Bakers rejoice: UK drops tax on savory snacks

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne listens to Christine Lagarde, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, unseen, during a press conference in the Treasury in London Tuesday May 22, 2012. The International Monetary Fund has issued a tough assessment of U.K. economic policy, urging the coalition government and Bank of England to do more to boost demand in the economy. (AP Photo Oli Scarff, Pool)

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne listens to Christine Lagarde, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, unseen, during a press conference in the Treasury in London Tuesday May 22, 2012. The International Monetary Fund has issued a tough assessment of U.K. economic policy, urging the coalition government and Bank of England to do more to boost demand in the economy. (AP Photo Oli Scarff, Pool)

LONDON (AP) ? Britain's treasury has caved in to popular pressure over its plan to impose sales taxes on freshly-baked goods, handing a victory to supporters of the humble pasty.

U.K. finance chief George Osborne had planned to close a loophole which allowed takeout items ? including heated savory snacks such as pies, pasties and sausage rolls ? to escape a 20 percent sales tax.

But the new rules were attacked by political opponents and Britain's tabloid newspapers as an attack on some of the working class's favorite food. Of particular concern was the British pasty, meat and vegetables carried in a pastry crust beloved by students and workers. The Sun newspaper joined bakery chain Greggs in campaigning against the "Pasty Tax".

The government announced its U-turn late Monday night.

Associated Press

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Saginomiya driving simulator steers real car, isn't quite Avatar on wheels (video)

Most simulators act in isolation from the real world, so when we see one that breaks out of its virtual shell, we're more than a little intrigued. Saginomiya has designed a driving simulator that's directly linked to an actual car's components sitting on a six-axis motion system. The whole affair works as a form of virtuous circle for testing, where the real parts feed on the simulator and vice versa: since the simulator is based on the internal model of the car, it can translate road results directly to the suspension and steering of the physical components, which promptly loop around and dictate force feedback in the simulator through actuators in the steering wheel. Apart from creating what amounts to the real real driving simulator, Saginomiya's invention is a huge boon to automakers, which can test how key components work without having to build the whole vehicle first. Sadly, the simulator likely won't reach full-on Avatar levels and steer a car on a real road anytime soon, but it's engaging enough that we can see more than a few test drivers putting in overtime just for kicks.

Continue reading Saginomiya driving simulator steers real car, isn't quite Avatar on wheels (video)

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Compost Happens! | Boorinakis Harper Ranch

My goodness, I can?t believe I missed writing something for International Compost Awareness Week! (Yes, it most certainly is a real thing!)

When I took the UC Master Gardener training last year, we spent quite a lot of time on compost for the ?Master Composter? element of certification. (After the first day, I couldn?t wait to get home and start turning my rather neglected compost heap ? it was seriously that inspiring.)

As Master Composters, we?re honour-bound to talk up the joys of decomposition and organic nutrients at every available opportunity? and so, of course, it was only a matter of time for me to do so here! (Oh, and don?t miss our Homestead Radio Hour interview with Kevin ?The Worm Whisperer? Marini, UC Extension expert, at the end of this post? talk about inspiring! His contagious enthusiasm will have you marching out to the yard, pitchfork in hand.)

If you don?t already have a compost pile, by all means, let?s do something about that right away! It really is very simple: all you need is a bit of outdoor space. If that isn?t an option, you can even compost indoors with a worm bin (see below). No excuses, right? Compost piles and bins take many forms, from the very basic heap to elaborately-engineered multiple bins and rotating tumblers; don?t be intimidated by all the fancy and expensive equipment proffered by garden catalogues and home-improvement stores. Start with something simple ? if you outgrow it, or you find that composting is really your ?thing,? you can always upgrade later.

Glamour shot of my beloved compost pile:

So, let?s begin at the beginning?

What do you need to make compost?

There are four key ingredients:
? Organic matter ? we need a balance of Carbon and Nitrogen to make really great nutrient-rich compost
? Air / Oxygen ? necessary for decomposition. If the pile goes anaerobic ? without air ? you?ll end up with a slimy, stinky mess. Good aeration makes for a happy, odor-free compost pile.
? Water / Moisture ? for much of the year, adding kitchen scraps and yard waste regularly will contribute enough moisture to your pile. In summer, however, you may need to water it occasionally. If you dig around and the pile looks dry or dusty, add water slowly so that it can soak in.
? Micro- and macro-organisms ? you can buy all kinds of magical compost-starting elixirs, but there is no need ? these friendly critters will move in on their own! Earthworms, fungi, bacteria, and other decomposers are key to a healthy compost pile.

If all these factors are present then compost will ?happen? all by itself, but for the best (and neatest) results, you will need a compost bin or designated ?pile? area with adequate ventilation and, ideally, a size of 27 to 125 cubic feet (3x3x3 feet to 5x5x5 feet). You will need to gather green (nitrogenous) and brown (carbonaceous) organic material, mix them in your bin or pile, and moisten the mixture if necessary. Mix and turn the pile each week, checking for moisture and adding water if it is too dry.

A couple of tried-and-true designs for backyard composting:

Movable compost pen

Advantages: simple and inexpensive to make; requires few tools and materials; can be moved easily to a different location or disassembled when the compost is finished to allow for easy spreading in the garden; you can build it to whatever size you like.
Disadvantages: Not as sturdy as permanent bins; in order to turn the compost you will need to ?dump? the bin and then refill it; if you are cutting wire fencing to height, it?s a good idea to cover or file down the pointy ends of the wires, especially if children or pets will be playing around the bin.

We use these moveable ?pens? out in the orchard to compost leaves and larger volumes of garden/yard waste. They?re perfect if you have a large quantity of material at once (think raking the lawn in autumn) and aren?t in a hurry to make compost. Turning your pile speeds up the decomposition process, but this is a good lazy, low-maintenance way to get the job done, and the fence ring keeps everything nice and neat (no windstorms/dogs/chickens spreading your leaf pile all over the yard!) If you set up the pen where you want the compost to eventually end up ? i.e. in your vegetable garden ? you can simply remove the ring and spread the finished compost when it?s done.

Multi-bin system

Advantages: Allows for fast composting, easy turning, and you can keep adding new, fresh material to the first bin without contaminating the ?cooking? or finished compost in the other bin(s). Sturdy and high-capacity. Easy to add a lid to if pests or nosy neighbours are a problem.
Disadvantages: more complicated and expensive to build than simpler bins; more tools and materials needed for construction; takes up more yard space.

We have a two-bin composting system that we adapted from a salvaged bin of uncertain provenance. (It used to have an astro-turf ?roof? on top ? go figure.) Multi-bin systems can be built out of pallets, scrap lumber, shipping crates, etc, or purchased ready-made. Our two-bin setup works nicely; fresh material goes in the left-side bin. When that fills up, I transfer it to the right-side bin to finish composting, and we start filling up the left bin again. Both sides get turned regularly. Really serious composters often use three-bin systems, in which the ?rough? compost goes into a middle bin before moving on to the final ?finished? bin. The triple-bin would be more necessary if you?re processing a large volume of material, or if you want to store your finished compost for a while.

Some Common Composting Questions

??I tried composting, but my pile always smelled bad and attracted flies.?
Flies can actually be beneficial to the composting process, but you can help keep them from becoming a nuisance by turning your compost pile more frequently to make sure that all parts of the pile ?cook? evenly. This will reduce the larvae population, as well as keep odor problems at bay. Food scraps are attractive to flies, especially fatty foods or meat scraps, which should not be put in the pile. Plant-based food scraps, eggshells, etc, should be buried or covered with straw or leaves to deter flies; this will also reduce odors. To keep pests and odors to a minimum, make sure your compost pile is in the recommended size range (from 3x3x3 for a bin to 5x5x5 feet for a heap) so that it generates enough heat to compost quickly and efficiently.

