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Thursday, May 31, 2012
Elegance of Natural Hard Wood Flooring
The aesthetic beauty that comes naturally with the use of wooden flooring is simply incomparable. With the use of wooden flooring, every other aspect of the house undergoes a dramatic change. A room which looked good, starts looking great and a great looking room acquires an aura which is very difficult to define. Great looks are a singular gift of the such flooring, but that is not the only gift. In terms of maintenance and hygiene, wooden flooring have lots of advantage over conventional concrete flooring.
Wooden flooring is definitely a wise choice over conventional flooring. The mere look of wooden renders a very green and calm feeling to the dwellers of the house. Hygiene which is such a major concern for every one of us, is very satisfactorily taken care of with the use of hardwood floor.
Unlike concrete floors and carpets, the possibility of harmful organisms living on the floor is almost completely negated with wooden floors. Besides being hygienic, another advantage is the ease of maintenance. Wooden floor just need normal mopping or vacuuming to look great for years and years together. Additionally a wooden flooring greatly enhances the value of the property where it used. And the most important and advantageous aspect of wooden flooring is the durability. Even with minimum maintenance, a wooden floor can last up-to a hundred years or even more. Yes, a hundred years, isn't that incredible. The best concrete flooring cannot be expected to last so much, even if the best maintenance practices are followed.Wood flooring can be of many types. Hardwood flooring, engineered flooring, reclaimed wood flooring and many others. The choice that one gets in wood flooring in immense. Every type of wood flooring has its own unique charms and benefits.
Reclaimed wood flooring as the name suggests, is the reuse of old wood articles for flooring purposes. Old wood is sourced from out of used boats, old factories, out of used furniture, wine barrels, wooden ceilings etc. Reclaimed wood has certain charm to it because of the history associated to the wood being used. Hardwood flooring is defined as a kind of wood flooring where each plank consists of a single piece of wood. Because of its very nature, hardwood is more expensive than others but the high expense is compensated by more durability and less maintenance and moreover hardwood can be directly installed over any concrete floor.
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Justin Bieber Causes Chaos In Norway
Singer asks fans to obey police as outdoor concert turns into mob scene.
By John Mitchell
Justin Bieber performs in Oslo, Norway
Photo: Getty Images
Justin Bieber attracts a crowd wherever he goes, but things got a little out of hand in Norway on Wednesday as the pop star kicked off the European promo tour behind his new album, Believe.
Bieber was in the Scandinavian country's capital city, Oslo, to perform a free six-song concert outside of the Oslo Opera House, but the site was quickly overrun by several thousand fans, who at one point began chasing after a car presumed to be transporting Bieber to the concert location while ignoring police warnings and causing a spike in mobile usage that briefly crippled cellular service in the city.
Police reportedly threated to cancel the performance — and, according to TMZ, nearly declared a state of emergency — before Bieber took to Twitter to try to calm his legion of fans.
"Please listen to the police. I don't want anyone getting hurt. I want everything to go to plan but your safety must come first," Bieber tweeted. "For the show to happen u must all listen to the police. We are all concerned for your safety and I want what is best for u. Please listen."
The "Boyfriend" singer's words of caution apparently tamed fans enough, and police allowed the show to proceed. However, officials demanded Bieber push the start time back by half an hour so scene security would not deteriorate further.
Billboard reports that an on-scene security officer said "about 15 girls passed out."
Police cite the venue chosen as one of the key issues that contributed to the chaotic scene: "The concert should be held somewhere other than roof of the Opera, which has clear space limitations," a police official told the Norwegian NRK news service.
The concert was filmed as part of Bieber's upcoming "Justin Bieber: All Around the World" TV special, which follows the singer on his 12-day, seven-country promo tour. The special is set to air at 8 p.m. June 21 on NBC. Bieber is currently on his way to Paris for his next appearance.
This isn't the first time Bieber's presence has resulted in an out-of-control scene: In November 2009, a teenage girl was injured and several fights broke out as thousands descended on the Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, New York, in what devolved into a stampede ahead of the singer's scheduled appearance there. Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, was charged with reckless endangerment and criminal nuisance for failing to properly control the situation after receiving police warnings about potential problems at the venue. Those charges were later dropped.
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Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Video: Break Up Big Banks?
JPMorgan Chase has sold an estimated $25 billion of profitable securities in an effort to prop up earnings after it lost $2 billion in the "London Whale" story, with Brian Gardner, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, and Jim Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Insti...
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Low credit score unsecured loans: Handle Every Unfair Situation ...
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Monday, May 28, 2012
Male Penis Enhancement ? Enlarge Your Penis Naturally With ...
A low sex drive can impact our relationships and also can wreck marriages, intercourse may not be an important thing but it is rather necessary to have a sexual reference to out partner. This permits us to connect nearer to our companions and ensure our relationships are successful.
Does a Penis Extender Work
One of the oldest known male enhancement exercises is known as Jelqing, a.k.a., milking, which workout routines the smooth muscle and different tissues in the penis.
There are many products being offered to men. There are males who see no hurt in improving what they have already got and there are men who are determined to discover a strategy to elevate the libido. If you are feeling determined then it is very important that you just find a product that is reliable. What you want is a product that is straightforward to use. Such a product needs to be in the form of a tablet or a tonic.
So you can think about you probably have the appropriate mixture what it might do for you sexually. Along with these herbs, penis workout routines are also very effective. With the combination of natural herbs and penis workout routines you will be able to add inches to your penis very fast.
