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Friday, August 10, 2012
What Annoying Wi-Fi Dead Spots Do You Have in Your Home? [Chatroom]
Closed-door murder trial for China politician's wife
CCTV via Reuters TV
Gu Kailai, center, appears at the Hefei Intermediate People's Court on Thursday.
By NBC News' Eric Baculinao and wire reports
Updated at 8:40 a.m. ET: HEFEI, China -- The woman at the center of China's most politically explosive trial in three decades did not contest charges of murder on Thursday in a hearing that lasted just seven hours and could determine the fate of former politician Bo Xilai.
Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, chose not to contest the charge of murdering British businessman Neil Heywood, whose alleged secretive dealings with the couple fuelled a scandal exposing the intimate nexus between money and power in China's elite.
A formal verdict will be delivered at a later date, a court official said, recounting details of the closed-door hearing.
The dramatic account of Heywood's death by poisoning is also likely to sound the final death knell to Bo's political career, even as sympathizers cast him as the victim of a push to oust him and discredit his left-leaning agenda.
"The accused Bogu (Gu) Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun did not raise objections to the accusations of intentional homicide," the official, Tang Yigan, said after the hearing, referring also to Gu's co-accused, an aide to the family.?
Reuters
This photo shows Bo Xilai, British businessman Neil Heywood and Bo's wife Gu Kailai.
State television showed Gu, wearing a dark pant suit and white shirt, being led into the courtroom and being seated in the dock. She appeared to have put on weight since she was detained earlier this year.?
Wife of ousted China politician charged with Briton's murder
The court official quoted prosecutors as saying Gu and Zhang had killed Heywood with a poisoned drink in far southwestern Chongqing last November, after a business dispute between Gu and Heywood. Bo ruled the vast municipality until he was sacked in March just before the murder scandal burst into the open.?
As a result of the dispute with Heywood, Gu had become convinced Heywood was a threat to her son, Bo Guagua, the official said without elaborating.?
"Gu Kailai believed that Neil Heywood had threatened the personal safety of her son Bo (Guagua) and decided to kill him," the official added, reading from a statement to a packed news conference of dozens of reporters who had been barred entry to the courtroom in the eastern city of Hefei.?
The aide, Zhang, had driven Heywood to Chongqing last November from Beijing and prepared a poison which was to be put later into a drink of water. Later that day, Heywood met Gu at a hotel, where he became drunk and then asked for water.?
Corruption may be widespread in China, but one official crossed a line when he wiretapped President Hu Jin Tau. Now that official's wife is a murder suspect. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
"She poured a poison into his mouth," the official said.?
Gu was represented by government-appointed lawyers. Her trial?is seen by many Chinese as part of a push against her husband Bo, who made powerful enemies as he campaigned to join the next generation of top central leaders.
Bo was formerly considered a contender for the inner sanctum of power -- the party's Politburo Standing Committee -- in a once-in-a-decade leadership transition that is currently under way. The new leadership is expected to be unveiled in October.
Earlier, a British diplomat was seen entering the court, but did not comment. International media were not allowed into the court.
Censorship
State censorship of Internet chatter on the trial was swifter than normal on Thursday. Users of China's popular Twitter-like service Sina Weibo played cat and mouse with authorities to discuss the case and used word play to try to get around the controls.
NYT: Increasingly outspoken military alarms China's leaders?
Police dragged two protesters away from outside the Hefei Intermediate People's Court in eastern China. The two Bo supporters kicked and yelled as they were put into an unmarked car after they had appeared outside the building, condemning the trial as a sham and?singing patriotic songs that were the trademark of Bo's populist leadership style.
"I don't believe it. This case was decided well in advance," Hu Jiye, a middle-aged man wearing a T-shirt and baseball cap, told foreign reporters at the rear of the court building, which was cordoned off by dozens of police standing in heavy rain.
Eugene Hoshiko / AP
Police officers stand guard outside a court where the murder trial of Gu Kailai was held on Thursday in Hefei, China.
