Tuesday, July 31, 2012

EYES ON LONDON: Sculls, handball and a night shift

LONDON (AP) ? Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:

___

NOT SO OAR-SOME

New Zealand's hopes of qualifying for the final of the women's quadruple sculls at the Olympic rowing regatta were dashed when the oar of one of its crew broke with around 400 meters remaining in the repechage race.

The Kiwis were third at the time ? with four boats going through ? when Fiona Bourke was left stranded on Dorney Lake. They finished last, 30 seconds behind winner Australia.

Bourke looked distraught as her boat crawled past the finishing line.

New Zealand was bronze medalist at last year's world championship.

? Steve Douglas ? Twitter http://twitter.com/sdouglas80

___

'WITH HANDBALL WE FIGHT'

"We have no army in Iceland, so it's with handball we fight for the recognition." ? Gudmundur Gudmundsson, the coach of Iceland's handball team, after Iceland beat Argentina 31-25 in the Olympic opener on Sunday.

? Barbara Surk ? Twitter http://twitter.com/BarbaraSurkAP

___

DJOKOVIC AWAITS

Andy Roddick's tennis match against Slovakia's Martin Klizan was postponed due to rain on Sunday. It may just be prolonging the inevitable.

Roddick and Klizan are scheduled to play on Monday, with the winner getting a date against Novak Djokovic in the next round. Djokovic overcame a 3?-hour rain delay on Sunday to defeat Fabio Fognini of Italy.

It was the Serbian's first match since falling to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon semifinals.

The Olympics are played at Wimbledon as well, which keeps the players away from the hustle and bustle of the athletes' village in London.

"It's really an honor and a privilege to be part of the Olympic Games," Djokovic says, "although we would wish to be part of the Olympic Village and feel that atmosphere beside the best athletes in the world."

? Steven Wine ? Twitter http://twitter.com/Steve_Wine

___

PROUD PAPA

Frankie Fredericks has served as chairman of the athlete's commission leading up to the London games. The man who ended Michael Johnson's 21-race winning streak in the 200 meters with a win at the Bislett Games in Norway in 1996 is preparing to give way to German fencer Claudia Bokel.

"It's been a very emotional journey for me," Fredericks says. "I've seen this baby grow over the last seven years and to see what we have today is special."

? Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski

___

NIGHT SHIFT

Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor are having to work the night shift in pursuit of a third gold medal. The reigning Olympic champions in beach volleyball hit the sand at Horse Guards Parade at 11 p.m. Monday night to face the Czech team of Kristyna Kolocova and Marketa Slukova.

It's the second straight match to open the Olympics that Walsh and Treanor have played at 11 p.m. It's forced an adjustment in the body clock for Walsh Jennings, who is used to getting up at the crack of dawn with her two children.

"I was worried," Walsh Jennings said after winning her opener against Australia. "At home, it hits 11 and I'm a zombie. But we could play at 4 in the morning, we don't care."

? Janie McCauley ? Twitter http://twitter.com/janiemccAP

___

ONE MORE ON COMMUTE

There were few signs of commuting trouble early Monday in Olympic-saturated London, with rail lines operating properly and some highways having lighter traffic than expected. There were some tie-ups, but those are expected on a Monday rush hour. People attending Olympic events mingled easily with commuters on the Overground line to Stratford, though seats filled up more quickly than usual.

? Gregory Katz ? Twitter http://twitter.com/Gregory_P_Katz

___

SPRINT, NOT MARATHON

It was more Usain Bolt then Haile Gebrselassie.

Predicted commuting chaos as London attempted to juggle a regular business day and the strain of hosting the Olympics didn't materialize early Monday morning ? at least not along the capital's cycle lanes.

A regular ride from north London to the Houses of Parliament ? a small spike from the Olympic beach volleyball courts ? took a zippy 20 minutes, almost 5 minutes less than during a usual Monday morning.

