told reporters Snowden's situation was "complicated" because he has not been able to reach Ecuadorean territory to begin processing the asylum request.

"In order to do so, he must have permission of another country, which has not yet happened," Correa said.

In a deliberately provocative touch, Correa's government also offered a multimillion dollar donation for human rights training in the United States.

The U.S. State Department warned of "grave difficulties" for U.S.-Ecuador relations if the Andean country were to grant Snowden asylum, but gave no specifics.

"USEFUL" CONVERSATIONS

Obama said the United States expected all countries that were considering asylum requests for the former contractor to follow international law.

The White House said last week that Hong Kong's decision to let Snowden leave would hurt U.S.-China relations. Its rhetoric on Russia has been somewhat less harsh.

Putin has rejected U.S. calls to expel Snowden to the United States and said the American should choose his destination and leave the Moscow airport as soon as possible.

Obama acknowledged that the United States did not have an extradition treaty with Russia, but said such a treaty was not necessary to resolve all of the issues involved.

He characterized conversations between Washington and Moscow as "useful."

Washington is focused on how Snowden, a former systems administrator for the contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, gained access to National Security Agency secrets while working at a facility in Hawaii.

NSA Director Keith Alexander on Thursday offered a more detailed breakdown of 54 schemes by militants that he said were disrupted by phone and internet surveillance, even as the Guardian newspaper reported evidence of more extensive spying.

In a speech in Baltimore, Alexander said a list of cases turned over recently to the U.S. Congress included 42 that involved disrupted plots and 12 in which surveillance targets provided material support to terrorism.

The Guardian reported that the NSA for years collected masses of raw data on the email and Internet traffic of U.S. citizens and residents, citing a top-secret draft report on the program prepared by NSA's inspector general.

(Additional reporting by Brian Ellsworth and Alexandra Valencia in Quito, Lidia Kelly and Steve Gutterman in Moscow, Sui-Lee Wee in Beijing, Deborah Charles in Baltimore and Steve Holland, Laura MacInnis and Mark Hosenball in Washington; Writing by Jeff Mason and Christopher Wilson; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-jabs-russia-china-failure-extradite-snowden-073536769.html

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WHITE HOUSE NOTEBOOK: Obama to US media: 'Behave'

U.S. President Barack Obama, centre right, arrives for a news conference with South African President Jacob Zuma, centre left, at the Union Building on Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Pretoria, South Africa. The visit comes at a poignant time, with former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela ailing in a Johannesburg hospital. The White House issued a statement Saturday that President Barack Obama plans to visit privately with relatives of former South African President Nelson Mandela, but doesn't intend to see the critically ill anti-apartheid activist he has called a "personal hero." (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. President Barack Obama, centre right, arrives for a news conference with South African President Jacob Zuma, centre left, at the Union Building on Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Pretoria, South Africa. The visit comes at a poignant time, with former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela ailing in a Johannesburg hospital. The White House issued a statement Saturday that President Barack Obama plans to visit privately with relatives of former South African President Nelson Mandela, but doesn't intend to see the critically ill anti-apartheid activist he has called a "personal hero." (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama reads from a Teleprompter as she speaks at a youth event at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Johannesburg, South Africa, organized in conjunction with MTV Base, an African youth and music TV channel, and Google+ to highlight the importance of education. Teenagers from around South Africa as well as students joining virtually in cities around the U.S. participated. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

United States President Barack Obama motorcade arrives at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johanesburg, South Africa,Saturday, June, 29, 2013. Mandela whose condition has improved according to the Presidency,remains in a critical condition in a hospital in Pretoria.(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama waves to the audience during a youth event at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Johannesburg, South Africa, organized in conjunction with MTV Base, an African youth and music TV channel, and Google+ to highlight the importance of education. Teenagers from around South Africa as well as students joining virtually in cities around the U.S. will participate. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama hugs Tebogo Tenyan, 16, during a youth event to highlight the importance of education at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Teenagers from around South Africa as well as students joining virtually in cities around the U.S. will participate. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

(AP) ? One element of President Barack Obama's Africa policy is to encourage a free press, although he offered repeated reminders for U.S. reporters traveling with him on the continent to be on their best behavior.

