Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Culver City Bruins Youth Football Registration | Culver City Sports ...

Culver City High School is a college-oriented high school with just more than 2,200 students. The average class size is 33 to 38 students.

Dedicated to a clear academic plan, CCHS offers courses in english, mathematics, modern language, physical education, science and social studies, as well as vocational education.?

Culver City High School also offers The Academy of Visual and Performing Arts.? AVPA is a four-year program that incorporates intensive studies in Visual Arts, Film & Video Production, Theatre and Music.? Students take advanced level classes after school, many for college credit, in their major.? The courses combined with a rigorous production schedule provide a balance between hands-on and academic training.? Students get a chance to practice their craft alongside motivated and talented peers and qualified professional teachers, designers, directors, actors, musicians and artists.? Visit AVPA's website: www.avpa.org

Source: http://culvercity.patch.com/events/culver-city-bruins-youth-football

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Is Romney Going to Repeat the Palin Strategy and Choose Florida?s Attorney General Pam Bondi?

A wee personsal confession: in 2008, I was not terribly interested in politics. I had a proud history of making protest votes for President, back to voting for Jack Anderson. I was not keen about Obama, although I weakly preferred him to Hillary because?..she?d bring back the old Clinton finance team. But if you had forced me to state my views as of that summer, I would have said I was less keen about McCain.

Something possessed me to watch the VP acceptance speech for the Republicans. About 20 minutes into watching Palin, I was so appalled that I left my TV and went to my computer to make a small donation to Obama.

I gather I was not alone. The Democrats got 8x as the Republicans in the 24 hours following her debut as the official Republican VP nominee.

This election, despite Romney?s shambolic Presidential campaign (his London gaffes were epic), he?s running neck and neck with Obama. The fact that he has any hope is due to Obama?s fealty to big corporate interests, particularly banks, and his neoliberal instincts. In early 2009, with the financiers cowed and desperate, and the country eager for a new direction, Obama could have take far more decisive steps to right the economy. But again and again, Obama has sold out ordinary citizens, from folding on a proposal to tax to end the preferential treatment of incomes of private equity magnates (they structure their deals to get capital gains treatment when they have no capital at risk), to pushing through a mortgage settlement that did perilous little for borrowers but served as a back door bailout to banks, or his enriching Big Pharma and the health care insurer though the ACA.

But Romney may be determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of a possible victory. Business Insider reports that the newest addition to the list of possible VP candidates is?Florida?s Pam Bondi. We?ve refrained from writing about her at NC merely because there seemed to be far more important targets. But contrast her conduct as the AG of one of the ground zeros of the foreclosure crisis, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. Shortly after the robosigning scandal broke, Masto got legislation passed that made it a crime (a felony) to file improper paperwork with the courts, subject to 10 years in jail and fines of $10,000 per violation. (Note that this legislation did not change the legal requirement for foreclosure; it simply criminalized failure to comply. What did Bondi do? She fired two staffers in her office who were taking document fraud seriously.

Per Business Insider, this is what recommends her:

? She?s a woman. And she?s young. While the Romney campaign is said to be looking for experience and gravitas, there are obvious demographic advantages to picking someone who can appeal to women and young people.

? She?s from Florida. Bondi could give Romney a much-needed advantage in the crucial swing state.

? She tried to take down Obamacare ? and almost won. Bondi was the lead attorney general in the lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act. With her as VP, Romney would have one less problem to deal with.

? She?s really pretty.

The Romney campaign is getting her to stump for him in the Northeast on a limited basis.

The article warns that she?s probably not high on the prospect list and selecting her would invite a firestorm of Palin comparisons. Contacts in Florida say that Palin is probably smarter than Bondi (one wonders how she graduated from law school if true) and that her prior career as a prosecutor in Hillsboro County was light on actually filing cases and heavy on acting as a spokesperson.

So in the unlikely-but-not-impossible outcome that Bondi gets the nod, one can imagine that the campaign will portray her asleep-at-the-switch on the foreclosure fraud beat as a great plus. MBS Guy notes:

There is something so perfect about Romney picking a VP who would help him win the anti-?deadbeat borrower? vote. It seems fitting that the foreclosure crisis should be part of the election story ? but in a totally bizarro way.

With Bondi as his running mate, Romney could paint Obama as the candidate who did too much to help deadbeat borrowers, and worsen the housing crisis, by stretching out foreclosures via the AG foreclosure settlement.

I think that would help ensure that neither candidate would say anything remotely truthful on issues like housing and the economy.

One has to assume that if the Romney campaign were to go for a woman candidate, Condi Rice would trump Bondi handily. But the fact that Bondi has been added to the list seems mighty peculiar, unless this is a device to build a relationship with her and dangle other shiny toys before he so she?ll stump hard for Romney in Florida.

Source: http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/07/is-romney-going-to-repeat-the-palin-strategy-and-choose-floridas-attorney-general-pam-bondi.html

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Panetta Sidesteps Issue of Israel?s Plans on Iran

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Source: www.nytimes.com --- Sunday, July 29, 2012
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Sunday that he did not think Israel had yet made a decision to strike Iran?s nuclear facilities. ...

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=cc2a5f9cebcc6a357932251ec1431a32

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Monday, July 30, 2012

Delaying surgery for localized prostate cancer ? what's the ...

A paper published in June this year in the Journal of Sexual Medicine suggests that delaying radical prostatectomy (RP) as a first-line treatment for localized prostate cancer has no significant effects on post-surgical pathology or mortality but may lead to higher risk for incontinence and erectile dysfunction. Whether this is a valid conclusion is likely to be controversial based on the data used to reach this conclusion.

The study by Sun et al. was intended to assess whether the time from diagnosis to actual surgery for men with low-grade, localized prostate cancer (clinical stage T1 or T2) had definable effects on postoperative functional outcomes and mortality in a U.S. population-based cohort derived from data in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare-linked database.

The authors extracted data from the SEER-Medicare database for more than 17,000 men treated by radical prostatectomy for low-grade, early stage, non-metastatic prostate cancer between 1995 and 2005. They then used statistical and other methods to look at the effect of a delay of?more than?3 months?from?diagnosis to RP on pathological upstaging at surgery (? pT3) and postoperative functional outcomes (urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction).?They also calculated the?10-year?prostate cancer?mortality rates?for the patient sets?using cumulative incidence rates.