To use this method you will first apply a lubrication to the shaft and then massage your shaft into a semi-erect state. This pure male penis enlargement is not going to work if your penis is totally erect or absolutely flaccid.Now grip the bottom of your shaft with one hand. Ensure you grip the penis tight sufficient, however not too tight. You?ll then grip your penis with your different hand and start working your hand up to the head of your penis from the base.
Penis Extender Australia
Pills are just one of many many different male herbal supplement accessible for men. They?re made out of all natural herbs and it?s safe to use. In contrast to surgery, it is going to be a gradual but steady progress toward gaining a larger and thicker penis. You will need to arrange a plan for the usage of these natural supplements and keep on with it. Easy directions ought to include the acquisition of the product.With natural supplement, you will most positively be pleased with the results. Through the use of a male enhancement product, you?ll not solely boost your sexual life, however it is going to additionally boost your confidence.
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PFT: Bears have doubts about Forte's knees
Getty ImagesBills QB Ryan Fiztpatrick got a frank, candid critique of his 2011 season from new quarterbacks coach David Lee.
Dolphins RB Reggie Bush talks about the fast tempo of the team?s new offense.
Jets QB Tim Tebow defended the kid whose diploma was delayed because he Tebowed at graduation.
Patriots WR Brandon Lloyd may have had nothing to do with the disappearance of WR Chad Ochocinco?s cherished Starbucks card, but Lloyd already is on his way to taking Chad?s job.
Steelers LB Larry Foote is filling the leadership void created by the departure of James Farrior.
Ravens LB Brendon Ayanbadejo thinks the team?s special-teams will be the best yet under special-teams-coordinator-turned-head-coach John Harbaugh.
Newly-signed Bengals first-rounder Kevin Zeitler plans to buy something he?s never owned . . . a car; ?The parking in Madison is crazy and expensive,? Zeitler said.? ?It?s not worth it. When I went home I?d borrow my parents?.? Now I?ll be able to get one and pay some bills.?
Browns CB Sheldon Brown is trying to help his young teammates become responsible; ?You have to make up your mind early and I think it?s important to be a professional,? Brown said.? ?You can?t be one of the guys and be cool, this and that and make it in this league.? This is your livelihood.? This is how you support your family and friends and it?s very important that you?re held accountable to your teammates.?
Colts owner Jim Irsay says the team won?t be on HBO this year, we think; ?We can?t be on Hard Knocks . . . we simply aren?t qualified 2b TV Stars!?
Texans owner Bob McNair says the city, not the team, should do the bulk of the work when it comes to luring the Super Bowl back to Houston.
Titans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer says RB Chris Johnson has been working hard in the offseason.
A legal fight is looming between Jacksonville and the Jaguars regarding the management of Everbank Field.
The Chiefs plan to change Dexter McCluster?s position designation from RB back to OW.
New Chargers defensive backs coach Ron Meeks is teaching not by telling but by showing.
Raiders CB Ron Bartell says he?s 100 percent following a 2011 neck fracture.
So much for reasonable expectations in Denver; Elvis Dumervil says, ?It?s a big year for us as an organization.? We?re going for the ?ship.?
The good news?? The folks at the Cowboys? officials website have identified 10 position battles to watch in Dallas.? The bad news?? They present it in the always-annoying multi-click slideshow format.
Redskins G.M. Bruce Allen has been visiting with fans, and they all want to know about is the man known as RG3.
Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell calls CB Brandon Bing ?Bada,? something Bing has likely never heard before . . . especially in New Jersey.
So far, QB Mike Kafka is the clear choice for No. 2 in Philly.
The Vikings have more time at training camp this year because the dorms in which the team stays will be demolished after the Vikings leave.? (There?s a Love Boat joke lurking in there, somewhere.)
Now that he?s won Dancing With The Stars, Packers WR Donald Driver will try to cash in, off the field.
Lions P Ryan Donahue is ready to fend off Australian Ben Graham.? (?That?s not a kick . . . that?s a kick.?)
Bears LB J.T. Thomas could have drug charges dropped before the regular season starts.
Panthers coach Ron Rivera thinks ?the sky may be the limit? for QB Cam Newton.
Falcons OL Justin Blalock has partnered with the Atlanta Symphony.
Saints DT Akiem Hicks hopes that his unconventional route to the NFL will make him a better player.
Second-year TE Luke Stocker is getting a much better chance to prepare for football season.
49ers LB Patrick Willis and WR Randy Moss fish when they wanna fish.
Cardinals DE Calais Campbell tells PFT Live that getting big money won?t change his game.
New Seahawks DT Jaye Howard credits former Seahawks defensive line coach Dan Quinn for improving Howard?s pass-rushing skills.
Rams WR Brian Quick missed his flight back to St. Louis from the Rookie Premiere because he was wearing his headphones.? (Maybe he really is another T.O.)
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Mulroneys are parade marshals
Every time the Frontier Days parade headed down Central Avenue in Fort Dodge for the past 20 years, Mike and Cindy Mulroney were too busy to watch most of it.
That's because they were doing all the chores needed to make the annual event happen flawlessly.
The Mulroneys were the principal organizers of the parade from 1992 to 2011. But this year, they'll be leading it as the grand marshals. And after they ride down Central Avenue wearing the traditional blue cavalry hats, they will sit in the reviewing stand to relax and watch the parade.
The Fort Dodge couple was recently named the parade grand marshals by the committee organizing this year's Frontier Days event.
''The Mulroneys' continous community service, hard work and dedication make them exactly what Fort Dodge is all about,'' Kerk Friday, a member of the Frontier Days committee, said in a written statement.
