WASHINGTON (AP) ? Production of pure cocaine in Colombia declined by 25 percent in the last year, according to a U.S. government survey of drug production.
Drug czar Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said Monday that potential cocaine production in the South American country has dropped by 72 percent since 2001. Colombia now ranks third, behind Peru and Bolivia, in production of pure cocaine, he said.
"Potential production of pure cocaine in Colombia is down to 195 metric tons from 700 metric tons in 2001, the lowest production potential level since 1994 and the first time since 1995 that Colombia is producing less cocaine than either Peru of Bolivia," Kerlikowske said in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Kerlikowske' s office said the drop in Colombia cocaine production has coincided with a decline in U.S. cocaine overdose deaths, positive workplace drug tests, the purity of cocaine available for street purchase and domestic cocaine seizures.
"Let me add some context to these results. They didn't happen overnight, there was a sustained effort requiring nearly a decade of steady, strategic pressure across more than one administration in both the United States and Colombia.
Kerlikowske said the decline in production is largely the result of Plan Colombia, a $7.5 billion U.S.-backed effort launched in 1999 to help the Colombian government crack down on a left-wing insurgency and drug organizations.
"The results are historic and have tremendous implications, not just for the United States and the Western Hemisphere, really globally," Kerlikowske said.
Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos said the decline is part of his country's overall strategy of cutting off funding sources for drug traffickers. Speaking in the town of Rio Negro, north of Bogota, Colombia, he said it was good news that Colombia is now third in cocaine production.
Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said the government is also making strides in seizing cocaine, pointing to the confiscation of about 300 tons of the drug in the last two years.
U.S. Ambassador Michael McKinley told El Tiempo newspaper that "the numbers demonstrate historic advances in ending the fight against drugs in Colombia."
Speaking Monday, Kerlikowske said while the decline in Colombian production is a positive development, it is not a sign that powerful and deadly drug cartels are going out of business. Instead, he said, these groups, including those waging a drug war against each other and the government in Mexico, will "turn to anything illegal that makes money."
___
Associated Press writer Libardo Cardona contributed to this report from Bogota, Colombia.
Note: At least one journalist is needed to start. There is no limitation to number of characters.
Link: roleplay/hidden-peril/
After recent murders, kidnappings and bomb plots in the land of Faisalistan, a group of journalists set out to get a good story on the fights between insurgents and the Faisali government. But they underestimate the situation and put themselves in great danger, especially because no one knows who could be an insurgent. Even a young pregnant civilian woman or an old man could be one. Soon after, landing in Faisalistan, their bus runs over an IED killing the bus driver and one passenger. Luckily the journalists have only gotten minor or less severe injuries. After that incident, they always get out alive somehow. Hopefully they will be about to write a good story on their personal experiences. On their way to find a good catch, they meet many people but some are, without the journalists knowing, insurgents.
Faisalistan: Faisalistan is a nation with desert in the south and Mediterranean woodlands to the north. It is about twice the size of France and has a population of 48 million. Its capital is Allehakur. Notable cities are Khoraz, Melundas and Saif. The countries main industries are carpet weaving, moped manufacturing, silk, olives, plums, some resources of oil and plum liquor. The average GNP per capita is about $9000. The nations currency is the Faisali Dinira. Many roads and highways are paved except for those leading towards villages. The Faisali government is a pro-Western democracy. The military is fairly small at 20000 troops. Most of the military weapons are outdated and of soviet origin.
Faisali culture: The Faisali culture is in family matters matriarchal, but otherwise genders have almost equal rights. The men in traditional clothing normally wear a tunic in black, blue, brown or red, a turban and sometimes a scarf. They also wear long pants made of linen normally coloured dark blue and sandals. Women normally wear as traditional clothing a embroidered dress in white or a white tunic with white or black pants and sandals. Their clothing includes a small round cap with similar patterns to a beanie just in red or shades of blue. Less common among women are tall round hats. Hooded cloaks are often worn on windy or cold days. Women only wear veils when there is a sand storm. The Faisalis are proud of their heritage and see culture as something important. They often have parties on Saturdays after visiting the Tayyib, their temple of worship. They believe in a religion where there is one goddess who has many male and female consorts. One denomination views these consorts as lower gods and goddesses. Their religion is believe to be oppressive against male rights by other nations although this isnt the case. Faisalis are known for their hospitality, even though it is known that they have killed enemies in their sleep or have staged accidents in which their enemies have died after staying in their house. Because of this, people from the neighboring nations view Faisalis either as sinister assassins or as backstabbers.
Faisali architecture: Faisalis normally live in limestone houses that can go from one floor to five floors depending on the size of the family. In larger cities, taller buildings and some skyscrapers are noticeable.
Faisali language: Faisali is mostly viewed as an isolated language with many loanwords from Persian, Arabic, Russian and Punjabi. Some language researchers say it is a language with its own branch within the Indo-Iranian language family with very distant parallels to Persian but also to Indian languages.
The people: Faisalis are normally tanned like many peoples in the Middle and Near East. They have been described as one of the most beautiful peoples on the planet. But often bad dental care pulls this image down.
The insurgents cause: The insurgents are believed to be angry towards the government due to the governments pro-Western stance and the recent construction of an international military base. The complete disregard for the nations culture and traditions actually triggered the attacks.
After college, Erica Shames moved to New York City and worked several years as an editorial assistant and freelance writer for publications such as National Lampoon magazine and The Aquarian Weekly, where she interviewed many music celebrities, including John Cougar Mellencamp, Gloria Gaynor, Maureen McGovern, Thin Lizzy, the Little River Band and others. Her work also includes The St. Petersburg Times, The New York Times, Consumers Digest, Sport Magazine, American Cinematographer, and Southern Boating. In 1990, Erica moved to Lewisburg PA when her husband was offered a teaching position at Bucknell University.
