hierarchy casablanca: April 2013

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Nokia determined to win race to the bottom with dirt-cheap $20 handset

BERLIN, April 29 (Reuters) - Barcelona will try every trick in the book to overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Bayern Munich in their Champions League semi-final return leg on Wednesday, honorary Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer warned on Monday. Bayern crushed the Spaniards last week in a surprisingly one-sided encounter but Beckenbauer, former player, coach and president of Germany's most successful club, warned that Barcelona were not ready to surrender. "Barca will try everything to throw Bayern off balance," he told Bild newspaper. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nokia-determined-win-race-bottom-dirt-cheap-20-023504328.html

clear channel drexel dale george will obama birth certificate nick cannon lindsay lohan saturday night live

Boston suspect's defense team gets major boost

FILE - In this April 26, 2013 file photo, Judy Clarke, a defense lawyer whose high-profile clients include "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski, Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph, and Tucson shooter Jared Lee Loughner, speaks at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. Clarke was appointed Monday, April 29, 2013 to the team representing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

This Friday, April 19, 2013 photo shows the home of Katherine Russell's parents in North Kingstown, R.I. Russell, widow of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, has been staying there. FBI agents visited the home Monday, April 29, 2013, and carried away several bags. (AP Photo/Joe Giblin)

Katherine Russell, right, wife of Boston Marathon bomber suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, leaves the law office of DeLuca and Weizenbaum with Amato DeLuca, left, Monday, April 29, 2013, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

FILE - This file photo provided Friday, April 19, 2013 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation shows Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Tsarnaev's legal defense is in the hands of Miriam Conrad, the chief federal public defender for Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Conrad has asked a judge to appoint two additional lawyers with experience in death penalty cases. (AP Photo/Federal Bureau of Investigation, File)

BOSTON (AP) ? The defense team representing the Boston Marathon bombing suspect got a major boost Monday with the addition of Judy Clarke, a San Diego lawyer who has managed to get life sentences instead of the death penalty for several high-profile clients, including the Unabomber and the gunman in the rampage that injured former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Clarke's appointment was approved Monday by U.S. Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler.

Bowler denied, at least for now, a request from Miriam Conrad, the public defender of 19-year-old suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, to appoint a second death penalty lawyer ? David Bruck, a professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law.

Tsarnaev has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction during the April 15 marathon. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured when two bombs exploded near the finish line.

The suspect's lawyers could renew their motion to appoint another death penalty expert if he is indicted, the judge said.

Clarke's clients have included the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski; Susan Smith, who drowned her two children; Atlanta Olympics bomber Eric Rudolph; and most recently Tucson, Ariz., shooter Jared Loughner. All received life sentences instead of the death penalty.

Clarke has rarely spoken publicly about her work and did not return a call seeking comment Monday. However, at a speech Friday at a legal conference in Los Angeles, she talked about how she had been "sucked into the black hole, the vortex" of death penalty cases 18 years ago when she represented Smith.

"I got a dose of understanding human behavior, and I learned what the death penalty does to us," she said. "I don't think it's a secret that I oppose the death penalty."

Bruck has directed Washington and Lee's death penalty defense clinic, the Virginia Capital Case Clearinghouse, since 2004.

In other developments in the Boston case:

? FBI agents visited the Rhode Island home of the in-laws of the suspect's brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and carried away several bags. The brother was killed in a gun battle with police.

Katherine Russell, Tsarnaev's widow, has been staying at the North Kingstown home and did not speak to reporters as she left her attorneys' office in Providence later in the day. Attorney Amato DeLuca says she's doing everything she can to assist with the investigation.

? President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed terrorism coordination Monday in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings. Obama expressed his "appreciation" for Russia's close cooperation after the attack.

The suspected bombers are Russian natives who immigrated to the Boston area. Russian authorities told U.S. officials before the bombings they had concerns about the family, but only revealed details of wiretapped conversations since the attack.

___

AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-29-Boston%20Marathon-Explosions/id-5bdebce447284d50903b4cf3796f612f

michael buble michael buble Jenni Rivera Alive Facebook Down bo jackson bo jackson hanukkah

Ray J Drops 'I Hit It First' Video, Starring Kim Kardashian's Long Lost Twin

Ray hasn't admitted that his new track is about Kim, but the video hints that the similarities aren't just coincidence.
By Rob Markman

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706479/ray-j-i-hit-it-first-video-kim-kardashian.jhtml

michigan football michigan football askew blue moon ann romney Paul Ryan Speech chris cooley

Anthony Foxx in line for transportation post

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Monday will nominate Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx as his new transportation secretary, a White House official said Sunday.

If confirmed by the Senate, Foxx would replace outgoing Secretary Ray LaHood.

Foxx is Obama's first black nominee among the new Cabinet members appointed for the second term. The president faced criticism early in his second term for a lack of diversity among his nominees.

The official insisted on anonymity to avoid public discussion of the pick before the official announcement.

The official noted that Foxx has led efforts to improve his city's transit infrastructure to expand economic opportunity for businesses and workers. During Foxx's term as mayor, Charlotte has broken ground on several important transportation projects, including the Charlotte Streetcar Project to bring modern electric tram service to the city as well as a third parallel runway at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. The city has also moved to extend the LYNX light rail system to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the official said.

If confirmed by the Senate, Foxx would take over a department that has been at the center of Washington's debate over the impact of the so-called sequester cuts. The automatic cuts resulted in furloughs for air traffic controllers that helped cause delays at many airports.

Congress reached a deal last week to provide the Transportation Department flexibility that allowed it to end the air traffic controller furloughs.

Foxx, an attorney who has worked in several positions with the federal government, was first elected mayor in 2009. He raised his national profile last year when Charlotte played host to the Democratic Party's convention.

He also served as a member of the Charlotte City Council.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wh-anthony-foxx-line-transportation-post-211537174.html

hugh jackman Aly Raisman Oscar Results Jennifer Lawrence Fall Ang Lee les miserables jennifer lawrence

Monday, April 29, 2013

Square Updates Its Register iPad App With Kitchen Tickets, Ordering Features To Better Serve Restaurants

Square's point-of-sale technology and iPad-powered register, Square Register is getting a big update today targeted at better serving restaurants. New features in the release include custom order modifiers and customizable kitchen tickets that allow restaurants to make taking orders and serving food more efficient.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/tz-0xBxwGqo/

nfl lil wayne wes welker Chris Cline New Pope Jeff Gordon Test Drive Tamar Braxton

The CW Picks Up The Originals, New Seasons of Beauty and the Beast and Hart of Dixie

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/the-cw-picks-up-the-originals-new-seasons-of-beauty-and-the-beas/

power ball livan hernandez soledad o brien mega ball lottery winner lottery numbers mega millions lottery

Spurs finish 4-game sweep, routing Lakers 103-82

San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) pats guard Tony Parker (9), of France, on the head after he scored as Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (12) faces away during the first half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series, Sunday, April 28, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard, right, shoots as San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan defends during the first half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series, Sunday, April 28, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol, right, of Spain, shoots as San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner defends during the first half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series, Sunday, April 28, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green (4) grabs a rebound away from Los Angeles Lakers guard Darius Morris during the first half in Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series, Sunday, April 28, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? For four straight games, the San Antonio Spurs showed off all the teamwork and tenacity that the Los Angeles Lakers lacked all season long.

