UN envoy presses Syrian peace plan with Iran, Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) ? The U.N.'s special envoy on the Syrian crisis sought to build support for his peace efforts Tuesday with the leaders of Iran and Iraq, saying President Bashar Assad has agreed to a plan to quell the bloodshed in the most violent areas of Syria and then expand the operation to the whole country.

Top diplomat Kofi Annan said at a news conference in Iran that the plan still must be presented to the Syrian opposition. But he said his talks with Assad a day earlier focused on a new approach to ending the violence, which activists say has killed more than 17,000 people since March 2011.

"(Assad) made a suggestion of building an approach from the ground up in some of the districts where we have extreme violence ? to try and contain the violence in those districts and, step by step, build up and end the violence across the country," Annan told reporters in Tehran, his first step on a tour of Syria's allies. He did not elaborate on the plan.

Annan later visited Iraq and met Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to discuss ways to end the fighting.

"I think we've all watched the tragic situation in Syria, the killings, the suffering of the people," Annan said in Baghdad. "And everyone I've spoken to shares the concerns and the needs for us to stop the killing."

The conflict in Syria has defied every international attempt to bring peace, and there was no sign that the plan Annan described Tuesday will be a breakthrough. Although the Assad government's crackdown has turned the Syrian president into an international pariah, he still has the support of strong allies such as Russia, Iran and China.

There is little support for military intervention of the type that helped bring down Libya's Moammar Gadhafi, and several rounds of sanctions and other attempts to isolate Assad have done little to stop the bloodshed.

Still, Annan's latest efforts to reach out to Syrian allies suggest he sees them as integral to solving the crisis.

Annan was scheduled to brief a closed meeting of the U.N. Security Council by videoconference from Geneva on Wednesday on his meeting with Assad and visits to Iran and Iraq.

The council must decide in the coming days whether to extend the mandate of the U.N. observer force in Syria, which expires on July 20.

In New York, a U.N. diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said that Russia has circulated a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council that would extend the U.N. observer force in Syria but refocus its activities on trying to achieve a political solution to the conflict.

Since Assad took power following the death of his father, Hafez, in 2000, he has deepened cultural, political and economic ties with Iran, making it Syria's strongest regional ally. Tehran, in turn, has boosted Assad's military, providing it with advanced communications technology and weapons.

All of this makes Iran unlikely to support change in Syria.

On Tuesday, Annan said Tehran has offered its support to end the conflict and must be "part of the solution."

"My presence here proves that I believe Iran can play a positive role and should therefore be a part of the solution in the Syrian crisis," Annan told reporters in Tehran after meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.

Annan said he has "received encouragement and cooperation" from the Iranian government but did not elaborate. Salehi also did not spell out what Tehran was willing to do to help tame the violence.

Annan's gestures to Iran in particular appear to oppose the approach of Washington, which has rejected Iran's participation in helping solve the crisis.

State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said the U.S. doubts Iran will be able to play a constructive role.

"If the Iranian regime wants to stop giving direct material support to the Syrian killing machine ... we would welcome that. We're not at that point yet," he said Monday.

Some have said Annan's tour of Syria's allies smacked of betrayal.

Rajeh Khoury, a columnist in Lebanon's leading An-Nahar newspaper, wrote that Annan's actions "give the Syrian regime more time to accomplish the impossible task of crushing the uprising militarily."

"His insistence on making Iran part of the solution at a time the opposition sees Iran as part of the problem is extremely dangerous," Khoury said.

The conflict in Syria is complicated by sectarian tensions. Sunnis make up most of Syria's 22 million people, as well as the backbone of the opposition. But Assad and the ruling elite belong to the tiny Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Iraq's prime minister is a Shiite, and Iran is a Shiite powerhouse in the region.

The six-point peace plan Annan brokered earlier this year has failed to gain traction on the ground in Syria.

Government forces and rebels have widely disregarded a cease-fire that was to begin in April, and spreading violence has kept nearly 300 U.N. observers monitoring the truce stuck in their hotels in Syria.

Annan stressed the urgency of finding a solution to the crisis.

"If we don't make a real effort to resolve this issue peacefully and it were to get out of hand and spread in the region, it can lead to consequences that none of us could imagine," he said.

Salehi said Tehran backs the rights of the Syrian people but opposes military intervention. He also blamed the conflict's increasingly chaotic violence on the meddling of foreign powers.

