5 Proven Strategies for Online and Network Marketing Achievement ...

There are various opportunities in community advertising and marketing to help you reach your existence objectives. You could operate from residence and get pleasure from a steady cash stream though placing your own hours and doing everything you adore most to make an income. But if you are like the vast majority of those who be part of a team of on-line network marketers, you possibly are not positive how or where to get started with Net and network marketing. Here are five confirmed strategies to get you started.

1. Start out Your own Community Advertising and marketing Web site

Along with your own community marketing internet site, you can develop a profitable enterprise design for the team. Your web page might be utilised to present information to newcomers along with update your crew members regularly. A web page may be used to improve off-line community advertising too. As an example, you could print your Net deal with in your organization cards, letterhead, envelopes, postcards, and in printed advertisements. These interested in your proposal can go to your site for extra info. Your website can contain practically limitless data that could assist convert potential clients into group members.

2. Commence Your personal E-zine

An e-zine is an electronic e-newsletter despatched by e-mail to some database of subscribers. An e-zine builds trust and establishes you as an professional. At your web page, you can setup a subscription kind for the e-zine. Those who signal up are of course thinking about your offer you, so you?ll be able to ship e-mailings to them weekly and use the e-zine to acquire them again for your web-site. This can be a great approach to convert guests for your site into community marketing and advertising companions.

3. Answer Concerns in Discussion boards and Discussion Groups

With forums, you can?t simply promote your organization, but you may solution concerns and incorporate a hyperlink to your e-mail or web page. Uncover work-from-home discussion boards on the internet that happen to be associated to your network advertising and marketing organization or that could possibly cater for your goal viewers. Observe and read the queries and solutions for an although ahead of posting to obtain a really feel for the people today and atmosphere. Then, reply these queries pertaining for your sort of business enterprise within a really valuable manner. The person asking the question may possibly stop by your website in addition to any other people who may possibly read the post. It?s an awesome way to meet up with new men and women and marketplace your business.

4. Build Community Promoting Pleasure

A different issue you may do on-line will be to develop community promoting pleasure for the team members. At your personal site, you can hold contests for the team members, random giveaways, provide hosted area for your team members to make their very own profiles or mini-websites, do function bios on your crew members, and a lot more. These will inspire your community marketing and advertising crew to perform tougher and improve their money stream (and yours) when obtaining fun.

5. Content Composing in regards to the World wide web and Community Marketing and advertising

One on the most highly effective ways to market your internet site is usually to include beneficial content posts to your site frequently. Posts must be targeted about network advertising and working from house. They should deliver your target visitors with valuable information and facts. At the conclusion of every article, it is possible to include things like a signature/bio that may lead the reader to your sales pages.

Include articles to your site regularly and submit articles to totally free article directories for optimum results. Content articles will support attract online search engine traffic for your website without having any cost to you.

There are also several other strategies of World-wide-web promotion for community advertising and marketing including e-zine marketing, banner advertising, contextual or compensated online search engine advertisements, no cost traffic exchanges, and affiliate programs. No matter whether you happen to be component of the international resorts journey small business, a profitable reverse funnel technique, or one more productive organization model, you?ll be amazed in the results when you combine all the marketing strategies over for the internet and network advertising and marketing!

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Source: http://answers.apostoliccm.com/2012/06/5-proven-strategies-for-online-and-network-marketing-achievement/

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Australia MPs warned of more refugee deaths

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/australia-mps-warned-more-refugee-deaths-051549984.html

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blaine - Gameflynews: PlayStation 3 Why Buy This Great Game ...

Sony is without doubt one of the leading producers of gaming consoles today. Compared to different consoles, Sony's gaming consoles are built-in with the latest cutting edge technology in graphics and sound, which gives you and your family high quality residence entertainment.

Sony's line of PlayStation is one of the most profitable gaming consoles within the market. The truth is, it's so profitable that many people everywhere in the world favor PlayStation gaming consoles than different completely different gaming consoles developed by different companies.

Just think about a gaming console with a wide library of fashionable video games with lifelike graphics and sound that may virtually take you in the game and make you feel as in case you are the character and not simply playing the game itself. In case you played a PlayStation earlier than, you know the way entertaining it is and you also know what kind of advantages that PlayStation gaming consoles can contribute to your private home leisure systems.

As we speak, Sony shall be officially releasing their a lot-anticipated PlayStation 3 on November 2006 in Japan, United States, and in Canada in that order. PlayStation 3 guarantees to ship high-quality gaming experience for everybody in the world. With the most recent graphics chip put in and with one of the best processor accessible for game consoles, PlayStation 3 will definitely offer you and your family quality entertainment.

Although the glossy design of the PlayStation three is solely for aesthetics purposes, you may by no means deny the truth that the outer shell design will look good with your private home entertainment system. PlayStation 3 additionally has Bluetooth wi-fi controllers that you should utilize for maximum comfort and pleasure whilst you play the game.

PlayStation 3 will also be built-in with Wi-Fi technology that can enable you to play on-line PlayStation three

video games with completely different people all over the world. Because of this, you will be able to play with your personal custom-made character on-line and fight against different individuals from all around the world or make new friends within the virtual neighborhood the place you'll be able to go on cooperative missions.

There are different equipment you could benefit from PlayStation 3. It has an upgradeable laborious disk, and it will even be built-in with the Blu-ray drive. Also, PlayStation 3 may even be integrated with USB ports and the HDMI. With an HDMI function, you will be able to play video games in your High Definition TV with superior quality.

The Blu-ray drive is a sophisticated disc format that will be capable to hold information five times more than that of a DVD. The Blu-ray drive will be capable of play numerous disc media codecs like your outdated PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games, your audio CDs, your DVDs and others. Which means you'll be getting extra aside from a sport console. The PlayStation 3 will have the ability to play your DVD movies and it will additionally be capable to play your audio CDs.

