SPORTS: Men?s squash falls to Rochester

By Macy Ferguson

Published on Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Big Green men?s squash team put up a good fight against the University of Rochester squad on Jan. 27 at the Lyman Squash Center in Rochester, N.Y. Though the Yellowjackets (8-5, 4-0 Liberty League) came out on top with a final score of 4-5, the Big Green men (5-5, 1-2 Ivy League) were happy with the overall quality of the match.

?We went out and tried our best and actually had a very good day,? head coach Hansi Wiens said.

The No. 8 Big Green knew beforehand that the No. 5 Yellowjackets was the dominant opponent.

?We were the underdogs and didn?t expect to win,? Kyle Martino ?16 said.

Martino contributed to the men?s score, beating Rochester senior Oscar Lopez 3-1.

Martino attributes his win to his ability to outlast his opponent on the court, and said he has focused on conditioning and building endurance.

?It was a combination of just focusing on what I needed to do and applying my training,? Martino said.

The Yellowjackets were ahead throughout the match, but the Big Green made sure the win did not come easily.

?Unfortunately we couldn?t pull off the win, but it was cool to see us get so close to beating a higher-ranked team,? co-captain Chris Hanson ?13 said.

Hanson put up points for the Big Green by defeating his opponent, senior Andres Duany, 3-1. Though Hanson lost his first game, he overtook Duany in the remaining three and clinched the win.

?My opponent made some mistakes at critical moments,? Hanson said. ?But I went out with the right game plan and executed it.?

The top eight nationally ranked squash teams are all positioned quite close, so each match carries different expectations of play, Wiens said.

?The closer and closer to higher ranked teams, it more so just depends on the day?s playing,? Wiens said.

Because the Big Green was already ranked below the Yellowjackets, the match?s outcome did not alter Dartmouth?s ranking.

?They?re all very tough players so the close match was a testament to how hard we?ve been working,? Hanson said.

Hanson said he tries to encourage his teammates throughout the match.

?It?s tough trying to watch your teammates play while trying to prepare for your own match,? Hanson said.

Wiens encouraged his team to fight with all their strength and to make the Yellowjackets work as hard as they possibly could.

?I tell my players to be proud to be on the court and keep your chin up,? Wiens said.

Wiens started preparing for the team?s matches next weekend against Cornell University and Columbia University on the bus ride back from Rochester, and spoke to the players about their individual matches and what they need to improve.

?We lost 5-4, but it looks like we?re on the right track,? Wiens said.

The Big Green will concentrate on their mental game and focus on endurance, rather than each individual point. To prepare for upcoming matches against No. 6 Cornell (11-2, 2-1 Ivy League) and No. 10 Columbia (6-5, 1-2 Ivy League), players will watch recordings of the Rochester match.

Martino said he wants to work on technical aspects, such as knowing where to be and how to move on the court more efficiently.

?I?m going to remind the guys over and over to put in hard work and trust in that,? Hanson said.

Although Cornell will be a tough opponent, the men look forward to playing the Big Red. They expect Columbia will be less of a challenge, for Dartmouth has consistently beat them in past years.

?They have some strong players, but I believe we?re stronger,? Wiens said.

The Big Green seeks to move up in the rankings after next weekend?s matches, Martino said.

If Dartmouth can overcome the Big Red, the men?s team may move up to a seventh-place ranking. The team aims to stay in the top eight to ensure a place at the College Squash Association?s National Championships.

?We?re pretty much set in the top eight,? Hanson said.

The Big Green will play Cornell at 12 p.m. on Saturday and Columbia at 12 p.m. on Sunday at the Berry Squash Center.

?It?s going to be our big weekend at home so it would be great to see a lot of support from our fans here,? Hanson said.

Source: http://thedartmouth.com/2013/01/30/sports/squash/

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Utah Travel Headlines: Winter Boat, Sports and Travel Shows

During late winter, several consumer
trade shows take place the Salt
Lake City area, giving people a chance to learn about, test and
buy the latest products related to outdoor recreation, leisure living
and adventure travel. Here's a list of some of the major upcoming
shows. All will be held at South
Towne Expo Center, 9575 S. State Street, Sandy.

Source: http://www.travelheadlines.utah.com/2013/01/winter-boat-sports-and-travel-shows.html

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Prehistoric humans not wiped out by comet, says researchers

Public release date: 30-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Tanya Gubbay
tanya.gubbay@rhul.ac.uk
Royal Holloway, University of London

Comet explosions did not end the prehistoric human culture, known as Clovis, in North America 13,000 years ago, according to research published in the journal Geophysical Monograph Series.

Researchers from Royal Holloway university, together with Sandia National Laboratories and 13 other universities across the United States and Europe, have found evidence which rebuts the belief that a large impact or airburst caused a significant and abrupt change to the Earth's climate and terminated the Clovis culture. They argue that other explanations must be found for the apparent disappearance.

Clovis is the name archaeologists have given to the earliest well-established human culture in the North American continent. It is named after the town in New Mexico, where distinct stone tools were found in the 1920s and 1930s.

Researchers argue that no appropriately sized impact craters from that time period have been discovered, and no shocked material or any other features of impact have been found in sediments. They also found that samples presented in support of the impact hypothesis were contaminated with modern material and that no physics model can support the theory.

"The theory has reached zombie status," said Professor Andrew Scott from the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway. "Whenever we are able to show flaws and think it is dead, it reappears with new, equally unsatisfactory, arguments.

"Hopefully new versions of the theory will be more carefully examined before they are published".

###

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?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 30-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Tanya Gubbay
tanya.gubbay@rhul.ac.uk
Royal Holloway, University of London

Comet explosions did not end the prehistoric human culture, known as Clovis, in North America 13,000 years ago, according to research published in the journal Geophysical Monograph Series.

Researchers from Royal Holloway university, together with Sandia National Laboratories and 13 other universities across the United States and Europe, have found evidence which rebuts the belief that a large impact or airburst caused a significant and abrupt change to the Earth's climate and terminated the Clovis culture. They argue that other explanations must be found for the apparent disappearance.

Clovis is the name archaeologists have given to the earliest well-established human culture in the North American continent. It is named after the town in New Mexico, where distinct stone tools were found in the 1920s and 1930s.

Researchers argue that no appropriately sized impact craters from that time period have been discovered, and no shocked material or any other features of impact have been found in sediments. They also found that samples presented in support of the impact hypothesis were contaminated with modern material and that no physics model can support the theory.

"The theory has reached zombie status," said Professor Andrew Scott from the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway. "Whenever we are able to show flaws and think it is dead, it reappears with new, equally unsatisfactory, arguments.

