Join us this Saturday at the Domino Effect Rescue Ranch from 10-5 for the Domino Effect/Open House Adoption Day. Call for more information on the horses or to make an appointment to come see us at another given time.
1. Wild Child-3-year-old Thoroughbred bay gelding. 2. Louie-19-year-old Chestnut Paint Mustang gelding. 3. Shiloh-8-year-old Paso Fino gelding. 4. Rocket & Rerun-2 miniature horses. 5. Hope-5-year-old Palomino Quarter Horse mare. 6. Cash-14-year-old Sorrel AQH Quarter Horse mare. 7. Princess-Miniature donkey. 8. Paulie-22-month-old Quarter Horse Paint colt. 9. Smokey-14-year-old Arabian gelding.
Pictures were too large too load, please check out the link below:
See pictures of the horses ready for adoption below:
Kampala ? Even as they continue to work toward a negotiated solution to the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the leaders of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) are planning to deploy a 4,000-strong "neutral force" to the region to improve its security. Yet regional analysts and stakeholders are at odds over the force's composition and mandate.
Conflict in the region has escalated since April, when rebels known as M23 mutinied from DRC's national army (FARDC). An estimated half a million people have since been displaced in North Kivu Province, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The ICGLR peace talks, which kicked off on 9 December, were scheduled to end on 18 December, but have been extended to 31 December due to the limited progress made. At the fifth extraordinary summit in Uganda's capital, Kampala, on 24 November, ICGLR leaders called on the DRC government to negotiate with M23. They also adopted the final concept of the operation and deployment of a Neutral International Force to combat "negative forces" in the region.
"It's a dual process. We see the ongoing discussions as the best opportunity to end the current situation in eastern DRC. But basing on the past history, where peace agreements have been signed and not honoured, the member states are not taking any chances," Stephen Singo Mwachofi, ICGLR peace and security programme officer, told IRIN.
Analysts are sceptical about the ability of the talks to bring lasting peace. "The Congolese government avoided those talks for six months and was forced to have them because of the fall of Goma [to M23 in November]. Given the circumstances and the fact that the Congolese government was cornered and had no alternative, these talks will not lead to a genuine peace agreement," Thierry Vircoulon, Central Africa project director for the think tank International Crisis Group (ICG), told IRIN via email.
"Like in 2009 [when DRC reached a negotiated settlement with CNDP, M23's predecessor], if the outcome of those talks is a new peace deal with an armed group, it will not be signed in good faith by both parties, and it will pose a serious problem of impunity and implementation."
What will the force look like?
According to Lt Col Paddy Ankunda, spokesperson of the Uganda-mediated peace talks, the neutral force will target M23, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), and Mai Mai militias, as well as the Ugandan armed groups the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) and Lord's Resistance Army. It will be based in Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu.
Commodity Online "India's got a big balance of trade deficit ? some Indian politicians are starting to blame it on gold," said Jim Rogers in a programme on CNBC.
"[If they] figure out a way to cut or crimp imports of gold ? if something like that happens, that will be a big shock to all those bulls on gold and who knows how low it can go." the legendary investor added.
India has recently aired concerns regarding its trade deficit getting aggravated as one of the biggest importers of crude oil is forced to balance the ship even as gold imports are also jostling for space. India, on close heels to China, is a consumer of the bullion in gigantic scales. Nonetheless, the nation imports more than a lion's share of its gold consumption.?
The country, in a bid to curb imports of gold had recently doubled the duty on gold.
"I'm very cautious"
"Just be careful, there're too many bulls, including me, but I'm very cautious," Rogers told CNBC on gold's Tuesday correction.
Gold fell to a 3.5 month low on Tuesday as fiscal cliff pessimissm set in.?
"Gold is having a correction? it's been correcting for 15-16 months now? which is normal in my view, and it's possible that [the] correction is going to continue for a while longer." Jim Rogers added.?
Rogers as of now is not buying any gold and has even hedged some of his positions.
"If gold goes down ? I hope I'm smart enough to buy more. If it goes down a lot, I hope I'm smart enough to buy a lot more," he added.
The China bull still stands by his positive long term outlook for gold.
Details:?Droid Eye Live Wallpaper that allows you to change the color and an unlock sound.
A highly customizable Droid Eye Live Wallpaper for 2.1+ devices that support Live Wallpapers
The original Droid Eye Live Wallpaper now with ability to choose your own custom color. I refuse to simple release my app with different colors and charge a fee for each one. You can change the animation to any color you want as many times as you want with just this 99 cent purchase.
Features:
Color Changing (If you can choose option then you may need to make or remake a custom animation through the Custom Color Screen)
Ability to play intro on orientation change.
Have eye move from side to side as you swipe from homescreens or stay in the center.
Play Unlock sound (Is Muted when your phone is on Silent)
Many advance tweaks in setting you can make to perserve battery life, prevent crashes on slower devices and fine tune it to your needs.
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To Use:?Home->Press Menu->Wallpapers->Live Wallpapers->The Droid Eye?LWP
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Download The Droid Eye?Live Wallpaper for Android:
Please confirm if your phone supports live wallpaper apps before you try to download any live wallpapers.
Option 1: (For Android Devices Only)?(Direct Download from Google Play)
If you are using your Android device (phone or tablet) to browse our website, just follow this?direct link?to open Google Play.?Warning: This link is for mobile devices only and using it on your desktop computer will not work!
Option 2: (For Desktops and Android devices)
Use this?direct link?to download the wallpaper from Google Play.?Note: You can use this code from your desktop computer.
The Droid Eye Live Wallpaper for Android, 3.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating
Coal is slated to surpass oil as the world's top fuel source by 2017, as consumption in China and India outstrips the US.