And when the Lakers' tumultuous season finally collapsed Sunday night, the smooth Spurs rolled right past them to the second round.

Tony Parker scored 23 points, and San Antonio completed its first-round sweep of the injury-plagued Lakers with a 103-82 victory in Game 4.

Tim Duncan had 11 points and six rebounds for the second-seeded Spurs, who will face the winner of Denver's series with Golden State in the second round. They'll get plenty of rest after flattening the Lakers, who staggered through back-to-back blowout losses at home without three regular starters in their first opening-round exit since 2007.

"Obviously, it wasn't a fair fight," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "When you're a competitor, you want to compete on an even basis, and the Lakers weren't able to do that. ... Even though it wasn't a fair fight, we still want to win the series, and I'm glad we did. Our focus was great."

San Antonio never trailed in the clincher, leading by 25 points in one more businesslike effort against the seventh-seeded Lakers, who provided their usual drama right down to their last gasp.

In his final game before unrestricted free agency, Dwight Howard scored seven points before getting ejected early in the third quarter for arguing. Pau Gasol had 16 points for the Lakers, who were swept from the postseason for the second time in three years despite a late courtside appearance by Kobe Bryant on crutches.

"It was just a weird feeling," Parker said. "Obviously, I am happy we won, but it was just weird. They were missing a lot of guys, so we're just happy to go to the next round."

Howard said the season was "like a nightmare. It's like a bad dream, and we just couldn't wake up from it. That's what it felt like."

The Los Angeles Lakers gave away thousands of white towels to their fans Sunday, and they acquired an unfortunate symbolism: In the final game of a season that began with championship aspirations, the Lakers couldn't keep up without injured starters Bryant, Steve Nash and Metta World Peace. They had just nine available players in uniform for the final minutes.

"I'm proud of them, because they fought," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said. "It was kind of a year that was all upside-down, but I appreciate the effort to get us into the playoffs. We just didn't have it."

After Duncan led the Spurs' blowout in Game 3, Parker took the lead in the clincher, scoring 15 points in the first half while exploiting the Lakers' hastily assembled backcourt. Los Angeles' top four guards are out with injuries, including backups Steve Blake and Jodie Meeks, and Parker was merciless against third-stringers.

"What I was pleased about our team was that we kept our focus every night," Popovich said. "We played hard, followed the game plan and were very active and energetic every night, and sometimes that's hard to do when your opponent is wounded."

Kawhi Leonard and DeJuan Blair added 13 points apiece in the Spurs' balanced scoring effort. San Antonio trailed for fewer than five combined minutes in the four-game series, grinding out points and defensive stops with the steady professionalism of Popovich's best teams.

"This is a good start for us," Duncan said. "We like the pace we're at right now. We like the rhythm we're at right now, and how healthy we are right now. Hopefully it can stay that way."

After an unimpressive game featuring just two field goal attempts in 20 minutes, Howard was tossed with 9:51 left in the third quarter for his second technical foul. The All-Star center, furious with the Spurs' unpunished physical play, yelled a few parting words at the court after walking past general manager Mitch Kupchak in the tunnel to the locker room.

"I hate it for him," D'Antoni said, lamenting the lack of foul calls against players guarding Howard. "He gets banged up so much in there that I'm sure he didn't mean to (get ejected), but he takes a pounding, and after a while, I guess his nerves were shot."

Moments later, Bryant got the solemn Staples Center crowd on its feet when he hobbled out of the tunnel to a seat behind the Lakers' bench, making his first appearance at courtside since tearing his Achilles tendon 16 days ago. Bryant, who might not be healthy by the start of next season, repeatedly yelled instructions and encouragement at the Lakers' young backcourt, Andrew Goudelock and Darius Morris, and fill-in starter Earl Clark.

The 16-time NBA champion Lakers had high hopes for this season after landing Howard and Nash to play alongside Bryant and Gasol, but their hopes disappeared in an avalanche of injuries, losing streaks and turmoil.

There's almost no turbulence around the Spurs, who seamlessly replaced injured starting center Tiago Splitter in Game 4 with Australian rookie Aron Baynes, who had six points and played decent defense in his first NBA start.

The Spurs had control of this series from the start: They posted two methodical victories at home before sending the Lakers to their biggest home playoff defeat in their long franchise history in Game 3, 120-89. The clincher was more of the same, with the Lakers unable to mount enough teamwork to challenge the smooth Spurs.

The Spurs have swept three of their last four playoff series, winning every game in the first two rounds last season before losing in six games to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals. San Antonio is in the second round of the postseason for the fourth time in six seasons since their last championship in 2007.

NOTES: Gasol got a standing ovation when he left the game with 3:08 to play. The two-time NBA champion has one year left on his contract with the Lakers, but could be a trade chip in the Lakers' rebuild. ... Splitter has a sprained ankle and is out indefinitely, although his teammates think he can return during the second round. F Boris Diaw practiced with contact this weekend in his comeback from a back injury. ... The Lakers faced an 0-3 series deficit for the eighth time in franchise history ? and for the eighth time, they were swept. ... Jack Nicholson and Lil Wayne watched at courtside, but both left early in the fourth quarter.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-28-BKN-Spurs-Lakers/id-61a675fb1d1a4ee49d77b4c77f214367

divine mercy chaplet matt lauer albert pujols the shining mariano rivera mariano rivera jobs report

Sunday, April 28, 2013

N. Korea says it will indict American citizen

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ? North Korea said Saturday it will soon put a detained American on trial for allegedly trying to overthrow the government, further complicating already fraught relations between Pyongyang and Washington.

The indictment of Kenneth Bae comes in the middle of a lull after weeks of war threats and other provocative acts by North Korea against the U.S. and South Korea. It has expressed rage over U.N. sanctions over a February nuclear test and ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills, though analysts say Pyongyang's motive is to get its Korean War foes to negotiate on its own terms.

"For North Korea, Bae is a bargaining chip in dealing with the U.S. The North will use him in a way that helps bring the U.S. to talks when the mood slowly turns toward dialogue," said Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean Studies at Seoul's Dongguk University.