"Hopefully new versions of the theory will be more carefully examined before they are published".

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/rhuo-phn013013.php

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Fed says growth 'paused' in recent months

7 hrs.

NBC News staff and wire reports

Economic growth 'paused' in recent months, mostly due to the weather,?the Federal Reserve said Wednesday as it left its aggressive stimulus strategy intact.

"Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in December suggests that growth in economic activity paused in recent months, in large part because of weather-related disruptions and other transitory factors," the Federal Open Market Committee, the central bank's policy setting body, said in a statement at the conclusion of a regularly scheduled two-day meeting.

The Fed's statement came a few hours after news that the nation's economic growth had contracted at a 0.1 percent rate in the fourth quarter. It was the first contraction in 3-1/2 years as the economy was hit by Superstorm Sandy and by political gridlock in Washington over the nation's finances.?

Describing the nation's job market as continuing its modest pace of improvement, the Fed repeated a pledge to keep purchasing securities until the outlook for employment improves substantially.?It added business investment had picked up as financial conditions eased in recent months.?

The Fed's bond-buying program is part of the central bank's unprecedented efforts to spark a stronger economic recovery and drive down unemployment.?

The Fed has kept overnight interest rates near zero since late 2008 and it has tripled its balance sheet to about $3 trillion through its purchases of securities, which are aimed at pushing longer-term borrowing costs lower.?

However, the recovery from the 2007-2009 recession has been stubbornly tepid.?

The GDP report surprised economists, although many said the data overstated the weakness and they expected the recovery to strengthen as the year progresses.?

Nevertheless, the economy has been too weak to do much to lower unemployment. Data on Friday is expected to show the jobless rate remained stuck at 7.8 percent for a third straight month in January.?

Since September, when the Fed launched its latest round of so-called quantitative easing, it has said it would buy bonds until it saw a substantial improvement in the outlook for the labor market, a mark many analysts think won't be reached this year.?

More than half of 41 economists polled by Reuters earlier this month expect purchases to continue into 2014.?

But minutes of the Fed's last meeting in December, released early this month, showed that a few policymakers thought the program should be halted by mid-2013, surprising financial markets.?

Some Fed officials have voiced concern that any economic benefit from the bond purchases could be offset by mounting costs.?

Some policymakers have warned the monetary expansion could fuel a bubble in asset prices, harm the functioning of Treasury and mortgage-backed bond markets, and perhaps lead the Fed to suffer a loss when it eventually sells assets to shrink its balance sheet, which could have serious political consequences.?

Reuters contributed to this report.

?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/fed-says-growth-paused-recent-months-blames-weather-1B8181155

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SEO content marketing roundup, week ending ... - SEO Copywriting

January 30, 2013 ? posted by Laura

Going mobile? In this week?s latest and greatest online marketing news, content marketers share success tips and discuss mobile challenges, SEO and search pro?s talk unique content and advanced topics, while the social media marketing community chirps up Twitter?s new Vine mobile app. Enjoy this week?s web gems!

Content Marketing

Mauro D?Andrea posts ?101 Experts Share Their Tips for Online Success,? segmented by marketing category, at Blog Growth.

Lee Odden lists 50 ?Top UK Online Marketing Influencers & Bloggers in 2013? at Top Rank.

Isla McKetta posts ?The Viral Video Manifesto: How to Make Content Shareable? at Portent.

Patricia Redsicker posts ?Findable Content Marketing: 3 Google Keyword Tool Tips? at Content Marketing Institute.

Bob Geller posts ?Social Media Moment of Zen: 4 Non-intuitive Ways to Boost Content Marketing Effectiveness and Results in 2013? at WindMill Networking.

Carolyn Goodman posts ?If Content Is King, Grammar Is Queen? at Target Marketing Magazine.

Bryan Eisenberg talks marketing ROI with ?Why You Won?t Crush It This Year!? at ClickZ.

Zach Bulygo posts ?How to Keep Email Marketing Manageable? at KISSmetrics.

Citing a study by ExactTarget, Matt Kapko posts ?Marketers, Consumers Favor Email Over Social Media [Report]? at Search Engine Watch.

Marketing Sherpa?s weekly research chart looks at the ?Top mobile marketing challenges.?

Citing Marketing Sherpa?s Mobile Marketing Benchmark Report, Shelly Kramer posts ?Mobile Marketing: 50 Percent of Marketers Have No Idea? at V3 Integrated Marketing.

Heidi Cohen posts ?How Social Media and Mobile Change Pricing Strategies.?

Heather Lloyd-Martin tackles content creation, client relations, and pricing strategy with ?Discount your copywriting rates? No way! Try this instead.? and via video with ?Promises, promises: the copywriting client carrot & stick(y) situation? at SEO Copywriting.

Continuing the client relations theme, Sian Killingsworth posts ?How to fire a writing client: it ain?t me, babe? at SEO Copywriting.

Events:

?

SEO & Search

Neil Patel posts ?The Advanced Guide to SEO? at Quicksprout.

Alistair Dent posts ?How to Use Google Analytics Advanced Segments? at Search Engine Watch.

Eric Ward plays SEO psychiatrist with ?The Link Shrink Is In: 3 Crazy Linking Assumptions? at Search Engine Land.

In a ?mozinar? supplemental Q & A post, Justin Taylor answers questions about SEO and web design with ?Designing for SEO? at SEOmoz.

Nathan Safran discusses ?Competitive Analysis: How to Become an SEO Hero in 4 Steps? at Search Engine Watch.

SkilledUp interviews Heather Lloyd-Martin about the art of SEO copywriting and more with ?Direct from the Ultimate SEO Copywriter Herself (Part 1).?

Doc Sheldon discusses ?Building Authority in 2013? at Level 343.

Lyena Solomon posts ?How To Really Be Less Reliant On Google Search Traffic? at Search Engine People.

Like Solomon, Uri Bar-Joseph discusses diversification with ?Google, I Think I Love You ? So What Am I So Afraid Of?? at Search Engine Watch.

Rand Fishkin posts ?How Unique Does Content Need to Be to Perform Well in Search Engines?? via SEOmoz?s Whiteboard Friday.

Events:

• If you happen to be in Seattle, take advantage of this low-cost, high-value meet-up, ?Seattle Information Architecture & User Experience,? featuring Ian Lurie of Portent and Ruth Burr of SEOmoz. It?s on February 12^th at 7 p.m.
• SES London is on for next month, February 18^th thru the 21^st.
• SMX West?is scheduled for March 11th thru the 13^th?in San Jose, CA. Register by February 1^st for early bird savings!
• SMX Toronto is scheduled for March 20^th and 21^st.
  
