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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Gunman shot dead after opening fire in Seattle bar

By John Newland, Staff Writer, NBC News

A gunman shot his ex-girlfriend and an employee at a Seattle bar before being killed by police Sunday night, authorities said.

The shooter walked into The Twilight Exit about 10:15 p.m. local time (1:15 a.m ET Monday) and opened fire, first wounding his 25-year-old ex-girlfriend then a 30-year-old bar worker who tried to intervene, Seattle police said in a statement.

Police said the suspect later raised his gun and fired at them. One officer returned fire, killing the man.

The victims were taken to a hospital and their injuries were not thought to be life-threatening, police said. The gunman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said there were ?"a number of witnesses" inside the bar when the shooting occurred.

The Twilight Exit's?Facebook page has more than 2,800 "likes" and customers were already posting messages of concern early Monday.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/28/16733355-gunman-shoots-2-at-seattle-bar-before-being-killed-by-police?lite

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Bring Me 2 Life

A Vampire Prince who wanted to destroy the one thing that stood in his way of everlasting life, the girl he killed to stay alive is back and she wants his head.

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Can I please reserve FC: Olivia Wilde?

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@LittleMissGeorgia, You got it!

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Can I steal FC: Jennifer Lawrence?

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50 Simple Ways To Improve Your Web Content | Business 2 ...

The web is a competitive place. All it takes is a simple Google search to come to that realization. The important thing in today?s world is to know how to stand out in a crowd. One great way to do that is to get personal with your readers.

Another way is to simply improve your content.

Here?s a list of 50 actionable ways to increase your visibility online with improved content:

Add the appropriate links. If you can create a web of content throughout your blog, and link out to valuable resources when it?s appropriate, it helps turn your blog into a resource.
Organize your navigation. Readers need to know where to go and how to get there. Most won?t use a search feature on your site, even if it is available.
Keep an idea log. Write headlines for potential posts, and go back to them. It?s important to have a place to turn when you are staring at a blank screen.
Comment on everything. This gives you some great visibility, but remember that you want to be remembered as the thoughtful one who actually added something to the conversation.
Blog regularly. As a reader or consumer, there?s nothing more frustrating than going to an otherwise awesome site, and noticing that no blogs have been added in two years. Blog as often as you can come up with something awesome to say. Don?t let your audience forget about you, either.
Update regularly. You don?t need to spend hours a day on your social media. You don?t necessarily need to be on the next new network. You do need to understand what networks make sense for you, the business owner. You do need to provide consistent updates there.
Perfect your calls to action. Don?t assume that your reader knows exactly what you want them to do. You have to tell them.
Eliminate geek speak. We all know you?re smart, and your mother would be proud. Chances are your customers may not know all the specs to your products, or the fancy terms and industry lingo. That?s OK. Learn how to meet them where they?re at, and be a teacher.
Speak to your audience. It should go without saying, but that?s not always the case. Figure out who buys what you sell. Figure out who reads what you write. Learn how to appeal to them, and engage with them.
Guest post. What?s that saying about a leader without a following just taking a walk? In order to succeed in a content marketing world, you?ll need to be giving your best content away. Find the blogs in your industry that draw an audience. Offer them your best material.
Photos with every post. Some people are visual people. The decision to continue reading may be based on the visual layout of the page. When there?s an appropriate and appealing photo, the words aren?t quite so intimidating.
Inject your opinion. Your readers are depending on you as the expert. So don?t just give them the same, standard industry tips. Let them know which ones they need to be following, in your opinion.
Utilize subheads, headers and lists. Like I said, there?s a lot of visual people out there still looking to glean information on the web. Breaking the content into easy, manageable chunks makes your writing more appealing.
Use stronger words. Was, get, and has are boring. In most cases they?re avoidable by rewriting the sentence. Improve your vocabulary, but at the same time don?t drive your audience to the dictionary. They may not come back.
Spend time on your headlines. A headline may be a reader?s first impression of your business (even before the rest of the website). It has to catch their attention and convince them to keep reading. Otherwise the rest of your efforts are lost.
Stay on message. If your blog post is about 50 ways to create visibility with your content, don?t talk about snakes or clowns or cockroaches, unless they can be tied back into your original point. Every word that you write needs to help state your case.
Learn your grammar. Yes, I know it?s a lot like taking the garbage out, but the wrong use of the word it?s, their, or your can really make you look dumb. It can undercut an otherwise flawless effort. I once had a teacher that would fail anyone who incorrectly used any of the aforementioned words. It sucked, but I learned.
Watch your tone. The name of the game is likability. No one wants to be lectured. Also, there is no universal sarcasm font, so that can be really tough to detect. Sometimes readers are left to detect tone by the other nearby words. Be kind.
Don?t game the system. Headlines and copy written to game Google are pretty easy for people to detect. Here?s the thing: The collective public has caught on, and the copy becomes a real snoozer at this point. You can write copy that generates thousands of visits. If they all collectively yawn instead of completing your call to action, you gain nothing.
Write for people. Unless you?re lucky enough to count Google among your clients, it?s people not search engines who buy your stuff.
Be authentic. Your readers should feel like they know you. Your personality should come across both in the tone, and the subjects that you choose to write about.
Ask the question. Don?t be afraid to ask a question in a blog post to try and get a response. It?s a good way to continue the discussion.
Write in active voice. Subject, verb, object. Example: Readers love action. You can?t use it every time but most writers need to use it more often.
Keep your sentences short. Long sentences bore readers. Enough said.
Keep your paragraphs short. Long paragraphs intimidate readers. Enough said.
Simplify your sales funnel. Businesses tend to obsess on traffic. Once that reader lands on your site, it?s up to you to understand the logical steps you want that reader to take. If it can be shortened, do so. Unnecessary hoops will cost you business.
Study your competition. Figure out the strategies that seem to be working, and those that don?t. This should give you a good idea of what you want to implement with your own marketing materials.
Tell good stories. People love a good story. If you can entertain them while teaching them a little something about your business, you?ve kept a reader. Don?t hog the credit, though.
Edit your work with a critical eye. There?s no one standing between you and the publish button. Make sure your work meets high standards.
Fix your bounce rate. What pages are driving traffic away? What can you do to make the message on these pages more appealing? Fix it.
Post Quality Content. The bottom line is that your customers want value. They need some kind of takeaway from your post. Every piece of content that you produce needs to teach them something and provide value, while keeping them entertained. If it doesn?t meet these standards, don?t post it.
Take advantage of the platform. If you?re blogging on WordPress, make sure that you?re using a solid SEO plugin like All In One SEO Pack, or Yoast. Fill in your meta data. They?re giving you a great opportunity to improve your SEO friendliness. Take it. This goes for categories and tags as well.
Don?t Be Afraid To Steal. That?s right. There are some incredibly successful headlines out there that can be adopted to what you?ve written. Same goes for blogs. Don?t be afraid to tackle an angle on a blog that?s been done, but make it your own. I?m not talking about plagiarism, or copyright violation. I?m talking about turning to what others have written, and making it your own.
Read everything you can. This goes for books, blogs and articles both in and outside of your industry. This will give you a broader picture of what you do, and how to take ideas outside or your industry and adopt them.
Why should we buy from you? That?s what every reader / customer / or anyone who meets you is immediately thinking when you say, ?Hello, my name is _________ and I?m a _________.? It?s OK to brag a little bit. Tell us about your 20 years of experience, or awards, or high profile clients. Your website isn?t the place to be modest.
Get a little creative. Your readers are looking for material that they won?t find on your competition?s websites. So go ahead, and tell me what you?ve learned about your industry by being a football fan, or while walking your dog. It?s unique, and it?s a good vehicle for you as an industry thought leader.
Make sharing easy. There are plugins you can add to your blog that will make it easier for people to tweet, share or post what you?ve written. Make sure that sharing is intuitive, and encourage it.
Build trust. Every post that you write must work to establish that you know what you?re talking about. Your web content must work to establish you as the right choice. Your testimonials allow other people to speak on your behalf. It all works together.
Win the argument. Every piece of content that you produce needs to make an argument. Every word that you write needs to state your case. Get in, make your point, get out. Don?t waste words.
Make sure your videos are informative, but short. Videos are wildly popular, but we want our information now. Anything over 2-3 minutes may not be viewed as often.
Use keywords, but don?t overdo it. Google needs to know what you?re talking about, and doesn?t understand when you speak metaphorically. The best approach is to write a post for people, and go back and sparingly add your keywords in. Usually 1-2 uses within 500 words is plenty.
Utilize pronouns. When you keyword stuff to the point that you don?t use pronouns, your readers pick up on it, and it sounds spammy. Your readers don?t want a commercial. They want value.
Say what you need to say. Don?t worry about length of content. If your argument is complete after a 150 word blog post, that?s fine. If it takes 2,000 words, well that?s fine too.
Ask someone else to read before you publish. That?s always better than catching errors after the fact. Authors and journalist had to pass their work past the eyeballs of an editor for centuries. That?s only changing now. Don?t become too anxious to click the publish button.
Eliminate the hard sell. We?re here for information and value, not to be beat over the head with a baseball bat. If we want to hear what we can buy for the low price of $9.99 we?ll watch the Home Shopping Network.
Write an ?epic? post. These are the most informative, valuable posts. Make sure they?re done in a friendly way though. You want your readers to make it with you until the end.
Consider paying for clicks. In some circumstances, it just works. You?ll want to make sure that your sales funnel is in place though. When you?re paying for visitors, they need to know how to buy.
Master a social network. There?s a new one coming out every day it seems like. If you establish a presence on all of them, you?ll spread yourself too thin. Concentrate on one, build relationships, and establish your value.
Consider interviewing experts and doing book reviews for blog posts. This draws other voices into your world, and can help to highlight the content you?ve written, which is always a good thing.
Hire a freelancer. A professional can always help you navigate the Internet marketing waters. Consider bringing one on board!

