Myanmar to fete 2013 with first public countdown

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) ? Myanmar will ring in 2013 with its first public New Year's Eve countdown and a grand fireworks display in a celebration unprecedented in the former military-ruled country.

Monday night's outdoor party marks the latest, and perhaps most exuberant, example of the country's emergence from decades of isolation.

Thousands were expected to attend the celebration at a large field in Yangon against the backdrop of the city's famed Shwedagon Pagoda, where the Myanmar public will get its chance to do what much of the world does every Dec. 31.

A large digital screen will show a live stream of New Year's Eve countdowns in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand leading up to a 60-second countdown to 2013 in Myanmar.

Singers, celebrities, light shows and other festivities were planned for the public party, which would have been unthinkable under the former military regime that banned public gatherings.

Until this year, New Year's Eve was celebrated privately or inside hotels, but there was no open celebration. Under the military regime the only grand fireworks display was traditionally in honor of Armed Forces Day, an annual celebration of military might.

The reformist government that took office last year urged the public to go out and have fun.

"This event is a very good outlet, particularly for young people," said presidential adviser Ko Ko Hlaing, adding that celebrations like this can "help build mutual understanding between the people and the government."

President Thein Sein has freed hundreds of political prisoners, abolished direct media censorship and allowed public protests as part of a democratic transition that has surprised the outside world.

Many in Myanmar, however, remain skeptical. While people in big cities say they live more freely they also say they the reforms have not improved their livelihoods. People in rural areas of grinding poverty cite continuing human rights issues, abuse of power and abysmal health care.

"People are feeling insecure psychologically, but a public celebration will make people feel light and happy and ease the tension," Ko Ko Hlaing said.

Organizers billed the event as "the first time Myanmar celebrates with the world."

The celebration was arranged by local Forever Media group and Index Creative Village, a Thai event organizer.

"We are planning this public new year's event because we want residents of Yangon to enjoy the public countdown like in other countries," said Win Thura Hlaing, a spokesman for Forever Media group.

Ahead of the countdown, revelers said they had seen parties like this only on TV.

"I've seen the ball drop at Times Square in New York but I never expected that we would celebrate like this," said Sai Toe Makha, a 31-year-old singer, who planned to attend the celebration with 10 friends.

Male model Ye Min Thu, 21, called it "an unforgettable moment, where people can feel the first experience of celebrating the new year in public."

___

Associated Press writer Yadana Htun contributed to this story.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/myanmar-fete-2013-first-public-countdown-080334719.html

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Daniel Rowlands on the Love of Christ for His Church

31 December, 2012 by Glen

Language slightly updated?

?Christ took our nature upon him that he might sympathise with us.??Almost every creature is sympathetic to its own kind, however ferocious to others. The bear will not be deprived of its cubs without resistance: she will tear the aggressor to pieces if she can. But how great the jealousy of the Lord Jesus for his people! He will not lose any of them. He has taken them as members of himself, and as such watches over them with fondest care. How much will a man do for one of the members of his body (like a hand or an eye) before he suffers it to be cut off? Think not O man, that you would do more for your members than the Son of God. To think so would be blasphemy, for the pre-eminence in all things belongs to him.

Yes, he is acquainted with all your temptations, because he was in all things tempted as you are. Are you tempted to deny God? So was he. Are you tempted to kill yourself? So was he. Are you tempted by the vanities of the world? So was he. Are you tempted to idolatry? So was he; yes even to worship the devil. He was tempted from the manger to the cross. He was a man of sorrows acquainted with grief. The head in heaven is sympathizing with the feet that are pinched and pressed on earth, and says , ?Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me???

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Source: http://christthetruth.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/daniel-rowlands-on-the-love-of-christ-for-his-church/

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UFC 155 Live: Follow Junior Dos Santos vs Cain Velasquez in our round-by-round live blog

30 Dec 2012 04:36

Heavy-handed Brazilian Junior Dos Santos defends the UFC heavyweight championship of the world when he faces the man he knocked out to win it, Cain Velasquez, in a hotly-anticipated rematch. Follow the huge event from Las Vegas in our round-by-round live blog

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Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/mma/ufc-155-live-junior-dos-1511104

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India?s Economy Looks to Rebound in 2013 (Voice Of America)

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Online Pharmacies Giving Prescription Drug Abuse | Health and ...

Drug abuse ? Some pharmacy Buyer Protection Work prohibits supply in America regarding controlled elements not determined by a physician. But, rogue drugstore websites outside the send out an incredible number of email marketing and some don?t adhere to US prescriptive laws. Warnings are already issued for you to more than 100 drugs online for transgression, but the legislation of demand and supply often beats attempts from the Federal Drug Relationship to squelch your access to medicines.

Access to online drugs has caused an immediate increase in drug abuse, dependency and the self-destructive factors to the addict, their loved ones as well as the community. We?ve been talking about remarkably addictive, effective OPIOID pain killers including OXYCODONE (OXYCONTIN) and those that contains HYDROCODONE (VICODIN), sedatives as well as tranquilizers, for example diazepam (Valium) along with LORAZEPAM (ATIVAN) and stimuli for example methylphenidate (Ritalin) which can be used to handle Attention Deficit Disorder (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and insomnia issues. These are yet a small set of the mood/mind transforming prescription rank medications available on the web.

In 2011, the web celebrated their 20th bay. Globally, nearly 2.67 billion individuals are users having a gargantuan increase of 528% from Year 2000 to Next year. Internet users carry on growing at a quicker rate.

Drug abuse

Intercontinental and Marketing communications Technology has advantages but it also features horrific along with destructive factors such as online criminals, online bullies, cyber stalkers an internet-based sexual potential predators or innovators to name a few. A brand new growing pandemic is the escalation regarding prescription drug abuse.

Medications are rapidly replacing unlawful substances in college grounds. States with all the greatest growth in high-speed access to the internet had the most important increase involving admissions to treat drug abuse (Massachusetts Common Hospital, School of Los Angeles). Interestingly, while online health professional prescribed drug sales boost, admission with regard to abuse of booze, cocaine and also heroin got minimal or perhaps negative development rates.