?Why should I compost when I can send my green waste away to be composted elsewhere??
Why pay to have your green waste taken away, and then spend more money on fertilizer, soil, and amendments for your garden, when you can make your own for free? Composting lets you recycle your kitchen scraps and yard waste into a valuable soil amendment and conditioner that you can then use in your own garden, yard, or potted plants. And unlike purchased soil additives and fertilizers, you know exactly what went into your compost ? no toxic gunk or weird chemicals to worry about. From an ecological point of view, composting your own green waste instead of having it hauled away conserves fossil fuels, energy, and money; instead of huge trucks and tractors, all you need is a simple backyard bin, a shovel or pitchfork, and a bit of your time. It?s easy, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly, and nothing beats the satisfaction of turning your scraps and yard waste into something you can use in your own backyard!

?What?s the difference between mulch and compost? ?
Mulch is applied as a top dressing around plants to conserve soil moisture, suppress weeds, keep the soil temperature cooler in hot weather, and reduce soil erosion and compaction. Mulch usually consists of non-composted, undecayed material ? wood chips, bark, grass clippings and leaves can be used, although compost may be used as a top dressing as well.

Compost is organic matter that has been decayed and decomposed with the help of bacteria, fungi, and other micro-organisms, as well as macro-organisms such as worms, nematodes, and insects. It generally contains a variety of basic nutrients and is used as a soil conditioner to improve soil quality. When mixed into soil, compost improves soil structure, holds nutrients in the soil and makes them more readily available to plants, improves drainage and aeration, and encourages beneficial organism populations.

?What about worm composting? Aren?t worms kind of gross??
Worm composting is ideal for when a small-scale indoor (yes, indoor!) composting system is needed, i.e. for apartment dwellers or those with small yards or limited mobility. It can also be a fun way to observe the composting process up close! You don?t need a high volume of organic material to stock a worm bin, it is tidy and odorless, and worm castings are a fantastic high-quality soil amendment.

For the worm-squeamish folks? first of all, to allay a common fear, worms don?t have teeth. They?re totally harmless, and not slimy at all. Really, though ?? you don?t need to handle the worms; they are generally content to stay hidden in their shredded-paper bedding. They are easy to take care of, too: the worms are not at all ?stinky? or ?yucky,? and you can feed them on your schedule ? once a day to once a week.

Eisenia foetida, the worm-composting worm, is different from your backyard-variety earthworm: they?re leaf-litter-dwellers, so they need a layer of shredded newspaper or the like to live in. They also need a dark bin with good aeration and just enough moisture. Store-bought worm bins can be pricey, but you can easily make your own from a plastic storage bin; check out instructions here. Just make sure that the bin is large enough, not too deep, and ? most importantly ? that it is opaque plastic, not clear. Worms will be much happier in a dark environment.

For more information on composting, be sure to visit the excellent Placer County Master Gardeners Composting Information page. You?ll find plenty of links to various bin plans, methods, and some fascinating info on all the critters living in your compost!

The Homestead Radio Hour

Composting with Kevin Marini, September 2011
With hosts Phyllis and Julia Boorinakis-Harper

Have more leaves in your backyard than you know what to do with? Maybe you?ve tried making a compost pile, but found it too stinky or too slow? Then you?ve come to the right place! On this episode of the HRH: UC Extension expert Kevin Marini, ?The Worm Whisperer,? discusses the hows and whys of traditional composting, vermicomposting, and more. Get the dirt on putting your kitchen scraps and yard waste to work, making your own homegrown, nutrient-rich soil amendments. From choosing a composting method to building a bin and maintaining your pile, Kevin explains how to make composting an integral part of your homestead (and maybe even your life!)

Click the ?play? arrow below to listen, or visit the KVMR Podcasts page here.

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Tips To Help You Understand The Basics Of Home Improvement ...

If you are using your cushions a lot they will get flat. A great way to bring life back to your cushions is setting them in the sun. Sun exposure gets rid of the moisture trapped in the cushion?s fillings, which in turn makes them nice and bouncy. Place the cushions outdoors to freshen, but place them under cover after awhile so their cloth colors don?t fade.

Does your house feel drafty? There are many new products which use air for insulation. That?s right?air! It works in the way that bubble wrap protects items being shipped. The air is put in plastic cushions and then put inside your ceilings and walls. This is a cost effective way to re-insulate a drafty home.

Wallpaper and varnish can make a cost effectve kitchen back-splash. Buy some wallpaper that pleases you. You should always cut the wallpaper somewhat larger than the area you???re covering based on measurements you?ve taken. Put on the paste and wait until it gets tacky to the touch. Hang the wallpaper as you smooth out the bubbles that may appear. Then, trim the edges. Apply your varnish with a brush. Then sit back and enjoy the look of your thrifty, but new, back-splash.

When first talking to a contractor, make sure to get a written contract that includes whatever your budget is and a detailed plan of how they are going to spend the money you give them. You should also insist on a timeline and a payment schedule.

You can make your home more valuable by adding a bathroom. It is easy to understand that an additional bathroom is handy, particularly when each bathroom is on a different floor of the home. It is more likely that more than 1 person will want to use a bathroom.

Put some nail holes in your paint can?s rim. This lip on the paint can will fill with paint, when replacing the lid it can cause the paint to spill over. If you add wholes spaces all around the edge of the channel with a hammer and nail, the paint will drain back into the can.

Vacuum the inside of your cabinets before you clean them. This will help you remove all of the loose dirt that is on the inside. Shelves should be wiped down with a mixture of water and a mild dishwashing liquid. Always begin cleaning the interior shelving from the top, and work down from there. Take this opportunity to also replace liners and make any necessary repairs.

You can make a big difference in the appearance of your front door with a little paint and a nice clean welcome mat. The entrance reflects how welcoming your home is. The special touches with decor, beautiful plants and other improvements will create a very positive first impression on anyone walking through the door.

Making your home a place you feel comfortable is important. Not all projects will be an astronomical investment. Little projects can make a huge difference. Whatever size of the project you have in mind, keep getting ideas from articles like this, and keep finding ways of adding value to your home.

Tackling house improvement projects could be a frustrating and drawn-out procedure; but when carried out appropriate it can totally change the look and really feel of the house. If you do not have time to do the property remodeling oneself, I recommend hiring a remodeling contractor located inside the Los Angeles location to come and take care of it for you personally. If you?d like the job completed correct and completed swiftly, withought acquiring overcharged, you need to hire the pros at Xtreme Remodeling! They do bathroom remodeling in Los Angeles, together with all other sorts of residence improvement projects, and they take pride in offering exceptional value to their customers. Give them a contact right now and let them turn your dream residence into a reality!

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Seeking the Most Effective Forex Trading Program - Wedding ...

What exactly is Currency trading or perhaps FOREX MARKET? PART I

The Foreign Exchange market (also referred to as your Currency trading or Forex market place) could be the biggest financial market on the globe, with more than $1.Your five billion transforming hands daily.

Thats larger than all All of us collateral and Treasury markets put together!

Not like additional markets that will run with a central spot (i.at the. stock exchange), the worldwide Foreign exchange doesnt have central location. This is a worldwide electronic digital community regarding finance institutions, financial institutions and personal dealers, most active in the selling and buying associated with country wide foreign currencies. One more significant feature in the Currency markets is that it works Twenty-four hours a day, corresponding to the opening and closing of financial stores within international locations all across the world, beginning every day within Questionnaire, after that Seattle, Greater london and also Ny. Whenever you want, in almost any area, you can find clientele, producing the foreign exchange market the most liquefied marketplace on the globe.

