Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Memphis coach Josh Pastner receive a new five-year contract Tuesday.

Head lice trigger body lice epidemics, study finds – National ...

... (CNRS/IRD/Université de la Méditerranée), in collaboration with researchers from the Universities of Florida and Illinois” in the U.S., says a news statement released by the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). ...

Surface Encounters

New York Yankee News: Granderson, Chavez, Joe West and Barry Bonds ...

All the Yankee news you need. ... News links: Feliciano, Romulo, Chavez and the Canseco twins. Mar 2011 by Travis G - 51 comments. Around SB Nation. Game Thread #-1: Brewers @ Padres. Mar 2011 from Brew Crew Ball - 4 comments ...

Surface Encounters

Dirty Percent

Tuesday, 1 March 2011

It’s not hard to make the case that Apple’s new in-app subscription system offers numerous benefits to users, developers, and publishers. But whatever those benefits, they stem from the mere existence of these new subscription APIs. What’s controversial is the size of Apple’s cut: 30 percent.

No one is arguing that Apple shouldn’t get some cut of in-app purchases that go through iTunes. And, if Apple were taking a substantially smaller cut, there would be substantially fewer people objecting to Apple’s rules (that subscription-based publishing apps must use the system; that they can’t link to their external sign-up web page from within the app; and that they must offer in-app subscribers the same prices available outside the app).

The reasonable arguments against Apple’s policies seem to be:

Apple should be taking less, perhaps far less, than 30 percent.

Apple should not require subscription-based apps to use the in-app subscription APIs. If it’s a good deal for publishers, they’ll choose to use the system on their own.

Apple should not require price-matching from subscription offers outside the app. Publishers should be allowed to charge iOS users more money to cover Apple’s cut.

Apple should consider business models that simply can’t afford a 70/30 revenue split.

Let’s consider these in reverse order.

Apple Should Consider Business Models That Can’t Afford a 70/30 Revenue Split

Apple doesn’t give a damn about companies with business models that can’t afford a 70/30 split. Apple’s running a competitive business; competition is cold and hard. And who exactly can’t afford a 70/30 split? Middlemen. It’s not that Apple is opposed to middlemen — it’s that Apple wants to be the middleman. It’s difficult to expect them to be sympathetic to the plights of other middlemen.

Some of these apps and services that are left out might be ones that iOS users enjoy, though. This is the leading argument for how this new policy will in fact hurt users, and, as a result, Apple itself: it’ll drive good apps off the platform. Frequently mentioned examples: Netflix and Kindle. For all we know, though, Netflix may well be fine with this policy. Apple would only get a 30 percent cut of new subscriptions that go through the Netflix iOS app, and that might be a bounty Netflix can live with in exchange for more subscribers. Keep in mind, too, that Netflix and Apple seemingly get along well enough that Netflix is built into the Apple TV system software.

Kindle, and e-book platforms in general, are a different case. For one thing, Kindle doesn’t use subscriptions. Kindle offers purchases. Presumably, given Apple’s rejection of Sony’s e-book platform app last month, Apple is going to insist on the same rules for in-app purchases through apps like Kindle as they do for in-app subscriptions. If so, something’s got to give. The “agency model” through which e-books are sold requires the bookseller to give the publisher 70 percent of the sale price. So if the publisher gets 70 and Apple gets 30, that leaves a big fat nothing for Amazon, or Barnes & Noble, or Kobo, or anyone else selling books through native iOS apps — other than iBooks, of course.

But leaving aside the revenue split, there are technical limitations as well. The existing in-app purchasing system in iOS has a technical limit of 3,500 catalog items. I.e. any single app can offer no more than 3,500 items for in-app purchase. Amazon has hundreds of thousands of Kindle titles.

Something’s got to give here. I don’t know what, but there must be more news on this front coming soon. I don’t believe Apple wants to chase competing e-book platforms off the App Store.

Apple Should Not Require Price Matching

Why not allow developers and publishers to set their own prices for in-app subscriptions? One reason: Apple wants its customers to get the best price — and, to know that they’re getting the best price whenever they buy a subscription through an app. It’s a confidence in the brand thing: with Apple’s rules, users know they’re getting the best price, they know they’ll be able to unsubscribe easily, and they know their privacy is protected.

Credit card companies insist on similar rules: retailers pay a processing fee for every credit card transaction, but the credit card companies insist that these fees not be passed on to the customer. Customers pay the same price as they would if they used cash — which encourages them to use their credit card liberally. (Going further, many charge cards offer cash back on each purchase — they can do this because the cash-back percentage refunded to the customer is less than the transaction processing fee paid by the retailer.)

So the same-price rule is good for the user, and good for Apple. But Matt Drance argues that Apple could dissipate much of this subscription controversy by waiving this rule:

The requirement that IAP content be offered “at the same price
or less than it is offered outside the app,” combined with the
70/30 split, means developers must make less money off of iOS by
definition. They can’t price their IAP content higher to offset
the commission, nor can they price their own retail content lower.

If I am interpreting this correctly, I can’t bring myself to see
it as reasonable. […] I think a great deal of this drama could
go away if Apple dropped section 11.13 while keeping section
11.14: Your prices on your store are your business; just don’t
be a jerk and advertise the difference all over ours.

And I agree with him. Yes, the same-price rule is good for users and for Apple, but waiving this rule wouldn’t be particularly bad for users or for Apple, either — and it would give publishers some freedom to experiment.

I suspect one reason Apple won’t budge is that their competitors — like Amazon — insist on best-price matching.

Apple Should Not Require Apps to Offer In-App Subscriptions

I’m sympathetic to this argument, too. “If you don’t like our terms, don’t use our subscription system.” But it has occurred to me that this entire in-app subscription debate mirrors the debate surrounding the App Store itself back in 2008 — that 30 percent was too large a cut for Apple to take, that it shouldn’t be mandatory, etc. The same way many developers wanted (and still want) a way to sell native iOS apps on their own, outside the App Store, many publishers now want a way to sell subscriptions on their own, outside the App Store.

The fact is, the App Store is an all-or-nothing affair. You play by Apple’s rules or you stick to web apps through Mobile Safari. This alternative is no different for periodical publishers than it was (and remains) for app developers in general. A lot of these demands boil down to a desire for more autonomy for native iOS app developers. Apple has never shown any interest in that.

There’s one striking difference between the subscription controversy today and the App Store controversy in 2008: with subscriptions, Apple is taking away the ability to do something that they previously allowed. There was never a supported way to install native apps for iOS before the App Store. Subscriptions sold outside the App Store, on the other hand, were allowed until last month.

Apple Should Be Taking Less, Possibly Far Less, Than 30 Percent

Another difference between the App Store itself and in-app subscriptions is that with apps, Apple hosts and serves the downloads. Apple covers the bandwidth, even for gargantuan gigabyte-or-larger 99-cent games. The OS handles installation.

With in-app subscriptions (and purchases), however, the app developer is responsible for hosting the content, and for writing the code to download, store, and manage it. So — one reasonable argument goes — given that Apple is doing less for subscription content than it does for apps (or for music and movies purchased through iTunes), Apple should take less of the money.

Taken further, the argument boils down to this: that for in-app subscriptions and purchases, Apple is serving only as a payment processer — and thus, a reasonable fee for transactions would be in the small single digits — 3, 4, maybe 5 percent, say. More or less something along the lines of what PayPal charges.

Apple, I think it’s clear, doesn’t see it this way. Apple sees the entire App Store, along with all native iOS apps, as an upscale, premium software store: owned, controlled, and managed like a physical shopping mall. Brick and mortar retailers don’t settle for a single-digit cut of retail prices; neither does the App Store.

Seth Godin argues that Apple’s 30 percent cut is too big to allow publishers to profit:

Except Apple has announced that they want to tax each subscription
made via the iPad at 30%. Yes, it’s a tax, because what it does is
dramatically decrease the incremental revenue from each
subscriber. An intelligent publisher only has two choices: raise
the price (punishing the reader and further cutting down
readership) or make it free and hope for mass (see my point above
about the infinite newsstand). When you make it free, it’s all
about the ads, and if you don’t reach tens or hundreds of
thousands of subscribers, you’ll fail.