Seniors are some of those most at risk of prescription drug abuse or perhaps misuse as they are prescribed far more medications when compared with younger people. Most people consider prescription medications sensibly: however, around 48 million individuals (ages 12 as well as older) purchased prescription drugs with regard to non-medical reasons within their lifetimes. Prescribed drugs are the 2nd most commonly over used category of medicines, behind cannabis and in front of cocaine, narcotics, methamphetamine along with other drugs.

The nation?s Institute involving Health quotations that nearly 20% of individuals in yours manipulate prescription drugs with regard to non-medical reasons, steroid ointment abuse is also going up, men statement higher charges of steroid ointment use compared to women perform. Prescription drug abuse is normally the same among men and women, other than among 12 in order to 17 year olds. Within this age group, investigation conducted with the National Start on Drug Abuse learned that females are more inclined to use psychotherapeutic medications for non-medical functions. Research has additionally shown that ladies in general may use drug pain relievers and also tranquilizers for non-medical reasons.

Source: http://mwaves.org/online-pharmacies-giving-prescription-drug-abuse.html

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Video released of NYC suspect in fatal subway push

NEW YORK (AP) ? Police searched for a woman who killed a man by pushing him in front of a subway train and released surveillance video Friday of her running away from the station.

Commuters, meanwhile, absorbed the news of the second fatal subway shove in the city this month.

"It's just a really sad commentary on the world and on human beings, period," said Howard Roth, who takes the subway daily. He said the deadly push was food for thought about subway safety, "but I guess the best thing is what they tell you ? don't stand near the edge, and keep your eyes open."

The suspect in Thursday night's killing had been following the man closely on a Queens platform and mumbling to herself, witnesses told police. She got up from a nearby bench and shoved the man, who was standing with his back to her, as the train pulled into the platform. He was pinned under the train as it pulled to a stop, police said.

It did not appear the man noticed her before he was shoved onto the tracks, police said, adding that the condition of the man's body was making it difficult to identify him. The woman was described as Hispanic, in her 20s, heavyset and about 5-foot-5, wearing a blue, white and gray ski jacket and Nike sneakers with gray on top and red on the bottom.

It was unclear whether the man and the woman knew each other. And it's also unclear whether anyone tried to help the man up before he was struck ? or whether there was enough time for anyone to do anything.

The surveillance video was taken at a nearby intersection. It shows a woman dashing from a crosswalk and down a sidewalk.

Asked about the episode at the station on Queens Boulevard in the Sunnyside neighborhood, Mayor Michael Bloomberg pointed Friday to legal and policy changes that led to the release of many mentally ill people from psychiatric institutions from the 1960s through 1990s.

"The courts or the law have changed and said, no, you can't do that unless they're a danger to society; our laws protect you. That's fair enough," Bloomberg said on "The John Gambling Show with Mayor Mike" on WOR-AM.

On Dec. 3, 58-year-old Ki-Suck Han was pushed in front of a train in Times Square. Apparently no other passenger tried to help Han.

A photograph of him on the tracks a split second before he was killed was published on the front of the New York Post the next day, causing an uproar and debate over whether the photographer, who had been waiting for a train, should have tried to help him and whether the newspaper should have run the image.

A homeless man, 30-year-old Naeem Davis, was charged with murder in Han's death and was ordered held without bail. He has pleaded not guilty and has said that Han was the aggressor and had attacked him first. The two men hadn't met before.

Being pushed onto the train tracks is a silent fear for many commuters who ride the city's subway a total of more than 5.2 million times on an average weekday, but deaths are rare.

Among the more high-profile cases was the January 1999 death of aspiring screenwriter Kendra Webdale, who was shoved by a former mental patient. The man, Andrew Goldstein, was convicted of murder after unsuccessfully arguing he was too mentally ill to understand what he was doing.

The case prompted the state Legislature to pass Kendra's Law, which lets mental health authorities supervise patients who live outside institutions to make sure they are taking their medications and aren't threats to safety.

Earlier this year, restaurant cook Jose Rojas was convicted of assault for shoving a woman into the side of a moving train in 2010. His lawyers argued he simply stumbled into her in a drunken accident. The victim was seriously hurt but survived.

Like many subway riders, Micah Siegel follows her own set of safety precautions during her daily commute: stand against a wall or pillar to keep someone from coming up behind you, watch out when navigating a crowded or narrow platform to avoid being knocked ? even accidentally ? onto the tracks.

"I do try to be aware of what's around me and who's around me, especially as a young woman," Siegel, a 21-year-old college student, said as she waited at Pennsylvania Station on Friday.

So does Roth, who's 60.

"It sounds a little wimpy if you're like, 'Who's going to push me?' But it's better to be safe than sorry," he said.

___

Online:

Video: http://apne.ws/RWeSyO

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-28-US-Subway-Push-Death/id-1e82fb9f6db743b09fa7653bab9e01d0

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Learning Web Design As A Side Job | CSS Web Design

With an economy in shambles and no jobs on the horizon, a lot of people today are turning to the internet in order to start up a home business. In order to have a flourishing business online, however, web design plays a large role. Read up on some great web design tips you can use to ensure that your business is successful.

Make certain that your website displays well at all screen resolutions. You can do this by utilizing percentages for the width and height of the elements on your webpage, as opposed to fixed pixel dimensions. In addition, a page that displays properly at a lower resolution, will generally work well at higher resolutions. Prior to making your website public, you should test it at various resolutions to ensure that all of your visitors will have a comfortable experience.

You must be sure to check for any broken links prior to uploading your page to your server. You can use Dreamweaver to check this out quite easily with just a click of a button. If you upload your site without checking the links first, it will seriously irritate your visitors if they come across broken links as they are trying to maneuver through your site.

One thing that every web designer should understand is that it is never a good idea to store unencrypted passwords from the sites users. Saving passwords as simple text documents is a recipe for disaster so make sure that any passwords you plan on storing are encrypted so as to avoid and future problems.

Avoid trying to add every new gadget to your website. It can be tempting to make your site look cutting edge by including every new web design option out there but it can end up turning people off. Simple will generally get the job done even better than a flashy layout.

Develop a checklist of items you want your website to display. Even the best web designers out there sometimes lose ideas if they don?t act on them. If you create a checklist, you can always make sure that you?re putting everything you wanted on your website. Keeping it written down is also a way to brainstorm for new ideas.