Bae, identified in North Korean state media by his Korean name, Pae Jun Ho, is a tour operator of Korean descent who was arrested after arriving with a tour on Nov. 3 in Rason, a special economic zone bordering China and Russia.

He is the sixth American detained in North Korea since 2009. The other Americans were eventually deported or released after high-profile diplomatic interventions, including some involving former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

"The preliminary inquiry into crimes committed by American citizen Pae Jun Ho closed," the official Korean Central News Agency said in a brief report. "In the process of investigation he admitted that he committed crimes aimed to topple the DPRK with hostility toward it. His crimes were proved by evidence."

DPRK is the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Under North Korea's criminal code, terrorist acts include murdering, kidnapping and injuring the country's citizens can lead to a death sentence or life in jail.

North Korea and the United States fought the 1950-53 Korean War and still don't have diplomatic relations. The Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the United States.

KCNA didn't say when Bae's trial will take place or what the charges were.

North Korea's state media and the U.S. government have made little information about Bae public.

But his friends, colleagues and South Korean activists specializing in North Korea affairs said Bae is a Christian missionary based in a Chinese border town who frequently made trips to North Korea to feed orphans there. It is not known whether he tried to evangelize while in North Korea.

Officially, North Korea guarantees freedom of religion. In practice, authorities crack down on Christians, who are seen as Western-influenced threats to the government. The distribution of Bibles and secret prayer services can mean banishment to a labor camp or execution, defectors from the country have said.

In 2009, American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee were arrested and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for trespassing and unspecified hostile acts. They were freed later that year after former President Bill Clinton visited Pyongyang to negotiate their release.

Meanwhile, South Korea is pulling its citizens from a joint factory park in North Korea after Pyongyang rejected Seoul's demand for talks on the inter-Korean symbol of detente on Saturday. The park was shuttered earlier this month after the North pulled its workers out of it, objecting to views in South Korea that the complex is a source of badly needed hard currency for Pyongyang.

Associated Press reporter Sam Kim contributed from Seoul, South Korea.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nkorea-says-indict-american-citizen-031457146.html

Bram Stoker books Paula Broadwell Photos Veterans Day 2012 Nate Silver stock market stock market Obama Acceptance Speech 2012

SELF IMPROVEMENT - Multiple Income Streams! Great ... - Flippa

Special BIN (Buy-It-Now)Bonus - Time Management Video Course With Over 1 Full Hour Of Video Instruction

Do You Want To Dominate the Lucrative Self Improvement Niche With 100% Hand-Crafted Content - Only Self Improvement Site On Flippa With Its Own Ebook!

Premium Self Improvement Website - Jumpstart Your Earnings With The Most Complete Self Improvement WebSite Package on Flippa!

Click Here To View The Website ==> www.TopSelfImprovementTips.com Outstanding Premium Self Improvement Website -

Top Self Improvement Tips

100% Exceptional website -- professionally designed and ready for huge profits!

Become an authority in the lucrative Self Improvement niche!

Here is what you get in this outstanding profit-ready package:?

Content That Readers Want To Read and That Search Engines Love

Long before the internet was invented, the defining axiom in print was that "content is king." Today, where online content dominates print content, many of the world's top SEO and web marketing experts still say that "content is king."

?Why is this the case? That even after decades, no matter the medium, content is still the crux of good marketing? ?

? It's What Builds Loyalty

Businesses aren't built on first-time visitors. Companies like the Wall Street Journal don't make most of their money from people picking up their papers for the first time. ? They make money from people who've read their content and then decided it was good enough that they either want to purchase again or subscribe to a subscription. If the business had to get a new customer every time in order to get paid, they'd all have gone under by now. ? Yet many online publications approach their business that way. Instead of focusing on repeat visitors, they focus on optimizing for search engines so they get more new customers. ? At the end of the day, however, the really famous and successful blogs like Huffington Post or TechCrunch ultimately still get most of their traffic from repeat visitors. Yes, search engines love them - but their businesses would be a fraction of what they are today if they didn't have great content. ?

? The Evolution of Search Engines

For many years Google and other search engines have worked towards making their search results pull up better and better results. They want people who search on their engines to find the best content possible in relationship to what they're looking for. ? As search engines get smarter, marketers who focus primarily on marketing tactics rather than actual content will die away. ? Google has proven this repeatedly by continually downgrading the importance of low-quality links and upgrading the importance of usage statistics and other metrics to actually measure the content of a website. ? If you build your website around great content while having a decent understanding of basic SEO, your site will flourish. If you put all your attention on SEO and don't pay much attention to your content, you'll always be trying to stay one step ahead of the search engines. ?

? The Ability to Sell High Ticket Items ?

A low quality content website might be able to sell $0.20 clicks via AdSense. But a high quality website could sell $5,000 DVD sets by the hundreds. ? Having great quality content allows you to build a relationship with your readers. That relationship allows you to sell any number of things to your readers. From high end items to recurring memberships to one on one coaching, it all starts from having high quality content.

THE Self Improvement MARKETPLACE - The Self Improvement marketplace is HUGE! Every single day millions of people are looking to either do something that they have never done before or do something better than they are currently doing it.

It seems that people today are busier than ever with work, school, family or all of the above. Many people want more control of their time either for the purposes of increasing on-the-job efficiency and productivity or just to claim more "me time".

Special Note: We are now in the year 2012...a New Year, and millions of people have made New Year's Resolutions because they want "this year to be different". They are looking to improve their lives and "start fresh" in the New Year. Now is the perfect time to own TopSelfImprovementTips.com.

Profit From Your Own Self Improvement Product!

Your website package is already setup and ready for you to profit. You have full resell rights to the ebook. The ebook is in PDF format making it easy to read on both PC's and MAC's. Your customers even print the ebook out if they like and read it at the breakfast table over their morning cup of coffee. Since your website is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week your ebook can be ordered at anytime from customers anywhere in the world....even if it's 2AM in the morning. emails from Paypal saying, "Notification of payment received".

It really doesn't get any better than making money while you sleep! You keep 100% of the profits.Get paid instantly directly to your Paypal account!

The beautiful custom-ebook graphic perfectly complements the website. The sales page has already been perfectly integrated into the site for you.

Click Here To View The Built-In SalesPage==> View The Complete Sales Page?

My Personal Experience:

I have to admit that at first I was very skeptical of the whole "self improvement/personal development" "thing". It just seemed like there were a bunch of self-proclaimed gurus who had all found the ultimate "key to success and happiness" and were going to share their vast knowledge with the rest of us.

At some point in time I decided to "just do it" as the Nike slogan and give the whole self improvement thing a try. The first person I really listened to was Anthony Robbins and his "Personal Power" audio series. Even though I thought some of the exercises were simplistic I did them anyway ....after all the whole point was to follow through.

