Ohio State Football: Which Big Ten Teams Should Scare the Buckeyes in 2013

The Michigan Wolverines and Northwestern Wildcats will certainly have something to say about who wins the Legends Division in the Big Ten.

But since they are both already on Ohio State's schedule, the Buckeyes don't need to be scared of them twice.

However, the Cornhuskers and Spartans are not on the Buckeyes' schedule in 2013, which may be a good thing for the Buckeyes, because both teams suffered tough losses to Ohio State in 2012.

The Spartans, who will return most of their key players, although?running back Le'Veon Bell, tight end Dion Sims and?defensive end William Gholston may opt to declare for the NFL, lost to Ohio State by one in 2012.

While the?Cornhuskers were embarrassed?63-38 when they visited Ohio State, the 2012 Legends Division?champs return QB Taylor Martinez and?all-purpose back Ameer Abdullah, but will have to reload?on the defensive side of the ball.

The November 16 matchup between these two teams in Lincoln?could be tough for Nebraska, which will be coming off back-to-back games against Northwestern and Michigan, while the?Spartans will be coming?off a bye week.??

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1449182-ohio-state-football-which-big-ten-teams-should-scare-the-buckeyes-in-2013

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5 Coach-GM Combinations That Could Save the New York Jets

John Dorsey currently serves as Green Bay's director of football operations, a title he's held since May of 2012. Prior to that, he was Green Bay's director of college scouting from 2000-2012.

In that time the Packers have put together some great drafts that have included Scott Wells, Jordy Nelson, Nick Barnett, Greg Jennings, B.J. Raji, Clay Matthews, James Jones, Randall Cobb and, of course, Aaron Rodgers.

Notice the talent brought in on both sides of the ball. Dorsey helped scout all of those players.

As for his head coach, a good pick would be his former head coach in Green Bay, current Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman.

Sherman's time in Green Bay is largely forgotten despite the fact that he has the second-best winning percentage in Packers history at .663 (behind only Vince Lombardi) and led them to four consecutive playoff berths (three of them being division championships) from 2001-2004.

Sherman himself has an eye for talent, as he is the primary architect behind a Texas A&M squad that went 10-2 this season, recruiting possible NFL first-round picks in offensive tackles Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews, as well as defensive end Damontre Moore. Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel was also recruited by Sherman.

One Sherman recruit at Texas A&M is Von Miller, who is currently a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, while Ryan Tannehill seems to be the Dolphins quarterback of the future.

Looking at the Miami offense, one might not think that Sherman's head coaching material. However you can only do so much with what he has around him (which isn't a lot).

But teamed up with his former Green Bay associate could give him the tools to make it work in New York.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1449020-5-coach-gm-combinations-that-could-save-the-new-york-jets

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China's state-planned railway age outdoes Britain and America's | David Turner

A high-speed train travels past workers building an electric railway line at a construction site in Qingdao city, in eastern China. Photograph: Wu Hong/EPA

In 1825, William George Allen, council to Britain's first inter-city railway, the Liverpool and Manchester, predicted that railways might "prove of the greatest advantage to our trade and commerce; and which, if we do not adopt it, will be adopted by our rivals." He was not wrong, and in the 19th century the spread of railways across Britain and America contributed to both nations' transformation into industrial world powers. Indeed, recent estimates have suggested that without the quicker and cheaper travel provided by the railways, British GDP would have been 14% lower in 1912.

The current thinking of the Chinese government is strikingly similar to Allen's. Over the past 20 years it has invested heavily in the railways to enable them to be a supporter and facilitator of economic development. However, in the last six, investment levels have reached new highs. An investment programme worth about ?80bn has grown the country's network from 78,000km at the end of 2007 to an estimated 110,000km at the end of this year. This was supplemented by the announcement in 2008 of a further ?74bn to enable the network cope with increased traffic until 2020.

This investment has generally considered to have served its purpose. Similar to most railway development, some expenditure has been on prestige projects, such as the world's longest high-speed line between Beijing to Guangzhou, which is due to open on 26 December. However, the Chinese network's primary role has not been to ferry business people, but to enable the easy movement of goods and labour. Indeed, passenger numbers increased by 4.6% in November, and while in 2011 China's railway network only constituted 6% of worldwide route mileage, it carried 25% of its workload. Therefore, further investment in railways will very likely continue to facilitate China's economic development; just like in Victorian Britain and America.

There is, however, a good possibility that China's railway will be built to do this more efficiently than those in 19th-century Britain and America. In these countries the planning of routes was almost completely left to the private companies, with very little state interference. Consequently, by 1880 Britain could claim to have a largely comprehensive network; but because of competition and speculative building it was considerably over-capitalised and possessed excessive route mileage. Indeed, Mark Casson has estimated that if the state had planned Britain's railways, by 1914 they would still have been able to comprehensively serve the nation's needs for 25% less cost and with a route mileage 7,000 miles shorter than the real total of 20,000 miles.

Yet, because the Chinese government determines when and where a line is constructed, it is likely to avoid such problems. Its railway planners are not encumbered by competitive line building, speculative bubbles, struggles over territory or unrealistic expectations of profit; factors that shaped Britain and America's haphazard railway network. Rather, it can theoretically link two cities, ports or factories when required, providing quickly and cost-effectively a network that is shaped to the needs of the economy, rather than private interests.

But furthermore, the high engineering standards of modern railways, combined with the nation's mixed terrain and vast distances between cities, mean that only the government has the resources to speedily and adequately augment China's railway network to support the nation's quickly growing economy. While total investment in Britain's railways between 1825 and 1910 would be worth approximately ?110bn today; this is far less than the sums expected to be invested in Chinese railways in only 12 years between 2008 and 2020. Thus, had the Chinese government not chosen to invest staggering amounts in its railways, this may have considerably held back the nation's economic progress.