• SES New York?will return to The Big Apple March 25^th thru the 28^th. Register by February 21^st for early bird rates!

?

Social Media Marketing

?Twitter Mobile Video? headlines Social Media Examiner?s weekly news.

More on Twitter?s Vine: Doug Antkowiak opines that ?Twitter?s Vine App Looks Awesome? at Portent, and Nick Cicero reports ?15 Brands already using Twitter?s New Vine App? at SocialFresh.

Andrew Lipsman reports ?Facebook Vaults Ahead of Google Maps to Finish 2012 as #1 U.S. Mobile App? at comScore.

Citing a new report from Vizu, Matt McGee posts ?64 Percent Of Digital Marketers Plan To Spend More On Social Ads In 2013? at Marketing Land.

Stephan Duggan looks at 2013 social media trends with ?What?s Next? Better Engagement and a Marketplace Without Boundaries? at Social Media Today.

Jason Del Rey reports ?YouTube Set to Introduce Paid Subscriptions This Spring? at AdAge | digital.

Jay Baer posts ?Social Media Strategy in 8 Steps? at Convince & Convert.

Miranda Miller discusses content targeting with ?Social Media Marketing Fatal Attraction: When Content Earns Your Brand the Wrong Type of Attention? at Top Rank.

Jordan Kasteler discusses ?Why You Need To Treat Your Social Media Strategy Like Your Content Strategy? at Search Engine Land.

Ashley Zeckman posts ?Make the Most of Your Social Media Interactions: 9 Tips? at Search Engine Watch.

Somini Sengupta discusses ?How Facebook Taught Its Search Tool to Understand People? at the New York Times (NYTimes.com).

Sianessa Killingsworth posts ?How To Be Found in Facebook?s Graph Search at her small business marketing blog.

Events:

• Social Media Marketing World is scheduled to take place in San Diego from April 7^th thru the 9^th.
• For an all-in-one listing and description of social media, content & inbound marketing events, check out Neal Schaffer?s ?The 12 Best Social Media Conferences to Attend in 2013? at Social Media Today.

?

photo thanks to Milica Sekulic

?

Learn how to grow a happy, healthy copywriting business from 12 of the world?s leading experts: register for the Copywriting Business Boot Camp before classes start on February 11^th!

Source: http://www.seocopywriting.com/content-marketing/seo-content-marketing-roundup-week-ending-january-30th/

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Photos: Wheel-less cars? It's gotta be something French

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/photos/artist-envisions-a-future-of-floating-cars-slideshow/

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Video: Boeing Expressing Cautious Optimism

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50643118/

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Ice hockey: No. 1 Cicero-North Syracuse, No. 2 Rome Free Academy prepare for Friday night showdown

Donnie Webb | dwebb@syracuse.com, January 29, 2013 3:14 p.m.

Goalie Andrew Ross of RFA has led a defense that's given up just 15 goals all season - (Frank Ordonez/The Post-Standard, 2012)

Before the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the state play one another on Friday night, the Cicero-North Syracuse and Rome Free Academy boys ice hockey teams must get through a couple of preliminaries. The Black Knights of RFA meet Central Square Tuesday night at the Cicero Twin Rinks. The Northstars of C-NS host Ontario Bay Wednesday night in Cicero.

??? Then, they can turn their full attention to Friday.

??? That?s when the No. 1-ranked Northstars (17-1, 11-1) visit the No. 2-ranked Black Knights (14-1, 10-0) at Kennedy Arena in Rome. The Division I, East Division showdown starts at 7 p.m.

??? RFA is the only team to defeat C-NS this season. The Black Knights did so in the season opener, beating the Northstars 3-1 on Nov. 30, 2012.

??? In fact, RFA could make a good case it deserves to be ranked No. 1. Its only loss was a 4-3 overtime setback at Massena on January 12.

The new state rankings came out on Tuesday with RFA moving from No. 3 to No. 2.

??? ?To be honest, it hasn?t come up,? said RFA coach Greg Cuthbertson. ?We?ve always said rankings count at the end of the year. That?s when you want to be No. 1. It really hasn?t been in conversations we?ve had with our kids. It?s nothing the coaches talk about or think about or build up to our kids.?

??? C-NS has rattled off 17 straight victories since its loss to RFA. Eric Hamilton and Matt Fiume are ranked 1-2 in points among all hockey players in Section III. The other member of the Northstars first line, Jesse Farabee, is ranked ninth. The three players have combined for 144 total points.
If the Northstars are at the top end of the scoring pool, the Black Knights are the antithesis on defense. RFA has surrendered just 15 goals all season. It has not given up more than four goals in any game. They?ve gotten two shutouts and held opponents to two or fewer goals in 10 games.

??? More impressively, RFA has won five games by one goal and four others by two. It?s a testament to the team?s toughness and its ability to grind out the third period.

??? Cuthbertson said his team is built from the ?back end out.? That means the foundation of the Black Knights and their success starts with the defense. It?s a group led by junior captain and defenseman Tyler Williams, senior goalie Andrew Ross, junior defenseman Joey Rutkowski, junior defenseman Nicholas Nardslico and junior defenseman Justin Hussey.

??? ?I think it?s how we?re built,? Cuthbertson said of all of his team?s close wins. ?We?re built from the back end out. In year?s past, we?ve had some pretty good forwards and counted on our offensive to kind of lead us. This year, we?re just built around our defense. We?re not going to go in and blow teams out. That?s not our make-up. We?re built to win those defensive battles, keep the shots down, keep the shooters away from our goalie. We preach, take care of our end first.?

??? RFA had to battle to defeat Central Square 2-1 on December 12 at Kennedy. The Redhawks (4-12-1 and 1-9-1) have lost nine of their last 10, though they did battle well in a 3-1 loss to West Genesee on January 11. That should keep the Black Knights from the understandable and natural inclination to look ahead to Friday night?s game against the Northstars.

??? ?You know, with other teams, that would be the case (to look ahead),? Cuthbertson said. ?I think this group of kids has been really focused this year. We?ve tried to instill in our kids that you can?t look ahead, that you?ve got to play one game at a time. When you look ahead, you?re not focused on what you have to do at that period of time. In other years, I?d worry. But with this group, I think we?ve got pretty good leadership with our juniors and seniors.?

??? The doors open at Kennedy Arena on Friday at 6 p.m. Tickets are $3 for adults and $2 for students.

Staff writer Donnie Webb can be reached at 470-2149 or dwebb@syracuse.com

?