To make a long story short, I was nothing short of amazed at the results I achieved in each and every area of my life. In fact, I was so encouraged that I started looking for more ways to improve things in my life. As a result I got in the best physical shape of my life, created incredible empowering relationships, and earned more money than I ever dreamed possible.
There are millions of people out there who are looking for a solutions to a richer, fuller life just like I was. Let's face it, why settle for the life you have rather than pursue the life you've always dreamed about? Most people realize that there is a better life out there just waiting for them to grab it...and just like I did they will spend whatever it takes on books, audio, dvd's, memberships, etc. that help them achieve that goal.

Self Improvement products can also get quite expensive. That makes this niche perfect for you to cash in with the many lucrative Self Improvement affiliate programs!

Built To Help You Succeed Online:

TopSelfImprovementTips.com was built on the rock-solid WordPress platform. Millions of people already use WordPress and one of the big reasons for that is that Google loves WordPress blogs.

Outstanding, Professional Design

Having great design on a content website will play an important part in your user's overall experience. Good design can increase trust, while poor design can decrease trust. Better designed websites will get more opt-ins, more sales and more referrals. In general, design plays a pretty big part in the overall web marketing picture.

Your header graphic is one of the most important elements of what your website looks like. After all, it'll be on the top of every page visitors go to, affecting their overall experience. Your first 200 pixels can have a big effect on both the "vibe" of your site, as well as your total conversion rate. This makes your website header graphic a key component in a professional, well-designed website.

The header on this website is designed to grab attention. It tells the user what the site is about, who you are or any number of other things. In other words, the header plays an active role rather than a passive role in the website.

A color-coordinated, professional website like this one is designed to make a positive impression on your visitors. The effect is a bit like an office. Imagine a client coming into your office. Before they even have a chance to gauge your business or your character, they're already making judgments based on the cleanliness and design of your space. Your colors and graphics work in much the same way. It doesn't necessarily reflect on the quality of your product, but the reader will still make decisions about your credibility, reliability and professionalism based just on your colors and graphics.

This website is built using a highly customized premium theme. This highly-customized theme is only available through me. Let me give you an example. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the website and look at the customized footer. All the elements of the footer were created simply by dragging and dropping components from your WordPress admin panel. You simply do not see this level of flexibility and customization in such a low price.

Dynamic Featured Content Images -- A stunning dynamic image gallery sits front and center on your website and adds a polished professional look. The high-quality, high-resolution, images change automatically and captivate the viewer ...keeping them on your website longer!?

Dynamic Anti-Spam Tool -- No need for you to lift a finger worrying about spam comments on your site. The dynamic spam tool takes care of everything seamlessly and in the background.?

Automatically Updating Site Map -- All search engines love site maps, especially Google. Your site is already equipped with a site map that automatically updates each time new content is added. This is a tremendous time saver as well as being great for search engine optimization.?

Integrated Contact Form -- This is an absolute essential for any website. Rather than simply having your e-mail address exposed to every spammer on the planet your integrated contact form makes it possible for your website visitors to contact you without you having to reveal your e-mail address. A contact form is an absolute essential because when you're running an online business you never know who may want to pay you to advertise on your site or even buy your website out right!?Customized contact form so that the sender must correctly answer a simple question to validate that they are human. If they don't give the correct answer they get an error message and won't be able to bug you. Feel free to try it out for yourself if you would like.?

Integrated SEO Components -- Your website contains the necessary components that make effective search engine optimization a snap!

Website Package That is Professionally Designed?

Highly Customized Premium Website

?Exceptional Self Improvement Graphics

Many high-resolution Self Improvement graphics.

?Outstanding Domain Name

Outstanding short, easy-to-remember, keyword-rich domain name TopSelfImprovementTips.com to fit any promotional needs.

?Top-Selling ClickBank Products

The top-selling Clickbank products are already built into the site. Make up to 75% per sale!

?Google Adsense Already Integrated

My own personal testing has shown that one Adsense location I have set up for you gets 10 times more clicks than any other Adsense placement on the page!

?Amazon Already Integrated

Best-selling Amazon Self Improvement products are prominently displayed on the front page making it easy for your visitors to buy. Amazon is one of the most trusted of all online merchants and lends credibility to your website.

?Customized Favicon

These make your website stand out from the crowd even more!

?Search Engine Optimized

The website is SEO'd from the inside out. Before any of the content was written thorough keyword research was performed to select high-profit/low-competition keywords. With these carefully selected keywords it is possible to rank high in the search engines before you even have a single backlink to your website!

?Here Is Just Some Feedback That A Few Of My Flippa Clients Were Nice Enough To Write About Me

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> A+ seller!!!! Extremely helpful and patient with new Flippa user! Will do business again!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> SmartQuant is professional, effective communicator and provided quick turn-around time. Very flexible and accommodating. Highly recommended!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> Tony couldn't do enough for me when I purchased his site. He really did over deliver in customer service by providing me with additional web support.
I would have no hesitation in purchasing another site
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> Smooth and easy transaction. Very pleased overall with this experience with this seller. Will buy from again!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> Extremely professional, courteous, and speedy transaction... definitely would deal with again...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> If your not 100% confident with these sorts of things you should feel confident that this seller will help you every step of the way. 100% satisfied.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> This Guys Was Totally Awesome! Website Rocked, and He Walked Me Through The Entire Process... I was very happy with the process.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> Great seller,easy transaction, great communications. Would buy from again
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> This seller is very fast and always responds eagerly! A++++++
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> Thanks, It has been great working with you. Thanks again for all the help.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> A+++. Good communication. Fast and smooth transfer. Great seller. A pleasure deal with.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> Very smooth and easy transaction .Extremely helpful. Very friendly communication. Very highly recommend to everyone. Would buy from this seller again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> Great seller ... excellent after-sales help to get everything set up and operating ... especially for someone new to this kind of thing. thanks!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> super deal- great package and high quality content in the ebook- thx
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==> Good seller. Solid communication throughout and quick delivery. Recommended.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Following Exceptional Bonuses Are Available To The BIN(Buy-It-Now) Buyer:

Outstanding Bonus #1:?

Self Improvement Ebook - This ebook contains great Self Improvement information which makes it perfectly fitting for your website TopSelfImprovementTips.com! You can sell this ebook or even give it away to build a massive email list!?A $79.95 Value

Outstanding Bonus #2:?

Twitter Video Course - This video course shows you how to use the ever popular Twitter to get higher rankings in Google! A $49.95 Value

Outstanding Bonus #3:?

List Building Video Course - In this video course you will learn the in's and out's of building a massive mailing list. Once you have a mailing list you can send your offers to your list repeatedly in order to build a recurring income. A $49.95 Value

Outstanding Bonus #4:?