One thing you should always take into account when you?re thinking about web design is the latest technology that is out today. As technology advances to does the web, so be sure you are always up to date with what is changing so that you?re that much more understanding of how the web works.

Where you can, recycle certain pieces of your site like navigation bars and logos. Not only does this help with creating some sort of brand consistency to your website, it also helps speed up the page load times for your visitors. Web browsers will cache these pieces upon first load, making them quicker to reappear the next time they are found on a page.

Web design doesn?t have to be complicated at all. Although some methods you try out might be a bit difficult, following these tips will work to simplify the process. So whatever your reasons are for wanting to get into web design, the above tips can assist you in building a beautiful site.

Source: http://www.csspick.com/learning-web-design-as-a-side-job/

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Liquid crystal research may lead to creation of new materials that can be actively controlled

Dec. 24, 2012 ? Contributing geometric and topological analyses of micro-materials, University of Massachusetts Amherst mathematician Robert Kusner aided experimental physicists at the University of Colorado (UC) by successfully explaining the observed "beautiful and complex patterns revealed" in three-dimensional liquid crystal experiments. The work is expected to lead to creation of new materials that can be actively controlled.

Kusner is a geometer, an expert in the analysis of variational problems in low-dimensional geometry and topology, which concerns properties preserved under continuous deformation such as stretching and bending. His work over 3 decades has focused on the geometry and topology of curves, surfaces and other spaces that arise in nature, such as soap films, knots and the shapes of fluid droplets. Kusner agrees with physicist and lead author Ivan Smalyukh of UC Boulder that their collaboration is the first to show in experiments that some of the most fundamental topological theorems hold up in real materials. Their findings appear in the current early online issue of Nature.

UMass Amherst's Kusner explains, "There are two important aspects of this work. First, the experimental work by the Colorado team, who fabricated topologically complex micro-materials allowing controlled experiments of three-dimensional liquid crystals. Second, the theoretical work performed by us mathematicians and theoretical physicists while visiting the University of California Santa Barbara's Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP). We provided the geometric and topological analysis of these experiments, to explain the observed patterns and predict what patterns should be seen when experimental conditions are changed."

Kusner was the lone mathematician among four organizers of last summer's workshop on "Knotted Fields" at KITP, which led to this work. The workshop engaged about a dozen other mathematicians and about twice as many theoretical and experimental physicists in a month-long investigation of the interplay between low-dimensional topology and what physicists call "soft matter."

In their experiments, the physicists at UC Boulder showed that tiny topological particles injected into a liquid crystal medium behave in a manner consistent with established theorems in geometry and topology, Kusner says. The researchers say they have thus identified approaches for building new materials using topology.

UC Boulder's Smalyukh and colleagues set up the experiment by first creating colloids, solutions in which tiny particles are dispersed but not dissolved in a host medium, such as milk, paint and shaving cream. Specifically, they injected tiny, different-shaped particles into a liquid crystal, which behaves something like a liquid and a solid. Once injected into a liquid crystal, the particles behaved as predicted by topology.

Smalyukh says, "Our study shows that interaction between particles and molecular alignment in liquid crystals follows the predictions of topological theorems, making it possible to use these theorems in designing new composite materials with unique properties that cannot be encountered in nature or synthesized by chemists. These findings lay the groundwork for new applications in experimental studies of low-dimensional topology, with important potential ramifications for many branches of science and technology."

For example, he adds, these topological liquid crystal colloids could be used to upgrade current liquid crystal displays like those used in laptops and television screens, to allow them to interact with light in new, more energy efficient ways.

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

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Bohdan Senyuk, Qingkun Liu, Sailing He, Randall D. Kamien, Robert B. Kusner, Tom C. Lubensky, Ivan I. Smalyukh. Topological colloids. Nature, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nature11710

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

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_science/~3/amlBf3owlKk/121227110803.htm

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Things to look for in a SMS marketing provider | Slick Text Marketing ...

SMS (Regulated) vs SMTP (un-regulated)

?

???????? Whats the difference between the two? In this short article we will discuss the differences between the two protocols.

What is SMS/SMPP messaging?

SMPP stands for Short Message Peer-to-peer Protocol and was designed in the late 90?s for communication on a peer-to-peer scale, which contains just small messages of up to 160 characters.

SMPP is very similar to SMS. SMPP is mainly text communicating with text. SMS stands for Short Message Service, which means phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or cell phone. Its a fancy way of saying, I can text you from a software application or other program and it remains text and is received as text.

The true SMS protocol was developed by the telecommunications industry specifically for text messaging.?In contrast, the?SMTP protocol was never meant for that.

Messages sent through short code and the?SMPP protocol are regulated by the wireless carriers, all the necessary regulation is in place to be safe and spam proof. SMTP is not regulated by the wireless carriers or?Mobile Marketing Association?and does not have the regulation like short codes and SMPP do. The use of SMTP is a loophole in the carrier regulations.

What is the SMTP messaging?

SMTP is way of transporting emails to cell phones in the mid 90?s to allow cellular users to receive directly to their phones in the form of text. SMTP is short for Simple Mail Transport Protocol.Still in use today by many companies. It is a slow, complicated and Un-Regulated way of communicating to your customers for marketing purposes.

Through each wireless provider, customers have been given the ability to receive emails via text through a unique email that includes the customers cell number.

Example: 18479488574@Verizon.com

What this allows the sender to do is compose a message email to be sent and converted in SMS format so it can be read on the receiving end through a text message. For mobile marketing purposes this is highly against the laws and regulations set in place by the Mobile Marketing Association and Federal Communications Commission.

There are many reasons you should not trust or use services with this technology. Communications coming from SMTP source typically come from a long digit code of 7 numbers instead of a carrier approved and regulated short code, which consist of 5 to 6 digits.

It is necessary for any ethical bulk text provider to have registered for business use. 5 to 6 digit short codes are monitored and legally registered to use for marketing and communications. 7 digit codes being used for marketing and communication purposes for businesses and organizations are against regulations and federal laws. Not to mention receiving a message from an SMPT/email to text message can still charge a small percentage of customers a premium charge on their cellular monthly bill because it is considered data where text is not.

