ettamar89: 2012

Sunday, December 30, 2012

best cases for iPhone 5???

I picked up an otterbox commuter, it's not waterproof but isn't as bulky as a waterproof case would be and provides excellent drop protection. I had the pervious version for the iPhone 4S and was very happy with it, and bonus got this one on sale from Costco for $28.

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iMac (2010) 27" i7 quad 2.93Ghz 2TB HDD 256GB SDD 8GB Ram
iPhone 4S 64GB
iPad2 wi-fi 32GB

Source: http://www.ehmac.ca/showthread.php?t=102795&goto=newpost

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Twitter Fans Marvel at Stan Lee's 90th Birthday

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A homeless woman was in critical condition in a Los Angeles hospital after a man doused her with liquid accelerant and set her on fire as she slept on a bus bench, police said on Thursday. Officers arrested Dennis Petillo, 24, in connection with the early morning attack, and he has been booked in jail on suspicion of attempted murder, police said. The woman, whose name has not been released, was being treated at a local hospital with burns all over her body, said Los Angeles police Lieutenant Damian Gutierrez. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/twitter-fans-marvel-stan-lees-90th-birthday-171316195.html

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

China clamps down on Internet restrictions

The Chinese government issued new rules Friday handing Internet companies a greater role in Internet censorship in a country where the Internet offers a rare opportunity for debate.

By Staff,?Reuters / December 28, 2012

China unveiled tighter Internet controls on Friday, legalizing the deletion of posts or pages that are deemed to contain "illegal" information and requiring service providers to hand over such information to the authorities for punishment.

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The rules signal that the new leadership headed by Communist Party chief?Xi Jinping?will continue muzzling the often scathing, raucous online chatter in a country where the Internet offers a rare opportunity for debate.

The new regulations, announced by the official Xinhua news agency, also require Internet users to register with their real names when signing up with network providers, though, in reality, this already happens.

Chinese authorities and Internet companies such as Sina Corp have long since closely monitored and censored what people say online, but the government has now put measures such as deleting posts into law.

"Service providers are required to instantly stop the transmission of illegal information once it is spotted and take relevant measures, including removing the information and saving records, before reporting to supervisory authorities," the rules state.

The restrictions follow a series of corruption scandals amongst lower-level officials exposed by Internet users, something the government has said it is trying to encourage.

Li Fei, deputy head of parliament's legislative affairs committee, said the new rules did not mean people needed to worry about being unable to report corruption online. But he added a warning too.

"When people exercise their rights, including the right to use the Internet, they must do so in accordance with the law and constitution, and not harm the legal rights of the state, society ... or other citizens," he told a news conference.

Chinese Internet users already cope with extensive censorship measures, especially over politically sensitive topics like human rights and elite politics, and popular foreign sites Facebook,?Twitter?and Google-owned?YouTube?are blocked.

Earlier this year, the government began forcing users of Sina's wildly successful?Weibo microblogging platform?to register their real names.

The new rules were quickly condemned by some?Weibo?users.

"So now they are getting?Weibo?to help in keeping records and reporting it to authorities. Is this the freedom of expression we are promised in the constitution?" complained one user.

"We should resolutely oppose such a covert means to interfere with Internet freedom," wrote another.

The government says tighter monitoring of the Internet is needed to prevent people making malicious and anonymous accusations online, disseminating pornography and spreading panic with unfounded rumours, pointing out that many other countries already have such rules.

Despite periodic calls for political reform, the party has shown no sign of loosening its grip on power and brooks no dissent to its authority.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/AQB15NjVZDw/China-clamps-down-on-Internet-restrictions

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Top 10 Sports Tweets 2012: The NOC Presents The Year's Best Athlete Tweets Set To Song (VIDEO)

Retrospectives and "best of" lists are inescapable this time of year, so why not enjoy the countdowns with some music?

The NOC -- the people who brought you Dwight Howard's "Save the Centers" PSA and this epic "Some Nights" World Series parody -- presents the ultimate list of athletes on Twitter, compiling the Top 10 Sports Tweets of 2012 and setting the messages to an original tune.

Sung by New York singer/songwriter Michelle Ferreira, the list highlights such insightful jock philosophers as LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kris Humphries. The featured tweets include:

Daniel Gibson Sr.

Never trust a man that's wearing jean shorts. .

Logan Morrison

I really need to nail this next text message. Is "butt- hole" one word or two?

Kris Humphries

My cab driver told me Romney won. Can I trust this?

Some athletes tend to do themselves more harm than good on Twitter, while others use the platform to perform wonderful, selfless deeds.

Here's to hoping 2013 brings just as much generosity as gaffes in 140 characters or less.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/28/top-sports-tweets-2012-the-noc_n_2378016.html

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Friday, December 28, 2012

Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office West Bank crime report, Dec. 26 ...

This information reflects initial calls for service reported by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office for the west bank of Jefferson Parish. Locations are approximate due to automated location methods and address inconsistencies, the Sheriff's Office says. Burglar alarm calls are excluded.

