e Commerce Consultants | eCommerce Investments

We are?Internet experts working in partnerships with entrepreneurs becoming?on the internet partner of?small and medium sized businesses who want to activate or enhance your online business

We take our eCommerce web development expertise and apply it to your online business, taking a percentage of sales while you maintain full ownership of the operation?so we continue to use our role as investors?but in a more flexible way

With our eCommerce Consulting Program, We get the full potential to the online business?covering all development costs until activation of Internet Business?and only get a percentage on sales without ?development cost for the owner. To seal each alliance?we need a initial security payment?and also a minimum period of collaboration, thats all!

We will make your online business generate sales, and this will mean we make money.?working on a flexible and advantageous way?for the entrepreneurs

To develop each eCommerce Project we will use our eCommerce web development experience to create the best eCommerce sites to promote and market online sales.?the entrepreneur will get more profit and we will obtain a benefit for our work becoming in the ?Internet Partner??of these companies

Over the last 10 years we have been successful growing our partner?s businesses with our eCommerce web development skill sets, again and again, with numerous Internet projects worldwide. Let us apply our knowledge and experience to help the best eCommerce sites for your business.

Do you have an online business idea? Let us know you want to collaborate.

We are a eCommerce consulting and eCommerce investments firm, and we will be the Internet Department of your company. We do eCommerce investments and eCommerce consulting creating a single commercial presence.

Source: http://ecommerce-investments.com/commerce-consultants/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=commerce-consultants

Angie Everhart tom hardy British Open leaderboard Jessica Ghawi People Water Fred Willard Emmy nominations 2012

The George W. Bush library's version of history

A guard stands outside the Bush library in Dallas (Ron T. Ennis/Fort Worth Star-Telegram via Getty Images)

DALLAS?As former President George W. Bush prepares to officially open his presidential library on Thursday, a question arises as it has for his predecessors: How objective will it be about his time in the White House?

Bush left office five years ago as one of the most unpopular presidents in history, his poll numbers weighed down by public discontent over his handling of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and worries about the economy.

But the former president wanted to take the controversies about his presidency head on, say several former aides who worked closely with him on the library. One way of addressing the challenge is an interactive exhibit allowing visitors to see what it was like for him to make decisions as leader of the free world. People will hear information Bush was given by aides, then be asked to make their own choices. Afterwards, the former president's image will appear on a screen to explain what decision he ultimately made and why.

?He really wants people to go in there and get a sense of what it was like to be president during that time and to use that to make an informed decision about his presidency,? said Karen Hughes, a longtime Bush adviser.

But Bush?s museum is likely to face scrutiny over what version of history he?s telling?especially with his time in office still fresh in the minds of many Americans.

He?s not the only one who has faced this dilemma. When former President Bill Clinton?s library opened in Little Rock, Ark., in 2004, the library was criticized for not devoting more space to what some at the time believed was the biggest issue of his presidency: the scandal of his inappropriate relationship with a former White House intern that ultimately lead to the House voting to impeach him.

While the goal of presidential libraries is to be more focused on history than politics, those involved in creating them say it?s unreasonable to think they won?t be influenced by a former president?s point-of-view?especially as libraries are increasingly seen as vehicles through which former leaders try to shape legacies.

?Bush wants to people to know the kind of decisions he had to make in the course of his presidency and give [a rationale] for why he made those decisions,? said Mark Updegrove, director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Tex., who is also working on a book about Bush and his father, former President George H.W. Bush.

?There is great value in trying to understand why Bush did what he did,? Updegrove added. ?You don?t have to agree with him, but there?s value in trying to understand his perspective.?

Aides say Bush and his wife, Laura, were ?heavily? involved in the creation of the library?s exhibits, though they haven?t said exactly how hands-on the former president was.

Skip Rutherford, a longtime friend and adviser to Clinton who led the 42nd president?s library effort, recalls ordering Clinton to do a ?brain dump? with the people who designed exhibits while Clinton was still president.

?I basically said to him, ?Just talk to them about your successes and failures, what you thought you did well, where you thought you felt short, your best day and your worst day, what you would have done differently,?? Rutherford recalled in an interview with Yahoo News.

?Bring as many Diet Cokes as you need,? he recalled telling Clinton.

A few days later, Clinton spent more than three hours talking to the designers of his library, doing just what Rutherford had asked. And not surprisingly, his discussion with the group was very detailed. ?(Clinton) was passing on names of people they should talk to and recalling pictures of certain meetings he had that could be used,? Rutherford said. ?He has an incredible memory.?

In some ways, Bush?s library will be the first draft of history about his administration. Not unlike other museums, presidential libraries often go through renovations and exhibit changes over the years, as history gains a better understanding of a certain presidency.

When the LBJ Library opened in 1971, the former president asked staffers to include an exhibit on the Vietnam war and to quickly work to assemble and declassify his presidential papers related to it, in hopes the public would come to understand his thinking behind the events that clouded his final days in office.

Over the years, that exhibit has been updated?most recently with a $10 million renovation which expanded the section on LBJ and Vietnam to include more perspectives, including his efforts to gain input from members of Congress and how media coverage was effecting his decision making.

But the exhibit also plays up LBJ?s work on domestic issues, including civil rights, education and health care?issues largely overshadowed by controversies over Vietnam.

In that vein, Updegrove sees parallels between LBJ and Bush, who designed a library that also tries to call attention to domestic accomplishments he and his aides believe were overshadowed by the war. Updegrove says the Iraq War, not unlike Vietnam for LBJ, is likely to cloud the public?s assessment of Bush for ?many years to come,? especially since Iraq's fate is still largely unknown.

By then, Bush will likely want to renovate his library?just as the other living presidents have done in order to keep up with modern technology and evolving public opinion about issues in their presidency.

At the Clinton Library, staffers there are waiting to see what Clinton has to say after seeing the new Bush library.

?Everybody thinks he?s going to go down to Dallas and come back and say, ?We need this, we need to do that,? Rutherford says. By contrast, George H.W. Bush pushed for a major overhaul of his library after attending the Clinton opening in 2004.