While a major route that links London to the country's M1 highway had typically thick traffic, many other roads appeared far quieter, with schools closed for summer holidays and many businesses advising staff to work from home.

Along a cycle path in Hyde Park, bicycle commuters negotiated new obstacles ? barriers and bright pink banners put in place for Olympic visitors, but raced along several roads in central London which have been temporarily cleared of car traffic.

? David Stringer - Twitter http://twitter.com/david_stringer

___

OLYMPIC COMMUTE

London's transport officials are warning commuters to brace for potential delays on roads and the subway on the first working day of the Olympics.

London's commuters could face an Olympic task of their own Monday.

They'll be competing with spectators and tourists to get around town during rush-hour.

Sporting events will take place in venues across London, from the Olympic Park in the east to Wimbledon and Wembley Stadium in the west.

Transport for London, which runs the capital's public transport network, warned commuters to avoid multiple key subway lines and urged them to leave extra time for their journeys.

___

FLASHBACK: LONDON 1908

The first Olympic Games held in London, in 1908, was noted for partisanship and acrimony, starting at the opening ceremony. A stadium was decorated with flags of the participating nations, but the United States flag was missing. "The pat British explanation was that they could not find one," according to "Pursuit of Excellence, The Olympic Story." The U.S. delegation was well supplied with flags, however, and during a parade of athletes the Americans refused to dip their flag as they marched past King Edward VII, starting a U.S. tradition. American discus thrower Martin Sheridan said: "this flag dips to no earthly king."

? Source: "Pursuit of Excellence, The Olympic Story" by The Associated Press and Grolier

___

SPOILER ALERTS

Score one for the online critics.

NBC's executive producer of the games, Jim Bell, answered one tweeter who described herself as a St. Louis mom and complained about NBC's "Nightly News" on Saturday airing results of events that hadn't been shown on the network yet. Bell tweeted that he'd look into it, and shortly after told her that "Nightly News" would announce a "spoiler alert" to tell people to avert their eyes if they didn't want to see results.

? David Bauder ? Twitter http://twitter.com/dbauder

___

CHASING THE ELUSIVE GOLD

The U.S. men's gymnastics team is looking to win its first team gold since 1984 when it hits the mat Monday morning.

Danell Leyva will anchor the Americans in the event, which begins at 11:30 a.m. local time.

Leyva will compete in four of the six events and serve as the last man up for the U.S. on the high bar, the team's final event.

The U.S. topped qualifying Saturday, but scores are reset in the finals.

National champion John Orozco will do everything but the floor exercise for the U.S., while Sam Mikulak will compete on the floor, still rings, pommel horse and parallel bars.

Jake Dalton will perform on the rings, vault and floor, with two-time Olympic medalist Jonathan Horton working on the rings and high bar.

___

SIMPLY MAGICAL

"It's magical, simply magical," said rising swim star Yannick Agnel, after surpassing the U.S. team to win a gold medal for France in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. "We didn't have too much pressure. We did what we know how to do. Now, Olympic champions. It's brilliant."

? Paul Newberry ? Twitter http://twitter.com/pnewberry1963

___

NBC'S TWITTER RETORT

NBC's executive producer of the games, Jim Bell, has taken to Twitter to answer critics.

James Poniewozik, Time magazine TV critic, tweeted that "NBC tape delay coverage is like the airlines: its interest is in giving you the least satisfactory service you will still come back for."

That drew a quick response from NBC's Bell: "You do know that all sports events are being streamed live right?"

"I do, indeed!" replied Poniewozik. "Have enjoyed it. Apparently a lot of folks still prefer watching it on TV."

? David Bauder ? Twitter http://twitter.com/dbauder

___

GAME FACE

The expression on this horse's face is priceless.

The horse's name is Sofarsogood, ridden by Malin Petersen of Sweden. AP photographer David Goldman captured this image Sunday as they exited the ring after competing in the equestrian eventing dressage phase. In dressage, horse and rider walk, trot and canter to a standard test without jumps that are designed to test the animal's obedience.