Hu and his friend were then shoved by police officers into a car. His companion, also a middle-aged man, struggled and yelled, "Why are you taking me? Why are you taking me?"
But many ordinary Chinese citizens were unaware of the trial, or felt that it had little impact on their lives.?
"We are not really interested in the Bo Xilai and Gu Kailai cases because they are far removed from us, we are very busy with our daily lives," Beijing construction manager Ji Jiaminghe told NBC News.?
"The lesson of the Bo Xilai case is that it was wrong to go against the political mainstream," Ji said, even as he?acknowledged that he loved to sing and listen to the "Red Songs" that Bo promoted.?
Communist Party aristocracy
The trial of Gu, the glamorous daughter of ruling Communist Party aristocracy, is the most sensational since the conviction of the Gang of Four more than 30 years ago for crimes during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution.
China's Communist party unleashes its full weight against former politician Bo Xilai and his wife over a murder scandal. ITN's Angus Walker reports from Beijing.
Gu and family aide Zhang Xiaojun face the death penalty if convicted of poisoning the former family friend.
Police sources initially claimed Gu had poisoned Heywood in a disagreement over an illicit financial transaction she had wanted him to help her complete, and they portrayed Gu as a greedy wife who was translating her husband's connections into dollars.
Sources: Briton killed after threat to expose Chinese leader's wife
But Gu's alleged personal motive for the killing -- ?that Gu believed Heywood was a threat to her son --?may count as a mitigating circumstance and help Gu avoid execution.
Any hesitance to put Gu to death would make sense, according to?Hu Xingdou, an outspoken blogger and frequent government critic, told NBC News.?
Scandal sends China's netizens into feeding frenzy
"The death penalty is not likely precisely because a political struggle is involved and people don't like political rivals being executed," he said.
In announcing the indictment about two weeks ago, the official Xinhua News Agency made clear the government considers the verdict a foregone conclusion.
"The facts of the two defendants' crime are clear, and the evidence is irrefutable and substantial," it said.
The trial and sentencing of both Gu and Zhang are widely seen as a prelude to a possible criminal prosecution of Bo, who is being detained for violating party discipline -- an accusation that covers corruption, abuse of power and other misdeeds.
In what's being called the biggest Chinese political scandal in years, Bo Xilai, the Communist? Party secretary in Chongqing, was sacked Thursday. NBC's Ed Flanagan reports.
Bo, who was a favorite of party leftists and promoted himself as a friend of the poor and an enemy of corruption, was sacked as Chongqing party chief in March after his police chief, Wang Lijun, identified Gu as a suspect in Heywood's death.
Press behaved 'appallingly'?
On Thursday morning, there was no sign of Gu's elderly mother, nor of any members of Heywood's family in or around the courtroom.
In London, Heywood's mother accused the press of spreading lies about her son. "You've all behaved so appallingly," Ann Heywood said Wednesday outside her home.
British media have suggested Neil Heywood was involved in money laundering, worked for British intelligence or that he was Gu's lover. Ann Heywood claimed to know more about the case than was in the public domain, but she wasn't specific and said the truth would come out eventually.
?More China coverage from NBCNews.com's Behind the Wall blog
Before his ouster in the spring, Bo, also the son of a revolutionary veteran, was one of China's most powerful and charismatic politicians. But his overt maneuvering for a top political job, as well as high-profile campaigns to bust organized crime and promote communist culture -- while trampling over civil liberties and reviving memories of the chaotic Cultural Revolution in the process -- angered some leaders.
Bo is the first Politburo member to be removed from office in five years and the scandal kicked up talk of a political struggle involving Bo supporters intent on derailing succession plans calling for Vice President Xi Jinping to lead the party for the next decade.