"Americans, behave yourselves," he needled Saturday as a contingent of U.S. and South African media was pulled from a quick photo op with President Jacob Zuma.

Obama spoke just before their joint news conference and may have been trying to suggest his press corps keep its questions tight.

On Saturday, both U.S. and South African reporters asked multi-part questions. Obama didn't try to cut anyone off, but instead said the U.S. press corps must be happy the news conference was taking place in a wood-paneled chamber inside Pretoria's grand Union Buildings.

"This is much more elegant than the White House press room," Obama said, referring to the more cramped media quarters in the West Wing. "It's a big improvement."

He kept up the theme of a long-winded U.S. press at the start of his meeting with African Union Commission Chairwoman Dlamini-Zuma.

"I might take some questions, except earlier in the press conference you guys asked 4-in-1 questions," a grinning Obama teased.

At his earlier stop in Senegal, Obama apologized to host President Macky Sall on behalf the American media.

"Sometimes my press ? I notice yours just ask one question," Obama said. "We try to fit in three or four or five questions in there."

Minutes before that comment, Obama had praised democratic progress in Senegal, specifically mentioning "a strong press" as part of that movement. However, the first Senegalese reporter to be called on lobbed a softball, simply asking Sall to describe the visit and any new prospects it posed for Africa.

___

Questioned about foreign policy, Obama said more than the security issues that "take up a lot of my time," he gets great satisfaction from listening to regular people talk about building their businesses.

A top priority is the war that's drawing to a close in Afghanistan, with U.S. combat troops scheduled to return home by the end of next year.

Another is keeping the U.S. public safe. "I can't deviate from that too much," Obama said before also mentioning the need to focus on turmoil across the Middle East.

But "as much as the security issues in my foreign policy take up a lot of my time, I get a lot more pleasure from listening to a small farmer say that she went from one hectare to 16 hectares and has doubled her income," Obama said. "That's a lot more satisfying and that's the future."

The president apparently was still feeling good after the stop in Senegal. On Friday, he toured an exhibit showcasing the Senegalese agricultural sector with a focus on nutrition and fortified foods and chatted up several of the farmers who were there. The programs get help from Feed the Future, a public-private partnership begun by Obama that he touted in Senegal, including to reporters aboard Air Force One.

___

Obama's trip has been quite a family affair.

He's traveling with his wife, Michelle, their daughters Malia and Sasha, his mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, and a niece, Leslie Robinson. Other relatives are with him in spirit.

He spoke Saturday about his late mother, anthropologist Stanley Ann Dunham, and what he said she always used to tell him.

"You can measure how well a country does by how well it treats its women," he said, quoting her.

On Thursday in Senegal, he quipped about how he had disappointed his maternal grandmother by becoming a politician, not a judge as she had hoped.

___

Obama was looking forward to visiting Robben Island for a special reason: the opportunity to take his daughters with him.

The tiny island off the coast of Cape Town is where many opponents of South Africa's former system of white-minority rule were sent to prison.

Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years behind bars on the island. He was elected president a few years after his release.

Obama has visited the island previously, but called it a "great privilege and a great honor" to be able to bring Malia, 15, and Sasha, 12, to teach them the history of the island and South Africa and how those lessons apply to their own lives growing up in America. The family was scheduled to ride the ferry over on Sunday.

The Obama girls could have visited Robben Island in 2011 when they accompanied their mother on her visit to South Africa, but the trip was scrubbed at the last minute due to rough seas.

___

Michelle Obama says she definitely would take more risks if she could go back and relive her teenage years.

She avoided getting too specific, though, saying simply that she'd try more things and travel more.

