Team flag waves as 49ers arrive for Super Bowl

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh talks with reporters during a news conference on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013, in New Orleans. The 49ers will face the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game on Feb. 3. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh talks with reporters during a news conference on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013, in New Orleans. The 49ers will face the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game on Feb. 3. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

A flag is seen outside the plane carrying the San Francisco 49ers as they arrive at the Louis Armstrong International Airport for the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh makes a face on the team bus after arriving at the Louis Armstrong International Airport for the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Pat Semansky)

The San Francisco 49ers arrive at the Louis Armstrong International Airport for the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Street performer Ruben Moten, a San Francisco native, wears a San Francisco 49ers visor as he performs as a robot on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013, in New Orleans. The 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens are scheduled to play in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game on Feb. 3. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? Jim Harbaugh stepped to the podium, smirked a bit, and greeted his first news conference as a Super Bowl coach.

"We're super happy to be here," he said Sunday night as his NFC champion San Francisco 49ers arrived in the Big Easy for the big game.

"I think this team has the best focus on unity and winning I've ever been a part of."

Considering that Harbaugh was an NFL quarterback for 14 seasons and a successful college coach before joining the 49ers, he knows something about winning.

Under Harbaugh, San Francisco has been to two NFC title games and, now, to its first Super Bowl in 18 years. The Niners (13-4-1) will play Baltimore (13-6), coached by Harbaugh's older brother, John, in next Sunday's Super Bowl.

He is certain his team is ready for the task as the 49ers seek their sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy; they are 5-0 in Super Bowls.

"These are uncharted waters for a rookie Super Bowl coach," Harbaugh said. "But that's exciting. It's a great thrill, and we have a desire to be in uncharted waters. We always strive for that kind of challenge."

Earlier in the evening, with a team flag waving from an open window of their chartered plane, the 49ers arrived in a businesslike manner. The players calmly walked off the airplane ? no video recorders or cameras, no waves to onlookers.

Most of the team's veteran players disembarked first, including center Jonathan Goodwin, who won a Super Bowl three years ago with the Saints.

"You get to go to the Super Bowl with your childhood team, so that's something special to me," he said. "So hopefully I can find a way to win the Super Bowl with my childhood team."

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, wearing a red wool cap sporting "49ers" on it, mouthed the words to a song on his headphones as he walked on the tarmac.

He seemed just as relaxed 90 minutes later as he met the media.

"Pressure comes from a lack of preparation," said Kaepernick, who took over as the starter when Alex Smith got a concussion in November and has been sensational in keeping the job. "This is not a pressure situation. It's a matter of going out and performing."

Harbaugh said the 49ers came to New Orleans on Sunday to simulate a normal week. He likened their trip to his strategy the last two seasons when the 49ers spent a week in Youngstown, Ohio, between Eastern games rather than return to the Bay Area.

He liked the way the players and coaches bonded during that experience.

"Same approach," Harbaugh said. "Enjoy the moment and the preparation. I think our team enjoys that the most: the meetings, the preparation and then, especially, the competition."

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-27-Super%20Bowl-49ers%20Arrive/id-0d841cfc10da4568ad5f4ebb42b8bd84

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Consider These Ideas To Get Started With Internet Marketing ...

If you are trying to find a way to increase your customer base and boost your profits, internet marketing could be the answer. Internet marketing, which encompasses a variety of different tactics and techniques, provides a highly effective means of exposing your product or services to a wider audience. The advice in this article will guide you to turning your Internet marketing aspirations into realistic and successful business practices.

Partner with other online businesses to create interesting combination deals that will attract customers and help you share your customer bases. This tactic is a sound strategy to create connections between multiple markets. This has a cumulative effect of boosting overall revenue. A good example of this is an online booking agent, which has negotiated reduced prices for people who book hotels, airfare and car rentals in one transaction. This is the perfect strategy for allying two or more companies which are related, but not competitors.

A good tip for your site is to have a place where customers can interact with one another. This helps your site feel like a group or club instead of simply a place to purchase items. This may help people feel as though they belong to a special club.

A friendly looking 500 error page can be very helpful. Visitors will see this page when something goes haywire with your site?s automated database code. Avoid the typical basic error message that lacks any real information. Instead, inform your visitors that you are working on a fix to their problem using a more creative webpage message that fits the format of your site.

Try giving free incentives to get more business. Pampering customers is just as effective online as it is in brick and mortar stores.

Including some samples or some discount coupons with the product you ship is a good idea. Just make sure the samples and coupons somehow tie into the product you shipped. This gives your customers a good reason to return, and also shows that you appreciate their business.

Creating viral videos, with tags of course, is a great way to generate interest and will really help your internet marketing strategy. Don?t forget to put a link leading to your site in the video?s description. You will see a dramatic increase in the number of regular visitors who come to your site.

You can assess the results of online marketing campaigns with sophisticated programs that measure the sales versus the number of visitors to your site. Most companies have add-ons and tools that will help you track all of your activity.

You want to put ads all over the Internet to give yourself as much exposure as possible. Services such as Google AdSense are a way to do this. Doing this permits you to enjoy high levels of marketing for an affordable price and a limited amount of effort.

Your customers can be offered a subscription of things they purchase. You could entice them by offering a discount for agreeing to receive a product delivery each month.

Press releases are effective Internet marketing tools. With a well-written press release, that offers clear and informative content, you can find multiple sources that will publish it and open it to niche markets. This can be an easy way to boost your profile.

Your online business should not be a full-time job until it is really successful. As you progress consider making a career out of Internet marketing.

You could add some user polls alongside your specific content to get readers? views and feedback. Acknowledging and implementing your users? ideas helps to build a relationship with your audience.

You need to be confident in the quality of your products or services. Having a great marketing strategy will not provide long term success for something that is of low quailty. A first-rate product will go a long way towards increasing your sales profits.

Focus on a single, overarching goal for your website, then pursue it relentlessly. Determine the type of content you would like to write as well as the directories you want to submit to. Make sure this content is adapted to your audience, and encourage people to share these articles with their friends. You must be sure to follow their rules to ensure that your submission will be accepted.

