Thursday, August 1, 2013

Glendora Catholic school fires gay teacher after publicized wedding

Christopher Persky, 32, left, and his partner of 10 years Ken Bencomo, 45, both of Rancho Cucamonga, tearfully embrace after getting married at the San Bernardino County Hall of Records in San Bernardino on Monday, July 1, 2013. (Rachel Luna / Staff Photographer)

A Rancho Cucamonga man who taught 17 years at a Catholic high school was fired from his job days after he married his gay partner in a San Bernardino civil ceremony.

While school representatives declined comment on the matter, an attorney representing 45-year-old Ken Bencomo says he was fired because of the same-sex ceremony.

"The reason given was that the marriage occurred and the school's position was that it violated church teachings," said Chatsworth attorney Patrick McGarrigle.

Bencomo, 45, was head of the English department at St. Lucy's Priory High School in Glendora, but also worked as a yearbook moderator and dance coach.

Students say they were aware of Bencomo's sexual orientation.

"He never talked

Ken Bencomo, right, was fired from his job as a Catholic school teacher shortly after his same-sex wedding in San Bernardino. (By Rachel Luna)

about his personal life to his students, but it's something that students and faculty knew," said former student, Abigail O'Brien, 19, of Upland.

McGarrigle also said the school was aware long before he got married.

"St. Lucy's has known of Mr. Bencomo's orientation for years," he said. "Administrators had been introduced to his partner in the past, so the suggestion that Ken's orientation is a surprise or that his lifestyle somehow violated doctrine is at odds with the school's knowlege and what seemed to be acceptance of him until most recently."

In an online petition protesting Bencomo's termination, supporters of the former teacher say a July 2 article in the Daily Bulletin prompted the school to dismiss him. Bencomo

and his husband, Christopher Persky, 32, of Rancho Cucamonga were one of the first gay couples to line up at the San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder's Office to get married July 1 following a Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriage.

He appeared in photographs and video for the story.

Sister Helen Dziuk, assistant principal at St. Lucy's, declined comment and referred inquiries to the school's attorney, Joseph Stark.

St. Lucy's officials later issued a written statement, saying the school plans to continue educating students "in the tradition of the Catholic faith."

"As a Benedictine school, St. Lucy's is a community for those who wish to express Christian values in education and develop person and academic excellence," the statement said.

Stark said an attorney representing Bencomo contacted the school on Sunday, but declined to elaborate.

"I have yet to see what his allegations are, so I can't comment," he said.

While about 2,000 people had signed the petition by Wednesday and more than 1,300 had joined a Facebook discussion group about Bencomo, not everyone felt the school's decision was wrong.

James Wellman, a former board and executive committee member for the school, said he thought Bencomo might still be teaching at St. Lucy's had he not appeared in the newspaper.

"We should not forget that Ken has been teaching at a Catholic high school. Anyone who believes that St. Lucy's operates in a totally independent fashion from the Catholic Church is gravely mistaken," he said.

The Diocese of San Bernardino said its Catholic schools prohibit discrimination against teachers or other school employees based on their lifestyle choices.

"However, if a teacher or school employee makes a public display of behavior that is counter to church teaching - such as homosexuality, sex outside of marriage, having a child outside of marriage - that can impact their employment status," said John Andrews, diocese spokesman.

School policies outlined by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles say a staff member can be counseled or disciplined if he or she engages in "behavior counter to the moral teachings and standards of the church."

Former St. Lucy's student, Brittany Littleton, said policies regarding staff at Catholic schools need to change.

"I am joined by many students and alumni in saying that we believe this is a fight for love and equality, and as such we wish to display love and kindness, even while feeling hurt and shock," the Beverly Hills woman said.

McGarrigle said Bencomo is hoping to resolve issues with the school without pursuing legal action.

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Reach Melissa via email or call her at 909-386-3878.

Get the latest crime and public safety news on Twitter @IECrime.

Source: http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_23767763/glendora-catholic-school-fires-gay-teacher-after-publicized?source=rss

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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Four things critics hate about Lohan's 'Canyons'

Movies

7 hours ago

Lindsay Lohan, James Deen in "The Canyons."

IFC

Lindsay Lohan, James Deen in "The Canyons."

All right, no one expected that Paul Schrader's "The Canyons," starring Lindsay Lohan and porn star James Deen, was going to be the next "Citizen Kane." But there was some hope that Lohan might revive her career (remember "Mean Girls"? or "Parent Trap"?) with a gritty, raunchy movie.

Then again.... Based on early reviews, the low-budget film about the seedy side of Hollywood stars' lives may just push Lohan's career even further down the slide it's been on for years.

Here are some reasons not to see (or to see, if you're into masochism) the beleaguered starlet's film, "The Canyons," according to critics ? with one notable exception:

Been here, done this
"Canyons" scriptwriter Bret Easton Ellis was fresh and new after penning "Less Than Zero" in 1985, and red-hot in 1991 with "American Psycho," but his stories of the beautiful drowning in wealth, decadence, drugs and ennui is dated. With "Canyons" he's back on well-trodden territory, and there's not even Robert Downey Jr. around to liven things up. Lohan's co-star James Deen plays Christian, who is "blas?, conceited and narcissistic" and a "trust fund baby with a stunning hillside Malibu pad," writes Todd McCarthy in The Hollywood Reporter, but he's "a pale brother to Ellis's totemic character of the 1990s, Patrick Bateman, in 'American Psycho.'"