"I wouldn't be as afraid as I was at that age to fail," she said in Johannesburg during a Google+ Hangout chat involving scores of young people in Africa and several cities across the U.S., including New York City, Los Angeles and Houston. Singer-songwriters John Legend and Victoria Justice also participated.

After some of the students seated on stage with the first lady were asked to name their dream jobs, the question was then put to her.

Mrs. Obama didn't identify her dream job, but said that back then she could never have envisioned participating in such a forum. She often has said she never saw herself becoming first lady, either, and used her example to try to inspire the audience. She told them to keep their dreams big and embrace failure.

"Don't take yourself out of the game before you even start, because there's no telling what life has in store for you," Mrs. Obama said.

___

Associated Press writers Nedra Pickler in Johannesburg and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow Julie Pace on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jpaceDC

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-06-29-Obama-Free%20Press/id-1c30601a50f34b4f88a220d0a48a9ef9

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Mandela: A hard act to follow for South Africans

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? In November, just before Nelson Mandela's health began a long downward spiral, the leader of a project to build a children's hospital named after the former president briefed him on efforts to raise construction funds. Mandela, 94 years old and infirm, was exasperated by the delays. Then the reflexes of the world statesman took over.

"Well, get me a few business people. Sit them around my table here and I'll tell them why this is important," Mandela said, according to Sibongile Mkhabela, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital Trust. The fundraiser didn't happen, but the remark was a poignant hint of the Mandela of old, the charismatic leader who, as Mkhabela put it, "knew how to make people believe in things that were not there yet."

Today Mandela is critically ill in a Pretoria hospital, seemingly close to the end of his life. As the day approaches, whenever it comes, many South Africans are caught in an emotional reckoning. They celebrate this father figure, whose jail-time sacrifice and peacemaking role in the transition from apartheid to democracy resonated worldwide, but they face the hard road of trying to emulate his example and implement his legacy after he is gone.

"There's a part of Mandela in each of us," said Anthony Prangley, a lecturer at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, a University of Pretoria business school whose campus is in Johannesburg.

"It's important to keep that in mind because we can start to see him as someone who is not accessible, or infallible," he said. "In doing so, we miss the potential to learn from his leadership."

Mandela's achievements were historic even though he admitted imperfection and sought to share credit with others. That humility left a deep impression on many who met him.

The anti-apartheid leader spent 27 years in jail, but was seemingly free of rancor on his release in 1990, steering South Africa through a delicate transition to all-race elections that propelled him to the presidency four years later. The outpouring of support for the ailing Mandela, who was taken to the hospital on June 8 for what the government said was a lung infection, attests to his ability to connect and inspire in his country, even if it is struggling to live up to his soaring vision, and around the world.

"If and when he passes from this place, one thing I think we'll all know is that his legacy is one that will linger on throughout the ages," President Obama said in Senegal before arriving in South Africa on Friday as part of an Africa tour. Obama is to meet with Mandela's relatives Saturday, though he has said he will not visit the hospital where Mandela is receiving treatment.

The United Nations has recognized July 18, Mandela's birthday, as an international day to honor themes of activism, democracy and responsibility embodied by the former leader. Organizers of events in his honor suggest participants spend 67 minutes engaged in acts of goodness on that day ? 67 corresponds to the number of years Mandela is said to have spent in public service.

"It's possible for our societies to have 'Mandelas' so long as we don't take away from ourselves the responsibilities to learn, to be better, to aspire to something bigger," said Mkhabela, the CEO. She said she worried when people put Mandela on "such a high pedestal," setting aside the need to follow his humanitarian values.

"This just sounds like another way of saying: 'We don't want to be responsible, we feel and fear in us there is a 'Mandela' that could be unleashed. It's too big a responsibility, too big a challenge,'" she said.

