The CNN Grill vs. the Google+ Politics Lounge: the Real Choice in 2012

When members of the media are not futzing with the wireless in the convention hall, they are sprawled out in one of several press filing lounges located nearby. The two most notable such rooms open to all members of the press: the Google+ Politics Lounge and the CNN Grill. Despite its alleged offerings of massages and ?rejuvenation,? the Huffington Post Oasis?or should we say the Huffington Post Mirage??has been disqualified from this charticle due to its distance from the convention center and our inability to locate it. (?Yeah, I couldn?t find it either,? a Salon reporter told us, thus putting an end to the discussion as far as we are concerned.) But which press filing center is superior? Which media outlet inexplicably spent more money wooing exhausted journalists? And who, in the end, won their votes? Below, our side-by-side analysis.

Specs
The Google+ Politics Lounge: A large, brightly lit, not-overly-air-conditioned workspace in the media work center across the way from the convention center proper. Everything is brightly colored and the furniture is lacquered, and people are swirling around in those mid-century-y circle chairs.
The CNN Grill: Just steps away from the convention hall, a dimly lit, crowded, sports-bar-ish restaurant.
Advantage: Tie. CNN wins by virtue of proximity; Google wins by virtue of being located relatively far the hell away.

Culinary Samplings
The Google+ Politics Lounge: Not. . . a. . . whole. . . lot.
The CNN Grill: A menu full of free, free, free bar food and steakhouse staples?think salads, burgers, fries, build-your-own tacos, and pork sliders. VF.com ordered a steak salad and wings, and they were delicious.
Advantage: The CNN Grill, by a deep-fried landslide.

Unpredictable Perks
The Google+ Politics Lounge: A ?cellcierge.? (Tagline: ?Check your phone. We?ll charge it here.?); a photobooth; free sticker and button options in a variety of colors at the ?Google Goodies? bar; espresso bar whose convenience and deliciousness is only slightly mitigated by its lengthy line; massage chairs.
The CNN Grill: A photobooth, the photos from which print in an impressive 10 seconds; a giant?like five-foot tall?iPad; televisions everywhere and within easy view of virtually all seats.
Advantage: The Google+ Politics Lounge.

Fourth Estate Notables
The Google+ Politics Lounge: Most of the Salon crew; Reuters reporters; Ross Douthat; David Brooks; our Gentleman?s Quarterly nemeses.
The CNN Grill: David Gregory; Tom Brokaw; the other half of the Salon crew; Buzzfeed folk; Gawker; Bill Keller; Dan Rather; Piers Morgan.
Advantage: The CNN Grill.

?Real? ?Celebrities?
The Google+ Politics Lounge: Jon Voight.
The CNN Grill: Newt Gingrich; Callista Gingrich; Rick Santorum; Herman Cain; Rob Portman; Rand Paul; Ty Pennington; Ayla Brown; Stephen Baldwin.
Advantage: The CNN Grill, we guess?

Libations
The Google+ Politics Lounge: Coffee and espresso drinks; water coolers.
The CNN Grill: Open bar with but a single brand of liquor per genre. (Just Jack Daniels?no Knob Creek or Maker?s Mark, for example.) Nonetheless: boozers can?t be choosers. And those frozen margaritas are not frozen margaritas but milkshakes. We asked. And thought about asking a second time to make absolutely certain.
Advantage: The CNN Grill.

In November, the choice is clear: CNN Grill/Paul Ryan ?12.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vanityfair/vfdailyfeed/~3/3wBqCTFraQ4/The-CNN-Grill-vs-the-Google-Politics-Lounge-the-Real-Choice-in-2012

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Beall and Thies, LLC: The Key Source for Louisiana's Top-rated ...

Beall and Thies, LLC has established a time-honored status in commerce. Starting out in the early years influenced competition from lawyers all over Louisiana, but with the high level of expertise we possess; we had no problems achieving the set goals of the company. We have never settled to taking the runner up position, because the prime ambition was to become a top-rated law firm that focuses on pleasing the public. In the process, achieving the procurement of hard work was never a shortfall. Because of enthusiasm and dedication, plus how efficient we are as a team, working at a law office with a friendly staff; customers have chosen us as their primary candidates for legal counseling.

As the immediate candidates that Louisiana citizens prefer over other lawyers, we are proud and give customers assurance of receiving the best legal services. We ascertain proper inspection and research to recommend expert resolutions for all cases. Furthermore, letting us handle the circumstances is the right decision to anticipate; because we promise and have the skills to manage lawsuits well. The solutions we present are appropriate for individuals looking to get satisfaction, plus the legal fees are quite competitive. With strategic planning, we have the intent to build a resilient labor force that specializes in various legal matters, specifically to serve the community and assist all customers. As representatives, we represent the clients well, contributing exceptional solutions to boost trust and confidence. We offer advice under agreeable terms and respect the choices that clients make. Regardless of the difficulties, a client is experiencing, we promise to work together in resolving the consequences.

The primary cases we handle include D.W.I. /D.U.I. defense, criminal law defense, personal injury settlement, divorce litigation, family law and auto accident claims. We are university graduates known for academic excellence in all areas. For this reason, there?s no excuse to defy us the right to representing clients of different statues, because we are efficient with all the qualities clients desire to have success in court. Nowadays, society?s prime focus is to implement the right belt-tightening strategy to reduce the excess spending, even when hiring a lawyer. In certain cases, the expense is above one?s expectation. There?s no reason to deny the need for such an approach, but with the active pricing method we propose, clients are still able to pay for the best legal support at a reasonable cost. As lawyers, we have an advanced knowledge of all legal procedures, surrounding these cases and agree to offer optimum satisfaction to all customers.

