Tuesday, July 31, 2012

PhatWare Updates PhatPad for iPad, Adds Twitter Support

Spokane, Washington ? PhatWare is pleased to announce today the release of a new version of PhatPad for iPad, a note organizer and collaboration app featuring PhatWare?s proven handwriting?

See the original post here: PhatWare Updates PhatPad for iPad, Adds Twitter Support

This entry was posted in TheMacTrack.com and tagged app, apple, digital, easy, phatpad, phatware, presentation, software, store, writepad by Admin. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://applenewsgator.com/2012/07/30/phatware-updates-phatpad-for-ipad-adds-twitter-support/

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HLA Pest Control - IdeaMarketers.com

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More Details about HLA Pest Control here.

Tweet This With a very changeable summer this year in the UK, pest control in London has been an even greater requirement for the Capital's residents, and cases of bed bugs in particular have been on the rise.

With the Queen's Jubilee and Olympics taking place this summer in London, hotels and guesthouses have reported a sharp rise in bed bug problems. This is because people travelling to the UK are unwittingly bringing this troublesome pest with them in their clothes and luggage and leaving them behind in their hotel ready to pass on to the next hotel resident.

But it's not just bed bugs that are a problem for people here in the UK. Flies, ants, pigeons, wasps, mice, spiders, moths, woodlice and cockroaches are also prevalent in homes and offices throughout London.

Cockroaches, rodents and pigeons in particular are of great concern to people in the Capital. They not only carry disease and bacteria that can be potentially harmful to humans, they also spread germs and bacteria around homes including kitchens where food is prepared. This can lead to e-coli food poisoning, which is a potentially life threatening condition.

Akeel Jaffar from HLA Pest Control in London says:

"We are seeing increasing numbers of bed bugs especially from hotel owners who are finding that they cannot keep on top of their infestation problems. Bed bugs are incredibly good at hiding in cracks, crevices and creases - especially behind light fittings and plug fixtures, making the problem difficult for non-professionals to tackle. After the Olympics in Sydney in 2000, there was a marked increase in cases of bed bugs this was due to the amount of people travelling to Australia and leaving bed bugs behind to breed at an alarming rate.

"For homes in London, mice are a huge problem as mice can fit through very small holes and with the damp wet weather they have been seeking shelter indoors. These pests can be dealt with by homeowners, but there is no guarantee that the pest will be completely eradicated and won't come back. We recommend that people call in the professionals to guarantee the permanent removal of pests and that pet and child-safe chemicals are used."

About the Submitter
HLA is London?s leading Bed Bug specialist. We are a member of the British Pest Control Association and winner of the National Pest Technician Association Awards. We will eliminate bed bugs from your hotel or guesthouse quickly and effectively. We have a one-hour response time and carry out pest control in council buildings, hotels, shops, offices, restaurants, hospitals, cafes, guest homes, large houses and small flats, inside and out. We achieve results fast and all of our work is insured and guaranteed. We also provide a reliable on-going service for a permanent service to ensure that your pest problem does not return. Visit our website at www.hlapestcontrol.co.uk.

Contact:
Holley Samuel
holleysamuel1@gmail.com
More Details about HLA Pest Control here.

HLA Pest Control

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Source: http://www.ideamarketers.com/?articleid=3440972

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Where You Take Your Vehicle for Car Repair Is Important

When your vehicle is in need of some work, it is important for you to take the time to choose a car repair shop that is reputable and conveniently located to where you live. Reputation is very important since the better known and liked a particular car repair shop is, the more you know you can trust the work they do. Location is also important, if you ever have a major problem with your vehicle that makes it unsafe to drive or you are only able to drive it a short distance, the closer you are to the shop, the easier and cheaper it will be to drive or have the vehicle towed in. Some auto mechanic shops offer complimentary tow service to their customers if they are located within a short distance from the facility.

There are many different repair shops that are vying for your business. It has become necessary for consumers to protect themselves by taking the proper precautions so they don?t become the receivers of bad service. When it comes to getting your vehicle fixed, you don?t want to take your car to just any shop. You want to go where you can expect to have your car properly diagnosed and fixed for a very affordable price. This means that if you don?t happen to know offhand who you can trust your vehicle with, you are going to need to shop around.

Comparing car repair shops is a bit different than shopping around for other types of consumers? products. Instead of just calling around and finding the answers you need, you have to take your car in to different facilities so they can visually inspect your vehicle before they can give you a fair estimate or price. Some places offer diagnostic services for free, others may charge a small nominal fee. Some places will also waive the fee if you get your vehicle fixed at their facility.

Before you have anyone look at your vehicle, you need to find out if all of their mechanics are ASE certified. If they are not, you may want to take your vehicle elsewhere. That certification means that the mechanics have been trained and deemed competent by the state to do quality work and repairs on vehicles. There are standards that have to be adhered too in facilities that carry the ASE certification.

Don?t be afraid to ask car repair shops if they are willing to price match any quotes you may have previously received from other facilities. This will help to lessen the amount of time you spend searching for a great car repair facility considerably. This will also give you a better idea of what you can reasonably expect to pay for certain types of repairs. Once you have found a good facility that you can take your vehicle into when it is in need of service, you will be able to see how much money and time you can save.

Experiencing car problems? Learn more about car repair New Orleans?at:?http://neworleansautorepair.net.

Tagged as: car repair new orleans

Source: http://www.articlesrx.com/where-you-take-your-vehicle-for-car-repair-is-important/9196

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A Retail Extreme Makeover Provides Sweet Rewards

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Source: http://entrepreneurbusinessforum.com/Thread-A-Retail-Extreme-Makeover-Provides-Sweet-Rewards

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Islamists in north Mali stone unwed couple to death

ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - The Syrian military stepped up its campaign to drive rebel fighters out of Aleppo on Monday, firing artillery and mortars while a fighter jet flew over a district the army said it had retaken the day before. However, opposition activists denied government forces had entered the Salaheddine district,??

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/islamists-north-mali-stone-unwed-couple-death-142159702.html

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Get Better Search Ranking and More Profits for your Business

Posted by cagoraman on 29th July, 2012 ?

Email marketing is an essential tool that every Internet marketer needs to have in his or her arsenal. Email marketing, when done well, is your ticket to bigger and better profits. Without email marketing, your business will not be able to achieve it?s full potential for success. The more time and attention you devote to the email marketing process, the better results you?ll see. How can you get the best and most effective return on that investment? What area should you focus on in order to remain ahead of your competition? These methods will help you achieve the very results you?re looking for.

Before you send any of your emails run them through a good spam filter. After all, you don?t want your email to get caught up midway and not reach your subscribers, right? This is the reason that your focus ought to be on getting your emails delivered no matter what. That?s why you should try some of the simple web based tools to see if your emails qualify. When you opt to use Aweber or similar services, this check will be built in. Make sure that your email gets a ?green signal? before it actually gets sent out. Even small precautions will help you elevate your email campaign up a level. One thing that is certain with Spillover Commissions in your online business is you will be faced with more decisions then you realized. Those who are more experienced will have passed many trials by fire in that regard.