China and India lead the growth in coal consumption over the next five years, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. The report said China's demand for coal will become the world's top consumer during that period, while India will become the largest seaborne coal importer and second-largest consumer, surpassing the US.
"The world will burn around 1.2 billion more tonnes of coal per year by 2017 compared to today, equivalent to the current coal consumption of Russia and the US combined,"India's Hindu newspaperquoted IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven as saying. "Coal?s share of the global energy mix continues to grow each year, and if no changes are made to current policies, coal will catch oil within a decade.?
The news comes amid concerns among coal producers in the US due to the recent shift to natural gas -- as the result of cost-savings from fracking. But it also highlights the urgent need for cleaner coal technologies in the developing world.
Marketing services provider Wright Global Graphic Solutions in Thomasville, N.C., has named Pat Flippin director of international business development, a newly created position.
He is responsible for increasing overseas sales?with a focus on Southeast Asia and the Middle East?and expanding the company?s reputation as a global packaging and marketing solutions provider.
Flippin is a mattress industry veteran with a long tenure at manufacturer Kingsdown. He began there in 1986 as regional operations and plant manager and rose to become Kingsdown?s president and chief operating officer?a position he held from 2001 to 2010.
In addition to his contract work for Wright, Flippin serves as president of North and South American operations for Global Sourcing Solutions USA Asia.
?We are excited to embrace Pat as part of the Wright Global Graphic Solutions family,? said Ron Wright, senior vice president of international operations. ?Our international business has been growing at a steady pace over the last several years and we recognized the need for a seasoned executive to help us implement our corporate vision in Asia and the Middle East. Pat is a well-known and respected leader in the sleep products industry and has made strong connections with numerous international contractors. We know these relationships will play an integral role in our company?s strategic growth plan, especially overseas.?
Virtuoso Legal Marketing LLC, a Dickson, TN-based Internet marketing company that specializes in the promotion of law firms, is pleased to announce the launch of a new web design, located at www.virtuosolegalmarketing.com.
Said Virtuoso Legal Marketing partner, Brad Hart, ?I believe the new website does a much better job of conveying our message, which centers around gaining a competitive advantage through the use of aggressive online promotion. We also believe the website is easier to navigate and provides more value to our visitors.?
Virtuoso Legal Marketing is a full service provider of Internet marketing-related services of law firms. Originally an offshoot of its parent company, Work Media LLC, Virtuoso can help law firms through the complete Internet marketing cycle ? research, website development, search engine optimization, local search optimization, paid search marketing, social media marketing, and most recently, mobile app development.
?It has always bothered us the way the big companies in this industry treat their clients. They think nothing of taking on dozens of directly competing firms in the same market, and they lock them down with unreasonable contracts. The kicker is that what they consider SEO is often nothing more than cross-linking their own clients,? said Hart. ?That?s why we operate differently. We offer market exclusivity and we do things the right way. That?s why the tagline on our new website says ?Complete Web Strategy Management?. Hopefully our new website effectively conveys these differences.?
About Virtuoso Legal Marketing LLC Virtuoso Legal Marketing LLC, formed in 2010, is a partnership between the founding members of Internet marketing company, Work Media LLC, and other experienced search engine marketing professionals who have years of experience promoting law firm websites. The company differentiates itself from other Internet marketing companies in the legal industry by providing market exclusive, contract free service.
To learn more about the services that Virtuoso provides, visit www.virtuosolegalmarketing.com. The company may also be reached via email at info@virtuosolegalmarketing.com or phone at 800-281-2226.
Ashley and J.P.?s wedding finally aired Dec. 16 on ABC, and ?Bachelorette? fans got to see all the details of their big day: the preparation, the dress, the vows ? and,of course, the tears!
Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum are only one of a few?Bachelorette couples in history to have made it down the aisle, as they got married in a beautiful ceremony Dec. 1 at The Langham Hotel in Pasadena, Calif. And since their romance played out in front of the ABC cameras, it only seems fitting that they got also married in front of them! The Bachelor?s own?Chris Harrison hosted the wedding special, and it was so emotional!
A History Of Their Love:
J.P. admits it was ?love at first sight? when he and Ashley met on The Bachelorette. He competed for her heart on the show, and he proved to be a worthy winner in May 2011, when he proposed to Ashley.
She says, ?When we kissed, it was sparks? and that they have a ?fairy tale relationship.? So sweet! They are clearly made for each other.
Preparing For The Wedding:
J.P. and Ashley told their families together about their plans for their big day, and their reaction was adorable. It?s clear that both families really approve of their union.
?We love Ashley? said J.P.?s mom Ilene Rosenbaum, while J.P. thanked Ashley?s family. Even Ashley?s sister seemed so excited for their wedding, and she was famously?skeptical?of their love when Ashley appeared on The Bachelorette.
Ashley and J.P. met with famous wedding planner Mindy Weiss to discuss their big day, and they were so cute!
J.P. said, ?It?s our day, but it?s really her day, and I want her to get every thing she wants.??Ashley wanted simple, feminine, neutral details for the wedding, with ?just a little color.? They chose white and cream flowers for the wedding, and the funniest moment was when Ashley picks out a wedding outfit for her dog Boo!
Speaking of their upcoming union, J.P. said, ?I was never a huge believer of fate, but what are the odds that I meet the woman of my dreams the way I met her? There is not a day that goes by ? that I don?t think about how lucky I am.? Aww!
Ashley got emotional when planning the wedding, and it was clear how excited she was to marry J.P. It was also obvious how excited she was to pick the cake! Red velvet seemed to be the winner for their big day, but Ashley knew the most important part of the day was ?becoming man and wife.?