Godin’s logic strikes me as questionable. For one thing, he freely switches between a newsstand metaphor (arguing, perhaps accurately, that the App Store is too large for publishers to gain attention from potential readers in the first place — you won’t read what you never notice) and the economics of subscriptions. But subscribers are the opposite of newsstand readers. Newsstand readers are buying a single copy, often on impulse. Subscribers are readers who are already hooked, and who know what they want. Put another way, the size of Apple’s cut of subscription revenue — whether it were higher or lower — has no bearing on the “attention at the newsstand” problem.

Second, the problem facing traditional publishers today is that circulation is falling. Newsstand sales and subscriptions are falling, under pressure from free-of-charge websites and other forms of digital content. The idea with Apple’s 70-30 revenue split is that developers and publishers can make it up in volume — that people aren’t just somewhat more willing to pay for content through iTunes than other online content stores, they are far more willing. The idea is that Apple has cracked a nut no one else1 has — they’ve created an ecosystem where hundreds of millions of people are willing to pay for digital content. Thus, potentially, publishers won’t just make more money keeping only 70 percent of subscription fees generated through iOS apps than they are now with 96 percent (or whatever they’re left with after payment processing fees) of subscription fees they’re selling on their own — they stand to make a lot more money.

I’m not guaranteeing or even predicting that it’s going to work out that way. I’m just saying that’s Apple’s proposition.

Godin’s assumption is that iOS in-app subscriptions won’t significantly increase the number of subscribers. If he’s right about that, then he’s right that Apple’s 30 percent cut will prove too expensive for publishers. But Apple’s bet is that in-app subscriptions can dramatically increase the number of subscribers. Consider the app landscape. Apple’s 30 percent cut didn’t drive the price of paid apps up — the nature of the App Store drove prices down. It’s a volume game.

The App Store itself proves that Apple might be right. Like with app sales, in-app subscriptions won’t work for every publication. But it could work for many. It really is possible to make it up in volume.

And if a 70-30 split for in-app subscription revenue doesn’t work, the price will come down. That’s how capitalism works. You choose a price and see how it goes. I’ll admit — when the App Store launched in 2008, I thought Apple’s 70-30 split was skewed too heavily in Apple’s favor. Not that it was wrong in any moral sense, but that it was wrong in a purely economic sense: that it might be more than developers would be willing to bear. Apple, clearly, has a better sense about what prices the market will bear than I (and, likely, you) do.

Competition vs. Anti-Competition

One last argument I’ve seen regarding these in-app subscription rules is that it’s further evidence of anti-competitive behavior from Apple. That makes sense only if you consider iOS to be the entire field of play. Apple, though, is competing at a higher level. They’re competing between platforms: iOS vs. Kindle/Amazon vs. Android/Google vs. Microsoft, and in some ways, vs. the free web. Why should publishers make an app rather than just a mobile web site? For happier customers and more money.

Sony has a platform for e-books. Amazon has a platform for e-books. Barnes & Noble has a platform for e-books. Apple has a platform for e-books. But Apple is the only one which allows its competitors to have apps on its devices. And Apple is the anti-competitive one? I’m no lawyer, but if the iTunes Music store hasn’t yet been deemed a monopoly with Apple selling 70+ percent of digital music players, then I doubt the App Store will be deemed a monopoly for a market where Apple has never been — and, according to market share trends, may never be — the top-selling smartphone maker, let alone own a majority of the market, let alone own more than a single-digit sliver of the phone market as a whole. As for ruthless profiteering, consider that Amazon, with their e-book publishing, originally took the fat end of a 70-30 revenue split with authors.

One question I’ve been asked by several DF readers who object to Apple’s new in-app subscription and purchasing policies goes like this: What if Microsoft did this with Windows, and, say, tried to require Apple to pay them 30 percent for every purchase made through iTunes on Windows? To that, I say: good luck with that. Microsoft couldn’t make such a change by fiat. The whole premise of Windows (and other personal computer systems) is that it is open to third-party software. Apple couldn’t just flip a switch and make Mac OS X a controlled app console system like iOS — they had to introduce the Mac App Store as an alternative to traditional software installation. If Microsoft introduced something similar to the Mac App Store for Windows, Apple would simply eschew it. If Microsoft were to mandate an iOS App Store-like total control policy for all Windows software, they’d have a revolt in their user base that would make Vista look like a success.

iOS isn’t and never was an open computer system. It’s a closed, controlled console system — more akin to Playstation or Wii or Xbox than to Mac OS X or Windows. It is, in Apple’s view, a privilege to have a native iOS app.

This is what galls some: Apple is doing this because they can, and no other company is in a position to do it. This is not a fear that in-app subscriptions will fail because Apple’s 30 percent slice is too high, but rather that in-app subscriptions will succeed despite Apple’s (in their minds) egregious profiteering. I.e. that charging what the market will bear is somehow unscrupulous. To the charge that Apple Inc. is a for-profit corporation run by staunch capitalists, I say, “Duh”.

If it works, Apple’s 30-percent take of in-app subscriptions will prove as objectionable in the long run as the App Store itself: not very.

With the company’s future already clouded by Steve Jobs’ latest medical leave, the possibility of the iPad’s chief designer, Jonathan Ive, cashing out ups the uncertainty, Dan Lyons writes.

Is Apple losing its design guru?

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced in January that he would take a third medical leave, the biggest concern was the cloud of uncertainty that hovered over the company. Now that uncertainty has become an issue again, as rumors have started swirling that Apple might lose its chief designer, Jonathan Ive.

Apple's head designer Jonathan Ive poses for a portrait on January 27, 2010 in Cupertino, California. (Photo by Paul Harris / Newscom)

Reports in Ive’s native England suggest that the man who oversaw the design of the iPhone and iPad wants to spend more time in the U.K., putting him at odds with Apple’s board enough that he would consider leaving the company. Although Ive and Apple won’t comment, the scenario is plausible for two reasons: First, Ive is about to cash in options valued at $30 million that he was granted in 2008; and second, Ive has an especially close relationship with Jobs.

Whether Ive stays or goes, the brouhaha shows the challenges that Apple is increasingly likely to face given the questions about Jobs’ role in the coming months. One scenario being bandied about by Apple-watchers suggests Ive is making a power play to succeed Jobs; it seems just as likely, however, that he simply may not want to work at Apple if Jobs isn’t there.

Still others think the entire notion that Ive might leave is completely unfounded. But either way, the whole incident shows how the Jobs health situation is bringing more drama to a company that, until now, has been a model of tight-lipped discipline.

Apple’s products are famous for their sleek designs, and conventional wisdom holds that losing Ive would be a terrible blow to Apple—“Apple’s worst nightmare,” Britain’s Guardian called it. But the truth is, losing Ive may not be as big a deal as some Apple watchers think.

For one thing, Apple has loads of bench strength in every department, and because of its success it can attract just about anyone it wants.

“How much of this is Steve, how much is Jon, how much someone else? Steve always had an eye for design. The designer is only as good as the client,” says Jean-Louis Gassée.

For another, the real genius behind Apple’s designs might not be Ive—but rather Jobs.

That’s the educated guess of Jean-Louis Gassée, a former top executive at Apple and a longtime close watcher of the company who still has many connections there.

Gassée points out that Ive was already working at Apple when Jobs returned to the company in 1996. Ive joined the company in 1992, when Jobs was gone from the company, having been ousted by the board in 1985.

And before Jobs returned to Apple, Ive wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire. The first products that Ive designed under Jobs were the “Bondi Blue” iMac and the somewhat ugly iBook. Ive’s next products, the "desk lamp" Mac and the early metal laptops, were better looking, Gassée says.

Surface Encounters

Surface Encounters

It looks like women have caught up with men in numbers in the workplace. For the first time in history, women in the USA now outnumber men in the workforce, and there are now more women in supervisory positions than there are males. The question is whether they will handle the downside of working any better than men.

According to an article by Ella L. J. Edmondson Bell, Ph.D., titled The 21st Century Workplace -- Are Women the New Men?, the economic downturn has hit men harder. They held nearly 80 percent of jobs that have been lost during what is now being called the "mancession." Will women now inherit the stress, pressure, exhaustion, burn out and heart attacks commonly associated with male leaders in business?

Some predict that this new female-dominated workplace will mean a softening of the corporate culture, with more benevolent leaders. Others foresee just the opposite. Ella says many women don't want to be seen as "soft" -- and others simply aren't. No one would call Carly Fiorina, the head of Hewlett Packard from 1999 to 2005, a wilting lily. According to her memoir, Tough Choices, she was sometimes referred to as Chainsaw Carly.