Here are the results stated in the abstract of the paper:

  • The total number of patients identified in the SEER-Medicare database who met the eligibility criteria was 17,153.
  • 2,576/17,153 patients (15 percent) were given an RP more than 3 months after their initial diagnosis.
  • Compared to men treated within 3 months of diagnosis, men treated > 3 months after diagnosis had
    • No evidence of increase in risk for pathological upstaging
    • No evidence of increase in risk for prostate cancer-specific mortality
    • A 24 percent higher rate of diagnosis of erectile dysfunction
    • A 33 percent higher rate of some form of procedure for erectile dysfunction
    • A 6 percent higher rate of some form of procedure?for urinary incontinence
  • Longer treatment delay (i.e., ? 3 vs. 3-5 vs. 5-9 vs. ? 9 months) was associated with a higher risk for diagnoses and/or procedures to manage erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence.

During the period from 1995 to 2005, active surveillance was a relatively uncommon method used for the management of low-risk, localized prostate cancer. It is therefore reasonable to assume (as the authors appear to do ) that

  • Many patients diagnosed with localized prostate cancer?needed time to understand their options before making an informed decision regarding treatment.
  • Men with intermediate- and high-risk forms of localized prostate cancer would have been more likely to have received?treatment as soon as possible after their diagnosis (i.e., within 3 months) because of the presumed aggressiveness of their cancer

However, we can not necessarily take the next step that is proposed by the authors, who state that, ?The treatment delay between biopsy and RP may result in more extensive periprostatic tissue resection and may adversely affect postoperative continence and erectile function? among men who (through choice or as a consequence of scheduling) have an RP > 3 months after their initial diagnosis.

It is certainly the case that deferring treatment may have specific consequences for some men. However, the data on which the authors draw their current conclusions are highly unlikely to contain enough clinical information to know either exactly why treatment was deferred or what consequences may have been incurred as a result of the delay. It should also be noted that men defined as having ?low-risk? disease in 1995-2000 probably had somewhat more advanced cancer than those being diagnosed in 2000-2005 (let alone those being so-diagnosed today).

We should point out that we have only seen the abstract of this paper, and the full text is likely to contain all sorts of disclaimers regarding the accuracy of the results and the conclusions. The hypothesis proposed by the authors does raise questions that need to be addressed, however. We suspect there are sufficient data from various clinical registry databases to be able to directly compare the rates of incontinence and sexual dysfunction among men treated with radical prostatectomy and correlate these rates not only to time from diagnosis to surgery but also to detailed information on staging, Gleason scores, the use of active surveillance, etc.

It certainly would be disturbing if we were to see a clear association between time from diagnosis to treatment and risk for side effects of treatment in prospectively collected data from one or more large, carefully monitored cohorts of patients because it would undermine the entire premise behind the value of active surveillance ? at least for younger men who were being led to believe that ?treatment later? would be as effective and safe as ?treatment now.?

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Source: http://prostatecancerinfolink.net/2012/07/30/delaying-surgery-for-localized-prostate-cancer-whats-the-downside/

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The Pen Project

This is a Kickstarter project.? The Pen Project is Ian Schon’s interpretation of the everyday writing pen.? He has machined these pen bodies and caps from 6061 aluminum, with an outer diameter of 0.5 and closed length of 4″ and open length of? 5-3/4″.? The pens have a brass set screw and use a Fisher [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/07/30/the-pen-project/

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Sunday, July 29, 2012

Hyundai recalls some SUVs, sedans for problems with air bags

DETROIT (AP) ? Hyundai Motor Co. is recalling some Santa Fe SUVs and Sonata sedans because of problems with their air bags.

The Santa Fe recall involves nearly 200,000 vehicles in the 2007 to 2009 model years. Hyundai dealers will reprogram the front passenger air bag sensors so they will accurately detect when a small adult is seated.

Hyundai said it received complaints from some adults under 130 pounds whose air bags didn't deploy. No injuries have been reported. The air bags were originally programmed not to go off to protect children.

The company is also recalling 22,500 Sonata sedans from the 2012 and 2013 model years because their side air bags could go off without warning.

Hyundai said it has received 16 complaints about the Sonata's air bags, but no injuries have been reported.

Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hyundai-recalls-santa-fe-sonata-air-bags-144622521--finance.html

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How to Get a Job in Management Consulting Firms Toronto ? How ...

When businesses are faced with problems that they are unable to resolve, of if they lack the knowledge required to plan for the future, they can call on the services of management consulting firms Toronto. Companies are faced with a multitude of problems that are complicated and vast. These could pertain to manufacturing operations, human resources, sales and marketing, inventory and supply, evaluating competitors and price structures, design and engineering, logistics, or finance and accounting.

Sometimes, the issues are systematic and may involve the business?s entire structure. In fact, management consultants, also known as business consultants, are often called in to rescue a business from insolvency. In this case, a high level of expertise is needed to identify and confront the problems before proposing solutions. Given this scope of responsibility, let?s take a brief look at the job description of a business consultant.

He or she may be required to work closely within a business to improve its entire operation. This involves an in-depth analysis of every aspect, and then re-thinking, recommending, and implementing brand new strategies. The consultant may also have to confront production problems. This entails improving processes and reducing the time of the manufacturing cycle to increase capacity. In other circumstances, he or she may have to streamline operations, improve customer service, or implement redundancy plans.

In order to be successful in assisting companies, consultants need to receive a clear objective or benchmark from their clients. In turn, they must then come to the table with proven systems to reduce operating costs, enhance employee productivity, and resolve any other specific problems. They usually liaise directly with the owner or CEO of the company and are often given decision-making powers over the firm?s entire management team.

In almost all instances, successful consultants have years of experience in a given field of business. They usually start their careers by attaining a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. Following this, they work for a number of years in their field of experience and then advance their knowledge by studying for a Masters Degree. Business consultants are usually required to solve specific issues, so they study in one area of expertise.

Specialist consulting areas include communications, e-business, human resources, operations, marketing, organizational, small business, strategic planning, and technology. In addition to having outstanding business acumen, consultants need some key personal characteristics. These are excellent communication, leadership, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.

