Tempers flare in NJ city where thousands stranded

A firehouse is surrounded by floodwaters in the wake of superstorm Sandy on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Hoboken, N.J. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

A firehouse is surrounded by floodwaters in the wake of superstorm Sandy on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012, in Hoboken, N.J. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

A parking lot full of yellow cabs is flooded as a result of superstorm Sandy on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 in Hoboken, NJ. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

A resident walks through flood water and past a stalled ambulance in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 in Hoboken, NJ. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

A resident is carried through floodwaters in Hoboken, N.J. on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 after superstorm Sandy made landfall in New Jersey Monday evening. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

HOBOKEN, N.J. (AP) ? Officials in the city of Hoboken, N.J., are defending their response to severe flooding from superstorm Sandy.

Public Safety director Jon Tooke says at least 25 percent of the city on the Hudson River across from Manhattan remains under water. He estimates at least 20,000 people are stranded and says most are being encouraged to shelter in place until floodwaters recede.

Tempers flared Wednesday morning outside City Hall as some residents complained the city was slow to get food and other supplies out to the stranded.

Tooke says emergency personnel have been working 24/7. He says the "scope of this situation is enormous."

National Guard troops are delivering food, supplies and gas canisters to people who need them. They are also evacuating people with medical problems or other special needs.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-10-31-Superstorm-NJ-Hoboken/id-aa33071ead624b498e0df78f467f059b

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European shares firmer as markets eye Wall St re-opening

LONDON (Reuters) - European shares and the euro rose on Wednesday as investors looked ahead to key economic data and waited for Wall Street to re-open after a two-day closure.

Traders said October surveys of manufacturing activity in China and the United States on Thursday, the monthly American jobs report on Friday and the U.S. presidential election next week all had the potential to whip the markets around.

"Most asset classes remain within well-worn ranges," said Mitul Kotecha, head of Global FX Strategy at Credit Agricole CIB.

"Given the lack of first-tier data releases on tap today we do not expect this picture to change ahead of the U.S. jobs report at the end of the week," he said in a note to clients.

The euro was slightly firmer at around $1.2985, within the $1.28 to $1.32 range seen since mid-September, supported by a well-received Italian debt auction on Tuesday, together with improved Spanish economic data.

Sentiment was also helped by German retail sales numbers for September, which rose at their fastest pace since June 2011, surprising most analysts.

European stocks added to solid gains made on Tuesday, but most attention is on Wall Street, where the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and U.S. bond markets are set to re-open after being shut by storm Sandy.

The FTSE Eurofirst index of top European shares rose 0.35 percent to 1,107 points, making a gain of around 1.5 percent this month. London's FTSE 100, Paris's CAC-40 and Frankfurt's DAX traded between 0.2 and 0.6 percent higher.

U.S. stock futures were up 0.6 percent.

Euro area labour market figures due out later could affect sentiment, with another increase in the unemployment rate expected for September.

German government bonds moved lower as investors prepared for a big sale of longer-dated debt by Germany and France.

Germany will sell 2 billion euros of July 2044 bonds after demand for the safe-haven paper picked up at a sale of 10-year Bunds last week. France will sell up to 7.5 billion euros of bonds with a maturity of up to 2035.

(Reporting by Richard Hubbard; Editing by Will Waterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/european-shares-firmer-markets-eye-wall-st-opening-084610319--finance.html

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Smithsonian reopening in DC, no major storm damage

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Smithsonian Institution's museums and National Zoo are reopening in Washington after shutting their doors for two days because of superstorm Sandy.

Wednesday's reopening will come as welcome news to tourists visiting the capital who found few businesses open as the storm passed through.

Smithsonian officials say all the museums and their facilities in Maryland and Virginia are in good condition. There was no damage to the collections. Some buildings did have leaks during the storm, but maintenance staff was on hand to place sandbags in some areas to keep the buildings mostly dry inside.

At the National Zoo, officials say the animals weathered the storm with no problem.

The Smithsonian says its National Museum of the American Indian in New York remains closed, but its collection is safe.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-10-31-Superstorm-Smithsonian/id-26cfb26469d54356bc695b13c9190cb8

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4 Productivity Tools to Efficiently Run Your Business | earningdiary ...

Running a business entails a lot of work, and having the right business efficiency tools to take care of some of your back-office operations can free up your timetable quite a bit. This way, you can focus your time and attention on things that are more important. Choosing the right tools doesn?t have to be a difficult exercise, especially once you?re made aware that there are effective but free or cheap tools like the ones below that work as good as their expensive counterparts:

1. Bitrix24.com

Productivity tools are essential for a business to thrive, especially in this cut-throat business environment. But having to purchase them individually can mean a big dent in your operating budget. An all-in-one tool that can practically save you a good chunk of money sounds just about the thing you would need, more so if you?re just starting out.

Bitrix24.com, a social intranet application that?s totally free for companies with a maximum of 12 employees, comes loaded with several business tools in one platform ? social intranet, a fully functional CRM, project management, activity planner, calendar, workforce monitoring, file and document sharing, just to name a few. Bitrix24, cloud-based as it is, can be accessed anywhere and anytime via your computer or smartphone. For companies with more than 12 staff members, Bitrix24 offers a subscription package for unlimited users that starts at $99 per month.

2. JetRadar.com

Even when your business is still small, business travel may be required. When those instances arise, it pays to know that budget airlines and online ticketing sites have made air travel significantly more affordable than it was, say, a decade ago. The downside, however, you would have to scan multiple sites to find the best and cheapest deals. Fierce competition has forced some airlines to shut down, and those that still remain are no longer pitching their promos to price-comparison sites, which, in turn, prompts consumers to check out multiple websites.

Absolutely free, JetRadar.com is a metasearch engine that pores through hundreds of flight and airline sites for the best and cheapest plane fare promos, and makes the gathered data easily accessible by practically anyone in a single website, drastically limiting the time and energy it takes to find and book the most economically attractive airfare deal. JetRadar offers hotel and accommodation listings, too.

3. Comindware.com

Automation has changed the business landscape forever. Through automation, businesses save on costs, streamline their operations and maximize the resources they?ve got on hand ? manpower, equipment and infrastructure.

Designed specifically for cross-functional teams and workgroups, Comindware.com is a software innovation that automates workflow processes, tracking of issues and task management. Comindware?s Workflow Builder capability allows even those without previous IT or designing experience to visually create and/or edit workflow processes by simply dragging and dropping items in the dashboard. And with ElasticData, the technology the application is built upon, you can design and create your workflow process now and edit it later (if needed) without having to stop or interrupt ongoing workflow processes. Within minutes, you may already deploy your newly created/edited workflow process.