Source: http://highschoolsports.syracuse.com/news/article/8057630374248033267/ice-hockey-no-1-cicero-north-syracuse-no-2-rome-free-academy-prepare-for-friday-night-showdown/

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Video: BP ordered to pay $4 billion

>>> a federal judge in new orleans has approved a deal calling for bp to pay a record $4 billion in criminal penalties from the deepwater horizon spill, the worst environmental disaster of all time. it includes manslaughter charges for the 11 workers who died on the rig. the judge called it just punishment for what has happened.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50632797/

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How to Switch Back to the Old Google Image Search

Google's new image search design is really nice, but if you miss the old search function, the Google Operating System blog shows off a quick way to return to the old view.

At the bottom of the search screen you'll find a "Switch to basic version" link. Unfortunately, with Google's infinite scrolling this is hard to get to. From the image search screen, type the End key on your keyboard (Fn+Right Arrow on Mac), and you're taken to the bottom of the screen. From here, click the "Switch to basic version" link and you'll get the old paginated image search back. Google doesn't save your choice, but if you prefer to click through results instead of infinite scrolling this doesn't take long.

Quickly Switch to the Basic Google Image Search | Google Operating System

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/_kMj2F2EBVQ/how-to-switch-back-to-the-old-google-image-search

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Misconceptions about a popular pet treat

Jan. 28, 2013 ? A popular dog treat could be adding more calories than pet owners realize, and possibly be contaminated by bacteria, according to a study published this month by researchers at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and the University of Guelph.

The treat in question: the "bully" or "pizzle stick." The American and Canadian researchers analyzed the caloric density and bacterial contamination of these popular items, made from the uncooked, dried penis of a bull or steer. They also administered a survey to pet owners to assess their knowledge of these treats.

The study, published in the January 2013 issue of the Canadian Veterinary Journal, examined 26 bully sticks purchased from retailers in the United States and Canada and made by different manufacturers.

A random subset of the 26 bully sticks was tested for caloric content. These bully sticks tested contained between nine to 22 calories per inch, meaning the average six inch stick packed 88 calories--nine percent of the daily calorie requirements for a 50-pound dog, and 30 percent of the daily calorie requirements for a 10-pound dog.

"While calorie information isn't currently required on pet treats or most pet foods, these findings reinforce that veterinarians and pet owners need to be aware of pet treats like these bully sticks as a source of calories in a dog's diet," said Lisa M. Freeman, DVM, PhD, DACVN, professor of nutrition at TCSVM who is board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition.

Freeman was first author on the paper. Co-authors were J. Scott Weese, professor in the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Guelph, and Nicol Janecko, a research associate at the Canadian university.

"With obesity in pets on the rise, it is important for pet owners to factor in not only their dog's food, but also treats and table food," Freeman added.

All 26 treats were tested for bacterial contaminants. One (4 percent) of the sticks was contaminated with Clostridium difficile; one (four percent) was contaminated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics; and seven (27 percent) were contaminated with Escherichia coli, including one tetracycline-resistant sample.

The number of treats sampled was small and not all of these bacterial strains have been shown to infect humans. However, the researchers advise all pet owners to wash their hands after touching such treats, as they would with any raw meat or raw meat diets. The very young, elderly, pregnant, immunocompromised and other high-risk individuals should avoid all contact with raw animal-product based treats and raw meat diets, note the scientists.

To learn more about veterinarian and pet owner perceptions of dog foods and treats, the research team developed a 20-question Web-based survey. The survey was posted online for public participation for 60 days and all responses were anonymous. It was completed by 852 adults from 44 states and six countries. Most respondents were female dog owners.

"We were surprised at the clear misconceptions pet owners and veterinarians have with pet foods and many of the popular raw animal-product based pet treats currently on the market," said Freeman. "For example, 71 percent of people feeding bully sticks to their pets stated they avoid by-products in pet foods, yet bully sticks are, for all intents and purposes, an animal by-product."

Another surprising finding was the large number of people who did not know what bully sticks actually were. A higher proportion of veterinarians (62 percent) were able to correctly identify the source of bully sticks as bull penis compared to general respondents (44 percent). Twenty-three percent of the respondents fed their dogs bully sticks.

Further research with a larger sample size is needed to determine whether the calorie content and contamination rate found in this study is representative of all bully sticks, or other types of pet treats, according to the authors.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Tufts University.

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. Lisa M. Freeman, Nicol Janecko, J. Scott Weese. Nutritional and microbial analysis of bully sticks and survey of opinions about pet treats. Canadian Veterinary Journal, January 2013

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/mAJUX0F5Meo/130128082912.htm

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ZTE V81 tablet shows up in website ahead of MWC, touts 8-inch display and Jelly Bean

Not quite content with the release of its Grand S earlier this month, ZTE looks to be preparing a new tablet to go along with that aforementioned flagship handset. The V81 -- which will presumably make its official debut at this year's Mobile World Congress -- is, according to the company's own website, said to be boasting an 8-inch (1,024 X 768) display with a dual-core, 1.4GHz CPU (mum's the word on chipset specifics), 1GB RAM and 4GB of internal storage that can be expanded to up to 32GB via microSD. Speaking of which, other listed incisions include a full-size USB and HDMI, while a 3,700 mAh battery and Android Jelly Bean are also part of the relatively decent spec sheet. Naturally, pricing and availability details are still slim, but it shouldn't be too long before we learn more on that front -- in the meantime, there's a gallery filled with V81 press shots after the break for you to peruse over.

Gallery: ZTE V81 tablet

Filed under: Tablets

Comments

Via: Notebook Italia

Source: ZTE

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/uxKIPCYDvus/

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Gay Scouts, leaders not ready to forgive just yet

One decade ago, the US Supreme Court ruled the Scouts had the legal right to exclude gays, but the organization's new policy would allow local troops would be able to decide the issue for themselves. NBC's Pete Williams reports.

By Miranda Leitsinger, Staff Writer, NBC News

Jennifer Tyrrell cried when she got the news Monday that the Boy Scouts of America may be changing its policy to admit gays and lesbians as Scouts and leaders.

The mother of four children was kicked out of the organization last year, as den leader of her son?s Tiger Cub pack in Ohio, because she is a lesbian. The longstanding policy has sometimes seen the quiet, or in Tyrrell?s case, public, exit of gays ? an exodus that has rocked the Boy Scouts and led to growing calls for the group to open its doors to all who want to join.

?I?m looking forward to the day when we can once again take part,? Tyrrell told NBC News by phone, reminiscing about all of the fun activities she so enjoyed with her son Cruz and the youth in her pack, such as the Pinewood Derby and campfires. ?This is a gigantic leap, especially on this ? decades-old policy that they have gone to the Supreme Court to defend. ? Of course it?s not the ultimate, but it?s definitely a great hurdle.?