In terms of earning potential in this profession, some say that the sky is the limit. In the US, 75 percent of the top business consultants are earning six-figure salaries. Furthermore, they receive commission, bonuses, and sometimes profit sharing for handling large customer accounts. A top-drawer consultant with an impressive track record of successes will get a lucrative pay check plus other perks and benefits.

This is not to say that Bachelors degree graduates have to specialize in a particular field to secure a good position. Many get immediate employment with reputable management consulting firms Toronto as long as they have the ability and aptitude to handle the job. Nevertheless, as a general rule, most graduates gain several years of business experience before they venture into consultancy.

Management consulting with high experience, including our performance management consultants optimizing business processes, systems and behaviors.

Source: http://sgdc.org/how-to-get-a-job-in-management-consulting-firms-toronto/

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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Society for Menstrual Cycle Research : ? The Diva Cup Song, IUD ...

July 28th, 2012 by Elizabeth Kissling

Readers should note that statements published in re: Cycling are those of individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Society as a whole.

Source: http://menstruationresearch.org/2012/07/28/the-diva-cup-song-iud-tmi-birth-control-news-and-more-weekend-links/

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The Clans

The Clans

This is a Warriors roleplay about the Clans.

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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?The Clans?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "The Clans"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

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Google Chrome 20


Twenty. That's how many versions of Google's Web-changing browser have appeared to date. But the law of diminishing returns has been in strong evidence with the last few revs, and many of the new features in them have been designed merely to get you to use Google's services more.? In fact, commenters on Google's blog about Chrome releases were mystified about what was new in 20, aside from bug and security fixes. And, indeed, Chrome 20 is mostly about fixing existing features?over 6,000 updates in all?but many of the updates add support for Windows 8. Speaking of Windows, Chrome is also available for Mac and Linux, but this review focuses on the Windows version.

No matter, it's still the most capable Web browser, thanks to blazing speed, and ground-breaking features and technology support.? Hurtling it over the crowd are unique features like Chrome Instant, built-in Flash and PDF display, leading Web standards support, and a minimalist application window that lets Web pages shine unimpeded. The competition?Firefox 9 (Free, 4 stars), Internet Explorer 9 (Free, 4 stars), Safari 5.1 (Free, 4 stars), and Opera 11.60 (Free, 4 stars)?still struggles to equal Chrome's Spartan user interface, speedy operation, and emerging standards support.

Chrome's speed is boosted by hardware acceleration, the use of your PC's graphics processor to speed up operations, a first introduced by IE9. To this Chrome's adds support for 3D WebGL graphics that even works on older computers, such as those running Windows XP?something IE9 can't boast. Chrome is also the fastest browser to start up, as my testing shows.

But speed involves more than pure performance. Speed also comes with new standards support, in Chrome's case, for Google's SPDY initiative, which rewrites the basic transport protocol of the Web?HTTP. SPDY eliminates redundant interactions and compresses some sent data to speed up browsing. Only sites that support the standard, like some of Google's own, will benefit from the speedup, however.

Another speeder-upper comes in the form of Chrome's many "instant" features. First, there was Google Instant, by which Web search results start appearing as soon as you start typing in the Google search box. Then came Instant Pages, in which Chrome tries to guess which link you're likely to click on next, and preload that page in the background. Another "instant" feature, pre-loads the first-proposed autocomplete site in the background when you start typing in the browser's address bar, so that it springs into view instantly when you click on the auto suggestion's entry.

As it increases in popularity, Google Chrome is becoming more and more a conduit for Google's Web services, and the services themselves in turn are being honed for Chrome. The browser's new tab page is tweaked to give more prominence to the Chrome Web app store.

Chrome boasts all the Web browser tools we've come to expect: bookmark syncing, a built-in PDF reader, and extensions. The browser's fine design, compatibility, and especially the speed have impressed the Web community enough to make Chrome the fastest growing browser in terms of market share. On this measure, it's got anywhere from 19 to 34 percent, depending on whose numbers you believe. Let's take a look at what makes this browser so special.

Swift Setup
Even the setup process shows Chrome's commitment to speed: Just click the Install button on the Chrome Web page, and you'll have the browser up and running in less than a minute, with no wizard to go through and no system restart. The browser's available for Mac OS X and Linux, as well as Windows. It also updates itself automatically in the background.

Starting with version 17, a change in the first-run appearance of the browser occurred. You still saw a generous dialog box giving you the option to use Bing, Google, or Yahoo as your search engine, but the first view of the browser window asks you to sign into a Google account. This doesn?t change the behavior of the browser, but it does show Google?s increasingly solipsistic view of the Web, and raises concerns about browser tracking. On the plus side, it does give you the benefit of being able to sync your different browser settings and bookmarks on different computers (more on this later).

Chrome Instant Pages
Not to be confused with Chrome Instant (see below) or Google Instant (which works on all browser to load Google search results as you type), Chrome Instant Pages requires both Chrome and a site that supports the feature. Of the latter, there is now just one important one: Google Search. The idea is that when you perform a search in Google, the browser will pre-load the page for the result link you're most likely to click on.

In several tests on a slower Wi-Fi connection, however, I only noticed an occasional improvement for simple pages. It seemed only to work for the first result link. Heavy multimedia sites still took their time to load. On a very fast wired connection, some page result were extremely fast, but in that case, you don't really benefit from pre-loading. I saw a definitely faster load for grainger.com than in Opera on the same connection. The idea makes a lot of sense though, particularly for multipage articles, where it's most likely that the next link you'll hit is the one labeled "Next."

The only drawback: If the site guesses your next click wrong, page load could be slower than without Instant Pages, and you'll have wasted bandwidth loading a page you never visited. But this is a technique that's been done using JavaScript or HTML and CSS for years, so I'm not sure why we need a browser-specific solution to preloading pages, but Instant Pages does have the ability to load outside sites, rather than just pages of your own. If you don't like the idea of your browser loading pages before you click on a link, you can turn off the feature in the Under the Hood section of Options (accessible from the wrench icon), and uncheck "Predict network actions to improve page load performance."