"Unfortunately, the unwise interference of others has caused the situation in Syria to remain critical," he said. "The worsening of the situation should not happen. It would not benefit anyone in the region."

In other diplomatic efforts, an announcement posted on the Facebook page of the opposition Syrian National Council said a high-level delegation from the group, led by its head, Abdelbaset Sieda, was traveling to Moscow to discuss the situation in Syria with Russian officials. It gave no further details.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said one of its Syrian staff was shot and killed Tuesday while riding in a clearly marked ambulance in eastern Syria. It did not say who shot him.

The group said it was second time in a month that one of its workers had been killed and called on all sides to protect medics.

The Syrian conflict also has spilled outside the border several times. On Tuesday, the Lebanese army said shells were fired into Lebanon from Syria during an overnight exchange of fire along the countries' frontier.

The Red Cross and Lebanon's national news agency said a Lebanese and two Syrians died ? one from a heart attack and two others when their motorcycle hit a car in the Wadi Khaled area, where the clashes took place.

The Lebanese government decided at a Cabinet meeting Monday night to boost the army's presence along the volatile border, where shells fired from Syria have killed and wounded several Lebanese in the past few weeks.

Syria says the frontier is being used for smuggling weapons to rebels.

Also Tuesday, Jordan opened a new refugee camp near the border with Syria to handle the growing number of people fleeing the deadly violence.

The U.N. refugee agency had appealed to Jordan to accommodate the increased flow across the frontier, but the government in Amman has been reluctant to set up refugee camps, possibly to avoid angering Assad's regime.

The new camp in the northern border town of Ramtha had to be set up because Syrian refugees could no longer be absorbed into border communities, said Jordanian Information Minister Sameeh Maaytah.

Since the uprising began, Jordan has sheltered 140,000 Syrian refugees. Lebanon hosts about 30,000 Syrians and Turkey has taken in tens of thousands of others.

___

Dareini reported from Tehran, Iran. Associated Press writers Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad, Zeina Karam in Beirut, Edith M. Lederer at the U.N., Dale Gavlak in Mafraq, Jordan, and Jamal Halaby in Amman, Jordan, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-envoy-presses-syrian-peace-plan-iran-iraq-183328589.html

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No matter the drilling method, natural gas is a much-needed tool to battle global warming

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 10-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: John Carberry
johncarberry@cornell.edu
607-255-5353
Cornell University

ITHACA, N.Y. No matter how you drill it, using natural gas as an energy source is a smart move in the battle against global climate change and a good transition step on the road toward low-carbon energy from wind, solar and nuclear power.

That is the conclusion of a new study by Cornell Professor Lawrence M. Cathles, published in the most recent edition of the peer-reviewed journal Geochemistry, Geophysics and Geosystems. Cathles, a faculty member in Cornell's Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, reviewed the most recent government and industry data on natural gas "leakage rates" during extraction, as well as recently developed climate models.

He concluded that no matter the timeframe considered, substituting natural gas energy for all coal and some oil production provides about 40 percent of the global warming benefit that a complete switch to low-carbon sources would deliver.

"From a greenhouse point of view, it would be better to replace coal electrical facilities with nuclear plants, wind farms and solar panels, but replacing them with natural gas stations will be faster, cheaper and achieve 40 percent of the low-carbon-fast benefit," Cathles writes in the study. "Gas is a natural transition fuel that could represent the biggest stabilization wedge available to us."

Cathles study, "Assessing the Greenhouse Impact of Natural Gas," includes additional findings about expanding the use of natural gas as an energy source, and the climate impact of "unconventional" gas drilling methods, including hydraulic fracturing in shale formations. They include:

-- Although a more rapid transition to natural gas from coal and some oil produces a greater overall benefit for climate change, the 40-percent of low-carbon energy benefit remains no matter how quickly the transition is made, and no matter the effect of ocean modulation or other climate regulating forces.

-- Although some critics of natural gas as a transition fuel have cited leakage rates as high as 8 percent or more of total production during drilling particularly hydraulic fracturing extraction more recent industry data and a critical examination of Environmental Protection Agency data supports leakage rates closer to 1.5 percent for both conventional and hydrofractured wells.

-- Even at higher leakage rates, using natural gas as a transition to low-carbon energy sources is still a better policy than "business as usual" with coal and oil, due to the different rates of decay (and hence long-term global warming effect) of CO2 released in greater amounts by burning coal and oil and any methane released during natural gas extraction.

