Tires made from Russian dandelions? It could happen

Mark Duncan / AP

Today's tires are made largely from natural rubber and petroleum derivatives, but manufacturers are looking for alternatives.

By Paul A. Eisenstein, NBC News contributor

If?demand for tires keeps rising and raw material?shortages persist, you may be driving?soon??on flowers and beans.

With more and more cars on the road everywhere from Beijing to Boston, tire manufacturers have been hard-pressed to overcome nagging shortages compounded by factory capacity problems, rising material costs and limited availability of natural rubber.

That?s leading manufacturers like Bridgestone and Goodyear on a search for alternative materials as diverse as soybeans and Russian dandelions.

?Natural rubber is a sustainable, renewable resource, but the problem is that the industry is growing so rapidly -- building 82 million cars a year now?-- that keeping up is a problem,? said Michael Martini, president, original equipment tire sales, for Bridgestone Americas. ?So we?re looking for alternatives.?

Also called India rubber or caoutchouc, natural rubber is primarily made by modifying latex collected from tapped rubber trees.?Bridgestone relies on plantations in Liberia and Malaysia, but its competitors turn to resources in other parts of the world: Africa and Asia,?South America and the Indian subcontinent.?

Frenchman Charles Marie de la Condamine first described some of the material?s basic properties in 1736, and 34 years later British scientist Joseph Priestley discovered the material was good at rubbing pencil marks off paper, hence the name, rubber.? But the big breakthrough came in 1839 when American Charles Goodyear discovered the process of vulcanization, which allowed the natural material to be used in long-lasting tires.

These days, those black donuts on your car contain a mix of compounds including carbon black, sulfur, peroxide and bisphenol, plus various petroleum derivatives and reinforcing materials such as steel, polyester and nylon.??Natural rubber still makes up about 25 percent of the weight of a typical passenger car tire and even more for those used on commercial trucks.

The problem, as Martini noted, is that vehicle sales are booming.?While sales in existing markets like the U.S., Japan and Europe may be relatively stagnant or declining, emerging markets are growing almost exponentially.?The Chinese market alone has gone from just a couple of million vehicles annually to nearly 20 million in a decade and is expected to reach 30 million before decade?s end.?

It takes about seven years for a rubber tree to go from seedling to a productive, mature plant.?And finding more land for expanding plantations is another problem.

So some members of the tire industry have joined PENRA -- the Program for Excellence in Natural Rubber Alternatives -- based at the Ohio State University?s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.?One promising alternative is the Russian dandelion, whose root structure appears extremely good at producing a natural latex almost identical to what comes out of the hevea, or common rubber tree.

Botanists know the plant as taraxacum kok-saghyz -- not the common dandelion that?s the bane of American homeowners struggling to keep their lawns green.

?We know that there are more than 1,200 types of plants from which natural rubber could in theory be harvested, but finding one that could practically produce the quality and amount of rubber needed to meet the demands of today?s tire market is a challenge,? said Dr. Hiroshi Mouri, president of the Bridgestone Americas Center for Research and Technology.

Among those many potential alternatives, researchers have also zeroed in on guayule, a shrub native to the Southwest U.S. and Northern Mexico.

Tiremakers have also worked with synthetic alternatives to rubber.?Such alternatives became crucial to the American effort in World War II when supplies of natural latex were largely cut off by Axis powers.?The downside is that?synthetics are largely dependent on petroleum.

The tire industry?s goal is to not only find sustainable alternatives to natural rubber but also to come up with alternatives for some of the non-renewable materials they now use, especially petroleum.

Goodyear?s Innovation Center has come up with a new method that, researchers believe, could substitute soybean oil for as much as 7 million gallons of oil each year.?An added benefit is that the alternative ingredient appears to be able to improve tread life by as much as 10 percent.

"Consumers benefit through improved tread life, Goodyear gains with increased efficiency and energy savings and we all win whenever there is a positive impact on the environment,? said Jean-Claude Kihn, Goodyear's chief technical officer.?

The project, funded by a $500,000 grant from the United Soybean Board, should see prototype soybean-based tires begin testing later this year.? If they live up to expectations they could reach consumers by 2015, Goodyear predicted.

General Motors is trading at an all-time low, and Ford is at its lowest level in more than a year. Italy Michaeli, Citi auto analyst, and Jeremy Anwyl, Edmunds.com CEO, provide perspective.

More money and business news:

Source: http://bottomline.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/07/26/12949259-tires-made-from-russian-dandelions-it-could-happen?lite

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USDA says drought will push up food prices in 2013

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ? The federal government is projecting the record drought gripping half the U.S. will help push food prices up by 3 percent to 4 percent next year.

Figures released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday show that beef prices are expected to see the biggest jump at 4 percent to 5 percent. Dairy product prices are expected to climb 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent. And poultry prices are expected to rise 3 percent to 4 percent.

USDA economist Richard Volpe says these are the agency's first food price projections to factor in the drought. Corn, soybean and other commodity prices are soaring.

Meat and poultry are the most affected because feed prices represent the biggest part of their cost of production. Processed food prices are less affected.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/usda-says-drought-push-food-prices-2013-172759596--finance.html

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UK: Boy, 11, flies to Rome without passport

LONDON (AP) ? Authorities at an airport in northern England are investigating how an 11-year-old boy managed to catch a flight to Rome without a passport or a ticket.

In a statement on Wednesday, Manchester airport management called it an "extremely serious matter" which is being investigated by officials of the airline and the airport. It says that some staff had been suspended from duty, but did not say how many.

The boy passed through security without being checked, before making his way on to the Jet2.com flight Tuesday.

The Manchester Evening News reports that he was kept on the plane when it landed in Italy, and was put on a return flight home to Manchester.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-07-25-EU-Britain-Ticketless-to-Rome/id-1824738478ef4f1dbe9f0a8b79017308

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Coupon Incentives Are Small Business Marketing Magic ...

Coupons and incentives that motivate prospective customers to try your product or service have always been one of the most successful small business marketing strategies.

