Home Projects ? Different Types of Home Improvement Projects

Home improvement projects are of different types and styles. Generally, home improvement refers to changing and altering the layout of a home?s exterior and interior parts.

These types of projects are typically done to add beauty in the home?s interiors, repair damages, do comfort upgrades, improve home safety and security, and to add space and rooms.

Interior design is perfect to beautify the interior spaces of your home. Painting and wallpapering ceilings, installing flooring, upgrading and repairing doors and windows, installing new cabinetry, and upgrading appliances are some of the home improvement projects you can do to enhance the look of your home?s interior. For installing flooring, you can either use wood panels, tiling materials, carpets and linoleum. New cabinets can be for your kitchen and bathrooms. You can also do upgrades on your kitchen sink, bathtub, bathroom and kitchen fixtures.

Home improvement projects for the purpose of repair include electrical fix-ups and plumbing, roof replacement, and structural repairs due to water damages or natural disasters.

Comfort upgrades include installing new or improved heating, ventilation and air conditioning, as well as upgrading bathrooms, music rooms and bedrooms.

To improve home safety and add better security, you can have fire system upgrades. Choose between sprinkler system and fire alarms. Other security improvement includes installing or upgrading burglar alarms, security doors and windows. Protection from natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes are available too.

For home additions, you can either add rooms and additional floors, or you can simply convert unused spaces into additional rooms.

These home improvement projects can be accomplished in two approaches.

If you have a bigger budget, you can hire general contractors to draw up renovation plans and get the job done. Then, there is the do-it-yourself approach. Step-by-step guides on the different renovation projects are widely available online, so the job can be done by yourself easily.

Source: http://www.accesalafunciopublica.com/2012/08/29/different-types-of-home-improvement-projects/

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Maximize Your Business Leads with Facebook and LinkedIn ...

Throughout time, businesses, especially local-based operations, depended largely on what was known once as word-of-mouth that is now, in the full impetus of the online marketing generation, is known as networking.

Online networking basically comes in two formats ? either for business to business or business to consumer. Business to business networking can mean becoming a member of a local marketing Forum who offers to meet on a weekly or even monthly basis to discuss latest trends in the local business community.

Well most of the people at these meetings may not be involved in the same business; they will use these meeting places as an informal means of gathering local information that may result in contact and sales. In some cases networking forums of this nature may become national, multiplying opportunities to harvest leads.

As far as making contacts online with the same goal of lead gathering then one of the biggest mediums these days is undoubtedly LinkedIn, whose member base is growing at a tremendous rate. LinkedIn houses trade forums for every sector of business as well as for service providers covering every trade and industry sector. For any business, large or small, having an employee of two active on LinkedIn is a very worthwhile investment.

Tremendously larger in scale but on a similar theme is Facebook. It goes without saying that the networking possibilities on this media giant are totally unlimited. Geared towards the business to consumer sector, maintaining a Facebook page can bring tremendous opportunities and will generate a tremendous number of business leads. What must be remembered when launching a Facebook page is to be ready for the massive influx of potential clientele and remember that these leads will generally be one off in nature.

For business owners who are looking for trade in the consumer sector and find the prospect of dealing with Facebook just a little daunting, a little research may help them to find local consumer marketing websites where they can establish a presence.? The obvious advantage for any marketing company that finds such a niche is that they will be a big fish in a small pool instead of being one of many hundreds of thousands reaching out for a market which will probably be less than relevant to them because of the geographical distances involved.

When it comes to setting a marketing leads harvesting policy, companies should sit down and decide exactly what they?re looking for and how to go about it with the minimum costs and maximum effect.? Being able to identify where the best opportunities lie to harvest marketing leads will save a lot of time, money and effort.

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Tim has been assisting businesses with their promotional activities online and offline. Tim comes from a brand support background, where he helped businesses with?promotional magnets and pens. Over the last 4 years, Tim has been an active contributor in the business community.

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Source: http://blog.buyrealmarketing.com/social-media-6110/2012-08-29/maximize-your-business-leads-with-facebook-and-linkedin-networking.html

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Suspect escapes during Texas girl assault trial

This undated booking photo provided by the Liberty County Sheriff's Department in Liberty, Texas, shows Eric McGowen. Opening statements were scheduled to begin Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Liberty in a trial for McGowen, who is charged with aggravated sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl in 2010 in Cleveland, Texas. McGowen is among 14 adults charged in the case. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child. (AP Photo/Courtesy the Liberty County Sheriff's Department)

This undated booking photo provided by the Liberty County Sheriff's Department in Liberty, Texas, shows Eric McGowen. Opening statements were scheduled to begin Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Liberty in a trial for McGowen, who is charged with aggravated sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl in 2010 in Cleveland, Texas. McGowen is among 14 adults charged in the case. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child. (AP Photo/Courtesy the Liberty County Sheriff's Department)

LIBERTY, Texas (AP) ? One of more than a dozen men and boys accused in the repeated sexual assault of an 11-year-old Texas girl escaped from the courthouse during a break in his trial after the child tearfully testified and jurors watched a video showing one of the alleged assaults.

Eric McGowen, 20, is the first of 14 adults to face trial, accused of sexually assaulting the girl during three months in 2010. Six juveniles also are charged in the attacks in Cleveland, a small town about 45 miles northeast of Houston.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys huddled briefly with Judge Mark Morefield after McGowen failed to return to the courtroom in nearby Liberty following an afternoon break Wednesday.

Morefield said a bench warrant had been issued and that the trial would go on without McGowen. Bail was increased from $35,000 to $250,000.

Defense attorney Matthew Poston and prosecutors did not comment on McGowen's disappearance because of a gag order. The Liberty County Sheriff's Office had no update early Thursday on whether the suspect had been found.

McGowen is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child and faces up to life in prison if convicted.

The girl, testifying using a pseudonym, told jurors about two incidents, one in October 2010 and one the following month, in which she said McGowen and several other men and boys took turns sexually assaulting her while recording the encounters on video.

The girl briefly broke down in tears as jurors were shown a few minutes of video of an alleged October 2010 sexual assault in a house in Cleveland where she and the defendants lived.

The girl, who was 11 at the time, said she was brought into what she described as the "baby room," and that McGowen and others took turns sexually assaulting her. She said the video, which several jurors turned away from, was of her being assaulted by another man charged in the case.

"Did the guys just take turns with you?" prosecutor Joe Warren asked.

"Yes, sir," the girl said.

The girl seemed calm for most of the roughly 1? hours she testified. She mostly gave short answers, often pausing to stare at the floor or ceiling of the courtroom before responding.

