Companies Fight Back Against Negative Online Reviews ? CBS Miami

MIAMI (CBS4) ? The next time you leave a review online for a company, be warned: you might get a phone call from the business asking you to take it down. Some companies are fighting back against negative critiques and sometimes not in a nice way.

More and more critical consumers have reported that they have received phone calls from companies who monitor their online reviews and have been asked to take down their negative comments but the angry tone has some customers on the defensive.

For Eric Winick, it all began when he left a mixed online review about a restaurant. He raved about the food, but said he grew frustrated that it took an hour to be served.

?I said in the review that they had taken a ridiculously long time to bring the food,? Winick said.

He was even more alarmed when he received an email from the restaurant?s owner which asked him to take it down.

?He said that something along the lines of ?We?re trying to make a go of it in this area, we all have families to feed? and sort of trying to prey on my sympathies a little bit.?

Many businesses around the country are reaching out to customers who leave bad reviews and they are not always trying to make amends. In an extreme example, an Atlanta restaurant launched Facebook and Twitter campaigns identifying a customer who left a bad review and the food fight went viral.

Social media expert Patrick O?Malley said that the effect of the web posts can make or break a company?s reputation.

?A single person can now go home and get on Facebook and tell 500 or 1000 people what they think of your restaurant,? O?Malley said.

The impact is immense. A Harvard Business School study found that even a one star increase on a businesses? rating on the online review site Yelp led to a five to nine percent boost in revenue for independent restaurants.

?In the last few years, it has changed the way we have done business,? said Zalmi Duchman, the founder of FreshDiet.com.

He is among business owners who have requested to remove bad reviews and he explains to customers how damaging negative comments can be. He said sometimes it?s effective.

?We?ve found in the past the faster you react to the customer the better chance you?re going to have to get that customer to remove their negative review because they see you take their comments and their feedback seriously,? Duchman said.

Online review site Urban Spoon said it actually encourages businesses and reviewers to connect and warns customers many companies take what they type very seriously.

?For a small business their business is an extension of who they are. There?s a real emotional connection to that,? Kara Nortman, of Urban Spoon.

For Winick, he responded to the restaurant and indicated that he wouldn?t remove his review. The business apologized for reaching out, but didn?t offer any incentive for him to return and give them another chance.

?I thought it was a waste of time, frankly, on the part of the restaurant to do that,? Winick said.

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Houston museum unveils $85 million dinosaur hall

In a photo made May 15, 2012 Director Pete Larson of the Black Hills Institute of Geologic Research, right, discusses with artist Tomas Schneider how he will use a forklift to hoist a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil skeleton into place in the new Hall of Paleontology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science Tuesday, May 15, 2012. The exhibit that opens June 2 includes the only Triceratops skin ever found, and a T-rex with three fingers. (AP Photo/Michael Stravato)

In a photo made May 15, 2012 Director Pete Larson of the Black Hills Institute of Geologic Research, right, discusses with artist Tomas Schneider how he will use a forklift to hoist a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil skeleton into place in the new Hall of Paleontology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science Tuesday, May 15, 2012. The exhibit that opens June 2 includes the only Triceratops skin ever found, and a T-rex with three fingers. (AP Photo/Michael Stravato)

In a photo made May 15, 2012 Diretor Pete Larson of the Black Hills Institute of Geologic Research, back, and artist Tomas Schneider, right, attach a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil head into place in the new Hall of Paleontology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science Tuesday. The $85 million wing of the museum will have the only Triceratops skin found to date and a unique T-rex fossil with complete hands.(AP Photo/Michael Stravato)

Robert Bakker, the museum's curator of paleontology, talks in the new Hall of Paleontology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science Tuesday, May 15, 2012. The $85 million wing of the museum that opens June 2 will have the only Triceratops skin found to date and a unique T-rex fossil with complete hands.(AP Photo/Michael Stravato)

In a May 15, 2012 photo paleontologists from the Black Hills Institute of Geologic Research with the help of film industry prop artists install a T-Rex fossil skeleton in the new Hall of Paleontology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science Tuesday. The $85 million wing of the museum will have the only Triceratops skin found to date and a unique T-rex fossil with complete hands. The exhibit opens June 2. (AP Photo/Michael Stravato)

In a photo made May 15, 2012, paleontologists from the Black Hills Institute of Geologic Research with the help of film industry prop artists install a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil skeleton in the new Hall of Paleontology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science Tuesday, May 15, 2012. The $85 million wing of the museum that opens June 2 will have the only Triceratops skin found to date and a unique T-rex fossil with complete hands. (AP Photo/Michael Stravato)

HOUSTON (AP) ? Pups in her womb, a large eye visible behind the rib cage, one baby stuck in the birth canal: all fossilized evidence that this ancient marine beast, the Ichthyosaur, died in childbirth.

Jurassic Mom's almost certainly painful death is perfectly preserved in a rare fossil skeleton, one of the many unique items that will go on display in the Houston Museum of Natural Science's $85 million dinosaur hall when it opens to the public June 2. The Associated Press got a first peek at the exhibit as the finishing touches were put in place.

Paleontologists and scientists at the museum and the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research in Hill City, S.D. have worked tirelessly for three years to collect, clean and preserve artifacts designed to give visitors a look at how life evolved beginning 25 billion years ago.

"You'll actually be able to touch a fossil that's 3.5 billion years old," Robert Bakker, the museum's curator of paleontology, says in a conspiratorial whisper. "A microbe, simpler than bacteria, which had in its DNA the kernel that would flower later on into dinosaurs, mammals, then us. That's the beginning of the safari."

His long white beard and locks bobbing with all-too-obvious excitement, Bakker raises his brows below his cowboy hat as he continues to describe the journey visitors will experience when they enter "The Prehistoric Safari," expected to be among the top six dinosaur exhibits in the United States.

Jack Horner, curator of the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Mont., who acted, along with Bakker, as an adviser on the Jurassic Park movie series, agreed there will be some unique and exclusive items on display in Houston, including Triceratops skin. But he said that to him, an object's value is determined by science and should always be peer-reviewed before being displayed.

"Anybody can have stuff," Horner said, adding that he is curious to see the scientific findings on the items displayed in Houston. "Opinions are cheap."

Bakker says the safari is designed to teach about evolution. Visitors, he explains, will experience the Cambrian explosion, when life went from "literally slime" into "beautiful, elegantly sculptured things, the trilobites, which are gorgeous."

