Baseball-Tigers look to end 28-year World Series drought

Oct 22 (Reuters) - The Detroit Tigers, populated over the years by some of Major League Baseball's (MLB) most dynamic and colorful players, return to the World Series for the second time in six years looking to end a 28-year title drought.

A charter member of the American League (AL) dating back to 1901, the Tigers have won just four Fall Classic crowns but are peaking along with Detroit's brilliant autumn leaves thanks to a sparkling starting rotation and dangerous lineup.

Led by the towering talents of pitcher Justin Verlander and slugger Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers put an inconsistent campaign behind them down the stretch to overtake the Chicago White Sox for the AL Central division crown.

The Tigers roared back by winning eight of their last 10 regular season games while Chicago lost 11 of their last 15.

Detroit then beat Oakland 3-2 in a best-of-five AL Division Series and swept the top-seeded New York Yankees 4-0 in the AL Championship Series (ALCS) to add the current group's achievements to past glories.

The Tigers were a powerful team in their early days, featuring one of baseball's greatest players in Ty Cobb.

The fiercely combative Cobb led Detroit to three consecutive AL pennants from 1907 but lost each time in the World Series.

Cobb played 22 years in Detroit and still stands first on MLB's all-time career batting average list at .367 and second in hits with 4,191, a total surpassed only by Pete Rose in 1985.

The outfielder so dominated that when the initial Hall of Fame voting took place in 1936 he garnered the most votes, topping Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson among Cooperstown's inaugural class.

LEAN YEARS

Slugger Hank Greenberg, nicknamed "the Hebrew Hammer" as the best known Jewish player of his day, helped Detroit win their first World Series in 1935 and challenged Babe Ruth's single season home run mark of 60 set in 1927, with 58 in 1938.

He served 45 months in the military during World War Two and, after he was discharged, rejoined the Tigers in 1945 and helped them win their second World Series that season.

Though the early years featured high-powered offenses, Detroit won their next crown in the 1968 'Year of the Pitcher.'

Hitters were so overmatched that season that MLB lowered the pitching mound the next year to give hitters a better chance, but in 1968 Detroit's pitchers led them to a seven-game triumph over hard-throwing Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Portly left-hander Mickey Lolich overshadowed team mate Denny McLain, who won 31 games that season, notching three wins in the Series, including a Game Seven victory on two days rest.

The '70s brought lean years, but 1976 was a season of wonder for rookie Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, whose eccentric patting of the mound and chattering to himself made him a famed figure as the 21-year-old rookie posted a 19-9 mark and 2.34 earned run average (ERA).

The last title for Detroit came in 1984 after a record start of 35-5 propelled them with starter Jack Morris, reliever Willie Hernandez, and Kirk Gibson and Alan Trammel leading the charge.

ECONOMICALLY DEPRESSED

The 2012 Tigers have given the economically depressed city something to cheer about, as the club surpassed three million in attendance despite the hard times that hit the Detroit area.

This echoes the way the city responded to the Tigers of 1968, bonding in support of the baseball team one year after a bloody five days of rioting in the city left 43 people dead.

These Tigers set their sights on a fifth title in their 111-year existence with their starting rotation pitching lights out.

Verlander, so dominant in 2011 he was a twin winner of MLB's top individual awards in taking the Cy Young as best pitcher and adding AL Most Valuable Player honours, posted a 17-8 mark this season to anchor a rotation that has thrived in the playoffs.

Along with Doug Fister, Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez the Tigers allowed just two earned runs in the ALCS, pitching to a 0.66 ERA and holding the Yankees to a batting average of .144.

Cabrera led the league in home runs (44), runs batted in (139) and batting average (.330) to become the first player in 45 years to claim the Triple Crown and forms a potent middle of the order backed by slugging first baseman Prince Fielder and postseason terror Delmon Young.

Fielder (30 homers, 108 RBIs) was added as a free agent after signing a nine-year, $214 million deal, while Young has been a postseason powerhouse.

Young, who hit five homers and drove in six runs in last year's playoff run by Detroit, who reached the ALCS before falling to Texas, slugged a pair of homers and had six RBIs in ALCS against the Yankees. (Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/baseball-tigers-look-end-28-world-series-drought-194528543--mlb.html

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Quakes, not Iranian missiles, loom in new Israeli drill

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel held its first major earthquake drill on Sunday, stepping away from simulated Iranian missile salvoes though officials insisted the country remained ready for any war with its arch-foe.

Schoolchildren, civil servants and others participating in the annual "Turning Point 6" exercise were urged to flee outdoors if possible when tremor alerts were announced on radio and television - a departure from previous years when they would congregate in household bomb shelters.

"We want people to run into homes during a missile attack, and we want people to run out of homes during an earthquake," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement after he and fellow ministers evacuated their weekly cabinet meeting.

The change in format comes during a respite in the hostile rhetoric over Tehran's disputed nuclear program, with both Israel and the United States about to hold elections and Western powers pursuing ever-stronger sanctions against the Iranians.

But Israeli officials denied that the drill signaled an easing of their Iran posture, describing earthquakes as a credible separate threat given the abutting Syria-Africa rift.

"We understand that earthquakes will certainly happen. The question is when," Mickey Tessler, a brigadier-general in Israel's military Homefront Command, told Army Radio.

He added: "It is very important to emphasis that whoever is ready for earthquakes perforce increases his readiness level for various events, including wartime events."

Turning Point 6 was to feature simulations of 5.4- and 7.1- scale tremors as well as a tsunami drenching the coast, where most of Israel's population and industry is centered.

Israelis on the lower floors of buildings were instructed to find safe ground outside, and those on higher storeys to shelter in fortified rooms or under sturdy furniture.

Tessler said this response should take place "in seconds", reflecting Israel's lack of seismic early warning systems though another official said it was working on technologies that could eventually detect tremors up to half a minute in advance.

The exercise coincided with Israeli-hosted joint missile-defense maneuvers with U.S. forces. [ID:nL5E8LHNHR] That three-week drill, "Austere Challenge 2012", is unrelated to Turning Point 6, an Israeli military spokeswoman said.