She described another alleged sexual assault that November that started in a different Cleveland home and continued at a nearby abandoned trailer.

Asked by Warren if more than 20 males might have assaulted her that day, the girl responded, "Probably."

She also told jurors that McGowen assaulted her with a beer bottle during that incident.

Jurors were shown police photos of used condoms and condom wrappers found inside and outside the house after the alleged November incident.

Poston questioned the girl for about six minutes, asking whether she twice had told police early in the investigation that McGowen had never sexually assaulted her. The girl said she didn't remember saying that.

Prosecutors say the girl was assaulted on at least five occasions from mid-September through early December of 2010.

Eight of the 20 defendants accused in the case have pleaded guilty, including all six juveniles.

Authorities began investigating that December, after one of the girl's friends told a teacher he had seen a cellphone video of her being attacked in an abandoned trailer.

Three people who have pleaded guilty ? two adults and a juvenile who has since turned 18 ? also testified Wednesday.

Isaiah Ross, 22, told jurors he saw McGowen sexually assault the girl with a beer bottle. The other adult, Marcus Porchia, 28, and the teen testified they saw others assault the girl but not McGowen.

Ross and Porchia each received 15-year prison terms. The six juveniles who pleaded guilty each received suspended seven-year prison terms.

The case sparked outrage in the roughly 9,000-strong community of Cleveland. Early in the investigation, some residents suggested the girl was partly responsible because they say she wore makeup, looked older than her age and wasn't properly supervised by her parents, drawing widespread condemnation.

The case also has been complicated by a belief among many in the predominantly black neighborhood where several of the suspects live that the arrests were racially motivated. All of the suspects are black, while the girl is Hispanic.

Warren later showed jurors a video and read a written confession in which McGowen admitted to receiving oral sex from the girl.

"What took place to this girl was nothing better than a pack of animals attacking," Warren said.

On Tuesday, Poston tried but failed to get the confessions thrown out, arguing that police had improperly questioned McGowen.

During his opening statement, Poston told jurors that the video evidence in the case doesn't show McGowen sexually assaulting the girl.

"The truth in this case is not always what it seems," he said.

Most of the adult defendants in the case face charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child, while four face a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-08-30-Texas%20Girl%20Assaulted/id-c59658ef36ab4905a077fe3d2961e4d2

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Tips on Long Distance Relationships ? Zoosklog ? The Romantic ...

August 29, 2012 at 3:20 pm Juliette T.

by Huw Richardson

Near and far are concepts the heart seems to ignore. Literature and history are filled with long-distance relationships: the letters of Abelard and Heloise and the letters of John and Abigail Adams contain deep wisdom and love, and also humor and candid pain. What is the Anthony/Cleopatra/Caesar triad if not a long-distance relationship gone horribly bad? What else is Ulysses? marriage to Penelope? Fiddler on the Roof has one of the daughters falling in love with her tutor, despite his exile to Siberia. The Internet has provided new meaning to ?Long Distance Relationship? both in the the sense of definition (what do we mean by ?Relationship??) and in the sense of tools and content (what makes a relationship work). We can video chat, text and sext to our hearts? content now. What would Cleopatra have made of Facebook? Would Perchik have tweeted his love to Hodel?

Presenting yourself online in an emotionally available way can result in that flush of new love that we are all looking for. But what happens when your Mister or Miss Awesome is far away? What can we learn about long-distance relationships to make the time-space factor easier to deal with? Is there anything that such a relationship can teach those of us not willing to take such a risk?

By way of presenting my bone fides, my last two relationships have been long distance. For two and a half years while living in San Francisco I dated a man from Seattle. Later, for more than three years, I dated a man from Hamilton, Ontario. For the first year I was in North Carolina, but I moved to Buffalo, NY, in order to be closer. Of course, even though we were less than one hour apart by car, there was an international border to cross any time we wanted to cuddle!

After six years of doing this, I?d be willing to do it again (although I don?t need to, thankfully!) because of the things I?ve learned by going through the process. These same points are valuable for ?local? relationships as well as Long Distance Relationships (LDRs)

1) Communication! Communication! Communication!
Humans are remarkable animals: our physical and mental structure is patterned in such a way that we can communicate beyond mere words via posture, tone, and even pheromones and other body functions. Communication in long distance is largely relegated to text-only, and so it is important that all parties in a LDR verbally communicate as much as possible all the things that are usually contained in subtext. Since your location is divided, your communication must be extreme.

The most important thing that I?ve learned as a writer: humor, especially sarcasm and irony, fail miserably on-line. Attempting to communicate in a ?sassy? way will blow up in your face. Trying to ironically understate the importance of something will result in your partner thinking it?s not important. Words online have to be 100% literal. Unless you?re an amazing writer of romance, please: Don?t do it. Full Stop.

The second most important thing I?ve learned is: everything is important. During the first relationship, the SF-STL one, we flew back and forth each month, taking turns. Sometimes we managed to see each other for two weekends in the same month! We saw each other so often that we forgot to communicate in the day-to-day. Things that needed to be said were always held off until the next time we saw each other. The result was emotional time bombs that usually exploded moments after one or the other of us stepped out of the Alaska Air terminal, most often on the drive home.

Remember to say things when they are important to be said even in text. Don?t store up all that emotional energy for the next time you see each other.

2) Virtualize! Virtualize! Virtualize!
This builds on the last item and leads to the next. There are some times when you and your new love can not be together. But there is no reason not to try! Communication on the internet has been busted wide open by the use of smartphones and mobile technology. When I started dating the man in Seattle, about the only thing you could do on the net was IRC Chat (which is where we met). Now there?s video chat and unlimited data/calling plans to keep you in touch. The New York Times Magazine calls this ?Ambient Intimacy?. Regular relationships have this build in by physical proximity. Those of us in LDRs need to make our own with tech.

Zoosk lets you communicate with each other via text or video chat. This makes chatting easier and can enhance your intimacy during those times that you are apart from each other.

When I was dating the Canadian he got a phone number from Google Voice that was local to me in North Carolina. The service was (and is) free and it forwarded to his Canadian Cell phone and let me talk to him whenever I wanted. His own calling plan let him call the States so we were never fall apart. My Google Voice account now allows me text him directly from my computer for free!

Skype facilitates international calling at discount rates, but also allows for video chat. One friend of mine calls the Family in Poland (for free!) as often as she can to show live pictures of her child growing up. I used to use the service for ?geek dates?: we?d send each other YouTube links and watch videos together as we surfed the net from our desks.

3) Bilocation! Bilocation! Bilocation!

Unless there has been a clear and open agreement, you?re not setting up shop in one place. You have to set up shop in two places for this relationship to work.

