Apple's Cards app for iPhone and iPad update lets you swap photos

Apple has released an updated to Cards, a card-creation app for iPhone and iPad. Now you can easily swap photos in templates that contain multiple photos. A few bugs have also been fixed.

To swap photos, you simply drag one of the photos to a different available location in the template and Cards will automatically swap the two photos. The update also includes a fix to the issue that caused previously mailed cards to display as drafts in Card History. And if you were experiencing random crashes while using Cards, that has also, supposedly, been fixed.

Cards is an iPhone and iPad app that let's you create letterpress cards and then order physical versions to be shipped to whoever you want. Each card is crafted from 100 percent cotton paper and imprinted with an elegant debossed design. You can select up to 12 recipients for each card. Cards shipped in the U.S. are $2.99 each and cards shipped to anywhere else in the world are $4.99 each. Unfortunately, Apple does not offer bulk pricing to those who may be interested in sending a card to, say, 50 or more recipients.

How many of you have actually ever ordered cards with Apple's Cards app? Are you happy with the app and the quality of the cards that Apple prints? If you don't use Cards, is there another app, like Sincerely Ink [Free - Download Now], that you prefer? I've used Cards a few times and have always been satisfied with the results, but I would love to explore other options.

Free - Download Now

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/jVZb9lNVGg0/story01.htm

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Hurricane Sandy Cruise Impacts | CruiseSource

This page will be updated with Cruise Impacts from Hurricane Sandy?throughout the course of the storm.? [Latest Update: 10/25 10 AM ET]

Hurricane Sandy made landfall earlier today in Jamaica.?

Cruise ships in the Caribbean are navigating around the storm keeping their passengers and crew safe.?? We will have a better idea of the damage in Jamaica tomorrow and if the damage will prevent ships from calling on Jamaica next week.?? If I had to guess, I?d guess that cruise ships will continue to call on Jamaica next week [but that is just a guess].

The projected path of Hurricane Sandy indicates that there could be impacts Friday cruise departures from Miami or Port Canaveral.? She could also impact Carnival Fantasy departing from Charleston on Saturday.

There have not been any changes to upcoming cruise departures from Hurricane Sandy.? We will monitor announcements closely and report here if there are cruise impacts from Hurricane Sandy.? CLICK HERE to subscribe to CruiseSource.

If you are departing between Thursday ? Saturday, I recommend you be in contact with your travel agent and bookmark this page for updates.?? You can also follow @CruiseSource on Twitter.

As of now [10AM 10/25], the Port of Nassau is closed due to the track of Hurricane Sandy.?

Last update from Carnival Cruise Lines [10 AM ET]:

10/25/12 AND 10/26/12 DEPARTURES:
CARNIVAL DESTINY and CARNIVAL IMAGINATION
At this time, no changes have been made and our itinerary remains as scheduled. We?re keeping our fingers crossed the weather will not impact our plans.

CARNIVAL SENSATION
Due to the current track of the storm, the port of Nassau is closed. Therefore, we are sorry to say that we are forced to cancel our scheduled call in Nassau on Friday. The good news is that we have secured a visit to Key West on Saturday from 7:00AM to 2:00PM.

If you have any questions about specific cruises please leave them in the comments below and I will answer them ? Rich

BTW, I?m depart Sunday from Ft. Lauderdale on the Allure of the Seas.? From the projected path, we look fine but I will be watching this one closely.

Author Note: Rich Tucker, founder of CruiseSource has been reporting on cruise impacts from tropical storms and hurricane since 2008.

?

Related posts:

1. Hurricane Bill Impacts Cruise Itineraries
2. Hurricane Ida, Cruise Impacts
3. Hurricane Irene Bahamas Cruise Impacts
4. Hurricane Ike, Texas Cruise Impacts
5. Hurricane Irene Northeast Cruise Impacts

Source: http://cruisesource.us/2012/10/hurricane-sandy-cruise-impacts/

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Twitter principles of social networking increase family success in nesting birds

ScienceDaily (Oct. 23, 2012) ? New research carried out by scientists at Universities in Exeter, France and Switzerland reveals for the first time the importance of social networking in producing a successful family.

The study found that, regardless of how big and healthy individual chicks are, what really matters to their chances of surviving and breeding is how siblings in the nest interact with each other, with cooperative families faring best.

Differences in patterns of feeding between mothers and fathers were a key factor in determining the behaviour of their offspring, according to the study published online October 23 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Mothers selected weaker, hungrier nestlings while fathers did the opposite, choosing those who were the most competitive.

Dr Nick Royle, from the University of Exeter, was involved in the study, alongside scientists from Universities in Toulouse, Bern and Basel. He said: "Whilst it is well-established that large, strong offspring are generally expected to be more successful than small, less well-nourished offspring, it has not been previously shown that the success of both individuals and families as a whole depends on the structure of social interactions among offspring."

"As any parent knows, parental care can be hard work and there is often a squeeze on the availability of resources in families. This sets the scene for conflicts of interest among family members over how these resources are allocated. Our study shows that the most successful families are those that are best at resolving these conflicts; parents and offspring that are most effective at responding to each other are the most successful."

Scientists from the University of Exeter's Centre for Ecology & Conservation worked with colleagues from the Universities of Basel and Bern in Switzerland and the French Universit? Paul Sabatier alongside French scientific research organisation CNRS. It was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and the Swiss National Science Foundation.

63 broods of begging great tits breeding in nest boxes in woods around Bern in Switzerland were filmed when the nestlings were 10 days old, when both parents feed the young using different methods of selecting which nestlings receive food. The researchers examined the network of social interaction between the siblings, and then monitored the parents and their offspring to see whether they survived and went on to breed the following year.

Great tit mothers prefer to feed hungrier, smaller nestlings whereas fathers choose stronger, larger nestlings to feed. So in families where mothers provide most of the food, the young are more 'gregarious'. They moved around more and interacted more strongly with one another as the hungrier nestlings tried to move closer to their mothers to be fed. In broods where fathers fed more than mothers, nestlings moved around much less because the more competitive offspring took up the best positions near him.

Small and medium-sized broods fared better when the mother was the main feeder, whilst larger broods were more successful when the father provided most of the feeds. This could be because of constraints on space in larger families, making it harder for chicks to move around and jostle for position and easier to respond to fathers, with their simpler feeding rules, not mothers.

Dr Nick Royle concluded: "Users of Twitter will know that the more interactions they have, the more successful their profile is likely to be, and it's similar for nesting great tits; at least at nests where mothers provide most of the feeds. When fathers do most of the work offspring are much less gregarious. For young great tits social networking is related to the amount of physical contact each nestling has with their siblings, not the amount of tweeting they do. But using our social networks measure enabled us to demonstrate a novel link between how family members interact with one another and the success of those families."

"Our approach is not just applicable to social interactions in birds, however, or just for families. It could also be applied to understanding what patterns of social organisation best determine success between competing groups of humans, such as in business or team sports."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Exeter, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/54CYTh-L8pE/121023204746.htm

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Video: Lolo Jones trying out for US bobsled team?