You cannot have a fear of the unknown, even though that is a very normal response for most people. One common complaint is having no clue where to begin, and once again that is something easily fixed. It is normal to make mistakes, and that is something you can look forward to because they will never end. Those who have been at it for longer have made their mistakes, and now they do not make so many of them. We tend to think you cannot have enough diversity in your marketing affairs, just as long as they are solid and grounded in common sense. Keep minutely detailed statistics about your email marketing campaigns. This allows you to have better analysis of your results so that you?ll see where you may be veering off somewhere wrong. Or, beyond that, what you are actually doing right. When you keep an eye on your statistics, things get quite a lot easier. You will be able to make your future email marketing campaigns quite a lot easier. Really delve down into your campaigns and use the results to get better results in the future. Focusing on your stats is easier when you have distinct campaigns. Knowing how everything is working out and if they are actually working out is definitely something you should do for yourself. Actually having never done business offline can be helpful to you since your only exposure will be doing it online. What is also interesting and curious is that one change with a large business can set off a cascading effect with other related businesses. If you are smart about how you go about your business, then you will understand the implications in terms of diversifying. You can test the methods you are reading here, and IM Springboard can be tested for sure but make sure you look at it in a strategic or long-term way. Actually, a discerning mind that is willing to openly think about the negatives later on is what you need to have to last well into the future.

Anything new to you that seems to be a candidate for your business is worth testing, at least that much.

Attachments aren?t the way to go with email marketing. Most people simply do not open attachments. This may also cause your bounce rate to be unusually high. If you want to have your readers to download something, then you can give them a direct link. People are much more likely to read the emails you send if you take this simple step. Your emails do you no good at all if your audience doesn?t even get them. It can be a little more devastating when you learn that the poor ?open rate? is the direct results of an attachment being filtered out. It?s better to err on the side of caution and avoid attachments any time it?s possible. Do not ever think that the various techniques associated with Guru Product Blueprints are for the old-timers and are no longer relevant.

Diversity in your business methods and approaches is truly stunning because you will discover leveraging opportunities that you would otherwise be blind about. Jog your brain, clear out the cobwebs and try to use a creative approach with these methods in what you are doing now. If you are not sure or feel you do not know enough to make a call, then you can just do more research and learning or ask people at a forum. It is really not in your best interest to try a marketing method when you do not have all the pieces together in terms of knowledge. Also there are the human elements to consider such as your particular level of confidence, etc. Obviously you are the only person in the position to make the call about those matters.

The key is to take consistent action to improve your email marketing results. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, then you need to keep seeking areas for enhancement. It?s much easier to see what is working and what isn?t working when you take the time to examine what you?ve been doing and what results it?s getting. This is absolutely necessary if you want your email marketing efforts to be a success. And it?s something that cannot be ignored.

If you have worked on email marketing campaigns in the past, you should have enough knowledge from your success or failure. Give these tips a try and see what a difference they make. Your next campaign can give you all the feedback you need to see the importance of these tips now and in the future.

Filed under Article Marketing, Blogsites, Community Marketing, Email Marketing, Local Search, Local Search Dominator, Offline Marketing, Pay Per Click, Relationship Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Bookmarking, Social Marketing, Uncategorized, Video Marketing ? Tagged with business, make money online, Marketing, work from home

About cagoraman
Founder and Community partner of Cagora. A social Network with many Specialities and Communities. http://friesland.cagora.com/launchearn

Source: http://localmarketingmanager.com/uncategorized/getting-better-results-from-your-email-marketing-efforts/

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TRUE FUNKIN' FRIENDS | The Museum Of UnCut Funk

What is a friend? ?I?ve always said and still say that my love and friendship are eternal. ?It?s just the way I?m built, the way I am, the way I was brought up. ?Unfortunately not everyone holds this to be true. ?Someone once said that ?Friendship is the golden thread that ties the hearts of people around the world.? ?According to ?Google,? a friend is a?person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations.


I say friendship is a relationship of unconditional love and respect that transcends time and space. ?Those who presume that another person is a friend with no evidence of the aforementioned ideals is delusional. ?Friendship Day?celebrations take place on the first Sunday of August every year. ?The tradition of dedicating a day in honor of friends began in the US in 1935. ? All true FUNKIN friends know that friendship is everyday. ?There are people you call friends and those that are associates, colleagues and acquaintances. ?I write this in efforts to better define for myself and all taking time out to read this, the reality of the relationship, with those we have bestowed the title ? to enlighten those who have yet to discover what true friendship really is. ?It?s not always easy coming to the conclusion or facing the fact that a person, one once called a friend, no longer considers themselves to be a friend of yours, it hurts. ?It hurts because an emotional investment has been made and now the sentiment is no longer reciprocal. ?It especially hurts when one party has not been made aware by thought word or deed, prior to their realization, that the other party no longer has any vested interests in what was once considered a friendship. ?There are instances where no harm is intended, however, like a break up there?s pain. ?Life goes on and we make new friends, holding on to golden memories of friends that once were and those that are gone.

friendquotes 300x255 TRUE FUNKIN FRIENDS The first thing that pops up when googling the word friend(s), is the hit television show of the same name. ?Ironically, currently on the cable network Showtime, are two former cast members of the ?Friends? show. ?Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc, both currently have shows on the network. ?The other day I saw a promo that had LeBlanc calling Kudrow, asking her to do a cameo and/ or make an appearance on his show. ?LeBlanc is asking Kudrow via telephone, only to soon realize she?s hung up. ?This is indicative of the result of friendships of millions of people day after day, year after year, decade after decade. ?Some people just hang (it) up, they stop ?hanging in there.? ?They just stop caring for one reason or another, who knows? ?Some folks just decide that their friendship with certain people has run it?s course, is no longer valid or necessary. ?This makes me sad because that?s never been my interpretation of friendship. ?Some people have to re-prioritize their time in lieu of children, new loves and/ or careers, but that doesn?t mean that they no longer consider you a friend ? or does it? ?After all, with various life changes, come new people and new friends. ?People choose their friends based on a certain lifestyle, some based on a way of thinking and others on a mutual belief regarding the quality of life. ?These are true FUNKIN? friends. ?Connections that are not superficial based on position, wealth, status or ones association with others ? or does it?

I was speaking to an ?old friend? recently. ?We lost touch about ten years ago, but still consider each other friends. ?I live in New York and they live in Los Angeles, but when we spoke, we were happy to connect. ?We caught up and it was like very little time had passed, despite the actual lapse. ?Although my friend was eager and happy to speak to me, they were not interested in speaking to the friend that actually introduced us, to each other. ??I don?t want to open that door yet,? was the sentiment expressed, due to tensions that existed between the two of them when they were last in each others company. ?This is understandable, one is not always willing or emotionally able to engage another where levels of tension exists ? I get it. ?They were not saying that they had no interest in speaking with the other friend ever again, just not at this time in their life, or at least not today ? ?Maybe next week,? they said. ?Yet, there was a sentiment that rang in their voice that they could potentially not speak to that person again, and be fine for the rest of their life. ?Sometimes this course of action is necessary for an individual to get on with their life. ?So what do you make of people who ?drift apart? when they had no qualms or issues? ?friendsquote2 294x300 TRUE FUNKIN FRIENDS