6300 block of Acre Road - Dec. 26, 12:30 p.m., suspicious person.
Acre Road and Ames Boulevard - Dec. 26, 12:40 a.m., suspicious person.
2200 block of Alex Kornman Boulevard - Dec. 26, 3:04 p.m., battery.
1300 block of Allo Avenue - Dec. 26, 8:04 p.m., theft.
5400 block of Alpaca Drive - Dec. 26, 9:23 p.m., suspicious person.
Ames Boulevard and Barataria Boulevard - Dec. 26, 9:24 a.m., suspicious person.
5900 block of Anderson Place - Dec. 26, 8:47 p.m., suspicious person.
Barataria Boulevard and Hillcrest Drive - Dec. 26, 9:36 p.m., suspicious person.
700 block of Behrman Highway - Dec. 26, 11:59 p.m., battery.
2800 block of Belle Chasse Highway - Dec. 26, 10:49 a.m., theft.
Belle Chasse Highway and Wall Boulevard - Dec. 26, 2:21 a.m., suspicious person.
800 block of Blk Behrman Highway - Dec. 26, 2:50 a.m., battery.
1000 block of Blk Manhattan Boulevard - Dec. 26, 9:32 p.m., suspicious person.
3900 block of Briant Drive - Dec. 26, 8:39 p.m., vehicle burglary.
2100 block of Browning Lane - Dec. 26, 12:35 a.m., criminal damage.
700 block of Carrollwood Village Drive - Dec. 26, 5:42 p.m., vehicle wreck.
Dandelion Drive and Jasmine Lane - Dec. 26, 11:47 p.m., suspicious person.
2900 block of Destrehan Avenue - Dec. 26, 2:34 a.m., battery.
Destrehan Avenue and Westbank Exp - Dec. 26, 7:03 a.m., vehicle wreck.
1400 block of Dogwood Drive - Dec. 26, 5:57 p.m., suspicious person.
5100 block of Dueling Oaks Avenue - Dec. 26, 7:43 a.m., vehicle burglary.
700 block of Fairfield Avenue - Dec. 26, 4:21 p.m., suspicious person.
Farmington Place and Daniels Road - Dec. 26, 7:23 a.m., suspicious person.
1600 block of Gary Court - Dec. 26, 4:48 p.m., disturbing the peace.
5100 block of George Street - Dec. 26, 6:01 a.m., criminal damage.
100 block of Hamilton Road - Dec. 26, 11:21 a.m., battery.
1800 block of Hector Avenue - Dec. 26, 6:06 a.m., disturbing the peace.
1500 block of Kenneth Street - Dec. 26, 10:58 p.m., battery.
1100 block of King Drive - Dec. 26, 6:59 p.m., residence burglary.
3600 block of Lapalco Boulevard - Dec. 26, 1:42 p.m., suspicious person.
4800 block of Lapalco Boulevard - Dec. 26, 12:29 p.m., theft.
6200 block of Lapalco Boulevard - Dec. 26, 3:57 p.m., suspicious person.
2500 block of Long Branch Drive - Dec. 26, 6:02 a.m., vehicle burglary.
1100 block of Mac Arthur Avenue - Dec. 26, 2:11 p.m., burglary.
1100 block of Mac Arthur Avenue - Dec. 26, 3:35 p.m., theft.
1100 block of Mac Arthur Avenue - Dec. 26, 3:35 p.m., theft.
1100 block of Manhattan Boulevard - Dec. 26, 1:55 p.m., assault.
1700 block of Manhattan Boulevard - Dec. 26, 12:12 p.m., theft.
500 block of Manhattan Boulevard - Dec. 26, 9:13 p.m., burglary.
900 block of Manhattan Boulevard - Dec. 26, 10:32 a.m., suspicious person.
900 block of Manhattan Boulevard - Dec. 26, 3:29 p.m., vehicle wreck.
Maple Avenue and 8th Street - Dec. 26, 3:35 p.m., suspicious person.
400 block of Meyers Boulevard - Dec. 26, 11:03 p.m., suspicious person.
Mt Kennedy Drive and Ames Boulevard - Dec. 26, 9:24 a.m., battery.
5000 block of Oak Bayou Avenue - Dec. 26, 8:44 a.m., vehicle burglary.
2200 block of Peters Road - Dec. 26, 8:38 a.m., auto theft.
2200 block of Peters Road - Dec. 26, 9:11 a.m., auto theft.
2200 block of Peters Road - Dec. 26, 9:11 a.m., auto theft.
40 Primrose Lane - Dec. 26, 2:56 p.m., residence burglary.
1400 block of Redwood Drive - Dec. 26, 2:39 p.m., vehicle wreck.
River Road and Acadia Drive - Dec. 26, 8:18 p.m., suspicious person.
River Road and Live Oak Manor Drive - Dec. 26, 8:31 p.m., suspicious person.
400 block of Robinson Avenue - Dec. 26, 10:34 p.m., disturbing the peace.
500 block of Robinson Avenue - Dec. 26, 9:22 p.m., disturbing the peace.
Sandalwood Drive and Ute Drive - Dec. 26, 4:10 p.m., suspicious person.
Stumpf Boulevard and Whitney Avenue - Dec. 26, 10:28 p.m., vehicle wreck.
1100 block of Tensas Drive - Dec. 26, 1:05 a.m., disturbing the peace.
100 block of Terry Parkway - Dec. 26, 12:33 p.m., suspicious person.
100 block of Terry Parkway - Dec. 26, 1:01 p.m., suspicious person.
500 block of Terry Parkway - Dec. 26, 6:47 a.m., suspicious person.
700 block of Terry Parkway - Dec. 26, 1:18 p.m., theft.
Terry Parkway and Wright Avenue - Dec. 26, 3:05 a.m., vehicle wreck.
100 block of South Tish Drive - Dec. 26, 9:39 a.m., criminal damage.
5100 block of Towering Oaks Avenue - Dec. 26, 8:09 a.m., vehicle burglary.
5100 block of Towering Oaks Avenue - Dec. 26, 8:51 a.m., vehicle burglary.
2900 block of U South 90 Highway - Dec. 26, 7:36 p.m., vehicle burglary.
2300 block of Victoria Avenue - Dec. 26, 5:39 p.m., residence burglary.
100 block of Westbank Exp - Dec. 26, 12:15 a.m., vehicle wreck.
3700 block of Westbank Exp - Dec. 26, 11:41 p.m., battery.
4800 block of Westbank Exp - Dec. 26, 12:18 p.m., theft.
4800 block of Westbank Exp - Dec. 26, 12:44 p.m., theft.
5200 block of Westbank Exp - Dec. 26, 4:03 p.m., drug law violation.
Westbank Exp and Manhattan Boulevard - Dec. 26, 5:58 p.m., disturbing the peace.
900 block of Westwood Drive - Dec. 26, 6:03 p.m., disturbing the peace.
200 block of Whitney Avenue - Dec. 26, 6:54 p.m., disturbing the peace.
Woodmere Boulevard and Birchfield Drive - Dec. 26, 12:03 a.m., disturbing the peace.
Woodmere Boulevard and Lapalco Boulevard - Dec. 26, 7:04 p.m., suspicious person.

Source: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/12/jefferson_parish_sheriffs_offi_1231.html

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Green steel inventor wins innovation award | Eco News ...

Leading Australian researcher Professor Veena Sahajwalla has won the $30,000 top prize in the Innovation Challenge awards run by The Australian newspaper.

A passionate recycler, she was honoured for her patented ?green steel? process, in which old rubber tyres and plastic are used to replace some of the coke in the electric arc furnaces that generate power for the production of steel.

The revolutionary approach has been commercialised locally and overseas by Australia?s largest manufacturer of long steel products, OneSteel.

As a result it has already prevented more than a million tyres from ending up in landfill and helped reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Scientia Professor Sahajwalla is director of the University of New South Wales Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology.