Free Site Transfer - No need to worry about being technically savvy. I'll gladly take care of the site transfer to your hosting. A $39.95 Value.

Outstanding Bonus #5:?

FaceBook Traffic Video Course - Get your share of the incredible traffic from FaceBook's 500 million users! These videos are not to be missed! A $79.95 Value.

Outstanding Bonus #6:?

Free Input of Your Affiliate Links - We all know what a time-consuming task this can be. No worries! This is all taken care of for you. Just give me your info and I'll do the rest. A $39.95 Value.

Outstanding Bonus #7:?

Access To Step-By-Step WordPress Videos - You get free access to over 20 WordPress videos. These easy-to-follow, information-packed videos cover everything from editing content to adding new content and much, much more. A $79.95 Value

Outstanding Bonus #8:?

Motivation Ebook - This ebook contains greatinformation on staying motivated which makes it perfectly fitting for your website TopSelfImprovementTips.com! You can sell this ebook or even give it away to build a massive email list!?A $69.95 Value

Outstanding Bonus #9:?

Time Management Ebook & Video Course - This ebook contains great Time Management information which makes it perfectly fitting for your website TopSelfImprovementTips.com! You can sell this ebook or even give it away to build a massive email list. There is also a complimentary Time Management Video Course included with over 1 hour of time management training. A $129.95 Value.

Your Website

Click Here To View The Website ==> www.TopSelfImprovementTips.com

**Additional Information**

TopSelfImprovementTips.com - Short, Premium, keyword-rich Self Improvement domain name. These are almost impossible to find these days. Domain name registered at Godaddy so it can easily be transferred to you.

Questions And Answers:

Answers To Questions That You May Have: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Q:?Why are you selling?

A:?I build these sites as a hobby. At first, I started out building a few website related to Forex and Stocks for my own use. I soon found that building websites relaxes me and have continued to build high-quality websites ever since.

When I started building sites I had no idea that the demand for my sites would be so great. I am pleased to be able to offer such high-quality at prices that anyone can afford.
UPDATE:?By popular demand I've decided to expand my offerings by teaming up with some top-notch web designers, copywriters, and product creators to offer Flippa members a wider variety of quality niche websites.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Q: Do you provide service after the sale?

A: Yes, I pride myself in making sure you get up and running quickly and easily.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Q: Has the site already been properly search engine optimized?

A: Yes, I have personally done the necessary keyword research.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Q: Where is the domain registered?

A: The domain name is registered with Godaddy. I will transfer the domain name to you free of charge.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -?- - - - - - - - - - - - - -?

Q: When do I have to pay when I am the winning bidder?

A: Payment is due immediately after notification of your winning bid.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -?

I will happily move your website for you for free within 5 days of purchase as long as your host has cpanel.

Get instant updates of newly available website packages ? Click Here

To express your interest to the seller, or post a public comment, you need to log in or sign up.

Source: https://flippa.com/2919471-self-improvement-multiple-income-streams-great-content-gorgeous-pro-design

mario balotelli mario balotelli espn3 kevin youkilis Tropical Storm Debby legend of korra magic mike trailer

Stock index futures fall, focus on GDP data

LONDON (Reuters) - Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 falling 0.1 to 0.3 percent.

U.S. economic growth likely rebounded in the first quarter after almost stalling at the end of 2012 as Americans shrugged off higher taxes and stepped up spending, but the trend is likely temporary.

Japan will give the green light later on Friday for Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner to resume flights, the transport minister said, allowing top customers Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways to get the cutting-edge jet back in the air.

Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers release final April consumer sentiment index at 1355 GMT. Economists expect a reading of 73.2, compared with 72.3 in the preliminary April report.

Samsung Electronics grabbed more smartphone market share from arch-rival Apple in the latest quarter, with sales of its phones jumping to account for one third of the global market.

Economic Cycle Research Institute releases its weekly index of economic activity for April 19 at 1430 GMT. In the prior week, the index read 130.6.

Weyerhaeuser Co reported $0.26 earnings per share in the first quarter, while sales were $2 billion. It increased quarterly dividend by 18 percent and said dividend was set at 20 cents per share.

Other companies announcing results include Chevron , Tyco International , D.R. Horton and Goodyear Tire & Rubber .

Amazon.com Inc's revenue growth slowed in the first quarter as the world's largest Internet retail struggled overseas, but margins jumped on lower shipping expenses and the expansion of more profitable new businesses.

AT&T Inc will kick off its home security and monitoring service in 15 U.S. markets on Friday, seeking to develop revenue streams beyond cellphone services.

Microsoft Corp came out on top in the first of two patent trials versus Google Inc's Motorola Mobility unit on Thursday, as a federal judge in Seattle ruled largely in its favor.

European shares fell 0.5 percent early on Friday, cooling after five straight sessions of gains, with some disappointing earnings weighing on indexes.

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, lifted by stronger-than-expected earnings and a large drop in weekly jobless claims.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> rose 24.50 points or 0.17 percent, to 14,700.80 at the close. The S&P 500 <.spx> gained 6.37 points or 0.40 percent, to 1,585.16. The Nasdaq Composite <.ixic> added 20.33 points or 0.62 percent, to close at 3,289.99.

(Reporting by Atul Prakash; Editing by Toby Chopra)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-index-futures-fall-focus-gdp-data-091008483--finance.html

lil wayne wes welker ides of march pi higgs boson reggie bush pope

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Business Networking With Dr. Ivan Misner ? Business Networking ...

In?this second?installment of the Networking Faux Pas Series, I talk about Premature Solicitation (a term you certainly don?t want to attempt to say three times fast as it very well may get you into a little bit of trouble . . .)?a classic example of how NOT to network. I share a personal story of an occurr...

People often mistakenly perceive what goes on at networking meetings and events as making small talk with a bunch of strangers.? Real business networking , however, isn?t about making small talk at all; rather it is about building meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships with other business professionals and ...

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was in Sweden on business and my wife Beth and I had the truly unique and memorable experience of staying at the Ice Hotel?.? The owner of hotel happens to be a member of BNI?, the global networking organization I started back in 1985, and during my time there I had the opportunity to not...

Since business referrals are the principal tools and the valued currency of networking, you should make sure that yours are both timely and appropriate.? Here are five important points to consider in giving a good referral: 1. Listen for needs from the people you meet.? When you meet someone who expresses a need, tell ...

In this video, I talk about the two factors that I firmly believe are what make people successful in any situation?hard work and good choices.? The truth is, you can?t achieve success without both of these things. People talk all the time about the necessity of hard work when it comes to success and though t...