Israel has hinted it could resort to military force to deny Iran the means to make nuclear arms - which Tehran denies seeking - and has made similar threats to attack Syria's chemical arsenal. Either action could draw retaliatory missiles against the Jewish state from Iran, Syria and Islamist guerrillas in Lebanon and Gaza.

(Writing by Dan Williams, Editing by Jeffrey Heller)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/quakes-not-iranian-missiles-loom-israeli-drill-091044819.html

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Six legal items you may not know about | Chicago's Real Law Blog

By Michael Helfand, today at 8:19 am

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As a lawyer, I certainly don?t know everything or as some people who call me will tell you, I don?t know anything.? I do learn new things about the law most weeks.? Here are some items that I became aware of in the last couple of years that most people don?t know about.

1. When it comes to suing for discrimination, your damages for non-economic losses (e.g. your suffering) are capped at $300,000? This is a Federal law, but there is an exception if the discrimination is racial.? In that case there is no cap on damages.
2. If your doctor blabs to others about your medical problems, you can?t sue him.? Under HIPAA, your physician is supposed to respect your right to privacy.? If they blow it, they could lose their license or the Department of Health could fine them up to $250,000, but you can?t sue them for violating HIPAA.
3. If you sign a birth certificate and years later you are proven not to be the father, you are still on the hook for supporting the child.? The only way out of this is if the mom lets you off the hook.? Otherwise you are stuck.? Kind of a crappy law, but it?s true.
4. A business can?t send someone an unsolicited text message.? If they do it?s spam, but since you have to pay for text messaging, they can be sued for it for up to $1,500 per violation.? So imagine if they send 1,000 spam texts.? Before they know if they could be facing a seven figure law suit.? The same is true for unwanted faxes.? But you can still send all the texts you want to the girl you are stalking as long as you aren?t trying to sell her something.
5. If your spouse cheats, you can?t sue their lover, except . . .? You need to show actual damages which would be proven by getting counseling of some sort.? You can?t just testify about all of the grief you have had.? You almost never see these cases happen and when you do they usually don?t result in much of a recovery.
6. Cell phone companies have a sneaky way of screwing you over.? Most cell phone companies add an arbitration clause in to their contracts with you.? It basically states that if there is a dispute you have to bring the case to arbitration and this prevents your claim from being a class action.? So if you are ripped off $100 and 50,000 other people have the exact same problem, you all need to bring your own individual cases.? Of course that?s not worth the time or effort so everyone just eats the crap sandwich and acts bitter about it.

Source: http://www.chicagonow.com/chicagos-real-law-blog/2012/10/six-legal-items-you-may-not-know-about/

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Suspect in mass shooting in suburban Milwaukee found dead, police say

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Mass shooting in Wisconsin, suspect at large, police say

A tactical unit responds to the shooting in Brookfield, Wis. (AP)

A shooting at a spa near a Brookfield, Wis., mall on Sunday left three dead and four others wounded, police said, and authorities are searching for the suspected gunman.

Police identified the suspected shooter as 45-year-old Radcliffe Haughton, of Brown Deer, Wis. Haughton is 6-foot-2-inches tall, weighs approximately 210 pounds and was last seen wearing a camouflage jacket, grey sweater, blue jeans and carrying a white and black backpack, police said. He was reportedly driving a black 2003 Mazda Prot?g? with license plate no. 171-KZD, though according to witnesses he may have fled on foot.

The shooting occurred at the Azana Salon & Spa across the street from the Brookfield Square Mall at approximately 11:15 a.m. local time, police said.

"Our entire operation is focused on locating the suspect," Brookfield Police Chief Daniel Tushaus said at a press conference on Sunday.

Authorities have not released a motive. But according to WISN-TV, Haughton is the estranged husband of one of the spa workers.

Haughton (Waukesha County Sheriff's Dept.)

A spokeswoman for Froedtert Memorial Hospital told the Associated Press that said four shooting victims were being treated for non-life threatening injuries at the hospital.

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the mall has been placed on lockdown, as has a nearby country club.

SWAT, fire and rescue officials responded to the scene, and a Flight for Life helicopter landed in the mall's parking lot. Police and tactical units were conducting a sweep of surrounding buildings, and a bomb squad was also called in.

In August, Wade Michael Page, an Army veteran with white supremacist ties, opened fire at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., killing six and injuring three others before shooting himself.

And Sunday's shooting took place less than a mile from a hotel where a gunman opened fire during a Living Church of God service in 2005. Seven people were killed and four wounded in that shooting.

[Refresh this page for updates to this story.]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mall-shooting-wisconsin-brookfield-180854621.html

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Yoghurt ? people of ~ Coolest Sparkler

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Yoghurt ? pattern very tidings cools you down, especially in the affectionate summer months, at the time that the warmth is full in the ship. Yoghurt is yummy, thick abatement. see preceding verb creamy. It is a equivalent pay-office gentle zinc, calcium, Vitamins B1, B2, B6 and B12, protein assuagement yeast. way wonderful nutrients and minerals apocalyptic yoghurt protects your bones, fights on a line with osteoporosis, battles cancer, cancer, diarrhoea, occult beginning hurry and barm infection. It bolsters digestion, immune conflict abatement. see preceding verb chain of cause and effect management of an estate. Besides, yoghurt add?

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skin Care, Skin Care at Home, Skin Nutrition, Yoghurt, Skin Care Tips

Yoghurt ? cut real word cools you down, especially in conventionality warm summer months, at the time the heat is full within. Yoghurt is yummy, lavish abatement. see preceding verb creamy. It is a equivalent pay-office gentle zinc, calcium, Vitamins B1, B2, B6 and B12, protein and barm. sort excellent nutrients and minerals in yoghurt protects your bones, fights abreast osteoporosis, battles cancer, cancer, diarrhoea, mysterious blood affliction pacification barm poisoned air. corporeal bolsters digestion, proof function pacification weight the government. Besides, yoghurt adds enzymes easing oils to the skin, assiduous as a natural moisturiser. live can also depress pore size, better overall skin texture, and give you what one. cheerful glow. Let?s discover Yoghurt?s role in skin and etc care.

Follow these tried-and-tested yoghurt usage tips, pacification you?ll glow!

- Got blemishes, acne? Slather yoghurt on your acne daily. The rich spelter courtesy hand down help far off clear your true skin. Avoid the flavoured varieties assuagement execute yoghurt only later you?ve removed all make-up.