Her interest in mining the mountains of rubbish and waste materials produced by modern society and re-using them in industrial processes or to create new goods was sparked early in life.

?As a child growing up in India I walked to school past huge waste dumps picked over by desperately poor communities,? she said.

?I always wanted to turn that waste into something we could absorb back into industrial production.?

The Australian, a News Limited publication, reported that the innovation competition attracted hundreds of entries, including a folding flat-pack house; a DNA test that would help breed horns out of beef cattle; a wave energy converter; a computer program that allows students to conduct laboratory experiments on the internet; and do-it-yourself hearing aids.

Professor Sahajwalla won the $5000 prize in the Manufacturing and Hi-tech Design category of the competition as well as the overall $25,000 prize.

She is Associate Dean Strategic Industry Relations of the UNSW Faculty of Science and is one of Australia?s best-known engineers and scientists, having been a judge on the ABC TV program The New Inventors.

She has received many awards including the 2011 National Nokia Business Innovation Award at the Telstra Business Women?s Awards and the Banksia Environmental Foundation?s 2012 GE Eco Innovation Award for Individual Excellence.

In May she was appointed as a commissioner on the Australian government?s Climate Commission.

Source: http://econews.com.au/news-to-sustain-our-world/green-steel-inventor-wins-innovation-award/

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Source: http://lawrenceaubrey275.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/green-steel-inventor-wins-innovation-award-eco-news.html

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Lawmakers set up 11th-hour bid on "fiscal cliff"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers on Thursday gave themselves a last chance to prevent the United States from plunging off a "fiscal cliff" by setting up a late session in Congress a day before taxes are due to rise for most working Americans.

Republican leaders in the House of Representatives told their members to be back in Washington from the Christmas holiday break on Sunday in case they need to vote on budget measures.

That leaves the door open to a last-minute solution to avert big tax hikes due to kick in on January 1 and deep, automatic government spending cuts set to begin on January 2 - together worth $600 billion - that could push the United States back into recession.

But the two political parties remained far apart, particularly over plans to increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans to help close the U.S. budget deficit.

The coming days are likely to see either intense bargaining over numbers, or political theater as each side attempts to avoid blame if a deal looks unlikely. Talks could go down to the wire on New Year's Eve.

"Hopefully, there is still time for an agreement of some kind that saves the taxpayers from a wholly, wholly preventable economic crisis," Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Democratic-controlled Senate, said on the Senate floor.

McConnell said he was willing to look at any plan by President Barack Obama to avoid the fiscal cliff and a Senate aide said congressional leaders could hold talks with the president on Friday.

The rhetoric was still harsh on Thursday after months of wrangling - much of it along ideological lines - over whether to raise taxes and by how much, as well as how to cut back on government spending.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the top Democrat in Congress, accused Republican House Speaker John Boehner of running a "dictatorship" by refusing to allow bills he did not like onto the floor of the chamber.

"It's being operated with a dictatorship of the speaker, not allowing a vast majority of the House of Representatives to get what they want," Reid told the Senate.

Reid urged the Republicans who control the House to prevent the worst of the fiscal shock by getting behind a Senate bill to extend existing tax cuts for all except those households earning more than $250,000 a year.

MARKETS EASE

U.S. stocks sharply cut losses after news of the House reconvening as investors clung to hopes of an 11th-hour deal. Even a partial agreement on taxes that would leave tougher issues like entitlement reform and the debt ceiling until later could be enough to keep markets calm.

"I'm not convinced it will result in a deal, but you could get enough concessions by both parties to at least avoid the immediacy of going over the cliff," said Randy Bateman, chief investment officer of Huntington Asset Management, in Columbus, Ohio.

Obama arrived back at the White House on Thursday from a brief vacation in Hawaii that he cut short to restart stalled negotiations with Congress.

He is likely to meet the toughest resistance from Republicans in the House, where a group of several dozen fiscal conservatives oppose any tax hikes at all.

Strictly speaking, the fiscal cliff measures begin on January 1 when tax rates go up but the House might stay in session until the following day if an agreement is being worked out.

"This January 1 deadline is a little artificial. We can do everything retroactively. We have to get it right, not get it quickly," said Republican Representative Andy Harris.

Another component of the "fiscal cliff" - $109 billion in automatic spending cuts to military and domestic programs - is set to kick in on January 2.

The House and Senate passed bills months ago reflecting their own sharply divergent positions on the expiring low tax rates, which went into effect during the administration of former Republican President George W. Bush.

Democrats want to allow the tax cuts to expire on the wealthiest Americans and leave them in place for everyone else. Republicans want to extend the tax cuts for everyone.

In another sign that Americans are increasingly worrying about their finances as Washington fails to address the budget crisis, consumer confidence fell to a four-month low in December. The fiscal wrangling in Congress sapped what had been a growing sense of optimism about the economy, a report released on Thursday showed.

Americans blame Republicans in Congress more than congressional Democrats or Obama for the fiscal crisis, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.

When asked who they held more responsible for the "fiscal cliff" situation, 27 percent blamed Republicans in Congress, 16 percent blamed Obama and 6 percent pointed to Democrats in Congress. The largest percentage - 31 percent - blamed "all of the above."

(Additional reporting by Fred Barbash in Washington and David Gaffen in New York; writing by Alistair Bell; editing by Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-heads-back-washington-cliff-deadline-nears-142954670--business.html

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Syrian conflict threatens to fracture Iraq

Semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan and the central Iraqi government are on a collision course as the Kurds increasingly side with the Syrian opposition and Baghdad stands by the Assad regime.?

By Mohammed A. Salih,?Correspondent / December 27, 2012

A Kurdish Peshmerga soldier holds a Kurdistan flag in August during a deployment in the area near the northern Iraqi border with Syria, which lies in an area disputed by Baghdad and the Kurdish region of Ninawa province.

Azad Lashkari/Reuters/File

Enlarge

In September, as the Iraqi government reached one of its?lowest points in?relations with Turkey in years, Ankara welcomed Iraqi Kurdistan's President Massoud Barzani as a guest of honor at a convention hosted by the ruling Justice and Development Party.?

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The semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq and the federal government in Baghdad have not seen eye to eye for years, and the gap between the two is now widening, particularly when it comes to foreign policy. That's been put in stark relief by the ongoing civil war in Syria, which has shifted the fortunes of Iraq's Kurds.?

A decade ago, Iraq was a Sunni Arab-dominated dictatorship that shared many problems with the Sunni Turks to the north. Both countries had restive ethnic-Kurdish separatist movements and uneasy relations with their Shiite and Persian neighbor, Iran.