Sometimes friends ?grow apart? ? now what does that mean? ?Growing and Apart don?t even mesh, it?s an oxymoron. ?Growth is represented by development, strength and nurturing, the word Apart means just the opposite. ?Apart is symbolic of separation, being divided and removed from something, so to say people ?grow apart? almost makes no sense. ?But yet it does, in that, the friendship that once was, is now only becoming more and more estranged, distant, invalid and of no importance. ??Absence makes the heart grow fonder? ? unless you?re trying to cut a mother*uck*r off. ?Like all relationships, friendship is a mutually shared commitment and responsibility. ?It?s a responsibility because once two people decide and/ or determine that they are friends, it?s on both parties to grow that relationship. ?It can be work, but it should be easy. ?So where am I going with this? ?I think I?m already there, I believe I?ve expressed in no uncertain terms what I feel and believe a friendship is and what it?s supposed to be. ?Perhaps you don?t see certain friends as often as one would like, but that doesn?t mean the friendship ends. ?Perhaps two people don?t always agree on certain personal, political or religious choices, that doesn?t mean they can?t share the same space ? or does it? ?Actually, for many it does, but that?s a different interpretation of friendship for me. ?We can grow from our differences if we?re not enemies.

friendsnoopy 270x300 TRUE FUNKIN FRIENDS One who has worked in entertainment for 25 years, a friend once told me ?If you want a friend in this business, get a dog.? ?Known for their loyalty and unconditional love, I thought that was good advice, I didn?t get one though. ?While a dog can be a great companion, a dog can?t have a conversation with you or offer advice (like my friend) about life. ?You can?t go to the movies or to dinner with a dog, because you have to go home to feed it. ?Pets are precious to pet lovers, but pets are not people. ?Pets go along with whatever you do because you?re providing and taking care of that animal. ?Friends are fellow human beings, other beings you can be human with when you?re not in a position where you have to be someone other than who you truly are. ?We all have to wear different hats in various?aspects of life, take on and/ or present other aspects of ourselves while?at work or in the company of certain associates. ?Some people can be more of themselves with friends than they can with members of their own family. ?Some people don?t have a filter in any environment. ?There are some folks that find themselves in positions where they have to be and/ or portray an image or live up to a certain standard that?s expected in any given circumstance, pleasing their spouse or their parents. ?There are fortunately people who are comfortable in their own skin to always be who they are. ?A friend always knows the truth about another friend. ?Some friends can have a full on conversation between themselves, while being in the midst of not being able to speak freely. ?Friendship means never having to bite your tongue and the friend on the other side of the conversation fully understands and respects what you?re conveying without being offended. ?Friendship is having an argument, agreeing to disagree and then breaking bread together, then sharing genuine laughter the rest of the night.

Friendship is encountering those who decide you?re worth the time, and feel that the time spent was effortless. ?Once one finds spending time with another requires too much effort, the friendship is altered. ?Does that mean that where two people once were can not be re-visited? ?I don?t think so, but there are millions I?m sure that would disagree and millions of instances to the contrary. ?Some people put faith into another person or collective of people, eventually coming to their senses when they?ve detached from that herd or group, realizing those folks were never their friends. ?Some people just move on. ?Some may say a person holding on to false hope is a fool, yet, often having hope in a ?friend,? is what enables so many to simply continue living. ?It?s not always that ones hope is based upon the actions of another, but it happens an awful lot.

So many have found friends and acquaintances of long ago on the social network that is Facebook. ?While it phenomenal, it?s crazy how once you find some people, you remember why you stopped communicating so often with that ?friend? in the first place ? but it?s nice to see em, and not really have to. ?I didn?t write this to necessarily draw any conclusions, but simply to define and express what friendship means to me and share it with any one up for a friendly perspective. ?I wish all my friends were for always, but sometimes that?s just not the case. ?Sometimes I?ll run into an old acquaintance or colleague that says ?Do you still talk to??, nine times out of ten the answer is yes, because the one asking obviously recognized when we were in more frequent correspondence, that my friendship with the one of which they speak, was a true FUNKIN? friend.facebookfriends 282x300 TRUE FUNKIN FRIENDS

That?s it I guess ? words written to better help myself and others discern who are friends, and detach from those who are not. ?My hope is that friends and friends of friends will find this and hopefully share it with a friend. ?True friends and kindred spirits are never far apart and those that are truly friends, will always be. ?In an era where violence and the cult of celebrity are paramount, the purity of friendship is essential. ??To all my friends? ? Mickey Rourke/ ?Barfly?

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Source: http://museumofuncutfunk.com/2012/07/29/true-funkin-friends/

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Expenses Management Software - Online Finance Blog

No matter what type of business you own, expense management software is essential for the optimal functioning as well as accurate reporting. Good expense management software is easy to use and is also capable of creating concise reports for the tax purposes and reimbursements. Each organization has criteria which make a specific solution. So, if you want to achieve that, without hesitation you should opt for such tool. It can be used for reporting on travel expenses and other expenditures.

Expense management software is a precious tool, which remains responsible for productivity enhancement while the system improvisation for expenses reimbursement. This advanced program has also the ability to flag an expense for rejection or review. In fact, there will be nothing wrong to say that this software has the capacity to perform customized standardization. This is probably the reason why this software is popular among the medium-sized enterprise and multi-national company. This software realizes that the requirement of the individual business is unique and it has the ability of application customization to cater to the need of the individuals.

Now a question may come up that which organizations mainly prefer to use this software. In this regard, we should definitely mention about the banks, business organizations and travel agents. Apart from these, by using such software HR can also expect to function with much ease. There is no doubt in the fact that this expenses management software is a client friendly package but in order to get optimum utilization from it, you need to use it in the right way.

For further information, keep on browsing such relevant websites, where relevant content remains uploaded or you can minutely go through the informative journals that deal with such topics. ??

Related Posts : Accountancy service for business, Expenses Management Software, Individual Savings Accounts, Saving Accounts

Source: http://www.financebuzzonline.com/2012/07/expenses-management-software-useful.html

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Opera, Mum On Facebook Rumors, Says Mobile Users Double To 200M, And That Facebook Dominates In Africa

The buzz about a possible acquisition by Facebook has almost completely died down, but Opera today released an update on the state of its business that nevertheless highlights how its own strategic direction is closely following that of its rumored suitor.

The combined number of active users of Opera?s mobile internet browsers has now topped 200 million, nearly double the figure a year ago, with pageviews more than doubling to 115 billion. And just as Facebook highlighted in its earnings call last week that emerging markets and mobile use were a key part of its advertising story, Opera in its State of the Mobile Web report has also zeroed in on how well it?s been performing in one emerging market in particular: Africa, where Opera?s figures reveal that Facebook is, by far, the most popular site in the region.

Last week, during Facebook?s Q2 earnings call, COO?Sheryl Sandberg made a specific reference to mobile usage in emerging markets and how it relates to Facebook?s developments on the advertising front, specifically around mobile advertising. ?We recently enabled our advertisers to buy us exclusively in mobile News Feed. We?re seeing strong interest, particularly from our clients, who know mobile is critical to reaching new customers, especially in emerging markets,? she said.

Coincidentally, Oslo, Norway-based Opera, too, is focusing in on mobile growth in emerging markets ? perhaps, like Facebook, a response to addressing those places that still have a lot of room to grow in comparison to more developed countries where adoption is slowing down.

With much of the mobile use in Africa still being based on feature phones, Opera?s Mini browser (which works on both feature phones and smartphones) is taking the lead, with 36 countries on the continent more than doubling their use of feature phone-friendly browser. Opera has published a pretty cool interactive map of the continent that gives you a look at Opera stats combined with those of the country in general.