All of this is especially relevant on the entrepreneurial side, since statistics show that women are starting businesses at more than twice the rate of their male counterparts. Some would argue that the growing success rate of women entrepreneurs shows that they are resourceful, and better able to succeed, despite the odds.

While I'm sure we will continue to see progress on the female side, I predict that they will struggle with the same major challenges faced today by men. These include:

Funding your dream. Raising money is hard, whether you are counting on friends, investors, or banks. I rarely see women at angel investment groups, either asking for money, or offering to fund new ventures. Men seem more focused on this one.

Need for increased confidence and mindset skills. Many women and men are paralyzed by perfection, plagued by pessimism, and the need to satisfy others, rather than themselves. We need more women leaders.

Motivation to succeed. Every entrepreneur needs to love what they do, and believe so strongly in their product or service that they can weather the tough times. On this one, it's easy to spot the ones with passion, from either gender.

Manage time and priorities. Women, often more than men, try to do too much. It's hard to balance the continual demands of the business, personal relationships, and home life. Every entrepreneur needs to prioritize the important tasks ahead of urgent tasks.

Never stop learning. After you start your business, the learning really begins. True entrepreneurs look at failures as their best learning experiences. Networking, and using your network is the next most important element of learning.

I don't see any challenges which are so gender specific that they can't be overcome by any entrepreneur. Yet I don't think women should be convinced that the battle for equality is almost over. There is still the question of why there are so few women in high places, and why the average income for women in business is about 68% of men's income.

What I am hoping is that women will not just be the new men, and suffer from the same maladies and limitations. I'll be looking for women to create the "new business culture" that every worker wants -- better role definitions, more effective and productive leadership, and better work-life balance. That would make women entrepreneurs the new women, rather than the new men!

Preview of Final Result

Resources

PT Sans Bold – FontSquirrel

Free App Icons for Developers – WebAppers

Step 1

Open Photoshop and create a new document that is 1200 x 1200 pixels, 72 dpi, and RGB Color. Fill the layer with white. (Ctrl+Backspace or Delete)

Step 2

Now create a rectangle for the header and fill it with a white-grey color, then use the colors on the image for the “Gradient Overlay”. Our search and logo will eventually be part of the header.

Step 3

Create a new rectangle above the previous one, with attributes as shown below. The following drop shadow effect creates a look of a 1 pixel stroke which does increase the look of that simple bar. Note: this step creates a horizontal line.

Step 4

Now add the “Gradient Overlay” layer style with the hex codes indicated.

Step 5

Add a white 1 pixel stroke. The following stroke of 1 pixel will divide the grey shadow effect. It’ll eventually work as a divider.

Step 6

Make one more rectangle in the middle-right zone, and fill it with white and add a 1 px stroke as indicated – it will be our search box.

Step 7

One more rectangle should be created and filled with blue. Set the inner shadow as indicated below, this will be our search button. This blue works great in combination with grey, white and light-grey. Blue will be the major contrasting color we use as we work through this template.

Step 8

Add the Gradient Overlay details to the button with the details from image.

Step 9

Add a 1 px stroke to the button with the color indicated. Take a look at the first and the final result of the button so you can see the difference all these details made.

Step 10

Now add this drop shadow effect for the text placed in the search box, using PT Sans Bold. This will be the final step in creating your search button. You may want to try other fonts, but the PT Sans Bold is really good for this small button.

Step 11

Make another fill under the header section, this will be the navigation area. Here we will place the navigation links of our template.

Step 12

Write your navigation links using a dark-grey color, then add a white “drop shadow” effect. The effect used for the navigation links is the same used for the search button.

Step 13

With 1px vertical line, make divisions between each links. The lines should be black and will really increase the beauty of the navigation area.

Step 14

Over the home section, make a fill with the blue and then add a Gradient Overlay style as indicated.

Step 15

Copy the Home link, this time color it white and add a drop shadow effect.

Step 16

Create a big, grey zone under the navigation, it should be about 30% of the layout. This will be the background for the featured area.

Step 17

Now create a big, white rectangle and add some shadow with the details shown. A big stock image, a big headline and some text with another great button will be added.

Step 18

Add a any dummy image you want to that featured area. Be sure it covers more than 80% of the area. The one I chose is from a stock website.

Step 19

Add some text to it, use the PT SANS Bold font and make the font big.

Step 20

The remaining area should be filled with grey, in it we’ll place some text. This is really a secondary area which describes the image, the services, the company itself, or whatever you’d like.

Step 21

Place some blue-colored text which will be the title of the information below. Use the details in the image for Drop Shadow style.

Step 22

Add some dummy text. This could be some important information or whatever you’d like.

Step 23

Create another grey area under the featured zone, where we will add some text and icons later. Add the details as stated on the image. Mostly, the icons will promote the services offered by the company behind the website.

Step 24

Continue by adding a Gradient Overlay style for the last rectangle we have created in the anterior steps.

Step 25

Now we are adding titles and icons, as well as some divisions. The icons can be found in the resource list at the beginning of the tutorial. Be sure to choose your icons and text thoughtfully.

Step 26

At the border of both zones, create a small circle and fill it with dark brown color. Add some inner shadow as stated on the image.

Step 27

Continue by adding a drop shadow layer style. It is another small detail, but it really makes that button zone minimalistic, nice-looking and well designed.

Step 28

To finish, add a Gradient Overlay effect.

Step 29

By using the Custom Shape Tool (U), create an arrow in both circles. Now add the details shown on the screenshot.

Step 30

Continue by adding some Color Overlay for the arrow. It should also be a blue color because otherwise, it will not fit the contrast and the colors used on the whole template.

Step 31

Add a video screenshot in the free space and place a title for it. For this template, I have used a simple screenshot of a YouTube widget.

Step 32

Add the text “Product Highlights” and “Case Studies.” Let the text under the “Product Highlights” be links so you could showcase some friends’ websites or resources you admire/promote.

Step 33

Finish it by creating another form for e-mails, place all kind of other information, and whatever you’d like.

Step 34

Don’t forget to make a relevant/small footer for our template. If you have paid attention, you should know how to create the same effect as below.

All done! If you have questions or suggestions, feel free to drop a comment. I hope you enjoyed this whole tutorial!

Surface Encounters

This Week's Health Industry News - NYTimes.com

A look at what's coming up in the drug and health fields.

Surface Encounters

Surface Encounters

Surface Encounters

This Week's Health Industry News - NYTimes.com

A look at what's coming up in the drug and health fields.

Surface Encounters

Monday, March 28, 2011

foreclosure sales

And I’m not surprised. This program was a fool’s errand from the beginning.

Just one in four of the 2.7 million homeowners who sought to participate in the Obama administration’s signature mortgage assistance program have succeeded in getting their monthly payments reduced.

The rest failed to qualify for the program or were disqualified after they were initially accepted into the program, according to an analysis by the Wall Street Journal of data on applicants to the program newly released by the Treasury Department.

In all, about 680,000 homeowners who applied for the Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP, had received permanent modifications of their loans and were making timely payments or were still in the trial phase as of December.

Almost 6.7 million U.S. homes were lost to foreclosure, short sales or turned back to lenders between 2000 and 2010, according to Moody’s Analytics. Another 3.6 million could meet the same fate through 2013.

The White House launched the HAMP program in 2009 as a broad attempt to reverse the rising number of home foreclosures by reducing families’ mortgage payments, typically by lowering the interest rate and extending the term of a loan. But the administration’s strict eligibility criteria resulted in far lower participation than expected.

I don’t think there is anything the government can do to stop these foreclosures. At the root of the problem is the fact that, led on by government subsidies and other favorable policies, America’s lending institutions gave trillions of dollars worth of loans to people who had no business taking them in the first place. The government inflated the housing markets by inciting banks to give out bad loans.

The only way to fix that problem is to make those bad loans go away. And the only way to make them go away is to allow them to go into default. Government policies aimed at fixing the problem by slowing or stopping the foreclosures are only going to prolong and exacerbate the problem.

These bad mortgages are like a flu bug. There’s no cure. All we can do is let it work through the system.