It?s not the ultimate, according to Tyrrell and others, because the proposal would eliminate the ban at the national level, but would allow local sponsoring organizations to decide whether or not they would accept gays, NBC News? Pete Williams reported.

Courtesy Jennifer Tyrrell

Jennifer Tyrrell and her son Cruz. Tyrrell was ousted from her post as den leader of her son's Tiger Cub pack in April 2012 because she is gay.

?So essentially, instead of forcing people to discriminate they?re going to allow people to discriminate,? said Zach Wahls, who is the son of a lesbian couple and who has been leading a campaign fighting to include lesbians and gays in the Scouts. ?Even though one is less bad than the other, we still need to make sure that local units are understanding how a ban on gay members negatively affects their unit.?

Still, Wahls said, it was a step in the right direction though the Boy Scouts do have a ways to go.

?Compared to where we were seven months ago, with the BSA, you know, calling this the best policy for the organization right now and then seven months later understanding well actually ? that?s not quite true, it?s a big development,? he added.

Wahls was referring to the Boy Scouts announcement last July that it was sticking with the policy after revealing it had undertaken a confidential two-year review of the disputed membership guidelines. It also came a few months after Tyrrell was forced out and a day before she handed in a petition to national leaders with hundreds of thousands of signatures calling for her reinstatement.

That prompted a number of Eagle Scouts to turn in their hard-earned regalia, with more than 200 posting their letters and photos of their medals, pins or certificates to a tumblr page?started by Burke Stansbury, a 36-year-old communications specialist in Seattle, Wash., who decided to leave the Scouts for good over the issue.

Stansbury welcomed the news of the proposed change but said he wasn?t sure if he would ever go back.

One decade ago, the US Supreme Court ruled the Boy Scouts of America had the legal right to exclude gays, but the organization's new policy would allow local troops would be able to decide the issue for themselves. NBC's Pete Williams reports.

?I sort of said all along that I was really making a decision to do this, that they?ve held on too long and that, you know, I?ve lost faith in the organization regardless of what changes they might make in the future,? he said.

Stansbury said he would wait and see if the Boy Scouts ended up reversing the policy and if they ?actively worked to be an open and inclusive organization.?

The discussion of the potential change in policy is nearing its final stages, according to outside scouting supporters. If approved, the change could be announced as early as next week, after the BSA's national board holds a regularly scheduled meeting.

?Before I made any decision about rejoining or asking for my medal back, I?d really want to see that it was being implemented but yeah ? I am certainly open to seeing what happens and I mean, there is you know, much to love about the Boy Scouts as an organization,? he said. ?So if they were to change, it would take some time, I think, to rebuild the trust of people like me who lost faith. But I think it?s still possible.?

One of those most impacted recently by the Boy Scouts? policy was Ryan Andresen, 18, and his family. Andresen said he was denied submitting his application for the Eagle rank to the national organization by his Scoutmaster after finishing his final service project last fall because he is gay, and after coming out as gay to his troop last summer.

After much back and forth with the local council in Moraga, Calif., and hard feelings on both sides in a story that made national headlines for weeks, his application for the pinnacle Boy Scouts? achievement was forwarded to the national headquarters for approval, said his father Eric Andresen, 52.

John Makely / NBC News

Ryan Andresen holds an Eagle Scout pin that was given to him by a fellow Scout who is gay on Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, in New York, N.Y.

Ryan, a high school senior, was still hoping for the award, even though he already knows he has earned it, Eric Andresen said.

?Four months ago, if the ban hadn?t been in place, we wouldn?t even been going down this road. ? He?s been hurt a lot. There?s been a lot of damage done to Ryan emotionally,? he said Monday. ?If the board does elect to get rid of the policy, I don?t know why they wouldn?t then retroactively award Ryan his Eagle. They certainly should.?

Eric Andresen, who resigned as the committee chair of his son?s troop after the problems began, said he was done with the organization after 10 years as an adult leader, but he hadn?t yet broached the possibility with his son of being able to participate as a volunteer or leader one day if the policy is changed.

?I don?t think that?s a conversation that ? I?d even want to start it with him right now,? he said, noting that after Ryan spent a dozen years with the Boy Scouts, the group ?turned its back on him? and was ?responsible for all of the grief he?s gone through the last four months.?

One of the Andresen?s main objectives was to help others, such as boys who may still be hiding in the closet.

?If BSA does do the right thing ? we?re looking at, you know, what this is going to do for thousands of other Scouts so that nobody else has to go through what Ryan went through,? he said. ?It?s time to end this stuff. Gay kids have a right to be Scouts, too.?

Related:?
Gay teen denied Eagle Scout: 'Change is happening' over Boy Scouts anti-gay policy
Eagle Scouts return badges to protest policy banning gays
Boy Scouts: We're keeping policy banning gays

If you are a current or former member of the Boy Scouts and would like to share your thoughts on whether the membership policy should be changed, you can email the reporter at miranda.leitsinger@msnbc.com. We may use some comments for a follow-up story, so please specify if your remarks can be used and provide your name, hometown, age and Boy Scout affiliation.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/28/16742886-after-years-of-heartache-gay-scouts-and-supporters-react-warily-over-proposal-to-lift-ban?lite

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CL's Guide to: Pilates Classes | College Lifestyles

At the end of my second semester of college, I wrote in my final dance history paper, ?I wouldn?t want to do Pilates because I?m too lazy.? My professor didn?t appreciate my statement.

Nearly three year later, I have a different perspective. Since I wrote that paper, I joined the cross country and track teams, learned more about my body and kinesiology through class and became stronger physically, mentally and emotionally.

Hearing positive things about Pilates made me realize I would love to try it. It is a fantastic workout for co-eds.

Joseph Pilates developed Pilates in Germany. The exercises focus on engaging and strengthening the core and uses specific breathing techniques. Due to the short time it takes to see results, stars like Miley Cyrus and Madonna love practicing Pilates in order to stay fit.Pilates can be practiced at any level, so don?t let not having experience stop you from giving it a try. According to Pilates instructor Karen P. Campbell, there are many different reasons to practice Pilates, including as a way to recover and prevent injuries and to enhance the performance of athletes and dancers.

Need more reasons to give it a try? Campbell raves about the fabulous benefits of Pilates: ?With consistent practice you will enjoy improved balance, coordination, flexibility, posture and physical appearance, leaner muscles and overall improved well-being.?

Pilates can be taught on a mat and with Pilates equipment, like a reformer, or from a DVD. Students can choose to take classes either individually or in a group setting. Check out FitSugar?s pros and cons comparison.