The Dress:
Ashley had the help of her mom, J.P.?s mom and her sister to watch her try on her dress. She wore a beautiful white dress designed by?Randi Rahm?that Ashley helped design.
?It?s beautiful? says Ashley?s mom, while Ilene added, ?J.P. will love it. ? J.P. will be so overcome.?
As for the tux? J.P. tried on several with this father and best friend Sean. He admitted, ?It?s the most fun I have had? when planning the wedding. And the rings??Neil Lane, the famous ring designer ? who was recently name-dropped on 90210?? helped the pair pick out their rings together.
?I don?t know how I got this lucky? said Ashley, while J.P. admitted, ?I may start crying.?
Bachelor and Bachelorette Party:
Ashley and J.P. both went to Scottsdale, Ariz., for their respective parties. Ashley and her girlfriends had a day of pampering and fun, and Ashley even got a manicure of J.P.?s face! And no bachelorette party would be complete without a spot of pole dancing ? which Ashley was surprisingly good at!
Meanwhile, J.P. and his boys went for a day of car racing and then out for drinks. And the couple broke all rules of bachelor/bachelorette parties when they met up for some romantic fun at the swimming pool. Ashley said that J.P. is the most ?amazing man? and that she cannot wait to marry him.
Celebrity Guests:
Molly and Jason Mesnick?were just a few of the Bachelor alumni who appeared at the wedding, and they admitted they are ?not founding out? about the sex of their baby, which is due next year.
Trista and Ryan Sutter wished Sean Lowe well on his upcoming season, and Chris wished them well on their nine-year anniversary.?Emily Maynard, Ali Fedotowsky and Roberto Martinez?were just some of the other guests who were invited the wedding.
Ali said, ?J.P. and Ashley look so in love,? while Emily got ?chills? watching the first dance.
Their Big Day:
Ashley had a girls? breakfast before the wedding began, while J.P. was given words of wisdom from his boys. While Ashley was getting her wedding hair and makeup done, J.P. sent her a bracelet ? and she could not keep back the tears!
The bridesmaids wore cream-colored, one-shouldered dresses, while Boo (the dog) looked super cute in his little outfit. Ashley and J.P. married outdoors, and Ashley walked down the aisle to ?I Can?t Help Falling In Love With You.? Both she and J.P. cried; it was so adorable!
Chris spoke beautiful words as he married the pair, noting ?opposites attract.? Their moms joined them on the altar to partake in a tradition that ?ties the knot,? as they read several beautiful passages. More tears all around!
The Vows:
Both the bride and groom welled up with tears during their vows, as J.P. said, ?I can?t picture my life without you. ? I love you so much. ? I want to spend the rest of my life with you.?
Ashley added that ?relationships are the most important things in life? and ?every day, we are together will be the greatest day of the life.?
Then Chris announced them as man and wife! There was not one dry eye in the crowd, as everyone cheered for the newlyweds.
Their Future Together:
What?s next for the newly weds? A honeymoon! As for kids, J.P. said, ?When we have kids, and they ask how did you and mommy meet, I?ll say take a seat.? (Presumably, he?ll show them episodes from?The Bachelorette, which may or may not be the best idea.)
Ashley only wants one kid, while J.P. wants two in ?a year and a half.? We can totally see that happening!
It was really was a beautiful wedding and we think Ashley and J.P. will be together for a long time! (Hopefully forever!)
What do YOU HollywoodLifers? Will J.P. and Ashley be together forever?
WATCH: Ashley Hebert and JP Rosenbaum Get Married! ENTV
Internet users don?t exactly?grin and bear?interruptions. Many exit out of a website at the first sign of an unwanted pop-up, for example, or when a page has too many advertisements.
Others seek a more drastic approach: they use tools that ward off intrusive interruptions.
Knowledge about the functions these tools serve is useful for marketers because it reveals two important insights:
which tactics are more likely never to reach your intended audience
what people find really annoying online
Since you?re unlikely to warm people to a brand by annoying them into submission, it?s good to figure out what turns people off, and how you can avoid actions that people find more annoying than persuasive.
Interruption-free web browsing tools
So, what are some of these tools that allow for interruption-free time online? And how are they positioning their value to web users?
AdBlock Plus:?Boasting the status of the number one Firefox extension, various iterations of AdBlock Plus have been around for years. It works on multiple browsers and has even made the jump to mobile. It claims to offer distraction-free, faster browsing by blocking ads. In other words, it labels advertisements as obstacles that make people take longer to reach what they?really want to find.
AdFender:?Another blocking tool, AdFender?vows to help you ?regain control? of your web experience by getting rid of online advertisements that ?cause significant deterioration of the average user?s experience of the web.? Understanding that you may use multiple browsers on one computer, it supports a wide range of them, both popular and obscure ones.
AVG Do Not Track: Responding to concerns about the need for greater privacy online, the anti-virus and Internet security software AVG now offers a Do Not Track feature, which works in your browser to let you control which applications, advertising networks, and websites can track and collect your data.
Social Fixer:?Advertisements don?t hold a monopoly over annoying people online. Sometimes actions through social media websites like Facebook can rub people the wrong way. Social Fixer?empowers you to customize your Facebook experience by ?eliminating annoyances? and filtering stories you want to hide. These annoyances can be anything from?offensive?content to excessive ?look at me!? promotion through social channels.
What can ad-blocking and filtering tools teach online marketers?
Just because there?s a strong market for tools designed to thwart online?advertisements?doesn?t mean they?re going away. On the contrary, ZenithOptimedia predicts that more money will go towards online?advertising?globally than newspaper ads in 2013.