Today, Iraq has a Shiite-dominated government that is close to Tehran, which is supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria's civil war. Turkey, still eager to prevent Kurdish separatist sentiments within its borders, now sees the Iraqi Kurds as a potential ally in opposition to the interests of Iran, Baghdad and Damascus.

The emerging sectarian alliances have prompted Baghdad and the KRG to throw themselves into opposing camps in the Syrian war, creating conflicting interests in the supposedly unified country.?

As regional and Western diplomats point fingers at Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for aiding embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ? a charge which Baghdad vehemently denies ? Iraqi Kurds are increasingly involved with the opposition, lured by the possibility that in a post-Assad Syria, Kurds there might achieve some degree of autonomy. That?would allow the KRG to expand its foothold.

The KRG has hosted leaders of the Syrian opposition in its regional capital, Erbil, much to Baghdad's dismay. It has also lent support to Kurds in northeastern Syria ??Barzani publicly admitted in July that his government is providing them with military training.?And now some of the Kurdish factions there are holding talks with the mostly Arab Syrian opposition to decide whether and how to join them in the fight against President Bashar al-Assad, even though the relationship between the two camps has been strained by several bouts of fighting.

"The Syria crisis is forcing everyone around Syria to choose sides," says Joost Hiltermann, who follows Iraq for the International Crisis Group (ICG). "Maliki is worried about the emergence of a post-Assad Sunni Islamist order in Syria... he finds that he has to support Assad by default. This puts him de facto in the Iranian camp and in conflict with Turkey."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/LwQy-OBAXGY/Syrian-conflict-threatens-to-fracture-Iraq

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5 Tips for Choosing an Online Marketing Specialist | Virtual Assistant ...

Online Marketing Specialist Online Marketing is one of the most effective ways to generate new customers and profits for your local business. This is primarily due to the fact that most consumers go online to search for local products, services, and businesses that can provide what they?re looking for.

However, business owners are busy actually ?running their businesses?? so they have very little time to implement online marketing strategies all on their own. First, they would have to spend a great deal of time learning the ins and outs of each method. Then, they would have to thoroughly implement, test, track, and refine those methods on an ongoing basis if they want to get the best results.

As you can imagine, this would be a huge, daunting task for any business owner to take on. However, it does not mean that internet marketing should be ignored or avoided ? that would be a huge mistake.

Instead, business owners must find the appropriate resources and help to get the job done. But many of them prolong the process because they still haven?t found an Online Marketing Specialist that they know, like, and trust with their marketing efforts.

Here are 5 tips to help you choose an Online Marketing Specialist:

1. Set-up an appointment with them to get to know them. You probably receive tons of phone calls, emails, and direct mail pieces from online marketing specialists all over the world.? If you?re struggling to move forward with your online marketing initiatives simply because you?re stuck on choosing a consultant, go ahead and break the ice.

Once you start a dialogue with someone, you can truly get a feel for whether or not that person is right for you.? Have a list of questions that are important to you and pay close attention to their answers. Within just a few minutes of speaking with someone, you should be able to figure out whether or not they really have your business?s best interest at hand.

2. Make sure they understand ?local? online marketing. There are some online marketing consultants who will try to sell you tools and systems that do not help at all when it comes to getting more ?local? online exposure.? So be sure to ask them if they specialize in ?local? marketing.

3. Make sure they fully analyze your particular situation and can provide recommendations. Beware of marketing consultants who jump the gun and try to sell you something right off the bat. A professional consultant will ask you some detailed questions about your business so they can provide the most effective, targeted solutions that will help you get more local online visibility.

4. Make sure they can help you with various areas of online marketing ? not just one. Some marketing consultants are focused on selling shiny objects; but in order to really make the internet work for you, there are several things you must do. For instance, a beautiful website is nothing if you?re not getting any traffic to that website. Likewise, a bunch of traffic is nothing if you don?t have effective conversion tools on your website that will turn visitors into customers.

5. Ask about pricing so you know what to expect. Just keep in mind that ?cheaper price? could end up meaning ?lack of service? ? you get what you pay for most of the time. On the other hand, don?t assume that just because someone is charging premium prices that they will provide premium services.

As you can see, there are several factors to consider before choosing an Online Marketing specialist. But don?t let your own fears stop you from moving forward; instead, choose someone to help you so you can finally get in front of local consumers online.

Internet Marketing Service: How To Choose the Right One for Your Local Business
Should Your Local Business Have An Online Presence?
5 Social Media Marketing Tips for Your Business
Reverse SEO: Restoring Online Reputations
16 Ecommerce SEO Tips to Keep Your Website Ahead in Rankings and Traffic

Source: http://lsvirtualassistant.com/5-tips-for-choosing-an-online-marketing-specialist/

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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Denver rolls, keeps top spot in AP Pro32 rankings

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Denver Broncos strengthened their grip on the top spot in the AP Pro32 NFL power rankings after extending their winning streak to 10 games.

The AFC West champion Broncos (12-3) received nine first-place votes and 381 points in balloting Wednesday by The Associated Press' panel of 12 media members who regularly cover the league.

The NFC South champion Atlanta Falcons (13-2) moved up two places to second with one first-place vote and 363 points. Last week, the Broncos were first by three points over San Francisco, which dropped to sixth after its loss to Seattle.

The Seahawks are fifth and the 49ers sixth. Each received a first-place vote. Green Bay is third and New England fourth in the second-to-last rankings.

Kansas City is 32nd and last.

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/denver-rolls-keeps-top-spot-ap-pro32-rankings-213450322--nfl.html

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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Find More Details on Licensed Corporate Law Firms ? Law ? Patents

There are many companies that offer variety of services that comprises international trademark registration, trademark classification, intellectual property laws, trademarks protection, new company registrations, intellectual property laws, paralegal trademark, patent drafting services, logo registration, international patent registration and lots more. In these corporate law firms a large team of attorneys and lawyers offers services with complete paper work. Law firms also help business when legal issues arise from employees or customers.

When people plan to shift to a new location, either as permanent or temporary worker, they need to follow some rules and laws that have been proposed by the government. So, it is best for them to consult with attorneys working in immigration law firm who will guide them the right direction to make their application procedure suitable to get their desired visa. The reason behind hiring an immigration attorney is that they are highly trained in the complexities that can arise while applying for a visa.