Among the individual country highlights:?Opera notes that Libya, post revolution, has grown the most of any country in the region in terms of users, pageviews and data consumption, respectively?323,267% for users; 1,886,839% for pageviews and 1,498,984% for data usage.

Another politically troubled country, C?te d?Ivoire, also showed strong growth. Opera Mini users there were up by 600%, with pageviews up 744% and data use up 760%. This is in a country with a population of 16 million, where mobile penetration is at 15 million, and landline penetration at a tiny 230,000. That underscores just how important mobile is there.

In general, higher growth rates for pageviews and data use, compared to users of Opera mini, are a mark of better engagement. Opera notes that this is the bigger trend across all of the continent. ?Across Africa, data growth seems to outpace page-view growth. This fact suggests that Africans are browsing larger pages and most likely, using richer, more advanced websites,? the company writes. It so happens that?data use and pageview increases also provide a boost to Opera?s mobile ads business.

And guess what the top domain is in almost all of the continent?

It?s Facebook. In fact, the only three countries where Opera doesn?t list Facebook.com as the top domain are?Algeria, Angola and Guinea, where Google has the edge.

Interestingly, Africa is also a mark of where Nokia can still claim to be totally dominating the market, with its feature phone handsets making up almost all of the most popular models in every country.

On to more general stats about Opera, the story is still good but not growing as spectacularly as it is in that specific emerging region.

Opera says that most of the 200 million users overall of Opera?s mobile browsers (it also has a small business in desktop) is almost entirely around Opera Mini, the browser that works both on feature phones and various smartphone platforms. The smartphone-only Opera Mobile, it says, currently has only around 17 million users, although as you can see in the table below their percentage of the overall number has been steadily growing:

Opera notes that the 200 million active-user figure is a rise of 47% over June 2011, the same rate Opera reported?last month?but definitely down from growth March 2012 ??when Opera noted?that users had been growing at a rate of 67% (the company had released a big update of Opera Mini at the end of February, which may have accounted for that spike). An Opera spokesperson tells me that the company does not release figures on the total number of downloads and inactive users.

What?s perhaps encouraging for Opera is that, as we saw in Africa, globally engagement among those using its browsers is also up: Opera notes that in June 2012, it clocked 115 billion pageviews, which was a rise of 55% on June 2011 ? effectively, the pageview growth rate is outpacing that of user adoption, implying that people are spending more time with Opera than before.

Similarly, data consumption is up to over 2 petabytes, an increase of nearly 90%. Both of these numbers are key to Opera?s mobile advertising business ? a part of the company where Opera continues to invest so that it, like other browser companies, can generate revenue from all that traffic on its platform.

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/30/opera-mum-on-facebook-rumors-says-mobile-users-double-to-200m-and-that-facebook-is-killing-it-in-africa/

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Monday, July 30, 2012

Black Couple says White Church Banned Wedding

Jackson, MS-- A Jackson couple said their big wedding plans were dashed by a white church in Crystal Springs because they are black.

Charles Wilson said it was a huge disappointment that he and his wife couldn?t get married at the mostly white Crystal Springs church they attended because of the color of their skin.

?I feel like it was blatant racial discrimination,? Wilson said today in a phone interview.

Wilson said that he and his wife Te?Andrea had sent out invitations and the printed program with their wedding date of July 21 at First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs.

But the couple had to change their plans after some members of First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs didn?t want the black couple to be married there, the pastor told WLBT.

The church?s pastor, Rev. Stan Weatherford, married the couple, but moved the ceremony to a nearby church.

Weatherford acknowledged some members of the church were concerned about the black couple being married in the church. No black couple has been married in the church in recent memory.

Wilson said he had been attending the church for about a month and his now wife had been attending for more than a year.

?Prior to this, I had been telling people how nice they were here,? Wilson said. ?It makes you reevaluate things.?

The church pastor said he was surprised by the reaction of some church members.

"I didn't want to have a controversy within the church and I didn't want a controversy to effect the wedding of Charles and Te' Andrea. I wanted to make sure their wedding day was a special day," said Weatherford, according to WLBT.


You should follow us on twitter @thechurcheport


Source: http://www.thechurchreport.com/index.cfm?objectID=158205

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Garden Statues Picking garden decorations to your raise lawn

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Source: http://xinshang18.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-49.html

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Consuming PPC for Effective Marketing | The Empower Network and ...

Saturday, July 28th, 2012 at 10:54 am ?

728x90three1 Consuming PPC for Effective Marketing

Can there be anybody available to explore how you can boost the sales and leads at lower cost using Google advertising in addition to Google ad words report for small company.

Here a few of the Tips and tactics offered for just about any kind of Internet entrepreneurs. You will find plenty internet marketing services readily available for online companies nowadays which assist in improving profits.

Only one fundamental factor you should be seen is the fact online businesses should have an online business to be capable of be known within the global market.

PPC is actually well seem within the area of online marketing because it provides the site proprietors to link to the marketers in addition to search engines like Google to obtain and share the earnings based on number.

Which people are searching to focus on for that additional clients and improve your business? Surely the reply is here to achieve our goal objectives with the expert PPC Services.

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Apparently PPC management allows you receive on the top from the search engines like Google only for the particular business potential keywords and phrases. Within the problem of coping with advertisements everything might be deduced and modified instantly.

Coping with PPC only have only less works but need to concentrate much more about the important thing phrases since only keywords and phrases will blink rather than the particular ad space to draw the customers to buy the needed product.

It might be highly convenient with PPC to focus on clients demographically otherwise according to their company?s interests. The job of PPC management is very apparent yet it certainly requires right disclosure, right method and proper time.

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Once we take proper care of PPC management you need to strictly possess a personalized approach to take proper care of the how to go about your business.

Thus to enhance the rank of the adverts, you need to have to know the dynamism of Pay per click adequately. For that purpose we must understand how a PPC marketing technique can improve your website?s position in addition to increase its traffic flow.

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Tagged with: google ppc ? Online Business ? pay per click ? PPC ? PPC advertising ? ppc management ? ppc management services ? PPC marketing ? ppc services ? what is ppc

Filed under: Online Business

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Source: http://empower-network-review-site.com/consuming-ppc-for-effective-marketing/

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Sunday, July 29, 2012

Solutions offered By Business Consultancy Firms

This article has been viewed 17 times.

Every business owner ought to create new methods to operate business procedures smoothly. They hire business consultants, as that point of view outside the box can be useful. Numerous companies these days hire companies providing services such as small business management consulting to further improve internal management and operations.

As not all business owners have the essential educational background to know exactly how the business works, suggestions from a seasoned and knowledgeable party expert could be important. If you examine internet sites giving consulting services, you can find numerous professionals who could help with certain aspects of your company.

If you are a small business proprietor, selecting the expertise of a third party may pose a challenge. You might not have enough funds to invest for outside guidance. This applies even more if youre just getting started with your business. Its a good thing there are business consulting companies that concentrate on small businesses. With their knowledge and guidance, you may save a good amount of funds and make sure you get specialized counsel.

What kind of Business Consultant Should You Acquire?

Prior to getting a company providing small business management consulting , consider the tenure of the firm. This may reflect just how long theyve been practicing their expertise. A lot of consultants have certifications from prestigious business schools. Some can even be corporate executives themselves. If you wish to ensure about your consultants expertise, pick one with a consulting company.