-- Using natural gas as a transition fuel supports the push to low-carbon sources by providing the "surge capacity" when needed, or a buffer when solar and wind production wanes.

"The most important message of the calculations reported here is that substituting natural gas for coal and oil is a significant way to reduce greenhouse forcing, regardless of how long the substitution takes," Cathles writes. "A faster transition to low-carbon energy sources would decrease greenhouse warming further, but the substitution of natural gas for other fossil fuels is equally beneficial in percentage terms no matter how fast the transition."

###

Geochemistry, Geophysics and Geosystems is an online journal published by the nonprofit American Geophysical Union. Cathles' research received no outside funding.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 10-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: John Carberry
johncarberry@cornell.edu
607-255-5353
Cornell University

ITHACA, N.Y. No matter how you drill it, using natural gas as an energy source is a smart move in the battle against global climate change and a good transition step on the road toward low-carbon energy from wind, solar and nuclear power.

That is the conclusion of a new study by Cornell Professor Lawrence M. Cathles, published in the most recent edition of the peer-reviewed journal Geochemistry, Geophysics and Geosystems. Cathles, a faculty member in Cornell's Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, reviewed the most recent government and industry data on natural gas "leakage rates" during extraction, as well as recently developed climate models.

He concluded that no matter the timeframe considered, substituting natural gas energy for all coal and some oil production provides about 40 percent of the global warming benefit that a complete switch to low-carbon sources would deliver.

"From a greenhouse point of view, it would be better to replace coal electrical facilities with nuclear plants, wind farms and solar panels, but replacing them with natural gas stations will be faster, cheaper and achieve 40 percent of the low-carbon-fast benefit," Cathles writes in the study. "Gas is a natural transition fuel that could represent the biggest stabilization wedge available to us."

Cathles study, "Assessing the Greenhouse Impact of Natural Gas," includes additional findings about expanding the use of natural gas as an energy source, and the climate impact of "unconventional" gas drilling methods, including hydraulic fracturing in shale formations. They include:

-- Although a more rapid transition to natural gas from coal and some oil produces a greater overall benefit for climate change, the 40-percent of low-carbon energy benefit remains no matter how quickly the transition is made, and no matter the effect of ocean modulation or other climate regulating forces.

-- Although some critics of natural gas as a transition fuel have cited leakage rates as high as 8 percent or more of total production during drilling particularly hydraulic fracturing extraction more recent industry data and a critical examination of Environmental Protection Agency data supports leakage rates closer to 1.5 percent for both conventional and hydrofractured wells.

-- Even at higher leakage rates, using natural gas as a transition to low-carbon energy sources is still a better policy than "business as usual" with coal and oil, due to the different rates of decay (and hence long-term global warming effect) of CO2 released in greater amounts by burning coal and oil and any methane released during natural gas extraction.

-- Using natural gas as a transition fuel supports the push to low-carbon sources by providing the "surge capacity" when needed, or a buffer when solar and wind production wanes.

"The most important message of the calculations reported here is that substituting natural gas for coal and oil is a significant way to reduce greenhouse forcing, regardless of how long the substitution takes," Cathles writes. "A faster transition to low-carbon energy sources would decrease greenhouse warming further, but the substitution of natural gas for other fossil fuels is equally beneficial in percentage terms no matter how fast the transition."

###

Geochemistry, Geophysics and Geosystems is an online journal published by the nonprofit American Geophysical Union. Cathles' research received no outside funding.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/cu-nmt071012.php

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The wedding party

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On your wedding day ? one of the happiest and most hectic days of your life ? it is important to surround yourself with people you care about and trust. Your bridal attendants and groomsmen should serve that purpose. You chose them to join you and your fianc? in celebrating your new life as a married couple because these men and women are your closest friends and confidants. ??

Conventional wisdom says that for a smaller, more intimate wedding, choose one to three attendants. For a large and lavish affair, you can have up to 12. Most weddings include between five and eight attendants.?

Traditionally, there is one groomsman per bridesmaid to keep symmetry at the altar and in photographs. Some wedding parties also include ushers to assist in seating family and friends, particularly the mothers of the bride and groom. To include younger family members, you may want to have a flower girl, a ring bearer or train bearer.

Keep in mind that in your wedding photographs and memories, these individuals will always be your wedding attendants. Be sure to ask attendants with whom you want to spend time, not only on your wedding day but also in your future.