Traditionally, access to the Forex market has been manufactured available only to financial institutions along with other big banking institutions. Together with developments in technologies in the past, however, the foreign currency market is now open to every person, via finance institutions to cash managers for you to individual investors exchanging retail accounts. Some time to have associated with this kind of fascinating, world-wide marketplace hasnt already been better than right now. Open up a free account and turn into a dynamic person in the biggest market on this planet.

Forex is quite different than forex about the commodities market, and quite a few less complicated, as compared to trading stocks as well as commodities.

Whether you are mindful of this or otherwise not, a person previously play a role inside the Foreign exchange market. The straightforward idea that you might have profit your bank account makes you an investor in currency, mainly in the People Buck. By holding $ $ $ $, youve got elected not to retain the currencies associated with additional nations. Your current purchases of futures, bonds or another assets, as well as cash placed within your checking account, represent investments that will depend greatly about the integrity in the valuation on their own denominated currency exchange ?the People Dollar. Due to the modifying value of the usa Money and the ensuing imbalances in exchange prices, your investments might difference in worth, in your overall fiscal standing. That said, it ought to be no surprise that lots of traders took good thing about your fluctuation as a swap Prices, with all the movements in the Forex market in an effort to increase their capital.

Illustration: presume you needed $1000 and bought Euros when the exchange charge ended up being 1.Fifty Dollars on the buck. You would then have 2000 Pounds. If your price of Pounds against the People buck increased then you would market (trade) your Euros pertaining to us dollars and also have a lot more us dollars compared to you commenced along with.

Case in point:

You might begin to see the following:

EUR/USD last trade One.Five thousand implies
1 Pound will be worth $1.60 $ $ $ $.

The very first foreign currency (on this illustration, your Dinar) referred to as the beds base currency exchange and also the next (/USD) because counter as well as estimate foreign currency.

The actual Foreign exchange takes on a vital role in the world economy high will be a tremendous demand for trade associated with foreign currencies. Intercontinental industry improves since engineering as well as connection boosts. So long as there is certainly intercontinental business, you will have the FOREX market. The particular Currency exchange market needs to exist therefore a country such as Belgium are available items in the usa and also get Euros in substitution for People Dollar.

RISK Caution:

Perils of trading currency

Margined currency trading is an extremely risky type of expense which is only suitable for folks along with establishments capable of handling the possible loss it requires. A forex account having an specialist lets you industry foreign exchange on an extremely utilized schedule (around with regards to 500 times your bank account collateral).Your cash in an account which is investing in maximum control could possibly be entirely misplaced if your placement(s) kept in the actual bank account encounters a good one percent swing action throughout benefit. Given the chance for dropping someones whole investment, speculation within the forex must simply be conducted along with threat money funds that, in case lost, wont substantially modify the people financial well-being.

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Annan condemns "appalling crime" on visit to Syria

AMMAN (Reuters) - Peace envoy Kofi Annan denounced the killing of at least 108 people in the Syrian town of Houla as "an appalling crime" on Monday and urged President Bashar al-Assad to prove he wants a peaceful resolution to the crisis racking his country.

Assad's forces killed at least 41 people in an artillery assault on the city of Hama, activists said, shortly after the U.N. Security Council condemned Friday's massacre in nearby Houla. The authorities in Damascus issued a denial that troops played any role at Houla, rejecting the U.N. version of events.

With international criticism growing of Assad's methods in trying to crush a 14-month-old uprising, now accompanied by a lightly armed insurgency, U.N./Arab League envoy Annan visited Damascus for talks on his faltering peace plan.

He explicitly urged the Syrian government to "take bold steps to signal that it is serious in its intention to resolve this crisis peacefully" before adding: "This message of peace is not only for the government, but for everyone with a gun."

Russia and China, which had previously vetoed U.N. resolutions condemning Assad, both approved a non-binding text in New York on Sunday that criticized the use of artillery and tank shells on homes in Houla - weapons the rebels do not have.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry, however, in an open letter to the Security Council, denied tanks played any part and blamed instead hundreds of armed Islamists, some armed with knives. Syrian troops were simply on the defensive against "terrorists".

China said it was "deeply shocked by the large number of civilian casualties in Houla, and condemns in the strongest terms the cruel killings of ordinary citizens, especially women and children".

But by declining to blame the government alone, Russia and China kept their distance from Western and Sunni-led Arab countries that say Assad must step down.

U.N. monitors say at least 108 people were killed in Houla, among them dozens of children.

But many of the victims were also hacked to death or shot at close range, as shown in graphic images distributed by activists, and U.N. monitors were unable to establish conclusively who killed these.

ANNAN PLAN

Russia and China have resisted joining Western and Arab League sanctions against Assad. Both reaffirmed on Monday that Annan's plan, accepted by both sides in the conflict, was the only way forward and Russia suggested that the violence in Houla had been intended to sabotage his visit.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said support for the agreement, and a peaceful resolution, should be stepped up.

The deal calls for heavy weapons to be pulled out of towns and cities, followed by an end to fighting, and dialogue.

But the attack on Hama was a reminder that the plan, policed by just 300 monitors, has done little to stem the violence.

"The six-point plan has to be implemented comprehensively, and this is not happening," said Annan, who was to meet Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem on Monday and Assad on Tuesday.

Opposition sources said Syrian tanks and armored vehicles opened fire on several neighborhoods of Hama on Sunday after attacks by rebel Free Syrian Army fighters on roadblocks and other positions manned by Assad's forces.

The dead in the course of 24 hours included five women and eight children, the Hama Revolution Leadership Council said in a statement. "Tank shelling brought down several buildings. Their inhabitants were pulled out from the rubble."

The report could not be independently verified.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said in a letter to the Security Council that he hoped Syria would use Annan's visit to "fundamentally change course and choose diplomacy over guns to ensure that the legitimate aspirations for freedom, dignity and prosperity of the Syrian people are met".

Ban said a cluster of villages in the Houla area had been outside government control until Friday.

Houla is mostly populated by Sunni Muslims, while many of the surrounding villages are dominated by Alawites, the offshoot of Shi'ite Islam that provides most of Assad's ruling cadre.

A video distributed by activists showed an injured woman, who said she had survived the Houla massacre, blaming members of Assad's shabbiha militia for the carnage.

"They entered our homes ... men wearing fatigues herding us like sheep in the room, and started spraying bullets at us," said the woman, lying next to another injured woman and near a baby with a chest wound.

"My father died and my brother, my mother's only son. Seven sisters were killed."

"TSUNAMI OF LIES"

Syrian U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari reiterated his government's assertion that the massacre was the work of "armed terrorist groups" - the Syrian government's term for the rebels.

He dismissed a "tsunami of lies" from the British, French and German envoys, who blamed the government for the massacre, among the worst carnage in an uprising that has cost more than 10,000 lives.

"We are dealing with a situation in which both sides evidently had a hand in the deaths of innocent people," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference with visiting British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron discussed Syria by phone, condemning the "senseless murderous brutality of the Damascus regime" as a threat to regional security.

While both endorsed the Annan plan, they also called for an "orderly democratic transition" for Syria. Hollande said France would call a meeting in Paris of the Friends of Syria - Western and Arab countries that want Assad's rule to end.

Britain summoned Syria's envoy to express its condemnation of the massacre. Senior Foreign Office official Geoffrey Adams said that unless the Annan plan was implemented in full, the international community would "take further quick and robust action in response".