With SMS/SMPP your message begins as a text, is sent as a text and is received as a text. There is no email involved so messages do not get stuck in spam filters and messages are regulated to 160 characters at the most.

Example: You have Verizon and your friend has AT&T. You send him a text and it counts as 1 text on your monthly bill. If you have unlimited texting it wont have an effect at all.

Another big reason not to use long codes is that fact that any one can be added to the list and spammed. With short codes this cannot happen. Customers/contacts must add themselves as stated by the Mobile Marketing Association guidelines. This means your customers have to be 100% opt. in to your campaigns.? Your customers have to want to hear what you have to say. With long codes people can harvest your personal Verizon or other providers emails and spam messages straight to your phone and then you get charged a premium for the conversion of SMTP to SMS delivery. Not cool.

?

If your service is not SMS only then you should consider switching to an ethical up to par service provider such as SlickText.com.

For more information please visit https://www.slicktext.com/pricing

Source: http://www.slicktext.com/blog/2012/12/things-to-look-for-in-a-sms-marketing-provider/

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Basic Business Communications Tools For Your Company?s Success

High end business communications systems are essential for your company?s success. They can make it easier for employees to contact your customers, partners and suppliers. How well you communicate plays an important role because the quality of your communication services can affect customer satisfaction levels. If you don?t respond quickly to your customer queries, their satisfaction levels are likely to drop. Effective business communication is the key to ensuring uninterrupted work of your staff and the success of your marketing campaigns because if any element of your business communication system fails, you can miss out on sales. Here are some of the most important business communications tools that can improve reaching out to the customers.

Business phones

Virtually every company needs a good office phone system to communicate effectively.

You can opt for a system which handles switchboard functions externally so you don?t have to install and manage equipment in your company. Some office telephone systems form part of a unified messaging system, combining different methods of business communications so you can have voicemail sent to you in an audio file attached to an email. You can also consider outsourcing your business phones completely and have a virtual reception answer calls for you or you can outsource your call centre to save money, particularly for seasonal sales.

Business mobile phones

Mobile phones give you extra flexibility and make your business communication easier.

Thanks to a wide range of equipment and services available, you can easily find and implement the best mobile phone service for your company. Mobile phones can help your staff stay in touch when they?re out of the office, send and receive email when travelling or even divert all calls to their mobile phone when working from home. Business mobile phones are essential for employees who are on call too. There are a number of different mobile phone networks, offering different tariffs so it?s better to evaluate these tariffs carefully as most deals only look attractive and may have steep hidden charges.

Business conferencing systems

With business conferencing systems you can hold meetings between people in different locations. These business communications systems include conference calling, online meeting spaces and video conferencing. Conferencing systems are designed to cut costs as well as make it easier to hold regular meetings and share information. There are lots of low-cost conference call services, where all you need to pay is the cost of the call. These services are suitable for occasional conference calls and usually allow about 20 people to join a meeting. Most conference call providers also offer paid subscriptions so you only pay a charge for cheaper dial-in costs and extra functions like call recording.

There are plenty of business communications services and equipment offered by a whole range of suppliers. One company may be responsible for the physical infrastructure like your Internet connection and phone lines while another can take care of software and services like collaboration tools and email systems. When planning an investment in your business communication system, establish what you need from it before you buy specific equipment or services.

Tagged as: Basic, business, communications, Companys, success, Tools

Source: http://www.haz-split.org/business-basic/basic-business-communications-tools-for-your-companys-success.html

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Use These SEO Tips To Maximize Your Site Traffic | Internet ...

With everyone online rallying for attention to their site, maximizing your SEO potential is the only way to effectively get traffic to your web business. Search engines are tools that a large number of people use to find information on just about anything. Put these strategies to use, and your site?s traffic will explode.

Search Engines

TIP! Join the BBB or the nearby Chamber of Commerce to boost your SEO. These organizations link to their member businesses, so you can get more local visitors.

Use good, descriptive text for your site?s title tag so search engines can figure out the relevance of your site?s content, and display your site in lots of search results. Search engines usually will not show content past 60 characters. Words past the 60-character point also tend to matter less to search engines. It should go without saying that original content beats out copied content in the SEO wars. To bring users to your site, you need content that?s unique and interesting. Viewers will stay on your site and come back often if you are giving them content that gives good info. Put yourself in the search seat and ponder as to what keywords you would use to locate your website. Then ensure these keywords are prominent throughout your web pages. Add keywords to both your title tag and main content, but keep your keyword density to a sane level to avoid getting the dreaded ?keyword stuffer? label.

TIP! If you are looking to climb up the search engine ranks, then provide a plethora of content, going across many different topics, but still staying within the niche. For instance, if your blog is on soccer, you could write about the latest developments in the MLS, player trades or a recent game.

If your site covers a topic that is similar to online magazines, try to make contributions to those magazines with a backlink to your website. A lot of the time, ezines are indefinitely archived. This means that the links are still active, even after years have passed. People who find your articles will still be able to click on the links and you will still get the benefit of their visits. SEO, or search engine optimization, is essential for internet marketing. Putting the proper keywords throughout your content will give you a higher ranking on search engines, giving you more traffic. This helps your site get found by people. Search engines are a great way to get extra site visitors. Make your website easy for spiders to crawl, in order to maximize your site?s search engine ranking. Make sure you tag the images on your site, because spiders are only able to read text. You keywords should be included in your description.

TIP! Make sure to have proper analytics software before you start your SEO campaign. You need to purchase and install analytics software in order to monitor the performance of your SEO tactics.

If you are managing a business website, encourage the CEO or the owner of the business to become involved online. This is your voice of your company, and your readers want to hear that. When you blog through your own site, it increases your search engine visibility. Then, more visitors will visit your website. Informative sites generally rank higher then product-only sites. Informational content will improve the way that both search engines and site visitors perceive you.

TIP! Include your chosen key phrases in your page title and throughout your site. When people locate your page through a search engine, they will see this title, so make it relevant to your site.

Make all of your titles unique and interesting, even if the content is similar. Keep titles short and to the point for the most effect. The first few words of a title are always the most important. Put forth the image of an expert in your field. Utilize your expert qualifications for the purpose of creating a successful Internet marketing program. Post a website that focuses on a specific aspect of a certain market, then choose appropriate keywords, and use SEO to promote those keywords. Always pay attention to your customers needs, make it about them and not you. Educate yourself on the different aspects of SEO, but be careful in trying to do too much at once. It is impossible to become the best at every technique, so be sure to focus on one that will yield the best results for your business.