Built-in Flash and PDF Support
Chrome is the only browser to come with Adobe Flash built in, rather than requiring a separate (and annoying) installation. And not having to perform the frequent required updates of the Flash plugin separately is another boon?it updates automatically with the browser. With version 10, many of the security issues with Flash (famously bemoaned by Apple's Steve Jobs) went away, thanks to running the plugin in an isolated sandbox so that it doesn't have access to critical system areas.

Chrome boasts a PDF reader as well, so you don't have to worry about installing any Adobe plugins for viewing specialized Web content. When you load a PDF, an intuitive toolbar shows when your mouse cursor is in the southeast vicinity of the browser window. From this, you can have the document fill the width of the window, show a full page, or zoom in and out. By default, you can select text for cutting and pasting, but I couldn't copy and paste images. You can print the PDF as you would any Web page.

Chrome's PDF viewer not only does what its name implies, but also serves as a print preview feature. Unlike IE's print preview, Chrome's shows up in a tab rather than its own window. But you have to go through it to print: In IE, I can just click the printer icon to send a page to the printer if I don't want to fuss with settings. I could choose between color and B&W, portrait and landscape, and choose the target printer, or print to PDF.

An Advanced button got me into the printer's own settings dialog, but this dismissed the print preview, making me have to choose Print from the menu again. But Chrome didn't let me choose a zoom percentage for the printout as Firefox and IE did, nor did it let me turn page headers on and off or choose margin sizes in a Page Setup dialog as those two did. So Chrome's print preview is a decent start, but it's still a bit behind the competition.

Interface
Minimalism has been a hallmark of Chrome since its first beta release. Tabs are above everything, and the only row below them holds the combined search/address bar, or "Omnibox." Here you can type any part of an address or page title, and the most likely site candidates will be presented in a dropdown. Optionally you can display bookmark links in a row below this. And the control buttons on the top-right of the browser window have been reduced to the absolute minimum?just one.

Google has removed the Page icon and placed some of its functions under the wrench button. Some of the Page options have been combined into buttons on one line in the menu, such as Cut, Copy, and Paste. I like what Google's done with the Zoom choice on the menu, adding plus and minus buttons that save you from having to fly out another submenu.

Another theme in the Chrome interface is that everything looks like a Web page, displaying in the main browser window, rather than in separate dialog boxes. This includes the interfaces for History, Extensions, Bookmarks, and even Options.

Mac users haven't been overlooked in the interface department, either. The browser supports OS X Lion's full screen view, along with overlay scrollbars that only appear when you're scrolling. Other more minor characteristics of the OS X "Aqua" style give Chrome on the Mac a more Mac-y appearance.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/ifFBy9ZYPsM/0,2817,2373853,00.asp

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Friday, July 27, 2012

Poll: Few think Romney's faith resembles their own

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Most of America doesn't relate to Mitt Romney's religion but that may not matter in his race against President Barack Obama.

Those are the findings of a new Pew Research Center poll released Thursday, about a month before Republican Romney is set to become the first Mormon presidential nominee of a major political party.

Misgivings about the Mormon faith are widespread and persistent. Nearly two-thirds of non-Mormons said they see Romney's faith as very different from their own while just half consider it a Christian faith. Those numbers are little changed since Romney's first run for the presidency pushed Mormonism to the political forefront in 2007.

Despite those qualms, most voters who know that Romney is a devout Mormon say they are comfortable with his religious beliefs, and few voters reject his candidacy solely because of concerns about his faith.

Romney rarely discusses the details of his faith in public, preferring to focus on how it has helped him connect with people. In an interview Wednesday with NBC News, Romney again credited his religion with shaping his perspective and said he would talk about his experiences in the church. He did not address his spiritual beliefs.

"I'm ? without question ? I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'm proud of that," Romney said. "Some call that the Mormon Church, that's fine with me. I'll talk about my experiences in the church. There's no question they've helped shape my perspective."

Views of Mormonism generally have held steady.

About six in 10 non-Mormons see it as very different from their own faith, and about half say they consider it to be a Christian religion, as Mormons themselves do. Among other Christians, black Protestants (66 percent) and white evangelicals (63 percent) are most apt to say they consider the faith sharply different from their own, while white evangelicals (42 percent) were most likely to say the Mormon faith is not a Christian one.

The poll, conducted jointly by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life and its Center for the People and the Press, found the public's knowledge about the religious beliefs of the two men vying for the presidency remains murky ? even as two-thirds say it is important that a president have strong religious beliefs. Nearly three in 10 voters (29 percent) were unaware of or incorrect about the religious backgrounds of both candidates.

Sixty percent of registered voters know Romney is a Mormon, about the same as in a March poll. Nine percent think he follows another faith and 32 percent weren't sure. About eight in 10 who know of Romney's beliefs are either comfortable with them (60 percent) or say it doesn't matter (21 percent).

Discomfort with Romney's faith peaks among several groups not often on the same side in politics: white evangelical Protestants, black Protestants, atheists and agnostics. White evangelical Protestants broadly back Romney for president despite their misgivings about his religious background, while the other groups are far more likely to support Obama.

Overall, the poll found Obama holding a 50 percent to 43 percent lead over Romney.

Concerns about Romney's religion seem to dampen enthusiasm for his candidacy among some Republicans. Those Republicans who are aware of Romney's faith and are uncomfortable with it are far more tepid about his candidacy than Republicans who express no concerns about his faith.

That diminished enthusiasm could hurt Romney this fall. A candidate's strongest supporters often are the most likely to turn out to vote. The poll found Romney lagging behind Obama in strong support generally, with 32 percent strongly backing the president and 15 percent committed to Romney.

With regard to Obama, the poll found that misperceptions about his faith persist.

About half of registered voters correctly say Obama is a Christian. Seventeen percent misidentify him as a Muslim, 3 percent say he adheres to some other faith and 31 percent say they are unsure.

That's a slightly higher number misidentifying the president as a Muslim than in October 2008, during his first run for the presidency. Back then, 12 percent said they thought Obama was a Muslim. Nearly all of that increase is among Republicans, however, as the share in that group saying Obama is a Muslim has nearly doubled in that time.

Overall, those who are aware of the president's faith are broadly comfortable with it. Among those who know Obama is a Christian, 82 percent say they are comfortable with his faith. Only about one-fourth of those who identify him as a Muslim say they are comfortable with what they see as the president's religious beliefs.