Criminal lawyers are the ones who specialize in dealing with cases involving individuals or organizations with criminal allegations to their name. Criminal defense lawyers are always ready to help their clients in case they are charged with any sort of criminal offence. Since they are experts in their field of knowledge, they are able to provide high quality service to clients who need them. The lawyers suggested by these criminal law firms are well equipped to handle criminal defense cases and give better results than the general lawyer.

If an individual needs legal help in dealing with family matters, they should look for a good family lawyer. Lawyers for family issues handle an array of cases which deal with domestic issues. Divorce can be a complex legal issue, especially if there are children, assets and debts to seek proper division. Adolescents often have legal issues that require professional guidance. An attorney can help with all such complicated matters. When an individual needs an attorney, they should take a look at the variety of legal specialties in order to select the right one.

When a couple decides to get a divorce, each partner suffers a monetary set back. Divorce procedures are often long drawn out and expensive. To reduce costs, it is beneficial for couples seeking a divorce to know about firms and organizations that offer legal support for free. These organizations often raise funds from charities, private donors and the government. Many certified divorce lawyers charge minimal fees when representing people belonging to middle income and low income groups.

Most people often find that at one point in their lives, they need to hire a lawyer. Lawyers are present to help the people deal with legal issues from the beginning to the end of the struggle. There are multiple situations that can arise, calling the attention of the lawyers. So, there must be lawyers that specialize in different areas. One might be filing for bankruptcy for many different reasons. Bankruptcy lawyers work with the personal problems of their clients. These lawyers deal with families who have lost their jobs and spent nearly all their savings in order to maintain they homes.

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Source: http://rawbusinesslaw.com/2012/12/26/find-more-details-on-licensed-corporate-law-firms-law-patents-5/

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The hottest real estate market for investors

In true Monday morning quarterback fashion the national media is recognizing what those of us in the real estate trenches have been saying since 2009: Houston is probably the hottest real estate market for real estate investors at the moment. And it is projected to retain that status for the foreseeable future in 2013. If you are skeptical of that strong statement, tell me, where else can you get the following combination of investing conditions: A rock solid local economy 1 percentage point away from full employment (5.8%), high rental demand, minimal vacancy rates and rising rental prices, price to rent ratios on new (or less than 6 yrs old) properties under 8 and a steady and reliable local real estate market in full bloom? Not to mention that Texas is one of the most landlord friendly states with no state income tax that?s responsible for more job creation nationwide than most other states combined. There are other locations that do offer some of the benefits I just mentioned to investors but none that offer them all, like Texas.

Lately, I?m getting calls from investors who seem eager to engage in some ?amnesia investing? ? that?s when an investor forgets what just happened in that market just a few years ago and wants to risk his money in a location where history is sure to repeat itself. Examples? There are the usual suspects: Florida, Vegas, California and the like. Because prices there are off a gazillion percent from the utterly ridiculous highs of 2006. Here?s a piece of advice for you: Don?t fall for it. The price to rent ratios are still out of whack in every single one of those locations. In those markets, the fundamentals haven?t changed one bit and what?s puffing them up now is exactly the same culprit that did it last time. It?s merely the investors? expectation that prices are due to rise without any real economic underpinnings. Before you invest your hard earned capital in one of those markets ask yourself this: If the property you are buying would be worth exactly the same 10 years from now, would you still buy it? The answer is no and the only thing that makes that investment remotely plausible is the speculation of rising property values. Hoping to catch the wave on the way up is not a good investment strategy and there are droves of investors that discovered why just a few short years ago. What is a good strategy? Invest in a market where solid economics drives demand and returns aren?t dependent on price appreciation to get your goals accomplished. Invest in the real estate market that?s one of the hottest in the country for the right reasons.

Source: http://signaturehouston.com/investing/the-hottest-real-estate-market-for-investors/

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Who Was the Most Charitable Celeb of 2012?

Taylor Swift's new album Red -- and her love affairs -- garnered lots of headlines this year, but behind the scenes, she gave so much of her time and money to charity that she's been named the number one "Celeb Gone Good" by DoSomething.org, an organization that connects teens with social change and that highlights charitable celebrity role models throughout the year.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/taylor-swift-named-most-charitable-celeb-2012/1-a-510928?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Ataylor-swift-named-most-charitable-celeb-2012-510928

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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Scorsese, HBO to make Bill Clinton film

Larry Downing / Reuters file

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY

Famed director Martin Scorsese has teamed up with HBO to produce a documentary on former president Bill Clinton, the premium cable network announced Monday.

"President Clinton is one of the most compelling figures of our time, whose world view and perspective, combined with his uncommon intelligence, make him a singular voice on the world stage," HBO executives said in a statement.

The film will have the former president's cooperation. "I am pleased that legendary director Martin Scorsese and HBO have agreed to do this film,? Clinton said. ?I look forward to sharing my perspective on my years as President, and my work in the years since, with HBO's audience.?

Since leaving office,?Clinton has worked with his own?William J. Clinton Foundation,?which promotes and addresses international causes.

Scorsese has received numerous awards for his filmmaking, including an AFI Life Achievement Award in 1997, and a 2006 best director Oscar for "The Departed."

His previous work for HBO includes "Boardwalk Empire," for which he directed the series pilot and serves as executive producer; a 2011 documentary on Beatle George Harrison; and a 2010 documentary on Fran Lebowitz.

No release date or title have yet been given for the Clinton documentary.

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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

wilsonrainn: Roanoke Museum Debuts Virginia Aviation Gallery ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Leisure Group Travel. Solutions for Group Travel Buyers ... Aviation Technology and Principles of Flight ? Learn how mechanical devices are able to fly, identify parts of an airplane and see airplane engines up close. How Wings Work ? The ...

Source: http://leisuregrouptravel.com/roanoke-museum-debuts-virginia-aviation-gallery/

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Source: http://wilsonrainn.blogspot.com/2012/12/roanoke-museum-debuts-virginia-aviation.html

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Bangladesh probe: Fire sabotage, owner negligent

FILE - In this Nov. 24, 2012 file photo, Bangladeshi firefighters battle a fire at a garment factory in the Savar neighborhood in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A Bangladesh government committee investigating the garment factory fire that killed 112 people last month said in its findings Monday, Dec. 17, 20112 that the blaze was sabotage, probably by someone who worked there. But the panel said that no matter who set the fire, the owner of the factory also should be punished for the deaths because he neglected worker safety. (AP Photo/Hasan Raza, File)

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) ? A Bangladesh government committee investigating the garment factory fire that killed 112 people last month said in its findings Monday that the blaze was sabotage, probably by someone who worked there.