>>> after failing to medal at the u.s. olympics hurdler lolo jones is making another attempt for gold. she's trying out for the u.s. bobsled team, eventually hoping for a spot at the 2014 winter olympics in sochi. already off to a great start at the team selection races coming in second in her competitive bobsled debut. wish her lots of luck there. 7:14 right now. let's go back to savannah, matt and al. hope she makes it.

>> never give up.

>> hope she'll do better than we did.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/49531737/

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Mourdock: God at work when rape leads to pregnancy (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/257783241?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Cheerleading needs sports safety rules, docs say

CHICAGO (AP) ? Cheerleading isn't just jumping and waving pompoms ? it has become as athletic and potentially as dangerous as a sport and should be designated one to improve safety, the nation's leading group of pediatricians says.

The number of cheerleaders injured each year has climbed dramatically in the last two decades. Common stunts that pose risks include tossing and flipping cheerleaders in the air and creating human pyramids that reach 15 feet high or more.

In a new policy statement released online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics says school sports associations should designate cheerleading as a sport, and make it subject to safety rules and better supervision. That would include on-site athletic trainers, limits on practice time and better qualified coaches, the academy says.

Just like other athletes, cheerleaders should be required to do conditioning exercises and undergo physical exams before joining the squad, the new policy says.

"Not everyone is fully aware of how cheerleading has evolved over the last couple of decades. It used to be just standing on the sidelines and doing cheers and maybe a few jumps," said Dr. Cynthia LaBella, a sports medicine specialist at Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital and an author of the new policy.

But she said cheerleading often results in injuries that include severe sprains, broken arms and legs, neck injuries and concussions.

Last year, there were almost 37,000 emergency room visits for cheerleading injuries among girls aged 6 to 22, according to data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. That's more than four times higher than in 1980, when cheerleading was tamer.

While there are still traditional cheerleading squads that support schools' athletic teams, some schools and private clubs have separate cheerleading teams that compete against other teams.

Kali Wald of Elburn, Ill., suffered a serious concussion last year during an acrobatic routine with her high school's competitive team; teammates tossed her in the air but she landed wrong twice, first on her upper back and neck, then on her head. She blacked out for several minutes.

Her father, Dave Wald, said her coaches didn't realize she was seriously injured and never called an ambulance. She still has short-term memory loss and can't attend school full-time because of dizziness, headaches and other concussion symptoms.

Kali, 18, said she believes that cheerleading should be considered a sport and made safer.

Her father agreed and said there needs to be better awareness about the rigors of cheerleading and the potential risks.

Injuries have increased as cheerleading has become more popular. Data suggest there are more than 3 million cheerleaders nationwide aged 6 and older, mostly girls. That includes about 400,000 in high school, according to data cited in the new policy.

While the overall injury rate in high school cheerleading is lower than in other girls sports, including gymnastics, soccer and field hockey, the rate of catastrophic injuries like skull fractures and paralyzing spine injuries is higher, the academy noted.

Kasey Bronstein, 14, and her sister Kori, 17, of Mahwah, N.J., both tore a knee tendon while cheerleading for a private competitive team run by their parents. They twisted their knees doing acrobatic moves while standing on the raised-up hands of their teammates. They had knee surgery last November, followed by extensive physical therapy, and have returned to cheerleading.

Both said it should be considered a sport but they also think it's already pretty safe.

"They're kind of making it too safe, taking out skills that are very exciting to do," Kori said. That includes a double flip stunt no longer allowed on her team.

Some schools and state high school sports associations already consider cheerleading a sport and require the kind of safety oversight that the academy is recommending. But many do not, said Jim Lord, executive director of the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches & Administrators. Some don't consider it a sport because not all cheerleading squads are involved in their own competitions, he said.

Lord said the academy's policy mirrors many of his group's safety recommendations for high schools and colleges.

That includes limiting the height of human pyramids in high school cheerleading to just two people. The academy also says routines that include pyramids, tumbling or tosses should not be performed on hard surfaces.

Lisa Kluchorosky, a sports medicine specialist who works with the academy and the National Athletic Trainers Association, said the new policy will help erase misconceptions that cheerleading is not very athletic.

"The statistics are compelling and you can't turn your head from that," she said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cheerleading-needs-sports-safety-rules-docs-141027285--spt.html

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German Shepherd Dog - Touser - Large - Adult - Male - Dog ...

German Shepherd Dog - Touser - Large - Adult - Male - Dog

TOUSER is a wonderful, good natured, black and tan German Shepherd Dog that was surrendered to the Shelter due to his size and his need for more exercise. He is a very nice dog and was just deemed to not be the right fit for his family's circumstances. He also has a mild visual impairment which is treated with medication. AGE: He is 5 1/2 years old. BEST NEW HOME: We believe Touser would be a good match for an active adult home or an active family with children 8 or older (due to his size). Touser would prefer to live in a home without cats. Like most German Shepherds, Touser would benefit from regular exercise and creative play and/or training to keep his body and mind stimulated. Touser will need a fenced yard (no electric fences). ADOPTION FEE: The adoption fee for Touser is $325.

CHARACTERISTICS:
Breed: German Shepherd Dog
Size: Large
Petfinder ID: 24379153

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Pet has been spayed/neutered

CONTACT:
Friends of the Scituate Shelter | Scituate, MA | 781-544-4533

For additional information, reply to this ad or see: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=24379153

Brought to you by Petfinder.com

Source: http://boston.ebayclassifieds.com/dogs-puppies/scituate/german-shepherd-dog-touser-large-adult-male-dog/?ad=24122357

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Cheap and Sharp Ways to Use Social Media for Customer Service ...

The Power of Public Customer Service

Social media for brand awareness. Social media for buzz. There?s a lot fewer conversations about social media for customer service, but it?s a topic that deserves coverage. Resolving customer complaints and queries via Twitter and Facebook is cheap, for one. According to Forrester Research, the average cost on an incoming call to a customer service representative is $33. Working with a disgruntled or confused client electronically is likely to cost your brand a lot less.

The tool is so effective that big brands have caught on. Ford Motor Company has some pretty well-established protocol for working with their clients. Eight full-time staff members are dedicated to monitoring conversations on major social media network. According to their global manager of communications, Scott Monty, ?We are looking to engage with someone?(in) under four hours.? Ford?s agents are trained in moving these complaints from the public realm into more private, emailed conversations or direct messages to speed up conversations and provide privacy surrounding the exchange of personal contact information.

According to research by DMG Consulting, 67% of enterprises are using social media for customer service. The top aspect of customer service is crisis-management: responding to complaints on Twitter quickly can prevent them from getting out of hand. Sharper brands have started monitoring conversations with the help of keyword searches to gain insight into exactly what?s driving their clients? conversations.

