BlackBerry Z10 vs. the competition: fight!

BlackBerry has finally, officially unveiled its maiden BB10 flagship, all-touch device, the Z10, and you can read all about RIM BlackBerry's new handset in our review. But, if you're looking to see how it and BB10 stack up against the competition running Android, iOS and Windows Phone, you've come to the right place. Check out our chart below for all the specs you can handle.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Nokia, Google, RIM

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Y2To_hbsO-I/

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Investing in 2013: How to Profit from the Expanding REIT Universe ...

Investing in 2013: More REIT Options

The past year or so has seen a rush of companies moving toward REIT status.

Firms in wide-ranging industries including healthcare, timber companies, outdoor advertisers, casinos, data warehouses and digital transmission towers have converted, or will soon convert, into REITs.

In order to become a REIT, a company must fulfill two requirements:

First, it must invest at least 75% of its assets in real estate and get a minimum of 75% of its revenue from rents or other direct real-estate activities.

Second, it must pay out a minimum of 90% of its profits to its shareholders in the form of dividends.

If a company meets these criteria, the government (Internal Revenue Service) will not tax those profits at the company level. But as stated previously, the dividends received by shareholders are taxed as ordinary income.

Besides the tax advantages, there are other reasons as to why are companies are making the conversion to REIT status.

It seems to be a very successful strategy to increase share price performance, making both management and shareholders happy.

Jeff Kolitch, portfolio manager at Baron Real Estate Fund, told Barron's that the average REIT trades at 22 times adjusted funds from operations (AFFO), a measure comparable to operating cash flow. There are many, many stocks that trade below 22 times operating cash flow, so conversion to REIT status gives many stocks an immediate boost.

In addition, the newly-converted companies enjoy the access to large amounts of capital enjoyed by real estate trusts. Equity REITs last year raised more capital through stock and debt offerings than the industry had in at least 12 years. The amount raised last year was also as much capital raised as the prior five years combined, according to research firm SNL Financial.

This trend toward an expanding REIT universe is likely to continue in the months and years ahead.

Adam Markman, a managing director at real estate research firm Green Street Advisors, told Bloomberg News, "The pace of conversions isn't slowing. The more success that we have, the more likely it is we'll see additional activity."

Michael Fitzgerald, a partner at Paul Hastings, has worked on REIT conversions and is also a supporter of the REIT trend.

"This is just the beginning. There's going to be a huge emphasis on tax structuring starting in 2013," he told the Financial Times.

This "tax structuring" should expand the REIT universe even further.

New "Stars" in the REIT Universe

For investors interested in income, some of the new "stars" in the REIT universe are rather intriguing.

The list includes: casino company Penn National Gaming Inc. (Nasdaq: PENN), communications infrastructure firms American Tower Corp. (NYSE: AMT) and SBA Communications Corp. (Nasdaq: SBAC), outdoor advertising company Lamar Advertising Co. (Nasdaq: LAMR), publisher Gannett Co. Inc. (NYSE: GCI), and data service companies Digital Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: DLR) and DuPont Fabros Technology Inc. (NYSE: DFT).

Some of the above have already converted to a REIT, while others are still contemplating the move.

Other firms including CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS) and Cincinnati Bell Inc. (NYSE: CBB) are spinning off part of their firm into a REIT. Cincinnati Bell has already done that with the spinoff its co-location business unit CyrusOne Inc. (Nasdaq: CONE). CBS is considering the spinoff of its billboard advertising unit as a REIT. That business accounted for about 10% of its operating profits.

If you're interested in investing in REITs in 2013, check out this latest offer from our Global Investing Strategist Martin Hutchinson, who has a winning strategy to find the best sources of yield.

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Source: http://moneymorning.com/2013/01/29/investing-in-2013-how-to-profit-from-the-expanding-reit-universe/

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Shacking up may finally become legal in Virginia

By Becky Bratu, Staff Writer, NBC News

Shacking up may soon become legal in Virginia, where a bill aims to repeal the state's 136-year-old law that makes unmarried couples living together guilty of a misdemeanor.

Virginia is one of four states that has such a law on the books, along with Florida, Michigan and Mississippi.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Adam Ebbin, told The Virginian-Pilot an estimated 140,000 Virginians cohabitate with an unmarried partner.?

?These men and women share that relationship openly, and without shame,? Ebbin said, according to the Pilot, adding that state and federal courts have made such laws unconstitutional.

Nevertheless, the law has been in place since 1877 and states that unmarried people who "lewdly and lasciviously associate and cohabit together ... shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor."

So-called living in sin is punishable with a $500 fine for a first offense, while subsequent offenses may carry up to one year in jail and a maximum $2,500 fine.

The bill to repeal the law is currently making its way through the state's General Assembly. While a Senate committee advanced it unanimously, it still faces a full Senate vote and, if it passes, a review in the House of Delegates.

According to NBC 4, Ebbin said that while the law hasn't been enforced in a long time, it was brought up in the early 1990s, when state officials threatened to revoke a Norfolk, Va., daycare provider's license.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/29/16753947-without-shame-shacking-up-may-finally-become-legal-in-virginia?lite

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Police chiefs, sheriffs divided over gun control measures - U.S. News

President Barack Obama says he's looking forward to a "robust conversation" on reducing gun violence.

By M. Alex Johnson, staff writer, NBC News

In urging law enforcement leaders to back new gun control efforts, President Barack Obama is asking police chiefs and county sheriffs to unite behind a cause they don't even agree about among themselves.

Obama said Monday that he was seeking a "basic consensus" among law enforcement executives to pressure Congress for legislation to ban assault-style weapons and restrict high-capacity ammunition magazines, among a score of other measures.

But it turns out the two national groups representing police and sheriffs at a?meeting of law enforcement officials?Monday at the White House ??the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the Major County Sheriffs Association ??disagree on the initiative. The chiefs back it, while the sheriffs oppose it.

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Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, president of the police chiefs group, said the deaths of 20 students and six teachers and staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last month had settled the issue.