The business world has taken note of Mandela as a role model. He ranked fourth on a list of admired leaders, according to a global survey late last year of 1,330 chief executive officers in 68 countries. Winston Churchill, Steve Jobs and Mahatma Gandhi led the field in the survey, conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The survey said many CEOs "chose leaders who were persistent in the face of adversity ? as well as transformational leaders and leaders who did the 'right thing.'"

Prangley, the business school lecturer, said a great leader doesn't just inspire and have many followers, but also reaches out to other constituencies. Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., he said, became more effective by winning over white Americans, and Mahatma Gandhi sought to unite Muslims and Hindus, even though India was partitioned. President Obama energized crowds early on but now struggles to rally people when things sour, according to Prangley, who praised Mandela's political skill.

"He understands when to push and when to bring other people to the table," he said of Mandela's skill in balancing firmness and compromise.

Prangley said he met Mandela as a student volunteer in Mozambique in the late 1990s, recalling how the former president told him and his young colleagues that it was a "wizened" group of older leaders who had led the negotiations that ended apartheid.

"In South African society, it was the older generation who began to compromise and brought change," Prangley said. "It was a message to us, as young people at that time, to kind of learn from that experience."

Mandela, though, was hardly a stuffy patriarch. He had cross-generational appeal. He wore colorful, patterned shirts when president and was known for warmth and attention to personal detail despite a somewhat regal, even stiff bearing.

Those who have worked with Mandela, a philanthropist who joined the fight against the AIDS epidemic in South Africa and other humanitarian causes, often share what they learned with colorful anecdotes about the former president, also known by his clan name, Madiba. Achmat Dangor, the former head of the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, a Johannesburg-based foundation, picked up tips about the stubborn art of fundraising.

"I've been on occasions with heads of state and certain great persons somewhere who made a pledge, and Madiba called me and said, 'You sit here until they give you something in writing, you don't leave,'" Dangor told a foundation audience in May. "'Thank you, Prime Minister. Your Excellency, thank you.' And yes, I didn't leave without a note. A million pounds came a couple of years later, but it came."

Mandela also stressed the importance of getting opposing sides to speak to each other, said Dangor, who described how he and a colleague once approached Mandela to discuss dialogue initiatives.

Dangor recalled: "He listened very carefully and then he said, 'Listen I want to tell you something. You know, when you get people together who agree with each other, and they're friends, that's not dialogue. That's a chat. Bring together those who disagree with each other.'"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mandela-hard-act-south-africans-092813717.html

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Square's website for small businesses takes on e-commerce giants

By Gerry Shih

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Since 2010, Square Inc's matchbox-sized card readers have steadily supplanted credit card machines in coffee shops and corner stores across the United States.

Now, the company, one of Silicon Valley's most highly valued private firms, is diving into a market as expansive the internet itself.

Square launched a shopping website this week called Square Market to serve as an online storefront and payment processor for small businesses, a move that pits the closely held company, valued at $3.25 billion, against popular e-commerce destinations such as eBay Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Etsy.

After spending years tackling offline transactions with his card reader and in-store software package, Square founder Jack Dorsey sees his online market as the company's capstone product. Mom-and-pop retailers that use Square to accept credit cards and digitally manage inventory can now take their business online as well, he said.

"We want to make every commercial transaction easier," Dorsey told Reuters. "What you're seeing here is the completion of that picture."

Square, which makes money by taking a 2.75 percent cut of every payment it processes, has raised the competitive ante, especially with eBay, the Web bazaar whose PayPal subsidiary is one of the dominant online payment operators.

However, there are countless other competitors in an U.S. online retail market, which is expected to reach $278.9 billion by 2015, according to Forrester Research.

Dorsey conceded that Square Market would be dwarfed by e-commerce companies such eBay and Amazon, at least initially. But in an age of Facebook Inc and Twitter, Square's merchants can now reach millions.

"I don't know if a buyer is thinking: "Should I go to Ebay, or should I go to Etsy, or Square?" Dorsey said. "In the end, it's about what the merchant is selling. If you can present excitement around an item, and that item goes viral, it becomes huge."