Valuable content is always the starting point of any successful Internet marketing campaign. Make sure you review your content often to ensure it is presenting the right message to your customers. It can also be helpful to have other people take a look at your content. A fresh perspective can be invaluable to your evaluation process. Lastly, make sure you check the grammar and spelling of your content in order to assure there are no errors.

As you now know, a well-designed article marketing strategy can help your business to connect with members of its target market. As you become more familiar with the various ways Internet marketing can be used, you can custom design your campaigns to suit your audience perfectly. Take advantage of the information is this article to improve your business.

One of the simplest ways to turn mlm lead generation systems into a solid business plan is to find a number of people, systems or even marketing designs who are presently attaining the outcomes you wish and put on your detective thinking cap. Research their marketing plan and find out precisely who their target market is, how they are approaching them, exactly what they they are delivering their customers and potential clients to (just what type of discussion ? direct mail, online, offline, webinar, audio, video) and just how are they following up to close the deal and collect a decision. Then merely do the exact same things in the same way.

Related posts:

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3. Master Internet Marketing Strategies With These Top Tips Internet marketing provides many opportunities for promoting your business. Internet...

Source: http://shawnrobinson.info/consider-these-ideas-to-get-started-with-internet-marketing/

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Mali residents detail civilian casualties in Konna

Essential News from The Associated Press

AAA??Jan. 26, 2013?7:27 AM ET Mali residents detail civilian casualties in Konna AP Malian people welcome French soldiers as they arrive in the city of Sevare, Mali, some 620 kms (385 miles) north of Bamako, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Mali's military and French forces pushed toward Gao on Friday, in their farthest move north and east since launching an operation two weeks ago to retake land controlled by the rebels, residents and a security official said Friday. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Malian people welcome French soldiers as they arrive in the city of Sevare, Mali, some 620 kms (385 miles) north of Bamako, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Mali's military and French forces pushed toward Gao on Friday, in their farthest move north and east since launching an operation two weeks ago to retake land controlled by the rebels, residents and a security official said Friday. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) French soldiers stand at a crossroads as they arrive in the city of Sevare, Mali, some 620 kms (385 miles) north of Bamako, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. Mali's military and French forces pushed toward Gao on Friday, in their farthest move north and east since launching an operation two weeks ago to retake land controlled by the rebels, residents and a security official said Friday. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) A Malian soldier stops at the Aviator's Club bar to watch an African Cup of Nations football match in Sevare, some 620 kms (400 miles) north of Mali's capital Bamako Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida-linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French airstrikes. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) In this picture provided by the French Army Communications Audiovisual office (ECPAD) and taken Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, a Chad soldier for the African-led international support mission to Mali has boarded an aircraft in N'Djamena, Chad, bound for Bamako, the capital of Mali. The French currently have some 2,400 forces in Mali and have said that they will stay as long as needed in the former French colony. However, they have called for African nations to take the lead in fortifying the Malian army's efforts. (AP Photo/ECPAD,Nicolas Vissac) In this picture provided by the French Army Communications Audiovisual office (ECPAD) and taken Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, Chad soldiers for the African-led international support mission to Mali wait to board an aircraft in N'Djamena, Chad, bound for Bamako, the capital of Mali. The French currently have some 2,400 forces in Mali and have said that they will stay as long as needed in the former French colony. However, they have called for African nations to take the lead in fortifying the Malian army's efforts. (AP Photo/ECPAD,Nicolas Vissac) KONNA, Mali (AP) ? Residents of a Malian town are describing civilian casualties from airstrikes used by France to drive out Islamic militants. The Malian military allowed international journalists into Konna on Saturday for the first time since the French-led operation targeted the town two weeks ago. Souleymane Maiga told The Associated Press how three women and one child died on Jan. 11 when their courtyard was strafed with bullets. One of the women's children survived. Konna's mayor has confirmed that at least 11 civilians died during the military operation. French forces launched their offensive a day after the Islamists surged southward and occupied Konna. The rebels were later driven out, and the town is now under the control of the Malian military. Associated Press People, Places and Companies: Mali

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-26-AF-Mali-Fighting/id-d871836c7b0047ec901f646d0db3d5b9

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AP NewsBreak: Harkin won't seek 6th Senate term (The Arizona Republic)

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Dana White?s video blog involves a frozen waterfall, a zipline and a cold shoulder

Check out Dana White's video blog, and ponder that he had to turn all of his waterfalls on so the pipes at his house wouldn't burst. Don't they insulate pipes in Las Vegas? Also, notice which fighter he doesn't say hello to before the UFC on Fox 6 press conference.

Enjoy, and don't forget to follow Cagewriter on Twitter for the latest from UFC on Fox 6. Today, it's Jon Jones' fan Q and A, and the weigh-ins.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/dana-white-video-blog-involves-frozen-waterfall-zipline-173807016--mma.html

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How Much Control Will We Have Over Our Personal Data?

photo by Ed Yourdon

The flood of online data about each of us seems to be increasing exponentially. For the most part we?re willing participants, lured by the promise of convenience and information. But how much control will we have over the data that we give up? Michael Fertik, CEO of Reputation.com, which is in the business of giving consumers control over their personal data, wrote to us from the World Economic Forum meeting this week in Davos, where the topic has gotten a hearing. (Fertik also wrote the Forum column in our February 2013 issue, A Tale of Two Internets.) Here?s his letter:

A year ago, multinational corporations had begun to entertain some radical (for them) concepts with regards to big data. For instance, executives seemed to consider the notion that consumer data they collected ? from telecommunications data to healthcare records to their commercial and financial transactions to the digital footprints that customers leave as they use the Internet ? need not be regulated and regimented, with benefits that tilted largely to business, but that the possibility of some kind of pro-consumer paradigm shift should be allowed.

Reading between the lines of conversations I?ve been having so far at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos about data governance, usage and privacy, people seem to be sharing a common vision.

On the surface, there doesn?t seem to be much common ground. On the one hand, users want control over their data ? when it?s shared, how it?s shared, for how long it?s shared?and they are concerned about privacy, even as they rush to use social media platforms (see?this Pew study).? Companies, on the other hand, want to further mine the intel they gather ? from Internet browsing habits, shopping patterns, demographic data ? to sell goods and services, make money, expand their businesses faster and more effectively.