Maid or matron of honor. Whether she?s been down the aisle herself (matron) or not (maid), your honor attendant should be someone who is dear to your heart. She should also be someone you can depend upon while planning the wedding and especially on your wedding day. Often, a bride asks a sister or best friend to fill this important role.

Best man. The best man should be someone whom the groom can rely upon ? not only to help him with the wedding details, but also to offer moral support during this wonderful and stressful time in his life. Often the groom asks a brother, close relative or best friend to stand with him.

Bridesmaids. Bridesmaids are usually sisters, family members or close friends of the bride or groom. They help with wedding errands, help throw a bridal shower, and are key guests at all pre-wedding parties.

Groomsmen/ushers

Groomsmen and ushers are usually brothers, relatives or close friends of the bride and groom.

Flower girls. Traditionally, one or two flower girls between age four and eight walk down the aisle alone or with the ring bearer. If your flower girls are shy, pair them with an older escort. Flower girls can carry pomanders (balls of flowers that match the bridesmaids? or bride?s bouquet held by a ribbon), a basket of rose petals to scatter, or baby roses to pass out as they walk down the aisle.?

Ring bearer. Have a ring bearer ? a young boy, age 4 or 5 ? walk down the aisle with the rings tied by ribbon on a decorative pillow, or carried within a decorative treasure box. If you worry about such a young person being responsible for the rings, simply use metal or plastic instead of the actual rings. The ring bearer may walk alone or escort the flower girl(s).

Train bearer. A young child, about 4 or 5 years old, can also act as a train bearer, following the bride down the aisle and carrying her train.

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Source: http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/relationships-and-special-occasions/bestbridal/features/the-wedding-party/article_3d2eb9b8-51d9-11e1-981c-001a4bcf6878.html

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The 20 Best iOS And Android Apps Of 2012 (So Far)

cam-apps3aHalfway into 2012, there are now more than 1.2 million mobile applications available to download to iOS and Android devices. With so many options literally at our fingertips ? including dozens of worthy titles introduced to us each day ? the task of compiling a mid-year ?best of? list of new apps is more challenging (and enjoyable) than ever. Out of the hundreds (if not thousands) of titles worthy of inclusion, our favorite 20 iOS and Android apps released so far in 2012 can do everything from appraise the value of a home merely by taking its picture, to supplying users with loyalty schwag merely for checking-in to their favorite TV shows. We also salute a highly anticipated game sequel that somehow catapulted beyond its otherworldly hype.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/jLqaTkR8eV8/

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07 Camry Sports Grill For Sale

The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.

AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.

Visit AutoGuide.com today.

For advertising information, on the AutoGuide.com network please request a media kit or email us: sales@autoguide.com

Source: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/66-car-parts-sale/417687-07-camry-sports-grill-sale.html

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Secure Virtual Desktop

When you're connected to free Wi-Fi in a dubious Internet caf?, it's probably not the best time to log in to your bank or download documents from work. Sometimes, though, you just don't have access to a connection with better security. If you really need to transmit sensitive communications over an untrusted network, OPSWAT's free Secure Virtual Desktop can help.

Secure Virtual Desktop requires no installation, so you can use it even when logged in with a non-Administrator account. You simply download the app and launch it. After an optional check for active malware, it switches into a secure version of the Windows desktop. Your regular desktop is still present; you can even switch back and forth.

When you're using the secure desktop, the only browser permitted is Internet Explorer, and it always runs in InPrivate browsing mode. Anything you save locally while using the secure desktop will vanish when the session ends. PrintScreen and printing in general isn't allowed. It also blocks access to network and removable drives. Apps running on the main desktop can't interact with secured apps. It even prevents copy/paste between the secure desktop and the regular desktop.

It's easy to see when you're in secure mode. The desktop background changes, all desktop icons vanish, and a small floating window with a shield icon indicates that you're in secure mode. Clicking a button in that floating window lets you switch back and forth between regular and secure desktops.

While Secure Private Desktop is not itself a Virtual Private Network (VPN) tool, OPSWAT promotes it as enhancing VPN security. During a secure session, your IP address is masked. I found that IP geolocation placed my test system in Georgia when it's really in California. That means Google and other sites that gather information associated with your IP address will be fooled.