Once in Lewisburg, Erica realized that there was not a professional publication in this area of Pennsylvania. A few months later she started a home business, without any previous experience running businesses and by investing her savings to launch it. She admitted, ?In the beginning things were tough, people did not know me and trust me, and there was not valuable appreciation for this kind of publication.? Now Erica Shames and her company have achieved a well-respected, high quality reputation over a period of 19 years. Her lifestyle magazine offers residents and visitors a glimpse of the positive, little-known and under-appreciated aspects of life in central Pennsylvania, including more about the small but vibrant business community that exists here. But this is only part of what Erica shared during her interesting interview; I invite you to listen to her thoughts about her work and experiences running this professional publication?click below to continue with the audio interview:
The modern day kitchen has become a very big and wide place for not only cooking and keeping the edibles in shelves and fridge, but also to have the meals together. This means the kitchen has to be odour free of the smell of oil, fumes, spices and smoke. Here comes the acute requirement of the kitchen extractor fan. Most of the kitchens make do with the simple axial kitchen extractor fans that are being mounted on the hole in the wall that works as the ventilation tunnel for the extractor fan kitchen has. However, precise equipment is always required for the job that should have an extra edge to it, to meet all the requirements with precision. The solution to this dainty need is the kitchen hood exhaust fan which is in use at most of the kitchens.
If one considers the large variety of availability of the kitchen extractor fans it will create a big dilemma for the person on what to choose and what not to choose for the house. The extractor fan you choose should work in accordance with the requirement you have, as well as it should make your kitchen look good. This type of kitchen extractor fancomes in many categories such as Glass canopy hoods, Black cooker hoods, Stainless steel hoods, Island range hoods and more. The exhaust fans in the kitchen not only ventilate the area and purify the kitchen's air, but they also work as protectors to your home as well.
While you cook, there is more than a delicacy coming up off the burner. It's not only the fumes but also the smoke, oil vapors, steam and a lot of other residues in the atmosphere of the kitchen. These residues, mostly oil vapors gather up on the ceiling of the kitchen and form an oily layer which after sometime becomes very thick. This vapor could also form layers of oil on your furniture and other articles throughout the whole house. This results in a fast decay and somewhat damages the furniture and the other articles in the house. Moreover, the house is at a huge risk to catch fire for it has got a lot of inflammable residues stuck to it with time, from the oil vapours that were released while cooking. The extractor fan kitchen would save you from this trouble in the long run, while an array of kitchen extractor fans would give you a good option to choose from, the best kitchen extractor fan would be the one that fits excellently to your kitchen as well as to your pocket. Do a little browsing and you will find several online stores offering these models, so go for the purchase and make your home complete.
About The Author:
Mr N Kandola is a prominent internet entrepreneur, with a vivacious appetite for knowledge and understanding of the UK air conditioning market, which has ensured he has taken the UK market by storm. He is a contributor to the decision making processes of manufacturers in the LED market in the UK, and provides valued opinion to many commentators in the sector. He is associated with Air Con Centre. Air Con Centre is a leading online retailer of all air conditioners and ventilation equipment for the home or office. Their range of products includes portable air conditioners, split air conditioning systems, multi air conditioning systems, extractor fan, dehumidifiers and much more.
Keywords: kitchen extractor fan, kitchen extractor fans, extractor fan kitchen, air conditioners, dehumidifiers
This article has been viewed 11 time(s).
It is a violation of our terms and conditions for writers to submit material which they did not write and claim it as their own.
If this article infringes on your copyrights, you MUST either call us at 706-866-2295 or send proof of infringement
along with the offending article's title, URL, and writer name to
IdeaMarketers.com
Attn: Marnie Pehrson - Copyright Concern
514 Old Hickory Ln
Ringgold GA 30736 USA
If you email us or use our problem submission form, we CANNOT guarantee we'll receive your notice!
The United States women's soccer team defeated Colombia 3-0 on July 28 in Group G play. Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe scored for the U.S.
United States vs Colombia, Group G
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) ? Abby Wambach's second-half goal put her atop the all-time list Saturday as the Americans dominated feisty Colombia 3-0, guaranteeing a spot in the quarterfinals of the London Games soccer tournament.
Megan Rapinoe scored in the first half and celebrated by wishing injured teammate Ali Krieger a happy birthday, and Carli Lloyd had a late goal in her return to the starting lineup.
But niceties were otherwise few and far between in a game that included 30 fouls ? with no altercation more painful than when Lady Andrade hit Wambach in the face in the 39th minute.
"I'm running toward the goal to get position, and I got sucker-punched," said Wambach, sporting a black semicircle under her swollen right eye after the game. "It's clear. We have it on film, so it's up to the Olympic committee and FIFA to decide what to do."
Wambach said Andrade kept on taunting in the second half and attempted another blow to the face ? but missed and hit Wambach's neck instead. When Wambach scored in the 74th minute to make the score 2-0, the achievement felt particularly sweet.
"Absolutely. It's interesting ? you think about yourself and what you would do on the street if somebody were to sucker-punch you," Wambach said. "And you have all of the lists of things that you would probably do to retaliate, but this is Olympics and I can't risk getting a red card, I can't risk getting a yellow card. We like to call it 'ice' ? stay ice cold. They're trying to get me to retaliate, and I'm proud of myself for not doing that."
Andrade called the play an accident.
"Nothing happened," she said through an interpreter. "It was just a normal part of the game. We were both running, she ran across me and we collided. I had my hands in the air. It was an accident."