But it?s no coincidence that so many products describe advertisements as nothing but burdensome messages ? many people agree with that sentiment. And that perspective is likely to shape the future of online marketing, especially as more digital natives populate the Internet.
Recently, Adobe conducted a survey about online advertising and the results weren?t pretty. Half of its respondents agreed that ?online advertising is creepy and stalks you? and that ?most marketing is a bunch of B.S.?
The online behavior of younger adults helps reinforce that philosophy.?A full 70% of users aged 25-34 report that they rarely pay attention to ads on social networking sites. Instead, they?re more likely to listen to recommendations from people in their network.
This data brings up a significant insight for marketers: user-generated content is important.
The Adobe survey (the one where many people agreed marketing was B.S. and that online advertising was creepy) found that 28% of?respondents?believed user-generated content is the most effective type of ad. A full third would check out a product that someone in their network recommended and 7% said that social media?endorsements are the most effective ad medium.
Those results help paint a picture of users who are not looking to escape purchase-related influence. They just want authenticity throughout the process. And if you consider the ?get out of the way? language peddled by ad-blocking tools,?users also want?expediency?when they?re ready to buy.
Online marketers should?accommodate?this mentality by asking questions like:
How can we make it easier for?users to engage in value-add interactions?
How can we make our marketing content more authentic?
Which of our tactics are probably perceived as a?nuisance, and how can we change that?
In short, tools that promote ?distraction-free? web browsing offer a glimpse into the psychology of the future Internet user ? someone who is tech savvy, bored of intrusive ads, and who blocks them where possible.
In response, online marketers should turn to?authenticity,?relevance, and engagement. Without these traits, you could find yourself fighting an uphill battle with little hope for victory.
Why does society subject themselves to the cold during winter months? Besides the simplest answer which would be, we have to; many commonly are just not prepare
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Decorating the living room with a contemporary design is definitely a good idea. You should ideally stick to one particular theme instead of mixing and matching
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BUENOS AIRES, 18 (EUROPA PRESS) Argentina estar? presente en la 21 edici?n del Sal?n Internacional de Turismo de Catalu?a (SITC) para promocionarse como destino
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Leisure Group Travel. Solutions for Group Travel Buyers ... Aviation Technology and Principles of Flight ? Learn how mechanical devices are able to fly, identify parts of an airplane and see airplane engines up close. How Wings Work ? The ...
Sarah Goldschadt of sah-rah.com joins us once again for Family Crafting Month. Sarah is the author of Craft-a-Day: 365 Simple Handmade Projects, a book full of fun and easy projects organized in weekly themes. Kids and adults alike can enjoy Craft-a-Day!
You might also be interested in the new Craft-A-Day app. This app, available from iTunes for $2.99, is the Craft-A-Day: Winter Edition featuring crafts from the book that are perfect for winter. There will be a new app each season; the app features downloadable templates, easy-to-follow instructions, links for supplies and fun animations.
Sarah and Quirk Books shared a free PDF excerpt full of snowmen projects here last week. Today you can download Snowflake Week Projects and the Snowflake Template!
Projects include everything from a Mini Snowflake Stamp and Snowflake Barrette, to Snowflake Wall Art and a Paper Snowflake Mobile.
After you download your snowflake PDFs, be sure to visit the Craft-a-Day Snowman post where you can still comment to win a copy of Craft-a-Day: 365 Simple Handmade Projects!
Legalized marriage is linked to better health for both hetero- and homosexual couples.
A new study proves both same-sex couples and heterosexual couples benefit from marriage.
A study published by the American Journal of Public Health finds married gay couples have less psychological distress than non-married same-sex couples.
Researchers surveyed 47,000 hetero- and homosexual men and women about their well-being, relationship status and demographic as part of the 2009 California Health Interview Survey ? before Proposition 8. They concluded that marriage, for gay and straight participants, reduced feelings of nervousness, hopelessness and depression.
More from YourTango: Love Bytes: How To Date A Hobbit-Head
While this shouldn't be a surprise since heterosexual marriage has been linked to better mental health for some time now, it's an important study to come out now as the Supreme Court has just agreed to take up the constitutionality of same-sex marriage in the spring.
Seeing how legalizing a relationship can affect one's mental health is significant ? especially since research has shown that members of the LGBT community experience higher distress levels than heterosexuals due to social exclusion.
University of California, Los Angeles, public health researcher Richard Wight, who led the study, initially expected different results given the discrimination gay couples face.?"I think it's reasonable to think that legally blocking people from marriage can put their mental health at risk," he told LiveScience.
More from YourTango: Here's Something to Smile About: DC's Chalkboard Mural
Could this be what the Supreme Court and same-sex marriage opponents need to hear? Along with other victories in marriage equality this year, this feels like a step in the right direction.
What do you think? Do you agree that legalizing a relationship can boost mental health?
There has been a lot of work done on the way our mind functions in relation to what we accomplish in life.There is a strong link between success development and the way we think. Researchers have discovered that successful people think in a particular way and manage their life better and more effectively than unsuccessful people.This has led them to develop power of mind disciplines to educate others to think in a similar way. These tools are readily available to all of us.
Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP)
NLP explores the relationship of how we think, communicate and behave. It helps people unblock the structures of human communications and excellence. People can study and learn how these are related and they can change the way they think and act. They can then adopt new, more successful models of human excellence.
It has been used effectively in all areas of personal development such as business management, sales, and sports coaching. It is an effective tool to help you remove barriers and roadblocks that might stand in the way of your own success development. There are a number of books, CDs and online courses you can use. You can employ the services of a NLP coach for faster more effective results.