?Everybody is bracing for when [Clinton] comes back from Dallas.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/bush-past-presidents-faces-scrutiny-over-library-version-122739710--politics.html

hunger games review jeff saturday jason smith jon corzine austin rivers austin rivers sweet home alabama

Senator comes out during emotional marriage debate

Senator comes out: During the debate over marriage equality language in the Nevada state constitution, state Senator Kelvin Atkinson stood up and said, 'I'm gay.'

By Sandra Chereb,?Associated Press / April 23, 2013

Nevada state Senator Kelvin Atkinson (D) of North Las Vegas, seen here at a 2011 budget hearing, had a coming out of sorts when he announced, 'I'm black. I'm gay,' at the Legislature in Carson City, Nev. during last night's debate over same-sex marriage.

Cathleen Allison / AP / File

Enlarge

The?Nevada?Senate, after an hour-long, soul-searching debate about equality, love, and marriage passed a resolution late Monday repealing the state's heterosexual definition of marriage, the first step in a long process to recognize?gay?marriage.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

In emotional comments, senators told of family members who are?gay; their own conflicts between religion and social justice. For Sen. Kelvin Atkinson (D) of North Las Vegas, it was a coming out of sorts when he announced to many, "I'm black. I'm?gay."

Senate Joint Resolution 13 repeals a constitutional provision enacted by voters in 2002. It also declares that Nevada?recognizes all marriages, regardless of gender.

The resolution was approved on a 12-9 vote, with Sen. Ben Kieckhefer (R) of Reno voting with the Democratic majority. It now goes to the Assembly.

If passed by lawmakers this year and in 2015, it would go to voters in 2016 for ratification.

"This is a vote to let the people vote for equality," said Sen. Pat Spearman (D) of North Las Vegas. A black, lesbian minister, Spearman talked passionately of growing up in the 1960s in the deep south, being spit on because she was black.

"I know what it feels like when people want to push separate but equal," Spearman said. "Separate is not equal."

Sen. David Parks, a Las Vegas Democrat who was the first openly?gay person elected to the?Nevada?Legislature, urged his colleagues' support.

"There is no threat; no threat to one's marriage or their own personal views," Parks said. "Passage of SJR13 will begin the positive process toward fairness and equality."

The measure, he said, will allow voters to decide "so that someday soon I may have the same rights you are entitled to."

For many Republicans, the vote came down to whether marriage should be in the constitution at all. The original version of the resolution called only for repealing the Protection of Marriage Act passed by voters in 2002 that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

They objected to expanding the measure to sanction same-sex marriage.

"It is regrettable that it has come to this," said Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson (R) of Henderson, adding he and others in the Republican caucus supported the original version of SJR13.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/BUgg4RR_Ng0/Senator-comes-out-during-emotional-marriage-debate

chuck colson death meteor showers 2012 ufc 145 jones vs evans marian hossa philip humber red sox

Ebay warns Internet sales tax unfair to small businesses | The Raw ...

By Dominic Rushe, The Guardian
Monday, April 22, 2013 22:44 EDT

?

Ebay has begun lobbying millions of its users against a bill it claims will impose an unfair tax burden on small businesses.

The US Senate is expected to vote early this week on the Marketplace Fairness Act, a bill that will give states the power to collect online sales tax on goods bought outside their borders. Currently, only merchants with a physical presence within the state have the right to collect the sales tax.

In emails that started going out over the weekend, eBay chief executive John Donahoe argues the bill unfairly burdens small online merchants and asks users to email members of Congress, asking for change. ?This legislation treats you and big multi-billion dollar online retailers ? such as Amazon ? exactly the same,? Donahoe wrote. ?Those fighting for this change refuse to acknowledge that the burden on businesses like yours is far greater than for a big national retailer.?

The legislation has the backing of big retailers including WalMart and Sears and even Amazon, the largest online retailer. Amazon is rolling out fulfillment centers across the US as it seeks to speed up delivery times. Its physical presence and the use of associates to fulfill orders means its sales are often already subject to the state sales tax. In 2011, Amazon clashed with California legislators over plans to impose a sales tax on the online giant. That dispute was ended after the company announced it was planning to build two fulfillment centers in the state.

Merchants that generate less than $1m in annual out-of-state revenue would be excluded from the Marketplace Fairness Act. In his email, Donahoe argued that merchants with less than $10m in annual out-of-state sales should be exempt.

The bill?s author, Republican senator Mike Enzi, last week spoke to constituents in Wyoming who had expressed concerns about the tax. ?This is not a tax on the internet,? he said. ?It?s not a new tax. No one should tax the internet. I oppose government policies that favor some businesses over another and that?s what we?re doing right now. This is a states? rights bill and it would require the states to act before anything could happen. It also exempts businesses until they have $1m in online sales. ?Sales tax is the main source of revenue for cities, towns and counties and even the state. It provides the money for roads, police, fire protection. If we don?t collect that revenue, they?ll have to find a new source.?

The legislation has the backing of the senate majority leader, Democrat Harry Reid, but is being opposed by others including the Democrat Ron Wyden. Wyden argued in the senate last week that the bill would stifle innovation, impose an unfair burden on small business and give foreign businesses an unfair advantage over American companies.

?Maybe the sponsors of the bill should want to rename it the ?shop Canada? or ?shop Mexico? [bill], because that?s what it will be,? he said.

guardian.co.uk ? Guardian News and Media 2013

?

?

?

?

?

Source: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/22/ebay-warns-internet-sales-tax-unfair-to-small-businesses/

dodgers game of thrones Kevin Ware Google Nose success Cookies april fools day

AT&T Predicted The Future With These 1993 Ads - Business Insider

In general, predictions about the future tend to be pretty worthless. In 1993, though, AT&T did a very good job illustrating how the world was going to change.

Some of the accurate predictions:

• Navigation in your car.
• Video chatting with your family.
• Sending a fax from the beach.
• Watch any movie you want at any moment.

It's 1993, so it's not like it was a crazy stretch to see what was coming in the next 10-20 years. However, it's still pretty neat to see how things were envisioned and how they played out.