Quantcast Scores

You need to get more visitors to your website and keep them there to increase your page rank. There is increasing evidence that the amount of time a person spends on a site (according to metrics like Quantcast scores, etc. There is more and more evidence suggesting that how long a visitor stays on a site affects their PageRank, according to Quantcast scores. One useful way to keep visitors hanging around longer is to offer discussion groups and forums. Each search engine?s bots constantly look for newly updated content, so posting to yoru blog on a consistent basis gives the bots a reason to stop by. Not only that, if your articles are really good, other people will publish your links. After an article is shared, it starts to bring in higher levels of traffic.

TIP! There are many different strategies to optimize your site for search engines. By tailoring your website to include search-friendly terms and tags, you will be able to increase your search rankings.

Learn about exactly how much experience they have. In order to make a thoroughly researched and informed decision, you need to be aware of the potential risks involved in your choice.

Anchor Text

Make sure when writing internal links and backlinks for your website that you use good anchor text. You should describe what the page is about and give a good reason for your reader to click on your anchor text link. Ensure the right text is used as the keyword, so you receive a rise in ranking. Spiders focus on keywords, so if you pick out the most appropriate keywords for your content, they will count your anchor text towards your overall relevancy. Websites that effectively utilize search engine optimization almost never use image links. Image links do not link your content to the search engines effectively. When generating keywords and key phrases, it is important that you place yourself in the shoes of the customer. Always include the simplest terms a customer would use to find your site. Successfully optimizing your site for search engines may seem intimidating, but as this article has shown you, it doesn?t have to be difficult. Knowing the few basic principles that determine how the search engines work, can help you tweak your site to attract more visitors than ever. Before you know it, you?ll have a slew of new customers.

Source: http://realworldbusiness.com/seo/use-these-seo-tips-to-maximize-your-site-traffic/

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Education & Reference 2016: Petal the Owl Colours

Buy on the merchant's online shopping and browse reviews. If you're attempting to search out Petal the Owl Colours with special deals. This is the simplest price for you. Where you'll find these item is by online looking stores? Read the review on Petal the Owl Colours Now, it's the simplest value. Therefore do not lose it.

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Education & Reference

Petal the Owl Colours is a sweet little ebook following Petal the nature owl, as she learns about colours around her. It is a great little first reader ebook for young ones learning their basics. Colours cover Brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink and white. Ages 3-6.

• Rank: #1521 in eBooks
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Source: http://educationreference234.blogspot.com/2012/12/petal-owl-colours.html

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'Missing' polar weather systems could impact climate predictions

Dec. 16, 2012 ? Intense but small-scale polar storms could make a big difference to climate predictions according to new research from the University of East Anglia and the University of Massachusetts.

Difficult-to-forecast polar mesoscale storms occur frequently over the polar seas, however they are missing in most climate models.

Research published December 16 in Nature Geoscience shows that their inclusion could paint a different picture of climate change in years to come.

Polar mesoscale storms are capable of producing hurricane-strength winds which cool the ocean and lead to changes in its circulation.

Prof Ian Renfrew, from UEA's School of Environmental Sciences, said: "These polar lows are typically under 500 km in diameter and over within 24-36 hours. They're difficult to predict, but we have shown they play an important role in driving large-scale ocean circulation.

"There are hundreds of them a year in the North Atlantic, and dozens of strong ones. They create a lot of stormy weather, strong winds and snowfall -- particularly over Norway, Iceland, and Canada, and occasionally over Britain, such as in 2003 when a massive dump of snow brought the M11 to a standstill for 24 hours.

"We have shown that adding polar storms into computer-generated models of the ocean results in significant changes in ocean circulation -- including an increase in heat travelling north in the Atlantic Ocean and more overturning in the Sub-polar seas.

"At present, climate models don't have a high enough resolution to account for these small-scale polar lows.

"As Arctic Sea ice continues to retreat, polar lows are likely to migrate further north, which could have consequences for the 'thermohaline' or northward ocean circulation -- potentially leading to it weakening."

Alan Condron from the University of Massachusetts said: "By simulating polar lows, we find that the area of the ocean that becomes denser and sinks each year increases and causes the amount of heat being transported towards Europe to intensify.

"The fact that climate models are not simulating these storms is a real problem because these models will incorrectly predict how much heat is being moved northward towards the poles. This will make it very difficult to reliably predict how the climate of Europe and North America will change in the near-future."

Prof Renfrew added: "Climate models are always improving, and there is a trade-off between the resolution of the model, the complexity of the model, and the number of simulations you can carry out. Our work suggests we should put some more effort into resolving such storms."

'The impact of polar mesoscale storms on Northeast Atlantic ocean circulation' by Alan Condron from the University of Massachusetts (US) and Ian Renfrew from UEA (UK), is published in Nature Geoscience on December 16, 2012.

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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/~3/cHiDMGtQiR0/121216132505.htm

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Desire Differences: Finding a Sexual Frequency That Works ...

New lovers can?t keep their hands off each other. But the ?hot and heavy? period ends after a year or so, and almost inevitably, sexual frequency declines. If both partners' libidos subside identically, there?s no problem. But typically, one partner wants sex more than the other, and in long-term relationships, desire differences often become festering sores: ?You never want to!? ?You?re insatiable!?

Who wants sex more? If you?re thinking that men want sex more often, you?re almost right. According to sex therapists, the man has more libido in two-thirds of cases, but surprisingly, in one-third, it?s the woman. When the man has more desire, it causes stress, but ?everyone knows? that men are horny, so people expect this, it?s culturally normal. However, when the woman wants sex more, it?s culturally unexpected, more stressful for the couple, and may lead to name-calling. ?Nymphomaniac!?

One largely overlooked aspect of desire differences is that they eliminate nonsexual affection. Those with greater desire eagerly initiate hugging, cuddling, and kissing in part because it?s emotionally nourishing, but also in hopes of getting lucky. Meanwhile, those with less interest withdraw from kissing and hugging for fear that it might be misinterpreted as a green light for sex.