Source: http://www.business2community.com/content-marketing/50-simple-ways-to-improve-your-web-content-0390570

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Monday, January 28, 2013

Primates too can move in unison

Jan. 25, 2013 ? Japanese researchers show for the first time that primates modify their body movements to be in tune with others, just like humans do. Humans unconsciously modify their movements to be in synchrony with their peers. For example, we adapt our pace to walk in step or clap in unison at the end of a concert. This phenomenon is thought to reflect bonding and facilitate human interaction. Researchers from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute report that pairs of macaque monkeys also spontaneously coordinate their movements to reach synchrony.

This research opens the door to much-needed neurophysiological studies of spontaneous synchronization in monkeys, which could shed light into human behavioral dysfunctions such as those observed in patients with autism spectrum disorders, echopraxia and echolalia -- where patients uncontrollably imitate others.

In the research, recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, the team led by Naotaka Fujii developed an experimental set-up to test whether pairs of Japanese macaque monkeys synchronize a simple push-button movement.

Before the experiment, the monkeys were trained to push a button with one hand. In a first experiment the monkeys were paired and placed facing each other and the timing of their push-button movements was recorded. The same experiment was repeated but this time each monkey was shown videos of another monkey pushing a button at varying speeds. And in a last experiment the macaques were not allowed to either see or hear their video-partner.

The results show that the monkeys modified their movements -- increased or decreased the speed of their push-button movement -- to be in synchrony with their partner, both when the partner was real and on video. The speed of the button pressing movement changed to be in harmonic or sub-harmonic synchrony with the partners' speed. However, different pairs of monkeys synchronized differently and reached different speeds, and the monkeys synchronized their movements the most when they could both see and hear their partner.

The researchers note that this behavior cannot have been learnt by the monkeys during the experiment, as previous research has shown that it is extremely difficult for monkeys to learn intentional synchronization.

They add: "The reasons why the monkeys showed behavioral synchronization are not clear. It may be a vital aspect of other socially adaptive behavior, important for survival in the wild."

The study was partly supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas 'Neural creativity for communication' (22120522 and 24120720) of MEXT, Japan.

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Journal Reference:

Yasuo Nagasaka, Zenas C. Chao, Naomi Hasegawa, Tomonori Notoya, Naotaka Fujii. Spontaneous synchronization of arm motion between Japanese macaques. Scientific Reports, 2013; 3 DOI: 10.1038/srep01151

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/AMbAPs6-r80/130128081952.htm

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Climate change impacts to U.S. coasts threaten public health, safety and economy, report finds

Jan. 28, 2013 ? According to a new technical report, the effects of climate change will continue to threaten the health and vitality of U.S. coastal communities' social, economic and natural systems.