Now that you've several reasons why you should buy Sony PlayStation 3 instead of the opposite leading gaming consoles available out there presently, you must also know that the PlayStation three is a highly anticipated gaming console today. You should expect that many individuals might be lining up to purchase PlayStation three all over the world and this why you must also think about preordering a PlayStation 3 before it is even released in the market.

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Putting It All Together ? Sales Training | Leadership Development

Jun 12
27

This week in Systematic Foundation we focused on ?Putting It All Together.?

Quote of the Week:
?Really, I have just one suggestion: never make a proposal unless you know it will be accepted.?

Video Clip of the Week:

Highlights from this Week?s Session:
Have you ever heard the saying: ?the customer is always right??? Many salespeople use this as justification to agree to every prospect request in order to win the business. But this tendency isn?t limited to just front line salespeople. In many organizations, directives from the top are, ?just get the business.? In public companies, under pressure to meet?Wall Street numbers, the tendency to over-promise is so great that many are willing to jeopardize long-lasting customer relationships for the sake of bringing in an immediate sale. This is obviously a poor sacrifice and extremely short sighted.

In order to build a long-term, growth-oriented sales strategy you must offer a consultative sales approach that prospects find to be comfortable.? Offering a consultative sales approach requires a skilled application of a sales process that fits hand in glove with the product or service your company delivers.

RedRock Leadership believes growing companies by growing individuals. We also believe in challenging the status quo in everything we do. RedRock Leadership provides world class?training?and coaching to entrepreneurial minded sales and business leaders.

Contact us: 813.885.5097 or training@redrockleadership.com.

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Posted in Attitude Change Closing Communication Customer Service Diversity Integrity Leadership Prospecting Qualification Videos by csumner

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Nancy Todd still checking on casino spending | Arkansas Blog

Gambling Nancy Todd still checking on casino spending

Posted by Max Brantley on Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 6:22 AM

I received another brief response last night from Nancy Todd, who's leading a drive to qualify a constitutional amendment for the ballot to permit her to open four unregulated casinos in Arkansas. To date, she has not reported any money raising or spending for the extensive work being done, including paid canvassers, to bring the issue to a vote. Her latest:

I did check into it on Monday , as promised, I think the Committee members got with the CPA firm and the lawyers to see what needed to be filed. I've been traveling the state focused on the petition drive. I will ask them for a report Max

Tags: Nancy Todd, casino gambling

Speaking of Nancy Todd, casino Gambling

• UPDATE: Casino campaign reports $195,000 support from Missouri investors

  June 27, 2012

  Nancy Todd alerted me that the group pushing a casino amendment initiative had filed a batch of papers with the state Ethics Commission today. They show a group of Branson, Mo., investors as the financial force behind the proposal. /more/

• Hurry sundown and the open line

  June 26, 2012

  I have to leave early for some errands. I'll try to check back. /more/

• Still no disclosure on backers of casino amendment campaign

  June 24, 2012

• Stop casinos, casino says

  May 17, 2012

  A news conference is scheduled at 10 a.m. today by the coalition I told you about earlier in the week to oppose initiative efforts to expand casino gambling in Arkansas. /more/

• A casino proposal's obvious flaw

  May 16, 2012

  I wrote yesterday that Delaware North, owner of the Southland Park casino in West Memphis into which gamblers pour more than a billion a year into the slots, was financing a campaign to fight a couple of casino amendment campaigns, particularly a drive headed by Nancy Todd, a Las Vegas consultant and poker player, to give her exclusive right to operate four casinsos, in Pulaski Miller, Crittenden and Franklin counties. /more/

• The Wednesday line

  April 25, 2012

  Prize cabbage. Girls Gone Wild. Casino gambling. It was that kind of day in Arkansas. /more/

• More ?

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Ways to Cut Calories | Rujacksalad | The Blogger

Have you recently been packing on the pounds? Do you go on a diet? Maybe you do not! These 10 simple ways to cut calories may be just the pressure on your body start to the pound must fall.

Breakfast

It seems counter-intuitive, but the research shows that people who eat breakfast every day to take less calories than are those who ignore it. Short on time? Take a piece of fruit and eat while you are away.

Do not drink your calories

Beverages such as soft drinks, specialty coffees and sports drinks can be a major caloric impact. Even "healthy" drinks, like juice can be quite high. The worst part is that these are empty calories. They do nothing to fill to. Paste with water or other calorie-free beverages.

Choose fat free or low-fat versions

Many ingredients such as mayonnaise and salad dressings are extremely high in fat and therefore calories. Switch to reduced-fat versions, and you drop calories without realizing it.

Want a snack? Try fruits and vegetables

If you are hungry between meals, it is best to get a piece of fruit or raw vegetables as a snack. These foods are much lower in calories than the usual candy bars.

Plan ahead

Do not plan in advance ruins of many diets. If you know you are away from home for a while, make sure to bring a snack with you. If you go out with friends and I know, there is plenty of food to be fattening, a little food in advance so that you are not quite so hungry.

Eat less meat

Meat has a lot more calories and fat vegetables. By eliminating meat from some of your meals for the week, you are also eliminating calories.

Fill up on soup or salad

If you salad (with low calorie dressing on the side) or soup (clear broth, cream based not) to eat before your main course, then you less space in the belly for foods highest in calories.

Use smaller plates

Portion control plays an important role in the diet. With a smaller plate to trick you think your opinion, they eat more food.

Use sprays

There are many low-calorie spray on these days will help you to reduce calories while you can make your food a taste of high design quality fat. Look for sprays and sprays of butter vinaigrette.

Stop eating three hours before bedtime

Most people do a lot of snacking in the late night. If you eat a goal, not three hours sleep before you bet, you will begin to eliminate these late-night drinking binge.

Not everyone needs a serious diet to lose weight. By cutting a few calories here and there, you may be able to lose weight without feeling deprived of the.