But the panel said that no matter who set the fire, the owner of the factory also should be punished for the deaths because he neglected worker safety.

"If someone is responsible for such a huge number of deaths, that's him. He has failed to ensure safety," committee head Mainuddin Khandaker said of factory owner Delwar Hossain.

Some government and garment industry officials had alleged soon after the Nov. 24 fire that it was an act of sabotage, though a fire official said casualties would have been greatly reduced if the factory had followed safety rules.

The factory lacked emergency exits and Hossain has said only three floors of the eight-story building were legally built. Surviving employees said gates had been locked and managers had told them to go back to work after the fire alarm went off.

The four-member committee submitted its report to the government Monday. At least two other investigations are continuing.

Khandaker, an official with the Ministry of Home Affairs, told The Associated Press that committee members believe some people who worked at the factory were involved in the sabotage.

"Otherwise, how come they locked the gates? How come they asked the workers to go back to work even after the fire alarm?" he said.

Three factory officials suspected of locking workers inside the building were arrested days after the fire and remain in custody.

Khandaker said the panel recommended further investigation through a "powerful intelligence agency" to unearth the insiders.

No matter who is responsible for setting the fire, Khandaker said, "We can't spare the owner of the factory. He is responsible for his failure to ensure safety. I have recommended specifically to bring the owner under the purview of law."

Hossain "tried to defend himself" under questioning from the committee, Khandaker said. "But I can tell you clearly that he had serious negligence as he has failed to follow existing building code and safety rules."

A phone call seeking comment from Hossain rang unanswered Monday night.

The committee recommended that the government form a "powerful task force" to ensure safety at garment factories across the country. The garment industry accounts for about 80 percent of Bangladesh's exports, and workers' rights groups say existing regulations have gone unenforced because officials fear the industry's power.

The Tazreen Fashions Ltd. factory made clothing for several major U.S. retailers, including Wal-Mart, which had received a 2011 audit warning about the factory's conditions. Wal-Mart and other companies said suppliers had used the Tazreen factory without their knowledge.

Retailers, fashion labels, labor groups and local officials meeting in 2011 in Dhaka, the capital, had discussed an agreement to improve fire safety at Bangladesh's roughly 4,000 garment factories. The proposal went nowhere after a Wal-Mart representative said it was "not financially feasible," according to meeting minutes and witnesses.

Khandaker said the government would now examine his committee's report and take further steps in line with their recommendations.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-17-Bangladesh-Factory%20Fire/id-3f757fe067f74a78a8be8ca4e6629593

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Australian Woman Elegible For Worker's Benefits Compensation After Sex Mishap On Business Trip

CANBERRA, Australia -- An Australian court has ruled that a bureaucrat who was injured while having sex on a business trip is eligible for worker's compensation benefits.

The Full Bench of the Federal Court ruled Dec. 13 in favor of the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, and rejecting the appeal of the federal government's insurer.

The woman was hospitalized after being injured in 2007 during sex with a male friend while staying in a motel in the town of Nowra, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of her hometown of Sydney.

During the sex, a glass light fitting was torn from its mount above the bed and landed on her face, injuring her nose and mouth. She later suffered depression and was unable to continue working for the government.

Her claim for worker's compensation for her physical and psychological injuries was initially approved by government insurer Comcare, then rejected after further investigation.

An administrative tribunal agreed with Comcare that her injuries were not suffered in the course of her employment, saying the government had not induced or encouraged the woman's sexual conduct. The tribunal also found the sex was "not an ordinary incident of an overnight stay" such as showering, sleeping and eating.

That ruling was overturned in the Federal Court in 2012, when Judge John Nicholas rejected the tribunal's findings that the sex had to be condoned by the government if she were to qualify for compensation.

"If the applicant had been injured while playing a game of cards in her motel room, she would be entitled to compensation even though it could not be said that her employer induced her to engage in such activity," Nicholas wrote in his judgment in favor of the woman receiving compensation.

In the Full Bench decision upholding Nicholas' decision, Judges Patrick Keane, Robert Buchanan and Mordy Bromberg agreed last week that the government's views on the woman having sex in her motel room were irrelevant.

"No approval, express or implied, of the respondent's conduct was required," they said.

It is not yet clear how much compensation the woman will receive. She was in her 30s at the time of the accident.

Comcare was on Monday considering an appeal to the High Court, Australia's highest legal authority, Comcare spokesman Russ Street said.

"The issue is a significant one," Street said in a statement. "Workers need to be clear about their entitlements and employers should have an understanding of their responsibilities and how to support their staff."

Also on HuffPost:

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/australian-woman-elegible_n_2314471.html

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VideoGenie Launches Self-Serve Option For Brands To Build Ads From Fan Videos

Over the last few years, VideoGenie has changed the way brands do advertising by allowing their fans to become a product's biggest advocates. With a platform for capturing and distributing user-submitted videos, VideoGenie allows brands to let fans promote products for them. It's been used by some of the largest brand advertisers out there, but now it wants to open up to allow practically anyone to build these types of campaigns.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/d8fU6U80RtQ/

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Monday, December 17, 2012

Cowboys top Steelers in overtime 27-24

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) ? Brandon Carr found a way to silence thousands of Terrible Towel-waving Pittsburgh fans at Cowboys Stadium and send the Dallas crowd home happy.

The Cowboys cornerback intercepted a Ben Roethlisberger pass in overtime, returned it 36 yards to the 1, and Dan Bailey kicked a 21-yard field goal for a 27-24 win over the Steelers on Sunday.

Bailey's kick ? 1:24 into OT ? won a game for the second straight week since Dallas practice squad linebacker Jerry Brown was killed in a one-car accident that led to manslaughter charges against teammate Josh Brent.

The win pulled the Cowboys (8-6) into a three-way tie for first place in the NFC East with the Giants and Redskins with two games left in the season. Dallas has won five of its last six.

"Those are the plays you dream about in the backyard, making the game-winning interception or touchdown," Carr said.

Carr, who said he was anticipating Roethlisberger's throw to Mike Wallace because Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley was his coach in Kansas City, made a diving catch and jumped up along the Pittsburgh sideline. Legions of black-and-gold clad fans on that side of the stadium watched as Carr ran it back and was stopped inches short of the goal line.

The winning kick came after Tony Romo, who broke the 25,000-yard passing milestone earlier in the game, took a knee to put Bailey in better position.

Bailey beat Cincinnati 20-19 last week with a 40-yarder as time expired, just a day after the accident that killed Brown.