Told that Wambach wants Andrade disciplined by the governing bodies, the Colombian said: "I think they should be, too, because they're the United States. The whistle always goes in their favor. They were hitting us and hitting us, but there was never a whistle."
Wambach looked like her younger self on her goal, sliding onto Tobin Heath's pass to beat two defenders. The 32-year-old striker joked that she was using her "blazing speed."
"Nobody puts balls to me like that anymore," Wambach said. "And she put it through. And I'm like, 'I've got to get there.'"
It was Wambach's sixth Olympic goal, moving her past Mia Hamm and Tiffeny Milbrett, an especially notable achievement given that Wambach missed the 2008 Games with a broken leg. It was also her second score of the tournament and her 140th career international goal, within striking range of Hamm's world record of 158.
The Americans didn't have the early defensive letdowns that they had against France in a 4-2 win three days earlier, but coach Pia Sundhage and the players weren't happy with a first half in which they just couldn't find a rhythm.
"It wasn't the prettiest game," goalkeeper Hope Solo said. "We needed that second goal. The speed of play was a little bit slow."
Rapinoe's goal came in the 33rd minute, a play set up when Alex Morgan intercepted a pass near the Colombia box. Morgan passed to Rapinoe, whose curling 20-yarder sailed over goalkeeper Sandra Sepulveda's outstretched hand.
Lloyd scored for the second time in two games as she started in place of Shannon Boxx. Boxx injured her right hamstring in the win over France and remains day-to-day.
The U.S. has one group game remaining against North Korea in Manchester on Tuesday, a match that will help determine the semifinal pairings. Colombia wraps up with France in Newcastle on the same day.
? 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
It has been a dull, drippy, grey, wet and rainy couple of weeks and the child has been quite tired of being cooped up in the house. How do you keep a child active and enthusiastic through days and days of virtual house arrest while the skies pour outside?
Playdates can be your saviour. Figure out days when you can have some good friends of your child come over for a couple of hours, or when your child can visit a friend?s home. Plan various board games they can do together or dress-up-and-fun activities; help them put up a short skit once they figure out the storyline themselves.
If your child has some school projects lined up, a rainy day can be the best for getting this done, or else start a project of your own which you can do with your child. Make an underwater seascape in a cut out shoe box, or create a wall painting with some stencils and paints for his or her room. See what artistic talent your child has and plan these activities accordingly.
If you have a daughter who is into baubles and dolls (forgive me for the stereotyping, but this so does happen!) you could check out the bracelet and necklace making kits available in the market and get them to make some trinkets for themselves and friends.
According to studies, getting your child interested in craft projects can increase problem solving skills, boost self esteem when successfully finishing a project and also radically improves creativity, concentration and perseverance.
Teach your child dumb charades or any of the games we played as children, like Name/Place/Animal/Thing which were great ways to improve one?s general knowledge and yet have fun.
If you have an exercise ball or a trampoline at home, use it to bounce or exercise together to have fun.?Spend an afternoon making a family photo wall. Take prints of your favourite family photographs, and paste them on a huge board together. Get the board laminated and hang it on a wall.
If you are the artistic type yourself you could sit with your child and make hand puppets and put up your own puppet show, get your child to help you with the storyline and the characters and put up a performance for his or her friends.
If all else fails, rent a good children?s movie from the library, microwave popcorn, dim the lights and create a home theatre experience.?Enjoy the indoors!
The annual median $/Sqft change is -0.5%, there are currently 7 months of housing inventory, over the past 30 days the median marketing time was 28 days, and the ratio of bank/short sales is currently 24%, a change of -22% from one year ago.
It is no secret that a diet full of fried foods, giant portions, desserts, and sugary drinks alcohol, weight gain. And there is no doubt why the books accumulate when you take in more calories than you burn in physical activity. But how do you explain weight gain when your lifestyle includes regular exercise and a healthy diet that?s controlled in calories? Take the weight is quite frustrating, especially when not really understand why the needle on the scale is increasing.
There are several things to consider if you are gaining weight while watching calories and physical activity. Most likely, a variety of things working together that led to weight gain.
?Weight gain is so complicated, many factors can affect your weight. It is most likely a combination of things that one factor,? says Michelle May, MD, author of Am I Hungry? What to do when diets do not work.
Here are five factors that may cause the ladder to climb when you least expect it.
(Need to lose some weight? Maybe 50 pounds? You?re not alone. Participate in the discussions on our message boards Diet Club.)
1. Is it possible that the increase in weight due to lack of sleep
The body functions best when well rested. ?When you do not sleep enough, your body experiences physiologic stress and, biochemically, which store fat more efficiently,? says May.
When you?re tired, can not handle stress well, you get to the food as a coping mechanism. In addition, you can take in extra calories from late-night snacks. Some people think that eating can help you sleep, but all it really does is add more calories to your daily total.
The symptoms that you can not get enough rest include fatigue levels, low energy, shaking his head with ease, and feels irritable.
Try to get eight hours of sleep each night.
?Add about 15 minutes before bed and see how you feel,? suggests in May ?Continue to experiment with new 15-minute increments until you find the amount of sleep? which is good for you.? When developing a sleep ritual well and exercise regularly, sleep better, she says.
2. It is possible that weight gain due to stress
We live in a society that requires us to do more, be more and more. Stress takes us forward and helps cope with the demands of life, but also affects our mood and emotions.
stress response ?in the case of? fight or flight ?juggling too many responsibilities, or coping with financial pressures, triggering a biochemical process by which our body goes into survival mode,? says May, ?Our bodies store fuel, slow metabolism, and void [chemical cortisol, leptin, and others] hormones are more likely to cause obesity in the abdominal region?. ?