Adopt Query-Jacking

There?s a good chance that if clients first learned of your brand on Facebook or Twitter, they?ll return to your business page for help in the future. If you?re smart, you won?t just help these clients reach resolution. You?ll ?query-jack? these questions and use them as a starting place for creating Top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) content, which could include blog posts and offers. Both B2B and B2C companies could even take this query-jacking a step further and use it as a tool for spotlighting their loyal clients. You can feature the business or client who originally asked the question in your content as a tool for humanizing your brand, perhaps even sweetening the deal by offering them an incentive of a gift certificate or discount.

Establish an Engaged Reputation

By developing a reputation as a brand that actively engages with their clients and prospects, your buzz-factor could easily sky-rocket. There?s an ancient saying that ?there?s no such thing as bad publicity.? While it holds limited truth, actively working to establish your company?s social media profiles as somewhere your fans can come to hold dialogue will? increase your visibility within their networks, too. Here are some tips for moving your customer service presence off your phone lines and into social media networks:

1. Consider a Second Twitter Account

There?s a number of high-profile brands who?ve made their commitment to social media customer service well-known by creating a Twitter account just for resolving issues. Virgin Mobile is one well-known example. If your inquiries are high enough to clutter your company?s feed, it could be wise to separate your Twitter accounts. Respond to initial inquiries to let them know that @YourBrandCustomerService will be contacting them.

2. Be Expedient

The majority of consumers in both the US and International markets expect responses to their questions and queries the same day, no exceptions. 30% expect a response within a matter of hours. We understand you need to sleep, but the current climate of customer service dictates responding really quickly on social media. Make a goal of replying within an hour whenever possible.

3. Be a Human

Despite the fact that the Internet has become a major channel for communications, people still want to talk to people, especially if they?re upset. Signing your responses to customer service queries with at least a first name has been adopted by many social media all-stars, including Zappos and Portland-based natural foods chain New Seasons Market. Being empathetic is always a tenant of great customer service, and it?s going to come across a lot more sincere if you attach a name.

4. Be Nice

There?s always going to be trolls who contact your company on social media with the sole intention of agitating your customer service and social media managers. While it?s best to disregard or delete these contacts, make a point of being nice the rest of the time. You?re not just going to salvage a single relationship, you could earn the attention and respect of that person?s networks.

5. Use Analytics

In the world of inbound marketing strategy and social media, it all comes back to analytics. Keep tabs on how you?re company is doing overall. How many interactions were resolved and how many escalated? Is there anything you can do in the future to salvage a higher percentage of clients?? Learn, improve and grow.

Is Your Brand Using Social Media for Customer Service?

Source: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/cheap-and-sharp-ways-to-use-social-media-for-customer-service-0312138

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Google Stoops to a New Low! | Internet Marketing Secrets, Affiliate ...

I must say when I saw what I?m about to show you in this post I had to check it twice as I didn?t quite believe what I was seeing at first, but sure enough Google has stooped to a new low today in their never quenching thirst for more profit. I can?t confirm that this has been rolled out across the world, but it is happening where I live in New Zealand anyway.

Before I show you this I first want to lay down a little background. We all know that Google makes their money when people click their ads listed on a Google results pages and on other websites that are opting into the Adsense program. So obviously Google?s agenda is to get as many of these ads clicked as possible.

However stop for just a moment and remember what Google is useful for and why it has become such a popular tool for people to use in the first place. Google is a search engine, not a giant advertising billboard, let?s get that straight to start with. People use Google as a gateway to the internet, and Google is supposed to be showing a list of the most relevant websites related to a user?s search queries.

This all sounds well and good, what a great service, Google makes it easy for us to find websites right?well sort of, but over the years Google has taken advantage of their popularity and slowly but surely are moving towards being one giant advertising billboard and that?s it!!

What Happened to the Organic Listing?

Yes the organic listings, the websites that Google lists that DO NOT pay Google to be there. The ones that do SEO (search engine optimization) and get ranked on the front page of Google, what did happen to them? The way Google is going you might have to scroll to page 3 to find an organic listing soon.

Let?s take a look at a typical Google results page below that I see when I search in Google, so you can see where I?m going with this. This might not be the same for you, as possible Google is testing this out in some countries, New Zealand where I live being the perfect test place.

So you can see from that image that above the fold of the page now 95% of the real estate is taken up by NON ORGANIC listings. Google has now added an extra listing for ?Searches related to KEYWORD? just below where the Google Ads finish, thus pushing the organic results even further down the page.

When people click on these related results, it will load a new Google page which will of course show more Google Ads, and give Google another chance to get them clicked. This is just another aggressive trick from Google to stop people from visiting websites that are not Ads.

This is not the first time they have done dirty tricks like this, in fact Google is slowly but surely doing more and more of these cunning techniques. Don?t believe me? Well think back to 12 months ago when the background color of ALL ADS where a pink color that was obvious, so searches new if they were clicking on an ad. Well Google went from obvious pink to a light pink that was hard to distinguish without tilting your screen, to now being WHITE so you can?t tell at all!

But there?s more, Google use to make it very obvious what listings were ads by telling you, as they were say ?Ads by Google?, but I guess that was being too helpful so now they just have the words ?Ads? and I wouldn?t be surprized if they remove even that soon.

What amazes me is that the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) comes down on affiliate sites who don?t make it obvious that they make a commission from links on their sites, but they let Google continue down this aggressive and somewhat deceptive path of advertising.

Do Know Evil?.As Google Do Plenty For Us All

I get sick and tired of listening to garbage from Matt Cutts at Google telling us all to be transparent and put up QUALITY sites for the user experience when I see Google turn around and pull moves like this latest stunt.

One of Google Panda?s penalties was for sites that have too much advertising above the fold!!!!!! Can you see the irony in this, when a Google results page is essentially nothing more than one giant ad, as they push the organic results below the fold.

Google?s motto is ?do no evil? yeah right, you have to be kidding me, Google is shown quite clearly that they have no interest in helping people find the best website that meets their search query and instead want to show you the results that make them the most money.

Summary

I hope this latest move by Google annoys you as much as it has me. I would love to hear from you all below in the comments. However like I said Google might not have rolled this out globally yet, so you might not see it when you use Google, but I can assure you that it is there when I use Google, so something is going on.

Related articles

Hate your day job? Build an online business with my free 12 part internet marketing video training course now!

We take your privacy very seriously. Your email address will never be shared or sold.

Source: http://mattsmarketingblog.com/seo/google-stoops-to-a-new-low/

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#9: Visonik VK1600.1D 1600Watt Mono-Block Car Audio Class D ...

• Written by admin
• Posted October 21, 2012 at 5:51 am

Visonik VK1600.1D 1600Watt Mono-Block Car Audio Class D Power Bass Amplifier With Butterworth Crossovers by Visonik Buy new: $209.00 $85.95 3 used & new from $65.95 (Visit the Hot New Releases in Car Audio list for authoritative information on this product?s current rank.)