For the first time at Davos this year, the key session on Unlocking the Value of Personal Data was moved from an ?offsite? hotel meeting to a front-and-center leading working session inside the Congress Center. ?In the Davos world, that move signals an arrival of the topic as a kind of ?primetime? event at the World Economic Forum. ?In the words of one of the key discussion leaders, last year?s meeting on this topic was one of the best and most important sessions he?s ever attended in years of involvement at the WEF. ?As another discussion leader said this week, nearly every session that is happening at Davos this year in some implicates questions of personal data, big data, and privacy. ?It?s been coming up hourly. ?And at this key session on Unlocking the Value of Personal Data, all of the heavyweights were in the room and leaning in for a robust discussion: Global 2000 technology, health, and financial companies; key regulators; and the principal Internet thought leaders from around the world.

And for the first time ever, the discussion was largely unanimous in its embrace of the proposition that users CAN and SHOULD have some measurable control over either collection or use of their data.

We just saw the world move. ?Huge companies ? and in particular, the large number of massive global companies that are not hide-bound by their attachment to traditional Internet advertising business lines ? see clearly the vast revenue opportunities in the data stores they have been accumulating for decades about people, places, and things. ?And now ? for reasons of both regulation and principle ? they are highly motivated to start monetizing those data sets in ways that are clearly user-centric and pro-user.

There?s a tremendous amount of valuable data that companies can?t presently access or deploy for corporate or user gain ? untapped gold, a resource of tremendous revenue generation.? With the right model?a ?good guy? paradigm that is user-centric?progressive companies could open the door to a huge new source of wealth creation.? With a?Field of Dreams-like focus on incentives (?if you offer them, they will come?), consumers will embrace the shift to owning and benefiting from their data.

The point is not to forestall innovation or accidentally prevent serendipitous discovery arising from the connection of multiple and apparently disjointed data sets. ?The goal is instead to enable the connection of those data sets with knowing and actually informed participation by users.

That?s why I?m a passionate advocate for the concept of?the data vault ? because it perfectly benefits companies and individuals alike.? Customers entrust their data to the vault system and decide what companies or types of businesses they trust.? Those companies then provide incentives, which a person could choose to take or not, in exchange for their data.? The value of the incentive ? whether it?s a coupon, a free item, or even cash ? would vary according to how valuable a company thought that data might be.? Imagine how much richer data would be if a person discloses it voluntarily ? what better decisions, better products, even entirely new innovations could result with that information.? It?s a game-changer ? and?that?s exciting.

Right now, the most mature Internet companies are those that are focused on traditional ways of advertising ? like Facebook or Google.? But sooner or later, the gold rush will be on as the pendulum swings back toward the consumer.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=b01a44e02011f76b7b7c02a8789483c3

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Immune cell suicide alarm helps destroy escaping bacteria

Friday, January 25, 2013

Cells in the immune system called macrophages normally engulf and kill intruding bacteria, holding them inside a membrane-bound bag called a vacuole, where they kill and digest them.

Some bacteria thwart this effort by ripping the bag open and then escaping into the macrophage's nutrient-rich cytosol compartment, where they divide and could eventually go on to invade other cells.

But research from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine shows that macrophages have a suicide alarm system, a signaling pathway to detect this escape into the cytosol. The pathway activates an enzyme, called caspase-11, that triggers a program in the macrophage to destroy itself.

"It's almost like a thief sneaking into the house not knowing an alarm will go off to knock down the walls and expose him to capture by the police," says study senior and corresponding author Edward Miao, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at UNC. "In the macrophage, this cell death, called pyroptosis, expels the bacterium from the cell, exposing it to other immune defense mechanisms."

A report of the research appears online in the journal Science on Thursday January 24, 2013.

Miao, also a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, says the new findings show that having this detection pathway protects mice from lethal infection with the type of vacuole-escaping Burkholderia species: B. thailandensis and B. pseudomallei.

Both are close relatives. But they differ in lethality. B. pseudomallei is potentially a biological weapon. Used in a spray, it could potentially infect people via aerosol route, causing sickness and death. Moreover, it also could fall into a latent phase, "essentially turning into a 'sleeper' inside the lungs and hiding there for decades," Miao explains. In contrast, B. thailandensis, which shares many properties with its species counterpart, is not normally able to cause any disease or infection

These environmental bacteria are ubiquitous throughout S.E. Asia, and were it not for the caspase-11 pathway defense system, that part of the world could be uninhabitable, Miao points out.

This grim possibility clearly emerged in the study. Mice that lack the caspase-11 detection pathway succumb to infection not only by B. pseudomallei, but also to the normally benign B. thailandensis. "Thus caspase-11 is critical for surviving exposure to ubiquitous environmental pathogens," the authors conclude.

Miao points to research elsewhere showing that the pathway's abnormal activation in people with septic shock, overwhelming bacterial infection of the blood, is associated with death. "We discovered what the pathway is supposed to do, which may help find ways to tone it down in people with that critical condition.

As to bioterrorism, the researcher says it may be possible to use certain drugs already on the market that safely induce the caspase-11 pathway. "Since this pathway requires pre-stimulation with interferon cytokines, it is conceivable that pre-treating people with interferon drugs could ameliorate a bioterror incident. This could be quite important in the case of Burkholderia, since these bacteria are naturally resistant to numerous antibiotics.

"But first we have to find out if they would work in animal models, and consider the logistics of interferon stockpiling, which are currently cost prohibitive."

###

University of North Carolina Health Care: http://www.med.unc.edu

Thanks to University of North Carolina Health Care for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 24 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126466/Immune_cell_suicide_alarm_helps_destroy_escaping_bacteria

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Huawei Ascend P2 product shot leaked, confirms 13MP camera in slim body

If the 170g Huawei Ascend D2 is a bit too imposing for your hands, then you may be curious to know of the Ascend P2, a previously teased smartphone that was just leaked by @evleaks. While there's no further info to go along with this image, it does show off a 13MP camera on the back of the phone, which makes us wonder how Huawei even managed to pack that into the sub-6.45mm-thick metallic body. A little digging around also showed that the company's Consumer BG CEO Richard Yu was seen fondling the P2 during a meeting back in December -- you can recognize the phone in the photo after the break. Naturally, we look forward to this successor to the Ascend P1 at Mobile World Congress next month.