Hamilton, Ontario, became my second home. More people in Hamilton knew who I was than in Buffalo! I would walk up James Street North, for the monthly Art Crawl and be waived at from shop windows, get hugs on the street, etc. My partner worked just as hard to know people in Buffalo, although with less success ? mostly because of Population Density in the American Rust Belt, but also because people in Hamilton are so durned friendly!

Using Zoosk?s Romantic Social Network you can build a profile for the two of you that you share with your friends in both locations. You can post pictures, share comments about eateries in either location, and let the friends in one place know about what happened last weekend when you were out of town. And, of course, you can share your personal events with your friends in both places. If you link it up with Facebook and Twitter, even when you go on vacation you can make posts that all your circles can share.

You need to move easily between two worlds. The stereotyped image is ?I have a drawer in my partner?s bedroom.? But the reality you need two lives: it?s a huge pain to only have a change of clothes for a long weekend ? better to have several in the house! Shoes need to live in two places. We constantly read each others local news or local blogs. I knew I?d ?Made It? in Hamilton when I heard my name on a Canadian podcast!

In a ?regular? relationship this has obvious analogues: your circles of friend may never integrate; they may never even meet until your engagement party. But you and your partner need to move easily in both worlds and in the third world that you are creating together.

4. For the rest of you?

Clearly LDRs are special cases, but they underscore the weakness and strengths of ?regular? relationships too. Communication is the key in all cases. A friend of mine, a clergy person, told a couple, ?You never have to lie to each other, ever.? This holds true in LDRs and in other types of relationships. There?s a desire to only put your best foot forward, but the reality is that all the rest of you is going to show up sooner or later ? and all the rest of your intended as well! Don?t use your online time to hide that as it will only break you up in the end.

And here?s the last thing I learned: both of my Long-Distance Relationships ended because of a change in my life that I failed to communicate successfully. In both cases, I downplayed the change, I even covered it over a little. But ultimately I had to be honest and it was that that caused the breakup to happen.

When you are not living in close proximity with the person you are dating (or, sometimes, when you are) it is possible to hide the parts of your life that might make the other party uncomfortable. These can be small parts (pets, family) or huge (religion, health, eating habits, etc). When you meet the prospective love of your life online, you need to bring your entire self to the table, online already creates a filter, don?t hinder the process by holding back anything that may be important to the relationship.

About the author: Huw works for Zoosk Customer Support and has been a blogger for over 15 years, a writer since high school and a geek forever. His idea of a perfect date is a tour of Alcatraz and the Barbary Coast Trail powered by dim sum.

Photo via Flickr. Creative Commons License: Attribution-ShareAlike.

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Entry filed under: Couples, Dating Advice. Tags: couples, dating, dating advice, long distance relationships, online dating, relationship advice, relationship tips, romance, zoosk.

Source: http://blog.zoosk.com/2012/08/29/tips-on-long-distance-relationships/

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AIR: Crop Insurance Claims Expected to Exceed $13 Billion

The drought in the U.S. agricultural heartland continues to deteriorate crops in the Corn Belt with no meaningful precipitation relief in sight. After the hottest July on record, insured losses from the 2012 drought are now expected to surpass losses of other historical droughts.

According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, losses resulting from farmer claims for the crop insurance industry may exceed $ 13 billion with potential losses as high as $20 billion.

However, after government recoveries available through the standard reinsurance agreement between private crop insurers and the government, the total responsibility for the insurance companies and their private reinsurers, net after accounting for premiums collected, will be about $1 billion to $3 billion, AIR said.

Although the 2012 growing season began on a very promising note, by the end of June the crop insurance industry was facing one of the worst agricultural droughts. By the end of July 2012, the area of the contiguous U.S. affected by severe to extreme drought increased to 42 percent.

Dr. Gerhard Zuba, senior principal scientist at AIR Worldwide, said AIR?s current estimate for this year?s crop insurance losses point to a gross loss ratio for the whole industry of 120-180 percent, which translates to payouts of $13-20 billion assuming $11 billion in total premiums.

The net loss after of $1-$3 billion for insurers is on the basis of $11 billion of assumed total premiums for 2012. However, Boston-based AIR noted, the exact value of the total premiums for 2012 is not yet available.

?The drought of 2012 will greatly reduce the harvest of major crops such as corn and soybeans. The AIR model indicates yields as low as 40 percent below normal in some areas. These low yields and the expected shortage at harvest have already increased prices for these commodities,? said Zuba.

?Since planting this spring, corn prices have risen by 142% percent and soybeans by 138 percent (as of August 24). With high prices and high-take-up rates, most corn and soybean farmers will not suffer a loss, as they bought revenue protection policies. Because their monetary compensation will be calculated based on the final harvest price in the fall, typical deductibles in the drought areas of the Corn Belt with respect to yield shortfalls of 20 to 25 percent will be compensated by the higher fall price for the commodities,? the AIR scientist said.

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Source: AIR

Source: http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2012/08/28/212716.htm

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Who needs to learn grammar? | Minnesota School of Business Blog

The answer is everyone.

Employers are expecting you to be able to write and speak effectively.? This is nothing new.? Communication skills have always been critical.? Being able to write and speak well sets you apart from other candidates.? When your boss delegates a writing assignment to you, even as simple as a letter to a client, your boss trusts that you can effectively convey information in that letter.? If someone has to rewrite your work to fix your grammar and spelling errors, it wastes time.

Sue Shellenbarger wrote in her Wall Street Journal article This Embarrasses You and I*, Grammar Gaffes Invade the Office in an Age of Informal Email, Texting and Twitter, ?Managers are fighting an epidemic of grammar gaffes in the workplace. Many of them attribute slipping skills to the informality of email, texting and Twitter where slang and shortcuts are common. Such looseness with language can create bad impressions with clients, ruin marketing materials and cause communications errors, many managers say.

Bryan A. Garner, one of the leading legal writing experts, is mentioned in the article for his own hiring practices.? Garner requires his employees to pass a spelling and grammar test before being hired.? Paralegal students will recognize Bryan A. Garner as the author of the textbook Legal Writing in Plain English (Chicago University Press, 2001) that is used LA425 Legal Writing II.? His books are great resources for any professional to keep handy.

The good news is that you can learn writing and speaking skills.? Even good writers and speakers can enhance their skills to be an asset in the workplace.? Resources are available to help when you have questions about grammar or spelling.

If you want to improve your writing, follow these guidelines.

1.??????Always spellcheck.? This is least that you can do.? It is obvious when you do not use it.

2.??????Go beyond spellcheck.? Garner?s employees have two other employees read and edit emails and letters before they go out.