The poll was conducted by telephone June 28-July 9 among a random national sample of 2,973 adults, including 2,373 registered voters. Results among all adults have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points, among registered voters, it is 2.3 points.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/poll-few-think-romneys-faith-resembles-own-180816422.html

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Shanghai fans protest United friendly

Shanghai Shenhua fans boycotted a friendly against Manchester United to protest at the match being played in the middle of the Chinese league season, supporters of the club told AFP Thursday.

The English giants are among several Premiership sides currently touring Asia, in what are widely seen as attempts to build up their fanbases in a potentially hugely lucrative market.

But despite a large crowd of 42,000 on Wednesday night, including many casual fans apparently backing both sides, few blue-shirted Shenhua supporters were to be seen in the stadium except a knot of 100 or so behind one goal.

Earlier in the day, an online campaign started by Shenhua fans had urged the club's supporters to shun the event.

A post from one fan widely circulated on China's Twitter-like weibos read: "If you are a real Shenhua supporter, cancel any plan you have to attend this game against Manchester United.

"Let the sponsors see that this game, which reeks of business and money, should not be scheduled in the middle of our league season."

Also popular were a series of photographs of fans of Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua -- traditionally fierce rivals -- who put aside their differences to make a joint statement against mid-season exhibition matches.

Supporters of the two clubs were pictured standing next to a Manchester United merchandising booth with a large banner in English reading: "Love football, hate business".

"I don't think Man United would agree to play Shenhua in the middle of the English Premier League season -- so neither should we," Shenhua fan Ma Haiping told AFP. "I think this is a game about business, I think it's totally boring."

Shanghai Shenhua rested almost all their key players for the friendly, including blockbuster signings Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba.

Other supporters said high ticket prices had deterred them from attending -- the cheapest seats were selling for 180 yuan ($28) each, nearly a quarter of the price of a Shenhua season ticket.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/shanghai-fans-protest-united-friendly-143111937--sow.html

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10 gadgets to turn your dorm room into geek heaven

3 hrs.

When I was in college, I worked part time to afford an apartment because the on-campus dorms were expensive and generally terrible. Still, I regret missing out on that experience. Maybe it would be different if I could have decked out my dorm room the following awesome gadgets.

Bacon alarm clock
Have to be up early at 1 p.m. for an exam? You can rely on the BAKON Alarm Clock. This DIY project requires an old baking oven, a timer, high-temp car paint, a pig keychain from Party City, spare bottle caps, 10-gauge solid wire, some googly eyes, a screwdriver and a Dremel tool. Once built, it will wake you up with the sizzling sound, delightful smell and delicious taste of bacon. Instructables via That's Nerdalicious

Marshall guitar amp fridge
It may look like a Marshall guitar amp, but this is actually a 4.4-cubic-foot refrigerator/freezer that you can fill with beer and pizza rolls. It even features an homage to Spinal Tap, in the form of knobs that actually go to 11. Most dorm parties only?go to 10, so that means you'll be partying one harder. $300 ??Marshall Fridge via That's Nerdalicious

Brew Cave walk-in beer cooler
So the guitar amp fridge was cool and all, but the dorm fridge of your dreams would undoubtedly be the Brew Cave walk-in beer cooler. In addition to offering four inches of insulation, the cooler also boasts shelf space for up to 30 cases of beer, room for four kegs, and a built-in tap. Of course, I think this cooler has more square footage inside then the dorm rooms at my old college. $6,349 ??Kegworks via That's Nerdalicious

Smart trash?can
While I doubt that many students these days will be using a typewriter in their quest to stretch two pages of text into the required five, this smart trash?can will still do a great job of catching your garbage on the fly. It uses Microsoft Kinect, a motorized wheelbase and a heck of a lot of coding to track your flying wads of paper and ensure you hit that three-pointer every time.

BRAD automated dorm
University of California at Berkeley freshman Derek Low spent three months creating what he calls ?the most ridiculously automated dorm room in the school ever.? Dubbed ?BRAD? (Berkeley Ridiculously Automated Dorm), the system employs motion sensors to detect when someone enters or exits the room, and it has the ability to control the lights, window shades, and music via voice controls and mobile apps. An emergency red ?party mode? button was also provided, which closes the shades, turns on dance music and replaces the overhead lights with flashing neon lighting and strobes. CubicleBot

?More craziness fron Nerd Approved:

Giant Legend of Zelda wall mural
The giant Legend of Zelda wall mural is an opportunity to decorate your dorm room with something nerdy and elaborate but surprisingly inexpensive. It's an 8-foot-by-3-foot fabric map of the entire Zelda overworld that will only set you back around $40. Plus, when it's laundry day, you can take it off the wall and?wear it like a toga. That's what I call versatility. Etsy via Nerd Approved

Lightsaber chopsticks
You may be a freshman eating Ramen, but at least you're doing it like a Padawan with these fancy light-up lightsaber chopsticks. Indeed, the blades actually glow thanks to LEDs that can be activated with the push of a button. $17.99 ??BigBadToyStore via That's Nerdalicious

Podtime tubes
Privacy and sleep are two things that are hard to come by while living in a dorm. These Podtime beds could provide a solution to both of those problems. With a shell made of "practically indestructible" polycarbonate, Podtime tubes can be stacked on top of one another like bunk beds so they won't take up much space. They can also be customized with entertainment systems, LED lighting, storage and an alarm. $2,158 and up ??Firebox and Podtime

An electronic beer pong table
For many college students, a good beer pong table is a crucial piece of furniture. If you have the resources and the ambition, you could make something similar to the version featured in this video from Auburn University. While there doesn't appear to be any details on the building of it, some engineering student has clearly put his new found skills to their ultimate use. Break?(video)

Iron Throne
Every dorm room needs a good chair, but if I had all the money in the world (as opposed to wondering how I would afford breakfast from the Dollar Menu), I would eschew comfort in favor of this "Game of Thrones" Iron Throne replica. This official life-size?seat is no joke either. It stands at 7 feet tall and 5 feet wide and weighs 350 pounds. It also costs a whopping $30,000???HBO via Nerd Approved

?More craziness fron Nerd Approved:

Source: http://www.gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/technology/gadgetbox/10-gadgets-turn-your-dorm-room-geek-heaven-912782

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Why It is Important to Control Wildlife in Atlanta?


by Steve Austien
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The wildlife control in Atlanta is quite important part people are doing to carry out animal pest management and control. Atlanta wildlife control is becoming very much famous and well known. The population of dear in Atlanta is increasing with time. Therefore it is very necessary to carry out wildlife removal Atlanta program. Although the presence of deer is a valuable and enjoyable part of the country but their large number has to be reduced and minimized. Their large number may cause destruction in the country. So by carrying out proper procedures and processes of Atlanta wildlife control people can successfully reduce the wildlife and can make their country a peaceful place to live in.