The reformer?s design resembles a hospital bed and includes pulleys and springs. A practitioner uses the springs for resistance and gain benefits like balance and flexibility. However, for someone who isn?t experienced with Pilates, it can be unsafe to practice without the guidance of a certified instructor.

Pilates instructor Jennifer Read recommends taking a few private lessons to get a feel for Pilates and to ensure you are doing the exercises correctly. Take what you learned into mat and reformer classes.

Similarly, a student practicing with a DVD doesn?t have an in-person teacher to make corrections and fix alignment issues (though, DVDS can be great to use if you can?t make it to a class!).

Pilates instructor Brooke Siler tells Bodyhack, ?Matwork (which is the focus of most Pilates DVDs) is the most challenging aspect of the Pilates work because it uses your own body?s resistance without any framework. You can?t see if you?re working in an imbalanced manner. The right teacher can help inform you of what and how to work your individual body in the way that will provide the most benefit and the least risk. It?s worth the effort.?

Yoga and Pilates share some similarities, which may cause confusion when trying to differentiate them. Combination classes teaching a mix of yoga and Pilates can make the distinction even more confusing. The key is knowing the intentions behind both practices.

The practice of yoga was created more than 5,000 years ago, whereas Pilates began in the 1900s. Yoga philosophy includes things for a person?s everyday life, not just fitness practice. For example, one of Pantanjali?s eight limbs of yoga is yamas (or restraints), like ahimsa (non-violence).

Lara Hudson, creator of the 10 Minute Solution: Pilates DVDS, sums up the difference between Pilates and yoga succinctly: ?While yoga has amazing physical benefits, fitness is not its main objective ? mindfulness is the meat and potatoes of yoga, and fitness is the gravy.?

Regardless of the differences, both yoga and Pilates, as well as the many other forms of exercise, can be part of a well-rounded workout plan.

Have you tried a Pilates class? Tell CL about your experiences.

Source: http://collegelifestyles.org/2013/01/cls-guide-to-pilates-classes/

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Home Improvement Ideas

Disappointments abound when a home owner decides to begin a home improvement project. Many find themselves disappointed when they find that they have hired an inferior contractor, didn't plan ahead or tried to complete a job they weren't prepared for. This article discusses some smart tips for making sure that your home improvement projects turn out well. Read on to learn more.

Devise a plan for getting rid of your debris. Home improvement projects which involves demolition will produce debris. To ensure this debris doesn't impede your work, decide how you're going to discard it before even beginning the project. Rent a large dumpster or borrow a large truck to get rid of everything.

Make sure your home is balanced. Improve the quality of your sound at home. Balancing can help fix a wobbly, noisy ceiling fan. Tightening all the screws on the fan's moving parts, such as those connecting the blades with the arms and the arms to the motor housing, can curtail annoying noises and correct wobbles. While you are up there tightening the screws, be sure to clean the blades, as dust can create an imbalance in your fan.

Be careful that you don't lose track of how long you have been outdoors in the heat when working on summer projects. Staying hydrated is one of the most important safety precautions you can take on especially hot days. Take regular breaks, not only to stay hydrated but to step back and appreciate the work you've done.

Look at several types of insulation to use if you are considering residing your home. The different types available are permeable house wrap, rigid foam insulation and completely protective wall systems. Find out the costs for each option, and decide how much you want to spend.

When people look at homes, the number of bathrooms plays a major role in determining how they feel about the house. A home's value relies heavily on whether or not it has adequate bathrooms. Adding an extra bath or even two baths can significantly add to the value of your home.

Install windows that have secondary glazing. These windows are pricier, but they will greatly reduce your energy costs and noises from outside. Think of getting these kinds of windows if you want to save some time and money later on. They are energy efficient and make it easy for you to heat or cool the home.

There are some telltale signs to look for that signal repairs are needed on a deck. See how the wood is holding up and that there are no cracks. See if there is any sign of rot. Check to see if there are any nails sticking up.

If you are repairing the damage from a natural disaster, be careful when hiring a contractor. Some people are scammers that will take advantage of people in need. Do research before you hire someone to do repairs on your home.

Home improvement jobs can often go wrong if they're not managed properly. This article has some great tips to assist you with properly planning, managing, and finishing your upcoming home improvement jobs. Using these tips, you'll be able to successfully plan and carry out your project.

Source: http://melaniewebsterfakejournalism.blogspot.com/2013/01/what-things-to-do-for-home-improvement_29.html

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Ratliff's BAC was 2X limit? |??Team statement

Getty Images

Eagles running back LeSean McCoy has made headlines for his Twitter use before, but there?s a big difference between trash talking with Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora and what happened between him and the mother of his son over the weekend.

McCoy lobbed volleys toward the woman, whose Twitter page identifies her only as Steph, in what seemed to be an argument about requests for money. USA Today has some of the tweets from McCoy?s account, which has been deleted, as well as the woman?s replies. Those replies included accusations that McCoy performed a particular sexual act to her to get out of paying child support and that McCoy?s current girlfriend had slept with one of his best friends.

McCoy originally deactivated the account by saying that his account was hacked. It?s a familiar explanation for unsavory content, but McCoy took the unusual step of admitting he made up the hacking story as part of a larger apology for the whole situation.

?In light of the recent events that played out over Twitter this past weekend, I would like to express how deeply sorry and remorseful I am to my family, the?Philadelphia Eagles, my fans, and every young person who views me as a role model. This is not who I am as a person, nor the image I ever wanted to portray of myself. It?s definitely not the example I want to set for my son,? McCoy said in a statement, via CSNPhilly.com. ?My Twitter account was not hacked. I take full responsibility and I apologize for trying to make it seem like it was not me. Due to my bad judgment and frustration, I allowed a very personal matter to be played out on a social network, of all things. It was immature and unprofessional for me to do so and to encourage others to join in.?

Anyone who follows athletes on Twitter can tell the ones who are doing it for themselves and those who are doing it with help as part of developing their ?brand.? The latter approach is boring and inauthentic, but it?s a lot less likely to get you in trouble for flying off the handle in full view of the public.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/28/jay-ratliffs-bac-was-0-16-when-he-was-arrested/related/

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Slickdeals' best in tech for January 28th: iPod touch, Blu-ray player, 13-inch MacBook Pro

Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long.

We're back at it with another batch of tech deals to start out the week. This time, a pair of Apple devices see a bit of a price drop alongside a Dell laptop, Panasonic Blu-ray player and a set of Able Planet headphones -- enough to cover a few of those gadget bases, no doubt. Jump down past the break to inspect all of the details and access those tempting purchase links in order to empty your wallet.

Grab one of these from ShopRite.

This offer is available from Dell.

This deal is available over at eBay.

Snag these from World Wide Stereo.