UberGizmo posted the series of ads below, calling them "frighteningly accurate." Apparently this video has been kicking around for a few years, but this is the first time some of us have seen it.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/att-predicted-the-future-with-these-1993-ads-2013-4

Clara Schumann Jael Strauss Alison Pill Sam Bacile sprint britney spears At&t Wireless

PFT: Revis to Bucs done? |? Six-year contract

AP

One NFL evaluator who?s had success building through the draft sees less than 10 ?special? prospects in the Class of 2013 ? and a lack of depth at certain line positions on both sides of the ball.

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said Monday that the club believes there are likely between six and eight ?special players? in the draft, which starts Thursday evening.

However, Colbert, speaking at the club?s pre-draft press conference,?indicated the club was unlikely to be trading up from its No. 17 spot in Round One.

?I doubt that we move up,? Colbert said, according to a transcript from the Steelers. ?I think the more picks we have the better, in this draft particularly. But there will be a good player at 17, there?s no question about that.?

Of the 6-8 top prospects, Colbert said the best of the best in a draft are generally held in high regard by many teams.

?That?s usually a group I think everybody can identify and say, ?These kids should be special players, be it with us or be it with somebody else,? ? Colbert said.

Colbert told reporters the Steelers believe there are ?about 150? draftable prospects in the Class of 2013. Colbert also noted that ?there is a?nice group of potential starters? on the draft?s second day, which encompasses Rounds Two and Three.

However, Colbert noted that three positions ? tight end, interior offensive line and defensive ends who can play in a 3-4 scheme ? are lacking in numbers.

?It?s not a deep pool at those positions,? Colbert said.

By Colbert?s count, 14 teams employ the 3-4 ? long the base defensive front for Pittsburgh ? and he called the shortage of defensive ends who would fit in a ?30? front a ?little concerning.?

?That?s a position where there just are not a lot of guys,? he said.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/21/jets-most-likely-will-get-a-third-round-pick-in-2014-for-revis/related/

beloved ufc results water for elephants old school nick swisher jaco san jose sharks

U. of Illinois researchers measure near-field behavior of semiconductor plasmonic microparticles

Public release date: 22-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: William P. King
wpk@illinois.edu
217-244-3864
University of Illinois College of Engineering

Nanometer-scale heating reveals surface plasmon resonance

Recent progress in the engineering of plasmonic structures has enabled new kinds of nanometer-scale optoelectronic devices as well as high-resolution optical sensing. But until now, there has been a lack of tools for measuring nanometer-scale behavior in plasmonic structures which are needed to understand device performance and to confirm theoretical models.

"For the first time, we have measured nanometer-scale infrared absorption in semiconductor plasmonic microparticles using a technique that combines atomic force microscopy with infrared spectroscopy," explained William P. King, an Abel Bliss Professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering (MechSE) at Illinois. "Atomic force microscope infrared spectroscopy allows us to directly observe the plasmonic behavior within microparticle infrared antennas."

The article describing the research, "Near-field infrared absorption of plasmonic semiconductor microparticles studied using atomic force microscope infrared spectroscopy," appears in Applied Physics Letters.

"Highly doped semiconductors can serve as wavelength flexible plasmonic metals in the infrared," noted Daniel M. Wasserman, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Illinois. "However, without the ability to visualize the optical response in the vicinity of the plasmonic particles, we can only infer the near-field behavior of the structures from their far-field response. What this work gives us is a clear window into the optical behavior of this new class of materials on a length scale much smaller than the wavelength of light."

The article compares near-field and far-field measurements with electromagnetic simulations to confirm the presence of localized plasmonic resonance. The article further reports high resolution maps of the spatial distribution of absorption within single plasmonic structures and variation across plasmonic arrays.

"The ability to measure near field behavior in plasmonic structures allows us to begin expanding our design parameters for plasmonic materials," commented Jonathan Felts, a MechSE graduate student. "Now that we can measure the optical behavior of individual features, we can start to think about designing and testing more complex optical materials."

###

The authors on the research are Jonathan Felts, Stephanie Law, Daniel M. Wasserman, and William P. King of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, along with Christopher M. Roberts and Viktor Podolskiy of the University of Massachusetts. The article is available at http://apl.aip.org/resource/1/applab/v102/i15/p152110_s1. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation.

Contact: William King, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 217/244-3864

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Public release date: 22-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: William P. King
wpk@illinois.edu
217-244-3864
University of Illinois College of Engineering

Nanometer-scale heating reveals surface plasmon resonance

Recent progress in the engineering of plasmonic structures has enabled new kinds of nanometer-scale optoelectronic devices as well as high-resolution optical sensing. But until now, there has been a lack of tools for measuring nanometer-scale behavior in plasmonic structures which are needed to understand device performance and to confirm theoretical models.

"For the first time, we have measured nanometer-scale infrared absorption in semiconductor plasmonic microparticles using a technique that combines atomic force microscopy with infrared spectroscopy," explained William P. King, an Abel Bliss Professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering (MechSE) at Illinois. "Atomic force microscope infrared spectroscopy allows us to directly observe the plasmonic behavior within microparticle infrared antennas."

The article describing the research, "Near-field infrared absorption of plasmonic semiconductor microparticles studied using atomic force microscope infrared spectroscopy," appears in Applied Physics Letters.

"Highly doped semiconductors can serve as wavelength flexible plasmonic metals in the infrared," noted Daniel M. Wasserman, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Illinois. "However, without the ability to visualize the optical response in the vicinity of the plasmonic particles, we can only infer the near-field behavior of the structures from their far-field response. What this work gives us is a clear window into the optical behavior of this new class of materials on a length scale much smaller than the wavelength of light."

The article compares near-field and far-field measurements with electromagnetic simulations to confirm the presence of localized plasmonic resonance. The article further reports high resolution maps of the spatial distribution of absorption within single plasmonic structures and variation across plasmonic arrays.

"The ability to measure near field behavior in plasmonic structures allows us to begin expanding our design parameters for plasmonic materials," commented Jonathan Felts, a MechSE graduate student. "Now that we can measure the optical behavior of individual features, we can start to think about designing and testing more complex optical materials."