Therefore, state planning and investment may mean that by 2020 China will possess a railway system that contributes more to growing and supporting its economy than those Britain and America developed in the 19th century.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/19/china-state-planned-railway-age

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Insurance is expensive, unfamiliar to disaster-hit Chinese

In the U.S., Americans rely on insurance to protect against disasters. In China, families rely on themselves. CNBC Asia's Eunice Yoon has more from Beijing.

By Adrienne Mong, NBC News

Imagine a day-long storm with torrential rains and high winds pounding your home. By the time it blows over, you have lost everything you own. And you have no insurance.

This was the scenario in July for residents of Fangshan, a district 50 miles from the center of China's capital Beijing.?

Some 18 inches of rainfall dumped on Fangshan, causing a normally dry river to overflow and flood the surrounding homes. Half of the 77 people killed as a result of the storm were in Fangshan ? as were half of the estimated 57,000 people forced to evacuate their homes.

Liu Su Xia, a spirited 60-year-old grandmother, was in her house when the water rushed into the single-story courtyard building.?

"I was terrified," she said. "The water was this red color and went everywhere."?

She grabbed a ladder and clambered up to the second floor window of her neighbor's house to watch. As soon as the water receded, she climbed back down and began cleaning what she could.?

When her 63-year-old husband Xin Zhong Qi returned from the city center, where he was working on a construction site, they toiled together all night and into the next day to salvage what they could.

"There was nothing worth saving," Xin said. "We had to throw everything away."

As for compensation, "the government still hasn't come forward with a plan," Xin said.

'I can only rely on myself'
The flooding in Fangshan highlighted the Chinese state's weaknesses and faults ? and also underscored how much ordinary Chinese still have to rely on themselves. In the United States, families rely on homeowners' insurance to protect them against damage from disasters such as Superstorm Sandy, which hit the Northeast in November. But in China, many ordinary people remain unaware of and often unable to buy insurance.?

Read more China coverage on NBC's Behind The Wall

Damage from the flooding across Beijing cost $1.6 billion, according to municipal officials. Authorities have supplied temporary housing in Fangshan and announced plans to help create new permanent housing on safer ground.

But there was plenty of popular outrage over the authorities' handling of the disaster, especially the official casualty count, which many believed to be too low. Then there was criticism over the existing emergency response system, deemed too slow and inefficient. Finally, the destruction of so many homes raised concerns that existing buildings in Fangshan were built on unsafe grounds.

After Hong Kong weathers typhoon, anger roils over Beijing flooding deaths

Xin and Liu have not availed themselves of the temporary housing; it wasn't clear whether they were eligible or whether they did not seek out the option.

Miguel Toran / CNBC Asia

Friends help Xin Zhong Qi repair his home after it was damaged by flooding.

"I can only rely on myself," said Xin. "At least 90 percent of the time, you have to rely on yourself."

When asked whether they had ever heard of homeowners' insurance, Liu cackled.

"Aiya! We?re peasants! Who has that kind of money?"

Xin also admitted he doesn't quite understand what it is.?

An opportunity?
He's probably not the only one. The concept of homeowners' insurance is still new in China. It was barely two decades ago that private home ownership was re-introduced across cities, when the Communist Party gave millions of state workers the opportunity to buy their government-supplied homes at bargain basement rates.

"With around 250 million households entering the middle class in China over the next five or 10 years, that's a great opportunity for insurance products to reach even deeper in the Chinese population," said Joe Ngai, managing partner at McKinsey & Co.'s Hong Kong office.

Hong Kong offers insight into storm prep

In fact, McKinsey believes China will be the second largest insurance market in the world after the U.S. in 2020.

"We would think about insurance if it was offered to us," said Yu Shuang, another Fangshan resident whose home was badly damaged by the flood. Yu and her husband used their savings to repair their house and to replace their furniture and car. "But we're not sure whether we would want to look at what the government might offer or buy our own."

Xin, however, remained skeptical.

"We're old. We don't have that many years left. Why bother [buying insurance]? And we don't have any money," he said. "Anyway, this was a once in a lifetime event. One big flood in 60 years."

More world stories from NBC News:

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Source: http://behindthewall.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/17/15885489-i-can-only-rely-on-myself-insurance-is-expensive-unfamiliar-to-disaster-hit-chinese

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Oracle 2Q earnings rise 18 pct to top Street view

FILE - In this Tuesday, March 20, 2012, file photo, a plane flies over Oracle headquarters in Redwood City, Calif. Oracle's latest quarterly earnings rose 18 percent as companies splurged on more software and other technology toward the end of the year. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

FILE - In this Tuesday, March 20, 2012, file photo, a plane flies over Oracle headquarters in Redwood City, Calif. Oracle's latest quarterly earnings rose 18 percent as companies splurged on more software and other technology toward the end of the year. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Snapping out of a summertime lull, Oracle's latest quarter demonstrated that companies have been splurging on software and other technology as the year comes to a close, despite uncertainty about the economy's prospects.

The results announced Tuesday are an improvement from Oracle's previous quarter, when the business-software maker's revenue dipped slightly from a year earlier.

The most recent quarter spanned September through November. That makes Oracle the first technology bellwether to provide insights into corporate spending since the Nov. 6 re-election of President Barack Obama. It's also the first to report since negotiations to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff began to heat up in Washington.

The solid performance by one of the world's biggest technology suppliers suggests corporate decision makers aren't fretting too much about the economy falling off the cliff. The fiscal cliff refers to the combination of wide-ranging increases in taxes and cuts in government spending that will be automatically triggered Jan. 1 unless the White House and Congress can reach an agreement on how to soften the impact.

"As can see in our numbers, folks wanted to spend their budgets, continue to want to spend their budgets," Safra Catz, Oracle's chief financial officer, said in a conference call with analysts. "We are having an absolutely wonderful December so far."