"If the slaughter of 20 babies does not capture and hold your attention, then I give up, because I don't know what else will," Ramsey said last week. "We have to pass legislation."

But?in a letter to Vice President Joe Biden (.pdf), who is leading the White House lobbying effort, the sheriffs group argued that "a ban on assault weapons alone will not address the issues of gun violence we are facing in our country today."

Nor would limiting magazine capacity, it said: "The problem is not the law-abiding citizen that will follow the restrictions; the problem again is one of access. ... (E)ven if you can?t buy in bulk, you can still buy multiple boxes of smaller quantities."

Similarly, the International Association of Chiefs of Police said?in a position paper (.pdf)?that it was "a strong supporter of the assault weapons ban" and measures to limit ammunition capacity. But the?Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association?applauded what it called efforts to "uphold and defend the Constitution against Obama's unlawful gun control measures."

Chiefs vs. sheriffs
The divide reflects a cultural and political gulf between police chiefs and sheriffs in a number of areas, criminal justice experts told NBC News.

Police chiefs run departments in cities where most gun crimes take place, according to FBI crime statistics over the past decade. Sheriffs run departments in counties, some or all of their jurisdictions covering rural areas where hunting and sport shooting are cherished rights. As a result, "you have these wildly different views of guns," said Gary Kleck, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

In counties, particularly heavily rural ones, "guns equal hunting, fishing, father-and-son-bonding-type things," he said, while in cities, "guns equal crime."

Those community views have real political effects, according to Kleck and another expert, Scott H. Decker, a professor of criminology at Arizona State University in Tempe.

"The big difference is a sheriff is elected and has to face the voters every four years," Decker said, but police chiefs are almost always appointed.

"If you're a police chief, you're not responsible to an electorate," Kleck said, and are therefore more free to advocate for politically unpopular policies like bans on certain kinds of weapons.

Sheriffs vs. sheriffs
Decker suggested that there was likely to be a broad range of opinion among sheriffs, because it's not just elections that keep them in touch with community sentiment. Because they have more varied duties ? running jails and patrolling areas that can include rural, suburban and urban communities, all in the same county ??their jurisdictions range across populations with widely?different political views on guns.

So while?many sheriffs say they wouldn't enforce new federal gun control laws, there are other sheriffs who call those sheriffs misguided.

Last week, Milwaukee County (Wis.) Sheriff David Clarke issued a public service announcement urging residents to learn how to handle a firearm "so you can defend yourself until we get there."

"With officers laid off and furloughed, simply calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option," Clarke says in the spot,?which you can listen to here.

Just a few counties over, Ron Cramer, sheriff of Eau Claire County, objected that Clarke was sending the wrong message.

Clarke could have gotten across his point that residents could take more responsibility for their own safety "without having to say it's time to join our team and pick up a gun," Cramer told?NBC station WEAU of Eau Claire.

Related links:

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/28/16740488-police-chiefs-sheriffs-divided-over-gun-control-measures

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Is Obama about to blow his climate credentials?

The US president could be poised to approve the doubling of imports of tar sands oil, one of the filthiest fuels on Earth

FACED with rising anger from environmentalists last year over his plans for a transcontinental pipeline to deliver treacly Canadian tar sands to Texas oil refineries on the Gulf of Mexico, the CEO of TransCanada, Russ Girling, expressed surprise. After all, his company had laid 300,000 kilometres of such pipes across North America. "The pipeline is routine. Something we do every day," he told Canadian journalists.

But that's the point. It is routine. The oil industry does do it every day. And if it carries on, it will wreck the world.

We need not rely on climate-changing fossil fuels. Alternative energy technologies are available. But fossil fuels, and the pipelines and other 20th-century infrastructure that underpin them, have created what John Schellnhuber, director of Germany's Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, describes in a new paper as "lock-in dominance" (PNAS, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1219791110). Even though we know how harmful it is, the "largest business on Earth" has ossified and is proving immovable, he says.

The question is how to break the lock and let in alternatives. Schellnhuber, a wily and worldly climate scientist, has an idea, to which I will return. But first the tar-sands pipeline, known as Keystone XL in the parlance of outsize clothing. Proponents say it would create jobs and improve US energy security. But for environmentalists in the US, the decision - due any time - on whether it should go ahead is a touchstone for Barack Obama's willingness to confront climate change in his second term.

Superficially, Keystone XL doesn't look like a huge deal. Since 2010, there has been a cross-border pipe bringing oil from tar sands in northern Alberta to the US Midwest. But this second link would double capacity and deliver oil to the refineries of the Gulf for global export. It looks like the key to a planned doubling of output from one of the world's largest deposits of one of the world's dirtiest fuels. And because the pipe would cross the US border, it requires state department and presidential sign-off.

Environmentalists are up in arms. They fear leaks. No matter what its sponsors suggest, this is no ordinary pipeline. The tar-sands oil - essentially diluted bitumen - is more acidic than regular oil and contains more sediment and moves at higher pressures. Critics say it risks corroding and grinding away the insides of the pipes. The US National Academy of Sciences has just begun a study on this, but its findings will probably be too late to influence Obama.

If there is a leak, clean-up will be difficult, as shown by the messy, protracted and acrimonious attempt to cleanse the Kalamazoo river in Michigan after tar-sands oil oozed into it in 2010.

To make matters worse, the pipeline would cross almost the entire length of the Ogallala aquifer, one of the world's largest underground water reserves, from South Dakota to Texas. Ogallala is a lifeline for the dust-bowl states of the Midwest. While TransCanada has agreed to bypass the ecologically important Sand Hills of Nebraska, where the water table is only 6 metres below the surface in places, a big unseen spill could still be disastrous.

Climate change is still the biggest deal. Extracting and processing tar sands creates a carbon footprint three times that of conventional crude. Obama would rightly lose all environmental credibility if he were to approve a scheme to double his country's imports of this fossil-fuel basket case. Yet he may do it. Why? Because of fossil-fuel lock-in. Changing course is hard. Really hard.