Many people come to food to help relieve stress. But, of course, this does not work long term.
?Food is a temporary solution, because it deals with real tension that must be addressed to reduce the trigger for eating and correct the problem,? says May.
Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, assistant director of the Center for Human Nutrition at UCLA, says stress eaters tend to prefer foods high in carbohydrates because these foods would increase serotonin in the brain, which has an effect soothing. ?It?s almost like self-medication,? he said. ?Many people binge on starchy foods to feel better.? May and Bowerman recommend relaxation techniques and exercise, which also burns calories and provides health benefits.
3. It is possible that weight gain from medication
Some drugs used to treat depression, mood disorders, seizures, migraines, hypertension and diabetes can cause weight gain, a modest amount to as much as 10 pounds per month. Some steroids, hormone replacement therapy, and even oral contraceptives can also cause gradual weight creep. Your kit can be the cause of your weight gain if you win five or more pounds in a month without a change in lifestyle.
?Every drug works a little differently than weight gain, increased appetite, impaired fat is stored so, how to change insulin levels,? says May. ?And that s not all medicines have side effects similar to all people.?
In the case of antidepressants weight gain, perhaps even unrelated to the action of the drug ? feeling better can also result in a hearty appetite. Some medicines can cause fluid retention which appears in the scale of weight gain, but is not oily and usually easily corrected.
Experts say that some of the most common types of drugs that can cause weight gain are:
* Steroids
* Antidepressants
* Antipsychotics
* Anticonvulsants
* Drugs for diabetes
* High Blood Pressure Drugs
* Drugs with heartburn
But it is important to remember that some extra kilos may be worth the commitment of what a particular medication does for your overall health, experts say. Moreover, even if your medication is causing weight gain, you should always be aware of eating a healthy diet and regular physical activity.
?It?s rare that the problem was solved with a change of medication,? says May. ?These things can help, but they are rarely the sole cause of weight gain.?
If you think your medication is causing weight gain, talk to your healthcare professional to see about changing your prescription. But whatever you do, do not you go to medication without medical advice.
4. It is possible that weight gain due to a medical condition
The most common medical condition that causes weight gain is hypothyroidism. A deficiency of thyroid hormone can decrease metabolism, causing a loss of appetite and weight gain.
?If you feel fatigued, lethargic, swelling, hoarse voice, intolerance to cold, sleeping too much, or headaches, you should consult your doctor for a simple test to determine if you have hypothyroidism. Far more rare is a condition known as Cushing syndrome ? a disease caused by excess cortisol ? which can also lead to weight gain.
5. It is possible that weight gain due to menopause
Women reach menopause at a range of ages, but most are in their forties and are less physically active than when they were younger. With age comes a natural slowing of metabolism. At the same time, hormonal changes can trigger hunger, depression and sleep disorders.
?It?s multifactorial. When women go through menopause, they lose estrogen, causing their shapes to change ? usually a weight loss of the hip and thigh. And you begin to win more in the middle,? says Bowerman. It explains that estrogen favors fat deposition in the lower body, and when you lose this hormone, fat is more likely to be deposited in the middle section (like men). This spare tire for the half was not so affectionately called menopot.
The key to avoiding this extra belly fat for maintaining and increasing the amount of lean body mass, which, in turn, increase your metabolism or calorie burn rate.
?Women need to understand the importance of weight lifting and bodybuilding is your health,? says Bowerman. And do not worry, doing strength training will not be muscled women, experts say.
Exercise also helps offset bone loss that can come with menopause. A combination of exercise and a healthy diet and controlled in calories, rich in calcium and vitamin D is the answer to counteract the weight gain of menopause.
Find More Health Medical Reasons To lose weight Articles
OSLO, Norway (AP) ? The U.N.'s outgoing chief observer in Syria said Friday it's just a matter of time before President Bashar Assad's regime crumbles, but that the violence of the civil war could worsen if Syria uses the full force of its military.
Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, whose three-month mission in Damascus ended last week, also said the situation in Syria is likely to remain unstable even if Assad's government steps down.
"It's impossible to imagine a future in Syria where the current people in power remain in power. So in that view, it's just a matter of time before this regime collapses. And that is how it's supposed to be," Mood told a news conference in Oslo. That could happen, he said, if more members of the military simultaneously leave the ranks of the government to join the opposition.
But Mood also said that if Assad's regime collapses, it might not be the end of Syria's many problems. "That might not be the start of a dialogue. That could easily be the start of a situation that is way worse," he said.
Since last week, Syrian rebels have made a run on the country's two largest cities, Aleppo and Damascus. Regime forces have responded with overwhelming firepower, ushering in some of the most serious violence the cities have seen in 17 months of conflict.
On Friday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Syria not to launch an offensive against rebels in Aleppo amid reports of an army build-up in that city. "I urge the Syrian government to halt their offensive," Ban said at an Olympics event in London alongside British Foreign Secretary William Hague. "The violence from both sides must stop for the sake of the suffering civilians of Syria."
Assad "must call off this assault," said Hague, adding: "This utterly unacceptable escalation of the conflict could lead to a devastating loss of civilian life and a humanitarian disaster."
Mood warned that Assad's regime still has great military muscle left to apply in the conflict and that the situation could very well carry on for months or even years.
"The government has large military forces that still haven't been used to the full. Even if we in the past few weeks have seen combat helicopters and planes, there is still much (of that) left," he said, according to NTB, the Norwegian national news agency. "When it comes to violence, they have no sense of understanding for what we call proportionality."