Forrester Research analyst Andrew Bartels described Oracle's performance as encouraging, but said it's still too early to conclude other major technology vendors catering to big companies have been recording similar late-year gains. "This is good news, but it's not definitive," he said.

Oracle Corp. earned $2.6 billion, or 53 cents per share, in its fiscal second quarter. That's an 18 percent increase from net income of $2.2 billion, or 43 cents per share, a year ago.

If not for charges for past acquisitions and certain other costs, Oracle said it would have earned 64 cents per share. On that basis, Oracle topped the average earnings estimate of 61 cents per share among analysts surveyed by FactSet.

Revenue increased 3 percent from last year to $9.1 billion ? about $900 million more than analysts had projected.

In a particularly heartening sign, Oracle said sales of new software licenses and subscriptions to its online services climbed 17 percent from last year to outstrip the most optimistic predictions issued by management three months ago. Bartels said the increase isn't quite as good as it looks because it includes contributions from two online subscription services, RightNow Technologies and Taleo, that Oracle didn't own at the same time last year. Oracle bought RightNow for $1.5 billion in January and acquired Taleo for about $2 billion in April.

The flow of new licenses and subscriptions, which represent about a quarter of Oracle's revenue, is closely tracked by investors because they spawn more revenue in the future from upgrades.

In the current quarter, which ends in February, Oracle expects software licenses and subscriptions to increase in the range of 3 percent to 13 percent from the previous year. The company, based in Redwood Shores, Calif., predicted its adjusted earnings in the current quarter will range from 64 cents to 68 cents per share on revenue ranging from $9.1 billion to $9.5 billion. That would be a 1 percent to 5 percent increase from the prior year.

Analysts are forecasting adjusted net income of 66 cents a share on revenue of $9.44 billion.

Oracle's stock added 52 cents to $33.40 in extended trading after the numbers came out. If that gain holds in Wednesday's regular trading session, it will mark a new 52-week high for the stock.

The specter of higher taxes prompted Oracle to make the unusual decision to bunch the next three quarters of stock dividends into a single payment that will be made before the end of the year. The move, announced earlier this month, is designed to ensure that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, who owns a 23.5 percent stake in the company, and his fellow shareholders don't get hit with a higher tax bill on dividend income next year. The accelerated payment schedule will distribute about $206 million to Ellison, already one of the world's richest people, and will lower his tax bill by tens of millions, if the rates on dividend income rise next year.

Oracle would have fared even better if it could find a way to sell more computer servers and other hardware, something it has been unsuccessfully trying to do since completing its $7.3 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems Inc. in 2010. The company's hardware revenue plunged 16 percent from last year.

In Tuesday's conference call, Ellison said some of the erosion in the hardware division has been by design as Oracle weeds out some of the less-profitable equipment. He assured analysts that hardware revenue will start increasing in the final quarter of Oracle's fiscal year ? the period spanning from March through May. Sun's Java programming language already has been paying off for the software side of Oracle's business, according to Ellison.

"Sun has already proven to be the most strategic and profitable acquisition Oracle has ever made," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-18-Earns-Oracle/id-72be1e9f82624232adb294c4afcf0bbf

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Car bomb kills 17 people in market in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) ? A car bomb exploded in a crowded market in Pakistan's troubled northwest tribal region Monday, killing 17 people and wounding more than 40 others, officials said.

The bomb went off next to the women's waiting area of a bus stop, which is located near the office of one of the top political officials in the Khyber tribal area, said Hidayat Khan, a local government official. But it's unclear if the office was the target.

The 17 dead included five boys and two women, said Abdul Qudoos, a doctor at a local hospital in Jamrud town, where the attack occurred. At least 44 people were wounded, he said.

Local TV footage showed several cars and shops in the market that were badly damaged. Residents threw buckets of water on burning vehicles as rescue workers transported the wounded to the hospital.

The market was located close to the office of the assistant political agent for Khyber, said Khan, who works in the office. Initial reports wrongly indicated the women's waiting area was for the political office, not the bus stop.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Khyber is home to various Islamist militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban, which have waged a bloody insurgency against the government for the past few years.

The army has carried out offensives against the Taliban in most parts of the tribal region, including Khyber, but militants continue to carry out regular attacks in the country.

Ten Taliban militants attacked the military side of an international airport in Peshawar on Saturday night with rockets and car bombs, killing four people and wounding over 40 others. Five of the militants were killed during the attack, and five others died the next day in a gunbattle with security forces.

Also Monday, gunmen killed a provincial government spokesman in the southwest Pakistan in an apparent sectarian attack, and then shot to death two nearby policemen, police said.

The attackers shot dead Khadim Hussain Noori in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, said local police official Hamid Shakeel. Noori was the provincial spokesman and also a Shiite Muslim.

As the gunmen were speeding away on a motorcycle, they killed two policemen and wounded a third, said Shakeel.

Baluchistan has experienced a spike in sectarian killings in the past year as radical Sunni Muslims have targeted Shiites, who they consider heretics.

The province is also the scene of a decades-long insurgency by Baluch nationalists who demand greater autonomy and a larger share of the province's natural resources.

____

Associated Press writer Abdul Sattar contributed to this report from Quetta, Pakistan.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/car-bomb-kills-17-people-market-pakistan-085053721.html

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Around Northern New Mexico

The first four cards are the toughest.

It?s pretty hard to argue with that assessment when it?s coming from the mouth of the guy who holds the Guinness world record for both the tallest and the largest house of cards. And Bryan Berg, a Santa Fe resident, won those records by stacking card upon card, over and over and over again.

For days. For weeks.

In comparison, the task for children and adults scattered over a practice room floor at Moving People Dance Studio last week was much simpler. Just build a grid. Maybe a second story, with the dividing cards placed diagonally to the grid. One group got to a third level before the cards came tumbling down.

Cries of ?All right!? and ?I did it!? were heard as Berg moved from group to group, offering mini-tutorials in playing-card construction techniques. He commiserated with the kids, telling them that the slick, buffed dance floor made their task a little more challenging.