The truth is, if you choose a networking group that focuses entirely on your target market, chances are you?ll be in a group of people who are a lot like you.? Sounds like a good thing, you say?? Well, it?s not.? A group that consists of a whole lot of people like you tends to hang out together in other se...

This is the first post of a series of video blogs I?ll be doing on networking faux pas.? The faux pas I talk about in this video is what I call ?abusing the relationship.?? I tell the story of a woman who used her relationship with another networker in a way that was very wrong and even somewhat decep...

I learned an important lesson about the fundamentals of success while playing football many years ago.? We had a fairly good team my junior year of high school and most of the players on the team were juniors.? The following year the team had mostly seniors, and we had some pretty high expectations for the season.? A ...

There are little ways and big ways of making a difference in someone?s life.? More likely than not, there?s someone you can immediately call to mind who has impacted you and really made a difference in your life, whether it happened recently or even back during your formative years. There are definitely cert...

If you interact with your clients, customers, referral sources, and contacts with a referral mind-set, show them that you are a giver, help others, and continually and strategically give referrals, you?re modeling the behavior you want others to exhibit toward you.? By itself, however, that?s not enough to t...

When it comes to business, having fun is something that?s almost never talked about?it?s almost like people think fun and business are two completely unrelated, and mutually exclusive things.? However, I don?t share that opinion at all.? I definitely think it?s important to have fun in bus...

I?m excited to announce that during April 1st-5th, I am going to be participating in an online event called ?Everything Your Business Needs? and I?ll be one of over twenty business experts presenting on an array of topics and areas of business that are important for every business owner to educate...

Are you using coin-operated networking? In this short video, I discuss coin-operated networking vs. Givers Gain networking and I explain why the transactional process (I will give you this, now you have to give me that) doesn?t work because there is always a scorecard. The value of the referrals may also be the dif...

Many people have surface-level referral relationships.? They know just enough about a referral source?s business to get by.? They don?t actually know a lot about the person themselves.? They tend to say vague things like: ?They are really nice,? ?You?ll like them, they are a good pe...

View All Posts

Source: http://businessnetworking.com/

catherine zeta jones charlize theron barbra streisand barbra streisand hugh jackman Aly Raisman Oscar Results

Rotoworld: Live, up to the minute NFL Draft news

CollegeBasketballTalk

College hoops news and rumors
? CBT on NBCSports.com

Off the Bench

An irreverent, offbeat look at sports
? OTB on NBCSports.com

Source: http://www.rotoworld.com/playernews/nfl/football-player-news

kermit gosnell jackie robinson Coachella 2013 Scary Movie 5 MTV Movie Awards 2013 masters masters leaderboard

Friday, April 26, 2013

Chiefs pick Central Michigan's Eric Fisher at No 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) ? The Kansas City Chiefs have a new anchor for their offensive line.

The Chiefs selected Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher first overall in the NFL draft Thursday night, grabbing a potential replacement for Branden Albert and someone to protect the blindside of new quarterback Alex Smith. The Chiefs picked Fisher over Texas A&M tackle Luke Joeckel to lead off a draft heavy on offensive and defensive linemen.

"I can't even process what's happening right now," Fisher said. "This is a dream come true, the fact that I was the No. 1 pick. I can't even understand what's going on right now, but what an honor. What an honor. A great opportunity."

Fisher is the third offensive lineman picked No. 1 since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

The Chiefs had the top pick in the modern NFL draft for the first time in franchise history. But rather than announce their intentions early, like the Indianapolis Colts did in picking Andrew Luck last season, new general manager John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid decided to wait until they were on the clock before making their choice public.

Kansas City was still considering a handful of players early this week, including Joeckel, who many believed was the best available player. Dorsey also indicated that he would listen to offers from teams trying to trade up until the last possible minute.

When nothing materialized, Dorsey phoned in his selection to Radio City Music Hall, and Fisher became the first player from Central Michigan to be picked first overall.

He's only the third player in the past 20 years to be drafted first from a non-BCS school, and the first non-quarterback. The only other player out of Central Michigan to go in the first round was Joe Staley, the San Francisco 49ers' Pro Bowl left tackle.

With surprising athleticism in a 6-foot-7, 306-pound frame, Fisher rocketed up draft boards during the annual scouting combine. His ability to make blocks in the open field ? not to mention a bit of a mean streak ? made him a natural fit for Reid's offense.

The Chiefs were in a need of a quarterback after going 2-14 a year ago, but without a top-end talent available, they acquired Smith in a trade with San Francisco. That allowed them to spend the most coveted pick in the draft on who they believed to be the best player.

While Fisher doesn't play a marquee position such as quarterback or wide receiver, and may not push the needle for many Chiefs fans, he does fill a significant need.

Albert, who the Chiefs picked in the first round in 2008, was given the franchise tag in March when the two sides failed to reach agreement on a long-term deal. He ultimately signed the tender, which guarantees him about $9.3 million next season, but has repeatedly expressed his unhappiness with the lack of long-term stability. The Chiefs granted permission to the Dolphins to speak with Albert's agent, and it's possible a trade could happen during the draft. Kansas City was seeking a second-round pick.

That would allow Fisher to slide into the starting lineup at left tackle. Even if Albert plays for the Chiefs next season, one of them could shift to the right side.

Fisher's only scholarship offers out of high school came from Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan, and he said at the combine in February that he heard from Michigan State and Purdue but that "neither of them really wanted anything to do with me."

The Chiefs certainly have made him feel wanted.

While Fisher is a solid pass blocker, his real strength comes in the running game, where he helped the Chippewas' Zurlon Tipton run for 1,492 yards and 19 touchdowns last season.

Now, he'll be blocking for Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles.

Fisher is the 13th offensive lineman that the Chiefs have drafted in the first round, the most of any position. He also continues a trend: Dorsey helped to pick offensive linemen two of the past four years when he was working for the Packers, and Reid selected offensive guard Danny Watkins with the Eagles' first-round pick in 2011.

The only other offensive linemen picked first overall had been Orlando Pace, who the Rams selected in 1997, and Jake Long, the choice of the Dolphins in 2008.

Pace started 165 games over 13 seasons, and was voted an All-Pro three times while making seven Pro Bowls. Long started 68 of the 80 games he's played over the past five seasons, going to the Pro Bowl every year from 2008-11, but appeared to decline this past year.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chiefs-pick-central-michigans-eric-fisher-no-1-002757222--nfl.html

scott walker recall fisker atlantic social darwinism wisconsin recall election april 4 santa monica college wisconsin primary

Did an Earthquake Destroy Ancient Greece?

The grand Mycenaens, the first Greeks, inspired the legends of the Trojan Wars, "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey." Their culture abruptly declined around 1200 B.C., marking the start of a Dark Ages in Greece.