3.??????Make use of the resources all around you.? There are citation guides in your library or available online.? A simple Google search will bring up many grammar guides.? Even dictionaries are available online.? Do not sell your writing textbooks.? They are excellent resources to keep.

4.??????Have someone else proof read your writing for tone and grammar/spelling errors.

If you take the feedback you receive on your writing and fix your errors the next time you write, you can make your writing stronger.? If you listen to how others speak in a professional setting, you can learn the proper way to convey your message to a client or a boss.? As the saying goes, if you don?t use it, you lose it.? Practice every day to make your communication skills stronger.

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Source: http://blogs.msbcollege.edu/2012/08/28/who-needs-to-learn-grammar/

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Ex-U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pa. says he has cancer again

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania says he is fighting cancer again.

The 82-year-old Specter said in a brief statement sent Tuesday by his Philadelphia office that he is battling the disease again.

In it, the longtime-Republican-turned-Democrat calls his cancer "another battle I intend to win. I'm grateful for all the well wishes I've received. I'm looking forward to getting back to work, to the comedy stage, to the squash court and to the ballpark."

He did not provide details of his illness, but he has twice overcome bouts with Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system.

Specter was Pennsylvania's longest-serving senator. His 30-year career ended after he switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party and lost the Democratic primary in 2010.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-us-sen-specter-pa-says-cancer-again-151945962.html

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Israel court says US activist not unlawfully killed

Reuters, file

U.S. citizen Rachel Corrie, 23, speaks through a megaphone to an Israeli army
bulldozer before she was killed in Rafah, Southern Gaza Strip on March 16,
2003.

By NBC News staff and wire reports

HAIFA, Israel -- An Israeli court rejected on Tuesday accusations that Israel was at fault over the death of American activist Rachel Corrie, who was crushed by an army bulldozer during a 2003 pro-Palestinian demonstration in Gaza.

Corrie's family had accused Israel of intentionally and unlawfully killing their 23-year-old daughter, launching a civil case in the northern Israeli city of Haifa after a military investigation had cleared the army of wrongdoing.

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In a ruling read out to the court, judge Oded Gershon called Corrie's death a "regrettable accident," but said the state was not responsible because the incident had occurred during what he termed a war-time situation.

At the time of her death, during a Palestinian uprising, Corrie was protesting against Israel's demolition of Palestinian homes in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

"I reject the suit," the judge said. "There is no justification to demand the state pay any damages."

He added that the soldiers had done their utmost to keep people away from the site. "She (Corrie) did not distance herself from the area, as any thinking person would have done."

Sebastian Scheiner / AP

Rachel Corrie's sister Sarah Corrie Simpson sits with her parents Cindy Corrie, center, and Craig Corrie, right, during an interview with the Associated Press in Jerusalem on Aug. 26, 2012.

Mom: 'I am hurt'
Corrie's death made her a symbol of the uprising, and while her family battled through the courts to establish who was responsible for her killing, her story was dramatized on stage in a dozen countries and told in the book "Let Me Stand Alone."

"I am hurt," Corrie's mother, Cindy, told reporters after the verdict was read.

Corrie's mother Cindy told a news conference after the court's decision that the bulldozer personnel had the "ability" and also an "obligation" to have seen that her daughter was in its path.

NBC station KING5: 'Rachel Corrie' aid ship boarded by Israelis

She said she hoped the lawsuit would help change Israel's policies regarding the demolition of Palestinian houses.

Cindy Corrie said that previously a senior Israeli soldier had said there were "no civilians in war."

"Rachel was in Gaza because there were and are civilians there, those who have rights and deserve protection," she added. "Rachel's right to life and dignity were violated by the actions of the Israeli military."

She said her daughter was a "rich thinker and a beautiful person" from "Olympia, Washington, USA," her voice breaking as she spoke.

The family's attorney, Hussein Abu Hussein, said that the court's decision was so close to the Israeli government's position that the state's lawyers could have written it themselves, according to The Jerusalem Post.

The U.K.'s Guardian newspaper reported that Corrie was with a group of international activists acting as human shields against the demolition of Palestinian houses.

"She was standing on top of a pile of earth," fellow activist and eyewitness Richard Purssell, from Brighton, U.K., said at the time, according to the Guardian. "The driver cannot have failed to see her. As the blade pushed the pile, the earth rose up. Rachel slid down the pile. It looks as if her foot got caught. The driver didn't slow down; he just ran over her. Then he reversed the bulldozer back over her again."

Few Israelis showed much sympathy for Corrie's death, which took place at the height of the uprising in which thousands of Palestinians were killed and hundreds of Israelis died in suicide bombings.

Getty Images / Getty Images, file

Rachel Corrie speaks during an interview with MBC Saudi Arabia television on March 14, 2003 in the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza strip.

Corrie was from Olympia, Washington, and was a volunteer with the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement.

Senior U.S. officials criticized the original military investigation into the case, saying it had been neither thorough nor credible. But the judge said the inquiry had been appropriate and pinned no blame on the army.

Reuters contributed to this report.

More world stories from NBC News:

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/28/13518969-israeli-court-throws-out-familys-lawsuit-over-death-of-us-activist-rachel-corrie?lite

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Video: Hooded queen seen behind the wheel of SUV

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/48810788#48810788

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British GENES (British Genealogy News and Events): Knowles ...

The Knowles Collection, a major online resource for Jewish based genealogy, has been updated, As well as a regular update of several long standing collections, a new one has also been created entitled the Jews of the Southern Pacific, with some 15,750 entries. The Jews of the British Isles collection currently contains 145,000 records.

For further information visit?http://knowlescollection.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/knowles-collection-updated.html

Chris

Check out my Scotland's Greatest Story research service www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx?(from June 12th 2012)

Source: http://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2012/08/knowles-collection-updated.html

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Military punishes 6 soldiers for Quran burning

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By Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube, NBC News

Updated at 6:54 p.m. ET: WASHINGTON - The U.S. military on Monday dealt out punishment to six Army soldiers for burning Qurans at Bagram Air Base that ignited deadly protest in Afghanistan, and to three Marines for their roles in urinating on Taliban corpses.

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Watch World News videos on NBCNews.com?

The Army handed out administrative discipline to four officers and two non-commissioned officers for the Quran burning but?found no ill intent on the part of the soldiers so none will face criminal charges. ?

The administrative punishment, however, will likely result in the end of their military careers.

The investigation against one sailor was dropped when it was determined he was simply ordered to drive the truck with the material to the burn site at the base.

The burning of the Muslim holy books in February sparked weeks of protests that led to 30 Afghan deaths. U.S. officials said at the time the books were mistakenly sent along with garbage for disposal after detainees had written messages in them.