There'd be serious character flaws, if these characters were remotely interesting
Though psycho, Bateman was at least fascinating. Watching bad people do bad things can work, but there has to be some meat on the bones. "These bozos aren't lively enough to even get cast on a reality TV show, much less be the focus of written drama where some psychological and emotional dimensions are normally expected," notes McCarthy. Along those lines, FilmDaily's John Hazelton has a slightly more positive attitude: The film, he writes, turns out "to be a fitfully intriguing but ultimately aimless psychosexual thriller about pretty young things behaving badly in Hollywood."

It's not even so bad it's good
Cult films can be terrible, yet weirdly compelling. "Canyons" doesn't even seem destined for midnight showings to drunk college students. "Far from the renegade, boundary-pushing, sexually explicit sensation that its makers have been suggesting, 'The Canyons' is a lame, one-dimensional and ultimately dreary look at peripheral Hollywood types not worth anyone's time either onscreen or in real life," says McCarthy.

And the sex is boring
Top priority if you're making a low-budget picture unlikely to make anyone's Top 10 list and you have a prolific porn star on hand: Make the sex awesome. Instead, as Indiewire's Eric Kohn notes, "(T)he mounting scenes of drama don't make the mediocrities especially pronounced so much as they coalesce into a dry, insipid whole." Adds McCarthy, "Any expectations of explicit sex ... are not even approached, much less fulfilled, as there's nothing beyond standard R-rated talk and nudity on hand."

But what about Lindsay?
The New York Times dedicated nearly 7,500 words to the film's production (and Lohan's horrific behavior during filming) in a piece titled, "Here is What Happens When You Cast Lindsay Lohan in Your Movie." Kohn offers a post-script in just 10. "Here, Lohan is as bland and unfocused as the material," he wrote. "But even a topless Lohan and a group sex scene lit by swirling neon lights, the story fails to surprise."

But there's always one wild card in the bunch, and that comes courtesy of Variety's Scott Foundas, who can claim the distinction of writing the lone positive review of "The Canyons." (And Lohan noticed: from her court-ordered rehab stint she tweeted a link to it, saying, "Wow...humbled and feeling so much gratitude.")

Foundas loved Deen, who he says "is more than up for the challenge; he holds the camera captive with his chilly, privately amused stare." The picture is Schrader's "most stylish ... in years." And he even compares Lohan's performance to Marlon Brando's in "Last Tango in Paris": "Lohan may not go as deep or as far as Brando, but with her puffy skin, gaudy hoop earrings and thick eye makeup, there?s a little-girl-lost quality to the onetime Disney teen princess that?s very affecting."

So maybe there's hope after all, dubious as a "puffy skin" endorsement is. Will you seek out the highs, and the lows, of "The Canyons"? Let us know below in our "Discuss" section.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/entertainment/four-things-critics-hated-about-lindsay-lohans-canyons-6C10780484

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Neolithic 'halls of the dead' found

Professor Julian Thomas said the find was of "huge significance to our understanding of prehistoric life"

Two 6,000-year-old "halls of the dead" found in Herefordshire have been called "the discovery of a lifetime" by archaeologists.

Teams from the University of Manchester and Herefordshire Council made the find on Dorstone Hill, near Peterchurch.

The team also found possible links between Neolithic communities in Herefordshire and Yorkshire.

Professor Julian Thomas said the "very rare" find was of "huge significance to our understanding of prehistoric life".

The remains of the halls were found within prehistoric burial mounds.

Yorkshire link

Archaeologists believe they were deliberately burnt down after they were constructed and their remains incorporated into two burial mounds.

They think the timber buildings may have been "halls of the dead" similar to others from the Neolithic period found in Europe.

Bodies may have been placed in the halls before being moved to nearby chambered tombs.

Prof Thomas said: "These early Neolithic halls are already extremely rare, but to find them within a long barrow is the discovery of a lifetime."

The halls are thought to be have been built between 4000 and 3600 BC.

A flint axe and a finely-flaked flint knife found on the site have "close affinities" with artefacts dating from around 2600 BC found in eastern Yorkshire, the team believe.

Dr Keith Ray, Herefordshire Council's county archaeologist, said the axe and knife may not have been traded, but placed there as part of a ceremony or an ancestral pilgrimage.

He added: "These subsequent finds show that 1,000 years after the hall burial mounds were made, the site is still important to later generations living 200 miles away - a vast distance in Neolithic terms."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23501252#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Monday, July 29, 2013

The latest Texans Training Camp Today pres. by Fox Sports Southwest checks out S...

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Sen. Gillibrand continues effort to upend military sex assault laws

Kirsten Gillibrand, Robert taylor, Dana Chipman, N
Chair of the Senate subcommittee on Personnel, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., right, greets panel members testifying in March at a hearing on sexual assault in the military on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Carolyn Kaster / AP)


By Donna Cassata
The Associated Press

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Source: http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130729/NEWS05/307290011

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Israel to free 104 Palestinians in peace talks

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel will free 104 Palestinian prisoners to coincide with the resumption of long-stalled peace talks brokered by the United States.

"I agreed to free 104 Palestinians in stages, after the start of negotiations and according to progress," he wrote on his official Facebook page.

He did not give details on those to be freed or confirm reports that talks would open in Washington on Tuesday.

A Palestinian official earlier told AFP that the Washington meeting would be attended by chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat, his Israeli counterpart Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and US officials.