Russia has accused the United States and Europe of pursuing Libya-style regime change in Syria, and is wary of endorsing any measures that could become a prelude to armed intervention.

Media reports have suggested that Washington is trying to enlist Russia for a plan of the kind that brought about a handover from Yemen's leader of three decades, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to an administration led by his own vice-president.

Russia has leverage over Syria through its Security Council veto and arms supply contracts, but does not wield the kind of influence that Saudi Arabia had over Saleh as his main financier.

Russia also has a strong interest in keeping its Syrian naval base at Tartous, and may still see Assad's survival as the best guarantee of this.

At his news conference with Hague, Lavrov criticized those who argued that there could be no solution to Syria's crisis while Assad remained in power.

Washington has explicitly said Assad must step down, and General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CNN: "Of course we always have to provide military options and they should be considered."

But he stressed that the international community should use economic and diplomatic measures first to try to push Assad to "make the right decision".

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby sent letters to several foreign ministers describing actions in Syria as "a blatant violation of international human rights law and called for more international monitors to put an end to the "grave violations and the crimes committed in Syria".

The Syrian National Council, the main umbrella group of exiled opposition figures, on Monday made its strongest call yet for foreign intervention.

"It's high time for concrete intervention to stop the daily massacres against the Syrian people," it said in a statement.

"The council appeals to all friends and brothers of the Syrian people to supply it immediately with effective means of self defense before it is too late."

(This has been corrected in paragraph 36 to change Dempsey's first name to Martin )

(Additional reporting by Louis Charbonneau in New York, Doina Chiacu in Washington, Suleiman Al-Khalidi in Amman, Dominic Evans in Beirut, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Peter Millership and Alastair Macdonald)

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Tropical Storm Beryl soaks Ga., Fla. coasts

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) ? Tropical Storm Beryl soaked beach vacations and some Memorial Day remembrance services in southern Georgia and northern Florida Monday, and knocked out power to tens of thousands, though emergency officials said it hasn't brought any major damage.

The storm made landfall just after midnight Monday near Jacksonville Beach in Florida with near-hurricane-strength winds of 70 mph (113 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Sustained winds had died down to about 35 mph (55 kph), leading forecasters to cancel all tropical storm warnings and watches.

Except for ruining holiday plans, the rain was welcome along Georgia's 100-mile coast that's been parched by persistent drought. In McIntosh County south of Savannah, emergency management chief Ray Parker said a few roadways had been flooded for a brief time but the ground was quickly soaking up the 1 to 2 inches of rainfall that had fallen so far.

"We've needed it for a long time," said Parker, who said the worst damage in his county had been caused by trees falling on two homes overnight. "We were lucky that we didn't get 3 to 4 inches in 30 minutes. Most of it soaked right in before it had a chance to run off. It fell on an empty sponge."

Beryl was forecast to weaken Monday and Tuesday. And as a frontal system comes down from the Great Lakes, Beryl was expected to move out into the Atlantic Ocean. Georgia Power reported about 2,900 people were without power Monday morning. Jacksonville city officials say 20,000 were without power and bus service was canceled because of so many flooded roads, downed power lines and trees.

The weather system also would likely complicate things for returning holiday travelers, some of whom had to scrap their beach and camping trips early because of the weather. Cumberland Island National Seashore off the Georgia coast will be closed at least through Tuesday and park Superintendent Fred Boyles said campers were asked to leave the area Sunday. He said the park does not seem to have serious damage.

In northeast Florida, several Memorial Day events were canceled, including one honoring veterans at the St. Augustine National Cemetery and a parade in Palatka.

"I don't mean to sound mushy, but today is Memorial Day and I hate that it ruined some plans," said Glynn County, Ga., emergency management director Jay Wiggins. "But that's just the nature of the weather." His county between Savannah and Jacksonville also had some downed trees and power outages, but there the rain is also welcome.

"I know it had a lot of folks worried, but it certainly will help us," he said.

A tropical storm warning was in effect early Monday for coastal areas from Flagler Beach, Fla., to the Savannah River in Georgia. At 8 a.m., the storm was 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Jacksonville and was moving west near 8 mph (13 kph). The storm's maximum sustained winds had decreased to near 40 mph (65 kph).

Flood warnings were issued for areas in Florida around Jacksonville. Thousands in Florida were without power, The Florida Times-Union reported early Monday.

Beryl was expected to bring 4 to 8 inches of rain to parts, with some areas getting as much as 12 inches. Forecasters said the storm surge and high tide could bring 2 to 4 feet of flooding in northeastern Florida and Georgia, and 1 to 2 feet in southern South Carolina.

Campers at Cumberland Island, Ga., which is reachable only by boat, were told to leave by 4:45 p.m. Sunday. The island has a number of undeveloped beaches and forests popular with campers.

However, many people seemed determined to make the best of the soggy forecast Sunday.

In Georgia, at Greyfield Inn, a 19th-century mansion and the only private inn on Cumberland Island, the rooms were nearly full Sunday and everyone was planning to stay put through the wet weather, said Dawn Drake, who answered the phone at the inn's office on the Florida coast.

In Jacksonville, Sunday's jazz festival and Memorial Day ceremony were canceled.

But business was booming at the Red Dog Surf Shop in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., where customers flocked to buy boards and wax in anticipation of the storm's high waves. Officials along the coast warned of rip currents, waves and high tides ? all of which can be dangerous but also tend to attract adventurous surfers. The Coast Guard said crews in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina rescued three people and a dog from a sinking recreational vessel late Sunday morning.

___

Associated Press writers Jennifer Kay from Miami, Kate Brumback from Atlanta, Meg Kinnard from Columbia, S.C., and Jackie Quinn from Washington contributed to this report.

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Pope's butler vows to help Vatican scandal probe

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a Pentecost Mass inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Sunday, May 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a Pentecost Mass inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Sunday, May 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

FILE - In this March 23, 2012 file photo, Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, left, looks on as Pope Benedict XVI talks to journalists during a press conference aboard the flight to Silao, Mexico. An already sordid scandal over leaked Vatican documents took a Hollywood-like turn Saturday, May 26, 2012 with confirmation that the pope's own butler had been arrested after documents he had no business having were found in his Vatican City apartment. The "Vatileaks" scandal has seriously embarrassed the Vatican at a time when it is trying to show the world financial community that it has turned a page and shed its reputation as a scandal plagued tax haven. Bertone, 77, has been blamed for a series of gaffes and management problems that have plagued Benedict's papacy and, according to the leaked documents, generated a not inconsiderable amount of ill will directed at him from other Vatican officials. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

FILE - In this Monday, April 21, 2008 file photo, Pope Benedict XVI, left, arrives at the Italian air force 31st Squadron base in Ciampino, 30 kilometers (19 miles) southeast of Rome, on his way back from a six-day trip to the U.S. including the U.N. and Ground Zero in New York. The Vatican has confirmed Saturday, May 26, 2012, that the pope's butler Paolo Gabriele, at right carrying bags, was arrested in an embarrassing leaks scandal. Spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said Paolo Gabriele, a layman, was arrested in his home inside Vatican City with secret documents in his possession. Vatican documents leaked to the press in recent months have pointed to power struggles and accusations of corruption touching senior Vatican cardinals.(AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

This file photo taken Monday, Feb. 7, 2011, shows the building, left, which hosts the Vatican bank, formerly known as the Institute for Religious Operas, I.O.R., inside the Vatican. Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, head of the I.O.R. was ousted after a no-confidence vote of the I.O.R. governing body on Thursday, May 24, 2012. The "Vatileaks" scandal has seriously embarrassed the Vatican at a time during which it is trying to show the world financial community that it has turned a page and shed its reputation as a scandal plagued tax haven. Vatican documents leaked to the press in recent months have undermined that effort, alleging corruption in Vatican finance as well as internal bickering over the Holy See's efforts to show more transparency in its financial operations. But perhaps most critically, the leaks have seemed aimed at one main goal: to discredit Pope Benedict XVI's No. 2, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? The biggest scandal to rock the Vatican in decades widened Monday with the pope's butler, arrested for allegedly having confidential documents in his home, agreeing to cooperate with investigators ? raising the specter that higher-ranking ecclesial heads may soon roll.