Dorsey, the 36-year old entrepreneur who invented Twitter in 2006, wants to seamlessly integrate Square Market with Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. Because Square keeps credit card information on file, a shopper who clicks on a tweet that links to a Square Market product needs only to click once more to purchase the item.

Merchants who use Square's iPad software to process payments and track sales can quickly upload their inventory for free to a Web page, which automatically displays the products in a grid format.

"Flip a switch and suddenly you're online," Dorsey said.

Unlike Amazon, which was launched in 1995 as a humble bookseller, Square's catalog is decidedly urban-chic. Merchants that have participated so far include a few dozen fashion boutiques, an indie rock band, a bakery in Park Slope, Brooklyn and a purveyor of designer hand axes.

Square Market has also signed up some small service providers, from lawn mowers to massage therapists, said Square product director Ajit Varma.

Rick Oglesby, a mobile payments analyst at AITE Group, said Square could tap into a large market that includes neighborhood bakeries and ice cream parlors with no Web presence. Nearly 67 percent of small businesses do not have an e-commerce presence, Oglesby added, citing his own survey.

"There's a very big opportunity to help these businesses create an online channel for the first time," he said. "This is a neat solution for the small guys."

At a time when the company is facing competitive pressure from all sides, Square is hoping to raise its profile with shoppers, both online and offline, to entice merchants to adopt its service.

"Ultimately, they need to get more consumer eyeballs so that they're more and more attractive to merchants," Oglesby said.

Cory Verellen, the owner of a boutique shop in Seattle that sells and repairs Polaroid cameras, said he keeps an independent website that uses PayPal. He is not ready to abandon his website for Square Market yet, but is pleased it was already sending him new customers as of late Wednesday, the first day it opened.

"Even today, I've had so many people get a hold of me and say: ?I can't believe a store like this exists,'" Verellen said. "So the biggest benefit to me is advertising. Square's building its own small business ecosystem and I think we could be seeing something big."

(Reporting by Gerry Shih. Editing by Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/squares-website-small-businesses-takes-e-commerce-giants-180623774.html

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White House Unveils Final Plan on Coverage for Contraception ...

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By Steve Reinberg and E.J. Mundell
HealthDay Reporters

FRIDAY, June 28 (HealthDay News) ? The Obama administration on Friday issued what it called final rules that let religious organizations opt out of providing contraception coverage in their health insurance plans, as mandated by the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

The White House said employers at non-profit religious organizations such as houses of worship, hospitals and universities won?t have to offer free access to birth control, but their insurance companies will be made directly responsible for doing so.

Women who request birth control will be able to get it free of co-pays or premiums, as required by the Affordable Care Act. But non-profit religious organizations can refuse to cover birth control, leaving the woman?s insurance company with the responsibility of coverage.

?The health care law helps ensure that millions of women have coverage for critical preventive services without cost sharing,? Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, deputy director of policy and regulation at the Center for Consumer Information, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said during an afternoon news conference.

These services include contraception ?because there are tremendous health benefits for women that come from using contraception,? she said.

Friday?s revised rules are similar to earlier proposed rules, in which houses of worship such as churches can exclude contraceptive coverage from their health plans for their employees and their dependents.

?Today?s announcement reinforces our commitment to respect the concerns of houses of worship and other non-profit religious organizations that object to contraceptive coverage, while helping to ensure that women get the care they need, regardless of where they work,? Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.

The revised rule, scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2014, follows more than a year of protests and legal action from Roman Catholics, conservative Protestants and many employers who maintain that the contraception provision in the Affordable Care Act ? the Obama administration?s sweeping 2010 health reform law ? violates their religious beliefs on birth control.

It?s not clear if Friday?s announcement will satisfy opponents of the contraception provision.

On Thursday, a federal appeals court in Denver ruled that Hobby Lobby, an Oklahoma City-based arts and crafts chain, can proceed with its challenge to the birth-control mandate and won?t be subject to fines.