There are so many advantages of keeping deer in the country. These are used for improving the economy of the country. These can be used for hunting purposes. These can be used for several other reasons that are good for our country. Along with this their presence can be damaging too. For this, wildlife control Atlanta is very much important and necessary. These animals contain be a reason to bring out different diseases to people. So these animals can be harmful to keep. Livestock is destructed due to the presence if these animals. It becomes important to start the programs of Atlanta wildlife control for which several programs and schemes are being made. The crops are damaged and reduced, vehicle collision happens due to which a big loss is suffered and even the timber losses are observed.

Programs of wildlife control Atlanta will help to reduce the wildlife that is causing destruction in the country. There are so many different methods and procedures for carrying out the wildlife removal Atlanta processes. So many plans are being made. The medicines are being manufactured. These medicines are harmful for animals and can act like poison for them. When animals are given these medicines and poisons, it will cause their reduction and complete removal. So these medicines are one of the methods for the complete wildlife removal Atlanta.

There are several departments which are making researches on the methods of wildlife control Atlanta and are making plans to bring complete removal. The second method for the complete removal and reduction of wildlife in the country is the processes of hunting. These methods are very much common in every country of the world. It is an easy method we can remove the quantity of wildlife which are destroying the beauty and peace of the world. These methods are not the temporary ones. These are permanent methods which will help you in removing every type of animal whether it is a deer or any other.

You want to know further information about Atlanta wildlife control with the help of some knowledgeable information about wildlife removal Atlanta.

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Why It is Important to Control Wildlife in Atlanta?

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Senate passes cuts for all but richest Americans

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Senate has debated, sniped and voted on the politically fraught issue of tax cuts, and next week it'll be the House's turn. Still, Americans won't know until after the November elections how much more of their paychecks will go to the government next year.

Turning both houses of Congress into a campaign stage on one of the defining issues of the presidential and congressional races, Republicans and Democrats are putting each other on record over which Americans, if any, should receive an extension of former President George W. Bush's income tax cuts.

The Senate got the ball rolling Wednesday with surprise debates and passage of a Democratic bill fashioned on President Barack Obama's proposal to extend the income tax cuts to all but the wealthiest Americans through 2013. It passed even though the measure stands no chance of surviving the Republican-led House. Meanwhile, the Senate rejected a GOP amendment to extend the cuts to all taxpayers. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, intends to bring up that measure in his chamber next week.

So the matter was a nearly certain stalemate even before Democratic leader Harry Reid and Republican leader Mitch McConnell abruptly agreed to vote on two measures, spent the day accusing each other of playing politics and the last 20 minutes trying to get the last word.

"We know this is about the election," McConnell said. At one point he resolved to let Reid close the debate but then changed his mind to dispute a point.

"Here we go again," Reid muttered. Some of McConnell's remarks, he added, were "poppycock."

Despite the drama, the issue carries great significance for voters deeply worried about their finances as the economy struggles to recover from recession. Which way the debate goes could mean a big difference: an average of $1,600 a year in taxes for 114 million middle-class families, according to the White House.

The electorate is deeply divided over the tax cut issue.

A CBS News/New York Times poll conducted July 11-16 found that nearly half of Americans, about 49 percent, would prefer that the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts continue only for those households earning less than $250,000 a year, as Obama and congressional Democrats want. An additional 17 percent think the cuts should expire for everyone. And 27 percent say the tax cuts should be continued for all taxpayers, as Republicans want.

Wednesday's Senate vote on the $250 billion Democratic bill was a near-party line 51-40 tally, with Vice President Joe Biden presiding over the chamber in the unlikely event his vote was needed to break a tie. Minutes earlier, senators voted 54-45 to reject the rival Republican package that would have included the wealthiest Americans in the tax reductions.

"With the Senate's vote, the House Republicans are now the only people left in Washington holding hostage the middle-class tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans and nearly every small business owner," Obama said in a written statement.

The vote served as a counterpoint to the GOP-run House, which next week will pass tax cuts nearly identical to the $405 billion Republican plan the Senate rejected Wednesday.

Republicans say raising taxes on higher earners saps money from business owners who would otherwise create jobs. Democrats say that's overblown.

"The House will vote next week to stop that tax hike, and until the Senate does the same, the threat to our economy remains," Boehner said in a statement.

Though the House and Senate votes are mostly for show, they pose challenges to some lawmakers in tough re-election campaigns.

The Democratic bill would dramatically boost the estate tax, which would be widely unpopular in farming, ranching and high cost-of-living states. It also would increase levies on dividends and capital gains, which are relied on by many elderly people.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who is in a difficult re-election race, announced she had introduced a bill preventing the estate tax from rising next year. She issued a news release to that effect just minutes after voting for the Democratic bill, which would let estate taxes rise in 2013.

Under the Democratic measure, individuals earning more than $200,000 and couples making over $250,000 would see their top rates rise from 33 percent and 35 percent today to 36 percent and 39.6 percent in January.

The Democratic bill would also boost the top tax rate paid by people who inherit estates to 55 percent, exempting the first $1 million in an estate's value. The GOP measure would maintain today's 35 percent top rate and would not tax the first $5.12 million of an estate's value.

In fresh figures released this week by Republicans, Congress' nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that the Democratic provision would affect 55,200 estates next year, compared with 3,600 who would face estate taxes under the GOP plan.

Democrats would impose top tax rates next year of 20 percent on dividends and capital gains, two sources of income enjoyed disproportionately by the wealthy. The GOP top rate would be 15 percent.