If you wish to witness for yourself how Comindware would fare in your own unique environment, it is available for download for free for 30 days. And when you deem it the necessary automation tool for your company?s needs, attractive discount rates are offered.

4. PickyDomains.com

In a marketplace peppered with hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of similar products and services, a new business should make a resounding entrance to make heads turn. That starts with having a business, product, service or website name that?s unique and catchy, relevant and easy to remember. If you have no problem coming up with a name that?s all of the above, good for you. Otherwise, you might have to sit down with a friend or partner for a brainstorming session. If that still doesn?t work, branding agencies can take the burden off you, but for a price that can mean up to thousands of dollars.

An online naming platform that has been in business since 2007, PickyDomains already has a strong base of more than 50,000 registered contributors from different regions of the world. For a minimal amount of $50 for a name/domain or $75 for a slogan, you can already start receiving suggestions. Simply register with the site as a client, pay the downpayment (which depends on the service you signed up for) and send in your naming guidelines. If none of the suggestions you receive fits, you can always ask for your money back.

Related posts:

from your own site.

Source: http://www.earningdiary.com/blogging-tips/4-productivity-tools-to-efficiently-run-your-business/

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South Africa prez says media must respect privacy

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What Social Media Does And Doesn't Do For Business - Business ...

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Retailers of every size are pressured to invest in making money off social network sites like Facebook and Twitter.

As businesses navigate the social landscape, it's important to know what social media does and doesn't do for sales.?

Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't look like social networks do a whole lot to drive sales, according to a recent report by?Sucharita Mulpuru at Forrester Research.

Less than 1 percent of the online transactions she tracked could be traced to a social media post, Mulpuru told us. With those kind of numbers, it seems like a waste to invest in selling products via social media.

E-mail marketing and paid search traffic were much more meaningful sales drivers, she said. That means that it might be worth business' time to invest in a loyalty program or simply ask for customers' e-mail addresses and send them promotions.?

E-mail marketing is especially effective because it is low-cost in comparison to paying a search engine like Google to place a business' product first when a consumer searches for it.?

Mulpuru's study also shows the difference between new and repeat customers. New customers tend to be drawn in by search traffic, while e-mailing is more effective with repeat customers who are familiar with the business' name.?

A big theme of Mulpuru's study is that social networks are overhyped as sales drivers.?

"While the hype around social networks as a driver of influence in e-commerce continues to capture the attention of online executives, the truth is that social continues to struggle and registers as a barely negligible source of sales for?either new or repeat buyers," Mulpuru says.?

That means that less than 1 percent of customers see a Facebook or Twitter ad or post, click on it, and end up buying something. The vast majority of traffic comes from searches or typing in a URL directly.?

But that doesn't mean that businesses shouldn't invest in social media at all.?

Businesses should have a presence on major social networks and engage with customers there, Mulpuru says. But while a business cultivates a social media strategy, it's important to remember that this will not be a big sales-driver.?

The most effective method for increasing sales is getting the word out about your business' direct URL, Mulpuru says. If customers know a website, they're likely to visit and buy something.?

According to Mulpuru, businesses who don't have a simple URL should change it to something consumer-friendly. This will increase traffic to the site?and eventually sales.?

It's important to interact customers and make sure they know how where to find a business on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, she says.?

While other forms of online marketing are more effective than social media, that doesn't mean businesses shouldn't have a presence there.?

But businesses shouldn't expect sales numbers to change right away just because they're heavily investing in Facebook or Twitter. Mulpuru says:?"Researchers still haven't figured out how to put a dollar value on social media, but it's still an incredibly important way to engage with customers."

Here's a chart showing revenue drivers outside of a business' website:?

SEE MORE ON OPEN FORUM:

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/what-social-media-does-and-doesnt-do-for-business-2012-10

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In Vietnam, US relies on pirate site to network

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (AP) ? It's a wildly popular website laden with unlicensed songs and Hollywood movies, a prime exhibit of the digital piracy that is strangling the music industry in Asia and eroding legitimate online sales around the world.

But a few clicks inside the free-to-download bonanza that has pushed Vietnam's Zing.vn into the globe's top 550 websites reveals a surprising presence: the American government, which maintains a bustling social media account on the site.

Washington is a vocal proponent of intellectual property rights in Vietnam as it is around the world, and a site like Zing would be shut down in the United States. But with space with for public diplomacy limited in Communist Vietnam, the embassy's uses its "Zingme" account to reach out to young people in Vietnam as it seeks to build closer ties with its former enemy.

The embassy presence shows just how mainstream pirate sites have become in Vietnam, where the government does nothing to stop them operating. But it also raises questions whether Washington is legitimizing a renowned pirate site that record labels, singers and industry groups say ignores requests that it take down infringing material.

Those have become pressing since Coca-Cola and Samsung pulled their advertising from the site earlier this month because of piracy concerns following questions by The Associated Press. The move challenged Zing's business model and was praised by recording industry groups. Samsung said last week it was also closing its Zingme account for the same reason.

The embassy said it recognized the concerns for U.S. copyright interests posed by Zing but that it believed that "contact with users of this website" could reduce traffic or infringing activity on it. The mission sometimes uses its Zingme page to post about copyright infringement.

Its statement noted that the site had removed, at its request, the link to infringing material that appears on other Zingme pages as a matter of course. It also noted to its lack of options in a country where the Communist government controls the media, saying "there were few spaces for public discourse and intermittent access to Facebook", referring to a block the government sometimes puts on the American social networking site.

But not everyone thinks engaging with Zing is the right thing to do.

"Here we are as an American company trying to set things right with one of the biggest pirates in Vietnam but the U.S. embassy is essentially showing its support by being on its site," said Mimi Nguyen, an American who has been trying fruitlessly to get Zing to take down some 10,000 songs owned by her family's business for a year.

"It is really sad to find out the embassy is using their platform."

The Recording Industry Association of America, which praised the decision by Samsung and Coke to withdrawn from Zing and has labeled Zing a "notorious" pirate site, said it was neither endorsing nor criticizing the embassy's decision to maintain the site.

Neil Turkewitz, a senior vice president at the association, said he imagined the embassy had tried to balance the ability to target a tech-savvy demographic with anti-piracy messages against the appearance of a connection between it and the site.

"My guess is that it wasn't an easy decision," he said.

The recording industry around the world is struggling to make money from online distribution models, and illegal downloading remains rampant. Artists and producers in much of Asia are feeling the pinch especially hard because governments have failed to pass or enforce anti-piracy laws. Licensed CDs, films and downloads can cost the equivalent of a day's salary, making it even harder to wean people off pirated products.