###

The authors on the research are Jonathan Felts, Stephanie Law, Daniel M. Wasserman, and William P. King of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, along with Christopher M. Roberts and Viktor Podolskiy of the University of Massachusetts. The article is available at http://apl.aip.org/resource/1/applab/v102/i15/p152110_s1. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation.

Contact: William King, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 217/244-3864

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/uoic-uoi042213.php

lara logan manu ginobili sports illustrated swimsuit 2012 aretha franklin whitney houston paul williams paul babeu kevin costner

4 more first responders killed in Texas blast ID'd (Providence Journal)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/300585863?client_source=feed&format=rss

charles taylor bruins boston bruins carl crawford mad cow disease rampart nick collins

Behavioral Finance Explains Bubbles

Editor's note:?Adam Nash is the chief operating officer of Wealthfront. He was formerly executive-in-residence with Greylock Partners and VP of product management at LinkedIn. Given the incredible volatility we?ve seen lately in the Bitcoin and gold markets, there has been a resurgence of discussion about bubbles. This topic is always top of mind in Silicon Valley, especially given that the two favorite local topics of conversation are technology companies and housing.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/92RlB1OmdeU/

oakland news alec baldwin alec baldwin college basketball oakland pinnacle airlines kansas vs kentucky

Morgan Stanley's results weaker as bond trading stumbles

By Lauren Tara LaCapra and Tanya Agrawal

(Reuters) - Morgan Stanley posted a 14 percent drop in adjusted earnings as its bond trading business faltered, raising fresh questions about how quickly the bank can turn around the long-lagging business.

The results put more pressure on Chief Executive James Gorman, who has been building Morgan Stanley's wealth management business and reducing assets on its trading books. He is trying to make the bank's profits durable even during economic downturns, but some investors fear he will weaken Morgan Stanley's investment bank too much.

The bank's shares fell nearly 4 percent to $20.63 in midday trading.

Investors are starting to "realize that the new business model looks more utility-like than it does big, sexy bank-like," said Douglas Ciocca, CEO of Kavar Capital Partners, which manages $270 million in client money.

"It's a mind shift from the investor perspective," he said. "At one time, banks like Morgan Stanley had gained outsized profit from risky trading businesses."

Morgan Stanley said first-quarter bond and commodity trading revenue fell by about 40 percent to $1.5 billion, excluding adjustments for changes in the value of the bank's debt. Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat blamed the decline on a slowdown in interest-rate products and commodities, as well as a sharp drop in overall market activity in March.

She characterized some of the issues as cyclical, particularly in commodities, and said areas like credit, mortgages and foreign exchange will help pick up the slack in the future.

"We don't think $1.5 billion in revenue is a ceiling," said Porat.

Wealth management revenue rose 5.4 percent to $3.47 billion, the highest in the firm's history. Profit generated by the unit jumped 29 percent to $255 million. The unit represented about 41 percent of the total revenue generated by the No. 6 U.S. bank by assets.

"What we are trying to do is get this firm back on the rails, which we've done over the last couple of years on a very deliberate path," Gorman said during a conference call. "We believe we are now well on that path."

Even so, total revenue, excluding accounting adjustments, fell 4.8 percent from a year earlier to $8.48 billion.

Morgan Stanley is the last of the major U.S. banks to report first-quarter results. The reports were generally viewed on Wall Street as mildly disappointing.

Gorman views wealth management as a stabilizing anchor for Morgan Stanley. He has argued that the business offers more stable returns and would help offset volatility in the bank's trading and investment banking businesses, once the foundations of its franchise.

Morgan Stanley's revenue from wealth management grew to $13.5 billion last year from $5.5 billion a year before the financial crisis.

In the first quarter, the unit's pretax profit margin held firm at 17 percent, compared with 11 percent a year earlier. Gorman had promised margins in the mid-teens by June, after initially aiming for 20 percent.

The wealth management profit of $255 million excludes $121 million that was returned to Citigroup for its ownership stake in the unit. Morgan Stanley, which bought a majority stake in Citi's Smith Barney unit in January 2009, plans to buy the remaining 35 percent by year-end, Gorman said.

TRADING SLUMPS

Morgan Stanley's performance in other areas was tepid at best. Revenue from trading fixed income and commodities fell more than at rivals Goldman Sachs Group Inc and JPMorgan Chase & Co .

Morgan Stanley, which is looking to dispose of non-strategic commodity and fixed income businesses, said on Thursday its efforts to that end were "on schedule."

Other areas of the institutional securities business, which includes merger advisory, stock and debt underwriting and trading, also lagged. Revenue excluding certain accounting adjustments for the division dropped to $4.41 billion from $5.11 billion a year earlier.

All told, Morgan Stanley's net income in the three months to the end of March amounted to $958 million, or 49 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $119 million, or 6 cents.

The bank's profit fell last year after it took an accounting hit for changes in the value of debt it issued, known as the debt valuation adjustment. This year, the adjustment boosted profit.

Excluding those adjustments, income from continuing operations in the latest quarter was 61 cents a share. On that basis, analysts had expected 57 cents.

Expenses, including compensation, fell to $6.54 billion from $6.72 billion a year earlier quarter but were up from $6.11 billion in the 2012 fourth quarter. Compensation expense slipped to $4.2 billion from $4.4 billion a year earlier.

OPERATING LEVERAGE

Record earnings from wealth management came not just from a pickup in stock and bond market values, but from higher transaction revenue, Porat said in an interview.

Higher closed-end fund issuance also helped as firms tapped retail investors for new funds in equities and high-yield debt, she said.

"It really highlights the operating leverage in this business because it's not as though the markets have a robust new issue environment, and yet you see the impact on profitability," she said.