Now with the proven success of Groupon, LivingSocial and a myriad of other online coupon promotional applications delivering these purchasing inducements across a wide variety of media, the marketplace is even more conditioned to the world of incentive marketing.

This is added evidence that small business owners need to consider a couponing or incentive marketing strategy as a valuable technique you can employ to introduce new customers into your buying stream.

In fact, I recently read about a prominent social media promotions company named Wildfire Interactive that conducted a survey that suggests that if you are concerned about how to monetize your Facebook Fan Page marketing strategy that you might want to start offering coupon incentives.

In their broad based random sampling of approximately 10,000 Facebook marketing campaigns the results suggested that the highest response rates favored those promoting sweepstakes, sampling, giveaways and of course coupons.

But before we go any further let?s back up a minute, break this down, and analyze this small business marketing strategy in an effort to understand a little more about the power of incentives.

Let?s start by looking at the definition of the word incentive.

DEFINITION: One dictionary states, ?Something that incites or has a tendency to incite determination or action.? Another dictionary says it this way, ? Something, such as the expectation of reward, that induces action or motivates effort.?

Now think about it for a moment from the other side of the fence. You are a buyer and consumer right?

Do you appreciate it when you are offered an incentive discount, added bonus to your purchase or your money back in a risk free guarantee when you buy? I sure do and a lot of others do to.

Does it help incentivize you to make a purchase you may not have been willing to try without the inducement?

Especially if it is with a company you are not familiar with?

Smart companies have known and used this practice for a very long time and certainly long before Groupon came onto the online scene. Coupons ranging from the $1.00 off of Tide or, to the many added bonuses offered to you by prominent Internet marketers if you?ll purchase from them for the first time.

Remember, they realize that their company is an unknown and unproven resource to first time buyers and accept they have to work hard to induce you to buy from them in order to prove their value to you so they will be able to sell to you again and again.

Companies ranging from Proctor and Gamble to Dell Computer are pretty sophisticated in their strategic marketing incentives including couponing and small business product and service providers can learn something from such successful companies.

For years, coupons have been delivered to prospective customers in a variety of media like newspapers, Val-Pak, flyers, direct mail, telemarketing, email, websites and now in mobile text marketing.

Expect to see online couponing at individual websites grow significantly.

An important tip to consider is that as you craft your incentive marketing proposition be sure that the incentive you offer is compelling enough or, it may not leverage that prospect to make a buying decision.

Additionally, a substandard offer may only serve to drive your prospect to favor a direct competitor who offers a more attractive incentive to draw them into their buying continuum.

Another incentive development tip is to clearly educate, and articulate, your incentive-based advantage to your prospect so you are certain he or she fully understands the incentive and its impact upon their possible buying decision.

When you are developing your incentive marketing strategy for your website, make sure to consider introducing it and promoting it as a coupon on your website.

One way I have seen it presented is on a website page you call ?Specials? which offers a coupon discount or added bonus that clearly incentivizes a visiting prospect to choose to purchase from you over your competitors.

Another incentive strategy that is being used very successfully is a mobile marketing text message incentive campaign. Here?s the text marketing platform I recommend to my clients http://www.izigg.com/getprofitable

A word about smartphones. Businesses should be alert that smartphones are exploding with coupon app?s that allow consumers and business buyers to locate deals and promotions in their local areas.

This means that as a local business you should make sure you have a Google, Yahoo and Bing ?Local Places Page? that gives you the opportunity to offer a monthly coupon / promotion as an inducement to prospects.

Regardless of the medium that you use to deliver coupons or purchasing incentives, they are a remarkably effective marketing tool. Particularly in times when people are concerned with the economy, their pocket books and saving money.

Remember that the main purpose of an incentive based purchasing promotion is to give your small business an opportunity to introduce a prospect into your buying stream so you can build a long term purchasing relationship with a new customer. This particularly makes sense if you understand the lifetime value of a customer and are focused on keeping them as a returning customer for a period of time.

One Final Word About Incentives. Without incentives it?s likely fewer people will be attracted to your products and services. It makes sense to give them an extra reason and push to investigate what you have to offer so you can show them what great quality, excellent service and superior benefits you can deliver.

Kevin M. Clark is a past Entrepreneur Of The Year Award Winner and is the author of ?Kevin M. Clark?s Guide to Marketing Your Business Online. Go to http://MarketingHotWire.com and claim your Free copy of this highly acclaimed new book and unleash some of Kevin?s most powerful marketing strategies. But hurry, this offer is available for a limited time. Feel free to forward this to your friends.

Have a profitable day!

Kevin M. Clark

http://MarketingHotWire.com

Source: http://marketinghotwire.com/coupon-incentives-are-small-business-marketing-magic/

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Hours of playing video games can change brain for the better - Blogs

Video games?can change a person?s brain and, as researchers are finding, often that change is for the better.

A growing body of university research suggests that gaming improves creativity, decision-making and perception. The specific benefits are wide ranging, from improved hand-eye coordination in surgeons to vision changes that boost night driving ability.

People who played action-based video and computer games made decisions 25 percent faster than others without sacrificing accuracy, according to a study. Indeed, the most adept gamers can make choices and act on them up to six times a second ? four times faster than most people, other researchers found. Moreover, practiced game players can pay attention to more than six things at once without getting confused, compared with the four that someone can normally keep in mind, said University of Rochester researchers. The studies were conducted independently of the companies that sell video and computer games.

Scientists also found that women ? who make up about 42 percent of computer and videogame players ? were better able to mentally manipulate 3D objects, a skill at which men are generally more adept. Most studies looked at adults rather than children.

Electronic gameplay has its downside. Brain scans show that violent video games can alter brain function in healthy young men after just a week of play, depressing activity among regions associated with emotional control, researchers at Indiana University recently reported. Other studies have found an association between compulsive gaming and being overweight, introverted and prone to depression. The studies didn?t compare the benefits of gaming with such downsides.

The violent action games that often worry parents most had the strongest beneficial effect on the brain. ?These are not the games you would think are mind-enhancing,? said cognitive neuroscientist Daphne Bavelier, who studies the effect of action games at Switzerland?s University of Geneva and the University of Rochester in New York.