References Source www.better-off-fat.com

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Dustin Fitzharris: The Heart and Soul of Sophie B. Hawkins: Her New Album, Discovering Happiness, and Her Advice to the LGBT Community

It's been eight years since Sophie B. Hawkins released an album of all-original material. In that time she's become a mother, supported Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, helped clean up the Gulf after the 2010 oil spill, and made peace with her childhood, which was filled with confusion and unhappiness at the hands of two alcoholic parents.

The Crossing, Hawkins' latest album, finds her surrendering to the past, accepting her father's death, and in the end emerging with happiness she's never known before.

"It's a very positive crossing for me," Hawkins says. "I've just been able to leave the shore of all this struggle and baggage, and it doesn't even matter what's on the other side. It almost doesn't matter where I'm going; it just matters how I'm going."

This year marks Hawkins' 20th anniversary in the music industry. She first erupted on the scene with her debut album Tongues and Tails, which featured the sensual "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover." That was soon followed by "As I Lay Me Down." While she was riding high on the charts, behind the scenes she was struggling with her record label for creative control over her music. Realizing she wouldn't be able to fully express herself, she decided to chart her own course. Subsequent releases brought critical success but lacked the commercial success she had once experienced.

Hawkins doesn't have regrets. One of the songs on The Crossing is called "Dream Street and Chance." She calls it a "beautiful and complex" song that talks about time.

"I'm standing on the corner of Dream Street and Chance," says Hawkins. "It feels like anything can happen."

She is certainly doing her best to align the stars. In addition to a Broadway musical she's been writing on for the past several years that will reportedly star Kristin Chenoweth, she's also set to portray Janis Joplin in a play this fall. It all started with an idea that her long-time partner, Gigi Gaston, had. Without any hesitation, Hawkins committed to the project. The play, written by Gaston, will tell the story as if Joplin came back 42 years after her death and says all of the things she never got to say.

At this crossing in Hawkins' life, she is no longer the woman who lives life in the past. She's far too busy designing her future. As she sings in a new song, "Life Is a River," "I won't sit on the banks and let it roll on by me. I need to ride on."

The new album is called The Crossing. What does that mean?

It came from a painting I did that's in the album, of five boats crossing in this misty and romantic sea to a place. I said, "That is like where I'm at right now." I believe that is where humanity is at right now. It reminds me of one of the most influential quotes I've ever read: "Angels get my mansions ready, for we are crossing this misting river one by one."

This album has a lot of emotions about your father, who died of cancer in 2006. One song is called "Missing" and contains the lyrics: "We've been missing for too many years, and I want a healing in place of all these tears."

That was a song that just poured out right as I got the letter from my sister that he was really dying, which was different from "Daddy's sick." It's that moment in your life when you finally realize that this is really it.

The song also refers to New York in the spring, which you have mentioned in the past is very special to you.

Oh, God, and that is the place where he raised me. It's so interesting that the romantic side of my life comes from my father, who I really didn't even know that well.

Yet you talk and sing about him as if you had this deep relationship. However, you once said that growing up your home lacked structure and was like the "den of inequity."

His death was a giant coming into focus of reality. I can really compare this to being a mother now. It's such a difference when your parents are not there. You romanticize and create relationships that aren't maybe there. Every child fills in the holes. Even in the greatest relationships with parents, children either blame themselves for everything or do the opposite. So, with my father, anything I could hook into with him that was positive, like his love of Central Park and New York, I did it. When he died, anything that I created in our relationship, I had to come to terms with.

How would you describe your father?

A lot of the intelligent communication -- not the crazy communication -- was with my father. He did see a lot more. He stayed in the background. I always called him the silent cat. He did have a lot of stuff he never worked though. It's incredibly positive that he died for me, selfishly. That's when I got to deal with my life as it is and stop wishing and hoping for things to be different.

What did you want to be different?

I wanted to talk about the truth with both of my parents. I was the one always trying to get Daddy to go to meetings. I was really proactive in trying to heal my family. I wouldn't give up. My whole life was about trying to get my father healthier, and there were moments when he was healthier. Then someone would give him a drink. I always felt if he had one person in his life who supported his healthy side, he'd be on his way.

That's a lot to carry for a young person.

Yeah, but what's the other option? Either you become an alcoholic like that or you just become cold. I'd rather be on the side I was on and be called crazy than be in denial. I wanted to end the denial. It never mattered to me who did what. I just wanted to talk about it.

One of your new songs is called "Heart and Soul of a Woman." Finish this sentence: Sophie B. Hawkins is the kind of woman who...

Let's you be yourself.

What's the biggest misconception about you?

Because people try to define me too fast, they miss the truth. They miss the essence.

Which is?

That I'm only about creativity. I'm actually always looking for the good news. Sometimes people can portray me as someone who is always stuck in the bad news.

In November your son, Dashiell, will turn 4. What has being a mother taught you?

The real difference between being present and connected rather than just pretending to be present and connected. We all do it to a certain extent. We're all struggling to get out of the past. We see something that reminds us of something and then we bring our baggage into the present. Then we project it on to people constantly. Everyone says you learn from your child, and it's so true. They are constantly teaching you how fucked-up you are!

Would you like to be a mother again?

Oh, God, yes.

Another song on the new album is the traditional spiritual, "Sinnerman." Who are you singing that song to?

It will be the guy who dresses so well. It's like "The Emperor's New Clothes." There's always the guy who is not really that person, but who projects all these great things. Meanwhile, they are robbing us blind. Some people get totally taken, and others learn how to navigate the waters better.

One could think it's about politics, since you have been very outspoken. In 2008 you campaigned for Hillary Clinton, and in 2010 you said about President Obama, "He bothers me." Does he still bother you?

It's so boring now, isn't it?

It's relevant with the election coming up. You identify yourself as omnisexual -- a term you feel reflects the fact that you can fall in love with anyone as long as you love the person's mind, heart, and soul. What are your thoughts on Obama's stance on same-sex marriage?