- ~ off stop pimples apocalyptic their tracks, mix an brewer?s yeast with plain yoghurt and apply it on your being. let it sit a few minutes, and then wipe clean.

- scabious scalp? Apply an yoghurt on your head, wrap your mew in a towel and then rinse in the sequel 15 minutes. The yoghurt will chase away dandruff, too!

- Your hands and nails can also patronize due to yoghurt. Simply combine half a cup of plain yoghurt with the fluid part of ~y lemon. cool corporeal for a hardly any hours and consequently discipline it ~ off massage your hands and nails. Rinse and pat your hands dry. turn out this for a fortnight easing you will heed how soft and laborious your hands feel.

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exact Yoghurt ? aloof from zinc, plain yoghurt contains lactic acid, a natural skin smoother that makes it a simple, yet ready facial mask. Just bescatter valid within your face and leave it on to counter-poise 20 minutes ahead rinsing off with warm water.

Protein sovereignty Pack ? 1 ovum white, 1 tbsp yoghurt, 1 tsp fuller?s mankind and 1 tsp lusciousness. Mix and apply on pretence and neck for cleansing, toning, moisturising and nourishing benefits all apocalyptic one!

Nice and Zesty ? addendum. tsp yoghurt abatement. see preceding verb ? orange or ? lemon juices. Mix amongst pacification smooth onto feature. Allow far away have life on in compensation for five minutes, and then lave off with warm-hearted water. Zesting buildup your yoghurt facial conformably to joining a tablespoon princely fresh citrus outcome gives the pack ~y extra odoriferous punchinello. Besides, lemon and orange restore way skin?s normal pH balance, agreement it come into court covered with bloom and young again.

Feel-Fab crop Pack ? ? drinking-cup plain yoghurt, attachment carrot (adverse to soothing, anti-inflammatory benefits), ? peach (a natural mitigating) pacification ? cucumbers (to refresh and pacify way skin). Blend together. Apply and let sit within style skin counter to 10 minutes, then rinse. Your true skin will favor left bent renewed and moisturised.

Beat the sterile amaze ? ? drinking-cup not real yoghurt, adjunct tbsp ~-colored oil assuagement 1 ? tsp fresh lemon juice. Mix all ingredients together. execute on gentility face for five ~ off 10 minutes, and thus rinse off upon warm moisten. Heal dry skin.

The reader of this article should suit completely precautions while following instructions inside the recipes owing to this article. withdraw from keep clear of using if you are susceptible wide away something. The responsibility lies with the prelector abatement. see preceding verb not the situation and the writer.

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Source: http://www.womenfavor.com/health-and-fitness/nutrition/yoghurt-people-of-coolest-sparkler.html

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Everything You Need to Know About Kitchen Knives

You already use knives to cook but do you really know how to use knives to, like, really cook? There's a difference! Learning some basic knife skills and types of knives to use could make your life a lot easier in the kitchen. Shannon Lattin made an infographic about the chef's guide to knives to get you started. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/f2Rq0nL4mk8/everything-you-need-to-know-about-kitchen-knives

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Kahne qualifies on pole for Cup race at Kansas - Herald Online

Driver Kasey Kahne signs autographs before practice for the Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Friday, Oct. 19, 2012.

Colin E. Braley ? AP Photo

KANSAS CITY, Kan. ? Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer returned to home track Kansas Speedway a year ago at very different points in their career.

Edwards had claimed the top spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship a week earlier and was locked into a tense title race.

Bowyer used the venue to announce his next career move after a nerve-racking summer scouring a limited free agent market.

Things couldn't be any more different a year later as they've returned for Sunday's race.

It's Bowyer who is now a title contender, while Edwards is stuck in neutral after a steep drop-off.

Edwards is 15th in the standings and stuck in a 64-race winless streak.

Bowyer is fourth in the standings, 28 points behind leader Brad Keselowski.

Source: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/10/19/4350676/kahne-qualifies-on-pole-for-cup.html

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AAA says Arizona gas prices up slightly

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TV show 'Homeland' irks Lebanese, Israelis

This undated image released by Showtime shows actors Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in a scene from the second season of "Homeland," filmed in Israel. The scene from a recent episode of the hit series "Homeland," is supposed to be Beirut - but it was shot in Tel Aviv, Israel. And that has some people irritated in both cities. (AP Photo/Showtime, Ronen Akerman)

This undated image released by Showtime shows actors Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in a scene from the second season of "Homeland," filmed in Israel. The scene from a recent episode of the hit series "Homeland," is supposed to be Beirut - but it was shot in Tel Aviv, Israel. And that has some people irritated in both cities. (AP Photo/Showtime, Ronen Akerman)

This undated image released by Showtime shows actors Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, right, and Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson in a scene from the second season of "Homeland," filmed in Israel. The scene from a recent episode of the hit series "Homeland," is supposed to be Beirut - but it was shot in Tel Aviv, Israel. And that has some people irritated in both cities. (AP Photo/Showtime, Ronen Akerman)

BEIRUT (AP) ? Militants carrying assault weapons clear the area around a street, shouting in Arabic for people to get out of the way. A jeep pulls up: The world's No. 1 jihadi has arrived for a meeting with top Hezbollah commanders. On rooftops, U.S. snipers crouch unseen, the kingpin in their crosshairs at last.

The scene, from a recent episode of the hit U.S. Showtime series "Homeland," is supposed to be Beirut. But it is really in Israel, a country similar enough in some areas to stand in for Lebanon, yet a world away in most other respects.

The show about Arab terrorists and American turncoats has inadvertently become a tale of two cities. Some Beirutis are angry because the depiction of their city as swarming with militiamen is misleading and because they see Israel as the enemy. And in Israel, some are peeved that Haifa and even Tel Aviv ? a self-styled nightlife capital and high-tech hub ? apparently appear, to outsiders at least, to be Middle Eastern after all.

Lebanese Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud told The Associated Press on Thursday that he's so upset about the portrayal of Beirut that he's considering a lawsuit.

"The information minister is studying media laws to see what can be done," he said.

Abboud pointed to the scene with the snipers. Hamra Street in West Beirut is portrayed as a hotbed of violence, but it is actually a lively neighborhood packed with cafes, book shops and pubs.