In Morroco, Foreign Minister Saadeddine El Othmani said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday that if Assad is removed, a transitional government must reflect Syria's diversity. He said the opposition groups fighting Assad are not unified, so that a transitional government "must unite the maximum number of tendencies ... to avoid civil war and tearing Syria apart."
The minister said Morocco will host the next Friends of Syria gathering of Western and Arab nations opposed to Assad, likely in early September. He wants Russia and China, which boycotted previous meetings, to be present. Their backing is needed in the U.N. Security Council to ramp up pressure on Assad.
___
AP correspondents Shawn Pogatchnik in London and Aziz El Yaakoubi in Morocco contributed to this report.
www.bitboyz.com Bitboyz can help your business reach new levels of success by providing proven IT strategies, services and IT support. You need a reliable IT partner with the experience and tools that can produce real measurable results when it comes to supporting your business technology needs. From managed it services and cloud computing to website development Bitboyz has you covered. We are ready to help anytime you need us. Bitboyz is located in Rocky River Ohio, minutes away from downtown Cleveland Ohio. Call us today for a free consultation. (877) 777-6855 Serving Cleveland, Rocky River, Westlake, Lakewood, North Olmsted, North Ridgeville, North Ridgeville, Bay Village, Avon, Avon Lake, Fairview Park, Beachwood Ohio
Genting thought their casino was sure to be an easy sell to a city strapped for cash and jobs.? However, in the words of FDR:? ?We have only just begun to fight.?? That might be the refrain of a dedicated group of citizens who want to preserve the Miami Herald building as that which greets drunk drivers on the MacArthur Causeway heading West after a night of carousing on South Beach.? The city of Miami has received an application seeking to designate the Herald building a historic landmark, which would prevent its destruction.? Not sure how I feel about this one.
Here are some top headlines you may have missed Tuesday: - Ringleaders of illegal Flint-area video poker gambling operation sentenced Flint police officers at the scene Tuesday where bullet casings were found at the corner of Franklin Ave and Delaware around the same time the driver of an suv was shot by a person in another vehicle two blocks away ? (more)
Read the rest >>
Wed, July 25th, 2012
Related Poker News:
Casino gambling facts:
Catholics were found to be more likely to gamble than Protestants and other religious groups. Catholics were also found to be less likely to disapprove of gambling than other religious groups.
The first airplane flight to Las Vegas was made in May, 1920, with Lieutenant Randall Henderson, editor of the Blythe, California Herald, and Jack Beckley.
In 1911, the state of California ruled that "draw" poker was a skill, and thus could not be banned under existing anti-gambling laws. However, "Stud" poker was still considered illegal at the time.
During the 1950s, the Senate Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce held a number of hearings on criminal influence in the casino industry. The committee was chaired by Senator Estes Kefauver, and the committee is also known by his name.
There are 36 million people in the path of severe storms stretching from Oklahoma all the way up through New England. Weather Channel Meteorologist Eric Fisher reports from White Plains, N.Y.
By Miguel Llanos, NBC News
Updated at 8:05 p.m. ET: Severe storms moved into the Midwest and Northeast on Thursday, including a possible tornado in Elmira, N.Y., where buildings were damaged and thousands were left without power. There was no immediate word on injuries.
Initial reports indicate a tornado touched down in Elmira, the Storm Prediction Center stated. Other towns across?eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and upstate New York also reported downed trees.
"Emergency crews are responding to numerous calls, including reported fires and downed power lines," the Elmira Star Gazette reported. "Many streets are impassable due to fallen trees and power lines, as well as traffic signals knocked out by power outages."
Meteorologists expect tonight's powerful storms to bring very heavy rain in a short period of time and flash flooding, which may be a problem in low-lying and poor-drainage areas, NBCNewYork.com reported.
The storms will also produce tremendous amounts of lightning, which can cause a number of problems, including power outages.
NBC New York: Severe storms, possible tornadoes threaten Tri-State area
A tornado watch was issued through Thursday night for parts of?Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont.?
The unsettled weather was also causing airport delays along the East Coast.
WETM-TV
A tornado moved through Elmira, N.Y. on Thursday.
"The potential exists for widespread damaging winds from parts of southern New England to Indiana," The Weather Channel reported.?"At least 36 million people are in this zone."
Major cities that could be impacted, the National Weather Service warned, include Cincinnati and Columbus in Ohio; Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania; and New York City.
Areas from Iowa to New England can expect 3-5 inches of rain, NBC TODAY meteorologist Al Roker reported Thursday.
Rain was dumped on Chicago overnight, NBCChicago.com reported, and the collapse of a hangar wall at O'Hare International Airport left officials wondering if it was tied to the storm. A wind gust of 70 mph was measured in the area around the time of the collapse.
Several thousand Chicago-area customers were left without power, and additional heavy rains and winds were forecast for later Thursday.
NBCChicago.com
Part of this hangar wall at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago crumbled overnight just as a storm blew through.
In the New York area, where daytime temperatures are in the 90s, overnight storms were being followed by a second, potentially more dangerous round of storms starting Thursday afternoon.
"Isolated tornadoes are possible in northern New Jersey and the Hudson Valley," NBCNewYork.com reported.
Consolidated Edison and its union workers announced Thursday afternoon that they had reached a deal after a prolonged lockout, paving the way for crews to be on duty for the storm.
On Thursday morning, a fire possibly caused by lightning destroyed the top floor of a Brooklyn apartment building, displacing dozens of tenants, NBCNewYork.com reported.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
Firefighters battle a six-alarm fire in Brooklyn on Thursday.
Airports in the Northeast were reporting weather delays of more than an hour, according to the FAA monitoring site.
Related story: Worst drought areas rise by 50 percent
In the Midwest, the latest rain has not done much to dent the drought because extreme heat has been quickly sucking up the moisture.