These bizarre, insect-like creatures, which are sometimes horned or sporting antennae, roamed the Earth's seas in the Paleozoic era before the dinosaurs and were one of the most complex living things that existed to that point. At the Houston museum, visitors will be treated to one of the largest displays of trilobite fossils in the world, and Bakker rubs his hands with enthusiasm at the thought of young children pressing their nose to the glass to get a glimpse or reaching a tiny finger out to touch an impossibly old piece of rock.

"Dinosaurs are the jumper cables to the human mind. Kids can't curb their enthusiasm when they're in a hall of dinosaurs and mammoths and mammoth hunters and trilobites and giant fish that could chomp up a shark. These natural objects in motion and context make kids want to read, you can't stop them from reading and thinking," said Bakker, who in the 1970s was one of the first to argue the massive prehistoric beasts were warm-blooded and further challenged scientific thinking in his 1986 book "The Dinosaur Heresies."

For scientists, and the museum community, the exhibit offers unique objects, including the only Triceratops skin found to date, a specimen that showed they had been wrong in believing the horned vegetarians had smooth skin. In fact, it had bristles, Bakker said.

Then there is the museum's skeleton of a T. rex, one of only two with complete hands, two long fingers and one stub, which Bakker believes could be proof this massive, feared predator also had a soft side. The fingers, too small and badly configured, wouldn't have helped in hunting, or even grabbing things, leaving Bakker and other paleontologists to believe they were for tickling, fondling and even falling in love. The fossil also has a piece of its tail missing, likely because it was bitten off by another Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The hall also will house the world's only complete fossil of a snake-type creature from 50 million years ago, said David Temple, the museum's associate curator of paleontology. The snake is related to the constrictor, and the only other fossil of this type disappeared about 60 years ago.

Original sculptures, paintings and murals will depict scenes scientists and paleontologists believe occurred based on the fossil evidence, Temple said. And there are creatures native to Texas, including a Glyptodon, an Ice Age, armadillo-type creature the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, and one of the best preserved fin-backed reptiles that preceded the dinosaurs.

"This is what life was like at the beginning of natural history," Temple said.

___

Plushnick-Masti can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com//RamitMastiAP

Associated Press

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Could Compound in Artificial Sweeteners Worsen Crohn's Disease?

MONDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- The food additive maltodextrin, commonly used in some artificial sweeteners, may worsen Crohn's disease by encouraging the growth of E. coli bacteria in the small intestine, a new study suggests.

However, researchers stressed that the findings are preliminary and the tests were conducted in the lab, not in people, so it's too soon to advise those with the inflammatory bowel disease to avoid maltodextrin.

Maltodextrin is a white powder used in many processed foods as a thickener or a filler, including the artificial sweeteners Splenda and Equal, along with cereal, canned fruits, packaged desserts, instant pudding, sauces and salad dressings. Maltodextrin, typically derived from corn or wheat starch, is also used in some medication coatings.

In the study, researchers placed Equal, Splenda and another sweetener, Stevia, in a dish along with E. coli bacteria taken from people with Crohn's disease. While E. coli is commonly found in the digestive tract of humans, it's usually found in the large intestine, explained senior study author Christine McDonald, assistant staff in the pathobiology department at the Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute. Prior research has found that people with Crohn's tend to have E. coli in their small intestine.

Though the precise role that E. coli plays in Crohn's is unknown, it's thought that the bacteria may contribute to the inflammation that marks the condition.

When grown in the dish with the Equal (which contains aspartame, dextrose and maltodextrin) and the Splenda (which contains sucralose, dextrose and maltodextrin), the E. coli grew stickier, forming a thick biofilm, according to the researchers. The same didn't happen with the Stevia, which is made from the leaves of a South American plant and does not contain maltodextrin.

Researchers then repeated the experiments, culturing E. coli with maltodextrin alone, and the same sticky biofilm formed.

"In the lab, the E. coli becomes stickier, and it sticks to intestinal cells," said McDonald, who conducted the research with graduate student Kourtney Nickerson. "But we haven't tested this in animals to see if there is a particular amount you need to eat to have this effect. It may be that in people who have other risk factors for inflammatory bowel disease, this may tip them over the edge."

The study, which was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, was to be presented Monday at the Digestive Disease Week meeting in San Diego.

Crohn's disease is an inflammation of the digestive tract that can lead to swelling, pain and ulcers. Although the disease can affect any part of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus, the most common spot is the small intestine.

It's unknown what causes the disease, although it's believed that microbes -- along with genetics and other environmental factors -- play a role, said Dr. Jerrold Turner, an associate chair in the department of pathology at the University of Chicago.

A healthy gut contains a multitude of bacteria that aid in the digestion of food and extraction of nutrients from foods. A healthy intestine has a layer of mucus that keeps the bacteria away from the lining of the intestine itself. Prior studies have found that, in people with Crohn's, the thickness of that mucus layer decreases, meaning there are more bacteria directly on the cells lining the intestine, possibly leading to inflammation, Turner explained.

The sticky biofilm may also mean there are more bacteria on the lining of the intestines, McDonald said.

No specific diet has been shown to prevent or treat Crohn's disease, according to the U.S. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. However, the incidence of Crohn's has been rising in the United States in recent decades, leading researchers to suspect that something about the modern American diet is contributing.

In addition, many people with the disease notice that certain foods or types of foods seem to make their symptoms worse.

McDonald said people with Crohn's may want to try avoiding maltodextrin and see if their symptoms improve, but she and Turner both said more needs to be learned before they recommend that people with Crohn's or a susceptibility to Crohn's avoid the additive.

"It's a very interesting and provocative finding, and [it] may tell us something about the bacteria and what is happening in the intestines, but it's really too preliminary to make any recommendations," Turner said.

A group representing the artificial sweetener industry said the finding was too preliminary to prompt any changes in how artificial sweeteners are made or sold.

"This study was done on cells in petri dishes, therefore it is not possible to apply these findings to humans," the Calorie Control Council said in a statement released Monday. "Even the researcher has stated that it is too early to conclude that maltodextrin promotes disease. Further research is needed before any human nutrition recommendations can be made."

Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The U.S. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse has more on Crohn's.

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Details Along with Misconceptions of Physical Fitness and Health ...