In Vietnam, inaction by a government that sees no political upside in cracking down on what many see as a victimless crimes has pushed the industry to the point of collapse. Zing is seen as the No.1 enemy by those who speak out against its effective stranglehold over the country's music industry.

"Zing is destroying the industry and they know it," said record producer Quoc Trung, who is leading a campaign against online piracy. "We need people to pay for music, not just click on it. It is now or never."

Zing, which declined repeated requests for comment on this article and a previous one, has used free download to become the sixth-most visited site in Vietnam, and the second most popular Vietnamese music download site. Around 15 percent of its visitors are from overseas. It is not the only infringing website in Vietnam by far, but it is the most visited.

Sites that offer pirated content alongside other internet services like Zing exist elsewhere around the world and are among the most reprehensible, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

"They want to appear as legitimate actors, and have functions unrelated to piracy, yet operate network services that include features that intentionally and effectively induce infringement," it said in a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative in August asking the government to use all the tools at its disposal to ensure Zing and others are not permitted to undermine legitimate online markets.

"These services deliberately gain market share by providing access to infringing materials, launching music services without any form of licensing, and have demonstrated continued resolve to engage in conduct based upon misappropriation."

Zingme closely resembles Facebook, which recently overtook the Vietnamese site in subscriber numbers, according to one research group. Facebook is sometimes blocked by the government because of fears it could be used to mobilize dissent against its one-party rule. Zingme is never blocked, and is more popular with younger, less educated Vietnamese. Companies and institutions often have accounts on both. The embassy has more than 18,000 friends on Zingme, compared to 12,000 on Facebook.

Many in the industry have no choice but to work with Zing even as it distributes their music and films for free. Not having your music on the site means getting an audience for live concerts, or attracting commercial sponsorship, is almost impossible, industry executives said. But a few are pushing back, among them established singer Le Quyen, who is suing Zing and eight other infringing websites.

"I'm sure that Zing is aware that what they do is wrong, but they are afraid that other singers will put pressure on them if I win the case," she said before one of her near-weekly concerts at a venue owned by her husband here. "That's why they keep avoiding my demands. Their tactic is to drag the case on until their opponent gets tired and gives up."

Some in the industry predict Zing and other websites will embrace a more legitimate model, rather like Baidu in neighboring China, which after years of complaints from international and local record labels about pirated content signed a licensing deal with its former critics last year. Major Western record labels eager to sell music in the 13th most populous country in the world have been in early talks with Zing and other sites, but there is no deal on the horizon.

For now, the sites are not taking down their unlicensed content because doing so would mean that users would flock to that of a rival, and new ones are cropping all the time. Those offering unlimited downloads of Hollywood movies for a monthly subscription as low as $2 are amassing large audiences, and could be looking to leveraging their popularity to become legitimate providers.

"In Vietnam, you build an audience first, and then you negotiate," said Phung Tien Cong, a manager at MVCorp, which is trying to establish a pay-for-song business in collaboration with Zing, other websites and license holders.

_______

Brummitt can be reached at https://twitter.com/cjbrummitt.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-10-29-Vietnam-US-Digital%20Piracy/id-f996ef56e7564abcbf891036a5cf22c4

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Alicia Keys: Giving Back to Oprah an "Emotional" Moment

Many celebrities have causes but far too many seem more interested in the public relations of giving back rather than the act itself. Alicia Keys is not one of those celebs. Spend a little time with her as we were lucky to do for her Guest Editor role on iVillage and it's clear helping others is deeply important to her.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/alicia-keys-oprah-keep-child-alive-and-giving-back/1-a-497153?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aalicia-keys-oprah-keep-child-alive-and-giving-back-497153

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Outsourcing Search Engine Optimisation is Critical For Internet ...

Lately, the business world have been taken by Outsourcing by surprise. When it?s possible to only have many benefits after undertaking this process for their business and why don?t you undertake this process for any business. For people who are associated with on-line business, they know what it will take to get the attention of search engines and this is the reason they are very particular about the SEO or search engine optimization technique that they undertake for their business. Nevertheless, we also understand that anyone who is in the area of online marketing is not an individual who has knowledge about most of the intricacies linked to SEO. That is one of the important reasoned explanations why outsourcing SEO is a great selection for such business undertakings.SEO is the work of a professional and you can?t drive such a significant activity of one?s business to just any individual. Outsourcing SEO will present you with many options and one of them is that you?ll manage to hire the services of qualified specialists to help you in your SEO work. If you have an internet business site, certainly you?ll wish to increase this site on the internet and outsourcing SEO is one of the most inexpensive way to do this for the site. If you?ve not performed outsourcing SEO services for your company, odds are there you?ll not manage to hire the services of trainer experts as their services are rather expensive.Outsourcing SEO can be mindful of many aspects associated with your business and one of the vital points is that the procedure can help you in freeing up the internal sources of one?s business. When you undertake outsourcing SEO for your business, you will pay the working of your organization to a 3rd party and this is the key reason why you should decide carefully if you really want to undertake this process and how beneficial this will be for you. then choice lies in your hand as because you?re the business owner you?re in the greatest potion to decide if outsourcing SEO will be beneficial for your business or not.Another reason you should get experienced professionals to do the work is that it?s very important to review the present market. And if you do not have experience in this area, there?s no way that the plan can come out to achieve success. SEO requires various things to be done and discovering what approaches will best suit a small business is also the work of a specialist. Just make sure that the organization from which you are selecting the outsourcing SEO solutions has the knowledge of managing this work if you want to flourish in this venture.Outsourcing SEO has been successfully performed by several firms and there?s number reason why you cannot apply this for the company. The purpose of all business is to earn profit and if a business process like outsourcing SEO can help out these companies then there is no reason to not undertake this.

Come to our site for more information about search engine optimization nj

Related posts:

1. SEO Services Australia Emphasizing the Importance of Local Search Engine Optimisation
2. The Business Finance Store Discusses Small Business Outsourcing
3. Internet Marketing Website Expands to Provide Internet Search Engine Marketing Services in Alaska
4. Search Engine Optimization Services Provider Cybertegic.com to Host Business Seminar for Small Business Owners
5. Afterburner, Inc. Renews Contract with Medium Blue Search Engine Marketing and Adds Search Engine Optimization Services for Three New Sites

? Health

Source: http://www.hugohosting.com/outsourcing-search-engine-optimisation-is-critical-for-internet-business.html

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How much is it worth? - Can-Am ATV Forum

I have a 2009 outlander 800r that I'm considering selling and buying a 1000xt just curious how much mine is worth. Specs below!