The investigation found up to 100 Qurans and other religious materials were burned in the incinerator at Bagram Air Field on Feb. 20.?

An Army report released on the incident Monday shed new light on what happened that day.

Report: 5 soldiers involved in Quran burning

Members of the Military Police and Theater Intelligence Team had discovered that Bagram detainees were using library books to pass notes and messages. One?interpreter determined that 60 percent to 75 percent of the books contained extremist content. So, soldiers were ordered to remove the books as contraband. In all, about 2,000 books, including Qurans and other religious material, were set to be destroyed.?

An Afghan National Army soldier and and interpreter warned the troops not to dispose of the religious texts, but soldiers took some 100 books to the burn pit anyway.

A local man who worked at the burn pit discovered the Qurans and other texts were burning. He grabbed a front-end loader and doused the entire burn pit to extinguish the flames.

An?angry crowd of Afghans gathered around the U.S. service members who drove the truck to the burn pit and were burning the material. The U.S. soldiers all fled.

"I absolutely reject any suggestion that those involved acted with any malicious intent to disrespect the Quran or defame the faith of Islam," an investigator wrote. "Ultimately, this was a tragic incident (that) resulted from a lack of cross-talk between leaders and commanders, a lack of senior involvement in giving clear guidance in a complex operation? and??distrust among our service members and our partners.? ?

In the other case, a statement from the Marine Corps said the three Marines received the punishment for "violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for their role in the desecration and filming of deceased Taliban that became public in January 2012."

As part of a plea deal, three Marines pleaded guilty and will receive a permanent mark on their records that will impact any future promotions and re-enlistments.

Six more Marines are still awaiting their punishments in the urination incident, which was recorded on video. It was announced, however, that two officers will be charged with creating a command climate that led to acts of bad behavior, the Marine Corps said.?It was unclear what disciplinary action the four other non-commissioned officers will face.

The three Marines were all members of the Third Battalion, Second Marine Regiment or in units that were attached to the "3/2" during their deployment. Their names were not released.?

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One non-commissioned officer pleaded guilty to having violated a general order by?wrongfully posing for an unofficial photograph with human casualties and urinating on the body of a deceased Taliban soldier, which conduct was prejudicial to good order and discipline.

Another non-commissioned officer pleaded guilty to?wrongfully posing for an unofficial photograph with human casualties and?wrongfully video recording the incident.?

A staff non-commissioned officer pleaded guilty to?failing to report the mistreatment of human casualties by other Marines and?making a false official statement to a Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigator about the his knowledge of the video.

The incident took place during a counter-insurgency operation near Sandala, Musa Qala District in Helmand Province, Afghanistan around July 27, 2011.?

According to The Wall Street Journal, officials in Afghanistan were bracing for public demonstrations over what might be viewed as lenient punishment of the troops.

Related stories:

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/27/13506306-marines-punish-three-for-urinating-on-taliban-corpses-punishment-due-soon-in-quran-burning?lite

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Solid Business Advice That Works Well For Email Marketing ...

TIP! Use an appealing, personal style as much as you can in your email messages. As with any other kind of marketing, the more personal you are, the more willing a customer is to do business.

When you set out to use email marketing, you need to have the knowledge to do it the correct way. Staying away from the spam filter and getting your audience to read the email is crucial, but what strategies can you employ to make sure this happens? Read on for the best advice on the Internet!

TIP! Remember that your email list is meant to increase your business profits. Every email that is sent should entice the readers to want to buy a product or service.

Use passive and active feedback to make your email marketing better. Active feedback is simply asking your readers for opinions and other suggestions they might have. Passive feedback may not even be noticed by the reader. Passive feedback involves the use of various tools that show you which links are being clicked on most often, and which pages are getting the most response from your site visitors.

TIP! Prior to contacting any of your customers through email, you should always get their permission to do so. People will generally view unwanted emails as spam and will ignore them or delete them without reading them.

You should ask your customers to opt-in and then confirm they wish to receive your newsletter. This may appear like an unnecessary extra feature, but this can, in fact, ensure that only those who sign up who are genuinely interested and this eliminates trouble for your company.

TIP! To make your customers enjoy getting your emails, provide them with discounts and also promotions that are only available to those on the mailing list. This email strategy has the dual benefit of rewarding your customers for their subscription to your newsletter and inspiring them to recommend that their friends and family do the same.

Create a compelling, memorable and interesting subject line for your email campaign. A boring subject line will ensure that your email never gets opened. An email with a boring or suspicious subject line will probably get deleted without ever being opened.

TIP! Don?t flood subscribers with emails pleading with them to buy something. This is not a very effective approach.

Make the messages you send out for marketing as personal as possible. You can do more than just putting the recipient?s name on a standardized message. You should use everything you know about your customers. Break down the groups by interests and send different messages to these groups in order to appeal to them.

TIP! Avoid sending your email marketing near holidays. Many people will never even see your email because they will not be near their offices or their computers.

Give your customers the feeling that you care about them personally by adding some kind of individual touch to your emails. Readers are far more likely to delete emails or even unsubscribe when the message they?re reading feels like a form letter. Go beyond just adding their first name! Try to retain data about the time, place and reason for their initial registration with you. This information should be used in your messages.

TIP! Give your readers the ability to share the content of your email easily, including through social media. By doing this, your customers can inform their friends about you.

Creating brand recognition should be considered when developing your marketing emails. Therefore, it is important to invest enough time to create a template that permits you to use your corporate logo, theme colors and custom fonts that you have already used on a website or in ancillary materials. Doing so can help your readers to recognize your company instantly.

Email Address

TIP! Do not send out a marketing email without first testing every link in the message. If customers are unable to see what you offer because your links aren?t working, the whole purpose of your email message is out the window.

Implement a double-confirm option for those who sign up for your emails. Many times people have typos the initial time they put in an email address. Having a double check that the email address they provide is correct will reduce the chances that you end up sending mailings to incorrect email addresses.

TIP! Ensure that you?re utilizing a strategy that is very persistent. However, persistent you are with your marketing campaign, it needs to be geared towards the right people in order to be successful.

Before sending any emails, be sure to proofread them thoroughly. Correct any emails or newsletter problems you may have. Before sending out your email, test the layout in a few different email clients to be sure it can be read the way you would like it to be read. Be sure that if there are links in the email you test them first.

TIP! When customers sign up for your emails, ask them for their name. By doing this, you can include their name in each email so the message feels more personal.

Ask permission before adding people to an email list. If you do not get permission first, you might be looked upon as a sender of spam. You can harm the reputation of your business and risk being blocked from certain ISP?s.