One more element you must think of when searching for a good business consulting company is actually experience. While its true a diploma from a top rated business school may be spectacular, nothing compares to firsthand experience. Some successful corporate executives and entrepreneurs provide consultation quietly.

Business consultancy firms could have a specialized niche of business scale or industry. Some business techniques may work well in defined industries for companies with a specific size. If its possible, look for a consultant with expertise of at least experience handling a firm using the same type as yours.

Evaluate your consultants record of accomplishment. Check if their business consulting services were good at the past. Try to find an advisor or consultant with a high success rate. This can be the only thing you need for your business to take off.

One thing you need to consider is the sort of field your consultant is in. There are those who are useful in arranging systems and improving employee productivity while other professionals are better off proposing ideas for expansion along with other ways of implementation. Hire a consultant who specializes on the aspect in your business you need improvement on.

Consultants will still make reference to other businesses. Though this may offer a general viewpoint and help you comprehend your firm, there might be cases where theres conflict of interest. They can not be as concentrated to your case as they are along with other clients. Make sure you get a loyal advisor.

Small business management consulting does not lessen the risk of establishing your own business. Additionally they dont help eliminate your competition. The best thing they may do is present noteworthy counsel. In the long run, tough business decisions still depend upon you.

Source: http://www.article-i.com/business/solutions-offered-by-business-consultancy-firms/

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Saborio makes sure Real Salt Lake tops Vancouver

Associated Press Sports

updated 12:32 a.m. ET July 28, 2012

SANDY, Utah (AP) - Alvaro Saborio scored two more goals to push Real Salt Lake within a point of the MLS lead.

Saborio scored in both halves in Real Salt Lake's 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 on Friday night, giving him six of the team's seven goals in the last four games.

"He's so important for our team," RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman said. "It's not only the goals that he scores, it's the other stuff he does. When he scores, it's big time for us."

Salt Lake improved to 13-7-3 with its third straight home victory to move within a point of Western Conference rival San Jose for the best record in the league.

"He's so important for our team," RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman said. "It's not only the goals that he scores, it's the other stuff he does. When he scores, it's big time for us."

Darren Mattocks scored for Vancouver (9-7-7), winless in five of its last six matches.

"There's still time for us to make sure we're in the right spot," Vancouver defender Jay DeMerit said. "That's the ultimate goal for us as a team. If we keep doing what we're doing, we'll get there. But, again, it comes down to us in making sure it happens."

Saborio opened the scoring the 34th minute on a penalty kick that he slotted inside the left post. The penalty kick came after Jay DeMerit committed a hard foul on Beckerman in the box in the 33rd minute and was shown a yellow card.

Mattocks tied it in the 52nd minute. Camilo put a ball behind the RSL defenders and Mattocks beat them to it. Goalkeeper Rimando came off his line to stop Mattocks on the right side of the area, but the Vancouver player slipped around Rimando and fired the ball inside the left post.

Barry Robson nearly put Vancouver ahead a minute later, but his shot ricocheted off the post.

Saborio struck again in the 58th minute. Javier Morales sent a cross from the right flank to Saborio at the upper left corner of the 6-yard box, and he jumped and headed the ball home.

"I'm pleased to see Sabo scoring goals because, for a long time, he was doing everything and he was getting very unfortunate (results)," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "It's good he's in a good run and we'll try to ride it as long as possible."

Vancouver goalkeeper Joe Cannon was shown a red card when he committed a handball infraction outside the area in the 76th minute. Cannon will miss the Whitecaps' next game as a result.

Vancouver threw just about every player forward during long stretches of the second half and forced RSL to deal with several dangerous defensive situations.

"That's our bread and butter on this team," RSL defender Nat Borchers said. "When we stick to that, and we stay together as a unit defensively, we always have good results."

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


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Terry not off hook in racism case

PST: The British courts have had their say on the alleged John Terry ugliness, but now England?s FA will have something more to say about it.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/48365486/ns/sports-soccer/

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Writer Unboxed ? 'Social' Media: Your Shadow Career?

?Porter Anderson, Writing on the Ether, Jane Friedman, author, publisher, agent, books, publishing, digital, ebooks, Joanna Penn, J.F. Penn, Prophecy, ARKANE Thriller, The Creative Penn, TheCreativePenn, Steven Pressfield, Steve Pressfield, The War of Art

Sometimes, when we?re terrified of embracing our true calling, we?ll pursue a shadow calling instead.

And how does a shadow career relate to a real career?

That shadow career is a metaphor for our real career.

Something that supports what I meant to do. Good training? Yes, it sure is. This will come in handy. After all, I have to prepare, lay some groundwork, ramp up, get my eye on the prize, reach out, share, connect, engage, interact, throw around some more clich?s. Because it wasn?t built in a day, was it?

Its shape is similar, its contours feel tantalizingly the same.

Doing it. Getting it done. Hitting my marks. As good as.

But a shadow career entails no real risk.

So I can fail at it. You can, too. No problem. We?re all supportive. And you know how much they talk about the value of failure. Best thing that could happen, from the sounds of it.

Are you pursuing a shadow career?

Steven Pressfield is a favorite of mine. That?s him I?m quoting, from his new book.

But he may have written an even more elusive, eloquent adumbration into his new book than he knew.

About us. His fellow writers.

Porter Anderson, Writing on the Ether, Jane Friedman, author, publisher, agent, books, publishing, digital, ebooks, Joanna Penn, J.F. Penn, Prophecy, ARKANE Thriller, The Creative Penn, TheCreativePenn, Steven Pressfield, Steve Pressfield, The War of ArtPressfield?s new book is Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life?s Work, just out this summer. I?ve listed it in Reading on the Ether for a while. It?s not coming off that list any time soon.

I wish I liked the title better. Sounds like one of those Brian Tracy biz books, doesn?t it? Maximum Achievement: Strategies and Skills That Will Unlock Your Hidden Powers to Succeed. Or Reinvention: How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life. Always with the subtitles. Always with the inspi-vational implication that you have to belieeeeeeeeve in yourself, Lena Horne.

Nothing against Brian Tracy, by the way. I just counted 25 different success-o-rama books to his name on Amazon before I stopped. And he?s not bad, have you ever read him? When that?s what you need, Brian?s your guy.

Steve Pressfield? Very different animal.

Just to be sure, you do get his concept about a ?shadow career,? don?t you? Here he is again with a couple of good examples:

Are you getting your Ph.D. in Elizabethan studies because you?re afraid to write the tragedies and comedies that you know you have inside you? Are you living the drugs-and-booze half of the musician?s life, without actually writing the music?

OK, so we get this. And we know he?s right.

Just to stave off the question I have for you a little longer, let me say a couple of things about Pressfield. Man, do I love this guy.

Porter Anderson, Writing on the Ether, Jane Friedman, author, publisher, agent, books, publishing, digital, ebooks, Joanna Penn, J.F. Penn, Prophecy, ARKANE Thriller, The Creative Penn, TheCreativePenn, Steven Pressfield, Steve Pressfield, The War of ArtPressfield wrote a predecessor to Turning Pro, and I?d be surprised if you?re not familiar with it: The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles.

I hope you?ve read it. Released in 2002. Ten years ago. Be sure to appreciate the title?s play on his work in military-historical novels. Art of War. War of Art. Sweet.