See the image here: http://apne.ws/MNJwHF

___

MISSING KEYS

London police lost a set of keys last week to Wembley Stadium, an Olympic soccer venue in west London, Scotland Yard said. But officials say security wasn't compromised.

Although the keys haven't been found, there was no evidence of criminal offenses, the force said. They believe police probably misplaced the keys.

Organizers of the London Olympics stressed that relevant locks have been changed and there was no security breach. Police declined to provide more details about what the keys were for.

___

FLASHBACK: LONDON 1948

The 2012 games may be known as the first iPhone games, but the last time the Olympics were held in London also marked a technological milestone. In the 1948 London games, more than half a million Brits watched the events on the 80,000 television receivers then in operation, the first time that medium had been part of the reporting of the games. Most coverage in North America was still through radio and newspaper, as there were no comparable television networks.

-Source: "Pursuit of Excellence, The Olympic Story" by The Associated Press and Grolier

___

THREE CHEERS FOR CHEERING

There's cheering and then, well, there's cheering.

A female fan of the Venezuelan boxing team isn't shy about urging her fighters on in the ring. From her balcony seat she shouts words of encouragement in Spanish in a loud, singsong voice that pierces through the arena.

On Sunday the crowd watching Gabriel Maestre Perez of Venezuela defeat Iran's Amin Ghasemi Pour enjoyed her more than the bout. They cheered her when she yelled, then started responding with a collective cheer every time she shouted.

When Maestre Perez won, many of the fans turned and clapped for her instead of him. She was finally silent at the moment, doing just the sign of the cross in relief.

? Tim Dahlberg ? Twitter http://twitter.com/timdahlberg

___

LOUD PANTS

Did you see those argyle pants Norway's curling team wore for the winter Olympics and think, "I wish they made something like that for the beach?"

Neither did I.

But American beach volleyball players Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser did.

The defending gold medalists took to the sand for the first time on Sunday night wearing a funky red, white and blue boardshort designed by Loudmouth, the same company that made the much-discussed pants the Norwegian curlers wore in the Vancouver Games. They narrowed it down from eight choices to three they'll wear in London.

Rogers told the AP's Janie McCauley this spring that he doesn't care what the clothes look like as long as they fit well so they don't distract him while he's playing.

"I don't think anyone's ever worn anything like this at the Summer Games," he said after beating Japan in their opener on Sunday night. "It's different. It's fun. Beach volleyball is a fun game, so I think they go hand in hand."

___

THE DAY'S ACTION

So, two more swimming world records were broken on Sunday and Spain's highly favored football team tumbled out of medal contention after losing to Honduras.

American Dana Vollmer won the 100 butterfly in a world record and was followed by Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa, who set a world mark to win the 100-meter breaststroke.

The biggest surprise of the day came from France's 4x100-meter freestyle relay team, which upset the favored United States and Australia.

? Mike Corder ? Twitter http://twitter.com/mikecorder

___

FOREBODING SKIES

It's a personal battle against the elements that evokes the drama of the high seas. But this is an Olympics K1 canoe slalom event in a man-made environment in east London.

In a single frame, AP photographer Kirsty Wigglesworth has captured a man's bid for glory under foreboding skies.

Here's a link to the picture which is also in the attached photo gallery: http://bit.ly/PdHKKl

?James Collins ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jimcollinsAP

___

GATES HERE

AP's Steve Wade saw Bill Gates as he slipped into the table tennis venue to watch Ariel Hsing. "I'm wishing her good luck but she has a really great opponent," said Gates. "She's done very well to get this far."

He asked if Gates had ever won a point off Hsing. "Not legitimately. She beat me when she was 9, easily. She has been nice to me in social situations."