The changes offered Friday appear to be the Obama administration?s attempt to satisfy both sides on the issue ? religious leaders who object to providing contraception to employees, and those who wish to see that all women retain free access to birth control.

The White House first found itself embroiled in a political fight with Catholic Church officials after a Jan. 20, 2012, announcement that all religious-affiliated employers, with the exception of churches and other houses of worship, would have to cover free birth control as part of routine preventive care for women. These institutions were given until August 2013 to comply with the rule.

More information

For more on birth control, visit the Alan Guttmacher Institute.

Source: http://news.health.com/2013/06/28/white-house-unveils-final-plan-on-coverage-for-contraception-2/

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Why the unusual 5-4 split in the Prop 8 case? (Powerlineblog)

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Revealers, A New Social-Meets-Gaming App, Launches Today

Screen Shot 2013-06-27 at 9.29.41 AMA new social game called Revealers is launching today, and it’s betting on the feature of letting players add content to the game to make it more than a flash in the pan hit. Israeli founder Muly Litvak has an extensive background in entertainment, so we’ll see how his experience translates into gaming. Here’s how it works: players select to play against their Facebook friends or against a random opponent and are shown a photo fully obscured by a grid of squares. Both players are given four hints to help figure out what the picture is. As the picture uncovers square by square, the challenge is to identify the photo before your opponent. Users can then add their own photos and hints to change the game up. Eventually there will be private categories between friends, but for now games are scanned for relevancy in the world or country. Winners earn “brain cells” and advance to higher “brain levels” accordingly. You can only play against another user if they have challenged you back. It’s a pretty simple game, so we’ll see if that ? and the vanity aspect of getting to upload your own photos ? will be enough to make it as addictive as Litvak is hoping.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/n9MLKV3eC1E/

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Gmail app for Android returns quick-access delete button following user feedback

Confused by where that delete button went when you updated to the latest version of Android's Gmail app? You weren't the only one. The delete button has now reappeared alongside the archive option for quick access, while the update also improves settings for showing both buttons, accessed through the menu icon on the far right corner. Touching sender images will now let you choose multiple emails in a thread and Google's bundled in a handful of bug fixes too, just weeks since the last refresh.

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Source: Android (Google+), Gmail (Google Play)

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Friday, June 28, 2013

How You Can Make Web Marketing Work For You - Maynas Eric

You may get the inspiration of a great new business every now and then. When the light in your head goes off, now is the time to get that business up and running. Keep reading for some ideas that can catapult your business to the next level.

Online marketing can be problematic, but you can fix it. When you start your business, be aware of the problems you are solving. Helping people solve their issues with your product or service is how word of mouth generates business.

Study the most successful techniques that your competitors are using, then expand on them and use them with your website. If you see yourself as a potential customer for their products, then they are doing something right. You should find a way to incorporate these ideas into your strategy.

TIP! Present content about your products such as a video or article to convince your visitors to purchase from your company. When you do this, people can feel more comfortable about buying any item.

One good tip for Web marketing is to have an awareness of your competition. Make the effort to look at the websites and social networking accounts belonging to your competition. You can get a good idea of the number of visitors they are getting, and that can help you determine how you are doing.

Offer special sales on your site?s check-out page. For example, a customer may want to add just one of three specific products at half-price to show gratitude for their business. Most customers enjoy getting a bonus and this tactic also helps you get rid of slow selling items.

Do not overlook the power of direct marketing as well. Contact your customers by email, phone, or fax to tell them about services and specials. Online phone information websites or the common phone book can give you a large number of leads.

TIP! Believe it or not, everything you need for a successful internet marketing career is already at your disposal. Rather than expensive software or quick-money schemes, you simply need to use your innovative mind.

Getting listed in Google is essential in any Internet marketing strategy. This is an excellent way to increase your customer base. A good rating with Google can provide you with a real advantage for your company.