Active Malware Check
I tried launching Secure Virtual Desktop on the twelve malware-infested test systems that I use for antivirus testing, to test the effectiveness of its pre-launch scan for active malware. It found some, but not all, of the active threats on half the systems, and warned that my secure session might conceivably be compromised. It erroneously reported no malware on three of the test systems, and failed to run properly on the other three. That quick scan for active malware is a nice idea, but it clearly doesn't actually detect all threats.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/RKFIBj0jxzI/0,2817,2406766,00.asp

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Microsoft Releases Worldwide Partner Conference 2012 App For Windows Phone

Microsoft has released??t? companion app for ?t? Worldwide Partner Conference t? be held on Monday ?n Toronto. W?th WPC 2012 app you ??n access conference schedule, 1:1 meetings, contacts and more.

App Description:

- Access your existing WPC 2012 schedule that you m??? ?n WPC Connect ?r begin creating your schedule.- find out more information about all scheduled sessions, including access t? conference abstracts, speaker bios, etc.- Explore the Solution Innovation Center. View the floor map and find exhibitor and sponsors.- Send messages and schedule face-t?-face meetings w?th additional conference attendees.- find out more about the WPC Contest and perfect conference evaluations.- Access important conference information such as venue maps, transportation schedules, hotel information, etc.

Download the app here fr?m the Marketplace.

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Microsoft Releases Worldwide Partner Conference 2012 App F?r Windows Phone

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hostreviewer/~3/7ct39E4xDgo/

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Did terror suspect go near Olympic Park five times?

By NBC News' Michele Neubert and msnbc.com's F. Brinley Bruton

LONDON -- British officials arrested a terror suspect after he traveled close to the Olympic Park in East London five times, a U.K. newspaper reported on Sunday, capping off a week of heightened security concerns in the run-up to the games later this month.?

The?Sunday Telegraph?reported without citing its sources?that the suspected terrorist, believed to be a would-be suicide bomber with links to al-Qaida, had been taken into custody after crossing through the park five times. ?

Security sources told NBC News, however, that the suspect never got into the park.?


Police did confirm that a man had been arrested for breaching anti-terrorism restrictions.

"A man appeared in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday 28 June charged with five counts of breaching a terrorism prevention and investigation measure contrary to the Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Act 2011," police told NBC News in a statement.

The suspect, known only as CF, was arrested on May 22 and released on bail, police told NBC News. The Telegraph reported he had been arrested on Saturday.?

NBC's Jim Maceda reports on an early morning terrorism raid near London's Olympic Park.

The newspaper reported that the man had been under surveillance for years after having reportedly traveled to Somalia to train with al-Qaida-linked militants and who attempted to visit Afghanistan for the same reason.

'In the line of fire': UK confirms 6 London Olympic missile defense sites

A source at Britain's Home Office, the equivalent of the United States' Department of Homeland Security, told NBC News:

"I understand he was arrested at home. He breached (a TPIM) order five times with different rail journeys. But to stress, these were never incursions onto the park, just trips on public transport taken by thousands of other people every day. He got no restricted access."

Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures are legal orders that restrict suspect's movements, computer use and who they can meet.?

London beefs up security before Olympics

CF had been wearing an electronic tag that traces his movements via GPS.?NBC News tried without success to reach the suspect's lawyer.?

Rising tensions
The report's prominence -- it ran as the newspaper's top story -- underlined the British public's, or at least the media's, focus on security threats to the London Olympics, which are due to start on July 27.?

On Friday, police announced that seven men had been arrested on suspicion of terrorist offenses after a routine vehicle search turned up firearms and weapons in central England.?On Thursday,?officers in London detained six other terror suspects?using stun guns and smoke grenades in an early-morning swoop on a home close to London's Olympic Park.?

Also on Thursday, armed police evacuated around 50 people and closed a major toll road in both directions in Central England after?a passenger on the bus was reportedly seen pouring liquid into a box, which then started smoking. ?The event turned out to be a false alarm caused by a passenger using an electronic cigarette that emitted a vapor.?

Scotland Yard and the Royal marines teamed up in a show of strength against terrorists who might target the Olympics, practiced high speed drills using helicopters and boats on the River Thames.

Security have told NBC News to expect an increase in sensitivity in the pre-Olympic period, which could result in an increased number of raids and arrests. These operations, the sources said, should not necessarily be seen as a sign of significantly more terror plots.