Grab one from Fry's.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Laptops, Portable Audio/Video

Comments

Source: Slickdeals

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/28/slickdeals-best-in-tech-for-january-28th/

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Coltart on new board - The Standard

MINISTER of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart has thrown his weight behind the new Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling Control Board membership.

Report by Brian Nkiwane

Coltart said with the assistance of the Sports and Recreation Commission, they had taken time to come up with the final list of board members which they had mandated to revive boxing.

Boxing made headlines during the era of the late legend Proud ?Kilimanjaro? Chinembiri but later fizzled out.

?As the powers behind this, we are sure that we did a good job. We looked at the experience the person has in the sport. We then came up with a board composed of former boxers, promoters, a medical doctor and a media practitioner. We want people who are going to revive this sport,? Coltart said.

The new board members are set to receive letters of appointment next week.

The state of boxing in the country has been in dire straits with no substantive board for over a decade.

Last week, boxer Tinei Maridzo was quoted in the press urging the minister to appoint the board for the revival of the sport.

List of board members:
Paul Nenjarama (Chairman)
Lorraine Muringi
Frederick Farai Muchena
Edgar Peter Jack Hammond
Tsitsi Muzuva
Alexander Kwangwari
Gilbert Munetsi
Rangarirai Charles Dzimba

Source: http://www.thestandard.co.zw/2013/01/27/coltart-on-new-board/

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Egypt: opposition rejects president's dialogue

A protester prepares to throw a rock while surrounded by tear gas and smoke during clashes with security forces near Tahrir Square in Cairo, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Police fired tear gas at rock-throwing protesters in Cairo Sunday on the fifth consecutive day of street violence in Egypt. (AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Hoang)

A protester prepares to throw a rock while surrounded by tear gas and smoke during clashes with security forces near Tahrir Square in Cairo, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Police fired tear gas at rock-throwing protesters in Cairo Sunday on the fifth consecutive day of street violence in Egypt. (AP Photo/Virginie Nguyen Hoang)

Smoke rises after Egyptian protesters clash with police, unseen, in Port Said, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Violence erupted briefly when some in the crowd fired guns and police responded with volleys of tear gas, witnesses said. State television reported 110 were injured. Egyptian health officials say 3 have been killed in clashes between protesters and police in Port Said. (AP Photo)

Egyptians carry the coffin of a man killed during a mass funeral in Port Said, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Tens of thousands of mourners poured into the streets of the restive Egyptian city of Port Said on Sunday for a funeral for most of the 37 people killed in rioting a day earlier, chanting slogans against Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. (AP Photo)

Egyptians pray during a mass funeral in Port Said, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Tens of thousands of mourners poured into the streets of the restive Egyptian city of Port Said on Sunday for a funeral for most of the 37 people killed in rioting a day earlier, chanting slogans against Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. (AP Photo)

Egyptian protesters clash with police, unseen, in Port Said, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Violence erupted briefly when some in the crowd fired guns and police responded with volleys of tear gas, witnesses said. State television reported 110 were injured. Egyptian health officials say 3 have been killed in clashes between protesters and police in Port Said . (AP Photo)

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's main opposition coalition on Monday rejected the Islamist president's call for dialogue unless their conditions are met, a move that is likely to prolong the country's latest political crisis as violence that has left more than 50 people dead continued for a fifth day.

In the latest clashes, riot police fired tear gas at rock-throwing protesters in central Cairo on Monday, and one protester died of gunshot wounds, health and security officials said.

The violence came a day after President Mohammed Morsi vowed a tough response to the eruption of political violence, calling a state of emergency and curfew in the hardest hit areas ? three cities along the Suez Canal and their surrounding provinces. The military has deployed in two of those cities, Port Said and Suez.

The opposition has painted the explosion of rioting as a backlash against attempts by Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood to monopolize power in Egypt ? and proof that Morsi has been incapable of achieving stability or achieving reforms.

Leaders of the main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, dismissed Morsi's invitation to a dialogue on resolving the crisis. At a press conference, the front's head Mohamed ElBaradei said the call was "without form and content."

ElBaradei said Morsi must first appoint a national unity government and name a commission to amend the disputed constitution that was ratified in a referendum last month before they can join a dialogue. He also wants Morsi to take legislative powers from the Islamist-dominated upper house of parliament, or the Shura Council, a usually toothless body elected early last year by less than 10 percent of Egypt's registered voters.

"We support any dialogue if it has a clear agenda that can shepherd the nation to the shores of safety," said ElBaradei, flanked by former Arab league chief Amr Moussa and leftist Hamdeen Sabahi.

Sabahi, who finished a close third in last year's presidential election, added conditions of his own. Morsi, he said, must state publicly his political responsibility for the violence that engulfed the country since Friday, his respect for peaceful protests and fire the attorney general he named late last year.

The violence erupted around Friday's two-year anniversary of the start of the uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Protests that turned to clashes around the country on Friday left 11 dead, most of them in Suez.

The next day, riots exploded in Port Said after a court convicted and sentenced to death 21 defendants for a mass soccer riot in the city's main stadium a year ago. During the weekend, 44 people were killed in violence in the city.

Throughout the past five days, anger over Morsi's policies and the slow rate of change have helped fuel the protests and clashes.

Angry and at times screaming and wagging his finger, Morsi went on national TV Sunday night and declared a 30-day state of emergency in the provinces of Port Said, Ismailiya and Suez, which are named after their main cities. A nighttime curfew goes into effect in those areas Monday.

Morsi has struggled to address the country's daunting social and economic problems since taking power in June, and his state of emergency call sparked criticism from opponents who accused him of using the same methods as Mubarak.

A relative unknown until his Muslim Brotherhood nominated him to run for president last year, Morsi is widely criticized and ruthlessly ridiculed in the media for having offered no vision for the country's future after nearly 30 years of dictatorship under Mubarak and no coherent policy to tackle seemingly endless problems, from a free falling economy and deeply entrenched social injustices to surging crime and chaos on the streets.

The rejection of his offer for a dialogue is likely to lend more weight to ElBaradei and his colleagues in the Salvation Front at a time when protesters on the streets are increasingly showing their independence from politicians, voicing a wide range of non-political grievances.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-28-Egypt/id-1287626d9d074458985cff6774a57397

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Facebook Attacks Google With Conversions - Business Insider

Getty Images / Justin Sullivan

?

The cash register rings. Who gets the credit?

That's the crucial question in advertising these days?particularly in Internet advertising, where it's easy to track clicks and links but often hard to pin down exactly which view of an ad drove a sale.

Now Facebook is making it easier to show that an ad displayed on the social network led to a sale?even an ad seen days or weeks ago.