Computer gaming has become a $25 billion-a-year entertainment business behemoth since the first coin-operated commercial video games hit the market 41 years ago. In 2010, gaming companies sold 257 million video and computer games, according to figures compiled by the industry?s trade group, the Entertainment Software Association.

For scientists, the industry unintentionally launched a mass experiment in the neurobiology of learning. Millions of people have immersed themselves in the interactive reward conditioning of electronic game play, from ?Tetris,? ?Angry Birds? and ?Farmville,? to shooter games and multi-player, role-playing fantasies such as ?League of Legend,? which has been played one billion times or so in the two years since it was introduced.

?Video games change your brain,? said University of Wisconsin psychologist C. Shawn Green, who studies how electronic games affect abilities. So does learning to read, playing the piano, or navigating the streets of London, which have all been shown to change the brain?s physical structure. The powerful combination of concentration and rewarding surges of neurotransmitters like dopamine strengthen neural circuits in much the same way that exercise builds muscles. But ?games definitely hit the reward system in a way that not all activities do,? he said.

Broadly speaking, today?s average gamer is 34 years old and has been playing electronic games for 12 years, often up to 18 hours a week. By one analyst?s calculation, the 11 million or so registered users of the online role-playing fantasy ?World of Warcraft? collectively have spent as much time playing the game since its introduction in 2004 as humanity spent evolving as a species ? about 50 billion hours of game time, which adds up to about 5.9 million years.

Click here to read more from The Wall Street Journal.

Read more:?http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/06/hours-playing-video-games-can-change-brain-for-better-research-finds/#ixzz21TIkMfBN

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Tags: benefits of video games, culture, improved hand-eye, News, night driving ability, perception, psychology, reaction time, teaching the brain, video games

This entry was posted on July 23, 2012 at 6:28 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://johnib.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/hours-of-playing-video-games-can-change-brain-for-the-better-research-finds-read-more/

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UNO & Friends to give classic card game major social overhaul

Gameloft has just announced a new version of UNO for Android that will launch simultaneously alongside iOS, Nintendo 3DS, PS Vita, and Facebook iterations. UNO & Friends will be, as you might expect, all about multiplayer; the new game will allow players from all of the above platforms to play against one another. Though Gameloft is being shy about screenshots right now, I don't suspect the gameplay will differ much from the original Android game (pictured above).

Odds are you've played the original UNO card game at some point, but if not, it's pretty simple - everybody is trying to discard all of the cards from their hand until there are no more to draw from the deck. Cards that are played have to be the same number or the same color as the previous play, though there are lots of action cards that can change the active color, force opponents to draw more cards, and all sorts of other nasty tricks. It's a lot like Crazy Eights. 

Gameloft promises Android and iOS versions to and Facebook to be available "later this year" while the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita versions will come out in spring 2013. 

Any big UNO fans out three? Have any buddies with an iPhone you'd like to trounce?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/969wSydOvFU/story01.htm

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Solid Advice When Searching For Ways To File For Bankruptcy ...

Carefully weigh the pros and cons before filing for bankruptcy. There?s a good chance that filing for bankruptcy isn?t your best option. Before you do anything else, sit down and make a list of pros and cons. Think them over and get a second opinion or two on the matter.

One of the biggest problems that people face when filing personal bankruptcy is they are in too deep before they seek help. They have borrowed against 401 K?s, IRA?s, and sold personal belongings. These things have unintended consequences. These loans are not allowable deductions in the eyes of the court and will not be used in the bankruptcy calculations.

Before you file for bankruptcy, make sure that you hire the services of an experienced local bankruptcy attorney. Hiring a bankruptcy attorney who?s located geographically close to you will mean that you can contact him or her with ease. You will then be able to meet up with your attorney in person, in order to discuss your petition in greater detail.

Once bankruptcy rears its ugly head, it?s important that you start multi-tasking with your financial matters. You can and should negotiate with your creditors at the same time you begin preparing for bankruptcy. Many bankruptcy attorneys are willing to start your preparations for a very modest fee, and this can make an excellent ?safety net? for you while you negotiate.

Don?t try to outsmart the bankruptcy trustee by, spending large amounts of money before a bankruptcy filing in an attempt to ?keep it safe? from loss. Regulations on this practice have stiffened in recent years. Any luxury purchase made in the months prior to the filing, can be seen as fraud.

Hire an attorney to help you through the complex process of filing. Not only can an attorney help you win your case, but an attorney will also be able to answer any questions or concerns you may have. The attorney will help you gather all of the information needed so you spend less time waiting as well.

Know that calls and letters from your creditors will stop after you declare bankruptcy. Whether you file Chapter 7 or Chapter 13, the people to whom you owe debts are forbidden from harassing you about your debt. If you receive a lot of collection calls, freeing yourself from this constant contact can be a huge relief.

If you are facing a potential divorce, as well as, bankruptcy, carefully calculate which move you make first. You may benefit by waiting until after the divorce is filed so you will qualify for Chapter 7 instead of Chapter 13. This will keep you from being responsible for monthly payments that are associated with Chapter 13.

You do not need to be bankrupt to file for personal bankruptcy. In 1898 the term was changed from ?bankrupt? to ?debtor? so that people could more readily understand that an inability to pay bills is the main qualifying factor in filing for personal bankruptcy. Most people who file are not, in fact, completely bankrupt.

Many people do not know that student loans are not dischargeable debt under bankruptcy laws. Do not go into your bankruptcy thinking that your student loans will be discharged, because only in cases of extreme hardship are they considered. If the job you received from pursuing your degree will never allow you to pay off your debt, you may have a chance, but it is highly unlikely.

Do not view bankruptcy as the end of your financial health. You can rebuilt your credit post-bankruptcy. The important thing is to plan, budget, and avoid racking up debts the way you did in the past. With patience, effort, and determination, you can rebuild both your credit. Your health of your financial accounts, and holdings.