The Steelers (7-7) lost for the fourth time in five games and trail AFC North rival Cincinnati by a game for the second wild card spot. They host the Bengals next week. Roethlisberger is 0-2 since returning from a three-game absence with shoulder and rib injuries.

"There won't be any quit from us, especially from me," Roethlisberger said. "This one is going to sting real bad. It will hopefully make me and make us better."

The defining play came from a Dallas defense playing without six injured starters, the latest being Carr's playing partner on the other side, first-round pick Morris Claiborne. The rookie was sidelined after sustaining a concussion against the Bengals.

"I really can't explain it. It's something destined about this team," defensive end Jason Hatcher said. "You look back there and you don't know nobody back there behind you."

The score was tied 24-all in the final two minutes of regulation. Pittsburgh quickly moved to its 46 after a completion by Roethlisberger and a roughing-the-passer penalty against DeMarcus Ware.

But Sean Lissemore and Anthony Spencer sacked Roethlisberger on consecutive plays to give the Cowboys the ball back.

"Everyone has seen Ben do that in the fourth quarter multiple times," Dallas defensive end Marcus Spears said. "We knew we had to go back there and affect him in the pocket and at least try to get in his way. Fortunately, those turned into some sacks for us."

Dallas, playing with Brent watching from the sideline and Brown's No. 53 jersey draped on their bench and his number on a helmet decal, couldn't do anything in the final minute.

The drive stalled at the Steelers 43, and Bailey lined up for a 61-yard field goal attempt with 32 seconds left. But the Cowboys called timeout and punted instead. Roethlisberger took a knee, sending the game to overtime.

Roethlisberger was sacked four times and finished 24 of 40 for 339 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

"We're still in the same situation we started in before we came," said Wallace, who had 95 yards receiving, including a 60-yarder to set up a touchdown. "We know we win these last two games, we're still in the tournament."

Earlier in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh was driving for a go-ahead score when Ware and Spencer sacked Roethlisberger at the Dallas 40, forcing a punt with three minutes left. The Cowboys opted to punt at the two-minute warning after a third-down pass to Dwayne Harris was less than a yard short of the first down.

Roethlisberger put the Steelers ahead 24-17 with a 7-yard scoring pass to Antonio Brown, and Brown was about to put Pittsburgh in control with a long punt return.

But Brown fumbled when Victor Butler reached out and knocked the ball loose at the end of a 22-yard return. DeMarco Murray, who had 81 yards on 14 carries, then went in on a 3-yard run.

"There was about five or six guys, all in black and yellow," Butler said. "And I see the punter and me and the long snapper and I figure I am probably the best tackler out of the three. It was time to make a play."

Dez Bryant extended his touchdown streak to six games while playing with a broken left index finger, a 24-yard score that put Romo over 25,000 yards for his career and gave Dallas a 10-0 lead.

Roethlisberger pulled the Steelers even at 10 before halftime. He stepped away from pressure and used a couple of pump fakes to keep pass rushers away before finding Heath Miller wide open along the sideline on a 30-yard score.

"We still have a chance to right our wrongs here with two games left," Miller said. "We're just going to keep chipping away at it."

NOTES: The first Dallas touchdown was the first scoring connection from Romo to Jason Witten this season. ... Steelers CB DeMarcus Van Dyke injured a shoulder on Pittsburgh's first punt less than two minutes into the game and didn't return. ... Dallas rookie TE James Hanna had two career catches for two key grabs on the Cowboys' first touchdown drive. ... The Grambling State band spelled out "JB" in honor of Brown at halftime. ... Cowboys LB Ernie Sims sustained a concussion in the first half and didn't return. ... Attendance was 95,595, a season high at Cowboys Stadium.

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cowboys-top-steelers-overtime-27-24-010216765--spt.html

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Les sucettes, a French children?s song about lollipops (and oral sex) (Americablog)

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Sunday, December 16, 2012

Victims' bodies identified as Conn. town seeks answers

Connecticut state police's Lt. Paul Vance and Lt. George Sinko speak out about the school tragedy, telling TODAY's Matt Lauer about how police reacted to the scene and how the gunman may have possibly entered the locked building.

By Tracy Connor, NBC News

Connecticut authorities said Saturday they have finished the heart-wrenching task of identifying and removing the bodies of 20 children and six adults massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Police were scheduled to hold a news briefing as new details about the Newtown slaughter were emerging.

Undated photo confirmed by government officials to be Adam Lanza, who apparently killed himself after killing more than two dozen others, including 20 school children

After fatally shooting his mother in the face at her home, gunman?Adam Lanza apparently shot his way into the 600-student school ? then executed the children at close range, several officials told NBC News.

Investigators said a glass window near the locked front door of the school was shattered, probably by a bullet from one of two pistols black-clad Lanza used to kill his victims -- and then himself.

The motive for the rampage remained a mystery. Of the many questions, none were more poignant than those posed by the parents of the dead children, who?were mostly concerned that the children had not suffered in their final moments.

?They were wondering whether the children knew what was happening to them, whether they were afraid,? said?Monsignor Robert Weiss of St. Rose of Lima Church, who?met with the families overnight at a firehouse while workers from the medical examiner's office identified the bodies.

Meanwhile, there were new details about the 20-year-old man behind the second-worst school shooting in U.S. history.

Lanza?s brother told police the gunman had a history of mental problems, though a classmate from Newtown High School recalled him as a generally happy person.

?We would hang out, and he was a good kid,??Joshua Milas, who had not seen Lanza in a few years, told The Associated Press. ?He was probably one of the smartest kids I know. He was probably a genius.?

The weapons he used were were legally purchased and registered to his mother, Nancy, two law enforcement officials said. Two 9mm handguns were recovered inside the school. An AR-15-type rifle also was found outside.

Lanza?s connection to the school was unclear. Law enforcement officials initially said his mother was a kindergarten teacher there, but the school superintendent told TODAY that she wasn?t a full-time staffer and may have been a substitute.

Police said their investigation into Lanza and how he carried out the horrendous crime was still in the early stages.

?We have a mountain of evidence, both physical and forensic,??Newtown Police Lt. George Sinko?said. ?Obviously we?re not going to leave any stone unturned.?

He said the entire town of 27,000 ? a sleepy bedroom community some 60 miles from New York City and known for its good schools ? was reeling.

?We never thought this would happen here,? Sinko said. ?Our hearts are broken for the families of these victims.?