The hourlong event was designed to draw attention to a new kit Berg designed, which already is being carried by Barnes & Noble, with negotiations under way to get it on some other store shelves. It?s also available on his website, www.cardstacker.com, for $25.

It includes flat forms with grooves to hold the cards to get you started on that first, four-card base, along with 825 cards ? made to specifications of the best weight and texture for stacking ? and an instruction booklet.

If you use every single card, you can build a version of the Empire State Building, he told them.

Berg makes it look easy. As people trickled in before the event started, he was stacking cards into a thin tower that grew to about shoulder height before he let it topple.

Hayden Colfax, 11, didn?t have quite the same success with her floor-level attempts.

?It?s kind of hard, because the cards fall all the time,? she said, taking a break from the card construction with her siblings. ?You kind of get frustrated.?

But Benito Vega, 13, who said he hadn?t tried building things out of cards before, pronounced the activity ?cool.?

Kids weren?t the only ones trying their luck. Plenty of adults were testing their skill at this very different approach to cards.

?It?s a good exercise in patience,? said Will Channing, who came with his family, Angelita Ferro and 12-year-old son Sage, who was mostly watching his dad stack the cards.

Although trained in architecture, Berg makes his living as a cardstacker, constructing buildings for clients around the world, such as furnishings for a life-size hotel room (including a toilet and lights) for Holiday Inn and a Cinderella?s castle out of park passes for Disney. He spent two weeks cardstacking for ?Good Morning America? to draw attention to tsunami relief, he said.

A native of Iowa, where he first learned cardstacking from his grandfather when he was 8 years old, Berg has lived in Santa Fe since 2004. Yet, he noted, he hasn?t built a project yet that is specific to or publicly seen in the City Different. Most of his work is done on-site for paying clients and often kept under wraps until an official unveiling by those clients.

Often, his decision on what jobs to take on has to do with new challenges. ?I will do it if it?s something that?s not been done with cards before,? Berg said.

Source: http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/12/18/north/around-northern-new-mexico-292.html

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ANs

You're a supernatural and you've been invited to spend a week in the countryside, so you can learn about other non-humans for college credits... Something isn't quite right about that creepy mansion.

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Google Maps downloaded over 10 million times in the first 48 hours of release

If there was any doubt that the iPhone was missing Google Maps prior to its release last week then this is it. According to Google?s VP of Geo and Commerce Jeff Huber, the app had been downloaded an astounding 10 million times in the first 48 hours since its release.

We're excited for the positive reception of Google Maps for iPhone around the world. Congratulations to the Maps Team on the recognition for the passion and hard work they poured into it, for this release and over the last 7+ years.

The main features of Google Maps include built-in Google local search, voice guided turn-by-turn navigation, public transit directions, and Google Street View. Additionally, Google Maps lets you access live traffic information in cities across the world, see inside more that 100,000 businesses worldwide, and view high resolution satellite imagery of locations around the world.

The fact that it was downloaded over 10 million times in the first 48 hours tells its own story. Now that you have had access to Google Maps for a few days, is it as good as you expected or are you still using Apple Maps?

Source: Jeff Huber (Google+)

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Is Your Relationship on Life Support? | World of Psychology

If your relationship is on life support, it?s time for serious remediation. You can?t just hide your relationship problems under the rug, because they will only fester and worsen over time.

For a relationship to work, you need to address your relationship problems ? just as you would work on a problem at school or at work.

So if you?re ready to get down to work, here are two ?must-do? assignments for you.

1. Stop the zero-sum game. Start a team effort.

A zero-sum game is one where there?s a winner and a loser. It?s a great model for competitive sports but a miserable model for personal relationships.

If you?ve been playing a zero-sum game ? or a game of tug-of-war ? with your spouse, quit. Right now. Quit. Simply drop the rope.

Yeah, right. Like it?s that easy. Almost as easy as quitting that cigarette habit you still have. Wait! Maybe you have quit that habit. At least you probably know somebody who has. So it?s possible. No, it?s not easy. But it becomes easier when you?re dying for a smoke (pun intended) but have something else to do to help you curb your urge.

When you?re absolutely certain that you have a monopoly on the truth and that your partner doesn?t know what he or she is talking about, here?s what you can do to avoid slipping into a zero-sum game: Believe that something, even if it?s a small thing, about what your partner believes is valid. The simple phrase ?you?ve got a point? will help you accomplish this.

Saying ?you?ve got a point? does not mean you?re caving in or giving up. It?s simply creating a climate for respectful communication, despite your differences. It will help you end the polarizing tug-of-war game. And it will help you start a team effort to deal with whatever issues you are facing.

2. Curb your impatience.

Remember when your kid?s antics used to seem cute but now they?re downright exasperating? Remember when your spouse?s innocence used to seem appealing but now it?s just annoying?When others rub you the wrong way, you may get impatient and want to scream,

• ?Why can?t you program the DVR??
• ?Why can?t you cook a decent meal without messing something up??
• ?Why can?t you keep track of your things so you can find your stuff without a crisis??
• ?Why can?t you figure out how to balance a checkbook? It?s not brain surgery.?

Yes, it?s easy to get impatient with others for their failures. But know that what seems easy to you is actually a practiced skill, a strength, maybe even a talent. If that weren?t true, you?d be more empathetic with your criticism, responding with something such as:

• ?Yup, it?s so hard to keep up with the new technology.?
• ?I?ve got my own kitchen disaster tales I can share with you.?
• ?We?ve all got so much stuff; it?s tough to keep track of it all.?
• ?Balancing a checkbook is easier online once you get the hang of it.?

Next time you find yourself losing your patience with your loved one, instead of laying on the criticism, compliment yourself on what you do well. And know that not everyone can do what you do or know what you know, even when it seems oh-so-simple.