The issue of security is a particularly relevant one to Olympics organizers. The decision to award the Olympics to London was announced on July 6, 2005. Just a day later, London suffered its worst peacetime attack when four suicide bombers killed 52 commuters.

Brits revel in gloom ahead of London Olympics, but don't believe the gripe

And the games will see the country's largest peacetime security operation and involve tens of thousands of security officials, with 13,500 military personnel, 12,000 police and 10,000 private contractors.?

Intelligence officials say there has been an expected increase in chatter among extremist groups ahead of the games, but there are still no specific or credible threats targeting the Olympics. The terror level is labeled substantial, a notch below severe. A substantial threat level indicates that an attack is a strong possibility.

NBC News' Nanette van der Laan and Marie Hagen contributed to this report.?

More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Follow World News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook

?

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/08/12623229-uk-detains-terror-suspect-who-traveled-close-to-londons-olympic-park?lite

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Yahoo, Facebook strike patent truce, ad alliance

FILE - This combination of 2012 file photos shows the logos of Yahoo, left, and Facebook, outside their offices in Santa Clara, Calif. and Menlo Park, Calif. The two companies have agreed to settle a patent dispute on Friday, July 6, 2012, averting a potentially bitter battle over the technology running two of the Internet's most popular destinations. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

FILE - This combination of 2012 file photos shows the logos of Yahoo, left, and Facebook, outside their offices in Santa Clara, Calif. and Menlo Park, Calif. The two companies have agreed to settle a patent dispute on Friday, July 6, 2012, averting a potentially bitter battle over the technology running two of the Internet's most popular destinations. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

FILE - In this May 20, 2012 file photo, a Yahoo sign stands outside the company's offices in Santa Clara, Calif. A report in the tech blog AllThingsD says Facebook and Yahoo have reached a deal that settles their patent squabbles and expands their licensing and advertising partnership, according to reports, Friday, July 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2007 file photo, the Facebook logo is displayed at a Facebook announcement in New York. A report in the tech blog AllThingsD says Facebook and Yahoo have reached a deal that settles their patent squabbles and expands their licensing and advertising partnership, according to reports, Friday, July 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Facebook and Yahoo have agreed to settle a months-long patent dispute, averting a potentially expensive battle over the technology running two of the Internet's most popular destinations.

In dropping the lawsuits, the companies agreed to license their patents to each other and form an advertising and content-sharing alliance that expands their existing partnership. Friday's settlement involves no exchange of money.

Now that the antagonism is dissolving into an accord that could benefit both companies, the hundreds of millions of Web surfers who use both Yahoo and Facebook should find even more common ground on the two services..

The advertising alliance could help Yahoo recover some of the revenue that it has been losing as marketers shift more of their spending to a larger and more engaged audience on Facebook's online social network. Facebook, in turn, gains the opportunity to show the ads tailored to fit the individual interests of its 900 million users in other heavily trafficked areas besides its own website.

The truce ends a conflict provoked by Yahoo's short-lived CEO, Scott Thompson, who was dumped from the job two months ago after misinformation on his official biography raised questions about his integrity.

Under Thompson, Yahoo filed the patent lawsuit in March, wielding it as a weapon against a company that Thompson believed had been prospering from the ideas of its older rival. The complaint alleged that Facebook infringed on 10 Yahoo patents covering Internet advertising, privacy controls and social networks. Yahoo Inc. later added two more patents to the lawsuit.

But Thompson's attack on Facebook Inc. quickly turned into a public-relations disaster. Much of the technology industry railed against Yahoo's tactics. Critics viewed the lawsuit as a financial shakedown by a desperate company whose well of innovation had run dry.

New York venture capitalist Fred Wilson summed up the enmity toward Yahoo in an acerbic blog post that ended with this denouement: "I am writing this in outrage at Yahoo. I used to care about that company for some reason. No more. They are dead to me. Dead and gone. I hate them now."

When Yahoo replaced Thompson in May with interim CEO Ross Levinsohn, it opened the door for the company to settle the dispute under a reshuffled board of directors. Six of Yahoo's 11 directors joined the board after the patent suit was filed.

Yahoo's legal assault had exposed Facebook's vulnerability to patent claims as it prepared to complete the biggest initial public offering of stock by an Internet company. Facebook insulated itself by buying 750 patents from IBM Corp. for an undisclosed amount and spending $550 million to acquire another 650 patents that one of its biggest shareholders, Microsoft Corp., had purchased from AOL Inc. Armed with its own arsenal of intellectual property, Facebook signaled that it wasn't backing down and filed its own patent infringement lawsuit against Yahoo in April.