It?s not always a bad idea to ignore those who ?think? they know it all at the gym. We aren?t saying that everyone at the gym will intentionally give you false information but you can get bad information from those who don?t know as much as they think they do. Just because someone has been working out in the gym a long time does not necessarily make them an authority on the subject just like any other time you might get advice. Use only sources that are credible. This article will offer up some good tips on how to accomplish this task.

You will discover many yoga along with lower back pain merchandise online. Generally, the advertising and marketing affirms in which carrying out pilates can fix low back pain. This specific affirmation might be unreliable along with hazardous, even though yoga exercise may help sometimes.

Pilates can help you with back pain in the event the reason behind the pain sensation is related to muscle tissue. Considering this example, you might need to extend and improve particular muscle tissues with your back or other places. The lower back pain will go absent as you make it happen.

Even so, if the lower back pain is related to your bones and also linked muscle, for instance a spine DVD difficulty; next yoga isn?t admission in your case. In these instances, yoga can in fact trigger significant difficulties.

In terms of tension as well as exercising, the second may help reduce you in the feelings of the former. You may be wondering how exercising or working out can be stressful. Performing fitness using best exercises bikes causes your body to produce a relaxation response. Naturally, may very well not necessarily feel it if you?re operating or sweating in all places during a workout session. Should you be looking for a way to adopt your brain off your current tense lifestyle for quite a while do a little physical exercises. Hormones launched create an all-natural sense of inspiration.

Towards the end of the day it is said that you will be tired however you needs to obtain some exercise accomplished and you will probably feel better. There are certain accounts where we need to call people out on, like your body does have an organic circadian cycle.

Adjustments will come you just have to give it some time. The point is that once you break through your resistance and exercise after work, your body will have more energy to actually do it. There are truths and falsehoods or myths in health and fitness in all areas. You can find them as general statements, or specifically related to certain types of physical exercise. Before you engage in any exercise, do the research first.

James Reynolds can help you about your fitness. You can visit home exercise bike and spinning bike if you want to know more.

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The Sorraia horse. | *A blog for Pets*

Although it is known that the Sorraia horse developed in the southern part of the Iberian peninsula, the breed was isolated and unknown to science until the 20th century.
Despite the lack of documentation, attempts have been made to reconstruct its history.

Paleolithic parietal art images in the region depict equines with a distinct likeness to the Sorraia, with similar zebra-like markings. Analysis of mtDNA has been performed on Mustangs in the western United States that show similar mtDNA patterns between some Mustangs and the Sorraia breed.

Spanish conquistadors took Iberian horses, some of whom closely resembled the modern-day Sorraia, to the Americas in their conquests, probably as pack animals. Similarities between the Sorraia and several North and South American breeds are shown in the dun and grullo coloring and various physical characteristics.

This evidence suggests that the Sorraia, their ancestors, or other horses with similar features, may have had a long history in the Iberian region and a role in the creation of American breeds.
Otherwise, the Sorraia breed was lost to history until 1920, when Portuguese zoologist and paleontologist Dr. Ruy d'Andrade first encountered the Sorraia horse during a hunting trip in the Portuguese lowlands.
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This remnant herd of primitive horses had continued to live a wild existence in these lowlands, which were rather inaccessible and had been used as a hunting preserve by Portuguese royalty until the early 1900s.

At the time of d'Andrade's initial meeting the breed, the horses were ill-regarded by native farmers, although they were considered hardy native fauna that lived off of the uncultivated lands and salt marshes in the local river valleys.

For centuries, peasant farmers of the area would occasionally capture the horses and use them for agricultural work, including threshing grain and herding bulls.

In the 1920s and 1930s, as mechanization became more prevalent, both wild and domesticated breeding stock diminished to almost nothing, and d'Andrade, along with his son Fernando, encouraged the conservation of the breed.

In 1937, d'Andrade began a small herd of his own with five stallions and seven mares from horses obtained near Coruche, Portugal.

All Sorraias currently in captivity descend from these original horses obtained by d'Andrade, and it is believed that the remnant wild herds of the breed died out soon after. These horses were kept in a habitat similar to their native one.

In 1975, two other farms took up the Sorraia's cause and acquired small herds to help with conservation. In 1976, three stallions and three mares were imported to Germany from Portugal to begin a sub-population there.

?In March 2004, a small breeding herd of Sorraia horses was released on the estate of a private land owner who dedicated a portion of his property so that these horses could live completely wild, as did their ancestors.
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The refuge created for them is in the Vale de Zebro region of south western Portugal, one of places so named because this is where the Sorraia's predecessors dwelt.

Two Sorraia stallions were imported to the United States in the early 21st century. In 2006, another Sorraia stallion was imported to Canada where a Sorraia Mustang Preserve has been established on Manitoulin Island in Ontario.

Unrelated to existing preservation efforts which work in conjunction with the Sorraia Mustang Studbook, another project by a consortium of breeders in the United States is attempting to establish a separate network and studbook.

These breeders have gathered Spanish Mustangs that through mtDNA testing show a genetic relationship with the Sorraia and are breeding them according to both genotype and phenotype in an attempt to help preserve what they are calling the "American Sorraia".

Today, the breed is nearly extinct, with fewer than 200 horses existing as of 2007, including around 80 breeding mares.

The Food and Agriculture Organization considers it to be maintaining critical risk status. The first studbook was published in 2004, dedicated to maintaining a written record of the bloodlines of the Sorraia.

Sorraias are present mainly in Portugal, with a small population in Germany. While not bred for a specific use, the Sorraia horses are versatile and have been used in herding bulls, dressage riding and light harness.

The Sorraia is a rare breed of horse indigenous to the portion of the Iberian peninsula known today as Portugal. The Sorraia is known for its primitive features, including a convex profile and dun coloring with primitive markings.

Concerning its origins, a theory has been advanced by some authors that the Sorraia is a descendant of primitive horses belonging to the naturally occurring wild fauna of Southern Iberia.

?Studies are currently ongoing to discover the relationship between the Sorraia and various wild horse types, as well as its relationship with other breeds from the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Africa.

Members of the breed are small, but hardy and well-adapted to harsh conditions. They were occasionally captured and used by native farmers for centuries, and a remnant population of these nearly extinct horses was discovered by a Portuguese zoologist in the early 20th century.

Today, the Sorraia has become the focus of preservation efforts, with European scientists leading the way and enthusiasts from several countries forming projects and establishing herds to assist in the re-establishment of this breed from its current endangered status.