Shop For: #9: Visonik VK1600.1D 1600Watt Mono-Block Car Audio Class D Power Bass Amplifier With Butterworth Crossovers

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Planning A Project? Use These Tips To Help! | Marijuana for MRSA

If the caulking surrounding your tub is stained or mildewed, consider replacing it. With less than an hour of work, your bathroom will look much nicer. Use a screwdriver or other tool to remove the old caulking, and ensure that the surface is dry before applying the new caulking. Look for a variety specifically meant for bathrooms; many of these also resist mildew growth.

When repainting the exterior of your home, use plastic sheeting and masking tape to avoid getting paint on unwanted surfaces, such as your windows. Use drop cloths to protect your driveway, porch, and shrubs from dripping paint. You will also want to use 3-inch masking tape to protect the trim while you are painting the siding on your house.

Jimmy proof the locks on your window sashes. Most inexpensive window sash locks can be opened from outside the window by inserting a thin blade into the crack and pushing. Fix this problem by updating to newer and more secure locks. All you have to do is remove and replace a few screws!

Take pride and joy in your work while trying to enjoy yourself. As long as you keep safety in mind, have fun remodeling your house. If you have a positive outlook while making home improvements, you are more likely to stick with your goals and get the work completed in a timely manner.

In any home with original wood floors, the homeowner considering home improvement projects, should avoid replacing the floors, at all cost. The older a wood floor is, the less likely it is that it can be replaced with an equally attractive floor. It is much better to refinish existing wood floors. Even in cases of the most extreme damage, laying a new floor over the original one is preferable to removing it.

Always keep an eye on your water usage by checking for leaky faucets. Leaky faucets should be repaired or replaced quickly to avoid excess water usage that is both wasteful and expensive. When replacing faucets or shower heads, make sure to consider using low-flow models as this also cuts down on your water usage and translates into lower water bills.

Install energy saving windows in your home. They will lower your energy bills while keeping you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. They also increase the value of your home as buyers love new energy saving amenities. Take the time to pick windows that are visually appealing and fit your home?s motif.

Do not be ashamed to call in a professional. Knowing you did all your home repairs yourself can be rewarding. That pride might come with a steep price tag though. Sometimes it is best to give in and just call in a handyman. Depending on the situation, they might be able to do it faster and for less money than you could.

Cover all surfaces appropriately before starting an improvement project. If you are tearing down walls or kitchen cupboards, cover any surfaces that have a finish that might get scratched, including floors and nearby walls. If you are painting, make sure to use a dropcloth on the floor and painter?s tape with paper coverings for features such as doorknobs and light switch face plates.

To keep your painting equipment from crusting up or getting dry when you take a break, keep Ziploc baggies handy. When you go on your break, put every brush or roller head in a bag and seal. This prevents the paint already on the brushes from drying out before you apply another coat.

Re-finish your hardwood floors to increase the value of your home. Re-finishing floors is a big job, but it is not a very difficult one. Instructional classes can often be found at your local hardware store, as can the equipment you will need to rent. The project can save you thousands of dollars, over the cost of a new floor.

Inspect your basement regularly to make sure it is dry. Older basements, in particular, have a propensity to leak. If you find a leak inspect your walls on both the outside and the inside. You might be able to stop leaks yourself by applying sealant. If the repairs are more involved you might want to hire a professional.

If you do not like the looks of your hardwood, tile, or even laminate flooring, you may want to install carpeting. It gives a home a comfortable, lived in feeling and is much better for your joints. Just remember to pull it up if you ever move, since no one wants a home with used carpeting.

Updating your home can be an expensive and lengthy process. However, if you are aware of the advantages and disadvantages of engaging in any home improvement project, no matter how large or small, you can save both time and money. By following the advice in this article, you can avoid common pitfalls and learn the best ways to make the most of your investment in your home.

Bebe Waechter owns a retail store which often has for sale Rubber Flat Roofing

Source: http://cannabismrsacure.letstalkaboutpot.com/planning-a-project-use-these-tips-to-help-2/

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Schmidt: A-Rod was cursed once he got big contract

There was a time when Alex Rodriguez was touted as the guy who could relieve us of Barry Bonds as the home run king. He was young, healthy and an MVP contender every year.

If anyone deserved $30 million a year, it was him. That's a stretch ? "deserve" $30 million a year. Maybe discovering a cure for cancer, world hunger or bringing about global peace, but not playing baseball. Who's worth that number? Surely not a baseball player. Funny, Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise gets the same for a movie, no one raises an eyebrow.

No discussion about Alex Rodriguez can be complete without the subject of money. For an athlete who dedicates his life to his craft, the size of the paycheck is a major factor. No one has ever refused money or given money back. Athletes are entertainers, some ridiculously high-paid entertainers.

In a perfect world, entertainers would not be allowed to make more money than doctors, police officers or anybody whose work made a difference to society. Ours is not a perfect world, so things get out of balance. Something like a young super-athlete, who played baseball for an eccentric owner, in an era when expanded TV, media, Internet and general economic growth seemed evident, was part of a perfect storm.

Alex Rodriguez was cursed. At the time he had no idea, none of us did. That contract changed him and baseball and has been a burden to many. A burden under which he has to play, fans have to watch and baseball has to exist. Alex Rodriguez's career will never be appreciated.

Is the burden of money at the root of all of his problems? Alex Rodriguez, for all intents and purposes, is a good guy. His problem, at times, seems to be the perception that he comes off as insincere, insecure and even a bit fake. What mega-athlete doesn't have that side to their personality? I did. OK, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, just off the top of my head, but that's about where it ends.

LeBron, Kobe and Tiger, there's a quick three for comparison. But then the anti-A-Rod ? Derek Jeter ? still at a level where salary could be an issue, is beloved and respected by everyone. CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira also are on the Yankees and make over $20 million each, and they escape the daily wrath and scrutiny.

Is it money, personality or the combination that makes Alex so polarizing?

To make a point, two personal stories. After his first couple years as a teenage major league shortstop in Seattle, I met him before a golf event in Fort Lauderdale. I had retired several years earlier, he was just beginning his career, and I sensed a great respect as he addressed me as Mr. Schmidt. It made me feel old, but at the same time, he impressed me with his approach.

Fast forward to the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium in 2008 when he was one homer away from my 548 on the all-time home run chart. We were standing at third base, I was a little uncomfortable not knowing what to say, so I tried to make conversation by mentioning the home run list. He asked me if I was planning on being there to see him match me. It was sort of an aloof response to my question ? to ask if I was planning on following him till he tied me was a little presumptuous and a blow to my ego. It came off as the exact opposite of our first meeting. This was 500 home runs and $200 million later in life.

I may be reading too much into these moments, Alex wouldn't even remember them. He was there to play the game, not carry on a conversation about home run records with me. Just the wrong choice of words in a stressful moment, that can happen.

Alex has a very high profile, tries so hard to be normal, and can't pull it off. No one making $30 million a year could. If he were a rock star, who'd care? He plays America's game in front of us for seven months. He can't hide.