Engine has 15 hours on it after rebuild>(Crank,pistons,rings,pto bearing, entire motor)
hmf swamp series exhaust
29.5 outlaws on 12in ss rims
original tires and rims as well
700 miles
everything works on it
oil will not even turn black yet the motor is so cleaned

__________________
2009 Outlander 800R
HMF Swamp Series exhaust
29.5 Outlaws on SS Rims
Custom intake and cvt snorkel
Rebuilt motor after spun crank bearing

2012 Commander 1000 Ltd
///Airdam primary clutch with machined secondary
Rest of bike is stock but not for long

2007 Ktm sxf 450
Stock
(yes it will smoke both of the can am's with no problem)

1985 Honda 350x 3 wheeler
Stock except for tires
Runs like it was just put together yesterday and doesn't smoke!!!

2006 Honda foreman 500
HMF exhaust
26 mudlites on SS rims

Source: http://www.can-amforum.com/forums/can-am-outlander/39630-how-much-worth.html

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Hurricane Sandy expected to make landfall early Tuesday

SHIP BOTTOM, N.J.?

With much of the Eastern Seaboard in the path of a rare behemoth storm, residents of the nation's most densely populated corridor contemplated whether to heed dire warnings of torrential rain, high winds and up to 2 feet of snow.

"You know how many times they tell you, 'This is it, it's really coming and it's really the big one,' and then it turns out not to be?" said Alice Stockton-Rossini as she packed up to leave her home a few hundred yards from the ocean in Ship Bottom, N.J.

"I'm afraid people will tune it out because of all the false alarms before, and the one time you need to take it seriously, you won't. This one might be the one."

Hurricane Sandy ? upgraded again Saturday just hours after forecasters said it had weakened to a tropical storm ? was barreling north from the Caribbean and was expected to make landfall early Tuesday near the Delaware coast, then hit two winter weather systems as it moves inland, creating a hybrid monster storm.

Even if Sandy loses strength and makes landfall as something less than a hurricane, the combined storm was expected to bring misery to a huge section of the East. An 800-mile wide swath of the country could see 50 mph winds regardless of Sandy's strength.

Experts said the storm could be wider and stronger than Irene, which caused more than $15 billion in damage, and could rival the worst East Coast storm on record. On Saturday morning, forecasters said hurricane-force winds of 75 mph could be felt 100 miles away from the storm's center.

Up and down the coast, people were cautioned to be prepared for days without electricity. Jersey Shore beach towns began issuing voluntary evacuations and protecting boardwalks. Atlantic City casinos made contingency plans to close, and officials advised residents of flood-prone areas to stay with family or be ready to leave. Several governors declared states of emergency. Airlines said to expect cancellations and waived change fees for passengers who want to reschedule.

"Be forewarned," Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. "Assume that you will be in the midst of flooding conditions, the likes of which you may not have seen at any of the major storms that have occurred over the last 30 years."

In North Carolina's Outer Banks, light rain was falling Saturday and winds were building up to a predicted 30 to 50 mph. A steady stream of campers and other vehicles hauling boats were leaving the low-lying islands for the mainland. Residents feared a temporary bridge built after Irene last year poked a new inlet through the island could be washed out again, severing the only road off Hatteras Island.

In Ship Bottom, N.J., Russ Linke was taking no chances Saturday. He and his wife secured the patio furniture, packed the bicycles into the pickup truck and headed off the island.

"I've been here since 1997, and I never even put my barbecue grill away during a storm, but I am taking this one seriously," he said. "They say it might hit here; that's about as serious as it can get."

At a Home Depot in Freeport, on New York's Long Island, Bob Notheis bought sawhorses to get his furniture off the floor inside his home.

"I'm just worried about how bad it's going to be with the tidal surge," he said. "Irene was kind of rough on me and I'm just trying to prepare."

After Irene left millions without power, utilities were taking no chances and were lining up extra crews and tree-trimmers. Wind threatened to topple power lines, and trees that still have leaves could be weighed down by snow and fall over if the weight becomes too much.

New York City began precautions for an ominous but still uncertain forecast. No decision had been made on whether any of the city's public transportation outlets would be shut, despite predictions that a sudden shift of the storm's path could cause a surge of 3 to 6 feet in the subways.

The subway system was completely shuttered during Irene, the first such shutdown ever for weather-related reasons. Irene largely missed the city, but struck other areas hard.

In upstate New York, Richard Ball was plucking carrots, potatoes, beets and other crops from the ground as quickly as possible Friday. Ball was still shaky from Irene, which scoured away soil, ruined crops and killed livestock.

Farmers were moving tractors and other equipment to high ground, and some families pondered moving furniture to upper stories in their homes.

"The fear we have a similar recipe to Irene has really intensified anxieties in town," Ball said.

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/4KrZnrCac3Y/la-naw-hurricane-sandy-treks-north-20121027,0,3732235.story

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Silvio Berlusconi convicted in Italy of tax fraud

FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2012 file photo, Italian former premier Silvio Berlusconi reacts during a press conference in Rome, Italy. A court in Italy has convicted, Friday, Oct. 26, 2012, former Premier Silvio Berlusconi of tax fraud and sentenced him to four years in prison. In Italy, cases must pass two levels of appeal before the verdicts are final. Berlusconi is expected to appeal. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2012 file photo, Italian former premier Silvio Berlusconi reacts during a press conference in Rome, Italy. A court in Italy has convicted, Friday, Oct. 26, 2012, former Premier Silvio Berlusconi of tax fraud and sentenced him to four years in prison. In Italy, cases must pass two levels of appeal before the verdicts are final. Berlusconi is expected to appeal. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

In this photo released by the Berlusconi press office Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012, former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi tapes a video message where he announces he will not run for a fourth term as premier in spring elections. Berlusconi has until now been coy about his intentions. But the three-time former premier posted a statement on his movement's website yesterday, under the headline: "I won't run for premier.", following today with a video where he confirmes his intentions. (AP Photo/Livio Anticoli, Berlusconi press office)

FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2012 file photo, Italian former premier Silvio Berlusconi wipes his forehead during a press conference in Rome, Italy. A court in Italy has convicted, Friday, Oct. 26, 2012, former Premier Silvio Berlusconi of tax fraud and sentenced him to four years in prison. In Italy, cases must pass two levels of appeal before the verdicts are final. Berlusconi is expected to appeal. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 9, 2011 file photo, Italian former premier Silvio Berlusconi grimaces during a press conference in Rome, Italy. A court in Italy has convicted, Friday, Oct. 26, 2012, former Premier Silvio Berlusconi of tax fraud and sentenced him to four years in prison. In Italy, cases must pass two levels of appeal before the verdicts are final. Berlusconi is expected to appeal. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, File)

File- In this Thursday, March 8, 2012 file photo, then Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, left, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, center, and then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, smile during their meeting in the mountain resort of Krasnaya Polyana near the Black Sea resort of Sochi, southern Russia. A court in Italy has convicted former Premier Silvio Berlusconi of tax fraud and sentenced him to four-years in prison. Berlusconi is expected to appeal. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Presidential Press Service)

MILAN (AP) ? Just two days after announcing he won't run in spring elections, former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to four years in prison Friday in a verdict that could see him barred from public office for five years.