BEALL & THIES, LLC
351 Saint Ferdinand Street,
Suite A, Baton Rouge,
LA 70802
Local: (225) 383-3499

For more information about attorneys Baton Rouge please visit http://beallthies.com/attorneys/

Source: http://www.prmaine.com/2012/08/beall-and-thies-llc-the-key-source-for-louisiana%E2%80%99s-top-rated-lawyers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beall-and-thies-llc-the-key-source-for-louisiana%25e2%2580%2599s-top-rated-lawyers

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Will dispute prevents burial of Sherman Hemsley

EL PASO, Texas (AP) ? The embalmed body of actor Sherman Hemsley, who became famous for his role as television's George Jefferson, will be kept in refrigeration at an El Paso funeral home until a local court rules on the validity of his will.

In the will Hemsley signed six weeks before dying of lung cancer July 24 he named Flora Enchinton, 56, whom he called a "beloved partner," as sole beneficiary of his estate, which is estimated in court documents to be more than $50,000.

The will is being contested by Richard Thornton, of Philadelphia, who claims to be Hemsley's brother and says the will might not have been made by the actor.

Enchinton told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she had been friends with Hemsley and had been his manager for more than 20 years. Over the time she, Hemsley and Hemsley's friend Kenny Johnston, 76, lived together, she said he never mentioned any relatives.

"Some people come out of the woodwork ? they think Sherman, they think money," Enchinton said. "But the fact it that I did not know Sherman when he was in the limelight. I met them when they (Hemsley and Johnston) came running from Los Angeles with not one penny, when there was nothing but struggle."

Mark Davis, listed in court documents as Thornton's lawyer in El Paso, did not immediately respond to messages left at his office.

There is no date set for the case to be heard, court officials said. Enchinton said she hopes it will all be cleared in court.

The Philadelphia-born Hemsley played Jefferson in the CBS sitcom "All in the Family," then starred in the spinoff "The Jeffersons" from 1975 to 1985. It was one of TV's longest-running and most successful sitcoms, particularly noteworthy for its predominantly black cast.

Hemsley made George Jefferson ? the bigoted, blustering Harlem businessman ? one of TV's most memorable characters and a symbol for urban upward mobility.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-08-29-Hemsley%20Death-No%20Funeral/id-e732e58eb8934e6ca438f86dd0c532d2

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Do I need a lawyer to draft a durable power of attorney for property ...

A durable general power of attorney for property/financial decisions allows a person to plan for care and control of property in the event he or she becomes incapacitated. It is a legal document where an individual (the principal) authorizes another (the agent) to act on the former?s behalf for financial decisions.

Powers of attorney are the single most important documents to put in place so a family member or trusted friend will have the legal authority to carry out your wishes if you can no longer speak or act for yourself. If something happens where you become unable to make decisions and you don?t have a power of attorney, your family might later get tied up with court proceedings and court supervised guardianship and/or conservatorship.

You don?t necessarily need a lawyer to draft the powers of attorney, but you have to be careful. Without the proper, precise wording, your agent might not be able to work with some of the issues important to you.

While some people buy a ?form document? power of attorney from an office supply store or download one from the Internet, these documents might not address certain things. They can, however, legally authorize someone to act on another?s behalf. But, for example, the law states that your agent cannot handle certain matters unless specific working in the document empowers him or her to do so. Things that are covered in this manner include the power to make gifts on your behalf and the power to remove and/or add assets to a trust.? Laws vary from state to state, so check to see if a form document addresses key issues you want covered.

All of these powers can be vital in planning for and around Alzheimer?s care. That?s why it?s so important to complete documents for them now, while your loved one still has the mental capacity to do so. Otherwise, it could quickly become too late, as mental and cognitive abilities decline.

Tagged as: advanced directives, decision making, Estate Planning, guardianship, Powers of attorney

Source: http://www.abferrarolaw.com/blog/chicago-illinois-elder-law-attorney/do-i-need-a-lawyer-to-draft-a-durable-power-of-attorney-for-propertyfinancial-decisions-chicago-long-term-care-planning-attorney-anthony-b-ferraro/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=do-i-need-a-lawyer-to-draft-a-durable-power-of-attorney-for-propertyfinancial-decisions-chicago-long-term-care-planning-attorney-anthony-b-ferraro

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Awesome Sauce

Roma tomatoes are perfect for paste.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock.

One of the consolations of these miserable dog days of summer is the abundance, in gardens and markets across the land, of ripe tomatoes; a season of suffering, sweating, and involuntary naps seems to be the price nature exacts on us for perfection in her fruits. If you have a garden, even a small one, it can be tough to stay on top of things during the high times. A dozen ripe tomatoes can go to rot with alarming speed, and although stuffing your face to save your tomatoes from decay is about as much fun as sex for the sole purpose of procreation, you may nonetheless find yourself grimly dishing out tomato breakfasts, tomato lunches, tomato dinners; gorging robotically on salsa, salad, caprese, BLTs, cold tomato soup .... There is a better way to deal with your excess, and it's not canning. (Come on?there?s no way you?re going to can all those tomatoes.) It's called ?cooking them.?

I don't have any hard numbers on how Americans consume their tomatoes, but I feel safe in conjecturing that by and large we eat the fresh ones raw and cook the canned ones. This at least was one of my best practices, a bit of uninterrogated conventional wisdom that I followed until recently, when my garden produced a sudden glut of Roma tomatoes. I'd always found Romas to be too mealy and bland for fresh eating, so I had no qualms about chopping them up to make a quick, simple sauce. I sliced a couple cloves of garlic?ineptly, with none of the Goodfellas-in-jail precision of Paul Sorvino?started them saut?ing in olive oil, added the tomatoes with a pinch of salt and sugar and then, like a bad cook, left the kitchen and went about my business.