The Sorraia breed stands between 14.1 and 14.3 hands high (57 to 59 inches (145 to 150 cm)), although some individuals are as small as 12.3 hands high (51 inches (130?cm)). The head tends to be large, the profile convex, and the ears long.

The neck is slender and long, the withers high, and the croup slightly sloping. The legs are strong, with long pasterns and well-proportioned hooves. These horses have good endurance and are easy keepers, thriving on relatively little fodder.
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They have a reputation for being independent of temperament, but tractable.
On adult horses, the lay of the hair can create the appearance of stripes or "barring" on the neck and chest. Also due to the lay of the hair, newborn foals can appear to have stripes all over, reminiscent of zebra stripes.

The breed standard refers to this as "hair stroke".
Sorraia are generally dun or a dun variation called grullo. Dun coloring includes primitive markings such as a black dorsal stripe, black tipped ears, horizontal striping on the legs and a dark muzzle area.

The dark muzzle area is in contrast to some other dun-colored horse breeds, who have light-colored muzzle areas and underbellies, possibly due to the presence of pangare genetics. Sorraia horses have bi-colored manes and tails with lighter colored hairs that fringe the outside of the longer growing black hair.

This is a characteristic shared with other predominantly dun-colored breeds, such as the Fjord horse. Purebred Sorraia occasionally have white markings, although they are rare and undesired by the breed's studbook.
source :? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorraia

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Helpful Social Media Marketing Advice For Businesses ...

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Category: Social Media Marketing | Added on: Sunday, May 20th, 2012 | Total: 368 Views

Facebook places can be useful as they allow your followers to use their mobile phones to check in with your page updates. Offer your customers a discount or freebie for mentioning your social media profile to the cashier. You can do the same thing through Foursquare, and reap the same benefits.

Look at what time of the day it is you?re receiving the most responses and re-tweets from your Twitter account. Take advantage of this knowledge, and try to post more frequently during these times. If your message service is automated, you can have your account sent tweets when your followers are usually logged onto their twitter accounts.

Studies have shown that people read more posts during business hours than at any other time during the week. Use tools for automatically updating your blogs around this time each day and make the posts have a focus on certain activities or ideas that will appeal to the working audience.

Think about having contests or sweepstakes on Facebook. People enjoy getting free things and you should take advantage of that simple fact. You can tap into this feeling and generate more interest in your business and its products by putting on contests of your own. A contest can also be a great way to talk up your latest product, getting consumers interested in making purchases.

It is a good idea to use Twitter in the promotion of your business. Using Twitter effectively will create more buzz for your business. Learn about hashtags, keywords, and other aspects of Twitter.

You want to be sure to put a Facebook ?Like? box on your blog, so they do not have to leave your site to do this. By including a ?like? button on your blog, your readers will be able to easily promote your business to their friends and family. What?s more, blogs with convenient features like this tend to get more readers, so long as they aren?t overdone.

You might have noticed that many Facebook ads contain attention-getting images, which are often created by editing photographs. This makes a lot of sense, as a visitor is more likely to wonder what is up with the ad and click it. When someone is drawn to one of your ads they tend to check out your business and from there they may be interested with what you have to offer.

If you post on forums to promote your social media presence, focus on getting along with the forum population. Every poster in the forum is a potential customer for your service or product, and your comments should focus on relevant, truthful information instead of hard-selling. Establish good relationships, and continue to build trust through comments that are friendly and helpful.

It?s important to blog readers that they have the ability to leave comments. It is particularly necessary if this is the only way that the public can communicate with you. Monitor blog comments so that customers don?t get away with posting inappropriate items. Screen and delete comments that are offensive or might be spam.

Hosting contests with good prizes has proven to be a good strategy on Facebook and other social media sites, to help generate more publicity for your company. Due to the way online social networks operate, information about your contest will rapidly spread. Make your contest creative, fun, and relative to your services and products. Perhaps you could have contestants come up with a logo for your next item.

It is important to professionally address criticism and product feedback you receive through social media channels. This can make your or break you in social media marketing. You must also respond to any negative comments you receive online. If you ignore these types of postings, it can leave a bad impression on other site visitors. Conversely, if you deal with the issue raised in a professional manner, your customers might actually trust you more.

A great way to give your business a boost is by using social media marketing techniques. Use these tips to become more comfortable with using social media. The success you gain from your marketing campaign will help to motivate you to expand your campaign to other social media outlets. Social media is a fantastic way to reach a broad range of consumers, while giving your business the boost that it needs to thrive.

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Questions and Answers with Bankrate.com | Marshfield Real Estate

Courtesy of Bankrate.com for The Marshfield Mariner, May 16th, 2012
Question:? There were some recent changes to rules regarding FHA refinances.? What are they?
Answer:? The Federal Housing Administration will put some of its home loans on sale starting in June, offering low-fee refinances for its current borrowers who took out mortgages before June 2009.
Starting June 11th, borrowers can take advantage of the revised streamlined refinancing program by paying a 0.01% mortgage insurance premium at closing and an annual insurance fee of 0.55% of the loan.
Those are significantly lower mortgage fees than borrowers now pay.? Most paid a 1% mortgage insurance premium up front plus 1.10 to 1.15% every year.
For every $100,000 financed, the up-front fee would fall from $1,9000 to just $10, while the annual fee would fall from $1.150 to $550.
To take advantage of the sale, you hae to meet three conditions:
**no late mortgage payments for the past 12 months **your FHA mortgage has an effective date ? typically about a week after closing ? on or before May 31st, 2009. **you have enough cash on hand to pay closing costs
Question:? There was also talk of changes to FHA loan eligibility.? What are those changes?
Answer:? A new rule that was supposed to take effect in April would have disqualified many borrowers with over $1,000 in unresolved debts that are in dispute or in collection.
However, the FHA is taking a second look at that requirement and has delayed its implementation until July at the earliest.
To get an FHA loan, you need two things:? a two-year history of on-time bill payments and two years of steady employment.? Even with these requirements, exceptions are made.
You can also be carrying more debt.
To obtain most non-FHA loans, borrowers must be spending no more than 36% of their pretax income on all debts, including mortgage payments, student loans, credit card bills and auto loans.
With an FHA loan, lenders will allow you to spend up to 41% of your pretax income on debt.? Some lenders will stretch that to 43% for borrowers with an excellent payment history.? Use your own discretion on whether you should stretch your budge to spend that much of your pay on debt payments.
You can apply for FHA-backed refinancing form most banks and mortgage companies.
Follow Len and Leslie Marma of Success! Real Estate on their facebook business page, ?Marshfield Matters? ?? click LIKE to receive real estate info and what?s happening in Marshfield.?