Today, desire differences are a leading reason why couples consult sex therapists. Therapists typically ask, ?In your relationship, who controls the sex?? Each person points to the other?and both are astonished that their partner thinks they are in control when each of them feels powerless. The one with more libido feels eviscerated by every cruel ?no.? And the one with less feels emotionally battered from constantly fending off advances.

Fortunately, desire differences CAN be resolved. Here are the steps sex therapists recommend:

? What do you really want? Is it sex? Or other needs: more fun together, nonsexual affection, or proof of your partner?s love. Despite desire differences, couples usually feel closer when they cuddle more, make social plans, and treat each other compassionately.

? Negotiate a compromise frequency. If one wants sex twice a week while the other prefers once a month, their average is four or five times a month. But averages don?t matter. The challenge is to? find a frequency you can both live with long-term. There no right or wrong here, but as a point of reference, the most typical frequency for couples age 21 to 40 is three times a month to once a week. For older couples, it's two to three times a month.

? Schedule sex dates in advance. This is critical. Scheduled sex dates reassure higher-desire partners that lovemaking will actually happen, and they reassure lower-desire partners that it will happen onlywhen scheduled. In most cases, as soon as couples schedule sex dates, relationship tensions begin to subside.

Of course, no sex schedule is carved in stone. Sex therapists advise trying scheduling for six months. If it?s not working, re-negotiate.

But usually, scheduling is a breath of fresh air. Higher-desire partners hate to grovel and lower-desire partners hate feeling besieged. Scheduling is usually a relief.

? ?But suppose we have a date, and I?m not in the mood?? Lower-desire partners always ask this question. But in practice, the issue is usually less problematic than they fear. As scheduling reduces tension over sex, the relationship improves, and lower-desire partners can typically psyche themselves up for scheduled sex.

? Embrace your schedule in good faith. Don?t bicker about your compromise schedule. Higher-desire folks must not whine for more sex, and lower-desire partners must not cancel sex dates, or unreasonably postpone them.

? Cuddle more. When couples embrace their schedules in good faith, nonsexual affection returns to the relationship. Both people can initiate hugging, kissing, and cuddling without fear of misinterpretation because both know their schedule. Couples who have resolved desire differences often feel surprised by how much they?ve missed nonsexual affection, and astonished at how important it is to the relationship and their own well-being.

? Consider sex therapy. If you need help negotiating a schedule, or if a chronic desire difference has poisoned your relationship to the extent that you can?t discuss the issue, consult a sex therapist. To find one near you, visit the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, the Society for Sex Therapy and Research, or the American Board of Sexology. Figure four to six months of weekly hour-long sessions.

?

Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/all-about-sex/201212/desire-differences-finding-sexual-frequency-works

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Russia backtracks on statement about Assad's fall

MOSCOW (AP) ? Russia's attempt to backpedal after a top diplomat said Syrian President Bashar Assad is losing control of his country reflects the dilemma Moscow faces as opposition fighters gain ground.

Throughout the Syrian crisis, Russia has tried to walk a fine line ? eschewing statements of outright support for Assad while blocking international attempts either to pressure him to stop the fighting or to leave power altogether.

Instead, Russia has insisted that negotiations are the only way to resolve the crisis and has portrayed itself as a principled opponent of foreign intervention.

The strategy, however, has led some to view Moscow's stance as a disingenuous attempt to prop up a dictator in a country where activists say more than 40,000 people have been killed since March 2011.

As the fighting in Syria intensified over recent months, Russian officials have held back from public assessments of whether Assad's regime would survive. But on Thursday, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted by major Russian news agencies as saying "there is a trend for the government to progressively lose control over an increasing part of the territory" and "an opposition victory can't be excluded."

On Friday, the Foreign Ministry issued a convoluted denial, saying its top envoy for Syria was merely characterizing the opinion of the Syrian opposition rather than stating Russia's view.

"In that context, Bogdanov again confirmed Russia's principled stance that a political settlement in Syria has no alternative," ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement.

While Bogdanov's statement seemed to signal Russia's attempt to begin positioning itself for Assad's eventual defeat, the Foreign Ministry's backtracking clearly indicated that Moscow has no intention yet of pulling away from its Mideast ally.

This was reinforced by Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil, who was in Moscow on Friday to meet with Bogdanov and his boss, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"There have been no changes in Russia's position," Jamil told journalists after the meeting. "Russia stands for dialogue and against foreign interference."

Facing further questions Friday about Bogdanov's statement, Lukashevich insisted there had been no shift in the Russian position on Syria. He said Moscow is continuing to call for a political dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition on the basis of the peace plan agreed upon at an international conference in June.

"Our only goal is to end the violence in Syria as quickly as possible, start a dialogue between the Syrians, between the government and the opposition, and work out a formula for advancing a political process," Lukashevich said. "There hasn't been and there won't be any retraction from our principled line on the Syrian affairs."

Georgy Mirsky, a leading Mideast expert with the Institute for World Economy and International Relations, a top foreign policy think tank supported by the Russian government, said Bogdanov may have slipped up.

"Bogdanov went very far, and the question is whether he coordinated his statement with Lavrov," the analyst said. "If he didn't, he may have gotten himself in trouble."

Mirsky said it would be difficult for Russian President Vladimir Putin to dump Assad.

"It would amount to a loss of face, look like caving in to Western pressure. That's not in his character," Mirsky said. "Russia is going to lose Syria anyway. But if it's lost as a result of Assad's ouster or killing or a coup by his own men, it wouldn't look like Putin's defeat. But he would look very bad indeed if even he doesn't wait for Bashar Assad to go away."

The U.S. quickly commended Russia on Thursday for "waking up to the reality" by acknowledging the Syrian regime's impending fall, but Lukashevich lashed back, saying that "we haven't fallen asleep."

"We haven't changed our position and we won't," he said.

Russia maintains a naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus, the only such outpost outside the ex-Soviet Union serving Russian navy ships in the Mediterranean and hosting an unspecified number of military personnel. Russia also has an unspecified number of military advisers teaching Syrians how to use Russian weapons, which make up the bulk of Syria's arsenals.