Self-Hypnosis
When we think of hypnosis we can get images of a stage hypnotist or a Svengali type taking control of our minds and having us do things we would not normally do. Just as an aside: hypnotists cannot put us under their influence unless we want that to happen and they cannot make us do things that would go against our normal behaviour.
A Scottish doctor, James Braid in 1841, brought self-hypnosis to light. He employed the same hypnotherapy techniques he used on patients to relieve his own severe rheumatism. Since then, it has been used extensively to relieve many physical and mental ailments. Its techniques can be applied to any area of life we want to change and they can be learned by anyone. It is one of the most effective self-help systems we have.
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
This is a combination of Western and Eastern medicine. We use the repetitive phrasing of hypnotherapy with the physical connection to the meridians of the body found in Chinese acupuncture. You stimulate energy points in the body by tapping with your fingers while repeating a phrase. Professionals who use it say is quicker than traditional treatment, which can take several sessions with a psychiatrist to get the same results. Many professional believe it is a breakthrough in modern mental treatment.
The great part is, it is something we can all easily learn, it does not cost anything and it is effective. While it was originally used to deal with emotional issues, it is now used to relieve physical pain, overweight and habits such as smoking. It is very effective in helping us to change the way we think and to remove mental barriers to our personal development.
These three disciplines have been proven to be effective in success development. They recognize the fundamental principle that proper use of mind power dictates the results we get in life. They can be an effective form of self-help, but NLP is more difficult and works better with a professional. However, it is easy to learn the basics of self-hypnosis and EFT and they work very well together.
You can use these modern power of mind techniques to start changing yourself to the person you want to be. There is no doubt they will accelerate your success development and give you every chance of achieving the goals you have set.
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Speed up you success development with EFT and hypnotherapy techniques on the FREE software at http://powerofmind.personaldevelopment.mobi William Burnell has built and sold his own business, and he has run successful sales teams. He knows what it takes to stay motivated and to stay focused on your objectives to get what you want.
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In an effort to avoid showing sexually explicit?content when someone enters an ambiguous?? but entirely innocent???search query, Google has tweaked its Image Search. The only downside is that you'll have to work a tiny bit harder to dig up?? ahem?? adult content?when (or if)?you really want it.
The Verge's T.C. Sottek was among the first to report that something strange was?occurring?with Google's Image Search on Wednesday. "Previously, users could select from three levels of search filtration with a SafeSearch drop-down menu," he explains. There was 'strict' filtering (no explicit content), 'moderate' filtering (the default setting), or no filtering."
But now there are only two options: SafeSearch on and SafeSearch off. And there's not a lot of explicit content in the results with SafeSearch off?? which is the default option.
What's going on?
A Google spokesperson tells NBC News that the search engine giant has "simplified SafeSearch settings on image search to make them easier to understand."
"The new default behaves similarly to what most users had as the default previously ('moderate')," she explains. "We want to show users exactly what they are looking for???but we aim not to show sexually-explicit results unless a user is specifically searching for them."
There are times when you might enter a term which is utterly ambiguous. For example, there is a word which can either refer to female genitalia or to a feline. If that's all you enter into the Google Image Search field, how can the search engine possibly know whether you're looking for photos of a kitten or for sultry images of a naked woman?
Just think of the awkward moments an ambiguous search query could cause at work or when youngsters are around. There are scenarios in which you really don't want a search engine to choose?the wrong meaning of a word or phrase.
"We use algorithms to select the most relevant results for a given query," a Google spokesperson elaborates. "If you?re looking for adult content, you can find it without having to change the default setting???you just may need to be more explicit in your query if your search terms are potentially ambiguous. The new image search settings work the same way as in web and video search."
To put it simply? You may have to type "Playboy bunny" instead of "bunny" or similar. Sexy photos are still just a search away ...?you just need to use more?? or more specific?? words to find them.
Want more tech news?or interesting?links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.
SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown is undergoing treatment for early-stage prostate cancer with an excellent prognosis for recovery, and the 74-year-old Democrat is expected to keep up a full work schedule, his office said on Wednesday.
"Fortunately, this is early-stage localized prostate cancer, which is being treated with a short course of conventional radiotherapy," Dr. Eric Small, Brown's oncologist, said in a statement.
"The prognosis is excellent, and there are not expected to be any significant side effects," he added. Small is the co-director of the urology program at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.
The announcement came as California lawmakers prepare for a 2013 legislative session that will kick off a historic year in which Democrats have supermajority control of both houses - the first time any party has had such a grip on the Legislature in 79 years.
Brown, who had a cancerous growth removed from the right side of his nose in April 2011, will complete his treatment for prostate cancer in early January, around the same time the Legislature is due to convene, his office said.
He is expected to keep a full work schedule, it added.
Brown is riding a string of successes in recent months. Voters in November approved a tax hike he championed, while soundly rejecting a measure he opposed that would have gutted union political power.
He also oversaw approval of a high-speed rail project and has been reining in an unwieldy budget deficit that has plagued California in recent years.
AFFECTS ONE IN SIX MEN
Brown's office did not immediately respond to questions as to when the governor was diagnosed with prostate cancer, how long he had been undergoing treatment, or where he was being treated.
During Brown's outpatient cancer treatment in 2011, doctors removed basal carcinoma cells and did reconstructive surgery to his nose.
The California Democratic and Republican parties both wished the governor a speedy recovery. Also weighing in was a Twitter account set up for the governor's dog, a Welsh corgi named Sutter, that said the dog would take good care of his owner.
One in every six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. It is the most common cause of cancer-related death for men over 75 years of age.