When I returned after sending some emails, my bog-standard Romas had been transformed into one of the best sauces I?d ever tasted: a thick, rich paste with a tanginess that set my head vibrating. I hadn't done anything other than leave the room, but the results were superior, in all imaginable ways, to anything I'd ever made with more care and attention (not to mention seasoning) using canned tomatoes. More remarkable than the flavor was the texture, thick and viscous, almost chewy. I turned to Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking for an explanation: It turns out calcium salts, an additive that keeps canned tomatoes from being pummeled to a mush during processing and shipping, also prevent them from disintegrating so lusciously when cooked.

So, yes, you should cook your garden tomatoes, though there is a hitch: Not all of them will respond as magically to heat. But identifying the right ones is easy. For our purposes, there are two kinds of tomatoes: paste tomatoes (the ones you should make sauce out of) and non-paste tomatoes. All the other overlapping categories?determinate, indeterminate; stuffer, slicer, griller; beefsteak, cherry, globe?are irrelevant. Any tomato that is elongated is probably a paste tomato, as is any with plum or (naturally) paste in its name. Romas are paste tomatoes, which explains why fresh ones taste so mediocre, even at their peak of ripeness. Like all paste tomatoes, Romas are simply not meant to be eaten raw. They were created, through breeding, to be cooked.

The parent of most modern paste tomatoes is Italy's long-established San Marzano. Tomato pro Amy Goldman reckons the San Marzano is ?the most important industrial tomato of the 20^th century,? as its commercial introduction in 1926 provided canneries with a sturdy, flawless subject, and breeders with genes they?d be raiding for decades. The canning industry eventually replaced the San Marzano with blander hybrids that had better resistance to disease and rot and were easier to harvest by machine; meanwhile, the Agriculture Department crossed the San Marzano with two other varieties (one of them itself a San Marzano crossing) and, in the mid-1950s, introduced the Roma tomato.

Pretty much everyone with an opinion on the matter believes the San Marzano is still unsurpassed for cooking, canning, and preserving. This is certainly the position of the country of Italy, which conferred on the San Marzano a ?protected designation of origin? status, such as is also enjoyed by Stilton cheese and the sparkling wines of the Champagne region. (This doesn't mean you can't grow San Marzanos in your backyard. You can.) Such reverence for a fruit that tastes unremarkable when eaten raw shows again (as though further proof were necessary) the genius of Italian cuisine. Meanwhile, our own hemisphere, the birthplace of the tomato, has generally been flummoxed by the paste tomato?s split personality. As Goldman recounts in The Heirloom Tomato, an 1886 Burpee seed company catalog reported that the King Humbert, a close relative of the San Marzano, ?was liked by many, while by others ... considered 'of no account.' ?

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=8cd40d97ed9e53a4b9e86ad25fb839a5

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5 Funny Pets Find Creative Ways To Cool Off (Photos) | Care2 ...

get healthy living updates

By Janet McCulley, Animal Planet

With the temperatures rising, people and pets are finding some rather creative ways to stay cool these days! ?Check out these determined dogs (and cat) who found some non-traditional ways to beat the heat.

1. ?Can we go ahead and bring my dog bed in here while you?re at it??

Read more: Behavior & Communication, Cats, Cute Pet Photos, Dogs, Humor & Inspiration, Nature, Pets, cool down, funny animals, heat, slideshow, staying cool, summer, summer pets

also by Molly, selected from Animal Planet

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Source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-funny-pets-find-creative-ways-to-cool-off-photos.html

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Your Auto Insurance Packages Made Easy And Inexpensive ...

Posted in 2012/08/28 ? 7:40 PMh.Hena ParksComments Off

On almost every television show you watch, you will see at least one advertisement for auto insurance. Every paper or magazine you read will also have the same thing. Auto insurance is important for every driver, and this article will help you out by giving you the best tips you can find.
?
Purchase your automobile insurance from the internet. Most companies will charge you less if you apply online because there is less overhead involved. The process is also automated, so the company does not have to pay as much to get your information processed. This means 5-10 percent savings for you.
?
Begin your search for lower car insurance rates online. Companies have so much information located on the internet, including what kind of coverage they have available and even discounts that you might be eligible for. You can take your time to look through everything and make the best decision for you. Be careful not to judge how good a company is solely by the look of their website.
?
When on the hunt for car insurance, cut out the middle man to save money. Shopping online, directly through the company website, is likely to save you the most money. Insurance companies that allow you to buy online are fairly reputable and it is cheaper because you are not using an agent.
?
Don?t allow inferior parts to be used to repair your car, and it will last longer. Some insurance companies may send you to a repair shop that doesn?t necessarily have your car?s best interests in mind. Make sure that they use parts directly from the manufacturer to ensure a perfect fit and that they meet federal safety standards.
?
You need to know what different kinds of coverage are offered with an auto insurance policy. Do you know what bodily injury liability coverage is? This kind of coverage covers any injury or death claims against you, along with the legal costs, if your car injures or kills another person.
?
You already use the internet for paying bills, communicating with friends, and perhaps even in finding your car itself. Why not use it to help you when looking for car insurance as well. You can even find sites that will give you a general comparison of the major insurance companies for different models of car.
?
Know just how much your car is worth when you are applying for car insurance policies. You want to make sure you have the right kind of coverage for your vehicle. For example, if you have a new car and you did not make a 20% down payment, you want to get GAP car insurance. This will ensure that you won?t owe the bank any money, if you have an accident in the first few years of owning the vehicle.
?
If you are car shopping be sure to check with your auto insurance agent about how the car you are selecting will affect your premium. Different cars will have different effects on your insurance costs, and it is often difficult to predict on your own what a certain car will mean for your premiums.
?
When you take the time to learn about good auto insurance, your efforts will reap great rewards. Perhaps these tips will save you some money. Maybe they will improve the coverage you get. Getting a better deal on car insurance makes you a safer driver: You drive with confidence when you know your insurance payments are giving you the most bang for your

Confused About Auto Insurance? Read These Tips!