Richard Lai contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Unwired View, Huawei BBS, Sina Weibo

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More small meat-eating dinosaurs than thought

Jan. 23, 2013 ? University of Alberta researchers used fossilized teeth to identify at least 23 species of small meat-eating dinosaurs that roamed western Canada and the United States, 85 to 65 million years ago.

Until now, only seven species of small two-legged meat-eating dinosaurs from the North American west had been identified.

U of A palaeontologist Philip Currie and student Derek Larson examined a massive dataset of fossil teeth that included samples from members of the families to which Velociraptor and Troodon (possibly the brainiest dinosaur) belong.

"Small meat-eating dinosaur skeletons are exceedingly rare in many parts of the world and, if not for their teeth, would be almost completely unknown," said Larson.

The researchers say the huge increase in the number of small meat-eating species to 23, shows that instead of a few species existing for many millions of years, there were actually many small meat-eating species, each existing for shorter periods of time.

"We can identify what meat-eaters lived in what geographic area or geologic age," explained Currie. "And we can do this by identifying just their teeth, which are far more common than skeletons."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Alberta, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Derek W. Larson, Philip J. Currie. Multivariate Analyses of Small Theropod Dinosaur Teeth and Implications for Paleoecological Turnover through Time. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (1): e54329 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054329

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/mPw5MMoElaM/130123195356.htm

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juberhussen: Love Notes Improv ? Ezines Along With Client Regard

OKAY, there, Ive said it. If you are an Internet manager you want visitors to arrive at your site to see what you?ve or even to fund the method at companies. You want to produce a comprehensive opt-in ezine that provides persuasive information that subsequently results in income from the best customer base if you are a web business. When an ezine founder pushes? The principal reason for an electric newspaper (ezine) is always to market a product or service. OKAY, there, Ive said it. You want visitors to come to your website to see what you have or even to account the method at advertisers if you are an Internet publisher. If you?re an online business you desire to produce a comprehensive opt-in ezine that gift suggestions convincing data that in turn results in revenue from an educated client base. When an ezine manager presses too hard or explores procedures that are significantly less than dependable the result is a standing of being fully a spammer. One of the first questions any web business should ask themselves is Why should I develop a business ezine? You may want to rethink your answer you want to provide it a whirl and if the answer is merely because its a tool. Building an ezine can be labor-intensive correlate with a distinct purpose. You need to know what the intent of the ezine is likely to be before you can definitely get things rolling. You?ll probably find it better acquired among your opt-in number if you can form a plan for your ezine. Business owners could mistakenly believe that they ought to create an ezine for marketing purposes and only send whatever data moves them at any given moment. You?ll likely find consumers that opt-in will opt-out in short order if that is your method. It is equally important to respect the value of the time your client-base might spend with your ezine since you comprehend the value of time. The more planning and point to the ezine the higher it?ll be obtained. Look at it in this manner, if you have 1,000 motivated customers on a list that has 5,000 and each individual spends 5 minutes reading the material you send, the accumulated time your customers spend with your ezine is simply over 83 hours or around 3 (24 hour) times. If you send a regular ezine your customers will be likely found by you spending almost half of the season reading your material. To put that in perspective your young ones won?t take school as long as it requires determined clients to collectively read your material. You can do at least ensure it is worth reading if your customers will spend that much time reading your ezine. Develop your own personal material, but dont hesitate to utilize material from other professionals. These details can be obtained through your suppliers and can also be obtained through the use of free-to-use articles available on multiple sites. advanced web ranking review

Source: http://lovenotesimprov.com/2013/01/24/ezines-along-with-client-regard/

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Source: http://juberhussen.blogspot.com/2013/01/love-notes-improv-ezines-along-with.html

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How Much Will Health Insurance Cost You? Calculate Here! - MTV Act

Photo: (Getty)

Young, healthy, in-your-prime Millennials. Where health care costs are concerned, we're among the least risky demographic, as a whole, right? The Affordable Care Act will favor our generation's overall vitality -- right?

Health insurance is a confusing thing. The fact is, increased access to coverage doesn't necessarily mean decreased premiums for the masses. In fact, costs are set to bump up significantly this year. You voted, you care, so SHOUTAmerica is making sure you have information to continue being an engaged citizen now that the next term has been signed, sealed and delivered. Just what is a "balanced insurance pool"? What is an "age band rating"? And, more importantly, how can you be sure that we're moving in the right direction for a healthy, empowered future?

SHOUT created Young Americans for Affordable Health Care as a way to find out how it adds up for?you. Get the facts, calculate your costs?and?let Congress know you are paying attention. In his inauguration speech yesterday, President Obama touched on the changes ahead: "We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future."

Can you afford the premium increases on the horizon? Click on the links below to learn more and take action today. You voted. Now exercise your right to be heard.

Source: http://act.mtv.com/posts/how-much-will-health-insurance-cost-you/

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Your Full Scholarship to Harvard Business School, Apply - Bella Naija

BN spoke about the?SevenUp Harvard Business School Scholarship last year and in 2013, there is another opportunity for you to obtain a full scholarship to the Harvard Business School.

Launched in January 2011, the scholarship program is SevenUp Bottling Company?s way of contributing towards building a greener future for Nigeria. Each year, a deserving Nigerian youth, resident within the country, will be selected and given the privilege of the best quality education at the Harvard Business School.

The scholarship covers tuition, housing, a ticket to the United States to begin the MBA program and a ticket back from the United States at the end of the MBA program.

The Selection Process
Once you gain admission from HBS, submit a copy of your electronic admission letter to the 7Up HBS Scholarship team. All eligible applicants (Nigerian citizens resident in Nigeria who have gained admission to HBS) will be invited for multiple rounds of interviews with SevenUp Bottling Company Executives to determine their fit with SBC?s vision for the scholarship.

One scholarship will be awarded annually.

It is important to note that the Harvard Business School MBA application process is separate. Seven-Up only assesses candidates after they have?successfully?navigated the entire HBS MBA application process on their own.