Brown became one of the youngest governors of California when he took office in 1975 at age 36, going on to serve two consecutive terms. He later returned to that office in 2011 and is now the oldest governor the state has ever had.
Brown faded from public view after two failed presidential runs, but resurrected his political career in 1998, transforming himself into a quirky, pragmatic mayor of Oakland.
After eight years in Oakland, Brown was elected California attorney general and held the post until he was elected governor again in 2010.
(Reporting by Mary Slosson; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Peter Cooney)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S. economy is already being hurt by the "fiscal cliff" standoff in Washington, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday. But Bernanke said the Fed believes the crisis will be resolved without significant long-term damage.
The steep tax increases and spending cuts can be avoided with a successful budget deal, Bernanke said during a news conference after the Fed's final meeting of the year. The Fed's latest forecasts for stronger economic growth next year and slightly lower unemployment assume that happens.
Still, Bernanke said the uncertainty surrounding the resolution is already affecting consumer and business confidence. And it has led businesses to cut back on investment.
"Clearly the fiscal cliff is having effects on the economy," Bernanke said.
Bernanke said the most helpful thing that Congress and the Obama administration can do is resolve the issue quickly.
"I'm hoping that Congress will do the right thing on the fiscal cliff," Bernanke said. "There is a problem with kicking the can down the road."
Bernanke repeated his belief that if the scheduled tax hikes and spending cuts do take effect in January, they will have a significantly adverse effect on the economy, regardless of what the Fed might do.
"We cannot offset the full impact of the fiscal cliff. It's just too big," Bernanke said.
Still, the Fed took more steps Wednesday to try and help boost economic growth and lower unemployment.
After the meeting, the Fed said it would keep its key short-term interest rate near zero as long as unemployment remains above 6.5 percent and inflation stays tame. It was the first time the Fed had linked future rate increases to specific economic markers.
And in an effort to drive unemployment lower, the Fed said it will spend a total of $85 billion a month to sustain an aggressive drive to keep long-term interest rates low.
Keeping rates low encourages more borrowing and spending, which drives economic growth.
At the news conference, Bernanke said changes in the purchases will be determined by how the economy performs.
He said the Fed expects to keep purchasing bonds to support economic growth "until we see substantial improvement in the labor market."
But if the committee determines that the risks of increasing the Fed's balance sheet begin to outweigh the benefits, the purchase program will be modified, he said.
It's time to offer Miley Cyrus condolences. The pet-loving celebrity has lost one of her beloved dogs. Cyrus shared the news of her adorable dog Lila's death with her Twitter followers on Tuesday, Dec. 11.
LONDON (Reuters) - The government outlined plans on Tuesday to allow gay marriage that have split Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives and raised fears among religious groups they will be forced to hold same-sex weddings.
Gay couples may already have "civil partnerships", conferring the same legal rights as marriage, but campaigners say the distinction gives the impression that society considers gay relationships inferior.
Cameron has stressed he is a strong backer of gay marriage but does not plan to force his party's members of parliament to vote in favour of legislation, which will apply to England and Wales and be introduced by the end of the current parliament in 2015. Scotland has separate plans for same-sex marriage.
Opponents of the measure include the Church of England and several members of Cameron's own party.
"In each century parliament has acted, sometimes radically, to ensure marriage reflects our society, to keep it relevant and meaningful," Culture Secretary Maria Miller told parliament.
"For me, extending marriage to same-sex couples will strengthen, not weaken, this vital institution, and the response I'm publishing today makes clear that we will enable same-sex couples to get married through a civil ceremony," she said.
"We will also enable those religious organisations who wish to conduct same sex marriages to be able to do so," she added.
ANGLICAN EXCLUSION
However, she made clear that under the proposals it would remain illegal for churches belonging to the Church of England to marry gay couples - an exclusion the established church itself requested.
Other religious groups, such as Quakers and liberal Jewish groups, could choose to marry gays, but under the proposals no individual minister would be compelled to wed a same-sex couple.
Gay rights group Stonewall welcomed the legislation.
"We're delighted about the government's statement today and welcome the promise to legislate for equal marriage as warmly as on the three previous occasions that this announcement has been made," said Stonewall Chief Executive Ben Summerskill.
"While we fully respect the point of view of those who oppose the government's plans, our advice to them remains that if you don't approve of same-sex marriage, then just make sure you don't get married to someone of the same sex," he added.
The move to legalise gay marriage comes after a public consultation on the issue, and is seen by political analysts as a way for Cameron to broaden the appeal of his centre-right Conservative Party and burnish its liberal values.
Same-sex marriage is backed by many prominent Conservatives and the party's partners in coalition government, the Lib Dems, as well as the opposition Labour Party.
However, the plan has run into strong opposition from some Conservative MPs, on religious grounds and because of what they say is a lack of a democratic mandate.
Some also say there more pressing issues at a time of economic weakness and spending cuts than gay marriage.
"First of all I am a Christian and I do not believe in the redefinition of marriage. Millions of people across the country take that view as well," Conservative lawmaker Peter Bone said.
"However, my argument is this. I have re-read the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat manifestos and the coalition agreement. There is nothing in there about re-defining marriage, so there is no democratic mandate," he added.
Opinion polls on the issue have shown mixed results.
Eleven other countries have already legalised same-sex marriage. The U.S. Supreme Court stepped into the debate for the first time last week by agreeing to review two challenges to federal and state laws that define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas; editing by Andrew Roche)
Stephen Colbert's decision to campaign for the seat being vacated by GOP Sen. Jim DeMint gives the famous funnyman yet another chance to educate Americans on how to game the US campaign finance system.