The disappearance of the Mycenaens is a Mediterranean mystery. Leading explanations include warfare with invaders or uprising by lower classes. Some scientists also think one of the country's frequent earthquakes could have contributed to the culture's collapse. At the ruins of Tiryns, a fortified palace, geologists hope to find evidence to confirm whether an earthquake was a likely culprit.

Tiryns was one of the great Mycenaean cities. Atop a limestone hill, the city-state's king built a palace with walls so thick they were called Cyclopean, because only the one-eyed monster could have carried the massive limestone blocks. The walls were about 30 feet (10 meters) high and 26 feet (8 m) wide, with blocks weighing 13 tons, said Klaus-G. Hinzen, a seismologist at the University of Cologne in Germany and project leader. He presented his team's preliminary results April 19 at the Seismological Society of America's annual meeting in Salt Lake City. [History's Most Overlooked Mysteries]

Hinzen and his colleagues have created a 3D model of Tiryns based on laser scans of the remaining structures. Their goal is to determine if the walls' collapse could only have been caused by an earthquake. Geophysical scanning of the sediment and rock layers beneath the surface will provide information for engineering studies on how the ground would shake in a temblor.

The work is complex, because many blocks were moved by amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann in 1884 and later 20th-century restorations, Hinzen said. By combing through historic photos, the team found unaltered wall sections to test. They also hope to use a technique called optical luminescence dating on soil under the blocks, which could reveal whether the walls toppled all at the same time, as during an earthquake.

"This is really a challenge because of the alterations. We want to take a careful look at the original conditions," Hinzen told OurAmazingPlanet.

Another hurdle: finding the killer quake. There are no written records from the Mycenaean decline that describe a major earthquake, nor oral folklore. Hinzen also said compared with other areas of Greece, the region has relatively few active faults nearby. "There is no evidence for an earthquake at this time, but there was strong activity at the subduction zone nearby," he said.

The Mycenaean preference to place their fortresses atop limestone hills surrounded by sediment would concentrate shaking, even from distant earthquakes, Hinzen said. "The [seismic] waves get trapped in the outcrop and this can do a lot of damage. They are on very vulnerable sites," he said.

The researchers also plan to study the ancient Mycenaean city of Midea. The group has done similar work investigating ancient earthquakes in Turkey, Germany and Rome.

Email Becky Oskin or follow her @beckyoskin. Follow us?@OAPlanet, Facebook?& Google+. Original article on LiveScience's OurAmazingPlanet.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/did-earthquake-destroy-ancient-greece-173454478.html

TJ Lane lindsey vonn lindsey vonn nit first day of spring Club Penguin Espn Bracket

Movie review: 'Pain & Gain' is Bay's nauseating stab at comedy | The ...

This undated publicity photo released by courtesy of Paramount Pictures shows, from left, Dwayne Johnson as Paul Doyle, Mark Wahlberg as Daniel Lugo and Anthony Mackie as Adrian Doorbal in the film, "Pain and Gain," directed by Michael Bay from Paramount Pictures. The film releases in theaters April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures)

Movie review: ?Pain & Gain? is Bay?s nauseating stab at comedy

By Sean P. Means

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Apr 25 2013 01:14 pm ? Updated 8 hours ago

"Pain & Gain" is like "Fargo," except that: 1) It?s set in sunny Miami rather than snowy Minnesota. 2) It?s based on a real murder case, so the humorous take on violence is harder to swallow. 3) It?s directed by Michael Bay ("Bad Boys," "Transformers"). It?s comedy as nuanced as a barbell to the head.

The story centers on Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg), a success-driven bodybuilder who hatches a plan to kidnap a deli franchise mogul (Tony Shalhoub) and force him to sign his vast wealth over to him and his iron-pumping cronies, Christian convert Paul (Dwayne Johnson) and steroid-injecting Adrian (Anthony Mackie). And since these three have biceps for brains, the plot doesn?t quite go according to plan.

zero stars

?Pain & Gain?

Opens Friday, April 26, at theaters everywhere; rated R for bloody violence, crude sexual content, nudity, language throughout and drug use; 130 minutes.

Bay trots out his inner Tarantino, treating the nauseating violence as if it?s just nutty hilarity, and drives home every "joke" with his trademark sledgehammer subtlety. (Oh, and boobies.)

Sometimes you only know it?s a comedy because familiar comic actors ? Shalhoub, Rob Corddry, Ken Jeong and Rebel Wilson ? pop up amid the mayhem.

movies@sltrib.com; www.sltrib.com/entertainment

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment2/56209344-223/bay-comedy-gain-pain.html.csp

Tom Kenny Long Island Medium Alfonso Ribeiro adam sandler College Football Scoreboard nfl scores nfl scores

The reality of shopping for health insurance ? e-Patient Dave

I keep hearing disparaging things about what lousy consumers patients are ? unable to understand how things work, unable to understand the options. Well, as I often say in my speeches, in any other industry you go out of business if consumers don?t understand you ? because customers ditch you. But in medicine we consumers can?t easily do that. Heck, we can hardly get our hands on information in the first place.

Case in point: when I shopped for health insurance in 2011, I found out just how slanted the table is when companies offer insurance and consumers buy it.

Here?s the true story of the information I was given.

1. Cancer? You can?t play in our market ? go away.

First, Blue Cross of New Hampshire asked if I?d ever had various things. When I said cancer, they went from cordial & friendly to cold and ?go away.? It was rude, frankly.

But at least I could get at the high risk pool. Some states won?t let people like me get ANY insurance without a six month waiting period. (Up yours, states. And up yours, regulators in those states.)

2. Here are your options. Figure it out yourself.

Of course they didn?t phrase it that way, but I was given five separate PDFs for the available plans, A-D and H. H wasn?t available to me ? it?s family-only.

I couldn?t make sense out of them separately so I typed them into a grid. (I could have written it on paper of course.)

Raw options as presented to me

3. So, which is best?

Heck if I know! ?The whole point of spending known dollars on insurance is to control the risk of maybe having?disastrously high spending. But??different premiums, different deductibles, different co-pay, different ? aaaahggg! How do I choose? What if I get cancer again ? which policy is best? What if I never have a single thing this year that requires a doctor visit? Which is best?

4. Scenarios!

Being a business person, accustomed to doing forecasts, I knew that what you do is run some scenarios ? some different examples. Calculate the numbers and see how it pans out:

Doing those calculations on paper is possible but I know Excel, which can do it faster and better and produce many many scenarios.

It got geeky:

Full table

For each plan option, at each level of spending, I added up the insurance premiums, deductible, co-pay, on and on. ?To do this, I had to use Excel features like ?named ranges? and formulas like this:

=IF(Actual<Deductible,Actual,Deductible) =IF(maxoop<I9+I10,maxoop,I9+I10)

and so on.?(It?s not shown here but I ran the columns out to $25,000 of actual spending.)