Dr. Sapadin is a psychologist, author and success coach who takes joy in helping people reach their potential, enhance their relationships and overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior. To subscribe to her FREE E-newsletter, go to www.PsychWisdom.com. To learn about her newest publication, How to Beat Procrastination in the Digital Age, go to www.SixStylesofProcrastination.com. Contact her at DrSapadin@aol.com

Like this author?
Catch up on other posts by Linda Sapadin, Ph.D (or subscribe to their feed).

????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 5 Dec 2012
????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.

APA Reference
Sapadin, L. (2012). Is Your Relationship on Life Support?. Psych Central. Retrieved on December 7, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/12/06/is-your-relationship-on-life-support/

?

Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/12/06/is-your-relationship-on-life-support/

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Top Notch E-mail Marketing Suggestions To Help Your Business ...

TIP! Follow your competitor?s actions when using email marketing. The simplest way to do this is to subscribe to their mailing lists.

You need a strong understanding of e-mail marketing to do it effectively. Keeping your emails out of the junk filter while making sure the subscribers see the email is crucial, but what tips can you apply that will make your message successful? Read on to get more great advice on marketing with email.

TIP! The information you collect from your customer upon signing up for your list should be used to give them the best shopping experience possible. Set it up so customers can have all of their subscription information automatically filled in on order forms.

If you can get a celebrity endorsement for your product, a good place to include this is in a follow-up email to customers. You can add a message that tell them how they could benefit from your product right now. The ending P.S. could let them know that it?s possible for them to send their order info with a simple mouse click on the link you have provided.

TIP! You want your sales list to be highly targeted. The best way for you to do this is to build the list around your most reliable customers and their close contacts.

Keep in mind that the goal of marketing via email should be to promote and sell your goods. Your emails should bring readers a bit closer to actually buying. Share information on a brand new product, talk about how to use an older product or offer a special promotion.

TIP! Use social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, to help expand your email marketing efforts. By sharing your information with their friends and getting their interest in your content, your email list can be expanded.

To get your consumers excited when it comes to receiving emails, give them special discounts or promotions through the newsletters that you send. This method of email marketing gives readers a good value for participating and motivates them to spread the word. You can promote this even further by creating a referral rewards plan, which will not only increase the number of subscribers to your newsletter, but also your pool of potential buyers.

TIP! You never want your business to be accused of spamming. One way to avoid this is to give consumers an opportunity to confirm their desire to opt-in to your emails.

When following up with prospective clients, you should consider sending them follow-up emails that have a message about your services or products. Give them information on why they should shop with you rather than competitors. You can have your email conclusion state that your offering has a money back guarantee.

TIP! Provide an option so people can sign on to your mailing list. This can be done by setting up some kind of form where they enter their email.

You must be persistent where it counts. It is essential that you have the correct clients in mind, or your work is worthless. Using a persistent strategy with wrong customers just annoys them, and causes you to waste your time.

TIP! Take advantage of preheaders and make email previews work to your advantage. A preheader consists of the initial line of text in the email that is highlighted in the email previewer.

Do not send emails without getting permission first. Failure to do so can lead to you losing customers? trust and it will tarnish the reputation of your business. Excessive complaints of spamming may also cause some internet service providers to ban all of your messages.

TIP! Use an appealing, personal style as much as you can in your email messages. If you send emails which the reader identifies with, they will be more apt to buy from your company.

Don?t send emails to people who have not given their express consent. If you?re sending out emails that are considered as spam, people may not take you very serious. You could lose customers and get reported for sending unwanted emails.

TIP! It is very smart to include an opt-in button for people to sign up with you. This will protect you from spam complaints, possibly saving your website from being shut down by your host over reports that you?re sending out unsolicited email.

Having a easy-to-see link to unsubscribe is a good idea. You must ensure that the link is visible, easily found and not buried beneath images or huge chunks of text. It is important that users feel like they are not committed to your emails.

TIP! Your emails for marketing should be sent out on a regular basis. If at all possible, plan for your newsletters to be published the same day each week.

Make sure that anyone who opts-in through your website confirms that before you start sending emails. That way people can decide whether they want your emails or not, and not have any regrets. This might feel redundant, but you will ensure more targeted readers and fewer complaints about spam or email abuse.

TIP! Target your newsletter for a weekly schedule that makes sense for those who read it. For example, a newsletter that has to do with business does best if it?s distributed during business days.

It is vital that you always get permission before adding someone to your marketing with email list. If they have not, they may send an abuse report to your ISP, web host or bulk email provider. If your ISP gets many complaints, they could block you from sending emails because you can be viewed as a spammer.

TIP! Do not send emails that were unsolicited. Messages sent to recipients who did not request them are at risk of being marked as spam.

The tips laid out here can take your marketing with email plan from the junk folder to the favorites folder, but only when you apply them. Use them for existing or new campaigns in order to increase success.

Source: http://www.paginaswebexitosas.com/top-notch-e-mail-marketing-suggestions-to-help-your-business.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=top-notch-e-mail-marketing-suggestions-to-help-your-business

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Video: Prudential Returns 42% to Shareholders

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50031707/

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Dolly Parton talks dreams, love, plastic surgery

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Although Dolly Parton has cemented her place in country and popular music, pop culture, and as an entrepreneur and philanthropist, she still, on occasion, gets nervous.

Her new book, "Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You" encourages readers to overcome their fears, believe in their passions and keep taking risks.

The "I Will Always Love You" singer/songwriter, 66, who has written more than 3,000 songs and sold more than 100 million records, talked to Reuters about the message of the book, which was published this week.

Q. You say you put off writing this book?

A. "It's just a simple little book. It's not meant to save the world, or it's not a complete book of how to be successful, but I think there is enough stuff in it for people to see kinda how I conduct my business and kinda what my thoughts are. And the good part is that all the money, if it sells good, goes to Imagination Library."