Send your electronic admission letter to hbs@sevenup.org

Read more via the official website HERE

Admission to Harvard Business School
Most international students should have already submitted their applications to HBS at this point. Therefore, when you receive your admission letter, you can apply for the 7Up HBS Scholarship. If you have not applied, the final deadline (Round 3) is Monday, April 8, 2013. Click HERE to find out more.
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Meet Olujimi Williams ? 2012 SevenUp HBS Scholarship Winner

Tell us a little about yourself
I am a Nigerian citizen who was raised in Lagos. I have a Masters in Mechanical Engineering with Business from the University of Manchester. After graduation, I joined General Electric and completed a variety of roles within finance, living in a handful of cities. I enjoy reading, travelling and I?m an avid football fan.

Why do you want to study at Harvard
Harvard Business School is one of the most prestigious institutions in the whole world. It remains at the pinnacle of business teaching and provides students with the best quality management development that can be delivered academically.

For me, the relatively large class size at HBS will allow me to learn more from the larger student body by interacting with more people. The case method of teaching will present me with the opportunity to express myself in a dynamic and vibrant atmosphere.

I think the real beauty of the case method lies in the fact that you get a chance to bring your knowledge and experiences to the table and share these with your fellow students, thereby teaching them a few things in the classroom as well.

Take us briefly though the Harvard application process. What were some of the challenges?
It is important to note that the application process is not a sprint. Think of it as a marathon that requires mental preparation! The application requirements are as follows:

• Degree transcripts
• GMAT/GRE score
• Essays
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Current CV
• Application fee? $250
• Application preparation would involve studying for the GMAT/GRE and taking the exam. There is no set guideline for what score qualifies you to be admitted. However, the average and median scores of admitted students often serve as a rough guide. Some universities/colleges take several weeks to prepare and deliver transcripts to alumni so this item should not be left till the last minute!

Essays tend to be where applicants spend the most time as they feel that is where they have the most control over their application. Essays have a word limit and it is always best to respect this for the sake of the admissions officers reading them. Letters of recommendation can be challenging if your recommenders do not understand what is required. It is important for them to understand the deadlines and meet them.

It is also vital that they take their time to write a detailed, specific and well thought out recommendation. Bland and generic sentences and descriptions will do you no favours. Finally, your CV should be concise and to the point, highlighting relevant education, work experience and extra-curricular/additional information.

How did you find out about the 7Up Harvard Business school scholarship?
I was reading the newspapers last year when I came across a full page ad with a picture of a lady smiling against a 7Up backdrop. That lady is MisanRewane, the first winner of the 7Up Harvard Business School Scholarship in 2011. I did some more research, learnt about the scholarship and decided to apply to HBS.

7Up will be sponsoring your MBA at Harvard for the next 2 years. What does this mean to you?
7Up sponsoring my MBA at Harvard is a fantastic opportunity for me. An MBA at a top school in the United States is a significant financial investment. As 7Up takes on the role of sponsoring the MBA of one talented individual each year, it enables the student to focus wholly on getting that top class education and graduating virtually debt free.

What does the scholarship cover?
The scholarship covers tuition, housing and a ticket to the United States to begin the MBA program and a ticket back from the United States at the end of the MBA program.

Take us briefly through the 7Up scholarship application process
The 7Up scholarship is open to all Nigerians who have been admitted to Harvard Business School?s two-year MBA program. When an applicant has been admitted to HBS, he/she emails their admission letter to hbsscholarship@sevenup.org. An official form 7Up will then contact you regarding the next steps which include interviews.

Is there any criteria/obligations that SevenUp has placed on you for the scholarship? Do you need to work for SevenUp upon completion?
No, there is not. 7Up offers this amazing scholarship without any pre or post MBA conditions attached.

How can 7up reach more students/how can they identify students who have the highest probability of getting admission that are deserving of the scholarship?
7Up can do this by reaching out to top students at institutions of its choosing. It happens often that at those relatively younger ages, undergraduates are not entirely certain where they would like to be in 4-6 years? time. It helps to have a few older and more experienced minds share an informal session with them to help shape their thought process and let them know what opportunities lie out there. Mentoring sessions will also guide them to take on roles where they can build solid work experience as well as skills that they can take on to an MBA program in the future.

What do you intend to do upon completion of your MBA?
Upon completion, I intend to return to Nigeria and take up a role within the power sector, in line with my pre-MBA background.

What do you have to tell other young Nigerians about this once-in-a-life time opportunity to study at Harvard?
It is an amazing feeling to have won this scholarship! I would encourage you to chase your career dreams and decide whether an HBS MBA will help you get there. If the answer is yes, learn more about the program and focus on building a strong set technical and leadership skills that will serve you well, whether at a business school or not.

Is there anything else you would like to say that has not been covered?
Thank you 7Up!!!! I look forward to meeting a new fellow 7Up scholar annually!

Tags: Olujimi Williams, SevenUp, SevenUp Harvard Business School Scholarship

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Source: http://www.bellanaija.com/2013/01/21/your-full-scholarship-to-harvard-business-school-apply-for-the-2013-sevenup-harvard-business-school-scholarship-read-2012-7up-hbs-scholar-olujimi-williams-interview/

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Meditating Marines: Military aims to combat stress

AP

Dr. Elizabeth Stanley leads a class of U.S. Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif., as part of a 2011 experiment in using mindfulness to turn down the ongoing internal chatter about the past and future.

By Julie Watson, The Associated Press

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- The U.S. Marine Corps, known for turning out some of the military's toughest warriors, is studying how to make its troops even tougher through meditative practices, yoga-type stretching and exercises based on mindfulness.

Marine Corps officials say they will build a curriculum that would integrate mindfulness-based techniques into their training if they see positive results from a pilot project. Mindfulness is a Buddhist-inspired concept that emphasizes active attention on the moment to keep the mind in the present.

Facing a record suicide rate and thousands of veterans seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress, the military has been searching for ways to reduce strains on service members burdened with more than a decade of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Marine Corps officials are testing a series of brain calming exercises called "Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training" that they believe could enhance the performance of troops, who are under mounting pressures from long deployments and looming budget cuts expected to slim down forces.

"Some people might say these are Eastern-based religious practices but this goes way beyond that," said Jeffery Bearor, the executive deputy of the Marine Corps training and education command at its headquarters in Quantico, Va.. "This is not tied to any religious practice. This is about mental preparation to better handle stress."