Few believe butler Paolo Gabriele worked alone to leak dozens of documents shedding light on power struggles, corruption and intrigue inside the highest levels of the Catholic Church. The leaks have tormented the Vatican for months and painted a picture of a church hierarchy in utter disarray.

Gabriele, the pope's personal butler since 2006, was arrested Wednesday evening after Holy See documents were found inside his Vatican City apartment, adding an unfathomable Hollywood twist to the already sordid Vatileaks scandal. He remains in custody in a Vatican detention facility, accused of theft, and has met with his wife and lawyers.

Gabriele's lawyer, Carlo Fusco, said Monday his client was "very serene and calm," despite the whirlwind of speculation surrounding his arrest. He said Gabriele himself had told the Vatican judge investigating the case that he would "respond to all the questions and will collaborate with investigators to ascertain the truth."

Italian media reported Monday that a cardinal is suspected of playing a major role in the scandal. However, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, denied the reports categorically. He said many Vatican officials were being questioned but insisted "there is no cardinal under suspicion."

But Lombardi acknowledged that the investigation continues.

And on Monday, Italian daily La Repubblica published a rambling interview with what it described as another Vatican "mole," someone who described the various agendas at play behind the leaks.

The unnamed leaker said the aim was to show how weak Pope Benedict XVI is, the fears of his secretary of state, and to make clear that the "fundamental role of the church is to defend the Gospel, not accumulate power and money."

Lombardi dismissed as "pure fantasy" such a rash of unsourced reports about the investigation in the Italian media, which have been on a frenzy ever since reports of Gabriele's detention emerged Friday.

Gabriele, a 46-year-old father of three, was always considered extremely loyal to Benedict and his predecessor, John Paul II, for whom he briefly served. Vatican insiders have said they were baffled by his alleged involvement, and Lombardi said Monday that the entire scandal has caused pain throughout the Vatican.

Benedict, who in March appointed a commission of cardinals to investigate the leaks, was being kept informed of developments and is "aware of the delicate situation that the Roman curia is going through," Lombardi said.

He acknowledged the "negative image" of the Vatican that was emerging from the scandal but said the developments made it ever more important to "reestablish a climate of clarity, truth, transparency and trust as soon as possible."

The Vatileaks scandal broke in January when Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi broadcast letters from the former No. 2 Vatican administrator to the pope in which he begged not to be transferred for having exposed alleged corruption that cost the Holy See millions of euros in higher contract prices. The prelate, Monsignor Carlo Maria Vigano, is now the Vatican's U.S. ambassador.

The scandal widened over the following months with documents leaked to Italian journalists that laid bare power struggles inside the Vatican over its efforts to show greater financial transparency and comply with international norms to fight money laundering. There was even a leak of a memo claiming that Benedict would die this year.

The scandal reached a peak last weekend, when Nuzzi published an entire book based on a trove of new documentation, including personal correspondence to and from the pope and his private secretary, much of which paints Benedict's No. 2, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, in a negative light.

Vito Mancuso, an Italian theologian, told reporters at a press launch of the book "His Holiness" that the documents, many of which point to Bertone's involvement in scandals that have afflicted the papacy, all appeared aimed at providing evidence for why he should resign.

"Looking at the documents in succession, it seems like you're seeing a series of bullets aimed at hitting Bertone," Mancuso said.

Bertone, 77, was Benedict's loyal No. 2 at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith before being named secretary of state. With no diplomatic or broad administrative experience coming into the job, he has earned not a few critics inside the Vatican bureaucracy.

The Vatican probe into the leaks is actually working on several tracks: Vatican magistrates are pursuing the criminal investigation, and Gabriele was arrested as part of that. The Vatican secretariat of state is pursuing an administrative probe. And the three cardinals appointed by Benedict are acting in a sort of supervisory role, looking beyond the narrow criminal scope of the leaks to interview broadly across the Vatican bureaucracy, Lombardi said.

They report directly to the pope and can both share information with Vatican prosecutors and receive information from them, Lombardi said.

The group is headed by Cardinal Julian Herranz, an Opus Dei prelate who headed the Vatican's legal office as well as the disciplinary commission of the Vatican bureaucracy before retiring.

Gabriele's arrest occurred almost simultaneously with another stunning development inside the secretive walls of the Vatican: the ouster of Benedict's hand-picked president of the Vatican bank, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, himself close to Opus. The bank's board took a vote of no-confidence last week to oust him for failing to do his job.

Bank board member Carl Anderson told The Associated Press that the ouster had no political undertones and that the board wasn't taking cues from Bertone. He said it was purely a business decision since Gotti Tedeschi had become an obstacle to the bank's efforts to be more transparent in its financial dealings. Gotti Tedeschi hasn't responded to the accusations.

The chaos of the scandal came amid new developments in one of the Vatican's most enduring mysteries, the case of Emanuela Orlandi, the 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican employee who disappeared in 1983 while on her way to a music lesson in Rome.

On Sunday, Orlandi's brother led a march to the Vatican in hope that Benedict would offer them a prayer following the unearthing of the tomb of a mobster alleged to have kidnapped her. The crypt, inside an Opus Dei church in Rome, yielded hundreds of old bone fragments that are being examined for a trace of the girl.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Associated Press

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3DS Mod - Ideas on how to Buy Rental Property With These Quick ...

Learning how to buy leasing property involves over only catching the 1st available property and renting it to any tenant that arrives. You must make and plan for a obtaining process to make sure you receive the perfect property for your necessities. Follow these quick and simple steps to get inside real estate now.

Set The Investment Goals Before We Begin

Understanding how to buy leasing property means having a solid plan inside destination that you carry out to achieve a investment aims.

Come upwards with an investment plan based in your goals. If you decide to wish To lease out a property for the long run, you are looking for a healthy cashflow rather than simply a cheap cost tag.

If you prefer to lease the place as a stop break measure, you can look at investing in a cheap fixer top to renovate when delaying for my house to comprehend inside value.

How Much Can You Afford for The Rental Property?

Determine ahead of time how much you are able to afford to pay. Do a wise expense analysis based on property upkeep needs, typical rents inside the area, vacancy rates and so forth.

Are you able to manage simple property repairs by yourself? If not, you should add another 5 to 10% to a estimated upkeep expense. Naturally a new leasing property will cut upwards less upkeep costs than 1 that has seen better days.

Decide when We Want to Hire a Real Estate Agent

While you will have final say inside whatever property you choose to buy, a real estate agent is priceless inside providing pro information on how to buy leasing property. An experienced agent will furthermore empower you with far more negotiating leverage than youd wear your.

Get Yourself Pre-Approved for a Rental Property Loan

Before you go shopping for a leasing property, you have got to receive yourself pre-approved for a lending loan. This means finding a lender whom is ready to give you financing for a property investment inside advance.

On the additional hand you are able to choose to benefit a wise lending broker. Youll understand simply how much of a deposit will be being subtracted from a pocket and you should have better negotiating leverage because youll understand what a important thing is.