Syria is Russia's last remaining ally in the Middle East and has been a major customer of Soviet and Russian weapons industries for the last four decades, acquiring billions of dollars' worth of combat jets, helicopters, missiles, armored vehicles and other military gear.

Russia has joined with China at the U.N. Security Council to veto three resolutions that would have imposed sanctions on Assad's regime over its bloody crackdown on the uprising that began in March 2011. Moscow also has continued to provide the Syrian government with weapons despite strong international protests.

Asked if Beijing also foresees Assad's demise and whether it plans to evacuate its citizens in Syria, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it would take unspecified steps to protect Chinese nationals and appealed anew for a cease-fire and for a negotiated political transition.

"China is deeply worried about the continuing violent conflict in Syria and always believes that a diplomatic settlement to the Syrian issue is the only way out and also serves the shared interest of the international community," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily media briefing.

On Friday, the Pentagon announced it will send two batteries of Patriot missiles and 400 troops to Turkey as part of a NATO force to protect Turkish territory from potential Syrian missile attacks.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-backtracks-statement-assads-fall-113200195.html

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State lab keeps the chance in casino games of chance | TribLIVE

By Mark Gruetze

Published: Friday, December 14, 2012, 8:54?p.m.
Updated 3 hours ago

Michael Cruz can walk out of his office and hit a slot machine jackpot any time he wants.

The only catch is that he can't collect the cash.

As director of Pennsylvania's Gaming Laboratory Operations, which tests slots and all other equipment used in gambling areas of the state's casinos, Cruz can have his staff program the lab's slot machines to hit a specific payout. That allows them to verify a machine pays out the number of credits it's supposed to, without the tester having to wait for a lucky spin as a casino patron would.

"We'll force the jackpot," says Cruz, standing in the Harrisburg lab, which holds more than 100 slot machines plus various gaming tables and other casino gear.

In a casino, slot reels spin according to the whims of a random-number generator, software whose sole function is to spit out groups of numbers.

Each number corresponds to a specific symbol on a reel of the display. The number combination generated at the instant a player hits the spin button determines what symbols will be displayed.

In the lab, "we cut the RNG out," Cruz says. Using software and codes provided by the manufacturer, a tester with access to the machine's "brain" enters the numbers corresponding to a jackpot.

"We restart the game and let it evaluate that combination," he says. Indicating a Game of Life machine, he explains that if five Game of Life symbols pay a jackpot, the tester verifies that five symbols show up - one on each reel ?- and that the game pays the promised jackpot value. Cruz says that in almost 10 years as a gaming regulator in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, he's encountered only one case of a machine failing a lab-payout test.

Pennsylvania, which has more than 26,000 slots and is among the top three states in gambling revenue, is one of the few jurisdictions with its own lab. Other than Nevada, New Jersey and Michigan, most states hire a private lab to test their machines. Slot manufacturers pay for Pennsylvania's testing.

"We are here to ensure that when a patron sits down at a game, they have a fair shake, that it's a fair game between them and the computer," Cruz says. "If they lose or they win, it was by luck and not by any other reasons."

The gaming lab has three main responsibilities:

? Verifying the math: Pennsylvania requires slots to have a theoretical payout rate of 85 percent to 99.999 percent. Statisticians review the probability of each possible combination and the proposed payment to make sure the long-term payout rate falls within that range. Manufacturers provide that information in top-secret PAR sheets, short for Probability Accounting Reports. In Pennsylvania and elsewhere, those are considered proprietary information, but a handful have become public. For samples, go to vegasclick.com . From July 2011 through June 2012, the lab rejected 3,350 of the 14,215 pay tables it examined.

? Engineering: This verifies not only that the machine pays as promised, but also that it communicates with the state's central computer system, which constantly monitors the coin-in and coin-out of each machine in the state.

? On-site review: Staffers examine complaints of machine malfunctions and monitor installations or changes on the floor.

Casinos can choose from as many as 20 payback percentages on a single slot machine, Cruz says. They might switch from one rate to another, as long as it meets the state minimum and they notify the lab of the planned change. Such notifications are not considered public record.

The payback percentage can be tweaked in a couple of ways. One, obviously enough, is raising or lowering the payouts, generally for a few common combinations. Another is to keep payouts the same but change the number of symbols on the reel or the probability of hitting them.

Players have no way of knowing the payout rate at a traditional slot machine, as opposed to a video poker machine.

State law specifies that no slot-payoff combination can have odds of more than 50 million to one, Cruz says. Odds that high would likely be for the big payout on a progressive jackpot.

No matter how long the odds, each spin has an equal chance of hitting a jackpot.

"What we do here is to preserve that aspect," Cruz says. "Random chance (is) the reason why your outcome came the way it did. There's no other ulterior motive behind your winning streak, your losing streak or whatever."

Mark Gruetze is administrative editor for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7838 or players@tribweb.com.

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Source: http://triblive.com/aande/gambling/3119009-74/machine-lab-cruz

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Foreclosures hit nine-month high, but starts drop

Foreclosures completed by banks rose to a nine-month high in November, but there's some good news: The number of homes starting on the path to foreclosure fell to the lowest level in six years.

By Alex Veiga,?Real estate writer / December 13, 2012

In this 2011 file photo, a foreclosed house with sale pending sign is shown in Tigard, Ore. There's good news and bad news on the hosuing front. Completed foreclosures hit a nine-month high in November, but homes starting on the path to forecolsure decreased to the lowest level in six years.

Don Ryan/AP/File

Enlarge

U.S. home repossessions rose to a nine-month high in November, even as the number of homes starting on the path to?foreclosure?declined to the lowest level in six years.

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Banks completed?foreclosure?on 59,134 homes last month, an increase of 11 percent from October and up 5 percent from November last year,?foreclosure?listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.

Last month marked the first annual increase in bank repossessions since October 2010, when allegations of abuses by the mortgage industry compelled many lenders to temporarily halt?foreclosures.

But the number of homes entering the?foreclosure?process or scheduled for auction for the first time, so-called?foreclosure?starts, sank to 77,494. That's a decline of 13 percent from October and a drop of 28 percent from November last year, the firm said.

It's also the lowest number of?foreclosure?starts since they hit 72,163 in December 2006.