The sides are expected to meet for an informal dinner on Monday evening, on the eve, he said.

Israel's Regional Development Minister Silvan Shalom said this week that talks could resume next Tuesday, but neither the date nor venue have so far been confirmed.

"At this time, it seems most important to me that the state of Israel enter (negotiations)," Netanyahu wrote.

"This is important both to maximise the possibility of ending the conflict with the Palestinians and to solidify Israel's position in the complex international reality surrounding us," he added, writing in Hebrew.

Haaretz newspaper said the initial talks would be to lay the parameters of formal negotiations.

"According to senior officials in Jerusalem, the meeting in Washington is expected to deal primarily with the agenda for holding negotiations, including the subjects to be discussed and the timetable," according to Haaretz.

Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting will hear a formal statement from Netanyahu on the resumption of peace talks and mandate a ministerial committee to handle the prisoner release, the government website said.

Israeli news website Ynet said Netanyahu would head the prisoner committee deciding which prisoners are to be freed and when.

The cabinet is also set to endorse a draft bill to submit any peace treaty with the Palestinians to a referendum.

Such a vote would be a final endorsement of a treaty after ratification by the government and parliament.

A briefing paper published by the cabinet office said the proposal comes "in light of the significant diplomatic developments accompanying the opening of negotiations by the state of Israel with the Palestinian Authority".

The draft is seen as a gesture to right-wing ministers apprehensive of concessions that could be demanded of Israel in the talks.

The cabinet paper said the government saw approval of the new draft as "urgent and important" and said it would be asking parliament to streamline its passage into law.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/israel-to-free-104/758620.html

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Contacts in Montreal for place for cyclist to stay on his way across Canada


Anas Cheema, a BC student is cycling across Canada to raise money for SOS Children's Charity, and he is looking for a place to stay in Shawville or surrounding area this evening (Sunday July 28th), as well as Montreal (Probably Thursday or Friday). He stayed with us last night and I can say he is a lovely young man, very friendly and enthusiastic about his cause. He was a pleasure to have stay with us.

Here is a story about what happened to Anas in Winnipeg: http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/canada/sto...-winnipeg.html

Please pm me if you have a room or even some land for Anas to pitch his tent and offer him a warm shower and possibly breakfast to fuel him up for his day.

Katherine Wieser.

Please also like Ana's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bikeacrosscanada

Source: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/904115-Contacts-in-Montreal-for-place-for-cyclist-to-stay-on-his-way-across-Canada?goto=newpost

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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Ford introduces Mountune upgrades for the Focus ST & Fiesta ST

FORD OFFERS FOCUS ST AND FIESTA ST WITH POWER-BOOSTING MOUNTUNE UPGRADES

  • Ford announces official power-boosting Mountune upgrades for Focus ST and Fiesta ST
  • Mountune Focus ST delivers 275PS ? 10PS more than a Porsche Boxster for ?15,000 less ? and races from 0-62mph in less than six seconds
  • Mountune Fiesta ST delivers 215PS and sprints from 0-62mph in 6.7sec ? beating the Mercedes-Benz SLK 200 AMG Sport
  • Official upgrades can be fitted in 90 minutes or less and are covered by Ford warranty
  • Available in UK from September at ?1,225 for Focus and ?599 for Fiesta ? each upgraded model still costing less than standard rivals (Volkswagen Golf GTi, Peugeot 208 GTi and Renaultsport Clio 200)

Brentwood, Essex, 16 July 2013 ? Ford?s critically acclaimed Focus ST and Fiesta ST hot hatches just got hotter with the introduction of official Mountune upgrades.

The packages are developed by race engine and road-car performance specialist Mountune, and boost output from the Focus ST?s 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine to 275PS ? 10PS more than a Porsche Boxster which costs ?15,000 more (?38,237).

Even the legendary Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 would be left with a rear view of the Mountune-upgraded Focus ST, which can sprint from 0-62mph in less than six seconds ? more than half second faster than the standard Focus ST.

Ford is also offering an official Mountune upgrade for the Fiesta ST, which will increase maximum power to 215PS*, enabling 0-62mph acceleration in 6.7sec, compared with 6.9sec on the factory model ? faster than a ?35,865 Mercedes-Benz SLK 200 AMG Sport.

The Mountune upgrades boost both Focus ST and Fiesta ST in-gear acceleration too. Peak Focus ST torque, heightened to 400Nm, improves 31-62mph acceleration in fourth gear by 0.8sec to 4.9sec, while peak Fiesta ST torque, enhanced to 320Nm*, improves 31-62 mph acceleration in fourth gear by 0.7sec to 5.7sec.

Any of the UK?s 120 Mountune-appointed Ford dealers will be able to fit the upgrade ? in under 60 minutes for the Fiesta ST, and less than 90 minutes for the Focus ST. Both are fully compatible with the Ford warranty, meaning Mountune modified vehicles continue to be covered against mechanical failure for three years or 60,000 miles from the original date of purchase.

?Ford?s ST models already deliver blistering performance ? for these Mountune upgrades we have squeezed out every last drop of fun and served it on a plate to the fans that are as passionate about performance as we are,? said Tyrone Johnson, Ford Team RS engineering manager.

The Focus ST Mountune upgrade includes a cast alloy inlet duct (silver or black powder coat finish), high-flow air filter element, larger alloy intercooler (silver or black powder coat finish) and unique calibration. The Fiesta ST version has a re-modelled air box base with secondary inlet duct, a high-flow filter element and unique calibration.