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FWC reminds boaters to boat smart, safely | Sports & Recreation ...

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Because Memorial Day weekend, which kicks off summer activities, is right around the corner, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds all boaters in Florida to rededicate themselves to boating safely.
??Florida is a great place to enjoy boating year-round,? said Col. Jim Brown, director of the FWC?s Division of Law Enforcement. ?That weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer and means even more people will be out on the water. National Safe Boating Week (May 19-25) also presents an opportunity to emphasize the importance of remaining safe while boating.?

?Memorial Day weekend is May 26-28.

?The safe-boating effort is timely, as 10 people have already lost their lives this year due to boating accidents.?We want to reach out to as many boaters as we can to help them understand that most boating accidents are preventable,? Brown said. ?FWC officers are committed to keeping people as safe as possible, but we need your help.?

?The FWC reminds boaters to enjoy their time on the water by remembering a few safety precautions, such as remaining alert while operating a boat, wearing a life jacket at all times and designating a sober boat operator.According to the FWC, inattentiveness of the operator often contributes to boating accidents, and statistics show that more than 64 percent of the 66 boating-related deaths confirmed last year were attributed to drowning.The wide variety of comfortable, affordable and stylish life jackets on the market today offers all boaters the protection they need.?

??Boating smart and safely could result in fewer injuries and deaths each year,? Brown said.More information can be found by visiting MyFWC.com/Boating.?

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Cause for concern

They may be at home on Saturday, but when Bayern Munich kicks off their UEFA Champions League final with Chelsea, there?ll be a slightly unfamiliar feel about them. Three prominent suspensions will force a shake up in defense, with the implications of Jupp Heynckes? reshuffle being felt all the way into attack.

They?ll still be favorites when the whistle blows, but facing the prospects of Didier Drogba matched up against a makeshift defense could cost a few Bayern coaches their Friday night?s sleep.

Looking at ? defense: Manuel Neuer is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. A handful of people who take him over generally-recognized world best Iker Casillas (Real Madrid). I count myself among them. He?s the complete package: 6?4?, only 26 years old, commanding, confident, and quick. His penalty shootout performance in the semifinals at the Santiago Bernabeu (letting only one goal past him in the tiebreaker) pushed FCB into the final.

The rest of Saturday?s defense is a huge question mark. Superstar fullback Philipp Lahm is a constant, but Holger Badstuder and David Alaba ? the normal left side of Bayern?s back four ? are suspended, as is midfield destroyer Luiz Gustavo. Daniel van Buyten, out since January with a foot injury, is expected to start along side Jerome Boateng in the middle. Rafinha, who started 20 Bundesliga matches this season, could come in for Alaba (shifting Lahm to the left), while Bastian Schweinsteiger, normally the shuttler, could be asked to blow things up.

Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (for van Buyten) and Diego Contento (for Rafinha) are also options. Given van Buyten?s tenuous health and Contento?s ability to play left back, don?t be surprised to see any of the four selected.

If the players perform to their potentials, Bayern?s defense will be fine. Their biggest problem beyond cohesion will be van Buyten. A physical match for Didier Drogba, van Buyten lacks the quickness to contend with Chelsea?s counter-attacking tendencies, though the suspension of Ramires will likely take much of the push out of Chelsea?s counter.

Looking at ? midfield:?Toni Kroos will drop back and play closer to Schweinsteiger in Bayern?s 4-2-3-1. In the previous round, the 22-year-old had been deployed higher, giving Bayern a 4-3-3 look. After Bayern accounts for their suspensions, Thomas M?ller will assume that role.

M?ller?s natural tendencies have him play higher up the pitch. Even if Jupp Heynckes? tactics call for him to come deeper, Schweinsteiger and Kroos are often going to have to handle the job by themselves, potentially outnumbered at times by a Chelsea midfield expected to feature Juan Mata, Frank Lampard and (sitting) John Obi-Mikel.

If Mata?s pushed wide again (as he was against Barcelona), that means Michael Essien?s gotten a shock start. That won?t change the numbers game for Bayern.

Look at ? attack: Right wing Arjen Robben is Bayern?s most dangerous player, but left wing Franck Ribery is not far off. Often the two will be seen on the same side of the pitch, with Ribery coming in to play off Robben while the duo is supported wide by Lahm. Ribery coming in could work well on Saturday, with M?ller potentially providing a second penalty area threat along with Mario Gomez. Or, Bayern could flip flanks and (if Rafinha starts) have Ribery and Lahm working down the left against Jos? Bosingwa and Salomon Kalou.

If Chelsea plays as deep as they?ve become accustomed to doing under Roberto di Matteo, Bayern could be served by having to sacrifice Gustavo for M?ller. While the Brazilian would have been Bayern?s ideal answer to Chelsea?s counter attack, if M?nchen dominates possession, they?ll have both Kroos and Schweinsteiger positioned to pick apart the Blues defense, with M?ller serving as an additional advanced option.

Likely Starting Lineup (alternate option)

G: Manuel Neuer
LB: Philipp Lahm (Diego Contento)
CB: Daniel van Buyten (Anatoliy Tymoshchuk)
CB: Jerome Boateng
RB: Rafinha (Philipp Lahm)
M: Bastian Schweinsteiger
M: Toni Kross
LW: Frank Ribery
AM: Thomas M?ller
RW: Arjen Robben
F: Mario Gomez

Most dangerous player: Arjen Robben

Most likely to score: Mario Gomez

Best creator:?Toni Kroos

Key defender: Daniel van Buyten

Most important: Bastian Schweinsteiger

Back to front: Chelsea

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Microsoft encourages students to buy a PC, gives them a free Xbox 360 in return

Students. PCs. Free Xbox 360. The Redmond team's at it yet again. Similar to last year's deal, Microsoft's hooking students up with a 4GB Xbox 360 if they drop some cash on one of its Windows machines. It's simple: shell out over $699 on a PC, or $599 if you're in Canada, and you'll be walking out with a shiny new console free of charge -- naturally, you'll have to do so at participating shops such as Best Buy, Fry's, Newegg, Staples, The Source and, of course, Microsoft's own stores. The promo is set to kick off here in the States on May 20th, while those living in the True North can take advantage of it starting today. And before you ask -- yes, you will need to show your scholar credentials to get in on the bargain.