(Reporting By Lauren Tara LaCapra in New York and Tanya Agrawal in Bangalore; Writing by Frank McGurty; Editing by Supriya Kurane and John Wallace)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/institutional-business-drives-morgan-stanley-958-million-profit-112631629--sector.html

how to tie a tie sweet potato recipes the sound of music celebration church new york auto show 2012 tulsa easter eggs

PSA: HTC One available today at AT&T and Sprint

April showers might bring May flowers, but the only precipitation we really care for around here is that of flagship handsets into stores. In that case, it's time to break out the raincoats: the HTC One is officially on sale at AT&T and Sprint as of today. Both carriers and their resellers are offering the aluminum wunderkind in its silver guise at $200 on contract for a 32GB model, with AT&T still holding the US exclusive on a $300 64GB version. Those jonesing for different hues or radios will have to wait a little while longer, however. The T-Mobile edition won't officially land until the 24th, and a black 32GB model is still "weeks" away from landing at AT&T and Sprint. Provided you're not the exception to the rule, though, you're cleared to buy what's arguably the first US-bound flagship of the year.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC, Sprint, AT&T

Comments

Source: AT&T, Sprint

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/19/psa-htc-one-available-today-at-att-and-sprint/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

Tilted Kilt Barbara Palvin Yahoo Fantasy Football Nick Foles Auguste Rodin Breaking Amish Indianapolis explosion

3991/self-improvement-seminar-for-excellent-leaders

Self-improvement workshop for excellent leaders

What are you? A leader or a follower?

We can all become leaders as well as fans. Both are essential but the leader sets the example for his/her fans. A good leader has a good fan.

If you think you are not a good leader, perhaps you ought to have a self-improvement workshop.

Self-improvement seminar for leaders is training them to be great to the fans.

There are a range of self-improvement workshop for you. However leadership training seminar is the very best for you.

In order to be an excellent leader, one need to possess numerous qualities that will bring in fans. The following qualities are simply of few of the lots of qualities that are crucial for effective leadership:.

1. Charm- charming leaders have the present to touch people with their selection of words. Charming leaders are alluring, charming and can encourage followers to support a marvelous vision or idea.

2. Better Mindset ? A leader who has a positive mindset will influence his/her followers to carry that exact same mindset. An example of a leader with a better attitude might be a parent or instructor.

Moms, fathers, or primary teachers appear and are seen as role models to the children they are teaching and nurturing.

These job models are the first leaders they run into in life. Kids become really dependent of leaders due to the fact that they are their vehicles to the outside world and offer much needed help and help.
If a moms and dad is supporting and liking to their kid, they will prosper under this reassurance.

If a school instructor provides a positive knowing experience to the child, they will prosper which success will become infectious ? In any circumstance, a leader?s better mindset will have greater effect and impact on their followers.

3. Inspiration ? In a sports world, a motivating leader can be a coach, trainer or even a fellow teammate. While the skill of gamers is a good determinant of a winning team, their coach is also a crucial aspect.

If a coach can not produce a gaining team, his job goes to stake. A coach?s inspiration includes infusing his players with high standards, and setting tough however attainable goals as they do well. Thus, his/her capacity to motivate his gamers will boost their performances.

Inspiration also correlates with having a positive mindset. When a coach has a favorable attitude and provides a better environment for his players, then the team will most likely be inspired to relocate his/her direction where ultimate success can be found.

4. Assertiveness ? A leader has the obligation to direct the instructions of his or her company. When a leader is firm and assertive in delegating jobs to his subordinates, they will hold a greater respect to follow with on their projects.

An assertive leader has the capability to convey enforcement without being too autocratic or harmful to their subordinates.

In addition, an assertive leader needs to not make his subordinates seem like they?re in a hostile environment. Rather, an assertive leader ought to respect his individuals, and require appropriate accountability at the same time. A leader?s assertiveness and self-confidence makes regard. With that regard, people are much more likely to follow, help, and emulate their leader to accomplish success.

Self-improvement is crucial for leaders. Attending self-improvement workshops may be a great aid in being a good leader.

Source: http://nlplifecoachingtrainingcourse.co.za/3991/self-improvement-seminar-for-excellent-leaders/

tony nominations 2012 facebook organ donor jessica simpson gives birth carrie underwood blown away chk ryan seacrest kentucky derby

Source: http://entertainment-in-sydney.blogspot.com/2013/04/3991self-improvement-seminar-for.html

kathy ireland brooke mueller all star weekend undercover boss barbara walters tupelo honey limp bizkit

FBI says letter sent to Obama tested positive for poison ricin

By Jeff Mason and Susan Heavey

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Authorities are investigating a letter addressed to President Barack Obama after the contents preliminarily tested positive for the deadly poison ricin, the second report of such a letter in two days.

The FBI said the envelope was received at a mail screening facility outside the White House and was immediately quarantined.

There was no indication of a connection to Monday's bomb attacks at the Boston Marathon, which killed three people and injured 176 others, the FBI said.

Washington was put on edge Tuesday evening when news emerged that authorities had intercepted a letter sent to Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi that had initially tested positive for ricin.

Then on Wednesday, a flurry of reports of suspicious letters and packages further rattled the U.S. capital and caused the temporary evacuation of parts of two Senate buildings, although most quickly proved to be false alarms.

The mailings to Obama and Wicker were related, based on the postmarks and the identical language of the enclosed letters, according to an FBI operations bulletin reviewed by Reuters.

The letters included the phrase, "To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance," and were signed, "I am KC and I approve this message."

The envelopes both bore postmarks from Memphis, Tennessee and were dated April 8.

For Washingtonians, the situation was unsettlingly reminiscent of events of nearly 12 years ago. Then letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to the Washington offices of two senators and to media outlets in New York and Florida, not long after the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington.

The FBI said White House operations were not affected by the latest scare. It noted that filters at a second government mail screening facility had "preliminarily tested positive for ricin this morning" and mail from that facility was also being tested.

The tests were being conducted at Fort Detrick, in Frederick, Maryland, a government source said.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama had been briefed on the situation.

BIOLOGICAL WEAPON

Ricin is a lethal poison found naturally in castor beans, but it takes a deliberate act to convert it into a biological weapon. Ricin can cause death within 36 to 72 hours from exposure to an amount as small as a pinhead. No known antidote exists.

There was another ricin scare at the U.S. Capitol in 2004, when tests showed positive on a letter in a Senate mail room that served the office of Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican who was then the Senate majority leader.