By Peter Grier,?Staff writer / December 11, 2012
Stephen Colbert presents an award onstage at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles in this Sept. 23 file photo.
John Shearer/Invision/AP/File
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Is Stephen Colbert trying to buy a US Senate seat from South Carolina? It kinda sorta sounded like he was during?Monday night?s ?Colbert Report," as he speculated about transferring nearly a million dollars in untraceable former "super PAC" cash into a secret Palmetto State slush fund.
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?That would be horrible if that came out. Which it wouldn?t, because like I said it?s impossible to trace,? said Mr. Colbert on the Senate subject.
Let?s back up and explain the context here, shall we? Last week Sen. Jim DeMint (R) of South Carolina announced he?ll resign to run the Heritage Foundation, a conservative D.C. think tank. Senator DeMint?s term runs until 2014, and GOP South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley gets to pick a replacement to fill the seat until then. South Carolina native Colbert immediately launched a tongue-in-cheek effort to persuade Governor Haley to pick him ? although ?tongue-in-cheek? is a pretty mild descriptor for Colbert?s comedic style.
?My network contract prohibits me from taking on another full-time job. So the Senate would be perfect,? he said Monday night.
Here?s where the money thing comes in. Colbert used to have a super political-action committee, which he used, among other things, to mount a notional run for ?president of South Carolina? during the GOP primaries. But last month, he suddenly shut down the super PAC, even though it still contained almost a million dollars.
What he was doing was taking things a step further to continue to illuminate the netherworld of US campaign finance law. With on-air advice from his personal lawyer, former Federal Election Commission head Trevor Potter, he legally laundered his super PAC stash through a couple of 501 (c)(4) nonprofit groups, essentially making it disappear.
All Critics (63) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (60) | Rotten (3)
Her life, and her work, transcended what we think of as "fashion." Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel celebrates a unique and uniquely determined woman.
Many people remember some of Diana Vreeland's famous pronouncements ("I adore pink! It is the navy blue of India!") but few remember actually hearing her speak. The documentary Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel takes care of that.
For fashionphiles and pop culture vultures, there's much to devour.
Diana Vreeland is both history lesson and sentimental love letter to a fashion titan.
Legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland was the consummate dreamer, a romantic who never looked back and propelled society forward.
A feast for fashion-history buffs and anyone who applauds unstoppable eccentricity.
A lively portrait that's as colorful, dynamic and oh-so-fashionable as one of Vreeland's magazine spreads.
An otherwise fine profile of American fashion magazine doyen Diana Vreeland is let down by pedestrian production.
She wanted you to look and look again, and this film is full of images which make you do just that.
There's something marvellously comic about her, an effect reinforced by her refined yet raucous baritone voice.
This pleasurable documentary is jammed packed with images from magazines, photoshoots and newsreels of a life well lived, but also lots of historical footage of the life Vreeland imagined she had too.
...more of an energetic and affectionate sketch than a revealing portrait of this oversized personality, but one has to wonder if the woman who celebrated glittering surfaces would have wanted it any other way.
This fascinating documentary reveals that Vreeland (who died in 1989, aged 86) was an original: a dynamic woman with energy to spare and an infectious lust for life
What makes this such a joy to watch is not just the timeline of fashion highlights, but Vreeland's unique perspective on life.
The filmmakers have done a fine job corralling so many fantastic tales from Vreeland's life.
"Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel" is an intriguing portrait of a true original; you only wish the movie had half the color and verve of its subject.
A lively movie, and in the case of its appearance-obsessed subject, it feels right that all it does is skim the surface.
[Vreeland's] influence on twentieth-century culture was large, and it's celebrated here with affection, dedication and skill--but very little critical detachment.
Though unwilling to dig too deeply into what seems an imperfect private life, it still serves as a splendid introduction to a unique personality.
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NEW YORK (AP) ? Thanks to "Fifty Shades of Grey," employees at Random House Inc. are seeing green.
Every worker, from sales to editorial to distribution, will receive a $5,000 bonus, prorated for those who joined Random House during the year. In a companywide letter sent Monday, CEO Markus Dohle noted the publisher's "unprecedented success" in 2012. EL James' erotic trilogy has sold more than 35 million copies and Random Houser also released such best-sellers as Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" and Robert Caro's "The Passage of Power."
Random House spokesman Stuart Applebaum said Monday that while some employees have existing bonus plans, the across-the-board payment was "unique" for the company.
A team of astronomers led by the University of Leicester has uncovered new evidence that suggests that X-ray detectors in space could be the first to witness new supernovae that signal the death of massive stars.
Astronomers have measured an excess of X-ray radiation in the first few minutes of collapsing massive stars, which may be the signature of the supernova shock wave first escaping from the star.
The findings have come as a surprise to Dr Rhaana Starling, of the University of Leicester Department of Physics and Astronomy whose research is published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, published by Oxford University Press.
Dr Starling said: "The most massive stars can be tens to a hundred times larger than the Sun. When one of these giants runs out of hydrogen gas it collapses catastrophically and explodes as a supernova, blowing off its outer layers which enrich the Universe. But this is no ordinary supernova; in the explosion narrowly confined streams of material are forced out of the poles of the star at almost the speed of light. These so-called relativistic jets give rise to brief flashes of energetic gamma-radiation called gamma-ray bursts, which are picked up by monitoring instruments in Space, that in turn alert astronomers."
Gamma-ray bursts are known to arise in stellar deaths because coincident supernovae are seen with ground-based optical telescopes about ten to twenty days after the high energy flash. The true moment of birth of a supernova, when the star's surface reacts to the core collapse, often termed the supernova shock breakout, is missed. Only the most energetic supernovae go hand-in-hand with gamma-ray bursts, but for this sub-class it may be possible to identify X-ray emission signatures of the supernova in its infancy. If the supernova could be detected earlier, by using the X-ray early warning system, astronomers could monitor the event as it happens and pinpoint the drivers behind one of the most violent events in our Universe.