Microsoft encourages students to buy a PC, gives them a free Xbox 360 in return originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2 arrested in murder of USC students from China

By Samantha Tata, NBCLosAngeles.com

Two young men?were arrested Friday in the killings of two Chinese graduate students, Ying Wu and Ming Qu,?who were shot to death near the University of Southern California campus last month, police said.

Handout / AFP - Getty Images

Arrests were made of two suspects in the killings of Ying Wu, left, and Ming Qu, two University of Southern California students from China who were slain April 11.

Forensic evidence found at the scene of the crime linked the double murder?to two attempted homicides in Los Angeles, leading to the arrest of two suspects,?LAPD?Chief Charlie Beck said Friday.

Bryan Barnes, 20, of Los Angeles, and Javier Bolden, 19, of Palmdale, are being held without bail in connection with the murders of the electrical engineering students from China, Beck said.

---

They have been booked for murder and are scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

See the original story at NBCLosAngeles.com

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LAPD?Chief Charlie Beck joined detectives from the criminal gang homicide division for a news conference Friday night, announcing the arrests in the April 11 murders.

Detectives from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the FBI?worked on the case?with LAPD detectives.

"They left no stone unturned and spared no expense at the solving of this crime,"?Beck said. "People have the right to come this city from anywhere in the world ... without being phased by vicious criminals."

Javier and Barnes have minor records and are not documented gang members, but Beck said authorities believe they have gang affiliations.

The announcement comes one day after the victims' parents filed a wrongful death suit against the university seeking unspecified damages.

Wu and Qu, both electrical engineering students from China, were double parked in a BMW?sedan on Raymond Avenue south of Adams Boulevard late Wednesday, April 11, when a gunman fired at them.

Neighbors in the residential neighborhood, several blocks west of the USC campus, reported hearing shots fired.

The male student, Qu, escaped the car but was shot. He was found on the porch of a nearby residence, apparently seeking help from neighbors.

On April 13, police announced a $125,000 reward, which climbed to $200,000 after the LA?City Council unanimously approved an additional $75,000 reward.

Annual scholarships were established in honor of the students, USC President C.L. Max Nikias said at a campuswide memorial service in April.

Wu and Qu were among the largest foreign student body in the United States.

Nearly 9,000 foreign transplants chose USC?during the 2010-11 academic year, making the campus near downtown Los Angeles top in the nation for international students.

Between Fall 2009 and Spring 2010, enrollment by Chinese students jumped nearly 37 percent, according to that year's enrollment report.

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The Demands Of Finding A New Home | Scott Brown Real T Team

The Real T Team Realtors Denton, Texas has been taught from the very beginning that there is nothing too big or too small for us to handle.? Because of the commitment and enthusiasm Denton Realtors have, our clients receive the best treatment a realty company can give.

I, myself, cannot be more excited for the weather to start getting cooler and more importantly, FOOTBALL season.??? Football season means great food, great friends, and great patio time.? What a better time to start looking for that perfect house with the perfect backyard to entertain with your family and friends. Family and friends are so important to the Real T Team Realty in Denton, Texas because that is what our company is, Family and best friends.? The Real T Team Denton Realtors work as one unit and will do anything in their power to get want you want.

With the demand of finding a new house with interest rates so low, the Real T team has their work cut out for us this fall, but we are confident that we will tackle any situation and will get the best results possible.? There are numerous Denton Realtors, but the Real T team is unique.? We never give up. We work hard. And most importantly, YOU are our number one priority!? The Real T Team Denton Realtors look forward to helping you find your dream home.

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10 Gadgets You?d Be a Fool to Buy Right Now

They say patience is a virtue, but like temperance and chastity, it?s not much fun. Unfortunately, if you want to reach a state of true techstasy, you may need to repress your desire to buy a new gadget today and wait for the next version to come out.

To be fair, sometimes now is the best time to buy a particular device and sometimes you drop your phone into a public toilet and have to replace it right away.?But when you buy that 3G phone a month before its hot new 4G replacement comes out, you might as well buy an ?I?m with stupid? t-shirt for your friends to wear when you go out together.

Here are 10 products you?d be a fool to buy today.

The iPhone

If you have your heart set on purchasing a new iPhone, don't do it yet. Every rumor points to the arrival of a much-improved product arriving by fall. We don't know what exact specs the iPhone 5 will have. We don't even know if it'll be called the iPhone 5 (my money's on "the Brand Spanking New iPhone"), but we can be pretty certain it will have 4G LTE, a faster processor, a better camera, and a larger and sharper screen.?

While four or five months may seem like a long time to wait, most iPhone owners are on two year phone contracts that usually won't allow them to upgrade until after 20 months. Do you really want to spend 2013 being known as the loser who has to "take a grenade" with Siri's older, slower moving sister while your friends cozy up to the new model?

More: What You Need to Know About the iPhone 5

Windows Tablets

Let's face the facts. If you want to buy a Windows 7 tablet, you're either a multitouch masochist or a sadistic CTO, looking to pinch-zoom in on employee suffering. Though Windows 7 runs all the applications you could ever want, its touch-unfriendly interface makes it really difficult to use with adult-sized fingers. Ever try tapping the X widget to close a window? You'll need to stick your index finger in a pencil sharpener first, so you can make sure it's thin enough.

Coming this fall, Windows 8 offers a very touch-friendly Metro UI and a host of touch-friendly apps on top of it. Even better, Windows 8 will run on ARM-based tablets, allowing for thinner, lighter and longer-lasting designs. A slew of new convertible notebooks that run Windows 8 will arrive in fall too. I can't wait for the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, which bends its hinge back 180 degrees to become a slate. Even Kanye West would sit in his seat long enough to wait for Windows 8.

More: 10 Ways Windows 8 Beats the iPad

Ultrabooks

The first generation of Ultrabooks -- a new category of uberthin, fast-booting notebooks -- arrived last fall with prominent entries from all the PC vendors. However, though notebooks like the ASUS Zenbook UX31 and Toshiba Portege Z835 have a lot going for them, a new generation of much-improved Ultrabooks will arrive this summer. These notebooks will sport Intel's faster, more efficient 3rd generation Core Series processors (aka Ivy Bridge), and many will offer higher-resolution displays.