Q. Right - your nonprofit quest to get kids to read?

A. "It's one of the reasons I wanted to write this too, because I usually do concerts every year, for the foundation to make money to afford a lot of books, but I am not on tour now."

Q. Talk about your 2009 commencement address at the University of Tennessee. Were you nervous?

A. "Well, yes, when I am out of my element doing things. I am not that educated and I didn't go that far in school and I thought, 'What am I going to say to these educated people, not just these kids who have just graduated college and are probably brilliant, but all these professionals and all these teachers?' And I thought, 'Oh, I am not smart enough', but I thought, 'Well, at least I am a hometown girl. At least they can see that in America, you can start from humble beginnings, that everybody can make it."

Q. Which is one of the book's messages, overcoming fears?

A. "Any time I am in a situation where I am just not comfortable, I am uneasy, but that doesn't mean I won't go on with it, just like the speech. And that I won't be good at it, but there are just some things I would prefer not to do!"

Q. Success doesn't equal happiness, yet you seem so hopeful and modest?

A. "I am always hopeful as a person, I have been since I was little...I really want things to be good. As I mention in the book, I wake up everyday expecting it to be good, and if it is not, then I try to set about changing it before I go to sleep at night."

Q. Would you describe yourself as religious or spiritual?

A. "Just spiritual, I am not religious. Although I grew up in a very religious family, but...I am no fanatic by any stretch of the word, and I am no angel, believe me. I wrote a song called 'The Seeker' many, many years ago, and it says 'I am a seeker, just a poor sinful creature, there is no one weaker than I am.'

"People say, 'What do you regret?' I say, 'I can't say that I regret anything because at the time I was doing it, whatever it was, it seemed to be the thing to be doing at the time.'

"I have a good friend base, I have a good husband. So I have a lot of things and people who help me and guide me. I have never had to go to a psychiatrist, but I would if I thought that I needed to.

Q. But we are in New York, Dolly! No psychiatrist?

A. "Well yes (laughs), I guess not. But I do that in my songs, I write my feelings out and then I have such a strong faith and then I have such good friends. I am very close to several of my sisters, and we just talk about everything and anything....And my best friend Judy, there is nothing I can't tell her, even if it is the awful-est thing in the world."

Q. You recently had to deny gay rumors. Who is your greatest love?

"My husband is my greatest love, I have been with him 48 years...He is my best buddy."

Q. Why do you think people always wonder about him?

A. "They don't think he really exists! When I was doing my show, we were thinking about having a different guy knock on the door every night, as my husband, and then one night he would be a midget, and one night he would be a black man, and one night he would be like a boxer or a wrestler, all these different things that people imagine what my husband looks like."

Q. You say that looking so artificial works for you, as it lets you prove how real you are. Why all the plastic surgery?

A. "Because I need it. Why does anybody get it?"

Q. Why do you think you need it?

A. "Because I am in show business. I am not a natural beauty. And I am on camera all the time. And I just always see, like if I need - Oh take one of my chins off, at least! - Or whatever. I mean, I don't go to extremes with it. I just do little bits and pieces, just to try and keep things touched up, just tweaking."

(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Jill Serjeant and Carol Bishopric)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dolly-parton-talks-dreams-love-plastic-surgery-011442460.html

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Christmas Tree Fire Facts - Dearborn Free Press

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, MI ? The approaching holiday season brings traditions, parties, shopping, entertaining ? and potential danger,?according to Jeffrey Whitmarsh of SERVPRO?of Dearborn Heights.

Christmas Tree Fires Burn Quickly

The latest statistics available from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) show?the holidays are a high-risk time for home fires. Christmas trees are responsible for 240?home fires each year, and other holiday decorations are the cause of another 1,170 fires.

Thanksgiving Day sees almost a threefold increase in cooking-related fires; ?cooking fires?are almost twice as likely to happen on Christmas Day as on non-holidays.

?No one wants to think about the possibility of losing their home, and even more?tragically, lives because of a fire during the holidays,? said Whitmarsh. ?But statistics?show, it?s important to be aware of the increased risk seasonal decorating, entertaining?and cooking can cause during the holidays.?

Whitmarsh reminds Dearborn Heights residents that prevention and common sense can?help keep homes and families safe during the holidays and throughout the year. Here are?some sobering facts about holiday fires and tips to help keep your home, friends and?family safe throughout the holiday season.

?

Christmas Tree Fire Facts

• 33% of tree fires are caused by electrical problems; 13% involve decorative?lights. Check wiring on lights for breaks and wear. Replace worn strings and don?t?exceed manufacturer guidelines for connecting multiple strands of lights. Don?t leave?tree lights plugged in when you are away from home or when you go to bed.
• 42% occur on the 12 days from December 23 through January 3. Keep live trees?well watered to reduce the chance of a fire.

Holiday Decoration Fire Facts

• 45% of all holiday fires involve candles; that number rises to 56% in December.?Use flameless candles. If you do use traditional candles, burn them in sturdy?candle holders, well away from drapes and other flammable materials, and never?leave them unattended or allow them to burn down to less than one inch in length.
• 48% of all decoration fires start because the decoration is too close to a heat?source. Keep all decorations away from heat sources like radiators, portable heaters,?fireplaces, etc.

Cooking Fire Facts

• Cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day exceed the daily average by 272%. Supervise?items on the stovetop. ?58% of kitchen fires involve ranges; homes with electric?cooktops have a higher risk of fire than homes with gas cooktops.
• Cooking fires on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve exceed the daily average by?96% and 89% respectively. Keep flammable items ? potholders, packaging,?wrapping, wooden utensils, loose clothing ? away from the stovetop. And, don?t let?lack of sleep or alcohol consumption affect your ability to concentrate on preparing?the meal.