The reason he is so polarizing lies right in this story. In him, we all see a guy who hit the sports lottery and we think, if it were us, life would be a bowl of cherries and it would be easy to be everything to everyone. If the tables were turned in that exchange at the All-Star game, I'd have said to him that I'd be honored if he were present when I tied and passed him, and I would send my jet to bring him there. Is that crazy?

So many people say to me that I came along in baseball 20 years too early. They say imagine what you'd make if you played today. My answer is simple and has two parts: I'd be Alex Rodriguez, and I'm glad I'm not.

We are alike in that we both were shortstops and moved to third base. We both hit home runs, produced runs, won Gold Gloves, won MVP awards and a World Series championship. Most of my career I was the highest or close to the highest-paid player in baseball. Over the last decade, and forever, it's him. We played under the highest pressure and expectations.

I may be one person who has walked in his shoes. Of course, it was Philadelphia, not New York. It was $2 million, not $30 million. And the world in which he lives is drastically different than mine. Make no mistake, few would qualify to be both highest paid in the game and 0 for 20 in a postseason.

I know what it's like to be right on the ball and miss it, and the few times you connect, it's caught. Imagine in the ALCS opener against Detroit, bases loaded, if Alex's rope in the hole in the second inning was 6 inches to the left. He'd drive in two runs, the pressure is off and maybe none of this happens.

Instead, Jhonny Peralta dives and catches it for the third out, another failure in the clutch. In the 1983 World Series, I finished 1 for 20. But in my first two at-bats, I lined out to center field with men on base. Those balls find the gap and I'd go as far to say the Series outcome against Baltimore would have been different.

The postseason can be cruel, especially cruel to those hitters who are expected to produce and lead their teams. In baseball, players are supposed to be judged over an extended period, not a two-week postseason. Hitting comes and goes and never says goodbye. This time of year, the big, high-paid boys are supposed to hit, but most don't.

Check it, there are more hitting stars who fail in the postseason than succeed. Look at Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson ? even worse than Alex, but who's making the headlines?

Imagine if he had never signed that contract, made a normal amount and never had a brush with performance-enhancing drugs. Imagine if there were no Internet, no Twitter or Facebook, only a couple newspapers and radio shows, and limited television exposure. Would he be today's Mickey Mantle?

But that's the reality, and because of it he has his $200 million and the pressure that comes with it. He signed on for this and now he faces challenges few if any ever have. I was never benched, never removed for a pinch hitter. The Phillies believed I was always one swing from changing a game and a series. Apparently, Joe Girardi didn't feel the same about Alex Rodriguez.

Alex seems to my eye to still be a fundamentally sound and potentially very productive hitter. Staying healthy at 37 is the issue. Age is a funny thing. I seemed to hit a wall in my late 30s. I can't explain it other than to say fastballs I used to hit a long way ended up on the warning track, nagging injuries increased, I didn't get to groundballs I used to eat up.

And as this happened, I began to doubt my ability. I had an excuse: I was old, so I retired. It happens to all of us. But in Alex's case when it does ? if it isn't happening now ? it won't be that easy. He will be making $30 million a year, guaranteed! For that kind of money, you aren't allowed to get old.

___

Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt and Alex Rodriguez have both won three MVP awards and a World Series title. Schmidt hit 548 home runs and was a 12-time All-Star; Rodriguez has 647 homers and is a 14-time All-Star.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/schmidt-rod-cursed-once-got-big-contract-075627526--mlb.html

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After Libya misfire, pressure on Romney in foreign policy debate

BOCA RATON, Florida (Reuters) - When President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney face off on Monday in their third and final debate, it will be the Republican challenger's last best chance to recover from his botched "Libya moment" and exploit vulnerabilities in his opponent's foreign policy record.

But Romney has an uphill struggle to make his case against Obama, who will be buoyed by the advantages of incumbency as well as polls showing him with an edge - though a shrinking one - on the question of who is more trusted in global affairs.

This week's debate in Boca Raton, Florida, coming just 15 days before the election and devoted entirely to foreign policy, could be the riskiest of the three nationally televised showdowns for Romney, largely because of his inexperience and recent blunders on the world stage.

Romney's missteps in criticizing Obama's handling of a deadly September attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi - the focus of a vividly testy exchange in the previous debate - have complicated his broader strategy of trying to cast the president as a weak steward of American power abroad.

Deprived of one of his most potent lines of attack, expect Romney to instead focus more of his criticism on Obama's policies toward Iran, Israel, Syria, China, Afghanistan and Russia.

"Obama has a record, and Romney doesn't, so he can just cherry-pick the arguments," said Jon Alterman, a former State Department policy planner now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "But that doesn't mean any of it will stick."

Romney's aides hope that chipping away at Obama's credibility on foreign policy and national security - areas the White House once saw as largely immune from Republican attack - can help put him over the top with undecided voters in the final weeks of a White House race still too close to call.

The two men go into their final head-to-head encounter in a dead heat, with an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showing them tied at 47 percent among likely voters.

WILL VOTERS CARE?

Obama's policies have faced setbacks recently, from challenges to U.S. interests in the Middle East to a string of attacks on U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan by the Afghan troops they are supposed to be training.

A report in The New York Times that the Obama administration has agreed in principle with Iran to hold one-on-one talks over Tehran's nuclear program could provide a fresh avenue for Romney to cast Obama as too willing to accommodate. The White House denied any such deal had been reached.

Republican Senator Rob Portman, Romney's sparring partner in mock debates before Monday night, warned Obama against sidelining U.S. allies in the diplomatic front against Iran.

"The other thing that gets interesting about the story, if it's accurate, it sounds like the U.S. is taking a position that we're likely to jettison our allies," he told NBC's "Meet the Press." "The last thing we would want to do is abandon our allies on this and make it a one-on-one negotiation," he said.

It remains to be seen how much traction any of this will have with voters, whose main concerns by far are the economy and jobs.

The problem for Romney is that in focusing on Obama's trouble spots, he also further exposes his own weaknesses.

As former governor of Massachusetts and an ex-businessman, he is out of his comfort zone when not focused on domestic and economic matters.

That was evident in last week's debate when he mistakenly said Obama took weeks to acknowledge that the Benghazi assault - which claimed the lives of the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans - was a terrorist attack.

Obama, who spoke of "acts of terror" in an appearance in the White House Rose Garden the day after the attack, challenged Romney to "check the transcript" and chastised him for trying to score political points from a national tragedy.

A slew of pundits dubbed it Romney's "Libya moment," and some of his own aides conceded privately that Obama got the better of him.

On top of that, Obama managed to shift the focus away from the thornier question of whether the administration had ignored requests to beef up diplomatic security in Libya.

Romney went silent on Libya after Tuesday's encounter but aides say the Republican, hunkered down in debate prep in Florida this weekend, will be ready to deal with it on Monday when it is all but certain to come up again.