Tags: car shopping, Financial Services, best interests, car injures, new car

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Source: http://www.parklandinn.com/finance/insurance/your-auto-insurance-packages-made-easy-and-inexpensive

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Curiosity belts out Will.i.am song from Mars in cosmic first

The first song ever played from Mars was broadcast today (Aug. 28) from NASA's Curiosity rover on the Red Planet.

The concert represented the world premiere of the appropriately named song "Reach for the Stars," by rapper and songwriter will.i.am. It was beamed via radio signal about 150 million miles (241 million km) back to Earth from Curiosity's landing spot on Mars' Gale Crater at 1 p.m. PDT (4 p.m. EDT).

"The point of the song is to remind people ? that anything is possible if you discipline yourself and dedicate yourself and stand for something," the musician said today from Curiosity's mission control center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif.

The music arrived there during an educational event held for students from the Los Angeles neighborhood where will.i.am grew up.

"There's no words to explain how amazing this is," will.i.am. said. "These kids here are from Boyle Heights, the same neighborhood I'm from. We don't have to just end up in the 'hood. But it's a hard thing. The hardest thing is discipline."

Students and rocket scientists alike bobbed their heads and clapped as the song's strains came back to Earth.

"Why do they say the sky is the limit
When we have put footprints on the moon
And I know the sky may be high
But baby it ain't really that high
And I know that Mars might be far
But baby it ain't really that far
Let's reach for the stars"

Also onhand at the event was former NASA astronaut Leland Melvin, now the agency's associate administrator for education.

"Never give up," Melvin said. "People told me that I couldn't be an astronaut. Whatever you want to be, whatever you dream, you can do, if you put your mind to it."

The $2.5 billion Curiosity landed on Mars Aug. 5 (PDT) after launching in November of last year. The song was loaded onto the rover before its departure from Earth, and will.i.am, part of the hip-hop group The Black-Eyed Peas, was at JPL in person to watch Curiosity land.

The car-size rover is embarking on a two-year mission to search for signs that the Red Planet may have ever been habitable to microbial life.

Follow Clara Moskowitz on Twitter?@ClaraMoskowitz?or SPACE.com?@Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook?&?Google+.?

Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mars-rover-belts-am-song-red-planet-cosmic-211659504.html

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Georges St-Pierre says he?s medically cleared to fight

The UFC welterweight champion is now cleared to compete. Georges St-Pierre shared the good news on his Facebook page.

Yesterday was the final chapter of my Road to Recovery- I'm now medically cleared to compete in professional mixed martial arts! Big thanks to all my fans for the amazing support during those 9 long months of rehab- couldn't have done it without you.

St-Pierre tore his ACL while preparing for a bout with Carlos Condit. While GSP rehabbed, Condit fought Nick Diaz for the interim welterweight belt. Condit won with a tight decision. Since he was not given a chance to defend the interim belt, it turned out to be just a really shiny, kind of heavy reminder of Condit's no. 1 contender status.

The two are slated to fight at UFC 154 in Montreal. GSP's last fight was on Apr. 30, 2011, against Jake Shields. By the time he fights on Nov. 17, St-Pierre will have had 572 days off between fights.

Will the time off affect GSP or will he pick up where he left off? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/georges-st-pierre-says-medically-cleared-fight-173636630--mma.html

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Dropbox, the Popular Cloud Service For ... - Legal Productivity

Dropbox, the widely adopted file-hosting service that syncs documents to the cloud has responded to concerns about security by adding a two-step verification for all its accounts.

The verification process is optional but recommended by Dropbox and certainly recommended for lawyers and legal professionals.

In addition to their existing passwords, it requires users to enter an additional security code in order to sign in, or link a new computer, phone or other device. A text message containing the security code is sent to the user?s phone. Dropbox should make this additional security layer mandatory.

Dropbox already uses modern encryption methods to both transfer and store your data:

• Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and AES-256 bit encryption
• Dropbox website and client software have been hardened against attacks from hackers
• Public files are only viewable by people who have a link to the file(s). Public folders are not browsable or searchable

The two-step verification process is being rolled out over the next few days for all accounts. You can find detailed instructions on the Dropbox help page.

The safety of client files is, and should be a concern for lawyers, and Dropbox has responded to security questions with high-level encryption and a two-factor authentication process.

RELATED POSTS:
Why Dropbox Rocks For Law Offices
Dropbox Productivity Tips
App Of The Week: Scan Documents With Your IPhone And Upload To Evernote Or Dropbox With Scanner Pro

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Source: http://www.legalproductivity.com/cloud/dropbox-the-popular-cloud-service-for-lawyers-adds-another-layer-of-protection/

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Sea Bass with Fennel-Butter Sauce | Best Of Filipino Food Recipes

You can serve sea bass with the skin on, but the cook suggests that you skin it before eating, although the skin is edible. The butter sauce contains chopped fresh fennel, also know as.finocchio. Fennel has a bulbous base and feathery green leaves. Select bulbs that are firm and have no soft or brownish spots. Fennel is sold in Italian groceries or well-stocked supermarkets during fall and winter. If fresh fennel is unavailable, substitute fennel or anise seeds and crush them to release their flavor.

UTENSILS

2 medium-size saucepans with covers
7 x 12-inch flameproof baking dish
Metal steamer
3 small bowls Colander
Salad spinner (optional)
Measuring cups and spoons
Chef's knife
Paring knife Wooden spoon Metal spatula Juicer (optional) 2 whisks

Assemble these supplies:

• 4 fillets of sea bass, sea trout, or halibut (each about 8 ounces),
• with or without skin
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, approximately
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Steps in preparation:

1. Wash potatoes, but do not peel.
2. In medium-size saucepan fitted with steamer, bring 2 inches water to a boil. Place potatoes in steamer, cover, and steam just until potatoes can be easily penetrated with tip of sharp knife, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on size of potatoes.
3. Squeeze enough lemon to measure 2 tablespoons juice. Wash parsley and chives or scallions and pat dry. Chop enough parsley to measure 1/3 cup. Trim chives or scallion greens, and finely chop enough to measure 1/4 cup.
4. Drain potatoes in colander and return to pan off heat.
5. In small bowl, combine parsley, chives, and lemon juice. Add oil, salt and pepper to taste, and whisk until blended. Set aside.
6. Slice potatoes and arrange on dinner plates alongside fish. Spoon dressing over warm potatoes.