Mike Mulroney said he and his wife were ''just kind of amazed that we would be selected.''
He said that in the past, the parade grand marshals were people with what he called a ''big vision'' for the community. As examples, he cited Bill Ryan, who established Frontier Days, and Leo Crimmins, a successful businessman who donated a building to Iowa Central Community College.
Cindy Mulroney said she and her husband weren't the only people who made the annual parades a success. She said businesses provided supplies and dozens of volunteers offered their time.
''People just volunteered,'' she said. ''If we forgot to contact people, they would contact us.''
Mike and Cindy Mulroney weren't the only ones in their family working on the parade. Their son, Michael, worked right alongside them,
''He's always, always been our right-hand man,'' she said.
The Mulroneys moved to Fort Dodge in 1991, and watched the Frontier Days parade that year. Cindy Mulroney recalled that they stood in the 1300 block of Central Avenue to watch it. She added that there was a torrential downpour that day.
Mike Mulroney said they both wanted to get involved in their new community, so he approached Ryan about helping with Frontier Days. Ryan invited them to a planning meeting.
''We came back to the second meeting and they said, you're in charge of the parade,'' he said.
They were commissioned as captains in the parade corps of the Fort Dodge Dragoons, the organization which used to organize Frontier Days.
Cindy Mulroney said they enjoyed working on the parade every year.
''It's been our pleasure, honestly,'' she said.
Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net
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Health Fitness-1 | Acupuncture Online School
David | May 26, 2012 | Comments 0 | 44 views
You?ll find useful details about staying healthy and keeping fit right here. In time, Thousands of fitness regimens and lifestyle solutions have been introduced within the, Enough to keep people creativity with sound. Some of these referrals work, When others fail miserably. Let our experts fill you in on their own physical fitness secrets to keep you on the right path for a healthier mind and body.
If you want to flex those muscles and get a lean body, Our category on Exercise Nutrition is just exactly what you need. Learn all the exercise and weight loss guidelines you develop a firm, Fit human. Find various chest and abdominal training exercises, Learn how to lose weight quickly and safely, And create a healthy diet plan. Our fitness specialists will advise you on how to atmosphere good.
To read additional info on massage therapy, Aromatherapy, Relaxation, Herb teas, Yoga and a lot more, Consult our alternative healthcare articles. You?ll find astonishing alternative treatments for many sinus congestion to painful hemorrhoids.
To stay healthy means to be free of ailments and issues. Having said that, We have also put up sections to keep you informed about treatment and protection against various illnesses. Find information about serious diseases and relatively benign health concerns alike. Flu and allergy blinds abound, As well as first aid advice and concerning cosmetic surgery.
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Copyright! If you want to copy our original articles, you must leave the links embedded and mark the source URL !
Filed Under: Acupressure News
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Friday, May 25, 2012
Apple applies for optical stylus patent, Hell reports coldest day on record
Apple has famously shunned the humble stylus, so it's fair to say we're more than a little curious about why it's filed a patent application for one. The "optical stylus" mentioned seems simple enough. The claims outline the brains to interpret your doodlings, as well pressure and orientation. Beyond that, well, it's more or less just a stylus. While we suspected the team at Cupertino were fans of Draw Something, we didn't think they'd take it this seriously!
Apple applies for optical stylus patent, Hell reports coldest day on record originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 07:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Will Migraine Surgery Work For Me? | Baby care | Health and Fitness ...
If you?ve been existing with migraines for years, or smooth months, without much improving despite medication and lifestyle changes, you?re apparently wondering if there?s something other you can do. Migraine surgeries are promising treatments for numerous individuals, but they are not guaranteed to act. Plus, as with all surgical procedures, they convey certain health risks and verge effects. No article can say for sure whether you power benefit from migraine surgery, but in that place is a lot of information you can read before you go to see your personal doctor to debate the possibility of a surgical procedure.
Foremost Things First
Before you jump over right towards an operation, create sure you?ve tried other usage methods. Are you on migraine prevention medication in adding to the pills that wipe out your headaches at the time they happen? Have you made lifestyle changes that hold been proven to aid in migraine obstruction? These are all questions that a of medicine professional will ask, and you?ll most probable need to try these avenues preceding you proceed to surgery. Of course, numerous people do not want to be on medication permanently, and others actual observation nasty side effects. For a few, medication does not act at all.
A Test
If you?ve tried everything but surgery, in this place?s a way to establish some probability that surgery power of determination offer you some relief from your migraines. It may whole crazy, but Botox has been extremely successful in predicting whether a enduring will respond positively to these operations. That which happens is that Botox is injected into your front. A majority of migraine sufferers announce a decrease in frequency, duration, or intenseness of their headaches. Of these tribe, a vast majority (some say shut to ninety percent) will favor from migraine surgery.
Take Caution
Of race, before you sign up for some Botox injections, you necessity to schedule a consultation with your of medicine professional. You need to be aware of the possible side effects of Botox as well as the surgery itself. Moreover, even if you respond well to the Botox injections, in that place?s absolutely no guarantee that the surgery power of determination have any effect on your soundness at all. Plus, any surgery at all carries the danger of complications, particularly when anesthesia is involved.
Lengthy Story Short
Ultimately, no one can bestow you an answer that?s completely indubitable. While surgeries do help more individuals, others have had multiple types through no effect at all. You can?t know before you shrink. If you?re interested in trying, as we?ve said, shrink by contacting your doctor to debate all your options.