The Focus ST Mountune upgrade, at ?1,225 for silver and ?1,275 for black, still means the boosted Focus costs less than a standard Volkswagen Golf GTi. The Fiesta ST Mountune upgrade costs ?599**,with the finished Fiesta costing less than both the standard Peugeot 208 GTi and Renaultsport Clio 200 Turbo.

?We worked hand-in-hand with Ford engineers to deliver what we believe is the best bang-for-buck value on the market,? said David Moore, Mountune marketing manager.

Source: http://www.worldcarfans.com/113071660251/ford-introduces-mountune-upgrades-for-the-focus-st--fiesta

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PSA: Watch today's ISS spacewalk right here, coverage begins 8:10 am ET

ImagePSA: Watch the ISS spacewalk right here, coverage begins 8:10 am ET

ISS Flight Engineers Chris Cassidy and Luca Parmitano are set to commence a spacewalk on the ISS today starting at 8:10 ET. The pair will undertake the final installation of bypass jumpers, providing essential power redundancy to critical components. Other tasks to be completed on the walk include replacing a video camera, relocating wireless television kit and performing vital checks on component door covers. This will be the fifth spacewalk performed on the ISS this year, and the 171st in support of the station overall. You can watch the preliminaries right now, or head back at 8:10 to catch the action.

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Source: NASA

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/16/psa-watch-the-iss-spacewalk-right-here-coverage-begins-8-10-am/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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AA Arrivals Lounge, London Heathrow

On the way back from the US to Dublin, I knew that there were no showers in the BA UK/Ireland Lounge and so immigrated at Terminal 3, and went to the Arrivals Lounge.

There was no line at the (still) operating IRIS machine at Immigration despite several large aircraft arriving at once. There was a line for UK, the ePassport Gates and the Non-EU passengers.

The Arrivals Lounge is on the second floor, reached by turning right after you leave the Duty Free shop after Customs, catching a lift to the second floor.

On arrival I was met with a helpful member of staff who arranged for me to have a shower room. A collegue showed me where to go, and then they checked that I knew how the room operated.

In the room is a large multi-level shower, basin and toilet.

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

After my shower I popped out for a sit, and some breakfast. There are about 40 seats and there was plenty of room despite the lounge being shared with Qantas and Cathay passengers.

There was hot and cold food, a good range of juices, coffee, tea and water.

You can buy your way in to the lounge for US$90.

Posted by MilesFromBlighty |

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MilesFromBlighty/~3/5fx6XGg_A0c/

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Rachel Jeantel Says "Nigga" is Not a Racist Term, Feared George Zimmerman Was Gay Rapist

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/07/rachel-jeantel-denies-nigga-is-racist-term-feared-george-zimmerm/

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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Yahoo's 2Q earnings rise 46 pct, revenue sinks

(AP) ? Yahoo's second-quarter results didn't give investors a reason to celebrate the completion of CEO Marissa Mayer's first year running the Internet company.

The numbers released Tuesday showed Yahoo Inc.'s earnings are still rising, but they also highlighted the challenges facing the Sunnyvale, Calif. company as it loses ground to rivals Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. in the online advertising market that generates most of their revenue.

Wall Street focused on Yahoo's revenue problems instead of its earnings gains. The company's stock dipped 48 cents, or nearly 2 percent, to $26.45 in extended trading after the report came out.

Despite that downturn, Yahoo's shares have surged nearly 70 percent since Mayer defected from a top job at Google to attempt a turnaround at one of the Internet's best-known brands.

But Yahoo's stock has largely been propelled by a steadily appreciating investment in Alibaba, a fast-growing Internet company in China, made eight long years ago.

Yahoo reaped a $7.6 billion windfall from selling nearly half its stake back to Alibaba Group last year and is expected to bring in even more money when it divests the rest of its holdings in the Chinese company within the next few years.

Alibaba is also lifting Yahoo's earnings, as the second-quarter report illustrated. Yahoo's made more money from its investments in Alibaba and Yahoo Japan during the second quarter than it did from its U.S. operations. That's the second straight quarter this year that has occurred.

Yahoo earned $331 million, or 30 cents per share, in the three months ending in June. That compared with net income of $227 million, or 18 cents per share, at the same time last year.

If not for certain items unrelated to its ongoing business, Yahoo said it would have earned 35 cents per share. That was a nickel above the average estimate among analysts surveyed by FactSet.

Cost cutting helped boost the earnings. Yahoo's second-quarter operating expenses, excluding ad commissions, fell 9 percent from the same time last year. The company's payroll stood at 11,500 workers at the end of June, also down by 9 percent over the past year.

Revenue for the period declined 7 percent from the same time last year to $1.14 billion.

After stripping out ad commissions, Yahoo's revenue came to $1.07 billion. That was slightly below analyst projections and marked a 1 percent decline from last year. It's the first time that Yahoo's net revenue has fallen since Mayer took over.

Despite the erosion, Mayer said she remains encouraged by Yahoo's progress. She has consistently said it may take two or three years before the company's ad sales are growing as rapidly as the rest of the Internet market. In the meantime, she has been focused on improving Yahoo's employee morale, engineering acquisitions that can bring in more promising technology and engineering talent and tweaking the company's products.