Law enforcement authorities on Wednesday closed and then reopened parts of the Hart and Russell Senate buildings near the Capitol after tests on suspect items showed there was no threat.

"All test results were negative," U.S. Capitol Police said over the public address system in Senate office buildings.

Police questioned a man with a backpack who had been delivering envelopes to Senate offices, a law enforcement official said.

Police investigated a suspicious package delivered to Republican Senator Richard Shelby's office in the Russell building, but determined there was no threat, said Jonathan Graffeo, a spokesman for Shelby. "Senator Shelby and staff are unharmed," he said by email.

Democratic Senator Carl Levin said one of his Michigan regional offices had received a suspicious letter, but it was not opened. Authorities are investigating, he said.

In Arizona, the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said two suspicious letters had been sent to Republican Senator Jeff Flake's Phoenix office. Two staffers and a police officer were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure after reporting irritation when handling them.

Flake later issued a statement saying no dangerous materials were detected in the letters.

The Senate's sergeant at arms, Terrance Gainer, sent a memo to all offices warning them only to accept mail from a uniformed Senate post office employee and, when in doubt, to call the police.

He said mail was being delivered that had already been cleared, but that would be suspended on Thursday and Friday.

"Yesterday I reported the discovery of suspicious powder in our mail processing facility and the fact the powder was identified as ricin," Gainer said in his memo.

"While that matter continues to be investigated by law enforcement authorities, I want to remind all staff both in Washington, D.C., and in state offices to continue to be vigilant in their mail handling procedures."

(Writing by Susan Cornwell; Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria, Mark Hosenball, Deborah Charles and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Jim Loney, Christopher Wilson and Karey Van Hall)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/preliminary-tests-show-letter-obama-contains-poison-ricin-171053027--spt.html

Christmas Story after christmas sales case mccoy case mccoy UFC 155 Jack Klugman merry Christmas

Rift over Mandela companies deepens

FILE - In this June 17, 2010 file photo, former South African President Nelson Mandela leaves the chapel after attending the funeral of his great-granddaughter Zenani Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. The South African presidency says Mandela has been discharged, Saturday, April 6, 2013, from a hospital after an improvement in his condition. Officials say he was treated for pneumonia. (AP Photo/Siphiwe Sibeko, Pool, File)

FILE - In this June 17, 2010 file photo, former South African President Nelson Mandela leaves the chapel after attending the funeral of his great-granddaughter Zenani Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. The South African presidency says Mandela has been discharged, Saturday, April 6, 2013, from a hospital after an improvement in his condition. Officials say he was treated for pneumonia. (AP Photo/Siphiwe Sibeko, Pool, File)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? A granddaughter of Nelson Mandela has harshly criticized a longtime associate of the former president and anti-apartheid leader, in an escalation of a dispute over funds linked to one of the world's most revered figures.

Tukwini Mandela accused lawyer George Bizos of insulting her mother, slandering the Mandela family name and spreading "blatant lies and innuendo" in a bitter rift over control of two companies linked to 94-year-old Mandela.

Tukwini's mother, Makaziwe Mandela, and Makaziwe's sister Zenani have filed a court case against Bizos and two other associates of Nelson Mandela, alleging they have no right to remain as directors of the companies.

This week, The Star newspaper quoted Bizos as saying Makaziwe Mandela's goal is to take company money, estimated to be $1.3 million.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-04-17-South%20Africa-Mandela%20Companies/id-73dcc99ba0cf4caab36371c793564072

celtics nba playoffs rosario dawson young jeezy world wildlife fund gsa keith olbermann

Instart Logic Raises $17M From Andreessen Horowitz Greylock To Improve Web And Mobile App Performance

Instart Logic, a company that provides a cloud-based service for web publishers to improves site performance over both mobile and WiFi networks, has raised $17 million in Series B funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock Partners, Sutter Hill Ventures and Tenaya Capital. This brings the company's total funding to $26 million.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Kc07T9ysbH8/

masters winner instagram facebook chicago cubs split pea soup recipe the client list yahoo.com/mail baylor

Sharing individual health information could improve care and reduce costs for all

Apr. 15, 2013 ? Information collected from individual patients at doctor's office and hospital visits could be used to improve health care and reduce costs on a national scale, according to a discussion paper released by the Institute of Medicine.

As health care records move to electronic systems, there is an opportunity to compile information taken from individuals and use it to conduct large studies that advance the entire health care system, said Michael D. Murray, PharmD, MPH, the Regenstrief Institute investigator and Purdue University professor who led the team of experts that wrote the paper.

"Every health care encounter provides not only an opportunity to improve the health of the individual patient, but also to help improve the care of others," said Murray, who is the executive director of the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Effectiveness Research at the Regenstrief Institute. "Currently, the information collected like blood pressure, weight, medications used, disease diagnoses and medical history are used only to inform decisions for that individual patient. We are missing a tremendous opportunity to turn our health care system into one that learns from each care experience and leads to better and more affordable care for all."

Such information could be used to better monitor diseases and outbreaks, target medical services where they are most helpful, reduce unnecessary testing and treatments, prevent medical errors, and accelerate medical research and delivery of new treatments, he said.

"Patient and provider engagement in sharing data is the key to realizing this potential," said Murray, who also is a distinguished professor of pharmacy practice and endowed chair of medication safety at Purdue. "We want the public to know that this can be done in a very secure way that maintains their privacy. We hope that a better understanding of what could be achieved leads to a greater number of people approving the use of their data for research and health care improvement."

There are laws that set standards for the use of clinical data for research and measures like the removal of names, addresses and other identifying information to protect a patient's confidentiality. Still, surveys show the privacy and security of electronic data are among patients' top concerns about data sharing.

In addition to raising awareness of the benefits of secure data sharing, better integration of data and more trained professionals to analyze large data sets are needed, he said.

