Amazon CEO Pledges $2.5 Million for Washington Same-Sex Marriage Effort

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Truthdig???
August 4th, 2012

Nate C/Flikr

By:?Alexander Reed Kelly

Jeff Bezos and his wife, responding to an email from an Amazon employee, have made what is the largest single donation to the cause of same-sex marriage in the United States to support passage of a referendum in Washington state.

Amazon, Nike, Microsoft and Starbucks publicly confirmed their support for Washington?s same-sex marriage law earlier this year when the issue was being debated in the state Senate.

Jeff Bezos ? ?dfarber (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Gov. Christine Gregoire signed Washington?s same-sex marriage law in February. But in early June, near the time the law was to take effect, opponents submitted enough signatures to put the law on the ballot in November.

Although the Bezos donation doubles the amount of money available to Washington United for Marriage, victory in November is not assured. Opponents of same-sex marriage have prevailed in all 32 instances in which the issue has been put to a vote across the country.

This story originally appeared at: Truthdig

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Source: http://news.yourolivebranch.org/2012/08/04/amazon-ceo-pledges-2-5-million-for-washington-same-sex-marriage-effort/

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Manning gives big crowd some thrills

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning looks to throw during NFL football training camp, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning looks to throw during NFL football training camp, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning looks to throw at Sports Authority Field at Mile High during NFL football training camp, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning throws during NFL football training camp on Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning stretches during NFL football training camp on Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning throws during NFL football training camp on Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) ? On his first snap, Peyton Manning went deep. He overshot Demaryius Thomas but nonetheless showed off his arm strength to any doubters that might remain.

On his 14th and final snap of the Denver Broncos' summer scrimmage Saturday, Manning found Eric Decker for a 9-yard touchdown toss that drew the largest ovation from the biggest crowd ever to watch the team practice.

In between, it was just so-so. The Broncos (No. 10 in the AP Pro32) had two three-and-outs before Manning drove them downfield for the score.

But it was another mile marker in Manning's comeback from his lost 2011 season and a tuneup for Thursday night's exhibition opener at Chicago, when the four-time MVP suits up in a game for the first time since playing in the Pro Bowl following the 2010 season.

Manning missed all of last season with a nerve injury in his neck that sapped his arm strength and led to tearful departure from Indianapolis.

He's shown no ill effects from the injury and nary any rust in his right arm this summer.

Manning's first appearance in blue and orange at Sports Authority Field drew 41,304 fans, almost double the old record of 20,782 set two years ago when a guy by the name of Tim Tebow was the main attraction.

Amid the sea of orange No. 18 jerseys were some forlorn Colts fans who donned his old colors. One of them held up a sign that read, "We drove 15 hrs 2 c Manning. We miss u in Indy, Peyton."

The crowd went wild when Manning came out of the tunnel and when he signed autographs on his way back. They cheered just about every move he made in between.

"Well, it was a great crowd," Manning said. "I know players were pumped; they were kind of feeding off the energy of the fans and everybody was into it. It will be a good film to learn from on Monday once we study. I thought there were some good things, and some things we need to work on, obviously, but overall, it was a productive day, in my opinion."

The starters on each side of the ball faced the backups on the other, so Manning didn't get to see the full force of Denver's defense led by Champ Bailey, Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil ? they wouldn't have been allowed to hit him anyway.

"I thought we started a little slow offensively but once we got in the groove of it, getting those competitive juices back, I thought we executed pretty well," coach John Fox said. "I think defensively, we looked pretty good against that second unit. So, all in all, I thought it was pretty good for our first outing."

On the first play, Manning overthrew Thomas over the middle.

"Yeah, I tried to go deep," Manning said. "That's something that you do every now and then during a game. I could tell during the 7-on-7 early on that throwing the short passes wasn't real exciting for the crowd, so the last play of my 7-on-7, I actually changed that play to a deep pass just to try to keep the fans from leaving, I guess."

He hit Andre Caldwell along the right sideline for a 60-yard scoring play.

Although he couldn't duplicate the deep ball in the scrimmage, he capped his night with a nice touchdown toss to Decker, his favorite target so far in Denver.