Part of the reason for the lock-in is the vast infrastructure dedicated to sustaining the supply of coal, oil and gas. There is no better symbol of that than a new pipeline. Partly it is political. Nobody has more political muscle than the fossil fuel industry, especially in Washington. And partly it is commercial. As Schellnhuber puts it: "Heavy investments in fossil fuels have led to big profits for shareholders, which in turn leads to greater investments in technologies that have proven to be profitable."

The result is domination by an outdated energy system that stifles alternatives. The potential for a renewable energy revolution is often compared to that of the IT revolution 30 years ago. But IT had little to fight except armies of clerks. Schellnhuber compares this lock-in to the synapses of an ageing human brain so exposed to repetitious thought that it "becomes addicted to specific observations and impressions to the exclusion of alternatives". Or, as Girling puts it, new pipelines become "routine".

What might free us from this addiction? With politicians weak, an obvious answer is to hold companies more financially accountable for environmental damage, including climate change. But Schellnhuber says this won't be enough unless individual shareholders become personally liable, too.

Here, he says, the problem is the public limited company (PLC), or publicly traded company in the US, which insulates shareholders from the consequences of decisions taken in their name. Even if their company goes bankrupt with huge debts, all they lose is the value of their shares. The PLC was invented to promote risk-taking in business. But it can also be an environmental menace, massively reducing incentives for industries to clean up their acts.

"If shareholders were held liable," he says, "then next time they might consider the risk before investing or reinvesting." More importantly, it could prevent us being locked into 20th century technologies that are quite incapable of solving 21st century problems. Fat chance, many might say. But just maybe Keystone XL and its uncanny ability to draw global attention will help catalyse growing anger at the environmental immunity of corporate shareholders.

Fred Pearce is a consultant on environmental issues for New Scientist

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Immigration reform: Will 'amnesty' produce more illegal immigration?

Supporters of immigration reform that includes of a path to citizenship say that the US is not as attractive a destination as it once was for illegal immigration.

By Gloria Goodale,?Staff writer / January 28, 2013

Immigration activists hold signs as they protest in front of Freedom Tower in downtown Miami Monday in favor of immigration reform that keeps families intact.

Alan Diaz/AP

Enlarge

Immigration reform is in the air. A bipartisan Senate group unveiled its proposals on Monday, and the president is scheduled to announce his own package on Tuesday. Both contain provisions for legalizing some 11 million undocumented immigrants now in the US.

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But, just as there promises to be no easy consensus on a final deal, there is little agreement about how much the overall reforms will actually stem the flow of illegal immigration across America?s borders. Critics of the proposals say a path to citizenship invites more undocumented migrants, while supporters of the move to legalize many who have lived and worked in the US for years say it is not an open invitation to new illegal immigration.

Critics point to the lessons from the last time Congress tackled his issue, the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), a 1986 law that legalized 3 million undocumented immigrants. Both sides acknowledge the law produced substantial fraud, leading to nearly triple the number of new residents created by the law.

"The message will go out,? says Ira Mehlman, Seattle-based national spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), ?telling people to bring their rent receipts and pay stubs real or not.? The situation will be a replay of the 1986 law, only on a larger scale, he says. It?s simple math, says Mr. Mehlman, adding, ?how can you possibly do background checks on 11 million people? It just won?t happen.?

This?expectation sells this target population short, says Jorge-Mario Cabrera, spokesman for the Coalition for Humane Immigrants Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA). ?Nobody wants to go where they are not wanted and cannot legally find a job to support them or their family,? he says. ?I do not foresee a wave of illegal immigration, because most of these people realize the political situation in the US is very dire when it comes to undocumented immigrants.?

Census data released at the end of 2012 show a slowing of the immigration tide. The number of undocumented immigrants fell to 11.1 million, down from a high of some 12 million in 2007, following more than a decade of increases. A Pew Center analysis of these data finds that ?there is net zero migration taking place from Mexico to the United States,? points out Villanova University immigration specialist Catherine Wilson, via e-mail.

The proposed reforms will not encourage illegal immigration in the future for three reasons, says David Koelsch, director the Immigration Law Clinic at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

• The proposed pathways to legal status will be long and expensive, he says via?e-mail, ?So any reward for future illegal immigration is distant.?
• The birth rate in Mexico is in rapid decline and domestic industry's wages are rising, ?making the US less attractive,? he says.?
• The US economy is still not recovered, "so there is not a strong draw for illegal immigration,? he adds. A sustained 1.75 to 2.25 percent growth rate does not even keep our native population employed, he says.

The reality ?is that our border is more secure than it has been in years past and as immigration talks heat up, our border agents and patrol will be well aware of the need for greater vigilance,? says immigration lawyer and law professor Michael Wildes, who is managing partner of Wildes & Weinberg in New York City and represented the government in immigration cases in his time as a US Attorney.

The law needs to have enough teeth that it doesn't open the door to greater illegal immigration, he adds. ?Whether that means tougher sanctions or steeper fines is up to Congress to decide. But the penalties need to be more stringent because once a pathway to citizenship is defined, there is even less of an excuse for employers to hire undocumented workers and for folks to come here illegally and remain illegal.?

While the numbers tell a story of declining illegal immigration, still a path to citizenship for those now in the country illegally may be a political problem for those who want to pass comprehensive immigration legislation, says David Mark, editor-in-chief of the website, Politix.

?It just seems like common sense to most people that if you make it easier to become legal, that will attract others as well,? he adds. ?It is naive to think otherwise.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/QYh52wXAsi0/Immigration-reform-Will-amnesty-produce-more-illegal-immigration

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Business Web Design Basics Course | Unlimited Download All MRR ...

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Foreclosures in Warner Robins GA 31088, December 2012

While the foreclosure market in?the rest of Houston County GA was experiencing a lag, the number of?Foreclosures in Warner Robins GA 31088?increased considerably in December 2012 as the banks released their inventory.

Currently, there are 47 Foreclosures in Warner Robins GA on the market, up 28% from November. These Warner Robins foreclosures range in price from $19,900 to $355,000 and square footage from 884 to 3,750.