Make a video of yourself actually using the product you want to sell. This will allow potential customers to view how the product can be used before purchasing. Describe the product?s benefits and other pertinent information. YouTube or your business blog are great sites for your videos.

Be careful not to go to far in advertising spending. You don?t want to spend any money on advertising that won?t help out your business. When investing, you need to be sure that you?re going to get what need from it. That is why advertising using banners is a wise investment.

TIP! Give your customers what they want. Only having one web page that include the business hours and address really is not attractive to customers.

If you are working with a well-developed marketing plan, you will be aware of which products are the most profitable in your line. Use your best sellers to tie in with other related products and generate more sales. Advertising accessories for these popular items will likely further your sales. It is easier to sell these products because they complement a product that is already in your lineup.

Anonymity is a part of doing business online. This technique is especially important for small, owner-operated businesses that depend upon more personal sales strategies, which can lead to life-long customers.

Try and create an emotional bond between your customers and your site through marketing materials. Your reader should be prompted to daydream about using your product. You want your customer to feel like they are getting the full benefit of your product, simply by reading your advertisement.

TIP! When designing a website, focus on creating comprehensive and high-quality content. Your customers should be able to find what they are looking for quickly and easily.

Discounting prices with affiliate retailers can be a way to gain a denser customer base. This is a great way to link different types of markets, therefore increasing sales volume. An example of this would be using an online book agent. They help to negotiate prices for people to make sure they get the best rates on things like airfare, hotels and car rentals. This is a great way to work with companies that are not your direct competitors.

Having a blog can be a successful way to route visitors to your website. It?s important that you make regular postings to your blog and that the material doesn?t get stale. If you provide new, up-to-date content, people will visit your site more often.

Internet marketing can dramatically increase your chances of success. These tips should allow you to be in a position to move forward on a plan of your own, so make sure you utilize them. Your online business will be successful if you market it properly.

TIP! This internet marketing tip will help you out. Make sure that your site makes your potential customers comfortable shopping on the site.

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Source: http://www.maynaseric.com/how-you-can-make-web-marketing-work-for-you

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Winegard FlatWave Amped indoor antenna review

We have three TVs in my house, but only two of them are connected to cable boxes. ?I have the TV in my bedroom connected to a Roku 3 box (see related links for my review), so I can access the Time Warner Cable programming they make available through Roku’s TWC channel. ?Unfortunately, the TWC [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/06/26/winegard-flatwave-amped-indoor-antenna-review/

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Friend on phone with Martin at time of death: I heard him say 'Get off, get off'

Jacob Langston / Orlando Sentinel Pool via AP

Rachel Jeantel, the witness that was on the phone with Trayvon Martin just before he died, gives her testimony during George Zimmerman's trial in Seminole circuit court in Sanford, Fla., on June 26. Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder for the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

By James Novogrod, Tom Winter and Andrew Rafferty, NBC News

Editor?s note: This story contains racially charged language which may offend some readers.

A 19-year-old woman who was on the phone with Trayvon Martin moments before his death testified that she heard the start of a confrontation between the teen and another man who Martin believed was following him the night he was shot.

?I kind of heard Trayvon say, ?Get off, get off,??? Rachel Jeantel said in a Sanford, Fla., courtroom Wednesday. ?Then suddenly the phone hung up, shut off.?

Jeantel, who is considered a key witness for the prosecution, said it was the last time she ever spoke to Martin.

Taking the stand on the third day of witness testimony in George Zimmerman?s murder trial, Jeantel said Martin used a variety of racial slurs ? including both ?cracker? and ?nigga? ? to describe the man who he believed was following him.

When prosecutor Bernie De La Rionda asked why Martin would use the n-word to describe Zimmerman, Jeantel said, ?That?s slang.?

The 17-year-old Martin said he ran from the man and told Jeantel he believed he had evaded him, she testified.