Bo is in the hands of the party's internal discipline and inspection commission, which is expected to issue a statement about his infractions. That would open the way for a court trial with charges possibly including obstructing police work and abuse of power. Thus far, Bo has been accused only of grievous but unspecified rules violations.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More world stories from NBC News:
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Policy and personal: Romney hammered on tax fronts
FILE - In this Aug. 9, 2012 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in Colorado Springs, Colo. Democrats are growing increasingly confident that a two-pronged tax attack on Republican Mitt Romney _ one part policy, one part politics _ could help President Barack Obama lure pivotal support from middle class voters _ and win a second term. Led by Obama, the Democrats are going after Romney for seeking to protect tax cuts for the wealthy and refusing to release more information on the taxes he pays on his multi-million dollar personal fortune. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 9, 2012 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in Colorado Springs, Colo. Democrats are growing increasingly confident that a two-pronged tax attack on Republican Mitt Romney _ one part policy, one part politics _ could help President Barack Obama lure pivotal support from middle class voters _ and win a second term. Led by Obama, the Democrats are going after Romney for seeking to protect tax cuts for the wealthy and refusing to release more information on the taxes he pays on his multi-million dollar personal fortune. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 8, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney campaigns in Des Moines, Iowa. Democrats are growing increasingly confident that a two-pronged tax attack on Republican Mitt Romney _ one part policy, one part politics _ could help President Barack Obama lure pivotal support from middle class voters _ and win a second term. Led by Obama, the Democrats are going after Romney for seeking to protect tax cuts for the wealthy and refusing to release more information on the taxes he pays on his multi-million dollar personal fortune. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Democrats are growing increasingly confident in their two-pronged tax attack on Republican Mitt Romney. They're hammering both his policies and personal taxes, aiming to help President Barack Obama win pivotal support from middle class voters.
Led by Obama, the Democrats' summer assault goes after Romney for seeking to protect tax cuts for the rich and for refusing to release more information on the taxes he pays on his personal fortune.
Democrats say public and private polling suggests the double-barreled focus on taxes is a political winner for the president.
Republicans reject the notion that Romney's tax proposals could hurt him in the fall. But some party operatives say he is being damaged by his decision not to release more than two years of tax returns.
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Thursday, August 9, 2012
BRER Real Estate Marketing Keep Real Estate Website Visitors ...
August 8th, 2012
What I?m talking about is unique information you can put on your real estate website to make the site sticky ? and to make it so irresistible that people just must come back or provide their contact information to obtain the information you?re offering.?
Pretty tall order, I know.
How to Identify Unique Information
I wish there was a formula I could provide, or a pill you could take to quickly and easily identify the type of information you could put on your website that would result in lots of leads.? Unfortunately, it?s not? that easy.
But, there are some steps I can provide that will assist you in defining the type of information you can provide to make your website sticky and to generate leads.
1.? Don?t Underestimate Yourself ? This first step is to get into the right mindset to identify sticky information for your website.? If you?ve been in the real estate business for any period of time, you need to remember that there are a lot of things that just come as second nature to you.? A fair amount of what you know would be a revelation to the visitors to your website.
2.? Put Yourself in Your Prospects? Shoes ? Keep in mind that this step is much easier if you?ve created a marketing plan and chosen a niche.?? For example, let?s say that your niche is second home buyers.? It?s fairly clear how to put yourself in that person?s shoes.? It?s much more difficult if your market is defined as buyers and sellers.? That broad a market might have all kinds of different things on their minds.
3.? Split Your Unique Information into General and Specific Categories ? A very common problem is that once you?ve thought of the unique information, you tend to want to put all of it on your website.? That, of course, is counterproductive since the entire point is to get visitors to sign up for something or return for something.
The best approach is to put enough general information on the website so that the visitor realizes that you know what you?re talking about, then offer detailed or specific information in a chart that changes each month (so that they return), or even better, offer the information in a downloadable format that requires registration to access.? If the information is valuable enough, visitors won?t hesitate to sign up.
Do you have unique information on your website?
Let?s create a list of possibilities in the comments section!
?