For more intelligence about migraine surgery go to see our website http://themigrainesurgery.com/.
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Skyrocketing California Workers' Compensation Costs Reason for ...
Last month, the Workers? Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) published their annual Insurer Experience Report. The report is a review and analysis of 2011 experience submitted by California workers? compensation insurers, representing almost 100% of the statewide market.
The report shows that all California workers? compensation insurers combined paid out a total of $8.4 billion in 2011, the highest recorded losses in 7 years. On the flip side, the California insurance industry only netted $7.9 billion in billed premiums (after deductible credits), ending in the red to the tune of $500 million for the year.
However, some of the most troubling 2011 insurance data comes from the California Workers? Compensation Institute (CRCI) April bulletin. The publication, which provides insights into the California workers? compensation market, reviews the cost of workers? comp indemnity claims. In it, they report indemnity insurance claims in 2011 reached a record high average of almost $67,000 PER CLAIM. Rising medical costs and claim severity account for these increased costs.
What is an Indemnity claim?
Generally speaking, indemnity claims relate to payments for lost wages, loss of earning potential, or a permanent disability due to an injury sustained on the job. However, there are three main types of indemnity claims:
An employee generally qualifies for temporary indemnity after missing more than seven days of work due to a work-related injury that leads to a disability.
If an employee is slightly injured but still able to work in a modified capacity, then they may qualify for workers? compensation payments, in addition to the income they are able to earn, based on a percentage equal to their average pre-injury wage.
- Injured and Unable to Work
Often, if injured employees are unable to return to work, they receive a lower indemnity benefit while on partial or temporary disability. For example, they may receive 2/3 of their average pre-injury weekly income.
The cost of most of these claims can be mitigated by a proactive effort by your risk management department. Ultimately, a positive attitude and educated workforce can help keep your workers? compensation rates at bay. These risk management efforts will be discussed in future posts.
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Total Recall: Will Smith's Best Movies
We count down the best-reviewed work of the Men in Black III star.
He's been a chart-topping rapper, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and the undisputed king of the July 4 movie blockbuster, but Will Smith has never been the subject of a Total Recall -- so we're repenting for the error of our ways with this week's list, written in honor of Smith's return as Agent J in Men in Black III. You'll obviously find some of the biggest hit films of the last 15 years in here, but Big Willie Style isn't always about the big-budget smash hit; his filmography actually contains a few eclectic diversions that may surprise you. Let's find out how many of your favorites made the cut!
58%
Isaac Asimov's classic short story collection had a long journey to the screen -- and when it finally arrived in 2004, the end result bore little more than a passing resemblance to its literary namesake. It may have disappointed purists, but I, Robot was another in a line of hit summer films for Smith -- and although its transformation into a big-budget action thriller may have sacrificed thought-provoking subtext along the way, it was still enough for Nev Pierce of the BBC, who argued, "Whether there's anything substantial under the sheen and CGI of Alex Proyas' glistening future vision is debatable, but this enjoyable, engrossing picture is at least intelligently artificial."
61%
After establishing himself as an action star with Bad Boys, Smith kicked off a string of July 4 blockbusters with Independence Day, Roland Emmerich's 1996 ensemble sci-fi thriller about the worldwide chaos unleashed when an armada of terribly unfriendly aliens stops by Earth for a visit. With a worldwide gross of over $815 million, Independence Day was the biggest hit of the year, and although Smith had a lot of help along the way, his wisecracking heroics were a big part of what inspired critics like Empire's Angie Errigo to hail it as "a throwback to traditional entertainment with an old-fashioned, gung-ho good time thrilled up by '90s-style state-of-the-art technology."
66%
Otherwise known as the film that proved Will Smith's cinematic dynasty would eventually extend to his kids, The Pursuit of Happyness used the real-life story of Chris Gardner's journey from homeless single parent to stockbroker as the basis for an inspirational drama starring Smith alongside his son Jaden, who was all of eight when the movie came out (and stole the picture anyway). It takes a special kind of performance to make audiences believe a multimillionaire box-office king as a desperate dad on the brink of losing everything, and Smith delivered it here; as Tom Meek wrote for the Boston Phoenix, "Smith turns in a career-capping performance, and director Gabriele Muccino ingeniously turns the material inward, cautioning us all to be grateful for what we have, for we're closer to the edge than we think."
67%
Smith trained for a year to prepare himself for the title role in Michael Mann's Muhammad Ali biopic, both inside the ring and out, with a workload that included everything from live sparring to Islamic studies and time with a dialect coach. While Ali ultimately packed a somewhat disappointing punch at the box office, where its $87 million gross failed to earn back its budget, all that preparation paid off handsomely for Smith, who walked away with a Best Actor Oscar nomination -- as well as glowing reviews from critics like Jay Carr of the Boston Globe, who wrote, "Smith makes contact with enough of Ali's swagger, sweetness, wit, and pride to convince us that justice is being done to the boxing champion."
69%
Romantic comedies get a pretty bad rap, but when they're put together with enough sensitivity and skill, the results can be pretty hard to resist. Case in point: 2005's Hitch, starring Smith as a legendary "date doctor" who's playing matchmaker for a schlub (Kevin James) and his celebrity crush (Amber Valletta) while wooing a gossip columnist (Eva Mendes) whose latest assignment puts her on an unwitting collision course with Hitch. It's all familiar stuff, but that was just fine with critics like Terry Lawson of the Detroit Free Press, who wrote, "Smith and Mendes are terrific together. He brings her game up so high you'd think she has had as many good parts as Smith."