"I thought Decker's back-shoulder touchdown catch was awesome," Manning said. "It was excellent coverage by (Drayton) Florence, but Decker did a good job holding his eyes until the last minute. The back shoulder fade is a hard route to cover, and that's something he and I have been working on, so it was good to get that into play today."

Manning made the call himself, too.

"The headphones went down, actually," Manning said. "Instead of burning a timeout, (offensive coordinator Mike) McCoy told me, 'If the phones go down, just call something that you like.'"

So, he did.

And now it's onto next week and preparation for the preseason games, which Manning indicated he would treat as he always has. In Indy, Manning didn't throw many passes in the exhibition games but he generally played a series or two in the opener, into the second quarter in the second game and maybe one series after halftime in the third game before sitting out the fourth one altogether.

"I think there's a lot that we can try to get out of preseason," Manning said. "You want to try to see different scenarios if you can. You'd love to get some short yardage, red-zone, goal-line, two-minute offense. I thought today was ? the two three-and-outs to start weren't good, but we came back, had a good long drive and converted a couple of third downs, got a little red-zone work, got a third-down touchdown score.

"Hopefully you get all those types of situations throughout the four preseason games. I sort of look at the preseason as a group, as all four, trying to accomplish something. So, hopefully we can make some strides in the preseason. We still have some work to do."

Notes: Fox said the only injury was to RB Mario Fannin, who wasn't putting weight on his left leg as he was helped to the sideline during the scrimmage. Fannin also got hurt in camp last year. ... TE Anthony Miller hobbled off after a low hit from S Syd'Quan Thompson on the final play. ... With S Quinton Carter having undergone right knee surgery after a nasty fall inside the team's practice bubble last month, the Broncos signed free agent S Jim Leonhard, who is coming off a December knee surgery. ... RT Orlando Franklin (concussion) returned to action.

___

Online: http://bigstory.ap.org/NFL-Pro32 and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-08-04-Broncos%20Scrimmage/id-60d62be3c0e648699fae45bc4ee71946

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Romney wants 'something dramatic' to aid economy

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) ? Mitt Romney is calling for "something dramatic" to help the economy recover, but he's not saying exactly what.

The Republican presidential says he opposes another federal stimulus package and new government programs. He also says that if the Federal Reserve were to undertake another "massive" program of buying government bonds and mortgage-backed securities, with the goal of driving long-term interest rates even lower, it wouldn't help the recovery.

"I can absolutely make the case that now is the time for something dramatic and it is not the time to grow government. It's the time to create the incentives and the opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses big and small to hire more people and that's going to happen," Romney said an interview aired Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

"You're going to see that happen in this country but not under this president."

Romney said repeatedly this past week that his economic policies would create 12 million jobs in his first term. Pushed to explain how, Romney said in the interview, "That's what happens in a normal process."

"When you come out the kind of recession we've had you should see this kind of job creation," he said. "Good things happen when you have a private sector that's thriving."

Campaigning in Indiana on Saturday, Romney attacked what he called "an extraordinary series of policy failures" from President Barack Obama.

The Republican candidate planned to spend Sunday and Monday in private meetings at his vacation home in New Hampshire.

The former Massachusetts governor so far has been slow to release specifics for his economic plans. He repeated his opposition to Obama's tax plan that would preserve tax cuts passed in the George W. Bush era for all Americans but those who earn more than $250,000.

Romney would preserve the tax cuts for everyone, although he has not detailed how he would pay for the plan.

"I also hope people understand when they talk about raising taxes on the wealthy ? as the president does ? he is also talking about the same tax rate that applies to small business," Romney said. "The great majority of small businesses pay taxes at the individual rate so as he raises these taxes "on the wealthy" he is raising taxes on small business."

The Romney campaign on Sunday also released a television advertisement highlighting his recent trip to Israel. In the ad, he criticizes Obama for not visiting the Jewish state. The president last visited Israel during his 2008 campaign.