The combination of declining?foreclosure?starts and a sharp increase in the number of homes taken back by lenders signals that banks are moving to complete?foreclosures?on homes with mortgages that have gone unpaid for a year or two, if not longer.

And it's likely that the borrowers who owned these homes already tried to refinance, get a loan modification or sell the home as a short sale ? when the bank agrees to accept less than what is owned on the mortgage ? but did not succeed, said Daren Blomquist, a vice president at RealtyTrac.

"Now?foreclosure?is the final recourse the banks have to go forward on these properties," Blomquist said.

There are close to 1 million U.S. homes that are in some stage of the?foreclosure?process, and any of those could potentially end up repossessed by a lender.

But several factors are now working to stem, or in some cases merely delay,?foreclosures. That's a stark change from two or three years ago, when the?foreclosure?crisis was more severe.

Mortgage servicers and banks are increasingly favoring short sales as an alternative to?foreclosure. Efforts by federal and state lawmakers to slow down the?foreclosure?process or make loan modifications a more likely option for homeowners also are having an impact. And borrowers are getting better about keeping up with mortgage payments.

The percentage of mortgage-holding homeowners who were at least two months behind on their payments sank in the third quarter to the lowest level in more than three years, according to credit reporting firm TransUnion.

In addition, an improving housing market, rising home prices and stronger hiring likely has helped some homeowners avoidforeclosure.

Even so, bank repossessions remain elevated and on pace to exceed 650,000 this year, according to RealtyTrac. That would be down from 800,000 last year.

"We're seeing more signs of the light at the end of the tunnel, with?foreclosure?starts being down," Blomquist said. "But the market still has to deal with the properties that already started?foreclosure, and that could keep the (bank repossession) numbers stubbornly high the next year."

Also, lenders are still adjusting to new?foreclosure?ground rules set forth in a $25 billion settlement reached in February between five major banks and federal and state government officials over claims that many lenders had processed?foreclosures?without verifying documents.

As banks get a handle on those rules, they may move more quickly against late-paying mortgage-holders, Blomquist said.

All told, banks filed foreclosure-related notices on 180,817 properties last month, down 3 percent from October and down 19 percent from a year earlier.

Foreclosure?activity, which RealtyTrac measures as the number of homes receiving a notice of default, scheduled auction or bank repossession, increased on an annual basis in 23 states and Washington D.C.

At the state level, Florida had the highest?foreclosure?rate of any other state, with one in every 304 households in some stage offoreclosure, or twice the national average.

Rounding out the top 10 states by?foreclosure?rate were Nevada, Illinois, California, South Carolina, Ohio, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Indiana.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Mf9RisT3MPQ/Foreclosures-hit-nine-month-high-but-starts-drop

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Autopsy results on nurse in hoax due out Thursday

LONDON (AP) ? The result of an autopsy on the nurse involved in a prank call for information about the former Kate Middleton's hospital stay will be revealed Thursday, London police said.

Scotland Yard said on Wednesday the cause of Jacintha Saldanha's death will not be released until a Westminster Coroner's Court hearing.

Saldanha answered the phone when two Australian disc jockeys rang up the hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for severe morning sickness last week. The DJs, who were impersonating Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, later broadcast the call, which included confidential details about the duchess' condition.

Saldanha was found dead three days later. Although police have made no connection between Saldanha's death and the prank call, people from London to Sydney have assumed she died because of stress from the call.

Australia's media watchdog, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, said on Thursday it was launching an official investigation into whether the radio station, 2DayFM, breached its broadcasting license conditions and the industry code of practice.

The ACMA said in a statement it would examine whether 2DayFM violated standards of privacy and decency or broke rules of consent. The Commercial Radio Code of Practice prohibits the broadcast of recorded private conversations without participants' permission.

Stations found to have violated the code are usually given a warning or told to train staff in proper procedures. In extreme cases, a station could lose its license.

Southern Cross Austereo, the station's parent company, has said it will cooperate with any investigation.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/autopsy-results-nurse-hoax-due-thursday-110319653.html

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No strong evidence to back use of cannabis extract in multiple sclerosis

Dec. 12, 2012 ? There is no strong evidence to back the use of cannabis extract in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), concludes a review of the available evidence on the first licensed preparation, published in the December issue of Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB).

Sativex, in the form of a mouth spray, contains the principal extracts -- dronabinol and cannabidiol -- found in the leaf and flower of the cannabis plant. It is the first cannabinoid preparation to be licensed for use in the treatment of muscle spasms in MS.

MS is estimated to affect around 60,000 people in England and Wales, and around one in every 1000 people will develop the condition in the UK.

An increase in muscle tone, or spasticity is a common symptom of the condition, causing involuntary spasms, immobility, disturbed sleep, and pain.

Complex combinations of drugs are sometimes needed to manage spasticity, but they don't work that well and have a range of unpleasant side effects.

Sativex is intended for use as a second line treatment in patients in whom these other options have failed. But the DTB review found that the trial data on which the success of Sativex is based, are limited.

Overall, the trials, on which the drug's approval was based, did show a small difference in the numbers of patients who in whom symptoms abated compared with those taking a dummy (placebo) preparation.

But in many of these studies, Sativex was used for relatively short periods -- from six weeks to four months. And none included an active ingredient with which the effects of Sativex could be compared.

Two of the trials included doses that exceeded the 12 daily sprays for which the preparation is licensed. One trial did not have sufficient numbers of participants to validate the results.

A third trial, which was properly designed, and did have sufficient numbers of participants, did not find any significant difference in symptom relief between those who took Sativex and those who didn't.

The preparation is also expensive, notes DTB, and costs around 10 times as much as other drugs used for the secondary treatment of MS muscle spasms.

As yet, the body that advised the NHS on its use of treatments, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has not offered any advice on the use of cannabis extract either, although it is set to do so.

But the DTB review says that the strength of the evidence is insufficient to warrant its routine use. "We believe that such limitations make it difficult to identify the place of this product in clinical practice," it concludes. Commenting on the review, GP and DTB editor, James Cave, said the findings of the review were "disappointing."

"MS is a serious and disabling condition, and it would be great to say that this drug could make a big difference, but the benefit is only modest," he said.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BMJ-British Medical Journal, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/XROSfGPZ43k/121212205729.htm

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