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Nokia 808 PureView Hands-On: A Superb Camera (With a Phone Attached) [Nokia]
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Saturday, May 19, 2012
Hawks keeping Drew as coach for 2012-13 season
ATLANTA (AP) ? Larry Drew is returning for his third season as the Atlanta Hawks' coach despite the team's first-round exit from the playoffs.
The Hawks announced Friday the team is exercising its option on Drew's contract for next season.
"Larry did an outstanding job this season in guiding our team to the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference, despite a condensed schedule and unfortunate injuries," said general manager Rick Sund.
"The Hawks have reached the postseason in each of his years on the bench, and we feel Larry's experience, expertise and dedication to the game were a key ingredient to our success."
Drew led the Hawks to a 40-26 regular-season record before the team lost to the Boston Celtics in six games in the first round of the playoffs. It was a step back for the franchise after three straight second-round appearances.
Atlanta had the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference despite losing All-Star center Al Horford for all but 11 games of the regular season. Horford returned in Game 4 of the Celtics series.
The Hawks also lost Joe Johnson, Zaza Pachulia, Kirk Hinrich and other players for stretches of six or more games.
"This group, we never really got to show what we're capable of," Horford said last week.
Pachulia, who was Horford's top backup, missed the Celtics series with a chipped bone in his left foot. Third-string center Jason Collins started the first four games of the series.
Drew said he and his staff "endured a lot of unexpected things."
"Obviously when you lose an All-Star at the beginning of the season, you have to make some adjustments and you've got to kind of change your way of thinking of how you deal with the team now," Drew said last week. "Certainly when you have factored a guy in for the entire season and then he won't be there, you've got to change some things around, particularly the mindset of the rest of the team."
Drew said he did a good job of keeping the team playing hard.
"It's something I take a lot of pride in and spend a lot of time on," he said. "Player relationships are very important and how you deal with it, how you deal with your best player all the way down to the guy who may not dress out during games.
"I thought I did a good job with that. I thought my staff did a good job with that. We can only control so much, but the one thing we tried to control is that those guys when they come to that gym they come out and play hard for you every single night, and I thought we got that."
Drew is 84-64 in two regular seasons and 8-10 in the playoffs. The Hawks were 17-16 on the road this season, the team's first winning record away from Atlanta in 13 years.
The team's five starters and Pachulia are under contract for next season. Nine players are free agents, and Sund's contract expires on June 30.
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Documents shed new light on Trayvon Martin killing
This combo made from Feb. 27, 2012 photos released by the State Attorney's Office shows George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot Trayvon Martin. The photo and reports were among evidence released by prosecutors that also includes calls to police, video and numerous other documents. The package was received by defense lawyers earlier this week and released to the media on Thursday, May 17, 2012. (AP Photo/State Attorney's Office)
This combo made from Feb. 27, 2012 photos released by the State Attorney's Office shows George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot Trayvon Martin. The photo and reports were among evidence released by prosecutors that also includes calls to police, video and numerous other documents. The package was received by defense lawyers earlier this week and released to the media on Thursday, May 17, 2012. (AP Photo/State Attorney's Office)
This Feb. 26, 2012 photo released by the State Attorney's Office shows what appears to be the body of Trayvon Martin under a yellow tarp after he was shot by George Zimmerman. The photo and reports were among evidence released by prosecutors that also includes calls to police, video and numerous other documents. The package was received by defense lawyers earlier this week and released to the media on Thursday. (AP Photo/State Attorney's Office)
This Feb. 27, 2012 photo released by the State Attorney's Office shows George Zimmerman, the neighborhood?watch volunteer who shot Trayvon Martin, with blood on the back of his head. The photo and reports were among evidence released by prosecutors that also includes calls to police, video and numerous other documents. The package was received by defense lawyers earlier this week and released to the media on Thursday, May 17, 2012. (AP Photo/State Attorney's Office)
This Feb. 27, 2012 photo released by the State Attorney's Office shows George Zimmerman, the neighborhood?watch volunteer who shot Trayvon Martin. The photo and reports were among evidence released by prosecutors that also includes calls to police, video and numerous other documents. The package was received by defense lawyers earlier this week and released to the media on Thursday, May 17, 2012. (AP Photo/State Attorney's Office)
This Feb. 27, 2012 photo released by the State Attorney's Office shows George Zimmerman, the neighborhood?watch volunteer who shot Trayvon Martin. The photo and reports were among evidence released by prosecutors that also includes calls to police, video and numerous other documents. The package was received by defense lawyers earlier this week and released to the media on Thursday, May 17, 2012. (AP Photo/State Attorney's Office)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) ? Trayvon Martin was shot through the heart at close range. George Zimmerman had a broken nose, bruises and bloody cuts on the back of his head.
The lead investigator in the case wanted to charge Zimmerman with manslaughter in the weeks after the shooting but was overruled.
These are among the details revealed in nearly 200 pages of documents, photos and audio recordings released Thursday in a case that's riveted the nation. Yet it's still unclear what exactly happened and whether it was racially motivated.
The evidence supports Zimmerman's contention that he was being beat up when he fired the fatal shot. At the same time, it bolsters the argument of Martin's parents that Zimmerman was profiling Martin and that the whole confrontation could have been avoided if not for Zimmerman's actions.
Many of the pertinent questions remain unclear: What was in Zimmerman's mind when he began to follow Martin in the gated community where he lived? How did the confrontation between the two begin? Whose screams for help were captured on 911 calls? And why did Zimmerman feel that deadly force was warranted?