Tags: Barack Obama, housing, housing bubble, mortgages, subprime mortgages

Earlier:

• ISM Manufacturing Index increases in February

• Private Construction Spending decreases in January

• U.S. Light Vehicle Sales 13.44 million SAAR in February

• Graphs: ISM manufacturing, Construction Spending, Vehicle Sales

Fannie Mae reported that the serious delinquency rate decreased to 4.48% in December from 4.50% in November. This is down from 5.38% a year ago.

Freddie Mac reported that the serious delinquency rate decreased to 3.82% in January from 3.84% in December. (Note: Fannie reports a month behind Freddie). This is down from 4.15% in January 2010.

These are loans that are "three monthly payments or more past due or in foreclosure".

Click on graph for larger image in graph gallery.

Some of the rapid increase in 2009 was probably because of foreclosure moratoriums, and also because loans in trial mods were considered delinquent until the modifications were made permanent. As modifications have become permanent, they are no longer counted as delinquent.

The slowdown in the decline was probably related to the new foreclosure moratoriums last year. Going forward, a key question is if falling house prices will lead to an increase in serious delinquent loans.

bench craft company reviews

Pawlenty Announces His Money Team - FoxNews.com

Republican Tim Pawlenty's exploratory committee has announced the key players who will make up Pawlenty's national finance team. The announcement comes as Pawlenty's team gears up for a major-donor fundraising effort.

'Know Your Meme' Acquired By Cheezburger in Seven-Figure Deal

Cheezburger Networks has acquired online meme database (and popular web series) Know Your Meme from Rocketboom in a seven-figure deal.

Obama Birth Certificate News | Digital News Report

Digital News Report – Although the Obama campaign produced a birth certificate in the run-up to the last general election, there are still questions about President Obama's birthplace. ...

SEO Services Vancouver For any Better Marketing Solution

When you start your personal website there are many ways you will have to sell it off and one the best way is by using SEO services Vancouver if you happen to maintain that area. The SEO or seo services will be the top way of getting more traffic to your website and therefore making more sales.

Now, you need to know that you won't use SEO service if you're no internet business - but then again, if you don't come with an online presence if you are a offline business, then you'll not allow it to be very far.

It is a well known proven fact that if you are planning to really make it in the offline world you must have an online business. This really is something which all business people are learning the hard way. One thing that you should also know is that it is not as simple as just setting up the website and leaving it to complete its things.

You can do this in most sorts of ways, however these companies usually take advantage of multiple methods to create an ideal marketing technique online. You will be able to hire them to write articles for you personally, post on forums and blogs, create meta data and meta descriptions, cleanup the code, add alt tags towards the images and much more.

It is very important that you do this because otherwise the organization that you have worked so hard for could wind up losing the money. If you have a website that you want to produce, then you will also use the expertise of a search engine optimization company, which stands for seo company. What this company does is actually take the best areas of your site, check the code, create keywords and write various articles and documents to ensure that your site is placed near the the surface of the list for that major search engines like google.

By doing this the Search engine optimization company cannot only increase your traffic, but additionally make sure that your website is fully optimized for the search engine spiders that'll be brought to it. These spiders are utilized to analyze your website and put it in certain positions determined on certain keywords.

If you want to make use of the SEO services Vancouver then all you have to do is find the top companies. It's through these that the SEO gets done effectively and efficiently. With so many SEO companies to select from you have to be sure that the main one you are going for is reliable. You should be in a position to request a breakdown of what you want, and the company should also have the ability to tell you know long they've been operating for. This will narrow down the list to reveal the top ones.

Search engine optimization Provided by Different Vancouver Web Companies

The Vancouver SEO company services are very beneficial for business growth as they provide quality services. If you are planning to create a website for the online business, then you have come to right article as I is going to be explaining below how SEO Vancouver company services can increase your website ranking making it popular.

Before that, you need to know what Search Engine Optimization is. It is not that complicated and I'm sure you're going to get a grasp from it reading my article. The primary goal of SEO is to have increased traffic to your website and target audience. It's a good decision to choose a Vancouver SEO company that specializes in this sort of work, so that your website can be listed in search engines like google.

There isn't any reason for you having a website without any website ranking whatsoever while you won't have any business and profits to outlive. It's a very tough atmosphere out there because there are a lot of internet business people exactly like you, who desire their share of pie. You must be aware of the truth that nearly 85% of online traffic could be got from internet websites.

Whenever a user types in a keyword or keywords for what he/she wants to know in various sites, these use crawlers to get web sites using the relevant content and index them according to algorithms. You don't have to be worried about the algorithms which these sites use as that is not important.

To appear in the first page of the search result, you will need to hire professionals and pros who can do the needful to maintain your site among the good books during these websites. These professionals can optimize your website content to ensure your site gets increased traffic.

When the traffic gets high, it's a sign that you are obtaining a service that will get you more revenues. SEO Vancouver company do the next to create your site appear within the first page of search engine results.

Use keywords which are popularly utilized on search engines on your website content.
Have a web design for the website which is simple because top sites are allergic to flash and weird designs.
Submit your website to directories.
Submit your site to directory websites.
Postings on blogs and forums with back links to your websites. This really is considered as a very effective way to get increased traffic aimed at your website as many online users use blogs and forums.

SEO Vancouver company also perform site diagnostics that is an important part in online optimization as research and analysis on finding keywords may be the method to start a SEO campaign. So, be sure you select the right SEO Vancouver company.

Are you looking for more information regarding SEO Vancouver? Visit http://www.seo4vancouver.com/seo-services.asp today!

What to Expect Whenever Hiring a Roofing Contractors

When it comes time to correct or even substitute your homes roof, it can be a daunting job to locate somebody that is competent for the job. There are lots of roofing companies out there, but the ones who will do a congrats for any reasonable cost are not often easy to find. If you are in the marketplace for a service provider, use the tips beneath with regard to interviewing and employing the right one.

Job interview as well as Consultation

Most roofing contractors provide totally free consultations. This is especially important, because it gives them an opportunity to evaluate what your homes roof requirements, also it provides you with an opportunity to assess them. As with all businesses, trust your instincts concerning the people you let up onto your roofing. No issue exactly how good a contractor's reputation or recommendation, he or she should begin by showing a person with a business card. If a service provider arrives searching as well as speaking in an less than professional manner, chances are that the task he's going to perform will also be unprofessional. This is not to say that you should expect contractors to arrive in fits. They is going to be hiking in your roof, therefore the majority of will be dressed up in denim jeans as well as work boots or athletic shoes. If the actual contractor appears to be more interested in talking on his cell phone during your roof compared to he's in evaluating your roof's needs, that may be another indication that he is not really the main one for the job. For your legal protection, be certain that the service provider offers sufficient legal responsibility insurance coverage.

Roofing Assessment

Anticipate that the contractor is going to be rising on your roof. In fact, any kind of service provider who does not need to increase in your roofing to judge the issue ought to be instantly reduced. Those who are serious about their own work may either create a drawing of your roof's surface area and tag problem areas onto it as they undergo their own evaluation, or they will take photos or even video clip of the surface area while they're available online for. This is a very essential step, because it enables you to see just what the troubles are and understand how they'll be fixed.

Estimation

The next step would be the created estimate. The service provider will take away their calculator and are available up with a written estimate. Some contractors goes to their truck or van as well as write up the actual suggestion, while others may crunch the actual numbers to do the job in front of you. Once you're given the proposal, ensure that you comprehend exactly which products will be utilized, just how long the job will take and if there are any extra or concealed costs that could arise during the repair from the roofing. The contractor should be able to solution all of these questions effortlessly and forewarn you of any additional costs that could be sustained should the roof's integrity be damaged within.

After you have obtained a few written estimations from roofing contractors, assess exactly what every organization or contractor would like to offer you for the cost. Do not necessarily low cost the highest bet, because sometimes the highest bet will in reality be the service provider who does the task properly. Additionally, be wary of bids which are not nearly as expensive other people. They may be utilizing inferior products or perhaps be unethical about the possibility of hidden expenses. Most importantly, believe in intuition and go with the service provider that makes you feel quite comfortable regarding handing over your money.

Seven Uyghurs Sentenced to Death

2011-03-23

Critics of the sentences say China has politicized the robberies as acts of terrorism.

AFP

A Uyghur man walks past armed Chinese security forces in Urumqi, July 17, 2009.