He's all talk. He hasn't done anything. There are politicians who vote for gay marriage. Let's put them on a big website and give them a big award. But all these people who talk and don't do, let's just wait and see. I'm so tired of it, and gay people are so foolish to run around and say, "He said this and he said that." Listen, what did he say last week, and when is he ever going to do anything? I'm so tired of people being so stupid. I'm sorry. That's what I'm going to say. Put your money where your mouth is, Mister. I'd say that to anyone. Why are we so easy? Why are we so cheap? You can buy a gay person's vote for nothing. Unbelievable. Low self-esteem. I'm so tired of it.

What would you advise the LGBT community to do?

I think they need to do exactly what I said. They need to find every single person -- Republican, Democrat, and Independent -- who has ever done a vote in their favor. Then they should make a website and give each one of those people a plaque and say, "Look at this person who did something. Obama, you say that, do it, and until you do it, we won't support you."

What are your thoughts on same-sex marriage?

Gay people are all about publicity and show. Even the marriages. If you really want to get married, fucking stay married. Show the world. Stop having affairs, and stop acting like straight people. Don't just yell and scream about having rights and then treat each other like shit.

In five years you'll be turning 50.

Wow! I always think it's sooner than that, and I love to hear that it's not as soon as I thought!

Where do you see yourself at 50?

I'm about to hit my stride. I've been working up to this for a long time. I'll be very wealthy; it doesn't matter in what way. It may be in happiness, joy, and health. I think it's going to be an incredible time for me.

* * * * *

For more on Sophie B. Hawkins, visit sophiebhawkins.com.

Photo credit: Guy World

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Facebook draws user ire with email switcheroo

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) ? Facebook has changed your email address. At least that's how many felt after a quiet but vast change in the way the company displays users' contact information.

In yet another change to its website that irked users, Facebook replaced the email address you picked to display on your profile page when you signed up for the online social network and changed it to an (at)facebook.com address.

Previously, users may have had a yahoo.com or gmail.com address displayed, so that if other users wanted to contact them outside of Facebook, they could. Sending an email to a Facebook.com address will land the email in the messages section of your Facebook profile. It means keeping Facebook's already-captive audience even more captive.

The email change was first pointed out by bloggers over the weekend and publicized by media outlets Monday, leading to gripes from users, usually on their Facebook pages.

But you can reset your profile if you're bothered by the change. Facebook didn't delete the previously displayed email addresses. To revert back to your original address, click on the "about" section of your profile. Once there, look for "Contact Info" and click on the edit icon on its right hand corner. There, you can change who can see your email address and which email addresses they can see.

Sending an email to a Facebook.com email address allows users to communicate with outside email addresses via Facebook, but it's unclear how popular they have been. Popular as it has been with more than 900 million monthly users, Facebook messages and posts have not replaced email, texting and other forms of communication.

Facebook didn't say why it made the email switch, though it said in April it was "updating addresses on Facebook to make them more consistent across our site."

"Ever since the launch of Timeline, people have had the ability to control what posts they want to show or hide on their own timelines, and today we're extending that to other information they post, starting with the Facebook address," Facebook spokeswoman Jillian Stefanki said in an email late Monday.

Facebook is well known for making changes to its website that have irritated users, sometimes temporarily. Some users are still holding out switching their old profile pages to the Timeline, which lists users' life events, updates and photos in chronological order, dating back to their birth if they shared that information on Facebook. In 2006, there was a big uproar over a now-central feature of Facebook, the news feed that tells people what their friends are doing.

Associated Press

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Heat hampers efforts to fight Colorado fires

WOODLAND PARK, Colo. (AP) ? Air Force Academy officials were evacuating roughly one-third of households on the school's grounds Tuesday night as heavy smoke billowed from a wildfire that has burned homes near Colorado Springs.

The school said it was evacuating 693 residents in Pine Valley Housing, but an area of the 28-square-mile campus that houses cadets wasn't immediately evacuated. A new class of cadets is still scheduled to report on Thursday.

Fire officials had issued a pre-evacuation notice for the academy earlier Tuesday.

Fire information officer Greg Heule said earlier Tuesday that the fire was less than five miles from the southwest corner of the academy's campus.

Television images showed homes burning, and the Flying W Ranch southwest of the Air Force Academy said on its website that the ranch had burned to the ground.

Meanwhile, authorities in central Utah found one woman dead Tuesday when they returned to an evacuated area, marking the first casualty in a blaze that consumed at least two dozen homes and appears to be taking a turn for the worst.

Throughout the interior West, firefighters toiled in searing, record-setting heat that refused to relinquish its grip, as they struggled to contain blazes in Colorado, Utah and other Rocky Mountain states Tuesday.

Colorado has endured nearly a week of 100-plus-degree days and low humidity, sapping moisture from timber and grass, creating a devastating formula for volatile wildfires across the state and punishing conditions for firefighters.

"When it's that hot, it just dries the fuels even more. That can make the fuels explosive," said Steve Segin, a fire spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.

All of Utah and much of Wyoming, Colorado and Montana were under a red flag warning, meaning conditions were hot, dry and ripe for fires.

Tuesday was the fifth consecutive day with temperatures of 100 degrees or higher in Denver, tying a record set in 2005 and 1989. On Monday, Denver set a record with 105 degrees. The previous record for June 25 was 100 degrees in 1991.

Other areas of the state also topped 100 degrees Tuesday, including the northeastern Colorado town of Wray, which hit 108, the National Weather Service said.

What the nation is now seeing is "a super-heated spike on top of a decades long warming trend," said Derek Arndt, head of climate monitoring at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.

The U.S. set 107 new temperature records Monday and in the past week has set 782 of them, which are large numbers but hard to put in context because the data center has only been tracking the number of daily records broken for little more than a year, Arndt said.

But what's truly impressive, Arndt said, is that in the past three days in Colorado and Kansas, nine sites have set records regardless of the date. Usually hottest-ever marks are set in the scorching months of July and August.