Another opportunity for answers isn't likely to come until a hearing later this year in which Zimmerman is expected to claim the shooting was justified under Florida's "stand your ground" law. Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, didn't return a phone call seeking comment Thursday.
Martin's autopsy indicated that medical examiners found THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, when they tested Martin's blood and urine. The amount described in the autopsy report is such a low level that it would have played no role in Martin's behavior, said Larry Kobilinsky, a professor of forensic science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.
"This kind of level can be seen days after somebody smokes," Kobilinsky said. "If it comes up in the case, I would be surprised. It wouldn't benefit the defense, it wouldn't benefit the prosecution, and if the defense tried to bring it up, the judge would keep it out."
A police report shows the 17-year-old had been shot once in the chest and had been pronounced dead at the scene. The autopsy says the fatal shot was fired from no more than 18 inches away.
The evidence supporting Zimmerman's defense includes a photo showing the neighborhood watch volunteer with a bloody nose on the night of the fight. A paramedic report says Zimmerman had a 1-inch laceration on his head and forehead abrasion.
"Bleeding tenderness to his nose, and a small laceration to the back of his head. All injuries have minor bleeding," paramedic Michael Brandy wrote about Zimmerman's injuries in the report.
Whether Zimmerman was injured in the Feb. 26 altercation with Martin has been a key question. The 28-year-old has claimed self-defense and said he only fired because the unarmed teenager attacked him.
Zimmerman was not arrested for weeks because he invoked Florida's "stand your ground" law, which does not require a person to retreat in the face of a serious threat. He was released on bail and is in hiding while he awaits trial on a second-degree murder charge. He has pleaded not guilty.
Other evidence supports the contention of Martin's parents that Zimmerman was the aggressor.
The investigator who called for Zimmerman's arrest, Christopher Serino, told prosecutors that the fight could have been avoided if Zimmerman had remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of law enforcement. He said Zimmerman, after leaving his vehicle, could have identified himself to Martin as a concerned citizen and talked to him instead of confronting him. The report was written on March 13, nearly a month before Zimmerman's eventual arrest.
He said there is no evidence Martin was involved in any criminal activity as he walked from a convenience store to the home of his father's fiancee in the same gated community where Zimmerman lived.
The lawyer for Martin's parents seized on the investigator's recommendation.
"The police concluded that none of this would have happened if George Zimmerman hadn't gotten out of his car," said attorney Ben Crump. "If George Zimmerman hadn't gotten out of his car, they say it was completely avoidable. That is the headline."
The release of evidence did little to clear up whose voice is screaming for help in the background of several 911 calls made during the fight.
Since first hearing the calls in early March, Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, has been unequivocal in saying that it was her son's voice on the tapes.
But Serino wrote in a report that he played a 911 call for Martin's father, Tracy, in which the screams are heard multiple times.
"I asked Mr. Martin if the voice calling for help was that of his son," the officer wrote. "Mr. Martin, clearly emotionally impacted by the recording, quietly responded 'no.'"
Zimmerman's father also told investigators that it was his son yelling for help on March 19.
"That is absolutely positively George Zimmerman," Robert Zimmerman said. "He was not just yelling, he sounded like he was screaming for his life."
Investigators sent all the recordings to the FBI for analysis. They were asked to determine who was screaming, and also if Zimmerman might have used an expletive in describing Martin. Prosecutors said in their charging documents that Zimmerman said "(expletive) punks" in describing Martin as he walked in the neighborhood.
But the analyst who examined the recordings determined the sound quality is too poor to decipher what Zimmerman uttered. In regards to the screams during the altercation, there also wasn't enough clarity to determine who it is "due to extreme stress and unsuitable audio quality."
The trajectory of the bullet ? straight through Martin's body ? doesn't shed light on whether Zimmerman and Martin were standing or on the ground, Kobilinsky said.
Kobilinsky added he thought the evidence diminished prosecutors' case for second-degree murder.
The case has become a national racial flashpoint because the Martin family and supporters contend Zimmerman singled Martin out because he was black. Zimmerman has a Peruvian mother and a white father.
Two acquaintances painted an unflattering picture of Zimmerman in police interviews.
A distraught woman told an investigator that she stays away from Zimmerman because he's racist and because of things he's done to her in the past, but she didn't elaborate on what happened between them.
"I don't at all know who this kid was or anything else. But I know George, and I know that he does not like black people. He would start something. He's very confrontational. It's in his blood. We'll just say that," the unidentified woman says in an audio recording.
A man whose name was deleted from the audio told investigators said he worked with Zimmerman in 2008 for a few months. It wasn't clear which company it was.
The man, who described his heritage as "Middle Eastern," said that when he first started, many employees didn't like him. Zimmerman seized on this, the employee said, and bullied him.
Zimmerman wanted to "get in" with the clique at work so he exaggerated a Middle Eastern accent when talking about the employee, the man said. The employee told investigators that Zimmerman made reference to terrorists and bombings when talking about him.
"It was so immature," said the employee, who ended up writing a letter to management about Zimmerman.
Zimmerman's parents say he wasn't racist. They say he had mentored black students and had a black relative.
In a police interview, Zimmerman's father, Robert, described the toll the case had taken on family members who also are in hiding because of safety concerns.
"It just seems like it's an avalanche and I'm standing at the bottom of it," Robert Zimmerman said.