In?December 19 new Warner Robins Foreclosures hit the market. The details for these new properties is as follows (address, price, heated sq feet, subdivision, year built):

• 112 Wallace, $19,900, 884, Evergreen Park, 1953
• 407 Alabama Avenue, $29,900, 1659, United Estates, 1965
• 110 Shawnee Avenue, $39,900, 1168, Cherokee Hills, 1965
• 107 Dewey Street, $40,000, 1760, Azalea Park, 1955
• 602 Oakview Square, $43,600, 1129, Walker Park, 1955
• 112 Oklahoma Avenue, $47,750, 1056, United Estates, 1969
• 107 Oakdale Drive, $49,500, 2050, Hill & Dale Estates, 1964
• 307 Somerset Drive, $52,900, 1110, Villa at Village Walk, 1988
• 114 Highland Drive, $69,900, 1683, Highland Estates, 1969
• 102 Juniper Road, $74,000, 1404, Laurel Hills, 1964
• 516 Arrowhead Trail, $79,900, 1376, Shirley Hills, 1963
• 122 Wiley Way, $80,500, 1337, Autumn Woods, 1995
• 208 Meriwood Court, $82,900, 1459, Meriwood Square, 1987
• 112 Deer Track Court, $91,500, 1266, Deerfield, 2005
• 403 Heritage Drive, $94,000, 2261, Heritage, 1977
• 604 Hidden Creek Circle, $94,900, 1502,?Harvest Pointe, 2008
• 201 Williamsburg Avenue, $109,000, 2114, Williamsburg, 1988
• 111 Quail Run Road, $176,000, 2323, Quail Run, 1976
• 410 Tharpe Road, $181,700, 2703, Quail Run, 1985

For a complete list of available Warner Robins real estate, visit Homes for Sale in Warner Robins.

Call me at (478) 960-8055 (C) / (478) 953-8595 x227 (O) so we can discuss your Warner Robins real estate needs.

---

Foreclosures in Warner Robins GA 31088,?December 2012

View Foreclosures in Warner Robins GA 31088, December 2012 in a larger map

Statistics represent ONLY foreclosure single family homes, condos, and townhouses in Warner Robins GA for the month listed. (Source: CGMLS). Information is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.

?

About Anita Clark Realtor

Anita Clark has written 919 posts on this blog.

Anita Clark Realtor sells Warner Robins Real Estate and provides community information as a service to the public. You can contact her at (478) 960-8055 or via email at anita@cbssk.com.

Source: http://sellingwarnerrobins.com/2013/01/foreclosures-in-warner-robins-ga-31088-december-2012/

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What Alfred Russel Wallace Really Thought About Darwin

It's not that Darwin was lazy, it was that the religious environment was such that one risked being fired for ticking off the religious establishments. It wasn't quite as bad as Galileo, but the same kind of forces.

Thus, he wanted the publication to be as water-tight as possible before releasing it; and that's one of the reasons why the work, for the most part, stands the test of time.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/fg7QoNwcrq0/story01.htm

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Character Relationships/Evil Plotting

Your Favorite Fairytales, gone bad, only the chosen one can save them from their own destruction.

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
Feel free to PM each other about collaborating on your characters. But if your lazy (like me sometimes) or just have bad luck PMing people (story of my life) then feel free to post it here. At least here you can receive suggestions from other characters and let us in on the soap opera of it all.

Evil plotting is also always fun so feel free to do that here as well. If you are planning to hurt or maim a character please make sure you have the players permission. Although, I will have to lay down the rule of Snow White's Daughter to remain unharmed, kidnapping her is fine, but please no serious or intentional bodily injury to her. A few cuts and scrapes from running in her environment, a small whack on the bum for disciplinary action, you know, the NORMAL childhood injuries are fine, please just don't cross that line.

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udonkey2: Role of Professional Consultation in Web Development ...

Business world is critical without appropriate consultations as there are various factors effecting business according to its nature. Whether it is offline business or online business, without appropriate consultations with industry experts it is very critical to take correct decisions and move further for any development activity. Online business is not ?cup of tea? for everyone as it has become more critical due to advanced IT technologies and regular innovations in the field. IT experts consulting before introducing any new online business or any kind of technological integration in the existing business is advisable for the more productive results.

<a href = "http://www.hiddenbrains.com/web-development-india.html">Website Development </a>is the process of creativity and expertise as it requires talented professionals to understand the critical aspects of the online market and deep knowledge of the programming languages & designing aspects. Design & Development of the website demands for the knowledge of current web market trends and requires the appropriate understanding of the business nature to make the perfect match with technology as well as Web Market demands. Before introducing business on the internet its better to approach for the appropriate consulting firm or experts about Web Marketing as well as Website Design & Development.

<b>Some Plus Points of the Web Design & Development Consultation</b>

<ul><li>It is very obvious that first business has to be established then promotional activities will proceed accordingly. There are two types of professional consulting services are use to exist in the consultations of web development such as first is regarding professional website design and second is website promotion consulting services. </li>

<li>Consulting firm and experts of the online <a href = "http://www.hiddenbrains.com/web-design-india.html">web design & development</a> should aware about changing business nature & trends, should be capable of implementing important strategies of the business, to make a perfect online solution in the form of good & interactive website for better online presentation of product & services. </li>

<li>It is not necessary that all offline businessmen have the knowledge of web market and its critical aspects, to introduce the business on the internet there must be technical know how about the online web development field. Professional web development companies or experts are best way for the consultation about the introduction of your offline business to online web world.</li>

<li>The most critical aspect of the online website promotion is correct Keywords & Meta tags, appropriate design of the website as well as attractive content enriched with appropriate keywords cannot be placed without professional consultancy.</li>

<li>Next most important technical key factor of online web promotion is ?Google Indexing? that only should be performed by technical professionals or consultancy is required to perform this correctly. Popular search engines have various parameters for indexing the website, to achieve the good index number in popular search engines there are certain practices should be performed by professionals such as:</li>

? Website link submission to popular search engine and directories
? Articles and blogs submission
? Development of RSS feed facility on the website
? Taking feedback of the page regularly

It is advisable to take professional consultancy services regarding web development activities, as they are essential to get fruitful results from the competitive web market; it helps in increasing profits with online visualization of the products and services.