Chinese authorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang have ordered the executions of seven ethnic minority Uyghur men convicted of "violent" crimes, official media said on Wednesday.

The death sentences were handed down by the Supreme People's Court in recent days, according to state media in the regional capital, Urumqi.

The men were accused in connection with three separate attacks late last year in the Silk Road city of Kashgar, according to the news website Urumqi Online.

According to another website, the Xinjiang-based Tianshan news site, Aimaiti Tuheti, Yiming Dawuti, and unnamed "others" killed a security guard at a pedestrian mall as part of a failed Aug. 7 robbery attempt.

In a separate incident on Oct. 12, it said, Nuermaimaiti Aobulikasimu and 11 others broke into a house, bound and killed the couple living in it, and took their possessions.

It said the group also broke into the homes of two brothers, robbed them, and killed six people in a Nov. 11 attack in Kashgar.

The report gave no information about the victims or the schedule for the executions.

Three of the men were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, a sentence that is normally commuted to life imprisonment in China's judicial system.

They were convicted of deliberate homicide and armed robbery by the Kashgar Intermediate People's Court in the first instance.

'Strike hard' campaign

A Han Chinese resident of Urumqi surnamed Yang said a reference to "terrorism" in official news reports on the case showed that it was being politicized by the authorities, who have launched a series of "strike hard" campaigns in Xinjiang following deadly ethnic violence in July 2009.

"There is an implied political meaning; that they were somehow engaged in separatist activities or ethnic divisions," said Yang.

Exile Uyghur groups said the trials had been conducted behind closed doors, with scant opportunity for public scrutiny.

"The entire process against these men, from the trial through to the judgment, was opaque," said Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress.

"There was also very little reasonable evidence to convict them on a legal basis, because all the evidence came from one side of the case," he said.

"We strongly condemn the Chinese government for continuing to pursue their policies of ethnic division," said Raxit.

"We are also strongly opposed to the death penalty in this case."

Earlier cases

Last month, the Supreme Court sentenced four Uyghurs to death for alleged involvement in an Aug. 19 bomb attack in Xinjiang’s western Aksu city.

The World Uyghur Congress pointed to concerns over lack of transparency in those cases too.

The Aksu blast left eight people dead, including two of the bombers, and 15 wounded after a man riding a three-wheeled vehicle threw explosives at a group of uniformed patrolmen. Four Uyghurs were arrested shortly after the attack.

State media characterized the cases as acts of terrorism and unrelated to longstanding ethnic tensions between Uyghurs and Han Chinese in the region.

Exiled Uyghur dissident Rebiya Kadeer has warned that attacks like those in Aksu will continue to occur until Beijing addresses the underlying source of tension in the region.

Millions of Uyghurs—a distinct, Turkic minority who are predominantly Muslim—populate Central Asia and Xinjiang.

Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness despite China's ambitious plans to develop its vast northwestern frontier.

Those frustrations erupted in July 2009 in deadly riots that left nearly 200 people dead, by the Chinese government's tally.

At least 26 people, mostly Uyghurs, were sentenced to death in the aftermath of the riots, many of whom have been executed, according to state media.

China is believed to execute more people each year than the rest of the world’s countries combined, although the government does not publish official figures.

Rights groups say Beijing may execute as many as several thousand prisoners annually.

Chinese authorities blame Uyghur separatists for a series of deadly attacks in recent years and accuse one group in particular of maintaining ties to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

New training scheme

China on Wednesday also announced a training scheme which places ethnic minority graduates from Xinjiang in work elsewhere in China.

Governments of the destination cities will spend 450 million yuan (U.S.$ 69 million) for the program, while Xinjiang will spend 400 million yuan (U.S.$ 61 million), the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The program targets some 60,000 jobless college graduates in Xinjiang, around 80 percent of whom are from ethnic minorities, and 60 percent of whom are women.

However, some commentators see the move as an attempt to assimilate non-Han Chinese into mainstream Chinese culture.

"From the point of view of ethnic minorities, the graduate work scheme is really taking the cream of youth from the minorities and using them to 'further cultural development,'" wrote one ethnic minority user on a popular microblogging service.

"In fact, the culture that is being advanced is Han culture, and this group of young people will have been totally brainwashed," the microblog update said.

An Urumqi resident surnamed Li agreed.

"They have run senior high school schemes like this before during the past few years," he said.

"Whether it's high-schoolers or graduate training programs, these are measures that are aimed at thought control and brainwashing, and the 'Partification' of their education," he said.

Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.

Wikileaks and also the Uyghurs

by henry upon December 20, This year
Henryk Szadziewski, Supervisor, Uyghur Human Rights Project

If it were ever in doubt, information obtained through the whistleblower website, Wikileaks, offers confirmed Chinese federal government worries more than it's continued control of the location it calls Xinjiang, which is also known as Eastern Turkestan. The leaked out wires through Ough.S. diplomats demonstrate the extent to which Chinese government bodies make an effort to convince governments worldwide to consider it's position on problems affecting Uyghurs. The wires additionally show the actual U . s . States' issues and views regarding the ongoing repressive steps in the region.

Most lighting associated with Chinese language federal government stress would be the wires directed to Chinese language frustration, or even the specter associated with Chinese language ire, within the discharge of Uyghur detainees in Guantánamo to 3rd nations. The Dec 29, 2008 cable applies how Chinese language Helper International Minister Liu Jieyi fulfilled with the U.Utes. Ambassador in order to China to voice Beijing's strong competitors associated with launch to any kind of nation other than The far east, and that when the Ough.S. do indeed accede for this request it would "avoid injury to bilateral relationships and to co-operation ‘in important areas'". Furthermore, a February 2009 cable television describes how the Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Zhang Yannian, regarded the actual feasible discharge of Uyghur Guantánamo detainees because "an unfriendly act towards us" along with a "slap in the face". The U.S. federal government was company in not really liberating the actual detainees to China demonstrates the degree of the politicized nature from the Chinese judicial system. Legitimate issues more than terrorism are understandable, but in the Ough.Utes. government's view the detainees would most likely encounter torture and execution if they returned to China

Chinese language government stress in regard to the Uyghur Guantánamo detainees wasn't just applied to the actual U.Utes. federal government, but additionally in order to New Zealand along with a handful of European government authorities that were considering resettlement. Albania, Germany and Finland, in addition to Eu fellow member states all appear to have borne the impact associated with Chinese federal government unhappiness. Regarding Indonesia, that was initially willing to consider two Uyghurs on solely relief grounds, Uyghur Guantánamo instances were much less better than additional detainees due to the unwanted effects accepting Uyghurs might have on relationships along with China. A Might Eight, 2009 cable applies exactly how "German Ambassador Erina Schaefer reported that Indonesia experienced informed China of the U.S. request to simply accept a few Uighur detainees kept from Guantánamo coupled with been subsequently cautioned by The far east associated with ‘a large load upon bilateral relations' in the event that Germany were to simply accept any kind of detainees".

The diplomatic cables additionally talk about the unrest in Urumchi, the actual local capital, in July 2009. The July 13, 2009 cable discussing bulk incidents within The far east says:

"Ethnic riots such as those in Xinjiang This summer 5-7 and in Tibet within March associated with 08 differ substantially in origin as well as character from mass incidents, XXXXXXXXXXXX emphasized to PolOff [Political Officer] on XXXXXXXXXXXX. Each present serious problems for the Celebration, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, however the Celebration management wouldn't hesitate to open fireplace upon Uighurs or Tibetans when they deemed it essential to restore order. Bulk incidents pose a different kind of threat, he explained, as the leadership is actually ‘afraid' to fireplace upon Han rioters for anxiety about causing massive open public outrage that would change from the Celebration."

This is a chilling viewpoint, particularly when 1 considers evidence presented by 50 percent reviews launched this year through the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) as well as Amnesty International which detail eyewitness company accounts from the utilization of deadly live fire towards Uyghur protestors in This summer '09. Additionally, the actual observation which fireplace would not be used towards Han Chinese protestors offers resonances for that various strategy taken by Chinese language security forces in Urumchi to Han Chinese direct orders in Sept '09. Throughout those direct orders, after that Celebration Secretary, Wang Lequan, tackled demonstrators, that had required he let them know about government responses in order to protection concerns. An identical ask for to satisfy using the Party Assistant by Uyghur protesters within This summer was not fulfilled.