If you want to get an attorney to help you with your bankruptcy, ask your credit counselor, friends, or family who have dealt with bankruptcy, for a referral. If you try to find a bankruptcy attorney online, you run the risk of running into scam artists posing as attorneys. You should research any attorneys carefully that you find through this method.

When you file personal bankruptcy, this is a matter of public record. You need to be aware that your name may appear in the news and in newspapers. If you do not want people knowing your financial situation, this may not be the best option for you and your situation.

As you can see, just by reading this article, the thought of bankruptcy is not as scary and confusing as it once seemed. Hopefully, the information that was presented to you has helped shed some light. If you feel that bankruptcy is right for you, remember the information from this article, as you take the next steps.

For the very best family law attorneys springfield mo, be sure to be methodical and choose the best lawyer for you.

Source: http://languagebanners.com/solid-advice-when-searching-for-ways-to-file-for-bankruptcy/

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Chinese Feng Shui To Improve The Power In Your House | alibdubrow

Chinese Feng Shui is applied to make healthful electricity flowing throughout a specific area in your household. When nutritious electricity flows close to a human being, he/she feels very good. And, the very good experience can make his/her resonance to truly feel lighter. This lighter resonance gives a emotion of enjoyment, very well - being and vitality. Moreover, it results in excellent well being as very well.

In accordance to experts there are lots of Chinese Feng Shui recommendations to enrich the electricity in your household. Some of them include the subsequent

Maintain home clear

Holding your residence thoroughly clean and tidy is one of the foremost Feng Shui suggestions to follow for all. Clutter and grime can make you continue to be in lower resonance. Lower resonance helps make you truly feel significant and it prospects to result in ailments, depression, etc. When you make your house tidy, you will feel nutritious, having clean air and significant resonance.

Concentrate on the middle of household

As per this Chinese Feng Shui tip, you want to usually maintain the center of your household thoroughly clean and tidy. Contemplate this spot as an earth aspect and make your health electricity more robust by putting objects symbolizing the earth like as plants in massive pots, pottery, rocks, and sculptures. Also attempt to use earthy colours these kinds of as browns, terra cotta, yellows and golds.

If there is a washing machine or lavatory in the middle of your house, then your power is likely down the drains. So, shut down the doorways or toilet, keep the washer lid down, make the shower or sink drains shut when you dont use it. Set a mirror on the external area of the rest room doorway to push back the vitality into the home.

Area plants inside of property for introducing vibrant energy

Area wholesome, lush and vibrantly inexperienced vegetation inside of your house. Keep away from spiky and weeping plants this sort of as mulberry and windows due to the fact they can provide despair. Bedroom is 1 of the most significant areas to place nutritious plants, as you invest a good deal of your time resting and refreshing there. So consider incorporating some there.

Prevent spiral staircases

Spiral staircases are quite unhealthy due to the fact their corkscrew design generates a downward vitality. If you have spiral staircases, then use some additions these kinds of as put a huge potted plant beneath the stairwell and mail it upward. Set one more plant at the upper aspect of the stairs to pull the strength up when you climb them. Deal with the handrail with a inexperienced silk vine, which will expel recovery energy when you walk up the stairs.

Stay away from electric powered items at your mattress

Maintain electrical items like phones, radios and telephones absent from your mattress. These electrical items have reduced resistance and take up crucial electricity from you. So you really should steer clear of them at your mattress.

Guarantee air is fresh and wholesome

Use air filters in your house locations wherever allergies or unhealthy air are an situation. To retain air passing at all the parts of your home is a fantastic concept so apply this Chinese Feng Shui hint to keep away from all sorts of allergic reactions.

To conclude, Chinese Feng Shui guidelines can make a fantastic influence in growing the power in your home. So, implement these proven tips and feel and pass on vivid power in your residence to dwell wholesome, satisfied and affluent.

Via: Chinese Feng Shui To Enhance The Energy In Your Home

Source: http://alibdubrow.blogspot.com/2012/07/chinese-feng-shui-to-improve-power-in.html

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Guaranteed Issue Health Insurance

Posted by admin on 23 juillet 2012 at 0 h 04 min

Guaranteed Issue Health Insurance www.guaranteedissuehealthinsuranceinfo.com If you are watching this video, chances are that you are having a very difficult time of finding Health Insurance. We offer Guaranteed Issue Health Plans for Pre-existing Conditions that you can obtain regardless of your present medical condition. Guaranteed Issue Health Insurance is for people who cannot otherwise qualify for standard health insurance due to existing medical problems such as diabetes, prior history of cancer, stroke, heart attack, depression,etc. This plan offers NO Deductible, GUARANTEED fixed dollar amounts for doctor visits, hospital, or Pharmacy. ANY Doctor, ANY Hospital. 24 Hour coverage, on or off the job. One big advantage of this Guaranteed Issue Health Insurance Plan is that you are able to take advantage of the PPO network in which members enjoy big savings. We offer individual and family coverage so if you are tired of hearing no from other companies, CALL US AND YOU WILL GET A YES! Below is a partial list of Medical Conditions for our Guaranteed Issue Health Insurance. Addison Disease, AIDS or AIDS Related Complex, Alcohol Abuse Dependency, Alzheimer?s Syndrome, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS ?Lou Gehrig?s Disease), Aneurysm, Angina Pectoris, Angioplasty, Ankylosing spondylitis, Aortic Disorders, Arteriosclerosis, Arthrosclerosis, Auto Immune Disorders, Autis, Berger?s Disease, Bipolar Disorder, Bulimia (Bulemia),Cancer ? malignant tumors, Cardiac Pacemaker ?

Source: http://cardionews.co.cc/?p=17655

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The Hcg Weight Loss Stories: Initial step To Weight Loss | Welcome ...

Obesity is thought of to be one of the significant health problems among the people; as a result, different eating plan strategies are offered just to manage this health problem. Each one of us desires to drop weight as swiftly as possible. Weight reduction programs? success is not done in a flash. This is due to the reality that you understand methods to slimming down if you?re trying to attain a brand-new body design totally different than from the body you have previously.