WHAT TO DRINK

A firm, acidic wine is what this menu calls for, and there are several candidates: a California Sauvignon Blanc, a small-ch?teau Graves from Bordeaux, a Pouilly Fume from the Loire, or an Italian Greco di Tufo.

Source: http://bestoffilipinofoodrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/08/sea-bass-with-fennel-butter-sauce.html

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'American Taliban': Let me pray with others in prison

Alexandria County Sheriff's Dept. / AP file

John Walker Lindh is seen in a file photo originally released by the Alexandria County Sheriff's Department in Alexandria, Va. The photo was made on Jan. 23, 2002.

By NBC News staff and wires

Updated at 3:30 p.m. ET: American-born Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh testified Monday that the U.S. government is forcing him to sin by denying him the right to pray daily with other Muslims in the highly restricted federal prison unit where he is detained.

He made his comments during the first day of a closely watched trial that will examine how far prison officials can go to ensure security in the age of terrorism.

Lindh was captured in Afghanistan and imprisoned in the United States after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States by Islamic extremists.

---

Lindh testified in federal court in Indianapolis that the Terre Haute, Ind., prison where he's serving a 20-year sentence for aiding Afghanistan's Taliban government before its overthrow allows prisoners to eat, talk, play cards and exercise together, but bans daily group prayer. He contends this violates a 1993 law barring the government from curtailing inmates' religious expression without showing it has a compelling interest.

Lindh, 31, adheres to a school of Islam that requires group prayer five times a day, if possible.?

"I believe it's obligatory," Lindh said. "If you're required to do it in congregation and you don't, then that's a sin."?

Attorneys for the government maintain that Lindh's own behavior since he was placed in the unit in 2007 proves the risks of allowing group prayer.

The government says in court documents that Lindh delivered a "radical, all-Arabic sermon" to other Muslim prisoners in February that was in keeping with techniques in a manual seized from al-Qaida members that details how terrorists should conduct themselves when they are imprisoned.

Lindh's sermon proves "that religious activities led by Muslim inmates are being used as a vehicle for radicalization and violence in the CMU," the government claims.

The prison warden halted daily group prayers in 2009 and allowed them only on the holy day of Friday.

Lindh accuses the government of going too far in its drive for security and trampling on his freedom of religion by restricting group prayers among Muslim inmates.

A cluster of U.S. marshals surrounded a shackled Lindh as he was brought into the courtroom on Monday morning. He?was wearing an olive green prison uniform and a white prayer cap. He smiled at his mother, who was sitting in the third row of the courtroom gallery.

The bearded Lindh was led out after two hours of testimony.

With the help of a glossary for court officials, Lindh guided the court through a series of lessons on Muslim prayer traditions.?

Lindh?has been held in the federal unit at?Terre Haute since 2007.??He was charged with supporting terrorists after his capture by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and later pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

Muslims are required to pray five times a day, and the Hanbali school to which Lindh belongs requires group prayer if it is possible. But inmates in the Communications Management Unit are allowed to pray together only once a week, except during Ramadan. At other times, they must pray in their individual?cells. Lindh claims that doesn't meet the Quran's requirements and is inappropriate because he is forced to kneel in close proximity to his toilet.

Thomas Farr, a former diplomat who now teaches at Georgetown University and studies religion and terrorism, said common sense suggests that the prison's need for security would outweigh Lindh's religious rights.

"The foremost responsibility of prison officials, as de facto proxies for the American people, is to prevent Mr. Lindh from obtaining any capacity to plan or carry out attacks on them," he wrote in an email. "That is why he is in prison, and if that is not a compelling state interest, I do not know what is."

Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, which is representing Lindh, contends the policy violates a federal law barring the government from restricting religious activities without showing a compelling need.

"This is an open unit where prisoners are basically out all day," said ACLU legal director Ken Falk, who noted that inmates are allowed to play basketball and board games, watch television and converse as long as they speak English so the guards can understand. "They can do basically any peaceful activity except praying," he said. "It makes no sense to say this is one activity we're going to prohibit in the name of security."

Falk said Lindh's speech wasn't radical and was given during the weekly prayer that inmates are permitted. He said Lindh was not disciplined for the speech.

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The self-contained unit in which Lindh resides has 43 inmates, 24 of whom are Muslim. Inmates are under open and covert audio and video surveillance, and except for talks with their attorney, all of their phone calls are monitored. Prisoners are not allowed to touch their family members when they come for their tightly limited visits. They must speak English at all times except when reciting ritual prayers in Arabic.

Without such tight security, the government claims, the prisoners would be able to conspire with outsiders to commit terrorist or criminal acts.

Joe Hogsett, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, said he believes decisions about prison regulations are best made by prison officials, "not by convicted terrorists and other dangerous criminals who reside there."

"Mr. Lindh is allowed to pray in his cell; he's allowed to pray wherever he happens to be as many times every day as his religion suggests to him that he should," Hogsett said. "Where the rules must draw the line is, how often must prison officials allow prisoners to congregate together?"

According to court documents, daily prayers were allowed from the time the unit opened in 2006 until May 2007, when Muslim inmates refused to stop in the middle of a prayer to return to their cells during a fire emergency.