The broader consequences from the unrest additionally noticed a brief discussion about the effect it would have on Iran-China relations, and on relationships with Australia following World Uyghur Congress Leader, Ms. Rebiya Kadeer, spoke at the National Press Membership in Canberra within July 2009. In the second option situation, the Chinese federal government "privately warn[ed] a significant Australian bank that sponsors the National Press Club to make use of its impact to bar the Kadeer speech there".

The actual United States' concerns concerning the scenario in the Uyghur area also come via within the wires. In a discussion upon policy direction within Tibet, Ough.S. authorities explain that it'll be impossible with regard to Chinese frontrunners to consider the softer collection "if they appear like doing so below worldwide pressure". The cable out dated April Sixteen, 08, 30 days after the outbreak associated with unrest within Tibetan regions, additionally relayed the actual declaration "that household balance continues to be leadership's top priority above all else, meaning there'll ‘almost surely' be no relaxation from the current hard line on Tibet or perhaps in places such as Xinjiang." The info included in the cable television additionally sheds light on the severe sensitivity with which china government views territorial ethics, and the feasible drip over associated with unrest through Tibet.

The prospect associated with solutions to tensions in Tibet as well as Xinjiang arising from municipal culture are debated inside a February Twenty-four, 08 cable television. While suggesting which China's financial success increases its potential to deal with democratic reform, the cable television additionally discusses exactly how Chinese leaders see the effectiveness of "a limited expansion of civil society, such as improvements in the guideline associated with law and a more powerful part with regard to authorized religions, NGOs, non profit organizations and other actors within places which contribute to social balance and do not problem Communist Celebration rule." This is a significant alternation in thinking, that has seen Ough.S. officials promote the notion which Chinese economic development, and economic relations along with The far east will bring in regards to a progressively democratic culture; however, much more faith appears to be put into a grassroots motion than one that begins from the best levels of the Chinese federal government. Nonetheless, the cable television proves which "[i]n areas for example Tibet and Xinjiang, driving a car associated with separatism leads to tight limitations on the development of civil society." This approach can be regarded as counter-productive by the recognized, that suggests that the Ough.S. government "should continue to express...serious issues more than Beijing's individual rights report and attract China's growing consciousness that higher respect for individual rights, spiritual independence and the rule associated with regulation assists to promote the improvement as well as social balance that China seeks as well as to improve China's worldwide image." Such a technique might take considerable diplomatic abilities thinking about "China's paranoid concern that the United States privately encourages routine alter as well as ‘separatists' in Taiwan, Tibet as well as Xinjiang".

The cables provide understanding of the actual every day company of diplomacy that is rarely afforded to the general public, which is interesting to notice the quantity of work done behind closed doors on Uyghur issues. The significance of the actual part of the us like a monitor of Uyghur human privileges conditions within personal conversations is created clear, as well as contrasts using its tactful public stance. The staff of the Uyghur Human Privileges Project is well aware of the pressure china government puts on Uyghur activists; still, the facts associated with Chinese language government pressure upon it's alternatives is actually illustrative from the diploma which Chinese authorities make an effort to control contradictory stories. With increased facts in the future through Wikileaks, issues over Uyghurs might not grab the actual head lines, however the wires have shed new gentle on the paperwork of individual rights problems in the Uyghur area.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Wikileaks and also the Uyghurs

through henry on Dec Twenty, This year
Henryk Szadziewski, Manager, Uyghur Human Rights Project

If it had been actually uncertain, info acquired by the whistleblower website, Wikileaks, offers verified Chinese federal government worries over its ongoing control of the region it calls Xinjiang, which is also referred to as Eastern Turkestan. The leaked cables from U.Utes. diplomats show the actual degree that Chinese language authorities make an effort to persuade government authorities worldwide to adopt it's position on problems affecting Uyghurs. The cables also display the U . s . States' issues as well as views concerning the ongoing repressive steps in the region.

Most lighting associated with Chinese government stress are the wires pointing in order to Chinese anger, or even the specter associated with Chinese ire, within the discharge of Uyghur detainees within Guantánamo to 3rd nations. The Dec 29, 08 cable relates exactly how Chinese language Assistant International Reverend Liu Jieyi fulfilled using the Ough.S. Ambassador in order to The far east in order to tone of voice Beijing's strong opposition of release to any country other than The far east, and that when the U.Utes. do indeed accede to this ask for it would "avoid harm to bilateral relations and also to cooperation ‘in important areas'". Furthermore, a Feb '09 cable television describes how the Chinese language Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Zhang Yannian, regarded as the possible discharge of Uyghur Guantánamo detainees as "an unfriendly act towards us" and a "slap in the face". The Ough.Utes. government stood company in not really liberating the detainees to China demonstrates the actual extent from the politicized nature of the Chinese judicial program. Legitimate concerns more than terrorism are understandable, but in the Ough.Utes. government's view the detainees would probably encounter do-it-yourself torture and execution if they came back in order to China

Chinese government stress regarding the actual Uyghur Guantánamo detainees wasn't just put on the U.S. federal government, but additionally to Brand new Zealand along with a handful of European government authorities that were thinking about resettlement. Albania, Germany as well as Finland, in addition to Eu member says just about all have the symptoms of borne the brunt of Chinese language government unhappiness. In the case of Germany, that was at first prepared to consider 2 Uyghurs upon solely relief grounds, Uyghur Guantánamo cases were much less preferable to other detainees because of the negative effects accepting Uyghurs might have on relations along with The far east. A May 8, 2009 cable television applies exactly how "German Ambassador Michael Schaefer documented that Germany experienced informed The far east of the Ough.S. request to simply accept a few Uighur detainees kept from Guantánamo and had been consequently cautioned by China of ‘a large load on bilateral relations' in the event that Indonesia were to accept any detainees".

The diplomatic wires also talk about the unrest in Urumchi, the regional capital, within This summer '09. The July 13, '09 cable talking about mass incidents in China says:

"Ethnic riots like those who work in Xinjiang This summer 5-7 and in Tibet in 03 associated with 2008 differ substantially within source and character through mass occurrences, XXXXXXXXXXXX stressed to PolOff [Political Officer] upon XXXXXXXXXXXX. Each present serious problems for the actual Party, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, but the Celebration leadership would not wait to open fireplace on Uighurs or Tibetans when they considered it necessary to restore order. Bulk occurrences present a different kind of risk, he explained, as the leadership is ‘afraid' to fireplace on Han rioters for anxiety about sparking huge open public outrage that will turn from the Celebration."

This can be a chilling viewpoint, particularly when 1 views evidence offered by 50 percent reports released this year by the Uyghur Individual Rights Project (UHRP) and Amnesty International that detail eyewitness accounts from the utilization of deadly live fire against Uyghur protestors in This summer 2009. Additionally, the observation which fireplace would not be deployed towards Han Chinese protestors has resonances for that different approach taken through Chinese security forces within Urumchi to Han Chinese language protests in September 2009. During individuals protests, then Party Assistant, Wang Lequan, tackled protesters, who experienced demanded that he inform them regarding federal government responses to protection concerns. A similar request to satisfy with the Celebration Assistant through Uyghur protesters within This summer wasn't fulfilled.

The wider repercussions of the unrest also noticed a brief discussion on the impact it might possess on Iran-China relations, and on relationships along with Australia after World Uyghur Our elected representatives Leader, Ms. Rebiya Kadeer, talked in the National Press Membership within Canberra in July 2009. In the second option situation, the Chinese federal government "privately warn[ed] a major Aussie financial institution that sponsors the National Press Club to use its influence to bar a Kadeer talk there".

The U . s . States' issues about the situation within the Uyghur area are available through in the wires. In a discussion on policy path within Tibet, Ough.Utes. authorities explain that it'll be impossible with regard to Chinese language leaders to consider a softer line "if they look like they are doing so under worldwide pressure". The actual cable out dated 04 16, 08, 30 days after the episode of unrest within Tibetan regions, additionally relayed the observation "that domestic stability continues to be leadership's main concern above all else, meaning there'll ‘almost surely' end up being absolutely no rest of the current difficult collection upon Tibet or perhaps in locations like Xinjiang." The info included in the cable television additionally sheds light on the extreme level of sensitivity with which the Chinese federal government sights territorial ethics, and also the feasible drip over associated with unrest through Tibet.