A couple of models stand out to us. The ASUS ZenBook Prime will offer a generous 1920 x 1080 screen that will let you watch HD movies at their native resolution, while viewing more of your favorite web pages and documents without scrolling. Meanwhile, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon could be the ultimate productivity notebook when it launches this summer. It will pack a gorgeous 14-inch, 1600 x 900 matte display into a .75-inch thick chassis that weighs just 3 pounds. Plus, you'll get the industry's best keyboard.

More: 10 Most-Anticipated Notebooks

Spirit Phones

Sprint likes to call itself "the Now Network," but it really should be named "the Promise Network," because right now all it is selling is the promise of 4G LTE at some point in the future. The carrier recently announced that it is dumping its mediocre 4G WiMAX network in favor of LTE on new handsets. That's the right move long-term, but it leaves current Sprint customers in a bind.

The company is selling 4G LTE phones such as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and LG Viper 4G LTE, but they'll only get a 3G signal until Sprint launches its new network. The carrier plans to roll out LTE this summer to just six cities -- Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio -- with no ETA for other cities apart from 123 million people covered by the end of the year.? Even if you live in one of the designated six markets, there's no guarantee that Sprint's implementation of LTE will be as fast as AT&T and Verizon's; we just don't know.

Whether you are already a Sprint customer or are just thinking of becoming one, you should wait to see how quickly the company's version of LTE is coming to your area and whether it actually lives up to the hype. You don't want to buy that Evo 4G LTE today, only to be stuck with 2007-era 3G speeds while your friends on Verizon and AT&T are cruising along at 4G.

More: 4G Reality Check -- Beware of These Cons and Lies

MacBook Pros

If you have your heart set on an Apple MacBook Pro, tell your heart to go on without one for just a little longer. Everyone expects Apple to announce a new lineup of MacBook Pros in June and these new notebooks will reportedly weigh less, feature high-resolution "Retina" displays and provide USB 3.0 ports in addition to running Ivy Bridge CPUs. These notebooks will also be running Apple's new OS X Mountain Lion software, which brings more iPad-like functionality to Macs along with stronger security.

Unless a pack of rabid Windows fanboys breaks into your house and smashes your current MacBook Pro with a Metro-UI styled hammer, you can hold on for another few weeks. The Retina display, which should show more content on the screen at once, is reason enough to wait.

More: The Next MacBook Pro: 6 Things You Need to Know

Android Tablets

Apple enthusiasts don't have anything to wait for when it comes to tablets. The "new" iPad just came out in March and has an incredible, high-res screen paired with a powerful processor. However, if you want to consider an Android tablet, now is not the time to buy.

Though we've seen some speedy quad-core tablets like the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime, we're still waiting for Android tablet makers to come out with screens that have higher than 1280 x 800 resolution. Both ASUS and Acer have announced 1920 x 1200 tablets, but neither one has hit the market yet. If you plunk down $500 on a tablet now, you'll feel silly when the new HD models arrive within the next couple of months.

More: ASUS Transformer Prime TF700T Hands-On

Smart TVs

Apple can play coy all it wants, but many industry insiders believe that the Cupertino company plans to launch its own TV later this year. There's no question that the Apple TV will have deep iTunes integration, a gorgeous screen (Apple is known for that) and some kind of Siri-based voice control.?

When it comes to launching new Smart TVs, Apple won't be alone. LG recently showed off its G2 Smart TV, which uses the Google TV 2.0 interface, supports voice commands and comes with a gesture-controlled "Magic" remote. Lenovo just began shipping its ?Android 4.0- powered K55 ?Smart TV in China and it may come here at some point as well. If you wait, the additional competition from these new products will force down prices on existing Smart TVs as well.

More: What Are Smart TVs?

Windows Phones

The Nokia Lumia 900 has a gorgeous design and the HTC Titan II has an awesome 16-MP camera. However, when it comes to specs, apps and basic multitasking, Windows Phones still lag behind their Android and iPhone counterparts.?

With Windows Phone 8 due out this fall, Microsoft could finally start to close the feature gap with Apple and Google. According to some reports, the new mobile operating system will support higher resolution screens, dual-core CPUs, NFC payments and apps that can control other apps, a necessity for true multitasking.

Microsoft has issued some conflicting statements about whether current Windows Phones would get an OS upgrade so I wouldn't count on the Lumia you buy today running Windows 8 tomorrow. If you're attracted to Windows Phone, delay your purchase until fall. Otherwise, you'll be living with a single-core, low-res handset for two years.

More: 8 Awesome Features of Windows Phone 8

eReaders

There are several great eReader options on the market right now, from the tablet-like Amazon Kindle Fire to the E Ink-powered Nook Simple Touch. However, as strong as the eReader offerings are today, they're about to get much better. Barnes & Noble just released its Simple Touch with GlowLight and rumor has it that Amazon is set to release its own backlit E Ink-based Kindle this summer.

However, backlit E Ink is just the tip of this innovative ice berg. Expect Amazon to launch the second-generation Kindle Fire 2 this fall, complete with higher-res screen options and possibly larger form factors like 8.9 inches. Flush with investment money from Microsoft and not content to stand still, Barnes & Noble is sure to release a new Nook Tablet sometime later this year as well. We'd expect the next Nook to also have a higher resolution than 1024 x 600.?

There's also a persistent rumor that Amazon will release Kindles using color E Ink later this year. We just reviewed the color E Ink-powered Ectaco Jetbook Color so the technology is already out there. How bad would you feel if you bought an old-school grayscale Kindle today, only to see one with a backlight or a color screen come out within a few months?

More: eReader Guide

BlackBerrys

Research in Motion, the company that makes Blackberry phones, seems to be stuck in a time warp, offering phones that have the best specs of 2009, including single-core 800-MHz CPUs, tiny 2.4-inch screens and an ?outmoded BlackBerry 7 OS. Fortunately, most people aren't foolish enough to buy phones that you'd expect to find in the bargain bin at a garage sale rather than the shelf at a Verizon store.?

RIM seems to understand the problem too as it plans to release an entirely new line of phones running its new BlackBerry 10 OS later this year. The new touch-friendly BlackBerry London phone, complete with a bigger screen and faster processor than we've seen on a BlackBerry before, should arrive by fall. If you must have a BlackBerry, this is the one to wait for.