The lawsuit was originally filed in 2009 by two Muslim inmates in the unit. Lindh joined the lawsuit in 2010, and the case has drawn far more attention since then. The other plaintiffs have dropped out as they were released from prison or transferred to other units.

Lindh had been charged with conspiring to kill Americans and support terrorists, but those charges were dropped in a plea agreement. He is serving a 20-year sentence for supplying services to the now-defunct Taliban government of Afghanistan and carrying explosives for them. He is eligible for release in 2019.?

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.?

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/27/13505713-american-taliban-john-walker-lindh-goes-to-court-for-right-to-group-prayer-in-prison?lite

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About Blue Net Studio Web Design Service ? Total Vibration ...

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Source: http://blog.thorsrubberhammer.com/2012/08/about-blue-net-studio-web-design-service-3/

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Source: http://stoptbpartners.org/1758/about-blue-net-studio-web-design-service-total-vibration/

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Understanding Mobile Marketing | Business 2 Community

Mobile marketing can be simply defined as marketing using a mobile device. For example, using a cell phone to do SMS marketing can be defined as one of the categories of this marketing. In order to understand it properly, one will need to have an example of mobile marketing and its characteristics. A good example of mobile marketing which can be understood easily is SMS marketing.

Ever since the start of SMS, marketing via the phone has increasingly become popular. Such messages are read within four minuets on average which makes them highly convertible. Typically, an SMS marketing service will use a short code, but sending SMS to various email addresses is another methodology. A short code is a 6 or 5 digit number that has been set aside for a brand campaign and assigned by all mobile based operators of in a particular country. Since the cost of short codes is high, $500 ? $1000 a month, most small businesses prefer to use a short code together with the intent of reducing their monthly expenditure on the same. Mobile operators keep on verifying any short code based application before providing it and it is monitored to ensure the code will not diverge from its registered service description.

One major requirement for provisioning is that the (consumer) end user opts in. Once they opt in, the mobile operator will request a double opt from the consumer. There will also be a possibility for the end user to opt out of the service any time they wish to discontinue. This is done by sending ?STOP? to the operator via SMS. In the United States, these guidelines have to be followed by all mobile operators and established in the MMA Consumer Best Practices Guidelines. In other countries, opt in will vary according to the set of regulations and guidelines that have been implemented by the necessary governing body / organization.

With mobile phones and tablet-devices rising ahead in the race of personal-computing, mobile marketing supports a great deal of promise for businesses. For those who?re yet to make a move, here are the few reasons why you should think about including mobile marketing in your marketing campaign.

Easy to Use: It is really easy to advertise with either SMS or MMS. You just need to create a message and send it to the targeted clients.

Immediate: Prospective customers, who carry mobile phones with them 24/7, receive the message instantly.

Broad Reach: Anywhere, anytime communication that is immediate and fast (unlike email, tv and radio)

Easy Tracking: Delivery of messages and the elicited reply can be tracked instantly with active systems.

Cost-Effective: When compared to other media, Return on Investment (ROI) is consistently better.

Personal: The mobile-marketing campaign can be customized and aimed at a specific audience group depending on age, occupation, gender, location, and so on.

Cross Medium Type of Marketing: Can be simply incorporated in conventional advertising media such as print, Radio and TV.

Viral Communication: High possibility of viral marketing with integrated tools allowing the targeted-audience to forward their messages.

Scalable and Efficient: Just one message is created which is then delivered to a large targeted client list.

Customer satisfaction: Mobile marketing allows you to service your clients better. The reason being it?s much easier to communicate with them. They?ll quickly send their problems using their mobile phones enabling you to alter the product to fit their needs.

Wide Range of Use: Mobile marketing works extremely well for a huge array of purposes from launching a brand new product, announcing a new service, one-day sales and opening events ? just to mention a few.

As an incredibly interactive and focused medium, mobile marketing features unlimited scope for improvisation and creativity which is a very good news for digital online marketers. With assured results, you can include mobile marketing as an ally in your marketing campaign today.

Source: http://www.business2community.com/mobile-apps/understanding-mobile-marketing-0261596

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Get Reasonable Internet hosting On your Minimal Small business ...

A virtual personal server certainly is the the best possible setting for WordPress. Ordinarily occasions, WordPress is operate inside of a shared internet hosting atmosphere, the real electricity on this system is understood when it really is moved to the virtual non-public server. The exact same may very well be reported of Drupal and Joomla ? despite the fact that they could be managing a shared web hosting surroundings, it?s possible to obtain the complete features of the virtual non-public server web hosting circumstances. Organising a virtual non-public server is incredibly not difficult to accomplish. Typically you signal up along with a supplier similar way you?d probably with shared web hosting, though the important distinction is it is important to consider the OS that the server will operate on, and then the user interface. In order to make tasks better a large amount of companies present an working model which has an user interface presently put in. One of the most general are Cpanel, Plesk, Kloxo and Immediate Admin.

As you can put in your own private user interface, it could not even be required if all you desire to do is put in a WordPress web page. Exact same could be explained if all you desire to do is host static information just like HTML pages. The online world internet marketing gurus use virtual non-public servers to host there squeeze pages, or solitary site income pages. In essence, possessing a cheaper VPS is considered the preferred option to go those that have entire regulate in excess of your web hosting atmosphere, or even a scalable answer that could mature alongside using your online site. VPS is commonly the 1st option amongst business people who?re browsing to avail the main advantages of focused internet hosting with out shaving off tons of cash. The excellent news is the fact that VPS internet hosting expenditures somewhat more than shared internet hosting, nonetheless you certainly will be blessed with plenty of other methods.