The X-ray detectors being used for this research, built partly in the UK at the University of Leicester, are on the X-Ray Telescope on-board the Swift satellite. Swift is named after the bird because, like its namesake, it is able to swiftly turn around to catch a gamma-ray burst in action. Data from Swift of a number of gamma-ray bursts with visible supernovae have shown an excess in X-rays received compared with expectations. This excess is thermal emission, also known as blackbody radiation.
Dr Starling added: "We were surprised to find thermal X-rays coming from a gamma-ray burst, and even more surprising is that all confirmed cases so far are those with a secure supernova identification from optical data. This phenomenon is only seen during the first thousand seconds of an event, and it is challenging to distinguish it from X-ray emission solely from the gamma-ray burst jet. That is why astronomers have not routinely observed this before, and only a small subset of the 700+ bursts we detect with Swift show it."
"It all hangs on the positive identification of the extra X-ray radiation as directly emerging from the supernova shock front, rather than from the relativistic jets or central black hole. If this radiation turns out to be from the central black-hole-powered engine of the gamma-ray burst instead, it will still be a very illuminating result for gamma-ray burst physics, but the strong association with supernovae is tantalising".
The team, comprising scientists from the UK, Ireland, USA and Denmark, plan to extend their searches, and make more quantitative comparisons with theoretical models both for stellar collapse and the dynamics of fast jet-flows.
Astronomers will continue to view supernovae at their visible-light peak, when they are already tens of days old, but for the most energetic among them it may become possible to routinely witness the very moment they are born, through X-ray eyes.
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University of Leicester: http://www.leicester.ac.uk
Thanks to University of Leicester for this article.
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Asked about the hyper-aggressive young Seahawks fill-in players driven to capitalize on their opportunities, cornerback Byron Maxwell came up with a colorful description.
?We?re savages,? he said. ?It?s all about getting the ball, going after it by any means necessary.?
With a number of key plays committed by the Seahawks? young savages Sunday, Seattle scored a historic 58-0 win over Arizona at CenturyLink Field in a game that solidified their playoff position and credibility.
Further, it validated coach Pete Carroll?s theory that one man?s absence is another man?s opportunity, and was yet another example of how spot-on general manager John Schneider has been in identifying low-round draft talent.
Everything the Seahawks (8-5) accomplished Sunday has to be considered in the context of an opponent that has now lost nine consecutive games and, on a cool, misty afternoon, committed eight turnovers.
But in so many cases, these were Seahawks takeaways rather than Arizona giveaways, and some of the most important Seattle plays were by players who have been, until recently, denizens of the depth chart.
Malcolm Smith, seeing action in the absence of injured linebacker Leroy Hill, scored a touchdown on a muffed punt ? a Cardinals bobble that was forced by Maxwell and kept alive by rookie Jeremy Lane.
Maxwell and Lane have been limited to special teams action this season, but the suspension of Brandon Browner and the injury to Marcus Trufant opened the way for them to get on the field.
In Browner?s place, specifically, Walter Thurmond had a strong game with three tackles and one for a loss. But his best effort came on an early Arizona pass that was deflected and was only a few inches from falling incomplete to the turf. Thurmond dived in, though, and tipped it up in the air, like a volleyball dig, where rookie linebacker Bobby Wagner could intercept and return it.
Most of the savages polled in the locker room afterward cited Carroll?s ?next man up? philosophy, which stresses reserves? need to be ready for action at any time.
?Me and Jeremy Lane have a big opportunity, and the team is depending on us to come through,? Maxwell said. ?So we have to study and do the necessary things to be successful, and we?re getting after it.?
Thurmond was a little down on himself for not getting an interception on his dramatic tipped ball, but credited Wagner with a nice return. He was in no way rusty in his first start this season, he said, and he was not in the least surprised by the play of the young apprentices who were thrust into action.
?We?ve got a lot of depth,? Thurmond said, explaining that the results of this have benefits in practice as well as in games. ?We?ve got a lot of competition every day in practice; that?s why we get better every week. And then when we get in game situations, we can capitalize and make plays.?
Aggressive plays are a function of confidence, and for the young players, it?s passed down from the starters and the vets, Thurmond said.
?Here?s why these young guys have great confidence,? Thurmond said. ?Because guys like Earl (Thomas), Kam (Chancellor) and (Richard) Sherman help them and have confidence in them, knowing they?ll be able to come out and play.?
A secondary theme to the play of the reserves was that none of them are high-priced or highly drafted players. Maxwell and Lane are sixth-rounders; Smith a seventh-rounder. Safety Jeron Johnson, who got a sack and a forced fumble in the second half, was an undrafted free agent.
On the other side of the ball, tight end Anthony McCoy, (105 yards on three catches) was a sixth-round pick in 2010.
Fact is, it would be hard to find a Seahawk who didn?t have a good game Sunday ? the most lopsided victory in franchise history. It also marked the first time they?ve had a record with three more wins than losses since the 2007 season.
They have to travel to Toronto this weekend for a game against Buffalo, and then finish up with divisional challenges from San Francisco and St. Louis at home. All the while, a suspension of another star cornerback, Sherman, looms as a possibility.
It?s just starting to seem that, if necessary, the Hawks will find somebody to toss in the lineup who is ready, able, and savagely eager to do the job.
Dave Boling: 253-597-8440 dave.boling@ thenewstribune.com @DaveBoling
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