<b>About Author</b>

Hidden Brains has been in the Industry since 2003 and provided solution using languages like PHP/MySQL & ASP.Net Application Framework. For more details please refer this URL www.hiddenbrains.com

www.hiddenbrains.com

This entry was posted on Friday, January 25th, 2013 at 10:23 pm and is filed under Web Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Source: http://www.zapdude.com/?p=8158

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Source: http://udonkey2.blogspot.com/2013/01/role-of-professional-consultation-in.html

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3 Things to Help You Burn More Calories, Get Leaner and Become ...

By Katalin Rodriguez Ogren, Saturday at 8:35 pm

There are so many trends that come and go.? Fitness professionals relish in the absurdity of products like the shake weight, slender bottom toner and the Hawaii chair.? There are numerous jokes that can be made about them and I believe if it wasn't for their clear sexual overtones, they would not have even had a chance on TV.? You would think the creators double as comedy writers for SNL. ?Unfortunately, these ridiculous fitness products distract consumers who really need help losing weight and gaining strength.?

Three of the most useful products on the market to help you achieve a leaner you, are below.? Of course, I can name many more that are a good use of money.? But right now these three items are helping my clients get to their goals quicker. ? Those with the most weight loss and body transformation are involved in a regular workout regiment that includes mostly interval training, comprised of ?weights, high intensity and core training.

Isagenix sells a wide variety of healthy protein shakes and? supplements that are gaining a lot of attention in the Chicago-land area? It offers a healthy maintenance program (which I follow) and several weight loss and cleanse options.? Their cleanse is not a diuretic and their protein is gluten free and organic certified (there is even a kosher line). ? It is the most superior protein shake (with optional supplements) that I have encountered as a fitness professional.? My clients have been very successful using various products losing weight and ?inches (and keeping it off).? Please note that I currently sell this product and serve as s consultant getting people on the right program along with their current fitness goals.

Fuelband by Nike got a lot of attention last year.? This tool has a cool design which is great because you do not mind wearing it with professional clothing. ?It assists with your weight loss endeavors.? It tracks your daily fitness efforts.? It keeps you informed to the minute of the amount of calories you are burning and how close you are to your goals.? You do not need to log into a site or download anything.? It keeps your 'fuel points'? displayed on your wrist band, along with the time.? You set up your goals online and have the option to join friends using it as well.

Weighted vests are becoming a popular. ?They are an easy way to add an extra challenge to any type of exercise.? They can be purchased with 10-80 pounds.? With the popularity of GORUCKS and even Cross Fit, more and more people are using weighted vests to add a functional aspect to their training.? They are ideal for those who love to hike or want to add intensity to basic body weight exercises like pushups and pull-ups. ? Most styles feature removable weights and the ability to adjust for various size bodies. Unlike the backpacks, the weight is distributed throughout the vest, which I believe will reduce lower back problems.

Source: http://www.chicagonow.com/katalin-fitness-health-driven/2013/01/3-things-to-help-you-burn-more-calories-get-leaner-and-become-stronger/

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Djokovic vs. Murray at Australian Open final

Britain's Andy Murray, left, listens as his coach Ivan Lendl gestures during a training session on Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. Murray will play Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the final on Sunday. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Britain's Andy Murray, left, listens as his coach Ivan Lendl gestures during a training session on Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. Murray will play Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the final on Sunday. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic answers questions at a press conference ahead of the men's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. Djokovic will play Britain's Andy Murray in the men's singles final here Sunday Jan. 27. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic answers questions at a press conference ahead of the men's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. Djokovic will play Britain's Andy Murray in the men's singles final here Sunday Jan. 27. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Britain's Andy Murray answers questions at a press conference following his win over Switzerland's Roger Federer in their semifinal at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. Murray will play Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the final on Sunday Jan 27. (AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

Britain's Andy Murray, left, listens as his coach Ivan Lendl gestures during a training session on Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. Murray will play Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the final on Sunday. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ? Novak Djokovic remembers when he was about 11 and meeting a boy his age named Andy Murray.

The young Murray from Dunblane, Scotland, was "quite pale," recalled the Serbian, known as "The Joker" for his wisecracks.

Back then, they were playing on the juniors' circuit "just trying to play tennis and enjoy the game," Djokovic said. Little did either know that later in life they would keep running into each other on tennis' biggest stages.

On Sunday, Djokovic and Murray meet for their third Grand Slam final at the Australian Open. It is the latest rematch in a rivalry that Djokovic describes as unique because they've known each other since childhood.

"It's nice to see somebody that you grew up with doing so well," the 25-year-old Serbian player said Saturday. "We know each other since we were 11, 12 years old. I guess that adds something special to our rivalry."

Djokovic rose to stardom first, winning the 2008 Australian Open at the age of 20. Now, the No. 1-ranked player owns five Grand Slam trophies and is aiming to be the first man in the Open era to win three in a row at Melbourne.

The third-ranked Murray is the latest addition to the so-called Big Four of men's tennis, which also includes No. 2 Roger Federer and 11-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal. The group has combined to win 33 of the last 34 Grand Slams.

Murray is striving for his second Grand Slam title after winning at the U.S. Open, where he beat Djokovic in the final to end a 76-year drought for British men at the majors.

Murray's road to the final in Melbourne included one of the tournament's highlights ? a five-set win in the semifinals over Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam winner. It was Murray's first victory against Federer at a Grand Slam event and so physically draining that Murray was too exhausted afterward to crack a smile.

"It (was) a long, long match. It's a very late finish. I'm tired," said Murray, when asked why he seemed so subdued. During the intensely tactical and physical match, Murray served a stunning 21 aces against the Swiss star.