"This drought is two-pronged," Brian Fuchs, author of the U.S. Drought Monitor, said in the weekly update on Thursday. "Not only the dryness but the heat is playing a big and important role. Even areas that have picked up rain are still suffering because of the heat."?
More content from NBCNews.com:
Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
Srinagar, July 24: A three-day workshop on English Language Teaching (ELT) began at the University of Kashmir on Tuesday. ?The workshop is organized by the Department of English in collaboration with the Cambridge University Press, New Delhi in order to equip college teachers with effective pedagogy, resources, ideas and activities to make the overall teaching-learning process participatory and interactive. ?The ELT- workshop is a regular feature of the English Department since 2007. According to the organizers, it provides the teachers with opportunities to understand and explore the ways of encouraging student participation and also help them present and practice vocabulary and grammar through learner-centric approaches. This in turn helps students develop effective listening, efficient reading, powerful speaking and professional writing skills, they said. ?In her welcome address, the workshop Director and Head Department of English Prof Lilly Want said that the focus of the workshop shall be on grammar-syllabus recommended at the undergraduate level: The objective is to make college teachers reflect on how to enhance the general communicative competence and the more technical skills of students in their teaching situation, she said. ?She said the existing pedagogy has necessarily led to conventional lecture-based sessions on the part of teachers and rote memorization on part of students. There is a dire need to integrate lecture-oriented theory classes with tutorial classes for reinforcing learning and creative utilization and for acquiring command over language and enriching the students critical and research perspectives to English Literature, she said. ?In his presidential address, the KU Vice-Chancellor Prof Talat said: The aim of such workshops should be to encourage high standards of written and spoken English by resorting to the widely-accepted standards of English grammar, intelligible pronunciation and legible writing. ?While appreciating the teachers and students of Kashmir for their flawless accent in spoken English, Prof Talat said Both the teachers and the students from Kashmir have a very good accent in English language and this is something which is known all over the country. However our students and teachers need to work on their writing skills and participate more in such workshops if they desire to see their works published in international journals. ?Prof Talat suggested the Department of English to organize more such workshops in future with few sessions on professional writing for the benefit of teachers and students. ?Speaking on the occasion Dr CLN Prakash, who is coordinator of ELT workshops from the Cambridge University Press, said: Such workshops provide great opportunity to the teachers to hone their skills and review the methods and techniques of teaching so that they remain in tune with the changing times and new trends in the pedagogy. ?Dr Prakash, who is also the resource person for the workshop, said that the pedagogy of teachers in English literature and language needs rethinking and the present workshop is motivated by this need to provide possible alternatives to the existing rather prescribed pedagogy. ?Dr Nusrat from the Department of English conducted the proceedings of the inaugural event while Dr Tasleem War presented vote of thanks.
Lastupdate on : Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 25 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST
You know what they say about BBQ gear: the best grill is the one you have with you. So forget about spending thousands of dollars on a miniature backyard furnace when Bodum's new FYRKAT grill is small enough to take with you wherever you go. More »
Many use the excuse that real estate investing is ?risky? so that they aren?t challenged to really push towards their full potential for making more money and enjoying more freedom and can ?happily? wallow in their current state of comfortable misery instead.
However, real estate investing doesn?t have to be risky. Yes, it may be true that no form of investment is 110% risk free but doing nothing to improve or secure your financial future certainly isn?t risk free either. In fact it is quite the opposite.
Those who are concerned about risk will actually find 6 simple ways to lower or even eliminate risk in real estate investing?
1. Make Your Money When You Buy Don?t gamble on appreciation or profits you could make if the market keeps on going up. Buy properties with good equity positions or which at least already bringing in income so that you are locking in profit from day 1.
2. Find Buyers First Instead of rushing out to accumulate a lot of inventory and then hope that a buyer can be found sometime soon find buyers for your real estate deals first and then find inventory which matches their needs for rapid flips and eliminating the hazards that come with holding properties.
3. Insurance Insurance may not be the sexiest part of investing in real estate but it is a necessity. Properly insure your properties against fire, vandalism, theft, storms and flooding so that nothing can jeopardize your investments. However, don?t stop there either. Insure your business and maintain proper auto and health insurance as well as periodically reviewing your coverage and increasing it as needed.
4. Keep Your Business and Personal Credit Separate This is one area which new real estate investors overlook and fail at all the time. It is essential to keep your personal and business credit, income and assets separated in order to protect them both. Begin building separate business credit as early as possible and don?t mix the two.
Incorporate to keep your investments distinguished, be wary of signing any personal guarantees and build up your business credit through store cards, credit cards and business lines of credit, all of which can provide more liquidity and emergency funds for your investments.
5. Use Other People?s Money If you are concerned about putting your own savings on the line, then don?t. Eliminate risk by using other people?s money to invest in real estate. Use mortgages for leverage, tap into private lending and partner up for joint ventures. However, remember that just because it is someone else? money on the line there is no excuse for not being diligent and smart with your investment choices, especially if you want to grow your investments.
6. Test Marketing Marketing is one of the biggest expenditures for real estate investing today and almost one of the most confusing areas of the business for those who are new. You are right to be wary of gambling everything on one marketing campaign. No matter how good the strategy there are always outside factors which can affect its success and effectiveness. Start by testing in batches until you have honed you marketing and have some back up reserves for next month.
CLC Roofing is happy to announce that they are a Better Business Bureau Accredited company.
Send Feedback to ben harris Request Reprint |
Print |
About Author |
Report Problem |
Tweet This
More Details about roofing houston here.