While in Israel, Romney said that cultural differences help explain the economic disparity between Israelis and Palestinians. The comment prompted accusations of racism from Palestinian leaders.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/romney-wants-something-dramatic-aid-economy-130451788.html

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Johnson Roofing Home Improvement ? Yapperz.com - Speak out loud.

Roof repair and installation in Paris Johnson Roofing Home Improvement is a round-the-clock roofing contractor serving Lexington, KY. As a roofing contractor, Johnson Roofing Home Improvement is a round-the-clock roofing service provider that has offered a variety of roofing services for many years. Our professional roofers can do tasks, such as repairs, installations and maintaining your roof efficiently. Johnson Roofing Home Improvement strives hard to maintain the position as one of the leading contractors in the roofing industry. We enhance our man power and equipment by developing skills and tactics necessary to train our employees. We will provide you with high quality services as well as a follow up by a specific deadline, if necessary. We efficiently coordinate up-to-date techniques for our roofers and don?t fall below the average roofing contractor. In fact our specialization in roofing services has enabled us to provide quality and safety as well as assurance for your roofing needs. Contact our roofers and roofing contractors if you have any concerns on the construction of your property.

Source: http://www.yapperz.com/hobsonisakse126/blog/johnson-roofing-home-improvement/

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Small Business Mobile & Social Marketing Strategies | SnapGiant

SnapGiant is an integrated social and mobile marketing solution, dedicated to helping small businesses effectively connect with their customers by leveraging proven?mobile and social marketing strategies.?So how do you take advantage of social and mobile marketing? Here are some small business marketing tips to think about.

1. Define Your Goals

What would you like to achieve? Increase sales, gain new customers, instill brand loyalty, or achieve more involvement? Once you?ve set a goal, define it and don?t stop until you hit that goal.

Sample Social Media Marketing Goal: Gain 100 new Facebook followers

How? Offer updates on your products and services, post industry-relevant articles, and invite followers by involving them in your business decisions. Do you have a new product or service to unveil? Promote it via social media channels and offer a modest gift card to the winning entry.

Sample Mobile Marketing Goal: Increase monthly sales by 10%.

How? Send text ads to your SMS distribution list offering discounts on your most sought-after items. Offer two-for-one deals and limited time offers. There is virtually no end to the type of offers and coupons you can create and send via SMS.

2. Create a Presence

From SnapGiant?s integrated dashboard, it?s easy to cross-pollinate between your SMS lists and Facebook. Cross-channel?social and SMS marketing strategies?will help your business increase its in-market profile.

3. Define Your Message

How are you going to inspire your target audience to get involved?

Sample Application: Social Media Marketing

Inspire involvement by appealing to something deeper. If you?re a restaurant, open voting on whether you should offer an organic dish. If you?re a retailer, open voting on what local clothing or craft maker you should stock. Find the feeling behind your product and become known for talking about that.

Sample Application: Mobile Marketing

Text ads are short, so words are valuable. Clarity must be your goal. In each text ad, inspire involvement with a clear offering, an obvious reason why it matters, and a simple call-to-action. Here are some examples.

4. Increase Your?Fan Base

Encourage users to share your content or information with friends to increase your presence.

Sample Application: Social Media Marketing

People share what interests them. Grab your followers? interest with catchy posts, humor, exclusive stories, and more. That will help increase your content?s sharing potential. Don?t only talk about yourself.

Sample Application: Mobile Marketing

People love deals. Become known for offering stellar discounts via SMS and your subscribers will spread the good news to their friends and family.

5. Feed Your?Campaign

Make your campaign intriguing and interactive.? Include polls, contests, surveys, or giveaways.

Sample Application: Social Media Marketing

Once a month, ask a question on your website and on your Facebook profile, directing visitors to answer your Facebook post. Increase involvement by offering prizes. People love free things. Capitalize on that to feed your campaign.

Sample Application: Mobile Marketing

Send a text ad offering a discount or free promotion to all customers who walk in with a shirt saying how much they love your company. Become known for offering fun and wacky promotions that keep your customers guessing and ask for their suggestions.