"Our business saw continued stability, and we launched more products than ever before, introducing a significant new product almost every week," Mayer said in a prepared statement about the Yahoo's second-quarter performance.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-07-16-US-Earns-Yahoo/id-634ec93582d74d43a4033699a6a88e50

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Helpful TIps For The Work At Home Entrepreneur | The Board ...

More and more people are discovering the benefits of working from home. When you have a home business enterprise, you will have a lot of competition. This is the reason you should be knowledgeable about what it takes to be successful. This is the main way that you can ensure your success.

You have to be able to talk about your business to others. Cultivating the skill of being succinct when describing your business will impress possible new customers. This soundbite can also help you come up with ideas for a good company slogan.

TIP! Starting home businesses can be fun but challenging as well. Find your niche, your area of expertise, and go from there.

You can deduct the cost of your Internet connection when you work from home. You may deduct up to half of the expense of service, even if it is also used for personal reasons.

You must go to any limit when you are working to make your customers satisfied. Include a special gift and a thank you note when you send them their order. Always remind them that you are grateful for doing business with you. When you provide free incentives and gifts to your customers, they will love it. Make it known to your customer that you appreciate their business.

TIP! Limit the interruptions from your family when working from a home office. Because interruptions disrupt your work day, tell everyone if you are working and when you think you?ll be done.

It?s vital that distractions from friends and family are eliminated when running a online business. Interruptions are the bane of productivity. Make sure everyone knows when you are working and when you will be done. Explain that privacy is highly important and will allow you to be available when you should. Children must be supervised by a responsible person, but be sure they can reach you if there is a true emergency.

Look for forums online. You can network and get helpful advice all in the one spot, all while promoting your own business. Networking like this can often pay off!

TIP! Running a home business requires a home office. It can be small, but it has to be organized.

Join message boards and forums about your niche and home businesses in general. In addition to chatting with others in your position, you can also create a name for yourself. Just one contact can make all the difference.

Provide incentives for those customers that refer friends to your home business. The most powerful marketing avenue is word of mouth since people trust the recommendations their friends and family make. This will encourage all of your current customers to stay loyal.

TIP! If you are artistic, consider a business that provides graphic designing services to other local businesses. Many community businesses would rather work with independent companies than big businesses because of the personal attention they receive.

Using the Internet to promote your business is a great way to make it as profitable as possible. There are a variety of Internet marketing tools, including blogs, emails, forums and articles. Actively using these tools can put more money on the books through giving your business more exposure.

Before you start your business, it is important to figure out which audience you want to target. You must appeal to a large market that has not been penetrated if you want to succeed. If you have a web site, make sure you know what your targeted audience likes for interaction.

TIP! While working at home in your pj?s may seem fun, you may miss daily human interaction. Replace these office interactions by going out to other social locations on a regular basis.

Speak with an attorney before you establish your home based business. Different states have their own unique laws concerning starting and running home businesses. Consulting with a business lawyer will help you ensure that you are adhering to the business laws in your state.

When you borrow money for a business, you open yourself to unwanted scrutiny by your investors. Maximize your profits with the money you already have.

TIP! Business name selection is important, but do not focus too much on marketing. You will see the name of your business more than anyone else.

Deposit your payments almost as you receive them. Try to deposit on a daily or weekly basis. Always deposit your checks as soon as you get them. Always deposit the money with a teller rather than using an ATM, so that you can verify that the money has actually been deposited.

Home business owners often will visit online forums. Check out online message boards and forums that cater to those in your business situation. It is also helpful to visit forums that are designed for people working from home, in general. You never know where your next big idea may come from, and reading about what other people have experienced can help you out, even if they are in a different field that you are.

TIP! Add a phone line to your home that is strictly for your business. You can write this off.

Make sure you have enough help if you?re running a daycare from home, especially if you have a lot of kids. You will need help to keep the children doing what they are supposed to be doing.

Locate your customers and communicate with them. The Internet is a great place to find customers, but you can find them in the world, too. Check out local business expos because it?s a great way to generate customers.

TIP! Accept sales on your website if you want to maximize your bottom line. Many people shop online, and you don?t want to miss out on those sales.

It is important to touch base with other home businesses in your local area. This helps get you out of your office and allows you to build a group of supporters. Another great upside to networking is getting out of the house and being social, which can be rare otherwise.

You need to remember to let your potential customers know why they need to buy from you. Many home businesses owners are great at letting customers know the ?what? they are selling and ?how?. They forget the ?why,? though. Why should customers be purchasing products from you? That is the most important part of making a sale. Place ?why? people should purchase your products all over your website and your advertising.

TIP! Your home business does not need a complicated website; however, it must be tested thoroughly. You want to be sure that no matter what browser someone uses they can access your website, and find the content in the same presentation no matter what they use.

When you are trying to come up with a product for your home business enterprise, pick something that fills a need you have. Other people will also be looking to buy something that solves problems they encounter on a daily basis. By developing an answer to a problem or marketing a product that does, you will definitely be successful.

You should get a receipt scanner so you can easily create archives of everything you spend. Find one that gets good reviews, and purchase it for your business.

TIP! Since you will be spending the majority of time at your desk, it is worth your money to make it as comfortable as possible. Be sure that your neck is at a comfortable position so that you are not straining and risking any damage caused by bad posture.

Consult with an accountant in order to maximize possible deductions. You need to speak with them before you start up the business. Your business space, mileage and more can be an expense that is written off.

Do not use a PO Box number as your official business address, instead use your physical address. Customers like to know that you are not faceless, but have a stable location. It will boost their trust in you and help them feel confident that you will reply to them.