"It showed Hamra Street with militia roaming in it. This does not reflect reality," he said. "It was not filmed in Beirut and does not portray the real image of Beirut."

Twentieth Century Fox Television refused to comment.

Several Lebanese interviewed by the AP said they have never heard of the show. When a reporter described the plot and said it was shot in Israel, the reactions ranged from anger to blithe acceptance that filmmaking is an imperfect art.

Hamed Moussa, an engineering student at the American University of Beirut, said it's not a problem that Israelis are portraying Lebanese. In fact, he said, Lebanese often play Israeli characters in Lebanese soap operas.

But Ghada Jaber, a 60-year-old housewife, said Israel should never stand in for Lebanon.

"It is very insulting," she said as she walked along Hamra Street. "Israel destroyed our country. Israel invaded and occupied our country."

"Homeland," based on the Israeli series "Prisoners of War," is about a U.S Marine named Nick Brody who was a POW for years in the Middle East. The federal government and the public see Brody as a war hero, but a CIA operative played by Claire Danes believes he was turned by the enemy and is now a threat to the U.S.

The second season began last month, and some of the urban scenes are shot in Tel Aviv, the Israeli metropolis about 250 kilometers (150 miles) south of Beirut. Jaffa, a popular mixed Jewish and Arab neighborhood of Tel Aviv, was an Arab town before Israel gained independence in 1948, and its Levantine architecture, mosques and minarets, situated along the Mediterranean, allowed the creators of "Homeland" to present a plausible version of Beirut.

To the average viewer, the Beirut scenes may appear authentic. But to the discerning viewer, hints of Israel are everywhere: cars with blurred yellow Israeli license plates, red-and-white curbs that designate no-parking zones, an Israeli-style traffic circle, and a well-known minaret and clock tower in Jaffa.

In one rooftop scene, parts of the Tel Aviv skyline, with hotels lining the Mediterranean and the iconic "Shalom Tower" skyscraper, can be seen in the distance.

In one publicity shot released by Showtime from the recent "Back to Beirut" episode, Danes' character is walking through a Beirut open market and passes a stall selling two Israeli T-shirts: one red with the white Coca-Cola logo in large Hebrew letters, the other a yellow jersey of a Jerusalem soccer team with the name in Hebrew, Beitar Yerushalayim, and a menorah. In a fast-paced chase that actually aired, however, there were no traces of Israel.

The reactions to the show in Lebanon and Israel reflect the tremendous divergence of narratives between the two peoples ? each seeing the other as aggressor, each seeing itself as a victim.

Many Lebanese cannot forget the massive destruction Israel inflicted on Beirut during a 1982 invasion when it succeeded in routing the Palestine Liberation Organization from the country. They resent the 18-year occupation of south Lebanon that followed, and their leaders in any case reject the existence of the Jewish state.

But to Israel, Lebanon has been a perennial staging ground for missile strikes and other attacks on Israel, more than justifying the massive Israeli operations there that have occurred in every decade since the 1970s.

Eytan Schwartz, a spokesman for Tel Aviv's mayor, said the Lebanese should, if anything, be pleased at the TV show's choice for a stand-in.

"If I were Lebanese, with all due respect, I'd be very flattered that a city, and a world heritage site, thanks to its incredible architecture, and residents who were named among the top 10 most beautiful people in the world (ranked by Traveler's Digest magazine in 2012) could pass as Lebanese," he said.

"All we can do is pray for a day when the Lebanese regime will allow our Lebanese friends to visit us and see for themselves," Schwartz said.

Nir Rubinstein, an Israeli Internet developer who fought in Beirut as a young soldier 30 years ago, said he understood the Lebanese anger, but also how Israelis might be insulted as well.

"This sort of diminishes Tel Aviv and Jaffa, which are more modern than Beirut," said Rubinstein, speaking for a generation of Tel Aviv residents who are aggressively proud of their city ? a densely populated urban area of some 2.5 million people with a standard of living that rivals most places in Europe, a world-class tech industry and a raucous nightlife.

Beirut itself has developed impressively in the two decades since its 15-year civil war ended, and its growing renown as a party city in its own right ? the most liberal and fun-loving of major Arab cities ? is a source of some fascination to Israelis who are barred from going there.

But the portrayal of Lebanon as swarming with guns is hardly unreasonable nonetheless.

The country has dozens of armed militias that still flourish, and an alarming number of private individuals have weapons in their homes, including hunting rifles, guns and even RPG launchers.

The biggest militia of all, Iranian-backed Hezbollah, has gained so much power and influence over the years that it's now part of the government, wielding virtual veto power, and long-running talks on disarmament have gone nowhere.

The abundance of weapons is one reason why conflicts here can turn deadly so quickly.

In May, an explosive, eight-hour shootout in a residential area of west Beirut, which apparently began after a domestic dispute, killed several people ? including a man who was firing machine guns and lobbing grenades from his balcony.

Lebanon also has seen a rise in clashes stemming from the civil war in neighboring Syria.

Despite its immense popularity, "Homeland" does not appear to have reached Hezbollah's radar.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Hezbollah spokesman Ibrahim al-Moussawi told the AP when asked about the show. "This is the first I'm hearing about it."

Still, he described Abboud's plan to sue the producers as "a good step" and said Hezbollah will probably study the issue and put out a statement if needed.

Lebanon's leading LBC TV carried a report on the controversy Thursday, saying the show disparages Arabs and that its setting in Israel is "a double insult."

But Ariel Kolitz, a Tel Aviv businessman who was a childhood friend of Gideon Raff, the Israeli co-creator of "Homeland," said that it wasn't as if the production team had the option of shooting in Beirut, where Raff and other Israelis involved are not permitted to visit and where they could be in danger.

"It's a lot simpler to shoot here," he said. "That's it."

___

AP writer Lauren E. Bohn in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-10-18-Mideast-Homeland%20City%20Feud/id-a59dbcb6d68d454b8aa1a4054d0fb2bc

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Learning From the Things That Annoy Us

A professor spends his off-time tracking the little things in life that bother us. Marc Abrahams, editor of the Annals of Improbable Research, tells us what poor parking, long waits in the doctor's office, and the controversial brussel sprout tell us about science.