Meanwhile, the hcg fat burning technique is presently getting much more as well as much more well-liked because of its pledges of speedy fat burning. That?s why a great deal of hcg fat burning tales are being used by a great deal of dieters as their basis on just what fat burning show they take; likewise, it is essential for them to take their very first step in losing pounds as well as obtaining a healthy body.

Currently, a great deal of people specifically those are overwieght, find hcg diet a really successful technique in relations to] losing pounds for every day. With their good hcg fat burning tales, lots of people presently indulge in taking the hcg 500 calorie diet . Due to the fact that of the boosting craving for fat burning plan, hcg fat burning tales have presently become a motivational device for lots of people specifically for those that dread to take the original tip to slimming down with hcg. These tales would certainly help a great deal of individuals that don?t have enough functionalities to determine as well as that are not conscious of the risks on their health and wellness led to by obesity.

No matter what hcg diet method people do, consuming a 500 gram calories for every day as well as not depriving is a big question to the researchers. Apart from the curative claims of the schedule, still no eating plan supplement is called for. However, every dieter had the ability to attain their weight target with this fat burning remedy. For that reason, hcg fat burning tales still stays as great basis for every dieter to tak the original tip in attempting this fat burning schedule (specifically to those people that have hesitations).

We have our health and wellness, as well as we supervise it. To be one of the people that have successful hcg fat burning tales, is one tip to accomplishing health and fitness. Adhering to the hcg method as well as tips is still one of the most exceptional means to have a success account about the schedule.

Source: http://www.vitadablog.com/the-hcg-weight-loss-stories-initial-step-to-weight-loss/

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Does animal experimentation save human lives?

More lives could be saved and suffering stopped by educating people on the importance of avoiding fat and cholesterol, the dangers of smoking, reducing alcohol and other drug consumption, exercising regularly, and cleaning up the environment than by all the animal tests in the world.

And, as George Bernard Shaw once said, "You do not settle whether an experiment is justified or not by merely showing that it is of some use. The distinction is not between useful and useless experiments, but between barbarous and civilized behavior." There are some medical problems that can probably only be cured by testing on unwilling people, but we don?t do it because we recognize that it would be wrong. We need to extend this same concern to other living, feeling beings, regardless of what species they may be.

Source: http://origin.www.peta.org/about/faq/Does-animal-experimentation-save-human-lives.aspx

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Budget Magnet ? Ouya's video game console Kickstarter tops $5M ...

July 21, 2012

The people have spoken. And they want their Ouya. The new video game console company, Ouya, has raised more than $5 million in a crowd-funded Kickstarter project in just seven days, with 22 more full days to go in the solicitation.

We?re inching toward 40,000 backers and that?s exciting to see, said Julie Uhrman, the chief executive and founder of Ouya. I?m overwhelmed by the support. The idea is resonating with developers and gamers.

Ouya plans to launch a sub-$100 console in the spring of 2013. It will have free-to-play indie games running on the Android operating system from Google. The machine will have a Tegra 3 processor from Nvidia and a touch-cable game controller.

Since its announcement last week, 39,171 backers have donated $5,002,705, or an average of $127 per donation. Most of them want to get the Ouya console and controller in exchange for a pledge of $99 or more.

Uhrman said donors include game developers who like the open nature of the console, which is going to be hackable for hobbyist purposes. The extra money allows us to deliver more consoles and do better tools to support game developers, she said.

Uhrman said the company is taking suggestions into account and she likes the feedback the Kickstarter donors are giving. She said the company may modify the console based on suggestions, but it has not decided on any changes yet. Some players want music and video playback in addition to gaming.

This feedback allows us to focus on the task, she said.

Some have reacted with skepticism to the company?s attempt to challenge Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. But Uhrman said, A little skepticism is healthy. It keeps everyone on their toes.

Uhrman said the San Francisco company is raising money only on Kickstarter at the moment.

The system will enable developers to make money from their games in any way they want; they???ll no longer be bound to the standard $60 price for a console game. The Ouya will offer free demos and business models such as free-to-play, subscription, virtual goods, or paid fees.

Famous industrial designer Yves B?har (who also did the Jambox speakers) created the look of the Android-powered Ouya box.

The box will include a quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor, a Nvidia Tegra 3 graphics processing unit, 8GB of Flash memory, 1GB RAM, and Bluetooth connectivity. The controller takes a cue from the upcoming Nintendo Wii U console: It can play traditional games but also has a touchpad. This means that developers can create special experiences for the Ouya console, Uhrman said. The company is seeking content such as role-playing games, shooters, and casual games.

Ouya will have a custom Android interface and its own online store. It will be open to any developer who would like to make a game for it. The system will launch with TwitchTV integration, so users may view tournaments and live-streamed plays. The standard fee for games or items purchased on the network is 30 percent.

It won???t be easy for a startup to compete against Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. Other rivals include Valve???s Steam, a digital distribution client for PCs, and cloud-gaming service OnLive. That???s why venture capitalists turned down Uhrman when she was trying to raise money.

Uhrman came up with the Ouya name at the beginning of last year while she was running digital distribution for IGN, a highly read games news site owned by News Corp.

Advisors include Ed Fries, the former head of Microsoft Game Studios; Brian Fargo, the CEO of InXile and a longtime game developer; Markus ???Notch??? Persson, the creator of indie sensation Minecraft and head of Mojang; and Adam Saltsman of Canabalt. Investors include Jay Adelson, the former CEO of Digg; Joe Greenstein, the founder of Flixster; Hosain Rahman, the founder of Jawbone; and Eric Hautemont, the publisher of Ticket to Ride. Behar is the Ouya product designer.

Filed under: Game

Tags: Game

Source: http://www.budgetmagnet.org/2012/07/21/ouyas-video-game-console-kickstarter-tops-5m-raised-so-far-exclusive-interview/

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Regarding reaction to the reaction to Sparrow being end-of-lined

Yesterday it was announced that Google had acquired Mac and iPhone gmail app Sparrow, and that the Sparrow team would be joining the Gmail team, and Sparrow would be receiving no further updates.