Berlusconi, after dominating Italian politics for nearly two decades, has seen his power weakening in the last year as a sex scandal tarnished his image and he was forced to resign as premier after failing to convince financial markets that he could come up with convincing reforms to shield Italy from Europe's debt woes.

In the latest blow, the 76-year-old billionaire media mogul received the stiffest sentence among the four co-defendants convicted in a scheme that involved inflating the price his media empire paid for TV rights to U.S. movies and pocketing the difference. And the sentence was more than the three years and eight months sought by prosecutors.

The court, which began hearing the case in 2006, also said Berlusconi could not hold public office for five years or manage any company for three years, penalties that would take force only if the conviction is upheld on two levels of appeal.

In a statement, Berlusconi's lawyers condemned the verdict as "absolutely incredible," and said they would appeal. Berlusconi is expected to remain free while two levels of appeal are exhausted.

However, a corruption bill drafted by the technical government headed by Premier Mario Monti, who replaced Berlusconi, would bar anyone convicted at the trial level from seeking office.

Berlusconi denounced the conviction as "unreal" and the case as politically motivated ?as he has the numerous charges against him mostly for business dealings since entering political life in 1994. Berlusconi stayed away from the Milan tribunal, where his lawyers on Friday were defending him in a separate courtroom on charges of having paid for sex with an underage Moroccan teen and trying to cover it up.

"It is a political conviction that I can define perfectly well as incredible and intolerable," Berlusconi said in a phone call to his Italia 1 private network Friday evening.

He denied that there was any connection between his decision to step aside and allow another center-right candidate to seek the premiership in spring elections.

"My lawyers and I never thought that such a conviction would be possible," Berlusconi said.

The court read its reasons for the conviction immediately in court, a rare occurrence given they have 90 days to write them. It was a sign that the judges want to speed the case along to the appellate level before the charges expire, sometime next year or early 2014.

"He has been around this particular block more than a few times," said Alexander Stille, who has written several books on Italy. "I don't see ? partly given his advanced age and the nature of power in Italy ? him doing jail time."

Berlusconi has been convicted in the past at the trial level. But the convictions have always either been overturned on appeal or seen the statute of limitations run out.

Roberto D'Alimonte, a political science professor at Rome's LUISS University, said Italians won't change their minds based on the conviction.

"Foreigners will be surprised, but not Italians," D'Alimonte said.

The real impact will be in whether the provision barring those convicted at the trial level from office will make it through Parliament in the corruption bill. "It is something to monitor," D'Alimonte said.

Prosecutors allege the defendants were behind a scheme to purchase the rights to broadcast U.S. movies on Berlusconi's private television network and falsely declared the payments to avoid taxes. They said the defendants then inflated the price for the TV rights of some 3,000 films as they relicensed them internally to Berlusconi's networks, pocketing the difference amounting to around ?250 million.

A total of 11 people were on trial.

Three were acquitted, including a close associate of Berlusconi, Fedele Confalonieri, chairman of Mediaset.

Berlusconi and three others were convicted, including a Hollywood producer, Frank Agrama, who received a three-year sentence. The four convicted must deposit a total of ?10 million ($13 million) into a court-ordered fund while the appeals proceed.

Four defendants were cleared because statute of limitations had run out on their charge.

Berlusconi is not the first former Italian premier to be convicted of criminal charges.

Former Socialist Premier Bettino Craxi eluded an arrest warrant and turned up at his villa in Tunisia in 1994 after a court in Italy charged him in a corruption case. He was tried in absentia, convicted and sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison, never returned to Italy and died in exile. Craxi was considered Berlusconi's mentor thanks to his opening to private television in Italy from a state monopoly.

Former seven-time Christian Democrat premier, Giulio Andreotti, was convicted of involvement in a Mafia murder. But he was cleared on appeal and never went to jail.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-26-Italy-Berlusconi%20Trial/id-2ade18968692403480a84e922ed10f33

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Video: First Lady encourages Jimmy Kimmel to vote

Sandy bringing floods, winds, snow -- but where?

The entire Northeast coast was told Friday to be prepared for potential flooding, high winds and even snow early next week as Hurricane Sandy made its way north after killing 41 people in the Caribbean.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/49574263#49574263

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Looters strip Bulgaria of ancient treasures

ARCHAR, Bulgaria?? On the banks of the Danube, in the northwest corner of Bulgaria, lie the remnants of an ancient Roman settlement called Ratiaria, host to a priceless cultural heritage. Craters pockmark the huge site, evidence of a scourge threatening one of the world's great troves of antiquities: looters digging for ancient treasure to sell on the black market.

Archaeologist Krasmira Luka, who heads a team excavating part of the 80 hectare (200 acre) site, says the area has been repeatedly raided by thieves who dig pits looking for ancient coins and jewelry. Everything else, including precious ceramic vessels and other historically significant artifacts, is smashed to pieces.

"Destroying the items is not just a crime, it's an irreparable tragedy," Luka said, looking out at a moonscape littered with shards of ceramics or glassware destroyed by the diggers. "The day after our team leaves the site, the diggers are in place. It's an uneven battle."

Located on the crossroads of many ancient civilizations, Bulgaria is ranked by its scholars as behind only Italy and Greece in Europe for the numbers of antiquities lying in its soil. But Bulgaria has been powerless to prevent the rape of its ancient sites, depriving the world of part of its cultural legacy and also costing this impoverished Balkan nation much-needed tourism revenue.

Police reports indicate that every day up to 50,000 people are engaged in treasure hunting raids across Bulgaria, a country of 7.3 million. According to Angel Papalezov, a senior police officer, hundreds of thousands of artifacts are smuggled out of the country every year, with dealers hauling in up to $40 million.