The chance of methods to stress within Tibet as well as Xinjiang as a result of civil society tend to be debated inside a February Twenty-four, 08 cable. Whilst recommending that China's economic achievement will increase its resistance to democratic reform, the cable television additionally talks about exactly how Chinese language leaders begin to see the effectiveness of "a limited growth associated with municipal culture, including enhancements within the guideline associated with regulation along with a more powerful part for authorized beliefs, NGOs, charities along with other actors within areas which contribute to social stability and do not challenge Communist Party rule." This can be a significant alternation in thinking, which has seen U.Utes. officials promote the idea which Chinese financial development, and financial relationships along with China brings about a steadily democratic culture; however, more belief seems to be put into a grassroots motion compared to one that starts in the top levels of the Chinese language federal government. Nonetheless, the actual cable television proves which "[i]n areas for example Tibet and Xinjiang, the fear associated with separatism leads to tighter restrictions on the growth of civil society." This method is viewed as counter-productive by the recognized, who shows that the actual Ough.Utes. government "should continue to express...serious concerns over Beijing's individual rights record and attract China's developing awareness which greater regard for individual privileges, spiritual freedom and the guideline associated with law assists to promote the very improvement and sociable balance which The far east seeks as well as to improve China's worldwide picture." This type of technique would consider substantial diplomatic abilities considering "China's weird concern that the United States privately encourages routine alter and ‘separatists' within Taiwan, Tibet as well as Xinjiang".

The actual wires offer insight into the every day company associated with diplomacy that's rarely afforded to everyone, and it is fascinating to notice the quantity of function carried out behind closed doors upon Uyghur problems. The importance of the role of the United States like a keep track of associated with Uyghur human privileges problems within personal conversations is created obvious, and contrasts with its sensible public position. The staff of the Uyghur Human Rights Task is comfortable with pressure china federal government exerts on Uyghur activists; still, the facts of Chinese federal government pressure on it's alternatives is illustrative of the diploma which Chinese language officials make an effort to control contradictory narratives. With more facts in the future through Wikileaks, issues over Uyghurs may not grab the actual head lines, but the cables have get rid of brand new gentle about the documentation of human privileges problems within the Uyghur area.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Search Engine Optimisation And Marketing with articles Will Place You On Page One

Search engine marketing and marketing with articles are two of the most powerful strategies that can be used in promoting your internet site and get the revenue and success that you desire for your online business. These two stuff has been around for a really very long time already nevertheless they still remain to be really effective. In fact, these have helped many people free themselves from your traditional ways of money-generating options of society.

In this post, I will be showing the ways on what you can properly execute search engine optimization and article marketing for the betterment of your small business website. Furthermore, I will also be discussing different points that you have to look out for when you are using these two online marketing strategies to market your website and acquire customers. Even though article promotion and Search engine optimisation have been in existence for a long time already, you have to know that the trends and choices regarding how they are carried out are continually changing, which is why you need to keep yourself up to date with these items through the help of Search engine optimization forum sites to be able to quickly adjust and learn how to make your strategies more effective.

In the past marketing with articles to various web-sites was once so simple the effects that they produce for web sites was powerful. However, stuff has changed a great deal today. These days submitting exactly the same article to several websites is not a good suggestion because engines like google have now changed with a huge extent in the manner they rank pages. They no longer rank contents that are identical like they used to in the past. This really is among the best types of changes that happens to online marketing trends. This change has given birth to wide plethora of methods that internet marketers are using today. Most of web marketers now produce articles and publish them in really popular article submission sites and await targeted traffic arrive at their pages. Be thought of as that most reliable Search engine optimization strategy that you can use. Aside from being effective, and also this provides favorable benefits regularly. A small problem using this strategy is the caliber of traffic you will get using this will not be that good if you do not do proper keyphrase research beforehand and rehearse in-links. You first need for attending these two things prior to deciding to submit your articles so that you won't find yourself losing large amounts of targeted visitors. Because of this you need to practice good amounts of diligence if you want your advertising initiatives to work.

Other than articles, you can even use blogging, which can be another really powerful form of internet marketing strategy today because it is highly favored by google and yahoo. On this technique, you are able to choose to produce a single blogging site that specifically targets your best market or else you can give rise to other blogs which are called experts within your niche.

Learn effective Vancouver search engine optimization techniques at the Vancouver SEO website.

Roofing Contractors Vancouver Washington

There are numerous things to take into consideration when looking for any roofing contractor. Price tag, experience, along with referrals are some of the things you will likely be concerned about. Read on for even other great ideas.

Finding a Roofing Contractors

Before buying roofing contractor, make sure you have a basic idea of the work that you need to have done. By no means must you be an expert. If you have any Roof Certification, read it thoroughly to find the specifics of your present roof. Should you not have a Roof Certificate, reference documents closed during shutting to locate your homes Inspection linen. These files should provide you with everything you need to find out about your roof. Before contacting the roofing contractor, you have to have a list of requirements and specifications to help you decide exactly who is suitable for your covering project. Make sure to write down every potential roof covering contractor's answers and check them against each other. If you will find any inacucuracy, be sure to be aware this and also take this into consideration when making a final choice. There are no uncomplicated ways to go with a roofing contractor, but when you take attention to the details provided, your odds of a successful roofer project are usually greatly superior.

One of the best means of finding a roofing contractor is by word of mouth. Try asking a friend or relative who's had roofer work completed, and had been satisfied with the job. Get the title of the business and his or her contact information. If you have no word of oral cavity referrals, attempt first seeking in the cell phone book and internet-based. A large ad or fancy website just isn't necessarily an illustration of the top quality of work, but can be a excellent tool regarding measuring the amount of time and dedication they have put in their respected profession. Furthermore, try finding current worksites and search at the roofer work that's done or perhaps in the process of staying finished. If you are visually amazed, ask the property manager for the name with the roofing contractor and their speak to information.

Research

When looking for a new roofing contractors, it is imperative to initial do the background research. Acquire the best in the phonebook or on the web is a suitable spot to find a service provider, finding important information on these kind of businesses is going to be found in many areas. Initial, check with locations like the Bbb, city, point out, and region public records, along with local accreditation agencies. Request your roofing contractor if they are a member of any roofing contractor associations. These kinds of precautions will mitigate your current risks. In addition ask them what kinds of roofing they will specialize in. Furthermore ask the roofing contractor about any extended auto warranties they offer on his or her installed rooftops. Find out what measures they choose to use avoid destruction done to other regions of the home by workers. Things such as gutters, siding, and fireplaces are near the coast proximity and thus susceptible to unintended damages.

Ensure all of this facts are included in your written contract. Check if you need a covering permit and/or choice from your house owners association beforehand. These organizations will let you know that is responsible for acquiring these allows and permissions. If it is the obligation of the roofer, also have the idea included in your contract. If it's your accountability, get said permits and permissions collated using the estimated roofing project and also have it plainly posted as well as readily available.

Licensing and Recommendations

Roofing Companies are not forced to be qualified in all declares. Contact neighborhood licensing businesses that govern general building contractors for the list of needs. Once you have acquired the requirements, make a list of comprehensive questions to ask your current potential roofer. This simple checklist should instantly help you to discount the certified from the unqualified roofing installers. Qualified building contractors should be able to very easily answer questions or tell you that they have to do even more research ahead of giving the definitive reply.

Even if the roofing contractor features all essential licensing, you should ask to see pictures of completed roofing jobs and also speak to satisfied clients. Possess a list of concerns handy to ask recent consumers, such as the dynamics of the work, timeliness, and overall satisfaction. Make sure these are recent clients along with cross research if possible. When it comes to commercial roofing, make sure that the roofing contractor will be bonded. Checking these personal references is another included measure of security to limit the list regarding potential roofer contractors.

Search engine optimization Through Article marketing

Content creation can be a very powerful form of Seo for your company websites. Quality written articles be capable of improve your websites SERP and add quality for a company website. Writing informative keyword rich articles is vital in gaining new backlinks for a business website. Articles can and should be written on topics which can be unique to your business or industry. The articles can discuss an array of issues and ideas in your industry. Articles that offer your reader using a resource are invariably the most popular and quite a few likely forms of articles that may result in backlinks aimed at your web.