Some users were really disappointed, and expressed as much here on iMore, on Twitter, and other through various other mediums.

And that led to some push back. Including from other developers like the usually very astute Matt Gemmell, who prefaces his takedown with the following:

Cue predictable squawking on the internet. The same thing happens every time there?s an acquisition of a smaller, indie dev company or product by a larger company.

People try to dress their reaction up as a principled stance or a community cause, but that?s at best wrong-headed thinking, and at worst wilfully egocentric bullshit.

Yet Gemmell falls victim to one of the most classic blunders in customer relationship management. No, not "never get involved in a land war in Asia...", but "never take up an equal and oppositely wrong headed, egocentric position in an argument".

The crux of what Gemmell is saying is that Sparrow doesn't owe users anything. Users paid, got the version of the app they paid for, the transaction was one-time and completed. And that users have no right to complain now.

The first few points are completely accurate. The last one, that users have no right to complain, is flabbergasting. (Yes, as someone who worked in software marketing for years, my gasts are literally flabbered.)

Certainly there's a segment of the user base that is outrageously entitled. There are those who believe that they shouldn't have to pay for software, even though they themselves get paid for their work, or who run beta operating systems or jailbreak and then leave negative reviews for apps they themselves broke, or that once they buy one version of an app, they're forever owed all future versions, for free. All of which is nonsense.

However, there's also a segment of the developer community that's just as outrageously entitled. That believe their success is detached from their user base. That they can act anyway they like, and that any negative reaction by their user base should be dismissed at best, attacked at worst. All of which is also nonsense.

Both beliefs do a disservice to the developer-user relationship, a relationship that can be powerfully beneficial for all parties involved.

There's a middle ground here. We can be thrilled for the Sparrow team's success and thrilled for Google for acquiring their talent. We can look forward to everything they'll bring us in the future. But we can also mourn for Sparrow,for an app we enjoyed and recommended highly, that we made part of our workflow and may soon need to replace, that now has no future.

A developer is no more obliged to keep updating an app in perpetuity, for any reason, than a user is obliged to purchase every update a developer ever releases, forever. Apple can stop making iWork and I can stop buying iWork updates. Adobe can stop making Photoshop and I can stop buying Photoshop updates.

If something happens beyond a developer's control, however, and they can no longer sell their app -- if it's rejected or removed from the App Store, if an API they depend on is threatened or denied them, if they're copied by the platform owner - they have every right to be pissed, or sad, or to complain about it. (Just look at the complaints about sandboxing and Twitter uncertainty) -- all well justified.)

And by the same token, if something happens beyond a user's control, and a they can no longer buy an app -- if it's removed from sale due to litigation, if it's discontinued, if an intermediary like Apple refuses to sell it -- they have just as much right to be pissed, sad, and complain.

If you're a developer, understanding that can be the difference between amazing customer relationship wins and detrimental public relations gaffs.

A passionate customer base should be humbly nurtured, never taken for granted, or worse, arrogantly dismissed.

The reaction to Sparrow is no different than than the reaction to Tweetie being replaced by the new Twitter for iPhone. It's no different than the reaction to Firefly being canceled.

Humans become invested in what we enjoy. We feel connected to it. We share pride in its successes and take issue with its failures. The benefit to those who develop or produce such things is enormous -- continued revenue, powerful word-of-mouth advertising, popularity, and support.

Our passion for products is infectious -- we tell our friends, our families, and our colleagues, and we spread word on Twitter, Facebook, forums, and more. We recommend what we love and we feel responsible for what we recommend.

And the flip side of that passion, the reaction to it being lost, the price paid when it is taken away, is that we voice our displeasure just as loudly, in just as many mediums.

Smart companies know this, plan for it, and handle it with grace. They understand the advantage of having such an engaged user base. They sympathize, acknowledge, and use the opportunity to build even stronger support for the future.

Response to: Matt Gemmell

Sparrow

Developers

customer relationship managements

Pr

Development

Featured

Editorial

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/PO_M3IZ4d8g/story01.htm

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Santo inducted into baseball Hall of Fame

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/santo-inducted-baseball-hall-fame-193149339--mlb.html

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Obama Urges 'Time for Prayer, Reflection' After Colorado Shooting

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-urges-time-prayer-reflection-colorado-shooting-100109938--abc-news-politics.html

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New Equipment ? Is it Smarter to Lease or to Buy?

Contractors inevitably reach a point when they know they?ll have to retire an old, worn-down piece of equipment and shop around for something new. Deciding on a replacement can be tough. But it?s even tougher trying to decide whether buying or leasing that new piece of equipment makes the most sense. ?What are the issues you should examine before deciding to lease or buy? Consider these:?

Examine Your Cash Position First?

Your decision to lease or buy may be based largely on your cash flow. A purchase requires you to either dig into your cash reserves or line of credit for the full price or make a cash down payment and finance the remaining cost.?

It?s important to analyze your company?s upcoming cash needs and the financing options available to you before you opt to buy equipment. You?ll want to take into account how financing the purchase could affect your ability to obtain credit for other business needs.?

The primary advantage to leasing is that it allows you to budget payments over an extended period. You also can structure the lease payment schedule to suit your normal cash flow patterns. Since leasing frees up cash and credit for other investments, leasing may be a good option if your cash flow is not as good as it should be.?

Review Your Tax Situation?

Along with cash flow, you?ll also have to consider the tax and accounting implications of buying or leasing equipment.?

Buying Equipment?

When you buy equipment, you generally write off the cost as depreciation over time. If eligible, however, you can take advantage of the Internal Revenue Code?s Section 179 ?expensing? election. This section of the tax code lets you deduct the cost of qualifying assets in the year your business first places them in service ? as opposed to claiming regular depreciation deductions. For 2012, the Section 179 expensing limit is $139,000. This limit will be reduced dollar for dollar as the cost of Section 179-eligible property placed in service in 2012 exceeds $560,000. You cannot expense more than the amount of your taxable income from active trades or businesses.?