? Stephen Wade ? Twitter http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP

___

EDITOR'S NOTE ? "Eyes on London" shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item, and get even more AP updates from the games here: http://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eyes-london-sculls-handball-night-shift-105209661--oly.html

arkansas football player dies anne mccaffrey anne mccaffrey amazon promotional code artificial christmas trees bean bag chairs android tablet

Tims New Construction ? Blog Archive ? Kitchen Remodeling Tips ...

We?ll let you sort by way of endless possibilities of layouts, styles, lighting, fixtures, accessories and a lot more ? transforming your kitchen right into a masterpiece which you as well as your household will cherish forever. A kitchen renovation is truly a complex job that?s hinged on many distinct variables, involving everything from workspace preparing and color scheme choice to time and budget considerations.

There are many important factors that need considering before beginning to transform a Kitchen, including proper planning, budgeting, and execution with the whole process. Sherman Oaks Kitchen remodeling is often as simple as painting walls and replacing a faucet, or it may involve tougher tasks including taking out the walls and installing new and improved facilities for instance a heated floor.

We make selecting a qualified, expert Kitchen remodeling specialists easy! Allow us to assist you with assembling your kitchen. Our experts in Sherman Oaks can design, renovate, and make a Kitchen for your household! CA Kitchen Remodeling makes remodeling projects a breeze! Simply request a no cost estimate and build your kitchen you?ve always dreamt of!

Remodeling your kitchen area is really a great answer to update the interior look of your home to make your kitchen area a much better match to your lifestyle and needs. Since there are numerous actions to some kitchen area remodeling undertaking that could become difficult, it is vital for you to make detailed decisions before beginning. When it comes to kitchen?s remodeling, cautious and detailed preparing should be a necessity.

Our Licensed Kitchen Contractors perform every Kitchen Remodeling services in Sherman Oaks

Phone us for a quote Today!! (888) 804-5822

{We?ll let you sort through the endless possibilities of layouts, styles, lighting, fixtures, accessories and much more ? transforming your home kitchen right into a masterpiece which you along with your household will appreciate forever. A kitchen renovation is actually a complex job that is hinged on many distinct variables, involving anything from workspace preparing and color scheme choice to time and finances considerations.

Remodeling your kitchen area in Sherman Oaks doesn?t need to expensive. Whether you want to assemble & install your kitchen cabinets yourself, or have us do all the work, CA Kitchen Remodeling Sherman Oaks enables you to change your kitchen with beautiful all-wood cabinets at a lower price. That?s under the home improvement stores. We provide a large variety of kitchen cabinet sizes, styles, colors and accessories. We want to help you develop a kitchen of beauty and efficiency.

Source: http://timsnewconstruction.com/Blog/2012/07/29/kitchen-remodeling-tips-sherman-oaks-91403-5/

kobe bryant wife bonjovi dead sam shepard sam shepard johnny knox johnny knox monday night football

Man shoots his two kids, one fatally, kills himself

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) ? A man who had recently separated from his wife shot his two children, killing his 7-year-old daughter, before committing suicide, prosecutors said.

A family member called police Saturday night after finding the bodies of 41-year-old Daryl Benway and his daughter, Abigail, in the master bedroom of their two-story Oxford home, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said.

Benway's 9-year-old son, Owen, was found shot in the head in the kitchen and was taken to UMass Memorial Children's Medical Center in serious condition. Owen has been in pediatric intensive care, a spokesman for Early said Sunday. He said he had no additional information about Owen Benway's condition, and a hospital spokeswoman would not comment.

Benway's wife, Kelleen, returned home after the shootings, unaware of what had happened, and found a swarm of police cruisers and television crews, Early said. She was taken to the children's hospital, where authorities told her the fates of her children and husband.

Neighbors told the Telegram & Gazette that Daryl Benway's brother Shawn lived on the first floor of the home with his wife and mother. Shawn Benway called 911 to report the shootings, Early said.