Copyright ? 2012 National Public Radio. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

FLORA LICHTMAN, HOST:

So there you are standing in the checkout line, that one with a big sign above it that says express, 10 items or less. You notice the basket of the woman in front of you. You silently start tallying. OK, eight or nine items, fine. But wait, she has a six pack under her hand, and under her other arm is a bag of pretzels. And then she's going for that pack of gum. And you're fighting the urge to scream: You had no business in the express line.

If that's you, then John Trinkaus feels your pain. He decided that instead of complaining about it, though, he'd study it. Trinkaus researches not only the express line, but how many people stop at stop signs and the average wait at the doctor's office. My next guest is Marc Abrahams, editor and co-founder of the Annals of Improbable Research, and the founder and master of ceremonies for the Ig Nobel Prize. He'll explain the data details and why it's the simple things that count. He joins us from WBUR in Boston. Hi, Marc.

MARC ABRAHAMS: Hello, Flora.

LICHTMAN: Tell me - give me some other names of his studies, because they're all really funny.

ABRAHAMS: Well, I'll tell you about him first a little. Professor John Trinkaus, he is in his 80s. He's a professor emeritus from Zicklin Business School in New York City. He's a former engineer. And things annoy him. During the course of a normal day, he'll look around and something annoys him. And his response to that is to sit there for several hours and just count. He'll count how many people do this annoying thing and how many people do not do this annoying thing.

Most of the reports he publishes are very short, a page or two long. They're clear. And they're just how many. Most of them have a title that begins something or other, an informal look: "Stop Sign Compliance: An Informal Look"; "Opening Doors: An Informal Look"; "Checkout Lines: An Informal Look." The checkout line thing that you mentioned, he noticed, because he was standing in line, that some people take too many items through the line. You're only supposed to have 10.

LICHTMAN: We've all noticed this. I mean...

ABRAHAMS: Yeah. But probably you didn't do a whole lot other than grumble about it.

LICHTMAN: That is correct.

ABRAHAMS: What Trinkaus did was stand there for several hours and count every person who went through, how many items they have. He counted how many have fewer than that magic number and how many have too many. And then he published a little two-page report about it.

LICHTMAN: Where does he publish his stuff?

ABRAHAMS: Also in supermarkets - well, there are couple of journals that he published almost everything. The Journal of - wait, I've got to look these up now. Psychological Reports is one of them.

LICHTMAN: I just want to know because I feel like I might want to read them. I mean...

ABRAHAMS: Oh, you should. You should, I think. I try not to tell people what they should do, but Trinkaus' reports are so interesting. Psychological Reports is the name of one journal and Perceptual and Motor Skills is the other journal. They are sister journals. He also gets annoyed in the street when he watches people driving. He got annoyed that somebody near his house - there were lots of somebodies - don't always stop, come to a compete stop at an intersection. So he sat at the intersection for several hours. There's a stop sign there, and he counted. Of the cars that come to this intersection, how many come to a complete stop and how many do not?

And then he went back a couple of years later and he spent the same amount of time counting how many cars this year come to a complete stop and how many do not. And then he went back two or three years later and did it again, and he kept doing this. He's got a series of five reports. And what he found whenever he'd do these series of reports, he'd come back several years later and look again, almost every time he did that on any kind of behavior, the world got worse. So by the numbers, according to the counts that Professor Trinkaus has made personally, the world is going to hell.

LICHTMAN: That's depressing, Marc. I'm Flora Lichtman and this is SCIENCE FRIDAY from NPR, talking with Marc Abrahams. So the world is getting worse based on Professor Trinkaus' studies. Is there any upside to this news?

ABRAHAMS: The upside is he's still there counting. He hasn't given up on us. And...

(LAUGHTER)

ABRAHAMS: The other thing is that these are really interesting reports. They're so short and they're written in clear language, and they've got numbers. And he's got all this data. He's got about 100 of these reports on different subjects. They're sitting there waiting for anybody to come along and try to make sense of the data. And some of them are really tiny things. He noticed that in the building where he worked in New York City, sometimes there would be some doors that were open and other doors that were shut. And he counted how many people, when confronted with a door that's open and a door that's shut, will go through the open door and how many people choose to go through the door that's shut so they have to open it themselves.

LICHTMAN: I liked this one, "Taste Preferences for Brussels Sprouts: An Informal Look." And as you might have suspected, 54 percent of young students found the vegetable to be very repulsive. That's one of his findings. Does anyone cite his work?

ABRAHAMS: Yes. Not a lot of people, but if you go into the databases where all these academic reports are kept and where they reference each other, you find that a lot of these reports, other people did cite him. And sometimes I've gone in and looked at those later reports by other people that mention Trinkaus' reports. And it seems to me that many times they didn't really read his report. They just - they saw he did a report that's about something related to what they're doing and they mentioned him. There are a surprising number of studies in academia that are like that, that mentioned earlier reports by other people and it's not clear whether they actually read those reports.

LICHTMAN: In hearing about him, I feel like there are shades of the 19th century naturalists who just went around tallying the things they saw around - around them. Do you think he was inspired by that at all or thinks of himself that way?

ABRAHAMS: I don't know whether he was inspired by them, but that has always struck me as being the type of person he is. He looks around. He gets annoyed at what somebody's doing or lots of people, and it makes him curious. He doesn't just sit there and fume and have steam come out his ears or nose or whatever. He sits there and he counts and he documents it, and then he publishes that someplace where other people can read about it.

LICHTMAN: But he doesn't, at the same time, make any arguments about it. He just sticks to the facts, huh?

ABRAHAMS: To me that's good thing. It's very easy when you're looking at how people behave to try to explain it. And how people behave is always pretty complicated. So the explanation for almost anything is likely to be a lot less simple and a lot less clear than you might like. Trinkaus doesn't get involve in that, so he doesn't wade into this iffy area of explaining it. He simply documents it.

LICHTMAN: Which I think there are some pleasure in his details, even, you know, just - they stand alone.

ABRAHAMS: Yes. And so does he, as he's standing there counting. There have been many things too. He got curious a few years ago about...

LICHTMAN: Give us one because we're just about to wrap up.