TIP! You should put together an organic list to send out targeted emails. This means that instead of buying some random list of subscribers from a related business, you solicit email subscriptions yourself.

Craft one message that?s clear in every email. You don?t want bored customers or ones who are overwhelmed by too much content from your newsletter. Create a message, keep it short and make your point. A concise email shows respect for the time of your customers.

Email Marketing

TIP! All emails should be proofread before they are sent out. It is imperative that your emails be error free.

The suggestions you have read can help you improve the quality of your marketing campaign. Try using email marketing for your current campaigns or try it with some future campaign you cook up. Email marketing can put money in your pocket

PS ? Who else wants to discover how to DOUBLE your income in the next THREE MONTHS? Free Report

Source: http://www.websitebusinesstactics.com/?p=3330

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" Ace Finance News ": Even Adam Smith Would be Appalled by ...

Even Adam Smith Would be Appalled by Romney's Tax Evasions:

Mitt?Romney says ?every year I?ve paid at least 13 percent [of my income in taxes] and if you add in addition the amount that goes to charity, why the number gets well above 20 percent.?
This is supposed to be in defense of not releasing his tax returns.

Assume, for the sake of the argument, he?s telling the truth.?Since when are charitable contributions added to income taxes when judging whether someone has paid his fair share?

More to the point, Romney admits to an income of over $20 million a year for the last several decades. Which makes his 13 percent ? or even 20 percent ? violate the principle of equal sacrifice that lies at the core of our notion of tax fairness.

Even Adam Smith, the 18th century guru of free-market conservatives, saw the wisdom of a graduated tax embodying the principle of equal sacrifice. ?The rich should contribute to the public expense,? he wrote, ?not only in proportion to their revenue, but something more in proportion.?

Equal sacrifice means that in paying taxes people ought to feel about the same degree of pain regardless of whether they?re wealthy or poor. Logically, this means someone earning $20 million a year should pay a much larger proportion of his income in taxes than someone earning $200,000, who in turn should pay a larger proportion than someone earning $50,000.

But Romney?s alleged 13 percent tax rate is lower than that of most middle class Americans who earn a tiny fraction of what he earns.

At a time when poverty is increasing, when public parks and public libraries are being closed and when public schools are shrinking their offerings and their hours, when the nation?s debt is immense, and when the 400 richest Americans have more wealth than the bottom 150 million of us put together ? Romney?s 13 percent is shameful.

Sun, 08/19/2012 - 05:18
Tweet at #AceNewsServices or email your News & Views and get your article printed.
These posts and articles are not always our views but the views of the writer. ?
Need to email me leave a comment and use our new Disqus box and share.
Thank you, Ian Draper [Editor]

Source: http://acefinancenews.blogspot.com/2012/08/even-adam-smith-would-be-appalled-by.html

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STOCKS NEWS SINGAPORE-Genting HK falls on poor earnings, UOB downgrade

Shares of Genting Hong Kong fell as much as 5.6 percent after the company reported poorer-than-expected earnings and UOB Kay Hian downgraded the gaming company to 'sell' from 'buy'.

Genting Hong Kong, which also owns cruise ships, posted a 37 percent fall in its half year net profit to $38 million compared to a year earlier.

UOB cut its target price for Genting Hong Kong to $0.32 from $0.38, on lower-than-expected earnings from its Asian cruise ship fleet due to lower occupancy rates and sharply smaller margins at its Philippine casino Resorts World Manila.

The brokerage cut its earnings forecasts for Genting Hong Kong by 32 percent in 2012 and 26 percent in 2013.

1126 (0326 GMT)

(Reporting by Charmian Kok in Singapore; charmian.kok@thomsonreuters.com)

************************************************************

11:31 STOCKS NEWS SINGAPORE-DMG likes CDL, Far East Hospitality Trust

DMG & Partners Securities said the recent listings of hospitality real estate investment trusts in Singapore gave investors more choices to benefit from tourism, adding that its top picks in the sector are CDL Hospitality Trusts and Far East Hospitality Trust.

CDL units were up 1.3 percent at S$1.985 and have risen around 28 percent so far this year versus the 21 percent gain in the FT ST Midcap Index.

Ascendas Hospitality Trust made its debut on the Singapore Exchange last month, while Far East is set to start trading at 1400 (0600 GMT) after pricing its initial public offering at the top end of an indicative range to raise $575 million.

DMG said CDL and Far East, which derive more than 80 percent of revenue from Singapore, will continue to benefit from the rising tourist arrivals in the city-state. Singapore is expected to attract 14-15 million visitors this year, up from 13.2 million last year, DMG said.

The broker added that a range of new attractions, together with the integrated resorts and a growing meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions (MICE) market, should drive high occupancies and room rates.

CDL was trading at a yield of 6.5 percent for 2013 fiscal year, while Far East traded at a 6.3 percent yield, DMG said, adding that other factors to consider include cost of funding, the sponsor's track record and characteristics of the properties.

1120 (0320 GMT)

(Reporting by Eveline Danubrata in Singapore; eveline.danubrata@thomsonreuters.com)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stocks-news-singapore-genting-hk-falls-poor-earnings-034201450--sector.html

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Do You Need To Upgrade The Appliances In Your Kitchen?

Graded Appliances are appliances that have a small blemish of damage. These might be a dent or a scratch along the outside of the item. The graded product can also belong to a terminated batch, also when it doesn't have anything wrong with it. Why would certainly you buy graded devices? Graded appliances are sold at an affordable cost. These items are of good quality and they also come from the well-known appliance manufacturer brands.

What should you look for in graded appliances?

Rate. Make sure that the devices you are looking at less costly than those that are completely great. Bear in mind that these are in some way imperfect products and they should be sold at a less costly, more affordable rate.

Manufacturers/Brand. Leading appliance suppliers also have these devices to sell. Instead of throw them away, they would rather sell these items at reduced costs - as graded devices.

Grade. They can either be tagged as a Grade A or a Grade B. Grade An appliances are products that generally have the imperfection at the rear or at the back portion of it. While the Grade B devices could have the imperfection anywhere.

Not due to the fact that they are classed ways they are of lower quality. These products execute the same as their ideal equivalents.

Guarantee. To make sure that the appliances you are buying are of great quality, manufacturers connect the exact same warranties to these. They typically include 5 years parts guarantee and 1 year of labor guarantee.

The main reason why these devices are becoming increasingly more in demand is the fact that they carry the exact same guarantee as any other devices readily available out there. You get to purchase the device of your selection, could it be branded cleaning equipments, branded hobs, or even classed dishwashers, which functions completely well at a really reasonable price - with warranties. In short, there's absolutely nothing to lose and every thing to get.