The School Infantry-West at Camp Pendleton will offer the eight-week course starting Tuesday to about 80 Marines.

The experiment builds on a 2011 study involving 160 Marines who were taught to focus their attention by concentrating on their body's sensations, including breathing, in a period of silence. The Marines practiced the calming methods after being immersed in a mock Afghan village with screaming actors and controlled blasts to expose them to combat stress. Naval Health Research Center scientist Douglas C. Johnson, who is leading the research, monitored their reactions by looking at blood and saliva samples, images of their brains and problem-solving tests they took.

Another 160 other Marines went through the mock village with no mindfulness-based training, acting as the control group. Results from the 2011 study are expected to be published this spring.

The latest study by Johnson will compare three groups of Marines, whose biological reactions will be also monitored. One group of about 80 will receive mindfulness-based training. Another of equal size will be given mental resilience training based on sports psychology techniques. The third one will act as a control group.

Results from that study are expected in the fall, Marine Corps officials said.

Marine Corps officials decided to extend the experiment to shore up evidence that the exercises help the brain better react to high-stress situations and recover more quickly from those episodes.

"If indeed that proves to be the case, then it's our intention to turn this into a training program where Marines train Marines in these techniques," Bearor said. "We would interject this into the entry level training pipeline ? we don't know where yet ? so every Marine would be trained in these techniques."

The idea is to give Marines a tool so they can regulate their own stress levels before they lead to problem behavior: "We have doctors, counselors, behavioral health scientists, all sorts of people to get help for Marines who have exhibited stress type symptoms but what can we do before that happens? How do we armor Marines up so they are capable of handling stress?" Bearor said.

Lance Cpl. Carlos Lozano participated in the 2011 study, taking the course during his pre-deployment training that also included catapulting from a helicopter in a simulated raid and enduring booming explosions in a mock Afghan village.

Lozano said he and fellow Marines were skeptical at first. Some wondered why their rigorous combat training was being interrupted by a class asking the warfighters to sit in silence and stare at their combat boots, becoming aware of how their feet touched the classroom floor.

"I didn't want to do it," the 21-year-old from Denver said.

But the exercises ? also done while standing, stretching and lying down ? had an effect, he said. He felt more relaxed and upbeat.

"Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training" or "M-Fit" was designed by former U.S. Army Capt. Elizabeth Stanley, a professor at Georgetown University who found relief doing yoga and meditation for her PTSD.

Stanley, who is also involved in studies for the Army, said the techniques can help warfighters think more clearly under fire when they are often forced to make quick decisions that could mean life or death, and help them reset their nervous systems after being in combat.

Maj. Gen. Melvin Spiese said he was convinced after looking at the scientific research and then taking the course.

While teaching troops to shoot makes them a better warfighter, teaching mindfulness makes them a better person by helping them to decompress, which could have lasting effects, he said.

"As we see the data supports it, it makes perfect sense that this is what we should be doing," said the 58-year-old outgoing general, sitting in his office adorned with pictures of war and a 1903 rifle. "It's like doing pushups for the brain."

Related stories:

Military suicide rate hit record high in 2012

The enemy within: Soldier suicides outpaced combat deaths in 2012

A family healing together: Amid military suicide crisis, TAPS answers the call

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Source: http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/20/16612244-meditating-marines-military-tries-mindfulness-to-lower-stress?lite

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Pricey Inauguration hotels (CNN)

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Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan marries in RI

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) ? Olympic medalist figure skater Michelle Kwan and Clay Pell, a grandson of the late Sen. Claiborne Pell, have married in Rhode Island.

The Providence Journal reports (http://bit.ly/VCCver ) that Kwan and Pell married at the First Unitarian Church in Providence. About 250 guests attended, including Gov. Lincoln Chafee (CHAY-'fee) and his wife, Stephanie.

Uniformed police officers stood guard outside the church as the 32-year-old Kwan and her bridesmaid emerged from a club across the street from the church.

Pell, a lawyer and Coast Guard lieutenant, works on the national security staff at the White House.

Kwan is a public policy envoy with the State Department and the most decorated figure skater in American history. She won 43 championships, the silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and bronze at the 2002 Games.

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Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.providencejournal.com

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-20-Kwan-Pell%20Marriage/id-e2065399c425453c91512f2b918eaf9b

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On 2nd term eve, Obama cites commitment to service

WASHINGTON (AP) ? On the brink of a second term, President Barack Obama invoked Martin Luther King Jr.'s commitment to service Saturday as inauguration-goers flocked to the capital city for a distinctly American celebration including an oath-taking as old as the republic, a splashy parade and partying enough to last four years.

"I think we're on the cusp of some really great things," Vice President Joe Biden predicted for a country still recovering from a deep recession.

Freshly built inaugural stands at the Capitol gleamed white in the sun, and hundreds of chairs for special guests were set out on the lawn that spills down toward the National Mall as the president and vice president began their inauguration weekend.

Julius Cherry, in town from Sacramento, Calif., brought his family to the foot of the Capitol to see the area where their official tickets will let them watch the public ceremonies on Monday.

"There were people who said they'd never vote for an African-American president," the 58-year-old lawyer said. "Now they've voted for him twice, and he won the popular vote and the electoral vote. That says something about his policies and his team."

"And the country," added Cherry's wife, Donna.

Said Erika Goergen, from the Midwest and attending college locally: "It's amazing to be here right now."

Officials estimated that as many as 800,000 people will attend Monday's public ceremonies. That's more than live in the city, if far fewer than the 1.8 million who were at Obama's first inauguration in 2009.

The president made only a glancing reference to race as he spoke at an elementary school not far from the White House after he and first lady Michelle Obama stained a bookcase as part of a national service event organized by the inaugural committee.

"We think about not so much the inauguration, but we think about this is Dr. King's birthday we're going to be celebrating this weekend," the president said.

"He said everybody wants to be first, everybody wants to be a drum major. But if you're going to be a drum major, be a drum major for service, be a drum major for justice, be a drum major for looking out for other people," Obama said of the civil rights leader whose birthday is celebrated as a national holiday on Monday.