CLC Roofing is happy to announce that they are a Better Business Bureau Accredited company. The best part is there are one of the few roofing contractors in Houston with no complaints on the roofing work they offer.
CLC Roofing is a specialized roofing contractor in Houston with decades of experience in roofing. They say that they can give your home and office a fresh look that will bring applause from the visitors. They are experienced in all kinds of roofing like Asphalt and Metal roofing.
They say that Asphalt roofing is the widely used roofing material; it is available in many shapes and styles. The major raw material used in producing the Asphalt roof is fiber glass and Asphalt. This kind of roof is so popular because highly affordable and mainly used by commercial properties.
But, recently metal roofing is also gaining popularity rapidly. The main reason that is said for the recent popularity is the ability of the metal roofing to reflect the heat without allowing them to enter the home. Moreover, metal roofing are completely recyclable, which is eco-friendly.
Apart, replacing the roof they also claim that they are experts in roof repair. Their specialization lies in repairing the roof's that is damaged by storm. Their roofing contractors well trained that they even give importance to minute damages in roof, more could be known in this webpage http://www.houstonroofing.org/contractor.
CLC Roofing is a trusted roofing contractor in Houston and you can contact them for your roofing needs at 713-492-2097 or visit their website at http://www.houstonroofing.org
About the Submitter
Contact: ben harris peterjeneffier@yahoo.com More Details about roofing houston here.
Does this press release infringe on your copyright?
It is a violation of our terms and conditions for writers to submit material which they did not write and claim it as their own. If this article infringes on your copyrights, you MUST either call us at 706-866-2295 or send proof of infringement along with the offending article's title, URL, and writer name to
IdeaMarketers.com
Attn: Marnie Pehrson - Copyright Concern
514 Old Hickory Ln
Ringgold GA 30736 USA
If you email us or use our problem submission form, we CANNOT guarantee we'll receive your notice!
Matt Riddle made a statement both during and after his win over Chris Clements at UFC 149. During the fight, he showed he was ready for tougher competition by countering Clements' spinning backfist with an arm triangle choke that started standing and moved to the ground. At the post-fight press conference, he named that tougher competition: Dan Hardy.
"I will be completely honest," Riddle said. "When I fought in Manchester, England, (for UFC 105), they were very cruel to me. One fan actually spit directly in my face, and he was lucky enough where it hit my mouth. To be disrespected like that ... for some butter-toothed Brit to spit in my mouth, that was some bull. And honestly it's never been the same."
Though he also said he doesn't have anything against Brits, he does want to take out Hardy. Unfortunately, Hardy already has a fight scheduled with Amir Sadollah at UFC on Fuel 5 in September.
The other hindrance? Hardy doesn't want the bout.
Why the hell would I fight Riddle? There is no value in it for me and I'd be forced to look at him more than I have to now.
Considering the run of injuries the UFC has experienced, a back-up fight is never a bad idea. Hardy won his last bout after a four-fight losing streak. Riddle won his last two fights. Should this fight happen? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter.
Now that you?ve decided that direct sales is the right fit for you, you need to pick a company. ?As I mentioned here, there are many things to consider when deciding on a direct sales company to join. ?What products are you already using in your daily life, that already come from a direct sales company, or you would be willing to replace from your own business. ?How much of an investment are you able, or willing, to make in order to get started. ?Most of the well established direct sales companies require you to purchase a kit to sign up as a consultant. ?The cost varies from $20 up to over $1000, depending on the company and the level of kit that you purchase. ?This decision will also be partially based on what company do you think you want to join.
Since every company has their own kits and requirements, you really need to decide on the type of products that you want to sell, before you can move forward. ?Once you know that, you can do your research to find out what companies are available with that product. ?A great place to look for companies is the Direct Selling Association. ?They have a database of member companies that you can search based on product type. ?There are companies out there for nearly any kind of product that you can think of.
Be sure to find out how many active consultants are in your area for the companies that you are researching. ?They will tell you that it doesn?t matter because it?s your business and you?ll have a different set of contacts from others in your area, but unfortunately it can play a very key role in starting your business. ?If there is already a rep on every street corner that is active with their business, then you may want to look into something else, or go into it knowing that you already have a lot of competition in your local market.
Find out what the companies sales quotas are, if any, and be realistic about whether or not you can meet those requirements with the time?commitment?that you are able to put forth. ?Direct sales is not easy and sales are not just going to start rolling in because you have a company website and post the link a few places. ?You have to be willing to talk about your business to everyone possible, in order to be successful. ?The more people you talk to, the more likely you are to get sales, so be realistic.
What other tips would you like on how to choose the right company for you?
Maybe you?ve decided to remodel your bathroom or just give it a facelift. There are lots of way to add great design touches to this room of your house that is more than just a necessity.? A bathroom is a retreat in a sense. It is a private space in your home where you can go to take a hot, soothing shower or soak in a luxurious bubble bath and let go of all the day?s stresses. Following are some ideas to help give you some information and inspiration for creating your dream bathroom.
Bathroom Remodeling Tips
A good tip for getting started is to put your ideas down on paper first. Once you?ve designed your ideal bathroom, set yourself up with a budget. Make sure to include costs for contractors, electricians and plumbers if you?re not a do-it-yourselfer. Even if you are, some remodeling projects can still require a need for outside help. If you know the basic cost of things, you can be sure to not get taken advantage of when the time comes for estimates and once the work begins.
Discount Bathroom Accessories
Dressing up your bathroom with discount accessories is a great way to add some nice detail to your d?cor and will also save you money in the process. Consider sinks, faucets, bath mats, shower curtains with coordinating rings, or how about a new tub with a water level alarm? There?s plenty of online resources available to purchase any type of discount bathroom accessory you are looking for.