Early said he couldn't speculate on a motive. He said the Benways separated weeks ago but were still married.

No restraining orders had been filed against Daryl Benway, and he had no criminal record, the DA said. He had a gun license that expired in 1999, Early said.

On Daryl Benway's Facebook page, his profile picture posted in December showed him with his family in front of a Christmas tree. He described the woman next to him as "my Beautiful wife Kelleen." Owen stood in front of him in a white dress shirt and red plaid tie, while brown-haired Abigail wore a black and white dress with a black hair bow.

Daryl Benway listed his place of employment as TJX Cos., which operates discount retailers TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, as well as Ross Stores Inc.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mass-dad-shoots-2-kids-1-fatally-kills-152205402.html

zou bisou bisou tim tebow press conference tebow press conference trina andy roddick rob dyrdek oberon

Monday, July 30, 2012

User:RoriRhode570 - The FOSS India Wiki

From The FOSS India Wiki

Most college students uncover themselves working component-time to pay for expenses including books, lab fees, meals, and daily costs. Traditionally, the ideal jobs have been either on-campus jobs such as tutoring and helping out other people, or working off-campus at restaurants as well as other establishments. The issue with off-campus jobs is they're frequently evening and weekend jobs, and fairly labor intensive, which leaves you very tired. Online work for college students

What if you are able to work at home (or in your dorm), function your personal hours, and make three merely as much or significantly more money? Well heck yea! That sounds very good does not it! A lot of students at present turn to the on line for a method to makethree some further income, however 5 there's SOOO much HYPE out there it can be difficult to choose what's legitimate and what is a scam. The truth is that numerous are SCAMS, or ridiculously high priced to get into, and not particularly practical.

So exactly where do you discover via the internet jobs for college students that are practical?

First, let's realize that any viable on the net task will have to have a few effort on your component, and there's no such thing as some thing for nothing. You aren't going to "acquire wealthy straightforward". If you see some thing that says you are going to makethree gobs of money overnight, don't fall for it. If it sounds also beneficial to be accurate, it most likely is.

Affiliate Marketing is wonderful from the standpoint that you're able to start in this business enterprise for subsequent to nothing (You require an web based connection along with a personal computer), plus the income potential is only limited by YOU. What you need to succeed in this organization is a very good work ethic, a strategy, and just a little Internet Marketing training. You can uncover a plan, FREE training, and all of the resources you will have to have in the bottom of this page, nonetheless you will need to supply the need to succeed. You can very easily find yourself developing numerous additional money, and also a technique to pay off those student loans too! How to Invest online

Articles are in high require on line, and there are a lot organizations and marketers that will pay you for quality articles. We are talking 300-500 word articles in lots of cases. You can discover business in forums, over the internet ads, and places which include AssociatedContent.com and Elance.com. Top writers makethree upwards of $5000/month, in spite of this maintain in mind they've been doing it awhile. If you are able to write high quality articles and that you are consistent you can most likely pull in $1000-$2000 per month right after you find going in it.

Yes, you can makethree cash doing on the web surveys. No, it can be not going to makethree you rich. Finding the appropriate survey organizations and participating in concentrate groups will be the key. You will find a good deal of goods that claim to have the ideal resources for obtaining top quality survey companies, having said that it can be been my experience that you are able to pretty much discover them on your personal by doing a number of research on line. Check out forums and blogs related to paid surveys. You can likely pull in $1000/month when you do your homework and at least 3-five surveys per day. support on how to profit online

My personal recommendation out of the list above is . The reason getting, that you could put at the exact same amount of work as and and have residual funds flowing in from your work. It's working smart in my opinion. Additionally, the revenue you can actually makethree is practically unlimited. You can begin small, uncover several cash flowing, and then start generating numerous streams of cash.