The discussion paper, "Making the Case for Continuous Learning From Routinely Collected Data," details the various sources of clinical data available and case studies of how this information can be used. The authors were participants in the Clinical Effectiveness Research Innovation Collaborative of the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Value & Science-Driven Health Care.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

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

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

---

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/P9Dsfn0E0-E/130415172417.htm

school shooting ohio billy crystal oscar winners 2012 billy crystal oscars 2012 angelina jolie oscars chardon high school christopher plummer

Shady Oak Stable

I'm glad that you approve of it all. :D I understand completely about the whole age thing, she will most likely be eighteen.. newly legal, hehe.
Thanks, I will have you a sample by tomorrow evening, if that's alright. I definitely like your style on how you go about things! :T Is there a certain situation or anything you'd like my writing sample to be about? Or just whatever, as long as it involves the character I'll be portraying in this role-play? I don't mind if you have a certain scenario in mind for me. I'm flexible.

(And I'll keep that in mind (question asking, that is). I'll probably have a couple for you eventually. I like making sure I have everything down so I can portray the role of my character correctly. ^-^)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/ngzGhUlIox0/viewtopic.php

new orleans saints ireland vangogh yield crossbow airhead atherosclerosis

Medicare hike could also hit some in middle class

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Retired as a city worker, Sheila Pugach lives in a modest home on a quiet street in Albuquerque, N.M., and drives an 18-year-old Subaru.

Pugach doesn't see herself as upper-income by any stretch, but President Barack Obama's budget would raise her Medicare premiums and those of other comfortably retired seniors, adding to a surcharge that already costs some 2 million beneficiaries hundreds of dollars a year each.

More importantly, due to the creeping effects of inflation, 20 million Medicare beneficiaries would end up paying higher "income related" premiums for their outpatient and prescription coverage over time.

Administration officials say Obama's proposal will help improve the financial stability of Medicare by reducing taxpayer subsidies for retirees who can afford to pay a bigger share of costs. Congressional Republicans agree with the president on this one, making it highly likely the idea will become law if there's a budget deal this year.

But the way Pugach sees it, she's being penalized for prudence, dinged for saving diligently.

It was the government, she says, that pushed her into a higher income bracket where she'd have to pay additional Medicare premiums.

IRS rules require people age 70-and-a-half and older to make regular minimum withdrawals from tax-deferred retirement nest eggs like 401(k)s. That was enough to nudge her over Medicare's line.

"We were good soldiers when we were young," said Pugach, who worked as a computer systems analyst. "I was afraid of not having money for retirement and I put in as much as I could. The consequence is now I have to pay about $500 a year more in Medicare premiums."

Currently only about 1 in 20 Medicare beneficiaries pays the higher income-based premiums, which start at incomes over $85,000 for individuals and $170,000 for couples. As a reference point, the median or midpoint U.S. household income is about $53,000.

Obama's budget would change Medicare's upper-income premiums in several ways. First, it would raise the monthly amounts for those currently paying.

If the proposal were already law, Pugach would be paying about $168 a month for outpatient coverage under Medicare's Part B, instead of $146.90.

Then, the plan would create five new income brackets to squeeze more revenue from the top tiers of retirees.

But its biggest impact would come through inflation.

The administration is proposing to extend a freeze on the income brackets at which seniors are liable for the higher premiums until 1 in 4 retirees has to pay. It wouldn't be the top 5 percent anymore, but the top 25 percent.

"Over time, the higher premiums will affect people who by today's standards are considered middle-income," explained Tricia Neuman, vice president for Medicare policy at the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. "At some point, it raises questions about whether (Medicare) premiums will continue to be affordable."

Required withdrawals from retirement accounts would be the trigger for some of these retirees. For others it could be taking a part-time job.

One consequence could be political problems for Medicare. A growing group of beneficiaries might come together around a shared a sense of grievance.

"That's part of the problem with the premiums ? they simply act like a higher tax based on income," said David Certner, federal policy director for AARP, the seniors lobby.

"Means testing" of Medicare benefits was introduced in 2007 under President George W. Bush in the form of higher outpatient premiums for the top-earning retirees. Obama's health care law expanded the policy and also added a surcharge for prescription coverage.

The latest proposal ramps up the reach of means testing and sets up a political confrontation between AARP and liberal groups on one side and fiscal conservatives on the other. The liberals have long argued that support for Medicare will be undermined if the program starts charging more for the well-to-do. Not only are higher-income people more likely to be politically active, they also tend to be in better health.

Fiscal conservatives say it makes no sense for government to provide the same generous subsidies to people who can afford to pay at least some of the cost themselves. As a rule, taxpayers pay for 75 percent of Medicare's outpatient and prescription benefits. Even millionaires would still get a 10 percent subsidy on their premiums under Obama's plan. Technically, both programs are voluntary.

"The government has to understand the difference between universal opportunity and universal subsidy," said David Walker, the former head of the congressional Government Accountability Office. "This is a very modest step towards changing the government subsidy associated with Medicare's two voluntary programs."

It still doesn't sit well with Sheila Pugach. She says she's been postponing remodeling work on her 58-year-old house because she's concerned about the cost. Having a convenient utility room so she doesn't have to go out to the garage to do laundry would help with her back problems.

"They think all old people are living the life of Riley," she said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/medicare-hike-could-hit-middle-class-075045878--politics.html

mike dantoni bulls heat goldman sachs brandon carr knicks coach encyclopedia britannica white lion

Prisoners, guards clash over Guantanamo Bay raid

FILE - In this Oct. 9, 2007 file photo, Guantanamo guards keep watch over a cell block with detainees in Camp 6 maximum-security facility, at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba. Guards clashed Saturday, April 13, 2013 with prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay prison as the military sought to move hunger strikers out of a communal section of the detention center, officials said. The confrontation occurred after the commander decided to move prisoners into single, solid-walled cells so that prison authorities could monitor them more closely during the hunger strike, the military said.. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 9, 2007 file photo, Guantanamo guards keep watch over a cell block with detainees in Camp 6 maximum-security facility, at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba. Guards clashed Saturday, April 13, 2013 with prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay prison as the military sought to move hunger strikers out of a communal section of the detention center, officials said. The confrontation occurred after the commander decided to move prisoners into single, solid-walled cells so that prison authorities could monitor them more closely during the hunger strike, the military said.. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)

MIAMI (AP) ? Months of increased tension at the Guantanamo Bay prison boiled over into a clash between guards and detainees Saturday as the military closed a communal section of the facility and moved its inmates into single cells.