Bathroom Vanity Cabinets
There are some very beautiful vanity cabinet styles available online. Starting with high-end elegant designs to the more casual and contemporary. They come in a variety of finishes and you can also select from different materials for the top of the vanity. These items can be a little pricey depending on your tastes, so do some comparison shopping on the internet because if you can afford it, the right vanity can add such a great design touch to your bathroom.
Kids Bathroom Accessories
As you are probably all too aware, getting the kids into the bathroom for things like brushing their teeth and taking their baths can be quite a task. But turning your child?s bathroom into a room that they enjoy being in can be a big help to you. Sitting down with the kids and looking at several websites for ideas will be a great way to get them involved with this process. Allowing the kids to choose the look and theme they like best for their bathroom will almost guarantee you less tugging and pleading to get them in there. Now wouldn?t that be nice?
Whatever the size of your particular bathroom undertaking might be, keep in mind that there?s probably going to be some degree of a mess and stress. But try to stay focused on the result because it end up being so rewarding and something that you will enjoy for a long time to come.
If you're serious about building a moneymaking network marketing business, then it is important to appreciate that leads are the name of the game. The person who acquires or generates the largest mlm leads list and finds a technique to effectively contact them, wins.
Taking your business to the next level is a simple matter of connecting with people, directing them to a product or business opportunity display and following up to gather a decision, either they're in or they move on.
The challenge starts in the contacting phase. We hook up with people we all know and we connect to people we don't know. Using a fresh mlm leads list is the best, strongest way to gel with people we do not know. It becomes more important when you start to run right out of warm hopeful contacts.
Here are one or two ideas on the best way to get your hands on a good mlm leads list. In a nutshell, you should purchase them or you can create your own. There are significant pros and cons to both approaches, let me talk about that.
The secret to building any profitable mlm business is to devise a technique to get your name, product and home business opportunity in front of the people who are actively wanting to start a fresh new business, on a consistent and regular basis.
The speediest, easiest way to acquire a mlm leads list, is to purchase business opportunity hunter leads from a web lead broker. The quality of these potential clients will range seriously depending wholly on the way in which the contact info was gathered.
The least qualified leads are those picked up by a co-registration opt out process. This suggests the potential prospect was presented with 12 small classified adverts, all preselected, with a note to unselect those offers they are not interested in receiving more info about.
Sadly, many individuals don't read the instructions and ignorantly now, are put on a mlm leads list. They had no real interest in becoming more knowledgeable about anything.
The most qualified are folks who have paid a visit to a web site, finished a long form survey that asks them really pointed questions about their desire to start a home based business. Time they have available every week to build their business and the amount of capital available to get started. These prospects are then phone confirmed by a trained operator regarding their reasons why and ability to afford and begin their own business.
The very best quality mlm leads list you can craft are those you have generated yourself by writing, distributing and promoting informative articles, blog posts, and videos that talk about your precise product, niche and industry. People who respond to this information, in a way, are really qualifying themselves to be at least interested in your type of products, niche promoting and opportunity.
About the Author:
Digging for the privvy info on free leads for mlm? Go over to Steven Suchar's blog to find the little known facts about an mlm leads list and your bottom line profits.
Save The George Costanza Moment And Clean This Junk From Your Wallet
A Potential Increase In The Death Tax Could Make 2013 A Very Expensive Year To Die
'Dark Knight' Suspect Was 'Strangely Quiet' And Studied Psych Disorders
After a lucrative rap career. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson went into a career in business and is now licensed to promote boxers in the state of New York, as Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reports via Twitter.
Fiddy is also applying for permission to promote fighters and matches in Nevada, which has now turned into the prime destination for the largest matches in the struggling sport. Since 50 Cent is well known for loving his money his promotion company is called TMT, short for The Money Team.
Speaking of dolla bills, Jackson is also widely known for being very close friends with Floyd "Money" Mayweather, arguably the best boxer in the world after Manny Pacquiao's controversial loss earlier this summer. In the beginning of January, Fiddy and Mayweather posted pictures of themselves in a Las Vegas hotel room carrying gigantic stacks of cash.
Mannix also reports that the TMT company already has two clients: gold medalist and former featherweight champ Yuriorkis Gamboa and middleweight, and former Olympic medalist Andre Dirrell.
Not quite ready to leave wandering the briny depths up torobots, but still crave some undersea tech? The freshly released iGills Smart Diving System can help. With a polycarbonate housing and free companion app, the setup turns your iPhone into a fully featured recreational dive computer and logbook that can plunge up to 130 feet into the drink. Once connected to the waterproof case's 30-pin dock, handsets gain access to depth and temperature sensors in addition to six buttons for in-app navigation. Not only does the software provide vital dive information, it also allows users to take stills and videos of their underwater excursions through a glass camera port. If you're pining for an iOS-assisted diving experience, the iPhone 3GS, 4 and 4S-compatible rig will set you back $330. Check out a quick clip of the accessory, complete with requisite rock music, after the break.
CLC Roofing is happy to announce that they are a Better Business Bureau Accredited company. 
CLC Roofing is happy to announce that they are a Better Business Bureau Accredited company. The best part is there are one of the few roofing contractors in Houston with no complaints on the roofing work they offer. 
Contact:
Maybe you?ve decided to remodel your bathroom or just give it a facelift. There are lots of way to add great design touches to this room of your house that is more than just a necessity.? A bathroom is a retreat in a sense. It is a private space in your home where you can go to take a hot, soothing shower or soak in a luxurious bubble bath and let go of all the day?s stresses. Following are some ideas to help give you some information and inspiration for creating your dream bathroom.