___(equals)
Associated Press writers Tamara Lush and Mitch Stacy in Tampa, Matt Sedensky in West Palm Beach, Curt Anderson, Kelli Kennedy and Christine Armario in Miami contributed to this report.
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Halladay ends skid
Philly pitcher gets first win since April 16 as Philadelphia prevails 8-7
APRoy Halladay threw eight strong innings for his first victory in a month and the Philadelphia Phillies held on for an 8-7 win over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night.
By CHICAGO
updated 11:28 p.m. ET May 17, 2012
Roy Halladay threw eight strong innings for his first victory in a month and the Philadelphia Phillies held on for an 8-7 win over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night.
Halladay (4-3) hadn't won since April 16, a span of five starts, and had lost three straight decisions to match a career high, but held the Cubs to three runs and scattered seven hits. The two-time Cy Young winner has allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight of his nine starts this season.
Chicago's Welington Castillo's stroked a two-out, three-run double in the ninth against Phillies LHP Jake Diekman to close the gap to two runs. Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon came on and allowed an RBI single to Darwin Barney, but got Reed Johnson on a grounder to third for his 11th save of the season.
While Halladay ended his modest skid, Cubs starter Chris Volstad (0-6) suffered his 19th straight start without a win. He lasted just two innings, allowing four runs, six hits and three walks. Volstad threw 58 pitches, a total Halladay didn't reach until there was one out in the sixth.
Carlos Ruiz had his sixth career four-hit game and drove in three runs as the Phillies won a season-best fifth straight game. Jimmy Rollins had two hits, a walk and scored three runs. Hunter Pence added a two-run single.
Philadelphia (20-19) moved over .500 for the first time since winning its season opener.
The Cubs may have lost three straight, but Volstad hasn't won since July 10, 2011. He's gone 0-11 during his drought with a 5.40 ERA. His ERA rose to 7.46 for this season and it could have been worse -- the Phillies stranded five runners during his two innings.
In addition to the bases-clearing double, Castillo homered and drove in a career-high four runs.
Volstad's run support has been the lowest in baseball during his skid among pitchers with at least 15 starts, but his results have been increasingly poor in recent outings. He's allowed 15 runs over his last 17 innings, with 19 hits, eight walks and just four strikeouts.
Halladay had lost five of his last six games against Chicago before dominating Thursday's game. He even chipped in with two hits and a run at the plate for his third career multi-hit game.
Ruiz leads NL catchers with 27 RBIs and is 9 for 14 over his last four games. He even stole his first base of the season on the back end of a double steal in the first.
Starlin Castro hit solo homers and drove in two runs for Chicago. David DeJesus had two hits and a run, extending his hitting streak to nine games.
NOTES: Phillies 2B Chase Utley reported no problems after taking grounders for the first time this season before Wednesday's game. Utley has spent the entire season on the disabled list because of patella tendinitis in his right knee. No timetable has been established for his return. . C Geovany Soto was a late scratch from the Cubs' lineup due left knee inflammation and was replaced by Castillo. Soto is listed as day-to-day. . Before the game, the Cubs selected the contract of RHP Blake Parker from Triple-A Iowa and optioned LHP Scott Maine to Iowa. Parker was 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in the minors and converted all five of his save opportunities. He made his debut in Thursday's game, striking out Ty Wigginton to begin his big-league career, but allowed three unearned runs on his own throwing error in the eighth. . Phillies 3B Placido Polanco sat out with a bruised left knee. He left Wednesday's game after fouling a pitch off his leg, something he's done several times over the last week.
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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??Roy Halladay threw eight strong innings for his first victory in a month and the Philadelphia Phillies held on for an 8-7 win over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night.
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TORONTO (AP) - Jose Bautista and J.P. Arencibia each hit two-run home runs, Drew Hutchison won consecutive starts for the first time and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 4-1 Thursday night, sweeping their two-game series.
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El Nino could cut global 2012/13 cocoa output: ICCO
LONDON (Reuters) - Possible El Nino weather conditions later this year could exacerbate a potential global cocoa deficit in the coming 2012/13 season, causing prices to climb, the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) said.
"We know that when we have El Nino conditions it's likely that this will impact negatively on world cocoa production. We would have less production and this would have an impact on price," ICCO statistician Laurent Pipitone told Reuters.
"If we are in a period when we have already a deficit, and in addition we have this factor that adds to the deficit, the impact on price would be even higher," he added.
El Nino - the warming of the Pacific Ocean leading to a shift in weather patterns - caused a drop of 2.4 percent in world cocoa output on average when it occurred over the last 60 years, according to ICCO data.
Such a drop equates to around 100,000 tonnes of cocoa at current production levels, Pipitone said.
The ICCO has predicted a deficit of 71,000 tonnes in 2011/12 (October-September), after a record surplus the previous year, when ideal weather boosted West African output.
West Africa produces around two thirds of the world's cocoa, led by Ivory Coast.
ICE cocoa futures prices hit a 32-year high in March last year after a disputed presidential election saw a temporary ban on cocoa exports in Ivory Coast, but prices have since fallen by around 40 percent.
Pipitone said that crop prospects for the tail of West Africa's 2012/13 October-March main crop along with the 2012/13 April-September mid crop was most at risk from potential El Nino weather conditions later this year.
The ICCO bases its expectations on whether there will be El Nino conditions on predictions from the The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology.
"A lot of the dynamical models are leaning towards a weaker El Nino developing," said Mike Halpert, deputy director of the Climate Prediction Centre, an office under the NOAA.
"But given that it is still a fairly long lead forecast we're not likely to say anything more definitive on whether we'll see El Nino develop later this year until June at the earliest."