The report, Coastal Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerabilities: a technical input to the 2013 National Climate Assessment, authored by leading scientists and experts, emphasizes the need for increased coordination and planning to ensure U.S. coastal communities are resilient against the effects of climate change.

The recently released report examines and describes climate change impacts on coastal ecosystems and human economies and communities, as well as the kinds of scientific data, planning tools and resources that coastal communities and resource managers need to help them adapt to these changes.

"Sandy showed us that coastal states and communities need effective strategies, tools and resources to conserve, protect, and restore coastal habitats and economies at risk from current environmental stresses and a changing climate," said Margaret A. Davidson of NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management and co-lead author of the report. "Easing the existing pressures on coastal environments to improve their resiliency is an essential method of coping with the adverse effects of climate change."

A key finding in the report is that all U.S. coasts are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change such as sea-level rise, erosion, storms and flooding, especially in the more populated low-lying parts of the U.S. coast along the Gulf of Mexico, Mid-Atlantic, northern Alaska, Hawaii, and island territories. Another finding indicated the financial risks associated with both private and public hazard insurance are expected to increase dramatically.

"An increase in the intensity of extreme weather events such as storms like Sandy and Katrina, coupled with sea-level rise and the effects of increased human development along the coasts, could affect the sustainability of many existing coastal communities and natural resources," said Virginia Burkett of the U.S. Geological Survey and co-lead author of the report.

The authors also emphasized that storm surge flooding and sea-level rise pose significant threats to public and private infrastructure that provides energy, sewage treatment, clean water and transportation of people and goods. These factors increase threats to public health, safety, and employment in the coastal zone.

The report's authors noted that the population of the coastal watershed counties of the U.S. and territories, including the Great Lakes, makes up more than 50 percent of the nation's population and contributed more than $8.3 trillion to the 2011 U.S. economy but depend on healthy coastal landforms, water resources, estuaries and other natural resources to sustain them. Climate changes, combined with human development activities, reduce the ability of coasts to provide numerous benefits, including food, clean water, jobs, recreation and protection of communities against storms.

Seventy-nine federal, academic and other scientists, including the lead authors from the NOAA and USGS, authored the report which is being used as a technical input to the third National Climate Assessment -- an interagency report produced for Congress once every four years to summarize the science and impacts of climate change on the United States.

Other key findings of the report include:

Expected public health impacts include a decline in seafood quality, shifts in disease patterns and increases in rates of heat-related morbidity.
Changes in the location and the time of year when storms form can lead to large changes in where storms land and the impacts of storms. Any sea-level rise is virtually certain to exacerbate storm-surge and flooding related hazards.
Because of changes in the hydrological cycle due to warming, precipitation events (rain, snow) will likely be heavier. Combined with sea-level rise and storm surge, this will increase flooding severity in some coastal areas, particularly in the Northeast.
Temperature is primarily driving environmental change in the Alaskan coastal zone. Sea ice and permafrost make northern regions particularly susceptible to temperature change. For example, an increase of two degrees Celsius during the summer could basically transform much of Alaska from frozen to unfrozen, with extensive implications.
As the physical environment changes, the range of a particular ecosystem will expand, contract or migrate in response. The combined influence of many stresses can cause unexpected ecological changes if species, populations or ecosystems are pushed beyond a tipping point.
Although adaptation planning activities in the coastal zone are increasing, they generally occur in an ad-hoc manner and are slow to be implemented. Efficiency of adaptation can be improved through more accurate and timely scientific information, tools, and resources, and by integrating adaptation plans into overall land use planning as well as ocean and coastal management.
An integrated scientific program will reduce uncertainty about the best ways coastal communities can to respond to sea-level rise and other kinds of coastal change. This, in turn, will allow communities to better assess their vulnerability and to identify and implement appropriate adaptation and preparedness options.

This report is available online.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by United States Geological Survey.