With Thompson out, Levinsohn quickly began working on a deal with Facebook's chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg. The two issued statements Friday praising each other for working toward an agreement.

Yahoo already had been tying many of its services and content to Facebook before the lawsuit was filed. Now the two companies plan to display ads on each other's sites, while Yahoo plans to feed even more of its coverage of major events to the social network.

Although it has been growing at a robust clip, Facebook is still trying to win over skeptical investors. Doubts about the company's revenue potential have weighed on Facebook's stock, which has remained well below its IPO price of $38. The stock gained 26 cents, or nearly 1 percent, to close Friday at $31.73.

Yahoo is trying to snap out of a long-running financial funk brought up by Facebook's success and Google Inc.'s dominance of Internet search and advertising.

Yahoo has gone through four fulltime CEOs in five years in the hopes of engineering a turnaround and sparking revenue growth. The foibles have depressed Yahoo's stock, frustrating shareholders still angry about a squandered opportunity to sell the entire company to Microsoft in May 2008 for $47.5 billion, or $33 per share.

The stock dipped 7 cents to close at $15.78 Friday.

The Facebook pact may have pushed Levinsohn closer to being anointed as Yahoo's permanent CEO. Jason Kilar, CEO of online TV service Hulu, had been under serious consideration for the top job at Yahoo, but Hulu said Friday that he had decided not to pursue the position. The statement was issued in response to several published reports citing unnamed people who described Kilar as Levinsohn's primary competition for the Yahoo post.

___

Ortutay reported from New York.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-07-06-Yahoo-Facebook-Patents/id-83acd21bd1fd41afa5640cdccfdd7061

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Business Branding With Video Marketing

Business branding is a phrase we hear often but what exactly does it mean with regard to Video Marketing. Business branding with graphics establishes a visible queue to identify products, services, or a company as a whole by customers and potential customers alike. A graphics design is an effective way to create an association between a design and a product in the mind of the viewer.

While words are certainly a powerful tool, when it comes to brand recognition graphics are far more effective. Everyone appreciates a picture that compliments or helps communicate the message the words give. You want your company, your products, and/or your services to stand out in the minds of consumers and a good graphics design combined with a good marketing campaign can do just that. Look at companies like Apple, Nike, or McDonalds ? three examples of branding through graphics. The ultimate goal for you and your business is to leave a lasting impression on consumers that over time require no words to know how you are.

Your logo graphic needs to differentiate you from the competition, and if you are like most industries, there is plenty of competition. A recognizable logo is key to branding and to your business. There is lasting effect here and long term value as we?ve seen in the examples we already presented. Graphics branding should also extend to your packaging, attracting attention. That graphic should be seen as attractive by the consumer. Readers are far more likely to read a story with lots of visual stimuli than a page with none. Look at Gillette or Venus products. You want to buy them just because of their packaging and you can pick them off the shelf by recognizing that packaging without ever seeing the name.

There are numerous mediums, including info product creation, used to advertise businesses and it is well known that the use of graphics in advertising has lasting benefits to the company. Internet, print, and television ads all have the potential to have a strong impact. Proctor & Gamble is proof of the power of a good advertising campaign that creates recognition and loyalty to a graphic design.

But it has to go beyond that ? there should be overall branding online. Professional graphics design businesses have experience in creating superior graphics to create brand identity. Look at what the Walt Disney website has done or what Microsoft has done. Great example of how a solid graphic design can be powerful in your online branding.

When graphics in addition to video marketing are utilized in internet promotions, emails, newsletters, or other kinds of online interaction they make a visual effect that the consumer is quick to begin to recognize when it crosses their path. Those same graphics can be integrated into brochures, stationary, business cards, banners, and the list goes on. If you need to reach a targeted audience, you have to reach them through a visual image. When that image is utilized throughout the business over time your business branding with graphics comes full circle.

Get more info on video marketing, which is a sure way to persuade folks to show diverse products and services via marketing video clips. Find out here on how to utilize social media marketing, a very good method that offers links, attention and a great number of page views by promoting your website or business through social media channels.

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Source: http://seobusinessbox-review.com/blog/seo/business-branding-with-video-marketing/483

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