TIP! Don?t rush things. There is no business that becomes a success overnight.

Ask other home based business owners to advertise your business on their web sites, and return the favor. Your website traffic will increase, and your ranking will also rise in the search results. Ensure that advertisements appearing on other sites are clear and that potential customers know where the link will take them.

Choose your domain name carefully. Choose a name with a meaning. It helps others to remember, and your customers don?t want to have to search so much to find the site for your business.

TIP! Make sure you have a good supply of sticky notes on hand in your office. You?ll find them great for helping you to remember where things are, and you can remember important appointments as well.

People should be able to contact you by phone, mail or at your email address. Keep up with your contacts. Find out what purchases they made by asking plenty of questions. There is the possibility that their purchase was a result of your answers, and you can learn to reproduce the same results with each curious visitor.

If you have a home business that allows clients or customers to visit your house, you need business insurance. You will need this insurance so that there is liability covering business activities.

Reach out to your customers by finding out where they are. You can find many customers in reality too. Rent a booth at a community function or have organized sales in a particular area.

The information found here will help you keep ahead of your competitors. Keep in mind that you have to research online business advice if you want to be ahead of everyone else and have a successful business. Make sure you?re consistently gathering information to help further your success.

Source: http://theboardmagazine.com/2013/07/helpful-tips-for-the-work-at-home-entrepreneur-3/

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Cory Monteith Death: Celebrities Send Thoughts, Prayers Via Twitter

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/07/cory-monteith-death-celebrities-send-thoughts-prayers-via-twitte/

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Sprint to utilize Clearwire 2.5GHz spectrum for LTE starting this week

Sprint

New higher frequency to support current 800 and 1900MHz network

Sprint has finally completed its acquisition of Clearwire, and the carrier has announced today that it is quickly integrating the new spectrum to its expanding LTE offerings. Adding to its primarily 1900MHz-based network, Sprint has recently added 800MHz spectrum from its iDEN network shutdown and is now adding in new 2.5GHz spectrum from Clearwire to help out further. The high frequency spectrum isn't super useful for building penetration, but Sprint plans to use it in densely populated cities to support the use of 800MHz, which excels at building penetration.

As is usually the case when adding new frequencies to a network, the first devices to take advantage of the network are MiFi's and data sticks. Sprint is announcing that the Netgear Zing Mobile Hotspot, Netgear 341U USB Stick and MiFi 500 LTE will be available starting July 19th and will support all three frequencies.

Edit: While the devices that can utilize this new spectrum are available soon, the new spectrum itself isn't -- and won't be ready for a while. Apologies for any confusion.

Now that Sprint has nailed down a generally long-term frequency plan, we should start seeing other devices hitting the carrier with support for the additional bands in short order. The end result should be more consistent LTE service in more places for Sprint customers.

Source: Sprint; Via: FierceWireless

    


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/YwatCga7ZZg/story01.htm

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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Love Mindanao: SCUBA Diving at Punta Bilar Dive Center in ...

SCUBA diving must be one of the activities most people in the world would want to place in their bucket list before parting this world. SCUBA diving from someone who is not familiar with this sport would look on it as an outdoor activity for the well off people aside from being a dangerous sport to venture into, which happened to be half true and half myth.


SCUBA diving in the form of recreation is almost ?zero impact water activity which is one better way to?appreciate nature's beauty and discover how life works under the sea. This water sport teaches also a lot of values to its recipient. Group diving is much better if you have a license or at least certification received from an accredited dive instructor giving ease and comfort to your SCUBA diving mates.

Crossing Out the Bucket list

Since the day I was brought to the world of environmental science during my college days, I have been dreaming of experiencing to learn the field of ?SCUBA to extend my nature wandering to the rich and diverse ?marine ecosystem in the Philippines.

I was so fortunate to be invited to try this sport by one of the pioneers and active member of Surigao Dive Club, Mr. Johann Jake Miranda, a well experienced and a multiple licensed diving instructor?accredited by Scuba Diving International (SDI) and currently based in Surigao City who operates the Punta Bilar Dive Center.

Breaking My Fears, Building My Walls!

Coming from Cantilan, Surigao del Sur, I immediately hopped into a bus bound for Surigao City and immediately head for the dive shop. The dive site is located along the marine protected area in the still community of Punta Bilar, one of the few diving sites in Northern Mindanao that offers lesson and certification for first time divers. Punta Bilar offers a 3km stretch of protected marine area with good to very good coral reefs condition that is under the protection with the combined initiative of the community and the dive site operator.?

The long stretch of coral reefs is home to hundreds to thousands of coral species and other colorful marine organisms ranging from pelagic to sea crawler slugs to quirky sea lilies.

As many would think SCUBA diving is quite difficult for first timers, because you have to undergo a series of lectures about safety and other technical concepts to ponder and the most challenging part is to put the learning into action for you to get your open water diver certification.?

Even though I was purposely invited for this activity, I did not receive special consideration to skip one of the procedures. A written exam was also employed to determine the comprehension of the student about SCUBA diving during the entire lesson.??

?It took me a total of six (6) dives before I have fully digested all the tips given by my dive instructor Jake. At first, it took me a while to grasp on my buoyancy and to correct my breathing technique. As an environmental specialist, one of our required skill is to swim but having a set of SCUBA equipment strapped around my body makes me feel uncomfortable due to its added weight and I was ?getting a little confused on the hoses ?attached on the air tank.?