Source: http://www.foss-india.org/mediawiki-1.17.0/index.php/User%3ARoriRhode570

rule 5 draft lindsay lohan playboy cover lindsay lohan playboy cover shooting at virginia tech shooting at virginia tech harry morgan john lennon death

All eyes on ECB's Draghi to fight crisis

FILE - In this July 5, 2012 file photo President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi speaks during a news conference in Frankfurt, central Germany. Draghi said in an interview with French daily Le Monde posted on the bank's website Saturday, July 21, 2012, that predictions of a eurozone "explosion" underestimate "the political capital that our leaders have invested in this union, as well as the support of European citizens." (AP Photo/dapd, Mario Vedder, File)

FILE - In this July 5, 2012 file photo President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi speaks during a news conference in Frankfurt, central Germany. Draghi said in an interview with French daily Le Monde posted on the bank's website Saturday, July 21, 2012, that predictions of a eurozone "explosion" underestimate "the political capital that our leaders have invested in this union, as well as the support of European citizens." (AP Photo/dapd, Mario Vedder, File)

En esta fotograf?a de archivo del 8 de julio de 2012, la canciller alemana Angela Merkel, izquierda, y el presidente franc?s Francois Hollande se abrazan tras dar un discurso frente a la catedral de Reims, en Francia. En un comunicado conjunto emitido por el gobierno alem?n el viernes 27 de julio del mismo a?o, Merkel y Hollande dijeron que sus pa?ses est?n "profundamente comprometidos con la integridad de la eurozona". (Foto AP/Pool/Jacky Naegelen, archivo)

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble gestures before a meeting of the CDU/CSU parliamentary parties prior to a special session of the Germany Parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, July 19, 2012. Germany's Parliament is interrupting its summer break to vote on a rescue package worth up to euro 100 billion (US dollar122 billion) for Spain's ailing banks. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer)

FILE - In this July 4, 2012 file picture German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, talks with Italian Premier Mario Monti during a bilateral meeting at Villa Madama in Rome. The German and Italian leaders have pledged to do everything to protect the eurozone, their governments said Sunday July 29, 2012 - further underlining European politicians' determination to get a grip on the continent's debt crisis, but again offering no details of any action. Chancellor Angela Merkel and Premier Mario Monti spoke by phone Saturday and "agreed that Germany and Italy will do everything to protect the eurozone," German government spokesman Georg Streiter said in a statement. Monti's office said they agreed to "take all necessary measures to protect the eurozone." (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca, File)

(AP) ? European Central Bank president Mario Draghi has already taken Europe's monetary authority into uncharted territory.

Now, with the debt crisis in Europe threatening further disaster, he may have to push it even farther into the unknown to save the euro.

The 17 countries that use the euro are struggling as economies across the region face deepening recessions. Spain and Italy, the two chief trouble spots, are threatened with a financial collapse that could tear the 13-year old currency union apart and rock the global economy.

Spain's bond borrowing costs, or yields, have hit record highs recently as it tries to prop up its stricken banking sector and meet requests for financial aid from its regional governments. That has raised fears the country may be the next to seek a bailout from the other eurozone countries, following Ireland, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus. Italy, attempting to keep a handle on its debts in a stagnant economy, is also feeling the heat.

Then last Thursday, Draghi sharply raised expectations for more central bank action when he vowed the ECB would do "whatever it takes" to save the 17-country euro, and that "believe me, it will be enough." Markets jumped on the news, expecting that the bank could soon intervene in bond markets to drive down the borrowing costs that are threatening Spain and Italy.

In the days following Draghi's comments, politicians across Europe have added their voices to pledges of action for the eurozone. First came a joint statement from Angela Merkel of Germany and France's Francois Hollande, followed by another from Merkel and Italy's Mario Monti. This was followed by the head of the eurozone's finance ministers group, Jean-Claude Juncker, and German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.

All eyes are on Draghi to see what the ECB can deliver.

Yet Draghi and the 23-member governing council face a key constraint: they must contend with the demands of fear-stricken financial markets on one side and its founding treaty on the other.