The scorching heat doesn't appear to be letting up soon. Segin said such prolonged heat is "extremely taxing" physically on firefighters, who are working long days and carrying heavy gear.

Television video from the 7-square-mile Waldo Canyon fire west of Colorado Springs, Colo., showed smoke and flames close to houses in a forested neighborhood northwest of Colorado Springs.

The fire was 5 percent contained.

Two specially equipped Air Force C-130 cargo planes were helping fight the fire, and a third was expected later in the day.

With the nation's privately owned fleet of heavy air tankers already in use or unavailable, U.S. Forest Chief Tom Tidwell said his agency had to call on the military to help.

Tidwell told The Associated Press in a phone interview Monday that about half of the nation's personnel who are usually assigned to large fires are working in Colorado right now.

"It's just because it's so dry," Tidwell said. "Not unlike New Mexico ? they saw very low snowpack, especially in that lower country. Hot, dry winds with dry fuels, you get the ignition, and this is what we see."

At the 136-square-mile High Park fire in northern Colorado, authorities increased the number of homes destroyed to 257, saying they found nine homes that hadn't been counted earlier. The total was already the highest of any wildfire in state history.

That fire was 55 percent contained.

In Utah, Sanpete County sheriff's officials haven't identified the body found or explained where the remains were found Tuesday morning while assessing damage in the area.

On Tuesday morning, officials announced that the 60-square-mile Wood Hollow Fire was 15 percent contained and lifted some evacuation orders amid predictions they'd contain the blaze even further. But winds fanned the flames again by afternoon, forcing authorities to shut down part of U.S. 89 near Indianola amid fears that the fire would jump the highway.

Evacuations were called for Fairview, a town of about 1,100 residents near the blaze, as the fire grew larger and more erratic.

Elsewhere in the West:

? A fire that charred nearly 70 square miles west of Ruidoso, N.M., was 90 percent contained, with many residents allowed to return home.

? A wildfire north of Helena, Mont., destroyed four homes and forced additional evacuations. Gov. Brian Schweitzer issued a state of emergency for four counties.

? A wildfire in the Bridger-Teton National Forest grew from about 300 acres to 2,000 acres Tuesday, marking the first major wildfire of the season in western Wyoming.

___

Lynn DeBruin reported from Indianola, Utah. Associated Press writers Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, N.M., and Rema Rahman in Denver; and AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report.

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Patent Law Jobs by Patently-O: Patent Prosecution Attorney ...

Sandia National Laboratories is searching for a Patent Prosecution Attorney for the Legal Technology Transfer Center for the Albuquerque facility. Must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Security Clearance.

The selected candidate will provide legal advice and assistance in all matters involving or relating to intellectual property issues. This attorney will lead Sandia patent preparation and prosecution activities including in-house patent preparation and prosecution and management of outside patent counsel. He or she will provide legal counseling on intellectual property issues, policies, and procedures. The attorney will work with divisions researching silicon processing and fabrication of compound semiconductors including micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), contour-mode resonators, silicon and III-V photonics (including VCSELs, ring resonators, all-optical logic, solar cells, infrared focal plane arrays), analog and digital circuits, semiconductor fabrication and packaging, and failure analysis techniques.

This position provides legal services to protect, enforce, and mitigate risk associated with intellectual property. Provides advice and counsel on patent prosecution matters, including patentability of inventions, obviousness, prior art, and scope of patent claims. Drafts patent and trademark applications, advises on all types of intellectual property reviews, licensing and research agreements, publications, and intellectual property aspects of contracts. Provides Sandia National Laboratories with legal advice and services concerning legal rights, obligations, and privileges in matters involving intellectual property law. Coordinates legal matters handled by outside counsel and manages litigation.

Primary Job Duties:
? Provides legal advice and services concerning rights, obligations and privileges of Sandia in matters involving intellectual property law.
? Interprets and prepares legal documents, analyzes corporate policies, and advises corporation in areas of intellectual property law.
? Prepares, files, and prosecutes patent applications to obtain the broadest possible protection for Sandia's inventions, consistent with Sandia's business needs.
? Counsels, advises and supports licensing and technology transfer staff in transactional matters.
? Provides legal advice on agreements pertaining to intellectual property, including patent and copyright license agreements and other technology transfer agreements.
? Advises on patentability of inventions developed by Sandia.
? Monitors and reviews Sandia publications for creation of statutory bar dates for Sandia inventions.
? Conducts prior art searches.
? Coordinates discussions with line management, technical staff, and technology transfer staff to select and prioritize invention disclosures and efficiently support Sandia's business needs.
? Manages the preparation and prosecution of foreign and domestic patent applications by outside counsel.
? Coordinates joint patent applications with co-inventing outside organizations.
? Renders opinions regarding possible patent infringements.
? Handles appeal and interference proceedings, as required.
? Supports other legal staff in litigation matters, as needed.
? May act as an agent of the corporation in various transactions.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
? Registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and licensed to practice law in at least one state.
? Recent and relevant technical and legal background, including preparation and prosecution experience in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science or other relevant engineering discipline.
? Excellent written and oral communication skills and interpersonal skills.
? Knowledge of federal law and U.S. Department of Energy policies, procedures, and orders regarding management of patent, copyright, technical data, technology transfer agreements, and acquisition policies and procedures.
? Knowledge of contractual mechanisms, including cooperative research and development agreements, Work for Others, licenses and options, statements of work, user facility, and non-disclosure agreements.
? Experience in licensing and other technology transfer agreements.
? Skill in and knowledge of the concepts and processes involved in preparing for negotiations, conducting negotiations, and counseling a client regarding developments and options in a negotiation.
? Knowledge of the tools of legal research and the ability to devise and implement coherent and effective legal research plans.
? Skill in and knowledge of the concepts and processes involved in preparing for negotiations, conducting negotiations, and counseling a client regarding developments and options in a negotiation.
? Knowledge of the rules governing the practice of law, the ability to recognize and resolve ethical issues, and strict adherence to attorneys' rules of confidentiality.
? Knowledge of software applications and technologies used in a technologically sophisticated law office.
? Ability to identify legal exposures to business goals that are broader than the exposures implicit in the literal scope of a request for legal advice.
? Ability to work independently as appropriate.