But Ratiaria is the most drastic example of the looting that has been going on over the last 20 years, since the fall of communism. The first excavations here were carried out by Bulgarian archaeologists between 1958 and 1962. They were renewed in 1976 by an Italian team, but lack of funding forced them to leave the site in 1991.

Western experts call Ratiaria a world-class archaeological site that is under grave threat.

"Ratiaria has a great archaeological and historical significance not just of regional and national importance to Bulgaria but internationally for the study of the Roman Empire," said Jamie Burrows, an archaeologist at the Nottingham University, who has spent several years working at Ratiaria.

"Such a site could have been Northwest Bulgaria's 'Pompeii', bringing wealth to a poor region in need of such tourism," he said in an email to The Associated Press. "Without quick efficient action this opportunity may sadly be missed."

Ancient sites were protected during communist times by a strong fear of the omnipresent police and harsh punishments for any law-breaking activity. Since the collapse of the totalitarian system, many have taken up looting to earn a living. Organized by local mafia, looting squads that have mushroomed all over the country are well equipped with metal detectors, bulldozers, tractors and even decommissioned army vehicles.

Bulgaria hosts some of the most unique and vulnerable cultural resources in Europe.

In addition to the numerous Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age settlement mounds, there are significant remains of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine urban centers. Perhaps most notable among Bulgarian antiquities are the remains of the Thracians, a powerful warrior kingdom conquered only by Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire. The best known Thracian remains in Bulgaria are tombs and burial mounds which contain stunning gold and silver work.

In early October, some 5,000 Roman items were handed over to the National History Museum in Sofia. They were seized at a border crossing with Serbia, just few miles (kilometers) west of Ratiaria.

Presenting the collection, museum director Bozhidar Dimitrov said that he was glad to have the lost treasure back ? but also saddened because it was proof of how widespread illegal treasure hunting was in Bulgaria.

Through the broken windows of a deserted house on the Ratiaria site, there are pits up to three meters deep dug by looters under the floor.

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"It was bought by looters who have used it as a shelter where they can dig without being bothered by police," Luka said. If they get caught, they usually claim they are on their way to hand over the find to the museum.

Coins and other treasures found by looters are sold to people who smuggle them abroad. Roman items from Ratiaria can be found in auction houses and antiquity collections around the world. For the looters in a part of Bulgaria declared by Eurostat, the EU's statistical agency, as "the European Union's poorest region," the site represents an almost irresistible temptation.

Luka told the story of three men from the nearby village or Archar, who had found a golden coin and sold it to smugglers for 1,500 euro, which equals the amount of four monthly average salaries in Bulgaria. "Months later the same coin was sold in Germany at a price many times higher," Luka said.

"But it is not only the looters with the shovels who are responsible," Luka said, "there are a lot of people up the chain, and they enjoy the highest protection." Over the last two decades, she said, organized crime groups have constantly bribed police officers, prosecutors and local officials who have sheltered their illegal activities. Those who usually get caught and sentenced, however, are from the lowest level of the well-organized scheme.

With more than 50 percent of the 2,700 inhabitants of Archar jobless, Mayor Emil Georgiev seems unable to stop the daily attacks of looters seeking the treasure that is supposed to change their life.

"Usually they work late at night or at weekends or holidays," the mayor said, adding that some 20 villagers have been convicted over the last year and ordered to serve different terms of probation by performing community service.

"Recently we received government funds that guarantee jobs for just eight people who will work as guards at the archaeological site," Georgiev said, raising his shoulders when asked how such a small group can protect the huge area.

In Vidin, the main city of the region, the newly appointed district governor, Tsvetan Asenov, said that preserving the archaeological site and opening it up for tourists was one of his priorities, but complained that this was not easy in a time of acute economic crisis.

Experts say they have no way to gauge the extent of the pillaging.

"There are hundreds of tombstones and statues in local museums, but what we don't know exactly is how many more such relics were smuggled out of the country and are now in Italy, Munich or Vienna," said Rumen Ivanov, Roman History professor at the National Institute of Archaeology.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49571353/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Syrian toddler thought dead reunited with parents - KWQC-TV6 Home

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS
Associated Press

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) - Media in Cyprus are hailing it as a miracle.

A 2-year-old Syrian boy who was believed dead after his family inadvertently left him behind as they fled shelling in Damascus last summer has been reunited with his parents in Cyprus, a lawyer said Friday.

"You can imagine how they felt when they were told their son was alive after bearing all this guilt thinking that he was dead," lawyer Stella Constantinou told The Associated Press.

The story of little Bushr Al Tawashi's survival evokes every parent's nightmare.

No one knows exactly how long Bushr wandered about alone in the rubble of his family home before rebel fighters sweeping through the Al Kaboun suburb found him and handed him over to another family to look after, Constantinou said.

In their chaotic haste to escape fighting between government troops and Syrian rebels, Bushr's father Machhour Al Tawashi and his mother Arin Al Dakkar had assumed the boy was picked up by other members of their extended family who had been staying with them, the lawyer said.

Heavy fighting prevented the parents from going back to search for Bushr once they found temporary shelter at a refugee camp and realized that he was missing, she said.

Believing he did not survive the shelling, his parents and their other two sons aged 4 and 6 arrived in Cyprus on Aug. 6 in search of asylum, some two weeks after they had lost track of Bushr.

But word that the boy was safe eventually reached the parents, who now live in the coastal town of Limassol.

Macchour told the AP through an interpreter that someone had recognized Bushr, since everyone knows each other in their tight-knit community, and called the family in Cyprus to deliver the good news.

The family then sought Constantinou's help to bring him to this Mediterranean island, which lies 64 miles (103 kilometers) east of Syria.

Macchour's sister, who had joined the family in Cyprus, volunteered to return to Damascus on Sept. 9 to take care of Bushr until arrangements for his return could be made. She is now being prevented from leaving the Syrian capital, the lawyer said, without elaborating.

The Cypriot Foreign Ministry expedited the process once Bushr's parents provided proof that he was their child. Bushr's father then travelled to the Lebanese capital of Beirut where he was reunited with the boy at the Cypriot Embassy. He brought Bushr back to the island on Thursday.

"I can't describe how I felt when I saw him, just overjoyed at seeing him again," Macchour said Friday. "At first he didn't recognize me, but then they embraced and he started calling out 'Father, Father.'"

Macchour said although he still has relatives in Syria, his home was flattened like half of the buildings in Al-Kaboun and there's no way he'll ever go back.

"Absolutely not," the father said.

Activists say some 35,000 people have been killed in Syria since an uprising against President Bashar Assad's government began in March 2011.

Constantinou said the toddler was just happy to be in his mother's arms again and calling out to his older brothers.