The GOP bill ignores some tax credits for low- and middle-income families that Democrats want to extend for college costs; for some low-income couples and large working families; and for families with children.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-passes-cuts-richest-americans-064649522--finance.html

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Insight: China's CNOOC scoped Nexen, partnered, then pounced

(Reuters) - When Canada's Nexen Inc fired its CEO in January, an oil giant on the other side of the world sprang into action.

Nexen had been on the wish list of Chinese state oil company CNOOC Ltd for five years. The removal of CEO Marvin Romanow was just the opening the Chinese needed to make their move, according to sources familiar with the situation.

By the Chinese New Year later that month, CNOOC had hired BMO Capital Markets and Citigroup Inc as financial advisers, according to these sources. That kicked off negotiations culminating on Monday with a deal to buy Nexen for $15.1 billion, the biggest foreign acquisition ever by a Chinese company.

The agreement is a triumph for China's third-largest oil company, which had to abandon its $18.5 billion bid for California-based Unocal in 2005 because of bitter opposition on sovereignty grounds from U.S. lawmakers, and shows how far the Chinese have come as dealmakers on the global stage.

It also feeds China's demand for resources to sustain an economy that despite six quarters of deceleration still grew at 7.6 percent in the second quarter, and will give it a platform from which to grow further in Canada's energy sector.

Interviews with people familiar with the Nexen deal reveal CNOOC heeded lessons from the Unocal debacle. It also closely studied Australian miner BHP Billiton Ltd's failed $39 billion bid to buy fertilizer maker Potash Corp in 2010 - a deal killed by the Canadian government - as it methodically went about laying the groundwork for the Nexen deal.

Among its tactics was the establishment of a joint venture so it could become familiar with the target and its assets, as well as the way of doing business in North America. Importantly, it quickly started building relationships with governments in the countries where Nexen operates, including Canada, the United States and Britain, the sources said.

CNOOC, which offered a 61 percent premium to Nexen's Friday stock price, already has interests in Canada - including oil sands operations in Alberta, and shale gas in British Columbia - as well as extensive exploration and production holdings in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico and offshore West Africa. Nexen, Canada's sixth-largest independent oil explorer and producer, also operates in the Gulf of Mexico, Colombia, the North Sea, Yemen and offshore West Africa.

A big step for China is that the Nexen offer is for the entire company. In the wake of Unocal, many Chinese buyers have chosen to buy stakes in overseas companies rather than attempt full takeovers.

"It's partly the valuation, partly an evolution of the Chinese mindset. You couldn't do this deal a year after Unocal," one of the sources familiar with the deal said. "They had to have made the smaller steps in the meantime that made everyone comfortable that they knew how to behave responsibly, operate effectively, treat employees well."

SMALL STEP

Nexen spokesman Pierre Alvarez declined to comment on how the deal came together, saying the company will provide details in its information circular to be sent to shareholders in about a month. A CNOOC media official said Nexen had been a partner of the company for years, declining to comment further on the deal.

Despite its size, the deal may prove to be only a small step in China's ambition to acquire resources and technology. In the West, and particularly in the United States, there is still suspicion about sales of major assets to Chinese companies because of Beijing's controlling influence in the nation's corporate sector and anti-China sentiment among some lawmakers.

Although some experts and people familiar with the transaction expect the Canadian government to approve the deal, that could change if popular sentiment suddenly turned against it.

Pulling off a similar deal in the United States is also likely to remain a pipedream for Chinese buyers.

"My guess is that they continue to be wary of investments in the United States and concerned that they might either be blocked or subject to conditions that may be complicated for them," said William Reinsch, president of the National Foreign Trade Council, a U.S. business association focused on international trade and investment issues. "I wouldn't take it as a given that (Canada) would simply say yes and move on."

CAREFUL PREPARATION

CNOOC stepped up its pursuit of Nexen after Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited China in February and said he wanted to sell more oil to Chinese and Asian markets. Canada has also stressed the need for more foreign investment to help develop its oil sands.

"CNOOC would have read very real signals into that... It would have been very strange for political leaders from countries at the most senior level to come and ask for investment and then say 'No'," said a person familiar with how the deal was forged.

In the wake of Harper's comments, the Chinese firm sought meetings with senior officials in the federal government and the government of Alberta to gauge the appetite for a possible approach.

CNOOC, realizing a hostile bid of this size would be virtually impossible to pull off after BHP's failed approach for Potash, felt a crucial advantage was that its approach had the full support of the Nexen board, the sources said.

CNOOC hired Hill and Knowlton for lobbying in Canada and the United States, and Bell Pottinger in Britain, according to one source. New York law firm Davis Polk provided legal counsel. Hill and Knowlton declined to comment. The firm filed its lobbying disclosure forms in Washington on Monday but listed the effective date of registration as May 14.

A Bell Pottinger official in the United States did not have an immediate comment.

"I don't think the problem is whether CNOOC can complete the deal," said a China-based source familiar with the matter. "The key is whether CNOOC can successfully consolidate and manage the new company, whether it can reach its targets over the next five years."

LOBBYING EFFORTS

Canada's official register of lobbyists shows that Michael Coates of Hill and Knowlton visited the top officials at the ministries of industry, trade and natural resources in late March in Ottawa.

Accompanying Coates was CNOOC Vice President Fang Zhi, who is also general manager of CNOOC International Ltd. Zhi told the officials that CNOOC thought Canada was an attractive place to invest, one source said.

Andrew MacDougall, chief spokesman for Harper, said he was unaware of who Fang might have met in Ottawa and declined to comment on any aspect of the takeover bid.

Fang, who came away reassured by his discussions, also visited Alberta for talks with local government officials, the source said. His presence there drew little attention, since CNOOC already has properties in the province.

Courtesy calls on behalf of CNOOC and Nexen were made to the federal and Alberta governments on Sunday, the day before the deal was announced.

The final decision on whether to approve the CNOOC bid lies with Canadian Industry Minister Christian Paradis, whose chief spokeswoman declined to comment. Paradis would make his decision based on the Investment Canada Act.

Sources said early conversations with policymakers led CNOOC to propose key concessions, such as making Calgary the head office of its North and Central American operations and a plan to list on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

CNOOC has also promised to retain Nexen employees. That may help to allay fears that might arise, especially given some Chinese companies have been criticized for having poor relations with their workforces in places like Africa and Latin America.