Required:
? A U.S. law degree from an ABA accredited law school, admission to practice in at least one U.S. state and current registration with the USPTO is required, plus, 4-8 years of experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
? Excellent academic qualifications with 4-8 years of law firm and/or in-house experience in patent prosecution.
? Degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science or other relevant engineering discipline.

Desired:
? Masters or PhD level education is preferred. Excellent analytical, interpersonal and communication skills are needed.
? Candidates should have strong project, and client management skills and a proven track record of success in the patent field.

Contact:
Please apply online at http://www.sandia.gov/careers/search-openings.html, click Advanced Search and reference Job Opening ID Number: 641106.

U.S. Citizenship Normally Required. Equal Opportunity Employer. M/F/D/V.

Additional Info:
Employer Type: Government
Job Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation with major facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Livermore, California. We are a world-class team of scientists, engineers, technologists, post docs, and visiting researchers all focused on cutting-edge technology, ranging from homeland defense, global security, biotechnology, and environmental preservation to energy and combustion research, computer security, and nuclear defense. To learn more, please visit our website at www.sandia.gov.

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Tropical Storm Debby soaks Florida's Gulf Coast

Convenience store employee Lindsey Bennight watches floodwaters surround the store where she works in Crawfordville, Fla., Monday, June 25, 2012. Bennight had to walk through waist-deep water earlier in the day to leave the store after it was flooded by heavy rains caused by Tropical Storm Debby. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Convenience store employee Lindsey Bennight watches floodwaters surround the store where she works in Crawfordville, Fla., Monday, June 25, 2012. Bennight had to walk through waist-deep water earlier in the day to leave the store after it was flooded by heavy rains caused by Tropical Storm Debby. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Cedar Key Fire Chief Robert Robinson walks on a section of a floating dock that broke loose during a storm surge from Tropical Storm Debby in Cedar Key, Fla., on Sunday, June 24, 2012. Slow-moving Tropical Storm Debby's outer bands lashed Florida with rain and kicked up rough surf off Alabama on Sunday, prompting storm warnings for those states. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Brad McClenny)

Cedar Key Police Chief Virgil Sandlin works on his hands an knees to secure a section of a floating dock as strong storm surge and flooding are felt from Tropical Storm Debby, in Cedar Key, Fla., Sunday, June 24, 2012. Sandlin said it was like riding a bronco trying to keep balance on the dock. Slow-moving Tropical Storm Debby's outer bands lashed Florida with rain and kicked up rough surf off Alabama on Sunday, prompting storm warnings for those states and causing at least one death. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Brad McClenny)

A message referring to rainfall from a tropical storm system is displayed at the San Jose Baptist Church on Monday, June 25, 2012, in Jacksonville, Fla. Tropical Storm Debby raked the Tampa Bay area with high wind and heavy rain Monday in a drenching that could top 2 feet over the next few days and trigger widespread flooding. (AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union, Kelly Jordan)

Motorists drive through a flooded section of Beach Rd. near Siesta Key Public Beach in on Monday, June 25, 2012 after rain from Tropical Storm Debby filled streets and parking lots with water on the Sarasota, Fla. barrier island. Tropical Storm Debby drenched Florida with heavy rains, flooded low-lying neighborhoods and knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses as it lingered off the state's coast Monday. (AP Photo/Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Elaine Litherland) CHARLOTTE SUN OUT, BRADENTON HERALD OUT, MAGS OUT, TV OUT, INTERNET OUT, NO SALES

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Practically parked off Florida's Gulf Coast since the weekend, Tropical Storm Debby raked the Tampa Bay area with high wind and heavy rain Monday in a drenching that could top 2 feet over the next few days and has already led to flooding.

At least one person was killed Sunday by a tornado spun off by the large storm system in Florida, and Alabama authorities searched for a man who disappeared in the rough surf.

An estimated 35,000 homes and businesses lost electricity. But as of midafternoon, the slow-moving storm had caused only scattered damage, including flooding in some low-lying areas.

The National Hurricane Center reported late Monday that torrential rains and flooding would continue for the next several days across parts of the Florida Panhandle and north Florida.

The bridge leading to St. George Island, a vacation spot along the Panhandle, was closed to everyone except residents, renters and business owners to keep looters out. The island had no power, and palm trees had been blown down, but roads were passable.

"Most true islanders are hanging in there because they know that you may or may not be able to get back to your home when you need to," said David Walker, an island resident having a beer at Eddy Teach's bar. He said he had been through many storms on the island and Debby was on the weaker end of the scale.

Gov. Rick Scott declared a statewide emergency, allowing authorities to put laws against price-gouging into effect and override bureaucratic hurdles to deal with the storm.

By 10 p.m. Monday, Debby was in the Gulf of Mexico, 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Apalachicola, with sustained winds around 45 mph (72 kph), according to the hurricane center. It was moving northeast at 2 mph (3 kph)

A tropical storm warning remained in effect Monday evening from Mexico Beach in the Panhandle to Englewood, south of Sarasota.

Forecasters cautioned that Debby is a large tropical cyclone spreading strong winds and heavy rains at great distances from its center.

They said it would crawl to the northeast, come ashore along Florida's northwestern coast on Wednesday and track slowly across the state, exiting along the Atlantic Coast by Saturday morning and losing steam along the way.

Parts of northern Florida could get 10 to 15 inches of rain, and some spots as much as 25 inches, as the storm wrings itself out, forecasters said.

"The widespread flooding is the biggest concern," said Florida Emergency Operations Center spokeswoman Julie Roberts. "It's a concern that Debby is going to be around for the next couple of days, and while it sits there, it's going to continue to drop rain. The longer it sits, the more rain we get."