She said what drove her to make sure that the family was reunited was that she became emotionally involved.

"As a grandmother of a 2-year-old myself, there's nothing I wouldn't do to get that boy back to his parents," she said.

.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.kwqc.com/story/19921916/syrian-toddler-thought-dead-reunited-with-parents

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Ashley Greene and Reeve Carney: It's Over!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/10/ashley-greene-and-reeve-carney-its-over/

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Sprint Q3 2012 Misses, Down $.26/Share On Revenues Of $7.3B, Reports 1.5M iPhones Sold

Sprint, newly acquired by Japanese SoftBank for $20.1 billion earlier this month, has just announced earnings results for the third quarter, perhaps showing just how fortunate this acquisition will be for the company. For the period ending September 30, the company reported negative EPS of $.26 on revenues of $7.3 billion, an increase of nearly 6 percent year-over-year. That’s down from revenues of $8.8 billion in Q2 2012. The company also reported an operating loss of $231 million. Sprint missed Wall Street expectations, as analysts estimated that Sprint would lose $.44 per share with revenues of $8.8 billion. As always the iPhone plays a central role in Sprint’s story, and this quarter the company says it’s activated 1.5 million iPhones. That’s flat from1.5 million last quarter, and 40 percent of that represents new customers. Postpaid subscriber base grew with net additions of 410,000. Verizon and AT&T both just reported their third quarter numbers, with both selling a whopping 3.1 million and 4.7 million respectively. Obviously, Sprint can’t quite match these numbers just yet but the increase in post-paid subscribers compared to the same quarter last year is true evidence that the plan is working. An infusion from Japanese SoftBank would go a long ways, considering both companies have so much in common (the iPhone, LTE frequencies, a bronze medal or two). Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) today reported wireless service revenues of nearly $7.3 billion during the quarter, an increase of nearly 6 percent year-over-year. Wireless service revenues for the Sprint platform grew 14 percent year-over-year driven by postpaid ARPU growth of $3.01 and continued subscriber growth. The company reported a net loss of $767 million and a diluted net loss of $.26 per share for the third quarter of 2012 as compared to a net loss of $301 million and a diluted net loss of $.10 per share in the third quarter of 2011. Sprint?s third quarter 2012 results include accelerated depreciation of $397 million, or negative $.13 per share (pre-tax), primarily related to Network Vision, including the expected shutdown of the Nextel platform. The Sprint platform postpaid subscriber base grew for the tenth consecutive quarter, with net additions of 410,000 driven by a postpaid Nextel recapture rate of 59 percent and best ever third quarter churn. Sprint recorded approximately 1.5 million iPhone? sales in the third quarter with 40 percent representing new customers. The company also surpassed 1

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/tTzCQbEJpPc/

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5 family members shot, 3 dead, in LA suburb

A police officer is seen down the street from the two-story home, background, where one person was found shot to death in Downey, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012. Five people were shot and at least two died in shootings at a business and a residence in the Los Angeles suburb Wednesday, according to Downey police Lt. Dean Milligan. The shootings occurred shortly after 11 a.m. at a business and at a nearby home, where family members of the business owner live. A woman was found dead at the home, he said. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

A police officer is seen down the street from the two-story home, background, where one person was found shot to death in Downey, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012. Five people were shot and at least two died in shootings at a business and a residence in the Los Angeles suburb Wednesday, according to Downey police Lt. Dean Milligan. The shootings occurred shortly after 11 a.m. at a business and at a nearby home, where family members of the business owner live. A woman was found dead at the home, he said. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

A police officer stands outside a two-story home, right, where one person was found shot to death in Downey, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012. Five people were shot and at least two died in shootings at a business and a residence in the Los Angeles suburb Wednesday, according to Downey police Lt. Dean Milligan. The shootings occurred shortly after 11 a.m. at a business and at a nearby home, where family members of the business owner live. A woman was found dead at the home, he said. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

Police investigators stand outside a family-owned business, United States Fire Protection Services, in Downey, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012. Five people were shot and at least two died in shootings at the business and a residence in the Los Angeles suburb Wednesday, according to Downey police Lt. Dean Milligan. The shootings occurred shortly after 11 a.m. at a business and at a nearby home, where family members of the business owner live. A woman was found dead at the home, he said. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

People talk to police outside a family-owned business, United States Fire Protection Services, in Downey, Calif. Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012. Five people were shot and at least two died in shootings at the business and a residence in the Los Angeles suburb Wednesday, according to Downey police Lt. Dean Milligan. The shootings occurred shortly after 11 a.m. at a business and at a nearby home, where family members of the business owner live. A woman was found dead at the home, he said. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Police investigators are seen outside a family-owned business, United States Fire Protection Services, in Downey, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012. Five people were shot and at least two died in shootings at the business and a residence in the Los Angeles suburb Wednesday, according to Downey police Lt. Dean Milligan. The shootings occurred shortly after 11 a.m. at a business and at a nearby home, where family members of the business owner live. A woman was found dead at the home, he said. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

DOWNEY, Calif. (AP) ? Police in suburban Los Angeles say they're certain of this much: Five family members who were shot ? three of them killed ? had been targeted by the gunman.

But that led to a pair of major uncertainties: Who shot them, and why?

"We do not believe this was a random act of violence," Downey police Lt. Dean Milligan said hours after the shooting Wednesday. "We do believe there is a specific reason this family was targeted and we want to know why."

The suspect shot three people at a family-owned fire extinguisher business Wednesday morning, then two more at a family home nearby before fleeing in a 2010 black Camaro that belonged to a victim or a member of their family, police said.

Three of the five victims died and the two survivors, including a 13-year-old boy, remained in critical condition, Milligan said.

The violence began just after 11 a.m. in this working class city about 20 miles southeast of Los Angeles when someone from United States Fire Protection Services Inc. called 911 to report a shooting. A few minutes after police arrived, the injured 13-year-old called dispatchers from the house down the same street, Milligan said.

Police declined to release the identities of the victims pending the notification of family members, but a neighbor said the fire business is owned by a group of brothers.

Dean Wright, who owns the septic supply business next door, said he didn't hear gunfire, but the sound of someone yelling, "hey," caught his attention. When he looked outside, police officers with guns drawn surrounded the building.

One of the owners he identified as Robert told him that the gunman shot his mother in the face, injuring her, and killed a secretary. At the family's home, the shooter fatally shot the wife of another brother and injured the teenage boy, Wright said.

Wright wasn't sure about the identity of the fifth victim, but police said a man was also killed at the business.

Wright said the two dead women each had three children.