Focus your posts on your potential readers or customers. Seo articles should address real questions that are asked by current or past clients. Each article you're posting for you personally company includes detailed analysis and Seo keywords that will help associate your site using the content contained in your website. Focus your articles on up to 3 keywords and don't stray from them. Consistency is very important when writing Search engine optimization articles. If you're writing about Vancouver Search engine optimization make certain your still reveal information strongly related the keyword.

Give every one of your Seo Articles an engaging Title that can encourage people to read and bookmark your articles. Ideally, the articles you're writing can be as links off their websites which might be just like yours. This can help raise the power of each link and definately will aid in increasing your SERP. Ensure that you end each article which has a keyword anchored link (see Easy Small company Search engine optimization). This link will help to increase your rankings in Google and also other major engines like google for that keyword coupled to the link. Submit the articles to some free article directory and Voila! Before you know it, your web site could be around the first page of Google.

Thanks for reading. Can't wait to talk to your Search engine optimization articles!

Vancouver Search Engine Optimization Company Aims For Google Places With Overall Good results

When we type in research online term trying to find a business inside their local area, they may find that Google places and Google maps is showing listings of local businesses. It is rather eminent to allow them to be optimized and listed on this first page when they desire to generate business. Vancouver SEO companies must be educated in this area for their clients.

There seems to be a large amount of new Vancouver SEO companies starting up, simply because the need is there. Finding a search engine optimization firm that has the client's interest at heart can be tedious. What number of keywords do they optimize for? What are keywords along with the corresponding search volume? Do they discover how to optimize for Google places? Etc. Seo is the business of landing towards the top and Maxim Edge can get you there.

"My wife and I started our Vancouver Seo agency by accident. We have learned from the school of hard knocks and learning from mistakes how to utilize web to showcase any business. We began while using website, then this competition, and then of course building quality back-links to push an internet site up inside the rankings. It isn't really pushing a control button and watching what goes on type of business. It requires a lot of effort, plenty of research and plenty of commitment. We give your very best for our clients and now we are very proud of a high retention rate." Randy Neale says.

For extra information about Michael, a Vancouver SEO company, please visit their site today at seo4vancouver.com

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Little about the Uyghurs

In the center of the desert landscapes of Taklamakan, in the north-west part of China, the land of Xinjiang is a very least populated land while it covers near to a sixth from the country's area. Having resisted while in hundreds of years the chinese domination, Xinjiang, or Old Eastern Turkestan, fell into within the Chinese Han control in 1949. From then, its population is generally Uyghur People and Turkish - speaking System.

Islamic especially, the Uyghur people have a strong religious identification which, in particular, permitted them to protect a solid difference in opposition to the Chinese invader. Certainly, the Uyghur Empire of Mongolia knew a great civilization, until its absorption by the Mongolian Empire in the XIIIth century.

During their background, the Uyghurs successively adopted Shamanism, Manicheism, Buddhism and the Nestorianism before finally changing to Islam when the Arab conquerors beat the Chinese in year 751 BC., therefore starting the way to the Islamization of the whole Central Asia.

Under the influence of the beliefs which they taken on, Uyghur People used successively, and sometimes in a competing way, a great number of written forms (turco-runic, brahmi, tokharien, soghdien) before developing their own graphic system.

The coming of Islam was a great change simply because it was followed by the absorption of the Uyghur areas in the immense Turco-Mongolian and Islamic Kingdom. Thus, the descendants of Genghis Khan progressively replaced their writing by a Arabo-Persan alphabet, still used currently.

If their writing, their own language and their religion mark a real big difference with the culture of Chinese Han, Uyghur People also are different from their aspect, so aspect of Central Asia's people. A shiny skin, eyes representing a whole pallet of colors, from black to deep blue, features pointing out to the Mongolian, Turkish or Uzbek roots of these men and these women.

For a few years, China has integrated the proper identity of these remote people, although they represent only nine million population - a little for this immense land. So, the Uyghurs are now part of the fifty six racial minority groups having been known in an official way by China.

This particular law will allow these people a few rights in a land exactly where their big difference is very often repressed. Therefore, Uyghur people escape the "single child policy" and their language is known as the second official language in Xinjiang.

The integration of the Uyghurs and their culture in China, however, seems quite illusory. The presence of natural resources in Xinjiang, and its closeness with nations well-known as sensitive, clearly motivated the government to speed up the sinicization of this area. Million of Han thus came to settle in this new Chinese eldorado, monopolizing the greater responsibility work opportunities.

In reaction to this true will to assimilate the Uyghur people into the Chinese culture, an independent party like East Turkistan Islamic Movement(ETIM) was born in the early 1990.

Asserting more freedom, but in particular the recognition of their true identity, this movement was seriously repressed by the power authorities in place Xinjiang.

The events of September 11, 2001, were the perfect occasion for the Chinese government to justify true reprisals: they declared the "Uyghur freedom fighters" as dangerous terrorists linked to Al Quaida because of their Muslim origins and their proximity with Pakistan and Afghanistan... However, the terrible repression which followed did not calm down the anger. The Uyghur peoples population continues today to proudly keep up their identity and their tradition , although they become a minority on their own land.

To get more information and facts about the Uyghurs, you can visit a Uyghur website called Uyghur News at http://www.uyghurnews.com

ation|Web optimization|Website seo|Seo optimization|Seo optimisation} Expert Advice - Getting Ahead Using SEO

In terms of success, one of several mot significant things is planning far ahead of time. Just like in everything else, preparation is the vital thing. When you prepare with determination selecting capable of getting prior to the competition, during the world of online business. Websites today are trying to do their utmost to get ahead of competition for their targeted search phrases through careful planning. Search engine optimisation is the foremost tool that can be used in order to achieve your goals and fortunately, the Search engine optimization expert consultancy and tips that have been discussed here is likely to make things simpler for you.

Search engine optimisation is important today

One of the many reasons why thousands of people today are looking for Search engine optimization expert advice is because it's one of the few strategies that tend to work today online. Search engine optimisation can be extremely effective in terms of getting a higher site ranking on search engines, increasing the amount of visitors on-page and improving the level of profits and sales. Although most people and any good Seo expert would let you know that it is a lengthy and complicated process, Search engine optimisation is a skill that could be learned. In case you employ the expertise of an expert or the use of tricks used by experts because of their own sites, it would be easier for you to understand the concept and use it to your own site.

Taking a search engine optimization course

Several businessmen and online website owners today take Website seo certification from experts today mainly because it turns out to be quite great for them. There are lots of short certification courses on Search engine optimisation currently available which can educate you on the basic concepts and provide you a grip on the subject. These trainings are often given by those who are experts inside field. Through training, these experts share their knowledge with the course participants, make them learn the essential approaches for better optimization of websites which will help the crooks to promote their business. These courses can educate them market and keyword research so that they can select the best possible keyword and obtain a better chance to rank higher for the search engines.

Website seo training can be quite helpful

Through Search engine optimisation training it will be possible to learn several concepts and tips like placing keywords in the right put in place the content of web sites. Another topic that's often tackled by such courses is linking strategy since it will also assist you to rank higher. These Website seo trainings and courses could be taken either online or even in the traditional format in classrooms, based on your own time and preferences. It is possible to help your site and enjoy better traffic and higher profits while using concepts which can be taught by these courses by an Seo expert.

The author is fulltime Website seo Expert, it is possible to know more about him and services they supply on their website http://www.seo4vancouver.com/.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Dirty Percent

Tuesday, 1 March 2011

Apple Should Consider Business Models That Can’t Afford a 70/30 Revenue Split

Apple Should Not Require Price Matching

Apple Should Not Require Apps to Offer In-App Subscriptions

Apple Should Be Taking Less, Possibly Far Less, Than 30 Percent

Competition vs. Anti-Competition

Preview of Final Result

Resources

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10

Step 11

Step 12

Step 13

Step 14

Step 15

Step 16

Step 17

Step 18

Step 19

Step 20

Step 21

Step 22

Step 23

Step 24

Step 25

Step 26

Step 27

Step 28

Step 29

Step 30

Step 31

Step 32

Step 33

Step 34

Monday, March 28, 2011

Job interview as well as Consultation

Roofing Assessment

Estimation

'Strike hard' campaign

Earlier cases

New training scheme

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Search engine optimisation is important today

Taking a search engine optimization course

Website seo training can be quite helpful

Followers

Blog Archive

About Me