The 1992 treaty gives the bank an overriding mandate to control inflation first, and only then to seek other goals such as growth. It is forbidden from supporting the finances of eurozone governments. That's different from other central banks, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of England, which have broader crisis-fighting powers.

The Fed is meeting this week and could decide to take more action to stimulate a weakening economy.

How far can Draghi go? The bank also has a meeting this week but could act at any time. Here are some possibilities ? and their drawbacks:

BUY GOVERNMENT BONDS:

Buying bonds drives up their prices, and pushes down their interest rates ? or yields. That's because prices and yields move in opposite directions. Starting in May, 2010, the ECB intermittently bought more than ?200 billion worth of bonds of shaky governments including Italy and Spain, on the open market.

DRAWBACK: The effort did not do much to calm the crisis. Its impact was blunted because the ECB stressed it was limited in amount and focused only on spreading the ECB's interest rate policy throughout the eurozone. It is opposed by some, including Germany's Bundesbank, which has a seat on the ECB's board, as blurring the bounds between influencing interest rates ? the ECB's job? and helping government finances, which it can't do.

Europe's temporary bailout fund, the European Financial Stability Facility, could buy bonds ? but has limited resources on its own.

TURNING THE BAILOUT FUND INTO A BANK:

By agreeing to a banking license for the European Stability Mechanism, the bailout fund set up by the countries that use the euro, the ECB would enable the fund to borrow from the ECB and use that money to buy the bonds of troubled governments from investors on the open market.

Because the ECB can create as much money as it wants in order to lend, the ESM could in theory raise several trillion euros if it had to. And because the ECB is not helping out governments directly, it can be argued the practice would not fall foul of the treaty.

"That is the No. 1 concrete thing they could do," said Karl Whelan, an economist at University College Dublin and former staff economist at the Federal Reserve. "There is nothing illegal about it. People would stop staying the eurozone doesn't have the firepower to fund Spain and Italy. It would be the end of that concern."

DRAWBACK: Nonetheless, Draghi and others say the idea is still too close to financing governments. He made a forceful statement July 5 that the move would violate the ECB's mandate and would mean violating its mandate, thus "destroying its credibility."

Still, the ECB has reversed course on other issues during the crisis.

LEND TO BANKS:

The ECB could expand its lending to banks for short-term loans. It would do that by agreeing to ease its rules on what types of collateral it could take for banks for these loans. It has already done this several times before and also given banks unlimited credit.

It could also make a third offer of cheap, three-year loans to banks, after two rounds that handed out ?1 trillion in December and February. Some banks used the money to buy government bonds. That's allowed under the ECB treaty because the ECB can loan any amount to banks ? just not to governments.

DRAWBACK: Banks holding too much government debt is already one of the key risk factors in the crisis. A government default would hurt banks and cut off lending to the wider economy. More lending could make that worse.

CUT RATES:

Analysts say the ECB has room to cut the main refinancing rate it charges banks for loans from the current all-time low of 0.75 percent. It could also push the rate it pays banks for deposits ? currently zero ? into negative territory, a move aimed at pushing them to lend funds rather than stash them with the ECB. This could help bolster currently weak growth ? which would help government tax revenues and make it easier to pay debts ? and lower costs to shaky banks.

DRAWBACK: Rates are already very low and it's not having much effect on business activity and borrowing.

Jonathan Loynes, chief European economist at Capital Economics in London, says Draghi's remarks last week were a "pretty strong signal" the bank might intervene in government bond markets with limited purchases aimed at lowering countries' borrowing costs, as it has before on a limited basis. Markets, however, appear to hope for that plus more, a comprehensive new approach.

"My guess is, the markets will be disappointed," Loynes said. "There was a lot of emphasis on those three words, 'Whatever it takes.' "But there are three other words that are just as important: 'Within our mandate.'"