More: RIM Demos Upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS

This story was provided by Laptopmag.com, a sister site to LiveScience.

Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Video: 3 Emerging Markets: Philippines, Indonesia & Poland

With Europe imploding and the U.S. markets teetering, Ruchir Sharma, Morgan Stanley, offers insight on three emerging markets.

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94% Marley

All Critics (84) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (78) | Rotten (5)

It wants to show us the man behind the famous dreads, beatific smile and durable songs of love, hope and longing. In this task it succeeds admirably.

Sprinkled with riffs, concert footage and home videos, the family-authorized documentary does what the artist usually did: When in doubt, return to the beat.

Macdonald supplies some interesting and novel details about the musician's life and art, though the movie's narrative arc and documentary methods are totally predictable.

Bob Marley wrote the same song about 8,000 times, and the documentary "Marley" makes sure to include each version.

This is a life story worth telling, and "Marley" does it much justice. Marley may or may not have been perfect, but he was certainly fascinating.

It's hard to imagine audiences who don't know much about the man sticking around for more than a few minutes of this. And they're the ones who need to know about him most of all.

Kevin Macdonald's "Marley" is worth sticking with, and not just for diehard fans who had "Get Up, Stand Up" emanating from their dorm room speakers all through college.

Bob Marley fanatics are going to treat this film like the Holy Bible.

Will get you up to speed regarding all things Marley.

For a movie this long, it's too bad there isn't more footage of Marley in performance, joyously bringing music to the world.

...likely as close as we'll ever come to a definitive film biography of this gnomic figure.

Macdonald effectively lets the talking heads and the music explain the longevity of Marley's appeal.

Recounts a short life that seemed to straddle worlds and eras, and perhaps the definitive portrait will never be filmed or written. Until it is, though, there's always the music.

A truly human portrait of an extraordinary life.

Marley is a terrific documentary. It goes beyond one figure, and captures the essence of life itself. The film is as infectious and spiritual as one of his songs.

Good documentaries make us want to know more about their subject. But great ones like Marley don't need to.

It's certainly comprehensive, even if -- at two and a half hours long -- not exactly concise.

If you'd asked me a month ago how Marley had died, I might have cluelessly suggested a drug overdose.

Chronicles the life and times of the first musical superstar from the third world to gain a global audience, with the reggae singer's posthumous Legend album selling some 25 million copies.

In the end, it's just good, comprehensive storytelling, a film that justifies the legend rather than hypes it.

Gradually, the dreadlocks, the music and the cloud of ganja smoke come together to form as recognisable an image as that of the equally short-lived Che Guevara.

The film never shows us Marley in a complete performance. It's hard to understand the magic of a man whose most awesome moments are reduced to edited snippets.

It smartly captures his dynamic personality both through the words of those who knew him, and more importantly, through his enduring music.

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SynchroCam Sorely Disappoints

I very much prefer to write reviews only of apps and products that I appreciate, that I find useful, interesting, or just plain awesome. This is not one of those reviews. And the app? It's not one of those apps, either. The makers of some products sometimes try hard to make them appear to be things they really are not.

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Surprise: Martian sand dunes are speedy

Rare winds jump-start sand movement on Mars, according to scientists.

Towering sand dunes on Mars, once thought to be ancient and unchanging, are actually dynamic and active today, new satellite observations show.

Skip to next paragraph

Using advanced optical images taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists tracked the horizontal and vertical motion of sand over time with unprecedented detail.

"We can actually see movement, potentially, of just a few centimeters," planetary geologist Nathan Bridges of Johns Hopkins University told SPACE.com.

Bridges and his team studied the Nili Patera dune field just north of the Martian equator, taking detailed, high-resolution images over 105 days.

Using a computer program previously used to examine earthquakes and landslides on Earth, the scientists measured movements of the dunes, finding that some of the surface ripples traveled as much as 15 feet (4.5 meters) over the course of the study.? Fast dunes may travel a distance equal to their length over 170 years, while slower dunes take a few thousand years to move. [Video: Sand Dunes Crawl Across Mars' Surface]

Interestingly, the dunes in the Nili Patera move similarly to those in Victoria Valley, Antarctica, on Earth.

Bridges previously worked on a 2010 study that first identified Martian dune motion in the Nili Patera region. So when he wanted a more detailed look at sand dunes, the region seemed like a good place to start.

"We thought, let's test this technology on an area where we know the motion is occurring," Bridges said.

Located on a volcanic feature inside the Syrtis Major region, Nili Patera is a crater with an opening at one end that allows dunes to blow inside of it. However, this area of Mars isn't likely to be unique.

"There's no reason to think that we would not see this in some other areas of Mars, as well," Bridges said.

The researchers intend to examine the dune and ripple motion on other areas of Mars, including regions where the motion may not be obvious without their technique.

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Report: Amazon planning front-lit Kindle e-reader for July, new tablet later this year

Certainly it's no great shocker that Amazon's got plans for a new e-reader and tablet later this year. Nor should anyone be particularly surprised at the prospect of a front-lit reader from the retail giant set to compete directly with the latest Nook offering. Reuters, however, claims to have some insight into both, courtesy of an anonymous source. Apparently the aforementioned reader is set for a July launch, arriving in the customary Wifi and 3G varieties. The tablet, meanwhile, is set for a release "closer to the holiday season," according to the source. Amazon, E Ink and the like naturally refused to comment on the matter.

Report: Amazon planning front-lit Kindle e-reader for July, new tablet later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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State of the Mobile Nations Survey: Phone buying habits

Help Mobile Nations help you! Yes, the network behind iMore -- and all your favorite smartphone and tablet communities -- wants to get a little more insight into your phone buying habits. When the iPhone 5 hits this fall, will you be pre-ordering online or lining up at an Apple Store? Will you be getting it on-contract, or buying officially unlocked? (And if you're planning on buying something other than an iPhone, we'd love to know how you're planning on buying that too! The survey will only take you two minutes or less, and we really appreciate your time. Thanks! Take the Survey now!

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City Bans Texting While Walking: Good or Bad Idea? [Texting]

I've been bumped on the streets by people who were texting while walking. A thousand times. It's annoying. I guess I should be happy that the town of Fort Lee, New Jersey, have started issuing $85 tickets to any pedestrians caught texting and walking. More »

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Hall of mirrors (Powerlineblog)

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