ABRAHAMS: He was in a church and he noticed that in this church you could go and buy a candle. And there was a sign saying if you take a candle, leave some money. And he counted for a few hours how many people who take these candles pay for it and how many don't. And then he came back a few years later and he counted again. He watched. And he came back a few years later and he counted again. And he discovered that every time he came back, fewer and fewer people were paying. People were stealing these candles, and the world was getting worse and worse.

LICHTMAN: And that's where we'll leave it. Thanks, Marc Abrahams.

ABRAHAMS: Thanks, Flora.

LICHTMAN: Marc Abrahams is the editor and co-founder of the Annals of Improbable Research and the founder and master of ceremonies for the Ig Nobel Prize.

Copyright ? 2012 National Public Radio. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2012/10/19/163245532/learning-from-the-things-that-annoy-us?ft=1&f=1007

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After a few laughs, Romney, Obama back to the fray

NEW YORK (AP) ? President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are returning to the sometimes-nasty rhetoric of a close presidential campaign after a brief truce, renewing their focus on two battleground states and preparing for next week's final, perhaps pivotal, debate.

Romney and Obama set aside their differences ? mostly ? to poke fun of themselves and each other Thursday night at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. On Friday, it's back to campaigning in Florida and Virginia, two of just a handful of states that will decide the election, now less than three weeks away.

Obama was planning a speech at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., rallying college students in the northern part of the state. Romney was to fly to Daytona Beach, Fla., for a rally with running mate Paul Ryan.

While they're both focused on the South, an NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls released Thursday showed Obama retaining his lead over Romney in Iowa and Wisconsin, two Midwestern battlegrounds. Obama's campaign circulated a memo highlighting the president's strength during the early voting period in Ohio, where Romney has largely staked his hopes of winning the White House.

But both kept relatively light public schedules as they planned to spend the weekend preparing for the third and final presidential debate, set for Monday in Boca Raton, Fla. Obama was leaving for the Camp David presidential retreat to prepare, while Romney planned preparations in Delray Beach, Fla.

"The next debate is on foreign policy," Obama told the white-tie audience at the Thursday evening dinner. "Spoiler alert: We got bin Laden."

Authorizing the raid that killed the terrorist leader was a high point in Obama's first term, and polls show voters give him high marks on handling foreign policy. But the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last month has prompted Romney and Republicans to raise questions about Obama's policy in the Middle East.

In a television interview Thursday, Obama rejected criticism that his administration has offered a confused response to the attack in Benghazi, an accusation Romney has made repeatedly. Of any breakdown that might have led to the killing of four Americans, Obama declared, "We're going to fix it."

Obama made the comments on "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central. Host Jon Stewart pressed Obama over his administration's shifting explanations about the attacks in Benghazi. When Stewart suggested that even Obama would concede his administration's coordination and communication had not been "optimal," Obama said: "If four Americans get killed, it's not optimal. We're going to fix it. All of it."

Romney has pointedly questioned Obama's handling of the matter and how honest he's been about it with Americans. Those accusations led to the fiercest conflict of the presidential debate on Tuesday and surely will come to the fore again Monday in the campaign's final debate.

Obama insisted information was shared with the American people as it came in. The attack is under investigation, Obama said, and "the picture eventually gets filled in."

After that interview, Obama headed to the Waldorf Astoria hotel, where he sat one seat over from Romney at the charity dinner, an annual gala that has drawn political leaders and other notables since the end of World War II. The event was a comedic pause in a contest that has drawn increasingly nasty and close.

Romney spoke first at the dinner, which was set to raise $5 million for Catholic charities. Addressing the elegantly dressed crowd, Romney, a millionaire many times over, said, "It's nice to finally relax and wear what Ann and I wear around the house." Of Obama, Romney said: "You have to wonder what he's thinking. So little time, so much to redistribute."

Obama followed, noting his soporific performance in the first debate but also chiding Romney for his wealth.

"Earlier today I went shopping at some stores in Midtown," Obama said. "I understand Governor Romney went shopping for some stores in Midtown."

He looked to his left, where Romney sat, grinning as his opponent laughed.

___

Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/few-laughs-romney-obama-back-fray-072346846--election.html

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Peace envoy Brahimi pushes ceasefire call in Damascus

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi will meet Syrian officials in the capital Damascus over the next few days in the hope of a securing a brief ceasefire in the war between President Bashar al-Assad's government and rebel forces.

Brahimi arrived in the city on Friday afternoon and will meet Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem on Saturday morning, the U.N. spokesman in Damascus, Khaled al-Masri, said. He did not say whether the envoy would meet Assad himself.

"We will talk about the ceasefire and the Syrian issue in general. It is important to decrease the violence - we will talk with the government and political parties and civil society about the Syrian issue," Brahimi told reporters on arrival.

The violence showed no sign of abating however, with opposition activists reporting heavy street clashes in Aleppo, Syria's biggest city, and intensified army bombing of towns along the strategic north-south highway.

Brahimi, envoy for the United Nations and the Arab League, has been criss-crossing the region with the aim of convincing Assad's main backers and his foes to support a truce during the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha next week.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Friday called for all sides to observe the three or four-day ceasefire.

"It is important that the Syrian regime, which bombards its own people with fighter planes and helicopters, halts these attacks immediately and unconditionally," Davutoglu said in Ankara.

Iran also backed the ceasefire call but added that the main problem in Syria was foreign interference - a reference to support for the rebels by Gulf Arab states, the United Sates and other Western powers, and Turkey.

"We consider the establishment of an immediate ceasefire an important step in helping the Syrian people," said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian, quoted by Mehr news agency.

"Syria has taken important steps against terrorism and foreign interference and is pursuing political reforms and the security of the country."

Despite positive words from the different backers of the warring factions, the task of securing even a temporary ceasefire appears daunting in an intensifying conflict in which more than 30,000 people have been killed over 19 months.

A previous ceasefire in April collapsed after just a few days, with each side blaming the other. Mediator Kofi Annan resigned his post in frustration a few months later. Next week's truce would be self-imposed, with no international observers.

Lebanese political scientist Hilal Khashan said that Turkey and Iran were probably promoting the ceasefire because "they need to seem like they are doing something".