Because the date for inauguration set in the Constitution, Jan. 20, falls on a Sunday this year, Obama and Biden were to be sworn in for second terms in separate, private ceremonies on Sunday.

The public ceremonies are set for Monday, when Obama will take the oath of office at noon, then deliver an inaugural address before a large crowd and a national television audience in the millions.

The traditional lunch with lawmakers in the Capitol follows, and the inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the White House. There, a reviewing stand was adorned with the presidential seal and equipped with seats enough for Obama and other dignitaries to watch in relative comfort as military units, marching bands, floats and thousands of participants go past. A pair of inauguration balls will cap the day, including one with a guest list that runs to 40,000 names.

A select few ? those who donated as much as $1 million to defray inauguration expenses ? received special access to public as well as invitation-only receptions and parties.

The second term begins in circumstances different in many ways from the first, but familiar in others.

The economy, then in the grip of a fierce and deepening recession, is now recovering slowly as unemployment recedes and stocks flirt with five-year highs. The health care legislation that Obama urged Congress to enact in his first inaugural address is the law of the land, courtesy of a split ruling by the Supreme Court.

Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is dead at the hands of U.S. special operations forces. But the organization he inspired is far from moribund, as demonstrated by the just-ended kidnapping episode Saturday at an Algerian natural gas complex that, according to the Algerian government, left at least 23 hostages dead. The U.S. on Friday acknowledged one American death.

When Obama took office in 2009, his Democratic allies held control of Congress.

Now, divided government rules, and Republicans who control the House lead the way in insisting the administration agree to spending cuts that will reduce soaring federal deficits. Obama has said he is ready to compromise on that.

At the outset of a second term, he also wants Congress to overhaul the nation's immigration laws and take steps to reduce gun violence in the wake of the shooting last month in Newtown., Conn., that left 20 elementary school children dead.

Yet for once, politics seemed to edge ever so slightly into the background in the most political of cities.

Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton headlined a National Day of Service gathering under a tent on the National Mall, where she said she had been inspired by her grandmother, as well as her famous parents. She urged her audience to become part of a "chain of service" by helping the less fortunate.

Biden and his wife, Jill, spent time at an armory pitching in as volunteers packed 100,000 care kits for deployed members of the military, wounded warriors, veterans and first responders.

Biden credited former President George H. W. Bush, a Republican, for starting the "Points of Light" program, which was a sponsor of the event. He said service was an antidote to "the coarsening of our culture. We've got to get back to reaching out to people."

In the evening, Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden hosted the Kids' Inaugural Concert, an event paying special tribute to military spouses and children.

Families invited to the event cheered Usher as he sang his hit "Yeah!" Katy Perry, who donned star and stripes for her song "Firework," told the audience, "I'm very proud to be here ... and to see the Obamas and the Bidens here for four more years."

___

Associated Press writers Darlene Superville, Laurie Kellman, Frederic J. Frommer and Jocelyn Noveck contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2nd-term-eve-obama-cites-commitment-194942173--politics.html

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Supreme Court to hear law firm appeals in Allen Stanford case

(Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Friday accepted appeals by law firms that once represented convicted swindler Allen Stanford and were trying to avoid lawsuits by victims seeking to recoup losses from his $7 billion Ponzi scheme.

Former Stanford clients had sued the New York-based firms Chadbourne & Parke and Proskauer Rose, as well as Thomas Sjoblom, a lawyer who worked at both.

These lawsuits, brought under state laws, accused Sjoblom of obstructing a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission probe into Stanford, and sought to hold Chadbourne and Proskauer responsible as well.

The insurance brokerage Willis Group Holdings Plc was also sued over its alleged role in Stanford's fraud.

The defendants countered that the federal Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act, or SLUSA, precluded state-law class actions involving alleged misrepresentations made "in connection with" the purchase or sale of covered securities.

Stanford's fraud had been centered on the sale of certificates of deposit by his Antigua-based Stanford International Bank, and much of the litigation centered on whether these qualified as securities under the applicable laws.

In October 2011, Dallas federal judge David Godbey ruled that SLUSA preempted the state law class-action litigation, noting that many investors sold securities to invest in the CDs, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revived the cases.

Chadbourne, Proskauer and Willis appealed that decision to the Supreme Court, saying that lower courts are split on the issue, and that similar lawsuits over Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme have also been barred by SLUSA.

Stanford is serving a 110-year prison sentence following his sentencing last June. On January 11, a court-appointed receiver proposed that 18,000 of his defrauded investors would receive an initial $55 million payment on their claims, an average of roughly $3,000 per person.

The court could hear the appeal in April, and if it does would likely issue a decision by the end of June.

The cases are Chadbourne & Parke LLP v. Troice et al, U.S. Supreme Court. No. 12-79; Willis of Colorado Inc et al v. Troice et al, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-86; and Proskauer Rose LLP v. Troice et al, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-88.

(Reporting by Terry Baynes and Jonathan Stempel in New York. Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/supreme-court-hear-law-firm-appeals-allen-stanford-220405997--finance.html

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Plastic surgery doesn't define person | Daily Trojan

There?s no denying it: All around the world, the culture of nip and tuck is being cultivated, grown and blown up to epic proportions. A fascinating dichotomy arises, one where a plastic surgery culture of outer beauty and covetousness exists next to issues of insecurity about our frail bodies and an itching sense of dissatisfaction with how we look.

Xingzhou Zhu | Daily Trojan

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In recent news, this infatuation with the plastic has taken Afghanistan by storm. Though most surgeries done back in the day were reconstructive ? patch-ups for war injuries, medical treatment for cleft lips ? things have taken a turn, shedding light on the fact that cosmetic surgery at large plays on the age-old ideologies of societal concepts of beauty.

In that sense, this growth of interest in plastic surgery on a global scale might not be an indicator of an increasingly image-obsessed society but a continuing symptom of a society that has always been this way.

In the spirit of being progressive, just because something has always been this way does not mean that it?s right. However, though critics of plastic surgery might poke at all the negative aspects of the industry, in the end, it?s the patients that have to live with the decision, and if happiness lies beyond that rainbow, it may just be enough.

In an article by The National, one patient, after undergoing nose enlargement surgery, said, ?In Afghanistan, being beautiful means having big eyes and the right-size nose.? For her, it is a chance to feel good about her looks.