?It only takes a moment?s distraction or carelessness to turn a holiday celebration into a?catastrophe,? said Whitmarsh. ?We hope these tips will be a reminder to Dearborn and Dearborn Heights area families to make fire prevention a priority in their holiday preparations, so?they can spend the season enjoying family and friends, not dealing with the aftermath of a?fire.?

For more fire prevention tips and information about fire and water damage restoration?services, contact Jeffrey Whitmarsh with SERVPRO??of Dearborn Heights North / East?Garden City at (313) 228-5134 or servpro9764@aol.com.

Source: http://www.dearbornfreepress.com/2012/11/29/12949/

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The beginning of everything: A new paradigm shift for the infant universe

Public release date: 29-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Barbara K. Kennedy
science@psu.edu
814-863-4682
Penn State

A new paradigm for understanding the earliest eras in the history of the universe has been developed by scientists at Penn State University. Using techniques from an area of modern physics called loop quantum cosmology, developed at Penn State, the scientists now have extended analyses that include quantum physics farther back in time than ever before -- all the way to the beginning. The new paradigm of loop quantum origins shows, for the first time, that the large-scale structures we now see in the universe evolved from fundamental fluctuations in the essential quantum nature of "space-time," which existed even at the very beginning of the universe over 14 billion years ago. The achievement also provides new opportunities for testing competing theories of modern cosmology against breakthrough observations expected from next-generation telescopes. The research will be published on 11 December 2012 as an "Editor's Suggestion" paper in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters.

"We humans always have yearned to understand more about the origin and evolution of our universe," said Abhay Ashtekar, the senior author of the paper. "So it is an exciting time in our group right now, as we begin using our new paradigm to understand, in more detail, the dynamics that matter and geometry experienced during the earliest eras of the universe, including at the very beginning." Ashtekar is the Holder of the Eberly Family Chair in Physics at Penn State and the director of the university's Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos. Coauthors of the paper, along with Ashtekar, are postdoctoral fellows Ivan Agullo and William Nelson.

The new paradigm provides a conceptual and mathematical framework for describing the exotic "quantum-mechanical geometry of space-time" in the very early universe. The paradigm shows that, during this early era, the universe was compressed to such unimaginable densities that its behavior was ruled not by the classical physics of Einstein's general theory of relativity, but by an even more fundamental theory that also incorporates the strange dynamics of quantum mechanics. The density of matter was huge then -- 10 to the 94 grams (10^94) per cubic centimeter, as compared with the density of an atomic nucleus today, which is only 10 to the 14 grams (10^14).

In this bizarre quantum-mechanical environment -- where one can speak only of probabilities of events rather than certainties -- physical properties naturally would be vastly different from the way we experience them today. Among these differences, Ashtekar said, are the concept of "time," as well as the changing dynamics of various systems over time as they experience the fabric of quantum geometry itself.

No space observatories have been able to detect anything as long ago and far away as the very early eras of the universe described by the new paradigm. But a few observatories have come close. Cosmic background radiation has been detected in an era when the universe was only 380-thousand years old. By that time, after a period of rapid expansion called "inflation," the universe had burst out into a much-diluted version of its earlier super-compressed self. At the beginning of inflation, the density of the universe was a trillion times less than during its infancy, so quantum factors are much less important in ruling the large-scale dynamics of matter and geometry.

Observations of the cosmic background radiation show that the universe had a predominantly uniform consistency after inflation, except for a light sprinkling of some regions that were more dense and others that were less dense. The standard inflationary paradigm for describing the early universe, which uses the classical-physics equations of Einstein, treats space-time as a smooth continuum. "The inflationary paradigm enjoys remarkable success in explaining the observed features of the cosmic background radiation. Yet this model is incomplete. It retains the idea that the universe burst forth from nothing in a Big Bang, which naturally results from the inability of the paradigm's general-relativity physics to describe extreme quantum-mechanical situations," Agullo said. "One needs a quantum theory of gravity, like loop quantum cosmology, to go beyond Einstein in order to capture the true physics near the origin of the universe."

Earlier work with loop quantum cosmology in Ashtekar's group had updated the concept of the Big Bang with the intriguing concept of a Big Bounce, which allows the possibility that our universe emerged not from nothing but from a super-compressed mass of matter that previously may have had a history of its own.

Even though the quantum-mechanical conditions at the beginning of the universe were vastly different from the classical-physics conditions after inflation, the new achievement by the Penn State physicists reveals a surprising connection between the two different paradigms that describe these eras. When scientists use the inflation paradigm together with Einstein's equations to model the evolution of the seed-like areas sprinkled throughout the cosmic background radiation, they find that the irregularities serve as seeds that evolve over time into the galaxy clusters and other large-scale structures that we see in the universe today. Amazingly, when the Penn State scientists used their new loop-quantum-origins paradigm with its quantum-cosmology equations, they found that fundamental fluctuations in the very nature of space at the moment of the Big Bounce evolve to become the seed-like structures seen in the cosmic microwave background.

"Our new work shows that the initial conditions at the very beginning of the universe naturally lead to the large-scale structure of the universe that we observe today," Ashtekar said. "In human terms, it is like taking a snapshot of a baby right at birth and then being able to project from it an accurate profile of how that person will be at age 100."

"This paper pushes back the genesis of the cosmic structure of our universe from the inflationary epoch all the way to the Big Bounce, covering some 11 orders of magnitude in the density of matter and the curvature of space-time," Nelson said. "We now have narrowed down the initial conditions that could exist at the Big Bounce, plus we find that the evolution of those initial conditions agrees with observations of the cosmic background radiation."

The team's results also identify a narrower range of parameters for which the new paradigm predicts novel effects, distinguishing it from standard inflation. Ashtekar said, "It is exciting that we soon may be able to test different predictions from these two theories against future discoveries with next-generation observational missions. Such experiments will help us to continue gaining a deeper understanding of the very, very early universe."

###

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation.