One source said it helped that Fang and CNOOC Chief Executive Li Fanrong both spoke good English and appear to have a good grasp of Western business ways. In addition to hands-on top executives, CNOOC has a large and experienced M&A team.

UNIQUE TRANSACTION

In Nexen, CNOOC also picked a deal that will be more likely to get support than if it had sought to acquire some other Canadian companies. Most of Nexen's assets lie outside Canada, making it less likely that it would be seen as a national champion falling into Chinese hands.

CNOOC had already formed a joint venture that helped it evaluate Nexen. In July 2011, it bought Opti Canada, which was Nexen's 35 percent partner in Long Lake, a C$6.1 billion steam-driven oil sands project in Northern Alberta.

The project, which started more than three years ago, is only at about half its 72,000 bpd design capacity and has had problems extracting enough oil from its early wells to fill the processing plant. But the project accounts for a large chunk of Nexen's value, and CNOOC believed that it was of higher quality than the market thought, one source said.

"It was that experience that enabled them to conclude this would actually be a good fit," another source said. "They've been taking their involvement in Canada a step at a time and you'd want the next step to be determined by what you'd experienced in the previous step."

With only small operations in the United States, the company is not likely to meet much opposition to the deal in Washington, where there is some sensitivity to Chinese investment in Canadian energy assets because Canada is a major supplier of oil to the United States.

One U.S. lawmaker, Senator John Hoeven, said on Tuesday he believes the CNOOC-Nexen deal is a "direct result" of President Barack Obama's January decision to delay approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, designed to bring oil from Canada's oil sands to Texas refineries. Soon after that delay was announced, Harper was in Beijing and talking about doing oil deals with China.

(Additional reporting by Jeffrey Jones in Calgary, Euan Rocha in Toronto, Roberta Rampton and Alexander Cohen in Washington; Judy Hua and Aizhu Chen in Beijing; Writing by Michael Flaherty and Paritosh Bansal; Editing by Martin Howell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insight-chinas-cnooc-scoped-nexen-partnered-then-pounced-033624290--finance.html

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The Cascade Effect: 12 Tips for DIY PR

The DIY craze has been around for years.? Thanks to the cable television, the Internet and the whole "information at your finger tips" you can learn to do most anything from changing your oil to renovating your bathroom. Personally, I love it.? Taking on a task normally I would pay for feels like so much of a personal accomplishment, however, my cobbler and plumber will always get my business.

In recent years, the DIY movement has become even more prevalent due to the economy.? This means that small businesses are taking on even more tasks on top of running their business just to save money, but are aware that they must keep moving forward. So, you're letting your "fingers do the typing" in order to learn and accomplish.

When a business wants to take on DIY PR it is REALLY important that they don?t overwhelm themselves.? Sure, there are a number of media you want to be in but I teach, in my workshops and classes, the following to busy entrepreneurs who have a lot on their plates already:

  1. Differentiation: The first step before any marketing should be implemented is to truly differentiate yourself from competition and within the industry.? How can you be different and stand out?? If you're the same as the next, chances are good you will get overlooked.
  2. Stay focused on your primary audience: If you want retailers/distributors go to the industry trades, if you want consumers sort out those that specifically target your audience (you have to be realistic here).
  3. Follow media: If you want to be in a certain publication, know that publication or blog.? Read it, follow it and locate the right person to speak to. ?You have to know who you?re pitching.? A sports writer isn?t going to do a pet product feature.? You have to make sure you have the right contact, know what they right on and more importantly that the publication/blog even covers your industry.
  4. Make your story timely: This is important.? Don?t tell media about your product/service, tell them the WHY of how you started your business.? The ?WH?s? are important.? What problem does it solve and back it up with facts/statistics, and if at all possible, tie it in with a broader trend story happening in the US or the industry?
  5. Include visuals with a short introductory pitch:? Start your email with a concise and short pitch ? a paragraph or two short ones at most ? and you can include your press release below it with a visual.? If you have a product, a picture, if you have a short video, that?s great too.? NEVER send attachments.? Always copy and paste with low res graphics.? If they want more, they?ll ask for it. ?Sometimes seeing the product can make all the difference in understanding what it is.
  6. Offer a free trial:? If you have an online service, give media the opportunity to test it for themselves so they can write a review from their own experience, or send a sample in the mail with a press kit on CD.? But?.don?t put yourself in a position of giving away too much product.
  7. Set up an online press room:? This is one of the BEST things you can do.? With so many media, and freelancers, out surfing the web for story ideas, you want to give them everything they need to write a story or include your company.? Make sure you have your press release, company backgrounder, product fact sheets, tip sheets (if possible for expert positioning) and approved, high res graphics all of which can be easily downloaded from your site.? Most importantly, make sure your contact information is on the press release and the online press room so they know who to contact should they want an interview or have trouble downloading information.
  8. Do PR in phases: ?Make a list of all of the media you?d like to be in.? Take the top 25 you want the most and go after those first.? Then the next 25 and so on.? This really reduces the stress and feeling of being overwhelmed by so many opportunities.? Some companies could have a list of 200 or more!
  9. Follow up is KEY!? Just because you send a press release out doesn?t mean media/bloggers are going to drop everything to do your story right then and there.? They have their own things to work on.? You have to practice the delicate art of following up (not stalking).? This means following up once a week until you?ve done so two-three times after initially pitching them.? Then move on.? You can always pick up that list and follow up again in 30 days or so.? And don?t be afraid to pick up the phone and call, although most media prefer an initial email pitch first.
  10. Always make time to respond to media: If someone calls for an interview or shows interest, do to you need to respond to them right away and insure you get them what they need.? Often times media run on tight deadlines and that could mean a phone interview within the hour.? Make yourself available, otherwise, they will find someone else who will.
  11. Say thank you: One of the best things you can do to build a relationship with a journalist or blogger is to thank them for their review/story or opportunity to be interviewed.? It goes a long way.
  12. Spread that love on social media:? You were included in a story in Entrepreneur?? Be sure to Tweet and @ them with a big thanks.? It helps both of you build reputation and further a relationship.

Source: http://cascadeeffect.blogspot.com/2012/07/12-tips-for-diy-pr.html

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