Moreover, your contracting firm may make an election to write off 50% of the cost of new machinery and equipment placed in service during calendar-year 2012. This 50% first-year depreciation reduces the property?s basis for purposes of figuring regular depreciation deductions.?

Leasing Equipment?

When you lease equipment, your company may be able to deduct the lease payments as operating expenses. This avoids the alternative minimum tax (AMT) adjustments for depreciation, which can be an important factor if your firm could be subject to the AMT.?

However, proposed accounting changes that target leasing may have an impact on the attractiveness of leasing. As things currently stand, there are two categories of leases: capital leases, which have to be reported on balance sheets, and operating leases, which can be structured to stay off the balance sheet.?

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has proposed standards that would eliminate off-balance-sheet lease financing. The FASB believes that operating leases create an understatement of assets and liabilities and make it difficult to compare financial results for firms that treat leases differently. Essentially, operating leases would be required to be recorded on the lessee?s balance sheet if the proposed changes are adopted. That, in turn, would require significantly more monitoring and recordkeeping and could impact a contractor?s ability to obtain loans or bonding at competitive rates.

Talk to Us?

New equipment is a significant expense for most contractors. We can help you run the numbers to determine whether buying or leasing makes the most sense for your construction firm.?

?It?s important to analyze your company?s upcoming cash needs and the financing options available to you before you opt to buy equipment.?

This entry was posted on Friday, July 20th, 2012 at 7:27 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Source: http://www.arbcpa.com/news/new-equipment-is-it-smarter-to-lease-or-to-buy/

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Heineken makes $4.1 bn bid for Singapore brewer

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/heineken-makes-4-1-bn-bid-singapore-brewer-063125518.html

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Dark Knight Rises Producer Discusses Batman's Epic History

It's hard to believe, but there was a time in Hollywood when no one thought a Batman movie was a good idea. Flashforward to 2012, Christopher Nolan?s The Dark Knight Rises is tracking to be one of the biggest opening weekends in box office history. Oh, how times have changed.

If you?re a fan of the Batman movies or any non-comic translation of the Bruce Wayne character in the past 40 years, you have one man to thank: Producer Michael Uslan. A New Jersey native and avid comic book fan, Uslan knew from an early age that Batman was meant for bigger and better big screen adventures, and took matters into his own hands to acquire the rights. After being mentored by DC Comics? Sol Harrison and completing law school, Uslan became a studio attorney for United Artists, and when he felt he had enough know-how in his back pocket, he aggressively pursued the Batman film rights. The rest is history.

In anticipation of The Dark Knight Rises, I sat down with Uslan to discuss Batman?s history on screen, the turbulent journey to convince Hollywood the character could be a success, and the evolution of style and substance that?s helped Batman remain part of pop culture for nearly 75 years.

In short: you?re the reason Batman ever became a movie.

Michael Uslan: It was one of my better ideas.

But from the sound of it, bringing the character to screen the way you envisioned it was a hard battle in the beginning.

Uslan: It was a really tense fifteen years. By the time Ben Melniker and I bought the rights, it was a ten-year human endurance contest.

If you think back today, it almost doesn?t make sense, like today it would be an obvious thing to do. Why was it so difficult then?

Uslan: Well, you really have to set it in the context of the times. When I was first out there pitching Batman, it was the late 1970s. And the generation that was running Hollywood, and by that I?m including executives, I?m including agents, and a lot of talent pool, were brought up in what I like to call the ?seduction of the innocent? generation.

Back in the early-mid 1950s, there was a huge post-World War II rise in juvenile delinquency in America. And Dr. Fredric Wertham, a psychiatrist who had his own clinic up in Brooklyn, began speaking at garden parties, and PTAs, and churches, talking about the horror of comic books. That comic books were creating a generation of juvenile delinquents. And he proved it by interviewing some 100 juvenile delinquents at his clinic, each one admitting during questioning that they had read a comic book. Therefore, Dr. Wertham concluded that comic books cause juvenile delinquency. Now, in his book that he published, called Seduction of the Innocent, he also claimed that girls growing up reading Wonder Woman would become lesbians, boys growing up reading Batman and Robin would become homosexuals, and that comic books cause asthma, because children were staying indoors to read them instead of playing in the fresh air. His diatribe was picked up by churches and PTAs and schools, and a whole generation of parents, clergymen, teachers, administrators, and politicians who were looking for an easy witch hunt, an easy place to lay the blame for a generation of children that seemed to have gone wrong. There was a federal investigation that had just started under Senator Estes Kefauver of New York, when things changed.

Two things happened that changed everything (and I?m sorry for giving you this background, but I just want you to appreciate it in the context of the times): the industry decided to self-center itself, so the comic book industry formed what they call the Comics Code Authority, which would be a censorship board that would heavily police comic books for themselves and keep the feds out of it. But maybe the biggest thing that happened was the advent of rock and roll. All of the sudden there was a new, easier, bigger target. And rather than cities like Jersey City and St. Louis burning comic books ? which they had done ? they started to burn Elvis Presley records.

The devil?s work.

Uslan: Exactly. So there is an entire generation of adults and young adults who grew up under that. And when I went out in Hollywood in the late '70s, that?s the generation that I ran smack into. Not only did they refuse to believe that Batman would be viable as a big movie done in a dark and serious way, they looked down their noses at comic books, they considered them cheap and probably lurid entertainment for children. Nothing more, nothing less. And had no respect for comics, the characters, nor the creators.

There?s a great story that Stan Lee tells, that during this period in the '50s and '60s, first half of the '60s, when the whole world was pointing their fingers and looking down their noses at comics, he would be at cocktail parties in New York City, and people would come up to him and say, ?So what do you do?? and he was embarrassed to admit that he wrote comic books, so he would say ?I?m a writer,? and then he?d quickly walk away. He said people would follow him and go, ?Really, you?re a writer? Well what kind of things do you write?? And he said, ?Well, I write children?s literature,? and then he would quickly walk away. And he said then they would follow him and say, ?Well, specifically, what kind of children?s literature do you write?? And he said, ?Well, I write comic books,? and then he said that they all walked away. So that kind of sets the background. Even Warner Communications, which had acquired DC Comics at that time, looked down at comics. They were kind of embarrassed that they owned a comic book company.