"I don't want to be wasting any energy, because I'll need all of it if I want to win against Novak on Saturday," he said, adding that despite his lack of emotion he was pleased. "Obviously, I was happy. It was a tough match."

Murray reached the Australian Open semifinals last year, losing to Djokovic. He has made the Melbourne finals on two previous occasions, losing to Federer in 2010 and Djokovic in 2011.

Before arriving in Melbourne last year, Murray teamed up with tennis great Ivan Lendl whose coaching has helped produce a new aggressiveness in Murray and a willingness to take chances on court.

It was under Lendl's tutelage that Murray made his breakthrough, winning a career-changing gold medal for singles at the London Olympics and then riding a wave of confidence to win his first major at the U.S. Open.

He expects a long, tough fight from Djokovic, who soundly beat No. 4-seeded David Ferrer in a Thursday semifinal, which gave the Serbian an extra day to rest and recover for the final.

"Every time we play each other it's normally a very physical match," Murray said. "I'll need to be ready for the pain. I hope it's a painful match ? that'll mean it's a good one."

Djokovic agreed.

"Every time we played ... It was always long matches, physically very demanding," said Djokovic, who shrugged off the idea that his extra day for recovery would be a factor in the final.

"He's considered one of the physically strongest and fittest guys around. So I'm sure he's going to be fit," said Djokvic, who played one of the tournament's other thrillers in the fourth round, when he needed five hours to beat another inspired Swiss player, Stanislas Wawrinka, in five sets.

Another tennis great, Andre Agassi, thinks otherwise.

Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam winner, was in Melbourne on his first trip back to the tournament since his loss to Roger Federer in the quarterfinals in 2005. He will be taking part in the men's pre-final ceremony.

During a news conference ahead of the Murray-Federer match, Agassi correctly forecast that Murray would win. He went on to predict that the No. 1-ranked Djokovic had the physical advantage going into the final.

"Two days off, going into it fresh, going into it ready is a big difference," said Agassi. "I probably give the edge to Djokovic in the finals."

Asked how he would have tried to beat a player like Djokovic, Agassi joked: "I would have probably gotten in a fight with him in the locker room before the match. I might have had a chance."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-26-TEN-Australian-Open-Men's-Final-Preview/id-9da09011f9e24804bc53f3932491d70e

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Real Estate Weekly - 1/25/13 | Maryland Daily Record

Shakespeare Company prepares future home downtown

The 10-year-old Chesapeake Shakespeare Company is almost ready to move into its new space in the 1885 Mercantile Trust and Deposit Co. building at 200 E. Redwood St., on the corner of Calvert and Redwood. Monday, the entire theatre group turned out to scrape, paint and renovate for a volunteer day at the company?s future home.

Beech Street Capital notches second year of 100% growth

Beech Street Capital LLC, a Bethesda-based mortgage banking firm, provided $4.0 billion in multifamily financing in 2012, achieving a 100 percent annual growth rate for the last two years, the company announced. Beech Street?s Fannie Mae financing grew 150 percent and the Freddie Mac business tripled. At year end, Beech Street?s servicing portfolio consisted of 643 loans and over $7.3 billion, spread over 33 states.

First Potomac Realty Trust signs new leases in N.Va.

Bethesda-based First Potomac Realty Trust, which owns office and industrial properties in Greater Washington, has announced the signing of four new leases, totaling 47,491 square-feet, at Three Flint Hill and Atlantic Corporate Park in Northern Virginia. ?Redeveloping Three Flint Hill allowed us to maximize its value-add potential, and as a result attracted both established and entrepreneurial tenants who are looking for energy efficient, first-class facilities,? stated James ?Skip? Dawson, First Potomac?s Executive vice president and chief operating officer. ?Atlantic Corporate Park is another LEED certified property in our Northern Virginia portfolio offering high quality space in the heart of Loudoun County?s best amenities.? The new leases at Three Flint Hill bring the $10 million redevelopment up to 80 percent leased since delivery at the end of 2011.

State rated No. 6 in LEED certifications

Maryland ranks sixth on the U.S. Green Building Council?s annual list of the top 10 states for LEED certifications. (LEED stands for leadership in energy and environmental design.) The per-capita list, which recognizes those states that are leading the way in transforming buildings and communities, is based on 2010 Census data and reflects certifications for commercial and institutional buildings. With more than 47 million total square feet of LEED-certified space through 2012, Maryland had 1.90 square feet per capita last year. The District of Columbia ranked first, at 36.97 square feet per capita, followed by Virginia at 3.71.

Baltimore Hotel Week runs over Valentine?s

City hotels and Visit Baltimore, the official sales and marketing organization for Baltimore, are promoting the inaugural Baltimore Hotel Week Feb. 8-18. Fourteen hotels are offering special packages for as little as $99 per night for the period that runs into Presidents Day weekend. Some packages include tickets to Baltimore attractions such as the National Aquarium, Maryland Science Center, Great Blacks in Wax Museum and American Visionary Art Museum. For more information, go to baltimore.org/getaroom.

Oak Contracting to provide construction management services to Snow Hill

Oak Contracting LLC, of Towson, has announced that the Worcester County Board of Education has selected it to provide construction management services for the $41 million Snow Hill High School renovation. The project calls for renovating and enlarging the 1958 facility by adding state-of-the art classrooms, a media center, computer labs, a science wing, a gymnasium, a cafeteria/ kitchen and a new athletic complex. When complete, the high school?s current square footage will be increased to 124,000 square-feet. The new school will include several highly efficient sustainable features such as a geothermal heating/cooling system, motion-activated lights, thermally insulated glass and low-flow plumbing fixtures. Oak Contracting is a regional construction management firm specializing in new construction and renovation for the education and medical research sectors. Since 1971, it has handled hundreds of projects in the Baltimore-Washington corridor with a value of more than $1 billion.

Sudlersville school design wins award of excellence?