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- The price of mandatory repairs: Can you afford to keep it upwards?
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- Neighbourhood leasing rates: Are they worthwhile relative to the property cost?

If you are looking for willing lease, you are able to search for a leasing device thats actually occupied by extended term tenants. You can also wish To consider investing in a multi-family device and living on-site. This technique a leasing income might cover the whole lending and permit you to reside virtually rent-free. Itll also be simpler to monitor and maintain the property in the event you go on website.

Negotiate with the Property Seller and Close the Deal

Negotiate carefully. The seller can be ready to pick up some or the closing costs, depending on market conditions and the sellers own financial condition. Remember that you have more bargaining energy inside a saturated market and less when supply is down.

Make certain you may have the property inspected. Even if youre investing in a fixer top, you dont wish To be amazed down the road with a significant and unexpected issue. Having the property professionally inspected cant guarantee this wont encounter, however it can help.

As you are able to tell, learning to buy leasing property involves having a solid plan and recognizing things to do each step of how. Ensure you do your homework and get into a deal with a eyes open.

Buy Properties

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 26th, 2012 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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Sexting and the College Student [Infographic]

Sexting and the College Student [Infographic]
As you can imagine, sexting is no big deal for most college students. In fact, as many as four out of five engage in sexting, even though it can lead to more than just embarrassment, especially if a minor is involved. According to one survey, 56% of students admitted to receiving sexually suggestive images and 78% of students admitted to receiving sexually suggestive messages. So what can students and the society do about it? I?m not sure, but this could be a potential problem since itR...

Read the full article on?IntoMobile??

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BYNFORD HARDWOOD FLOORING STAPLER NAILER (Uses ...

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Enhancing the Appeal of Your Event Using Audio Visual Equipment ...

Vivid imagery and sound can breathe life into an event. Whether you are presenting your company?s latest product at a marketing event, giving a business presentation to employees or organizing an informal party, audio visual equipment is essential to create an impact. What mere words cannot express, visual aids can convey effectively. To be heard in all the four corners of an auditorium, appropriate audio systems are necessary. Purchasing all this equipment can cost you a small fortune, which is why you can consider renting the equipment from audio visual companies for short-term needs.

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Need for audio visual equipment

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Audio visual aids can range from the simple microphone and speaker sets to the highly sophisticated projectors and 3D display screens. You can use simple audio visual aids like handouts, music and video or go for PowerPoint presentations, video mash ups and Movie Maker files to entertain your audience.

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High quality video and sound systems keep your audience engaged and enhance the appeal of your presentation.

Any event can benefit from good audio visual equipment. Businesses can use them to deliver effective presentations and impress their clients. They can be used in social events like weddings, birthday parties and anniversary celebrations. Audio visuals are also being used in churches. Projectors are used to display religious messages to the church audience.

Rent or buy audio visual equipments

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There are various factors that influence your decision of buying or renting the equipment. Most importantly, it depends on whether you have adequate funds to purchase the required equipment and what will be the regularity of use. Even though you may hold events frequently, you should keep in mind that technology evolves rapidly and your equipment can become outdated very fast. If you conduct events that require the latest equipment, it is always better to go for rental services.

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Audio visual installation

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Finding a good AV company

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US Top Ten Best Destination Vacation Rentals ? Destinations for ...

By David K. Bradley

There have been a steady rise of local tourism using vacation rentals in the past years. This is because of the recent depression of the economy and people are saving up their dollars to maximize its value.

With a tight budget, people are inclined to choose vacation rentals within the US to spend their most treasured two weeks or more vacation. There might have been a rise in the local tourism with the travellers willing to stretch their dollar value to the optimum.

And usually, most people get their vacation in hordes as well to save in the rentals that they can avail. Usually most US families have their own top ten listings of destination vacation rentals and the list is being tackled here - and the budget range are for about week long stay in one of the destinations.

Who does not want to sit and relax in the cool surrounding areas of the Kissimmee lake in Florida? Not to mention that the ambiance of the laid back destination is only a couple of rides away from another family attraction in Orlando. This place is recommended for the family groups that can afford a rental in a week in about $750.

The next considered to be top ten is just northeast of Los Angeles, called Big Bear California. After a while, you might grow weary of all the glamour and decide to go to a place with year-long activities lined-up for you for outdoorsy folks in just about $640 rates.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee is another all-year round type of vacation rentals that you can enjoy. In as little as $810, you can greatly enjoy the scenic view of six miles of endless beaches. If you happen to be a water sports enthusiast you can truly enjoy this place near bodies of water.

Destin, Florida are for those who value the beach and water sports. Sailing and many other adventurous shows and features and outstanding golf courses are available in the destination with about $1890 in your budget.

Palm Springs, has many beaches that are made from the corals. White sands, tranquil water waves, and not to mention the beautiful scenery by the mountain called San Jacinto in a sunset backdrop of wind mills. The adventure hiking trails and downtown relaxation facilities like spa centers can be just the things you need to earn some balance in your life for about $1470.

Outerbanks Banks, North Carolina is also a favorite place by family who seeks vacation rentals destination. The beaches of the northern coasts and varied herd an wild life in the area makes the $1580 worth the while.

The previous capital of the kingdom of Hawaii is called Lahaina- and happens to be on the list. The tropical environment like the Northern Maui forest reserve and warm weather makes it impossible not to like staying there for just $1540.

Somewhere in South Carolina is a quiet kite flying contest for most vacation seasons - the Hilton Head exactly. The pristine fine sands and outdoor activities can suffice for the hefty $2000 budget for a week of stay.

And lastly on the list, Cape Cod in Massachusetts can give the family vacation a bit of English charm with the long and winding bike roads and historic lighthouses. The $1,200 investment can be worth the while for the family to explore the destination and what it could offer them.

Now if you are more into artistic vacation, then you must be know about the manual so to the pointer Iain?s doth

About the Author:

David K. Bradley is a writer for Indovillas Bali which specializes in Bali Villa Rental and Bali Vacation Rental as well as tour and activity arrangements. They offer an assortment of holiday packages and property deals on the island of Bali.

Article Source: www.isnare.com

Destinations For Leisure Vacation, Travel & Leisure Destination Ideas!

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 25th, 2012 at 0:15 and is filed under Travel Tips, US, Getaways, Vacation, Family Vacations, weekend getaway, holiday, family holiday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Sweden's Loreen wins Eurovision song contest

Swedish Loreen performs during the final show of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest at the Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Sunday, May 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

Swedish Loreen performs during the final show of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest at the Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Sunday, May 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

Swedish Loreen performs during the final show of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest at the Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Sunday, May 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

Swedish Loreen performs during the final show of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest at the Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Sunday, May 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

Swedish Loreen performs during the final show of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest at the Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Sunday, May 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

The Baku Crystal Hall is lit by lights prior to the final show of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest at the Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Saturday, May 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) ? Sweden's Loreen clinched the top spot at this year's Eurovision Song Contest with her dance hit "Euphoria," pushing aside competition from a sextet of Russian grannies and a Serbian balladeer.

Juries and television viewers from across Europe awarded Loreen a total of 372 points, handing her an easy win in an event that ended in the early hours Sunday in host country Azerbaijan. Sweden will take over hosting duties next year.

Softly spoken Loreen, a 28-year-old of Moroccan-Berber descent, thanked her fans for their support.

"I wouldn't have been able to do this without you. Thank you so much," she said after her victory was announced.

Russia's Buranovskiye Babushki garnered much public affection for their cute onstage presence, but their folksy dance ditty "Party for Everybody" couldn't quite match Sweden's more contemporary offering and ended up second on 259 points.