Course Do IPs have bandwidth, RAM, disk place and memory as well as in situation it really is devoted or VPS web hosting they get yourself a server for Search engine ranking optimization Internet hosting. Reputed and confidence deserving companies make available the absolute best consequence by having a low priced. The shopper aid center is absolutely commendable for each and every Search engine marketing Web hosting provider company. Since it often is the most vital section in Website positioning internet hosting. The individuals commonly are not typically educated in Search engine optimization, so someday they get bugged up by easy to understand native in internet hosting and get the assistance of the Search engine optimisation authority. The support company has to patiently revert to every trouble which has a possible answer, presenting precedence to significant problems.

That to be explained, most small businesses don?t have any difficulties deciding upon a VPS web hosting alternative mainly because it could also control smart volume of customers with no jogging into server situations. When you believe your small business can endure inside of a VPS setup, it is possible to hunt about for economical word wide web host suppliers. Just remember, you?ll need to take care of the server, that may be a bit time intensive, specifically in case you vacation resort to the discounted VPS internet hosting offer. Like a VPS consumer, you?re going to possess the potential to employ the server house inside a fashion you favor. In contrast to shared web hosting, you will not be competing with other internet entrepreneurs for server area. So, it pays to look at VPS web hosting in excess of shared web hosting, specifically whenever you can discover a reasonable package. So far as the value is worried, it?s going to be kind of very much the same with distinctive world-wide-web host companies.

Whereas browsing for affordable VPS web hosting bundle for your personal business venture, you want to bear number of stuff in your mind. To begin with and foremost, you?ll have to get an understanding about the amount of VPS web hosting support basically rates on the on the net market. Bear in mind, less expensive pricing shouldn?t be on the expense of high-quality support. Also, you must require a glance within the elements and conditions of one?s web site internet hosting bundle previous to finalizing the package to make sure that which you have the type of package you?re looking for. Dependability is yet another critical aspect which you simply cannot manage to disregard in your own pursuit of trying to get economical VPS internet hosting bundle. In spite of everything, you?ll detest to check out your internet site down usually. Cost-effective offer does not imply that ought to be keen to simply accept occasional downtime.

Exploration with regards to the company company to look at the amount uptime previous people are dealing with by web hosting their internet sites with all the special company. Over-all, low-priced VPS internet hosting can confirm to generally be a perfect gate move to your internet business to possess a web site existence without the need of expending heaps of cash. The secret?s to teach oneself so as to enter in to the suitable offer. Paying vast amount of cash on VPS with out comprehending or developing adequate understanding of programs is ineffective. Comply with the inbound links to avail top rated price ranges on cloud internet hosting with top internet hosting organisation in marketplace. That getting explained, some companies might from time to time include deep bargains.

Promos for Netfirms allows you preserve quite a lot of dough on Netfirms. Please look at netfirmscoupon.weebly.com/ to obtain the most recent working Discounts for Netfirms.

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Source: http://mybestwebhosting.net/14943/get-reasonable-internet-hosting-on-your-minimal-small-business/

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Small Business Webhosting: The Significance of Great Customer ...

Customer services is among the most important things which you will definitely like to examine when you are choosing a web hosting provider for your internet business. Unluckily it is something that lots of people don?t take note of until they really have an issue with their web site. Obviously that you would like to pick out an excellent web host nevertheless irrespective of the most durable ones there could be circumstances when your site goes down. When this happens you certainly will really need decent customer care to pick it up backup and working promptly.

In case you put up a website which may be simply for personal use then being sure that you can get troubles repaired instantly is not an important issue, if you have to delay until Monday it isn?t the end of the world. When you use your web site for business entity yet you should have that web site put right straight away, every minute that it is down you might be losing potential clients. Therefore you have to be sure you choose a hosting company which provides customer services 24 hours a day on a daily basis.

Though it may be critical that you make sure that the web hosting provides customer care services 24 hour a day that in itself is not sufficient. In addition they should be prepared to solve the situation any time you call. In case the person that is offering the help can?t in reality do that then the assist they are providing is of minor value. It will be a smart idea to do some research on the providers you will be looking at for your web host to see what type of customer support they provide. You have to be able to find all sorts or perhaps critiques on the net.

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Source: http://product-liability-lawsuits.net/?p=5802

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Sarajevo Gunman Claims Civilians Were Not His Target :: Balkan ...

Elvira M. Jukic

At the continuation of the trial of Mevlid Jasarevic, 23, and two of his helpers, three men recalled events on October 28, 2011, when Jasarevic shot at the US embassy in Sarajevo and wounded a police officer.

One witness, Mirsad Velic, the policemen who was injured by Jasarevic during the shooting, said he was still recovering.

He said he had not felt sure he could shoot at Jasarevic to stop him because he was too far away, and if he had missed, the bullet could have hit one of the many citizens around at the time.

Another policeman who witnessed the events, Miralem Muslic, said he helped the wounded Velic and also helped locals find shelter in the nearby shopping centre.

Muslic added that according to the way Jasarevic handled his weapon, he looked well trained.

Dalibor Cato, the police officer who was guarding the US embassy, said he tried to shoot back at Jasarevic three times, but due to the distance and the type of gun he held, he missed.

The witnesses explained in detail their various positions to prosecutor Dubravko Campara who provided them with photographs of the site.

The suspect himself on Thursday told the court that his target was not civilians but, as he said, US special policemen who kill people in Iraq.

Jasarevic also complained to the court about conditions in his cell in Sarajevo, saying he could not watch television and adding that he wanted a transfer.

He is charged with attacking the US embassy to Bosnia, shooting 105 bullets in 50 minutes from an auto rifle and wounding a policemen.

Emrah Fojnica and Munib Ahmetspahic, the two alleged helpers, are charged with assisting Jasarevic.

More precisely they allegedly hid the DVD message that Jasarevic had recorded before coming to Sarajevo on the day, and destroyed ammunition and military equipment that had been obtained for terrorist purposes.

The trial started on June 15 at Bosnia's State Court, when the indictment was read out.