High winds and the threat of flooding forced the closing of an interstate highway bridge that spans Tampa Bay and links St. Petersburg with areas to the southwest.

Monday evening, the state announced the closing of the Howard Frankland bridge that connects Tampa, including the region's major airport, and St. Petersburg. The eight-lane bridge carries Interstate 275 over Tampa Bay. The southbound lanes were later reopened.

People in several sparsely populated counties near the crook of Florida's elbow were urged to leave low-lying neighborhoods because of the danger of flooding. Shelters opened in some places.

On St. Pete Beach in the Tampa Bay area, surfers enjoyed the large waves in the Gulf, which is usually so calm the water looks like glass. Residents cleaned up debris in yards and streets from a possible tornado Sunday.

"The wind picked up so bad. It's very, very scary. I ran into the closet underneath the hallway stairs," said Ann Garrison, who has lived on the barrier island for 20 years but has never seen such strong winds. She said that when she came back out after just a few minutes, "the fence was gone, and it was in the middle of the yard."

Nearby, a likely tornado ripped the roof off a marina and an apartment complex and knocked down fences, trees and signs.

Kourosh Bakhtiarian's yard was flooded. He said people were driving around the neighborhood to gawk at the damage, and he complained that police hadn't closed off the streets.

"We have a lot of visitors from outside of this area. They just want to see exactly where the disaster is. I mean, this is not the happiest time," he said.

On St. George Island, many businesses were closed, but Eddy Teach's bar had a few customers and used a generator to keep beer and food cold.

"The tourists cleared out. It's not a good thing and hurts the economy during a week in peak season," said Patrick Sparks, a manager at the bar. He scoffed at the storm, which was well below the 74 mph threshold for a hurricane: "It's a little rash to send everyone home."

___

Farrington reported from St. George Island. Associated Press writers Freida Frisaro and Christine Armario in Miami; Gary Fineout in Tallahassee; and AP Auto Writer Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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Factors To Check When Choosing Plumbing Services Tacoma ...

Plumbing is one of the most important house improvement tasks done in most homesteads. When in need of repairing an existing system, it is important that a quality job is done to avoid subsequent costs of repair. The best way to have a quality project done is making the right choice when choosing plumbing services Tacoma providers. The following are factors which you should consider when choosing these service providers.

Locating these professionals can be done through asking for referrals from friends and neighbors or searching online. If you decide to search online, consider reading reviews of specific firms before contacting them. This mechanism is best especially if you are a new resident in Tacoma.

The cost of is another important consideration. Plumbers charge rates that differ depending on how quality their projects are. However, established service providers are expected to inspect the scope of work before giving an estimate or quote. Remember that the cheapest services could also mean the lowest quality offered.

The costs of home improvement are sometimes very high and if anything goes wrong during the project you might be subjected to more spending. It is very beneficial to choose plumbers who offer insurance covered service. The insurance policy should include both worker compensation and general liability.

Experience and quality of projects handled in the past should also be subject to evaluation. Experience plumbers know how best to handle their projects to the satisfaction of their clients. You can thus check how many years the company has been in business and how qualified their technicians are.

When choosing Plumbing Services Tacoma, it is important that the right choice be made. Consider locating at least three service providers and interview them to find the most suitable one. Among the things that should be checked during this interview are experience levels and provision of an insurance covered project.

Click here for more information about Factors To Consider When Choosing Plumbing Services Tacoma .

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Turkey takes jet downing to NATO, Syria tension soars

NATO said on Sunday it will discuss Turkey's accusation that Syria shot down one of its warplanes in international airspace, as Damascus suffered heavy casualties and violence scaled new heights.

Syria's surging bloodshed saw at least 72 people killed, a bulk of them soldiers in fighting with rebels, activists said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned Ankara's southern neighbour not to challenge Turkey's military.

And Britain, another member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, offered support for "robust" international action.

Davutoglu told Turkey's TRT television that, "according to our conclusions, our plane was shot down in international airspace, 13 nautical miles from Syria."

Damascus did not issue a warning before shooting down the plane, which was on an unarmed training mission to carry out a radar system test, Turkey said.

"The Syrians knew full well that it was a Turkish military plane and the nature of its mission," he said. "Nobody should dare put Turkey's (military) capabilities to the test."

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lashed out at Syria for the "brazen and unacceptable" downing of the Turkish jet and vowed to work with Ankara on a suitable response.

"It is yet another reflection of the Syrian authorities' callous disregard for international norms, human life, and peace and security," Clinton said in a statement.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said President Bashar al-Assad's regime "should not make the mistake of believing that it can act with impunity. It will be held to account for its behaviour."

Italy, another NATO member, also condemned the regime for the shooting incident. "This is ... extremely serious and unacceptable," Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi said.

He added that Rome voiced its "strong indignation and condemnation" and that Italy would "actively participate" in the NATO meeting, which is to be held on Tuesday.

A NATO spokeswoman said that, "under Article 4, any ally can request consultations whenever, in the opinion of any of them, their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened."

Damascus said it downed the F-4 Phantom on Friday after it violated Syrian airspace.

"Syria was merely exercising its right and sovereign duty and defence," Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi was quoted as saying on Sunday in Al-Watan, a pro-government daily.

"There is no enmity between Syria and Turkey, but political tension (exists) between the two countries.

"What happened was an accident and not an assault as some like to say, because the plane was shot while it was in Syrian airspace and flew over Syrian territorial waters," Makdissi said.

Turkey acknowledged on Saturday that the plane may have done so, in comments seen as a bid to cool tensions between the former allies, but it now appears to have taken a harder stance.

CNN-Turk television reported that search and rescue teams have located the wreckage of the jet at a depth of 1,300 metres (4,265 feet) in the sea, but did not give its precise location or refer to the fate of the two missing pilots.

Ankara said it could not confirm the report.