BLOOPER TIME!

And just like any other students , I make mistakes and instead ?frowning about it, I took it as a challenge to correct my errors. And sometimes looking back at those moments specially if caught on camera, will just put me to burst to laughter watching the video all over again. Here is my best blooper ever during the entire session of ?mySCUBA Diving lesson. I swear JR pushed me before the end of 1..2...splassshhhh!?

My ultimate epic failed giant stride water entry!?

Take it from the Expert

One great advice I received from my instructor was not to PANIC, and have the presence of mind to remember the techniques taught during the lecture ! Hmmmm, I was able to understand the ?meaning of word only on my second and third dive after I have swallowed a little salt water during a certain exercise. But in the process I was surprised to enjoy the beauty of the world underwater without being conscious that I was actually in a ?wet suit swimming with the other marine organisms and witnessing the colorful world of the ocean. As we go deeper, I got more relaxed and able to maneuver in perfect buoyancy where I barely move at all while gazing ?on vast ? precious giant sea fans and enormous hard corals, fishes and others scattered around.

It was a lucky day ?that I was accompanied by divers from Butuan City, where Jeff carried with him a specialized underwater camera. A total of 3 days and two nights in the dive center gave me a ?memorable fulfilling adventure, ticking out one item from my bucket list.

To fully understand and appreciate diving, I suggest for you to try it first. There is no harm in trying people. It is just a matter of courage and willingness to put one foot forward and make something different in your life. Get out and experience life. Put SCUBA diving in your bucket list and surely you will enjoy it once you got a taste of it. More post about diving coming soon. To learn more please contact: Operator, Punta Bilar Dive Center Mobile: +63 920 909 ?0999
Website: www.divesurigao.com

(My sincerest thanks to Jake Miranda and his family for this wonderful experience shared, and to my newly found friends Jeff, Tonton, Macky and Dive Master JR Pingkian. All underwater photos courtesy of Jeff Ong. See you soon guys)

Source: http://www.lovemindanao.com/2013/06/puntabilar.html

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Pope Francis sets up special review of Vatican bank

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday set up a special commission of inquiry into the Vatican bank, his boldest move yet to get to grips with an institution that has embarrassed the Church for decades.

The high-powered, five-member panel, which includes four prelates and a woman Harvard law professor, will report directly to him, bypassing the Vatican bureaucracy that itself has sometimes been tainted by allegations of scandal and corruption.

The Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), as the bank is formally known, has long been tarnished by accusations that it has failed to meet international transparency standards intended to combat money laundering and tax evasion.

The Vatican said the commission, which Francis set up with a personal decree known as a "chirografo," would enable him "to know better the juridical position and the activities of the Institute to allow an improved harmonization with the mission of the universal Church".

It said the commission would have full powers to obtain all documentation and data necessary and supersede usual rules that oblige officials to respect the secrecy of their office.

The bank will continue to be run by his current administrators and be overseen by existing regulators while the commission carries out its task.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the bank was not being put under "special administration" but that the commission would have ample powers to do its job.

The decree signed by the pope ordered the commission to give its conclusions and all supporting documents directly to him soon after it finishes it work.

Vatican sources have said in the past the pope could decide to radically restructure the bank or even close it. At meetings before the conclave that elected Francis, a number of cardinals questioned whether the Vatican needed a bank at all.

BANK ACCOUNTS UNDER REVIEW

Francis has laid great emphasis on removing an image of privilege from Church operations and IOR's new president Ernst von Freyberg, a German, has begun a review of all its accounts and activities.

The commission is made up of an Italian cardinal, a French cardinal, a Spanish bishop, an American monsignor and Mary Ann Glendon, a Harvard professor who is president of the Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and a former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.

The document setting up the commission says all bank officials and employees as well as staff in other Vatican departments had to cooperate with the commission.

The European anti-money laundering committee, Moneyval, said in a July report that the IOR still had to enact reforms in order to meet international standards against money laundering.

The bank is due to send Moneyval a progress report by the end of the year.

Von Freyberg, 54, a German lawyer, told Reuters in an interview this month he was committed to total transparency and has started a review of the IOR's some 19,000 accounts, mostly held by Vatican employees and departments, orders of priests and nuns, and charities.

The bank has assets of $7.1 billion under management and profits of 86.6 million euros ($114.3 million), used to support Catholic activities around the world. It does not lend money.

Last year, the Vatican detected six possible attempts to use the Holy See to launder money. At least seven have been detected so far this year.

The bank is trying to clean up its image after a history of scandals, most notably in 1982 when it was enmeshed in the bankruptcy of Italy's Banco Ambrosiano, whose chairman Roberto Calvi was found hanging from London's Blackfriars Bridge.

In 2010, Rome magistrates investigating money laundering in 2010 froze 23 million euros ($33 million) held by the IOR in an Italian bank. The IOR said it was transferring its own funds between accounts in Italy and Germany. The money was released in June 2011 but the investigation continues.

(Reporting By Philip Pullella; editing by James Mackenzie and Mike Collett-White)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-francis-sets-special-review-vatican-bank-110039523.html

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Monday, April 8, 2013

Spending mushrooms in new 'political ecosystem'

BOSTON (AP) ? Operating with few rules and limited oversight, outside groups spent a record $1 billion to influence last year's election.