Next: How Uslan Finally Sold Hollywood on Batman

More:
'Dark Knight Rises' Actor Matthew Modine Compares Christopher Nolan and Stanley Kubrick
Why the Best Batman Movies Go Direct to DVD
The 10 Books You Need to Read Before Seeing 'The Dark Knight Rises'

[Photo Credit: Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com, DC Comics]

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1925575/news/1925575/

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Obama's Pot Problem

Salon:

President Barack Obama has disappointed drug-reform advocates across the country since taking office as president, and nowhere do they feel more betrayed than in Colorado.

Read the whole story at Salon

Contribute to this Story:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/19/obama-pot_n_1687268.html

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How to Tap Into Your Experiences for Writing Inspiration

Note from Nick: this is a guest post from Laura Dennis, who currently resides in Serbia! Be sure to leave her a comment thanking her for her time and effort in writing this post, and also?check out her books (info in her byline)!

As well, check out her post over at Turndog Millionaire, called?Can Fan Fiction Be a Part of Your Book Marketing Strategy?

Enter Laura!

How to tap into past and present experiences for blog posts, article ideas? and maybe even your next novel!

?People write memoirs because they lack the imagination to make things up.? -?American author Tom Robbins

Mr. Robbins is partially right. I just published a memoir, Adopted Reality, and it was a tale that I absolutely had to get out of my head. I couldn?t even conceive of making up a story and writing whole book of fiction before I wrote about my bipolar breakdown following 9/11.

But that doesn?t mean that I didn?t use my imagination!

Today I?d like to inspire you with concrete steps for tapping into your experiences for fresh, interesting writing ideas. I love Nick?s goal to help readers be more creative and more productive. I?m happy to be guest posting, and I hope these tips will help you ?live hacked.?

Maybe you?ve already written a novel, and now you?re trying to build your author platform with biographical content for your website and blog. Perhaps you have 1,000+ blog posts under your belt?all about the same topic; and you?re stuck in a writing rut. Maybe you?re convinced that you have a few great true-life stories hiding somewhere in your brain, and you have no idea where to begin.

For starters, please, put your middle school journal down. Those thoughts, poems, and doodles, starting from the seventh grade may be heart-felt, but they lack the perspective you need to give your writing an edge.

I?ve structured this post on the predictable?and yet completely repeatable?journalistic pattern of the 5 W?s: who, what, where, when and why. I?ve also included writing prompts that can help get the creative juices flowing. You can take these tips and develop compelling content for the next 1,000 blog posts!

Tip #1: Who & What

Begin by shifting how you view yourself and others. You, your family and friends are now characters in a narrative. Each character has a look, a way of speaking, and a back-story. He has motivations that drive his behaviors and actions.

Writing prompt: Among all the people you know, think of the five quirkiest. Jot down your favorite story about one of them, an anecdote that made you stop and think, or laugh-out-loud. Then, draw conclusions about life by connecting this anecdote to a life lesson or a timely news item.

Tip #2: Where

Anyone who?s taken a creative writing class knows about setting. The all-important ?where.? Describe the scene, let the reader get into the story.

When you?re writing about personal experiences, the places you grew up, the schools you attended, your first apartment, these are all part of the setting. Maybe you?re the expert on the funky street layout that makes it impossible to make a U-turn in your hometown. Or, you know the best hangouts, and you can describe in excruciating detail your favorite bar?s sticky stools, which invariably emanate the stench of beer and sweat.

Write what you know, and each remembered detail will resonate with your audience that much more profoundly.

Writing Prompt: Where was your favorite hiding place as a child? Does it evoke positive emotions (secret lair), or negative ones (trying to get away from the bully)? Remember to describe the smells and sounds, along with what you see and feel.

Tip #3: When & Why

Try to place episodes in your family?s history within their cultural context. How do your characters? actions relate to their social standing and economic status? In this way, when things happened connect directly to why they happened.

Writing Prompt: Brainstorm major historical events, and where your parents or grandparents were. Think of occasions such as them watching the first man land on the moon, or hearing about the JFK assassination. Another great question, Where were you on 9/11?

Adding in details, such as social and historical factors, provide context for the reader.

You can go another route. Think of a topic for which you have a strong opinion, such as racism, sexism, homophobia, pro-life, pro-choice, homelessness, you get the picture. The reason for the ?strong opinion? requirement is so that you?ll have a point-of-view.

You have to take a side in order for the story to have perspective and, frankly, to be interesting.

But a note: You don?t have to have an ethnicity other than Caucasian to write about racism. You don?t have to be a woman to write about sexism. You don?t even have to have directly experienced any of these topics to have an opinion on them. You can still write a great personal story.

Writing Prompt: Take a topic for which you have a strong opinion, and off the top of your head, list five examples in your life, or the lives of people you?ve encountered, that relate to that topic.

Connecting an issue with your personal experiences will help you to create subtext, which is an underlying and implied idea that adds richness to your writing. This is the mark of great memoirs: if you can draw conclusions about your personal life, your readers will feel connected to you. They?ll learn something about their own lives.

Tip #4: Start Writing!

Try one of the writing prompts, just shoot for 400 words, and you?ll get there more quickly than you think.

Or, simply write a comment! Do you feel guilty about turning your friends into characters? Want to share what you?ve written after being inspired by one of the above writing prompts? Have a question about infusing subtext into your writing? Post a comment below, or connect with me online. I?d love to help!

Learn more about me at AdoptedRealityMemoir.com

Follow my blog, adoptedrealitymemoir

Like Adopted Reality on Facebook

Tweet with me @adoptedreality

Or just send me a plain-old email, laura @ adoptedrealitymemoir.com

Laura Dennis currently lives in Serbia with her husband and two children. ADOPTED REALITY is now available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com. The paperback version will be out in August 2012.

Source: http://www.livehacked.com/writing-2/how-to-tap-into-your-experiences-for-writing-inspiration/

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