What Romney hopes to do is press his point, drowned out in the last debate, that the recent wave of anti-American violence in Libya and other parts of the Middle East shows Obama's foreign policy is "unraveling before our very eyes."

At the same time, he will want to avoid giving Obama another opportunity to go on the offensive.

"I doubt the governor will end up parsing words. That's not the most productive thing to do," said Eliot Cohen, a Romney adviser who was a senior aide to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during the Bush administration.

Romney must also show voters he has what it takes to be a capable commander-in-chief, and he will seek to counter any attempt by Obama to "paint him as an insane warmonger," said Cohen, now a foreign policy expert at the Johns Hopkins School of International Studies in Washington.

Obama - who has touted the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq as a signature foreign policy accomplishment - has signaled he could use the debate to caution war-weary voters of the risk of a more hawkish Romney presidency.

Obama himself often mentions that he ordered the U.S. mission that killed Osama bin Laden, and the White House has also touted a deadly drone campaign against al Qaeda leaders.

At a campaign rally in New Hampshire last week, Obama suggested Romney was promoting the kind of foreign policy that "takes us into wars without a plan to get us out."

A Pew Research Center survey, conducted after the first debate but before the second, showed Obama ahead 47 percent to 43 percent on the question of who would make wiser foreign policy decisions. That was much narrower than Obama's 15 percentage-point advantage in a poll early last month.

LOOKING FOR CONTRASTS

Romney will be under pressure to sharpen contrasts with Obama when the two men sit side-by-side across the table from moderator Bob Schieffer, known for a cantankerous demeanor with guests on the Sunday morning CBS news show "Face the Nation."

The 90-minute debate will be divided into six segments: America's role in the world; the war in Afghanistan; Israel and Iran; the changing Middle East; terrorism; and China's rise.

Critics have accused Romney of relying on generalities and platitudes - he has hearkened back to Ronald Reagan's "peace through strength" doctrine - and he could be put on the spot if he resists providing specifics.

Romney has promised to tighten the screws over Iran's nuclear program. He has accused Obama of "leading from behind" as Syria's civil war expands, and of a politically timed exit from the unpopular Afghanistan war.

But in each case, critics say, he has not detailed alternatives policies.

(Additional reporting by Deborah Zabarenko, Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Warren Strobel, Mohammad Zargham and Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/libya-misfire-pressure-romney-foreign-policy-debate-051621328.html

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norri better: The Greatest Backpack Distributors | travel and leisure

Backpack distributors are performing everything they could to have more sellers to buy their bags. Backpacks are the very best bags to carry your stuff because they spread the weight that you're carrying on the entire of your back. They are convenient because they can carry everything from schoolbooks to clothes to all you may need when you are going on a walking adventure. They are comfy, and they lessen muscle strain. It doesn't matter whether the load is great or small.

With many backpack distributors to pick from, you may not learn who distributes the best bags. You're spoilt for choice, and you have to conduct a lots of research to know the one that gives the cheapest price in town. The best backpack distributors have got websites on the internet that enable the retailers to shop for their bags ideally without leaving their stores.

When you are looking at the style of the backpack, its attributes and the advantages of using it, it is simpler when it's done over the internet. The purchasing, the payments, and the availability of the back packs is so easy and so comfortable. You do not have to leave the convenience of your office or your car seat to get there. They come at a less expensive price because you don't have to fuel your car to go get them. They're shipped right to your home, and you use the time you would have used to go there performing something more significant in the office or in the shop.

Great backpack distributors give their retailers all the details they want about the backpacks they would like to get. Should they have an online shop, they make certain that all the information concerning the bags is shown on the pages. They give the retailers all the time they have to take a look at their brochures. They've got a chat feature in their sites in order that if a retailer is stuck when they are trying to find the bags they would like to purchase, they could always ask for assistance, and they can get it straight away. The best backpack distributors give special discounts to their clients. Whether they have been long-term or they're visiting the very first time. It is good to offer a first timer a price reduction even because that small discount is what we will make him to return to your shop.

Great backpack distributors allows their clients to get backpacks on credit, and if they show to be great when settling their debts, they get discounts. Whenever a client is provided credit discount, they will wish to continue doing business with the distributor mainly because they know they could get goods even without money. A great distributor will make sure that they will let the retailers realize when new stuff gets in.

He will make sure that all his clients are up to date on brand new arrivals. Good distributors ensure that the bags they are giving are of top quality and this would be a plus for them. Whenever the retailers sell the best bags to their clients, there will be so many referrals, and they'll just need to return back for more bags.

This info should help you when searching for the best backpack distributors. I am certain you have a tip or two now and the next time you go out to search for a distributor, you'll know what exactly to look for. I'm glad that you took some time to read this.

Source: http://travel-leisure-updates.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-greatest-backpack-distributors.html

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Source: http://muscovy-bleeder.blogspot.com/2012/10/norri-better-greatest-backpack.html

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Football Prophecies: Dick Cheney, Butch Vig, and chicken wings all ...

The Football Prophecies foretell the outcomes of each weeks slate of NFL games. Pigskin prophet, Russ Espinoza, acquired his clairvoyance at age 9 when he was conked on the head by an errant John Elway pass at Mile High Stadium in 1992. Hes marveled friends and relations and played Vegas like a cheap fiddle with his otherworldly football foresight ever since.

The prophet is pleased to share his gift with The Austin Chronicle.

Seattle at San Francisco: Seahawks head coach Pete Carrolls cab incurs a flat tire en route to the team hotel after a splendid Saturday evening dinner at Palio DAsti. Forced to trek back on foot, Carroll is intercepted in the citys Haight-Ashbury district by a pack of fetid hippie-urchins and offered a blotter of LSD.

The 61-year-old declines with diplomatic grace: While I appreciate your generous bestowal of mind-altering substances and the face-licking that it entails, I simply must refuse. My taste is more mainstream: and its for caffeine, gentlemen. Yes, my vice can be had not behind head shops from drugged-out, father-hating zombies named "Spooner," but in convenient stores, corner groceries, and what-have-you.

For me, a Coke and a smile is pretty darn righteous, man. Each of you smell of rotting and are a significant drain on society, but I wish you well nonetheless.

Prophecy: San Francisco

Arizona at Minnesota: A cabal of Minneapolis-St. Paul civic and political leaders convenes inside a torch-lit arctic bordello to issue a name change to the citys Hubert. H. Humphrey Metrodome. Minneapolis chief of police, Andy Timothy Dolan, posits the Paul Westerberg Climate-Controlled Sports and Recreation Bubble.

City Council member Barbara Johnson chimes in with Hsker D Food Court and AstroTurf Sports Complex.

Ultimately, former Viking turned gun-control advocate E.J. Henderson elicits the most golf-claps and here-heres, by propounding: the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Family Fun Center.

Prophecy: Arizona

Dallas at Carolina: Customarily travelling with the team, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is astounded by the number of cross-eyed people who come up and wheeze in his face on the streets of Charlotte.