"We will bring this affair before public opinion and international law in the name of Turkey's honour," Davutoglu said.

Turkish-Syrian relations have already been strained by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's outspoken condemnation of the Assad's regime's bloody crackdown, which rights activists say has killed more than 15,000 people since March 2011.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon expressed his "deep concern" about the incident, particularly about the "potential serious implications" for the region, spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

In a telephone call with Davutoglu, the UN chief "commended Turkey for the restraint shown in its initial reaction and appreciated Turkey and Syria for conducting a joint search operation."

At least 72 people were killed on Sunday in Syria, including 36 civilians, 27 soldiers and nine rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

At least 16 soldiers were killed in the northern province of Aleppo, while the rest died in neighbouring Idlib province and in the provinces of Damascus and Deir Ezzor in the east, the watchdog said.

The Observatory reported that following an attack on an artillery battalion in Aleppo, a number of soldiers defected, taking with them a large quantity of weapons.

The official SANA news agency reported that regime troops "were engaged in combat against a terrorist group that attacked people in the Jabaliye neighbourhood of Deir Ezzor killing scores of terrorists."

Syrian government uses the term "terrorists" to describe the rebels.

In another setback for the regime, rebels captured 11 government soldiers in the central province of Damascus, it added.

"This is one of the bloodiest weeks in the conflict," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Observatory, said.

The Observatory also reported that rebels had shot down a Syrian regime helicopter near the Jordanian border.

According to Observatory figures, 94 people were killed in Syria last Monday, 62 on Tuesday, 88 on Wednesday, 168 on Thursday, 116 on Friday and 116 more on Saturday.

"It's like we are in a war," Abdel Rahman said. "Sometimes when two countries are at war, not even 20 people are killed a day. But now in Syria it has become normal to have 100 killed each day."

A Russian ship that tried to deliver attack helicopters to Syria entered the northern port of Murmansk on Sunday after being forced to turn back when news of its mission was leaked.

An unnamed Russian diplomat said the ship, the Alaed, would soon try again to make the highly controversial delivery under the Russian flag.

The switch appears to be an attempt to avoid security inspections that come when sailing under the flag of a third country.

The Alaed was forced to turn back after its mission was initially mentioned by the US State Department and then reported in the British press. Those reports prompted the ship's British insurer to withdraw coverage.

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Parade Magazine shoutout for ethnic food in Ohio

Parade Magazine shoutout for ethnic food in Ohio
June 23, 2012 18:40 GMT

%reldate(2012-06-23T18:35:43

AKRON, Ohio (AP) -- Ethnic food specialties in northeast Ohio are sharing the national spotlight this weekend.

Parade magazine highlights some top eateries in northeast Ohio in its "Midwest at its Best" feature.

Included are Polish specialties at Babuska's Kitchen in Northfield Center, what's called "Killer Brownies" at Akron's West Point Market and spicy chicken and Hungarian chicken paprikash in Barberton.

The final shoutout from Parade Magazine goes to "ridiculously thick shakes" at the Taggarts sweet shop in Canton.

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Canada languishes in world rankings for government openness

As the 30th anniversary of the federal Access to Information Act approaches, Canada finds itself tied for 51st in the world on a list of freedom-of-information rankings, languishing behind Angola, Colombia and Niger.

After some number-crunching to standardize findings, it turns out Canada is even lower on the list ? 11 spots to be exact ? than when it was first published last September as part of a groundbreaking project by Halifax-based Centre for Law and Democracy and Access Info Europe of Madrid.

"As a country that was once among the world's leaders in government openness, it is unfortunate that Canada has dropped so far down the list. Partly, this is the result of global progress, with which Canada has failed to keep pace," says an analysis accompanying the rankings.

The Access to Information Act, which took force on July 1, 1983, allows requesters who pay $5 to request a variety of records in federal files ? from correspondence and reports to briefing notes and hospitality receipts.

Departments and agencies are supposed to respond within 30 days, but often take extensions of up to half a year or more. Often little information is released even after a lengthy wait.

There have been repeated calls from pro-democracy groups and the federal information commissioner's office to modernize the act for the 21st century.

In October 2009, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson rejected a House of Commons committee's call to update the access law, saying it was a strong piece of legislation.\

Report notes lack of updates to law

While "cutting edge" 30 years ago, the law has not been significantly updated since its inception, notes the world ranking report.

"Canada's lax timelines, imposition of access fees, lack of a proper public interest override, and blanket exemptions for certain political offices all contravene international standards for the right of access," says the report.

"Canada's antiquated approach to access to information is also the result of a lack of political will to improve the situation."

Toby Mendel, president of the Centre for Law and Democracy, recently returned from Rabat where he spoke with officials devising an access law for Morocco. They asked him what the Canadian government had proposed in the area of access reform as part of the global Open Government Partnership initiative.

Mendel told them Canada had suggested allowing access requesters to apply electronically, dispensing with the current cumbersome practice of a paper form and a $5 cheque.

"Literally, I could see their jaws dropping," Mendel said in an interview. "Because it was incomprehensible to them that a country like Canada would not already have electronic requesting possibility."

Serbia, India and Slovenia top the report's ranking list, while Liechtenstein, Greece and Austria come last among the 89 countries with an access regime.

There have been several attempts to reform and revamp Canada's law, "and all have been defeated in one way or another," the report notes.

"We hope that Canada's poor showing here will be a wake-up call to the fact that global standards for implementation of the right to information have moved past what the Access to Information Act can provide, and will spur our politicians to act in order to give proper implementation to the right to information."

The federal Treasury Board, the department responsible for access policy, had no immediate comment on the rankings.

At the Open Government Partnership meeting in Brazil last April, the Conservative government also promised to create a virtual library of government documents, improve federal record-keeping, make more archival material accessible, and build on efforts to release government data sets.

Democracy Watch, an Ottawa-based lobby group, said the federal plan would only make some government information more easily available in electronic format ? not truly improve openness or accountability.

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