The technology is called conversion tracking, and after years of testing the idea, Facebook quietly rolled it out to all advertisers in a little-noted move last week.

The idea is pretty simple: Facebook creates a customized conversion pixel that advertisers place on a page?like a checkout page on an e-commerce site, or a signup page for a subscription, or an app-download page?where a consumer's taking the action they hoped their ads would prompt.

That lets Facebook link sales to ad campaigns, showing in aggregate which ads generated the most response.

Google has long had similar features, along with Google Analytics, a dashboard for doing deep analysis of users' actions on a website.

But Facebook has rolled out something far more powerful that can consistently track users across mobile devices and desktop websites.?

It can do this because it has a single, unified identity for each of its users, who tend to stay logged in to Facebook far more than any other website.

Google has responded by rolling out Google+. Often misunderstood as a social network, Google+ has been described by executive chairman Eric Schmidt and other executives as an "identity layer" across Google products. Its social features provide an incentive for users to log in with Google accounts. But they have yet to do so with anything like the consistency and frequency that Facebook users do.?

Facebook experimented with conversion tracking in 2010, abandoning it and then rolling it back as a service restricted to its biggest advertisers. More recently, it has been combining a limited test of?conversion tracking with a feature called Optimized CPM, which automatically tunes campaigns to specific marketing goals like product sales or app downloads, rather than crude link-clicking metrics.

Those tests seem to be successful: On Tuesday, Facebook quietly announced that the feature was available to all advertisers around the world.

Why does this matter? Google has dominated online advertising for a host of reasons, but the chief one is the measurability of its ads. When a user clicks on a link, that sparks a storm of data used by Google and its advertisers alike to tweak their next campaign. Search-engine marketing is now a science rather than an art.

And because it is so easy for Google to show a direct link between a click and a sale, it has commanded the lion's share of online-marketing budgets, especially in direct-response categories.

But any student of marketing knows that the demand funnel is long and complex, with multiple exposures to a message required to prompt a sale.

Google dominates the end of the funnel, catching consumers when they are in a mood to buy (as they typically are when they type product-related keywords into a search box).

Facebook, because of its ubiquity in people's daily habits, can play in the middle of the funnel, offering the kind of frequency marketers need to break through to ad-inundated consumers.

And now Facebook can show how those ads lead to purchases?even if they don't happen in the moment a consumer clicks.

Facebook still can't compete with Google at the end of the demand funnel. Its recently announced Graph Search is unsuitable for almost all product queries in its present form, save maybe for categories like movies and music.

But if conversion data can shift some spending away from Google?or, more likely, from the billions of dollars of offline, unmeasured advertising spending that both Facebook and Google hope to capture?then Facebook stands to gain.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-google-conversion-tracking-2013-1

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Green Deal loans scheme to launch

28 January 2013 Last updated at 06:53 ET

Householders are to be offered long-term loans to help make their homes more energy efficient and cut bills under a new government scheme.

Ministers said the Green Deal, which operates in England and Wales, will help thousands "stay warm for less".

Under the scheme, households can use loans to spend on energy-saving improvements, such as insulation and new boilers, with no upfront cost.

Campaigners said the project would "not stop fuel poverty rocketing".

How it works

The move to insulate the UK's aged housing stock is designed to save carbon emissions, keep people warm, and make energy affordable.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

People who've taken on the Green Deal will generally feel a lot better off?

End Quote Paul Reeve Electrical Contractors' Association

Homeowners will first be visited by an assessor, who will ask some basic questions about their energy usage.

Approved Green Deal installers, such as energy companies or DIY chains, will then advise on potential improvements, such as double-glazing, insulation or new heating systems.

Consumers will pay for the improvements by taking out a loan with the Green Deal Finance Company, a non-profit making organisation backed by the government.

Such loans will be paid back through electricity bills for periods of up to 25 years.

There is no guarantee that the eventual savings made by consumers will match the cost of the loans they take out to make the improvements.

"However, there's a good chance that you will make savings," said Paul Reeve, of the Electrical Contractors' Association.

The costs

Consumers taking out Green Deal loans will have to repay them at a maximum rate of 6.92%, according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Compared to a standard home loan rate, that is relatively high.

On top of the loan, householders will have to pay a ?63 set-up charge, and a ?20 a year annual fee.

On a loan of ?5,000, the overall rate that is repayable is just under 8% over 10 years, or 7.7% over 25 years.

The government argues that such rates are comparable to the best High Street rates for long-term unsecured loans.

The amount that anyone can borrow will be capped at ?10,000.

Moving on

Mr Reeve said it was possible, but unlikely, that consumers could end up out of pocket.

"Many of us believe that energy prices will continue to rise over the coming years. If that's true, people who've taken on the Green Deal will generally feel a lot better off," he explained.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

We call on the prime minister to use money from the carbon tax to super-insulate this country's homes?

End Quote Ed Matthews Energy Bill Revolution

Should householders sell their home, the loan will need to be taken on by any new homeowner.

Mark Bayley, the chief executive of the newly created Green Deal Finance Company, said: "What makes it work is that the experience of energy companies is that people's default rate is very much lower than the experience in consumer credit and that's how we're able to construct very long term, low cost financing."

"And as people move house the loans they take out under Green Deal plan stay behind with their electricity meter."

If householders transfer to a different electricity provider, the loan will transfer at the same time.

Consumers are allowed to pay the loans off early, but a fee might apply.

More needed?

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "The Green Deal will help thousands of homes stay warm for less. Those people will benefit from energy saving improvements - and their energy bills will fall."

However, campaigners have warned that the new scheme does not go far enough.

Ed Matthews, head of fuel poverty campaign group Energy Bill Revolution, said: "The Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation will not stop fuel poverty rocketing in the face of high gas prices."

"We call on the prime minister to use money from the carbon tax to super-insulate this country's homes.

According to Groundwork UK, which has been working on the scheme, potential energy savings can be worth up to ?300 a year.

"For relatively low expenditure, you can make a big difference to the cost of your fuel bill," says Sir Tony Hawkhead of Groundwork.

He estimates that typical average savings on a small house can be ?120 a year, rising to ?270 for a three or four bedroom house, "or possibly higher than that".

But he acknowledges that in some cases, the cost of the loan could be more expensive than the savings gained.

"Obviously the cost of installing the energy efficiency measures, such as a new boiler or dealing with solid walls, can be higher."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21226042#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Today only: Big discounts on hobbies, crafts, & home design ...

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Source: http://madisononthecheap.com/2013/01/27/today-only-great-discounts-on-hobbies-and-crafts-magazines-including-arts-crafts-homes-family-handyman-american-photo-and-digital-photo/

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