Graded Appliances are devices that have a slight imperfection of imperfection. Graded appliances are sold at an acceptable price. Leading device suppliers also have these appliances to offer. Rather than toss them away, they would rather sell these items at reduced prices - as graded appliances.

The main reason why these appliances are becoming more and more in demand is the fact that they carry the exact same guarantee as any other appliances available out there.

If you are looking for some new kitchen appliances and are looking for a tasty treat for the summer, please visit this link on the authors ice cream machine website: Best Ice Cream Maker Reviews

This article has been viewed 29 time(s).

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Source: http://www.ideamarketers.com/?articleid=3511899

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Pairs Well With Peanuts? Delta Airlines Adds Wine Tasting To In ...

In-flight food has gotten regular upgrades ? this spring alone British Airways prepared a menu with the chef Simon Hulstone, and ANA enlisted the French pastry chef Pierre Herm?. Now, Delta has turned its attention to oenophiles, who know that a chewy wine doesn?t mean you?ll need a toothpick after a glass.

On Sept. 1, the carrier will begin what it?s calling a ?Winemaker Series? for business travelers from Los Angeles or San Francisco airports to Kennedy Airport in New York. The program will feature products from various California winemakers for periods of two months, including Genevieve Janssens, director of winemaking at Robert Mondavi; Merry Edwards, one of California?s first woman winemakers; and George Pitsironis, a former sommelier at Spago. The wines were chosen by Andrea Robinson, the ?Master Sommelier? at Delta.

And though your sense of taste is affected by altitude, have no fear. According to Ms. Robinson, ?These winemakers and their vintages are among the best of California, and, most importantly, they taste delicious in flight.?

Source: NYTimes.com.

Cassandra Branson

Cassandra is co-founder and COO of CraveLocal Media Network. When not managing writers, PR, or story lines, she can be found mixing up food and cocktail recipes for fortunate staff in their corporate office. Got a story? Pitch her at media (at) cravelocal dot com.

More articles by Cassandra Branson ?

Source: http://cravelocal.com/national/pairs-well-with-peanuts-delta-airlines-adds-wine-tasting-to-in-flight-menu/

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Qatar to launch own luxury brand before the end of the year

Qatar Luxury Group, owned by Qatar Foundation, is reportedly gearing up to launch its first luxury fashion and accessories brand, announced the?HuffPost?on August 26.

The launch of the brand QELA will be boosted by the opening of numerous luxe boutiques around the world, starting with Doha, Qatar's capital city by the end of the year, and likely followed by other shops in New York, Paris, Los Angeles, Milan, London and Tokyo.

"Since its inception, the goal for our group is to create a fashion brand in Qatar, with the next step being international expansion. We are currently working on the collection," explains Caroline Guillon, marketing director of the Qatar Luxury Group, to the?Huffington Post.

The QELA brand will encompass high-end clothing and accessories.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/qatar-launch-own-luxury-brand-end-135429031.html

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What kind of activities and how did you spend it ... - Travel and Leisure

Aug 12

26

Question by benisam_87: What kind of activities and how did you spend it for your leisure time in Genting Highland?s casino, Malaysia?
I?m currently doing a research on ?how people spend their leisure time in Genting Highland?s Casino, Malaysia.? I would be grateful if foreigners could share their experience on this destination.

Best answer:

Answer by Vangelis
In casino itself? Gambling of course.

In genting, there is lot more other activities. But your survey is casino in genting, so, gambling is the only things??.. other than that, watch other gambling???.

What do you think? Answer below!

Source: http://www.easterna.com/2012/08/what-kind-of-activities-and-how-did-you-spend-it-for-your-leisure-time-in-genting-highlands-casino-malaysia/

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IDC: iPhone wait cuts Apple's China phone share by nearly half, Lenovo seizes the opportunity

There's a lot of talk of a new iPhone coming soon, and the Chinese know it. IDC researchers estimate that Apple's share of smartphones in the country was sliced almost in half during the second quarter, to 10 percent, as expectations and rumors led the local population to wait for the big update. Better competition also played a part in denting iPhone shipments, although it's not Apple's chief rival Samsung who's responsible. Rather, it's China's own Lenovo that had the most impact. It broke into the double digits with a second-place 11 percent share thanks to recently started indirect sales of its Android-dominated lineup, while Samsung saw its own share dip slightly to 19 percent. Chinese companies ZTE and Huawei bracketed Apple at third and fifth. We wouldn't be surprised if the balance of power shifts in about a month, but the impacts to Apple and Samsung alike show just how tough it can be to stay on top in one of the fastest-growing markets on Earth -- especially one with so many local brands.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

IDC: iPhone wait cuts Apple's China phone share by nearly half, Lenovo seizes the opportunity originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Aug 2012 19:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Isaac heads for U.S. Gulf Coast after drenching south Florida

KEY WEST, Florida (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Isaac lashed south Florida with winds and heavy rain on Sunday after battering the Caribbean, threatening to interrupt most U.S. offshore oil production in the Gulf of Mexico and disrupting plans for the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Isaac is expected to strengthen to a Category 2 hurricane and hit the Gulf Coast somewhere between Florida and Louisiana at midweek - on or near the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina - the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in an advisory.

A hurricane warning was issued for the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, including New Orleans, which was devastated when Katrina struck the city on August 29, 2005, killing more than 1,800 people and causing billions of dollars of damage to the Gulf Coast.

In Louisiana, Governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency and said 15 low-lying parishes outside New Orleans' newly built, $14.5 billion flood defense system would likely be under mandatory evacuation orders by Monday.

"There's really nothing that's going to stop this storm from forming and from strengthening," said Jindal, a seasoned crisis manager who has weathered such disasters as the 2010 BP oil spill.

On Mississippi's Gulf Coast, residents started stocking up on supplies and securing their homes. "It is packed. They are clearing the shelves," said Lindy Stewart after shopping at a Sam's Club in Gulfport. Stewart said she bought bread, lunch meat and other "stuff you need to survive a couple of days without power."

The Mississippi State Port Authority ordered the port of Gulfport cleared of all cargo vessels and cargo containers.

Isaac is forecast to become a hurricane either late Monday or Tuesday. The NHC said the storm was expected to eventually intensify to a Category 2 hurricane with "extremely dangerous" sustained winds of 105 miles per hour as it swept through the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Forecasters are predicting a more westward track that could bring Isaac over the heart of the U.S. offshore oil patch, which produces about 23 percent of U.S. oil output and 7 percent of its natural gas output.