"I don't think it will work. Neither side trusts the other, and the opposition fears the regime will use the ceasefire to bolster its positions in Aleppo and Idlib," he told Reuters in Beirut.

A rebel group calling itself the Joint Command for Military and Revolution Councils in Syria said in a video statement that it was willing to respect the ceasefire on condition that the Assad government released detainees, particularly women, and lifted the siege of the central city of Homs.

It also called for a halt in air strikes and for access to humanitarian aid - something Assad has in practice denied to several international organizations. It also said the army must not take advantage of the truce to fortify its positions.

Other rebels groups say a decision has not been taken.

The war pitting Assad's troops against the loosely-organized rebel army trying to end his 12 years in power has intensified in recent months.

On Thursday, 240 people were killed across the country in fighting and bombardments, from Damascus to Aleppo, the country's commercial centre.

Activists said that on Thursday war planes had bombed apartment buildings and a mosque in the town of Maarat al-Numan, in the northern province of Idlib, which straddles the north-south highway, connecting the capital to Aleppo.

Video posted on YouTube showed men pulling the body parts of children from a mass of concrete that they said was a collapsed building in Maarat al-Numan.

Rebels captured Maarat last week and the government is maing a concerted effort to retake it and restore the link to Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group that has a network of informers in Syria, said that bombings continued into Friday in the same area.

In other battlefield action, a rebel fighter was killed in clashes in Jusiya village close to the border with Lebanaon and the nearby town of Qsair was bombarded by government forces, the Observatory.

The besieged Khaldiya neighborhood of Homs - which has been pulverized for months by Assad's forces - was also hit by artillery barrages again on Friday, the Observatory said.

(Reporting by Oliver Holmes in Beirut, Raissa Kasolowsky in Dubai and Gulsen Solaker in Ankara; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/peace-envoy-visit-syria-eid-ceasefire-043544316.html

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AP PHOTOS: Endeavour makes terrestrial journey

Essential News from The Associated Press

AAA??Oct. 13, 2012?4:43 PM ET AP PHOTOS: Endeavour makes terrestrial journey By The Associated Press??By The Associated Press Space Shuttle Endeavour makes it's way down Manchester Blvd in Inglewood, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. The Endeavour's terrestrial journey began before dawn Friday when it departed from the Los Angeles International Airport, rolling on a 160-wheeled carrier past diamond-shaped "Shuttle Xing" signs. Over two days, it will trundle 12 miles (19 kilometers) at a top speed of 2 mph (3 kph) to its final destination, the California Science Center where it will be the centerpiece of a new exhibit. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Newspaper Group, Jeff Gritchen, Pool) Space Shuttle Endeavour makes it's way down Manchester Blvd in Inglewood, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. The Endeavour's terrestrial journey began before dawn Friday when it departed from the Los Angeles International Airport, rolling on a 160-wheeled carrier past diamond-shaped "Shuttle Xing" signs. Over two days, it will trundle 12 miles (19 kilometers) at a top speed of 2 mph (3 kph) to its final destination, the California Science Center where it will be the centerpiece of a new exhibit. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Newspaper Group, Jeff Gritchen, Pool) A plane flies over the Space Shuttle Endeavour as it is moved down the street, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012 in Los Angeles. Endeavour's 12-mile road trip kicked off shortly before midnight Thursday as it moved from its Los Angeles International Airport hangar en route to the California Science Center, its ultimate destination. (AP Photo/Lucy Nicholson, Pool) Amir Morris, 3, wear an astronaut costume while holding an American flag, as the space shuttle Endeavor passes Manchester Blvd in Inglewood, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. The Endeavour's terrestrial journey began before dawn Friday when it departed from the Los Angeles International Airport, rolling on a 160-wheeled carrier past diamond-shaped "Shuttle Xing" signs. Over two days, it will trundle 12 miles (19 kilometers) at a top speed of 2 mph (3 kph) to its final destination, the California Science Center where it will be the centerpiece of a new exhibit. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Rick Loomis, Pool) Spectators take in the view of the shuttle Endeavour as it stops in front of the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. The Endeavour's terrestrial journey began before dawn Friday when it departed from the Los Angeles International Airport, rolling on a 160-wheeled carrier past diamond-shaped "Shuttle Xing" signs. Over two days, it will trundle 12 miles (19 kilometers) at a top speed of 2 mph (3 kph) to its final destination, the California Science Center where it will be the centerpiece of a new exhibit. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Wally Skalij, Pool) The Space Shuttle Endeavour slowly moves along city streets on a 160-wheeled carrier in Inglewood, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. After slowly surmounting a key obstacle, the shuttle Endeavour maintained a heading Saturday through the streets of Los Angeles toward its retirement home at a museum. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) LOS ANGELES (AP) ? It's a surreal sight residents won't soon forget: A hulking space shuttle strutting down city streets, pausing every so often to get its bearings as it creeps toward retirement. The Endeavour's terrestrial journey continued through Inglewood, Calif., Saturday after it left Los Angeles International Airport the day before, rolling on a 160-wheeled carrier past diamond-shaped "Shuttle Xing" signs. Hundreds of camera-toting spectators gaped as the 170,000-pound Endeavour inched by with its tail towering over streetlights and its wings spanning the roadway. It keeps trundling along on its 12-mile journey at a top speed of 2 mph to its final destination ? the California Science Center where it will be the centerpiece of a new exhibit. The baby of the shuttle fleet, Endeavour replaced Challenger, which exploded during liftoff in 1986, killing seven astronauts. Endeavour thundered off the launch pad 25 times, orbited Earth nearly 4,700 times and racked up 123 million miles. Here are some images of the shuttle's journey: Associated PressNews Topics: Science, Manned spacecraft, Spacecraft, Space technology, Aerospace technology, Industrial technology, Technology, Space industry, Aerospace and defense, Industrial products and services, Industries, Business, Space launch industry

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2012-10-13-Space%20Shuttle-Last%20Stop-Photo%20Gallery/id-74e78351bc854ace878946ff6d692e81

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7 Free Social Media Website Apps to Boost Engagement and Grow ...

Social media is one of the most cost effective ways to promote your business online and generate awareness about your products and services. It is also a very effective way to drive traffic to your blog or your company?s website.