For others, surgery might mean a reminder of a new lease on life they?ve decided to start, or an end to a life of shame and self-consciousness about that one crook in the nose or that enlarged mole. Let?s face it: The standards of beauty out there, whether it?s a well-defined face, high cheekbones or coveted ?double eyelids,? weigh on many as social pressure from all sides ? the workplace, the classroom, at home and, most dangerously, from within. Is it wrong to conform to society?s standards of beauty when it?s practical and a large part of one?s livelihood? For better job prospects? For happiness?

Plastic surgery might be something we turn toward to satiate an unending yearning for more meaning and fulfillment, as a way to resolve deep-rooted insecurities. Or perhaps it?s to give that much-needed boost of self-esteem that a prettier face lends in society.

Many find the growth of plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes alarming, and would be quick to denounce such practices, pointing to the increasing superficiality of modern culture as something needing reform. But at the same time, it?s important to identify that the issue of cosmetic surgery lies in shades of gray.

Where does the line between emphasizing beauty with clothes and heavy makeup and cosmetic surgery exist? Who has the right to judge who is morally justified to go under the knife? To what degree does getting a double-eyelid surgery for self-esteem constitute a fair choice versus a dangerous, unnecessary obsession with body image?

No matter what, a human being?s worth cannot be reduced to appearances. And if that?s the case, it?s equally unfair to condemn plastic surgery as it is to encourage it. After all, even if it is the outside that changes, it is always the inside that counts most.

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Valerie Yu is a freshman majoring in biological sciences and English. Her column ?Heart of the Matter? runs Fridays.

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Source: http://dailytrojan.com/2013/01/17/plastic-surgery-doesnt-define-person/

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Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon tour Pa. gas drilling sites

Yoko Ono, left, and her son Sean Lennon chat aboard a bus on the way to visit fracking sites in Pennsylvania, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013. They are on a tour of natural-gas drilling sites in northeastern Pennsylvania and plan to visit with residents who say they've been harmed by the controversial extraction process known as fracking. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Yoko Ono, left, and her son Sean Lennon chat aboard a bus on the way to visit fracking sites in Pennsylvania, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013. They are on a tour of natural-gas drilling sites in northeastern Pennsylvania and plan to visit with residents who say they've been harmed by the controversial extraction process known as fracking. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Yoko Ono, left, and her son Sean Lennon visit a fracking site in Franklin Forks, Pa, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013. They are on a bus tour of natural-gas drilling sites in northeastern Pennsylvania and plan to visit with residents who say they've been harmed by the controversial extraction process known as fracking.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Sean Lennon stops to view news articles on display during a visit with Matthew and Tammy Manning, in Franklin Forks, Pa., Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013. Lennon and his mother, Yoko Ono, are on a bus tour of natural-gas drilling sites in northeastern Pennsylvania and visiting with residents who say they've been harmed by the controversial extraction process known as fracking. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Sean Lennon talks with anti-fracking activist Vera Scoggins as they view videos of fracking, in Franklin Forks, Pa., Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013. Lennon and his mother, Yoko Ono, are on a bus tour of natural-gas drilling sites in northeastern Pennsylvania and visiting with residents who say they've been harmed by the controversial extraction process known as fracking. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Yoko Ono, left, and her son Sean Lennon visit a fracking site in Franklin Forks, Pa., Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013. They are on a bus tour of natural-gas drilling sites in northeastern Pennsylvania and plan to visit with residents who say they've been harmed by the controversial extraction process known as fracking.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

MONTROSE, Pa. (AP) ? Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon and Susan Sarandon spoke out against fracking Thursday during a tour of natural-gas drilling sites in northeastern Pennsylvania, warning about what they view as the danger to air, water and human health.

The celebrities boarded a tour bus in New York City and headed to rural Susquehanna County to see gas wells, compressor stations and other evidence of the Marcellus Shale drilling boom, and to visit with residents who say they have been negatively impacted by drilling.

Tom Shepstone of Energy In Depth, an industry group, trailed the sleek silver Mercedes tour bus ? which had trouble negotiating an icy hill at one point and had to creep back down ? and declared the celebrity visit to be a publicity stunt.

"They don't pay mortgages here, they don't have to get jobs here, they don't have to pay taxes here, they don't have to support their families here. They just come up here to pick on this area and use it as part of their trendy cause," he said.

Ono and her son formed a group called "Artists Against Fracking" to oppose drilling in New York state, where they own a farm and where drilling and hydraulic fracturing have been on hold for several years while officials there develop regulations for the industry. Local anti-drilling activists led Thursday's tour in Pennsylvania, where thousands of wells have been drilled and fracked in recent years.

At one well pad, Lennon guided his 79-year-old mother over mud and ice so they could get a better look.

"We hope that what's happened here will be a lesson for New Yorkers," he said. "I hope that New Yorkers will learn from this and tell Gov. (Andrew) Cuomo that it's not something we have to do."

Ono accused the gas industry of disregarding residents' welfare. "They care about making money," she said.

Drillers use the fracking technique to stimulate oil and gas production. It involves the high-pressure injection of millions of gallons of water, along with sand and chemical additives, deep underground to break apart shale rock and free the gas trapped inside it. The industry and many federal and state officials say fracking is safe when done properly, but environmental groups and some scientists contend the risk of contamination is too great.

The stars met with Matthew and Tammy Manning, who blame the high level of methane in their well water on a natural gas driller, WPX Energy. The driller is paying to deliver replacement water while state environmental officials investigate the cause.

"They say it's safe, but it's not," Matthew Manning told Ono, Lennon and Sarandon. "When there are problems, nobody wants to admit it."

After listening to the couple's story, Sarandon said, "If it's been decided that these people are expendable, and that the people in this area are expendable, there's nothing to stop (the industry) from thinking that they can sacrifice other people in other places. ... It's horrifying and very sad."

Industry officials say the methane in the Mannings' water is naturally occurring shallow gas ? not production gas from the Marcellus formation ? and contend their well was flooded and suffered mechanical failure.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-17-Gas%20Drilling-Yoko%20Ono/id-9623451cbf654528bd2770d5ca8089da

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