[ Barbara K. Kennedy ]

CONTACTS

Abhay Ashtekar: 814-863-9601, ashtekar@gravity.psu.edu

Barbara Kennedy (PIO): 814-863-4682, science@psu.edu

IMAGES

A high-resolution illustration related to this research is online at http://www.science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2012-news/Ashtekar11-2012

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 29-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Barbara K. Kennedy
science@psu.edu
814-863-4682
Penn State

A new paradigm for understanding the earliest eras in the history of the universe has been developed by scientists at Penn State University. Using techniques from an area of modern physics called loop quantum cosmology, developed at Penn State, the scientists now have extended analyses that include quantum physics farther back in time than ever before -- all the way to the beginning. The new paradigm of loop quantum origins shows, for the first time, that the large-scale structures we now see in the universe evolved from fundamental fluctuations in the essential quantum nature of "space-time," which existed even at the very beginning of the universe over 14 billion years ago. The achievement also provides new opportunities for testing competing theories of modern cosmology against breakthrough observations expected from next-generation telescopes. The research will be published on 11 December 2012 as an "Editor's Suggestion" paper in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters.

"We humans always have yearned to understand more about the origin and evolution of our universe," said Abhay Ashtekar, the senior author of the paper. "So it is an exciting time in our group right now, as we begin using our new paradigm to understand, in more detail, the dynamics that matter and geometry experienced during the earliest eras of the universe, including at the very beginning." Ashtekar is the Holder of the Eberly Family Chair in Physics at Penn State and the director of the university's Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos. Coauthors of the paper, along with Ashtekar, are postdoctoral fellows Ivan Agullo and William Nelson.

The new paradigm provides a conceptual and mathematical framework for describing the exotic "quantum-mechanical geometry of space-time" in the very early universe. The paradigm shows that, during this early era, the universe was compressed to such unimaginable densities that its behavior was ruled not by the classical physics of Einstein's general theory of relativity, but by an even more fundamental theory that also incorporates the strange dynamics of quantum mechanics. The density of matter was huge then -- 10 to the 94 grams (10^94) per cubic centimeter, as compared with the density of an atomic nucleus today, which is only 10 to the 14 grams (10^14).

In this bizarre quantum-mechanical environment -- where one can speak only of probabilities of events rather than certainties -- physical properties naturally would be vastly different from the way we experience them today. Among these differences, Ashtekar said, are the concept of "time," as well as the changing dynamics of various systems over time as they experience the fabric of quantum geometry itself.

No space observatories have been able to detect anything as long ago and far away as the very early eras of the universe described by the new paradigm. But a few observatories have come close. Cosmic background radiation has been detected in an era when the universe was only 380-thousand years old. By that time, after a period of rapid expansion called "inflation," the universe had burst out into a much-diluted version of its earlier super-compressed self. At the beginning of inflation, the density of the universe was a trillion times less than during its infancy, so quantum factors are much less important in ruling the large-scale dynamics of matter and geometry.

Observations of the cosmic background radiation show that the universe had a predominantly uniform consistency after inflation, except for a light sprinkling of some regions that were more dense and others that were less dense. The standard inflationary paradigm for describing the early universe, which uses the classical-physics equations of Einstein, treats space-time as a smooth continuum. "The inflationary paradigm enjoys remarkable success in explaining the observed features of the cosmic background radiation. Yet this model is incomplete. It retains the idea that the universe burst forth from nothing in a Big Bang, which naturally results from the inability of the paradigm's general-relativity physics to describe extreme quantum-mechanical situations," Agullo said. "One needs a quantum theory of gravity, like loop quantum cosmology, to go beyond Einstein in order to capture the true physics near the origin of the universe."

Earlier work with loop quantum cosmology in Ashtekar's group had updated the concept of the Big Bang with the intriguing concept of a Big Bounce, which allows the possibility that our universe emerged not from nothing but from a super-compressed mass of matter that previously may have had a history of its own.

Even though the quantum-mechanical conditions at the beginning of the universe were vastly different from the classical-physics conditions after inflation, the new achievement by the Penn State physicists reveals a surprising connection between the two different paradigms that describe these eras. When scientists use the inflation paradigm together with Einstein's equations to model the evolution of the seed-like areas sprinkled throughout the cosmic background radiation, they find that the irregularities serve as seeds that evolve over time into the galaxy clusters and other large-scale structures that we see in the universe today. Amazingly, when the Penn State scientists used their new loop-quantum-origins paradigm with its quantum-cosmology equations, they found that fundamental fluctuations in the very nature of space at the moment of the Big Bounce evolve to become the seed-like structures seen in the cosmic microwave background.

"Our new work shows that the initial conditions at the very beginning of the universe naturally lead to the large-scale structure of the universe that we observe today," Ashtekar said. "In human terms, it is like taking a snapshot of a baby right at birth and then being able to project from it an accurate profile of how that person will be at age 100."

"This paper pushes back the genesis of the cosmic structure of our universe from the inflationary epoch all the way to the Big Bounce, covering some 11 orders of magnitude in the density of matter and the curvature of space-time," Nelson said. "We now have narrowed down the initial conditions that could exist at the Big Bounce, plus we find that the evolution of those initial conditions agrees with observations of the cosmic background radiation."

The team's results also identify a narrower range of parameters for which the new paradigm predicts novel effects, distinguishing it from standard inflation. Ashtekar said, "It is exciting that we soon may be able to test different predictions from these two theories against future discoveries with next-generation observational missions. Such experiments will help us to continue gaining a deeper understanding of the very, very early universe."

###

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation.

[ Barbara K. Kennedy ]

CONTACTS

Abhay Ashtekar: 814-863-9601, ashtekar@gravity.psu.edu

Barbara Kennedy (PIO): 814-863-4682, science@psu.edu

IMAGES

A high-resolution illustration related to this research is online at http://www.science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2012-news/Ashtekar11-2012

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/ps-tbo112912.php

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