Zeljko Joksimovic, a Eurovision regular from Serbia, came in a distant third with his slow and stripped-down "Nije Ljubav Stvar."

The 57-year-old pan-European competition viewed by some 125 million people worldwide is hailed by its legion of devoted fans as harmless, kitschy fun that allows Europeans to forget their differences ? and economic troubles ? for at least one night. The winner is picked by juries and television viewers across the continent, so a broad appeal is deemed key to success.

Amid the usual jamboree of youthful exuberance ? and questionable taste ? a pair of elderly acts had featured among the most high-profile contenders.

The UK's black-clad veteran crooner Engelbert Humperdinck, who Scottish comedian Robert Florence acerbically remarked on Twitter looked "like an inaccurate waxwork of Johnny Cash," proved a flop, however, scoring a dismal 12 points. Only Norway's Tooji did worse, coming 26th with seven points.

The Buranovskiye Babushki offered a static stage show, but did liven up their rendition of "Party for Everybody" with some choreographed baking in an onstage oven.

Europe's more boring countries lived down to expectations with performances that were forgotten even before they were over. Slow ballads were very much the flavor of the evening, with Estonia arguably achieving new depths of bland.

Past the half-way mark, Romania's six-piece Mandinga mercifully livened up proceedings with a pounding musical potpourri of bagpipes and brass, extravagant wardrobe choices, and a sultry performance by lead vocalist Elena Ionescu.

Winner Loreen went for the windswept look as she battled a wind machine to belt out the club music-lite hit "Euphoria" and assay some vaguely robotic dance moves.

Once the competitive section of the show was over, Emin, the pop star son-in-law of Azerbaijan's authoritarian President Ilham Aliyev, was winched down onto the stage to perform his own song.

Emin's inclusion in the night's entertainment roster raised eyebrows and refreshed claims of the rampant nepotism that is widely said to benefit members of Aliyev's family.

Azerbaijan, a comparatively little-known former Soviet republic, dug deep to make sure it took full advantage of its rare moment in the world limelight.

The new Crystal Hall concert venue, a light-bathed arena on a point jutting out into the Caspian Sea, cost $134 million to build and was put up in a speedy eight months. Countless more millions have been spent embellishing the capital, Baku, and buying a huge fleet of brand new London-style taxis.

Such profligacy has aroused concerns about the spiraling costs involved in holding the contest in times of austerity.

"At the moment, if the costs are growing more and more every year and it needs to be more splendid, there are countries that would have huge difficulties, especially with financial situation in Europe at the moment, in organizing it," said Annika Nyberg Frankenhauser, media department for the European Broadcasting Union, under whose auspices Eurovision is held.

Rain fell hard throughout the night in Baku, although diehard Eurovision fans were not deterred, and stuck it out on the windswept seafront promenade to cheer along their contestant in front of the big mega-screen provided.

Amid the glitz, antigovernment activists have held a number of protests in the week running up to the final, seizing on the opportunity of the increased international media presence to draw attention to what they describe as the government's authoritarian style of rule.

On Friday, police quickly shut down a small flash mob near the competition venue, roughly dragging away dozens of demonstrators and stuffing them into waiting buses, at least of one which bore a Eurovision logo.

Three demonstration participants were sentenced to jail terms of five and six days on Saturday, while 17 others were fined 20-25 manat ($25-32).

Associated Press

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Small business The Polka Dot Press honored as Florida ...

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Print??|?Tallahassee, FL, May 25, 2012 ? As groups around the state commemorate National Small Business Week, the Florida Retail Federation (FRF) announced today that it is honoring The Polka Dot Press and its owner, Kim Williams of Tallahassee, with the trade association?s Outstanding Retail Leader Award.

The Polka Dot Press ? a seven-year-old business selling custom stationery ? was selected this month as the 2^nd place finisher in the ?This is Retail? video contest sponsored by the National Retail Federation. The business won $15,000 in the hotly contested national video contest for retailers, largely on the strength of online voting pushed by strong community support.

Every year, FRF presents the Outstanding Retail Leader Award to a select group of small businesses that demonstrate the creativity and competitive drive that exemplifies great retailers. Recipients of the Outstanding Retail Leader Award are typically picked by a panel of judges from among the finalists for the FRF Retailer of the Year Award, which is to be presented on June 21 in Orlando. Ms. Williams is one of only four individuals receiving the Outstanding Retail Leader Award this year.

?The Florida Retail Federation is very proud to recognize Kim Williams and The Polka Dot Press for representing the state of Florida and all our small business owners,? said Rick McAllister, president and CEO of FRF. ?About 90 percent of all our retailers are small businesses like The Polka Dot Press, and they are truly the heart and soul of the retail industry. Their energy and passion are what drive job creation in Florida.?

Kim Williams is an entrepreneur who began her custom stationery business in her home seven years ago. After receiving a tremendous response from local customers and online sales, in 2011 she opened a storefront in Tallahassee?s Market District. The Polka Dot Press team now has seven employees and a college intern.

The Florida Retail Federation is the statewide trade association representing Florida?s second largest employment industry. Florida retailers pay more than $49 billion in wages annually, provide one out of every five jobs in the state, and collect and remit more than $20 billion in sales and retail-related taxes for Florida?s government each year.

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Jealousy leads to 'Sister Wives' confrontation

TLC

Christine explains her recent struggles in a rare one-on-one talk with Robyn on the next episode of "Sister Wives."

By Ree Hines

The mounting tensions in the "Sister Wives" family may finally be at an end thanks to two of Kody Brown's four brides. As regular viewers know, Kody's third wife, Christine, hasn't been satisfied in her marriage ever since wife No. 4, Robyn, hit the scene. While Christine often talks to their husband about the issue, she hasn't had much to say to Robyn at all -- until now.

In a sneak peek for the upcoming episode of the TLC reality show, the two women sit down for a one-on-one talk that leads to tears and a better understanding of what went wrong.

"I want you to know, during all of (the problems), it was him that I had?a hard time with -- it wasn't you," Christine confessed. "It was Kody. I just felt left."

And she puts part of the blame for that on herself. As she sees it, all the problems began when she first felt jealous of Robyn.

"I became jealous, and it changed our relationship," Christine explained. "I started questioning what he was doing. I started to be like, 'Well, why do you need to go? I don't get that. Why?' It's like when my kids are ornery, I don't always want to be around them."

But ultimately, Kody gets most of the blame, according to Christine. After all, he vowed to be by her side "through thick and thin" and she expected more from him.

Since joining the Brown family, Robyn had simply assumed that Christine didn't like her. She broke down following the explanation.

As for Kody and Christine, things are already improving there. On last week's episode, the pair went out for a date and swapped apologies over ice cream.

"Sister Wives" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.

Do you think the troubles are finally over? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Off the Bench: Indians reliever has timing issue

It was the final game for Belorussian Premier League star defender Vadim Evseev, so when he was taken out with his team down, 4-1, the teams agreed on a special substitution. In for Evseev came a 5-year-old boy named Hrisan Dzheus, who then proceeded to split the defense and score a goal, making it 4-2.?

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Octa Vacuum Dock + WhaleTail

Holding a tablet, especially a larger-screen model, can be an uncomfortable and sometimes precarious affair?you have to hold it with one hand, freeing the other for touch input. Octa wants to give you something more substantial to grab with its Vacuum Dock + WhaleTail ($49.95 direct), a whimsically designed, multi-function tablet grip and stand. The result is a surprisingly comfortable, yet somewhat bulky add-on that works with iPads and many other tablets.