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/LJ4zZMA7j_g/130128143010.htm

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'First time' may predict lifelong sexual satisfaction

Jan. 28, 2013 ? Research conducted by Matthew Shaffer, a doctoral psychology student at UT and C. Veronica Smith, an assistant psychology professor at the University of Mississippi, reveals that the first sexual experience can set the tone for the rest of one's sexual life.

The study is published in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy and is the first to look at whether the circumstances of losing one's virginity have lasting consequences.

"The loss of virginity is often viewed as an important milestone in human development, signifying a transition to adulthood," said Shaffer. "However, it has not been studied in this capacity. We wanted to see the influence it may have related to emotional and physical development."

The researchers examined how first-time sexual satisfaction impacts long-term sexual function as well as how first-time physical and emotional responses affect long-term sexual experiences. They found that positive first-time experiences were predictive of physical and emotional satisfaction. Specifically, those who felt loved and respected by their partner found later encounters more emotionally satisfying.

The researchers asked 331 young men and women about how they lost their virginity. The anonymous participants ranked the experience according to emotions related to anxiety, contentment and regret. They also answered questions about their sex life using scales measuring sense of control, satisfaction and well-being. Finally, the participants filled out a diary for two weeks describing each sexual experience.

A series of analyses revealed those who were most emotionally and physically satisfied the first time found their sex lives the most fulfilling. Those who reported higher levels of anxiety and negativity with the first time reported lower overall sexual functioning.

"While this study doesn't prove that a better first time makes for a better sex life in general, a person's experience of losing their virginity may set the pattern for years to come," said Shaffer.

Shaffer suggests that a first-time sexual experience may create a general pattern of thought and behavior that guides sexual experiences and understanding of information concerning sexuality.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Tennessee at Knoxville, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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Journal Reference:

C. Veronica Smith, Matthew J. Shaffer. Gone But Not Forgotten: Virginity Loss and Current Sexual Satisfaction. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 2013; 39 (2): 96 DOI: 10.1080/0092623X.2012.675023

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/L5jWJFwKgz0/130128104732.htm

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Penguin Colony's First Contact With Humans In Antarctica Captured On Camera (VIDEO)

A group of explorers recently became the first humans to ever make contact with a previously unknown colony of more than 9,000 Emperor penguins in the Antarctic. It was a meeting that the expedition leader called "unforgettable."

According to the International Polar Foundation, the group made contact with the Emperor penguin colony, said to be one of Antarctica's largest, in early December after evidence of the birds' existence was discovered using satellite imagery. In a 2009 paper, researchers from the British Antarctic Survey said they located the colony after images taken from space revealed evidence of "penguin poo."

Still, until the recent expedition, there hadn't been unequivocal proof of the colony's existence.

Expedition leader Alain Hubert, who has been in Antarctica for seven seasons and is in the region with the International Polar Foundation research team, told National Geographic that the satellite images gave him and his crew a "rough idea of where to start looking."

Last month, Hubert, along with two other men, hopped on snowmobiles and took a treacherous journey to where they believed the penguins to be. To their amazement, they struck gold. "We were lucky to find it," Hubert told National Geographic.

On Dec. 3, Hubert and his team stumbled upon the 9,000 Emperor penguins, basking in the Antarctic summer sun. They say they were the first humans that the penguins had ever seen.

According to CNN, about 3/4 of the colony were chicks. "Despite global warming, this colony? is growing," said Hubert.

Though Emperor penguins, a species endemic to Antarctica, once lived abundantly in the wild and were considered animals of "least concern" from a conservation standpoint, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently changed the status of the species to "near threatened." The animals are "projected to undergo a moderately rapid population decline over the next three generations owing to the effects of projected climate change," the IUCN explains.

As the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition website notes, Emperor penguins are "highly vulnerable" to changes in climate and are "predicted to suffer" if the world's average temperature should increase by 2 degrees Celsius (about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), a change experts say will come by the year 2052.

According to a 2011 report by the National Research Council, the average temperature of the Earth?s surface has increased by about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit over the past century; however, a whopping 1 degree Fahrenheit of this warming is said to have occurred over the past three decades.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/26/penguin-colony-first-contact-humans-antarctica_n_2553470.html

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