Sudlersville Middle School in Queen Anne?s County has won a 2013 Wintergreen Award for Excellence in the category of public project of the year from the U.S. Green Building Council?s Maryland chapter. The school, which was built to house 600 students, came in under budget at a cost $23.2 million school, according to Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates ? Architects, the designer. The 100,884-square-foot facility is built to minimize costs over a 40-year building lifespan and incorporates sustainable design elements. It has LEED Gold Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) through the USBGC, and 76.7 percent of the spaces are lit by natural daylight. ?There are entire walls of glass emitting sunlight,? said Jon Dewey, a teacher. ?That light envelops you as you walk in.? Andrew N. Onukwubiri, the county schools? design and construction program manager, said the school is more energy efficient than any other building in the system.

Source: http://thedailyrecord.com/2013/01/25/real-estate-weekly-12513/

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French urgency, US caution collide in Mali operation

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - France's military intervention in Mali has revived trans-Atlantic tensions over security issues, this time involving a key counterterrorism battlefield, along with dismay from critics who see U.S. President Barack Obama as too reluctant to use military force.

According to interviews with officials from both sides, the French have privately complained about what they see as paltry and belated American military support for their troop deployment, aimed at stopping the advance of militants allied with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

The Americans question whether French President Francois Hollande's armed intervention, which is entering its third week, was coupled with a thought-through exit strategy.

Hollande called Obama on Thursday, January 10, and in a brief conversation about Mali, told the U.S. leader that France was about to mount a major military operation in the north African country.

Hollande was in a hurry and called Obama to inform, not to consult, according to French and U.S. officials. France's ambassador to Mali had sent an urgent message to Paris, warning that if the strategic city of Mopti fell to armed Islamic militants, there would be nothing to stop them from capturing the capital, Bamako, and controlling the entire country.

France launched its military operation on January 11.

"Had we not intervened, the whole region would have become a new 'Sahelistan'," said a senior French official, referring to the Sahel region of Africa south of the Sahara Desert.

But France's sense of urgency ran headlong into American concerns about whether Paris had a long-term plan for Mali, and about getting the U.S. military deeply involved in a new foreign conflict as Obama begins his second term in office, the officials said.

'MINIMAL' U.S. SUPPORT?

The United States has given what U.S. officials say is significant intelligence support to French forces in Mali, and has helped to airlift French troops and equipment into the country.

France wants more U.S. and European help to move its soldiers and materiel. More urgently, it wants U.S. aerial refueling capability for its planes, French officials said. That would help France conduct airstrikes to relieve pressure on French troops should they encounter trouble in northern Mali, they said.

A U.S. official said France's refueling request is under active consideration.

U.S. support has been "minimal" in practice, one U.S. official acknowledged on condition of anonymity. Washington, this official said, gave France a "hard time" when they asked for increased support, and the French will "remember us for that."

Obama, who took office when the United States was mired in two costly wars, has shown himself to be cautious - too cautious, mostly Republican critics say - about foreign military interventions. He limited the U.S. role in the campaign that helped oust Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and has resisted months of pressure for more muscular support for rebels fighting to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

There are disagreements within the White House and Congress about U.S. support for the Mali mission, said Republican Representative Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

"This is not new ... We're seeing an ongoing debate about our participation level in Syria. We saw that same level of debate about our participation in Libya, and now we're having that exact same philosophical stalemate and debate on what we do with the French in Mali," Rogers said in an interview.

Obama and his aides "don't want their hand forced by French action," said Todd Moss, vice president of the Center for Global Development think tank and a former top official in the State Department's Africa bureau.

"There is very little, if any, political support in the U.S. for military action in a place like Mali," Moss said.

Obama spoke to Hollande by phone on Friday and "expressed his support for France's leadership of the international community's efforts to deny terrorists a safe haven in Mali," the White House said in a statement.

The White House said Hollande thanked Obama for the "significant support" provided by the United States.

LOOKING FOR AN EXIT STRATEGY

France has 2,500 soldiers in Mali, which it sent to block a southward advance on the Malian capital by Islamists occupying Mali's north. While French and Malian troops have appeared to make progress in recent days, the Islamists have proven to be better trained and equipped than France anticipated.

The U.N. Security Council last month authorized deployment of a 3,300-member African military force, known as AFISMA, to Mali. The full force was originally not expected to be ready until at least September. It now appears that the Africans will be contributing many more troops with a sharply accelerated deployment schedule, although there are questions about how well trained and equipped they are.

Even before Hollande acted, the United States had been reluctant for months about supporting international intervention in Mali, causing French-U.S. frictions at the United Nations.

Remembering that it took the Americans weeks to decide on their level of support for the aerial mission over Libya in 2011, France decided to act immediately when Islamist forces in Mali began moving south, the French officials said.

One French official described Obama's policy as almost "isolationist" - very reluctant to intervene, especially without a clear, easily sellable U.S. strategic interest at stake.

The Obama administration has said it will do whatever it can to ensure France is successful in disrupting the militants' progress.

Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, said, "We continue to share the French goal of denying terrorists a safe haven in the region, and we support the French operation."

The United States, Vietor noted, is working to accelerate the deployment, training and equipping of the African force.

Privately, U.S. officials are more skeptical, suggesting that Paris has developed its plans on the fly, and has no clear exit strategy.

"I don't think it's a secret that the French military effort has evolved and developed over time, and as that's happened we've worked with them to get the clearest-possible picture of not just their short term planning but also how they view this operation looking in three months or three years," an Obama administration official said.

France has not specified how long its troops will stay in Mali, where they hope to split local Tuareg rebels away from AQIM militants and into talks with the Malian government.

"The longer we stay, the bigger the risks," the senior French official said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/french-urgency-us-caution-collide-mali-operation-081138556.html

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Steven Brooks, Nevada Assemblyman, Explains Arrest

A Nevada assemblyman charged with threatening to kill the state Assembly speaker said he's actually the victim of the speaker's plot to kill him.

Assemblyman Steven Brooks (D-Las Vegas), charged this week with threatening to kill Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick (D-North Las Vegas) after she did not appoint him chairman of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he believes his life is in danger,

"If (Kirkpatrick) comes to kill me again, I have an armed guard," Brooks told The Review-Journal. "No one is going to touch me again. I'm safe."