6. Leverage Your?Social/Mobile?Marketing Plan

Integrate social media and mobile marketing with your other advertising channels: print, point of sale, radio, TV, or special events.

On your brochures, letterhead, business cards, and anything else in print, include your Facebook name and why people should find you online + your SMS short code to receive monthly promotions. In radio spots and television commercials, do the same.

7. Honesty Is Key

Always be transparent and upfront with your customers.

Sample Application: Social Media Marketing

Pretend your business Facebook profile is your own. Would you purposely mislead your friends and family? Of course not. You want to be trusted and respected. Act the same way with your business Facebook profile. Be honest and upfront.

Sample Application: Mobile Marketing

Do what your ads say you?ll do. If you?re offering 40 free t-shirts and you run out at 36, offer a gift card or discount to the last four. Follow through on your promotions and protect the trust people have in you.

Source: http://www.snapgiant.com/blog/small-business-mobile-social-marketing-strategies/

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Find estate agents and letting agents, housing market, inflation of ...

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Source: http://stirringtroubleinternationally.blogspot.com/2012/08/find-estate-agents-and-letting-agents.html

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Pregnancy Alters Resident Gut Microbes

Changes to gut microbes seen in pregnancy prepare a woman to nourish her child. Image: PhotoAlto/Alamy

Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

Read More??

From Nature magazine

Women's gut microbe populations change as pregnancy advances, becoming more like those of people who might develop diabetes. These changes, which do not seem to damage maternal health, correspond with increases in blood glucose and fat deposition thought to help a mother nourish her child.

Although scientists have profiled microbial communities around the world and throughout the human body, this is the first time they have tracked the gut microbiome during pregnancy, says Ruth Ley, a microbiologist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, who led the work¹.

Ley had previously explored the interplay of gut microbiota with metabolic syndrome², a precursor to diabetes that is characterised by high levels of inflammatory markers, blood sugar and fats. Because similar changes occur during pregnancy, she wondered whether the gut microbiota might reflect this. She and her colleagues sequenced microbial DNA from stool samples collected early and late in pregnancy, and found consistent shifts in the bacterial communities.

Overall, the diversity of gut bacteria declined between the first and third trimesters, but the abundance of certain types, such as the Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, increased. These are also more common in people who are obese or have metabolic syndrome, says Ley. ?Proteobacteria in particular are often the bad guys in these studies. They are associated with inflammation.?

?This is the next step in describing how completely normal states of health can have profound changes,? says Kjersti Aagaard, an obstetrician at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, who was not involved in the research. The fact that the observed shift occurred by the third trimester of pregnancy makes sense, she says. ?That's when babies start packing on the pounds.? Earlier this year, Aagaard and her co-workers published work comparing vaginal microbiomes in pregnant and non-pregnant women; those in the pregnant women were dominated by Lactobacillus species, which are thought to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and aid human digestion³.

One size fits all

Although the shifts in microbial diversity did not affect mothers? health, stools collected during the third trimester contained more inflammatory markers than those collected during the first trimester. What?s more, the trends held true regardless of whether women were of normal weight or overweight before falling pregnant, had actually developed diabetes, or had taken antibiotics or probiotics (supplements taken to provide or boost populations of 'healthy' bacteria) during pregnancy. Meanwhile, after birth, the children?s microbiotas resembled those of the mothers' first trimester samples.

When Ley and her colleagues transplanted bacteria from stool samples into mice that had been raised under sterile conditions, they found that mice receiving microbiota from third-trimester samples became fatter and less sensitive to insulin than mice that were given first-trimester samples.

?That is pretty suggestive that the microbiome is at least contributing to the change, or maybe driving it,? says David Relman, a microbiologist at Stanford University in California who is looking for associations between pregnancy microbiomes and pre-term birth.

Ley speculates that physiological changes that occur during pregnancy alter the microbial community, which, in turn, creates a positive-feedback loop sustaining conditions seen in metabolic syndrome. ?The body might be using the microbes as a tool,? she says. ?You alter the microbiota, and they give you the changes in metabolism that you want.?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=517b2e37313cd8c3cb0abc3f47fd2148

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