Five out of seven of the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology's forecast models indicate El Nino conditions from September 2012, according the Bureau's website.
SOFT SPOTS
The effect of El Nino weather events on the cocoa crop differs according to the duration, severity and time in the crop cycle at which the weather arrives.
Such weather typically means drier conditions in Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Indonesia, the third's largest cocoa producer, where the harvest has fallen 2.4 percent on average during past El Nino periods.
West Africa also sees lower rainfall, with average drops of 2.03 percent and 1.72 percent in the world's first and second largest producers, Ivory Coast and Ghana.
But the worst affected country is Ecuador, where the cocoa harvest shrinks 6 percent on average during El Nino, according to ICCO data.
Though it accounts for just 4.5 percent of world cocoa, Ecuador is the world's fastest growing producer, and its output is expected to grow to 175,000 tonnes in 2011/12.
Pipitone said Ecuador's production was growing at a rate of around 10 percent per year.
Ecuador supplies about half of the world's fine cocoa beans, favoured for high-quality chocolate in Belgium, Switzerland, Italy and France, meaning El Nino weather could affect luxury chocolate brands in particular.
Fine cocoa beans from different countries each have a particular flavour, Pipitone said, meaning luxury brands cannot easily switch from one bean to another in the case of scarcity.
"When there is a reduction of production in Ecuador it has a great impact on the finer flavour market," Pipitone said.
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GM to drop Facebook ads due to low consumer impact
DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co said on Tuesday it will stop advertising on Facebook, even as the social networking website prepares to go public.
A source familiar with the automaker's plans said GM's marketing executives decided Facebook's ads had little impact on consumers.
While GM's decision could be an exception in the advertising world, it marked the first highly visible crack in the Facebook strategy, said Brian Wieser, Internet and media analyst at Pivotal Research Group.
"This does highlight what we are arguing is the riskiness of the overall Facebook business model," he said. "It is not a sure thing. It sure looks likely that it will be one of the most important ad-supported media properties, but it's not certain because there will be marketers who are challenged to prove the effectiveness of the marketing vehicle."
Facebook Inc, founded eight years ago by Mark Zuckerberg in a Harvard dorm room, is expected to start trading on the Nasdaq on Friday. The world's No. 1 social networking site raised its IPO price range on Tuesday, potentially giving the company a valuation of more than $100 billion.
GM said it will still have Facebook pages, which cost nothing to create, to market its vehicles. GM pays no fee to Facebook for its pages, which allow the automaker to reach consumers directly.
GM said it regularly reviews how it spends its marketing budget and adjusts its approach as needed.
"It's not unusual for us to move our spending around various media outlets - especially with the growth of multiple social and digital media outlets," the company said in a statement.
"In terms of Facebook specifically, while we currently do not plan to continue with advertising, we remain committed to an aggressive content strategy through all of our products and brands, as it continues to be a very effective tool for engaging with our customers," GM said.
NO. 3 U.S. ADVERTISER
GM spends about $40 million on its Facebook presence, but only about $10 million of that is paid to Facebook for advertising, according to the Wall Street Journal which first reported GM's plans to drop Facebook ads. The remaining budget covers the creation of content and the advertising and media agencies involved, the newspaper said.
GM, the country's third-largest advertiser behind Procter & Gamble Co and AT&T Inc, spent $1.11 billion on U.S. ads last year, according to Kantar Media, an ad-tracking firm owned by WPP Plc. About $271 million of GM's total ad spend last year was for online display and search ads excluding Facebook advertising.
Facebook ads make up a small percentage of GM's advertising budget, but the company said it is committed to the website to market its vehicles.
For instance, the Facebook page for the Chevrolet Sonic small car as of 2000 GMT on Tuesday had more than 423,000 "likes." The first three months of Sonic's marketing campaign which began last October were exclusively digital, with TV ads not running until early this year.
REACHING YOUNGER CONSUMERS
While GM rival Ford Motor Co said it was committed to advertising on Facebook, the social media site is just one part of the No. 2 U.S. automaker's marketing strategy.
"You just can't buy your way into Facebook," said Ford spokesman Scott Monty. "You need to have a credible presence and be doing innovative things."
More than 20 percent of Ford's marketing budget is spent on digital and social media, he said. The company launched its new Explorer SUV on Facebook.
Automakers are increasingly turning to social media sites to reach younger consumers on their turf for less than a tenth of the cost of a traditional marketing campaign.
Ford first used social media on a wide scale to promote the Fiesta small car in 2009 in a campaign dubbed the "Fiesta Movement." It spent $5 million on the campaign for the car, which was returning to the U.S. market after roughly three decades.
After the Fiesta campaign, Ford said 60 percent of Americans who said they would buy a small car within two years said they were familiar with the Fiesta. That kind of recognition would cost $100 million through traditional means, the company said.
Most of Facebook's corporate clients, like Ford, are satisfied with the return they get from their ads, said Jason Beckerman, chief strategy officer for Unified, which helps companies analyze the impact of marketing campaigns on social networking sites. In addition to Ford, clients at his firm include German automaker BMW, P&G and Microsoft Corp.
Beckerman, who has worked with Facebook in the past, said companies tend to be dissatisfied when they simply "throw money" at social networking sites. "Without the proper planning and structure of your buys, you are asking for little to no results."
(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit, additional reporting by Deepa Seetharaman and Bernie Woodall in Detroit, Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco and Jim Finkle in Boston; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz and Matthew Lewis)
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