Prophecy: Carolina

New Orleans at Tampa Bay: Buccaneers receiver Vincent Jackson abruptly retires from football to finally pursue a musical career as a depressive grunge revivalist. Jackson barricades himself inside an East Los Angeles studio to record Aluminum Thyroid, a five-track EP produced by Butch Vig.

Accompanied by the surviving members of Blind Melon, Jackson and company record and master Mouthwash Horoscope, Sweater-vest Is Second Best, I Fed a Raccoon, Love Is a Battlestar Galactica, and Will Work for Pogs over eight marathon days of infighting, grudging reconciliation, and other assorted hubbub.

Prophecy: Tampa Bay

Green Bay at St. Louis: Several Packers recent malaise with their personal lives gets exacerbated by disillusioning performances of inhumanity outside the team hotel in downtown St. Louis: cornerback Charles Woodson watches helplessly from behind a 14th-story window as one transient flogs another with an empty pizza box.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers witnesses a dignified English gentlemen taking a whizzing pie in the face whilst waiting for a bus.

Hours later in the dead of night, head coach Mike McCarthy is jolted awake by the sound of some poor bastards heart breaking at the corner of Walnut and Memorial Drive.

Prophecy: Green Bay

Washington at New York Giants: Understanding his teams miniscule chance of upsetting the defending Super Bowl champion Giants on their home turf, Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III equips himself with a pocket full of sunshine, a feather in his cup, and two tickets to paradise if things take an ugly turn.

Prophecy: New York Giants

Baltimore at Houston: Former Enron CEO and Vice President Dick Cheney drops in at Reliant Stadium to say, What it do? to his Houston crew. Tapped to deliver a pregame speech to the 5-1 Texans, the 71-year-old lighting-rod doesnt mince rhymes. Whats crackin', fellas? My names Dickey C and Im here to say, I shoot friends in the face almost every day"!

Made instantly uncomfortable by Cheneys in-your-face rap persona, Texans head coach Gary Kubiak interjects, only to be unceremoniously interrupted in kind by Cheneys Amazonian call of, When I say Baboon, you say Heart: baboon!

Prophecy: Houston

Tennessee at Buffalo: Titans general manager Ruston Webster confers with head coach Mike Munchak aboard the team plane to Buffalo. You have to remember, Mike: every city offers its own agent of temptation. Whether its the strip clubs in Dallas or Tampa; or the all-hours party scene in New York City; every stop can pose a problem to the visitor. In Buffalo, its the wings.

So what are you telling me? Munchak replies.

Im saying we need to have constant surveillance on our linemen. They just cant be trusted: Buffalos a delectable death trap. And I will not allow another Gary Tate on my watch.

Gary Tate?

It was before your time here, Mike. Long before. Tate was our starting tackle in 2003, outta Ole Miss, as I recall. Good kid. But he had a weakness: Chicken wings, Mike. Wouldnt even touch the damn celery. That boy was stubborn as a mule. Anyway, we came to Buffalo to play the Bills, right? I go around and do my room-checks on Saturday night, as usual, and theres Tate, face down in an orgy of orange bones. His roommate was catatonic, rocking back and forth in the corner. Tate had eaten himself into eternity.

Prophecy: Buffalo

Cleveland at Indianapolis: Colts receiver Reggie Wayne is spotted by reporters and Lucas Oil Stadium personnel being chased into the players entrance by a plus-sized black woman with a rolling pin and hair-curlers. When asked about the incident by Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star, a visibly shaken Wayne brusquely replies, What happens between Tyler Perry and I is private.

Prophecy: Indianapolis

New York Jets at New England: Supremely cognizant of their lofty status as hunky quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Mark Sanchez both tailor the sleeves off their uniforms, spend whatever spare moments coating their sinewy guns with cocoa butter, and pretending to drop their playbook with regularity coyly tittering, I'm such a butterfingers.

Prophecy: New England

Jacksonville at Oakland: An FBI sting operation two years in the making will culminate with the spectacular mass arrest of 98 serial killers, 209 narco kingpins, 45 arsonists, and 6 Hannibal Lecter copycats wearing Raider paraphernalia at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Prophecy: Oakland

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati: We need to talk, blubbers Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton to head coach Marvin Lewis. Incontinent with guilt and losing hair in bales from an agonizing tear of sleepless nights and self-starvation, the second-year gunslinger spills his guts.

Coach, there comes a time in mans life when no wait. You see, life is like a box of no, dammit. Thats not what I meant Ill put this as bluntly as I can, because you deserve the truth: Ive been quarterbacking with another team I never meant to hurt you.

Dumbstruck by a dam-burst of heartsickness and betrayal, Lewis manages to stutter, eyes downcast and welling with tears, Who who is it?

The Jacksonville Jaguars, Marvin. For the last six months, the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was a cheap, and low-down affair, I know: but I did it, Marvin. I did it. But in my heart in my heart I know I only care for you, and that same black hat you wear every Sunday. I want you to know that I wasnt even throwing spirals the Jaguars meant nothing to me. Take me back, Marvin. Andy did a bad, bad thing.

Prophecy: Cincinnati

Detroit at Chicago: By virtue of winning a school raffle, Kankakee High freshman Alvin Renfro gets field access to Sundays Bears vs. Lions showdown. Standing innocently along the Chicago sideline, Renfro gets pancaked by a storm of bodies gushing from the field of play.

Thinking hes impressed Spanish I classmate Tara Olson by appearing on television, a heavily drugged Renfro watches in sedate mortification as Monday Night Football sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya informs ESPNs national television audience that The little dweeb we saw get blown apart in the second quarter has been taken to Northwestern Medical Center, and Im told hes just laying there feeling sorry for himself, Mike.

His name is Alvin Renfro, a freshman from nearby Kankakee High School: Sources close to the Renfro ambulance have told me that the puny 13-year-old complained of, quote, "A great many broken bones, some having pierced the skin."

Unfortunately, its clear that no matter what happens along his road to recovery, Mike, this negative little gimp has no shot of ever bagging Tara Olson.

Prophecy: Chicago

Source: http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/sports/2012-10-20/football-prophecies/

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Watch the launch of the penguins

(c) Paul Nicklen / National Geographic

Preparing to launch from the sea to Antarctic sea ice, an Emperor penguin reaches maximum speed.

By Alan Boyle

You thought "The March of the Penguins" was cool? Check out the launch of the penguins?? an aerodynamic phenomenon that helps these flightless birds take flight.

Emperor penguins can't fly just by flapping their wings, but they can propel themselves fast enough through Antarctic waters to turn themselves into winged rockets. They do it by releasing tiny bubbles of air from their feathers: The air acts as a lubricant, reducing drag as they swim up from the depths like tuxedoed torpedoes. In fact, engineers have used air bubbles in similar ways to speed the movement of torpedoes through the water.