But moments later, Jeantel said the man was face-to-face with Martin and she heard her friend ask: ?Why are you following me for??

She said she then heard a bump, which she believed was Martin?s cellphone headset hitting the ground before being disconnected. When Jeantel called back, there was no answer.

During cross examination, defense attorney Don West asked Jeantel about inaccurate statements she made to Martin?s family and lawyer after the shooting, including lying about being in the hospital at the time of Martin?s funeral.

On Wednesday she said she made the story up because she did not want to see the body of her dead friend, she said.

?You got to understand ? you were the last person to talk to a person and he died on the phone after you talk[ed] to him,? she told West. ?You don?t know how I felt. You think I really wanted to go see the body after I just talked to him??

Jeantel also said during her testimony that she lied about her age to the Zimmerman family attorney, saying she was only 16 in the hopes of maintaining more privacy as a minor.

Before the Miami woman took the stand, jurors listened to calls Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer,?placed to a police non-emergency line in the?months prior the shooting. In the the five calls placed over a six month period the defendant expressed concern about what he called suspicious individuals in his neighborhood.

Prosecutors pushed for the calls to be admitted as evidence, saying they point to ?Zimmerman's state of mind on the night of the shooting, after growing frustrated over crime near his home.??

Zimmerman?s defense team argued the calls are irrelevant and the only issue before the court is what happened in the moments leading up to Martin's death.

Also taking the stand on Wednesday were two of the of the defendant?s former neighbors who said they heard cries for help the night of the shooting, with one saying she thought the plea came from a boy.

Jane Surdyka, who lived in the Twin Lakes neighborhood and placed a 911 call the night of the Feb. 26, 2012 shooting, said she heard a young person cry out and that she heard multiple gunshots.

?In my opinion, I truly believe the second yell for help was like a yelp, it was [unintelligible], I really felt it was the boy?s voice.?

Surdyka's emotional emergency call was played for the court, prompting Sybrina Fulton, Martin's mother, to bury her head in her hands as the tape played.

But while Surdyka said she heard multiple ?pops? the night of the shooting, lawyers for the defense countered that Zimmerman fired only once in self-defense. And while being questioned by Zimmerman's lawyers, Surdyka said she had never heard the voice of either 17-year-old Martin or 29-year-old Zimmerman before that night. ?

"You don't know who had the higher voice, or who had the stronger, more dominant voice," West asked of the unemployed hospital worker.

West used his cross examination to question Surdyka?s conclusion that she heard a younger male yelling for help.

?So when you say you heard Trayon Martin?s voice before, you?re saying that it was your opinion that you were listening to his voice as the softer of the two in the argument?? he added.

Another neighbor, Jeannee Manalo, also testified to that she heard a cry for help and heard a gun shot on the rainy February night last year.

Manalo said she witnessed two men on the ground struggling near her home, though at the time she could not identify either of the two, originally telling investigators she could not even identify their genders.

After seeing news reports that showed the two, Manalo said, she could identify that it was Zimmerman on top of Martin as they wrestled on the ground.

?I believe it was Zimmerman, comparing the size of their body,? she told the court.

Defense attorney Mark O?Mara then asked what picture of Martin she used to judge the teenager?s size, to which Manalo pointed to the frequently published head shot of Martin wearing a hooded sweatshirt similar to the one he was wearing the night of his death.

O'Mara pointed out that the photograph of just Martin?s head would not be a good way to judge the size of Martin's body.

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges, claiming he was acting in self-defense?and that?Martin jumped on him and began slamming his head into a sidewalk.

Editor's note: George Zimmerman has sued NBC Universal for defamation. The company strongly denies the allegation.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2dd910d4/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A60C260C1915430A90Efriend0Eon0Ephone0Ewith0Emartin0Eat0Etime0Eof0Edeath0Ei0Eheard0Ehim0Esay0Eget0Eoff0Eget0Eoff0Dlite/story01.htm

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