Related posts:
- Ways to Keep Real Estate Website Visitors Coming Back
- Keep Real Estate Website Visitors Coming Back with News
- Keep Real Estate Website Visitors Coming Back with Maps
- Keep Internet Visitors Coming Back with Remarketing
- Insider Insight: Keep Your Internet Visitors Coming Back
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Bonus round: 200m finalists go for extra gold
Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce embraces United States' Sanya Richards-Ross after their women's 200-meter semifinal during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce embraces United States' Sanya Richards-Ross after their women's 200-meter semifinal during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
United States' Allyson Felix leads Ivory Coast's Murielle Ahoure, left, and Brazil's Evelyn dos Santos, right, in the women's 200-meter semifinal during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
Jamaica's Usain Bolt competes in a men's 200-meter heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Jamaica's Usain Bolt competes in a men's 200-meter heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Algeria's Taoufik Makhloufi celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the men's 1500-meters final during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa De Olza)
LONDON (AP) ? Sanya Richards-Ross already knows she'll head home to the United States with at least one gold medal ? the one she won in the 400 meters.
And Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce's luggage will be a little heavier on her way back to Jamaica, thanks to her Olympic title in the 100.
Nothing wrong with wanting to add something extra from the 200 meters on Wednesday night, too, even if Richards-Ross insists she isn't stressing out about finishing first in another track final at the London Games.
"This is gravy. Definitely gravy. I don't feel any pressure when I come out here. This is just a lot of fun for me," Richards-Ross said after running hard to the end and outleaning Fraser-Pryce to win their 200 semifinal heat in 22.30 seconds on Tuesday night, setting up a showdown for the gold.
"I really, really want to grab a medal," Richards-Ross added, "but either way, I'm still an Olympic champion."
Call this race the bonus round.
An impressive field will line up to decide the 200, including two-time defending champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica, two-time runner-up Allyson Felix of the U.S., and 100 silver medalist Carmelita Jeter of the U.S.
Felix is a three-time world champion, a streak that ended when Campbell-Brown won that title last year.
"You know how I run the 200: It's go from the gun and hopefully hold on," said Campbell-Brown, who took the bronze behind Fraser-Pryce in Saturday's 100 final. "So we'll see what happens."
She is trying to become the first woman to win the same individual track and field event at three consecutive Olympics.
"I'm not focusing on (history). The objective is to make sure that I navigate my race good tomorrow," she said. "It's going to be very competitive. I have to stay focused and make sure I make no mistakes."
There were plenty of errors and oddities at the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium on Tuesday from the stumble by 2004 110-meter hurdles champion Liu Xiang of China in the morning ? a blow after missing the Beijing Games ? to the 1,500-meter gold won at night by Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria, who had been kicked out of the event then allowed back in.
There were the five medals in the men's high jump: a gold for Ivan Ukhov of Russia, a silver for Erik Kynard of the U.S., and bronzes all around because of a rare three-way tie for third among Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, Derek Drouin of Canada, and Robert Grabarz of Britain.
Then there was the celebration to top all celebrations: Discus champion Robert Harting of Germany ripped his shirt to shreds, then sprinted bare-chested down Lane 9, leaping over the barriers set up for the women's 100-meter hurdles race that Sally Pearson of Australia was about to win ahead of two Americans, defending champion Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells.
"It was a way of celebrating," Harting said. "It was a symbol to let every emotion come out of me. Now I'm addicted to it. If you see me coming out the stadium without a shirt, you know it was good."
Makhloufi's win may have set off the most talk.
Initially told to leave the Olympics for presumably not trying hard enough in the 800 meters a day earlier, Makhloufi was later invited to return after a doctor determined his left knee injury was real.
Taking advantage of the second chance, he finished first in the 1,500 in 3 minutes, 34.08 seconds, beating Leonel Manzano of the United States by 0.71 seconds. Abdalaati Iguider of Morocco got the bronze.
"Yesterday I was out," Makhloufi said. "And today I was in."