Even the young survivors -- ages 5 to 10 -- will be scarred. They spoke of huddling in corners of locked classrooms and closets with heroic teachers while shots rang out around them.

Robert Licata said his 6-year-old son was in class when the gunman burst in and shot the teacher.

"That's when my son grabbed a bunch of his friends and ran out the door," he told The Associated Press. "He was very brave."

Sandy Hook Elementary principal Dawn Hochsprung died in the attack after reportedly running toward the gunfire to protect her students. TODAY's Erica Hill reports, and Savannah Guthrie talks with two men who knew her.

The school superintendent, Dr. Janet Robinson, said the body count would have been even higher if not for staff who rushed to protect their young charges. All of the dead were found in two rooms.

?A lot of children are alive today because of actions the teachers took,? she said.

The high death toll and the tender age of the victims sent shock waves all the way to the White House, where the flag was lowered to half-staff.

President Obama, his voice cracking at times, said he reacted to the tragedy first as a parent.

?Our hearts are broken today,'' he said in a news conference Friday. ?The majority of those who died today were children. Beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old.?

The outpouring of shock and grief from around the world over the horrific events in Newtown, Conn., has given way to another widespread emotion: the desire to support the shattered families of the victims.???

?I just had a lady call from Montana,? said Scudder Smith, publisher of the Newtown Bee, the local paper. "She said she?s going to send me a box of bears to distribute when the time is right so the kids can hug some bears.?

NBC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pete Williams and NBC News reporter?John Schoen contributed to this report.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/15/15926718-victims-bodies-identified-as-conn-town-seeks-answers?lite

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Thursday, December 13, 2012

Can You Hear Us Now? Communications Policy and the Criminal ...

Prison Bars Talk about convergence.? Not only has the Internet changed the way Americans consume content, it is also changing the criminal justice system.

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world.? According to the 33-country Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the U.S. incarceration rate is 760 prisoners per 100,000 population.? Only 3 of the remaining OECD countries have incarceration rates above 250 per 100,000. These include Israel (325 per 100,000), Chile (317 per 100,000) and Estonia (273 per 100,000).? African-American and Hispanic men (3,074 per 100,000 and 1,258 per 100,000, respectively) comprise a disproportionate share of American prisoners, compared to just 459 per 100,000 of white men.

Policymakers should continue to monitor how the ways law enforcement officers use technology may perpetuate flaws in the criminal justice system.? Several developments over the past month shed light on these considerations.

Privacy

The Fourth Amendment states ?the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause.? The warrant requirement for law enforcement officers conducting investigations in the physical world is well settled, even as the law surrounding exceptions to the warrant requirement is more complex. However, the extent of Fourth Amendment protection online and on devices is murkier.

The New York Times published an article discussing the patchwork of confusing, and often contradictory, laws around the country governing law enforcement?s warrantless use of cell phone data, including New York City?s practice of keeping cell phone theft victims? phone data beyond the data need to investigate and prosecute the theft.? The New York City Police Department is also notorious for its ?Stop and Frisk? practices.? According to the New York Civil Liberties Union, black and Latino New York residents ?made up close to 90 percent of people stopped and about 88 percent of those stops were of innocent New Yorkers.?

To address the challenges of privacy and Fourth Amendment policy in the digital age, policymakers are considering legislation to amend the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). ECPA, enacted in 1986, was designed to restrict the ability of the federal government to use computer data and stored electronic communications in investigations.? But ECPA currently requires no probable cause and no warrants for law enforcement to obtain things like stored photographs, data from Facebook pages, and draft documents shared with third parties like Dropbox and Google.

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved an amendment to ECPA that would require police to obtain a warrant before searching suspects? emails. ?The Senate is not anticipated to vote on the ECPA amendment until next year, but this is important progress toward ensuring the Fourth Amendment warrant requirement applies to data and devices.

Recording Police Activity

The past month has also seen an important development in the role personal audiovisual recordings might play in documenting police misconduct.

On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to review a Seventh Circuit ruling that the First Amendment includes the right to record the actions of police officers while they are on duty and in public. Illinois? eavesdropping law had made recording police officers a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The Seventh Circuit held that ?the act of making an audio or audiovisual recording is necessarily included within the First Amendment?s guarantee of speech and press rights as corollary of the right to disseminate the resulting recording.?

Earlier this year, the City of Boston agreed to pay $170,000 in damages and legal fees to a man, Simon Glick, who was arrested for recording police officers in public. The settlement followed a First Circuit Court of Appeals unanimous ruling that Glick had a ?constitutionally protected right to videotape police carrying out their duties in public.?

Prison Phone Justice

The families of inmates are silent victims.? Incarceration removes a reliable source of household income and separates parents from their children.? One aspect of the effect of incarceration on families is the stratospheric rates telephone companies charge for collect calls made by inmates.

One study conducted by the Southern Poverty Law Center of prison phone rates in Louisiana ?found these fees to be 15 times higher (30 cents per minute versus 2 cents per minute) than they are for collect calls made outside prison walls.? In September, FCC Commissioner Clyburn urged FCC Chairman Genachowski to cut prison phone rates. On November 15^th, the FCC announced at a rally by civil rights groups that it would seek public comment on prison phone rates.? Congressmen Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Bobby Rush (D-IL) attended a screening of a new film entitled ?Middle of Nowhere? on the Hill earlier this week.? The film depicts the inner conflicts a mother encounters while her husband is serving an eight-year sentence.

Far too many people of color are in prisons in the United States. That makes the use of information and communications technology by law enforcement a matter of particular interest to people of color. The developments discussed here show policymakers taking constructive steps to improve how the criminal justice system uses technology. But information technology?and its uses?evolve rapidly, which means we need careful oversight of how these tools are used in the criminal justice system.

Joe Miller, Esq., is Deputy Director and Senior Policy Counsel of the Media and Technology Institute at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. This piece originally appeared on his blog.

Source: http://broadbandandsocialjustice.org/2012/12/can-you-hear-us-now-communications-policy-and-the-criminal-justice-system/

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Electric vehicle maker Coda lays off 15 percent of staff

Coda Automotive, an electric vehicle company, confirmed Tuesday that it had laid off about 50 people, or 15 percent of its 330-person staff, Voelcker writes.

By John Voelcker,?Guest blogger / December 13, 2012

A Coda Electric Sedan is pictured in this undated photo courtesy of Coda Automotive. The electric vehicle maker has refused to release any sales figures since it put its car into production in March, Voelcker writes.

Coda Automotive