Now, notice two things:

Insurance companies have people who do this all the time. Ordinary families don?t. This is not a level playing field.
It?s still not clear what?s the best option. You still can?t tell which plan gets better or worse as spending grows.

5. To the graphs!

Well, again from business, I knew what you do when the numbers are overwhelming: you graph them, so you can see the trends.
Graph of the numbers

So now I could see what the actuaries in the insurance companies know:

Once you hit $5000 of actual spending, options A, B & C are pretty much identical.
Below that level, Option D (high deductible) is cheapest.
Above that level, that option becomes most expensive.

Which one would you choose? Your answer may be different from mine: do you anticipate lots of bills or little? That?s always the choice with insurance ? and you can?t answer it if you don?t understand how each option plays out.

Said differently: You can?t be an informed consumer if you don?t have information you understand.

I chose to place my bet on ?I don?t think I?ll have a lot of spending,? so I chose Option D. ?It?s $10,000 deductible, so as you can see, up to $10k it?s a straight line: every dollar of medical bills comes out of my pocket.

I was happy to take that deal, but it was hard. ?So I am sick to death of hearing that patients make lousy consumers.

Give us clear information about our options, their quality, and our prices,
and give us ability to choose, and to change our minds.
Then we?ll see who?s a competent consumer.

Without those conditions, such accusations are abusive.

Source: http://epatientdave.com/2013/04/25/the-reality-of-shopping-for-health-insurance/

masters golf tournament the replacements how to hard boil eggs new nfl uniforms derbyshire the matrix oceans 11

Longer days bring 'winter blues' -- for rats, not humans

Apr. 25, 2013 ? Most of us are familiar with the "winter blues," the depression-like symptoms known as "seasonal affective disorder," or SAD, that occurs when the shorter days of winter limit our exposure to natural light and make us more lethargic, irritable and anxious. But for rats it's just the opposite.

Biologists at UC San Diego have found that rats experience more anxiety and depression when the days grow longer. More importantly, they discovered that the rat's brain cells adopt a new chemical code when subjected to large changes in the day and night cycle, flipping a switch to allow an entirely different neurotransmitter to stimulate the same part of the brain.

Their surprising discovery, detailed in the April 26 issue of Science, demonstrates that the adult mammalian brain is much more malleable than was once thought by neurobiologists. Because rat brains are very similar to human brains, their finding also provides a greater insight into the behavioral changes in our brain linked to light reception. And it opens the door for new ways to treat brain disorders such as Parkinson's, caused by the death of dopamine-generating cells in the brain.

The neuroscientists discovered that rats exposed for one week to 19 hours of darkness and five hours of light every day had more nerve cells making dopamine, which made them less stressed and anxious when measured using standardized behavioral tests. Meanwhile, rats exposed for a week with the reverse -- 19 hours of light and five hours of darkness -- had more neurons synthesizing the neurotransmitter somatostatin, making them more stressed and anxious.

"We're diurnal and rats are nocturnal," said Nicholas Spitzer, a professor of biology at UC San Diego and director of the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind. "So for a rat, it's the longer days that produce stress, while for us it's the longer nights that create stress."

Because rats explore and search for food at night, while humans evolved as creatures who hunt and forage during the daylight hours, such differences in brain chemistry and behavior make sense. Evolutionary changes presumably favored humans who were more active gatherers of food during the longer days of summer and saved their energy during the shorter days of winter.

"Light is what wakes us up and if we feel depressed we go for a walk outside," said Davide Dulcis, a research scientist in Spitzer's laboratory and the first author of the study. "When it's spring, I feel more motivation to do the things I like to do because the days are longer. But for the rat, it's just the opposite. Because rats are nocturnal, they're less stressed at night, which is good because that's when they can spend more time foraging or eating."

But how did our brains change when humans evolved millions of years ago from small nocturnal rodents to diurnal creatures to accommodate those behavioral changes?

"We think that somewhere in the brain there's been a change," said Spitzer. "Sometime in the evolution from rat to human there's been an evolutionary adjustment of circuitry to allow switching of neurotransmitters in the opposite direction in response to the same exposure to a balance of light and dark."

A study published earlier this month in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found some correlation to the light-dark cycle in rats and stress in humans, at least when it comes to people searching on the internet for information in the winter versus the summer about mental illness. Using Google's search data from 2006 to 2010, a team of researchers led by John Ayers of San Diego State University found that mental health searches on Google were, in general, 14 percent higher in the winter in the United States and 11 percent higher in the Australian winter.

"Now that we know that day length can switch transmitters and change behavior, there may be a connection," said Spitzer.

In their rat experiments, the UC San Diego neuroscientists found that the switch in transmitter synthesis in the rat's brain cells from dopamine to somatostatin or back again was not due to the growth of new neurons, but to the ability of the same neurons there to produce different neurotransmitters.

Rats exposed to 19 hours of darkness every 24 hours during the week showed higher numbers of dopamine neurons within their brains and were more likely, the researchers found, to explore the open end of an elevated maze, a behavioral test showing they were less anxious. These rats were also more willing to swim, another laboratory test that showed they were less stressed.

"Because rats are nocturnal animals, they like to explore during the night and dopamine is a key part of our and their reward system," said Spitzer. "It's part of what allows them to be confident and reduce anxiety."

The researchers said they don't know precisely how this neurotransmitter switch works. Nor do they know what proportion of light and darkness or stress triggers this switch in brain chemistry. "Is it 50-50? Or 80 percent light versus dark and 20 percent stress? We don't know," added Spitzer. "If we just stressed the animal and didn't change their photoperiod, would that lead to changes in transmitter identity? We don't know, but those are all doable experiments."

But as they learn more about this trigger mechanism, they said one promising avenue for human application might be to use this neurotransmitter switch to deliver dopamine effectively to parts of the brain that no longer receive dopamine in Parkinson's patients.

"We could switch to a parallel pathway to put dopamine where it's needed with fewer side effects than pharmacological agents," said Dulcis.

The other researchers involved in the study, which was funded by grants from the Ellison Medical Foundation, were Pouya Jamshidi and Stefan Leutgeb of UC San Diego.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - San Diego.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

D. Dulcis, P. Jamshidi, S. Leutgeb, N. C. Spitzer. Neurotransmitter Switching in the Adult Brain Regulates Behavior. Science, 2013; 340 (6131): 449 DOI: 10.1126/science.1234152

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/jWxZHMiyj5c/130425142430.htm

space shuttle discovery spacex tupac hologram tupac back tax deadline death race buffet rule