Two pieces, the Vacuum Dock is a small plastic dome that's 3.95 inches in diameter and 5.9 inches tall. At first glance, it seems too large and cumbersome, but the size makes sense, as the dome fits comfortably into the palm of your hand, providing a far more natural grip than holding the tablet at its edge with the tips of your fingers. That said, it could stand to be a bit lighter, at almost 6 ounces. The dock attaches via suction cup, with a rubber pump button affixed to one side. A small rubber cap sits on top of the dock, which you remove to add the WhaleTail. The WhaleTail is a quirky black rubber attachment that resembles?you guessed it?a whale's tail. It's moldable, down to the fins, which makes it a simple solution for propping your tablet up at a variety of angles. It's also strong enough to hold that position without flexing too much under normal pressure.

Setup is straightforward: Press the Vacuum Dock onto the back of any smooth backed tablet, give it five or six pumps, remove the cap, and twist the WhaleTail into place. The suction cup requires a smooth back, so any textured device, like the Asus Transformer Prime, won't work. Once installed, the fit felt secure, though I'd give it a few pumps whenever you can just to be safe. It's also easy to remove by simply pulling at two tabs on the suction cup. While it's definitely not the most streamlined option and is a bit pricey at $50, its endearing design, comfortable grip, and useful stand function make it an interesting companion for your iPad or other tablet. At the very least, you'll have a conversation starter.

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The Benefits of Statements and affirmations in a Modern society ...

It had not been that will in the past that whenever you wished to create a telephone call learn about so in your own home, in the office, otherwise you halted at the pay out phone. Right now it is simply inconceivably undesirable once you drive-thru a ?dead zone? although chatting on the cellphone. Anyone can acquire photos or even video tutorials along with post them on the web page through your cellular phone. And Gps device was made in!

I guess folks have always been interested with gadgets, and the way technologies will be developing it doesn?t look like the actual conspiracy will probably be decreasing any time soon.

I would not imply technologies is simply regarding ?gadgets?. What are actually and they are staying developed are usually generally valuable advances. No less than inside the parts of sales and marketing communications along with enterprise. For my part being a family portrait digital photographer, My spouse and i count on computer technology pertaining to every little thing I do that is technological. Our video cameras are usually digital, meaning they may be little computer systems with contact lenses. Along with my darkroom is often a laptop or computer with all the wonderful imaging software program in it known as Illustrator.

I like my own camcorders along with my personal Illustrator and also wouldn?t move backwards inside technology with regard to anything at all. Nevertheless I am going to tell you one thing: My clients and close friends seriously don?t love my personal digital cameras or perhaps what I do with Photoshop! My customers don?t retain the services of me personally to make portraits on their behalf because of my digital cameras or perhaps my Photoshop. Along with this is the point of this informative article?That they hire us because whenever they send me an email the very first time, I establish a rapport together, as well as make sure they know I value these people in addition to their requires.

I could nearly notice an individual declare, ?Uh huh?along with what?s that will to do with statements and affirmations as well as technological innovation?Inches What it really just about all is due to is actually Romantic relationships. The purpose of life is, (and you imagined you?d have to ascend the actual Himalayas to obtain this particular real truth..), to experience along with share really like. A persons encounter is focused on individual associations.

You might have seen that ?No guy is definitely an island? that is certainly due to the fact individuals really enjoy individual relationships. However, without loving private relationships people often die and also withdraw directly into them selves, along with perish.

The idea problems myself to view men and women at the cafe or even driving a motor vehicle as well as jogging across town, and while they are with someone i know or perhaps men and women that they elect to discuss with another person on their own cellular phone. They are with individuals, personally, yet they will fairly discuss on the phone or even textual content. The idea offers a sort of safety defend Perhaps, yet it?s detrimental to be able to connections. The greater a person take away via personal speak to, the more your current interpersonal expertise deteriorate.

I am aware a number of people have got insecurities and also lack confidence, so email and mobile phones give you a form of buffer for them. And that is great. Nonetheless, don?t you agree which more than most it?s a much better technique to develop increasing versions self confidence along with connection expertise?

Most of the people in business understand that the business enterprise these are throughout, whatever the item(s) or service is, the actual organization they may be in is the organization regarding relationships. People buy via men and women, not necessarily businesses or businesses. Find from individuals they like. And also until the product as well as services are a thing that can?t be had somewhere else, and is crucial, individuals will not come back to get a subsequent period through those people who are rude or perhaps make you feel you might have inconvenienced them because of your reputation.

With no a small business and you work for a business, if you want to advance available, you might want very good social skills, and a minimum of give the impression that you enjoy that which you do.

Engineering is constantly on the advance and will still provide a variety of methods to prevent personal contact. Whenever we merely continue to get greatest advantage of all the tasks technology items, I could anticipate a future where people pull away right into a cocoon involving virtual truth and grow a lot more appliance similar to.

We are able to fare best as compared to that will! Technology is an useful one any time used by the right causes. Everyone is certainly not equipment. We?re sentient beings that need adore and private relationships in order to advance along with develop into our greater possible.

Your brain of individual is often a most incredible design. It will always be understanding. The actual mindful thoughts are the actual portion that creates judgments. The actual subconscious is the portion that is always studying, and it will not help to make choice. Your regrettable portion about this could be the depths of the mind accepts what you may give it using experiencing or feeling be it morally wrong or right?without view. The actual blessed part with that is we can teach our depths of the mind the way you need to!

The most good ways to teach the particular depths of the mind is thru positive affirmations. If someone wants to improve in an area of existence, tell be assured or higher outgoing, much more affected individual, more caring, even to always be healthier, we could utilize affirmations to complete that!

The easiest way to be able to implement affirmations education would be to consider the particular area you intend to improve. Why don?t we use self-confidence for instance. Think about an illustration of this how we might behave should you have had a lot more confidence. Selecting a lot more confident and might take pleasure in assembly folks as well as being in social situations.

Then you definitely note down a statement of the way you would like to be. For this example you may write: I enjoy meeting folks socially, and individuals locate me personally interesting and pleasant! This particular then gets the acceptance. You put it to function by reading through that loudly along with experiencing, and also you make it happen many times during the day. It is especially helpful to replicate this for you to oneself repeatedly ahead of plummeting to fall asleep during the night. That is when the unconscious mind contains the minimum resistance to fresh concepts and also thinking.

Most likely the lack of self confidence has been discovered and also used being a perception by your unconscious by way of repetitive statements produced in your own reading while you spent my childhood years. That is how we find nearly all of the morals. As well as the unconscious wants to hold proven thinking. However, you can educate it to adopt fresh and better thinking by repetition of affirmations.

I just identified something which I think could have a tremendous gain in adopting the beliefs as well as characteristics a single wants to develop or even enhance. It?s a part of jewelry used as being a necklace on a necklace. You?ll have the idea constructed with distinct beneficial terms of your liking imprinted into it. It?s known as MyLifeLabel and you will believe it is online. Just look regarding MyLifeLabel.

It works since you put it on and every moment you?re feeling it or perhaps an individual comments on it you see the idea as well as the good ticklers etched inside it. This is the type of indirect affirmations, nevertheless it works the same when you are considering the affirmation. The website explains to regarding experiments and fundamentals which can be the premise at the rear of it. What is important to recollect is that you could improve your self along with create the private features you would like insurance agencies the desire in the first place, and using positive affirmations to teach your current unconscious mind to look at better thinking!

Use technology for the benefits it offers, along with create a walls while using technology as well as disguise behind this. Make use of affirmations to be the most effective particular person you can be, as well as increase your relationship expertise.

Come check out the most recent web page over at daily affirmations which helps people discover out the very best and up thus far information regarding text affirmations

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