If you ever have to command a few legions of your own, you want Pressfield?s cell number.

In The War of Art, he introduced his concept of Resistance, capital R. Everything short of doing your work is Resistance. Your own insecurities will costume themselves in about a million guises to keep you from achieving what you set out to do. It?s a constant battle. Which adds up to war. That?s Resistance. It wants to stop you (your own doubts want to stop you) from doing the work.

Porter Anderson, Writing on the Ether, Jane Friedman, author, publisher, agent, books, publishing, digital, ebooks, Joanna Penn, J.F. Penn, Prophecy, ARKANE Thriller, The Creative Penn, TheCreativePenn, Steven Pressfield, Steve Pressfield, The War of ArtIn fact, when Pressfield did a sort of recap of the War of Art last year, he titled it Do the Work. He published it on Amazon with Seth Godin?s Domino Project, which is why the title doesn?t appear on the cover. Godin thought this was clever and made it a consistent feature of books published under the short-lived Domino aegis.

An aside for Godin-ites: Without any reference to Seth whatever, mind you, Pressfield in his new Turning Pro has a couple of interesting tribal references. Including:

When we truly understand that the tribe doesn?t give a damn, we?re free. There is no tribe, and there never was.

Porter Anderson, Writing on the Ether, Jane Friedman, author, publisher, agent, books, publishing, digital, ebooks, Joanna Penn, J.F. Penn, Prophecy, ARKANE Thriller, The Creative Penn, TheCreativePenn, Steven Pressfield, Steve Pressfield, The War of ArtUnlike Do the Work, Turning Pro is no recap.

It?s full-on Pressfield 10 years later. Smarter, more refined. More focused. Authoritative. Self-published, by the way.

And it?s Pressfield, I think, chased by a couple of maturing shadows of his own, after several more books and the Glory of our Digital Disruption, which I hope you?re enjoying as much as I am.

Mind you, I don?t know Pressfield as well as I?d like. We?ve had a couple of emails back and forth but no chance to meet. I?d love it if we did. This is one of the people you want to have dinner with sometime.

Porter Anderson, Writing on the Ether, Jane Friedman, author, publisher, agent, books, publishing, digital, ebooks, Joanna Penn, J.F. Penn, Prophecy, ARKANE Thriller, The Creative Penn, TheCreativePenn, Steven Pressfield, Steve Pressfield, The War of ArtBut a shadow of his own? OK, here?s my guess:

It?s damned hard to get Pressfield?s readership for Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae to ?come on out,? as they say on local TV ads, and buy his creative-struggle books. And in the same way, it?s hard to get us creative strugglers to cram copies of his mercenaries-on-the-move thriller, The Profession, into our Kindles, right? Let alone The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great.

So I wonder if it ever feels as if one line of books is a shadow to the other? I mean, yes, there?s also The Legend of Bagger Vance. Middle of the parking lot there, I guess. Did you know it has a subtitle, too? ?A Novel of Golf and the Game of Life.? Steve, Steve, Steve, about these subtitles, remind me when we have dinner, we?ll talk.

Porter Anderson, Writing on the Ether, Jane Friedman, author, publisher, agent, books, publishing, digital, ebooks, Joanna Penn, J.F. Penn, Prophecy, ARKANE Thriller, The Creative Penn, TheCreativePenn, Steven Pressfield, Steve Pressfield, The War of ArtA part of Pressfield?s appeal for me is the muscularity of his writing. Stay with me, ladies: women are more than fine with his work, don?t get me wrong, and his muse is resoundingly a she, by the way, he goes on about her as such, very clearly. In fact, you might enjoy his Last of the Amazons. It?s not about people in Seattle.

All I?m saying is there?s something beyond a warrior here. Pressfield is more a warfarer (I made that one up, don?t waste your time looking for it). I?m trying to say he has a masculine scope to his competence, a man?s perspective, a fighting spirit. It?s good.

Until he punches me in the face.

And if you read Turning Pro with your mind open and your heart on hold, you may need to check your teeth, too.

Porter Anderson, Writing on the Ether, Jane Friedman, author, publisher, agent, books, publishing, digital, ebooks, Joanna Penn, J.F. Penn, Prophecy, ARKANE Thriller, The Creative Penn, TheCreativePenn, Steven Pressfield, Steve Pressfield, The War of ArtIt?s that shadow career thing. Ready?

What if your author platform becomes your shadow career?

Pressfield doesn?t ask you that. I do.

What if our fine gurus and mentors and big shots and digitally maddened industry leaders trying to hang on for their pensions have whipped everybody up about platforming so much that writers are turning it into their excuse, their surrogate vocation, their addiction, their Resistance, their shadow career? ? the preoccupation to doing the real thing?

Pressfield:

The addiction becomes the shadow version, the evil twin of our calling to service or to art. That?s why addicts are so interesting and so boring at the same time. They?re interesting because they?re called to something ? something new, something unique, something that we, watching, can?t wait to see them bring forth into manifestation. At the same time, they?re boring because they never do the work.

Porter Anderson, Writing on the Ether, Jane Friedman, author, publisher, agent, books, publishing, digital, ebooks, Joanna Penn, J.F. Penn, Prophecy, ARKANE Thriller, The Creative Penn, TheCreativePenn, Steven Pressfield, Steve Pressfield, The War of ArtStart talking platform around writers. What do you hear? Endless complaints about how much time it?s taking, so much energy, a creative time-suck, publicity recast as connection, aspirations transmuted into service-to-community, a following you hope to God becomes a readership, reciprocity hailed as professionalism?and the last time anybody can remember doing any writing? ? it was their grocery list.

My life used to be a shadow novel. It had plot, characters, sex scenes, action scenes. It had mood, atmosphere, texture. It was scary, it was weird, it was exciting. I had friends who were living out shadow movies, or creating shadow art, or initiating shadow industries. These were our addictions, and we worked them for all they were worth.

One of the intriguing things about Pressfield, both in The War of Art and now in Turning Pro, is his willingness to tell you with aching honesty that he?s been there ahead of you.

There was only one problem: none of us was writing a real novel, or painting a real painting, or starting a real business. We were amateurs living in the past or dreaming of the future, while failing utterly to do the work necessary to progress in the present.

Porter Anderson, Writing on the Ether, Jane Friedman, author, publisher, agent, books, publishing, digital, ebooks, Joanna Penn, J.F. Penn, Prophecy, ARKANE Thriller, The Creative Penn, TheCreativePenn, Steven Pressfield, Steve Pressfield, The War of ArtAnd that?s why we all need to rethink, every day, where we are with things.

  • Are we going where we think we?re going? Or are we addicted to being on a parallel track?
  • Are we building readership and bona fide community around our ideas and our art? Or are we gassing our best energies out into the Zuckersphere?
  • Are our platforms supporting our work? Or has our work become the rationale for the platforms?

You may be fine on all counts. I hope you are. I hope I am. Because, you know, any good idea ? and I?m not saying that platforming is the wrong idea, far from it ? but any good idea can be overpowered by our zeal to support it, nourish it, bolster it?and, as Pressfield is warning us, to get away from the harder stuff, our artistry.

The only thing tougher than the dreaded work-life balance issue may be work-platform.