Who knew that penguins have been doing the same sort of thing for eons??University College Cork's John Davenport knew: He and his colleagues studied video footage from the BBC's "Blue Planet" TV series to develop a biochemical model for the penguins' torpedo trick. They were amazed to find that the birds' speed was due to the "coat of air bubbles" streaming from their feathers.

---

National Geographic

The penguin images are from the November edition of National Geographic magazine. The electronic versions of the report include an exclusive video and interactive graphic that show penguins rocketing onto the ice.

Before the penguins dive into the water, they ruffle their plumage to trap air within the feathers' structure. A deep dive compresses the air into a smaller volume. When the penguins go into their launch, the decompressing air is released through pores in the feathers ? creating a layer of tiny, lubricating bubbles.

The trick is described for scientists in the Marine Ecology Progress Series, and for the rest of us in November's issue of?National Geographic magazine. The heart of the magazine story is Paul Nicklen's pictures, which have just won him top honors in the Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

"We wanted to change people's perception of penguins as ungainly animals," said Nicklen, who has followed penguins and other polar species for years, and admits he's always had an obsession with Antarctica. "The biologist in me was trying to learn about the science."

And he did learn more about the biological background for the bubble trick: Penguins are preyed upon by leopard seals, which lie in wait beneath the ice to ambush the birds during their ascent from the depths. "The penguins know they're there, and as they're coming up ... it's like someone turns on a tap, and there are millions of microbubbles pouring over their bodies."

The supercharged speed helps the penguins elude their predators and shoot up to safety on the ice, Nicklen said. The masses of bubbles have another defensive effect: They confuse the seals as they try to swim in for the attack. Nicklen himself found out how that feels. When he got too close to the penguins underwater, they released a bubbly barrage.

"It was like I was floating through space, in a sea of bubbles," he said.

The online version of National Geographic's penguin spread will feature a video and interactive graphic showing in detail how the penguins rocket out of the water and onto the ice. Next week, the photographer will unveil an app called "Paul Nicklen: Pole to Pole," with more images. In the meantime, feast your eyes on these images from National Geographic, plus two bonus videos:

(c) Paul Nicklen / National Geographic

An airborne penguin shows why it has a need for speed: to get out of the water, it may have to clear several feet of ice. A fast exit also helps it elude leopard seals, which often lurk at the ice edge.

(c) Paul Nicklen / National Geographic

Life is safer at the colony, where predators are few and company is close.

(c) Paul Nicklen / National Geographic

The danger of ambush by seals is greatest when entering the water, so penguins may linger near an ice hole for hours, waiting for the first bird to dive.

(c) Paul Nicklen / National Geographic

"These penguins have probably never seen a human in the water," says photographer Paul Nicklen, "but it took them only seconds to realize that I posed no danger. They relaxed and allowed me to share their hole in the sea ice." This photo earned Nicklen the Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year award.

A video from the BBC shows penguins using a coat of air bubbles to speed their swimming through Antarctic waters.

More about penguins:

---

Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered via email every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/19/14562724-watch-the-launch-of-the-penguins?lite

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Mohela, Mo Problems, or: Thanks Again, Congress | Matt Thomas

on October 19, 2012

For-profit and nonprofit student loan companies alike lobbied over the change and shifted their business models accordingly. In particular, the nonprofit student loan companies won a carve-out to ensure they?d get in on the business of servicing the direct federal loans. The carve-out was?crafted and lobbied for?by the Education Finance Council,?a trade group?representing nonprofit student loan companies that spent?more than $200,000?on lobbying that year. (The Education Finance Council did not respond to a request for comment.)

Now, two years later, borrowers are experiencing the effect of the law.

Borrower Karen Mahnk said she logged into the Department of Education?s student loan website in October and saw that her loan balance ? which typically hovered around $100,000 ? was suddenly zero. When she called around, her servicer told her that she had been put in an?administrative forbearance.

If, like me, you went to college on a direct student loan from the US government; and recently your loan was mysteriously transferred to a company you?ve never heard of, you need to read this article on ProPublica: Student Loan Borrowers Dazed and Confused by Servicer Shuffle. My monthly payment went up when my payments were transferred to Mohela, and since I switched banks a few months ago they have been chronically unable to correctly process my ?automated? monthly payments. If you?re having problems with Mohela, you?re not alone. If you haven?t had problems with them yet, brace yourself.

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Analysis: After House bill, some fear holes in muni protections (reuters)

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Wall Street retreats on earnings disappointment

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Friday in the wake of disappointing results from Microsoft and Google a day earlier, with shares of General Electric dropping nearly 3 percent after reporting improved profit but falling short of revenue estimates.

Blue chip stocks led declines. General Electric Co shares fell 2.7 percent to $22.22 after the company reported quarterly revenue that was less than analysts had expected, crimped by a stronger dollar.

Still, GE reported growth in quarterly profit as U.S. and Asian demand for its electric turbines and railroad locomotives offset the impact of slowing European growth and demand.

McDonald's Corp shares slumped 3.5 percent to $89.69 after the company reported a lower quarterly profit that missed analysts' expectations.

Despite the day's declines, the S&P 500 has advanced 1.4 percent this week so far. The Dow is up 1 percent and the Nasdaq is up 0.2 percent for the week.

Peter Cecchini, managing director at Cantor Fitzgerald in New York, said he rarely remembered a time when blue chips "slumped the way they did this week, and the broader market, especially the S&P, did not fade thereafter."

Out of the 116 S&P 500 companies which have reported so far in this earnings season, 60 percent have exceeded analysts' estimates. Earnings are expected to drop 1.8 percent in the third quarter from a year ago, according to Thomson Reuters data, compared with a forecast drop of 2.3 percent earlier in the week.

Data showed U.S. home resales fell in September as the stock of properties on the market dropped, a reminder that America's housing sector is a long way from a full recovery despite recent signs of improvement. Market reaction was muted.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 92.04 points, or 0.68 percent, at 13,456.90. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 7.60 points, or 0.52 percent, at 1,449.74. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 17.49 points, or 0.57 percent, at 3,055.38.

"We believe it is still premature to conclude that the rally that began in June is over, and we would need to see the S&P break below 1400, the five month relative performance uptrend of stocks versus bonds reverse," said Robert Sluymer, analyst at RBC Capital Markets in New York.

Diversified U.S. manufacturer Honeywell International Inc reported a 10 percent rise in quarterly earnings as declining natural gas prices helped boost profit at its UOP chemical arm, offsetting weakness in Europe.

Microsoft Corp's said late Thursday its quarterly profit fell a greater-than-expected 22 percent, as sales of computers running its Windows operating system dipped and some revenue was deferred ahead of the upcoming releases of its core Windows and Office products.

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday, with technology stocks hit hard after Google's surprisingly weak earnings disappointed investors.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the stock market crash of 1987, or Black Monday, when the Dow Jones index plummeted 22 percent for the worst single-day percentage loss on Wall Street.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-street-retreats-earnings-disappointment-144435056--finance.html

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