The defence admits the suspect's action but insists he was not part of an organized terrorist group. The prosecution maintains that Jasarevic, Ahmetspahic and Fojnica were all members of an organized terrorist group that was active in the village of Gornja Maoca in northeast Bosnia.

The indictment says the three men intended to express dissatisfaction with the position in Bosnia of the extreme Wahhabi community, to which they belonged, and avenge that by violence.

All three have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Jasarevic is also indicted by the US Justice Department.

In April it charged him, among other matters, with attempted murder alongside nine other counts in connection with the shootings.

Source: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/sarajevo-gunman-claims-civilians-were-not-his-target

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In Southwest, Worst-Case Fire Scenario Plays Out

Enlarge David Gilkey/NPR

Craig Allen, left, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and Jorge Castro, a visiting professor of ecology from Spain, survey a plateau ravaged during last year's Las Conchas fire in New Mexico. The megafire burned over 150,000 acres of forest.

David Gilkey/NPR

Craig Allen, left, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and Jorge Castro, a visiting professor of ecology from Spain, survey a plateau ravaged during last year's Las Conchas fire in New Mexico. The megafire burned over 150,000 acres of forest.

Third of a five-part series

As the Earth's average temperature creeps upward, climate scientists have predicted record heat waves and droughts. That's what we've seen this summer in the U.S.

The question has become, are we now seeing the real damage climate change can do?

I drove though New Mexico's Santa Fe National Forest with ecologist Craig Allen, from the U.S. Geological Survey. Allen is energetic, restless and deeply worried about this forest. He has watched a triple combination of heat, drought and wildfire devastate this place over the past 15 years.

We stop by what once would've been a beautiful meadow full of Ponderosa pine ? a tall tree with cinnamon bark and branches at the top, loaded with pine needles. But the big valley is badly burned. There are no live Ponderosa pines.

"The shrubs have basically taken control of the site," Allen says.

Ecologists call this "type conversion." The forest turned to shrub land. Big wildfires did that.

Heat waves, droughts and fire are not unusual here: A 16th-century mega-drought pushed the Pueblo Indians out of these mountains. And the current drought, in fact, is only the eighth most severe in the past 1,000 years.

But scientists say something is different now. The weather pendulum that swings back and forth between hot and cold, wet and dry is swinging more toward the hot and dry side.

Enlarge David Gilkey/NPR

Jorge Castro looks onto the Cerro Picacho and the St. Peter's Dome trail, adjacent to the Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico. Last year's Las Conchas fire was the third in a string of blazes that devastated the area.

David Gilkey/NPR

Jorge Castro looks onto the Cerro Picacho and the St. Peter's Dome trail, adjacent to the Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico. Last year's Las Conchas fire was the third in a string of blazes that devastated the area.

"What we have now is a gradual trend towards warmer temperatures," says Park Williams, an ecologist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. He says climate change is exaggerating the normal swings in weather.

"So each drought will be a little more intense, and each very good period will be a little less good for the foreseeable human future, it seems," he says.

Drought And The 'Sponge Effect'

Higher temperatures will mean more drought.

It works this way: Prolonged heat turns the atmosphere into a sort of dry sponge ? a sponge that sucks more and more moisture out of the ground and out of trees. Scientists call this "sponge effect" the atmosphere's "vapor pressure deficit." Williams says this year, that deficit has increased here by 50 percent.

"Thinking about a 50 percent increase in vapor pressure deficit is like thinking about the Southwestern United States being transplanted onto another planet," he says.

Williams says that deficit will get worse as average summer temperatures increase.

Williams and Allen work within the Bandelier National Monument in the Jemez Mountains. It's a national park. It's rainy season now, and a small river runs through the woods.

But the rain is deceiving. Less rainfall and more heat are changing the landscape. Allen says the current drought almost wiped out one of the park's iconic trees, the pinon, 10 years ago. The pinon gives the Southwest its signature peppery scent.

"This is a huge change almost overnight in an ecosystem. The dominant tree on this site wholesale died," Allen says. "More than 95 percent of the mature pinon in Bandelier died."

This wave of heat, drought and fire has swept over the Colorado Plateau ? a region of high mountain forests that stretch across Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado.

To make matters worse, the weakened trees are ever more vulnerable to bark beetles that now infest these forests.

Seeing 'The Worst Thing ... We Expected Would Happen'

Thomas Swetnam at the University of Arizona studies the forests of the Southwest. Like many ecologists, he says one reason forests are burning hotter now is because they're overgrown. For a century the U.S. Forest Service suppressed all fires, and now they're tinderboxes.

Enlarge David Gilkey/NPR

University of Arizona professor Tom Swetnam examines tree samples at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research in Tucson, Ariz. Swetnam says forests are burning hotter because they are overgrown.

David Gilkey/NPR

University of Arizona professor Tom Swetnam examines tree samples at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research in Tucson, Ariz. Swetnam says forests are burning hotter because they are overgrown.

But Swetnam says climate change has made the situation much worse. And that's exactly what the computer models of climate change predicted.

"When you have predictions and the scientific understanding tells you this is likely what's coming, [and] then it starts to happen, the pieces, the dots are obviously connectable that it's very likely [we are] seeing the worst thing that we expected would happen," Swetnam says. "Warming is occurring and it's starting to take out our forests."

Back at Bandelier in New Mexico, Craig Allen's office sits deep in a canyon in the Jemez Mountains. He's watched four fires burn about 90 percent of the east side of the mountains in 16 years.

"For me, the really profound piece of this is the ability of the trees that have been growing for centuries on these hill slopes," he says. "Are they going to be able to survive even another 20, 30 years if the temperature increases?"

Inside, Allen's desk is surrounded with notebooks ? 30 years of his field notes here. But now, he says, the forests they describe will probably never look the same.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2012/08/24/159848194/in-southwest-worst-case-fire-scenario-plays-out?ft=1&f=1007

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