SHUTTING OIL PRODUCTION

Meteorologists at Weather Insight, an arm of Thomson Reuters, predict the storm will spur short-term shutdowns of 85 percent of the U.S. offshore oil production capacity and 68 percent of the natural gas output.

With the threat to offshore oil infrastructure and Louisiana refineries, U.S. crude oil prices traded up 75 cents to $96.90 a barrel in Asia early Monday.

Once ashore, the storm could wreak havoc on low-lying fuel refineries along the Gulf Coast that account for about 40 percent of U.S. refining capacity.

That could send gasoline prices spiking just ahead of the U.S. Labor Day holiday, analysts said. "It's going right in the heart of refinery row," Phil Flynn, an analyst with Price Futures Group in Chicago, said on Sunday.

London-based BP Plc, the biggest U.S. Gulf producer, said it was shutting production at all of its Gulf of Mexico oil and gas platforms and evacuating all workers on Sunday.

At 8 p.m. EDT (2400 GMT) on Sunday, Isaac was about 60 miles southwest of Key West at the southernmost tip of the U.S. mainland, packing top sustained winds of 65 mph and churning west-northwest at 15 mph.

Isaac was becoming better organized and faced favorable conditions, increasing the possibility that the storm could strengthen beyond a Category 2 hurricane, said NHC meteorologist David Zelinsky.

Tropical-force winds from the massive storm stretched across 400 miles, with rain bands extending even further, he added.

"It certainly is a large storm," he said, noting that wind gusts of 60 mph had been detected as far apart as Key West and Palm Beach.

The winds forced cancellations of hundreds of flights in and out of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and other south Florida airports. Miami Mayor Carlos Gimenez reported more than 500 cancellations affecting Miami International Airport alone.

More than half of the restaurants and other businesses were shuttered in the tourist haven of Key West after many visitors heeded official warnings to head home early. Isaac began moving away from the Florida Keys on Sunday evening.

REPUBLICAN CONVENTION SCHEDULE DISRUPTED

Republicans, who will formally nominate former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as their presidential candidate for the November election, will convene their four-day meeting on Monday as scheduled, then recess until Tuesday.

Tampa, located on Florida's west coast, still faces a threat of both winds and heavy rains from Isaac. But forecasters said a slight westward shift in the storm's track helped put Tampa out of harm's way.

In Haiti, Isaac added to the misery of more than 350,000 survivors of the 2010 earthquake still living in flimsy resettlement camps as water gushed into tents and corrugated plastic shacks ripped apart by the wind.

Authorities in the impoverished nation said the storm had killed eight people, including three children.

In the Dominican Republic, officials said three people were missing, including the mayor of a town near Santo Domingo who was swept away as he tried to save another person from a flooded river.

No deaths or injuries were reported in Cuba, which got off lightly when the storm crossed its eastern flank instead of raking up the length of the island as originally predicted.

(Writing by Tom Brown.; Additional reporting by David Adams and Kevin Gray in Miami, Kathy Finn in New Orleans, Emily Le Coz in Tupelo, Matthew Robinson in New York, Kristen Hays in Houston, Jeff Franks and Nelson Acosta in Havana, Susana Ferreira in Port-au-Prince and Manuel Jimenez in Santo Domingo; Editing by David Adams and Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/isaac-heads-u-gulf-coast-drenching-south-florida-004229748.html

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Series of small quakes rattle Southern California

By NBCSanDiego.com and news services

Dozens of small to moderate earthquakes rattled Southern California on Sunday, shaking an area from rural Imperial County to the San Diego coast and north into the Coachella Valley.

The largest quake, magnitude 5.3, struck at 12:31 p.m. about three miles north-northwest of the small Imperial County farming town of Brawley, according to Paul Caruso, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey. It was followed minutes later by a 4.9 magnitude quake.

The first quake was a magnitude 3.9 that hit at 10:02 a.m. It was followed by a 3.4 quake about 90 seconds later in the same area near the southern end of the Salton Sea. Magnitude 2.2 and 2.0 quakes followed within six minutes of the first shock.

---

Read the story at NBC 7 San Diego

The USGS says at least 25 aftershocks of struck the same approximate epicenter about 16 miles north of El Centro.

Some shaking was felt on the coast in Del Mar, some 120 miles from the epicenter, as well as in southern Orange County and parts of northern Mexico.

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An Imperial County sheriff's dispatcher said there were no reports of damage or injuries.

Scientists aren't yet sure what fault the quake cluster was on but it was near the 800-mile San Andreas Fault, Caruso said.

Residents across San Diego County reported feeling the quakes in places including downtown San Diego, Mission Valley, Santee and Chula Vista. No injuries were reported.

San Diego State University geology expert Pat Abbott told NBC 7 San Diego that Sunday?s earthquakes were in the middle of the Brawley Seismic Zone, famous for swarms of quakes. He said he expected aftershocks.

?[The Brawley Seismic Zone] is a broad zone with lots of little faults,? Abbott explained.

?This area has clearly activated. We will likely experience swarms of 3, 4 and 5-magnitude [earthquakes] but they are not likely to increase in intensity. Of course, there are no guarantees on this, but history says they likely won?t get bigger ? that we will experience more of the same or smaller quakes,? he added.?

NBCSanDiego.com and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/26/13491634-series-of-small-earthquakes-rattle-southern-california?lite

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Video: McCain calls on Akin to cancel Senate bid

A Second Take on Meeting the Press: From an up-close look at Rachel Maddow's sneakers to an in-depth look at Jon Krakauer's latest book ? it's all fair game in our "Meet the Press: Take Two" web extra. Log on Sundays to see David Gregory's post-show conversations with leading newsmakers, authors and roundtable guests. Videos are available on-demand by 12 p.m. ET on Sundays.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/48794154#48794154

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Evernote introduces Evernote Business, updates iOS application to version 4.4

Having already conquered the general consumer market on multiple platforms, Evernote's now taking its handy software tools to a more biz-oriented audience. Earlier today, the company proudly introduced Evernote Business, which, according to CEO Phil Libin, is "the same Evernote that's great for individuals, except now it's optimized so that you can use it in your small and medium-sized business environment." The newfangled Evernote Business will be launching later this December, with the notetaking outfit accepting early applicants on its website as we speak. That's not all the news, however, since Evernote's also updated its iOS application for the second time during August; bringing page and multi-shot camera features to the mix, while faster download times and improved PDF support on iPads can also be found inside the fresh 4.4 version. You'll find both the sign-up and download links gravitating below.

Continue reading Evernote introduces Evernote Business, updates iOS application to version 4.4

Filed under: Internet, Software

Evernote introduces Evernote Business, updates iOS application to version 4.4 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 16:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ALG1gIh8cAY/

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