"So now there are six children without mothers because of this idiot," Wright said. "It makes me just want to throw up."

The woman and teenager were originally at the business, but somehow got to the home in the Camaro before being shot. Police don't yet know if they drove themselves or were kidnapped by the suspect. There was no sign of forced entry at either location and police believe the suspect spoke with the victims at both locations before the shooting began.

Authorities were initially concerned about the safety of a small boy, age 4 or 5, related to the victims, but he was found unharmed at school.

The suspect does not appear to be a former employee, friend or family member and the teenager did not recognize him, Milligan said.

Police have not been able to interview the woman survivor at length because of her injuries. Witnesses told other news media that they saw her bleeding from the head outside the business.

No witnesses to the shootings other than the victims have come forward and police were reviewing surveillance footage in hopes it would give them a glimpse of the shooter.

United States Fire Protection Services is in an industrial strip across from a large Coca-Cola Co. bottling plant. The family owned business sells professional firefighting gear and equipment such as hoses and extinguishers, according to its website.

In the first hours after the shooting, as news media gathered outside police tape, a man who said his wife worked at the business showed up at the crime scene and said he needed to know if she was safe.

An officer pointed him toward a command post and he pushed past cameras and paced frantically with a cellphone to his ear before leaving a few minutes later.

Blanca Parker, who works in another business on the street, said the owners were very friendly and very aware of security.

"They were hard working," Parker said. "They worked seven days a week, 24-7."

Wright, who has owned the House of Wright for 40 years, said the area is relatively safe, but he said the fire business had a robbery a few years ago.

"I've never seen nor heard of anything close to this," he said. "I was driving to work this morning and thanking the good Lord for how much I love coming to work."

He said he'd have something else to think about now.

___

Associated Press video journalist Raquel Maria Dillon in Downey and staff writers Robert Jablon, Greg Risling and Brian Melley contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-10-25-Suburban%20Shooting/id-af84402ff7ba40d38df69243d5b8af92

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The value of disclosure in social media: keep your readers from ...

Blogs used to be a place to go for an honest, unbridled opinion ? be it on a product, current event or campaign. Now, whenever I see a cool product on a blog or read a review, I find myself second-guessing the source. Each post begs the question: would I even be reading about this product, business or event if money hadn?t exchanged hands?

? Stephanie Fusco, Let?s talk about disclosure, baby

When I first started blogging in 2006, we were all learning to navigate this new world together. Social media culture was in its infancy. There were few rules and we were a long way from any talk about government regulation. Best practices started evolving and were ever changing. Words like transparency, trust, authenticity, credibility and disclosure were mentioned often. Many of us ?early adopters? felt adhering to those principles helped us maintain our integrity and build our reputations online. Things aren?t any different today, if you want to build your online reputation or increase your ?social capital?, you?ll need to earn and maintain the trust of your readers and of your community.

?What Price Integrity?

That?s the name of the panel Gini Dietrich, Danny Brown and I were on at PodCamp Toronto2011, and referenced in Stephanie Fusco?s blog post quoted above. Our focus was on the importance of disclosure and transparency for both bloggers and brands. It was shortly after the United States? Federal Trade Commission (FTC) updated their Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

As part of those guidelines, the FTC mandated brands and the agencies representing them, with ensuring the bloggers they work with disclose their material relationships with brands to their readers. In Canada, although we?re legally responsible for what we share about products and services, we don?t have similar guidelines that address social media or blogs specifically. However, that doesn?t mean we?re exempt, especially not if we?re working with marketers in the U.S. Similar regulation may come to Canada and when it does, regulators will play close attention to our neighbours south of the border.

Disclosure is not limited to blogs

Disclosure isn?t limited to blogs, it extends to paid engagements, product or recipe sampling, event attendance and anything else directly from or on behalf of the brand that has the potential to influence content published on blogs and other social media. The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) has clear guidelines pertaining to disclosure in social media. WOMMA outlines the responsibilities of both ?Marketers? and ?Advocates?. ?Advocate? refers to a blogger or anyone else sharing content in social media as a result of their relationship with a brand.

With so many product ambassadors, perks and sponsored blog posts, it?s becoming more difficult for readers to distinguish a blogger?s organic content from a sponsored post. Whether true or not, there?s an underlying feeling that bloggers who are compensated may not be objective in their writing. Smart bloggers know either way, the value they bring both to brands and their readers is when they?re sharing honest accounts about their personal experiences.

Sponsored posts can and should be honest and objective in order to build trust, even if they?re not always favourable to the brand. Think about it for a minute. When you search for product reviews, are you more likely to purchase something that only has favourable reviews? Generally, people have more confidence in product reviews that appear balanced, clearly identifying pros and cons.

Disclosing your affiliation with a brand is simple. First, add a disclosure statement on your blog that outlines how you work with brands, particularly if you have a review site.

Disclosure guidelines

Here are some examples from WOMMA?s Social Media Disclosure Guide* you can adapt for personal use:

Personal and Editorial Blogs

• I received product/sample/information from company name, or
• Company name sent me product/sample/information

Product Review Blogs

• I received product/sample/information from company name to review, or
• I was paid by company name to review

Providing Comments in Online Discussions and/or Reviews

• I received product/sample/information from company name, or
• I was paid by company name, or I am an employee [or representative] of company name

Microblogs

Include a notation that reasonably discloses any material connection, such as:

• A short phrase indicating that a specific type of ?material connection? exists
• URLs indicating that a specific type of material connection exists and directing people to a ?Disclosure and Relationships Statement.?
• Any of the following hashtags:

Status Updates on Social Networks

• I received product/sample/information from company name, or
• I was paid by company name

*Posted with permission from WOMMA

The best way to ensure your reputation remains intact is to write honestly, objectively and clearly disclose any relationship(s) you have that may influence your writing. Nothing is more valuable that the trust you build with your readers and once you?ve lost that you?ve got nothing. It?s near impossible to gain it back.

What about you ? do you feel you gain more credibility and trust with you readers when you disclose relationships you have with brands? Why or why not?

Eden Spodek is a digital communications strategist with a unique perspective on emerging media. Client-side, agency-side and high profile blogger and community builder, she?s seen the digital world from all sides. She?s happiest helping colleagues and clients to be a little disruptive, challenging the status quo and how people think about brands. Eden is also outspoken about the importance of building online engagement and targeted relationships, one influencer at a time. Eden is based in Toronto and can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram where she loves sharing photos of her adventures in food.

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Source: http://www.foodbloggersofcanada.com/2012/10/the-value-of-disclosure-in-social-media-keep-your-readers-from-second-guessing-the-source/

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