Porter Anderson, Writing on the Ether, Jane Friedman, author, publisher, agent, books, publishing, digital, ebooks, Joanna Penn, J.F. Penn, Prophecy, ARKANE Thriller, The Creative Penn, TheCreativePenn, Steven Pressfield, Steve Pressfield, The War of Art

Steven Pressfield

Our platforms are, in most cases, built and operated these days, of course, in the social media (still a plural word, damn it). That?s a feature of each column I do here at Writer Unboxed.

So hey, I?m looking up the word ?tweet? here in Turning Pro on my Kindle Fire to see what my future dinner buddy has to say on the topic of Twitter?ah, here it is:

The amateur tweets. The pro works.

Uh-oh.

| | |

So what do you think? Ever feel as if you?re a platformer who?s trying to write a book ? instead of an author who?s trying to platform? Ever think the distractions of digital simply cannot be contained and eventually will reduce us all to sound-bitten maniacs? Ever feel as if your platform-ery is the biggest thing standing in the way of your book-ery?

Main image: iStockPhoto / sack

?


A late update: Anastasia Ashman, in reply to Writer Unboxed?s Therese Walsh?s grand tweet, has made this very wise comment within hours of our posting time:

I agree with her. What I want to recommend is that each of us must decide. Indeed, daily engagement might be superior for you to creating books, she?s right. I?d argue only that the important thing is to make a conscious decision on this ? as opposed, as Pressfield has it, to letting addiction and Resistance cause you to slip into something you didn?t choose.

I will put it this way to you: Decide. Don?t default.

?

@Porter_Anderson Journalist, critic| Writing on the Ether for @JaneFriedman | @DigiBookWorld Expert Blogger | @WriterUnboxed | Fmr. CNN, Village Voice, UN/Rome, | BA MA MFA http://www.PorterAnderson.com

Porter Anderson

Source: http://writerunboxed.com/2012/07/28/social-media-your-shadow-career/

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Can We Feed 9 Billion People by 2050 or Will We Starve?

The question of food security in the world, on account of galloping population growth, seemed to be one of the most pressing concerns at the recently concluded ESOF 2012 (Euroscience Open Forum) in Dublin.

By 2050 the global population is expected to reach 9 billion with the majority of this increase in our part of the developing world ? in Asia. In order to feed this massive number of mouths, speakers at the forum indicated that a huge rise in food production of about 50% was required. The question in everyone?s mind was, if we cant feed the starving 1 billion today how can we ramp up for the increased numbers in 2050?

Speaking to Prof Jonathan Jones FRS of Sainsbury Lab, Norwich UK, one of the foremost experts involved in the study of meeting the challenge of tackling global hunger, he said that researchers have identified many simple methods of matching the demand for food as it must match the supply, and soon the world will face the ?perfect storm? of food insecurity if we do not tackle the situation sensibly.

?Improved agronomy could make a big contribution. Increasing population and consumption are placing unprecedented demands on agriculture and natural resources. Today, approximately a billion people are chronically malnourished while our agricultural systems are concurrently degrading land, water, biodiversity and climate on a global scale. To meet the world?s future food security and sustainability needs, food production must grow substantially while, at the same time, agriculture?s environmental footprint must shrink dramatically.? He shared his study which analysed solutions to this dilemma, by showing that tremendous progress could be made by halting agricultural expansion, closing ?yield gaps? on underperforming lands, increasing cropping efficiency, shifting diets and most of all, reducing waste. ?Together, these strategies could double food production while greatly reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture,? explained Jones.

Photo: Hema Radha

Photo: Hema Radha

Contemporary agriculture faces enormous challenges today, reveals Jones. Even with recent productivity gains, roughly one in seven people lack access to food or are chronically malnourished, stemming from unabated poverty and mounting food prices. Unfortunately, the situation may worsen as food prices are the result of market speculation, bioenergy crop expansion and climatic disturbances. Even if we solve these food access challenges, much more crop production will probably be needed to guarantee future food security. Recent studies suggest that production would need to roughly double to keep pace with projected demands from population growth, dietary changes,especially with changes in meat consumption, and increasing bio-energy use, unless there are dramatic changes in agricultural consumption patterns.

Compounding this challenge, agriculture must also address tremendous environmental concerns. ?Agriculture is now a dominant force behind many environmental threats,? said Jones, ?including climate change, biodiversity loss and degradation of land and freshwater?. In fact, agriculture is a major force driving the environment beyond the ??planetary boundaries??. Looking forward, we face one of the greatest challenges of the twenty-first century: meeting society?s growing food needs while simultaneously reducing agriculture?s environmental harm of the planet.

Using new geospatial data and models, Jones has evaluated how new approaches to agriculture could benefit both food production and environmental sustainability. ?Our analysis focuses on the agronomic and environmental aspects of these challenges, and leaves a richer discussion of associated social, economic and cultural issues to future work,? he said.

Until recently, the scientific community could not measure, monitor and analyse the agriculture, food, environment system?s complex linkages at the global scale, says Jones.

?Today, however, we have new data that characterize worldwide patterns and trends in agriculture and the environment. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, croplands cover 1.53 billion hectares (about 12% of Earth?s ice-free land), while pastures cover another 3.38 billion hectares (about 26% of Earth?s ice-free land). Altogether, agriculture occupies about 38% of Earth?s terrestrial surface?the largest use of land on the planet. These areas comprise the land best suited for farming: much of the rest is covered by deserts, mountains, tundra, cities, ecological reserves and other lands unsuitable for agriculture.?

Studies show that between 1985 and 2005 the world?s fields and pastures expanded by 154 million hectares (about 3%). But this slow net increase includes significant expansion in the tropics, as well as little change or a decrease in the temperate zone. The result is a net redistribution of agricultural land towards the tropics, with implications for food production, food security and the environment.

Crop production across the world has increased substantially in recent decades. Looking at the figures of common crop groups, which include cereals, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables, it has been noticed that crop production has increased by 47% between 1985 and 2005. However, considering all 174 crops tracked by the UN FAO, researchers found that global crop production increased by only 28% during that time.

This 28% gain in production occurred as cropland area increased marginally by 2.4%, suggesting a 25%increase in yield. However, cropland area that was harvested increased by about 7% between 1985 and 2005?nearly three times the change in cropland area, owing to increased multiple cropping, fewer crop failures, and less land left fallow. Accounting for the increase in harvested land, average global crop yields increased by only 20% between 1985 and 2005, substantially less than the often-cited 47% production increase for selected crop groups, indicating that yields are not rising as quickly as before.

It was also found that measuring by aggregate did not reveal trends in individual crops or crop groups. For example, cereal crops decreased in harvested area by 3.6% between 1985 and 2005, yet their total production increased by 29%, reflecting a 34% increase in yields per hectare. Oil crops, on the other hand, showed large increases in both harvested area (43%) and yield (57%), resulting in a 125% increase in total production. While most crops increased production between 1985 and 2005, fodder crops did not: on average, they saw an 18% production drop as a 26% loss in harvested area overrode an 11% increase in yields.

Another important point noted was that the allocation of crops to non-food uses, including animal feed, seed, bio-energy and other industrial products, affects the amount of food available to the world. Globally, only 62% of crop is allocated to human food, versus 35% to animal feed,which produces human food indirectly, as meat and dairy products and 3% for bio-energy, seed and other industrial products.