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-07-30-EU-European%20Central%20Bank-Draghi's%20Dilemma/id-92103dee2e324e96bf5219ce5cf3df26

the last waltz earth day activities mel gibson splunk dark shadows iau msft

ShuBee Business Tips ? Blog Archive ? Top of the Mind Awareness ...

Alan Cline
President and CEO 1-800-PLUMBING INC.
Contributing Writer

Everybody wants to get more business NOW and many of the contractors I speak with mention the need to get the phone ringing.? I understand that is very important, however, it is also important to look at long-term strategies so that customers will remember your company the next time they need your service and / or when they are asked for a referral from one of their friends, neighbors or relatives.

A solid long-term strategy is important, so your customers will be able to find you or think of your company first when they need services months or years after the initial visit.? The industry term is ?Top of Mind Awareness? or (Toma) for short.? But what is really meant by ?Top of Mind?? Certainly, it is not the literal sense an area in the mind where the top ?stuff? is stored.? But it is like a mental anchor that connects thoughts to things, situations, memories, etc.?? Just for an example, do you have a particular song that whenever you hear it, it brings you back instantly to an event in your life.? It could be 30, 40, or more years than you wish to admit, but that song just brings you back to that event and it always will.

Well that should be the goal with your business.?? When someone thinks about needing whatever service you provide, you want him or her to think of your company.?? This is not an easy task and it should be part of an on-going plan in your business.?? Branding is the path that will lead to TOMA and branding takes time.? To effectively brand your company you need an identity.? An identity is created through consistent and repetitive use of logos, jingles, videos, etc.? Over time your customers hear it, see it, and eventually their brain gets programmed to think of your company first whenever they need service.? You know you have succeeded when a customer says something like, ?your jingle is driving me crazy, I can?t get it out of my mind?? I guess it is kind of like brainwashing, but without any negative effects.

Some of the tools that I think are very important in effective branding include:? effective use of voice mail, message on hold, professionally designed logo and graphics, audio and video on website, blogging, monthly newsletter (email or printed), etc.? A great start to a branding campaign can be to join your local chamber of commerce and hand out magnets or pens.? Get to know some local people and you will start to exchange leads.? There are many local networking groups that are free or very inexpensive to join and part of your marketing campaign should be to get known as the local expert in your trade.? One of my customers told me that they look at each person in a local networking group as a member of their sales force.

One of the tools that most people don?t use are greeting cards.?? Think about this;? If you are providing a service that generally fixes things, then many of your customer? s may not be very happy with an unexpected repair bill.?? You don?t want them thinking of you just when they are upset, as that is not a good anchor.? How about sending each customer a birthday card??? All you have to do is get the day and month when you provide the service and now when they get a card from their plumber, carpenter, exterminator, etc?? they will tell all their friends?? because hardly any service people send a birthday card and I am not talking about an e-card.? I mean a real physical card that you mail.? There are ways to do this very conveniently and cost effectively.? I use this strategy and I know that when someone gets a greeting card they usually hold onto it!

There are many innovative techniques that help build ?TOMA?, but it takes a major commitment and time to build it up!? Building top of mind awareness is a long-term strategy that is well worth the wait and it can help your business move ahead of the competition.?? With an effective strategy to build ?TOMA?, you won?t have any competition because your customers will keep coming back to you and they won?t even try to look for another service provider!

Alan Cline is the President/CEO of 1-800-PLUMBING INC. For more information on Alan and his company visit: www.800plumbing.com.

?

?

?

Source: http://www.shubeebusinesstips.com/2012/07/top-of-the-mind-awareness/

big ten acc challenge scott disick lipitor lipitor kourtney kardashian pregnant again kourtney kardashian pregnant again apple juice

Adviser: Romney would back strike against Iran (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/238471974?client_source=feed&format=rss

pinewood derby cars republican debate tonight tinker tailor soldier spy rich forever rick ross project runway all stars elin nordegren tangled ever after