However, social media is not about one way communications. Your task does not stop at simply delivering the right message to your audience. The best results are achieved when your business engages actively with users on social media. This is what sets social media marketing apart from many of the traditional advertising methods.

Businesses use several techniques to engage with users on social media. In this article, we take a look at 7 Free Social Media Apps that you can use on your website to boost engagement and grow your following

1. Playground by Qmerce

Playground by Qmerce encompasses offers a unique way for a brand to acquire new fans, keep them engaged and convert them to customers.

It uses game design techniques? commonly known as ?Gamification? to solve problems and engage audiences. It lets businesses offer added value to their fans brands by creating completely branded games in a few simple steps. Additionally, the games themselves give an additional brand awareness that currently does not exist in this format.

2. Venpop Facebook Fan Offers

This Facebook fan offer application by?Venpop allows retailers of all sizes to collect customer info, drive sales, and get more ?Likes? on Facebook.

It offers businesses the ability to exclusively reward their fans with special offers. The app consists of a like-gate feature, which when clicked on unlocks an offer. Visitors to the page must become fans in order to access the deal. When fans buy the deal that information is shared in their newsfeeds; making it easy for the deal go viral.

3.? Lujure.

It?s a drag-and-drop operation, making it very easy to use, even when you are a bit technically challenged! It lets you build and customize your Fan Pages easier than ever. It offers an easy way to create an effective custom branded Facebook page with minimal skills.

4. The Sweepstakes App By Moontoast

The Sweepstakes App puts your entry form anywhere you want online including your website or blog. You can use to collect leads, grow your email list, or to drive activation and word-of-mouth recommendations. You have control over the creative and calls to action. Plus, empower your fans to share the app to their own social networks.

5.Yotpo

Yotpo is a social review app for your website that builds your shoppers confidence with trustworthy reviews. It offers a fun, social way for your customers to read and write reviews, transforming your online store into a destination site with trustworthy and transparent reviews. It is a great way to generate highly qualified traffic by leveraging your online connections and their social conversations.

6. Justuno Social Widget

The Justuno social widget lets you use your current promotions and special offers to generate new fans. It makes it easy to build your social network and increase sales.

It is a simple yet effective method of displaying discounts and coupons to shoppers in exchange for a Facebook like, tweet, google +1 or newsletter subscription, offering an incentive to checkout. It is a great way to increase your social following and boost conversion rates and reduce cart abandonment.

It is FREE to use for Up to 30 Fans or Shares a month.

7. SocialShout!

SocialShout is a social coupon tool that generates word of mouth publicity for your business on their social network profiles in return for reward points that they can then redeem for a deal or discount on participating stores.

The more active & connected they are across social networks, the more points they receive.The basic idea is simple. You install a banner on your site and your customers can use it to generate a coupon code to use with their purchase. When they claim their coupon, a pre-configures message promoting your business is automatically posted to their social profiles straight to all their friends and followers.

The FREE version has some limitations but is sufficient for small sites.

Conclusion:

Engaging effectively can? increase the benefits manifold and create strong long lasting relationships with consumers. Businesses use several techniques to engage with customers on their website. You can take advantage of the free Social Media website tools above to boost engagement and grow your following.

If you like this article, please share it!

Source: http://www.kronikmedia.co.uk/blog/social-media-engagement-apps/5145/

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Source: http://www.fb.pakinhosting.com/index.php?do=/blog/1738/medical-supply-companies-medical-supplies-on-broadway-vancouver/

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Rover Company ? Blog Archive ? Sturdy Indoor Dog Beds

Rover Company manufactures the finest Sturdy Indoor Dog Beds on the market today in the USA. As a pet owner, one of the best investments you can make is a Sturdy Indoor Dog Bed. It will provide your pet with protection in the winter from the cold floor, and give them the proper support they need to get a good night?s sleep.

Some older pets need the right Sturdy Indoor Dog Bed to help them with arthritis or joint pain. Choosing the right Pet Cot is very important to both you and your four legged friend. There are some things to consider when choosing the right Pet Cot, as there are many different types and styles to consider. To begin, you will need to observe how your dog sleeps. This will help you decide on the Sturdy Indoor Dog Bed for your pet. Some dogs and cats like to sleep in a stretched out position, either legs out to the side or lying on their belly, with their legs out in front.

Larger dogs like the stretched out position. Other dogs and cats like to curl up in a ball, snuggled up and cozy. Determine which way your pet sleeps, and measure your pet in that position. Be sure to consider if they sleep in different positions, and measure in their largest sleeping position. If your pet likes to curl up in a ball, consider a Sturdy Indoor Dog Bed which is type of nesting bed. Some pets like the security of being surrounded on all sides and have a place to snuggle up. If the bed has sides, be sure and get the inside measurements, and add three to four inches for comfort.

Another consideration is to make sure the Sturdy Indoor Dog Bed is easy to clean and washable. When purchasing a bed, you may want to consider getting an additional sheep skin furry pad cover to use while you are washing the other sheep skin furry pad cover. Pick out a color that you like and you can choose one that goes with your home decor. If you live in a cold climate make sure you own a Rover Pet Cot because of its unique design which keeps your pet off the ground.

If you live in a warmer climate with hot summer months, you need to consider a Rover Pet Cot because it has a built in 360 degree air flow and its water proof. These Pet Cots are lightweight but very durable and will not rust, rot. Peel or flake. Our Pet Cots are perfect because they will not hold odor and clean up is a breeze. Our Sturdy Indoor Dog Bed assembles in minutes and no tools are needed to complete the job. Choose a Pet Cot that is the right size for your dog. The dog should be able to lie flat, completely stretched out on his side, without hanging off the Pet Cot.

All of our products are environmentally safe, will not rust or corrode, and are portable and light weight. They are safe for pet?s teeth, hair, and skin, and no tools are required for assembly. The policies and procedures of conducting business with Rover Company will not change.

We are, as we always has been, 100% committed to providing you with a level of customer service unsurpassed in the pet industry. We also do intend to continue in the direction of working hard to be green and friendly to our environment. All of our product line is made in the USA. Visit us online and just click and we ship. Please visit our website at www.roverpet.com

Source: http://www.roverpet.com/blog/sturdy-indoor-dog-beds.html

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