Makhloufi will receive his gold medal in a ceremony Wednesday, when the schedule includes 100-meter champion Usain Bolt running in the 200 semifinals; the finals for the men's 110-meter hurdles, women's 400-meter hurdles and women's long jump; and the start of the decathlon, featuring world-record holder Ashton Eaton of the U.S.
Makhloufi got off to a slow start in the 800 before bailing out and standing on the infield to applaud while seven other runners went by.
A few hours after that, he was disqualified. He's hardly the first runner to pull out or pull up in one race to get ready for another. And, to be fair, he was helped off the track after the 1,500 semifinal, held the day before the 800 heat.
"I have problem here," Makhloufi said, pointing to his left knee. "It's a dangerous injury, but I'm all right."
Manzano wasn't going to be drawn into a debate over if it was fair to let Makhloufi back into the race.
"If he deserves it, I guess it was up to the people," said Manzano, the first U.S. man to win a medal in the 1,500 since Jim Ryun in 1968. "I don't know what his objective was. He probably knew what it was, but I really don't know."
___
Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
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Should I Cut Out Carbs? (Diet Myth 3) ? Health Hub from Cleveland ...
We?re working our way through the top 6 diet myths of 2012, and this week we tackle a big one: carbohydrates.
If you?ve dabbled in diets through the years, you?ve undoubtedly considered cutting out carbs. Let?s take a look at what the research says and see if we can sort fact from fiction.
Myth 3: To lose weight and be healthier, cut carbohydrates
There is something lurking in your kitchen that may be toxic to you and your entire family. You may have several versions of it in your pantry, fridge and freezer, and worse yet, it may be within arm?s reach of small children.
I?m not talking about your oven cleaner or dishwashing detergent ? things that your family could accidentally ingest. I am referring to something that you may be giving them several times a day: simple carbohydrates. These simple carbs could be in your bread, pasta, crackers, cakes, cookies and pretzels. They can be bad for your health, but don?t let that ruin the reputation of their more healthy cousins: complex carbohydrates.
Not all carbs are created equal, and cutting them out altogether means you?re losing an opportunity to improve your health and your weight. A 2008 study?in the New England Journal of Medicine found that adherence to a Mediterranean diet (a diet high in complex carbohydrates) helped with overall weight loss. Going further back, a 2002 study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that replacing refined grains with whole-grain and minimally processed grain products, along with eating more fruits and vegetables, may help to reduce the risk of both type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
On the flipside, the same study found that a diet high in refined carbs (white bread, pasta and rice, for example) contributes to hypertriglyceridemia, a condition that increases your risk of atherosclerosis and other conditions ? yet another reason to stay away from simple carbohydrates.? A 2010 study in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine found similar results.
The list goes on: A 2007 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that refined grains in the diet ? defined as white breads (lavash, baguettes), noodles, pasta, rice, toasted bread, milled barley, sweet bread, white flour, starch and biscuits ? were associated with an increased risk of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, which is a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes. The authors commented that the combination of the obesity epidemic and growing intake of refined carbohydrates have created a ??perfect storm?? for the development of cardio-metabolic disorders.
With this laundry list of evidence, it?s easy to be scared of carbs. But instead of elimination, consider replacement. You can keep complex carbohydrates in your diet if you aim only for ones that are 100 percent whole grains, or are contained in fruits, vegetables and legumes.
Carbs to Keep
Make the replacements below for a healthy dose of complex carbohydrates.
- Eat brown rice instead of white rice.
- Opt for a 100 percent whole grain English muffin instead of a white English muffin.
- Try whole wheat pita bread instead of plain old white bread.
- Eat an orange and skip the glass of processed orange juice.
- If you need a snack, choose popcorn over potato chips.
Next week ? Diet Myth 4: If you have high cholesterol, stop eating eggs.
Diet Myth 1: Sea salt is better than regular table salt.
Diet Myth 2: Whatever you don?t get from food, you can get from a vitamin.
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Wednesday, August 8, 2012
ARTSblog ? Blog Archive ? Local Arts Index: The Performing Arts ...
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