It was also found that a striking disparity exists between regions that primarily grow crops for direct human consumption and those that produce crops for other uses. North America and Europe devote only about 40% of their croplands to direct food production, whereas Africa and Asia allocate typically over 80% of their cropland to food crops. Extremes range from the Upper Midwestern USA with less than 25% to South Asia with over 90%.

?So,? Jones said, ?as we face the twin challenges of feeding a growing world, while charting a more environmentally sustainable path, the amount of land and other resources, devoted to animal-based agriculture, merits critical evaluation?. For example, adding croplands devoted to animal feed (about 350 million hectares) to pasture and grazing lands (3.38 billion hectares), we find the land devoted to raising animals totals 3.73 billion hectareswhich is,75% of the world?s agricultural land.

The study also noted that, meat and dairy production can either add to or subtract from the world?s food supply. Grazing systems, especially on pastures unsuitable for other food production, and mixed crop?livestock systems can add calories and protein to the world and improve economic conditions and food security in many regions. However, using highly productive croplands to produce animal feed, no matter how efficiently, represents a net drain on the world?s potential food supply.

So according to Jones, the environmental impacts of agriculture included those caused by expansion,when croplands and pastures extend into new areas, replacing natural ecosystems and those caused by intensification, often through the use of irrigation, fertilizers, biocides and mechanization. Agricultural expansion has had tremendous impacts on habitats, biodiversity, carbon storage and soil conditions. In fact, worldwide agriculture had already cleared or converted 70% of the grassland, 50% of the savanna, 45% of the temperate deciduous forest, and 27% of the tropical forest biome.

?Today? said Jones, ?agriculture is mainly expanding in the tropics, where it is estimated that about 80% of new croplands are replacing forests?. This expansion is worrisome, given that tropical forests are rich reservoirs of biodiversity and key ecosystem services. Clearing tropical forests is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and is estimated to release around 1.131015 grams of carbon per year, or about 12% of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions28. Slowing or halting expansion of agriculture in the tropics, will reduce carbon emissions as well as losses of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Photo: Neil Mathew

Photo: Neil Mathew

Agricultural intensification has dramatically increased in recent decades, outstripping rates of agricultural expansion, and has been responsible for most of the yield increases of the past few decades. In the past 50 years, the world?s irrigated cropland area roughly doubled, while global fertilizer use increased by 500%, with over 800% for nitrogen alone. Intensification has also caused water degradation, increased energy consumption, and widespread pollution.

Of particular concern is that some 70% of global freshwater are devoted to irrigation. Furthermore, rain-fed agriculture is the world?s largest user of water13,38. In addition, fertilizer use, manure application, and leguminous crops,which fix nitrogen in the soil, have dramatically disrupted global nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, with associated impacts on water quality, aquatic ecosystems and marine fisheries. Both agricultural expansion and intensification are also major contributors to climate change. Agriculture is responsible for 30?35% of global greenhouse gas emissions, largely from tropical deforestation, methane emissions from livestock and rice cultivation, and nitrous oxide emissions from fertilized soils.

Today, humans are farming more of the planet than ever, with higher resource intensity and staggering environmental impacts, while diverting an increasing fraction of crops to animals, bio-fuels and other non-food uses. Meanwhile, almost a billion people are chronically hungry. The requirements of current and future generations demand that we transform agriculture to meet the twin challenges of food security and environmental sustainability.

Prof. Jones neatly summed up his analysis which demonstrates that four core strategies can meet future food production needs and environmental challenges if deployed simultaneously. Adding them together, they increase global food availability by 100?180%, meeting projected demands while lowering greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity losses, water use and water pollution. However, all four strategies are needed to meet our global food production and environmental goals; no single strategy is sufficient.

Specific land use, agricultural and food system tactics must be developed and deployed. Fortunately, many such tactics already exist, including precision agriculture, drip irrigation, organic soil remedies, buffer strips and wetland restoration, new crop varieties that reduce needs for water and fertilizer, perennial grains and tree-cropping systems, and paying farmers for environmental services. However, deploying these tactics effectively around the world requires numerous economic and governance challenges to be overcome. For example, reforming global trade policies, including eliminating price-distorting subsidies and tariffs, will be vital to achieving the goals.

Finally to develop improved land use and agricultural practices, Jones suggested the following guidelines:

(1) Solutions should focus on critical biophysical and economic ?leverage points? in agricultural systems, where major improvements in food production or environmental performance may be achieved with the least effort and cost.

(2) New practices must also increase the resilience of the food system. High-efficiency, industrialized agriculture has many benefits, but it is vulnerable to disasters, including climatic disturbances, new diseases and economic calamities.

(3) Agricultural activities have many costs and benefits, but methods of evaluating the trade-offs are still poorly developed. We need better data and decision support tools to improve management decisions, productivity and environmental stewardship.

(4) The search for agricultural solutions should remain technology neutral.
There are multiple paths to improving the production, food security and environmental performance of agriculture, and we should not be locked into a single approach.

The challenges facing agriculture today said Jones are quite unlike anything we have experienced before, and they require revolutionary approaches to solving food production and sustainability problems.

In short, new agricultural systems must deliver more human value, to those who need it most, with the least environmental harm. That way we can ensure the 9 billion of us do not starve in 2050.

* The above article cites and paraphrases material from an analysis written and published by JA Foley et al.

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The writer attended ESOF2012 in Dublin as a Robert Bosch Stiftung Fellow

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=de19b0593e0c1716b7f6104519a7fee3

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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Provide a Dog with Good Oral Health | Anti-Aging


Health and Fitness | Anti-Aging | * Written by Edward Swan | Friday, 27 July 2012 16:58 | Word Count: 355

Establishing and maintaining good levels of oral health is important for both humans and animals to ensure they can enjoy a quality of life. Each part of the mouth area, from the teeth to the jaws, combines to allow a person or animal to effectively breathe, communicate and eat food. It is therefore essential to ensure a set of teeth remain sharp and clean to preserve their quality and be able to carry out cognitive functions without any pain.
Although animals in the wild are required to fend for themselves and maintain their own quality of teeth, those which are bought as pets place the responsibility on their owner?s shoulders. All owners take on the role of looking after the safety and wellbeing of their pet to ensure the environment is suitable for their naturalistic requirements. Additionally, they are responsible for providing their pet with a level of nutrition required to keep their body and overall health in prime condition.
Due to the abundance of energy and excitement they exude, dogs require ample portions of animal feed on a daily basis. This not only helps to strengthen their core body muscles and bones, but also provides the nutrients and vitamins needed to be active and move freely.
Typical products specifically created for dogs are available in wet and dry dog food form. The former is usually contained within a sealed tin with a flavoured jelly providing a moist, flavour-packed meal, whilst the latter is kept in a thick bag to preserve its dry nature.
As brushing the teeth of a dog can be an almost impossible task, owners must find other ways of promoting oral health for their pet. While such animal feed is beneficial for the substantial levels of vitamin and nutrients packed within each product, dry dog food can play a key role in preserving the quality of a dog?s teeth. The rough and tough nature of dry food provides dog with a level of jaw work required to keep their teeth strong and clean.
Specialist dental biscuits can also be purchased to further enhance a dog?s oral health. This is to ensure they can enjoy eating without any pain, whilst receiving the intake of nutrients required to own a happy, healthy canine.

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