Brooks didn't comment on the charge against him.

"I've had a month of hell," he told the newspaper in a shirtless interview this week. "I had the worst month I had in all my life and the new year just started."

The Review-Journal said Brooks wants the speaker to submit hair samples to help prove Brooks' claim that she is a drug addict.

Brooks admitted he had a gun with him when he was arrested during a traffic stop last weekend.

Brooks' attorney denied the assemblyman has mental issues, the Review-Journal reported. Brooks' wife had accused him of mental health problems. Brooks claimed it's Kirkpatrick who needs psychiatric help. Kirkpatrick did not return a Review-Journal call for comment.

Brooks, a former teacher, was first elected in 2010. On his state website he lists his occupation as a management analyst for Las Vegas city government.

Brooks' arrest is the second bizarre case involving a Nevada legislator's personal life in recent years. Last year, former state Sen. Elizabeth Halseth (R-Las Vegas) resigned from her seat and said she had to leave the state in order to find a job. Halseth's resignation came amid a bitter public divorce and child custody battle. Halseth, who was elected in 2010 at the age of 27, accused her husband, Daniel Halseth, of "open and gross lewdness" in October 2011 and claimed he tried to force her to have sex and then took her purse and car keys.

Halseth attempted a comeback in May 2011, when she launched a national write-in campaign for a spot in Maxim's 100 hottest women in the world. Halseth's campaign included photos of herself in a bikini.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/25/steven-brooks-nevada-arrest_n_2553302.html

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Emotional Freedom Techniques

The Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is an innovative approach to healing that is gaining attention from medical professionals and laypersons all over the world. EFT can be applied to any emotional and physical issues you can name and often gets results when nothing else works. The basics of EFT can be learned by anyone and can be self-applied (usually in minutes).

The success of EFT lies in the balancing of the body's subtle energies that flow through the body, in much the same way as blood flows through veins. This balancing is done with an elegant sort of emotional acupuncture. Instead of using needles, specific points on the body are stimulated by tapping with the fingertips.

EFT theory states that negative emotions are created in the following sequence: in response to a negative experience negative emotions are born, thereby leading to negative programming in the body which leads to a disruption in the body's energy field. EFT proponents believe tackling the negative experience alone is not enough to restore health. They believe that the energy imbalance must be remedied along with curing the negative emotions in order to remove the negative responses i.e. illness, phobia, etc

Studies have been conducted on the efficacy of EFT with varied and ultimately inconclusive results. One study focused on four groups of people who reported phobias. One group received regular EFT, another received EFT with false tapping points, a third group tapped on a doll and a fourth group received nothing. The three tapping groups did better than the fourth group, but there were no significant differences between the three tapping groups.

One potentially excellent source of training in EFT comes from DVD-based courses. The advantage here is that you can learn the core skills in a structured manner whilst seeing EFT being used on real people with real issues. There is nothing like watching this technique being used in practice both for learning the process itself and also because it is so great to be able to watch while someone's issue is being (hopefully) resolved in front of your eyes.

Eastern and western health philosophy differ in the way the two systems handle psychology. Asian philosophy emphasizes the unity of body and mind, whereas western philosophy separates the body and mind. The classical Chinese associate the emotions directly with the organs and they do not perceive the emotions as being stuck in the brain as the westerners do. Taoist and Buddhist philosophers link the emotions to each organ and have developed deep theories of psychology based on these relationships. Thus, the state of mind and the stage of one's body are intimately connected. In the West, although it is understood that certain physiological conditions can influence the mind, mental and emotional disorders are generally not connected to specific organs or organic functions, but are believed to be wholly centered in the brain. Fundamentally, the Chinese associated the emotions and related mental states to the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water) and to the organs associated with them. In general, the emotions are related to the organ associated with each element.

According to Huang Di Neijing, "In the human body located on each channel are a set of points identified with each of the five elements. On the yang channels they are represented by jing/well-metal, rong/spring-water, shu/stream-wood, jing/river-fire, and he/sea-earth. On the yin channels they are represented by jing/well-wood, rong/spring-fire, shu/stream-earth, jing/river-metal, and he/sea-water. By acupuncturing the corresponding elemental point of the organ system that is the most susceptible, that organ system will become balanced and thus avert any potential disorder."

As an EFT Practitioner, I have made important additions and modifications to Gary Craig's EFT procedure to avoid side effects called 'Qi deviation' and also increase its effectiveness a hundred-fold with a variant of EFT called "EFT Qi-healers Method." The Jing-Well acu-points of the liver, spleen, kidneys, stomach, gall bladder and bladder in the feet are added to balance the Yin (lower) and Yang (upper) meridians, and Pan Gu Shen Gong, Sheng Zhen Qigong, Wuji Qigong, Maitreya (Shiva) Shen Gong, Tibetan Shamanic Qigong with tonic herbs are also integrated with EFT to remove the energy toxins and restore the Three Treasures - Jing (essence), Qi (vitality) and Shen (Spirit) - leaked by the negative emotions held in the five organs.

The connection between the mind and body has been a subject of fascination for decades, and there is no doubt that the mind plays a vital part in the well being of the body. What is unclear is how effective EFT is in tapping into the connection between the two. Its popularity and vague results when put to the test make it difficult to determine hype from reality, and further scrutiny is necessary before it can be accepted or rejected. We are only in the beginning phases of learning just how powerful the mind/body connection is, and it would be irresponsible to completely dismiss the power of alternative therapies including EFT, and equally irresponsible to accept them without proper and in depth study.

For now it would be appropriate to say that the power of EFT is unproven, but the possibilities it offers are worth looking into. The field it is exploring is a vital one, and any opportunity to learn more about the connection between mental health and physical health should be welcomed. Skeptics and proponents alike should take more time examining the possibilities before casting judgment, negative or positive.

Source: http://artselfdevelopment.blogspot.com/2013/01/emotional-freedom-techniques.html

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