The violence erupted during an early morning raid that military officials said was necessary because prisoners had covered up security cameras and windows as part of a weekslong protest and hunger strike over their indefinite confinement and conditions at the U.S. base in Cuba.

Prisoners fought guards with makeshift weapons that included broomsticks and mop handles when troops arrived to move them out of a communal wing of the section of the prison known as Camp 6, said Navy Capt. Robert Durand, a military spokesman. Guards responded by firing four "less-than-lethal rounds," he said.

There were no serious injuries from the rounds, which included a modified shotgun shell that fires small rubber pellets as well as a type of bean-bag projectile, said Army Col. Greg Julian, a spokesman for Miami-based U.S. Southern Command, which oversees the prison at the U.S. base in Cuba.

"I know for sure that one detainee was hit but the injuries were minor, just some bruises," Julian said.

The confrontation came a day after a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross finished a three-week visit to Guantanamo to meet with prisoners and assess conditions.

"The ICRC continues to follow the current tensions and the hunger strike at Guantanamo very closely and with concern," spokesman Simon Schorno said. "If necessary, an ICRC team will in coming days return to Guantanamo to assess the situation of the detainees on hunger strike in view of this latest development."

Camp 6 had previously been a section of the camp reserved for detainees who followed prison rules. In exchange they were allowed to share meals and pray together, have nearly round-the-clock recreation time as well as access to satellite TV, computer games and classes. It held a majority of the 166 prisoners at the base before the hunger strike began, but the military said the number was down to fewer than 70 on Saturday.

Prisoners in the communal section had access to materials with which to make some of the improvised weapons used in the clash with guards. Durand said troops were confronted with batons made with tape and plastic water bottles, about three to four feet long and "as big around as a broomstick," he said.

The guards moved the hunger strikers and all other detainees at the communal section to single cells in a separate wing of Camp 6 around 5 a.m. Prisoners will eventually be allowed back into communal living conditions in the future if they follow rules. Hunger strikers will be allowed back into the communal section eventually as well if they follow the rules, Durand said.

"For now, housing detainees in individual cells will enable us to observe them more closely," he said. He said one of the concerns of military officials was that some prisoners might have been coerced into participating in the hunger strike.

Tensions had been high at the prison for months. Lawyers for prisoners said a hunger strike began Feb. 6 in protest over their indefinite confinement and what the men believed were tighter restrictions and intrusive searches of their Qurans for contraband. Prisoners offered to give up the Muslim holy book that each one is issued by the government but officials refused, considering it a tacit admission of wrongdoing.

"This is exactly the opposite of what they should be doing," Carlos Warner, a federal public defender in Ohio, said of the decision to move prisoners into single cells instead of negotiating an end to the strike. "The military is escalating the conflict."

The military said 43 prisoners were classified as hunger strikers under a definition that includes missing nine consecutive meals. Lawyers for prisoners have insisted the strike is much more widespread and say almost all of the men are refusing to eat.

Officials were also concerned that some men were surreptitiously starving themselves to avoid being classified as hunger strikers and force fed. The military said it was conducting individual assessments of all the prisoners.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-13-CB-Guantanamo-Hunger-Strike/id-0ac803b679774a019f3b542111f7a8ff

Jason Babin Nolan Daniels angus t. jones monday night football monday night football SEC Championship Game 2012 kansas city chiefs

Warby Parker Opens Retail Store In NYC, With Boston Up Next, Beats Google & Amazon To The Offline Punch

Hip online eyewear startup Warby Parker has, over the last two years, been partnering with boutiques to open "stores-within-stores," or small Warby Parker showrooms, where customers could try on their eyeglasses in 3-D. These showrooms popped up in L.A., Nashville, San Francisco and many others. Today Warby Parker?officially announced its first, flagship retail store?in SoHo in New York City.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/1nvHvji694g/

lin j.r. smith espn jeremy lin sleigh bells meek sturgis sturgis

Three Chadian soldiers killed by Mali suicide bomb

By Cheick Diouara

GAO, Mali (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed three Chadian soldiers at a market in the northern Malian town of Kidal on Friday, a Chadian military official and three witnesses said.

Chadian and French soldiers have been stationed in the desert town since late January to fight Islamist rebels hiding in the region's mountainous borderlands.

"He blew himself up next to a group of Chadian soldiers. Three were killed in the blast and several others were wounded," resident Ag Waerzagane Assikadaye told Reuters by telephone.

The Chadian military official confirmed the death toll and added that four other soldiers were hurt.

Considered some of the best trained troops in desert warfare and stationed in some of the most dangerous areas, the Chadian army has suffered the heaviest casualties of any of Mali's foreign allies and lost some 30 soldiers in fighting there.

Separately, a senior Malian military official said on Friday a Malian army transport plane crashed near the central town of Diabaly, killing all four people on board. The reason for the crash was not immediately clear.

A wave of deadly bombings and raids by al Qaeda-linked Islamist fighters has raised fears that Bamako is failing to reassert its control in northern Mali's towns, after French forces drove the militants into desert and mountain hideouts.

Tuareg separatists, who claim to be helping fight the Islamist insurgents, remain in power in Kidal, near the border with Algeria, complicating plans to reunite the West African country after last year's coup and northern revolt.

Mali's prime minister promised on Thursday that elections to replace the caretaker government would go ahead in July. But analysts fear preparations will not be completed in time and warn a botched poll could sow the seeds for further unrest.

Some 4,000 French troops are fighting alongside Mali's army and a regional African force, though Paris is aiming to cut its military presence to 1,000 soldiers by year-end.

(Reporting by Cheick Diouara, Adama Diarra, Tiemoko Diallo, and Madjiasra Nako; Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Jon Hemming)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/three-chadian-soldiers-killed-mali-suicide-bomb-184808687.html

top chef texas great pacific garbage patch ben affleck and jennifer garner google privacy changes windows 8 preview leap year moratorium