Politicians of all persuasions griped about the meddling. But few are working to change laws that ushered in an unprecedented flood of money made possible by a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that erased years of campaign finance law.

Instead, political leaders and donors from both parties are preparing for the flow of outside money to intensify. New groups have formed and others are shaping plans to come back bigger and smarter ahead of the 2014 congressional elections and the 2016 presidential race.

What laws do remain could become even looser as the Supreme Court considers another high-profile decision.

"The unregulated system that we seem to be headed in will make Watergate look like a bad soap opera," said Robert Zimmerman, a member of the Democratic National Committee's national finance team who helped raise as much as $500,000 for President Barack Obama's re-election effort.

"Everybody is focusing on raising more," Zimmerman said.

Even as some fundraisers report fatigue following a vicious and expensive presidential campaign last year, both sides are aggressively courting donors to help further transform the political landscape.

Campaigns and political parties bound by traditional fundraising limits are moving to outsource research, advertising, data collection and issue advocacy to groups that can accept unlimited donations while often offering donors anonymity.

The president, too, is intensifying his fundraising focus to help his party and a new nonprofit organization led by his former campaign manager.

Having promised to headline at least 20 fundraisers in his final presidential term for Democrat's campaign committees, Obama last week raised millions of dollars in four events. One was a $32,400-per person brunch in Atherton, Calif.

"I'm going to need some help," Obama told donors.

Donors who gave millions last fall, largely on the Republican side, are already lining up to do more.

"I'm going to do everything I possibly can to help our country and those people who believe in our country," said Republican donor Foster Friess, who gave more than $2 million to a new kind of political action committee, known as a super PAC, that fueled the 2012 presidential campaign of former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa.

Super PACs can raise and spend unlimited funds to help candidates, but cannot coordinate expenditures or strategy with a campaign.

Like other donors, Friess says he's eager to use his "affluence" to shape policy fights in addition to helping candidates.

The emergence of super PACs and other outside groups, emboldened partly by the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court in 2010, has done more than anything else to reshape the contours of campaign fundraising.

A few federal court cases have broadly eased campaign finance rules, allowing donors to give unlimited sums. That kind of money largely has gone to super PACs.

Many super PACs have affiliated nonprofit "social welfare" organizations that spent hundreds of millions last year on issue ads. Those groups don't have to disclose their donors because they're governed by tax law. Open-government groups have pushed Congress, to no avail, for a law that would require politically active groups to disclose their finances.

The system faces further deregulation as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a case this year that could wipe away aggregate annual limits on direct contributions to candidates and official campaign committees.

Officials across the political spectrum already acknowledge that there is little oversight in the new world of political fundraising, where the Internal Revenue Service and Federal Election Commission have been reluctant to enforce what rules remain.

Experts suggest this could change.

While a Supreme Court decision looms, former FEC Chairman Michael Toner says the IRS may trigger a more significant shift by challenging the tax-exempt status of prominent outside groups ? one on the right and one on the left ? in federal court.

"I think it's only a matter of time," Toner said.

Such enforcement could have a massive ripple effect across the fundraising world for groups that use their nonprofit status to attract major donors seeking tax breaks. But the IRS has yet to act. An agency spokesman said he could not comment on potential enforcement activity.

Meanwhile, the number of outside groups leveraging the tax code to court major donors is growing.

Obama earlier in the year converted his victorious re-election campaign into an unprecedented nonprofit organization, Organizing for Action, designed to influence policy debates in Washington. Individual donations to the Obama campaign were capped at $2,500 last year; the new group has no such limits.

Its leaders have reached out to at least 50 top Obama donors who intend to raise at least $500,000 this year. Former Obama campaign manager and group chairman, Jim Messina, said that Organizing for Action voluntarily would disclose the identity and specific amount of money it receives from donors, while denying corporate donations.

With no requirement to do so, the group will self-police the effort.

Late last month, GOP officials with strong ties to the Republican National Committee started an independent organization designed to track and research Democrats in the coming elections. The group is intended to counter a similar organization on the Democratic side established during the last election. Both groups can accept unlimited donations.

The idea for an independent research arm was included among dozens of recommendations in a recent Republican National Committee report released last week. At the same time, the report condemned the proliferation of outside groups that "use unlimited, and often unreported, amounts of the same money federal candidates and national parties are now prohibited from spending or raising."

Republicans were quick to react to the 2010 Supreme Court ruling, creating well-funded outside groups that spent heavily on television ads that aided the GOP's success in the 2010 congressional elections. Obama initially signaled that he didn't want Democrats to form outside groups, but ultimately gave his blessing after the Republican gains in that election.

"It's a disaster of a system. But Democrats need to be engaged or else Republicans are going to perpetually win," said Bill Burton, a former Obama adviser who led the president's super PAC.

Indeed, outside groups overwhelmingly favored Republicans in the last election. The super PAC allied with Obama, for example, spent more than $65 million compared with $142 million spent by that of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson topped the list of big donors, giving more than $90 million to Republican super PACs in all. That included more than $15 million to the organization backing former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's presidential bid and $30 million to Romney's super PAC.

Gingrich, who describes Adelson as "a good friend," predicted that number of Super PACs would grow in the coming years.

Both sides seem to be embracing what they see as a new normal in politics.

"Super PACs are a permanent reality within the political ecosystem," said Washington-based Republican consultant Phil Musser. "And I think their influence and number will increase not decrease."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spending-mushrooms-political-ecosystem-142533541--election.html

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